Timeless (The Cartographer Book 3) (12 page)

“
I have been monitoring internal communications and I understand there may be an imminent threat to the ship
,” he stated plainly. “
I assumed you would come here
.”

“You assumed correctly,” she replied.

The door opened and they stepped into the room. She left her sword in her quarters. It wouldn't be much use against a contingent of heavily armed soldiers anyway. The clerk who stood behind the counter was a mousy fellow from Crescor named Meep. When they entered the room, he looked up from a book and watched them from the top of his wire-rimmed glasses.

“Greetings Captain, how may I help you?”

Within the confines of the dimly lit room, his pointed teeth and curved horns gave him an almost demonic appearance. Despite his fiendish appearance, the residents of Crescor were generally a peaceful species. They preferred analytics and exploration over violence and bloodshed, kind of like the Hobbits of the universe.

She eyed the rifles on the rack behind him and pointed toward a wide-handled, short-barreled weapon similar to a tactical shotgun. “For this I will need a sonic rifle, two thermal detonators, and a hand cannon.”

Meep slid the glasses to the top of his head. They made a faint clicking sound against his horns. He retrieved the rifle from the rack and laid it across the counter. He reached underneath the counter and retrieved two metal cylinders shaped like soda cans and placed them next to the rifle. He turned and walked to the back of the room. Next to the rifle rack sat a large oak chest. When he opened the chest, a set of drawers fanned out with several different types of pistols displayed. He grabbed one off the top shelf and laid it next to the detonators.

“Trouble?” he asked, more curious than concerned.

She slid the hand cannon into a holster strapped to her waist and slung the rifle over her shoulder. One of the detonators she shoved into a clip on her belt, the other she left on the counter. “Perhaps,” she responded.

“What about this one?” Meep asked, pointing to it.

“That's the last one, isn't it?” she asked. When he nodded, she scowled. “Keep it here. You will be my last line of defense for this ship.” She leaned over the counter. “This ship will not fall into enemy hands, understood?”

His eyes widened from narrowed ebony orbs to globes filled with surprise. “Enemies? It seems things did not go well out there!” he exclaimed before picking up the final detonator.

“
Captain, I have been attempting to reach Embeth via long range communications, and it seems something is interfering with my transmission
,” Gard interrupted.

Lianne frowned. The news only served to confirm that those soldiers weren't a welcoming committee. She knelt and placed one hand on Gard's shoulder. “I need you to report to the bridge and continue efforts to reach Embeth. Something happened out there and I have a feeling we will need to move fast, if all hell breaks loose.”

“
Agreed
,” he replied before speeding down the hall.

She reached for her communicator. “Kona!”

A few second passed before he responded. “
Yes Captain
?”

“Are they off the ship?”

“
Yes Captain. A few protested, but they stopped when I offered them the options
.”

“Options?” she asked.

A chuckle filled the airwaves. “
They could either leave via the front door or I could toss them from the observation window on deck nine
.”

“Thanks for the visual,” she replied with a smile. “I need you to gather ten of the best soldiers we have and meet me at the front door.”

Five minutes later, she stood at the entrance, watching the view port. Outside, the terminal was empty with the exception of the expelled maintenance workers. Some decided to hang out at the vending machines while others conversed furiously with each other and motioned toward the ship. “Damn!” she exclaimed. “We are trapped like meat in a can.”

Several moments later, Kona came trotting towards her with ten members of the crew. All of them had been geared for battle. “I assume by your sour expression that our alternatives are slim to none at this point?”

“You could say that,” she grumbled.

Kona leaned over to peek at the view port. The first line of soldiers entered the terminal. The maintenance works scattered like leaves in the wind. A soldier with a remote control in his hand directed a four-wheeled flat cart with a box on top

“What the hell is that?” Kona growled.

Lianne looked at the screen and grimaced. “Whatever it is, I am sure it is not good.”

“Why don't we just blast them out of the terminal with the ship's cannons?” one of the crewmembers asked.

“That would be a great idea if you wanted to bring the entire terminal down on our heads,” Kona responded.

The soldier parked the cart fifty feet from the entrance of the ship. With the push of a button, the box opened and a cannon barrel extended from it like a telescope. A seat ejected from the rear and four metal legs extended outward on each side, fastening the contraption to the floor. The soldier who had been guiding it hopped into the seat.

“Well, that can't be good,” Kona remarked coarsely.

Another soldier stood before the door to the ship. Although his armor was the same as the others, the helmet he wore bore a violet plume of fur that ran across the top and down the back, giving it a mohawk-like appearance. “Crew of the Stellar Horizon, the Order of the Sun has commanded you to lay down your weapons and surrender.”

“'Commanded' us they say,” another crewmember stated curtly. Zac was his name and he was a battle hardened Umbral who had participated in many missions with Lianne before.

Kona uttered a dry chuckle before turning to Lianne. “So what's the plan boss?”

Before she could respond the soldier outside spoke again. “You have ten seconds to comply with our request or we will have no choice but to board your ship and take you by force.” The officer glanced at the soldier seated on the cannon and nodded. “Ten…nine…eight…”

Lianne cocked the sonic rifle which charged the power cell. She leaned her head against the cold steel of the door and closed her eyes. Nathan's group was out there somewhere, alive or dead. If they were alive, they were on a hostile planet with no maps and no weapons. They had been sent into the lion's den. She poured through every possible scenario in her head and every one of them ended with all of them emerging on the losing side.

“
Seven…six…five…
”

“Captain?” She opened her eyes. Kona stared at her with concern etched on his face.

“
Three…Two…”

Her hand rested on the switch which would open the door. Kona moved toward the door while the rest of the crew established a defensive perimeter behind them. Kona cocked his weapon and nodded at her. She drew in a deep breath and let it out slowly. Her thoughts drifted from Nathan to her father. She remembered the rage she had felt when he was gunned down in front her very own eyes. It was time to channel that rage, if she hoped to survive this. She emitted a primeval growl and flipped the switch.

“
One!
”

The door opened.

Follow the Yellow Brick Wall

“Damn!” Vigil cursed under his breath.

Leaves crunched and tree limbs snapped as Janero's robots rushed up the hill. With the back of my hand, I wiped the sweat from my brow. A cool breeze whipped through the trees as the sun set and darkness began to blanket the land.

“We need to hurry,” Kedge urged, casting a glance at the fading sun.

Vigil grabbed his tiger hood by the fangs and pulled it over his eyes. The glassy black orbs of the hood's eyes changed to an emerald hue when he settled it over his face. “There may be a break in the wall near that tower.” He pointed toward a dark shadow which loomed in the distance.

“They are getting closer,” I said. “We better hurry.”

We ran to the tower, hugging the wall along the way. The earth was soft at the base of the wall and it was difficult to gain traction, which slowed us down significantly. Shots rang from the distance and bullets ricocheted off nearby trees. They had made it over the hill and gained on us despite the difficult terrain. It appeared the soft ground did not hinder their movement as much as it did ours. Janero's voice cried out over the gunfire, but I couldn't understand what he was saying. It didn't matter because I knew what his intentions were so his words were meaningless.

When we reached the tower, our situation became dire. There were no breaks in the wall. It stretched for miles, but it could have gone on for eternity for all the good it did. I turned around and scowled at the advancing enemy. They were roughly seventy-five yards away with Janero in the lead. Even from that distance, I could see the smug look on his face. He closed the gap to the point I could make out what he had been saying.

“Surrender Nathan,” he shouted. “It's over.”

The robots formed a perimeter around us. Their arms remained upright with their fingers pointed toward us, ready to blast us at the slightest provocation.

Kedge turned to me. “How much ammo do you have?”

I turned the rifle on its side. A digital display panel embedded in its side read “22”. “Twenty-two,” I read back to him.

He frowned and held out his hand. “Give it to me.”

I handed it over reluctantly. I saw a strange glimmer in his good eye, as if he was about to plan something stupid. “What are you going to do?”

He glanced at Vigil, who looked as confused as I was. “I remember something my father said centuries ago, right before the Lumagom killed him. 'You only realize the value of time once you run out'.” Kedge pointed the barrel of the rifle down with his finger on the trigger. He placed his other hand on my shoulder. “I'm a dying man, Nathan. My time has run out.”

“What the hell does that mean?” I asked. I had a suspicion, but I needed him to confirm it.

He responded with a smile. “I plan to take out as many of them as I can. Hopefully, that will buy you two enough time to get out of here.”

I was about to voice my protest, but he turned and ran down the hill before I could get a word out. Kedge let out a bloodcurdling scream as he hurtled toward the group. In between his battle cries, it sounded almost as if he was laughing. He gunned down the closest five of Janero's men before turning the gun on Janero himself. Janero managed to dodge a bullet as he ducked behind a large boulder. Three more robots fell beneath Kedge's furious onslaught. His ammo clip went dry with eleven robots still standing. A pair of tinted goggles peeked over the boulder as Janero cautiously stepped from it.

“Come on Nathan, we need to go,” Vigil urged.”

Vigil grabbed my arm, but I resisted. “No,” I whispered.

Kedge grabbed his rifle by the barrel and wielded it like a baseball bat. The robots approached with less caution now that their enemy was seemingly defenseless. They had underestimated him. The first one got close enough to reach out and grab Kedge, but received a crushing blow from the rifle for his trouble. Its head was knocked cleanly off its shoulders and rolled down the hill. The stock of the rifle split in half from the impact, rendering it useless. Kedge dropped it and looked back toward us. His face filled with urgency. “GO!”

“Let's go!” Vigil shouted. When I didn't move, he grabbed me in a bear hug and dragged me up the hill.

Kedge smiled when we cleared the next hill. With a furious shout, he charged the first robot, tackling it to the ground. The momentum caused him to fall on top of it, causing flesh and metal limbs to flail around wildly. Janero seized the opportunity and gestured toward the remaining robots. They swarmed over the two combatants until the pile was nothing more than twisted black mass of metal. Kedge's screams of fury soon morphed into agony.

“
NOOOOO
!” I shouted.

An unbridled rage emerged from the depths of my soul. I broke free of Vigil's iron-like grip and sprinted toward the pile. I only made it ten feet before a white light surrounded me and all the breath shot out of my lungs like I had been punched in the gut. I fell to the ground, where I remained curled in the fetal position, unable to move. I managed to cock my head slightly to see Vigil standing over me with wisps of smoke drifting from his bracelet.

“We don't have time for this,” he growled. He leaned over and hauled me to me feet before tossing me over his shoulder. “Kedge sacrificed himself so we could get away and you would throw yourself right back in the fire,” he growled.

As we ran from the scene, I glanced up to see Janero dragging robots off the pile and motioning furiously in our direction. We rounded the corner and the last thing I saw was Kedge's battered body, lying motionless on the ground. Tears filled my eyes, but I refused to let them loose. Part of the reason I refused was Vanth's teachings, but there was another, more sinister reason. My heart had finally become numb to it all. Too many friends had been lost. My planet had been lost. This senseless war drove me to the edge of a dark chasm. As Kedge's corpse vanished in the distance, I found myself briefly wondering if dying would be easier than dealing with all the emotional torment.