First Strike (Hammer's War Book 3)

by James McEwan

  “Sorry to hear that Archie, but it seems you are wearing the new skin well,” she said.

  “Yes ma’am. I’m here to be the inside man or robot as Mr. Thaddeus says.”

  “Well then, I’m glad to have you here and an in such a capable frame too,” Amanda said.

  “Ma’am I do have bad news to report. I lost Miss Ruby and I have no information about her location or condition. I am worried about her welfare,” Archie reported to her.

  “I think I can help you with that,” she paused and turned around, “Ruby, come here dear I have someone I think you will want to see.”

  Ruby’s little pink face popped around the doorway and she entered the room. She smiled at Cory and then she saw Archie and shied away.

  “It’s okay Miss Ruby, it’s me Archie,” Archie said in the deep voice of the LPM-48.

  “You’re not Archie,” she shot back at him.

  “It’s me I am just undercover,” he said. That seemed to set her at ease a little bit. “Do you remember me hiding you in the wall?”

  “Archie,” she cried out and ran over to hug his leg.

  Amanda smiled, “Now that’s taken care of you can set the cases over there, and you sir need to tell me everything.”

  After Cory had reported to her the whole story of his encounter with Thad, she said, “That is quiet the tale ensign. So you say that my son and his wives have brought home another man, a woman, and an Orillia?”

  “Yes sir and the woman is an Eli,” he corrected her.

  “I look forward to meeting them, they sound fascinating,” she mused at the thought of the team Thad was somehow putting together.

  “Fascinating is not how I would have put it. I would have said scary as hell,” he said remembering seeing Mortlock for the first time while staring down the barrel of St. Claire’s gun.

  At that moment, the door opened and Drake walked in. Cory jumped to his feet and saluted. Drake returned the salute out of reflex rather than any sense of honor or duty. “Ensign,” he said.

  “Lord Marshal, sir,” he squeaked out.

  “You’re dismissed and you can take the bots with you,” Drake ordered.

  “Yes sir,” was all he said. He left and as much as Archie didn’t want to leave Ruby, he needed to keep up the ruse.

  “That was a nice touch, having the young man go retrieve personal items from my apartment,” Amanda said.

  “I thought it would ease your transition, and if there’s anything I missed that you’d still like to get, well… if you continue to be good I might let you go and get it yourself,” Drake said.

  “That would be nice, to get out of here for a while,” she replied in all honesty.

  “Of course it would be with an armed escort,” he said to remind her that he was in control.

  “I would expect nothing less of you Quintin,” she replied with as much indifference in her voice as she dared.

  “Now that I have kept up my side of the bargain I hope you kept up yours. It’s time to speak to the Emperor Child,” Drake said.

  “Alright, but can I take Ruby with me?” She asked.

  “Whatever for?” He was floored that she would ask such a thing.

  “I would think it would be obvious. Her telepathic powers can help me know what he’s thinking and how to convince him that our cause is their cause now,” she explained.

  “Our cause? Have you come so far so fast?” Drake asked wondered if it was real or not.

  “Yes, I took the oath and gave you my word that I would stand at your side. So yes it is now my cause as well,” she hated to say the words, but it was what he needed to hear.

  “Very well, take her with you,” he said granting the request.

  Amanda and Ruby were escorted by Drake to another secure facility and shown to their room. It was much like a hotel room just without the amenities. The room had a bed, a small table, a few chairs, and bathroom. No replicator or anything that could be used as a weapon or to escape with. Amanda knew what this place was; it was the security rooms for officers who were being court marshaled.

  She and Ruby entered the room to find Sasha laying on the bed reading from an old magazine trying to stay occupied. Connell was pacing back and forth when they entered. “Amanda!” He exclaimed, happy to see her. “Wait, why are you wearing that uniform?”

  “Because Connell I have joined the other team and I am here to plead with you to join it as well,” Amanda said as she entered and took his hand. Ruby took his other hand. What Drake didn’t know was as Ruby grew so had her powers and she could now link minds with a touch. Only she and her grandma had ever done it, but it allowed for them to talk without being heard. On the way there she held Ruby’s hand and explained what she needed her to do.

  Ruby had told her that she had never tried to bridge two minds, but she would try. Now she was trying and Amanda thought softly in her mind, “Connell if you can hear me in your mind do not react as all of our lives depend upon it.

  Connell heard her inside his mind as clear as if she was speaking to him out loud. He thought back, “How are you doing that?”

  “It’s Ruby, she’s connecting our minds so that I can speak without being overheard as we are most certainly being watched,” she commutated through thought.

  “Please let us sit at the table we have much to discuss,” she said out loud.

  “Fine,” he said, his tone expressing anger with her just as she instructed him to do in his head.

  They sat at the table and then Ruby asked if she could color on the floor. Amanda had asked before entering the room for paper and crayons so that Ruby could look busy while she was really reading his mind. At least that’s what she told Drake. He agreed and she was given the crayons and paper. The real reason for them was to give Ruby an excuse to be on the floor so that she could slide under the table. Once she was out of sight, she placed a hand on each person’s ankle and reestablishing the link between their minds.

  Amanda talked out loud and while thinking what she really wanted to communicate through Ruby. It was a little awkward at first, but both of them mastered it quickly. She was able to relay the escape plan to him and told him what she needed him to do.

  After thirty minutes, Ruby was spent and couldn’t hold the link open any longer. She let go of them both and stood up, “Grandma I’m tired, can we go now.”

  “Yes dear,” Amanda said. She picked up Ruby, “We will meet again.”

  She turned to leave and Sasha not privy to the details said one word, “Bitch.”

  Amanda didn’t respond just left the room. Outside Drake waited like a vulture waiting for an animal to die. “Well?”

  “Ruby tells me he’s scared and yet guarded. Though outwardly he seems to be defiant on the inside he’s willing to listen. I think a few more days locked up with me talking to him will do the trick,” she told him, the lies rolling off her lips as if she was a professional spy.

  “Take all the time you need. It will be several weeks or even months before we’re ready to move against the Terrain Empire. We still have to deal with the rest of the former RepCom systems. Only about half of them have submitted,” Drake said.

  “I see, is there any one world that is more troublesome than the others?” She asked.

  “Nova Texas sent a response of a picture of a hairy human man’s ass with the words ‘you can kiss my’ printed across it. So I think it’s safe to say they’re not with the program. However, as you know they have almost no planetary defenses and each city is its own entity. They pose no real military threat, however their attitude cannot and will not be tolerated. They will be brought to heel first,” Drake said.

  Chapter 34

  The days went by and everyone began to feel the stress of being cooped up in the apartment. Even though it was an extremely nice penthouse apartment it was getting old staying there waiting for the right time to act. The only ones who seemed happy were Kára and Mortlock. He seemed to never run out of questions for her and she seemed conten
t to answer them all.

  Thad and St. Claire were used to waiting on a mission, but the twins were not and Rod Masters had been driving them all nuts with his oversized ego and inflated sense of self. Thad even had to stop Kára for tossing him off the balcony as the previous evening he had a few too many with dinner and later while Kára was taking some time to meditate outside he had made a drunken pass at her.

  He was lucky that Thad had heard the commotion out on the balcony and chose to investigate as he found Rod hanging upside down by one leg over the side of the ledge with Kára ready to drop him. Thad talked fast and was able to convince her to spare him. That wasn’t the only problem he had to deal with. The twins were fighting like he had never seen before. They were fighting over everything including him. It was the first time he had ever wondered about his choice to marry them both. They also were mad at him for being the only one allowed to leave the apartment as he spent the days doing recon on the target.

  It was late and he had just returned to find the two women standing in the entryway hands on hips waiting for him, “Damn it Thad! This is bull shit and you know it,” Fiona let into him.

  “You know that we can handle ourselves out there and we could be useful gathering intel,” Freya fired off at the same time.

  “Look girls,” was all he got to say before Fiona cut him off.

  “Oh no, you don’t get to girls us. You’re in big trouble mister, and we’ve decided to cut you off until you come to your senses and let us out.”

  “Oh and by the way, you can bunk with Mortlock on the couch tonight,” Freya followed up.

  Before he could say anything, they had turned and left. He was alone in the entryway his mouth still open. He made his way into the front room. St. Claire was there waiting on him. “So good day?” He asked Thad.

  “What was that all about?” Thad asked still wondering what had just happened.

  “I wouldn’t worry about it too much. I think things will calm down once we get out of here. They’re just suffering from cabin fever.

  “I hope so. I’m still trying to understand women. I really never had much real experience with them before the twins so I feel like an amateur when comes to dealing with them,” Thad said.

  St. Claire laughed, “Don’t sweat it my friend. I’ve had decades of experience dealing with women and I still feel like an amateur.”

  Mortlock had been listening into the conversation, “On my world there is a saying about Orillia women that might apply here. It goes like this, don’t try to understand women, women understand women and they can’t stand each other.”

  “So, you’re saying just roll with the punches and love them for who they are?” Thad asked.

  “I think that’s the best any of us can do,” Mortlock answered.

  “Thanks for the advice,” Thad said as he dropped into a large comfy chair. “I guess I will crash here for tonight.”

  “If you ask me they did you a favor. You’re going to need to get plenty of rest tonight. We have a long day ahead of us tomorrow,” St. Claire said.

  Thad didn’t answer he just closed his tired eyes and put his head back.

  “Night all,” St. Claire said.

  Thad waved and Mortlock said “good night” then the lights dimmed.

  It wasn’t more than an hour before Thad was shaken awake, “Thad, wake up we have a problem,” St. Claire said as he shook Thad’s shoulders.

  Thad had to control the instinct to come out of his sleep fighting, something that he had been working to overcome ever since he attacked Doctor Hammer years before. “What’s the problem?”

  “Masters,” St. Claire replied as his face came into focus.

  “What? Did Kára finally toss that idiot off the balcony?” Thad asked.

  “Worse, he decided as he said it to ‘take the air’. The dumb shit went for a walk and Freya and Fiona went after him.”

  “How long?” Thad asked as he stood up and stretched.

  “Little over a half an hour,” St. Claire said checking the clock on the wall.

  “More than enough time for them to get him and drag him back. So something’s gone wrong,” Thad said, assessing the problem.

  “That’s why I’m waking you.”

  “One question?”

  “Shoot.”

  “Where were you when this was all going down?” Thad asked.

  “Making out with my pillow. It was Kára that let them go. She just got me up. She said it would be better if I woke you, something about not wanting to start another war. She said one was enough for now,” St. Claire answered.

  “Kára,” Thad said as loudly and forcefully as he could while not waking Mortlock whose snoring was amazingly loud. It sounded like a chain saw tearing through a tub of jello. Kára presented herself in the doorway.

  St. Claire noticed he was standing between the two and quickly removed himself from the line of fire. Just in case. However, his fears were unwarranted. Thad did something he didn’t expect. “Kára you do me great honor by assuming I would be upset and that you think I’m that formidable of a foe that you sent St. Claire to wake me,” Thad said.

  “Thank you Thad,” she replied.

  “But, don’t think that lets you off the hook. At a later date and time you and I will settle this,” Thad said as he seated a magazine into the bottom of his rifle.

  “I look forward to it,” Kára said as she gave a slight bow.

  St. Claire was not sure what had just happened.

  Rod Masters walked along the dark and strangely quiet street. It was nearly four in the morning and normally the streets of the under city would be a little quite, but not this quite. Usually at this time of the morning delivery people would be just starting out and the homeless, well they were always about. Not since the NGE invaded though, most people stayed in their homes at night and the few that did go out during the day didn’t stay out long. There were still NGE patrols and stories and rumors of people going missing. Not just the people who may have been killed the first day, but people who were known to have survived just poof, gone.

  As Rod walked, he noticed that the normal air traffic that never ever seemed to stop in the upper city was now even light. Although he thought it was strange to see the city this way, he felt it was a nice change. Feeling cooped up in the apartment for almost a week now, he really enjoyed taking in the night air, even if it smelled of old urine and burned carbon.

  He had been walking for about thirty or so minutes and had succeeded in getting himself lost. Funny, he thought, having spent a great deal of his adult life on Isis, and most of it in the Capital District that never until this week had he ever set foot in the under city. His thoughts continued, haven been driven everywhere by sky car in the upper city he probably couldn’t navigate that either. He finally concluded that he was completely useless as a navigator, and it was a good thing he never tried to work as a cabby.

  Rod was so deep in thought that he failed to notice he was being tailed. He continued to walk along not really watching where he was going, as he was more concerned with going over the events of the last week in his mind. He stepped toward the corner of the block, passing the old brick stone buildings that made up the block. As soon as he was about to pass it something emerged from the shadows. It blocked his path and once he noticed that something had just seemed to appear from out of nowhere right in front of him, he stopped and screamed like a little girl.

  “Nice Masters just scream a little louder so every patrol for blocks will come running,” the female voice chided him from underneath a dark hood.

  He screamed again, not sure why he was screaming. Then the woman pulled her hood down and it was Fiona. “Mrs. Hammer!” He exclaimed with relief in his tone.

  “Yes and if you don’t shut the hell up I’m going to knock your big muscly ass out,” Fiona said and to show she meant it she pointed a stunner at him.

  “Okay, calm down. No need for that,” Rod replied.

  “Damn it Masters, you need
to be more careful,” Freya snipped at him from behind.

  Rod jumped as if he had been hit with the stunner. He wheeled around to see Freya standing right behind him. “Feck woman!” He shrieked out. “Are you two tying to give me a heart attack?”

  “Shut up Masters,” Freya said.

  “I will not shut up! I will not be spoken to like I am a child or some kind of idiot. I am one of the galaxies greatest actors! I deserve some respect damn it!” He said almost in a shout.

  He went to open his mouth again, but before he could say another word, Fiona grabbed him from behind and slipped her hand over his mouth. She turned him around not so gently like. Once she had spun him around, he could see why they wanted him to shut up. A patrol, but this one was not a Fabian patrol, but a mix of Ralnai and humans that wore the grey overalls of Ralnai human slaves. It was hard to miss them as slaves of the Ralnai as on their chest was imprinted the blood red trident arrow symbol of the Ralnai. It looked like a three-pronged pitchfork at the bottom end and a directional arrow at the top. A symbol that still to this day, even long after the defeat of the Ralnai in the last star war, struck fear in the hearts and minds of humans everywhere.

  The patrol was composed of three Ralnai and two humans and they were walking towards them on the same side of the street not more than a block away now. Fiona pulled Masters out of the ring of light that lit the street corner. She pulled him into the shadows where she had been hiding in wait for him. Freya followed them. They didn’t get far before one of the humans called out to them, “Hey you three! Stop and show us your hands!”

  Masters trembled from fear, “Ralnai! What do we do now?”

  “We run,” Freya said and she grabbed him by the hand and took off running pulling him behind her. Fiona fired two shots from the stunner. The first shot went wide and missed the human, but it did strike one of the Ralnai whose tough hide absorbed most of the energy leaving it with a pleasant tingly feeling that reminded him of the breeding pits.

  The second shot hit its mark, the human in the front crumpled to the ground stunned and out of the fight for a while. Fiona didn’t stay to check out her handiwork. She turned on her heels and ran after the others.