by C. Gockel
Once he was sure Wake was following, the man strode out the way he had come. Their journey was short and ended in a small flight deck containing four other humans. The man escorting Wake sat in one of the back seats and motioned Wake towards the single remaining spot. “Strap in tight, things could get bumpy.” A look of frustration crossed his face, and he smacked himself in the forehead. “I always forget to introduce myself. Momma says it's a character flaw. The name is Ralen Call, member of the Brotherhood of Azak-so.”
“Wake Darmekus, although you already know that,” Wake replied, a tentative smile crossing his face. “Is there anything I can do to help? I have some computer and machinery skills.”
“Captain Malesis here, Brotherhood of Azak-so,” a man in one of the front seats said. “I don't know if there is much you can do. We are trying some tactical maneuvers to stay in close to the Ashamine ship and inside their weapons range. That ship is too small to carry fighters, thank Azak-so, so we don't have that to worry about. We are in a precarious situation here. Too close, they ram us. Too far, and they send tungsten ripping through our hull. The only thing keeping us alive so far is smooth flying—not meaning to brag, just stating the situation. Do you have any ideas?” Wake looked thoughtful as he removed the crimson gauntlets covering his hands.
“I may have something,” Wake said after a brief pause. “Let me check your systems and then I'll know more.” No one else spoke. They were all engrossed in their displays.
After a few moments scrolling through specs and readouts, Wake felt he had a viable plan. “OK, here is what I'm thinking: Your ship is obviously more maneuverable than the larger vessel, but far out gunned. We need to use our maneuverability to get into a position where we can strike at a vital system. I know you’re thinking all those systems are well armored, and in that you are correct. But I was just on that ship, and I had a pretty good look around. I was paying special attention since it was my first time on a vessel that size, and I didn’t really have anything else to do. One flaw in their impeccable design is the view port on the main deck. Someone told me during battle they lower an armor plate to keep it from being compromised. In order to watch my death, they had it wide open. I'm guessing since we are such a small ship they won't have bothered to lower it since. If you can—”
“If I can get a couple of rounds through that window,” Captain Malesis interjected, “they will experience explosive decompression.”
“Exactly,” Wake replied, smiling. His emotions had risen to a level they had not been to since his trial. His face turned somber as he thought through the situation further. “We will be killing everyone on the command deck, but I guess it's us or them at this point.”
Ralen gave Wake a strange look as he said, “Considering what they were about to do to you, I'm surprised you aren't excited for it. We can fill you in on the terrible things the Ashamine has done to the human and Entho-la-ah-mine races if you feel guilty. Trust me, if your plan works, you are doing a service to the gods and the Universe.”
Ralen does have a point, he thought, remembering how close he’d come to death. The fact it was unjust and unfair mitigated some of his anticipated guilt.
“Ralen,” Captain Malesis said, “I'm going to bring the ship in on a vector that will allow us a clear shot on the main deck window. If you miss, we won't get a second try. They'll bring the armor down. Game over. I'm not trying to stress you, but you need to know the stakes.”
“Sure, sure,” Ralen said, speaking in his characteristically quick manner and not bothered in the least. He continued in a low mumble Wake couldn't understand. After making adjustments on his screen, he looked back towards Captain Malesis and nodded to indicate readiness.
Captain Malesis took the ship in low over the top of the Ashamine vessel, moving fast and skimming the hull. After a few seconds they were to the front of the ship, and he pulled up sharply into a tight loop.
Ralen began mumbling, and all Wake could make out was, “Great, great, great,” said in a tone that sounded less than enthusiastic. Ralen's mumbling ceased as the Brotherhood ship reached its apogee from the Ashamine vessel. Wake monitored his console, still trying to think of anything to help.
As they dove towards their target, the interior of the deck flared brightly as a rail projectile passed within meters of the Brotherhood ship. “Damn them to the fires of the dark star!” Captain Malesis yelled.
Just as Wake was feeling it was time to fire, Ralen did so. The ship bucked as four tungsten projectiles left their barrels. Ion tracer trails streaked towards the Ashamine ship. It briefly appeared the volley was a complete miss, that the rounds would pass in front of the enemy ship. Ralen's calculation and Wake's gut feeling had been correct, however. He watched as the Ashamine ship flew into the line just as the projectiles were about to pass. All four tungsten alloy rounds hammered directly into the deck window. The plasti-glass fractured and exploded outwards in a shower of debris. Wake saw the bodies of the deck crew fly into space and knew they were experiencing the fate he’d just escaped. Us or them.
Captain Malesis pulled out of the dive as hard as he could, trying to avoid a collision with the Ashamine ship. “This is gonna be close!” Wake checked his harness straps, knowing they wouldn't save him if they struck the other ship at this speed.
We're gonna hit, Wake thought, the enemy ship looming in the main window. Collision alarms sounded, too late to change anything. Closing his eyes, Wake braced for impact. His body felt the extra g-force as Captain Malesis pushed the ship to its limit, barely missing the larger vessel. Bodies bounced off their front window and hull as they passed the Antadroga. The muffled thumps made Wake queasy.
He thought they were away from the debris cloud until a final figure came streaking towards the window, the hulking body spinning wildly in the air. Striking squarely against the main window, its head exploded, leaving a smear of blood and brain that froze instantly. Then he was gone, body consigned to the void for eternity unless the Ashamine somehow retrieved it. “Damn,” Wake muttered.
“We cheated the fires of the dark star once again!” Captain Malesis proclaimed. “I won't say I'm happy those people died, but...” After a beat or two passed, he resumed. “We have the needed separation from the Ashamine ship and are far enough inside the worm zone to engage the drive. Carson,” he said, glancing towards a dark skinned man Wake had yet to be introduced to, “it would be quite unfortunate if the Ashamine tracked us from the worm impression, so forty for seven.” The man named Carson raised his hand and nodded to acknowledge the order. He didn't look up from his console.
Wake didn't know enough about worm travel to understand what the Captain had said, so he turned to Ralen. “Forty for seven?”
“Yeah, forty false signatures for each of seven worms,” Ralen replied quickly, looking up from his terminal. “No way to get rid of our actual worm impression, so we try to keep the odds in our favor by using false trails.” He let out a short bark of a laugh. “Carson will make sure that some come out near black holes, or in star-forming regions like that nebula. Attempting to follow us would be hazardous.”
“Sounds like it,” Wake replied, impressed by their resourcefulness. Silence once again returned to the deck, each of the crew focused on their tasks. “Captain,” Wake said after a minute had passed, “is there anything I can do? I appreciate what you did and would like to do what I can in return.”
Before Captain Malesis could answer, the ship shuddered, and blackness sprung up at its nose, enveloping it. The void soon swallowed the entire ship, the exterior darkness. Then the stars were back, but in a different configuration than they had been just moments before. Wake let himself breath again, glad their passage through the worm had been successful.
“Don't worry about it,” Captain Malesis said, picking the conversation back up. His voice was straightforward, tone frank. “We simply did what was right. We know the failure of the Traynos bridge wasn't your fault. The Ashamine is to blame, completely. We intercepted
intel that they were planning the sabotage, but weren't able to get there in time to stop it. When we arrived, the bridge had already collapsed.
“After that, we kept an eye on you. The Brotherhood figured the Ashamine would try to eliminate conflicting stories. We hoped our demonstration at your trial would scare the Elders, that defeating Karthis would show them your loyalty and patriotism. We thought it would change their decision to have you take the fall.”
“Wait, wait,” Wake interjected. “Why would the Ashamine kill those colonists? They were miners. Those people wouldn't show up on anyone's sensors.”
“All you say is true, or at least it was until a few weeks before the accident. What brought those miners onto the Ashamine High Command's sensor array was a discovery made while mining. We don't know all the facts, mind you. The Brotherhood can only hash so deeply and all the details are way deep, like High-Elders deep. We did manage to find out it's something ancient, and obviously important to the Ashamine. They seem to think it could revolutionize humanity. Ashamine HC didn't want the discovery becoming public knowledge. The logical thing was to eliminate those miners and blame it all on the engineer responsible for the bridge. Simple, clean, easy. They took some gambles though, especially when they sent you the faulty materials, but all that fell into the crevasse. The data evidence disappeared too. We looked for it. They were very thorough.”
Wake hadn’t believed those critical of the Ashamine, at least until his trial had become such a joke. Now, with what Captain Malesis had told him, he was convinced. “I knew the components they gave me were sub-standard, but they should have been serviceable for at least a few standard months. I was even on the bridge doing maintenance. I saw it all happen...” Wake trailed off and fell silent, eyes falling to the floor.
“It wasn't your fault,” Captain Malesis tried to comfort Wake.
After a moment, Wake looked up, a supernova's worth of fury burning in his eyes. “They set me up. They tried to execute me. I felt guilty, felt responsible for the deaths. Now I find out the bridge was sabotaged?” His voice boiled with rage. “They killed innocent people to keep an archaeological discovery secret? That's despicable. Horrendous! I hope they get blighthearted while they burn in the fires of the dark star. It would be the smallest part of what they deserve!”
Captain Malesis' face lit up with a broad smile. “Welcome to enlightenment, Wake. You are experiencing what every one of us in the Brotherhood has gone through: the realization the Ashamine government you love and trust isn't the pure, altruistic entity you thought it was.
“Any one of us here could tell you our stories about how we discovered the truth, but it wouldn't sound a lot different from your own. Diverse circumstances, same blightheart. We are here to hinder and remove as much of the Ashamine corruption as possible, using any and all means necessary. That's partially why we came to your aid. Innocent people being executed in the selfish interest of government is unacceptable. The Brotherhood won't allow it. You were a special case, as I mentioned, because we couldn’t stop the murders before they happened. We couldn’t let you take the fall. We were honor bound to intervene.”
Wake felt drained after his outburst, overwhelmed at the growing implications. The system he had served was rotten and putrefying. “What do I do now?” he asked, unsure if he was questioning Captain Malesis or himself. Captain Malesis answered first.
“I'm sure you realize you can never go back to any Ashamine controlled planet, at least not looking like or being identified as Wake Darmekus. So here are your options as I see them: you can either live out your days hiding on some outer planet, or you can take a stand against the Ashamine and fight for the good left in humanity.
“Obviously you know what decision we would like you to make, but we will help regardless. We read your personnel file. We know you have valuable skills. We also noted your integrity. If you decide against us, we will drop you off in a safe place and give you enough Ashcreds to start a new life. If you decide for the Brotherhood, you have a home amongst us. It's dangerous, but what worthwhile thing in human history was not worth fighting or dying for? The choice is yours, no pressure. Take all the time you need.”
Wake knew he couldn't live in hiding, couldn't stand by knowing the corruption that festered in the heart of the Ashamine. He had to do something about it and the Brotherhood seemed the best way. The human government still contained many good qualities. Maybe I can be influential in restoring the Ashamine to the just and honorable system I thought it was.
Wake took a deep breath. “I want to join the Brotherhood. I'm ready.” He looked into Captain Malesis' eyes, confident. “I need to make a difference. I want to help restore the Ashamine.”
“Well now, that was quick. I don't think you'll regret it though. We're a good group, and we take care of our own. Let me be the first to formally welcome you, Wake Darmekus, into the Brotherhood of Azak-so.”
24 - Felar
Darkness. Felar couldn't hear anything over the sound of her thudding heart and ragged breathing. Terror writhed within her. Have to slow down, have to get control , she thought. Remember your training and your experience. None of her past combat had been anything like this. She focused on controlling her breath, which in turn calmed her heart rate.
Felar took stock of her situation, both assets and liabilities. She couldn't see anything in the darkness, but the acoustics told her she was in a small room, perhaps an office or utility closet. That door is definitely a problem. It had felt flimsy when she’d entered. Those things won't have a problem breaking through. Felar hoped perhaps, in all the chaos, she had slipped away from the attackers.
In the way of assets, she had little. Her whole squad was dead. Felar had lost her primary weapon—boy, would her instructors have blighthearted her for that back in Dog—leaving her with a semi-automatic rail pistol. She also had a few illum sticks, combat short swords, and a small amount of the special explosive. When listed, it sounded like a lot, but Felar knew it was a weak set of tools to fight those things out in the corridors.
Everything about the current situation was a liability. She was pitted against a foe she knew almost nothing about, and those things had easily obliterated everyone but her. She now had no backup whatsoever. How, in the fires of the dark star, am I supposed to extract myself from this place? It seemed impossible.
The carnage, gore, and death of her squad was burned indelibly into Felar’s memory. We should have buggered out when they attacked at the lift exit, when we still had the chance. “Keep your fields of fire tight,” Felar had ordered after they’d repelled the first wave of things. Everything within her told her she needed to go back, had to retreat. FCs don't retreat. FCs complete the mission. So they ventured further into the facility, and the blackest fires of the dark star broke loose.
“We're flanked,” Shanbek shouted. “What are these things?!”
“More attackers inbound from my sector,” Malen reported.
“Full defensive posture,” Felar ordered. “Fire when ready.”
And they did just that, Malen's multi-barrel mowing down the creatures as Unthar guarded his back. But the monstrosities were too fast, too agile, and far too smart. A minute into the battle, they changed tactics. Instead of full-frontal assault, they started focusing on short hit-and-run attacks. They darted in and out of corridors and rooms until Malen's gun ran out of ammo. Then they reverted to full assault, overrunning Felar and her squad.
Felar shook her head, trying to forget what had happened next. It was too much to process right now. She had to focus on saving herself. Regret, guilt, and remorse could come later.
Control yourself, Felar thought, pushing the memories out of her mind. She had to embrace the mental state they’d taught in Dog School. Isolate yourself from fear, agony, and hopelessness. Embrace the now. She pushed the pain away, tried to forget the guilt of being the sole survivor. She could do nothing about that at this moment. Felar blanked out the terror of being isolated in this alien and fri
ghtening situation. Emptiness and stillness enveloped her, a shield from the external pressures.
Pulling out her side arm, Felar checked the weapon to make sure it was ready. The small, tungsten alloy rail rounds were still powerful enough to take down the creatures, but she wouldn't have to discharge the weapon if her plan was successful. Stealth was her best tactic. Will they continue pack hunting or will they split up to search? Felar didn't know which was worse.
She manually slid the door open and poked her head out. A few small emergency lights lit an ominous hallway. Felar couldn't make out any targets or threats. Low light optics would greatly increase her effectiveness, but neither she nor her squad had deployed with it, not anticipating the need. If they had told us where we were going sooner, she thought, inwardly cursing Ashamine Forces Command.
Felar slipped out into the hall, careful to be silent. The floor was hard and her boots soft, making her task easier. The main obstacle was to avoid kicking or stepping on fallen debris. Fortunately, there was little in this area. The darkness made every task harder, forcing Felar to stay focused.
Nearing a hallway junction, she slowed. Rushing will get me killed, but being overly cautious is more exposure to danger. Consistency and alertness were key.
Easing her head around the corner, Felar dry heaved at what she saw. A large hulking form stood over what was once a human body. It's matte black skin was barely visible in the darkness. Felar had to squint to make out the creature's stout arms and narrow legs. The low light obscured the monstrosity's actions, but from the sounds—wet slapping accompanied by tearing and grunting noises—she knew what was happening.
