by Craig Gaydas
“What's that?” I asked, eyeing the object suspiciously.
“Portable fire,” Jori replied grimly. “We call 'em Hellburners.” He locked eyes with Yori and nodded slightly. His eyes glazed over and I knew immediately the implication of that look. Kedge was right, it was a suicide mission.
“It won't do much to the Thunder Lizards, but without their riders, they will be disoriented,” Yori added.
“Wait a minute,” I interjected. “Why don't we just double back and cut through the woods or something?”
Yori pointed to the tower in the distance. “Because of that,” he replied plainly. He bounced the grenade in his hand. “A couple of these thrown at the group will buy us the time to take that tower out. If it remains standing by the time you reach the terminal, then you won't be going anywhere.”
“Sacrifice,” Jori growled, gripping the steering wheel tightly. “We live it every day.” His neck cracked when he swiveled his head toward us. “The rebellion continues because of the sacrifices we make every day. Our sacrifice is no greater than any other.”
“You don't owe us anything,” I countered. “Why are you helping us?”
Jori smiled. “Your escape would prove most inconvenient to the Order. This makes me happy just thinking about it.” He turned to Yori. “We have a saying: My adversary's adversary is my ally by default.”
“We have a saying like that on Earth…kinda,” I replied, matching Jori's smile.
His expression hardened and the smile vanished. “This is where we must part ways. At the back of the vehicle is an escape door. Use it and head toward the river. We will distract them so they don't see you, but make haste because our distraction won't last long.”
We hurried to the rear of the vehicle where there stood a thick metal door with a brushed metal handle. Vigil grabbed the handle and lifted up which caused the door to pop open. Vigil jumped out first and I was right on his heels. Kedge followed suit, and as soon as we were safely on the road, Yori slammed the door shut. The bus jerked forward, leaving us in a cloud of dust and gravel.
The three of this bolted for the tree line alongside the river. As soon as we reached the cover of the trees, gunfire erupted behind us. I turned in time to see the bus reach the mounted Order soldiers. The mounts panicked at the sight of the incoming ton of steel barreling down on them. Their thick necks thrashed side to side as they tried to throw their riders, who were now engulfed in flames. The Hellburners did their job, effectively neutralizing the mounted defense. The Scarlet Moon scattered behind them, but kept their wits enough to concentrate rifle fire on the bus. Bullets tore through the side of the bus, but it managed to crash through the barricade and continued along the road toward the tower. The Scarlet Moon revved the engines of their four-wheeled motorcycles and took off after the brothers.
“Come on, Nathan. They did their job, now it is time to do ours.” Vigil grabbed my arm and pulled me toward the riverbank.
We continued about a mile downriver before we heard the explosion. All three of us whipped our heads around to see smoke rising above the trees, forming an angry black cloud against the clear blue sky.
“Godspeed brothers,” Kedge muttered. “Hopefully, the next life treats you better.”
“There will be time to mourn later. We need to get going,” Vigil commanded.
We continued to move downriver. Rocks protruded in various places along the river causing the water to crash around them violently. The sound was deafening. As we moved further down the river, the trees thinned out along the banks, which caused me to suddenly feel vulnerable. Looking at the sour expression on Kedge's face, I assumed he thought the same thing.
“We are sitting ducks out here,” he grumbled. “The Order can come down on us with ships blaring the Siren Song of the Kamilians and we wouldn't hear a thing.”
Vigil stopped and surveyed the area. “I agree. I can see the river narrowing in the distance so we are getting close, but it would be very inconvenient to be ambushed before we reached our destination.” He fixed his gaze on an elevated path that ran parallel to us and pointed. “Up there. That will give us a vantage point yet allow us to continue to our current destination.”
We scrambled up the hill. Once we reached the path, I was surprised how well traveled it appeared, being so close to the Badlands. “This seems to be a main path of travel,” I remarked. “We may run into someone we don't want to. Are you sure this is a good idea?”
“At least this allows us to get a jump on them instead of the other way around,” Kedge countered.
“Good point.” I pulled the rifle off my shoulder and surveyed the area. The roar of the river could still be heard, but it was muffled enough that it would be difficult for anyone to ambush us. A few trees dotted the landscape near the path, but the vegetation wasn't thick enough to effectively conceal anyone.
We continued to follow the river for another two uneventful miles. We reached the riverside cabin by sunset. The setting sun reflected off the clouds, giving the sky a purple-like hue along the horizon. Shadows blanketed the cabin which made it seem ominous and uninviting. I felt like I had just been thrust into the poster setting for a horror movie. All it needed was a machete-wielding guy in a hockey mask to complete the image.
Kedge was the first down the hill. “What a welcoming sight this is,” he griped, gesturing toward the cabin.
“We aren't here for a party,” Vigil reminded him. “We are here for that!” He pointed upriver, where a natural formation of stones formed a bridge across the river. The rock formation formed a small waterfall and despite the heavy river current, the trek across would be manageable.
Vigil was the first across. Kedge hopped across the rocks like a rabbit and I followed him. As my feet hit the final stone, my left foot hit the rock at an awkward angle, sending me tumbling toward the river. Kedge whipped around and grabbed my arm.
“Hey, take a bath on your own time. We have a schedule to keep.” He smiled and hoisted me onto the riverbank.
I laughed and stomped my foot on the ground, trying to get the water out of my boot. The two of them were staring at me like I sprouted a second head. “What are you looking at? Have you ever had water in your shoes? It's more annoying than a paper cut.”
Vigil cracked a smile. “As amusing it is watching you stomp around like a fool, we need to move. The sun is setting and since we have no clue where we are, darkness would simply hinder us.” He pointed toward the hill leading away from the riverbank. “I saw the top of a structure just over the hill. I believe it may be the terminal.”
“You believe?” Kedge asked incredulously. “It could also be Bad Guy's Bed and Breakfast, where you can get a bullet to the head along with an aged bottle of Kamilian wine.”
“You are so colorful,” Vigil grumbled. “Just keep those weapons close by.”
We took two steps toward the hill before a shot rang out in the distance. The three of us turned upriver toward the sound to see Janero standing alongside the riverbank, pointing a rifle at us. Behind him stood at least thirty of his robots, their bodies casting red splashes of light off the nearby trees. Janero turned and pointed at us. They turned toward us.
Kedge was the first one to return fire. They were about four hundred yards away, but the closest of them went down in a shower of sparks under the gunfire. Vigil and I fired upon them, but they took cover behind rocks, trees, and anything else they could find close by. I was amazed at how human the robots reacted. The resemblance was uncanny. Tiny red dots appeared from the trees and they fired, their fingers directing the plasma beams with such calculated efficiency. If it wasn't for the distance between us, I'm fairly certain they would have turned us into kibble.
We thinned their herd to about twenty three when Kedge stopped firing and turned to us. “I'm out of ammo,” he shouted over the roar of gunfire.
Vigil fired one more bolt from his bracelet before turning to us. “Up the hill! Let's go NOW!”
We scrambled up the hill,
hoping the structure Vigil saw earlier was the terminal. When I reached the top of the hill, I nearly ran into Vigil and Kedge, who stopped.
“What the hell?” I cried out in alarm, grabbing a nearby bush to prevent myself from rolling down the hill.
I brushed myself off and noticed Vigil and Kedge standing at the top of the hill, staring straight ahead. I followed their gaze and when I saw what they were looking at, my jaw dropped. The structure was not the terminal. It wasn't even a building. What Vigil saw was the roof of a tower—an observation tower to be exact. The tower was stationed on top of a stone wall which ran for miles in an east/west direction, parallel to the river. The wall stood forty feet high, much smaller than the one that surrounded the Badlands. My heart fell at the sight of the wall. It seemed to run endlessly with no break whatsoever. Looking at Kedge and Vigil, I knew they were thinking the same thing.
Dead end.
Lianne
A knock at the door pulled her from her thoughts. On the monitor was a geographical, satellite map of Gliese. When she was in the Defense Fleet, she rarely had the luxury to learn about other planets, so she figured she would catch up during her down time. She looked away from the monitor.
“Come in,” she said, rubbing her eyes wearily.
Kona, her Lieutenant, stepped inside. The light at the tip of the appendage on his head glimmered with a faint glow and his eyes bulged with distress. He pulled on his bottom lip nervously, revealing the rows of pointed teeth inside his mouth.
“I'm sorry to disturb you, but I think we may have a problem,” he blurted.
She sat up straight and furrowed her brow. “What is it?”
He stopped pulling at his lip. “It's the Order's maintenance workers.” He held up his fingers and formed air quotes when he said the word.
“What about them?”
“I caught one in Engineering poking around. He seemed to be looking for something,” he added.
“Looking for something?” she repeated.
He hesitated and his fingers twitched, a sign she had seen before. It meant he was trying to choose his words carefully. “Normally, I wouldn't think anything of it,” he replied. “If they were assisting with conducting routine maintenance, then they should be there right?”
Lianne waved her hand impatiently, motioning for him to get to the point.
“Anyway, this one guy had what appeared to be a data recorder in his hand, but instead of running standard diagnostics, he was downloading the ship's weapons and defense schematics.”
Lianne ran her fingers through her hair. “How many of these workers are aboard the ship right now?”
“Seven,” he replied.
“Pick seven from our crew to keep eyes on them at all times.” She stood, folded the maps and shoved them in the desk drawer. “Do not let them out of your sight, but be inconspicuous about it. Make up something: Tell them we are observing how other planets conduct diagnostics or some such crap. We are here on a diplomatic mission, so the last thing we need is to anger our hosts.”
“Understood Captain,” he replied. With a quick nod he left the room.
Lianne didn't like strangers aboard her ship poking their nose where it didn't belong. Her crew was more than capable of conducting any maintenance needed. If it wasn't for the diplomatic sensitivity surrounding this mission, she would have refused the offer. She was not the consular type and had never been included in signing treaties before. She always preferred her weapon over a pen. When her communicator went off, she rolled her eyes. Just another report of an irritating diplomatic distraction, she presumed.
“Yes,” she barked.
“I'm sorry to bother you Captain, but you are needed on the bridge.”
What could it possibly be now? There was never a moment's peace for a ship's captain, no matter the mission. “On my way,” she sighed.
By the time she reached the bridge, the helmsman brought up the big screen. Her eyes widened when she saw what was on it. Roughly twenty-five Order soldiers were marching in formation, heavily armed. She turned to her helmsman, an Orgellian who had served with her on many missions.
“Jayce is this coming from short or long range scanners?”
“Long range, Captain,” he replied with a scowl.
He was a battle hardened soldier. His look of dismay made her uneasy. “But?” she prodded.
He stared at the screen and shook his head. “A few things don't add up. For example, they are marching toward us instead of using the transit system to come here. Also, I had taken the liberty of monitoring events in the terminal and no train traffic has passed through within the last hour.” A crew member slipped him a piece of paper. “According to the transit schedule, a train should pass through here every fifteen minutes.”
He switched the video on the screen to a live feed of the terminal. He was correct in his assessment; it was as quiet as a ghost town out there. The only activity was two of the “maintenance workers” standing next to a nearby vending machine, engaged in a conversation with one another.
She switched to long range scanners and locked onto the soldiers. “Computer, calculate the distance to target,” she commanded.
“Target is three point two miles away,” the computer responded in a deep, melodic voice.
She exchanged a look with Jayce. His jaw was clenched and she could hear the grinding of his teeth. “Something happened with your group,” he growled.
She agreed. Her unease ebbed and gave way to fear. Not fear for her or her crew, but fear for Nathan. Something happened out there and they were now coming for the ship. She grabbed the communication mic. “Kona, this is the bridge calling, please respond.”
After several second passed, his voice came over the mic. “Bridge, this is Kona.”
“I need you to gather up all of the Order's workers and escort them off the ship,” she commanded.
“Yes sir,” he replied.
She dropped the mic and turned to Jayce. “I want eyes on them at all times.” She left the bridge before he could respond.
The safety of the ship, as well as the crew, was her top priority, but a close second was making sure the diplomatic group made it back safely. Defense Fleet protocol and years of training and experience kicked in. She headed straight for the armory. When she got there, Gard stood waiting outside.
“I have been monitoring internal communications and I understand there may be an imminent threat to the ship,” he stated plainly. “I assumed you would come here.”
“You assumed correctly,” she replied.
The door opened and they stepped into the room. She left her sword in her quarters. It wouldn't be much use against a contingent of heavily armed soldiers anyway. The clerk who stood behind the counter was a mousy fellow from Crescor named Meep. When they entered the room, he looked up from a book and watched them from the top of his wire-rimmed glasses.
“Greetings Captain, how may I help you?”
Within the confines of the dimly lit room, his pointed teeth and curved horns gave him an almost demonic appearance. Despite his fiendish appearance, the residents of Crescor were generally a peaceful species. They preferred analytics and exploration over violence and bloodshed, kind of like the Hobbits of the universe.
She eyed the rifles on the rack behind him and pointed toward a wide-handled, short-barreled weapon similar to a tactical shotgun. “For this I will need a sonic rifle, two thermal detonators, and a hand cannon.”
Meep slid the glasses to the top of his head. They made a faint clicking sound against his horns. He retrieved the rifle from the rack and laid it across the counter. He reached underneath the counter and retrieved two metal cylinders shaped like soda cans and placed them next to the rifle. He turned and walked to the back of the room. Next to the rifle rack sat a large oak chest. When he opened the chest, a set of drawers fanned out with several different types of pistols displayed. He grabbed one off the top shelf and laid it next to the detonators.
“Trouble?”
he asked, more curious than concerned.
She slid the hand cannon into a holster strapped to her waist and slung the rifle over her shoulder. One of the detonators she shoved into a clip on her belt, the other she left on the counter. “Perhaps,” she responded.
“What about this one?” Meep asked, pointing to it.
“That's the last one, isn't it?” she asked. When he nodded, she scowled. “Keep it here. You will be my last line of defense for this ship.” She leaned over the counter. “This ship will not fall into enemy hands, understood?”
His eyes widened from narrowed ebony orbs to globes filled with surprise. “Enemies? It seems things did not go well out there!” he exclaimed before picking up the final detonator.
“Captain, I have been attempting to reach Embeth via long range communications, and it seems something is interfering with my transmission,” Gard interrupted.
Lianne frowned. The news only served to confirm that those soldiers weren't a welcoming committee. She knelt and placed one hand on Gard's shoulder. “I need you to report to the bridge and continue efforts to reach Embeth. Something happened out there and I have a feeling we will need to move fast, if all hell breaks loose.”
“Agreed,” he replied before speeding down the hall.
She reached for her communicator. “Kona!”
A few second passed before he responded. “Yes Captain?”
“Are they off the ship?”
“Yes Captain. A few protested, but they stopped when I offered them the options.”
“Options?” she asked.
A chuckle filled the airwaves. “They could either leave via the front door or I could toss them from the observation window on deck nine.”
“Thanks for the visual,” she replied with a smile. “I need you to gather ten of the best soldiers we have and meet me at the front door.”
Five minutes later, she stood at the entrance, watching the view port. Outside, the terminal was empty with the exception of the expelled maintenance workers. Some decided to hang out at the vending machines while others conversed furiously with each other and motioned toward the ship. “Damn!” she exclaimed. “We are trapped like meat in a can.”
