by Adam DiSalvo
“What the fuck? What do you mean that’s classified?! spat Braenna. "Is it because we’re not in your district? Is that it? They’re not my humans so fuck it?”
“Braenna I'd help if I could,” Taytha reassured her. "I would. But I don’t know how.”
Braenna could not hide her anger but, stayed silent. Brinegore tapped a code into the side of Jaithen’s color and a panel popped open on the other side. He then punched in a second code and the collar relinquished its hold, falling to the floor. Jaithen rubbed the back of his neck.
“Did you say you have a ship in orbit?” Gestos pried.
“I did,” Jaithen answered.
Gestos shook his head.
“That’s not possible,” he laughed. “You haven’t been telling that poor girl that have you?”
Brinegore froze in the middle of removing Lilyth’s collar.
“Don’t stop,” pushed Levron tapping the back of Bronegore’s head with his weapon.
Brinegore turned around looking over his shoulder at Levron.
“Can you get that fucking thing outta my face?” he demanded.
“Sorry bud. Came with your kidnapper’s anonymous subscription.” Levron chided. “This is the final issue.”
“Ves?” stammered Braenna, shaking Vestna’s body.
“Ves! Hey Ves.” Braenna whimpered through tears. "C’mon it’s just a few more minutes okay? Help’s on the way, c’mon.”
The group watched in silence.
“Ves. Don’t play games okay? We’re getting the kids outta here. You have to help.”
Braenna shook Ves harder.
“Fuck. Ves!"
Brinegore jumped as automatic weapon's fire rang out through the halls.
"We got contact!” cried Jeshet peering through the doorway at the end of the hall. "They got synths with them!”
Blue AGR rounds chewed through the door jam and surrounding wall as Jeshet fell back. A metallic four legged figure dashed across the doorway.
“They're fucking shifters!” warned Jeshet spraying rounds through the opening.
In a blur a four legged synthetic burst through the threshold at full gallop. The beast was met by a storm of armor piercing rounds, rending off chunks of metal as it charged ahead. The down pour of fire chopped the mechanical predator to pieces as it fell just before Jeshet’s position.
“Get ready to repel the attack!” he yelled over the approaching sound of fire from the other rooms.
“You could have fucking helped her!” Braenna screamed. “You’re a syren! Why didn’t you do anything?!”
Taytha's expression sank. She grabbed her weapon and moved to support Jeshet’s position just outside. She turned before exiting.
“I’m sorry Braenna,” she replied over the encroaching gunshots. "I don’t know how.”
“Keep! Fucking! Going!” roared Levron jamming his gun into Brinegore’s neck.
“Are you fucking crazy?” Brinegore snapped back. “If I fucking take that collar off she could kill everyone in this fucking room!”
“Take it off!” Levron boomed.
“Fuck you! She’ll kill us all!”
“Hey!” bellowed Gestos, the pool of blood edging out around him. “If you don’t take that collar off I’m going to have my friend drag you over here and I’m going to shoot you in the face myself.”
Gestos tilted his head waiting for a response. Brinegore raised his hands. The rattle of gunshots bounded through the halls.
“Alright. Alright,” surrendered Brinegore.
He turned and punched in the final commands of the release sequence and Lilyth’s collar fell away. Lightning erupted through the room as every metal object slammed against the inside wall, dragging every person attached to one along with it. The oxygen device slammed into the ceiling, shattering into dozens of pieces. Lilyth rose from her back.
“Compensating for magnetic shift,” announced Taytha’s suit.
The hold of Lilyth’s magnetic field failed and Taytha was released. She took a step forward only to be slammed against the wall once more. A raging storm of electricity encircled them as Lilyth hovered over a hudled Brinegore. Her voice broke like thunder.
“You threatened to drain my body of blood!” Lilyth howled.
Brinegore lifted into the air, his arms and legs splayed out.
“You promised to make it painless!”
Lilyth drew Brinegore in close through the air. Within the furry of electrical arcs she whispered into his ear.
“I promise this will not be painless.”
“Wait!” he cried.
The rattling exchanges of automatic weapons fire wove itself into the sound of clattering synthetic feet growing around them. Jeshet fell backwards into the room escaping enemy shots.
"There’s too fucking many!” he screamed.
Pink flashes from spun plasma strobed just outside. A large feline figure tumbled in with Taytha in its hold.
“Oh goddess! Please! Don't!” Brinegore begged.
“Lilyth?”
Lilyth turned her raging glare to the familiar voice.
“Dad?”
The raging storm began to subside. The objects pressed to the wall came crashing down.
“Dad!”
Lilyth ran across the room to her father and leapt into his arms.
“My goddess I thought they killed you!”
The feline machine released Taytha’s neck from its jaws. She gasped wiping small droplets of blood from her throat. Her head fell back on the floor as she labored for breath.
“Fuck all of you.” Levron groaned, struggling to his feet. “Were’s the captain?”.
“I’m still here private!” Gestos called back from under a destroyed desk.
A battered Braenna pushed shredded metal chunks off of herself. Jeshet staggered to his feet.
“What the fuck is going on here?” demanded Braenna, wrenching her uniform free from a sheet of steel.
Jeshet located Gestos at the edge of the room. He took his captain’s hand and pulled him from under a splintered workstation.
“Who the fuck are you?” Braenna continued Brandishing her weapon. "And what the fuck are those things with you?!”
“Braenna,” Taytha warned, her voice wavering.
More of the feline machinations slinked into the room, fanning out around Lilyth and her Father.
A table leaned up against the wall came crashing down.
“Fuck me!” Jaithen complained, rubbing his head. “Lilyth you need to fucking chill back on —, Chandra? Marcus?”
Jaithen rushed towards his friends as Braenna squeezed the trigger, firing into the ceiling. Jaithen halted in his tracks.
“Get the fuck back!” Braenna screamed holding up a snatcher shockwave device.
Taytha lifted herself up, gripping her neck. She pulled her hand back to find blood smeared across her suit’s palm.
“Somebody better tell me what the fuck is going on!” Braenna shouted once more.
Laughter from under a pile of rubble broke the uncomfortable silence. The room’s occupants glanced around at one another. The laughter grew louder. Levron stepped into the corner and pulled back a crumpled filing cabinet revealing a ginning, bloodied Brinegore. Pieces of metal shrapnel protruded from his shoulder.
“You pawns are so compliant and compartmentalized you couldn’t tell a mouth from an asshole!” Brinegore laughed, blood dripping from the corner of his smile.
“SIr. Permission to shoot this ass wipe,” asked Levron pointing his gun.
“Denied soldier,” Gestos replied. “I’d kinda like to know why we lost two of our people.”
Jeshet helped Gestos sit down a few feet away from the pinned snatcher. Blood covered the captain's lower abdomen and right leg.
“What are you going to do shoot me? You worthless piece of shit! C’mon!” Brinegore taunted. “We’re all dead anyway!"
Jaithen tried stepping toward Lilyth and Marcus once more.
“Back the fuc
k up!” Braenna demanded, pointing her weapon into Jaithen’s face. “Nobody fucking move!”
“Everyone this is Braenna,” Gestos explained gesturing over his shoulder as he watched Brinegore. “She’s emotional once in a while but, I’ve found that to be extremely advantageous at times.”
Gesots smiled. He went one.
“Now I’m inclined to let her take her frustrations out on whatever is left of you,” the captain elucidated, waving off Braenna. “But, you might be able convince me to render you aid and possibly survive this situation.”
“Are you fucking kidding me?! Captain!” snapped Braenna.
“Sorry private. I’d very much like to know the difference between my ass and my mouth.”
The group waited. Gestos exercised a stoic patients as he watched a helpless Brinegore.
“Ok Brae go for it,” caved Gestos.
“Wait! Wait! Wait!” pleaded Brinegore.
Gestos raised his hand along with an eyebrow.
“I can only tell you what I know,” offered Brinegore.
“Tell me what you know,” pressed Gestos.
The snatcher looked around the room, then back at Gestos.
“You can start with the ether stasis pods outside if you want,” Gestos suggested.
Brinegore looked away.
“We call ourselves Threshers,” he explained. “We’ve been taking children from the surface of skylauren for two generations.”
“You fucking monsters!” Lilyth roared.
“Chill the fuck out!” Braenna screamed holding out the shockwave device. “Fool me once or the only thing they’ll find is our fucking teeth!”
Lilyth stepped back glaring.
“Is it always kids?” Gestos pried.
“Not all the time,” Brinegore responded nodding his head. “But, they’re always ether born. Sometimes syrens.”
A soft murmur spread through the room. Gestos rubbed his face and swallowed hard.
“Which house do you serve?” Gestos asked.
“Most serve house Sungarden, under Dinasty. Some under Sodom. But, the most effective of us are those who are born and live here. On Skylauren. Most turn for the simplest of lies.”
“Cordon Bemhe,” Marcus growled.
“Yep.” Brinegore chuckled. “He’s one of 'em. Weasel turned on everything he new and loved for the empty promise of another life."
Brinegore broke into laughter again.
“I mean goddess damn! How bad is it down here that one would betray the whole lot of you?! He thought he could just join Imperial life!”
“You're the reason it’s so fuckin bad!” barked Marcus.
“The Threshers?” Brinegore smirked. “No. This place's been fucked. We’re just picking bits off the carcass."
“Where do you take them?” Taytha interrupted.
“One thing at a time sergeant,” deflected Gestos, vetoing her concerns. “What are your instructions once your cargo is secured?”
Brinegore winced trying to move.
“After we secure cargo planteside we radio for dust off on a local encrypted channel. We have special security codes for access. There’s a modified cruise liner in orbit that receives us. It’s presence is Imperial sanctioned.”
“That’s not possible,” doubted Levron. “How could you get planetside and back again without clearance or being noticed?”
“Our raids were interwoven with your ground patrols. We made sure there was little for QC to find,” Brinegore revealed. “With how much Imperial Navy command is compartmentalized, coupled with total blackouts from Sodom and Duchess Dinasty, I’m still surprised we’re having this conversation right now.”
“Why the total blackouts from the royal family?” Gestos pushed. “Couldn’t they just take what they want?”
“I’m not one to question the royal family.”
“Neither am I. We also serve under Sodom.” Gestos admitted staring at the floor. “Skylauren is his jurisdiction."
Gestos looked up.
“What's the cruiser’s heading once it’s loaded?”
“Captain,” the Thresher smiled. “If you knew the answer to that question, like me, you’d probably be dead.”
“And why should I believe you don’t know the answer?” Gestos countered.
“Because you wouldn’t be the only one searching for it.”
Brinegore lifted his sleeve to reveal a tattoo on his inner forearm, the symbol of New Fate in deep crimson.
“Oh shit.” Jeshet stammered grabbing his head with both hands. “He’s a fucking terrorist.”
Lilyth looked back at Jaithen.
“New Fate works with Syrens now?” Jaithen questioned.
Brinegore shrugged.
“Anything to kill ethers though, that doesn’t seem to matter now. Whats really going on right now captain is figuring out how you're going to get you and your soldiers out of this alive.”
Brinegore coughed up spittles of blood.
“And hopefully you’ll make good on your bargain and save my ass too.”
“Captain. I still have a broadcast to make,” Taytha urged.
The captain turned to face Taytha.
“Sergeant there isn’t going to be a broadcast. We’re going to be lucky if we get off world in one piece.”
“Captain!” Taytha resisted. "Haitrion ordered me to —“
“Sergeant!” Gestos snapped back. “I understand this moment requires consideration of jurisprudence but, also of our survival.”
“Well captain, the two are currently in conflict,” Levron noted. “That usually means death. Man, what the fuck!"
“Captain!” Taytha pushed back. “The fate of the empire is at stake!”
“We don’t fucking know that, sergeant!” Gestos barked.
“What is she talking about Captain?” worried Brinegore.
“Shut the fuck up thresher or whatever you are,” the captain commanded. “Listen sergeant. I shouldn’t have listened to you. I should have just waited until the forward units pulled out and sent it up the chain of command! But no. I fell victim to my own ideas of grandeur. Forgoing the reality that it’s an ether’s world. We just live in it! Two soldier’s lost their lives and the rest of ours might be ruined in the aftermath! We’ll be lucky if we make it as far as orbit!"
Gestos grabbed at his radio.
“Quarantine command this is ground snake one. Come in.”
Silence.
“QC this is ground snake one. What's the sit rep on the medevac?”
No answer.
“Shit. That ether’s world is calling right now,” Jeshet cracked.
“Captain?” called Levron. “Did we just get abandoned by QC?”
“Fuck’n duh,” Jeshet remarked. “Captain?"
Gestos sat, sweat pouring from his face. Blood dripped from the heel of his boot onto the floor below him. He pointed at Jaithen.
“You,” Gestos gasped pointing at Jaithen. "You said you had a ship in orbit?”
“We do,” replied Jaithen along with each of Chandra’s avatars in the room.
The soldiers looked around in surprise.
“And you,” the captain went on turning back to Brinegore. “You have codes to get us safely into space?”
Briengore nodded.
“I do.”
“Captain Gestos?” chimed Chandra. “There are thirty six snatcher units surrounding the building. No Imperial drop craft have been detected.”
Gestos looked over to Jaithen.
“I guess you’re some sort of smuggler?”
“Pirate actually,” Jaithen corrected.
Gestos smiled.
“Right. Levron. Jeshet. Grab him. Pirate. Where’s your ship?”
CHAPTER 19
COMMANDER HARDGLAVE SLAMMED his fist onto the makeshift desk in front of him. The reporting soldier jumped.
“Fuck,” Hardglave exclaimed turning around to face his subordinate.
“That’s not all sir,” stammered a young man
swallowing hard. “An unidentified craft has alerted imperial fast movers and has deployed an unknown number of synthetic combatants to the field. Our forces are nearly outmatched. The heavy fighting is near the stasis pods and inside the control room for the antenna array.”
Hardglave took a deep breath.
"How many transports do we have left to launch?”
“Seven sir. Not including our own.”
Hardglave picked up a datapad from the desktop and swiped at the screen.
“Regardless of acceptable losses,” Harglave hissed. “We die if we come up short."
“Sir?”
Hardglave tossed the tablet back onto the desk.
“Order all teams to secure the pods and activate their transponders. I’m initiating the ‘dredger' protocols on the drones. We need to get into orbit as soon as possible.”
The soldier snapped to attention and saluted the commander. He grabbed his radio and turned to leave.
“All available units,” the soldier ordered into the mic as he exited. “Initiate transponder beacons and secure the remaining pods. Eliminate all units without operating transponders. We are preparing for emergency launch. Do not wait for clearance. I repeat. Do not wait for clearance. EL as soon as all targets are eliminated and cargo is secure.”
Hardglave turned to retrieve his weapon from the table.
“Commander Hardglave!" boomed a voice through the room's ceiling speakers.
Commander Hardglave froze as each screen in the room displayed Sodom's dark gaze.
“Lord Sodom! Who do I thank for the honor of this call?”
“Stop. You disgust me commander. My sister and I have concluded you have lost containment on Skylauren.”
“My Lord, with respect. I was assured there would be no Imperial interference. The current issue is in fact Imperial in nature."
Hardglave reached for his weapon and initialized it. The ominous chime of his modified AGR preluded a set of teal lights blinking to life down the sides. He waited for a response.
“Commander,” Sodom instructed. "Secure the last units and make for orbit. You have twenty minuets to remove your teams from your current location. Your coordinates have been scheduled for orbital cleansing.”
“Understood my Lord."