The Faradis_A Space Opera_Book Eight of The Shadow Order

by Michael Robertson

  Although the warrant officer addressed the group by the wall, many of the Marines lined up in front of him threw momentary glances at Reyes as if expecting her to join them. A dead weight in her legs and with a heavy heart, she trudged over to the group who were staying. It broke her father from his speech for the briefest of moments as he watched her. The slightest of nods, it was about the closest he came to a smile. He then carried on; not that she listened to what he said.

  As Reyes scanned the line of Marines bound for The Faradis, she made eye contact with a frowning Patel. Although she wanted to explain herself, she didn’t. She couldn’t derail the briefing to plead to them all. Instead, she dropped her attention to the gunmetal grey floor.

  It took a few seconds for Reyes to feel brave enough to look back up again. When she did, she saw Patel had returned his focus to the WO. Most of the others had done the same, and for a moment, Reyes took in his words too.

  “This should be a simple mission. I don’t expect any problems, but as they say: plan for the worst, hope for the best …”

  Reyes moved her attention away from her dad as she looked down the line of Marines again. The second she’d entered the room, she knew where Chan stood, but she’d avoided looking at her until that moment. They locked stares, holding each other’s gaze before the slightest smirk lifted one side of Chan’s mouth.

  It lit Reyes’ fuse, sending a streak of fire through her. Her pulse racing, she bit back her reaction with a tight clamp of her jaw. What the hell did Chan know, and who did she think she was? She hadn’t just heard the conversation Reyes had had with her dad. He’d asked her to stay back. As a good soldier and a daughter, she had to respect his wishes.

  The smug look remained on Chan’s bruised face—an expression that would be imprinted in Reyes’ mind for the rest of her days. Every time she closed her eyes, she’d see that snide little grin. It would remind her of the time she didn’t have the stones to board The Faradis. The time the great hero from Q328 lost her nerve. Even though that wasn’t the case, Chan wouldn’t believe her, and she’d never be able to persuade her otherwise. Reyes planned to spend most of her adult life as a Marine. Chan didn’t look to be going anywhere either. Every new recruit would hear about how Reyes lost her nerve on one of the easiest missions in their squad’s history. Maybe she’d also remind her that it was okay to be scared. Everyone got scared—even Marines. Of course, Chan never got scared, but Reyes shouldn’t compare herself to Chan. That would only make her miserable.

  The words lurched from Reyes as an involuntary reaction, her voice cutting off the warrant officer mid-sentence and taking the attention of the entire room. “I’m coming!”

  Silence fell over the large metal arena. Thirty plus Marines all stared at her like she’d lost her mind. None of them spoke.

  Chan broke the silence with a snigger. “All right, love, I know we all like the tension before a mission”—she tapped her head and spoke in a fake whisper—“but maybe you should know that sharing isn’t always caring.”

  As much as she wanted to hit back at her, Reyes couldn’t defend her outburst. Her cheeks on fire, she listened to several of the other Marines laugh at Chan’s joke while she looked at her dad, cleared her throat, and spoke with a warble in her voice, much quieter than her outburst of moments ago. “I’m coming on the mission.”

  The slightest narrowing around the WO’s eyes, he looked from his daughter to the lined-up Marines and back to his daughter. As much as she knew he wanted to say no, he showed no other outward sign of his disappointment. Instead, he nodded in the direction of the lined-up Marines and said, “Get over here, then.”

  Reyes moved in behind Julius, who stood at the back of the shorter line. Julius always stood at the back. The tallest of all the Marines, she served as a perfect shield for Reyes to hide behind.

  Julius turned around and looked down at her with raised eyebrows. “You sure you want to stand there?”

  Reyes nodded.

  “You won’t be able to see.”

  In a voice so quiet only Julius could hear, Reyes said, “That’s fine.” She then looked at the floor as if she could direct her boiling shame into the cold metal at her feet. How could she have even considered not going? On Q328 she saw there wasn’t much she could have done to save the Marines who perished, but if the mission on The Faradis turned south and she’d stayed back on the Crimson Destroyer, she wouldn’t be able to live with herself.

  Instead of the expected warrant officer’s voice, Reyes heard Chan’s. “Are you sure she’s going to be okay coming with us, WO? I don’t want to overstep the mark, but she seems a bit emotional right now. I wonder if that last mission was too much for her. Maybe she needs more time to process it. I wouldn’t want to tell you your job, but I want to speak to the safety of the mission to make sure we don’t take someone who’s likely to be a liability with us. I just—”

  Where Reyes expected her father’s voice for a second time, Patel shouted at Chan instead, his shrieking tone taking flight in the large space. “Wind your neck in, soldier! You have no idea what Reyes did to get us out of that cove. You keep going for her like you are and I’m sure I’m not the only one who’ll ask the WO to leave you behind instead. I’d take Reyes over you any day of the week.”

  Several Marines made noises that backed up Patel’s comments.

  Although Reyes couldn’t see them from behind Julius, she heard Chan draw a breath to respond, but the warrant officer cut her off. “If you two have finished bitching at one another, I’d like to talk about the mission.”

  Silence.

  Reyes heard the hurt in her dad’s voice. What hadn’t he told her about The Faradis? Did he know something, or was it just a bad feeling like he’d said?

  “Have you finished?”

  Silence.

  “Good. So the plan is to board The Faradis. There are seventeen of us, which should be plenty. I anticipate we’ll find the crew. My guess is they’ll all be expired, but I’m hoping their corpses will offer some insight as to how they got into their current situation. We know the air’s not toxic because we’ve tested it, and we know there’s nothing alive on board because we’ve scanned for heat signatures. So if something has poisoned or slaughtered them, it’s not there anymore. I’m not expecting this to turn into a gunfight, because there’s nothing on board to fight. Still, I want you to arm up, suit up, and …”

  In the pause, Reyes leaned around Julius’ wide frame to see the WO staring straight at Chan. “Grow up,” he said. She watched her dad pinch and then massage the top of his nose as if he had a headache. When he spoke again, resignation weighted his tone. “There’s no evidence to show we have anything to worry about on this ship, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t all bring your A game.”

  For the last few minutes Reyes had boiled with shame. Sweat itched around her collar and beneath her armpits. But after hearing her dad’s final words and thinking about his bad feeling, her blood turned cold. What were they about to embark on?

  Chapter 14

  To be back in the armoury so soon after Q328 quickened Reyes’ heartbeat, her throat tightening. Had she taken on this mission too soon? Was that why her dad had told her to remain on the Crimson Destroyer? Maybe he didn’t feel any apprehension about The Faradis.

  Fighting against her own body, Reyes pulled in a deep breath, her chest expanding. She had to go on this mission. What had happened on Q328 kept her awake at night, but she didn’t dream of the monsters when she fell into fitful bursts of sleep. She dreamed about the corpses of those she cared for: her brothers and sisters torn apart in the sandy cove while she watched on from behind a locked door. In her dreams she banged against the glass. She screamed their names, and when she finally woke from the nightmares, she was always drenched in sweat and they were always still dead. The heat of the planet remained inside her like a fever. Maybe she could make good on her failings by boarding The Faradis with the others. Maybe she’d sleep better when they returned. When
she looked up and made eye contact with Chan, she saw the small Marine narrow her blackened eyes. The swelling around them already looked worse. Reason number two for going on the mission. If she didn’t, Chan wouldn’t ever let her forget it.

  The armoury had originally been designed as a chapel until the shipbuilders sold the Crimson Destroyer—which wasn’t the name they’d given it—to the Marines. The ceiling stretched higher than the one in the murderball arena, giving wings to every noise made by the Marines: the clicks of harnesses and armour; the low murmur of conversation; coughs—some nervous, some not. They all soared in the empty space above them. A long rectangular room, it had been left plain. No doubt the builders were waiting for a buyer before they customised it with the garish display of whichever religion they preferred. The room lifted at one end, providing a raised platform for a preacher to deliver his wisdom to his congregation. The army, however, had zero tolerance for any outward displays of religion. They believed it to be personal, and while they respected a Marine’s right to have whatever faith they chose, they expected them to keep it to themselves. The Marines’ gods were semi-automatic and had a blast radius.

  The floor had tracks running through it, designed for pews to slot into, but rows of shelves slid in just as easily. The place now looked more like a library than a chapel; however, instead of books, the shelves were home to blasters, grenades, and armour.

  When Reyes tugged on the straps of her flak vest before pressing the clip shut, she exhaled to feel the press of her stomach against it. She looked at the others standing close to her. They were the survivors from Q328: Patel, Austin, Platt, Simpson, Singh, and Holmes. Their shared experience had bonded them tighter to one another. They’d gained a level of trust that could only be earned.

  Reyes met Patel’s eyes when she looked at him. He appeared to be waiting for her to glance his way. “The WO seemed a little bit off?” he said, lifting his voice on the last word of his statement, turning it into a question.

  At first Reyes didn’t respond. The conversation in the briefing room had been private. Besides, who wanted to know their commanding officer had a bad feeling about a mission just before they embarked on it? “I think the last mission shook us all up. It’s a bit much to have to go out again so soon.”

  Several of the others nodded, the click of harnesses tightening as they put on their armour.

  Singh spoke this time. “But I’ve never seen him look apprehensive before.”

  “Do you think we’re all going to die on this mission?” A slight smile lifted Austin’s lips. Nearly a foot taller than Singh, he loomed over her naturally. Whenever he stood next to her, he played on the fact. Dropping his voice low, he peered down on her. “The shadows might attack us the second we get on board.”

  After tutting at him, Singh shook her head and slapped her palm against his chest, driving him back a couple of steps. “Do you always need to be such a dick?”

  Reyes smiled and shook her head as she watched Austin blow a kiss at Singh, who replied with a raised middle finger.

  Despite the banter, they were now all looking at Reyes again. She clearly hadn’t given them a satisfactory answer to Patel’s question. She knew the warrant officer better than any of them and had had a private conversation with him only minutes before the briefing; she must have information he hadn’t given the rest of the team. But the more she said about it, the easier they’d be able to see her lie. She shrugged. “I suppose all we can do is arm up and keep our wits.” A rack of blasters close by, she turned to them and took two semi-automatic handguns.

  Just before Reyes holstered the blasters, a hand came from behind her and wrapped a strong grip around one of them. Not that she needed to turn around to see who the hand belonged to. Chan whispered in her ear, “Two’s a bit greedy, isn’t it? Especially as it’s the last two left.”

  The attention of the others on her, Reyes rolled her eyes before she looked at Chan. “Do you really have to fight me for everything? This has been going on for two years now. What’s your problem?”

  “I’m not the one with the problem, dear. You are. You’re the fake, not me.”

  “You’ve said that before. What the hell are you talking about?” When Chan didn’t reply, Reyes said, “There are plenty of other weapons here. Go and find something else.”

  But Chan didn’t let go. Instead, she tugged on the blaster again. “What if only this gun will do? Come on, Reyes, don’t be so selfish. You have two, after all. We’re all in this together, you know?” Before Reyes could reply, she added, “Besides, you’ve beaten our deadliest opponent yet with nothing but a torch to light your way, so what do you need blasters for? You’ve damn near got superpowers.” A facetious smile, the effect losing its impact because of her two black eyes, she tugged on the gun again.

  Although Reyes ground her jaw and refused to yield to Chan, she didn’t respond.

  “Stop being a muppet, Chan,” Patel said.

  Where her face had been lit up to be provoking Reyes, Chan turned to Patel with her top lip raised in a snarl. “Watch your mouth, Marine.”

  “What?” Patel balled his fists. “Who do you think you are?”

  “I’m not pulling rank. I’m just warning you to keep out. This is between me and daddy’s girl.”

  Reyes scanned her friends to see all of them twitching as if they were about to grab their weapons. They didn’t need to be falling out before they went on that cursed ship. Also, it didn’t matter how much Chan deserved it, the warrant officer would come down hard on her just for retaliating. He’d treat her like she’d started it. He wouldn’t want to hear anything to the contrary. Besides, whatever her dad felt worried about, it would be a lot worse if they went on The Faradis with a division in the ranks. She let go of the blaster.

  When it came free, Chan stared at it for a second. The tight wind of her shoulders loosened. Before she could say anything, Reyes handed her the other one. “I took both of these because I know they’re a deadly combination. I want you to have them. It’s more important to me that you go onto The Faradis happy. I can use something else and would hate to disadvantage you for no reason.”

  Although Reyes kept her focus on Chan, she couldn’t help but notice the smirks on her friends’ faces all around them.

  Chan took both guns and slowly turned to look at the others. The same snarl on her face, she tutted, shook her head, and walked away.

  Before Chan had gone from earshot, Patel said, “What’s her problem?”

  But Reyes didn’t reply. As much as Patel wanted to goad Chan and sought a collaborator, if things did go south on The Faradis, Chan would be a handy ally. Besides, she’d already won; she didn’t need to rub it in.

  Chapter 15

  Seventeen Marines, including the WO, they were now armed and ready to go, standing in front of the double doors leading to the now pressurised and airlocked corridor connecting them to The Faradis like an umbilical cord. The grizzled veteran stood in front of them again. He clasped his hands while he paced back and forth. This time, Reyes stood closer to the front, Julius returning to her natural position at the end of the line.

  “You all have mics and earpieces in your helmets,” the warrant officer said. “Now, I’m not planning on using them, because I want us to stay together, but in case anything should happen, I want everyone to switch theirs on now. Our intel tells me everything will be fine. We’ve scanned The Faradis and can’t see any signs of movement. We know we can breathe on there. I’m not stoked that I only have a team of rookies with me, but many of you have been to hell and survived it already. I expect you to step up and help the others if they need it.”

  Although Chan didn’t look around, Reyes saw her shake her head at his comment. Unfortunately for Chan, he saw it too.

  “Do you have a problem, Marine?”

  An almost instant reply, Chan slammed her boot down in a hard stamp as if driving her frustration away. “No, WO, sir. Sorry, sir.” The silence between the two turned the air
thick. The warrant officer finally broke it. “There seems little point in saying much else other than let’s make this quick. Get in, work out why the ship’s abandoned, and then get back in time for lunch.”

  In the silence that responded to him, Reyes looked around, her eyes landing on Julius. She noticed the large Marine had a tight grip on her gun. As much as she looked like she tried to fight the shake running through her hands, she failed miserably. It could be because she hadn’t been on a mission yet. The majority of them carried that burden. It could also be the clear apprehension in the WO’s voice. Although he’d not said it outright, his speech shared his worry with the rest of them. Hopefully it would have the positive effect of keeping everyone sharp rather than leeching their confidence and turning them into a liability. A more experienced head in the group, she’d made the correct choice to come with them. They might need her and the other survivors from Q328.

  Before Reyes could think on it any further, the whoosh of the doors to the airlocked corridor opened. The warrant officer didn’t look back or speak again. Instead, he waited for the doors to fully part before he stepped into the corridor. The slamming down of his first step hit the floor as a loud boom in the tight space. The squad followed him in. Despite all of them marching forward, Reyes felt the same reluctance in them that tugged on her own tired muscles.

  The WO reached the next set of doors first, Reyes now directly behind him. He turned to watch the rest of the Marines. After the whoosh signalling the first set of doors closing, he slammed a hard fist against the button to open the ones leading onto the alien ship.

  Another whoosh and the blood-red glow of The Faradis’ emergency lighting flooded into the small space. Even the warrant officer paused for a second, and Reyes felt the tension around her wind that little bit tighter, her own shoulders aching. Maybe they should go back. Find another way to explore the ship. Or just let it pass. When he stepped forward, her stomach lurched. Too late to back out now.