by Ron Francis
______
Garrinoras could feel his excitement. He was practically giddy. In just over thirty-six hours, he would finally have his revenge on Colonel Jesse Marcos. I cannot wait to publicly torture and humiliate him before I kill him and take his precious ship. Once I have Endeavor’s secrets, I will be the unstoppable force in this sector and all of humanity will tremble before me. He smiled, knowing he was fortunate that the opportunity to capture Captain Reed presented itself when it did, and Yartan had done well to take her. He was also pleased to know he would now have the full backing of all the worlds that hated humans. Let the mercenaries of Ginderbar try to overcome that, he thought. There was no way he could let Marcos continue to explore the galaxy and then go home after everything he had done. Colonel Marcos deserves to die, and I am happy to be the executioner. Death alone will never be good enough for Marcos, I want to destroy him both physically and mentally, then see the look of despair on his face as his crew are killed and his beloved ship is taken by my pirates. As he thought about how much he hated Jesse Marcos, he had no doubt that he would be able to kill Marcos, and he had a few surprises in store to prevent him from getting lucky as he so often did. A shipment of poisoned water and poisoned wine was already prepared to be delivered to Endeavor along with some infected food and sub-standard weaponry for Marcos to use during the match. He doubted there was any way Marcos or his crew would know they could demand to use their own weapons. Colonel Marcos would be completely out of his element and would not want to take any chances with Captain Reed’s life on the line, and the possibility of war on the horizon.
Garrinoras entered a strategy session with his top people to discuss how to best betray Marcos and get his ship for himself. As he was entering the room, he noticed his four top advisors had already arrived. Captain Yartan, his Farannsian second-in-command along with Captain Trae-bar of the Jar-Kargen, Captain Xia of Zinnebulous and lastly, the Jar-Kargen first mate of the Retribution, Channa.
“Mighty Garrinoras,” Yartan greeted as he and the others stood, waiting for their leader to take his seat. “We have good news.”
“Let us hear it then,” he replied as he took his seat.
“The Jar-Kargen,” Yartan began as the rest of the group was seated. “Have decided they no longer wish to keep to themselves. They are anxious to begin wiping away the stench of humanity from our sector.”
“That is good news. I assume they are willing to commit their fleet if it comes to war?”
“Indeed they are. I have a full breakdown of fleet resources available to annihilate the humans.”
“Very well, Yartan, let me hear it.” Garrinoras smiled as he knew he was going to enjoy hearing this. He mused that if he had been more patient, he could have had all of these resources available at Kaldor. No matter, he thought. They will get what is coming to them soon enough. He smiled as Yartan continued.
“Jar-Karga has a fleet of forty-six ships they are willing to put under your command. The Mannagore will supply us with an additional forty-one. We have two dozen Farannsian captains with handpicked crews ready to defect from the Farannsian Navy to join our cause. The Xenul have given us use of twenty-seven ships, the Salvarians have also decided to join the fray with twenty ships and the government of Zinnebulous has pledged its full fleet of sixty ships. We have eight ships that have just arrived all the way from Pandara filled with rangers that want nothing more than to kill Colonel Marcos and his crew, and lastly, the Banijard have also allied themselves to us. They send seventeen ships. Along with the seventy-one ships of your fleet, that gives us access to three hundred sixteen ships for you to command.”
Garrinoras eyes lit up in delight. “Eight races allied to destroy the humans of this sector. I never thought I would see the day. Let the Mercenaries of Ginderbar come. They will pose no threat now.”
“They are allying themselves with you, Mighty Garrinoras. I do not think this alliance would be possible without your leadership.” Captain Xia added.
Yartan began again, “My intelligence reports that several ships have left Kaldor. I think they are headed here to support the Battle Hammers. They have left in groups of three or four headed in several different directions. The official reason is that they are envoys seeking to add to their pitiful alliance, but I believe them all to be headed here. Our problem is that because of the manner in which they are leaving and returning to the Kaldorian system, we have no idea how many they will deploy.
“That is no doubt a diversion thought up by Colonel Marcos,” Garrinoras replied, clearly frustrated. “They must know about the reinforcements we have coming to make sure that Ginderbar cannot extract Endeavor. As of now, we will have the Retribution in orbit over Chawanas with our entire fleet and our Pandaran allies. We will also be ready to accommodate the Farannsian defectors giving us one hundred three ships at Chawanas. Yartan, you will be coordinating that effort.
“Captain Trae-bar, you will be outside the system in your flagship, the Closed Fist, with the fleet groups from Jar-Karga, Taglaharn and the Banijard. That would give you one hundred five ships to reinforce us should a battle occur. That should be more than enough to keep Ginderbar busy. A prolonged battle will cause even more worlds to send in reinforcements, which will begin the very war they are trying so hard to avoid if they stay and continue to fight. Lastly, Captain Xia, you will take the fleets from Zinnebulous along with the Xenul and Salvarians to Ginderbar. Let us see how long their two hundred ships remain at Chawanas with over a hundred enemy vessels at their doorstep.”
Captain Trae-bar’s communicator buzzed and he knew it was important so he answered it. He spoke quietly into his communicator while Garrinoras and Captain Yartan watched him and then he relayed what he had just been told. “Good news, the preliminary numbers are in, we are going to make enough money selling the vid rights of the death match to purchase close to ninety ships.”
“That is good news. We will begin our conquest of the Lawless Sector then. It looks like Colonel Marcos has helped us after all.” He once again thought about how good it would feel to kill the hated human with his bare hands.
______
Suzy watched Endeavor’s crew boarding to leave Kaldor for Chawanas. Sergeant Rivada’s additional soldiers were coming aboard and Josiah was on hand to show them to their quarters and help them settle in. They brought quite a bit of gear and she had to wonder if they knew that the likelihood that they would be able to use even half of that gear was hovering around zero. Still, she couldn’t fault them for wanting to be prepared. She noticed that Josiah had taken quite an interest in Sergeant Rivada, as Jesse had predicted he would, following the Pandaran incident. Jesse was currently sleeping after training until he dropped the previous night. He had already said his goodbyes to the Valinors and the Chairman. Collin was showing Cassie’s team to their quarters and was cringing the whole way as both Sibbie and Teha would not leave him alone. He could tell Bessa was not pleased and he could also tell that Josiah, Reece and Wennagal seemed to be enjoying his dilemma.
“Ladies, you do know I’m with someone, right?” Collin asked in frustration.
“Of course we do,” Teha responded playfully.
“But nothing lasts forever,” Sibbie added with a flirtatious laugh.
“Well, I’m in love with Bessa, why don’t you go hassle Reece or Lenk or one of the soldiers. I’m sure they would all love to spend time with you.”
“It’s a long trip, Lieutenant, there will be plenty of time for that,” Teha replied as she slipped her arm inside of his. Thankfully, they arrived at their quarters and Collin was on his way before they could even say goodbye. Sibbie and Teha just laughed and went to their quarters to settle in.
Ogen found Kimi in the hallway and began walking with her. “Kimi, I feel like we’ve been doing this dance around our feelings, so I am going to just come out and say it. I like you a lot, and I would like to take the next step in our relationship. I think we could be
great together.”
Kimi just stood there; she had no idea what to say. She knew he had some feelings for her, but she had no idea they were this strong. If only Jesse could have been the one to say that when this mission first started. She realized he was looking at her and she replied, “Ogen, I don’t know what to say. I don’t have those same feelings for you. I like you and I think we work well together, but that’s it.”
“Let me ask you this,” he began, undeterred. “Is it me you can’t picture yourself with, or is it because I’m not Jesse? If you can tell me you are in love with Jesse, I’ll respect that and leave you alone. If you can’t, I’m just going to work under the assumption that you like me and just haven’t realized it yet.” He smiled and confidently walked away before she could reply. Now she had to face his question, was she still in love with Jesse, and if not, why shouldn’t she go for Ogen. He’s a great guy and we do get along well. She didn’t appreciate the fact that he was making her face her decision to end any chance of a relationship with Jesse. Because if she truly had ended it, there would be nothing standing between her and Ogen.
______
Jesse was tossing and turning in his sleep. He hadn’t been sleeping well, but he didn’t want to tell anyone and make them worry about him even more; especially Suzy. She was really having a difficult time with this and she was not happy with the crew or herself for talking him into this death match. This was the third time in the last week that he had woken up in a cold sweat, and now sleep eluded him once again. He was really starting to get annoyed with himself; he had never really been the type to lose sleep worrying about things. Sure, he had the occasional nightmare based in past battles, but never the future. Now it almost seemed like it was all he could think about, and his anxiety was threatening to get the best of him. As he lie awake, thinking about what was to come, his days in Special Forces training flashed in his mind once again. The final training mission flooded his mind, leaving sleep far from his eyes. He could still hear Sergeant Kelly’s voice in his mind.
[“This is the final week before we find out which of you might make decent Special Forces soldiers and which ones go back to being fodder. All of you have already made it farther than I ever thought a useless group like you would. Here’s the assignment: We are going to drop you off in groups of ten at an unknown location. You will only have your knife, canteen and the clothes on your back. One week later, we will be back to pick you up. If you survive, you pass. If you’re afraid, you can leave now.” He put on a mocking smile before he kicked his voice up a notch. “Does anyone want to leave?”
“No, Sir.” Eighty men yelled in unison. Six hundred thirty-two men had started the training, and they were down to eighty. By the end of the week, there would probably be only half of that.
“There will be a transmission terminal in the drop ship that will take you to your uninhabited planet. If any of you wish to leave during the week, just make the transmission and stay in the ship. Otherwise, you are not allowed in the ship, is that clear?”
“Yes, Sir.” Eighty voices yelled in unison again.
When Jesse’s group entered their ship, they noticed their winter gear waiting for them, clothing only. They all knew this meant they were going to an arctic world, most likely the uninhabited world, Zyrnn. When the ship touched down, they dressed for the elements, strapped on their knives and clipped their canteens to their belts. When they had prepared themselves as much as possible, they stepped out into the freezing cold. All they could see for miles were snow-covered mountains. To the south, it was desolate. To the north and west there were actually trees growing. They marched almost two kilometers to the nearest patch of trees and they all began cutting off branches to try and get a fire going. Josiah and Manny collected all of the branches and piled them in a heap. They then went about rubbing some sticks together until they had created their fire. They gently blew on the small flame trying to fan it into something larger as Jesse, Collin, Melendez and Finley continued bringing branches. They had made it a sort of contest to see who could break off the largest branches, knowing they would make for a better fire. Thomas, Simons, Davis and Rivera were all on the hunt for dinner. Without having a leader, they had naturally broken off into groups that would work together to accomplish the goal of survival. Sergeant Kelly purposely had not selected a leader, knowing one would emerge if needed. It was all part of the training.
Almost two hours later, there was a roaring fire with a deer-like creature roasting over it. They would all be eating well for the next couple of days. They had also found a fresh water river a half klick away where they could get good, pure water under the ice. Sergeant Kelly had left Melendez with a testing kit. Jesse and Collin had begun breaking off some branches that had an over abundance of leaves on them and tied them together with a string-like substance that grew on the ground, under the snow, near the trees. They had already finished their first lean-to for five of the men, and had begun working on another one for the rest of the group. Davis and Rivera were packing snow around the base of the branches to further hold them together and they also built up the sides so they were sheltered from the wind in three directions while facing the fire in the fourth. They had just about finished their camp when they heard the distinctive sound of a blaster ring out through the night. They immediately realized they were not alone on this uninhabited world. Even more troubling was that the other people were armed.
After quickly putting out their fire, Jesse immediately took Simons and went to scout out the direction the blaster fire had come from. They slowly made their way to the top of a frozen ridge and looked down on the elaborate camp sight of about thirty men. They had several tents set up, a power generation station, air speeders and plenty of weapons. There were several carcasses of what looked to be some sort of big game animal, almost bear-like with four arms. There were also a few of those creatures still alive in thick, steel cages. They also noticed several people that looked like tribal villagers, and they were being held captive.
“I thought this planet was supposed to be uninhabited?” Simons complained.
“I guess they thought it was, but now we’re presented with a new set of challenges,”
“What’s that?”
“Option one: How do we survive the elements without getting noticed by the hunters. Option two: How do we survive the elements while freeing the captives and taking the hunters down. Either one is going to be difficult and we will have to choose, because if they come across us and we’re not prepared, it will go badly for us. Let’s get back and debrief the others.”]
As Jesse thought about his last test before becoming part of the Space Marine Special Forces, he rolled over and tried to get back to sleep. If he didn’t get some sleep between now and the fight, he knew he would not be leaving Chawanas alive.
______
Admiral Dyson’s fleet arrived at Chawanas twelve hours before the Death Match was to begin. As two hundred Battle Hammers began to take their positions in space above the planet, a transmission came through to the bridge of the Reclaimer. “Attention Battle Hammers, you are trespassing in sovereign Farannsian space. Please leave our system immediately or it will be considered an act of war.”
Admiral Dyson smiled as she noticed the carefully chosen words did not say they would fire upon her fleet. She still had no idea why they had turned down the opportunity to enter the Alliance. “Chawanas control, this is Admiral Dyson of the Reclaimer. My fleet is here in an advisory manner. We are simply here to observe and to make sure Garrinoras is forced to honor his word and release Captain Reed.”
“We can police our own affairs, Admiral, and the fact that you are suggesting otherwise is highly insulting.” The transmission voice responded.
“I have suggested nothing. I am being paid to be here. It is my employer that thinks Garrinoras will not keep his word and that you will not have the fortitude of character to make him. So you may take it up with my employer. We ar
e not leaving.”
“Well, your presence is making a lot of people very nervous. Who is your employer? Perhaps we can take it up with him then.”
“Tell your nervous people to settle down, because as I have already stated we are not leaving. Our employer should be here in the next few hours, his name is Colonel Jesse Marcos.” Admiral Dyson smiled and noticed the smiles of her bridge crew as she said that last line. “We will make no move against Garrinoras’ forces unless the previously agreed upon terms are not met. Reclaimer out.” Admiral Dyson looked out the viewport to see her fleet arranged perfectly. Each ship was where it was supposed to be as she reflected upon her fleet’s military precision another transmission alert sounded.
“Incoming transmission from Chawanas,” Her communications officer called.
“Ignore it, please, and all other transmissions from Chawanas until Endeavor arrives.”
______
Suzy sat in a chair and watched Jesse sleep. They were having a conversation and he just dozed off. That never happened with him. She was worried about him and wanted to keep an eye on him. She looked around his quarters and the word utilitarian came to mind. He was one of the wealthiest men in two galaxies, but he really didn’t have much stuff. What he did have was always neatly put away. His quarters contained his bed, his desk and wardrobe, which were built into the wall and the chair she was sitting in; that was it. The only decorations of any kind adorning the walls were framed vid stills of his friends and family above his desk. There were only two other elements of decor in his quarters, an antique clock his fiancé had given him and the stunning Dagger of Bar-Akujar that Josiah had given him from the treasure. They both sat caddy cornered almost framing his desk. His MATU and a portable lighting unit hung from the corner of his bed and his portable data unit sat open on his desk. She noticed that he had been reading a theoretical physics book about wormholes or gaps in space and she wondered what that meant.
