“How are you doing?” he asked.
“I’m fine,” she said. She stared at the floor.
“How are my men, doctor?” Derek asked.
“The Marines with the eye damage and leg wound are both out of surgery and recovering. The third is still in a coma. There is brain activity, but we don’t know when he will come out of it.”
Derek nodded. “Of course.”
“If you’ll excuse me, I need to discharge your other Marines.” He nodded and left the room.
Minutes later a navy shipman entered the room. He saluted. “Ma’am, sir, Captain Rigsby has requested your presence on the bridge at your earliest convenience.”
As the man spoke, John groaned and stirred. “Massive … headache.”
Ashley stroked John’s forehead before addressing the shipman. “Tell Captain Rigsby we are en route.”
***
The door to the bridge slid open. Three figures entered the room. Captain Rigsby appraised them.
The lieutenant wore his dress uniform and sported the traditional buzz cut of the Marines. He came to attention and saluted.
The woman wore a gray flight suit. Her green eyes appraised him.
The second man wore a brown vest over shirt and sported trousers and a pair of brown boots. His blue eyes sparkled as he smiled.
“Heya, Captain, I’m John.” He stepped forward and offered his hand.
“Greetings,” Captain Rigsby said as he shook hands with John. He then returned the lieutenant’s salute.
“Marine 1st lieutenant, Derek Jamison reporting for duty, sir.”
“At ease, soldier. We’ll get to your report in a moment.” He turned his gaze on the woman. “And you are?”
“Ashley.”
Captain Rigsby cleared his throat. “I understand two of you are Eternals?”
John rolled his eyes. “You know, I don’t like that term much. I prefer Guardians.”
“What do you guard in your merchant vessel?”
“My profits. Trade must go on.”
Captain Rigsby snorted. “You sound like a merchant.”
“Why did you ask us here, Captain?” Ashley asked. “John is still recovering from saving our asses and you are busy with the battle. Are you going to continue insulting us or ask a legitimate question?” Alarms in the background emphasized her words.
Ashley lived up to her reputation. Martin laughed, trying to defuse the tension. “Your reputation precedes you, Lady Edgerton. I apologize, I did not mean to offend you. I asked you here to learn what you know of the invaders.”
“Wait, you don’t know who they are?” John asked.
“No. Should I?”
“They’ve only been the boogie men scaring children for two thousand years,” Ashley said.
The pieces clicked together for Martin. “Wait, you’re saying these are the Krai’kesh?”
“Ding ding ding, we have a winner,” John said, twirling his finger around. “Tell him what he’s won, my lovely assistant.”
Ashley glared at John before returning her attention to Martin. “Yes, it’s the Krai’kesh. The wolf we’ve warned of for two thousand years. Most people never believed us.”
“And now we can say ‘we told you so, suckers,’” John said.
Ashley smacked his head. “Don’t mind him.”
“We have to alert fleet command. Zigana, get them on the line ASAP.”
“Yes, sir. I am working on establishing a connection. The railgun and coilgun munitions have completed, sir. They are being loaded onto transports.”
“Not fast enough.”
“Railgun munitions?” Ashley asked
“Yes. Our laser weaponry has little impact on their void shields. We discovered, from you and our point defense grid that ballistic munitions at high velocity, much higher than missiles, can overcome their void shields. We are doing what we can to take advantage of the few railguns we own.”
“How can we help?” Ashley asked.
“Can you haul railgun munitions?”
“I think we can handle that.”
“Before you go, Lieutenant, give me your report on the ground situation. Communication has been spotty and sensor information even less so.”
“Sir, falling debris destroyed Heredon Peak Joint Operations Base. The civilian spaceport was a blood bath. My team and I were on patrol when the assault began and escaped the initial devastation. Upon reaching the dock containing the Edgerton’s ship,” he nodded his head toward John and Ashley, “we encountered several Krai’kesh skitterers, the four-legged ones, and one two-legged Krai’kesh which commanded them. I started with a platoon and lost half of my men in the fighting. Only John and Ashley’s magic saved the day.”
“Thank you for your report, Lieutenant. You’ve given me much to think on.”
Lieutenant Jamison saluted. “Sir.”
“Dismissed.”
John and Ashley departed with the lieutenant.
***
Twenty minutes after the Eternals left, Zigana spoke. “Devastator and Vertigo are reporting readiness of their railgun batteries, sir. The destroyers are next. Shall we hold until all ships are ready?”
Another volley had come minutes earlier from the enemy ships. They’d lost a corvette that time. The ships would run out of coilgun ammo soon. “ETA on resupply of the destroyers?”
“Three minutes.”
“Mark targets but hold fire.”
“Yes, sir.”
Captain Rigsby set a timer in his implant for three minutes, prompting his mind’s eye to display the time remaining.
“Target lock. Another enemy volley inbound. Bigger, this time,” Zigana reported.
Forty-two seconds, Martin thought.
“Time to impact?”
“Thirty seconds.”
Thirty-eight, thirty-seven, thirty-six.
“Order Devastator and Vertigo to fire. Order the destroyers to fire once they have something to shoot.”
Zigana nodded and relayed the command over the fleet-wide channel.
Acknowledgments flooded in and moments later railgun projectiles hurtled across the void of space toward the hulking Krai’kesh capital ships stationed between the moon and planet. Missiles trailed behind.
“Brace for impact,” Zigana warned.
Chapter 7 - Shadow Dance
Kimberly fired. The beam of energy disappeared into the shield. She fired two more times with the same effect.
The creature remained where it was as its shield absorbed bolt after bolt of energy. The air shimmered like a faulty hologram or black heat mirage as each bolt disappeared. It’s a like a crappy B hologram. The enemy walked toward them.
“I’m sorry, Mr. President.”
“I won’t die without a fight, Agent Hague.” The president bent over and rolled up his pant leg, revealing an ankle holster. He withdrew a black pistol from it. “CG-22. It belonged to my grandfather. Old-school coilgun technology. Short range, but better than nothing, eh?”
“Yes, sir.”
The president lifted his coilgun and aimed at the enemy warrior, who had made it half the distance.
Crack.
The enemy’s left shoulder jerked. Red blood spurted from a wound. It roared in anger but continued its advance.
Kimberly’s mouth opened in disbelief. “How…?” she asked.
President Galantos didn’t answer. He pulled the trigger a second time. Crack.
This time the warrior stumbled as the bullet passed through what she thought was the enemy’s thigh.
“Take that, you bastard!” the president shouted. “Not so tough now!”
Their foe crouched and its face assumed a look that seemed to convey fury. Kimberly stepped back, her leg bumping into the railing of the roof.
Shit, now we’ve pissed it off.
The president fired a third shot, but it hit the wall behind the creature.
Thunder rumbled in the distance.
The creature roared and charged.
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The president lined up a fourth shot.
He won’t make it. Kimberly fired a laser bolt to no effect. She stepped in front of the president, bent her knees and prepared to fight the creature in hand-to-hand combat. I’ll buy him a few more moments.
The monster was feet away. It lifted its staff and prepared an overhand strike. The staff descended.
A cloud of mist appeared in front of Kimberly and formed into a person.
Isabelle.
She knelt and held two black blades above her head in an X shape. The staff slammed into the crossed blades and stopped.
Isabelle pushed the staff back and disappeared into mist again. An instant later she re-appeared behind the creature. She stabbed it in the back with both blades.
The creature roared in pain and swung its bladed staff around to strike Isabelle. The blade passed through the mist.
Isabelle materialized several feet in front of the creature. She extended her arms like an eagle stretching its wings and threw her blades out to the side. The blades disappeared in puffs of mist and two laser pistols appeared in her hand. She brought her hands together and pointed both pistols at the creature. “Hello, darling,” she said.
“Eternal,” the creature spoke in a soft, hissing voice that grated on Kimberly’s ears. If a snake could speak, she thought.
“So, you know of me, good. Then you know what comes next. You dying.”
“We come for mankind,” it hissed. “You will kneel before our god or die.”
“Oh, so you have a god? Well, let me introduce you to him.” Isabelle fired. Two beams of light lanced out and struck the creature’s shield. The beams disappeared into the void. “Neat trick.”
Try a coilgun, Kimberly sent through her link to Isabelle.
Isabelle tossed the laser pistols aside and moments later held two coilguns. “Let’s try this.” She fired.
The creature jerked and roared in pain as coilgun shells overcame its shield and slammed into its abdomen.
“Much better,” Isabelle remarked as she advanced. She fired again. The projectiles slammed into the creature, hitting its chest but deflecting off the hard carapace.
The monster opened a portal.
“Oh, no you don’t,” Isabelle said. She disappeared and re-appeared in the air above and behind the creature. She fired again. This time the projectiles hit the creature right in the head, cracking its helmet-like casing as the bullets pierced its brain.
The creature and portal died.
Isabelle landed behind the monster. Her coilguns faded to mist. Kimberly and the president stared.
“The cavalry’s here,” she said, pointing.
Kimberly shook her head. It all happened so fast. She moved away from the president, returning her pistol to her holster and her eyes followed Isabelle’s finger. Drop ships rained from the sky, preceding larger transports. The drop ships landed on top of buildings in the surrounding area and plaza. One drop ship landed on the building Kimberly occupied. A squad of Marines piled out. They established a position against the ledge overlooking the plaza and fired on the enemy.
“Sorry we took so long,” Isabelle said, bowing to the president. “I had to gather reinforcements and shift everything here.”
“You were right on time in my book, Deputy Director,” he replied, re-holstering his weapon. “I must concede that the FIA was right to tell me not to leave my fleet escort behind. Though we could not have foreseen an alien attack.”
Isabelle nodded. “We had no credible intel that the Krai’kesh had returned.”
“Wait, the Krai’kesh?” the president asked.
“I’ve never seen that kind before,” Isabelle kicked the corpse of the bipedal Krai’kesh, “but I recognized the skitterers from stories my mother told and the ancient records.”
“But where did they come from?” Kimberly asked. “They made human allies, which couldn’t happen overnight. How long have they been here?”
“That’s what we need to find out,” Isabelle replied. “But first, let’s finish this battle. I’ve called transport for you, Mr. President. Kimberly, you can go with him to get checked out.”
“With respect, I wish to stay here and fight. And get answers.”
Isabelle appraised her. “Fine, but change your clothes. I’ll have the transport bring you a combat suit.”
“Thank you, ma’am,” Kimberly said.
Isabelle rolled her eyes. “Ma’am is what they call my mother. Gear up, and head down. I’ll go ahead.” She faded to mist.
Kimberly met the president’s eyes and smiled in relief. “We made it.”
“Only thanks to you. When this is all over I’ll make sure you get a medal.”
“Sir, I don’t want a medal. I’m just doing my job.”
The president smiled. “Modesty suits you.” He looked up as the sound of a transport grew louder. A TT-23 armored transport hovered a few feet above the roof. The rear opened, and a ramp slid out. Four Shadow Watch Guards approached the president.
“Mr. President, we have to go,” one of the armored men said.
“Yes, of course.” He held out a hand.
Kimberly shook it and watched him follow the four Guards toward the transport.
Another Guard exited the transport and handed Kimberly a hexagonal metal object and laser rifle.
“Thank you,” she said. She paused. “Do you have any coilguns?”
“No,” the Guard replied.
Eh, it was worth asking.
She placed her laser pistol and rifle on the ground. She then placed the metal hexagon to her chest and twisted it. The metal bit into her skin and liquefied. The liquid metal spread across her body, over her tattered dress, covering her from head to toe. It took the shape of her body and covered her face. The metal hardened, completing her combat suit. She deactivated the helmet and grabbed her laser pistol, slipping it into the holster. Then she grabbed the laser rifle.
The repulsors of the transport whined as it departed. Kimberly exited through the door she had entered through what seemed like a lifetime ago. She descended the stairs to the second-floor window. She vaulted over the sill and dropped to the ground with barely a wince.
Evidence of death and destruction lay scattered across the plaza. Corpses of Federation and Krai’kesh forces alike littered the area in clumps where they had fought.
In the distance, Isabelle danced between a pair of the bipedal creatures, alternating between hacking at them and shooting them. She appeared in the air between them long enough to fire a bullet at each of them from her coilguns and fade to mist. She re-appeared behind one monster and slashed at its leg.
Kimberly tried to line up a shot with her laser rifle, even though she knew what little effect it would have. She set out toward the western barricade where a group of the skitterers were threatening to break through the barricade. She lent her firepower to the Marines there, helping to kill two skitterers. Reinforcements arrived from behind the enemy lines, surrounding the Krai’kesh on both sides. The Krai’kesh died fighting.
A ground-shaking thud emanated from behind her. A mech warrior rose in a cloud of dust thrown up when it landed. It reminded her of Fort Leon back on Tar Ebon, near the FIA training center in Tera Leon. She used to watch the mechs assembling for formal events from her dorm window.
The mech moved to where Isabelle was fighting two of the Krai’kesh commanders. It activated the mini-coilgun on its left arm. A hail of shells peppered one creature, sending it flying in a cloud of blood. The mech charged the second creature and used its right hand to grab it. It crushed the creature in its grip, tossed it aside, and looked for new targets.
Isabelle approached Kimberly. “The troops can mop up here. Follow me.” She walked toward a waiting gunship.
“Where are we going?”
“We discovered the enemy stronghold on this planet. We believe Richard Segwyn is there. It’s time we got answers.”
Chapter 8 - Relief
Martin braced f
or the Krai’kesh counter strike to hit.
“Impact,” Zigana said. A faint vibration shook the carrier. “Decks ten, sixteen and twenty-three have sustained damage.”
A holo of the ship hull showed flashing red icons at three different points of impact. The red areas expanded.
“Send emergency crews to those areas to put out any fires. What damage did we inflict on the enemy?”
Zigana was silent for a moment. “Railgun projectiles are effective, sir. Two capital ships sustained heavy damage, three more sustained more minor damage.”
“And our fleet?”
“Two corvettes and a frigate sustained critical damage, sir.”
“Have the fleet fire again, everything we have. Keep firing at will until we destroy every one of them.”
“Yes, sir.”
Another wave of projectiles fired from the Federation armada flew across the void between them and the enemy. He clicked his comm. “Emergency response teams, report.”
A voice came over the intercom. “The enemy rocks contain acid, sir. It’s eating through the hull. The breach is expanding and we’re venting atmosphere. Recommend evacuating and sealing the floors above and below.”
“Do it,” Martin ordered.
“Sir,” Zigana began, “we’re receiving an urgent distress signal from the governor of Serpentis III.”
“Put him on. And ask the mage-guard commander to come to the bridge.”
The display morphed into the face of Governor Congo-Sesay. A frown dominated his dark-skinned face. “Captain Rigsby, I presume?”
“You presume correct, Governor. First, let me say I am sorry for your losses at the hand of the Krai’kesh.”
“The Krai’kesh? These are the Krai’kesh?”
“So I am told. Are you safe?”
Governor Congo-Sesay gestured. “We are stuck inside the capitol. We have thousands of refugees here. The Krai’kesh are roaming wild, killing everything that moves.”
Martin nodded. “Understood. I’m sending everything I can down to you.”
“Thank you, Captain.”
The mage-guard commander entered the bridge.
Martin nodded. “I’m afraid I must cut this conversation short. An urgent matter has arisen.”
“Good-bye, Captain.” The holo winked out.
Emergence: Book One of the Dark Tide Trilogy Page 6