"No, sir. Have you heard anything of creatures called eos?"
"Eos? I've heard tales, but those are just silly stories from the edge."
"I can promise you they're real. I mentioned them in my report about the Utopia."
"I've had that report sitting on my desk for a while. Haven't had time to read it." The admiral glanced at something off screen. "What are they?"
"That's part of the problem. We don't know specifically. Monsters is the easiest way to describe it. According to the valkyrie we've found there is a population of them on B-58. We were headed that way."
"Valkyrie?"
"From my understanding a soldier. He has been a wonderful addition to the team and his strategies in battle are exceptional. He's how we know what we do already. Though I'm afraid Dr. Reynolds would better explain. She's working on a report as we speak, but there is a lot to learn."
"Be careful, Phillips. Some battles are best left unfought."
"Yes, sir."
"Keep up your investigation, but prioritize finding this White Death soldier. Once you have her in custody, call me."
"Do you know where she was last seen?"
"Thacatis. There is a joint colony called Caelestus. Fleebeeron and Ardrizi. She's most likely seeking protection."
"We'll head there right away."
THIRTY-ONE
It turned out Thacatis was on the way to B-58. Reaper couldn't believe their luck. He had the new course plotted, but knew the chances of them headed straight to Fenris' planet afterwards was slim. He did not want to leave Solstice in a rush this time. At least not until they had everything they needed on board. They could dismantle and upgrade parts as they headed to Thacatis.
They stayed one more day, making a late night launch. The reactor had been upgraded with new stabilizers and coolants. Systems upgraded for better efficiency. Half of the air thrusters were upgraded for better power output, the other half to be upgraded later. The synthesizer was fully functional and freshly stocked, with an additional freezer added for raw foods that could be accessed easily.
Fenris didn't seem to care. It understood the chain of command. If the Admiral said so, then it must be done.
Seemingly motivated to help in preparations, Fenris busied itself by helping Jackal with stock. It continued its nightly game with Reaper as well. Though now Fenris turned it into something to help Reaper train. It found a way to create custom units, and recreated some of the most common eos it had encountered best to the game's allowance. Shocked, he took it to heart.
It made him happy to know Fenris was willing to do what it could to prepare them instead of leaving them in the dark.
When they made it to Thacatis, their priorities changed. Engineers continued working on the ship. Jackal assembled a team of Fenris, Mjolnir, and Ruby to search for clues of the AWOL White Death.
"Hold up, Ruby," Jackal called from the back of the shuttle. "Captain's walking up."
He gave a wave to Reaper. "Looking geared up just to say 'good luck,' Cap."
Reaper pulled himself into the shuttle. "That's because I'm coming with you."
"I got the best guys here. We can handle it."
"I know you can handle it. I just don't trust you." He pointed at Jackal.
Ruby laughed from the pilot's seat.
Jackal's jaw dropped. "What the hell?!"
"I don't want you to," he made air quotes with his fingers, "accidentally murder who we're apprehending."
Taken aback by that comment, Jackal made nonsense sounds.
"Don't act surprised. You're the most racist motherfucker I know."
"Captain's right," Mjolnir crossed his arms. "You're more likely to shoot an eldiravan than handcuff one."
With the shuttle door shut, Ruby powered up the shuttle for landfall.
"That's not true!" Jackal whined. "I don't murder people. I kill them before they kill me."
Reaper laughed.
"It's fine, Jack. We're gonna find her, put her in the brig and I'll handle it from there." His nose scrunched up. "I have to admit, Fenris you...smell awful. I mean, a lot worse than usual."
"Yes, my nose is offended by that stench." Mjolnir agreed.
"No smell." It retorted.
"You seriously can't smell it?" Jackal asked.
"He's used to the smell...when was the last time you bathed?" Reaper strapped himself into his seat.
The valkyrie was quiet in thought. Then shook it's head. "Never."
They collectively responded with genuine horror.
"That fucking settles it." Jackal stated. "You're getting a bath when we're done here."
"I'm sure you can borrow a pressure washer." Reaper said.
"Might need two…"
The shuttle shook as they entered the atmosphere of Thacatis. It felt ready to fall apart.
"When are you humans going to get better spacecraft?" Mjolnir shouted over the roar of the quake.
"This is better than the original!" Reaper answered.
“Yeah, this one won’t actually fall apart!” I added.
“This does not make me feel any better!” His ears bent back.
It lasted only minutes. When they broke through the atmosphere, the shuttle slowed down drastically. Shark fin wings unfolded from the sides, helping stabilize the craft. The jet thruster activated, kicking the shuttle backwards. Speed slowly increased.
“Captain,” Ruby called. “Radar shows a storm approaching.”
“We’ll be fine as long as we stay inside the colony.”
A tree the size of a mountain, a trunk twisted, and branches like an umbrella and lilac lily pads for leaves gave shelter to the colony. The buildings were jagged like a collection of boulders. Separated by paths of amethyst grass. The colony matched the planet seamlessly. Had they not known any better, they would have flown right by it.
There were only three landing pads just big enough for one shuttle each on the outskirts of the colony. One of which was already taken up by a Garchtan combat ship. Amber painted wings curved out and to the front of the ship, with a few series of layers for heat exhaust vents, and missiles which hung on the underside. The cockpit pointed forward into a spear tip, leaving the back end of the ship for the crucial systems.
Ruby landed the shuttle on the farthest pad and shut the engine off.
“Either we were beaten to the punch, or this White Death guy is an idiot.” Jackal said. He unstrapped from his seat and pushed the door open.
“It might be all she has.” Reaper said. “Besides, it might not even be hers.”
“We should find out before it’s too late.” Mjolnir stated.
The streets were filled with fleebeeron and ardrizi alike. They shopped together, ate together, and sat around gardens to bathe in the sunlight. Homes were made out of trees and giant flowers. Ponds and streams dotted the landscape.
“Sparrow would love it here.” Ruby said.
“I’m sure any hippy would,” Jackal chuckled.
Majority of the fleebeeron took wide births around them. They whispered among themselves. When approached, they gasped and ran in the other direction. The ardrizi barely acknowledged them.
Mjolnir caught sight of a particular woman who was sitting on a stone, cleaning a spear.
He approached her, leaning down to inspect the weapon.
"That's a fine weapon there." He purred.
Her ears flicked backwards. She put the end of the spear into the dirt. "It was my father's." She said.
"I meant those claws." He grinned. "Were those your mother's?"
She snorted. "Do you need something?"
"Wouldn't mind those in my back." He slipped closer to her.
"Think I'd rather they be around your neck."
"I could arrange that." He touched her waist, joining her on the stone. "As soon as I'm done with my mission."
She sniffed at his cheek and leaned into him. "And what's your mission? We have no trouble here."
"I'm looking for a particular eldir
avan in white armor."
Just as she opened her mouth to speak, a collection of gunshots rang out from across the city.
"It's over there!" Ruby pointed.
"Put your dick up, Mjolnir! We gotta go!" Jackal shouted.
"That's my cue." He nosed her cheek. "I'll come back for you."
They rushed towards the sound of the gun fire, right into the oncoming shadows of the storm. They went against the current of fleeing fleebeeron. A few ardrizi stood around, looking to see what the commotion was about.
As they neared where the gunshots came from, a man screamed.
They rounded the corner, running right through a stream.
A mission gone wrong. Four eldiravan in orange and yellow armor were laid out in the middle of the street. One was propped against a wall, head drooped down. Yellow blood poured out from his neck. The other three collapsed on the road. One face down, a knife still stuck in the soft part of the armor. One of them coughed. Tried to move.
Reaper hurried over to him, kneeling down next to him. He pushed the eldiravan back down to keep him from hurting himself more. That yellow blood stained the armor, seeped into the grooves of the street.
"Relax. Stay down." He looked up to Jackal.
"Fuck you," the eldiravan choked.
"We're here to help."
He hissed, laying his head back.
Jackal went to hand off a first aid kit only to catch the glimpse of something white as snow.
When he looked, he saw two eldiravan down the street headed away from the colony.
"Cap, she’s over there!"
"What are you waiting for?! Go!" Reaper yelled.
Jackal took off with Mjolnir and Fenris right behind him. Ruby stayed back with Reaper to help the injured.
Both the eldiravan ran into the vacant fields outside. Jackal followed after them. The wind picked up, threatening to blow him away.
Out here, grass struggled to grow. Only boulders covered the fields. It was easy to keep track of those fleeing.
The White Death kicked on boosters that launched her into the air. She wanted on top of one of the boulders. Before she made it far, the orange armored soldier grabbed her ankle. He pulled her right back down.
She punched him square in the helmet. He threw her against the side of the rock. Blood covered both of them. It was hard to tell at a distance who was injured. It didn't help that one had yellow accents to his armor.
"Should we let him take care of it?" Mjolnir asked.
"We can't let him get her." Jackal answered. "We'll miss our chance if he takes her back."
Thunder rolled through the sky. A shadow casted over the field. The wind kicked up fiercer than ever.
"Let go!" The White Death yelled.
"Fucking traitor! I'll kill you right now!" He had her pinned on the ground.
"Don't make me do this. Please, Tara, just walk away!"
"Hey!" Jackal shouted over the roar of thunder. "Get the hell off her!"
Tara looked over his shoulder after clocking the woman across the head.
"Back off, human! You'll be dead next if you intervene!"
Jackal didn't even get to say something back. Death kneed him in the stomach and activated the booster in her boot. She hit the rock hard, but Tara flew right off her. The orange of his armor scalded black.
"Stay down!" She ordered. She walked over to him.
Tara pushed himself back up.
"How could you defy the Emperor?" He growled. "It was a simple mission! You lost your spine!"
"Put yourself in my boots!" She retorted. "You would have done the same."
"I would have followed my orders."
Death pulled a pistol from her hip.
"Stay down, Tara."
"You either die, or return to the Emperor." He stood up.
Blue lightning cracked across the sky, briefly lighting up the field. Then came the rain. It poured down, drenching the soil within seconds. It burned and bubbled, turning the soil black. Jackal and Mjolnir both flinched at the feel of the rain. Fenris growled and shook its head. Each drop bubbled and rolled down from its armor, leaving small streaks.
The White Death pulled the trigger.
Again.
Again.
Tara stumbled. Fell to his knees in front of her. Yellow poured out from two holes in his chest and one in the front of his helmet.
She kicked the body down. Fired again at the ground at Jackal’s feet.
He and Mjolnir hurried to get their helmets on. Their armor was getting damaged the longer they stayed exposed to the rain. A torrent of wind nearly shoved Jackal to the ground.
Death ran from them. She didn’t dare turn back to the colony. She ran further away, headed into the endless fields. That white armor of hers turned from brown to black as the rain ate through. She aimed for the cover of a large stone sheet just high enough for her to duck under.
Mjolnir chased her until he could tackle her down. She fought back, knocking him upside the head. He wrestled her for the pistol, slamming her into the ground repeatedly. A shove of her arm forced the gun to fire. The round smacked into the rock above. The force of impact was enough to break a good size chunk of stone away.
She kicked the tiger upwards just in time for his head to meet the rock.
Mjolnir rolled around, holding his head.
Up to her feet, the eldiravan pulled her knife from her waistband. She knelt over the ardrizi, knife rising.
Under the roar of thunder, came the crackle of a railgun. The projectile slammed into the upper portion of her helmet, hitting the angled metal just right to ricochet. She hit the ground on her side.
“Mjolnir!” Jackal called. He lowered the end of the rifle to get under the rock. “You good, man?”
Mjolnir groaned.
The woman was already getting back up to her feet. She reached for the pistol she dropped. Jackal shot it away, destroying its grip. He ran up to her, keeping the rifle trained center mass.
If she was smart, she would have given up there. He had her dead to rights. She had no weapon. She held both of her hands up clear for him to see, barely turned her head to look at him.
He had forgotten just how big the eldiravan species was. Even with her knelt down, she could still almost look him in the eye and he was on the taller side for humans! Now that he was closer, that white armor looked awfully familiar. He could have sworn he had seen something like that back in the war. A sea of orange, with a dot of white.
“Hands behind your head!” Jackal ordered.
He stepped closer to her.
She moved, first to do as he said. Then she snatched out, grabbing the rails of the rifle. She pulled, bringing the rifle and Jackal closer to her. Elbow to his face. One motion of both arms and she had his rifle and Jackal was stumbling backwards. The weapon spun in her grip and she pulled the trigger.
Jackal moved in the nick of time. He had not been completely deterred with the hit on his face. The round whizzed right passed his ear. He slammed his padded knuckles into her side where the plates layered to let her bend efficiently.
She took the hit like it were a bug bite. She swung the rails of the rifle into the side of his head. Spun around half way, with the weapon twirling in her fingers for a reversed grip. Trigger pulled again. The sound of it firing was drowned out by the roar of thunder.
She predicted he would have moved further to the side. Humans were weak, frail creatures and usually could not take even half the strength of an eldiravan. Yet Jackal withstood. He pulled the knife from his hip. Went for the soft spot of the armor right under her arm. Her back to him still, he should have been able to dig the knife in.
The rifle was pushed backwards, twisted. The knife plunged between the rails first. She twisted the rifle further. The knife was taken from him and tossed into the air above them.
Jackal grabbed the back of her armor between the shoulders and yanked her back and down so her spine cracked into his knee. With her down lower, he slipped his a
rm under her chin between the neck guards.
The knife plunged down, blade first.
She pulled one way. He pulled the other.
Thrusters on.
The eldiravan kicked up. She snatched the knife from the air and flipped herself up and over Jackal, slipping out of his arm. She jabbed the handle into his side. Spun the knife around and plunged it down to his chest.
He grabbed her hand and wrist and shoved. He could hear her suit whirring, the exoskeleton adding more power to her raw strength.
While Jackal struggled to keep the knife out of his chest, Mjolnir finally got back to his feet. He charged head first towards them.
Like a skilled matador, the eldiravan stepped off to the side, bringing Jackal with her. She pulled the knife from him and stabbed it into Mjolnir’s arm.
She kicked Jackal to the ground and scooped up the rifle she dropped. As he recovered, she shot him right in the chest. His body recoiled, straight back to the ground.
Mjolnir came for her again, the knife stuck in his armor.
Once more she stepped to the side, ducked under his arm. She pulled the knife from his shoulder as he slid right by. She turned and chucked the knife right at him. It cracked through the helmet dead center of the head. Mjolnir stumbled back, his head leaning much further.
Jackal opened his eyes with a sharp gasp. He felt around his chest, finding the hole the bullet had sunk in. Thank god for a chest plate.
Fenris stepped over him, looking down at him curiously.
“Tell me it’s over.”
It shook its head.
“Where have you been?!”
“Watching.”
“Fuckin’ stop her!” he sat himself up.
Mjolnir was still fighting, trying to wrestle the woman down. Fenris watched for a moment more, before it approached.
Catching the sight of the incoming wolf, Mjolnir pulled on the eldiravan to keep her back to it. It smacked her across the head, the force knocking her straight to the ground. When she tried to get herself up, Fenris stepped on her back.
She cursed. Dug her fingers into the dirt.
Panting, Mjolnir took a step back.
“It’s over.” He breathed.
“Fuck you.” She spat. “Fuck! How much do you weigh?!”
The Soul Eaters (The Thin Hex Line Book 1) Page 26