Antagonize (From the Logs of Daniel Quinn Book 2)

by Thomas R. Manning

  “This is the Zolo, whoever saved us, you have our thanks.”

  In war, there are winners and losers. People die and that’s a fact, but what keeps a person from going insane is knowing why they fight. I didn’t like to kill. Even when it came between me and an adversary, killing was the last option on the table. But what mattered more than that was my honor. I didn’t want to kill those people. In fact, I hoped the only damage sustained was to their weapon systems. But if I had let them go, they would have destroyed a medical ship filled with doctors and personnel who usually had no allegiance in war. From the brief training I had at the academy, medical staff will treat and care for anyone who needs it. In a way the enemy ship acted like a bully, and I can’t stand bullies.

  The Belle traveled toward the planet, following the coordinates given by the docking tower. I didn’t have full autopilot control with Al out of commission, but I tried my best to survey the planet. With the sun now set, the Terran city glowed in vast magnificence. Sensors detected a handful of ships higher in the sky in defense positions, in case any Gaian forces got close enough. Even taller skyscrapers had orbital cannons built on their roofs. Below the skyline, squares of lights danced around the buildings—vehicles I guessed. As far as the eye can see, skyscrapers towered over the surface. I passed a large park, filled with trees and a lake. The view looked a lot like, well it’s been a while since I celebrated it, but it looked like Christmas.

  I turned the Belle starboard and an indicator on the console’s map showed the B-4 tower. It was a tall, square building with long glass platforms attached to various sides and levels. Each one had a shining number on it and I circled the building looking for B-4. I found it near the top of the building, as well as five small figures waiting. A welcoming party. Would one of them be Reynold Scott? I brought down the Kestrel Belle, easing her with thrusters at quarter power, and landed her on the platform. As soon as the docking clamps locked onto the landing gear, I shut down all thruster and engine power.

  “Good girl,” I said and then turned to Tress. “Follow me.”

  We walked to my quarters, where I opened the secret, which I guess wasn’t so secret now with Tress standing next to me. There wasn’t time to dillydally and I would be taking all of the equipment with my anyway. First, I pulled out my tactical suit.

  “Listen.” I pulled off my shirt and pants and replaced them with the armor. “I need you to stay with the Belle.”

  “What?” Tress said with a minor gasp. His next words were a mixture of Restran and English. “Itu . . . stay . . . ponta jiji . . . planet.” I stepped towards him and put my hands on his shoulders.

  “Tress, calm down. Take a deep breath . . . or whatever you do to relax yourself. He tilted his head back and moved his arms in circular motions. Once finished, he seemed calmer.

  “Daniel,” he said, fully in Restran. “My people suffer and have no home. Humans are at war. And you ask I stay on your ship?”

  It’s true I was basically confining him to the ship, a prison which blocked out everything happening outside, whether it was the crisis between Terra and Gaia, or his home planet. But being on a new planet like this, I didn’t know anyone and had no clue whom to trust. Tress was the closest thing I had to a friend and ally right now.

  ”The Belle’s in bad shape, Tress. And right now, more than anything, she needs repairs. I need someone to stay behind and look after her, someone I trust. I’m not telling you this because I don’t want you with me. To be honest, I could use your help with whatever waits for me outside, but you need to be here for my ship, to make sure she gets the care and attention she deserves. Can you please do this for me?”

  Tress stood silent. I couldn’t read his expression, though his eyes were wide and his mouth hung open. Either he was still insulted that I didn’t want him coming with me, or he was shocked that I asked him to take care of my ship. He finally straightened with his hands to his sides and answered in a tone more serious than I have ever heard him use.

  “Yes, sir! You can count on me!”

  I admit I grinned. The kid was growing on me.

  The suit was always a little tight after putting it on. I took a couple of minutes to stretch, then reached for the sword. I hesitated a moment, looking at the shining steel blade, and closed my eyes tight to prevent any unwanted images.

  Just grab the damn thing . . .

  There was something about swords and knives—basically anything sharp—that gave me nightmares. Ashley was found stabbed in my quarters on the Echelon. Laraar had been impaled from behind by this very blade. But the more I studied it, the more I used my fear as a means of curiosity. With Al’s help, I’d begun training with the blade, learning how it moved and felt. I was no master, but now after a year of training, I had a good grasp of the concepts. I took the sword in my hand, swung it around, and then attached the sword to a magnetic strip I installed on the back of my armor, and the sword clung to it securely.

  “Okay,” I said, more to myself than to Tress. “I’m ready.”

  We walked toward the cargo bay. Tress hopped along, excited that he was an honorary member of the crew overseeing the repairs. I kept wondering what waited for me outside the ship. Would I unload Damon’s body and be done? Maybe I didn’t even have to leave the ship, and we could have it repaired and leave. But what about the people of Terra and Gaia, and this peace council that was apparently in danger? I still didn’t know what I could do to help, but if there was a chance, any chance at all, shouldn’t I take it? How many lives could be spared if this war ended?

  For a moment, I stood in front of Damon’s coffin. His last act alive was finding me, looking to me for help. All I did was aim my weapon and threaten him. I felt like I owed him something, to ensure he didn’t die in vain. I pulled hard on the control lever beside the doors. The large bay door opened with a loud groan.

  Five people walked around the ship and greeted me as I stepped off the Belle. The first man had a narrow face, skin sunken in with deep set brown eyes. His hair was a mix of salt and pepper color, and he looked like man who hadn’t slept in days. He also looked to be in charge.

  “Captain Daniel Quinn?” he asked and extended his hand. His handshake was firm and I nodded. “I’m Commander Scott of Sentinel Command. These are my lieutenants. Charles Orson and Kenneth Strong.”

  I nodded to each of the men and shook their hands. Behind them were the last people in Scott’s party. They wore dark blue jumpsuits and held a hovering stretcher. Medical personnel, I guessed. I brought them onboard and took them to Damon’s coffin.

  “Damn you, Damon,” Scott muttered. “He was a good man.”

  Tress joined the group and I introduced them all.

  “Commander, my apologies for your loss,” I said. “I need a repair team to take care of my ship. I can have all specifications and blueprints made available for them, but the sooner the better. Tress will oversee the repairs. Can you make that happen?”

  Scott narrowed his eyes and gazed at me sidelong. I shut my mouth and allowed him a moment of closure with his fallen comrade. After a minute or two of silence, he stepped back and beckoned the medical personnel to take the coffin. He then walked to me and pulled a radio from his belt.

  “Repair crew is needed on platform B-4. Cruiser is in need of repairs, looks like an old Kestrel model.” I nodded in confirmation. “Get up here and see what you can do. Make sure a Restran translator accompanies you.”

  “Acknowledged,” a voice replied.

  Scott eyed me up and down and shrugged his shoulders. By the look of his scowl, I’d say he wasn’t too impressed with what Damon’s search brought back. He noticed the sword hilt sticking out above my shoulder.

  “A sword? That seems like an odd weapon choice.”

  “It gets the job done,” I said.

  “I guess we’ll find out,” he answered and walked off the Belle. His associates followed him. I turned to Tress before leaving.

  “Take care of my ship. If you need any
thing, just let the translator know once he gets here.”

  “Okay,” he said, holding out his hand. The memory drive Damon brought to Karth was in his palm. “Just in case you need this.” I took it from him and gave him a pat on the shoulder, then I caught up to Scott and his men.

  “So what can you tell me?” I asked him. “You obviously know a little about me, but I’m in the dark about the situation.”

  “You may want to get caught up fast,” he said. “Damon named you his successor in his will.”

  I tripped on one of the platform’s plates and nearly fell on my face, but caught myself. Maybe I was imagining things, but one of Scott’s men laughed.

  “That has to be a cruel joke, right? What the hell do I know about his position?”

  “Good question, one I would like to know myself.” His voice was hard, his mouth formed in a scowl, and he walked at such a brisk pace I had to take large steps to keep up. He obviously wasn’t happy, but I had to wonder whether it was just because he lost a friend, or if Damon naming me in his will struck Scott as odd. If they were friends, maybe Scott assumed he would be named successor. I decided not to press the subject.

  “I look at you, Captain, and I don’t see much. For now I’ll entertain your presence, but make one move I don’t like and I’ll have you shipped off planet before you can blink.”

  Gulp.

  “Um, understood,” I said. “So since I’m the advisor now, what exactly does that mean? What did Damon do?”

  “This isn’t something we should be talking about in the open, Captain.”

  “Oh, right.” My nerves were crawling over me like a mess of Tirnden ants, and those things are nasty. I just wanted some answers, but with the battle in space and who knows what on the surface, maybe discussions were best left until we found a private place to talk. Still, I couldn’t help push the issue a little further. “At least tell me this—Damon advised this supposed peace council, right? He told me someone is trying to kill them.”

  He stopped and looked at me.

  “Not trying. Accomplished.”

  “What are you talking about?” I asked.

  “Three members of the peace council were found dead this morning.”

  Seven

  Past a large glass door was a large hallway with gold and silver chandeliers that illuminated the area and reflected off grey marble walls. Scott wasn’t in a talkative mood, but I didn’t care much at the moment. All I could think about were the horrible outcomes of this unfolding situation.

  Back on Karth, it was easy to second guess Damon’s mission. All I had to do was say no, which wouldn’t have been hard because he was already dead. I could have taken my half a million dollars and flown away, just me and Al. No Tress, no attack on my ship, and I would’ve been none the wiser.

  Now I stood on Terra, and in less than a couple hours, I had seen up close and personal the terrible things happening, the war between two worlds, the death of thousands of people. And now peaceful members of the council, high ranking officials of both Terra and Gaia, were being murdered.

  Maybe I could’ve walked away on Karth, but could I turn my back now? Obviously Damon knew something about me that could help change the course of events. I didn’t know what it was and neither did Commander Scott, but if there was any chance, no matter how small, I felt obligated to at least try.

  We followed the hall until we reached a wide lobby. It contained no desks, chairs, or windows, only two sets of elevators and a door far to the right of the wall. We stopped at the elevator and waited for the medical team to catch up, then Scott pressed the down button.

  “The first thing we’ll do is go to headquarters. General Ambrose will want to meet you. Together we need to figure out what your role here will be.” Scott’s tone gave me little reason to be excited.

  I should have agreed with him, but I was tired of people telling me what I should or shouldn’t do. Yes, it was my choice to come to Terra, but that didn’t mean I would be ordered around. Damon saw fit to bestow his job on me, and I would do it as I saw fit.

  “No,” I said, without looking at him for a change. “First you are going to take me to the murder site and then I’ll meet your boss.”

  “Excuse me?”

  “If I’m acting advisor to the council, then they’re my first priority. I want to know what is happening here. You will take me to the site, and on our way you will fill me in on everything you know.”

  Scott’s eyebrows shot up. I forced myself not to look at him, but out of my peripheral I saw him nodding as if impressed by my stern commands. A humming sound grew louder until the light above the elevator door blinked. A wave of confidence passed through me as the doors opened. When I trained at the academy on Earth, I graduated in the field of security. The ESA command assigned me to the Echelon as a Tier 2 security officer, which handled all day to day activities on the Echelon. That meant I wasn’t completely useless on Terra. My training included surveillance and examination of crime scenes. That couldn’t have been Damon’s reason for finding me, though. I seriously doubted my skills could compete with the Sentinels on Terra. Scott himself looked like he’d been through hell and back when it came to protecting this city.

  Before we could enter the elevator, the humming stopped. The lights above us shut down one by one, cascading into a power failure that left us in the dark.

  “What the hell?” one of the lieutenants cursed.

  “Commander Scott to ground command. Jones, what’s going on? We just lost power up here.”

  No response.

  By now my bionic eye had activated night vision and I could see well enough. The medical team was looking in various directions. Commander Scott stood with his eyes closed and his radio to his mouth. He tried twice more to contact the ground floor, but failed.

  “Can we return to the landing pad?” I asked.

  “No. The doors seal if there’s been any kind of security breach, and this counts as one.”

  “You don’t have manual override?” I asked.

  “Not from here. The switch has to be activated from the main level. That’s how the tower was designed. We didn’t need visitors, authorized or not, coming and going and making attempts to alter or operate equipment.”

  Fantastic.

  Scott smacked his radio a couple times before he sighed and clipped it back on his belt. “We’ll take the stairs,” he told the medical team. “Remain here and we’ll try to get the power back on.”

  We moved to the doorway and the soldiers took positions in front and behind of Scott, their weapons lifted and flashlights under their muzzles turned on. I wondered whether they expected trouble, or if that was their only means of illumination. Orson pushed on the handle and cracked the door open as Strong peaked through, investigating the stairwell.

  “Well, at least there’s some good news in all this,” I said.

  “And what’s that?” Scott replied.

  “At least we’re going down the stairs and not up. Downhill is always easier!”

  He didn’t appreciate my humor, just shook his head and turned back toward his men.

  “Let’s move, one man in front of the other. Quinn, you stay between Strong and Orson.”

  We descended, and after about a hundred floors we were all breathing harder. We took a break halfway down and I leaned on the rail, sweat falling down my face and dripping from my chin. I watched the drop fall with my bionic eye, until it detected movement below. I switched to the thermo vision and a number of heat signatures moved up the stairs. Five, I thought.

  “Lights out,” I whispered. “Now!”

  Scott moved to argue, but I threw my hand up and pointed down.

  “There’s movement down there. Five men climbing.”

  “It’s probably the rest of my men,” Scott said. I switched back to night vision and tried to get a good look at them. They wore black just like Scott, but they were covered in it. Their faces were painted black and protective helmets covered their head
s. I focused on their weapons and detected some kind of carbine with a long scope and a launcher. I compared it to the shorter, more curved rifle Scott and his men carried.

  “They’re not friendly. Get your lights out,” I said again, gritting my teeth. This power outage wasn’t an accident. The men listened to me and soon we were submerged in darkness.

  “How the hell are you able to see them?” he asked me.

  “Let’s save the explanations for later.” The men moving toward us were twenty-five floors below us but were moving quickly. Their hands gripped their rifles, which were raised at the ready. I explained this to Scott, who was squinting down towards them. I had to give the advancing force credit, if it weren’t for my bionic eye, I wouldn’t have seen them or heard them; they moved with flawless grace.

  “Everyone down and back against the wall,” Scott whispered and his men followed his command. “We’ll need to take these bastards by surprise. Get out flashbangs.”

  They reached into their cargo pants and pulled out four baseball-sized grenades. Orson handed me one.

  “Here’s the plan. Quinn, when they are two floors below us, we’re all going to toss our grenades across the room. Count to three and shut your eyes as hard as you can. Understood?”

  Whoever they were, they must have been using some kind of night vision to climb so quickly. I withdrew my revolver and turned the power down, setting it to stun. When they reached the second floor below us, I tapped Scott on the shoulder.

  “Now!” he said, barely above a whisper. We all threw our grenades and counted.

  One, two, three. I shut my left eye and put my hand over my bionic. I heard one of them shout “Grenade!” just as it went off.

  The blast was bright enough that some of the light passed through the gaps in my fingers. Below us the men screamed and we took that as our cue to attack. We leapt down the stairs and I aimed my gun for the first attacker I spotted. Orson and Strong ran ahead, meeting them close quarters. I fired one round and hit my target in the chest. He fell back, but not down.