Sacrifice

by T. Y. Carew

  “Let me see what other cameras show quickly. We might be able to get some more information,” she replied, hoping that was what bothered the major—knowing something had concerned Xander, but not knowing what.

  “All right, but be quick.”

  Matt nodded, wondering if he'd pull rank on her if she wasn't swift enough. She couldn't worry about that now, though. It wouldn't be the first time she'd pushed herself to take advantage of a small window a superior officer had given her.

  The map appeared even quicker the third time, making her feel more confident. She quickly disconnected the swamp view again, finding that part of the process easier than expected. She then studied the gray lines briefly, hoping to figure out some kind of system to them, but knowing as little as she did about the planet she was forced to pick the next one at random.

  As she pulled up a couple more camera feeds she discovered other parts of the planet she'd not seen before. The second underwater, near another piece of engraved machinery-like structure. It was something they'd not yet discovered, so she disengaged from that hub, leaving it on the more useful view before moving to another that was only showing wildlife somewhere remote on the planet.

  “Last one,” she said as she saw the impatient shuffle and glance to the door from Paton. A faint sigh came to her ears as she focused one last time. Thankfully everyone else kept quiet, most of them still moving around the view ports or standing and watching her work.

  Each connection took less time but she gasped as she saw the next picture. It was of some caves and possibly the very caves they were in, but it wasn't an empty shot. A Kyraos stood there, its elite guard around it, the face evidently concentrating on controlling other minions. But this wasn't any old Kyraos, either. This was the strange, older looking type of Kyraos she'd not encountered since Phoenix.

  “Major Paton?” she said, aware that a deathly hush had fallen over the others who could see. It didn't take a genius to work out they were scared and could see something that he needed to also see, but Matt was grateful none of them were panicking.

  As he came around to Matt's side his eyes fixed on the screen.

  “Do you know where that is?” he asked. She shook her head.

  “It could be in an entirely different cave network. We've explored so little of this planet.”

  “All right. We shouldn't stick around to find out either way. We'll head back to the entrance and get everyone to safety. The colonel can then decide if he wants to take on this thing.” Paton waved towards the screen, having evidently never seen a Kyraos like this. Matt tried not to appear worried. This type of Kyraos was different, more experienced. It could easily be trouble.

  Instead she readied her arsenal of weapons, feeling for them all one by one with her mind, performing all the usual pre-battle checks she usually did. She then lifted several sets of her eyes into the air. Using the infrared feature to see in the dark, she zapped them into the cave tunnels, scouting ahead with her eyes closed while Paton organized a protected column of delegates.

  “I'll lead us,” she said, opening her eyes for just long enough to meet his. So far, down either side of the tunnels, there was no sign of the Beltine. Hopefully the Kyraos was there alone, just some kind of a scout.

  Paton gave her a curt nod, taking up the rear with one of his men, their own Adamanta in the air, such as it was. She didn't point out she could wield more than all of them combined with as much effectiveness.

  The major was progressing and his team had added weapons to their kit since the last time she'd worked with them. There had also been a point in her life when she couldn't manage any more than they could. It might have been during her childhood, but everyone had to start somewhere. They were backup, and she'd learned the usefulness of backup while on Phoenix.

  “Right, time to go. Keep close behind each other and walk at a steady pace,” Matt said as calmly as she could, reminding each of them of the emergency instructions they'd been given. Hopefully they'd continue to be calm, but already Katrina was pale, and Matt worried about the health of their eldest member, Karl. He had a bad heart, and a heart attack was the last thing they needed to contend with.

  Despite all the fears and possible things that could go wrong, Matt held her head high and strode forward at a pace they'd be able to keep up with. She kept the use of her cameras to a minimum, knowing it would give her another headache sooner if she flicked too often between her own sight, lit by the Cordak cables, and the infrared view her Adamanta fed back to her.

  As they walked down the tunnels, back to the entrance, she heard the crackle of her radio as Xander and Trey both chattered away to each other, the words still too distorted to make out. She tried to connect to the cameras she'd left at the entrance, hoping to see her Lentarin team mate, but she was still a little too far away.

  “Colonel, come in. We're on our way back,” Paton said from the back of the group, evidently hearing the communication as well, but although Xander evidently still tried to reply, it wasn't clear enough. “We've discovered Beltine presence. Do you read, Colonel?”

  As they neared the next junction in the tunnels, Matt slowed briefly and flicked through her cameras. Still all clear.

  “Confirming Beltine presence. On their way through tunnels. We're cut off from you,” Xander's voice finally came through. Matt fought back the string of curse words she wanted to utter and came to a halt.

  “We need another route out,” Paton called to her. “We'll scout the other way while you check what's coming towards us.”

  It was one order she didn't need, her mind already reaching for the cameras she'd flown ahead. There was no way she was going to let the Beltine catch her unawares, not when she had delegates to impress.

  Putting the chatter from the people behind her out of mind, she concentrated, gasping when her cameras at the entrance were just close enough she could connect. The pair showed her the flood of Dairos coming their way. The cameras she had closer were still showing empty tunnels, but she knew they wouldn't be empty for long.

  “We need to move,” Matt said, trying not to let panic sound in her voice. If they couldn't find another way out, they were already trapped, and she was the only solid defense they had. On top of that, she was once again without her team.

  She met Paton's eyes around the now huddled group of civilians, hoping it was enough to make him know how serious the situation was. After a moment he nodded and organized his own team to lead the way, with her at the rear. Despite his men being capable, Matt decided to keep the set of eyes she'd sent that way moving forward, scouting for a way out or more enemies while she also watched the tunnels behind them.

  If the Beltine were going to corner them somewhere, she wanted to be the first to know.

  Chapter 6

  It took several minutes of jogging for Xander to be able to reach anyone on the radio, but eventually Trey's voice cut through the static enough he could make out the Lentarin's voice.

  “Colonel, you there? I'm coming back to the entrance to communicate. Matt and the others have continued.”

  “There's possibly Beltine in the area. I want everyone back to the shuttle ASAP.”

  “Matt's not going to be happy.”

  “No, but she'll have to deal. It's not safe.”

  “Want me to go get her?”

  “Not yet. Wait for me,” Xander said after a moment's thought. “We've split the team enough. And she'll take the order better directly from me.”

  “Right you are, boss. I'll wait near the cave entrance for you.”

  Xander would have sighed if he hadn't been so out of breath from talking and jogging. His team was by far the stronger for Matt's presence on it, but it wouldn't be the first time her stubborn desire to see something through had put all of them in more danger than before. It was a good thing she'd been so good at getting them out of it again.

  But one nagging thought never left him. When would their luck run out?

  As he continued to run he hear
d the unmistakable sound of aircraft. Beltine aircraft. He swore and forced his tired body into a sprint.

  “Incoming Beltine,” he yelled into the radio as several Beltine ships whizzed overhead, ignoring him as they made a line right for the same caves. Xander zigzagged, making sure they wouldn't find him an easy target, and changed his direction to head for the nearest cover, a small crop of trees near a herd of grazing Vels.

  “Roger that,” Trey said a moment later. “I've got eyes on the enemy.”

  “Get out of the caves and somewhere hidden.”

  “Already doing so. I'll try and reach Matt to let her know something is coming, but she's gone to the hub.”

  “Of course she has,” Xander muttered under his breath. The room was the most Adamanta shielded of the entire cave network. She'd be impossible to reach until she came out. This operation was going from bad to worse.

  “Drew, update?” he said, wondering if his techie was at least working on their escape plan.

  “Almost by the shuttle. Took cover when the Beltine showed up. I'll bring our chariot to you and set her down somewhere sheltered.”

  “Roger that,” he replied, grateful at least one part of the plan was working and Drew had the sense to be careful until they were reunited. Now to just get the rest of his team together.

  “I'm seeing a lot of Dairos, and they're entering the cave,” Trey came through, his voice quiet as if he was hiding and whispering. Worried, Xander used the Vel herd to shield himself as he ran closer. The obliging animals had decided to come for a gallop alongside him, the herd often far friendlier than he'd have expected from wild animals.

  “Any Kyraos?”

  “At least three, one in each landing craft. And they're the weird kind. The ones Matt said were more experienced.”

  “They mean business then.”

  “Do you think they're after the technology here? Like us.”

  Xander didn't reply, thinking through the possibility. Darka had said there had been scouts, and what little research they had done on the planet had shown it to be ancient. It was possible the Beltine wanted to learn from it as much as they did.

  “Maybe. I don't plan on sticking around to find out.”

  Before Trey could respond Major Paton's voice came through, letting them know he'd noticed the Beltine threat and were trying to get out. It eased the knot in Xander's stomach, but only a little. The Beltine had cut them off from this end. The major and Matt would either have to fight their way out or find another route.

  Still being helped along by the Vels, Xander finally got the cave entrance in sight. Three Beltine craft sat around it, several Elite Dairos guarding Kyraos as they, too, moved into the cave.

  He slowed, taking the situation in without being seen. There was no sign of Trey, but Xander knew the Lentarin would be hiding close by. For now he didn't want to take on the Beltine if he could help it, but he also knew he couldn't sit around doing nothing. Hoping the herd would keep going a little farther, he continued to get closer.

  “I see you,” Trey's voice came quietly over the radio a minute later. “I'm over on the right, by the small outcrop of rocks.”

  Xander looked in the direction he'd been pointed, catching the sight of green scales from his angle. He was surprisingly close to the Beltine, but more and more of them were moving into the cave network, the Kyraos now out of sight as well.

  Frowning, Xander continued on, keeping low in the long grass while making progress towards Trey, but it soon became evident he wouldn't reach his Lentarin friend without being seen by the few elite Dairos left to guard the entrance and the Beltine craft.

  “Trey, how many can you see?” he asked into the radio as he stopped as close as he dared. There was a moment with no reply and he could just about see Trey move to get a better look, keeping himself hidden from the Beltine's angle as he did.

  “Only eight elites. Two near each open ship and two more by the cave.”

  “On my mark, open fire on the ones closest to you.” Xander readied his pistol, hoping eight wouldn't outgun them. All of the ones he could see carried laser weaponry of their own, and Xander had precious little cover. He would have to rely on distance and the distraction Trey would provide. Thankfully, no one could shoot better than Trey.

  “Go!” Xander said as he lifted himself to his feet, firing at the nearest Dairos. His well-aimed shot hit, but only the shoulder. The Dairos dropped its gun and charged towards him as its compatriot lifted its own weapon.

  Xander weaved to the side, firing less accurately and missing several times as more of the elite Dairos came running at him. Trey's shots caught another, attracting the rest his way.

  Grunting, Xander hit the deck again and rolled, a blast narrowly missing his torso on the way. He let a swear word slip out when pain flared in his shoulder as he caught a rock he'd not seen. And the Elite Dairos grew closer and closer.

  More shots rang out as Xander tried to keep moving, only making the pain flare the more. This wasn't what he needed when it came to helping thin the enemy horde between him and Matt.

  Before Xander could focus and get off another shot, a Velociquus ran across the front of him, bellowing in anger. It barreled into the nearest Beltine, sending the enemy flying with a sickening crunch.

  Letting out a sigh of relief, Xander relaxed as two more rushed past him, drawing the attention of the rest of the enemy. The distraction was enough that he could regain his feet, pain only a minor issue now as he, Trey and their herd of friends finished off the guards left behind.

  Xander met Trey near the cave entrance, leaving the bodies where they fell. All the Beltine lay dead, but they weren't the only corpses. One of the Vels had taken a shot to something vital and collapsed. It was already attracting the attention of the rest of the herd as they gathered close and let out deep moans.

  “They're mourning the dead,” Trey said, not really needing to explain.

  “Can you thank them for their help and let them know we are sorry for their loss somehow?” Xander asked, knowing they'd probably saved his life. Trey nodded, concentrating for a moment.

  “Colonel, you there?” Drew's voice interrupted any response.

  “Affirmative.”

  “I'm in the air and heading to your position. Coast clear for me to land somewhere nearby?”

  Trey didn't need the prompt to lope off towards one of the Beltine craft and quickly check inside, his rifle up and ready to shoot anything that moved. Xander followed suit, confirming that any Beltine outside the cave network here were dead.

  While they watched the single entrance point from covered positions, Xander directed Drew to hide the shuttle nearby and wait for him and Trey to get the delegation out and to him. Of course, there was always the possibility that Matt and the major managed to get everyone out a different route, but he had no way to know if they'd found an alternative yet, and he wasn't sitting around and waiting with Trey.

  The Beltine were evidently focused on something inside, and that gave him and his Lentarin companion the opportunity to pick off the alien combatants from behind and cause a distraction that might be enough for Matt to benefit from. It was an opportunity he intended to exploit fully.

  As soon as Drew was in place and under orders to fly off at the first sign of reinforcements or trouble of any other kind, Xander nodded to Trey and strode towards the cave, his rifle out, ready to fire, with a full charge pack ready to go.

  I'm coming, Matt, he thought, not daring to consider any possibility other than getting to her or seeing her get out some other way. Thankfully, Trey seemed to be of a similar mind and didn't require an order to fall in beside him, equally ready to slaughter any Beltine who got in their way.

  Chapter 7

  As the group made progress back the way they'd come, Matt quickly realized it wasn't fast enough. The Beltine were pouring down the tunnels behind them, coming closer and closer. Up ahead the way was still clear, but they were almost back at the camera room and were running out
of time to run. At some point soon she was going to need to turn and fight, even if only to buy the rest time to get out somehow.

  Taking a moment, she flicked through her Adamanta eyes again, seeing the Beltine Dairos come rushing towards them as she tried to keep ahead and judge the distance between. A Kyraos somewhere was driving them hard, possibly now aware of their presence.

  As she moved to the cameras up ahead, the ones searching for a route out, she groaned. There were more Beltine, a set of Elite Dairos, standing out in the tunnel as an ancient Kyraos called upon more Dairos. They'd definitely been detected somehow.

  Only a few seconds later Paton pulled up, his team evidently having spotted what she had. He flicked his flashlight towards her so he could see her face.

  “You seeing what I'm seeing?” he asked. She nodded, not sure what to say. She didn't want to panic the guests but they were in a bad situation and couldn't linger.

  “Hub room,” she replied eventually. “Only good option.”

  “Can you get through to the colonel? Or send for help at all?” His eyes widened, showing her the first hint that he felt out of his depth and not sure what to do. She remembered how she'd felt the first time she'd been faced with overwhelming odds against the Beltine, but right now she was surprisingly calm. She'd held out before, and she'd do everything she could to do it again.

  “The colonel will already be on his way to us, and he'll have called for backup,” she replied, ushering everyone on with her hands. “I can hold the door till he gets here, but we need to hurry now.”

  Matt spoke far more confidently than she ever had, feeling determined. After all this effort to persuade the investors with her to part with their money and give her the opportunity to study the technology on this planet, she wasn't about to let the Beltine end things.