by Trey Deibel
“Impressive. That was enough to take down four maelkii,” Malcolm said.
James used the nearby chair to help himself to his feet. “Valiic, ha-handle Vaalima. I’ll ta-take care of these two.” Valiic engaged Vaal in combat. She was more than prepared for it.
Malcolm charged at James. “That power armor set won’t make you strong enough to spare with me!” James mocked.
“That’s why I brought him!” Malcolm barked as Brad charged from the other side.
Brad was the first to meet James in combat. James popped on his shield and blocked Brad’s first blow, sending him skidding backward. Malcolm was next. Faster than his eyes could follow, James kicked Malcolm’s foot out from under him, sending him rolling into a holographic projector. James then bashed him into the floor, cratering the area around Malcolm’s body. The power armor’s shield took the impact but was dangerously low from that massive strike.
“Damn! You’re stronger than I imagined,” Malcolm grunted.
Malcolm stumbled back up to see Brad and James at it again. Brad threw a hook, but James ducked under it and launched a body blow into Brad. Swiftly, Brad slammed his fist down, knocking James’s hand down and away. He then kicked Stone’s leg and sent him to his knee.
Brad sent Stone down to the floor with a hefty jaw punch. “What’z da matter, Stonewall? Yah look almost az pissed off az me!” Brad mocked.
From above, Brad slammed his fist to the ground, missing James as he rolled toward Malcolm. Malcolm was now back in the fight. He hopped over James, but James kicked back to his feet before Malcolm could make a move. Brad sprinted over to Malcolm, and they were now on the same side.
“You think it’s that simple, don’t you? Follow orders, and life ticks on, right?” James’s lip had busted open from Brad’s earlier jaw punch. “Wrong! We live with our mistakes, and I’m simply choosing to correct mine,” James stammered.
Brad and Malcolm charged at James. He dodged Malcolm’s first punch while blocking Brad’s body blow with his shield. Swiftly, James dropped to the ground and spun, tripping Malcolm. Brad jumped over him, flipping and letting loose a kick to Stone’s gut. James anticipated it and used his shield to send Brad upward. Brad landed on his feet, and Malcolm was up again, ready to attack. Brad pulled his shotgun off its mag lock and used the butt to block Stone’s swing. Malcolm drove himself into James, but he was too strong. He picked Malcolm up by the stomach and tossed him towards Brad. Brad ducked under and continued his assault.
“I can’t let you win.” James blocked another punch with his shield.
“I’m tired of dat damn shield in my face!”
Brad kneed the bottom of the stasis shield up, exposing the source. Using the shotgun, he fired directly at the source and disabled the shield while making sure not to hit Stone’s arm. Malcolm sprang back into the fight. Now Brad and Malcolm shared a side again.
“Bozz, watch yah azz!” Brad warned Malcolm.
Malcolm turned around to meet a massive bear-hug. A badly battered Valiic tossed Malcolm into the railing and bent the bars around him. Malcolm tried to wiggle out, but he was stuck.
“Now’s your chance, James!” Valiic howled before Vaal grabbed him and tossed him backward. Now those two warriors were back to fighting each other.
Malcolm struggled but couldn’t break free. Frustration swept over him as he realized he was no longer in control of the situation. Malcolm watched as Brad and James sized each other up, trying to devise a strategy to win the brawl. It was now a battle of man versus ace.
“Brad, you should just throw in the towel now. With your comrade down for the count, I have the advantage. I’m faster, stronger… you can’t stand at my level.” James spat some blood to the floor.
Brad responded with a smug snicker. “Don’t yah worry ‘bout my azz, Stonewall!”
Almost nobody knew Brad like Malcolm. What James didn’t realize was that Brad was relentless in the most extreme sense of the word. Every motion and decision Brad made was calculated to exploit weaknesses in his opponents. To Brad, combat was art - an art he’d perfected. If the devil were real, Brad would be the guy they’d send to kill him.
“Brad, just shoot his knees! We only need to bring him back alive,” Malcolm commanded. Brad didn’t budge.
James looked at Malcolm with rage and disappointment. “You would dare suggest gravely wounding a fellow soldier?!”
“You aren’t a soldier; you’re a runaway! Brad, take the shot!”
“Nah, Bozz. Da son of ah bitch could’ve shot your azz ah few timez over, but he refused. For dat, he haz earned respect,” Brad argued.
Before Malcolm could retort, Brad hurdled a shock grenade at James. James quickly ducked, but Brad was on him in a flash. He leapt into the air and landed two kicks into James, who tumbled to his back. Brad threw his fist to the floor, just missing Stone’s cheek as he rolled away. Stone kicked up and met Brad’s next few blows with blocks. Brad stepped back and just stared at James through his visor. You could feel the intimidation radiating off Brad as he had James on the defensive.
With no warning, Brad made a sudden jolt at James, who flinched in response. Brad snickered and said, “Made yah flinch.” He was playing mind games with James.
“Is this a game to you? There are real lives at stake here, and you stand there trying to toy with me!” James spluttered. It was clear to Malcolm that James was rattled by Brad.
That’s when Brad made his move. With movements and strikes that could only be described as art, Brad let his superior hand-to-hand combat skills break James down. For every blow James blocked or dodged, he met an even harder strike. It was as if Brad knew which of his strikes would connect and which wouldn’t. Battered with bruised hands and a black eye, James didn’t let his willpower fade away. He kept going, fighting as if he were on the brink of death. Just then, Brad downward-punched James in the jaw, sending him face first to the hard floor.
Brad stood over James. “You’re more fun dan I thought, Stonewall. But like all da shit dat iz fun in diz galaxy, you will only last so long!”
James spat streaks of blood to the floor and forced his body up to its feet. James met Brad’s gaze as he stood inches from Brad’s visor. “Hah, I can do this all day,” James lied.
Blood ran down James’s nose and right temple. His arms and hands were different shades of red from his wounds. Each moment, he swayed ever so slightly. Brad’s power armor proved that James could take only so many blocks and punches from veridium plating.
This time, James took a swing at Brad’s helmet. Brad back flipped to his hands and kicked James back onto his ass before pushing back to his own feet. James was spent but forced himself back up again. Taking some mercy on him, Malcolm reiterated his offer.
“James, this is your last chance to come home peacefully. We can stop this fight, right now.”
James smiled with blood-laced teeth. “You still don’t get it. I will complete my mission, whatever the cost.” In some twisted way, James’s words hit Malcolm deep in his core beliefs. Malcolm was amazed at James’s courage; he seemed to be running on willpower alone.
With those words, Brad charged at James and tore his defensive maneuvers to shreds. Using his shotgun as a blunt weapon, Brad wailed on James. Out of sheer luck, James managed to land a blow to Brad’s side and sent him sliding backwards, but this only made Brad snap and unleash his most brutal attacks. James just about took every one of them, but Brad finally whipped his leg around, tripping James. Brad then proceeded to catch Stone’s foot before James hit the ground and tossed him in the other direction.
James landed hard against the rails next to Malcolm and coughed up blood. James stumbled around, struggling to get up; this gave Malcolm the chance to drop a stock grenade. The furious electricity sent James to his hands and knees, screaming and grinding his teeth in pain. James was drained of energy. Blood covered every visible part of his skin, and he remained conscious on will alone.
James spit blood onto the groun
d. “Is that the best you can do, you blind sheep?”
With all his intensity, Brad hurled his kneecap into Stone’s jaw, knocking him out. Brad then came over to Malcolm, and they both were able to pull the railing back, freeing Malcolm. Out of the corner of his eye, Malcolm saw the battered Valiic on the ground. Vaal was next to him, barely able to move. Both had rendered the other immobile.
“Brad, go secure Erryn’s ship. We’ll use that to haul the legionnaires back to the Tempest of Titans,” Malcolm commanded.
Brad slinked outside. “On it, Bozz.”
“Vaal, when you can, let’s get the legionnaires restrained.”
She gave Malcolm a nod as he helped her up.
Chapter 23: Costly Mistake
October 25, 2111
James Stone
I woke up restrained in a chair. Around my ankles and wrists were veridium and shield-based power cuffs, designed to keep me glued to the seat. Pain hit me like a truck, and I could feel everything throbbing like a fast heartbeat. All the same, I could barely gather my vision as my ears rang like the vibrations of clinging metal. I tried twisting my waists and ankles from the restraints, but it wouldn’t give; my flesh would only impale itself against the restraints the further I pushed. I slowed my breath and relaxed my senses, ready to face whatever the situation might be.
After my vision returned, I could see I was still in the station. “You’ve awoken sooner than I predicted.” Malcolm Richardson sat up from the rails.
“What did you do with the rest of my squad?” I asked, struggling to get out of the restraints.
“In the next room. Once Erryn and Narrisa are accounted for, we’ll be on our way back to the Tempest of Titans. There, you will face trial.”
My body screamed at my brain. I felt like I was on fire. The multiple lacerations around my body made it hard to concentrate. “You should have killed me. I will get out of this, and when I do, not even largest, thickest wall is going to stop me from saving Landis. I must finish my mission. Do you catch my drift?”
He steamed over to me and howled with a voice as sharp as knives. “No, James, I don’t understand your drift. What is it with your desire to save one person at the potential cost of all your soldiers? What if you or your teammates gets captured? Worse yet, what if someone dies?”
“Then he or she would die for their family. But hah… you wouldn’t know such a feeling. All you hunters do is sit around until you’re ordered to hunt fellow comrades. Soldiers like me… like my family… put our lives on the line every mission, and your only purpose is to interfere with that,” I sneered. “Life must be simple for someone who follows blind leadership. Only do what you’re told, and everything is bright the next morning, right?”
“It’s called loyalty. You’re not a soldier, James! When a true soldier is told to kill, he kills. He doesn’t question why. He doesn’t mourn the fallen. He fulfills his role, then moves on to the next. You should have moved on, James. Now I have to deal with you.”
“That philosophy only lets you shift the blame to someone else. It’s an excuse not to take responsibility for your actions. At this point… this far, we don’t stop! We don’t go back! We’re at war, and retreat means we lose… we lose Landis! Is that what you want?”
“Of course not! She was my wife!” Malcolm blurted out before he realized what he’d said. He took a deep breath. “Bringing Clover back has crossed my mind. But a soldier’s orders outweigh his emotions every time.”
I was dumbfounded. “What kind of game are you playing? Landis said her husband died.”
He snickered, and a tear formed in his eye. “Is that what she said? She always was harsh.”
“Landis said she was young and dumb when she married her husband. She told me she joined the war because it was exciting, saying her marriage died when her husband didn’t support her decisions,” I claimed, trying to get to the bottom of this.
“Clover would say that. You see, James… she joined the war for revenge, not excitement. There’s no doubt in my mind she believed she was fighting for a cause. Then again, she never really could tell herself the truth after what happened.”
“Go on,” I pushed for answers.
“Before the war, I was a simple soldier. But as a soldier, you sometimes have to cross the stars to go away for missions. I never used to be scared of battle… even though others were. The first time I was scared was on the trip home. I’d been married for a year by then, and I knew I had a daughter waiting for me at home. I… ah, I missed her birth, and… it sucked, to put it lightly. On the trip back, I just kept thinking God was going to pull the rug out from under me. After what I’d seen… what I’d been through… it just seemed like the only possibility. But the star ship landed safely, and despite my gut feelings, I took the long way home. I wanted more time to think about what I should say. Then the car stopped and I was outside our house. We lived outside the jurisdiction of the ARW while we waited for our home back on Earth to be built. I walked through the door. Clover was inside but had no idea… huh… no idea I was home. I walked into the kitchen, and there she was… preparing milk for our little one. Finally, she turned and saw me. The bottle hit the ground… tears fell from her eyes. Shivf, I was worse. Here she was holding me up, squeezing me so tight, I thought I was going to bust a rib. Huh… I was a rubber-faced clown… cried so much. That’s real, James… that’s real. Next thing you know, she pulled me into our daughter’s room to see her for the first time. There she was in a crib… flower-patterned clothes and a blanket covering her. I could have sworn my daughter smiled at me in her sleep.” At that point, Malcolm couldn’t contain himself. He let the tears fall. “You ju-just can’t even understand it. How does something that beautiful come from me? I… I wanted to hold her, but I was scared. Clover begged me to, but I just couldn’t. Then it hit me, all at once. In that moment, I felt how tired I was… so… so damn tired. You… you ever been that kind of tired, James?”
Malcolm looked at my face. He knew I understood. “Yeah,” I answered. Hell, I was that kind of tired at that moment.
“So you understand, I just couldn’t do anything. All the things, I… huh, I couldn’t take my wife to bed. Too tired even to drink a damn beer. But Clover… she looked at me. She begged me to hold my daughter.” Malcolm paused for a moment to wipe away his tears. “I should have done it. She begged… God, she begged. I said no… Daddy’s too tired, understand?” At that point, I felt a tear drop down my cheek. “I told Clover I’d hold our daughter the next morning. I promised her… I… ah, I never thought that for my daughter there was never going to be a tomorrow. The next hour… God, that fracken hour… I held my daughter’s lifeless body in my arms! She was… my baby girl was only three weeks old. It was the day the dytircs made their first attack in this war, and my home was collateral damage. That day was the last day I’d ever see Clover the same… and the last time she ever saw me the same. We changed… she joined the military… and I the hunters. We both dealt with our daughter’s loss in our own ways.”
Using my shoulder, I wiped away my tears. “I didn’t know.”
“How could you know, James? Understand this, James: You don’t ever want to experience losing the people you love and care for like that. Come back with me. Don’t risk losing your squad.”
“I can’t do that. We’re family, and we’ll do anything to save each other,” I said softly.
“Then you leave me no choice!” Malcolm put on his helmet and picked up another shock grenade from the table.
From the very depths of hell, I heard, “Come outside, with your guns above your heads! We have the whole place surrounded and a lot to talk about!” The voice was outside the control station. It was Steion’s. “You have three minutes, or your beloved captain will die!”
“Damn! Steion is here! How did he--” I paused and pieced together everything: The fragile enemies guarding the station; Malcolm’s arrival. “You’re a dumbass. Let me guess, you used listening devices to piece toget
her our beautifully crafted plan to raid this station. That’s how you knew where we were.”
“Correct.” Malcolm wasn’t sure what he’d done wrong.
“Did you leave it on?”
“Yes.”
“You can’t leave on those devices when the enemy has signal detectors all over these forsaken lands. This is their home system, for Christ’s sake. Did they never teach you standard military procedure, or did you forget that while trying to ruin my day?!” I shouted. Malcolm didn’t know how to respond. “Look, you have to release me. I can rattle the ol’ noggin and figure a way out of this.”
Malcolm just stared at me. “James, remember how I said Clover and I had different responses to the day our daughter died?”
“I do, why?”
Embarrassment reddened his face. “I haven’t been able to face dytircs since that day. Each time I see one, flashes from that day render me petrified.”
“Well, your mistake gave us no choice! This fear of yours is waiting outside the door. Now, you can either let it control you, or you can grab it by the ball sack and face it head on! So choose, and while you’re at it, unlock the damn restraints!” I cursed and shook around in the chair.
Malcolm stared at me. “I… I can’t. You’re my mission. I have to bring you in.”
“Listen to me, and listen closer than you ever have. If you don’t, we die… you die! You sat there, and you told me not to risk losing my squad. Well, Malcolm, you’re about to lose yours.”
“How do I know you won’t turn your back on me the moment you get the chance?”
I smiled. “Hell, you already know the answer to that. Malcolm, you’re a detective… hell, one of the top. At this point, you know the only way you can get me back is to let me go and kill Steion.”
He nodded and unlocked the restraints. “What do we do?”