In Death's Shadow

by S. F. Edwards

  “Okay, you are clear to pass,” he replied with a snort.

  “Thank you much,” Mikle replied, signing off.

  Blazer breathed a sigh of relief. “What made you think of Jupiter?”

  “Both started with a J,” Mikle replied.

  Gavit shook his head and fired their engines to set them on their final course correction towards escape. Nearing the jump point, they prepped the dropship for it. Blazer ordered them to run the unfamiliar checklist twice before he allowed Acknit to query the jump buoy for their approach.

  Acknit stared at his jury-rigged panel and lurched back. “We have incoming, multiple and big,” he announced, and a moment later a UCSB Mangler class corvette vaulted out through the jump point, its numerous beam turrets lighting up space around them.

  Gavit gunned the throttle and fired his downward transition thrusters, almost throwing Blazer out of his seat as he avoided the next craft emerging. “Oh, bugger me sideways. It’s a task force to retake the jump point! Transmit our IFF and hail them,” Gavit ordered as another pair of corvettes dropped to normal space, their light beam cannons lancing out at the fighters that raced towards them.

  “Transmitting, incoming signature, it’s a big one, a Cenobite,” Acknit hollered.

  A moment later, a ribbed, wedge shaped, Cenobite destroyer emerged from hyperspace right beside them. Its asteroid cannons launched rocky projectiles at the frigates in the distance.

  “They’ve targeted us,” Acknit called out. “Power spike!”

  A beam cannon lanced out from a dome emitter on the side of the destroyer and crashed into the dropship’s dorsal shields, cooking the protective barrier as Gavit tried to evade.

  Thank God Acknit had the grav shields up to full for the jump. I’ll bet Gavit’s wishing he had an actual stick and throttle instead of these blasted touch panels right now.

  Blazer felt the sweat from his cheeks roll into his eyes as Gavit nosed the dropship over as best he could and dove away from the massive destroyer, its beam angling down to follow them. The shield control console flashed, alerting them to an imminent collapse before the beam cut out, alert klaxons still sounding.

  Blazer breathed a sigh of relief for the brief respite as Gavit twisted the dropship about, as best he could manage, to make a run for the jump point. “Tell me we still have hyperspace shields?”

  Much to Blazer’s surprise, Tadeh Qudas’ helmeted face appeared on every screen and helmet HUD in the dropship as it faded away around them. “Exercise terminated, prepare for emergency briefing.”

  Star System: Classified, UCSBA-13, Neuro-Simulation Bay 7

  Blazer came out of the simulation groggier than usual, as one of the technicians helped him out of his couch. He looked up just as Tadeh Qudas entered the room, and his commander waved them all to sit. “Sir, what’s the matter, why did we get pulled?” Blazer asked.

  “I’m not sure yet, but I’ll give you the short debrief while we’re waiting. Good thinking there, forcing the two dropships out of slipstream was a bold move.”

  “I shudder to think what was waiting for us if we didn’t try it,” Marda commented. “With how much you threw at us, I’m surprised we survived.”

  “Actually, the point was to fail the mission,” Tadeh Qudas remarked.

  Not too surprising, Blazer thought, but this was a final exam before we engage in actual low priority missions, so it’s not what I would have expected.

  “You’re only the second team to ever rescue the hostages. Some cut and run sooner than that. Most don’t even make it past the blockade before they either run or get killed.”

  “Then what was the point of the exercise?” Arion asked, mopping the sweat from his brow.

  “I just told you. Sometimes you need to cut your losses and scrub the mission. Blazer was right to order the mission canceled when he did, but when the opportunity to complete the mission presented itself, he also made a good decision to go for it. It was a dangerous choice, though. Had you been going point zero zero one percent of light speed faster, the dropship would have suffered a full structural collapse and you all would have died.”

  “It was one Sheol of a gamble,” Gokhead agreed.

  The door disappeared and Admiral Sares strode into the chamber, waving everyone down. “I’ll make this quick. We haven’t much time, Vaughnt.”

  Blazer and Marda both shot to their feet.

  He regarded the pair and turned towards Blazer. “Cadet Vaughnt, your sister has been kidnaped.”

  Blazer felt the bottom fall out of his world and he found himself unable to speak for a moment. “How? By whom?”

  “Electrolites.” He let the words sink in for a moment. “We’ve just received their demands via Anulian Security Forces. They want you, unarmed and unarmored to report to the Space Force Garrison in Midduwn. There, you’ll receive additional instructions. Ordinarily we would not cooperate with such orders. However, interrogation of Kamden Krain’s Orb has revealed that the Electrolites are planning something major, and we need to disrupt or end their threat once and for all.”

  Blazer nodded his understanding, turned to his team, then to Tadeh Qudas and the Admiral. “Sir, request clearance to have my unit gear up and assist in the rescue operation.”

  “Cadet, ASF will conduct any rescue. Unfortunately, you are just bait,” the Admiral replied.

  Blazer shook his head. “No, sir. If we’re dealing with Electrolites, the ASF won’t know what they’re dealing with. I’ve sparred with everyone here. They know my tricks, so they know how to handle Energy Gatherers. They’re the most qualified squad for the duty.”

  “They’ll be minus a squad leader if you’re taken,” the Admiral reminded him.

  Tadeh Qudas stepped up. “No, sir. I will assume command while Cadet Vaughnt embeds himself with the terrorists and feeds us intel.”

  Blazer had to suppress a grin as Admiral Sares looked up at Tadeh Qudas, then back out at the cadets. “I could swear that these rank tabs indicate that I am the Admiral here,” he said, pointing at the stars and stylized rocket ship on his shoulder.

  Tadeh Qudas nodded. “They do, sir. I respectfully request that I lead the ASF rescue effort alongside the only rescue team at our disposal with experience dealing with Energy Gatherers and Electrolites.”

  Come on, it’s not like we haven’t stood in harm’s way before. At least, this time we’re better trained and prepared.

  The Admiral sighed. “Are they ready?”

  The whole team jumped to attention and saluted the Admiral.

  “They could face Telshin and better than half would survive,” Tadeh Qudas replied.

  Blazer smiled. That’s high praise, coming from him.

  “We have a high speed transport on the hangar waiting for you now. Get suited up and moving. You will receive a full briefing while en route.”

  UCSB DATE: 1001.380

  Anul System, Anul, Midduwn, Confed Space Forces Garrison

  The whole situation felt so surreal to Blazer that he swore it had to be a simulation. However, for the first time since starting Special Operations training, he knew this was the real thing. He strode down the hallways of the combined Confederation Space Forces and Anulian Security Forces garrison facility in Midduwn and stomped into the garrison commander’s office, where he found three men—the general in command, his grandfather, and an enlisted man.

  He marched up to the desk and snapped off an Anulian salute, his right arm across his chest and hand held with his thumb atop it, despite being dressed in civilian clothes. The clothes felt awkward after wearing a uniform for so long, especially because it was at the behest of his soon-to-be kidnapers.

  Behind him, the rest of the Blade Force and Tadeh Qudas were not so unencumbered. They arrived in full ACHES, weapons and equipment slung across their backs or hanging at their hips. “Blade Force reporting as ordered, sir.”

  The garrison commander returned the salute as he looked over the squad. “We have a rescue team of our own st
anding by.”

  Blazer held up a hand. “No. My sister, my team, my rules.”

  The garrison commander was about to protest, when Tadeh Qudas moved up beside Blazer. “Correction. My team, his sister, my command.”

  The general took a step back from the intimidating Telshin’s death mask.

  Blazer grimaced. Having Tadeh Qudas there lent credence to using his own team, but it rubbed him the wrong way not to be in charge of them. Blazer wanted to command this operation, but he had to keep his head clear and personal feelings and emotions out of the equation. With his own sister in play, he couldn’t guarantee that he could.

  The Admiral rounded the desk, hand extended, but Blazer held up a hand to stop him. “Who’s he?” he asked, pointing at the enlisted man in marine grays, four angled brown stripes on his shoulder.

  The man sighed. “I’m Corporal Derjin Sheil, Confed Marine Intelligence.”

  Blazer recognized the name, and it took all of his resolve not to smash the man’s face in. “You’re Jell’s boyfriend.”

  Derjin nodded, and the Admiral stared at him. “Boyfriend? You were just supposed to watch, not get involved with her.”

  “He was the shadow you assigned to her?” Blazer asked.

  The Admiral nodded. “He was supposed to get close to her, to be her friend, nothing more.”

  “They’ve been sleeping together most of the annura.”

  Both the Admiral and the garrison commander stared back at the corporal.

  Derjin did his best to keep his head up and shame hidden. “It was the only way I could keep her close. She doesn’t do platonic friends.”

  Blazer stepped up to him. “You’re an Energy Gatherer, right?”

  Derjin nodded, and Blazer held out his ungloved hand. Derjin grabbed it and Blazer discharged, a shock twice as powerful as what he would use to drop a normal man his size. Derjin took it with a noticeable flinch, and Blazer discharged again. This time Derjin fell back, the tazing charge sending him into momentary convulsions before Blazer turned to his grandfather. “You have an Energy Gatherer watch over my sister to protect her against Electrolites, and you send this guy?”

  The Admiral looked down at Derjin twitching on the floor. “He was the only Energy Gatherer available.”

  “I could take a shock like that when I was a kid. Electrolites are bred to be powerful Energy Gatherers and trained to use their abilities to utmost effect. This is ridiculous.” Blazer turned to the garrison commander. “Do they know that I’m here?”

  Admir held up a comm link, a simple device only able to tap into the voice comm network. “We informed them as soon as you landed.” He handed it to Blazer. “It’s genetically coded to work only for you. Now that you’ve touched it, they should be getting the signal that you’re really here.”

  Blazer looked back at his team and Tadeh Qudas. “Commander?”

  Tadeh Qudas nodded, and the comm link beeped.

  Gokhead rushed up and tapped the comm link with the interface stud on his ACHES. That established a link with the device, before Blazer tapped the other end and activated it.

  “This is Vaughnt.”

  “Ah, good, the grandson of our lost queen.”

  Blazer scowled. “I’m here. Now where’s my sister?”

  “You don’t even know me,” the man on the other end scoffed.

  What does he mean by that? “That’s right. I don’t know you.”

  “You would have known me, if your father hadn’t betrayed us.”

  Blazer scowled and decided to take back control of the conversation. “I can cut this link any time I want. Jell’s a pain in the ass anyway.”

  The man laughed again. “She is, at that, but Kamden had plans for you two after her death. That’s why she stayed so close to you.”

  “When you found out she’d been sealed, is that when you decided to act on those plans on her behalf?”

  The link went silent for a long moment. “It accelerated things.”

  Gokhead motioned for Blazer to keep the man talking.

  “How do we proceed, then? And what proof do I have that the girl is even still alive?”

  “Here’s your proof.”

  There was a shuffling on the line, and Jell’s voice rang back. “Schan, help me, I don’t, we’re in the canyon somewhere!”

  The line went noisy with struggle and Blazer heard what sounded like someone stuffing a gag into Jell’s mouth. Would they have taken her to the Silver Canyon south of Capben after they’d taken her from the Heshin Mountains? Why there? And how much can I trust that? She had to have been drugged. Still, she always had a great sense of direction, so they must have taken her south. But why the canyon? Did she feel their elevation change as they descended? Looking up, he pointed to a map on the wall.

  Gokhead and Arion ran over to check it as Blazer pointed not to the canyon itself, but at the plains to the east. “I’m listening.”

  “Your sister is very perceptive. We did take her south, but there is a lot of planet to the south.”

  “I understand.” He’s bluffing, they must have transported her by ground only.

  “Bring only the comm link in your hand and proceed south out of the Barrier Mountains. You will wait along the highway to Capben and our people will pick you up.”

  “Then what? Will you release the girl?”

  “Once we have what we want, yes. You have your instructions, and you have 50 pulses to comply.” The line went dead.

  Blazer looked up at the garrison commander. “Can you get me there in less than fifty pulses?”

  “We have a transport on the roof waiting for you.”

  Blazer turned to Tadeh Qudas. “They won’t let you follow me easily.” He pulled his sidearm from the concealed holster at his back and laid it on the desk along with his standard issue and personal Macomms. He looked at his father’s old macomm for a long moment. What would you do? Looking back up at Tadeh Qudas he continued. “With luck they won’t realize I have a Micomm. Gok should be able to use that to track me.”

  Gokhead looked back at him. “I’ve got a tracer to your micomm and the comm link they gave you.”

  Blazer and Tadeh Qudas both shook their heads. “No, they’ll scramble, destroy it, or send it in another direction as soon as they grab me, so don’t rely on that.” Blazer swallowed hard and looked at the map before checking the clock and looking to Arion. “You thinking what I’m thinking?”

  Arion nodded and pointed to a spot on the map.

  Good man. Blazer gave him a thumbs-up and turned to Marda. He placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder, and her breathing accelerated. “It’ll be okay. We’ll get through this.”

  “We’re trained for this. I just wish we had more,” she replied, fingering the butt of her rifle.

  Blazer gave Marda a quick kiss and rushed out the door, putting on his game face. Push it aside, no emotion. This is just like any other mission, and Jell is just another objective.

  ***

  Tadeh Qudas stepped up beside Arion as he studied the map. “Where are you two thinking?”

  Arion indicated a bluff which dropped down into the Caimen valley southeast of Capben. “The road off this plateau right here drops off quickly. Going down it would feel a lot like the descent into the Silver Canyon. I’m willing to bet that she’s somewhere down there. If Jell’s right, they would have headed south along the face of the plateau after the descent. I would say that they’re somewhere near here.” He tapped a point on the map, and it expanded to show the area in more detail. “It’s an old mining town, mostly abandoned now. But there are a few cottages and such from a development that never took off. It’s a tourist trap now, but if they stuck to the outskirts, I doubt anyone would take notice.”

  Tadeh Qudas turned to Admiral Sadrick. “You’re an expert on the area. Would you agree?”

  The Admiral stepped over Derjin towards the map. “I think so. If they went into the canyon, there are precious few places they could hide, mostly just tun
nels and caves, and the canyon is closely monitored. They would have a hard time sneaking someone in.”

  They all turned back to Arion and the map. “He’s right. I’d bet a tridec’s stipend on her being here.”

  Tadeh Qudas turned to the team. “All right. We move in ten. I want all equipment ops checked and ready before the dropship lifts.” He walked up to Admiral Sadrick as the rest of the team exited the room. “You’ll have to sit this one out, old friend.”

  Admiral Sadrick protested. “I should be monitoring the operation.”

  “No sir. There’s already too much family involved. We have it now.”

  Anul, South of the Midduwn Barrier Mountains

  Blazer waited for the kidnapers, as instructed, along the highway south of the Barrier Mountains—the walls of an ancient impact crater created during the cataclysm of Catranul. It was just one of many such impacts which had ended the old civilization, laying the seeds of Anulian culture a millennium later. He looked where the dot of the transport shuttle that deposited him there had been a moment before—gone now. They had arrived with five pulses to spare, with no one in sight beyond the normal highway traffic.

  Blazer’s Micomm beeped in his head, and making a surreptitious rub of his nose, he answered it. A map appeared in his vision, showing him where Arion surmised the Electrolites had taken Jell.

  he thought sent.

  Tadeh Qudas linked in.

  Blazer still hated that he wasn’t in command of his own unit.

  He stood still for several more pulses, and the comm link in his pocket beeped. He pulled it out and tapped the activation stud. “I’m here.”

  There was only silence from the link before an unmarked black hover van pulled up beside him. It took him a moment to recognize it. Bugger me sideways, it’s the same van from our trip up the Heshin Mountains. For a moment it sat there, Blazer scanning it with his micomm as the comm link went dead.