Artifact: Rise Of Mankind Book 6

by John Walker

  “Is it?” Krilan shook his head. He watched the screen, something gnawing at his gut. “No, something’s wrong. I smell a trick. We can’t have been brawling like this then suddenly cause random damage.”

  “What do you want to do?” Brilin asked.

  “Fall back.” Krilan paused as the Behemoth vanished, performing a jump. “They…fell back? Scans! Where are they?”

  “Processing…” Brilin shook his head. “Nothing, sir! They’ve…left the system.”

  “Would you bet your life on it?”

  Brilin paused. “I…yes, sir. There’s nothing out there. But…wait. I am picking something up.”

  Krilan stood, pacing closer. He turned to Maakin. “Move. Get us out of here! Now!”

  Maakin slapped the controls and the ship bolted, suddenly moving backwards. They headed for the planet’s moon. Brilin brought the scan up on the main screen, a blip which looked like drifting debris. A piece of the Earth ship they left behind? It must be…but I still feel suspicious.

  “It’s moving toward us,” Krilan muttered. “Is that a natural drift pattern?”

  “Yes, sir. No deviation in course.”

  “Distance to us?”

  “It’s…moving very quickly.” Brilin spoke softly.

  “We’re half flank speed,” Maakin added, “but we don’t have full engine power moving in reverse.”

  “It’s picking up speed!” Krilan gestured. “Open fire! Take it down.”

  Maakin hit something on his console and the relay cannon blasted away, striking the object. A massive explosion erupted, causing a dramatic shockwave that swept over them. The Final Star shook, tossing Krilan back into his seat. Brilin hit the floor, rolling into one of the consoles. He struck his head and fell still.

  The lights went out and the screen flickered. “Report!” Krilan shouted. “What’s happening?”

  “Ordinance explosion,” Maakin replied. “Ten thousand kilometers off the bow. Must’ve been more than ten bombs to cause such a reaction. Shields are at twenty-percent. No readings on scans!”

  “Contact the surface. Find out if we’ve got what we came for and get medical up here immediately!” Krilan looked at Brilin, noting the blood flowing freely from his head. He’d seen enough injuries to know how severe this one was. If he survived, he’d be very lucky…even with help. “We have to get this done quickly or we might all be in the same situation as him.”

  ***

  Jenks arrived at the stairs and cursed when he saw the door at the bottom wide open. He reported back to Hoffner before gesturing for his men to follow him. They took the stairs swiftly, pausing to peek in before breaching the hallway. The scanners didn’t pick anyone up, again some kind of interference with the substance in the walls.

  Someone was down there though. He heard noise up ahead. They were looting what equated to the vault of the place. Did they find what they were after?

  Shots were fired, catching the walls. Jenks went prone, returning fire. Muzzle flashes gave him a target and someone screamed. Boots clapped on the ground as the other targets dashed for cover. He glanced back and saw his men were still with him, both alive even after the quick ambush.

  Jenks got to his knee and peered through his visor, frowning at how the night vision didn’t do much to illuminate the area. He switched the thermal but immediately went back. The area turned gray in that visual, practically blinding him. They advanced with night vision back, the dim area turned green.

  To the right, an open portal led to a small storage room but the real prize seemed to be just up ahead. Someone rattled around, rifling through something. I wish I could grenade the damn thing…but then I’d probably screw up whatever they’re trying to take. Maybe they’d like to surrender.

  “We’ve got you outnumbered,” Jenks called. “We’ve got your shuttle. The whole building’s secure. You can’t get out of here.”

  An explosion shook the place and Jenks had to lean on the wall to maintain his footing. Marsh cursed. “What the hell was that?”

  “Move!” Jenks rushed forward, checking the door before hurrying through. Sure enough, the enemy knocked out the center portion of the wall, dust floating in the air. They were on the move, likely with whatever prize they were after. The marines hustled after them, calling the action in. “They’re on their way to the courtyard! Get ready!”

  “Acknowledged,” Holland said. “We’ve got cover at the shuttle. When they show up, they’re done.”

  Jenks crawled through the hole and took a right, firing at the first thing he saw moving. It missed but the person yelped, crying out in their strange battle language. They found themselves on a walkway behind the building with a cavern just beyond the rail. Mist hung low, hiding the bottom.

  They moved swiftly on the slick pavement, taking the stairs three at a time. When they got to the top, someone took a wild shot at them, driving them to take cover. Jenks aimed his weapon around the corner and used his camera, firing multiple times. The ensuing gunfight lasted less than a minute before the enemy continued to flee.

  “They’re still coming your way, Holland!”

  “Just get them here already, Sarge. We’ll get ‘em.”

  The running fight lasted until they reached the courtyard. Four of the enemy remained as they rushed for the shuttle. Jenks and his men moved out of the way, parting and taking cover. Less than ten feet from the ramp, Holland and Ricks opened up, riddling the men with continuous fire.

  They danced for all of five seconds before collapsing to the ground. A globe rolled away from the one in the lead. Large and red, it had no seams or texture, just perfectly smooth. “Is that a bomb?” Jenks asked, standing at what he hoped was a safe distance. “Or…is that what they were after?”

  “I think we got it,” Marsh said. “And if you guys were accurate about the number of bad guys you killed, they’re all gone…unless they didn’t all have a seat on the way down.”

  “Captain Hoffner,” Jenks said. “We’ve got the item and the enemy’s done. We’re clear.”

  “Good work, Jenks. Secure the artifact and get ready for evac. I’ll inform the ship. We’ll rendezvous in a few moments.”

  Jenks patted Marsh on the shoulder. “Can’t believe we made it, man. This was crazy.”

  “Could’ve been worse,” Marsh pointed out. “Could’ve been raining.”

  Jenks looked up at the clouds and frowned. “If it starts, I’m going to smack you. Police up these bodies, guys. We’ve got a lot of work to do before we can go home.”

  ***

  “The bombs took their shields!” Olly shouted. “It worked…sort of.”

  “You were hoping for better?” Adam asked. “They clearly caught on.”

  “He’s not an idiot,” Gray said. “But he’s not infallible. Running backwards against that little rocket wasn’t going to save them. Shooting it might’ve.”

  “They’re hailing us,” Agatha said. “He’s made it clear they’re jumping in thirty seconds, sir.”

  “Enough time for us to get over there with a microjump?” Gray asked. “Durant, can we finish them off?”

  “Even if we got there, the armor on that thing might withstand a few shots…probably enough to save them. For now.”

  Gray cursed. “Put him on screen then.”

  Krilan appeared, his face covered in sweat, his bridge dark. He glared at the camera, seething with rage. “Nicely played, human.”

  “I’m just getting started,” Gray replied. “Why don’t you turn yourself in? You won’t get a better offer again.”

  “I have other plans. You win this round but I don’t give up. Operational success doesn’t always rely on a mission working out.”

  “You’re wasting a lot of lives. Why don’t you help us defeat the enemy rather than create another front? We don’t have time to deal with you too.”

  “Alas,” Krilan shrugged. “I guess you’ll have to keep looking over your shoulder. Enjoy your win today. The next time we meet, I promise
I’ll take something from you…something you care about as I cared about this.”

  The connection ended and the view screen returned to an image of deep space. They watched as the Final Star winked out, jumping to another destination. Gray slapped his hands together and turned away. They were so damn close! We had them! Damn it! He inhaled and let his breath out slowly, forcing his frustration back into his gut.

  Olly grunted, “I can’t believe he got away. You got anything, Leonard?”

  “No, nothing…I’m working on it though.”

  “You won’t find him,” Clea said. “I guarantee he’ll jump three more times before they get to their destination. We can’t track that. Not when we have to take care of the mess here.”

  “He’s been stopped,” Gray said, “for now at least. Whatever he wanted down there, we’ve got. Providing we take it with us, he’ll never get it. I suppose he’ll move on to the next scheme.”

  “You were right about him being a tough customer,” Adam said. “I’m honestly impressed.”

  “As am I,” Gray replied. “But I guess it doesn’t matter for now. We’ve got a lot of work to do. Agatha, contact alliance command and tell them what happened here. Let’s get some shuttles down there to extract our people along with the civilians. This place has been compromised and I doubt anyone’s going to be hiding something here any time soon.”

  Epilogue

  Gray and Clea entered the sick bay, approaching the cot of Wyan Sor’Trex. He stared up at the ceiling, fluids being pumped into his arm. He seemed distant, almost catatonic but as they approached, he blinked several times. His skin seemed stretched over his bones, pale and sickly. Whatever he’d been through had a dramatic effect on him.

  They didn’t speak for several moments, just standing in his presence so he might acclimate to the company. Wyan swallowed hard, opened his mouth as if to speak but remained quiet. Clea stepped forward, putting her hand on his arm. He winced, then relaxed, offering her a thin smile.

  “How’re you feeling?” She asked. “I hope better.”

  “To be out of that monster’s hands…” Wyan shook his head. “You have no idea how bad he was…how dangerous. He didn’t care about anything, no compassion…no mercy. His disdain for everyone…especially women…”

  “We noticed,” Gray replied. “We’re glad to see you back. We took the item he wanted. Some kind of globe.”

  “An artifact of the enemy,” Wyan said. “Something he thought might give him control over them.”

  Gray’s brow raised. “Really. Where did he get this information?”

  “He didn’t see fit to tell me…but he believed it wholeheartedly.”

  “Do you think it’s possible?” Gray asked Clea. “That we might have a weapon against them?”

  Clea shook her head. “No. If we had such an item, don’t you think we would’ve used it by now? We can show it to Durant, let him study it but control the enemy? My information I uncovered is our best route to take care of them. Not this…pipe dream. I have no idea why a man like Krilan would allow himself to believe a myth anyway.”

  “He’s insane,” Wyan said, “but a wily variety of it. Believe me, if you did not kill him, we haven’t seen the last of him.”

  “We know he has other ships,” Gray pointed out. “And God knows what else. His people have incredible technology and worse. The training to use it…and the zeal to throw away their lives.”

  “You must stop him,” Wyan said. “The alliance has to track him down and finish him off. Believe me, it’s better for everyone.”

  “We will.” Gray patted his shoulder. “We’ll let you rest now. Don’t worry, you’ll be home soon enough.”

  In the hallway, Clea sighed. “I received a report from Captain Hoffner for you. All our men are aboard. Minor injuries. The civilians have come as well and every artifact we were storing has been locked away in the cargo bay. We’ll be ready to leave the system within the hour…to return home.”

  “Have we received word from the alliance?”

  Clea nodded. “They’re going to leave the quarantine beacon up for now but will eventually come back. The colonies are all better protected as well and a full task force is being established to deal with Krilan. He won’t be able to hide for long.”

  “Oh, he’s not hiding. Remaining under the radar, I believe but not hiding.” Gray rubbed his eyes. “I hate the fact that we’ve established a second front…even if they aren’t as plentiful, their unpredictability makes them dangerous.”

  “We’ll research the item we brought on board, gather intel and take care of our problems as they come,” Clea said. “I have faith. You’ve given it to me each time we come out of a fight alive.”

  “I’m glad I have a positive influence.” Gray smirked. “Let’s get back to the bridge and get out of here. We’ve all earned a little rest, don’t you think?”

  “More than you know, sir. After what we’ve been through and seen, we deserve a proper holiday. But we won’t get one, will we?”

  Gray shook his head. “Not yet. Not with what we know and what we can do. Durant’s going to make a big difference around here. I hope he sticks around.”

  “I doubt you could kick him off at this point. He’s getting to do more field research than he’s ever done in the past.”

  “Good thing he’s personable.” Gray hit the elevator button. “Maybe your people will have finished analyzing your data by the time we get back.”

  Clea followed him on the elevator and watched the number panel above the doors. “I hope so. I want to take care of all this properly. It’s high time my people found peace. And if it took meeting your people, then I’m all the happier I got to be your liaison. Imagine getting to return to exploration. I’ve dreamt of it my entire life.”

  “I hope we can make that come true, Clea.” Gray leaned against the wall and forced his shoulders to relax. “For everyone’s sake.”