Drowned by Fire (Tales of a Dying Star Book 4)

by David Kristoph

  He was halfway to the barracks when a figure ran across the pavement toward them. Brynn gripped her helmet in one hand, her leathery face red with anger as she skidded to a stop. "What the stars was that?"

  "I made a decision," he said, striding past her. "We needed to conserve our strength."

  She jogged to catch up. "The Wing performs well when outnumbered. We would have beaten them. I'm certain of it."

  "You're wrong."

  "You weren't there. You were sitting back watching from safety."

  He stopped, rounding on her. "The decision was made. It's over. Take the Wing inside and get what food and rest you can. You'll be going back out there soon enough."

  She raised a hand to jab a finger at his chest, but one of the Flameguards snatched her wrist out of the air with skilled motion. She looked at the man, surprised, before continuing. "There's not much of the Wing left because of you. We lost three in the sudden retreat. You made me Commander--"

  "And I am the acting Emperor. You would have lost all if not for my decision." Enough of this. "Another word and I'll replace you with someone more obedient."

  Others in the Wing had approached and heard the argument, but he didn't care. He felt Brynn's glare on his back as he walked away.

  Charion caught up to him before he reached the barracks, helmet covering his face. Jayce nodded as the tall guard fell in beside him.

  Jayce stopped in front of the door. He could hear no screams now, just unsettling silence.

  He touched the side of his wrist computer, removing a round chip the size of his fingernail. He placed the receiver inside his ear and spoke. "Drysane, what's it look like inside?"

  Her voice came back clear. "The entranceway is empty. The motion sensors detect three in the adjacent room, but the door is closed so they won't notice you enter. The rest of the pilots are scattered deeper inside in similar groups, mostly threes and fours. Except for one large cluster of twenty, in the cleanliness room at the back of the building."

  The ten peacekeepers arrived, fully-geared in armor and helmets. One handed Jayce a spare suit of beam-resistant armor and an infrared lens. Charion eyed the peacekeepers with suspicion, positioning himself between them and Jayce.

  Jayce spoke while pulling the armor over his head. "Can we lock the inner doors so they're all forced to stay put?"

  "Already did, Your Luminance," Drysane said in his ear.

  The armor weighed on his shoulders; he was used to the comparatively light flight suits, but he wouldn't complain about anything that helped keep him alive. He pulled the infrared lens over his left eye and fastened the strap behind his head, though he left it deactivated for now.

  Another peacekeeper handed him a rifle. That felt even more foreign than the armor. Been a long time since I've held one of these. All pilots went through arms training at the Academy, though once on active tours regular practice was no longer required. That's what the peacekeepers are for.

  Charion stepped close and lowered his voice. "Your Luminance, you can still remain behind. We will search the barracks as you've ordered and detain all the pilots, and sort them out afterward. We are all trained. There is no need for you to risk yourself."

  Jayce examined the group. The peacekeepers had their visors back, allowing him to see their faces. They looked back at him blankly.

  Drysane was right. This is necessary. They need to see a leader.

  Jayce strode to the peacekeeper with extra marks on his shoulder. He held his fist up to his forehead to salute, and Jayce returned the display. "This is your unit?" Jayce asked.

  He responded with a voice like thunder. "I am peacekeeper lieutenant Durhan, and this is my unit. We are yours to command, Your Luminance."

  "Do you trust your men?"

  "With my soul," he said, no hesitation. "Our unit has been focused on the Children for years; each of these men has personally killed three or four. If any of them are traitors then they've been playing a very long game."

  I would have said the same about the pilots of the Gold, Jayce thought, but he didn't say it. There was no need to worry the man. "The building is locked-down. I have live data on all movements inside the barracks--there are ninety pilots still inside, mostly scattered in small groups. I'll relay the info to you as we move from room to room. As we capture pilots two of your men will escort them back outside, where we'll sort them out later."

  "I have a map of the building," Durhan said, gesturing with his wrist computer, "but it's just a map. Your live data will help greatly."

  Jayce gave him the rest of the information: the pilots were lightly armed (if at all), and some resistance was expected. It was crucial to save as many loyalists as possible. Durhan nodded, lowering his visor in preparation.

  "Charion," Jayce said, "you know the pilots better than most. It will be up to you to decide who can be trusted and who is suspect. That decision is yours alone."

  Charion nodded grimly.

  The peacekeepers gathered around the door, five on either side. Jayce told Drysane, "We're ready."

  The door opened.

  The peacekeepers filed inside, disappearing into blackness. Charion went next. Then it was Jayce's turn, with the two Flameguards behind him.

  The door closed shut.

  With a touch Jayce enabled his infrared lens. The room burst into color: the walls and floor were a deep indigo, almost black, with the peacekeepers in green and yellow. Charion was a cooler blue, like the actual color of his plate armor, although from his wrists to his elbow was orange where the shield gauntlets vibrated with electric potential.

  One of the Flameguards stepped beside him. He looked bright orange with unmuted body heat, and brilliantly-red at his fingertips. That's strange, Jayce thought, wondering what would cause it.

  The entrance room was unremarkable, twenty feet to a side with little in the way of furnishings. Three doors, one directly in front of them and two to the sides, led deeper into the barracks. Jayce walked to Durhan, pointed to the door on the right, and whispered, "Three in that room."

  The peacekeeper glanced at the map on his wrist computer. "Any in these corridors?" he asked, pointing to two hallways surrounding the room.

  Drysane confirmed they were empty.

  Durhan thought for a moment. "Open these two doors, here and here. We'll be able to hit the room from two sides."

  Jayce relayed the information to Drysane, who opened the center door. Durhan gave hand-signals to his men, who each touched their own wrist computers. Five silently strode down the center hallway, disappearing around a corner.

  There was a timer on Durhan's computer, ticking down from thirty. Just before it reached the end he nodded to Jayce.

  "Now," Jayce hissed.

  The doors shot upward at Drysane's control, and the peacekeepers darted inside. Jayce heard a cry of alarm, and another, more fearful scream, and then it was over. No shots fired.

  He stepped inside to see three men in the center of the room, pressed face-down on the floor by peacekeepers. They did not struggle. On the ground next to them were two long poles used as makeshift weapons. The other peacekeepers searched the rest of the room, looking under desks and behind chairs. It was some sort of administrative room.

  "Are any of you hurt?" asked Charion. "Do you need medical assistance?"

  "Shieldwarden Charion?" asked one of the pilots. His voice was muffled, his cheek pressed firmly to the ground. "Oh thank the stars you're here!"

  Charion cocked his head. "Peelo?"

  The peacekeeper pulled him to his knees. "I thought for sure we were dead," Peelo said. "We got away from the others and almost reached the entrance, but that's when the doors all locked. And when you burst inside... oh thank the stars it's you, brother. Thank the Emperor."

  It was tough to tell in the false light of his infrared lens, but Jayce thought the peacekeeper's face hardened behind his helmet. "Are you loyal to the Emperor, Peelo?"

  "What? Of course we are! We spent the last three hours doing
everything we could to get away from those... those fanatics."

  "Peelo. I ask not for myself, but for the others, for the safety of all men here. How can we trust you? What can you do to quell any doubt?"

  "Charion..." Peelo sounded hurt, but shook it off. "The best way we've been able to tell is the crazy ones have rifles. They were ready in advance, knew this attack would happen, obviously. Those of us who were unprepared, who weren't expecting it, are unarmed." He glanced over at the poles. "Well, mostly unarmed."

  His logic is sound, Jayce thought, but only watched. It was Charion's call. The silence stretched, every peacekeeper in the room staring at the prisoners.

  "Let them go," Charion said.

  The pilots were pulled to their feet. Peelo smiled and nodded at Charion, and the other two looked around the dark room with unease, unable to see but obviously sensing their presence.

  "Take them back outside," Jayce ordered. "I want them to join Brynn and the rest of the Gold now."

  "Sir?" Peelo asked, looking in his general direction. "I want to help in here."

  "Absolutely not," Jayce said. "The city is under attack, and the Children have full control of the sky. The sooner we regain air superiority, the better."

  Peelo stepped forward until Charion stopped him with a hand. "The rest of the pilots in the barracks are my brothers. I will not put to the sky until they're safe. There are many whose loyalty I can vouch for, who I witnessed fighting some of the fanatics. And I know of a few dangers inside, places where the enemy have set up tricks. I can help speed the process, and get our full strength into the air sooner. Right now I'm more valuable in here than simply flying a Widowren."

  Jayce glanced at Charion. His helmet left an open T-shaped blotch of orange. The tall man gave the barest nod of his head.

  "Very well," Jayce said. "You will accompany us. The other two will join Brynn and the Gold."

  They relayed the information to Drysane, who opened the doors for the two pilots as they exited. The entrance room briefly flashed with daylight before the door closed behind them.

  "The next group is three corridors away," Drysane said in his ear. "Six of them in the dining hall. There are three entrances to that room, but one is blocked by another group of four. I recommend clearing the dining hall first, from the two entrances available."

  Jayce pointed and said to the others, "This way."

  Durhan led the way. Peelo stumbled down the corridor until one of the peacekeepers thought to give him a spare infrared lens. "Are we going to the food hall?" he asked in a hushed voice. "There's a bunch in there pretending to be loyalists. They have two in the middle of the room, open and unarmed, luring people inside. But there are lots more hiding behind cover with guns aimed at the door. At least two have rifles."

  Jayce spoke quietly into his wrist computer as they walked. After a moment he said, "Drysane confirmed it. Two in the middle of the room, with the other four scattered in the corners."

  "Drysane?" Peelo asked. "Acteon's Vice Admiral?"

  Jayce grunted in confirmation.

  Peelo laughed. "She oversaw the city patrol back when I was a rookie. She'd suffer no foolishness, on duty or off. Me and the other pilots had a bet going to see who could get her to crack a smile." He shook his head. "She never did."

  Jayce smirked. "You'd lose that bet today, too."

  "What bet?" Drysane asked in his ear.

  "Nothing," he muttered.

  Peelo was quiet for a moment. "She's planetside now. Same for you and the Gold. Why aren't you with the Exodus Fleet? What's happened?"

  They were at the door to the dining hall, so Jayce ignored the question. It was the same as before: Durhan ordered half his men to flank around to the other entrance, with synced timers on their wrist computers.

  "Jayce," Drysane said, "they're suddenly alert. The two in the middle ran to the corners to get behind cover. I think they know you're there."

  He told Durhan. "They must have heard us," the peacekeeper said. "Six behind cover will be tough."

  "Let me help," Charion said, stepping forward. He held two fists in front of his face, and electricity crackled between them. "It will be easy behind my shield."

  Jayce almost teased him about how his primary duty was to defend him, but held his tongue. I don't want to change his mind.

  Durhan said, "We'll be glad for it. Fifteen seconds."

  They readied up, with Charion directly in front of the door. As soon as it opened he jumped inside with arms spread wide, a giant electric barrier.

  The enemy took up a cry of battle. Flashes immediately lit the room as they fired, beams striking the shield with a sizzle. The peacekeepers followed closely behind, carefully shooting through the one-way shield at the enemies beyond. From his vantage at the side of the doorway Jayce could only see the flickering light on the wall. It was over within seconds, Durhan calling back to them when it was clear.

  The peacekeepers were spread out against the back wall, hunched over bodies. In the infrared Jayce could see where one enemy was shot, a bright red circle oozing hot blood onto the floor. Both the dead man and his spreading blood began losing light, the body temperature already beginning to wane.

  Five of the enemies were dead. The remaining one had only suffered a shoulder wound, and Durhan brought him to the middle of the room. He threw him down on the floor. Hot bubbles of red blood sprayed across the ground from his wound.

  Jayce rolled him onto his back with a boot. "How many of you are there?"

  The Child gave a pained laugh. "Ahh. Jayce, Commander of the Gold Wing."

  "Do I know you, traitor?"

  "No, but I know you. We all do. You were supposed to be on the Olitau with the other high-ranking officers."

  "I'm here now. You're going to tell me--"

  "And a Shieldwarden," the Child continued, looking over at Charion. "If he's here then it surely worked. Tell me Commander, did you see Saria's glory? Her blue judgment striking across the system, cutting down your false god? Or was he dead already aboard the Olitau from the explosions?"

  With a growl the Flameguards fell upon him. One planted a swift kick to the man's ribs. The other knelt over his head, grabbing it with both hands and digging thumbs into his eyes.

  The Child began to scream.

  Everyone around the room watched, paralyzed. Nobody dared move to intervene, not even Jayce, who had wanted more information from the man. The treacherous pilot squirmed and thrashed as thumbs crushed his eyes, boring deeper into his head. Jayce flinched as they burst like grapes, the warm liquid running down the traitor's cheeks, spraying all around as he jerked his head and screamed.

  The other Flameguard worked at the man's groin, a knife red with heat visible in his hand between slashes. One of the peacekeepers pulled off his infrared lense, turning away with disgust.

  Finally the pilot grew still. The Flameguards continued their slaughter a few heartbeats longer before ceasing. They rose to their feet and went to another body against the wall, the two peacekeepers there jumping out of the way. For a moment Jayce thought they were going to mutilate that body as well, but they only used his uniform to clean away the blood.

  Stars curse me, Jayce thought, and to think I thought them ceremonial. They'd never even made a sound.

  Durhan cleared his throat. "Let's, uhh, move on."

  Everyone filed out of the room silently.

  Chapter 6

  They cleared the barracks methodically, room by room. Three more clusters of Children were identified and killed, nineteen total pilots including those from the dining hall. Forty-one presumably innocent pilots were freed. The rest, whether loyalists or Children, were found already dead throughout the building. There was no time to gather the bodies.

  When they emerged from the building the sky was dark, an hour past sunset. The forty-one city patrol pilots were escorted to the hangar to prepare for deployment. Ignoring the ever-present glow of distant fire, Jayce and his retinue returned to the palace.

/>   The airy internal courtyard room housed the remaining Gold Wing pilots, spread across chairs and couches and on the floor, most catching what sleep they could. Drysane and Brynn shared a two-person chair, speaking softly. They both looked exhausted, but they rose to follow Jayce.

  Inside the command room nobody spoke.

  Jayce examined the map of the city. He turned to Drysane and said, "Tell me."

  She took a deep breath. "The Chain has become a more immediate threat. The planet's gravity is accelerating the descent. It will crash to the west."

  To the west. Karrana. He glanced at her dedicated monitor. Her last known location had not updated. "Have the peacekeepers returned from the Academy?"

  The petite operator cleared her throat. "That section of the city has already been overrun. The peacekeepers were engaged two blocks before they reached the Academy. All ten perished."

  Jayce swallowed hard, refusing to accept the implication.

  "The Children have hundreds of ground troops," the operator said, "slowly advancing through the city. They're checking every building, and our peacekeepers report they are converting citizens as they go, forcing them to acknowledge Saria's holiness. It's possible they left the students alone."

  "How much damage will the Chain cause?" Jayce asked to change the subject. He knew little of engineering or physics, beyond what he could control in a cockpit.

  "It will be like a god's whip, punishing the ground," Drysane said, strangely poetic. "The Chain will be moving extremely fast, and the carbon will remain intact until impact. It will strike like a bent tree, first at the base at the Terminal, then to the west segment by segment. The levees will break. Part of the city will flood, as well as the crop domes beyond the lake. If any of the domes remain."

  "Do the Children have any other forces?" he asked. "Have they attacked other sections of the Wall?" With luck the Chain will do as much damage to them as us.

  "They're arranging heavy laser batteries across the rooftops in the inner city." She pointed to the map, where red markers indicated which buildings were now occupied. The line of enemy buildings stretched north to south, already halfway to the base of the Chain. "Our drones are having trouble tracking the troops on the ground. Keep getting shot down by the rooftop batteries."