“Chimera,” Booster said.
She was never good with riddles. “Yes, Booster. That much is clear. But what are they planning?”
“Chimera’s head,” Booster said, exasperated.
Clio realized the puck was right. “That’s it! A chimera has a snake’s tail, a goat’s body, and a lion’s head. But what does the lion represent?” She thought about it for a minute, mumbling to herself as she processed the information. “Lions hunt…”
Booster roared.
“Of course. Lions are apex predators. They attack.” Clio felt the blood drain out of her face. “It’s an attack order!”
She tried to get the Captain on the SIG again, but he still wouldn’t answer. She tried to contact Straiya, but she didn’t answer either. Clio pried into Sentinel Square’s communications array and found that all outgoing traffic had been disabled. “That’s weird.” Her terminal pinged as the signal trace returned its results. “Wait that doesn’t make sense either.”
“What?” Booster asked.
“The trace says the signal is coming from terminal thirteen on Sentinel Square. That’s outside the primary maintenance building by the river.” The puzzle inside her head suddenly clicked together.
Clio called Swigger on the SIG. “Swigger, get back in here.”
“What do you want now? I’m busy.”
“Get a team together. We need to get to Sentinel Square right away.”
“What’s going on, Clio?” Hearing the panic in Clio’s voice, his own tone changed to one of concern.
“Sentinel Square, Swigger. Chimera. We need to hurry.”
“Slow down. You aren’t making any sense.” He burst back into her office.
“We need to leave now!” She jumped from her chair, and out of habit, waved for Booster to take his place on her shoulder. “Chimera really do plan on attacking Sentinel Square, and we’re probably already too late. We need to go.”
“Okay, let me get my gear.” Swigger reached for the door.
A rumble caused her office to shake as if in answer. The sound of the distant explosion came from the direction of Sentinel Square. It had already begun. “Captain Grimshaw was right all along,” she whispered.
Her heart skipped a beat as she thought about the Captain.
He’s at Sentinel Square…Shit!
16
Assault on Sentinel Square
Grimshaw’s heart sank as he caught a glimpse of Sentinel Tower between the two administrative buildings framing Sentinel Square. Black smoke bellowed from the lower floors and clusters of people scrambled about its base like ants. The bomb had gone off while the crowd listened to the chairman of the celebration drone on about tradition and the need to stay strong and united in the face of uncertainty. It didn’t take long for things to erupt into utter chaos from there. SenSec guards had tried to stem the avalanche, but their blue TEKs became lost in the rushing horde. As Grimshaw had feared, there hadn’t been enough officers assigned to guard the event.
So much for Sergeant Chin having things under control.
Grimshaw had already drawn his blaster and rested his finger on the trigger as he scanned the panicked crowd for signs of trouble. From the side of the square backing onto Izmark bridge, he had a good view of the overall area, including the raised platform on the opposite end of the square, where several Ministers had been seated.
SIA agents had swarmed the platform and ushered the chairman and Ministers to the rear of the structure. Grimshaw hoped they would be safe there.
He tried calling the team on his SIG, but the local network was down.
He swore and shouldered through the streaming crowd toward a SenSec officer trying to direct people.
“Proceed in a calmly fashion,” the blue uniform ordered, his voice amplified by his TEK. “No shoving.”
The people ignored him entirely as they cried, clawed, and clambered over each other like mindless beasts.
So much for the upper class being more refined than the rest of us.
Grimshaw almost reached the officer when another explosion detonated. The crowd heaved like a powerful wave and almost swept him away. He grabbed a rail on the low wall that ran along the square’s raised edges and held on tight. As he pulled himself free of the press and climbed over the edge to where the officer stood, he looked in the direction of the second explosion and found it had gone off much closer than he thought: near the stage. Smoke spilled onto the square, blocking his view of the structure. Several bodies lay among the rubble where the blast had struck. Some of the fallen were being attended to by loved ones or courageous strangers while others were being trampled by the stampede.
“Hey, you! You need to evacuate the area!” The SenSec officer said.
Grimshaw climbed to his feet and looked down on the young man. “Like hell I’ll evacuate. You and your people are already stretched thin enough as it is. Why is the network down?”
“Ah, yes, sorry Aegis…I mean Captain…sir…I didn’t realize—”
“What’s the latest, Officer?” Grimshaw cut in.
He stuttered again before regaining control of his tongue. “We aren’t sure why the network’s down. I’m getting the odd message on the SenSec short-band, but most of the chatter is muddled.”
“They’ve taken down long-range communications,” Grimshaw said, more to himself than anyone else. How did they get access to the necessary systems? No one has ever hacked Sentinel Security. “Where’s Sergeant Chin?”
The officer looked around cluelessly. “Last I saw him, he was doing an inspection of the stage before the event began.”
Grimshaw looked to the stage and noticed an energy shield shimmer through a break in the smoke. He hoped security had erected the defenses before the Ministers had been hurt. Further along Sentinel Square’s wall, nearer the stage, an SIA agent in a dark TEK spoke with a young Tower Guard officer in a shiny exoframe of chrome and gold. The Tower Guard’s formal TEK was hardly suitable for fighting in the open.
He momentarily turned his attention back to the SenSec officer. “Draw your weapon and stay alert.”
He left the officer, staying low to the wall, weapon ready.
A bang behind sent a shockwave under his boots and lifted him into the air, flinging him forward. He crashed hard onto the bricks, his chest plate scraping as he came to a stop.
Grimshaw rolled over and fetched his blaster, looking back the way he’d come. Where the SenSec officer had stood, smoke and dust hung around a gaping hole. Pops rang out on the east side of Sentinel Square.
A hand pulled him back to his feet, and staying low, he ran through the cloud of dust and skidded to a crouch next to the Sentinel Tower Guard at the square’s south-western pillar. The wide-eyed Shanti couldn’t have been older than sixteen and looked like a fish out of water.
“Thanks,” Grimshaw said, controlling his breathing and trying to ignore the sharp twinge in his shoulder where the Thandrall had stabbed him. He ran a quick scan to make sure everything was where it was supposed to be.
The crowds had dissipated, and a horrific noise cut through the sound of nearby battle. Grimshaw peeked out from behind the pillar and caught sight of a grizzly scene. Mangled corpses lay strewn across the square, while those too injure to move howled out in pain. A single medic sat among the fallen, ignoring the cries of a nearby human whose entrails hung free. No point in wasting time on the hopeless.
Grimshaw couldn’t see where the gunfire was coming from, for an ashy cloud blocked his view.
Gunfire cut a line in the wall to his right, peppering his visor with plaster and stone. He quickly ducked back behind the pillar and turned to the Tower Guard. “Where’s security?”
“Most of SenSec got drawn to that gunfight across the way,” the Shanti guard said, pointing with his thumb over his shoulder. “Whoever they are, they’ve got heavy artillery.”
“That explains the blasts coming out of nowhere.” Grimshaw couldn’t see how Chimera could have gained access to tha
t kind of equipment on board the Sentinel. “Where did the SIA agent you were speaking to go?”
“He went back to the stage. He wanted me to stay out here and report back on what I saw.”
Another explosion rang out above the stage and Grimshaw sneaked a glance. The shield had absorbed the impact, a black stain hanging in the air where the shell had struck.”
“We need to get the Ministers out of there. That shield won’t hold forever. How are things back at Sentinel Tower?”
“I’ve been here since long before the ceremony began. Got cut off from Captain Harnuck right after the first bomb at the Tower went off. I was heading back there when the crowds went crazy.”
More gunfire rang out in the direction of Sentinel Tower to the north, but it was nowhere near as intense as the sound of fighting coming from the east.
Grimshaw stowed his blaster and drew his rifle. He looked over the wall again. The smoke shifted enough to catch a glimpse of SenSec officers holding off black-clad soldiers. It was difficult to tell at such a distance, but their TEK’s looked like that worn by the Thandrall assassin.
SenSec appeared vastly outnumbered. It would be a matter of minutes before the enemy reached the square, perhaps less before they brought the stage shield down.
Another explosion erupted out of sight, somewhere to the south.
The bastards have the place surrounded. How many of them can there be?
He leaned back and glanced southward between two buildings in the direction of Izmark Bridge. He couldn’t make anything out in the haze, but the crowds fleeing across the bridge would clog the main roads, slowing the arrival of SenSec reinforcements. Whoever had planned the attack knew what they were doing.
The sound of fighting to the north intensified, but from where he stood, the nearest administrative building blocked Grimshaw’s view of Sentinel Tower.
I better hurry, or Chimera will reach the stage before I do.
If the Thandrall assassin was anything to go by, Chimera’s technology was a cut above SenSec and SIA standard issue and there hadn’t been enough officers from either organization to begin with. He cursed the pig-headed Galactic Council and Sergeant Chin’s obstinance. They would have been in a much better position had they heeded his recommendations.
He was about to ask the young Shanti guard for cover fire when someone moaned to their right. Grimshaw’s eyes scanned for the source of the sound and saw an arm jutting from a pile of stones where a section of the square’s wall had fallen away. He would have recognized that SIG anywhere.
When he first arrived at Sentinel Square, he had spotted Faye Layah interviewing important-looking dignitaries as they disembarked from their vehicles near the golden carpet. She had been dressed more modestly than usual. While doing his security checks, he’d made sure to give her a wide birth so as to avoid another ambush.
Grimshaw gestured for the Tower Guard to keep watch, and he hurried to the rubble, keeping low as enemy fire sailed overhead.
He lifted several stones out of the way, revealing Faye’s face. He shifted another pile of rubble, and to his surprise, was relieved to see her breathing.
The reporter had been a royal pain in his ass, but her heart seemed to be in the right place. The common people of the Galaxy needed a voice, and she gave them one. That was more than could be said for most people with Faye’s kind of influence and power. Part of him admired that.
Grimshaw brushed dust from her face.
She opened her eyes and coughed.
“Grimshaw?” she croaked.
He kneeled down to check her pulse. “Is anything broken?”
“I think I’m okay,” she said, half-wheezing. “I just couldn’t breathe with those stones on top of me. What happened?”
“The square is under attack. Come on, we need to get you out of here.” He reached for her arm and pulled her free, dust and rubble rolling away.
Grimshaw caught her as she stumbled on unsteady feet. She held onto him and kicked off her high heels. She stepped away, regaining her balance.
“Ah, sorry,” she said, noticing she’d fallen out of her dress. She tried to cover herself but her black dress had been torn too badly.
Grimshaw looked around and found a decorative banner, bearing the Sentinel crest, twisted among the rubble. He pulled it free and handed it to Faye.
“Thank you,” she moaned, throwing it over her shoulders and tying it like a makeshift shawl.
They ducked as another explosion erupted over the nearby stage.
“We need to get moving,” Grimshaw said urgently, leading her back to the pillar where the Shanti Tower Guard officer still waited.
The kid saluted Grimshaw as he returned.
“What’s your name?”
“Alannad,” the kid said nervously.
“How good are you with that gun, Alannad?” Grimshaw eyed the blaster in the Shanti’s shaking hand.
“I’ve never shot at people before,” he said, a subtle quiver in his voice.
“This lady and I are going to make a run for the stage. If you see anyone firing on us, I want you to open up on them, give ‘em something to worry about.”
The Shanti nodded tentatively. “Yes, sir.”
“As soon as we get to the stage, make a run for the Izmark administration building. Use the art installations for cover and you’ll be okay. Wait near the corner of the building and we’ll come meet you once we have the Ministers.”
“Sure, sir.” Alannad gulped but keen determination shone in his large, yellow eyes.
“I’ll be seeing you in a minute. Keep them off us.” Grimshaw tapped him on the shoulder and looked to Faye. “Do you think you can run.”
She nodded. “I’m just a little bruised. I can run.”
“The gunfire will come from the right. Keep up and stay to my left.”
“Ready when you are,” she said with mock bravado.
Grimshaw bent low as he ran from behind the pillar, clutching his rifle tight. He ducked low as gunshots tore through the wall on his right. Shots rang out behind as Alannad returned fire.
Grimshaw cleared the steps leading down to the sunken square and almost bumped into a bewildered Varg in a black suit, reloading a rifle. Grimshaw was shocked to find the enemy so near.
The Chimera soldier dropped the weapon and drew his blaster. Grimshaw’s AC20K hammered the soldier from his feet. He emptied the rest of his magazine into the Varg, cutting through his shield and making a molten mess of his breast-plate. Grimshaw gestured to what remained of a statue. Faye darted for cover and he sidled up next to her.
“That was unexpected,” he said, sliding a new magazine into the rifle.
“If we could reach the Varg’s gun, I could—”
Heavy gunfire hammered into the other side of the statue and a blast struck Grimshaw’s shoulder-guard.
“Too risky,” Grimshaw cut in, thinking fast. “No point in going back on ourselves.”
He checked his TEK’s levels and was glad to find everything still above acceptable tolerances. At least Straiya had listened to one of his suggestions and provided him with better gear. He hoped the Shanti Minister was okay.
Gunfire from ahead snatched Grimshaw from his thoughts as five figures in Tower Guard exoframes approached, guns blazing as they fired into the shifting smoke behind Grimshaw and Faye. They slid up next to the statue, their chrome armor scarred with battle-damage. Grimshaw noticed Alannad among them and nodded to the young Shanti.
“We’re exposed here. There’s a low wall ahead,” one of the chrome-clad guards said, pointing in the direction of the stage.
They moved out, firing at the dark shadows moving in the smoke. Grimshaw kept himself between Faye and enemy fire. A Chimera soldier emerged from the smoke, a heavy machine gun roaring. Bullets sprayed around them.
Grimshaw opened up, his rounds smashing through the troop’s visor.
They reached the crumbling wall and took cover once more. Faye leaned into Grimshaw.
&nbs
p; “Nice shooting, Captain,” the nearest guard, a middle-aged human, said. “Name’s Malek. Captain Harnuck sent us to bring the Ministers back to Sentinel Tower.”
“Sounds like your Captain and I have the same idea. How are things at the Tower?”
“After the explosion, we locked the building down. I think they expected us to leave, but the engineers quickly brought the fires under control. By the time we slipped out, the enemy already had at least two dozen soldiers outside. Who are these bastards?”
“I believe it’s Chimera. They’re a terrorist organization. We’ve known about them for some time, but we never expected anything like this.” Grimshaw looked around at the destruction.
“They’re well organized for a group I’ve never heard of before,” Malek said. “They’ve hit communications and taken down primary power in most of the district. We believe they’ve set up similar attacks in other parts of the Sentinel…probably to keep security busy. We’ve even had reports of large-scale incidents all the way down to Level Four.”
“That might explain the lack of reinforcements,” Grimshaw mumbled.
Malek ducked as chips of stone rained down on them. “Just before we left, a messenger from Level Two arrived at the Tower. Said it’s a war-zone down there.”
“It’s probably a distraction,” Grimshaw pointed out. “They’re after the Ministers. You mentioned Chimera suits outside the Tower. How did you make it over here?”
“We came through the tunnels under the Izmark building. There isn’t a hope we would have made it over open ground. Airships keep dropping more of those bastards outside the Tower. But very few know about those tunnels. I doubt they’ll find them.”
“Let’s hope you’re right. SenSec are getting hammered east of the square, and the enemy is closing in fast. We’ll charge the stage, secure the Ministers, and escort them to the Tower. We’ll need to form a wall.”
The Galactic Sentinel: Ultimate Edition: 4 Books with 2000+ Pages of Highly Entertaining Sci-Fi Space Adventure Page 50