by G. P. Hudson
Danny continued to shoot into the swarm, but there were too many. What is Isaac trying to prove? He should be running, not playing the hero.
As the swarm converged on him, Isaac raised his right hand and thrust it forward, pointing something in the direction of the machines. To Danny’s amazement, the drones simply fell to the ground at once in a large thud. When he finally reached Isaac, the ground around them was littered with tiny drones showing no signs of activity.
“Isaac, what did you do?” said Danny.
Isaac smiled and held up a slender device that looked like a simple pen. “Another of my creations. It allows me to direct a miniature electromagnetic pulse toward a target.”
“That’s an EMP weapon?” Danny said in astonishment.
“Yes. It is a personal EMP weapon, with limited range.” Isaac looked Danny over, and grew serious. “You’ve been injured, my boy.”
“It’s not too bad.”
“I beg to differ,” Isaac said, as he circled Danny. “You have multiple plasma burns. We need to treat them or they will become infected.”
“Never mind that. We must leave. That Zeta strike team will have received a report from the drones. They won’t be far behind.”
“I can’t argue with you there, my boy. Catherine can clean your wounds while we drive.”
“Works for me. Let’s move.”
Chapter 28
“Where are we?” Danny said as they drove up a long driveway to a lone house. One thing he found fascinating about Pallias was how much open land there was. Where many of the other planets he’d visited were overpopulated, Pallias struck a sharp contrast.
His Pallian knowledge pack told him that the population here preferred a rural lifestyle. The tradition was established by the early Pallian settlers, who wanted to get away from the urban chaos that had run amok on Earth, and so many other worlds. They wanted to get back to the land, and lead healthier, simpler lives. The tradition persisted, and while Pallias had many large cities, much of the populace still clung to their agrarian roots.
“A friend’s house,” said Isaac.
“Are they resistance, too?”
“Yes. They are patriots.”
A door slid open and Isaac drove their vehicle through it into a spacious garage. Danny had been concerned about being out in the open too long. They had gotten lucky with the drones, but Zeta would be looking for them, and the drones were sure to have transmitted data on all of them, and their vehicle. Sooner or later, they would be spotted.
It would also foil Isaac’s plan to reinsert Danny into his clone regiment. Zeta knew he had turned on them now. That was certain. He would be branded a traitor, and hunted tirelessly. There could be no escape. Not here on Pallias, not anywhere in the galaxy. Zeta would find him.
But Danny had more questions than answers. What would happen when they captured him? Would they destroy him, or would they try and recondition him? Bring him back into the fold. He wondered if he could resist. Isaac had explained that his modification, would allow him to protect himself from attempts to take over his implant. Could he trick them? Make them think he was with Zeta again?
It was a long shot. He would be placed under scrutiny, his every action analyzed. It would be near impossible to fool them now that they knew about him. There was a very real possibility that Zeta would simply have him destroyed. Best to avoid capture if possible.
The doors slid open and they all stepped out into the garage. At the other end of the room, an older couple stood watching them with concern. “Jasmine. Blaine. It’s been too long,” Isaac moved to greet them with his arms outstretched.
“Never mind all that, Isaac,” said the man. “What is that doing here?” pointing his finger squarely at Danny, with no attempt to mask the disgust on his face.
“That, is Danny. He is my friend. Our friend,” Isaac said, hands dropping to his side, expression serious.
“That is a Zeta clone, or have you forgotten what they look like?”
“Blaine, do not lecture me on Zeta clones. I was building their implants before you were born. Danny here no longer serves Zeta. He is free, and he is on our side.”
“Do you have any idea what you’ve done by bringing him here? You’ve buried us. You’ve compromised our entire cell.”
“Didn’t I just tell you that he is on our side? Some people think I am qualified to make a judgment like that.”
“How can you be sure?”
“I can be sure because I hacked into his brain implant. I’ve disabled Zeta’s control over him, and turned off his geobroadcast. Trust me, there is nothing to worry about. Well… other than the fact that Zeta came after us, and is probably looking for us as we speak. But that is why we are here.”
Jasmine placed her hand on Blaine’s shoulder, just as he looked like he was about to start shouting. “Okay, what’s done is done. You’re here now, and we are supposed to be a safe house. Isn’t that right Blaine?”
Blaine sighed. “Yes, that’s right.”
Jasmine nodded. “Why don’t you all come inside? I bet you could use a bite to eat. You two look hungry,” she said to Jess and Ellie. “Am I right?”
The two girls both nodded in agreement.
Jasmine smiled. “Come on, I’ll warm up some soup for you.”
The group entered an open and spacious living area. Jasmine went to the far end, where the kitchen was, and placed a pot onto the stove top. “Would anyone else like some soup?” she called out. “How about you, Danny? I’ll bet you’ve never had anything as delicious as my soup.”
“Yes, thank you,” said Danny. His attention on the perimeter of the room, taking note of all possible entrances, potential weapons, and any means of egress.
The rest of the group sat down on some comfortable looking couches in the main living area. Danny noted that the furniture was made of real leather, a rarity on other worlds.
“You say Zeta finally came for you?” Blaine said to Isaac.
“Yes. They tried to capture me at my house.”
“And the clone was with you when this happened?”
“I already told you, his name is Danny.”
Blaine frowned. “Right. Danny.”
“Yes, he was with us, but he didn’t bring them. I had accessed his implant long before and disabled his broadcast.”
“How do you know that he isn’t part of some elaborate ruse?”
“His shuttle was shot down by the resistance. He remembered nothing when Catherine brought him to me.”
“So?”
“Can you not just take our word for it, Blaine?” said Catherine, clearly angry. “Danny killed two Zeta soldiers to protect me and my children. I trust him with my life.”
“And he was wounded protecting us from a Zeta drone swarm,” added Isaac.
“Well, it sounds like you’ve worked up an appetite, Danny,” said Jasmine, filling a few bowls with hot soup. Come sit down with the girls and eat.”
Smelling the broth from the other side of the room, Danny’s mouth began to water. After eating nothing more than Zeta rations for most of his short life, he could think of nothing he’d enjoy more. He walked over to the kitchen table and sat with the girls. Swallowing a spoonful of the creamy soup, Danny thought it had to be the tastiest thing he had ever tried.
This is delicious, Jasmine,” said Danny. “What is it?”
“Pallian chicken soup,” said Jasmine. “It’s a local specialty that I’ve modified.”
Danny wolfed down his bowl, and Jasmine happily refilled it.
“What are your plans now?” said Blaine.
“I had hoped to reinsert Danny into his regiment, so that we could have someone on the inside, but that is no longer an option. What remains now is to leave the Pallian system.”
“Leave the system?” Blaine scoffed. “Are you joking? There’s an armada up there. How do you expect to get past them?”
“I haven’t worked out the details yet, but I think our best hope is on a stars
hip.”
“Really? Is that all?” Blaine said sarcastically. “And how do you plan on getting your hands on a starship?”
“We’re going to steal one, of course.”
Chapter 29
Ed Masterson studied the video feed from Pallias with growing anger. Even though the man didn’t wear a Zeta uniform, Masterson knew his property when he saw it. The man firing at his drones was a Zeta clone.
“When was this taken?” he said, watching the events on the drone footage unfold.
“Twenty Earth standard hours ago,” said Kim Lee, watching along beside him.
“Isaac has been busy,” said Masterson, recognizing his former partner’s handiwork.
“You think he turned the clone?” said Lee.
“There is no doubt in my mind. If anyone can turn one of our clones, it is Isaac. What other reason would the clone have to protect him?”
“The evidence is certainly convincing.”
“Do we know where they are now?” said Masterson, as the video ended with a shot of Isaac pointing some type of weapon at the drones. He’s allowed himself to age, thought Masterson, seeing his former partner for the first time in many years. Why would he do something stupid like that? Both he and Isaac were well over one hundred years old, but Masterson regularly employed genetic therapies to keep his body young. Isaac had done so as well at one time. The ‘old man’ look was a little off-putting, if not downright confusing. Masterson could not think of any valid reason to allow one’s body to degrade when the means were available to prevent it.
“No. They’ve gone off grid,” said Lee. “We’ve got several teams looking for them, but there have been no new leads.”
“What about the clone’s geobroadcast? Let me guess, Isaac has disabled that too.”
“It would appear so. The strike team reported that they did not pick up any broadcast from the house, and the drone footage confirms that the clone was there.”
Masterson laced his fingers in front of his face, considering his options. His old partner, Mr. Isaac Stern, still had a few tricks up his sleeve. Clearly, he had underestimated the man. But how much trouble could he cause? He turned a clone. So what? Masterson had thousands on the planet. He couldn’t hide forever. “I want him found. Add more teams to the search if you have to.”
“I’ll see to it. What about the clone?”
“He’s damaged property. Have him destroyed.”
“Studying him might prove worthwhile,” said Lee. “If we know how he was turned, we can harden the clones against whatever tactic Mr. Stern is using.”
“Prudent logic. Knowing Isaac, he’ll have exploited some unknown weakness in the clone’s design. Better that we develop a defense before he causes more damage.”
“Understood. I’ll send orders that the clone be taken alive, along with Mr. Stern.”
“We’re sure this is the only clone that’s been compromised?” said Masterson, growing increasingly concerned about the disruption Isaac could cause.
“He’s the only one we know of.”
“What’s his designation?”
“B732. He was on a shuttle that the Pallians had shot down. His armor had been recovered, but not his body.”
“Well now we know why. Did anyone else on that shuttle survive?”
“Yes. One of the other clones made it. Designation G325. Apparently, she and B732 have fought together on many campaigns.”
“Is that so? I want this G325 on the search teams. Give her an appropriate knowledge pack, and assign her to one of our specialty teams. Make sure she understands that her friend has turned traitor. In fact, update all the clones on Pallias. The more that know about him, the better our chances of catching B732, and Isaac Stern along with him.”
“I’ll have an update prepared, and pushed out to the clones in the Pallian system immediately.”
Masterson looked back at the picture of Isaac on his display. The noose is about to tighten, Isaac. Let’s see you get out of this one.
Chapter 30
“The Allimanian system has fallen, your majesty,” said Admiral Cherenko, as the Emperor stood before a gigantic holographic display of the known galaxy. Star systems still controlled by the Empire were denoted in blue, while those in open rebellion were colored red. So far, the blue sections still outnumbered the red. Upon hearing the news, the Emperor swiped his hand over the Allimanian system on the holographic star map, and enjoyed watching it change from red to blue.
“Well done, Cherenko. Was this also the handiwork of your star commander, Vice Admiral Reynolds?”
“Yes, majesty. He prevailed under difficult circumstances.”
“How so?” said the Emperor, stepping away from the Allimanian system to study another red area on the star map.
“The Allimanians had destroyed their jump gate, denying the bulk of the fleet access to their space. Reynolds decided to invade with just his ship and the Zeta squadron you purchased.”
The Emperor turned to face Cherenko. “But wouldn’t that leave him terribly outnumbered?”
“Yes, majesty. He still emerged victorious, but lost four of the Zeta warships in the process.”
“A small price to pay, Cherenko. A small price indeed.”
“There is more, majesty.”
“Oh?”
“Before defeating the Allimanians, he demanded their surrender, warning them that he would bomb their cities if they refused.”
“I see. So that is how he defeated them. That trick will only work so many times before the other leaders see it as an empty threat.”
“That’s the thing, majesty. They didn’t surrender. They surrendered later, after it became clear that Reynolds would emerge victorious. The Allimanian President surrendered to avert any needless loss of life.”
“At least he wasn’t stubborn about it,” said the Emperor, looking back at his star chart.
“There’s more, majesty. After the enemy ships were all boarded, Reynolds bombed their second largest city.”
“He bombed their city after they surrendered?”
“Yes, majesty. He had warned them that if they did not accept his initial offer, that he would bomb them. He kept his word.”
The Emperor remained quiet and Cherenko wasn’t sure if he was angry or pleased. He braced himself nonetheless, in case the Emperor flew into one of his famous rages. The Emperor’s tantrums were well known, and no one could presume to be safe when that happened. The man was unstable. That much was beyond question.
The Emperor continued to study the star chart, nodding to himself as he did. “A stroke of genius,” he said finally. “This is just what we’ve been looking for, Cherenko. We need to make sure that all the rebel worlds learn of this action. Make sure that they know the name Reynolds. We can even give him a fearsome sounding name. Maybe something like the ‘Butcher of Allimania’.”
“I’m sorry, majesty. I don’t understand.”
“Don’t you see, Cherenko? The name Reynolds will strike fear in the rebel systems. They will know that he doesn’t bluff. When his ships enter a rebel star system, and he demands their surrender, they will know that he will follow through on his threats. How many worlds will risk testing the Butcher of Allimania?”
“They will surrender without firing a shot. You are most wise, majesty,” said Cherenko, again surprised by the Emperor’s insight. An imbecile one day, a genius the next. Truly a bizarre individual. “It will force him to bomb civilian populations if they don’t surrender. I am certain that some worlds will choose to fight.”
The Emperor looked at him with cold, calculating eyes. “Then the blood of their civilians is on their hands, not ours.”
“Yes, majesty, but they are civilians. Former citizens of the Empire.” Cherenko did not savor the prospect of killing innocents.
“These are difficult times, Cherenko. Difficult times require hard decisions. The Empire needs men who possess an iron will. Are you one of those men?”
“Yes, majesty. Of c
ourse,” said Cherenko, bristling at the implication.
“Good. Now we’ll need footage of the carnage on Allimania. We’ll mix in some video of those frightening new Zeta warships and have it spread throughout the galaxy. Soon, everyone will know the name of the Butcher of Allimania.”
“About the Zeta warships, majesty. Some troubling news has come to my attention. It seems that the Frontier Alliance has been negotiating with Mr. Masterson about acquiring some ships of their own.”
“Are you saying that Masterson has violated our agreement?”
“Not exactly, majesty. The contract does have a renewal clause, and that is apparently what they are negotiating.”
“I see. Clearly Mr. Masterson wants to keep this conflict going as long as possible. We may need to activate our asset sooner than we thought.”
“Yes, majesty.”
“As for our soon to be famous Vice Admiral Reynolds, what is his status?”
“He is overseeing the occupation of Allimania, and the building of a new jump gate so that the rest of the fleet can enter the system.”
“Very well. That will give time for the news to spread throughout the galaxy. Then we’ll put our theory to the test, and target another rebel system.”
“As you wish, majesty.”
Chapter 31
Danny heard the approaching aircraft and jumped to his feet. Seizing his weapon, he dashed for the window. He knew from the sound of its engines that it was flying low, and preparing to land. Peering out the window, he located the small craft. To his relief it wasn’t Zeta, or UEDF. It was clearly a civilian vessel, but the question remained. Who was it?
“Relax, my boy,” Isaac said as he stepped up to the window. “We’re expecting them. They’re friends.”
“Who are they?” Danny said, eyes remaining on the descending craft.