Animus Complete Series Omnibus, page 272
Skilz’s hold tightened and his hand trembled slightly where he sprawled beside the window, but he did not fire. Instead, he yelled his rage and barely resisted pounding the weapon on the ground. “Dammit!”
“It seems to me that our fates are rather intertwined,” Merrick continued and looked coldly at the Omega leader. “Should my era end, so shall the Omega Horde’s.”
“Goddammit!” the merc cursed again and his gun wavered slightly, although he didn’t lower it.
“There is no need to be blasphemous.” The AO leader looked away. “Although I suppose if He were merciful, this wouldn’t have come to pass to begin with.”
“Fighting a madman’s war—we should have mutinied.” Skilz groaned, the sound low but emotionally charged.
Merrick spun, tired of dealing with the fool. “As I said when we began, prepare for war, Skilz. You certainly have the motivation now.”
“Will you still honor your other agreement?” he asked and caught the man’s attention once again. The merc looked fixedly at him, his eyes still full of hate. “You said you also wanted us as your army. If you win this, that’s still ours, right?”
“Yes. Of course I need an army. That would be the reason I started this to begin with. Believe it or not, I want a united force and the Horde will be a part of that.”
“Then why would you blow your own forces up?” he demanded. Merrick shrugged as he lost interest again.
“I suppose even I can succumb to hopelessness,” he stated coldly and turned away. “You have your orders. I’m sure our enemy will come soon. Since you were not able to secure the other stations, make sure Icarus and Xuanzang are both well-defended. They will make their push and probably target Icarus first—or maybe both simultaneously. Whatever happens, I believe you can deal with it.”
Skilz forced himself off the floor and holstered his weapon. “We have to deal with it.”
“Whatever motivates you, I encourage it,” the man said as he passed him. “Make sure to come up with a good excuse for what just happened. We don’t want your people to get too spooked now, do we?”
The merc turned briefly to him with a scathing look but left without a word. As soon as he stepped out, he checked his tablet for reports about the ship. He ordered them to save who they could and recover any parts of the vessel they could as well. Perhaps, if he were lucky, they could salvage it and examine it to see how he’d rigged them to blow.
He realized it was pointless almost as soon as he finished the thought. Even if they did find out how his detonator worked, he doubted they could deactivate them without him knowing and that would merely be another thing to set him off. Planting bombs to destroy his army was one way to keep them under his thumb. Merrick might be insane but he wasn’t an idiot. Although that might be debatable, of course.
The AO leader watched the doors close, drew in a deep breath, and checked his hands. He’d sustained tiny cuts from where his fingers had dug in but they were repairing quickly and were almost normal once more. He spun to look out the window again at the planet below. This time, he saw no lights, no cities, and no ships, only darkness that obscured the world below.
One that used to be so full of life.
Kaiden hopped off the fighter and rolled his shoulders as Genos killed the engine and climbed out of the cockpit.
“It’s not my favorite way to fly,” the ace admitted as he removed his helmet, “but there are worse options. Thanks, Genos.”
“My pleasure, friend Kaiden,” the Tsuna stated and took his helmet off as well. “I suppose we should find a shuttle?”
“We can take Haldt’s,” he suggested and looked at his companion as a thought occurred to him. “Did he wreck it after I left?”
“It’s fine,” Haldt shouted and they turned as he approached quickly. “Thanks for the vote of confidence.”
“Hey, man, it’s a battle. Things get hectic.”
“Hardly a real battle,” the security officer replied and shrugged. “I’m not saying it was a cakewalk but given some of the fights we’ve had thus far, this didn’t seem like some grand play on the Omega’s part.”
“I merely assumed we had become much better at dealing with them,” Genos interjected.
“That’s a part of it, sure,” Haldt agreed. “But they attacked one of our main bases with a force designed for a quick strike. Even if they don’t have good intel, they had to know there wasn’t a chance in hell they would break through with something so paltry.”
“They also didn’t expect the Sauren to join the party,” Kaiden pointed out.
“That too, but even if they didn’t, this wouldn’t have ended well for them,” the man insisted.
“So you think this was simply to divert our attention or something?” the ace asked.
Haldt shrugged and placed his hands on his hips. “I think it was meant to cause damage, but it wouldn’t ever destroy the base or take it over.”
“Do they have the forces to try to screw with us?” he questioned and Genos tapped his infuser in thought.
“They could be trying to stall us—or they could be trying to distract us like you said,” the security officer stated. “Either way, they know we’re coming.”
“I think they’ve known that for a while now.” Kaiden frowned. “Probably from when we refused to get on our knees and kiss their feet and all. I don’t know any terrorist who is optimistic enough to wait it out.”
Haldt chuckled. “Sure, but there could be something more. I guess we’ll have to talk it over with Sasha and Laurie. They might have found something by now.”
“Agreed. Should we depart?” Genos asked.
The security officer nodded and began to walk across the hangar to the shuttle. “Yeah, let’s go before they ask why I have claw marks on my fighter.”
Chapter Twenty-One
“The Sauren have arrived?” Sasha asked and glanced at Hartman. “Well, that explains the massive warp reading we saw. How did they get here?”
“Raza can fill you in,” Kaiden replied. “They’re heading back to base with us—or I guess I should officially say we are escorting them to base. Their ship doesn’t exactly need protection, though.”
The general moved his hand to the screen on his desk and brought up the feed from outside the base. His eyes widened as he focused on the approaching vessel.
“I can see that,” the chancellor stated dryly. “When they land, I would appreciate it if you could bring the Sauren War Chief to me.”
Kaiden nodded. “No problem. I’ll bring him to you soon.”
When he moved his hand to turn the screen off, Sasha stopped him. “One moment, Kaiden.”
“What’s wrong?” the ace asked and the chancellor drew a deep breath.
“Does he know?” he asked. The ace closed his eyes and nodded briefly. “I see. All right. I’ll be waiting.”
“Understood. Signing out.” The feed disconnected and Sasha turned to Hartman. “I’ll get Laurie and bring the War Chief. If you could let the other generals know about the new developments, I would appreciate it.”
“I’m already on it,” the general said and opened messages on his screen. “It would appear we will have to move our plans up. The men and women are ready and I doubt the Sauren will want much of a break.”
“Do you think this will finally get the other leaders on board?” he asked.
Hartman chuckled. “If they still have objections, I’ll tell them they’ll have to tell the Sauren themselves.”
Raza had retired to his den since his return. He knew he didn’t have much time to himself as they would arrive at the human base soon, where they and he would have questions. Now, however, he took the time to think of Wolfson and their meeting. Their fight had continued for days and he recalled the exchanges, the insults traded, and the blood shed—blood that would create a bond. He had developed a fondness for the soldier and when the Sauren were made allies, Wolfson was there to greet him and had even learned his name.
It was then that he acknowledged the name Raza—one he had disliked at first but grew to accept, mostly because it was used by one he respected. The man had never been one to acknowledge tradition or even complications like his full name. Now, when he heard others call him by that, he recognized how it had spread thanks to Wolfson. He knew he could never banish it and oddly enough, it was something of a gift now, bestowed by his friend.
A knock on his door disturbed his reverie. “Open.”
Ken’ra walked in dressed in full gear and bowed. “War Chief, we are approaching the base and crowds are gathering.”
His gaze drifted to look out the window. While he’d known that the trip wouldn’t be long, it felt so much faster than expected. “How long until arrival?”
“We are inside the perimeter and will land shortly,” his aide stated. “Should I have the other hunters wait onboard?”
He shook his head firmly. “No need.”
Ken’ra studied him curiously. “War Chief?”
Raza returned his gaze with a gleam of anticipation. “We will fight alongside those we meet on the ground. If there is any issue between us, we should deal with it now instead of later.”
His companion saluted and nodded. “It’ll be done, War Chief.” As he turned to leave, he paused and looked at him again. “We were contacted by the soldier. He says he will escort us to the leaders.”
“Is that so?” the Sauren leader mused and chuckled. “I see. It’s quite fitting. I suppose he is taking Wolfson’s mantle up after all.”
“Damn, who ordered the flying fortress?” Luke asked. He and the others gaped at the massive vessel of the Sauren as it entered the base.
“Cameron is gonna be pissed he missed this,” Izzy noted.
“It’s his fault for staying asleep.” Flynn laughed.
“I wasn’t asleep for two months.” Cameron groaned and the group turned to where he stood and ran his hand through his short hair. He was dressed only in lounge pants and shoes. “You kept blowing my messages up and my EI woke me, and what’s so damn excit—Jesus!” The bounty hunter went slack-jawed when he saw the ship.
“We have new friends.” Luke laughed and slapped him on the back. “You might have the right idea. We should rest while we have the chance.”
“Do you think Raza is on there?” Marlo asked.
“I would say it is a safe bet.” Chiyo looked through her messages. “Kaiden says he will escort him to Sasha.”
“Then let’s help him,” Flynn suggested and jogged ahead. “He was nice enough to fight a battle for us.”
“This seems unnecessary,” Raza muttered as Kaiden met him once he’d disembarked. Many of the other Sauren exited from different points of the ship and met the soldiers, technicians, medics, and other crew of the base. For many, this was their first time to see a Sauren in person, especially in such numbers.
The ace shrugged and looked at the visitor’s guards. “Hey, Lok,” he called and drew the Sauren chief’s attention. “If we came to your world in a massive military vessel and wanted to meet Raza, what would the protocol be?”
“We’d keep our eye on you,” he responded.
“We would take you to our leader as allies,” Ken’ra corrected.
Kaiden nodded. “Same here. This isn’t for safety or anything. Sasha simply wants to get to you quickly.”
“You would think he would meet me personally, then,” Raza countered, and Kaiden had to agree.
“I see we think alike, Ran’ama.” They all turned as Sasha stepped out of the crowd. Despite his calm demeanor, he seemed to be breathing a little heavier than normal.
“You must have run to be here so quickly,” the ace noted with a grin. “I don’t think I’ve seen you move faster than a brisk walk outside of combat.”
The chancellor straightened his shades. “Given the circumstances, I believe I should make sure this is my top priority.”
“I would say that is correct.”
Raza walked forward and studied the man before he placed his claws together and bowed. “It is good to see you are still with us, Commander.”
Sasha bowed in return. “And it is good to see that you could join us, War Chief.” He looked at their ship. “I’m amazed you were able to construct a ship that could remain intact through so many jumps in space.”
The Sauren nodded and glanced at the vessel behind him. “This is a prototype we have created in conjunction with the Tsuna. When the gates went down, most returned to Abisalo before it was finished. We completed it ourselves and made our trip here its first mission.”
“It was untested?” the commander asked. “I thank you for taking the risk.”
“We received no answers on what had happened,” Raza explained and focused on him again. “So, we decided we had to find them ourselves. I believe I have a general understanding of what has been going on, but I am willing to hear the rest.”
“Of course. You deserve that much,” Sasha said with a nod. “And you can hear our plans going forward. I’m sure you would like to join us in righting this.”
“It is the best use of our skills.” Raza agreed. He, Lok, and Ken’ra began to follow when voices called to the War Chief. They paused as Kaiden’s friends forced a path through the crowd.
“Ah, Wolfson’s other trainees,” the Sauren leader stated and followed it with a low growl, but not of anger. The ace walked out and held his arms up in front of his friends to stop them in their tracks.
“Hey, guys,” he began and lowered his arms. “Raza and Sasha gotta talk. You can catch up later.”
Some of them looked like they planned to protest, but a massive claw on his shoulder made him glance at Raza, who nodded to him. “Hello again, young hunters,” he said calmly. “It is good to see you are all well. That is a relief. But as Kaiden has stated, I have other priorities right now that I must attend to. We can exchange greetings later, I vow to you.”
Any words of disagreement died in their throats and they simply nodded and waved him off. He withdrew his claw and joined Sasha to walk briskly into the main building.
Kaiden looked at Cameron and narrowed his eyes as he studied his friend. “I see you got comfortable while I was defending the base.”
The bounty hunter threw his hands up. “You beat them?”
“Yeah, of course,” he responded.
The other man folded his arms. “Then I guess I was smart to trust my life to you.”
The ace smirked and shook his head. “Finally, it gets through.” He grimaced and unlatched a lock around his left shoulder pad. “I gotta get to the armory to make sure my armor is ready for the big push.”
“Is it finally time?” Flynn asked. “We’ve been waiting for more than a month. Are you sure?”
“Sasha may not show it but he’s as anxious as we are to move against Merrick,” he stated, undid the final lock, and removed the pad. “And he’s moving with more purpose than someone who only wants to talk about maybes. Which means I need to get to the armory and make some calls.”
“The Arbiter Organization?” Raza asked as he studied the files on the screen. He glanced at General Hartman. “I do not recall ever being told about such a threat.”
“That would be because up until the invasion, they were considered a myth,” the general explained. “To be honest, they technically still are. From what we have found out, this organization has only been in existence for a couple of decades, not the few hundred years they have supposedly existed.”
“So it would be akin to us warning you of the Ava’don tribe,” Lok ventured.
“I believe there are differences,” Ken’ra interjected. “But that could be comparable.”
“Well, we’re all ears,” Hartman replied. “After all, if we had maybe taken the commander’s warnings more seriously, we could have prevented this mess.”
“The Ava’don are a disgraced tribe that has continued to hunt, even after death,” Raza stated and looked at Lok. “It’s a story for children to make sure they take their hunts seriously. As you have shown, this myth of yours is a threat in reality.”
“True enough,” Sasha agreed. “But one we hope to deal with quite soon.”
“Indeed.” Hartman nodded, cleared the screen, and brought up a display of a hologram of the embassy, two stations, and a fleet of ships. “We’re preparing an attack. Although other leaders want more time to build forces and make sure the planet is left defended, we’ve noticed that the longer we take, the more the primary target is secured as they bring reinforcements from their non-important bases to help with the defense of the embassy.”
“So they have taken the embassy,” Raza muttered.
“I do not think we had any delegates out at the time of the gates shutting down, War Chief,” Ken’ra told him.
“Perhaps if we had, this problem would have been dealt with by this point.” Lok growled with open displeasure.
Sasha zoomed in on the embassy. “From what we know, there are at least three thousand hostiles on board and they have control of the defenses.”
Lok snorted. “Humph. Well, there would be less.”
“Quiet, Chief Lok,” Raza ordered and silenced the hunter. “When do you plan to attack?”
“Within days,” Hartman confirmed. “We are prepared to go at a moment’s notice in case of a premature strike. But there has been a new development here on Earth that we wish to confirm before sending the majority of our forces out to attack.”
The Sauren widened his eyes. “And what is this development? Can we deal with it quickly so we can begin the assault?”
The general was somewhat taken aback by the question. “Well…uh, I am thankful for the offer of assistance, but the issue is that we still have to confirm that it exists and how much of a threat it is.”
“Then I have good news and bad news,” Laurie stated as the door shut behind him. “Hello, Raza.”
“Professor. I take it you can tell me of this development the general was informing us about?”
