Martian Dragons

by Ian Woodhead

  Throughout the torture, of which, Ryan couldn't tell whether it was in his mind or from outside, Bernadette's last dying echoes kept him sane. Her voice strengthened and gained traction, allowing him to stop the flood and to start fighting back. The torrent of pain still continued to assault him but finally, he did begin to sense a tear within the all consuming darkness. The tear ripped, revealing a tiny pinpoint of bright, white light. He screamed again, this time in victory, as his constant struggling gave Ryan some strength to help him break out of its clawing embrace. He raced towards the enlarging light, aware that the shadows had not given up. He snarled out a curse then dived at the light, crying out in joy, knowing he'd left those hateful things behind.

  Ryan blinked rapidly, his eyes having difficulty adjusting to the sudden light. Where had the light taken him? Now that the hazy light, seeping through the dark clouds were no longer torturing his eyes, Ryan quickly scanned the immediate area, first to ensure he was in no longer and then to ascertain his location. There were other people nearby but Ryan didn't think they were in any state to cause him any problem. As for where he was, that proved more difficult.

  The shattered ruins of derelict buildings surrounded Ryan. In the distance, he spotted the remains of once magnificent stone towers reaching for the clouds, only their metal framework had survived whatever calamity had struck this strange city. He slowly groaned as revelation hit him.

  The light hadn't moved him anywhere, this was home, or, at least, what was left of it. He threw himself down when the sound of what he thought was bombing, slammed into his ears. It took him a moment to realise this city wasn't under attack, in fact, he now believed whatever catastrophe hit hit here, happened decades ago. The rumbling and noise had originated from further away. One of those towers had given up the ghost and collapsed. He noticed none of the other figures nearby had reacted to the building falling. Those poor people, the shambling wrecks occupying this devastated city, were just as blighted as their surroundings, he doubted any of them had displayed any adverse reaction for years. These people shells were nothing but zombies, they were... Ryan jerked his head to the side. They weren't even human!

  Two ragged figures on their knees, searching through a pile of rubble and pulling out bits of wire were Danu. Ryan spotted a Velicion's body lying close to a wrecked hoverbus. Another three, smaller Velicion's had their snouts buried in his stomach while a single human female looked on impassively.

  Bernadette said something about the shadows being from the future so it must mean that at some point, the three races had found a way to defeat the Marauders before they all came back to their place of origin to live happily ever after.

  He found it easier to make out members of each species now. The humans and Danu stayed well away from each other and travelled alone. The Velicions stayed in packs, often with the occasional human following them. The saurons were not hunting either the Danu or the humans, Ryan found that a little odd, considering their obvious genetic lineage and the simple fact that the mammals were an easy to catch meat source. What was he missing?

  Like it really mattered? Something, not that long ago, turned this blue world into rubble and crushing the inhabitants both old and new. Could a new swarm of Marauders entered the system and taken revenge or was this the result of a civil war, or something else entirely?

  Ryan crouched down. He put his hands over his eyes and desperately tried not to sob. So many question which he could not answer, save for one. Who was ultimately responsible? That was easy to answer as at some time from his present, his mission to bring the terrestrial races together would actually happen and this disaster would be the end result of his fucking meddling.

  “I can't allow this to happen,” he shouted, feeling the rage of allowing whatever force out there who were treating him like some blunt instrument. “No, no way. I refuse to accept responsibility for all this death and suffering.”

  Ryan forced himself to continue watching these unfortunate survivors of some now forgotten war, determined to engrave their own suffering onto his psyche as a reminder for when he actually woke and faced reality.

  He spotted two humans close by, a male and female. They stood together beside another overturned vehicle. Ryan stood up and walked closer. As he did, Ryan became aware of a low humming sound, originating from above the clouds. The new noise had a drastic effect of the survivors. They all scattered like terrified rats, seeking shelter under dead vehicles and inside the ruined buildings. Within seconds only he remained outside. Ryan then noticed he wasn't alone. The couple had no moved either.

  “Bernadette?” Oh my God, it was her but now an old woman. The man standing next to her was a much older version of himself. How could this even be possible? He saw her die. There is no way that his love could still be alive.

  “You have to come away from here, Ryan. It's not safe!” The urgency in her voice matched her frantic movements as the old woman tugged at his arm. “They're going to be here any second! Please, let's get under cover.”

  The older Ryan shrugged her off. “It's the lights,” he replied, excitedly. “They heard my prayers. They're finally coming!”

  She dropped to her knees. “Please, you mad old fool, don't start that again. Let's get inside where it's safe.”

  The two of them moaned out in terror. Ryan threw back his head and stared in disbelief as a huge black, ovoid shape slipped down from above the clouds, putting everything into shadow, What the fuck was it? The ship, if that's what it was, had to be as big as this city.

  The low humming suddenly changed into a deep vibration which went all the way through to his bones. He heard the other two cry out. Ryan managed to lift his head a fraction higher and discovered why. A column of bright orange flame sped towards them at high speed, consuming everything in its path. The older couple tried to run but, like him, were rooted to the stop. They both shrieked and then they were nothing but vapour. The flame raced towards him and then...

  There was even more light and voices. Ryan slowly opened his eyes and saw familiar and unfamiliar faces gazing back at him. He tried to sit up and cried out as the agony from those burning needles returned to his thighs and chest.

  “Steady there, big guy,” said Todd. “Let the Danu finish off her treatments.”

  He moved to one side to let a female Danu closer. She gently lifted his right arm and placed a light-blue rectangular patch on the back of his hand. “That should help to counter-effect the pain while the nano-modules repair the damage the two auto-docs inflicted upon your legs.” The female placed his arm back. “It is remarkable that you are able to function, considering what they did to you. I suspect that most humans would have given up and expired rather than endure what they put you through.”

  The haze of pain gradually diminished, leaving him a little light headed. He took a deep breath and tried to sit up again. He felt somebody's hands helping him. More dermal patches covered his thighs, denying him the chance to witness exactly what his unknown assailants had done to him. He resisted the urge to pull one of them up so he could take a peek when his eyes caught sight of a pile of scrap metal in the corner of the room. Hidden amongst all those assorted pieces of metal plating, twisted mesh and broken servers, Ryan spotted a host of sharp implements, everything from a mini-saw to surgical scalpels.

  The Velicion stepped closer to his bed. “Be thankful that I arrived first. Even for me, the two autodocs proved worthy adversaries. I had to tear them apart. The humans have installed energy nullifying devices in this area.”

  Now that his senses had cleared up, he was able to scan his new surroundings and the people around him. He saw the remaining autodoc, lying in two pieces, near the open doorway. The damn thing looked so harmless and innocuous. How could it even be possible to override its systems, to reprogram it to hurt instead of heal?

  Ryan then wondered why his mind was focusing on such a trivial matter, instead of dealing with whatever the fuck was presently happening. He recognised Todd, the Velicion a
nd the Danu who, for some reason, looked liked he'd just walked through a slaughterhouse. He also noted the sneaky human still lived. The other human had gone. The female medic had replaced him, not that Ryan could complain about that.

  He couldn't find any reason to complain about their presence. If they hadn't rescued him, he'd probably still be, Ryan took under deep breath, filling his lungs with the warm air. He didn't want to think about where he'd just been.

  [I said that help was coming.]

  She had returned! “Where did you go? What just happened to me? What is happening right now, Bernadette?”

  [The Danu believe that the spirit of Taylish, one of their ancient warriors, resides inside you, Ryan. After what you have been through and what you have accomplished so far, I think there's more than just one spirit inside.]

  "Do you think I honestly care about any of that superstitious rubbish any more?" Ryan was fully aware that the others were staring at him but he no longer cared. "Todd, I think it's time we went home."

  "You can't go, Ryan. Not after all this!"

  "You have changed, Villas." Ryan slowly swivelled and placed his feet on the floor. "No offence, but you don't act as creepy as you did when we first met. Perhaps you have changed? Perhaps you all have?” He turned his attention to the rest of them. Simple fact is, you don't need me. None of you need me." He looked at the Velicion and then turned his attention to the Danu. "It's best if I leave."

  The pilot shook his head. “No, you are wrong. The battle is only just begun. We need you more than anything now, Ryan. You hold the spirit of Taylish inside you.”

  “Yeah, like that's been of use. Your commanders didn't seem to care about that now did they?” Ryan felt himself getting angrier, at their naïve idiocy, at the pain that bastard put him through but mainly directed at him for not just walking through the lot of them and getting out of here.

  [I'm surprised you're not getting mad at me too, Ryan.]

  “You don't even exist. You're just a figment of my imagination merged with some unholy alien software. Get the fuck out of my head!”

  The woman appeared in the corner of the room. She stormed over the Ryan and lifted her arm. He stayed quite still, knowing full well that a hologram had no mass. The slap knocked him off the bed. The others rushed towards him but the woman shook her head and ordered them back. She wrapped her fingers around his wrist and effortlessly lifted him off the floor. “Tell me what they showed you, Ryan. The Undergods. I need to know. We need to know.”

  A low murmur rippled through the room. Ryan felt like he'd just been put on the spot. All eyes were upon him once again and this time there was no escape, the hologram, or whatever she was made sure of that. He sat back on the bed. “You mean the shadows?”

  Bernadette nodded. “They pushed me out of your body, meaning their vision was for your eyes only. That does not mean you cannot share.”

  He had little choice but to comply with her request. Ryan told them everything then sat back and waited. Not that whatever they said back to him would make any difference. He still intended to leave this place and go home to where he belonged. He cast a glance at the pretend Bernadette, wishing there was some way to reverse time so he could get her back.

  “The Undergods showed you the future,” said the Velicion.

  “Yeah, thanks for that,” replied Ryan. “I'd already figured that bit out.”

  The Velicion shook its huge head. “No, you do not understand. They showed you what you wanted to see, what you wished for.”

  “Seriously, is that the best you can do? I did not wish to see my fucking planet destroyed!”

  The Pilot approached Ryan. “What you want is for your female to live. That is what the Undergod showed you. Of course, it only allowed you to see the last moments of your life together.” He shrugged. “Such is the way of their visions. I am sorry, Ryan but that future ended the moment your female died. If you return right now, your life will still end in the way you described, only you will die alone.”

  “The Danu is correct,” said the Velicion. “You cannot stop the blueworld from dying if you return there, Ryan. You still have unfinished work to complete.”

  “Stop it, all of you. How am I supposed to stop those Marauders from destroying our planet?” He shook his head then jumped off the bed. This time his pretend girlfriend did not stop him from walking over to the door. The Velicion did by blocking his way.

  “The Marauders are not going attack the blueworld. They wouldn't because its built into their DNA, just like it is built into the very being of our race, and of the Danu.” He lowered his head until his red eyes were level with his. “Only the human seem to have that capability.”

  Ryan blinked. “You're telling me that those things out there are from Earth?”

  The huge sauron nodded. “Yes. They are the first race to leave the blue planet. They have forgotten their ancient history. Hardly surprising considering how long they have been gone. It is the main reason as to why this war has lasted for so long.”

  Ryan looked around the room. From the looks on their faces, this was news to everybody. “Why have you kept this so quiet?”

  The Velicion sighed. “Is it not obvious? The first race will want to reclaim what they think is still their property. While it is true that they will not destroy the blueworld they will invade and set about destroying your species. We will not be able to stop them either.”

  Chapter Seventeen

  Final Preparations

  It felt like a desecration not to stop inside the hall of worship. Even during these climatic times, every fleet officer was required to give their thanks to the Ones who came before. The Fleet Admiral should not be exempt.

  Bradley Ingres, the prime ruler of all human controlled Triumvirate outposts in the belt and the inner system, paused beside the doorway leading to the most sacred area in this Triumvirate battle-cruiser, aware at least two senior officers were watching his movements. How he acted here would define their immediate future actions.

  If only being concerned about the thoughts of his fellow officers was his one problem.

  Admiral Ingres simply bowed his head then carried on his brisk pace towards the main bridge. Strange how it didn't feel like desecration once he was safely away from the area. He was so tempted to turn around just to see if those two officers followed his example.

  The view of the main bridge came into sight and he saw his XO standing beside the Admiral’s command chair, wearing a grim and pained expression. No doubt, not looking forward to being the bearer of bad news yet again. Bad news? His guts slowly churned. Of course it would be bad news, right now, that is the only type of news he received.

  How would Commander Sharp respond if he shared his recent thoughts regarding the Hall of Worship? This was the man once took out twelve Marauder surface bombers in a single-engined Danu attack fighter. The only officer in the fleet to ever kill a Marauder marine with his bare hands. Not that Ingres would ever voice his most private thoughts to his second in command but the Admiral believed he knew the man well enough to construct an imaginary authentic reply. The hero of Gallian’s forge, would tell the Admiral that his need to focus on the trivialities of the Triumvate’s pseudo superstitious nonsense served as a suitable distraction. It helped to calm the mental storm which fortunately accompanied anyone holding such a high position.

  Sharp wouldn’t air these views in public, obviously. The man knew full well that in order to maintain high moral in the fleet, the officers had to protect the integrity of the the soldiers serving under them, even if that officer was an unbeliever.

  The Commander saluted when Ingres stepped onto the bridge. “We have received the first reports from the Ganymede assault, sir. I’m afraid it makes unpleasant reading.”

  “Just give me the facts, Sharp. How many did we lose?”

  The man took a few moments to compose himself before replying. “We lost every ship, sir. Three deep space Marauder frigates de-cloaked behind our dropships, moment
s before deployment. Captain Dennison managed to release a data-stream before we lost all contact.”

  A low murmur rippled throughout the bridge as every officer asked to Ones who came before to guide the recent dead home. Even Ingres found himself incanting the sacred lines. Only Sharp remained silent.

  It just dawned on him that he had just lost almost a quarter of his assault marines, including three Velicion warriors. He closed his eyes and pressed his palms against his nose, while mentally readjusting his tactical plan as well as thinking on how to explain to the Velicion First-Veteran that three more of his kind were lost forever. That ancient red-eyed monster would not be happy, then again, he probably knew about their loss before even the humans knew.

  “Thank you, Sharp,” he murmured. The drawn expression on Sharp’s face had not budged, meaning there was even more bad news to come. “What else?”

  “Our last Danu dreadnought is now out of service too. They were the closest ship to our dropships and responded only to find themselves under attack. Three Marauder stealth ships performed a suicide run at the ship’s port side. There were minimal casualties and no fatalities but the dreadnought is in no fit state to return to the front line. She’s currently limping back to her docks on emergency power.”

  Ingres so needed to return to the Hall of Worship and pray to the Ones who came before and ask for guidance. For three hundred years, this Triumvate has successfully kept those Marauder bastards in check, ensuring that not one of those foul creatures got anywhere close to their magnificent jewel, the Blueworld, home to all of them. Yet, within the last few hours, everything had changed. The Marauders have launched dozens of attacks on their outer belt outposts, overrunning every one. They went to where their defences were weakest. Only a few cannon emplacements guarded those outposts and the Marauders took them out of action before attacking the outposts. Hundreds of lives have been lost. Even now, He knew several more Marauder ships were heading towards another outpost and thanks to the loss of the Danu dreadnought, he had no other ship close enough to help them.