"You think you can beat me, little girl?" Krat'sa laughed. "I was a member of the Order when you still nursed at your mother. After my banishment, I studied new forms of combat in the Protectorate." She reached behind her neck and drew her sword from its sheath on her back. "Since you speak of honor, I will grant you an honorable death and take your head cleanly off your neck with one swing." She then took a battle stance and waited for the cadet to initiate combat.
S'ryn drew her dagger in her right hand and took a similar battle stance. "I have been training under a new mentor at the Citadel. One that wasn't there when you were, and I have learned a great deal under her hand. The most important lesson I have learned from her is indeed about honor. There is no honor in merely living. There is honor in the choices you make, but in dying, like living, there is no honor. To die is just that, and no amount of honor in life will save you from death. Actions save you from death. I will not promise you an honorable death, because there is no such thing, but I will promise that you can debate the finer points of honor with Th'warzin soon enough." At the conclusion of her statement, she used her left hand to quickly retrieve the pulse blaster that Danielle had given to her, aimed at Krat'sa's torso, and squeezed the trigger.
The older V'drellian woman had not expected the cadet to have a pulse weapon and was unprepared for its blast. The pulse blast hit Krat'sa center mass, and she went down. S'ryn kept the weapon pointed at the fallen woman and approached her with caution. She knelt beside the outcast. Krat'sa tried to move, but the blast had injured her too severely.
"So, this is what death looks like," S'ryn said, looking into the eyes of Krat'sa. "For all of the language we use about Th'warzin coming for the soul in the eyes, all I see is fear in yours." She returned the pulse weapon to where she had kept it before and then held her dagger in front of Krat'sa's face.
"Shra'dor was my friend, and he did not die quickly or painlessly. I would grant you a similar agony, but my chul'zat called out to me just before you arrived," S'ryn took her dagger and pulled it across Krat'sa's neck letting the razor sharp blade open up her arteries. Blood sprayed from the wound onto S'ryn's face and body. She watched as the dying woman's eyes faded into the blank stare of death.
"Such should be the fate, of all those that challenge K'oron, Danielle Hart, and the Order," she said as wiped her blade clean on the pants leg of the dead woman.
***
K'oron had pushed the engines of his personal ship as much as he dared to reach Earth as quickly as possible. He tracked the scout ship that Danielle and S'ryn had used to where they landed on Earth and noticed the shuttle that had fled from the scene of their battle with the Legion's ship. It was too dark now to see beyond the immediate area of his ship. He didn't like the idea of Danielle and S'yrn wandering in the dark searching for one or more individuals that he presumed would be hostile. Please be safe, Danielle. I have so much I want to tell you.
K'oron retrieved a portable illumination device from his ship and began to search the area. He found signs of a freshly made path in the foliage between two large structures and decided that would be the best direction to start his search. He walked along slowly, looking for any sign of Danielle, S'ryn, or the occupants of the other ship. He stopped when his nose picked up a faint trace of smoke and eased along until he could see the light of a campfire flicker just ahead.
He crept closer and could see a figure moving around the fire. That is S'ryn!
"S'ryn, it is K'oron," he called out to the Order cadet.
The young woman turned suddenly upon hearing a voice and looked at the man emerging from the shadows. She had a pulse blaster trained on him.
"K'oron, I am happy to see you," S'ryn said, putting away her weapon.
As K'oron drew closer, he noticed the still moist blood spray on S'ryn. His pulse quickened. "Have you been injured? Is Danielle safe?"
"The blood is not mine," the cadet replied. She took a few steps towards the shadowy edge of the campfire's light and pointed at the ground. "The blood belonged to her." K'oron walked over to where S'ryn was pointing. He saw the remains of the woman that had once been part of the Order.
"That is Krat'sa," K'oron said examining the corpse. He noticed the blast impression on the body and then saw the deep cut across the throat. "Meaning no insult, but I am amazed that you were able to defeat her. She was a very experienced fighter. How did you manage such a feat?"
S'ryn looked at K'oron with cold eyes. "I used the lessons I have learned from my chul'zat, my older sister, Danielle. There is no such thing as a fair fight outside of the Citadel training yard. Keeping this thought in mind, and knowing her skills exceeded mine, I allowed Krat'sa to think me a lowly cadet armed only with a dagger. Then I shot her with a pulse blaster. The shot did not kill her, but she would have died from her injuries within a short amount of time. I merely used my dagger on her throat to hasten her departure so that I could search for Danielle more quickly."
"I searched for a short while, but in this darkness, I could see nothing." S'ryn bowed her head in shame. "I am sorry that I was not able to find her. So, I returned here to set up a camp. This was the last place we spoke before she pushed ahead alone to investigate a fire she saw in one of those structures in the distance." She pointed in the direction of a faint light, not half as strong as a firefly. "My hope was that she would see my fire and return here, but she has not."
"Was Krat'sa alone in the other ship?" K'oron asked the cadet. "Did you see anyone else with her?"
The young woman shook her head. "I do not know for certain, but I do not believe she was alone. Just before Krat'sa approached me, I heard Danielle call out to me once. I have not heard from her since. She believed that we were tracking No'tok, so anything is possible."
K'oron looked toward the glow in the distance. "I am going to search for her. You will stay here in case she returns. I will not leave this world without her." He started walking in the last direction that Danielle went, and disappeared into the night.
CHAPTER 20
Danielle sprinted into the dark building after the fleeing No'tok. I won't let him get away. He will pay for what he has done. Danielle might have decided to not kill him on sight, but she was more than willing to do so if the circumstances merited such actions. I'm going to try and bring him in like you want, K'oron.
She saw No'tok run as fast as he could up the stairwell toward the higher floors and headed in the same direction. She approached the stairwell door and cautiously opened it from the side, just in case the portly V'drellian was waiting in ambush. When she saw the stairwell was empty, she switched on the beam light on her weapon. She looked up the stairwell, pointing her gun to aim the light so she could make certain that No'tok wasn't waiting just out of sight. Satisfied that the immediate area was safe, she charged up the stairs two at a time, keeping her gun and the light pointing in front of her.
She heard a door slam shut far above her and knew that No'tok had exited the stairwell onto the upper floors. As she went up each level, she would check that floor's door handle to see if it appeared to have been recently used.
She reached the last door in the stairwell and knew that it most likely led out on to the roof of the ancient structure. After climbing the thirty-eight flights of stairs, her legs were burning. She was somewhat amazed that the plump little man had not collapsed somewhere along the way from exhaustion. Never underestimate the ability of fear to power the body to do things it wouldn't normally do.
She looked at the last door handle and could see where it had been used. She jerked the door open and stepped to the side of the doorway expecting No'tok to open fire as soon as the door opened, but nothing happened. She used her foot to hold the door open and used her left hand to cover the weapon light. She allowed her eyes time to re-adjust to the darkness of the roof area. The stars were now visible, and the sky had a very faint glow to the east. Earth's moon will be up soon. That should give me some more light to use.
She decided to wait where she was for a few
moments to see what the moon's light would be like. The white ball began to crest over the roof of the adjacent taller building and she was starting to be able to make out the shapes of the nearby buildings and of objects on the rooftop. None of the buildings around here have a roof that he could jump to, and I haven't heard the engine of any shuttle that might be picking him up, so that disgusting little waste of oxygen is still up here. Her vision was improving as the light from the almost full moon began to shine directly on the rooftop. She now could tell that the roof was littered with objects for No'tok to hide behind, but she didn't see any other stairway access doors. He is definitely here. Maybe I can talk him into revealing himself.
"Give up, No'tok!" She shouted from the cover of the doorway. "There is no way off this roof except as my prisoner. If you come peacefully, I will guarantee your safety back to stand trial before the Emperor."
"What safety is that?" Danielle heard a voice answer from the roof but was unable to determine it's location. "You guarantee that you will bring me to the Emperor so that he may kill me. My life is forfeit either way. You are either going to have to kill me, or let me go."
Let him go! Has he lost his mind! "Why would I ever let you go, No'tok?" She asked her former tormentor.
"I know things, Terran," No'tok replied. "Things that you would like to know, things that you could use to stop Gaelon and the Legion. All you have to do is give me your word as a member of the Order that you will release me, and I will tell you everything."
Danielle thought about No'tok's offer. He could be lying. He knows he's about to be caught or killed, and it's a last chance effort to save his life. Of course, he knows enough to know that Gaelon is running things, so he might have actionable intelligence.
"How do I know that you're not lying?" Danielle asked the V'drellian in hiding. "You haven't demonstrated honor in the past, why should I believe you now?"
"Because neither of us has a choice right now," came the response. "I have no choice but to be truthful with you, and you have no choice but to trust me. If I lie, you will kill me. If you don't trust me, then you will lose your one chance to get a step ahead of the Legion, which is something that you have not been able to do before. I could even tell you where the Legion's base of operations is located. It is where they gave me my ship, the Nightfury." He paused to let her think. "All you have to do is give me your word, and then I will tell you what I know. After that, you leave, and I will go on my way. Simple enough, yes?"
Danielle's mind was racing. If we could actually find the Legion's base, we could give them a crippling blow! Is that worth letting No'tok go? After all, he has done to the Commonwealth and the Dominion? Or after all that he did to me?
"You are asking for a lot, No'tok," she replied.
"True, but I am offering even more in return," the man countered. "Which is of greater value to you? Stopping Gaelon and the Legion, and your friend Lakeisha that betrayed you, or seeing your revenge carried out against me? I know that you hate me, but surely you are not so foolish as to let your hate rob you of a singular opportunity to thwart the Legion."
Danielle froze hearing Lakeisha's name. She had tried so hard not to think about the treachery of the woman she had called her best friend over the past few months. She had let her mind focus on No'tok. He was a target for her anger and hatred that she didn't have to justify. Lakeisha was different. As much as she knew the truth of her friend's betrayal, it was hard to believe something like that about a person that had been such an important part of your life. She knew she would have to face Lakeisha someday, but she wasn't looking forward to it.
"What say you?" No'tok inquired. "Are you going to kill me, or let me go?"
"Come out of hiding, and we can discuss it," Danielle answered.
"You first," No'tok replied.
Danielle cautiously stepped through the doorway onto the moonlit rooftop. She looked around trying to spot the V’drellian man.
"Did you come by yourself to apprehend me?" No'tok laughed. "How foolish of you. On second thought, I do not believe I will be sharing my knowledge with you."
A blast from a pulse weapon struck the door frame beside her. She dropped into a crouch and hid behind a nearby metal box of sorts that was attached to the roof. She peeked around the corner opposite the doorway in an attempt to locate her attacker.
"I hope you are not thinking you have reinforcements on the way," No'tok goaded her. "I heard a distant pulse shot not too long ago before you made it to the roof. That means that my associate, Krat'sa, has eliminated your friend. You did not think that I would come to this primitive world alone, did you? Nor did I expect you to come alone."
S'ryn! I led her into a trap! Danielle felt sick to her stomach at the thought of losing the young woman that had become her friend. Wait! He said he heard a pulse shot. I gave S'ryn on of my pulse blasters, so maybe she got the jump on N'otok's minion.
"If you give up now, I promise you that I will make your death quick," No'tok taunted. "If not, I will make it very slow and quite painful."
Danielle had been focused on finding the source of the voice and had been ignoring the words themselves. She saw a glint of light reflecting off of the end of the barrel of a pulse rifle atop some kind of large ventilation cap close to the raised edge of the roof. You talk too much No'tok. Now I've found you! She watched the barrel of the weapon move around ever so slowly as No'tok changed his aim. He doesn't know where I am anymore. He's trying to find me. If I can hit the end of the barrel with my blast, maybe I can knock the weapon away or at least damage it. She took careful aim and waited for No'tok's weapon to stop moving. Hold still you little snake. He finally stopped moving, and Danielle fired on her target.
No'tok screamed as the weapon's power cell overloaded and exploded knocking him back and burning the hand and arm that had been aiming it. "You wretched girl! I will make certain that you live long enough to watch me cut pieces off of you before you die!"
Danielle used the opportunity to advance on No'tok's position while the V'drellian was recovering from his weapon's destruction. She came up behind the injured man who was now on all-fours, except for his injured hand. She leveled her pulse blaster at the center of his back.
"It's over, No'tok," Danielle said authoritatively. "Stand up slowly!" The V'drellian man nodded his compliance and began to shift his weight to position a leg to stand up with. However, he suddenly used the now freed leg to kick Danielle who had made the mistake of standing too close. She lost her balance and fell, her weapon hand striking the roof's raised edge, the weapon falling to the ground below. She got back up on her feet and noticed that No'tok had already done the same. He was standing in front of her, a dagger in his hand.
"Now I will be rid of you once and for all," No'tok sneered. "At this point, I do not care if Th'warzin claims your soul or not, as long as it is no longer in your body!" He lunged toward the woman, swinging the dagger back and forth in a side-to-side arc.
The Terran woman jumped back, but not before No'tok's blade grazed her arm. She felt the sting of the blade but kept her eyes on the man in front of her. She was being forced to fight defensively, having lost her only weapon. She dodged each of his following attack swings, while her eyes searched for anything she could use to fight against his dagger.
"Give up now and I will make one quick slit across your neck and it will all be over," No'tok taunted her. "Or I will continue to carve you up one slice at a time."
Danielle still had not found anything that she could use as a weapon. Somehow I have to get that dagger out of his hand! She dove toward him, planting a shoulder into his abdomen. The portly man let out a grunt and fell backward as the air was knocked out of him. As he hit the roof, the knife went flying out of his hand. She raised up on top of the man and punched him in the jaw. His head snapped to the side from the impact of her fist. Danielle took this opportunity to make an attempt to retrieve the dagger. She started crawling off of the V'drellian towards the knife.
No
'tok had been stunned by the blow, but not rendered unconscious. He noticed Danielle's movement toward the dagger, grabbed her left leg, and bit her hard where her pants leg had slid up. Danielle screamed in pain, as she dropped to the roof's surface. No'tok took her foot in his hand and twisted until he knew he had shattered her ankle. He rolled the woman over on her back and climbed on top of her. He straddled her waist and placed both of his hands around her throat. She put her hands on his, trying to break the evil man's grip on her neck. It was no use, he had leverage aiding him, so she frantically flailed her arms around hoping to touch something that she could use to fight him off.
No'tok looked at her and laughed. "I'm going to enjoy watching the life drain from your eyes!" He mashed harder with his thumbs and her eyes became wide with fear. "I have waited a long time for this moment. I should have done this when you were still on the Perseverance. A mistake on my part, that I will now gladly correct!"
Danielle was feeling the effects of being oxygen deprived. Her head felt like it was about to explode, yet she was beginning to feel sleepy. She knew that she had to act before she passed out. Her fingers brushed an object. She rolled it closer with a finger until she could get a grasp on it. She took the object and stabbed it as hard as she could below No'tok's left armpit. She could now see that it was a rusted piece of pipe. The sudden burst of pain caused No'tok to release his grip on her throat. She scrambled backward on her hands and feet, still facing her would-be killer. She tried to get up, but she couldn't put any weight on her left foot. She crawled back until her back was against the ventilation cap that No'tok had originally been hiding behind. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the dagger that No'tok been holding earlier and placed her hand on it.
He grabbed the pipe and tried to pull it out. His blood was beginning to trickle from the open end. Much as he tried, the pipe would not come out. It had broken a rib upon entry and was now firmly wedged between his bones. He slowly stood back up, his face was registering the pain he was feeling.
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