Cierra put on her own suit, and stepped into the open hovercraft. It hummed to life under her control. Theo stepped in beside her, as she guided it out of the ship, and onto the black skating rink that was the surface.
“How far are we from the main building?”
Cierra checked the display on the inside of her helmet. “It’s ten miles away. We’re making good time, but, with no obstacles in our path, that’s not hard to do.”
The air was hazy with pollution and swirling bits of ash. “I guess even Cherish will have to wear an environmental suit. I don’t think she’s cyborged enough to breathe this filth.”
“Would you quit calling her a cyborg? She doesn’t like that term.” Cierra’s voice was sharp. She angrily clamped down harder on the acceleration.
“What’s your problem?”
“I don’t have a problem.”
Theo let out a fake laugh. “Ha! Sure, you don’t. That’s why you’re flooring a hovercraft until the engine is practically screaming.”
“It is not screaming!” Cierra yelled at him, then caught herself, and tried to make herself sound calm again. “It is not screaming. This is how it’s supposed to sound. And just for the record, you were a little too free with Naia back there. It was completely unprofessional. Why did you find that green lady so attractive, anyway? She’s more parsley than person.”
Theo turned, and looked at her. “So that’s the problem? You objected to me spending time with Naia. Why is that even an issue?”
“I didn’t say it was.”
“Look, we’ve all been through seven kinds of hell. You lost your husband, and kids. I lost my wife, and entire family. I lost everyone I had when those Yasta bastards exterminated the entire planet. We both know they did it with full Imperial cooperation. Let’s not cause this mission to turn into a failure because you think I was being a player within weeks of losing Mari.”
Theo and Cierra were quiet for a few more minutes, as the hovercraft streaked toward the mine.
Everyone found it strange that the Yasta were actually mining. Menial labor wasn’t their style. However, with enough automation, it was possible to do just about anything with minimal human oversight.
The extent of the mining operation stretched out in front of them. There was a large shed that covered the open pit. Next to it was a small processing center, which appeared from the outside to be idle. Between the processing center, and the mine were several small cargo haulers. The Yasta probably used them to transport the Relissarium to orbit.
Cierra guided them towards a series of domes that appeared to have been rapidly assembled for makeshift barracks, and possibly offices. Cierra and Theo were supposed to find whatever data spheres they could locate in the main offices. Theo didn’t a specific objective. He suspected the real reason they were sent to the secondary area was to serve as backup for the other three. Makram liked to have as many bases covered as possible.
Cierra surveyed their destination. “I don’t see any movement around the domes.”
“There’s the garage for the surface vehicles.” Theo pointed out a building up ahead. “Why don’t you take a left there and pull into it. It might be the safest place to leave the hovercraft. Sometimes the best place to hide something is in plain sight. Plus, it’s not like there’s any foliage we can stash it behind.” Cierra nodded, and began to guide them towards the garage.
There was a flash of light. Theo instinctively turned to look at it. The hovercraft was pushed to the right, by the shock wave that followed the flash. While Cierra fought to regain control of the hovercraft, Theo watched an entire side of the processing plant collapse. A wall of fire rose out of the remains.
“Guess Makram and Hojae are on schedule!” Theo yelled to Cierra over the rumble that shook them. He held onto the sides of his chair, despite being strapped in.
Cierra quit swearing the moment she had the hovercraft back under control. “So much for the element of surprise.” She pulled the hovercraft into the garage a minute later. It was empty, save a few surface crawlers. The ceiling was low. Several crates were stacked up on one end. She killed the engine.
“Something feels off.” Theo stepped out of the hovercraft.
“Oh, so now you’re starting to have gut feelings, too. Maybe you’ve been hanging out with Cherish too much, too.”
“Don’t tell me you’re jealous of Cherish now, too.” Theo rolled his eyes.
“Theo Jaiteoux, I am not jealous!” Cierra pursed her lips together. “Stop being so self-centered, and get your mind back on the job. We’re on a strict timeframe. Let’s try that door. Doesn’t seem to be any other way into the domes.” She stomped off towards the door, with Theo following her reluctantly.
Once they were at the door, Cierra advanced slowly, with her laser out. Theo withdrew his lasana sword from its scabbard and followed her. He couldn’t hear much through the helmet, but it seemed as if there was an alarm blaring shrilly on the inside of the dome. No surprise there.
Theo moved to one side, and looked at the sealed door into the domes. He moved away, and allowed Cierra to approach it with her drawn laser. She stopped, and read a small set of instructions on the door. “You need a pass card to get inside this thing. We don’t have much time to wait for one of them to bring us one. How the hell are we supposed to get inside?” She cursed Makram under her breath.
A ruckus on the other side of the doors made them leap backwards. A few seconds later, the door flew open. Two Yasta monks tumbled out, firing wildly. Cierra took out the first one with her laser. Theo brought his lasana around, and sliced the second monk in half, the blade in sync with his body’s rotation. Both parts of the hapless acolyte went down, and didn’t move. Blood began to pool around his boots.
“I guess that solves that problem.” Cierra shrugged, and stepped inside the now-open door.
Theo followed, with his sword held in a high guard position. The blade in his hand made him feel invincible. He felt an undercurrent of rage and power swirling under the surface of his skin; echoes of the massacre. Had it fundamentally changed him? Naia’s words about not letting the darkness overtake him echoed, too.
The inside was a small two-chamber airlock. At once, the foul air from the planet was recycled. The inside door opened. The two of them stepped cautiously into the room. An alarm wailed angrily. It was now loud enough to be heard easily through their helmets. Theo and Cierra ventured deeper.
They entered a passageway that had halls on either side. Cierra stopped, and looked at the red flashing light that illuminated the hall at the end. Where were the other monks? At the very least, she expected to hear an intercom barking instructions to the miners.
Cierra spotted a passageway constructed of plastic, steel, and ribbing that extended to the warehouse. She nudged Theo, and pointed towards the tube. Just then, the ground heaved beneath them, and another blast wave almost knocked them to the ground.
“Guess that must be the rest of the processing plant.” Theo whispered, even though there was no one around to hear them. “Maybe they’re all headed over there.”
“Let’s see where this passage goes. I know we’re supposed to find some data spheres, but I don’t see any.”
“Aren’t we supposed to follow the plan?” He still felt uneasy. Adlibbing wasn’t going to help the knot in his stomach.
“Yes, and as sub-commander, I’m changing it!” She turned and headed down the passageway with Theo behind her, reluctantly. He wasn’t sure if this was the right thing to do.
The passage only went 100 feet away from the main dome complex. It terminated at a small, sealed door. Cierra felt around the doorframe for any booby traps. Satisfied that it was safe to open, she unlocked the door. It swung open to reveal the interior of a large shed. It had to be at least ten feet in height. A few weak lights illuminated the interior, but they couldn’t see much of anything. Cierra advanced into the room, with her laser gun held out. The interior appeared to be quiet.
“Is th
is a warehouse?” Theo said, warily. His voice seemed to echo slightly. “Look at the ramp over there.” He pointed to a metal platform that aimed into the ground.
Theo closed and latched the door behind him, once they were both inside. He could see no movement in front, but it was obvious to him the place was used recently. A small tent was mounted over a nearby table. Papers were stacked haphazardly on top of it. A few bio-lights blinked over the mess. In the distance, two robotic mining machines sat idle. Each one was coated with a thick layer of shiny, black dust.
“Atmosphere inside is standard.” Cierra unlocked her helmet seal. It let out a soft hiss as she removed it, and set it on the ground. Theo did the same. The air smelled recycled, almost stale, but it was breathable.
“Look at that.” Theo let out a low whistle, and nodded to what lay between two large mining robots.
Cierra followed his gaze. Six-foot-square slabs of black metal were stacked high. There had to be at least fifty of them in the room. Theo walked over to look at the piles. Each was stacked in formation on top of a metal skid of some type. There was a packing slip attached to each stack with delivery coordinates.
“There’s so much of it.” Cierra trailed her fingers along one of the slabs of Relissarium.
“And all of it’s ready to be shipped.”
Theo walked over to look at the giant hole in the ground. The pit’s sides closed in as it got deeper, much like an upside-down pyramid. There was no movement. The only thing he could see was an occasional glint of black, shiny minerals embedded in the walls of the hole. The bio-lights made it shimmer.
“I thought the mining shed was the primary target for Makram and Hojae.” He was still gazing into the abyss.
“You’re a bit late.” Theo and Cierra turned to see that Makram and Hojae had joined them from another connecting tube. Makram wiped sweat from his brow, and continued talking. “There are several of those temporary surface passageways into this place. This is the apex of their whole operation. I’m guessing they hauled the processed slabs out of the processing plant, and dumped them here for shipment. Well, they used to haul them out anyway…Until I blew up the refinery.”
“We saw it happen when we got here. I thought the explosion had to be you, but why did you leave this building alone? Why not hit them here, instead of the refinery?” Cierra looked around the room as she spoke.
“Because that’s my job.” Cherish emerged from behind Hojae and Makram. “I caught up with them after you left. I persuaded Makram to take out something besides this warehouse. According to the pictures, the ones the Brotherhood took a few days before we arrived, there wasn’t an active strip-mining pit. It occurred to me that they did the mining inside the shed. I made double-time, caught up with Makram, and got him to use the refinery destruction as a diversion. Not a bad idea, eh?” She flashed them a smile and a wink.
Makram cracked his knuckles. “I still can’t figure out where the monks are. I didn’t see any of them in the refinery. It seems to be automatic. Did anyone else see them?”
Cierra filled him in on the encounter they’d had in the Dome complex. “It doesn’t seem to take that many people to run it,” she finished.
Nodding, Cherish supported Cierra’s suspicions. “You have the mining robots that take the ore to the processing plant, and some automated carts bring it back here. Someone over-estimated the Yasta presence on site. At least I was able to place the bomb without much difficulty.” She nodded at a small box attached to the upper panel of the shed. “They won’t find it, even if there was someone around to search. We have eighty minutes before it blows. What do you want to do next?”
“I don’t see any reason to leave this good product behind.” Makram patted the slabs. “We can get those carts running on our own, and haul the Relissarium out while the Yasta are preoccupied with the refinery explosion. Might as well make the most of it.”
“Cierra and I did leave two bodies in the dome’s service garage.” Theo silently wished he would have thought to stash the bodies somewhere out of sight.
“We don’t know if they’ve discovered them yet. I still think we should find a way to haul the Relissarium out. We can make for the cargo ship on the other side of the mountain range. We’ll be far enough away from the blast zone when the bomb goes off, so it won’t be an issue. Besides, imagine what the Carbonari could do with this much Relissarium.” An eager light shone in Makram’s eyes.
Cierra put her hands on her hips. “How are we going to get those carts across the surface with a load of Relissarium in them? Assuming we can figure out how to drive them, they tend to be slow even when they are empty.”
Makram turned to Cherish. “What’s your word on the carts? Do you think you can operate them?”
They watched her blink a few times to see if there was any information on mining carts in her internal files. “Won’t be a problem. Each cart has its own power system to hover. I can guide them in with my small hovercraft, once I recharge it. The rest of you can use the hovercrafts you came on.” A playful smile lit up her face. “But why stop there? How about a little help loading those carts?” Cherish blinked again, and the mining robots swung around to face her. The surfaces of each displayed an array of flashing lights.
Cherish turned to the carts. There were four of them, now illuminated by whatever command she’d used to activate them. With one glance, Cherish had the carts moving toward the pile of mineral slabs.
Theo watched, as the two robots, each about seven feet tall, rolled over the slabs. Each one began to stack the harvested Relissarium on a cart. Once they’d reached the maximum each cart could carry, they moved to the next one. The loaded carts took a position at the massive equipment door. The robots had done this plenty of times before. Cherish didn’t have to override any programs to load the carts; she simply had to make them recognize her as an authorized user.
In fifteen minutes, the carts were fully loaded, and ready to leave. Cherish revved each cart to life. The purred under her silent direction. She smiled with self-satisfaction. “They’re ready. Everyone can go find the craft they used to get here, and we can leave.”
Makram was about to agree, when the sounds of boots echoed through the shed. A sharp jolt of fear shot through the team. Everyone brought out a laser, except Theo, who unsheathed his lasana blade. The pounding sounds of synchronized boots came from all sides of the huge room. The team pulled together, and swung their weapons outward in a defensive pattern. Their bodies tensed, waiting to see what was coming for them.
Fifty armored Yasta monks poured out of the connecting passageways, and into the shed. In seconds, the Strike Force Retaliation team was surrounded by broad-shouldered warriors. Theo watched as the monks swirled around them in a precise formation. The inner row carried shields, to cover the ranks behind them. From the way the shields looked, they had to be made of Relissarium. It appeared the Yasta were already in full production of weapons made from the black mineral. Who knew what other plans they had underway.
A voice boomed over an intercom. Bored cruelty covered every word. “I’d put your weapons down. We’d like to take you all alive, but it isn’t a necessity.”
“That voice sounds familiar.” Theo narrowed his eyes. He glanced at Cierra to see if she recognized it.
Before Theo could exchange any meaningful glances with his teammates, the Yasta ranks parted. The owner of the voice shoved his way through the rings of warriors. Karl’s eyes locked on them, and a malicious smirk twisted his lips. He had cast aside his former alias of Garth, and now he reveled in his authority. The robes of a full Brother Yasta flowed around him in billowing, yellow fabric.
“I didn’t think you would fall for it.” Karl sneered at them. “It seems I gave you too much credit. Once I found out the Carbonari were sending a team to take out the mining operation, I was delighted for an opportunity to teach them a lesson. Finding out you were the ones involved was just icing on the cake. I was hoping I would see you again. I just didn’t
expect it to be so soon.”
“So, who are you ripping off this time, Garth? Or perhaps I should say ‘Karl.’ Yes, we’ve found out some things as well.” Makram spit on the ground at Karl’s feet.
Karl’s eyes darkened. He ratcheted a catch back on the handgun he held. Karl aimed it directly at Makram. Then he smiled, and holstered it. “I could easily kill you, and your little group of sewer rats. You see this little baby right here?” Karl patted his gun lovingly. “It can deliver enough power to melt a battlefield tank. Luckily for you, I’m feeling extra generous. How about a little lesson in what happens to those who go against the Yasta?”
Karl raised his hand, and a holographic image of the hovercraft that Theo and Cierra had used appeared in the middle of the room. A man in Yasta robes whirled a shiny black sword over his head, and walked into the viewing range. He waited until Karl gave him a nod. With a powerful sweep of his arms, Yasta monk reared back with his sword, and began to chop the hovercraft to pieces.
It took him barely a minute to slice the sturdy vehicle into small pieces. The Relissarium blade he wielded shone menacingly, each time it was lifted up for another sweep. When he was finished, two more monks dragged another two hovercrafts into range. Once again, the monk went to work with the deadly blade, and destroyed them. Theo felt his heart sink. They were stranded.
“It’s quite a useful mineral, isn’t it?” Karl savored the looks on their faces. “There are plenty of wealthy people who would like to get their hands on what we’ve taken out of the ground here. However, our Order intends to use it for our own agenda. We have all manner of uses for it. Too bad you probably won’t be around to see them.”
“I never thought anyone would sink so low as to destroy an entire planet’s population just to get a mineral that would make them rich.” Cierra spat the words at him like venom.
Karl seemed amused by her moxie. “Neither would I, but I believe in making the best out of the worst, so here we are. I have big plans for the Relissarium. Our Order will see to it that every one of us has weapons made from this new mineral. We have an unlimited supply, so no one will stand in our path. Not the local militias, not the Carbonari, not anyone.”
The Relissarium Wars Omnibus Page 17