"All right." Reaper barely budged. "Give you whatever you want."
“What?” The pirate’s voice cracked. He cleared his throat. “No resistance? Yer’ just gonna hand it over?”
“Oh, yeah. Come on board and you can have your payment.”
Willis looked back to the Captain.
“It’s a good choice.” The video ended.
“Activate the combat bell.” Reaper still had barely budged.
Willis pried open the clear case over the switch and flipped it. All the lights in the ship faded from white to red. Some of them flashed. A siren wailed briefly every fifteen seconds. All off-duty soldiers rushed towards the armory. Families tucked themselves into their rooms.
“Wait until we can see in their windows.”
Twice the size of the Syndicate, the pirate ship was painted black, marked incoherently in red. Corpses, or rather humanoid jerky, were tied to the outside. Various metal spikes, chains, and other nonsense were welded to the panels.
They waited, motionless, for two minutes.
“They are in range of main cannons!” Willis announced.
“Hold. Windows, Will.”
He leaned over the console, thumb on the trigger.
One minute.
Thirty. Twenty. Ten. Five. Four. Three. Two…
“Fire!”
Thumb down.
A blinding light streaked across the faux window. Ka-BAM! The sound reverberated through the ship.
The side of the ship exploded into a ball of fire. The flames, without an anchor to the ship, pulled away. The hottest, brightest yellow circled around itself with the warming embrace of the reds encircling it. Then a fine blue rim around it. It was left, a fiery ball, to float aimlessly in space, barely moving anywhere. The smoke had done just the same. Lifted from the ship as if guided, circling about itself, until it, too, became a ball.
The ship twisted in its path. Thrusters spat air out. Willis shoved the throttle. The Syndicate flew zero to sixty in the blink of an eye. The pirate ship followed. Its size dragged it down. Willis brought the ship around. Aimed. Fired.
Another burst of flames peeled from the ship.
It had not even fully turned yet!
Willis fired again.
The pirates fired back.
Purple glimmered around the Syndicate. The ship pulled up, twisted around the other, down below. It was all Willis and Reaper could do to stay in their seats. The momentum of their bodies could not keep up with the tight turns and twists. They outmaneuvered the pirates like an expert ballad.
Willis steered the ship through a sphere of fire, the flames opening like a blossoming rose, clinging at the ship before peeling away and closing in on itself again.
A nearby explosion from the pirate ship rattled the Syndicate. One more sweep around. The thundering boom of the last shot fired seemed to ripple through the chassis and panels just a bit longer.
Reaper sat back in his chair, breathing a sigh of relief. The pirates retreated.
Willis jumped up out of his seat, fists in the air, and cheered.
"You did it. Good job, Willis."
Just as Reaper finished his sentence, a panel from the ceiling flew to the floor, narrowly missing the Captain. On top of the panel was a ball of fur that writhed and wriggled. Little padded feet kicked around until the ball stood itself up. The panel continued floating around the bridge room.
"Damn it, damn it, damn it!" The creature sniffled and grunted. Long ears twitched. "What the hell was that?! What the hell were you thinking?!" Its voice was raspy and deep for something not even a meter tall. An old man by kotoli standards.
The creature glared at Reaper, then snapped around to Willis.
"You, boy, are crazy! Do you realize what you've done?! The ship is in shambles! It's falling apart, you see!"
Willis retracted, slowly sitting back down.
"You've thrown all my tools everywhere! Now I have to get those little rats to fetch them! You've busted gas pipes, water pipes, electrical circuits! We're missing panels!"
Reaper was biting back a grin, watching the two of them. The little kotoli was not done yet, however. He snapped around to Reaper. Snatched up a wrench. And pointed it at him.
"Did you order him to do it? You damned young humans and your disrespect for the hard work of this old kotoli! All you do is destroy what I've built!"
"I'm sorry, Torch," Reaper struggled with keeping a straight face. "It won't happen again. Do you need a hand? Or a trip to the medbay?"
"Need a hand? I don't need no hand! But you're damned if you don't get me back up there in the next five seconds!"
Reaper held his hand out to the chief engineer, who quickly scampered up to stand in his palms. Reaper pushed the kotoli up, and the little pika-like grandfather floated back towards the hole.
He groaned as he clambered in, cursing all the while.
"Really pissed him off this time, huh?" Reaper chuckled.
"Oh, man, thought he was gonna kill us."
"Hail the colony, let them know the pirates are gone. We'll deliver some supplies."
"Yes, sir."
FOUR
The combat siren wailed through the ship. All the lights flashed red repeatedly. That was our signal. Every able-bodied soldier not stuck on post rushed to the armory. I may not have been the first one there, but that was all right. My job was to make sure everyone was ready for the Captain's orders. Were we going to board a ship, or were we going to be boarded?
It didn't matter. What mattered was we were all ready. I donned my own armor. It was simply an upgraded version of the standard issued Federation space suit, which originally provided protection from the vacuum of space. This upgraded version came equipped with armor plating. The chest piece was the thickest and heaviest piece, like a tiny vest, it only covered the chest and back. Its own collar was a little tall and the front of it angled down at the top and upwards from the bottom to make a rounded edge a few inches from the body. The rest of the armor was only half as thick, covering the forearms and legs. Molle weave was stretched over the suit and armor pieces to allow for different pouch setups. The matching helmet for the suit was much smaller than the standard. Sharper angles, better reinforcement, and a combat system to assist with aiming and locating the bad guys.
With the ship feeling out of control, it was all we could do to stand upright and get everything on. Soldiers fell into one another, hit the lockers. I'm pretty sure I saw one fall inside his locker and get shut in.
It took far too long, a few minutes, for all sixty men and women to get geared up. They were rusty and I was already planning on drilling them the next couple of weeks until the speed increased.
Everyone lined up in front of their lockers, maglocks keeping them in place. Some held onto the shoulder of the soldier in front of them to keep balance. I stood at the door, leaving it wide open.
"Comm check. Sound off!" I called.
Each one called back into the radio. Alpha 1, Alpha 2, Alpha 3... all the way down the line.
Something went wrong in the middle of Charlie. Charlie 4 made no sound. I looked for him in the line.
"Charlie 4, sound off!"
Nothing.
A soldier got shoved, so he leaned out of the line.
The ship rattled violently, a locker swinging open. Beta 2 got smacked right in the side of the bucket on his head. He hit the bench.
"Charlie 4, fix your goddamned comms!" I screamed over the wailing siren.
His helmet came off. Christ, he was young. Early twenties, maybe. Not a single hair on his chin. He frantically messed around between the inner lining and outer shell of the helmet, trying to figure out what went wrong.
The ship must have taken another sharp turn. We all leaned to one side as if a large wave rolled right under us. Charlie 4 fell against the bench. Beta 2 still didn't straighten up.
The motions came to a steady stop. The siren ceased. The lights flashed white. It was over.
What. Th
e. Actual. Fuck.
I checked the time displayed on my HUD. 1:37 PM. 10 minutes for everyone to get ready. Five minutes waiting for orders. No action. I was pissed. Pissed about having no action. Pissed at my platoon for lack of coordination. I planned for a stern talking to Reaper. Right now, I had a bigger issue.
I snatched my helmet off.
"Uh oh…" Sparrow sang. "LT has that look."
Ruby hushed her.
Everyone shut their mouths. They froze. Some were already taking their helmets off and were now second guessing that choice.
“Gear on. Laps.” I waved my finger in a circle. “Mjolnir, keep them going.”
Mjolnir roared at the others. Clapped his hands. They moved in two columns, out the door and down the hall. I looked each and every one of them in the eye as they passed.
I made them run, or rather pull laps around the entire floor, take off, and store their gear, run laps again, until I got bored. I grabbed a coffee. Watched them for quite a while.
“What in Asquallus’ name are they doing all that for?” Irzazee appeared at my side.
I jumped mid sip, a few drops of hot, black coffee made its way down the hall. I didn’t even hear him come up. I took a moment to think about how something so tall and in a rubber suit could be so quiet.
I sipped. “Reaper pissed me off.”
“Ahh.” He clasped one hand behind himself, tucked under the obnoxiously large metal shell. “Is that sufficient reason to…”
“Oh, they’re a bunch of stupid kids.” I cut in. “There’s no better way to learn.”
“To learn what?”
“How not to fuck up.”
Irzazee oohed again.
“Lieutenant Marshall, report to launch pad 4. Bring Mjolnir.”
I ended the running. Waved. As I walked by wetsuit, a reflection caught my eye. Irzazee had added a new bauble to his shell. A snow globe of an ardrizi in a blizzard. I mentioned how good it suited him, and he shimmied in place. No one ever noticed when he added a new one. His species loved wearing jewels.
Mjolnir joined me, followed by Sparrow who insisted on coming with us.
When we got down to the cargo bay, a shuttle was sitting on the launch pad, running and ready to go. We boarded from the side and took our seats. Two guys from the logistics team were giving one last check to the three crates strapped into the back.
"Planning to start a fight?" Reaper must have seen the look on my face. I had never taken all my gear off.
"No, sir."
"Lieutenant Willis shot the ship down."
"I guessed."
Reaper grinned. "You'll get your chance. We always run into trouble."
"If you aren't expecting trouble, which you never do, why do you need us?"
"Someone has to get these crates out of the shuttle."
"What?" Mjolnir's ears stood up. "This is slave labor!"
"There's no one I trust more!"
I almost laughed.
"Are there no machines to do it?" Mjolnir looked at everyone.
"Yeah," Reaper waved, "but those aren't as fun."
The shuttle rocked as it broke through the atmosphere. Sparrow had a sick look about her.
"You know," I said to her from across the way, "this is easy mode. A lot smoother than the drop pods during the war!"
"I doubt that."
"Think about being in a paper box, strapped in place by the shoulders and free falling into a war zone. It falls apart from the heat."
I watched the tension leave her body.
"Really?"
"Most of the time they blew up." I shrugged. "If not, you were shot getting out."
"Heard they got better since then." Reaper chimed in from the pilot's seat. "More heat resistance."
"I can't believe they sent y'all in like that."
The drop pods were probably worse than how I remembered. We had no training for them. We got strapped in and slung out of a ship. It was luck we hit the ground in one piece. They were designed to fall apart on impact, let all the soldiers run out the moment they hit. The problem was, most of them exploded on impact.
When we landed, a small crowd of people gathered. From the landing platform, we got a good view of the colony. Their growth was on a sudden standstill, a dozen buildings unfinished, or scrapped for materials. Most of the people were dirty, hungry, thirsty. President of the colony, Aulus Bassus, hurried through the crowd to greet Captain Reaper.
“Thank God someone finally came! You saved us, Captain Phillips. You saved all of us.” He held Reaper’s hand with both of his own.
Reaper smiled, a hand on the other’s shoulder. “We’re only doing what we must. I wish I could have brought you more supplies, but this should help you get back on your feet, sir.”
Mjolnir was at the back of the shuttle, already pulling down the crates nearly as big as he was.
“Whatever you have been willing to spare is appreciated. There is no amount too small.” Aulus waved his hand. “Come, please, let me show you our little town.”
Reaper looked at me as if he wanted me to come.
“Rasheen was meant to be a new start for all of us. This planet has given us all it has. Plants and minerals. We’re able to grow most earth based foods.” Aulus sighed then. “Unfortunately, since those pirates showed up, we’ve only been hurting. We’ve rationed everything. All we’ve grown for a year is wheat. Which is luckily versatile.”
“A year? That’s a long time to be terrorized.” Reaper said.
“Yes, but you know what they say, Captain.” He smiled. “Perseverance is the only path to salvation. We are all sinners here with a dream to better ourselves. We’ve paid the price and God has sent you to us. I would have thought those alpha hunters had taken care of the pirates, but it was you instead. It’s a glorious day! We will cele-”
“Did you say alpha hunters?” Reaper cut him off.
Oh, no, I thought. Here we go again. I wasn’t sure which was worse. The religious fanaticism, or Reaper’s never ending chase after his ex. He was going to die an empty, lonely man if he kept this up.
“Yes!” Aulus was confused that Reaper hung on that thought. “Quite bizarre. There were three of them. One of them was a woman, I’m pretty sure she was in charge. I’m not sure how they got around the pirates.”
“What were they here for?”
“They wanted to trade. Everything they had for fertilizer, lithium, ammonia, chlorine. We exchanged, and they disappeared. It was as if they were never here to begin with.”
Reaper looked at me, scratching his cheek.
“Oh! Another thing, about a day, or so, after they left, we picked up an SOS signal out towards Deruta.”
“Thank you, President Aulus. May God watch over you and all your people.” He was quick to walk away.
I was left standing alone in the middle of the street with the president. Reaper had already made up his mind and there was no stopping him. I knew where it would lead. It would not be pretty. I said goodbye to Aulus and hurried to catch up. The shuttle’s engine was already whirring up.
Mjolnir held onto the side of the shuttle, waving his arm. I made it to the landing platform. The shuttle raised.
“Fuckin’ hell, Reaper!” I shouted. Not like he could hear me. I had to jump for it. Fingers clasped to the edge of the shuttle. We were already up in the air, and that was a fall I did not want to make. Mjolnir reached down to help me up inside. The door shut and sealed.
Up to my feet, I shouted at Reaper.
“What the hell, man?! Are you fucking crazy?! You were going to leave me down there?!”
“Thought you could keep up.” Reaper didn't even look back at me.
“Did you think to ask him how long ago it was?”
“What happened?” Mjolnir took a seat and strapped in.
I held onto the back of Reaper’s chair even when the shuttle rattled.
“That could have been a month ago.” I said. “She won’t still be at the scene of a crime. There�
��s no proof she even went that way!”
“Don’t you think it’s weird that she would trade for those items?” Reaper said.
“What? No!” The turbulence made me lose my balance.
“Come on, Jack. Lithium, ammonia, chlorine, fertilizer?”
“It sounds like a bomb.” Mjolnir answered.
“Maybe it’s for a colony?” I added.
“It doesn’t matter.” Reaper had the shuttle at full speed, breaking through the atmosphere.
“To hell it does! You’re lookin’ for any excuse to go after her. What about the Syndicate? What about everyone else?”
“Even if it’s all wrong, we could still save some lives. She may need us. Someone else may. We have to see.”
FIVE
Irzazee had already found the SOS signal coming from the direction of Deruta. They set the ship to head that way, now all they needed was Reaper’s order. Reaper and Jackal flew up to the bridge as quickly as their arms could pull them.
“Is the course set?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Go!”
“Art,” Jackal grabbed the back of his chair. “Are you sure about this?”
“Of course I am.”
“What if she isn’t there?”
“Then she ain’t.” He never looked at him. “Go get a team ready.”
When Jackal turned around to leave, he gave a sarcastic salute. He was not happy about this. Jackal was the type of guy to chase after glory and heroic tales, but Reaper was taking it to a whole new level.
It took nearly a day to get to Deruta, yet the signal carried on passed the brown planet. There was no sign of debris, or anything worth note here. Willis moved the ship on. Another day.
Perhaps it was a phantom signal. Radio waves reflecting off asteroids, planets, or other ships. It just so happened to travel at the right frequency. Another day.
Still no sign of the source. An asteroid cast a shadow just ahead of them. As it moved, the star light shined on a bright, white surface. Black tendrils were spread over, digging into the panels.
The N.C. Utopia.
A ship five times the size of the Syndicate, it easily dwarfed the scout ship. This was a nomadic ship, one that housed nearly a hundred thousand people who traveled the galaxy on an endless pilgrimage. The middle of the ship was a glass sphere, black on the outside, but transparent from the inside. The front of the ship was cut at an angle on its underside, leaving the bridge at the highest point, directly connected to the sphere. The only visible weapons on the ship were small lasers used purely for its anti-collision system.
The Soul Eaters (The Thin Hex Line Book 1) Page 3