Sounds Of The Hunt (Far From Home Book 3), page 1
Sounds Of The Hunt
Far From Home Book 3
John Walker
Copyright © 2023 John Walker
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law.
DISCLAIMER
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, business, places, events, and incidents are either the products of the author's imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental. This story contains explicit language and violence.
Blurb
Seth Levy and his crew need help. They turn to a small planet off the beaten path for information that might lead them to the rebellion. What they find is a world in chaos as invaders waylay the civilian population. With hundreds of lives on the line, the crew must risk everything to save the day.
Meanwhile, the Olarin Primus Kayra Zaal continues his pursuit of Seth and his companions. After a brawl nearly disables his ship, he manages to follow a lead to his primary objective. But internal strife boils within his crew just as restless prisoners threaten the lives of everyone onboard. He must balance all these challenges with the dangers ahead, including the starship that nearly destroyed them in their last encounter.
Table of Contents
Prologue
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Epilogue
Prologue
The ground shook. Lights flickered overhead in the Egilant command center as the rumble intensified. Chunks of stone, glass, and metal burst somewhere outside, loud enough to be heard half a mile away. One of the newer buildings, a somewhat recent construct, went down.
Maldan rushed to the window to peer out. Dust obscured his line of sight. The Guild had erected two towering buildings in recent months to accommodate business transactions. They had turned a relatively quiet community into a hub of activity, negotiating contracts with various clients around the galaxy.
Whatever happened might have killed a lot of people. The incident occurred in the middle of the day, meaning it might’ve been heavily populated. He pressed his hands against the window for another moment, trying to fathom what might have occurred. The rumbling ceased. He pushed away, moving to the main terminal.
The door opened. Sifa, Maldan’s personal assistant, rushed in. She bent at the waist, gasping while trying to catch her breath. Red-blonde hair hung over her face, matted with sweat. Dust covered her brown uniform. She held up her hand, waving at him before finally speaking.
“Sir… someone detonated a bomb!”
“A what?” Maldan frowned. “Are you serious?” He dialed into the terminal. Sure enough, an initial assessment of the destruction showed several devices detonated around the support columns. That had brought the building down in short order. “How did this happen? Who would have done it?”
“I don’t know,” Sifa replied. “Sentries are on the way to investigate.”
Maldan frowned. He dialed into the defense network. “I need four sentries at the command center immediately.” He pointed. “Lock the door, Sifa. We can’t afford anyone getting in here.” No one immediately replied to his comm message. Interference from the attack, maybe.
Sifa entered a code into the panel by the door then opened a drawer off to the left. She drew two pistols, bringing one to him. “There you are. What do you think is going on? Why would anyone—”
“I don’t know,” Maldan replied, “but I’d like to know what was going on today. Do you know of any deal that might’ve been controversial? Something that might’ve pushed one of our people to do…” He gestured. “That? Because I don’t have any unauthorized landings. Nothing broke through the defensive satellites.”
“Nothing on the docket that I saw,” Sifa said. “We have a Guild ship coming in, but they’re obviously not here yet. I think it’s one of the family too.”
Maldan frowned. “This might be in anticipation of their arrival. Great. I hope they sent additional security.” He rubbed his eyes. “Sentries?” He tried the comm again. “I need an update on your progress. Have you been able to identify any survivors in the attack on the building? What’s going on?”
Sifa stood near the window. She gasped, taking two steps back. “Sir!” She pointed. “Look! Look, sir, look!”
Maldan joined her. Plasma bolts blurred through the dust. The sentries engaged with someone near the second of the two newer buildings. The violence picked up until there were too many bolts to see. He took a step back, intent to work on the comms when the ground began to rumble a second time.
“No!” Sifa slapped the glass. “No! Look!”
The second structure began to tumble, coming down as if a professional demolition team planned the destruction. It didn’t topple, didn’t even lean as it collapsed inward, straight down. All weapon fire ceased. Comms lit up with cross-chatter. Maldan hurried over, trying to instill some order.
“Listen!” Maldan shouted, “this line needs to be cleared. This is Maldan in the command center. Can anyone sound off on what’s happening? Who are you fighting out there? What is even going on?” No one responded, though the shouting stopped. “I need a report. Now!”
“Twelve intruders…” the voice came through static, breaking up after the first two words. “Killed… and then… now…” The rest of the message died out as interference became too thick to make anything else out.
Maldan tried to clean up the signal. The destruction of the buildings made it impossible. Maybe the technology inside is causing this. All that static, all that energy released when the walls went down. He checked the satellites. They’re still functioning. At least no one else can land for now.
He locked down the defenses. No codes would shut them down. Any Guild ships arriving would receive a warning to stay well away. If they couldn’t contain the activity on the surface, he didn’t want anyone else to come down. They’d end up in the middle of a strange insurrection.
“Sir…” Sifa held up her tablet. “I think I know who blew up the buildings. Well, I mean I know the responsible parties. They aren’t our people. It’s not disgruntled workers.” She showed him a camera angle on one of the recent trade vessels that came through. “How did defensive protocols miss this?”
Maldan watched. When nothing immediately happened, he sighed. “I don’t see anything, Sifa. This is a waste…” Then the crates opened. Several armed men piled out. They hustled away toward the buildings, completely unchallenged. “Who the… what… how… they just… what!”
“I’ll have to check those crates,” Sifa said, “I could get down there and—”
“Are you insane?” Maldan grabbed her arm. “You’re not going anywhere while they’re still at large.” Scans began to work again. It showed the number of dead people in the first building. Nearly two hundred thus far, and the sentries were too busy to respond. “We need to get some of the emergency crews involved… somehow.”
“Sir… they’ll be going right into the heart of all that nonsense.” Sifa continued to stare out the window. “Much as I’d like to get some people in position, I think we have to secure the area.”
“You’re right,” Maldan grunted. “But the people… Ugh!” He reached out to the sentries. “Where are the intruders? And where are the guards for the command center? We’re alone up here and need some support ASAP.” Heavy footsteps sounded outside, making him jump. A couple pops sounded, plasma weapons going off.
“Oh no…” Sifa backed away from the door. She aimed her weapon. “You don’t think they can get in here, do you?”
“I hope not.” Maldan pointed his weapon as well. “The camera’s down. I can’t even see who it is. Or what they look like.”
“Hello?” A muffled voice shouted through the door. He vaguely recognized it. Stress and fear made it hard to tell specifically who it was. “We’re here! We’ll hold this position no matter what. Is there anything you want us to do in the meantime? Anything we can do to help?”
“Not unless you know what we’re up against!” Maldan shouted.
“Twelve people,” came the reply. “One of them died in the fight outside Business Tactics. The others fled south. We’ve got people in pursuit.”
What could they possibly want over there? Maldan checked the map. He stiffened. “Sifa, they might be going for the reactors.”
“What? Why? Tampering with those would kill them too! Surely, they know that! Is this some kind of suicide mission?”
“I don’t know.” Maldan noted several dots representing the sentries. They normally sported twenty-five on duty. Only eight moved about in the grounds. “Hey! Outside, did any of our people die out there?”
“It was a massacre, sir.”
That phrase gave Maldan a chill. Death scans didn’t differentiate who might’ve gone d
“Sifa,” Maldan said, “have someone get to those buildings to look for survivors. We’re running out of time.” He opened his mouth to say something else when gunfire broke out beyond the door. People started screaming. The person he’d been talking to cried out. The action lasted only a few moments before silence fell over the area.
“What…” Sifa trembled. “What was that?”
“I don’t know.” Maldan sighed. “We have to check.” He cautiously approached the exit. “Get ready to fire…” He reached for the panel. The doors slid open. Four bodies rested on the ground, all sentries. Footsteps ran away, moving fast. He closed them in again, locking it down. “Why didn’t they try to get in?”
“Isn’t that a good thing?” Sifa asked. “We’re lucky to be alive if he killed all four of our sentries!” She paced. “Sir… what are they trying to do?”
“I don’t know!” Maldan shrugged. “I really don’t! They destroyed the buildings then…” One of the terminals nearby cracked, sparks bursting from the seams. A second followed as fire erupted from the interface, instantly scorching the metal. “Move fast! We have to put that out!”
Sifa panicked. She dropped her weapon, shaking violently.
Maldan grabbed her by the shoulder. “You don’t have time for that! Now focus! Get the extinguisher!” He let her go, hurrying over to shut the power off to the two terminals. That slowed the sparks, though both terminals were absolutely ruined. They’d have to be pulled out and replaced.
As he stood, Sifa blasted them with the extinguisher, clearing out the flames.
“Okay, thank you.” Maldan hurried over to the comm terminal. “Sentries, we’ve got four people down. Two terminals just exploded for no reason. What’s going on out there?”
No one answered.
“What is wrong with these guys?” Maldan slapped the side of the computer. “Why are they not staying in contact? We need constant…”
“Sir.” Sifa gestured to the scanner. “They can’t answer.”
“What?” Maldan narrowed his eyes. “Is that…” A number of dead people littered the area around the infrastructure entrance. The section where engineers maintained the reactors, stored goods, and allowed maintenance teams to address any sewage problems. Tunnels down there crisscrossed the entire settlement.
“I think the intruders have killed the sentries.” Sifa swallowed hard. “How could they do that? There are only ten of them! What sort of people are they? Why would they come here? I don’t understand, sir! I don’t understand! This is a peaceful place! We’ve done nothing to warrant this type of violence. No one should—”
“Get a grip,” Maldan said. A message came in from the emergency response personnel. He nodded. “Seems we killed one more of the intruders. Their body was found near the second building. But if they get down there… if they can get to the reactor…” He moved over to the door. “I have to get out there.”
“Wait!” Sifa grabbed his arm. “You have all the command codes. You should stay here. Make sure no one else land on the surface.”
“Someone has to check things out,” Maldan said.
“I’ll do it.” Sifa grabbed her gun off the floor. “I panicked for a minute before, but I can handle it now. Besides, they all seem to be underground right now. I’ll see what I can find out from the other responders. Maybe they know something.”
“Be very careful!” Maldan pointed directly at her face. “I’m not kidding. Don’t do anything that might get you hurt.” He backed away. “Go. And hurry back the moment you know anything. Keep the comms going. Interference should be much less now that the buildings have settled.”
I still can’t believe we lost them both.
“I will.” Sifa took a deep breath, opened the door… then hurried out.
Okay. Maldan locked up after her then returned to the terminal. Maybe I can learn more about the ship that brought them in. He brought up the manifest. Everything appeared to be reasonable. Food, replacement parts, and a shipment of medicine. Nothing out of the ordinary. They came from one of the trade stations way out on the edge of Olarin space.
Who would hang around there looking for this opportunity? The logs didn’t have proper documentation, meaning he didn’t know who commanded the vessel nor how many people they should have had aboard. The scan logs didn’t show anything untoward. No explosives, no extra bodies.
I need more information. If Sifa succeeded, then they’d at least understand who hit them. Then we can figure out how to repel them. If that was even possible. We don’t have the means to leave this place if they threaten to detonate the colony. He turned to send a message back to Nivota control.
But all the lines went dead. Any connection to the orbital defense array, the satellites providing him with scan ability across the surface, none of them worked. He struggled to connect to towers within the district either. Some kind of pulse took out his connectivity, leaving him blind, deaf, and mute.
Maybe personal comms work. Maldan drew out his device then reached out to Sifa. Come on, girl. Answer.
***
Sifa hopped over the bodies then ran down the hallway. She took the stairs two at a time, then emerged outside. Cool air slapped her in the face, drying the sweat in an instant. She shivered, struggling to ignore the discomfort as she moved toward the downed buildings and all the activity there.
As she passed by the landing pads, she stared at the ship parked on one of the smaller ones. The vessel wasn’t all that large. In fact, she thought twelve people being aboard probably put a serious tax on the life support system. If that was the case, it was lucky to make it to the surface without killing the legitimate crew.
Did they have something to do with it? Sifa decided to check the ship. She crossed over, moving directly over to the ramp. Open crates were scattered about the deck with the lids piled up neatly near the exit. A foul odor caught her, something between feces and rot. She proceeded inside, keeping her gun out in front of her.
Sifa caught sight of a pair of legs, sticking out from the hallway leading away from the cargo area. The pants looked like Guild uniform. She stepped closer, leaning to see the body of a man, his guts spread out in front of him. Blood continued to ooze out of his mouth, making it clear his death hadn’t happened long before.
Bile rose in her throat as Sifa rushed back outside. If they killed the ship operator in such a way, they didn’t have any qualms about murder. Perhaps they really were there to destroy the colony. But did they want to commit suicide in the process? Or did they think they’d use that ship to escape?
Sifa made her way to the dock warden’s console. She went to initiate the emergency lockdown. All the controls were locked. Someone accessed it, inputting a private family code into the system. The information on the screen suggested they shut down the satellites orbiting the planet. Along with all communications.
I need to return to Maldan! Sifa backed away, right into the barrel of a weapon. She stiffened, holding her hands up.
“I’m just an admin,” Sifa said, “whoever you are… I don’t mean you any harm.”
“Says the slag with a gun,” the man’s deep voice rumbled as he spoke. “You and your friends are done here. Whatever happens next won’t matter.”
“We can talk,” Sifa replied, “make a deal. That’s what we do. And you know we have the resources to provide you with whatever you want. Let’s work together. We’ll figure this out.” She grimaced. “I beg of you, give me a chance to meet your demands. I am close with the planetary admin. He can—”
“What? What can he do? Have us arrested? Because it’s too late for deals. It’s too late for all of you. Today, the Guild gets a taste of what it’s done to planets and people all across the universe. Today, we strike a blow to express how little we appreciate your stranglehold on a traditional trade. We will show the Olarins. We will show you.”
