by Justin Sloan
“It’s what we do best,” Valerie said, pressing the button to close the door behind them. “Makes sense, right? Others are happy to sit back and relax. We’re not in our zone unless we’re stopping bad guys and gals.”
“Someday I hope that won’t be true.” Robin put her weapons on the rack and took a seat. “I want to wake up one of these days and have no more enemies out there. Nothing left to worry about, just be able to relax and enjoy myself.”
“Sounds boring.”
“I’m with Robin on this one,” Kalan told her. “You, Bob? Why are you so quiet?”
Bob looked up, hand on his stomach, and grimaced. “Shit, I’m hungry and am sick of smelling the stuff these locals eat. Fighting? Peace? I want a steak, some potatoes, and a glass of beer.”
Valerie and Robin broke into laughter, completely understanding. All the foods they were craving popped into their minds.
“Basil on anything,” Valerie said. “Or some of my friend’s homemade croissants. Oh, they’re to die for.”
“Sandra’s, with the chocolate?” Robin licked her lips and closed her eyes.
“Ah, what about a good bowl of popcorn?” Bob added. “Maybe some—”
“None of us have any idea what you are talking about,” Jilla cut in. “Just so you know.”
“Well, if you ever make it to Earth, we’ll be sure to treat you to the best steaks and popcorn and whatever else we can scrounge up.” Valerie leaned back, nodded to Flynn to get them off the ground, and added, “That’s a promise.”
“One I look forward to you keeping,” Kalan said.
Valerie had already told Flynn where to go, so he piloted the Grandeur up and the two groups started comparing stories about what they’d been up to in their recent hunts.
“You killed two of ‘em?” Flynn asked when Kalan finished telling them about the invisible blood.
“And the more important part of that story,” Garcia noted, “was that there are more coming. We need to deal with Talrok and leave ASAP.”
“Exactly our thought,” Jilla agreed.
After Valerie had related her side of the adventure, she paused to listen to Robin tell them how she had actually been worried for a minute—which was news. The others just nodded and said that sounded about right.
“I'll tell you what's been bothering me,” Bob remarked. He’d brought some snacks over to the group and was talking with his mouth full. “Aranaught's nowhere to be found.”
“Not that it’s a bad thing,” Kalan added, “but it’s suspicious.”
“Unless they were trying to get us to let our guard down,” Valerie said. “Then they hit us hard at the dome. That’s why I want us all to be ready for anything that might come our way.”
Arlay, who had been on ship’s watch with Garcia and Flynn, emerged from the back room and ran a slender hand across her blue head as if combing the hair she didn’t have. None of her race did, so the gesture made Valerie curious.
“I’ve been thinking about that,” she said, having apparently heard what they were saying from the other room. “It might be the case, but if Aranaught is really after the Lost Fleet to amp up her power, I’d be willing to bet that’s what she’s doing. She’s not lingering around here trying to trap us, not when she could be amassing a power against which we wouldn’t stand a chance.”
“But can’t she be everywhere at once, in a sense?” Flynn asked. “I mean, as an AI, can’t Aranaught be in all places at once?”
“I don’t think so,” Valerie interjected. “She was based out of that space station. Yes, she had a long reach, but—”
“She gets weaker the farther the signal is from the hub,” Arlay finished, nodding and smiling. “At least, that’d be my guess.”
Flynn was nodding along and Valerie figured it was as likely to be true as not, so she might as well assume these two knew what they were talking about. Since she hadn’t had much exposure to technology like this back on post-WWDE Earth, it was all a bit over her head.
“Well, be ready just in case, and be happy if she’s not there,” Valerie said, then motioned at the viewport. “Speaking of which, we’re not far off now.”
Sure enough, they were approaching the dome, its gray-blue glass reflecting in the waning light. Local winged creatures took to the sky at their approach. Valerie happened to glance out and see one, and cringed at the sight of its face, which looked almost like a fanged piglet’s. The sooner they could save the universe and go home, the better.
“You ever think it’s strange,” she asked Robin, “that on an alien planet you don’t really know which one is the intelligent species?”
“The ones whose speech our chips translate,” Robin replied.
“That’s actually kind of smart,” Valerie told her. She leaned back, pouting.
“What were you going to say, though?” Robin asked.
“Now it sounds dumb, but...I was thinking that we assume the intelligent ones are those who walk on two legs, pretty much. We’ve never tried to corner those flying pig things and talk to them, or other species on other planets, right? Maybe they’re the intelligent ones, with built-up civilizations that are well hidden, and we just never come across them because of our biases.”
“You know…” Robin turned to face her. “I have no answer for that. I don’t see why it couldn’t be the case.”
“Something to think about, then.” Valerie smiled.
The Grandeur was almost on top of the dome now, so Flynn pulled her around to take a peek. The inside looked like a reception hall after a wild party, with tables and chairs lying on their sides. Something moved below, darting across their line of sight, but it was hard to tell what it had been.
“I’m bringing her down there,” Flynn said, pointing to a mostly flat area nearby.
It looked to be rocks interspersed with patches of grass, and it seemed as good a place as any for landing. After they secured the ship, they headed for the dome. They all wore full body armor, complete with helmets, and each carried a rifle from the ship’s armory.
“And you of course considered that your informant was lying?” Bob asked when they were finally standing outside the dome, looking at more broken windows and a missing walled area.
“I did,” Valerie replied. “But I don’t think so, and I’m pretty good about this stuff.”
“Well then, maybe he went out for groceries?”
Robin laughed, but stopped at a glance from Valerie.
“Move out,” Valerie ordered, entering the dome with the others close behind her. They were on the main floor, and there was a curving walkway that led upward. She glanced back and pointed at Kalan and his team. “You’re with me. I want to switch it up a bit.”
They had left Flynn with the ship, which meant Robin would go through the main floor with Garcia and Arlay.
Something moved in the distance, and they heard a clatter and something banging on metal. Valerie tensed and gestured her team forward. They proceeded up the walkway while Robin and her team moved in the same direction below.
At the first turn Valerie paused, then had an idea. “Wearl, would you scout ahead?”
“I’m on it,” Wearl replied.
“Great. Keep moving…and if anything is up there, let us know. Stay in my ear. Got it?”
“Roger that,” Wearl said, and the teams went through the building.
“Nothing yet?” Valerie asked.
“Nothing.”
They moved on, coming to a floor that had a view of the jungle outside. It was furnished with a long table and racks of what looked to be computer servers.
They heard more crashing ahead.
Valerie turned to Kalan.
“She says it’s…a dinosaur?” He frowned. “That doesn’t— Oh, shit, get down! She said to get out of sight.”
The team dove behind the tables, and a moment later a robotic dinosaur ran past their location. It hit a window and stumbled back, then hit the window again and tumbled out as the window broke.
“There’re more,” Kalan said, listening, “but they’re not functional.”
“What the hell?” Bob asked, glancing around.
Valerie’s curiosity had been spiked as well, so she ran forward to find the room Wearl was talking about. Sure enough, it was full of half-built robot dinosaurs. Some were complete but had been smashed, as if someone had taken a hammer to them. They were mostly about human-size, with large claws and sharp teeth. Some even had fake skin.
“Someone was trying to create an army of robot dinosaurs?” Bob asked. “Fucking cool!”
“Wouldn’t have been so cool if they had been used against us,” Valerie countered. “Those claws would’ve stung worse than a bee.”
“We would’ve used them, had you arrived sooner,” an unexpected voice told them, just as they heard gunshots downstairs. Robin’s team was under attack.
Valerie looked around for who was speaking when she saw the source of the voice. The wall was in fact a brightly-lit window, through which Talrok was glaring at them.
“Aranaught had gotten them functional and was ready to send them at you, but she wouldn’t wait. She just had to be the first to find the Lost Fleet. Just had to do it her way.” Talrok stepped closer to the window. “So she abandoned me, leaving me with…this.”
More shooting, a scream, and then a thud.
“It’s over,” Valerie said, stepping up to the window. She could probably reach through and grab him by the throat. “You’ve lost.”
“But it was never truly about me, was it?” Talrok countered. “As long as all of you go down suffering—which you will—I’ll be happy. I’ll also be a martyr for the cause, if I must. Or…” he reached up, “maybe I’ll simply destroy you right here.”
He pressed his finger to the window as if it were a HUD, and the view faded. It was a wall again.
“That doesn’t strike me as a good sign,” Bob said.
“Get the doors,” Kalan said, but a slab of metal was already sliding across. It stopped halfway, however. “Thanks, Wearl. Everyone out!”
Valerie was still focused on the wall, and where she had last seen Talrok. She pulled back her arm, bent it, and shouted as she brought it forward, striking the wall with her elbow. After a clang and a blast, she flew across the room and hit the opposite wall. Jilla went to her a second later, while Kalan shouted something about cutting him off and he ran from the room.
Valerie heard more gunshots over the ringing in her ears, and then there was another sound: a roar that carried through the hallways.
“Something tells me not all the dinosaurs were destroyed,” Jilla said nervously.
Valerie shook her head, clearing it as she stood and recovered her rifle. “That son of a bitch is gonna pay for that.”
Being careful not to run over Wearl, who was apparently still holding open the door, Valerie darted out, rifle at the ready. Kalan and Bob were banging against a closed door.
“Valerie!” Robin’s voice shouted through the earpiece. “It might seem like we need you here, but don’t come down!”
“Why?”
“T-Rex!”
Valerie would’ve thought in any other circumstance that she had misheard, except that she had just left a room full of robot dinosaurs. Since Earth was in bad shape and had nearly faced total destruction, the extinction of the dinosaurs was something she had spent quite a lot of time learning about. She was still pretty sure their existence hadn’t been curtailed by nuclear weapons as humanity’s nearly had, but she wasn’t completely ruling it out.
When she heard the word ‘T-Rex,’ she had a vague idea what it meant.
“Do not let him get away!” Valerie shouted, pointing at the door. As she ran she said into her comm, “Flynn, get the Grandeur ready. If anyone leaves the dome before you hear from us, shoot to motherfucking kill!”
“Roger that, boss!” Flynn replied. “You need my help?”
“Actually, we might. Stand by.”
She followed Robin’s instructions and worked her way inward until she reached a balcony overlooking the interior—where she came face-to-face with a two-story-tall robot in the shape of a T-Rex.
Holy hell.
Her first instinct was to blast the shit out of it so she started unloading like crazy, but Robin shouted something about the bullets not penetrating its metal armor. She pulled back as it turned on her, revealing turrets on each shoulder, then dove back through the doorway as rounds started pelting the walls. She kicked the door shut and rolled into a ball as the shots clanged against the door, and then the door went flying off, torn to shreds.
That gave her an idea.
She stuck out her rifle and fired again, shouting, “How’s this for a steak?” She kept yelling as she ran, hoping the T-Rex would follow. “Nobody fire on it,” she ordered. “Not yet. Flynn, get in the air NOW!”
“What’re you doing?” Robin asked. “This isn’t the time for heroics!”
“Pretty sure that couldn’t be farther from the truth,” Valerie called, then kicked open another door. She was glad to see a conference room with a full window, from which she unleashed on the T-Rex again.
“Get away from that door,” she shouted to Bob and Kalan, and they ran when the T-Rex opened fire on their location. His shots hit the door they’d been pounding on, though, blowing if off its hinges—to the curses of Talrok, who was within.
“What the hell is that?” Flynn shouted over the comm.
“Now, Flynn! Open fire now!” Valerie yelled. “Everyone else, get out of here!”
“You’re coming, right?” Robin asked.
“Of course—as soon as I take care of our little friend.”
The rest ran as Valerie had demanded, and then the turrets from the Grandeur opened up on the T-Rex. One glance back showed it was working—that metal armor couldn’t hold up to her baby.
When Valerie turned Talrok was holding an alien rifle, its tip glowing purple. She smiled and shook her head, then moved at vampire speed. Two shots to the head, five to the chest, just in case.
“The target’s down,” she said, joining the others in their escape. She was with them before they reached the first floor, where Robin and the other two knelt, ready to provide cover fire if needed.
“That everyone?” Garcia asked.
Valerie nodded.
“Flynn, we’re out,” Garcia said. “Send a missile down that extinct motherfucker’s throat.”
“Now we’re talking!” Flynn came back, adding a “Woohoo!”
“Go go go!” Garcia shouted, leading the retreat. After they had made it out—Valerie last, making sure the others were ahead of her—the missile hit the robot and the T-Rex fell backward before exploding into shreds.
The concussion threw her forward and she hit the ground, but quickly recovered.
“Wearl? Wearl!” Kalan shouted, searching for his invisible companion. A moment later his face melted with relief, and he straightened. “She’s safe.”
“What’ya say you all get on this ship and we go find ourselves a new planet to blow up?” Flynn asked.
“I like the first part of the plan,” Valerie countered, waving him down, “but let’s not get trigger-happy just because we let you blow up one dinosaur today.”
Flynn lowered the ship and opened the ramp, walking back to it to help them up, if needed.
“Anyone hurt?” he asked, giving them a onceover.
There was blood welling from a gash on Garcia’s shoulder and Robin had been hit in the side, but both would heal fast enough. Flynn wasn’t worried about the grunts of pain.
“Too bad it wasn’t a real dinosaur,” Bob said when they were finally seated and preparing to take off. “We could’ve had that steak.”
Everyone laughed, and Kalan nodded to Valerie. “Quick thinking back there, getting the dino to take down the door.”
“Thanks, Kal. Can I call you Kal?”
He frowned. “That sounds like a girl’s name, so…no.”
; “He’s right,” Jilla chimed in, and Robin nodded.
Valerie smiled and shrugged. “Just trying things out, guys, just trying things out.”
A display showed the planet below them growing smaller and smaller as they flew away, and once they were in space Valerie gave them the signal they could relax. They would be able to sleep, clean up, and eat. Before too long they would be at planet Rewot in the Parscal System, so it was better to get all that in while they could.
For her part she was looking forward to each equally, but when she stood up to go get clean she felt a wave of mental exhaustion wash over her. Her eyelids were heavy too, so she leaned back and let nature take its course. Even badass vampires in space had to sleep from time to time.
CHAPTER FOUR
Kalan had spent much of the journey to Rewot—the planet where the Lost Fleet was supposedly hidden—arm-deep in the ship’s digital library searching for information on the planet.
During the month it had taken to travel here from Tol’s moon, Kalan had spent a lot of time in the digital library. The information he located was fascinating. He learned about the Etheric Federation, about Earth—the planet Valerie and her crew were from—and about alien races he’d never heard of. At first it had been a way to stave off boredom, but then he’d thought that maybe the knowledge would help him in his search for the Bandians—his people.
Eventually he admitted to himself that he kept coming back to it because it was fun. He found he enjoyed reading about all these far-off planets and peoples. The data sparked his imagination, letting him experience a thousand different lives while sitting in his comfortable chair.
Unfortunately, the library did not have much information on Rewot. The planet was categorized as capable of sustaining life, but it was unknown if anything lived there. The climate was simply marked as “volatile,” and there was no more information beyond that.
After he’d read through the brief description a few times he got up and made his way to the bridge, where he knew everyone else would be gathered.
“There he is,” Valerie said when she saw him. “Our gray antisocial rock-man.”