“It feels like Vera in there.” She watched Constanthos push herself to sit upright.
* * *
“Laro, we will keep to the path through the forest.”
“But that way is longer, Nera.”
“I won't have my people out in the open to be easy prey. These beings aren't like the Mingrein, they do far worse things than simply eating you.” Nera held her uncle's eyes in a steely stare.
“Okay. We will follow your lead.” Laro never looked away from her. “If something goes wrong, I want you to know how proud we all are of you.”
“Thank you,” Nera replied. His words didn't really mean much. At least not in the way that he had meant them. Her motivation had little to do with pride at this point. “Let's get moving. I want every adult to carry two quills.”
“Why two?” Laro asked.
“If they get captured, they need to stab the Gote that has them. If they are outnumbered, they need to stab themselves.”
Laro paused. “Are they really that bad?”
“The toxin would deliver a much easier death than a Gote.”
“I have five drop ships on my scope,” Bett called out. Hiro was standing over his left shoulder so he repeated it in English and pointed to the small view screen.
“How vulnerable are those ships?” Hiro asked.
“I would have a difficult time matching their firepower in the air,” Bett answered, “but once they land, they will be easy for me to destroy.”
“We may have to deal with them on the ground. Miyako and I will set out in the direction of the nearest ship and clean up any that were able to depart before you hit them.”
“You will need a guide,” Bett said. He looked over and saw him. “Shik?” he called out.
Shik jogged over. “Yes, Bett?”
“Look at this screen, my young friend. Do the marking make sense to you?”
Shik stared at the screen for a few moments. “Yes! This is what you called a map, is it not?”
“It is. Very good.” Bett pointed to a spot on the screen. “This is where we are now. These objects are Gote drop ships. My flier is fully loaded with torpedoes and ammo. I will be destroying the drop ships once they land. We need you to guide our friends here to the closest ship first, so that you may eliminate any Gotes that might manage to depart the ships before I am able to destroy them.”
“I have as many arrows as I can carry,” Shik replied as he stared at the screen. “We will kill every invader and feed them to the kyles.”
“Good, good,” Bett said. “Now study the map carefully. We are going to hit them in order from closest to farthest.”
“I have it,” Shik replied.
“The first ship doesn't stand a chance, really,” Bett continued, “and possibly the second as well. But there are only five on the scope, and we can only assume that more will follow. I am guessing that they sent most of them to the larger continent.”
“After we clear the farthest ship,” Hiro said, “we will make our way to the caves.”
“Yes,” Bett said. “With your stealth, you can kill any that you meet on your way back.”
“We just have to make sure this young man doesn't shoot us by accident. We do not share a language.” Hiro gave Bett a half-smile.
“Yes, of course,” Bett replied. And then switching into the Nuunian language, he said to Shik, “Once our friends go into their stealth mode, you will not be able to see them. You must remain hidden at that point. Avoid the temptation to shoot an arrow, as you may inadvertently hit one of them.”
“I understand and I will not let you down.” Shik looked over as Miyako handed Hiro his face-plate. The Earthling man said something to his mate in a strange language and then they kissed. And then they looked each other over and turned to face him. Their confidence was palpable.
* * *
Shik was initially concerned with the Nakamuras' ability to keep up with him in the forest. But their conditioning was phenomenal and the low gravity made the run easy for them. He found himself feeling at risk for possibly overtaxing himself as he set out in the direction of the now-faint hum of Bett's flier. The first explosion nearly made his heart skip a beat, and as they came upon the wreckage, he realized that Bett was correct in his prediction. There was nothing left alive at that site. Once they were satisfied, they pressed on to the second landing site. After a longer run, they once again found no signs of life as they surveyed the wreckage. The sound of an explosion far away through even more dense forest prompted them to move on. Shik was feeling winded and slowed his pace. He realized the Nakamuras were understanding and therefore did not rush him. After some time, he could smell the odd smoke of the Gote drop ship that had recently been fired upon. He ducked behind a large tree and made a hand signal to the Nakamuras and they followed his lead. Shik peered from around the trunk and noticed some movement in the distance. Glancing back, he made his intentions clear as he crept toward a closer tree. His natural stealth ability was impressive, and before long, they had made their way to within a few yards of where some surviving Gotes had gathered. He could see in their eyes that neither Nakamura had ever encountered a Gote in person before, but to his pleasant surprise, Hiro looked at him and held up two fingers as he and his wife affixed their face-plates to their heads. Shik drew an arrow and took aim. His aim was true and the nearest Gote paused to look down at the projectile that found its way into his groin. The toxin quickly took hold and the Gote fell flat on its face. Shik's second arrow found its mark in the neck of another Gote as panic set in among them and they started firing their guns in random directions. Shik turned back toward the Nakamuras in time to see them disappear. Wide-eyed, he turned to peer once again around the trunk of the tree to see blades seemingly appear from mid-air to slice throats and guts. Groins were severed and limbs fell to the forest floor. The Nakamuras were a singular force of destruction that Shik could only compare to Frank Ford. After a few moments, the Nakamuras came back into view, wiping their blades off on the uniforms of the dead invaders. With a smile, Hiro motioned for him to lead the way.
27.
The slot opened and another tray of meat slid into the cell. “You doing okay in there, Frank?” Raymond asked.
“I'm good, thanks,” Frank answered. He was between sets of squats and was contemplating doing more push-ups. He had already pulled his varitherm up high on his thighs to accommodate the mass he had acquired.
“Korick sent a warship to Nuun. I don't know if that means anything to you.”
Frank thought of Nera and the Nakamuras. And Bett. “They will only find death on Nuun,” he replied.
“I have no idea what you mean by that, but it sounds good to me. Hey, just so you know, Princess Caja wants to put an end to all of this.”
“Just what does 'all of this' consist of?” Frank asked.
“Korick's entire operation. The coliseum. The casinos. The Brothels. Intoxicants. And who knows what else he has his hands in.”
“She has my full endorsement. It would be nice if she did it before this upcoming tournament.”
“Frank, I ain't gonna lie. That's going to be a stretch. The Royal Guard doesn't have the numbers to match the Gote military. Especially the warships.”
“If the warships were out of the equation, would they stand a chance?” Frank asked.
“They outnumber us roughly twenty to one.”
“I'd take those odds,” Frank joked.
“I know you would after seeing your video. But it isn't realistic for the Guard. Not yet, anyway.”
“So what are her plans for Gote Space after she gets rid of Korick?”
“I don't spend a lot of time around her, but I know she has a sense of fairness about her. She's sheltered my Chloe and never once treated her as a slave. They're like sisters. One thing I can promise, she won't be another tyrant.”
“I'm just trying to wrap my head around the whole situation. I'm guessing the high-speed space travel is a newer thing for the Gotes.” F
rank resumed his squats as he spoke.
“That's right. It used to take a couple of weeks to travel from Gotoreo to Vera. That's how Korick was able to build all of this. He paid off the royal inspectors first so they didn't report anything illegal. And then he was able to start buying the government.”
“So there's a monarch and a government?”
“Yes,” Raymond answered. “I learned about their history over the years. When they won their freedom back from the Verullians, the king was inspired to share his rule with the citizens. They are supposed to balance each other out.”
Frank chuckled. “Yeah, that's great until one or both are corrupted. I'm sure his heart was in the right place when he set it up that way.”
“I have no doubt. I think Caja wants to weed out the corruption and put things back the way they were. I wouldn't be surprised if she doesn't shrink Gote Space.”
“Shrink it? What do you mean?”
“There have been several worlds that have been, um, annexed. She will most likely set them free.”
“You know, Ray, she sounds nice. I think I will help her out.”
“Oh yeah? How are you going to do that, if I may ask?”
“Well, after I build up my strength, I'm going to start fucking shit up.”
* * *
Bett was flying about and trying to decide on his next move. All five drop ships had been destroyed and the Gotes that had managed to depart found cover in the forest. He checked his screen and the scope was clear. He opted to go reload his torpedoes. His route was a large arc that he had designed to mislead any ground troops as to the direction of his base. Coming in from over the water, he plotted his landing solution. But just before he touched down, the screen lit up. Twelve more drop ships were inbound. One was coming in hot, right on top of him. They were onto him, and he knew he couldn't match them in the air. As quickly as he could manage, he stowed his flier into its hole he had fashioned in the edge of the woods and quickly covered it. Looking up, and seeing the ship coming, he sprinted for the water.
* * *
Gladys was staring at the instruments, trying to will the computational systems to speed up. The weight of the situation was fully upon her now, and she found herself dwelling on the past. She wondered where she went wrong. Mostly, she felt foolish. She'd thought that a Custodian, a human with a Sessik wellness implant and velocity shield, would be enough to save the Earth, mankind's last untainted refuge. Her thoughts were leading her down a dark path. She was beginning to think that she was to blame for all of these new developments. Manipulating the controls, she called up an image of Frank. It didn't really look like him, as he isn't photogenic, but it was enough to make her heart ache.
“Gladys?” Phildan's voice startled her.
“Yes, Phildan?”
“She is ready.”
“What? How?” Gladys stood from her chair and walked toward the door panel.
“She is more like Frank than I think you anticipated,” Phildan replied as he turned to follow her out into the garden and toward the boat of Constanthos. He had to jog to keep up with her long strides.
Reaching the threshold of the boat, Gladys found everyone sitting outside the door, keeping Constanthos company. “You all seem in good spirits,” she said as she came to a stop and peered inside. Constanthos was sitting cross-legged next to a heap of equipment that looked like it had been quickly thrown together.
“Hello, Sister,” Constanthos said.
“Hello,” Gladys replied. “I see that you are sticking to your plan.”
“Yes.”
“I am you and you are me,” Gladys said with a serious expression on her face. “So you know how I feel.”
“I know you would do this if you were able.”
Gladys closed her eyes and smiled. “In a heartbeat.”
“If it makes you feel any better, I left a backup copy of me in your computational system.”
Gladys looked around at everyone. They were sitting silently, listening to the conversation. Smiling, Gladys said, “I have to admit, that makes me feel better. Now stand up and let me take a look at you.”
Constanthos stood up to reveal her powerful form. “I'm not fully acclimated yet. But I am able to stand and walk.”
“Sister, I have recently learned to never doubt a human. I hope you do not think I was doubting you. But you are new to being human, so I had to be sure you were ready for this challenge.”
“I understand completely,” Constanthos replied.
“They have all been helping?” Gladys asked.
“Yes. Cindy is picking the best loba. Denise has shown me ways to get stronger by just doing repetitive motions. Michelle contributed to that as well. Robert is instructing me in what he calls weight lifting.”
Gladys looked around again at everyone and found herself struggling for the words. Denise stood up and came to her side and wrapped her hand around Gladys' slender frame in a show of support. “I truly had no idea when I set out to find a Custodian,” Gladys started and then paused to regain her composure. “I had no idea that I would meet, and grow to love, so many incredible beings.”
“We all love you too,” Denise said as she stood up as tall as she could to kiss Gladys' neck. “Connie wants to bring Frank home.”
“I think I know what can help,” Gladys replied. “Phildan, may I see your data pad?” He handed it to her and she deftly pressed several spots on the small screen. “I am increasing your protein intake. An automech will be along shortly. In the meantime, we need to get to Rhoshe.”
Constanthos picked her halo from its cradle and placed it on her head. She closed her eyes for a moment, and when she opened them back up, every bit of color was gone from them. After another brief pause, she said, “We are here.” The color returned to her eyes and as she focused on her friends, she gave them the biggest smile.
“You two have certainly outdone yourselves,” Gladys said. “I will be talking to the Mother. Phildan, feel free to gather any supplies. They will be expecting you.” As she turned and walked away, Phildan looked at Constanthos, contorted his scales into a smile and nodded. Constanthos nodded back.
* * *
The water became murky as the kyles fought over their positions among the rocky bottom of the water nearest to Bett's camp. The sound of the drop ship had certainly caught their attention, and Bett was there, just under the surface, watching the sea monsters prepare for their hunt. He could hold his breath for a very long time, but the motion of the kyles was very unnerving, and from time to time they would brush against him to remind themselves that he most likely didn't taste good. Or so he hoped.
* * *
“What were you able to get out of him?” Evrok asked to Gildract as he entered the control room.
“He was quite cooperative once he learned of the destruction of his warship.” Gildract paused so everyone present could have a laugh. “He was adamant that they were carrying no nuclear weapons.”
“So, they were bluffing then,” Trove said.
“I have to admit that I was concerned,” Evrok added. “That was a really large vessel. It was clearly designed for intimidation.”
“It was a really large piece of garbage,” Trove said. “It cracked with very little effort.”
“There is more,” Gildract said as his expression turned serious. “He claims they have Frank Ford in custody on the planet Vera.”
“How is this possible?” Evrok asked.
“He said that Frank came without a fight. They had threatened Earth if he were to refuse.”
Trove uncharacteristically punched the wall. “They tricked him,” he growled. “We must intervene. We owe him everything.”
“Yes, we do,” agreed Evrok. “But let us not be too hasty. We need to think this through. Our numbers are low for now. It would be foolish to risk our entire race to save one human.”
“They are planning to have him take part in their tournament,” Gildract continued. “It is the same place they ha
d been sending our brothers. I would love to shut that operation down.”
Something sparked in Trove's mind that made him regain his composure. “Rotinoms!” he exclaimed.
“Sire, there is a rift detected,” a Mingrein reported.
Trove rushed forward to look over his shoulder. “My sensor array is working just as I had hoped. It's a cloaked Li ship. I think it's the same one as before.”
“To stations!” Evrok shouted.
“We can stand down,” Trove said. “They just left.”
“The sight of your cracked warship must have frightened them,” Gildract joked. “Now, what were you saying about Rotinoms?”
* * *
Ottwan's mind was racing as he emerged at Vera and parked in what he hoped was a safe spot. He dispatched another drone toward the surface while hailing Korick. After some time, Korick's voice came through.
“Greetings, Ottwan.”
“Greetings, Korick. I'm afraid I am the bearer of bad news.”
“Oh? What is it?”
“The warship at Korbaal has failed in its mission.”
There was a pause before Korick continued, “Was there a malfunction? Can we tow it back?”
“It has been completely destroyed.”
“How is that even possible?” Korick asked angrily.
“I can only assume it was the Mingrein.”
“We need to have a word with the Monster about this!” Korick was fuming.
“I have a drone on the way. I have many questions for him myself.”
* * *
Phildan docked Frank's landing boat in its usual place and opened the door panel where he was greeted by Robert and Michelle.
“How'd you do?” Robert asked.
“Very well, I would have to say. They had a load of those special torpedoes set aside for us. And I was able to acquire everything I need to make a new weapon for Constanthos.”
Monster Page 26
