Revelations- Rain of Fire

by R. E. Graham

  As the Ignis began to enter the atmosphere the bottom of the ship started to heat up. Jax had made his way down to the starboard side cargo bay and stopped what he was doing as the ship's frame creaked.

  “That doesn’t sound real pleasant,” Major Daena remarked to no one in particular.

  “She must be an old ship,” the overrider said as he got back to work.

  Jax used a handhold to pull himself up on Skarr’s Goblin to recheck his jamming equipment. It had been anchored to the left of the hunch that was on the mech’s rebuilt back.

  Its pilot looked on as the overrider pressed a button on the hologram that projected in front of his face. The jammer activated, and a diagnostic program tracked its progress. He happened to notice the young mech jock eyeing him from the side and grinned at him.

  “Looks like it’s workin’ now!” he said as he hopped down to the deck in a squat.

  “Now?” Skarr asked as his face turned a bit sour.

  The more experienced pirate waved his hand back and forth as though the question was meaningless.

  “Don’t worry. Just focus on getting back on the ship after your done down there. It’ll work like it’s meant to.”

  Skarr’s mouth hung agape as the overrider walked away to continue checking the rest of the jammers.

  Iso stepped up from behind and firmly patted the younger pilot on his back. “You nervous?” he asked with a devilish smirk.

  “What? No, not really.”

  “Uh huh, sure. I know I would be. My first mission was nothing like what we’re gonna be facin’ down there,” Iso said as he pointed toward the planet below them.

  “Thanks…” Skarr said gravely.

  "No really. My first raid was on Horizon. It's a really crappy place if you ever get the misfortune to go there."

  The remark got a chuckle out of the newbie pilot.

  "Anyway, our target was a train car of goods that were being transported from the spaceport to some town. We set up an ambush and stopped the train."

  Skarr crossed his arms as he listened intently to the veteran’s story.

  "So, it's all goin' good then we realize that armed drones were protecting the cargo. They deploy out of the sides of some of the train cars and before we know it we are fightin' fifty some odd military drones."

  “I thought the RAF didn’t really use drones anymore?” Skarr asked as his eyebrow arched.

  “Well, they don’t really. But for whatever reason this train was loaded with ‘em. Anyway, the Major orders us to start blasting away at the damned things. One of our mechs got swarmed and got taken down. But the Major though, she really smashed ‘em to pieces.”

  The ex-mechanic happened to notice Daena checking her own mech across the bay. He couldn’t help from admiring her, and a piece of him even desired her.

  Iso noticed the change in the other man’s eyes and grinned widely.

  “Oho…someone has some feelings for the Major.”

  Skarr's eyes widened, and his cheeks blushed. "What?! No…no I don't. She's just a fine commanding officer."

  "Yeah, sure. Well, you best watch out cause Kilo has his eyes already on her."

  Iso patted Skarr’s back again then turned and left. Skarr continued to observe the Major as she continued surveying her ride. He finally shook his head to clear his thoughts and got back to his checklist before they deployed.

  Captain Nero watched as his ship broke through Frost's upper atmosphere from the bridge. Even though he had been off of his homeworld of Starspin countless times for his job, he had never quite seen a world like this one. As far as the eye could see from above, the planet was white.

  There weren't any oceans to really speak of, and the ones there was were covered with snow. Frost had been going through an ice age when it was first discovered, but it was colonized because of the minerals that were found beneath its surface.

  Tall mountains appeared to rise up in every direction as the Ignis descended further and further toward a lone city.

  “Where are we heading?” he asked as he gripped the straps of his harness with both hands.

  Mikhail didn’t see a reason in lying to him at this point. “For Winter Haven.”

  “What’s there that you need mechs?”

  Since he did not get an answer immediately, the Captain twisted his head around to see that the pirate lord was staring at the viewscreen and smiling. What was odd was that the display of joy wasn't typical, it felt twisted somehow.

  Jax entered the bridge but rocked to the side as the ship shook slightly. “Everything is set, Lord.”

  “Alright, Sahara take care of Captain Nero’s ship while I’m away,” Mikhail said as he stood up.

  “Aye, aye,” the woman replied as Nero glanced over at her.

  Something told the captured man that he was not going to be happy once the pirates plan unfolded. Two guards stood watch by the door, and he knew there wasn't much he would be able to do at this point, so he needed to keep his head clear.

  Chapter 22

  Cycle: 434 Month: 4 Day: 7

  Corre Republic Space

  Prefecture: Colonial

  Planet: Frost

  Location: Aboard the Ignis over Winter Haven

  Jole escorted Mikhail as the two stomped down to the port cargo bay as the Ignis neared their destination. The first two phases of the pirate lord’s plan had already been accomplished. Now it was time for fighting. He found his strike team waiting for him by the time they arrived.

  Dirk racked his carbine but nodded to the Lord when he saw the two men.

  While Hern and his team were to use the Centurions to do the heavy lifting by busting through Redbeard's home, Mikhail was going to lead strike team two which consisted of Dirk, Jole, and seven others. Each of the men with him said they had trained with one nation or another's military forces. He wasn't really concerned if they were telling the truth. Right now, his mind was solely focused on bringing the rival lord down.

  Mikhail checked his sidearm then holstered his classic carry. He then grabbed a Chawa combat rifle off of the work table in front of him and shouldered the weapon in a safe direction to see down its sights. After weaving his head through the rifle's sling, he shouldered the gun and placed spare mags on his person.

  As he surveyed his team, he could see that they all at least looked like they could play the part of soldiers as they all wore tactical gear. He was the only one that looked the closest to a civilian which didn't bother him at all. The small ax he had used to decapitate the bounty Hunter hung from his side and bounced as he worked.

  Barber, an ex-rifleman in the Union of Stars, became fixated on the weapon. The pirate lord noticed and turned his head to make eye contact. As soon as the pirate saw Mikhail looking at him, he broke eye contact and cleared his throat.

  Loud thud, thud, thud steps came from the left of Lord Onyx.

  “Lord, my team is ready,” Hernando said through his suit’s external speakers.

  “Good luck down there,” Mikhail said as he faced his loyal bodyguard. “I’m counting on you.”

  Hern puffed out his chest which was even visible within the Centurion power armor. He nodded once then rejoined his team as they waited by one of the bay doors.

  "We will be at our destination in three," came the voice of Sahara over the bay's dust-covered speakers.

  Back up on the bridge, Captain Nero was becoming restless despite his efforts to stay calm. "So, what is our "destination"?" he asked to everyone nearby.

  Jax stayed, but Sahara grinned happily. "We are hittin' Redbeard's mansion."

  Nero’s eyes widened so much that his face started to hurt. “We what? Do you mean the Lord Redbeard…of the Ruby pirates?”

  The woman’s smile widened. “That’s the one, love.”

  “Are you people crazy?!” the Captain blurted out as he found new courage. “We can’t attack him, he’s the butcher of Graceland.”

  “Yeah, well he may not be a match against our Lord,” Mr.
Colbert said coldly.

  Nero spun to face the older man but was just flabbergasted that the crew wasn’t freaking out like he was. “You are all nuts!”

  Feona chuckled to herself, but Jax was annoyed.

  “You better get used to it,” the overrider said loudly.

  “Why’s that?” the Captain asked with a hint of fear in his trembling voice.

  Winter Haven quickly filled the viewscreen as the transport slowed to a stop where it hovered over an empty street in a wealthy neighborhood. Feona guided the ship down and gracefully brought everyone safely to the surface.

  "Because, after today your ship is goin' to be labeled as in use by Onyx and you will be a fugitive."

  “What?! We aren’t helping you all…”

  “It won’t matter,” Jax said as he cut off the Captain. “The Republic doesn’t care and will surely link you to us. So, you might as well agree to Mikhail’s offer.”

  Nero shook his head as if he was in denial. “Wha…what offer?”

  The echo of the starboard bay doors opening could be heard all the way on the bridge.

  Jax faced the fear-stricken man. “Lord Mikhail was going to make you a deal to work for him.”

  “Never. I won’t become a pirate.”

  “That’s your choice, but just remember that he could have easily killed you and your people. But he didn’t.” Jax looked at the screen displaying the cameras in the bays and watched as Hern and his team cleared the ship and rushed for Redbeard’s home.

  “Mikhail may come across as violent and cruel, but he really is a man worth following. You’ll see soon enough Captain.”

  Nero experienced a flurry of emotions as the reality he had denied himself suddenly smacked him in the face. Deep down he had been concerned about what would happen after they were released, now he knew that they were doomed as soon as the pirates boarded their ship.

  “Damn him,” he muttered under his breath.

  Chapter 23

  Cycle: 434 Month: 4 Day: 7

  Corre Republic Space

  Prefecture: Colonial

  Planet: Frost

  Location: Winter Haven, Redbeard’s mansion

  Two armed guards outside of Lord Ruby's home opened fire on the Centurions, but their bullets bounced off of them harmlessly. Hern fired his focus beam cutting one of them in half while Scrub fired a burst of the chain gun mounted to his suit's left arm, turning the other guard into chunky bits.

  “Wahahaha!” Scrub cackled. “This is so much fun.”

  As strike team one continued to storm the home Mikhail and his people cleared the Ignis.

  "Alright, we're all clear," the pirate lord said as he pressed a finger to his earpiece.

  "Roger that," Sahara replied as the doors for the transport began to close, and it lifted off.

  More gunfire erupted inside the home as the Centurions plowed through the front door and wall.

  Hern triggered a long burst from his chain gun. The anti-personnel rounds chewed apart the interior of the home as it peppered the wall while another guard was killed.

  “Ling, go left. Scrub, you’re with me!”

  Before the gunfire started, Redbeard had been sitting at his dinner table with his wife. As he brought a bite of food to his mouth, he felt the entire building begin to rumble fiercely.

  “What is that?” Samantha asked as she set her fork down.

  In an instant, the pirate lord sprinted for the front windows as Cinder and another man rushed over. They all could clearly see the dingy transport that had landed in the upscale street. It was ironic to see such a dirty looking ship amidst the lush yards and expensive homes surrounding it.

  Redbeard ran back to the dining room as soon as he saw the charging power armors to secure his wife when the shooting started.

  “What’s going on out there?!” she asked as she too stood up.

  Being married to someone like Val Henders meant that she had been privy to a great deal of information and life experiences. She had witnessed more than one brutal tirade by her husband against someone who had failed him. However, she had never seen him look as scared as he did right then. That, in turn, caused her to genuinely begin to fear that something was very wrong.

  “Get to the safe room!” he growled as he drew a heavy laser pistol from inside of his jacket.

  While many crime bosses once they reached his level stopped carrying weapons because they were constantly surrounded by gunman Redbeard always felt better packing. Now it may pay off.

  Samantha ran out of the room and disappeared out of sight. The front door burst open as something hefty entered the house. Redbeard peaked around the corner and cursed quietly at the sight of a Centurion just before it fired a barrage of bullets into one of his men.

  Cinder shot his pistol as he backed up around the corner and ducked just in time as Scrub fired his focus beam and it burned all the way through the home.

  Staying low, the pirate lord quickly made his way through the home and got far enough into the house that he stood up and ran. He ran out the back door and bolted across the garden and headed for the secondary building on the property. More and more of his men ran through the yard with rifles in hand toward the house.

  He knew that every one of them running to the danger were dead men, but he needed them to buy him time so that he could get to his gun room. His right-hand man bolted out of the house and caught up to him.

  “Cinder, who in the void are they?!”

  “I…don’t know,” he replied to his Lord through his heavy breathing.

  More gunfire broke out behind them in the primary building. He wondered for a split second if this was Mikhail, but he couldn’t spend much time as an explosion burst through the back doors killing two more of his men.

  Cinder kept up with the Lord as the two men made it to the next building and they ran for the under-ground gun room.

  Being the biggest criminal organization on Frost meant that Redbeard needed to play the game and bribe plenty of officials so that they would look the other way. One of the benefits was that he was able to have his ships move in and out of the system without really being messed with, but now he needed to call in the big guns. As Cinder opened the door for him, Redbeard ran straight for the comm station that he had installed in the underground safe room.

  It took a few seconds for the connection to be made to Admiral Landy Tolso that oversaw the Republic blockade, but he eventually got through.

  “Val, it’s nice to see you,” the Admiral said as he tried to be cordial.

  “Someone has used a transport to drop troops onto my property. I am under attack!”

  The Admiral sat up straighter and leaned towards the camera on his communicator screen built onto his desk. “Say again?”

  Another explosion rocked the area, and a stream of dust fell next to the pirate lord.

  “Get someone down here dammit!”

  The tone from the criminal made the military man want to bring an end to the disrespect. “I don’t know why you are speaking to me like that. You don’t give me orders.”

  Redbeard's eyes became incredibly angry, and his nostrils flared. "Admiral, you forget your place. Perhaps you don't recall who it was that got you that position."

  The other man looked away with a look of discontent on his face.

  "I made certain to keep all of the proof of the death of Admiral Carrigan, and I have plenty on your affair."

  That got his attention. The Admiral’s eyes met Redbeard’s, but he remained silent.

  “Get troops down here immediately. Or I swear to you, the last thing I do will be to ruin you,” the pirate lord said aggressively.

  Cinder got on the radio to begin calling in men from other sites but couldn’t. “What the frag?”

  Redbeard turned to his fellow pirate confused.

  “It’s like it won’t work.”

  Whoever it was that was bearing down on them was very prepared for this assault. Lord Ruby spun back to the comm stat
ion and was surprised to see that the Admiral was looking confused.

  “What do you mean there is a fleet attacking us?” the Admiral asked in shock.

  "They hopped into the system and instantly opened fire," a voice off-screen said.

  “Admiral, what’s going on?” Redbeard asked as he was trying to process all of these pieces coming together.

  The Admiral appeared like he was in deep thought when he faced the pirate lord again. "You are going to have to deal with things on your own, we have a situation up here."

  “Landy! You can spare some troops. You can send some mechs or something…”

  The person off screen again cut into the conversation. “Sir! We have reports of mechs attacking Winter Haven.”

  “What?!” the Admiral exclaimed as he shot up and ran out of the room.

  “Landy? Landy! You get back here you son of a swine!” Redbeard shouted as he pounded his fists onto the machine again and again.

  The pirate lord breathed heavily as he tried to calm down and think. Losing himself in his fury wasn't going to help them get out of this situation. Cinder threw the radio so hard that it shattered into pieces against the wall. He ran over to the weapons locker and pressed his hand against the scanner. A digital line moved up and down as it read his handprint and confirmed his identity. The door popped open, and the pirate pulled out a laser rifle and checked the weapon's powercell.

  Redbeard walked to the back of the room and realized the door was still shut. He stood in front of the thick reinforced stonecrete door, and it scanned him up and down. The door's pressurized seal was broken, and it hissed as the door slowly swung toward him.

  “Where’s Sam?” he asked in horror.

  “I’ll go get her!” Cinder said excitedly as he rushed up the stairs just as several other Rubies were coming down.

  Chapter 24

  Cycle: 434 Month: 4 Day: 7