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

by Michael Robertson

  You were talking to Reyes all along, weren’t you?

  SA glared at Seb again. Can you get to the Countess?

  Yes, I can. I’m sorry, SA; I should have trusted you.

  SA looked at Seb like she wanted to knock him out. Just do your job, yeah?

  As much as Seb wanted to talk to her, wanted to apologise for not trusting her again, now certainly wasn’t the time. He pulled another deep breath in as he got to his feet. Just about recovered, he ran in the direction of the Countess and said nothing more.

  Chapter 61

  The burden of SA’s scorn weighed heavy on Seb’s mind as he ran through the doorway the Countess and several of her guards had just disappeared through. He emerged into a tight corridor. It looked like the one they’d entered the throne room via but smaller; it was also made from gunmetal grey, exposed steel and almost as cold as the space he’d just been dragged out into. As he ran, his breath turned to condensation in front of his face.

  Bright lights ran along the corridor’s ceiling like they did in most of the ship. The hard space amplified the stampeding footsteps of the escaping Countess and her crew.

  Just before the Countess and her guards disappeared around the first bend, Seb counted seven of them in total.

  Four guards and the Countess vanished while two guards turned their guns on him. They released a volley of red laser fire. The blasts came in slow motion, and although numerous, they would have been easier to avoid had they not crashed into the walls and floor around him. Every contact shattered the blast into a thousand sparks. It rendered them ineffective, but they hid the shots that came through behind them.

  Seb dodged and weaved, zigzagging his way up the tight corridor to avoid the blasts until he came to the first guard. No point in returning fire, he arrived without being shot and saw the weak spot in its chest. He drove the hardest blow he could at it. His fist sank with a crack of sternum and ribs. The creature gasped, expelling rancid breath from its dark hood. The halitosis smell made Seb heave.

  The next guard went down with a bone-crunching punch into the centre of its hood.

  Despite the contempt he’d just received from her, it lifted Seb to hear SA’s voice as he ran. How are you doing?

  I’ve taken down two of her six guards. They won’t be getting back up again.

  Only when necessary, eh?

  Exactly.

  Seb caught up with the remaining four guards and the Countess. The two guards at the back looked around as if they considered stopping. But then he saw the Countess wave them forward and they all vanished around the next corner.

  A few seconds later, Seb came to a room with a long bridge across it. It had a large generator beneath the bridge. It hung as a huge sphere, a globe larger than Reyes’ ship. It was suspended in a vast space that dropped so far he couldn’t see the bottom. The generator looked to be held in place with a magnetic force. He couldn’t see any other reason for it to hang in midair without wires or a structure of any sort.

  To look down made Seb’s stomach lurch, so he stared across the bridge to the exit and ran for it.

  About a quarter of the way along the skinny bridge, Seb saw the Countess and her guards reach the other side. If a shadowed hood could grin, the Countess grinned at him at that moment as she slapped her hand against a button on the wall by the doorway. She then ran off.

  The slamming of the door behind Seb came down with an almighty boom. A guillotine of a drop, it cut off his retreat. The image of the soldier chopped in half in the airlock came back to him.

  The bridge then started to withdraw in front of Seb. It pulled away from the doorway the Countess had just run through. Only a small gap at present, it was growing with every passing second.

  Too far to run, the gap would be too large by the time Seb got to it. Not that he had any other choice but to try. While gritting his teeth, he sped up. A useless gesture, but what else could he do?

  Chapter 62

  The curse of slow motion showed Seb that no matter how fast he ran along the metal bridge, he wouldn’t make the jump across the ever-widening gap. He’d not even made it to the halfway point and the gap already looked too large for him to clear. Goodbye. And sorry I didn’t trust you.

  WHAT?

  I’m not going to make it out of here.

  Where are you?

  But before Seb could answer her, something tugged on his hands. The closer he got to the middle of the bridge, the harder the pull. He looked down at the chrome sphere below him. Of course! The force that held the globe in place had to be strong enough to tug on his fists.

  No chance of making the jump, he had to try something else.

  Seb leaped from the side of the bridge, diving towards the generator with his clenched fists stretched out in front of him. An impossible fall, but the generator’s tug seemed strong enough.

  It was working, the generator’s magnetism dragging him in.

  When Seb got close to the sphere, he pulled his hands behind his back to stop his fists sticking to it. It took some effort, his arms aching against the force, but he managed it. It lessened the pull so he fell down rather than at the large metal ball.

  Although close enough to touch it, Seb didn’t get any closer. Mesmerised by the reflective surface as he rushed past the generator, he had to shake his head to snap out of it. Just before he cleared the bottom of the sphere, he raised his fists up. The magnetic tug worked against his fall and dragged him around the bottom of the large ball.

  Seb flew beneath the huge globe, his legs swinging under him in a pendulous arc.

  On the upswing, Seb did the same as he had on the way down; he pulled his hands as far away from the magnetic force as he could. He used his momentum to send him up towards the small doorway the Countess and her guards had disappeared through.

  Just one chance to make it, Seb focused on the space. The magnetic tug pulled against him, but not hard enough to halt him.

  When Seb reached out to catch the doorway, the pull of the generator dragged on his fists, ripping the top half of him backwards.

  Seb’s feet swung out in front of him and over his head. The back of his heels now led the way. He closed his eyes, pulled his fists into his stomach, and gave himself over to fate.

  The base of Seb’s back crashed into the wall above the door, his heels hitting the gunmetal grey farther up. A nauseating crack snapped through him. His momentum carried the top half of his body through the doorway, spinning him into the space beyond.

  Seb collided, face first, with the metal wall in front of him, hitting it so hard it sent a shockwave through his skeleton and dragged up the metallic taste of his own blood.

  When he hit the hard ground in a heap, Seb panted and dared not move. What if he’d broken every bone in his body?

  SA’s voice came through. It had been there all along, but he could only focus on it now. Seb? Are you okay?

  Gentle movements, Seb stretched out his limbs and looked around. He’d made it. The sound of his own laugh ran away from him down the corridor. Yeah, I’m fine.

  After standing up on shaking legs, Seb looked up the hallway. The Countess and her guards had gone. Not sure where to go now, at least he had a chance. I’ll let you know when I find her.

  Woozy from the crash landing, Seb broke into a clumsy run up the tight corridor. After a few strides, he found his bearings, his adrenaline numbing what he could feel would become fierce pain.

  Chapter 63

  The world still in slow motion, Seb had the advantage when he burst into the room they were in because they clearly hadn’t expected him. He ran at the four guards and took them down in quick succession. He hit two of them in the face, one in the stomach, and one in the shins. None of them showed any signs of getting back up again.

  By the time Seb had spun around to deal with the Countess, he found her pointing a blaster at his face. At least three feet taller than him, viewing her past the barrel of her gun made her seem even bigger.

  They stared
at one another for what felt like an age, Seb frozen as he peered into the darkness of the Countess’ hood.

  A flash of laser fire came from the right. Seb watched the Countess release her grip on her blaster, a blacked hole now in the back of her hand. She screamed with a force that rattled through his skull and blew his hair back.

  Before the Countess could do anything else, Seb punched her in the throat. If for no other reason than to silence the scream. He showed a little restraint, hitting her just hard enough to knock her down, but not so hard that he broke her neck. They needed her alive. They needed answers.

  The Countess fell so hard to the ground it seemed to shake the entire ship. Seb looked up at SA, Bruke, Reyes, and Sparks. Bruke kept his gun raised from where he’d shot her. He then looked back at the large hooded figure on the floor. “Shall I pull her hood back?”

  None of them answered. Instead, they all stared at her as if awaiting his decision.

  Chapter 64

  The group had waited for another few minutes in silence before Seb had finally been the one to pull the Countess’ hood back. Both Reyes and Bruke vomited instantly, so he covered it over again.

  To think about it as they flew away in Reyes’ ship left him confused. He couldn’t pick out what it was about her burned and blackened face that bothered him so much. Sure, it looked revolting. Her lips were scorched away, so her teeth were permanently displayed. But something about seeing it gave him a feeling he’d not experienced before. Almost as if the vision of her had a dark force that reached inside him, grabbed his guts, and squeezed hard.

  Also, for some reason, when he’d seen her, he’d nearly lost control of his bowels and a noise went off in his head like a thousand tortured souls cried out to him. Maddening and indecipherable, it sounded like it could have been the echoes of all the slaves she’d tortured. It seemed like everything about her paid a karmic debt for the life she’d chosen. Maybe the others had felt it too because no one had spoken since.

  They were heading back to Aloo. The Countess lay alive but unconscious at their feet. She wouldn’t get a fair trial; she didn’t deserve it. But she had answers to questions they needed to ask her.

  SA then came through Seb’s thoughts.

  I’ve always been able to communicate telepathically. I chose not to for the longest time, and for that I’m sorry. She glared at Seb. Although I have good reasons, despite what Seb thought. The others then looked at him too.

  My family were slaughtered when I was a kid. To look at this evil bitch, knowing what she’s done, reminds me of that time. I was young, too young. I was taken in by the monastery in our village. They practiced martial arts all day every day and never spoke.

  I learned early on that I could communicate with telepathy, but never used the gift. As a monk, we should always listen and never voice our own thoughts. They’re not that important. But then one day, I said something in my mind to another monk. It just slipped out. I couldn’t help it.

  A sheen of tears spread across SA’s eyes, glazing them and magnifying their bioluminescence.

  “What happened?” Bruke asked.

  They kicked me out of the monastery. They called me a freak and said my desire to disobey their rules was so strong it had turned me into a witch. I was TWELVE years old. I had to survive on my own after that. Fortunately, I’d been trained to fight. I could look after myself. Seb was the first person I’ve shown my gift to since then. I was worried I’d be rejected again.

  To hear her story hurt Seb’s heart. “I’m so sorry I pushed you to speak to the others. I thought we needed it.”

  You often think you know best.

  The expression on the faces of the others showed Seb she was speaking only to him. Before he could reply, she spoke again, not angry, just sad. And that’s the problem, isn’t it? No matter how far forward we step, you always try to make decisions for me. Decisions like your dad made for you.

  Although Seb wanted to reply, SA spoke to the others again. I was talking to Reyes in the mech when we got trapped by the Countess and her army. I knew the airlock would work if we could get her there. I didn’t have the headspace to talk to you guys and direct her. Also, I wanted the mech to be a surprise. If none of you knew, there would be less chance of someone giving the game away to the Countess. I gambled everything on it working.

  Again she switched to just Seb. I’m not sure we can work if you never trust me.

  I do.

  SA didn’t reply. After a deep breath, she looked at Seb again. The hurt had lifted a little. I suppose in some way it was sweet of you.

  Huh?

  Well, I felt like a freak for what I could do, but that didn’t even enter your mind. That’s why you couldn’t understand why I didn’t use my gift. That was sweet. In a strange and frustrating way, it showed me you accept me for who I am.

  I do. Of course I do.

  Seb stepped towards SA. He was about to grab her hands, but the Countess stirred next to them.

  Even groggier than before, the Countess’ voice bubbled from her throat when she turned to Seb. “How did you manage to follow me?”

  “That’s a good point.” Seb looked at Sparks. “I meant to ask you the same. Did you hack the bridge so it stretched back across?”

  A curt nod, she looked almost offended by the question. “Of course. It wasn’t hard.”

  Although he hadn’t answered the Countess, Seb said, “Why did you put the parasite on Carstic?”

  “Ruthane, why else?”

  “Just for the credits?”

  “Yeah. What other reason is there to act in this galaxy?”

  She sounded like Moses. “And the shuttle?”

  “The one to leave the planet?”

  “Yep.”

  “That was me. The pilot was working for me, but when I heard someone was coming off Carstic looking to throw accusations about how the parasite got there, I couldn’t let them live.”

  A slight pause, Seb froze. “How did you get that information about who was on the flight? That was a private conversation between Moses and myself.”

  The Countess’ laugh rang around the small ship. “Oh, you’re such a fool. You still haven’t worked it out yet, have you?”

  A look at the others, Seb returned his focus to the bound Countess. “Worked what out?”

  “Moses was in on it. Who do you think gets paid when something like the parasites invade a planet?”

  A moment of stillness as Seb tried to control his rage. He’d known Moses was in on it all along. He should have acted on his hunch weeks ago. The horrible shark didn’t deserve to live.

  “Naive little fool,” the Countess said and laughed again.

  Seb pulled his gun from his belt and ripped a shot off into her hood. The reek of cauterised flesh smoked from the shadowy hole and she snapped limp.

  The others stared at Seb, their faces slack.

  “Some beings don’t deserve to live,” he said. “I gave her longer than I wanted to anyway. We need to send her out the airlock so she can float in the void of space. That’s all she’s earned from this life.”

  “So what do we do now?” Sparks said.

  A steadying breath to try to bring his fury down, Seb clenched his jaw. “We go to Aloo. It’s time Moses paid for the way he conducts his business.”

  End of book five.

  Enigma - Book six of The Shadow Order

  Email: subscribers@michaelrobertson.co.uk

  Edited by:

  Terri King - http://terri-king.wix.com/editing

  And

  Pauline Nolet - http://www.paulinenolet.com

  Cover Design by Dusty Crosley

  Michael Robertson

  © 2018 Michael Robertson

  Enigma - Book six of The Shadow Order is a work of fiction. The characters, incidents, situations, and all dialogue are entirely a product of the author’s imagination, or are used fictitiously and are not in any way representative of real people, places or things.

  Any resemb
lance to persons living or dead is entirely coincidental.

  All rights reserved

  No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

  Chapter 1

  Seb stood in one corner of the elevator, Bruke’s wide back blocking his view of the others. The space would have been comfortable were it just him and SA. Hell, it would have been comfortable to simply not have Bruke in there with them. But what could they do? Leave him alone in the wind and the cold ocean spray on the platform above?

  When Bruke shifted to the side, Seb caught sight of Sparks and Reyes. They were nestled together in another corner of the elevator. Despite their sniping at one another since they’d met, they seemed perfectly at ease in each other’s company now. At any other time, he might have smiled to see it. Not today though, not with what he had to face.

  The whir of the elevator vibrated through the cramped space as they descended. It moved fast enough to make Seb’s stomach lurch. As they dropped, self-doubt rose in him, threatening to choke him off. He spoke to Bruke’s back, not really asking a question, but certainly looking for a confirmation. “Surely Moses has to be the darkness in this galaxy. He must be what the prophecy was talking about.”

  None of the others replied. How could they? The prophecy had never been clear, even for those who’d delivered news of it to Seb. He had to make this decision on his own. He had to trust his intuition. “Once I’ve taken him down, I’m done with the Shadow Order. I’ll be glad to get this damn prophecy off my back.”