Her eyes widened in shock.
In a quick motion, she reached down and plucked the frothing cat from the deck, squeezing him tight to her chest. She willed herself to calm down.
She had caught herself pushing against the edge of reason.
She used her breathing techniques from years of yoga and meditation. She breathed in through her nose and out through her mouth. She did it again and again, sending thoughts of calm to Alister as she reminded herself she was in control.
She stood, breathing with her eyes squeezed shut, for what seemed like forever, but she still couldn't hear anything. She knew that was a bad sign, but she could feel herself coming down.
Please don’t let me lose it and start killing my friends. They’re all I have right now. She loved these people; they were her family. They didn't deserve to die because she couldn't control herself.
Why the fuck can't I hear yet? How do I stop this?
She could feel tears running down her face, and she squeezed her eyes shut even tighter. She felt a cold paw touch her cheek.
“Merow,” Alister said. He bunted his forehead to her chin and began to purr loudly.
“Are you okay? Sara?” Cora’s voice was soft and cautious.
Sara blinked her eyes open and looked around the bridge.
Everyone was staring at her in complete silence. She wasn’t in the rage anymore and could hear again just fine; she had just scared everyone to silence.
She cleared her throat. “Yeah. Yeah, I’m okay now. Sorry. I got a little carried away.”
Grimms approached and slowly pulled her out of the command ring, its bubble dissolving the second she left it. He directed her to the captain’s chair, and gently pushed her into it.
“Well, I have to say, that was something. I didn’t know you could use the shield amplifiers like that,” he said, sitting in the chair next to her.
Sara swallowed. “I didn't either, to tell the truth.” She looked at all the shocked faces of her crew. “I’m sorry. I let my emotions get the better of me, there. Please forgive me.”
Connors was the one to break the tension. He snorted a laugh. “Sorry? That was fucking amazing!”
The spell was broken, and the bridge all began talking at once.
Grimms leaned in close. “That was very close to catastrophic, wasn’t it?”
Sara nodded, still slightly shaken. “I have to be more careful. I’m beginning to understand that I’m a tool like fire is a tool. I can provide warmth, and cook your food, and even allow you to forge iron, but I can also burn you to ash.”
Grimms gave her a reassuring smile. “You just described every Marine I’ve ever met.”
“Marines can tell the difference between friend and foe,” Sara countered.
Grimms frowned. “You’d be surprised.”
They fell silent, each brooding on their own demons for a time as the crew chatted excitedly about their captain’s abilities.
Sara felt a ball of pain at the thought of Baxter being taken.
She wouldn't get to tell him how much she admired him. She wouldn’t get to thank him for agreeing to bond with her and take on some of her burden.
He agreed to be by my side forever, to guard me, and for what? A small boost in power and a vague sense of my whereabouts?
She jumped up, spilling Alister to the floor. He gave her a disapproving look before noticing her expression and becoming excited.
“What? What happened?” Grimms asked, taken aback at her sudden movement.
She didn't answer right away. Instead, she focused her thoughts on Baxter and, more importantly, on feeling for where he was. There. Like a lighthouse in the dark of night, he shone in her mind.
She quickly stepped around the command ring and brought up the galaxy map on the holo projector. She zoomed in on a section, closer, until there were only a few stars on the screen. She highlighted one and zoomed in again.
It filled the table. A binary system with a red giant and a white dwarf, circling one another. She focused her feelings and reached out a finger, marking a spot in the empty system.
“The dreadnought is here. We need to go now. I don't know if it’s going to warp again or if it’s too damaged, but we can't lose it. Mezner, let command know where we’re going. Cora, jump us away from this dampener, and then give me all you’ve got. Warp us there,” Sara said, entering the command ring once more and powering it up.
Grimms stepped close. “Are you sure? You just nearly went over the edge.”
She smiled at him. “I’m sure. I’ve got a handle on it; I can recognize the line now.”
The colonel thought for a second before nodding. “I hope so. For your sake.”
Chapter 41
After ten minutes and several flights of stairs, Boon and Gonders found themselves in a set of halls that were, for lack of a better word, gaudy. Thick, red carpets with gold fibers weaved in intricate patterns ran the length of the hall, and the walls were a pearl white, featuring overly ornate wainscoting and crown molding. The door handles were gold. The light sconces were gold. The pots holding exotic plants were gold. It was like looking into the bleeding mouth of a pirate with a good dental plan.
The ship had been rocked with explosions, making forward progress slow to a crawl. After the bombardment stopped, Baxter updated Gonders, saying that he had been talking with the captain as the dreadnought took major damage before it jumped out of the Sol System. The ship had been quiet ever since.
“I’m assuming most of the Teifen are busy with repairs, otherwise they would be all over the place. Either that, or this ship is way emptier than we thought,” Boon said, noting the empty hall.
“Probably doing damage control. That last blast we felt was a reactor going critical,” Gonders said, motioning them to follow her.
She squat-ran to the intersection ahead. Boon followed, then Sir Reitus, with the seven Marines bringing up the rear. Gonders poked a finger around the corner, taking a look with her built-in camera.
“I’ve got two guards on a set of double doors. Reese and Trin, get up here—I need your sharpshooter skills,” Gonders said over the group channel.
The two Marines came forward, peeking around the corner with their own cameras. One gave a nod and knelt against the wall, while the other stood ready and waiting.
“One, two, three,” a gruff male voice—Reese, Boon guessed—counted.
On ‘three’, both Marines spun out into the open and took a shot each. Boon noticed their rifles had been silenced. It was not a feature that could be used in full auto, but it was perfect for sniping.
“Targets down,” Reese reported. “Clear.”
Gonders stepped out with Boon right behind her, and they quickly moved to the doors the enemy had been guarding.
Boon curled her lip at the gruesome splatters of blue blood that covered the white door. She looked down at the Teifen, the first she had ever seen up close. Their faces looked almost human—though the features were a little sharp—and they had roughly humanoid shapes, but that was where the similarities ended. The one on the right had legs that, for all the world, looked like a goat’s; they even ended in hooves instead of feet. The one on the left had more human appendages, but it also sported a set of ram’s horns, and a thick tail as long as its legs. Both were dressed in something like a battlesuit, but in white, and custom made for their peculiar anatomy.
“Be ready,” Gonders warned, raising her rifle and reaching for the door handle. Two Marines lined up behind her, rifles ready. Boon grabbed the other handle as two more Marines lined up behind her. “One, two, three.” They pulled their doors open at the same time and rushed the room, searching for enemies.
What they found was even more horrifying.
Packed into the room were at least fifty Elif, all of them bruised and bloody. They were standing in a tight pack in the center of the room, cowering at the sudden movement. Most of them wore what Boon knew was considered high fashion, but their clothes were ripped and r
agged. These people had been abused thoroughly, and recently.
“Are there any Teifen? Are you alone?” Gonders barked from her suit’s speaker.
The Elif raised their hands in surrender, and a small Elif woman said, “Only the ones on the door,” as she saw the bloody corpses that had been their guards.
“Check the rooms,” Gonders ordered the Marines, motioning to two sets of doors at the back of the room.
The four Marines moved quickly and efficiently, opening the doors and checking the rooms.
“Clear,” one called, then “Clear,” echoed the other.
Gonders opened her helmet’s faceplate, allowing the Elif to see her face. Boon followed suit. Most had wide eyes of surprise at the sight of a human; some even recoiled, as if seeing a monster.
“Where is the emperor?” the specialist asked.
“He’s not here. They keep him in another room down the hall,” the same small Elif woman said.
“And you are?” Gonders asked, all business.
She took a bow. “I am Thia, handmaiden to the empress. They have taken me to attend my lady on occasion. She is not well.”
Gonders opened the channel to the rest of her men. “Get those bodies in here and clean the blood from the doors. We’re taking up a defensive position.”
Four of the Marines that had entered the room with them walked over and dragged the Teifen bodies into the room, while a fifth began wiping at the blood with a scrap of clothing he’d found on the ground, previously worn by an unfortunate Elif.
“Sergeant Major, the prison is a feint. The emperor is up on the palace level. We have Elif prisoners here, and they have a location for his Highness,” Gonders reported. She was quiet for a minute as she listened to his reply. “Copy. I’m sending our location and the updated map. You’ll need to find a way around the cave-in, or blast it out of the way. We didn't run into any resistance on the way; I think the crew is busy with repairs.” She was quiet another few beats, then said, “Got it, we’ll hold our position.”
“We wait?” Boon guessed.
Gonders nodded. “They’re mopping up the last of the prison force then heading our way. As long as they don't run into any more trouble, they should be here in thirty minutes. Let’s hope no one checks on the prisoners ‘til then. Reese and Trin, I want you two posted at the end of this hall. Find something defensible with cover. It looked like the hall was a dead end; make sure it is. Everyone else, were digging in here until the cavalry arrives.”
The Marines got to work without a word.
Boon couldn't help but feel like dead weight. She was not a soldier by a long shot, and these were the cream of the crop.
“What should I do?” she asked, a little embarrassed.
Gonders gave her a smile. “You, my dear, are the secret weapon. Just stay loose and be ready for anything. Thirty minutes is a long time in a war zone,” she said, then leaned in and gave her a quick kiss on the lips before closing her faceplate.
Boon smiled, and closed her own faceplate.
I am a secret weapon, aren’t I? Don't worry, babe. I’ll make you proud.
Chapter 42
Sir Reitus and Gonders were moving through the prisoners, healing their various wounds. It looked to Boon like the knight was well-known. She had learned from Thia that everyone in the room had been someone of importance in the palace on Effrit. The Teifen had sent in a large force to take prisoners.
It had been hard to put together at first, due to Thia beating around the bush quite a bit, but eventually she’d told her that the Teifen liked to take high-class figures and turn them into their personal slaves. In the upper circles of Teifen society, owning slaves was a status symbol. The more important the slave was in their former life, the more value they had as objects. They were swapped amongst the Teifen lords like trading cards.
Boon realized that the Elif in the room were some of the most influential among Elif royalty. The value they held as trade goods would have made the governor extremely powerful. It also meant that the humans had a better chance of preserving the Elif government than they had first assumed.
Boon was curious about something. She leaned in close to Thia and quietly asked, “If the prisoners are so valuable, why have they been so roughly treated? Most of these people have been beaten and not healed properly. I would think not damaging one’s trophies would be a priority.”
Thia grimaced and turned her back so that the others couldn’t see what she said. “They were not beaten, not directly. The Teifen like to…” She paused, looking for the right word and wringing her hands. “Break their slaves… Make them subservient through degrading acts,” she finished, and Boon saw a tear fall from her eye before she quickly wiped it away.
It took Boon a second to get Thia’s full meaning, and when the truth finally dawned, she was gobsmacked. “The Teifen raped them? Oh my god. Were you…”
Thia shook her head quickly. “No. They left me alone, but only so I could attend the empress and her injuries. They would heal her, but only part of the way, saying the pain was to be a reminder.”
The girl began to shake with tears, and Boon quickly engulfed her in a hug, careful not to hurt her with her armor. Boon wanted to comfort all the prisoners, but she only had one set of arms, and Thia was closest.
She felt a tear roll down her own cheek at the injustice delivered to these people. Silva cooed quietly at the pain and shock she felt from her Mage.
Boon was slammed into the present.
Up until now, she had just been along for the ride, following Sara or Baxter or even Gonders wherever they led her. But the revelation at the cruelty of the Teifen brought a clarity of purpose she had been missing. She could not sit by and let such evil exist in the galaxy. She was a War Mage, and with that came a responsibility to protect those who could not protect themselves.
She felt a burning rage twisting in her gut, wanting nothing more than to be let free to ravage this entire ship. She wanted to crush it. To burn it. She wanted to make the Teifen pay for what they had done, and for what they would continue to do if she did nothing. She wanted revenge.
Boon looked at all of the Elif pressed closely together, and saw the signs of abuse that she had glossed over before. The torn clothing, the blood that stained inconspicuous places, the haunted look in so many eyes.
Then one of the Elif stepped to the side, and she caught sight of Gonders, laying a hand on a woman’s shoulder as she sent Aether to heal her wounds. Her rage faded, changed into something less destructive.
She realized she didn't want revenge; she just wanted the Teifen to stop.
Boon was not bloodthirsty; in fact, she could hardly stomach the sight of blood. But she would gladly wade through a river of it, if it meant that less people would suffer in the long run. The one thing that living in a religious commune for the first eighteen years of her life had taught her was that, sometimes, violence is the answer. It was an odd thought to take away from a group of pacifists, but that revelation had created a seed of truth, deep within Boon’s soul.
Seeing the world and wishing it would change, instead of acting to make it change, allowed for the same amount of violence.
This was made clear on the day Boon decided she was leaving the commune. A local farmer had come with a complaint that the commune’s sheep herd had wandered into one of his berry fields and was killing the bushes by stripping the leaves from the plants. The leader of the commune said that it was the right of the sheep to eat from the land, that he would not stop the natural order of things, and finally said that if the farmer wanted to keep the sheep out, he should put up a fence.
The farmer argued that the project would cost a fortune, considering the field’s size, and he became angry, which Boon thought was a completely natural reaction, and he punched the leader in the face.
The leader called in the authorities, and they came and took the farmer away. Everyone else thought this was a fine solution, and praised the leader for not striking back
at the farmer, but Boon knew the truth.
He had struck back; he had just used someone else’s hands.
She had decided then and there that she would not let others fight for her rights, if she could do the fighting herself.
Boon patted Thia gently on the back, and cooed softly to her as she watched her guard heal the broken.
“Ma’am, we have guards coming your way. A lot of them. Looks like twenty-one in total,” Reese said over the open channel. “We can take out a few, but not before they are able to get away. You have thirty seconds before they get to the door.”
“Shit. Okay, people, we have a fight on our hands. Hemmet, get these people to that side of the room and out of the way as best you can. Sir Reitus, I need you to provide a shield barrier for the men to fire from, here,” she said, indicating an angle facing the door. “I’ll take this side. Reese, you two open up after we attack; go for targets in the back of the pack first; maybe they won’t notice their compatriots falling behind them if they are focused on us. Boon…”
“Don’t worry, I can handle myself. In fact, I’ll throw the first punch; I can take a lot of them out in one blow if they don't see it coming. Reese, let me know when most of them are directly in front of the door,” Boon ordered, stepping up to face the doors, as Silva slipped into her hip pouch and prepared for battle.
“You heard the woman, Reese,” Gonders said, producing a shimmering golden shield that her men could kneel behind while still having a clear line of sight on the door.
“Yes, ma’am. Ten seconds. They’ve noticed the missing guards. The leader is approaching the doors, followed by a few… now!”
Boon sent a shot of Aether into the spellform she had requested from Silva. The shape blazed in her mind, and a blast of invisible force blew both doors outward, ripping them from their frames. With lethal force, she sent them flying into the five Teifen standing on the other side.
War Mage Chronicles- Part One Page 47
