by G J Ogden
The galaxy’s most powerful man still had enough political heavyweights in his back pocket to shield himself from potential criminal charges. Nevertheless, hard questions were being asked, and public outcry against the Consortium was decimating Doyle’s share prices. The Consortium’s near total control over the media was also becoming useless, as millions more people turned to the Dark BridgeNet to understand the secrets behind the propaganda spouted via Doyle’s media networks. The mysterious hacker known as Falken was making waves, and now it wasn’t just the tinfoil hat-wearing conspiracy theorists that were paying attention. Doyle’s influence, as well as his previously untouchable position, was weakening by the hour. This was exactly what Cad had intended to happen when he leaked the information to Falken and told her to release it. However, he still needed to be cautious and clever. The more vulnerable Damien Doyle felt, the more dangerous he’d become.
“This would be a nice planet, if it wasn’t for the complete lack of anything fun to do here,” said Alexis. She had stripped down to her underwear and was sunbathing on the hull of the fighter.
“I can think of something fun to do here,” said Cad, pausing momentarily from cleaning his Black Prince sword to look down at her.
Alexis lifted her foot and ran it along Cad’s chest, then pressed her toes to his scarred cheek and turned his face away. “I would have thought you’d had enough of that already,” she said playfully. “Besides, I think you love that sword more than me.”
“No, you don’t,” said Cad, turning the strange alien blade over so that it caught the sun. Then he placed the sword by his side and straddled Alexis his arms. “If it had been you, instead of Draga, I’d have rained nuclear fire down on every renegade base and slaughtered all of them to the last man in order to avenge you.”
Alexis kissed him then slapped him around the face. “How romantic…”
Suddenly, the distant ripple of gunfire reached them from the valley below, and Cad sat back up in time to see four armored shuttles suicide-diving through the atmosphere toward the factory city. It was a common, if incredibly risky, tactic employed by the Vediovan gangs, and the Forsaken in particular. They would skulk around in orbit, jamming the sensors of the local and CSF Enforcers. Then, when the time was right, they’d burn hard toward the planet, entering the atmosphere at the fastest possible velocity. They’d then maintain this velocity until the last possible moment before flipping their noses to the sun and burning hard to kill their momentum. It was like the spaceship equivalent of a halo dive. If it worked, it gave the gang the element of surprise. And if it didn’t, they were dead anyway.
“Here we go…” said Alexis, sitting up and watching the shuttles soaring toward the factory. Her raven skull pendant slid across her neck and caught the sun, sparkling with an almost magical glint. Both members of the Blackfire Squadron then watched as the shuttles pulled up sharply, pointing their noses at the bright blue sky. The engines of the shuttles engaged on full burn and the sky was suddenly filled with a deafening roar. However, while three shuttles executed the maneuver correctly, the fourth misjudged and smashed into one of the dozens of factory buildings, exploding as if a bomb had gone off.
“Ooh, that’s going to smart,” said Alexis, clearly enjoying the spectacle.
“It’s also going to make our job easier,” said Cad, thinking in more practical terms and adjusting his strategy. Thanks to Falken, who had hacked the Forsaken’s communications network, in return for a five-figure bonus payment, Cad knew the gang’s plans. He’d then had Falken hack the systems of both the Forsaken and the other mercenary companies. This would ensure the various factions would walk straight into each other, cancelling each other out, like fire and water. That left Cad and Alexis with the relatively simple task of mopping up the squad of twenty-four Forsaken thugs who had been tasked with stealing the super freighters. Again, due to Falken’s meddling, these would be conveniently isolated from the rest of the fighting.
Cad hadn’t done this to make life easier for himself. If it had been required, he had a dozen ways of taking out the Forsaken, including the simplest solution, which was to have gunned them down in their shuttles before they even reached the surface. However, after his entertaining skirmish with the miners on Pomona, he was keen to get back into close action. It was the only way he could scratch the itch that he knew would not go away until he had humiliated and killed Hallam Knight.
“Let’s suit up,” said Cad, picking up the Black Prince sword and standing up on the hull.
Alexis sprang up and draped herself across Cad’s shoulder. “I thought I’d go like this…” she said seductively.
Cad, however, was no longer interested in playing games. His thoughts had already turned to the task at hand, such that all he now yearned for was violence. “We’ll celebrate when this is done,” said Cad, glancing down to meet her teasing eyes. “Now suit up.”
Alexis nodded and pulled away from Cad, her expression hardening like granite. Cad always envied her ability to simply “switch on.” as she had just done. Alexis was like two different people co-existing inside one body. One was frivolous and carefree, while the other was every bit as ruthless and merciless as Draga Vex ever was. For Cad, there were only forward gears. His ambition and passion were all-consuming, like a fever that constantly had to be sweated out or else he’d die. Even in his sleep, he was never at rest.
Alexis turned and walked across the hull, the sway of her hips momentarily distracting Cad from the dozens of attack scenarios that were playing out in his mind. Then he glanced down at the burning factory building, with fire bots swarming all around it, desperately fighting the inferno, and settled on a new strategy. It was a strategy that would bring him the most personal satisfaction. Because of the crash, the gang of pilots who were gunning for the freighters would have to adjust their covert approach to the dock, detouring through one of the adjacent cryo-freezing factories. He and Alexis would meet them there, amidst the hundreds of commercial freezers, and whittle them down, face-to-face, close enough for a sword. Meanwhile, the other gang members and mercenaries would wipe each other out, sparing Cad the bother of doing it himself.
Cad drew in a lungful of the warm Tellusian air, allowing it and the thought of the fight that was to come invigorate him. Then he caught a reflection of his own scarred, chiseled face in the blade of the reforged Black Prince sword. He almost didn’t recognize himself. The man staring back at him appeared older and more tired than the Cad Rikkard he remembered. The Cad Rikkard he wanted to be. He lowered the sword and headed back inside the fighter, ready to prove to everyone – especially himself – that Cad Rikkard was still the best.
15
Alexis Black dove Cad’s fighter toward the cryo-freezing factory building, like an eagle soaring after its prey. Bullets pinged off the hull from the Forsaken thugs, mercenary groups, and even CSF Enforcer squads, who all fired on the ship as it dropped down on them out of the blue. Ordinarily, this would have irked Cad, but his meddling was the reason they were all panicking to the point where no one on the ground could distinguish friend from foe. Cad’s plan had worked perfectly. Thanks to Falken’s false information, the Forsaken thugs and mercenaries had all been funneled into the same location and forced into a desperate fight for survival. Whatever plans any of the various groups had were all shot to hell, like their bodies were about to be. Cad grunted in appreciation of his own work. It was like a masterful game of chess, where he had been playing both sides.
Alexis dropped the fighter onto the roof of the factory building and Cad jumped down, carrying a sniper rifle loaded with precision-guided rounds. A regular assault rifle was attached to a magnetic stow on his back, while his reforged Black Prince sword rested in its sheath. However, Cad had no intention of allowing the weapon to remain there for long. Marching to the edge of the rooftop, Cad was met with a volley of incoming small-arms fire. Some of the bullets skipped off his armor, while most thudded harmlessly into the wall or zipped past him into the
clear sky. Unconcerned by the incoming swarm of bullets, Cad raised his rifle and marked the five Forsaken thugs who were shooting at him using the targeting system built into his helmet’s visor. He then fired five shots in quick succession, each bullet guiding itself on target. A second later, the thugs all lay dead, each one shot in the head, right between the eyes.
Cad’s head was then snapped back, as if he’d just been caught with a fast jab. Running his fingers across his helmet, he felt the dent from the bullet that had struck him. He growled, more from annoyance than from any pain the hit had caused him, then scanned his surroundings, looking for the culprit. A group of private military contractors had managed to retreat from the main battle and were moving toward the factory building. Cad assumed they must have worked out his plan and were now desperately trying to get back in on the action. In addition to the standard contracted rate, the mercenary group that personally took down the Forsaken pilots would net a tidy bonus. It was pocket change to Cad, but for some of the rag-tag mercenary companies, it represented a significant payday.
Zooming in on the group using his visor, Cad saw that one of the mercenaries was carrying a scoped sniper rifle. The man moved behind cover and crouched, preparing to take another shot at Cad. He stepped aside at the last moment and the bullet sailed wide. Cad hadn’t planned on taking down the other mercenary groups too, since it wasn’t part of his contract, but he didn’t like people taking pot shots at him either. Disabling the precision guidance system on his weapon, Cad dropped to a crouch and tracked the enemy sniper as he ran to a new firing position. He could have waited until the man had stopped moving, but he wanted to test his aim. Squeezing the trigger, Cad saw the mercenary drop, as if he’d just walked into an invisible barrier. He again grunted with appreciation. The bullet had entered through the man’s left eye and blown the back of his head off. It was an impressive shot, even if he did say so himself. Cad then watched the dead mercenary’s squad-mates scramble into cover, desperately searching for the sniper who had shot their companion. Cad flicked the precision aiming system back on and took each of them down. He’d satisfied himself that he was still an expert marksman and was now already bored of shooting people. He lowered the rifle and placed a hand on the pommel of his sword, eager for the time when he’d once again employ it in anger.
“I’ve activated the cutting tool,” said Alexis, who had strolled up beside Cad.
Cad glanced back toward the fighter and saw that the device had already almost succeeded in slicing an entry point into the factory.
“How many are we dealing with?” Alexis added, peering out over the side of the building.
Cad used his visor to enhance the area where the Forsaken fighters and other mercenaries were still locked in a frenetic engagement. Confident they would be busy for some time, he turned his attention to where the Forsaken pilots were scheduled to make their covert approach to the loading dock. He saw them moving through the side alleys and back roads, just as planned.
“The twelve two-man Forsaken flight crews are headed this way, on schedule,” said Cad, flipping up his visor and turning to face Alexis. “The others will kill each other or flee. Either way, they won’t be a problem for us.”
Alexis nodded then pulled a semi-automatic shotgun from the magnetic stow on her back. “I thought I’d use this, as a tribute to Draga,” she said, holding the weapon out for Cad to inspect.
Cad looked at the shotgun, remembering Draga’s ruthless, fearless employment of the weapon. “Use whatever weapons suit you best,” he said, taking the shotgun and examining it. “Sentimentality will only get you killed.”
Alexis appeared to consider this for a moment, then shrugged. “Just remember that recklessness will get you killed too,” she hit back, taking the shotgun back off Cad. “You have nothing to prove here. Remember that.”
“I always have something to prove,” replied Cad, moving back toward his ship.
“Not to me,” said Alexis. She then winked at Cad. “Except whether or not you can take down more of these Forsaken fools than I can, of course,” she added playfully.
Cad’s eyes narrowed. “You’re challenging me?” he said, though he was more surprised than outraged.
“Only if you think you’re up to it?” said Alexis, the corner of her mouth curling into a smile. “It’ll be like old times.”
“Challenge accepted,” said Cad, stowing the sniper rifle back in the fighter.
“I think I’ll save this for another time,” said Alexis, replacing the shotgun with her familiar Five-Seven-Seven pistols. However, she also took out a short metal staff, which she attached to the belly of her armor.
Cad grunted and smiled. He hadn’t seen Alexis use that particular weapon in some time. However, the fact she had armed herself with it now meant that she was serious about her challenge. The cutting tool then completed its task and a circular chunk of metal fell inside the factory building, opening up a way inside for Cad and Alexis.
“After you,” said Cad, gesturing to the opening, but Alexis just raised her eyebrows and returned the gesture.
“No, I insist…” replied Alexis, though this time, her smile had gone, as had her playful persona. In its place, Cad saw the eyes of the harder-edged Alexis Black. The warrior had already taken over.
Cad lowered his visor and dropped through the opening with Alexis a mere heartbeat behind. The factory was empty, save for the automatons that were employed for routine maintenance tasks. All of the human workers had already been sent to their homes, until the all-clear had been given. Cad and Alexis prowled through the roof structure of the factory, toward where the Forsaken thugs would soon enter. Below him were rows of cryo-freezing machines, all running automatically with the assistance of the dutiful bots. The noise was near deafening, but Cad adjusted the audio sensors in his helmet to filter out the industrial clatter and hone in on the voices of the Forsaken pilots.
The doors swung open at the far end of the factory, and Cad dropped to a crouch, raising a fist to alert Alexis. The pilots had split into two groups, each moving along opposite sides of the factory.
“I’ll take the group approaching along the north wall,” said Alexis, though she was already moving, crouch running across the rafters with the speed and agility of a gymnast.
Cad swung down onto a balcony running alongside one of the many industrial cooling units, then unslung his rifle. Alexis was crouched on top of an office on the opposite side, pistols drawn and ready. Cad gave her the signal to fire, and moments later, she was raining bullets down on the gang members below.
Cad fired his rifle at the second groups, scattering them like startled rabbits. Frantic shouts and barked orders were filtered into Cad’s ears through his helmet’s audio sensors. However, the gang members were wearing only regular combat armor, and despite their earpieces, Cad doubted that any of the commands and warnings that had escaped their lips could have been heard over the clamor of the industrial machines. Cad continued to fire, picking off four of the pilots like ducks in a barrel. Two tried to run, but Cad had filled them both with bullets before they’d even made it ten meters. “Oh no,” Cad said out loud, though he was talking to himself. “None of you are making it out of here alive…”
Cad reloaded the rifle then stowed it in the mount on his back and drew the Black Prince sword. He’d already killed six of the Vediovan gang members, thinning their numbers to a point where the remainder could be dealt with at close quarters. Running along the balcony, he positioned himself behind the fragmented and panicked remains of the group. He then glanced over to check on Alexis and saw that she had also taken down at least half of the first group. She was now prowling in between the multitude of cryo-freezing units on the ground level. Alexis had holstered her pistols and was now wielding the metal Bo staff, which had extended to its full size.
In many ways, Cad wanted to watch Alexis use her favorite melee weapon, but he still had bloody work of his own to complete. He waited for one of the Forsaken thu
gs to pass below him, and dropped from the rafters, landing on the man’s back and crushing his chest and face into the concrete floor. Cad heard the shuffle of boots close by, and he raised the Black Prince in readiness to strike. He swung the blade just as the thug’s partner rounded the corner, slicing the man cleanly from his shoulder down to his naval. Bullets then thudded into the dying man’s back. Cad ducked behind the body, using it as a shield, and saw two other gang members, unleashing bullets at him from automatic rifles. Cad pulled the sword out of the man’s chest, then darted behind one of the enormous cryo-machines. His helmet’s audio sensors picked up the panicked yells of the two men as they hollered instructions at each other. Taking advantage of the distraction, Cad ducked under the machine and thrust the blade through the chest of the first thug. He then released his grip on the handle, leaving the sword plunged through the man’s body, grabbed the second thug and threw him headfirst into the cryo-machine. The man’s agonized yells were short-lived as the cryo-unit flash-froze his head, alongside hundreds of strawberries that were still busily filtering along they conveyor. Cad watched the Vediovan gang member with interest, idly wondering exactly how long it took to completely cryo-freeze someone’s head. He’d killed more people than he cared to remember, but this was a first for Cad, and he knew it would be a kill he’d remember.
Cad recovered his sword from the chest of the thug he’d impaled earlier, then saw Alexis Black pass into his line of sight. She thrust the metal Bo staff into the throat of a Forsaken thug. Cad watched as the tip of the weapon crackled with electrical energy, dumping a lethal charge directly into the thug’s body. Alexis then whirled the staff into the face of another pilot, and Cad heard the satisfying crunch of bone. Her head then jerked in Cad’s direction. She drew one of her Five-Seven-Sevens and fired. Cad didn’t flinch, and turned to see another of the gang members topple backward like a felled tree, a single bullet wound to his forehead. The man had evidently managed to sneak up on Cad while he was busy admiring Alexis’ handiwork.