Commander Lucience sat silently on his throne within the Black Void. The chair’s high back dwarfed his slouching form as he watched the colored figures scatter across his three-dimensional display. The blue squares that represented his own forces were in full retreat ahead of a sea of red dots, signifying the rebellious natives of Miller’s Glen.
“What is happening on the ground?” he asked the two Terran bodyguards who stood protectively behind him, his voice little more than a growl. “My troops are in full withdraw from a ragtag collection of insurgents. And I still don’t see my fighters in the air.”
Both guards scanned rapidly through massive amounts of data that were displayed on their hand-held screens. Numbers flashed quickly across the display, reflecting in their wide eyes; the screen’s light glowing warmly on their skin in the dark room. After minutes of silence aside from the clicking of commands on their console, one of the guards spoke.
“My Lord,” he began hesitantly, “the fighters are conducting pre-flight checks and will be in the air momentarily. However, it appears that a worm has infected our satellite system. The virus has been devouring lines of data pertaining to visual displays.” He gestured to the map of the city in front of Lucience. “Rebellious elements are simply not being displayed as a result. They are, for our purposes, invisible.”
“How could this have happened?” Lucience asked, anger creeping into his voice.
The second guard interceded. “Sir, this planet was formerly used as a layover destination for pirates and smugglers. It is very possible that they had access to computer systems and radar arrays capable of sending signals to our satellites. Were that the case, their computer could have made contact with our satellite and uploaded the worm.”
“Is it possible to purge the worm from our systems?”
“I’m not sure, sir,” the second guard replied. “From our location, I cannot verify which systems have already been infected.”
Lucience slammed his fist down onto the display before him. “So this is spreading?”
“I believe so, my Lord.”
Running a hand nervously across his face, the Commander took a deep breath before reaching forward and turning off his city map. “Contact the Ballistae. Inform them that we are evacuating this city and that it is to be destroyed from space once we are clear.”
Commander Lucience heard one of his guards clear his throat nervously behind him. He clenched his teeth in frustration, knowing he would not be hearing good news.
“Communications with the Ballistae are currently inoperable,” the guard said, stuttering. “It appears the worm has infected the communication relay systems as well.”
“What else has this damn worm infected now?” Lucience yelled into the dark room.
Keryn rushed from the cover of the collapsing wall and fired into the retreating Terran forces. Though her men had routed the defenders along the edge of the business district, due to the sacrifice of the Lithid forces, the Terrans still posed a significant threat. Sliding for cover behind the next closest barricade, she ducked as volleys flew over her head, both from the Terran defenders and her own force’s withering return fire.
The revolutionaries advanced slowly into the rubble fields, trying hard to avoid the large open areas and crowding dangerously behind the half walls and slabs of stone that littered the field. Nearly a quarter of her forces now carried weapons, salvaged from the dead Terrans they passed. As the battle went on, more would be carrying weapons, not because they kept finding new stockpiles of rifles, but because attrition left her constantly with less and less troops. At the rate she was losing men, she wouldn’t need more than a couple of transport ships to evacuate her full force once they reached to warehouses. The same one hundred weapons that had once accounted for a minor demographic of her revolutionaries now meant she had a fully armed front line of soldiers.
To emphasize her point, an explosion rocked the short walls of the ruined building nearby, behind which more than a dozen of her soldiers had been hiding. She could hear their screams as they tried to apply pressure to wounds that poured blood onto the soft white snow.
Glancing around the corner of her building, she observed the small Terran rear defenders who were stalling her forces amongst the ruins, their black uniforms blending into the dark sky but standing out in stark contrast to the white snow. They fired repeatedly into her advancing troops, slaughtering them with impunity. However, she also noticed them scanning the turrets located around the outskirts of the field, the surprise evident even from her location.
They are waiting for the turret guns to start firing, the Voice said with glee. But they won’t be firing for them today.
The Voice was right, Keryn knew. Her Saboteurs had done a great job disguising her ambush from the Terran observer satellites, had blocked communications between the ground forces and their air support, and had silenced the deadly turrets.
Not completely silenced, the Voice whispered mischievously.
As Keryn mused over the skill of her Saboteurs, she heard the familiar thump of a grenade launcher being fired. The Terran defenders fired explosive rounds rapidly through the rubble, the explosions erupting in waves of heat and overwhelming vibrations in the air. She ducked again as flying debris pelted her and more cries of pain rang through the dark day. Keryn snarled in anger as she allowed the Voice to infuse her body with generations of warrior skill.
Spinning around the rubble, she fired rapidly, striking Terran riflemen as they crouched behind their protective cover. After a number of the defenders fell, she noticed the grenade launcher turn in her direction, the Terran who held the massive contraption turning slowly with it. Her eyes quickly scanned the area, taking in the remaining rubble and, with surprising efficiency, calculating angles of the standing stone. Her conscious mind hardly noticed the thump of a grenade being fired in her direction, the Voice nearly completely in control of her body. The round glanced off the short wall beside her, wobbling through the air after its ricochet. In a blur, her hand flashed out and snatched the grenade from the air. She smelled her own flesh searing from the heated round, but held firm as, in her vision, mathematical equations began dancing before her eyes. Complex angles and velocities appeared beside hastily sketched lines, showing the impending results of her throw. In milliseconds, Keryn plotted her attack and threw the grenade. The round bounced off a far wall, ricocheting in perfect concert with her equation. Rebounding, it struck an outcropping of stone, flipping wildly into the air. In her mind, Keryn heard the voice complete the countdown before the grenade’s inevitable detonation. On cue, the explosive flipped lazily over the wall behind which the Terran defenders hid, following the path upon which the Voice had decided. It exploded, causing the wall to buckle under the force and decimating the Terran soldiers. Those who didn’t die in the explosion leapt from behind their cover, burning and screaming in pain.
Keryn stood and motioned for the others to follow. “The way is clear,” she yelled. “Don’t let your momentum stop! Keep moving forward!” She ran forward, leaping over rubble and opening fire on the few Terrans who still remained in their defensive positions.
Nearly halfway across the field, Keryn’s heart froze as she heard the whine of engines rapidly approaching their location. Glancing into the sky, she could see the red trails of flames behind the Terran fighters that wove through the sky on an intercept of their position. Squinting against the darkness, Keryn could imagine the pilots watching the advancing revolutionaries from behind their night vision displays, pushing aggressively the button, which would launch missiles into her soldiers.
“Incoming!” she screamed as she dove for cover. “Everybody get down!”
She had no sooner landed behind her new concealment than the first of the rockets slammed into the rubble field and hell was unleashed all around her. Time froze as flares in shades of red and orange lit up the dark sky. Rubble appeared as falling stars, tracing flaming arcs over her head as entire foundations of building vanished in the heat. The flames ripped the air from her lungs and poured thick black smoke into her eyes. Beneath her, the ground buckled under the assault, lifting her from her prone position and tossing her like a doll through the air. She flew, weightless as her hair cascaded around her and the ground transformed from a frozen wasteland to a blazing inferno. After floating through the air, gravity harshly reasserted itself and slammed her back onto her stomach. Keryn fell hard on a jutting stone and cringed as she felt a rib crack on her landing. Pain lanced through her chest as she clawed for air; the little oxygen that hadn’t burned away in the fire now resisted her call as her broken rib hindered the expansion of her lungs. She coughed, trying to expel both the smoke and the fear that now clutched her as she struggled for breath.
Relax, the Voice commanded. Relax and let the air come.
Though still panicked, Keryn obeyed and let her body relax. Slowly and with great trepidation, her lungs filled with oxygen and the colorful stars that had erupted in her vision slowly receded. Alcent rushed to her side, singed but otherwise unharmed. She watched, still stunned, as his lips moved but she heard no noise. Keryn’s brow furrowed as she watched him, his lips calling her name as he rested his hands firmly on her shoulders. As though a dam broke free within her ears, sounds flooded into her mind with a garbled cacophony. She could hear a dull roar of fires burning uncontrollably all around her and soft screams tore through the air. In the distance, she could hear Alcent’s voice approach like a stampede of words.
“… alright?” he was asking, though comprehension still eluded her. “Keryn, are you alright.”
Slowly, she nodded, though the movement caused more stars to dance in her vision. She opened her mouth to speak, but only a croak came from her hoarse throat. Keryn swallowed roughly, feeling the little moisture burning down her esophagus. Opening her mouth, she tried again.
“I’m okay,” she croaked, her own voice sounding like stones clashing together. A coughing fit overcame her, but she quickly recovered. Reaching up, she gently squeezed his hand and gave him a weak smile. Brushing his hands away, she pulled herself up into a seated position, cringing as pain lanced over her broken rib. “I’m fine. How is everyone else?”
Alcent looked around furtively. Most of his vision was obscured by smoke and fire, but what he could see was not promising. Bodies littered the piles of rubble, their bodies tossed and forgotten like rag dolls. Many still burned freely, though the individuals were far beyond feeling the flames.
“We’re still alive,” he said promisingly, rubbing soot from his face. “That’s what matters.”
Keryn pulled herself up until she was standing. Crestfallen, she looked at the damage caused by the volley of rockets. In the back of her mind, she heard the Voice call out in amazement that they were still alive at all. However, Keryn couldn’t shake the feeling that, even knowing that many of the revolutionaries would die during their insurrection, the loss of life seemed too high a price, even for their freedom. In the distance, she heard the whine of engines turning over the buildings and fighters realigning for a second pass.
“They’re coming back,” Keryn said quickly, her own nervousness showing through her normal mask of composure. She wasn’t sure she could survive a second attack. Looking around, watching silhouettes emerge from the acrid smoke as more of her surviving soldiers approached her position, she tried to call out a warning, but her voice wouldn’t come. Alcent laid a hand comfortingly on her arm and shook his head
“Trust that our men have done their jobs,” he said soothingly. “If we can’t trust that, then we’re already as good as dead.”
Standing together, the growing group of revolutionaries watched the dark sky as the burning engines of the Terran fighters quickly approached, their noses aimed threateningly at the survivors. Breathing difficultly, Keryn could hear a few hitched sobs of those behind her; these were people who had already endured so many hardships, only to be faced with their own demise among the same rubble in which they had slaved for three long weeks.
As the fighters grew closer, many in the group clutched hands, finding strength in each other’s touch. Keryn, however, stood stoically at the front of their cluster of soldiers. She held her head high, knowing that if their plan failed, it would only be seconds before their memory was erased from the universe.
The Terran fighter pilots switched their arming system to the second set of rockets held underneath their wings, readying their second pass. As they began a quick dive that would bring them closer to the ground for their volley, spats of fire erupted from the towers around the field. The turrets, come to life as their newly programmed targets were acquired, threw molten metal into the advancing squadron, shredding through the armored plating of the fighters and slamming into the pilots inside. The lead craft spun haphazardly as a round shattered the cockpit view screen and vaporized the pilot’s head, a red mist settling over the ship’s controls. The fighters fell from the sky, one after another, as the turrets continued their unrelenting assault. The ships, flaming and out of control, fell far short of the revolutionaries, showering the Terran ground force like improvised bombs.
Watching the annihilation of the Terran squadron, Keryn held her pistol high above her head and yelled to her gathered group. “No quarter to the Terrans! Kill them all!”
She turned and, ignoring the lancing pain in her side, charged toward the burning rubble of the once deadly Terran ships. From amongst the flames and smoke, other groups like her own emerged, hollering wildly and chasing down the Terrans who were, once again, in full retreat.
Commander Lucience checked his magazine before sliding it back into his pistol. His bodyguards were packing the last of the communications equipment into carrying cases in preparation of their evacuation of the planet. He had watched in horror as his fighters vanished from the display, hearing their explosions even from the Black Void. That, if nothing else, had sealed his decision to leave the planet. Even if he had no solid communications with the Ballistae from the ground, he would still be able to give the order to destroy Miller’s Glen once he was onboard the Terran Destroyer.
“Let them enjoy reclaiming their city,” he muttered to himself as he turned toward his guards, his cape fluttering behind him. “They can enjoy it all the way until I glass the entire place.”
The guards locked the last of the cases and loaded them on a hovering loader; its flat surface and directional controls able to carry and maneuver even the heavy communications equipment from the Void to the warehouses where they would be loaded onto awaiting ships.
All three turned with a start as the doors flew open to the front of the former bar. The Commander eased his grip on his pistol, however, as one of his men staggered through the door, closing it behind him. Obviously fresh from the front lines of battle, the soldier’s armor was bloodied and he hadn’t even taken the time to remove his helmet. From across the dark room, Lucience could see the green glowing lights from the facemask.
“What is the purpose of this intrusion?” Lucience asked venomously. His nerves were shot from this ordeal and he had no time for petty interruptions. He held up a hand and the two guards behind him lowered their weapons as well.
“A thousand apologies, my Lord,” the soldier said, breathlessly. “I’m here to warn you that the insurgents have nearly reached this location. Your shuttle is ready, but we have to hurry.” The soldier stepped further inside, eager to be away from the sounds of battle that seeped from beneath the front doors.
Lucience turned to his bodyguards, motioning them forward. “We’re leaving. Get the equipment and hurry.” He stepped from the raised dais that had once held a bar and walked passed the exhausted soldier without so much as a nod of recognition for his warning. His cape trailing behind him, Lucience advanced on the front door, eager to be gone from Othus once and for all.
Behind him, the Commander heard one of his guards reprimand the weary soldier. “You will remove your helmet when addressing his Eminence.” Lucience didn’t break stride as he approached the front door.
“Who the hell are you?” his guard asked in surprise before two gunshots rang out from behind him. Stopping in his tracks, he turned quickly toward the back of the bar, pulling his weapon. As he spun, he stared at the shaggy-haired blond Terran who stood, pointing his weapon at Lucience.
“I’d drop the gun if I were you,” Adam ordered as the two bodyguards slid slowly to the ground, clutching wounds that poured blood onto the already slick wooden floor.
Lucience growled in angry defiance. “I will kill you, Pilgrim.” Spittle flew from his lips as he spoke, his rage causing his barrel to bounce wildly.
Behind him, the front door crashed open once more. Lucience spun, ready to fire on the person coming through the door regardless of whether or not he was one of his own soldiers or a revolutionary. As he turned, Lucience raised his weapon toward the new target far too slowly. Adam fired his shot first, the round tearing into the Commander’s exposed abdomen. Lucience staggered backward and tried to bring his own pistol to bear on the Pilgrim, but Adam had already fired again. His second bullet tore into Lucience’s chest. The air knocked from his body and his strength quickly failing him, the Commander slumped against the wall and slid slowly to the ground.
The Terran who had just walked through the door kicked aside Lucience’s pistol, letting it slide across the smooth floor. The Commander raised his eyes weakly, his breath already failing as his lungs filled with blood, and stared into the face of the second shooter. Raising his gun, Siros, the former bodyguard to the Uligart Alcent, fired round after round into the inert Commander’s body, continuing to fire until the bolt on his pistol locked to the rear and smoke rolled from his barrel. Lowering his pistol, Siros turned to Adam, a sneer painted on his face.
“I warned him,” Adam said with a shrug.
As Adam stripped out of the Terran Empire uniform, Siros retrieved one of the hand-held displays and began accessing the files. Nodding in appreciation as he heard Siros’ fingers fly across the keyboard, Adam removed the heavy armor and helmet. By the time he was pulling his own coat from the pack on his back, Siros looked up from the display with a smile.
“Got them,” he said, the excitement apparent.
“Both codes?” Adam asked.
“I can get us into the hangar and send the correct codes to get into the hangar bay on the Ballistae,” Siros explained. “Once we’re there, it’s your show again.”
The pair of Terrans grabbed the discarded rifles from the bodyguards and ran back out the front door without so much as a glance of disdain of the slain Commander.
The gunfight continued even as Keryn and Alcent approached the warehouses. The Terran forces had been slaughtered, leaving only pocket resistance. However, many had the same plan that she and her forces did: escape from the planet. Even with their defenses, though, they were quickly overcome as Adam and the rest of the Saboteurs approached from different angles, trapping the Terrans in a crossfire.
Siros entered the code into the first warehouse and, with a rumble, the large bay doors slid open. As the shafts of light from the revolutionaries’ flashlights danced into the large bay, a stifled cheer erupted from the remaining. Docked within the bay, two large Terran transports sat like solemn metal giants, dwarfing the survivors as they ran inside. Keryn flipped the light switch once the group entered, bathing the ships in warm halogen light. She had waited until everyone was inside not just to ensure the doors were sealed behind them, but to find out how many remained in her force. Her estimates said that there were nearly two thousand Othus survivors when Penchant killed the first Terran earlier that morning. Less than two hundred revolutionaries passed through the large warehouse doors in order to board the Terran transports. Keryn knew that many more remained in the rubble fields, either wounded or unwilling to advance across the ruins out of fear. For those that didn’t make it to the warehouses, they would surely die. Again, she felt the weight of responsibility rest heavily on her shoulders.
Turning away from the door, Keryn ran toward the nearest ship, whose personnel hatch was now opened. Adam stood by the entrance, smiling broadly. As she approached, he engulfed her in a powerful hug. She let herself melt into his embrace, but pushed away as he squeezed too hard on her broken rib. Sucking in wind, he stared at her, concerned.
“Don’t worry about it,” she said, waving her hand in dismissal. “Go get the overhead doors open and let’s get off this planet.”
Adam ran off, finding the controls and engaging the retractable ceiling. As the two halves of the roof retracted, snow cascaded into the lit bay. Keryn watched it fall, magically sparkling in the halogen light. She hoped that once they were off Othus, she never, ever saw snow again.
As Adam climbed aboard, Keryn gave the thumbs up to Alcent, who piloted the second transport. Feeling the engines rumbling underneath, Keryn settled into the pilot’s chair, feeling at home as her hands slid across the console and control panel. Activating the displays, Keryn watched as Alcent’s ship vanished through the roof. Igniting her own engines, her transport lifted off from the concrete floor, flying gracefully through the retracted ceiling and quickly gaining altitude.
“Entering the atmosphere,” the radio called as Alcent’s craft passed beyond the gloomy clouds that encircled the planet.
“Prepare for atmosphere burn,” Keryn called to her own bridge crew, which included Adam and a couple of Avalons she didn’t know.
The ship shook as the forward displays turned red from friction. The blockish transports caused such heavy gravities as they passed through the atmosphere that even the inhibitors couldn’t compensate. Keryn groaned as she felt the pressure on her chest as the weight pushed downward on her broken rib. Shortly after, however, the transport broke through the atmosphere and the starlit void of space dominated the view screen. Keryn couldn’t hide her smile as she looked upon the view. She had almost forgotten how much she loved the freedom of space travel. Glancing to her right, she saw the same exhilaration mirrored on Adam’s face.
As Keryn turned the transport and began following Alcent, another view dominated the screen: the Terran Destroyer. The smile quickly faded from Keryn’s face as she saw the countless missile ports and rail guns bristling along the elongated ship.
“Sending access codes,” the radio said. Almost as an afterthought, Alcent added, “Wish us luck.” He left the communications channel open as he sent the codes, and Siros’ voice rang over the radio. “Ballistae, this is transport vessels AX-04 and AX-05 requesting immediate docking. We’re carrying countless wounded from Miller’s Glen that require immediate medical aid. I am forwarding the access codes for our vessels.”
The crews of both ships held their combined breath as the seconds ticked by and the Destroyer grew ever closer. She was close enough to see the dark black letters of the word Ballistae on the hull of the ship before they finally got their answer. On the port side of the ship, a hangar bay hatch slid open, inviting both transports.
As the two ships entered the side of the Terran Destroyer, Keryn turned to Adam. “Let’s go claim our prize.”