The Complete Void Wraith Saga

by Chris Fox

  Sissus despaired. It was too much to expect a random line soldier in an alien army to overcome a victor in the Imperial Games. Krekon had won twice, and been invited nine times—more than any other warrior in a generation.

  The mech suddenly reversed momentum, stepping inside Krekon’s reach. It rammed a metal shoulder into Krekon’s chest, knocking him into a pillar. The mech wrapped its arms around Krekon, but Krekon managed to free an arm.

  He raised the axe, bringing it down in a wicked slash. The weapon slammed into the mech’s head, shattering the visor and sinking deep into the chest.

  It was over.

  37

  Surprise

  A sharp, humming blade punched through the top of Nolan’s mech. It stopped inches from his face, blocking his view of the screen. The internal lights went red, and a soft chiming echoed through the cockpit.

  Sweat trickled down his face, and his heart thundered. If Krekon moved the blade even a few inches, the cockpit would get a whole lot messier. He leaned back in the command couch, getting as far from the blade as possible.

  “Captain, we’ve lost—” Kay began.

  “Not now,” Nolan interrupted. He jerked his mech backward, releasing Krekon, and swung his right arm up blindly, knocking the Ganog away. Nolan groped for a moment, his hand settling around the haft of the axe still embedded in his mech.

  He wrenched it free, allowing him to see the screen again. “Oh, crap.”

  The damage was immense. A V-shaped chunk was missing from his mech’s head and chest, and the view screen had gone dark. He could see Krekon through the hole in his mech, and was painfully aware how easily the Ganog could ram an arm inside the mech and crush him to paste.

  Krekon launched a roundhouse kick. The blow caught Nolan’s mech in the chest, and he was suddenly in free fall. He slammed into the ferrocrete, the force of the blow carrying him across the floor in a shower of sparks. Somehow he kept a grip on the axe.

  Nolan flipped into the air, landing in a crouch.

  “You’ve fought well, but it is time to die, human. I will see that your body is treated with honor.” Krekon charged, leaping into the air. His back slammed into the ceiling, showering them with rust as he came down on Nolan’s mech. They tumbled to the ground.

  “Kay, open tubes two through four, and fire,” Nolan ordered, releasing the mech’s control gauntlets. He leaned behind him, seizing the helmet from the netting where he’d left it. He slammed the helmet into place, sealing it with a hiss.

  “Tubes open, Captain. We’ve suffered—”

  “Halt all damage reports,” Nolan ordered, seizing the control gauntlets. Football-sized fingertips seized the hole in the mech’s chest. “Kay, fire. Now.”

  Three missiles shot from Nolan’s right shoulder into Krekon’s side. The detonation sent out a wave of flame and debris that flung Nolan and Krekon apart. Fire filled the cockpit, washing harmlessly over his environmental armor. The heat leaked through his faceplate.

  Nolan rolled to his feet, circling warily as Krekon did the same. The elite approached cautiously, feinting toward him in an attempt to provoke a reaction. Nolan ignored the feint, waiting for Krekon to commit his whole body.

  He knew he was on the defensive. His visibility was now limited to seeing through the gap in his mech’s chest. As alarming as looking directly at Krekon was, he was happy he couldn’t see the damage indicators. The fact that his mech was still at all functional was a testament to Kathryn’s incredible engineering.

  Krekon finally realized that Nolan wasn’t trying to trick him, and he sprinted around to flank Nolan. Nolan lost sight of him, fighting to turn the mech quickly enough to see his opponent. Something slammed into his mech’s back and he stumbled forward, then lashed out blindly behind him with the axe.

  The blow whistled harmlessly through the air.

  “I must commend you, Captain.” Krekon’s tone was all smugness. “I thought I had you, but you surprised me with those missiles. If my species were as frail as yours, I would be dead now.”

  Nolan spun toward the voice. Krekon waited half a dozen meters away, hopping back and forth from foot to foot like a boxer.

  “May you escape the gaze of the Nameless Ones.” Krekon juked to the left, then sprinted at Nolan.

  Nolan tossed the axe at Krekon, whose eyes widened slightly. Krekon’s hand snapped up, plucking the weapon out of midair. He raised it high over his head, bringing it down in a tight arc toward the hole he’d already made.

  “I hope this works,” Nolan breathed. He urged his mech forward, tackling Krekon in another bear hug. The move put him inside Krekon’s reach, and the axe overshot his shoulder, hitting nothing. “Kay, override the firing controls on the particle cannon.”

  “But Captain, if—”

  “I know. Just do it,” Nolan ordered. He rammed Krekon against a pillar, pinning him in place. Krekon had the arm with the axe free, which was the truly crappy part of this plan.

  That axe punched into the back of Nolan’s mech, making a hole similar to the one in the chest. Nolan shrank down into the couch, the humming blade like a nest of angry wasps right behind his ear.

  “Cannon online, sir,” Kay said.

  Nolan fired.

  The weapon was trapped between Krekon and the pillar. Since the end had been cut off, and the barrel damaged, there was no way for the weapon to fire properly. Instead, the cannon exploded. The force of the explosion created a wave of shrapnel and superheated particles, which had nowhere to go but through Krekon.

  Nolan leaned into the blow, keeping Krekon pinned against the remains of the pillar—not an easy feat in a mech that suddenly had one less arm.

  Krekon’s eyes lost focus, and he coughed up a mouthful of blood. Nolan rammed the shattered remains of his mech’s head into Krekon’s face with a sickening crunch. Krekon’s nose shattered. His face was a mass of blood.

  “Y-you are…quite surprising. Ask T’kon…to say the rites,” Krekon whispered, each word weaker than the previous. His body went limp.

  Nolan dropped him, bending to pick up the axe as he stepped away.

  Everyone was staring, particularly the surviving Ganog elites. They eyed Nolan with horror, their mouths working as if they sought a way to blot out what they’d just witnessed.

  “Honor your word, Ganog,” T’kon bellowed. “Krekon’s body will be left with carrion, but yours will be treated with honor.”

  The surviving elites dropped to their knees.

  T’kon turned toward Nolan. “Captain, normally it would fall to you to execute them.”

  “I’m not sure my mech can even walk that far.”

  “Very well.” T’kon moved to stand behind the pair of elites. “Go into oblivion with placid minds. I will attend to your rites.” He raised the sword he’d commandeered, and beheaded them with two swift strokes. Neither cried out.

  Nolan leaned back into his couch, closing his eyes. It had been a hell of a day so far.

  “Captain, reactor shielding has been damaged.” Kay’s voice warbled, the result of a damaged speaker. “I recommend shutting down. I hate to say it, but your mech is no longer viable in combat.”

  “Noted. Eject your core, Kay. Let’s rescue Edwards and get the hell out of here.”

  38

  The Fate of Edwards

  Nolan climbed from the remains of his mech, dropping heavily to the ground several meters below. His armor absorbed the shock, but he still stumbled.

  Hannan had already exited her mech, and moved to support him. “Easy. I’ve got you sir.”

  He started limping toward the caved-in area of the garage where Edwards had gone down. “I’m fine. Get Lena and the Whalorian up here,” he ordered, the exhaustion making his body heavier than it should have been. His vision was unfocused, and he struggled to bring it into clarity. He paused to lean against a pillar. “Burke, you around?”

  “You look like shit, Nolan.” Burke came trotting over, Nuchik in tow. “Let’s get that helmet off.�
�� Burke pulled Nolan’s helmet over his head, peering first into one eye, then the other. “Yeah, I figured. You’re fatigued from the planet’s higher gravity. It’s just exhaustion. You should be fine.”

  “We don’t have time for this. We’re going to need to get out of here, ASAP. Sissus, I see you lurking back there. How long until they send another kill squad?” Nolan unzipped a pocket on the wrist of his suit, removing a pair of stims. He popped them, the pills instantly dissolving on his tongue. A wave of energy washed through him, though he knew just how temporary it would be—an hour, maybe?— and then he’d have to deal with the exhaustion.

  Sissus hurried over, darting nervous glances at each of them. It couldn’t be easy being surrounded by potential enemies. “It will take time. Krekon was one of our finest warriors, and his death will be very unexpected. His cruiser will set down nearby, and it will wait for his orders. They may wait hours before attempting to communicate with Krekon, as they cannot know the defiler’s mind. He is harsh with failure, and may kill for being interrupted. That will work to our benefit. The warriors he left behind will be fearful. When they finally act, and do not get a response, they will be unsure how to proceed.”

  “Won’t they inform Fleet Command?” Nolan asked. The enemy’s lack of protocol was baffling, but it didn’t stop them from winning battles.

  “More likely the Fleet Commander will eventually summon them to answer for Krekon’s absence, and may be…displeased regarding Krekon’s death. The messenger doesn’t always survive.” Sissus blinked those slitted, reptilian eyes, chilling Nolan.

  “So we might have a few hours. We need to get clear of this garage as soon as possible, then get somewhere safe long enough to come up with a plan.” Nolan rose from the pillar, walking over to the cave-in. “Burke, can you and Nuchik see what you can salvage from the bodies? Annie, carry the elite-sized stuff. It could be useful.”

  “On it,” Burke said. He gave Nolan a quick nod, then trotted toward the closest bodies. “Nuchik, see what you can find on those Saurians.”

  Nolan turned to inspect the cave-in. There was no sign of Edwards, but he’d seen where the mech had gone down. He guessed there were between two and three meters of dense stone between him and his friend.

  “Nolan,” Lena called, sprinting up. Aluki waddled up a ways behind, trying to keep pace. “What happened? Where’s Edwards?”

  “Trapped under the rubble,” Nolan explained. “I picked up his power generator—about three meters in that direction.” He waited for Aluki to reach them before continuing. “I need the two of you to find a way through that rubble. We need to reach Edwards and remove his core.”

  “I understand your concern for the technology, but I do not think this is wise,” Sissus said. He shook his head, the neck going unnaturally far each time the head turned. “We must flee, and flee quickly. The storm covers our exit, and we must be far from here when Takkar responds. He may send the entire fleet—hundreds of elites, thousands of Saurians. We will never escape them all unless we leave now.”

  “The concern isn’t for the tech,” Nolan snapped. He took a step closer to Sissus, glaring up at the Saurian. “Edwards is a friend of mine. More than that, he’s part of my squad. We don’t leave people behind, not when we can get them out. You just told me we’ve got a little time until they alert Takkar.”

  “I will not remain for this folly.” Sissus gave a long, low hiss. “If you wish to squander your lives, do so. I will return to my people. I have tipped my hand, risked everything to save you fools.” He rounded on his heel, and began running up the ramp.

  “You want me to stop him, sir?” Hannan asked. She wore her helmet, but Nolan could still hear the quaver in her voice. Hannan had known Edwards even longer than he had.

  “No, let him go. We know where Sissrot is, and we can meet up after we free Edwards.” He turned back to Aluki. “How do we get him out of there?”

  “Mmm, I can do quick, or I can do safe.” She waddled up to a mostly intact pillar. “You want quick, right?”

  “We don’t have any other choice.” Nolan replaced his helmet, tightening the seal. “What do you need?”

  “Lift this beam, then use a plasma weapon to melt the rubble underneath. We can dig a narrow tunnel, and use that to reach the core.”

  “Hannan, get suited up. We’ll use your mech’s plasma blade. T’kon, think you’re strong enough to lift this pillar?”

  “It can be done.” T’kon walked over to the pillar, kneeling to inspect it. “It’s possible the pillar may break when shifted, and I do not believe any tunnel we create will be stable.”

  “Mmm, like I said…quick. Not safe. I’m smallest. I will crawl inside to get the core.” Aluki waddled over near T’kon, waiting patiently.

  The hydraulics on Hannan’s mech whirred to life as she joined T’kon. “Okay, looks like we’re ready, sir.”

  “Lift,” Nolan barked.

  T’kon’s muscles bulged, but at first the pillar didn’t move. There was a tremendous pop, then it began grinding upward. He lifted it up about six feet, resting the pillar on his bent knee. “Be swift. I felt it crack when I lifted it.”

  Hannan knelt, igniting her crackling, blue blade. She slowly pressed the weapon forward. Rubble dissolved to charred ash wherever the blade touched. Her mech leaned forward, the arm disappearing down the hole she’d created. It took several more seconds, but her mech’s arm disappeared all the way up to the shoulder.

  “That’s as far as I can go,” she said, slowly withdrawing.

  “Mmm, my turn.” Aluki waddled to the hole, squeezing inside. She ignited a plasma torch, disappearing out of sight.

  The next several minutes were agonizing. Nolan resisted the urge to yell out to Aluki, demanding an update. Instead, he forced himself away from the hole and spoke into his comm. “Burke, give me a status report.”

  “We’re just about ready to go. We’ve got seven rifles, a pile of melee weapons, and a few suits of working armor. Annie is working on a makeshift tray we can use to carry it all. We’ll make our way up to your level ASAP. How’s Edwards?”

  “Too soon to tell.” Nolan turned back to the hole. He could see movement.

  Aluki’s bulk squeezed out of the tunnel, and she reached around to her satchel. She withdrew a shimmering blue cube. “Got it!”

  “Nice work, Aluki. All right guys, let’s get the hell out of here before this storm dissipates.”

  39

  Deploy the Fleet

  “Admiral, we’re being hailed by Admiral Sheng,” Juliard said. The lieutenant commander had dark circles under her eyes, and her normally pristine uniform was rumpled from being slept in.

  “Put her on screen,” Fizgig ordered. She swiveled the chair to face the screen. Custom dictated she stand when addressing an equal, but her leg pained her. Protocol be damned.

  Sheng stood before the screen, her midnight uniform immaculately pressed. She had long, dark hair that she left loose. It was a rarity in the fleet, and one more reason Fizgig liked her. Sheng was an individual, and she wore it proudly.

  One of the odd tendencies the humans practiced was beating individuality out of their soldiers. Tigris were the opposite; they promoted the boldest individuals.

  “Admiral,” Sheng said, nodding. “The 2nd is fully re-outfitted and ready to fight. Standing by for your orders, sir.”

  “We’ll be making for Ganog 7. Have your captains prepare their vessel for Helios travel.” Fizgig ordered. She tapped a sequence on the arm of the chair, pinging Dryker on his priority channel. His face popped up next to Sheng’s, and Sheng blinked awkwardly at him.

  “Mr. President?” she asked.

  “Don’t give me that, Sheng. You’ve carried me home after a bar crawl. It’s still just Dryker, to you. Fizgig, are you ready to move out?” His words were light, but there was a deadly intensity to his gaze.

  “We are prepared, Dryker.” Fizgig forced herself to stand, wincing slightly as she straightened. “The theta
cannons will provide a momentary edge, an edge we will exploit.”

  “You know what’s on the line, Fizgig.” Dryker eyed her searchingly. “You know what the priority is here, right?”

  “Of course, Dryker. I am Tigris, not human. Getting Nolan out is important, but this battle must be won, no matter the cost. We must deliver a victory, to show these Ganog that we have teeth. Only a victory will cause them to hesitate, and we need that pause. It will take months to outfit every fleet.”

  “I know you know the stakes, old friend,” Dryker said. “But I also know how protective you are of Nolan. You need to let him go, like I did.”

  “Should I really be present for this?” Sheng asked.

  “Yes,” Fizgig snapped. “I wanted you to understand what is required of us. If we need to ram the enemy vessels in order to destroy them, then we will sacrifice ourselves. Victory is paramount, no matter the cost.”

  “If you’re asking whether or not I’m ready to die, Dryker can vouch for me. I fought at the Battle of Tigrana, Fizgig. I fought at the Battle of Earth. Every time we go out, we risk not coming back. This isn’t any different.”

  “Is she all she says she is?” Fizgig asked Dryker.

  “That and more. She’s one of our best, Fizgig. Give her a chance.”

  “I will give her a chance to prove herself,” Fizgig said, returning to her chair. “Dryker, we are moving out. We’ll wait in Ganog 7’s corona. So far as we know, they cannot detect our presence there.”

  “What do you plan to do if Nolan doesn’t signal you?” Dryker asked.

  “If he doesn’t signal, it means he is dead. If he is dead, then we will avenge him,” Fizgig promised. She ended the transmission, waving at Juliard. “Order all vessels to head to the coordinates we provided.”