by Frank Carey
"Where?"
"West of here.”
“Will she pass within two clicks of our location?"
"Affirmative."
"ETA?"
"A few hours unless she stops for the night."
"Excellent. Keep me posted. Nerita out. Harriet, that beacon is good for 48-hours. When you're finished, fire it up. No one beyond five clicks should detect it in this dust. Hopefully, the corporal will follow procedure and scan for beacons."
"Nerita, don't do this. Kalana has done nothing to warrant a contract against her."
"Ventana thinks so, and she's willing to pay a butt-load of money to see the young corporal dead. Now. Behave, and you won't have to join her. Tie her to a tree and get the others to hunker down while we wait."
"Yes, mistress," the two strykers replied before leading the sergeant off to a nearby rocky outcropping.
CHAPTER NINE
The group came to a stop at the beginning of a trail leading into a gap between stone cliffs. "Got her," Trent said. "Signal is strong. Doc, we're getting telemetry."
"I haven't been called Doc in a long time." She raised her arm and called up a holographic display of the telemetry data. "Not good. Sarge is hurt." She stopped. "Crystal, is your parent still on point?"
"Yes."
"Do they see anything odd around the area where Sarge is?"
"People, perhaps twelve. They are wearing uniforms the parent is not familiar with." She reached down and drew something in the dirt. She pointed to a triangle. "This is your Sergeant." She then pointed to several circles spread out around the triangle. "These are the ones with the unknown uniforms."
"Where is the sun?" Mersa asked.
Crystal drew a square. Then she drew a hexagon. "This is us." Finally, she drew a squiggly line. "This is that path through the rocks."
"Ambush," Trent said. "Who the hell would want to use Sarge to ambush us?"
"Lady Ventana. That woman is going to get my boot so far up her ass," Mersa said.
Kalana looked at Crystal and saw she was nervous. "What's wrong?"
"It's time. The pack has retreated to a more private area. He waits for me there."
"Can you warn them not to approach Hartman’s position?"
"Yes, but you will need our help."
Kalana walked over and put her arms around the dragon's neck. "You have to go. You have done so much to help us get this far, but that help ends. Now. This is my fight, and I cannot allow you, your boyfriend, his pack, or any other civvies to get hurt. It's a rule, right Mersa?"
"Aye, aye, Corporal. Anyway, you're too damn pretty to risk, right Trent?"
"Roger that, Mersa. This is our fight, and those assholes picked the wrong damn people to duke it out with."
Crystal looked to the sky. In a moment, the shape above them screamed down from the heavens to join them. It was a dragon, as big as a small corvette spaceship with wings and scales to match. It said something to Crystal with a voice as big as a mountain. She bowed. "I must go."
"Good journey, my friend," Kalana said. Her companions followed suit. With a flip of her tail, Crystal disappeared into the dust. Kalana looked at the parent. "Will she be OK?"
The dragon nodded. "She will be fine. It is the male I worry about. My offspring are headstrong." It put its head within inches of the three Marines. It was as if a scaled bus with teeth parked next to them. "My people have a saying." It said something akin to a nuclear explosion.
"Give them hell," Murph translated.
"We will. You have our word. And, thanks for the assist."
The behemoth nodded before lifting off with a flap of its ginormous wings. It disappeared into the dust.
"Are you going to get that big, Mersa?" Trent asked
"Maybe," she said with a mischievous smile." The Alue glanced at her with shock written all over his face, then he stopped and laughed.
"You had me going there for a minute, Girlfriend."
"What's the op, Corporal," Mersa asked.
Kalana looked down at the diagram Crystal had drawn. "Murph, I want you to transfer..." A red light illuminated on her gauntlet.
"I'm sorry, ma'am, but my connection to our network just went down. I am unable to leave your gauntlet. Repairs should take about 12-hours."
Mersa chuckled while Trent had to look away.
"AI Murphy, you will..." Another red light came on.
"Sorry ma'am, I just lost audio, probably due to the dust. Repairs will take approximately..."
"Twelve hours? How did I guess." She looked down at her wrist. "Fine, we'll try Plan-B."
All red indicators went dark. Kalana shook her head, then took her knife and made marks in the dirt. "Since they're looking for me, I say we let them find us. Murph, can you make Trent's and Mersa's trackers go dead temporarily?
"Yes, ma'am... Done. Now, only yours will show up. Scanners should be mostly useless inside the rocks due to dust."
"Good. Now, you two take flanking positions here and here. We've got two field-generators left, so each of you take one and be prepared to throw it at the Sarge while I distract our welcoming committee. The minute she's under wraps, open fire on our friends."
"Kill them?" Trent said with a smile only an Alue could muster.
"No, just heavy stun. We can't afford to waste energy."
Mistress. A pack of some rather nasty scavengers is at 283 true. I read twelve individuals. They seem to be unsure as to what make of our welcoming committee."
"Keep an eye on them. They may be of help." She stripped off her harness, weapons, and uniform jacket.
"What the hell are you doing?" Trent asked as Kalana handed him and Mersa her pistol, rifle, and spare energy packs. She then slipped her knife from its shoulder scabbard to the one between her shoulder blades. "Bait is best went served unarmed. This may help lull them into a feeling of complacency."
"Who taught you that?"
"Peter... Colonel Ventana. He taught me a lot of things, the most important of which was never to hedge your bets. The fiercest fighter is the one who has everything to lose." Finally, she took out her med kit and pressed a button on its side, activating it. "If something happens to me, get this on Sarge's chest ASAP. It will stabilize her until help arrives."
"Boss, we can't..."
"This mission is to save Sarge. I'm expendable, got it?"
"Mistress, we're getting a message on STARGUARD Coded Channel One," Murph said. "We are ordered to evac the area and meet half a click due east of our present position. We are not, they repeat, not to enter the area at the end of the path."
Kalana looked up at her companions.
"Murphy, buddy, have you acknowledged the message yet?" Mersa asked.
"No, ma'am."
"Hey, buddy, isn't your receiver malfunctioning?" Trent asked.
A red light illuminated on Kalana's gauntlet. "Why, yes, sir, it is. Repairs should take 12-hours."
It was unseemly for a corporal in the Space Marines to shed tears of gratitude. "Move out!"
CHAPTER TEN
Capt. Williamson stared at the board. "Where is Kalana now?".
"Here, sir. Just outside the area designated as forbidden by the dragons. Private Mersa and Private Trent are nearby."
"And Gunny Hartman?
"Here, sir. Sir, Sergeant Hartman's signal is being spoofed."
"What?"
"Spoofed, sir. It's showing injuries, but the data doesn't jive with the data from the back-up data stream. Whoever hacked the tracker isn't familiar with the new trackers we fielded last month. Sir, we're picking up intermittent life signs near Gunny Hartman."
"Get Quartz up here on the double!"
A short, human Marine wearing handcuffs walked out onto the ship's bridge flanked by two, extremely large elf Space Marines. One of them poked him with their tail when he didn't stand at attention in front of the two officers. "Attention, maggot, or this tail goes where few have gone before."
Quartz quickly went to attention. "Sir! Prisoner Quartz reporting
for duty, sir!"
Williamson went toe-to-toe with the prisoner. "Under the Uniform Code of Military Law, I can throw you in an airlock and jettison your carcass into space. That's not going to happen, at least not today..."
Quartz smirked, which got him a tail poke for his trouble. "Show respect, prisoner, or I show you what a shish kabob feels like," the other guard growled.
"Not much of a threat, sir."
The captain’s eyes went ebony black. "My mother is a Venlanten Royal. Turns out that I am the one-in-a-million half-human that can tear souls from bodies. Care to get a taste of what that's like?"
"Shit, Quartz, you do not want to go there," the first guard said. Quartz looked at him and saw beads of sweat on his forehead.
The blood drained from the prisoner's face. "What do you want to know, sir?"
What the hell is going on down there?"
"Ex-Sergeant Nerita and her crew are going to ambush Corporal Grenor. I screwed up who landed where, so now they have Hartman instead of Grenor."
"They're probably using Hartman as bait. Did Ventana hire them?"
Quartz said nothing. One of the guards poked him. "Remember the eyes, prisoner."
"She'll have me killed, dammit! She has people everywhere."
"Why not just have Grenor's power suit hit the ground at full acceleration? Why go to all this trouble for a personal hit?"
Quartz sighed. "My handler told me that Grenor carries the Ventana signet with her. Colonel Ventana gave it to her as an engagement ring."
The door to the Bridge opened and a tall elf wearing a black, one-piece jumpsuit sporting the ambassadorial seal on the left breast stepped inside. "Captain Williamson, Lieutenant Shenta. How goes the mission?"
"The Consortium ship and crew were found and taken to safety by members of the Bonehead team. In the process, several members were dropped off-target. It seems that their suits were sabotaged by that gentleman over there. We think it’s part of a combo hit/asset recovery caper."
"Kalana?"
"Yes, Dr. Grenor is the mark. Lady Ventana wants the family signet back. Can you get us down there?"
"I'll try, but don't get your hopes up. That part of the Maelstrom is sacred ground to the Dragons. It is sort of their breeding grounds."
"Sort of? How can they be sort of?"
"I wish Losira was here. My sister, the doctor, could explain it far better than I can. Suffice it to say, their method of procreation is unique amongst every species I've encountered in my travels through the League."
"But you'll uses your wits and charms to get us clearance?" Williamson asked.
"I'll do my best. Comm Officer!"
"Sir!"
I need a direct line to the consulate. Pipe it to my office if you will."
"Aye, aye, Ambassador!"
"Back to the salt mines," Lucien said as he shook the Captain's hand before heading off the bridge.
"Good luck," Williamson said. He returned to the table to watch the meeting between Marines and Mercs unfold while feeling completely helpless, something he didn't like in the least bit.
###
"Nerita, this is Memphis. Target is at the start of the trail leading to your location. She's with two other... Scratch that, she's alone. I'm getting all sorts of sensor ghosts."
"Are you sure it's her and she's alone. What does the drone read?"
"It's just her. Drone is gone. One minute it was there, the next it was gone. Dust probably got to it. Do you want me to pop another one?”
"No, not if you got the ship's sensors on her. What about the dragon that's been circling overhead?"
"None of the local fauna is showing up on sensors. Optical sensors show the sky is clear to the limit set by the dust."
"OK. Keep me posted. Bart?"
"Yes, Mother?"
"Prep the ship for immediate dust-off, just in case."
"Mom, she's one woman."
"I know. Just humor me."
"Roger that. Starting pre-flight. Try not to get shot again."
"Yes, dear. Nerita out." She looked at Gunny and saw a look of curiosity. "What?"
"Got him away from his father?"
"I killed his father. The bastard was abusing my kid, so he had to die."
Hartman nodded. "I always wondered why you would fall in with him. The universe is a better place with his passing. Now, how about you make it two smart decisions in your lifetime and drop this contract on Kalana?"
"You know I can't do that! Ventana will hunt us to the ends of the universe. No! Grenor dies and Ventana gets her ring back, dammit!"
"Don't I have something to say about that?"
Everyone spun around. There, in the swirling dust, stood an unarmed Kalana, her arms raised.
"How the hell did you get past my people?" Nerita demanded.
"Gunny Zon is a master of stealth."
"Wen! Hazel! Take her!" Nerita yelled. Two mercs emerged from behind a rock and grabbed Kalana by her arms. She kicked one unconscious, then grabbed the other and held her knife against his throat. "Release Hartman or this asshole dies."
"Rosco, shoot them both," Nerita said. "We'll retrieve the signet from her body and be done with this business."
Rosco raised his left arm and fired the blaster he had formed on it. At the last possible moment, Kalana pulled the merc in front of her. His body absorbed the blast, but the energy forced the two of them backwards over the cliff.
"Dammit, Rosco, I need to get that damn ring. Get down there and find it!"
"Yes, Mistress!" He ran over to the edge and climbed down into the dust-filled cliff base.
As he disappeared, two small objects emerged from the dust and headed toward Gunny Hartman. "Harriet! 10 o'clock!"
She spun and fired, taking out both field generators in midair. Blaster pulses came out of the dust and hit Harriet, knocking her to the ground. More pulses peppered the area, even hitting Nerita a glancing blow in the arm. "Take cover!" she yelled as mercs fell to the ground around her either stunned or worse. Someone outside the flat was mowing them down like wheat in a windstorm. "What the hell else could go wrong?" she asked while tapping her earcomm. "Rosco, get your ass back up here... Rosco, do you copy! Dammit!"
CHAPTER ELEVEN
Kalana lay on the broken body of the merc and wondered when death would take her. Broken, bruised, and battered, she could feel her life quickly leaving her.
"Get up, Marine!"
Ignoring waves of pain, she looked up and saw Peter standing over her, his arms crossed while his eyes were filled with disgust. "Are you deaf, Marine? I said get up!"
"Peter, my back is broken, and I'm bleeding to death internally. I'll be with you soon. Don't you understand? I'm dying."
"Only if you don't listen to your AI, Marine! Murph has the answer; you only have to listen.” He knelt down and looked into her eyes. "I love you Kalana Grenor. Now, give those bastards hell."
"Kalana!" Murph yelled through the earcomm. "Snap out of it. You need to inject yourself with the nanobots, dammit!"
"Murph," she whispered, "They're in the pack I left with Mersa and Trent."
"Not that one! The merc's injector is under your right hand. Now, pull it out and inject yourself before I get mad!"
Through waves of pain, she felt around and found it where Murphy said it was. With her last breath, she pulled it out and stabbed into her right thigh. She screamed as a billion specially modified nanorobots shot into her bloodstream and repaired her broken body. But they didn't stop there. They read her DNA and made improvements.
Lots of improvements.
###
Rosco was almost to the base when he heard the scream. He stopped and scanned the area below with his hand scanner, but found nothing except for the body of the merc Nerita shot along with the Kalana woman. In the tradition of countless men before him, he swung his armored hand against the cliff face in a futile attempt at beating some sense into the feckless instrument. He scanned the area again and still found only
one body. "No one could have survived that fall," he muttered.
"Looking for me?" He looked up as a long, segmented, metal tentacle circled his throat and ripped him loose from the face. The tentacle lifted him up until he was face to face with something with glowing red eyes. "How do I look?"
He never got the chance to answer as the tentacle threw him up and over the top of the cliff. "It's ass-kicking time," the figure said as it leapt to follow him.
###
"Where the hell is Hartman?" Nerita yelled as more pulses rained down on them. She took a quick look over the rock she was hiding behind and saw Gunny heading in the general direction of where the gunfire was coming from. The merc took careful aim at the retreating back. "Not today, Gunny..." An armored hand grabbed the weapon from her grasp and crushed it. Nerita leapt back to see a stryker, the likes of which she had never seen before.
Hell, no one had ever seen the likes before, for this one had an articulated tail.
"Stryker Kalana is on-line," the armored form said. "You are ordered to stand down.
Nerita raised her sidearm. "And what if I shoot you?"
"You will only make me angrier."
Nerita pulled the trigger, discharging the weapon’s power supply in a series of lethal blaster pulses. They harmlessly bounced off Kalana's armor.
"Stand-down, Nerita!" Hartman ordered as she, Mersa, and Trent emerged from the dust with weapons up and set to kill. "Last warning."
Nerita looked at Kalana. "What about you? Are you going to kill me?" the merc asked as she threw the spent weapon to the ground.
Four drones emerged from Kalana's bank and hovered over them. "I'll make you a deal: Surrender and I let your son go. Keep this shit up and these drones tear him and the Memphis to pieces. Choose. Now."
Nerita looked over at Hartman. "You're OK with letting Bart go?"
Hartman nodded. "You have my word."
Nerita clasped her hands behind her head while dropping to her knees. "I surrender. This is Nerita!" she yelled into the dust. We surrender!"
The few remaining mercs emerged from the dust, some dragging their barely conscious team mates.
"Now, let Bart go."
One of the drones flew off down the path that led outside. Moments later, Kalana made a call, in Nerita's voice. "Memphis, this is Nerita. Do you copy? Over."