Enforcer

by Kevin Ikenberry

  The gunner on the sled turned first, searching for the person who had thrown the grenades. He swung his own K-7 around, but Hr’ent pulled the trigger and sent three arc-blue blasts downrange, cutting the gunner in half. Hr’ent shifted and put a half-dozen rounds into the cab of the sled. They blasted through the door and tore the driver to charred pieces.

  He pumped a burst into the engine compartment of the sled, and it exploded, sending the hood into the air and a quarter-panel streaking across the hill. Hr’ent turned and put a burst into the sled he’d just left and grinned as its powerplant cooked off in a fantastic explosion that flipped the vehicle up, over, and onto its back.

  To his right, one of the mercs caught in the grenade explosions rose up from her position and opened fire at Hr’ent with an auto-rifle. One bullet grazed Hr’ent’s thigh and another clipped his shoulder. He ignored the grazes as he pulled the trigger and burned the Veetanho down with a four-shot burst.

  There was a rumble in the sky that slowly drowned out the sound of gunfire—an aircraft coming in fast and low. His ears swiveled, and he turned his muzzle toward the sound of its screaming engines, trying to pick it out of the darkness.

  There.

  He instantly recognized the shadowy silhouette of the Peacemaker dropship, its angles highlighted in crimson as dawn began to bleed into the forest.

  He activated the comms.

  “—ake cover immediately. I repeat, E-H Actual, requested airstrike is inbound on my next pass. Take cover immediately.”

  The shuttle screamed overhead at sub-sonic speed and waggled as the pilot—presumably Emonk—viewed the hillside where the Peacemakers were pinned down, before banking hard to come around for another pass.

  Shit, Hr’ent thought. I’m in exactly the wrong place.

  He glanced up at the fading engines of the dropship, then traced a path from his position all the way up to where the Peacemakers were dug in. It was time to move, and as Hr’ent surged down the hillside, a burst of weapons fire erupted in his direction from the forward lines of the Veetanho.

  The tone of the dropship’s engines leveled out as Emonk came around to set up her run.

  Hr’ent put on a burst of speed, but he was slowed and off balance from the weight of the weapon and the power cells. He could maintain little more than a fast jog, so he started zigzagging through the trees. He crossed the road as more incoming fire peppered the thick trunks and the ground around him. When he reached the base of the hill, he took cover behind a thick trunk and looked up at the ground he had to cover. It was steep and rocky, with fewer trees between him and the Peacemakers’ position.

  The incoming fire from the Veetanho ceased abruptly, and the GenSha took the opportunity to open up on the mercs, who seemed to be falling back up the hill as fast as their legs could carry them. The sound of the shuttle’s turbines shifted up in pitch as Emonk came back for the airstrike. His orders had been specific, and he was right in the middle of where she would be laying down fire. He surged up the hill, climbing as fast as he could.

  He heard the hiss of rockets and the buzz-saw of 30mm rotary-cannons. There was a chain of explosions behind him. Concussions and a blast of heat pressed into his back, almost close enough to singe fur. He staggered with the impact, then pushed harder to get out of the kill zone. The buzz-saw ended, replaced by a thunderous drone that filled the dawn as hundreds of heavy slugs strafed along the edge of the retreating Veetanho’s position and straight into a group of GenSha near the fence line.

  As he climbed, he looked to his right and saw that a wall of smoke, dust, and debris had risen along a 50-meter swath that ended just past the downed fence. He picked out bodies scattered in the mayhem as well as dozens of shadows shifting position to maintain cover.

  Hr’ent covered the remaining 150 meters in 30 seconds, and when he came up on the Peacemaker position, he realized how bad things had gotten.

  Rsach faced him, crouched behind a boulder, his needler pointed straight at Hr’ent’s chest.

  “Rsach,” he shouted, immediately moving the barrel of the repeater out of the line of fire. He held up his other paw. “It’s Hr’ent!”

  “Ven said it was you,” Rsach chittered weakly. He was badly injured, and he lowered the needler. “I didn’t believe him.”

  Hr’ent approached slowly, crouching so the boulders blocked his line of sight to the GenSha he suspected were spreading out below them. Another round of rockets slammed into the ground along the base of the hill to the east and carried to where the GenSha had been dug in. In the slowly brightening dawn, Hr’ent saw a streak of dark blood running down Rsach’s head, and another streak seeping from his thorax.

  “How badly are you hit?” Hr’ent asked, moving even closer. He moved cautiously. He didn’t know what state of mind Rsach was in, and they weren’t the best of friends, by any stretch of the imagination.

  “Those things…” Rsach started slowly. His antenna quivered with disbelief. “Those things you did before…It’s not…” Rsach’s eyes fixed on Hr’ent’s. “What you did is impossible, even for an Oogar.” And then he passed out, slumping against the rocks.

  Hr’ent reached the edge of the boulders, and his guts churned. Down in one corner of their makeshift defensive position lay Vresh. She was obviously dead. She had three gaping wounds in her chest, each about the size of Hr’ent’s finger. Part of her head had been caved in, probably by a flying rock when the big GenSha fired off the first rocket.

  Ven was still breathing, but shallowly. He’d wrapped a bandage around his head, and his belly was a mass of blood that had pooled around his haunches. His eyes met Hr’ent’s with a solemn, silent recognition as he adjusted his claws on his high-powered rifle. Rsach had a deep gouge taken out of his carapace along the top of his head, and there was a nasty wound in the middle of his thorax.

  The first rocket had done what it was supposed to.

  Hr’ent dropped in among the boulders and shot a quick look down the hillside. The airstrike had done a number on the slope to the south and toward the east. Trees had been ripped to pieces and a number of them burned in the morning darkness. It looked like the airstrike had driven off most of the mercs on the east side, which seemed odd, because he didn’t think they had any reason to pull back, seeing as they’d been shooting at him. Unfortunately, the bulk of the GenSha forces had moved into the forest to the northwest and had gone unscathed.

  He activated the comms.

  “E-H-Actual to Blue One, do you copy?”

  “We read you, Hr’ent,” Graa’vaa blurted. “What’s your status?”

  “I got a little singed, but I’m okay. The airstrike was only partially effective. The mercs appear to be falling back, but the bulk of the GenSha are further north and east in the forest. I’ve reached our people. Vresh is dead. Ven and Rsach are in bad shape. Only Ven is conscious. The GenSha appear to be gearing up for an attack on our position.”

  “Hr’ent,” Graa’vaa said. “I was able to order the mercs to stand down and pull back. You don’t have to worry about them. But I’ve only been able to reach one GenSha comms officer, and he cut me off and swore they would kill all of us. I’ll keep trying, but there’s not much I can do from up here, and Emonk is empty. Do you want to request an evac?”

  “Shit,” Hr’ent said under his breath. His mind raced. What was the right call? He glanced over the hill once again and spotted a growing number of GenSha gathering well down the hillside, protected by thicker trees. There was only one thing to do.

  “Negative on the evac,” he finally said. “There’s been at least one rocket launcher in the mix, and I don’t know if there are others. I won’t risk Emonk or the dropship until I know it’s safe.” He looked into Ven’s eyes. “I have to get the two of you up the hill.”

  The dropship streaked over the battlefield once again, drawing Hr’ent’s gaze.

  “Say again, Hr’ent,” Graa’vaa said. “I did not read your last message.”

  “Never mind, Gra
a’vaa,” Hr’ent said. “I’ve got a plan. Have that dropship on standby, and I’ll get back to you. Hr’ent out.”

  He cut the comms.

  * * *

  Godannii 2

  100 Meters East of the Ruins

  “You sure you want to do this?” Hr’ent asked, eyeing Ven. He released the mostly spent power cell from his weapon, let it fall to the ground, and unslung the string of them from around his body. He quickly started loosening the knot. A sliver of the sun had just crested the horizon, bathing the hillside in soft, ruby-red light.

  “No,” Ven said and then coughed up a splash of blood that ran down his chin, “but it’s your best shot to get Rsach out of here. I know I’m done for. An Enforcer’s duty is to rescue Peacemakers who need rescuing and resolve situations on the ground. No amount of rescuing or nanites will save me, and my little situation will resolve itself in short order.”

  “How do you know I am an Enforcer,” Hr’ent asked, cocking his head to the side.

  “Standard operating procedure,” Ven said. “That and watching you tear ass down that hill and slaughter those GenSha. They did something to you, didn’t they?”

  “You have no idea,” Hr’ent replied grimly.

  Ven shifted his position slightly and looked down the hill where a long, wide line of GenSha were preparing for an advance. The airstrikes had pushed the GenSha further north and west along the base of the hill, and the Veetanho had been laying down suppressing fire that had kept them immobile for the time being. “You can’t carry or drag us both and still fire that thing,” he added, nodding at the K-7.

  “No, I can’t. But I’ll come back for you.” Hr’ent slipped a power cell from the cable and slid it into the receiver of the K-7.

  “Don’t you dare,” Ven said weakly. “Just get going.” A flicker of anger crossed his face. “It was Tyrn,” he said quickly. “Tyrn sold us out to the ISMC. He was working for them the entire time, and Rsach and Vresh shot him for it.”

  “Tyrn?” He had a hard time believing a Peacemaker had betrayed them, but stranger things had happened. “We did figure out that video was a fabrication. The barracks attack never happened, near as we can tell.”

  Ven’s eyes went wide. “Rsach said that was probably the case. Gods help us,” he said. “I knew something was wrong with all of this. And when we went to ISMC first…” His eyes flickered to the GenSha below.

  “They were justifiably pissed off.”

  “Rsach said we were following orders…that the message the two of them received was valid. He said the message had Breka’s stamp on it, but he didn’t know if Breka was in on it or had been used.”

  Hr’ent nodded as he tied the knot again.

  “Do you think Rsach was in on it?” He suspected he knew the answer.

  “No,” Ven said immediately. “Rsach wasn’t cut that way, and I think you know it too. When Tyrn tried to bring the the ISMC forces back onto our position, the first thing Rsach did was shoot him.” Ven eyed Hr’ent. “Look, I know you don’t like him. I don’t blame you, but he’s no traitor.”

  The side of Hr’ent’s mouth lifted in a half-smile. He didn’t like Rsach, but he’d known him long enough to know he was the furthest thing from a traitor.

  “I know,” Hr’ent said.

  Ven let out a long, raspy sigh, and a coughing fit took him.

  Slipping the cable of power cells around his body, he placed the K-7 on the boulder behind them and prepared to pick up an unconscious Rsach, who had passed out. Handing over Rsach’s needler and Vresh’s auto-rifle, he stared at Ven for a few moments.

  “Stand or fall, Peacemaker,” Hr’ent said.

  A pained half-smile crossed Ven’s face.

  “Stand or fall, Enforcer.” He paused for a moment, and the smile faded. “And for what it’s worth, I’m sorry about…well, all of it.”

  Hr’ent stole his gaze from Ven and looked over the rocky ledge. A number of GenSha were pointing to the southeast. His gaze traversed to his right, and he saw that the Veetanho mercs were gone. All of them.

  “What are they pointing at? And why aren’t they shooting at each other?” Ven asked.

  “The mercs pulled back, Ven,” Hr’ent said with a bit of hope. “It’s just the GenSha now.”

  Ven looked at him in astonishment.

  “I don’t get it,” Ven said. “There’s no reason for them—”

  “Graa’vaa came up with something and ordered them to stand down,” Hr’ent said, glancing up toward the sky. “At least we don’t have to worry about that right flank anymore.”

  Ven nodded and gave him a weak smile.

  A victorious cheer rose up from the GenSha line at the bottom of the hill, drawing Hr’ent’s and Ven’s gazes. It didn’t look like they were falling back, and some of them were checking the loads of their weapons. They weren’t preparing for a victory party; they were preparing for an assault up the hill.

  “I think that’s your cue,” Ven said, settling back against the boulder.

  “If you see them flanking one direction or another, toss this at them to soften that side and give me a place to start,” Hr’ent said, pulling the last frag grenade from his utility belt. He handed Ven the grenade with a wink. He decided to hang onto the heavy-duty smoker he’d gotten from the pallet. He’d been saving it for just the right moment, and he had a funny feeling that moment was inbound. He couldn’t help but wonder if any of them would live to see the sunset. “Give me a burst of covering fire as I fall back, will you?” he added, grabbing Rsach’s Peacemaker vest by the back of the collar and lifting his limp form like it was a small suitcase. Hr’ent grabbed the K-7 and hopped straight up over two meters of rock face, twisted in mid-air, and came down in a crouch with the weapon held ready in one paw and Rsach in the other.

  “All day long, Hr’ent,” Ven said, shaking his head in disbelief at what Hr’ent was capable of. He hefted and rested the barrel on the fallen stones in front of him. “Good fields of fire from here. Targets up!” he shouted and turned to face the enemy.

  Gunfire erupted from down the hill. A number of the GenSha had seen Hr’ent pop up and were trying to get in a lucky shot. Ven aimed his auto-rifle down the hill, exposing only the barrel and part of his head, and spat a gobbet of blood at the GenSha.

  “Fuck you, bastards,” he said under his breath. “Come and get me.”

  Hr’ent turned, and when Ven’s first shot rang out, he raced up the hill as fast as he could, trying to keep Rsach from bouncing around too much. More shots rang out behind him from Ven and the GenSha. He knew the rocky outcropping would block line-of-sight until he was further up the hill. When he reached a loose patch of old trees, he slipped from one to the next. They were spread out over the northeastern side of the hill and offered him some protection. The steady beat of Ven’s sniper-like shooting set a tempo for Hr’ent’s steps up the ragged slope, and then the level of incoming fire from the GenSha increased to a steady chatter echoing up the hill.

  It didn’t take long for him to cover the 100 meters to the ruins and hop over the wall.

  He leaned the K-7 against the stones and set Rsach carefully down in the tall grass.

  Rsach groaned weakly and shifted his position.

  “Vresh…” Rsach’s voice was a dreamy, pain-filled whisper.

  “You still alive?” Hr’ent asked, kneeling beside the wounded valedictorian. He grabbed his rucksack from where he’d left it and quickly yanked out the medical supplies.

  “For now,” Rsach chittered as his single antenna rose, then sagged. “Where’s Ven?”

  Hr’ent grabbed two tubes of skinseal and began applying the gooey substance to Rsach’s wounds, starting with the deep gash on his head.

  “Below,” Hr’ent said quickly. “Buying us a little time.”

  Rsach let out another pained groan.

  “Don’t die on me now,” Hr’ent ordered. “You’re my last witness.”

  Rsach chuckled. “Is that all I am to you?” He let
out a long breath. “I guess I deserve that.”

  “No, Rsach,” Hr’ent said, meeting the Jeha’s gaze. “You’re a Peacemaker, and that’s all I really need to know to do whatever I can to keep you alive.” He narrowed his eyes. “Do you understand what I’m saying?” He placed a giant paw on what would be Rsach’s shoulder on any other species. “You’re a Peacemaker.”

  Rsach didn’t answer at first. He just stared at Hr’ent as the big Oogar hastily tended to his wounds.

  “We were set up,” Rsach finally admitted. “Tyrn sold us out.”

  “I know,” Hr’ent said flatly. He pulled out a nanite injection and ripped open the package. “The video of the barracks was doctored and served up to you on a platinum platter.”

  “We’re pretty sure somebody higher in the food chain was giving the orders,” Rsach said. “We don’t know who, maybe Breka.” He said the name with a good deal of awe and disbelief. A hacking cough tumbled out of Rsach’s body, and he shuddered with the force of it. “No proof.”

  “It’s a short list,” Hr’ent said as he pulled out a stasis shot. “That’s for sure.” He realized the only way to save Rsach—and that was a big maybe—was to put him in medically-induced stasis and hope he survived until Emonk could land and take them back to the Blue Flight ship.

  Hr’ent held up the injector.

  “Stasis shot,” he said quietly.

  Rsach nodded once in understanding.

  “And it is a short list,” Rsach confirmed. They heard the GenSha gunfire increase, and it appeared to be getting closer. He drew in a deep breath, and his antenna quivered with indecision. As he let out a breath, he appeared to decide. “Hr’ent, there’s something I have to say before I go under. I don’t know if I’ll get another chance.” He shifted in the grass. “You were right about me back in the barracks…and at graduation. I’ve been an ass for far too long, and after all this, assuming I live, you need to know that I will never be on the wrong side of anything ever again. I swear it on my life. I doubt you and I will ever be friends, or even like one another. Too much has passed between us. However, you need to know that, in my heart, I respect you for what you were, what you’ve become, and what you’ve done here. I’m alive right now because of you, and I know it could have gone differently.”