Hostile Legacy, page 2
part #2 of Afterwar Saga Series
“How much time do we have, Liv?” I asked. “I just got paid. Two more weeks would give me another payday. We could use the money.”
“Let’s see what Celina can do with the emergency gems.”
“We need money to fuel Bandit,” Addy said, tapping on her electronic pad. “We’d have to fly Schedule E if we took off with what’s in the tank now.”
“How about I do the food planning,” Cassius said. “I’ll get Bandit topped off with water and make sure everything’s charged.”
“Make sure we reimburse Celina for anything we take from her,” I said.
“First, I need to get through that conversation but yeah, I’ll make sure,” he agreed.
“There’s also a matter of Cass’s training with weapons,” Olivia said. Ordinarily a gentle, pacifistic woman, the statement sounded odd coming from her, or at least that’s what I read on Cassius’s face. Olivia caught it and nodded. “Cass, I am not naïve with regards to how conflicts are often resolved. When it is a matter of survival, all species resort to violence. Martial and weapons training is essential.”
“You’re serious.”
“At a minimum, we should discuss leaving expensive riot shields behind,” I said.
“That whole thing was a blur for me,” he said. “I have no idea what happened to that shield.”
“We’ll look for a replacement,” I said. “I’ll take lead on getting Cass checked out on weapons and get him started with sparring.”
“I’ve got the whole fighting thing down,” he said. Where Cassius had no formal training in close combat, he was powerful, more so than anyone I’d met, although my cousin Peter might give him a run for his money.
“You’re mistaking strength for skill,” Addy said. Cassius started to bristle. She quickly followed. “Don’t be offended. You’re stronger than all three of us put together. You’re also fast. Not as fast as me and certainly not as fast as Quinn but faster than most. You’re mistaking natural ability for skill.”
“If you were a man, I’d show you different,” he said, half growling.
“Oh?” Addy asked. She’d never been good at backing down from a challenge.
“Cass, Addy is only explaining the value of training,” Olivia said.
“They’re pushing on me,” he said. “We’re all friends but I don’t think we’re on the same page.”
“You’re not wrong if we’re both unarmed,” Addy agreed. “It’d take me forever to wear you down trying to get through all those muscles. But a single weapon would render all that meat armor useless.”
“You need to slow down there, Addy,” Cassius said, his face growing red. “You’re not that fast. Weapon or no.”
“Care to prove that?” she asked, tipping her head to the side with raised eyebrows.
“Q, make her back down. I’m not going to hurt a girl.”
“Addy can take care of herself,” I said. “You’re right, though, she’s baiting you.”
“That’s suicidal,” he said.
“Sort of. If she tried to bring a brawl-style fight your way, you’d obliterate her,” I agreed. “Give her room to move, it’s a different fight.”
“You can’t be serious.”
2
LAST MINUTE TRAINING
“Here’s the bet,” I said. “You two spar for eight minutes using shock gloves. Because you’re stronger, Cass, your gloves will have twice the charge of Addy’s.”
“Wait a minute,” Addy objected.
“Only fair,” I said, holding up my hand. “If Cass lands a blow in a real fight, twice might not even be the right setting.”
“What’s a shock glove?”
“I’ll get ‘em.” Addy opened a cabinet in the forward bulkhead. She pulled a pair of slightly padded gloves where the fingers were covered like a boxing glove.
“And these will shock on contact?” he asked, rolling them in his hand. “Why not just use boxing gloves.”
“It would work,” I said, “but it doesn’t simulate a weapon. This way you can dial back your hits but have the same effect without causing permanent damage. You’ll both have to wear sparring headsets. Also, we’ll have Addy wear padded boots. I’d hate her to break that pretty nose of yours.”
“You guys are nuts,” he said, looking to Olivia for support.
“You could spar with Quinn,” Olivia said. “But that wouldn’t be fair.”
Cassius blinked as he took in her words. “You think Quinn could take me? Wait, you think they both could.”
“It’s not a judgment, Buddy,” I said. “Look, we’re getting a little heated. Why don’t we put this aside for a while? We’re all friends.”
“Quinn is right,” Olivia said, rubbing Cassius’s arm. “There’s no reason to be upset. We’ve presented this poorly.”
Cassius surprised us all when he pulled his arm away from Olivia. “No. I’m more than a match for either of you. Look, I know you’re fast, Quinn, but that won’t help you, you’re not that fast.”
It occurred to me that sparring with Addy had been a bad idea. I’d thought it would demonstrate to him how badly he needed training. The problem was, he’d take a terrible hit to his pride if he lost, which I was certain he would. It was a no-win scenario against Addy in his mind. If he won, he’d be the guy who beat up a small woman. If he lost, he’d be the guy who couldn’t win against her.
“You and me. Eight minutes and we switch out the shock gloves for padded boots and gloves.” I said.
“What’s the win condition?”
“You’ll be the sole judge,” I said.
“You’re that confident.”
I held my palms up. “The goal is to show you there’s value in taking training seriously. If you see me as easily beaten, we can accomplish what we need.”
“Why eight minutes?”
“It’s a long time,” I said. “We could go shorter if you want.”
“I can’t tell if you’re messing with me.”
“Eight minutes is a long time.”
“When and where?” he asked, his normally happy countenance replaced with grim determination. Waves of irritation radiated from him along with an underlying feeling of wounded pride. I sighed unhappily. The injury was necessary at some level, but I wished I’d been more thoughtful in my approach.
“There’s room outside on the pad,” I said, referring to the spaceport pad where Bandit still sat. “It’s a little wet but it’s not raining too hard.”
“You won’t be as fast if your feet slip,” Cassius said.
“And you’ll have trouble grappling me if I’m wet. It’s a toss-up. We can go anywhere. I was just thinking we wouldn’t draw too much attention this way.”
“Are you sure you want to do this?” Cassius asked. “I’d feel bad if we couldn’t be friends because of this.”
“Buddy, if you take me down, I’ll be the happiest guy on Grünholz,” I said. “The goal is a well-trained team.”
“You’re saying I need to prove myself.”
“You could look at it that way,” I agreed. I appreciated that his ire seemed to be diminishing. I wondered if Olivia was soothing him.
“How’s this work?” he asked, pulling on the head protection Addy handed to both of us. “Do we tap gloves and then go?”
I jumped up and down a couple of times, testing the grip of my boots against the spaceport deck. I didn’t feel any slip, although I suspected where there were puddles, I’d have more of an issue.
“You have eight minutes,” I said, slapping my gloved hands together. “See if you can make me hurt.”
Cassius rolled his shoulders forward and adopted a boxer’s stance as he stepped toward me. He looked like a man-shaped tank, and I felt a familiar rush of adrenaline souring my stomach. One full-powered hit from him could put me out of the fight. It would be best for me to avoid it.
I continued moving as he approached and backed away only slightly, pulling him to first one side and then the next. He grimaced, recognizing that I wasn’t just going to give him a free hit.
“Are you going to run the entire time?” he asked.
“No, just checking your footwork,” I said, pulling him to his right again.
“And?”
When his left leg just about crossed in front of his right, I spun suddenly and landed the back of my fist against his neck. I followed up with a weak kick to his right leg, disallowing him the necessary balance to separate his legs properly. He dropped to one knee and howled in pain. I danced back, avoiding his long arms which reached out to grab me.
“Needs work,” I said.
“Lucky shot,” he said, jumping to his feet.
“Just warming up,” I said. “Don’t cross your legs, even when you turn. If I get too far away, let me.” To accentuate the point, I moved closer to get within reach. He took the bait and swung clumsily. I allowed his fist to graze my chest and used my hand to slap it, causing him to continue rotating. He was strong enough to stop his momentum, and I abandoned planned rabbit punches to his kidneys.
“If I get you square, you’ll wish I hadn’t.”
“You don’t need to convince me,” I said dancing in to draw another punch. Predictably, he swung again with another haymaker. I let him make a small contact but slipped away from the damaging force of the blow.
We continued, and I let him wear himself down on me. He made full contact a couple of times. It sucked in an I’m-fighting-Mom way. And if I haven’t said so before, Mom had some weird stuff in her life that made her ridiculously fast and strong. Suffice it to say she’s not someone you want to spar with.
“You’re waiting for something,” Cassius said between labored breaths. “You’re fast. That’s not enough to win.”
Despite not wanting to draw attention, a small crowd of passersby had gathered. “I’m going to put you on the ground three times in a row. It won’t be a mistake and it doesn’t need to hurt. I’m telling you this so you know it’s no accident. We can go harder if you want, but I hope to avoid that.”
“Ego much?” he grunted while holding his arms in a defensive position. I faked right and then tagged his jaw. Following up, I swept his leg as he lifted his foot while trying to defend against my strike. He fell inelegantly on his back. I danced back to let him regain his feet.
“One.”
“Tricky, I’ll give you that.”
My next sequence wasn’t much different. Instead of leading with a fake, I kicked his thigh and when he tried to catch me, put a combination into his side, followed by dropping low and kicking out his opposite leg. It was a risky move, but he hadn’t shown any awareness of footwork and I got a little lucky.
“Two.”
“Hate you,” he growled, picking himself up. “Slippery devil.”
He’d have a tough time accepting his weakness if I didn’t show him the cards I still held. This time, when I approached, there was no faking or slips. I stood toe to toe with him, and we exchanged blows. I’m nowhere near as strong as Cassius, but I’d bled off most of his strength. For every hit he landed, I landed five. I drove him backward with the ferocity of my flurry and by the end, he stumbled back, ready to fall over.
Just as he was tipping back and in the process of landing on his ass a third time, I reached out and caught his hand, stabilizing him. Our eyes met and I nodded. I would not celebrate our fight, nor would I rub it in his face. I’d been forced to prove to him something he couldn’t fathom. He was too smart to let his pride back into the conversation.
“I’m glad you’re on my side, Quinn Hoffen,” he said, tapping my shoulder with his gloved hand.
“I’m not looking forward to you figuring this out,” I said, looping my arm over his shoulder and pulling him into a hug. “You’ve got bricks in those gloves.”
“Tell me Addy wouldn’t have done that to me,” he said quietly.
“Nah, she’s more the assassin. She wouldn’t have let you hit her.”
“She’s that fast?”
“Strategic. With training, you’ll be a real force though. Trust me.”
“When can we start with firearms?”
“That’s the spirit!”
I’m the wrong person to teach someone how to shoot a gun and this was never clearer than when I started working with Cassius. For me, aiming was never an issue. Part of what makes me different than others is some weird mechanism in my brain that allows me to know exactly where a pointed weapon will strike. That includes weapons pointed at me or anyone else for that matter. My ability is to such an extreme that I can be moving and things don’t change. I’m not bragging. To me, it’s no different than breathing. The ability is just there. This skill extends beyond fired weapons and includes martial art forms where I’m striking at something with my hands or feet or being struck at by someone.
What all that has to do with teaching someone to aim a weapon is that I’ve never had to learn how. I have virtually no empathy for someone who doesn’t immediately get it. Fortunately, over the years, I’ve developed a sort of rote list of ways to describe weapons usage. Also, upgraded HUDs will project aiming reticles with many different weapons. Fortunately, our first outing didn’t end in shouting. Cassius was annoyed with his progress which was not helped by the ease with which I utilized the tools.
“Maybe we should try to get me a new shield,” he said. “I can be the caveman of the group.”
“A shield is a good idea, no matter what,” I said. “There are scenarios where the enemy simply has the advantage. Sometimes a riot shield can even those odds. I’d bet we can find one along the way, though. Also, these things are skills. Addy, Liv, and I have been in combat training since we could walk. It was part of growing up.”
“That’s messed up,” Cassius said. “What kind of world did you live in where kids needed to know combat?”
“We never ran into trouble,” I said. “People were always trying to get at my parents, but we had security, so nobody got through. I remember once when a Felio woman ripped off her clothing at a banquet and jumped on Dad. She thought he was making eyes at her, and she wanted to … well … get friendly in an aggressive way.”
“Felio? Is that a place?”
“The predominant alien species in our little corner of the galaxy,” I said. “Think twenty percent cat, eighty percent person, and a female dominant society.”
“That’s hot.”
“It wasn’t bad,” I said. “Felio can be attractive. As a rule, they’re in great shape. You have to be okay with a tail and fur, though.”
“You’re messing with me.”
“Not at all,” I said, pinching off a few short videos offered by my AI. I tossed them to him. “Those were some of my friends.”
“That’s freaking crazy. Don’t wear much clothing, do they?”
“Fur kind of makes that less necessary.”
“Liv knows I’m thinking about this, doesn’t she?”
“Not yet,” I said. “Maybe you should delete those vids.”
“Yes.”
We were in a remote part of Neo Firma where our gunfire wouldn’t stir up any trouble. I’d brought both a medium blaster pistol along with one of the blaster rifles. We’d fired through most of the charges and were packing up.
“Did you see that?” Cassius asked.
“Don’t look again,” I said. I’d picked them up a few moments before he’d said something. “People are watching us. At least three.”
“Frak.”
“Addy, we need you and Liv,” I said quietly into my comms. “We have company. They’re setting up on us.”
“We’re eight minutes out,” Addy responded. “Find cover.”
I made a show of pushing the blaster pistol into the protective sleeve we’d carried it in. With not particularly well-executed sleight-of-hand, I kept the pistol and tucked it into my pocket while picking up the case holding the blaster rifle.
“I can get that,” Cassius said, taking the rifle from me.
We had no way of knowing if the people watching us were up to no good or if they were only kids who wanted to watch from relative safety. We’d had enough trouble that we couldn’t take a lot of chances. The local king thug had it out for me, though from my perspective, we were even. His brother had gunned me down in cold blood and I’d returned fire, killing him in the process. His brother, Togan Prince, was not the forgiving type and had taken a run at me on a couple of occasions. My instincts told me this was one more of those events.
“What’s the plan?” Cassius asked. “Want to try to bull rush ‘em? I bet they’re not all speedy like you.”
“Not until the girls get closer,” I said.
“That’s a nutty thing to say. Girls are to be protected. That’s our job. I don’t want to put Liv in danger.”
“I appreciate your feelings for my sister,” I said. “Liv and Addy will find high ground and even things up. We could have a big group. Togan knows better than to come at us with even numbers.”
“How’d he find us?”
“No idea,” I said. “Let’s walk over to where we had our targets set up. The rock outcropping will give us cover.”
We were about halfway there when a trio of blaster bolts ricocheted off the ground nearby. With a HUD to line up their shots, I couldn’t imagine how they’d missed. Cassius took off like a startled jackrabbit.
“Don’t run straight!” I warned, dodging this way and that as I ran.
We managed to get to cover even while gunfire pelted the ground around us.
The first thing I did was check exits behind where we ended up. I didn’t want to be driven into a new group and was trying to figure out why we hadn’t been hit by the initial shots. I was creeping around the backside of the outcropping when a figure loomed up, standing atop the rocks. He already had his weapon drawn and fired three shots. I struggled to twist my body and managed to get my hand shield into position, deflecting each blaster shot harmlessly away.
