Enigma: A Space Opera: Book Six of The Shadow Order

by Michael Robertson

  “There’s still one left.”

  “Left,” Sparks said.

  “I know. One left.”

  “No, left!”

  Owsk turned left and they shot from the tunnels out into the open sea.

  To see the expanse of water relaxed Seb a little and he said, “Man, am I glad to be here.” His palms sweating, his stomach tense, his jaw aching from where he’d bitten down on it for the entire ride, he let out a relieved sigh. “Well done, Owsk and Sparks. And thank you.”

  Although Sparks nodded, Owsk didn’t seem to hear him. Instead, he stared at a small screen in the dashboard. It showed a view out of the back of the Piscents.

  When Seb spun around to see the final sub burst from the tunnel, its front aglow with its charged laser, he said, “Shit!” as the line of red hurtled towards them.

  The beam moved too fast for them to avoid and exploded against the back of their sub. They rocked in the water as a shattering of light illuminated the sea around them again.

  Then Seb felt something tapping the top of his head. When he touched his crown, he felt the damp patch. Any composure he’d mustered left him at that moment, and his voice shook when he said, “Guys, we’ve sprung a leak!”

  CHAPTER 32

  The snow gushed out of the hole Reyes had just pulled at, and her heart lifted for the briefest of seconds. The white powder ran through the beam given off by her computer’s torch, forming a small pile on the ground. When she investigated further, shining the light into where she’d just excavated, her frame sank. “Rock.” She let out a deep sigh, her breath turning visible in front of her. “There are rocks everywhere.”

  Even with her gloves on, the grey stone blocking their exit felt cold when she pushed her hand into the hole and shoved it. Grunting at the effort, Reyes finally stopped and shook her head. “It won’t budge. There must be tons of snow behind it.”

  Although she knew they had no other way out of the small cave, Reyes shone her torch around it anyway. Every dark corner she lit up showed the same impenetrable grey rock. It took a great effort to force the words out, but they had to find the positive in their situation. “At least we’re safe for now. We’re in a better position than we were.”

  Reyes had been purposefully avoiding Bruke, but as the echo of her statement died in the small space, she finally focused her torch on him. He still lay on the ground, shivering and curled up in the foetal position. Any hope she’d tried to instil in them and herself sank with her plummeting dread. The second they’d stepped off the ship, he’d been dragged under by a fever. It had only gotten worse. But they were in a better situation than a few minutes ago. She hadn’t lied about that.

  SA sat as a permanent watcher. Maybe she saw the futility in their escape attempts. Maybe she understood what Reyes had feared; their liberation would only come if they were rescued.

  Reyes looked at her again and said, “Any luck connecting with the others?”

  A slow shake of her head, SA then sighed, producing a white cloud of mist. Too long in the frigid space and they’d all be in the same state as Bruke.

  “Why do you think you can’t get through to them?”

  The calm focus of SA’s attention shifted to the now blocked exit that Reyes stood next to. Maybe the snow. We might be wedged in too deep for my thoughts to get out of here.

  But Reyes saw something in her eyes. At first she took it for sadness, but then she saw it as something completely different. Something she’d not seen in SA before. Fear. “It’s not that, is it?”

  For a moment, SA looked at Reyes as if deciding which truth to tell her. She dropped her head and shook it. No, it’s not that at all. When I try to get through to them, I can only sense panic. I think they’re in a worse situation than we are.

  Reyes’s pulse returned to where it had been only seconds ago. She took several breaths to keep the panic at bay. “So we’re stuck in here?”

  For the time being, yes. Moses is too far away for me to connect with, and I can’t think of anyone else.

  “What about the beings close by? Is there anyone there that might be sympathetic to our cause?”

  The glaze of SA pulling into her mind spread across her eyes. A second later, they snapped wide and regarded Reyes with crystal clear focus. A few shakes of her head, she finally said, There’s no one we want to connect with down there.

  What did you just pick up on? Reyes said.

  Bruke then sneezed, the loud noise forcing Reyes to jump backwards. After she’d looked at the thick-set lizard, she returned her focus to SA. The worry she felt gnawing away at her sat in SA’s bioluminescent gaze. He’s not getting any better, Reyes said. He might have been delirious, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t comprehend what they said about him. Best to speak in secret.

  As if on cue, Bruke whimpered, twisting and writhing as if he could squirm free of his suffering.

  Reyes slipped her coat off. The chill emanating from the dark rock around them bit into her, lighting up gooseflesh all over her body and snapping her muscles tight. She laid it over her scaled friend. He needed it more.

  SA did the same and Reyes smiled through her tense jaw to watch it. They could both be cold for a while. Bruke, on the other hand, looked close to slipping past the point of no return.

  While bouncing on the spot and hugging herself for warmth, Reyes said, What do we do now?

  We wait.

  You think we’ll get through to them in time?

  I hope so, I really do. I suppose we just have to have faith.

  Faith?

  What else do we have? Hopefully, Seb and the others will get out of their predicament in time to hear me before it’s too late.

  CHAPTER 33

  Until that moment, Seb thought he’d felt panic beneath the water, but now, with the wet reminder of his vulnerability tapping against his head, he felt like he would go into cardiac arrest. It didn’t help when he looked at the usually stoic Owsk and saw genuine concern on the rock troll’s face.

  As if sensing Seb’s spiralling anxiety, Owsk said, “Don’t worry.” He pulled back on the flight stick so the sub travelled almost vertically up. “We should get close to the surface at least.”

  When you swam like a rock, close to the surface might as well be the seabed. Seb couldn’t reply to him.

  More water rained on Seb from the leak. It now ran a cold trickle down the side of his face. He swept his hair away from his forehead, which redirected the frigid saline rivulet down the back of his shirt. Red blasts shot past them on either side, strobing through the dark water, threatening to tear another hole in their vessel.

  A second shot then crashed into the Piscents in a shower of red sparks. Seb screamed as it shook through them, and they swayed from side to side while they continued to travel upwards.

  A stronger surge of water than before rushed in, soaking the top of Seb’s head. The echo in the small vessel threw his barking gasps back at him as if mocking his panic. Flashing lights in his vision, his world spun as he started to black out.

  When Sparks turned around to look at him, he saw the twist of her small face. Because of his fading sight, he didn’t see the slap until it connected. A loud crack crashed through his head, and his right cheek lit up with the contact. His world returned to normal. He held where she’d hit him, the cold salt water continuing to rain down on him. “What was that for?”

  Sparks spoke slowly and through clenched teeth. “Get. A. Grip.”

  Before Seb could respond, she returned to her small computer, her fingers flying over the screen.

  The anxiety attack subsided. However, the situation hadn’t improved. Sure, he could see light above them—way above them—but they wouldn’t make it to the rock.

  Suddenly, the chaos inside Seb stopped. He let it go. Panic wouldn’t get them out of there. If they were destined to sink and drown, then so be it; he didn’t need to help it along. His world slipped into slow motion.

  It took for that moment for Seb to reali
se how strong his grip was on the chair’s armrests. He held on so tightly his knuckles ached. When he loosened it a little, he caught a flap of the leather upholstery. A small patch had come loose along the bottom of the left armrest.

  When Seb ripped a strip of it free, he saw Owsk look in the direction of the sound. “What are you doing?” the rock troll said.

  But Seb didn’t answer him. Instead, he turned around and forced the patch of leather into the hole that let the water in. It didn’t stop the flow completely, but it slowed it down. He let his breath go for what felt like the first time since the Piscents had sprung its leak. “I’ve plugged the hole!”

  Neither Sparks nor Owsk responded, both of them engaged in their getaway. When Seb looked up at the lighter water above, he saw the shadow of what must have been the ship they flew in on. He looked at Sparks to see her piloting it remotely, bringing it closer to them.

  Seb spun around and looked behind them. Their pursuer had gotten close. So close, he could see Buster again.

  When they sent another shot their way, Seb called out, “Left!” and Owsk threw the Piscents to the left.

  Another shot, Seb yelled, “Right!”

  Again, Owsk followed his directions.

  Just as Seb inhaled to call out again, light flooded into the submarine. The sound of rushing water surrounded them as they broke through the surface, dragging some of the sea with them. He spun around in time to see them leap towards the ship they’d flown in on. The cargo bay doors were open, but it looked like they might miss their intended target. Then the ship shifted at the last moment to catch them. Sparks worked furiously on her mini-computer.

  A clumsy landing, metal rubbed against metal as they came to a screeching halt inside the ship. But they’d made it.

  Before Seb could say anything, Owsk opened the top of the sub, jumped out, and headed for the ship’s cockpit.

  Sparks hopped out next.

  When Seb climbed free from the vessel, he retrieved an automatic blaster from the rack on the wall and ran to the edge of the cargo bay. As he looked out at the water, the sub that had followed them became clearer and clearer with its rapid acceleration. The semi-automatic blaster pressed into his shoulder, he looked down the barrel of it, put pressure on the trigger, and held his breath to keep his aim steady.

  Then Owsk shifted the ship, and Seb lost sight of the sub as it vanished beneath them. “Hey,” he called, “I had a good shot then.”

  But Owsk didn’t respond, and when Seb looked back, he saw Sparks run over to a large button on the wall. She slapped her open palm against it.

  A deep whoom vibrated through the ship, and before Seb knew it, he got ripped from his spot. Led by his metal hands, he dropped his gun as he flew across the cargo bay, connecting with the centre of the floor.

  Before Seb could say anything, a loud bang slammed against the bottom of their ship. He shook his head. “What is it with magnets!”

  Not quite a smile, Sparks’ purple eyes glowed as she took him in.

  “You’re enjoying this, aren’t you?”

  Instead of replying, Sparks ran to the edge of the cargo bay’s open doors and looked out while Owsk piloted the ship. As much as Seb craned his neck, his limited movement meant he couldn’t see where they were going.

  Sparks ran back to the button she’d pressed and slammed her hand against it again.

  The pull on Seb’s fists eased, and the sub they’d dragged from the sea crashed down onto the rock below.

  Seb didn’t need to be told what to do. As he got to his feet, Sparks threw him the blaster he’d dropped. He caught it in midair before jumping from the cargo bay onto the rock below. Sparks joined him, both of them with their weapons trained on the sub.

  The pilot was armed when it opened the vessel, so Seb shot it through the forehead before it had a chance to do anything. His world returned to normal speed. He looked at the slack-jawed Sparks. “I just want to get away from this planet. The last thing we need is a gunfight on this poxy rock. I ain’t going back in that water.” He then walked over to Buster and held a hand out to him. “It’s nice to see you, friend.”

  For a second it looked like Buster would refuse the tag of friend. Instead, he said nothing and took Seb’s hand, allowing him to help him. While stepping out onto the rock, he nodded his appreciation. “Seb Zodo, what a pleasure it is to see you.”

  ONCE THEY’D ALL CLIMBED aboard the ship, Sparks said, “Seb, you might want to get into the middle for a moment.”

  “Why?”

  Sparks walked over to the button on the wall.

  This time, Seb ran to the point he’d been dragged to earlier and pressed his fists against the floor.

  When Sparks hit the button, the magnetic pull dragged Seb about a metre to the right. Far from pleasant, but a much better experience than previously.

  Owsk lifted their ship and shifted it so it hovered over the choppy sea. “Okay, Sparks.”

  Another slap of the button disconnected Seb. A moment later, he heard the sub with the dead pilot hit the water with a splash.

  Seb followed Sparks to the ship’s cockpit. Buster was already there in the seat beside Owsk.

  “Sparks, can you see any other life on this planet?” the rock troll asked.

  After several taps against her screen, Sparks shook her head. “No, it doesn’t look like it.”

  A genuine smile lit up Owsk’s face. At least, Seb took it to be a smile. Hard to tell when it looked like it caused him physical pain. “So we’ve wiped them all out?” the troll said.

  Sparks nodded. “Yep.”

  A glance at Seb, he winked. “With a sub that had no blaster?”

  “Yep,” Sparks said again.

  “All right,” Seb said, “you were right. I’ll trust you next time.”

  “I hope there isn’t a next time like that. The main thing is, we’ve not left any being to tell the tale. We could do with getting far away from here. If they have friends, I don’t want them following us.”

  The exhaustion of the past few days caught up with Seb, and his legs shook with his fatigue. He patted Buster on the shoulder. “I’m glad you’re okay.”

  If Buster replied, Seb didn’t hear it, his attention suddenly shifting to the voice in his head. Seb, can you hear me?

  The best sound he’d heard all day. SA! Am I glad to hear you.

  CHAPTER 34

  I’ve just spoken to Seb.

  Despite the cold grip of the weather locking her tight, the relief helped Reyes relax, even if only for a moment. How are they?

  Alive and out of the water. They have Buster with them.

  Amazing! So he wasn’t in the Quartz. That’s good. As happy as she felt about Buster, Reyes couldn’t ignore their own very real needs. How long before they get to us?

  He said soon.

  Helpful.

  I know, right? But they’re on their way.

  A snort of a laugh, the sound of it echoed in the small cave. You think I’d be used to being in these kinds of situations. I’ve been trapped in a crashed ship on a scorching planet with creatures hell-bent on our destruction. I’ve been to strange worlds to fight questionable battles for morally corrupt governments and been left to find my own way out. I’ve been on a ghost ship and seen … Reyes left it hanging. Not yet, she couldn’t talk about that yet. You’d think those experiences would have taught me to have a little more faith. To know that I can get out of almost any situation.

  They haven’t?

  No.

  Although Reyes had her torch on, most of the small cave sat in impenetrable darkness. Yet somehow SA’s eyes glowed as if they were backlit. She smiled at Reyes. But sometimes, all we have is faith.

  My faith ran out a long time ago.

  How so?

  Maybe she could tell her about it. It felt easier to say it in her mind rather than speak the words aloud. Have you heard of the Faradis?

  SA shook her head.

  You’re about the only being in the galax
y who hasn’t. It was a ship. A ship that appeared on our radar without a crew. We were sent to investigate. And … well … The thought of what had happened on that ship lifted in Reyes, her cheeks on fire, her throat sore with the grief that threatened to choke her. But she could do this. SA and the others had let her in; she had to return the favour. It didn’t go well. When we got on, we found out—

  A spluttering cough snapped through Bruke. Reyes looked over to see him on his front, choking on something.

  As one, Reyes and SA ran to the large lizard and rolled him into the recovery position. SA then hooked his tongue free with her fingers, moving quickly enough so he didn’t bite them off.

  It cleared Bruke’s airways and he gasped for breath. Although, when Reyes looked into his eyes, she saw they were rolled back, only the whites of them visible. He shook and twitched as he tossed his head from side to side.

  For what good it did, Reyes stroked his hair and spoke to him in a soft tone. “Don’t worry, sweetheart. Seb and the others are on their way.” Then to SA, We need to get him off this planet as soon as possible. This weather isn’t doing him any good at all.

  SA frowned and looked down at him, but she didn’t respond. After all, what could she say? At that moment, they had no control. They had to have faith the others would get to them in time.

  CHAPTER 35

  Seb stood behind Sparks with Buster beside him, who stood behind Owsk. An apparent gentleman, Buster gave Sparks his seat the second she’d entered the cockpit. It also worked out to be a much better place for her to sit in her role as their navigator.

  From what Seb had seen of the rock troll so far, it took a lot for him to panic. Even now, his tense body positively rigid, his frown deeper than ever, he hadn’t quite lost it. “You need to help me here, Sparks,” he said as he leaned close to the windscreen. “I can only see snow. I don’t know where the ground starts and the sky ends.”