by Sarah Noffke
“I’m afraid not,” said Hatch, turning the dial and changing the green light to a red one. “This came from the Q-Ship, so the range is built in. I’d have to create an entirely separate device, which would take longer than we have.”
“So,” said Lance, who had been carefully observing all of this in silence. “It seems you two will have to keep some distance.”
“Three meters,” said Hatch. “You go outside of that and they’ll see you.”
“It’s not ideal, but it’s better than the alternative,” said Julianna.
Lance looked at Eddie. “Can you work with this, Captain?”
“Of course,” said Eddie. He walked over to Hatch, letting out his palm. The mechanic handed him the box, and Eddie stared down and studied it for a moment before finally turning the dial. “We’ll be in and out with the bombs charged and set before anyone down there is the wiser.”
“Just don’t get close to anyone,” cautioned Hatch.
“Not to worry,” assured Eddie. “They won’t even know we were there.”
Lance nodded. “We’ll form a gate and be there in a few hours, so long as you two are ready.”
“We’re good to go,” said Julianna. “Right, Teach?”
Eddie gave the device back to Hatch. “Hell, I’m ready to go right now. You kidding?”
“I love the enthusiasm,” said Lance, smiling. “Motivation is key to a successful operation.”
“That and kicking ass,” said Eddie. “Which, I assure you, I’m ready and willing to do.”
Loading Dock 01, QBS ArchAngel, en route to Seolus system.
“How long before we arrive?” asked Eddie, his flight helmet under his arm, fully geared.
“Fifteen minutes, last I checked,” said Julianna. She was already dressed, her helmet sealed.
They both wore their black combat suits, ready for the job. The difference now was that Eddie’s belt had a small box on it with one of the most powerful pieces of technology known to man: an Aetherian crystal. He couldn’t help but glance down at it every few minutes. Hatch had given him a lengthy speech about how expensive and rare the crystal inside of the box was, which made Eddie more nervous than he expected. Despite the oncoming mission he was about to undertake, he was actually more concerned with misplacing the cloak than getting shot.
The screen on the wall near the Q-Ship lit up, revealing the face of ArchAngel. “Greetings. Is there anything I can do for you two before we arrive?”
“Just keep the engines running for us,” said Julianna. “We’ll try to hurry back.”
“Understood,” said the A.I.
“ArchAngel, where are you parking this rig?” asked Eddie.
“On the opposite side of the star from the planet Exa. Between the cloak and the solar radiation, we should be shielded from any known sensors the outpost has in their possession.”
“Good to know,” he responded, lifting his helmet and placing it over his head. With a quick turn, it locked into place. “All set.”
Julianna nodded. “We’ll be landing there under the cover of night. It won’t do much, but the patrols should be lower than normal.”
“Even better,” grinned Eddie. He grabbed hold of the Q-Ship’s handhold and boosted himself up, into the opening, and slid inside.
Julianna followed, and took her position in the co-pilot seat. “Performing pre-flight check.”
Eddie reached beside him and took the rifle in his hand, then proceeded to check it over. After some quick consideration, he returned it.
“What’s wrong?” asked Julianna. “Your rifle okay?”
Eddie took his pistol next to the rifle and holstered it on his side. “I’m going with the handgun on this one. Better for the job. You bring yours and back me up if things go south, but I’ll need my hands free to handle the explosives and the cloak.”
“Understood,” she said, tapping the butt of her rifle, which was sitting next to her.
The ArchAngel came out of the gate a few seconds later, cloaking immediately. “All clear,” announced Pip over the comm inside the helmet. “You’re both good to go.”
“We’ll see you when we return, Pip,” said Julianna.
“Didn’t Hatch tell you?” asked the E.I. “He upgraded the system on this ship so I could interface during your missions.”
Eddie blinked. “When the hell did he have time to do that?”
“As I understand it, he simply replaced the data-drive with the one from the other Q-Ship,” said Pip.
“So does that mean the second ship doesn’t have one anymore?”
“Affirmative,” said Pip. “But I believe he’s working on a workaround.”
“Regardless, that’s great news,” said Julianna, smiling a little.
“Most certainly,” agreed Pip.
“Okay, you two, enough bonding. Let’s kick some alien ass,” said Eddie, gripping the controls.
The Q-Ship lifted off the deck, hovering into position. Eddie ignited the thrusters and took them through the shield, entering open space. Behind them, the cargo bay sat floating in darkness, the rest of the ship shrouded in cloak.
The thrusters hit their second burst, pushing the ship into full speed. Eddie brought the Q-Ship around the star, a dying white dwarf. He was finally used to the controls, letting himself relax as he cruised towards the first planet, a largely empty rock no bigger than a fat class-3 moon.
The Q-Ship was already cloaked and ready to enter Exa’s orbit. Exa was the second planet in a string of three. This system, aside from its galactic position as it related to Federation space, would typically be of little interest. Exa itself was barely habitable. The atmosphere around the bulk of the planet was too thin for habitation, excluding a handful of adaptable species. The only exception to this was around the equator, which had a balanced temperature as well as clean air. This was also their current destination.
The Q-Ship approached Exa, fully cloaked, and dropped to a slow cruising speed as it entered the atmosphere. It wouldn’t be long now.
Kezzin Battlebase 44, Planet Exa, Seolus system.
The Kezzin base on Exa was silent and still. A soft breeze from the nearby valley blew through the window of the quiet room as the Kezzin called Lars Malseen lay in his bunk, counting the stars.
He couldn’t sleep, but what else was new? Ever since he arrived on this gods-forsaken planet, he’d wanted to leave. He’d wanted to go home.
Lars released a long sigh. Oh, how he missed Kezza. His homeworld felt so far away. He was stuck here on this rock, separated from his Kezzin friends and family, forced to work with these pirates and criminals.
All because of a debt.
Lars could still remember it, the day they had come for his brother. The pirates owned the colony his family lived on and they expected their payment for “protection.” When his brother couldn’t meet the demand, the soldiers had come to conscript him. The poor farmer couldn’t leave his family behind, though. He was a father and a husband, and he was needed, but if he didn’t leave, the farm would be destroyed.
Lars couldn’t let that happen, not to the only family he had left. Not to his brother, his nieces, his nephews.
He offered himself and the pirates accepted. Blood-for-blood had always been the Kezzin way, to exchange one life for another. It was a fair trade.
Now, he was here, stuck in this place, watching foreign stars through stone-rimmed windows, longing to be elsewhere.
Lars had no love for these people. He only wanted to see his family again, to keep them safe. If only the Brotherhood wasn’t so powerful, so corrupt, perhaps he could find another way. Perhaps he could save them.
But such a life was far beyond his means. He was a cog in the machine, an insect beneath the boot.
Lars took a long breath, closing his eyes.
As he did, a cough forced him awake. He looked to the side of the room to see a soldier entering. It was Chan, returned from his rounds. “What a boring night,” muttered the large pirate,
his metal armor clanking as he shuffled to his own bunk.
Lars watched as he plopped down on the side of his bed, opposite Lars, and began taking off his boots and leg-guards. “Welcome back.”
Chan raised his head, apparently not realizing he’d woken Lars. “Hm? What are you awake for, Malseen?”
“Nothing,” said Lars, turning on his back.
“You’d better sleep if you know what’s good for you. Your shift is in an hour, ain’t it?”
“Sure,” said Lars.
“They catch you sleeping on the job and you’ll lose a hand, you know.” Chan removed his chest-piece. “Lazy asshole.”
Lars took a deep breath, trying to shut Chan out as best he could. The moonlight beamed in through the open window, shining against the nearby wall adjacent to his bunk. He stared at it, wide awake. The soft glow of silver light reminded him of something familiar, a night he once spent in the forest when he was young with his brother.
He tried to imagine his brother’s face right now. He hoped with all his will that the man whose place he’d taken was, perhaps, out in those same woods, spending time with his own children. If fate was merciful, if the gods themselves were kind, then such a scene would become reality.
Chan began to snore, his throat flapping so loud it was almost too hard to believe. After months of being stationed here, Lars was used to such things, but he still loathed them.
No matter.
Lars stared at the light on the wall as his eyes began to close, and he felt his whole body grow more relaxed. Rest now, he felt it say. Time to sleep.
But as his focus dipped from the wall, the light stirred a bit, flickering in a way that gave him pause. Lars felt himself tense up, surprised at the distortion. Was he so tired that his senses were playing tricks? Did he need to rest so badly?
Another break in the light, like something was interrupting it. Lars leaned up on his shoulder, then turned around to face the window. Could it be a bird? Perhaps a cloud passing overhead. Or maybe…
The light of the moon shined with such brightness that it made him squint, but he kept his eyes fixed.
That was when he saw it. A distorted shadow against the celestial light. A faded blur that wasn’t there. Lars had spent many years as a tracker, living in the wilds of Kezza. His eyes were stronger, more refined than most, and so he knew better than to ignore what he was seeing. He knew there was more to the moon tonight.
Lars twisted around on his bed, all the while keeping his eyes on the shadow in the night, the distant, foreign thing that shouldn’t be…
And then, without a word to his roommate, he got to his feet and went outside.
An Empty Field Near Kezzin Battlebase 44, Planet Exa, Seolus system.
The Q-Ship entered a darkened sky, countless stars behind it. The base was currently experiencing the middle of the night, the eighteenth hour in Exa’s twenty-hour cycle. There would be plenty of time before dawn to get the job done.
Eddie brought the ship down, hovering momentarily before releasing the landing gear, and setting the Q-Ship gently on the ground. They were in a small field just north of the base, half a klick out, or a slow ten-minute walk. He decided to bring them in close since they had to carry the explosives.
Eddie wasn’t a fan of moving slowly, preferring the faster route when it came to it, but he also understood that certain situations often called for some restraint. In this case, a hundred pounds of explosive death hoisted on his back as he and Julianna stayed quiet and invisible, avoiding several-hundred armed soldiers in the process. It wasn’t the easiest task in the universe, but he could do it.
“Ready?” asked Julianna as the two prepared to leave the cloaked ship.
Eddie slid his thumbs behind each of the straps around his chest, feeling the weight of the bombs he was carrying. He was pretty sure he had enough explosives to blow up the whole goddamn world if he wanted to. “I’m ready to kick some ass. You?”
She already had her own pack on, having a far easier time with the weight. She grinned, raising her rifle. “In and out before they know what hit them.”
“Right, then.” Eddie turned the knob on his belt. “Time to kill us some bad guys.”
The enemy outpost wasn’t far. Eddie could already see several lights in the distance. As they drew closer, it became apparent that these were from the base’s many rooms. As expected, the residents were not entirely asleep, despite the late hour, nor should they be. Any reasonable military stronghold would be operating at all hours, with around-the-clock shifts. But as everyone knew, the late-night crew was always the thinnest. Eddie was happy to see that applied to Kezzin every bit as much as it did to humans.
Eddie and Julianna moved silently in the night, invisible to any guards who might be watching. They crept through a small forest and approached the side of the base’s western wall, crossing another field to reach it. Near them, five sentry towers stood, sporting guns and lights to scan for intruders. No doubt, this place was hardwired with scanners of all kinds, old and new. Lucky for Eddie, the cloaking device he was carrying on his belt worked against all of them.
Julianna stayed less than a meter away from him at all times, never moving too fast or too slow. When they were finally close enough to the wall, but still walking, she withdrew the first of the explosives and began prepping it.
Eddie said nothing during this, nor did he need to. The woman knew what she was doing. She was a pro, after all, and the cloak didn’t stop sound from escaping. If they talked or made noise, they could be discovered, despite Hatch’s technological marvel.
The base was large, but not as intimidating as he had expected. It looked as though it had been thrown together overnight, like there was no history to it, no soul. Structures like this were often the result of ARCs (Automated Redistribution Construction), where a series of robotic drones would build something overnight, depending on the specifications. ARCs were expensive and hard to come by outside of Federation space, so it was curious to see one here in the hands of a group of pirates. Eddie would have to ask ArchAngel about this later.
Eddie motioned silently with his hand as the two reached the large wall. Julianna had, by this point, already assembled the first explosive. All she needed to do was flip a small switch to prime the device. Once they had about a dozen of these in place, they’d leave and detonate them all at once.
Julianna set the bomb on the soft ground, right up against the wall. She covered it with some nearby dirt and leaves, hiding the bulk of it. Once she was ready, they proceeded farther down the wall to the next location.
After the second drop, as they were walking to the third, Julianna paused, touching Eddie’s shoulder. He looked at her, curiously, and she put her finger to her lips and then pointed up. Her enhanced eyes were far more acute than his own, but he could still make out a shadow moving along the wall. A guard, no doubt, making his patrol.
When the figure was gone, moved on to some other post, the two continued to their next point of interest, followed by the next. Before the hour was through, they managed to plant six bombs along the western and northern walls, all without saying a word or getting spotted.
So far so good.
Chapter Thirteen
Kezzin Battlebase 44, Planet Exa, Seolus system.
Lars felt the wind against his thick scales, cold as it was, and observed the field beyond the walls. The tall grass danced as the gust blew through, giving movement to the greenery. He longed for this, more than metal or stone, more than anything in all the galaxy. A soft and natural splendor that only existed in the wilds.
The wind settled soon, and Lars leaned against the artificial stone at the top of the wall, accepting that tonight he would not sleep. His mind was far too busy… overflowing with memories and nostalgia.
That was fine, he decided. Sometimes it was better to be alive than asleep. Maybe the soul needed moments like this, filled with quiet reflection.
Lars took a breath, watching the moonlight sweep acr
oss the field. He’d come out here to investigate the strange shadow he saw from his window, but now decided it was nothing. Perhaps his mind had played a trick on him. A way to get him out of bed.
The other soldiers were still patrolling, but nowhere near him. Two were stationed at each at corner of the facility, but the bulk of the base had video feed for surveillance. If anything actually had been out here, surely the cameras would have caught it and the entire base would’ve been alerted.
He licked his hard lips, debating, as he often did on nights like this, how he could possibly rid himself of this accursed life and return to his old one.
Lars pushed the thought out of his mind, focusing on the field and trying to forget. As he did, the grass moved again, no doubt from yet another gust of wind. He ignored it, turning back towards the base, wondering how long he had before his shift.
He heard a snap behind him, like a twig breaking, and he instinctively turned and found nothing. This planet was largely devoid of animals, but it had its share of insects and foliage. Had his mind played another trick on him?
Was he so sleep-deprived that he was hearing and seeing things? If so, it would have been a first. Lars had always been able to rely on his senses. Perhaps it was due to all his time spent tracking and camping in the wilds of Kezza, or maybe it was a natural gift. He couldn’t say, but he could only hope that—
A light snap echoed near the base of the wall. Lars glanced over the side of the stone, but saw nothing. Another phantom sound? No… his instinct told him there was more to this. He stared at the dirt and mud beneath the wall, watching with focused eyes.
That was when he saw it.
The dirt compressed, forming an outline. A footprint, he realized, fresh and newly defined. Lars dropped his mouth and, without realizing it, leaned closer to the edge of the wall. What in the gods’ names could this be?
Another boot print formed in the mud, followed by a third. As Lars observed them, more appeared in the same direction. It was as though a ghost was moving before him, traveling the border of the wall.
