by Ken Lozito
Kladomaor met Kaylan's gaze squarely, and his voice was unflinching. "Who would Athena listen to—Zack or Hicks? I believe that under these circumstances, the Athena would choose to listen to Zack rather than Hicks, even if he is your second in command."
Kaylan's gaze hardened. "If you think this is easy for me, you're wrong. We have no other choice."
"There’s always a choice. They could withdraw and return here," Kladomaor countered.
"Then Earth will pay the price. You've seen the Alliance—the High Council, the Gresans, the Nershal Global Congress. They’re committed to helping, but they'll wait too long. That’s not a risk I can afford to take, and neither can you," Kaylan said.
Kladomaor found himself leaning forward. "What if Zack fails and they can't disrupt the Xiiginn influence? What then?"
Kaylan's gaze softened and she looked oddly vulnerable at that moment. Kladomaor almost felt sorry for asking the question, but the moment was gone as Kaylan regained her courage.
"It depends on what the Alliance does. Will the Alliance risk Drar technology falling into the Confederation's hands? Will we leave Zack and the others to do this thing on their own, or will we help them? Regardless of which reason we use for engaging the Confederation Armada, our actions will determine what occurs next. The one thing I know is that if that armada leaves the Confederation space station, my home is gone. Beyond that, what do you think the Confederation will do with this armada after it destroys my people? They’d likely hit Nerva next and hunt down anyone who’s known or suspected to be associated with the Alliance. After that, the armada would become a convenient way for the Xiiginns to deal with rebellious species that resist them. So the Alliance doesn't have a choice, regardless of what Zack or I do. All the arguments in the world will not save us from them."
Kladomaor felt Ma'jasalax place her hand on his shoulder and give it a gentle squeeze. He leaned back on the commander's couch and looked at her. "She's right—about everything," Ma'jasalax said.
"And you didn't see this?" Kladomaor asked.
Ma'jasalax seemed to consider her answer for a moment. "Not with the clarity Kaylan just showed."
Kladomaor's mind raced with possibilities as he thought about the path that had brought them to this moment—the path Ma'jasalax had set them all on—but judging by her reaction, even the Mardoxian priestess wasn't all-knowing.
"We need to alert the Alliance," Kaylan said.
"I don't know how they'll react, even knowing all this. I still can't help but wonder what one ship—even the Athena, which has been imbued with Drar technology—is going to do that will make facing the armada not feel like we’re sounding our last battle song. Even if they’re somehow able to figure out a way to disrupt the Xiiginn influence, what good will it do? The Athena is just one ship," Kladomaor said.
Kaylan gave him a long look. "I don't have all the answers, Kladomaor. No one does, but I do know that Zack is aware of all those shortcomings and will work to address them. And he’s not alone. Hicks is with them. So is Etanu and Cardaleer. And there's the Athena. Together they can do what the Boxans couldn't do all those years ago when the Xiiginns first showed their true colors. You can't change the past. All we can do now … all we can control is what we do right now. Because if we succeed, the Xiiginns will be finished."
Kladomaor felt a faint stirring deep in his chest, a yearning to finally be free of this war. The Boxans had fought and had almost forgotten who they were. Perhaps it was time for them all to step out from the shadows and battle the Xiiginns in the light.
Chapter Eighteen
Mar Arden had known he'd be walking into a trap. Kandra Rene's discovery of a secret training facility for Humans with the Mardoxian potential was enough to rouse his suspicions, but what they'd discovered at the site couldn't be ignored. His Human adversaries had relentlessly hunted him and they must have been growing desperate to attempt this, but that hadn’t dissuaded Mar Arden from going to the secret training facility. The Humans had retrieved something of great importance to him, something he'd yearned for for many cycles. He wondered if the Humans understood what they held in their possession or whether they’d do anything differently if they did.
"How could they possess a key to the Star Shroud network?" Kandra Rene asked.
They were using Human ground transportation, which made their journey to the secret training facility longer, but at least they would arrive undetected. With the number of ground transport vehicles traveling, there would be no way the Humans could surmise that Mar Arden was on his way. The lush landscape was momentarily illuminated by the lights of their vehicles as he turned from the window and looked at Kandra Rene. "You're asking the wrong question, my dear."
Kandra Rene’s reply masked her frustration well. "Most of the Tetronian keys are gone or in the possession of the Boxans. So how could the Humans have a key to the Star Shroud network? I doubt the Boxan fleet brought one here."
Mar Arden regarded her for a moment. "I thought you understood how Boxan monitoring stations worked."
Kandra Rene didn't reply and merely waited for him to continue.
"You're right, they don't have a key, but the Star Shroud network is still accessible from a Boxan monitoring station. A communications node was removed from the monitoring station and is here on the planet. If we bring the node with us back to the Confederation space station, we can unlock the Star Shroud network across the galaxy," Mar Arden said with a smirk.
Kandra Rene's violet eyes widened. "You intend to use the node to initiate a check-in, which would grant you access to the system. I should've seen that before."
"You'll get no arguments from me. So, in addition to finding the very best test subject with the Mardoxian trait, we need to find that communications node. That's why I brought most of our soldiers with us," Mar Arden said.
The Xiiginn soldiers hardly reacted to his conversation with Kandra Rene. He always kept his most loyal soldiers with him at all times—especially now—which was a fact that hadn’t gone unnoticed by Kandra Rene or Hoan Berend, for that matter. Mar Arden had convinced the warship commander to remain behind at their encampment—an easy feat because he knew Hoan Berend believed that should they fail at the secret training facility, he would be left with the Mardoxian trait for himself, provided the incubation of the test subject was successful. The warship commander could believe whatever he wanted. Mar Arden had several monitoring devices that would alert him as soon as the incubation period was complete, and the data would be transferred directly to him.
They left the highway and drove toward an old mountain range on the eastern side of the continent. Once they were out of sight, Mar Arden ordered them to go faster. He'd had his soldiers modify these vehicles, which enabled them to reach speeds far beyond their previous capabilities.
"Our diversionary assets are en route as we speak," Kandra Rene said.
"Excellent," Mar Arden replied.
There weren't enough Xiiginns to make an effective assault on the secret training facility, so they’d had to leverage Kandra Rene's Human assets. Those expendable assets would begin their air assault on the training facility just before Mar Arden arrived. His Human adversaries knew they were coming, and Mar Arden decided he wouldn’t bother to try to hide his assault. They'd outfitted the diversionary teams with elite Human military vehicles that should convince the defenders it was the Xiiginns attacking them. Bright flashes of light shone from ahead of them. They were almost to the target.
"Send out our drones to scan for their defenses," Mar Arden said.
The diversionary assets were meant to expose the kind of defenses that were protecting the training facility. One of Mar Arden’s trusted soldiers at the front of the vehicle opened a metallic case and activated the drones. Twelve metallic orbs flew out the open window and sped ahead of them. Kandra Rene brought up a holoscreen that showed the aerial layout of their target. There were several marks that indicated heavy turret locations, as well as the Human soldiers that we
re stationed along the roof. Mar Arden ordered his driver to change their approach. The diversionary assault had softened their defenses on the west side, and he meant to use that to gain quick entry into the building. Once inside, they could scan for Boxan power sources.
Three Human ground transportation vehicles holding twelve Xiiginns each drove toward the battle with all exterior lights extinguished. Xiiginns were at home in the dark and could see as clearly without light as they could during the day. Because of this, the Human soldiers didn't notice their approach until they were within a hundred meters of the facility. The Xiiginns raced toward a gaping hole in the side of the building, where Mar Arden’s soldiers quickly exited the vehicles and exchanged fire with the nearest Human defenders. The Human soldiers were still using projectile-type weapons that had difficulty penetrating their armor, but the Xiiginns had no such limitations. Bolts of molten plasma cut through the Humans’ defenses. There was nowhere for the Humans to seek shelter from their attack because plasma bolts burned through everything in their path.
Mar Arden left a small team of soldiers to secure their transportation. Once they were inside the building, they encountered more Human soldiers. The Xiiginns had much better weapons than the Humans, and Mar Arden ordered his soldiers to press their advantage. The Xiiginns sprinted into the building with an agility that left the Human defenders looking clumsy and slow in comparison.
His earlier reconnaissance had indicated that the Boxan communications node was on a lower level of the building, so when they reached a group of elevators, he summoned all of them. He divided his soldiers into three groups and each used a different elevator to the lower levels. Despite the Humans’ futile attempt to resist their assault, Mar Arden was beginning to suspect that the real trap hadn't been triggered. He didn't bother telling his soldiers to be on guard. They were Xiiginns; they were always on guard.
There was an audible chime when the elevator reached its destination and the doors opened. Two of his soldiers exited first, and Mar Arden waited while the soldiers secured the area. Ahead of them was a long hall, and they followed it away from the elevators. Darkened rooms lined the hallway, and as Mar Arden peered inside, he noticed that there was no one else there.
They reached a large door at the end of the hallway. The polished door was made of smooth metal and opened into a vast warehouse. Long aisles stretched into the dark and tall metal racks held heavy equipment and storage containers. Mar Arden checked the scanner on his wrist, which indicated that the Boxan communication node was farther into the dimly lit warehouse.
He had no idea how these Humans had come to be in possession of the node and he didn't care. He wanted it and was going to take it from them. The Boxan communications node would change everything for them, almost as much as gaining the Mardoxian potential.
Mar Arden ordered his soldiers forward, and they staggered their approach. Each group chose to go down a different aisle into the warehouse. After a few minutes, Mar Arden checked his internal heads-up display and changed the scanner configuration to include energy signatures that were unique to Boxan technology. He stopped. Instead of one energy signature ahead of them, they were surrounded by multiple contacts. His eyes widened, and he was about to order his soldiers to take cover when the Humans began firing.
Molten plasma bolts blazed into them, and several Xiiginn soldiers went down immediately. Mar Arden dove for cover, crouched, and brought up his rifle. He started shooting back as more Xiiginn soldiers went down. Mar Arden scrambled to his feet and ran, calling for the remaining soldiers to follow him. Kandra Rene was at his side, her platinum hair momentarily reflecting the light from the plasma rifles the Humans were using. This was the trap, and his adversaries had proven that it was a very effective one at that.
He glanced upward and quickly scaled the open racks to the top of the aisle. Kandra Rene followed his lead, and the remaining Xiiginn soldiers did the same. Mar Arden ran along the top of the storage racks. He looked at the ceiling, but it was much too high for him to reach. Golden plasma bolts blazed past him as the Human soldiers tracked their movements.
There was a gap up ahead and Mar Arden vaulted across it. He heard the other Xiiginns following and slowed his pace, glancing behind him to look for their pursuers. The Human soldiers didn't show up on his scanners at all and had stopped firing their weapons. The only things that appeared were the multiple Boxan power sources used in plasma assault rifles. Mar Arden stopped and waited, holding his rifle ready. The other Xiiginn soldiers came to a halt and took up defensive positions around him.
"Why have we stopped?" Kandra Rene whispered.
Mar Arden peered into the gloom. He heard a faint buzzing sound that was coming steadily closer.
"We need a more defensible position," Kandra Rene said. She took a few steps away from him, and several soldiers inched back along with her.
Mar Arden used implants to increase the sensitivity of his hearing. The buzzing became a mechanical whirring sound, and his eyes widened. "Machines! They’re using machines to hunt us."
"Suppressor grenades," Kandra Rene ordered.
Several Xiiginn soldiers flung the grenades, and a blue-silver field of light expanded away from them. Mar Arden heard several crashes as the machines that hunted them went off-line, their electrical components suddenly overwhelmed. The Boxan plasma rifles would remain operational, but without the machines to move them into position, they were just as useless. He listened for a few moments and didn't hear anything else.
Mar Arden returned his hearing to normal and glanced at the others. They'd lost over half of their soldiers, and the strategist in him acknowledged the effectiveness of his adversaries’ tactics. They had sacrificed many soldiers to lure Mar Arden and the others inside, but it wouldn’t be enough. Without another word, Mar Arden turned around and continued along the top of the storage racks. The Boxan communication node wasn't far from them now.
Slowly and steadily, they made their way. They'd triumphed against the first trap, but that didn't mean there couldn't be others waiting for them. His soldiers kept a watchful eye all around them, poised to address any threat. They came to another gap and Mar Arden leapt across. He heard a faint hissing sound and then one of his soldiers cried out as he fell from the top of the tall racks. Mar Arden tried to scan the area but couldn't see anything. Then, a faint blue light raced toward another of his soldiers. The blue light plunged into the soldier's chest and Mar Arden saw a metallic shaft sticking out. The soldier tumbled off the rack and thudded to the ground. The remaining soldiers fired their weapons blindly into the gloom. Mar Arden kept scanning to find the source of the attack and saw Kandra Rene doing the same. Another blue light found its mark, coming from a different vantage point. The light was so faint that by the time he saw it, it was already too late for another of his soldiers. The soldiers fired their weapons at the source but could hit nothing.
"Get down off the rack or they'll pick us all off," Mar Arden said and hopped to the ground.
The remaining soldiers followed him down. Mar Arden hastened down the aisle between the storage racks, and a few moments later another of his soldiers went down with a gurgled scream.
"How does it feel to be hunted, Xiiginn?" a deep voice called from the darkness and echoed all around them.
The remaining Xiiginn soldiers kept their weapons pointed above them, anticipating an attack at any moment. Mar Arden heard faint footsteps in rapid succession from above and fired his weapon. He glimpsed a dark figure as it leapt above them, but all of their shots missed. Two more of his soldiers went down with metallic shafts sticking out of their heads. Mar Arden started firing at the racks, and the plasma bolts gouged through whatever was stored on them. His soldiers followed his example and the nearest rack began to sway. Mar Arden shoved his shoulder into one and pushed. The heavy rack slowly gave way and slammed into the one next to it. Mar Arden backed away as more racks fell, collapsing under the weight of their neighbors. He turned and ran, and the remainin
g soldiers followed him. There was an open area beyond the aisle and he raced toward it. If they could lure their attackers out into the open, they could defeat them. He should've known better than to allow himself to be put in a position where he could be picked off so easily.
"Keep running, Xiiginn."
Mar Arden clenched his teeth. The mocking tone of the voice grated on his nerves. They reached the end of the aisle and Kandra Rene grabbed his arm to keep him from going forward. One of their remaining soldiers plunged ahead and was taken out by another primitive weapon. Mar Arden glanced behind them and saw that all their soldiers were gone. It was just him and Kandra Rene. She pulled him to the side, and another shaft appeared right where he'd been standing a moment before. Kandra Rene fired her weapon and the plasma bolt gouged the wall on the far side of the room.
Together they left the aisle, crouching as they moved forward. Mar Arden kept his weapon ready and peered ahead of him. He could see the faint outline of a Human standing in the darkness. He squeezed the trigger but the Human leapt out of the way, almost as if sensing his attack before he'd even done anything.
"Mardoxian," Mar Arden whispered harshly.
Kandra Rene nodded and they both darted ahead, firing their weapons as they went. Mar Arden leapt up into the air as the glowing tip of a metallic shaft sped toward him. The shaft struck the rifle from his hands and Mar Arden landed hard.
Kandra Rene fired her weapon, and a plasma bolt singed the arm of their attacker. The Human grunted in pain and dropped its weapon.
"Come face me, Xiiginn," the voice of a Human female said.
Kandra Rene charged forward, unleashing a barrage of plasma bolts until the power cell was used up. Somehow, the Human dodged every bolt. Kandra Rene flung her rifle toward her opponent, who slapped the weapon away and grinned. Mar Arden crept forward as the two combatants engaged. Both combatants were able to land blows, but the advantage their enhancements normally afforded the Xiiginns didn't help them here. It was as if the Human they fought anticipated their every move. A Mardoxian soldier.
