Five Empires: An Epic Space Opera

by Steven J Shelley

  His manner unsettled Fusar. He was too calm, too complacent. Far too comfortable with his power.

  “I know how to bring down a Jaj ship,” Jake said. “Maybe not a container ship, but definitely a scout.”

  The human leader had a solo game of abraxa projected across the dirt floor. Jake had played enough to recognize the man’s keen tactical mind. The human made a point of completing a few moves before responding. He certainly knew the correct way of demonstrating his power.

  “Interesting,” he said at length. “I’ve been running skirmishes for eighteen months. I won’t pretend to enjoy the daily grind. The lizards are under-resourced but they fight like fuckers. Every single time.”

  “What do you expect them to do?” Mandie asked. “They have women and children, just like you.”

  The older man gave a wan smile.

  “Forgive me,” he said, extending a hand in Jake’s direction. “Name’s Ryder.”

  “Jake.”

  Ryder’s eyes lingered on Fusar.

  “You’re instinct is to protect your companions,” he said. “No one understands that more than me.”

  His eyes flicked to Verity.

  “I can see this is a family affair. Inter-racial, too. Practical in this day and age. My people have grown reasonably strong. We survived a plasma blast from orbit just two weeks ago. We have scrounged some base materials. We can craft weapons and armor. No one can stop us here on the ground. Not unless our jailers change the rules of the game.”

  “What do you want, Ryder?” Jake asked, clearly familiar with such negotiations.

  The faction leader grinned through chipped teeth. “A man can dream, can’t he? We haven’t lost a mother or child for five months now. Through weight of blood we’ve developed a clear advantage over the lizards. The Jaj run broadcast satellites over this rock, feeding our despair back to their people.”

  Ryder’s eyes glittered with pride, and Fusar sensed he was wrestling with exactly how much he should reveal. In the end, pride won.

  “The Jaj are fearful of Cava05 invasion,” he said. “I hear the Bullhead garrison has never been more vulnerable.”

  “Grode Airbase?” Jake asked. “If all you’ve got is a rocket launcher, you won’t be making a dent. Give it up, Ryder.”

  The old man tried valiantly to maintain his confident air, but his eyes leaked disappointment.

  “Give me the Jaj girl,” he said coldly. “We’re far more advanced here than you might believe. I need a translator of the local dialect. My job is much easier if I can anticipate enemy movements.”

  “Firstly,” Jake said, scratching his nose, “My friend here doesn’t know the local dialect. Second, she doesn’t answer to anyone. Least of all me.”

  Fusar felt a surge of warmth that was becoming familiar. What had she done to deserve such a resolute guardian angel? What she didn’t like was the look on Ryder’s face. All pretense to civility had vanished.

  “That’s charming, Jake,” he said. “But the girl is mine now.”

  “How do you figure that?” the duellist replied, easing back his trenchcoat to flash some pistol hilt. Mandie’s hand rested on the other in the set. Verity had subtly given herself space to work in should a melee break out. Seasoned campaigners all, which made Fusar feel wholly inadequate. Especially given this stand-off revolved around her.

  There was a fizz of soft circuitry behind them. Jake’s shoulders sagged a little - he seemed to recognize that sound. There was a woman standing behind them in a strange suit. It glowed with thousands, maybe millions of tiny electric blue filaments. Fusar didn’t know cloaking suits even existed.

  “This is my friend Tana,” Ryder said complacently. “As far I’m aware, this is the only boledo suit in existence.”

  That meant nothing to Fusar, but Jake was uncharacteristically silent.

  “Stay behind me,” he muttered, and Fusar instinctively edged closer.

  “Don’t even think about trying your filthy cybomancy,” Ryder warned. “Not if you want the Jaj to survive.”

  Jake make a subtle signal to his sister, who seemed to ease back on her feet. Whatever the cybomancer had been planning to say had been abandoned.

  Ryder grinned with pleasure. “Palliser!”

  The cretinous spearman appeared in the doorway.

  “Bind everyone but the Jaj,” Ryder said. “Tell the men they can fuck them from both sides.”

  The leer he directed Fusar’s way was hideous. “A little treat for my troops before Noon Blood.”

  Her panic rising, Fusar looked to Jake. The duellist had half turned, keeping both Fusar and the human assassin in his line of vision.

  Tana smiled and flicked her right wrist, disappearing again. The only thing that betrayed her location was an near-imperceptible blur. Fusar lost it immediately, but Jake seemed to be tracking it across the small chamber.

  “Girls,” he said slowly. “Clear the room.”

  Before Fusar knew what was happening Verity had knocked her to the ground. She looked up in horror to see Palliser swinging a brutal-looking hammer at the cybomancer. Verity waited until the very last moment to duck, edging underneath the humming weapon and lashing out with a svelte leg. The henchman was swept off his feet and thudded to the floor.

  Mandie was firing accurately at Ryder but the old man was surrounded by a bubble shield that crackled and flared as it dispersed the plasma bolts.

  “To the wall,” Jake said sharply, and Fusar dutifully pressed her back to the rock. She was panicked by the sudden outbreak of violence, but was also irritated she couldn’t respond with the ice-cold professionalism of her companions.

  Ryder showed surprising agility in retreating to the adjoining chamber. He was replaced by two burly henchman carrying halberds. Verity made short work of her hammer-wielding adversary, crushing his windpipe with the heel of her hand. But the move left her open to attack from the doorway.

  Fusar glanced at Jake - he was shadow-sparring with Tana. Mandie had maxed out her pistol and was unable to assist in the short term. Taking a deep breath, Fusar assessed the newcomers. Halberds seemed a poor choice of weapon for the enclosed space.

  It was something she should exploit, but how? She’d never been in a battle before. All she knew was that she was Jaj and supposedly had a body built to withstand punishment. If her horrific life had told her anything so far, it was that she was resilient.

  It was now or never. Fusar advanced, knowing two yards of jagged steel could be thrust her way at any moment. She was half expecting a single attack, but both halberds came at once.

  That required a step back, a nimble fencer’s move. Though dulled from years of incarceration, Fusar’s reflexes didn’t let her down. She only just evaded the questing blades before yanking on the nearest haft. The intention was to throw its owner off balance, but the halberdier tumbled awkwardly against the wall.

  The second man thrust with extra vigor this time, a telegraphed lunge Fusar had no problem evading. She instinctively stepped outside the blade, grabbed the hilt and butted the poor fool’s face with it. A sharp crack let her know she’d perforated his cheekbone - a messy, painful injury that invariably broke the victim’s morale.

  And so it proved. While her second assailant staggered, Fusar used the valuable seconds to deal with the first, who’d been shaping to attack her from behind. His problem was the close proximity. Halberds could be devastating if used correctly, but if the user let their opponent inside their effective arc, the fight was usually over.

  Fusar stepped in close and planted a fist in the man’s abdomen. Again, her latent strength was surprising. His sternum cracked on impact, eliciting an anguished howl. Fusar was wondering how to finish him off when his head snapped back, a neat plasma burn right between the eyes.

  The second goon was also dropped in clinical fashion. Mandie was sniping from the other side of the chamber. Verity was grappling with someone at the doorway, whilst Jake was still circling the cloaked woman.

&nb
sp; “Rear, Mandie!” the duellist shouted suddenly. The mercenary instantly raised her elbow, a classic repelling move. Tana flashed into view, staggering. Jake delivered a punishing front kick into her side. By this stage she’d cloaked again but a tiny dust cloud advertised where she impacted against the wall.

  Jake followed with a low kick but all he found was air. Mandie’s sharp gaze flicked to Fusar, who got a sinking feeling she was the next target. The Jaj froze.

  In the end she lifted the halberdier’s corpse that lay at her feet and held it like a tower shield. The tip of a stiletto dagger penetrated the corpse’s chest, only inches away from her face. Hoping to smother her cloaked attacker, she pushed the corpse forward. She made contact with something, and hoped she’d sent Tana reeling.

  “Back!” Jake yelled, flinging a dark green pellet at a figure only he could see. At first there was little evidence it had impacted anything, but Tana’s boledo suit flickered into view. The assassin had assumed a defensive stance, her lethal stilettos glinting menacingly.

  But Jake’s pellet was getting busy. The suit began to smoke and fizz. Tana’s defiant eyes seemed to retreat into her skull. Her proud, haughty expression turned to horror as she realized what Jake had used against her. Acid.

  Once it had eaten through the boledo suit it began lapping hungrily at her skin. Her eyes pleaded with Jake, who drew his pistol and obliged. The shot was as respectful as could be, killing her instantly.

  Verity brutalized her own opponent with a double-handed uppercut to the jaw. The man ricocheted off the door frame and she used his momentum to slam his head into the opposite side, caving his skull in. Fusar blinked, amazed at the virtuosity of her unarmed attacks. The Le Sondre siblings were truly a force unto themselves.

  55

  The room was clear, but trouble was surely inbound.

  “Move deeper into the compound,” Jake said. “I’m not leaving without the rocket launcher.”

  Fusar wasn’t sure if strolling through the compound was the most feasible of plans, especially if Ryder was still at large.

  The crude facility appeared to be dug into brittle, volcanic rock. There were storage rooms and makeshift latrines that took advantage of deep holes in the porous rock. Long-life emergency supplies and med packs drew Fusar’s interest, but Jake urged her to keep moving.

  “Stay focused on the prize,” he said. “Pointless to be encumbered with enemies on all sides.”

  Fusar knew he was right, but took a few med packs for the lizards. It made sense to keep the beasts onside.

  “Where are Ryder’s people?” Mandie asked.

  “Fucker knows what we want,” Jake said. “He’ll be setting a perimeter around the armory.”

  The tunnel twisted and turned for at least half a mile. It was little wonder the humans had the upper hand over the lizards - their biggest advantage was comfort. While the reptiles baked in their narrow trenches, humans enjoyed space and cool air here in the compound. Their ability to recover from each skirmish was therefore vastly superior.

  The quartet entered a wider cavern that looked suspiciously deserted. Jake advanced quickly, hugging the wall. There were several passages at the far end. Jake paused before selecting a quiet, foreboding tunnel to the right, which descended gently before leveling out.

  A cast iron door stood at the end of the passage. Four small children had been chained so close to the metal they couldn’t sit down.

  “Wait,” Jake said, “Don’t take another step.”

  He tossed a stone down the passage. Nothing. “I don’t get it,” he mused, stroking his chin. The children wore horribly blank expressions. Fusar knew that look all too well - they’d been drugged to the eyeballs.

  “Leave Ryder for me,” she said, surprised at the coldness of her fury. “He’s mine.”

  “The armory’s behind that door,” Jake said with certainty. “But we need Ryder if we’re gonna free those kids first.”

  Mandie swore vehemently, priming her weapon. They backtracked down the tunnel and scoped the wider cavern. Sure enough, Ryder waited there, flanked by at least twenty heavily armed men and women.

  “Head out with your arms raised,” Jake said.

  Fusar nodded. He knew how to evaluate these stand-offs. There would be no glory today. Jake was probably doing this to ensure her safety. He might have been able to blast his way out if it wasn’t for her. That particular lone wolf was dead, and she had to wonder if it was a good thing. As they prepared for surrender, Mandie cocked her head.

  “Listen,” she urged. A distant sound like thunder. Like the sound the lizards made with their feet when violence was imminent. One of Ryder’s goons whispered something in his ear. The news clearly wasn’t good.

  “The lizards are attacking,” Jake marveled. “They came to the same conclusion we did - now or never.”

  Hope kindled in Fusar’s heart. The lizards were far smarter than the humans gave them credit for, a mistake that would cost them dearly. Knowing the lizards had been decimated by poison, Ryder’s henchman had allowed themselves to be distracted by Jake’s grandiose entry. That they had turned their backs on the real enemy was testament to their complacency and arrogance.

  White-faced, Ryder made a signal to obliterate the quartet as quickly as possible.

  “Defend the tunnel,” Jake said. “All we need is five minutes, maybe ten. Don’t let yourselves be pushed back to the armory door.”

  Knowing that a lizard attack was imminent, the humans came on in a fierce wave. A couple carried plasma rifles, forcing Jake to herd his charges further back into the tunnel. He took point with Verity at his shoulder. It made perfect sense as they were far and away the best melee fighters of the four.

  Standing a yard behind them was Mandie, tasked with sharpshooting through the fray. Last of all stood Fusar, feeling useless but more than willing to step in if required. Her earlier scuffle with Ryder’s men had suggested untapped strength reserves. Something to draw on if needed. One of the many things she hoped to do if she managed to escape this place was acquire rigorous melee training, hopefully from Jake himself.

  The battle proved to be shorter than expected. In their panic, the humans rushed Jake and Verity before their riflemen had a chance to shoot. Jake seemed to tailor his fighting to blunt the enemies’ attacks without delivering any killing blows. It was a smart play as it ensured the passage was choked with the best kind of plasma cover - live enemies.

  Trapped against the immovable Le Sondre siblings, the humans were easy meat for the lizards. The attacking horde was a sight to behold. They were taller, faster and stronger than their sworn enemy, and, most importantly, filled with rabid grief.

  The milling humans were literally torn apart. Fusar didn’t consider herself squeamish, not after everything she’d seen on Tranda IX, but the lizards’ ferocity was difficult to watch. Thankfully Jake was recognized by the older lizard he’d encountered earlier that day. The creature took it upon himself to prevent his brethren from attacking on sight. As a human, Mandie was particularly vulnerable, but even she was diligently shielded until the lizards’ blood lust had subsided.

  Fusar knew exactly what needed to be done next. Grabbing Jake’s gun, she stepped through a maze of dismembered human bodies. Ryder had been killed early in the fray, his body lying awkwardly against the wall. Fusar melted his head with a single, point-blank blast and ripped a prism key from his belt with satisfaction.

  It was a perfect fit for the lock that shackled the children. The frightened kids disappeared down the tunnel as soon as they were released. The lizards would pay them no mind - from what Fusar had seen they were fiercely protective of the young and seemed to venerate the family unit.

  As hoped, the prism key also unlocked the crude lock on the armory door. The interior was more like a workshop than an armory. Half-finished weapons and various other projects lay cluttered on wooden benches. The humans had been ambitious in their vision for a sustainable society here on Bullhead, but a lack of res
ources had worked against them.

  Still, Fusar was impressed with the engineering ingenuity on display and hoped the skill set hadn’t been lost in the recent violence.

  “Room of broken dreams,” Verity commented as they picked their way among the various work benches. It was true. There was nothing here to suggest that anyone trapped on Bullhead could hope to challenge their Jaj jailers.

  Jake found what they were looking for at the back of a gear locker. The rocket launcher, which had four rockets pre-loaded, was an older model but seemed functional enough. Jake also retrieved three cannisters of trium, the explosive material that fed the rockets.

  “We need someone who knows a thing or two about weapons modification,” he said dryly, “But I don’t like our chances on Bullhead.”

  To make matters worse, the next Jaj ship was imminent. Who knew what they had in store?

  “We may need to take this thing apart ourselves,” Jake said, hauling the weapon onto a bench. He found a case spanner and was just finding his range when his hand slipped. A hairline crack opened up on the ignition mount.

  “We should wait,” Mandie said, pecking Jake on the cheek. For some reason such minor acts of affection annoyed Fusar. She wasn’t sure if it was a general thing or just because it involved Mandie and Jake …

  A lizard strode into the armory and Fusar resisted the impulse to block her nose. The stench surrounding the creature was dreadful. Huge, ragged whip lines criss-crossed his back. The wounds had suppurated and would soon kill him if he didn’t receive proper medical treatment.

  In other words, he was as good as dead. And yet he seemed more interested in the various bits of tech. He poked around the workshop with a discernment that suggested he’d worked in there before.

  “Gigasz?” Jake asked. The lizard grunted in assent.

  “He’s been liberated,” Jake said softly to the women. “I think he’s responsible for the work in here.”

  “Show him the launcher,” Verity urged.

  Jake did so. It took a while, but through a series of gestures Jake was able to convey what he wanted to do. The engineer seemed enthused by the duellist’s proposal and laid each of the rockets on the workbench.