Scout cracked her knuckles as red encompassed the cockpit. It reminded her of blood with a brighter tint. As the Killer entered Wantim’s atmosphere, the red shade overpowered the artificial lights of the ship. Everything looked bloody now. Great way to start off the day.
She scratched her chin. Most of her scrapes and bruises had gone away with a little gel, but her chin still ached, thanks to Adli’s concrete. If she only had to worry about her chin, she’d take it.
“General layout of the planet gave insight on where the main clay mines are located, Captain,” Chok said. His paws flew across the main console. Sora sat to his right. “We should be there in moments.”
“No docking control? Wow, this’ll be our fastest expedition yet,” Trika said, scoffing. She stood to the right of the room, leaning on the wall.
The last day didn’t feel fast. Everyone wiped off the blood and no one talked to each other. Most of the crew didn’t talk because they felt tired, but Scout didn’t want to talk. She didn’t want to talk to Naos. He wanted to, but she couldn’t speak to him. She’d risked her neck for him and he threw their mission in the trash.
Scout didn’t have any love for Bosnan or his army. She didn’t know if they could overthrow Bettina. She did think they could open the way for Scout to get to her, though, and Naos ruined that because of his own problems.
Never let emotions interfere with the objective. They learned that in the palace. Never let emotions dictate anything. Sure, those teachings meant nothing now, but some of it still had merit. She hoped they could win back Bosnan and correct Naos’ screwup.
“Felicia and her men won’t be hard to spot. Just look for people packaging clay,” Sora said, rolling his chair back. “As soon as you set the ship down, we’ll rush them.”
“Whoa there, Captain Trok,” Natalia said, putting a hand on his shoulder. She and Talek stood between Scout and Trika. Natalia now wore light, white armor. “Talek and I asked Viktor about your injuries. We think you need to sit this one out.”
Scout rose an eyebrow. Sora shifted in his seat. “I fixed myself up last night. I’m fine and I need to be out there. Every hand counts.”
“You barely made it onto the ship, Sora. Nelson and the rest of that battle took a toll on you,” Talek said. He looked down and narrowed his eyes. “I know a tired man. You need to stay.”
“We can handle it,” Natalia said. She patted his shoulder. “We are capable. We beat Felicia’s thugs once and, hopefully, we can talk Chief Bosnan down.”
Sora took a breath. It still sounded faint and labored. “I don’t like it, Natalia. Especially if Felicia is involved, I’m needed.”
“That may just aggravate her more,” Talek said, shaking his head. “Please, Sora. Stay.”
Sora opened his mouth, but before he spoke, he coughed several times. He hit his chest in an attempt to calm it down. Scout walked into his line of sight as he leaned back in his chair, letting out raspy breaths. She winced.
“They’re right. You took a beating this last time around,” Scout said. She tilted her head toward the red sky. “Let us take one this time. If it were the other way around, you know you’d be saying the same thing. Remember the medical bay?”
Sora closed his eyes and rubbed them, shaking his head. “You make a good point by using my own logic. I just don’t want things to go wrong.”
“If they do, then you can’t stop it either way,” Talek said. He grimaced. “You can provide overwatch from the ship.”
Sora nodded. “Be careful. Felicia knows what she’s doing.”
“I’ve already faced her down twice,” Scout said. She forced a smirk. “Third time’s the charm.”
The woman had it coming. She’d outstayed her welcome in all this.
“I’ve located the big butts. Landing the Killer in one minute,” Chok said.
Scout felt the freighter dip. She rushed to the front of the cockpit, leaning over the main console. Six red, clay hills surrounded them. Nestled in the hills sat a valley where a handful of orange jackets and red pants stood. Some had rifles, while others used shovels to dig into the surface, before placing their findings into tall, glass canisters. Scout had a bird’s eye view, but judging from several of the filled canisters, they’d already made progress.
She didn’t see Felicia or Bosnan, but again, a bird’s eye view.
“It’s time,” Scout said, pushing herself away from the main console and sprinting for the exit. “They’ll shoot us if we don’t act fast.”
She marched through the corridor with Talek and Natalia on her heels. As soon as she entered the main hold, she felt a tug on her arm, yanking her to the right. Talek and Natalia brushed past her as Scout spun around to see Naos holding her upper arm.
“Get off me. We need to get out there.”
“Don’t you think that you should stay with Sora, maybe? You took a few hits, too,” Naos said, biting most of his lower lip. She hated his pouting.
She pulled her arm away and scoffed. “No, Naos, I really didn’t take any hits at all. You’ve done enough. Just make it right by shooting down Felicia and her cronies.”
Scout whirled around. The rest of the crew had already made it to the exit ramp. They all knew they didn’t have time to talk or wait today.
She felt another tug on her arm. Except Naos. He thought they had plenty of time to talk, apparently.
“I know you’re mad and I’m sorry. I just didn’t want her to hurt you,” Naos said. She yanked away and started walking. “She had a knife to your neck. I was scared about that and the whole Bosnan thing. We can all see he doesn’t have our best intentions at heart.”
“You’ve let your feelings run everything since the minute we set foot on Puntan,” Scout said, groaning. She didn’t turn to look at him. She kept walking, focusing on the metal walls of the next corridor. “Remember our training? Emotions shouldn’t control us in a crisis.”
He tugged on her arm again. She elbowed him in the stomach. He grunted but kept pace with her.
“You’re letting your feelings run everything, Scout!” Naos said, hissing. She still didn’t look at him. “You’re mad at Bettina and that’s clouding your judgement. You’re running across the nebula just for one scientist who already ran out on us? I know I’m not totally in the right but come on!”
Everyone else stood directly ahead, preparing their rifles. Scout heard the engines simmer as the Killer sat down. Naos wouldn’t let this go, so she needed to end it before they ran out there.
Scout halted. Naos slammed into her back and grunted again. “I’m running across the nebula for one scientist because you paired him with a murdering drug lord. That’s on you, not me.”
He grabbed her shoulders. She didn’t move. “Maybe, but at the end of the day that’s not what this is about. You’re mad because I put a foil in your strategy to stop Bettina. Your hurt is consuming you.”
Scout gritted her teeth and elbowed him again. She noticed Nait casting them a wary glance. “Am I really that much of a basketcase to you, Redgrave?”
“You’re mad at Bettina. You want revenge. She’s the only adult you ever trusted, so I get tha—”
Finally, she turned around. She pointed a finger at his wide, naïve eyes. Her warm breath trickled onto his chest. “No. If you did ‘get that,’ then you would trust me on this, but you don’t trust me, Naos. You didn’t trust me on Adli and you obviously don’t trust me now. Yeah, I have trust issues but I don’t ride around on a high horse.”
She pulled back her finger and relaxed her shoulders, spitting to the side. “So no, you really don’t get what I’ve been through with Bettina. You don’t get what I’m going through now. Stay out of it and fight the fight.”
She faced forward and joined the rest of the crew. She wouldn’t give Naos another glance. She took her place beside Nait, running her hands across her belt to make sure she had her guns and dagger. Everything sat where it belonged.
Nait nudged her. “Listen, sis, I’m not happy
either, bu—”
She gulped and held up a hand. “Don’t, Nait. We have a bigger issue.”
Talek hit the button to open the ramp and Scout pulled out her pistol as she listened to the familiar hiss of air rushing into the freighter. No time left for drama.
The crew piled out of the ship, rifles pointed straight ahead. The Killer landed roughly 150 feet away from the mining group, so they had some distance to close in. The wind slapped Scout’s face as she ran atop the firm clay. As they closed the gap, a handful of thugs lined up and aimed at the crew. Scout kept her finger to the trigger, but no one fired.
Chief Bosnan came into view, folding his hands behind his back as he stepped away from the men digging. Starting with Natalia and Viktor, the crew came to a stop and formed their own line. A small gap still sat between the crew and Bosnan.
“You made an unwise choice, Chief Bosnan,” Natalia said, raising her voice above the howl of flying air. She kept her rifle pointed at one of the thugs. “We can’t let you give Felicia Malone an entire army.”
Chief Bosnan blinked. “So, your solution is to kill all of us?”
“Not unless you force us to, doc,” Trika said, growling. She waved her rifle toward him. “It’d be a shame because it sounds like your people on Catalan really want to see you again after you left your right-hand man bleeding out.”
“My people will come to understand that these hard decisions were all for the sake of their name.”
What did Malone do to him? He had to change his mind. Scout needed to change his mind.
Viktor took a step forward and several opposing rifles turned toward him. His hand quivered but he kept his pistol aimed at Bosnan. He stood the closest to the scientist. “Th-This isn’t right, Chief Bosnan. You are a scientist, not a god. You are creating people to be slaughtered. It will never play out the way you desire.”
“It is a true pity you are so shortsighted, Dr. Atkins,” Bosnan said. He didn’t move or display any change in emotion. Scout wanted to see something. Anything that indicated they had a chance. “This will go far beyond mere human soldiers. My next creations will be stronger than before. They will be creations that show the power of Catalan.”
“Chief, we will still help you. You can come with us,” Natalia said, pointing her head toward the Killer. “We can take you back to your home and continue your work there. Felicia will use this army and discard you once you’ve served your purpose.”
“This is the closest I have ever come to completing my work, Senator. You brought the Queen’s army to Adli and caused my first army to be destroyed,” Bosnan said. He still hadn’t moved. “On the contrary, Miss Malone is providing me with the last resource I need. There is no more time for discussion.”
No. Not what Scout wanted to hear. She had to snap him back into reality.
“Felicia led Bettina to Adli, Chief!” Scout said, shouting above another howl. She lowered her pistol. “She caused the battle. She’s killed innocents to get to this point! Is that really what you want your legacy to be?”
She wanted to see a twitch. She wanted to see a slouching of shoulders. Even a hand movement. Something to show that she’d broken through.
Chief Bosnan didn’t blink. He didn’t waver.
“The ends justify the means, child. I do not care about what Miss Malone has done or what we will do. I only care about using my creations to avenge my people.”
Scout felt the blood leave her cheeks. The wind suddenly seemed a lot quieter. She looked at Naos, who met her gaze. For the last day, she could barely stand to look at him and now she felt like their blue eyes blended together. He frowned. Naos screwed up on Adli, but he had the right idea about Bosnan. They couldn’t trust a man who didn’t bat an eyelash at innocents dying.
She needed revenge on Bettina, but principles kept her from siding with Felicia in the first place. She didn’t want to murder.
They weren’t getting Bosnan back. This man made up his mind long before Felicia Malone came into the picture.
“Where is Felicia?” Scout said, swallowing and returning her gaze to Bosnan.
“She is preoccupied with other matters and, in fact, so am I,” Bosnan said. He looked to the thugs. “Deal with them.”
Orange firepower burst forward and spun toward Viktor, the closest to the thugs. Natalia fired two defensive shots and dove in front of the scientist, taking the brunt of the burns. One cut through her light armor, immediately burning her chest. A piercing cry followed while a shot to the back of her leg sent her to the ground.
She sat up, firing at the thugs. Scout rushed forward, lifting her pistol and firing at the two thugs who focused on Natalia and Viktor. The rest of the crew jumped in every direction. Blue and orange energy beams collided above the red surface. Out of the corner of her eye, Scout noticed Fi removing her sword and jumping toward a trigger-happy thug.
“Senator, we need to pull you back,” Viktor said, firing a shot of his own before he grabbed Natalia’s shoulders. She continued to fire, finally taking out one of the thugs who drew near. She hissed as Viktor dragged her backward. Scout stepped in front of Natalia, ducking as the other thug continued his attack.
“I’m fine, Viktor. Help me up, please,” Natalia said, groaning.
A shot from the thug hit Scout’s shoulder. She resisted the urge to nurse it, aiming and firing again.
“Senator, that shot through your armor made a significant cut in your chest,” Viktor said. Another blue laser zoomed past Scout’s head, but the thug dodged it. “Let the others take the lead.”
A shot grazed Scout’s hair. She felt the heat on her scalp and gritted her teeth but focused on her pistol. She clasped it with both hands and fired three times. Each shot hit the thug but he continued his attack. Another laser hit her knee, which buckled.
She tilted the pistol up and fired again. The bolt collided with his cheek and he fell.
She looked to the left. A few thugs had died, but orange still outnumbered the blue. Fi jumped over one’s back and gave him a quick stab. Talek took out a thug distracted by Fi’s acrobatics. Nait and Naos stood side by side trying to match the firepower headed toward them. A bolt hit Nait’s hand, causing him to drop his gun.
Scout almost rushed forward, but Naos shifted his position to cover Nait as he fired six shots with his rifle. One of the thugs fell while Nait grabbed his own rifle and fought through the pain.
Suddenly, Scout felt intense pressure on the edge of the back of her neck. Heat and the sensation of burning skin followed it. She yelled out, hunching over and fumbling with her pistol. If that bolt had made it a few inches to the left, she would have died.
Scout couldn’t die now. She needed to ignore the pain.
Scout threw her head up, screaming again as the burning grew stronger. She turned to her right to see Kossk flipping forward, stabbing the thug who’d shot her. Several bolts hit his scales, causing them to fall off. She saw him wince, but he quickly recovered and flipped backward, stabbing the next thug.
She’d never seen him fight before. All that she knew about his skills came from Nait. Huh. Maybe the Mizan did know a thing or two.
“Remember, push forward to the mines!” Trika said, calling out above the chaos. She also stood to Scout’s right, crouching and charging. Scout glanced forward to see other thugs still digging. Bosnan had returned to survey them as if this skirmish held no importance.
“Viktor, how’s Natalia?” Scout said, whirling around. Natalia struggled to stand while Viktor covered her, firing at any thug he could target.
“She needs someone to stay with her. She could easily get cut down again.”
“Trust me, I’m fine,” Natalia said. She aimed her rifle again and fired.
“Let me stay with you, Senator.”
“Viktor, make sure no one gets to her,” Scout said. She looked to see the rest of the crew pushing through the new openings. “I’ll go with the others to finish this.”
Scout ran, listening to the conflic
ting sounds of wind and gunfire. She threw her head back, trying to numb the pain from her neck. Suddenly, as she ran, she didn’t hear the wind or the gunfire. Not because they stopped. Something else drowned them out.
An engine.
Scout’s eyes shifted to the sky. Two large, gray carriers and one black shuttle descended. The fight on the ground continued, but Scout focused on the new arrival. She knew that shuttle.
Bettina.
Sora leaned over the main console, slamming his hands down as the fight raged on. He saw Natalia hit the ground. He saw the lasers hammering the crew. They grew more distant from the ship so that indicated progress, but he needed to be out there to help. He didn’t feel right bringing them here and then ditching them to do the dirty work.
He touched his chest. Some of the pain had gone away, but it still stung. He still had a hard time breathing.
“Captain, I eat,” Chok said, pushing his chair back and wiggling out of the pilot’s seat.
“You’re eating now?” Sora said, leaning back and furrowing his eyebrows. “What if we need to step in.”
“You know how to fly.”
Chok slipped away, leaving Sora to focus on the fight again. How many men did Felicia drag into this? Probably the last of whatever rag-tag gang that she had thrown together.
Sora heard a rumble. It grew, turning into a roar. He leaned forward again and stuck his nose to the glass at the top of the viewport, looking up to the sky. He saw two large transports and one shuttle. They descended toward the opposite side of a hill.
The Queen’s forces. She’d found them already.
Suddenly, a thud came from the direction of the main hold. Sora’s head craned back to the corridor behind him. He saw nothing.
“Chok?!”
No response.
Sora sat back in his chair and faced forward. The fight between the crew and Felicia’s thugs continued, as if the transports didn’t exist. The Queen’s ships landed on the other side of the hill and disappeared from sight. This didn’t look good.
Survival, Dark Times Page 18
