by A B Lucian
“Assai,” he croaked, looking helplessly toward her.
She had escaped the choking grasp on her own and was taking greedy gasps of air. Her claws were out, bloody and cracked and even missing on some fingers. Yosh was amazed at her strength and determination again. She had clawed her way through the armor plates of a Protector suit. He wanted her kind of determination for himself.
The imposter moved on Assai, his arm hanging limp beside him, torn to bloody ribbons. Through the hanging red meat and exposed white bone, Yosh saw green scales. An arkanian using a Protector suit? Impossible! Yosh took out his other gun. He wouldn’t let him attack Assai.
“I would put the gun down if I were you, Yosh Farmer,” a harsh voice with a hard accent told him. “It’s over.”
Mikail was two feet away with a pulse gun aimed squarely at Yosh.
◆◆◆
Yosh went to his knees next to the wall opposite the main hall’s entrance, hands behind his head, just as Mikail ordered him.
“Excellent,” Mikail chuckled. “Excellent!”
They forced Sabina to her knees next to Yosh. A trickle of bright red blood flowed from her split lip and she held her left arm a little too stiff. They sat Assai between Yosh and his grandfather. She was in far worse shape. The skin on her neck was turning purple and her claws were cracked and bloody from tearing through the Protector suit gauntlet. Mikail paced in front of them. His assault suit seemed a lighter model, since it didn’t have so many plates of reactive armor, but that didn’t seem to concern him in the least.
“Well done, Commander Kagos,” Mikail said to the impostor in the Protector suit. “It seems your sacrifice was not in vain, and you might not be as useless as I first thought. I’m not happy that you couldn’t defeat two women in combat, or that you managed to damage my suit, but my word is my bond. Your past mistakes are forgiven. Don’t fail me again.”
The seven-foot Kagos reluctantly fell to one knee in front of Mikail. He used his good hand to yank off the suit’s helmet. His face was just as ugly as Yosh remembered. Dark green scales covered his head and several spiky bones grew on top of his skull, each the size of a human’s little finger. Blood foamed on his thin lizard lips as he scowled and lowered his head. “My gratitude, Lord Munov.” He spewed the words.
Mikail seemed to notice the commander’s less than adequate demeanor. “Get up and get out of my suit. You’ve done enough damage to it, I don’t want it to stink of your blood too.”
Kagos scowled and heaved to his feet. Blood dribbled on the floor from where the Kohiri blade had bitten his armpit and from the mangled hand. His shoulders stooped as he stood.
The look on Mikail’s face was one of disgust as he studied Kagos. “Stand up straight! You are supposed to represent the finest the Empire has to offer! The Empire does not balk at minor injuries. The Empire does not grieve over sacrificed limbs. The Empire stands proud and never shows weakness to the enemy!”
Fire burned in Kagos’s red eyes and the muscles clenched beneath the green scales on his jaw. For a moment Yosh dared hope the big lizard rebelled—Yosh could use the distraction to gain the upper hand. But Kagos just blinked and straightened his back despite the pain he must have felt. “The Emperor’s Voice commands and I obey…” Mikail smirked and waved him away. Kagos turned and stalked toward a back room.
The twenty-odd Enforcers left in the main hall gathered around them in a semicircle. Yosh still found it hard to comprehend. They had killed the slaves, all of them! He smashed his eyelids together until it hurt. They never even had a chance. Guilt overwhelmed his pain and disappointment. He seemed to get people killed no matter what he did and no matter his intentions. Yosh opened his eyes when he heard Mikail’s footsteps.
Mikail yanked the dirty cloth out of Olexander’s mouth. “You see, old friend? I did beat you. No more tricks up your sleeve? No more witty or wise remarks?”
Yosh’s grandfather’s mouth twisted, and he looked away from Mikail.
“Don’t be like that. Admit it already: We’ve been at this for nearly a century. Our own private little war,” he said. He grabbed Olexander by the jaw, forcing him to look up. “Say it. I’ll hear you say it, you wretch!”
Yosh clenched his fists, almost ready to leap at Mikail despite the rifles pointed at him. “Hey! Leave him alone.”
The back of Mikail’s hand shot out lightning fast. Yosh only realized someone had slapped him after he slammed into the wall. “I did not give you permission to speak. You don’t deserve the privilege of speaking to me directly.”
“Enough,” Olexander whispered. “Just kill us and get it over with. I can’t stand your prattling mouth any longer.”
The thought seemed to amuse Mikail. “Kill you? Why would I kill you, my dearest Olexander?” Mikail paced before them, his hands behind his back. “I have all three of you now, which means three times the chance of unlocking the secret of the Protector genes. Oh, it won’t be pleasant for you—not at all—but it’s for the good of the Empire, you see.” He stopped and stared at Assai a moment. His eyes roamed over her injuries and her position, then he frowned. Yosh’s heart raced. Mikail said he needed his grandfather and his sister and himself alive, but he didn’t mention Assai. If he cared so little about the lives of over eighty slaves, Yosh didn’t expect him to be merciful with a single wounded kohiri. And that look he gave Assai… Yosh could read his thoughts on his face. Mikail didn’t have any use for her and she was dangerous, so the simplest solution was to kill her.
Blast it, Yosh had to get his attention away from her. Yosh prayed Mikail was the type who enjoyed the sound of his own voice. “How did you do it? How did you make the suit accept the arkanian? I thought only those with Protector genes could use their technology.” He held his breath, waiting for an answer or another backhanded slap, and slowly Mikail turned his fierce cold eyes to him.
Mikail’s thin lips twisted in a vague semblance of a smile. “Olexander, this one might actually have a bit of brain inside his skull, unlike his father.”
Mikhail crouched next to Yosh. His large pointy nose stuck out above the bushy mustache. “The answer is obvious,” Mikail said as he poked two fingers at Yosh’s face. “Commander Kagos possesses Protector genes.” He flashed a smug smile and stood.
Yosh shook his head. “I don’t understand. How could an arkanian—”
“Well of course you don’t understand. You’re just a human, and a Protector.” Mikail resumed pacing, waving his hands as he spoke. “That was always your problem—Protectors are shortsighted! That’s why you lost the war and that’s why you, Olexander, lost everything today.” He made a wide gesture with his hands. “You don’t see the big picture.”
“You’re human too, you space twat,” Olexander said, “and a Protector.”
Mikail’s face flushed red. “You are to address me with my proper title, you pathetic old coot!” He yelled at the top of his lungs. “I am not a Protector.”
The hall was silent. Even the Enforcers seemed to shy away when he raged.
“No, you’re not a Protector, so I won’t call you one,” his grandfather said, unaffected by Mikail’s little display. “You’re a botched experiment and an error in judgment. I’m sorry I ever considered you one of my brothers,” he paused. “But you’re still a space twat.”
Mikail’s upper lip fluttered and his nostrils flared. Yosh saw the Enforcers prepare for another of his rages, but it never came. Mikail breathed in deep, closed his eyes, and reopened them after a few seconds. He was calm. “Give it up, Olexander. I will not kill you. You almost had me for a moment. Truth be told, I enjoy these chats I have with you every decade or so. They remind me I’m doing the right thing. They remind me how smug you Protectors were before I took you down.” He pounded a fist against his chest. “I wiped the smug smiles off your faces. I burned your precious Earth. I scattered your mighty fleets. I brought the legendary Protectors of the Earth to their knees, and I killed your precious Jack Darkheart!”
&n
bsp; “No. You betrayed our trust. We let you join the Order, we gave you training and equipment. Our scientists gave you the genetic treatment, and you accepted it. The Protectors gave you everything… and you stabbed them in the back.”
“And what a sight it was,” Mikail snapped back. “Don’t give me empty speeches about loyalty and camaraderie, you fossil. I applied for your precious Protector programme every year, every blasted year since I turned nineteen. You never accepted me. Never! You looked down on me and ridiculed me. However…” He raised his hands to the ceiling. “Do you know how long it took old Jack Darkheart to send me a formal invitation after he understood he was losing the war? Think about it. Really consider. Whatever number you might have in your head is too high. The bastard needed cannon fodder. I was never more satisfied than that moment the Darkstar blew up with him on board. But you know that. You were there, after all.”
Commander Kagos returned to the main hall. He wore his old black assault suit with the green collar again. Two Enforcers followed behind them, one of them dragging a limp body.
“Great Lord Munov,” Kagos said. “The team sent after the straggler has returned.” The Enforcers dumped the body in front of Mikail. Matthews. Two pulse blasts to the chest, his neck twisted around awkwardly, and his mouth and eyes still open. Yosh looked away. Here was more blood to add to what already stained his hands.
“The wretch put up a good fight,” Kagos said. “Took out two and injured another before they overwhelmed him.”
“I’m glad you admire our enemy so much, commander,” Mikail said, not even looking at him.
Kagos’s eyes widened. “Great Lord, I didn’t mean—”
“Get out of my sight,” Mikail said, and continued talking to Olexander. “You found some skilled humans, but not skilled enough I’m afraid.”
Olexander growled. “I didn’t have the luxury of tweaking their genetic code.”
Mikail spread his arms. “You don’t mean my Enforcers, do you? I admit, I improved them a little, thanks to your son, Jack. A useful guinea pig, him—helped me solve many of problems, but not as many as you three will help me solve.”
How could father have helped Mikail? Father died...
His grandfather shook his head. “You won’t get anything. You weren’t able to figure out any secrets during this whole miserable century, and you won’t be able to now.”
“Oh, I beg to differ,” Mikail said, greed seeping in his eyes. “You duplicated their genetic manipulation methods, so I’m sure I can do it too.”
“Are you an idiot? I told you before, Jack and his children were not genetically altered. The Protector genes passed from me to Jack and from Jack to his children. There’s no secret research I’m refusing to share. Get that through your thick skull.”
“Don’t insult my intelligence, Olexander. We cannot pass protector genes to future generations. We never could and we never will. Subjects undergo the genetic treatment and they either respond to it or they die. That’s how it’s always been.” He shook his head and dismissed any further comment with a wave of his hand. “I’ve wasted enough time here. Kagos. Kagos, where are you? Get over here, now!”
Kagos finished speaking on his communicator and pushed past his Enforcers to Mikail’s side. “Yes, Lord Munov.”
“How goes the fight?”
“The warehouse along with all the supplies have been destroyed, but the attackers are retreating. A small group still held the landing pad at last check-in.”
Mikail shook his head. “Incompetent fools. I don’t give a damn about a warehouse or supplies. Your first priority is the landing pad. Clear it. We’ll be returning to our ship as soon as you’re done.”
Kagos struggled to stand at attention. “Lord Munov, what about the group that retreated? What about the slave settlement? We killed the guards, killed the slaves. The Emperor won’t like—”
The back of Mikail’s hand whipped across Kagos’s face and the force of the blow made the large arkanian stagger back a few steps. “You do not tell me what the Emperor will or will not like. We’ll bomb this entire miserable world into nothingness. The attackers will die and if the colony lies in ashes it doesn’t need guards, does it?”
Kagos’s eyes burned with what could be nothing other than rage and hate, but he confirmed with a stiff nod.
Mikail turned his back to Kagos, waving his hand casually. “I’ve run out of patience. We move out now. Bring the humans along and put down the Kohiri.”
Chapter Sixteen
The Enforcers prepared to move out. Two grabbed Yosh’s grandfather under the armpits, pulling him to his feet, and dragged him toward the door. Another two tied Sabina and Yosh’s hands behind their backs and prodded them with their rifles to follow their grandfather.
“No,” Yosh muttered, looking back toward Assai. “No, let her go!”
“Walk, human,” the Enforcer behind him commanded.
A pair of Enforcers loomed above Assai as she kneeled next to the wall. One of them grabbed both her hands from behind her back in one huge palm and pulled them until Assai winced. The other prodded her lips with the black muzzle of his rifle. “Take it,” the Enforcer said and pressed the muzzle again. “Open your filthy kohiri mouth and take it I said!”
Assai snarled and shifted her head.
“No, you leave her alone!” Yosh turned to them, shoving the rifle muzzle aside with his shoulder and pleaded. “Leave her alone. Mikail, I’ll do anything you say. I’ll work with you and cooperate to find what you need, but please don’t hurt her. You’ll make much more progress with a willing Protector. Mikail, please!”
Mikail raised his hand and the two Enforcers paused. “You dare?” Mikail’s eyes fixed him. “You dare call me ‘Mikail’? You dare presume I need your willing participation? You self-centered, mannerless miscreant.” He turned to the Enforcers with a slowness that could only be intentional and flashed them a wicked smile. “Make the kohiri scream.”
The Enforcers exchanged an eager glance, and started. One clutched Assai’s head between his long fingers and pulled back hard. The other reached inside one of his suit pockets and produced a thick and savage arkanian hunting knife.
Yosh couldn’t control his limbs anymore. He drove his shoulder into the nearest Enforcer, knocking him off balance and turned to tackle the other Enforcer. The butt of a rifle took him in the temple as he swirled. He fell to the ground on his haunches, ears ringing and his head pounding. After a moment, he heard Mikail’s crazy cackle getting louder and louder, followed by an intense, painful wail. Assai! He turned his head frantically around the room, but his eyes couldn’t focus and he collapsed on his side. A strong hand grabbed Yosh by the scruff of the neck and lifted him to his feet. It dragged him, despite his wobbly legs, near where Assai screamed under the Enforcer’s crooked knife. Yosh blinked hard to clear the mist from his eyes.
“Do you see?” Mikail said, shaking him. “Do you see the consequences of your heroics?”
Yosh saw. He saw the Enforcer dump Assai’s bloody mangled eye on the floor in front of him. Mikail allowed him to sag to his knees. Assai shook as they held her arms and head back. Yosh bit his lower lip until he drew blood. He had to stop this madness. Anything. “I’m sorry,” he whispered. “I’ll be good. I promise, I’ll be good… Great Lord Munov.”
Mikail smiled and signaled the Enforcer to stop. He seemed to like that.
“Yosh, no,” his grandfather said. “Don’t give in to this madman. Don’t give him what he wants.”
“Be quiet!” Mikail said, waving a hand at Olexander. “At least one of you has enough sense to understand the situation.” Mikail turned back to Yosh. “Yosh, dear boy, I’ll let you have the power over this one. Either obey me in all things and the kitty has a quick death, or…” He nodded to the Enforcer holding the knife.
The Enforcer showed Yosh his grinning pointy teeth and sunk the point of his savage knife into Assai’s cheek.
“No. No, I will, I’ll obey, stop!”
Assai’s body twisted, and she shrieked through her teeth as the Enforcer drew the knife across her cheek, slow and deep. The scrape of the blade against Assai’s cheekbone and her heartbreaking wail was all Yosh heard for what seemed like an hour. When the Enforcer finished, they let go of Assai’s trembling limbs. Blood covered her right cheek, trailing down from her missing eye. A fresh, crooked gash from below her left eye to her neck adorned the left side of her face. Blood bubbled from between the folds of split tissue.
“I’ll obey… I’ll obey,” Yosh said and stared at the Enforcer who put out Assai’s eye. “I’ll remember your face, arkanian.”
The Enforcer’s head tilted as if someone had asked him a question he didn’t understand.
A strange sound, out of place in the scene that was playing out, filtered through to Yosh’s ears. The metallic grind of something rolling across the concrete floor. Yosh instinctively looked straight to where the sound came from—the main entrance. The doors were wide open and two familiar faces peered inside. Two metal cylinders rolled to a halt between the feet of a group of Enforcers. The two faces, one blue and round and the other huge and furry, disappeared from the door frame, and the two cylinders exploded before the Enforcers could yell ‘take cover’. The windows shattered and Yosh’s ears rang, but he forced himself to keep his eyes open and look around. This was the opportunity he’d prayed for. He had to pay attention.
Four, maybe five Enforcers were blown to bits. Others, perhaps five, it was hard to tell, writhed on the floor, contending with cloaks of flame, bloody faces or missing limbs. Another two collapsed right in front of Yosh’s eyes in a matter of seconds, big holes blown in the backs of their heads. Near the top of the staircase, behind the railing, Yosh spotted Daniels’s fair hair and the glimmer of his sniper scope. Two more Enforcers received holes in their heads before the others noticed Daniels, but Skrill and Merril resumed their assault from the other side of the building, spreading panic through the ranks of arkanians. Their shots weren’t very accurate, but they were loud, and Skrill’s roar echoing through the entire hall was the cherry on top of the cake.