Chronicles of Benjamin Jamison 4: Empires at War (Part One)

by Thomas A. Wright

  “I’m awake,” I answered. The fog began to clear behind my eyes.

  “You were having a nightmare; you were saying you didn’t promise over and over. Do you know what you were dreaming about?”

  “No,” I lied. “I’m ok now, thank you.”

  “Can I get you anything?” Aisling asked. I studied her face, the way her hair framed it in long twisting curls. Her cheeks were red again, her body touching mine with only some thin fiber and a paper suit between us. The dream came back to haunt me. The platinum-haired witch was in my head. She would ruin everything I wanted until I fulfilled a promise I didn’t remember making.

  “My armor, and weapons and a clean thermal.”

  “Why do you want those?”

  “You asked me what I wanted and I told you. If you aren’t going to get them, then I’ll do it myself.”

  “Benjamin,” Aisling said softly. “You aren’t well.”

  “I’m much better today. Yesterday I just tried to think about too much. Now I want my things. I will feel more comfortable with them. I know it’s hard to understand, but they are all I have left. No matter what tragedy I stumble into, they are always with me when it’s over.”

  “I’ll send for them.”

  “Thank you, Aisling.” She stood and touched my face then left me alone. Soon I’ll kill each of the World Eaters and if they rip Kanlost in half in the process then so be it. Kanlost will be free.

  ****

  “Natalia, something is wrong with Benjamin. Do you think you and the kids can keep an eye on him?”

  “You mean you didn’t fix what was ailing him last night?”

  “No, you little devil, it wasn’t like that. Anyway, he wants his armor and weapons. I think he feels naked and lost without them.”

  “That is probably true. I know Joon has been wanting to see him. I think she has a crush on him.”

  “Please tell me she doesn’t!”

  “I just said I think she does. Maybe not a big girl crush. At the first sight of blood, she will probably be over it. We will keep an eye on him.”

  “Good, then take him all his things and some clean thermals. I have a meeting to attend.”

  “Hey, no one told me there was a meeting.”

  “Hmm, I wonder why,” Aisling muttered. “Bitch and moan, bitch and moan.”

  “Not me, you have me confused—”

  “Bye, Natalia.”

  ****

  “Hey, Dad, I have your things and some clean thermals.”

  “Thanks. Bring them in here.”

  “Aisling said you had a sleepover and you were both on your best behavior.”

  “I guess, if she says it, must be true. I slept and she was here but that’s all I remember.”

  “Do you remember Joon and her brother Doon?” Natalia asked.

  “Vaguely. You’re the kid who doesn’t talk much, right?”

  “He doesn’t talk at all; you remember me, don’t you? You carried me into the shuttle when my legs gave out.”

  “I’m sure it will come to me. Please don’t be offended. My memories are like scrambled eggs right now.”

  “It’s ok,” Joon said, a sad smile on her face. “Thank you for saving us and stopping that World Eater. I think they are planning right now how to destroy the rest.”

  “I’m sure they are, Joon.” And so am I. “Hey, how about we go down the hold and practice a little hand-to-hand combat?”

  “I’m not sure that’s a good idea, Dad. Doon and Joon know nothing about combat, weapons, hand to hand, anything.”

  “I’ll be fine. You can work with them and I’ll instruct. Let’s go.”

  They walked to the hold. It had been a while since I had human faces besides my team looking at me as I walked a corridor. There would be a shuttle I could steal, but getting it out into space might be a bit of a problem. When in doubt, threaten to open fire.

  We found an area free of crewmen and I stood with my back against the inner hull watching everything going on around us. Natalia stepped into the role of trainer and began showing the kids basic punches and steps. There were so many people moving in and out of the hold I didn’t think I would be able to do this without a problem. I settled back and called a few pointers to Natalia’s trainees.

  ****

  “What’s he doing?” Aisling asked the marine she had watching the hold, more to the point, watching Benjamin.

  “Nothing, really. Giving the young ones pointers on self-defense.”

  “Why would he need all his weapons if he is just helping train them?” Binda asked.

  “He told me this morning he needed them. I got the feeling they were like a security blanket. He said about as much.”

  “I don’t see him hurting anyone on the ship. Just have your marine keep an eye on him.”

  “Binda, if he wants to leave I’m going to let him. I’m not going to have him shooting up my ship and hurting someone because we tried to stop him. I know him. He will try to do something soon and as long as it can go peacefully I’m letting it.”

  “I agree. Everyone else is about ready to go. If he lives through whatever stunt he pulls, we’ll deal with him then.”

  “How will we deal with him? That isn’t the Benjamin I know. I mean it is, but I just don’t know how or what to do. There is no band aid for his mind.”

  “Maybe there is, but we need E’Aria and she isn’t here and I don’t know if she would come if we asked. So for right now we watch and wait and let him work it out.”

  “Look, I think the working it out has just begun.” Aisling said. A streak of black sprinted across the hold to a shuttle. “Oh, shit. The kids are following him; he can’t take them with him. The door is shutting.”

  ****

  “Out right now! Get out!” I yelled.

  “You aren’t leaving me behind,” Natalia argued.

  “Then get them out of here.”

  Joon and Doon shook their heads no.

  “Damnit! You’ll all stay on the shuttle or I’ll shoot you myself.”

  “Calm down. I’ll pilot for you if they let us out of here,” Natalia said.

  “They’ll let us out or you tell them I’ll open the doors and start taking out targets.”

  “They must have heard you because we have clearance. So what’s the plan?” Natalia asked.

  “Find it, fly into it, shoot it in just the right place and leave in a hurry.”

  “That is always your plan. Why don’t you try something new?”

  “Give me a better one.

  “I’m working on it.”

  “Well?”

  “Well what if we can’t fly into it? Then what?” Natalia asked.

  “You let me out at the fifth level, I’ll go in on foot. I know my way, so it shouldn’t take more than a few minutes. If I do it right, there will be no need for a lot of shooting. The explosion will take care of all the heavy work. Oh, that reminds me. I ran into the Overseer. He is the one who sent the guards after Joon and Doon to kill them, am I right?” Joon shook her head yes and smiled, anticipating what I would say next. “I’d say he is ash.”

  I left it at that. From our departure point on the Warhammer, we were close to the target. I assumed it was going to be the Warhammer’s target, too, as soon as they stopped jacking around. “Natalia, if we can get in the shuttle entrance, head straight back and up five levels. You will see them marked out on the wall. Drop the ramp and I’ll do the rest. Then get us out of there. You two squeeze up front with Natalia. I don’t need you getting hit by laser fire. I’ll be able to fire right into the control center but they can fire straight back at me.”

  Joon and Doon followed orders and both were behind the bulkhead wall. “Here we go, Dad. Looks like the force field is down. I’m going in.”

  Natalia flew us in and, like a pro, spun the shuttle around facing out—even as I was lowering the rear ramp. I opened up with the same ordnance I had used on the panels before, only I fired at all of them left to right all
the way across. I could hear the screams as they shattered and blew in on the occupants of the control center.

  “I need you higher,” I yelled and the shuttle went up until I could see the console that stretched across the room. I hit it with round after round and it blew into pieces of twisted metal. The ammo pack ran out and I grabbed another, not caring which one it was. Guards ran through the doors on both ends of the room and I began firing with the new ammo. It was a variant of the tungsten rounds I was so fond of.

  “Dad, we have to go. They already turned on the force field and a group of guards

  are—”

  “Swing us around and down,” I yelled. I had an idea. The door controls were on the far wall and I opened up on the security panel with my rifle. It chewed the whole thing up along with the inner hull wall. The guards saw what happened to the box and ran. Wise move if they kept on running out and away.

  “Get us out of here!” Stray laser shots scorched the shuttle but caused no damage.

  “Which way?” Natalia asked.

  “Head for the next one. It should be far enough from the blast radius. Let’s go.”

  “You’re crazy.”

  “I’m afraid that is true,” I admitted. “Natalia, I love you.” At the moment, there were no voices in my head or memories lurking like ghosts in the shadows.

  “I love you too, Dad, but you get to explain to Aisling how her shuttle got all shot up.”

  ****

  “Where are they?” Binda asked. Lorelei just shrugged.

  “Natalia said they were on their way to the next one and to stay away from the one we had originally targeted.”

  “Shawna, ask the Warhammer if they have eyes on their shuttle because we don’t,” Binda ordered.

  “Captain O is on the horn, Admiral.”

  “Binda, last we saw they were on their way to the third target. Someone is going to owe me a shuttle when they are through,” Aisling said.

  “Aisling, if we are going to have any part of this mission we better hit the fourth, fifth and sixth ones.”

  ****

  I put a fresh ammo pack in my rifle and let it charge. That one was easy and it should be going critical any time now. This poor planet was going to be scarred and riddled with radiation by the time we were through with it. I wasn’t sure if there was any other way I could have accomplished the mission without a couple platoons of marines and some big guns.

  Doon and Joon were still crammed in up front with Natalia. “Hey, what are odds we’ll be able to do that again?” I asked, directing my question to the front of the shuttle.

  “The odds suck—unless they didn’t get any communications sent out,” Natalia answered. “Then we might have a chance.”

  “We can only hope. Will this thing go any faster?”

  “It can, but it’s not wise. Wait till you own it, then we can overload its drives by pushing it max speed in atmosphere.”

  “I don’t want this thing all scorched.”

  “Now you’re worried about it,” Natalia said.

  Benjamin laughed. “If I worried beforehand, I’d never get anything done. Now I can worry and not feel bad. It’s already screwed up.”

  “Aisling isn’t going to be happy and if we get inside the next World Eater it’s going to be damaged even worse. Speaking of, we are just about there. I’m heading straight for the shuttle bay.”

  I walked back to the ramp, hoping she was about to announce good news. Just another hit and run. I wonder if anyone had ever attacked and destroyed one of the World Eaters before. I bet they make some changes and retro fits. They take slaves. They all need to die. Yes, they do. I shook my head to clear it.

  “You gotta be shittin me!” Natalia yelled her amusement. “Hold on, everyone. They’re shutting the shuttle bay doors, but I think we’re gonna make it.”

  “Hey, Daughter, once we’re in how we gonna get out?”

  “You’ll figure out something, won’t you.”

  “I guess I better. We do everything the same, but we will have to land and take a hostage or two once I destroy the control room. Someone who can open those damn doors. You need to call Aisling and Binda right now and tell them to stay close.”

  “Copy that. We can’t run fast or far enough that we won’t be a fried crispy thing when this thing blows. Hold on, I’m spinning us around. Let ‘em have it.”

  I didn’t need to be told. Third time is a charm. I let ‘em have it. Three sweeps with the same results, except that there were no Khalnalax operators in the control room. The second I ceased firing, laser fire from an unknown number of weapons rained in on me. “Natalia, spin us a quarter turn,” I yelled.

  The shuttle was now taking the brunt of it. Damn, maybe we should leave it behind so Aisling doesn’t see it. “Spin us back and on my command drop us down to ground level.”

  “On it.”

  I was ready and opened up again on the control room. This time I heard screams. They hadn’t pulled back out of the room. I guess some people were having a real bad day. I made sure the control room was destroyed. Actually, it already was, but they shot at me—the bastards—so I needed a second shot at them. “Set us down!”

  Natalia dropped us so fast I felt my stomach in my throat. She also slammed the open ramp into the floor. Damn. I looked for anyone I could shanghai, but what the hell was I thinking? All the weapons fire caused everyone to scatter.

  ****

  Joon was watching everything like a hawk, including Natalia. To be more precise, Natalia’s pistol. Natalia was making the com call to the captains that Reaper had told her to make and was distracted. She reached over, pulled Natalia’s pistol and ran. She had seen Reaper walk out of the shuttle. Her feet hit the ramp and she started looking for him. She flipped the switch and heard the pistol make a whining noise. Reaper heard it too and spun around, his rifle pointed right at her.

  “Sorry,” was all Joon thought to say.

  “What are you doing out here and with that pistol? Did Natalia give that to you? I’m going to kill her.”

  Right at the moment, a squad of Khalnalax guards stormed into the shuttle bay behind Reaper. Joon raised the pistol and fired. The guards had lasers, and within seconds they lit up the shuttle bay.

  “Get down,” Reaper yelled at her. She did, then pointed the pistol and fired again. This time she didn’t flinch and saw the results of her effort. The smile grew slowly, digging its way into her cheeks. She took a second more this time, paying more attention to the sights. She fired and hit another and a laugh burst from her mouth. She saw Reaper looking at her. She smiled at him stood up and ran toward the remaining guards.

  ****

  What the shit? I think she’s lost it. I sprinted after the crazy teenager with a rail pistol. I could understand her enthusiasm; I got the same way. I just hoped she gave the pistol back. They are easy to fall in love with. I watched her take cover behind a cargo container.

  “Joon, stay down,” I yelled, then opened up with my rifle, spraying the area. When I took my finger from the trigger there was not a soul standing. Joon stood up, looked at the devastation and smiled the crazy smile again. One of the guards moaned and she shot him. Just raised her arm and ended him. It must have dawned on her they might not all be dead and she began checking them. It started out with nudges with her foot then went into full blown kicks. I think she was pissed they were dead.

  I walked up to her slowly, ‘cause I knew crazy when I saw it. “Hey, sweetheart, look at me. I need you to give me the pistol and come back to the shuttle with me.” Joon started to comply, holding out the pistol, then she jerked it back, clutching it tightly to her as if it were her baby and I was going to take it away. “Ok, just relax and hold it for a second.”

  A single laser blast hit right next to her and she aimed and fired before I could. Someone in the control room had fired down at us. Pieces of him or her were now decorating the ceiling and walls.

  “Natalia, two things, did you get hold of our ships?
And send Doon out here to get his sister.”

  “Help is on its way and Doon is on his way to see you. So, what’s wrong, Dad? Getting old? Can’t handle a teenager?”

  “I’m barely holding it together myself. I don’t want to hurt her.”

  “You seem ok.”

  “Well, I’m not. I want to kill them all and she does too. Problem is I just don’t trust myself. One more thing, if you ever let someone take your weapon again I’ll kill whoever takes it and you’ll not get it back.”

  “I didn’t think it was a problem. Didn’t think she even knew how to use it.”

  “You didn’t think.” I didn’t say any more. Doon had passed me while I was watching for more hostiles and being hard on my daughter. That was Andrea’s pistol. What the fuck was she thinking, letting someone take it from her?

  Doon was leading his sister back to the shuttle. She was still smiling. When they started past me, I grabbed Joon and tore the pistol from her hands. “Get on the shuttle now!” I pushed her back to her brother. Joon ran and she wasn’t smiling anymore. Doon looked at me with wide eyes. His face reflected fear. “Tazleaha!” I screamed. This was all her damn fault.

  I wasn’t sure when Natalia pulled me inside the shuttle, sat me in a seat and buckled me in. Closing the ramp, she went up front and took her seat at the controls. I felt the shuttle lift and continue up. There was an explosion below. The shuttle bucked and banged into something above us. Then we dropped fast and accelerated forward. I could tell by Natalia’s laugh that we were out and away.

  ****

  Natalia typed out a quick message for Aisling. Have Doctor Matthews make up another hypo. I will need you when we arrive, but no armed guards.

  “Natalia tell Binda, Aisling and Sashet we need to take one of the World Eaters. I want one and they better get it for me.”

  “I’ll let them know right now.” She sent the message to all three of the captains and made her approach to land on the Warhammer. She would have taken him to the Claymore, but she thought he would listen to Aisling. He seemed to respond to her in a gentle way.

  She set the shuttle down and looked over at Doon and Joon. They both rode up front with her again. She got that they didn’t want to be around him. If Joon had any kind of crush on her dad, that just went out the airlock.