Taulan nodded. “Please come back to me. You mean more to me than you can ever imagine.”
“I love you, Tau, so I have to be honest. I may not come back.”
“Don’t say—”
“Shhh. I know, I know. I love you.”
“I love you too, Kraj.”
As the two held each other, Krajenar’s vidcomm chirped. It was the surgeon calling. Krajenar reached over and tapped the accept button.
“It’s time for you to come to the hospital now, Major Krajenar,” the surgeon said. His calm voice revealed nothing of the significance of the operation that no Mokisiaan had ever undergone.
“On my way.” She clicked off the vidcomm. “He must be confident in his skills.”
“I hear he is the best, but be careful. We don’t know everything about this technology. Just because Paz’egh has had a little more time to work through it doesn’t mean we really understand it.”
“I know. But it is time we take this next step. We can’t afford any delays.” Krajenar stared into Taulan’s eyes. “When I wake up, I’ll need you to talk to me. You have to be my critic, my guide, and my judge.” Krajenar thought of the soulless, twisted look of the listening-post Sekkalan. “You need to tell me if I have changed. If I am still me.”
Taulan grew pale. “What if you are not?”
Krajenar blinked several times then met Taulan’s gaze again. “You’ll know what to do. You’re the only one I trust to do it.”
<> <>
Sceytera’s rising sun brightened the Ei’veth Forest, increasing the temperature, thinning the fog, and revealing more of the target area to the rangers. Operation Ashima, as it was now known, entailed a three-pronged attack. The enemy numbered approximately 120, and the rangers fielded 400. Two reserve units protected pilots and spaceship engineers who would advance after a main assault led by three groups had secured the area and the drop ships.
Afterward, Mokisiaan pilots would fly the transports to the gigantic caverns of Mount Eavviks, a hiding place for them at the northern-most extremes of Ei’veth. The caverns were not the secret mining location of kojan tyk, but chosen as the rendezvous point where the metallurgists would meet the squadron and apply shielding to the ships’ hulls. The belief was that the kojan tyk would provide protection for the drop ships, and the Mokisiaans aboard them, during their assault on the well-armed Sekkalan starships.
Zy, equipped with fresh armor, shield, sword, and pulse rifle, knelt next to Yuk’s belongings and equipment. Before joining his comrades at the front lines of the imminent battle, Zy chose to honor his friend with a quiet moment of remembrance.
After lowering his head, Zy closed his eyes. His chin trembled and the ache in his hearts resonated throughout his body. He sniffed and wiped at his nose, but the soreness in his throat didn’t prevent him from speaking. “We’re going to blow up stuff, Yuk. You should be here… Brother, you gave your life to save mine. You are my savior and I hope I don’t let you down. I know you are at peace, and that Nihav embraces you as His child. Thank you for your protection and guidance… Thanks to you, I will always…always run fast…and not away but forward. Ameo Nihav.”
Head still lowered, Zy opened his tearful eyes and finished sorting Yuk’s belongings. To his surprise, he found a small wooden box among them engraved with a holy Nihavinity circle. Zy opened it and smelled incense. Inside, there were several packets of pine spices, a few military ribbons, and a holy Nihavinity circle on a sturdy metal chain.
“He always wore that on worship days,” Captain Taleer said from behind Zy. “I’m sure Yuk would want you to have it. You’ll make good use of it.”
Zy wiped his eyes. He clutched the necklace and lifted it closer. A vision—brilliant illumination—surged into his consciousness. In an instant, the revelation receded, leaving Zy’s spirits renewed.
Then, he spoke. “In honor of one who chose light over darkness, I’ll wear it into battle.” Zy placed the chain around his neck and then stood. Facing Captain Taleer, he said, “Yuk will be with us, and he will help us slay the red-chested devils.”
Captain Taleer placed his right hand and forearm over his chest.
Together, the pair then strode toward the front lines. On their way, Zy grabbed a grimp satchel and slung it over his shoulder.
“Sir, I would be honored if you would grant me color-bearer duties.”
Before Captain Taleer could respond to Zy’s unexpected request, their intercoms crackled with urgent traffic.
“Inky sphere opened, enemy troops pouring in!”
Audio sensors in their helmets crackled with the sounds of hissing plasma bursts in the distance.
“It has begun!” Taleer shouted. “Let’s go!”
Zy and Taleer ran forward, cutting back and forth around thick pine trees in their paths. Zy kept his weapons and shield slung and his hands free. Although he could have outrun his superior at any time, he reserved his strength for the challenges ahead.
“Lord, make me as swift as a comet today,” he said to himself. “Energize my soul and spirit. Lend me your strength and courage. Protect me with your caring hands. And through me, lead us to victory.”
“They’ve deployed shield projectors!” An out-of-breath voice said over the intercom.
Detonations rattled and echoed through the forest.
To Zy, Taleer transmitted, “Looks like Major Attazahal was right about their plans. We need to confirm the Sekkalan’s origination point.”
“I’ll work on that, sir.”
“And I’ll tend to the Supay warhead and get in a position to fire.”
Zy and Captain Taleer reached the front. Bolts of plasma spat back and forth across the forest. The enemy’s number swelled as new troops emerged from the quantum bridge exit. They fanned out and, for protection, deployed shield projectors connected to a power source somewhere within the bridge’s origin. The cables and equipment emerged along with more troops, and shields went up around their positions as well as the bridge exit.
“It’s going to take a lot of firepower to bring down those shields from out here,” Captain Taleer said. “Not sure we have what we need. We could rush them, but with their growing numbers, we’re going to take heavy casualties.”
“What about the Supay?” Zy said.
“It will likely just bounce off. That will ruin our whole day.”
Zy peered down at the battlefield through enhanced distance-viewing optics in his HUD. Enemy soldiers passed in and out of the shields’ protective layers at will. “Yet they move through the shields, sir.”
“It’s a matter of velocity and mass, and their shield frequencies.” Taleer said. “Lighter, slower objects can pass, but the Supay’s speed and weight will cause it to deflect.”
“How fast, how heavy—”
A nearby explosion forced everyone around them to duck. Dirt, rocks, and broken tree branches rained down. While the other soldiers stood and returned fire, Zy’s intense gaze met Taleer’s confounded expression. But a smile soon fractured its way across the Captain’s face. His eyes had found the grimp satchel strapped to Zy.
“I hope you selected a model with celestial positioning capability,” Taleer said.
“It seemed to make the most sense. I was trying to think ahead.”
“I see…” Taleer noticed the holy Nihavinity circle around Zy’s neck, and took a deep breath. “In reference to your earlier request, the pointed metal staff of the colors would likely bounce off too. But…you could breach the shield barriers.”
“So be it then!”
Zy and Taleer rose up and peered over heavy fallen logs. Through the thick haze, Zy was the first to spy a stand of regimental colors. Roughly seventy-five meters ahead and to their left, it rested fallen atop a deceased Ranger. Next to it, a wounded soldier struggled to return fire from behind a large boulder. Zy nudged Captain Taleer and pointed.
“Got it,” Taleer said. “We’ll provide you with some smoke on your flanks and farther ahead on your appro
ach.”
“Affirmative.”
“That grimp will have to work fast.”
Zy turned and smiled at Taleer. “With any luck, it will. Be ready to fire on my mark.”
Before Taleer could respond, Zy sprung forward, somersaulting over the fallen logs. The next thing he heard in his intercom was Taleer ordering smoke shell deployments and Supay team movements.
Subdued, paced breathing and rhythmic heartbeats drove Zy’s sprinter strides forward in extraordinary acceleration. He focused on the path ahead, seeing objects almost before they appeared. He weaved with seamless momentum around rocks, branches, and uneven ground. He was fast, so fast that it almost seemed like the battle stood as still as the forest around him.
He reached the colors and slid to a landing, his abrupt deceleration kicking up a cloud of dust. He settled on his side, beyond the large boulder. Plasma bolts struck around him, each shot coming closer to hitting their mark. Zy pulled up his legs and pushed himself behind the protection of the boulder.
“By the ancestors! That was…amazing!” the wounded soldier said. “Crazy, but amazing. I’ve never seen anything like that.”
“Do you need first aid?”
“Ah, hell no, I’m okay for now. I’ll live. But you! I’ve never seen anyone run so fast! Those devils shot at you too. But they kept missing. I saw the whole thing. Unbelievable!”
While the wounded soldier continued his account of the event, Zy went about his next task. He removed the grimp from its satchel, powered it on, and confirmed its link up to his HUD.
“Forgive me, Yuk, but I need your help,” Zy said.
“Huh? You say something?” the wounded soldier said.
“Don’t mind me, please continue.”
“Sure, sure…”
Zy removed Yuk’s chain and holy Nihavinity circle from around his neck and used it to secure the grimp to the metal staff just below the regimental colors.”
“Say, what are you going to do with that?”
While Zy checked the weight, balance, and feel of the staff, he said, “Did I hear you say that your pulse rifle ran out of juice?”
“Yeah, so not only am I wounded and kind of stuck here behind this rock, I can’t even shoot at the bastards.”
Satisfied with the staff, Zy removed the pulse rifle from his back and handed it to the wounded soldier. “Here, I want you to help cover me.”
Wide-eyed, the soldier took the rifle. “Uh, sure.”
“It’s alright, I won’t need it. I have my sword and shield to protect me, and besides, I need your help to cover me.”
“Okay, I can do that. Where you headed?”
“Straight down the hill toward that inky sphere three hundred meters away.”
The wide eyes appeared again. Overhead, an orange, fiery blast ripped through tree branches. Zy lunged forward, using his body to shield the wounded soldier. He brushed flaming, splintered wood and pine needles off them.
“Thank you, soldier.”
“Glad to do it.”
Just then, Captain Taleer’s voice broke into Zy’s intercom. “Hey, you okay?”
“Ready to go, sir.”
“Good. We’re set here. Sending out more smoke now and awaiting your mark.”
“Roger that. When that shield goes down, let loose plasma hell on them.” Zy looked at the wounded soldier. “You ready to use that pulse rifle?”
“You going to run real fast again?”
“Like a comet.”
The soldier smiled. He turned around and readied himself behind the boulder. “I’m set. Let’s give ‘em hell.”
Zy drew the round shield from his back and held it firm in his left hand. Deep breaths followed. Swift as a comet, Father. In his right hand, he steadied the staff with the regimental colors and grimp. Lend me your strength and courage. Solid legs lifted him up. Through me, lead us to victory. Zy leapt forward.
Blue bolts zipped from behind him, courtesy of the wounded soldier. They cut down multiple Sekkalan targets outside of the shields ahead. Zy slipped through smoke and battlefield haze, shifting his shield to block enemy fire. Metal alloys and advanced composite materials mixed with blessed kojan tyk absorbed or deflected incoming blasts. His armor, constructed with the same sanctified resources, provided Zy with added protection during his sprint to penetrate the enemy’s position and to reach the bridgehead.
Heartbeats quickened with each stride and every enemy shot deflected or absorbed. Halfway to the bridge’s shield projector, Zy dove behind a fallen tree and raised his shield for cover. Just ahead, a blast erupted, sending shock waves through his body. He checked the grimp for damage, but found none. As he raised his shield to peer ahead, he noticed that it was aglow. Sparks circulated in a blue haze surrounding it. It radiated heat. Puzzled, Zy also saw that parts of his armor were glowing too, shining like Sceytara’s blue sun. He checked his sword. It remained sheathed and looked normal.
“Zy,” Taleer said over the intercom, “you’re almost there. Do you see the bridgehead shield?”
Ahead, the shield’s purple, translucent layers stood guard. “I do, sir. I can also detect some buzzing coming from it.”
“Roger that. It will intensify as you get closer.”
“Sir, there is something else. My shield and my armor…they are—”
“Glowing. Yes, we can see that. It’s blue.”
Plasma bolts raked across the top of the fallen tree in front of Zy. He ducked, and then said, “What does it mean, Captain?”
“Technically it means that the kojan tyk is doing its job. It is absorbing energy and protecting you.”
“There are sparks running through it. It seems ready to discharge, like it is searching for a way out.”
“How is your sword, Zy?”
“Normal, sir. No change.”
“Listen to me, Zy, this will have to be quick. Kojan tyk’s properties go far beyond its mere chemistry. It is alive. It has a soul, one that forever serves Nihav. This soul can hear you, Kal’iveth, and it will listen to you.”
“Sir? I don’t understand. Is it a guide?”
“No, Nihav is your guide, your beacon. When you follow Him, the kojan tyk follows you. It will obey your holy commands. Zy, it is righteous power, and you are the weapon. You can control it.”
“But how will—”
“You will know.”
Another nearby explosion rocked Zy and showered him with debris. “Yes, sir.” He rose, and then darted toward the enemy’s shield projector in front of the bridge. His armor and round shield took more hits, and Zy saw the growing, blue radiance reflect off the trees and surrounding terrain. He strode forward as explosions trailed behind him.
Getting closer.
He dove and rolled into a crater, and nearly into the legs of two Sekkalan soldiers. Zy dropped the staff, unsheathed his sword, and then pointed his glowing shield at the enemy. They both froze, and then one of them fled. They fear me. The red eyes of the other stared into Zy’s faceplate. He raised it and batted his sword on the front of his shield. Leaning toward the cowering Sekkalan, Zy again batted the sword against his shield. Sparks jettisoned and a blue bolt jumped from it, wrapping around the sword’s blade.
The Sekkalan hesitated, then swung his rifle at Zy and fired. The bolt deflected off Zy’s kojan tyk-plated helmet, just above his cobalt eyes.
“Your war ends now!” Zy yelled. He swung the sword into the Sekkalan’s side, knocking the enemy soldier to the ground. Zy leapt onto the Sekkalan’s red chested armor. “Process this, you monster!” He jammed the sword deep into its throat. The blade’s blue energy discharged, shooting through the dead enemy like lightning. Charred fragments of flesh and armor blew out in every direction. The force knocked Zy onto his back.
No time to waste.
Zy lowered his faceplate, sheathed his sword, and grabbed the staff. He jumped to his feet, and then sprinted out of the crater.
He ran straight for the bridgehead’s shield. Buzzing from it inc
reased with each step, and so did enemy fire. The bolts struck. Some deflected while others joined with the kojan tyk, further enveloping him in radiant, blue light. The battlefield smoke around him glowed. Behind him, a wake of blue sparks curled away into the haze.
Nearly at the shield’s purple, outer layers, Zy ran at full speed. Beyond the shield, he could see the bridge’s inky sphere. He focused on that, his target, and raised his arm, readying the staff like a spear. Once through the shield, he would throw the staff into the sphere. The rest would be up to the grimp while he would turn to disabling the bridge’s shield.
A stream of plasma rounds from multi-barrel turrets showered Zy’s path. Sekkalan gunners tracked the blue streak across the battlefield, pouring fire in its direction. One of the bolts found its target, slipping through a crevice between armor plates underneath Zy’s raised arm. It burned its way through his under gear and skin to strike his muscle.
“Aww!”
Abrupt weakness shot through Zy’s arm. It drooped, lowering the staff along with it. Respiration and heart rates hastened. A near stumble threatened to bring him down. His armor’s built-in medical sensors detected the wound; its nano-tech mending processes commenced first aid and pain relief applications.
Still, the immediate shock and agony of the wound disrupted Zy’s mind as much as his body. “Focus!” he yelled, and then called upon Nihav in prayer.
Make me as swift as a comet, Father. Energize my soul and spirit. Lend me your strength and courage. Protect me with your caring hands. And through me, lead us to victory!
Footing renewed, his grip tightened around the staff, and he raised it once more just as he broke through the shield’s buzzing purple haze. The inky sphere ahead—a mix of brown and gray hues—stood as a reachable target for him now. Without hesitation, and with every bit of momentum from his stride, Zy hurled the staff of the regimental colors. The grimp, attached with Yuk’s chain and holy Nihavinity circle, flew with the spear and disappeared into the ink.
Zy didn’t watch it fly, but a good number of the Sekkalans did. They turned their heads in curiosity, decreasing their weapons fire long enough for Zy to bring up his shield and draw his sword. On the ground twenty meters ahead of him, he spotted his next target: a cube-shaped shield projector about half his height. He sliced his way through two soldiers on his approach, and another retreated upon witnessing him and his deeds.
War Torrent Page 8
