Something crashed above us. Buzzing followed. The drones had broken into the building.
Asel made mad hand motions for me to jump down. I didn’t hesitate and went down.
The jolt of hitting the ground sent shockwaves up my legs. My suit had been keeping me so doped up that combined with the adrenaline I’d almost forgotten I was injured. The long list of injuries that I’d refused to read came to mind, and I hoped that wherever we were going we would get there soon so that I could get some medical attention.
A private feed invitation popped up from Shaaban. I accepted and said, “Where are we going?”
“Our ship,” said Shaaban. His lights illuminated the way in front of us. Pipes and conduits ran the length of the walls on both sides until they disappeared into the dark distance.
Asel jumped down behind me. The door slammed shut, and I winced. The drones would have heard that, but she probably knew that. Their mannerisms, the way they held their guns, the way they walked and looked around, told me they were military of some sort.
We took off at a jog as the buzzing began to congregate around our entrance point. I looked back to see the door lift then fall back down with a bang.
“Blow ‘em,” yelled Shaaban.
Asel turned around and tossed something. Shaaban picked up the pace, and I matched. A pop so loud my suit compensated to protect my hearing went off behind us. Crackling and snapping followed, and my suit warned me of an electromagnetic pulse in the vicinity. The tunnel glowed blue with a few bolts of electricity traveling down the conduits. The buzzing stopped.
Something boomed ahead of us. I felt the ground shake hard enough to mess with my balance and tilt me a bit to the side as I ran. Shaaban slowed down as the sound of machinery whirring drifted down to us.
“Shit,” Asel said as she pushed past me. She began firing her rifle as Shaaban pulled out his side arm and lobbed something down tunnel.
Another pop and blue glow. My face shield polarized to block out the light. The world still went white before the tunnel faded back into view.
Asel shoved me to the ground as she continued to fire. The tunnel lit up. Their energy blasts created a strobe light effect, creating elongated shadows that stretched far from us. I tried to get up, but she pushed me down again, her knee in the small of my back.
“Stay down,” she yelled.
“It’s shielded,” said Shaaban. He lobbed again. This time I had the sense to not look at the blast.
Shaaban and Asel continued to shoot down the tunnel. Asel moved to the opposite side of the tunnel from Shaaban. They concentrated their fire on one trundling object that moved through the shadows.
The object lit up with each strike but beyond leaving a scorch mark each blast didn’t seem to do anything to stop its relentless march forward. It stopped about thirty feet in front of us and didn’t move.
Asel stopped firing. Shaaban followed suit. I propped myself up on my elbows. The thing stood like a statue.
“What is –" I started to say before Shaaban cut me off with a quick motion of his hand.
The thing began to shake and then panels started to open. Cylinders came out of the body. A rack of some sort popped out of the top. Spikes shot down into the floor of the tunnel with thick guidewires connecting them to the object.
Shaaban swore under his breath. “Gen 3 Small Body Heavy Mech,” he said.
“It’s anchoring,” said Asel. She stood up straight, aimed and braced herself. There was a whomph from her rifle.
The area around the mech exploded in a ball of fire. My suit’s cooling kicked into high gear, but I could still feel the heat. I kept my face down and covered my head with my hands as the flames licked around me. Wires on the tunnel walls caught fire, curled up and floated down to the ground, burnt to a crisp.
I looked up. The mech continued its preparation. It went so slow. I wanted it to hurry up and be over with whatever it was going to do.
Shaaban threw another EMP grenade but like the other it didn’t do any damage. Asel fired another explosive round. The tunnel shook this time, and I swear it shifted a bit. Pipes crashed to the ground. Their clangs were drowned out by the shooting.
The mech stopped expanding. The cylinders started to glow. A loud hum began followed by a whirring. The sound made my teeth chatter.
“Concentrate fire on the anchor wires,” said Shaaban.
He stood and began to back up as he fired. Asel did the same. I scrambled to my feet as Asel came past.
“Stay behind me,” yelled Asel over the cacophony of weapons noises.
We continued to back up. Shaaban and Asel’s movements became quicker and more frantic as the mech’s weapons continued to power up. The two of them didn’t stop shooting the entire time.
Asel pushed me behind a support beam and squeezed in next to me. Her breathing was even and unhurried. Shaaban took cover across the tunnel from us.
The whirring stopped. A green light filled the tunnel followed a split second later by an electrical crackling and snapping.
I flattened myself next to the tunnel wall as the atmosphere around us was sucked away. A flash of green swept by with a clap of thunder just after. My skin tingled and my hair stood on end. My suit’s diagnostics alerted me to the kiln-like temperatures it protected against.
Atmosphere rushed back. It ran away in the opposite direction as a massive detonation went off somewhere down the tunnel behind us.
The explosion sent me slamming into the support then tumbling down the tunnel floor. I struck the mech and bounced off it, skidding on my front down the tunnel. There was nothing to grab ahold of to stop my movements. Even if there was I didn’t think I had the strength to grip anything.
A new list of injuries scrolled across my HUD. I couldn’t move. It wasn’t that I was paralyzed. I was in so much pain I couldn’t move because it made my suffering even worse. My entire body was on fire with torment. Turning my head to look back at the fight made me cry out in agony. Tears streamed down my face and pooled in my helmet.
Shaaban leaned against the wall, his left arm limp. His legs shook, but he kept shooting. Asel continued to fire from her cover, but she was lower like she had collapsed to the ground.
The mech lay on its side pointed away from me but still towards Shaaban and Asel. One of its anchor wires had snapped. Some of its cylinders were warped. Parts of the mech were scattered about in twisted, misshapen smoldering pieces. It struggled to right itself, flopping about on the tunnel floor. The whirring began again.
I closed my eyes. Darkness swept in as shots fired from behind me. It sounded like they struck the mech, but I couldn’t be sure because consciousness disappeared.
Chapter Eight
Too much pain. The world was blackness and pain. Nothing else registered. It always was pain and always would be. I struggled against it but the dark held me, forced me to confront the agony.
But there was nothing I could do.
“Coming around,” someone said.
My eyes flickered open. The world was blurry. Darkness faded away. I blinked rapidly and things came into focus a bit. Bright light lit everything to a painful white. Dark shapes started to materialize. One was over me. Another moved in from off to the side.
“Coherent?” said someone else.
The voices were familiar. I know I’d heard them before, but I couldn’t place it.
My mouth was dry. I smacked my lips. My tongue was dry and felt like it took up my entire mouth. I tried to speak. Nothing but a croak came out.
“Over here,” said one of the shadows. They snapped, and I turned to look at who made the sound.
Everything started to focus. The shapes were Shaaban and a woman with dark, close cropped brown hair and an all-business expression. She looked so much like Shaaban I thought I saw double for a second. The light dimmed a bit, and I found myself in a familiar regenerative box, strapped up to various machines, poked with a multitude of needles.
“We made it?” I said. My
voice came out harsh. The act of speaking grated against my throat.
The woman nodded and said, “Thanks to some of our compatriots.”
I recognized the voice: Asel.
“You got so hurt your suit put you in a medically induced coma,” said Shaaban.
“It’s a wonder you’ve lived this long,” said Asel.
I struggled to sit up to see around me but only succeeded in raising my head a few inches. There was no one else in the room. My head flopped back down on the pillow.
It was hard to think. Everything was fuzzy. Questions floated around in my mind but every time I tried to grasp one it slipped away. I gave a loud sigh.
“Where are we going?” I said.
“To the Terran Fleet,” said Shaaban.
Dread blossomed in my chest. Kaur had survived. She had caught me and drugged me and now would take me back to her fleet and torture me. I tried to sit up but didn’t have the strength. I tried to rip the nodes off of me and pull the needles out, but I didn’t have the motor skills to grasp properly. The best I could muster was a gentle rocking back and forth.
Shaaban, with a gentle touch, put his hand on my chest. “Not the colonial fleet.”
I looked up at him. Nothing on his face told me he lied. There was no malice in his eyes. I looked over at Asel. A flicker of concern crossed her face, but it was gone in an instant replaced by her normal expression.
“We heard you were looking for us,” said Shaaban.
“I visited one of your colonies,” I said. “I went to Station Ter. I followed your ships to Free. ”
Asel pulled up a chair and sat next to me. “We sold those ships to some P’You,” she said.
“Nellinon?”
Shaaban nodded.
“He sold me out to the Vantagax,” I said. “They’re hunting humans.”
Asel and Shaaban looked at each other and then down to me. “General Braxa has put out a bounty on all humans,” said Shaaban. He lightly poked me in the chest. “And the highest of all for you.”
Maybe it was the drugs dulling my wits or that Nellinon had brought her up before but the mere mention of Braxa didn’t send me into a panic. It felt routine almost. Braxa was out there. Braxa wanted me dead. Braxa would do anything for it.
Braxa’s plan seemed outlandish. Was she advocating for genocide of the human race? I hadn’t kept up to date on my galactic politics let alone the machinations of the Vantagax Republic but it seemed extraordinary that a space-faring government would condone such actions. Perhaps I was too idealistic.
“How is she planning on accomplishing this?” I said.
“He,” said Asel. “General Braxa’s brood brother is,” she rolled her eyes, “also General Braxa.”
I gave a small laugh. It got more and more nuts. It figured that General Braxa would be chasing me to avenge the death of his sister General Braxa.
“He’s raised a private army,” said Asel.
“The Braxa’s are extremely rich and powerful,” said Shaaban. “They exert a great amount of control and influence within the Vantagax Republic.”
“They wield so much power that they are essentially the Vantagax Republic,” said Asel.
“But genocide?” I said.
Shaaban shrugged. It disheartened me to see that he acted like this was no big deal. I’d hoped finding other humans would make my life easier somehow.
“Even within the Republic, with the influence of the Braxa brood,” said Asel, “genocide is officially off limits.”
“Privately, though, it seems most support him,” said Shaaban. “Braxa is getting money and support from all areas of their society. They blame you and Kaur for crippling the Republic during their war with the Confederacy.”
I nodded. The Hive had informed me of that little nugget. Rather than blame one of their most powerful they used the humans as scapegoats.
“What’s the plan?” I said. I’d found other humans. It’d turned out they didn’t need me to warn them, but it wasn’t time to sit on my haunches even if that was all I could literally do right now.
Asel raised an eyebrow and gave a half-smile. Her gaze flitted over to Shaaban whose expression didn’t change.
“It’s been requested by the Terran Admiral Board that we bring you to them,” said Shaaban. “They would like to have a meeting with the great Terran Representative.”
“Who are they?” I said.
“The Terran Fleet is divided up into seven sub-fleets. Each is controlled by an Admiral. These Admirals make up the Terran Admiral Board. They make decisions about fleet wide issues,” said Shaaban.
“What do they want with me?” I said.
“Don’t know,” said Asel. “Specifics should be coming soon, but first you need to get better.”
The world felt warmer and softer. Everything went out of focus. Shaaban and Asel returned to being dark shapes. I drifted off once more, but this time without the pain.
Chapter Nine
The seven admirals sat in high backed leather chairs at a long table with nameplates floating out front. Large screens with varying types of telemetry played behind them. They sat upon a raised dais. All had varying degrees of a stern look across their face. Everything combined with a table just big enough for me to sit at made it feel like I had been called in for punishment by the school board.
“And what did you hope to accomplish by coming here?” said Admiral Liu. She sat with her hands folded in front of her. Her face showed no emotion, and I couldn’t gauge how old she was from her physical attributes.
“I just wanted to find you,” I said. My voice echoed off the ceiling. Video wallpaper had been placed above us giving the impression of a large skylight that showed the stars outside the ship.
“Did you not consider that we didn’t want you to find the Terran Fleet?” said Admiral Walsh. He was overweight and had a comb over. Why he didn’t get regenerative therapy I didn’t know. “That we didn’t want the attention you attracted?” His face boiled beet red. His eyes bulged. Not a good sign that he started off so angry.
“I honestly didn’t think about that,” I said, “but I thought another human would be welcome.”
“Not you,” said Walsh. He jabbed the tabletop with his finger as he finished his sentence.
Admiral Okafor, an older man with hair greying at his temples, put his hand on Walsh’s arm who shrugged it away.
“We have survived in a hostile galaxy by staying away from the spotlight,” said Admiral Liu. “Skills learned from avoiding Kaur do us well in avoiding the Vantagax.”
“Until you decided to come here and lead trouble directly to our doorstep,” said Walsh. Perspiration beaded on his forehead even though I found the room temperature to be quite comfortable. He mopped at it, avoiding touching his hair.
I couldn’t help but scoff. “If I found you what makes you think that General Braxa wouldn’t?”
Walsh’s eyes bulged even more. The veins in his forehead and neck throbbed and strained. His hands clenched and unclenched. The muscles in his neck worked as he ground his teeth.
“That’s not the point,” said Okafor in a gentle tone. “The point is that you are a beacon for trouble. By coming here you have endangered everything we have worked for.”
“Do you think that Braxa wouldn’t have come for you?” I said.
“No,” said Liu. “General Braxa has an issue with you and Kaur. We believe,” she said, looking up and down the table, “that once you have been dealt with that Braxa’s bloodthirst will subside, and we will be left alone.”
It was my turn for my eyes to bulge. I choked on my words. It was a good thing because if I hadn’t a tirade of insults would have cascaded out.
Admiral Varma leaned forward. She spoke in a monotone, even, level measure. “I want it on the record I don’t agree.”
Walsh whipped his head around. He seemed surprised at Varma speaking and said, “We are one on this issue.” Liu and the other five admirals nodded.
“No,�
�� said Varma. “We have welcomed all humans with open arms no matter their affiliation with Admiral Kaur.” She turned and looked at Walsh as she spoke, her eyes narrowed. “I will not stand by and change that policy because some of us are too chicken-shit to deal with the real world.”
“What?” said Walsh. He sputtered and a bit of spit flecked at the side of his mouth. He jabbed the table with his finger, but didn’t manage to say anything. Varma turned and leaned back in her chair, arms crossed over her chest. Her mouth puckered and eyes squinted. Okafor leaned forward, opening his mouth to speak.
Liu held her hands up. She looked back and forth between Walsh, Okafor and Varma. Her gaze settled on Walsh who continued to try and say something. He eventually threw his hands up in the air, leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms over his chest. A look of discontent clouded his face. Okafor closed his mouth and leaned back as well. Liu nodded and turned to Varma who had spun her chair back around and stared directly at me.
“I will have no more disunity,” said Liu. She continued to stare at Varma. “Understood?”
No one said anything.
“Understood?” said Liu in a more forceful tone. She didn’t take her eyes off of Varma.
Walsh grunted. Varma gave one, curt nod.
“Good,” said Liu, turning back to me. “About you…”
It was a little reassuring that someone was on my side. There were still three who had not spoken, but they seemed to be in agreement with Liu and Walsh. It was a hollow victory that I had one admiral on my side.
“Are you telling me that I am not welcome here?” I said.
Liu folded her hands in front of her. Walsh smirked and gripped the armrests of his chair. Varma puckered her lips.
“We will not send you off without supplies and some contacts,” said Liu. “We cannot afford to part with a shuttle at this time, but we are due to send out supply parties tomorrow.”
I sat at my desk as she spoke. My mouth opened and closed like a fish out of water. I looked from one Admiral to another. Varma shook her head and gritted her teeth. Walsh had a smug smile plastered across his face. Liu’s face remained neutral. The rest looked through me, not at me.
The Terran Shepherd (The Terran Series Book 2) Page 5
