Humble Beginnings (Tri System's Edge Series Book 1)

by Ron Schrader

  “Follow me,” he said calmly now as he turned and shouldered the weapon, heading toward a large less-primitive looking structure not far from where they stood.

  “What are you doing, Private?” shouted the other soldier, still pointing his rifle at Jarek.

  Pleased with her success a moment ago, she turned to the soldier. “It’s all right,” she said, looking into his eyes.

  He just smiled and lowered his rifle.

  “Just take us into the village. Take us to the man in charge.” She took his arm and turned him toward the village, pointing his weapon away from Jarek.

  “How . . . ?” Jarek stared, a look of bewilderment on his face.

  “Follow us,” she smiled back at him, a quiet melody in her voice.

  Kalla and the soldier began to walk quietly toward the village, Jarek following close behind.

  “How did you do that?” Jarek asked, now walking alongside Kalla.

  “Do what? Get a couple of boys to pay attention to a pretty girl?” She glanced up at Jarek and smiled. “It’s not the first time I’ve used my looks and charm to get what I want.”

  “Maybe . . .” he said unconvincingly, “but that looked more like mind control to me.”

  Kalla entertained the thought for a moment. Could she really have control over someone’s mind? It seemed a bit far-fetched, but then again, so did everything else going on around her. But before she could put more thought into what she’d done, they had arrived at the building where they would hopefully find the new commander.

  The building itself was among the only structure around that appeared to be made of metal. Its patchwork design and unique texture made it obvious that it had been built using ship parts. As they walked up to the entrance, the soldier immediately started talking to the guard on duty.

  “These people are here to see the commander,” he reported.

  “What?” asked the guard. “Who are they? You can’t just bring strangers here like this!”

  “We just need to speak to the commander,” Kalla interrupted, making eye contact with the guard who, without hesitation, opened the door and motioned them inside.

  Once inside, they stood in an open entryway opposite a flight of stairs that stopped at a small landing, where it appeared to turn right and continue upward.

  On each side of the large room, they could see a single door with nothing to indicate what was behind either one. Jarek walked to the right and tried the first door only to find it locked. Kalla followed suit, attempting to open the other door, but was met with the same result.

  “Up the stairs?” Jarek suggested with some uncertainty.

  “I thought you knew these people,” said Kalla as she headed toward the stairs.

  “I did, a long time ago when they lived in the valley, but I’ve done my best to avoid them ever since they tried to kill me,” Jarek said as he followed her up the stairway.

  Several steps later they were standing at the top of the second flight of stairs in front of a single door. Kalla reached down and turned the latch clockwise, which naturally caused the door to swing inward just a little. She pushed it open the rest of the way, and the two casually entered the room to find a man sitting in a chair at the other end, facing a large window with a clear view of what had to be most of the village. The tall back of the chair hid all but the man’s grayish-black hair atop his head.

  “Are you the one in charge around here?” Jarek asked bluntly.

  “Yes,” was the calm reply from the seated man as he slowly swung around in his chair. As he laid eyes on the two unexpected visitors, his focus instantly locked onto Jarek, who seemed to make him a bit nervous.

  “Reav?” Jarek blurted out. “You’re in charge?” He turned to Kalla and threw his hands up in the air. “Great, this was a waste of time.”

  “Hello, Jarek,” Reav replied, clearly intimidated by Jarek’s presence in the room as he tightly gripped the arms of the chair as if ready to jump up from where he sat. “What are you doing here?” he asked, still acting very nervous.

  “My ship’s damaged and either needs a new part or a repair on this one,” Kalla interrupted, drawing Reav’s attention away from Jarek for a moment. As she reached for the satchel still slung over Jarek’s shoulder, he pulled away, noticeably perturbed to even be in the same room with the man in the chair.

  “This is the guy I told you about,” Jarek yelled. “He tried to kill me, so I wouldn’t expect any help from him.”

  The room fell silent as Reav hunched over and rubbed his forehead with one hand.

  Jarek began heading for the door. “I’m sorry, Kalla, but I’m done here.”

  “Please, wait,” Reav called out, but to no avail. Jarek had already walked out the door and was headed out of the building.

  “Is it true?” Kalla asked while Reav stared toward the door as though oblivious to her presence in the room. “Did you really try to kill him?”

  The nervous look still on his face, Reav shook his head. “I was a just a stupid kid,” he said. “Yeah, I thought I was better than everyone, and I was pretty mad to find out during the challenge that Jarek was a better climber than me. But I didn’t want to kill him, just . . . it was a stupid thing to do. I’ve regretted it ever since.”

  As he finished his explanation, Kalla glanced out the window to see Jarek standing in front of the building, waving at her to come outside. Not at all ready to leave, she responded with an outstretched hand, motioning him to come back in.

  Jarek threw his hands up in the air and disappeared from her view as he moved closer to the building.

  “For an old guy, he’s sure acting like a baby,” she mumbled, shaking her head.

  “What was that?” Reav asked.

  “Oh, nothing, ” she replied, turning back toward Reav.

  Shaking his head in response, Reav stood up and folded his arms. “Now, who are you exactly? How do you know Jarek?”

  “Jarek . . .” She hesitated for a moment. “He’s helping me fix my ship. Well, he brought me here, thought you might be able to repair the part. It’s the engine stabilizer . . .” She paused, realizing Jarek still had the satchel. “I’ll have to go get it,” she said, a bit agitated. “But from the looks of your village, I’m guessing it probably won’t matter, will it.” Frustrated, she awaited his response, hoping for a positive answer but doubting he’d be much help.

  Reav stood still, eyes squinting as he looked her up and down. “I’m not sure about a repair,” he finally said, “but I might know where you can find a replacement.

  Kalla perked up and began to smile.

  “Only problem is,” Reav continued, “it might be too dangerous.”

  At that moment, Jarek stormed back into the room. “Kalla, are you coming?” he barked.

  “Please, Jarek . . .” Reav cautiously walked toward Jarek with an outstretched hand. “What I did to you all those years ago . . .” He paused as if looking for the right words that would make everything better. “It was . . . it was wrong,” he said, struggling to get the words out.

  Taken aback a little, Jarek stood speechless, staring at Reav with a look of anger still on his face. “Is this for real?” he finally said, turning to Kalla for validation.

  She nodded slowly in the affirmative, a look of kindness in her eyes. “I believe him,” she said softly. “I know what it’s like to be young and stupid,” she continued with a big smile.

  Jarek stared back at Reav, a look of indecision on his face. “How’d you end up in charge anyway?” he questioned, ignoring Reav’s hand still outstretched in front of him.

  Kalla waved at Jarek to get his attention, making eye contact as soon as he looked at her. “He says he can help,” she replied. “Just let it go and move on.” The words rolled gracefully off her tongue but didn’t seem to affect him.

  “Nice try, but I’m not some impressionable kid you can manipulate like you did with those soldiers. No more games now,” he said with a grin.

  Kalla smiled warmly
at the remark. “No games, I promise,” she said, smiling back at him with a look that melted his rough exterior. “But he’s telling the truth.”

  “Sure you’re not the Reav I knew?” Jarek asked, turning back toward Reav, who still waited patiently for Jarek’s hand.

  Reav just nodded, giving Jarek a sincere smile. “This place has been hard on me,” he replied. “I carry a lot of weight on my shoulders, and it’s changed me. I don’t expect you to forgive me, Jarek, but please at least let me try and help.”

  Still uncertain, Jarek reluctantly reached up and shook Reav’s hand. “This isn’t some kind of trick, is it?” he said with a look of suspicion.

  “No, of course not,” Reav quickly replied. “Actually,” he continued, walking toward the large window, “I need your help in return.” It was clear by his demeanor that something was wrong as he leaned against the glass window looking downward. “We thought we’d be safe up here, away from the Vie. Have been for years, but . . .”

  “They’ve started coming up here at night,” Jarek said, finishing Reav’s statement.

  “Yes,” he replied. “We’ve already lost over fifty people.” His head hung low as he spoke.

  “Have you been going down to the old city much?” Jarek asked. “They may have followed you back, found you that way. There’s a lot of ’em these days, probably thousands.”

  “We only send small teams down when needed, but it’s been a while,” Reav said.

  “How often is this happening?” Kalla asked.

  “Lately?” He turned back toward his visitors and leaned against the back of the chair, his arms stiff as they held his weight. “Almost every night.” He sighed. “I just don’t know what to do anymore.”

  “Never seen ’em climb before, but it wouldn’t surprise me,” Jarek said like it was an obvious fact. “They’re pretty resourceful, that’s for sure.”

  “Why don’t you just get off this planet, find somewhere else to live?” questioned Kalla. “If you all came here on ships, why not just leave?”

  “I wish it were that simple,” said Reav as he walked from behind his chair and sat down.

  “I don’t understand,” said Kalla, now confused. “Why is it not that simple? Just get in your ships and leave.”

  “They can’t,” Jarek said. “The ships won’t fly anymore. They were one-way lifeboats. And besides, they’re sitting in the middle of the Vie. Their nest I think. Not 100 percent sure why, but even I’m not crazy enough to walk into that nightmare.”

  “That’s where you’ll find what you need—the part for your ship.” Reav said, looking up at Kalla. “If you can help me find a way to solve my Vie problem, I’ll help you, tell you where to look.

  Kalla glared at Jarek, her eyes begging him for help. “This should be easy for us,” she said.

  “Uh-uh, no! We can’t do it Kalla,” he shot back at her. “The Vie live there—thousands, maybe tens of thousands of them. There’s no way!”

  “Please, Jarek!” Reav begged. “You have to help us.”

  “I’m sorry. It’s impossible,” Jarek replied as he waved his hands and walked out of the room a second time. “I’m going home,” he called back as he walked down the stairs.

  Kalla turned toward Reav, who was now leaning back in his chair. His hands were pressed against the top of his head, pulling his hair back, a look of despair on his face.

  “He’s right. Everything he said was right.” Reav turned his chair back toward the window and looked out at the village he was responsible for keeping safe. “It’s hopeless.”

  “Maybe,” replied Kalla in a soft, reassuring tone, “but from my experience, there’s more than one way to win a card game.” She turned and headed for the door.

  “What does this have to do with cards?” Reav called out as she ran down the stairs and out the door.

  Chapter 10

  Several guards were stationed on top of the control center, guarding the AGV landing pad, and appeared to be on the lookout as Davis poked his head up over the edge. Just as the nearest guard turned in his direction, Davis crouched back down on the ladder, barely in time to conceal his presence. These were all men that he knew and worked alongside, so if it could be avoided, he didn’t want to have to hurt anyone. He only hoped that at least some of them felt the same about him.

  As a captain under General Quinn, Davis had tried to stand apart from his superior, always making a conscious effort to show kindness and leniency toward those around him. While pulling rank was still necessary on occasion, he had managed to build a rapport with the men he worked alongside, unlike the general, who chose instead to be harsh and abrasive, instilling fear rather than respect. Davis hoped that if his plans didn’t work out, his men would show him the same leniency he’d shown them in the past.

  After a couple of minutes, his arms began to tire from hanging on to the ladder. Davis finally decided to take a risk and stick his head up once again, to see if it was clear yet. He peeked over the edge just enough to see across the platform to find that the guards had moved over near the lift, almost completely out of his view.

  Not wanting to miss his opportunity, Davis quickly pulled himself over the edge and ran to the sidewall of the lift, staying low to avoid being seen. From his earlier surveillance, he knew there were at least five guards standing around the corner, and as he listened, he could hear them talking about how angry the general was.

  “He sure pulled one over on the old man,” Davis heard one of the men say, followed by laughter from several others in the group.

  “Shhh,” another man said. “Don’t want the general to hear us laughing at him.”

  More quiet laughter followed.

  Davis cautiously made his way to the edge of the wall, where he could peer around the corner to get a head count. Carefully leaning his head out, staying low and out of sight, Davis counted a total of seven guards, two more than he originally thought. Straight in front of him were about a dozen AGVs lined up on the landing pad, but in order to reach one, he’d have to get past the guards. If he still had his gun, he might have been able to get past, but his only weapon was the knife the general never did get a chance to take from him. Knowing a knife against seven armed soldiers wasn’t going to work, he had to come up with something else.

  “That’s it,” he whispered, remembering a repair from a few months earlier. An exposed hydraulic cable running through the ceiling of the lift had been severed, and Davis had ordered that paneling be installed to prevent future damage. If he could get up on the roof of the lift without being seen, he might be able to set a trap.

  Davis crept to the back of the lift and climbed the service ladder to the roof. Using his knife, Davis removed the large screws that held the metal cover of the access panel in place, careful not to let the knife scrape against the surface and make too much noise. Once open, he dug his knife into the thin sheet metal ceiling to make a small hole just big enough for his arm to fit through. Finally, he located the hydraulic line and began sawing at it with his knife until fluid began to seep out.

  With everything set, Davis reached through the hole he’d made in the ceiling, knife in hand, and threw the blade as hard as he could against the metal floor of the lift. The initial impact was loud enough that several guards ran inside the lift to investigate while Davis slid over to an outer support beam, then toward the front of the lift.

  Without warning, the pressure loss in the hydraulics caused the lift to drop at full speed to the floor below, where it abruptly stopped, banging its passengers around inside as it hit the bottom.

  Davis wiped his grease-soaked hands on his already stained pants and looked over the edge of the support beam to where the two remaining guards were peering down at the others who’d fallen with the lift.

  Catching them off guard, Davis jumped from the beam above, connecting his elbows with the tops of their heads. With the two men lying on the floor, dazed from the head trauma they’d just received, he worked quickly to disarm them,
removing their sidearms and collecting the rifles they’d dropped. He threw the pistols down the lift shaft and armed himself with a rifle in each hand. Davis deliberately backed away from the men, who were both starting to regain awareness of the situation and stumbling to their feet.

  “Stay down!” Davis ordered with authority. “I will shoot you both if you try anything!”

  Once on their feet, the two guards began to react, ignoring his order, only to find their weapons were gone.

  “He’s gonna kill us if we let you get away,” said one of the soldiers.

  “Maybe not,” replied Davis. “You’re both wearing your vests, right?” Hoping to save their lives, the former captain fired a single burst at both men, dropping them to the floor. Davis dropped the weapons and ran to examine the men, checking their necks for a pulse. He rolled each of them over, relieved to find the bullets had been stopped by the vests they both wore. One of the men had managed to catch a stray bullet in the forearm, but it was a clean shot that would heal just fine.

  Davis tore the right sleeve from his shirt and wrapped it tightly around the soldier’s arm to stop the bleeding. “I don’t envy the bruises you guys will have,” he said as he stood and headed toward the nearest AGV, stopping only to collect the rifles he’d dropped just moments earlier.

  Climbing into the vehicle, he threw the rifles on the passenger seat, started the engine, and activated the E-GLas. Moments later an indicator light flashed to let him know the air inside the AGV was now breathable. He removed the filter mask and set it next to the rifles, leaning his head into his hands while he took a moment to think. The emergency stairwell would soon be full of guards who would more than likely kill him on sight, following General Quinn’s orders. He needed to go right now.

  With clarity, Davis sat up and engaged the vertical thrusters, lifting him several meters above the ground. Once the AGV began hovering, he maneuvered it off to the right of the mining tower and suddenly shot off in the direction of a large mountain range where Colban had been planning to take him. His hope was to find someone willing to help him in spite of what he’d been a part of here. Whatever came next, at least he’d be out of the general’s reach a little longer, and he hoped that with some luck he’d find a way to get off this planet in one piece.