by Lisa Lace
Seeing the crestfallen expressions on everyone’s faces, I decided I should say something else. “We’ll reassemble in six hours. That will give us about an hour before we set off, so we can head to a nearby tavern.”
“Do you hear that, Magnum?” Barthan pulled his arm from around my shoulder and knocked elbows with Tarik. “Tavern in six hours, and the chief’s footing the bill!”
“I didn’t say anything like that.” It was too late. Magnum’s cheers of approval drowned out my words. As everyone started passing me, the acquirers gave me a hearty smack on the back as they made their way down the hill.
One acquirer wasn’t part of the commotion. “Head on, all of you. I’ll join you shortly.”
Natya stoically gazed at the scenery beyond Santuan’s fence. An untamable cowlick protruded from her short, flaming-red hair and danced in the blowing breeze. One of Santuan’s pet lizards was inquisitively flicking its tongue against Natya’s boot, but she didn’t seem to notice. Although she was the finest acquirer on the team, her mind wasn’t with me at the moment.
“Natya!”
“Hmm?” Natya turned towards me, lowering her hands. “I didn’t realize everyone had left already.”
“Is something the matter?”
“I can’t tell for sure. The air feels strange, though.” The creases around Natya’s mouth deepened. Still swimming in her sea of thoughts, she looked out at the landscape. I moved beside her, contemplating the jagged chain of kysum mountains which stretched across the horizon. The crystals sprinkled across its peaks made the rocky range appear cobalt-blue under the blazing sun. Holes filled the base of the hill. The tunnels led to a deep network of underground mines. Fort Hardwing watched over the mining operation, surrounded by towering copper walls reinforced with compacted earth, brick, and stone.
“That’s a pretty vague assessment.” I stroked my beard with my thumb. “Do you think we’ve skipped over something on Santuan’s list?”
“No, that’s not it. It’s something completely unrelated.”
A shrill wail blasted out of the city’s defense sirens. The line of acquirers below us immediately halted as everyone started to reach for their holstered weapons. A few bewildered faces looked back at me, awaiting my orders amidst the din.
“Stand down!” I yelled. Could they hear me? I cupped my hands around my mouth. “I repeat. Stop!”
As Urwanian security forces and citizens began to trickle into the streets, assessing if the alert was valid or another false alarm, Natya tugged on my arm. “Take a look at this.” She stiffened, and the color drained from her face. When I followed the gaze of her round, flashing eyes, my mouth went dry.
In the distance, a fleet of metallic green spacecraft flooded the air like a swarm of angry locusts. As the ships came closer, there were so many of them that they began obscuring the bright light of the sun.
“Axl? Are you still there?” Santuan poked her head out of her front door. “Did they figure out what set off the alarm yet?”
“No. Go back inside! Climb down into your basement and lock the doors!” I roared.
The squealing widow slammed her door shut. Natya and I pulled out our neutralizers and rushed toward the rest of the squad. Around us, Urwanian police forces in maroon trench coats and conical hats began clearing the streets, ushering the panicking citizens back into their homes.
“It’s the Makroid.” Barthan spat on the ground. “Why are there so many of them? There must be hundreds!”
We watched in horror as the Makroid assault vehicles landed in the open fields, crushing trees and destroying vegetation. Pale, ghoulish soldiers wearing black and yellow uniforms emerged from the spacecraft. Behind the infantry, menacing tanks rolled down the ship ramps, the Makroid coat of arms embossed onto their titanium armor.
“What should we do?”
Even though Barthan stood next to me, his voice sounded like it came from far away. I stared blankly at the Makroid troops pouring into the city. Half of the contingent headed directly for Fort Hardwing, backed up by heavily armored vehicles. The other division began to attach the once-peaceful neighborhood, ransacking homes and setting community buildings ablaze. Deafening shots of gunfire filled the streets while bodies toppled left and right in rapid succession.
“Axl? Snap out of it! We need orders!”
The persistent yelling penetrated my mind and brought me out of my trance. I glanced at Barthan and shook my head. Finally noticing the expectant faces around me, I pushed back my shoulders and nodded at the squad.
“Let’s start killing things. Come on. We’re going in. Stay under cover!”
The squad paired off and dispersed, using oversized vehicles and walls as shelter. Barthan and I took positions protecting each other under an elevated deck, holding the stocks of our neutralizers at arm’s length. We emptied our clips into any Makroid that approached us, taking turns reloading.
Urwanian troops only started to arrive when we were becoming overwhelmed by the Makroid. A V-shaped formation of Urwanian spacecraft sped toward our location and unloaded a brigade decorated in maroon and gold into the streets, complete with matching tanks.
“Spread out! Let’s give them more targets.”
We rolled away from each other as the snarling Makroid closed on our position. I stopped behind a thorny bush, gunning down a Makroid soldier on my right. Another sprinted toward me, and I took him down by swinging the butt of my weapon.
Barthan was across the street, finger depressing the trigger of his neutralizer, black braid whipping around wildly. The red dot of a targeting laser flashed across his forehead.
I grabbed a Makroid and tossed him through the window of a burning building. “Barthan! Move out of there!”
He couldn’t hear me. I ran across the street and tackled Barthan, dragging him to the ground as he was reloading his weapon. A bullet sped through the air where his head had been, missing him completely but hitting my arm. It ripped through my sleeve and grazed my body.
“Thanks. Are you hit?” Barthan shot down the sniper, looking back at me. I saw him look pointedly at my arm, which was dripping blood.
“I’ll be okay, but I’m out of ammo.” I tossed my empty neutralizer aside and ripped off the rest of my sleeve, wrapping it tightly around my wound. I took the rifle of a dead soldier and analyzed the carnage in front of me. Dozens of Makroid and Urwanian corpses sprawled over the ground. A few bodies in Magnum apparel were moving to safety, pools of blood staining their gray hoods.
“Axl, there are more of them.” The ground started to rumble as another squadron of Makroid ships began descending on the city. I didn’t realize my hands were balled into fists until they slowly unraveled. My heart hammered against at my chest at the terrible sight.
“Let’s get out of here.” My voice was starting to rasp from the strain in my throat. I blew on the mollusk shell around my neck. It was a low-tech communication solution in a high-tech world, but it always summoned the team. “Magnum! We’re pulling out!”
The squad members who were unharmed formed a perimeter around the wounded. Barthan, Natya, and I formed the core of the defense, firing at the mob of Makroid until we reached our starship. With our pilot out of commission, Tarik took the controls and started preparing the ship for launch. We were airborne within moments. A barrage of projectiles thudded against the armored hull as we climbed through the air and set course for our headquarters.
Panting, I leaned against a wall of the cockpit, watching as the bedlam inside slowly turned into controlled chaos. Those of us with medical training tended to the injured, using forceps to extract kysum bullets from their wounds. Once we removed the foreign objects from their bodies, we injected them with a violet solution to neutralize any Makroid poison.
My face glistened with cold sweat as I turned on the main viewscreen in the command center and adjusted the satellite. “Chief!” Isley appeared at my side, eyes bulging at the sight of the blood-soaked sleeve around my arm. “You’re hurt! S
omeone get me a dose of antitoxin.”
“No.” I shook my head and clenched my jaw to keeping my teeth from chattering. “We only have a limited supply of the antidote on board. Save them for those who need it. They only grazed me. I’ll take care of myself when we get home.”
Isley’s eyes darted to my arm. “Are you sure about this?”
“Completely positive. Do you know who could use your help right now? Rajel. Get her some water and make sure she doesn’t bleed out.”
When Isley rushed off to Rajel’s side and couldn’t see me anymore, I slumped weakly into a chair and turned my attention back to the screen. I passed my hand over the sensor repeatedly, switching from one channel to the next. Every Urwanian news station aired the same bleak drone footage.
Armed soldiers guarded every entrance of the Urwanian palace. Smoke rose from the disintegrated remains of formerly impressive buildings. Finally, the camera panned over devastated Hakhnu Road and traveled along the crumbled remnants where our headquarters once stood.
Chapter Three
CHRISTINE
An appraiser sat across from me on the other side of a clay table. Her labored breathing sounded like a stalling shuttlecraft. One by one, she carefully examined my loot, twirling the whiskers on her chin with stubby fingers. I leaned back in my seat, trying to appear disinterested even though the next few minutes would determine the success of my day.
“All right, Zuri, I think you’ve had long enough. Let’s get the ball rolling, shall we?” I leaned over and propped my elbows on the edge of the table, steepling my fingers. “I’ve got places to be.”
Unamused, the appraiser lowered the transmitter slowly, curling her lip. “Four thousand credits,” she rasped in a thick accent.
I gave her an incredulous look and folding my arms. “You’re killing me. Be reasonable. How long have we been doing business together? Five, six years, now?”
“Two years.” Zuri clapped her hands, and one of her underlings appeared at her side. He set down a tray of orange nuts and a tub of thick green pudding in front of her.
I edged forward in my seat, scooping up the necklace and transmitter in my hands. “I know for a fact that this pendant alone is worth at least five hundred credits. I’ve even added this new bronze chain, free of charge.” I dangled the bauble enticingly. “And the HB-12 receiver? It’s as good as new. Rest assured that quality is not an issue with anything coming from me.”
“The HB-12 is functional?” Zuri raised an eyebrow. “Don’t lie to me. There are fewer than a hundred working receivers left on Echiles.”
I turned on the receiver and cranked it up to its full volume. An upbeat, choppy track pulsed out from the speakers, adding life to the gloomy atmosphere in the adobe dwelling. In the crude workshop behind me, an Echilean tinkering with a laser welder started tapping his foot to the beat. When he caught Zuri’s steely gaze from across the room, he stopped his movements immediately and started twisting his wrench at twice his previous speed.
“Seeing is believing.” I switched off the music. “And you’re not limited to transmissions from this planet. I’ve modified the range by installing a whip antenna from Galambar. It can pick up frequencies from three neighboring planets, including Urwan.” I straightened up in the rigid chair and crossed my legs. “I think it’s all worth at least five thousand, don’t you?”
“Four thousand, five hundred. And that’s my final offer.” Zuri spoke her words while picking at the lint under her nails.
I sighed dramatically and rose to my feet, shaking my head. What could I do to make me look tough? I reached over the table and popped a handful of the peculiar nuts in my mouth. Almost at once, I gagged at the unbearable bitterness assaulting my taste buds. I promptly spat them out into an overflowing trash bucket next to the table.
“I’ll be honest with you - I don’t have time to play any games today. If you’re not prepared to accept my generous offer, I’ll just have to take my business elsewhere. Kimler has been asking me to stop by for quite some time. I think I owe him a visit, come to think of it.”
Zuri visibly tensed up at the mention of her competitor’s name. “Sit down, girl. You win.”
I walked back to my seat calmly, suppressing a grin. Zuri reached over her shoulder and pulled on the rope behind her. A servant appeared at the jingle of a bell, wheeling in an old credit transfer machine. Glowering, Zuri wiped her greasy hands on the side of her off-the-shoulder tunic as the machine hummed and became active.
“Let me see it.”
I pushed my sleeve up to my elbow and extended my arm. Zuri unwound an elastic band and wrapped it around my wrist. As the cool, jelly-like lining constricted around me, Zuri keyed in the payment. I kept an eye glued to the screen, watching every move she made.
“I think you’re missing a few hundred credits.” I raised an eyebrow.
Muttering under her breath, Zuri erased her transaction and entered the correct amount.
“Splendid.” The machine beeped twice, signaling a successful transfer. “It was a pleasure doing business with you.”
Zuri nodded her head as I got up and started moving toward the exit. “I forgot something.” I paused, turning around and sitting carefully in my seat again. “I’d like you to take a look at this.” I reached into my backpack and pulled out the silky parcel.
As soon as I unveiled the statue, a noticeable hush fell over the entire room. Zuri leaned forward eagerly, jaw slowly dropping open. Somehow the people in the workshop sensed that something unusual was happening. They abandoned their stations and made a ring around our table, marveling at the treasure.
“Do you recognize this item?”
Zuri and her underlings broke out in rapid-fire Echilean. They weren’t going to talk about me behind my back. With a subtle brush of my hand, I switched on my earpiece and activated a translator.
“Do you think she knows what it is? Is it possible this is one of the originals?”
“I think not. How could such a priceless treasure wind up in her hands? She’s trying to con us. It’s nothing more than a breathtaking replica.”
“I disagree. The statue contains authentic harasma jewels. My mother has an ancient family heirloom with a single gem, and it’s worth a lot of money. As far as I know, the harasma mines have been completely exhausted for centuries.”
“Is that so? One can only imagine what a wealthy collector would pay for this jewel-encrusted beauty.”
“What do you think, Madame Zuri?” The speaker looked at me out of the corner of his eye. “Offer her thirty thousand. It’s only a fraction of what you’ll get, but it’s enough for her to walk away thinking she made a healthy profit.”
Zuri’s sagging face remained expressionless during the excited chatter. Beneath my composed exterior, my heartbeat pounded in my ears. I couldn’t believe what I heard. I wanted to scream. Instead, I dug my nails into my palms, and looked back with a poker face of my own, waiting for her to make a move.
It didn’t take long for Zuri to make her decision. With a snap of her fingers, the Echileans fell silent. She bared her crooked teeth at me in an alien attempt at a smile.
“Your item is spectacular,” Zuri said in Standard as she twiddled her thumbs. “I have a feeling you’ll be ecstatic today, Ms. Blackwood. I’m prepared to offer you thirty thousand credits.”
“Wow, that’s a lot of money.” I touched my mouth with my index finger, feigning astonishment. “In fact, I think that’s double what I paid for my first spaceship.” I couldn’t help bursting into laughter.
Zuri started to cackle along with me. She gestured emphatically to the Echileans, who doubled over in fake laughter, stomping their feet and holding their bellies. I reached for the statue and placed it back on my lap, retying the packaging around it.
“Your offer is generous, but I’ve had second thoughts. I don’t think I want to sell today after all.”
“What did you say?” Zuri’s painful grin vanished. Her face darkened, and the ali
en laughter faded.
“I think I’m going to pass.” I slipped the parcel into my backpack and pulled myself to my feet. “I should do some more homework before I decide on the future of this little beauty in front of me. Do you happen to know what the statue represents?”
Zuri and her crew exchanged secretive looks but didn’t answer my question.
“I guess I have a lot of reading to do. See you guys later.”
“Wait a second.” Zuri shot out of the chair with speed impressive for an alien of her girth. It was the first time I had ever seen her leave her seat. “I’ll increase the offer. Forty thousand credits.”
“That’s a very tempting amount of money, but I’ve never seen you go up like this. Are you holding out on me?” I started making my way toward the exit. “It was lovely seeing you, darling, but I think I’m going to take off now.”
Zuri puffed out her chest and nodded her chin in my direction. Three of her underlings stepped in front of me, barricading the exit. With no time to swallow the lump in my throat, I sprang into action. Before the Echileans could reach for their weapons, I managed to pull out my plasma pistol and slid over next to Zuri. I planted my feet firmly on the ground and pressed the barrel of the gun against Zuri’s temple. Around me, the Echileans froze, harpoons raised in midair.
“A good old-fashioned Echilean stand-off,” I tutted at Zuri as I disengaged the safety mechanism on the pistol. “I thought we were friends. Tell your goons to back off.”
“Stand back!” Zuri shrieked. She retreated from me with trembling shoulder. “What are you waiting for? Do what she says!”
The Echileans dropped their harpoons, making a dull thump on the dirt floor.
“Much better.” I pulled out a backup pistol, giving me a weapon in each hand. With my guns tracking both Zuri and the Echileans, I walked backward to the door. I doubted the other weapon had a full charge, but there was no way for them to know that.
