Backlash Rising

by Brandon Ellis

  Sleuth blinked rapidly. “Are you going to tell me you’re not on this mission anymore?” He pointed to his chest. “It’s just me and Enlil now?”

  Diana dropped her head in defeat, the weight of the galaxy too much. “You know what? I’m done. We’re activating Sirona's engines and getting off Eos. We’ll join the rest of Star Guild fleet at the rendezvous point…if they’re still there.”

  Sleuth sidestepped slowly and butted up against the wall beside the door. “You're killing me, Diana. You really are.”

  Diana's voice dropped low. “Tell the crew to get ready. We leave at,” she glanced at her watch, “fourteen-hundred hours.”

  “In four hours?” Sleuth shook his head, pushing his glasses up the ridge of his nose. “I’m sorry. I can’t do that.”

  “You’ll do as I ask, or I’ll reprimand you.”

  Sleuth smirked. “You reprimand me, and this all comes out to the crew.” He reached into his pocket, pulling out a small, round device. “All of our dialogue has been going to Enlil for months. He’s listening now. If you—”

  “Who the Guild are you working for? Me or them?” She knew the answer before she asked, but it came out anyway.

  He took in a deep breath. “Let me start again. If you reprimand me, Enlil will see that Sirona’s crew hears every word coming from your snaked tongue. Or he blows the entire ship to Guild and back. Sirona stays here until further orders.” He grimaced, rubbing his heart as if pained by Diana’s sudden change. “You disappoint me. I don't know about you, but I want to live. Perhaps some of our crew want to live as well.”

  “Sit down, Sleuth.”

  Sleuth spat on the floor. “Your orders mean nothing.” He turned and swiped the control panel next to the door. The door slid open and he walked down the corridor. The door shut.

  Diana looked at the door. She rested her head in her hands and spoke to herself. “What did I do?” She wept. After a few moments, she lifted her head and stared at her wet palms. “I’m a monster. How could I have considered aligning with Enlil? All because I had an imaginary gripe with the fleet admiral and the captains?” She slid her hand under her desk and pressed a button. The desk drawer opened. She reached in and took out her pistol and placed it against her temple. She squeezed her eyes shut, her finger twitching on the trigger. She pulled the trigger. An empty click sounded.

  Rearing back, she threw the gun against the ebb door. “I can’t even get that right.” She’d have to deal with the shit she created like everyone else.

  27

  Eden

  Starship Sirona, Eos

  Eden yawned and stretched her arms wide. She was on top of her bed, the sheets still tucked in. She abruptly bolted upright, her eyes bright. She eyed the bed and then her pillow. Did she dream it? She shook her head. Last night, she’d practiced the Sight with Skye, and eventually lifted the pillow off the ground and onto her bed. It took great effort and drained her to near blackout.

  She moved to the edge of her bed. “How was any of that possible?”

  Something inside her stirred, and she jumped to a standing position. She touched her stomach just above her belly button. It felt warm. “What’s going on?”

  She turned and pointed her hand at the pillow. Her emotions swirled inside her, everything from the love she had for the man she considered her father, Fleet Admiral Shae Lutz, to the rage she felt knowing Diana walked around a traitor.

  More images appeared: her first kiss, and the longing for the boy, the uplifting sensation when he told her he was the one. The sadness that took hold when he kissed another girl a week later. Then another image slowly turned into a movie. Eden watched as her mother stomped down the hall, pushing fifteen-year-old Eden along, screaming at her, “I told you to get my medication.”

  Eden had refused. The medication had become an addiction, a drug, and at that young age, Eden finally understood why her mom turned into an abusive monster.

  She shoved Eden out of the house. Eden’s heart plummeted, the love for her mom thrown in her face as if it didn’t matter. Her mom locked the door. “Don’t come back until you have my meds.”

  Eden never returned and never saw her mother again. That day tossed love and confusion into a tangled spider’s web.

  She snapped out of her thoughts and let out a breath that came from deep in her belly, almost like dragon’s fire. A sense of connection came from the pillow, and the surrounding energy clicked inside her as if she pressed an on switch. Then a sweet, peaceful sensation engulfed her like a ladybug landing on her finger in the biosphere.

  “Lift.” She raised her hand, and the pillow moved upward. Her hand shook and her body perspired. Her knees wobbled and she fell to the floor, and the pillow plummeted to the bed. She sat on the floor, panting like an overworked dog, sweat dripping down her face.

  She took a deep breath, and thoughts of Shae entered her mind. During a Starfighter combat training exercise, he told her how impressive her quick thinking had been. Her fast reflexes gave her Starship Brigantia’s top score. She smiled when his face came to mind, his lips holding down the grin he wanted to give. As Admiral, he couldn’t show favorites. Yet, she knew his favorite was her.

  She quickly gained strength at the thought and pushed off the ground, wiping the sweat off of her brow. She stood tall, a smile growing on her face. Never in her life did she imagine conjuring anything like the Sight or manipulating physics in such a way.

  Two days ago, she would have thought it impossible. The impossible became reality, and she rushed to the door, wanting to run to Skye for more training. If she could pick up lifting a pillow so quickly, what else could she do with the Sight? Could she shoot electric bolts out of her hands? She snorted at the crazy thought.

  The door opened, and she squinted her eyes, a strange buzzing sound entering her ears. A thought entered her mind, and the buzzing stopped. Did she feel a shift in energy on the ship? The thought centered on the big glasses-wearing, short and balding man.

  “Sleuth,” she said. “There’s a shift in him. He’s more dangerous.” She shook her head, pushing the idea and sensation away. Diana ran the ship. He didn’t.

  Energy slammed into her heart, and an intuitive sensation rang through her body. “They split? Sleuth no longer works for her?” She rolled her eyes. Her mind and body were playing tricks on her.

  She rounded a corridor, looking for Skye. The smell of fresh bread wafted to her nose, and she stopped in stride, glancing to her right. Her stomach growled, and she patted it. “All right, we dine, then we find Skye.” She walked toward the cafeteria. The door slid open.

  Utensils scraped plates brimming with food, and people occupied rows and rows of tables. Her eyes halted on a man to her right.

  Overweight, his hair unkempt, he held a fork over his plate of food. There were bruises around his eyes and a bandage over the ridge of his nose as if he’d lost a recent fistfight. He stared at Eden like she wore a crown and a princess gown. He stabbed food and shoveled the fork into his mouth, chomping. He kept his eyes on her and motioned her over.

  Eden wrinkled her brow and made her way to him. She sensed something important and stopped at the head of the table.

  “You’re Major Eden Gaines, right? The one I saw on the vidscreen replays ramming your starfighter into the torpedoes?” He shook his head. “I heard you were on Sirona, but how the Guild did you survive?”

  “All I can say is the Space Templars helped to keep me alive. The mechanics of it and their technology to do something like that is still way over my head.” Why did Eden feel he had significant information for her?

  He grabbed a sandwich from his plate and took a tremendous bite, taking half the sandwich in his mouth. He flicked his finger at someone, calling him over, his mouth full.

  Eden glanced at his food. Corn, mashed potatoes, gravy, and you name it, all in a huge clump on his plate. She frowned. “Why do you have such large portions?” She glanced around the room, studying several other plates. “You
’re all eating like kings and queens.”

  He picked up his plate and scooped sloppy corn into his mouth. “I’m Hank.” He glanced over Eden’s shoulder. “And that’s Doctor William.”

  “Great, but really, how do you have so much food?” It made little sense. They should ration their food, not shove food in their mouths like fat pigs.

  “You’re Eden, correct?” came a strong, male voice.

  She turned to see a handsome man with brown hair, hazel eyes, and a doctor’s gown on. He stood behind her, his hand extended for a handshake. She shook his hand as he leaned forward, whispering, “I’m Doctor William Simmons, and we need your help.”

  Eden nodded, understanding they probably had questions or fears, but she didn’t have time to deal with them. She had bigger fish to fry.

  She continued to look around. No way this ship could have this much food without a supply chain of foodstuffs nearby. “I’m sorry, but I have to go.” If she could figure out exactly where the food came from, she may find a clue to Enlil’s location.

  William gently grabbed her shoulder. “I’m a doctor, and Hank over there is a top tech. We have a serious concern that you can help us with.”

  Eden eyed one, then the other. “Tech, you say? And I assume you have access to Tech Quarters?”

  Hank nodded, chewing loudly. “Yep.”

  Eden grinned. “Then why don’t we help each other.”

  Hank planted both hands on the bench and pushed himself into a standing position. He eyeballed William. “Should we talk to her now?”

  Eden motioned for them to follow her. “Let's talk on our way to Tech Quarters.”

  The cafeteria door opened, and they walked down the corridor, Hank’s heavy footsteps pounding behind her. “And how can we help you, Major Gaines?”

  “We need to find where you’re getting your food supply.”

  “What do you mean?” said Hank. “We get them from the cooks who get them from the kitchen and supplies.”

  Eden flicked a glance over her shoulder at Hank. “Unless you refueled with extra food reserves the day of the attack, you should be out of food by now.”

  “We’re on rations,” said Hank, throwing his thumb to the side. “Tech Quarters right here.” Hank walked inside, Eden and William in tow. Hank collapsed in a chair in front of a holocomp, his head in his hands as if he were catching his breath.

  William patted his back. “When we get done with all of this crap, my friend, you’re seeing me, and I’m getting you healthy and in shape.”

  Hank snorted. “Good luck.”

  Eden rested her hands on her hips. “Was today by chance not a ration day?”

  William shook his head. “No, today was a ration day, just like every day.”

  Eden pursed her lips. “Then we definitely need to know where your food is coming from because those weren’t rations.” She touched the holoscreen at Hank’s desk, her finger going through the holographic display. “Pull up storables and supplies.” She faced Hank and William. “If you consider those rations, then someone is supplying you with food outside of Starship Sirona, and I want to know who.”

  Hank swiped his finger over the screen. “We also get food from the Warehouse next door.”

  “You don't get that kind of food from a warehouse, and if you did, you wouldn't have that much of it. A warehouse supplies food for a hundred people who work in that specific warehouse. You have ten thousand people on Starship Sirona, maybe a little less. The food from a warehouse would last you half a day if that.”

  William dipped his head toward another workstation far across the room in a corner where a bald man wore a headset, talking to someone, his back to them. “Sleuth would probably know.”

  Her heart burned at the name, and she took a step back. “Best we keep this between us.”

  Hank shot William a cold look. “I told you, man. I don’t trust that swine, and she clearly doesn’t either.”

  Eden narrowed her eyes. “Stay away from Sleuth.”

  “We want to show you something,” explained William.

  Eden blew out spent air. She wanted to look for the food supply route, not whatever these two wanted to show her.

  “Just, humor us.” Hank pulled up an outside view of the ship. The vid glitched for a millisecond. “A vid loop, and we know who placed it.” He eyed Sleuth.

  Eden watched the screen. “Is the loop going on now?”

  “Yes. There are several loops for different times of the day. What we’re seeing isn’t what’s occurring outside.” Hank leaned on his armrest. “I have night shift, and I like to hack into Sleuth's HDC through my holocomp when he goes on breaks. I was doing it so he could eventually find out. I enjoy pissing him off.” Hank pressed a few holographic buttons. “I accidentally stumbled on the loop. He’s into some real bad shit.”

  William ran his hands through the back of his hair. “Hank is confident Sleuth works for the other team, you know, those who attacked us.”

  Eden pinched her lower lip. “I surmised the same.”

  “Why else would he secure a loop? What's his angle?” asked Hank.

  Eden didn’t know. Diana and Sleuth benefited somehow by helping the Anunnaki.

  William tapped Hank's shoulder. “Show her the other vid.”

  Hank looked at Eden. “The most important vid. Here, pay close attention.” Hank typed in several strings of code and an image popped up, then blipped off.

  “What was that?” That didn’t show Eden anything.

  “I’ll pause it right where I need to.” Hank typed in a string of code again, but this time a little different. “Watch.” He turned on the vid, and just like taking a snapshot, the vid paused.

  Eden leaned forward. “What am I looking at? The inside of a ship?” She looked at Sleuth. The guy was still talking on the comm and hadn’t noticed her.

  “I took this from Sleuth’s HDC when I hacked him a day ago. It’s a little fuzzy. The bald bastard was sloppy. Out of all that he erased and covered up, he screwed up on this one. Look.” Hank outlined an image on the screen with his finger. “You can barely see it, but here you have a human and someone that looks like a giant. But, when I do this…” he pressed a few buttons and the still vid brightened, “…you see Captain Diana Johnson and some big-ass guy sitting in the seat across from her.”

  Eden gasped. “How did Sleuth get that recording?”

  “Whether or not Diana knew it, Sleuth placed a bug on her, a small video device,” said Hank. “He erased or vid-blocked most of the recording but left a smidgen for my hacking skills to find.” He cracked his knuckles.

  “Who's that big guy with her?”

  “One of the bad guys, I think. Maybe the one in charge, but who knows?” replied Hank.

  “Can you triangulate the location where that vid was taken?” asked Eden.

  Hank wiped his hands together. “I already did.”

  “Excellent. Write the location on a piece of paper and hand it to me.” She eyed Sleuth, his back still to them. “I’ll get on this right away.” Perhaps she didn’t need to find the food supply, and this was all she needed.

  “Also,” continued Hank. “We’ve heard a rumor that a weapon of some type is heading our way.”

  Eden tilted her head. Who would let out the rumor? She held back a grin. Perhaps Skye or one of the Space Templars started it. Deep down, and perhaps because of the Sight, she figured that’s exactly what happened. “And?”

  “Sleuth is keeping that under wraps. I don’t know what he’s thinking, because if the rumor proves correct and this weapon can blast us off the face of Eos, why would Sleuth and Diana allow it? They’d die, too.”

  “I mentioned it to Diana. She didn’t know that it existed,” said Eden.

  William jerked back. “You know about the weapon, too?”

  Eden nodded. “Yes, and regarding Diana, she was genuinely surprised, and if I’m not mistaken, a little pissed.”

  “Well, here it is.” A vid appeared on the
screen, showing a massive cannon atop a thick, hovering platform. “As you can see, it’s moving slowly. Sometimes it stops, and we see giants wearing jumpsuits and helmets get out of the damn thing and repair it.”

  “Good.” Eden flattened her lips. “How long will it take to get to us?”

  Hank let out a gush of air, thinking. “I don’t know. Maybe thirty-six to forty-eight hours?”

  “I’ll need those coordinates.”

  Hank nodded, pulling out a piece of paper and jotting down coordinates. He handed her the paper. She folded it and slipped it up her sleeve. Eden had the location or a location near where the suspected leader conducted his operations, along with the weapon’s coordinates.

  “Thank you.” She went to turn and find Skye. She needed to get Skye into the air and destroy that weapon. In the meantime, she and the rest of the Space Templars could head toward the other coordinates, and hopefully take out the enemy's base of operations.

  Hank clasped his hands together. “Wait, one more thing.” He moved to another application on the screen. “I found this on Sleuth’s HDC.” A schematic of the engine room came into view. “Everything is in the blue, meaning, ready to go.” He bit his lower lip, his cheeks flushing red. “I accessed Sirona’s engines from Sleuth’s HDC to see how well repairs were going. As you can see from the date, engines have been fully online since we…” he made air quotes, “…crashed landed. All the HDC’s in Tech Quarters show we are in the red and engines aren’t fully repaired. We’ve been a fully functioning starship the entire time we’ve been on Eos.”

  Eden nodded, a better plan hatching in her mind. “Leak this information to the entire starship as fast as you can. We need everyone in the know. Since I by chance have the enemy’s coordinates, I’ll let Skye know we can arrest Diana and Sleuth. We then take this ship off this planet. We could get this done quickly if we act now.”