by John Walker
“I have more bad news,” Kivda said. “Our shuttle went down on the surface. It’s off the scanner. Certainly destroyed.”
“What in the name of all that’s holy has happened here?” Renz looked around at the bridge crew. “You have all failed me today. Every single one of you.” The ship shook from an attack, another blow to their side. He had no idea who threw it but it didn’t matter. “Report on ship status?”
“Main thrusters are down,” Inda replied, “power dropping on weapons. They’ve hit our primary generators. I can get them back up in a moment, but…”
“No.” Renz shook his head. “Emergency detachment. Break us away and engage warp.” He looked at Kivda. “Someone will pay for this failure. With their lives, I suspect.” He fell silent, scowling as the others worked to comply. “Detonate the reactor as we break free. Leave them with something to worry about.”
My father is going to lose his mind about this. Renz felt he had not been properly prepared for the opposition. He would bring it up when they returned home. And then I’m coming back for the Triton. And for you, Griel. Neither of you will live long to enjoy your little victory.
***
“Whoa!” Violet shouted. “Back up, Jane! Straight back, don’t deviate your course in any other direction!”
“What’s wrong?” Jane complied as she asked the question. The viewscreen burst to life, making Titus wince. A bright flash dimmed, revealing the Brekka. A full spread of torpedoes from Renz’s vessel slammed into it. “Oh my God. They just saved our lives, didn’t they? That would’ve…”
“Yeah,” Violet said, “that would’ve been enough to finish us off. Griel’s on comms, sir.”
“Put him through,” Titus said. “Hey, better late than never, huh?”
“Sorry about the tardiness,” Griel replied. “Shall we finish him off now?”
“With pleasure.” Titus gestured to Jane. “Get us into position and open fire.”
“Make it fast,” Griel said, “he’ll probably… no!”
“Massive energy build up,” Violet reported. “I think… that’s their reactor going critical.”
Rhys leaned forward. “And how bad is that?”
“Bad!” Griel replied. “Fall back! That sack of filthy son of a Teshian…” The rest of what he had to say faded as the engines engaged, pulling them away from the Kahl vessel.
Titus narrowed his eyes, watching as the front section seemed to detach from the whole. It moved a good twenty feet before engaging their warp, winking out of the system in a flash. That’s quite the escape. “Did you see that?” he asked Rhys. “I think they just up and left. That’s…”
“Yes,” Griel said, “that’s Renz for you. Got away again.” He rattled something off in his own language, an epithet Titus felt lucky he couldn’t translate.
The rest of the ship exploded, a bright red and blue flash that faded quickly. Seconds afterward, the Triton shook from a shockwave. I wonder how far that will go. Violet called out that their shields dropped. It would’ve been way worse if we hadn’t gotten away from it. He let out a deep breath.
“Rhys, get the shuttle home.” Titus stood. “Griel, that was some serious timing. Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.” Griel appeared on the screen. “Why did they show up here? What’s going on? I thought this was some kind of distress call from some of your scientists.”
“The Kahl must be why they called for help.” Titus stepped forward. “As to why, I guess we’ll find out when they get here. For right now, do you think the Kahl will be back any time soon?”
“No. Those escape shuttles aren’t fast. It’ll take them the better part of a day to get any help let alone find someone to come back here. That’s not to say we should dawdle. Get your people out of there and we’ll talk again.” Griel sighed. “Talk to you soon, Captain. Brekka out.”
***
Tiller burst out of the forest into the clearing. The rest of his unit pressed themselves against the trees, firing at the enemy soldiers as they attempted to advance. Off in the distance, the shuttle engines roared overhead.
It was coming in, but would it be there fast enough? I kinda doubt it.
Their position was about to be overrun. They couldn’t do enough immediate damage to prevent the Kahl from just charging. At that point, they hadn’t bothered but if they knew they were about to lose… well, he had a feeling they might throw caution to the wind.
“Andrews is on his way,” Gunny said, “the enemy shuttle’s down. We need to be ready to board right away.”
Hans scoffed. “Andrews, strafe the woods near our position. Hit them before you come around to pick us up or we’ll never make it to board.”
Accurate, Tiller thought. He shot one of the Kahl dead in the chest. The man stumbled then took cover, returning fire. We need to juice these things up. We can’t be expected to shoot someone three to four times to put them down.
Vesper cried out as she hit the ground. Her shoulder smoldered from a hit to the left. She crawled to her feet, retaking her position. Another of their unit went down a moment later. He didn’t get up. Tiller couldn’t remember his name. The HUD showed they were down to six people besides the archaeologists.
Kyle grabbed the rifle from the fallen, blasting away. Thank God he realizes what’s at stake here.
The enemy started the charge, laying down a constant stream of fire. Hiding in cover was all they could do. Poking their heads out risked instant death but not shooting meant dying in a few moments.
“Grenades!” Gunny shouted. “Throw them all!”
They tossed their ordnance, ten spread out across the path the enemy had to take. As they burst, they cast flames in all direction along with a strong burst of energy. A couple trees went down instantly, others became torches as black smoke engulfed the area. Andrews buzzed them, opening up with blasters on his wings.
Any chance of keeping the forest from burning to the ground went out the window. Screams of the dying competed with the crackle of wood. Their ride swooped around, coming in low near the middle of the clearing. Gunny called for them to fall out. Tiller risked a glance around his cover, watching as several Kahl ran around on fire.
Like napalm, Tiller thought. They can’t put it out. And it must react to the compound in their armor as well. He doubted they could get it off in time so they were cooked inside it. Incinerated like they were stuck in an over. That’s about as horrifying as it gets. He shoved away, ensuring Vesper was on her way as well.
“Get on here now!” Andrews shouted. “There are still some guys out there that might be dangerous!”
A few rogue beams came bursting out of the flames, slapping the side of the shuttle. Tiller thought the shields would react but instead, the hull blackened. Oh God! The defenses are down! That put an extra spring in his step. Gunny brought the two archaeologists on the ship first. He waved at the others.
Vesper went on just before Tiller. He hopped on, glancing back as two Kahl soldiers hustled out, taking aim. “Crap!” He ducked as the ship took off… then one of the turrets cut their opponents down. “That was… wow.”
“Get your ass in here,” Gunny pulled him away from the ramp. “Strap in! Everyone! Andrews! Topside. Right now!”
Tiller checked on Vesper. She waved him off. He flopped down next to the lady archaeologist. “Hi!” He waved. “I’m Martin!”
“Lysa…” she breathed. “Thanks for the rescue.”
“All in a day’s work, right?” Tiller grinned, even as Vesper smacked his arm. “What?”
“Just… be quiet. No one’s got time for you.”
I dunno. I think they all do. The adrenaline high wouldn’t wear off for a while. When it did, the gravity of the situation might hit him hard. The men they lost, the fighting they did… but just then, he was thrilled to be alive. This was much better than a security job. This was exactly what I wanted.
Epilogue
Kyle sat at a table in the briefing room aboard the Triton. T
he last twenty-four hours swam in his heat, making it hard to process exactly what happened. Lysa rested her head on her arms beside him, eyes closed. They’d been through some crazy experiences in their time but never anything quite so dangerous.
Not even during our military tours.
Commander Labeau personally saw them to their own quarters where they got cleaned up. Kyle kept the cube nearby, even as he showered. When he finished, he changed into a provided uniform then accepted an escort to the briefing room. Captain Barnes promised to join them soon along with some other people to discuss what happened.
We got attacked by aliens, Kyle thought. That’s what happened.
“You okay?” Kyle asked.
Lysa didn’t open her eyes. “Yep.”
“Feel like shit?”
“Yep.”
“Me too.” Kyle wanted sleep. Real rest… in a bed. The loss of their ship weighed on him. They had worked hard to get that thing. Insurance might cover the cost of a replacement but certainly not everything inside. He let out a deep breath. “What’re we going to do, Lysa? I mean… we’re kind of ruined.”
“I don’t think so.” Rhys entered the room. “Not after what you guys have been through. Unfortunately, you won’t be able to talk about any of this publicly. Not for a while yet, at least.”
“Why not?” Lysa sat up. “What’re you talking about? And how did you get here so fast? What’s going on, Commander?”
Kyle added, “Did you already know aliens were out here?”
“Yes,” Rhys replied, “but only recently.”
“You’re kidding!” Kyle slapped the table. “We’re not the first.”
“Technically, no.” Rhys shrugged. “But you did make this find.” He gestured to the cube. “Do you know what that is?”
“We didn’t have a chance to study it,” Lysa said. “And all our tools are gone.”
Three more people entered. One, a TCN officer with black hair, dark eyes. He wore the captain’s insignia. They’d only spoken to him through the comm at that point so it was good to see him in person.
The next was a shorter man with white-gold hair and teal eyes. Other than those striking features, he looked just like them. The fact he wasn’t wearing a TCN uniform made it fairly obvious he had to be an alien though Kyle held on to skepticism. He could have been an eccentric with contacts.
The final individual was a woman with vibrant red hair. Her eyes were mint-green. They practically glowed. He couldn’t place her age nor the man like her but they couldn’t have been much over thirty… possibly in their mid to late twenties. Neither of them immediately spoke. Instead, the TCN officer stepped forward.
“I’m Captain Titus Barnes.” They all shook hands. “This is Griel Pas Dain and Niva Lon Tilas. They are Prytins… aliens by our standards.”
Kyle stood, swallowing hard as he extended his hand to them. “It’s a real honor to meet you. I’ve… we’ve spent our lives looking for signs of you. Anything to indicate you existed.”
“Looks like you succeeded,” Griel replied. He shook his hand. “We’ve been studying you for a long time. It seems you’ve stumbled on an ancient Kahl site.”
“This cube.” Niva stepped forward. “I’ve never seen anything like it.” She waved a device over it. “The dense outer shell is protecting the inside from my scanner.”
“So you don’t know what it is?” Lysa asked. “It’s not… from your culture?”
“No.” Griel shook his head. “You encountered the Kahl. We can tell you more about them later but suffice to say, they’re the most dangerous thing in the universe right now. And if they sent that ship to secure this, it’s important.”
“So what do we do with it?” Titus asked. “Do you have people that can figure it out?”
“That’ll be our jobs,” Griel replied. He gestured to Kyle and Lysa. “You both survived some pretty ridiculous odds. I’m guessing you’d rather not sit the rest of this out. Am I correct in that assessment? There would be no shame in suggesting we drop you off at the nearest colonial headquarters.”
“Truth is,” Titus jumped in, “I’ve looked over your records. You can handle yourselves and depending on what our examination of that cube uncovers, we could use your expertise. I don’t have anyone with your training aboard.”
Lysa stood. “If you’re not forcing me out, then I’m staying with our find. We lost everything for it and I’ll be damned if I’m ready to walk away.”
“Me too.” Kyle joined her. “We’re ready to do our part. To learn about the… the Prytins. The Kahl. Everything. Thank you for not being like the regular military and kicking us out.”
“Rhys,” Titus turned to the Commander, “add these two to the roster. I’ll prepare a report for high command.” He gestured to Griel, “am I to believe we’ll be sticking together at this point?”
Griel nodded. “I think your performance will pull General Renz back into the field. And when he comes to get his revenge, I’ll be there to put him down. So I won’t be leaving your side for a while, captain. The Brekka and the Triton will figure out what this device is together and when we do, maybe it’ll turn the tide of this war.”
“Agreed.” Titus clapped his hands. “Let’s secure that cube and let you two get some food and rest. I think you’ve more than earned it. Feel free to reach out when you’re up and about for a tour of the ship. We’ve got plenty to talk about and catch you up on. I hope you’re ready, because you’ve stepped into a brand-new world.”
Yeah, I get that. Kyle turned to Lysa. “Are you?”
Lysa nodded. “More than.”
***
Milna took a punch to the face, allowing the momentum to throw her against the flexible tethered wall of the small arena. A roar from the crowd echoed in the warehouse. Blood flowed freely from her nose, coating her lips. She could taste the gore, spitting some on the dusty floor as her opponent grabbed her shoulders.
As she came away from the wall, she jammed her elbow into her attacker’s gut, knocking the wind out of them. The blow also loosened their grip enough for her to shake free. Spinning in place, she landed a left and right hook in rapid succession, cracking them on the cheeks.
The man swayed, stumbling away with his hand raised defensively. Coarse sand worked its way between her toes as she poised to go after him, flexing the muscles in her legs. They wore cloth wraps around their groins and over their shoulders, forming a harness of sorts that provided them both with some upper body modesty.
Blood coated the white fabric on each of them, navy splatters from their previous opponents. The arena’s pitted men and women against one another for a variety of reasons, anything from misunderstandings to outright personal arguments to those in need of money. Milna entered under the pretense of desperation, to get out of a debt.
One that might land in her a prison camp if she didn’t work it off quickly. Hence the excuse for hand-to-hand combat… the kind they’d all been trained for during their time in the military. The background of a Kahl made them all dangerous on some level, though the elder they got, the further they got from their understanding of combat.
Milna sprung forward, charging her target. She needed him to last a little longer, to put her in a truly desperate situation to excuse her plan. To that end, she swung wide, praying he had the peace of mind to evade or block. If not, she’d finish him off and likely be back the next time, wasting several cycles in the process.
He ducked at the last second. Milna made a show of striking the tether, allowing her hand to become entangled. The man roared, wrapping his hand around her forehead. He yanked on her, trying to make her bend backward. She writhed her hand free of the rope wall, stumbling with him.
She saw his hand raise above her, forming a fist he might bring down like a hammer. Using her right hand, she caught it before he could get her in the throat. That deflection could’ve turned into something fatal for him but she let him go as he brought her to the ground. Wrapping his legs around her waist,
he attempted to get a stranglehold with his forearm.
Milna dug her fingertips into his arm as he started to squeeze. She found the pressure points, giving him a moment of desperate, hopeful grunting. His sounds rose above the crowd as they went wild, belting out their pleasure at the potential end. Many of them did not indulge in violence themselves so they looked forward to witnessing it from others.
Those arenas were not entirely legal. Often the authorities looked the other way. If that man killed Milna, there’d be no investigation. Her body would be disposed of and everyone there would move on with their lives until the next time. She estimated at least one person died every three matches or so.
The chance of death compelled the spectators though they screamed a little louder when a neck broke or a body went limp.
Voices came to her as her hearing tunneled. She heard them crying out for her life, ordering him to finish her off. It must’ve been getting bad. Either the look on her face or the color of her lips… something compelled them to believe it was close. But they were so wrong and in a few short moments…
Digging her fingers into the pressure points, the constriction on her throat immediately loosened. She took a quick breath then twisted his forearm, one hand down the one nearest his elbow up. The snap from his shoulder sounded out, drawing a shocked gasp from the audience.
As he tried to scamper away, Milna let out a cry of rage, spinning on him. She pounced on him, screaming wildly while bringing her fist down on him. He tried to block, using his injured arm the first time. The blow must’ve been excruciating, as his mouth opened wide, and his eyes rolled back in his head.
Her next shot got him in the throat. She hit him until the tension there turned soft. Blood flowed freely from the sides of his mouth. Dead eyes stared up at her but she didn’t stop. Not until two people pulled her off of him. Even then, she kicked him twice before calming down. The two men tossed her against the wall, holding their arms up defensively.