September 31, 2111
James Stone
Pebbles pressed into my back as I rested with my head against a rock. A calm breeze swept dust over my body as a river swept water over rocks. I overheard Kalvin on his intercom.
"We have another dropship down three kilometers south of your position, Kalvin. They may be under siege by the enemy. Can you head over to support them?" Commander Sizar asked over Kalvin's intercom.
"Send word that relief will arrive as soon as available," Kalvin replied. He placed his hands around his mouth and shouted, "Aegis, return to our hovercraft!"
From my spot, I kicked up and headed over to Kalvin. "Would you consider extending a hand and dropping us off closer to the warlord?"
"My apologies, my hands are tied. Unfortunately, another dropship is downed and may be in defense against our adversaries. Every moment spent repositioning your unit closer to the warlord places us farther from their crash. Moreover, there is not a smidgeon of doubt in my mind your unit will not be suitable for the operation at hand." He turned and grabbed a rope as it wound itself up into the air fortress.
Landis announced, "Come on, everyone. Grab your gear and weapons, we're heading out. I'll take point. Bruising Brothers, take the six. Everyone else, fill in the spaces."
Captain Landis started down the left incline, heading northeast. On cue, we followed in her footsteps, making sure to spread out a few meters from each other. Uslar took second position behind Landis. Shadow-Walker and I came right after. Behind us, Benjamin slid down the sloped truck of the tree, revealing himself to us. Narrisa joined the lengthening line, with both Bruising Brothers taking the six. Three battle technoids left by the Order of Aegis lined up beside us.
"This mission reminds me of how much I hate the forests," Shadow-Walker, at my side, complained.
"Why?" I asked.
"The leaves are itchy, and the wildlife never seem to be friendly--"
"Any hint of wildlife would have ditched this place the moment our battle began," I assured him.
"Would you like to repeat that lie to whatever ugly creature that is?"
Shadow-Walker pointed to a tree in the distance. Up on one of the branches, there was a large mammal half-covered behind leaves. It peeked down, and its curious, oval eyes studied us. A furless body and watermelon-shaped head portrayed the creature with grim emotion. With two of its limbs, the mammal grabbed the branch below, while another held the tree trunk. The last limb was free, waving in the breeze.
I scanned it with my cyberwatch. "Our database states it's called a nujh - found only on Juster."
"Is it dangerous?"
"Harmless."
We marched out through open grass which spanned a hundred meters in each direction before reaching the trees. "Did I ever tell you the story of my last experience with a forest?" Shadow-Walker treaded along the noisy grass.
"I don't recall."
"In my last experience with a forest, two of my squad mates vanished, and the third… hah, he went insane. He claimed his weapon was a reality warping machine. He told me he wasn't killing the enemy, just moving their minds to another dimension where they were no longer alive. I'm telling you, nothing good ever comes from forests. That's why dor'o live in safe, spacious mountains."
"Only because your home planet, Dorrath, is damn near covered with just mountains. Simply put, your species had no choice."
"We did when we merged with Earth and the three planets the qwayks inhabit. Yet, we still choose the mountains."
Checking my cyberwatch, I confirmed we were going northeast. At the end of the open grassy field, a tree line appeared. Upon entering the forest, the surrounding trees were narrow. Like the trees surrounding our crash site, these trees opened up to the sky, letting in beams of light into the lush area. Bushes, fallen leaves, and grass filled the voids. Most trees were in groups of three to five trees, and each group of trees stood tens of meters away from the others.
To me, the area sang the song of joy. This system's sun brightened the forest. With no enemies in sight, this place was full of beauty. It was as if the area was untouched by anything other than nature. I was in awe of the moment, at least until Landis and Uslar stopped in front on me.
Then I noticed why. The forest seemed to change. A noticeable new tree line stretched horizontally as far as I could see, splitting the forest into two different environments. Contained within the ominous environment were trees easily four to five times larger than the narrow trees that hid us at the moment. Additionally, these gloomy trees seemed to hug against each other, concealing its secrets from our view. Branches, bushes, and other plants piled high up the trees, almost whispering to each other through the steady breeze. As if this environment didn't have enough mystery going for it, visible mist evaporated out of the brush.
"What did I tell you about forests? I mean, look at that. LOOK!" Shadow-Walker pointed at the dark trees. "If that doesn't say stay the hell out, then I have no clue what does!"
"I've heard stories about this place," Captain Landis added. "From them, I learned it's an ancient forest called the Narrways. The plowsu ancestors deemed this place cursed and forbid anyone from entering, a law which has lasted to this day."
"Of course! This mission just gets better and better." Shadow-Walker trotted back and forth in a frenzy.
"There's no use standing here with our thumbs up our collective asses," I said.
I pushed into the thick brush. Forcing my way through the dense bramble and branches, I couldn't see more than a meter in front of me. Landis was directly behind me, and, I assumed, everyone else was behind her.
"James, be careful. Little is known about this area." Her curly brown hair got tangled in a branch.
"I'm on full alert."
I broke through more branches. The Narrways had an atmosphere unlike any forest I'd ever been inside of. Dry air snagged the oxygen right out of my lungs. A steady breeze tingled my spine and gave me chills every few minutes. A stench of abandonment filled my nose, and I couldn't shake the feeling of being watched from afar. For some reason, I felt as if something in this forest was being elusive to us.
Over the span of five minutes, we'd tracked about fifty meters through the gloomy brush. 'Slow' was a cruel understatement.
"James, do you see that?" Captain Landis stopped me with a nudge on my shoulder.
I looked where she pointed. Through a crack between some branches, I saw a building in the distance. Squinting my eyes, I tried to make out more detail; however, all I could detail was chipping sliver rubble falling from the building's walls.
"We can't be far from that."
I started moving forward. As I maneuvered through each branch, I planted foot ahead of foot. Each movement required some form of crawling, dodging, or leaping. As I continued to move, I could see an ever increasing glow through the brush. A few seconds later, I took my last step out of the forest and into a deserted town. What I saw metaphorically knocked me out of my platted boots.
Somehow, despite all logic, this ghost town had technology far more architecturally advanced than I could have dreamed. Emerald green and sharp silver buildings hovered off the ground, and water-based gears and pumps continued to operate to this day, aiding in the levitation of the buildings. Staircases were nothing more than floating platforms linked by shining threads. Many structures had carved statues hovering in a circular motion above their roofs, and the walls looked to have rotating gears and intricate sculpting. In awe, my curious gaze beamed from one wonder to the next. The forest we came from extended over the town, concealing it from the air. At the far end of the town, a temple seemed to rest in a mountain. A river streamed from the back of the town and, despite the impossibility, played a soothing tune through the walkways. Nature had reclaimed some of the area back, as trees and vines wove their way through the town. Along the walkways, the same mist from the forest flowed down into the Narrways like a stream.
"Look at that view." Shadow-Walker stepped out from the trees. "I never thought I'd see another open space again."
"Unbelievable… impossible, even," Uslar added.
He stepped ahead of me, examining the town. He then found his way to a pedestal that stood next to the beginning of a pathed walkway leading to the town. A few of us, including myself, joined him and looked down at a scroll under some protective glass. It was covered in strange symbols resembling a language. Uslar scanned the scroll with his cyberwatch.
"What language is it?" Landis asked.
"And what's it say?" Ben wondered.
Uslar answered, "I hate to say it, but my cyberwatch doesn't recognize the language. Sucks, 'cause I was in the same boat as you two."
Ready to continue on, I looked back to make sure everyone was present - but noticeably absent were the Bruising Brothers.
"Landis, a situation has stepped forth. The Bruising Brothers seemed to have disappeared!"
Landis spun around. "What?"
"Last time I checked, they were right behind me," Benjamin added.
"When was that?" Landis stuck her head back in the trees, looking from side to side.
"Only five minutes ago!" He tossed his hands into the air.
Using her cyberwatch, she sighed. "Alabon and Geariic. Report!" She waited for a few seconds. There was no response. "We don't have time for this! They'll have to catch up. Battle technoids, report your code numbers to me." She stopped looking through the trees and waited as the battle technoids came to attention.
"Twelve. Three. Eleven," the technoids voiced their codes with their monotone, robotic voice boxes.
"Twelve and three, go on ahead to the other end of the town. Report any interesting findings."
"Copy that," both voiced simultaneously and started down the left side.
Landis continued. "Eleven and Narrisa, both of you check out that large building in the center of town." Narrisa nodded her head and took the lead.
Facing us, Captain Landis commanded, "The rest of us will split off into groups. Report any interesting findings."
Benjamin, Shadow-Walker, and I walked one way, while Landis and Uslar walked the other. Following the tree line, we studied the area around us. Many of the structures on our side had similar geometric shapes.
"First the crash, now this. Why can't we catch a break?" Ben broke off a branch and threw it down, frustrated.
"I'm sure the Bruising Brothers will--"
I stopped mid-sentence. Between two buildings, a human-like man stared back at me. White light radiated from his body. His slim, almost skeletal frame looked more like an image from a dream than from reality. Without warning, he faded away, leaving no trace of his presence.
Benjamin looked in my direction. "James, what's the matter?"
"Either of you happen to see an out-of-place man over there?" I pointed to the spot where he'd been.
Both shook their heads.
Benjamin theorized. "Maybe it's this place, bro. There's something eerie about it. You know that feeling you get when you're being watched… like at the front of a class? I have that same feeling here."
"Hah, I'm with you. But all jokes aside, I prefer it to the mystery-trees," Shadow-Walker said with a chuckle.
"Well, the shivf has me curious."
I jogged over in-between the two buildings. Benjamin and Shadow-Walker followed me. Both buildings had fallen to the ground, probably ages ago, and left tons of carnage. Rubble, chunks, and sections of these former homes lay stacked and scattered between the buildings. One of the water-based gears and machinery was spilling all over the place, and another seemed to be completely broken. I tossed over a few pieces of rubble - nothing. In the spot where the man had been standing was just dust and debris. He'd vanished. No evidence that a man stood in this spot existed.
"It's like a black hole ate his existence away, because I sure don't see a word of reason that could shed light on what happened," I ranted out loud. Frustrated, I kicked a few boulders.
Shadow-Walker's eyes were suddenly glued to one of the spots. "Yeah, umm… I don't think we're the only unit here." He pointed to a track outlined in a patch of wet mud.
"I don't need to tell you what that is," I added and looked down at the distinctive footprints of a dytirc. Unlike most intelligent species, dytircs tend to refuse the use of footwear because their strong exoskeletal bone structure and durable skin allow them to trot around in just about any environment.
Over the intercom on the cyberwatch, I spoke. "Captain, a problem has presented itself. We've discovered enemy tracks during our search and have reason to believe they're somewhere in this ghost town."
"Roger. Narrisa, have you or the battle technoids spotted any enemies?" Landis asked.
"Not at all. Now I did, however, find something of interest," Narrisa responded.
"Roger. James, have your team meet Uslar and me at Narrisa's location."
We headed to the largest building in town, at the center. Up the street we jogged. Jumping and dodging the vines and roots, we managed to arrive with time to spare.
From our perspective, it looked as though we were at a side entrance. As we moved closer to a walled-off area, we noticed a gate made to look like the pipes behind an organ descended and allowed us to enter the enclosed area. It was a graveyard; marked jars stood on pedestals, decorated with various gems and designer items, what looked like names engraved on the jars. There was no foul smell.
"What an eerie place." Ben eyed around.
"Probably haunted," Shadow-Walker teased Ben.
"There is no such thing."
"Then explain the ghost behind you."
"Come on, bro. I'm not that easy."
"No harm in trying." Shadow-Walker chuckled.
At the corner of the graveyard was an anomaly: A well. At least it was designed in a similar style, but it looked to serve a different, unknown purpose. In fact, it was the source of the mist flooding the ghost town and Narrways. I walked up to the well and peered over the edge. Out of the endless black, the mist vented out and over the stone. No water was present.
"Yo Shadow, if I dropped you down there, how long do you think it would take you to hit the bottom?" Benjamin joked, pretending to pick up Shadow-Walker.
Shaking out of Benjamin's grip, he responded, "Less time than it would take me to throw you in first."
Like the rest, the center structure floated by the use of crazy machines and water. To me, this place looked like a church or some other place of worship. A staircase led upward to an archway. We climbed the steps and headed inside. Narrisa, along with the three battle technoids and Landis, stood guard around.
One thing that really strikes a weird cord with me, was just how ordinary these rather extraordinary structures turned out. Simply put, while the exteriors of the structures exploded with intricacy, the interiors seemed so mundane by comparison. And the center structure was the prime example, having only a center mantle with a triangular object emitting a white glow and covered in the unknown language seen on that earlier seen scroll. This object took up half the room with the rest being used for thrones that surrounded the mantel in a perfect square.
"You all should take a look at this," Uslar called from one of the rooms connected to the open area.
Walking through the archway, I saw Uslar in the corner, holding up a brightstone light. The beam of light revealed a full wall of ancient markings and drawings.
"Do you think it's from the ancestors of the local species here?" Captain Landis asked Uslar as the rest of the crew walked in.
"Honestly, probably not. Look at the bodies, specifically the wings drawn out of their backs. Plowsu don't have wings, and they are smart, but I've never seen architecture like this town. Floating statues, bottomless wells, and the unknown material used to build these structures. I've been scanning the material with my cyberwatch, and there is no known record of it. According to my cyberwatch, it dates back a few million years. And that liquid that looks like water… turns out it isn't. And guess what? It's an unknown substance too," he informed us.
"So this place is damn old," I said with a shrug.
"It's more significant than just the surface value. Like… take this, for example. It's estimated that most civilizations with streets and sidewalks will be covered in vegetation in just a quarter of a century. After three hundred years, metal constructions will crumble to the ground. After ten thousand years, all that should be left of a civilization are stone constructions and plastic, which can last several hundred thousand years. Here we are, in a civilization millions of years old - and it's just now starting to decay."
"Sounds like the Devisors," Narrisa announced from the back of the room.
"Who? Don't stop now, tell us more," Uslar begged.
"Our species is old - older than any other known species in this galaxy, except for the Devisors. In school, we were told they left behind monuments for our species to find. A location similar to this one exists on our home world, Maelkiin. The tech helped our species advance at a faster rate than most of the other intelligent species in the Milky Way."
"So why haven't any of us heard of these Devisors?" Uslar stopped looking at the markings on the walls.
"Simple. All three of your species aren't as open-minded as ours."
"What's that supposed to mean?" Ben chuckled, crossing his arms.
"Let me put it this way: How long was it before humans accepted the existence of alien life forms?"
"My grandfather said it was a long process."
"And your government at the time tried to conceal that fact before easing in the public, you see?"
"Yeah, yeah. I see what you mean. You're saying Earth's sub-government is hiding their existence."
"Not at all. I'm saying they refuse to acknowledge the Devisors' existence altogether. They believe the Devisors are a myth. My species sees differently."
"Whether the Devisors exist or not, I came across another town like this with the Bruising Brothers two years ago. So me personally, I can't find another explanation for the existence of million-year-old towns made with similar designs," Captain Landis opined.
"I second that," Shadow-Walker jumped in.
"Come on, everyone. That's enough of the history and speculation. We're here on a mission. So, let's finish it." Landis led us out of the room.
"So, where do you speculate the warlord would hide?" I asked.
"Past the river is a gateway into the mountain. That's the next logical place to look," Narrisa reported.
"Then that's where we go."
Landis marched out of the worship house and toward the bridge crossing over the river. Like much of the architecture in the town, the bridge was hovering. Across the bridge was an entrance into the mountainside. Next to the entrance, statues decorated the exterior. The limbs of the species depicted on the statues' pedestals floated, disconnected from the body. Like the drawings, wings sprouted from the species' backs. Other than that, they looked like the plowsu.
"Check it out… a boney coming out of the entrance," Shadow-Walker called out.
Out of the darkness of the entrance in the mountain, a single dytirc honor guard stepped out. Seeing us, he jumped back, startled, and fled inside the mountain.
"His ass is mine." I pulled off my assault rifle and dashed across the bridge.
"Wait! James, don't!" Captain Landis tried to keep up, crossing the bridge herself.
Ka-boom!
A thunderous explosion blasted from behind me. I looked back and caught the last light from the blast that destroyed the bridge, blasted rubble in all directions, and threw Landis across. I halted instantly and hurried back to her.
Damn it! What did I do? Landis and I were now separated from the rest of the group.
From the forest on our side of the river, groups of dytircs and lycargans fired at us. Similarly, from the rooftops of the buildings on the other side of the river, the enemy fired at the rest our group.
"Ambush!"
Ben took cover behind Narrisa's massive body. She held up her shield in defense, blasting plasma back. Suddenly, plasma mortars were launched - and just like that, we lost two battle technoids. Popping on my shield, I covered Landis and myself.
"Damnit, Landis. Don't kick the bucket on me now!"
She was unconscious, so I reached down with my other hand and scooped up Landis over my shoulder before sprinting as fast as I could into the entrance of the mountain. We were inside in no time.
I set her down against the rock and posted myself against the entrance. Using my shield and the rock for cover, I fired at the crowd. Pulling back and reloading, I uncovered and shot again. On the other side of the river, my teammates had moved into cover against the walls of the buildings; however, their position left them open to the foes on my side of the river. Knowing this, I did my best to keep those enemies' attention on me. One dytirc reached into a pocket in his cloth-armor and tossed a mortar grenade. While it arched in midair, I shot it. Plasma exploded from it and knocked back a few dytircs. Its secondary mortar explosions finished them off.
"Oh wow, that's going to hurt in the morning." Landis used the rock wall to pull herself up. "What's going on?"
"Those crafty devils hit us with a trap. You and I are separated from the rest of the group," I informed her.
"And you fell for the trap! You never should have run across that bridge alone."
"What can I say? Loose ends make my ass itch." I laughed off her disappointment. "Now, how about you lend me some assistance?"
As she crossed the entrance to mount against the other side, I covered her. Now we had each side covered.
"Yeah-hoooo!"
A roaring voice howled in joy from the distance. From the worship house, Alabon and Geariic charged into battle, pumping their fists. Shocked at their sudden return, I stared at their charge. Geariic spotted me and Landis across the river. He grinned and winked at us. What was it with those two and competition? I started to shoot at the enemies again. Geariic's boastful attitude convinced me to try to outperform him.
In the next few minutes, my teammates pushed themselves up to the rooftops, taking the high ground. That advantage was made possible by the Bruising Brothers' massive distraction; both of them knocked away dytircs and lycargans left and right as if the enemies were mere ragdolls. However, more enemies continued to pour in from the trees on our side of the river. The formidable group of foes on our side both kept us stuck inside the mountain and prevented our allies from pushing across the river.
Over the comms, Sizar spoke. "Landis. What's your status? Have you taken care of the warlord?"
"Negative," she answered. "We believe we're closing on its position."
"Our forces up here are stretched thin. We can buy you only fifteen more minutes. If you can't make that deadline, you'll have to find your own ride home. Do you copy?"
"Affirmative. I'll call off our team. However, James and I will continue with our mission."
"In that case, may luck be on your side. We'll send the Order of Aegis near your crash site. Can your team make that deadline?"
"It'll be close. I'll let them know. Landis out." Now under heavy fire, Landis yelled over to me, "We can't hold this position any longer!" Over her intercom, she spoke. "Everyone… retreat back to the open field near the crash site. You have fifteen minutes, so double time it. I'm putting Narrisa in charge. And remember the legionnaires' motto: 'To you, each is a weapon'."
Landis and I marched farther into the mountain. I pulled off my assault rifle and fired at the top of the entrance, causing the entrance to collapse in on itself, which prevented us from leaving and the enemy from entering. Unfortunately, neither Landis nor I had brought night vision goggles; instead, we activated the brightstone lights on the guns and headed into the next gateway inside the mountain.
Contacting the Order of Aegis, she called, "Kalvin. James and I will need another ship."
"To my understanding, I was extracting your unit from the crash site," he replied.
"Negative, only our squad. James and I are headed through a mountain to where we believe the warlord is. We won't be at the evac in time."
"I understand. I'll have an additional aircraft extract the two of you. Care to supply a destination?"
"We'll activate our beacons. Meet us on the opposite end of the mountain. Look for an entrance. Copy that?"
"Perfectly."
"And how do you know there will be another entrance waiting for us?" I asked Landis, confused.
She pulled up a hologram from her cyberwatch. "Logic. The oxygen present isn't decreasing as we breathe. That means there's a hole somewhere for oxygen to enter this temple."
Impressed, I replied, "Now, that's some premium-grade, finite, out-of-the-box thinking."
She laughed. "Thank you."
Through the gateway, a narrow hall extended farther than our beams reached. Outlining the walls, hundreds of symbols and drawings similar to the ones discovered near the well glowed from our lights. As silently as we could, we traipsed through the hall. As we explored further into the cave, we came across frigid pools of stagnant water small enough to maneuver around. Using her cyberwatch, she scanned the room.
"It goes on for maybe a kilometer… hard to be sure," Landis whispered. "Keep your eyes and ears on alert. Remember, a lone dytirc entered this mountain," Landis whispered.
"Yes, ma'am," I whispered back.
"You're an idiot, you know that?" She seemed more frustrated than usual.
"Again. I've never denied it," I joked, trying to defuse her frustrations.
She paused. "Not everything is a joke! Your thirst for battle and stupidity has put us in this position. Did you even think? What if the warlord is really in here? What are we supposed to do then? These warlords are supposedly the most dangerous foes in this war, and we have no idea what this one is capable of!" she snarled under her breath.
"In that case, we'll swallow that beer if it's poured," I remarked. "If you're looking for an apology, then you'll leave disappointed."
"One dytirc fled into this temple. What threat could a single warrior pose?"
Now angry, I raised my voice. "Christ, this isn't a puzzle. He could have contacted his buddies. Better yet, he lives another day and decides to slaughter more innocent lives! You ask how he's a threat? Well, by breathing, he's a threat!" I calmed down a bit. "Why can't anyone seem to grasp this simple idea? Every dytirc or lycargan left alive means more innocents die as more planets are conquered by them. And they don't just take planets for kicks. Those creatures… those monsters are more savage than most and more likely to fall to basic feral instinct. Sure, some planets get off easier, some - well, what do you think happens to defenseless innocents of a planet that once supported the ARW or once opposed the legion - defenseless women… children?"
Still upset, she said, "You know I know this, James. But you're the one who isn't grasping the situation! By forcing a separation among our team, you left us weakened. Your actions may have caused fatalities on our side - and that," she poked me multiple times in the chest, "would be on you. Could you live with that?"
"They had the situation under control!" I howled in her face.
She stepped back some. "And what if they didn't?" She looked at me for a few seconds, studying my face. "You are one damn good soldier, James. But you've somehow simplified this war into us versus them. What I don't understand is, how? Did Bremco's death have something to do with it?"
Her statement slapped the memory back into my head. "No, it's… it's not that. His death hurt me more than a hundred kicks in the nuts, and then some. But I can move past it. I did… I did move past it." I told her more than myself.
"Then it must be something from your past."
"Christ, it's just the way I am. Accept it or not, I don't give a bucket of piss. I mean, holy hell, you picked me, remember?" I hid the emotions I carried from my past.
"I did. And where would you be if I hadn't? Lost? Alone?" She folded her arms, waiting for some response.
"Which is why I would never purposefully put anyone on our unit in situations they can't handle." I shrugged.
"Just accidentally, right?"
I didn't know how to respond.
She continued. "See, how about this? I'll tell you a little story." She rubbed her head uncomfortably. "I, ah… I used to be married."
"You? Married?"
Still uncomfortable, she continued. "If you tell anyone, I swear--"
"I won't," I stopped her.
"So when I was nineteen and dumb, I got married. Found me a handsome husband and showed him off as a trophy. For a year, it was great. Although, I became unhappy. Life got boring, and I felt a desire to do something… maybe you can relate. Anyway, I wanted more action in my life. My husband disagreed, and our spark died. In 2102, the same year our marriage ended, the war came around. I saw my chance and took it. I'm telling you this because I don't think you've found that purpose yet. I think you're still looking."
I thought for a moment. I wasn't sure if what she was saying was true. The fact is, I'm happier now than I've ever been.
Simply, I replied, "Maybe you're right, or maybe you're wrong. Right now, we just need to finish the pie and kill that damn warlord."
"On that… we can agree."
She started walking down the hall with her gun raised. Next to her, I followed.
Curious, I asked, "So, what happened to him?"
"Excuse me?"
"Your husband. What happed to him?"
She took a few seconds to answer, "He died."
"Well, damn. You have my condolences."
"Don't. He, uh… he died surrounded by the people he loved the most. He, ah-- I, ah… I want to know something. When you kill the dytircs or lycargans, do you do it for a reason?"
"Reason?" I couldn't understand why she was asking me that. She seemed to be troubled by this and did her best to hide it.
"Never mind. It's nothing." She shrugged off the question.
"Since we're in a get-to-know-you mood, I want to ask you something… something the entire squad has wondered."
She rolled her eyes and spoke with a hint of annoyance. "What?"
"Why do you get steamed up when somebody utters a word about your stunning looks?"
Even before she answered, I could feel the temperature in the tunnel rise a few degrees. I knew I was poking the dragon with this question.
"DAMNIT! You, too?" She stopped and slammed her fist against the rock.
Halting myself, I said, "Trust me. I'm simply curious. I wouldn't dare rock the bed with you."
"Why not? You have with many other women. I see you leaving with them all the time on board the Tempest of Titans. One day it's a technician, another day it's a soldier."
She was furious. Her eyes screamed, and her nose twitched at me. I could have sworn steam was rising from her head.
"And each of those women isn't you. You're my captain, and I respect you as such. I've always seen you as family."
Surprised, she said, "Wow! Amazing choice of words there. But you slipped up."
"This, I got to hear."
"You called me stunning." She crossed her arms.
"And that's what you are whether you choose to accept it or ignore it. Just because I complimented you, doesn't mean I want to take a step in your pants. Like I said, I respect you as my captain and see you as family."
Looking into my eyes, she searched for any flicker of a lie. She must not have found it, because she calmed down. "Yeah… you're one of the few soldiers who doesn't." She rested her eyes on the rock floor before returning them to my face. "Do you want to know why I hate it so much?"
"That's why I asked," I replied, more smart-ass than I meant to.
"Because it is all anyone sees of me. Soldiers don't know me as Captain Landis; they know me for my looks. I only want people to see me for me, not as the… the-- What was it?"
"The Angel of Death," I assisted her.
"Yes. That nickname can be demeaning."
"Well, I would pluck a short and curly for a nickname as badass as that," I joked.
She started heading down the tunnel. "And dare I ask, what would that be?"
I shrugged. "Hah, maybe the fire-haired kick-asser."
She spit out, laughing. "The fire-haired kick-asser? What a horribly bad nickname."
Laughing, I asked, "Well, do pull out a better one."
"Reckless, annoying, hard-headed," she joked.
"I've gotten this far, haven't I?" I teased.
"Yes, you have… somehow. But, I want to know something. Since I now know your opinion will actually be worth a damn… am I really that stunning?" she asked me, more vulnerable than I've ever seen her.
"Top ten," I joked.
"Top ten?" She gave me a friendly jab on the shoulder.
Laughing, I said, "Throw out the jokes, though," I changed tone, "you are up towards the top."
Blushing red surprise and gratitude painted her face. "Thank you. That means a lot."
"Looks like we only have a few hundred more steps," I pointed out.
I could now see the end of the tunnel leading to another room. The temperature dropped as we entered into the massive underground chamber. We slowed our pace, creeping into the room. She swept the left side, while I covered the right.
Small, loose stones littered the floor. The space was large enough that our brightstone lights barely reached the walls and ceiling. Inky black water sloshed against a narrow strip of rocks on my side that disappeared into the darkness of a cat-sized tunnel.
We converged to the center of the room. "Nothing but black smoke on my side," she informed me as we met up.
"Same on my end, but did you see that?" I shined my beam toward the strange artifact laying on a stone mantel at the end of the room.
"That looks familiar. I think I've seen one of those before."
Suddenly, a voice rang from behind us. "Fantastic! I was really hoping to hear that!"
We turned our guns toward the corner of the room where the voice came from. Leaning against the rock wall, his eyes glowed like a firefly in the light emitting from our brightstones. His top two arms crossed, and his bottom two pointed two small plasma handguns at us. He was a dytirc wearing honor guard armor - the same one that ran back in the mountain. The blocky red and gold armor reflected our lights, brightening the room. His tattered clothes remained still under his armor plating.
"How did you get in here? We checked the room!" I yelled.
He ignored my question. "I'm glad you're both here. Truly I am." He looked at me. "A human soldier with orange hair. You must be the infamous James Stone."
"How do you know my name?"
"Contrary to what the ARW might have informed you, we dytircs aren't simple, mindless fools. Word about someone like you travels fast to a badass like me." He half-smirked.
"Someone like me. What do you mean?" I questioned him.
"A human that can run faster than your allies, the dor'o. A human that can challenge a damn maelkii in a strength match. A human… a human that kills dozens of my allies in cold blood, no questions asked. Do you see what you are, James? You're a monster!"
"I haven't killed you yet," I pointed out.
He was miffed but sarcastically said, "I'll make sure to spread the news."
"Is that supposed to be funny?" I asked him, frustrated.
Ignoring the question, he said, "James, you are seeing things all wrong. You and the ARW are the real villains here. All the Wersillian Legion wanted to do was expand our influence and colonize other planets - embark on a grand journey, if you will. Yet, your alliance, your ARW, decided to get in our way."
Now pissed off, I started to march right up to him. Landis grabbed my shoulder, stopping me short. Instead, I yelled, "Us?! Enemies?! You bonies only want more and more power with no care of the ripples that colonizing worlds does to the galaxy! And Lycargans revel in the pain they cause others over faith in arbitrary, fake forces! They even shrug off MURDER as a simple part of existence. Neither of your species is anything more than animals to me." I spat in his direction.
"Murder? My-my, what do you call what you do to my warriors?" the mystery man asked.
"A means to a better future without the Wersillian Legion."
"Except it's the ARW that is the problem--"
"Alright, enough with this bull! Tell me who you are!" Landis irritably hollered.
"Wowhoho! Tough demands for a woman. In dytirc culture, you would be punished for taking such a tongue to me." He laughed.
"I won't ask twice!" she hollered, louder this time.
"Steion, Your Grace," he mocked her, giving her a tiny bow. "I am one of the Warlords of Virtue, leading the greatest journey in dytirc history."
Steion need not say anything more. I pulled up my gun and aimed straight toward him - but in an instant, he was gone. Black smoke covered the outline of where he had been.
Suddenly from my right, his leg kicked my gun out of my hand. I looked up to see him standing in front of Landis. Recovering, I threw a punch at his face; my fist hit nothing but the same black smoke. Next thing I knew, Steion kicked me in the back, knocking me to the ground. I looked back up. He'd now disarmed Landis and had her locked in his grip. She tried to break free, but dytircs are four times stronger than an average human male; it was no contest.
"Look into her eyes! See your failure reflected in her pupils. Watch as I take an ally away from you, as you have done many times to me!" He vanished again, this time with Landis.
Blinding light entered the room. Stunned, I covered my eyes until they adjusted. Squinting, I saw a large opening in the mountain. At the entrance, Steion had Landis still in his grip. Next to them, a rock-covered lever was pulled down. It must be how the rock doors suddenly opened.
"Kill him," Steion instructed the dytircs honor guards entering the mountain.
Suddenly, an idea flashed in my mind. I got up, grabbed my sidearm, and shot the roof. Some boulders fell down, and I took cover behind them. Steion had already vanished. In seconds, I had five dytirc honor guards advancing on me with suppressive fire. Another was leaving with the artifact. Recklessly, I fired at them, but their armor held strong as they closed in on me.
"Damn! This is one screwed up barn house I got myself into," I cursed out loud.
Thinking on a dime, I decided to kick the boulder I was using as cover toward the dytircs. The boulder scraped against the rugged floor and tripped the honor guards. This was my chance. I charged at them. As they lay still on ground, I curb stomped one of their heads in. Then another and another. The other two had almost gotten to their feet. Not letting them, I tackled one, knocking down the other one as well. Now on top of him, I repeatedly wailed away at his face out of sheer rage. In the process, I broke open my fist, and blood streamed down my fingers. His buddy looked upon my act in horror. I grabbed the last one by the neck and carried him across the room. Furious, I pounded him against the wall.
"Where is Steion taking her?!" I screamed in his face. He spat at me, but I could see he was unsettled. Slamming my fist against the wall, I yelled, "Where is she?!" Still, he gave no response. He stared at me in either dumb bravery or fear. "You bastards have balls, don't you?" I reached down and found the mark. "Here's the golden egg." I gripped firm and squeezed through his cloth-armor. His body shuddered in shock and pain.
"Ahh!" he howled.
Loosening my squeeze, I said, "Now, I don't want to ask you again." Mistakenly, he remained silent. Losing my patience, I released my grip and pulled off my pistol. I placed the barrel right against his temple. "You're on your last ride. You have until one. Three. Two." I cocked the gun.
Just before I counted to one, he pleaded, "I don't know! I'm just his guard. Steion is in charge. I know nothing. I just do as I'm told! Don't fire. I swear I'm telling the truth!"
By the look of terror in his eyes, I knew he wasn't lying. In that moment, I wanted nothing more than to blown his brains away, but I stared at him in silence and with heartache.
"James, transportation awaits. Do you copy?" Kalvin's voice reported from my cyberwatch.
Still holding the dytirc against the wall, I responded, "I'm coming outside."
"What is Landis's status? Her beacon withdrew from the planet."
"What? She still has her beacon on!" I yelled in excitement.
"According to my cyberwatch, she resides in slip space."
"Keep tracking her beacon as long as possible. She was captured by the warlord."
"Absolutely."
I let down the dytirc in front of me. "Walk! You're coming with us."
With the dytirc in front, we walked out. Kalvin jumped down from the side door, still in his power armor. This hovercraft was much smaller than the one the Order of Aegis had been using earlier in the day, though much of the aesthetic was similar.
He took off his helmet. "Who is this?"
"A prisoner," I uttered words of lead as we walked up to the ship.
The spinning blades and engines whirled air all over the clearing, sending grass and leaves flying and making it difficult to hear. We entered the ship. Inside were a few seats near the back. I shoved the dytirc into a seat and sat across from him.
"We harbor some restraints." Kalvin walked off to grab them. I watched the dytirc like a hawk, refusing to blink until Kalvin returned with power cuffs. They were made from stasis energy and veridium. He placed them on the dytirc, making sure they were on tight.
"We'll make use of you yet." I grinned at the dytirc, who looked down in shame.