Disgruntled, but resigned, Chall slung the pack onto his back and climbed.
Chapter 38
Eli crossed the threshold with his weapon at the ready.
As soon as he stepped through to the far side, he could see clearly in the darkened room. Interesting. It took being on this side of the doorway for the suit’s visual systems to kick in. He filed the knowledge away and added a mental check mark to the “knowledge is power” column.
The room was empty, but he felt an immediate sense of déjà vu. The soft, soggy ground upon which he walked. The near-silent hum and vibration that surrounded him. The darkened ceilings and walls, dripping with condensation. All of these things reminded him of his first encounter with the Zrthns eighteen months earlier, and all pointed to one thing.
The portal had delivered him to a Zrthn ship.
Another question answered. Another check mark in the knowledge column.
He moved deeper into the dark room. Ahead he spied two more portals. Curiosity pulled at him, but he paused and took a moment to consider what a check mark in the “curiosity killed the cat” column might entail. He pushed the notion aside and moved toward the nearest of the portals.
He stood to the side of the portal and slowly poked his head around so he could see.
Another dark, damp room. Most likely another spaceship, he decided.
There was no one present, so he stepped past the portal and made his way to the third gateway. Again he paused before angling his head slowly until he could see into the other side.
This was no ship.
This view looked out onto a dark, wet world that was on the cusp of either sunrise or sunset. The distant orb that sat just above the horizon struggled to burn through the clouds, mist, and drizzle that cloaked the landscape. An empty, flat plain lay just beyond the doorway. Eli looked closer and he noted the surface of the plain was covered by a thin blanket of water. From his current perspective, it seemed only an inch or so deep.
In the distance, he saw large, wide buildings. Instead of the angles and corners he had grown accustomed to over his lifetime, this construction seemed gentler, more rounded. Rooftops weren’t defined by straight lines, but by sloping, rounded domes. The ends of these buildings weren’t defined by corners or edges, but by curves.
Eli suspected he was looking at the Zrthn’s home world. The notion surprised and amazed him. If accurate, this was the sixth planet he’d experienced in person.
For a brief second, he considered stepping through the portal, allowing his boots to touch the ground. But the idea was fleeting and foolish. He had no intention of being the allegorical cat that died because it didn’t know when its curiosity served no further purpose.
He had the knowledge; now it was time to leave.
Without taking another second to reconsider, he quickly and quietly retraced his steps. When he spied his fellow rangers on the far side of the first gateway, he felt a tug of familiarity and warmth. Stepping back into the portal room on Cerbius almost felt like returning home.
He nodded to the three rangers aligned before the portal; their weapons were still at the ready. He strode quickly to the control box and pushed the switch.
He turned in time to see the view through the portal disappear. According to Aank, the changeover would take only a few minutes.
Three minutes, Eli, Aank reiterated, stepping through the door to the left. The gaggle of Chih followed closely behind. Several of the creatures noticed Eli and raced over. Although they’d been apart for only an hour or so, they happily wagged their tails, offered the requisite yips, and gave his legs a quick lick of greeting.
Eli, Eli, Eli!
He couldn’t help but smile despite the situation. Not for the first time, he saw the appeal of having Chih around.
“Corporal Aquino, we’ll be ready to go in three minutes,” he announced to the NCO standing beside the doorway to the hall. “I’m going to join our forces at the front of the building and coordinate their withdrawal. Get Aank and the Chih through the gate as soon as it opens. I’ll send Sheen’s team and the Minith back first. Once they arrive, send them through also. After they’re safe, the rangers will join them on the other side, then we’ll close this gateway. Understood?”
“Understood, Captain,” Aquino responded with a loose salute. “Aank, Chih, Agate crew, Drek and his team, then the rangers. In that order.”
* * *
Eli raced back through the building. The first group he came upon was Ensign Sheen and her crew. They were situated well behind the front lines of Minith and rangers guarding the front of the building. He skidded to a stop and put his hand on her shoulder.
“Gate’s almost ready, Ensign. Take your team and head that way. Once it’s open, go through it to the Waa Song. They’ll be expecting you.”
“I can’t believe this is working, Captain,” Sheen said, shaking her head. “Don’t get me wrong. I’m glad it is, but . . .”
“That makes two of us,” Eli admitted. “But we’ve got a ways to go before we’re home free. How are things up here?”
“Pretty quiet, to be honest, Captain. The only noise is coming from the stairwell up ahead.” Sheen pointed to the open doorway that was just inside the entryway to the building. “Apparently, the leader of this base isn’t too happy about our activities. He’s claiming to have a bomb and says he’s anxious to use it. Keeps asking for ‘our leader.’ And look. Here you are.”
“Drah?”
“Yeah, I think that’s the guy,” she said, rising to her feet. She motioned to the rest of her crew to gather their gear and head out. “Before you talk to him, how about giving us a minute or two to get clear, huh?”
“Yeah,” Eli agreed. It made sense. The crew from the Agate didn’t have armor to protect them. “No problem.”
“Sweet,” she said. She gave him a grin and a nod, then turned in the direction he’d just come from, following her crew. Before she turned the corner that would lead her to the portal room, she looked back at Eli. “You did well, Captain!’
“Yeah . . . let’s see how long that lasts,” he whispered to himself after she disappeared.
He then turned and trotted to the four Minith that were set up in a line across the hallway behind the rangers. Even the wounded Minith was armed and seemed ready to repel anyone who tried to enter the building.
“Sergeant Drek.” Eli halted and announced his presence. “Move your team to the transportation room. Once the gateway is open, go through the portal. They’ll take care of your wounded soldier on the other side. Hurry. The rest of us will be right behind you.”
Drek looked at the line of rangers, then over at his wounded warrior. He nodded and got to his feet.
“Let’s go,” he called to his team. “Help me with Thlen.”
Eli watched as the three uninjured Minith easily hoisted the wounded Thlen between them. He exchanged a Minith nod with Drek, and they took off in a slow trot toward the portal room.
Nice. One group to go.
“Benson, I’m coming up behind you,” Eli announced over the ranger comms. “Situation report?”
Eli reached the rangers and noted they were still set up in two defensive lines. The first row of three rangers was laying prone, weapons trained on the open doorway that led outside. The second row of three was standing behind the first. Two had their weapons trained on the outside door, and the third had his rifle pointed at the open stairway door at their front right. Eli spied a pair of large Minith legs protruding from the stairway. The large purple pool in which those legs rested told Eli there was more than a single casualty in that direction. He could see several motionless figures lying beyond the doorway that led outside as well.
Benson was behind the second line of rangers, and he turned to face Eli.
“There hasn’t been any activity from the Minith outside in more than fifteen minutes. They’re either planning something or waiting us out. Can’t be sure which,” Benson said. He pointed to the stairwell and c
ontinued. “Drah’s inside that doorway, probably on the next landing up. We haven’t tried to rush his position, and he hasn’t showed his face, but he’s there. Five minutes ago, he started talking about a bomb and demanding to speak with you. I told him you were on your way to stall for time.”
“Is he bluffing?” Eli asked.
“Your guess is as good as mine, EJ. He has to know his weapons are useless against our armor, so it could be a bluff. Not sure what he’s hoping to gain by it, though.”
“You may be right, but this is a mining facility. It wouldn’t be difficult to get explosives.” Eli paused for a minute to think through the situation and potential outcomes. He keyed his mic. “Aquino, is the gate open yet?”
“Affirmative, Captain,” came the corporal’s response. “We have a good link with the Waa Song. Aank and the Chih have already gone through. Ensign Sheen and her team are moving through the gate right now.”
“Excellent,” Eli croaked out his reply, and slumped against the wall to his right. His vision blurred and he felt a bit lightheaded. Their plan was actually working. He took three deep breaths and stood up straight. The thought of getting off this planet was inebriating, and he struggled to focus on the remaining tasks at hand.
“Drah has no way of knowing we’ve reprogrammed the gate. He probably thinks he has some type of leverage,” he finally managed to say. “We could withdraw quietly and he’d never know until we were all safe aboard an Alliance mothership.”
“Sounds like a solid plan to me, EJ. Just give the word.”
Eli was tempted. He wanted to get off this world as quickly and safely as possible. But once again, the debate came down to curiosity and knowledge. It didn’t really matter what Drah thought he might gain with the bomb ploy. That was inconsequential. But what if the colonel could offer insight into the Zrthn plans for Cerbius? That was something Eli could spare a few minutes trying to determine.
“Let’s play out the bomb threat for a bit,” Eli said. “See if we can learn anything worth knowing. If not, we make a hasty exit.”
“You’re the Captain,” Benson conceded with a smile. He waved his hand toward the twin lines of rangers. “I’m right behind you.”
Eli returned the smile and made his way to the formation of rangers.
* * *
Chall paced the landing above Drah and waited for the colonel to make his move. What little hope Chall had had before today was gone. He was destined to live out his life on this sad little planet, being a servant to a tyrant.
The idea of Drah using the explosives he wielded felt almost . . . welcoming.
Yes, death was preferable to what Chall envisioned as his future. He lifted the weapon in his right hand and pointed it at his head. He pressed the barrel to the weakest spot on a Minith’s head, an inch behind the ear.
Then he lowered the weapon to his side.
Testing, only testing.
He wasn’t yet prepared to take his own blood. He was not that cowardly, despite what Drah claimed. Still, it was an option worth entertaining.
He lifted the weapon again.
“Drah?” The unmistakably human voice interrupted Chall and forestalled his hand. “This is Captain Eli Justice of the Shiale Rangers. You wanted to speak with me?”
The human had a good grasp of the Minith language, Chall thought. He stopped pacing and stepped to the stairs where he could watch Drah. The colonel had also stopped his pacing. He was facing the doorway at the bottom of the stairs. He held his staff in his left hand, the large pack in his right. Chall had watched as a timing mechanism had been retrieved from the bag and connected by Drah’s precise hands to the explosives inside. He wasn’t bluffing with the device. If he wanted to take down the entire building, he had enough power in his hands to do a reasonably good job.
“You?” Drah asked incredulously. “You are the whelp of General Grant Justice? The boy that cheated his way through the Sift? Is it really you, boy?”
“What are the odds, eh, Drah?”
“You will address me as Colonel Drah, you insolent pup!”
Chall heard the human chuckle and saw Drah cringe at the intentional slight.
“I don’t think so, Drah,” the younger Justice stated calmly. “You lost your rank when we kicked your worthless ass off Telgora. You’re just a slave to the Zrthns now.”
Drah shuddered. He raised his staff, readied it for another strike against the wall to his left, but . . . held back. The wall was already wrecked from the colonel’s previous attacks. Another hit would have made little difference, Chall noted. He watched as Drah struggled to corral his emotions and was genuinely surprised when he seemed to succeed.
“And you will be a slave to me, Justice,” Drah spat. “There’s nowhere on this planet you can go where I won’t find you. And when I do—”
“Let me stop you there, Drah. My people are getting off this planet. Today.” The human paused for two heartbeats, then continued. “The only reason I’m speaking with you now is because I want to help you. The Shiale Alliance will be back soon, and we will take Cerbius from the Zrthns. That’s a promise. What’s still undecided, however, is what the Alliance will do with you and your soldiers after we’ve retaken the planet. If you tell me everything you know about the Zrthn plans, I promise to put in a good word for you. What do you say?”
Chall stood up straight and cocked an ear. The human was offering hope—it was a mere fraction of hope, but it was more than the Minith warrior had felt in a long time. He was also very interested in how the humans planned to get off Cerbius.
How was that possible unless . . . the portal room was in this building. Had the humans somehow learned to use it? What other explanation was there? The sliver of hope grew a tiny bit larger.
Chall looked to Drah to see how the colonel was accepting the message.
The colonel had dropped his staff and was activating the timer on the package he held. He was setting the device for . . . ten seconds.
“I’ve got your answer, pup,” Drah replied. “Though it may not be what you were hoping for.”
The colonel pressed the activation switch and drew back the package for an underhanded toss toward the door at the foot of the stairs.
Chall didn’t think. There was no time for thought. His only consideration was to rescue that tiny sliver of hope.
The weapon in his hand virtually pointed itself and pulled its own trigger.
His feet moved at his command though, and he leaped down the flight of stairs toward the package. He retrieved it from the splash of hot, purple blood that had recently been liberated from Drah’s head.
Eight seconds . . . Seven seconds . . .
With a simple flick of his index finger, he deactivated the switch and calmly dropped the package on top of Drah’s crumpled body.
“Captain Justice,” Chall called out to the human outside the door below. “This is Lieutenant Chall, formerly of the Shiale Alliance. I would be happy to tell you everything I know about the Zrthns and their plans.”
There were several moments of silence before the human offered a reply.
“And what about Drah?” The tone with which the captain asked the question seemed to indicate that he already knew the answer. Chall didn’t make him wait any longer for confirmation.
“Drah’s dead, Captain,” he said simply. He tossed the weapon in his hand onto his former colonel’s body. It landed next to the deadly package Drah had intended to use to kill them all. “Drah’s dead.”
Chapter 39
“And they’ve all surrendered, Captain?” General Justice had difficulty addressing his only son as “captain” but he bit the bullet and forged ahead. He wanted nothing more than to call him “son,” but that time would come soon enough, he hoped. For now it was enough to know he was alive and well, even though he was still on Cerbius.
“They have, General,” Eli answered. “Unconditionally. And I have to say, most seem more than ready to be accepted back into the fold of the Alliance.�
�
Grant grunted. Drah was dead, which was a positive, but that didn’t mean he was ready accept the former colonel’s underlings back into his defense force. They were still traitors, despite their recent claims of redemption. He had only grudgingly accepted Sergeant Drek and his team aboard the Waa Song, and only after he’d learned about the assistance they’d provided to the survivors of the Agate.
“I hear what you’re saying, Captain. I can also infer from your words and your tone, what you want to happen.” Eli wanted full pardons for the Minith on Cerbius merely because they had laid down their weapons after being defeated. But that was youth and naiveté speaking. “The best I can offer is this: the Minith on Cerbius stay on Cerbius.”
“But Da—General.” Had Eli almost called him “dad?” Grant smiled at the thought. “They’ve been banished for long enough. They’re ready to swear their allegiance. Have already done so, as a matter of fact.”
“Captain.” Grant took a breath. He wasn’t used to bargaining with subordinates. The fact that this particular subordinate just happened to be his offspring made the situation even more awkward. Eli knew how to push his buttons, always had. The senior Justice continued. “We plan to use the mining facility as a staging area. I will be sending a significant force through the portal there, which will act as a deterrent against the Zrthns already on the planet. In fact, the first elements are already en route. I will allow the Minith there to be armed and to contribute to the defense of the planet. We’ll see how that goes, then revisit the issue later. Is that agreeable?”
Grant heard the sigh and knew the look of concession that went along with it.
“Yes, sir,” Eli agreed. “Thank you, sir.”
“You’re welcome, Captain,” Grant said, glad to have navigated the issue. For now. “I hope to see you soon.”
“Yes, General. There are just a few items I need to take care of here, and then I’ll be stepping through to the Waa Song.”
“Excellent. And, Captain, just one more thing . . . Great job.”
Stranded Justice (The Justice Trilogy Series Book 2) Page 22