The Seryys Chronicles: Of Nightmares

by Joseph Nicholson

  The captain stopped. “Mm, yes. He was there to protest again.”

  “I thought it was a secret takeoff. I had Prime Minister Puar’s personal assurance that there would be no media and no public knowledge whatsoever.”

  “Don’t change the subject,” the young man admonished. “Are you saying you don’t remember your confrontation with Sibrex?”

  “No! It didn’t happen,” Khai insisted.

  “I think we could get a temporary insanity plea.”

  “Are you deaf or just stupid?” Khai shouted. “I never fought with Sibrex, he was my brother!”

  The captain gave Khai a warm smile and touched his shoulder. “I’m not surprised you don’t remember the fight. We found a small trace of a neurotoxin in your bloodstream. This toxin is of Vyysarri origin. It stands to reason that Sibrex tried to poison you either before or after he took down the ship.” He straightened up and stroked his chin. “Hmm. Maybe his plan was to frame you for the ship, but when you didn’t go down, he had to improvise…”

  Khai’s head swam with confusion. When was he poisoned? How was he poisoned?

  “… or perhaps he poisoned you during the fight,” his interrogator continued.

  Khai couldn’t believe his own thoughts anymore. What if this young man was right? What if Sibrex did shoot down Brindee’s ship? But for what purpose? Why? Why would he do that? He wanted peace between the two races just as badly as Khai did. No. Sibrex would never kill his own, nor would he betray Khai. They already had that conversation on the Star Splitter. So then how did the poison get in his system? Who poisoned him? He started feeling bad after he left… Suddenly, flashes of his encounter with that man assaulted his memory.

  “The hospital,” Khai said aloud.

  “What about the hospital?” his captor asked.

  “It was after I left the hospital that I started feeling… off. The only person I had contact with was Captain Dah—but he didn’t touch me.” That’s when it hit him! “The protester!”

  “The guy who helped you up?”

  “Yeah! Before I entered the hospital, I had an… altercation with that man.”

  “Wait,” the captain said incredulously. “You’re trying to tell me that the protestor poisoned you?”

  “Process of elimination,” Khai said. “Other than Brindee, he was the only person I had physical contact with.”

  “Explain.”

  “Gladly. He pushed my buttons and I lost my temper. I grabbed his throat and he grabbed my wrist! He was wearing a ring! That must’ve been how he poisoned me!”

  “Right,” the young man nearly laughed. “So some random guy standing outside a hospital with picket sign poisoned you for what reason?”

  “I don’t know, but I distinctly remember that when I came out of the hospital, the protestors were gone.”

  “So?” he was not impressed so far.

  “So,” Khai continued, not letting this little whelp’s tone get to him. “I was only at the hospital for maybe ten minutes. I was planning on staying longer, but Dack—Captain Dah—and I had an argument and I stormed out.”

  “Perhaps the police dispersed it before you came out; maybe they realized they were wasting their time-”

  “Maybe it was a setup,” Khai interrupted.

  “Maybe it was Brindee!” the captain snapped, leaning in close enough for Khai to smell his breath.

  Fueled by a rage he hadn’t felt since his mentor Sergeant Moor was killed, Khai mustered every ounce of strength he had and broke the arm clean off the chair. The young captain barely had time to register what had happened when Khai’s strong hand wrapped around his throat. Khai jerked the man closer and rammed his forehead into the man’s face knocking him down and out.

  Immediately, men wearing SCGF armor stormed the room and started sticking him with stun batons. He rode a lightning bolt into a black oblivion.

  Dah was on his last day of recovery in the hospital, watching the news on the net’vyyd. It was showing a deteriorating situation in the Residential Sector, things were going from worse to nightmarish. The bulk of troops were doing an okay job at keeping the monsters out of the Corporate Sector but the RLD was a total loss. The whole area burned.

  He flipped the channel and it was the story on that channel that made his heart monitor beep a whole lot faster. It was an aerial photo of a mining facility that had been leveled to the ground. The caption read: ROGUE VYYSARRI RESPONSIBLE FOR REAPER INFESTATION. Dah wasn’t listening to what the anchor said, just watching the images. They segued to images of thousands of Seryysans protesting at the Hall of Justice where the Honorifical Office was located. People were burning all manner of Vyysarri effigies made of all kinds of materials.

  I guess it was only a matter of time before they found out, Dah thought sadly.

  Then something else caught his attention.

  “We interrupt this transmission to bring you a special report.”

  “Oh this should be good,” Dah said aloud, his voice full of sarcasm.

  “General Khai’Xander Khail has been apprehended and detained on several counts, including high treason, aiding and abetting a known criminal and now the murder of traitorous Captain Sibrex!”

  “What?” Dah literally shouted.

  The news anchor elaborated the whole story, from the Vyysarri refugee ship, containing Khai’s wife, being shot down by Sibrex, to Khai hunting him down and killing him. Dah couldn’t believe his ears. None of what the man was saying made any sense! First of all, Sibrex would never fire on his own kind; second, Khai would never harm Sibrex, they were brothers; lastly, unless Khai had been betrayed, they would’ve never been able to catch him! They showed pictures of the refugee ship wreckage still burning, and to Dah’s disgusted amazement, they showed a picture of Sibrex’s dead body lying in the alley where it had landed. Next they showed footage of Khai restrained in a chair, breaking the arm off of the chair and head-butting a young Fleet Captain.

  Dah grinned, knowing that he was giving them all hell. But now, it was time to get to business. It was time to call in a favor.

  Dah dialed up his com unit.

  “Puar,” the Prime Minister answered his dedicated com unit.

  “Time for me to call in that favor you owe me,” Dah said.

  “Dack, if you’re doing what I think you’re doing, don’t! You’ll only get yourself killed.”

  “The only thing I need to know is where,” Dah said.

  “You know I can’t do that,” Prime Minister Puar said, almost pleadingly. “Please don’t put me in that position.”

  “Prime Minister, you owe me one,” Dah pushed.

  “Technically, I owe your brother.”

  “Well, I’m calling him next. So you might as well just give it to me and save me the trouble of calling him and then calling you back.”

  The world’s leader heaved a heavy, audible sigh. “You’ll find him in a bunker beneath an abandoned house ten miles south of Klomehaven. I’m sending you the coordinates now. It used to be a research and development facility for the more dangerous projects like weapons testing and such, but now it’s a bunker for political prisoners. I don’t have to warn you, it won’t be easy. There’s only one way in and out, and it is heavily guarded.”

  “Hey, we managed to save you from the Presidential Bunker. I think we can handle this.”

  “I can’t tell you any more than that,” he said. “But if you get caught, you didn’t get any of this information from me. Got it?”

  “Yes, sir. Thank you, Prime Minister.”

  “Good luck.”

  Dack cut the channel and dialed up his brother’s com unit.

  “What do you need?” Tander said dryly. He didn’t mince words.

  “Guns,” Tandy said bluntly. “Lots of guns.”

  “Do you really think you’re going to able to free Khai from Government custody?”

  “Not alone, but I have a few people in mind who might be willing to help,” Tandy said casually.

>   “You’re crazy,” Tander growled. “But I know I’m not going to change your mind, so I’m transmitting you the address of a guy I know.”

  “Thanks, Tander. And… I’m sorry about your stocks.”

  Tander smiled warmly and waved his hand. “Don’t worry about it. As the military’s second-largest Ti’tan’lium supplier, I’m sure I’ll manage.”

  “Is this going to get you in trouble?”

  “You needn’t worry, little brother. I can take care of myself. Go get Khai out, be careful and come back in one piece, will ya?”

  “I owe you one.”

  “Call it even for hooking me up with the Prime Minister.”

  With a nod and look of mutual love and respect, Tandy cut the channel.

  The address popped up on his screen—no name, just an address. It was a place within the RLD. Great! Dah inwardly scoffed. The Red Light District was overrun with Reapers. It was not going to be easy to get in there. But, if this guy was still there, he must’ve had some serious security and firepower, which was promising.

  Dah left the hospital that day, insisting that he was well enough to leave and demanding a ride to Orbital Base 5 to retrieve his ship. After much arguing, it became apparent that Dah wasn’t going to back down so they relented and discharged him early, albeit reluctantly.

  The shuttle ride up to OB5 was quiet and uneventful. With outright hostilities between the Vyysarri and Seryys officially on hold, orbital traveling had become far easier and even less stressful. There was always that possibility that one could be traveling to another planet within the system or utilizing a fast means of traveling to the other side of the planet when a Vyysarri attack came. It didn’t happen often, but even losing one ship full of civilian passengers was one too many.

  The shuttle entered the same hangar in which the Bolt Bucket sat.

  “Is that your ship right there?” the pilot asked over his shoulder.

  “Yeah. That’s her, all right.”

  “Nice ship.”

  “Thanks!” Dah beamed.

  The pilot landed the shuttle next to Dah’s ship and escorted Dah out. There was an officer standing at the Bucket’s loading ramp with a goofy grin on his face. As Dah approached, he realized it was the face of Bradar.

  “Well, well, well,” Dah said mockingly. “Looks like you found something I lost.”

  “Yeah, sorry about that,” Bradar said, rubbing the back of his neck. “That one passenger got the drop on me.”

  “You okay?”

  “Yeah,” he nodded. “Bruised my ego more than my head.”

  “Well, I’m just glad you’re okay… and that my ship is in one piece. Anyway, what can I do for you, Lieutenant Bradar?”

  “I just need a ride back planet side,” he said. “I volunteered to offer air support for the ground forces.”

  “Are you ready now?”

  “Yes, sir, I am!”

  “Good, let’s go.”

  After the preflight checklist was complete, Bradar and Dah were strapped in, and the engines were hot, they headed out.

  The ride down was quiet. Neither of them said anything deeper than just small talk. But by the time they landed at the Hall of Justice—where the new staging area was located, Dah knew that Bradar was married and had five children ranging in age from one to eleven years old and that he served in the fleet for ten years so far and planned to go career.

  They said their goodbyes and Dah headed off to his next destination, to get Brix, Puar and Kay’Lah Kayward. Brix was an officer who served with Dah on the original SCATT team. He played an integral role in rescuing the Prime Minister. He was a hulking man, well over six feet tall and close to three hundred pounds. Pual’Branen Puar was the spitting image of his older brother, Prime Minister Pual’Kin Puar, only younger and leaner, but still quite fit. And then there was Kay’Lah Kayward. The now nineteen-year-old girl was going to be the hardest to recruit. Once an Agent, she was finally released from her servitude and reunited with her family. She and Dah had squared off three years ago, when he and Khai were fighting what had seemed like the whole world. It was not going to be easy to get her to leave her family and jump into the sabercat’s den, but her skills as a fighter and a pilot were undeniable.

  He needed her.

  Puar was simply staying on Khai’s ship in orbit. A quick call and he’d be down in no time. Brix was the squad leader of SCATT Two, so a quick order and he’d be on board. Leaving his first order of business—to get Kay’Lah on board.

  For a moment, Dah stood outside Kay’s door. Since her heroic efforts in saving the Prime Minister, and as reparation for a lifetime of brutal punishment and mental conditioning, He had her and her family moved to an upscale area of Seryys Heights across the street from Cascade Park, and put them up for life on a strong pension plus the best psychological rehabilitation money could buy for Kay.

  He finally rang the doorbell and waited.

  Kay answered the door. She always did, because though she was free of government control, she did make a lot of enemies over the years. “Captain Dah,” she said in a very surprised tone. “What brings you to this neck of the woods?”

  “May I come in?” Dah asked.

  “Of course,” Kay said as she stepped aside and waved him in. “Hey everyone, look who’s come to see us!” They all sat at the dining room table. “What can we do for you, Dack?”

  It was so weird to see Kay as a teenage girl who was happy and peppy. It was almost unnerving. She really had made some long strides in her rehabilitation, and instantly, Dah felt incredibly guilty. She was finally making headway with her conditioning and here he was asking her to go back to that life. She was still very intuitive and could see the dread pouring off of him.

  “Khai’s in trouble again, isn’t he?” she came right out with it.

  “Yup,” he said with a sigh, “They’ve got him locked up at the some underground facility-”

  “Outside of Klomehaven?” she finished his sentence.

  “Yeah,” Dah said after a brief pause.

  “I’ve been there several times,” Kay elaborated. “I… I used to torture political prisoners there.”

  “I’m sorry, Kay,” Dah said. “I didn’t to mean to-”

  “It’s okay, Dack,” Kay said with a warm smile and gentle touch on his hand. “My counselor says that the more I can accept the terrible things I did in that life, the sooner I can confront them and forgive myself... and heal. But, to answer your inevitable question, yes, I’ll help you get him out.”

  Surprised by how easy that was, he stuttered again. “Uh, thank you.”

  “You and Khai both, in different ways, helped me break away from a life of servitude. I owe both of you my life and would gladly lay it down for either of you. When do we leave?”

  “As soon as you’re ready,” Dah said.

  “Give me ten minutes.”

  Dah laughed. “I’ll give you twenty!”

  Chapter Sixteen

  Brix’s hulking mass plopped down on the seat next to Puar who was loading rounds into his grenade launcher. Kay was happily sitting in a seat across the hold from Brix and Puar, sharpening her sword.

  “So, uh,” Brix finally broke the silence. “You still… you know, messed up in the head?”

  “Shit, Brix!” Puar rolled his eyes. “Where the hell is your tact?”

  “What?” Brix asked with a shrug.

  Kay put her sword back in its sheath and smiled warmly. “It’s okay, Brix. To answer your question, yes, I am still ‘messed up in the head,’ but I am getting better. Thank you for asking.”

  “Well, we’re glad you’re on our side,” Puar said, holstering his weapon.

  “Where are we going, anyway?” Brix asked.

  “Not sure,” Puar admitted. “But the address was provided to us by Dack’s brother. So it’s gotta be good.”

  The ship bucked lightly as it landed. “And it sounds like we’re here,” Kay added.

  Only seconds later, Da
h came from the cockpit geared up and ready. “We may hit some Reaper activity on our way in, so stay sharp.”

  “Don’t worry about us, cap’n,” Brix said slapping the second of two magazines into his massive, highly illegal machine gun. “We’ve been fighting these things for weeks now. We know how to make’em dead.”

  “Good. Let’s go.”

  The ramp lowered and they filed out. Dah had landed the ship atop the tallest building that still stood in the RLD. It just so happened that this building was the one under which the largest deposit of Ti’tan’lium sat. It took two years with a thousand people working around the clock to finish it, and now it was abandoned. It stood twenty stories taller than any other structure in all of the RLD.

  “By the Founders…” Kay gasped.

  From their current height, they could see most of what used to be the Red Light District. In all directions, buildings burned; there was a gray haze blanketing the whole area; the smoke stung their eyes and throats. No more was the area bustling with activity; no more were there moms and dads, sons and daughters, lovers, brothers and sisters carrying on about their lives. Only an eerie silence befell the streets. In the distance, a building succumbed to the fires and crumbled before their eyes. Hover cars were overturned. Lamp posts were knocked down. Shop windows were smashed in. There were dismembered bodies strewn about like a gruesome art gallery from Hell. In a word, if Dah had to pick one, it was apocalyptic. In the past seventy-two hours, even the hospital where he recovered had been evacuated. Other cities were reporting similar instances; entire portions of cities completely silent, overrun with monsters that should only haunt one’s dreams, not one’s basement.

  The roof looked out over the Bazaar, a gigantic shopping mall that had multiple open courtyards and pavilions with a small, artificial stream running through most of the complex. The structure itself was well over two square miles in area and had five levels at its tallest point.

  “We’re going in there?” Brix asked incredulously.