Bartoc Secret

by Clara Woods

  Sharp screams were audible from below, followed by several loud thumps.

  Lenah shook herself, trying to get up. The Bartoc had taken her pursuers down, at least momentarily.

  She picked herself off the floor with some difficulty and broke into a full run, barely registering the loud noises coming from the direction she was taking. For several minutes, Lenah ran on until the sounds became almost deafening. They seemed to be coming from right above her. She stopped to look up and found a lid in the ceiling.

  Feeling the Bartoc approaching from behind, Lenah lifted it. It was low, and the mechanism came off easily, but there was no ladder.

  Disregarding all care, Lenah shoved the lid aside, then jumped as high she could, grabbing onto the upper rim.

  Her injured arm screamed in pain as she pulled herself up. She looked around. She was in the upper section overlooking a big hall. A train, similar to the one the Strikers had taken, stood there. It was departing, and dozens of bodies were moving inside. Only, none of them were humanoid.

  36 Roof Fight

  Lenah’s heart pounded. A train full of Bartoc. In a hall identical to the one the Strikers’ train had been. And an exit showing another train moving away and already almost swallowed by the distance. Were her friends on that train? Several Bartoc were staring after it. Were they about to give pursuit? The long vehicle quickly vanished out of view.

  As if triggered, the train in front of Lenah gave a thundering roar, then rocked into motion. She was staring right at its roof and the hovering rail holding it in place. Large clamps snapped loose, and a last handful of Bartoc, all wearing plates in purple and black, boarded.

  Lenah looked around. If she didn’t leave with them now, she might never catch up with her friends. Instead, she’d be stuck here with the Bartoc that were still coming from behind.

  The train’s roof was about ten meters below her, too far to jump. Right in front of her feet, the ledge ended, and a wall covered in mesh led down to the lower level. Lenah eyed the material. It looked metal, with a big hole showing its age. The train below started moving.

  She had mere seconds. Lenah lowered herself down. Her legs angled against the wall without finding any foothold until her left boot caught onto something. She tested briefly with her weight, then lowered herself, letting her other foot search for another hole in the mesh.

  It took her precious seconds; she could already see the end of the train coming closer. Out of time, Lenah let herself drop, trying to grasp the next hole in time. Her hand simply scraped it, and she was in free fall. Then her fingers clutched around another opening.

  Her shoulder caught the weight of her momentum, and a pained scream escaped Lenah. She froze, afraid to have given away her position, but no Bartoc looked out of the train or up. Steeling herself for one last breath, Lenah let go and stretched out her arms to grasp onto the next hole.

  She wasn’t so lucky this time; her fingers grazed another opening, but she was already past it, plummeting down—straight down and right toward the platform next to the train.

  Lenah kicked against the wall, bringing her momentum backward. Her balance flipped until she was staring straight up at the ledge she’d come from. Two Bartoc faces peeked over the wall and down at her. They had caught up fast. The first Bartoc started to climb down the wall; agile and with ease just as Lenah’s back crashed onto the roof of the moving train.

  Once more, all breath was stolen from her lungs, and this time, she didn’t have the strength to move. Numb, Lenah watched as one Bartoc lowered down the wall, then kicked itself off toward the train. But instead of landing on the roof, it vanished out of sight as the train exited the hall.

  A laugh escaped Lenah, then made her cough, and she immediately regretted it. Her backside hurt, her legs felt smashed, and she wasn’t sure if she had injured herself. Yet, she couldn’t stop laughing. Closing her eyes, Lenah rolled over, trying to check her body for injuries. If she wanted to be of any use to anyone, she had better get it together. For Corinna. For Brons. The thought of her dead friends made the laughter die in Lenah’s throat. She swallowed dryly, then finally concentrated in order to take stock of her body.

  She could move all her toes and fingers, a good sign. She moved her legs next when sunlight blinded her. Lenah had spent so much time in the dark underground corridors that even the dirty sky of Kalhhok was too bright. She lifted her head to orient herself and tried to see the other train. It was about four clicks away, winding its way through the mountains surrounding the area.

  Lenah’s own train dipped, the rails taking a downward course. She slipped clumsily down the roof, unable to hold onto anything on the smooth surface. Lenah scrambled with her legs to stop her momentum but only fell onto her butt, then slid down even faster.

  The train rocked into a curve, and Lenah, receiving the momentum with a slight delay, slipped close to the edge. Her hand finally found a small metal pipe on the roof, and she gripped it with both hands as her body went over the roof. She looked over the side of the train.

  They had already left the factory behind and were taking a bridge between two mountains. A drop of at least half a click was underneath Lenah.

  The train dipped again, and Lenah held onto the pipe harder. She hung there for at least thirty seconds until she turned her head.

  Lenah screamed and almost let go.

  She was staring right at a Bartoc guard whose mouth was moving in the inside of the wagon. It took a few steps backward but only to give room to another Bartoc.

  Lenah smashed up her mental barriers, but no one was assaulting her mentally. Yet.

  She looked again, seeing that these two Bartoc only had a handful of minds each. The stinger of the second Bartoc came closer, and Lenah realized that it was made of metal with a sharp tip that looked perfectly able to cut through metal. Lenah swung her legs up toward the roof. But her arms, injured and tired, weren’t strong enough, and she smashed into the window with her full side. How did Cassius make this look so easy?

  The stinger was scratching loudly through the material, and Lenah hurried to attempt another try. Helped by adrenaline, she was able to catch the pipe she was holding onto with her boot.

  Lenah swung herself up onto the roof, and, ignoring the possibility that the train might dip again, started to sprint away.

  Her legs protested, but Lenah was spurred on by the image of the metal stinger. The train rocked, throwing Lenah toward the hovering rail. She felt its vibrating power close by and quickly scrambled in the other direction, almost losing her balance.

  Several dozen meters behind her, she could see the Bartoc with the metal stinger climb onto the roof. It was carrying itself with a lot more grace than Lenah, who quickly turned forward, sprinting away. After several dozen meters, the roof ended in a gap. Lenah came to a sudden halt, taking a second to identify that she had reached the end of one wagon.

  A wide and low opening, perfect to accommodate a Bartoc, led inside, and a thin roof hung over it. Lenah jumped down onto the roof, which didn’t hold her weight, and she crashed further down. Her fall was slowed when one of her feet got caught in the structure. Lenah pulled her weight forward, trying to grasp the door just as the train dipped once more. Lenah smashed into the frame. Despite wearing a helmet, she saw black, and her back protested at the repeated mistreatment.

  But her fingers found a hold. A metal tube was sticking out the door and Lenah held onto it, hoping that the train’s momentum wouldn’t throw her wonky balance off again. Lenah edged her fingers into the doorframe. To her surprise, the door swung open, and she let herself drop inside, glad to escape the constant danger to fall off.

  Three Bartoc turned with surprised voices when Lenah plummeted through the door. Lenah made sure she had her mind barrier up and instinctively grasped for her weapon. Her belt was empty.

  Still on hands and knees, Lenah began scanning the Bartoc’s minds. To her utter surprise, all she saw was three, each belonging to one Bartoc. They were approaching
quickly now, apparently having gotten over their surprise.

  It was Lenah’s luck that Bartoc didn’t seem to favor shooting weapons. Instead, they often liked to rely on their stingers. And those required them to be close to their targets.

  Lenah sent a strong emotion of fear and wanting to leave the train. They kept running at her, and she steeled herself for the worst, but they simply rounded Lenah and made for the open door at her back.

  But instead of taking the plunge as Lenah had commanded, the first Bartoc was thrown backward when the Bartoc with the cyborg stinger appeared.

  Lenah scrambled forward, trying to get away and changing the command she was giving the three creatures. Attack him.

  She was too late with one, who had already squeezed by the cyborg Bartoc to let himself drop out of the train. But the other two adhered to Lenah’s wish, and soon, the three Bartoc were wrapped in a match of stingers.

  The cyborg, even though he possessed several minds, seemed unable to make much use of them while he was also trying to fight the other two, and Lenah quickly expanded her influence to include him as well.

  But she met iron resistance. He had wrapped himself in a mental vault. Lenah took as much power away from controlling the other two to form an arrow and penetrate through his barriers. Her mind magic simply pinged off his shields, and Lenah fell forward when the powerful sensation translated into her body.

  She scrambled up again, expecting a counter attack. But the Bartoc seemed too busy to fight her. Instead, Lenah sharpened her hold on the other two, sending the hatred she felt for their conquering ways. Then she edged away as far as she dared without losing control over their minds. With a loud cry, one of Lenah’s Bartoc fell to the ground. Its mind vanished just as its whole head fell, neatly sliced off by a metal stinger.

  The cyborg turned to the second Bartoc. Their stingers met, and with a snap, the organic stinger fell off. The creature Lenah was controlling screamed so loudly that Lenah dropped her influence on them. Its adversary didn’t show such emotion. He struck once more with the vicious metal and another head rolled to the floor. It turned toward Lenah. As the cyborg approached, its minds, at least three dozen uncurled from their vault and shot toward Lenah.

  Lenah didn’t stick around. She broke into a run toward a door twenty meters further inside the wagon.

  The train shifted into a curve as Lenah reached the door. She saw two mountain peaks right ahead and the ground only a few meters underneath her. The train picked up speed.

  Lenah jerked the door open, finding a hook just at the height of her knee. Wind pelted pieces of stones against her visor and they pinged off violently as Lenah hovered there a moment. Her barrier wavered from the mental attack of the approaching Bartoc. Lenah let go and hurtled toward the ground.

  The drop wasn’t deep—just a couple of meters—but she was unable to hold her fall when her feet hit the ground. Using the speed from her fall, Lenah tried to run but her momentum was too fast, and after several rolls, she finally came to a stop. The large shadow of the hovering train obscured her surroundings.

  Dim sunlight replaced the darkness, and Lenah blinked, enjoying a moment of quiet. The sounds of the departing train grew distant. Lenah moved her head, looking from the train to the mountains around her. She had no clue where she was.

  37 Overhead

  Lenah, too tired to think of anything else but putting one foot in front of the other, barely registered the loud sounds of motors. She had chosen to go south after the trains and made a best guess about the Star Rambler’s position.

  Eventually, the overhead sounds were too loud to ignore.

  Three ships were right there, large shuttles, moving in the same direction Lenah was going. She stared up at them at first, then scrambled sideways to hide behind a large boulder. Had she been seen? It seemed almost stupid luck if she hadn’t. The ships were only a few hundred meters over the ground. And the terrain was hilly but open. Lenah was the only living creature for as far as her eye could see.

  They shot by at a fast pace, soon leaving her behind. Silence fell once more.

  Lenah stared after them. Where were they going? She wasn’t familiar enough with Bartoc ship models to recognize them, but even a fool would have seen the guns mounted to the sides of these. Were they heading toward the Strikers’ secret base?

  The thought made Lenah step out from behind her boulder. She fell into a slow trot—the fastest she could manage. Maybe the brown color of her suit had saved her; it blended in quite well with her surroundings.

  Lenah’s mind kept wandering between what the rest of her crew must be up to and what might have been happening back home since their departure. She thought about Thuat Jones and even Martius Buntus. How were they fighting the Cava Dara without any mind mages?

  The thoughts spurred Lenah on, and she welcomed them as she watched two mountain peaks that seemed oddly familiar slowly come closer. Could it be?

  The climb took her over an hour.

  Lenah was drenched in sweat by the time she was halfway up. The used-up air she was breathing out circulated hotly and stale inside her visor and she opened it up, but the outside stunk so bad, she closed it again. Did she really recognize this terrain?

  One moment, she felt sure of it, the next, she was convinced to have never been here. And she had lost so much time. Even if she made it to the Star Rambler, could she still help if the Strikers were being attacked by those fighters?

  And then her ship appeared right in front of her. Lenah stood stock-still, barely able to believe her eyes.

  She had reached the Star Rambler, still nestled in the dip between two mountain peaks as if nothing had ever happened.

  Lenah broke into a sprint, the feeling of happiness giving her strength.

  When she reached the hatch, she touched it softly, then pushed at Uz’s mechanism and pulled it open.

  She was welcomed by her cargo hold and the enormous Bartoc construct. That meant …

  Someone made a triumphant sound, and the lights turned on. Lorka flew into Lenah’s arms. “Thank the stars, you guys are back! We were going crazy with worry!” He shook Lenah. She hung limply in his arms, drained of all energy. “Oh, you’re injured!” he exclaimed looking at Lenah’s arm where the Bartoc stinger had left a gash.

  “Where are the others?” Doctor Lund asked the question that Lenah feared. Lorka released Lenah, looking questioningly behind her.

  She cleared her throat. “They are with the Strikers.”

  “You really found them!” Lorka exclaimed. “Where are they?”

  Doctor Lund looked at Lenah, and his face fell. “What is it?” he whispered.

  Lenah turned around and hit the close hatch button. “The others and the Strikers are a few hundred clicks from here in a secret camp. We’re going there right now; they need our help.”

  “What kind of help?” Lorka’s voice sounded stressed.

  Lenah tried to look both hopeful and serious. “They escaped in a train; we were all supposed to go, but I got separated. Another train full of Bartoc soldiers and three ships followed them.”

  “Oh, stars,” Doctor Lund said. “Is that why we’ve been seeing so many ships on the radar? That hasn’t happened in all the days since we’ve been here.”

  Lenah nodded. “Let’s go.” She made for the cockpit only to find it full of notes scattered all over her seat and the floor. “What happened here?”

  “Aah,” Doctor Lund said.

  Lorka cleared his throat and looked to the floor.

  “You were trying to leave?” Lenah inquired softly.

  Doctor Lund looked away from her. “I’m sorry. We hadn’t heard from you in days. And we—”

  Lenah forced herself to smile, then sat down in her chair. “It’s okay. I told you to leave if we didn’t come back.”

  “Good thing we couldn’t figure out how to start the ship.” Lorka brightened.

  “True.” Lenah punched the starting sequence, and the Star Rambler’s motor h
ummed to life. The familiar vibration gave Lenah strength, and she pointed for Lorka to sit down in the copilot’s seat. “Lorka, you’re manning the weapons station. Doctor Lund, can you go to the engine room and let me know how things look back there?”

  Both stared at Lenah.

  “Of course,” Doctor Lund finally said and rushed down the corridor.

  Lorka slid in the seat next to Lenah. He touched the weapons control with trembling fingers but gave her a determined look. “Ready, Captain.”

  Lenah smiled. “Good.” She lifted them off the ground and in the direction the other ships had taken. After a couple of minutes, she saw the gray line of the hovering rail cutting through the brown landscape. There was no sighting of any of the trains as Lenah started to follow the tracks.

  “What happened to you?” Lorka asked when they’d sat in silence for several minutes.

  Lenah pressed the open comm button, so Doctor Lund could hear as well, but the proximity alarm interrupted her.

  “Three ships approaching from behind,” Lenah said. “Get ready, Lorka. Lund, how is the engine doing?”

  There was shuffling on the other end of the comm, then Doctor Lund said, “It’s a little hot, but not critical.”

  Lenah cringed, then gave more thrust, as much as she dared. “Monitor the situation.”

  “Yes, Lenah.”

  She turned to Lorka. “Aim well. Don’t waste our energy too early.”

  The young man jerked his head up and down, his eyes wide. But he gripped the handles with a determination that Lenah liked. His hands weren’t shaking, almost.

  Lenah concentrated on the incoming ships on their port side. She could already see them in the view screen, three black dots against the sun.

  Underneath them, the rails made a wide curve toward the left, but Lenah ignored it and flew in the other direction.

  “Be ready,” she told Lorka, then turned them around in one fast loop. Her belly dipped more than normal because the Star Rambler was lazier than its usual turning; then they were facing the incoming ships.