by Dante King
I shrugged. “I don’t think I am. Not with a mech, a hacker, a dragon-woman, three Void-touched, and a bunch of bloodthirsty villagers as a team. I’ve done this kind of thing before. In fact, I’m looking forward to it. I hope I get to meet Tortengar face-to-face.”
Nyna hopped onto the hoverbike and snorted. “We should make him eat some dirt before you pull his head off. Or a kakul. Something like that.”
We both laughed hard as she took off back toward the village, this time taking the longer route along the beach instead of the twisting turns through the mountains.
We returned well after sunset, but the entire village was waiting for us. Reaver was the first to approach us.
“Discover anything helpful or interesting?” she said.
“Yes,” I said as I glanced at those gathered around, “but I can’t tell you here. Let’s just say I’ve discovered that our old friend Revenge has a cousin. I met her today. Mysterious, dark lady, if you know what I mean.”
At first, it didn’t seem that she did. She mouthed what I’d told her and, suddenly, things seemed to click into place as her eyes opened wide. Beatrix joined us at that exact moment, studied Reaver’s face for a second, then turned to me.
“What is happening?” she asked.
“I’ll fill you in later,” Reaver said out of the side of her mouth, then turned back to me. “So, do you think the cousin wants to be our friend?”
“Yes, I think so, but she’s feeling a bit under the weather at the moment,” I said. “It’s probably going to be a little while. Maybe a year.”
Reaver frowned and crossed her arms. Beatrix looked even more confused than before.
“I need to make our plan for tomorrow,” I called out to the villagers. “But first, has anyone—”
The sound of thundering footsteps approaching silenced everyone and turned their heads toward the gate.
“What is it?” Timo-Ran called to the guard in the nearby tower.
The guard, a woman, stammered for a moment, then turned to me. “I think it’s the vrak,” she said.
“Open the gate,” I ordered. “I’ll go check for myself.”
Two villagers removed the heavy log barring the gate while a third opened one side, then the other. Two lights bounced in the distance. Once in a while, they flashed brightly as their beams crossed the gate, but there could be no doubt. Unless there was another mech out there, and unless it was sent alone to the Ish-Nul, it had to be Skrew. He’d taken a long time to get here. The mech slowed as it reached the gate and stopped in front of me.
“Skrew is here!” a thunderous voice announced from the mech. “It was long run, many jumping. Skrew got… why for are hands on ears?”
“Skrew!” I bellowed. “Turn the damn volume down on that thing!”
“Oh,” he said a moment later at a much more tolerable volume. “That does explain a many things.”
“Like what? What took you so long?”
“Well,” he started as he brought one of the smaller arms up to where a mech’s chin might be if it had one, “there was smashing. Much smashing. The pew-pew shooting of the baddies. Then, smash. More smash. Then, squash flat. But no more guard. Guard try to follow Skrew. So, Skrew smash. Another guard try to help. So, Skrew smash one with other. Did Jacob know if can pick up two guards and twist just right, heads pop at same time?”
I peered into the darkness behind him. “I… wasn’t aware of that. Are you sure you weren’t followed?”
The mech shrugged, a mechanical screeching noise accompanying the expression. “Not thinking so,” he said. “If so, the follow did get lost, too. Skrew was much lost and confused. But Skrew is here now. Skrew only needs nap and munchies. So many munchies. Maybe fishes. Or birds.”
“I think we can find something. Bring that thing inside. Don’t step on anyone.”
Skrew took slow, small steps as he maneuvered the mech into the compound. The villagers scrambled away as far as they could, before the hatch on the front of the mech popped open and the vrak climbed out.
“Sure looks like he ran into some guards to me,” Nyna said as she picked at a burn mark on the mech’s leg. “They used energy weapons, but nothing burned through. Though, wow, something tore this thing up good! Look here! There’s a hole at least five inches wide and, oh, look, here’s another one. But this one’s not so wide. It looks like…” She turned to me and pointed to Ebon. “It looks like that, actually.”
“Yeah,” I said. “Do you think it’ll stay together long enough for Skrew to use it in Thaz’red?”
“It will after some minor repairs,” Nyna said. “An hour, maybe three. Wait a minute—that first hole… was that from the grip of your sword?” She laughed and looked back and forth between Ebon and the hole in the mech’s side.
“Nyna,” Reaver said, “you can fix this?”
“Yeah,” Nyna said with a laugh. “I can fix just about anything now. Especially since I have Spirit-Watcher.”
Reaver turned to me. “Did you ask her about—”
“These?” I said as I held the communicators out to her. “She says we’ll have a private channel. She’s not certain about the range, but she says it’ll carry at least to Thaz’red. They might work a lot further than that.”
“How much further?”
I shrugged. “The range could be unlimited. She’s the one who knows.”
Reaver took them and handed one to Beatrix. “You go over there,” she told the gladiator. “I’ll go to the other side of camp. Let’s see how they sound.”
Beatrix nodded and touched the device to her ear. When she let go, it stuck there. They smiled and sprinted to the far sides of the village walls.
“What can I do?” Timo-Ran asked.
“You can make sure everyone has eaten and that there’s breakfast and rations for tomorrow. We’ll need three days’ worth, in case we have to split up and make it back on our own. You never know. One thing I’ve learned as a military commander is that no plan survives contact with the enemy. All we can do is set goals and procedures, but seen as we don’t have three months for your basic training, we’re going to have to wing it.”
“We’re no amateurs,” he said gruffly. “We know how to fight. We know how to kill. And, we will follow you. I have spoken to those I wish to go and those I wish to stay and defend our home. We all agree that all hopes for our future, peace for our kind, and our survival, are tied to you. All we want is to rescue our captured kin and live in peace, and we’re willing to fight for it.”
“Good,” I told him as my heart swelled with pride. “You’ll have your chance soon enough.”
Chapter Eight
I bid Yaltu and Enra goodbye, promised to return, and ventured out of the Ish-Nul village alongside three of their warriors, Reaver, Nyna, Beatrix, and Skrew. I would have left him behind, but he was now inside a three-ton, ten-foot mech tended to do that, especially given the minigun encircling one mechanical arm.
When we were at about a mile’s distance from Thaz’red, already we could find rubble and other evidence of destruction around us. Bits of piping and shards of rusted metal stuck out from the dirt like the bones of an ancient elephant graveyard. The closer we traveled to the city, the more frequent the bits became, until we actually had to slow down and watch our step.
But we’d come as far as we could without splitting up. If anyone saw us together, they’d rightly assume we were an invading army. We’d have to be subtle if we wanted to get close enough to find my missing troops or beat the truth out of the city’s dictator. I hoped I’d have the opportunity to do both personally.
Beatrix had her hammer, but until activated, it didn’t glow red with the angry little lightning bolts. Ebon was an unusual weapon, granted, but it wasn’t strange to be armed. Reaver had the gun she’d found in the guard armory when we’d escaped Brazud. She was wearing a short gray cloak that concealed it perfectly. Nyna had insisted on inspecting everyone’s equipment before we were allowed to head out. The only
weapon which ended up needing adjustment was Reaver’s, and in ten minutes Nyna had it working smooth like it came from Tortengar’s very own guard.
I wasn’t convinced the Ish-Nul would be useful in battle, but they’d earned the opportunity to try. Leaving them behind would have been insulting, and giving them a chance to shed blood—theirs and their enemy’s—would make them feel like they’d left their mark on the planet’s fate. They’d already earned their voice by their kindness, determination, shared wisdom, and battle prowess. The Ish-Nul, however, were not Void-touched, so I’d assigned them to my team. I’d place them where they could help, but where they wouldn’t be directly in the line of fire. I’d save fun and danger for myself.
“But Skrew wants to smash!” the vrak wined through his mech’s external speakers. “Skrew has metal fists for to smash, and if not smashing is waste! Pleeeeeeease!”
The tone of his whiny voice made my eye twitch and my teeth itch
“Skrew,” I said slowly, “we already talked about this. If the people see a mech, they’re probably going to lose their minds and panic. Also, we stole that machine from the guy who runs the city. There’s a good chance he knows it’s missing, and if you roll up in it, there are going to be a lot of questions and a lot of guns pointed at us. I want you to stay here until you’re needed. Then, you can come in and smash stuff. But not before. Tell me you understand.”
“Save some smashing for Skrew?” he said.
“Of course, buddy. Now, stay out of sight as much as you can, but if you’re attacked, I expect you to smash your enemies into pulp. Pull arms and legs off, shove square pegs into round holes—all the good stuff, okay?”
A second later, the hum of motors stopped, and the mech slumped into a squatting position. Skrew had powered it down into standby mode. I hoped that meant he’d wait for our call.
“Radio check,” I whispered. The comm devices were far more sensitive than I’d expected. The fact that whispering was sufficient would be helpful.
“Lima Charlie,” Reaver responded. “Bravo Team is ready to move out.”
Bravo Team, as we decided to name it, consisted of Reaver, Yaltu, Enra, and Skrew. They were backup and overwatch. Their job was to observe, remain as clandestine as possible, and watch the back of Alpha Team.
Alpha Team was myself, Beatrix, Nyna, and three Ish-Nul: Timo-Ran, Enra’s cousin Neb-Ka, and Tila, an older Ish-Nul female who seemed to make Timo-Ran a bit nervous. She carried two short-handled axes at her belt with long cords with loops at the ends. I wasn’t sure what, but she carried them like she knew exactly how to use them.
“Head out,” I ordered. “Establish overwatch. We’ll try to come in on your left, depending on the terrain. Good luck, and—do me a favor.”
“What’s that?” Reaver asked.
“Don’t get dead,” I said. She didn’t respond. She didn’t need to. It was an order both of us knew she would do her best to obey.
Overwatch was the military term for covering not only someone’s back, but also their front. Reaver would find a place for her team to remain as hidden as possible while keeping an eye on Alpha Team’s surroundings. If she saw anything we couldn’t, because we were too close to the action, chaos, or danger, she’d let me know or take care of it herself. Though she only had a pistol, I trusted her aim.
I nodded to my team and, without a word, we started walking.
The city came into full view as we crested the final large hill, and all I could think was, What a mess! I’d participated in wars against the Xeno and had even seen the aftermath of their attacks against far-flung Martian colonies. I’d seen what happened when a city or outpost had been left to rot, but nothing compared to the chaos before me.
The skyline looked like a giant mechanical beast had fallen from orbit and, over the last hundred years, had been picked clean by metal-eating buzzards. Twisted lengths of metal columns reached for the sky like there was hope of escaping the chaos underneath.
As my eyes drifted downward, the scenery became even more confusing with broken, bent, and corkscrewed girders creating a layered spiderweb-like nest underneath. Little columns of smoke were the only apparent signs that the city was occupied, though if someone had told me at the time that the fires producing the smoke had been burning for generations, I would have believed them.
At the center of it all was another building, the only one with a distinct shape. It looked like a stadium from back home. We only had two, as buildable land was precious and the resources it took to maintain such a construction on the red planet were so high.
The closer we got to the city, the worse the soil looked as well. The city of Thaz’red, it seemed, had grown from its center and spread like a noxious weed, consuming and corrupting everything it touched.
The lush carpet of green and purple grasses and thin vines became paler, drier, and eventually bare. It was as if nature herself found the place abhorrent and unworthy of her touch. The city was an under-fed tumor that sent tendrils out to suck the life from the land and the people. The closer we approached, the more squalor and depression we witnessed.
Most cities would have commerce, farming, or entertainment at the edge of town. There was usually room to expand there, and property was usually less expensive. That wasn’t what I saw, though. Instead, the deeper we delved into the town, the more chaotic and hazardous the conditions became.
Rusty pipes that had broken ages ago stuck out from the ground, reaching for exposed ankles. If there had ever been a building on top of them, it was long gone, probably turned into another eyesore somewhere else.
Small mouse-like things scurried from under large, twisted sheets of metal, and I saw more than one eating the remains of its own kind. It was the same with the city, in a way. It looked like it was in a constant state self-cannibalism.
The outskirts of the city appeared to receive less attention than the interior. The buildings were sparse, with some built of small and medium-sized stones from an unseen quarry. Others were colorful shades of wood, though some were pained, mostly plain white. Most were welded, riveted, rusty metal structures like the junk-town of Madomar. Somehow, though, these seemed even less friendly.
We continued forward despite the difficult-to-maneuver terrain and the threatening glances from the residents, some of whom looked as if they couldn't decide if we were something to run from, something to eat, or possibly both.
We couldn’t trust any of them, even the elderly or those too obviously ill to represent any real danger. We were strangers. We didn’t dress or look like them, and we were obviously better fed. The team had to keep their heads on swivels. We couldn’t let the smallest sound go unnoticed. Every glance, shift of body weight, and gesture had to be watched closely.
The others on my team were beginning to show signs of exhaustion from continuous stress. Little things like stepping on unnoticed bits of rubble and accidentally kicking small pebbles resulted in whispered curses. We’d entered the city amped up for a fight and hadn’t been confronted. The anticipation of a battle could be as grueling as the battle itself.
“What do you know about Tortengar?” I said softly to Nyna, giving her and the others a minor yet much-needed distraction.
“Not much,” she said. “He’s an asshole. But that’s common knowledge. Oh—I probably shouldn’t have said that out loud. Insulting the vizier is punishable by death or something like that, you know?”
“No,” I said. “Martian law forbids disrespecting superior officers or displaying any other kind of insubordination. But politicians are fair game. They need to know when they’re making mistakes and hurting their own citizens. Without frequent feedback, they assume they’re always doing the right thing. Then, this happens.”
I gestured toward a group of three young kakul, frog-like creatures with round, black eyes. They looked up to my team with hungry eyes. The ones I’d met before, when first entering Brazud, had been flying a small civilian hovercraft. They were fat, well-dressed, full of energy
, and though they were terrible drivers, they tried hard.
These young kakuls, however, were different. Their dark eyes were dull instead of bright. Their clothing looked like it was made of dish towels, and though it covered them well, it hung on their bodies loosely.
While the other continued to stare, one of them stood up. They’d caught a small rat-like creature and were dissecting it, looking for tasty bits.
“Nyna,” I whispered to her as she broke from the group and started walking toward the little hungry creature.
The other kakul stopped dissecting the creature. I heard the popping of leather and knew some of my team were curling their fingers, either into fists or around the hilts of their weapons. I didn’t want a fight so far from the palace, though. It would give the guards a chance to find us and become suspicious long before we got the opportunity to question Tortengar personally. But we couldn't let one of our own get hurt.
“Are you hungry?” Nyna asked the creature as it approached her.
I took a small step to my right to make sure Nyna wouldn't be in the way if I had to charge in. Other than looking hungry and walking toward Nyna, the kakul wasn’t making any obvious signs of hostility.
“Here,” she said, holding one of her cloth-wrapped rations out to the creature.
The kakul stretched both arms out from barely a yard away and stared at the package for a moment.
“Thank you,” it finally whispered.
Nyna returned as it walked away, looking slightly alarmed at the team’s obviously defensive posture.
“Sorry,” she said, “I probably should’ve warned you I was going to do that. I don’t eat a lot, so one of the rations I brought was basically extra, you know?” She turned and watched the two young kakuls as they carefully untied the ration and began to eat.
“You are kind,” Beatrix said. “There are many who would look the other way. You are not like those people.” Her tentacle-hair undulated like waves on an ocean.
“This is what Tortengar has done to his city,” Nyna whispered. “I used to come here to look for supplies. I found some good stuff too. Tech, but none of it was Void-tech. Sometimes, I’d find materials for other projects I wanted to do, but usually, nothing too fancy. Sometimes, I’d come here just to help out. The Ish-Nul don’t have a lot of need for someone who fixes things they don’t even use. But I haven’t been back here in three cycles, at least. It’s just too depressing.”
