The Battle for the Ringed Planet

by Richard Edmond Johnson

  “Oh, you didn’t sleep through that class?”

  “Oh no, not that one, across from me sat this cute red head, Lindy Monahan, in a white summer dress.”

  “I see.” Siiri folded her arms while Torian grinned.

  “I remember the number for the SR12, floating in the holo right where she watched me with those big green eyes.”

  “Nothing like a pretty girl for motivation,” May nudged Siiri.

  “Are you going to be all right?” Siiri stared up directly into the marine’s eyes.

  “I’ll be fine, just a little headache, along with exhaustion and battle fatigue.”

  Peering both ways around the ‘T’ intersection, Torian waved them forward into the corridor where the hazy blue glow was strongest. May followed Siiri, checking the other direction in case another robot came up from behind. Both May and Torian were helmetless and listened intently for any noise. Their Cons were totally useless for scanning, but their weapons still worked.

  “Torian!” May hissed, and he heard it too. All three ducked and squeezed against the wall. Up ahead there was another turn, and something was coming. Then May whispered again, and pointed back down the other corridor, where they heard a noise down there, too.

  But Torian wasn’t going to wait, and charged towards the noise ahead of them, while May aimed her rifle behind and Siiri had her pistol out, not sure which way to aim.

  Then, right in front of Torian, a sentry bot of the exact same model they had previously encountered rounded the turn, a floating sleek chrome armoured cylinder with two extended barrels for arms and a red sensor light on the top. It wasn’t any more than a meter in height, already floating about thirty centimetres above the ground. The wiry young man wasted no time and the EMP rifle emitted a sharp hum and the red sensor on the bot began to flash. Then the bot abruptly halted, and fell unceremoniously to the floor with a loud clatter.

  He turned around and strode up to where May and Siiri watched down the other way. All three saw the sensor light as another bot rushed forward from another corner further down. May opened up but before the bot could react, it shut down and with a clank fell straight down from Torian’s EMP rifle. Breathing out a sigh of relief, Siiri stood up and gave Torian a hug. May swallowed and glanced around warily.

  “And that’s why we don’t use armed bots in the marines; they’re just too easy to take down.”

  “But good for mine clearing.” the dark haired woman added.

  “What other kinds are there?” the blue eyed girl asked.

  “Well …” Torian kneeled beside the deactivated robot, “Factory bots, agro bots, serving bots …”

  “And don’t forget the most important kind.” May leaned close to Siiri, “Pleasure bots …”

  “What?” Siiri turned to Torian with a questioning look.

  “Yeah, those …banned on Kanata.”

  “Mmm…” the tall marine continued, “oh so smooth skin you’d swear was real, and internal heat sensors to keep you warm at night.”

  Shaking his head Torian muttered, “I swear May, you’re going to corrupt this poor girl.”

  “I prefer the real thing.” Siiri glanced at May with a hint of disgust.

  But then May grinned, “The male version has interchangeable parts, for whatever size you need…”

  “I don’t want to know.” she turned away a little red. May winked at Torian who rolled his eyes again.

  Then he checked his EMP rifle, “Come on, we have work to do.” walking up to Siiri he placed his hand on her shoulder, “Even in this blue light you’re cute when you’re all red.”

  “Thanks. It only happens when May’s around.” she sighed.

  They followed the corridor where Torian first took out the bot with his EMP rifle and came cautiously around a corner. At the end of the underground passage was an open room that glowed brightly in a hazy blue. The lanky lieutenant lead the others until they reached the entrance and he stood transfixed, as did the other two when they saw what he was staring at. Before them was a small flight of 10 steps leading a large room with three other sets of stairs in opposite directions. In the center of the large room was a florescent blue tubular tower reaching a couple of stories high, exactly the same as what they had seen in the alien city. Standing in front, with May directly behind, he spied a control panel was situated on the side of the glowing tower nearest them.

  Then suddenly May cried out, “Torian!” and shoved him so hard he fell forward down the stairs, his EMP rifle clattering but still within reach when he landed prone.

  From around the other side of the glowing blue tower a cylindrical object spun around and opened up its machine guns at May. The marine tried desperately to raise her rifle, but the bullets struck her across the chest, and since her Prox shield had burned out, they penetrated her armour and into her body. One round went through and struck Siiri in the arm but her shield held, though the impact sent her reeling backwards. Blood oozed from four neat holes in a straight line across the front of her upper body and she slowly sank to her knees. The bot fired another burst into her abdomen and the Dragon marine shuddered in a grotesque dance and then twisted falling to her front with her legs bent unnaturally. Her rifle fell from her dying arms behind, and a pool of blood grew around her motionless body.

  “May!” Siiri wailed.

  Torian raised his head and the sentry bot fired on him, but fortunately he was protected by the stairs as bullets ricocheted all around him spraying splinters of concrete and dust on his head. The sentry bot began to move closer circling around for a better angle to shoot Torian. He raised the EMP rifle and fired, but there was a slight glow revealing an invisible wall circling the glowing tower, a force shield of some type that the bot could travel through and the EMP pulse could not penetrate.

  “Torian!” Siiri cried, “May is dead!”

  Forcing the immediate grief of May’s death from his head, he had to think! If he tried to run the bot would get him, if he stayed, it was coming round to get him anyway. Dropping the useless EMP rifle he pulled out his last grenade.

  “Siiri!” he called and ducked as a burst blasted the concrete centimetres from his head, and in avoiding the bullets he accidently dropped the grenade rolling a meter out in front, “Dammit!”

  Calling to the girl, “I’m pinned down! EMP doesn’t work … Siiri!” It fired again, speeding closer, now out of the shield radius, “Siiri …” he whispered as the bot lined him up, and he swallowed.

  But she wasted no time, clenching her teeth she dove forward behind May’s body and tossed her helmet high into the air. The bot responded instantly and shot at the helmet instead of Torian giving the flaxen haired girl time to grab May’s rifle, crawl forward and use the Dragon marine as cover. Resting the rifle on the marine’s backpack she opened up a stream of plasma accurately striking the metal cylindrical object directly in the center. Glowing red it still lowered its guns to aim at Siiri behind May’s body. But while she had fired Torian leaned forward and reached for the grenade and tossed it towards the Sentry bot. It was about to open up on Siiri when the grenade exploded and with the bolts of plasma from the rifle the sentry bot blew up in a fire ball sending fragments in all directions. The remaining burning metal shell dropped to the floor and rolled before melting into a blackened blob.

  The young man breathed out a sigh of relief only for a moment, warily scanning the area for more danger before hopping up the stairs and over the dead marine, “Siiri!”

  Tears streaked her cheeks mixed with May’s blood sticking to her frayed blonde hair as she glanced up at Torian. He knelt beside her gently taking the rifle from her shaking hands anxiously checking around the girl laying in the pool of the dead marine’s blood.

  “Are you hit?”

  Swallowing, she replied, “No …” she slowly rose up and the blood ran off her armour and fatigues, long streams running through folds and creases, dripping to the floor.

  Softly whispering he stroked her bloody hair “Siiri
, let’s move back a bit, in case there are more.”

  Nodding slowly she took his hand and he wrapped his arm around her waist for support. They walked back a few meters and then he gently helped her to sit watching her eyes. He slipped off his metal EMP power pack and helped Siiri remove her webbing and back pack and then held her hand.

  “Torian …” she sobbed, “May is dead!”

  “I know …” he held her close and stroked her tangled bloody blonde hair, while she clung to him and let her tears flow. Torian pulled her tighter and they pressed together cheek to cheek while she cried. Closing his eyes, he felt his eyes watering thinking of the brave Dragon marine and the anguish at her loss.

  “She had a little boy …” Siiri wept, “why do they make mothers fight wars?”

  Brushing aside her blood streaked hair he gazed into her blue eyes, “I don’t know. That’s the way it’s always been.”

  “I don’t want to do this for them anymore. I can’t stand the thought of losing you anymore.” she closed her eyes comforted in his arms and he gently rocked her for a few minutes.

  “Hey …” he whispered, “Thank you for saving my ass.”

  “You don’t have to.”

  Forming a weak smile, he took both her hands in his, and then grew serious “We have to finish the job.”

  “But May is dead. It’s not right.”

  “Then let’s make sure her sacrifice was worth it.”

  Reluctantly she rose when he pulled her up and he left the EMP equipment behind, slinging her backpack instead. She snapped on her webbing with the pistol and let out an audible sigh.

  “This is the last thing, and then we’ll be off-world.” Torian checked the ammo count on the rifle and changed mags, “I saw the shield around the controls, and you memorized the codes. Once it’s down we’ll find a place where my Con can signal out and send in the marines.”

  “It’s too easy.”

  “Maybe.” he really hoped that it was.

  When they came back to May’s body Siiri froze while Torian bent over the bloodied corpse pulling magazines from her webbing.

  “We can’t just leave her like that.” she watched him search through her webbing.

  “Just for now, when the others come …”

  “But not like that, with her legs twisted …”

  Nodding, he pulled her legs out straight leaving her face down, then he turned her head and swallowed, her dead eyes stared past him forever. Gently he closed them. Siiri carefully stepped over May and crouched beside Torian choking back tears.

  “She looks so peaceful.” the sticky bloody blonde haired girl whispered.

  “Treat her nice, Tristan.” he expected to see his friend standing next to May.

  Then Siiri leaned forward and kissed May on the forehead, “Good bye.”

  Reaching for his hand Siiri stood up and glanced at Torian and nodded. Raising the rifle with May’s Con attached, he listened carefully and motioned to Siiri. She followed close behind as they nervously descended down the stairs towards the small control panel next to the glowing tower. For the first time up close, Torian noticed that the tower was pulsating but so fast it was not immediately seen with a human eye.

  “Stand back …” the military officer aimed the rifle and fired. A burst of invisible plasma bolts struck the transparent shield creating a wall of shimmering red, blocking the lethal shots.

  “How come the bot could fire at us from inside?”

  “Just like the shield on the MUV, it lets you fire out, but not in.”

  “And it will let me through because of my DNA?”

  Torian sighed, “That’s what Jarlan said.”

  “But he didn’t tell us about the sentry bots.”

  “I know, but he was right about the codes.”

  “Torian, if you say so, I’ll walk through.”

  “I’m going to hold on to you by your web belt, if you feel the slightest pain, you yell.”

  Siiri walked forward as Torian clutched her belt. She reached out with her fingers centimetres from the shield. Torian swallowed, but then she froze.

  “What is it?”

  The girl turned and her eyes glowed yellow.

  “I suppose that’s Kayla giving you warning that I changed the shield code.” a voice from another set of stairs nearby echoed and Torian turned aiming his rifle at the figure of Jarlan.

  Chapter 25: To Kill a Cyborg

  “You wanted us dead all along!” the young officer growled and stepped towards the robed figure wielding a staff, his finger closing on the trigger.

  “Don’t be a fool.” Jarlan warned.

  “You killed May, and almost us, now it’s your turn …”

  Before Torian could squeeze the trigger, Jarlan raised his staff and the rifle flew out of the young man’s hands clattering on the floor. With a bewildered look, the lieutenant raised his fists but then a force threw him back a few meters landing on his back laying still and prone.

  “Torian!” Siiri drew her pistol and aimed it at Jarlan.

  In response, Jarlan raised his staff and tried to force the weapon from her hand, but he frowned when nothing happened, “You’re growing stronger.”

  Swallowing, she wanted to shoot him for May and hurting Torian, but watching her teacher, minister, doctor, and village leader, the memories of her childhood trust in the man caused the girl to lower the black pistol. Behind she heard Torian stirring and groaning.

  “Soon they will come for you.” the elderly man with azurite blue eyes spoke calmly, “Kayla especially, she’s wants you for her own.”

  “She’s not like that.”

  “You saw what they did in the alien city. Soon your mind will be ready, and Kayla will come inside, forever. Believe me, dying is a welcome relief.”

  Torian stood to his feet limping a little, starting for the rifle a couple of meters away, and Jarlan called out, “If you kill me, how will you get the shield down?”

  “I’ll find out where all these glowing towers are, and destroy them.”

  Slowly shaking his head, “They only amplify; no one would survive at ground level.”

  “Why did you trick us?” he seethed, then he gave the other man a hard stare, “It’s because you killed all these people, the inhabitants of this city.”

  “Yes, I did … but it had to be done, just as the girl needs to die and you for trying to stop it.”

  “I will do everything in my power to stop you from killing her!”

  Then the older man grew wroth, cursing angrily at Torian, and Siiri who rushed to his side, “You don’t know what you’re doing!” he stepped toward the pair and Siiri raised the pistol again, “The longer you keep her alive, the more she is going to suffer!”

  “After the shield comes down, I’m taking her off world …”

  The old man with long grey hair laughed, “They won’t let you leave orbit!”

  Suddenly Torian felt unsure, “What do you mean? We have a battle fleet …”

  “You saw the city, the power …” then he swallowed, “I suppose Kayla told you about her people, how they were slowly dying.”

  Siiri, her voice wavering, stared at the man, “Why did you kill all these people?”

  The old man brought his hand over his forehead, “Oh we were fools, we found that city long before the colony, and the power it possessed. The things we could do with our minds! The limitless power!”

  “Like what you did to me just now?”

  “More than that, we could see things far away, we could reach out and touch things in space … but we didn’t know it was them. All we found at first were skeletal remains, but yet they were still alive, watching us.”

  “But what are they?” her voice sound a little fearful.

  “They were disembodied beings, their bodies were rotting, their DNA corrupted, but their minds were expanding. They wanted to preserve their souls! They mocked God by trying to be Him! Gods themselves! But it failed, horribly, and for millennia they were trapped
. In their city they died, but tried to preserve their life energy to become omniscient.”

  Sadly, Jarlan watched the pair, and sighed, “I’m protected by implants and shielding. I can’t make them for anyone else, I don’t know how, or find the parts. The mobs killed the man who could.”

  Then he smiled a little, “I can read your thoughts. Sometimes I can see ahead in time.” he stared intently at Torian, and made the young man nervous, “Fields of barley, golden waves in the hills, that’s what I see in you. There’s a clear part of a stream, near some flat rocks among the fields of gold.” He looked at Siiri and then back at Torian, “He wants to take you there, under the sun on his planet, near his homestead, and lay you down the clover between the flat rocks next to the rushing water. Undress you slowly, passionately kissing, and make love to you. A very vivid imagination, this young man has, you would really enjoy it, Siiri.”

  Sighing audible and looking away for an instant, then glaring at Jarlan, Torian replied, “I have my desires, fantasies, like any other man, and she’s a beautiful woman …”

  “And she likes what she’s hearing.”

  The flaxen haired girl replied with irritation in her voice, “Is that how you knew when we had misbehaved, or who stole into the bushes?”

  “I used my power to keep you safe.”

  “Why didn’t you kill the villagers, too?”

  “Because! They weren’t developed, they survived. Most of them were young … children. You don’t understand, those beings, they had been trapped without a body. Then we came along. Our minds were similar, and as our powers grew, they could connect to our minds, and it was like opening a door, but instead of knocking, they just burst right in. Like demons, they possessed us.”

  Jarlan glanced away, “I cared for the children that survived, and when ever someone like Siiri developed the abilities …they would attack the others…” he choked on his words, and then continued, “Kayla’s people longed for the passion, the physical being, and lost control. They fought for possession of the people in the city; thousands of beings for one body, there are millions of them. Emotions were out of control, fighting, murdering, lust, rape. It was horrible. The engineers and doctors tried to develop cybernetic implants to try to save the people, but one by one, the possessed hunted us down. I hid, survived, and created the shield to kill any human that had succumbed, which was all of the population, to save them from being slaves. Can you imagine losing all control of yourself to something so mad with passion they would kill, lust, and destroy, while you watched yourself doing it?”