Shadows of the Son

by E L Strife

  Atana whipped around in her seat and peered through the rear windows with the crew. In front of Agutra was the assembled collector deflector still glowing orange.

  “Thank the stars.” Terson said in mild shock.

  “We have only a few minutes until they’re ready to send out another. Best get going.” Firing the harpoon pins with a flick of a switch, Atana heard several soft thunks, and knew they were firmly attached in the metal exoframe. “Like ticks in a bitch.”

  Lavrion snorted in surprise. “What?”

  She shrugged. “I don’t know. Something Panton said.” Atana flung her harness to the sides and climbed into the back. “Helmets on. Shields up.”

  With the team lined up behind her, luminous blue shields humming on their left arms, she opened the door. Pulling her calibration device from her toolbelt, a modification of the system she and Tanner had utilized to break into Semilath Agutra, she unlocked the dock-point. Atana conjured her flaming shield as hull panels drew inward and pocketed themselves to the sides.

  “We need to shut down the drive first. Then we infiltrate.” Atana looked over her shoulder at her seven followers, their faces stern and committed—all except Klézia. Meeting the woman’s reddened eyes, Atana wished she could turn back time. But she could only change the future. “No one gets left behind.”

  Chapter 48

  GLATO PRIED MISKAHT AWAY from the console, shielding her from a shower of sparks. Bennett manifested a temporary shield around them on instinct, but it didn’t hold. He couldn’t maintain his focus with the repeated peeps from the dying shepherds’ codes rapidly multiplying on the Final Mission Complete list. Smoke had filled the air, and life-support systems were failing.

  Gruégon’s code blinked under Evami’s. Romeo Charlie squad had taken to the fight with hers in what they all assumed was Atana’s ship entering Kyra Two’s shield. But no one knew for sure. It just bolstered the notion of what kiatna would do for a symbol. Bennett prayed it was worth the cost.

  Beta squad had three ships left. Charlie had five. In a daring sweep, one of the ArcString teams had taken on six of Kyra Three’s Suanoan fighters before adding their numbers to the swelling list.

  After witnessing the plasma of Kyra Two flicker out and Kyra Three’s shields absorb the hit like a raindrop in a puddle, Bennett had Dequan’s shield team reposition in anticipation of Kyra Three’s plasma attack. But none came.

  Nor did any word from Atana.

  “Another H.Co. just took a hit,” the Coordinator called out through the flickering console, a crack diffracting his image. “Omut and the civilians tried to fight back. The Linoans lifted off and fired some—plasma weapon. There’s just a crater. UAVs haven’t found any survivors yet.”

  Miskaht pushed through Glato’s arms back to the communications post. “Sergio, Zembahki, I want you two somewhere safe.”

  “Porter’s topside, Eruthi Peak,” Sergio said. “I don’t know what you gave him Bennett, but he’s covering the entire island.”

  Bennett lifted his wristband. “Porter, status report.”

  Fizzing thunks popped over the speakers. “This plasma cannon is the shit! I got a 360 view up here. Anther incoming. Back to work! Stay safe up there, sir! Porter out.”

  Bennett ignored Miskaht’s condescending glance. Nothing about the war, nor anyone involved in it had followed any rules he could think of. He directed Miskaht and Glato to one of the pods behind the main command platform. “You two need to go. We’re trained to function without Command. Get yourselves somewhere safe.”

  “No, I’m staying to help!” Miskaht growled as she strained against Glato’s grasp. Glato’s larger frame won with ease, but his gaze gave away a silent struggle Bennett hadn’t noticed before.

  “We are losing too many Command members.” Bennett snapped.

  “I agree with Sergeant Bennett,” Commander Lee said firmly, not looking up from his screen.

  Miskaht reluctantly let Glato lead her to a pod. She tried to hide her shaking hands inside her sleeves, but Bennett had seen them tremble long before Hope was at risk. “We’ll see you on Agutra.”

  Bennett called out to Josie, Hope’s last guardian. “Glato, and Miskaht are ejecting.”

  “Understood.” She paused. “You’re not?”

  “Them first!” Bennett ducked as panels peeled off of the ceiling, taking lights and screens with them near the front. Gold light faded out around him, Teek, and Commander Lee.

  The susurrus of a pressurizing pod led the whooshing sounds of Glato and Miskaht being thrust up into space. In the hallway outside, Bennett could hear an electrical fire crackle to life. The command center smelled of burnt plastic and singed hair.

  Through the windows, Bennett, Teek, and Commander Lee watched the third Kyra move in between Agutra and Kyra Two. Bennett tried not to think about the danger Atana was in, tried to trust her, and it made him wonder how Azure was holding up.

  Commander Lee snorted, adjusting life-support settings on his screen. “Smart assholes just prevented us from deflecting plasma from K Three to K Two.”

  “Why haven’t they fired yet?” Teek asked, fingers dancing over his controls as he relayed links to Amianna and Azure on Agutra of those left from Earth’s forces.

  “Likely waiting for us to kill ourselves off,” Commander Lee replied. “What’s your move, Bennett?”

  Plasma lit up the sky, striking through the distal shaft of Agutra, shearing it off. It drifted out into space, expelling clouds of gasses and bodies.

  “No!” Teek lurched forward, clinging to his computer station, eyes pinned on the destruction of his home.

  Bennett and Commander Lee looked on in silence, watching the slow death of thousands. Throat sore with unspoken curses and protests, Bennett called over for a report. “Azure, what’s your status?”

  The broken reply was from Amianna. “Sixtee—evels cut off. Five hundred to—thousand workers each. Auto—ically sealed at the seventeenth level. Complete shield failure.”

  “Is Agutra secure for now?” Bennett asked, prying Teek free of his station and drawing him into a hug. “Amianna?”

  “Y-yes.”

  “Where is Azure?”

  Sniffles came over the speakers. “Paramor is missing. Azure—to look for him. He’s the only one who can free sparks from this ship.”

  Oomuas, whom the’d learned was leader of Kyra Three, spoke again across the transmissions. Cutashk translated. “That was a warning. You have a quarter-cycle to surrender.”

  “That was no fucking warning,” Bennett growled. “Get Azure back to his post, Amianna. Drag him if you have to. More sparks will die if he doesn’t help you watch the displays!”

  Teek stepped back from Bennett’s hug, eyes on the distant floor. Bennett patted the teen’s shoulder and turned to watch ships race by overhead. Visible through the tall windows and glass ceiling—three Linoan fighters followed a collector, with Josie on their tail. Seven fighters tracked promptly behind her with sadistic grace.

  “Transport’s picked up Command’s pod, but there are too many combatants! I’d hold off on evacuating if you can,” Josie called down.

  Two collectors crashed into an old radio tower on the moon, four fighters banking off to chase another. Vequestri’s code blinked on the list with a doku and a co-shepherd named Haepern.

  Heartbreak and fury fought in Bennett’s chest. He wanted to lash out and punch something. But Teek needed a role model, and Commander Lee’s trust wasn’t something Bennett could afford to lose. So he forced his hands to stay open and not curl into fists like usual, fists which would likely catch on fire as they had in recent days. Instead, Bennett braced his elbows to either side of the screen and rested his face in his hands, silently watching the illuminated death toll rise on his screen.

  A ship broke from the shield cluster hiding in Agutra’s shadow. Dequan’s voice came through the transmissions. “I’m with you, Josandizer.”

  Bennett planted a hand on the console, alarmed at
the man’s deviation from the plan. “Dequan, what are you doing? We need you with your crew, or the shield won’t work.”

  “Then re-designate another to the formation!” Dequan replied.

  Bennett should’ve known if someone didn't follow orders it would be a Kojaqx. He just didn’t expect it to be a member of Command. “They won’t know the maneuvers. They haven’t practiced with you! There aren’t many left to pull from as it is!” Bennett countered.

  “I’m not letting Josandizer fight alone!”

  The stars painted in orange streaks as Dequan’s ship darted into the mix, slinging fire from its dorsal gun. For safety reasons, shield collectors hadn’t acquired munitions mounts in their life-slots. Bennett didn’t want an accidental discharge from overheating to set off a chain reaction, destroying their only goalies in war. But they hadn’t bothered to remove what the Suanoa had mounted.

  Five Linoan fighters took hits, pitching at odd angles and disintegrating. A Suanoan fighter—a black needle in the night—joined the barrage, sending pulses twice the fighters’ strength cutting through collectors.

  “We’re out of ammo. Edjecting Taoleernan. No doku aboard. Josandizer— I’m proud of you. You’ll lead the Kojaqx with precision and honor. Pick up the rascal on your next pass,” Dequan directed.

  “Sir, don’t!” Josie yelled over the mic.

  Dequan’s collector rammed the Suanoan ship, bringing silent death veiled in light. Bennett watched Dequan’s code blink and solidify on the list with six others from Balie’s Alpha squad. Clouds of smoke dissipated around a transparent orb, the only solid object left in Dequan’s wake.

  Thunks of cargo doors carried over the speakers with Taoleernan’s words. “I tried to stop him.”

  “Shut up, Tao,” Josie grunted, launching them around the backside of Hope.

  Bennett knew how much Josie looked up to Dequan, even if he was a hothead. Every Kojaqx he knew was. When Bennett’s Instructor had died, it was like losing a second father. “Do a loop, Josie. Before you do something reckless and make his death for nothing.”

  “But, sir, I—”

  Bennett solidified his voice. “Do—a—loop.”

  “Yes, sir. Balie’s Alphas are on approach.”

  Bennett scanned the skies for Balie’s team and couldn’t place the sudden dread sinking in his gut. Through the windows, he saw a ship barreling at them, sparks and smoke fuming from an engine. He launched himself at Teek, slinging his body back and to the floor.

  Glass popped and sprayed out in a prismatic shower as the collector crushed the top of the station. The floors above plunged into the command center. Metal squealed under pressure. Bennett looked back but couldn’t see the computer Teek had been standing at or Commander Lee. Scrambling up, Bennett grabbed Teek’s wrist and tugged. “Come on! She’s coming down!”

  Teek struggled to keep up, coughing from the smoke.

  Bennett threw the Agutran inside a pod. Patches of the teen’s fur coat were charred, and he moved languidly. Figuring Teek wasn’t familiar with the shock of battle, Bennett guided him into a seat and deftly belted him in.

  Swiveling to tap the Close Hatch button on the A-pillar, Bennett saw Commander Lee standing motionless amidst the burning room. Shredded metal and clouds of dust fell from the caving facility only to be drawn back up toward the wound in Hope. Seconds remained before the station depressurized, and everything was sucked out into space.

  “Commander—”

  The man didn’t move.

  “Shit.” Bennett whipped around and patted Teek’s cheek. “Hey, wake up. You need to tap Five-Three-One and then Launch after the hatch closes. Copy?”

  “Five-free-ohn, yaunch,” Teek mumbled, head bobbing.

  “Good.” Bennett smacked the Close Hatch button with a palm and bolted outside. The glass whooshed shut, and Teek looked at the keypad in his armrest. Two seconds later, he vanished in a column of blurred light.

  Bennett grabbed Commander Lee and half-dragged, half-carried his body to the pod. Shoving him into a seat required more effort—Lee coming out of his trance and straining to get up. “Stay, or I’ll make you.”

  Commander Lee peered up at him like a lost child then slid back without a fight.

  Bennett closed the hatch and plopped himself in the front seat, trying to ignore the golden filter over his vision. He hadn’t meant to scare Commander Lee. “Strap in. Launch in five, four—”

  Metal clanked against metal as Commander Lee belted in behind him.

  Typing in the code, Bennett hit Launch. When he looked up, a flare of orange and white blinded his vision. The life-support system had ignited. Billowing fire laid waste to the command center. The crushing orange tide raced toward them.

  Bennett closed his eyes, bringing the golden shield to the forefront of his mind. He sank heavily in the hard cushions. The pod thrust upward, through the blaze, jolting his body with bruising effectiveness.

  When they broke the surface of the station, momentum equalized, and Bennett found himself weightless in the seat. Through the glass floor, Bennett watched what was once their greatest scientific achievement blossom into space.

  Straps snapped to their max from Commander Lee’s position. The loud rustle of fabric between forceful breaths suggested the man vented himself. A whack against the back of Bennett’s chair confirmed it. Then another and another.

  Bennett didn’t take it personally. He released his frustration the same way.

  Commander Lee’s fit quieted. Short gasps and sniffles filled the silence.

  Opening a channel to the other pod, Bennett called to Teek. “You okay, buddy?”

  Teek gulped hard against sobs. “They keep killing my friends.” He hiccupped. “My head hurts. Bad.”

  “Hang in there a few more minutes,” Bennett gently replied. “You’ll be home soon.”

  The skies were so littered with fallout and debris, Bennett couldn’t see the battle any longer. Concerned they might accidentally be hit, Bennett called out from the control panel in his right armrest. “Josie, two more for pick up when you’re ready. Can’t see out of this cloud we’re in.”

  In silence, shielded from the sights of battle, Bennett didn’t know what else to do but apologize.

  “It’s not your fault, son,” Commander Lee said almost inaudibly. “It’s just war against an enemy far superior to us. We may just be destined to lose.”

  The clouds around them were swept up and disbursed as several Linoan fighters arced around the pod, followed by a trail of blue-green fire. Josie’s ship took out three before racing after the others. “Be back in a sec,” she replied quietly.

  “Understood.” Bennett linked with to Agutra. “Azure, Bennett. We’re on our last play. Power’s in Agutra’s hands now.”

  “Cluster Fuck?” Azure asked.

  Bennett was relieved to hear his voice. He’d managed to talk Azure into holding off on aggressive maneuvers from Agutra until everything else had failed. He didn’t want them to be an easy target. “A-firm. Did you find Paramor?”

  “No.”

  Seconds passed like hours as Bennett scoured the debris, waiting for a sign the plan was in play. Hundreds of Linoan fighters reined the void. Defenses were cut down, and Bennett hadn’t heard a thing on Agutra’s status.

  Every sealed Agutra container drifting in orbit opened its purge doors, releasing M45s and Hope’s bombers into the fight. They were still outnumbered. But maybe, hopefully, not outgunned.

  Chapter 49

  ATANA AND HER CREW CHARGED through the airlock into a dark hallway. Before them, the ship’s interior opened into a fifteen-level cavern filled with humming columns of arcing, red light. Narrow maintenance bridges zigzagged between. The team paused at the edge of the facility to survey the vast space from the third level. Plasma engineering was what Atana had hoped for, though these structures were far larger than Agutra’s.

  Linoans stopped working. Shouts scattered across the room. From every crisscrossing catwalk and
corner, Linoans poured their direction, dressed in greasers and armor and carrying ArcBows.

  Gamazets. Atana stalled on the word, wondering why they’d need weapons of punishment when there were no non-Linoan workers present.

  Yari, Lavrion, and Imara launched cover fire behind the team as Atana circled the room to get a better look.

  Red light swelled from a large, central chamber in the distance. Every pulse required a lot of power, which, on Agutra, was stored in Gelethrine cells, stepped up inside Ceramino transformers, and discharged through a plate with needle igniters protruding into the plasma. Tracking the grid of pipes and cables, Atana found the transformers. “The gray barrels beside the charge tubes need to be taken out.”

  Terson pointed to a catwalk three levels up before bolting to a set of stairs.

  Atana led the team up after him. Linoans plowed in droves toward their location, climbing over one another like a zombie plague had ravaged their minds. Releasing the ArcBow from her belt, Atana slid her finger over the Linéten metal she’d bonded to its handle and envisioned a sword. She’d tossed Vellins almost every piece of the bomb she’d found on Sergeant Claymor. Atana just wanted to keep a tiny souvenier: the orb.

  Her weapon stretched and folded in on itself, rendering a long blade. Dropping her mental barriers, Atana let her anger flow freely. The sword ignited with red fire.

  Guiding Terson behind her, Atana slashed and hacked her way through the forest of bodies, clearing a path for their sniper. Linoans were wiry creatures, and their bone was hard to cut through. But slitting tendon rendered them useless, and they were strung like deer mid-dash.

  When the team reached the sixth level, Terson lowered his shield and moved to the center of the railing. Atana waved the others to set up their shields around him—a bubble of protection they all hid inside, except for her.

  Klézia lagged. When she settled in position, Atana turned to address the hundreds of Linoans encroaching on their fortification. She was enjoying the blood quest too much to stop. Many years, she'd suffered under the rule of these creatures and their masters—a child with her youth stolen from her, like countless others. She had been looking forward to this day, to her chance to return the favor.