by J. N. Chaney
“Is something wrong?” asked Janus.
“There’s a Union carrier vessel entering this system,” I explained.
“They’re the people we told you about,” said Abigail.
Karin’s eyes widened. “The people who have been chasing you?”
I nodded. “The very same. If we don’t get out of here, they’ll wipe out this entire facility and us along with it.”
“What about the core?” asked Dressler.
“We agreed you can use it,” said Abigail, looking at Karin. She handed the bag over to her.
“I suggest you get that shit installed as soon as you can and get those guns online,” I said.
Karin took the core out of the bag and looked at Janus. “We should go.”
“The emitters are down. I won’t be able to guide you, once you’re down there,” said the Cognitive.
Dressler stepped closer. “I might be able to help. I’ve handled one of those before.”
“That’s not the same as installing one,” I said.
“Maybe not, but it’s more than anyone else has done,” she said. “What other choice do we have?”
“Josef,” said Freddie. “Didn’t you say he’d spent the last few years studying those things?”
“Hey, that’s right,” said Abigail.
Freddie smiled. “If he knows how they work, he probably understands how to install one.”
“Where is he?” asked Dressler.
I looked at Karin. “Medical?”
She nodded. “Follow me.”
* * *
Josef was sitting beside the pod with Lucia inside. She was sleeping while the machine proceeded to make repairs to her body.
The old man perked up when he saw us, a smile on his face. “Ah, how did the meeting go?”
“We need you to help us replace the old Tritium Core with a new one, old man,” I said, marching up to him.
He eyed me, curiously, his mouth hanging slightly open. “D-Did you say you have a Tritium Core?”
“I did,” I answered. “I picked one up before we met and now we need to use it. Can you help?”
“Is this what you were talking about before, out in the snow when you said you could help us?” he asked.
I nodded. “And right now there’s a ship headed our way. We need to get the defense system online before it gets here.”
He looked at Karin, who was standing right behind me. “Is this true?”
He took a step closer to him. “It is. I’m sorry, Father. I know you don’t want to leave her right now, but—”
“No, I understand,” he said. “We can’t risk the lives of our people. I’m ready to go. Just…wait a moment.”
I nodded, stepping away from the two of them, back with Abby and the others.
“I have to hurry, but look after your mother for me, Karin,” he said, giving his daughter a gentle kiss on the cheek.
“Don’t worry, Father. We’ll take care of her.”
“Good girl,” he said, smiling. Josef turned to his wife, looking at her sleeping face through the glass of the pod. “Rest easy, my love.”
His eyes lingered on the warrior woman inside for a long moment, and then, without another word, he turned and walked away.
* * *
“But, Captain!” pleaded Freddie.
“Do as I say, Fred,” I ordered. “Someone has to be in the ship in case we need an extra set of guns. That someone is you.”
“What if you need me in the caves?” he asked.
“I’ve got Abigail and a team of well-trained soldiers. I’ll be fine. Your job is more important. That carrier might send its fighters down here, which means you and Siggy may need to play defense.”
He swallowed, nervously scratching his arm. “I-I won’t let you down, sir.”
“I know you won’t. That’s why I asked you to do it instead of Abby.” I turned to the others. “Everyone ready?”
Josef, Abigail, and a team of trained soldiers stood before me, each one of them armed and ready for action. Even Dressler looked like she was ready to go to war, carrying that serious expression.
Josef stepped up. “The central core is located beneath us.”
“We’ll follow your lead,” I said.
He smiled, heading for the nearest exit. The rest of us followed, except for Dressler, who doubled back toward Freddie.
I waited at the door for her while the others continued. “Something wrong?” I asked.
She paused, looking at me. I could tell she was debating something. “I…” She hesitated. “Back when you asked me to fix the engine, I…found something.”
“Found what?” I asked, taking a step closer.
“I couldn’t fix the engine. I’m not a specialist in slip drives,” she explained. “However, I do have some experience with cloaks. I spent a few years designing them.”
I raised an eye. “You looked at my cloak?”
“Not for long, but I noticed it was Union design. It’s easy to spot if you know the type,” she said, but then waved her hands. “Anyway, after you and Abigail left the ship, Frederick and I had nothing but time, so I focused on a way to disable the transponder. It wasn’t difficult.”
“You fixed my cloak?” I asked. I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. “Why didn’t you tell me about this?”
She scoffed. “Why do you think? I wasn’t even sure if I should disable it in the first place, except that if the Union found you, they’d attack, and frankly, I didn’t want to die by association.”
“You only disabled the cloak in order to save yourself?” asked Freddie.
“I know it sounds horrible, but you’re a bunch of criminals. What would you do?”
“Probably the same thing,” I admitted.
“I was still debating if I should reactivate it, to be honest,” she admitted. “But after you turned over that Tritium Core…after seeing all of you risk your lives for these people…” She paused and took a breath. “Well, you get the point.”
“I don’t think I do,” I said, walking closer to her. “I think I need you to clarify it for me, Doc.”
She rolled her eyes. “You know exactly what I was saying. Don’t play stupid.” She walked past me. “Let’s go before we’re left behind.”
Freddie and I watched her head into the tunnel. “I think she’s warming up to us,” Fred said.
“They always do,” I answered with a sly grin.
* * *
The residents watched us running through the halls, probably wondering what was going on. They’d find out soon, whenever Janus and Karin explained the situation. I couldn’t help but wonder if they’d even understand. A massive carrier ship from an unknown empire was on its way to destroy them? Why would anyone want to do such a thing?
I envied their ignorance, in a way. Despite the dangerous world they’d found themselves on, it was far enough away from the rest of the galaxy to keep them in a bubble, all to themselves. They had never heard about Sarkonians, the Union, or Renegades before.
Maybe that was my fault. I was the one who dropped my ship on their world, after all. If I hadn’t come along, they might have lived the rest of their lives without ever discovering the outside universe.
Oh well. What’s done was done, and there was no going back. Not for me and certainly not for them. They’d have to make their stand right here, with my crew beside them, for better or worse.
Josef led us down a flight of stairs, deeper into another corridor. Janus had activated emergency lighting to guide us, which was better than nothing.
As we neared another stairwell, I heard my comm activate. “Captain, do you read me?” asked Freddie.
“I’ve got you. What’s going on?”
“Sigmond says the Union is on their way here,” he said.
“Correct,” said Sigmond. “The Galactic Dawn has set course for this planet and should arrive momentarily.”
I kept running, along with the rest of the team, shuffling down the stairs.
“I want you to get to a safe location. Stay cloaked and don’t fire unless you get my order. Do you understand, Fred?”
“I-I understand!” he answered.
“Now, stay off the damn comm!” I snapped. “I gotta focus on—”
The wall exploded straight ahead, sending pieces of metal and rock onto the floor. Dust scattered, and we shuffled back and away.
Josef was ahead of me, leading the way. He nearly stumbled forward as the break occurred, but I managed to grab hold of his shoulder and pull.
A figure leapt into the storm, swiping claws and roaring. The monster grabbed the nearest soldier, digging a claw right into the poor bastard’s belly, skewering him like a piece of meat.
The rest of us opened fire, lighting up the corridor with so much firepower, it was a wonder the whole structure didn’t come down on us.
The soldiers let loose several blasts of energy from their spears, spilling the Boneclaw’s guts in seconds. By far the most efficient kill I’d seen so far.
It collapsed in its own blood, half its abdomen missing, with the soldier still on its claw. The man was dead—you could see by the empty look in his eyes—but we couldn’t leave him there. Two of the others pulled him off and set him against the other wall, checking his pulse to be certain.
I expected some kind of ritual, but there was nothing. Only a brief moment of silence as his friends—people he must have known his entire life—closed his eyes and placed his hands in his lap.
No goodbye. No tears. All if it was treated so casually.
Watching them, I couldn’t help but wonder if all of this was normal—if they’d lived their lives so long with pain that perhaps it was all they knew.
In that moment, I thought of Lex…
And I thanked the gods I didn’t believe in that she never had to live in a place as terrible as this.
Nineteen
We found the system core room in less than fifteen minutes, having raced through three stairwells and seven floors.
Josef entered a code into the door pad, finally giving us access. Inside, the dim orange lights along the upper walls gave the area a soft ambiance that was almost relaxing. If I hadn’t known any better, I might have said it was almost peaceful.
But that was before I saw the little piles of bones, scattered along the floor.
“Jace…” muttered Abigail.
I held up my hand, whispering, “Josef, were these here the last time you visited?”
“No,” the old man responded. “This is new.”
I glanced at the nearest soldier. “Same for you?”
The soldier nodded.
“Everyone, stay alert,” I said, keeping my voice low. “Let’s go.”
We crept through the room, minding the bones at our feet, trying not to step on them. Straight ahead of us, a short set of stairs ascended to a platform. I could already see the machine at the back of it, the focal point of this place, the entire reason for its existence.
But around us, along the walls, I saw several tunnel openings where the animals had burrowed inside. We’d found a kind of nest, and the only question was whether it was active or not.
We reached the stairs in seconds, which ascended to the second platform. I could almost feel my heart beating in my chest as I took them, one after the next.
Finally, the machine came into view. We were there at last, less than twenty meters away.
But between us, I saw another collection of bones, only this time they were different.
“Oh, my gods,” whispered Dressler. She was staring at the same thing I was, at the human skulls resting at the center of several piles. Unlike the previous collections, these were decidedly human.
“Easy,” I said, looking at the doctor.
But her eyes were frantic, and I could see the fear as it built inside of her. “Th-This is barbaric,” she said, her words shaking. “They’re monsters! They—”
I grabbed her by the shoulder. “Will hear you if you don’t shut up!”
“B-But—”
Abigail was right beside me. She took the doctor by her wrist, gently, and gave her a calming look, like a mother trying to calm a child.
Dressler swallowed, giving a slight nod.
I motioned for the machine, letting everyone know to keep going.
That was when I heard it.
THUMK.
The cracking sound echoed through the room. We each turned behind us, looking at one of the soldiers near the rear of the group. He gave us a confused expression, looking down at his feet. There were no broken bones there, nothing to indicate he’d taken the wrong step.
THUMK.
We all stared at each other, not moving. The echo had come from another location, but I couldn’t place it.
THUMK.
THUMK.
I raised my eyes to the rear of the room, toward the machine. The sound seemed to be coming from there.
A shadow moved, slightly behind the side of it, small and slow, edging its way out.
I extended my hand across Dressler’s chest, pushing her behind me, and readied my weapon. Abigail did the same, along with the rest of the soldiers as we watched and waited.
A figure appeared, half a meter tall, covered in white fur. It looked like a baby Boneclaw, flicking its ears as it bent its head at us. We watched it, curiously, as the animal waddled forward and into the middle of the room.
Its claws were underdeveloped, I quickly noticed, but it was certainly the same creature as they others. The dark area where its eyes should be gave that away.
“Chuchukuu,” it said in a squeaky voice.
Abigail breathed a sigh of relief, lowering her weapon. “Might gods, kill me now.”
“It’s just a runt,” I said, taking a step closer.
As I did, I felt a hand on my arm. “Wait,” said Josef.
I looked back at him. “What is it? Is that thing gonna spit poison at me? I wouldn’t be surprised.”
“No, but Boneclaws never abandon their young for very long. The mother will be back soon,” he explained.
“Just one?” I asked.
He nodded. “I suspect this is a nest. Only the mother will be here with the cubs.”
“That’s a relief,” I said.
He shook his head. “You haven’t seen the mothers, have you?”
“Let’s not wait around for her, then,” said Abigail. She retrieved the Tritium Core from her pack and handed it to Josef. “Hurry.”
He took the core in his hands. “Of course. Janus, are you there? Can you hear me?”
“I am receiving you,” said the Cognitive, his voice coming from a nearby speaker.
“Please, open the barrier so that I can replace the core,” said Jo.
“Stand by,” said Janus.
The machine in front of us began to emit a low humming sound. It startled the little Boneclaw, causing him to scurry back. “Chu!” it exclaimed, nearly falling on its rear. “Chuchukuu!”
The protective first metal layer moved in front of the machine, shifting into the nearby wall.
The second layer followed, and then the third, each one sliding and disappearing as the central access point revealed itself. Whoever had built this machine knew how deadly a Tritium Core could be, so having it secured had been a top priority. Letting the wrong person get their hands on an energy source like this would spell disaster.
It was a good thing, then, that the Union had never found a way to replicate Lex’s tattoos. If they had, the galaxy would never have been the same.
Instead, I’d given that power to a senile old man I’d found in a cave.
It was the right decision.
Josef stepped up to the machine and tapped the controls, entering a code. The light inside came alive, and a small, translucent piece of glass slid back, presenting another core to him.
He looked at me for confirmation. “Do it,” I said, firmly.
Josef nodded, taking the old core out of the slot.
The machine
responded by going silent, all the lights completely fading. He handed the device to Abigail, who placed it inside her pack. Next, he slid the new core inside, setting it horizontally and letting it snap into place.
The machine roared when he did, filling the room with a monstrous hum. It was so loud I couldn’t hear Abigail when she tried to speak.
“What?” I asked.
She pointed to her ear, trying again to say something.
Josef stepped back from the machine, letting the sliding doors fall back into place, shielding his ears.
I grabbed the old man by the shoulders and shouted in his face. “What the hell is happening?!”
“It’s restarting!” he yelled back. “Just wait!”
Right at that moment, the noise stopped, and the room was suddenly quiet. The lights along the upper walls grew brighter, too, replacing the dim, drained color from before.
“Chu!” shouted the little Boneclaw.
Dressler looked at me, still holding her ears. “That was the worst startup sequence I’ve ever seen!”
“Apologies,” said Janus, materializing before us. “The system needed to cycle itself before it could activate the new core.”
The soldiers reacted to his sudden appearance by raising their weapons. It only took a second for them to realize who he was.
“I guess that means the emitters are working for you,” I said.
The Cognitive smiled. “It would seem so. Thank you all very much.”
“What’s next?” asked Abby.
“Karin has authorized the use of long range missiles,” said Janus. “Please, return to the upper floor while I begin the activation process. It will take several minutes.”
“Janus, how strong are your defenses?” I asked. “Can you really stop something as powerful as The Galactic Dawn?”
“If the missiles are still in working order, I expect we’ll make a good show of it, to say the least,” he said.
“Chu!” yelled the little Boneclaw. “Chu chu!”
I felt a sudden vibration in the grate beneath my feet.
THOMB.
“Chu!” shouted the tiny animal.
Another vibration.
THOMB.
I slowly looked at Abigail. “Mommy’s back.”
“Everyone, get ready to defend yourselves!” said Janus.