Zaimur stared at the android for a few seconds before nodding. “ADIM? Very well. He has proven useful so far. I’ll send for you when we depart.” Zaimur took one last look at the map of the Circuit, gritted his teeth, and continued on his way.
“Very useful indeed,” Cassius whispered. He faced ADIM, grabbed him by the sides of his face and grinned. “You were quite convincing on Ceres,” he marveled. “For a moment, even I feared I might’ve been dead.”
“Never.” ADIM countered.
Cassius took a step back, his brow furrowing. “You still don’t trust him, do you? Every time he looked at me I noticed you were prepared to shoot him down.”
“No. This Unit witnessed his followers celebrating your death. They pelted what they assumed was the Creator’s body with rocks and rubbish.”
“They are fools.” Cassius wrapped his arm around ADIM and walked him toward the ramp onto the White Hand. “By now the Tribune will have likely heard through their Executors of my passing. They will celebrate as well.” Cassius stopped, grasped ADIM’s arm, and opened up the compartment on it. He pulled out his com-links and placed them in his ears. “We will make them rejoice when they find out that I am alive and well.”
“What if they do not?”
“What?”
“Rejoice. This Unit will have no choice but to eliminate all who do not.”
Cassius chuckled before continuing to lead ADIM onto his ship. “There will always be new enemies, ADIM, even after we’re done.”
“This Unit will ensure that the Creator does not have a single enemy left after this war,” ADIM decided. “All who remain will live in service of your will.”
Cassius froze. He turned his head and stared into ADIM’s eyes. They weren’t spinning at all.
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE—SAGE
No Way Out
After spending the better part of two weeks sleuthing around the Ascendant, Sage was starving. As much as she enjoyed tasting crud again, most days it was too big of a risk taking part in the feeding periods, and sneaking any out wasn’t an option. Patched up eye and all, Hand Yavortha was diligent about making his rounds. Sage of course knew the real reason why he was making himself so visible, so she couldn’t risk putting herself in plain sight without her helmet on.
She stayed on the move. There were reserves of emergency ration bars held in monitored storage areas. Getting in a few times here and there was easy, but any more than that would be suspicious. For water she was forced mostly to drink from the lavatories. All liquid was rationed on the ship, so there wasn’t much potable water to get. It reminded her of the sour water served back in the nether regions of New Terrene.
She hijacked jobs when she could to appear busy—prepping fighters, moving supplies, or readying weaponry. There was a lot of work to do to prepare for the looming battle. She wasn’t exactly sure where they were heading, but with every passing day the faces of the Tribunal officers and higher-ups got grimmer. They were getting close, and that’s exactly what she needed. Once the fighting started, she’d spring Elisha from her cell and take a fighter to the nearest Tribunal settlement she could find. Bringing the girl back to her people was no longer an option since the Tribune would just conquer wherever she ended up.
Sage hadn’t been able to visit her cell since the ship set off, but she was able to sneak a glance of the surveillance footage there to ensure she was still alive.
Presently, Sage headed down one of the Ascendant’s wide corridors toward the main hangar in order to work on a fighter she had her eye on stealing. She was doing her best to try and disconnect it from all Tribunal tracking programs in order to make that possible, but the Vale Protocol was proving difficult to crack. She wasn’t sure why she thought she could negotiate anything which manifested in Cassius’s mind, but she had to try. Otherwise the Tribune would know exactly where she was going once she left.
She was nearing the vessel when a sudden cramp in her stomach pulled at her side and forced her to lean against the wall. She’d been hungry before, on missions which went longer than expected, but without her Executor Implant it was more crippling than she expected. She resolved that after checking on the fighter she’d make her way to the refectory and take the risk on pilfering some crud. She had to fill her belly. Otherwise she wouldn’t be able to retain her focus when she eventually needed it.
The floor of the Ascendant began to vibrate. A cohort of armed soldiers went marching past her in the direction of the hangar at a rapid pace. Then the voice of Yavortha spoke over the ship’s speakers, or was it in her helmet’s com-link? After two weeks it was getting hard to tell.
“A large Ceresian strike force has invaded Eureka Station,” the Hand said. “The Ascendant is currently an hour away from engaging them. All hands to stations. Prep the fighters to retake the station. Ground forces report to your unit’s transport to initiate assault.”
The vibration beneath her feet grew more and more powerful until there was a severe tremor. Then the Ascendant was still again, coursing through space as straight as an arrow.
Rail-gun fire, Sage recognized. She rubbed her stomach. So much for finding something to eat. It’s beginning already.
“Unit B563, report to our designated transport immediately,” the voice of her unit commander ordered through her helmet. This time there was no question where it was emanating from.
She ignored the order and changed course for the brig. This was her chance.
She walked at a brisk pace, not wanting want to draw any more attention to herself while every other soldier was running in the opposite direction. The holding cells were on the lowest level of the cruiser, toward the stern. The quickest way there was to take the central lift, but that would be crawling with soldiers wondering why she wasn’t reporting to her proper station. There were subtle differences in Tribunal sets of armor, and she was wearing that of the infantry. There was no reason for her to be anywhere near the brig during battle preparations and the longer it took her to reach Elisha the less reason she’d have to not be present on one of the troop transports.
The long way was her only option, and she did her best to stay invisible. It wasn’t easy. The generous corridors and stairwells were bustling with activity. At the first fork she decided to cut through an infantry cabin. Sirens were blaring in order to ensure everybody was awake, so it was already mostly empty.
“Soldier!” the unmistakable voice of Yavortha hollered from out in the corridor as soon as she stepped in. It wasn’t through her com-link. “You’re to report to the hangar. Now!”
Sage wheeled around, trying not to appear like she was up to something while also keeping her visor downturned. She reached out slowly and grabbed a pulse-rifle off of the rack on the nearby wall, not sure whose it was or if it even worked.
“Forgot my rifle,” she said, using her best male voice.
Yavortha had an entourage of honor guards beside him and they flooded the living quarters, checking to make sure all of the bunks were empty. He waited at the entrance for Sage to catch up and she knew there was no way out of it. Trying to run or incapacitate him and his guards might work, but it’d make escaping the Ascendant impossible. She was just lucky that having her helmet on was a part of normal procedure during preparations.
There were a few other stragglers in the living quarters. They fell into formation with her and followed Yavortha back toward the main hangar.
Damn you and your timing Yavortha, Sage thought. She tried to remember any points in the ship where she’d be able to slip away. Those thoughts were quickly put to rest when a pair of the honor guards fell back beside her and the other straggling soldiers. Doing anything out of the ordinary would get her discovered quickly and be a death sentence for Elisha.
“You’re lucky there’s a battle to win or the lot of you would be scrubbing scum off the galley floors for this!” Yavortha growled as he stepped onto a lift. “Fortunately for all of you, His Eminence needs everyone at his disposal to end this little
uprising as quickly as possible.”
It was too late.
The lift doors slammed shut and they would arrive outside of the hangar in minutes, where Sage would be hoarded onto a transport. She was too well trained to panic. An Executor’s missions rarely went according to initial plans, so they were taught early on how to improvise. With a force as large as the one aboard the Ascendant, as well as the dozen or so frigates sailing alongside it, the Ceresians wouldn’t last long on Eureka. But the aftermath of the battle would be equally as chaotic as the preparations, likely even more so. At least that was what her studies had taught her since she’d never been a part of a real war. All she had to do was hitch a ride back to the Ascendant once it was over while the majority of its forces were still on the asteroid. Getting Elisha out would be even easier then.
She settled on that plan as the lift doors opened, and she and the rest of the late soldiers were emptied out into the hangar. Fighters were taking off in rapid succession and filling the inner sanctums of the main airlock. Occupied Mechs were being fastened onto the bottom of dropships so that they could be deployed directly onto the asteroid. Formations of soldiers filed onto any of the transports that hadn’t already left. Robed Earth Whisperers stood outside of every one, reciting prayers and holding up shards of tree bark for the nearby men to touch. Sage paused for a moment and frowned as she watched the fighter she’d chosen for her escape lift off.
“Move soldier!” the honor guard right behind her grunted, nudging her in the back. She winced in pain. He may not have meant to do it hard, but her ribs were still tender from her climb into the Ascendant.
She bit her lip and fell into the ranks of her assigned unit as they filled a nearby transport. Yavortha rushed up to the front and stepped on. Apparently he was coming with her unit. An officer inside signaled her toward a seat, and with so many soldiers packed around her she had no choice but to comply. Restraints fell over her shoulders once she sat, and in no time the vibrations of the transport’s engines grew more powerful. It slowly rose.
Yavortha was standing near the viewport of the transport’s entrance as it soared across the hangar toward the airlock, gazing out upon the grand Tribunal Army. Once they passed through into space he turned and headed up toward the cockpit.
Sage caught a glimpse of his marred face out of the corner of her eye. While Benjar sat alone in his personal quarters, Yavortha was leading the charge. That was the duty of a Hand, but she couldn’t imagine him ever having the fortitude to serve beyond the call of action. Knowing he might soon take a seat upon the Tribunal Council was hard to swallow. As a Hand he answered to his Tribune, and for all of his slights toward her, Benjar was fervent in his faith. Yavortha seemed to be the kind of man who wielded religion like a hammer.
Even after what he did to her on Titan she took no solace in injuring her people when a mission didn’t necessitate it, but a part of her wished that her blade had sunk a little deeper. She couldn’t imagine what he would do to the Ceresians now that he had command of an entire army.
“The Ceresians are to be given no quarter,” Yavortha’s voice spoke through the com-link in her helmet, as if responding to her thoughts. “They may attempt to surrender, but they cannot be trusted. They are gamblers and miscreants who will do whatever it takes to deceive you if it means taking just one more pitiful breath. The Circuit must see firsthand the deserved fate of those who would turn their sights on the faithful! There is no forgiveness for them.”
A tingle ran up Sage’s spine. Whether it was from dread, excitement, or a combination of both she wasn’t sure—the Executor Implant had always squelched such feelings. Those weren’t the sentiments of the Tribune she’d fallen in love with. She knew how vengeful the Spirit could be better than most, but the faith which would one day allow humans to tread across the surface of Earth unharmed left room for the forgiveness of nonbelievers. That she knew for sure, no matter how lost she was. All she had to do was survive her first real battle and then she could figure out what to do with that knowledge. Saving an innocent little girl from being a prisoner of war seemed like a good place to start.
CHAPTER THIRTY—TALON
Immunity
“Die heretic!” a Tribunal soldier deep within the tunnels of Eureka shouted as he fired his pulse-rifle. He was one of the stragglers left behind after the asteroid was taken, and outnumbered as they were, they refused to surrender.
Talon pulled Tarsis back against the wall and waited for a moment before edging around the corner and pulling his own trigger. This time he had no trouble seeing if he hit anyone. The soldier collapsed in silence and the others with him fell back a little farther behind another layer of cover. It was the kind of fighting he was used to—men pinned down in cramped, dark tunnels with nowhere to go but through their enemy. As good as it felt to put one down, he knew he’d have plenty more chances if he was able reach the gravity generator fast enough.
Talon signaled over to Tarsis and the group of Lakura fighters they’d fallen in with, instructing them to hold. He asked to see a comrade’s HOLO-Pad, displaying a schematic plan of the asteroid. There was no telling how accurate it was, but it was the best the Ceresians could acquire on such short notice. He was only able to glance at it for a few seconds before the soldier snatched it back.
“I know where I’m goin’,” he grunted. “No time to waste, we got our orders. Take the core so that we’ve got a defensible position.”
It was the only sensible move other than cramming into the ships they had left and fleeing. Maybe from the inner tunnels where Mechs couldn’t fit and numbers counted for little they could claw at the Tribune until they lost the taste for battle. As long as the Tribune didn’t feel like burying them there. It was a long shot, but Yara Lakura was far out of her element.
Such a fool to go at it alone, Talon thought, remembering how his former clan was still deliberating over what to do next when he joined up with the Lakura. It wasn’t his fault Yara decided to attack without any support, but if he’d been thinking clearly, there was no doubt he would’ve known what to expect. Now it’d take a miracle to get anybody out alive.
Talon and Tarsis exchanged a nod before falling to the back of the formation and allowing their comrades to press on first. Talon had gotten a good enough look at the plans to know they were close. There were a few more spats with Tribunal defenders, but they had the upper hand for the moment.
Finally, they reached a sealed, plated hatch in an area where the height and width of the tunnel swelled. The others continued on toward another bunch of Tribunals, but Talon nudged his friend and showed him the sealed entrance.
“This is it,” Talon declared. The hatch had blue markings printed on its center, a circle made out of fanning blades. He ran his hand over the metal exterior, and could feel the warmth emanating from the other side.
“You sure?” Tarsis asked.
“I recognize that symbol from Kalliope. Unless they’re lying, my people claim to have built up this asteroid long ago, before the war.”
Tarsis moved over to the door’s controls and tapped the screen. “Looks like it’s locked up.”
“Of course. You need all sorts of protective equipment to go in there safely. Luckily that doesn’t matter for us.”
“Lucky us…Doesn’t help if we can’t get in.”
“We’ll see.” Talon brushed Tarsis aside and took his place in front of the controls. “I ran with the Morastus clan for a long time. A large part of my duties included getting into places I wasn’t meant to.”
“You know how to operate the generator then?”
Talon froze. He hadn’t even considered that part. He shrugged and continued to go to work on the controls. He never had any intention of leaving the generator intact, no matter how important Eureka may have been to the war effort.
“That’s where you come in,” Talon said. “Yara might’ve tried to stop me from crippling this place if she knew what we were up to. Now that I’m already here, I need
you to start warning everyone. Get on the com-link in your helmet and tell whomever you can. Then run back as fast as possible and find someone important enough to be able to broadcast to every Ceresian’s helmet within a million miles of this rock. Tell them to fight outward toward our remaining ships as soon as the gravity switches off and evacuate…or risk earning the fate you and I wear on our flesh.”
Tarsis grabbed Talon by the arm. “I’m not going to let you do this alone.”
“It can’t harm me any more than it already has,” Talon responded as he lifted Tarsis’s hand away. “Don’t worry. I’ll catch up to you after it’s done. If we could get off of the Amerigo, we can get out of this.”
“Hopefully with fewer red-eyed, metal demons,” he joked.
“I’m not sure about that. One of those things might prove pretty useful right about now.”
“By the Spirit, you’re losing your mind.” He took a step back. “Alright. Let’s do this. The Tribunals won’t know what hit them.”
Talon nodded and then heard the noisy whine of Tarsis’s suit as the Vergent ran back down the tunnel. His wheezy voice shouted through the com-link in Talon’s helmet, explaining what was about to happen. Talon switched off the feed so that he could concentrate.
It grew eerily quiet.
The Lakura men they’d been with were so far ahead that their gunshots were impossible to discern over the soft, constant purring of Eureka’s life support systems. Talon could only imagine what was going on back at the surface where the New Earth Cruiser had likely begun unloading thousands of soldiers. Down in the depths of the asteroid, through a mile of solid rock, he couldn’t even feel the vibrations of battle.
It did make it easier to work. He was well out of practice when it came to slicing through locking systems, but it was coming back to him quickly. He expected the one guarding Eureka’s central gravity generator to be more complex, but it was relatively simple. Apparently no sane, healthy person would risk exposure without proper protection and training on how to deal with the device.
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