by G J Ogden
“We don’t have a choice anymore,” said Dakota as Cad Rikkard’s fighter moved away and descended onto the gravel behind Alexis’ ship. “This is where we make our stand, whether we like it or not,” Dakota added, taking one of the SMGs and loading it.
The sound of boots clattering on the deck caused Hallam to glance back to the hangar exit. A squad of ten renegades in combat armor ran through the doors and took up positions. They were led by the base commander, Commander Castell, who was the last person Hallam expected to see on the front line.
“I ordered you to evacuate, commander,” Dr. Rand called over to Castell, making no attempt to hide her displeasure.
“The evacuation is underway smoothly,” Castell replied, holding firm. “Everyone else is exiting via the emergency hatches in the living quarters.” Castell was then forced to adjust his ill-fitting helmet, which had dropped over his eyes. “But we’re not leaving,” he continued, once he could see clearly again. “We’re not letting you face these mercenaries alone.”
Hallam glanced at Dakota, and her uneasy look suggested that she too was less than confident in Castell’s ability to hold off Cad Rikkard and Alexis Black. His bravery wasn’t in question, but Castell was no soldier. If Hallam was being honest, none of them were. They’d succeeded so far mostly on guile and sheer dumb luck.
“Rikkard is going to eat us alive, unless we can find a way off this base,” said Hallam as the others huddled round.
“If you have any suggestions, Mr. Knight, then I’m all ears,” said Dr. Rand, still watching Castell out of the corner of her eye. “With our fighters destroyed, the only other ship with a functioning Shelby Drive is the original transport that brought my crew here. It is hidden a kilometer from the base.”
Hallam was distracted by the sight of Cad Rikkard and Alexis Black, both calmly marching through the smoke as if they didn’t have a care in the world. The two mercenaries were encased in their iridescent black power armor, including full-cover helmets. Both were also brandishing powerful assault rifles that matched the menacing appearance of their alien-looking coverings. Commander Castell ordered his squad to move forward, and the ten renegade fighters quickly advanced, taking up new defensive positions midway into the hangar.
“The transport isn’t the only ship with a Shelby Drive,” said Hallam, looking directly at the raven skull emblem emblazoned on the mercenary fighter parked outside. “If Commander Castell can keep them occupied for just a few minutes, maybe we can sneak onto Alexis’ ship and steal it.” The idea was met with a stunned silence, although Hallam couldn’t tell whether the group was stunned by the stupidity of his plan or the sheer brilliance of it.
It was Ruby Rivas that eventually broke the impasse. “Not bad, tanker man. That might actually work!” she said, slapping Hallam on the shoulder.
“Thanks for the vote of confidence, gumface,” replied Hallam. He then turned to Dr. Rand to get her view and, ultimately, her approval.
“It’s certainly audacious, but it’s the best idea we have,” admitted Dr. Rand. “However, don’t be concerned that Commander Castell is our only line of defense. I still have a surprise or two up my sleeve.”
Dr. Rand left her statement hanging mysteriously in the air. Then the group moved out along the right side of the hangar, trying to stay out of the mercenary’s line of sight. Hallam, Dakota, and Ruby all held their SMGs ready, while Dr. Rand clutched the shielded metal case to her chest, as if it were a beloved childhood teddy bear.
“Hallam Knight!” shouted Cad Rikkard, his voice amplified through the face mask of his menacing black helmet. “Give up now, and I’ll allow the rest of Rand’s cohort to run. I don’t care about your little rebellion. But force me to come after you, and once I’m done, I’ll slaughter them to the last man.”
Castell had seemingly already heard enough. He ordered his squad to attack, and moments later, the ear-splitting rattle of ten semi-automatic rifles filled the hangar. Hallam saw sparks flash off Cad’s body as the bullets were deflected by the mercenary’s unique armor. Then Cad Rikkard and Alexis Black sprang into action, displaying no fear or hesitation. Cad marched directly at the first squad of renegades, firing controlled bursts from his futuristic-looking rifle. The noise of the weapon drowned out almost every other gun in the room. It sounded like a jackhammer compared to the rattle of the renegade’s firearms. Three of Castell’s men fell immediately and the commander himself was forced to take cover behind a maintenance truck. At the same time, Alexis Black soared upwards, as if she was being raised on an invisible wire, and rained down bullets onto the second group of renegades. She tore through three of the defenders within seconds, the bullets from her rifle punching through the renegade combat armor as if it wasn’t there at all.
“Dak, get the others onboard that mercenary fighter,” said Hallam while Cad and Alexis were occupied with Castell’s squad. “Rikkard wants me the most, so I’ll hang back and keep him distracted, while you get the ship ready to launch.”
Dakota shook her head. “And what the hell are you going to do? Attack him with harsh words?”
“I’ll find a way,” said Hallam, though at that moment, harsh words was about the best idea he had. “There’s no time to debate this. Just go!”
Dakota gritted her teeth, clearly unhappy with Hallam’s gung-ho idea. Then Ruby spoke in his defense, which took them all by surprise.
“I’ll stay back and cover him,” Ruby announced, speaking the words with such fierce determination that Hallam knew no one would change her mind. “Just be ready to haul ass out of here when we come running.”
Dakota was still at odds with the plan, but Dr. Rand met her eyes and rested a hand on her shoulder. It was a gesture of reassurance, but also a way to let her know that the time for debate was over. “We must get to the ship, Miss Wulfrun. Everything depends on it.”
Dakota growled but then grudgingly nodded her agreement. Dr. Rand turned back to Hallam. “I can give you something to help even the odds…” the scientist said. She slipped her palm computer out of her jacket pocket and rapidly input a sequence of commands.
Hallam was about to ask what she could give him that would possibly even the odds against two highly skilled and heavily armed mercenary killers. Then the answer presented itself. A concealed door in the end wall of the hangar slid open. Hallam shook his head and huffed a disbelieving laugh as a Theta-class warbot marched out of the opening and locked its glowing red eyes onto Cad Rikkard.
4
Hallam observed the Theta-class warbot that Dr. Rand had unleashed into the hangar with cautious optimism. He was more than a little wary of the fighting machine, especially after his experience with the alien warbot on Doyle’s rogue world. Nevertheless, the appearance of the mighty warbot had certainly gotten the attention of Cad Rikkard. The mercenary had swiftly moved into cover and appeared to be studying the machine. The opaque black visor of Cad’s helmet then turned from the warbot to the figure of Alexis Black, still hovering over the renegade defenders like the angel of death.
“I don’t know whether that thing will be a help or a hindrance,” said Hallam, managing a weak smile.
“If nothing else, it’s an extra target,” said Dakota. Then she grabbed Hallam’s right shoulder pauldron and pulled him closer. “I’ll be waiting for you on that fighter,” she said, holding his eyes without blinking. “You’d better be there.”
“I’ll be there, Dak, don’t worry,” replied Hallam, managing to come across sounding far more confident than he felt. “Now go.”
Dakota and Dr. Rand moved away along the edge of the hangar as Hallam and Ruby ran into cover behind a crane lift at the rear of the bay, close to the remaining renegade defenders. Hallam glanced out at the ongoing skirmish and saw Alexis Black momentarily pause from her assault to work on a control panel built into the arm of her suit. Ruby, however, wasted no time in taking the fight to the enemy. She opened fire while the female mercenary was distracted, peppering Alexis’ iridescent armor with
bullets. Some of the remaining renegade defenders joined the assault, and Alexis’ suit took a pounding. Suddenly, the thrusters failed and Alexis dropped like a stone. She thudded into the deck like a falling anvil, denting the metal deck plating from the force of the impact. The fall should have killed her, but once again, the advanced alien-looking armor had been Alexis Black’s savior. Even so, the mercenary still appeared to be winded and was forced to crawl behind a stack of storage containers and take cover.
Meanwhile, Cad Rikkard had resumed his assault, shooting and killing the remaining renegades that had taken up arms against him, with the exception of Commander Castell. The commander was still crouched behind a maintenance truck, frantically attempting to reload his weapon. Cad Rikkard casually slung his rifle, fixing it to a magnetic stow on his back, and drew his medieval-looking sword. As Cad advanced, the strange, steel-grey metal of the blade toyed with the lights in the hangar, in the same way that the mercenary’s armor shimmered and somehow looked alive. Resting his free hand onto the maintenance truck, Cad then shoved the vehicle aside, utilizing the augmented strength of his armor to its full effect. Castell was exposed, as if he was a bug that had been hiding underneath a stone that Cad Rikkard had just rolled over. The commander spun around and tried to scuttle away from the mercenary, toward the steadily advancing form of the monstrous Theta-class warbot. However, Cad caught the commander by the collar of his chest plate and threw him against the truck. The tip of Cad’s sword was then pressed to Castell’s throat.
Hallam couldn’t stand by and let the commander be slaughtered like an animal. Without thinking, he darted out from his position of cover behind the crane and waved his hands above his head. “Hey, asshole, I’m over here!” Hallam yelled at Cad Rikkard. “If you want me, come and get me!”
“What the hell are you doing?” cried Ruby, trying to reach out and drag Hallam back into cover. “Get your dumb ass back here!”
“I’m creating a distraction,” Hallam answered, shaking off Ruby’s attempts to pull him out of the line of fire. “That’s why we’re out here, right?” However, as Cad Rikkard looked toward him, Hallam found himself quickly reconsidering his hasty move. Ruby growled then ran out of sight into a side-bay, which was shielded from Cad’s view by the enormous crane lift. Hallam’s face fell, dismayed that Ruby had seemingly abandoned him. He was about to call after her, then heard Cad Rikkard’s voice booming across the hangar.
“The chance to save your friends has long gone, Knight,” roared Cad, his words again amplified so that it sounded like the voice of god. Still with the blade pressed to Castell’s neck, Cad removed his helmet and tossed it aside, revealing his scarred face and intense, determined eyes for the first time since the attack had begun. Without another word, Cad thrust the blade of the sword through the cowering body of Commander Castell. Then Cad lifted Castell above his head like an Olympic torch bearer.
Hallam could do nothing but look on, helpless against the ferocious might of the mercenary. His eyes turned to the warbot, which was closing in fast on Cad Rikkard’s position. Hallam knew that Cad had faced and defeated machines like it or stronger in the past, but right now, it was their only weapon against the Blackfire Squadron.
“I’m going to make you watch as I kill them all,” Cad snarled as blood poured down the shimmering blade, painting Cad Rikkard’s armored gauntlet red. “Then I’ll kill you and your friends,” the mercenary added before launching the commander’s body at the approaching warbot. However, the machine merely swatted Castell’s punctured, dying frame away with a swipe of its enormous forearm. The commander’s now lifeless body was sent hurtling through a stack of barrels, toppling them like skittles.
Suddenly, Alexis Black rose up from behind the storage containers, still hobbling from the effects of her fall. She had also ditched her helmet and rifle and was now wielding two pistols. She opened fire with the weapons, raining bullets onto the renegades that had split off to confront her with pinpoint accuracy. Hallam could now see that the female mercenary’s armor was damaged in places and that blood was trickling out through several of the bullet holes and cracks. With the renegade defenders quickly dispatched, Alexis Black locked her eyes onto Hallam, who was still standing out in the open, stunned by Castell’s brutal execution. There was a moment of stillness as they silently observed each other. Then the mercenary charged at him, her eyes wild and teeth gritted. In that moment, Alexis Black was as terrifying as any opponent that Hallam had ever faced.
Hallam opened fire at Alexis with his SMG, and sparks to erupted all across her body as the bullets chipped more fragments off her armor. Yet the assault did nothing to curb Alexis’ advance. She was still coming at Hallam like a runaway locomotive. Hallam’s weapon clicked empty, but it was already too late to move out of the mercenary’s path. Hallam braced himself for the impact, raising his arms to shield his face, but a mere second before ploughing into him, Alexis was suddenly knocked off course, as if struck by a swinging wrecking ball. The mercenary tumbled and skidded across the deck and crashed through a stack of containers. Hallam could see that Alexis’ chest armor had been crumpled, but despite the impact, the mercenary was still alive. Lowering his arms again, Hallam saw Ruby Rivas standing where Alexis had been moments earlier, wearing an exoskeletal power loading suit.
“How do you like this for a distraction?” said Ruby, slipping a stick of gum into her mouth.
Hallam laughed nervously. “It’s better than my idea, I’ll give you that.”
There was now only Cad Rikkard left standing, but the leader of the Blackfire Squadron had a new problem to contend with. Dr. Rand’s Theta-class warbot advanced on the mercenary, tearing the bed railings off the maintenance truck that Cad had shoved aside earlier. Arming itself with an improvised weapon was a trick that Hallam had never seen a warbot pull before, and he wondered how much unique code this killing machine had received from the genius scientist. Cad faced off against the machine, sword held ready, as the warbot swung the metal bar toward him. Cad blocked the attack, slicing the bar in half as if it were made of chocolate. However, before the mercenary could counterattack, the warbot had surged forward and slammed a punch into Cad’s chest, sending him toppling backwards across the now blood-soaked deck.
“This is our chance,” said Ruby Rivas. “You run for the ship, while I keep Alexis Black down.” Ruby then blew out a gum bubble and nodded toward the warbot. “Hopefully, that thing will take care of Rikkard, but even if it doesn’t, it will keep the asshole busy for at least a couple of minutes.”
Hallam hesitated. He didn’t want to leave Ruby to face the mercenaries alone. “That exoskeleton was designed for loading equipment. It won’t protect you against a bullet or a sword,” he said, keeping half an eye on Alexis, who was slowly rising to her feet.
“Look, tanker man, Dr. Rand needs you,” Ruby hit back, taking an unusually stern tone with Hallam. Then, even more unusually, she spat the chewed-up gum out onto the deck. This simple act alone changed her whole complexion in a way that made her look more earnest. “The doc said you’re the only one who can handle enough radiation to recover the tech she needs. So get the hell out of here and do your part, and I’ll stay and do mine.” Ruby Rivas then took a step toward Alexis Black, the whir of the exosuit’s gears and motors making her sound like another warbot.
“Hey, just make sure you get your own crazy ass to the ship too,” Hallam called out to the second member of the Wolf Squadron. Ruby turned and Hallam held her eyes, despite the renegade clearly finding it uncomfortable. “We’re a long way from done yet. And as much as you’re a huge pain in my ass, we need you, gumface.”
Ruby smiled, then gritted her teeth, the muscles in her face becoming taut. “You’re not getting rid of me that easily, tanker man,” Ruby replied, with the same grit and determination she’d shown since the Blackfire Squadron had begun their attack. She then glanced to Alexis, who was now back to her feet, fixing them both with a furious stare. “Just get your ass onto that fi
ghter, and I’ll meet you there,” Ruby added, marching out to confront Alexis Black.
Hallam still didn’t want to leave, but he forced himself to look away, then ran as hard as he could. Chancing a look back, Hallam saw that the modified Theta-class warbot was still attacking Cad Rikkard, forcing the mercenary to employ all of his considerable fighting prowess. The blade of Cad’s sword flashed in the gaps between the machine’s attacks, chipping away chunks of its armor. Feinting an attack, the warbot then drew Cad forward then hammered the mercenary on the back with a blow that would have cracked concrete. The mercenary fell to the deck then found himself staring up at the machine as it raised its enormous foot, ready to stomp Cad Rikkard into mush. Then the warbot stopped dead. Hallam slid to a stop and crouched behind the melted remains of the hangar door, willing the machine to deal the killing blow, but it was like someone had flipped an off switch.
“What the hell?” Hallam said out loud, scarcely able to believe they had come so close to ending Cad Rikkard’s relentless pursuit. However, the warbot remained frozen, allowing Cad to roll out from under it and climb to his feet. Dakota was standing just in front of the rear ramp of Alexis Black’s fighter, calling to him. Hallam could hear the fighter’s engines spinning up and knew he had to go, but Ruby Rivas was still inside the hangar, fighting hand-to-hand with Alexis. The sharp chime of metal striking metal filtered into his ears as Ruby’s exosuit clashed with Alexis’ iridescent power armor. However, with the warbot inexplicably deactivated, Cad Rikkard had also now turned his attention to the second member of the Wolf Squadron.
