“I never realized how much water was on this planet till this very moment,” Parcisei said from behind.
“Don’t get used to it; we won’t be staying long,” Noylarlie said.
“Exactly what is your plan?”
Noylarlie’s eyes shut, cutting off the red glow they were emitting in an attempt to focus and reposition the Crimson Arrow with her mind. Oh, and to think of an answer to Parcisei’s question, an answer she herself wasn’t 100 percent sure of. “Hannah will guide me,” was all she ended up saying after a long delay.
“Ah right, the creepy human girl who whispers things into your head while you sleep,” he said. “Just…promise me we won’t get killed, because I didn’t really tag along to meet my end here.”
“Parcisei.”
“Yes?”
“Shut up.”
“Seriously, how do you plan to get past the defense platform? Our shields won’t last very long against that firepower.”
Noylarlie’s ESP scanned the human defense platform. He was indeed right; it had more than enough firepower to destroy large Hashmedai ships in seconds. The Crimson Arrow taking a direct hit or two would be vaporized instantly. They were all protected by mind shields, so remotely hijacking them with her psionic mind was out of the question. But…there was one advantage they had that the platforms didn’t. Speed.
“They can’t target and fire at us while in sublight speed,” Noylarie said, reopening her red eyes; they began to glow once again in the low-light setting of the cockpit.
“You know what happens to people who try to land on planets at that speed? They create craters; this planet doesn’t need another one.”
“Let me worry about that,” she said while staring directly at a region of the planet that the humans called “the Middle East.” “I need you to take the controls once we are clear.”
… … …
►► ESV Winston Churchill, Earth Orbit
► Sol System
Cdr. Cassandra Benally heard an audio alert beep from one of the aft workstations aboard the bridge of the Winston Churchill. The instant the alert transmitted, Lieutenant Yates’s eyes read the data, and she yelled, “Commander, we have an incoming Hashmedai ship!”
Benally’s attention snapped to focus, and she directed her weightless body toward the lieutenant. “Location?”
“Baring two-eight-five, traveling at sublight speeds…toward Earth,” Yates reported.
Lieutenant Commander Foster reported additional information from their scans via a holographic window. “Crimson Arrow class ship, mark three.”
“Battle stations!” Benally ordered. “Raise shields, arm all weapons, and scramble fighters now!”
“Most of our fighter groups are engaged in the operation against the HLF base,” Foster reported.
“Have Colonel Davis’s team redirected,” Benally directed. “The HLF assault team can manage with what they already have.”
An alarm emitted a repeating and irritating noise throughout the ship, followed by red lights along the walls to flash. Benally could see beads of sweat float off the foreheads of half the crew on the bridge as they staffed their stations. Foster’s voice played a message across the intercom calling for action stations.
“Commander, shouldn’t the defense platform take care of them?” Yates asked.
“Crimson Arrow’s are controlled by Hashmedai Archmages,” said Benally. “Something tells me they got something funky planned.”
“How did we miss this?”
“This is why we need bridge psionics,” Benally said as she floated toward the center main hologram on the bridge. A zoomed-in image of Earth, the Crimson Arrow, and the Winston Churchill displayed. “ESP travels faster than light; sensor scans don’t.”
Xavier floated aboard the bridge shortly afterward, clearly exhausted from the events that had transpired over the last few days. Hell, Benally insisted he get some rest, rest that had now been canceled.
“Captain on the bridge!” announced Yates.
“Battle stations are interrupting my tea break—report,” Xavier said to Benally as his magnetic boots carried him toward her floating body.
Chapter 22
►► ESV Winston Churchill, Earth Orbit
► Sol System
Ella sat on the tough bed within her holding cell in the brig. The brig was located in the top and far reaches of the habitat ring of the Winston Churchill. A force field kept her inside, while two armed soldiers stood at the entrance to the brig. There were four other cells like hers lined up along the walls.
Being locked up here wasn’t any surprise to her; after all, she more or less started acting like a Hashmedai in front of everyone. Her biggest concern was how long she’d remain here. She had never come clean about her experience and didn’t provide an explanation for Avearan’s actions. How could she? Nobody would believe such a story, and if they did, they’d blame the gem for it. She couldn’t afford to have that happen; she needed it. And she badly missed the gem and its ability to keep her calm. Which was a shame; now that she knew someone who had links to Jazz, being able to swap again to follow up, or even reveal what they knew could be a boost.
A visitor to her cell stepped toward the force field; she was too busy and lost in her thoughts to notice that someone had entered or who it was. Her messy blond hair lifted away from staring at the floor, and fixed in on her visitor—Michei.
The Rabuabin psionic remained shirtless, bearing the scars from his operation mixed in with his network of cybernetics. He held a small data pad in his hands. She smiled at him. He didn’t smile back. Clearly, he wasn’t there to thank her for saving his life. Fair enough. Technically, she wasn’t the one who did it anyway.
“Never would I have imaged my life to be saved by…a heretic.” He spoke in the Radiance Creole language.
Ella replied in the same language. “What makes me a heretic?”
He interacted with his data pad, and then he turned it around so that the screen faced Ella. She saw the image of the gem, sitting in the lab of the Winston Churchill; a small team of researchers was probing and scanning it. “This does. It is an object worshipped and studied by the heretics, the Celestial Order!”
“Listen, I’m going to tell you something, and it needs to stay between us.” Speaking in a language few humans understood presented a unique chance to tell her story with only one person knowing about it. And perhaps, just perhaps, Michei being from Radiance, might believe her.
“Why should I trust you?” He crossed his arms.
“Because you would like nothing more than the chance to deal damage to the order,” she said. “And I might be able to make that happen with what I know.”
“Speak.”
“First of all, that gem isn’t mine; it’s Gavin’s, but that’s another story as to how he got it. That being said, the gem is causing my body to be swapped with a Hashmedai in the Morutrin sector. The actions that got me placed in here weren’t mine; it was the Hashmedai. During our swap, I was in control of her body, and encountered a Rabuabin woman who was sharing a picture of Jake Johnson.” Michei’s eyes rolled upon hearing her story. He’s not buying it. “Ugh, she had blue eyes and strawberry-blond highlights in her hair, which was odd, considering such a style; it would be found only here among humans.”
“And you expect me to believe that?”
“I got shot in the head, and I made a full recovery within hours along with Chloe.” His mouth twisted. “You believe that, right? Well guess what was with me when that attack happened—the gem.”
“So what you’re saying is my life was saved by a Hashmedai, not a heretic.”
“Get me the gem, and I can prove it and more.” It was a long shot, but she had to try. Unfortunately for her, it only got him walking toward the exit, shaking his head. “I might be able to trace that girl again; she may hold more answers as to what Jake was doing in that part of the galaxy…and why the order has taken an interest in him.”
A call to battle statio
ns alert began to howl. Crikey! Now what?
… … …
►► Skies above Dasht-e Kavir Desert Earth
► Sol System
A group of five of Solaris fighters reentered the coldness of space to cover an area of Earth’s orbit that was expected to see the arrival of an unexpected and unwelcome guest from the cosmos. They quickly formed a delta formation while propelling toward the estimated area where the Crimson Arrow was expected to drop out of sublight speeds. Taking point was Jessica “Aura” Davis, geared up in her fight jumpsuit and helmet much like the rest of her team.
The exterior of their fighters glistened and reflected the light from the sun as the insides of their cockpits were filled up with more light than usual. The windshield of her craft dimmed to block out a tremendous amount sunlight as they remained on course.
“This is Gladius lead. We are about to have visual contact with our guest, moving in to intercept,” Aura transmitted.
“Copy that lead,” Yates responded over the radio.
“It’s still moving at sublight speed,” Gavin said.
Aura’s eyes peered down at the blue-and-white holo interface, revealing sensor data. He was right; it was moving at full speed. A ship like that should have begun to decelerate whether they wanted to land or enter orbit. “Gladius two and three, form up. Let’s say hello to our friend,” Aura ordered Gavin and Hammer.
“If it’s going to stop, now would be the time,” said Hammer. “Don’t suppose it plans to slam into the ground?”
… … …
►► Crimson Arrow, Earth Orbit
► Sol System
“Human fighters inbound,” Parcisei reported from his computer terminal.
Noylarlie grunted and said, “I’m aware of that.”
“So are we going to slow down or…?” Noylarlie didn’t reply, she merely grinned, as the blue world covered the entire viewing area of the windshield. “Oh gods.”
The Crimson Arrow swiftly flew past the fighter group, orbital defense platforms and traveled on what seemed to be a direct collision course toward the surface of Earth. In a matter of seconds, the darkness of space became the sunny cloudless skies above Iran; the weightless environment of the Crimson Arrow instantly gained weight.
Using the full might of Noylarlie’s psionic mind, she forced the craft to come to a full and complete stop. The instant stopping motion caused a shockwave of energy to burst away from the Crimson Arrow directly into the sea that was now below it. A tsunami formed as a result; Noylarlie did not care where it traveled and what it destroyed in the process. She slowly began to control the Crimson Arrow once again, this time through the skies of Earth.
“You worry too much,” Noylarlie finally said on seeing the petrified look on Parcisei’s brown face. “Now take the helm. I have some searching to do!”
… … …
►► Skies above Dasht-e Kavir Desert Earth
► Sol System
“I don’t fucking believe it,” Gavin said upon witnessing the Crimson Arrow fly right past them only to stop on a dime in midair.
All five pilots double-checked their sensor data to ensure what they saw was legit. And it was. Psionics can rewrite the laws of physics with their minds. I wish I could do that with my fighter!
“All right, boys and girls, let’s go!” Aura said as her fighter broke off to pursue their target now, meandering through the skies of Iran. “Winston Churchill, this is Gladius one, tango has entered the atmosphere. I repeat, tango is in the atmosphere and is still in play,” Aura reported. “We are in pursuit!”
“Confirmed,” Xavier transmitted back. “Take it to ’em!”
It didn’t take long for the five fighters leaving the weightlessness of space to swoop down behind the Crimson Arrow like a group of hungry of eagles.
“I see ’em,” Aura announced. Her holographic targeting HUD loaded, displaying the Crimson Arrow. A targeting reticule appeared, forming a red circle around the imposing ship with the text “target locked” appearing shortly afterward. “Fox three!”
A signal-guided plasma missile bolted through the skies, smashing into the shields of the Crimson Arrow. Blue ripples waved across, protecting the hull of the alien ship as the missile’s delivery of its plasma payload exploded. A five-on-one dogfight began as the Crimson Arrow started evasive rolls and dives.
“Fox three!” Gavin announced over the radio as one of his plasma missiles launched, delivering the same dazzling display of colors upon impact.
Green plasma bolts sprayed toward the five attacking craft, the Crimson Arrow managed to about face and bear its fangs. All five banked and veered away from doom, all five were now separated. Aura took a deep breath and propelled her fighter closer to the Crimson Arrow while unloading a torrent of bullets from her rail canon, streaks of red tracer formed lines that made small blue ripples against the Arrow’s rear shields, but only for a few seconds. The Crimson Arrow pulled up high and fast into the sky, out of visual range. She adjusted to track, but saw nothing but the blue skies and the glare from the sunlight.
“Fox three!” she heard Orbital announce, there was a bright flash of light seconds later.
As Aura came about, she found herself looking down toward the desert below. The Crimson Arrow wasn’t in sight, but Gavin’s fighter was…and another target. It wasn’t a ship, and it was gaining fast behind Gavin.
“Gladius two, check your six!” she shouted and then lowered her craft to come behind the new target that joined the aerial dance. Upon closer inspection with her eyes and targeting scanner, the target was a floating Hashmedai with blue skin and long black hair. “Fuckin’ psionic in play! Break off and handle it!” Aura shouted.
Gavin’s fighter banked toward the left, just in time as a barrage of white fireballs flew away from the psionic. Aura’s HUD reported another lock, this time on the psionic. “Fox one,” she called. Her payload left the confines for her fighter. It streaked toward its target only to stop midway and fall to the land below in an instant. The psionic spun her stunning body around to face Aura, and the two made direct eye contact. “You fucking bitch!” she exclaimed while her guns roared to retaliate.
The psionic waved her hand from left to right, causing every bullet shot at her to stop moving and float in front of her. She then saw the psionic clap her hands, and the bullets launched back toward Aura. Her hands pulled up on her flight stick, avoiding most of the shots, though she felt her craft rumble violently during the ascent. A quick glance at her status hologram revealed her shields were down to 71 percent.
Her fighter leveled out once again. Off in the distance she saw the Crimson Arrow making a run toward the Dasht-e Kavir crater, and below that Hijinks’s fighter came dangerously close to the ground following a barrel roll to shake off the psionic who now focused on her.
“Gladius five, watch the deck!” Aura said.
“I’m good, good,” said Hijinks as her fighter propelled away from a barrage of explosions caused by white fireballs. “Holy shit, guys, I’m picking up a second target, a transport.”
Bollocks! We don’t need this right now. “Location?” Aura asked.
She waited while Hijinks took in the information from her computers to report. “It’s leaving the Dasht-e Kavir prison!”
Aura grimaced beneath her helmet upon hearing something was leaving the Dasht-e Kavir prison. And the fact that the Crimson Arrow was seemingly flying toward it suggested some kind of connection. “Gladius one to Winston Churchill, we have a second tango in play,” Aura reported.
“Where did it come from?” asked Xavier.
“Unknown, we didn’t pick it up until now, probably flying low to avoid detection.” Three white fireballs shot up toward Aura’s fighter from behind. An instant 180-degree turn of her craft revealed the psionic below and aiming her orange radiating arms toward her. “Gladius two, with me,” Aura asked of Gavin. “Gladius five deal with the transport, the rest of you take out that Crimson Arrow!”
&
nbsp; “Solid copy, lead,” Gavin replied.
As instructed, Hijinks’s fighter bolted off on an intercept course to the newly discovered Hashmedai transport. Gavin and Aura formed up and then swooped down toward the psionic while Hammer and Orbital adjusted their course to lay into the Crimson Arrow.
“All right, Penetrator,” Aura said, as the psionic’s presence got larger within her windshield. “You and I are gonna double penetrate her.”
There was silence and then later snickering over the radio. “Oh…my,” was Gavin’s reply.
… … …
►► Dasht-e Kavir Crater, Earth
► Sol System
Whigli and Destiny returned to their seats up front in their transport while Eupiar rested her rattled body toward the back. Jazz and Veloshira secured their package, Danyal, next to her, and then gave Whigli the thumbs-up to take off.
Jazz felt the soft rumble of the transport as it lifted off into the skies and then sat down, relieved that this leg of the operation was complete. Seconds before the words “good job” slipped out of his mouth; he heard Destiny curse as the proximity warning alarm began to pulse.
“What is it now?” Jazz asked while his large body stormed toward the cockpit.
“UNE fighter heading right for us!” Destiny said. “It’s coming in from the south.”
“Which was our escape route toward the Arabian Sea,” Whigli said in a frustrated manner. Their lucky streak was bound to run dry soon. And he had a feeling it was going to be sometime within the next few minutes, as he saw the red dot on the forward computer terminal inch closer to the one of the blue dots that represented them.
Wait, two blue dots?
“Destiny,” Jazz said, pointing his index finger to the second blue dot on the screen. “Who the fuck is that?”
She looked down at the screen. The newfound information caused her to frown. “The fuck? That wasn’t there a second ago.”
“Well it’s right at the edge of the screen. It might have just popped in,” Jazz said.
Destiny’s face curved toward Whigli and asked. “What do you got?”
His eye shut to better focus and scanned the region psionic with his ESP. “It’s a Hashmedai ship.” He paused to process more information. “It has friends of its own, two UNE fighters.” The proximity alert blared louder, an attack was on its way, Jazz’s hands gripped the back of Whigli’s and Destiny’s chairs. “Hang on, guys!”
Uprising of the Exiled (Splintered Galaxy Book 2) Page 32