Thieves' Guild Series (7 eBook Box Set): Military Science Fiction - Alien Invasion - Galactic War Novels

by C. G. Hatton

  A kick to the head made my vision swim. I got one foot under me, blinked, figured out how many there were and where each one was then turned and threw the dust into Bram’s face, dodging aside as another kid stepped in to kick me again. He missed. I scrambled to my feet and shoved him off balance, turning fast to avoid a blow from Bram who was screaming curses at me. I might have laughed. That always made them more mad. If someone’s pissing you off, don’t get angry, laugh. They hate it.

  Bram came at me again but someone grabbed him, pulling him off me.

  I thought for a second that was it but someone else caught hold of me, spinning me around and landing a barrage of punches I couldn’t duck against the back of my head.

  I went down.

  There isn’t much you can do against that.

  They were laughing as they hauled me up and dragged me aside. I was kicking and screaming. Trust me, I was kicking like hell, but they were too strong and there were too many of them.

  They threw me in somewhere. I hit the floor and heard the door slam, a heavy bolt sliding home as I went sprawling, not far because it was some kind of damn cupboard. Pitch black and damp. I hit my head against something hard and scrambled to my feet, yelling, “Hey,” and hammering on the door.

  “New rules,” someone yelled back. “Fighting gets you one hour in the sin bin.”

  They all laughed.

  I punched the door again and spun round, feeling my way about, coming up against nothing but empty shelves and bare brick walls. I even climbed up to check the ceiling. There was no way out. I tried the door again then clambered up onto a shelf, wiped the blood out of my eye and tucked my knees up tight. It sucked but there was nothing I could do. I’d learned a long time before that how long I could wait in the dark.

  After two or three hours, it felt like longer, there were voices outside, a faint orange glow appearing along the floorline below the door. I was stiffening up in the damp cold. I stretched, muscles complaining, my eye throbbing and the blood on my face and neck dried to a caked-on mess. They were arguing, someone that sounded like one of the middlings saying they should let me out, Calum saying, “No, let the sucker sweat in there. Little bastard broke Bram’s nose.”

  That was something. I had to stop myself laughing.

  There were sounds of shoving and scuffling, and more swearing then it was quiet again. The thin glowing line at the bottom of the door dimmed and vanished, leaving me in total darkness again. The thing about fear is if you let it, it consumes you, but face it, give it a neat sidestep and stare it down, then you take away its power. The guild psychs used to tie themselves in knots over me. They analysed us all to pieces. Full profiles on anything possible. According to everything they had me sussed as, they used to say that being locked down in isolation should have been my worst nightmare. I always laughed and said, “Yeah, been there, done that.” It wasn’t the only thing they called me on. They didn’t like me. I’ll tell you about that some time.

  Back then, when I was thirteen and shut in a dark hole, I sucked it up. They couldn’t hurt me any more. Someone would come let me out or they wouldn’t. I closed my eyes and breathed slow and steady. I could give it as long as it took.

  It didn’t take that long. There were muffled shouts outside, excitable, pounding footsteps and yells.

  I could hear Calum shouting, the little ones squealing, then clearer someone shouted, “Come on, there’s something going on out in the desert.”

  I sat up.

  It went quiet again for a while. I listened to the silence then there was a scraping sound as the bolt was tugged back, with a struggle, and the door opened.

  Freddie stood there, looking small, a weird mix of pissed off and dismayed flashing across her face.

  I squinted at her. “I’m fine.”

  She held the door open. “This isn’t right. They shouldn’t have done this. Not to you, of all people.”

  I jumped down, trying to be more cocky than I was feeling.

  “I’m fine,” I said again.

  She pulled a face. “You don’t look fine.” She held out her hand. “Come with me.”

  She led me to a common room. It was deserted. Messy. Rubbish everywhere. They’d hardly been there five minutes and it was a dump.

  Freddie sat me down, shoving aside a pile of dirty clothes.

  She disappeared for a second and came back with a wet cloth that she held out to me, muttering an apology. “We didn’t know where you were. They only just admitted it. Calum said I could let you out. I’m really sorry.”

  I pressed it against my eye and gave her a half smile. “It’s not your fault. They’re idiots. Did I really break Bram’s nose?”

  She laughed and beckoned for the cloth. “Come here. You’re a mess.”

  I let her dab at my face.

  She stared at me intently the whole time. “Is Maisie really gone?” she said finally.

  I nodded. “She had no choice.”

  Freddie sucked in a deep breath. “She’d hate what we are now.”

  I didn’t know what to say. I hated it.

  She took my hand and pulled me up. “Come on, you need to see this.”

  I followed her up onto the roof. I heard it before we even got up there to see. I knew what deep spacers sounded like when they came in to land.

  There was a constant low rumble like thunder. It wasn’t as good a view as our last place but we could see what was happening. Massive dark shapes were dropping down into the desert. They were bombing the crap out of the crashed ship, surrounding it.

  Klaxons were going off all over the city. I could see the Earth troops pulling back, abandoning the loose cordon they’d been guarding.

  Peanut was up there.

  He looked over. “You okay?”

  I shrugged. “What’s going on?”

  He was holding field glasses. “Winter,” he said and handed them to me.

  I took a look, heart sinking into my stomach. “It’s UM.” I recognised the silhouettes of the gunships and drop ships as United Metals even this far off.

  Calum and his cronies were whooping and waving their stupid rifles in the air.

  I felt sick. The last time the Wintrans were on Kheris in force had been eight years ago when they’d abandoned the KRM rather than risk a direct military confrontation with the Empire.

  “This is what we need,” Calum yelled and laughed. He turned and stared at me. “The stinking Earth forces won’t know what’s going to hit them next.” He whooped again and ran off, Bram and their buddies following, fists pumping and hollering.

  It wasn’t right. That wasn’t the way we were supposed to be.

  We sat there, watching the sun drop and the full might of the Wintran militia descend on our desert.

  “This is not what we need,” Peanut said quietly. “What does he think is going to happen? UM will run the Empire off the planet and hand the keys to Dayton? I don’t think so.”

  Freddie climbed up onto the parapet. “UM wouldn’t do that to their own, would they?” she said. I already said, didn’t I, that she was old beyond her years? Way more switched on than Calum. She glanced back at me. “Didn’t you reckon it was Aries?”

  I shrugged. Whatever it was, UM must have thought there was something in there worth fighting for.

  “Do you think they’ll turn on the city?” Freddie had only been two when it had happened. She didn’t really remember it but she’d heard enough to be scared.

  I couldn’t answer.

  Peanut stood up. He was rubbing his arm. “Freddie, you’re supposed to be on watch,” he said, almost distractedly. “Get yourself back to the door and take the others inside with you.”

  She scowled but she didn’t argue.

  I drew my legs up and hugged my arms around my knees, resting my chin down and staring out at the onslaught, trying to shut it out and not fall back to that night.

  “They won’t,” Peanut said when it was just us left there on the roof. He looked back down at me.
“Luka, listen to me, they won’t.” He nodded back towards the desert. “They’re here for that.”

  I sucked in a deep breath and stood up. “I’m going to stay with Latia. Calum’s an idiot. You want to come with me?”

  He nodded. “In the morning. I’ve got some experiments running but they should be done by then. You want to see?”

  Peanut’s experiments were always cool.

  “I’m trying to crack whatever it is jamming comms,” he said. “I thought I had it. I reckon a couple more hours. You get anything juicy from the garrison?”

  I stuck my hands in my pockets. I’d forgotten about the stuff I’d grabbed. I held them out to him. He declined the gum but his eyes lit up at the key and the credit stick.

  “Nice,” he said. “Come on. Screw Calum. We’ll be gone in the morning. We’ll set up a new gang, you and me. We’ll take the little ones. Freddie’ll come with us. The rest can decide if they want to stay and play games with the big boys.”

  Like it could ever have been that easy.

  Chapter 12

  I followed Peanut down into a dingy room he’d set up as a workshop. He must have brought a load of kit from the space port. He waved his hand towards a tatty sofa.

  “Make yourself at home,” he said, settling himself at a table strewn with tools and gizmos. He tossed my latest haul onto the pile and picked up a screwdriver.

  I sprawled on the sofa. It was musty as hell but I was about done, ribs aching and a headache pulling at the base of my skull. I pressed the cloth against my eye and stretched out.

  “You shouldn’t antagonise them,” Peanut said as he worked.

  “I don’t try to.” I shifted my weight but couldn’t get comfortable. “I don’t know why they hate me.” That wasn’t totally true.

  Peanut laughed. “Because you’re too good at what you do. And because Maisie likes you. That’s why Calum hates you.”

  My stomach flipped just at the way he said that. It should have been funny but I was too sore to think about it. I couldn’t believe I’d let myself be hijacked by brainless thugs like Bram and his cronies.

  I flung my arm over my eyes.

  “How is she?” Peanut said, more seriously.

  “Maisie? She’s fine. She won’t let them give her any stick. She said they’re going to hit the outposts, take back the mines.”

  He snorted. “It’ll be a lot of noise, a lot of alpaca shit and not much else.”

  I wasn’t so sure. “Do you think UM will stay?”

  “You mean will they throw in with Dayton and take over the colony? No way. There’s nothing here for them. I told you, it’s not going to be like it was.”

  There was a noise at the door.

  “Like what was?” Calum said, striding in like he owned the place.

  I sat up.

  Peanut didn’t look up.

  I couldn’t resist. “Like kindergarten was when we used to fight over who got to play in the sand pit.”

  Calum didn’t look impressed. He swept up a couple of gizmos off the table and kicked my legs as he walked past. “What are you two numbskulls talking about? Like what was?”

  “Like it was eight years ago,” Peanut said, blunt.

  Calum swore and tossed the gizmos back onto the table. “Christ, don’t you two ever let up on that?” He pulled a handgun out of the back of his waistband and banged it down in front of Peanut. “This is shit,” he said. “It keeps jamming. Quit screwing around with whatever you’re messing with and fix it.” He shoved it forward and turned on me. “And you…” He pointed at me. I’d never noticed before but he had a tick over his eye. He glowered at me. “Stay away from my brother. You lay another finger on him and I’ll break your legs. You hear?”

  There are times when you need to jump up and fight your corner and there are times when you just have to shrug off the crap and save it for another day.

  My head was aching. I saved it.

  He didn’t like that I didn’t bite and he took a step forward but one of his cronies stuck his head around the door and said, “Calum, Dayton wants to see you.”

  Calum smirked. “Dayton wants to see me,” he said, like that set me in my place. He walked away, tossing in a throwaway, “Get your ass into the middlings’ room, Luka,” as he walked out.

  The door slammed shut behind him.

  Peanut swore again and shoved the gun out of his way. “Keeps jamming? All handguns on Kheris jam. What does he expect in this dust?”

  I didn’t care. I didn’t like the guns and I didn’t like the dingy basement. My stomach felt cold and it had nothing to do with the pounding I’d taken. “I can’t stay here,” I said.

  “None of us should stay here,” Peanut said. “Give me a couple of hours. This won’t take long.”

  I was almost dozing off when Peanut cursed, low and intense like he always did when he had something cool. I opened one eye.

  “I knew it,” he muttered, hunched low over some kind of panel, turning dials and working a board. “It’s not electronic.”

  “What isn’t?”

  “Whatever it is that’s blocking out all our comms. It’s not electronic. It’s coming from that ship out there. It’s some kind of energy but it’s pulsing like nothing I’ve ever seen…” He tweaked a control. Sparks flew and the machine screamed. Peanut flinched away, darting his hand in to flick it off. “Jesus.”

  I pinched the top of my nose, headache spiking. “Does Aries have stuff like that?”

  “Never heard of anything like it.”

  He started muttering to himself, peering at the board and plugging more gadgets into the panel. I wish now I’d taken more notice of what he’d been doing that night. It’s not often I ever regret anything. Live for the moment. That’s what that night eight years before all that had shown me. Etched into my soul. Live for now. There might not be a tomorrow. But what Peanut had been so close to that night… it could have changed everything. It could have changed the outcome of the war. But as it happened, we never had the chance. People suck and nothing sucks worse than someone thinking the worst of you for no reason other than jealousy or insecurity or whatever the hell it was, and that night, I found out how much it sucked.

  I didn’t mean to sleep but I must have because I woke to shouting. It was Peanut I could hear protesting, swearing, and as I moved to sit up, rubbing a hand across my face, someone pulled off the blanket Peanut must have thrown over me and grabbed my arm.

  One of Calum’s buddies.

  I shrugged him off and scrambled backwards, hitting my head against the low wall.

  There was more shouting. Eventually someone yelled for quiet and everyone seemed to look at me.

  I stared back, not sure who was on my side any more.

  “Calum wants to see you,” someone said sullenly.

  It was like being summoned to see Dayton.

  I wanted to tell them to go screw themselves and almost grabbed the blanket to pull it back over my head but the way some of the little ones were looking at me, never mind Peanut, made me take a slow intake of breath and say, “Fine, he just needed to ask.”

  They made way for me. I followed one of them through dark rooms, lanterns flickering in corners, stashes of crates and boxes I’d never seen before. Some were labelled rations, some with numbers that looked like it could have denoted ammunition, most of them anonymous, sealed. They could have been anything. Dayton had never given us that much before. Anything I’d been paid had been scraps, just enough to keep us going back for more. It didn’t feel right. As if some deal had been done and it wasn’t just that I’d had no part in it that made me feel queasy.

  The kid leading the way was wearing a gun in a holster on his hip. He touched it now and then as if he wanted to reassure himself it was still there. It was ridiculous. We’d never carried weapons. They wouldn’t have a clue how to fire straight if they tried. I should have seen then what was going on. And I should have run a mile.

  Eventually we came to a door that was
being guarded by Calum’s best buddy, standing there with a rifle in his arms. I almost laughed. I think I might have done because someone slapped me on the back of the head and they pushed me through the doorway.

  Calum was sitting at the far end of a table like he was lording over it in his own private war room.

  “Luka,” he said.

  “You the big boss now, Calum?” I said. “This is all shit. You do know that, don’t you?”

  He regarded me as if he was pondering some immense decision.

  “Your soldier buddy is looking for you,” he said, finally. Derisive. “He’s leaving messages everywhere. He wants to see you.”

  “Why?”

  “Why the hell should I know? You’d best get out there and see what they want.”

  I stared back at him.

  “West outpost,” he said. “Get your ass out there. See what the Earth boys want. Now scram.”

  He said it the same way Dayton’s guys said it and he laughed.

  I walked out, my skin crawling.

  I’m sure you know this, but as much as being smart is cool, it makes dumb people scared of you and petty people paranoid. My problem was, I couldn’t hide it. I couldn’t help speaking out or doing stuff. From as early as I could remember, Latia always warned me against showing off and I swear, it was never that. I couldn’t help it. I loved doing things when I didn’t know if I could or not. It was always a higher wall, a tougher climb, a more insane jump, a trickier lock. The other kids didn’t get it. They got scared and ran from what made them afraid. I ran to it. Headlong. Because that’s the only way I had to keep the nightmares at bay. If that’s what made Calum hate me, fine, I wasn’t going to change. I just needed to get away.

  Calum and his crowd shouted stuff to my back but I didn’t stop. I kept walking and worked my way out. I went and found Peanut, sidled up close and slipped the knotted bracelet off my wrist. “If I’m not back in three hours,” I said quietly, “take this to Latia and tell her I’m sorry.” She’d know I’d never take it off unless something was wrong. I just had a bad feeling about all this.