A Vastma-class warship hovered far off in the distant mist. Leon landed the Stellar gently on the rocky valley surface and powered down the drive. “Someone should stay with the ship.”
“I will,” Rogna said. Her offer didn’t seem to surprise anyone.
Boomer said, “You can stay if you want, Rogna … but you can’t fly this thing come some emergency. Hanna … do you mind staying?”
“Fine with me,” she said, looking over to Leon, who nodded back in agreement.
Chapter 56
One by one, they exited the Stellar and headed down the extended forward, lower deck, gangway. All five were wearing combat suits. Leon and Rizzo had multi-guns slung over their shoulders.
Boomer felt strong winds buffeting her back and more than once nearly lost her balance. Rogna was already complaining over the open channel and Boomer tuned her out.
“Steps … over here,” Rizzo said, gesturing, and all heads turned toward the base of the great statue. Boomer hesitated when she saw movement, more than fifty feet above them at the top of the effigy’s base.
“I wondered what happened to them,” Drom said.
Boomer watched as a procession of hooded, long black-robed Blues moved out along the perimeter of the curved base, coming to a halt and looking down at them. They were the Tahli ministry members—all ten of them. Boomer looked up at them with contempt as her mind flashed back to the massacre in the arena and the conspicuous departure of the ministry members, just prior to all hell breaking loose.
One by one, the ministry members pulled back their draping long robe sleeves to reveal enhancement shields. Reflexively, Boomer and Drom raised their own shields and assumed defensive Kahill Callan stances.
But the ten, bright-violet distortion waves were sent over their heads. Boomer and the others turned to see the ten waves merge into a singular spotlight that shone on a large figure, a half-mile back within the valley’s darkness.
“Stay here,” Boomer said. “The plan is for me to simply talk to him at this point. We need each other to open the bridge. With that said … if he kills me … or incapacitates me …”
“We’ll kill him,” Mollie interjected. “You can count on that.”
They had already discussed the upcoming encounter. Boomer had argued, and eventually everyone conceded, that she had to face him alone, at least at first.
Boomer took her first steps away from the others and felt something land on her shoulder. She turned to see Mollie, standing behind her. Tears were in her eyes.
Mollie said, “Wait … I didn’t realize how big he’d be. He’s … a fucking monster!”
They both laughed and Boomer said, “The bigger they are …”
Abruptly Drom was there too, beside Mollie. He raised his visor and immediately wind and rain blew into his helmet. He gestured towards Boomer’s helmet.
Embarrassed, she glanced at Mollie then raised her visor. He wasted no time, moving in and kissing her on the lips. She felt his arm around her waist as her body was pulled close to his. Eventually they separated.
Mollie’s eyes were wide and she was smiling. “Well, well … I’ll need more details about this later … many more details.”
Drom said, “You need to reconsider speaking to him alone.”
“Don’t worry. And keep an eye on the ministry members … I’ve already learned turning my back on them is a mistake.”
Drom looked back over his shoulder and nodded. He did not look convinced about her going near Zintar alone, but offered no further argument.
Boomer closed her visor and turned away from the team. Lord Zintar Shakrim was still standing in the same position he’d been in minutes earlier. She slowly approached the Sahhrain leader. At fifty yards away, she marveled at his … grandeur. There was no better way to express it. He was wearing a combat suit, of sorts, although he had rigged it so his billowing crimson cape, and his gold breastplate, were worn on the outside. She had to give it to the giant warrior … he had style.
When she was close enough to see his eyes, enclosed behind a helmet, he said, “Master against master. You honor me, Master Tahhrim Dol.”
Her expression changed at hearing his words.
“Yes … I know much about you,” he said. “That you have been a master of the Blues’ Kahill Callan since what? The age of twelve?”
“Eleven.”
“Yes, eleven. And here you are, soon to die at the age of seventeen. Prepare yourself for battle, human.”
She was about to correct him on that number, as well, then realized—it was true. As of today, she was seventeen. She put her hands on her hips and looked up at him defiantly. “What are you talking about … battle? What about all that … us working together stuff … stopping Dasticon, combining forces … at least temporarily?”
She heard a snicker emanating from the large elongated helmet. “I could tell you that circumstances have changed. The truth is, I do not need your help, human. You have what I need right there in that satchel. You are far too trusting … naïve, in fact. In time, if you had lived, you would have learned to be more cunning. Obviously your training was far from complete. If only you had been trained by true Sahhrain Kahill Callan masters … you would have been more prepared for today.”
She slowly nodded, “Fine then.” Her mind reeled. She wasn’t mentally prepared for this … not now. She noticed movement—first off to her right then behind Zintar. Viewing droids were back.
“Then let’s get this over with. I have a few other things to do today,” Boomer said, sounding bored. She suspected he was smiling beneath his mask-like helmet. He bowed to her and took up the traditional Kahill Callan opening stance. She mirrored his form and both released bright distortion waves from their shields simultaneously. His quickly turned a bright red and Boomer’s instantly followed suit.
“Perhaps your training was better than I suspected … young human.”
Instead of answering, she opted to attack—bringing the face of her shield quickly down while elevating her body upward and sideways. Her distortion waves missed the mark, which she hadn’t anticipated, when he turned his body sideways, using little movement and energy. Smart for a combatant hefting that much weight around. He returned fire, making an upward S swiping movement with his shield that created an impossible-to-dodge span of energy. Clipped on her upper right shoulder, Boomer, on her way down from above, was catapulted backward twice while in the air before crashing down to the rocks below—both stunned and hurt.
Zintar was upon her without hesitation. He leveled his shield at her and fired. She rolled away as far as she could, before hitting something big and hard that stopped her progression. She took a new distortion wave directly in the chest and felt the most searing white-hot pain of her life. Warnings flashed on her HUD along with shrill audio alarms. Instinctively, she disengaged her combat suit, as it was now nearly useless in protecting her. The sudden act of removing her suit must have surprised Zintar, because he momentarily relented in his attack. Boomer dove and tumbled then cartwheeled away. The telltale sounds of massive energy waves following only inches in her wake were all she needed to keep moving—dodging one way then the other. She needed to get back on the offense. How quickly he’d taken control of the battle, and she became his prey.
“Dodge right and go high!” Rizzo said in Boomer’s NanoCom. He knew just enough about Kahill Callan—its various jarta moves—to be dangerous, but she followed his guidance anyway. She used the edge of her shield to elevate herself up and sideways—adding a vertical spin to the mix that caught Zintar by surprise. She leveled her shield at his oversized head and fired off bright-crimson energy waves, using all the power she could muster—reaching inward and giving it her all—from the very deepest level, where she felt her very soul resided. Bright waves of energy struck him with enough force to melt his helmet and upper battle suit. A fleeting glimpse of simmering, blackened like charcoal skin now replaced his once pale exposed flesh. Why didn’t he cry out in pain? He dodg
ed both left and right, as Boomer continued to track his movements, firing relentlessly. He was incredibly fast—even agile. Knowing he’d suffered what must be immeasurable pain, she had to give him his due. In a blur he was up in the air, completing a complex move that Boomer was not nearly as adept at. She dodged a barrage of incoming distortion waves and, once again, found herself on the ground and on the defense. Bringing her shield up she fired. He spun away, momentarily hidden behind his wide—billowing—red cape.
Zintar spun away, a captivating spectacle in itself. Bright light flooded around him—silhouetting his gargantuan stature—and Boomer chided herself for momentarily hesitating. He must have fired powerful distortion waves while turned away from her—right through his cape.
Boomer moved, figuring out what was happening, but was a moment too slow, as waves hit her stomach area. She doubled over and grabbed herself, expecting to feel and see something akin to what had happened to Zintar’s face and shoulders. But then she remembered: The distortion waves were no longer red, nor even violet in color, but more bluish. He’d made a grave mistake. His stupid cape—probably made from some kind of protective material—had dissipated the strength of those energy waves. She was fine.
Boomer watched as he stumbled and fell forward. Trying to get to his feet, he was breathing hard. A rasping sound could be heard coming from his ruined face. He momentarily turned to face her and she got a full view of the damage crimson distortion waves could cause. She felt the taste of bile in her throat and had the urge to throw up. It was far worse than she’d imagined. He was missing his lower jaw.
He stood up tall—surprisingly, considering his injuries—and raised an arm. Not his shield arm but his other arm. Confused, Boomer glanced backward, over her shoulder. He had signaled the Tahli ministry members, standing above them on the upper base of the won structure, who then began firing. Bright distortion waves rained down through the misty air toward her friends and Mollie. Although they scrambled away, two had already fallen. Rizzo was returning their fire with his multi-gun as Leon leaned over one of those fallen. Oh, God … please don’t let it be Mollie!
She was sure it was her. Boomer ran, using her shield to propel herself even faster, practically flying across the rocky surface toward the others. She reached Leon, positioned over the prone body, and fell to her knees next to him. Leon stood and joined the fight. Distortion waves continued to streak by overhead and around them. Thump thump thump erupted from Rizzo’s, and now Leon’s, multi-guns. But none of that mattered—all that mattered was the figure lying so still before her. The surface of her visor was a melted mess.
“Mollie! Oh, God … Mollie!” Boomer pulled the lifeless body into her arms and screamed and wailed. She knew she was dead. She’d been around enough dead to know. She knew there would be no bringing her back in the MediPod. She was gone … her sister—a living part of herself—was gone forever.
At some level she sensed the team around her had moved toward the base of the statue. They were attacking the ministry members. Kill them … kill them all! Boomer thought. She buried her face into Mollie’s chest.
At some level she heard it. A distant—wet—slurping sound coming from behind her. Boomer knew it was Zintar, but at that moment she didn’t care. He could kill her too. It didn’t matter now. Let him. Without Mollie …
“Boomer?”
Boomer froze, her back to the approaching Sahhrain leader. It wasn’t his voice, added to the fact he didn’t have a mouth to speak from. She knew it was Mollie’s voice. Boomer spun around, seeing Lord Zintar Shakrim’s two hands stretched out in front, with Mollie dangling four feet in the air. His hands were tightly clasped around her neck. Boomer could see the desperation on her face, even behind her visor. Boomer stole a quick glance down at the inert body on the rocks. It must be Rogna. Rogna had been killed—not Mollie. When had she joined them?
Boomer stood and faced them. Zintar released one hand’s hold but still continued to hold Mollie into the air with the other. She kicked and flailed but his arm didn’t waver. He pointed to Boomer’s shield and shook his mangled head—his meaning clear: Remove your enhancement shield or I’ll snap her neck.
Boomer briefly wondered if the Sahhrain still had the strength for such a feat, but did she want to chance it? She removed her shield and threw it to the ground. “Now what, asshole?”
He raised his free arm, the one holding a shield, and pointed its face at Boomer. Mollie screamed for Boomer to run—get away—but Boomer simply stared back at Zintar. He was going to kill her, she was sure of that. At this range … he couldn’t miss.
Lord Zintar Shakrim fired.
Chapter 57
Jason left Ricket and Bristol at the MicroVault terminal and headed for the bridge. As much as his mind was on the ensuing space battle—Boomer and Mollie truly consumed most of his thoughts. Gunny had just informed him of the presence of a lone, Vastma-class warship down on the surface of Almand-CM5—one of Harpaign’s moons. The same desolate moon Leon had navigated the Stellar and his daughters to in search of the last won effigy. His thoughts raced, and his heart rate doubled within his chest. Were his daughters alive? Had they arrived there only to discover a trap waiting? Was Zintar finally getting his revenge on him at this very moment?
Jason strode onto the bridge, grabbing a quick glimpse at the above logistical display.
“Cap … I believe whatever Ricket and Bristol devised may be working. It’s a bit early to tell but—”
“Gunny! Dammit … the girls!”
Orion, shocked by his anger, pointed at another, separate, logistical feed on the wrap-around display. Jason stared at it but wasn’t mollified in the least. “What the hell am I looking at?”
“I’ve zeroed in on the surface of the moon … of Almand-CM5. There’s a large structure there that’s not in our database. I’ve locked on to the team’s combat suits.”
Jason now spotted the yellow icons—several stationary, others moving. Above each one was their respective callout. When he saw Mollie’s, some of his tension eased. He then saw Leon’s and Hanna’s, then Rizzo’s, and several names he didn’t recognize. He also noticed several red icons that were immobile. He looked over at Orion, his eyes pleading.
“I’m sorry, Captain. I … I … haven’t been able to locate Boomer yet. We’re too far a distance for precise organic scans. And … it’s reading similar to Loma City … there may be high amounts of Glist in the area. I wouldn’t take it to mean anything.”
“I need to get down there.”
“Now?” Orion asked, staring up at the wrap-around display and at the multiple battle-feeds showing.
Jason looked up at the war now raging in progress and eventually nodded. A ship’s captain does not leave his post in the midst of battle … not ever … no matter what the circumstances. He sat down in the command chair. “Give me an update on the swarm droids … tell me they’re working out.”
Orion gave him a sympathetic nod. “I think they are, Cap … I think they are.”
* * *
Boomer, upon seeing the flash of bright light emitted, waited. She was still waiting and still standing. Her chest hurt like blazes, but that was from before. Why was she still upright? Still alive? Boomer’s eyes had never left Mollie’s.
Only then did it register on her: The huge flashes weren’t from distortion waves but from multiple plasma bolts.
Mollie fell to the ground—released from Zintar’s now-wavering grasp. She clutched her throat but otherwise seemed okay. Zintar, on the other hand, was not. Boomer saw two blackened scorch marks on his abdomen. The Sahhrain leader teetered about on his feet, and then, like a toppling sequoia, fell backward—dead even before hitting the ground.
“It took me a while.”
Boomer watched as Mollie rose to her feet. “It took me a while to remember that these new suits have integrated wrist-plasma guns. Then I had to figure out how to shoot the damn things.”
Boomer rushed forward—throwing her arms ar
ound Mollie. “I thought he was going to kill you for certain.”
“I wasn’t going to let that happen,” Mollie said, hugging her back.
They separated and stared down at the motionless Sahhrain. Mollie said, looking at what remained of Zintar’s face, “That has to be one of the most disgusting sights I’ll ever see.”
Boomer had to agree—it was pretty nasty. She looked up, hearing running feet, as the rest of the team approached them. She did a quick headcount and thanked the stars above that no one else had been killed.
Drom, the first to reach them, said, “We’ve captured three of them … Tahli ministry members. They’re tied up and not going anywhere.”
Rizzo, somewhat out of breath, slowed to a halt. “Found an entrance into the statue. There are three open slots that look to be the size and shape of those two smaller won effigies we have.”
“We need the third one. Zintar’s,” Drom said.
As if on cue, their heads turned toward the distant warship.
Rizzo said, “There must be thousands of warriors on board. There’s no way …”
Boomer cut him off with a sudden, abrupt movement, lowering herself down to Zintar’s side. She’d noticed the pouch, hanging from his side during their battle, and thought it seemed relatively small in comparison to his huge, eight-foot-something, stature. But now, as she untied it from his belt, she realized the pouch was large enough. She stood, holding the satchel-like pouch in her hands, and handed it across to Drom. “I’ll let you do the honors.”
Drom hesitated, then took the satchel and quickly opened its top clasp. He reached in and pulled out the third won effigy. After a quick look, he handed it back to Boomer, then unslung the satchel and draped it over his shoulder. “Now we have all three won effigies.”
Boomer smiled and looked at the others. “C’mon, let’s go see if they fit inside those keyholes!”
Boomer (Star Watch Book 3) Page 30