Defender of the Empire: Cadet #1

by Catherine Beery

  Eventually what was happening sank in and those who still could backed out and halted any others from coming through. I leaned forward slightly so I could count how many we had gotten, my blaster was still leveled on the narrow opening. There were six down there. I have no idea how many went after Marius and Jason and escaped the trap Westley had engineered.

  We waited and listened for a long time. I glanced over at Westley who was frowning. Now we were in trouble and we both knew it. He more than I, really. The trap had been a good idea, especially when the enemy hadn’t expected it. But know they knew. I was crammed into a narrow, covered ledge. Westley was sprawled out on a roof top. Our enemy knew this place better than we did. Where would they go to get around us and turn our trap against us? Or would they just go back and wait by our goal to pick us off? They didn’t have to find us, after all. We had to get to the hostages and get out if we wanted to succeed in the challenge. I wondered how Marius and Jason were doing.

  Suddenly a body slid down from above me. I stared in shock and glanced over at Westley. He was also staring at something above me in surprise. He then smiled. I then did too once I heard Marius’s mutter to Jason. “Jason, have you noticed how many times we have had to save these two?”

  “So many, I’ve lost count.” Jason replied with a grin in that melodic voice of his.

  Marius laughed and told Westley and I to come on out, all was clear. “Come now,’ I complained as I pulled myself out of my hiding spot, “It has only been twice.”

  “Trice.” Jason reminded me smugly. “There was the sentry who was going toward your position at the intersection.”

  I rolled my eyes and refused to comment. Instead I slid down to check on the poor guy who had slid down the cliff face. The guy had been lucky, having only suffered minor scratching and bruising from his fall. “His Medi-Comp is seeing to those as we speak.” M. Kit informed me in a cheerful tone. She had finally broken her silence since our argument over social life.

  Glad you are talking to me again. I thought to her as I started to put the poor ‘bandits’ in positions that were marginally more comfortable than where they had landed. Marginally because there wasn’t much I could do.

  “Me too! I’m just glad you needed my assistance for something since you are somehow able to heal yourself.”

  Have you reported that to anyone? I asked, wondering how I could explain the energy that constantly healed me to the medical staff. Would they believe me when I told them about the Spectrals? I figured I would have to ask Marius how he dealt with it.

  “No, to be honest, I haven’t reported anything to them.” M. Kit sounded embarrassed by that admission.

  I frowned. Why not? I asked. I knew she had to report things if I had a seizure and I had one not that long ago.

  “Because I have not been able to.” M. Kit said. “I… I have been dormant for some time, I feel. I can’t remember why.” She said hesitantly.

  THE DEVICE WENT DORMANT TO KEEP ITSELF FROM OVER LOADING WHEN THE ENERGY SPIKED IN YOUR SYSTEM A FEW DAYS AGO. Scrae told me softly.

  “Do you know why I went dormant?” She asked. The little computer must have picked up on my unease at Scrae’s words. If a computer had to shut itself down because of that energy spike that I only survived because Marius had done something… what would have happened to me? Thank the Lord God that Marius had come when he did. I thought fervently, suppressing a shiver. Maybe I thought to my computer friend, I’ll tell you after this challenge.

  “Okay.” She said.

  “So, we have eight hostiles left.” Jason observed once we had settled the unfortunate ‘bandits’. We had turned off their radios in case they were trying to listen to our plans.

  I tilted my head. “None went after you two?” I asked as I set the last deactivated radio next to its fellows.

  Jason shook his head. “They didn’t get the chance. Marius had destroyed the radio before they figured out they could use it to trace us. We went up high to figure out where you two went.” Jason explained.

  “The last eight have probably returned to guard the hostages.” Westley figured.

  Marius grinned. “And we know how they disappeared.”

  Chapter 20 – Inside the Warren

  We followed Marius back through the bottle neck and through a few twists in the rocks to a small entrance far from the obvious one. We waited a moment outside the almost completely natural looking opening. Almost because it had been Shaped and it had been shaped to look as if it had been carved wider. According to our ears, there was nothing moving on the other side. Luna told me that Marius had asked Zara to peek inside. The panther Spectral had found no one hiding. Nor did she find any evidence of traps. Marius turned to Westley. “I don’t hear anything, do you?” He asked. Both he and I knew the way was clear, but we couldn’t tell the other two that without telling them how we knew. So we had to explain with our natural senses.

  Westley shook his head. “I don’t either. Let’s proceed, but with caution.”

  “We are going to be champs at being cautious.” Jason muttered as we carefully entered the outpost.

  I patted his shoulder and whispered to him “Slow and steady wins the race, rushing breaks a leg.” It was something my aunt always muttered when something wasn’t going fast enough for her tastes, like when a piece of music was tripping up her fingers.

  After the bright sunshine outside the inside of the outpost was unnerving in its darkness. It was also cool. So we paused once again to give our eyes a chance to get use to the change in light. As we waited, it became clear that there was a faint red gold light coming from up ahead. I figured it was a torch. Our quiet time also allowed us to listen to what was up ahead. Sounds were muted and tended to echo strangely. In an effort to avoid making unnecessary sound that could drift down the passage, Westley wrote in the sand that we would have to be very quiet. We would try to sneak up on our bandit friends. He also drew out the map as we had been shown it and indicated where both sentries had said the hostages were. It was a detail I found strange that they had told us. And as Edwin had said, it was near that obvious entrance. The only trouble was, that was where our new friends had probably gone. Westley pointed out the way that he intended to go. Since the underground outpost appeared to be a warren, his way made the most sense.

  So off we went into the bowels of an oversized rabbit warren. Our memory of the map was put to the test as we maneuvered through the low lit halls. I did not like how tight some of the passages were. It would be all too easy for the bandits to use our own trick against us… I wasn’t the only one who was tense.

  It’s kind of sad that we were neither surprised nor prepared when the attack did come. Fire sizzled across my back and somebody yelped. We dodged out of the intersection. Jason, Westley and I had jumped forward. Marius had thrown himself backwards. He leaned against his wall shield. He glared in the direction of the enemy.

  “Who got hit?” Westley hissed softly.

  The pain in my back had faded as soon as it had flared. And since I wasn’t numb I just figured it had been my imagination. I leaned back against our cover wall as Jason shook his head. “I did, but I’m good.” Marius said. “Just got grazed on my left arm.” He sounded as disgusted as he looked. He took out his stun-blaster and returned fire in a liquid fast movement. A cry down the adjacent hall attested to his aim.

  “How much farther do we need to go?” I asked while glancing around the intersection. A volley of blasts struck the wall opposite where we were huddling. On that same wall I could just make out what looked to be a cabinet door with something carved next to it.

  “Not too much farther, if memory serves.” Westley replied. The constant barrage just wouldn’t stop. It was so close to being a strobe light that I was getting a headache.

  “There has to be a least four, maybe five, of them to keep up this craziness.” I heard Jason mutter.

  Marius made eye contact with Westley through the red flashes. He gestured for the rest of us to co
ntinue without him. Westley’s eyes narrowed, but he nodded in agreement. Jason, who had also intercepted the exchange, shook his head in denial. I didn’t like leaving Marius alone against at least four hostiles. He was good and could probably handle it. He also had the secret weapon of having a Spectral and who knew how many years of training. But I also knew that he had a façade to keep intact. If it fell, his- our- mission was in jeopardy. I had to find a way to help him.

  “We can’t just leave him.” I muttered.

  “I don’t want to leave him either, but if we stay here much longer we run the risk of being boxed in.” Westley said grimly, pointing out the stone cold truth I knew but didn’t like.

  “I never did understand that phrase.” M. Kit said. Something about how she said it got to me. I knew this was nothing more than a practice scenario, but did she have to sound like it didn’t matter at all?

  “Sorry.” She muttered in a small voice. My sigh was inaudible thanks to annoying barrage.

  It’s okay. I thought to her, closing my eyes against the flashing lights. I’m just a little stressed at the moment. I opened my eyes and frantically searched for an answer to our predicament as I explained. The phrase makes sense because stone can be very cold, and if it is big enough, hard to move. It’s also hard. Truth, especially a difficult truth, can be like that.

  “Ah… that makes sense.” My talkative Medi-Comp replied thoughtfully. After a moment she asked, “So wouldn’t it make sense to carve the rough truth into its basics?”

  What are you getting at? I asked silently.

  “Water and wind erode stone over time.” M. Kit pointed out. “Stone also cracks under swift changes in temperature. Here.” She said and my eyes could finally make sense of the inscription next to the hard to see door.

  My eyes widened. Thanks. I thought swiftly as I scrambled my legs under me. I leapt at the partially hidden door. I heard the guys curse and demand what the hell I was doing. I didn’t have time to explain it to them. I didn’t have horribly long before one of our trigger happy friends noticed my more vulnerable position. I opened the small door and yanked out several containers of lamp oil. How nice was it to be near the lamp supply cabinet. Stuffed just inside the door was a waded up cloth that I guess they would have used to clean the glass panes. I snatched that too and their lamp lighter that was hanging on a hook near the rag. I was liking this scenario more and more all the time. I dove back to my original hiding place just as a red bladed holographic knife pinged off the cabinet door, forcing it to close faster than it was going.

  “What the hell, Rylynn?!” Marius and Westley demanded at the same time. If I hadn’t been busy I would have chuckled at their twin moment. Yes, Marius was truly older, but it was Westley who was always more serious. Who would have guessed they could sound the same?

  “What are you doing?” Jason asked, his head tilted. The flashing red lights lit sparks off his tri-colored eyes I noticed when I glanced up at him.

  My hands were busy unscrewing the canisters. “Weathering stone.” I replied simply as I tossed the opened fire hazards down the hall toward our friends. On the proverbial heels of the canisters’ I tossed the rag I had just set ablaze. There was a WOOSH as the oil caught. We could hear distant yelps as the barrier of fire leapt into life. The barrage stopped. Marius, seeing his opportunity, dashed to us.

  “Let’s get out of here.” He suggested. His appreciative grin flashed in the light of the burning oil. He got no arguments from us.

  We hurried forward knowing that we were so close to our goal. But we knew also that our opponents would know where we were headed. They would be expecting us. But there was nothing really for it now. We had a job to do, after all.

  “Where are they?” Someone hissed up ahead. Westley, who was once again in point, raised a hand to stop us.

  “Do you think I am psychic or something?” Another asked in annoyance.

  A radio crackled. “Hanson! Grim! Bennett! Do you read?”

  “Grim here.” The first voice said. As a group we crouched down and edged closer. “What is going on? Run into the cadets yet, D’trace?” Grim continued.

  D’trace snorted. “You could say that. They are on their way to you.”

  “What?!” The second voice, who was probably Race, demanded. “You aren’t paralyzed, how could they have gotten past the six of you?”

  “Let’s just say I hate the hidden supply stashes all about this place.” D’trace grumbled.

  Grim laughed dryly. “Careful, the admiral will hear you.”

  “What happened?” A third, quiet voice asked. It must have belonged to Bennett. We were close enough now to peak around the bend to see two men standing just outside a door down the hall. Couldn’t see the third guard. Marius eyed the reasonably short distance and pulled out two throwing holographic knives. I got down low and sighted along my stun-gun. Westley followed suit. Jason scurried back down the hall we had come down to keep an eye out.

  “Someone threw some light lamp oil at us.” D’trace reported.

  “Shit!” Grim gasped.

  “Did anyone get hurt?” Hanson asked.

  “No.” D’trace said and I sighed soundlessly. I had been worried about that. “Just had to drag a stunned Brad out of the way. Any sign of the cadets yet?”

  Grim shook his head. “Not yet. It’s all quiet.” I guessed they hadn’t been warned that it would be the quiet ones who would get you.

  Marius chose that moment to fire one knife right after the other. I never want to be on Marius’s bad side. The radio hit the floor a moment before Grim and Hanson, a stun-blade in Grim’s heart and another in Hanson’s throat.

  “Damn!” Bennett swore. A radio crackled. “D’trace! Get your guys here now! Grim and Hanson are down.” He ordered, unknowingly proving my guesses right.

  We didn’t get to hear D’trace’s response because Bennett clicked the radio off. There was silence from the room. Marius and Westley moved forward as I covered them. They ducked behind opposing beams and Marius waved me forward, another of those wicked stun-knives in hand. I scrambled from my crouch and scurried past them to the next beam set.

  At that moment Jason came running toward us. We figured we had company even without the stun blasts following him. “Four are coming.” He told us as he got closer.

  Westley cursed. “They are trying to box us in. Quick! Let’s take care of our friend in there.” He waved us onward. I dashed forward and dodged into the room, Marius, Jason following with Westley bringing up the rear. The room was circular with the hostages bound in the middle of the room. Bennett was on the same side of the door that I had rolled into. I dodged his reflexive stun blast much like I did for that reflex test Nurse Meghan had me do. I then brought up my own gun and caught him in the gut. He fired while he could still shoot. I sidestepped, but not fast enough. His last shot clipped me on the shoulder.

  I leaned back against the wall and pulled out a strip of cloth that I worked to tie over the ‘wound’. My shoulder was getting slightly numb. The older boys were holding the door. Jason was untying the three hostages. I tied off the bandage after a few fumbled tries. Shots came through, but thankfully fell short of the still bound hostages. I hurried forward and helped Jason finish up the group before our friends got lucky and hit someone.

  All three hostages, I realized, were my classmates. “I can’t believe that you guys are the first team to rescue us so far.” The girl I was untying admitted softly. She was more familiar than the others. I finished my task and led her out of the way. Jason had gotten the other two.

  “Your one of Lassie’s friends.” I said, finally placing her. She was the poor girl who had thought I had wanted to sit at their table the day I had first met Jason. She had the decently to flush.

  A grunt from the passage way and Marius’s satisfied “got’cha” told me that someone else had gone down.

  “Two left, it looks like.” Westley observed, ducking behind the wall. Marius nodded. Westley turned to Jason and
I “Get them out of here!” We nodded our understanding and the freed students followed us with quick steps. They may have been only tied up for only a few hours as part of a scenario, but they still wanted to be free. Even though we were sure that the last two bandits were behind us Jason and I were still careful, keeping our senses open to any threat. The sun was bright and warm as we exited the warren. We got the hostages around an outcropping and waited for Westley and Marius.

  “It’s so nice to be outside again.” Lassie’s friend said with her eyes closed and face tilted toward the sky. The other two hostages, another girl and a boy, were also basking in the sunlight. I shook my head and wondered how they would have reacted if they had been held captive for days or weeks instead of a few hours. I turned my back on them to keep a look out for the guys. “Hey, what happened to your back?” Lassie’s buddy (I really need to learn her name) asked.

  “Huh?” I tried to see over my shoulder but got nowhere.

  “What’s going on?” Jason asked from his look out perch he had just ascended.

  “There is a hole in her uniform.” The girl pointed.

  “Let me see.” He said. I turned my back toward him and the next thing I knew I was hearing him scrabble from the perch he had just reached.

  “What’s wrong?” I asked looking over my shoulder at him.

  His eyes were wide in shock while his forehead was furrowed in a confused frown. He brushed my hair out of the way. “I don’t get it. Your uniform has a burn hole in it. It’s like you were shot with a real blaster, but the skin is unmarked.”

  “What?! But no real weapons are allowed…” I paused as I remembered the brief flash of pain earlier in the hall. Had I been shot with a real weapon? Had my body, with its energy heightened immune system, healed it before it had even fully registered? Damn… “How big is it?” I asked hesitantly.