by Tom Dublin
And the Shadows would have a set of eyes on the ground, ready to contact them if the big reform plan wasn't followed as agreed.
However, while saying goodbye to Callis answered why Adina was feeling tearful, it didn't explain what had upset the two men so much—although he had a suspicion the cause of Draven's upset was also based on Taglen.
Returning to the Fortitude after finding and killing Vimor Malfic, Jack had discovered the body of Merfel Strumm in the ship's cold-storage room. When they had flown back to the planet to return the woman's remains to her husband, Draven had asked to be the one to make the delivery.
He'd been gone for several hours, comforting Corlon Strumm and helping him make arrangements for his wife's funeral. Draven had tried to make the distraught man understand that he wasn't responsible for Merfel's death, or at least not completely. Like the rest of the congregation, he'd been under the Jolio Phisk’s spell and had done his bidding.
Draven also explained how he, Adina, and Callis had destroyed The Plant, ensuring no other corpse would enter the food chain. This meant Merfel's death would not be in vain. She had been the reason the trio had visited The Plant in the first place. If it weren’t for her, its diabolical machinery might well be up and running still.
That just left Tc'aarlat, and that was going to be a difficult question to ask. In all the time Jack had known the Yollin, the only time he'd ever really opened up was on the journey to Hann in the Pegasus II. Now Tc'aarlat was openly weeping on the bridge.
Had he somehow broken his friend and business partner?
Jack glanced at the viewscreen. The ship was approaching Taglen's upper atmosphere and the sky outside was fading from bright- to navy-blue.
Maybe he should wait until he and Tc'aarlat were alone before he broached the subject of why—
ALARMS!
Once again, lights and sirens exploded into life all around the ship.
"Incoming!" exclaimed Solo, appearing on every available screen. "We have another incoming missile!"
"What the fuck?!" cried Jack, spinning back to his control panel. "Solo, take evasive maneuvers!"
"Yes, Captain. I—”
"No need!" yelled Draven, unclipping his safety belt. "I'm on it!"
"Draven!" shouted Solo over the blaring alarms. "Sit down and refasten your safety harness at once!"
But Draven was already pounding along the corridor that led to the rear cargo bay and the hidden hangar.
Without a word, Tc'aarlat unfastened his belt and raced after him.
"Gott Verdammt!" spat Jack. "Not this shit again!"
Solo's avatar scowled on-screen. "Tc'aarlat, please return to your— Jack! Adina! Where do you two think you are going? Return to your seats!"
"Sorry, Solo, not this time!" cried Jack as he ran from the bridge with Adina at his heels. "I've got to stop this ridiculous rivalry before someone gets hurt—or worse!"
The alarms continued to scream as Jack and Adina raced for the rear hangar, the corridor pitching from side to side as Solo worked to keep the ship out of the missile's trajectory.
They reached the hangar just in time to see the Pegasus II blast off from the rear of the ship, flying straight for the approaching projectile as it twisted and turned in the air, following the Fortitude's every move.
"Pair of fucking idiots!" barked Jack. "Solo! Can you take control of the Pegasus and return her to the Fortitude?"
"I'm afraid not, Captain," came Solo's reply from a speaker embedded in the wall. "Manual flight has been activated and locked. I could try to break through and override it, but it would take some time."
"We don't have time!" put in Adina, "but try anyway!"
"Certainly."
Jack paced as the shuttle ducked and dived, mimicking the missile's movement as it flew closer and closer.
"What are they doing?" he demanded. "They've got weapons! Why aren't they blasting the fucking thing into tiny pieces?"
"I'm afraid that won't be possible, Captain," announced Solo. "According to my readings, all weapons on board the Pegasus II have jammed."
"Jammed? How?"
"The problem seems to have occurred when I used the Fortitude's rear thrusters to detonate the previous missile," explained Solo. "The resulting heat blast appears to have melted the housing for the gun turrets in addition to removing the paint on the front end."
"Wait!" sputtered Jack. "They're out there without any firepower? Then how the fuck are they going to stop—”
BOOM!
The explosion knocked both Jack and Adina off their feet.
Shielding his eyes from the fiery glare, Jack crawled over to where Adina lay.
"Are you all right?"
"I think so," Adina replied with a cough. "What happened?"
Jack peered into space. Behind the ship, the bright orange and yellow fireball made possible only by the surplus oxygen in the Fortitude's exhaust was now dissipating.
"They flew right into it."
Adina sat up, her eyes growing wet with tears once again. "What?"
Jack nodded, turning around to sit beside her. "They're gone," he murmured. "They saved us."
Behind the ship, spinning shards of metal were being caught in the pale blue jets erupting from the Fortitude's engines.
All that was left of the Pegasus II was a slowly rotating clump of twisted, burned metal.
"How the fuck are we going to tell Nathan about this?" asked Jack.
"How the fuck are we going to tell him we lost another Pegasus?" queried a voice from behind them.
Jack and Adina spun.
Tc'aarlat was standing in the entrance to the hangar holding a cardboard box.
"But... But..." Jack staggered to his feet. "You ran after Draven to get in the Pegasus with him!"
"Like fuck I did!" countered Tc'aarlat. "The man's a walking suicide mission, as he's just proven."
Adina took Jack's hand and clambered up to stand beside him. "Then where did you go?"
Tc'aarlat nodded to the cardboard box in his hands. According to the logo printed on the side it had once contained cans of vegetable soup. Now the lid had been folded back over the top to conceal whatever was currently inside.
"I figured out why Mist turned green," explained the Yollin.
Jack and Adina crossed the hangar as Tc'aarlat folded back the box's lid. There, lying securely in a nest-shaped mound of shredded paper and cable-ties, were three pink eggs.
Adina gasped. "She... But how? When?”
Tc'aarlat shrugged. “Back on Damkin prime, I guess,” he said, tears running down his cheeks again. "I'm going to be a granddad!"
"I'm not entirely sure that's how it works," came a familiar voice through the wall speaker.
"Draven!" yelled Jack, spinning to peer at the shrinking hunk of blasted metal. "You lived through that?"
"Depends on what you call living," Draven replied. "I've got multiple fractures, a couple of snapped ribs, one of my lungs has been punctured, and I'm not likely to see my spleen again anytime soon."
"You're still inside the shuttle?!" questioned Adina.
"Not much of a shuttle anymore, but yeah. Any chance of a ride home?"
"Adina, with me!" shouted Jack, running toward the bridge. Adina paused long enough to take another peek inside the box, then she planted a kiss on Tc'aarlat's cheek and gave chase.
Alone, the Yollin peered out the rear doors as the ICS Fortitude began to bank to starboard. Solo was obviously following orders to turn around so they could collect the wreckage of the Pegasus II and Draven.
Glancing down at the three eggs, he smiled.
"One thing you should know about your Uncle Draven, kids... He doesn't have a bad bone in his body, but that doesn't mean he won't make you want to break every single fucking one of them!”
“Oh,” added the Yollin, his expression now serious, “and don’t let on to Jack or Adina that I know exactly who’s been firing missiles at us.”
FINIS
The Shad
ows will return in
SHADOW VANGUARD 3:
IMMORTALITY CURSE
Bonus Scene
Wonder what happened just before this adventure started? Here’s a bonus scene for all you fans of the Shadows, where the team meets a few familiar faces...
Adina Choudhury stretched her neck from side to side as she led the way out of the White Orchid Spa tucked behind a promenade shop and sighed happily.
“Oh, I feel much better after that!” she proclaimed to the tall figure catching up with her. “Didn’t I tell you a little bit of pampering would do us all some good?”
Captain Jack Marber pressed his hands against the small of his back and nodded. “You did indeed,” he said. “. They’re very good in there. Months of backache from sitting in the Fortitude’s crappy pilot seat— – gone. We have to do this more often. I feel great!”
“Speak for yourself,” moaned the Yollin following them through the door. “I still feel like I’ve gone ten rounds with a Shrillexian kick-boxer.”
He rolled his shoulders, the joints popping noisily, causing the blood red raal hawk perched beside his right ear to let out an irritated SQUAWWW!
Jack offered Adina a sly wink. “Don’t say we didn’t warn you,” he commented. “Life-forms with exoskeletons shouldn’t get massages.”
“That poor guy,” added Adina, her expression becoming serious. “I hope the damage to his wrists doesn’t keep him off work for too long.”
“I doubt it,” said Jack. “Once the medic had finished bandaging the cuts and bruises on his hands, he reckoned the masseur would be fine after a few weeks of physiotherapy.”
“Well, he’d better not blame any of that on me,” grunted Tc’aarlat. “I offered to go get the toolbox from the ship so he could really go to town on me, but he refused, saying he had a few dicks up his sleeve.”
“I think you mean he had ‘a few tricks’ up his sleeve,” corrected an amused voice from behind the group.
The trio turned to find a familiar figure approaching, arm outstretched.
“Nathan!” cried Jack, taking the proffered hand and shaking it firmly. “Didn’t expect to bump into you on this station.”
“I’m just here to drop off TH and Char,” Nathan replied, gesturing to the two people with him. Both were tall, well-built, and laden with more than a few shopping bags. “They’re due some vacation time, and I suggested they spend it here on Onyx Station.”
There was a small buzz, and Nathan pulled his tablet from his pocket. “Excuse me folks, I have to take this,” he said, stepping away from the group as his fingers danced across the screen.
The tall man nodded. “If I'd known ‘vacation’ was code word for shopping I’d have gone on a mission instead,” he said. “Give me suicidal aliens and blowing shit up over emptying my account for the privilege of sore feet and a dry mouth any day.”
The woman stuck out her tongue and narrowed her striking purple eyes. “Not my fault you’re slow on the uptake, Marine!” she teased. “Only three more stores, then I’ll let you go for a beer.”
“I’ll need more than one if this is how you plan to spend the entire vacation,” her partner chuckled. He turned to Jack, Adina and Tc’aarlat, holding out his hand. “Terry Henry Walton, but my friends call me TH.”
“Jack Marber,” replied Jack as they shook, “and this is Adina and Tc’aarlat.”
“I’m Char,” smiled the woman, setting down her purchases to join in with the handshakes. “I’ll be standing here all day if I leave it to TH to introduce me.”
“I love your hair!” offered Adina, gazing appreciatively at the silver stripe running down the length of the woman’s glossy, dark locks.
“Thanks!” responded Char, running her fingers through the thick tresses. “TH says it’s my way of making a statement. But, I’ve no idea what that statement might be.”
“It’s your frequently-stated commitment to never knowingly pass an open store without purchasing their entire stock,” TH groaned. “You guys want to come and grab that beer with me while the ladies share shopping tips?”
“Beer sounds good,” said Tc’aarlat. “And Mist never says no to a dish of muri meat, do you girl?”
The scarlet-feathered raal hawk shrieked her agreement.
SKAWWWWW!
“Unfortunately, we can’t,” said Jack. “We have an appointment to keep on Damkin Prime; a few bad guys need fucking up due to their ongoing interest in buying and selling child slaves.”
“That sounds even more fun than shopping,” beamed Char. “Do you want a couple of extra fucker-uppers? TH is a crack shot, and it might be useful to have a werewolf on your side of the equation.”
“You’re a werewolf?” croaked Adina, taking a small step back.
“As vicious as she is beautiful!” said TH with pride.
“Looks like you two have more in common than just hair and shopping,” Tc’aarlat pointed out to Adina. “If we go for that beer, you could learn more about- OW!”
The Yollin bent to his right, rubbing at the spot where Adina’s elbow had made contact with his ribs. “Gott Verdammt!” he cried. “How come a trained masseur can’t make a dent in my exoskeleton, but you can jab me like the horn of a charging bistok?”
“Practice makes perfect – and pain!” Adina snarled, readying her elbow once more.
“I think that’s our cue to take our leave,” said Jack. He shook TH’s and Char’s hands again. “Say goodbye to Nathan for us once he’s finished his call.”
“Sure will,” smiled TH.
“And good luck with your slave traders,” added Char.
Jack glanced at Adina and Tc’aarlat as they glared angrily at each other. “Judging by the mood these guys are in, I suspect it will be the bad guys who need all the luck!”
Author Notes - Tom Dublin
May 30, 2018
STOP! These author notes contain spoilers for Shadow Vanguard 2: Lunar Crisis. If you haven’t finished the book yet, do not read this section!
Lunar Crisis was great fun to write.
I had really got to know my three main characters - Captain Jack Marber, Tc’aarlat and Adina Choudhury - very well while writing their first adventure, Gravity Storm. But, because I’d had to include the origin story for the Shadows in that book, there had been a limit to just how much action, intrigue and comedy I could include when the story eventually reached the political ins and outs of Alma Nine.
This time, I didn’t have to include that set-up. I could hit the ground running, and ramp up the excitement from chapter one.
And that’s where things began to surprise me.
You’ll occasionally hear an author say that, once things are flowing well during the writing of a book, that their characters can come to life and act in unexpected ways.
That’s exactly what happened to me.
For example, I knew we were going to open in the middle of an action sequence. That’s something I’ve always loved about the James Bond movies - that we catch up with 007 when he’s balls-deep in an ongoing mission.
And so, I had Jack, Adina and Tc’aarlat taking out slave-traders in an assault which would likely have taken an extreme amount of planning. Then, as they head off to return the rescued children to their families, someone fires a couple of missiles at them.
No rest for the wicked.
That much, I expected. I also expected for an Etheric Federation pilot - Draven - to deliver a replacement for the destroyed Pegasus shuttle to the team, and arrive just in time to save their lives.
However, I DID NOT expect Tc’aarlat to become insanely jealous of Draven. That took me completely by surprise - and I loved it! The scenes with the two of them bickering quickly became my favorite sections to write, and I began to manufacture more ways for Tc’aarlat to try to get one over on his rival, only to fail miserably.
It was great fun!
And then, Solo shocked me.
While penning a scene detailing her quirk of insisting everyone on b
oard fasten their safety belts, she pointed out that the teenage girl hiding in one of the food storage rooms was not strapped in.
WHO?
I genuinely had no idea who the hell Solo was talking about. I trawled back through all my notes - but there was no such character. So, I had to stop and invent Callis before I could write any further (the moment we catch her peering out of the darkness as the crew offload the other rescued kids was added in later, as a little teaser for the readers).
So, now I had an unexpected relationship between Tc’aarlat and Draven, and a whole new character. Surely it would be smooth sailing from that point onwards.
Yeah, right…
The Shadows landed on Taglen, made their way to the Temple of Persha, met a grieving Corlon Strumm (all planned), and then he goes and blurts out that his deceased wife is going to be chopped up and fed to the poor!
WHAT THE FUCK?!
Which part of my dark and twisted imagination had that sprung from? Again, I had no idea that line was coming, and it changed a lot of the remaining plot. I knew the team would split up, and that Adina would lead her group off in search of Merfel Strumm’s corpse - but I didn’t know about The Plant, and Jolio Phisk’s decree that self-sacrificed sinners were to be used as a food source.
So, another pause, another re-working of my notes.
I finally got back to writing… and Mist turned green.
FFS!
I was aware that I was under-using Mist a little in this adventure; the back and forth between her master and Draven had taken up a lot of space where she was going to play a part. I also knew I wanted to have her change color for some reason, but presumed it would be to help the mission in some way.
Then she faded from red to green - and stayed that way.
Her reason for the change was one of the last things I thought up while writing. I was working on the very last chapter when I realized she was about to lay eggs.
I still have no idea what will happen with that sub-plot in the following books. But, you know what?
