*
“Elliott,” a voice called to him, as he summoned the lift to take him back down.
He looked around to see Sima Mandeep striding towards him.
“Excuse me; I mean, Commodore,” she corrected herself, as she caught up with him. “I just wanted to say that I intend on joining you at Mythos with Grendel’s Mother, as soon as possible.”
Parks couldn’t help but smile. The lift pinged, the doors slid open. He stepped into the car and turned back around to face Mandeep. “Thank you, Commodore. I appreciate your support.”
The smile returned to Mandeep’s own face. “I will always be there to support you, Elliott.”
Parks returned the salute she made, before the lift sealed its doors and began its rapid descent to the ground. As it fell, Parks was sure that he had noted a twinkle in Mandeep’s eye and, for just a moment, all his troubles were forgotten, and the many obstacles that still lay before him seemed a lot less daunting.
VI
— Crimson Sands —
An excerpt from A GIFT FROM THE GODS by Kelly Taylor
Thursday, 18th December 2617
With its near-perfect golden sands and crystal clear waters, Orca Beach was New Malaga’s most popular seaside destination. A haven for sun worshippers and surfers alike, bronzed bodies would pack its one-and-a-half kilometre length all year round. Music would pump from the speakers of bars running along the promenade. Frisbees would fly and volleyballs would be exchanged over tall nets. Friends and families would bring barbecues, for cooking chicken, sausages, burgers and corn-on-the-cob, all served alongside large bowls of salad and buttered rolls. Infants with water wings would play in rock pools, use buckets and spades to build little sandcastles, and scour the area in search of hermit crabs and starfish. It was the perfect holiday destination, one that many would never forget, and the sort that I was certain I would have enjoyed under other circumstances.
I emerged from the sea, coughing and spluttering out the salty water I had swallowed during my swim. I pulled myself up and, on wobbly legs, staggered the final few metres up the shore, where I finally collapsed down onto the sand, totally bereft of all strength. I remember panting heavily, rolling onto my back and listening to the sounds of exhausted voices, splashing, and the gentle lapping of waves that filled this small area of one of Mythos’ most luxurious beaches.
As I lay there a shape had cast a shadow over me, blocking out the sun for a moment. It shortly moved away and sank down next to me. I looked over to see Enrique assume a similar position to myself, his throat rasping terribly with each breath he took. I glanced down the beach to where I could see the many drenched forms of commissioned Confederation officers, wading out of the water. They too flopped down onto the warm sand, unable to go any further. Many lay panting and unmoving on the beach following the exhausting swim, glad to be back on dry land. Enrique and I remained side by side for several minutes, neither of us speaking, instead just watching and listening as people helped one another out of the water.
I had ditched my sled not all that far from the shore and flung the canopy open as soon as I could. Tens of litres of water had instantly poured in, and Harris and I had unbuckled ourselves from our seats, swimming quickly up to the surface of the ocean. As I had expected, the sled had begun sinking the very moment it had hit the water and I knew that if I’d left it too late to evacuate, we would soon have sunk too deep to easily make it out. Even so, exiting the craft hadn’t been as straight forward as I had originally envisioned. The initial invasion of water had forced me back into my seat and threatened to squeeze all the precious air from my lungs. Though the forceful torrent had lasted only a few seconds, the sled had descended several metres before I was able to swim freely.
Lungs bursting, I had reached the surface in time to see the burning form of Ifrit pass overhead. It was a sight that I still recall quite vividly. I had remained where I was for some time, treading water, able to do little else but watch as it hurtled through the sky. It came down a long way out, towards the horizon. Despite the distance, its smoke trail diminished little and the impact of its entry into the ocean was anything but unnoticeable.
A voice had cried out to me. I looked about to see a sandy-haired man, not far from me, bobbing in the water. Enrique. Maybe somewhat understandably, I had forgotten all about him as I had watched Ifrit’s descent into the ocean. I swum quickly over to him, giving him a hurried, awkward embrace in the water.
He asked me if I knew it was him in the sled above me, as we had prepared to put down. I had, and I told him so. The moment the other sled had dipped into my view, so close to me, I was certain it was Enrique who was piloting the craft. I’m not sure how he knew it was me, nor how I knew it was him. Maybe he had recognised my flight style, or perhaps he had subconsciously kept eyes on me the whole way down. We’ve never really been able to explain it. I like to think that our bond was that strong that he just knew. Whatever it was, I was glad to see him safe, alive and well.
We had proceeded to swim to shore – a long, exhausting journey that had taken what felt like hours. We had eventually made it back to dry land, where we gratefully collapsed onto the sand.
*
“I never ever want to go through that again,” Enrique said, pulling himself up into a sitting position. “I can’t believe how out of shape I am.”
“It wasn’t an insignificant distance,” Kelly managed after a while. The shore had been so distant when they had started. How far out had they come down? One, maybe two miles? Surely not that far. It felt like it, though.
“Let’s just be glad we didn’t come down in the middle of winter,” Enrique said. “Or even Tigibel or another one of those ice planets. We’d probably have died of hypothermia within minutes.”
“Mmmm,” Kelly agreed.
“Here, maybe just heat stroke.”
“Thanks, Enrique,” Kelly said. Her mind ticked over as she waited for strength to return. The image of the fiery form of Ifrit was emblazoned on her retinas. She wondered just how many of the crew had managed to evacuate the carrier before it had come down. She couldn’t begin to imagine how 9,500-odd people could have fled before it hit the water. Certainly, the number of sleds she had seen in the skies and the bodies bobbing in the water didn’t account for nearly that many. Even so, she wasn’t sure whether or not the ship had been travelling with a full complement. She hoped not.
She lay where she was for a little longer, then sat up next to Enrique. She began to scan the beach, shielding her eyes against the glare of the sun. It was only then that she noted the carnage that surrounded them. The usually golden sand was splattered with cherry-red hues of blood. Short, jittery trails led up to the bodies of those who had been attempting to flee from whatever had happened. Beach towels, toys and parasols were scattered not far from their owners.
Despite her weariness, Kelly felt a sudden, overwhelming compulsion to get away from the beach as soon as possible. Her eyes hunted around the former crew of Ifrit. “Can you see Estelle?”
“No,” Enrique breathed. “She might still be out there somewhere,” he added, nodding towards the ocean where the colours of Confederation uniforms could be seen drawing closer, limbs propelling them through the water.
Despite the length of the swim, Kelly thought it lucky that they had ditched as close to the shore as they had. The same couldn’t be said for others whom she could see struggling to make it there, the swim required of them no doubt sapping every last morsel of their strength. She turned to scan the beach once more and gave a start. Two sleds lay in close proximity, the first a complete wreck, the body heavily dented, the canopy shattered and the wings broken. Its passengers, appearing to be a man and a woman, sat slumped in the seats, their faces terribly blooded. Neither of them were moving, though despite the apparent severity of their injuries it was possible they were still alive. The same, however, certainly couldn’t be said of the occupants of the second sled. The craft’s engines had exploded, the entir
e vessel blackened, fires burning all about it. Charred people-like shapes were visible within.
“Enrique!” Kelly cried, not turning away from where the two sleds had come down.
“It’s not them,” Enrique answered. “It’s definitely not Chaz or Estelle; and I would recognise Dodds from here.”
Kelly nodded, a sense of guilt intermixing with the relief she felt. She only hoped that the four unfortunate evacuees had died quickly and none were lying there in pain. She knew she should help, but the overriding compulsion to find the other three Knights and escape the beach was too strong. She watched as some of those who had managed to recover their strength ran up the beach towards the shattered sled and started to pull the two less-injured passengers from the wreckage. Their bodies were limp. It looked as though one of the man’s arms was covered in blood. Either he were unconscious or already dead. Two of the rescuers carried the passenger a short distance away and began to perform CPR. Some others looked as though they were struggling with whether or not to approach the blackened sled, in case it should explode whilst they were in the vicinity.
Kelly looked back out across the sea, remembering how she had unbuckled herself from the seat just before the torrent of water had hit her. She couldn’t help but wonder how many had managed to make it off Ifrit, survive re-entry and successfully guide themselves to the beach, only to drown when their sled hit the water, the passengers either unable to reach the surface before their lungs gave out, or the sled taking them down with it, refusing to let them blow the canopy. She still couldn’t see Estelle, Dodds, or Chaz. Could they have … She shook the thoughts from her head. There were survivors in need of assistance.
“We should help them,” Kelly said, at last getting to her feet and preparing to aid those who were wading into the water, to pull others out. Enrique agreed and the two started down the beach. As they worked to haul two women out, another sled hit the water, one of the many late arrivals who had managed to glide the capsule into a gentle descent. The splash was followed a few moments later by the appearance of two bodies, who bobbed for a while before starting to make their way towards the shore. It didn’t seem like either of them was Estelle, Chaz or Dodds.
“Do you think those still work?” Kelly asked, nodding to the plasma pistols that lay in the sand where the two had left them.
“No, red light’s on,” Enrique said. “If we try and use them, they might short out. I think they’ll be useless until they dry properly. I’m surprised they survived the swim at all, to be honest.”
“He’s right,” a voice pitched in. “Don’t try and fire them in that state, otherwise they could explode and take your hand off. I really should’ve found you a waterproofing pack for them.”
Kelly turned to the man who had spoken, discovering that the voice belonged to an exhausted Cole. He was grimacing as he walked up beside them, and clutched gingerly at his side. “Are you okay?” she said, her eyes inspecting the bullet wound that appeared to still be weeping.
“Fine,” Cole waved her away. “Although I’m still not convinced that sea water is the best thing for this sort of injury, not based on the way its beating me up like this.” He looked past them for a moment. “Where are the other three? Have you seen any sign of de Winter, Koonan, or the other one at all?”
The other one must’ve meant Dodds. “We don’t know,” Kelly said. “We thought they would have arrived by now.”
“Then I hope to God they put in an appearance soon. It’s not wise for any of us to be hanging around in the open like this, even less so totally unarmed.”
Kelly followed his eyes to the city behind them. There the skies were turning black with the plumes of smoke that continued to drift up from the burning buildings.
Cries suddenly went up across the small beach area where Ifrit’s survivors were congregating. Kelly first looked over to those who were shouting and then up the beach to the promenade, where what looked like a number of rectangular six-wheeled vehicles had appeared. They looked like armoured personnel carriers. More could be seen pulling up, nosing themselves between and behind those that had arrived ahead of them. Even before they had come to a complete halt, the rear doors folded down. Kelly caught her breath as an ominous sound of metal striking concrete seemed to reverberate impossibly within the beach’s wide, open space.
An instant later, tens of tall figures began to spill from the newly arrived vehicles. Twice as many ruby-red eyes fell upon Ifrit’s survivors; strange voices filled the air; rifles glinted in the sun; digital counters flashed brightly.
“Run!” a voice came.
Despite the advice, Kelly’s legs didn’t move.
More soldiers appeared. They came pouring onto the upper beach, darting between the vehicles that clotted the seaside walkway. There were more soldiers than Kelly dared to count. A roar came from the sky above, and several white and black shapes whipped overhead, racing down the beach and over the water, before slowing and looping around.
“Go! Run! Now!” the voice came again.
Kelly felt a hand grip her forearm tight.
“Kelly!” Enrique said as she turned to him. “We have to go! Now!”
Kelly glanced back at the shapes hovering over the sea. Skybikes! Low-level aerial vehicles. Several of them now circled over the beach, a black-suited rider sat atop each one.
“Kelly!” Enrique tugged her.
There came the sound of plasma pistol fire. A number of small bolts sped their way from the lower beach towards the cluster of soldiers at the top. Several zinged unhindered past the gathering. One found a target, striking its victim on the arm. The soldier cried out in pain and grasped at the wound, before falling back for cover.
Seconds later, the soldiers dominating the promenade opened up.
“Run! Damn you! RUN!” It was Cole. It had been he who had been urging them along all that time. “Find some cover!”
“Whe—” Kelly began.
“GO!”
At last, Kelly felt her legs move, not stopping to permit her to collect the wet pistols that lay directly in her path. Both she and Enrique began sprinting as best they could across the sands, their feet sinking down and slipping. She had no idea where they were going, and though she knew it would slow her, she couldn’t help but look back.
Along the lower beach, Ifrit’s escapees were diving down onto the sand, returning fire with whatever weapons they happened to have on them. Some were using plasma and lasers guns, others attempting to work more conventional armaments. Aside from a few that had managed to find cover behind vehicles that had been parked on the sand by holiday makers, many of the former crew remained exposed and vulnerable. She saw a burst of red from two men stood close to one another, as bullets ripped through them. They jerked and reeled as more puffs of red appeared, before they lost grip on their firearms and dropped down into the sand, becoming quite still.
Others were attempting to flee, looking around desperately for cover of some sort. She caught sight of a man running crouched down towards where she and Enrique had abandoned their weapons. Scooping up one of the pistols, he turned to face the multitude of Imperial soldiers lining the upper beach, and pointed the gun in their direction. Nothing happened. He waved it around, looking as though he was attempting to shake out the excess water, so that he could fire it. A moment later, there was a blinding white hot flash, followed by a large bang. The man fell to his knees, screaming in agony. His hand, and most of his forearm, was missing. It had been blown apart as the pistol had exploded. Kelly felt her stomach flip and she turned away from the scene, resuming the search for a way to escape.
“Through here!” Enrique cried, yanking her in the direction of the palm trees that lined the beach, leading into thicker undergrowth. Still no fire chased them. Seemingly, the Imperial soldiers were more interested in tackling those that were putting up resistance.
As they entered the undergrowth, Kelly heard another loud bang from behind, and looking back over her shoulder she saw a v
an, filled with musical equipment, go up. Two of the three of Ifrit’s former crew members taking cover behind it were thrown backward. They tumbled over and lay crumpled down where they landed. The other was set alight. He screamed as he ran about, trying to extinguish the fire by rolling in the sand. When that failed, he attempted to reach the water, before finally collapsing in a heap, his body continuing to burn. Kelly turned away as the soldiers began to make their way down the beach, advancing upon their targets.
Kelly and Enrique darted swiftly between the trees, glad that no one had yet given chase; none of the soldiers appeared to be heading their way. A short while later, however, Kelly heard a roar from overhead and became aware that they were indeed being pursued. A skybike pulled down low over the trees, the rider pointing in the direction of the two fleeing pilots and shouting to unseen team-mates. His language was as strange and unrecognisable as always. He was close enough to fire, and despite the hindrance of the trees, Kelly knew the soldier on the bike was more than capable of landing an accurate shot.
A sudden thought struck her – they weren’t trying to kill them, they were trying to catch them! Kelly wished she had a weapon to hand, if only to hamper the rider’s signalling of their location and increase her and Enrique’s chances of escape.
“Come on, keep up!” Enrique shouted, as they continued to zigzag through the trees. The ground was uneven and covered with rocks, bracken, shallow roots and other foliage that threatened to trip them up. Neither of the two slipped or fell as they went, but neither were they able to run as fast as they would have liked. Above them, the skybike that marked their progress was joined by another, which sped on ahead of them, anticipating their route.
Enrique changed direction; Kelly followed.
Less than a minute later, she heard the sound of heavy, furious footfall behind her. Hefty, clumping boots were thumping down on the ground, too hard to be coming from other fleeing CSN personnel. She glanced over her shoulder to see how close their pursuers were and instantly regretted it. A great number of black suits were darting between the trees, devouring the distance between her and Enrique at a frightening pace. They were leaping and evading obstacles with great finesse and seemingly practised ease. Some ran with their weapons drawn, though many gave chase with their guns slung over their backs.
The Battle for the Solar System (Complete Trilogy) Page 53
