Chosen of Chaos (Eve of Destruction Book 1)

by Benjamin Medrano

  For a moment there wasn’t a response. Then one of the men in the back began to laugh.

  “Evelyn Tarth? That’s rich!” the man chortled, slapping his leg. “What the hell would she be doing here? Are you trying to scare us girl? It isn’t going to work!”

  “Yeah, tell you what, you get out of my sight in ten seconds, and I won’t blow your head off,” the troll agreed, unlimbering a big, two-handed gun she was carrying. A projectile launcher, Evelyn noted, and one which had some enchantment runes on it. That would make it marginally more dangerous.

  “I told them this is what would happen,” Evelyn said, sighing and drawing her energy sword. “Pull that trigger, and all of you are dead.”

  “Sounds like someone wants assisted suicide!” the troll exclaimed, aiming directly at Evelyn, then pulled the trigger.

  The explosion of the cannon going off was incredibly powerful, but Evelyn’s shields flashed into existence as the projectile left the barrel, then the slug ricocheted upward, flying off into the storm. The laughter paused as the troll froze, staring at her.

  “That,” Evelyn said. “was a terrible mistake.”

  “What’s going on?” Elric asked, looking at Ilyra and Vaneryth nervously. “Is she talking to them?”

  “Yes…” Vaneryth said slowly, her voice reluctant. “However, I do not give them good odds of getting out of this alive.”

  “One of them just shot at her,” Ilyra added, her eyes wide as she listened to Evelyn’s feed. She was mostly surprised that the woman was recording everything via the link to Daggerhound, which was allowing them to watch.

  Then Evelyn moved.

  With a gesture and surge of will, Evelyn sent the troll flying back into the cavern, then she twisted her fingers and ripped the mines out of the ground behind her. Thrusting her hand forward, the mines shot into the room like a deadly hail of ice and metal.

  That hail detonated rapidly as the mines struck the ground, equipment, and worst of all for them, the people inside the room. Before the troll had even caught her breath and started climbing to her feet, the air was filled with shrapnel that killed one unfortunate man and tore through the armor of four more of them.

  “I warned you,” Evelyn said calmly, stepping through the hatch as she smiled coldly. “You are all dead. You just don’t know it yet.”

  “Frigging… kill that damned bitch!” the troll gasped, and the men and women turned their weapons on Evelyn.

  She moved by instinct, dodging a good three quarters of their fire, even though she was almost fully exposed in her position. The rest of the fire billowed off her shield, which lost ten percent of its integrity in seconds, particularly when the plasma carbine connected. But it took no time at all for her to reach the first of the men, and her sword ignited instantly.

  The blade cut through the man almost effortlessly, slowed by the enchanted armor he was wearing, but he was staring at her, his lips moving soundlessly as half his chest fell away from his body. Another instant and Evelyn shot another man with her pistol, punching a hole through his chest plate, then fired twice more as she realized she’d missed his heart.

  A woman pulled out a shield and power maul, then lunged at her, yelling loudly. Evelyn rolled her eyes, cutting straight through her shield and disarming her while she dodged the swing of the maul. Leaving the woman behind to contemplate the loss of her limbs, Evelyn tore her way through the remaining poachers mercilessly.

  They were better than the mercenaries she’d dealt with before, Evelyn immediately noticed. They had better gear, they actually managed to connect with her shields through a modicum of skill, and they were giving an actual fight before they died… but die they did.

  In a scant handful of seconds, the last of them were gone save for the troll, as well as the screaming woman without arms, but Evelyn put a bolt through the latter’s head to put her out of Evelyn’s misery. She hated screaming.

  “Damn it, I’m gonna kill you!” the troll screamed, and she lunged forward, abandoning her cannon as a pair of wicked, curved blades extended from the forearms of her armor, the blades gleaming with magic and sharp enough they might be able to damage Evelyn’s armor.

  “I think not,” Evelyn said, pausing for just a moment to let the woman approach… and as the troll swung her blades, Evelyn sidestepped and swung her sword calmly.

  The troll fell to the ground, her head falling separately, and Evelyn smiled coldly at the starship, speaking more loudly this time as she holstered her pistol. “You really should have listened when I spoke earlier. All of you, not this pathetic lot. If you had, you’d be able to live, retire… you know, the things most mercenaries and poachers dream of. Instead… ah, ah! None of that!”

  Evelyn’s hand snapped forward as the ship’s antipersonnel guns began rising, these weak enough that they might not kill all of their allies, assuming any still lived. A beam of intense red light lanced out from her hand, splitting into a dozen separate beams that unerringly slammed into each of those weapon mounts… and detonated, each like a ball of intense fire that clawed at the hull of the ship. Oh, the hull survived, but the weapons didn’t.

  That was the disadvantage of how they’d set up the cave, Evelyn thought coldly. With the seals in place, and the ice so close, they couldn’t raise their shields. No, they were going to have to deal with the fact they didn’t have shields and they’d also let her get close.

  Of course, that was the moment when one of the geniuses finally decided that it was time to leave. She heard the whine as the ship’s engines began waking, and the hatch of the ship hissed shut, the outer armored bulkhead covering it to make it harder for her to board.

  “Idiots,” Evelyn said, shaking her head in disgust. “You think that will stop me? You should have just surrendered. Fine. I suppose there’s nothing to be done for it.”

  Evelyn raised her hand and flexed it experimentally, smiling as she added. “Lady Xalryx asked me not to wreck the biosphere… but this won’t. The planet is cold enough, so… let’s use it. Lords of all flame, hear my call. Ladies of the frozen depths, come to my voice. Let that which is frozen become liquid, smooth as flawless glass before my eyes.”

  A spark of flame erupted in Evelyn’s hand, a flame that turned to water, giving it a strange appearance, and Evelyn extended her hand, throwing it gently at the ship. The flame dropped rapidly, and struck the ground before it reached the vessel, which others might think was unintentional. They’d be wrong.

  The ice and snow shimmered, then turned abruptly from a solid to a liquid in a circle that was larger than the ship itself. The sudden change caused the ship to lurch, then begin sinking. Worse for it, the water was under Evelyn’s control, so it sank even more rapidly than it might have, as she refused to allow it to rest on the surface, pushing the ship under.

  Evelyn waited until the ship was thirty meters down, then she smiled and began to chant again. “Lady of the void, hear my voice, I call upon the utter darkness of space, the depths of the planes of endless winter. Let that which is liquid be solid once more.”

  The bolt of blue light that left her hand hit the pool of water, and an instant later the ship was covered and surrounded by ice, imprisoned thirty meters down. Evelyn looked at it, and smiled, transmitting a message via Daggerhound. “Now, my dear poachers, you’d best contact Lady Xalryx and convince her you deserve clemency, or you’re going to be stuck down there until your life support runs out… unless, of course, you manage to tunnel free somehow. But I doubt you’ll manage that. Hope that she’s kinder than I am. Control, refuse all hails from that vessel.”

  With that, Evelyn turned away and started back toward the scientific outpost. Yes, it was a touch cruel, and not quite as satisfying as destroying the ship, but Evelyn thought it an appropriate decision. Why, it might even be more profitable for her employer than the other option.

  Chapter 33

  “That… that was mean,” Ilyra said, swallowing hard, and a little queasy. She’d never seen someone die
in front of her before. Never, and she’d just seen Evelyn… well, she didn’t want to think about that.

  “Mm, perhaps. Would you rather that she’d killed all of them outright?” Vaneryth asked, frowning a little. “Yes, pushing their ship under the ice is a rather horrifying way to kill people, but she gave them a chance to survive. I think that’s better than the other options. Except for perhaps giving them the opportunity to surrender.”

  “What did she do?” Doris asked, frowning slightly.

  “After they attacked her, she killed the ones outside,” Ilyra said, shivering slightly as she poked at her meal, a tasty but porridge-like paste. “I think they were aiming the ship’s guns at her when she blew them. Blew the guns up, I mean.”

  Vaneryth nodded in agreement, adding, “Then she melted the ice beneath them, and after their ship sank some distance down, she froze it solid. She told them that they could either dig themselves free or try to get Lady Xalryx’s aid. I’m interpreting her comments more politely, but that is essentially what their options are.”

  “I… how did she do that? Most ships should be able to float, even if dropped into water!” Elric said, frowning as he counted on his fingers. “That’s how most of them are designed, so that their displacement is right to keep them above water.”

  “Don’t ask me!” Vaneryth protested, raising her hands helplessly. “We just saw her do it!”

  Ilyra nodded and shrugged nervously. “Do… do you think they’ll be alright?”

  “That’s the question, isn’t it? I think so. Starships are designed to have life support that lasts for months or even years, and while the ice is cold, it shouldn’t pose much of a danger… starvation is the most likely danger,” Doris said, frowning a little. “I think we’ll need to contact Lady Xalryx. I doubt this is what she had in mind for the job.”

  “She’s a dragon. They tend to be territorial, so I think it’s more likely she’ll be annoyed by them being stuck underground than dead,” Elric replied, shaking his head. “But yes, I’ll go send her a message on the comms. We should get a response soon enough.”

  Ilyra opened her mouth, but Evelyn’s voice came through her implants before she could speak.

  “Lyra, Ryth? Please meet me at the shuttle. I’ve sent a report to Xalryx, so we’ll know whether she’s satisfied in a few hours. There’s no reason to stay on this ice ball for any longer than we have to,” Evelyn said, pausing for a moment before adding. “Ah, and make certain to thank our ‘hosts’ for their time and effort. There’s no need to be rude.”

  Ilyra looked at Vaneryth, who had an amused look on her face, then nodded and spoke softly. “Alright, Evelyn, we’ll do that.”

  “Hm?” Elric asked, blinking at them owlishly. “You’ll do what?”

  “Evelyn has sent off a message to Lady Xalryx with her own report, and expects a response in a few hours,” Vaneryth explained. “In the meantime she intends to return to the ship. I believe that we’ll return if there’s anything else we need to do.”

  “Oh. Well, yes, I suppose that is… reasonable. I think it’s a waste of fuel, though,” Elric said, frowning.

  “Oh, shush! It isn’t like you wouldn’t jump at a larger bunkroom or a hot bath if you had the chance,” Doris scolded him, frowning deeply. “Or for better food, for that matter.”

  “Yeah… well, our food hasn’t been the best for the last couple of days to begin with, not since Moon left,” Ilyra said, smiling a bit lopsidedly. “She trained as a chef, so she made really good food. I’m not all that good.”

  “None of us are. Evelyn is the best, and even she relies on the auto-prep most of the time,” Vaneryth agreed. “I half-wish one of the Dolls had a cooking chip, but… naught to be done about it until Moon gets back.”

  “Yeah,” Ilyra said, looking at the bowl of paste, and braced herself before eating it quickly. Even if the texture wasn’t appetizing, it tasted good and was healthy. There wasn’t any reason to waste the supplies here. Once she’d gulped it down, she put down the bowl, smiling sheepishly at them as she wiped the corners of her mouth. “There, done. Thank you for being understanding.”

  “I still don’t understand why you stay with her,” Doris said, her good humor fading slightly. “If what you said she did is true…”

  Ilyra opened her mouth, then shut it, considering how to answer for a couple of seconds.

  “Is she dangerous? Yes, of course… but she’s also proven to be very different than the rumors I heard before meeting her. She’s kind enough most of the time, very… relaxed and generous as well. But more than that, Evelyn is dangerous, and the chances of us getting enslaved again while we’re with her are low,” Ilyra said, meeting the woman’s gaze. “It’s better than the situation we were in before. Prisoners in our own bodies and minds, controlled by some chip as a brainwashing program tried to turn us into toys for someone who’d purchased us. Does she scare me? More now, yes… but I trust her not to do that to me.”

  The scientist opened her mouth for a moment but didn’t speak, shame rippling across her face as she looked away, then nodded slowly. Her tone wasn’t quite as angry when she spoke this time. “I didn’t realize that’s what you’d been through. I’ve heard of slavery, of course, but that sounds horrible. My sympathies.”

  “It was,” Vaneryth agreed, offering her hand to Ilyra. “We got out of it, though. With any fortune, we’ll never have it happen to us again… and perhaps we can rescue others from it as well at some point.”

  Ilyra took the hand and stood, her mood improving as she nodded. “Yeah, that’d be nice. We’ll have to ask Evelyn about it, I guess… but we should get to the shuttle. We don’t want to keep her waiting. Thank you for the hospitality, it’s very appreciated!”

  “You’re welcome,” Elric said, glancing at Doris as he asked. “Could you show them out? I’ll get that message dealt with while you do.”

  “Sure, I can do that,” Doris said, and her eyes brightened as she added. “Hopefully things will start going more smoothly now… it’d be nice if we weren’t constantly having to worry about the drakes we raise getting picked off by poachers.”

  “Good luck!” Ilyra replied, smiling widely, and followed her toward the entrance.

  While she thought she could have found it on her own, it was best not to take chances.

  “Excellent work, Lady Tarth!” Xalryx said, smiling broadly. “Not only did you deal with the poachers, they’re offering enough for their freedom that it’ll cover many of the losses I’ve sustained due to their presence. I expected you to just kill them all.”

  “It crossed my mind, but then I’d have had to go through their entire ship, hunting them down one at a time, and that seemed boring,” Evelyn said with a dismissive gesture. “That or destroying the ship entirely, which while possible would have taken a lot more effort. I thought you might be able to earn something from them this way.”

  “I’m surprised you didn’t just take the ship for yourself. It wouldn’t even be the first time this month that happened,” Xalryx said, a hint of humor in her voice. “It wouldn’t surprise anyone in the cluster, for that matter.”

  “Ah, but then I’d have to clean the ship up and sell it, and I’d be taking a perfectly good prize from a dragon I’m on reasonable terms with,” Evelyn said, smirking slightly as she added. “Considering that I’m hoping to get an item or two from Draconic Suns one day, that seems rather… short-sighted.”

  “Ahh, I understand. You’re looking at the long term,” Xalryx said, her smile widening still more. “Good. That makes me less suspicious.”

  “Mm, I thought it might. You dragons spend so much time with internal intrigue that I thought you’d appreciate the explanation, or that it’d at least make you less suspicious,” Evelyn said, shrugging. “In any case, I assume that we can consider the job done?”

  “That’s correct. Once I’m certain that I’ve gotten the information I desire from the poachers, I’ll free them, and it would be politically advantageo
us for you to be gone when that happens,” Xalryx confirmed, nodding to her. “I’ve transmitted both parts of your final payment to your vessel. It was a pleasure doing business with you, Lady Tarth.”

  “Thank you, Xalryx,” Evelyn said, checking the system to ensure that the payments had arrived, along with the vouchers that would allow the twins to travel through the gates home and back. Her smile widened still more as she realized that they were accompanied by arrangements which would allow passage to Callai as well, which would make things still easier.

  The connection cut, and instead Evelyn was left looking at the sleek brass warship that was Xalryx’s personal craft. It was a light cruiser, approximately, but Evelyn would pit it against most heavy cruisers with confidence it would win. Including her new ship, for that matter.

  Evelyn considered for a second, then ordered. “Control, set a course for Nald and take us out.”

  “Acknowledged, Captain. Course set, estimated time of arrival, one day, two hours,” Control replied, and Evelyn smiled.

  Now she just had to wait for Fya and the others to return, assuming that they succeeded. Not that she had any doubts that they would, it was more a question of just how much it would cost her.

  Chapter 34

  “Welcome back, Fya. Did you enjoy yourself?” Evelyn asked, smiling at the djinn as she rolled her eyes in a very exaggerated manner.

  “Are you kidding? I didn’t even get a proper excuse to kick that salesman in the balls. It was so disappointing… though I like the ship,” Fya said, grinning and gesturing at the screen. “I present to you the Djinn’s Gift.”

  Evelyn stopped, staring at the djinn for a moment. Moon and Star’s giggling indicated that Fya wasn’t joking, which caused Evelyn to inhale, then let out the breath as she glowered.

  “You named it the Djinn’s Gift. I thought we discussed names that were far less… pointed,” Evelyn said.