Mosar (Bright Horizons Book 3)

by Wilson Harp

  Alex looked back at his men as he came to a corner. He saw something moving behind them, pulled his weapon up and fired. Mosar screeched as his blast found its mark and Alex turned and dashed toward the next group of buildings. Shapes started converging on the small group of men. Fuller threw a grenade down an alley as they ran by, Peterson fired through the opening of a large building as the darkness threatened to pour out. Alex just tried to keep his bearing and keep the way between them and the ship as clear as he could.

  Shapes gathered in the sky again and this time spotted the running men. Alex pulled a grenade from his belt and popped the pin. He gave a hard three count before he hurled the explosive device at the diving shadow. The grenade exploded just below the mass of mosar, but Alex didn’t see it. He had already sprinted ahead and was laying down suppressive fire along a side passageway he had chosen for their path.

  One of the others threw a grenade over Alex and into the shifting shapes being pelted by Alex’s weapon. The explosion ripped apart the alien presence in the narrow alley, and the marines darted forward.

  Alex turned the corner and saw the sharply angled roof of the building the ship landed near. He almost ran across the broad road along the final stretch, but that indefinable instinct held him back. Fuller and Peterson both started to step out when he signaled them to stop and wait. He knew something was wrong, he just didn’t know what.

  Peterson jumped up and ran across the road. Alex called for him to stop, but it was too late. Mosar had been lurking in the deep fissures which were so common in the roads. As Peterson took his fifth step out from the alley, a black mass had shot up and grabbed his legs. The suit was ripped open as mosar stabbed its way through the suit. Peterson grabbed a grenade. Alex pulled Fuller back from the opening of the alley and they heard the explosion.

  Alex motioned Fuller forward and they charged out through the smoking crater that Peterson had created with his final act. More dark shadows appeared. Alex knew this was the final dash, they had no shelter between them and the ship, no place to hide. He tossed his tilsoc to the ground and pulled two grenades. He popped the pins and dropped one as he ran, the other he hurled off to the side as the black mass closed in around them.

  Fuller fired frantically ahead of them. His shots occasionally hitting a shadow that didn’t recognize the danger. Alex lobbed a grenade as far as he could. They turned the corner of the building as the grenade shredded the darkness. There was the ship. Three hundred meters away. Alex saw Cowboy in the cockpit.

  Fuller’s weapon was out of energy and he tossed it aside. He threw his last grenade directly in front of them and cleared out the shadows near the entry tube of the Enigma.

  The ship’s engines powered up and Alex saw the thrusters activate. They only had a few seconds before mosar realized they were trying to take off. The green goo of the entry tube was just meters ahead.

  Alex grabbed the last grenade from his satchel and popped the pin. Fuller ran straight into the slime which would keep them safe and Alex turned to look at the blackness as it rampaged toward him. He looked one last time at the Otina homeworld, dropped the grenade, and jumped up into the green goo.

  The action of the slime pulled him upwards as the final grenade exploded. Alex felt the thrusters kick in just as his head emerged into the ready room of the ship.

  He struggled to his feet as he felt the adrenaline in his system start to drain away.

  “We need to go,” Cowboy said over the comm.

  “Go!” gasped Alex as he ripped off his helmet. “Go! Get us off this damned planet.”

  Alex dropped to his knees as several crew men came into the room to assist him and Fuller.

  Fields leaned over the exhausted marine.

  “What happened?” he asked. “Where are the others?”

  “Just us,” Alex said. “We lost the others.”

  Alex reached up to the front pocket on his suit and pulled out the data crystal.

  “Take this to Greenaway right now. Have him make as many duplicates as he can. Some very good men died to get this data. We need to make sure it gets back home.”

  Alex forced himself to his feet. He saw Fuller was mostly out of his suit. His face was a mix of relief and terror. Alex felt the same way. He had to get the suit off. He had to rid himself of anything to do with that planet. He started to strip down, but his hands shook too bad. He knew he was spent. He had made the last mad dash solely on adrenaline, and now his body demanded rest.

  “Gunny, let’s get that suit off of you,” Richardson said.

  Alex nodded and held out his arms.

  “What happened down there?”

  Alex gritted his teeth. He hated being asked the same question over and over. He knew this would be the question he would be answering to everyone he talked to from now on, though.

  “We lost half of them on the way to the lab. Once we got there, Jii was able to set up a perimeter shield which kept mosar out. He entered in calculations, entered the chamber and was disintegrated. We lost Williams after that. Peterson we lost less than 300 meters from the ship.”

  Alex pulled his leg out of the suit.

  “Thanks, I need to report to the captain,” he said. “Can you…”

  “Yeah. Go. I got your gear,” Richardson said. “But you need to get to med soon.”

  “After I report,” Alex said as he staggered out of the room.

  He made his way past several men as they went about their work. They already knew Williams wasn’t back on board. Alex didn’t want to catch their eyes and they made no effort to acknowledge him as he went by. Williams was not just admired by the men of the ship, he was adored by them.

  Alex shook his head. He and Williams had never been overly close. They were friends, but not the type who stayed in close contact. But Alex was going to miss Williams.

  “Gunny,” Greenaway called out as Alex walked past the Engineering Lab. “Wait up.”

  Alex almost fell as he turned and went back to the doorway. He was very unstable on his feet. He didn’t feel right.

  “Yeah, Greenaway. What is it?”

  “Sorry, I just wanted to ask you a few things about this data.”

  “Can it wait? I need to report to the captain,” Alex said.

  “Why?”

  “What?”

  “Why do you need to report to the captain? He’s busy getting us out of here.”

  Alex shook his head. Greenaway was right. Cowboy was busy getting their ship out of the system.

  “I just need to…” Alex turned back to the door. He was puzzled as to when he started back toward the cockpit.

  “Get some help,” Alex said. “I’ve been compromised.”

  Alex collapsed to the ground. Black shapes closed in on his vision and he was looking through a narrow tunnel when he heard Greenaway call for help.

  Alex opened his eyes and looked up into the bright light.

  “Sorry, didn’t know you would wake up just as I had the light over you,” Doc Ward said. He turned the light so it wasn’t directed at Alex’s face.

  “What happened?” Alex asked. He tried to cover his eyes with his hand, but his arm was strapped down. He jerked his arm reflexively.

  “We have to keep you restrained. Sorry, Ramirez.”

  Alex nodded. He wrote the protocols before the mission began. If any crew member was believed to have been compromised by an alien or unknown force, they were to be kept sedated and restrained in the med lab.

  “What do you remember?” Ward asked.

  “I remember running for the ship. I dropped my last grenade and jumped into the goo.”

  Ward nodded. “Yes. Anything after that?”

  “I was trying to get to the cockpit. I needed to tell Cowboy something.”

  “That does seem to be what you were trying to do, yes. Do you remember what you had to tell him?”

  Alex shook his head. “No. Not a clue.”

  “We examined you, Alex. There is an anomaly,” Ward said “Yo
ur mosar count has increased and we think you were touched while on the planet.”

  “That’s impossible, it would have ripped me apart.”

  “It probably didn’t get the chance. There was a very small tear, less than a millimeter in size, on your suit. It was on the lower left leg. I dug out a very tiny piece of shrapnel. It was made of a titanium alloy which had no mosar.”

  “I got hit with a piece from one of our own grenades.”

  “Greenaway speculates the grenade you dropped as you entered the ship may have got you.”

  Alex closed his eyes. “And if mosar was close enough, a tiny bit may have been able to be drawn in before the goo closed in around me.”

  “Yeah. The good news is Fuller is clean and you haven’t shown any other signs you have been compromised. We just need to leave you restrained until we can make our reports.”

  “So we are out of the system?”

  Ward shook his head. “We approach the edge tomorrow. Mosar hasn’t tried to pursue us.”

  “Has Greenaway prepared the data for transfer?”

  “Yes. He’ll transfer as soon as we drop out of warp. Cowboy will offer the data to the Inado, and of course, he will let them inspect the ship.”

  Alex sighed. “They may take me, you know. They may decide I’m too dangerous to let go.”

  “We’ve talked about that, Alex.”

  “What did Cowboy say?”

  “He wants to get as many men home as possible. If they take you, he’ll let them.”

  Alex smiled. “That’s the right call.”

  Chapter 21

  Kyle pulled up the video call on his console.

  “General Kitch, so good to see you.”

  “Thank you, Ambassador. I have some news you will want to hear.”

  “I’m always ready for good news.”

  Kitch hesitated. “It’s news, Kyle. There is some good news with it, but Jii’s mission was a failure.”

  Kyle sighed. He had reconciled himself to this, but he had never lost all hope.

  “How did you hear?”

  “Cowboy sent a message.”

  “Jackson is alive?”

  “Yes, eleven of the crew are heading back to Earth as we speak. That is part of the good news.”

  “I’m just thrilled we are getting some of our guys back. What else is there?”

  “We have the data from the experiments Jii performed. It has all of his calculations and most of his theoretical work. This will give us a big boost in researching how to fight mosar.”

  “Indeed it will. What are you not telling me, Diane?”

  “As you know from the number of the crew returning, there were casualties on this mission.”

  Kyle nodded. “Alex?”

  Kitch laughed. “No, I don’t think anything can kill him, but he isn’t coming back with the others. No, Kyle, Carl Williams was lost in the lab. He ran Jii’s experiment on himself after Jii died in his own trial.”

  Kyle rubbed his hands across his face. He had lost troops before, but he had never thought he would lose Williams.

  “We lost a giant,” he said finally.

  Kitch nodded. “I agree. He’ll be sorely missed. His work helped us get to where we are today. His theories and… now isn’t the time to eulogize him.”

  “You said Alex isn’t with the rest. Why?”

  “The Inado have kept him. They fear he was compromised on the planet. Cowboy thinks he’s fine, but the Inado have made the decision. They’re also analyzing the data we brought back.”

  “I’m glad they have the data. I want as many eyes on it as possible. What will they do with Alex?”

  “Cowboy said the Inado would keep him isolated for six months and observe him. If they feel he’s not a danger, they’ll send him anywhere he wants to go, but not back to Earth. I personally think he will head to Iltia.”

  Kyle pulled up a file on his system and sent it to Kitch. “Take a look at that, Kitch. That’s where Alex will go.”

  Kyle waited as Kitch skimmed the file.

  “The planet Lansiter. What is this? This… this is a new Earth. The readings are almost exactly the same.”

  “A’nacal and some of the Higher Council have been working on this since Jii talked us into this mission.”

  “Exile?” Kitch asked.

  Kyle nodded. “Yes. Any human who is infected with mosar to stage five will need to leave the system. Also, any aliens. I know we just fought long and hard to keep the treaty with the Pelod, but the Higher Council will do what is necessary to placate them.”

  “Why is the Higher Council so interested in this? Why would they want aliens out of the system?”

  “Earth will be in a form of quarantine. Nothing from the outside will be allowed in. No people, no ships, not even any unapproved transmissions.”

  “Why?”

  “Because Earth is where the research will take place. The research the galaxy needs to defeat mosar. It will be the untainted laboratory which will give us the answers we need.”

  “Kyle… everyone on that ship will be exiled. You will be exiled.”

  “There are another four thousand people who will be exiled as well,” Kyle said. “We’ll go to the planet and set up a small colony. The other races will take care of us and we’ll be able to travel freely. But we can’t come home again.”

  Kitch pulled her eyes away from the data. “I’ll… I’ll have to read this carefully, Kyle. Have you already agreed to this?”

  “No,” Kyle said. “But A’nacal is correct. We can’t stay here. Not if we hope to beat mosar. This mission was proof we’re not prepared for what will happen. The galaxy needs a place mosar can’t see what we are doing, and humanity is capable enough for this job. The Higher Council are all in agreement on that point.”

  “Including the Inado?”

  Kyle nodded. “Especially the Inado. A’nacal said they were the ones who suggested the terraforming which would give the exiles a new home. They said it was the least the galaxy could do for the race which would defeat mosar.”

  “That’s a lot of pressure, Kyle.”

  “I know. But I think we can do it.”

  “When would this plan be executed?” Kitch asked.

  “A’nacal hasn’t given a firm deadline, but I think we should proceed before more humans are affected. Maybe six months. Maybe a year.”

  “That’s not a lot of time. I can work with Salazar and see what we could arrange. Maybe two years?”

  “Maybe, but that might double or even triple the amount of people who would have to leave.”

  “Let me read this, Kyle. I’ll see what’s doable. We would need transports, that’s certain.”

  “The Iltia’cor can transport us. We can hire their ships for such a small job.”

  “True. But we will need construction of the site, make sure the living and working conditions of our colonists are comfortable.”

  “I never thought about that.”

  “You’re a commander, Kyle. You give those thoughts to others. But I’ll get some men on it. I trust them to do a good job. How far of a jump away is it?”

  “About three weeks. It’s not next door, but it isn’t all the way across town.”

  “We should be able to make it feel like home. I’ll need to talk with Salazar about this.”

  “He’s settling into his office pretty well. This will give him something to do.”

  Kitch laughed. “He asked me the other day if I wanted to switch places with him. He said he was going to get fat with all of the dinners and cocktail parties he has to attend.”

  “If he needs help finding places to buy bigger clothes, he can call me. It might relieve some pressure. Mostly pressure from his belt, but still.”

  “You need to hit the gym, Kyle. Seriously. You’ve lost some weight, but you need to take better care of yourself.”

  Kyle looked down at his still sizable belly. “I know, just too much stress.”

  “The wedding?” Kitch
asked.

  “I’ve never helped plan one before. Sandy planned ours. I wish she were here to help Sara.”

  “I know, Kyle. I wish she were, too. I met her once, you know. It was right before the war on Memorial Day. You were part of the events at Arlington and I was still wearing my butter bars. I was on guest relations duty and was fighting with an uncooperative table. Sandy helped me set it up before I became too upset.”

  Kyle smiled. “She told me she had gone to help set up in the hospitality tent. She loved cooking and entertaining.”

  “Would she love seeing you have a long-term love affair with junk food and hours long movie marathons?”

  Kyle grunted. “Okay, I’ll start hitting the gym again. After the wedding.”

  “Sara isn’t going to be happy. She wanted you in shape to walk her down the aisle.”

  “I know, with everything going on, I just haven’t lost as much as I wanted to.”

  “Speaking of the wedding, how is it shaping up?” Kitch asked.

  “It’s actually going quite well. I’m impressed at how organized and in command Sara is.”

  “Really?” said Kitch. “Does she have a good logistics officer? Because I seem to remember you always had a very talented logistics officer.”

  Kyle laughed. “Not always, but I ended up with the best eventually. Maybe she learned her skills from hearing about you.”

  “I doubt it. She’s just an amazing young woman. You should be very proud, Mister Ambassador.”

  “I am. Losing her will be the worst thing about exile. She’s just starting her life and I won’t be here to see it.”

  “Don’t focus on that, Kyle. Focus on her wedding. She needs you to be there for her.”

  Kyle nodded. Being there for Sara was the reason he had taken the position of Ambassador and retired from the Marines. He loved his daughter, but he had a driving need to be in service to his country or his planet. He was able to spend more time with her as she finished college and started her life. He was happy about that and wanted to give her support every day.