“Remember, we only have one chance at this and it has to be fast.”
The rhino-warriors nodded their large heads and took up their assigned positions; poised, with knees bent, their huge hands firmly gripped around the upended side of the slanting engine’s frame, its piston hardware and metal wheels. Then Jason noticed the Magnum had moved off and was firing at the tanks on the other end of the yard. Almost immediately, rifle fire returned. Shit! It was now or never.
“Push!” Jason yelled.
The four rhino-warriors stood up in unison, quickly bringing the train engine upward along with them. With a loud creak, bringing it past its tipping point, the locomotive flipped over onto its other side.
Jason and the four rhinos scurried around the engine to see if their efforts had succeeded. Billy crouched low and looked under the now toppled-over locomotive.
“Um … I think I see it under there,” Billy said, switching his helmet light on to get a better view into the darkness beneath. “Yep, there it is. Not looking too happy under there, do you think it’ll stay put, Cap?”
“To be honest, I have no idea. We’ll have to wait and see.”
As if on cue, the drone’s twin appeared overhead and slowly descended. Jason tugged on Billy’s shoulder and they both stepped back. The drone spun one hundred and eighty degrees as it instigated its pairing configuration.
Jason said, “Billy, contact Grimes and work out a location to get us picked up.”
He then hailed Ricket.
“Go for Ricket.”
“What’s your status?”
“We’re on the bridge—”
“We?”
“Traveler is out of the MediPod, although another rhino is now in it. A third rhino is dead.”
“Who exactly boarded the Minian?”
“Caldurians, but not its crew members. These raiders are from a faction called the originals.”
“As in the originals from the Crystal City?”
“Exactly, and a similar vessel is now firing on the Minian.”
“I’m totally confused, Ricket. Just tell me—what the hell’s going on there?”
“The most important information you need to know is that this faction of the Caldurians have aligned themselves with the Craing.”
“What?! Why would they do that?”
“I cannot answer that, but it seems there was more to their dispute than differences over the use of multiverse technologies, as we were led to believe.”
Jason watched as the Magnum landed in an open field in the near distance. Billy was reassembling the remaining team members, preparing to move out.
Jason brought his attention back to his conversation with Ricket. “What’s happening with the Minian’s bridge?”
“From what the AI says, it is complete and operational again. Now that I have access to a working tactical station, I can see two Crystal City vessels are in local space and both are firing on the Minian. Our shields are holding at ninety percent. Do you wish me to return fire, Captain?”
“No, not yet,” Jason said. “Until we know for sure what their beef is with the progressives, and if these originals have, in fact, aligned with the Craing, we’ll stay passive. They don’t seem to be posing any great danger to the Minian at present. Hail them—see what they want.”
Ricket was talking but Jason’s attention was pulled away toward the Magnum. The back hatch was open and the gangway extended. Two SEALs, who’d earlier been left behind to protect the shuttle, ran down the gangway and took up defensive positions. Grimes and Dira stood at the open hatch above. Both had removed their helmets and were talking; Dira laughed at something Grimes said.
Thirty feet from the Magnum the ground exploded—a fiery plume of dirt, and several small trees shot into the air. The two SEALs were gone and both Grimes and Dira were propelled back into the shuttle.
Jason ignored his connection with Ricket and ran flat out. At two hundred feet and closing he saw two Nazi tanks appear, toppling several small oak trees in the process. What am I doing? Jason configured new phase-shift coordinates on his HUD and activated a phase-shift. Landing ten feet from the shuttle, Jason unexpectedly ran into two soldiers who crossed his path, colliding headlong into them. All three crashed to the ground in a tangle of arms and legs. German rifles and Jason’s multi-gun were out of reach.
Two soldiers emerged from the shuttle’s hatch, each holding on to a leg and dragging the unconscious bodies of Grimes and Dira—their heads bounced over the uneven surface.
Jason’s hesitation cost him. The soldier lying on the ground nearest him had drawn a pistol and fired into Jason’s upper body and visor. Although there was no damage to the protective armor he wore, the rounds repeatedly striking his body made it difficult for Jason to get back on his feet. With multiple flashes, Billy, the other SEALs, and the rhinos all began to appear in the clearing. Thanks to Rizzo, both German soldiers next to Jason went down with plasma bolts to their heads. In the distance, helmets appeared from the two tank turrets and within seconds machine gun rounds were tearing through the air. Again, Jason was pummeled and could not regain his footing. A rhino-warrior to Jason’s left took an unrelenting barrage of fire to his exposed hide, killing him. An armored halftrack personnel carrier backed up beside one of the tanks. Like cords of wood, Grimes’ and Dira’s bodies were flung up into the back of the carrier, followed by several soldiers. What at first seemed like only a handful of Germans close-by could now be counted in the hundreds.
The personnel carrier closed up. The engine started and the truck slowly disappeared into the trees.
Chapter 16
Chapter 16
Mollie awoke with a start. Sitting up in her bunk, she looked around the familiar surroundings of her cabin aboard The Lilly. There were noises coming from down the hall in the kitchenette. Then a raised voice.
“If you would get the hell out of my way, I’d be able to move. Stand over there. No, over there—just back up! Do you remember the words? Good. Okay, all of you, come on.”
Her grandfather’s deep baritone voice made Mollie sit up. Who is he yelling at? she wondered. Her grandfather moved down the hallway and entered her cabin; Uncle Brian followed, and close behind was Betty, with the green lizard alien bringing up the rear. Mollie beamed when she saw what her grandfather was holding in his outstretched hands—a large plate filled with a steaming stack of flapjacks, and nine flickering candles perched on top.
They all sang together: “Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you, happy birthday, dear Mollie, happy birthday to you …”
The admiral placed the plate on Mollie’s lap and Brian handed her a fork and a napkin.
“What are you … six now?” Brian asked with a wry smile.
“Ha ha,” Mollie said, filling her mouth with syrupy pancakes. “I’m nine and you know that, Uncle Brian.”
The hopper, still unnamed at this point, sat on his haunches and watched Mollie’s plate with growing interest.
Betty, wearing a spacer’s jumpsuit, her hair pulled back in a ponytail, sat down next to Mollie on the edge of her bed and asked, “What type of things do little girls do on their day of birth back home?”
Brian said, “It’s called a birthday.”
“Okay, what do little girls do on their birthday?”
The admiral picked up Mollie’s napkin and wiped syrup from her chin.
“We go to amusement parks, like Disneyland, or we go to the beach, or have a party where all my friends bring me lots and lots of presents.” Mollie smiled as she said this and raised her eyebrows expectantly.
The admiral made an exaggerated expression of alarm. “I’m so sorry, Mollie, but there’s a rule in space. No gifts. No presents are allowed. Causes too much jealousy among the rest of the crew.”
Mollie turned her head and squinted her eyes. “Grandpa, I’m not buying your act.”
Betty and Brian laughed out loud and the admiral fought to keep a straight face. Teardrop then entered the ro
om, holding a mountain of colorfully wrapped gift boxes. Mollie passed her empty plate to Betty and sat even further up in bed. One by one the gifts were placed on her lap. She sat back and looked at the horde of presents before her. They watched her smiling face change. Tears welled up in her eyes and her smile turned into a grimace of pain. The admiral sat next to her and pulled her small shoulders into his chest. Her body shook and her cries continued for some time. It was then that they noticed the tag on the top package.
To Mollie, Love Mom.
* * *
The admiral entered The Lilly’s bridge and took a seat in the command chair. On his display was Ricket, waiting patiently. The admiral still hadn’t adjusted to Ricket’s altered appearance. Gone were the old cyborg attributes: his once near-transparent skin covering moving mechanical parts on his face and body. Now, the younger-looking Craing, handsome in his own way, greeted the admiral with a quick nod.
“Admiral, we have a situation here.”
“What is it? Is it something with the team on Earth?”
“No, sir. The Minian is under attack.”
“By whom?”
“The Caldurians … the originals faction, Admiral.”
Ricket proceeded to tell the admiral what had transpired over the last few days, leading up to the Minian’s boarding by the original Caldurians, and the recent attack on the ship by two Crystal City-type vessels.
“Have you figured out what happened to Granger and the crew of the Minian?” the admiral asked.
“I have my suspicions. It may have something to do with Bristol’s sudden appearance here, on the Minian—causing a multiverse time reference anomaly. I’m working on several ideas to bring them back.”
“And you’re sure the Minian’s not in any danger?”
“Our defenses are far more advanced. At least for the time being, we are not in any immediate danger. But Admiral, there is one more thing I’ve recently learned … the originals may have aligned with the Craing.”
The admiral stared back at Ricket’s image with a furrowed brow. “Where did you get that information from? How sure are you about this?”
“It’s not definite, but the Minian’s AI gives it a high probability.”
“Well, if it’s true, that could mean it’s game over for the rest of us. Damn it! Caldurian technology, mixed with the Craing’s ruthlessness, already spread throughout the universe.”
“The originals do not possess the same level of technology as the progressives, but yes, still far more advanced than—”
The admiral cut Ricket off mid-sentence. “Listen to me. You need to figure out what happened to Granger and the Minian’s crew. Without help from the progressives, we’re toast.” The admiral seemed to be considering something, then added, “I’m bringing The Lilly back to Earth. Things are stable now in Allied space. With the addition of the Meganaught and hundreds of new warships added to our fleet, we’re a formidable force here.”
* * *
Ricket put out a general hail to the two colossal Crystal City vessels sitting three thousand miles off the Minian’s starboard beam. The two colossal-sized vessels, well over thirteen miles in length, continued to fire upon the Minian. If anything, they had increased their onslaught of plasma fire.
Traveler, standing beside the command chair where Ricket sat, huffed: “Why not return fire? Why do we simply sit here like a submissive cow, waiting to be mounted?”
“That’s something for the admiral to decide when he returns. For the time being, our primary objective is to ensure that Captain Reynolds, and the away team, can pair up the remaining drones—without that, Earth will remain in flux.”
“I look forward to the admiral’s return then; perhaps he has sufficient-sized testicles to confront the enemy head on, like a true warrior.”
Unfazed by the insult, Ricket climbed down from the command chair and headed out of the bridge. “Come on, let’s check on First Reflection.”
As on The Lilly, the Minian’s Medical was on the same deck level as the bridge. With the obvious exception of the Minian being far larger, closer in size to a Dreadnaught, the two ships had many similarities.
Entering Medical, Traveler and Ricket stopped when they saw the MediPod’s clamshell open and First Reflection standing at the back of the room, in front of one of the tall glass containers. Standing before him in the clear liquid was an identical-looking rhino-warrior.
First Reflection turned and looked at Traveler. “What magic is this? My brother returns to the living. Why doesn’t he speak? Is he in a trance?”
Ricket said, “That is not your brother, I’m sorry to say.”
First Reflection turned back to the container and huffed, spraying a mist of snot onto the outside of the glass.
“I do not understand. He is my brother. His chest moves, he breathes; his eyes are open.”
“That is a shape-shifting organism. They mimic the appearance of others.”
“Then it mocks me. I shall destroy it.”
First Reflection reached for his heavy hammer hanging from a leather thong at his side.
“No!” said Traveler. “It does not mock you; it honors you and your brother. Leave it be.”
Ricket and Traveler exchanged glances …Traveler said, in a lowered voice, “First Reflection was not the smarter of the two brothers.”
Chapter 17
Chapter 17
Jason, finally on his feet again, retrieved his weapon. He accessed his HUD multi-gun configurations menu and selected heat-seeking micro-missiles. He fired several times into both tanks. The resulting explosions knocked Jason and everyone else off their feet.
Playing nice was no longer an option. Jason communicated via his NanoCom for his crew to shoot to kill. Soon afterwards, the German soldiers were pushed back into the trees.
“Into the shuttle!” Jason barked as he ran up the gangway and into the Magnum. By the time he’d taken a seat at the controls, the last of the SEALs and the three remaining rhinos were also on board. Jason searched his nano-device database to see if he had the necessary updates to pilot the thing, but didn’t find any reference to it.
“How hard can it be?” he asked out loud.
Billy, seated next to him, removed his helmet. Lighting up a fresh cigar, he urged, “Give it a try.”
Based on what he’d seen Grimes do several times, and with his own knowledge from flying the Pacesetter, Jason got the shuttle powered up and its thrusters activated within seconds. Although the takeoff was a bit shaky, he soon had the Magnum elevated above the treetops and flying steady. Below, a crude dirt road cut through the trees. The halo navigation display showed multiple yellow icons, and two blue ones.
Billy leaned forward and pointed down. “There they are.”
Slowly making its way through the trees was the personnel carrier. Jason switched on the targeting display overlay and fired multiple bursts—first, twenty feet in front of the vehicle, then twenty feet behind it. The truck came to a skidding stop. Two ten-foot-diameter craters, one ahead of them and one behind them, made it impossible for the vehicle to go anywhere.
The back gate of the truck opened and several soldiers emerged. Bringing their rifles up, they began shooting at the shuttle. Before Jason could return fire, another person climbed out of the open gate. It was Dira. The top of her battle suit had been removed and she wore a small tank top that highlighted the violet skin on her exposed arms. Preoccupied with firing on the Magnum, the two soldiers didn’t notice Dira advancing from behind. She was holding a German rifle, trying to figure out how to work the bolt-action mechanism, when she gave up and swung the stock of the gun like a bat. One of the soldiers went down like a bag of rocks. As the second soldier spun around and pointed the muzzle of his rifle at Dira, Jason fired a plasma bolt. The German disintegrated. Dira looked up, shielded her eyes with one hand, and waved with the other.
“She’s quite the little badass,” Jason said appraisingly.
“Kicks ass and takes no prisone
rs,” Billy added.
Jason landed the Magnum on the road directly behind the German personnel carrier. Men and rhinos piled out and made a defensive perimeter. Dira was attending to Grimes, who was still sprawled out on the bed of the truck. As Jason and Orion approached, Dira looked up.
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