The Shadow Order - Books 1 - 8 + 120 Seconds (The complete series): A Space Opera

by Michael Robertson

  Reyes watched the WO look at Adoteng again, the pinch of suffering at the corners of his eyes. A deep sigh and he shook his head. “Fuck knows. The ship’s power failed and we went down. Over.”

  The radio responded with a hiss and nothing more for a few seconds as if the person on the other side had to think about their response. “Okay, Shuttle Eight Seven Four, we have your position. It looks like you’re in a rocky area. Over.”

  Reyes glanced out of the window at the huge wall of yellow rock they’d crashed into.

  “We can pick you up, but we need more room to land. There’s an appropriate LZ about a five-minute walk from your position. Can you all get there? Over.”

  Another look at Adoteng and the WO nodded. “All of us that have survived, yeah. Over.”

  The radio operator didn’t ask. They could discuss it when they got the survivors back. “We can get to you in five hours. Over.”

  “Affirmative.” The WO continued to stare at Adoteng. “See you then. Over and out.” The WO hung the radio up and caught Reyes looking at him. She quickly dropped her eyes to the floor and waited for a bollocking that didn’t come.

  “We have five hours,” the WO said to the rest of the crew as if they hadn’t just heard the conversation. “They won’t take Adoteng with us. A corpse can carry all sorts of foreign diseases, so I suggest we bury her here. We’ve got the time to kill anyway.”

  The WO got to his feet and walked with a wide strut down the shuttle’s gangway. He moved like his thick limbs were made from rock. When he got close to her, Reyes flinched and recoiled from him. But he reached over her and opened a cupboard door above her head. It had various tools inside it. Sharp chimes of metal against metal made her flinch as he riffled through the equipment in the small space.

  When the WO found a spade, he threw it down at her feet. It clattered against the metal floor with a cymbal’s crash and rattled Reyes’ already fraught nerves. “You can dig the grave. Hopefully you won’t fuck it up.”

  The view through the front windscreen—although mostly a large yellow rock wall—showed a bright and probably hot planet. A look through the smaller window in the door and Reyes saw the sandy and dusty plains beyond. After she’d pulled a dry gulp back, she nodded. “Yes, sir.”

  The WO pressed the door’s open button, but nothing happened. He pressed it again. Still nothing. After several quick presses, the button rattling from the attention he gave it, he threw his arms in the air and turned to one of the Commandos. “Patel, open this door.”

  Patel jumped from his seat and rushed over to the handle on the left side of the door. He spun it quickly, a slit opening in it as it slid across.

  The smell of sand rushed in on a wave of heat like they’d just opened an oven. Reyes couldn’t stop herself from balking at the burning rush.

  As always, the WO saw her reaction and glowered at her. Contempt sat as a grease stain on his face. She looked away to find an even more condescending glare aimed at her from Jones.

  The second Patel had opened the door wide enough, the WO turned sideways and jumped out onto the sandy ground. He called back into the ship, “Someone bring Adoteng. We’ll find a spot to bury her.”

  Reyes waited for everyone else to get off before her. Maybe they would have let her out sooner, but she didn’t bother trying. A rookie needed to know their place.

  The second Reyes landed on the sandy ground—shovel in hand—the heat seemed to treble. Where the initial blast of warmth had forced her to flinch, she now felt like she’d melt if she spent too long outside.

  Reyes looked around, sweat running into her stinging eyes. They’d landed in a cove of sorts. A desert wasteland, it had a huge cliff running all the way around it. There seemed to be just one way in and out: a narrow gap about three hundred metres away from where they’d crashed. About twenty to thirty needle-like rocks jutted up from the ground. Some only stood a few metres tall, while the largest one looked to be about twenty metres high. One of the taller ones had the scars from where their shuttle had clipped it on the way down.

  Although the ship looked battered—one side of it twisted and crumpled from the crash—it remained in one piece.

  The heat rose another notch and Reyes rolled her shoulders as if she could wriggle free of her itching skin. She would have given anything to take off her flak vest, but no one else had. They didn’t yet know what waited for them on the hostile planet. A body slick with sweat, her clothes dampening with every passing second, and woozy from the heat, she’d rather put up with it than face a bollocking for going against protocol.

  The line of troops had gone ahead of Reyes as they’d jumped off the shuttle. Led by the WO, he’d stopped them about one hundred metres away. They looked to be next to the largest rock pillar in the cove. About twenty metres high and five metres in diameter, it had mounds of sand gathered around its base.

  When Reyes finally got close enough, she saw they’d placed Adoteng on the ground next to a large pile of sand.

  “The idea would be that we bury her,” the WO said to the group. A nod at Reyes and he continued, “But her arms are too weak to dig into this hard ground, so cover her over instead.”

  Reyes would take the insult if it meant she didn’t have to exert herself in this heat. Maybe the WO realised no one could dig a hole in the rocky ground. Silence waited for her to start, so she drove the head of the shovel into the sandbank. Much easier than trying to dig into rock, she poured the first shovelful onto Adoteng.

  First, Reyes covered Adoteng’s face. The less time she had to look at the angry wound, the better.

  Sweat ran as a waterfall from Reyes’ forehead. She blinked repeatedly against the sting, but it offered little relief. The sand in the wind clung to her. If she rubbed her eyes, she’d just drive more grit into them.

  Shovelful after shovelful on top of Adoteng, Reyes twisted and squirmed against the itch between her clothes and her damp skin.

  When Adoteng had been reduced to just a pile of sand, Reyes stopped and glanced at the WO.

  He looked ready to shout at her again. A deeper scowl and he drew a breath as if to calm himself down. Before he could speak, his words were cut off by a fierce roar that rang through the cove.

  As one, the Commandos looked in the direction of the sound. All of them raised their guns. All of them except Reyes.

  “Where’s your fucking weapon?” the WO asked her.

  Reyes didn’t respond.

  “Fucking rookies,” the WO spat. “Get behind me, you bloody liability.”

  Another loud roar bounced off the cliffs surrounding them. The thunder of footsteps joined the sound. The heavy stampede headed straight for them, although they couldn’t see what caused it yet.

  The Commandos could see the mouth of the cove about two hundred metres away, though. They’d get a glimpse of what approached long before it reached them. Not that Reyes could do much about it—five feet two inches and equipped with nothing but a shovel. What an idiot.

  “Be ready,” the WO shouted at the crew as they pulled in close to one another. He then threw a quick glance at Reyes and shook his head again.

  Before Reyes could apologise, another loud roar cut her off, snapping her statue still.

  Chapter 5

  Now. Eleven dead.

  The large lumps of yellow rock remained static like Reyes theorised they would, like she hoped they would. Scattered throughout the cove where they’d fallen, she watched them, her eyes moving from one to the other, frowning against the sandblasting wind. Where the tiny specks rode the strong gusts, it lit up pinpricks on her arms and face.

  Each creature had the power to take down half the squad on their own. In seventy seconds they’d reanimate. At least, she hoped they had that long. If even one of them disproved her theory … well, she couldn’t think about it. They were all-in now; they had to see it through.

  Some of the Commandos were already heading back to the wrecked ship with their torches. Several others hadn’t even r
eached their assigned bodies yet. Reyes watched Federichi still not head for Jones’ corpse as she focused on the others. Maybe she didn’t trust the theory either. At least if she stood ready to draw her weapon, they might have a chance should one of the beasts spring to life.

  Sweat ran a trickle down the side of Reyes’ face, her nerves combining with the heat, forcing every last drop of moisture from her body. As much as she wanted to implore Federichi to focus on getting her torch, she had to let her run it her way.

  The WO hadn’t spoken since Reyes shouted at him. The smile had also left his face, his features locking back into a spasm of suffering.

  “There are a lot of torches out there,” Reyes said. As much as she hated the WO’s attitude towards her, she hated her need to seek his approval more. Yet she couldn’t discard it; especially not now with the life of their platoon resting on her shoulders.

  Although as gruff as ever, the strength of the WO’s voice wavered. “You trying to make me feel bad, girl?”

  They didn’t have time to argue. “No, sir,” Reyes said, stepping away from the confrontation. “I didn’t mean for it to sound like that. More that we need all of them if this plan’s going to work.”

  “I think it’s a crazy idea, if you ask me. We’re risking everyone’s lives on a rookie’s theory.”

  The tension returned to Reyes and wound her back tight. “A theory that has nothing to do with combat experience. I’m as qualified to make it as anyone else.”

  “You ain’t even qualified to tie your boots up. Shit, you came to a gunfight with a spade.”

  Reyes stared at the man and the sweat beading his pale brow. Why did she bother?

  The WO glared back for a moment and then dropped his head. “As lieutenant, I should be out there directing my Commandos.” He winced, the clear pain of his injury running through him. “It’s my responsibility to make sure they all get back. Instead, I’m in here, being reminded of my failings by a rookie. I’ve lost over half my squad already, and now I’m reduced to the role of a spectator as probably more fall.”

  “No one’s fallen yet.”

  The WO eyeballed her. “Yet!”

  And if she hadn’t fallen over as they raced back to the ship, maybe he wouldn’t have been injured in the first place. Not that he said that to her. Despite his torrent of bitterness, he hadn’t used that one against her yet. Maybe he would soon.

  Reyes turned to look at Patel, raised her eyebrows at the tight-lipped Marine, and then watched the timer on the wall. After she’d counted down the next few seconds in her head, she leaned out of the ship and called to the team, “Fifty seconds. Speed it up.”

  Chapter 6

  Four days ago. One dead.

  Reyes hadn’t seen anything like them before. Huge lumbering beasts, they ran on all fours as they charged around the corner into the cove. They moved like a herd of angry bulls, except they were larger—twice the size at least.

  The Commandos lined up and raised their guns. Reyes stepped back with her shovel.

  The staccato of the creatures’ feet beat against the ground like tribal drums. They’d come for a war.

  The cove’s entrance stretched about fifteen metres wide at the most. The beasts filled the width of the pathway as they ran shoulder to shoulder. Despite them being about two hundred metres away, Reyes stepped back another pace. If she had a gun, she would have opened fire by now. The others waited. They had the composure to know their blasts wouldn’t reach that far.

  A look at the crashed ship against the cliff behind them and Reyes had to fight to keep a hold of her panicked breaths. The only place to hide, it suddenly looked woefully inadequate.

  When Reyes peered through the line of bodies, she saw the monsters had scale-like plates for skin. They were yellow and their hides looked as thick as rock.

  The creatures had already closed the distance between them to about one hundred and fifty metres. They weren’t going to stop until the Commandos had been torn to shreds. Still no one fired on them.

  A look at the hulking Jones and Reyes saw his arm shake as he held his gun out. She gulped a mouthful of the dusty air. She’d never seen him scared before. No way were they walking away from this.

  Reyes’ heart beat faster with every passing second. A tight grip on her shovel’s handle and she almost laughed at the absurdity of it. What a fool to forget her gun. No wonder no one trusted rookies. As she looked at the tool, she felt the momentary attention of the WO on her. For a few seconds, she refused to look back. When she did, he’d already returned his focus to the monsters. Not a hint of fear in his thick scowl.

  The creatures roared as one. The sound of it bounced off the cliffs in the cove, amplifying the terrifying call. It vibrated through Reyes’ chest and unsettled her already rapid breaths.

  There looked to be about twenty of the beasts in total. Five would have been too much for them; this crowd would tear through them without a second thought.

  The beasts were now about one hundred metres away. Jones and McTavish stepped forward and opened fire. Their green blasts raced across the cove and crashed into the monsters’ yellow hides. Every shot bounced off.

  “Shit,” McTavish said.

  “We’re not hurting them, WO,” Jones called back as he continued to fire, his jaw clamped tight.

  Not only were they not hurting them, but the blasts didn’t even slow the brutes down.

  Sweat turned Reyes’ grip on her shovel slick and her entire body shook. A look to her right and she made eye contact with Patel. Unlike most of the other Commandos, he didn’t regard her with contempt, but he still stared at the tool in her hand as if to say what the hell? She lowered it and sighed.

  Seventy-five metres left and several more Commandos stepped forward. Campbell, Henry, Patel, and Huat. They all opened fire.

  It did nothing.

  At fifty metres between the beasts and the Commandos, the creatures turned bipedal. All of them rose onto their stumpy back legs without breaking stride. A step that took humankind centuries happened in seconds right before their eyes.

  “Jesus,” Henry said while gritting his teeth against his bucking weapon.

  “He ain’t gonna help ya,” Patel shot back at him.

  “Shiva then,” Henry snapped. “Ganesh, Vishnu, or whoever the hell you want to pray to. Someone bloody help us.”

  The WO hadn’t ordered a retreat. The words sat on Reyes’ tongue, but she couldn’t say them.

  Even the smallest creature stood taller than a polar bear. Thick back legs and wide feet, Reyes now felt their stampede through the soles of her boots.

  The monsters had large forearms and huge hands. Each of their balled fists was the size of a human head.

  When one of them opened its mouth and screamed, Reyes took another step back. A thick black tongue filled its mouth, and it had sharp white teeth that glistened with saliva. She’d retreat soon, even if the WO didn’t order it.

  Their roars had been loud when they were five times the distance away. Now they were close, they went off like a thunderclap.

  About thirty-five metres away and Jones shot one of them in the face. It tripped, fell, and turned over on the sandy ground. The others jumped over it without breaking stride.

  “See!” Jones shouted. “They’re not indestructible. Shoot them in the face.”

  The Commandos continued to fire, but the creatures used their rocky forearms and hands as shields, covering their faces and protecting themselves.

  Just twenty metres left. Reyes stepped back again.

  The WO finally called, “Retreat! We won’t win like this!”

  Most of the Commandos turned and ran. Jones remained, his teeth clenched, sweat glistening on his dark skin.

  Reyes watched the WO grab him and pull him back. “Now ain’t the time to be a hero.”

  Jones looked pissed, but he followed the WO’s lead and turned to run for the crashed shuttle. Hopefully it would protect them.

  Patel moved like the wind
and led the retreat. When he arrived at the ship, he darted inside and started to close the gap in the door by spinning the handle.

  The WO moved slower than the others, and Reyes eased off to let him catch up to her. A fine Marine, a great tactician and fighter, but the WO didn’t have long till retirement. The speed had left his muscles a long time ago.

  Reyes continued to watch the WO as she ran. A wince gripped his face. Before she could turn to the shuttle again, she tripped on a large rock. A sharp pang ran through her foot as she fell.

  The shovel landed away from Reyes with a clatter and she crashed against the rocky ground. The instant sting of grazes ripped through her knees. Before she could even think of what to do, a thick hand grabbed the back of her collar and dragged her to her feet like she weighed nothing.

  Stars flashed in Reyes’ vision from her shirt cutting her breathing off. Not that she had time to think on it; a hard shove in the back from the WO and she pushed on again.

  Reyes’ palms and knees stung from the fall, making it harder to move. The WO overtook her. “Speed up, you piece of shit,” he hollered. “I refuse to die because of your incompetence.”

  The beasts sent an earthquake through the ground after them, just metres separating them now. The rattle of their heavy breaths climbed up Reyes’ back.

  All of the other Commandos had made it to the shuttle and stood staring out at the pair racing back. The WO arrived at the ship first but didn’t go in. He stood aside, watching Reyes run, his wide eyes fixed on the monsters behind her.

  If Reyes turned around again, she wouldn’t make it. The heat of their laboured pants pushed against her back. The stink of their rancid breath smothered her.

  Reyes jumped through the small gap into the crashed ship.

  Jones and several others fired from the shuttle. It drove the creatures back enough to give the WO time to follow her in.

  Patel spun the door closed.

  The monsters hit the crashed vessel like a meteor shower. Each time one of them collided with it, the impact shook through the ship. But it held. They couldn’t get through.