Rebel Yell: Operation Ardent Redux: Episode 1 (A Space Opera Adventure)

by J. L. Stowers

  “Go with them,” Billy spoke up again. “I’ll make sure these other folks get there. But if you can’t get us a ship then it’ll all be for nothing.”

  “You sure?” Roni asked. “I can stay and help.”

  “We need you on that ship,” Billy answered.

  “Do we even need to get everyone off the planet if the GC is leaving?” Zadria asked.

  Her question was well timed with another huge earthquake. Lava bubbled up from the mine, and one of the skyscrapers on the edge of the city began to collapse in on itself. Watching the tower fold into its own center was almost unreal. Not long after it began to fall, it was down in a cloud of dust.

  “Never mind,” Zadria answered herself.

  Chapter 6

  Roni, Zadria, and Ryan stopped to catch their breath. They were about two-thirds of the way to the ships according to Ryan’s intel.

  “This is crazy, you know,” Ryan said between gasps. “There’s no way the three of us can take on a GC army, even if it is a small one.”

  “If we get there in time, we won’t have to. The shields on those ships are incredible,” Zadria said as she stretched.

  “We aren’t going to beat them if we just stand around yakking all day,” Roni said before she took off once more.

  Her lungs burned, and her face was hot. Beads of sweat rolled down her brow and her back as she pumped her arms and legs. She hadn’t run this much in years. Not since she was a teenager with a habit of thievery. She kept pushing herself. There was too much riding on her shoulders. If she failed now, then everything anyone had ever said about her would be true. Before David, she had only looked out for herself, and people weren’t shy about pointing that out. But he was able to help her open her mind to helping others, and he didn’t judge her when she messed up. She wanted to save these people for him. She wanted to make him proud.

  Another earthquake struck, the strongest one yet, causing Roni to trip and tumble to the ground. “Enough already, we get it!” she yelled at the ground as she got back to her feet. Her legs were unsteady, like she’d had too much to drink. Still, she knew she had to push on.

  “They’re getting worse.” Zadria bit her lip and looked back toward where they had left Billy and the miners. “You think they’re okay?”

  “We can’t worry about them right now,” Roni and Ryan said in unison.

  “Uh, alright?” Zadria seemed perplexed.

  “It’s one of the first things they teach you when you join the rebels. You worry about your mission. If you spend too much time worrying about what everyone else is supposed to be doing, it may put your job at risk,” Roni explained as the group started jogging again.

  “That seems so cold though.”

  “Not really,” Ryan added. “We all have jobs to do. Right now Billy’s job is getting those people across the desert. Our job is securing a ship. If we slow down to see if they’re okay, then we may not get to the ship in time. Then no one is safe. If we do get to the ship in time, we can take it to look for them if possible.”

  “But what if they don’t make it?” Zadria asked again.

  “Then they don’t make it,” Roni said coldly, slowing to a stop and staring hard at Zadria. “Not everyone makes it.”

  Roni took off again, faster than before. Maybe she was a little harsh just then, but all her feelings about David’s final act started bubbling to the surface again. It was all she could do to not yell at the rookie. Her feet pounded the ground hard as she pushed all that energy out of her mind and into her body. The ships were in sight. They weren’t far from the city’s edge. Then she heard something.

  Roni slid to a stop atop the dirt and loose gravel. She tried to silence her pounding heart, and strained her ears as her eyes searched the looming city. Screams.

  Zadria and Ryan slowed next to her.

  Roni’s gaze darted to the ship, then back to the city’s edge.

  “There isn’t time,” Ryan huffed with a shake of his head.

  Roni pursed her lips. Of course he was right. But there had to be a way. Then, it came to her, and a smirk formed on her lips. “Let’s go.”

  “Why are you smiling like that?” Ryan called after her as the trio picked up their charge to the ships once more.

  Roni didn’t answer, not yet. Her breaths were taking much-needed oxygen to her screaming muscles. She’d explain when she got to the ship, if she hadn’t talked herself out of the idea by then.

  There were no GC troops in sight, presumably because they were involved in all the screaming that was happening. But it made for a clean shot to the ship ahead. The ship itself wasn’t impressive, though it was big. It looked like a bloated transport vessel, round and plump. There were weapons, but not enough to protect it in the event of a space fight. No, these weapons were for providing cover against the enemy as it dropped troops. The flat-bottomed ship had a wide loading door, which was perfect for what Roni had in mind. As long as Ryan or Zadria could fly it, anyway.

  They slowed to a stop as they reached the vessel. Roni’s eyes searched for the guard that should have been there. “There’s no one.”

  “For a ship this size, we should see at least five guards,” Zadria chimed in with her encyclopedic knowledge.

  More screams echoed from within the city.

  “Maybe they went to help?” Ryan suggested, staring at the buildings.

  “That’s the best you can come up with?” Roni punched him on the shoulder. “You’ve been working for the enemy, and Zad here knows more about GC protocol than you.”

  Ryan shrugged, causing Roni to roll her eyes. “No sense sitting around.” She held her blaster ready as she quietly shuffled up to the ship. No one was inside. The cargo area was full of seats, three stories of them. Far more than they needed. The only problem was that the folks on the upper decks would need to climb what appeared to be a pretty flimsy ladder, and Roni worried about their ability to do so.

  Aside from the massive cargo area, there was an armory, which was empty, and a cockpit, all unoccupied.

  “You think you two can get her off the ground?” Roni asked as Zadria and Ryan took their seats at the controls.

  “Seems pretty standard,” Zadria said with a shrug.

  “How low can you keep her still?” Roni asked.

  “Shouldn’t be too hard. It’s got a built-in hover feature, so as long as we’re not above water then maintaining a low altitude should be fairly simple. Why?” Zadria narrowed her eyes.

  “Let’s go pick up the miners. Keep it low. There won’t be time to land completely.”

  “Why not?” Ryan asked.

  “Because then we’re going to try to rescue the people in the city.”

  “All of them?” Ryan’s eyes widened.

  “As many as we can,” Roni answered with a nod. “We’re the only chance they have of getting off of this rock. The GC left them before and I don’t doubt that they won’t hesitate to do it again.”

  “You know,” Zadria started, looking at Roni, “you’re a lot different than what I was expecting.”

  Roni laughed. “Ditto, kid.” She turned and took a deep breath, looking around the cargo area. It didn’t take her long to spot a harness and some rope. She quickly secured herself as the ship started to lift off the ground.

  “Don’t let me down,” Roni mumbled to the rope as she gave it a good tug before stepping out on to the open loading ramp. She crouched, weapons ready on her hips and thigh. The ship spun around and headed back the way they came. While she waited for Zadria and Ryan to find the miners, her eyes were on the city. Fires had broken out on the side close to the mine, and two other buildings had fallen. The lava was moving slowly, but it was a force to be reckoned with, destroying everything it touched.

  Movement in one of the upper floors caught her eye. The lava was still a ways away from the building in question, but, without a doubt, there were people up there. Roni felt the inertia of the turn as the ship rotated, Billy and the miners coming into view.<
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  “Quick, get on. Climb up if you can,” Roni instructed as she helped the people up onto the ramp.

  Billy eyed her harness. “You have something planned?”

  “These aren’t the only people that need rescuing,” she answered.

  Billy nodded and started digging around for a harness himself. He found one and similarly attached himself on the other side of the ramp. Then he tossed a black box her way. “Here, found these. Might come in handy.”

  Roni smiled, caught the radio, and gave him a nod. “Cop or not, you’d make a great rebel.”

  He seemed to consider her comment briefly before answering, “You know, not much policing to do around here these days. I might be job hunting soon.”

  “Send me your résumé.” Roni laughed as she helped the last person into the ship.

  “We’re clear!” Billy spoke into his radio.

  “Off to round two,” Roni said with a grin. She didn’t know what they were about to fly into, but she was ready. “Zad, take us over to the city. Let’s see what kind of mess those people are in and if there’s something we can do to help them.”

  “You got it, boss.”

  “Rebel or not… you’d make a great cop,” Billy called over to her.

  Roni smirked. “Too many rules.”

  The ship accelerated toward the city. Roni hated not being able to see what was coming. Her only view was what was behind her, but she didn’t want to risk unclipping from her secure location to take a peek. She’d just have to trust Ryan and Zadria.

  “Please buckle in,” Ryan’s voice came over an intercom. The rest of the miners hurried to their seats and fastened themselves into the attached five-point harnesses.

  “Looks like we’re all set,” Roni said through the radio. “I saw movement in some of the upper stories of the buildings. Be on the lookout for anyone we can scoop up.”

  Only about an eighth of the seats were full. Plenty of room for more. Billy gave Roni a silent nod of solidarity as the ground fell away from the ship. The shadows of the tall buildings washed over the vessel, and Roni stared at the shadows, trying to get some idea of what to expect.

  The view rotated once more, and the end of the loading ramp scraped across the side of the building in a squeal of steel and a smash of glass.

  “A bit close, don’t you think?” Roni laughed over the radio before her mouth fell open. About a dozen children rose from the floor and stared at the ship hovering out of their window. “Kids.”

  “Yeah, kids,” came Zadria’s reply.

  Without hesitation, Billy unclipped his harness and ran to the end of the loading ramp as it continuously bumped into the building. He started feeling around the edges of the windows.

  “They won’t open,” Roni called out to him, undoing her own harness. She neared the edge of the ramp as the ship dipped slightly. Closing her eyes, she reached for one of her swords and gestured for the kids to get back. Roni shattered the glass with the sheathed weapon before replacing it at her hip. She kicked at the glass shards until the open window seemed reasonably safe, and she beckoned the kids once more.

  They didn’t move.

  “Come on, we need to get you out of here,” she said, extending her hand to the nearest child. The boy, maybe six years old, took a step back.

  “You’ve got to be kidding me,” Roni mumbled as she climbed through the window and into the room. “Let’s go.”

  “But, our parents,” the boy said, pointing toward the window on the opposite side of the sparsely furnished apartment.

  With a sigh, Roni glanced back at Billy before running to look from the other window. Immediately, she turned back to the children and started herding them toward the ship. “We’ll get them too, but first we need to make sure you guys are safe.”

  Billy looked at her questioningly, but Roni shook her head as she lifted a small girl out the window, handing her to Billy. By now, Ryan had joined them, and he helped the girl up the ramp and into the ship.

  After five children were safely aboard, the ship began to list.

  “Ryan”—Roni pointed—“get back up there and help her.”

  He darted to the cockpit just as the ship scraped against the outside of the building once more. Roni started grabbing the kids faster, thrusting them at Billy, who had to run them up the ramp himself.

  “Last one,” Roni said as she passed the young boy to Billy. As he turned to run back up the ramp, the ship violently tilted to the side. He shoved the boy inside, into the arms of one of the miners who was helping strap the kids into their seats, just before sliding across the door.

  “No!” Roni shouted, ready to spring over the window’s edge to grab him. But Billy caught himself on the dangling rope from his harness. “What the hell is going on in there?”

  “We’ve got company—we need to move!” Ryan shouted over the radio.

  Roni climbed up on the edge of the window, glass crunching under her boots. She watched as the ship rocked before her. She was going to have to jump.

  “Are you a superhero?”

  The blood in Roni’s veins iced over at the sound of the tiny voice behind her. A blast from one of the GC ground troops that had gathered at the base of the building narrowly missed Roni’s hand as she turned and jumped back into the apartment.

  “Go, get them out of here,” Roni ordered through her radio.

  “But—” Zadria’s reply started, but the ship pulled away regardless, probably at Ryan’s hands. He was a good rebel when he had his head on straight.

  Roni scooped up the little girl who couldn’t have been more than three. “You’re a good little hider, aren’t you? Now, how do we get out of here?”

  “Mommy takes me down to the park in the elebator.” The little girl smiled excitedly, her matching pigtails bouncing.

  “Elevator. Right.” She sighed as she looked through the other window at the street below, careful to angle the girl away so she couldn’t see. The dead littered the road, civilians and GC alike. A barricade stood erect across the road; GC vehicles were unable to get through. The people were fighting back. Unfortunately, from the looks of things, they were still outgunned. The civilians’ numbers dwindled from behind the barricade. Roni wanted to help, but the toddler in her arms made her hesitate.

  She pursed her lips. At least Ryan and Zadria were drawing some GC fire. They must have realized they were missing a ship. Maybe, maybe, they could get through.

  “What’s your name?” Roni asked the girl as she turned toward the only door with a deadbolt, the one leading to the hall and the warzone in the streets below.

  “Darla,” the girl answered cheerfully, pigtails bouncing once more.

  “That is such a pretty name.” Roni smiled. “Let’s play a game, okay, Darla?”

  “I like games!”

  “Good, me too.” Roni grabbed a scarf off the coatrack near the door. “Let’s see how good your memory is, okay?”

  “Oh, it’s the bestest,” Darla answered with a reassuring nod.

  “Then you’ll totally win,” Roni said with a laugh. “I’m going to put this over your eyes so you can’t see. Then you’re going to tell me how to get down to the street, okay?”

  With Darla’s nod, Roni eased her down to the floor and blindfolded the girl before scooping her back up again. “Okay, sweetie. You ready?”

  “Yes! First you open the door.” Darla beamed proudly.

  Roni couldn’t help but smile at the girl’s enthusiasm, her innocence. The smile quickly faded as she remembered the scene that awaited them below. She gave a gentle tug on the blindfold, but it held its position.

  The trek to the elevator was thankfully uneventful, and Darla’s directions were spot on. Roni made sure to praise her along the way. But as she stood outside the elevator, she couldn’t help but wonder if it was a mistake. Maybe the stairs would be faster. The only problem was that they were several stories up, and her arm was already aching from Darla’s weight. She would still need to carry her
to safety. Roni shifted the girl on her hip and stepped inside the elevator as it opened.

  “Can I push the button?” Darla asked. “I know which one it is.”

  “Sure, sweetheart,” Roni bent over to allow the girl to press the button but angled her to hit the second-floor button rather than the first. Opening up into a lobby of who knows what with a child on her hip didn’t appeal to Roni at all.

  “Did I get the right one?”

  “You did!” Roni exclaimed as the doors closed.

  Chapter 7

  Roni peeked through the narrow window in the door leading from the stairwell into the lobby. Everything seemed quiet and undisturbed. The civilians had probably done everything they could to keep the GC away from this building, since it’s where the children were. The toys inside the room and the small kid-sized furniture had her believing it was a daycare, but where the supervising adults were, Roni didn’t know. All she knew was that she had to get these kids to safety. Every single one.

  Worry flashed through Roni’s mind as she looked at Darla’s tiny face. What if her mother came looking for her? Then again, what if she didn’t? Couldn’t. Roni swallowed the worry for the girl down, reassuring herself that she was the safest place for her right now.

  “You ready?” Roni asked.

  “I guess.” The girl’s attitude had soured somewhat when Roni didn’t follow her directions to the letter. She managed to convince her that an elevator malfunction dropped them off on the wrong floor, but Darla still seemed skeptical.

  As Roni neared the lobby’s exterior doors, she slowed her pace. The last thing she wanted to do was put Darla at risk. But they couldn’t stay here forever. The earthquakes may have stopped, but Roni felt it was only a matter of time before they started up again.

  The coast was clear. Roni slipped out of the front door, Darla still on her hip, and behind a row of dead topiaries, the leaves rustling as they brushed past them.

  “Mama says not to play in the bushes,” Darla warned.

  “It’s okay,” Roni whispered. “We’re trying to hide.”

  Darla lowered her voice to match Roni’s. “I love hide and seek.”