by Trey Deibel
Thinking for a second, I asked, “Is everyone in the building?”
His eyes brightened. “No, Brad is on his way to secure Erryn’s ship. He hasn’t reported back yet.”
“Contact him!”
Over the intercom, Malcolm said, “Brad, status report.”
He reported back, “I jus’ finished restrainin’ da maelkii bitch here.”
“Look, I have a light bulb hanging over my head. But you have to tell Brad to follow my words,” I instructed.
“Brad, there’s been a setback. Follow Stone’s instructions.” Malcolm swept over channel access to my cyberwatch.
Once I had access to the channel, I contacted Brad. “Brad. I got a real mission for you.”
I told Brad the plan. Although my plan wasn’t full, it was something. Brad was just going to have to figure out the rest on his own.
“I love some sweep n’ creep.” Brad beamed with excitement after hearing the plan.
“Ground warfare is Brad’s specialty. He’s ranked number one on the ARW’s list of most dangerous ground troops,” Malcolm assured me.
I looked at Malcolm. “Holy hell,” I said before contacting Erryn and feeding her the pieces of the plan in which she played a part.
“Copy that, sweetie.”
“Sweetie?” Malcolm raised an eyebrow.
“It’s a long, stupid story. Don’t get your mind in the trash.” I sighed. “Now, we’re going to do what Steion says at the moment. I have an idea, and it’s going to require some Hail Mary luck. I just hope Steion knows his traditions.”
After everyone’s restraints were removed, I led the way outside, with my guns over my head. Steion was at the helm of dozens of dytircs and a few honor guards. Fighting sure wasn’t on the table.
“Line up so I can see each of your faces,” Steion commanded.
Our squad lined up and knelt in the wet mud as rain poured on our backs. We set our weapons down, and the bonies took them. Landis was slouched over at Steion’s knees. She was badly beaten. Her cyberwatch was missing, and she struggled to stay up. She spotted Malcolm and mustered enough strength to smile.
Landis used the last of her strength and yelled, “Artifacts, tell Kalvin they--”
Steion pulled the trigger, sending two shots to the back of her skull. Landis fell instantly.
“NO!” I screamed, slamming my hands to the wet mud. Tears formed, but the rain storm hid them.
“You dick! I’m going to kill you!” Malcolm hollered in anger.
For an agonizing few seconds, each member of my squad broke. Just like that, our mission was a bust as a family member was smote before our very eyes. She was gone.
Captain Clover Landis was gone.
“Wonderful. Now I have your attention,” Steion howled with a cynical laugh. “Unfortunately for what’s-her-name here, we’d more than made use of her.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?!” I screamed in anguish.
Steion shivered in anticipation. “I love it when tempers flare and tensions are high. It really brings out the fun in our conversation. What do you think, James?” Steion walked in front of me. I spat at him, but he teleported behind me and kicked me down. “Get up!” he snarled. I did as he said, and he kicked me back down. He then translocated back in front of me. “Don’t try that again, James, or I’ll put another one of your soldiers down.” He walked down our ranks before asking, “Now, which one of you is the leader here?”
Nobody spoke. Steion continued down the line, looking at each one of us. He passed everyone before returning to me. I looked him directly in the eyes with pure hatred. I tried to come off as strong as possible, despite my body’s weakened state.
“You sure have spirit. If I were to make a guess, I’d say you were in charge, James?”
“You’re damn right!”
He studied me with piercing eyes. “I’m going to need you for later. You see, I’m going to put that spirit of yours to the test, James. What do you say… let’s play a game?” I didn’t respond, so Steion continued. “You see, whatever you do… no matter what, you do not come into my place of birth and treat me like the villain. I’m not! Even a moron would understand that.” He looked around our group. “Listen up! Let me explain something to you… all of you. When my warriors tell me we have a group of ARW soldiers planning to raid our prison… possibly killing many of us in the process, I think… terrorists!”
I interrupted him, “It’s a war, dumbass.”
He snickered. “War. That’s where we’re similar. Two men on two different sides. It is said you can’t stop a war. War only ceases for a moment in time when one side has an advantage. Would you say I have the advantage, James?”
“For now.” I looked him straight in the eye, imagining his death.
He looked away and strolled through the ranks again. He then stopped at Malcolm, who kept his eyes glued to the mud. He shivered and trembled, and not because of the cold rain. I could tell he was struggling with his phobias.
Steion crouched down and sniffed. “I can smell the fear on this one. Cowards don’t deserve to live.” He put the plasma handgun to Malcolm’s head. “I wonder how many shots the shields can take before I can kill you.”
“Try and find out.” Malcolm lifted his head. He trembled, but I could see him fighting to look the warlord in the eye.
Somewhat impressed, Steion stood back up. “That’s more like it!” He patted Malcolm on the shoulder. “Now I’m going to kill one of you tonight! And--”
Valiic interrupted, “You already did!”
Steion laughed. “That was a mere appetizer of what’s to come! You see, she had nothing to do with this. You guys had balls to come here; she was forced. And now you’re going to pay for it! James, this is where I need you. You make the decision. Who’s it gonna be? Who do you want me to kill?” He strolled around, looking at each of our faces. “On second thought, I want to make this shivf last.” Now in front of Shadow-Walker, Steion asked, “How did you guys get here?”
“We hired someone to drop us off,” Shadow-Walker half-lied.
Unsure whether to believe him or not, Steion pressed, “And where is that someone now?”
“Gone. We paid them to take us here, that’s all,” he lied again.
“Either you’re a good liar, or you’re telling the truth. No matter. Hand me his weapon,” Steion instructed his honor guards. Inspecting the weapon, he teased, “My… my, you have created yourself a beauty. I always wanted a custom weapon for myself. Oh well, I might just settle for yours.”
Next in line, Steion looked down at Valiic. “Would you like to know what I think of your species?” Valiic just looked around at us in unease. Suddenly, Steion teleported behind him. “The weakest areas on a maelkii are the neck and lower back, right?” He slammed the butt of Shadow-Walker’s scout rifle against Valiic’s lower back. Valiic winced and groaned in pain. Steion teleported back in front of him. “That’s what I think! Your species pretends to be warriors, yet you fight for morals… a false sense of honor. Dytircs are proud! We fight for power, like a true warrior should. Maelkii are nothing but wannabes.” Steion spat at Valiic’s knee.
He walked around, stopping at Uslar. “You look like you have something in your eye. Here, let me get that!” He knocked Uslar face down in the sludge. “Now, don’t give me that look again!”
Finally, Steion arrived at Vaalima. “And you… wait… are you with him?” He pointed to Valiic. She shook her head no. “Are you sure? I distinctly remember hearing my warriors say something about children, and you and him are the only two here that could make that happen.” There was silence. “No matter, I sent some warriors to find and deal with them,” he said with a laugh.
“NO! You dirty, arrogant prick.” I stumbled up and tried to tackle Steion.
He soon put me down in the mud and snarled almost like a vicious animal. “Get back in line!” His lackeys forced me back to my spot. Once I was back in line, he continued. “Don’t any of you do that
again! I will shut that down fast!” He gazed over us. “I get it. It’s an emotional moment, so I’ll give you that. The first one is free, but if anyone else gets off that mud, I will feed your eyeballs to the ludens here!” Steion walked up to me, looking pleased with himself. “Sucks, doesn’t it? The moment you realize you can’t do a damn thing. It’s time to decide, James. Who’s it gonna be? Who am I gonna kill?” He continued to walk around, waiting for an answer. “Come on, we don’t have all day! It can be him,” he pointed at Uslar, “or her,” he pointed to Vaalima.
“Me!” I answered and thus began my plan.
All the dytircs surrounding us began whispering amongst themselves. Steion’s expression shifted from enjoyment to choleric. In rage, he kicked at the mud before marching back to me, yelling, “Either you’re simply brave, or you’ve heard some of our old traditions. Whatever the case, it won’t matter. Stand up and step over there.”
My wounds had started to heal, but I was still in intense pain. Using my hands, I forced myself up. Every joint was stiff, and every muscle ached. I made it to the area he instructed. The crowd of dytircs formed a circle around me, giving my squad mates just enough room to see me.
Steion spoke. “James has opted to sacrifice himself for his comrades. He’s earned himself honor and therefore has earned the chance to defend it. Set by our ancestors of the past, we’ll continue their tradition and uphold a Duel of Honor. Who would like to face him?”
In the front, a tall, muscled boney stepped forward. “I will earn my honor by defeating a worthy foe in this Duel of Honor.”
Steion bawled, “Now, get them both knives!” From the crowd, someone tossed me a knife. My opponent pulled out his own custom knife. Cheers and hollering ensued as my opponent lunged at me.
Stepping to the side, I dodged his first swipe. Quick to recover, he swiped at me again. This time, I blocked it with my knife and jabbed him in the side. Relief took over. I was happy to be hitting flesh instead of power armor like before.
“AWW!” he howled in pain.
Stepping back, he was shocked at my strength. Luckily for him, I was in pain and therefore didn’t end it with that blow. He soon lunged again, this time trying to shank me in the gut. I shoved his arm away and kicked him backwards, then spun my knife around, catching the blade and tossing it. It pierced my opponent right in his heart. His blood oozed out of the wound, and his body splattered in the wet mud.
Furious, Steion walked over and kicked the dead dytirc’s body before blustering at me, “You may have bought you and your comrades some time, but it won’t matter! Every one of you are going to the Forlorn until only one is left!” He tossed Shadow-Walker’s scout rifle to one of the guards. “Put that in the armory with the rest.” He then instructed his honor guards, “Take them!”
Chapter 24: Last Words
October 25, 2111
James Stone
Suspended by thick, metal wire, the Forlorn was dark and gloomy, with a single flickering light in the corner. Thick fluid pooled up in the valleys of the glass flooring. We were in a box of glass too thick to break in the center of the cavern of prison cells for all to see. In view through the glass were countless omelics starved of water and food, each with a dull gaze as they looked upon us. We were on display. The air was full of a foul smell - an unsettling mix of waste and rotten flesh. Recently, a guard had tossed a rusted knife to the floor.
“Welcome to the Forlorn,” Steion yelled from the hatch in the ceiling. “Here, all but one of you will die. The last remaining person will be treated to all the water and food he or she desires. I’ll leave you all to it.” He laughed before closing and locking the prison door.
After Steion and his warriors left, Uslar began to sob from the corner. “I-I ca-can’t believe Landis is gone.”
“We can’t afford to shed tears on that matter yet.” Heartache pulled at my voice. I pushed aside the image of her falling lifeless to the mud. “Landis would want us to survive with our heads up high, and that’s the best way we can honor her. I’ll also personally see to it Steion makes an appointment with death.”
“Right on, I want that bastard dead,” Shadow-Walker chimed in, stretching uncomfortably against the rough glass walls.
“What do they want us to do in here anyway?” Malcolm said, tossing up his hands.
“They want us to fight to the death until one person remains. As hunger and thirst set in, we may start to go mad… that’s the point anyway,” Uslar said.
“They’ll be disappointed,” Valiic added. “None of us would fall that low.”
“We won’t give them the chance to find out. I set a plan in motion to get us up and out,” I said with a grin.
“What plan?” Valiic asked, almost comfortable with our given situation. He leaned his back against the wall, with his legs crossed in an almost meditative state.
“Erryn is going to pilot the Striking Star inside the hangar with Brad and Narrisa aboard. I gave Brad a route to use to get us out of here.”
“Are you sure this Brad dude can handle it?” Shadow-Walker asked, itching at his back.
“Give him time, Shadow-Walker,” Malcolm explained. “Brad is the type of man who gets jobs done… no questions asked, and without remorse.”
“Sounds like a badass!” Uslar’s eyes lit up.
Vaalima threw in some concerns. “I just can’t help thinking: What if Steion managed to destroy the ship? Steion said he sent men find the children which could lead them to the ship.”
“Don’t toss around negativity, Vaalima. Put Brad and Erryn in the same pot, and you’ve got one hell of a deadly combination,” I assured her.
“I hope you’re right. And by the way, James, call me Vaal.”
“Very well, Vaal.”
“I really can’t handle this smell anymore.” Shadow-Walker had his nose covered as he flipped from position to position. “If you mixed year-old cheese and dirty socks together, it would only smell half as bad as this.”
“Probably part of the torture,” Valiic suggested.
“Nothing like a headache-inducing smell to send you over the edge,” Uslar agreed.
Whispering to Malcolm, who was next to me, I asked, “Are you going to be fine and dandy when we finally play war with the bonies again? I’m going to need your skill set for later.”
“I’m doing better,” he responded. “All this adrenaline has helped push my fears away.”
“That might be the first fine news I’ve heard today. I’m going to need you to help me fight Steion.”
“What? Wouldn’t you rather have Brad?”
“Brad may be the best fighter I’ve ever seen… damn, did that kid serve me up my own ass today… but Brad will be needed in the hangar, defending the Striking Star. No doubt, once we begin our attack on Steion, the bonies will do everything they can to stop us. You, on the other hand, have an eye made for the fine details. With luck, you may be able to find a weakness to Steion.”
“I’ll… I’ll do my best,” he responded with a half-assed promise.
Boom!
A ground-shaking explosion sent chunks of the boulders crashing down from the top of the cavern. The Forlorn shook and bounced as some boulders crashed against the glass ceiling, creaking it in the process. The smoke cleared. From a newly made hole at the top of the cavern, Brad tossed down a stasis rope and frag grenade.
“Get down!” Malcolm shouted. Everyone ducked and held their heads.
A thunderous explosion sent glass everywhere, but we were all fine. And now we had a hole and rope meant for our escape. We took the chance, and I went up first.
After helping Uslar, the last to climb the rope, through the hole in the cavern, Brad said, “Hurry your assez, bitchez! Erryn n’ Narrisa are holdin’ out in da hangar. We blew up Steion’z ship, but dytircz are everywhere. Da sonz ah bitchez blew ah few holez on da north side of da hangar tah get inside. Steion must’ve found ah way tah contact backup cuz da shitz are arrivin’ in massez. Erryn n’ Narrisa bo
ught me ‘nough time tah get here tah save y’allz assez. So get movin’!”
“Wait, Brad,” I stopped him. “Are the children hurt?”
“Shit, what do I look like? Ain’t no bitch-azz dytirc shootin’ ah child under my protection.”
Those words washed away the fears that had built on my mind. “Brad, can you do me one last solid? I need you to hold that hangar as long as time will allow. Can you do that?”
“Shit, just call me a shield, cuz ain’t nothin’ gettin’ past my azz.” He took off.
“Valiic, Malcolm, I need you to follow my steps. Everyone else, head to the hangar and defend that ship. The armory is in the room on the right, so load up.”
We took the first right into the armory. All our weapons had been thrown into a crate in the armory beside us. The vicious volume of fighting coming from the hangar gave us more than enough motivation to gear up fast. Once we were fitted for battle, we cleared the first hallway in a flash. Brad’s leftover carnage lay dead on the floor. Down the next hall, it split into two other halls; one right, one left.
Shadow-Walker, Uslar, and Vaal split off into the right hallway and entered the wide opening of the hangar. It was a firefight. Plasma fired everywhere. Some even managed to find their way through the hangar opening. Malcolm and Valiic followed me to the left.
Our first obstacle was a door, which was child’s play for us. As soon as I broke through it, we were welcomed by dozens of bonies lined up. These honor guards used room entrances and deployable stasis shields as cover. All we had was each other. At the end of the hall, Steion had his own personal quarters.
“That must be where the torturer-supreme is bunkered up,” I yelled, hiding behind the kicked-in door.
“How do we get through all this?” Malcolm fired down at the loads of dytircs, using Valiic as cover.
“An idea is scratching at my head. Valiic, can I take your shield for a ride?”
“I’d say so. I must warn you though: It’s heavy.” He handed it to me, and I almost dropped it.
“Holy hell! You weren’t pulling my tail.” I reached up and grabbed the handle, positioning the shield so I could hold it.