by J. N. Chaney
The Celestial must have fired something big at our cover, for now it butted up against another ship, metal wreckage littering the floor around it. My gaze stopped on a boot partially obscured by the rubble. Who was it? Dressler? Octavia? Leif? It couldn’t be Abigail because she had screamed my name.
Fire erupted from my left, pitting into the Celestial once more. I followed the stream of bullets until I saw muzzle flares. Abigail and Octavia had found a small shuttle to shoot from, but there was no way it would hold up against the mobile armor. It lifted an arm, clearly about to unleash something, but the pair darted off.
Since they were safe for the moment, I had to find Dressler or Leif, whoever’s boot I’d seen in the rubble. It didn’t take long to find my answer. When the Celestial moved to track Abigail and Octavia, I saw what had been hidden from my view. In the middle of the floor, two meters from the door, lay a figure wearing a white lab coat. Dressler. She stirred, attempted to sit up, and slipped on something. I realized Dressler must have been knocked out cold in the blast and was now waking up in the same way I had. The doctor tried to focus on her hand, but her head bobbled, and she swayed.
I could make out the bright smear coating her palm and feared she might have serious bleeding. “Dressler!”
Dressler twisted her head left to right, trying to locate me. I checked the Celestial’s location one last time and found it still preoccupied with Abigail and Octavia. That wouldn’t last long, though. They were bound to run out of ammo, if they hadn’t already. Gritting my teeth, I scrambled out from under the ship and sprinted for the doctor. She’d managed to find her feet but still looked out of it.
“MaryAnn!” I tried again to get her attention, and this time, she spun in my direction, relief at seeing me evident on her face. It morphed into fear as her eyes locked on to something behind me. “Go!” I bellowed, twisting mid-stride to greet the mobile armor.
Except it wasn’t that. One of the Berserkers, bleeding heavily, pounded toward me, hard-light blades already extended. I strafed right and squeezed the trigger, trying my best to cluster my shots for stopping power. It flinched as each round found purchase in its pale hide, but it didn’t stop. When it didn’t follow me, I thought I had wounded it after all. Then the monster blew right past me, focused on something else.
Too late, I realized it was after Dressler. She was already at the door, furiously working her pad to get the controls unlocked. She wouldn’t make it. The Berserker had nearly reached her, but she kept working the pad. I had to stop shooting or risk accidentally hitting her and could only watch in horror as the Celestial descended, its right blade cocked back for the killing blow.
Dressler threw her arms up in an effort to protect herself as the Berserker drove the blade down, crashing into her and the door, unable to stop its own momentum.
15
“No!” I ejected the magazine from my rifle and slammed in a new one, ready to rip the thing apart.
Another explosion rocked the hangar, causing several of the ships to sway back and forth, but I ignored it all to train my weapon on the Celestial in front of me and fill it with every bullet I had. It would eventually succumb. If by some miracle the blade had missed Dressler, the Berserker would have crushed her between its body and the door. I couldn’t see, but I knew she was there all the same.
The Celestial roared and tried to turn, but I didn’t let up. Another stream of fire joined mine, then a third. Abigail and Octavia. Had they taken out the mobile armor? I realized that must have been the explosion I heard. It didn’t matter. If we lived, I would find out later. We kept firing until the monster collapsed against the door, and its light blades retracted.
I approached it cautiously and toed one of its legs with my boot. It didn’t move. Just to be sure, I put a Neutronium round in the head. When it didn’t so much as flinch, I breathed a sigh of relief.
With the threat eliminated, I looked at Octavia. “We need help to lift the Berserker off Dressler, and I think Leif is trapped under debris from the explosion! It doesn’t look good, but we have to try to get to them, quickly.”
“Sir, I believe I can help with that,” a familiar voice said from behind me.
“Siggy?” I turned slowly and found him standing there with a drone at his side like it was some giant metal pet.
“Yes, sir. I have been trying to reach you on the comms but could not get through. Help is on the way. I only have one drone at the moment. Where shall I direct it?” He looked at me expectantly, but I hesitated.
My gut said Dressler hadn’t made it. Leif might be alive, and at the moment was the easier of the two to get to. Still, the decision turned my stomach. How was I supposed to choose between my people? I’d have to make the hard decision. “Leif,” I said, finally.
Octavia spun to look in that direction. “Where exactly?”
I hastened to show her. The bit of boot was still there where I’d seen it. Octavia got to him first and started pulling pieces of the ship off him. I joined her, going for a heavy length of metal that had trapped one leg. Abigail helped me, and as soon as we moved it, Leif groaned.
“He’s alive.” Abigail dropped to her knees to help Octavia and me.
Leif was soon free, but the blast had done a number on him. Dried blood caked his snow white hair on one side from a gash on his head. Something had sliced one cheek, and the wound still bled freely. Hopefully it looked worse than it actually was.
He moaned as Octavia checked him over. “Leif, can you tell me where you’re in pain?” she asked him gently.
“Everywhere,” came the mumbled response.
Octavia continued to skim her hands over the Eternal, looking for any broken bones or signs of more serious injury. When she touched his right leg, he let out a curse of pain. “Broken. I need to cut through his pants, but I don’t have my med kit.”
“Why the hell not, Octavia? You always bring it.” I couldn’t believe she would go into a breach mission without it.
She grimaced. “Because Major Sanchez ordered me not to. His team already had a medic and he wanted me to be able to carry more ammo.”
“If he’s still alive, we’re going to have a chat.” I jerked my chin at Leif. “How bad is it?”
Octavia looked up at me. “Better than I would have thought, but still not good. I don’t want to move him too much, but I have to see under the armor. We need a way to get him out of here and into a healing pod.”
“My comm broke when I got thrown. Either of yours working?”
They both shook their heads.
Sigmond waved a hand to the side. “I’ll will arrange for a new comm, sir. Ah, here comes help.” Another drone glided over, pulling a hover stretcher.
Octavia grinned. “That will work. Sigmond, can you scan Leif for serious injuries?”
“Of course, Miss Brie. I detect no serious bleeding. Multiple broken bones, but nothing life threatening as long as he’s taken to the healing pod soon.”
It was easy to get Leif on the stretcher. He cried out in pain but still hadn’t fully regained consciousness by the time the little drone hauled him away, Octavia at his side.
I glanced at Siggy, happy but still surprised to see him. Now that I had a second to study him, it became clear that the drone had an emitter affixed to it. “Siggy, what’s going on? Did we kill all the Celestials?”
“All but one. It escaped and has not shown up on my scans. Without knowing where to look, it is a difficult task.”
“What about the rest of the team?” Abigail asked quietly.
“Still searching,” Sigmond answered. “Five dead, more injured.”
“Siggy, can your drone drag something heavy?” I asked, thinking of the hulking Celestial that still held Dressler’s body hostage.
“Of course, sir.”
We led him back to the door where the Berserker still slumped.
The little drone maneuvered forward, extending pincers as it went. Long cords extended from it like wrapped themselves around
the body, backed up slowly, and dragged it away.
“Jace.” Abigail touched my arm.
I shook my head. “I need a minute, Abby.”
“Jace,” she repeated, more insistently this time. “Dressler’s gone.”
“I saw her. She was right there when it attacked,” I sputtered, glancing around where the Berserker had fallen. There was blood everywhere, but no sign of her body. “There’s no way.”
Sigmond stepped forward and studied the door for a moment before turning to us with a wide smile. “I think I know what happened. One moment, please.”
The Cognitive laid a hand of hard light on a panel next to the door, which soon slid open, admitting us entry to the room.
Dressler poked her head out. “I found something,” she said, simply.
She ducked back inside just as quickly as she’d appeared.
I gaped. Abigail’s sudden intake of breath told me she had a similar look on her face.
Knowing the doc had somehow survived spurred me to move. I motioned for Abigail to follow.
“Sir,” said Sigmond, stopping me before I could get inside. “I need to stay with this drone, as it carries the emitter I am currently using. I will assist the injured in the hangar while you investigate.”
“Alright, Siggy.”
The Cognitive bowed his head slightly and left to assist whoever he could find.
* * *
I found Dressler hovering over what looked like a giant metal egg.
It took up most of the room’s height and at least three meters across. A computer station stood off to one side, bigger and more complex than any I’d encountered before. I turned in a slow circle to study the room and learned at once why the outside wall hadn’t been blocked by anything. I could see out into the hangar through a small window. Gazing through it, I noticed for the first time just how much destruction had been done. Ignoring that for now, I walked up to Dressler and waited until Abigail and Octavia reached us.
The doctor had stopped pacing and now studied the egg with hands on her hips, wearing a perplexed expression. I’d seen her do this countless times while working, but it was surreal. Barely a few minutes ago, I’d been sure she was dead. Her hair was a tangled mess and a trail of blood had begun to dry on her face where a cut had bled. The white lab coat was now mostly brown, streaked with more grime. She looked beat to hell, but our Dr. Dressler was still standing.
But how?
“Doc, I don’t understand. Did you get the door open before the Celestial reached you?”
She gave me a weak smile. “In a way.”
“I swore I saw…” I trailed off, not wanting to voice what I’d imagined. “I’m glad you’re alright.”
“All that matters is you’re here,” Abigail told her emphatically.
I waved a hand at the giant egg in the room. It was three times my size and large enough to hold a squad of soldiers inside of it, depending on how thick the material was. “MaryAnn, do you have any clue as to what that thing is?”
“It could be anything,” she mused. “It’s not an escape pod, I think.” Dressler walked up to the thing and placed a hand on it. “Unfortunately, I can’t get it to open. This system is separate from the last. You could call it self-contained, but I’ll need more time to open it.”
“I wonder if that means it’s special,” said Abigail.
“That’s a decent theory,” said the doctor. “I need a new pad before I can begin working on this.”
“Huh.” I laid a hand on the metal exterior and noticed it had a crack. It ran vertically down the egg, zigzagging all the way to the bottom. Something about the line looked too uniform to be accidental, so I circled around the other side. Sure enough, another crack. Six in total, identical, as far as I could tell.
I showed her and Dressler, who only nodded.
“I noticed,” she murmured. “It must open. Like a flower, perhaps.”
“Okay,” I said, tapping my side. “Looks like another puzzle worth solving.”
I wandered to the console next, resting against one of the walls near the egg. The panel of displays were dark, but blinking lights indicated it was receiving power.
I reached over and touched one of the screens. To my surprise, it came to life. The system beeped loudly, and the displays appeared. Startled, I jerked back. The panel I thought was benign turned out to be a set of holo controls.
Dressler rushed over to see what happened. “What did you do?”
“Nothing, just leaned on it,” I told her.
“Interesting.” Dressler stared at the displays with rapt fascination. “It must be touch activated.”
I recalled how the Berserker had bypassed me and attacked Dressler, as if protecting the door. “The Celestial tried too hard to keep you out. This place must be important.”
“I think they must have left in a hurry, without taking the time to lock things down,” Dressler said. Her eyes lingered on one of the displays above her head. A holo image depicted curved spires surrounding a platform. The graphic rotated slowly. Celestial writing scrolled off to the side.
“Do you know what that is?” I asked.
“Maybe.” She started working the touch panel, cycling through controls.
“Careful,” Abigail warned.
Dressler flapped a hand at her. “Don’t worry. I’m not going to activate it. I--” She paused, her eyes fixed on the holo in front of her. “Oh, my.”
“What is it?” I asked, leaning forward.
“Sigmond,” said Dressler, ignoring my question. “Analyze this and run it through the translation program. I need a match on this phrase here.”
“Working,” said Sigmond.
“I take it you found something,” I said.
She nodded, slowly. “I want to verify it before I say for certain. My understanding of the language is hardly proficient.”
“Analysis complete,” said Sigmond. “Standby for a full translation of the text.”
Dressler examined the pad in her hand, checking the screen. As she did, her eyes widened with what seemed like fascination.
“Well?” asked Abigail.
“This is--” She paused again, swallowing and licking her lips. “Yes, this is what the Celestial was talking about.” She turned to look at the egg-shaped machine. “This is the other transportation device.”
“What?” I asked. “I thought you said it wasn’t an escape pod.”
“It’s not,” she assured me. “It’s something else. I don’t know what, exactly, but the text definitely refers to it as a form of transportation.”
“Has it been used recently?” I asked.
She studied the holo display. “I don’t believe so, but I’ll need more time with it.”
“Sigmond,” I said, touching the comm in my ear. “Is the bay secure? What’s the status of those Celestials?”
“Eliminated, sir,” said the Cognitive.
“Good. Inform Rackham and Sanchez that we need an armed detail down here immediately. I want this entire bay secured, especially this room. Call Davon and have him bring a team with him, too.”
“As you wish, sir,” said Sigmond.
The displays changed rapidly as Dressler worked, showing designs for some things that I recognized, like the various ships outside, and others beyond my understanding. Murderous as they were, no one could argue the Celestials’ technical aptitude.
“I think that—” Dressler pointed at the three pillared image again, now on the main display. “That becomes the egg.” She tapped the controls and the holo began to morph. The pillars retracted inward until they joined together to match the physical version in the room.
“Good work, Doc. But how can we use it?” I asked. “If you’re wrong and the Celestials used it, how do we do the same?”
“I don’t know yet. I’ll need my equipment.”
Dressler knuckled her temple again and grimaced in pain.
Abigail shot me a worried look. “You should get looked at. You migh
t have a concussion.”
“I’m fine, Abigail,” she said, though the weakness in her voice was apparent. In complete opposition of her words, the doctor swayed, grabbing the console to steady herself.
I was about to order her to a healing pod when the computer let out a series of rapid beeps. Next to the holo image of the egg, a symbol flashed. The egg made a hissing sound, drawing our attention to it.
Light shined through seams along the surface of the egg as it separated and opened outward. A flash of light blinded me for an instant, and I saw spots. When I blinked them away, the pillars had settled into place with a ramp leading up onto an empty platform, just like the image.
16
Dressler started forward. At the same time, one of the pillars sparked like lightning, a cloud of black smoke rising from the onset. I grabbed a fistful of the doc’s lab coat and yanked to stop her from running into danger. I was onto her now. It was like watching a toddler and having to childproof the area she was playing in.
Stumbling back, she turned to me, batted at my hand, and said, as if she could read my thoughts, “Let go of me! I am not a child.”
“No, but you’re injured, with a possible concussion,” I pointed out.
Abigail stepped over and laid a gentle hand on her arm. “He’s right. You almost lost consciousness a minute ago.”
Dressler glowered at us, then let out a hefty sigh. “I will use the healing pod as soon as we’re done here, but time is critical. We need to finish analyzing this machine right away.”
I nodded. “Works for me, but you try to weasel out of getting yourself checked after this and I’ll throw you over my shoulder and dump you in a pod myself.”
She scoffed and waved a hand in my face. “Do what you will.”
“I’ll poke around the egg. You stay here and keep an eye on the holo,” I told her.
