by J. N. Chaney
"The way of a warrior is difficult," Path said.
Elise grimaced. "You always say that in training, but now I think I get it.”
A light above the door glowed, indicating the door was about to open.
I aimed my HDK at eye level, concentrating on what I had to do rather than the increasing stress levels of my companions.
The lift opened.
Three flash bangs bounced in.
"Go," I yelled, charging forward. Elise and the others moved quickly.
"Almost got me!" Elise fired on her first two targets. She was ridiculously fast and more accurate on the move than anyone without a lifetime of combat training had any right to be.
Two guards came at me with tactical shotguns. One missed, the other put a solid hit on my chest armor. That one staggered me even as I sidestepped and shot them both in their upper legs.
They went down, bleeding profusely and holding their wounds. If X-37 had been with me, he would have chastised me for not taking the head shots. I was getting soft.
Sure these guys were Union, but I doubted Nebs had given them much choice other than to follow orders. Later, I would check the brig and see how many people were detained there. Who had stood up to Nebs when he left Union space and went on his private vendetta across the galaxy?
A heartbeat after the first pair failed to stop me, a second team came around a control station to flank, but they were closer than they realized. I dispatched them with my blade.
A random round slammed into my right triceps, penetrating the armor. Flinching, I staggered sideways and pulled the internal tourniquet cord, cinching down hard. Bleeding stopped before it began.
Combat first aid had become second nature long before I joined the Reaper Corps, but I knew I was missing something. There was an extra step needed with this armor, something I’d seen the Xad squad leaders lecture their men about right before this all kicked off.
"Are you okay, Reaper?" Elise yelled.
I felt along the lower half of the tricep armor, found a tab, and pulled it across the bullet hole, sealing the gear in case we were dumped into the void or the room lost atmosphere. Suit integrity was job number one for Xad soldiers, and I thought it was a lesson worth learning.
“I’m good,” I grunted.
“I’m glad you’re good.” Elise sounded relieved.
“I’m glad that you’re glad that I’m good,” I fired back.
“So annoying.” She let out a frustrated laugh. “Can I get a new Reaper, please?”
She stood over her vanquished foe, helmet off, blood smeared across her face, and her hair in disarray. The girl had come a long way from where I’d found her on Dreadmax.
"X, make a note to chastise the kid for taking off her helmet.” X-37 didn’t respond.
“So. Freaking. Annoying.” She tugged the helmet back into place in one fluid movement that made her look like an EVA pro.
Nebs stood from his captain’s chair, appearing bigger and even more confident than I remembered. His platinum-hued armor gave him several extra inches of height and looked invincible.
"X, a little help?" I grunted as I moved around the vice admiral, my HDK Dominator up and ready.
This didn’t faze him. "Your LAI is getting his ass kicked by my parallel X-200 units."
"Whatever," I drawled. "Elise, watch the door. There will be a QRF soon and it will probably be Archangels. Make sure your EVA functions are ready."
"Are we going somewhere?" she asked.
"Just do it. You too, Path."
Nebs capped his hands. "Very good, Reaper. Your little pups are jumping at your every command. But what are you going to do about losing your pathetic LAI?"
“Don’t worry about it.” I adjusted my stance another inch—not out of anxiety or self-doubt, I didn’t think. Checking to be sure the Xad armor was truly EVA ready took more of my concentration than I could afford right now. Sure I’d fixed the arm hole, but shit happened in battles. Everything was a blur afterward. “X can take care of himself.”
"Wrong again," Nebs said. "You are about to have a son-of-a-bitch of a nerve-ware attack when X-37 is shut down."
"Screw you, assface," Elise shouted.
"The Archangels are in the hallway, Elise. I need your help." Path was just loud enough to be heard.
Nebs moved closer. "Don’t worry, Reaper. All you have to do to defeat my Reaper off-switch is kill me before your LAI is overwhelmed."
He spread his arms in the platinum Archangel armor, swaggering forward, preening like a madman sheathed in the Union’s most advanced armor and weapons.
"You should work on your situational awareness, Nebber." I made sure we were close enough to the escape shuttle that I knew from hard experience was hidden in the wall of the bridge.
We’d faced each other on the bridge of the Nightmare and he’d escaped in a shuttle. This time, I would make the option work in my favor.
"What the hell are you talking about?" he demanded. "I’m not taking that shuttle. That worked once. Things are different now."
"X, can you hear me?"
"I am somewhat busy. What do you need, Reaper Cain," X-37 answered, dutiful as ever despite getting triple-teamed by two LAIs and the AI of the Dark Lance.
"Deploy the escape shuttle from the bridge, if you have a moment."
"You sneaky bastard," Nebs growled.
"How are your EVA skills, Nebber?" My words were lost as the shuttle deployed and we were pulled after it.
"What have you done, Reaper Cain?" X-37 said as I spiraled into the void, my EVA gear performing system checks as I fought to stabilize my glide path.
"Technically, you did it. All I did was get you away from the Dark Lance AI."
"I still have the parallel LAIs of Vice Admiral Nebs to deal with,” X-37 reminded me.
"Just call him Nebs. Pretend he was court-martialed," I said, looking for the man I really needed to kill as soon as possible.
"I have gathered sufficient evidence to have him court-martialed in the event we return to the Union to file a complaint, " X-37 said.
"Right. Good job. Now help me kick his ass.” The Dark Lance and the Shield of Xad were pulling away from each other, firing every weapon they had. Witnessing a death match between warships wasn’t a lot of fun from my current vantage point.
"Searching for Nebs now," X-37 announced.
"Ah, now isn’t that special," came the voice of Nebs in my helmet. "The broken ass Reaper and his outdated LAI are looking for me."
Twisting around in the EVA suit felt natural. The steering jets for this type of maneuver expelled such small amounts of thrust that they were nearly invisible.
Nebs floated above me, or below me, I decided. Everything was relative in the void. He shined in the darkness, light from the battle behind us reflecting from the special Archangel armor he wore.
"Since when do admirals pretend to be Reapers?" I said, monitoring a list of ammunition, air supply, and battery life as I searched for a plan to beat Nebs.
"I’m not pretending, Reaper. You wouldn’t exist without me. I kept the project alive when political forces attempted to shut it down. I volunteered for the most dangerous experimentation when the scientists ran into problems with their designs." Nebs also seemed to plan his next move while he attempted to distract me.
We drifted in a circle even though it felt like we were motionless. I laughed.
"What the hell is so funny?" Nebs demanded.
"I was about to ask the same question," X-37 advised privately.
"We’re space boxers," I told X.
"Is that humorous?"
"It struck my funny bone. Forget about it." I calmed myself for the most dangerous fight of my life. There was a really good chance I would die, even if I killed Nebs.
"Searching for your funny bone," X-37 said.
"Not now, X. Just… help me win."
"Of course, Reaper Cain. Your radical deviation from our plan makes my job difficult."
I di
dn’t bother telling the ungrateful LAI that I’d done it for him. He might be able to survive an assault by dual X-200 units, but not if they also had the help of the Dark Lance AI. In theory, it could reach us, but defending against a determined ship assault was keeping the AI busy.
I hoped.
"You ever wonder why your overpowered LAIs haven’t kicked my outdated X unit’s ass yet?"
"It’s a matter of time." Nebs sounded less bullish.
He was having doubts, I hoped. I mean, I really hoped he was having doubts because the Archangel platinum edition armor was looking invulnerable.
I shook my head, even though he couldn’t see the movement in my helmet. "Should have already happened. You’re a dumbass for not asking why."
"Kiss my ass, Cain. Tell me why, if you’re so smart."
"My X can beat your Xs because you don’t let them do their jobs, the same as you restricted Necron and your other ship AIs to their basic functions only. You’re a paranoid, egotistical bully who is going to die."
He laughed angrily. "Nice theory, Reaper. But I’m wearing the Archangel armor and neither of us has back-up. It’s you and me, man to man.”
"That’s where you’re wrong. My friends actually give a shit about me."
Nebs twisted sharply to check for sneak attacks.
I launched myself at him, using most of the compressed gas that steered the Xad EVA armor. Two seconds into my attack, I realized that I’d started farther from Nebs than I realized and that the acceleration of the EVA armor wasn’t dramatic.
Nebs was having a similar problem. Unlike me, Elise, Path, and Locke’s people, he hadn’t practiced in the void and certainly hadn’t put his life on the line to try it out for real.
He had the best gear in the Union, two LAIs, and an ego big enough to dominate everyone in his command. He might think he was the boss Reaper, but he hadn’t trained like one.
"What do we say about piss poor planning, X?" I neared my target as he struggled to face me.
"It leads to piss poor results," X-37 answered. "I should point out, however, that despite your propensity for overtraining, you do not plan well. In short, I advise you not to talk shit until you actually win this fight."
I rammed into Nebs right as he faced me but wasn’t able to grab him. He shot away from me like a virtual billiard ball.
"Damn," I yelled. "How am I going to stab him from here?"
Elise and Path shot over my head, straight toward Nebs.
The man floundered in his platinum-plated Archangel armor, looking like a man about to die—until he deployed the armor’s counter measures.
Tiny explosions burst across the surface of his armor, launching chaff in all directions. Nebs became a starburst in my vision. The force of his counter measures was minimal but enough to deflect Elise and Path several inches. Without atmosphere, even the Archangel tech could only do so much.
"We’re going to miss," Elise warned. "You’re on your own for a while, Reaper."
"Elise and Path are moving too fast to slow down, turn, and rejoin the fight in less than one hundred and ninety-five seconds,” X-37 advised. “The X-200s are circling my virtual perimeter. Please neutralize their host before all is lost.”
Nebs opened fire with low powered lasers, the only weapon on his armor that wouldn’t send him pinwheeling through the void from recoil.
All I had was my blade. If I fired the HDK Dominator, I would only get one shot before spinning out of control—and I wasn’t sure I had sufficient maneuvering jet fuel to correct course.
The nice thing about the type of energy weapon Nebs was using to kill me was that it didn’t fling me back or spin me around. All I felt was heat seeping through my visor as the red beam blinded me.
"Move, Reaper," Elise called.
"He will track your change of position," X-37 warned.
"Thanks, X," I said. "Not helpful."
"There is good news, Reaper Cain. Reinforcements are on the way."
"Who?" I closed my right eye to avoid being blinded. My cybernetic optic allowed me to watch with grim fascination as the integrity of my helmet diminished.
"Horvath, Carrie, Locke, and several others. Two are Union soldiers claiming to have switched sides," X-37 said.
I pulsed my jets, momentarily slipping away from Nebs’s attack. What I needed was to get close, but moving forward required me to lead with my already damaged visor. It couldn’t take much more abuse before it started venting atmosphere. If I was going to rush him, it needed to be at a speed I couldn’t generate on my own.
"Let me know when Nebs’s reinforcements arrive. They will be spec ops and Archangels, maybe a wing of micro-fighters to liven things up."
"I will certainly update you. The Dark Lance is closer to our position than the Shield of Xad. Logic suggests that his people will arrive before ours," X-37 said.
"So why aren’t they here?"
"Unknown," X-37 replied. "None of Nebs’s people have donned EVA gear or come to his aid."
"They’ll send a shuttle. And micro-fighters. And Archangels."
"My scan reveals nothing of that nature in our vicinity," X-37 said.
"I need to have you upgraded," I complained.
Nebs aimed his laser at my right knee and started cutting through a weak spot there.
"Nebs, let’s talk."
"About what, Reaper? You have lost and I am finally rid of one very annoying loose end."
"It doesn’t matter if you kill me. Look around. No one bothered to help their vice admiral. I wonder if they’ll pick you up or just let you float forever." I Switched to a private link to X-37 and spoke quickly. "I need someone to give me a push toward Nebs, as soon as possible. "
"That is a difficult and risky maneuver, Reaper Cain."
"Don’t care. Make it happen, X."
"The message has been delivered to everyone but the two Union turncoats who I don’t trust yet."
"Good call, X."
"What are you up to, Reaper?” Nebs demanded. “I don’t care how many of your lowlife renegades come out here to watch you die. You will die. Then I’ll go after them.”
"I’m coming, Reaper," Horvath said. "Hope you’re ready."
"Sure I’m—" Something slammed into my back, launching me toward Nebs faster than my steering jets could manage. I burned up the rest of my maneuvering fuel to aim myself at the psychotic asshole.
"Die, Cain," he yelled, firing his laser straight into my face, melting the final layer.
"You first," I returned, grabbing the back of his helmet with my right hand and driving my Reaper blade into his throat with my left.
Air hissed out of the hole he’d created in my visor, causing me to rotate slowly as my air vented through the pin-sized opening. I pushed the vice admiral’s body away, then held my right palm to my visor, attempting to slow the loss of oxygen.
"We’re coming to get you," Elise promised.
When I looked at her, she and everyone else seemed really far away.
"How long do I have, X?" I asked.
"That depends on how long you can hold your breath. My analysis suggests your helmet will not break apart, but you are out of air. My advice is to relax and go with it."
Memories of drifting beside Elise after Path had sabotaged her EVA gear came back to me. The lesson had been for her, but here I was, glad the crazy-ass psychedelic sword saint had tested us.
It felt like that happened years ago, like I’d been on this quest with Elise and Path and all the others for a lifetime. It was like I had a family, like I was part of something bigger than myself. In short, I’d done more with my life than anyone expected. If this was the end for me, I hoped it was enough to have mattered.
"Please slow your heart rate, Reaper Cain, or I will be forced to give you a sedative."
I complied, relaxing as much as possible and focusing on nothing but the spectacular star field around me. X continued to talk. The Jellybird headed my way and Jelly joined in. Elise yelled something ove
r and over on the main channel—something about not dying, something about me being a real asshole.
It was unfair as hell because I didn’t have the air to argue with her.
27
Once, when I was about ten years old, my father took the entire family to a water park. We made bets on who could hold their breath the longest. My little sister always won. She was small and required less oxygen, or that was my excuse at the time.
Now I was underwater, unable to swim to the surface. No one could explain why we were swimming at night or why the water was so cold. But what made me sick was that I couldn’t stop spinning. It was like being really drunk.
What kind of fucking water park was this?
"You are very close to us, Jelly." X’s voice cut through the fog.
What is an X-37 and why does the sound of it make me want to laugh crazily? Dying like this is no joke.
The water-that-wasn’t-water shifted around me as I lifted one arm and stared at it—metal, gears, armor plating that could stop bullets or deflect a sword blade.
“Is there something wrong with your arm, Reaper Cain, or are you attempting to signal me?” a voice that was probably X-37, whatever the hell that was, asked.
Black spots pulsed in my vision. Second by second, I saw less of the galaxy. Everything was going dark. Memories didn’t matter. The present was all but gone. The voice in my head spoke, but I couldn’t understand the words.
Silence. Peace. Darkness. Eternity.
This wasn’t a place I wanted to be.
Something slammed into my exterior, forcing my eyes open. All I could see was the ceiling of an airlock, then a girl. A girl named Elise. I thought I should know who she was… and why she was cursing me to hell.
“Stop,” I groaned, attempting to roll onto my right side. If I could just get my cybernetic left arm over my head, it might protect me from this crazy, angry, foul-mouthed kid.
“If you ever do anything like that again, I’ll kill you myself,” Elise snapped, slapping me with one hand after another.
“Elise?”
“That’s my name, Reaper.” Tears were streaming down her cheeks. “Stop messing around and get it together.”
“That would be a wise course of action,” X-37 said. “The sooner we can get you to the medical bay, the better. The doctors will want to ask you a battery of questions and perform several rounds of tests.”