Birthright: Book I of the Temujin Saga

by Adam J. Whitlatch

  “You see,” said Temujin, turning his back on the teens once more. “Once our little war is over, my alien benefactors plan to march in and pick up the pieces. Then, once they have what they want, I will be obsolete. Outmoded. No longer required. They will claim what remains of humanity and forge it into their ultimate weapon to use against their enemies.

  “But I have no intention of turning the world over to them. Why should I hand over what is rightly mine? My birthright? Thanks to our mutual acquaintance, I now have the technology to stand up to the Seignso and repel them from my kingdom.”

  “You’re insane!” Crystal said.

  Chuluun raised his hand to slap Crystal. Instead of recoiling, she clenched her jaw and readied herself for the strike. Chuluun grinned and lowered his hand.

  The Khan turned and looked at Quintin. “But perhaps I am being too hasty. I had forgotten how alike we are, you and I. After all, we are both the bastard children of uncaring, selfish parents, Alexander. We should combine our forces. Imagine the power. Imagine the fear!”

  The laser sword’s hilt finally cleared the waistband of Quintin’s jeans. His thumb caressed the igniter switch.

  “Together we could crush the Seignso and the Federation,” said Temujin. ::What say you, brother?::

  Quintin continued to stare at the floor, unable to respond the way Temujin expected him to.

  ::It is where you belong. Do not deny it.::

  Again Quintin remained silent.

  ::Insolent child!:: Temujin shouted inside Quintin’s mind. ::Why do you not answer me?::

  Slowly, Quintin looked up into the Khan’s trembling eyes, his own eyes glowing an eerie emerald green.

  “Who are you?” Temujin backed away from the teen. “You are not Alexander. Chuluun!”

  Quintin flicked the sword’s igniter switch and the white-hot blade hissed from its hilt. He flipped the handle in his fingers, and the blade sliced clean through the handcuffs binding his hands, instantly melting the metal on contact. With his hands free, he adopted an offensive stance with the sword.

  “Don’t move!” he shouted. “Hands in the air!”

  Temujin stood his ground. “Who are you?”

  “Cadet Quintin MacLaren,” said Quintin. “I am hereby placing you under arrest for crimes against the Federation, conspiracy to commit planetary genocide, kidnapping, and murder.”

  Temujin and his general were silent for a moment, dumbstruck by the absurdity of the youth’s declaration, but then the Khan chuckled. The chuckles erupted into hearty laughter as Chuluun joined in.

  Suddenly the Khan stopped laughing. “Guards!”

  The door behind Quintin was thrown open, and the two armed escorts stormed into the room. Caught off guard, Quintin barely noticed as the laser sword flew from his fingers and into the Khan’s waiting hand. He looked down at his empty hand, baffled by the warlord’s display of mental power.

  Temujin looked at the guards. “Kill him.”

  The Horde troopers opened fire with their plasma rifles, and Crystal screamed as rapid-fire crimson beams tore through Quintin’s body. Blood trickled from his mouth as he groaned and fell onto his back, dead.

  Temujin roared with laughter and clapped his hands with delight. Crystal sobbed as the emerald glow slowly faded from Quintin’s eyes.

  *****

  “Faster!” Alex shouted over the suits’ comm system.

  Sam’s armored fingers gripped the steering wheel so tight that it cracked. He pressed the accelerator, and the engine roared as the needle on the speedometer passed ninety, one hundred, and finally one hundred and ten miles-per-hour, a speed normally considered to be suicidal on the hilly country road with its regular traffic of tractors and horse-drawn Amish buggies.

  “The road splits just up ahead,” said Alex. “We can either go south toward Bonaparte or north toward Stockport.”

  “No,” Sam said. “Temujin will most likely keep a westerly course. We need to do the same.”

  “This road doesn’t go west,” Alex insisted. “You either have to go south through Bonaparte and Bentonsport, or go across Highway 16 past Stockport.”

  “That’ll take too long. We can’t lose him,” said Sam. “Aren’t there any roads that go west?”

  “Just a dirt service road.”

  Moe snorted. “More like a goat trail.”

  “Then that’s what I’m taking,” Sam said.

  “Well, whatever you’re going to do, do it fast,” said Moe. “We’re running out of road here.”

  Up ahead, the intersection came into view, and a small tractor pulling a load of hay bales crossed the truck’s path.

  “Sam,” Alex shouted. “Sam!”

  “I see it,” said Sam. “Hang on!”

  He pressed the accelerator against the floorboard. The needle climbed past one-twenty and buried as the engine roared like an irate dinosaur. For a brief instant, Sam could see the whites of the horrified farmer’s eyes as the truck ran the stop sign and sailed through the air toward the hay wagon. The truck plunged through the hay and for a moment the world turned yellow until the windshield cleared and the front tires made contact with the muddy service road on the other side.

  In the passenger seat, Cherry braced her hands against the roof and dashboard. Her helmet banged against the roof of the cab as the truck shuddered and pitched. “You maniac!”

  “Oops,” said Sam. “Did I do that?”

  Robert brushed hay away from his helmet. “Now what, genius? We don’t even know where we’re going now.”

  “Sure we do,” said Sam. “West.”

  “This road won’t go on forever,” said Alex.

  “This truck’s got four-wheel drive.”

  “You’re going to get us killed!”

  Sam shook his head. “Nah.”

  Sam ignored the cautionary signs on the side of the road, and the truck rocketed over a deep creek bed. The back tires barely made contact with solid ground on the other side and chewed the earth until they regained traction and propelled the truck forward again. The truck rammed through a fence and into a harvested cornfield. The back tires dug deep, muddy ruts into the soil and threw yellow, stubby corn stalks into the air. The truck’s rear end fishtailed momentarily before straightening out and surging forward through the field.

  “Dammit, Samrai!” yelled Moe. “Watch where the hell you’re going!”

  “Yes, Mom,” said Sam.

  The truck crested a hill and a line of trees at the end of the field came into view.

  “All right, sweetheart, take the wheel,” Sam said.

  Cherry turned. “What?”

  “Take the wheel,” Sam repeated as he crawled out the driver’s side window.

  “Where the hell are you going?”

  “I’m going to clear a path.”

  “You’re what?” Cherry quickly scooted over to grab the wheel.

  Sam settled onto the ledge of the open window. “I’m going to need more firepower.”

  “How’s this?” Rene hefted a minigun ripped off one of the disabled Death Walkers onto the roof.

  Sam nodded. “Let’s do it!”

  Sam and Lamont each wrapped an arm around the truck’s roll bar and leveled their free arms at the rapidly approaching tree line while Robert stood behind Rene, bracing himself between the Cajun and the tailgate.

  “Ready,” Robert said.

  Moe and Alex flanked Rene and aimed their cannons. “Ready!” they said.

  “Aim low and don’t stop until you see blue sky,” Sam ordered. “Fire!”

  The armored soldiers unleashed a devastating barrage of green ion blasts and .50 caliber bullets at the base of the tree line, raising a dense cloud of dirt, charred wood, and leaves. Trees fell left and right as the truck penetrated the cloud, lurched, and jumped over the crudely severed stumps.

  “I can’t see!” cried Cherry.

  “You don’t have to!” Sam increased his rate of fire as he sprayed the forest. “Just go straight!”
>
  A low branch appeared out of the cloud and smacked Lamont in the face, splintering the limb in two and sending the Replodian flying.

  Alex reached for him but was too late. “Lamont!”

  Lamont bounced out of the truck and clawed the air, but the tailgate was already out of reach. The suit’s boot thrusters engaged, propelled forward at high speed. His fingers clamped down like a vise on the tailgate, and the thrusters disengaged, dropping his legs and causing the armored boots to dig deep furrows in the pulverized earth. Lamont scrambled up into the bucking truck while Alex and Robert pulled.

  “Are you okay, lad?” asked Robert.

  Lamont took three deep breaths and shouted, “No!”

  Finally the truck cleared the timber, and the dust cloud slowly dissipated. Sam climbed back inside the cab and took the wheel back from Cherry, who was now shaking uncontrollably.

  “Nice driving, babe,” he said.

  “You’re insane!” she shouted. “How could you do that?”

  “Oh, c’mon,” said Sam. “It’s not just a job, it’s an adventure. Remember?”

  “That’s the Navy, you nitwit!”

  “My bad.”

  Suddenly the truck was plunged into darkness.

  “Hey, who turned off the sun?” said Moe.

  Sam looked out the window into the sky and, despite the blackness enveloping the truck, saw only blue sky and sunshine above them, with the occasional cloud drifting lazily by.

  “It’s the Ragnarok,” said Sam. “We’re right below her.”

  “How do we get aboard?” asked Alex.

  “Use your boot thrusters,” said Sam. “Just push off the truck hard and the thrusters will engage automatically.”

  “That’s all?”

  “Happy thoughts wouldn’t hurt,” Sam said.

  “Gee,” said Alex, “thanks.”

  “No problem,” said Sam. “Once we reach the ship, I’ll locate an emergency escape hatch and unlock it.”

  “Everybody get ready,” said Lamont.

  Sam set the cruise control and climbed out the window again, this time crawling along the roof of the truck to the passenger side, where Cherry was climbing awkwardly out of her own window. She crouched on the roof and looked from the invisible ship to the shadowy ground rushing below her and back to the ship again.

  “You okay?” asked Sam.

  She shook her head.

  “Now!” said Lamont.

  Five sets of thrusters engaged one by one, and the others were propelled into the air.

  Sam appeared at Cherry’s side. “Just jump.”

  Sam laid a hand on Cherry’s shoulder. His display lit up with diagnostics and charts. Everything was working properly. Her heart rate, however, was through the roof, and her breathing erratic.

  “I can’t,” Cherry said, her voice shaky.

  “Trust me,” Sam said. “All you have to do is jump. The suit will do the rest.”

  “What if it doesn’t?”

  “Well then we’ll probably crash into that tree.”

  “What?” Cherry turned her head.

  Sure enough, a large oak tree was drawing dangerously close as the truck thundered onward. Cherry screamed as Sam wrapped his arms around her waist and leapt into the air, engaging his thrusters and rocketing away from the truck in a trail of jet exhaust. Less than a second later, the truck collided with the tree and folded like an accordion.

  Cherry stared at the receding wreckage. Her chest heaved as she breathed, the armor’s breastplate flexing with the motion.

  “What’s the matter?” asked Sam, his voice calm and cheery. “You’re acting like we were in some kind of danger.”

  “Why, I— Oof!” Cherry grunted as they came to rest against the underbelly of the ship.

  Sam hovered over to the others. “Find the edges,” he said.

  The others dispersed, feeling along the ship’s invisible underbelly. Sam repositioned Cherry so that he held her under her arms. She panicked and kicked her legs.

  “Okay,” he said, “I’ve got you. Now, I want you to push down with your heels to ignite the thrusters.”

  Cherry shook her head. “But—”

  “Hey,” Sam said. “I’ve got you. You can do this. Just push down.

  Cherry’s body tensed, and she kicked down with both legs. Bursts of blue flame shot from the thrusters along her ankles, and Sam felt her rise up slightly in his grip. As she drifted away from him, she flailed her arms and grabbed his wrists.

  Sam nodded. “Good. Don’t worry about balancing. Let the gyroscopes do all the work.”

  Cherry nodded. Sam let her drift away until his arms were fully extended and then — despite her protests — let go of her hands. She reached for him as their fingers came apart and rocked forward, but she remained airborne.

  “See?” Sam said. “Easy.”

  Cherry looked down at her feet. “I’m flying!” She laughed.

  “I found the edge,” Moe called.

  Sam drifted toward his brother, and Cherry, still unsure of the suit, stayed within arm’s reach of him.

  Finally the others positioned themselves at the edges of the invisible ship and signaled to Sam. He did a few quick calculations in his head and hovered to an area toward the rear of the ship, feeling along the surface until his fingers disappeared into invisible grooves. With a turn of his wrists, a circular panel the size of a manhole cover came away and the cloaking failed, leaving the panel in his hands a dull black color. Sam dropped the panel and stared up at the conspicuous black hole in an otherwise flawless sky.

  “This is it,” he said.

  One by one, the others followed Sam into the ship and found themselves in a vast, albeit mostly empty, cargo hold. Sam tapped the side of his helmet and the view on the inside of his visor switched from shadows to green night vision. He scanned the room, looking for any signs of human life, but the display remained green. He turned to the others, giving a nod before leading the way to the exit. Once at the door, he turned and switched his helmet’s communication settings to radio only, silencing the external speakers.

  “Okay,” he said. “The corridor outside this door will take you all the way to the bridge. Just keep going straight. Temujin’s quarters are on Deck C. There’s an elevator about fifty yards ahead.”

  “We should split into two teams,” Lamont said. “One to take control of the bridge, and the other to rescue the prisoners.”

  “Good idea,” Sam said. He turned and walked away.

  Moe grabbed his arm. “Where do you think you’re going?”

  “To the engine room,” said Sam. “Somebody has to bring this behemoth down.”

  “I’ll go with you,” said Moe.

  “No.” Sam shook his head. “They’ll need you to take the bridge.”

  Moe stepped toe to toe with his brother. “I still don’t trust you. Your track record still stands… Traitor.”

  “I got you this far, didn’t I?”

  “You got Alex on this ship,” said Moe. “Which is exactly what your boss wanted. Isn’t it?”

  “It’s not like that, Moe,” said Sam, his voice barely over a whisper.

  “You bring this ship down, and I’ll believe you,” said Moe.

  “Guilty until proven innocent, eh?”

  “That’s the idea.”

  “Fine,” Sam growled. “Just try not to slow me down.”

  “Okay,” said Lamont. “Alex and I will go after Crystal and Quintin. Can I count on you three to take the bridge?”

  “Sure,” said Robert. “But are you sure the two of you can handle Temujin alone? I mean, he’s sure to have all kinds of security up there. Maybe I—”

  “No,” said Sam. “Temujin keeps his security to a minimum. He doesn’t like being surrounded by his followers. He thinks they smell bad… well, he’s right. But, no, the most resistance will probably come from Chuluun and Temujin himself.”

  “Let’s do it, then,” said Alex. “My girlfriend’s up there
with that lunatic.”

  “All right,” said Sam with a curt salute. “See you on the ground.”

  “How will we know when you’ve disabled the engines?” Alex called as Sam and Moe disappeared into the gloom.

  “Oh, you’ll know,” Sam said.

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  Sam could almost feel his brother’s gaze boring through the back of his head as he led the way through the darkened corridor. The silence between them was suffocating. Only the clanking of their boots and the whisper-soft whirring of servos inside their armor filled the air between them.

  “You got something you want to say to me, little sister?”

  “Yeah,” said Moe coldly. “Why the sudden change of heart?”

  “The kids.”

  Moe stopped dead in his tracks at these words. “What?”

  Sam sighed and stopped. “The kids. When Temujin told me he planned to attack the school, I tried to change his mind, but he wouldn’t listen. I wanted to stop him, but I just couldn’t bring myself to do anything about it.”

  Moe remained silent.

  “But then there was an accident on the loading platform,” Sam said, “and suddenly everything became clear. It was like a haze was lifted from my mind, and everything I’ve done for the past three years became pointless and wrong. Then I remembered the children, and the Death Walkers he was planning to use against them. I got angry. First with myself, but then I realized I was really angry with him.

  “I tried to stop him,” Sam continued, “but I wasn’t fast enough. So I stole the armor prototypes and escaped. You know the rest.”

  Moe took a deep breath, his armored shoulders rising and falling with the action. Finally he slapped his brother on his arm, their armor connecting with a dull clang. “Let’s go. The others are counting on us.”

  Sam allowed himself the smallest of smiles and nodded to his brother. They continued down the corridor, finally coming to a large circular door.

  Sam patted it. “The coolant delivery system is on the other side. Past that is the engine room. Let’s just hope they didn’t change the access codes.”

  “Leave that to me.”

  Sam touched a pad on the wall and the door slid open like an iris. The Replodians stepped inside and surveyed their surroundings. Lining both walls were six thick pipes, all crusted over with a layer of frost. Moe shuddered involuntarily even though his suit kept his body temperature constant.