by Aaron Hubble
Contents
Title Page
CHAPTER ONE
CHAPTER TWO
CHAPTER THREE
CHAPTER FOUR
CHAPTER FIVE
CHAPTER SIX
CHAPTER SEVEN
CHAPTER EIGHT
CHAPTER NINE
CHAPTER TEN
CHAPTER ELEVEN
CHAPTER TWELVE
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
CHAPTER NINETEEN
CHAPTER TWENTY
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
CHAPTER THIRTY
CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE
CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO
CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE
CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR
CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE
CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX
CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN
CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT
CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE
CHAPTER FORTY
CHAPTER FORTY-ONE
CHAPTER FORTY-TWO
CHAPTER FORTY-THREE
CHAPTER FORTY-FOUR
CHAPTER FORTY-FIVE
CHAPTER FORTY-SIX
CHAPTER FORTY-SEVEN
CHAPTER FORTY-EIGHT
CHAPTER FORTY-NINE
CHAPTER FIFTY
CHAPTER FIFTY-ONE
CHAPTER FIFTY-TWO
CHAPTER FIFTY-THREE
CHAPTER FIFTY-FOUR
CHAPTER FIFTY-FIVE
CHAPTER FIFTY-SIX
CHAPTER FIFTY-SEVEN
CHAPTER FIFTY-EIGHT
CHAPTER FIFTY-NINE
CHAPTER SIXTY
CHAPTER SIXTY-ONE
CHAPTER SIXTY-TWO
CHAPTER SIXTY-THREE
CHAPTER SIXTY-FOUR
CHAPTER SIXTY-FIVE
Stuff At The End
About The Author
Harbinger
Farpoint Initiative Book Three
by Aaron Hubble
Copyright © 2017 by Aaron Hubble
All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof
may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever
without the express written permission of the publisher
except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, organizations, places, and events appearing or described in this work are either the product of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or to actual events, is purely coincidental and the product of imagination.
Dedication
To Tracie
Who is always there
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CHAPTER ONE
Aereas - Alam, Ma’Ha’Nae city under the waters of Lake Keali eighty-nine days post human invasion
Calier sprinted out of the park that dominated the center of Alam like a living emerald. He struggled into his dark green sentinel jacket, moving his tablet from one hand to another. A tree branch jutted out into his path. Calier ducked and pirouetted around a young mother and her three small children. He muttered a quick apology and hurried toward the command hub.
He was late again.
The park was a good place to focus, think, and research. It was also a good place to lose yourself in a book, which he’d done.
Again.
A bench set under a towering tree had become his favorite spot, where he did most of his work as special consultant to Commander Jondon. Turns out all that useless knowledge of the Aerean continent and its history comes in handy when engaged in a war and trying to free your people.
To free Berit.
Calier said a prayer for the woman who’d become as close to him as a daughter during their harrowing march through Sho’el Forest. Everything he did as a sentinel he did in an effort to get her back.
Bursting out from the hedge wall, Calier crossed the street. He liked to be in the sentinel command hub when one of the missions he consulted on was taking place. Responsibility for those risking their lives weighed heavily on him. Especially when those in the field were dear to him. Maltoki and Denar regularly put themselves in danger as part of Ammaya’s group. Today they were attempting to free a group of mine workers.
Calier’s harried reflection stared back at him from the glass of the hub’s front doors. They parted when he drew near. Turning sideways, Calier slid between the narrow opening before the doors had a chance to open all the way. The brightly lit hallway emptied into a dim circular room with workstations set in tiers moving upward from the center. In the middle of the room a large holographic generator projected images and information from around the planet.
Jondon glanced at Calier and nodded. “Nice of you to join us, Professor.”
“Lost track of time,” Calier said, taking a deep breath to steady his racing heart. “How are we doing?”
Jondon raised an eyebrow and then refocused on the display hovering in front of him. Calier noticed the intensity in Jondon’s gaze and, for the first time, perceived the tension in the room. It was normally a serious place where important work was accomplished, but the feel was different today. A weight hung over the room and seemed to be settling on the broad shoulders of the commander.
“The humans weren’t fooled this time.”
Calier’s eyes widened. “They knew we were coming?”
“No, but they knew Ammaya’s team wasn’t who they were pretending to be. I think we can cross subterfuge off our list of tactics. We’ve done that one too many times now.”
Calier winced. Using the recovered Valkyrie and stolen human uniforms had worked well. They’d liberated several work camps and raided a supply depot. It sounded like he would need to think up a new tactic for the future.
“Where are we at?”
“The operation has gone south. Ammaya and her group are pinned down in a firefight with the humans. She’s attempting to pull back and abandon the operation, but it sounds like Maltoki has his own ideas.”
Calier rolled his eyes. “Doesn’t he always.”
CHAPTER TWO
Aereas - Somewhere over the Asimian Plains, eighty-nine days post human invasion
“Do you know the worst part about all of this?” Maltoki asked.
“Your constant whining,” said Ammaya. The snarky comment elicited chuckles from the rest of the sentine
ls who sat strapped into their seats on the pilfered human ship. The ship vibrated under them as it skimmed over the Asimian Plains toward their next target.
Ammaya’s quick barb made Maltoki stop talking.
“Come now, Captain. You love the sound of my voice,” he said.
“Not quite as much as you do.”
He forced a smile. “It’s these helmets. I can’t breathe in them.”
“I thought you didn’t like the helmets because they mess up your beautiful golden locks,” said Nena from opposite Maltoki.
Maltoki feigned disappointment. “Nena, I’m shocked you would join in with Ammaya and make comments at the expense of a brother just to elicit laughs from your comrades.”
“If you were my brother, I’d ask to be adopted,” said Nena.
The squad of Ma’Ha’Nae sentinels erupted into laughter at the second-in-command’s comment. Maltoki laughed as well, never one to take himself seriously. The squad was loose and confident. Their success over the past few weeks had bred optimism into the group.
All except Denar.
Maltoki glanced at his stony faced companion. He was glad to have Denar on the team, but, man, the guy could crack a smile every once in a while.
Whatever. He was the best fighter on the team. Maltoki figured that mattered the most. He’d been through hell with the man after the invasion. They’d fought killer animals in Sho’el and warred against the humans together. Maltoki wouldn’t call Denar a close friend, nobody would, he was a brother and Maltoki was thankful for that.
Maltoki watched Ammaya check her gear. Maltoki had developed a begrudging respect for the woman and couldn’t help but be impressed by Ammaya. The captain was quick, intelligent, and possessed the ability to make the tough calls. Several times her shrewd decisions had saved the members of her team, Maltoki included.
Actually, Maltoki more than any of the others.
Taking risks was part of his DNA. While Ammaya followed her head, Maltoki followed his feelings and instincts. Sometimes it worked out spectacularly, and other times the quick thinking of his captain was the only thing that saved him from a messy end.
Even though he respected her, he still didn’t like her much. She’d prevented him from going back into Sho’el to look for Berit after her sentinels had rescued him and his friends from the humans. Thinking logically, Maltoki acknowledged if he’d gone into the forest that night, with his wounds, he would’ve died and Berit would still be gone. At least he would have tried to get his friend back.
He ground his teeth at the memory and the fact that, so far, nothing had been done to find Berit or any of the other Am’Segid women who’d been captured. Not for lack of trying by his friend, Calier. The professor had proposed multiple plans only to have every one of them shot down.
“ETA at the mine in ten minutes.” Cirta’s voice came over the comm from the cockpit of the craft. Maltoki picked up his commandeered human rifle and checked its power level and ammunition. All full.
His stomach fluttered like it had every time he’d engaged the humans since becoming a sentinel. The first time had been the worst, but once he was in the fight, everything cleared up and he was able to focus on the mission. That first day, he’d earned the nickname ‘ayin’ after the high-flying, sharp-eyed bird of prey that hunted the plains bordering Sho’el.
His long range shot had killed the pilot of the vessel they now rode in and prevented the humans from escaping. Now the team regularly turned to him for those type of shots. The humans didn’t give up and they would fight until they had drawn their last breath. Maltoki was more than happy to help them with that last breath.
“I have a visual,” said Cirta.
All heads turned, and the squad looked out the windows into the recently reopened mine. The humans had erected several squat rectangular buildings around the mine entrance. Maltoki could make out little black figures, soldiers wearing the same uniform he was now wearing. The clothes suddenly felt constrictive and abrasive to his skin. He hated even pretending to be one of them, hated their clothing and the strange script that made up their words. It all felt so wrong to him.
Wire fence looped around the perimeter of the camp forming a circle. The inside of the circle was brown and dusty, all the plains grass having been trampled. Outside of the fence, lush plains grass stretched for miles.
Life on the outside. Death within the circle.
From experience he knew the wire was razor sharp and no one stood a chance of getting through if they tried.
His people were being kept like animals.
He seethed with anger, his fingers curling around the rifle’s forearm. Ammaya’s voice beside him brought him out of his self-imposed prison of hate, and his hand relaxed.
“You all know your jobs. Bacca, Melar, and Zakari, put on your best acting faces and own the role of beaten prisoner.” The three men nodded. They wore ragged and dirty clothes, their hair was wild and unkempt and their beards had been allowed to grow and go untrimmed. “Your sidearms are hidden well?”
The three men nodded and Bacca lifted his shirt to reveal a small, slim handgun nestled tightly under his left arm, secured by a form-fitting holster.
“I want Maltoki and Nena out front with me. The rest of you…” She nodded to the six others who sat in stolen black uniforms. “Act calm, follow my lead and be ready to act. They’re becoming more wary of unannounced prisoner transfers. This may be the last time we can use this ploy. I don’t want to press our luck too far and get people killed. Disable the soldiers. I need two men to secure the entrance, and the rest to enter the mine and fight your way to our brothers. We won’t have much time to do this, so don’t stand around enjoying the scenery. Any questions?”
Maltoki observed the squad members arrayed around the cabin. All were quiet, the only sound was the engines pushing the craft towards its rendezvous. The mood of the cabin had shifted quickly, the light-heartedness of several minutes ago replaced with the somber, serious faces of those preparing to meet a challenge head-on.
Cirta’s voice came once again over the comm. “I’ve transmitted the landing request and it’s been granted. Seems they trust us so far. Two minutes, ladies and gentlemen.”
The intensity of the vibration running through the decking changed, increasing as Cirta ignited the landing thrusters and began decreasing the power to the primary engines. The ship slowed, and Maltoki felt it begin to circle and then drop toward the ground. He put on his helmet and lowered the visor.
“Here comes the welcoming committee,” said Nena.
Through the window Maltoki saw the soldiers approaching. The rage began to build in him again, and he flexed his gloved hand around the trigger guard. Taking a deep breath, he tried to calm himself and remember what they were here for. There were prisoners here who needed to be freed. That was the top priority. He worked hard to remember that fact.
As Cirta lowered the ramp at the rear of the ship, sunlight leaked in, brightening the dim interior. Ammaya and Maltoki walked out first followed closely by the three “prisoners” and then Nena. The remaining six disguised Ma’Ha’Nae fanned out around the ship.
Three human soldiers met them at the bottom of the gangway. One stepped forward, his hand resting on the butt of a handgun secured to his side.
“What do we have here?” asked the man who must have been the ranking officer.
Maltoki always tensed at this part of the play. Ammaya had learned several phrases from the pilot of the ship who had attacked him and his group of friends in Sho’el before they were rescued by the Ma’Ha’Nae. The human woman had been very helpful, but Maltoki still didn’t trust her. She was human, after all.
“New prisoners from Gadol City.”
The man regarded her for several seconds. “I received no communication with regards to new prisoners. Not that we couldn’t use more.” The human shrugged and spat on the ground. “The ones we have are starting to wear out.”
Maltoki heard the words in his own lang
uage via the translator in his helmet. He wished he hadn’t heard what the man had said. It took every ounce of his self-control to stop himself from smashing the butt end of his rifle into the human’s face. He knew Ammaya had heard what the man was saying as well, but didn’t know what words to use to respond. She remained silent.
“Let me check on this transfer.” He started to move back toward one of the buildings and then stopped and turned around. “Why don’t you take your helmets off and come into my office. It must be stuffy behind that visor.” His hand drifted back to the butt of his sidearm.
Maltoki watched Ammaya standing motionless, looking for a cue as to what his captain was going to do. With slow, graceful steps she moved toward the leader of the human group, releasing the strap that held her helmet in place. Stopping in front of the man, she hesitated and Maltoki grinned behind his visor.
Things were about to get interesting.
Ammaya removed the helmet and shook out her long brown tresses, accented with ebony ribbons of hair from her temples. The man’s hand was on his gun, but Ammaya was faster. Her open hand caught the man square in the face and he staggered backward.
Maltoki released the self-control he’d kept, and rammed the butt of his rifle into the human soldier closest to him. Fighting broke out all around him, and he felt the thrill of the fight course through his veins.
It was time to stretch his muscles a bit.
****
Maltoki had a grading system for fights. It ranged from barely worth effort, to a full-on, bare your teeth and wonder if you will survive kind of fight.
This one was one of those fights.
He dived behind a large iron rail car and skidded to a stop next to Ammaya and Denar. The captain leaned over him and fired several times at the humans emerging from the mine entrance and the surrounding buildings.
“I get the feeling they saw through our disguises.” Rolling over, he sighted down the rifle and dropped two more humans before a barrage of bullets ripped across the ground forcing him behind the car.