by Justin Sloan
Hadrian nodded, then motioned to the dome above. Light flooded it, silvery, swirling wisps, and then cleared to show a planet covered in tunnel entrances.
“That’s impressive,” Voira said, assessing the planet.
Samantha noted a hiss from Dex, who clearly wasn’t pleased to see the old planet.
“Yes, you need us,” Voira argued whatever Dex had said, “because we know where this particular tunnel is.”
“That’s not possible,” Carma argued. “How?”
“You see,” Voira said, “we were both born into slavery in the Olympius Prime. We made it out, spent way too long traveling the tunnels of the Dexolitiatite, and lost the majority of our friends out there. Some of us escaped, and only the two of us are stupid enough to return.”
“Because we believe in your cause,” Agathe chimed in. “Because we’re not neutral in the slightest. If we get to help you kill Dexolitiatites and fight the slavers, then consider us part of the team for the time being.”
Dex made a sound, and Carma interpreted. “Dex is on board, and wants to challenge the two of you.”
Another sound from Dex.
“Sorry,” Carma said, then added, “no, challenge everyone here. Whoever kills the most Dexolitiatites will be awarded a cloak. Dex here will personally pair it to you.”
A collective gasp rose up from the two guides and Napalm, and even Hadrian looked surprised.
“Am I the only one who doesn’t understand what that really means?” Samantha asked.
“The cloaks are a large source of their power,” Hadrian explained. “But they don’t truly reach their maximum effect without a pairing by a Dexolitiatite. If that happens, the wearer gains much of their powers, including the ability to nearly become one with shadows.”
“You’ve seen the way this bastard moves?” Napalm said with a nod to Dex. “Yeah, that’s what I’ll be doing when I win this challenge.”
Agatha laughed. “We’ll see about that.” She turned to Dex with a frown, but then smiled. “I’m starting to like you, oh great betrayer of evil.”
A strange sound came from Dex, and Samantha’s best bet was that it was laughter.
“The briefing, if you will,” Hadrian said, motioning back up to the image of the tunneled planet.
“Right.” Voira put her hands behind her back, looking up at the planet. “Once we’re in, you must stay close and never stop moving. We stop, we’re dead. We have to turn back once, we get lost… and then we’re dead.”
“And the man you’re after,” Agathe added, cautiously turning to Hadrian. “I trust you know?”
“I’ve been briefed,” Hadrian replied. “I know who he is. I know him very well.”
She nodded. “We were worried you weren’t aware. That you’d change your mind once you learned.”
“Never. The alliance takes precedence over all personal matters.”
“Well then, you should know the rumors we’ve heard. He and his have been hitting the alliance hard. This isn’t just some random bad guy doing bad things, this is one of yours who has lost his damn mind.”
Agathe shook her head, reaching up and moving her hands so that the image changed. First, it showed a darkness, then burst forth into flames, a planet exploding, spaceships torn to shreds. Finally, one of the space dragons and then a face… but the eyes were staring at them.
Suddenly, a piercing pain hit Samantha, and she heard the others yelp in surprise.
Hadrian leaped forward and thrust his hands up, blocking the pain and closing out the image, so that only the dome remained.
When he turned back to face the room, his eyes were wide and full of worry.
“That’s what we’re up against,” Agathe warned, turning to make eye contact with each of them. “I hope you all know what you’re getting into, because we’re going all the way. If we get part way there and you chicken out, that’s your life, forfeit.”
“That won’t happen,” Samantha promised. “Everyone here is fully committed.”
A moment of silence followed, interrupted by Jackal’s voice coming through the ship’s system.
“Hadrian, Ferder is requesting comms. Should I put him through?”
Hadrian held a finger to his ear and said, “Connect him to the mess hall.”
A moment later, the dome cleared and a hologram of Ferder’s blue face appeared. He smiled at them, though the smile didn’t reach his eyes.
“We’re approaching the jump, and here’s the thing. We were to escort you this far, then return. However... I’d like to come with you.”
“All of us would,” Olivay’s voice came from behind him. “We don’t mean to sit back while you get all the action.”
“You’re team lead,” Hadrian said, turning to Samantha. “What do you say?”
She was confused, shaking her head. “There’s no way you can come with us?”
He sighed. “Karstrack won’t be able to sense you all coming, but he would sense me. The moment he knows I’ve crossed over, he’ll be on the run, and we might lose our chance. If we hope to have any chance of taking him down, I cannot.”
She nodded, thinking of the way Ferder and the others had moved back on the cliffs. With skills like that… “If you won’t be there, I say we take all the help we can get.”
Hadrian nodded, then turned back to the hologram. “I want one of you to take the ship back to the Elders, give them an update. The rest may accompany my team, but with Samantha as the team lead. Got it?”
Ferder nodded, but had a troubled look. “The ship takes two to operate. Olivay and I will accompany you.” There was arguing behind him, but he turned to give the others a few words, followed by silence. When he looked back at the display, he added, “We’ll dock up with you here then, and send the ship back.”
“Understood,” Hadrian replied. He touched his finger to his ear again and said, “Jackal, prepare for boarding.”
“Roger that,” Jackal’s voice replied, and a moment later the hologram vanished.
“Well, this is quite the little group we’ll have here,” Agatha said, giving a low whistle. “Let’s hope half of us make it out of there alive.”
“None of that bullshit,” Samantha said. “Not while I’m team lead.”
Agathe frowned and looked to Hadrian, but he only nodded and said, “She’s right. And with this team, I’ve already given my order. Nobody is to be hurt, and certainly not killed. I don’t take kindly to anyone failing to follow my orders.”
“Understood,” Voira said, stepping up next to her sister. “It’s going to be tough, but we’ll do our best to see your orders followed.”
“If it wasn’t going to be a tough mission,” he replied, “we could’ve found some other, less badass, team to get it done.”
“Damn straight,” Samantha added with a smile of confidence. “Nobody messes with the Shadow Corps.”
Her team replied with an “OORAH!” that startled the sisters. Then they smiled and replied back with their own, “OORAH!” followed by cheers and laughter.
Was Samantha scared? Based on everything she had just heard, she would have to be an idiot not to be. But if she was going to walk right into hell and demand the devil’s life, she was damn glad to have this team at her side.
21
HADRIAN’S SHIP: APPROACHING ZEUS’S MOUTH
Having Ferder and Olivay onboard didn’t make the ship crowded, as it had plenty of space, but it certainly made the dynamics more difficult to deal with. For one, Samantha wasn’t sure if Olivay had really taken to her yet. The woman eyed her with contempt more than once, always turning away quickly when caught.
If she and Ferder had something going on, there was no reason to think Samantha would get in the way of it. She considered cornering her somewhere to make this clear, but then thought better of it. Whatever was bothering the woman, she could figure it out herself. Samantha didn’t want to make things awkward by bringing up something that may be way off its mark.
The other
ship had already headed back, while Hadrian and his crew planned how to get the Shadow Corps team on planet and then get out of there, only providing cover fire from the air.
Hadrian had told them to contact him through the HUD devices if things got too hairy. He would come knocking down doors until he found them.
“Mission be damned,” he told Samantha as she stood with him, watching their descent. “Without you, there is no mission. If it gets to that, we’ll just have to find another way.”
“I won’t let it get to that,” she replied.
He nodded. “I know.”
As he took command, directing Jackal where to touch down, Samantha took her leave to return to her room and mentally prepare. The planet wasn’t as grand as the others she had seen—resembling a gigantic meteor with swirling darkness over patches.
This was just another mission, she told herself. It was like freeing the work camps back on Earth, or going after a particular Syndicate General. Nothing new here.
Except that it was all new. All completely outside of her comfort bubble.
Ferder emerged from his room and started walking toward her, head down, but he perked up when he noticed her.
She stopped at her doorway, halfway in, when he said, “Hey, Sam,” jogging over the rest of the way.
“Ferder,” she replied with a curt nod, glancing up and down the hallways. “Where’s Olivay?”
“Training, I think. Maybe hitting the showers at this point.” He stepped in, as if that was totally normal, and then leaned up against her desk, almost sitting on it. “This is crazy, right? I mean, did you have any idea you’d be doing this when you met us?”
She thought about it, then said, “Yeah, actually. Maybe not this exactly, but I left a lot to be out here. It damn well better be an important mission, or I might as well go home.”
“What’s it like? Your home I mean.”
She ran her tongue across her bottom lip, thinking about that. “Different… very different than how it used to be, and nothing like all this. Well, the fighting, as sad as it is to say, makes me feel right at home.”
He smiled. “It’s not all fighting, though, right?”
“Excuse me?”
He chuckled, then bit his lip, fidgeting with his hands. “I was back there… when you saw Carma.”
She shook her head, confused, then put a hand to her mouth. “You mean you saw, too?”
He nodded, trying to hide his smile. “Is that like back home?”
“Hell no. I mean, maybe for some people, but it’s nothing I’d know anything about. As if there’s time between all the shooting and running for your life.”
For a moment he just stared at her, and she was about to ask him to leave, when he said, “We have time now. Not much, but…”
He took a step toward her as he slid out of his jacket, a craving in his eyes.
“Oh, God, no!” She moved around him, pointing to the door. “I mean, no offense, but you have the wrong idea here.”
He frowned, then shook his head. “I’ve noticed the way you look at me. You can’t say you’re not curious.” With that, he started to undo his pants. “Let me quell your curiosity.”
That was it. She couldn’t take this, not right now. She quickly pushed him out into the hall and turned to retreat to her room, when she noticed someone else there—Olivay. She stared at the two of them, and only then did Samantha realize the action of shoving Ferder out had made his pants fall down.
Apparently, their kind didn’t wear undergarments.
“Dammit,” she whispered, returning to her room and waiting for the door to shut behind her. She leaned against it and closed her eyes, trying to wipe the view of his blue ass from her mind. This whole seeing asses when she didn’t want to thing was going to have to stop.
Hushed arguing sounded from the other side of the door, but soon it moved off, growing quieter as they disappeared down the hallway.
Samantha just wanted to kill bad guys. Why did all this other craziness have to get in the way?
Sitting here thinking about it certainly wasn’t doing her any good. She figured the best step now would be to get in some last minute training and stretches before landing and entering the shit.
A quick glance showed that the hallways were clear. She hustled over to the training room and was glad to see Dex there.
Dex saluted her with sword held vertical at chest level, then bowed and continued training. As she so loved to do, she joined in, losing herself in the motions.
This was where she belonged. This was what felt right.
“All hands, strap in.” Hadrian’s voice sounded throughout the ship, and Samantha realized she had been at it for over a half-hour.
She nodded with a smile to Dex, then made for the ship’s bridge. Joining the others to strap in, she was keenly aware of Olivay’s glare and Ferder being sure to look the other way. Not that it mattered. Once they were surrounded by enemies, all of that pettiness would be out of mind. She hoped.
“If the butt hole of the universe is in there,” Carma said as the ship started to rattle with the atmosphere, passing through the masses of shifting darkness, “does that mean we’re about to land on the butt?”
Agathe laughed at that. “Pretty much. And I gotta warn you, this son of a bitch has some major gas problems.”
The team chuckled gamely, but all eyes stayed glued to the planet as they emerged from the darkness and saw the craters and tunnels moving up fast.
A rush of emotions flowed through Samantha, mostly excitement at finally getting to touch down and move in on their prey. Darkness flowed out like fog blowing in the wind and a screeching sounded as they landed. Then more screeches from throughout the planet.
“They know we’re here,” Agathe said, face going pale and the stones on her forehead glowing.
“Good,” Samantha replied. “Maybe they’ll line up so I can just shoot once and kill ‘em all.”
This earned her a couple of chuckles, but a moment later the doors were open and Hadrian was shouting, “Go, go, go!” Then they were on the move, weapons at the ready, helmets up, HUD displays showing heavy activity in all directions.
“Get into the tunnels so they can’t surround us,” Voira shouted. Dex nodded agreement.
“Stay safe,” Hadrian said from his position by the door. He paused, sharing a few words with someone out of sight. “No worries. I’ll take the controls.”
A moment later, Jackal came bounding out, his green and black armor glimmering in the light of the ship.
“You’re coming with?” Samantha asked, glad for the added company.
Jackal held up two blaster pistols, and for a moment his visor became clear to show a wide grin. “You think you’re going into a fight without the only Aussie on board? I thought you were smarter than that.”
The visor became opaque metal again, and Samantha laughed. “You’ll have to show me how to do that sometime.”
“It’s great for blowing kisses or showing your enemy your war face. The visor’s connected to your mind, so you just gotta will it.”
“No shit?” She stuck her tongue out and willed the visor to clear, and he laughed.
“That’ll scare them, sure enough.”
“Screw you,” she said, and then waved her arm while using her rifle to point to the holes. “Let’s get the hell outta Dodge!”
The others charged from the ship, Agathe and Voira leading the way. As they went, dark forms flew out of various holes, appearing as shifting shadows, flowing darkness. And when she could catch a glimpse, beings that resembled death itself—just like Dex.
Screeches filled the air, growing louder. They were joined by the sound of engines as Hadrian’s ship pulled up while unleashing hell on the attackers. Lasers blew new craters in the ground and explosions went off in the distance as the ship worked to create a barrier between the team and any other approaching Dexetilaitite.
And then the locals brought the noise—sword and claws flashing try
ing to tear apart their armor and expose them to the planet’s uninhabitable atmosphere. Luckily for Samantha and the others, their armor was damn tough.
And they had Dex.
Dex was sweeping through the darkness as fast as the enemy, parrying strikes and tearing through them. Whatever the others were, Dex had clearly been one of the best. It must have been a huge kick in the ass when Dex had abandoned them, but it was even worse now that the being’s wrath was unleashed upon them.
Agathe, Voira, Ferder, and Olivay didn’t have the same type of armor as the rest. They stayed to the inside of the group as much as possible, taking shots when there were openings and keeping their backs together as they moved.
“Down!” Voira shouted, and they were all careening through an opening, falling and tumbling. Samantha used her grip and rushed for the wall, running along it to get out of the way. She turned to see three of the enemy following and unleashed hell on them, until her grip wore off and she slid back down to join the others.
They found themselves in a wide opening that more tunnels led into.
Backs together, they all aimed into a tunnel and unloaded on incoming enemies, while Agathe and Voira caught their bearings.
“There!” Voira shouted. But a minute later Dex was in her way, holding out a hand in a different direction. “MOVE NOW!”
“The thing’s right,” Agathe said, nodding another way. “Come on.”
Voira took a moment, realized her mistake, and then followed.
On and on they fought, moving through various tunnels, never slowing. And yet, the enemy never seemed to let up.
It was going to be a long night.
THE MINUTE HADRIAN saw the others disappear down one of the tunnels, he shot a couple of warheads at the surrounding areas and pushed his ship up and out of range as the explosions went off.
It was a glorious sight, watching the creatures go up in balls of flame that quickly died out and left nothing in their wake.
His plan was possibly as dangerous as the team’s, and he meant to hurry and get to it. Putting the first mate in command of the ship, he made his way down the halls, stopping when he reached the hexagon—his most powerful jumper.
