The two gladiators were locked in combat, and Riot was going to tip the scales. She looked away from the nexus of their powerful attacks, running toward the Devil’s Hand. She unclipped the safety mechanism on one of the explosive Boomballs and pressed the red button on top of the black ball, activating the weapon. The Devil’s Hand turned its open mouth her way, four feet above her.
The creature seemed to have de-prioritized Riot and her Marines in favor of taking out the dragon first. Big mistake.
Riot winced as she focused on lobbing the Boomballs into the open gullet of the beast. To her delight, the Boomballs went in one right after the other in quick succession. Like playing some kind of strange carnival game, Riot scored a perfect four for four.
The Boomballs didn’t detonate when they came in contact with the alien creature’s bizarre white breath. Still, Riot knew her time was up. Even as she turned to run to safety, the explosives detonated in the creature’s throat.
Riot was lifted off the ground and thrown through the air like a rag doll. She came crashing down fifteen yards from the explosion. A shower of purple gore, blood, and body parts from the Devil’s Hand rained down all over the combatants.
Riot’s body ached from the hairs of her head down to the nails on her toes. Her head thrummed with pain. Her ears rang. Riot picked herself up off the ground still being splattered by the entrails of the Devil’s Hand.
Her eyes told her two things: that the fight was over, and that she wasn’t the only one drenched in the gore. Apparently four Boomballs had been just what the doctor ordered. The upper half of the Devil’s Hand was completely gone; only the four legs and the butt end of the creature remained. The short, stocky green tail quivered all on its own.
Rippa was digging herself out from within the demolished building. Vikta and Ketrick were painted with the purple insides of the monster. The dragon was panting, and Ketrick was wiping his eyes free from the purple slime.
“No, don’t do it,” Wang said over the comms. “Rizzo, don’t—”
Riot removed her helmet. The purple gore splattered across her visor was making it difficult to see. She looked to her right where Rizzo had also removed his helmet. His hands were on his knees as he hunched over, ready to puke. Riot couldn’t really blame him. They were all covered in the monster’s gore from head to foot.
The smell that came with the removal of the helmet didn’t help in making her want to keep in her last meal. The scent that wafted toward her nose was something along the lines of stale fish and sweaty armpits, like the smell you got when you hadn’t used deodorant for a week, then went for a five mile run on a hot day in the middle of the desert.
“If you puke, it’s going to make me—” Wang tried in vain to remove his own helmet. The slippery purple liquid on the outside made it difficult for him to remove it.
Rizzo let loose with a wave of vomit that would have made that little girl in The Exorcist stand up and applaud. This was followed by the sound of Wang vomiting over the comms.
“Ugh, that’s something we’re never going to let you live down.” Vet walked up with Doctor Miller at his side. The two were clean of the purple slime, having been too far out on their overwatch position to get hit by the falling organic debris. “Are you okay in there?”
“Oh, jumping Jehosaphat.” Doctor Miller placed a hand over the mouth section of her own helmet in disgust as she realized what Wang had just done. “You … you threw up inside your helmet, didn’t you?”
“Bahahaha!” Ketrick said, joining the group along with Rippa who arrived in her mech. “Oh, that is so disgusting! Brother Wang, brother Wang, take off your helmet, let’s see.”
“No, no!” Doctor Miller turned away. “I don’t want to see.”
Wang finally fought through the sticky mass of purple alien body matter over his helmet and was able to take it off. He looked like he had been involved in a vomit food fight and lost.
“Guys?” Wang looked each of them in the eyes. “I don’t ever want to talk about this again.”
Even Riot, who had the stomach of a champion, felt queasy looking at him.
“Here.” Vet went over to a dead Trilord and ripped off a clean-ish portion of the soldier’s shirt. “I think this is going to be funny to always tease you about, but right now, you just look sad.”
Ketrick laughed one more time before turning to Riot. “Were you able to take down the Karnayer leader?”
“I wounded him, but he got away,” Riot said, shaking her head. “They had a ship hidden behind the warehouse.”
“He’s going to be pissed that we ruined his little insurrection,” Rippa said over her comms. “I should contact the Grovothe high command and see what they’ve decided about allying with Earth and Hoydren.”
“Agreed,” Riot said, feeling a sense of doom on the horizon. “Alveric will strike hard and soon. We need to talk to the Savage Trilords and get their support, as well. Rippa, head back to the ship and make contact. Doctor Miller, let SPEAR know what’s going on and that we’ll be calling for reinforcements soon. Wang, you go with her and get yourself cleaned up. It’s just … it’s too much even for me.”
Rippa, Doctor Miller, and Wang headed back to the Valkyrie, while Riot and the others went back to the center of town where they had spoken with Talon and the other Brute Trilords.
A gathering of brave souls had assembled, with more reinforcements coming in from the surrounding parts of the city. A few dozen Trilords nodded at Riot and the others as they walked forward.
“It’s done,” Riot said, finding Talon in the crowd. “Whatever past problems you had with the Savage Trilords, I hope you can see that we all share a common enemy now. Not only that, the Savage Trilords, the Grovothe, and yes, even yours truly, humans from Earth, are willing to come to your aid in the time of war.”
A few hard stares remained, but most of the Brute’s heads nodded along with Riot’s words.
Ketrick took the opportunity to speak. “Long have our people fought and died by each other’s hands. Perhaps we will do so again one day. But today, we share a common enemy. Maybe it’s time to see how truly powerful we can be as one instead of as a house divided.”
More mutters of agreement rippled through the gathered crowd.
“Our elected leader was killed by the Karnayers,” Talon said, taking a step forward from the crowd. “We’ll need time to elect another and make a decision. I can’t promise that we will join you, but I can promise that we won’t forget what you did here today.”
“That will have to be enough,” Ketrick said with a slow nod.
Riot was less understanding of Talon’s answer. “Well, do what you need to do, quickly. The next time the Karnayers come, it won’t be with a handful of soldiers and a single creature. They’ll bring an army.”
Talon’s yellow eyes caught Riot’s determined stare, then looked away.
“Let’s get back to the ship,” Riot said, wiping more purple gore from the front of her armor. “I think—”
“Riot!” Doctor Miller’s scream came from the cargo ramp of the Valkyrie where she stood, eyes wide with panic. “Come quick!”
82
Riot ran to the rear of the ship, where she was greeted by a frantic Doctor Miller. The doctor’s usual friendly visage had been replaced by a mask of horror.
“What is it, Bubbles? Spit it out,” Riot said, half-angry, half-frustrated. “What’s wrong?”
“I think … I think you’d better see, there’s … hundreds … hundreds of them.” Doctor Miller turned on her heel and speed walked to the bridge of the Valkyrie. “I was about to hail General Armon, when Evonne alerted me to their presence.”
By the time Riot and the doctor had entered the bridge, Riot was pretty sure she already knew what they were going to find. Everyone except Wang and Rippa followed them.
“Evonne, show Riot what you showed me,” Doctor Miller instructed.
“Immediately,” Evonne answered back.
At once, the front
window of the Valkyrie came alive with a display of space. Even as the image relayed information to Riot, she found herself disbelieving what her eyes were seeing. Hundreds of Karnayer ships floated in orbit above Hoydren, with still more exiting light speed.
Riot recognized the small, maneuverable Scarab fighter ships that were capable of locking on to other space ships and tearing through their hull to unload a crew of Karnayer soldiers. Accompanying these vessels were dozens of transport crafts just like Riot had seen Alveric escape in not more than a half-hour before.
Finally, a massive Karnayer destroyer with black spikes protruding from the hull in varying angles filled the screen.
“Well, had I known he had an army that size, I might have been nicer,” Riot said out loud. “Ketrick, I think we’re going to need more coffee.”
“We’re going to need more ships,” Vet said to no one and everyone at once. “A lot more ships.”
“Evonne, how long until they can attack?” Riot asked.
“If they continue to travel at their current speed, they’ll reach Hoydren in the space of ten minutes. Based on the information of tactics used by the House of Karn, they will begin their bombing runs five minutes thereafter.”
Riot gave herself the space of a heartbeat to be surprised. She’d known Alveric would come quickly, just not this quickly.
The next heartbeat had to be spent in action. There was a list of things that needed to be done, people to contact, orders to dole out, and defensive positions to man.
“Rizzo,” Riot started, rattling off orders as fast as her lips could relate what her brain was telling her needed to be said. “Get us back to the Savage capital. Vet, contact Colonel Harlan on the screen. Sunshine, tell SPEAR we need them to send everything. Evonne, tell Wang and Rippa I need them on the bridge as fast as their legs can move. Ketrick, do whatever you need to do to convince the Brutes to join the fight.”
Everyone besides Ketrick ran to obey. Rizzo ignored the state of his gore-soaked armor and immediately went to the pilot’s seat at the front of the ship, starting the engines. Doctor Miller and Vet hit their chairs at their command consoles, following Riot’s orders as fast as their fingers would allow.
Ketrick stood beside Riot with a strange smile on his face. He and Vikta had been on the fringe of the gore splatter from the Devil’s Hand. Purple splashes decorated his large shoulders and the vest he wore. His red eyes looked deep into Riot’s.
“You’re very attractive when you order me around,” the Trilord prince whispered. He winked at her, then raised his voice to a normal speaking volume. “I will stay and speak with the Brute clan once more, but my place is in the sky with Vikta.”
Riot went from being annoyed to being entertained, to being worried all in the space of a few seconds.
“What are you talking about?” She motioned to the screen with both hands. “There are hundreds of ships that will be here within minutes. We need you to stay with the Brutes and get them to come and fight. We’ll need all the help we can get.”
“The Brutes are not the only faction that has yet to enter this war. I told you before, I am a judge with the ability to speak with the space serpents. Vikta and I will find them and gather a force,” Ketrick said as if he were telling Riot what he wanted ordered from a drive-thru menu. “This planet belongs to the space serpents just as much as anyone.”
“What are you talking about?” Riot rolled her eyes as an image of Ketrick trying to communicate with an army of dragons raced across her mind. “We stick to the plan, we—”
“I’ve got Colonel Harlan ready,” Vet said as Doctor Miller reported the same about General Armon at the Bulwark.
Wang and Rippa rushed onto the bridge, the former clean and out of his armor, the latter in her tight grey uniform, looking at the screen in front of her, wide-eyed.
“Go and lead, do what you do best,” Ketrick said. He leaned in as if he were going to hug her, but put a hand on her shoulder instead. “I’ll keep my comm on.”
Why do relationships always get in the way of things? Ugh, I hate feeling feelings, Riot thought.
“Go and be careful,” Riot said through gritted teeth. “We have a date to keep when this is over.”
Ketrick flashed her a grin and ran from the bridge.
If anyone had heard Riot’s last words to Ketrick, they didn’t say anything. At this point, they had to suspect, if they didn’t already know. At least that’s what Riot told herself. She bottled her emotions and steeled herself for what was coming next.
“Rippa, contact Admiral Tricon. We’ll need the Grovothe if we’re going to get through this alive. Wang, you said something about epinephrine shots not too long back. Those are going to come in handy if we have hours of fighting ahead of us.” Riot didn’t skip a beat as she turned to Vet. “Put Colonel Harlan on the screen, then get Evonne up and running. Right now having robots run the world is looking better than staring down a horde of Karnayers. Oohrah!”
“Oohrah!”
Again, everyone rushed to obey. Rizzo, having waited to offload Ketrick, closed the cargo bay ramp and headed back to the capital city of the Savage Trilords. Vet put Colonel Harlan on the screen, then ran with a crazy childlike grin on his face to bring Evonne to life.
“Colonel,” Riot said, placing her war hammer by her command chair as she took a seat. “I’m assuming you’ve heard the news?”
“Roger that.” Colonel Harlan was sitting in his own captain’s chair aboard his cruiser class vessel, the Titan. “I’ve been in contact with SPEAR, but General Armon wanted to speak with you directly. We’re currently holding a defensive position above the Savage palace. What’s your ETA?”
“We’re only a few minutes out. Rizzo is punching it as we speak. I have General Armon waiting on the comms now,” Riot said as the Valkyrie took off like a bullet over Hoydren’s dark, jungle-like planet. “We’ll see you soon.”
“Roger that.” Colonel Harlan stared with stern eyes through the screen. Behind him, his crew shouted to one another. “We’re enough to hold the line until the cavalry comes, believe that.”
“More than enough,” Riot said. The screen went blank. A moment later, General Armon’s familiar face appeared where Colonel Harlan’s had been a moment before.
“Riot,” the general started, “we’ve received the news from Colonel Harlan. The fleet is preparing to leave now. We’re bringing everything we’ve got. We need you to hold out for us, buy us those hours we need to get there. We’ll give these sons of guns the fight of their lives.”
Both relief and determination coursed over Riot. She was relieved to hear the General was bringing the weight of their resources to bear on the fight. The underground bunker called the Bulwark housed more than a dozen ships of their own. Still, even with the advanced weapons and modification, would that be enough? They would still be outnumbered seven, maybe eight, to one.
Determination gripped her heart at the same time. She was a soldier. If this is what had to be done, then she was the one to do it. It was time to put her money where her mouth was. She was the best in her world, or any other. With her crew behind her, Riot would find a way to succeed, no matter what the cost to herself.
“Riot, are you there?” General Armon’s buzz cut, square jaw, and deep stare seemed to soften for a moment. “You and the colonel will find a way.”
“We’ll be waiting for you when you get here,” Riot agreed.
General Armon nodded, then ended the transmission.
“I’ve got Admiral Tricon,” Rippa said from her seat as her fingers maneuvered around the holographic display that popped up above her desk. “Should I put him on?”
“Do it,” Riot answered. When had warfare become more about conference calls than pumping rounds into the bad guys?
Admiral Tricon’s short, stocky frame popped up on the monitor. He was shouting orders to someone off-screen as he appeared. Riot loved listening to every word coming out of the Grovothe’s mouth. “We’re not leaving them t
o face the Karnayers alone. I understand we’ve only just received the confirmation to ally with Earth but their forces are on Hoydren, and that means that’s where we’re going!”
Riot waited for her turn to speak.
The grizzled veteran turned his scarred face to her a moment later. “It’s good to see you, Riot. I heard you’re about to have a Karnayer infestation.”
“That we are,” Riot said, making a mental note to use a line like that at some point during the fight. “We wanted to extend an invitation your way. We’re going to make a party of it. There’ll be cookies, punch, and even a photo booth to dress up in and take goofy pictures.”
“We’ve only just received permission to count Earth among our allies,” the admiral answered back. “The powers that be are still deciding whether to vote in Hoydren and the Trilords to the alliance or not. Whatever that answer will be, I’m not going to wait. Our human allies are being attacked, and whether they are being attacked on Earth or Hoydren makes no difference in my book. We’re en route. Buy us two hours. We have a full squadron of fighters ready to tear into the Karnayers.”
In a few hours they could be dead.
But Riot silenced the voice in her head that whispered thoughts of fear and doubt. They were going to hold out. They had to.
“Roger that,” Riot said over the screen. Despite the hour, she couldn’t help smiling. “It’s good to see you, Admiral. I’m looking forward to teaming up with you again.”
“As am I.” Then Admiral Tricon spat another series of growl-like orders to someone off-screen before the monitor went black. “All available mech units are to be piloted—that means all of them!”
“All we have to do is hold out for a few hours,” Rippa said quietly as if she were convincing herself it was possible. “Admiral Tricon will be here then, and a few hours later, General Armon will arrive.”
War Wolves: Boxset 1-3 Page 41