Uprising (Gateway Series Book 3)

by Brian Dorsey

  The transport shuddered as it lifted off the platform.

  “Orders, Sir?” asked the captain, turning away from Mori.

  “Join your men in the ready compartment, Captain,” replied Stone. “I’ll want them to set up a perimeter around the transport when we land, and you will join me.”

  “Yes, Sir,” replied the captain with a salute before exiting the compartment.

  “Lieutenant,” continued Stone. “Go along with the captain and get yourself a rifle.”

  “Yes, Sir,” replied the aid.

  “And Lieutenant,” added Stone. “Get one for me as well.”

  “Yes, Sir,” said the aid before he scurried off to join the captain.

  Stone and Mori sat alone at his desk, neither speaking. After a few moments of the nothing but the hum of engines, Mori spoke.

  “Seriously,” she laughed. “Do you have someone to help you wipe your—”

  “That’s enough!” interrupted Stone. “You said you’d do your duty.”

  “And I will,” snapped Mori. “Point me at the enemy and I’ll kill them.”

  “Can you not antagonize my officers…please?”

  “Fine,” replied Mori. “I should’ve known better than to try to understand Hanmani behavior.”

  “Just let me deal with my men, and I will point you at the enemy soon enough.”

  “Yes, Sir,” she replied, giving a sarcastic salute while sitting across from Stone.

  “Mori, I need you to do this.”

  “Fine. I’ll leave your little minions alone,” conceded Mori.

  “General, Sir,” said the aid as he entered the compartment, an assault rifle in each hand. “Sorry for the interruption, but—”

  “You’re very good at it, Lieutenant,” interrupted Mori with a laugh.

  “Continue, Lieutenant Sandis,” said Stone with a frustrated glance toward Mori.

  “Yes, Sir,” continued the aid, giving a rifle and ammunition to Stone. “I have your weapon and three magazines. Captain Larson also reports his men are standing by.”

  “Very well, Lieutenant,” replied Stone, placing the additional magazines in his pockets.

  “Is this gonna be a hot landing?” asked Mori.

  “We should have a secure landing site,” replied Stone. “But we won’t really know for sure until we hit the ground.”

  “Be ready to fight,” Mori said in Akota to the two officers with her. “But only take out clear targets…no civilian casualties.”

  Both officers acknowledged her in Akota.

  “And keep your eyes on these Hanmani…I have no idea what they’ll do if it gets hot,” she added.

  “They’ll do fine,” grumbled Stone, also in Akota. “Just worry about your warriors.”

  “Standby for landing in three minutes,” came over the intercom circuit.

  “I don’t have to worry about them, Magakisca,” replied Mori. “Just don’t want your men getting mine killed.”

  “If you trust me, then you trust them,” replied Stone slowly.

  “Then I guess we have nothing to worry about,” said Mori in Humani. “Let’s get to it.”

  The increased noise of the engines told Stone the transport was coming into a hover, and a slight flutter in his stomach told him the descent had begun. “Let’s get to the entrance,” he ordered.

  Chapter 10

  A group of Humani troops rushed past Mori as the hatch to the transport opened. She turned to see Stone step forward, but Captain Larson placed his arm on his shoulder.

  “Sir, wait for the perimeter,” said Larson.

  She could see the frustration on Stone’s face and it brought a satisfying smile to her face.

  “It’s just the landing site, Captain,” replied Stone as he stepped past Larson, “I’ll be fine.”

  “Yes, Sir,” conceded Larson.

  “Nice try,” said Mori, patting Captain Larson on the shoulder as she followed Stone through the exit.

  Once outside, she noticed three light hover tanks and two armored hovercraft in front of the transport. As the protection platoon scattered out around the transport, Mori and her officers followed Stone and his entourage to the convoy.

  Another Humani officer standing at the first hovercraft saluted as Stone approached.

  “At ease, Captain,” said Stone, returning the salute. “What is the status?”

  “The scene is a few blocks away and appears to be secure. I have two platoons providing roving patrols in support of the local security forces who have set up the perimeter.”

  “It’s still a mess over there,” added Colonel Vae as he exited the lead hovercraft. “We are up to 23 killed and probably over 100 injured…about half are civilians.”

  “Let’s go take a look,” said Stone. “Captain, you and Lieutenant Sandis take the second hovercraft.” He turned toward Mori. “I want you to join the Colonel and me,” he said. “Can your officers ride with my staff?”

  “Do we need an interpreter?” asked Larson.

  “We speak Humani,” replied one of the officers. “All Scout Ranger officers know the language of their enemy.”

  Larson and the officer returned a long silent stare.

  “Well then, I guess they don’t need one,” said Mori, breaking the silence. “Go with the captain, brothers.” She paused. “Maybe you can teach them our alphabet on the way,” she added in Akota with a smile, knowing Stone was the only non-Scout Ranger to understand it.

  “Let’s go,” ordered Stone with a scowl.

  Mori placed one foot onto the access ladder and pulled herself into the open-top hovercraft. Inside the troop compartment, she glanced into the control cockpit. Staring back at her was the young driver, his eyes wide. Mori realized it was probably the first time most of Stone’s men had seen a Scout Ranger, and definitely the first time he had seen a Ka-itsenko in full combat dress. “Boo!” she shouted, and the driver quickly turned back to his controls. Letting out a small chuckle, Mori sat next to Stone.

  “Having fun, Ino’ka?” whispered Stone in Akota.

  “A little,” she replied.

  “Are you ready, Sir?” asked Vae as he stepped into the troop compartment.

  “Yes, Colonel.”

  “Driver, notify the convoy to move,” ordered Vae.

  Mori heard the engines rev and felt her body shift as the hovercraft began to move. With the tanks in front and the rear, the convoy picked up speed and headed toward the scene of the attack. Turning the first corner, Mori saw a line of medical and emergency vehicles parked along the street as people streamed away from the scene. Looking over the side of the hovercraft, she saw a local security checkpoint wave the convoy through. “Colonel Vae, are the perimeters controlled only on the streets?”

  “I recommended to the locals to control access through the buildings and underground as well,” replied Vae, “but I doubt they have all areas covered. As I mentioned, I deployed a platoon split up into squads to patrol likely weak spots.”

  Mori looked toward Stone. She could see he understood.

  “What do you want?” he asked.

  “I want my officers to cover from above,” she replied.

  Stone activated the hovercraft internal communications system. “Driver, patch us in to the second hovercraft.”

  “Yes, Sir,” replied the driver. “Mantis 2, this is Mantis 1; standby for message.” “You’re patched in, Sir.”

  Stone motioned for Mori to speak.

  Mori leaned over to the intercom. “Brothers, this is Ino’ka,” she spoke in Akota. “Deploy here and cover blast site from the rooftops.”

  “I’ll order the convoy stopped so they can—”

  “Mantis 1, this is Mantis 2,” broke over the circuit. “Those Terillians just jumped out of the hovercraft!”

  “We don’t need to stop, Colonel,” replied Stone with a smile toward Mori.

  A few short moments later, the convoy came to a halt.

  Mori jumped out of the hovercraft onto the hard
pavement below. She quickly took in the scene. Spotlights and flames broke through the dark night, illuminating the chaos all around her. To her left was a triage station where medics hurried back and forth, trying to tend to the wounded and gather information. Behind the triage station, she saw dozens of bodies covered with orange blankets. She glanced to the right, where a number of local security officers and a few Humani officers were gathered behind a thin line of security troops. Directly in front of her lay the remains of a three-story brick building. The front end of the structure had collapsed, and flames rose from both the rubble and the rear of the building as firefighters and rescue personnel fought to control the blaze and find survivors.

  “The incident command is over there,” said Vae, pointing to the group of officers.

  “Captain Rain, in position,” Mori heard one of her officers report through her comms link.

  “Captain Springfall, in position to the North,” came a second report.

  “Keep your eyes and ears open,” she replied, scanning the area intently.

  “Do you need more support?” asked Stone.

  “We have other units standing by to help,” replied Vae, “but more people here would just get in the way.”

  “And security around the area?” asked Mori. “Any concerns for secondary explosions?”

  “We think if they had secondary detonations planned, they would have already set them off. We also have teams out using both electronic and canine detection…we have found nothing so far.”

  “I want to talk to the senior security officer,” said Stone.

  “Movement in third story window 150 meters west of your location,” reported Captain Rain.

  “Movement over there,” reported Mori. “Third floor,” she added, pointing toward a building behind the group of officers. “What do you see?” she spoke into her comms link. “Let me—”

  Mori saw a green laser flicker off the button on Stone’s uniform. “Sniper!” she yelled.

  Before she could reach the two, Larson stepped in front of Stone, a bullet tearing into his back almost instantly.

  “Take cover!” shouted Vae. Rescue workers and soldiers scattered as the crack of the Akota officers’ weapons returning fire echoed through the street.

  Mori slid to her knees beside Stone just as he was rolling the body of Captain Larson off of him. “You okay?” shouted Mori, her rifle trained on the building.

  “Yeah, I’m—damn it,” cursed Stone, looking down toward Larson.

  Mori looked down at Captain Larson. The bullet had pierced his back and tore through his chest. Her heart stopped as she quickly glanced toward Stone. His uniform was covered in blood. “Are you hit?” she shouted, running her hand over the blood on his shirt. As she did, she saw a bullet fragment fall from his combat vest.

  “I’m okay!” shouted Stone. “Did we get the shooter?”

  “Did you get him?” said Mori into her comms link.

  “Target down,” reported Rain. “In route to confirm.”

  “Are you okay, Sir?” asked Vae.

  “Yes,” replied Stone, picking up his rifle. “I want to see the sniper.”

  “My men are already on the way,” said Mori.

  “Let’s go,” said Stone as he started toward the building.

  “Status,” ordered Mori into her comms link.

  “We’re in the room. No shooter, but we have blood, a rifle, and an empty coagulate applicator,” came the report.

  “Damn it,” replied Mori. “Shooter’s gone.”

  “Son of a bitch,” cursed Stone.

  “This doesn’t seem right,” posed Mori. “A sniper from that distance was unlikely to cause as much damage as another explosion or an overt, close-up attack.”

  “Doesn’t seem like a move the Followers would make, does it?” added Stone.

  “A sniper is a needle…the Word uses hammers,” replied Mori. “And apparently that needle was pointed at you.”

  “They could be focusing on leadership and using a bombing to draw out high-ranking officers,” said Stone.

  “You do realize most high-ranking officers wouldn’t show up to a bombing, right?” replied Mori. “But you would…”

  “What is it?”

  Mori grabbed Stone’s arm. “Do you have any enemies here other than Followers? Is there any chance the Humani or Xen know you’re here?”

  “I doubt they know I’m here, but it’s not impossible,” replied Stone. He paused, giving a knowing glance toward Vae. “Maxa…”

  “Who?”

  “Can your men keep on his trail if the shooter’s stopped bleeding?” asked Stone.

  Mori curled her lip, smirking at Stone. “Stay on the shooter,” she ordered into her comms circuit. “Now who is this Maxa?”

  “There was a former warlord from the Dark Zone in charge of one of my brigades when I took command. We disagreed on strategy…then I relieved him.”

  “Where is he?” asked Mori.

  “He escaped not long ago. I don’t know where he is.”

  Mori tightened her jaw before exhaling heavily. “You need to watch these people, Magakisca. This whole division is a cauldron of lost men, mercenaries, and victims out for revenge.”

  “I know,” replied Stone. “And it’s my job to make an army out of them.”

  Mori could see the frustration and anguish on Stone’s face. She had been so busy focusing on what she had wanted him to be, she had forgotten to think about the pressures of his new position. She glanced over his shoulder toward the body of Captain Larson. “Your captain, he was a brave solider. He saved your life,” she said, suddenly realizing she had almost lost him.

  “I’m so sick of this killing,” declared Stone. “But we must win in order to find peace in the future.”

  “I’m sorry for before,” said Mori. “I shouldn’t have questioned the abilities of your men, and I will fully support your orders.”

  “Thank you,” replied Stone.

  “And I will not press you on our future until after this mission is complete,” she added, although her stomach wrenched with anxiety.

  ***

  Captain Springfall swung his rifle toward the stairway as Captain Rain dashed to the other side of the entrance. Shifting his line of fire upward and to the right as he slowly ascended the stairs, Springfall heard footsteps on the floor above. He stopped on the landing between floors and motioned for Rain to move forward before he started up the second set of stairs. He covered the entrance to the second floor as Rain moved past him. At the top, Rain removed his hand from the handguard of his rifle and motioned for Springfall to join him.

  Once on the second floor, Springfall glanced to Rain, who pointed toward the second door at the right of the hallway. Springfall saw a shadow move in the small line of light at the bottom of the door and signaled Rain to take up position to prepare to force entry into the room. In response, Rain slowly shifted to his right with his rifle at the ready.

  Springfall raised his left hand, showing three fingers. Then two…

  A blast from a riot gun tore through the closed door from the other side, sending Rain tumbling backwards in a hail of splinters and lead as Springfall’s rifle erupted.

  “Contact!” shouted Springfall into the comms circuit as he stepped forward, kicking the door open.

  Stepping through the entrance, he saw a man level a rifle toward him. Springfall felt the recoil of his rifle as he fired, knocking the man to the ground. Springfall spun to his right toward a wounded man on the floor behind the door. The man raised a pistol and fired as bullets from Springfall’s rifle peppered the wall and shredded the man’s torso.

  Springfall fell to one knee as a bullet struck his thigh. He was pushing himself to his feet when another bullet struck his shoulder, knocking him to the ground. He pulled a pistol from his vest and swung it toward the new threat, only to have it kicked free of his grip as a man standing over him crashed his boot into Springfall’s hand.

  Grunting, Springfall p
ushed himself up, but his back slammed against the floor as the man drove him downward with a foot on the Ranger’s injured shoulder.

  Springfall reached for the man’s leg, but another round tore into his right shoulder.

  “Stay down, Ranger,” grumbled a tall, powerful man with a tightly trimmed beard.

  Breathing heavily from a combination of pain and anger, Springfall gazed upward toward his attacker. “Do it,” he grumbled.

  “Don’t worry, Ranger,” the man replied. “I’m not going to kill you. I need you to deliver a message for me.”

  Springfall felt the pressure of the man’s pistol against his neck as the man leaned in close to him.

  “Tell your General Stone that Brand Maxa sends his regards.”

  Springfall shifted his head slightly, grunting as the pistol pressed harder against his neck.

  “And tell him that I will have my revenge,” he added, slamming the pistol against Springfall’s temple, knocking him unconscious.

  ***

  Martin walked along the firing line as her team completed their daily range training. The digital scores changed above each shooter’s lane, but Martin didn’t need to check the results; everyone on her team was an expert. She waited for a lull in the gunfire. “Cease fire!” she yelled, activating the hold fire siren. “Lock and clear all weapons!”

  “Who has the highest score?” asked Praetorian Oxia.

  “You can measure your dick against the others later, Praetorian,” replied Martin.

  “I’m pretty sure Graves has you beat, Sir,” joked Shara.

  “You’re just jealous, Shara,” replied Graves, raising her middle finger to the first sergeant. “Come on over and I’ll show ya just how big it is…with all due respect, First Sergeant,” she added.

  Martin fought back a smile as she watched Oxia fume. “As much as I would like to let you guys and your little sewing circle chat, I have some word to put out. Gather ‘round,” she said, waving for the team to form around her. “I expect we’ll be back out in the nothing in a few weeks to find the Traitor, so it’s time to lay out the teams.”