by Matt Novotny
Prodigal Son
Book 5 of Rise of the Peacemakers
By
Matt Novotny and Mark Stallings
PUBLISHED BY: Seventh Seal Press
Copyright © 2021 Matt Novotny and Mark Stallings
All Rights Reserved
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https://chriskennedypublishing.com/the-four-horsemen-books/4hu-suggested-reading-order/
* * * * *
For a listing of all the Four Horsemen books, go to:
https://chriskennedypublishing.com/the-four-horsemen-books/
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Cover Design by Brenda Mihalko
Original Art by Ricky Ryan
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License Notes
This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only and may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.
This book is a work of fiction, and any resemblance to persons, living or dead, or places, events, or locales is purely coincidental. The characters are products of the author’s imagination and used fictitiously.
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For Mia – For listening to my bits of scribble, and letting me give them to you.
—Matt
For Becky – Without her support, this book wouldn’t be.
—Mark
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Contents
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One
Chapter Twenty-Two
Chapter Twenty-Three
Chapter Twenty-Four
Chapter Twenty-Five
Chapter Twenty-Six
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Chapter Twenty-Eight
About Matt Novotny
About Mark Stallings
Excerpt from Book One of the Salvage Title Trilogy
Excerpt from Book One of the Singularity War
Excerpt from Devil Calls the Tune
Excerpt from Book One of the Mako Saga
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Chapter One
Snowmass
“Stop and spread out. There are two more flyers,” Jackson heard Tara Mason say as he listened over Deathangel 25’s comm. He scanned the sky for the flyers approaching their position.
“Copy,” Araceli replied. “Contact at my two o’clock for five kilometers.”
“Give them everything you have!” called Tara.
“We hold the line,” replied Quin’taa.
The first of the flyers came out of the clouds low and fast, guns stitching a path through the snow toward the Misfits. Araceli and the Misfits opened up, returning fire. As the flyer closed, Rains joined in. The lead flyer belched fire and smoke, then rolled and slammed into the ground directly on top of the Misfits position.
“Araceli?” Tara yelled. “Araceli! Report!” There was nothing but broken bits of speech and static.
“Mako 15, Deathangel 25. Misfits need assistance, this position. Be advised the LZ is hot.”
Carter replied, “Descending from flight level now. ETA one hundred twenty seconds.”
The static cleared. “Oh, it hurts! It hurts so bad!” Araceli’s voice rose to a keening scream as the flames from the burning flyer engulfed Araceli’s CASPer, and secondary explosions flung debris in all directions. Rains heard Quin’taa roar as he charged through the fire to get to her. Then there was nothing but a terrible silence.
“Jackson, light up the wingman!” Tara called.
Rains yanked his attention back to his HUD as it updated the targeting information for the second flyer.
“Got it!” Deathangel 25’s hand cannon tracked the flyer and erupted with a steady stream of fire.
He missed.
The second flyer passed his position, hammering Deathangel 25 with a barrage of laser fire. Half the indicators in his HUD turned red. Jackson ground his teeth against the pain as the lasers penetrated the CASPer’s armor, and he watched as the flyer continued past them toward Reecha and Vannix, weapons blazing.
Rains continued to fire, ignoring the warnings from Lucille.
<
Finally, he saw the flyer take several hits from the hand cannon. It veered to one side and a figure leaped away wearing a jump harness, jets firing as it fell toward the ground.
Rains watched to see where the pilot would come down and saw that both Vannix and Reecha lay unmoving, blood from their wounds slowly turning the snow around them red.
“No!” Rains screamed as he charged toward the fallen Veetanho as best he could, the damage to the CASPer making him stagger and struggle. He saw Vannix was gravely wounded as she moved weakly toward Reecha. Rains saw the older Veetanho was already dead. The laser fire from the flyer had cut her nearly in half.
Jackson ran and raised both of Deathangel 25’s MACs toward the flyer pilot and looked up into the face of Kr’et’Socae.
Rains fired.
CLICK!
Kr’et’Socae laughed.
Jackson reached Vannix just as the disgraced enforcer landed in a crouch and drew his sidearm in a smooth, practiced move. Rains shielded Vannix from the murderous Equiri with the CASPer’s bulk. Tara screamed as Kr’et’Socae leaned to the side to fire past him.
Rains swung at Kr’et’Socae, who simply stepped out of range. “Tara? Tara! Are you okay?” called Rains as he continued trying to close on Kr’et’Socae.
Kr’et’Socae fired three rounds into the servo of Deathangel 25’s right leg, disabling the already failing CASPer, then kicked it in the chest, rocking the unstable machine.
“I’ve killed Mason,” said Kr’et’Socae, “and the rat. So, who would that be driving her toy? Is that you, Rains? We have business, you and I.”
Rains caught Kr’et’Socae with a glancing blow and sent the big Equiri sprawling, then popped Deathangel 25’s hatch, jumped from the CASPer, and headed toward Vannix. He almost fell when he hit the ground, then he staggered through the snow and scooped up her sidearm. He felt heavy steps behind him and managed to roll to the side as the Equiri’s hoof came down where he was a second before. Rains fired wildly at Kr’et’Socae, but the rounds ricocheted off his armor.
“No, Rains, it won’t be so easy for you.” Kr’et’Socae kicked Rains’ weapon and sent it spinning off into the snow. He kicked again as Rains tried to scramble to h
is feet. “You will suffer the way she suffered,” the Equiri said. Rains felt his ribs break, but all he could think of was Vannix lying on the ground behind him.
Adrenaline surged through Rains as he charged and knocked Kr’et’Socae’s gun out of line and hammered the Equiri with all his strength. Once, twice, a third time Rains struck Kr’et’Socae across the vulnerable bridge of the Equiri’s face, then he turned and staggered toward Vannix’s sidearm.
Rains reached the pistol as Kr’et’Socae grabbed him by the collar and shook him like a child’s rag doll. Rains’ vision closed in around the edges, his breath coming in ragged gasps. He struggled to attack but was unable to find any purchase. He felt the Equiri strike him in the back, and he tried once more to kick him, but Rains could no longer feel his legs.
Kr’et’Socae carried him to where Vannix lay, dropped him, and placed a heavy hoof on his chest. Rains screamed in agony as he felt his sternum break and his already broken ribs grind together. As he gasped for breath, he thought he heard Mako 15’s engines. He strained to see.
“Oh, did you think your pathetic friends would save you?” said Kr’et’Socae. He shifted just enough to allow Rains to look past him. Mako 15 was a smoking ruin. On the other side of the tree line, he saw the wreck of the snow crawler.
“Don’t worry about the Tri-Rusk,” said Kr’et’Socae. “She, at least, will be useful.”
“I’ll fucking kill you,” gasped Rains.
“No,” said Kr’et’Socae, “the only thing you are going to do is die. For the moment, though, I’ll let you say your goodbyes.”
With a last push of his hoof, Kr’et’Socae stood back to watch Rains and Vannix.
Vannix stirred weakly.
“Not quite dead then? This will help.” Kr’et’Socae shot Vannix in the stomach. Rains frantically tried to drag himself close enough to put pressure on the wound. Kr’et’Socae walked off, laughing.
Rains got his hand over Vannix’s wound and felt the blood flow between his fingers. He buried his face in her white fur. He couldn’t stop the bleeding.
“Vannix! Vannix, hold on! Force 25 is on the way; they won’t leave us…”
“Jackson…” said Vannix. He pulled back just enough to look into her angry face. Vannix’s gaze bored through him. “Why did you let me die?”
* * *
Jackson woke with a start, his arms and legs churning as he fought to free himself from his bedding. The sodden sheets clung to him as if to draw him back down into the nightmare. He finally tore them loose and threw them aside. The room stank of sweat and fear. He sat up, swung his legs over the edge of the bed, and started to shake as his feet hit the icy floor.
“Lights!” he gasped. He fought to slow his breathing, taking in great, ragged gulps of air. His chest ached. Tears ran down his face. He wiped at his eyes, but they didn’t stop.
Breathe, breathe. He told himself. In…Hold…Out…Hold…He focused on the techniques to calm and focus the mind they had taught at the Academy, struggling to find his center. The dream fled, as it had so often before. But memory replaced it, and in his mind’s eye he saw Vannix. Not the Vannix of his nightmare. His Vannix. The real Vannix. On his nightstand was Vannix’s badge. He thought of the moment she handed it to him.
Rains’ eyes flooded with more tears. He felt a moment of shame as he sobbed into his hands and quickly dismissed it. It was a holdover from a childhood where tears had been the enemy, never a sign of loss or grief or hurt, only of weakness.
“The nightmare again, partner?” Rains heard Vannix say. “You know you didn’t let anyone kill me. Kr’et’Socae wasn’t even there. It was that Zuul from the Trenta Knights, Krukk, and he didn’t even know who he shot. He thought I was Harmon Gray. You would have thought the fur would have given it away…”
“But I didn’t save you either,” said Rains aloud. He took a deep breath. Get a grip, Rains, you know what they say about people who hear voices. They would recommend therapy, maybe medication. But it wasn’t like that; Vannix was gone. Nothing would change that, but he was afraid that if he asked for help, “they” would be “helpful.” “They” would be “sympathetic;” take all the time you need. We’ve got this. Without you…
He couldn’t let that happen, couldn’t take it. Not now.
“And you like having me around. Someone needs to keep you on track, but they have a point. Force 25 can’t afford to wait. There’s too much at stake.”
“I miss you,” he said.
Rains had lost people before. In some ways, goodbyes had defined his whole life, but he seldom allowed anyone to get close enough for it to really hurt. He smiled, thinking of the times they had together, good and bad, then thought, But it’s no coincidence we keep running into Kr’et’Socae, either.
Rains considered. Part of him wanted to just step back, step away. He thought about Force 25’s mission to find Snowman, and then his recurring nightmare. The more he worked it through, the more he believed they weren’t paying enough attention to the former Enforcer. He or his minions kept showing up everywhere they turned.
Rains felt in his gut that there was more than they were seeing. There had to be a reason behind the Equiri’s involvement. He’d spoken with Tara and Jamie several times. They acknowledged Kr’et’Socae was a problem, but they thought Rains was being overcautious. He had tried to contact Selector Hak-Chet to see if he could see what Rains was missing, but he had received no response. He was certain he was right, he just had to figure out how to prove it. At any rate, he couldn’t afford to be sidelined.
Force 25 was tied up on Snowmass while they searched through Snowman’s cache and worked to integrate the former Trenta Knights into their organization. The new Force 25 was coming along, but it was slow going, mainly because there were some real challenges overcoming the bad habits the Trenta Knights had learned in years of garrison duty. Force 25 was full of fire-eaters from Victoria Bravo. There was a difference in philosophy that would take time to address. Rains grinned for a moment when he thought about their solution to help the process along.
He crossed the room to the small sink and splashed cold water on his face, then shaved and worked through what had become his usual morning routine. I need a haircut. One of these days, I’m just going to shave my head and be done with it. He looked in the mirror. Dark eyes, red rimmed and puffy, stared back. I look old, he thought. Maybe getting something to help me sleep isn’t the worst idea. Rains had always known that, as a Peacemaker, there wasn’t much room to indulge in his personal feelings. You put those aside and got the job done.
“You aren’t a machine, partner. Dealing with those feelings is part of the gig,” said Vannix.
He grabbed a fresh jumpsuit and checked his slate, the small computers that were nearly ubiquitous in the galaxy. Still no response from Hak-Chet. Rains noted a Storm Watch report had come in from the guild overnight; there had been an intrusion into one of the guild’s remote data relay centers. The guild was still trying to assess if there had been a data breach before the relay was destroyed, but it seemed likely.
Rains shook his head, then locked down his slate. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes. Vannix stared back.
Why did you let me die?
Rains considered for a moment going to the mess, then grabbed his bag and headed for Force 25’s training facility. He needed to clear his head, and some exercise was just the ticket.
Force 25 had taken over a block of warehouses and quarters formerly held by the Dream World Consortium. One warehouse housed storage and maintenance facilities. Another held a shooting range, classrooms, and training and meeting spaces.
Force 25 had turned the last, and largest, warehouse into a CASPer-sized obstacle course. Besides tunnels of varying sizes, ropes, ladders, ramps, crates, and other obstacles, the second and third levels of the enormous space were comprised of modular pieces allowing the sadistic minds in training to conjure up an ever-changing combination of building, starship, and space station scenarios.<
br />
As the Trenta Knights gathered from around the planet, the command staff of Force 25 had started the work of integrating them into the combat force. By adapting Force 25’s sim technology into the Trenta Knight’s infantry gear, the training coordinator could include the new mercs into Force 25’s CASPer squad simulations, run by Lucille. The adaptive simulations, combined with the challenging physical environment, kept them all on their toes.
Rains headed for the heavy steel observation deck that overlooked the obstacle course. In the middle of the overlook, Colonel Ibson watched the ongoing exercise, making notes on a slate. Rains grabbed a set of sleek elSha-designed macular goggles and went to join the colonel. Even over the din of CASPers and infantry moving through the various obstacles, Rains could hear the metallic clunk of his footsteps as he traversed the metal catwalk. A small wave of vertigo rippled through him as he looked through the grate to the obstacle course below.
Below, one of the CASPers triggered its jump jets and arced up and across the open space of the warehouse. Rains’ adrenaline surged when he realized the mech was burning straight for Colonel Ibson.
“Colonel, watch out!” Rains yelled and ran toward him.
* * *
Deathangel 25 came screaming across the obstacle course space, braked in midair, and dropped onto the heavy catwalk next to Colonel Ibson with a clang! that shook the catwalk. Rains shook his head and slowed to a walk as he approached the pair, watching Tara Mason dismount. Tara’s skill with the big machine continuously impressed Rains. She waved as he reached them.
