by Trevor Scott
“I didn’t order that.”
Death Wish tightened his grip on the bar, the torch in his opposite hand licking the rusted iron just to the left.
“I don’t answer to you.”
Toras considered the shorter man, his thin but muscular frame accentuated by his intimidating armor. He should have known. Mercenaries only respond to the highest bidder. It was foolish to think they were ever truly on the same side. He was lucky their goals ever aligned, however temporarily.
“I have a proposition,” Death Wish said with his metallic purr. “Very lucrative.”
Toras inched closer to the bars. Maybe they would be able to strike a deal after all. Anything that got him out of that cell would be a win compared to waiting for certain death.
“I’m listening.”
“Vidu can’t be allowed to rule,” the mercenary said, releasing the bars and adjusting his gauntlet over his forearm.
“Agreed. But what do you propose we do about him?”
Toras was certain that Death Wish was smiling behind his mask. Whatever he proposed, Toras was prepared to accept the offer. Somehow, he felt that the mercenary knew that as well.
“I’ll set you free, but my help will come at a cost.”
Toras gazed at the flame’s reflection in the mercenary’s black visor. If he stayed, he would be dead in a matter of days. At least out there he would have a chance.
“I’ll do whatever you ask.”
Death Wish’s voice vibrated through his mask, “Yes, you will.”
•
Liam gripped the elegant fabric at Zega’s neck, pulling up until the engorged proprietor’s eyes widened with fear. He felt a stitch in his side, an after effect of the illness perhaps. Liam would never be able to lift Zega off the ground, even with two of him, but the spineless Dinari’s eyes sought an exit nevertheless.
“The man in blue,” Liam began, anger tinging his voice, “He tried to kill me, he killed the Council of Elders. I know it was you. You hired him. Why?”
Ju-Long and Saturn approached Zega from either side, cutting off any hope of escape.
“It wasn’t me,” Zega struggled to say. “S-Set up.”
Liam loosened his grip so Zega could breathe. The fat Dinari gasped for air, a trail of drool dribbling down his many chins.
“I didn’t hire him, but I know who did.”
Nix pulled an Ansaran laser pistol out of the holster at his thigh and pointed it at Zega’s head.
“Who?”
Zega eyed Nix quizzically as though being betrayed by an old friend. He refocused on Liam and spoke with sincerity in his voice.
“Toras. He knew we had a deal with Vidu. He’s the one who tried to take you out. He must have killed the council thinking I would be there as well.”
“Liar, Toras has no reason to kill the council,” Nix replied. “They were his last chance at maintaining stability.”
Nix brought the pistol closer to Zega’s head and his face contorted in a fit of tears and snot.
“I’m telling the truth!” Zega said, pleading now.
A buzzing sound filled the room, growing louder with every passing second. Liam looked around trying to find the source. It emanated from the body of Elder Lok, who lay lifeless on the ground.
“Check him,” Liam ordered.
Astrid knelt down beside the elder and felt around inside his robes. She stopped, turning to Liam and gazing at him with those blue eyes flecked with unearthly green. The Ansaran pulled out a vibrating sphere, silver in color and sheen with a slot that split the object in two.
“Set it down,” Nix told her, pointing toward the door. “Over there.”
Astrid complied, carefully placing it on the ground several feet away. The vibrations began to intensify and the sphere separated into two halves. Purple energy lifted the top half off the base, rising off the ground and into the air where it hung suspended by some electrified force. A hologram appeared between the halves.
“We meet at last,” a metallic voice said.
Liam released Zega’s garments and stepped forward to face the man in the blue armor. He was smaller than he’d expected, but displayed a power beyond his size. The image zoomed out and Toras stood to his left. On his right was a frightened Dinari Liam recognized, gagged and bound. A laser pistol was pressed against her head. Liam swallowed a lump in his throat. Not again, he thought. He refused to be the cause of another innocent’s death.
“Sestra!” Liam called out, taking a single step forward before being held back by Saturn.
“You’ve surprised me, Outsider. Few could have survived the Phage.”
Liam clenched his fists. Eyes flitting between the mercenary and Sestra’s distraught face.
“What do you want?”
Toras seemed uncomfortable beside the man in armor. Liam knew this wasn’t his style. This was all the man in blue. He spoke in a steady, measured tone colored by grating metal.
“Only you. I never lose a mark.”
“Make no mistake,” Liam seethed. “I will kill you for what you’ve done.”
“You have one hour.”
The hologram dissipated and the top half of the sphere fell out of the air, clinking against the wooden floorboards and rolling around until it stopped at Liam’s feet. A dastardly silence overcame the room. Nix stepped up to the broken sphere and knelt down to touch the metal. The crew watched as he picked up the bottom half and crushed it between his hands with every bit of his strength. Liam approached him, placing a consoling hand on his shoulder. He of all people knew the Dinari’s pain.
•
Toras gazed around the Caretaker’s chamber. The bodies of half a dozen guards littered the marble floor. Behind his old desk sat Vidu, slumped back in that uncomfortable chair, a blank expression painting his face. The blue hue had just begun to leave his sallow cheeks, leaving him paler than he ever was in life.
“It was meant to be this way, friend.”
The laser had bored its way through Vidu’s head. The wound was mostly cauterized with the blast, but a single trail of blood still snaked down his face, a deep purple hue that always turned Toras’ stomach. Somehow it was always worse seeing the blood of his own people.
Death Wish removed the Dinari’s gag and tossed it aside. Sestra leaned over and breathed deeply through her mouth, wetting her shallow lips with her tongue. She looked to Death Wish with defiance written all over her face.
“They’re going to know,” she declared. “What will you do once your secret is out?”
Death Wish knelt down in front of her and used an armored hand to force her chin up toward his own. Toras knew what she would see when she looked into his mask. It was what he saw as well. Only himself reflected back. Death Wish clenched his hand shut over Sestra’s jaw until Toras could hear the painful crunching sound of tendon being separated from bone.
Death Wish laughed and replied, “What I do best.”
32
“Nix, wait!”
The Dinari wouldn’t listen to reason. Saturn could see a darkness come over him that was unlike anything she’d seen before. The golden hue of his orbed eyes had grown pale along with his many tan scales. Nix shouldered a laser rifle and added several other items to his cloak from behind the bar. He was ready for war.
“Nix, we need a plan,” Liam appealed.
Nix didn’t respond, instead making for the back exit. Before he could reach it, Ju-Long stepped in front of his path.
“Can’t let you go.”
“Get out of my way, Human.”
Saturn moved in behind Nix and placed a hand on his shoulder. Through his roughly hewn robe, she could feel his muscles tense. He was shaking with fury, and understandably so. The man in blue had upended all of their lives. Something had to be done about him and she had a feeling that something was going to get violent.
“We’re going to get her back, but we’ve got to be smart.”
Saturn could feel Nix’s shoulder muscles begin to loosen.
He turned his head ever so slightly and regarded her out of the corner of his large eyes.
“What do you suggest?”
•
Toras rounded the Caretaker’s desk and placed his hand on a sensor. The rectangular panel lit up a brilliant blue and projected his identification, still listed as the Caretaker of Akaru Colony. Vidu hadn’t had a chance to update the system.
“The changing of power is about more than just a title,” he told the mercenary hovering near the captive Dinari. “There’s a measure of control only given to the Caretaker and the second in command.”
Toras used his hand to swipe through to Vidu’s profile. His picture was displayed along with his birthplace on Ansara, his personal history, and DNA. Upon seeing Vidu’s birthplace, Toras snickered. Only the wealthiest of House Ansara were born in the Luxana District of Ansara’s Prime Colony. He should have known.
“You will honor our agreement,” Death Wish said as more of a statement than a question.
“I am a man of honor. The system needs a sample of your DNA and you’ll have access to all of our systems. The true power of the colony will be in your hands.”
Death Wish left the Dinari cowering on the floor, hands bound behind her back and trembling. He approached the terminal and examined the data as it scrolled past. Toras wondered what he was searching for, but knew better than to ask.
Toras pointed to the scanner and said, “This panel will sample DNA from your skin cells. It’s non-invasive, but you’ll have to remove your glove.”
The mercenary glanced up at the tall Ansaran as though measuring his integrity or determining his worth. After several seconds, he nodded and began loosening his gauntlet, eyes never leaving the Caretaker. As the mercenary removed his glove and placed his hand on the panel, Toras’ eyes widened.
“You’re, no, that can’t be right. That’s impossible!”
The panel turned green and the mercenary’s face was projected upward along with personal data, spinning in a slow circle.
•
“It’s a pity,” the mercenary said, voice transformed by the mask. “I was beginning to like you.”
Death Wish raised a laser pistol and fired into Toras’ chest without hesitation. The Caretaker fell to his knees and then slumped over onto his side, the shock never leaving his face. The mercenary knelt down beside him, watching the life leave his body. That was the best part. Toras was having trouble breathing. His hands fumbled over the wound but there was no undoing what had been done. The blast went through and through. All he was breathing was blood. In seconds, it was over. Death Wish felt a smile creep up within.
The mercenary consoled the Ansaran’s lifeless body, “With the Ansaran High Council thinking House Zumora was staging a coup, it was only a matter of time before the assassins came calling. You should thank me. Without me, your death would not have been as quick.”
Satisfied, the mercenary stood and picked up the discarded glove. Sestra’s eyes were shut tight as though trying to be in another place entirely. Tears washed over her large golden eyes, dripping down between the valleys of her scales in a channel to the floor.
“I didn’t want to do it, but what choice did I have? He did see my face.”
There was nothing illogical about it. Every action deserved an adequate response. There were certain laws of the Universe that people just had to follow, no matter what. This was one of them.
“I’ve seen your face and you didn’t kill me,” Sestra reasoned.
“It’s a pretty face. I’m saving it for last,” Death Wish retorted.
Sestra looked up at the mercenary and choked out through a bout of tears, “Why are you doing this?”
Death Wish felt something soften deep inside. What was that, empathy? No, that didn’t make any sense. There was hardly an easier thing in the world. One of them deserved to live, and the other deserved to die. Some things were just that simple.
“In another life you don’t become so weak. In another life they would tremble at your feet,” Death Wish said pointing out the window to the colony below. “Change one thing and poof, you’re worthless. Fascinating, isn’t it?”
33
“This will never work.”
“Shut up and get ready.”
The wind was powerful near the top of the spire. Nix and Liam stood atop The Garuda as it crept closer to Caretaker’s level. They were on the back side of the chamber beyond the grand entrance when Nix leaped off the ship and grabbed hold of the deep groove that spiraled up the tower. He found a foothold and carefully reached into his cloak to retrieve a laser cutter.
“Careful not to go too close to the edge of the glass,” Liam called.
“I know what I’m doing,” Nix said, voice carried away by the wind.
He held the silver handle of the cutter and started slicing a vertical line down the glass. Nix foolishly hazarded a downward glance. Vertigo must have set in and his hand shook the cutter, creating a small offshoot from the straight line.
“Why couldn’t we have taken the stairs?” Nix asked himself sarcastically. “Or the elevator for that matter. No, we have to do everything the hard way.”
Nix had cut a line almost three feet long through the glass when it began to splinter and crack as it cooled in the breeze. The Dinari sped up, rounding the corner and moving horizontally until there was a space large enough for a person to fit through. When he began to move the cutter vertically again, he saw another crack, larger this time and creating a spider’s web as it moved along the edge. Nix turned off the cutter.
“Liam,” he called. “I don’t know about this.”
“It’s no use. Cover your eyes,” Liam ordered.
He pulled out his weapon and shot out the glass with a single blast of his laser. Liam backed up and then ran toward the edge of the ship, jumping through the gap he’d created. Liam extended his arm and Nix grabbed hold. Once he was safely up on the ledge, they stood and brushed off the fragments of glass.
“Look on the bright side,” Liam said. “At least we didn’t waste an hour climbing those damn stairs.”
“Well we could have taken the elevator.”
Liam rebuked, “There were three platoons of Ansarans waiting out front. We’re on a timetable here.”
Liam heard Saturn’s voice on the transmitter lodged in his ear, “We’ll be seconds away, just give the signal. Oh, and be careful.”
Liam and Nix looked out the open window to the ship, waving to Saturn and the rest of the crew. Off in the distance, Liam could still see the tail end of the sandstorm that had moved through. He was glad they had one less thing to worry about.
“Don’t worry. Just another day.”
“They’ll have heard the blast,” Nix warned.
Liam knew he was right. The element of surprise was all but gone, but what choice did they have? After all, they were only bait.
“It’s fine. Let them focus on us.”
Liam tightened his grip on his laser pistol and exhaled a gust of air. The ornate double doors to the main chamber were slightly ajar, just enough to catch a whiff of something metallic. Blood, Liam thought.
He pushed through the right side of the entrance and the door got caught on something, its many rivets clinking against metal. Liam’s gaze fell to the marble floor and the sprawled out Ansaran guard. He squeezed by, watching his step to avoid the trails of blood. Halfway across the chamber, Sestra was kneeling, tears streaming down her face and a laser pistol nestled up against her cheek.
The mercenary stood silently, waiting as Liam and Nix edged closer, weapons at the ready. When they were ten yards apart, the man raised a hand for them to stop. Liam felt compelled to obey. The only way their plan would work was if he followed the script.
Liam’s eyes traveled around the room to the many bodies. There were half a dozen Ansaran guards, along with Vidu and Toras by the great desk. The Caretaker’s blank expression was haunting, his face gaunt as though wasting away. When he saw the hole in his chest, L
iam felt a shooting pain throughout his own. His mind was drawn back to the dream.
“Admiring my work?”
“You’ve been busy,” Liam said flatly.
Nix stepped up to Liam’s side and asked the Dinari, “Sestra, are you hurt?”
She shook her head, visibly shaken.
“Enough,” the mercenary said with his grating voice. “This colony belongs to me now. Surrender yourselves and I’ll call off the attack on your friends.”
“What attack?”
A rumble shook the floor as half a dozen Ansaran ships flew within feet of the spire, buzzing the building.
Liam touched his earpiece and said, “Saturn, incoming!”
Nix raised his gun and leveled it at the mercenary’s chest.
“Call them off or I swear I’ll—”
“Shoot me?” the man in blue asked, his grip on his weapon tightening. “Go ahead, if you think you’re fast enough.”
Liam saw Nix hesitating and took the initiative.
“I’m the one you want, leave them out of this. You said you never lose a mark. It must kill you that I’m still alive. Let them go and I’m all yours. I won’t resist.”
The mercenary’s deep laugh vibrated through his mask.
Nix eyed him incredulously. Liam was off book but there was no choice. The mercenary had played his cards and was in a far better position.
“You can’t be serious. Don’t go doing anything stupid on me.”
Liam holstered his weapon and raised his hands up in front of his chest palm out. He looked at Sestra and saw Tiffany’s face, contorted after the blast from Takara’s weapon had bored a hole through her forehead. He was responsible for her death already. He wasn’t looking to add Sestra to the list.
The mercenary regarded Nix and said, “You have three seconds to lower your weapon or the girl dies.”