It now occurred to Mirov just how vast the station really was.
“So how do we find the Captain?”
He looked to Jafar. He was looking at a map on the pad of his arm with a beacon marked out.
“There is a tracker on the Captain?”
Mirov was amazed, disgusted, and relieved all at the same time.
“Releasing CJ was always going to be a risk. A calculated risk that I agreed to, but that does not mean I did not have contingencies in place. I suspected something might go wrong, but I never envisaged this situation. I never thought I would be coming to his rescue.”
He went onwards and led the way. He moved so quickly Mirov had to leap forward and had a job to keep up with him.
“So you and Sarik, and the Kadir. You were waiting to hunt us down if we didn’t do what the Alliance wanted?”
“Something like that, yes.”
“And what will you do now, if and when we get the Captain back?”
“That will be up to him.”
They took a bend and found themselves facing three Morohtan warriors. Many of them activated their shields, but not Mirov. He took aim and got the first few shots off. He had killed the first before anyone else had managed to fire. Two shots rushed past his head and slammed into Jafar’s shield as he kept firing. He killed the second, and a volley of fire from those beside them killed the third.
“You will be no good to the Captain dead,” said Jafar.
He was breathing heavily as though rage was pouring through his veins.
“You’re angry. I understand that, but you must focus that anger.”
“Didn’t I?” he snarled.
Kaner patted him on the back and pulled him forward as Jafar went onwards.
* * *
“Why do you keep coming here? I have nothing to give you,” CJ insisted.
He was cut and bleeding across his face from a vicious beating.
“You have a part to play in this war, and I know it,” replied Ganbaatar, “You say you hate Taylor, but I don’t believe you. The Alliance believes you are valuable, and I bet your Colonel does, too.”
CJ spat blood on the floor beside him as he shook his head in amazement.
“You are more stupid than I thought.”
Once again he felt the lash of knuckles of steel across his face, and a fresh cut opened up under his left eye.
“This strategy you’ve got. Beat me until I reveal something to you that I don’t know. How it is working for you?”
The alien groaned as if he really was getting to him. But as he opened his mouth to speak, a siren rang out. CJ smiled.
“Things still going to plan?” he asked.
He lifted his hand, and a 3D map of the station and surrounding area appeared before him. He could see the Phoenix, and so could CJ.
“Your friends have come for you, but they will not succeed. We will continue this later,” he said and stormed out of the room.
CJ began to laugh. He still didn’t have much faith in a successful rescue attempt, but it pleased him to see Ganbaatar so put out.
“I hope they kill you, you son of a bitch!” he roared.
* * *
“If we face Ganbaatar again, what do we do?” Kaner asked.
“Don’t die,” replied Jafar.
“That’s helpful,” said Mirov.
“I have faced the most unbelievable odds in my life, and it was Colonel Taylor who showed me that the impossible is achievable.”
“But how?”
Jafar smiled. “Sometimes I think Taylor just makes it up as he goes along. But one thing is certain. He never quits. He never doubts himself, and he never gives anything but one hundred percent. He throws himself into every situation as if it were his last. As if it would the most important thing in the universe, and he always comes out the victor…eventually.”
“But he’s not here now,” said Mirov.
“No, but you are. Taylor is just a man, and never forget that. Everything that he has ever achieved is within your grasp.”
They reach a crossroads and stopped while Jafar checked his tracker. Before they could get going again, they heard the clatter of footsteps ahead, and almost twenty soldiers stepped into the wide hallway ahead.
“What the hell?” Mirov asked.
“They look…Human,” said King.
“What are they?” asked Kaner.
“I don’t know, but they are not friendly!” he yelled as they opened fire. The two platoons split apart into the cover of the sides of the intersection as several at the front returned fire.
‘We’re stuck here, and we don’t have the time to get bogged down!” Mirov yelled.
“There is another way. Kaner, stay here with your platoon. Mirov, you are with me.”
Jafar led the way down one of the other routes from the crossroads. Kaner looked over just in time to see King running after them.
“Where are you going?” he called out.
She either hadn’t heard him or chose not to.
“Damn it,” he said, leaning around the corner to fire two shots. One struck one of the Humanoid looking soldiers square in the torso. He saw the shot penetrate, and yet it didn’t seem to feel any pain or be affected in any way at all. He ducked back in as a hail of gunfire was returned his way, and lumps of the wall were torn off. He leaned out once more and took a more careful aim, shooting the same soldier in the head. He crumpled and went down dead. Yet again gunfire ripped into his position as he went back into cover.
“What are those things?” asked one of his platoon.
“I don’t know, but whatever they are, it isn’t Human. Aim for the head!”
He leaned out once more and knocked another down with a clean headshot but was clipped on his left arm. He fell back into cover wincing in pain. One of his platoon came to help, but he pushed him aside.
“I’m fine. Keep fighting!”
* * *
Jafar strode through the station at such a pace that Mirov had to jog at quite a speed to keep up.
“Do you think he’s still alive?”
“Why wouldn’t he be? If Ganbaatar wanted him dead, he would never have left that planet with him.”
Mirov seemed appreciative of the sentiment, but still not confident. They reached a large blast door, and Jafar placed a device against the lock. It overrode the system in seconds, and the door rose. A dozen Gueros were behind it. Jafar didn’t even hesitate. He went forward with a pistol in one hand and a blade in the other. He shot the first in the face and charged into the next. The impact launched it into the air. It crashed into two of the others and knocked them to the deck. Jafar spun and cleaved the head of another and shot a fourth.
They couldn’t believe what they were seeing as he took apart the Humanoid looking enemy as if they were nothing at all. Mirov shot another and moved to engage the next when one took hold of the barrel of his gun, snapping the rifle in two in an immense display of strength. The soldier grabbed him by the throat, drove him against a wall, and put its rifle barrel against his chest. He knocked it down, and the gunfire ripped into the floor below.
He punched against the soldier, but his blows seemed to have little effect. They were about matched for strength even with his exo-suit on, but he was unable to hurt the mechanical looking Humanoid. He tried to resist, but he was losing energy as his supply of oxygen was being starved.
Jafar’s hilt descended on the soldier’s head, impacting with such force that its neck snapped, and its head dropped to one side. Even then it still held on. Jafar rotated his blade around, thrust it down into the exposed neck, and severed the head. Both sparks and blood flew as he severed electrical and living parts all in one, and the soldier dropped dead before him. Mirov gasped for air as he nodded in gratitude.
“What are they?” he asked, coughing to clear his throat.
“Cyborgs,” replied King, as she knelt down to inspect one of the bodies.
“What are they cooking up here?” asked Mirov
.
“A new kind of soldier. Bolormaa’s armies may not have been as vast as we first thought, and she has been dealt a number of defeats in recent months. She is looking for any and all means to replace her losses.”
“You knew about this, didn’t you?” King suspected he knew a lot more than he was letting on.
“I had my suspicions, but not enough evidence to commit substantial resources to it.”
“This was never about rescuing the Captain, was it?”
“A mission can have more than one objective, Mirov. I needed to know that this was real, and if Ganbaatar was really still out there. And I believe CJ is just the man we need to counter this new threat.”
“Well, nice work. You tried to kill three birds with one stone, but you just didn’t bring a big enough stone. You might have just killed us all,” said King.
“The Alliance never forced any of you to do this. CJ led you on this path, and I am doing what I can to right his mistakes.”
“His only mistake was trusting the Alliance,” said Mirov, “You sent us out here as bait. You sent us out here to die.”
“Perhaps that is what some among your people intended, but I would never have come this far and risked this much if I did not believe in you and in CJ.”
They turned a corner that opened out into a large dome-shaped prison lobby. There were six paths to different cellblocks.
“Which way?”
Jafar pointed, but before they could move, a door slid open. A huge, shadowy figure stepped out into the room with them.
“Ganbaatar,” said Jafar in equal measures of astonishment and dread.
Nobody needed to be given the order. They opened fire immediately, but a flick of light flashed before the alien, and a transparent dome encased him. The energy absorbed the gunfire.
“What do we do?”
“You get CJ, Lieutenant King. He is in cell 4A down there,” said Jafar as he pointed, “Take half of the platoon. Mirov you are staying with me.”
“How can we fight that?”
Jafar shook his head.
“We have no choice. If we want to get CJ out of here, we have to fight for him.”
Nobody moved as the creature’s shield powered down. He didn’t move a centimetre and stood there like a statue, as if wanting them to make the next move.
“Go!” Jafar yelled at King.
She split off with half of Mirov’s unit. The rest of them stood off against the alien Prince. None had ever seen one with their own eyes. They only knew about them from stories and rumours. They knew they should fear him, and that made it all the worse. Twenty against the Morohtan Prince; it would be enough to face any other enemy they had ever known, but now they were not so sure.
It was a standoff, and it seemed that neither party wanted to make the first move. Finally, Ganbaatar smiled with a wicked grin as if he knew something they didn’t. Moments later another door rose open, and a hail of gunfire rang out from a platoon of Gueros who emerged from the opening, firing as they closed the distance. Three of Mirov’s platoon were killed instantly, and one of Jafar’s bodyguards.
Most of Mirov’s unit turned their attention to this new threat. Jafar shook his head in disgust that Ganbaatar had to resort to such underhand tactics. He lifted his blade and charged at the Prince. His first cut was so powerful that Ganbaatar’s parry was knocked aside, and the Krys Lord barged into him, smashing him against the doorway from where he had come.
Ganbaatar looked surprised by his power, but soon recovered. He lifted his front legs onto Jafar and locked his arms in place. He struck him in the face with repeated blows until Jafar stumbled back stunned. With one huge swing, the Prince smashed his two-handed pole weapon into Jafar. He was thrown five metres and crashed into a Gueros.
His Krys bodyguard rushed in next, but Ganbaatar turned his partisan around and fired both barrels of the gun that was fitted to it. The shots passed right through the Krys soldier and exited out of his back. One of those shots skimmed the armour on Mirov’s shoulder as he strode forward. As the weapon was brought to bear against him, he ducked under, dropped his rifle, and drew his Assegai. He thrust into the receiver of the weapon system on the shaft of the weapon. Sparks flew as a power source inside blew up, and he was thrown back onto the floor with his Assegai still in hand.
The partisan was rotated around Ganbaatar’s head and swung for his body with an almighty blow when a roar rang out. Ross charged past him and smashed into the alien Prince. He was the biggest and strongest of all the Humans in the unit, but not even he was strong enough a force to shift the creature. But he stabbed again and again into its body, letting out the coarsest of battle cries. Blood seeped from the wounds, and Ganbaatar was forced to turn his attention to this new threat.
Mirov was given a moment to breathe and got back to his feet. He saw the Prince kick Ross back and deliver a punishing blow to his face with the counterweight of his partisan. Blood spewed from Ross’ mouth as he collapsed to the floor. He was motionless. Hopefully, knocked out and not dead.
Jafar climbed back to his feet. He was empty-handed, and the solder he landed on got up, too. It lifted its rifle to shoot him, but he kicked it from its hands, grabbing hold of its head in one hand and neck with the other. He ripped the two apart with his bare hands. His furious anger was building now as he picked up his blade and turned back to the fight with Ganbaatar. Just Mirov stood against him, cutting from one side to the other in desperate attempts to parry the ferocious onslaught of Ganbaatar. Jafar let out roar as he charged back into the sway.
* * *
“4A, 4A, 4A,” King kept saying to herself as she ran along the cell doors. They didn’t seem to be in any kind of order that she recognised. A shot rang out, and she ducked down instinctively. It hit the shield of the man behind her, and she responded with a burst of fire and killed the enemy herself.
“How did I ever get to this point?” she muttered to herself.
She went on and on past so many doors when finally she stopped. She had spotted the number and gone right past it.
“4A, CJ,” she said.
She couldn’t believe that she had found it. There was not even a lock to the door, just a single button to open and close. She hit the button, and it slid open. The Captain was still locked into his chair.
“CJ.”
But before he could warn her, the Gueros appeared from beside the door and struck her in the face. It broke her nose and knocked her back in one vicious strike as she was thrown back into the rest of the squad. One of them tried to push her aside to take a shot, but she shoved them back, drew her Assegai, and ran at the unarmed soldier. She knew it was more powerful than she was, but she had overcome her fears and was ready to bring the fight to them.
The Gueros and King rushed at one another. As it punched straight towards her head, she knocked its arm aside with her Assegai and ducked under its second strike, thrust into its chest, and drove in deep. She strode forward and pinned it to the wall. It tried to resist but was losing control and power to its arms, as she had severed systems inside its body. King drew out the Assegai, thrust it into its neck, and prised the head off.
Both body parts collapsed to the floor, and she stood triumphantly over the body with a smile on her face.
“I guess a few things have changed since I’ve been gone, then,” said CJ.
“Damn right they have!”
She put her Assegai into the locks on his arms and legs, and cut them off in one without hesitation. No longer the same woman when CJ had last known her. One of the others stepped into the room and pulled off a large pack from his back. He quickly opened. It was an exo-suit for him.
“Come on, CJ, let’s get you out of here!”
Chapter 20
Jafar let out a roar in pain as the Prince locked his arm and was close to snapping it from the socket. Bodies lay all around them. Most of Mirov’s squad were incapacitated or dead. The Lieutenant himself was trying to get back on to his feet, but was ble
eding badly from a leg wound and could not put weight on it. There were twice as many destroyed Gueros lying around them, but another squad held the survivors and wounded at gunpoint. They could do nothing but watch the final battle as Jafar and Ganbaatar fought it out.
Jafar’s strength was failing fast. He was already wounded in several places, and despite his strength, he did not have the skill or stamina to keep up with the Morohtan Prince.
“You are weak, and you will be destroyed like anyone else who opposes Bolormaa!” he declared.
Jafar seemed powerless to resist him. Ganbaatar had the old Krys Lord locked in his front legs and his arms locked with his right. In his left arm he lifted up Jafar’s own blade in readiness to plunge it into his collar. But a flash of movement behind them did not go unnoticed as someone or something charged full speed and leapt onto the Prince’s back. He stumbled forward and lost his grip of Jafar, as CJ rose up on his back and thrust his Assegai down deep into his collar.
Ganbaatar let out a deafening shriek in pain. He reached around, grabbed CJ, and threw him off. His shoulder was dropped low, and he looked in immense pain as Jafar picked up his sword. He and CJ then stood off against the Prince.
“You fools! You will all die here!”
CJ smiled sadistically as though challenging the Prince. A hail of gunfire rang out. King and her squad rushed into the room and struck down many of the Gueros in their opening salvo. The wounded and prisoners on the ground grabbed at the enemy and dragged them to the ground, beating them with their bare hands and taking their weapons from them.
Ganbaatar roared in frustration as he realised he was beaten. Jafar and CJ knew they still had just a small chance against him, but it was enough of a chance that the Morohtan would not risk it.
“This is not over,” he snarled and scurried off through the doorway he had come from. King fired and chased him to the door. She managed to hit him with a couple of shots before he was gone, but she quickly turned her attention back to the rest of the fight and gunned down one of the enemy soldiers. It was all over in seconds, as once more the guns fell silent.
Phoenix Odyssey Book 1 (Battle Beyond Earth) Page 15