by G. P. Hudson
“Lieutenant, do we have any combat drones?” Reynolds said.
“Yes, Sir.”
“Use them. They’re no good to us if we’re dead.”
“Yes, Sir. Deploying combat drones.” The Lieutenant opened a compartment and produced a metal case. He pulled out a handheld device and began tapping away at it. “Open the hatch,” he yelled. The hatch slid open, and he tapped on the device again. This time a swarm of robotic insects emerged from the case. The swarm took off, racing out of the open hatch toward the surface.
Each of the tiny drones carried powerful explosives capable of punching through a battlesuit’s armor. They were also autonomous and didn’t need anyone controlling them. The drones would relentlessly hunt down their targets until successful.
The aircraft kept saturating the ground with plasma bolts while the drones moved in for the kill. Eventually, all weapon fire from the ground ceased. Reynolds had the pilot continue firing nonetheless. He didn’t want to take any chances and wanted to give the drones enough time to hunt down the enemy.
“Are they still jamming communications?” Reynolds said.
“Yes, Sir,” the pilot said.
“Take me to the Emperor’s palace. Once the comm is working again, we’ll send a team in to mop up.”
Chapter 8
“That’s absurd,” Emperor Cherenko said. “Why would Admiral Tavian want you killed?”
“I am a thorn in his side,” Reynolds said. “That’s why. In his eyes, I have no place in the Admiralty.”
“Do you really think that is enough of a reason for him to try and kill you? Seriously? Don’t you think it is more likely the work of some Pallian separatists? Or Allimanians? You did bomb one of their cities after all.”
Reynolds thought about that for a moment. He had threatened orbital bombardment if the Allimanians didn’t surrender by a specific time. He bombed them after they surrendered as punishment for taking too long. It was an act of iron will. Something sorely lacking in the nobility. “How could the Pallians, or the Allimanians get a strike team onto Earth, and then onto my property without anyone noticing?”
“Anything is possible, Reynolds. If the team had special forces training, they could have accomplished it.”
“What about the bodies? They were gone by the time our people showed up. There was no DNA evidence either. A cleanup like that implies extensive resources right here on Earth. And that points to the nobility.”
A spark of anger appeared on the Emperor’s face, and Reynolds wondered if he had overstepped. “Have you any idea the kind of shitstorm such an accusation will cause?” Cherenko snapped. “Do you understand the depths of the waters you are swimming in?”
“I do.”
“Then you are a greater fool than I thought! Now you listen to me, Admiral. You will drop this line of inquiry immediately. That is a direct order from your Emperor. Do you understand?”
“Yes, majesty. I beg your forgiveness.”
Cherenko continued to glare at him. “Do not forget your place, Reynolds. I made you an admiral, despite opposition from the nobility. You do not stand on solid ground, and you are certainly in no position to throw around accusations at some of the most powerful men in the galaxy.”
“Yes, majesty.” Reynolds kept his head lowered, refusing to look directly at the Emperor, lest he perceive it as a challenge. He also didn’t want Cherenko to see the hatred brewing inside him. I do not stand on solid ground? he thought. I conquered two rebellious star systems, yet I am less than Tavian? What has he accomplished, other than being born into the nobility?
Shaky ground or not, these were dangerous thoughts, and he dared not let the Emperor notice.
“You are a skilled commander, Reynolds, but a political fool. Do not underestimate the extent of the nobility’s influence. They control a lot more than just Earth.”
You should know, thought Reynolds. You are nobility yourself. That is the only reason you wear the crown. They would never let someone like me ascend to the throne, just like they refuse to accept me in the Admiralty.
“Now let me have a look at your invasion plans,” Cherenko said.
“Yes, majesty. If I may?” Reynolds gestured to the holo-emitter on Cherenko’s desk.
“Go ahead,” Cherenko made a sweeping gesture with his hand.
“Thank you, majesty.” Reynolds activated the holo-emitter and accessed his encrypted battle plans on one of the military clouds. The center of the room came to life, displaying the Avar system’s yellow star, and its planets.
Reynolds pointed to one of the planets. “This is the Avar homeworld. Over here is the jump gate.” Reynolds pointed to another region of the star system some distance from the planet. “As I said before, there has not been any fighting in the Avar system up until now. I believe that has made them complacent. Nonetheless, they will still have ships patrolling the system, and guarding the jump gate. Which is why I’ve chosen this course of action.” Reynolds waved his hand before the holodisplay, and it overlaid an animation on top of the holographic planets, depicting the anticipated course of the battle.
Cherenko watched with apparent interest. When the animation ended, he leaned back in his chair and steepled his fingers. “Interesting. The Butcher of Allimania strikes again.”
“Something like that,” Reynolds agreed.
“That title doesn’t bother you, Reynolds?”
“Not at all. In fact, I find it rather useful. It sends a message. When my ships enter a system, the population should be cowed into submission before we fire a shot. I believe it will save lives in the long run.”
Cherenko shook his head. “These tactics will make people hate the Empire.”
“Forgive me for saying so, majesty, but they already do. If they didn’t, they wouldn’t rebel.”
“Sadly, I agree with you, Reynolds. Very well. Your plans are approved.”
“Thank you, majesty. I won’t let you down.”
“See that you don’t. Prove your worth, as you have done before, and you will have nothing to worry about from Tavian or the nobility.”
“As you wish, majesty,” Reynolds said.
“That is all.”
“Thank you, majesty.” Reynolds turned and headed toward the exit. One day, all this will change, he thought. One day the nobility will be no more.
Chapter 9
The Zeta battleship floated in the distance, like a great shark in a dark sea.
“Do you think they will move to intercept us?” Danny said. He monitored the battleship using one of the displays on the ship’s bridge.
“What for?” said one of Leventis’s men, who seemed to be in charge. “We’re just minding our own business. Even if they do, this is a freighter. There are plenty of places we can hide you two.”
“That’s comforting,” Gerry said.
“They won’t bother us. We’re a slow-moving beast of a ship,” the man continued. “Not exactly the best option for an escape. Besides, Zeta doesn’t have the authority to board us. Even if they pay people off, it would still cause a shitstorm. Trust me; it’s not going to happen. At least not in the Tran system, anyway. Now, if they follow us into metaspace, then that is a different story.”
“Metaspace boarding operations are highly dangerous,” Danny said.
“Yeah, they are, and I sure as hell wouldn’t try it,” the man said. “But you clones? With all that tech inside you? I’m sure you can make it happen. I’ve heard plenty of stories.”
“It is highly dangerous, even for us,” Danny said. “Metaspace is an extremely hostile environment. Even Zeta wouldn’t try to board a ship there. The docking process alone would put both ships at risk of destruction.”
“Gotcha,” the man said with a wink. “It’s okay. I understand the importance of secrets. You don’t have to keep pretending it doesn’t happen.”
“I no longer work for Zeta. I have no reason to lie about it.”
“Right.” The man nodded repeatedly. “Like I
said, no need to worry about me. I can keep my mouth shut.”
Danny wanted to reach over an slap the man. “Why don’t you believe me?”
“He’s toying with you, little brother,” Gerry said. “Can’t you see he is enjoying it.”
Danny’s eyes narrowed. “Is that right?”
“Hey, just breaking your balls a bit. They did give you those, didn’t they?”
“I’m not sure you’re going to survive this trip.”
The man laughed, as a second man joined the conversation. “Simon here thinks he’s funny,” the second said as he hooked a thumb toward the first who continued chuckling.
“I wonder how funny Simon will be if he has to eat his dinner through a straw?” Danny said menacingly.
The man laughed again, leaving Danny perplexed.
“Do you really think it is wise to provoke me like this?” Danny said.
“Just take it easy, okay?” said Simon. “I don’t mean any harm. I’m just having fun with you. Loosen up a bit.”
Danny leaned back in his seat. “I’m loose. And they did.”
“Did what?” said Simon.
“Give me balls.”
Both men burst into laughter at the comment. Even Gerry let out a giggle.
When the laughter finally subsided, Simon grew serious. “You two have seen a lot of combat, huh?”
“That’s why they call us combat clones,” Danny said.
“I don’t think I’ve ever seen one of your kind in action.”
“You’d know it if you did. Provided you lived through the encounter.”
“Yeah, I’ve heard you’re all real badasses. I’m glad we’re on the same side.”
“We’re not on the same side. We’re merely doing a job for Mr. Leventis.”
“Sure. As are we. But, right now. For this trip. We’re on the same side. Right?”
“I suppose.”
“That makes us a team. That’s all I’m saying. We’re all in this together.”
“Do you ever stop talking?” Gerry said.
“What’s wrong with talking? We’re just getting to know each other, seeing as we’re all on the same team and all.”
Danny glanced at the display showing the Zeta battleship. “How long until we reach the jump gate?”
“We don’t need it. This ship is big enough to create its own jump point,” said Simon.
“Okay, how long until we do that?”
“We’re still too close to the planet. We need to put a little more distance between us and its gravity well. Shouldn’t be too long though. Thirty minutes to an hour.”
Danny nodded. He wouldn’t feel safe until they were out of this system, and away from that battleship. There had to be at least a thousand clones on board that ship. If only he could free them, he mused. They were enslaved and didn’t even realize it.
Zeta’s existence was a horror. Still, the Empire and the Frontier Alliance did business with Masterson, hiring Zeta clones to fight and die for them. They had all somehow convinced themselves that Zeta clones were not human, that they were no more than machines.
But he was alive. He was human. And so were all his brothers and sisters. Danny felt his cheeks flush with heat as rage swelled up inside him. He would free them. All of them. And then, those responsible would pay for their sins. He would see to it.
“Your people sure know how to build a ship,” said Simon.
“They’re not my people. Not anymore. Why do I have to keep reminding you of that?”
“Come on now. You know what I mean. Whether or not you still fight for them, they gave you life. Right? That makes them your people. I was born on Tran, for example. It’s a terrible place, and I had a lot of shitty things happen to me while growing up. But they’re still my people. Know what I mean?”
“Yeah, I do,” Danny said. All Zeta clones were his family. His people, as Simon referred to them. Unfortunately, he would likely have to kill more of them in the future.
“The Zeta battleship is hailing us,” the helmsman said.
“Shit,” said Simon. “Go ahead and answer them. See what they want.”
“They’re asking for permission to come aboard. They say they are looking for fugitives and want to make sure they haven’t stowed away on board our ship.”
“I thought you said they wouldn’t bother us?” Danny said.
“Yeah well, shit happens. Tell them it’s unnecessary. We inspected everything ourselves before taking off. If there were stowaways, we would have found them.”
“They’re saying they want to have a look anyway. Just to be sure.”
“Fine. Tell them they can come aboard.”
“What the hell are you doing?” Gerry said.
“The only thing I can do. We can’t outrun them, and if we try and open a jump point, they will destroy us before we can enter it. The only option is to let them look around.”
“You’ve lost your mind!”
“Maybe.” Simon smiled. “Time to test those holo-disguises.”
Chapter 10
Danny was surprised at how well the holo-disguises worked. Looking at his long-time friend Gerry, he saw a heavy set, balding man with a beard, rather than the tall, muscular woman he had always known. “This technology is impressive.”
“You can’t tell that it’s me?” Gerry said.
“No. Not even with my ocular implants. Even your voice is masculine. How about me?”
“Same. The tech works well.”
“Good,” said Simon. “Because the Zeta shuttle is about to dock.”
Danny looked up at one of the displays showing the small craft docking with the freighter. Once a secure seal was in place, another display showed the opening hatch. Black-clad Zeta soldiers emerged from the shuttle. They fell into line and advanced.
Soon, the familiar sound of the marching Zeta soldiers echoed through the corridors. Danny heard them nearing the bridge and tensed when they appeared.
They had come aboard with a team of twelve. A non-clone officer stepped forward. “Who’s in charge here?”
“That would be me,” said Simon, striding over to the man. “How long will this take? I’ve got deadlines to meet.” Simon took on a brash countenance, trying to give an air of confidence that Danny doubted he felt.
“We’ll try not to take too much of your time. Trust me when I say that this is for your protection.”
“We can take care of ourselves,” said Simon.
The officer smirked. “Believe me when I tell you that you can’t. Not against these two. If they were on board, they could slaughter your entire crew, and you couldn’t do a thing about it.”
“Okay, but this is a big ship. It’ll take you a long time to search it, and as I said, I have deadlines.”
“It won’t take as long as you think. We have specialized scanners that will identify their implants. We’ll do a sweep of the ship, and then you can be on your way.”
“Alright, if you say so. I’ll let you get to it then,” said Simon. “Just try and be quick about it.”
The officer issued some orders and the Zeta soldiers left to search the storage compartments.
Do you know anything about these scanners, sister? Danny said through the neural link.
No, it’s the first I’ve heard of them.
Do you think Simon knew about them?
No idea.
Danny’s mind raced, thinking of all the possible outcomes. No matter how he analyzed the situation, it always ended the same way. Their deaths. Even if they used the element of surprise, they didn’t have a chance against twelve combat clones. If by some miracle they defeated the Zeta team, they still needed to get out of the system, and that battleship would never let that happen.
He glanced over at Simon and noticed a bead of perspiration on his forehead. Was he nervous? Would the Zeta officer notice? If he did, how long would it take before Simon sold them out?
Relax little brother, Gerry said. There is nothing we can do. If they fig
ure it out, we will kill as many as we can.
What happens to Simon?
He’ll be on his own. He’s a smart man. He will figure something out.
I’m killing the officer first, said Danny.
I wanted to do that myself.
Sorry.
Fine, but if Simon sells us out, then I get to take him out, Gerry said.
That’s not fair. He was poking fun at me, not you.
Then let me have the officer, and you can have Simon.
Deal.
Danny looked at Simon and smiled. The criminal nodded, pretending he had everything under control, but Danny saw the fear. Little did Simon know how misplaced his fear really was. He worried about the soldiers, when the real threat sat across from him.
The Zeta team took their time searching the ship, returning several hours later. “Well, did you find anything?” Simon said to the officer.
“No, everything checked out,” the man said, looking around. “We’ll just need to scan this section, and we’ll be on our way.”
“This section? Why? Don’t you think we’d know if there were clones here?”
“We just need to be thorough,” said the officer.
“Okay,” said Simon. He turned to face Danny, Gerry, and the other men. “Give them some room so they can do their job.”
Danny and Gerry got up and started walking toward Simon when the officer intervened. “That’s alright. You’re not in our way. Just go back to your seats.”
Should we shoot them now? Gerry said.
Let’s wait and see what happens, Danny said.
I guess it doesn’t make any difference. We’re dead either way.
Danny kept a wary eye on Simon, who watched the events unfold with growing anxiety. Would the criminal sell them out? Surely, he must know how foolish that would be. But then, how could you rely on a logical response from a criminal?
The approaching Zeta clone drew Danny’s attention away from Simon. She held a small device that she pointed and waved around. The scanner. Coming to a stop, she studied Danny with cold eyes and pointed the scanner at him. This was it. Danny’s hands both rested on his lap, mere inches away from his weapons.
