The Last Empire Box Set

by Nick S. Thomas

  Rossman took a deep breath as he shook his head. Both options were awful, and they all knew it.

  “We will consider it, but give us time. Thirty minutes. Recover your dead. We will not fire unless fired upon for thirty minutes.”

  “Every moment you remain here you do a great insult to our next Emperor, the great Habadur Zha.”

  “Zha?” Madan asked in disgust.

  “Yes, and you owe him your allegiance.”

  “I owe him only a quick death,” snarled Madan.

  It was the most emotion any of them had seen from their Rhepoys, but they knew it was not the time and place, and Rossman stepped forward between them.

  “No bloodshed for thirty minutes, do we have an agreement?”

  Baclu nodded in agreement. The Colonel stepped back a few paces and turning to their defences. Lee wanted to ask more about Zha, but he knew it was not the time.

  “What do we do?” Lee asked.

  Nobody had any answers.

  “Did you put a beacon down?” he asked Bosque.

  “Yes, Sir, but with these atmospherics, any birds would have to get within a hundred metres or less to pick up the audio or visual signals.”

  “That’s it? We stay here and hope they turn up?”

  “The signal might have got to them. They must know all is not going well here. We have to trust they will come for us. What other choices to we have?”

  “Get the hell out of here.”

  “On foot?” Bosque asked in horror.

  “If we have to.”

  “We don’t know their number, and this is a hostile environment. We have to be very careful,” replied Rossman.

  “Only so long we can hold them off, Sir. You said yourself, they’ll be gathering in strength. If this city has really turned against us, how many do you think they can rally to their cause?”

  “We stay put. That is an order.”

  He didn’t like it, but he didn’t argue. He understood their reservations, but he didn’t want to be trapped here like the pile of civilians he’d found in a bloody heap.

  Chapter 6

  As she came up the stairs, Bosque could see King watching the enemy from the window of the second floor. She went from Marine to Marine, checking everyone was okay. He looked furious. It was a bizarre scene. They could see and hear the enemy clearing their dead, and yet nobody seemed to present a threat. It appeared as though the ceasefire was being observed. The Colonel was nowhere to be seen, but she knew why. He would be doing what he always did. Checking every option, studying the terrain, and making sure he was familiar with every aspect of their operation.

  “Lieutenant King was your cousin?”

  She leaned in over the window beside him. He took a short sharp breath of air and tried to hold back tears.

  “More like a brother really. Were you there when he died?”

  “Sorry, no. The Colonel came and found me soon after Horproxa fell. He was desperate for Marines and took what he could get.”

  “I doubt that’s the only reason he chose you.”

  “Why’d you think that?”

  “Because I don’t think the Colonel does anything lightly. He got my cousin, didn’t he? One of the finest men this Corps ever had.”

  “Yeah? What does that say about you?”

  “He sees Joey in me. He hopes I can be that guy.”

  “Why can’t you?”

  “You don’t get it. Joey was something else. He was smarter and better at everything than I’ll ever be. All I ever had was a little more fight, but he clearly got that in the end as well.”

  “I’d say you’re looking at it all wrong.”

  “Really?”

  “You think you can’t be more than you are? A few days ago, you were buried in a prison for the Empire to forget. Look at you now. I think we can all be something more than we are, much more, so long as we live long enough.”

  He laughed.

  “What?”

  “It’s just a little funny, because it’s true. Look at all that. How many more hundreds or thousands of fighters have they got in this city? So we have a bit of breathing time, but you think they aren’t gathering their strength, too?”

  “The Colonel will think of something. He always does.”

  He looked at his watch.

  “We’ve a few minutes until time is up. I sure hope you’re right. Some recon mission this was. We got in way too deep.”

  “I get the feeling there has never been a time when you haven’t been that way.”

  He smiled.

  “You think I’m a trouble magnet?”

  “Of course you are. You’re hot-headed and you run on passion, not smarts.”

  “Only way I know. I told you, I’m not like my cousin.”

  “You don’t need to be. The Colonel, he doesn’t expect you to be anyone you’re not. Just the best version of yourself.”

  “And if that isn’t good enough.”

  “Let him be the judge of that. You think he would bust a criminal out and risk his career for nothing?”

  “You know about that?”

  “You kidding me? How could I not? Rumours get around fast, you know that.”

  “If the Empire knows, they’ll come for me, and the Colonel.”

  “Not right now, they won’t, they need this Mutiny dealt with. They don’t want to have to send more resources here. Here you aren’t their problem. The inner worlds don’t care what goes on out here, so long as it doesn’t cause them any grief. They’ll judge you on what you do now. You’ve been given a second chance.”

  “And if that chance is to die in this shit place?”

  “Then it would be a good death.”

  “There is no good death. I don’t want to die a hero.”

  “Then live as one,” she smiled.

  He nodded along in agreement, appreciative of her words. As he turned back to watch the enemy, he wondered how much any of them were worth. He could see more Prians assembling down two alleyways.

  “You’ll get your shot at him,” she said, seeing he was now fixated on Baclu. The Prian officer was standing amid the bodies as they were gathered. He peered right back at them.

  “Fighters die in war. The enemy’s job is to kill one another, but that asshole was not the enemy. He was on the payroll. Loyal to the Empire, just like Joey. He broke his oath, broke his word.”

  “You’re not wrong about that.” Stone stepped up beside them, “Baclu was under your cousin’s command. He was their platoon leader.”

  Stone never seemed to like him, but they’d finally found some common ground.

  “I’m going to kill him, if it’s the last thing I ever do.”

  “Don’t be so quick to die, Corporal. The Colonel was willing to risk everything to give it back to you.”

  “But…”

  “But nothing. Baclu’s time will come. Look after the men and women beside you, and we’ll get there. We are not individuals. We fight as one. We fight together, and you remember that.”

  He was still fuming, but understood the logic.

  “Not one of us doesn’t want to get a shot at that traitor. Lieutenant King is a hero to all of us, even those that never had the pleasure of meeting and serving with him,” added Bosque.

  “Be there for us, and we’ll be there for you,” added Stone in agreement.

  Lee looked back to the street. The bodies had been cleared, and the Prian rebels were readying for the next phase.

  “What do they even want from us?”

  “Our lives,” replied Stone.

  “Yeah, but why? After everything we’ve done for them and brought to their world.”

  “Some people don’t like being meddled with and told what to do. I thought you of all people would understand that.”

  He groaned. The Sergeant was right. They heard footsteps and someone strode towards them. They already knew who it was. The determined and resolute stride of Colonel Rossman. Lee had despised too many officers in his time. T
his one was different.

  “Time is almost up, gentlemen.”

  “What do we do, Sir?” Lee asked.

  “Right now there’s nothing we can do.”

  “We could send another comms unit to the roof?”

  “What would they achieve that the first did not, Sergeant? If the first signal didn’t reach them, why would a second?”

  “Sir, the longer we wait, the stronger they’re gonna get,” insisted Stone.

  The Colonel went to the window to assess the situation once more. There were no easy answers and everyone knew it. An uncomfortable silence overcame them. The roar of engines suddenly broke it, and they all rushed to the windows. Three shuttles buzzed over them. Cheers of happiness rang out from those hanging from the windows. The shuttles circled around, appearing to pinpoint their location.

  “They’ve seen it. They’ve spotted the beacon,” Bosque cried out.

  The Prians among them didn’t seem bothered at all, unlike the Humans who were almost jumping for joy at the prospect of being rescued from the hellish situation they’d found themselves in.

  “Bravo, hold the stairs and block them off as best you can. Everyone else, on me, we’re heading for the roof. Our time here is done!”

  Bosque rushed to the stairs to relay the commands to those on the floor below as they leapt into action. Lee stayed at the window, keeping a watchful eye on the enemy. It was just his squad and Stone now. The Sergeant could see him watching Baclu like a predator stalking its prey.

  “Don’t do anything stupid now. You won’t get revenge for your cousin by dying at the hands of the same traitor. His time will come. Trust me.”

  “He’s right there.”

  Lee watched the Prian leaning out from a column, not an easy target to take a shot at, and nobody wanted to risk angering the enemy into launching another assault. The anger in him was burning like a fire that risked consuming him. He didn’t care for his own life anymore. He wasn’t scared of the enemy. All he wanted was to get his hands on Baclu. Stone touched his shoulder, and he snapped around in surprise.

  “Remember who you are, Corporal. A Marine is first and foremost here to protect his own. Your cousin knew that, even in the very worst of times. Ask yourself, what would he do?”

  Lee nodded slowly.

  “I’ll see you on the roof. Don’t stay any longer than you have to, you hear?”

  Stone knew he couldn’t press any further, having made his point. He patted him on the shoulder one last time to say good luck, but didn’t utter the words. Lee looked down to see the Prians amassing. They soon began moving toward the building as a disorganised horde. There was no one to stop them.

  “Come on, let’s move!” Lee led them back to the stairway, “Nelson you’re with me, and you two.” He pointed to two others he didn’t know by name. “The rest of you, find what you can to block this stairway. Go!”

  Madan was quick to relay the command, and they took up position around the stairway to cover from all angles. It was the perfect bottleneck to force the mostly close quarter combat weapon armed enemy into. They heard the horde hit the stairway on the first level. It wasn’t long before the first ran into view, Firanwar in hand, storming up the stairs. Lee was the first to fire. His first bullet struck the Prian’s arm. The power of the impact made him stagger and smash into the wall of the stairway, but he bounced off it and kept running. Another shot to the chest put him down as another two Prians took his place. The other Marines quickly opened fire, cutting them down in seconds. More rushed on.

  Lee couldn’t believe their relentless and fearsome bravery, and that made them a terrifying enemy. Two more rushed up the steps just as Madan appeared. He ran to the edge and launched a robust desk at them. It struck both the Prians, throwing them back down the stairs. A pile of other cabinets and furniture was thrown over by the others a moment later, and the way was blocked.

  “All right, let’s move!”

  They hit the stairs running, making their way for the roof. It finally seemed they would get out of this hellhole.

  “Still no regrets you took this job, Nelson?”

  “Are you kidding me? This is what I was born for,” he laughed.

  Lee wasn’t surprised, but it wasn’t a sentiment he shared. He’d been willing to give anything to kill his cousin’s murderer, but this was the last place he wanted to be. They burst out on to the rooftop soon after to find the bodies of one of their Rhepoys and the Prians who had attacked them, just as Bosque had said. Two of the shuttles were coming in to land while the third hovered above them waiting for a chance to descend. The ramps were already lowered ready to embark.

  “Colonel!” Stone yelled.

  There was a real sense of fear in his voice. The Colonel rushed to the edge of the roof, and Lee followed. A vehicle was rumbling on through the streets. It was one of their Otters, but it had a makeshift artillery piece crudely mounted on top. Half a dozen Prians were hanging off it. The crew were not enclosed by armour, but a large gun shield stretched out around the breech of the cannon.

  “That’s one of the garrison guns,” Rossman said. He sounded horrified.

  The vehicle ground to a halt and the gun began to traverse. He followed the path they were moving. They were taking aim at the shuttles descending towards the roof. They were massive targets in a near stationary position.

  “They’re going for the shuttles! Take them out, now!”

  The Colonel got the first shot off, but it struck the gun shield and bounced right off. Stone fired, too, and hit one of the crew. He was rocked by the blow but went right back to his station. Lee joined in as they lay down as much accurate fire as they could. The odd shot found gaps, but the shield took most, and in motion it was hard to target any small openings. Finally, it stopped, and they knew their chance was over. Rossman paused as the others continued to fire, but it was too late.

  There was an almighty thunderous crack as the high velocity cannon erupted. Lee could see the shell leave the barrel and followed it. It smashed into one of the shuttles, blew right through it, and out the other side. The shuttle banked hard as smoke poured from it and smashed into the other. The Marines could do nothing but watch in horror as the two shuttles crashed down to the street and into a building. Both simultaneously burst into flames. There would be no survivors from either. They looked back to the truck. The gun was traversing once more, for they were not done. A shot rang out, flanking the third shuttle as it pulled away. The impact was enough to knock it off course, and it lost altitude as the pilot wrestled to regain control. The final shuttle narrowly clipped another building before finally gaining altitude and soaring off into the distance.

  ‘”Where’s he going!” Nelson yelled.

  “Anywhere that won’t get him killed,” replied Lee.

  There was a look of shock on Rossman’s face as it dawned on him. They were truly all alone. They had clung on to the hope of rescue, and now that hope was gone.

  “What do we do, Sir?” Bosque asked him.

  Before he could reply, the door to the roof was blown open, and three Prians rushed out to attack them. Madan was the first to engage, shooting the first and smashing the butt of his rifle into another, cracking his skull with a brutal blow. More poured out, and he drew his Firanwar to engage them at close quarters.

  “Push them back!” Rossman shouted.

  They formed up and laid fire in to support Madan, driving them back. Stone closed in beside him and primed a grenade.

  “Fire in the hole!”

  He tossed it inside, pulling Madan aside as the others shot the last two who rushed out. Finally, the explosion rang out. Stone slammed the door shut, picked up a Firanwar, and thrust it through the locking mechanism. He dragged one of the bodies up to brace against the door. Madan could see what he was doing and gestured for his fellow Rhepoys to do the same. In no time at all there were eight bodies piled high, just as the enemy reached the door and pounded against it.

  “We don’t have
long,” said Stone.

  “We can’t go back down,” insisted Lee.

  “Follow me,” said Rossman with a sigh.

  He clearly had an idea of some sort, leading them around to the far side of the building, where it was closest to another structure of the same height. He grabbed an old wooden ladder from a corner that he had must have investigated earlier. He cast it over the gap to create a rickety bridge. Nobody liked the idea, and it was Rossman’s last resort.

  “Well, what are you waiting for? Move it!” Stone ordered.

  Chapter 7

  “Move it, move it!”

  Stone ushered them over from the far side of the ladder. The Rhepoys went fearlessly over it, but it was still taking time. Just as before, Lee’s squad were holding up the rear, and it was finally their turn.

  “Go, go on!” Lee insisted Madan lead the squad over until only Nelson and him were left.

  “After you,” said Lee.

  “No way, my job is to keep you alive. You go first.”

  Lee didn’t like it, but he stepped up anyway. The ladder stretched four metres out to the other building, and he looked down. It sure was a long drop.

  “Come on!” Stone shouted.

  He took his first step to find it was not stable at all, but he put one foot in front of the other and kept going. As he reached the centre, he felt the ladder bowing. He was terrified. Something zipped past his head. Two Prians were taking pot shots at him, and that was enough to get him moving, but he soon heard gunshots from behind. Those who had made it through the door were firing at Nelson. Lee ran on and was hauled onto the other roof by the Sergeant. Several of the others fired over to the other rooftop to assist Nelson.

  “Nelson, run!” Lee yelled.

  The hulking man leapt onto the ladder and rushed across as quickly as he could. As he made it halfway, a Prian managed to scale the ladder and give chase. The Colonel fired and struck his pursuer in the chest. Nevertheless, as he toppled off the side, he reached out to save from falling. The stress on the ladder was too much, and it creaked and snapped, giving way before them.

  Lee leapt forward as he saw Nelson fall. Their hands connected, but he’d jumped well over the edge to reach the man. He would have gone down with him, except for Stone and Madan. They grabbed hold of his legs and held him firm. Nelson crashed into the wall to the building but held on firm. Nelson was heavy and stretching out his body. His elbow felt like it was about to pop out of its shoulder, but he wouldn’t let go.