Pledge Allegiance

by Rider England

  “Be careful,” I told everyone. “There were soldiers in here recently. They may still be around.” Simmons and Palmer began to scout the room warily.

  The lizard-men in our party looked at their fallen comrades and began talking amongst themselves. The one I had spoken with to earlier came up to me and said, “We must find those of our kind who have been turned into slaves of the evil ones. We have heard stories of this place. The unfortunate ones are put into cells while the change occurs. We will find those cells and deal with our brothers. Will you destroy this…”—he gestured at the pod—“…thing?”

  “Yes,” I assured him. “I will destroy it.”

  “Good.” He took his men over to one of the passageways that ran off the room and disappeared into it.

  I unfastened a grenade from my belt and positioned myself behind a pillar with Sumiko. Palmer and Simmons did likewise and I armed the grenade. “Fire in the hole,” I shouted as I tossed it at the pod. I ducked back behind the pillar seconds before the grenade detonated. The air became filled with flesh and ooze and pieces of the pod’s protective shell. I looked out from behind the pillar. Where the pod had been, there was now only a black scorch mark on the dais and a pile of gore and what looked like intestines.

  “Morrow, are you getting this?” I asked, making sure my camera was pointing at the mess of flesh.

  “Yeah,” he said in my ear. “Maybe you should bring some of that stuff back to the ship so the doctor can examine it.”

  I turned to Palmer and Simmons. “Do either of you have a specimen vial?” Specimen vials were standard Imperium issue, carried by most soldiers as part of their kit when they were deployed to planets where there might be an as yet undiscovered species of plant or insect. The specimens were analyzed by Imperium scientists and assessed for usefulness in military applications such as medicine or weaponry.

  Most soldiers didn’t bother to stop and pick samples of the local flora but the specimen vials were still part of the standard-issue gear.

  Palmer produced a vial from his belt pouch and handed it to me.

  I used it to scrape up some of the gore from the stone steps. Then I sealed it tightly and put it into my own belt pouch. If we could learn anything about the Outsiders, anything at all, we’d be one step closer to defeating them. Knowledge was power, especially when you were dealing with a mysterious alien race.

  “Our mission is done,” I said. “Let’s get out of here and back to the Finch.” I turned toward the corridor by which we’d arrived but stopped before taking a step. I felt something in my brain. Something cold. It was crawling around in there like an insect made of ice, creeping over my thoughts, my memories, my dreams.

  “Captain, are you all right?” Sumiko asked, her face worried.

  I couldn’t reply, couldn’t speak at all. I wanted to speak to her but I couldn’t form the words in my mind, never mind on my lips. I felt as if I were paralyzed.

  Palmer and Simmons must have felt the same way because they’d also stopped in their tracks and their faces bore confused expressions.

  Then they raised their blaster rifles, pointing them at each other, and pulled the triggers simultaneously. Their bodies were hurled backward by the almost point-blank energy blasts. They lay on their backs on the temple floor like discarded rag dolls, smoke rising from their fatal wounds.

  From behind me, a low laugh filled the air. I was able to turn—or rather I was allowed to turn by the icy insect in my skull—and face the source. The Overseer stood before us, his mouth curled into a grin that looked both amused and cruel at the same time.

  “You,” he said to me in a deep voice, “are worthless. A murderer of your own people. Saving three of them cannot undo what you did to the rest of your crew. Now, look at yourself. Truly look at your life. An alcoholic, a gambler, a fugitive. What is the point of carrying on? Better to end it now.”

  I didn’t want to listen to him but his words felt as if they were coming not only from his mouth but also from within my own mind. It was as if I were thinking exactly what he was saying and that his words were simply a confirmation of my own thoughts. After all, what was the point of carrying on my life? I was responsible for many deaths and now I was on the run from the most powerful force in the galaxy. No one should have to endure that. I could end it here and now.

  “But first kill her,” the Overseer said, pointing at Sumiko.

  I looked at Sumiko, wondering if she was being told to kill me, just as Simmons and Palmer had been told to kill each other.

  But her expression was not one of confusion but of concern for me, her eyes lucid and clear. Then I understood why the Overseer wanted me to kill her before I killed myself.

  He couldn’t control her mind.

  Sumiko’s life as an onna-bugeisha had taught her mastery over her own thoughts. The Overseer couldn’t break through the barrier that had been erected around her mind by a lifetime of meditation and other mind control practices.

  I managed to open my mouth and whisper to Sumiko, “Kill him.”

  She nodded slightly and drew her katana, moving so fast, in such a fluid motion, that one second she was standing before me and the next, she was slicing her blade up into the Overseer’s chest.

  He bellowed in pain and the iciness in my brain began to thaw. I felt suddenly weak and confused, as if I’d appeared in this temple at this moment, with no memory of how I’d gotten here or even who I was.

  My mind reasserted its control over my thoughts gradually as I watched the lithe Japanese warrior fight the being who was twice her size. His size meant that he was slower than the woman with the sword and as he tried to grab her with huge, meaty hands, she ducked and weaved around him, the sword flashing over and over as it arced through the air with unbelievable speed and cut through flesh. The woman was so graceful, it was almost as if she were dancing.

  When her dance was done, the huge man lay dead at her feet.

  My memories returned, floating up to the surface of my mind from the frozen mud where they’d been buried.

  “Sumiko,” I said softly, reminding myself of the graceful warrior’s name. “Sumiko Shibari.”

  “Yes, Captain?” she asked, sheathing her sword and coming over to me. She put her hand on my shoulder. “Are you all right?”

  “I’m fine,” I said. “Let’s get back to the ship.” I searched my memory for a name. “The Finch.”

  She smiled and followed me out of the room, back along the passageway we’d used to enter the temple. By the time we got outside, I’d recovered all of my mental faculties. The fighting in the northern sector of the clearing was finished. The ground was strewn with the bodies of Imperium soldiers, lizard-men, and a couple of Hart’s team members.

  Some of the surviving lizards were standing in a huddle near the trees. They were armed and seemed to be watching the perimeter for Imperium soldiers, perhaps those returning from patrols.

  Baltimore was standing stoically by Doragon, her hand resting on the hilt of her sheathed gladius. Hart was sitting on the tank but when he saw me, he slid down and came to attention.

  “At ease,” I told him as I approached. He relaxed slightly but the change in his posture was barely perceptible.

  “We’ve done a good job here,” I said to everyone assembled by the tank. “Now let’s get back to the Finch and as far away from here as we can get before…”

  “Captain,” Morrow said in my ear, “I’m picking up two ships in orbit over the planet. A raptor class fighter and a destroyer. It won’t be long before they drop into the atmosphere for a closer look and see us here.”

  We had no chance against an Imperium destroyer. “Let’s move, people,” I shouted.

  Hart got into Doragon and started her up. When her engines were running, Baltimore, Sumiko, the remaining soldiers, and myself climbed onto her and found something to hold on to while Hart steered us into the jungle.

  Before we disappeared into the dense foliage, I gave a wave to the group of lizard
-men standing guard. A few of them waved back. I wondered what had become of the group in the temple. I assumed they’d managed to find their mind-jacked brothers and killed them. Hopefully, they hadn’t come up against too much resistance from the Imperium soldiers still inside the temple.

  It took us forty-five minutes to reach the Finch and when we came into view, Morrow said, “You really need to move, Captain. The predator has dropped into the atmosphere and is looking for us.”

  We rode the tank into the landing bay and I said, “Morrow, everyone accounted for. Get us out of here.”

  “Gladly,” he said. The Finch’s engines roared into life and we were lifting off, the ground dropping away from the open bay doors.

  I took the transporter to the bridge and when I stepped through the door, I asked Morrow for a status report. We were above the clouds now and Morrow was concentrating on his screen, which showed three circles, one of them green, two red.

  “The predator has spotted us,” he said grimly. “She’ll be giving our position to the orbiting destroyer. If the destroyer manages to get a lock on us, we’ll be nothing more than dust motes in the atmosphere.”

  “So get us into space,” I said.

  “It isn’t as simple as that. We’re directly below the destroyer. If we ascend into space here, we’ll be close enough to touch her hull.”

  I considered that for a moment. “Okay, take us to the other side of the planet and ascend into space there.”

  “I could do that, but the predator is on our tail.”

  I took my seat and fastened my belt before pushing the button that connected me to Engineering. “Ms. Prime, how are the engines holding up?”

  “We’re running at full capacity, Captain,” she said.

  “Okay. Let’s see what this old Avis fighter can do in atmosphere. Full ahead, Mr. Morrow.”

  He looked doubtful but said, “Aye, Captain,” and tapped on his keyboard before grabbing the flight yoke and taking us beneath the clouds. Through the window, I could see the surface of Savarea rushing beneath us. Jungle became mountains, which gave way to a deep blue ocean. Then we flew over another land mass that seemed to be mostly desert.

  Morrow was watching his screen closely. “We’re almost there,” he said. Then he added, “The destroyer just fired a missile.”

  “Evasive maneuvers,” I told him.

  He pulled on the yoke and we gained altitude suddenly. Beneath us, the desert sands erupted in an explosion that sent shock waves radiating across the surface of the planet and up into the air. When they hit the Finch, she bucked to one side. Morrow fought with the controls.

  “Take her into space, Mr. Morrow,” I ordered. We wouldn’t survive another attack like that.

  He nodded and took us up out of Savarea’s atmosphere. I could see the huge Imperium destroyer looming behind the curvature of the planet.

  “FTL,” I said. “Head for the nearest gate.”

  Morrow took us into FTL and the Finch shook as the drive engaged. Through the window, the star field shimmered and then disappeared, replaced by streaks of blue light.

  “FTL engaged, Captain,” Morrow said.

  Vess turned to me from his console. “Where are we going, Captain?”

  I pursed my lips, unsure where we could go to avoid the Imperium. “Mr. Morrow, do you know of any locations where we could hide an Avis fighter from the Imperium?”

  He considered the question for a couple of seconds and then said, “Sure, I know a place.”

  “Set a course,” I said.

  “Aye, Captain.”

  I pressed the button on the arm of my chair that would broadcast my voice to the entire ship. “All hands, this is your captain speaking. As you know, this ship is on the Imperium’s wanted list. That is through no fault of our own but now we find ourselves fugitives from the largest organization in the galaxy.

  “We are aware of a corrupt element within that organization, an element that is plotting to bring about the downfall of mankind and working alongside our most dangerous enemy, the Outsiders.

  “The task ahead of us is twofold. We must clear our name with the Imperium while also fighting the corrupt forces that work toward the end of mankind. Our enemies are numerous: the Imperium traitors, the Horde, the Outsiders. There will be hardships ahead of us but I have faith in every man and woman on board this ship and I know that in the end, we will prevail.

  “We have no choice. If we fail, the human race will become nothing more than a memory. We cannot allow that to happen. I will do my utmost as captain of this ship to assure that humanity survives. Thank you for your service on board the Finch.”

  I ended the communication and got up from my chair. As I passed him, Morrow looked up from his console and gave me a nod.

  CHAPTER 17

  FIVE DAYS LATER, we landed on a small planet whose topography was mainly forest, mountains, and lakes. We’d passed through six gates to get here. Morrow assured us that the Imperium never strayed this far and that we could use the planet as a base of operations.

  As I stepped off the Finch and into the fresh-smelling air and bright sunshine, I looked at the forest, the meadows, the far-off snow-capped mountains and the nearby crystal clear lake.

  Baltimore stood next to me, her eyes fixed on the clouds in the vivid, blue sky.

  “What’s this planet called?” I asked her.

  “It doesn’t have a name on any of the star charts, only a number designated to it by a computer.”

  “It needs a name,” I said.

  “So give it one, Captain.”

  I thought about it, running possible names through my head. I didn’t want to call it something like Freedom or Hope because we weren’t free and although we had hope, I didn’t want to give our new home too optimistic a name.

  “Defiant,” I said.

  She nodded. “I think that sounds apt.”

  “I want to thank you for convincing me to come with you when we were on Iton-3,” I said.

  Baltimore smiled. “It wasn’t all that difficult. I think you wanted to leave that life behind but you couldn’t get past the guilt you felt over what happened to the Oregon.”

  “Yeah, I guess.”

  “How do you feel about it now?” she asked.

  “I’m not over the guilt just yet,” I said, “but my encounter with the Overseer showed me how dangerous the mind can be, so I’m trying to ignore those emotions.”

  “Maybe you should get Sumiko to teach you some meditation,” she said. “Just imagine sitting out here, contemplating nothing, while the sun sets over those mountains.”

  I arched an eyebrow at her. “You like sunsets, huh? I never took you for a romantic.”

  She smiled and it was genuinely warm. “I may surprise you yet.”

  “Yes,” I said, “you may just do that.”

  Sumiko came up to us, her face beaming. “Isn’t it beautiful here? It reminds me of my homeworld, Kamakura.” For a moment, I was sure I saw a flicker of sadness on her face and I remembered her telling me in the gym that she could never return to her planet.

  “Yes, it’s beautiful,” I said.

  She took in a deep breath of fresh air. “I cannot think of a better place from which to save the human race and defeat the Horde.”

  “The captain wants you to teach him some meditation techniques,” Baltimore said.

  Sumiko’s face lit up. “Yes, of course. And you need them because you did not fare well against the Overseer.”

  “I did okay,” I lied.

  She looked at me, surprised. “How can you say that? He got into your mind as easily as breaking into a house with all the doors and windows open. You must close the doors in your mind so that nothing unwanted may enter. I can teach you.”

  “Thanks.”

  “I have some reading material in my quarters. I will get it for you.” She ran back to the ship.

  Baltimore looked at me and asked, “Do you think we’ll be able to do what Sumiko said?”
/>   “Learn meditation? Sure, why not?”

  She shook her head. “No, not that. Defeat the Horde and save the human race.”

  I looked over at the Finch and the people around her. Was it possible that a small crew and an old Avis class fighter could take on the might of the Imperium and the Horde? Could we actually make a difference?

  I looked at Baltimore and said, “We’re going to give it our best shot.”

  AFTERWORD

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  Table of Contents

  Copyright

  Dedication

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Afterword