The Galactic Sentinel: Ultimate Edition: 4 Books with 2000+ Pages of Highly Entertaining Sci-Fi Space Adventure

by Killian Carter

  Taza snorted. “So nice of you to care.”

  “Listen, Taza,” Assad said seriously. “I know things didn’t end…well between us before. I didn’t mean for things to pan out the way they did. There were things I wanted to say to you before you died…before we thought you were dead—”

  “Save it for later, old man,” Taza said. “I don’t plan on dying again any time soon. Then again, if Evans doesn’t get those systems back up and running, I don’t see this ending well.”

  Taza thought about the kid. He hoped he’d been right about Chimera not having too many troops in the Data District. He’d been wrong about the organization so far, and if he’d been wrong about that too, she and her team would be in trouble.

  22

  The Data District

  Clio crouched outside the slotted door of the small power house they’d broken into. She held her SIG to the ground as two of her three spheres slotted back into the recesses in her remote reconnaissance unit. She’d left the third hiding near Terminal Thirteen in case it came in useful later.

  With power and defenses down everywhere within five miles of Sentinel Square, climbing over the district’s wired fence had been no trouble at all. Clio and the others had picked their way through the scattering of terminal huts, data hubs, and other outbuildings until they had gotten as close to Terminal Thirteen as possible without being discovered.

  She’d been surprised to find the area hadn’t been overrun with Chimera soldiers. Taza had been right. Too many troops would have drawn the attention of Sentinel Security, and Chimera didn’t want anyone to know they were poking around the terminals. If it was where they had hacked the Sentinel’s systems, like Clio suspected, then their entire operation likely hinged on them keeping it secret.

  O’Donovan, Booster, and the two Shanti rested inside the small powerhouse while Swigger scouted the area. While he was gone, Clio had sent her recon drones to see what information they could gather, keeping the devices close to the shadows as they rolled across the ground between the small structures that littered the Data District. She had watched for activity around Terminal Thirteen and was happy with what she’d learned.

  She was about to re-join the others inside when she caught movement out of the corner of her left eye. Her hand reached for the blaster on her hip. Swigger emerged from behind a storage unit, his hands up.

  “It’s just me,” he said quietly over the short-bad vox. “Getting jumpy?”

  “Did you find anything useful?” she asked, ignoring his mockery.

  They walked inside, Swigger gently closing the door behind them. “Thankfully the Data District surveillance system is down. My guess is they couldn’t isolate it from the rest of the security systems they deactivated. It’ll make moving around the area easier. The district gates have been locked, but no one is manning the gate. Either they took the guards out or they paid them off.”

  “Probably the latter if you found no bodies,” O’Donovan suggested.

  “Possibly,” Swigger said. “They could have hidden the bodies, but I saw no signs of struggle.”

  “Any activity elsewhere?”

  “They’ve still got eyes in the sky. I couldn’t get a good view without exposing my position, but from what I could see, it looks like Terminal Thirteen is the only place they have troops. Your friend was right. How about you?” Swigger asked, eyeing her RRU. “Those cameras find anything?”

  “I watched Terminal Thirteen while you were gone. The door only opened twice. Once when a Chimera troop left for a leak. I counted three others moving about inside when he returned. The interior has a smaller back room that could hold another two or three. They’ve got six…maybe seven in there, and at least one of those is a tech.”

  “Good work,” Swigger said reluctantly. “We can plan better, knowing how many we’re dealing with.”

  Clio was glad he could maintain a professional relationship despite their recent differences. Given what Zora had revealed to her, she wanted to explain things, but hadn’t had the opportunity. “The question is, how do we proceed? There are six of us, but they looked better armed overall.”

  “Regardless of who’s armed better, attacking head on wouldn’t be wise,” Swigger said. “They hold a fortified position.”

  “We could smoke them out.” Riley offered, a thumb on a grenade in his belt.

  “We don’t need to do either of those things,” Clio said, thinking out loud. “The terminals were designed to be highly secure. They have one way in and out.”

  Realization registered on Swigger’s face. “If we could lure them out, someone could sneak in and lock the security door.”

  “Who would do the sneaking?” O’Donovan asked.

  “I’m the only one with a phantom-drive,” Clio said. “Plus, I know how to work the computers. I’ll have to do it.”

  “It’s a big risk,” O’Donovan said, clearly not liking the idea. “What if there are more in there than you think?”

  “Then Booster will help me take care of them,” Clio said, smiling at the puck.

  Booster raised his metal arm and squeaked in agreement.

  Swigger’s eyes swept over O’Donovan and the two Shanti. “Between the four of us, we should be able to draw most of them out, give them something to worry about. We’ll need eyes on the entire area to make sure more Chimera troops don’t sneak up on us. I’ll find cover up high. You three make some noise and draw them away.”

  The others nodded.

  “That’ll leave you, Clio.” Swigger nodded to her. “Are you sure you’re up for this?”

  “We don’t exactly have any choice. With primary power and defenses offline, Chimera have the run of the place.” She showed them her recon unit. “Their jamming signal grows weaker the closer these get to the terminal. They’ve probably isolated the distortion around here so they can still use their comms. I can send my drones in.”

  “How’s that supposed to help you?” O’Donovan asked, still concerned she would be putting herself in such danger.

  “These aren’t just fancy cameras. They’re weapons. Let’s just say whoever stays in that terminal is in for a surprise. You guys worry about keeping them off my back while I lock them out. I’ll do the rest.”

  “We’ll keep the sumbitches busy alright,” O’Donovan announced, punching one of the Shanti in the shoulder, much to his disgust.

  “It’s settled then,” Clio said. “Once you’ve drawn some of them away, I’ll make a run for it.”

  Swigger and O’Donovan slipped through the door, and the two Shanti followed, running so smoothly it looked like they glided. Clio closed the door behind them, the slatted rows casting lines of light across the walls.

  Clio steeled herself as she ran her plan through her head one more time. They only had one shot. There was no margin for error. Clio hoped she would be able to figure out what Chimera had done to the system.

  If I get that far.

  “Are you ready?” she asked Booster.

  “Always ready,” he squeaked, scrambling up her leg and crawling into her backpack where he would be concealed while her phantom-drive was active.

  “Captain Grimshaw and Taza owe me big time,” she said reaching for the door. “Let’s go.”

  23

  A Fair Fight

  Grimshaw listened as the fighting outside the chamber doors died down. He remained behind the overturned furniture and raised his hand, motioning for everyone else to stay where they were.

  An explosion rocked the room, and dislodged dust fell from the high ceiling, throwing up small plumes on the ground. Grimshaw grabbed a hold of an overturned chair leg to steady himself as another tremor tore through the ground.

  A third explosion—much louder than the first two—rocked the heavy doors on their hinges.

  “Behind cover!” Captain Harnuck ordered.

  Grimshaw ducked under the overturned cabinet as a forth explosion blew the doors off their hinges, rubble rained down around the room. Smoke an
d dust poured into the chamber, clogging the space like a cloud.

  “Thermal scanners,” Harnuck ordered over the vox.

  Grimshaw was already in the process of adjusting his visor’s electromagnetic spectrum settings. The room faded to green and he cautiously aimed his rifle at the dust cloud.

  Three bright-orange figures appeared in the hole created by the detonation. Grimshaw opened fire, taking one of them down.

  Gunfire erupted, lighting the chamber up like a star-map.

  Grimshaw fired another volley into a figure climbing over a pile of rubble by the opening. The orange form ducked behind cover as another reached out and returned fire. Grimshaw ducked back behind the furniture as hot plasma chopped up the area around him. The Yalore Tower Guard kneeling next to him had a smoking hole in her chest plate. She looked to Grimshaw and gave him a thumbs up to signal she was okay. She slumped onto her side and became still.

  Grimshaw leaned to his right and pulled his trigger, bringing down another Chimera troop. Countless soldiers milled about in the hallway beyond as they pressed through the opening. Five broke away from the throng and made it over the low rubble barrier. Three of those went down, but two made it to cover behind a row of pillars.

  A plasma bolt smashed into the side of Grimshaw’s helmet. Thankfully, his TEK absorbed the blast, though it reduced his shields below fifty-percent. He dropped to a crouch.

  “There’s too many of them!” Harnuck shouted over the vox. “Concentrate fire on the hole.”

  “I’ve got troops that made it through,” Zantho said.

  Grimshaw focused his fire on those trying to make it through the opening. Thunder erupted from his right as a line of energy forked from Zantho’s weapon. It struck the Chimera soldier behind the left pillar, and his flaming TEK hit the ground, writhing.

  Movement around the opening slowed, and Grimshaw watched out of the corner of his eye as the Chimera soldier behind the right pillar drew his arm to throw a grenade. Grimshaw knew that by the time he adjusted his rifle, he’d be too late.

  Another bolt of lightning snapped across the long chamber and the soldier dropped to the ground in flames before the explosive left his hand.

  “Grenade in the opening,” Grimshaw called over the vox.

  All shooting ceased as everyone dropped behind cover.

  A moment went by where nothing happened.

  Maybe he didn’t pull the—

  A sharp pop snapped through the chamber, and Grimshaw could have sworn he felt the ground crack beneath his boots.

  A thick cloud of smoke and dust bellowed into the room again.

  “Can anyone see anything?” Zantho asked.

  Harnuck’s hopeful voice cracked over the short-band channel. “Maybe that grenade got the last of them.”

  “I doubt that,” Grimshaw butted in. He took stock and found that Chimera had taken out three Tower Guard and injured Harnuck. The Rivarian’s breathing was labored.

  “Are you okay, Captain?” Grimshaw pried.

  “I’m fine,” he growled—whether in frustration or pain Grimshaw couldn’t tell but he suspected the latter. “Just keep an eye on that damn hole in case you’re right and more come through.”

  A minute went by and the dust began to settle, visibility clearing in the chamber. Grimshaw adjusted his visor again and wondered whether Harnuck wasn’t right about the grenade taking the last of them out.

  A familiar hulking figure appeared in the opening, his features masked by the haze in the air. He walked with slow—yet confident—steps, his hands out as though surrendering. No one fired, and Grimshaw looked to the others.

  Tingles suddenly ran up Grimshaw’s spine and scratched at the base of his skull, like a ghostly clawed-finger trying to worm its way inside his head. Grimshaw realized why the others wouldn’t fire. The Thandrall was using a psionic assault on everyone in the room. Whatever he’s doing must not be working on me because I’m wearing and anti-psi device, he thought.

  He opened fire on the Psi Commando and half a magazine knocked him back several steps.

  His spell ended, Harnuck launched over the toppled desk, rifle roaring.

  “Don’t leave cover!” Grimshaw shouted, over the vox, but it was no good.

  The Thandrall’s heavy shields absorbed every round. A Chimera soldier popped his head into the opening and fired on Captain Harnuck, knocking him from his feet, his rifle clattering across the floor.

  “I ordered you to wait outside!” the Thandrall shouted, spinning to face the man who’d fired.

  The Thandrall clenched his hand into a fist, and a dark color blotted out the soldier’s visor, his body crumpling to the ground.

  What the hell is he? Grimshaw couldn’t help but wonder.

  As the Thandrall turned his attention back to the room, Harnuck got back to his feet, his right-hand hovering above the holster on his hip.

  “The rest of you may come in now,” the Thandrail said, calmly.

  Four Chimera troops with tinted visors entered the room behind him, taking up defensive positions, their rifles pointed.

  “Shoot me again,” the Thandrall urged with his arms spread wide. “I won’t let my men retaliate…Go on.”

  Captain Harnuck drew his blaster in a flash and pointed the weapon at the Psi Commando’s head, but he didn’t pull the trigger.

  To Grimshaw’s surprise, the Chimera soldiers didn’t open fire, just as the Thandrall had promised.

  Harnuck’s hand quivered.

  “Go for it,” the Thandrall said, gesturing with his finger.

  “What are you waiting for, Harnuck?” Zantho demanded.

  Captain Harnuck’s hand whipped around, and he held the blaster to his own head, his upper-body all but convulsing.

  “Harnuck!” Zantho screamed. “What the hell are you doing?”

  The Rivarian Aegis ran from behind cover and launched for his brother.

  A shot rang out, and Zantho caught the Captain’s body before it hit the floor.

  Grimshaw wanted to fire at the Thandrall, but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t get his finger to pull the trigger. He realized, with horror, that the tingling worm in the back of his head had burrowed inside his skull without him noticing. The Psi Commando had somehow bypassed his anti-psi device.

  Zantho held Captain Harnuck in his arms as he moaned. “What did you do to him, you monster?”

  “I gave him the greatest gift one can give: Freedom.”

  Zantho set his brother’s corpse aside and sprang to his feet, running for the Thandrall, rifle ready.

  The Thandrall launched forward with unnatural speed. His arm snapped out, chopping Zantho in the neck and sending him crashing to the floor, exposed electronics sparking in his TEK’s collar.

  Zantho tried to climb onto his knees, but the Psi Commando closed the distance and kicked him hard in the side.

  Grimshaw was certain he heard the Aegis’s armor crack. At least I hope it was his armor.

  He tried to force his finger to pull the trigger again, but the tingling bore deeper and grew to a searing pain. He quickly glanced at the other guards and saw that they too were undergoing a similar struggle.

  The Thandrall continued to kick the Rivarian Aegis with something approaching sick pleasure.

  All the while, Grimshaw stood there, watching helplessly, his body refusing to obey his commands.

  “Enough!” He shouted, finally getting his tongue to work.

  The Thandrall’s gleeful laughter stopped, and he slowly raised his head to look Grimshaw in the eyes, his black slits somehow driving into his soul. “Ah, Captain Jason Grimshaw. So nice that we can meet in person once again.”

  Grimshaw tried to step forward, but a searing agony cut into the back of his head like an icepick. He dropped his rifle, fell to his knees, and held his head in both hands, doing his best not to scream. His vision swam and discordant church bells rang in his ears. He didn’t understand why the anti-psi device on his neck wasn’t working. He retracted
his helmet, pulled the ASD free, and cast it aside. The pain suddenly eased, but it didn’t go away.

  Grimshaw steadied his breath as a strange incantation, painted in a language he didn’t know, arose from his subconsciousness like an uncoiling beast that had been disturbed in the depths of an ancient sea.

  His tongue curled into an unfamiliar shape as if of its own accord, and he involuntarily whispered a string of words as alien to his ears as the Thandrall was to his eyes. He sensed the Thandrall’s touch on his mind and reached out with a touch of his own, wrestling, grappling. Bit by bit, he pushed the enemy’s claws out of his head. Free of the pain, Grimshaw drew a deep breath and braced himself. He climbed from the floor, several more Chimera soldiers appearing in the hole to see what was going on.

  Grimshaw went for his blaster and struggled against some unseen force. Is he still inside my head?

  “Bring the prisoner!” The Thandrall ordered. He waved a hand and Grimshaw saw the remaining Tower Guard fall to the ground out of the corner of his eye.

  Grimshaw didn’t dare turn to look at them directly in case he lost the loose tendrils of focus that threatened to slip from his grasp, but he suspected the Thandrall might have killed them with a mere wave.

  Such power. His right hand inched closer to his hip, but an unseen force struck out and pushed his fingers away again.

  “You had your chance, and you squandered it,” the Thandrall said. “Let’s not be too hasty and make an even bigger mess. We could still settle things like gentlemen.” He motioned to two Chimera troops—equipped with dark-gray TEKs instead of black—as they entered the chamber, shoving a hooded figure before them.

  They forced the figure onto his knees in front of the Thandrall and stood aside.

  Grimshaw whispered another strange sentence and his hand suddenly rested on his blaster, just like Harnuck’s had.

  “You are very persistent, Jason. You don’t mind us being on first name terms, do you?” the Thandrall’s voice whistled like conflicting musical notes in his head, confirming Grimshaw’s suspicion that he was still in his mind. “You wouldn’t want me to hurt your friend here, would you?”