Sora needed to get out there.
“Chok, get back in here and man the controls! I’m going out there.”
Cold steel touched the crown of his head, sending a chill through his skull. “I’m afraid your pilot is out of commission, Sora. Just you and me.”
Felicia.
13
“How did she know we’d be here?!” Trika said, yelling as she shot another thug. His partner fired his shotgun and a heavy laser cut into Trika’s stomach. She tumbled backward, but Talek rushed ahead, pushing her back onto her feet and shooting her attacker. The modified projectile sent him to the ground.
“I don’t know but our objective remains the same,” Talek said, while Trika took a breath. “Stop Malone and Bosnan, even if that means we have to take out the royal army when doing so.”
Talek held up for most of this adventure but seeing the government’s arrival restarted the itching and crawling. As did listening to Bosnan’s rant about his army. Since Talek helped convince Sora to sit this one out, he felt partially responsible to lead the crew. He had to shove his own thoughts to the background.
A bolt hit Talek’s left upper arm, breaking through his armor. He threw his shoulders forward, trying to ignore the pain. Two thugs crept forward, aiming at Talek’s right arm. Before he could react, another bolt cut through that armor. He shook his arm and used his remaining strength to hold up his rifle.
Before he fired, Fi appeared, dipping in front of him. She held her sword in her left hand and a pistol in her right. She gave a headshot to the thug on the right, before hopping forward and stabbing the one on the left.
She looked at Talek. “Stay alert, Dano. Stay centered.”
He nodded, breaking into a sprint. He fired at a thug directly ahead and, before the thug could react, he fell. Three more thugs turned their attention to Talek, but Nait and Naos appeared from the side and dove forward, distracting them with a flurry of lasers. Two fell before Talek took out the third.
He looked to the opposite side of the mine. Several thugs darted toward the hill, trying to protect the other side. Seconds later, silver spots appeared on the edge of the hill. One by one, soldiers charged. They looked far less organized than they had on Adli. Red and orange lasers met.
Talek heard a cry. He looked to his right and saw Naos on the ground, clutching his shin. Nait covered him, screaming as he fired at several thugs. Two lasers hit his stomach and he doubled over. Talek propelled himself forward, slamming his fingers on the trigger. Before the thugs could finish the boys, blue projectiles rammed into their sides and flung their bodies backward.
Talek looked to the horizon again. He saw an unhelmeted, older man walk over the hill between the charging soldiers. The disgruntled security captain from Adli.
“Capture or kill anyone who stands in your way,” Captain Nelson said, shouting above the madness. “Confiscate all of these resources! Destroy them if need be!”
Talek froze as the shrieking rushed his brain. He grabbed his face.
“No.”
Not now. Talek threw his hands down and continued forward as Trika rejoined him. Some thugs still blocked the crew, but many of the remaining men turned their attention to the soldiers. A firefight encompassed the opposite side of the mine.
“Where’s Scout?” Nait said, breathing heavily as he finally stood straight. Talek shot another charging thug. “She was just with us—”
“If she’s not dead, she’s fine,” Talek said. An orange laser hit his torso and his armor absorbed it. Then, another laser hit it, cutting through. He grunted. “Stay focused.”
They all had to stay focused or this would all end here.
“We don’t have that many more guys in our way,” Trika said, pointing toward Bosnan. “Once we break through, we can grab Bosnan and get back to the ship. If we get him out of the way there’ll be no army to worry about.”
“Oh, there will be.”
Talek hissed. He needed it to stop. Three more thugs raised their rifles, firing at the crew. He ducked as a bolt grazed the back of his helmet.
“Wait, guys, soldiers!” Naos said, raising his voice. Talek’s eyes darted to the right. Four soldiers rushed them from the side. Naos and Nait immediately started firing at them while red danced around them. Naos lost his balance as one laser hit his ankle.
Talek’s left arm took another hit. The three thugs still approached.
“Trika, Fi, take the thugs! I’ll help Nait and Naos with the soldiers.”
Talek lifted his rifle and pressed down on the trigger. He needed these projectiles to release as quickly as the gun would let them. Every second between getting a shot off, the crew jumped, ducked, or swung out of the way of an opposing shot. Red, orange and blue colors swarmed around them.
He watched one of his bolts hit a soldier. He kept his hand perfectly still and fired again. Then again. The soldier fell but the amount of color in this awkward circle only increased. Talek could barely see. He didn’t know whether it was due to the physical fight or the mental fight.
He felt like someone punched his forehead. Not because of a gunshot, though. As seconds passed, the pain worsened.
“It is time.”
No. Talek would not allow it. He screamed, hammering another soldier with shots. Even after the soldier fell, Talek shot him again. Talek didn’t let go of the trigger. He held it down, barely releasing so that he could slam his finger into it again. His finger painfully tingled as he pressed it to the trigger. He pointed the rifle at the next soldier.
Talek would not allow it. He could not allow it.
Sora’s hand slid to his side. He felt for his belt, grasping for his rifle. He ignored the burning sensation inside of his throat. The flames in front of him. He didn’t see the viewport anymore. Only the fire.
“Don’t. It is no use,” Felicia said. Her gun remained pressed to his scalp. “It seems that the royal army has decided to join us. You just have to love the nebula. People always pointing guns at each other.”
Sora’s hand dropped to the side of the chair. “Did you lead her here, too?”
She sighed. “Of course not, Sora. The last place I want the Queen is here but, as you well know, I can always improvise. My operation here is almost complete.”
He wanted to lean back and punch her. He wanted to grab his rifle. Sora knew that he didn’t really have those options, though. As bad as the flames burned, he wanted to live. He needed to live and get out there before the soldiers and thugs overran his friends. His family.
“We don’t have time for this and we never have,” Sora said. He let out a raspy breath. “My crew is in danger. They’ve done nothing to you except defend themselves. I need to help them.”
Sora felt another chill as the gun dug deeper into his crown. “Your crew of my ship? You know that this can’t last. No matter how many urchins you have recruited, no matter how much you act like a savior, you are not a captain. I’ve allowed you to live out this fantasy for too long. No more.”
“You haven’t allowed anything,” Sora said, growling as he felt the flames intensify, singeing his legs. They felt too real. He spun the chair around, reaching for his rifle again, but Felicia smacked him with the butt of her gun. The cockpit twirled around him. All of the computers and chairs blurred together.
Just as Felicia’s face appeared in front of him, her fist collided with his cheek. His bones crackled and he coughed as he fell out of his chair. His stomach hit the ground first, sending nausea into his mouth.
“Unfortunate that it had to end this way!” Felicia said, shouting. Sora cringed as the rifle rammed into his back. “If you hadn’t talked to the robot, none of this would have happened. If you had only listened to me!”
Sora wheezed, struggling to lift his head. “F-Felic—”
The pointed heel of her boots kicked Sora’s ribs. He cried out, before enduring another kick. Then a third that sent him crashing into the wall inches away. “However, I couldn’t let you get away with stealing my ship. My pride. You
knew that.”
He spit out blood droplets, pulling his head up again. Felicia loomed over him. Her fixed scowl and twisted nose said enough on its own. She aimed her rifle at Sora again.
He coughed as his chest squeezed his heart. At least it felt like that. “Felicia…”
Felicia grabbed Sora’s collar and hissed as she leaned down. He saw the fury in her large brown and blue eyes. The rage only grew. “Don’t beg for mercy now, Sora. I begged for your mercy once on Bolton, remember? As blood ran down my face and my spice mine fell apart, what did I do? I called your name, but what did you do?”
She shoved his head against the wall. He yelled again as the pain rushed to his head.
“Nothing!” Felicia said, raising her voice to a scream. “You did absolutely nothing! You left me to die as you flew away on my ship!”
Sora’s face hurt. Sora’s head ached. Sora’s ribs felt bruised. Sora’s back throbbed. Above all, though, the worst pain came from the flames. He felt the burning in his throat. He felt the burning on his feet.
He opened his eyes and saw Felicia’s furious expression. Bright flames surrounded it. He’d had enough of the flames. He’d seen them since childhood. The only time they ever simmered happened when he thought Felicia died. They didn’t go away but simmering seemed better than how hot they felt right now.
“The Queen came after my drug trade. She came after me. Rafael owed me,” Felicia said. Her spit landed on Sora’s forehead. “I didn’t even know you when I ordered his death. I was young and I had to make a statement if I wanted to stay off the streets! In all of these situations, I had to respond and yet you blame me? I made you!”
Sora coughed again. Blood trickled down his chin. “You didn’t m-make me,” Sora said, coughing again. He felt the blood run down his neck. “And you w-won’t make this army.”
Beneath the anger and the flames, Sora saw Felicia’s right index finger. It tapped the trigger of her rifle.
Sora hit the wall again, slumping to the ground as the burning came full circle.
“You’re right, Captain,” Felicia said. Everything blurred again, but Sora saw her walking toward the main console at the front of the cockpit. “We don’t have time for this.”
Scout slid down the hill, using a jagged rock to stop her descent. She crawled down the last few feet of the hill, focusing on the shuttle that sat between the two carriers. Most of the soldiers already made it over the hill and into the fight on other side. Scout wanted to vomit upon seeing Nelson again. She knew that she should go back and help the crew fight but the shuttle drew her here.
She crept forward. No one stood around the shuttle. It sat just like it used to sit at the palace. Undisturbed and unguarded.
Scout’s throat tightened. She should go back.
Scout couldn’t go back. She took a few more steps.
She heard the roar of gunfire. She heard the cries from falling men and women. Every step she took, though, they got a little quieter. The whistling of the wind got louder and the fight behind her faded.
Still no movement at the shuttle. Scout continued forward. She stood a few steps away from the closest carrier.
She heard five more shots from the fight. Nait probably wondered what happened to her. Maybe Naos did, too. She could still go back.
The wind whistled again, drowning out the cries. No, she had to go forward.
“Always too curious, Scout,” a voice said from behind. A monotone voice. A cold voice. No charm, no wit, no emotion. Just a booming, authoritative voice. “Always too predictable. Clever, but predictable. Unacceptable for someone protecting royalty.”
Scout stopped moving and swallowed. She didn’t feel anything go down her throat; all the saliva had already receded from her mouth. Both of her hands trembled.
“Face your master.”
Scout wanted to spit in her face. She wanted to charge. She also wanted to flee. She didn’t take any of those options, though. Her heels dug into the clay and she turned around. Her hands still trembled and she couldn’t move her parched mouth.
Queen Bettina stood in front of her. She stood in a spot that Scout stepped over just a minute before. Her small, bony face looked as white and pale as ever. Black lipstick covered her lips and hints of eyeliner rested around her eyes. Smooth dabs of base ran across her cheeks. Other than that, her face still had that ghostly white appearance. Gold, elaborate designs hung from her ears. A wide, gold crown covered her hair, masking it from sight. A large, silver necklace draped her neck and overflowed onto her chest armor.
Even beneath the black armor that spanned her body, Scout spotted a black dress with rich fabric. The monarch looked exactly like Scout remembered. She looked exactly like Scout saw her in her nightmares.
“I knew it would not take much to draw you out, Scout,” Queen Bettina said. Her hands sat at her sides. “As soon as you spotted the shuttle, you would leave your objective and travel over here. My only task was to exit the shuttle and watch for you.”
Scout swallowed again. Still no saliva. She gasped, trying to get air into her narrow throat.
“Kneel.”
Scout’s hands tingled but she didn’t move. She felt her left foot start to shift, but she stopped it. She may not feel capable to charge but she would not let herself bow. Never again.
The wind howled again. Scout thought she could see the air flying between her and the monarch.
“I see that your disrespect has only grown,” Queen Bettina said. Her eyes narrowed and her lips tightened. “Did you really believe this defiance would last, Scout? The prison break on Con? The tip about the freighter on Adli? Your friend, Governor Arbol?”
Scout’s eyes drooped. She knew about Jet. She killed him.
“I taught you every skill you know. How could you believe these efforts would bear fruit?”
“Scout! Scout!” Nait said. Her head snapped to the hill where Nait rushed over the side. He shot a pursuing soldier and nearly tripped down the hill as he stared at his sister. Scout noticed the cuts and bruises all over him. His eyes widened when he noticed the Queen but he kept his speed. “Stay away from her! We’re not your toys!”
“Ah, your brother,” Queen Bettina said. Scout heard the familiar clatter as her left hand reached into the sheath on her belt and removed her double-edged sword. Just like in Scout’s memories.
Scout tried to move her lips. She tried to overcome the dryness in her mouth to cry her brother’s name.
“I won’t let you hurt us! I won’t let you hurt her anymore!” Nait said, charging forward from the right. He fired his gun and Queen Bettina’s expression did not change. She ducked, as if nothing serious had happened. Nait fired again and she easily dodged without changing her position.
Scout wanted to scream.
As Nait finally reached the Queen, she turned and revealed her sword. Before Nait had the chance to react, she plunged it into his stomach. Nait’s eyes froze and his jaw hung. Blood gushed from his stomach as she dug the blade into his flesh.
“Shut up, boy,” Queen Bettina said. Finally, a scowl crept onto her face. She removed the sword and let Nait fall into his own pool of blood.
Finally, Scout screamed. She shrieked. She didn’t hear the wind, the lasers, or the cries of others. She only heard her own voice as her vocal cords made up for lost time. She recalled what she told Nait on the Killer. She could not call this woman “the Queen” or “Queen Bettina.” She only deserved to be called “Bettina.”
Scout did not have a master. Only a rival.
Scout grabbed her pistol and fired as she ran toward Nait. Bettina jumped out of the way of the blue beams and leapt toward Scout, cutting off her path to her brother. Both sides of the sword slashed Scout’s left arm, causing her to cry out again.
Bettina loomed over her. Scout thrusted her elbow into the woman’s stomach, but it only hurt her elbow. She stumbled forward, trying to reach Nait.
“Nait!” she said. It sounded more like a sob.
�
�Always so emotional,” Bettina said. Her sword struck Scout’s back and Scout felt the clay pierce her face once she landed. “That is what disqualified you from my service.”
Bettina gripped her shoulder and pulled Scout off the ground, before shoving her onto her back. Scout grunted and Bettina’s boot hit her chest. Scout yelped. She gazed at her former mentor whose body overshadowed her. She looked angry but calm. Completely stoic.
Bettina pressed her boot down. Scout felt the air leave her. She wanted to punch her. She wanted to kill her. She wanted to do something.
“You’re… evil. You… abandoned me… for nothing,” Scout said, gasping between words. The wind swirled around her and yet Scout felt like she received none of its precious air.
“Look at your brother,” Bettina said, motioning to Nait. His pool of blood had only grown and now his eyes were closed. Scout hoped that meant he still lived. “He is bleeding out because of you. Had you not rescued him from that prison, this would not have happened to him.”
“You… would’ve killed him either way,” Scout said, coughing. The tears stung, blurring her brother’s bloody body.
“Perhaps in a less painful manner,” Bettina said. Her boot pressed down again. Scout squealed. “You say that I have hurt you, but you have hurt my galaxy. You’ve brought death and destruction to Con, Adliand now Wantim. There are consequences. Natalia? Naos?”
Scout clenched her teeth together. She felt the blood in her mouth and spit it toward Bettina. Her hands fumbled against Bettina’s boot, trying to get a grip. “Keep their names out of your mouth.”
“All of these people who have helped you bounce from planet to planet?” Bettina said. She twirled her sword above Scout. “Today, once I have killed you, I’m going to slaughter every last one of them.”
Scout gripped on the edges of the boot and shoved. She put any strength that her body still had into that shove. The boot went into the air, sending Bettina a few feet backward. Scout scrambled to her feet, wiping the blood off her mouth.
Survival, Dark Times Page 19
