by Sarah Noffke
Eddie threw himself behind a large tree, peeking out with his rifle and taking aim at the approaching squad. He fired, shooting one of the Trids, the shark species, in the neck. A clean shot, straight through. The alien fell, clutching his throat with both hands, gasping as the blood poured out.
At the same time, Julianna slid forward, shredding grass as she unloaded her weapon on two separate Kezzin soldiers. She hit one in the shoulder, knocking him back, while managing to one-shot the second, right in the forehead.
Lars charged ahead, shaking the ground as he went. He took out a small device, strapping it to his chest and tapping a button. When he did, a large sheet of metal extended from it, covering his torso. The guards tried to attack him, but their bullets bounced from the metal shield. Before they could make a second attempt, the Kezzin collided with them, knocking them to the ground. He reached for one of the humans’ necks, raising him above his head, then squeezed until the man went still.
The other, a Trid, scrambled to get away, but it was no use. Eddie targeted him and fired, piercing the guard’s leg and shattering his bone. The Trid screamed, but was quickly silenced by another shot to the side of his head.
In seconds, the field was silent once again.
“Inside, quickly!” ordered Eddie.
“Why are there humans here?” asked Julianna as the team ran into the tower.
“We’ll worry about that later! Get inside, now!”
The three of them reached the doors as they were closing. Lars threw himself between the sliding metal and held the doors open, extending both his hands, letting his friends inside. He jumped in as he let go, and the doors slammed shut.
“Thanks,” said Julianna.
The Kezzin nodded. “Let us move.”
“Pip,” said Eddie, tapping the comm in his ear. “Do we know the layout here?”
“I’m afraid not,” answered the E.I.
“We’ll have to press on, make it up as we go,” said Julianna.
“Business as usual, then,” added Eddie, looking at each of them. He trotted to the nearby staircase. “Time to climb.”
***
The Q-Ship was quiet. Hatch didn’t like that.
He hated waiting around like a scared little child, but there wasn’t much he could do, except watch. That was the problem with being the only engineer in a team of soldiers.
“Is there anything I can do for you while you wait, Doctor Hatcherik?” asked Pip.
Hatch turned in his seat. “Not really.”
In addition to worrying about his friends, Hatch’s mind was on the other Q-Ship, his most prized creation. It was out there, floating in space, dead and lifeless. Any of those drones could kill it, wipe out all his hard work. Jules, why did I ever let you talk me into this nonsense, he thought, twirling his tentacles.
He let out a long sigh.
“What’s wrong?” asked the E.I.
“Nothing,” lied Hatch.
“I can tell by scanning you that something is bothering you.”
“Don’t scan me, unless you feel like being reprogrammed,” warned Hatch.
“Understood, but could you tell me the truth of your distress first, before you go through all the trouble?”
“Why are you so curious?”
“Part of my programming requires me to look after the well-being of my crewmates.”
“Oh?” muttered Hatch. “Well, don’t concern yourself with me. The mission is what matters.”
“To me, they are one and the same, sir.”
“Well, I don’t know what to tell you, friend. When I’m alone, I think too much. It’s what I do.”
“Are you worried about the other Q-Ship?” asked Pip.
The question surprised him. “What?”
“You keep looking out the window, towards the sky. The only reason I can deduce is that your mind is on something else. Something not on this planet. Given your history, both designing and piloting the other ship, it seemed the highest calculated option.”
Hatch scoffed. “Aren’t you the little detective? Yes, if you gotta know, I was wondering how it’s doing up there, all by its lonesome. You have any idea how long I spent building that glorious machine?”
“Six years, according to my records.”
“Was that all?” asked Hatch, genuinely surprised by the answer. “I thought it was seven.”
“Is that why you came along today?” asked Pip. “Because you were worried about your ship?”
“Don’t be ridiculous,” said Hatch, fanning a tentacle. “I had to be here.”
“I could have piloted the ship in your stead,” suggested Pip.
Hatch didn’t answer, maybe because what Pip said felt true. The more he thought about it, the less necessary his coming along seemed. He’d known this beforehand, but instead of accepting it, he’d convinced himself that the best chance was doing it himself. Had he really done all this because he was afraid of losing his ship? Afraid of letting someone else handle things?
“I don’t know what will happen to your ship. I can’t detect it from here, due to both our distance and its lack of power,” explained Pip. “However, what I can tell you is that I will make salvaging it a priority.”
“You sure are being friendly,” muttered Hatch.
“I’ve been told that before.”
“Oh? You do this a lot, huh?”
“I spend a great deal of time inside Commander Fregin’s head.”
“That must be annoying,” mused Hatch.
“I rather like it, actually.”
“I didn’t know E.I.s could like anything.”
There was a long pause.
“Pip?”
“Apologies, Doctor. What were we talking about?”
***
“Wait! They’re coming up the—” A blast struck the soldier in his chest, sending him to the floor.
Eddie leapt up the stairs, kicking off the wall as he came around the corner, pressing his rifle out and firing two shots into the nearest soldier. The bullets tore through the alien’s chest, spraying blood as the guard collapsed. Three others stood behind him, watching with fear in their eyes, unable to move.
Before they could shake their trepidation, Julianna was already on them, knocking the first one in the jaw with the butt of her rifle, then kicking him in the temple, knocking him out, and removing him from the fight.
Lars took two more, a human and Trid, one in each hand, and threw them against the nearest wall. The blunt force knocked the human out cold, but the Trid struggled, flailing his arms. Lars dropped them both, taking the rifle from the Trid, expecting him to stop moving and surrender, but instead, the alien began to spasm.
“What the fuck is wrong with him?” asked Eddie.
The Trid grabbed at his waist, grasping at a device on his hip. It was a small box. A moment later, the Trid’s face started turning blue, like he was suffocating, and then he stopped moving.
“That device,” said Julianna, pointing at it. “It helps them breathe, doesn’t it?”
“Oh, that’s right,” muttered Eddie. “They can’t breathe oxygen normally without it, can they?”
“Why?” asked Lars.
Eddie went to the Trid’s side, examining the device. “Their natural habitat is in the ocean. Saltwater, you know?”
“I’ve never seen an alien like this before,” said Lars.
“Never?” repeated Eddie.
Lars shook his head. “They’re not common on Kezza, nor were they stationed where you found me. I haven’t visited many worlds.”
“Curious that they should be here,” said Julianna.
“Not to mention the humans,” added Eddie. “We’re looking at something different here. A new collaboration.”
Footsteps echoed down the nearby stairs. Eddie stood, readying his rifle, then motioned for the others to get into position.
Eddie, Julianna, and Lars leaned against the side of the wall adjacent to the stairs, and took aim.
An
y second now.
A human rounded the corner, revealing a head of ginger hair. A woman with blue eyes. She stopped in her tracks, turning to look at the three of them, blinking with a stunned expression on her face.
Eddie cocked his eyebrow, but kept his barrel on her. “Don’t move!”
She stared directly at the rifle. “Um.”
“Who are you and what are you doing here? Where’s the guy in charge?”
“I, um,” she stuttered. “Don’t shoot!”
“We won’t hurt you if you just tell us who you are,” said Julianna.
“Margo,” said the woman.
“Margo?” asked Eddie.
“You want to tell us why you’re here, Margo?” asked Julianna.
“I was on a colony,” she whispered, remaining still with her hands in the air.
“A colony?” asked Eddie, looking at Julianna. “Think she means the Federation colonies?”
“Yes, that’s right,” said Margo, pulling Eddie’s eyes back. “They took me away from my home. They killed my brother.”
“They abducted you?” asked Julianna. “Wait a second, are there others here with you? Did they bring prisoners here?”
Margo nodded. “Most are under us.”
“Under us?” repeated Eddie. He dropped his eyes to the floor. “Oh, fuck.”
“What is it?” asked Lars.
Eddie lowered his rifle. “Margo, I need you to listen very carefully to me, okay? Will you show us how to find the rest of your people? Can you do that?”
The girl nodded. “Um, okay.”
“Captain, shouldn’t we look for the one in command before going after those prisoners?” asked Lars.
He was right, of course. Eddie knew there wouldn’t be time for both. If they took off underground, the enemy would either flee or reorganize their forces. He’d have to make a decision and prioritize. “We’ll have to split up and do both at the same time. It’s the only way.”
Julianna nodded. “We’ll have less firepower, should we encounter more guards, but you’re right.”
“Understood,” agreed Lars. “I’ll help however I can.”
Julianna stepped forward. “I’ll go with Margo to find the rest of them. You two head to the top and secure this facility.”
Eddie didn’t bother asking if she could handle this. He knew full well she could. Julianna was a badass with two hundred years of experience and a genetically engineered body that doubled as an extreme weapon of death. She’d be fine. “Do your thing and save those people. We’ll take care of the asshole above us.”
“Right,” confirmed Julianna. She waved at Margo to lower her hands and pointed at the stairs. “After you, Margo.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
Northern Continent, Pal III, Pal system
The basement of the alien stronghold was like a labyrinth. Julianna had little indication of where to go, other than the vague guidance of her new escort, the human female Margo. The girl was quiet, timid, and looked like she hadn’t eaten much in weeks. Depending on the number of colonists on this rock, getting them out of here would be a feat in and of itself.
They went slowly through the corridors, with Julianna leaving a trail of soldiers in her wake as she found them, dropping the bodies like stones.
“This way, quickly,” said Margo as they reached an intersection. “The cells are ahead.”
“What’s that way?” asked Julianna, nodding in the other direction.
The girl seemed to tense up as she stared down the other hall. Whatever was there, she obviously didn’t like it.
“Forget it,” Julianna told her. “Let’s keep going. Show me where your friends are.”
The girl nodded. “R-Right.”
The hall continued until, but at last they came upon a door. Light streamed through the cracks, in addition to the sound of voices. “I was thinking I’d get some food. Want anything?” asked a man on the other side.
“Like what?” asked the other.
“They got some steak, I heard, over in the mess hall.”
“Anything else? I ain’t in the mood for meat.”
“Ain’t in the mood?” asked the first. He laughed at the thought of it. “I don’t get you humans. Shows how weak you are, you have to mix your meat with grass.”
“We’re not carnivores,” said the man. “We eat both.”
“No wonder you’re only half as strong as me. You eat half grass, you only grow half size.”
The man said nothing, but Julianna could hear him sigh, probably biting his tongue.
She heard footsteps approaching the door, and, taking Margo by the hand, brought her close to the wall beside it.
The door opened, and out walked a large Trid soldier, wearing armor and wielding two pistols at his sides.
As he turned to shut the door, Julianna reacted, lunging forward, going for his gills.
His eyes widened and he pulled back, nearly dodging her, though she still managed to strike him in the neck.
The soldier wheezed, but didn’t stifle. Instead, he went for his guns, pulling them from their holsters and shooting them both from the hip.
In an instant, Julianna threw Margo to the floor, a meter beside them, and dodged the two shots, letting them hit the wall behind her. She struck one of the pistols with her rifle, knocking it free, and it slid away.
The Trid clutched the second gun in his hand, pulling it up and firing at her chest. She raised the butt of her rifle in time to deflect the bullet, sending it away. She recoiled from the shock of the point-blank discharge.
The alien was about to fire again when another shot erupted from nearby. A hole went clean through the Trid’s hand, forcing him to drop the gun. Julianna looked and saw the girl, her escort, holding the other pistol with both hands, trembling. It wasn’t surprising. She couldn’t have been more than nineteen.
Without another thought, Julianna took out her knife and stabbed the alien in the gills of his neck, then kicked him away. He staggered backwards, blood oozing from his flesh, making an awful shriek as he fell to the stone floor.
The man on the other side of the door appeared, running with his weapon. Seeing Julianna and the dying Trid, he paused, mouth hanging wide open. “Holy fucking shit!”
“You’re next,” muttered Julianna, stepping towards him.
“No, wait!” he begged, dropping the gun and raising his hands. “Please, I didn’t do anything!”
Julianna leapt at him, taking him by the throat. Her eyes sparked wild with rage as she hoisted the man above her head like a doll. “Liar!”
He tried to speak, but couldn’t, her hand was so tightly bound against his flesh. Tears filled his eyes and spit came from his mouth.
“Please, wait!” called Margo.
The girl’s voice brought Julianna back, snapping her out of it. She looked at Margo and saw her worried face. There was genuine concern there, not fear or a need for revenge. “What is it? He’s the enemy! He imprisoned your people.”
“No, it’s not like that!” said Margo. “He’s being forced!”
“Forced?” Julianna looked at the soldier. She lowered him to his feet so that he could speak. “Is that true?”
The man coughed, trying to gasp for air. “O-Only for some of us.”
“Some of you?”
“The men upstairs…they…they’re like you said…traitors…”
“And you?” she asked.
“My wife…they took her. They said if I didn’t guard the rest, they’d kill her. I have to do like they said. I have to…”
“Is this true?” Julianna asked Margo, glancing back at her.
The girl nodded. “They use us against each other. They find out who we care about, then they take them away.”
“Who did they take from you?” asked the man, looking at Margo.
“My Dad,” she said, looking like she was about to cry.
Julianna glared at the soldier. “And you’re telling me that they have these people, like you
r wife, somewhere else inside this facility?”
He nodded.
“Where?”
“If I knew, I would’ve tried to rescue her by now. No one knows where they keep our people, except the Kezzin and the Trids.”
There was no way Julianna was going to trust the word of two people she’d only just met, but she wanted to believe them. “Show me the cells, but don’t try anything. I’m here to get you all home, but I’ll put you down in a heartbeat if it comes to it. Do you understand?”
“I do,” he answered, quickly. “I promise. I just want my wife back.”
Did you get all that, Pip?
I did. Would you like me to relay all of this to the others?
If you wouldn’t mind.
What are you going to do?
Rescue a fuckton of people and kill whoever stands in my way.
A fuckton? You’re beginning to sound like him, you know.
You’re talking about Teach, aren’t you? Do you think I sound so brash?
It isn’t such a bad thing, I think.
No, she thought, a slight smile forming on her face. No, I don’t suppose it is, Pip.
A few minutes later, beneath the surface.
Julianna stood before a long stretch of hall, cells along each side. There had to be dozens of them, if not more, and each seemed to have someone inside. Nearby, three enemy soldiers were unconscious on the floor, fresh victims of Julianna’s wrath.
“Help!” shouted one of the residents. It was a young girl, roughly sixteen. She had brown eyes and short blonde hair. “Please, help us!”
“It’s okay,” calmed Julianna. “We’ll get you all out.”
“The release switch is here,” said the human guard who had shown her the way. He pointed to a small monitor display on the wall.
Julianna touched the screen, bringing it to life. A password screen appeared, stopping her immediately. Pip, can you get through this?
I’m already doing it.
Hurry. We don’t have much—
The cells began to open, two at a time, filling the corridor with a series of loud clanks. The prisoners piled out of their cells, scrambling to leave.
You were saying?
You’re so dramatic, she thought, but couldn’t hold back her smile. Then, with a thunderous voice, she yelled, “Everyone, please calm down! Does anyone know where the rest of your people are being kept?”