"We ha..." but the signal cut off.
He waited and listened; another few impacts, and then a burst of gunfire that was soon silenced. He rushed onwards to a junction where he would be able to see and looked both ways. The light on his helmet lit up the way. To the left another of his squads was rushing down the length of the room, but he turned to the right and saw one of his own men flying through the air. A Krys soldier rushed past and smashed into another before vanishing from view.
"What the hell is going on?" he demanded over comms.
"Sir, we've got multiple contact...we...we have five men down."
"Where are the enemy now?"
"I...I don't know," replied the man in a shaky voice.
Allard growled in annoyance and rushed down to where he had seen the Krys soldier. He reached the spot and found two of his people unconscious. A third was cradling a broken arm and bleeding profusely from a wound to the forehead. Gunfire rang out once again.
"Somebody talk to me!" he demanded over the comms. He began to panic.
"Damn it, come on!" he roared and rushed on towards the direction of the gunfire. It soon died down, but as he got there, he found a whole squad incapacitated. Some were unconscious. Others had been shot in the legs and arms.
"What the hell is going on?"
"Sir, I don't think we're the hunters. I think we're the hunted," said the man beside him.
A bright light lit up ahead of them, and Allard raised his rifle to find that it was the light of a shield on one of CJ's Krys. He fired two shots, and the shield absorbed both as it ran towards him. He kept firing, but nothing was getting through. It reached him and knocked his rifle aside. He turned back for the support of his team, but they were on the ground and two Krys soldiers standing over them. He backed off against the nearest container in fear.
"Please, we didn't come here to hurt you. We are just doing our job," he pleaded.
Kaner lowered his shield, retracted his helmet, and raised his Assegai to the officer’s throat. He backed up against the wall and was shaking in terror.
Chapter 10
CJ nodded to Mirov as they each placed a charge on a small maintenance hatch of the Tempest. They took a few paces back before each counting down and finally hitting trigger buttons on their Mappads. The door flew off, and CJ was quick to jump through. It was barely wide enough for him to fit through as they climbed in one-by-one. He stopped at a T-junction and signalled for the last squad to split up, as he and Mirov headed on for their intended target. They heard a blast door closing up ahead and picked up the pace to try and beat it, but when they reached it, it was millimetres from sealing.
They didn't stop and rushed on through the maintenance tunnels in the outer skin of the ship. CJ stopped when he found an air conditioning vent and fans. Mirov couldn't understand what he was doing. He took aim at the fans and fired several shots until they stopped. Then he thrust himself at the module and burst through as the wall gave way. For a moment they felt themselves being sucked back out through the breach, but their boots kept them locked to the ground, if barely able to move. That went on for ten long seconds when the breach became sealed. CJ retracted the visor of his helmet and took a breath of the air.
"Did you know that would work?"
"No, but it seemed like a pretty good idea at the time, Mirov."
A scream rang out as a man and a woman from an engineering team took the bend to catch sight of them and realised whom they were.
"What do we do?"
"Leave them. They don't matter," replied CJ as he leapt into action.
He hit a stairway running and crashed into two crewmembers that hadn't recognised them. They were cast aside like ragdolls with CJ almost reaching a sprinting pace. They were at the bridge in seconds. Two guards stood at the entrance and reached for their sidearms, but it was too late. CJ fired two shots into the legs of one, and punched the other so hard he hit the doorframe of the entrance and bounced off to hit the floor even harder.
CJ strode onto the bridge like a conquering hero, and the Captain spun around in his chair with a look of disbelief on his face.
"What? What are you doing here? How?"
"How doesn't matter," he replied.
"Captain Charlie Jones, you are un.."
CJ slammed him hard across the face, which cut him off.
"You are u..." he tried again.
But CJ backhanded him even harder this time.
"I can do this all day, if you like."
That finally silenced the Captain.
"Open a channel."
"To who?" asked the Captain in a muted and defeatist tone as he wiped the blood from his nose.
"Everyone."
The Captain didn't look happy and was showing signs of defiance in his face once more.
"Don't make me hit you again. You mean nothing to me. I'd just as soon kill you and have the next crewman do it for me."
He begrudgingly nodded in agreement and opened the communications channel.
"Listen up," said CJ, "This ship now belongs to us. Lay down your weapons and vacate to the freighter immediately. Do as I ask, and no further harm will come to you. Those who defy my order will be shot. Don't test me. I am not a patient man."
He stepped forward and hit the control on the Captain's chair to end the transmission.
"That's right, people. You're out of here!"
"You can't just take an Alliance warship," said one of the other officers.
"Yeah? Watch me. Now move, all of you!"
They led them at gunpoint towards the docking corridor and arrived to find the crewmembers pouring in. Kaner was waiting for them, with Allard at his feet with a broken nose.
"You won't get away with this," said Allard as he recognised CJ.
"Yeah? Who is gonna stop me? You?"
"Me," a voice cried.
CJ spun around and fired a single shot at one of the ship's marines who had a weapon pointing right at him. The shot went exactly between his eyes, and he dropped down dead against the wall of the docking corridor. Several of the crew backed away in horror.
"Now, didn’t you hear me? I said nobody gets hurt if you just do what I say. Do you understand?"
"You're a monster," replied the ship’s Captain.
"I am what life makes of me, now move!"
He pushed the Captain forward as the last of them passed through the door to the freighter.
"Keep moving!" he yelled as they led the crew onwards.
"What are you doing with us?"
"This freighter is modular. You can go onwards with the aft module. There is nothing we need in there."
"You'll never get away with this," said Allard, "The General will keep coming for you."
"Then let her come, and see what more I can take from her."
CJ and his squad stopped at the entrance and let the crew pass on by. The door sealed shut, and the corridor began to retract into the Tempest.
"They'll make it back alive. You didn't have to do that," said Mirov.
"I know."
"Then why?"
"I am giving Lysenko a chance. I am giving the Alliance a chance. I don't have a fight with them right now. I came into this world to fight Humanity for the Krys cause, but Humanity and the Krys are one and the same now. I cannot fight one without hurting the other."
"So what are we? Independent?"
He smiled. "Something like that."
He strode back to the bridge through the empty corridors of the destroyer. It was lavishly spacious compared to the Phoenix.
"She's not small, and we don't have the resources to run this beast," said Mirov.
"True, but I'm not giving it back."
"We need somewhere to put this hulk down. Somewhere habitable that is quiet, and won’t attract too much attention.”
“I know just the place,” said Kaner.
CJ didn’t even bother asking any further. He knew so little about the universe as it was now, and he was quite happy leaving it in
the hands of someone who knew better.
“Plot the course and pass it on to Rivera.”
“Done.”
CJ looked surprised. “What do you mean done?”
“We’re ready to go on your word.”
“Well, what are you waiting for?”
“Yes, Sir,” replied Tanner as he began the jump sequence. He didn’t bother to count it down. The gateway opened. Both ships passed through simultaneously, and in a flash they were in orbit of a luscious green-forested world. There was no sign of life in the space around them.
"What is this place?" CJ asked.
"Orman, a Krys world for almost a hundred years until Bolormaa arrived. It was quickly overrun after many left to fight elsewhere, and no one has returned. Orman stands as a memorial and grave to the Krys people. They will not come back for a long time, and neither will anyone else."
"You seem pretty sure?"
"Bolormaa's war is far bigger than an abandoned and destroyed colony. This is the safest place we could be right now. Aside from what the planet holds in store for us, of course."
"Why? You said everyone had left."
"I said all Krys life had been left or destroyed, but there were many creatures on Orman before the Krys arrived, and there will be long after we have gone. Many are powerful and dangerous, and not at all keen on others infringing on their territory. We will find a safe harbour from the war here, but it is no walk in the park."
CJ smiled, though he also then frowned.
How Human the Krys have become. They would never have spoken so casually and with Human coin a phrase.
"All right, find somewhere quiet to put us down."
"Down? We can't land a destroyer on ground like that," protested Mirov.
"He is right. There is only one place on the surface with a landing zone big enough for a ship of this size," added Kaner.
"You misunderstand my meaning. You both think I want to set down a working vessel, I don't. You said yourself that we cannot crew a vessel of this size, and the Phoenix is far better suited to our needs. But the Tempest is our new home, and once she's down there, she won't ever fly again."
"Yes, Sir," replied Kaner, finally understanding what CJ had in mind.
He punched in a course and they were soon heading into the atmosphere.
"Rivera, come in," said CJ.
"Yes, Sir, forgive me, but have you lost your mind?" she quickly responded.
"Not yet. Follow us in, and find somewhere solid to put down as close to us as possible."
"But..."
"But nothing, just do it."
"Yes, Sir."
They were through the atmosphere in no time at all, and CJ marvelled at the surface before him. The whole world was a luscious rainforest. Visibility was a few hundred metres, and a hazy and humid fog clouded the skies beyond that. Vast trees reached a hundred metres into the sky, and the forests seemed to only part for small rocky outcrops, rivers, and lakes.
"We must jettison the freighter soon. We'll never land with it attached," said Kaner.
"Just let it go. It'll go to autopilot and find somewhere safe. We can recover the supplies another time," replied Mirov.
CJ was just glad to see the team coming together, and for once there were Humans that he could respect.
"Why would you not come back here?"
"The Krys are too busy fighting. Maybe if the war can be won they will come back."
"All of this, and we fought to take Earth, why?"
Kaner smiled. "Orman is not the picturesque paradise that you see here. It is a savage and brutal world where you must be tough to survive."
"Sounds like our kind of place."
"So long as it doesn't kill us," added Mirov.
"No, it will make us stronger," he replied confidently.
Nobody said a word as Kaner guided them in. CJ had never even thought to ask if he could fly the vast warship, and yet he didn't seem to struggle with it at all. They were a few hundred metres off the top of the tree canopy and ambled along, looking for a good place to set down.
"There!" CJ shouted, pointing to the base of a cliff top.
It was the perfect place to nestle in. Hard to spot from the air and the land, and out of the sun, which he could already see was going to be brutal.
"This isn't going to be pretty," said Mirov.
"All we have to do is touchdown, how difficult can that be?"
Mirov laughed. "I never realised how much fun life could be outside of the Alliance."
"Yeah? We're only just getting started. We control our own destiny now."
They ship began to shake as Kaner used every bit of power and control it had to direct it into the tight spot CJ had given him.
"Don't fuck this up now," he said.
Kaner just nodded as if the humour had gone right over his head. They had slowed massively and were crawling towards their target.
"Ah, shit," said CJ as they banked too hard and slammed into the cliff face. They were shaken violently as they came to a near halt, dropped the last twenty metres, and crashed into the ground. The undercarriage gave way and they bellied out. They were thrown about the bridge and finally came to a stop.
"Smooth," said CJ.
Mirov burst into laughter and patted Kaner on the shoulder.
"Nice work."
CJ strode off the bridge, and the others didn't know what else to do but follow him while the engines powered down. He raced up a few stairways and found an airlock.
"You say this air is good enough to breathe?"
"Yes," replied Kaner.
He hit the release. A red warning light flashed, and a siren rang out as a countdown began. The doors parted, and a blast of warm air flooded into the ship. CJ closed his eyes and basked in the breeze that passed over his face.
"You know what that is?" he asked them.
"Freedom," replied Mirov without hesitation.
"That's right. You earned it. We all did."
"And who'd have thought all we had to do was break a few heads to get it?"
"They say nothing worth doing comes easy. Well, I say they're wrong."
He strode out of the airlock and onto a section of the hull of the Tempest that was near the very top of the ship. It was a plateau as high as many of the trees ahead of them. A small lake lay between them and the tree line. It was fed by a waterfall a hundred metres from the rear of the ship. CJ just marvelled at is as he took in the thick, warm air into his lungs.
"What a place? I could call this home," said Mirov.
But as he finished, a winged creature zipped past them and grabbed hold of him. It had a four-metre wingspan and looked like something from pre-historic times as it took off with Mirov in its grasp. It had a long jaw and beak with a hammer-like head and huge talons as large as a man's arm. Mirov's body armour was all that had stopped him from being both crushed and pierced by the beast.
The other two couldn't believe what they had seen, and it took them a few moments to process it and respond. Mirov was screaming for help as he was carried away towards the nearest forest canopy.
"Get off me!" he cried, but he was powerless.
CJ lifted his rifle and took aim as the creature soared away at high speed.
"You could hit Mirov," said Kaner.
"That's a chance I'm willing to take."
He fired three shots. The first two missed as it flapped its wings, but the third clipped it. It sent it into a spiral and caused it to lose its grip on Mirov who fell.
"Shit!" he cried and plunged into the lake below.
The winged beast plunged into the forest canopy and vanished inside it. They watched as Mirov surfaced finally and gasped for air.
"You weren't joking about this place," said CJ.
"No Human would ever choose to live here. They are not tough enough."
"I'm okay!" Mirov shouted.
He swam to the far side edge by the tree line and began to claw himself out of the sticky mud when a talon suddenly appea
red from out of the water. It latched onto his leg.
"Oh, no, not again," he cried.
"Mirov!" CJ yelled.
It was too late. Whatever had gotten a hold of him pulled him back under, and he vanished into the lake.
Chapter 11
"Come on!" CJ hollered.
He couldn't believe he was doing it. About to risk his life for a Human, but Mirov wasn't like the rest. None of his team was. Like him, they looked like Humans, but didn't act like the rest of them. He ran to the edge of the ship and leapt off. His boosters kicked in quickly and allowed him to glide down to the water’s edge.
"Mirov! Mirov!"
The Lieutenant was lifted out of the water by the creature. It still had a hold of him. His rifle was gone, but he had drawn his Assegai and was thrusting it into the creature’s appendage. The wounds were clearly causing it immense pain as it began to thrash around and throw him about. He vanished below the water again, and then appeared once more. The surface of the water rippled as the head of the beast began to emerge. It was as black as night and had multiple eyes that looked in every direction.
CJ didn't hesitate. He lifted his rifle and opened fire. First with two careful shots to the creature’s head, but when that seemed to have little effect, he opened up on full auto. The magazine ran empty. He dropped it and reached for another when Mirov was thrown clear of the water. As he primed his rifle, the creature vanished below the surface as if it had accepted defeat.
Mirov scrambled through the mud in desperation to get away from the water's edge, as CJ kept scanning the surface.
“Kaner wasn’t kidding about this place, was he? What the hell was that?”
CJ lowered his weapon as the water calmed once more and went over to help Mirov to his feet. His face was cut in two places and his left hand was bleeding badly as well.
“We’re going to have to be more careful around here.”
“No shit. This isn’t a paradise. It’s a death trap.”
CJ shook his head and smiled.
Phoenix Odyssey Book 1 (Battle Beyond Earth) Page 8