by Drew Avera
"Oh, no," Kara said.
"What's wrong?" I asked.
"Ghon and his men are out of range now. I can no longer keep track of them," she said with a furrowed brow.
"Maybe there is a way to figure out where they are going without tracking them," Laurel said.
"How would we do that?" Kara asked.
"Remember those images that Captain Fillon showed the staff that I told you about?"
"Yes," Kara and I responded in unison.
"Well, those images have been saved on the ship's server. It should be fairly simple to collect that data and our current position. You said they were heading South, if we know where we are and what is South of here, then maybe we can determine if there is someplace in particular that they are going."
"Brilliant," I said as I grabbed her and kissed her. "Where can we go to get this information?"
"The server will be in the administration office. It might be locked up right now though,"
"It's not a problem," Kara interrupted with a hint of a smile. I smiled back, remembering how she had broken into the same office to print out the passenger manifest our first day on board the transport.
"Well, let's go then," Laurel said. We all stood up and began walking to the administration office. There were not very many people in that area of the ship, and just as Laurel suspected, the door was locked.
"I've got this," Kara said. She pulled a hairpin from her hair and manipulated the lock. Within seconds the door was open. "We're in."
"How did you do that?" Laurel asked.
"Let's just say I've had practice."
"As a thief?"
"More like a damsel who locked herself out of her house a few too many times," she laughed. I could tell that some of Kara's old personality was seeping through. Perhaps the fact that we are finally doing something in regards to seeking vengeance against The Syndicate snapped her out of her shell.
Laurel sat at one of the computers in the office and began pulling up files. In less than a minute, she had the maps of the area printed; the next minute she had our current coordinates and plotted them on the printed out maps.
"That was fast," I said.
"I'll be honest with you. I've accessed those files before because I was curious what we were coming to. This was before you guys suspected any wrong doings by Captain Fillon. I'll also admit that even though there are some missing pieces of the puzzle, it is starting to look like Fillon is in The Syndicate's pocket. I think the best thing for us to do is to track those men down and do away with them before confronting Captain Fillon."
"That's been my plan all along," I said. Though I did suspect some darker dealing with Captain Fillon in the future, it was too early to jump to that conclusion and kill a man based on biased perception. "Alright, let's get out of here and make our way back to our stateroom."
Kara locked the administrative office door as we stepped out into the passageway. We descended several ladder wells to take us to our stateroom. Once there, I spread the map out on a small table and looked at our current position that Laurel marked earlier. "It looks like there are three cities due South of our current position. Two of them are fairly small communities and then we have one very large city here." I pointed at a city that we did not know the name of, and I was certain that this city would be the one to lure in The Syndicate.
"Based on the legend of the map, it looks like that larger city is about sixty miles from here," Laurel said.
"Are they going to travel that far on foot? It would take days," Kara said.
"There are always a few transport vehicles on these ships. The crew will need to use them to carry supplies over long distances," Laurel replied.
"I guess that explains why they were out of range so quickly," Kara said.
"It looks that way," Laurel said.
I said, "Well, this is the place we need to go. I don't care if we have to walk there.. There's no telling what The Syndicate can do if they form an alliance with a large city like that.”
The intercom buzzed to life, "This is Captain Fillon. The perimeter is secure. The cargo bay is now open to the outside world. I encourage you to stay close to the ship for the time being. We do not know what threats are beyond our current location, nor do we have the resources to set up a large scale expedition right now. A security detail will be on site around the clock and a ring of fire to ward off wild animals has been set up. Welcome to Earth, your new home. Captain out."
I grabbed the map and folded it up and placed it in my pocket. "Ladies, there's no time like the present. Let's go."
Chapter 7
We were outside the hull of the transport within minutes. The brightness of the sun was almost overwhelming, I had never seen it shine so low overhead in my entire life. I could feel its rays seep into the flesh of my cheeks; it was a feeling I found difficult to describe. I lifted my hand to my brow to shield my eyes from the sun as the three of us made our way into the tree line.
"Which way is south?" Laurel asked.
It took me a moment to gather my surroundings. "Based on the sun’s location, south is that way." I pointed which direction we should move. Ghon and his men had a least a two-hour head start, plus the fact they had vehicles which enabled them to travel faster than we could on foot.
Kara pulled out her map and began to calculate the best route for us to take in order to reach the large city where we were certain Ghon was headed. "If we keep inside the tree line, but parallel to the road, we should be able to reach the city by tomorrow night."
The idea of walking that far in an unfamiliar setting made me feel uncomfortable, to say the least. The wooded area was thick with overgrown brush and fallen trees. It was almost like a maze to navigate our way through while still keeping a good view of the road to our right. We walked for several hours before we stopped to rest. The sun was a dull orange as it fell behind the horizon when we decided to make camp.
"Here is as good of a place as any," I said. "Make a ring of those large stones while I fetch some dry wood to make a fire." I walked around and collected kindling to use and several bundles of dried sticks to keep a fire burning overnight. When I returned, Kara and Laurel had the fire pit built.
"Allow me," Kara said, as she grabbed up some of the sticks and began stacking them into an upside down cone shape. She then used her gauntlet to ignite the sticks and start the fire.
"Kara, you took all of the work out of it," I said, chuckling. "You're supposed to rub the sticks together to start a fire."
"Well that was easier," she said with a smile.
With larger logs in place, the three of us sat around the fire and looked up at the stars. The Earth's moon seemed to shine brighter than anything else in the night sky. The planet was alien to all of us despite the fact that this was the cradle of humanity. This ball of dirt that contained several centuries of human history was such a different place than our home on Mars.
"What do you think is Ghon's plan?" Laurel asked.
"I'm not sure. He is power hungry just like any other member of The Syndicate. For all I know he will try to take over the city and rule the people already there," I said.
"We can't let that happen," Kara said.
"I don't plan on it," I said. The fire lapped up into the darkness around us and cast shadows along the trees. I couldn't help but feel that someone was watching us. I looked around, trying not to make it obvious I suspected anything. I wasn't certain anything was there until I heard a sound like a tree limb snapping. "Wait here," I said, as I stood up to walk into the more heavily wooded area. I turned on my gauntlet and used the sight to illuminate the ground around me. Another snap sounded to my left, so I aimed the blue beam in that direction. Just at that moment I was tackled to the ground. It happened so fast I didn't even see it coming.
The other person was stronger than any other man I had ever fought in hand-to-hand combat. I struggled against his weight and the only thing I could see were his eyes as the blue beam coming from my gauntl
et reflected off them. He sensed the gauntlet was a weapon and focused on pinning down my right arm. I grimaced as I tried to fight him, but he was too strong.
I lifted my knee into his gut and experienced a small reprieve from an otherwise one-sided fight. I aimed my gauntlet in his direction and could now see he was a man with brown hair and a short beard.His build reminded me of the dock hands from Archea. Before I had a chance to fire, he rolled forward and stood up with lightning fast reflexes. The next thing I knew he had me held up by my throat against a tree. My eyes blurred as I lifted my gauntlet to fire. I could hear the muffled sounds of Kara and Laurel in the background, but I could not see them.
My assailant grabbed my right arm in his hand and held it still. He then proceeded to rack my body up against the tree. I felt my head hit against the hardwood twice. He brought me closer to him and looked me in the eye. I could see his lips moving, but I still could not hear anything except for the pounding of my heart in my head. The next sensation I felt was the hard thud of my body against the tree followed by my collapse onto the ground. I struggled up onto my hands and knees to crawl away, but he kicked me repeatedly until I was lying on my side. The only thing I saw next was a black mass that must have been his boot coming towards my face. After that I felt nothing at all.
Chapter 8
The glare of the morning sun stung at my tired eyes as I opened them. My surroundings defied the logic that I expected to find after my encounter the night before. I was amazed to see the walls of a room adorned with paintings of various landscapes and dark stained, intricately carved furniture accented various parts of the room. The bed I was lying in was warm and soft. If this was punishment, I would love to see what a reward was like.
"So very nice for you to join us," a male voice said from slightly behind me. I looked into the face of the assailant I had faced last night. Instinctively I raise my right arm to fire at him but my gauntlet was missing. "I had your weapon removed last night. I hope you don't mind, but you were a little trigger happy last night."
"Who are you?" I asked. "What do you want with me?"
"That's just what I wanted to ask you. My name is Harris by the way. You are in my home."
"Why?" He held my gaze for several moments before speaking.
"I brought you here for questioning. I'm unsure of why your people are here and I expect to know why you are trespassing on my land."
"I didn't know this was your land.”
"If you didn't know, then why did you kill one of my scouts?"
"I didn't kill anyone. You attacked me!"
"One of my scouts was killed by a weapon much like yours, yesterday afternoon. I assumed it was you when you approached me in the woods."
"You were the first native I came across. How could I have killed your scout?"
Harris pondered my question for a moment. "How many were in your party?"
"Just Kara, Laurel and myself. Where are they?" I snapped.
"They are well taken care of. I must say that they are much more diplomatic than you are."
"Meaning what?"
"Meaning they were willing to answer my questions and did not attack me and my people. We were looking for whoever killed my scout. You, on the other hand, leapt towards the opportunity to fight someone."
"You were stalking us. I thought you were a threat."
"I see. Well, it appears that we were both mistaken. I apologize for the inconvenience. I'm sure you understand the necessity of self-preservation. I have a responsibility to protect my people. Please don't take it personally."
"Alright, Harris. Can I see the rest of my party now?"
"After you answer one last question," he said.
"What would that be?"
"Your name," he replied.
"My name is Serus Blackwell," I said.
He smiled at me in a very innocent sort of way. He honestly did not strike me as a fighter, despite the beating I had endured at his hands previously. He was a completely different kind of character today. "Ladies," he called out. Kara and Laurel walked into the room unharmed and smiling.
"Good morning," Laurel said, as she leaned over and kissed me on the lips. She handed my gauntlet to me as she sat on the side of the bed.
"I told you they were well taken care of, Serus," Harris said with a smile. "May I pour you a drink?"
"Sure, I guess," I said a little overwhelmed by the situation. I wasn't sure what I had expected, but this surely was not it. "You said one of your scouts was killed by a gauntlet. How do you know?"
"All of our scouts deploy in groups of two for protection. The second scout reported a group of about twelve men traveling south towards Faracon. The scout who was killed tried to challenge the men, but was fired upon with this unusual weapon," he pointed at my gauntlet lying in my lap. "My men and I returned to the scene and heard noises coming from your location in the tree line. I decided to take a closer look, and you came too close for comfort. Your weapon was drawn and I perceived you to be a threat. I'm sure you remember the rest," Harris said with a snicker.
"Yeah. What is Faracon?" I asked.
"It's the largest city in this region. It is governed by my uncle, Treston."
"Why aren't you there with him?"
"Let's just say that my uncle and I don't see eye to eye."
"Where are we now?"
"This city is called Midican. I guess you could say I serve a role similar to a mayor but I don't claim the title." He poured a drink from a crystal bottle.
"Why not?" Kara asked, breaking her silence.
"I believe everyone is equal. What right does one man have to rule over another? It is ludicrous in my opinion. That kind of authority leads to corruption. I'll have no part in that. Instead, I uphold my responsibility to see to the needs of my people and I work and fight beside them."
"Who do you fight?" I asked, unsure of why I felt compelled to ask.
"My uncle," he said. A tremor rattled the glasses on the table to his left. "Oh no," Harris slammed the glass onto the table and grabbed a weapon. "Stay here for your own safety. I will return shortly." Harris ran out of the room as an explosion outside shook the ground around us.
"What's going on?" Laurel asked.
"I'm not sure," I said as another blast splintered the wall across the room. Instinctively, I grabbed my gauntlet and rose out of the bed. I sensed Kara and Laurel behind me as I clasped the gauntlet around my wrist and ran out of the room amidst the sounds of screams and explosion. We came to the door leading out of the building, and there we saw the largest scene of chaos I had ever seen. Dirt and debris rained down on top of us as we looked on in horror. Without giving a second thought, we jumped into the mix with our gauntlets armed, unsure of why this was happening, but determined to defend our lives up against the taut strings of death.
Chapter 9
Within the torrent of flames and explosions, I could feel clods of dirt pelting me. The ground shook beneath me as the percussive blasts resounded in the air around us. I looked to my left and right; everywhere was devastation. I could not tell if the crumbling remains of buildings were due to today's attack, or if they were simply a reminder of what Treston was capable of. I had only just met Harris, but I could tell that he held some resentment towards his uncle. Seeing this devastation made me realize how justified he was in his way of thinking.
Everything on this planet was a mystery to me, and I struggled to put the pieces together in my head so that I could understand what was going on. Never before in my life had I seen this kind of chaos. The closest thing that I could recall to even draw a comparison was what I had been through on Mars to keep Kara alive. Everything else paled by comparison. Another explosion rippled beneath my feet. I fell face down on the ground and realized that the breath had been knocked out of me. I struggled to suck in the precious oxygen that kept me alive. My head throbbed from a dull pain and my eyes blurred from the tears that formed.
After a long moment of disorientation, I could breathe again
. I felt a hand grip my arm and I lifted my eyes to see Harris standing there. His hair was disheveled and dirt masked his face. I could see remnants of blood on his arm and hands. He held the large weapon that I had seen him grab earlier. A sound caught his attention and he lifted his weapon and fired a projectile into an oncoming assailant. The sound was almost a deafening as the other explosions that filled the air.
"Let's go," he said as he grabbed my arm and began pulling me with him. I followed him through a maze of buildings that were still standing. He released his grip on me once he realized that I was keeping up on my own. Harris turned a corner and we entered one of the damaged buildings. "Are you alright?" he asked.
"I think so," I said. I could feel nervousness course through my body. I thought I had known war before this day, but I was mistaken.
"Serus," Kara and Laurel came around a corner and wrapped their arms around me. "I thought we had lost you," Kara said.
I could hear the tremble in her voice.
"This is madness," I said, mostly to myself.
"This is nothing," Harris said. "This is just a mortar attack. My uncle does this every few months just to remind me that he's still alive." Harris was so nonchalant in the way that he said it that I was concerned about the environment we had entered.
"How can you call this nothing? There is so much devastation out there. How many casualties come with an attack like this?" I was shaken to the core. My humanity had found its foothold in my life and the loss of a human life affected me in a way I once had thought impossible. In my opinion these people were innocent. I killed only monsters that deserved the punishment I brought to them. That was how I justified my actions.
"We may have a few casualties, but we have an emergency plan for when this kind of thing happens. Most of our people are in bunkers. I ran out to find you when I bumped into Kara and Laurel. They were not sure where you had gone. Perhaps I just saved your life. You’re welcome," he said with a grin.
"So you are not worried about the casualties?" Kara asked.