Ruins of the Galaxy Box Set: Books 1-6

by Chaney, J. N.

  “Certainly,” the older woman replied.

  As soon as Magnus gave the order, Awen summoned a protective wall that formed in front of Abimbola, Rohoar, Silk, and Doc. Similar shields went up in front of the other fire teams, which allowed friendly blaster bolts to fly forward but stopped the enemy’s return fire. The white plumes of air played over the tops of the shields, mitigated somewhat in their visual betrayal, but invisibility no longer mattered now that Unity shields were in play.

  All at once, the enemy’s fire shattered on the translucent force fields. Energy radiated outward as tendrils of electricity danced across the rounded half spheres.

  “Pick it up,” Magnus called. Awen moved at a light jog as Rohoar and Abimbola advanced, quick to respond to Magnus’s command. They aimed at troopers who emerged from side doors down the hallway’s length, dropping them with greater accuracy now that the Unity shields were in place. But then there were the troopers who appeared after the unit’s leading-edge passed.

  “Contact left,” someone shouted from further back. Awen looked to her side. There was a Paragon trooper with a blaster pointed at her. She was too preoccupied with keeping the shield up to have noticed the man approach. At point-blank range, she worried about her ability to resist the blaster energy might not be sufficient. So, for the first time since this op began, she panicked.

  Just then, a paw swept through the air and slammed the blaster to the ground. The sound startled Awen. But the next thing she knew, Rohoar’s jaws appeared around the Marine’s forearm. His sharp teeth slipped out of the chameleon mode’s limited shield around his muzzle and plunged through plate armor and into flesh. Then Rohoar yanked the man into the corridor and flung him against the opposite wall. The Marine struck the surface headfirst and then collapsed on the ground, presumably suffering from a broken neck.

  “Thank you,” Awen said in amazement, still managing to keep the wall up.

  “You are welcome, Awen. He was a bad man.”

  “I’m pretty sure they’re all bad, big guy,” Silk replied as she fired off a round with her CK360.

  “Yes, but this one was especially bad. I can taste it.”

  “I’ll take your word for it,” Awen replied.

  “We’re starting to extend our target window,” Magnus said over VNET. His voice was tight. “Let’s keep moving.”

  Granther Company and Paladia’s first cadre picked up the pace and moved through the corridors in a coordinated advance. Having the shields up gave them more freedom to move and take risks they wouldn’t otherwise. For her part, Awen stayed close to her fire team, trying her best to keep everyone within her protective scope.

  Magnus called out turns, talking everyone through coordinated attacks as threats presented themselves. Cyril also worked tirelessly to guide the units through the massive starship. He tried to warn Magnus of navigational developments when he could, but as the teams advanced deeper into the ship, the code slicer provided less feedback.

  “We’ve got another blast door,” Magnus said, requesting the same demolition combination as before. This time, Nubs stepped up with the breach charge. Awen recommended Nídira take the force field as she was on the same team with Nubs. Magnus seemed resistant to the idea, wanting Awen to take point, but she insisted Nídira do it. The mystic was more than capable. Plus, Awen knew that Magnus needed to learn to trust other mystics than her. His reliance on Awen seemed to underscore his mounting frustrations about Piper and the mission.

  Nubs raced forward, planted the charge, and then stepped back to let Nídira double down on the explosive’s direction. Once again, the charge ripped down the hallway and saved Magnus valuable time.

  “Told you she could handle it,” Awen said on a private VNET channel.

  She’d barely finished the words when the hallway filled with troopers, springing from doorways on either flank. Awen couldn’t tell if the increased resistance meant the gladia were getting closer to Piper or that the enemy was trying to contain the advance more effectively. But based on the fact that specific doors were closing on them, she wondered if—somewhere—Moldark was watching them and knew where they wanted to go. In which case, the resistance was confirmation.

  Alpha and Bravo Teams opened fire, trying to keep the onrushing troopers at bay, but their weapons fire only managed to knock down the first few rows of Marines. The troopers rushed them as if possessed demons, flinging themselves at the Unity shields. Simultaneously, more troopers emerged behind Awen, entering into the protective fold of Granther Company’s attack envelope. This, of course, was where the Jujari shined.

  As before, Rohoar guarded Awen, slicing through Repub armor and chomping on limbs. Czyz and Longchomps mauled four troopers on the right flank who rushed into the hallway, blasters hot. Czyz grabbed one man and flung him into the second, both slamming against the wall with a sickening crack. While one trooper slid to the floor, presumably unconscious, the other still managed to raise his blaster and attempt to shoot at Wish, who was Charlie Team’s mystic. That didn’t end well—for the trooper. Czyz slashed at the man’s gut, tearing so deeply that pink intestines poked through the gash streaks. The victim doubled over, screaming so loud that Awen could hear him through his helmet.

  The two troopers Longchomps assaulted didn’t fare any better. The Jujari struck one woman so hard that her head spun until it cracked. Her body went limp, and she was dead before she hit the ground. The second trooper aimed at Longchomps and got a shot off. The blaster bolt exploded against the Jujari’s shield but did nothing to him. If anything, the shot enraged Longchomps, who then grabbed the trooper’s helmet with both hands and squeezed. The protective head covering cracked, as did the skull inside it. The man’s body collapsed beside those already on the ground.

  Grahban took on three troopers at once, roaring as he lunged into the cluster. He bit one Marine in the shoulder, slashed at another with a claw, and then kicked the third so hard, the man flew out of the Unity shields and into friendly fire. Grahban bit through the first trooper’s shoulder, severing the man’s arm. And when the second man tried to rise from the ground, the Jujari stepped on him, grinding his ribs into vital organs.

  Magnus ordered everyone to push hard into the enemy, getting clear of what he called a kill box. NOV1 fire reached a feverish level, so much that Awen thought she’d go deaf even through her helmet. Add to that the Jujari roars and the screams of dying troopers, and the sound was maddening.

  Once the gladia reached the next intersection, things cleared—at least for the moment. Awen raced to keep up with Abimbola as he led the charge around the next bend. They passed several more sections, putting down any resistance as quickly as it sprang up.

  “We’re almost there,” Magnus said over the company-wide channel. “Keep the pace up.”

  No sooner had he said the words than Awen felt something lurch in her gut—not physically but ethereally. Magnus must’ve noticed something was wrong because she felt his hand touch her back.

  “You all right?”

  Awen shook her head. “No. Something’s…” Something’s what? she asked herself.

  “Awen?” Magnus slowed the advance and stepped in front of her. “What’s going on?”

  As if sparing Awen the need to answer, Willowood said, “It’s Piper.”

  Magnus jerked toward the older woman. “What do you mean, it’s Piper? You feel her?”

  “Oh yes, quite so,” Willowood replied.

  Awen plunged through the Foundation and broke into the Nexus. Cosmic energy surged around her, connecting her to the far reaches of the universe. Light, power, and wonder raced along her limbs, tingling her ethereal skin and electrifying her senses.

  “There,” she yelled, startling her physical self with the exclamation. She saw Piper—or at least the girl’s essence. It was little more than a wisp of energy, but it was, she was sure of it.

  “Where?” Magnus asked. “Do you see her?”

  Awen nodded. “She’s in the Nexus.”

/>   “And what does that mean?” Magnus looked to Willowood.

  “It means she’s making her presence known,” the older woman said. “Connecting to us through the Unity. She wants us to find her.”

  Awen could see a wave of relief wash over Magnus, both physically and in the Unity. “And are we headed in the right direction?”

  “We are, Magnus. She’s…” Awen froze. “She’s in a small room. It looks like someone’s private quarters. And Moldark is outside. In the observation room.”

  “Dammit,” Magnus said.

  “Cyril?” Awen asked, doing her best to work VNET in her HUD. Some of the steps still felt new to her.

  “Yeah, miss Gladia Awen ma’am? What is it?”

  “I can confirm Piper’s location in the ship’s aft section.”

  “Excellent, excellent. I’ll relay all that to the Colonel now. He’s right here.”

  “I can hear her just fine, son,” Caldwell said to Cyril, his voice popping up in a small display window. “Good work, Awen. Can you get to her?”

  “That’s not even a question, Colonel,” Magnus replied.

  “Awen, can you get to her?” the colonel reasserted.

  Awen glanced at Willowood. While she couldn’t see the older woman’s physical face, Awen could see her spirit—and that was far more telling. Willowood nodded reassuringly. “Yes, Colonel,” Awen said. “I believe Piper wants us to find and rescue her. I can’t communicate with her, but I can sense her feelings.”

  “And how is she?” Magnus asked the question everyone was probably wondering.

  “She’s scared,” Awen said. “Scared and sad. But also… hopeful. I think she can sense us like we sense her.”

  Magnus nodded while blaster fire rang throughout the corridor.

  “So we have asset confirmation,” Caldwell replied. “Let’s make this happen, Magnus. Also, Forbes and Nelson are encountering some serious resistance in the hangar bay, but nothing they can’t handle. Just know your evac’s gonna be hot.”

  “Roger that.” Magnus pulled his NOV1 up and fired at a trooper that Abimbola missed. “You let that one get by, Bimby.”

  “I was saving him for you, buckethead.”

  “Sure, you were.”

  “Keep things moving, Lieutenant,” Caldwell said, regaining Magnus’s attention.

  “We will, sir.”

  “Uh, sir? It looks like we may have another problem, sir,” Cyril said, his voice trembling.

  “What is it?” Caldwell asked.

  Awen saw the colonel’s face look off-screen. Based on the way his brow furrowed, she didn’t think it was good.

  “Those are ships.” Caldwell removed his cigar from his mouth. “Grid formation.”

  “Are they’re searching for the Spire?” Cyril asked.

  “It certainly appears that way, son. Can you estimate how much time we have before they find us?”

  “It’s kinda hard to say, Colonel. Without knowing each pass’s endpoint, there’s no way to extrapolate parameters.”

  “I believe I can help,” Azelon said. “Based upon standard operating procedures for naval search and recovery operations, the number of vessels, and assuming the enemy is employing full sensor sweeps, I estimate they will detect variations in gamma radiation from the Spire’s solar shadow in less than one hour.”

  “Damn,” Magnus said. “Moldark’s putting things together faster than we anticipated.”

  “All the more reason for you to minimize time on target, Marine.” Caldwell winced. “Gladia.”

  “We’ll get it done, Colonel,” Magnus said.

  “Make sure your weapons and boots know it too.”

  “In the meantime, TO-96 is ready to scramble Fang Company in the event of discovery,” Azelon said.

  “Good,” Caldwell said. “But remember, we need those fighters to help cover the shuttles, so I don’t want them going out unless they absolutely have to.”

  “Understood, sir,” Azelon replied.

  Caldwell looked back at Magnus through his avatar window. “Get the girl, Magnus. Then get the hell off that ship. Caldwell, out.”

  27

  Piper had been so scared that she didn’t even realize how tired she was until her job for her grandfather was all over. Once she caught her breath, and her heart had quit thumping wildly in her chest, waves of fatigue washed over Piper like warm blankets stacked on a soft bed. But nothing about what followed was warm or fluffy.

  She tried to find a comfortable position in the bed by rearranging the thin pillow beneath her head. But real rest evaded her, emphasized by the blanket, which wasn’t warm, and the bed, which wasn’t soft. The room was cold, and it smelled funny.

  Piper’s fitful sleep was more than just physical discomfort. Her grandfather’s face played at the sides of her consciousness, haunting her like a ghost. Something about him wasn’t right. Piper could see the dark presence that consumed him when she slipped into the Unity. But the hate she sensed wasn’t even what disconcerted her the most—instead, it was her grandfather’s sadness. She could sense it, buried beneath the aggression and hostility. He was mad because he was sad. And that made Piper’s heart break because she didn’t know how to fix it—how to fix him. But, then again, she barely knew how to fix herself, so the revelation wasn’t any big surprise.

  She did make him happy, though. At least that was how he seemed when it was all over. Piper had used her energy to reach out to all the ships in the fleet and convey her grandfather’s message. “Tell them that the Republic must be stopped,” he said. “That we must keep the senate and the Circle of Nine from hurting anyone else in the future.”

  When she’d asked why he couldn’t just use the ship’s comms to send the message, he implored her that this was less about understanding with the head and more about understanding with the heart. “You have a way to speak to people’s hearts, don’t you, child?”

  She nodded. “I suppose so, yes.”

  “And if the bad people are the ones responsible for killing your parents, and for hurting the Jujari, then we don’t just want my ships thinking about the right thing to do, we want them feeling it.”

  “In their hearts,” Piper replied.

  “Precisely.”

  So that’s just what she did.

  Her old power suit would have made the job impossible, so she was glad to be free of it. But having so much power also seemed a little scary, like she was doing something wrong—something Awen would probably yell at her for. Piper could practically hear her old shydoh now. But if the Republic was responsible for so much destruction, like her grandfather said, then it must be stopped.

  Piper had little reason to doubt her grandfather. While he looked strange and talked funny, she knew what it was like to be misunderstood. So Piper would be the last person to pass judgment on him for how he looked, especially when he was trying to do the right thing. Bad people need to be stopped from doing bad things—isn’t that what Magnus always said? So Piper did what needed to be done.

  Slipping into the Nexus was exciting. She’d only done it a few times since So-Elku told her to take off her power suit. He’d given her the Luma robes in exchange. Then her grandfather had discarded those and offered her a thin black uniform that had been trimmed down to fit her just right. She felt weird having the three white lines on her shoulder, the same that Nos Kil and his men had borne on their armor. But, like her grandfather, Nos Kil was misunderstood, and people had mistreated him because of it.

  There in the Nexus, Piper felt the unlimited power of the universe surge through her. She felt like a pollen speck riding atop an ocean wave, moving with the current, lost in the vastness of the sea. But she was not a helpless speck. Rather, she did whatever she wanted—able to move between air and water, resist currents, and even expand or contract. In fact, she felt more powerful within the Nexus than she ever did in real life. Or maybe the Nexus was real life, and her physical body’s existence was—second life?

  Just as all wate
r molecules were connected in the ocean, so too were all hearts joined in space and time. She could see the fleet in the Nexus—every ship and every person in every ship. They floated in the currents like tiny dazzling jewels suspended in the sea’s twilight. Their souls shimmered like little stars, carried through space on their little ships. It felt as though all Piper needed was to whisper, and they would hear her. But what to say?

  Suddenly, the weight of speaking to the entire fleet felt heavy—a responsibility that Piper couldn’t ignore. It was a sacred thing to talk to someone’s heart, wasn’t it? Like her mother, comforting her when life made her scared, or her father, reassuring her when she needed to do something courageous. Now it was Piper’s turn to do the same, and she knew it was no small thing.

  “The Galactic Republic wants to hurt people,” she whispered to the shimmering motes of light. “But we can’t let them. They want to kill people who don’t deserve it. And we must stop them. We need to do whatever it takes, even if we’re scared. Even if we seconds—second guess ourselves. This is the right thing to do. And we need to keep doing it until the job is done—no giving up. No running away and hiding because we’re scared. We’re in this together, and we won’t stop until it’s done.” The ironic thing was that Piper felt scared even now. Talking to so many people made her nervous. But she needed to do it. For the mission. For the innocent people who would be hurt if she didn’t do something.

  When Piper felt like her speech was over, she withdrew from the Nexus and returned to her physical body. But she’d expended more energy than she realized. No sooner had her eyes opened than she wanted to close them again. That, and her heart was beating loudly in her ears. A sense of panic and even confusion clutched her heart as if she had done something terrible—yet it seemed right.

  “How did it go?” her grandfather asked, urging her to stay awake.

  “I just want to sleep.”

  “You can, and you will. But first I must know—”

  “It went good. I… I told them the kinds of things that you told me to say. Said we needed to stop the bad people from hurting innocent people. Can I sleep now?” Piper yawned.