by David Beers
She was going to circle the city and force the invaders to the center.
If they could get them all in a single, large cluster, it’d be a lot easier to annihilate them.
It didn’t matter who you were.
Being launched into space, then breaching a planet’s atmosphere—all within the confines of a human-sized pill—brought issues.
Even for a queen.
Cristin vomited into the capsule as the force of her speed rocked her body. The vomit disrupted her vision as it smeared across her helmet’s faceplate. She couldn’t wipe it off since she couldn’t move while the capsule was in motion.
What she could see made her happy.
The sky was full of falling soldiers. The red streaks they left in the air looked like victory parade ribbons.
She saw black corvettes soaring through the sky, their lasers raining on buildings and humans alike.
The fall was fast, though it felt excruciatingly long.
Finally, the capsule sensed the ground and began using the thrusters aligned along its body to adjust speed.
It touched down, laying longways so Cristin’s face was looking at the sky. The transparent door opened, and the Ice Queen grabbed the edges and pulled herself out. She ripped her helmet off her head and tossed it on the ground.
She fell to her knees and vomited once more, mostly spit and stomach acid. This wasn’t her first time in a capsule launch, but godsdamn, did she hate it.
Cristin was efficient at changing from the capsule suit to her armor. One could fall in a personal payload delivery ship without needing a special suit. Not so in a capsule.
She wasn’t sure what she’d seen back on the dreadnought. She wasn’t even sure what happened. The man was more than human, and Cristin had never experienced anything like it.
He’d had the advantage up there, and Cristin was not so prideful that she couldn’t redirect the battle. He’d missed his opportunity, and she now had the advantage.
Before putting on her helmet, she placed the comm chip in her ear.
“Simo, are you here or still up there?”
“What in the actual fuck just happened?” the man fired back.
“It doesn’t matter now. It’s over. The war’s begun, and that’s all any of us need to focus on. Now, are you here, or are you still up there?”
“Gods damn you, Cristin. Galer and I are both down here. He’s to the north, and I got fucked up and ended up south. Neither of us knew if some kind of virus had infected your systems. Still don’t. If I die out here, I promise my son will come for you.”
The Ice Queen hardly heard his threats. They both needed to be here. Regardless of their weaknesses, the men were powerful warriors when they wanted to be.
“Listen to me carefully,” she said as she pulled her weapon from its holster. “The man who took this planet is not human. I don’t know what he is or how he does what he does. If you see him, do not engage unless you can overwhelm or surprise him. If you don’t listen to me, you’ll die. Tell Galer the same.”
A brief pause, then, “What are you saying?”
“If you get to the battle, I imagine you’ll see firsthand. I left him up in the dreadnought, but there’s no way he stayed up there. He’ll be here with us shortly if he isn’t already. I can’t explain it because I don’t understand it, but you’ll see. Just remember, don’t engage him one-on-one.” She paused, one other important thing coming to mind. “If he dies, this thing is over.”
“Fine, I’ll tell Galer. Where are you?”
The Ice Queen flicked her wrist up. “Location.” The watch shot up a holographic view of the city and her spot in it.
“I’m east of the capitol.” She looked into the sky and saw a corvette above her and about a kilometer away. It appeared to be circling the city. “I think what they’re trying to do, Simo, is force us into the middle. If I were him, that’s where I’d go. He may need armor, and his generals will be there strategizing. Meet in the center.”
“It’ll make us sitting relpins.”
“How many men will you lose to win this planet, Simo?”
Another pause. “A lot.”
“Me too. We have to overwhelm him. If he’s there and his forces are in an outside circle, he’ll be in the middle of us with little help. We’ll lose many, but we’ll have a chance to overwhelm him. We beat him, we win a planet.”
“Okay. I hope you’re right. I’ll tell Galer the same. See you soon, ice bitch.”
The connection ended.
Cristin looked at her watch. “Congregation of forces.”
Another hologram of the city, this time red dots both flying and on the ground filled it. The forces had mostly landed north and west due to where their ships had stopped. The plan had been to surround the city, but this would work too.
It gave the Ice Queen almost a straight shot to the capitol building.
She reached down and engaged her shoes, then took a stride to make sure the anti-gravity tech hadn’t been damaged and bounded ten meters forward.
The Ice Queen started her march.
Caesar heard Servia’s voice in his comm. Five weird dead creatures lay at his feet. The battle had moved away from him, so he had a moment to listen. His eyes narrowed as he peered at the strange creatures fighting his brothers.
“Strategy has shifted. All troops need to understand this. The enemy is congregated north and west right now, but they’re disorganized. Whatever Prometheus did up there messed up what we thought their original plans were. Air support is going to push as hard as it can to get them in the middle. Let them do their job. All ground support’s job is to form a perimeter and assist in that movement. Kill as many as you can, but don’t get trapped inside. I’m moving our heavy artillery to assist with the perimeter. Once there, we’ll cut down as many as possible.”
There was no mention of Prometheus’ location. Perhaps she didn’t know. Caesar reached up and switched his comm channel to the warriors in his purview. He spoke in the gigantes’ guttural language, explaining the plan.
The lines where the buildings stood were about a half-kilometer away. He’d been stupid to come out this far, but he’d simply started marching until he found people to kill. The buildings would give the gigantes the ability to maneuver without fighting.
Caesar was a warrior, not a strategist. He understood that. He also knew Servia would be nearly defenseless in that building. The AllMother too.
Plans had changed, so his would too. She needed help, and that was where he was going. The rest could hold the perimeter.
The gigante, holding two sabers, started his march back from where he’d come from. If Servia died, he would too, but she wouldn’t die alone.
Caesar formed a thought in his native tongue but translated it as he went forward.
Prometheus, if you’re out there, we need you.
Thoreaux couldn’t hear Servia since he was currently in a losing match against some kind of Sasquatch.
The white-furred creature grabbed him by his armored neck and tossed him.
Thoreaux was wearing Fire Starter armor from the Terram, but even so, he was overwhelmed.
He rose in a high arc and came back down five meters from the Sasquatch. It had a human head and hair, but everything else was animal. Thoreaux took a knee, not thinking about what had just come over his comm. If he didn’t get out of this situation, he was dead
The animal didn’t seem to have any weapons. Maybe they’d been lost in the frantic war, but it handled itself just fine without them.
Thoreaux’s MechPulse was ten meters in the opposite direction. He had a beam in a holster, but he hadn’t drawn it.
The animal was looking at him as if deciding something. The human eyes showed no fear, only cunning and a need to kill.
Thoreaux’s speed would never be up to Pro’s, but he was still fast. He drew the weapon and fired with both hands gripping the weapon, standing and moving closer as he did.
If Thoreaux was fast, th
e creature was blazing. It launched left, and the first shot hit its ribs. It landed on its left leg, then launched right and forward.
Thoreaux tracked it with his beam, firing the entire time but unable to keep up.
The space between them was shortening fast, then he’d be in its grip again.
He hit the trigger three more times, then the animal was on top of him. It forced Thoreaux onto his back, breaking his grip on the beam and sending it skittering across the pavement. They were in the middle of an intersection, four buildings at the corners. The sounds of explosions and glass breaking were everywhere. Smoke rose from buildings and streets alike.
The creature’s hands had dagger-like claws, and it started ripping at the armor, trying to find a weakness in the technology. Thoreaux was scrambling with his hands, trying to beat back the animal, but the thing was just too fast.
It grabbed his helmet with one hand, then started bashing it against the pavement. The first blow put stars in Thoreaux’s eyes as the asphalt beneath him broke. The second put black clouds around the edges of his sight.
The creature was gone. Thoreaux lay on the street, blinking inside his helmet. He didn’t understand anything and was just trying to keep from blacking out.
An armored hand was suddenly in front of him.
“Broth, I wonder if Faitrin will kiss me when I bring back your scalp still attached to your head?”
A second hand came down, and Thoreaux was lifted to his feet.
Relm stood in front of him, also wearing a Fire Starter. He snapped his fingers in front of Thoreaux’s face a few times. “You tracking?”
Thoreaux looked to his left. The animal was at the edge of the intersection, his head a mixture of bone and plasma.
“Broth, you tracking?”
“Gods, what are those things?” Thoreaux said, unable to look away from the dead animal.
“I don’t know, but I need you functional.” Relm lightly slapped Thoreaux’s helmet, jerking his attention back. “You tracking?”
“Tracking.”
“Good.” Relm turned and looked at the capitol building in the center. “New plan. We need to decide if we want to follow it. Servia says to fall back and form a perimeter, forcing those things and any people inside it. Air support and the whole nine.”
Thoreaux was starting to understand words again as his vision cleared. He followed Relm’s look at the capitol.
“She’s in there alone,” Relm continued. “So is the AllMother. We disobey orders, we’re going to weaken the perimeter. We don’t, those things will eat them both alive.”
Thoreaux had almost caught up.
Relm still wasn’t looking at him but gazing into the distance as if the answer could be found in the glass windows of the skyscraper. “I vote we go back. Either way, I think we’re fucked, but if I’m going to die, I’d rather do it with people I know. Going out like you almost did doesn’t look too appealing.”
Thoreaux took a deep breath, shaking off what had just happened and replacing it with rage. “Did you relay those orders to the gigantes?”
Glass broke and fell from a building behind them. Relm swirled with his MechPulse raised toward the sound. He held the position for a second, then brought the weapon down. “Come on.”
The two trotted down the street toward the building on their right. “Yeah. It’s been relayed. That’s why the streets are emptying. We’re retreating to the perimeter.”
“Servia’s about to sacrifice herself to try to salvage this,” Thoreaux said. “I’m not letting her do it.”
“Yeah, to hell with that. They’ll write songs about her bravery when it's over, and that just can’t happen. We’ll never live it down.”
Thoreaux looked at Relm. “Are you ever serious?”
Relm shook his head. “Nah. Stress kills. Let’s go.”
The two started their march to save those they loved.
Chapter Seventeen
Alistair was regretting having told the AI to get them there fast. The AI was more advanced than he’d thought, and he had almost vomited at its maneuvers.
Nero had vomited, then yelled in his guttural language.
Alistair didn’t ask for a translation.
The ship touched down on the top of the capitol building. During the flight, Alistair had done his best to understand the layout of the battle. He wasn’t sure about what he’d seen, but there appeared to be movement toward a perimeter. He had no idea and didn’t have time to consider it.
“We have arrived,” the AI said through the comm.
“Can you stick with me for a little longer?” Alistair asked.
“Affirmative.”
The door to the ship opened and Obs hopped out, obviously glad to be clear of it.
Nero went to the right and Alistair to the left. Alistair jogged to the other side. “I need armor, and I need to talk to Thoreaux. Did your dream show this?”
Nero looked at the vomit all over his armor. “It didn’t show that.” He looked up. “I know only two things more from the dream. Servia is in command, and this is where you were supposed to end up.”
Alistair could tell something was wrong with the giant. Time was short, but he hadn’t seen the touched gigante look like this before. “What’s going on? And don’t be coy; there isn’t time for it.”
The giant tilted his head toward the sky. “I wasn’t here in the dream. I never made it down. I died up there.”
“Ha!” Alistair shouted and slapped Nero on the shoulder. “Wind and fate and all that shit, we still decide how it ends up. Let’s go.”
The two rushed to the stairs and went down two levels to the war room.
Servia was alone in it, and she turned around as they entered.
Obs bounded to her and grabbed her hand lightly with his jaws. Dried blood fell off his maw in flecks as he pulled away.
She saw Alistair, and tears filled her eyes. “Ave, you son of a bitch.”
Alistair gave her a giant hug. “Ave, Servia.” He pushed her back and let his arms drop. “Jeeves, can you get my armor up here? Anyone still in the building to do it?”
“It was summoned the moment you entered the building, sir. It’s approximately two minutes away. As an aside, I must request you never ask me to copilot with you again.”
“Everybody’s got jokes,” Alistair said. He looked at Servia. “Give me the rundown.”
She unloaded as quickly as she could, and his mind latched onto it all at once. He also understood what she’d been doing to herself. “Just going to die up here, you and the old woman?”
“It’s our best chance. Or was. What do we do?”
A short, stout young man pushed a cart into the room. The armor lay across it.
Alistair walked over and the young man turned to leave, but Alistair put a hand on his shoulder to stop him. “Jeeves, how many people are in the building?”
“Twenty. The one in here is the only one I would recommend to assist.”
Alistair looked at the young man. “What’s your name?”
“Brillin, sir.”
“You from Pluto? You were there when it burned? An original Subversive?” The last word came out mocking what he’d used to call those he now commanded.
“Yes, sir.”
“You know who I am?”
“Ave, Prometheus,” Brillin whispered.
Alistair looked at Servia. “Let’s get him some armor and a MechPulse. He’s strong enough to wield it.”
Jeeves spoke. “Sir, some of our soldiers are refusing orders.”
Alistair’s eyes narrowed. “What are they doing?”
“Entering,” Jeeves said.
Alistair turned toward the sound of footsteps in the doorway, having no clue what was happening.
“You bastards,” Servia cursed. “You heard my orders!”
Alistair was staring at his brothers. Thoreaux was in the middle, Relm to his left, and Caesar on the right.
Relm was smiling. “Well, isn’t this a reu
nion? Who spiked the punch?”
Servia was across the room in a flash and slapped Thoreaux’s face hard. His cheek flushed red around a white outline of her hand. “You were given an order. Form the perimeter. Now it’s weaker.”
Tears flooded her eyes again.
The armor on Thoreaux’s hand retracted into the wrist. He reached up and lightly touched her face. “You and I have been together since adulthood. The perimeter will be fine, and if it’s not, you’re not dying alone.”
The tears fell from her eyes and she leaned forward, hugging the armored warrior. She held on for a few seconds before pulling back and moving next to Alistair.
The former Titan touched the armor next to him. He was quiet for a second, and when he spoke, he didn’t look up. “The plan remains. The perimeter will cut them down from the outside.”
He looked up.
“We are the center. We will hold. No one is dying, alone or together.”
He looked at their faces and realized something else: they were each other’s great wind, carrying each other when things grew too heavy to bear. “We will hold. Five of us and this new man will hold the center. It isn’t a coincidence that we’re all here now. Everything worked together to bring us here, and on the AllMother’s soul, we are going to hold. Everything that comes will break against this center. Do you all understand that?”
Silent and solemn nods were the response.
“Jeeves, show me the battlefield.”
A giant hologram filled the table in the center of the room. Green dots formed a ragged quarter-circle around the north and west portions. Red dots were intertwined with the green, but for the most part, the red was being pushed toward the capitol building in the center.
Alistair studied the map for a moment. “Any idea how long until they reach us?”
“At current rates of battle and movement of the perimeter in, I’d put it at ten minutes.”
The plan formed in Alistair’s head. “Servia, you’re in command. Keep us updated on movement patterns and where the attacks are coming from. Thoreaux, Nero, Obs, you’re with me. Caesar, Relm, Brillin, you’re Team Two. We don’t leave the building. We are the rock they break against as the perimeter tightens. Everyone understand?”
