Exploration: Age of Expansion - A Kurtherian Gambit Series (The Ghost Squadron Book 2)

by Sarah Noffke

  The Q-Ship rose off the ground, the boosters taking it up fast. Julianna stared off to the bay where rows of Stingrays could be seen in the far distance. There were more than there’d been when they studied the satellite image. She flipped the comms switch.

  “Carnivore, are you ready?”

  Static filled the radio before it cleared. “Ready,” called Lars over the comms.

  “Your turn. We’ll detonate once you’re done,” she said.

  “Copy.”

  From a row of clouds, Julianna watched as a Black Eagle dove toward the fleet of Stingrays. With her enhanced vision, she noticed many of the Trid on the ground look up at the sudden disturbance. She suspected that pilots would be radioed, orders given.

  “Only a matter of time until the sky is full of those fish ships,” said Eddie, staring at the same sight, although his view wouldn’t tell him as much.

  “Let’s hope Lars can lure them off. The last thing we need is a fleet of those fuckers interrupting our meeting.”

  “He will.” Eddie sounded confident. And why shouldn’t he? Lars had passed flight training with top marks. The problem was he was their only flier. This mission really needed more like six Black Eagles, and Eddie and Julianna both knew that but had been reluctant to admit it.

  She offered him a cautious look just as several Trid ran out, sliding helmets on their heads as they boarded their ships.

  “Looks like it’s show time,” said Julianna.

  ~~~

  Lars’ first flight had been incredible. Cruising by stars and moons was a trip. His chest had tightened with an emotion he’d never felt. Pride wasn’t the right word for it. They had a word for it in the Kezzin language. It meant “feeling like a god.” Flying had given that to him. However, flying along the surface of this planet was different. Less freeing and more intimidating.

  Dipping the nose of the Black Eagle, Lars’ dived straight at the field of parked Stingrays. He pulled up at the last minute, leveling out.

  “Come on you ugly ships. Let’s play,” said Lars.

  Behind him a volley of shots flew through the air. He swerved, pulling one wing of the ship up just in time to miss the hit. Three Stingrays were already on his tail after only diving a few times at the ships. “Oh good. You decided to come out and play. Let’s go.”

  Lars jerked the controls to the side, taking the Black Eagle over the gray waters of the harbor. He punched it once over the open waters of the Fumi Sound. Mountains stretched across the coastline in the distance, a place for Lars to give these ships the slip. By the time they knew what was happening, Eddie and Julianna would be in position.

  “They’ve taken the bait,” said Lars over the comms. He checked the radar. “I have six Stingrays on my tail.”

  “Sheesh, Carnivore. Punch it. You’re in the wide open right now,” said Eddie over the comms.

  A spray of fire shot around Lars’ ship. He dipped down, moving the ship the way he’d done on the simulations. It was better in real life. The controls of this Black Eagle responded better, like he and the ship were one. He never felt born for anything in particular…until now.

  “Get to the mountains, Carnivore,” urged Eddie.

  “I’ll be there soon. Just want to keep these guys guessing so they know who is boss.” Lars shot forward, watching the enemy ships zooming after him. Then he threw on the brakes, dropping the ship so it was hovering close to the water’s surface. All of the ships shot ahead of him. He rose up and fired, shooting down two of the Stingrays. They dropped to the water below, large splashes radiating up after impact.

  “Nice work, Carnivore,” said Eddie over the comms, pride in his voice.

  The fleet of Stingrays turned, a menace seeming to burn from each of the ships. Lars was about to fly forward, weaving through their formation, broken by their sudden loss. He readied his guns.

  The Stingrays shot ahead, and then dove for the water. Lars pulled back his controls, following them. Then the Stingrays dove into the Fumi Sound, disappearing completely.

  Lars pulled the Black Eagle up. “Whoa! What was that?”

  “Oh fuck,” said Eddie over the comms. “Did I just see those ships disappear under the water?”

  Lars spun the ship around and halted, hovering in the air. “Yes, glad you saw it, too, or I’d think my eyes were deceiving me.”

  He scanned the waters, waiting for a ripple, something…anything that told him that a ship was breaking the surface.

  “Since when did space ships fly under water?” asked Eddie.

  “Since they belonged to a race of Trid,” said Julianna over the comms.

  “Carnivore, I don’t like this. I want you out of there,” said Eddie.

  Lars peered down at the murky water, it bubbled, swirls happening in several places. Something was going on under the surface of the water.

  “Copy that, Black Beard. I’ll—” The four ships launched out of the water surrounding Lars’ ship.

  “Fuck, get out of there!” said Eddie, watching from the land.

  Lars activated the thrusters, shooting around two of the ships. He swerved to the side, pulling the ship in the opposite direction. He ignited the second thruster, speeding in the direction of the mountains. If he could just clear the first ridge, then he could lose the Stingrays…maybe.

  ~~~

  “Fuck! Did you see that?” asked Eddie, gawking at the sight over the Fumi Sound.

  “Yeah, that’s truly fucked up. I never would have suspected that,” said Julianna. “Lars is in the mountains now. He’ll be alright.”

  “Yeah, okay. Next step. Pip, activate the bombs. We need to shake up the Brotherhood,” said Eddie.

  “Affirmative,” answered Pip. “Bombs will detonate on my command. Three, two, one. Now.”

  Behind the Q-Ship, a loud explosion rocked the air, making it lurch forward a few inches before holding its footing.

  A moment later, soldiers fled from the various bases on the ground. A sea of Brotherhood soldiers soon filled the area, marching in the direction of the open field.

  “Damn, first the fleet and now this. What do they need with an army that big?” asked Eddie.

  “I have an idea, but it’s probably the very same one you’re thinking and don’t want to say.”

  “Yeah, it begins with ‘Fed’ and ends with ‘tion.’” Eddie gripped the controls, navigating the Q-Ship to the back of a medium-sized warehouse, the place set for the meeting with Vas. The landing was narrow, but Eddie managed to set down the ship without knocking it against one of the buildings.

  He shot out of his seat, picking up the tri-rifle first thing. “We don’t have long until those Stingrays or the army returns. Let’s do this.”

  ~~~

  Lars slipped around a narrow peak, diving low into a valley. The Black Eagle entered a dense bit of fog, hiding itself where Stingrays couldn’t see him. He’d avoided several rounds of their fire, but he felt his luck was running out.

  The Black Eagle cruised close to the ground until he had to pull up due to a cascading range of mountains. Fire shot out all around him. The ugly fish had just been waiting for him to surface. He needed to confuse them a little longer. Or knock them out completely. That was tough since there were four of them and one of him. All he’d been doing since they did that little water trip had been running.

  Lars punched it toward a wide peak, directly at its base. Two Stingrays were close on his tail. He shot around the side, one of them following, the other headed to the other side. Lars yanked up on the controls, angling the Black Eagle perpendicular to the mountain, then he leveled it out just as the ship came around the other way. He nearly missed the Stingray coming the opposite direction, but it connected straight on with the one following him. The crash sent a giant explosion through the air, knocking Lars forward in his seat.

  He soared vertically to the ground just as shots rained down on him. “Fuck!” Two Stingrays were diving at him from above. They couldn’t be too happy to see he just
demolished two of their friends.

  The terrain of this planet reminded Lars of Kezza, with its jungles and high mountains. When he was young, he spent much of his time scouring the hillsides of his homeland. That’s why he knew the look of an inactive volcano better than most. They were common on his planet.

  Lars flew straight, not telegraphing his next move until the last moment. He waited until he was just over the top of a mountain, and then turned the ship into a nose dive, sending the Black Eagle directly into the caldera. Blackness surrounded him before his eyes quickly adjusted. The Stingrays passed overhead, not seeing where he’d disappeared.

  Now, the key was to find his damn way out of the mountain, hoping that there was one. He soared down, searching for bits of light, anything that indicated there was a way out. Lars slowed the engine, cruising farther into the volcano. His instinct told him it was inactive. He hoped his instincts were right.

  Water dripped down the ridges inside the volcano, steam rising up from somewhere below. Steam wasn’t good. Steam meant that the water was reacting with something hot. Something like…

  A warm glow caught Lars’ attention. A tiny bit at first. And then the orange molten bottom of the volcano came into view. It stretched along the bottom of the mountain, a lava floor bubbling with danger.

  Lars let out a long breath. It’s just lava. No big deal unless it’s provoked. Keep it calm and it won’t go anywhere.

  A great rumbling shook the mountain around Lars’ ship. What in the hell? Timing was a damn bitch. This couldn’t be… It wasn’t like someone had set off bombs—

  Damn it to hell! The aftershock of the bombs Eddie and Julianna set off must have been sending tremors through the ground.

  Lars pulled the ship up, igniting the thrusters. He’d have to chance coming back the way he came and running into the angry Stingrays.

  A warning light flashed in front of Lars’ face. The temperature gauge was reading too hot. “Oh, I guess you can’t stand being in an active volcano. To my defense, I didn’t know it was,” he said to himself.

  The trickling water along one ridge grew steadier as Lars neared the top. He was halfway to the top now. However, the temperature continued to rise, and although he couldn’t see behind him, the rumbling sound filled in the picture.

  Just above him, Lars noticed a large black opening. Something that didn’t quite look like the glistening inside walls of the mountain. He made an impromptu decision and turned the ship upright just in time, entering the mouth of a cave. The Black Eagle glided through the narrow tunnels, swinging around sharp curves. Up ahead, light could be seen.

  “Come on. Come on,” Lars chanted, hoping he made it out of the volcano before it erupted.

  ~~~

  Eddie stood with his back to the warehouse, the tri-rifle in his hands. It was heavy but had incredible accuracy for such a large gun.

  Julianna wrapped her hand around the handle to the door of the warehouse, a question in her eye.

  He nodded sternly, and she whipped the door back, standing tall as she did.

  “Welcome. We’ve been expecting you,” a voice called from inside the warehouse.

  CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

  Harbor District. Trinidad City, Axiom 03, Axiom System.

  A Kezzin who could only be Commander Tremaine Lytes stared back at Julianna. Behind him were rows and rows of Brotherhood soldiers, their guns held at the ready.

  “What a nice welcoming party. And here I didn’t even think to dress up,” said Julianna, striding forward.

  “Did you really think the bombs and other diversions would work? You thought you’d just walk in here and take over our base?” asked Lytes.

  “Well, really, we just want the leaders. If you and Vas will come with us, then the others can go home,” said Julianna.

  Pip, patch into Lars. Tell him to get back here, now!

  I’m on it.

  “These others are here to ensure you and your partner are locked up and remain that way this time. I was there on Exa when you escaped. And you stole supplies from our base recently. It’s gone too far,” said the Kezzin commander, his face darkening.

  He’s on his way back. Said he hit a bit of a snag.

  Snag? Lars isn’t the one looking at a few hundred angry soldiers.

  “We were borrowing the supplies. We’ll return them when the Brotherhood pulls out of this dirty operation and returns to Kezza. This isn’t your fight and innocent men don’t have to be hurt,” said Julianna, aware Eddie was still tensed beside her, unseen. The alleyway was empty, but it wouldn’t remain that way for long.

  Note that the ceiling on all of these warehouses is retractable, said Pip in her head.

  Noted.

  Commander Lytes laughed, striding forward. “You understand so little, don’t you? Orsa isn’t talking, is he?”

  “He’s told us everything. All about who you’re working for and why,” spat Julianna.

  Commander Lytes blinked dully at her. “No, he didn’t. If he did, then you wouldn’t be here right now. You wouldn’t have walked into this trap, thinking you were the one who trapped us. Now, the real question is, where is the tri-rifle and when are you going to give it up? You are surrounded, as you well know.”

  Julianna heard the troops moving in from the nearby alleyways. The soldiers were returning from the field. Soon, she and Eddie would be hemmed in on all sides.

  “Oh, you want the tri-rifle? Why didn’t you say so? Teach, go ahead and give it to them.”

  Julianna stepped to the side just as Teach took a large step into the doorway, gun held up and at the ready. The army responded at once, adjusting their aim to the new threat. Teach was too fast and pulled back the trigger for the stun gun coupled with the spray option. It knocked out the commander and the soldiers just behind him. Eddie continued to fire as Julianna slid around him and into the alleyway.

  She dropped to one knee, taking out Brotherhood soldiers as they ran in her direction. The troops peeled back, realizing they were exposed. What they didn’t realize was that the Q-Ship, which was cloaked, was serving as a shield on one side of them. Julianna had to keep them back from the ship, though.

  Where is Lars?

  He’s en route.

  Julianna swiveled to face the other side of the alleyway, picking off several more soldiers.

  A bullet whizzed down at her from a high tower. Julianna lifted her gun, her eyes honing in on the sniper several hundred yards away. She pulled back the trigger and fired once. The sniper fell from the tower, plummeting to the ground. This wasn’t how it was supposed to go down. Things were getting out of hand.

  Julianna slid up next to the warehouse, gun held at the ready. She glanced inside, where Teach was quickly taking a few hundred soldiers down with the tri-rifle. Most were too busy dodging his attack to fire their own weapons, but the few who had were having no success.

  A rooftop on the neighboring warehouse just retracted.

  Why is that important?

  Because there’s a large spaceship inside.

  That does sound important.

  The Black Eagle soared overhead, firing off a round at the soldiers on the far side of the alleyway.

  Yay, Lars has our back. We can move.

  He’s got two Stingrays on his tail.

  Keep an eye on him, Pip.

  “Come on, we’ve got to go,” yelled Julianna to Eddie.

  He turned his head, nodding. “Where to?”

  “Next door. Looks like they’ve got an aircraft about to launch,” said Julianna.

  Eddie ducked just in time to avoid fire from the soldiers behind him. They ran through the alleyway, again using the Q-Ship as a shield. Hatch was going to kill them when they returned with that thing riddled with holes.

  The building to the side was the largest one in the area and was made of concrete. Whatever they had in there, they wanted to keep protected. Julianna located a side door, but it was locked. She jerked twice on it, but it didn’t even budge. Unsure
if her gun would even make a dent in the reinforced doors, she casts a knowing look at Teach.

  He stepped forward, lifting the tri-rifle. “I got this.”

  ~~~

  “You’ll probably want to stand back a bit,” said Eddie, holding the tri-rifle tight in his hands. It was warm now from stunning so many times. However, he guessed that the gun had at least another charge in it to take out the concrete doors in front of them.

  Julianna took the position behind Eddie. He switched the functions, putting the tri-rifle into destruction mode. Never having tested this technology, he braced himself before pulling back the trigger.

  A horizontal beam shot from the tri-rifle. It connected with the concrete doors, shattering them into bits almost instantaneously. Five feet of the space crumbled, sending dust and rock spraying in their faces.

  Eddie and Julianna shielded their eyes until the debris settled. He looked up when yelling filled the air. It was coming from the warehouse.

  “Come on, let’s go.” Julianna ran for the opening.

  “Hold up.” Eddie ran back for the Q-Ship, the doors opening immediately. He tossed the gigantic gun into the ship and turned back for Julianna. The weapon was useless currently, and he couldn’t risk it falling into the wrong hands if they were captured. Now, he wouldn’t be slowed down by carrying the heavy-ass weapon.

  Eddie ducked from the overhead firing. He couldn’t tell if it was Lars or the Stingrays, but as long as this alleyway stayed empty, and the Q-Ship protected, then he didn’t care.

  Once he met up with Julianna, the two ducked through the hole he’d made.

  “Load up the ships! The operation has been compromised! I said now!” a voice called in the distance.

  Eddie ran through a darkened corridor toward a door filled with light that would surely empty out into the large warehouse.

  “Yes, I heard the blast. And the fleet says they’re under attack. Move faster!” the voice yelled again.

  “General Vas, this isn’t going to work,” a chilling voice said. Eddie halted, Julianna beside him. In the dark of the corridor, he could make out the whites of her eyes. Stopping whatever was about to happen was important. They were gearing up for something major. But Eddie’s mission was to collect the intelligence as well as stop them.