by S. E. Smith
“Luc, you believe that is supposed to be a better transmission than telling them that a species called the Drethulans are coming?” Jon Paul stated, looking at the other man in disbelief as the vidcom faded.
Destin sat staring at the center of the table. He looked up, frowning at the others sitting around the table before his gaze focused on Cutter. He returned Destin’s look with a grim one of his own.
“That’s today… If the video is for real,” Destin said.
“We are currently accepting that it is,” General Baker stated.
“Why?” Mason asked with a puzzled frown. “It looked like a couple of Frenchmen who’ve had a bit too much wine to me.”
General Baker glanced at Mason, then around the room. “That video was placed in the alien archives nearly a century ago. It was programmed to arrive in our mainframe and automatically play today,” he replied in a quiet tone.
“When I search the properties of the transmission, I discovered the same thing. It was placed in the Trivator archives and set to automatically transmit on the Star Raider. The Star Raider was not part of the fleet until shortly before we were ordered to this planet,” Jag stated.
“I received a transmission, but it was fleeting,” a soft voice stated from the doorway.
Destin turned in his seat and rose. Sula stood in the doorway with Chelsea standing behind her. His breath caught when he saw her long hair was braided over her good shoulder. She was wearing a soft, button-up red plaid shirt, a pair of jeans, and a pair of black tennis shoes. She was pale, but composed.
“What did the transmission say?” General Baker asked.
Sula shook her head. “There was no audio, just a brief visual. It was so fast that I thought I imagined it,” she said.
“What was the image?” Destin asked, stepping around the chair to walk over to her.
He grasped Sula’s hand when she lifted it toward him. He could feel the tremble in it. Her eyes were dark and shadows appeared under them.
“I saw the tower where we are living in flames and the city burning,” she replied, closing her eyes for a moment, trying to remember every detail. “It was so fleeting. I didn’t recognize the city at first.” She opened her eyes and looked at the small, portable vidcom Jag had placed on the table. A frown creased her brow as she remembered what she had seen. “I dreamed about it last night and it dawned on me that the tower and the city looked eerily familiar. The transmission reminded me of it.”
“Last night you were searching for something. What was it?” Cutter asked.
Sula turned to look at Cutter. “I’ve been searching for more information about the missing women. I found a cache of Badrick’s files that had not been deleted. It took a while, but I was finally able to access them. I discovered that Badrick compiled video documentation of most of his encounters. There was one with Destin in particular that drew my curiosity.”
“What was it?” Destin asked with a frown.
“I noticed Badrick was wearing a ring with an unusual blood red crystal in it,” she said. “I have seen the ring before, but I could not remember where. I sent a message to my brother, Andric. He replied shortly before I came in here. Many years ago, Andric left Usoleum on a quest of self-discovery. He traveled to many different worlds, some unknown to us at the time. One world was called Elpidios. I have the message.”
Sula pulled the small disk out of her pocket and held it out to Jag to place in the vidcom.
“Sula, I do not know where you found this ring, but it is the one stolen from me many years ago. The ring was given to me as a gift by a tribal leader on a distant world called Elpidios. It is a desolate world that appeared to be dying when I was there.
I landed in a desert not far from a range of mountains. I had been exposed to radiation poisoning when one of the power modules failed on my ship, and was deathly ill. I ejected the module into space, but I knew I could go no farther. Elpidios was the nearest habitable planet. In truth, I expected to die on that inhospitable world.
I abandoned my spaceship and set out across the sands. On the third night, a small group of native inhabitants came upon my camp. They could not understand me nor I them. While our skin was similar in color, my eyes and hair were a novelty to them. I was finally able to configure my translator to decipher a portion of their language. The group led me back to their elders, where they placed stones similar to that of the ring around me and over my body. Over the course of several days, I began to feel better. I stayed with them for nearly a full lunar cycle before I explained that I had to leave.
The night before I left the settlement, one of the elders gave me the ring and told me a story. They said one day the great Empress from an unknown world would come and unlock the blood in the stones that would give life back to their planet. The elder told me the ring is said to have belonged to one of those that struck down the creatures that attacked centuries before. It was found in a city hidden beneath the mountains. He hoped giving the ring to me would lead the Empress to their world.
The stone is known as a blood stone and contains a tremendous amount of energy that absorbed the radiation. You can imagine my surprise when I learned that the Elpidiosians had joined the Alliance a few years ago. I would like to return it to the Grand Ruler.”
“I don’t know if the ring is of any relevance to what is happening or why the human females have been kidnapped, but something told me it was important,” Sula murmured when the transmission ended. “Beth and I searched everywhere for it. There was no record of the ring in the inventory of items returned with Badrick’s body. It was also not on his body during the autopsy. I thought for sure Badrick hid it in his living quarters somewhere. I was able to get the computer to recreate the ring and this is what it looks like.”
“Shit!”
All eyes turned to Mason, who stood against the back wall. He groaned and ran both hands down his face. He dropped them to his sides and shook his head.
“I know where it is,” Mason said with a grimace. “I forgot all about the damn thing.”
“What are you talking about? How can you have it?” Destin asked.
Mason shrugged. “It was a crazy day. It was the day Kali was taken by Colbert. We were going in after her. If you remember, the place lit up like hell having a party. I was helping clean up the bodies. I caught one of the guys stripping valuables off the dead. I made him empty what he took and kicked his ass to the curb. One of the items was that ring. I guess it got stuck in the bottom of my jacket because I found it a couple of months later. I tossed it in a box. It’s been in the top of my closet ever since,” he explained.
“But what does that have to do with the missing women?” Mary asked.
“I don’t know – maybe nothing,” Sula said with a sigh.
“I can go get it,” Mason suggested.
“That would be….,” Sula’s voice died when the sound of an alarm went off. “What…?”
“We’re under attack,” Cutter stated, pushing past the group.
The rest of the group headed out the door. Patch strode out of his office and down the hallway. Chelsea came out of the room down the hall. Destin gently steered Sula toward Chelsea.
“Beth, Mary, I want you to stay with Chelsea and Sula,” Destin ordered.
“Destin,” Beth started to protest before she pressed her lips together at his fierce expression.
“Protect her, Beth. She’s hurt… and she’s pregnant. I need you to keep her safe for me,” Destin stated in a quiet yet urgent tone.
“You go on and keep yourself safe. We’ve got Sula covered,” Mary said firmly. “Come on, honey. We’ve got to find a safe place.”
Sula watched Destin hurry after Jag and Cutter. Fear gripped her when she remembered the brief glimpse of the tower on fire and the city in ruins once again. Her eyes moved back to the portable vidcom Jag placed on the center of the table. She blinked when it flickered again.
Stepping away from Beth, Mary, and Chelsea, she walked back into the
room. A frown creased her brow. For the first time, she saw the enlarged image of the ring. Staring at it, she stepped closer and peered at the image. Her lips parted in a gasp when she saw the small rectangular object in the side.
“What is it?” Beth asked above the sounds of the sirens.
“It is a microchip,” Sula whispered. “Badrick liked to capture vidcoms of his meetings. There is a microchip in the ring. He would only have done that if it contained vital information that he didn’t want anyone else to know about.”
“But… What kind of information could he have?” Mary asked.
Sula turned and looked at Mary with wide eyes. “He was on Dises V. One of the reports I opened made a brief notation of it, but more importantly, it may have information on where the missing women were taken,” Sula whispered with a growing urgency.
“Once we know what is going on, Mason can give you the ring,” Mary said.
Sula shook her head. Her mind swirled with fear. What if this was the only chance there was of finding the women? What if there was information that could help against the Waxians and the Drethulans?
“I saw the tower in flames,” Sula replied, gazing at the other women. “We have to get the ring before the tower is destroyed.”
“But, how will we get there? Neither Grandma or I know how to fly one of those space transport things,” Beth replied.
“I can, but I don’t know where Mason’s living quarters are or how to get in them once I find it,” Sula said.
“Now that I know how to do,” Mary stated with a smug, determined smile. “If there is a chance of finding those girls and bringing them home and defeating an alien species – the bad ones, darling – I can pick a lock to a flea’s locker.”
“I do not know what a flea’s locker is, but I will trust you can pick the lock to Mason’s living quarters,” Sula responded. “I need my weapon.”
“I’ll get it. I’d love to go, but Doc Patch is going to need help when the wounded start coming in,” Chelsea said, regretfully.
“You stay here,” Mary said with a nod. “Beth and I will protect her.”
“There is a transport in the third building to the left. It was given to Patch and me as a medical transport,” Chelsea instructed.
“Maybe you should stay here, Sula,” Beth said, biting her lip. “Grandma and I can go. I can take one of the jeeps. We know what we are looking for and you… well, honestly Destin would kill us if anything happened to you.”
“I like that idea even better,” Chelsea replied.
Sula started to protest, but Beth had placed the idea in the other two women’s minds, and in all honesty, she knew she would be more of a liability with her injured shoulder. All three women winced and ducked when an explosion hit near the building and it shook.
“Go, find the ring and get back as soon as you can,” Sula said.
“Find cover,” Beth instructed. “Come on, Grandma.”
Sula bit her lip and watched Beth and Mary hurry down the corridor. They both turned when Patch came out with a grim expression. This was not the healer from last night. This was a warrior.
“I’ve got reports of casualties coming in,” Patch stated. “Get the operating beds ready.”
“Right away,” Chelsea said with a curt nod. “Sula….”
“Go, I will help any way I can,” Sula promised.
Chapter Twenty-One
Destin watched the shuttle lift off the ground carrying Jag back to the Star Raider. High up in the sky he could see large flashes of light even through the clear blue skies. General Baker and Thomas jumped into a jeep that pulled up. The general was barking out orders. All around him, Trivator warriors moved with the skill of years of training.
“I don’t know about you, but I feel like kicking some serious ass,” Mason said, glancing up at the rain of pod-shaped vessels descending through the air. “Shit! It looks like a fu—a damn horror movie.”
“Yeah, well, I’ve already lived through one. I don’t want to live through another,” Destin retorted. “You drive, I shoot.”
Mason’s eyes lit up when he saw where Destin was looking: an armored Humvee with a .50 caliber machine gun mounted to the top. The two men ran to the vehicle. Destin climbed inside, followed by Mason.
“Here, put these on,” Mason said, tossing a pair of headphones to Destin. “This way we can communicate and you’ll still have your hearing when we’re done.”
“Thanks,” Destin replied, sliding on the headphones and turning them on. “Can you hear me?”
“Loud and clear,” Mason replied, starting the vehicle. “I love being on a base where they are always ready. Do you remember how to work that thing?”
“Shut up and drive. I’ve got this,” Destin retorted, locking the clip in and releasing the safety.
Destin braced himself in the swivel seat. There was a short protective barrier around him. The seat allowed a full three hundred and sixty degree rotation with his body, giving it motion while his feet operated the brake and power to that made it rotate. Destin aimed at a pod and fired.
The force of the bullets didn’t penetrate the metal capsules, but it was enough to knock it off balance. Realizing he was going to need more fire power or a better strategy for destroying the falling capsules, he continued firing until the one he was aiming at struck another capsule. The two careened out of control and crashed into the ground.
It was when they stopped spinning that Destin noticed an opening in the bottom, probably part of the capsule’s way to slow down before it struck the planet. Destin aimed at the engine opening and fired. The capsule exploded in a brilliant flare of flaming debris.
“Oh, yeah! Now that is what I’m talking about,” Mason yelled.
Destin didn’t need any more encouragement. He quickly fired on the second capsule just as a metal panel exploded and a creature unlike anything he had ever seen crawled out. Destin immediately fired multiple rounds, striking the creature and the vessel it had exited. The horrific sound of screeching reverberated through the air before it was cut short when the capsule exploded. Mason and Destin watched the fiery remains of the creature burn for several seconds before they refocused their efforts on the fight above them.
Transports flew low overhead, firing with precision at the capsules. They were discovering, like Destin had, that the metal was too dense to penetrate. He needed some way to communicate with Cutter or General Baker so he could let them know where to strike the capsules.
“We need to find Cutter,” Destin growled.
“I saw him heading for the command center,” Mason replied. “Hang on.”
Destin swiveled around in his seat. He aimed upward at the incoming capsules. Mixed with them were additional fighters. These did not appear to have the same type of metal as the egg-shaped pods. The problem was the Trivator fighters were engaging with the attacking forces and not the pods.
Destin destroyed four more of the pods before one of the alien fighters realized what he was doing. Adrenaline poured through him when they turned toward him and Mason. Gritting his teeth, he continued firing at the two pods.
“We’ve got company,” Destin said, wincing when Mason turned the corner between two buildings.
“I see them,” Mason replied, accelerating.
“Yes!” Destin shouted.
“Ouch! What the hell happened?” Mason asked, taking another corner. “Bogies at eleven and two.”
“The Trivators are figuring out what we are doing and two of their fighters took out the Drethulan fighters heading for us,” Destin replied, swiveling to eleven o’clock and firing before turning to the one at two o’clock. “We’re making progress!”
“Don’t count your eggs yet, boss man. It looks like the alien chicken just hatched a new batch,” Mason said, watching in dismay as the sky filled with the falling pods. “I hate fucking alien chickens.”
Prymorus threw his vidcom across the room. Retris still had not returned with the Raftian and the Jawtaw, and the Dr
ethulan commander refused to listen to him. He’d told the male that he didn’t have troop placement yet, but the Drethulan was overconfident.
“Sir, what are your instructions?” one of the warriors asked, standing at attention.
“Bring the human child you found to me,” Prymorus ordered.
“Yes, sir,” the warrior said, turning on his heel.
Prymorus walked over to the opening and stared out. Drethulan pods fell through the atmosphere. He watched several explode before they reached the ground. His fingers tightened on the doorframe and he stepped back when two Trivator fighters flashed low overhead. The building shook from the explosions outside. Dust and loose debris rained down from the ceiling.
He watched the warrior walk back from the freighter. A struggling human boy fought to escape. Loud curses escaped the boy and he flashed a look of resentment at Prymorus.
The moment the boy was within striking distance, Prymorus backhanded him across the face. The force of the blow knocked the boy off his feet and he fell several feet away, stunned. Pulling his laser pistol free, he pointed it at the boy’s leg.
“Struggle again and I will blow your leg off,” Prymorus stated in an icy tone. “Do you know a human named Destin Parks?”
The boy raised a trembling hand to his busted bottom lip and nodded. Prymorus reached down, gripped the front of the child’s shirt, and yanked him back to his feet. Dirty tears streaked the boy’s face and his eyes shone with fear.
“You will lead me to him,” Prymorus ordered. “If you try to escape, I will kill you slowly, do you understand?”
“Ye… Yes,” the boy whispered. “He’s… Destin isn’t at the tower. I heard… I heard talk that he went to the base.”
“The Trivator base?” Prymorus asked.
The boy nodded. “The one near the lake,” he replied, pointing a shaky hand in the direction of most of the explosions.
Prymorus glanced toward the east. He started to turn toward the warrior when the male jerked in surprise and fell forward, dead. Prymorus’ gaze locked on a human male holding a weapon against his shoulder. Next to him was a Trivator.
