Martian Insurrection (Mars Colony Chronicles Book 3)

by Brandon Ellis

  “Good times,” he said, rolling his eyes.

  What happened to the good old days when being hired for a dig by a crime lord was fun and when the most dangerous aspect was flying his rig from one place to the next?

  He walked down the short hallway and rounded the corner. His arms windmilled. “Whoa!” His toes tingled.

  He took a quick step back, regaining balance at the edge of a cliff. His heart pounded several beats faster, and his breaths came quickly.

  He glanced over the edge and saw nothing but blackness staring back at him. “A bottomless pit?”

  His eyes darted around this portion of the room. “Hmm, a small canyon.”

  Steadying himself, he took a few more steps back and glanced across the canyon. Fresh energy rushed through him. Could that be what he came for?

  A blue, beautiful crystal ball, about the size of a bowling ball from old Earth he had seen in docuvids, was—defying gravity!

  The sphere, hovering in the middle of the canyon, glistened and glittered, and a blue-green gas twirled like a whirlpool in its center.

  He crossed his arms and let out an exasperated breath. “Now, how on Mars am I going to get that?”

  14

  Ares Monument, Mars

  Ozzy eyed the area for several minutes trying to find some way, any way, to get that crystal sphere.

  He paced and tapped his helmet trying to force inspiring thoughts into his brain.

  His com line crackled, and a female’s laughter echoed through his helmet.

  He halted. “Jozi?”

  “No, not her,” came the reply. “Now, my question. Do you think you can get the crystal sphere?” the voice boomed, this time coming through the walls and ceiling as well as inside his helmet.

  Ozzy moaned. Was this another Ancient Martian trick? “Who is this?”

  “I’m the architect of this place. Your vocal cords are not sophisticated enough to say my name, but you may call me Shar.”

  Ozzy glanced at the sphere. He could think up a million questions to ask the designer—if that’s who she was—but he didn’t want to waste time. “Well, Shar, how do I get the crystal sphere?”

  “You’ve come this far, can’t you figure it out? It’s quite simple, really. You were obviously able to walk through many areas that would be too difficult for anyone other than those with the bloodline. In other words, your brain synapses function faster than the rest of your race. Figuring this out should be easy.”

  Ozzy snorted. “Yeah, I’m the exception, honey. My synapses are normal if not worse. So, tell me how to get the sphere.”

  “No.”

  Ozzy shrugged. “Okay.” He stood back and stared at the sphere. What’s the opposite of emptiness? What’s the opposite of falling down a deep, dark pit?

  “A bridge.”

  He let out a huff. Did he have to imagine a bridge in order to walk to the crystal?

  “Nope, not going to try that,” he whispered to himself.

  It wasn’t the same thing as imagining a transparent wall was water as he had imagined before meeting the snarling beast. If he had been incorrect about the wall, he would have simply bounced off of it and been fine.

  This bridge scenario didn’t sit well. If he were wrong, he would surely fall to his death.

  “Shar,” said Ozzy. “Are you alive?”

  “Yes, very much so.”

  “Are you an AI?”

  “No.”

  Ozzy arched his eyebrows. “Then you are like Garen who was the keeper of the underground garden capsule where the cure for the Martian Plague was buried, and you have been able to stay alive all these years through suspended animation?”

  Shar laughed. “Contrary. I have the technology to extend my DNA telomeres.”

  “Are there more of you?”

  “Good question,” Shar said.

  “And your answer?”

  She did not respond.

  Ozzy shook his head. That just wasted more of his already precious time.

  “Listen, Ozzy,” said Shar. “We—”

  “How do you know my name?”

  Shar paused and cleared her throat. “Well, we watch you, and we watch many others with the bloodline.”

  “Right…are you inside Ares Monument right now?”

  “We have a proposition. We will give you the sphere if you give us your blood.”

  Ozzy’s eyes about shot out of his head. He slowly inched backward and headed the way he had come. “I’m good. Thank you.”

  “Only a prick of blood.”

  “What for?” He continued walking.

  “To access something beyond your capability to understand.”

  Ozzy vehemently shook his head. He wouldn’t give them as much as a hair sample. “I’d rather not.”

  “It will be very useful to us.”

  “I’m sure it would. There are more of the bloodline, so ask one of them?”

  “Then you leave us no choice.”

  A blue beam of light shot down from the ceiling.

  Armor clattered as the light dispersed, revealing a gang of twenty or more battle suit-wearing, twelve foot or taller, Martians standing before him.

  They held up their shields and pointed their guns at him.

  “Zoowa!” they yelled in unison.

  Ozzy froze in place. He was a dead man.

  “Did you want to change your mind, Ozzy?” Shar asked.

  Ozzy suppressed a shudder. “Uh…give me a minute.”

  15

  Ares Monument, Mars

  Now what?

  He was surrounded by muscle-clad, armor-wearing, twelve-foot Beings that no doubt wanted to blow his brains out.

  Which wouldn’t be too difficult.

  Ozzy rubbed his arm. “Shar?”

  “Yes, Ozzy?”

  “I’m still—”

  A soldier glitched and faded in and out. Ozzy cocked his head. Was that another hologram? “Are these real people in front of me, Shar?”

  No reply.

  “Are you real?” He knew he posed that question before, but he had to ask it again. Shar was probably nothing more than another artificial intelligence voice left here since the Martian days. But why would she need his blood?

  Ozzy stepped forward. “Here goes nothing.” He reached out, and a soldier lunged at him, barely missing thrusting his sharp spear into Ozzy’s ribcage.

  Ozzy jerked back, and the guy faded in and out.

  “Zoowa,” yelled the troops, clanging their shields against their armored chests.

  If these things were real then why haven’t they shot him yet?

  He closed his eyes. Everything was the opposite, and he needed to continue that trend. If he gave a tinge of his blood, he’d live. If he didn’t, he’d die. And most sane Beings in the galaxy wanted to live.

  Again…opposite.

  “Shar?”

  “Yes, Ozzy?”

  “I won’t give you my blood.” He tightened his body and waited for a blast to take him off his feet and to his grave.

  “Excellent.”

  Kashiiish!

  Ozzy flinched.

  The troops shattered just as the dog-like creature did.

  “Here you go, Ozzy.”

  He turned and a beautiful woman with red hair and green eyes gazed upon him. She wore a long, purple robe that shimmered in the light.

  The crystal sphere was in her hand and no longer hovering between the two ridges.

  Was she another hologram?

  She smiled. “It’s been a long time since I’ve seen a real, in-person Being.” She handed Ozzy the sphere.

  He reached out and grabbed the ball. The surface was cold against his fingers and palms. He carefully looked it over, and the hairs on the back of his neck lifted.

  There was a problem. It had small, rectangular devices screwed into the surface of the sphere similar to the device that created the doorway shield to access this area.

  Again, not what he knew of Ancient Martian te
chnology.

  Ozzy lowered his head. “Thank you.”

  She folded her hands into her sleeves and held them at her waist. “I have a favor, Ozzy.”

  Ozzy drew his lower lip between his teeth and lightly scuffed the toe of his boot on the floor. He just wanted to leave. It was nice she gave him the sphere, but he didn’t have all day.

  “Yeah?”

  “You have a corrupt government. Your High Judge is a criminal, and his greed will be the death of your race. Do whatever you can to take him down so I can emerge and live among you. Mars is my home too, and I was a mystic priestess here long ago. If I can roam among a population again, I’ll be content and happy and live the rest of my years without the want or need for telomere DNA enhancements. I would be a good voice for any new leader you may have, advising him or her on what to do.”

  Ozzy nodded. “I’ll do my best.”

  “Then you can leave unabated.” She bowed her head. “Remember one thing, and this is the most important reason to oust your current government.” She spoke as if changing a current governmental system were easy. “Your government, along with the Dunrakee government, is bound to repeat a lesson that took place on Mars eons ago. It took my family. It took my friends. It destroyed two warring civilizations and blew up an entire planet named Maldek.”

  She gazed over Ozzy’s shoulder. Was she remembering the events from long ago? “Your race and the Dunrakee race are on a path of destruction. Earth and my planet Mars can easily turn into another asteroid belt as Maldek became. Be forewarned, because your current government is blind, and the Dunrakee’s government is genocidal. Both, in turn, will harm you and your people.”

  She took one hand out of her sleeve, flipped open a device, and pressed a button. “Good luck.” A blue, cylindrical light wrapped around her, and she lifted toward the ceiling and disappeared.

  16

  Ares Monument, Mars

  Ozzy held the glowing and sparkling crystal, the blue gas inside twirling like a tornado. He stepped through the shield into Ares Monument’s entry room and eyed Quad, who remained bound by digger cuffs that clamped him against the rock wall.

  More cuffs gripped his waist and neck, and Quad’s chest heaved in and out in quick succession. He grunted and flexed his biceps, trying to break free.

  “You guys have been busy,” Ozzy said, looking at Gragas.

  He glanced at his brother. Ozzy gasped and rushed over to Lou, who was still lying on the floor. “Lou.”

  Lou raised his arm. “I’m alright, big brother. Just a little woozy.”

  Jozi sat on the stairs, fidgeting with her rifle. “We’re wanted by the Ministry. Your brother probably is too, but he needs to go to a hospital, and the only hospitals around are run by the dang Ministry.”

  “What about your ship, Gragas? It healed Jozi and me when we were shot by Mort Wildly’s crew.”

  Gragas nodded. “It’s not planet side. We’ll use Jonas’s medbots.”

  “That’ll work.” Ozzy handed Gragas the sphere then bent down and grabbed Lou’s arms. “Jozi, get his legs.”

  Jozi shouldered her rifle and hurried down the stairs. She grabbed Lou’s legs, and they lifted him from the floor.

  “Now what?” she asked.

  Quad laughed, pulling on a digger cuff. It budged a few centimeters. “Don’t know how to get out, huh?”

  Gragas shot Quad a look. “The same way we came in, Quad.” Gragas stood next to Ozzy and reached up, standing on his toes. He traced his finger around an upside-down cup engraved on the ceiling. “Take care, bounty hunter.”

  “Don’t worry, Galactic Knight. You’ll see me again.”

  A blue light zipped around them, and a strong wind swirled inside. A rush went up Ozzy and lifted him off his feet. A moment later, a vacuum-like suction pulled him down.

  He closed his eyes and clenched Lou’s forearms. Ozzy felt his feet dig into the soft sand and dust spray across his body and visor.

  He opened his eyes. “We’re outside Ares Monument. Let’s go.”

  He and Jozi continued to carry Lou. A frown spread across Ozzy’s face as a dirt devil storm brewed and pelted them with crimson particles.

  “Gragas, how much time do we have until numbnuts gets loose and finds us?”

  “By numbnuts, I assume you mean Quad?” Gragas said, trekking next to Ozzy and holding the sphere under his arm while trying to shield his face from the blowing sand with the other arm. “It may take him a few hours, but he’ll break them off. The guy is strong.”

  “Yeah, I figured.”

  They picked up their pace and made it to Relic’s ramp, which was now half covered in sand. They placed Lou in the storage bay.

  Ozzy went to press the “close” button when he saw a shadow at the base of Ares Monument.

  Then he saw something moving.

  Ozzy’s mouth flew open. “You gotta be joking. Gragas, you said it would take Quad a few hours to get out of the cuffs?”

  “Yes.”

  “That was a fast few hours.” Ozzy pointed ahead.

  A bright light emitted from a muzzle and headed straight for Ozzy and his crew.

  17

  Ares Monument, Mars

  “Duck,” Ozzy yelled and jumped out of the way.

  A thick, hot beam zipped and exploded inside Relic, blackening a storage bay wall.

  Ozzy scrambled to his feet and dove for the “close” button. The door vibrated and whined as its gears struggled to catch.

  “Why is it—” Ozzy spied the problem. The massive amounts of sticky sand butted against the ramp put pressure on the hydraulics and gyros.

  He glanced at his pallet jack and forklift. “No, I love those things.” But he had to choose.

  “Jozi. Gragas. I’m going to use the pallet jack. I’m parking it on the ground in front of the ramp. Cover me.”

  Gragas got to one knee and aimed his weapon while holding the sphere under his other arm. “Better let me do that, Ozzy.”

  “No,” Ozzy shouted. The dirt devil was picking up speed and practically blinding the view outside.

  Jozi also got on one knee and pointed her rifle. “Listen to Gragas.”

  “This is my problem, not yours.” He led them here, and now he was going to get them out.

  Ozzy hurried to the pallet jack. It was bulky but not wide enough to block the entire width and height of the ramp. The metal exterior would act as a shield, blocking out any incoming fire.

  A bright blast shot past Ozzy and scorched a nearby wall.

  Ozzy pressed the “go” lever on the pallet jack that swiftly moved the jack forward. He held onto the steering handles and kept his head below the thick metal box that housed the jack’s engine and central processing unit.

  The jack rolled down the ramp, and the wheels crunched over the sand, pushing some of it aside.

  The machine swerved just as a photon shot zipped over his head. He couldn’t tell if the shot was from Jozi, Gragas, or even Quad.

  He kept his eyes on the jack.

  The machine teetered, lost its grip on the ramp, and tumbled to the side, sliding to the bottom of the platform and rolling onto the ground.

  Shit.

  Now his problem was even bigger. The two lift plates, also known as long, protruding forks, were his only cover.

  The space below, between, and above the forks were good openings for as many pot shots Quad wanted to deliver.

  Ozzy should have listened to Gragas. He should always listen to that guy.

  Ozzy spun around and ran up the ramp. He dove into the storage bay while wondering how many photon blasts would catch him in the rear. “Gragas…uh, yeah…clear the sand.”

  Gragas stood and handed Ozzy the sphere then grabbed a large shovel attached to a rack next to some weapons hanging near the workbench. “Nice and shiny,” he said, staring at the shovel’s metallic sheen. “Doesn’t look like you’ve used this before.”

  Ozzy hadn’t.

  Gragas rushed down the ramp and
ducked low. Sand begin to swirl in the air from the shovel.

  A photon blast lit up the pallet jack and shot golden sparks every which way.

  Gragas shoveled more and threw the sand off the ramp like he was hurling clumps of snow.

  “Quad is getting closer,” yelled Gragas, picking up his pace. “I’d suggest getting into the cockpit and starting the engines. I’ll shut the ramp.”

  “Jozi,” said Ozzy. “Take care of Lou while I get Relic off the ground.”

  “No problem.”

  Ozzy tucked the crystal sphere under his arm and carefully moved up the ladder. He rushed into his cockpit and placed the sphere on the copilot’s chair.

  He could hear the grinding of the ramp shutting and felt the craft shake.

  “That was close. Quad is just outside, trying to blast his way in,” Gragas said over the helmet mic.

  “Unless he has an armor-piercing rail gun or a ship’s photon cannon, he won’t succeed.”

  “This is Quad. Don’t underestimate him,” Gragas said.

  “Duly noted.”

  Ozzy initiated hover thrusters, lifting Relic off the ground. He activated his boosters and moved the throttle forward. They shot upward, heading toward Tagus Valles and Jonas’s compound. There he could get his daughter and his money.

  Gragas stepped inside the cockpit. “You know what this is, don’t you?” he said as he picked up the sphere and sat down.

  “It’s the connection to all thirteen crystal skulls on the planet.”

  “Yes,” said Gragas. “But there is more.”

  Ozzy huffed. He knew what they did and why but didn’t want to necessarily know what Jonas had in mind once he had the technology and gained possession of all thirteen crystal skulls. “The skulls are a technology to move vast objects using sound.” He put the ship on autopilot, watching a red mountain range to his left. “Is that what you mean by more?”

  “Yes,” Gragas said. “They emit sound, but that’s not why I think Jonas wants the skulls.”