"If you wear combat armor into the Hague House you won't make it ten feet inside before you're swarmed by agents and probably shot because they think you're an assassin. The protocol says no combat armor inside the perimeter. I enacted that rule and not even I can override that. We have to be discreet."
Maggie grabbed Reynaldo by the shoulder, shot Rachel a dirty glance, and steered him back into the hallway. "We'll go change."
Why did she direct her gaze at me? Rachel wondered. It wasn't like she had any control over her father. What he said made perfect sense to her. Maggie and Reynaldo were just being difficult. Or were they jealous? She couldn't tell.
A few minutes later the duo returned in only their street attire with no combat armor in sight.
"Any weapons?" her father asked.
Maggie gaped. "We can't even carry concealed weapons?" Her face turned red.
Rachel's father cracked a smile. "Just kidding."
Maggie's face went slack, deadpan. Then she laughed out loud. "That's a good one, sir, because I was about ready to shoot you in the face, consequences be damned."
Rachel hit the button to lower the ramp and the four companions descended. No security or customs officials greeted them. "No welcome party?"
"I pay for discretion," her father explained. "The ship will be safe here and the company that runs this place won't ask questions."
"Smart," Rachel said.
"Wish we could do that," Reynaldo lamented.
"We can, it just costs us a hell of a lot more," Maggie said.
"How far are we from the Hague House?" Rachel asked.
"Three kilometers. But we're not going in the main entrance."
"There's a secret entrance?" Reynaldo said. "Sweet!"
"It's an ancient passageway that led into what was at the time the palace of the king of Tar Ebon. It was intended to be an escape tunnel in emergencies and a way for members of the royal family to leave the palace without public scrutiny - and sometimes even without their guards knowing. It's evolved since then and has better safeguards in place, but it still exists."
"'Safeguards?'" Maggie asked. "Like booby traps?"
"I prefer the term 'security measures.' But don't worry, I have the clearance codes to deactivate them."
They traveled out of Bards Landing, again without challenge, and down a nearby street crammed with people. Foreign travelers mingled with Tar Ebon natives in a cacophony of sounds that made Rachel's ears hurt. She found herself wishing for the solitude of deep space or the sparsity of far-flung destinations among the Non-aligned Planets. Is it any surprise I don't like people? After how they treated me? No, it shouldn't have come as a surprise. The physical wounds had healed from the beating she'd received and the angry mob had faced justice but the mental scars remained, making for restless nights.
The group turned down a dark alleyway. "Of course, it's always the dark alley," Reynaldo said. "Why are secret entrances always down a dark alley?"
"Because they're meant to be secret," her father said. He led them to the third door on the left. It was a black door, likely mage-forged. He knocked three times.
A moment passed before a sliding door covering the peep-hole opened. "Please state your name," a mechanical voice demanded.
"Dawyn Darklance."
"Authorization code?"
"Zero three seven alpha zed foxtrot."
The robot was silent for a few seconds. "Authorization code accepted. Welcome, Supreme Commander." The door swung inward. Inside a charging pad for the droid was the only furnishing. A pair of machine guns hung from the ceiling and pointed toward the door. She looked up to where another pair sat above the door, ready to shoot any intruders in the back should they try to rush the first pair in an attempt to bypass them. Holes in the wall suggested flamethrowers or other instruments of death. All to be expected for a secret passage giving direct access to the president's estate.
Her father seemed unperturbed by any of it. Hell, he'd probably designed it. "Thank you, ZB-8. Please deactivate security protocols in the passageway so my friends and I may pass."
"Of course, sir. One moment." Again the droid fell silent. "Security protocols are disengaged. The path is clear to enter the Hague House."
"Excellent. Thank you." Rachel's father led the way down the pathway which was now lit by light strips on the walls, floor, and ceiling. The lines of light stretched as far as Rachel could see.
"What sort of security protocols would there be?" Reynaldo asked.
Rachel's father pointed at the lines of light. "You see those? They're not just for illumination. In the event of a breach they activate lasers which stretch across the hall and from the ceiling to the floor. The wall panels can also retract, revealing more laser emitters. It can create a grid of lasers powerful enough to cut through combat armor, chopping a man into pieces."
"Sounds brutal."
"They've never had to be used. Yet."
The group continued down the hallway in silence before exiting and coming to a set of stairs. Rachel felt a chill down her spine and a pressure in her head. There, another pair of machine guns waited, this time one on each side as they exited the hallway. They really liked their machine guns, didn't they? "Couldn't a mage get through all these defenses?" Rachel asked.
"They could, except for the fact that right there is the start of the nullification field surrounding the Hague House."
Of course, Rachel thought. That's what I felt. I forgot what it felt like. The field would not affect her gravitational magic, but it did affect the elemental magic. "Yes, I just felt it go into effect."
He pointed to the stairs. "These stairs can also be electrified, making it extremely painful, even deadly, to ascend."
They ascended six flights of stairs before coming to a landing. There sat another black door. This door had a keyhole. Her father did not withdraw a key, however, but instead knelt and put his right eye in front of the hole. A light emanated from the hole and scanned his eye. A click sounded as the lock disengaged. He pulled open the door. "Piece of cake."
They passed through the door and found themselves in a lavishly furnished rectangular room with a window to the right. In front of them stood a dozen Shadow Watch Guards in full combat armor and with coilgun rifle aimed at them. "Stop right there. Hand where we can see them," one Guard commanded.
"Oh, they get combat armor," Reynaldo complained.
"Shut up," Rachel hissed, raising her hands in the air.
Her father raised his hands but did not appear concerned. "Lower your weapons. We are allies."
"State your identity," one of the Guards said.
"The door would have told you, as would ZB-8."
"State your identity," the Guard said again, raising his rifle a little.
Her father sighed. "Fine. I am Dawyn Darklance."
"We were told the Supreme Commander was dead. We will need to verify your identity."
"Told by who?"
"The president."
"Well I am very much alive. I need to speak with the president immediately."
"As I said, we need to verify your identity. I am going to fire a bullet at you."
Rachel frowned. Why were the Guards warning her father that he was going to shoot at him? Why was he going to shoot at him in the first place?
Her father nodded.
The Guard pulled the trigger on his rifle. The rifling made a zap noise as the bullet accelerated toward him faster than the eye could see.
Rachel considered using her gravity magic to slow the bullet, or stop it, but her father blurred and the bullet slammed into the black door behind him.
"Is that verification enough, Captain?"
The Guard nodded, lowered his gun and bowed. "Yes, Supreme Commander. Welcome to the Hague House. We will lead you to the president right away." He paused. "These are your...companions?" Rachel imagined him eying them dubiously.
"Yes. You may be familiar with my daughter, Rachel. And these are the crew members of her ve
ssel, Reynaldo and Maggie. They are to be given the same treatment as me."
"Of course, sir. Right this way." The captain turned and led the group through a door behind him.
"What room is this?" Maggie asked for the first time since entering the secret passageway.
"It used to be a sitting room," Rachel's father explained as he passed a couch. "It still is, though it's rarely used any more.
"My uncle and aunt met in here," Rachel said.
"Really? Like for the first time?" Maggie asked.
"Yes. I'll tell you the story some time."
They followed the lead Guard into an oval room with a desk and two couches. The oval office.
A black-haired man sat behind the desk. He looked up as the group entered. He smiled and rose from his chair. "Dawyn, you're alive!"
Rachel's father bowed before the president. "Mr. President, it is a pleasure to see you again." Rachel assumed he bowed out of respect only, because his position was technically greater than any government official.
"What happened? I heard the Nightblade was destroyed. Was Admiral Rigsby lying?"
"No, sir. I trust Admiral Rigsby with my life and he was indeed telling the truth as he knew it. I actually prefer that I am presumed dead, which I will explain in a moment." He put his hands behind his back. “The Nightblade was indeed destroyed due to the actions of rogue elements within the Federation Navy. I survived using...experimental technology that I will not disclose at this time. I was rescued by my daughter and sister and we came right here to speak with you about the gravity of the situation."
The president nodded. "Admiral Rigsby briefed me on the situation and the betrayal he believes goes all the way to the top of Fleet Command. I requested, discreetly, that an investigation be opened into the matter."
Rachel's father's face went blank. "That was not wise, Mr. President."
The president frowned. "Why not."
"Because it will draw attention to you, no matter how discreet you are." His eyes took on a glazed expression and he looked up and to the right. Rachel remembered that look from years when she was a child and her father would get that same look in his eyes. When she asked him about it he would tell her he was talking to his work. It wasn't a lie, technically, but he hadn't been truthful about which work he was talking to. His eyes re-focused and he looked...startled. "That was Bridgette. The FIA headquarters just came under attack."
The president's face contorted in shock and he put a hand to his chest. "What? The FIA headquarters? Attack by who?"
"She says Federation Marines."
The president went back to his desk and commed his assistant. "Marie, put me through too Fleet Command, now."
"Of course, Mr. President. Just one...oh," a sound like blaster fire sounded in the background and the link closed. The door separating the oval office from the assistant's office exploded inward, following by the body of a Guard. Another lay outside on the floor. Several Shadow Watch Guards rushed to cover the president and took the brunt of the shrapnel.
"Get him out of here!" the captain of the Shadow Watch Guards contingent said. The cluster of Guards protecting the president moved him toward the door leading to the secret entrance into the Hague House. Laser fire came through the door and burnt into the floor plus the ceiling and hit a few of the Guards who had formed a human shield.
Rachel withdrew her blaster pistol. "Let's go," she said to Reynaldo and Maggie. A glance at her father revealed he had grabbed a coilgun rifle from a fallen Guard and was firing back through the doorway, though smoke from the explosion and perhaps a smoke grenade obscured the view. She stepped up, trying to find a target.
"Grenade," one of the Guards shouted.
Rachel drew upon the gravity magic inside her and caused the grenade to fly back out the way it had come. It exploded and shouts of pain sounded from the room beyond. She hoped she hadn't hurt the president's assistant with the ordinance, though she feared the woman was already dead or fatally wounded. She was distantly aware of the door behind her opening but an explosion behind her caused her to turn.
The gaggle of Guards leading the president out of the room blew backward as the room the secret passage fed into exploded. The president was now buried under a pile of combat-laden bodies.
"Shit," Rachel exclaimed. "Behind us!" she warned.
Reynaldo and Maggie turned and aimed toward the opening where the door had been. No one came through, at first, but moments later two creatures on four legs with upright bodies, pincers for hands and curved mandibles flanking their faces charged in. The first creature grabbed one of the Guards by the leg with one pincer and lifted him up in the air, then grabbed his neck with the other pincer. A crack sounded as the creature exerted its strength and the Guard’s head was chopped off. Blood spurted everywhere.
Shit, Rachel thought. These must be the Krai'kesh. She fired a few shots at the first creature, which were absorbed by its hard carapace, but was distracted by the second creature leaping through the air and about to land on the president's huddle of Guards. For their part, the Guards were trying to fire at the Krai'kesh but their bullets bounced off its armor. Rachel again drew on her gravity magic and bound the Krai'kesh to the room behind it. The Krai'kesh jerked as if caught in a strong wind and blew straight backward. She did the same to the first Krai'kesh before it could strike any more of the Guards. She couldn't keep doing that, but it would give the Guards more time to take them down.
A glance behind her showed her father was still fighting the human foes coming from the main entrance. The smoke had cleared, revealing several opponents taking cover behind a desk and other furniture in the room beyond. They did not relent in their hurling of laser fire toward the defenders. We're surrounded, she thought.
"Rachel!" her father called. "Get ready to use your magic!"
My magic? Rachel thought. She was already using her gravity magic and her elemental magic was blocked by the nullification field. Oh.
Her father ducked down behind the president's desk and closed his eyes. Moments later Rachel felt a pressure lift from her brain as the nullification field was deactivated. All right, she thought before drawing on the elemental side of her magic. Thanks, mom. She had never met her mother, but the gift she had given her, elemental magic, lived on in her. She extended her mind and felt the air in the room where the human assailants lay. She felt the absence of life in the secretary and Shadow Watch Guards and felt no remorse forming a wall of flame and sending it careening into the room. The enemy took cover but the flame wall washed over the furniture like waves crashing against a rock. The enemies beyond caught on fire. The room she occupied became chillier than it had been before.
A shadowy mist formed against one wall of the oval office. It materialized into Bridgette. She wore full combat armor and wielded two pistols. Knives hung from a combat belt.
Of course, Rachel thought. He disabled the nullification field so Bridgette could enter.
Bridgette did not pay the human assailants, or what remained of them, any mind. She rushed toward the Krai'kesh, who even then were coming through the door again under a hail of coilgun fire, and leapt toward the first one. She disappeared into mist and a second later reappeared behind the creature. She fired her pistols into its head, causing it to scream in pain.
The monster swiped a pincer upward, trying to swat her off, but she faded to mist and re-appeared behind the second monster. She held knives this time, with the pistols now hanging from her combat belt. She stabbed upward and green fluid streamed down and passed through a cloud of mist as she again disappeared. She re-appeared in front of her now-bleeding target and fired point blank in its mouth before disappearing. Green blood spurted from its mouth and the creature toppled forward.
The second skittering monstrosity fell to a barrage of concentrated coilgun fire.
A roar echoed from the direction of the secret entrance. The sound of boots and shouts of anger sounded from the direction of the main entrance.
"We ne
ed to get him out of here," her father shouted over the din. "Bridgette, do your thing!"
"Everyone huddle up by the president," Bridgette barked. "Makes it easier."
Rachel and the others all came close to where the president was covered by his Guards. They each put a hand on the armor of a Guard.
"Here we go," Bridgette said. The world faded to gray as they shifted into the Shadow Realm.
Blink. They were outside the Hague House. Blink. They were outside back at Bard’s Landing outside the Renegade. The world came back into color as they shifted back to reality. Rachel released a breath she didn't realize she had been holding.
The Guards huddled over the president rose and the president could stand at last. He stretched and looked around. "Where are we?"
"My ship," Rachel said, extending a hand toward the Renegade. The ramp was already lowering. "And our way out of here."
The president held up a hand. "Wait. I can't leave yet. There are traitors in the Hague House, the FIA headquarters has been attacked. The Federation needs its president."
"They need their president alive," Dawyn said. "We're outnumbered. Someone somewhere has planned this out in excruciating detail. If we hadn't been there to evacuate you..."
"I'd have been dead," the president finished.
"What I want to know is what the hell were those creatures?" Maggie asked.
"Devil-spawn," Reynaldo guessed.
"Krai'kesh," Rachel and her father said at once.
The president shook his head. "It is disturbing to see them here on Tar Ebon. I could understand Draxon II, but at the heart of the Federation?"
"Someone smuggled them in specifically for this attack," Rachel's father said. "As I said, this conspiracy goes deep. Likely right to the top."
"Then who can we trust?" the president asked.
"No one, until we know more." He turned to Bridgette. "What happened at FIA headquarters? You didn't tell me."
"I was gathering the documents relating to the Cult of Rae when alarms went off. Federation Marines, or least they were dressed like Marines, stormed the building. Our agents tried to fend them off but...we were betrayed from within." She shook her head. "I can't believe my own agents would turn on their brothers and sisters in uniform. I thought they were better than that."
Ruin: A Seven Stars Novel (Dark Tide Trilogy Book 3) Page 14
