by Calista Skye
“I know, I know,” Charlotte agreed, but she didn't feel it. She hated putting her life into someone else's hands, even during a routine landing like this. The wind wasn't that bad at all, but anything could happen in flight. They could hit a bird or there could be a malfunction of some kind. Things rarely went wrong during a shuttle landing, but if they did, she wanted to handle it herself.
The instruments showed her the landing pad just beyond the forest, and she extended the landing gear. The treetops swayed as the shuttle's engines set them in motion when it passed right over them, she pulled back on the throttle and then the shuttle slowly descended onto the rough rectangle of hard packed earth. The Acerex rarely used concrete.
The shuttle sagged on its landing gear and then it was down.
Henderson took his helmet off. “Well, just being a passenger is okay too, I guess.”
Charlotte powered down the systems. “Oh, you'll be working, don't worry. Those computers won't offload themselves.”
Henderson unsnapped his safety harness and opened the door. Cool and fresh air filled the cockpit. “I guess not. If I know these guys, they'll want to do the manual labor themselves. But I guess it's progress that they're willing to use our hardware in their military headquarters, at least.”
Charlotte looked outside. This didn't look like any army base she'd ever seen. It was just a bunch of log cabins among tall trees that reminded her of firs. It looked a lot like Aspen or some other fancy skiing resort.
Two Acerex warriors were on the way over to receive them and unload the boxed computer equipment that Earth had sent for them to use. She waved and grinned, and they gave her a cautious little wave in response. “Yeah. Once the Ytter tribe started using our tech, everyone else seemed to get a lot more receptive. Not a lot, but still. Feels like they're all a little more friendly, too.”
“Not as icy as before,” Henderson agreed and climbed out.
Charlotte got out, too. The air was brisk and fragrant from the trees. It reminded her of a clear day in fall, except all the trees here were still green.
She saluted the Acerex warriors, and they each slapped their right hands to the hilts of their swords in their own respectful gesture. Charlotte thought she could interpret it – it was a gesture that said 'I respect you enough to get ready to kill you'. That was considered a pretty warm greeting among them. She would have expected nothing else from a people that was always at war with aliens.
She faced them with a neutral expression. She was in uniform, and she was not going to flirt. She only did that on her own time.
“Welcome to High Command. I'm Lorin'ax, this is Chief of the Dirt Bandi'ex,” the youngest man said.
Charlotte froze for a second. Chief of the Dirt? That was not just a very unflattering phrase, but an actual title that the Acerex gave to their most accomplished warriors. It was like the Medal of Honor, except rarer. It was awarded not by any president or king or or high-ranking officer, but by the warriors themselves to someone among them who they felt was legendary. That made it much more prestigious. Only four men on Acerex held the title right now. And here was one of them.
Yeah, he looked like he'd been through a lot. He was probably in his fifties, and he was still muscular and sinewy. He had an enormous number of scars all over him, and his flame tattoo was so faded it had turned a pale gray.
Shit, she had no idea how to talk to someone that exalted. “I'm flight leader Taylor, this is pilot Henderson. I'm honored by the presence of a legendary warrior like you, sir. You'll find the equipment in the back. Pilot Henderson will assist you.”
Lorin'ax and Henderson went to the back of the shuttle, but Bandi'ex remained standing in front of Charlotte, fixing her with a stare that was so intense she felt like a schoolgirl who hadn't done her homework being confronted by a strict teacher.
“You're the one who wants to fight for Acerex,” the older man said in a gravelly voice with no expression on his face.
The interpreter device around her neck translated, but she understood what he had said.
“I do,” Charlotte said, taken by surprise. “As a pilot, anyway. I don't think I'd be much good on the ground.”
The legendary warrior continued staring. “Our enemies are many and fierce. Why does an Earthling alien, one of Queen Harper's friends, even, want to risk her life in battle for an alien people like us?”
Charlotte felt that honesty would be the best policy. “I'm bored with flying passengers and boxes of cargo up and down from the surface of this planet. I was trained to fly missions in war. It's not so much about risking my life as it is about doing the thing I'm really good at.”
Bandi'ex's expression didn't change. “You require entertainment? I understand Earthlings have many harmless inventions to help them pass the time. Perhaps one of those would be a better choice than to go to war for us against our enemies. It is highly dangerous.”
Charlotte forced herself to face his green eyes. “It's not about the entertainment, sir. It's about doing something meaningful. The Acerex people are our friends. We want to help them against their enemies. Both Queen Harper and King Vrax'ton agree that this is a good idea.”
Maybe name-dropping and pulling rank wasn't the smartest thing to do, but he had brought up Harper first. And these people really respected their king.
“Indeed they do. If they hadn't, I doubt we would be having this conversation now. Did you hear what I said about this being dangerous? Even for pilots. We lose many craft each year.”
“I heard, sir. And, with all due respect, I also know that this is one area where Earth pilots are much better than Acerex. All your warriors are trained to fight on the ground, and only when they are injured do they learn to fly shuttles and dropships. They only do that reluctantly, and their skills show it. But I have always been a pilot. Flying is my life. I doubt I'll lose a craft in your service. I know that this is one area where your warriors need improvement. Well, I'm offering my help.”
This time she had no problem meeting the icy stare the old warrior was giving her.
He held her gaze for three heartbeats. Then a little smile flashed across his face. “I see. Well, if you really are much better than our pilots, then I suppose it would only be fair to let you prove it. You're expected to join Squad Nine at six general time six days from now. They're fighting the Prec aliens on the moon Ett. You'll have every chance to prove your statement when you serve as their primary pilot.”
Charlotte was stunned for a moment. She had not been prepared for this. “Thank you, sir,” she managed at last. “I'm honored.”
“We are also honored at your request to fight alongside us. Truly the Earthlings are our friends. The Spirits protect you.” The old warrior turned around and walked back to the simple log cabin he had come from, which was probably the main command center for all the Acerex forces.
Charlotte pumped her fist once in the air and let a happy smile spread on her face. Finally she'd see some real action.
5
- Charlotte -
“That is nice.”
Charlotte felt giddy. It was a brand new armored dropship, just arrived from Earth. The slick titanium hull gleamed in the light inside the hangar bay on the Friendship, while at the same time bristling with guns and spears and hardpoints and a jagged spine that gave it a reptilian appearance. That was no coincidence; the ship was partly modeled on crocodiles, in order to make it look threatening to alien enemies. It was designed to fly into war zones, engage enemy ground forces and then deliver a full squad of soldiers to battle. Or warriors, as in this case. And now it was Charlotte's.
Harper smiled. “Sure is. I don't think they have anything like it. We thought it would be a good idea to show them the best we have this first time. To help convince them about Earth pilots and hardware.”
“Thanks,” Charlotte stammered and ran her gloved hand over the hull. It was highly polished and she could hardly feel any friction. “This is going to be extremely fast. Those Prec will neve
r know what hit them.”
“That's the idea. Isn't that what they call 'shock and awe'? Vrax'ton thinks it will work fine. Did you know those Prec are moving towards Earth, too? We don't want them anywhere near our solar system. The sooner we can neutralize the threat, the better. We'll work with Acerex. It's going to be a formal alliance, probably. And you will be the first part of it.”
Charlotte nodded, still taking in the ferocious little warship. Six lasers, two chainguns and a pod that had to hold at least fifty rockets. She'd never piloted anything that well armed, and she couldn't wait to get behind the controls. “Sounds great.”
Harper shrugged. “Well, it was your idea. Charlotte, are you still sure you'll want to? You know that you don't have anything to prove to the Acerex, right? Or to anyone else? None of us girls from Gideo Station need to prove shit. You can still get out of this. Everyone will understand.”
Charlotte heard the pained tone and glanced at her friend. “You're worried this will be like when Lily took on that mission to the Ytter tribe and then almost died on the Fire Planet. I know you still feel that was your fault. First of all, it wasn't. Lily is a big girl, she makes her own decisions. And I do, too. This is the coolest thing that's happened in my life, okay? Harper, I really want this! No matter what happens.”
Harper nodded slowly. “All right. But please cut it short and come back if you have the slightest feeling that something is wrong. Or if those Prec are tougher than we think. Or if the squad are anything less than perfectly nice to you. Or if-”
Charlotte went over and hugged her friend. “Don't worry, Harper. I'll be sure to be as safe as possible. Those Acerex pilots who crash do that because they're not that good. And I'm not just good, I'm a damn phenomenon, alright? I'll be fine.”
Harper sniffled and squeezed her harder. “I know you're good, that's not it. It's just that ... oh, never mind. Shit, I'm acting like I'm your mother. Hey, go and kick some alien invader ass, girl.”
Charlotte chuckled. “Don't worry. You're something much better than my mother ever was: you're a good friend. You know, part of being a good pilot is not taking unnecessary risks. I like to be alive, same as you. But I also like to make a difference flying. Heck, this ship can handle anything.”
Harper wiped a tear off her cheek and smiled. “And you absolutely will make a difference. You can't help it. Hey, ever hear more from that guy you met?”
Charlotte felt a little sting in her heart. She'd heard nothing from Cori'ax since their wonderful night together. She looked away. “Nope, radio silence. Why?”
“Just curious. I guess I want all my friends to find their own warriors. Isn't that a stereotype, when all the newlyweds want everyone else to get married, too? But it's fine if you're not his Mahan. Probably makes everything easier for everyone. Plenty of warriors in the sea.”
- - -
It was a glorious ship. It pinned her hard to the seat when it accelerated, it changed course as fast and easily as a rabbit and it took her to the moon Ett faster than she'd have thought. She test fired the various weapons against an asteroid to get a feel for them, and she felt more powerful than she'd ever thought possible. She felt like she could take on the whole Prec army on her own.
The moon itself was very large, much larger than Earth's own Moon. It was rocky and deserted, but it was a perfect point to use as a springboard for alien species that wanted to invade the Acerex home planet. The Acerex kept an eye on it for exactly that to happen, which it did once every few years, and then they attacked the invaders before they could launch the invasion.
Charlotte had seen pictures of the Prec. They were shapeless blobs of yellowish flesh with teeth and tentacles and spikes all over them, and they reminded her a little of sea urchins. If sea urchins were sentient, eight feet in diameter and flew ramshackle spaceships just as ugly as they were.
The Prec controlled most of the surface, and the Acerex were struggling to keep them from taking over the whole moon. If they did, they could launch their invasion pretty easily. There had turned out to be many more of them than the Acerex had suspected, and the Prec were also invading more planets nearby.
Charlotte received her landing instructions and flew to the area where Squad Nine had their base. It was a deep crater that could serve as a natural fortress against the enemy. There were many other squads there, too, each with fifteen warriors plus their pilots.
She found the landing pad with the Acerex number 9 on it and set the dropship down with its side to the small tents that littered the bottom of the crater. She wanted them to see the huge Earth markings on its side.
The other craft she could see nearby were all of Acerex manufacture, which meant that they were functional, but not elegant or pretty. They also had no weapons mounted, and no armor – the Acerex believed in only killing enemies with their swords.
Charlotte smiled. Her heavily armed dropship would be a bad surprise for the Prec.
She got out and a young warrior came towards her, tattooed and extremely muscular.
He looked her up and down and frowned. “Pilot Taylor?”
Charlotte smoothed down her hair after hours wearing a helmet. One of these days she should get a shorter haircut. “That's right, warrior. Who might you be?”
“I'm Xeri'un. Hm. We expected ... someone else.”
“Uh-huh. Didn't you expect pilot Taylor?”
“We did. But we assumed ...”
“That the pilot would be a man?”
The man's eyes were very blue. “Yes.”
“It appears your assumption was wrong, Warrior Xeri'un,” Charlotte said gave him a mild smile.
The Acerex had never had women among their warriors, because females were so scarce among them that they protected them very carefully. It wasn't sexism, it was just a practical consideration that made them seem pretty sympathetic to Charlotte. It showed that they cared greatly about their women. But now they had to adjust to having a girl in their squad.
The warrior got a hold of himself and nodded curtly. “So it does. Very well, pilot. The squad leader is waiting to greet you.”
They walked towards a cluster of tents on the dirty sand. The moon was large enough to have both decent gravity and breathable air, even if it was a little thinner than the air on Earth.
There was a little stake in the ground topped with the squad's symbol, a stylized Acerex number 9, looking a little like a beer bottle. The tents were brown and small, but Charlotte knew that they were surprisingly comfortable, with electricity and even running water in each one.
Xeri'un opened the flap to the largest tent and held it up so Charlotte could enter.
Inside there was a conference table made of roughly hewn wood. Above it hovered a large holographic map of the moon they were on, with red and green dots to show their own and the enemy's position in real time. Most of the moon was red, Charlotte noticed.
Three warriors sat around the table, while a fourth was standing up and had his back to the tent's opening.
Xeri'un cleared his voice. “Warriors, pilot Taylor is here.”
Some of them looked in her direction, then did a double take. She walked further into the tent and smiled.
“Hey, guys,” she said in Acerex.
No one replied. But the large figure of the squad leader stiffened, then turned around slowly and fixed his eyes on Charlotte.
She had never seen an Acerex warrior's jaw drop. They were always so composed and calm. But this one came pretty close to looking astounded.
Charlotte was just about able to keep her own jaw from dropping. She had gotten over her first shock while he had his back turned. She wasn't sure how she felt about it, but she couldn't really storm out, either.
She smiled sweetly. “Hi, Cori'ax.”
6
Two weeks later
- Charlotte -
“I'm always surprised at how ugly they are.”
Somehow the Prec were more terrible to look at up close than on pictures. There was a h
uge mass of them, slowly oozing their way across the terrain.
They were heading towards a forest that looked a lot like birch, with slender white trees and large, green crowns. That was where the Acerex would meet them this time.
The aliens had trouble moving through terrain that wasn't smooth and unobstructed, and the trees would slow them down and give the warriors cover.
The Prec were surprisingly good fighters, and would shoot black, ugly spears dripping with venom with great force. The Acerex used bows and arrows, in addition to their swords and axes, but it would be hard to fight off this mass of enemies.
“Big and ugly,” warrior Neri'on agreed from the seat beside her. “They make good enemies. It would be worse if they were small and cute.”
The Prec were shooting spears into the air like missiles, and they were thin and extremely fast. One of those might puncture the hull or even ruin the engines, and Charlotte had seen two Acerex dropships get hit and then crash into the ground. Her craft was sturdier, but she didn't want to take any chances.
She had no trouble with the spears. They were fast, but they were also badly aimed and easy to avoid while she was setting up a good course for the landing zone and taking out groups of enemies with the weapons on the dropship. When she went lower she'd have to concentrate more on the enemies, but for now she zigzagged among the spears and enjoyed herself greatly.
This was her first mission as the squad's pilot. She had gone on training missions, and she had planned exactly how she would do this.
“Think they see us as small and cute?” she said absentmindedly while she aimed at a cluster of enemies and fired a rocket at them. It hit right where she had wanted it to, and it blew up two of the Prec.
She was starting to understand why the Acerex didn't use guns and rockets against this enemy – they were extremely tough and could take a lot of damage before they went down. That one rocket would have taken out ten times as many human warriors.
“Hey, nobody sees us as small and cute,” Neri'on countered. “We're big and fierce. Except the Earthlings among us, who actually are small and cute.”
