For that, if for nothing else, Keryn and her crew were ordered — and willing — to capture and return him to the High Counsel for justice. But Cardax had made the hunt more personal when he killed two of her crew and severely wounded a third.
Her painful reminiscing of their first encounter brought a question to mind that she should have asked as soon as Adam had entered the cabin.
“How is McLaughlin?” she asked with genuine worry in her question.
Adam shrugged. “He’s resting in the sick bay.”
Keryn nodded, but didn’t feel very reassured. The ship’s “sick bay” was a converted storage bay, now lined with a cot and the minimalistic medical equipment they had on board.
“The auto-injectors have been keeping his vital signs stable,” Adam continued, “but it won’t do anything for his missing arm. He’s still burning up with a fever, too.”
“It’s been a long time,” she said quietly.
“He should have gotten better, I know,” Adam replied, expressing the concern that she had been thinking. The grenade that struck McLaughlin had been a gift to Cardax from the Terran Empire. Their research into biological and genetic weapons had far exceeded that of the Interstellar Alliance and the grenade had been a byproduct of that scientific investigation. The explosive blast of the grenade had shredded through the soft flesh of the Pilgrim’s right arm, nearly severing it above the elbow. The open wounds, however, had caused the rest of the damage; the wounds allowed a biological agent into his body, one that was slowly breaking down his organs on a cellular level. Current Alliance technology had been, thus far, unable to cure him. Only one organization on their side of the war had the ability to heal him: the High Council. Comprised of the greatest military and scientific minds from among the races of the Interstellar Alliance, the High Council personified the brain trust that created the greatest in military strategy, technology, and medicine. But the High Council wouldn’t agree to treat their wounded until they completed the mission on which they had been sent. Without the capture of Cardax, McLaughlin would die.
The Cair Ilmun dropped its wing and brushed through the atmosphere of one of the Orthorius Galaxy’s superheated gas giants, using the gravitational pull to accelerate toward Othus and the two large Cruisers currently orbiting the planet. Within the ship, the inhibitors continued to suppress the increase in gravities and the two in the cabin were uninterrupted in their conversation.
“You think we’ll have any trouble with them,” Adam asked, gesturing toward the two Alliance Cruisers defending the planet. Their mission had been one of secrecy, which meant they were operating outside the normal boundaries of legality.
Keryn shrugged. “Those two are just for show. They’re only here because we’re near a world on the demilitarized zone.”
The sensors crackled to life as the closest Cruiser sent an automated IFF — identification friend or foe. Without any input from the crew, the Cair Ilmun sent its auto reply, identifying it as a member of the Alliance.
Keryn didn’t slow her approach as the Cruiser processed her reply, nor did she and Adam cut short their conversation.
“They may be armed to the teeth,” she explained, “but Othus is a smuggler’s haven. Unless a ship shows up with gun’s blazing, I’d be surprised if those Cruisers ever left their orbit.”
Othus was a renowned holdover for notorious smugglers. Sitting on the demilitarized zone, it offered refuge for both Alliance and Empire citizens. The result was one of the most diverse societies, full of as many Terrans as any other race.
Before long, the monitor in front of Keryn came to life, and a digital readout appeared.
“Access has been granted. Please accept our welcome to Othus. Alliance Cruiser Dormark, out.”
“You may want to head back and make sure everyone is strapped in,” Keryn remarked, turning back toward the forward controls and reaching for her pilot’s harness. “Things are going to get bumpy once we hit the atmosphere.”
She smiled softly as she heard the cabin door slide shut as Adam left. Adam had been a loyal friend to her for many months, having volunteered for this mission. She was glad to have him by her side, even under such cramped confines. Keryn pushed forward on the accelerator and the Cair Ilmun sped between the two Cruisers and toward the planet’s surface.
Depressing a series of buttons on her control panel, the cabin suddenly darkened as the clear alloy viewports turned dark in anticipation of the burning deceleration through Othus’ radioactive green atmosphere. She extended panels that would assist with building friction during their descent and braced for the rough entry. The Cair Ilmun struck the atmosphere at over one and a half gravities. The force of their impact with sudden gravitational friction shook the ship violently and created a sonic boom in their wake. Though the controls jumped in her hands and her arms strained under the constant vibrations, Keryn guided the ship through the roughest parts of the entry and into the smoother sky over the planet.
The Cair Ilmun passed through the soft, flowing green clouds like a fish through water, leaving rippling waves in its wake. Keryn untinted the darkened windows and stared at the planet’s surface. Othus stretched out before her in an endless jungle and sweltering swamp lands. The heat from the surface radiated from the exposed earth, causing trees in the distance to dance to the planet’s unique rhythm. Large viridian leaves were a perfect compliment to the bright green of the sky.
Glancing down at the display, Keryn waited for the sensors outside the ship to calibrate to the alien atmosphere. Slowly, readings began bouncing back from the surface scans, painting a picture on her display of heavy energy readings. In the distance, the city of Miller’s Glen glowed like a torch on the thermal scans. Adjusting her trajectory, Keryn accelerated toward the jungle outside the city.
She clicked the throat microphone, activating the intercom once again. “Prepare for landing.”
Keryn landed her ship in a grotto far outside town. She and the crew had identified the spaceport on the other side of the city and had considered landing there. However, any chance they had to surprise Cardax would be one she would take advantage of. Approaching from the far side, and from outside the city, was their best chance at capturing the Oterian.
She shut down the fighter’s engines, keeping only the necessary auxiliary systems running. Intense sunlight flooded the cabin and she squinted her eyes against it momentarily. The thick shaft of light exposed the purple and red markings and deeply tanned skin that was the trademark of her race. She pulled free the clip that had held her hair from her face. Shaking free her long silver hair, she crinkled her nose at the smell that suddenly assaulted her.
“Is that really what I smell like?” she asked in horror. She couldn’t remember the last time she had showered and the coveralls she wore while piloting hadn’t been changed or cleaned in weeks. The rebreathers that cleaned the air in her ship were already strained and did little to clean away the grime that she acquired after chasing Cardax for the past few months. Shrugging away her own scent, she slid back the hatch to the cockpit of the transport ship and climbed out onto yet another unfamiliar world. Othus’ unique flora and fauna crunched underfoot as she finally stood on solid ground again.
The side hatch to the ship slid silently open and her remaining crew emerged. The three crew members — Adam; Penchant, the Lithid assassin; and the Avalon Cerise — stretched stiffly and squinted against the invasive sunlight. The halogen bulbs that glowed within the ship’s crew quarters were a poor replacement for true sunlight.
“Welcome to Othus,” Keryn remarked with a sigh, in mockery of the message from the Dormark.
Cerise turned in mock indignation, her pale, anemic body and large feathery wings stood out in stark contrast to the vibrant colors of the jungle. Sweat beaded along her hairline and her golden locks, matted from sweat and lack of washing, clung to the side of her head. She looked around and her eyebrows rose in surprise.
“Another smashingly beautiful country,” C
erise said ruefully, her privileged upbringing reflected in her thick dialect. One could almost consider her pompous beyond toleration; Keryn still had difficulties with that. “I can only imagine the magnificent cultural advances that such a backwater planet has managed.”
Keryn frowned. She didn’t care much for Cerise as an individual, but she knew Cerise was dedicated to proving herself once again as a soldier. Though frail by appearance, the Avalon appearance belied a surprising strength. The large, feathery wings allowed for limited flight, enabling Cerise to operate both as a scout and air coverage should the group get into trouble. Keryn opened her mouth to respond, but was interrupted by a low, rumbling voice.
“Enough of the small talk,” Penchant growled from behind the obsidian, featureless Lithid face. His clawed hands and spiked tail twitched in irritation. “Less talk, more getting me out of this heat. The sooner the better.”
“Alright, everyone,” Keryn said sternly, once again taking command of the assault team. Reaching into her pack, she pulled out a map of the area and laid it out on the ship’s wing. As the others gathered around, she began the mission briefing.
“We’ve been over this before, so none of this should be a surprise. Cardax probably set up shop near the spaceport. He knows we’re following him, so he’ll be established close to his ship for an easy evacuation. That’s why Penchant, once we get in the city, you’ll establish our safe house in this district.” She gestured to a market district that approached the spaceport from the south. “Once we have the safe house, we’ll block access to the port and flush him out of his hole.”
Keryn looked up from the map and met the eyes of her soldiers. “Remember, we may have a map, but he knows this city better than we do. These are his people.” Her voice gained a solemn edge. “There’s a good chance that this is another ambush. Stay on your guard.
“You all know your roles. Cerise, you’re the closest thing we have to a medic. Take care of McLaughlin and be ready for air support if we run into trouble. Adam and Penchant, you’re with me. And, Penchant, get into character.”
The black skin of the Lithid shimmered and rippled, as though a stone had been dropped into a pond. His form stretched and twisted, melting like wax before coloring and hardening into sharp Terran facial features with blazing red hair and beard. His clawed hands retracted, to be replaced with calloused and fleshy fingers. Where a dark Lithid had stood moments before, a bearded Terran now stretched its limbs.
“Better?” Penchant asked, his low growl the only thing that still remained of the talented doppelganger assassin. He stood naked, his new pink skin warming under the bloated sun.
“Much,” Keryn replied, suppressing a smiling. “Now try putting some clothes on before you embarrass Adam.”
The other two members of her strike team went about changing out of their coveralls and switching into more inconspicuous clothing. Turning away from them, Keryn proceeded to do the same.
Keryn stretched her lithe body and, covering her violet eyes, glanced toward the sky. A vibrant yellow sun burned brightly in the faintly green sky and the heat from the enlarged sun made her uncomfortable. Though only moments outside the cool confines of her ship, Keryn could already feel the sweat rolling down her back.
Propping open a hatch near the right wing, she pulled out a small travel bag and dumped its contents onto the flat of the wing. With little thought to modesty, she unbuttoned her flight suit and let it fall forgotten to the ground. She quickly donned the lightweight blue shirt and brown pants that she wore when not suffering from the gravitational forces of space travel. Clipping her pistol to her side, she pulled on the long, thin jacket to hide its presence. With a cursory glance around the grotto, Keryn placed her flight suit and the bag back inside its compartment. By the time she was done, the other two members of her assault team had also changed and were ready to leave the ship, their own sidearms carefully concealed amidst loose fitting clothing. Content, the three turned and began the three-mile walk to the city.
The group walked through the humid jungle in relative silence, each lost in their own thoughts. For Keryn, her thoughts were repeatedly pulled back to her own disappointment at her current assignment. As the Squadron Commander aboard the Revolution, Keryn had excelled, much like she had done in the Academy. Her uncouth battle techniques and quick reflexes within her squadron had established the Revolution as one of the flagships of the Interstellar Alliance Fleet and, as such, she had been poised to lead the assault on Earth’s orbital defenses. As the Fleet prepared to make the experimental warp to Earth, however, the High Council had approached her with a different mission, one that she wanted to refuse but found herself unable to deny.
Instead of leading Squadrons of fighters during the largest assault in the past few centuries, Keryn had been delegated to a seven-soldier assault team hunting down a smuggler fugitive. She had trouble accepting her assignment as anything less than a demotion for some unknown affront against the High Council.
Decker’s yell pulled her from her thoughts. As they broke through the trees, Keryn found Adam removing his shirt while balanced at the lip of a small outcropping of rock. Beyond him, sparkling in the warm sun, a river bubbled past from a waterfall a few hundred meters upstream.
“Well I’ll be damned,” she muttered, happy to think that she might finally wash away some grime. If nothing else, it would give them the chance to blend into the city, as opposed to looking and smelling like they had just flown halfway across the universe.
Her thoughts were interrupted by a loud splash, as though flesh struck water at an uncomfortable angle. Keryn’s eyes glistened as she heard the sound and a smile crept across her face.
Paddling giddily near the center of the lagoon, Adam laughed to himself while vigorously rubbing a bruise spreading across his side.
She didn’t wait for an invitation before stripping off her jacket, kicking off her boots, and dropping her pistol absently on top of the growing pile of clothes. With little thought to prying eyes, Keryn pulled her shirt free and unbuttoned her pants, adding both articles of clothing to the pile. Standing naked on top of the rocks that lined the shore of the river, the swollen yellow sun glistened off her wildly attractive form, her red and purple tattoos tracing the curves of her body.
As Keryn braced herself for her jump into the cool waters, Adam sat in the water and admired the firmness of her athletic and curvy body, his bruises already forgotten. He watched longingly as she started her sprint toward the edge of the rocks, intent on throwing herself into the stream. Moments before her feet left the rock outcropping but much too late to stop her momentum, Adam snapped out of his fantasizing, suddenly scared.
“Stop!” he yelled as her feet left the rock.
She tucked her legs under her, pulling her knees to her chest in anticipation of hitting the water. She struck the surface of the water, hitting her backside first and knocking the wind from her. Her body unfolded as she struck the solid surface of the water, its surface bowing but not giving way to her weight. Skipping like a stone, Keryn could feel the welt already forming on her bottom. Slowly, her momentum petered out until she came to a rest. When finally stopped, she broke through the surface of the stream and was dumped, unceremoniously, into the cold water.
Spitting river water from her mouth and brushing her silver hair out of her face, Keryn clutched her bruised backside and gasped for breath.
“What the hell was that?” she screamed after finally taking in a lung full of air.
“I tried to warn you,” Adam replied, swimming over to her. “Apparently the surface tension on this planet is significantly higher than anywhere else we’ve been. I found out the hard way too,” he finished, showing the spreading bruise on his ribs.
“You could have warned me just a little sooner instead of just…,” she paused, “staring. Now you owe me one.”
Adam covered the rest of the distance between them in a couple powerful strokes of his arms. “However can I make it up to you,” h
e replied in mock penitence. He stared deeply into her eyes, his blue reflecting in her deep violet eyes.
A coarse laugh caused them both to turn. Penchant stood on the embankment laughing. Though capable of changing forms at will, the Lithids could do nothing to change their voices, which remained rough and gravelly.
Keryn narrowed her eyes and stared at the bearded persona Penchant had adopted. “Don’t start laughing now, Lithid. This isn’t just a social stop along our way. You may not have sweat glands that excrete body odor, but the rest of us smell terrible and are going to scrub thoroughly before getting dressed. I’m not spending a few days in close confines with us smelling that bad.” She turned to Adam, who had inched closer through the dense water. “That means you, lover boy.”
Dejected, Adam swam away and began scrubbing some of the grime that had collected over their months of travel. Penchant moved around the edge of the water, keeping watch over the two as they washed.
As Penchant stood on the far shore, staring at the encroaching wilderness, Keryn finished her diligent washing and walked onto dry land. She stood, letting the hot sun dry the beads of water that rolled down her naked back, down her strong legs, and pooled on the ground at her feet. Tilting her head, Keryn began ringing the water from her hair.
Glancing over her shoulder, she called to Penchant. “Gather our clothes and come across. Give us a quick recon of the area ahead, while we get dressed.”
Penchant turned and disappeared down the far shoreline just as Adam emerged from the water, shaking himself dry like a dog.
“Are we sure we’re up for this?” he asked, the flirtatious humor now replaced with deadly focus.
“Unfortunately, no,” she replied, frustrated. “We know Cardax won’t be alone within the city, so we’ll have to be careful. On Pteraxis, he didn’t know what we looked like and it still ended badly for us.” Penchant approached them from out of the jungle. He dropped their gathered belongings at their feet and both Keryn and Adam began dressing.
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