Galaxy Unknown (Forgotten Galaxy Book 1), page 26
She’s fortunate he didn’t gift her painted tin.
“Can we reach Glory by following these service tunnels?” Caleb asked. “Or do we need to double back now that the tunnel’s clear?”
“If I recall the planning diagram correctly, this should take us to an area adjacent to the grand chamber, and then it ascends back toward a tunnel connecting to the linkage. I believe remaining in this tunnel is the safest, quickest route.”
“Then we need to keep moving.”
Lo’ane grabbed his wrist before he could take a step. “Captain Card.” He turned to look at her. “Thank you. The stars delivered you to us in our greatest hour of need.”
“I’m just doing my job,” he replied. “Empress, now isn’t the best time, but I believe you have a traitor in your midst. It may be General Haas.”
Her face hardened. “This attack reeks of betrayal. But Haas? No, I don’t think so.”
“Why not?”
“The enemy has taken too much from him. He would not change his allegiance. If there is a traitor, we’ll discover the guilty party once we’re safe.”
Caleb nodded, leading her onward. His HUD remained clear, the area free of Legionnaires.
“Empress, where are you?” Haas said over the comms as they neared the area where Caleb convinced Marley to shoot him. “The Legionnaires have reached the linkage tunnel. Our forces are holding for now, but we can’t hold out forever.”
“We’re on our way,” she replied. “We should be there in five minutes. Is Glory ready for launch?”
“Yes, Your Majesty. Ready and waiting.”
“Is Captain Card’s companion, Abraham, on the bridge?”
“No, Your Majesty. Why would he be?”
“Captain Card speaks highly of his capabilities as a pilot. If the Captain’s aptitude is any indication of those abilities, I want the man at the controls.”
“Your Majesty? We don’t even know if he’s ever flown a starship before?”
“He has,” Caleb said. “He’s as good as it gets. And he has combat experience. He’ll stay cool under pressure.”
“You heard the Captain,” Lo’ane said. “Have Abraham brought to the bridge. If he’s capable of piloting Glory, then I want him piloting her.”
“Yes, Your Majesty,” Haas reluctantly agreed.
The large machines that provided life support to the base were just up ahead, the entire area empty of workers, soldiers, and Legionnaires. From the relative quiet, Caleb might have believed the fighting was over. The threat ended. It was only he and the Empress down here, safe for the moment.
“Is that blood?” Lo’ane asked, eyes on the ground.
Caleb’s eyes swept over the stain of his blood that had soaked into the porous rock, larger than he would have guessed. He had lost a lot of blood. “Yes. It’s mine.”
“Yours? I don’t understand.”
“It’s a long story.”
You’re welcome.
“I’m just surprised General Haas hasn’t told you the story already,” he continued, about to lead her past the blood stain when he noticed a glint of something beneath the nearby pipes against the wall. Moving over to take a closer look, he was shocked to find Benning’s data chip on the floor, nearly invisible in the shadows. How had it gotten there? Had Marley tossed it there after shooting him? Had Haas tried to get rid of the evidence of his origins, perhaps with the intent of returning to retrieve it later? But he would have known there wouldn’t be a later.
Unless…
His head snapped up, eyes narrowing as he scanned the area ahead.
“What is it?” Lo’ane asked.
Ish, are there any Relyeh nearby?
Not that I can determine.
Caleb scooped up the data chip, tucking it into his boot. He straightened up, moving in front of the Empress. “Probably nothing,” he replied, taking the lead as they continued forward.
The central tanks and multitude of pipes of the water filtration system filled the entire left side of the cavern, its shape suggesting its location adjacent to the sunken spiral of the grand chamber. On the right, the ceiling sloped outward where a simple metal box served as the terminus for dozens of thick wires reaching to the ceiling and spreading away from it like ivy. The reactor delivered energy to the other equipment in the cavern, along with the rest of the underground compound. Other large machinery, additional conduits, and pipes filled in most of the remaining space, leaving an aisle down the center and narrower access passageways between the metalworks. Disparate noises joined forces in the enclosure. The hum of the reactor. The muffled thump of compressors. The sound of running water.
Caleb led Lo’ane cautiously through the chamber. While neither his sensors nor Ishek had registered anything out of the ordinary, his survivor’s instincts and warrior’s experience left him with a gut feeling that something wasn’t right, even if he couldn’t put a finger on it. Not wanting to attract attention if they did encounter something, he swapped his rifle for Hiro’s sword. Sweeping his eyes across every service alley, he expected his tactical system to report contact on his HUD at any moment.
Nothing. Again and again. They were apparently alone down here.
So why did he feel like they were being watched?
“Captain, every second we spend down here is another second the Guardians are forced to defend the linkage,” the Empress said. “We need to hurry. This passage should lead to the connecting corridor, as close as possible to Glory.”
“I know,” he replied, without changing his approach. “But something’s wrong.”
“There’s nothing here,” she insisted.
“Nothing we can see,” he agreed. Ish, I feel like I’m going crazy.
Ishek didn’t answer, leaving him even more unnerved. The unfamiliar feeling left him increasingly tense.
“Captain?” Lo’ane said, her hand falling on his shoulder. “Are you well?”
Caleb froze at her touch. His mind began tingling, his body suddenly moving outside of his volition. Ish? he questioned meekly in his thoughts, his grip on autonomy fading. He reached out for his sense of reality, grasping only at air.
No longer in control, he watched himself turn around to face the Empress, unaware of what had happened until he registered the look of surprise on her face. He tried to force himself to lower his gaze so he could see the sword in his hand, but he couldn’t. His eyes remained fixed on the Empress’ expression through her faceplate. Confused, surprised, frightened. His weight shifted, body pivoting to catch Lo’ane as the loss of blood made her too weak to stand. Lowering her gently to the floor, he managed a brief glimpse of the blade piercing her armor, embedded to the hilt.
Ish! he cried silently. Ish! What are you doing?
Ishek didn’t answer. He didn’t feel his symbiote’s presence. Aware of everything, he sensed nothing.
“Caleb, how…how could you?” Lo’ane exhaled, her breathing labored. “I…trusted…you.”
Caleb watched his body kneel over her. He heard his voice speak. Softly. Tenderly. “Not Caleb Card, my dear Lo’ane.”
Her eyes widened, recognizing the speaker, if not in tone, then in words and inflection. “You? How?”
“I am everywhere.”
Dying, Lo’ane shivered beneath him, terrified.
Who are you? Caleb asked, pushing the question out as forcefully as he could. A Relyeh. He had no doubts about that. But which one? And how had it managed to seize control first of Ishek, and then of him without any effort? Without any warning.
The Empress gasped and fell still, her body sinking back in her armor, her eyes glazing over as she died.
At the same time, his control returned. The presence he had felt surrounding them vanished, his question left unanswered.
“Ish?” he said out loud.
He sensed the symbiote’s bond, but it was weak. The Relyeh had overpowered Ishek, but rather than kill Caleb as he and Ishek had done to the Legionnaires, the presence had used him to kill the Empress.
And destroy the Empire.
He tensed at the realization of what had just happened by his own hand. Or rather, by some unknown Relyeh who’d somehow taken control of him.
“Your Majesty,” Haas shouted over the comms. “You need to come quickly. We’re running out of time.” He paused to wait for a response. “Your Majesty, do you copy?” Another pause. “Empress Lo’ane, please come in!”
“General,” Caleb said, voice stiff. “Lo’ane…the Empress…is…she’s dead.”
“What?” Haas roared. “You were supposed to protect her. You were—”
“General,” Caleb snapped forcefully enough to quiet him. “She’s gone. Get your people out of here. Don’t wait for me.”
It took Haas a few seconds to answer. “As though I would ever wait for you,” he seethed back. “This is your fault, Captain Card. All of it.”
Caleb remembered what Lo’ane had said about his mention of a traitor. She believed it was possible, but she didn’t think it could be Haas. If someone on board Glory was aiding the enemy, they needed to know about it, and Haas was the only contact he had. He had to risk that she had been right. If she wasn’t, Haas would swallow the warning as if Caleb hadn’t tried to warn them at all.
“General, you need to know. There may be a traitor on board Glory, who sold you out to Crux.”
“Traitor?” Haas screamed back. “The only traitor is you! I hope you rot in the fires of the Eternal Sun for this, Card!” He cut the connection. The comms went silent.
Caleb stared at the Empress’ face, wrinkled and worn, aged unnaturally by war. She looked peaceful now, one of them finally able to rest. He decided right then that he would never rest. He would find out who had forced him and Ishek to murder Lo’ane. He would not quit until Crux, his Legion, and any other Relyeh in this galaxy were destroyed and Ham was safely back home with his family. Or until he died trying.
The sound of boots on stone registered in the back of his mind. With the rebels all escaping on Glory, there was no question which side the soldiers in the boots were on. Straightening up, Caleb grabbed the grip of Hiro’s blade, sliding it out of the Empress’ body. With a fingertip, he wiped some blood from the weapon and brought it to his forehead, pressing it against his helmet.
“By your blood, Empress, I will have retribution,” he said, the Legionnaires coming into view ahead.
He knew exactly where to start.
CHAPTER 43
Gripping Hiro’s sword, Caleb ducked into one of the narrow service alleys, out of sight of the oncoming Legionnaires. He remained in the shadows, turning his attention back to where the Empress lay dead on the floor.
Ish? he prodded silently. Ish, can you hear me?
His symbiote still didn’t respond. Whatever or whoever had overpowered Ishek and used them to kill Lo’ane had left him dazed and weak. And though it was difficult for Caleb to tell, likely barely alive. Had the Relyeh spared them intentionally, or had it believed Ishek would die, killing Caleb with him.
Was Ishek dying, his own extinction not far behind?
Caleb ran out of time to think about it. He was alive for now, and the Legionnaires had reached the chamber. Checking his HUD, he counted six of the khoron-controlled soldiers in the dark armor as they fanned out in a wedge pattern. The soldier on point spotted the Empress and advanced ahead of the others, who slowed to check each service alley along the way. Reaching the Empress, the Legionnaire knelt down, removing her helmet before looking back at the others. Obviously, the Legionnaires on the planet and the Relyeh who had killed her weren’t in immediate communication, or the Legionnaire wouldn’t have been so surprised. In fact, they probably would have already given up the hunt. They had come to finish off the Empire, and their mission was accomplished, even if they had failed to get it done themselves. There was no reason for them to continue the advance.
Caleb was glad they continued forward.
His was the hand of retribution as he shot from his hiding place, sword raised. The Legionnaire turned his head toward him, giving Caleb a better angle to run the weapon through the Legionnaire’s neck, decapitating him. Caleb didn’t slow as he crossed the corridor to the service alley on the other side. Plasma bolts sizzled just behind him, striking the air filtration system and melting part of its outer shell.
Continuing along the access channel, Caleb paused at a junction, drawing his sidearm with his free hand. Swinging out into the junction, he immediately began walking toward the Legionnaire he spotted there. The man saw him too, and they both opened fire. Caleb’s rounds cracked into the soldier’s faceplate in rapid succession. The first four cracked the shell, the fifth went through, piercing the man’s brain and killing him. The Legionnaire’s plasma hissed into Caleb’s armor, melting the top layers of protective alloy without breaching the underlay.
The exchange drew the attention of the other Legionnaires, though the sensors in Caleb’s a-tac helped him maintain situational awareness, painting the enemy coming down the alley behind him.. Spinning around, he sprinted from his position toward the enemy, firing at the Legionnaire’s helmet to distract her as he sliced the barrel of her plasma rifle in half before slamming it into the woman’s armor. The sword sank into her chest. The force of the blow drove the woman into the side of the reactor, her expression shifting from furious to blank as she died.
Caleb jerked the blade from her chest, rushing back to the main passageway, where another Legionnaire waited. He took a few plasma hits to his armor as he rushed the man. Using the sword with plenty of anger but no finesse, he swung it at the Legionnaire with all his strength. The man brought his forearm up to block, only to have it slice right through the arm and deep into his chest. Caleb pulled the weapon away, returning it to his back and grabbing the Legionnaire’s plasma rifle from his dying grip. Ducking back into a service alley, he checked his HUD. By his count, two more Legionnaires remained, but they had fallen off his sensors.
Where were they?
The chamber suddenly began to vibrate, a sharp rumble echoing through the stone from somewhere in the distance. Caleb knew instinctively that the sound came from Glory, as the anti-gravity coils in the starship’s hull powered up. The thrusters would begin pushing the vessel from the bottom of the riverbed soon enough. He could picture the dispersion of water as the large starship began to rise, the water pouring off the top of the vessel as it fought to escape its sunken landing zone and then the planet’s surface. How long would it take for the Nightmares to get a bead on the craft once its position was revealed? How long could Glory survive their attack?
At least the Empress had ordered General Haas to bring Ham to the bridge prior to her death. If anyone could get them out of this mess, it was him. Even so, for as good a pilot as his fellow Marine was, Caleb didn’t think he could escape without some help.
Advancing to the junction at the backside of the alley, Caleb barreled around the corner, rifle shouldered and ready to fire. Clear of the enemy, he maintained his offensive posture as he crossed along the side of the chamber, heading back in the direction he and the Empress had come. He wasn’t sure how he could help the fleeing starship, but he knew he couldn’t do anything from inside the rebel base.
He was near the edge of the inner compound’s reactor when he noticed a dark shape attached to the metal shell. Moving closer to examine it, he nearly laughed out loud when he realized the reactor was covered in explosives, no doubt tied to a remote detonator or self-destruct mechanism that would go once Glory was safely away. It was another reason to get out of the base as quickly as possible.
Reaching the last alley, he turned the corner ready to break for the chamber exit without confronting the remaining pair of Legionnaires. However, they had other ideas. Possibly having seen him crossing earlier behind the metalworks both of the soldiers were waiting for him at the head of the access. Caleb hit the brakes as they opened fire. He threw himself back around the corner to avoid the plasma bolts, the bulkhead keeping him on his feet. He peeked out despite the ongoing attack, just in time to see one of the Legionnaires break for the next alley, hoping to box him in.
Caleb?
Ishek’s tone was weak, but it was there.
Ish. Are you okay?
No.
Caleb remained tucked behind the reactor, which had the potential to explode at any moment. The vibration from the starship continued to intensify, shivering pebbles on the floor and knocking dirt loose from the ceiling and walls. Me neither. We’re pinned down next to a ticking time bomb.
All in a day’s work.
Caleb smiled. At least you kept your sense of humor.
We murdered the Empress, didn’t we?
We didn’t. Someone else did. I don’t suppose you know who?
The Relyeh I linked with earlier to avoid the scan. That’s all I know.
It’s better than nothing.
I hunger.
Of course you do. I don’t suppose you’re alive enough to overpower a basic khoron.
You can’t make it five minutes without me, can you?
Not these five minutes.
I cannot overpower, but I can distract.
I’ll take it. Are you ready now?
As ready as I can be.
So do it already.
Caleb swung around the left side of the reactor, coming face-to-face with one of the Legionnaires. He was standing still, shaking slightly, though he still managed to take aim and pull the trigger. So did Caleb, his plasma bolts slamming into the static soldier one after another, and then burning through his armor into his flesh. Caleb spun around before the Legionnaire hit the floor. He returned to the back of the reactor, peppering the second Legionnaire with plasma as he appeared. The man wasn’t able to get a return bead, momentum carrying the enemy fighter into the wall.
Looking down at his chest, Caleb noticed the armor over his heart was nearly gone, the last bolt having melted it away to almost nothing.
