The Chronicles of Benjamin Jaminson: Empires At War (Book 5 Part Two)

by Thomas Wright

  “I think that’s a great idea, Harry. I’ll make that happen.”

  “I want my own planet,” Mira whined.

  “Not a chance in hell you get a planet to govern. You stick with me. Maybe I’ll put you in charge of my royal guard.”

  Mira opened her mouth and shut it. I thought that might shut her up. She was good at making people follow her. In two instances that I could remember, when given a short amount of time, she had won herself a pirate crew and lately a Akelorian warship and its crew. She didn’t want either; they were a means of survival and transportation where she wanted to go. Both times it was me she came for, driven by her compulsion but never following through. A failed creation.

  “It, of course, will have to wait and we’ll have to survive this war and who knows what, after I tell Taz.” They remained quiet. Both knew surviving was easy to talk about but harder to do.

  The jungle was void of native nocturnal creatures and the mantis kept insect soldiers at bay. We only walked far enough inside that our movement couldn’t be seen from the clearing. The Khalnalax didn’t venture in the jungle, but their teams remained busy eliminating the insect soldiers. I looked back for our mantis; it moved silently behind Harry. It seemed calm, content to follow along regardless of what was happening elsewhere. We found the others an hour and a half into our search.

  “Halt and identify yourself,” Snake said. “What is the pass phrase?”

  “You’re a dumbass,” I answered.

  “That is correct. You may approach.”

  “Are you bored?”

  “He is. We are glad to see you,” Angel interrupted. “Mostly so he’ll shut up and we can get started.”

  “Everyone rested? Any problems we need to iron out before we get started?”

  Snake started to say something. “No problems,” Angel reported. “We have scouted all the way to the main headquarters. It also serves as the officers’ billet and mess.”

  “Snake, unless you have something to say that’s mission essential, I want your lips buttoned shut. Angel, were you able to establish our best entry point?”

  “There are two on the rear of the building facing the jungle. We watched them bring supplies in and garbage out of one door. The other was never used.”

  “I would have to say that’s our kitchen, or leads to it, and is our best point of access. Shouldn’t be many working at this time, if any.”

  “How we going in?” Angel asked.

  “Snake, Mira, Genius and I will go in. The rest of you will be our eyes out here. Once we’ve cleared our entry area, we will set Genius up at the first terminal we find so he can do his magic while we clear the rest of the building. Plan A, we take of business and join you then get the hell out of here. Plan B, if we screw up and get caught, Angel, you get everyone to a ship. They may get brave and search the jungle. No need in everyone getting caught.”

  “What about the mutt?” Snaked asked.

  “I don’t think she would stay, so she is with me.”

  “How about the other one over there?”

  “The mantis will stay. I haven’t heard yet, but we should have a small attack force of ants joining us at some point. They will provide cover for our escape. Let me know when they start showing up.”

  Deireadh, tell it I want the ants in hidden in the jungle behind our people.

  It is a she. The females are larger than the males.

  Just tell her or I’ll lock you in a room with Snake for a week when this is over.

  “Any questions? If not, let’s get going.”

  Forty-five minutes saw us set up and ready. Another five had the guards’ backs to us and at the farthest point in their patrol. We ran. Our destination was the corner of the building near the door, and the shadow where the security light didn’t reach. I had the small injection gun in hand. Genius kept a supply of the goo that tended to eat away most everything it came in contact with for our belts. His first indoctrination into the Khalnalax security system was at the same door. A hand scanner was the only normal way to get the door open. There was no handle, so once the lock accepted, it popped the door open.

  “I’m going to try my magic glove,” Genius whispered. I nodded knowingly. I had him researching the Cjittan system from the time we arrived on Xanlos. All of the doors in the palace had hand scanners for entry-exit. We allowed for Cjittan body temp and tested how much pressure one needed to apply for it to activate. A daily maintenance routine would burn the oils off the scanner, so it was usually clean between uses. This left us accessing a room within minutes of the previous person using the scanner.

  A glance showed this one was not as sophisticated as the palace scanners. The Cjittan and Khalnalax being essentially the same race, regardless of what they said, we had hopes for success. Genius placed his hand into position almost but not actually touching the scanner. He turned the glove on, with the slightest pressure applied to each digit. The scanner lit up and we waited. It was one of those seconds that last forever. The lock clicked and the door popped open. I put the small acid gun back in my belt and pulled the door open the rest of the way, coming face to face with a Khalnalax soldier with very big eyes.

  Split-second assessments had save my life on many occasions. My right hand covered his mouth as I pushed his body against the wall. His hands gripped my arm, pulling down, trying to remove it from his face. My hand was going nowhere. My left hand free, I slid my combat knife under his chin at an angle through the spinal column. I held him there while his struggles ended and the others entered, easing the door shut behind them. Snake instinctively moved down to the end of the hallway. I held the weight of the body, quietly laying it onto the floor. Zuri sniffed it and walked away.

  Mira stuck to Genius as they moved behind Snake. The inner doors had no locks of any kind, although I assumed there would be a few for the officers. Our hallway emptied into the mess, with the kitchen occupying one end of the room. The other end had two doors leading deeper into the compound and a third on our opposite wall. Given the dimensions of the building, the opposite door must be another exit.

  “Boss, this is a lightweight prefab building. The outer walls and roof are somewhat thicker than the inner, but it wouldn’t take much to level it,” Genius observed.

  “I’ll keep it in mind. Snake, cover us then follow. I’m going first again.”

  I paused, double-checking the kitchen was quiet. I sprinted across the mess to the door leading into the compound. I cracked it and this time there was no one on the other side. I motioned for the others to follow. We clung to the wall. My hand on Zuri’s head, I kept her behind me with Genius following. Snake and Mira took the other side. Deireadh was translating each door placard we came to. The first couple were storage and then were quarters for junior-grade officers. I carried my axe, but it was overkill in a small room and not suited for quiet, wet work.

  I cracked the door. The room had three occupants, all sound asleep. I gave Zuri the sign to stay and slipped through the door. The first died with my hand over his mouth while his life blood seeped from the line across his throat. The second was going to go the same way, but was a light sleeper and tried yelling through my hand. There was some noise until the words turned into a gurgling sound. The third sat up in her bed and looked at me, but not before looking at the other two. Her shock was her undoing. In that time, I let go of my knife on the bed and grabbed her head just as her mouth opened. I pulled one way and pushed the other. Her neck cracked and she went limp. I gently laid her head on the pillow.

  Wiping my knife on the bed, I put it away and stepped back into the hall. Holding a hand against the door, it shut without a sound. Snake and Mira exited the other side and we moved on. I dispatched the occupants of the next room and again waited for Snake and Mira before moving on. A crash sounded from the room they entered. It wasn’t too terribly loud, but I wouldn’t take the chance it might get louder. I opened the door and a body bounced off my chest and hit the floor. A kick to the side of the hea
d stopped any more nonsense. Mira wrestled with two naked males on the floor while Snake was trying to choke out another.

  I put a spear point through the side of the unconscious soldier’s head as I stepped over, then repeated the process with the assailant in Mira’s arms, leaving the one she had in a choke hold with her legs. “You two got thirty seconds to finish this shit up or I will.” I waited at the intersection, keeping watch. The door opened behind me to the room Snake and Mira were in and a naked body ran out. Snake was two steps behind but not needed. Zuri went from sitting to airborne, tackling the runner with jaws wrapped around his head. She shook him like a ragdoll. I knew the sound of bones breaking and muscles tearing. A pool of blood spilled onto the floor. The circle grew larger by the second; so did my anger.

  I moved down the hallway like a bullet and got in Snake’s face, only it was me hissing like a snake. “Snake, get some blankets and clean it up and not a word, you understand?” There was nothing to say and he knew it. I would give him the benefit since we hadn’t run this op in a long while, not like this. Back in the day, we cleared a few buildings and an embassy or two, some possibly off the books. He needed me to wake him up. He could’ve taken all four of those soldiers. “Zuri, take the body in that room.” Mira held the door open, catching the end of my ire. “You, you’re an assassin for hell’s sake. Get your shit together and don’t make me regret my decision about you.”

  Mira opened her mouth to say something and I cut her off. “Don’t! Don’t say a word. Either of you screw up again and I’ll leave you behind,” I said, looking from one to the other.

  Genius shrugged. Good enough. “Zuri, come. Genius, let’s go find you a way into their system.”

  I was exiting the next room on my side across the hall when Snake and Mira entered theirs. I waited. Mira was the first out. Her hair was tussled and blood spatter decorated her chest. Snake was thirty seconds behind her. He shook his hand and flexed his fingers like he had punched something hard. I didn’t ask or care how he got the job done, as long as it was quiet and quick.

  I entered the last room on my side of the hall. It was empty, so I investigated. Opening wall lockers and drawers with a finger, I moved things around, not disturbing anything as I let items fall back into place. There was nothing unexpected. Uniforms and clothing mostly. A whooshing sound interrupted the silence and two soldiers, a male and female, stood naked in the door. Shit, it must have been a ranking officer’s quarters with an attached head. I charged and shoved with both arms, driving them both back into the wall. The door shut behind me. There wasn’t room for the spear, so I flattened my hand and folded my thumb down and struck his chest. My hand entered his body and stopped. The female pulled an intake of breath when she saw what happened. I twisted my body like a spring and released, pushing all the way through, my fingertips hitting the wall.

  I turned my attention to the female I held pinned to the wall. At the same time, I pulled my arm out of her partner and let him fall to the floor. Grabbing her with both hands, in one swift motion I slammed her into the wall behind me. The lightweight material cracked and her head slumped forward, eyes closed.

  The door slid open behind me and I whirled around, holding the female, thinking to use her body as a shield. Old habits die hard. Mira stood staring. Her eyes drifted from the dead one with a hole in his chest to my arm covered to the elbow in blood. I turned, using my momentum to slam the female into the wall. Twice was enough. I let her fall next to the other. I held up my arm for Mira and Deireadh consumed the blood. It was nothing but a show. Mira seemed taken aback with my ferocity.

  “Why are you here? Is there a problem?”

  “No. Our room was empty.”

  “Really? I thought this one was too. Did you check the head?” She frowned. “You know the toilet, bathroom, shitter. Was there a door like this?”

  “Yes, Snake checked it, used it I believe.”

  “Sounds about right. Let’s go.”

  “Is that one dead?”

  “Yes. Let’s find the room for the asshole running this show.” It was as easy as done. There were two rooms to the right and none to the left. I opened the door and stepped in. It was dark except for a desk lamp on the other end of the room. She sat in uniform at the desk, studying a screen spread out in front of her.

  “What news do you bring?” she asked, never looking up.

  I walked forward and stopped at the edge of light. “Every officer in this building is dead but you. You will be dead in the time it takes for you to blink if you don’t cooperate with me. How’s that for news?” I asked. Deireadh did a fine job of translating. I saw the fear on her face as she looked at my chest and no higher.

  “What—who are you?”

  “Do not move. Do not cry out. Your time here is over. Face it with dignity.” I moved around the desk spinning her seat to face me. “I’m going to cut your heart out and eat it while you watch unless you do everything I say.”

  “If I refuse?” Her lips quivered. “You are going to kill me regardless of whether I help you.”

  I grabbed her head with both hands and began squeezing, leaving her free to speak if she changed her mind.

  “I might possibly be able to provide some information.”

  “Thank you.” That didn’t take long. She was stalling.

  “Did you kill everyone as you claimed?”

  “Let my specialist into your system and I’ll take you on a tour.”

  “I will not let you in.”

  “I see. Is there a lock on the door?”

  “It is quite impenetrable. I’m sure you will not be able to force it.”

  “A hand scanner then, is that it?”

  “Yes, and you’re obviously not Khalnalax.”

  “But if you were with us you could get us in.”

  All the talking bolstered her courage. “If I chose to be a traitor or monster that comes in the night, then yes I could get you in, but I won’t.”

  Next to the screen on her desk was a board covered in symbols. When I walked in and watched her working, she hadn’t been using it. Maybe it was active and would save us some time. “Genius, is everyone out there?” I asked.

  “Yeah, Boss. Just waiting on you.”

  “Bring everyone in here.”

  “I have to apologize, Colonel. I’m not good at the whole interrogation thing. I’m right in thinking you aren’t going to help me?”

  “You are correct.”

  “Figures,” I said, watching the door. It opened and all my black-clad crew walked in and up to the desk. “The colonel does not wish to cooperate, so we will continue killing everyone.”

  The colonel must have thought me distracted as she reached for a sidearm in her desk. I grabbed her arm and stretched it across her desk with one hand, while pulling her head back and forcing her to look up at me with the other.

  “My emperor will hunt you down and kill every one of you. You are nothing in our eyes. His battleship is unstoppable. His guard unbeatable.”

  “He won’t have to hunt because I’m coming for him next. So he is on that battleship, huh? Thanks for the info. I might let you live just so you can watch when I take his head off. For now, I want this.”

  In one swift motion, I let go of her hair and brought my hand down, severing her arm at the elbow. She screamed and passed out. Blood sprayed her desk. “Snake, take this while it’s still warm and go to the command center,” I said, handing him the severed arm. “You’ll know what to do with it when you get there. I want someone who will cooperate with us. If there is no one, then kill them all. Genius, let me borrow your laser.”

  I took his laser and cauterized the colonel’s elbow. “You stay here. Lock the door and use her terminal. If she wakes up, use your discretion, but no noise or escapes,” I told him as I handed his weapon back.

  “This may take a while if it’s locked.”

  “I know. We may end up with nothing.” I laid my hand on the board. “Deireadh, can you help him with
this?” In the dim light, my hand suddenly had a mist flowing around it. The nans were splitting into smaller units. It moved to the board surrounding it then became thinner and thinner. A second later a port appeared on the side.

  “I will help Genius gain access. What information do you require?” Deireadh answered out loud. The armor continued to develop its own personality. If I didn’t watch, it would be having conversations with people without me.

  Genius glanced at my chest, looking a little unnerved.

  “You ok?”

  “Shit still freaks me out.”

  “Fucking sweet isn’t it. Get me everything you can. There is no time for searching around. Try to download it all.”

  “That makes it easy once I’m in.”

  “Good. Here is something to think about while you wait. Zora really cares about you. Even with the help of an A.I., I’m the last person to give you relationship advice. I know you like her too, but she is going to ask a lot of questions. She has already started. You will be her prime target and she will use you. It’s her job so I don’t hold it against her, but . . .”

  “But what? You’ll kill her?” Genius said, sounding hurt.

  “No, I like her. I don’t really know what to do other than keep everyone away from Xanlos or . . . the thought of being the real king of Cjittan has crossed my mind. Blame Deireadh for that.”

  “You gotta be kidding. What do you know about being a king?”

  “The pay is good, so is the food. Big-ass soft bed and the other perks. You know.”

  “We had all that when we were staying on Xanlos, minus the pay. No one had to get married or become king. Taz might want little Bens and Tazes in the future. You think of that? You can’t run off stealing and killing everything that pisses you off if you got little ones.”

  “This conversation has taken an evil turn. You extract information, I’ll go kill Khalnalax. No more talk of babies. The thought is like putting my nuts in a steel vice named Tazleaha. Besides, I got Natalia.”