Superdreadnought- The Complete Series

by C H Gideon

  The third drunk howled and engaged the Melowi, whaling on Ka’nak.

  The first two blows caught the Melowi squarely, but everything after that slipped past, barely grazing Ka’nak as he flowed with the punches and avoided their impact.

  He took a half-step back and reset, parrying another downward punch and coming over the top with a brutal right hand. Blood spattered as the male’s bulbous nose gave way, but Ka’nak didn’t even give him a chance to cry out.

  A left hook caught him in the ribs, followed by a right to the throat. The asshole gurgled, stumbling back, but he wasn’t getting away that easily.

  Ka’nak stayed on him. A sharp, crisp jab lifted the drunk’s jaw, and a right cross spun his head around, knocking him out instantly.

  A swift kick to the gut launched him into his drunken companions before he could even fall. They caught him and stumbled back under his weight before regaining their balance.

  Reynolds reached out and cuffed one of the entangled males on the ear, sending shockwaves through his skull. The drunk cried out, clutching his head, and let go of his friend, who slumped to the sidewalk.

  Reynolds grabbed the guy he’d hit and slammed him into the wall beside him, knocking him out cold.

  The crowd that had been so close, milling around them just moments ago, had moved back in practiced unison to form a tight circle around the combatants. Reynolds worried for an instant that they were drawing too much attention and standing out, but that concern quickly subsided.

  This was entertainment to the people of Aspar’s Hold.

  They cheered and hooted, encouraging the violence to continue. Reynolds saw some simple form of currency changing hands as the crowd got into the fight, making it a spectacle.

  “Looks like we fit right in,” Maddox commented, watching Ka’nak wreak havoc on the drunks.

  Jiya had gone over to check on Geroux, who was unhurt, and the pair glared at the drunken males. They both looked ready to jump into the fray, but Jiya apparently didn’t see much point to it, seeing how the Melowi warrior was all over them.

  Ka’nak jumped over the fallen drunk he’d clobbered and engaged the last of the group, grabbing his shirt. The fight, if it could be called that, ended seconds later as the Melowi drove fist after fist into the face of the drunk, beating him until he hung limp. Ka’nak finally let go of the drunk’s shirt and let him topple to the ground.

  With a whip of his hands to shake the blood off his knuckles, Ka’nak turned to face the crowd, motioning them on.

  “Anyone else fancy an ass-whupping today?” he asked, grinning all the while.

  “Some other time,” Reynolds told him, grabbing him by the arm and leading him toward the mass of onlookers.

  The crowd parted, letting him and the rest of the crew through without trouble. Applause followed them out of the makeshift combat circle, and Ka’nak laughed as they walked.

  Less than a half-block down the street, it was as if the fight had never happened.

  The crowd raided the pockets of the drunks and dispersed with their ill-gotten loot before the drunks regained consciousness. They left the bodies where they fell and barely made any effort at all to avoid them as the normal routine returned, the hoots and hollers of the barkers ramping up once again.

  “That was interesting,” Geroux muttered. “I hope we weren’t—” Her words broke off as a quiet, muffled beep drew her attention to her wrist. “Shit,” she whispered. “No such luck.”

  Reynolds processed the data from Geroux’s computer and snapped his head around, catching sight of a melted-faced male who stared at the crew from a nearby alley, from which he’d watched the fight.

  There was no hiding the recognition that marred his already distorted features.

  He knew who they were.

  The cultist turned and ran without hesitation, vanishing down the alley.

  “After him,” Reynolds ordered, not that he needed to.

  As one, the crew bolted after the Muultu, understanding that he was their best link to Jora’nal.

  The sudden rush of motion didn’t draw more than a glance or two of suspicion from passersby as they pushed through the pedestrian traffic to chase Phraim-‘Eh’s disciple.

  Like the fight, Reynolds figured this was a common occurrence, too: people chasing random others down the street.

  It was kind of refreshing, he had to admit.

  At least it was until a gunfight broke out.

  The crew raced around the far end of the alley in pursuit and was met by blaster fire.

  The wall just above Jiya’s head scorched black as she stepped out, only to dart back into the cover of the alley to get out of the line of fire.

  “That was close.” Jiya grinned as she leaned against the wall, staying under cover as more weapons fire barked down the street. “Guess the guy got tired of us chasing him already.”

  Except there was more fire than a single person could manifest.

  And it was still coming.

  Reynolds glanced around the corner, taking the lead to see what they were up against. There hadn’t been time to register much more than the crowd the first time they’d rounded the wall, but this time, he took a deliberate approach to suss out what they were up against.

  As passersby fled to avoid being shot, quite calmly, he had to add, it was apparent the cultist they had been following had joined up with more of his ilk.

  Reynolds ran his gaze over the group of cultists who’d gathered near an alley across the street to take shots at them. He recognized the melted face of the cultist they’d followed, and he scanned the rest of them, mentally comparing their faces to those he’d seen on the video.

  It was definitely the same crew who had departed the Pillar.

  And then he saw him!

  At the back of the crowd of cultists stood Jora’nal. He glared at Reynolds as he orchestrated the attack from behind his minions.

  Reynolds dodged back behind the wall as blaster fire ripped up the corner where his head had just been, and he growled.

  “We’ve got you now, motherfucker,” he snarled, whipping his rifle out from under his loose garb.

  “That’s him?” Jiya asked.

  Reynolds nodded. “He’s in the alley across the way with about ten of his people,” the AI reported. “We need to push forward, but be careful. We don’t want to accidentally kill him.”

  Ka’nak made air quotes. “’Accidentally?’ What about on purpose?”

  “No one wants him dead more than me, but we need to keep him alive until we have Phraim-‘Eh in hand,” Reynolds reminded the warrior. “So keep your fire disciplined and don’t put a hole in him until I order it, understand?”

  The crew grunted their agreement in unison.

  “Good, now stay here and provide suppressing fire,” he told them. “I’m going to run across the street and take up position on the other side.”

  The AI barely gave them time to process the order before he shot out from behind the wall and ran toward the opposite side of the street.

  Jiya leaned out, firing high to ensure she didn’t hit anyone, then adjusted her aim based on what she saw.

  She eased her fire lower, tearing up the wall above the cultists’ heads and raining debris down on them to slow their return fire.

  Ka’nak dropped to a knee beside her and tore up the street in front of them as the cultists moved behind cover.

  Maddox and Geroux held their ground, unable to get in a clean shot without exposing themselves.

  By then, Reynolds had reached the other side and started forward, weapon up and firing to continue driving the cultists back. He could hear their strained voices as they snapped off sloppy shots around the corner, trying to keep the crew back, but it was obvious they weren’t interested in making a last stand in the streets.

  “Push,” Reynolds called when he realized the cultists were retreating, the amount of return fire dropping to a trickle as he imagined Jora’nal making a break for it.

&nbs
p; Jiya, Ka’nak, and Maddox complied without hesitation, Geroux following them to watch their six.

  As a unit, they pushed forward, Reynolds on the right, the rest to the left.

  One of the cultists turned back to fire at them, only to lose both his hand and his weapon to one of Jiya’s blasts.

  He screamed and stumbled into the street, clutching the mangled wreck of his hand. Ka’nak shot him dead.

  Another cultist stepped out as if to pull his companion under cover, but Reynolds rewarded his efforts with a hole in his chest. The cultist flew back, eyes wide, dead before his corpse hit the ground.

  Reynolds reached the corner first, stepping over a cultist’s body to glance around the edge. He caught sight of the remaining cultists as they turned a corner at the end of the alley, leaving the space empty of combatants.

  He waved the crew on as he raced after Jora’nal and his people.

  “On your six,” Jiya announced as the crew sprinted behind him, spread out to make use of the limited cover available to them.

  Once they reached the end of the alley, it was clear they hadn’t needed to.

  Jora’nal was outright fleeing.

  He’d arranged for one of his people to hold his ground down the street a bit, a straggler meant to delay them a few seconds longer while he got the hell out of there.

  Reynolds didn’t oblige him.

  He took the corner at a run and went straight at the cultist.

  A wild shot grazed Reynolds’ shoulder, but that was the closest the cultist got to taking him out.

  The AI snapped off three shots, blowing two holes in the cultist’s chest and turning his face into hamburger.

  The male’s smoking body collapsed like a marionette with its strings cut while Reynolds pressed forward, his crew at his heels.

  He caught a glimpse of Jora’nal’s people as they ran across the street a block away and ducked into a building there, disappearing from sight. Reynolds moved to the edge of the alley and peered at the door the cultists had gone through.

  He snarled, seeing the reinforced steel of it staring back at him.

  They’d found the cultists’ hideout.

  He raised a fist and drew the rest of the crew up short. They positioned themselves safely out of the line of fire and trained their weapons on the building across the way.

  “The rats have holed up,” Jiya muttered.

  “We need to make sure they stay that way,” Geroux added, tugging her sleeve up and tapping at her wrist computer.

  After a quick moment, she grunted.

  “Looks like they were prepared for us,” she told the crew. “This area is a dead-scan zone. I’m not getting any sort of signal from inside that place.” She gestured to the building the cultists had hidden in.

  “Will you know if they reach out?” Reynolds asked.

  She shook her head. “Unfortunately, no,” she admitted. “They’ve got the systems locked down tight.”

  “Does that mean they won’t be able to communicate from within there?” Jiya asked.

  “They most likely still can,” Geroux said. “They probably have a hardline setup that will allow them to reach out to a relay, which will forward the connection from there. It’ll be a little slower than real time, but it’s effective when you want to keep anyone from eavesdropping on your conversations.”

  “Can you hack the system?” Reynolds asked.

  “Already working on it, but with no signal going into the building and no transmissions to latch onto, it’s going to be difficult,” the young tech answered with a shrug.

  Reynolds growled.

  Jora’nal was so close! Reynolds wanted to kick down the door and storm the building, but he knew that was a bad idea.

  But the longer he let the slimy asshole hunker down inside, the more surprises he could spring on the crew.

  Reynolds had to get inside, but his priority was making sure Jora’nal didn’t slip out the back while they stood there wondering what the cultist was up to.

  “I’ve apprised the Reynolds of our situation and told them to keep a closer eye on the Pillar and the surrounding space,” Reynolds advised. “As for us, let’s form a perimeter, one on each corner of the building to make sure our precious little quarry doesn’t slip away from us.”

  Geroux grinned and reached into a bag concealed beneath her outfit. She pulled out a handful of small black circles the size of insects.

  “I have a better idea.”

  Chapter Four

  Aboard the SD Reynolds, Asya paced in front of the captain’s chair after Reynolds’ message, her eyes on the Pillar.

  “Does your fidgeting serve a purpose?” Tactical asked her.

  “It’s that, or I start shooting things,” she replied with a grin.

  She could almost hear the AI personality shrug. “I don’t see a problem with that.”

  “You wouldn’t,” she countered.

  The bridge went silent again, but only for a moment.

  “I just really hate waiting,” Asya admitted, chuckling. “At least down on the planet, the rest of the crew are seeing some action. All we’re doing is sitting on our hands and babysitting an alien spaceship. It’d be nice if there was something for us to do.”

  “Ask, and you shall receive,” XO stated. “It looks as if the Pillar is getting ready to do something. Shields are rising to full, and their weapons systems are charging.”

  “Gravitic shields to full and keep those shitheads in our sights,” Asya ordered in response. “Are they maneuvering?”

  “Engines are idling,” XO reported, “but I’m not seeing any sign that they’re going to turn around and unload on us. It looks to me more like they are adjusting to a war footing, looking to intimidate us more than anything. It’s likely a response to what’s going on dirtside.”

  “Two can play that game.” Asya laughed. “Warm up the ESD. Its energy signature is so unique that the Asparian defense system won’t recognize it, but those bastards aboard the Pillar most certainly will.”

  “You think that’s a good idea?” XO questioned.

  “Scanners aren’t showing any reaction to the Pillar’s escalation by the defense structure, so I’m thinking they have a policy of reaction rather than preemptive action,” she explained.

  The lack of movement by the dock’s weaponry seemed to back that theory up. While none of the weapons already trained on the superdreadnought moved, no additional weapons were targeted on them.

  “As long as we don’t open fire, we should be fine, since our adjustment is obviously in response to theirs,” she went on, pointing at the Pillar.

  “What’s the worst that could happen?” Tactical asked with a laugh.

  No one bothered to answer the question.

  “Ensign, keep us in place, but I want you ready to Gate or initiate evasive maneuvers at the first hint that the Pillar is going to fire on us, understood?” Asya ordered.

  “Yes, sir,” Ria replied, her focus fully on the console in front of her.

  “Hey, Takal!” Asya called over the comm, opening a channel to the inventor’s lab. “You have those trackers up and ready to go?”

  “They’re cloaked and loaded,” Takal reported back. “They’ll go out amidst the railgun fire should you need to tag them. There are approximately a thousand of the trackers loaded intermittently in place of rounds to ensure at least one of them will penetrate the enemy hull and activate effectively.”

  Asya laughed at the ingenuity of Takal integrating the tracking devices into the railgun system. There was no way in hell the Pillar would be capable of determining there were trackers interspersed among the railgun rounds. They’d simply think they were being fired upon and react accordingly, giving the devices a chance to punch a hole in their shields and go to work.

  “The Pillar’s targeting us with its guns in response to the ESD charging,” Tactical reported, “but there’s still no evidence they intend to open fire.”

  “They want us to go first, so w
e trigger the Asparian defense system and have to fight everyone all at once,” Asya said, shaking her head. “Not going to happen, assholes.” She laughed, flipping off the onscreen image of the Pillar.

  “Looks like we’ve got ourselves a good, old-fashioned Cold War going on,” Tactical stated. “Don’t blink, folks.”

  Jiya stood guard as Geroux let loose the swarm of miniature drones she’d showed them.

  Each no more than the size of a small cockroach, they darted off, nearly invisible in the city’s shadows. Jiya watched them disappear, marveling at her friend’s ingenuity.

  “How long have you had those things?” Jiya asked.

  “They’ve only been operational for a few days,” she admitted. “They’ve still got a few bugs…” She paused, letting the pun sink in before continuing, “But they’ll do what we need them to.”

  Jiya chuckled.

  “That was bad,” Ka’nak told the tech with a grunt.

  Geroux shrugged.

  Not more than a few seconds later, the mini-drones were in place, taking up residence all around the building and providing a steady feed to Geroux’s computer.

  She showed them the small screen, now split into a dozen viewpoints.

  “They’re positioned so that there’s no way out of the building without being seen by at least one of the drones,” Geroux reported.

  “Above ground, at least,” Reynolds countered.

  Geroux growled, “Damn it! I didn’t think of that.”

  “Who knows how long he’s been working on this place?” Maddox said. “Or how much capital they’ve put into it. Even if they just started on it after they arrived three weeks ago, they could have a network of tunnels underground they could use to sneak out through.”

  “Can you scan the ground beneath us?” Reynolds asked.

  Geroux shook her head. “Not with any efficiency. I’d have to narrow the scan so tight that I’d literally be forced to scan centimeters at a time for any hope of accuracy. There’s no way to do that quickly, or with any real hope of success.”

  “What about your bugs?” Jiya asked. “Can you slip one inside the building to spy on them?”