The green ship banked away from the landing field. Theo checked the coordinates his sister-in-law had given him for their meetup. Dammit, this extra job had turned into a nightmare! So much for easy money. Cierra had better have an explanation for all of this, when he got his hands on her!
In a few minutes, he had the delivery lift ship soaring over the tree line of the nearby forest. His imager didn’t show any activity down below, but it wasn’t the best one on the market. He’d rented the delivery lift ship back home before he left, and was supposed to return it for his deposit. The bullet pings and laser fire alone had to have caused some damage to the exterior. He swore again, and realized the loss of his deposit would eat into his profits from the harvest. His family needed that money. Theo gripped the sticks tightly, and ground his teeth. He had his own responsibilities. He should have known better than to get involved in one of Remi and Cierra’s schemes.
The ship’s altitude, a few hundred feet above the terrain, but something seemed funny with its performance. He’d flown one of these ships in the CRM. They weren’t the most reliable of transporters, but they did well enough for the price. Hell, they needed to switch to rocket power and reach a barge in orbit just to make the trip between worlds, but for a farmer on a budget, you did what you had to do. Theo groaned. He wasn’t sure the ship could even make it to the barge now.
As Theo headed out over the waters of the inland sea, he spotted the island that matched his rendezvous coordinates. Theo needed to fly higher, for the approach. He didn’t want to give the locals an easy way to find him if the watch came asking, but he didn’t have much choice.
His mind wandered back to Garth for a second. For an old fat guy, he moved like a dancer with those blades. Theo still couldn’t believe what he had witnessed. In under a minute, Garth had killed those miscreants. It amazed and chilled him, at the same time. Theo shivered.
He spotted a clearing, as the correct coordinates appeared on the screen in front of him. There wasn’t any air traffic, so he didn’t have to worry about a spotter. He banked one final time, and lowered the green ship, as he backed off the throttle. The sudden thump against the belly of the ship let him know he’d landed.
The ship seemed to have done well enough, until he looked at the screen in front of him. Half the warning indicators were on. Various red lights blinked, in quick succession. So much for finding a local branch of the rental company where he could drop this thing off, and recover some of his deposit. He swore again, and unsnapped the safety harness. Dammit, losing that deposit was going to hurt! How was he going to explain this to Mari?
Theo stepped down off the ramp from the back of the delivery ship, and walked around to get a better look at the damage. The salty air from the sea stung his sun-cracked lips, but the lift ship was all that mattered to him. He walked over to one of the landing struts, and looked at it. Hydraulic fluid trickled out from a bullet hole. There were countless dings on the back, from where he’d left in a hurry.
Theo wrapped his cloak around him, and tried to decide what to do next. Cierra had to be around there somewhere. She’d have to provide him with a ride home. The rental wasn’t going anywhere, without extensive repairs. He cursed, and kicked at the strut. He hadn’t been paid nearly enough for all of the hassle she had gotten him into.
“Hands up. Move anything else, and you’re dead.” A voice behind Theo made him freeze. He felt the tip of a weapon press between his shoulder blades. Once his hands were up, the pressure was removed. A figure in black moved into his visual range. They kept the barrel of the laser trained on Theo. The black figure was followed by several others. What kind of trap had Cierra led him into this time?
One of the members broke from the group, and walked up to him. Green eyes stared at him from behind a black scarf, until the person was satisfied. “It’s him.” Cierra spoke, as she removed her face covering.
Theo dropped his hands, as the other figures removed their bandanas. He was furious, and fought to control his anger. What the hell? She was supposed to be here alone! He didn’t trust himself to be civil, so he bit his tongue, but his jaw was set squarely. His eyes narrowed, and Theo shook his head slowly.
“Sorry about the welcome. You showed up an hour early, and there’s been a report about the militia being on the lookout for a renegade delivery ship. I hope you understand.” Cierra flippantly shook her hair free from her face covering. Theo had the feeling she wasn’t sorry at all.
He watched as the others gathered around him. They appeared to be the same as any group of malcontents you might find in any large city, except that one of them had four arms. That one had to be from Josti. Theo didn’t know of any other sentient creatures with four arms. One of the others appeared to be a very tall woman—it was almost unnatural.
A tall, well-built man extended a hand towards him. “I’m Yareck. Apologies, but we have to be careful.”
Then the truth hit Theo. His face contorted in disbelief. “Holy Mother of the Universe. You’re Carbonari!”
For years, Theo had heard talk of a resistance group determined to take down the Empire. No one knew much about them. Mothers would frighten their children with threats to behave, or ‘The Carbonari will get you!’ It appeared some of those stories had a basis in reality, much like the Yasta stories. As far as Theo could recall, the two groups were like the two sides of the same coin. They were always in opposition with one another, but one rarely existed without the other being close behind.
Yareck turned to Cierra, and glared at her accusingly. “What did you tell him?”
“He doesn’t know a thing. I swear!” She snapped back at the man who Theo now assumed was the leader of their little group.
Yareck was several shades lighter than Cierra. Theo wondered if there was something going on between the two. They seemed too close, for a strictly business relationship. Remi was supposed to be back home that week. His family intended to have a sit-down chat with him about his off-worlder wife. They were worried about the dangerous activities that Remi and Cierra were involved in lately, but no one had suspected this level of involvement.
“Whatever. Let’s see the samples. You did get them from Garth, didn’t you?” Yareck’s voice switched from accusatory scolding to hopeful excitement.
“And did you give him the letter?” Cierra shouldered her way closer to Theo.
Theo crossed his arms cockily. “Yes, and yes. I’ve got your damned rocks. They’re inside the ship, up front. Did you think I’d be so stupid as to take them out until I knew it was safe?”
“You let us sneak up on you.” An older man with white hair piped up, from the back of the group. Theo felt his cheeks burn. The old man wasn’t wrong.
Yareck whipped around, and glared at the interloper. “Hubard, what did I tell you about speaking out of turn?” The white-haired man closed his mouth, and lowered his head slightly.
“What I want to know is how you plan on compensating me, for this delivery ship. I’ve certainly lost the deposit! Can’t you see what a mess it’s in?”
“We’ll talk about that once we see the samples.” It was clear Yareck only cared about the rocks.
“Well, let’s go then.” Theo turned on his heel, and marched up the ramp to the cargo bay. The sooner this strange group got those rocks, the sooner he could get out of this mess. The others moved to follow him inside.
Yareck singled out the Josti, and the abnormally tall woman. “You two stay out here. We need someone to guard this place. Anything funny, let me know right away.”
“Whatever you say, Master Yareck,” The Josti gave a slight bow of his head, and took a sentry position with the woman.
“He’s really getting on my nerves.” Yareck grumbled to Cierra, as they walked through the rest of the ship.
Cierra let out a small chortle, earning her a glare from Yareck. “That’s funny. Coming from you, I mean.” He tightened his lips in annoyance, but didn’t say anything else.
Once inside the cockpit, Th
eo grabbed the cloth covered package, and tossed it to Yareck. “There’s your sample.”
It took seconds for Yareck to unwrap the covering, and drop the small mineral samples into one hand. He held each one up to the light, as he examined them. “Seems good to me. Hubard, I think this is your department. Do you have what you need, to tell if these are real?”
“Got it right here. Shouldn’t take me that long.” Hubard’s long fingers pulled a small case out of his tunic.
“Good. I’m going outside to keep our comrades company. Not a good idea to only have only two sentries outside, with everything that’s going on.” Yareck looked Theo over one more time, as if assessing his potential threat level before leaving the ship.
Cierra hopped up on the control panel, and let her legs swing loosely. “Don’t let him bother you. Yareck acts like a jerk, but that’s why he’s in charge. He knows how to lead people.”
“He’s got a funny way to earn respect.” Theo muttered under his breath, as he watched Hubard take a small device out of the case and touch it, one at a time, to each sample.
Hubard moved each sample around, with the small machine. His excitement bubbled over. Theo didn’t have the slightest idea what the man was doing, but he hoped he would wrap it up soon, so he could leave. His heart ached for home. He wanted to be compensated for the deposit on the delivery ship, but Relisse was in the forefront of his mind.
“I don’t think the local law here will bother me, after I get back home. Can’t imagine they’d go to the trouble.” He was talking out loud, so that Cierra could hear him, but it was mostly to reassure himself. Suddenly, something occurred to him. He groaned.
“What’s wrong?” Cierra cocked her head to the side in concern.
“The damn market! Where am I going to sell my produce next year? I have to come to Carristoux, for a good price. Assuming I’ll ever be able to rent another delivery vehicle again, the watch will grab me the moment I touch down. What have you gotten me into?”
Cierra shrugged her shoulders. “Relax. There’s always a way out of these things. What happened after you gave Garth the letter?”
Theo went over the incident with the band of thugs who had tried to jump them, and his quick getaway in delivery lift ship. He left out the mob that attacked him, his shock-induced slumber in the field, and turned it into a few watchmen armed with lasers and impact guns. He added a few narrow escapes for added flair.
“Well, that does complicate things. I’m guessing the robbers are known to the local watch, and they weren’t surprised to find the bodies. Why they would’ve tied you into it so quickly, however, doesn’t make sense. Maybe someone saw it happen, and made a report. Could be they want you as an interested party.” Cierra gazed off into the distance, trying to think of the possibilities.
“Maybe.”
Cierra’s attention was drawn towards the ramp. The tall woman who had been outside was entering the hull. “Oh, hello, Cherish. Our great leader decide he didn’t need so many sentries out there?”
Theo turned to face the other woman. She wore the same black robes as the rest of the group. However, she appeared to be a bit different from the rest. Her long, red hair and pale skin made her stand out. Theo was used to tanned skin. Her pallor made him do a double take. He saw her shoulder, where her tunic slipped down a bit. He noted the appearance of high-grade steel, where flesh should be found.
“You’re a cyborg.” The statement tumbled out of his mouth.
“We prefer the term ‘augmented human’ or ‘AH.’ Just because parts of me are cybernetic, doesn’t mean that I’m less of a person than a para-human.” Cherish smiled slightly. Her correction was kind. It was obvious that she had said this many times before.
Theo opened his mouth, to ask another question, but Hubard cut him off. His voice was as giddy as a child’s. “This is exactly what I want! Did Garth say he could get us larger pieces?”
Before Theo could respond, Cierra cut in on the conversation. “You don’t have to worry, I know where this stuff comes from, and there’s plenty of it back home.”
“Are you talking about Relisse, or where you come from?” Theo asked her. She may have lived in Remi’s home on Relisse, but Theo still considered her an off-worlder.
“Relisse. Someone found a source of it by the North Sea.”
Theo shrugged, and prayed their little meeting would end soon. He needed to get back. At least they should be able to cough up the money to take care of his deposit, if Hubard was this excited about the samples. That was the one good thing that had happened to him so far.
“I have to let Yareck know right away. Cherish, why don’t you go back out there, and tell him to come inside?” Hubard seemed reluctant to leave the samples, or take them out into the open. Were they really that valuable?
How does a cyborg get the name ‘Cherish’? Theo wondered, as she walked back into the cargo hold. They didn’t get many of those sorts on Relisse.
“You really know how to rub people the wrong way.” Cierra scoffed at him, after the cyborg had left. “Did you have to ask her about being an AH?”
“What’s your problem? I’ve already got myself in trouble for you, and your band of happy friends. I have bigger worries than watching my tongue around someone that had her arms replaced by servo-mechanisms. I’m sure she gets it all the time. Besides, I don’t think this thing can fly until a mechanic looks at it. I may have to hitch a ride home with you. So, why don’t you shimmy loose whatever bees are in your bonnet, because you’re not going to be free of me as soon as either of us would like.”
The hurried sound of boots pounding on metal made them turn. Cherish was in a full run back to the front of the ship. Her face was flushed. “We’re under attack! They found us!”
Three
Theo started to ask her what she meant, but the sudden appearance of the Josti stopped him. The four-armed figure appeared right behind Cherish, with a sword in one of his hands. He yelled at them, and waved his sword in the air. “Yareck’s dead! We need to get out of here!”
The next thing Theo heard was a loud concussion that shook his insides. Someone had detonated a bomb. It was very close. Too close. His ears were still ringing. Swearing, Theo jumped into the pilot’s seat, and looked up. Through the viewport, he watched as an attack ship with a CRM logo on it passed overhead, and banked back for another pass.
Theo squeezed both sticks, to start the rotors. He would worry about the open cargo door once they were in the air. If he could get airborne, there was at least a slim chance of survival. Through the ringing in his ears, he heard the rotors make a grinding sound, and then stop. Theo looked down to see the control panel, which had been blinking a series of red warnings, suddenly go blank. They were stranded.
“Engine’s dead! We need to get the hell out of this thing.” Theo shouted, and climbed back into the passenger and cargo bay. He was about to bolt for the ramp, when the Josti stepped into his path.
“Not a good idea. They’ll shoot us to pieces on the ground. I’ve got a better idea.” There was another concussion, this time closer. In one swift movement, the Josti used the blade of his sword to cut a small gun port into the side of the delivery ship. Theo’s mouth dropped open in surprise. Only an infintium blade could do that. Where the hell did the Josti get one of those? Infintium blades were supposed to be expensive. Infintium blades and cyborg upgrades? What kind of money were these Carbonari members tossing around?
Before Theo could register another thought, Cherish produced a handgun, stepped below the gun port, and opened up with a series of bursts from a laser. She stared up at the sky, and held the laser out with one metal arm. She watched the ship carefully for a moment, before turning back to the Josti. “Winged him. I don’t think there are more out there. What did you say about Yareck?”
“He’s dead. They fried him on the ground. He was on the other side of the ship when the attack began.”
This time the concussion was enough to shake the delivery shi
p. The violence of the impact knocked Hubard to the ground. A cargo pallet, secured to the wall, came loose. He clutched the samples, and his instrument, to his chest. He cried out in pain, as the edge of the heavy wooden pallet landed on his lower leg. “My ankle! I think it’s busted.”
Cherish clutched the side of the ship, and peered back outside. “Guess I was wrong. There’s another attack ship out there.”
“Batumah save us. We’re in a tight spot. We need to get out of this death trap, before it gets worse.” Cierra was looking around, for anything that might help.
“It just got a whole lot worse.” The Josti pointed with one of his hands, at the front of the delivery ship.
Theo leaned over, to see what he was talking about. Through the front canopy, he could see a group of men, advancing towards them. They had crawled over the rocks on the north side of the clearing. The men carried large, reflective shields in front of them. From the rear ranks, more men fired impact guns in the direction of the ship. Theo watched as the protective, clear viewport cracked and shattered. The cool, sea air rushed inside.
Cherish pushed him out of the way, and fired off another series of bursts from her laser through the new opening. The laser she carried was powerful. Theo heard it crackle each time she fired. Unfortunately, the laser strikes did nothing. Each blast was deflected off one of the reflective shields.
“Oh, hell! They’ve got infintium shields!” Cherish swore under her breath, and fired off a few more useless shots.
Cierra grabbed Theo, by the collar. “We have to go! We’ve got a hovercraft, on the other side of the rocks, to the south. If they haven’t found it, we can still get out of here.” She turned to the Josti. “Hojae, can you carry Hubard?”
The Relissarium Wars Omnibus Page 3