by Frank Carey
TABLE OF CONTENTS
TABLE OF CONTENTS
COPYRIGHT
CHAPTER ONE
CHAPTER TWO
CHAPTER THREE
CHAPTER FOUR
CHAPTER FIVE
CHAPTER SIX
CHAPTER SEVEN
CHAPTER EIGHT
CHAPTER NINE
CHAPTER TEN
CHAPTER ELEVEN
CHAPTER TWELVE
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Resolution
Stryker Team Book 4
By Frank Carey
COPYRIGHT
Copyright © 2017 by Frank Carey
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the author except by a reviewer who may quote brief passages in a review.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.
League Tale #42
CHAPTER ONE
While preparations were being made aboard the League Warship Barkno for arrival at the selka home world of Norash, Space Marine Major John Williamson, mission commander, briefed Captain Kalana Grenor, leader of Stryker Team One. In front of them, images from Norash floated above the briefing room's massive holoprojection table.
"Are there any intact buildings?" Kalana asked as images of a destroyed city floated above the table.
"None that the ratbots can find. We've dropped over a hundred of them at various locations on Norash's surface, and all of them see the same destruction."
"According to intel gathered by the Cube personnel, there's an active war going on down there. Has there been any sign of conflict?"
The major flipped a switch. The images of destroyed cityscape were replaced by video of two mechanical behemoths battling inside an open area in the rubble. As they watched, one robot--a backhoe by the looks of it--dealt its opponent--a dump truck--a fatal blow by tearing it in half with its shovel. Williamson flipped a switch and the video replayed. "This is the same sequence as seen through the ratbot's selka-tuned sensor array. Both machines were inhabited by large, multi-tentacled creatures which were part of the machine. Appendages and body parts emerged from the machine at random points. When the shovel delivered the coup de gras, the dump truck's selka disappeared in a flash of purple light.
Kalana stared at the image in horror. "Analysis Section has reported several hundred individual selkas being observed by the ratbots over the last several hours. We have not been able to identify which faction any of them belong to."
Kalana remembered that there were supposedly two armed camps--Red and Green--who were locked into a war that spanned centuries. It was the Red faction that had come to Degreb to gather an army with which to defeat the Greens. It was the Red faction which had faked the death of her fiancé, Space Marine Colonel Peter Ventana, then tried to frame her for his supposed murder.
"Sir, what about our target?" she asked, referring to the location of the war material obtained illicitly from the League.
"Our prisoners say it’s here," John replied. He flipped a switch, causing the image to shift to more wrecked buildings. "The staging area is underground, so I have a dozen bots scouring the area for an entrance."
"Has anything noticed the bots?"
"Not yet. It may be that their power signatures are just too low." He shut down the table. "Kalana, are you and your team ready for this?"
She looked at him. "As ready as anyone can be. The Cube technicians have reprogrammed Nana's, Marcus's, and my nanobots so that they can create epsilon field scramblers on the fly while Mersa and Trent have been issued personal units."
"Why give Trent a scrambler. Alue are immune to selka possession."
"Backup just in case our information is wrong, and each of us is carrying a spare, sir," Kalana explained.
"Good thinking." He handed her a stack of briefing folders. "Yes, I know you and the twins can download the briefing into your memory banks, but I'm kind of old fashioned when it comes to information exchange."
"Thank you. I will brief the team as soon as we're finished. Sir, we still don't know how the Red-faction selka planned to leave Norash."
"I know. The Cube interrogators were unable to pry the plans from the prisoners. Either they're tougher than we give them credit for, or they just don't know."
"I understand, sir."
"Good. Any questions?"
"No, sir."
"Then carry on. Dismissed!" he said. She saluted, then walked out of the room.
###
Kalana walked into her quarters and was greeted by the aroma of Irish coffee. She saw her husband, Hamish Alduin, walk out of the kitchenette holding a clear glass mug filled with pale brown liquid topped with whipped cream.
"May all the gods bless you," she said as she took the cup and quaffed the aromatic brew.
"They already have," he replied.
She smiled at him. "Yes, they did. By the way, my nanorobots thank you for the fuel," she said, referring to the alcohol in the drink which her bots used to run.
"They're welcome," he said as the two of them intertwined their tails.
"Have you been briefed?"
"Yep. You go in and surveil the situation, then report back."
"A report that could wipe out a planet," she reminded him.
"What is it with you and this guilt shit. Remember, you're an elf, not a human. Now, those people must have invented guilt, or at least honed it to a high art form."
She cuffed him. "If I tell command that Norash needs to be nuked..."
"Command will take it under advisement. Remember, the generals and admirals make the final decision. Captains and agents only advise."
She leaned over and kissed him. "Thanks." She looked at the wall chrono. "Got to go brief the team. Going to be around for dinner?"
"I wouldn't miss it for the world," he replied as he took her into his arms and kissed her while their tails intertwined. A moment later, she was gone, leaving him both exhilarated and worried, but that was life with Kalana Grenor.
CHAPTER TWO
Station Tegwa at the edge of League space...
Glean Nortis looked up and read the sign above the door of the establishment. "The Drunken Wombat. What the hell is a wombat?" He squinted at the creature carved into the sign and shook his head.
His question was answered when he walked in and saw the bartender: six legs, lots of claws, and at least twenty quan in length. It was odd watching an obvious apex predator of that size pouring drinks for a group of prey beings. He walked over and took a seat at the bar.
"What can I get you?" the barkeep asked.
Glean looked up at a mouth full of razor-sharp teeth. "What do you recommend?"
The keep drew a tall glass of golden, foam-topped liquid from a tap. "Fester's Ale," he said as he gently placed the container on the bar in front of Glean. "Ten percent ethanol by volume."
"Thanks," Glean replied. He took a sip, then a long quaff. "Excellent!"
"I'm glad you like it. Can I ask you a question?" the keep asked.
"Sure."
"What the hell are you? I've been serving drinks from behind this bar for the last half-century, and I've never seen your species before."
Glean smiled. Yeah, I'm not from around here," he replied. "I'm a Weck. My home world is beyond the rim in the general direction of wh
at you call the Horsehead Nebula, and please, no jokes."
The keep stifled a chuckle, for Glean was most definitely descended from something horse-like. His face was long, as if it were made of clay and someone had pulled his chin to stretch his skull. He had large, expressive eyes, and ears both long and wide. "Never met an equinoid before. Don't think there are any currently in the League."
"I've been told that my kind were placed on the road to sapience when a ship from heaven landed in one of our ancient villages. The occupants had glowing blue crystals in their chests which they used to teach us."
The keep looked up and saw a group of Logash sitting down at a table. "Like those crystals?" he asked while nodding toward the new arrivals.
Glean turned and gaped. "Yeah, just like those." He tore his gaze away and pulled a picture out of his pocket. "I'm looking for someone who might have come through this station. He calls himself a human." He handed the picture to the keep, who took a close look. "Friend of yours?"
"No, he's a job of mine. I'm what you call a bounty hunter. This guy is wanted for stealing a freighter filled with weapons. My client wants the freighter back."
The keep took the photo and inserted it into a terminal next to the cash register. After humming to itself, the terminal spit out a slip of paper which the keep tore off and read while retrieving the photo and handing it back to Glean. "Yeah, I recognize him. His name is Peter Ventana, a Tralaskan military officer. His mother is a very powerful woman."
"Where can I find this Peter Ventana?"
The keep held up the slip of paper. "According to this, his body is stored aboard the Cube. Why it’s there is anyone's guess."
"Body?"
"Yeah. It seems that Colonel Ventana met with an untimely death. Again, no details."
Glean finished his beer, then reached into his pocket and withdrew a rectangular slip of gold which he handed to the keep. "Keep the change. You've been most helpful."
The keep smiled, a sight which struck fear in most sapients. "Thank you very much. Have a great day."
Glean nodded, then headed out the door. Once in the corridor, he tapped a pendant hanging around his neck. "Nova, were you able to access the station's network?"
"Yes, sir," a female voice replied. "I have the information we need. Are we going to visit this Cube?"
"Of course. The fee is paid whether Peter is dead or alive. Hopefully, we can find that ship. Ready for another adventure?"
"Always, sir."
CHAPTER THREE
Kalana and her team stood and listened to the shuttle leave--it was encased in a stealth field that rendered her invisible in a wide range of E-M wavelengths. Even the sound of the engines was hushed. She turned her gaze upon her team and thought about the shit storm she was leading them into. Watching the perimeter were Privates Nana Tor and Marcus Wen, two genetically-engineered life forms designed specifically to be cyborg strykers. Next to them stood Sergeant Mersa--a winged Basili from the Sokuhl home world--and Sergeant Trent--a grey alien from Earth's past. Watching the perimeter was Sergeant Murphy, the Team's artificial intelligence. He was wearing a state of the art Minotaur telepresence suite, an eight-foot tall armored body modeled after the half-man-half-bull monster of old, only this version had an armored, laser-tipped, prehensile tail, and laser-tipped horns. Together, the six of them were to determine the threat the selka race posed to the League. First, though, they had to get into the red faction's base of operations, assuming it existed.
"Systems check!" Mersa ordered.
"Scrambler up five-by-five," each member replied with Mersa being the last.
To conserve energy, Kalana and the twins--the nickname the Boneheads had given Nana and Marcus--remained in organic form, opting to go full stryker only if and when the need arose. Mersa and Trent donned sensor goggles tuned to selka wavelengths and kept watch around them while the three strykers made appropriate adjustments to their vision. The team set out toward the coordinates of the entrance of the Red-faction's underground bunker. Along the way, they encountered a patrol of selka. The team took cover and watched the group of selka-possessed mechs walk past. They were followed by a second group moments later. The team regrouped when the second group had past, and there was no sign of a third. Before they could continue, Nana held up a fist, signaling the others to hold position. She and Marcus clasped hands as their eyes glazed over. Moments later, they released their hands while coming out of their trances.
"What's up?" Kalana asked. "See something?"
The two nodded in unison. The twins’ creator, Dr. Zoe Muntz, designed them with a 24x7 twin link which allowed them to exchange and analyze data synergistically and in real-time. "Yes, ma'am," Marcus said.
"Glyphs. Each member of the first group had the same glyph on their mechanical bodies," Nana said.
"The glyphs were small and looked like they were etched using a laser," Marcus added.
"The second group also sported identical glyphs, but they were different from the ones sported by the first group," Nana continued.
"We reviewed the vids of the prisoner interviews," Marcus added.
"And the entities had glyphs on their bodies which were the same as the second group's," Nana said.
"We conclude the second group was Red faction," Marcus finished.
"Murph," Kalana said, "Can you confirm?"
The Minotaur thought for a moment. "Confirmed, mistress. How did we miss that?"
"Good work, you two. Murph, burst transmit their findings."
The twins smiled.
"Aye, ma'am," he replied. "Receipt acknowledged."
The team continued to their destination.
CHAPTER FOUR
Glean and his ship, the Confederation Scout Ship Eurus, joined the stream of traffic approaching the Cube as any trader would. "Nova, will you look at that thing. It must be a mile long on edge."
"Yes, Glean. According to public documentation, it is made up of hundreds of separate modules which can be ejected in the event of trouble. The facility is considered the jewel of the League of Planetary Systems."
"What about Col. Ventana's body. Have you been able to locate it?"
"Yes. It is in security medical storage."
"How secure?"
"Without the proper credentials, we wouldn't get past the first doorway without being stunned senseless. The majority of their security force seems to be made up of female members of a felinoid race known as Katalans."
"Females? Oh, in that case..."
"Sir. The Katalan race is a matriarchy. The females, especially the pregnant ones, could best a glumdark in unarmed, hand-to-hand battle."
Glean swallowed. "Oh. OK, then, can you generate the necessary credentials?"
Wearing her travel body, she stepped out of her alcove, sat down next to him and handed him a badge and ID badge. "Already done."
He took the credentials and put them in his vest pocket. "I don't pay you enough."
"I agree, but we can discuss that later." She reached down and pressed the transmit button. "Cube Control, this is the Eurus in route from Station Tegwa to Earth with a cargo of merch. Request a berth, over."
"Tegwa, this is Cube Control. You've been assigned Berth 32B in Bay 18. Do you need directions?"
"No thanks, control. Tegwa out." She looked at him with crystalline eyes. "Easy peasy."
"You are a gem of gems, old friend," he replied as she took control of the ship and headed it to their berth.
"Now, about that raise..."
###
Glean leaned against a wall and stared at the two felinoid guards standing to either side of the entrance to the Security Medical Wing where Peter Ventana's body was being stored. "Those are Katalans?"
"Yep," she replied.
"They don't look that tough..."
A large being walked up and demanded entry into the wing. The guard on the left looked at him and growled. The being--he was at least seven feet tall and 25 stone in weight--blanched, then hurried away.
>
"That was a Goranthi. His people used to hunt Tralaskans."
"Wasn't Col. Ventana a Tralaskan?"
"Yep."
Glean swallowed, then looked at his badge. "These will get us in there, right?"
"Yep."
He gave her a weak smile, then stood up and headed toward the entrance. He stopped and looked at her. "Coming?"
"Yep."
They walked up to the door and handed their credentials to the guards. One of them looked at Glean and asked, "Sad?"
"Excuse me?" he replied.
"Are you sad?" she asked.
"No..."
"Then why the long face?"
He looked at the floor and sighed while Nova giggled.
"I take it you've heard that before," the other guard said.
"Once or twice," he replied with another weak smile.
The two guards grinned as one of them pressed a button which opened the door. "Have a nice day," they said in unison.
When they were out of earshot of the guards, Glean whispered. "Really? You know how many times I hear that lame joke?"
"I think they liked you."
"Great... I assume you've hacked their systems, so which way?"
"You know me so well." She pointed down the hallway. "Just past those doors. The body is in a temporal stasis unit."
"What the hell is a temporal stasis unit?"
"The League engineers and scientists figured out how to slow down time in a small volume using FTL field generators. Time within the field progresses at a 100,000th the speed of that outside the field."
"Wouldn't dipping it in liquid nitrogen immersion work just as well?"
"It's not the same. Trust me."
They walked up. Before reaching the door, Nova stopped and reached up to touch a security camera. "We have five minutes before the alarms start going off." She placed her hand on the lock pad next to the door. The door swung open with an audible click. "The clock is ticking, so move!"
They pushed the doors open and hurried inside. In moments, they were standing next to a long, glass and ceramic tube. Nova reached over and tapped a button. After a short wait, the tube opened to reveal the body of a dead human male. Glean stared at it. "It's bigger than the client described. Can we get it out of here as-is?"
