While Bettina regained her balance, Scout rushed her. She curled her fist and slammed it into Bettina’s stomach, ignoring the pain that came from hitting the metal. Bettina grunted, showing that the punch had enough power. Her stoic composure shifted to frustration.
“You’re not hurting anyone,” Scout said, punching again. She hissed. “I’m going to kill you.”
Bettina raised her sword again and sliced Scout’s stomach. Scout held in the scream and kept her arms lifted, stepping backward.
Scout met the gaze of the stoic, ruthless woman. “I’m not dying today.”
Sora thought he heard the flare of the engines. He heard buttons clicking. His vision came and went but everything blurred together. Felicia’s shot had reopened his chest wound and the pain blazed throughout it. The occasional flare crawled into Sora’s vision as he tried to focus on Felicia. The flames didn’t even leave as he drifted in and out of consciousness.
“Miss Malone, we must leave as soon as possible,” a mechanical voice said. Chief Bosnan. Sora held his eyes open long enough to see Felicia talking on her own comm. “Your men are falling and they can only hold that crew and the soldiers for so long. We have the clay that we need.”
“Excellent,” Felicia said. Sora’s eyelids twitched as he fought their urge to close. “I am preparing our vehicle for departure.”
Sora grimaced. He couldn’t let that happen.
“I believe the Queen herself is here, Miss Malone, on the other side of this hill. As her dogs have barked out orders, her name has come up.”
The urge left Sora. The Queen had come here? Scout. Natalia. Nait and Naos.
Felicia paused. Sora put his hands on the wall behind him and put any remaining strength into his hips. As he extended his legs and stood, he let out a small moan. The cockpit came into clearer view. Lights and computers materialized around him.
Felicia didn’t pay attention to Sora. She just stared at her comm. “Quite a surprise,” Felicia said, taking another brief pause. “I will deal with her.”
Sora withheld a cough. He removed his hands from the wall and put his feet forward, mustering up the manpower he still had. Sora needed to end this and get to the rest of the crew. The situation outside had gotten out of control.
He charged, ramming into Felicia and wrapping his arms around her stomach. She yelled, grasping the console and struggling to get away. Sora tightened his grip and ignored the flames that consumed his mind.
“You’ve brought my crew into this and you know I’m not leaving them here,” Sora said, letting out that cough. “Did you kill Chok?”
“No, the koala is out cold,” Felicia said, groaning. She let go of the console and her right hand flew backward. Her black nails obscured Sora’s vision as they dug into his cheeks. He saw the blue, orange and red lasers outside the viewport. “Big mistake, Sora.”
Felicia’s left arm elbowed his stomach and his grip loosened. He stumbled to the right, sending both crashing into another console. They both grunted. Sora hissed when the metal cut into his thighs. The flames burned again.
Next, she uppercut him. The flames got hotter. His reflexes kicked in and he released her, stumbling back. He spit more blood out of his mouth but kept his eyes on Felicia as she kept her fist curled and launched at him.
His left arm shot up, blocking her next punch. She clawed at his arm, tearing the skin. “You say that I didn’t make you but I turned you from a destitute street orphan into a capable space pilot! I put money in your pocket. This is how you repay me?”
Sora grabbed her hand and ripped it off of his arm. He tried to resist the pain that the flames sent through his brain. “You played me. I did your dirty work and trusted you while you knew what you did to my father.”
“I let you fight the robot that did the deed. Isn’t that enough?” Felicia said, hissing and punching with her other hand. Her fist went into his chest.
Sora screamed and threw his head forward, head-butting her. Before she fell, her foot slammed into his shin. Both collapsed into the main console again, hitting one of the first buttons in front of the pilot’s seat. A roar came from the back of the ship, followed by an alarm.
Instinct kicked in again and the flames disappeared. Sora used the console to pull himself up and focused on the controls. He had to fix it.
“Let me handle my ship,” Felicia said. Sora glanced at her disheveled face as she also pulled herself off the ground and reached for her pocket. He looked back to the controls.
A silver reflection appeared in the viewport, glistening under the red. Sora swatted the dagger out of Felicia’s hand, glancing again as it fell and slipped inside the small space between her lower leg and boot. Inside his mind, the fire crackled.
“Our ship is about to blow up!” Sora said. His eyes scanned the console for the landing procedure commands. “If you actually knew that, you wouldn’t be wasting your time trying to continue this ridiculous fight.”
He spotted the buttons and hit them. The roar in the back quieted and Sora heard the hum of the instant cool down.
Sora also took the break in action to gasp for breath. He looked at Felicia, using the console to keep himself standing. “I know every part of this ship, Felicia. I know how it breathes. I know how to keep it alive. This is over.”
He expected to throw another arm up in defense, but Felicia closed her mouth and looked out the viewport. The firefight raged on.
“Either way, Sora, I win,” she said, stepping away from the console. Sora reached out for her, straining his chest. The crackle inside him grew. “This is far from over.”
“Felicia!”
She sauntered out of the cockpit. Sora wanted to keep her from causing any more trouble but at the moment he did have more pressing concerns. He pulled his comm out of his pocket, thumbing in Viktor’s frequency.
“Viktor, status report.”
“Captain, it is chaos,” Viktor said. The gunfire sounded even closer. “We have nearly reached Bosnan and the clay, but the Queen’s forces have complicated things. Senator Valie sustained a minor wound. Logically, we cannot fight off two opposing forces for long.”
“They’re fighting each other, too, so that’s bought you some time,” Sora said, trying to keep his heavy breaths to a minimum. “What can I do?”
“Be prepared to extract us, whether we obtain Chief Bosnan and the clay or not.”
“I heard that the Queen herself is there,” Sora said. He watched the madness in the distance. “Scout, Nait and Naos okay?”
“The Queen?!” Viktor said, raising his voice. “I have not seen her, Captain. In fact, I have not seen Scout and Nait for several minutes either.”
Sora’s chest didn’t hurt. Now, it went numb. He had to find them.
14
Bettina’s foot met Scout’s chest. Scout stumbled, shuffling her feet to keep her balance. She glanced at Nait. Still unconscious, but she saw his stomach move. He lived, just like Scout would. She had to get him out of here.
“You have independence now?” Bettina said, creeping forward. She swung her blade and Scout threw herself backward. It grazed her right shoulder. “You believe you have strength?”
Scout wanted to kill Bettina. She wanted to take her head off but didn’t know if she could. She didn’t know if she could keep this going and still save Nait.
“You believe you have a choice as to whether you live or die?” Bettina said, swiping again. Scout jumped. “You do not and you never have.”
Scout scowled. She flashed back to Bettina and her soldiers pursuing them at the palace. She still heard her sobs and confusion. She flashed back to drifting her shuttle past the Bombard. She cowered in her chair. She flashed back to falling off that ledge on Con. She heard her hopeless words.
Scout had to kill her. She deserved to die. The images would never leave until she did.
Bettina thrusted her sword forward, cutting Scout’s left arm. Scout screamed and darted to the right. Nait’s body sat several feet away.
He still bled. He deserved to live. This image would never leave until he did.
Scout dove for her brother, holding out her arms to scoop him up and take him away. However, before she reached him, Bettina’s sword plunged into the back of her knee. Scout shrieked and crawled forward.
A hand grabbed her back and turned her over, increasing the pain in the back of her leg. Scout shrieked again.
Bettina towered over her once again. Just like every other time before.
“Per usual, your pathetic empathy for your loved ones overpowers your knowledge of combat,” Bettina said. She scoffed. “A true pity it took you from my service.”
“You were my life. I gave you everything,” Scout said. She felt the tears bubble. “Why? Why do all this?”
“I told you, girl,” Bettina said, leaning down. Her expression didn’t break, but Scout felt Bettina’s warm breath trickle down onto Scout’s face. “Your empathy. When I watched you abandon that chase to pull a net off that incompetent swine, I knew you could not properly defend me and my government. I knew you would fail that test.”
Scout’s throat tightened again. She didn’t feel the pain anymore. A chill ran throughout her. “W-What?”
“When an intruder supposedly broke into my palace, you abandoned pursuit to save Naos Redgrave,” Bettina said. She ran her sword over the clay. “You should have known better. Once I saw how much your concern consumed you, I knew I had to rid myself of you. Your care for Naos Redgrave destroyed all potential you had.”
Scout shuddered. Then she trembled. That intruder didn’t really exist. Bettina had set it up. Her last good memory in the palace sealed her fate. Naos, the one who she sped across the Nebula to rescue. The one who helped break her from Felicia’s spell. Scout’s best friend and the thorn in her side. He sealed her fate.
Bettina slashed Scout’s right arm, matching the cut in her left. Scout felt the sting in her eyes but held the tears in. Her eyes burned as she gazed at Bettina but she wouldn’t give her the satisfaction. She wouldn’t give her the satisfaction of Scout sobbing and begging for mercy. That would not turn out like every other time.
Scout could at least die with dignity.
“Not only that, but you believe you have the capability to disrespect me by fleeing? I run the nebula and I run you!” Bettina said, stabbing Scout’s torso. Scout yelled. “I won’t kill everyone here instantly. I’ll take some of them onto the Bombard and make it slow. I’ve already given the order for Naos to be the first execution.”
Scout couldn’t focus on the words and the pain. Anything but the words and the pain. She focused on the wind. The quiet whistle of the wind.
“No more, girl. No more games,” Bettina said. She lifted her sword. “Now, you may die.”
Scout tuned out her voice. She tuned out the gunfire. She only listened to the whistle. As she listened, something grabbed her attention: thumps. Thumps kept in step with the whistles. Scout didn’t think that these thumps came from the wind, though.
They came from footsteps.
Scout lifted her head past Bettina to see Felicia Malone strolling toward Bettina. She looked battered but calm. A small smirk rested on her face. She took confident, unnerved steps toward Bettina.
Bettina prepared to plunge the sword down, but Felicia tapped on her shoulder. Bettina paused. Her stoic expression did not change but muscle by muscle she turned herself around.
As soon as Bettina saw Felicia, the stoic expression disappeared. Bettina gasped and her face paled, which Scout considered impossible. She opened her mouth and stammered, stepping backward over Scout. Felicia’s smirk widened.
“Im-Im,” Bettina said, swallowing. Scout had never seen her look so human. “Impossible.”
Felicia’s smirk left. She lifted her right index finger and wagged it while clicking her tongue two times. “Careful, Your Highness…”
She reached forward and stroked Bettina’s cheek. “…nothing is impossible.”
Felicia’s fingers receded into her palm and rammed back into Bettina’s cheek. Blood flew out of Bettina’s mouth as her face went sideways. Felicia’s other hand hit Bettina’s chest, sending her several steps behind Scout. Felicia ignored Scout, launching over her as she continued her attack.
Scout gasped, letting out a bubble of air that had developed over this tense minute. She had never seen Bettina take a hit before. She had never seen her bleed.
Bettina spun her sword, deflecting Felicia’s next attack. She threw her elbows up to block it. Bettina hopped to the side, attempting to widen the gap between herself and the crime lord. “The assassin destroyed your mine. You died there.”
Scout glanced in Nait’s direction. She had a chance. She winced as she pulled her back off the ground and lifted her injured leg.
“You seem to have a habit of underestimating your opponents, Your Majesty,” Felicia said, shrugging. She gritted her teeth. “I do remember your assassin demolishing my trade for no reason, however.”
“You’re a criminal,” Bettina said, shoving her sword forward. Felicia swung out of its trajectory. “I rid my Nebula of filth like you.”
“No,” Felicia said, spinning and throwing another punch. She hit Bettina’s chin. “You rid the Nebula of people who could usurp you.”
Felicia consumed Bettina’s attention. Scout stood and limped toward Nait, hissing with every step. As she entered the pool of blood, she lost her footing. Blood flowed onto Scout’s right hand as it scraped the clay surface and caught her fall. She closed her eyes. She didn’t know if she could have carried Nait originally. She definitely couldn’t now.
She stumbled forward, leaning down and shaking her brother. “Nait.”
He didn’t move.
“Nait,” she said. The tears stung again. “Come on, wake up.”
“An insignificant drug lord usurping me?” Bettina said in the background. Scout glanced around to watch the ongoing duel. Bettina slashed Felicia’s shoulder and blood trickled out. Felicia grunted.
Felicia kicked Bettina, using enough force to push her away. Felicia charged and Bettina used both hands to hold her sword in front of her. Felicia latched on to it and pulled. Scout saw Bettina’s boots dig into the clay.
“An insignificant crime lord who’s beating you at your own game,” Felicia said, struggling to maintain hold of the blade. She chuckled. “I led your forces to Adli. These resources belong to me. I’m in control, Your Highness.”
Scout looked back to her brother, shaking him again. “Nait!”
A crease appeared in his eyelids and a groan followed it. Then a louder groan. “I-It hurts!”
“I know, I know,” Scout said. Two tears finally slid down her cheeks. She clutched his arm and pulled. “Can you move? Come on, Nait, you gotta move.”
He glanced to the fight behind her and groaned again. “G-Go, Scout. S-Seriously. I…”
Nait’s eyes shut. Scout screamed.
The sound of gunfire returned but drew closer. Scout’s head snapped back to see two soldiers sprinting down the hill, firing at Felicia. Four lasers made contact and sent her rolling onto the ground. One soldier then tackled her.
“I’m not finished with you or the nebula!” Felicia said, flailing as the soldier shoved her head into the ground. He removed handcuffs.
Bettina didn’t cast her opponent another glance. Scout thought she would return to her, but she didn’t. She stormed away, wiping blood off her mouth. She stomped toward her shuttle and removed a comm from her pocket.
“Captain Nelson, bring the Bombard to me in a day!” Bettina said, not pausing her motion. Her voice still had a monotone but the high volume demonstrated anger.
Scout scowled. She could never take her victory while looking so disheveled. Regardless, though, she had to get Nait out of here. The soldiers would take them next.
She looked back at him, glancing at his gushing stomach. Another tear fell. “Nait… please…”
“I’ll get this prisoner into the car
rier! Get those children next!”
Scout shook him faster. She held in her next tear. She had to act normal. “I can’t get you out of here by myself. Nait, I know you’re stubborn, but you have to list—"
The roar of engines drowned out the rest of her sentence. The Killer appeared over the hill and one of its side turrets fired. The thick, green beam hit the approaching soldier, killing him instantly. The freighter dipped down, hovering over Scout and Nait.
She stopped holding in the tears. She wanted to but didn’t.
The ramp lowered and Sora came into view, darting down. He didn’t look good, but Scout wouldn’t question it. He jumped off the edge of the ramp and joined Scout in the red pool.
“I don’t-I don’t-I don’t,” Scout said, not able to make words come out. “Stomach. She-She stabbed his stomach.”
“Can you walk?” Sora said, pointing at Scout’s leg.
She nodded, standing and limping toward the ramp. “I’ll manage.”
Sora held out both of his arms and scooped Nait into them before turning and hurrying up the ramp. Scout quickened her pace and hissed, walking through the pain. Her leg cried at her but she just needed to get inside the ship. She hated this planet.
“I’ll get both of you to the medical bay,” Sora said, looking back at her as she walked into the Killer. “Then we have to get the others.”
Talek hit the ground, rolling out of the way as a soldier cut another thug down. He pointed his rifle upward, taking two shots at the soldier. One missed but the other hit and finished him off. Talek jumped to his feet, brushing clay off of his chest-plate. He noticed his armor had taken some considerable hits.
He rubbed his temples as the pounding began again. He must hold it back. This situation had evolved into madness. A three-way fight did not prove easy to navigate.
“I haven’t seen Scout or Nait in a while,” Naos said, rushing beside Talek and shooting another thug. “I need to find them.”
Talek did find that concerning. “We’re mere feet away from Bosnan. Him first.”
Survival, Dark Times Page 20
