by Scott Moon
Hull armor had been used to build the machine-gun nests. Like the rest of the ship Marines’ weapons, the crew-served weapons fired short-range slugs that were heavier than normal. Designed to expand within a few meters, the slugs struck with amazing force.
Jackson and the others dove behind the hardened defenses as the big guns opened up. Guide creatures exploded. Arms and legs flew off. Black and purple slime spattered the floors, walls, and ceiling behind the advancing enemy.
“Jackson for the admiral.”
“Go,” Jeda said.
“If you’re seeing this, you might be thinking there are a hell of a lot more than last time.”
“Agreed, Major.”
“What you can’t see is their hive markers. These are not from the Guide. I think Hanax is here.”
Jeda’s blood ran cold.
“This sucks, Felton,” Kimberly said. She’d grown accustomed to the man in more ways than one. His jokes weren’t improving, but she anticipated his actions as a pilot and thought she knew how he thought.
“You know what would be nice? Weapons. We could blast those boarding ships. It’d be like shooting fish in a barrel,” he said.
Kimberly hailed the UNA fighter ships dogfighting in another area and advised them what was happening.
“Patrol 5, We’re en route, Doctor. Keep us posted and we’ll see what we can do,” one of the fighter pilots said.
“Be advised, Patrol 5, there are Noctari fighters waiting for you topside of the Honor. Less resistance if you swing under the flagship.”
“Thanks for the tip, Doctor.”
“Get over here and hit those shuttles before they board more troops,” Kimberly said.
“En route. Weapons primed.”
The Escaping Doctor jerked sideways like Felton had hit a bump… not something Kimberly expected in the darkness of space.
“That can’t be good,” Felton said. He advised the rest of the crew to expect trouble.
Kimberly unfastened her safety harness and left the cockpit. “Stay here, Felt. I’ll handle this shit.”
The Escaping Doctor slammed sideways as the Noctari shuttle locked on and boarding teams blew the docking bay doors. Klaxons sounded decompression alarms. She paused next to a safety locker, briefly considering an environment suit.
No time.
She reached the bay to find black and purple blood spattered on the walls and body parts scattered across the deck. A head with a trinocular helmet stared up at her. In the middle of the carnage, the dark-skinned Siren, Tion, slashed her swords downward to clear them of blood, then slid them into scabbards with the precision of a sword master.
“There will be another wave from the Darkness,” Tion said.
“Can you handle them?” Kimberly asked, stepping over a mangled body.
“They must eventually overwhelm me.”
Kimberly thought again of the environment suit. Loss of atmosphere would be seriously bad for her health. Looking around for the breach point, she couldn’t find it. The fact she could breathe and wasn’t being sucked out to an icy, messy death by decompression in the void of space suggested the damage was isolated—for now.
She knew in her gut what was happening. Thoughts of Daemon and his ass-kicking space pirates came to mind. The guy was an animal, but she wished he were here right now. If nothing else, she could push him in front of her to stop a bullet.
All she had now was this strange Siren bodyguard who rarely spoke.
“We’ve been boarded.”
“You hear that, Dbonden?” Felton said over the comms. “We’ve got company. Put the Doctor in the escape pod and be ready to run for it.”
The ship rocked a second and third time. Purple energy beams cut new holes in the wall.
“Felton, you better be on top of ship damage. We need at least two more containment fields to keep us from losing atmosphere,” Kimberly said.
“Not a problem right now. Their ships are plugging the hole,” Felton said. “When they pull out, you’re going to die first. Thanks for the memories, little Kim.”
Kimberly swore. Seconds later, the enemy ships pulled away. Atmosphere vented violently from the room. She’d seen this coming and grabbed on to a wall restraint normally used to strap down cargo. The force of the decompression yanked her feet off the deck. The enemy, with their disturbing black armor and trinocular helmets, weren’t affected. They didn’t hesitate. Their boots held them to the deck while still allowing them to walk forward.
She didn’t like to look directly at their armor. It seemed to be liquid just under the surface and twisted with a strange purple energy she’d seen from their cutting torches and energy weapons. It was the same color as the blood spattered across the loading bay and she realized what she was seeing was liquid just under the surface of their armor.
“I would tell you it’s like cold plasma,” Tion said, “but that would be inaccurate and I don’t care to explain the power of their armor.”
“Please stop reading my mind.”
“I can see what you’re looking at and anticipate the question. But there is no more time for talk. If you will fight, do it now,” Tion said.
The creatures of the darkness swarmed forward. There were approximately three dozen, more than enough to overwhelm the small area. Kimberly aimed and fired her sidearm, noticing in her peripheral vision that the Siren sword saint was charging into the thick of the battle.
Fighting with two swords, Tion barely slowed down as she cut away limbs and stabbed through throats. With the completion of every attack, she whirled away to engage a new enemy. It was a ballet of death.
Kimberly fired until she was out of ammunition then reloaded. When that magazine was out, she was done. Aiming carefully, she ran the weapon dry and then moved closer to the door. She thought she could close it behind her and run, but that would leave her strange bodyguard alone with wave after wave of the boarders.
Someone tapped her on the shoulder and handed her a shotgun. When she turned, she was looking at Felton.
“This is better for ship fighting,” he said.
“You’re supposed to be piloting the ship.”
“Not much piloting to be done when we’re tied to a half dozen enemy ships. Dbonden and the doctor are looking for ways to vent the atmosphere and get these jerkoffs out of our ship.”
A new wave of the creatures surged toward Tion even as another hole was being cut into the side of the ship to allow more of the creatures to attack. Kimberly raised the shotgun and move forward, shooting as fast as she could pump rounds into the weapon. Felton went with her.
She hoped Dbonden and the doctor could figure something out, because this was bad.
28
The Connelly Twins
Amanda pulled Ace by the hand, worried that he would confront the Burner Queen and die.
“Let go of me!” he said, yanking his hand free.
She chased him, realizing he wasn’t going after the flaming Siren creature that had betrayed them all, but after Eigon, who was trying to catch Cronin. “What are you doing?”
“She’s going to kill him. Cronin helped us escape Brookhaven. We owe him.”
“I know that! But what the heck are you going to do to help him?”
Her brother didn’t listen. She loved him, but he could be as stubborn as the rest of the Connellys. Racing down the path, she didn’t dare look behind her. Something told her that if she tried to escape the Burner Queen, it would be all of their deaths. A feeling of dread pushed down on her. She was only able to continue because this was about her brother Ace and she couldn’t abandon him.
Together, they burst into one of the small clearings along the mountain trail. Cronin stopped to protect a group of his warriors who were also fleeing.
Eigon strode forward with her new sword.
“Stay back, Ace. You’ll never get there in time anyway,” Amanda said.
Her brother, of course, ignored her and ran across the clearing, intent on getting i
n the way of two of the most deadly creatures on the planet.
Cronin raised a battle axe in one primary hand and a sword in the other. Eigon held her sword almost casually as they moved toward each other.
"What's the matter, Forever Nix? Did you realize what death means?” Eigon tested the weight of her new blade by slashing the air casually.
Amanda thought she could feel the weight of its power even from where she stood. The energy had physical weight, like it was compressing the air around it or gathering energy for the planet itself. She thought she could hear a hum in the back of her mind that was caused by the weapon.
She wondered if this was because of the changes the Chrysalis had made in her and her brother. Her senses were different. Her strength was… from deeper insider her and also from somewhere else. The transformation hadn’t come with an explanation.
Why doesn’t someone help us understand what this planet has done to us? Her heart went out to Kevin, who was double cursed. She shared something with the Burner Queen none of them could see clearly in the dreams.
“All creatures must die,” Cronin said, raising his sword and his axe. “If this is to be our final day, then we should make it glorious."
They rushed toward each other, weapons striking and blocking so fast, Amanda became dizzy. She didn't know if her brother was seeing the same thing or if he saw anything at all.
Ace closed the final distance, racing between them and diving at Eigon’s legs. The Forever Siren was small, much smaller than Cronin and much larger than a human.
She’s not really the Forever Siren, Amanda thought. She’s something new, different, more human than any before her. Just like Cronin is the first and last of his kind.
Ace wasn’t someone to let size back him down. He grabbed Eigon’s left leg and threw his shoulder into it while dropping his weight. The force of his lunge levered her backward and she fell, accessory arms flailing to stop what was happening.
"Do not risk yourself," Cronin roared. He grabbed Ace with one hand and threw him out of the fight.
Eigon’s sword came down on Cronin, splitting his armor and causing him to fall wounded.
Ace picked up a large rock and ran forward, holding it over his head as a shield. He stood over Cronin like a child defending his father.
Eigon’s blade smashed the rock into several pieces.
"You can’t save him!" Amanda said. She grabbed her own rock and ran to stand over Cronin with her brother. “How do I let you get me into these messes?"
Cronin realized too late what the human twins were doing. Roaring his fury, he charged, shoving them out of the way again and again. The duel had become an undignified brawl with nothing resembling dignity or honor.
He ground his teeth and cursed the first time he saw these humans. How had he become tangled into the pattern of their fate?
Eigon struck him again, knocking him sideways. Attack after attack failed before he realized there was only one way to save Ace and Amanda.
Securing both of his weapons to his harness, he surprised the twins by grabbing them and throwing them over his shoulder. He ran toward the raging river that cut deep into the heart of these mountains and flung himself in. Holding the children above the water as the current battered them, he caught one last look of Eigon and knew they were now enemies beyond reconciliation.
The current pushed them around the corner and plunged them between two large rocks. He pulled the twins close to his body and grabbed them with all of his trembling arms. All he wanted was to be far away and on dry land. Ice cold water numbed his body and surged into his mouth whenever he tried to breathe.
Amanda screamed horribly. Cronin realized he’d lost hold of Ace.
The boy twisted away from them, slamming into a rock that was so big, he was pinned against it for several seconds before being shot toward a short waterfall.
Amanda pulled against Cronin’s grip, seeking to go to her brother. He couldn’t believe how strong she was in her moments of desperation.
Lightning streaked across the formerly clear sky. Above them, staring down the river in the tragic scene that was unfolding, Eigon stood with the sword held in both hands. Cronin wondered if she had called the lightning or if it had been a coincidence.
“I must get to this rock and make you safe,” he said, holding Amanda with one arm as he swam with all of his might. When he reached the small but relatively dry outcropping, he put her on it before surrendering to the current.
Kicking with his legs, stroking with all of his arms that were strong enough to make a difference, and twisting his body as swimmers do, he cut through the water toward where he had last seen the boy.
Lightning again filled the sky, but he only saw it as a reflection because he could not look up. All of this attention needed to be on surviving the river. It was the same on all worlds. Nature was the ultimate weapon and served no one.
He sensed the sky darkening and wished he could look for Eigon. Something told him she was gone and he saw a glimpse of a dream and knew immediately it was from Ace.
The boy was safe, though Cronin could not say how he knew this. He worked his way to the shore after plunging down the short waterfall and joining the boy on the beach. The two of them shook with cold as he looked up in search of Amanda or Eigon.
I’m coming to you.
He heard the voice of Amanda in his mind just as the boy screamed.
“No! Amanda, no!”
A second later, Cronin saw her shoot over the short waterfall and slam into the dangerous rapids below. He cringed in memory of his own plummet into that dangerous place.
She worked toward the shore but couldn’t make it.
“Why aren’t you helping her?” Ace asked, tears streaming down his face.
Cronin thought this was a strange question because he had never seen the boy hesitate to take his own form of action. A moment later, he saw blood streaming from the boy’s lower leg and understood Amanda’s twin could not stand and definitely could not run.
“Stay here. Hide yourself if you can. Do not go to Eigon,” Cronin said. “I have dreamed of her stealing the Chrysalis Matrix for herself.”
He turned and realized he had lost the battle and the war and all things.
“It is too late for him to hide,” Eigon said.
Thunder rolled from the cloud-filled sky. At least Cronin knew that the lightning was natural. He saw it rustling deep within the clouds.
He wanted to defend Ace from Eigon, but she was faster than he remembered and the weapon seemed to hit harder and cut deeper than seemed possible. What had to be many lifetimes later, he was floating down the river on his back, unable to resist the current.
29
Kimberly and Tion
Bleeding inside her hastily donned environment suit, cursing the weakness of her body and limping on her left leg, Kimberly swore, “Fuck my life.”
“Wait for me, woman called Kimberly,” Tion said as she strode to catch up.
“Did you even get scratched? Such a bitch. I’m not sure why I helped you.” Kimberly needed to pee and couldn’t remember if this suit had a reclamation layer or if she needed to get out of it first and find a toilet.
“I have many wounds, but also more hands to hold them closed. You are only human and will probably bleed to death.”
“Thanks for the pep talk.”
“It was not meant to encourage you.”
“Why are you here, Tion? Why did Eigon send you?”
“I was sent so that I might learn the way to the Sol Gate.”
“Well, shit, you told the truth.”
“Lying is impossible.”
Kimberly pondered the statement with intense skepticism, shaking her head as she approached the cockpit. “Dbonden, let us in. They are still boarding and we’re cut off from Felton. If you want to see your friend again, we need to get some help.”
“I’m trying to open the door, Miss DeVries. Why wouldn’t I?”
“Fuck!” Kimberly
hissed through her teeth as a new pain developed in her left lower leg. “Remind me not to get thrown against any more walls.”
“That was foolish,” Tion said, straight-faced. “I would not have allowed my enemies to treat me in such a manner.”
“Joking, Tion. I was being sarcastic.”
“It was still foolish. Next time, you must do better.”
The door opened. Kimberly abandoned the conversation with the sword-wielding Siren to enter the cockpit.
“You look like shit,” Dbonden said.
Kimberly gave him an exaggerated smile then cocked her head toward Tion. “I don’t have as many hands as she does to hold my wounds shut.”
The Dissident Union commando stared. “Okay, good to know. Where is Felton?”
“Locked himself in bay three and said he can hold it for a while but suggests you get us the fuck out of here,” Kimberly said.
Doctor Marc Robedeaux looked at her from the copilot’s seat. “The only option is to dock with the Honor and hope they are doing better than we are. Our fuel reserves are low after the Noctari boarders jettisoned half our cargo. Worse, they’ll send ships after us no matter what we do.”
“Then dock.” Kimberly wanted to rip one of them out of their seats so she could fly the ship herself despite the spots dancing in her vision and the real possibility she was going to vomit soon.
“Working on it. It would be easier if you hadn’t left Felt behind,” Dbonden said.
She gave him the finger then turned her attention on the doctor. “Can you fly or are you just taking up space?”
“I was a decent pilot before I started running from the UNA. Avoiding capture, torture, and death motivated me to become quite skilled.”
“Yeah? Why’d you run anyway?”
“The bureaucracy was killing me. I don’t have time to make decisions by committee. I was trying to save the galaxy.”
Kimberly leaned close. “Are you still trying to save it?”