by Lisa Lace
“Sorry about the mess.” Two members of my squad emerged and started sweeping up the dirt. “I hope you find your things intact and that we were able to recover everything on the list.”
Santuan rummaged through the chest, digging through mounds of coins, jewelry, and loose stones. Some bandits had robbed the lonely widow of the treasure she valued most. I watched as she pulled out irreplaceable pictures of her husband and children. She cradled them against her face, caressing the frames lovingly.
“I can’t believe it. Everything is still here, both my pictures and savings. These things have been with my family for generations, and it is all dear to my heart.”
“We’re glad to be of service. A word of advice - keep digital copies of your pictures, and you’ll always have a backup.”
“You’re right. Now, enough of my blubbering. I owe you some credits.” Santuan collected herself and took my hand, pulling herself to her feet. “After the intrusion, I’m afraid I no longer keep physical currency in my home.”
“We’re always prepared and brought a personal credit scanner.” I motioned with my left hand.
Isley stepped forward with the portable machine and pressed the widow’s thumb against the corner of the glass. “You have a lovely home, Moira Santuan.”
“Thank you. Would you all like to stay and have something to drink? I would love to cut everyone a slice of whippel fruit pie.”
“That sounds delicious, doesn’t it, chief?” Isley stared at me meaningfully as she held the bar code tattooed on Santuan’s wrist over the scanner.
“The offer is very kind, but we will have to decline. There is more business for us. Maybe next time.” I tried to ignore Isley’s pouting face. Beside me, I could see Barthan’s eyes brightening as the credit transfer scrolled across the screen.
“I think you said that last time, too. What a pity!”
Isley made an irritated noise and looked away.
“I will not allow you to leave my home empty-handed.” Santuan waddled into the kitchen and began to fill a sack with yellow buns resting on the counter. She thrust it into Isley’s giddy hands, who raised the widow’s palm to her forehead in response. “Now, off you go.”
The elder used her fingertips to touch the forehead of each squad member as we filed out of the front door. “Once more, I extend my deepest gratitude to all of you. May Zamos bless us in our endeavors.”
The instant Santuan shut the door, Barthan held his gut and let out a burp so powerful that startled animals dashed out of the bushes and scattered in all directions.
“Was that necessary?” Isley sniffed and wrinkled her nose.
“What? I had been holding that in for over an hour. I waited until we were out of her house, didn’t I? I’m civilized.” Barthan raised an eyebrow. He sidled up to Isley and nudged her playfully in the ribs. “Last night, you weren’t asking me what was necessary. You just wanted me to play with your ear.”
“Get out of here.” Isley started slowing down to drop behind him, but the trace of a smile crept over her face.
“I’ll assume I’ll see you later.” Isley pretended to look in a different direction as Barthan jogged up to me and slapped a hand on my shoulder. “We’re moving up the ladder quickly. I think that’s a bigger payment today than Magnum took in the last quarter!”
“It’s a matter of perspective, Barthan. We are making no more and no less than our net income over the last two years. Magnum takes a fixed thirty percent cut from every contract. It just happens that the items we recovered this time are worth millions.”
“Axl, you need to loosen up!” Barthan comfortably hooked his arm around me. “You did well today. We all did. How about swinging by the tavern down the street for a few drinks?”
“I second that,” Tarik roared. Enthusiastic cries of agreement from the rest of the squad followed his words.
“Not now.” I had to put my foot down. “The Lahiri case is still open. Why waste time? We should head down to the village while we’re here and pick up the investigation. This time we spread out. Visit your witnesses again. If anyone makes you the slightest bit suspicious, report back to me. Is that clear?”
Seeing the crestfallen expressions on everyone’s faces, I decided I should say something else. “We’ll reassemble in six hours. That will give us about an hour before we set off, so we can head to a nearby tavern.”
“Do you hear that, Magnum?” Barthan pulled his arm from around my shoulder and knocked elbows with Tarik. “Tavern in six hours, and the chief’s footing the bill!”
“I didn’t say anything like that.” It was too late. Magnum’s cheers of approval drowned out my words. As everyone started passing me, the acquirers gave me a hearty smack on the back as they made their way down the hill.
One acquirer wasn’t part of the commotion. “Head on, all of you. I’ll join you shortly.”
Natya stoically gazed at the scenery beyond Santuan’s fence. An untamable cowlick protruded from her short, flaming-red hair and danced in the blowing breeze. One of Santuan’s pet lizards was inquisitively flicking its tongue against Natya’s boot, but she didn’t seem to notice. Although she was the finest acquirer on the team, her mind wasn’t with me at the moment.
“Natya!”
“Hmm?” Natya turned towards me, lowering her hands. “I didn’t realize everyone had left already.”
“Is something the matter?”
“I can’t tell for sure. The air feels strange, though.” The creases around Natya’s mouth deepened. Still swimming in her sea of thoughts, she looked out at the landscape. I moved beside her, contemplating the jagged chain of kysum mountains which stretched across the horizon. The crystals sprinkled across its peaks made the rocky range appear cobalt-blue under the blazing sun. Holes filled the base of the hill. The tunnels led to a deep network of underground mines. Fort Hardwing watched over the mining operation, surrounded by towering copper walls reinforced with compacted earth, brick, and stone.
“That’s a pretty vague assessment.” I stroked my beard with my thumb. “Do you think we’ve skipped over something on Santuan’s list?”
“No, that’s not it. It’s something completely unrelated.”
A shrill wail blasted out of the city’s defense sirens. The line of acquirers below us immediately halted as everyone started to reach for their holstered weapons. A few bewildered faces looked back at me, awaiting my orders amidst the din.
“Stand down!” I yelled. Could they hear me? I cupped my hands around my mouth. “I repeat. Stop!”
As Urwanian security forces and citizens began to trickle into the streets, assessing if the alert was valid or another false alarm, Natya tugged on my arm. “Take a look at this.” She stiffened, and the color drained from her face. When I followed the gaze of her round, flashing eyes, my mouth went dry.
In the distance, a fleet of metallic green spacecraft flooded the air like a swarm of angry locusts. As the ships came closer, there were so many of them that they began obscuring the bright light of the sun.
“Axl? Are you still there?” Santuan poked her head out of her front door. “Did they figure out what set off the alarm yet?”
“No. Go back inside! Climb down into your basement and lock the doors!” I roared.
The squealing widow slammed her door shut. Natya and I pulled out our neutralizers and rushed toward the rest of the squad. Around us, Urwanian police forces in maroon trench coats and conical hats began clearing the streets, ushering the panicking citizens back into their homes.
“It’s the Makroid.” Barthan spat on the ground. “Why are there so many of them? There must be hundreds!”
We watched in horror as the Makroid assault vehicles landed in the open fields, crushing trees and destroying vegetation. Pale, ghoulish soldiers wearing black and yellow uniforms emerged from the spacecraft. Behind the infantry, menacing tanks rolled down the ship ramps, the Makroid coat of arms embossed onto their titanium armor.
“What should we do?�
��
Even though Barthan stood next to me, his voice sounded like it came from far away. I stared blankly at the Makroid troops pouring into the city. Half of the contingent headed directly for Fort Hardwing, backed up by heavily armored vehicles. The other division began to attach the once-peaceful neighborhood, ransacking homes and setting community buildings ablaze. Deafening shots of gunfire filled the streets while bodies toppled left and right in rapid succession.
“Axl? Snap out of it! We need orders!”
The persistent yelling penetrated my mind and brought me out of my trance. I glanced at Barthan and shook my head. Finally noticing the expectant faces around me, I pushed back my shoulders and nodded at the squad.
“Let’s start killing things. Come on. We’re going in. Stay under cover!”
The squad paired off and dispersed, using oversized vehicles and walls as shelter. Barthan and I took positions protecting each other under an elevated deck, holding the stocks of our neutralizers at arm’s length. We emptied our clips into any Makroid that approached us, taking turns reloading.
Urwanian troops only started to arrive when we were becoming overwhelmed by the Makroid. A V-shaped formation of Urwanian spacecraft sped toward our location and unloaded a brigade decorated in maroon and gold into the streets, complete with matching tanks.
“Spread out! Let’s give them more targets.”
We rolled away from each other as the snarling Makroid closed on our position. I stopped behind a thorny bush, gunning down a Makroid soldier on my right. Another sprinted toward me, and I took him down by swinging the butt of my weapon.
Barthan was across the street, finger depressing the trigger of his neutralizer, black braid whipping around wildly. The red dot of a targeting laser flashed across his forehead.
I grabbed a Makroid and tossed him through the window of a burning building. “Barthan! Move out of there!”
He couldn’t hear me. I ran across the street and tackled Barthan, dragging him to the ground as he was reloading his weapon. A bullet sped through the air where his head had been, missing him completely but hitting my arm. It ripped through my sleeve and grazed my body.
“Thanks. Are you hit?” Barthan shot down the sniper, looking back at me. I saw him look pointedly at my arm, which was dripping blood.
“I’ll be okay, but I’m out of ammo.” I tossed my empty neutralizer aside and ripped off the rest of my sleeve, wrapping it tightly around my wound. I took the rifle of a dead soldier and analyzed the carnage in front of me. Dozens of Makroid and Urwanian corpses sprawled over the ground. A few bodies in Magnum apparel were moving to safety, pools of blood staining their gray hoods.
“Axl, there are more of them.” The ground started to rumble as another squadron of Makroid ships began descending on the city. I didn’t realize my hands were balled into fists until they slowly unraveled. My heart hammered against at my chest at the terrible sight.
“Let’s get out of here.” My voice was starting to rasp from the strain in my throat. I blew on the mollusk shell around my neck. It was a low-tech communication solution in a high-tech world, but it always summoned the team. “Magnum! We’re pulling out!”
The squad members who were unharmed formed a perimeter around the wounded. Barthan, Natya, and I formed the core of the defense, firing at the mob of Makroid until we reached our starship. With our pilot out of commission, Tarik took the controls and started preparing the ship for launch. We were airborne within moments. A barrage of projectiles thudded against the armored hull as we climbed through the air and set course for our headquarters.
Panting, I leaned against a wall of the cockpit, watching as the bedlam inside slowly turned into controlled chaos. Those of us with medical training tended to the injured, using forceps to extract kysum bullets from their wounds. Once we removed the foreign objects from their bodies, we injected them with a violet solution to neutralize any Makroid poison.
My face glistened with cold sweat as I turned on the main viewscreen in the command center and adjusted the satellite. “Chief!” Isley appeared at my side, eyes bulging at the sight of the blood-soaked sleeve around my arm. “You’re hurt! Someone get me a dose of antitoxin.”
“No.” I shook my head and clenched my jaw to keeping my teeth from chattering. “We only have a limited supply of the antidote on board. Save them for those who need it. They only grazed me. I’ll take care of myself when we get home.”
Isley’s eyes darted to my arm. “Are you sure about this?”
“Completely positive. Do you know who could use your help right now? Rajel. Get her some water and make sure she doesn’t bleed out.”
When Isley rushed off to Rajel’s side and couldn’t see me anymore, I slumped weakly into a chair and turned my attention back to the screen. I passed my hand over the sensor repeatedly, switching from one channel to the next. Every Urwanian news station aired the same bleak drone footage.
Armed soldiers guarded every entrance of the Urwanian palace. Smoke rose from the disintegrated remains of formerly impressive buildings. Finally, the camera panned over devastated Hakhnu Road and traveled along the crumbled remnants where our headquarters once stood.
Chapter Three
CHRISTINE
An appraiser sat across from me on the other side of a clay table. Her labored breathing sounded like a stalling shuttlecraft. One by one, she carefully examined my loot, twirling the whiskers on her chin with stubby fingers. I leaned back in my seat, trying to appear disinterested even though the next few minutes would determine the success of my day.
“All right, Zuri, I think you’ve had long enough. Let’s get the ball rolling, shall we?” I leaned over and propped my elbows on the edge of the table, steepling my fingers. “I’ve got places to be.”
Unamused, the appraiser lowered the transmitter slowly, curling her lip. “Four thousand credits,” she rasped in a thick accent.
I gave her an incredulous look and folding my arms. “You’re killing me. Be reasonable. How long have we been doing business together? Five, six years, now?”
“Two years.” Zuri clapped her hands, and one of her underlings appeared at her side. He set down a tray of orange nuts and a tub of thick green pudding in front of her.
I edged forward in my seat, scooping up the necklace and transmitter in my hands. “I know for a fact that this pendant alone is worth at least five hundred credits. I’ve even added this new bronze chain, free of charge.” I dangled the bauble enticingly. “And the HB-12 receiver? It’s as good as new. Rest assured that quality is not an issue with anything coming from me.”
“The HB-12 is functional?” Zuri raised an eyebrow. “Don’t lie to me. There are fewer than a hundred working receivers left on Echiles.”
I turned on the receiver and cranked it up to its full volume. An upbeat, choppy track pulsed out from the speakers, adding life to the gloomy atmosphere in the adobe dwelling. In the crude workshop behind me, an Echilean tinkering with a laser welder started tapping his foot to the beat. When he caught Zuri’s steely gaze from across the room, he stopped his movements immediately and started twisting his wrench at twice his previous speed.
“Seeing is believing.” I switched off the music. “And you’re not limited to transmissions from this planet. I’ve modified the range by installing a whip antenna from Galambar. It can pick up frequencies from three neighboring planets, including Urwan.” I straightened up in the rigid chair and crossed my legs. “I think it’s all worth at least five thousand, don’t you?”
“Four thousand, five hundred. And that’s my final offer.” Zuri spoke her words while picking at the lint under her nails.
I sighed dramatically and rose to my feet, shaking my head. What could I do to make me look tough? I reached over the table and popped a handful of the peculiar nuts in my mouth. Almost at once, I gagged at the unbearable bitterness assaulting my taste buds. I promptly spat them out into an overflowing trash bucket next to the table.
“I’ll be ho
nest with you - I don’t have time to play any games today. If you’re not prepared to accept my generous offer, I’ll just have to take my business elsewhere. Kimler has been asking me to stop by for quite some time. I think I owe him a visit, come to think of it.”
Zuri visibly tensed up at the mention of her competitor’s name. “Sit down, girl. You win.”
I walked back to my seat calmly, suppressing a grin. Zuri reached over her shoulder and pulled on the rope behind her. A servant appeared at the jingle of a bell, wheeling in an old credit transfer machine. Glowering, Zuri wiped her greasy hands on the side of her off-the-shoulder tunic as the machine hummed and became active.
“Let me see it.”
I pushed my sleeve up to my elbow and extended my arm. Zuri unwound an elastic band and wrapped it around my wrist. As the cool, jelly-like lining constricted around me, Zuri keyed in the payment. I kept an eye glued to the screen, watching every move she made.
“I think you’re missing a few hundred credits.” I raised an eyebrow.
Muttering under her breath, Zuri erased her transaction and entered the correct amount.
“Splendid.” The machine beeped twice, signaling a successful transfer. “It was a pleasure doing business with you.”
Zuri nodded her head as I got up and started moving toward the exit. “I forgot something.” I paused, turning around and sitting carefully in my seat again. “I’d like you to take a look at this.” I reached into my backpack and pulled out the silky parcel.
As soon as I unveiled the statue, a noticeable hush fell over the entire room. Zuri leaned forward eagerly, jaw slowly dropping open. Somehow the people in the workshop sensed that something unusual was happening. They abandoned their stations and made a ring around our table, marveling at the treasure.
“Do you recognize this item?”
