by Adam DiSalvo
“What? What do you mean the Imperials ignore them?”
“We have reports that when the Imperials and the snatchers make contact there is no hostility.” Marcus explained. "They’re either on the same side or the Imperials don’t care about what they are doing. There’s no justice for doomed people.”
Marcus lifted the face mask of one of the dead enemy combatants.
“Yup, he’s human,” announced Marcus. “Fucking snatchers.”
Marcus stood and kicked the body.
“Fuck!” screamed Marcus.
He slammed his helmet on the ground.
“Fucking snatchers!” Marcus roared.
“Yo! Hey! Marcus easy!”offered Jaithen.
“These were good men! Kids!” Marcus went on. “Why do they keep doing this?! As if Skylauren isn’t already a living hell!”
Marcus squeezed off a few rounds into the body of the dead snatcher.
“Why do you do this?!” he yelled at the bloody corpse.
Chandra came trotting up behind Jaithen as he stood still, watching Marcus. Her weapon was still at the ready.
“Marcus we have to get out of here,” Jaithen suggested. “It’s not safe here.”
“The case!” exclaimed Marcus. “Where is the case?!”
Marcus rushed back through the thick black smoke towards the wreckage. Jaithen followed him. The fires sill burned giving off a soft orange glow as the smoke broke upon the low cement ceiling. Chandra’s claws clicked as she trotted along.
“Captain. The case containing the object is compromised and it will not move. It is highly likely the fire fight was detected by enemy sensors. We must abort. We must leave.”
“Marcus! We have to go! Forget the case it was just a stupid purple rock,” asserted Jaithen.
Marcus halted in his tracks.
“A what?” asked Marcus suspiciously.
The fires crackled.
“A rock! A purple rock! Or some hunk of metal. I don’t know.” Jaithen continued. “Chandra wasn’t able to determine what it was. Some unknown substance."
“A rock?” Marcus said again. “What good is a purple rock?”
“I don’t know,” Jaithen admitted.
“Captain” Chandra interrupted.
Jaithen held up his hand to silence her.
“But we have to leave,” he concluded.
“What would they have wanted with a purple rock?” Marcus trailed off.
“Marcus!” Jaithen yelled.
Marcus looked up.
“We have to leave.” Jaithen repeated.
Marcus took a breath and studied his surroundings. The smoke was now choking the air. He pointed deeper into the tunnels.
“We should head deeper into the underground of Cathuum. We must continue to avoid the Imperial air patrols and satellite tracking.”
Jaithen stowed his weapons and lifted his face mask.
“How far are we from any help?”
Marcus looked back at his dead comrades, trying his best to stay calm.
“About 3 days out on foot.”
“Chandra how far are we from Drop 1?"
Marcus shuffled around the carnage checking comrades and dispatched combatants.
“Approximately 8 hours Captain.”
Jaithen shook his head.
"How were they able to find us?” continued Jaithen.
“They were tracking us” Chandra suggested.
“Shit,” Jaithen let out. “That means someone —“
“Yes,” Marcus confirmed as he continued checking the bodies.
“Captain, if they are in contact with the Imperial Navy, they will eventually locate Drop 1."
Marcus’s eyes grew wide.
“I have one Steelmane MIA. Cordan Bemhe. The driver of the rear vehicle.”
“We have a functioning radio can we call for help?”
“No. The snatchers are listening to all frequencies. They’ll triangulate us easily."
Jaithen scrunched his eyebrows.
“Why do you seem so worried?”
“Because Terralat is compromised.”
Jaithen tilted his head.
“Terralat?”
“Yes,” Marcus affirmed.
He pulled some magazines from a dead enemy soldier and lifted his gaze and looked up at Jaithen and Chandra.
"The last city of Skylauren.”
CHAPTER 4
THE ARC SUIT Hermes slipped through the night sky on Styx. It adjusted course, rocking Taytha from a deep sleep. She was laid back in a comfortable armchair next to a wide viewport. She adorned a new polysteel-lined full body, black kevlar suit. The fabric was soft on the inside, lined with a different material. Through the viewport she could see stars twinkling in the dark alongside them. The mammoth red disc of Trithon dominated the sky. A few silhouettes of its 39 moons passed through the foreground in silent procession. The Hermes itself had transformed from an advanced medical suite to an arrowhead shaped combat craft. The blood and discarded flesh from her injuries that covered the floor and medical table had disappeared. The articulating arms forming the surgical bay were absent. The inside of the suit cabin was now sleek and plain. A soft amber glow covered the room from a light in the ceiling. Taytha rolled over on her side and stared out the window.
“Do you have any family, sergeant?” came Haitrion’s voice over the intercom.
Taytha was startled by the broken silence but, smiled. After a moment she spoke.
“Actually, I have two sisters,” she admitted. "Laylani and Kortha.”
“Tell me about them,” probed Haitrion.
Taytha leaned her seat up right and continued.
“Well Laylani is the youngest. A dancer. At least that’s what she calls herself.”
“Ah, Classical or contemporary?”
“Both?” replied Taytha. “What’s the difference?"
Haitrion laughed.
“I see.”
“What she really does is engineer AI personalities.”
“To mimic real people and such?”
“No. From scratch.”
“Oh?! Impressive.”
“Yeah, she's impressive alright. And beautiful. Mom used to call her 'my Laylani petal'.”
“What about your other sister?”
Taytha shifted her weight.
“Kortha’s the oldest. She’s always been the hardest working.”
“Is she as accomplished as your youngest sister?”
"In her own way I guess. She holds a few records system wide for shooting that haven't been broken. She’s also an advanced propulsions technician.”
Taytha tossed her hands up.
"It’s because of her I'm even here!”
“What do you mean?”
“I wanted to show her I was just as tough as she is. I’m so stupid. Almost got myself killed. Fuck. I still might."
“We’re not dead yet Sergeant.”
“Yeah."
Taytha drifted. The Hermes continued its course through the sky.
“How many were in your squad, Sergeant?”
“There were five others in my squad and seventeen in our Platoon.”
Taytha grit her teeth as tears gathered in her eyes.
“One hundred and fifty two in the company. All gone.”
She looked out at the commanding, red Trithon.
“They were like family.”
She leaned up against the viewport frame. Tears rolled down her cheek.
“At least it felt like it. We were together so much for the first few months I thought at least most of us would be—“
Taytha cut herself off and wiped away her tears with her palms.
“Goddess damn it. Where are you taking me?” she snapped, whirling around.
“To the site of the current battle between Kilahren’s forces and whatever is out here.” Haitrion replied.
Taytha squinted her eyes in confusion.
“Why?”
“I’m looking for survivors,”
he responded.
The Hermes soon came upon the site. Haitrion brought them into a holding pattern and activated floods lights on the under side of the craft. The area below offered no signs of battle. Only a few empty husks of heavy war machines remained. No bodies. No weapons. No power supplies. Nothing.
“There is usually, little left.” Haitrion explained.
Taytha stood in the window looking down at the empty battlefield.
“What are they?”
“I do not know. Their perimeter around the gate grows every day.“
Taytha leaned forward with a confused look.
“Gate? What gate?”
“What were your objectives, Sergeant? When you landed.”
She shook her head and fell back into her seat.
“They were simple. Fifteen minutes before drop the cryo-pods woke us up. When we got a green light it was five seconds to drop. Once we were on the ground our orders were to secure a plateau near the landing site and setup a perimeter around its upper edge. Then wait for further instructions. There was no brief on enemy combatants or cybernetic-man-eating-worms.”
“No. That’s the part they are leaving out, here on Styx.”
Haitrion drew the Hermes down in a slow circle. The lights adjusted to maintain coverage of the ground below. They hovered five hundred feet above the surface.
“Sergeant. Before we proceed any further I must ask for your consent to help me. I will not make demands. Not like Kilahren.”
There was a long pause. Taytha maintained a quiet patients.
“I can not guarantee that either of us will leave Styx but, I can not do this alone.”
Taytha sat silent, staring down at the amber floor.
“Nothing about this situation is just, Sergeant. I know. For that I am sorry.”
The silence dragged on. She took a deep breath and spoke.
“What choices do I have?”
“Not many, Sergeant.”
Taytha stood up. As she moved toward the center of the room the pieces of her ZGC suit descended on the ends of the articulating arms. The suit was flanked on either side by each of her weapons. The slow floating mechanism holding her helmet extended out to her. Taytha smiled.
“You're certainly persuasive. When did you do this?!”
“While you slept,” he replied.
Taytha took the helmet in her hands and looked it over. Something was different. She looked up from the helmet and began to inspect the rest of her gear.
“Haitrion. What's wrong with my suit?”
A fresh matte black finish covered a new set of outer armor plates. All of the old vacuum sealed joints were up armored and reinforced. The visor had been restored to a mint quality copper shine. The rear of the torso was augmented with a prototype exo-spine which spidered out, lying flush against the back of the arms and legs. The sharp edges had all been removed and a new power supply had been attached to the back along with a dual pair of articulating thrusters.
“I have replaced the old plates with composite crystaline-plate,” he explained. “It is similar to the armor on the arc suit Hydra. Although, not quite as strong.”
A mix of surprise and satisfaction gathered on Taytha’s face. She reached up and touched the shoulders of the suit.
“All of your soft materials have been replaced with ether-weave,” he went on. “It will only tear under the most extreme circumstances. Your helmet and suit are now equipped with a Muti redundant and much more exotic operating system which is far more capable than your last system. The exo-spine is my design and tailored precisely for you. It will make both you and your suit many magnitudes stronger. The power supply on the back is similar to the units I placed inside of your legs. It has enough power for many lifetimes. The trusters on the back, calves, and forearms are strong enough to produce controlled flight in both vacuum and atmosphere. It can travel through liquids as well however, I would avoid anything flammable."
“Anything else?” Taytha joked.
“Yes. The rebreather unit can now recycle your breath many millions of times. This should allow you greater survivability while in deep space although, it will not last indefinitely.”
Taytha reached for the polished hilt of her azukar. The blade was accompanied by its familiar call as she pulled it from its sheath. She held it out in front of her. The luminescent blade danced in her eyes. Its blue hue washed up along the walls, pushing back the amber glow.
“Taytha. The creatures being encountered here on Styx are not from Ur.”
Taytha looked up.
“They’re not from our system?”
“No.”
Taytha paused, looking back out the viewport.
“They’re from the gate you mentioned. Aren’t they.”
“They are.”
Taytha placed her helmet back onto the mechanical arm and turned around.
“Why do you call it a gate?” she pried. “Who opened it?"
“The same lord commander you’re enlisted with. Lord Kilahren. And me.”
“What?!”
A silent tension permeated the air. She gripped her azukar tight.
“What do you mean you helped him? Those things! You’re the reason they’re here?”
Silence.
“Haitrion!”
What appeared to be a wall at the front of the cabin dissolved away as Haitrion stepped though. He wore the same form-fitting body suit. Taytha pointed her weapon and took a few steps back.
“You are right to judge me so, Taytha. I have made mistakes before although, none as grave as this. This one I hope to amend.”
“The gate is why you are here isn’t it.”
Haitrion walked over to the viewport and nodded his head.
“What’s so special about it?”
“It’s angelic.”
Taytha blinked in astonishment.
“All the way out here?”
“Yes. It’s the most distant angelic object ever discovered.”
Taytha’s eyes grew wide with consternation.
“Oh goddess!” She gasped. “I’ve been gone for three years!”
Haitrion turned around. Taytha's balance wavered. The azukar dipped in her grip. Haitrion reached with an outstretched hand and the weapon fell into gentle suspension, hanging in mid air. The weapon’s sheath rose into to the air to meet it. The azukar slid into its place and lowered to the ground. Taytha grabbed for the back of one of the seats. She steadied herself wearing a sick expression and found herself sitting down holding her head.
“I’ve been gone for three years already. The hyper-sleep made if feel like hours. Moments!”
Haitrion sat down in the seat across from her and leaned forward.
“Haitrion.” she stammered, her head hanging. “What’s going on here?”
Haitrion leaned back.
“You are readjusting. You were asleep for more than fifty thousand hours. It may take a while to accept the lost time.”
Taytha grimaced at the thoughts running though her head.
"I was supposed to contact Kortha when I was ground side. She probably thinks I’m dead!”
Tears gathered in Taytha’s eyes. She sat back covering her eyes and shaking her head. She looked out the window at the crimson disc of Trithon. Tears slipped down Taytha’s cheek as she stared. The growing weight of the situation was apparent on her face. Taytha breathed deeply, trying to regain her composure. When the gentle flow of tears slowed she wiped them away with the side of her finger and spoke.
“Can we contact her?” she pleaded. "Can I get a message to Pyra Dawn?”
Haitrion sat, devoid of enthusiasm. His voice carried disappointment.
“I had trouble but, I already accessed your service record.”
He turned a sorrowful gaze towards Taytha.
“You’ve been KIA for 3 years.”
Taytha was taken aback.
“What do you mean?”
“You’ve been dead for three years. Your official record
says that you died in an open space training accident. Your body could not be recovered.”
She sat down on the black couch next to her.
“My family thinks I’m dead.”
“Three years have passed. By now the sting of your loss has wained.”
“Haitrion I need to contact my family. They need to know I’m alive."
“I’m sorry but, using the relays out here is too dangerous. Every one belongs to Kialhren’s forces.”
Taytha wiped her face again.
“What do you mean? Why?”
Haitrion rubbed his chin with his forefinger and thumb.
“Kilahren believes I am dead as well.”
“What does that have to do with the relays?”
Haitrion took a deep breath.
“There were only a few of us that arrived on Styx at first. Lord Kilahren, Dutches Dinasty, myself, and Narsisus Addecco.”
“All ether born,” noted Taytha.
“Syrens,” Haitrion added. “All of us.”
“What were you doing out here?"
"Kilahren offered me a chance to examine the most distant and exotic angelic ruin ever found. I leaped at the chance. All I needed to do was keep the discovery a secret.”
Taytha grinned.
“You didn’t think that was odd?”
“Of course not! Why would I? I’m the leading expert on angels!" Haitrion responded. “The Emperor restricts access to all extra planetary angelic ruins.”
“Weren’t you risking punishment?”
“I was attempting to increase the amount of time I would have investigating the ruins by playing along.”
“If you’re the leading expert on all things angelic, wouldn’t the Emperor have assigned you to any future projects anyway?”
Haitrion scoffed.
“No.”
He stood up. Irritation slid into his posture.
“His pet human, Raffa Calderon would most likely have been the first choice.”
“The CEO of Genotech? What’s so special about him?”
“Mr. Calderon is a brilliant man but, that’s not the reason the Emperor fancies him.”
Haitrion turned back around.
“Raffa enlisted me to help him design the first beyond-light-speed drives at genotech twenty years ago.”
Taytha’s mouth dropped open.
"I thought travel beyond the speed of light was impossible. How did he did he discover it?”