Ilox Saga 1: Eris Monroe: More Than Human

by Bruce Adams

  “Eli, I want that airlock opened before we get there. Let’s move!”

  As the three of them ran at a sprint, they kicked up a large amount of dust. Eris hoped that no one was visually looking outside or they’d be spotted. As she ran, she saw that the airlock door had opened. It was wide open by the time they arrived. If anyone had spotted their mad dash from the rock outcropping, there was no sign.

  “T’sell, the first sentient you see…do whatever you do with your mind tricks and Eli and I will take care of the rest.” Eli had fed the plans of the Vortex base into each of their combat suits computers. She had a map projected on her HUD showing her, Eli and T’sell as blue dots moving against a three dimensional layout of the installation. The map showed that the four mercenaries were only a door away down a short corridor. The installation had five levels and dug underground at least fifty meters. From what Eli had gathered it was a highly fortified pleasure palace built for when Chol Cuxa wanted to relax. He had dozens of similar installations scattered throughout the quadrant. She unfastened her gauss pistol from its holster and assumed a one-handed stance as she advanced. She didn’t use her rifle in such close quarters, it slowed her down. As she entered the control room of the four Vortex agents, several things happened at once and time seemed to slow to a crawl.

  T’sell took control of the K’Tosk male, who had the weakest mind in the room. She pushed him to attack the nearest sentient who happened to be the human female. He wasn’t wearing any kind of weapon so he launched himself at the woman and slammed her into the metallic floor with a loud thud. As the Orvod mercenary reached for his sidearm, Eris shot him in his left eye and he dropped to the floor, lifeless as a broken doll. He wasn’t wearing a helmet but it was still a risky shot to take. Eli began to interface with the local computer system and found a security system monitoring the area. In an instant he created a feedback loop of the last twelve hours - no alarms were going to be blaring from their actions. The last guard instantly made a fatal decision and quickly drew his sidearm but he was panicked and rushed – his eyes wide in disbelief. He fired at the most dangerous opponent, Eris, who dodged with blinding speed as his weapon discharged into a wall behind her, missing by centimeters. She then clicked her pistol into Autofire mode with her thumb and shot him three times in the chest. The heavy durasteel armor he was wearing absorbed most of the kinetic force but it was enough to knock him down and momentarily stagger him. Eris strode up to him and put several flechette rounds into his head before he could recover from being stunned.

  The K’Tosk mercenary was bashing the Vortex woman’s head against a wall in a mindless rage – she was clearly dead but the mental compulsion was still strong in his mind. T’sell calmly walked up with her Darisu held high and cleanly cut his head off. It rolled in a bloody mess across the floor of the room. In a matter of seconds the fight was over, and four Vortex mercenaries lay on the floor dead. Eli’s eyes were glazed over; he was heavily interfacing with something. After a few moments, normal color and clarity returned to his eyes as he brought his gaze to Eris. She was standing next to a security console. As much death as he’d seen, Eli still wasn’t used to the sights and sounds of combat – or the acrid smells of advanced weaponry firing in tightly enclosed spaces. The sight of the pooling blood made his stomach churn. He glanced away. The Vortex group was filled with remorseless killers who had tried to kidnap him and kill his friends. They deserved this – but he still couldn’t take the sight of it. He wasn’t like Eris…or T’sell.

  “I think I know where Chol is at. I have complete control over the Vortex network. It looks like Lluras was right, he’s here. This moon base is not that large. At least the installation isn’t… We’re roughly two kilometers from his location. Follow me; I know the fastest route there – we’ll avoid most of the living guards because there are automated defenses in the way I’ll be taking us.”

  “What type of automated defenses?” T’sell T’savri asked bluntly. She was morphing her facial features as she spoke. She began to appear as the dead Vortex woman – a petite brunette human. Her armor also visibly changed. After thirty seconds, she had become her exact image. The deception might give them a slight advantage.

  “Exactly four heavy MEKS lie in our path,” Eli stated. He seemed overly confident.

  “It looks like Chol Cuxa is a cautious bastard,” Eris sounded angry.

  “Probably why he has lived as long as he has, with so many enemies,” came T’sell’s measured response. Eris ignored her and spoke to Eli again.

  “Are you sure you can handle that many?” Eris said as she arched an eyebrow. “That machine controlling ability of yours does have limits, doesn’t it?” Eli nodded and then smiled at the two women. He seemed sure of himself.

  “I have you and T’sell to help if it turns out I can’t…” Eli stopped speaking, turned and headed deeper into the installation. No alarms had sounded. The three made their way further, going down via various passages that Eli prompted them to take. At each turn, they missed running into Vortex personnel. Eris knew that this would not have been possible without the instant Intel that Eli provided, or the way he knew everything that was ahead of them just out of eyesight. As they finally arrived at the lowest level, Eris motioned for them to stop. Using suit comms she relayed her instructions.

  “Eli, any chance an EMP grenade could take out those heavy MEK’s?” Eris put her hand on one of the grenades at her waist. Eli shook his head negatively.

  “No, they’re massively shielded – an EMP would do nothing.” He was silent for a few seconds before continuing, as if to gather his thoughts. “But…they do have weaknesses. I used to build them…so I’m kind of an expert.” He smirked. “They have incredible armor and a lethal array of ordinance…but they’re not exactly agile, if you know what I mean.”

  “Well, what can you do to them with your thing,” Eris said while tapping her helmet. “You said they were blocking access to Chol and there’s no other way around them.”

  “Well, I could blow one up by triggering the built-in auto-destruct fail-safe. Or, I could instruct it to target one of the other MEK’s nearby and blow it away.”

  “I definitely like that second option. With one MEK under your control, it will also draw fire from the other three machines. Hopefully, the first couple of rounds will impact critical systems and take them out quickly.” Eris motioned for them to proceed. The corridors and tunnels they clambered through gave way to a final passage that was far wider and taller than those that had come before. Eris, T’sell and Eli had their suits completely sealed. The women were carrying assault rifles at the ready position, while Eli had his laser pistol. Their internal suit HUD’s showed where they were and where they were headed - a tunnel just ahead with four pulsing red dots that indicated the heavy MEK’s.

  “What do you want me to do? My telepathic ability is useless against them…” T’sell said flatly to Eli.

  “Aim for their optic sensor arrays. If you take those out, they’ll fire blind at the last location stored in their memory.”

  “Eli, can you take control from here?” Eris asked.

  “No…for this to work on them my power requires direct line of sight. Once I gain control I can pull back and take cover.” He put the pistol back in the holster, making a click sound. “I won’t need this…it would just bounce off their armor.”

  “Let me draw their fire then. I don’t want you in way…it’s too risky. Once they shoot at me, duck around and grab control.” Eris spoke quickly and turned her body as if to block Eli from moving in front of her.

  “Eris! The MEK’s will fire on you the moment you’re spotted.” Eli’s face clearly showed he was worried.

  T’sell spoke. “Captain, I agree with Mr. Bowman. I can move in and draw fire just as easily as you. Plus I look like one of them – which may make them pause for just a moment.”

  Eris patted the armor she was wearing. “This is heavy reinforced combat durasteel. It will protect me from at leas
t a few incoming rounds…” I hope. “Plus I’m faster than either of you. Trust me; I have a few moves you haven’t seen yet.”

  “Alright…you’re the boss I guess,” Eli stated. She could hear the worry in his voice. Eris moved up with Eli and T’sell just behind her. She stopped just short of the massive security door that blocked entry into the long corridor of the MEK’s.

  “Ok, in five seconds, I want this door opened. I’ll rush in and take evasive maneuvers as best I can. Then come in later and do your thing. They should all be fixated on my position.” T’sell moved and took up position on the opposite side of the door.

  “Um…how much later?” Eli asked.

  “Not too much, just a few seconds… Let’s do this.” She tensed and then dashed into the brightly lit corridor as soon as the heavy portal opened by Eli’s command.

  Inside were the four heavy MEK’s just as Eli had described. They were armed with heavy pulse blasters and had marking on them effectively numbering them from 401 to 404. Eris ran in and made an acrobatic double dive, rolling to her feet twice. Her movements were a blur. Not saying a word, the two closest machines, numbered 401 and 402, opened fire with fully automatic rounds and even though Eris presented a small target and was moving at blinding speed, she was hit twice – once in the leg and another clipped her left side just below the hip. Eli took a look around the corner and he interfaced with the third closest MEK, number 403, which did not have a clear shot at Eris, but it did have shots at all of the other security robots inside the corridor. Within a second he had direct control and ordered it to fire at the two MEK’s that were targeting Eris. At the same time, T’sell had been peering through her sniper rifle at the left nearest heavy MEK, number 402. A quick burst hit her target directly in the optic sensors. It had been blinded effectively and was firing at where Eris used to be, completely missing.

  Number 403, the MEK that Eli controlled inflicted serious damage on the 402 MEK closest to Eris. It was 402 which had shot her. 402 began to turn to the new threat that had damaged it but as Eris closed with it and used it for cover she simultaneously fired multiple shots at its ‘head’. No major artery had been hit and the suits medical protocol had already stopped the blood loss in her leg. She ignored the pain. Adrenaline pumped through her and the armor had automatically sealed the hole with a flexible but strong nano fabricated mesh. The damage control systems on the hardened suit were extraordinary, but at five million credits each, the suits were technological marvels in their own right. Number 404 was attempting to close the gap between itself and Eris. However, just as Eli had stated before, they weren’t fast or agile and precious seconds ticked by giving T’sell another chance to fire. She waited, holding her breath, for a clear shot. Between the damage from the controlled MEK and the shots that Eris had landed with her gauss assault rifle, 401 had ceased to function. That left only one MEK that was still advancing on Eris. She used the bulk of the smoldering robot as cover. As it gained distance, Eris kept moving, keeping the ‘dead’ MEK between herself and the advancing 404 MEK. T’sell fired and destroyed the optic array. A few seconds later, they had disabled all of the security MEK’s, completely destroying them.

  “We have to hurry; I’m pretty sure an alarm has been sounded…or some kind of alert signal has been triggered. I’m sorry Eris; I didn’t realize there was a third backup system in place.” Eli said. He was out of breath and seemed tired. The exertion of manipulating the MEK had taken a toll.

  “Let’s go.” Eris began running down the corridor past the smoldering wrecks of the four heavy MEK’s. T’sell and Eli ran down the corridor behind Eris. The end of the corridor was another door sealed tight. Eli looked at it and nodded. It opened. Inside was a room best described as opulent decadence. Rare and beautiful tapestries adorned the walls. Life sized statues carved from basaltic rock were placed at five points in the room, each depicting a different Orvod ruler from the past. In the center were four circular tables piled high with food that an Orvod would eat – delicacies from the homeworld Hron. Many of the items were unrecognizable to Eris. Sitting on an elevated divan was Chol Cuxa. Surrounded by holographic images of various data-streams, he sat with an Evene woman on either side of him. The women were naked and cowering. He was not wearing combat armor but he did have a weapon in his hand. Eris paused before firing…a shimmering field surrounded him as well as the divan he was seated on. She recognized it as a kinetic barrier that looked eerily similar to what Gelkar Ruz-Zel had used on Furnace. As Eris and her crewmates entered the room, he stood and smiled – the Evene women scampered for safety…hiding behind planters. Eris kept her weapon ready - it was aimed directly at the leader of the Vortex mercenary organization.

  “Eris Monroe – Captain of the Sparta, former member of the Earth Republic’s Division Six and now working for Dynamic Space Development. You have come here for vengeance.” He said the words as easy as greeting someone, without effort or malice. The Orvod was massive, even for his species; he stood roughly a meter taller than Eris. His face showed clear signs of exterior augmentation. Chol looked at Eli, seeing him for the first time. “The elusive Eli Bowman, a pleasure to finally make your acquaintance.” Eris was unimpressed and shot her rifle – the rounds ricocheted off the shimmering force barrier. She grimaced. As she first suspected, her weapon was useless against the kinetic field. The shimmering barrier was intact and flawless - no scratch on it.

  “I’ve come to kill you Chol.” She spat the words out rapid fire. Eris began looking for the source of the kinetic field that protected him. She spoke to Eli via her suit comm, “Eli, get that field down!”

  Chol smiled again in response. “My other security personnel are coming and will be here soon. You don’t have much time left…”

  Eris snarled. “You killed good people…murdered them on Domovik!”

  “That was only business, nothing personal.” The Orvod mercenary leader had stopped smiling. “Perhaps we can come to some kind of arrangement…there are many things you do not know…things I can make you aware of. If you lower your weapon, we can come to an accord.”

  T’sell T’savri and Eli had hung back, but both of them also had their weapons directed at Chol. They were tense waiting for something to happen. T’sell tentatively touched her mind to Chol’s and recoiled in surprise – not only was his mind strong as a steel trap, he had an artificial dampener that interfered with her telepathic probe. She would never be able to read his thoughts.

  “Eli, can you drop that shield?” Eris asked him over her suit comm.

  “It will take me at least ninety seconds…it has insane levels of encryption!” Eli had figured out where the device was being powered and used his ability. The device powering the kinetic shield was hardened, but he knew he could turn it off, given enough time.

  Eris answered the Orvod by firing her weapon – which she had thumbed to full automatic. The flechettes merely bounced off the field, doing no harm. She emptied her entire magazine into it and then replaced the mag deftly. Her weapon would have hit him squarely in the chest, but instead did nothing.

  “Come now…you surely must know I have other security personnel. The question is whether your friend can use his mental tricks to disable my protection before they arrive. A tricky question…” The Orvod seemed to be enjoying the dilemma. “I will tell you this. I did not order the destruction of the Ancient base on Domovik…I wanted to study it further and see what other secrets it might hold.” He paused and smiled once again. “No, it was a former acquaintance of yours…a human female named Tess Sahin. She is running an operation of her own, one which has profited me in the past, but no longer. It was her order that detonated the weapon on Domovik. It was her decision.”

  “Even if I believe you, why are you telling me this?” Eris wanted to know.

  “Sahin has threatened me…and I believe she has more power than you do…much more. If you put your weapons away and leave me alone, we can even work together to stop her. You don’t know what she has di
scovered…what she is capable of…” The massive Orvod looked pained and uncomfortable. This was not a position he was used to.

  A rumble shook the room and dust filtered down from the ceiling high overhead. T’sell spoke, “Captain, Sparta reports that a large alien ship has entered orbit around the moon and is currently bombarding it. Sparta had to move to the far side of the planet to avoid it. They’re coming back now to rendezvous at the rally point.” Her voice was a calm and soothing presence.

  Over her suit Comm, she heard Eli. “Captain, we have to get out of here, there are more security personnel on their way! I told Kizzara we need to evac ASAP and that we’re headed to rendezvous with them at the pickup point.”