by Justin Sloan
He rolled his eyes. “You’re not really a vampire. Now that we’re upgraded too, you’re basically just a more badass version of me and Garcia here.”
“One with fangs and red glowing eyes, thank you very much.” She glanced back and figured they were probably in the clear, so they picked up the pace.
When they reached the Grandeur they climbed aboard, and Garcia immediately activated her defensive mode in case there were problems. It would, he said, scan for nearby fighter planes or worse, and immediately sound the alarm.
Valerie went straight to her spare armor, which was black with lines of red. Not completely inconspicuous, but very badass. Next she strapped on her sword and a pistol, and checked on the others.
“To be clear,” Flynn said as he tried on his helmet and then slapped down the faceplate so that his voice sounded through the helmet’s speakers, “are we effectively declaring war on behalf of the Etheric Federation?”
“No, of course not,” Valerie said. “We don’t work for the Federation, remember? As far as they know, anyway…”
“But we’re strapping on our weapons, charging in, and killing their leadership?”
She pursed her lips, considering his words. “My plan is to take on their champion and whatever else they throw at us until the leader—this ‘Bandian’ character—reveals himself, if for no other reason than curiosity. Then yes, we take him out.”
“Sounds like war,” Flynn replied.
“He might be right,” Garcia chimed in. “If nothing else, we should be honest with ourselves. We—I hate to say it—might want to call in, check with the colonel on this.”
She shook her head. “We act first, ask forgiveness later.”
“You sound like a Marine,” Garcia replied with a laugh. “So the real question is, do we wait until tomorrow?”
“No way. I said that to keep them off-guard.” She tossed everyone blankets and put one over her head like a robe. “We get into the city, find out what we can about setting up the revolution, and then when we show up for the fight tomorrow, everyone’s primed. The revolution begins, or we find out it was a bunch of hooey. At least then we know.”
The others confirmed the plan, and Valerie smiled broadly. “I love you guys, you know that?”
Garcia chuckled and nudged Flynn with his elbow. “Don’t worry, she’s just like that. The thrill of the fight gets her all emotional.”
“Fuck you, Garcia. I’m just happy to have a team that’s willing to one-eighty with me like that. We change plans and all of you are there with me, ready to throw away everything we have for the chance at helping these people.”
“Everything we have?” Flynn asked.
“Well, yeah. Maybe our lives even, right? But on the other side of that spectrum, Bad Company might kick us out after this.”
“You’re one of Michael’s favorites,” Garcia countered. “Would they do that to you?”
“I guess we’ll find out,” she replied and headed for the door, where she paused.
“No,” Garcia said flatly, eyebrow raised. “It’s one thing to sneak back in there, another to bring the Grandeur with us.”
“Unless the plan was to distract more of them and lead them on a wild chase so that they aren’t looking as closely for us on the ground.”
He sighed, then glanced at Flynn. “Can you fly?”
Flynn nodded.
“Good. Flynn will take to the skies while the three of us work our magic on the ground.”
“Super-fun,” Robin said sarcastically and sat back, waiting.
Flynn started the ship and got her airborne, and they were soon approaching the city. As they flew, Valerie sent a message to Kalan in case he was able to receive it, telling him to hurry back, it was time. Valerie pointed out a good place to disembark, and then they were out and Grandeur kept flying toward their destination.
Valerie watched her go, then saw the other fighters appear over the buildings and head straight for the ship.
“Good luck,” she told Flynn as she led the other two into the city, keeping low with their makeshift cloaks on to avoid too much attention.
They were going to need it.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
Nim 47
Kalan checked the monitor one more time, assuring himself they weren’t being followed. The only ship it was registering was SEDE in the distance. The big ship was faster than their zippy little Nim, but it was far less nimble. With the hour’s worth of space he’d already managed to put between them, there was no way SEDE would catch them now.
SEDE was farther from Tol than it had been yesterday when they had arrived, but not by too much. Kalan figured they were flying close to the planet during the Damu Michezo so they could make profitable runs to supply more fighters as needed.
For the first time since they’d escaped, Kalan allowed himself to relax a little.
Behind him, Sslake chuckled.
“Something funny, Minister?”
“I was thinking how strange it is that they named this class of ship ‘Nim.’”
“Why’s that funny?” Kalan asked.
“Nims are fat annoying insects on Tol. They hover around animals, feeding on the smaller insects the beasts attract.”
“Ha,” Kalan said. “I guess that makes sense. That was the function the Nims served for SEDE, too.”
“How exactly does a prisoner become a pilot?”
Kalan shrugged. “About ten years back, some ships attacked SEDE and attempted to break out a group of terrorists. They failed, but suddenly everyone got real paranoid about defending the prison so they bought the Nims. Turns out Shimmers are really shitty pilots.” He glanced over his shoulder at an apparently empty seat. “No offense, Wearl.”
“None taken,” Bob reported.
“Anyway, that was when they installed the kill-switches and recruited prisoners to fly the Nims. There was no shortage of volunteers, as you might imagine. I later found out I almost didn’t make the cut. Lucky for me, the Yollin who was ahead of me on the list overslept the first day and was late for the informational lunch. The Skulla officials in charge of the program got pissed, and I got a spot on the roster.”
“Huh,” Minister Sslake said. “I still find it strange that they’d let prisoners pilot railgun-equipped ships, even with the kill-switch and a guard aboard. As you proved in the hangar, you don’t have to be far from SEDE to do serious damage”
Kalan nodded slowly. “Yeah, that’s true. At the same time, that’s why they were so selective. They only chose sabies, not those who’d been incarcerated for a crime. And the hangar was closely supervised when prisoners were present. Could someone have shot up the hangar like I just did? Maybe, but they’d have gotten a quick death for their efforts.”
“If I’m able to win my position back from Warlord Nobir, there are going to be some serious reforms in that prison.”
“Good,” Kalan said. “Hey, I noticed you always call him ‘Warlord Nobir’ instead of ‘the Bandian.’ Why is that?”
Sslake answered with no hesitation. “Because he doesn’t deserve the name. Do you know the legend of the Bandians?”
“Some race of great warriors, right? Extinct now.”
“Yes,” Sslake confirmed. “They were great warriors, but they were more than that. The stories say they were the first to unite the Vurugu system. Under their guidance, the Skulla and the Pallicons worked together for the first time. The three races united to defend the system from outside invaders. The Bandians were a uniting force,—basically the opposite of Nobir.”
“So what happened to them?”
“No one knows. Sadly, that fact, along with so much else about them, has been lost to history.”
The monitor chirped and Kalan prepared to enter Tol’s atmosphere.
“This is it, Minister. You’re almost home. How’s it feel?”
“It feels good,” the Minister said. “At the same time, it feels like we still have a lot of work ahead of us.”
&nb
sp; CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
Planet Tol: the Fighting Arena
Their first stop was the bar where Robin had fought the twins. Not to cause trouble, but to look for two specific Skulla—the brother and sister they had met that night.
Working their way through the crowds of people, they were glad to see other aliens out and about. The whole city was alive with excitement, many of them glancing the humans’ way as they went.
“Quickly,” Valerie said. “One of these people will connect us and call the authorities.”
“Maybe,” Robin countered.
“What do you mean?”
“Look at their eyes,” the woman replied. “That’s not hostility, that’s hope.”
Valerie glanced around, then looked at Garcia, who nodded.
“They’re glad someone challenged the system.”
“Precisely,” a voice said, and they turned to see the sister in the alley behind them with at least a dozen other Skulla in back of her. “If you’re serious about challenging the system, we’re with you.”
Valerie nodded, looking at them all. “We can do this, but it has to be all the way. I’ve taken out leaders before, so I know the consequences. You’ll need a system to replace the old one or chaos will ensue. You’ll have to be ready to stand up against outside threats, allies of the old regime that might come for revenge. Do you understand?”
The Skulla nodded and the others murmured excitedly.
“How do you know about this, Wandrei?” It was the brother.
“I wasn’t born yesterday,” Valerie replied. “I was raised by a military group and trained to kill, but refused to follow their ways. When I broke free to put a stop to it in a place known as Old Manhattan, I found it was ruled by a group of evil men who were oppressing and killing my people. We threw them out, but that wasn’t the end of our challenges.”
“And what happened to it? The people?”
Valerie stepped up on a ledge where she could be better seen by those in the back, the moment very reminiscent of a day back on Earth when she had first started this whole leadership thing.
“I left that city, that world, only because I knew it was in good hands. To you I’ll make the same promise. None of this will happen without your trust in me, so I’ll tell you right now that I will not leave until you feel secure in my doing so.”
Garcia leaped up join her, whispering in her ear, “The colonel might want a say in this.”
She simply smiled. “Am I not Michael’s Justice Enforcer? I refuse to believe that title was stripped from me the moment I left Earth, and if he or Bethany Anne were here, they would insist on this course of action—I’m certain of it.”
He shrugged, putting up his hands in surrender. “Probably so.”
“Given what I’ve said,” Valerie turned back to the crowd, “are you still with me?”
Cheers rose from most of the crowd, though arena guards were inching their way forward.
“They’re waiting for you,” one of them announced, loud enough to be heard over everyone else.
“Excuse me?” Valerie asked.
“The arena awaits,” the male continued.
Valerie turned to the brother and sister with a confused lift of her eyebrow.
“They can’t be challenged like that and have it end it any other way,” the sister explained.
“We were sent, many of us, to search the city.” The guard added, “To let you know they are ready. Shall we let them know you’re on your way?”
Certain it was a trap, Valerie nodded. “We’ll head on over.”
She held a finger to her earpiece and told Flynn to stand by, asking if he’d heard from Kalan yet.
“Negative,” he replied.
“Keep on it, and be ready to swoop down if the situation gets out of control.”
“Roger that.”
She turned to her group and nodded as they threw off the robes. “Looks like we got dressed up for nothing.”
“How about we see how crazy this gets, then decide,” Robin replied. “The armor? Probably a good call.”
“Listen,” Garcia said as they started walking, the crowd leading the way like a parade. “I know you’re throwing protocol to the wind and all, but I want you to remember that you’re not alone out there. Valerie’s Elites, right? We’ll watch your back as long as you keep us in the loop.”
“Valerie’s Elites,” she replied with a grin. “Of course, of course.” She noticed a look go from Robin to Garcia. “What was that?”
Robin rolled her eyes. “Just anticipating how fast you’ll run off on your own this time.”
“Valerie’s Elites, need I remind you?” Valerie scoffed. “If I feel I can take care of something better on my own you’ll have to trust me.”
“And I’m saying that you sometimes let your temper—or your ego—get in the way of the right decision in that regard.”
“If I was more into this military stuff, I’d slap you for insubordination.”
Garcia laughed. “That’s not exactly how it works.”
“In my army it would,” Valerie countered. “Now quit your worrying and join the festivities.” She gestured to the excited Skulla.
“As long as you realize this is nuts,” Robin replied.
“And tell the colonel that we had nothing to do with it when he’s chewing into you.”
“Got it,” Valerie replied.
They turned a corner to see the arena ahead, and she smiled and waved to the crowd as she moved ahead of them.
“Wish me luck, ladies and gentle-Skulla,” she said, then took a step back and drew her sword. “I promise one hell of a show!”
They cheered again at that, and she took off at a run. Better to get this part over with, she figured. As much as she was putting on an excited upbeat face, she knew the risks. She knew the gravity of the situation, but also knew that when she saw injustice like this—a system so messed up that people would sacrifice themselves or others to get ahead—it had to be torn down.
Since nobody else was doing that, it would have to be her.
Guards stood ready at the arena, but none of them made a move toward her. Clearly the leaders were committed to making an example of her. How misguided they were!
Valerie walked through arches of marble that had woven patterns of colored metals on them. Two guards cleared the way at the gates, eyeing her cautiously as she passed. One of them stood in her way, eyes full of uncertainty. She thought she was going to have to take him down, but when she got close he gave an almost imperceptible nod and said, “Some of us are with you. Remember that.”
She nodded in return and strode out onto the sands. Before she had been wearing the equivalent of pajamas, but now she looked like the justice enforcer she was. Fully decked out with armor, gun, and sword, she walked right in, smiled, and held out her hands as she addressed the leaders.
“I came back early.”
The female stood and raised a hand. “This Wandrei requested a fight with a champion. Normally we would reject such a request, but you have seen her power. Now you will see her fall. You want a fight? A fight you shall have!”
As she brought her hand down, the crowd cheered and the far gate opened.
Valerie blinked, trying to ignore the fact that she hadn’t been addressed at all—had effectively been ignored—but then she shrugged it off. She had bigger problems, quite literally. A large male was lumbering toward her. Perhaps he had once been a Skulla, but now he resembled several of them merged together. His muscles had muscles, and bone grew like spikes along his back and shoulders.
Intimidating, perhaps, but she wondered how much it would hurt when she cracked one of those protrusions. She was about to move in for the attack when she heard stomping from behind, and she spun to see two more of the monstrosities plowing toward her.
Apparently a fair fight wasn’t necessary to impress the audience. Fine. Valerie wouldn’t give them one.
She turned and drew her pistol, cutting through t
he farthest one with three shots to the head and two to the chest, then hit the next-closest in the legs as she charged it, distancing herself from the third in the process.
As this second one fell she plunged her sword into the flesh between shoulder and neck, and then pushed off, pulling the sword free.
The result was that two were dead, sprawling to form a barrier in front of the third. He kept coming, much to his detriment. His legs caught on the corpses and he fell forward, hands out to try and catch himself.
Valerie was fast. She leaped forward, bracing herself, and hacking down with her sword. The monster’s face went slack as the sword cut through skull and brain, and when she stepped back, her gore-covered visage glared upward.
“Enough appetizers,” she shouted. “Give me the main course!”
Cheers erupted, and were almost enough to distract Valerie from the slight vibration that ran through the ground. She leaped onto her latest kill, then ran along the corpse and sprang off to jump to the arena’s second-story ledge just as the electricity hit the arena floor and sent the bodies into wild spasms.
“Looks like that would’ve hurt,” a Skulla said, offering Valerie a hand to help her up.
“Thanks,” Valerie said, but she pulled herself up in one smooth motion. She glanced to the left and saw her friends hidden among the audience. Robin tilted her head as if to ask, “Now?” but Valerie shook hers, then stood on the railing with her arms stretched out.
“Is that the best you can do?”
“Why not try me on?” a female voice demanded, and Valerie turned to see someone coming out of the elite side, an area adorned with flowing tapestries that depicted past fighters.
If she had to guess, that was where the former victors sat. Something was familiar about this one, the way her skin seemed to ripple in the sunlight.
Then she realized that it wasn’t rippling, it was changing. This former champion was not a Skulla, she was one of the Pallicons she had met on the transport ship—the ones who had tried to take it over.
As Valerie approached the shifter replicated her form, but with a messed-up face—swollen eyes, a busted-in skull, and teeth sticking out of her cheek.
