“Follow me,” Keryn said matter-of-factly as she turned and opened the side door. A blast of hot, dry air struck her face, making her feel as though she stood near the open door of an oven. She coughed against the scorching breeze before stepping out into the harsh red sunlight. The rest of the team stepped out behind her. Turning, she faced her teammates and took in the sight of the imposing group.
Dressed in civilian clothes and heavily armed, they looked much the part of smugglers finding refuge on Pteraxis’ uninviting surface. Even Penchant wore an Uligart face and loose fitting clothing, looking no more conspicuous than the rest of the group.
“This planet sucks,” Keeling said as he squinted. Raising his hand, he blocked the sunlight so he could look at the desolate surroundings. With the red light pouring down on the planet, all the parked ships took on a coppery hue, looking rusted and ancient.
“Well,” Keryn replied, “hopefully we won’t be here long. We have about a half mile walk back to the town. Penchant and McLaughlin, I need you here guarding the ship. Aside from the fact that I don’t want the Cair Ilmun stolen while we’re away, every other ship around here seems to have armed guards milling about. I don’t want to look out of place. The rest of you are with me.”
Under the glaring sun, the half mile walk to the city was nearly unbearable. Far past its zenith, the shadows had receded from the swollen sun and it cast its harsh light down on the small group as they walked. Sweat made Keryn’s thin shirt cling to her back and sent chills up her spine whenever one of the breezes blew across the featureless desert. She could feel her face flushing with warmth as the sun beat down on skin that, even naturally tanned as she was, had not seen direct sunlight during the past few months of space travel. Though she reveled in the sunlight as she walked, she could also feel the pinpricks of pain behind her eyes as she squinted against the glare. Being on a planet was a satisfying change of pace, but she wasn’t eager to remain. More than anything, she wanted to finish her mission and be on her way.
As the town came into view, Keryn frowned. From the ground, the collection of buildings looked even more depressing than it had from the air. The balconies hanging off the second floors of the clay buildings looked weather-worn and old, barely able to sustain weight should someone be standing upon them. A fine layer of dirt and dust covered every visible surface, giving everything the impression of having thrust directly from the soil below. It also gave all the buildings the same coloration, adding to the monotonous drone of the town.
Following the main trail from the landing field to the town, they found themselves entering the community on the road furthest from the cliff face. A second road butted nearly against the cliff and cut the only other swath through the unexciting buildings. From her vantage point, Keryn could see the switchback trail as well as the scaffolding that both enabled them to move ore and supplies to and from the mine, but also held back loose rocks that might fall on the town below. Though it appeared crude, the scaffolding also appeared sturdy and effective.
Raising her hand, Keryn called the group to a halt.
“This is where we’re going to split up,” she said. “The town isn’t very large, so it shouldn’t be too difficult to find a massive Oterian among the short buildings. However, I expect every one of you to keep your eyes open. We don’t know how many friends Cardax has in town or how many people he has in his pocket. He’s dangerous, so be careful.”
Keryn pointed toward the scaffolding that hung precariously about thirty feet above the town. “Cerise, I want you to start up there. It should give you a good position to watch the rooftops and make aerial passes if we need your help.”
Nodding, the Avalon walked off toward the start of the switchback, choosing to walk up the path to her position rather than draw attention to herself by flying. Keryn appreciated her discretion.
“Rombard,” she continued, turning back toward the Oterian, “you and Keeling are going to take the left road near the cliff. With it being a secondary path through the town, I’m hoping that you’ll be able to keep any ambushers away from us. Adam and I will head down the main trail and see what we can find out. If you spot him or if you run into any trouble, call us immediately. Understand?”
“Absolutely,” Rombard grumbled, throwing his large rifle over his muscular shoulder. “Let’s go, little man.”
The Oterian pushed Keeling toward the leftmost road. The Uligart knocked the large hand aside playfully while flashing Rombard an obscene gesture.
Keryn smiled as she turned toward Adam. The Pilgrim looked calm and relaxed, though she knew he carried a large caliber rifle concealed beneath his jacket. Reaching under her own coat, she fingered the holstered pistol at her hip.
“You ready for this?” Adam asked, arching an eyebrow.
Keryn turned back toward the town and stared down the deserted road. Nodding, she turned back toward Adam. “No problem,” she lied, feeling the nervousness of walking into what appeared to be a ghost town. “Don’t worry about me. Worry about Cardax. I’ll feel a lot happier and more relaxed once we have him safely aboard.”
“Then shall we?”
Keryn turned once more toward the town. She could feel the knot in her stomach, churning nervously at the thought of walking, though fully armed, into a hostile mining community. Swallowing hard, her mouth suddenly feeling dry, she nodded to Adam.
“Let’s go.”
CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE
Yen felt as though he were being turned inside out. His mind felt crushed against the back of his skull while, simultaneously, his entrails tried to escape through his stomach. Nausea washed over him as colors, some hallucinated but an equal number real, danced before his vision.
As soon as the Cair Thewlis passed through the event horizon of the wormhole, Yen’s world ceased making sense. The artificial gravity went haywire, changing the direction of the gravitational pull every three feet throughout the ship. He could hear some of the members of the strike force yelling from the crew compartment as they found themselves seated directly in the middle of where the gravity changed directions. Pulled in opposite directions by equal gravitational forces, their bodies threatened to revolt and split in two.
In the cockpit, Yen felt disoriented. The view from outside the ship made Yen feel as though he were sliding down a drain. A surreal fluid seemed to course down the walls of the tunnel around the ship, driving the Cair Thewlis forward at increasing speeds. Beams of light erupted from around the ship, passing insubstantially through both the hull and through their bodies. Whenever the light struck, Yen felt his nerves set ablaze as though he had been shot. As quickly as it came, the pain faded away, leaving him gasping for breath.
“How much… longer,” Yen asked Warrant Pelasi as he gasped for air.
Yen could see the strain on Pelasi’s face. The controls constantly threatened to leap from the Uligart’s hands as he struggled to maintain a clear path through the wormhole. His expression showed Yen all he needed to know. A gravitational field had shifted behind the pilot, driving him painfully back into his seat. Looking down, Pelasi read one of the dials in front of him.
“Just a…” Pelasi groaned against the pressure. “A couple more seconds.”
Those seconds felt like an eternity. Finally, as the shifting pressure on Yen’s mind threatened to drive him insane, he saw a blue and green light shining ahead in the tunnel. Unlike the searing light that passed through the hull, this light seemed fixed and pure; an ending to their painful journey. Gritting his teeth, Pelasi drove the ship forward until they were launched from the end of the wormhole.
Reality immediately reasserted itself through the Cair Thewlis. Yen could hear the crashing of boxes and supplies in the crew compartment as regular gravity was restored. The pressure they all felt during their warp was gone, though a painful headache remained. Yen sighed heavily and leaned back in his chair.
Beside him, Pelasi coughed loudly, the cough sounding dangerously wet, as though the Uligart was dislodging
blood. As Yen tried to look over at the pilot, he was distracted by the view out the front of the cockpit. Filling the front view, a massive blue and green planet hung in space. White clouds swirled across its surface as Yen watched, carried further around its equator by unseen winds. After the chaos of their warp, staring at Earth seemed serene. Shaking his head to wipe away any thoughts of tranquility, Yen glanced left and right. The Cair Thewlis hung in space between Earth and a series of massive satellites, which formed a comprehensive grid around the planet. Each nearly the size of a Duun fighter, the satellites hung quiet and deadly in space.
All around them, other Alliance ships were dropping out of warp. Many, like the Cair Thewlis, hovered at their exit point for moments afterward while the disorientation faded away. Not all ships appeared so lucky. From all around him, wormholes opened and dislodged metallic and organic debris. Ships turned inside out by the dangerous warp were spewed forth, cluttering the space around Earth with twisted metal and the bodies of Yen’s fellow soldiers. Out of the corner of his eye, Yen saw an intense yellow glow light up the dark space around him. Turning, Yen saw one of the satellites changing its trajectory and powering up. At the tip of its antenna array, a brilliant yellow glow began to build as the stored solar cells released all their energy into the weapon. Beyond the satellite, an unfortunate Cair ship had dropped out of warp on the far side of the satellite grid. Now targeted by the Empire’s defensive network, there was little Yen or anyone could do but watch as it fired. A giant beam of yellow light leapt from the end of the satellite. The beam struck the side of the Cair ship, searing a hole directly through the hull. The satellite turned as it continued to fire, melting through the ship as it angled toward the cockpit. Soon, the entire ship was engulfed in solar flames as the few remaining pieces of debris floated further out into space. With the target destroyed, the satellite powered down before resuming its previous position.
Anger welled in Yen’s chest as he watched so many Alliance soldiers and crewmen dying without ever having the opportunity to engage the enemy. To die in combat was to be expected, but to die just in transport to Earth was an embarrassment for the entire Alliance. Frowning, Yen remembered the scientist performing the warp presentation. Seeing what was happening to a full quarter of the Alliance invasion fleet, Yen realize the scientist had been right to be afraid of the possible results. More importantly, the scientist should be afraid of what Yen will do to him for this if he ever saw him again.
“Commander Xiao,” a female voice called over the radio, “this is Alpha Leader.”
Yen smiled at hearing Iana’s voice. “Alpha Leader, this is Commander Xiao. I’m damn glad to hear you’re still alive.”
There was a pause before Iana replied. “I am, sir, but many of my pilots are not. I lost nearly a third of the Duun fighters during the warp. I have at least a dozen others with minor hull breaches from where bulkheads tore loose during the trip. They’ll still be able to fight, but they won’t be able to make any long flights in the near future. I don’t think the smaller fighters were made to withstand that sort of a journey.”
“Get your fighters together and provide what defense you can,” Yen ordered. “We’ve caught the Terrans by surprise right now, but it won’t be long until they start sending up their own fighters to meet us.”
Yen waited until the Duun fighters began moving into protective positions around the Cair ships before he switched to the Squadron-wide channel. “All ships, this is Commander Xiao. Duun fighters will provide cover fire while the Cair ships move toward their pre-designated satellites. Eliminate your satellites quickly, then begin your descent to the planet’s surface.”
The ships all split in different directions as the Cair ships, laden with plasma rockets, moved to destroy the integral satellites that interlocked the entire grid. If everyone were successful, destroying only a few satellites would disable the entire network, allowing the remainder of the Alliance Fleet to fly directly into orbit around Earth before starting the final invasion.
Warrant Pelasi turned the Cair Thewlis and accelerated toward a more distant satellite. According to the High Council’s projections, the satellite they were ordered to destroy would be in orbit directly above the Empire’s capital city. Once their satellite was destroyed, they would have only a short flight down to the planet’s surface in order to apprehend the Terran scientist, Doctor Solomon.
Behind the Cair Thewlis, four Duun fighters fell into line, offering a more thorough protection for the strike force than they were for the rest of the Cair ships. Looking ahead, Yen could make out the targeted satellite, looking inconspicuous amongst all its brethren. Written across its side, as had been written along the sides of all the satellites, was the words Strategic Interlocking Nodule. There was nothing remarkable about the satellite, though Yen knew it held one of the relay stations within its computer that interconnected the rest of the grid for this section. Without this single satellite, a small portion of the network would be inoperable. Coupled with the rest of the targeted satellites, Earth would soon be unprotected from an invasion force the likes of which they had never seen.
As they grew closer to the satellite, his radio suddenly crackled to life.
“Here they come!” Iana cried out in warning.
Looking at the radar, Yen knew why she sounded concerned. The entire space around the planet was suddenly filled with small red dots, far more than they had expected as a defensive fleet around Earth. Nearly standing, Yen pressed his face against the window, trying to get a better view of the approaching ships. As they came into view, they were nothing like Yen expected. Anticipating an invasion, the Terrans had outfitted nearly every available ship on Earth with improvised armor and weapons. Many of the ships flying toward the Alliance strike force were little more than cargo vessels carrying bulky, outdated weaponry. Darting quickly between the hulking brutish ships, however, were smaller Terran fighters, the types that Yen had faced before. The Terran fighters were heavily armed and armored and would pose a significant threat to the Fleet if not eliminated early.
“Keep them busy, Alpha Leader,” Yen ordered. He switched over to the Squadron net as he continued. “All fighters, target the Terran fighters first. Keep them off the Cair ships until we can finish our mission!”
Switching off the radio, he turned toward Pelasi. “Get us in range as fast as you can.”
Even with the inhibitors, Yen could feel the strain as the Cair Thewlis accelerated quickly, trying to put a distance between the Terran defensive fleet and themselves. Even accelerating, Yen could see a number of red dots breaking away in quick pursuit. Suddenly, the Cair Thewlis jerked as it was struck repeatedly by weapons fire.
Yen growled in anger. “What’s our status?”
Pelasi checked the gauges. “No serious damage, sir. I don’t think they were Terran fighters. It looks like they’re firing older weapons that are having trouble puncturing our hull.”
“I don’t care what they’re firing,” Yen snarled. “Give them enough time and they’ll find a way to blow us up.” Angrily, he turned back on the radio. “Alpha Leader, where the hell is my cover fire?”
“I’m on my way, sir,” Iana called back, the frustration evident in her voice. On the radar, a blue dot broke away from the pack and hurtled toward the pursuing Terran ships. Though the Cair Thewlis continued to shake from weapons fire, Yen saw the missile launched from Iana’s ship. Immediately, two of the red dots disappeared from radar. The gunfire eased as the Cair Thewlis closed the rest of the distance toward the satellite.
“Are we within range?” Yen asked to Pelasi.
The Uligart pilot checked his console before nodding.
“Then blow that bastard out of the sky.”
Two plasma missiles leapt from the rocket tubes underneath each of the ship’s wings. Streaking forward, thick smoke trailed behind them as the two missiles locked onto their target. The Cair Thewlis turned aside before the rockets found their mark, exploding violently in a spray of
blue and purple plasma. The explosion tore through the outer plating on the satellite, showering the delicate inner wiring and computer processors with superheated flames. As though erupting from within, the satellite rocked from a series of explosions as the plates buckled and the nodule tore itself apart.
“Alpha Leader,” Yen called over the radio. “Our mission is complete and we are heading for the surface. Think you can make a hole for us?”
“I think we might be able to manage that,” Iana called back.
Three of the four Duun fighters dropped into a wedge formation in front of the Cair Thewlis, which turned and began diving for the planet. The Terran defenders bunched their ships in front of the four Alliance attackers, firing their meager weapons in hope of deflecting the diving ships. The outdated weapons of the Empire’s modified transports had little effect on the Alliance fighters, which shattered through the defensive wall in a violent explosion of plasma and machine gun fire. The broken Terran ships fell away, opening a gap through which the Cair Thewlis passed on its way to Earth.
“We’ll mop up the rest of these,” Iana called, “and then join you on the surface. Be careful until then.”
Yen didn’t bother to respond. Instead, he turned toward Pelasi. “Take us into the atmosphere.”
CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR
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