A shadow loomed in his still splotchy vision when a pair of heavy boots smashed into his chest and slammed him into the turf. He grunted from the impact that sent his PK-40 flying from his paw. His head was hammered into the turf, and only the BAMF combat armor saved him from a crushed rib cage. His assailant moved with incredible speed, spreading his legs and dropping down on Hr’ent’s chest. A flash of steel came at Hr’ent’s face. The attack instantly set his arms in motion. He raised them just in time to block the downward stab of a combat knife. The point slid past his eye. The edge of the blade sliced across his temple and grated against bone.
The Feral in Hr’ent broke free of its bonds with a ferocious roar that echoed through the forest, and his hackles bristled with fury. With a mighty heave of his legs and mid-section, he sent his assailant sailing over his head and the pile of equipment beyond. Hr’ent was up in a flash. He turned to face his opponent, who had gotten to his feet more quickly than Hr’ent would have thought possible. The muscular Jivool facing him had grim features pulled back into a silent snarl. He had black fur, covered only by an advanced tactical vest and dark slacks. His arms were bare, and he stood in a low combat stance with his knife held back and low, ready for a powerful thrust. He had a shoulder holster rig, with one holster empty and a slim needler in the other.
The equipment lay between them, so Hr’ent charged, moving with all the speed his enhanced reflexes would allow. He slapped the top of the cases as he sailed over and rotated his body so he came at the Jivool feet first to smash him with both boots.
The Jivool shifted to the side so fast, the motion barely registered in Hr’ent’s brain, and he had to block a downward slash of the blade with his forearm as he sailed past. He felt the blade bite into the elbow joint of his armor, and the impact twisted his body mid-air.
Elementals, this Jivool is strong!
Hr’ent came down on all fours, skidded across the soil, and found the combat dagger still stuck in the elbow joint. He wasn’t sure if it had bitten into flesh. As he looked up, he saw the Jivool reaching for his needler. Hr’ent pushed off with his legs, snarling as he rocketed over the ground. The needler came free in a flash as the Jivool dove to the side. Hr’ent watched in a sort of slow motion as the barrel came around, pointed at his chest, and fired twice.
Hr’ent heard a CRACK-CRACK as alloy slugs slammed into his armor. He felt the impacts, and a blaze of pain streaked across his chest.
I’m hit!
The thought flickered through his mind as he slapped a mighty paw against the needler. The force of the blow slammed the Jivool’s arm aside, sending him spinning as the needler sailed out into the forest. The combat knife stuck in Hr’ent’s armor went flying with it.
Hr’ent slammed into the ground, paws first, in front of the equipment cases. He leapt to his feet to face the Jivool again only to see an open paw, claws spread, heading for his face. He was barely able to duck under the deadly attack. He slashed out, catching the back of the Jivool’s arm and tearing deeply into flesh. He slashed upward, connecting with the Jivool’s belly and ripping gouges up along the tactical vest. His claws came up and caught the Jivool under the chin, biting into flesh.
Hr’ent smelled Jivool blood as his assailant staggered back a step, stunned by the blow. The Jivool clutched his freshly-opened throat, and a dark wash of blood flowed down his paws and vest.
Hr’ent cocked a fist, planted his rear foot, and sent a single punch rocketing into his assailant’s chest. The Jivool’s breath exploded from his muzzle, and he flew backward. He slammed into a tree, spun away from it in a dance of flailing limbs, and sailed out a few meters into the rushing river.
Hr’ent surged forward, dashing for the riverbank, and watched as the Jivool’s body was carried away, face-down, in the flowing water.
He wasn’t moving.
Hr’ent watched the body float downriver for another 60 meters before losing it in the darkness. He thought about chasing the bastard down, but with a slashed throat and crushed chest, he was already dead or would be when his unconscious body drowned. There was no way a Jivool could survive something like that.
Who was that guy? Hr’ent thought as he gasped to get his breathing under control.
Pain pulsed across his chest and forced a groan out of him. He almost dropped to his knees with the intensity of it, but he caught himself and looked down, expecting to see blood pouring from a mortal chest wound.
There were two holes in the center of his chest plate, and the alloy had flared out and up from the impacts of the high-velocity rounds, but there was no blood. His chest burned, but he realized he was breathing normally, in great, heaving gasps. No blood in the lungs, and my heart is beating, he thought, amazed.
“Let’s hear it for BAMF armor,” he said out loud. Then he heard a twig snap off to his left and heavy footsteps running away. He jerked his head to the side and dropped down into a crouch.
There were two of them.
He’d almost forgotten about the one that had fired the laser. But why hadn’t they taken another shot? Because they couldn’t.
Pushing the pain aside, Hr’ent darted through the trees, hot on the trail of whoever had made the sound. He had covered about 50 meters when he came around the bole of a thick tree and saw a wide glade in the middle of the forest about 60 meters away from the river.
Standing in the moonlight, a slim laser pistol aimed straight at Hr’ent, was a smaller Jivool in a tattered business suit. The legs of his slacks had been cut away, and he seemed to be wobbling on unsteady legs.
“Get away from me, or I’ll shoot!” the small Jivool barked.
Hr’ent’s eye twitched with anger, and a growl rumbled in his chest. He could still feel the Feral rage coursing through him. He wanted to charge forward and tear into the stupid Jivool, but he quickly got a handle on his fury. He glanced at the weapon and saw the faint red glow of an empty power cell warning light.
“I don’t think you will,” Hr’ent said as calmly as he could. His breath came in ragged gasps, but it was more from rage than exertion. He let out a long breath. He was there to gather intel, not kill frightened suits in the forest. For all he knew, the Jivool he’d just killed was a bodyguard for this one, and he had just been doing his job—protecting an ISMC suit. “The power cell is dead.” He let out another long breath and eyed the Jivool. “What’s your name?”
The executive hesitated for just a moment, his eyes full of fear.
“I asked you a question,” Hr’ent growled.
“Venna,” the Jivool blurted. “My name is Venna. I work for ISMC…in communications.”
“All right, Venna,” Hr’ent said easily, “I think you can put that thing down. You’re not going to hurt me with it.”
The Jivool’s arm sagged, and the weapon dangled uselessly in his paw.
“Who are you?” the Jivool asked.
“I’m a—” Hr’ent paused for just a moment—“Peacemaker.” He wasn’t ready to mention being an Enforcer just yet. He would save that bit of information for a later time. “I’m here to hopefully find a way out of the mess your idiot bosses and those thick-headed GenSha have made on Godannii 2.”
The Jivool looked surprised. “How do you intend to do that?”
“I don’t know yet,” Hr’ent replied, “but you’re coming with me.” He eyed the pistol. “You really can drop that thing, unless you feel like carrying it 20 kilometers. It’s useless now.”
The weapon slipped from the Jivool’s paw and fell to the ground.
“Come on,” Hr’ent said. “I need to get some equipment and blow the rest. Then we’re going to Moppicut City to see if I can put the shit back in the Izlian.”
The executive gave Hr’ent a strange look and then moved toward him on tender legs. “Just you?” he asked, disbelief filling his voice.
Hr’ent gave him a toothy grin.
“I’m an overachiever,” he replied with a bit of sarcasm. “Now get moving!”
* * * * *
Chapter Twenty-Four
Godannii 2
GenSha Mobile Command Post - Black Sector, Moppicut City
A mortar round rocked the dark street, sending debris and a now-burning vehicle flying through the air. The two GenSha who had been using the vehicle as cover went sailing backward, and their lifeless bodies tumbled several times before coming to a rest in the middle of the far intersection.
“They’re murdering us!” Saul screamed as another mortar round went off a dozen meters past the first one. Everyone inside the second story command post ducked behind cover as the windows blew in from the concussion.
“Gods-be-damned mercenaries,” Bith growled. He looked around at the room full of frightened faces, their eyes wide in the shadows. Fighting ISMC troopers was one thing, but these mercenaries were some of the best, and they weren’t taking prisoners. He glanced at his comms officer. “Tell them to pull back and be prepared to execute command Sabin Theta with a three-minute countdown.” He glanced at the map hanging on the wall. “Buildings G-Nine and Ten as well as H-Twelve and Thirteen.”
“Sir, we’re in G-Ten.”
“Exactly,” Bith said. “I want everyone out of here immediately.” He looked at the comms officer. “Still no word from Gate Command?”
The officer shook his head.
“Either they’re not receiving us, or they’ve gone radio silent. There’s no way to tell,” the officer replied grimly.
Bith grunted as a feeling of betrayal burned in his heart. He’d hoped his friendship with Kraibozsh was worth more than this, but apparently, he’d guessed wrong. He’d made a lot of bad guesses lately. He shook his head in frustration.
“Give the order: Sabin Theta is a go!” he shouted. “Meet up at H Fifteen in three minutes!”
* * *
“Is everything ready?” Bith asked, turning to the comms officer as a series of mortar rounds rocked the street two blocks away, reflecting bright flashes off the darkened buildings.
The officer held up a finger and pressed the earpiece against his head. It was connected to an RF comms unit strapped to his back. He nodded and turned to Bith.
“All units have confirmed everything is in place and ready. They have eyes on at least four squads of armed mercenaries moving into both city blocks. One covers the street while another enters the nearest building for a sweep and clear.”
“Give our teams the go-signal. They have 30 seconds to get clear.”
The comms officer pressed the earpiece to his head again and barked out coded commands in the GenSha language. Bith pulled a small remote from his pocket and glanced at his chronometer. He started counting backwards.
“Three…two…one…fire in the hole!” he shouted, and then he pressed a button on the remote.
Thunder roared from two blocks away as a staccato series of detonations sent shockwaves out in all directions. The building around them shook. The windows rattled. Pictures dropped from the walls as eight seconds of mining explosives ripped through the foundations of four buildings. Smoke poured out of the buildings in all directions as gouts of pulverized concrete shot into the night air. And then the buildings toppled toward the street where the mercenaries had started to scramble, but it was too late for them.
* * *
Godannii 2
Veetanho Mercenary Platoon Bravo 3 - Black Sector, Moppicut City
The Veetanho infantry fell back as the block in front of them fell inward on itself. One of them, a whitish gray female wearing laser reflective goggles and carrying a large satcom set on her back, waved at the retreating troops and gave the hand signal to rally on her position.
“What do we do now, Lieutenant Veeka?”
She looked at the 11 others, much younger and less experienced than herself, and almost told them she was ready to quit the mercenary life once and for all, that none of this shit mattered to her or anyone else, no matter what they were being paid, but she didn’t say it. Instead, she looked into their eyes.
“Hold this ground. Establish a perimeter. When the dust settles, we’ll move forward under cover of darkness. Keep your ears down. Nobody do anything stupid, and we’ll live through this.”
“And grab some credits,” one of the young ones said.
She whirled on the younger female. “Throk? Shut your mouth. No credits are worth your life. What matters is what’s around you.”
The young female glanced away, and Veeka knew her words failed to reach yet another mercenary.
I really am done with this shit. Live through this, and I’m out. Permanently.
“Spread out!” she commanded, and the young mercs scattered for cover with their weapons out. As they did, she peered over the fallen concrete column she’d taken cover behind. With every direction blotted out by darkness and a swirling, gray wall of dust, there wasn’t much she could see except for the bottom of a debris pile where the entire first platoon lay buried at the hands of the GenSha.
Rifle and cannon fire echoed through the tight streets and alleyways. Occasional mortar rounds fell and exploded in other quadrants of the attack. For the moment, her zone was quiet. The GenSha detonation of four buildings to cut off the company’s advance had been a brilliant, and costly, maneuver.
“Veeka? Are you still there?” the radio crackled in her ear.
She tapped her earpiece. “Yes, but first platoon is gone.”
“You must advance.” Her commander’s tone was cold and distant.
Veeka bit her lip. “The detonation has obscured the surrounding area. We would be walking into a kill zone.”
“You must advance. The GenSha are falling back.”
She thought for a moment. The detonation of the buildings was a delaying action. The GenSha had seen, via sensor platforms or observers, where the bulk of the mercenary forces intended to strike.
“They are regrouping for a counterattack, commander,” Veeka replied. “If we hold position here, we can fortify positions and defend—”
“Veeka! The Darkness does not hold position. We do not defend. We attack and press forward to victory.” Her commander’s tone became sarcastic. “Or are you unable to follow the orders of those above you? You tend to have a problem with superior leaders.”
Merely higher-ranking ones, Veeka thought.
Veeka peered over the column again, and her eyes locked onto movement among the shadows no more than 100 meters away. Three GenSha, two adults and a child, shuffled through the cloud toward the center of the GenSha position. Covered in dust, they stood out against the darkened backdrop of the debris. Following their path, Veeka saw that the buildings in the next block were significantly damaged. One appeared ready to collapse. She did not hesitate.
“Second platoon, on me!” she called and vaulted over the column. Without looking back, she darted toward the exposed GenSha. As she ran, Veeka tried not to imagine laser pulses or traditional munitions flying through the air around her. Still, she closed the distance quickly. The male GenSha, sensing her approach from their rear, turned and tried to shield his family.
“Stop right there!” Veeka called, but they accelerated. She glanced up at the crumbling building and saw the upper portion of the wall facing the street start to fall. With a leap, she tackled the male GenSha and knocked him to the ground. Even as he fell, she spun and leapt for the female and the child. They fell to the ground in a heap with her on top. Not ten meters away, the building’s facade crumbled to the street with a resounding crash that showered her and the GenSha with dust.
The wide-eyed male sat up and raised his forehands. After a moment, the female and the tiny child did the same. Veeka shook her head and pointed across the street.
“Get to shelter. We will ensure you make it.”
None of the GenSha appeared to understand for several seconds. Veeka glanced down to make sure her translator was functioning. As her gaze shifted back to them, she saw the GenSha moving. The male had scooped up the child and was running across the narrow street. The female calle
d back to her.
“You are honorable, Veetanho.”
Veeka watched them disappear into the dust and darkness as the remnants of her platoon huddled around her. In their eyes she saw a mixture of awe and confusion. She knew what they were thinking. She’d left them behind, in a less than ideal situation, to save three enemy on the battlefield.
“Eyes on me,” she snapped, and they looked at her immediately. “Non-combatants are not our enemy. I will not tolerate collateral damage. Is that clear?”
“Yes, Lieutenant,” they replied almost in unison.
The looks in their eyes said they were still confused, and she clenched her jaw and surveyed the situation. As she searched for a way out of the street and into good cover and concealment, she recognized one single, galvanizing truth.
Live or die, this is my last contract, she thought and gave a long sigh.
I’ve had enough of this shit.
* * *
Godannii 2
Peacemaker Blue Flight
“Anything yet?” Hak floated halfway through the hatch of the small sensor suite. Graa’vaa sat inside, her frame taking up the bulk of the small compartment. The young intelligence specialist hadn’t left the space since Hr’ent’s jump. By the furious tapping of her digits on the slate and Tri-V screens, he knew she was working to cut through the interference and get information on the situation.
“Nothing from Hr’ent.” She sighed. “I’m inside the ISMC mainframe network, though.”
Hak moved around the open hatch jamb and into the space. “How did you manage that?”
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