by Jack Archer
“What’s going on, ground team?” Lupe answered.
“We need immediate assistance on the ground,” the voice came through again. Rystar recognized it as Kyran’s.
“Damn it, give me a second,” Lupe said and switched the channel. “Firehawk to Tahi border gate, need transport to Chure bubble in Yimesotwa.”
“Firehawk, this is Tahi border gate. Please join the queue. You are third in line for departure,” the comms came back, and Lupe hissed, switching the channels back.
“Now, what the hell is wrong with you all?” Lupe snapped, and Kyran came back.
“Where are you?” he blurted. “You’re supposed to be on Yimesotwa. You can get here in two minutes.”
“Well, something went wrong with Enzo’s rescue, and I had to come help,” Lupe said, tapping on the console as the queue shortened as slow as it could.
“Is everything okay?” Kyran asked, lowering his voice.
“I’m fine, Kyran, good to hear you,” Enzo piped up from his seat.
“Oh, thank God,” Kyran sighed.
“Anyways,” Lupe cut in, “I can be at Yimesotwa in 15 minutes, but I don’t know how I can help you.”
“Get Rystar and her sweet Cataclysm to burst in and tear this place to shreds,” Kyran said, and the sound of guns battered on in the background. Rystar gulped, hating where Kyran was and tapping her foot restlessly.
“Can she even get that thing in the bubble?” Lupe asked, turning the engines up and waiting for the gate to turn white.
“There’s a door on the side of the bubble, near the west end. I can see it from over here,” Kyran said and cut out for a moment while they entered the gate and spun around, spitting out on the other side. Lupe turned and headed to the Chure bubble’s west side, descending to the planet with ease.
“Suit up, I guess,” Lupe said with a shrug. Rystar nodded, unbuckling herself and heading back to the elevator with Shea to take her down to the hangar. They hurried into the Cataclysm and turned it on, setting it to Land mode. The wheels on either side groaned and sat into place while the ship's wings swept back and the engines burst on. Once they had landed, Lupe opened the hangar door, and they headed out back into the snow.
“Alright,” Rystar said, pulling into a stopping position near the bubble. “Let’s see if we can find this door.”
They edged along the side of the bubble until Rystar noticed the smoke and flames coming from inside the bubble, and she quickened her pace. The bubble was a large, clear dome, much like Sluirossi, except at the edge of the bubble where it met the ground. There, it was a ton of metal, sinking into the ground below it to keep the atmosphere inside. A door appeared on the edge of this metal bit, and Rystar watched as it popped up on her radar.
“I can open that,” Enzo said, and both Rystar and Shea jumped, not realizing he had made it on the ship, too.
“When the hell did you get here?” Rystar asked. Enzo shrugged, sitting down in the seat next to Rystar.
“Hung out in the locker room until I was sure you wouldn’t kick me off,” he said. Rystar narrowed her eyes at him and turned back to face the door. “Give me a second, and I’ll have it open.”
True to his word, Enzo had it open in a few seconds, and Rystar drove inside, letting it close behind her and plunging them into darkness.
“By the way, do you know what’s going on with the Underground?” Enzo said, suddenly concerned.
“No, I haven’t had a chance to go there all day,” Rystar said, shaking her head as the door in front of them opened to a world of fire and war.
“No one is answering and their network is down,” Enzo said under his breath, swiping through his tablet.
“I’m sure they’re busy doing…” Rystar said, waving to the scene in front of them, “…this.”
Enzo looked up and gulped, nodding his understanding and going back to his tablet. Rystar continued down the road. “Ocelot, can you tell me where the Capitol of Chure is and how to get there?”
“One moment, please,” the VI said, and Enzo looked up, narrowing his eyes.
“I told you he wouldn’t like it,” Shea chuckled and Rystar let out a small smile.
“It’s not that I don’t like it,” Enzo huffed. “It’s just I can probably do it a lot better.”
“But now I don’t have to ask you for directions. You can focus on more important things,” Rystar said. Enzo grumbled.
The console lit up with a route Rystar began to follow and be thoroughly impressed with. Down twisted, broken roads they went until suddenly they turned down a main road and saw the Capitol, completely surrounded by Horoth tanks and troops.
“Enzo, can you open up a comms to the ground team,” Rystar said, her throat dry.
“Sure thing,” he replied, tearing his eyes away from the street and opening a comms channel from his tablet to the console.
“Cataclysm to ground team, come in,” Rystar called in on the comms, waiting with bated breath.
“Ground team to Cataclysm, this is Kyran. Are you close?” Kyran said over the receiver, and Rystar let out the breath she was holding.
“We have eyes on the Capitol, Skylock,” Rystar responded and began the sequence to turn the weapons systems on.
“God damn, finally, where the hell have you been?” Kyran spat, and Rystar’s eyes widened.
“Might want to rethink your strategy, there, Ky,” Rystar shot back.
“Sorry, Umara,” Kyran said, “we’ve been taking major hits here in the Capitol. It’s nice to have some backup.”
“Well, I’ll do what I can,” Rystar said and shrugged as the weapons system came online and the VI began to speak to them.
“Please select an assist mode,” it said as the weapons flashed on the comms console in front of them.
“Um, please assist me as much as you can,” Rystar said, watching the throttle disappear, and the weapons begin to flash.
“Please state an intention,” the VI said. Rystar looked to Shea, who merely shrugged at her.
“We need to get to the Capitol,” Rystar said.
“Affirmative,” the VI confirmed, and the Cataclysm shot forward, guns blazing and tearing through tank after tank that dared to stand in their way. Horoths darted into the sidewalks near the street as the Cataclysm barreled through, its tires mowing down their assault vehicles and Horoths alike.
“Oh Christ, I didn’t expect this,” Rystar said, holding onto the console and bouncing around as the LASSO plowed forward with its guns and gigantic tires running over everything in its path.
As quickly as the assault had begun, it was over, and they skidded to a halt outside of the Capitol’s steps at an angle, partially facing the street they had just annihilated. Both Shea and Enzo were still holding on for dear life, and Rystar unbuckled herself, rising from her seat and patting the console.
“Thanks, Ocelot,” she said and headed to the locker room for her jacket and pistol.
“You’re welcome, Mister Skylock,” the ship replied, and Rystar groaned.
“Got to fix that,” she grumbled. “Come on, I’m sure they’re waiting for us inside.
Shea and Enzo stood from their seats and followed her out of the door and towards the front steps of the Capitol, crouching in case any Horoths had survived the assault. When they encountered no resistance, they headed up the steps and were greeted by several Ya’ados, who held them at gunpoint. Rystar and her crew raised their arms and stopped at the top stair.
“We’re here to see Ji’lan and his crew,” Rystar announced, and the Ya’ados looked to each other before nodding and gesturing for them to follow. Inside they went, passing through the foyer and a slew of injured Ya’ados and Sustri. The Ya’ados led them upstairs and to an office at the far side of the hall, where she noticed Kyran, Cobalt, Na’gya, and Ji’lan all standing over a table with a large map.
Kyran looked up. When he saw Enzo, he bolted across the room and pulled him into a tight hug, burying his face in Enzo’s hair. Rystar smile
d, a tear forming in the corner of her eye despite herself. Kyran’s eyes were shiny when he drew away and flicked them over to Rystar, who he also pulled into a hug.
“Thank you, Ry,” he whispered. “I can’t thank you enough.”
“Of course,” she breathed back, kissing his cheek and letting go. Kyran grasped Shea’s hand and began to talk with him while Cobalt approached and pulled Enzo close with a firm grip on his hand.
“Vida,” Cobalt greeted, a huge smile on his face.
“If I didn’t know any better, Torlick,” Enzo said, pulling in Cobalt for a hug, “I’d say you missed me.”
“Tsëh,” Cobalt grumbled against the side of Enzo’s head. They let go and separated, migrating towards the table Ji’lan stood near.
“We lost Lo’varth,” he announced, and Rystar hung her head. He was never up on her list of people she liked, but Lo’varth had been important to the cause, and it pained her to see Ji’lan torn up over it.
“Ji’lan, is something happening at the base?” Enzo asked, walking up to the table and setting his tablet down. Ji’lan’s eyes went wide, and he sighed, turning around to face a window overlooking the destruction of the bubble.
“The Wings of Freedom base in Sluirossi is gone,” he said, shaking his head. “But it is not worth crying over. We have a far larger base here on Chure. Thanks to your friends here.”
He twisted to face them and threw Rystar a small smile before heading back to the table and setting a hand down on it. Enzo scrunched his brow and picked his tablet back up, swiping through it as he plopped down in a chair nearby. Rystar headed to the table and took in the map splayed out on it, lines and X’s marking it all over.
“Is this Chure?” she asked.
“Yes, and this is us, here,” Ji’lan said and pointed to the Capitol building near the western side of the bubble. The rest of the bubble was full of factories and old buildings, not much worth occupying. “With you wiping out most of the Horoth forces outside of the Capitol, I’ve already sent more soldiers out to secure the perimeter. There will be no way in for them now.”
“How long do you think you can hold them off?” Rystar asked.
“Now that they have to funnel down the main street here, indefinitely,” Ji’lan replied with a grin. “Some of our fighters are repairing the Horoth tanks and stealing their LASSOs now. I am sure we will be able to fend them off as long as we can.”
“Well, I’m glad we could help,” Rystar said and folded her arms. If she were honest, she had no idea what she was doing, and Ji’lan thanking her for her instrumental part in capturing Chure didn’t sit right. She should have done more.
“Ji’lan,” Enzo said, rising from his seat and heading towards the table. “I’m sorry to have to show you this, but there’s traffic going to the Horoth government in Sluirossi concerning the location of the base from Lo’varth. It happened yesterday.”
“You lie, show me,” Ji’lan snapped, stomping over to where Enzo stood and reading his tablet over his shoulder. Enzo pointed to something on his tablet, and Ji’lan took it, his eyes whipping across the screen. His face fell, and his shoulders slumped as he read on until finally, he pushed the tablet back to Enzo, who he sighed, sitting down in a chair near the opposite wall.
“It doesn’t matter now,” he said, head in his hands. “He is dead and atoned for his sin. For all we know, he did us a favor.”
Silence filled the room, and they mourned the loss of a comrade despite his betrayal. Rystar eventually cleared her throat and sat a hand on one hip before addressing Ji’lan. “Earlier you said we needed help to take over Sluirossi. Do you still need it?”
Ji’lan snorted and looked up at her and the crew. “As good as you all are, you will not be enough to take over Sluirossi. We will need extra firepower for that.”
“Where do you suggest we get it?” Kyran said, stepping forward. “We have all these factories. We can start making weapons and vehicles again.”
“Yes, but with no bodies to power those weapons and vehicles, they are useless,” Ji’lan said. “No, we need a strong force to come in to assist us.”
Silence fell again before Cobalt snorted, unfolding his arms and pushing off from the wall, pointing at Ji’lan. “You’re not thinking of asking the Atrex?”
“I am,” Ji’lan said, eyeing Cobalt with interest.
“Will they come to your aid?” Cobalt asked, folding his arms and raising an eyebrow. Rystar looked from him back to Ji’lan like a dangerous ping-pong match, taking drags from her Cortijet.
“We will see,” Ji’lan said and stood up, addressing Kyran directly now. “I must ask for your aid again. As the Captain of the Firehawk and a Sustri with the ability to travel far from here, will you go on my behalf and ask the Atrex for their assistance in the takeover of Sluirossi?”
“They’re going to ask what they get in return,” Kyran said, raising an eyebrow.
Ji’lan’s wicked grin brightened the room as he let out a laugh and turned to look out of the window. “Tell them, a Horoth president’s head on a pike and all the uranium they could ask for.”
Chapter Twelve
Rystar Umara : DSV Firehawk
The Firehawk sat in the Yimesotwa spaceport, filling up its gas tank and receiving a check-up, which usually took several hours.
They had left Ji’lan and his soldiers down in the Chure bubble, now fully under Ya’ados and Sustri control. Rystar stood in the shower, letting the hot water rinse over her like it hadn’t done in far too long. Kyran and Shea had both hounded her the second she walked through her bedroom door, locking it behind her for good measure.
Sure, she loved having the attention of two incredibly attractive people, but there was only so much she could handle at once. First, she needed a long, hot shower to rinse off the events of the day. Second, she needed Lupe to make her some decent food. She hadn’t eaten since breakfast, and her stomach was a terrifying pit of despair.
Third, she needed to talk to Enzo.
Rystar did feel a little bad about putting Na’gya off again but decided he still needed some space after the looks he gave her and Shea whenever they entered a room. She exited the shower and toweled off, running a brush through her hair and brushing her teeth before entering her bedroom and tossing the towel on the bed, rummaging around in her closet for some clothes to wear.
She finally settled on a black tank and a worn pair of jeans, a pair of black socks to finish off the classic ‘let’s get together in your room’ look. Sighing, she looked down at herself and felt a vague sense of dread about what Enzo really thought about when he looked at her but shook it off and crossed the room to her door.
When she opened it, she really shouldn’t have been surprised to see Kyran standing directly in front of her, but she sighed anyway and leaned against the doorframe. “Do you really just stand here and wait for me to leave?”
“Got nothing else better to do,” he said with a shrug, that stupid, smug smile on back in place.
“Aren’t you, like, the Antuso?” she asked, tilting her head and trying her tongue at Sisyen.
“Antsuo, and the ship’s being serviced, don’t have anything to do just yet,” he replied. “And anyway, I wanted to talk to you about Enzo.”
“Funny, I was just going to go talk to him,” she said, pulling her door closed and leaning against it.
“I want to be completely honest with you,” Kyran said.
“I’m glad, I’d like that, too,” Rystar chuckled.
“When Enzo was gone this past month, I realized how much he meant to me,” Kyran explained, his smug demeanor fading. “I realized that maybe some of those feelings I had a long time ago didn’t leave.”
Rystar nodded and stuck her thumbs in her pockets, tilting her head and trying to pinpoint the exact feeling in her chest. She wasn’t able to. “Have you told him?”
“I’m trying to give him some space. It’s his first day back on the ship,” he said.
Rystar hummed. “I
suppose you’re right.”
“What were you going to talk to him about?” Kyran asked, folding his arms across his chest.
“Pretty much the same thing you were, I think,” she snorted, pushing off the door and stepping until she and Kyran were a foot apart. “Unless you want to go talk to him together.”
“Oh, honey, I don’t think there will be a lot of talking,” Kyran said with a delicious smirk and pushed some hair from her face. She swatted his hand away but grabbed it, weaving their fingers together.
“Be serious,” she said, swinging their arms and looking up at him through her eyelashes. Kyran’s face softened, and he sighed.
“Fine,” he relented, “I’m sure he’ll appreciate not one, but two confessions of attraction on his first day back.”
“Double the fun, come on,” Rystar said, letting his hand go and heading towards the elevators. “Do you know where he is?”
“Usually he’s down in his room. Let’s check there,” Kyran said and entered the elevator, pressing the button to bring them to the bottommost floor. Rystar had never been down here and blinked in the dim light. They turned left and walked down the hall until they saw a door on the left. Kyran knocked, waiting a moment before it creaked open, and a sliver of Enzo’s face appeared.
“Hey, you two, what’s going on?” he asked, opening the door a little more. “Is everything okay?”
“Everything’s great. We just wanted to come and see you,” Kyran said, glancing at Rystar, who nodded her agreement. “Mind if we come in?”
“Please,” Enzo said, opening the door fully and waving them inside. It was just as dark in Enzo’s room as it was outside, and it took a full minute for her eyes to become accommodated. A bed sat to their left. To their right was a wall of servers and blinking lights and cables, computer screens and keyboards hooked up to some. In front of them was another door that Rystar assumed led to a bathroom.
The door shut behind them, and Enzo apologized, clearing off a stack of papers and cables that covered a couch before indicating they should sit. They did, albeit a little awkwardly, and watched as Enzo sat cross-legged on the floor below them and picked up a keyboard, going back to whatever it was he was doing.