by J. N. Chaney
The Council people of Xad argued amongst themselves for several minutes.
"X, can you listen in?" I asked.
"I have been monitoring their conversation to the best of my ability," X-37 said. "They are trying to decide whether or not to trust you. It seems most of them wish to test you in some way."
"Great," I muttered.
When the discussion concluded, Rejon gave me a dark, worried look.
"I'm not sure I like that," I remarked to X-37.
"My analysis suggests he believes he will fail to appease his people," X-37 asserted.
"Why can't he just order them what to do?"
"Their civilization is based on some type of democracy, "X-37 explained.
"Good for them." I had dealt with every type of government and they all claimed to be democracies.
Rejon approached me and spoke in a low voice. "They are making preparations for your evaluation. I cannot tell you more. In the meantime, just keep your mouth shut. Good luck."
Gable waited until the Council was lined up in order of importance. Their formal robes were the only garments I’d seen that weren’t patched together and stained from work.
"Halek Cain, you claim good will. You assert that you inadvertently brought danger upon us. Will you risk yourself to preserve our people?" he asked.
"Absolutely," I said. "Let’s get started."
Gable held up one hand. "You must prove yourself first."
"Why don’t I just save your busted-ass planet and ragtag scavenger fleet? Wouldn’t that be proof enough?" I said, my fatigue and impatience showing through.
"There are rules. You must pass our test," he stated. "In the spirit of cooperation, we will show you our history while arrangements are made and the trial ground is prepared."
"I don’t like this, Reaper Cain," X-37 said.
I didn’t comment because too many people were watching. A quick hand movement told X-37 I agreed.
Guards separated Horvath and me, which wasn’t surprising.
I watched Councilman Gable’s presentation. The scavengers of Xad stood in a crowd that grew moment by moment. By ones and twos, then larger and larger groups, they gathered to watch what they had feared for generations—the reasons they were going to actually leave.
"This," Gable said, "is the last view we had of their fleet four hundred years ago. Hundreds of ships leaving of their own volition, not because we did significant damage to them."
"That is alarming," X-37 observed.
I didn’t disagree with my LAI. Thoughts of the huge ship we’d searched for the SIC device came to mind. The Alon must have captured the networking devices before being damaged beyond repair.
The scavengers—salvagers as they’d styled themselves—of Xad had been searching the debris fields for hundreds of years. And now I had what they wanted.
Gable approached. "Your Union murderers are little more than pirates compared to the Alon."
"You haven’t seen them when they’re serious. A battle fleet nastier than what Nebs brought to hunt me down," I said. "And those ships left four hundred years ago."
I didn’t mention that my friends had just discovered a probe that probably belonged to the Alon. Shit was about to get real in the Xad system. We needed to be gone already.
A group of armed men I hadn't seen before arrived. Their leader spoke quietly with Gable and Rejon. Both men remained somber.
"Clear the room for the trial," Rejon ordered. "This is it, Reaper, when the people have moved to the observation windows, you must face the beast. Defeat it, and you will have proven your willingness to put the safety of others above your own."
"What if I refuse?"
"Then the beast will kill one of us, who will be tied to the post," Rejon said, pointing toward the central platform that had hosted the council. What I had taken for a support pillar was an intricately carved beam with words I didn't understand.
Now that I looked at it, it seemed ceremonial. I stepped onto the platform and saw ancient blood stains.
"You're going to leave an innocent civilian in here to die if I refuse to prove my intent?" I asked. "Who the hell gets that job?"
"I do," Rejon said.
"Fine, send in the beastie. Let's get this over with," I said.
"There are no firearms allowed," Gable said.
"I should've seen that coming," I said dryly. Once I handed over my weapons to Horvath, I snapped out my Reaper blade and started warming up.
Rejon walked to the center of the platform and allowed himself to be tied to the pole. No one spoke to him. It was as though he didn't exist and they had already given him up for dead.
That pissed me off.
Horvath, still closely monitored by the guards, attempted to tell me something, but he was too far away. I assumed he was wishing me luck.
Someone dimmed the lights. I waited, circling slowly, watching for the beast.
"What kind of beasts do they have on this planet?" I asked.
"Unknown," X-37 said. "Most likely, it will be a carnivorous Hunter of some sort. Would you like me to list their attributes?"
"Maybe later," I said. "I hear something."
"We do," X-37 said. "The restraining door is opening."
Metal screeched as the infrequently used passage slid open. A beast roared in the darkness, then stalked into the room, only shadows sliding in and out of view even with my enhanced optics.
What I did see were its eyes reflecting the light that was left in the ceremonial arena. "What can you tell me about this thing, Rejon?" I called out.
"Assisting you is forbidden," he answered.
"You're either brave or stupid," I said.
"From what I've seen and heard, you're more dangerous than the beast," he answered.
"Maybe. But what if I had run away?" I asked.
He made no reply.
"I can’t see it, X," I said, moving away from the sacrificial pole, not wanting to inadvertently kill the only person on Xad willing to help my cause.
"Perhaps you should give it a taste of its own medicine," X-37 suggested. "Please check your kit."
I knew what I carried in my regular gear. The too-frequent use of EVA gear over the last several days was messing up my routine, but there were certain things I always found a place for: guns, the stealth cloak, the Reaper mask, and cigars.
X-37 should have reminded me to include a heating element, instead of wasting our time stating the obvious.
Silence mattered, so I dropped the argument in favor of action. Slipping through the dim light and the shifting shadows was relaxing. Was it messed up that this type of situation both relaxed and energized me? Sure it was, because I was a freak.
Slipping on the stealth cloak was easy. The mask was harder because I had to activate it without letting the monster see the start-up lights. Once the mask was on my face, I was able to choose how much or how little light it displayed.
My view of the chamber improved tenfold and I became nearly invisible with the cloak now in place.
I was about to encounter a strange and exotic creature and kill it.
"Your biometrics are varying from their optimal range, Reaper Cain," X-37 said. "Whatever you are thinking about is counterproductive to your survival and your ability to help your friends."
I wanted to tell him I felt great—except for a sliver of doubt that it was too easy for me to slaughter anything or anyone who stood in my way. What the hell was I going to do when shooting and slashing and blowing things up wasn’t needed? Retire? Farm potato analogs? Knit quilts?
The animal growled.
"I am able to estimate its size from the known dimensions of the room and the elevation of its vocalizations," X-37 said. "The creature is two meters tall, has four legs, and all of the teeth and claws natural to a predator."
It sounded hungry. Crouching low, I moved cautiously forward, scanning right, left, up, and down.
"I see it," X-37 said. "Cueing your optics now."
The
monster slipped into view. It was every bit of two meters tall, and heavily muscled. Its hide was a jumble of stripes, spots, and varying hair lengths. In places it was smooth, in others shaggy as an arctic thing.
I wasn’t able to determine the thing’s true colors. The easiest thing to spot were its eyes, which sometimes caught the dim ring lights around the platform where Rejon waited to die.
"Is it moving with its eyes closed?" I asked as quietly as possible.
"Yes, Reaper Cain. I believe it must have an acute sense of smell," X-37 said. "And/or hearing."
The beast rushed me before X-37 finished his warning.
I held my ground, not moving an inch. Its eyes were blazing now. Once the creature heard me, it went for the kill.
"Prepare to move," X-37 advised.
"I know what I’m doing," I snapped, watching the animal hit maximum speed as it crossed the last thirty meters between us.
"Move now, Reaper Cain," X-37 ordered.
I waited a second longer, then dropped and rolled to my right, slashing at the animal’s underside as it leapt toward where I had been.
My Reaper blade caught it under its left foreleg and slashed across its ribs.
"You missed the most vulnerable parts of its anatomy, but wounded it painfully," X-37 reported.
"Yeah, thanks, X." I sprinted away from the Xad creature to get some distance.
Its next approach was more cautious. I didn’t want to battle it face to face. Even a cocky as hell Reaper like me understood that was a losing prospect. The thing was covered in muscle and had five times my weight and mass behind its strikes. One slash of its four claws would destroy me.
The creature growled, baring its teeth. The noise sounded like a tiger crossed with a rattlesnake.
"Is this thing a mammal?" I asked as it circled me.
"I have not been able to determine much more than the basics," X-37 admitted.
I feinted, then jumped back.
It took a lazy swipe at me, not fooled into over-committing as I had hoped.
"It’s clever," I said.
"Agreed. Avoid assumptions," X-37 said. He was less chatty, usually, during a life and death fight.
"How are you doing, Rejon?" I shouted.
"I’m alive," the scavenger leader responded.
The beast looked toward his voice.
I sprang forward, thrusting my arm as far as I could without losing my balance.
"Well done," X-37 said before the blade made contact.
Bracing for the reaction of the creature, I felt the Reaper blade take the animal in the throat. I pushed upward, driving under its jaw and toward its brain with all my strength.
The cat-like beast thrashed, rolling across the ground and taking me with it. X-37 shouted things at me that I didn’t have time to decipher.
When the violent death roll stopped, I let my arms flop against the floor and stared at the ceiling. "I’m getting too old for this shit."
"I told you to withdraw the blade and stand clear, Reaper Cain. How can I help you if you don’t listen to my advice?" X-37 complained.
"I would have loved to take that advice," I shot back. "Didn’t quite get the memo, X. Maybe next time."
"Let’s hope there isn’t a next time. The Council of Xad and other citizens are entering the chamber. I believe Rejon is weeping."
"Don’t judge, X. The man has been through a lot. Getting tied to a pole while that thing is unleashed has to be stressful.".
"Are you being insincere, Reaper Cain? My analysis suggests you are not, but your statement is illogical. All he did was wait for death. You faced it and nearly died."
"Being helpless is worse than anything, X. Growing up on Boyer 5 taught me that."
"Of course," X-37 acknowledged. "That does make sense. I will update my database of human behavior."
Gable and several other men and women approached. "I am not sure if we should be glad for your fighting skill or in fear for our lives."
"Be afraid, Gabester. Be very afraid." I pushed to my feet and rolled my neck to start putting parts of my body back where they were supposed to be.
He backed away, hands raising instinctively.
"Relax, Councilman," I said. "That was an old Reaper joke. You have nothing to fear from me. If I was going to kill you, I would have done it already. Can we get this show on the road?"
"What do you need from us?" he asked.
"I need to get onto the Dark Lance."
"And what will you do there?"
"I will capture or kill Vice Admiral Nebs and steal his ship. I already took his first flagship."
"But now he's ready for you, which is why you have failed with your recent attempts," Gable said.
"Now you made it ugly. All you have to do is launch one of your SIC ships, let him seize it, then send me back over to his ship as a prisoner or something. I haven’t worked out all the details—I did just get rolled by… whatever that thing is."
"We call it a Tagron, very dangerous." His distracted gaze told me he was still processing my suggestion to allow Nebs to seize one of his most valued ships.
"Do you have a lighter?" I asked, holding a bent cigar in one hand.
Gable looked at me, confused by this request. "I… what… oh, I see. We can certainly accommodate this simple need. Please excuse me while I consult the rest of the council."
24
Rejon led me back to the Jellybird, where I exchanged Horvath for Elise, Locke, and Path.
"Thanks for keeping this big jerk alive, Horvath." Elise grinned.
"You are overconfident." Horvath had been quiet since observing the honored stasis of his friend’s body.
"It’s what I do," Elise answered. "It’s what we do. Right, Path?"
I waited for the sword saint’s answer, curious. Had the man learned to talk smack while teaching the kid to fight?
"It is what we do when it is what needs to be done."
Elise laughed and punched him on the shoulder. "You’re cool as ice, Path-man."
We checked our gear. I consumed nutrient bars and drank water until X-37 told me I could stop. Rejon and a few of his trusted soldiers escorted us to the Shield of Xad, one of the five SIC ships that had been hidden below the surface of the planet for hundreds of years.
"I cannot believe you convinced the Council of Xad to do this," Rejon said. "The crew is excited to finally launch the ship. They are as overconfident as the girl-kid and don’t believe the Union forces can take and hold the Shield."
"Let’s hope they’re right," I said.
The plan had changed dramatically. Instead of letting Nebs’s men capture me and take me onboard the Dark Lance, the soldiers of Xad would launch an immediate counter attack and board the Union ship, taking advantage of their hard won knowledge, experience, and creative equipment.
The Shield of Xad was still bait. If half of what Rejon told me was true, then it would also carry a nasty surprise for Nebs.
We boarded the warship and felt the vibration of the engines’ warm-up through the deck.
"This ship is much smaller than the Alon hulk where we found the SIC network devices," X-37 reported. "Before you ask, it is on par with most Union ships of a similar class. There are problems with a direct comparison, of course, but I believe you understand my point."
"Yeah, X. This ship is good but nothing special. Rejon is packing it with his best fighters and hoping to swarm the Dark Lance using their own boarding shuttles and tubes."
Rejon addressed one of his officers, then came back. "I would like you to review the men. Most have seen video of you fighting the Tagron. I have also explained you were an elite soldier of our new enemies."
"Why not?" I asked. "Show the way."
We strode through several passages and took a lift. From time to time, there were announcements over the intercom—summoning people to battle stations, engine rooms, and other support areas. X-37 helped me understand the dialect.
The final lift opened to a flight deck whe
re they expected the Union to send boarders. Choreographed system failures would make it a target too good to pass up.
Union spec ops soldiers and Archangels would send a wave of shuttles, quickly followed by boarding tubes to deliver even more attackers into the fight. This second stage would also include combat engineers, pilots, and field medics.
I knew how the Union took a ship. I also doubted Rejon’s people were ready for the murderous intensity of the fight to come.
Rows of Xad soldiers stood at attention on the flight deck. I walked beside Rejon as he examined their motley assortment of gear.
"Kyle," he said as he stopped before one of the squad leaders. "Congratulations on your promotion. You earned it."
"Thank you, sir," the man responded.
We continued down the line. Several other units arrived and took positions. I was actually impressed they’d amassed this many men and women ready to risk their lives.
"The odds of our success are improving," X-37 announced.
"You’re not wrong, X. The more I study this ragtag army, the more I recognize the way they are organized. At first, I thought they had random weapons, but seeing the pattern repeat, I realize each squad has a heavy gunner, medic, and several riflemen. Not sure what the other specialist is, though."
"I believe you are looking at an EVA specialist and equipment repairmen," X-37 said. "He is carrying several specialized items in addition to his weaponry."
The inspection continued as the ship captain announced the lift-off timetable.
"What do you think, Reaper?" Rejon asked.
"I’m impressed."
"Good." He nodded. "We can’t afford to fail."
"Attention all hands, this is your captain. Prepare for launch. All hands, prepare for launch," came the dignified voice of an older man.
Rejon ordered his soldiers to their launch chairs located in rooms adjacent to the flight deck. "Let’s be ready to fight like Tagron demons. Let’s show these Union forces how the people of Xad fight for what is theirs!"
A cheer went up, then men and women moved in good order to ready themselves for the launch. Rejon took me to the bridge, where he introduced me to the captain, a man named Brutus Kaldon.
"Welcome aboard, Reaper. I’ve seen more Tagron fights than most and must compliment your survival," Captain Kaldon said. He nodded toward Rejon. "I’m sure this character appreciates your skill."