Prophecy: The Descendants War Book 6

by John Walker

  “Yes!” Triss shouted, “are you okay? How many of you are there? Did everyone make it? What’s going on? Over!”

  “Lots of questions,” Andrews replied. “We’re okay for the most part. Trying to get some kind of weird defense system online at these ruins. You’re coming down to a hot LZ though, let me tell you! We’ve got Kahl soldiers closing on this position and a bunch of natives ready to throw down with them. Over!”

  “I see.” Triss hummed. “How long before you’re ready for a pickup?”

  “I don’t know… how well do you know Niva?”

  “Fairly well. Why?”

  “I’m pretty sure she’ll want to stay and help these folks with their problems. Just a guess though.” Andrews paused, long enough for Triss to check the connection. It was still live. It even cleared up more. “We’re setting up a support station right now. Should help with the fight down here. Oh! There are ten of us that need transport out of here.”

  “That’s more than you went over to the Flotilla with, isn’t it?”

  “Yeah, we picked up some friends. Hey…” Andrews cleared his throat. “Thank you so much for coming for us, Triss. Seriously, it means a lot.”

  “I told you I had things to show you. I couldn’t do that if you remained at large down there.” Triss smiled. “Besides, I like the look of you. Um… I don’t know the words in your language.”

  “I get your meaning,” Andrews replied, “I like yours too. Anyway, I’ve got to get back to it. We’ll leave this line open. Contact me if you need anything or when you’re getting closer. I’ll let the others know you’re on the way.”

  Triss figured she’d have to land when she arrived. Whatever operation they had going wouldn’t be finished before she got there. But they had thirty minutes before any of them had to worry about it. They need to hurry. This ship won’t be much help in a big fight. Then again, if they didn’t handle their problems, she might not be able to get away.

  The Kahl need to be seriously distracted if we don’t want to be blown out of the sky. Triss had plenty to worry about and enough time to really fret. Best to focus on one thing at a time. No point in dreading this. We can do that later. When I’m in a debrief. And I realize how crazy it was to volunteer for this task.

  ***

  Niva backed away from the door. Neither her scans nor any decryption techniques got the thing to open. A low-level power reading showed up, but other than that, she had no idea how they were supposed to get it open. Some kind of magnetics must’ve kept it in place. Trying to push at it didn’t make it even budge.

  “Lysa!” Niva shouted, “can you look at this? I’ll join Kyle in covering you.”

  “Yeah, I’ll see what I can do.” Lysa replaced her, running her hands over the surface.

  We don’t have time for this! Niva aimed her weapon away from the building, taking in the crumbling structures around them. When she first arrived, she thought the structures around them had been part of a city. Now that she had a moment to examine them, it felt more like a military installation.

  Some kind of fort maybe, Niva thought. An ancient Kahl method of holding someone off. She wished she’d known enough to question Haulda about the history of the planet. It might’ve explained the place better. Ultimately, what does any of that matter? It’s academic. All we want to do is get out of here.

  “You won’t believe this,” Lysa called, “but I think the key might open it up.”

  “What’re you talking about?” Kyle asked. “This can’t be part of the pilgrimage!”

  “No, but the technology may be the same. It reminds me of the temple doors.”

  Gunfire down the way made Niva stiffen. Jok, Milna, and the others engaged enemy forces near the front of the complex. Who knows how many more of these Kahl bastards there’d be without Haulda’s people harassing them? She would’ve felt better if the mainstay of his forces already turned up.

  They probably want to be sure this thing is on to defend their armies from a quick destruction, Niva thought. I’m glad they didn’t think about using us as hostages. If they somehow got a message to our enemies, they could’ve probably let them know we were here. That would’ve stopped the aerial assaults just as surely as shields.

  “I was right!” Lysa shouted. “I’m just having to pick the frequency, but the thing definitely vibrated!”

  “Incredible!” Kyle left his post to join her. “So the tech is compatible?”

  “The same,” Lysa corrected, “as in this is how they opened doors. And we just have to change this one to make it fit the lock. For all intents and purposes at least. I mean, it’s more complicated than that but if you remember when we read about—”

  “Enough!” Niva interrupted. “Come on, focus, guys! Get us in there before—” She interrupted herself, blasting an emerging soldier who came around the corner to the right. Shadows on the wall gave away additional forces. “Guys, can you hear me on comms? We’ve got incoming on our position.”

  “Coming,” Vesper said, “give me a sec.”

  “Milna?” Niva asked. “Jok? What’re you doing?”

  “Sniping,” Jok replied. “They have a lot of people out there. I’m talking a mustered army. This is crazy.”

  “Attention,” Andrews piped into the comm, “Triss Nel Ulinas is on her way with a shuttle. ETA thirty minutes. She’s coming to this LZ right now!”

  That’s both good news and terrible news. Niva frowned. “Do you have her on comms? Let her know this is not safe.”

  “We’re arranging her arrival. I thought behind the structure, opposite side of the army?”

  “Yeah, that should work, but have her come around a long way. Prevent them from thinking she’s a target of opportunity.” Niva smiled. Okay, Griel. Impress me. I’d like to see all that arrogance pay off into something amazing.

  Four more soldiers took cover around the stones not even a hundred yards away. Once they settled in, if they charged, Niva wasn’t sure she’d be able to take them down. A quick glance over her shoulder gave her some hope. The door vibrated, making dust fall all around them.

  I’m glad they’re here. I won’t underestimate human scientists ever again.

  “Vesper…” Niva warned, “we really need you!”

  “Keep your trousers on,” Vesper said. “We’re here. And I see your friends. They’re stacking up. But…” A weapon went off; a couple blasts flying out from behind the cover. Screams filled the air. One Kahl soldier made a break for it. He got less than thirty feet before two bolts caught him in the lower back. “You’re clear.”

  “Took your time about it!” Niva complained. “But thank you. We’re almost in.”

  “Faster the better,” Vesper said, “we’re moving on to keep these guys back. Plenty of baddies to take out.”

  “Haulda,” Niva called out, “are you on this line? Have your people gathered yet? We’re getting close to finishing this up, but we won’t make it if you aren’t ready to charge in here like rampaging antesians.”

  “I don’t know what that is,” Haulda replied, “but we are ready. Remain focused on your task. And this will all be over soon.”

  I really do not like the way he said that. Niva hadn’t entirely trusted them. That felt like they were about to be sacrificed. I wonder if we’re going to blow this place up. Take it out like a massive reactor going critical. That would serve me right for trusting him even as much as I have.

  “We’re emerging now,” Haulda said, “the tunnels are going to light up soon.”

  “Again? That seems… kinda soon.” Niva frowned, checking her chronometer. The intervals hadn’t been fully explained so she had no clue what was ‘normal’. Still, that presented another difficulty. No hiding out in there.

  “Yes, well…” Haulda sighed. “Perhaps we’re being pushed by the divines. Either way, please hurry. We cannot be in the open for long.”

  “I’m in!” Lysa shouted. “Door’s opening!” Stone scraped on stone as the blackened slab slid to the
right. Kyle went in first, casting the light from his rifle into the murky darkness. “Come on, Niva! Let’s get in there! Hurry!”

  “You first!” Niva backed in after her, stepping to the side so she was out of casual line of fire. The chamber they found themselves in had a tall ceiling, at least fifteen feet high. It stretched back two hundred yards before two flights of stairs went down on either side of the room. “Um… what do we do now?”

  “I’ve got a faint energy reading,” Lysa said. “Follow me. I think I know what to do.”

  That makes one of us. Niva followed, checking her computer for a way out. That building appeared to be a dead end. Great. Exactly where we want to be when we have to turn something crazy on. “Take this carefully. We have no idea what to expect down there… nor exactly what it will do when you find it.”

  “We’re old hands at this part,” Kyle said, “wandering into ancient rooms, I mean. Beyond that, yeah… we should be careful.”

  Thanks for the quip. Niva sighed, keeping an eye over her shoulder. She wished they could’ve closed the door, but the thing looked heavy… a malfunction might trap them in there for far longer than they had to get out. Best to leave our escape route open. Our allies better keep people out.

  “I’ll stand guard at the top of the stairs,” Niva announced. “You go down and figure this out.”

  “You sure?” Kyle asked. “Might not be safe to wait for them.”

  “You want to get shot in the back?”

  “Uh… no, I get you.”

  Niva nodded. “See you both soon.” She crouched, looking down the sight of her weapon. The doorway became little more than a bright rectangle at the end of the chamber. She figured a silhouette would be an easy enough target. And in the dark, they wouldn’t easily see her.

  Now’s your time to shine, Lysa… Kyle. Don’t disappoint us.

  ***

  “The Triton has arrived.”

  Inda’s announcement made Renz close his eyes. His heart sank. I thought this would be one-on-one, Griel. You ridiculous coward. Always bringing someone else to our fights, never willing to face me. He drew a deep breath. “How long before the rest of the ships get here, Vhel? Their presence would be beneficial.”

  “I have their energy readings now,” Vhel said. “The warp signature is huge.”

  The enemy will see it as well. Renz clenched his fists. He turned to Kivda, whispering, “Should we speak to them? Try to delay the fight long enough for the others to arrive?” The combat continued to rage regardless of the Triton’s appearance. Exchanging blows made the deck vibrate.

  “Thing is,” Kivda replied, “they’re here to pick up their people. That’s all they care about. What we need to do is prevent them from doing that. Then they’ll have to face us or risk a morale hit when they flee without the rescue. Leaving them to us.”

  “Sorry,” Vhel interrupted, “don’t mean to be eavesdropping on your private chat, but I think we’ve already failed on that front.”

  “How so?” Kivda frowned.

  “I’m tracking a shuttle that burst from the Brekka. I don’t know how we missed it, but now that it’s in the open, I got it. It’s on a direct course with the planet’s surface.”

  “Of course.” Renz rubbed his eyes. “What about our ships down there? Let’s get them to take it out.”

  Kivda shook his head. “Once that ship hits atmosphere, they have all manner of scanner tricks to hide their presence. The Prytin are cowards that way. I’ll do my best to coordinate with our people, but we don’t want them leaving when our ground troops need air support.”

  “Against a bunch of natives?” Renz scoffed. “They can’t possibly be that big of a threat!”

  “In small numbers, they slaughtered quite a few of our people,” Kivda replied. “I wouldn’t underestimate them. And I’m not. I’ll level their territory. It’ll be genocide for those traitors.”

  “Whatever you need to do.” Renz shouted at Porth, “We need to become evasive! Take us away from the Flotilla so we might have some room to move.” He glared at the tactical screen. The Triton would be on them momentarily. “And give the newcomers a warm greeting, won’t you? I’m thinking divert all weapons to them.”

  “As you say,” Porth said. The commander went about the action. The engines fired up, making them bank hard as they pulled away from the action. As they directed toward the Triton, they picked up speed.

  Welcome, Captain Barnes. You shouldn’t have come for them. They were only a few. Today, you will die. You’re about to be very outmatched. Providing their people arrived in time. But considering how long it should take for the shuttle to even get to the surface, he figured that for once, all factors were on his side.

  The way it should be. At last.

  ***

  Rhys finished a second conversation with Huxley, turning to give Titus the news. The warp drive would be down for another twenty minutes minimum as they rebooted. Some of the internal components needed to be replaced, leftover damage from their previous engagement. He wanted an hour.

  “At least he cut it down,” Titus said. “It might not matter if we finish Renz or drive him off. Then Engineering can take their time with the repairs.”

  “Sir,” Violet spoke, “I… have a lot of news.”

  Rhys checked their time to target. Renz turned toward them, breaking away from his current engagement. They’d be on top of each other momentarily. She didn’t have long to deliver whatever info she dug up. “You’d better hurry, Lieutenant.”

  “Sorry, yes. The shuttle the Brekka sent will be breaking orbit shortly. They’ve made contact with our people. I’m still not able to break through the interference to them directly but the relay back is that our people are safe but involved in some kind of local thing. They’re helping out.”

  “Great,” Titus said, “we’ll worry about that later. What else do you have?”

  “The second part,” Violet sighed. “It’s… I don’t know. A huge energy reading but it can’t be right. If I didn’t know better, I’d say we have a lot of ships incoming.” She paused. “Oh… I’m… not super smart right now. The Kahl must’ve called for reinforcements. For some reason.”

  “Makes sense,” Rhys said. “They aren’t exactly confident in their abilities to operate on their own. Contact Molush and verify with him. Right now, though… I think we’re up.”

  Titus nodded. “Can the Brekka join you, Sam? Or is this one all us?”

  “We’re hitting them together, sir. On your mark.”

  “Fire at will.” Titus leaned to Rhys. “Did you get the shuttle ready?”

  “They’ve geared up. We should sweep around to give them less distance to cover.”

  “Agreed.” Titus huffed. “Now we know why he didn’t run. He had friends on the way.”

  Sam opened fire at the same time as Renz. The Brekka came up on their flank, launching in tandem. The Triton took a direct hit in the bow, sending a vibration through the hull.

  Rhys turned to Violet. “That seemed weird. Any idea what just happened?”

  “Standard hit,” Violet replied, “at least that’s what it seems. I can’t say why… oh. Artificial gravity is acting up. That felt different because it’s overstrained. I’ll reach out to Engineering to find out what’s going on.”

  Renz’s vessel took the brunt of two attacks. They abruptly turned, firing their engines as they bolted away from both ships. The Brekka immediately gave chase. Jane looked over her shoulder at them.

  “Take us toward the planet,” Titus said, “we need to deploy that shuttle before we continue that fight.”

  Rhys didn’t like it. “Shouldn’t we finish him off first, sir?”

  “Our people down there need support right away,” Titus replied. “Renz is running. There’s no reason for both of us to chase him.” He grinned. “Besides, I’ve got an idea of what we can do with him. This won’t take long. Get us over there, Jane. And have that shuttle ready to launch when we get closer.”

&
nbsp; “Yes, sir.” Rhys sent a message to the hangar, letting them know to be ready. He checked the scanner, watching as the Brekka moved ever farther away. They seem to be heading for the edge of the system. He wondered if that might be where the enemy fleet might pop in. Makes sense to lead us toward danger.

  None of it will matter if we get our people off that planet. Rhys figured they could let Renz fool around in the system for as long as he wanted, provided they didn’t leave anyone behind. I wonder about the locals… what’s going on down there? He wanted a report from their people on the ground, something to indicate what they should do.

  What can we do? With a fleet of Kahl vessels on the way, the best we can do is pray Huxley gets the warp drive online fast enough for us to get out of here.

  Warrant Officer Sylvie Brown took piloting duties for the shuttle. She primarily brought fresh faces. After their last action, his normal go-to people were on downtime. All they need down there are guns anyway. Extra bodies and guns. Rhys counted on Alon and Vesper to put them where they were needed.

  Doubling up the efforts to bring their people back helped put his mind at ease. I just wish we knew specifically what was happening down there. Maybe comms would clear up when they got closer to the planet. It would be good for an update. To know how long we’ll have to weather a bunch of Kahl ships.

  And whether it would even be possible.

  ***

  Milna dropped a Kahl at sixty yards, taking him in the head. She slipped away from the busted-out window, moving out the back. The side of the building provided her with good cover for another shot. She paused there, aiming in the direction of the body she laid out. Someone would come to check on him shortly.

  I’m killing our own military people. The thought brewed a conflict in her gut. The Lord Marshal told me to do whatever it took. When they took the archive, Milna had been responsible for a number of deaths at that point. Security personnel, people just doing their jobs. Our citizens.

  But they were considered a reasonable sacrifice considering the ultimate prize. The Prophet is dangerous enough to warrant the loss of a few soldiers. Was that true? The conflict in her heart made her wonder. I’ve taken a vow to the Lord Marshal to protect our culture from any threat he directed me toward.