“I think that’s your area of expertise,” Brax told her. “You’re the one who can remember everything she ever sees.”
“Not quite, but I get what you’re saying. Just do it, Brax. You never know when something could happen to me,” Reeve said, moving toward the lift.
Brax stepped in after her and watched as she found the proper floor to bring them to. It appeared they were heading to the bridge first. They started lowering, and Brax thought about the Bacal people being brainwashed at that moment. They needed to lock this down as soon as possible.
____________
“That’s it. We have them all!” Penter shouted over the noise of the clanging thrusters. Their hover platform had seen better days, and Treena wasn’t positive it would last another adventure to the next camp.
Once they’d freed the first few, they’d sent the most capable Bacal to rescue the next camp, and so on. There were a lot of casualties along the way, but it was either that they tried and sacrificed or ran and left so many of the Greblok people to their doom. No one seemed to second-guess their decision to attempt a full rescue.
“It’s time to…” The blast sent Treena reeling, and she hit the surface of the platform hard. Her artificial body had pain sensors built in, and she left them activated on a scale. The more pain, the more muted it became, mainly so she could feel things like a stubbed toe and feel human. She was glad for this as her face slammed into the floor of their transportation vessel.
Penter didn’t fare as well, and she heard his cries of pain as the ship rocked jaggedly, heading straight for the planet’s surface. She held firmly on to the railing and used her arms to pull herself up. Grabbing the controls, she attempted to level out the descending platform. A few seconds later, she managed to do so, and she saw the Tuber streaking toward her.
Penter remained on the ground, hands pressed to his face. His gun had flown from his hand, and over the edge of the vessel.
They were at least two minutes from being able to land, and the Tuber was going to be on them before that. This was it for her. They’d done everything they could for the Bacal, and that was going to have to be enough.
Treena tapped for her wrist communicator, only to find it had fallen away in the impact. “We did our best,” she whispered as the Tuber raced up behind them. Penter sat up, staring toward the incoming doomsday ship. His gaze met hers for an instant, and Treena felt the resignation in his eyes.
The Tuber whined, the tips of its weapons glowing hotly. Treena was about to jerk the controls to attempt to evade the blast, even though she doubted it would accomplish much, when the Tuber exploded with a resounding bang.
One of the Concord fighters flew through the wreckage with reckless abandon. It turned hard, thrusters loudly screeching as it escorted their damaged platform to the ground a mile away.
By the time Treena clumsily landed the blocky vessel, the fighter was there, hovering as the cockpit sprang open. A woman emerged, jumping to the ground and rushing to Treena’s side.
“Commander Starling,” the woman said, taking her helmet off.
Treena recognized her as the sole female human pilot on board Constantine, but forgot her name. “Lieutenant, what’s happening out there?”
The woman smiled. “We’re winning the day. We’ve taken down three of the Tubers so far, and I was told to find you and bring you to safety.” She glanced at Penter, who was leaning on Treena, his forehead bleeding from a bad cut.
“Good work. Can you fit us both?” Treena asked, and the pilot shook her head.
“I’m afraid we have a two-person capacity.”
“Then take him,” Treena said.
“Commander, I’m under direct orders from Captain…”
“I’m your commander, and I’m giving you different orders. He’s injured,” Treena said.
Penter began to object before he bent over and nearly passed out.
“See. Take him, Lieutenant. Continue the fight. The Bacal are underground near the warship. Both Daak siblings should have boarded. Pass the word to the captain on Constantine,” Treena said.
“The captain is here,” the pilot said.
Treena wasn’t grasping. “Here?”
A Tuber screamed overhead, followed by a faster and sleeker fighter. The pilot pointed up. “As I said… here.”
Treena managed to grin at that, imagining her stoic and handsome captain racing around this planet’s atmosphere, firing at real live Statu enemies.
They helped Penter to the fighter, which was rumbling as it hovered slightly above the ground. Another Tuber echoed over the region, and Treena watched as it sent energy blasts through the sky toward Baldwin’s vessel. “Go. Watch his back.”
The pilot nodded and closed the cockpit. Treena stood away as the fighter rose, then tore ahead, thrusters hot and angry.
She scanned the area for an entrance into the underground city and recalled seeing one about a kilometer away. She was only ten kilometers from the warship and the location to which Tarlen would have led the survivors. With no humans or Concord team members around, Treena could lose the pretense that she was human.
As she began running, her legs started off at normal speed. It was something she hadn’t practiced much during her first two years with the body, but now, she found easing into it was working well. Every ten or so seconds, she’d run harder. Arriving at the empty encampment took no time at all, and she spotted the dead Statu here, along with at least five Bacal. She pressed away her disgust and entered the barracks, moving into the underground corridors.
It seemed like everything was coming together. But with the incoming fleet of Statu warships, it might all be for nothing. She hoped Baldwin had a plan beyond just escaping, because the wormhole remained open, and there was nothing to stop the enemy from following them through. From there, it was only a matter of days before they’d be in Concord space, well past the Border.
Treena thought about all this as she traveled through the corridors at something near her top speed. If anyone had been watching, they’d only see a blur as she raced from section to section, traversing the distance quickly.
It was a matter of minutes before she heard the voices, and she slowed, not feeling any type of exhaustion. For the first time since she’d been aware of her survival after the rest of her crew were killed, she felt alive. She was grateful for her new form, for the life she’d been spared. Maybe being like this wasn’t torture; maybe it was a blessing that she could use to help others. To be the best person possible, beyond her own selfish life.
She pictured Felix: his sideways grin, the way his hands were always so warm, the smell of his neck. She missed him so much, but her survival wouldn’t be squandered. She smiled as she saw the huge group of Bacal gathered in the space, waiting for further instructions. It was dark, but a few strategically-placed puck lights guided her path.
Treena moved through the masses, people separating for the human Concord commander to pass uninhibited. Many asked her questions she couldn’t yet answer as she made it to the far end of the room, where she found Tarlen discussing something with the female that had assisted Brax at the first rescue.
“Commander, you made it!” The boy wrapped his arms around her, hugging her tightly.
She patted his shoulder once and laughed. “Tarlen, are we set?”
Treena scanned the crowd, where at least a tenth of the gathered were armed. Some wore pieces of Statu armor and were huddled at something at the edge of the room.
“We’re ready. We found a way to remove the Scramblers, so that’s what they’re doing.” He pointed toward the group. “What’s new?”
“Constantine is here with backup. Captain Baldwin’s old ship is here,” she advised him.
Tarlen’s face lit up. “Do we have time?”
It was going to be tight, but if the Daaks were able to secure the warship, Treena thought they might just pull it off. “We’ll do it. What about you? Did you find your family?”
The insta
nt it left her mouth, she saw it was a mistake. His eyes glazed over, and his rigid posture went slack. It was like someone had cut the strings from a marionette. “No. I don’t think they made it.”
“Maybe you’ll find them alive when you return home,” she said, aware the chances weren’t good.
“Honestly, I can’t imagine going home. I hope we can escape here, but it seems impossible now,” Tarlen said quietly.
The woman beside him was already gone, talking to someone else, and Treena nodded toward her. “Is she good?”
“Abbil? She’s great. I can see why Brax and Penter were close with her,” Tarlen told her.
The ground rumbled. Dust fell from the ceiling of the expansive open underground room. There were only a few lights on around them, making it hard to see too far, and the noises from above were frightening enough to startle the gathered Bacal. They’d been through so much, Treena could hardly blame their panicked reactions.
“We have to see what that was. You tell them to stay here, and we’ll go scope it out.” Treena started toward the exit, and she noticed she was alone. “Tarlen, are you coming?” she shouted.
The Bacal boy was quickly at her side, wearing a shy smile. “Sorry, I didn’t think you wanted me to join you.”
“From the look of things down here, you’re doing one hell of a job leading your people. Are there truly so few among the Bacal that would take charge?” she asked him, assuming there were at least a few capable among the gathered. Then she remembered they’d given weapons to most of the adult Bacal, and all that was left underground were the elderly and youth.
“A few of the older ones have been helping guide me,” Tarlen said. “But mostly everyone is too tired and afraid.”
“Then you’re all doing amazingly for what you’ve endured.” Treena pressed the exit open and walked past two Bacal guards. They nodded to her, weapons held close to their sides.
“What do you think that…” Tarlen stopped his question as another concussion ran through the underground rooms. The stairs shook, and Treena waited until the shaking had ceased to start upward.
Treena decided to not mince words with the boy. “I think they know where we are and are trying to destroy us before we can fight them.”
He wiped his brow with a forearm and started to climb the steps before her. Tarlen was growing on her. He was exactly the kind of recruit the Concord looked for, and he was adaptable, far more so than she’d been at his age.
The exit hatch lay horizontally over their heads, and Treena stood beside Tarlen, grazing it with a palm. It was cool to the touch. Good: no fire or worse raged above. She opened the door, shoving it hard. It slammed to the ground loudly, and she waited, listening before passing through it to the surface.
Tarlen started to climb out, but Treena held him back. “Let me.” She lifted herself out, checking to make sure there was no army of enemies waiting for them. It was quiet. She reached down, hefting the boy out.
He stared at the horizon with her. The sky was darkening, the weather turning from bright and hot to cloudy and humid. A storm was coming.
It went from eerily silent to thunderously loud as a Tuber roared overhead. “Duck!” Treena yelled, diving over Tarlen. The blasts were close, and the ground shook violently as the bombs struck the nearby grassy field.
Heat poured over them, and Treena draped herself over the boy as fire covered the entire region for a moment before dissipating. She rolled over, checking on the Bacal youth. “Tarlen, are you okay?”
His eyes were wide with fear, and he patted his chest, moving his boot out of the way as a ragged bush was burning beside his leg. “Commander, your uniform…”
She hadn’t even noticed. Her clothing was burning up, and she rolled on the grass, snuffing out the flames. She wished the pain sensors were set lower as the burns registered.
“Wait… what… what are you?” Tarlen asked her.
She expected the reaction, but after her recent acceptance of her situation, the fear in his eyes really struck a chord. “I’m…I’m human,” she lied. “It’s complicated.”
“I can see… a panel.”
One of the Concord fighters soared by, firing blue pulses toward the departing Tuber. Then another.
“I’ll explain later.” Treena couldn’t see how bad the damage was, but there wasn’t time to worry about it. The clouds blew in with a heavy gust of wind, and she followed their path, where the immense warship loomed close by. It was so ugly and huge, just the sight of it made her want to head underground.
She was about to start for the warship, when she saw the incoming force. They were lowering one hovering platform at a time from the enemy vessel. She pulled a Zoomer from her pack and pressed it to her left eye. It found her target and slowly focused. She almost dropped it when she sighted them. There was an entire regiment of armored Statu, but that wasn’t what fried her nerves.
It was the group of blank-eyed Bacal marching behind them, holding Statu weapons.
“Let me see!” Tarlen urged, taking the Zoomer from her grip. She let him grab the tool and heard the intake of his breath as he saw his transformed people coming toward them.
“Tarlen, they’re no longer your friends. They’re turned. This is what the Statu do; they use your own race against you. We have to fight them,” she said, but he hadn’t spoken a word.
When he finally did, Treena wished she’d left Tarlen underground. He lowered the Zoomer, and his eyes were filled with tears. “It’s her. It’s Belna. They turned my sister.” He started to run toward the incoming enemy, and Treena sighed, following.
Twenty-Four
Tom was loving every minute of it. It had been far too long since he’d been strapped in the cockpit of his baby, and everything about the mission felt right. The way the seat rumbled and vibrated under him, the slight digging of the belt as he raced after the Tubers, firing pulses toward evading targets.
The trigger button was right where he’d left it, and each time his finger pressed it to life, a rush of energy coursed through him. So far, they’d managed to destroy five of the Tubers, leaving another five to wreak havoc.
“Captain, we have three bogeys near the warship. They’re firing on the ground, which tells me that’s where our friends are hiding out.” The voice was that of his lead pilot, Lieutenant Basker.
“Very well, I’m coming in,” Tom advised, and he looped his ship around, feeling the Gs press him in his seat. By the great Vastness, he’d missed this.
It was foolish for the captain of Constantine to be piloting a fighter, but here he was, fending off the enemy. The backup from Cecilia had arrived a few minutes ago, and they were roaring toward the Tubers from the stratosphere. It was going to be over sooner rather than later.
Tom considered his rash action in hopping inside the fighter, but their odds were improved with him in the seat, rather than having his vessel sitting idly on board the cruise ship in orbit. It wasn’t as if he’d begun his first mission as captain by following rules.
There would be consequences for everyone’s actions when they returned, but Tom only had to ensure the Statu weren’t able to follow them from here. A demotion, a crumbling hierarchy in the Concord alliances, or even his life wasn’t as imperative as his mission’s success. If the Statu sent a dozen warships through this system’s wormhole, there would be a terrible price to pay on the other side.
Tom was nearing his destination, and he reached out to anyone on the ground on the Concord’s channels. “This is Captain Thomas Baldwin of the Concord cruise ship Constantine. Advise current situation.”
For a moment, no one replied, and he wondered what had happened to Starling. Had she been killed in combat? “Bridge, come in.”
Ven’s calm voice carried through his headset. “Bridge here.”
“Relay a message to Doctor Nee’s nurse Kelli for me,” Tom said, seeing a Tuber appear on his radar. It was behind him, and he increased speed.
“What’s the message, Captain?�
�� Ven asked.
“Ask how the patient is doing.”
There was silence on the communication for a moment, and his executive lieutenant returned. “She says there are no changes, sir.”
Relief eased Tom’s shoulders. That meant Treena Starling was active on the ground, giving them a better chance at success.
Tom was arriving over a giant canopy of tree cover, and he spotted a break in the foliage. Beyond it were hundreds of people, heading away from the warship. He really wished Brax had a way to talk with him. It was painful waiting to see if he and his sister had actually infiltrated the enemy vessel, or if Tom and the others were going to be sorely disappointed.
He zoomed on the growing army on the ground and shuddered as he saw that many of them were in Statu armor. The more worrisome part was the group behind them, walking like the undead. They were the Bacal people.
Tom slammed a hand against the dash in anger. It appeared as though the Statu were up to their old tricks. He flew overtop them, wanting to unleash fury on the advancing army, but he couldn’t bring himself to just yet. Maybe there was a way to return the Bacal to their former selves. A way to reverse the damage.
His sensors beeped a warning, and seconds later, his ship jostled as the Tuber behind him landed an errant shot.
“Damn it!” Tom pulled the controls up, ramming the stick to the side. He broke away, but the Tuber managed to hit him again. “Not on my watch.”
Tom swung around, his ship moving slower now. The Tuber had somehow sneaked past his shield with two lucky shots, and a third would destroy him. With movements drilled into him years ago, he cut the thrusters enough for the Tuber’s less maneuverable vessel to race underneath. He set the target and dropped a Heater. It blinked on his radar, and the Tuber exploded in a flurry of fire. The detonation sent Tom’s fighter reeling, and he struggled to regain control.
His ship beeped incessantly as he finally leveled out, but the ground was coming up quickly. The impact was impending, his body pressed hard against his chair. Tom was able to reach underneath his seat and tap the ejection right in time. He flew from the cockpit, his fighter crashing into the ground, sending dirt and grass in all directions. All those fights, all the battles he’d flown in, and he’d ended up crash-landing on this desolate world in enemy territory.
Baldwin's Legacy: The Complete Series Page 26