Superdreadnought- The Complete Series

by C H Gideon

  “And the rest of the council?” Jiya pressed. “Were they?”

  He thought for a moment, then nodded. “They were. All of them,” he admitted. “They hadn’t left the compound.”

  The emperor turned and examined his soldiers, his gaze drifting over the mass of them as they crowded around the walls, eyes narrowed in suspicion.

  “How can I trust anyone now?” he asked, looking back at Reynolds.

  “You can’t,” the AI responded. “Not until you rid your planet of the Cult of Phraim-‘Eh and its influence.”

  “But how?” he asked. “I have seen no evidence of its influence, as I already told you. I know nothing of it.”

  Reynolds gestured to Xyxl. “The Gulg have been here for nearly a year, ever since they took over Mu,” he told the emperor. “They have infiltrated the cult’s upper echelon and hidden among them. There is a church where they meet in the toxic wastes outside of Ulf, and who knows how many other places across the planet?”

  “If they could turn your own sister against you, imagine what they have done to your people,” Jiya said, trying to press the emperor into believing them.

  “From what we can gather, the cult is small now,” Xyxl said. “Our agents have identified less than fifty of your citizens across the planet who are involved as of yet. That number, however, is suspect, since the cult has shown that it knows of our presence, both in the system and on Muultar.”

  “So, you’re telling me you have no idea how many of these cultists there are in Ulf, let alone on Muultar?” the emperor railed. “How many of my people could have submitted to them?”

  “Unfortunately, that’s true. We don’t know, which is why we need your assistance,” Reynolds said. “We have been unable to investigate the true scope of the cult’s influence here to date since it was revealed that the Gulg’s presence here had been sussed out, likely by your sister. There is no certainty that any of what the Gulg have learned has any value.”

  The emperor started to pace again, but this time Reynolds could tell it was from worry, not anger. The Muultu leader was struggling to make up his mind what to do. He was beginning to believe that his sister had betrayed him, and the thought sickened him.

  “If what you say is true,” he finally said, stopping in front of Reynolds, sweaty and pale, “what would you have me do?”

  “Help us chase them from the planet and ensure that no more of the cultists or their philosophy can take root here,” Reynolds stated plainly. “You will be saving far more than just your own people by doing so.”

  “And what do you gain from this?” Krol Gow asked. The suspicion remained on his radiation-tortured face.

  “We came here chasing this enemy, as we told you initially,” Reynolds answered. “Your support would deal them a blow that might lead to their absolute destruction. That’s what we gain from it.”

  The emperor drew a slow, deep breath, his gaze wandering the room. He had yet to be convinced.

  But as he contemplated, there was a loud thump against the door and some scrambling with the handle. It was flung open a second later. Several soldiers stormed into the room, stirring the ones already there into a frenzy. The council darted in behind the soldiers, eyes wide with panic.

  “We’re under attack!” one of the soldiers shouted.

  Chapter Sixteen

  “What’s going on?” Krol Gow asked the guard, his voice raw with emotion.

  “The people are rebelling, my lord,” the soldier reported. “They have risen up and are attacking the royal compound, as well as many of our other installations.” The guard was out of breath, huffing as he spoke, but he kept on. “Hundreds of them are making their way toward us now, blocking the roads and cutting off the escape routes from the building, my lord. We need to leave.”

  “I saw them myself,” one of the council members, Chae Dun, announced, her eyes wide with terror. “They are armed, my lord.”

  Asya came over the comm. “You guys need to get the hell out of there. Now!” she barked. “You’ve got an army of people moving toward you, and they’re gonna be on top of you in just a few moments. Want me to slow them down?”

  “No,” Reynolds barked, understanding that she meant firing on the people. “Do not engage the crowd. That’s a last resort only.”

  Jiya looked at him, shaking her head. “These people are cultists now, Reynolds,” she told him. “You sure you want to hold back? They won’t be offering us the same kindness.”

  “I’m sure we do for now,” he answered. “We didn’t come here to kill everyone. If we can find a way to show these people that Phraim-‘Eh is using them and taking advantage, maybe we can save them.”

  “Maybe? That’s a lot of faith to put in one word,” she grumbled as she watched the frenzy of motion in the small room.

  “Maybe,” the AI said, chuckling when he realized what he’d said. “No pun intended.”

  L’Eliana reported in then. “I have to pull away from the devium plant,” she said. “A large group of Muultu is attacking it and destroying the place. Should I try to stop them?”

  Reynolds told her not to bother. The cultists were tearing the city apart, and there was little he could do to stop them.

  That frustrated him to no end.

  He turned to the emperor then.

  “We have to get you out of here before these people arrive and start tearing this place apart. Have your troops form up and come with us.”

  To Reynolds’ surprise, the emperor didn’t hesitate.

  “On me,” he commanded, and his soldiers grouped around Krol Gow and the crew and council.

  Reynolds didn’t completely trust the council, thinking one or more of them might be in collusion with the cult or Aht Gow, but if he had to guess by the horrified looks on their faces, none of them had expected this.

  “Free these people,” the emperor ordered.

  “No need,” Reynolds replied, shrugging, and easily broke the chains that bound his hands together. He ripped the shackles off his wrists and tossed them aside.

  Jiya, still in her powered suit, did the same. The cuffs simply fell off Xyxl as he adjusted the shape of his hands, sharpening them to points, then returning them to humanoid shape and function.

  The emperor stared, realizing they could have done that at any time.

  Reynolds didn’t give him time to think about it. Having memorized the way in, the AI led them from the room and back through the winding corridors to the exit. They hit the doors a minute later and spilled out into the street.

  The sound of a wild mob struck them as soon as they were outside.

  Screams and bloodthirsty shouts rang out, and Reynolds could smell smoke lingering in the air. A distant black cloud hovered over the city somewhere in the direction of the royal compound. Reynolds was sure the building was engulfed in flames.

  Although he wasn’t sure how the hell that could be the case, given that everything here was made of stone or steel.

  There wasn’t time to contemplate it, though. The mob was almost on them.

  “Oh…” the emperor sputtered after the frothing crowd shrieked at him when they saw him emerge from the building.

  The throng roared and pressed forward. Weapons fired, blasts of energy tearing the nearby walls apart.

  Jiya gave Reynolds a knowing look as they ushered the emperor away from the building and down one of the few open streets.

  “Not too late for me to give you some breathing space,” Asya suggested from the Pod, hidden somewhere above.

  “The answer’s still no,” Reynolds replied, running from the crowd with the emperor, the council, and the group of soldiers at their backs.

  “Here if you need me,” Asya offered. “Though I have to say, this part of town is pretty tightly packed. There’s no place nearby for me to set down if you want to hitch a ride.”

  “Understood,” Reynolds told her. “We’re on foot for now.” He waved the emperor and his people on. “This way,” he said, darting down str
eets and alleys, using the connection to the Pod’s scanners to plot the best route away from the charging cultists.

  The royal guard didn’t have the same restraint as Reynolds. They snapped off shots as they ran, desperate, sloppy attacks that plowed into the crowd indiscriminately.

  That wasn’t going to help their cause with the people, but Reynolds wasn’t going to tell the emperor’s guards how to protect him. At the end of the day, they’d have to deal with that fallout on their own. Right now, Reynolds’ only concern was getting Krol Gow someplace safe.

  It wasn’t going to be easy.

  The fringes of the mob had caught up with them and were throwing themselves at the soldiers.

  A person screamed as he was dragged down by the people. Fists and feet pummeled him, and he was left bleeding and groaning as his attackers raced toward another victim.

  Unfortunately, they found Jiya instead.

  A male clawed at her shoulder, trying to bring her down, but the first officer was having none of that.

  She grabbed the man’s wrist and twisted, and there was a loud snap as she flung his arm over her head and threw him to the ground.

  The next cultist took the opportunity to swing at her. Jiya dodged the blow and spun, slamming her knee into the person’s midsection.

  He huffed like a bellows, all the air in his lungs driven out, and he bent over in pain. Jiya followed up with a brutal uppercut that crushed his jaw and sent him flying into the cluster of shouting people behind him.

  She spun back and rejoined the fleeing group.

  “There are way more of these folks than I thought there’d be,” she admitted, casting a furtive glance over her shoulder to see the still-advancing crowd.

  “It goes to show you just how busy Phraim-‘Eh’s people have been down here,” Reynolds said, his head on a swivel as he plotted their next move.

  Xyxl nodded. “They were feeding us as much disinformation as we were them.” The alien sighed. “Likely more, from the looks of it.”

  “This cult might seem simple on the surface, but their leadership is far from it,” Reynolds told the alien. “Much as I hate to admit that. They’ve gotten ahead of us a number of times already.”

  “And they’re going to do it again if we don’t figure something out,” Jiya complained, looking at the crowd again.

  “We need to separate,” the AI suggested. “We’re too big a group to slip away unseen. We can’t move quickly or quietly.”

  “I can lead them away,” Jiya offered, but Reynolds shook his head.

  “No, I need you with me,” he told her.

  Two more cultists caught up to them, and the soldiers spun and gunned them down.

  That did nothing to deter the rest of the throng. Everyone pushed forward, overwhelming the pair of soldiers who’d slowed to fire.

  Reynolds darted down an alleyway, dragging the emperor’s entourage with him.

  “The soldiers have to go,” the AI snarled.

  Krol Gow looked at Reynolds uncertainly on hearing the AI’s statement. He didn’t want to be without his guards.

  “These people are proving their loyalty to me,” Krol Gow said. “I cannot leave them behind.”

  “I understand,” Reynolds replied, “but they are also going to be the death of you.” There was a coldness to his voice that made the emperor shudder.

  Krol Gow looked at his council, who were huffing and puffing and then at his soldiers, who clustered around them in their royal uniforms, making them stand out no matter how chaotic the crowd at their heels.

  The emperor gave a reluctant nod.

  Reynolds understood his concerns, but right then the soldiers were more of a liability than a help.

  “There are a pair of intersections up ahead,” Reynolds offered. “We part ways there, your soldiers pausing to make a quick stand, then running to the north while we go south.”

  “That takes us deeper into the city,” the emperor explained, swallowing hard at the plan.

  “Which is the last place the throng would look for you,” Reynolds told him.

  Krol Gow sighed but nodded, realizing Reynolds was right.

  “My people will do what they must,” the emperor said, the words barely loud enough to be heard.

  He called one of his soldiers over and relayed the order.

  The soldier didn’t hesitate in his response. “Yes, my lord.” He snapped a salute, striking his chest with his fist, and returned to the soldiers to relay the order.

  A number of soldiers had sour looks on their faces when they heard what was expected of them, but none wavered. They offered nods to the emperor, who returned them mournfully.

  Reynolds felt bad for both the soldiers and the emperor, but there was little he could do without killing too many Muultu.

  Then he realized there was something he could do.

  It wouldn’t stop the rushing mob, but it might slow them down.

  “You have eyes on us?” the AI asked Asya.

  “I do,” she came back right away. “What’s up?”

  “I’m sending a target to the Pod’s systems,” he answered. “On my mark, fire on it.”

  “Yes, sir,” Asya replied without hesitation, glad to finally be doing something besides watching the crew get chased.

  Reynolds told the emperor, “We’re almost there. Have your people form up right before the intersection, packed tightly to obscure the view of what’s behind them, and then fire at the ground ahead of the crowd to slow them down.”

  The emperor groaned. “Many of my people will die today.”

  “Fewer than if the cult usurps your planet,” Reynolds countered. “We’ll keep the body count to a bare minimum, I promise.”

  Krol Gow nodded, accepting his fate. The council agreed without argument.

  They came to the intersection then, and Krol Gow signaled his men. A soldier barked an order, and all of them spun and skidded to a halt, weapons aimed at the road. They let loose a barrage of fire that tore the street up, kicking up debris and dust and causing the mob to hesitate.

  Reynolds, the crew, the emperor, and his council ducked, staying out of sight in the chaos, and darted south down a dark alley.

  As soon as they were gone, the soldiers made a show of breaking off and racing north loudly, feet stomping and voices raised.

  “Now!” Reynolds ordered.

  Asya reacted instantly.

  She fired a blast from the Pod, ripping into the building nearest the intersection. The wall exploded and collapsed in a clatter of stones and steel, debris tumbling down like an avalanche and spilling onto the street with a rumble.

  Screams rose from the mob, and they stumbled to a stop ahead of the bouncing wreckage.

  “Direct hit,” Asya reported from above.

  Reynolds pushed the group faster, taking another quick turn a block later and leading the group deeper into the bowels of the city.

  “That’ll buy your soldiers time to scatter and find someplace to hide,” Reynolds assured the emperor.

  The AI knew for a certainty then that the emperor wasn’t involved and simply acting. He cared too much about his people to have sacrificed them to Phraim-‘Eh and his cult.

  “The crowd’s starting over the rubble,” Asya reported.

  Reynolds turned down another alley and waved the group on, waiting for the final confirmation of whether or not the ploy had worked.

  He got it a moment later.

  “The mob has turned north, following the soldiers,” Asya called over the comm.

  Jiya grinned and gave Reynolds a thumbs-up.

  “Now let’s find some place to hide the emperor and council where they’ll be safe,” Reynolds told her.

  He turned to Krol Gow.

  “Is there somewhere near here where your people would never expect you to be?” the AI asked.

  The emperor nodded. “There is an area of town near the atmospheric shield that has been abandoned due to a weakening in the barrier. It is entirely empty
of people, and no one would go there due to the higher levels of radiation seeping through the defensive screen.”

  Chae Dun gasped. “You would take us to the barren zone? What of the radiation?”

  “We only need to be there for a short time, Chae,” the emperor explained. “That is correct, right?”

  “It is,” Reynolds confirmed.

  The female didn’t look convinced, but there wasn’t time to argue. Reynolds needed to get the council and the emperor to safety.

  “The wastes it is,” the AI said. “Lead the way, Emperor. We’ll find someplace better once we know all of you are safe.”

  Krol Gow motioned for the others to follow and the group started off again, headed toward the other side of Ulf.

  As they went, the comm came alive with Maddox’s voice.

  “We have a bit of a problem up here,” the general reported.

  “A bit of a problem?” Jiya asked.

  “I might be underselling it some,” Maddox replied.

  “Sitrep,” Reynolds ordered.

  “We found out where the Gulg shuttle is,” he answered.

  “And that’s a problem?” Reynolds countered.

  “Well, it is, because we only found it because it activated the communication tether,” Maddox said.

  “Are there any ships in the area they can take control of?” Reynolds asked.

  “In the area? No, but that’s kind of the problem,” Maddox answered. “The beam is pulsing strongly and has reached out past us…toward Mu.”

  Reynolds stumbled to a halt as realization washed over him.

  “Oh, shit.”

  “Exactly.” Maddox groaned.

  Chapter Seventeen

  Once Reynolds and the crew had reached the wastes of Ulf and found a remote, empty building to hide the emperor and his council, he, Xyxl, Jiya, and L’Eliana returned to the SD Reynolds in one of the Pods.

  They’d left Asya and the others behind on the planet in the remaining cloaked Pod. The AI had parked them near the emperor and his people, letting Asya, Geroux, Ka’nak, San Roche, and the remaining Gulg guard the emperor in case someone stumbled across their hiding place.