The Pirate from the Stars Book 1- Renegade

by Cheree Alsop

  The calm took over. He had never understood what his mother meant by it until he went into combat. For most, the adrenaline, the terror, the shouts and screams of those in pain filled them with a shaky, hopefully survival-based combat reaction. For Gage, however, everything became still. Sounds faded away except for those that drew him to attack. Fear became no-existent. Pain erased so as not to cloud his abilities, and thoughts of life outside of the battle were muted.

  With the knife in his hand, his decisions became simple. Kill to survive. Kill to protect. Without him, the Terrarians who cowered against the walls would be dead. He could save them. He was the only one.

  By the time the Macsians lay motionless at his feet, Gage was stained in blood. He couldn’t tell how much was his. He met the wide eyes of the staring Terrarians and saw the fear on their faces. The men stood protectively in front of their loved ones, shielding them with their bodies, and Gage realized the fear he saw wasn’t just for the Macsians. It was for him.

  He couldn’t blame them. Covered in Invader blood from head to toe to the point that he had to wipe it out of his eyes in order to see, Gage stumbled to the door. Another volley of laser fire reached his ears. Gage pushed away his exhaustion and ran toward it.

  There was a moment in running from cavern to cavern that Gage realized he was no longer alone. Troops ran beside him, following him. Their sigils and black and yellow uniforms marked them as members of the Unified Militia. The guns they carried and battle tactics told of the same training Gage had received. Where they held back at the doors to assess the situation beyond, he ran forward, tearing into the Macsians before shots could be fired. It was usually enough to bring the Militia in at his heels.

  When the caverns were cleared, Gage took off deeper into the cave system.

  “Follow Metis,” a Militia commander shouted.

  Surprise brushed the edges of Gage’s focus. He glanced back to see the familiar face of Corporal Ganik. The corporal who had led him into battle in defense of the Macrocosm more times than Gage could count met his eyes and nodded. There was respect on the man’s face. He looked older than Gage remembered, but there was still fight left in his actions when he followed his men down the winding corridor led by the Foundling he had once commanded.

  Gage used his senses to guide them. There were too many ships for the few hundred Macsians they had killed to be all. There had to be more of them. They had a plan and if the pirates hadn’t stumbled upon them, they would have been in place to systematically wipe each galaxy from the maps. The Macsians were known for using up all resources and moving on. Gage had seen the planets they left ravaged. No life remained. Stars were decimated for their lasers, and civilizations were left in complete ruin. Gage refused to let that happen if he could help it.

  Commotion could be heard at the end of the hallway. He had been to Tanus enough times to know the layout. The cavern closest to the core was the mining center of the planet. Great pockets of Trilithanium shimmered along the walls waiting to be extracted and melted down to its purest state.

  Gage slowed near the closed metal door. He found a lip in the ore and climbed on it, then turned to face the crowd that had followed them. During the descent, more men and women had joined them. He could see Coalition members in their blue and yellow uniforms. Gage couldn’t help scanning the soldiers for one face in particular.

  “We’re outnumbered,” he told them. “You’ve seen the ships. When we enter the final chamber, there will be no turning back. It’s too late to hope we have the element of surprise. Depend on your training to survive. You’ll need every skill you’ve learned and many you’ve yet to develop.” He met the eyes of the young men and women who watched him. The image wavered in his mind and he saw himself, Donovan, and Vanessa in the crowd, young, afraid, but ready to face the battle for which they had trained. The image shifted to Ruck. She stood alone in the rugged crowd, her gray and orange stripes standing out on her lovely face. She smiled at him, the smile that said to bring on the challenge. She had always been ready for anything he asked her to do.

  Gage looked away and met cold gray eyes. Donovan’s gaze narrowed in recognition. His brother pushed forward, attempting to get through the crowd.

  Gage took a calming breath. “The chamber beyond this door is lined with Trilithanium. It’s flammable and will go up if a spark catches, so use your knives, staves, and swords instead of your guns.” He gestured to the planet above them. “There are more Macsians to follow, millions of them. If we allow Tanus to fall, they’ll have the perfect base from which to attack this piece of Macrocosm we call home. Fight with me, defend our loved ones, and send the Macsians away in fear of ever messing with us again.”

  A cheer went up from the Unified Militia and Coalition members who had no idea they were following a wanted pirate into battle. Gage had lost track of Donovan in the crowd. He told himself it didn’t matter. Too many lives hung in the balance for him to focus on revenge. Sienna would be proud of him.

  Gage shoved the door aside. The chamber below opened wide as he knew it would. Rows upon rows of wide walkways lined the cavern to the ground far below. The walkways were filled with Macsians armed with laser guns and blades. Gage was grateful to see that the guns were slung on their backs. One misfire and the entire place could go up in flames if the Trilithanium lining the walls ignited. He had seen what six pods could do. He didn’t want to experience an entire planet.

  At the sight of him, the Macsians surged forward. Gage backed up.

  “Let them tunnel out,” he shouted behind him. “Take them down as they come!”

  Donovan was suddenly behind him, a gun out and hatred in his eyes.

  “Gage,” he began, his other hand reaching for his knife.

  “This is bigger than us,” Gage said, cutting him off. “Lead your troops, Don. There are too many Macsians. If they come up the rear, our exit will be cut off. We need soldiers to sweep the tunnels behind so that when we storm through, we aren’t trapped.”

  The troops around them cut into the Macsians who swarmed through the doors. The sound of blades striking rang through the air along with battle cries and shouts of pain.

  Donovan knew he was right and hated him for it. Gage could reach that much in the rage-filled expression his brother threw him. To his relief, Donovan turned away without reply and barked a command at his troops. Gage’s hold on his blade loosened.

  He glanced back to see the militia cutting through the Macsians at the door. A hole was made into the chamber. Gage took advantage of it and ran for the gap. He reached the rail of the walkway, put a hand on it, and vaulted over. His one thought was that if he could bring some of the attention inward, perhaps Donovan’s troops could force their way in on the lower levels.

  He hit the ground in the middle of a legion of Macsian warriors. Gage rose slowly to his feet, his knife in his left hand, his right arm stiff from the abuse to his shoulder. He turned in a slow circle. The Macsians surrounding him unsheathed their knives and swords. The flammability of the chamber had given him the best opportunity to inflict the most damage. At least meeting so many blade-to-blade would give him a chance to take as many down with him as he could.

  “Come on,” Gage taunted them. He felt reckless with anger at losing Ruck. Facing Donovan if only for the brief moment had set him on edge. The Macsians deserved to pay for all they had taken from his life. He spun the knife in his hand. “Give it your best shot.”

  The Macsians attacked from all sides. Gage fought, his knees bent, his blade sinking into exposed necks and glancing off leather bracers and armor. He grabbed a knife from a Macsian’s hand when the man fell and spun it so that the blade lay backwards along his right arm. He found that with the limited mobility of his shoulder, he could still use it to defend against the worst of the attacks.

  Gage fought like a wild creature trapped and injured. His teeth bared and a snarl on his lips, he defended himself against so many Macsians he couldn’t say how many lost their lives to the
bite of his weapons. He heard the battle raging around him, piercing through the cloud of calm with cries of agony and shouts from the commanders. The unattached part of his mind wondered if he had fought beside any of the Unified Militia before. Perhaps old friends battled the Macsians as they had side-by-side a few years ago.

  The battle Gage waged left him no time for nostalgia. The nicks of blades getting through tightened his guard and honed the reflexes he had spent years perfecting. He fought until the Macsians backed away from his fury, until he found himself pursuing them across the rocky cavern floor, stumbling in their haste to get away from him.

  Gage chased Macsians through the tunnels that surrounded the main cavern. He left bodies strewn across the ground, Macsians who would never hurt his friends again. He followed the screams of pain, using his Foundling strength to cut through armor and helmets, lopping heads from shoulders and severing arms. He forgot why he was fighting. All that mattered in his mind was finding the next victim, chasing down those who ran, cutting short the screams until he stood alone in a chamber of silence.

  Gage’s chest heaved. He had returned to the vast cavern somehow, but this time it was empty of movement instead of filled with armed assailants as it had been. Macsian bodies lay in great heaps around him. The sounds of skirmishes were short and few from the walkways above. Gage looked up to find hundreds of eyes watching him, Coalition and Unified Military alike. They were battle worn and weary, faces covered in blood and hands clutching wounds, but the hundreds were alive.

  “Gage!” the shout rang out, angry and defiant.

  Donovan leaned over a railing several levels up. His glare told of his intentions when he pointed at the lone man standing in the cavern of carnage. “Stop that pirate!”

  The sound of thundering footsteps hastening to obey followed.

  “Metis, this way,” a voice called from the shadows.

  Gage’s muscles tensed. His hand tightened on the blade and a whisper of anticipation ran through his veins. He blinked and his gaze focused on Corporal Ganik. Gage threw one last glance up at his enraged brother before he followed the Corporal into the darkness.

  “Are you mad?” the Corporal asked. He gave Gage a quick lookover. “You know you’re the top of the Coalition’s wanted list. Why call them here?”

  “You know why,” Gage replied. He eyed the half dozen men with the Corporal. “It’s what you taught us.”

  “The benefit of the mass outweighs the risk to the one,” Corporal Ganik replied. “But I meant that in light of defense, not suicide.”

  Gage shook his head. “It doesn’t matter. The Macsians have been stopped for the time being.”

  “Now that we know a bigger force is potentially on its way here,” the Corporal replied in a grim voice. “You saved us the planet. I don’t know if anything can save us the war.” He sighed. “Come this way. We need to get you out of here.”

  Gage followed Corporal Ganik up the winding hallway. Footsteps sounded. At the Corporal’s motion, his men flattened into the shadows. Gage leaned against the wall behind them. A squad of Coalition troopers ran past.

  “You’re really in trouble here,” Ganik said, his voice low. “What did you think— Metis!”

  Arms caught Gage before he hit the ground. He blinked, trying to focus. The goggles felt claustrophobic. A cold tremor ran across his skin.

  “Help him. We need to get him out of here. Where’s your crew, Metis?”

  “They left,” Gage mumbled. He focused on placing one foot in front of the other. He didn’t know the soldiers that had willingly ducked under each arm. Hiding a known pirate was a criminal offense. “You shouldn’t be helping me.”

  “I know what I’m doing,” the Corporal replied. “And I also know why you left the militia. That girl’s death wasn’t your fault.”

  “She was my responsibility,” Gage said. His shoulder ached at the tension put on it, but he knew he couldn’t walk without help. He wanted to hit something to help with the pain, both physically and emotionally. He found himself wishing a Macsian would jump out at them from one of the dark corners. “Ruck was my responsibility, too,” he said, his words quieter.

  “She was your crewmate?” the Corporal asked.

  Gage nodded. “One of the best groundcrew members I’ve ever had.”

  “Where is she?” Corporal Ganik pressed. His tone said he guessed the answer.

  “She was killed in the first room where I fought the Macsians.” The need to find her body stopped Gage. The soldiers helping him struggled to assist him forward. “I need to go to her.”

  Corporal Ganik put a hand on Gage’s good shoulder, forcing the Foundling to meet his gaze. “Metis, you were the best leader I ever trained. I know what you did for your troops in the Verde Nebula and I can guess what you did for Ruck here.” His voice lowered. “I promise you that I will see her body safely to her family, alright?”

  Gage shook his head. “She doesn’t have a family.” He corrected himself. “The Kratos crew was her family.”

  An understanding look filled the Corporal’s face. “Then she will have a burial fit for a queen. I’ll see to it. I promise.” He held Gage’s gaze. “Now I need to get you safely away from this blasted planet or we’re all in trouble. You have to trust me, understand?”

  Gage blinked at the sincerity in the Corporal’s voice. He took a shuddering breath. “I understand.”

  The Corporal led the way to the landing docks. “I can’t believe you sent your ship away. What were you thinking?”

  “I was protecting them,” Gage replied.

  Corporal Ganik shook his head. “Asking for death, more like. I’ve seen the orders on you. I just hoped I’d never run into you again. The acts of war change a person. Nobody knows what we were called to do on that Macsian planet. They weren’t there. It’s easy to point fingers and blame when you’re not the one surrounded in a trap laid by a merciless enemy.”

  “I think you got them back,” the soldier under Gage’s left arm said.

  “What was that?” the Corporal asked, his voice sharp.

  “Uh, sorry Corporal,” the soldier quickly replied. “I was just saying that Metis got his revenge here on Tanus. I’ve never seen anyone fight like that. He was his own army down there.”

  They hid behind a Macsian ship for several troops to jog past.

  “Yes, you did,” the Corporal said when the way was clear. “That was a brave thing you did. Having you at their back turned the tide of the battle. I’ve never seen one man have quite that impact.” The Corporal’s eyes tightened. “I heard stories from the Verde Nebula after you disappeared. I didn’t believe them; now I’m left to wonder.”

  Gage didn’t meet his questioning look.

  Corporal Ganik nodded. “Fine. I understand. Let’s get you out of here. Our best bet would be—”

  “To send him on his own ship,” Manax finished, stepping out from behind a Macsian craft.

  Gage stared at him. “What are you doing here? I told you to leave. It was an order.”

  Manax lifted a shoulder. “Sometimes orders are meant to be ignored when the life of a friend is on the line.”

  Corporal Ganik smiled. It was the first time Gage could remember ever seeing him do so. “I like this guy, and he’s right. We’re doing the exact same thing. Just wait until the Coalition finds out members of the Unified Militia snuck out one of their most wanted. Tensions may rise a bit.”

  “They don’t have to find out,” Gage said.

  The Corporal actually grinned. “Oh, they’ll find out. When they hear that the famed Pirate Gage Metis made it out alive under their very noses, they’ll be humiliated.” He chuckled at the thought. “I hate the way the Coalition lord themselves around. It feels nice to stick it to them once in a while.”

  Manax ducked under Gage’s arm.

  Gage met the Corporal’s gaze. “You would have made a great pirate.”

  Corporal Ganik nodded. “And you would have made a great corporal if you�
�d stuck around. We can always use someone like you.”

  “I don’t think they’d appreciate my resumé ,” Gage replied.

  That brought a laugh from the Corporal. “You take care of yourself, Metis. I expect to run into you again sometime, hopefully under better circumstances.”

  “I hope so,” Gage replied.

  Chapter Twelve

  “Ridiculous, stupid, stubborn—”

  “Don’t forget banta-headed, foolhardy, and with utter disregard for your own safety,” Hyra concluded the rant Sienna had started.

  Gage lay on a table in the Medical Bay with an I.V. sticking out of his arm, bandages across his chest and back, and a self-suffering smile on his lips that wouldn’t fade even with the girls’ rant.

  Cisco gave him a disapproving look as he worked on the final stitches to reclose the wound on Gage’s shoulder. “Captain, I must agree with them. This is too much. You need to take it easy.”

  “I agree,” Gage replied.

  “If you keep going like this, you’re going to eventually drop and— what did you say?” the Roonite stared at him. “Did you just agree with me?”

  Gage nodded. “I need a break, and I made a promise to someone. I think they should coincide well.” He winced. “Also, Sienna is far more gentle at stitching than you are.”

  Cisco made a sound of disgust and held up the needle. “If you want to take care of the Captain, you’re more than welcome to,” the green-skinned Roonite offered.

  To Gage’s relief, Sienna nodded. “I might as well. I stitched him up the first time, so why not a second?”

  Gage closed his eyes under the woman’s much more gentle touch.

  “Mattie’s birthday is in two days.”

  He nodded with a small smile. “I know. That’s where we’re heading.”

  He could hear the answering smile in her voice when she said, “I hoped as much.”