Resurrection

by Jan Domagala

  “Just get in and fly the damn shuttle,” Jared ordered.

  “I’m just saying,” Mikal said determined to get his point across.

  “Is what he said accurate? Are our chances of getting away that slim?” Tovaric asked as they climbed aboard the shuttle.

  “What do you think Senator? You endangered a vital mission perpetrated by the General in charge of all Black Knight operations, virtually branding the man in question a traitor to his own people. Of course he’ll let you escape with no trouble, after all, it’s what you would do, isn’t it?” Jared said then he sat in his seat next to Mikal in the pilot’s chair. He indicated for the senator to take his seat in the passenger section. Tovaric was standing where he had left him with a blank expression as Jared’s words sank in.

  Finally he brought himself to move after extra urging from Jared and he allowed the automatic harness to secure him as he pondered his actions.

  “Take us up,” Jared said once the Senator was secure. With a scowl he said, “You enjoyed that.”

  Mikal smiled, and said, “Just a little.”

  They entered the upper traffic lanes of the cityscape above them and headed west out of the city.

  “Where are we going?” Tovaric asked when he saw the direction in which they were heading.

  “Out of the city traffic lanes,” Jared told him.

  “Of course, you can’t head for the upper atmosphere before then or it would trigger an automatic alarm as a breach of Traffic Code,” Tovaric said nodding his head as he realised his obvious mistake.

  “Yes, and we have enough people looking for us already without bringing any more down on us,” Mikal said from the pilot’s seat.

  Tovaric remained quiet for the rest of the journey through the city; he got the impression that the pilot was not too happy to have him on board.

  “Here we are,” Mikal said as the city limits approached.

  “Any sign of anyone tracking us?” Jared asked quietly.

  “No, but the moment we make our new heading you can bet someone will show up,” Mikal replied glancing across at his closest friend. They had been through a lot together and he knew his friend always had his back just as he had Jared’s, but they had never gone up against the might of an entire government before and because it was their own government it made it seem a little like a betrayal of sorts.

  Jared recognised the look he had just received and nodded his head in agreement. He felt the same and he hoped it was worth it.

  “Okay, let’s do this,” Jared said and Mikal engaged the shuttle’s main engine and kicked in the after burners to produce escape velocity.

  “Hold on tight back there, this could get a bit bumpy,” Mikal said as he gritted his teeth.

  III

  Col Sec HQ Nellis Base

  General Sinclair had been pacing his office on the base since his last report from his forces out in the field. Things had taken a turn for the worse and he hoped that sending the Atlantis, Odyssey and finally the Legend didn’t escalate the situation into a full-blown war.

  He stopped pacing as the familiar tingle informed him of a call being routed through his NI.

  “Go ahead,” he said in his usual calm steady voice.

  “Captain Biggs sir, Colonel De Boer thought you might want to know the situation here.”

  “Go ahead Captain, you have my full attention.”

  When Biggs had finished with his sit rep Sinclair let out the breath he had been holding.

  “I see,” he said, adding, “Thank you Captain, I will of course inform the Alliance High Council as to the situation out there. I will also send you some more ships to assist in the evacuation of those men. I’ll make sure I include engineers as there are bound to be certain sections of those ships that are inaccessible and they will need special equipment in order to reach any men trapped there.”

  “Thank you sir, I’ll inform the Colonel,” Biggs said.

  Sinclair closed the connection and slowly began to pace once more as his mind chewed over the new development. There was much at stake here and he knew he didn’t have the power to pull off what needed to be done. For this to end without further bloodshed, all the cards had to be placed face up on the table so that the two players could see what was being done. This was not the time for subterfuge but rather openness and transparency. In that respect he knew there was only one man who could do what needed be done. By the time he reached his desk he had formulated a plan and he sat down to compose himself.

  Running through what he was about to do one final time he accessed a secure comm. channel and made the call.

  “President Takagi, I have some urgent and troubling news for you,” he said.

  32

  I

  Tartaran

  The forward section of the Pulsar touched down outside the city entrance. Matt Hawk had been given a combat suit to wear the same as the others along with the same armament.

  “Okay, for those of you who have never been down here, watch the indigenous life. They will attack you on sight and they are deadly,” Jake said as he looked at Matt and the Red Team.

  His little speech garnered nods all around and he said, “Okay Artie, keep your sensors on us at all times. Relay the city schematics to our NIs with an overlay of the locations of Kurt, Zara and the Black Knights.”

  “I have already located all those you mentioned sir, and they are uploaded to all your NIs,” replied the AI.

  “That’s impressive,” Guardian said as he accessed the new information.

  “Artie is one of a kind,” Jake agreed. He looked around at all their faces. Matt and the Red Team looked exhausted but then he realised so did his own team. Perhaps not as much as the Red Team but he put that down to the added effects from the serum that increased their potential. “Okay people let’s do this, but let’s make one thing perfectly clear, watch each other’s back and we’ll all go home safely.”

  Again this was met with nods from all around him, bringing a smile to his stern features. He turned and walked down the open ramp that led to the ground.

  They all ran across the landing pad that by now was festooned with other shuttles from the Alliance forces. Guardian watched the Wildfire Team lead the way occasionally scanning the sky for something, he wasn’t sure what, but he supposed it must be danger of some kind.

  Jake stopped at the entrance to the city and shepherded everyone inside as he aimed his assault rifle to the sky just in case.

  “What are you expecting Captain? Guardian asked as he came to stand opposite him in the doorway. He also faced out towards the open plains of Tartaran with his assault rifle pointed to the heavens.

  “Creatures from your worst nightmares,” said Jake with a frown as his eyes never left the skies above them.

  Guardian didn’t follow up on that, the look in Jake’s eyes told him enough. Those eyes had seen unimaginable horror and it showed. He gestured for his team to get inside as fast as they could.

  Matt ran headlong across the open space between the Pulsar and the city entrance, his long powerful legs pounding the ground.

  Once they were all inside the Wildfire Team all sighed in relief. The others looked on puzzled, these were all hardened veterans and they wondered what could have rattled them so.

  A screech filled the air making them all turn to look up. A huge creature with a massive wingspan and colourful plumage was powering its way through the air towards them. The second they saw it they saw another then another until the sky was filled with these winged monsters.

  “Get inside now!” Jake shouted pushing Guardian deeper inside the entrance.

  They all ran as far into the city as they could to get away from the winged creatures.

  “Is it just me or did they seem really pissed off at us?” Guardian asked once they were safe inside.

  “They were pissed alright. We think it’s their natural demeanour, against humans anyway,” Jake explained.

  “I don’t suppose it helped that the Al
liance used thermobaric missiles to clear a path through the air killing hundreds of their kin so they could land safely,” Vance seethed.

  “Those bodies we saw as we crossed the ground to get here, they’re those creatures?” Hacker asked.

  Hellcat said, “Well, we got in but how the hell do we get back out?”

  “Carefully,” Jake said. He had no idea really but decided it was best to say nothing; they would cross that particular obstacle when the time was right.

  “I love my job, it’s the work I hate,” offered Cowboy.

  Jake looked at him wondering how anyone with that attitude could ever get picked for this squad and decided it was a problem for Guardian. Instead he just said, “C’mon, you’ll love this then ’cuz we’ve got work to do.”

  Guardian smiled, knowing Jake would be surprised by Cowboy’s attitude. He may gripe about his work but he always got the job done.

  Leaving the sound of the winged creature’s fury behind them they made their way deeper into the city.

  II

  “How many more are there do you think?” Zara asked as she and Kurt appeared as planned at their alternative location.

  “Too many to handle in one go,” Kurt replied. He wondered what made them forget they had the SUTs strapped to their wrists when they were going down on the huge courtyard elevator, also when they were down below and wondering how they would get back up. Strange how things slip your mind and he hoped it was nothing more than that and not a symptom of the effects of using the SUT.

  Kurt accessed a comm. channel and called Jake. “What’s your status?” he asked.

  Zara watched his face as he listened to what the leader of the Wildfire Team had to say.

  When the call was ended Kurt turned to Zara with a smile on his face.

  “It’s over Zara, the EMP took out the entire fleet in orbit, turned them all to scrap,” he said.

  “What about these guys down here?”

  “I’m going to try something,” he told her then his eyes glazed over as he accessed the city’s computer once more, this time exhibiting more control. He used the computer to access all comm. channels active in the area and chose the one he needed.

  Then he said, “I need to speak with the officer in charge of your landing party.”

  There was a pause.

  “Who am I speaking to?” Solon said.

  “That can wait. I think you need to be made aware of your situation. The EMP from this planet took out your entire fleet in orbit trashing all the electronic equipment completely and irreversibly. Rescue ships are en route as we speak. We have a number of our ships attempting to make contact with the crews on board your ships and will render whatever aid they can. This is over. This planet will not allow us to remain here for much longer so I suggest we call a truce and evacuate from here as soon as possible,” Kurt said. He hoped whomever he was talking to would see the sense of it and comply. He also knew he would need confirmation of what he’d just been told.

  Zara stood by Kurt’s side as they waited for a reply. She looked at him, her brow furrowing.

  “You couldn’t raise anyone could you, which should prove I’m telling you the truth,” Kurt informed him.

  “Not necessarily, you could be jamming any signals, usual tactic before a strike. If you want me to believe you tell me who I’m speaking with,” Solon said.

  Kurt knew he had to gain the trust of this commander so he gave him what he wanted. “My name is Captain Kurt Stryder,” he said.

  Zara rolled her eyes and glanced away. Kurt shrugged his shoulders, muted his call and said, “What was I supposed to do, I need his trust for this to work.”

  Solon heard the name of the man he held responsible for his father’s death and looked away from the men next to him listening in to the conversation. He clenched his fists and closed his eyes as anger welled up inside him. All the weeks of searching for clues to what happened on Toldax had taken him to the name of a Recon Delta Marine, the name he had just been told.

  Kurt’s voice brought him back to the present.

  “You could do me the courtesy of reciprocating,” Kurt said after a short pause. He wondered what made the commander take a moment, but when he heard the voice once more he had his answer.

  “I am Major Solon.”

  Kurt’s eyes went wide as he heard the grief evident in the voice in his ear. Zara mouthed quietly, “Holy shit!”

  “You killed my father,” Solon said as he faced his men, squaring his shoulders in determination.

  “If you like we can discuss that once we have got off this planet, but for now we have to move, and fast,” Kurt said quickly hoping to evade what he knew must happen.

  “Let’s not wait, come out and face me now if you dare,” Solon said through gritted teeth. The look in his eyes told the others around him not to interfere.

  “So that’s how you want it then. You would jeopardise the lives of those men with you, along with all those on board the ships in orbit just to appease some misplaced guilt over your father’s death. I’m offering you and your men free passage off this planet and all you can see is rage,” Kurt said trying to redirect Solon’s focus on to what was important.

  “I thought you Recon Delta Marines were supposed to be tough,” Solon said, a sneer evident in his voice. Clearly he would not be swayed from his purpose.

  “You have no idea what you are dealing with here Solon. Trust me, this planet will eat you alive and all your men if you don’t move now. If you want to face me, man to man, then I’m sure we can come to some arrangement once we’re off this place.”

  “No, face me now or I’ll hunt you down and tear out your heart while you still have breath in your body,” Solon shouted at him.

  His men exchanged worried glances as Solon’s face contorted with fury as the words exploded from his snarling slash of a mouth.

  Zara looked at Kurt and shrugged her shoulders; she knew there was no getting away from this. Kurt had to face the Major.

  “Did you get that Jake?” Kurt said. He had linked the others into the conversation but kept comms. between them separate so they could communicate without Solon or any of the Alliance Marines hearing them.

  “Loud and clear Kurt, we’re less than a minute away. Don’t worry we have your back,” Jake replied.

  “It’s not me I’m worried about; just make sure the rest of his men get off this planet before those creatures attack. I’ll try not to hurt him, but he sounds determined to avenge his father’s death so it may not be possible,” Kurt said with a tinge of sadness in his voice.

  “Understood, see you soon,” Jake said.

  “It’s not your fault what happened to his father and what happens next is down to the Major. Don’t put all this on yourself Kurt, you do what you have to and let’s get off this damn planet,” Zara said grabbing his shoulders and turning him so she could look into his eyes.

  His expression softened on hearing her words. Guilt at what he was being forced to do was lying heavy on him but she helped him realise the consequences of what was to come was not his doing.

  “Okay let’s do this,” he said.

  By the time Kurt and Zara reached the balcony overlooking the courtyard all the Black Knights were assembled there. Kurt looked down from his and Zara’s vantage point hidden in the shadows of a doorway and could see all the Marines had formed a protective cordon around one man, all their assault rifles aimed at the balcony above.

  The moment the figure turned around to look up to see if he could spot them Kurt knew who he was. He recognised the familial traits from his father, General Solon. Clearly this man was poured from the same mould.

  Kurt contacted Solon again, “Is this your idea of facing me alone, protected by all your men?” he said allowing the contempt to fill his voice.

  “Says he who hides in the shadows,” countered Solon. He spun around searching, hoping to catch even a glimpse of the man taunting him.

  “I have no problem facing you man to man
, but what guarantees do I have that your men will hold to your word when I end this?”

  “You don’t need his word,” Jake said as he appeared in the doorway, his assault rifle up at his shoulder aimed straight ahead.

  The sudden addition to the conversation of Jake’s voice plus his startling appearance followed by the rest of the Wildfire and Red Team, all with weapons trained on the Black Knights, gave Solon pause. His men dropped their aim from the perceived threat above to the actual threat in front of them. They all spread out forming a barrier in front of the Major and it became a standoff, until…

  Kurt saw the arrival of his backup and vaulted over the balcony. He landed on the ground over fifteen feet below and allowed his knees to bend to absorb the crippling impact, then went into a tuck and roll coming up on his feet in one smooth movement then continued walking casually towards Solon.

  “Okay Major, what was it you said about ripping out my heart?” Kurt said.

  Solon had seen in his peripheral vision Kurt’s leap to the ground and had turned as he landed. His eyes went wide in disbelief as he watched him approach him as if he was walking in the park.

  Kurt tossed his assault rifle to the ground as he strolled towards Solon, his expression neutral not giving anything away. His senses on the other hand were on hyper-drive by this time. He was attuned to every subtle movement Solon made, even down to his breathing. His attention was so focused he could even hear how his heartbeat increased as he watched him approach.

  “No weapons Major, hand to hand, like real men,” Kurt goaded. He was within a few feet of him by now and he could see the hatred in his eyes, fairly blazing with unrepressed fury.

  Solon tossed his own rifle then ran at Kurt unable to contain his anger any longer.

  Kurt waited calmly knowing what was to come.

  Solon tried to take Kurt down with a tackle but Kurt anticipated the move and sidestepped deftly out of the way at the last second. Solon sailed on past and stopped spinning around to face him once more.

  The arrival of Kurt and the proceeding fight caused consternation between the Alliance troops. They didn’t know whether to turn and protect Solon or remain facing the Col Sec soldiers. Jake took the initiative and said, “Move back and give them room.”