Ignotus

by Kevin Hardman

  “It jibes with what I’ve seen,” Planck had said. “In addition, some symbol of authority usually gets passed from one person to another, showing that the new individual is now in charge.”

  Maker had also taken the opportunity to quiz Planck regarding the information Diviana had obtained about the Vacra’s reputation. Planck could only confirm that he’d seen other races treat the Vacra respectfully, although he didn’t know if that was done out of courtesy, fear, or as a result of some other factor.

  Taken altogether, it meant that Maker had to accede to Skullcap’s ultimatum about going to the Vacra warship. However, it didn’t mean he had to take unnecessary chances. To that end, he and the rest of those on the shuttle were all armed. (Even Planck, who looked as though he didn’t know which end to aim, was carrying a firearm, while Maker brought along his vibro-blade for extra protection.) In addition, the battle cruisers, as well as the Nova, were in combat mode; if anything went wrong, they were already set to blast holes in the Vacra vessel.

  Fortunately, they had no trouble in terms of approaching or landing on the warship, which was massive in size – bigger than the three ships in Maker’s convoy combined. The air inside was tolerable, as they had been informed, but Maker and his people wore nose filters just to be safe. As they exited the shuttle, they were met by a contingent of Vacra soldiers. Just eyeballing them, Maker surmised that they numbered about twenty, which meant that he and his people were badly outnumbered. The only good news was that only one of the Vacra – apparently the leader – was wearing battle armor, sans helmet. The fellow was, however, carrying something that looked like a battle-axe.

  Skullcap, in the vanguard of those who had exited the shuttle, stepped forward. At the same time, the Vacra in the battle suit walked forward as well, until the two were face-to-face. Skullcap opened his mouth to speak, but what issued forth was a fast-flowing stream of chittering which did not, for some reason, get converted into Terran by their translators.

  “What the hell?” muttered Adames in a low voice. “My translator’s not getting this.”

  “It’s not the translator,” Planck said softly. “It’s them. They’re speaking some non-standard version of the Vacran language that the device can’t decipher.”

  “The upshot of which is that we have no idea what they’re saying,” Maker concluded, frowning. This was exactly the situation that he hadn’t wanted to be in. Suddenly on edge, he placed his hand on his sidearm, ready to draw and fire at the slightest provocation.

  As he watched, the armored Vacra finished saying something and then thrust the battle-axe out towards Skullcap, who took it. The other Vacra then took a few steps backward and resumed his prior place at the head of his fellows.

  Turning to face Maker and the others, Skullcap announced, “It is done. I now command this vessel.”

  Maker didn’t immediately respond. Instead, his eyes went from Skullcap to the axe he held, and then back to the insectoid’s face.

  Seeming to understand, Skullcap explained, “It is ceremonial – a symbol of the authority I now wield.”

  “It looks pretty functional to me,” Maker countered.

  “It can be utilized as a weapon,” Skullcap agreed, “but regalia like this are rarely put to such use.”

  “Well, let’s concentrate on keeping it that way,” Maker stressed.

  “That is my intent,” Skullcap replied. “Now come – I will take you to your property.”

  He then turned and began walking away – apparently heading for a nearby corridor. With little choice, Maker’s team fell into step behind him.

  Chapter 67

  Skullcap marched through the ship unerringly and with a purposeful stride, as if he knew exactly where he was going. Truth be told, that was probably the case; the insectoid was clearly familiar with this ship model (and more likely, with this specific vessel).

  Keeping an eye on the insectoid (and more precisely, on the axe he carried), Maker made it a point to stay fairly close to – albeit to the rear of – their erstwhile guide. The battle-axe had a long handle, which meant that Skullcap probably wouldn’t be able to use it effectively on someone who was too close.

  At the same time, Maker had to keep an eye out for any type of ambush. He’d been on precisely one Vacra ship before (and had spent much of his time fighting for his life during that episode), so the layout was unfamiliar to him. There could be a horde of Vacra, armed to the teeth, waiting around the next corner or in the next corridor. The only silver lining in that regard was that the contingent of insectoids who had met their shuttle hadn’t deigned to follow them after Skullcap began leading them through the ship. (Like the people on Maker’s own ship, apparently they had other duties to perform.)

  The thought of his people made Maker perform a quick visual check on those with him. As he’d figured, Adames and Snick were clearly alert, keenly aware that anything might happen. Planck, however, appeared to be a bundle of raw nerves; he was sweating profusely, and his eyes darted around wildly, like a turkey that had just figured out what Thanksgiving was all about.

  Of course, Maker thought. He hasn’t been around this many Vacra since we rescued him. It made sense, then, that Planck was more than a little nervous.

  “Steady,” Maker whispered to him, hoping to keep the man calm.

  Planck gave a curt nod, indicating that he’d heard what was said. Satisfied, Maker gave him a reassuring clap on the shoulder. However, the gesture proved premature, as a moment later a shout from Adames made it clear that their situation was still precarious.

  “Heads up!” the NCO bellowed.

  They had just entered a corridor that formed an L-shaped junction with the passageway they were departing. Maker, who was at that moment in position to see down both legs of the hallway, noted with alarm that a horde of Vacra soldiers was charging at them from both the front and behind.

  Ambush! Maker screamed mentally.

  Chapter 68

  The four men automatically went into a back-to-back formation – or rather, the three Marines did. Maker had to grip Planck’s shoulder and manhandle him into position, so that ultimately the two of them faced one leg of the L-shaped corridor while Adames and Snick faced the other. Maker had probably been rougher than necessary, but it had only taken a second. Truth be told, however, a second was probably more time than any of them had to spare, because the next moment they were fighting for their lives.

  Maker had instinctively drawn his weapon the moment Adames had shouted. Now he fired indiscriminately at the Vacra bearing down on them, all the while mentally cursing himself for being foolish enough to have trusted Skullcap in the slightest.

  As the thought of the Vacra leader crossed his mind, Maker looked for him and caught a glimpse of the insectoid up ahead, surrounded by his fellows. Somehow, while Maker had been trying to calm Planck, the insectoid had apparently put some space between them. Moreover, he could hear Skullcap shouting over the din of fighting.

  “Stop!” the insectoid screamed. “Drop your weapons!”

  Like hell I will, Maker thought, and continued shooting. It was then that his mind registered something that he wouldn’t actually realize until later: the Vacra were charging their position, but not shooting at them.

  Maker continued firing, absentmindedly noting that the hallway ahead was starting to fill with bodies. Still, the Vacra were collectively getting closer. There were just too many of them.

  It was then that Maker took note of an odd fact: he was the only person engaging the enemy in this leg of the hallway. Sparing a quick glance at Planck, he saw the man holding his weapon out, but not firing. Instead, he stood there grimacing, his gun hand trembling slightly.

  “Shoot, damn you!” Maker ordered.

  “I’m trying!” Planck yelled. “It’s not working!”

  Maker didn’t dare glance behind to see how Adames and Snick were faring; he simply assumed they were taking care of business. But on his side, they were going to be overrun soon with
only one person engaging the enemy.

  “Here!” Maker shouted, shoving his gun towards Planck. At the same time, he drew the vibro-blade with his free hand and switched it on. And then, almost before Planck had taken the firearm from him, Maker dashed forward shouting, “Stay behind me!” over his shoulder.

  For the next few moments, it was essentially a slaughter as the vibro-blade – oscillating at a rate too fast for the eye to follow – severed flesh and bone like a surgical laser. The blade’s ability to administer wholesale carnage was on full display as Maker hacked and slashed anything that came near him, and its deadliness initially compensated for the fact that the enemy had more limbs and could, therefore, wield more weapons.

  That said, the vibro-blade was designed for close-combat encounters, requiring the person wielding it to be in close proximity to his intended target. Ergo, with the Vacra continuing to charge forward without regard to danger (and even with Planck taking the occasional potshot at the enemy), it was only a matter of time before the inevitable happened. Thus it was that, as Maker was stabbing one of the Vacra in the thorax, another of them managed to grab the wrist holding the blade and then twisted, hard.

  Maker dropped the weapon, which immediately stopped oscillating once it left his grip and hit the floor like an ordinary knife. At that juncture, however, he wasn’t paying much attention to it; he was too busy throwing kicks and punches in an effort to keep the Vacra off him.

  Fighting them hand-to-hand, however, was a difficult chore. The insectoids were built differently than humans – jointed in an unfamiliar fashion, making it difficult for Maker to apply his martial training. Nevertheless, he was initially holding his own until he slipped in something – probably blood or gore. His feet flew out from under him and he banged his head hard on the floor.

  For a moment, Maker saw stars. At the same time, klaxons started going off in his brain as he sensed more than observed movement next to him. He shook his head to clear his vision, and then his eyes widened in shock as he saw a Vacra kneeling next to him, stabbing down with a knife.

  Acting more on instinct than conscious thought, Maker reached out with both hands and caught the wrist of the limb holding the descending blade, halting its momentum. (Thankfully it wasn’t the vibro-blade, but the weapon didn’t need any special properties to finish him off; any old stabbing implement would do the trick.) The Vacra then leaned over, putting its weight on the knife, which slowly began to drop toward Maker’s chest.

  Someone shouted nearby but Maker ignored it, putting all his energy and concentration into stopping the descending blade. However, he found himself slightly distracted when a shadow unexpectedly fell over him. Still fighting for his life, he risked an upward glance and felt unbridled fury at what he saw.

  Skullcap.

  More to the point, the Vacra leader was still holding the battle-axe, which he had pulled back like a lumberjack attempting to fell a tree in one swoop. And then he swung the axe towards Maker.

  Chapter 69

  “I’m not thanking him,” Maker declared.

  “For what – saving your life?” asked Snick. “Seems a tad ungrateful, Lieutenant.”

  Maker frowned at Snick’s comment, which alluded to the fact that Skullcap’s swing with the axe – rather than serving as a killing blow to Maker – had actually taken off the head of his attacker. Skullcap had then helped a stunned Maker to his feet and a moment later, after somehow establishing control and getting his people to stand down (those that were left, that is), had whisked the four humans to safety.

  In this instance, “safety” consisted of being hustled into something like a VIP cabin that they could lock from the inside. A quick search of the quarters had revealed that they were alone. More importantly for Maker, they had come across something akin to towels, and – after a bit of trial and error – he had found some spigots from which he could get water. Together, these two discoveries had allowed him to clean up a bit, namely by letting him wash his face and hands, which had been covered with Vacra blood. (His uniform would have to wait until they got back to the Nova, but for all intents and purposes, it was ruined.) Now they were simply waiting for Skullcap to return and let them know…something.

  “He’s right,” chimed in Planck, snapping Maker back to the present. “You do seem unappreciative.”

  Maker gave him an incredulous look. “Am I the only one who remembers that these things are the enemy?”

  Adames shook his head. “No, but the fact that Skullcap gave you a hand instead of just letting you die does muddy the water a bit.”

  “I don’t know that he saved my life,” Maker countered. “For all I know, this entire thing was a setup.”

  “To what end?” asked Planck.

  “To make us grateful,” Maker suggested. “To try to establish a bond of some sort. To make us trust him.”

  “I don’t know, Gant,” Adames muttered skeptically. “He didn’t really have time to plan anything that elaborate.”

  “How much planning is needed to say, ‘Attack these fools in the west corridor’?” Maker scoffed. “And don’t forget, right before he took command, he engaged in some kind of back-and-forth with his buddy that the translator couldn’t decipher.”

  “But at the end of the day, he killed one of his own people to save you,” Snick noted. “He cut off his head.”

  “That doesn’t necessarily mean anything,” Maker said. “I’ve mentioned an insect from Old Earth before called a roach that can live for days after its head has been cut off, and certain insectoid races are the same. For all I know, they took that guy around the corner and duct-taped his head back on. He could be walking around now with nothing more than a raspy voice to indicate that his head and neck once had a brief disconnection.”

  “Well, if that’s how you feel, why’d you even let Skullcap stick us in here?” asked Adames.

  “Because I fell and hit my head and was still dazed at the time,” Maker quipped. “If I’d been in my right mind, I would have gutted him.”

  Maker’s words actually did convey his feelings, but it was simple bravado to a certain extent. He hadn’t even had his knife on him when Skullcap helped him up. (Much to Maker’s chagrin, it was actually Skullcap who had handed the vibro-blade back to him once he regained his feet. Apparently the insectoid had retrieved it at some point while Maker was fighting for his life.)

  With his mind now replaying the incident in the hallway, Maker turned to Planck. “You still have my gun?”

  “Sorry,” Planck muttered apologetically as he handed the weapon over.

  “Any particular reason why you didn’t shoot Skullcap when he was swinging that axe in my direction?” Maker asked.

  “At that point, I understood that his shouts about dropping weapons were intended for his people, not us,” Planck responded. “Plus, I could see him ordering them – actually, forcing them – to stand down. It didn’t seem right to shoot him. Moreover, at that juncture, I realized he was the only thing standing between us and possibly an endless wave of attacking Vacra.”

  Maker’s brow crinkled as he considered Planck’s statement. The man was right, of course. Even with the Vacra refusing to use firearms, eventually they would have overwhelmed the four humans. However, that thought brought something else to mind.

  “By the way,” Maker said to Planck, “what happened to your gun? I checked it myself before we left the Nova, so it should have been fine.”

  Planck lowered his eyes sheepishly. “I actually had Sergeant Adames take a look at it while you were getting cleaned up.”

  Maker waited, expecting Planck to explain further, but after a moment it became clear that the man was having difficulty continuing.

  “And?” Maker prompted.

  Planck opened his mouth, but no words came out. Obviously embarrassed, he glanced at Adames with a pleading expression.

  Taking his cue, Adames said, “Apparently he forgot to take the safety off.”

  Feeling Maker’s gaze an
gling towards him, Planck stared at the floor, and at the same time began to turn red. He wasn’t a soldier, but he felt that his nigh-complete ineptitude had almost cost lives, and it would be no more than he deserved if Maker savagely berated and belittled him. That being the case, he was caught off guard by what actually issued forth from Maker’s mouth: laughter. A moment later, Adames and Snick joined him, and soon enough Planck himself cracked a smile.

  Chapter 70

  Shortly after the discussion about Planck’s gun, a sturdy knock sounded at the door.

  “It is I,” bellowed Skullcap before anyone could ask, his voice coming through the door slightly muffled.

  Warily, Maker cracked the door open, and was pleased to see that the insectoid was alone. He quickly ushered the Vacran in before closing and locking the door behind him.

  “My apologies once again for the incident that occurred,” Skullcap began. “Please know that it was in no way planned nor expected on my part.”

  “So what exactly happened?” asked Maker. “Why did your people attack us?’

  “Simply put, they thought I was in danger and being coerced,” Skullcap answered.

  Maker frowned. “What do you mean?”

  “The ceremony you witnessed where I assumed command is usually a formal and solemn event,” Skullcap explained. “I should have been in my armor, as was the one who relinquished command to me. The fact that I was not was viewed as unorthodox and sent a signal that something was amiss.”

  “Wait,” Maker interjected, his brow furrowed. “Is that what you were trying to tell me when you mentioned that you needed to wear your armor here?”