Rebel Moon Part Two--The Scargiver, page 14
* * *
Like everyone, Nemesis could feel the fighting outside as the bombardment shook the ground beneath her feet. Two Krypteia charged towards her with blades out. She caught one with her sword then screamed out in pain. The other sliced his blade across her back. As her torso arched, the guard in front of her brought down his blade and severed her hand. Her eyes burned with fury at this assault.
She ignored her wound and thrust her remaining sword into his belly. She pulled it out with enough time to swing around and catch the other guard across the chest. As she moved to strike again, the guard spun away then drove his blade straight into her chest.
Her mouth opened as her breath caught in her throat. Little Eljun screamed at seeing his hero cut down. He broke away from the other children with his own blade in hand. As fast as his young legs could move, he ran across the longhouse. He stabbed the guard in his side just below the ribs. The guard looked to Eljun, perturbed and without mercy. The little boy matched his scowl and twisted the blade, causing the guard to cry out. Eljun pulled out his weapon. Blood shot out of the wound, spraying his face. He raised his blade again and stabbed the guard. Nemesis could only watch as blood poured from her mouth. The guard grabbed Eljun by the throat and lifted him off the ground. His small feet kicked as he gasped for air like a little fish tossed out of water. His face began to turn blue.
“You little shit. I’ll kill you too!” groaned the guard.
Nemesis kept her eyes on Eljun, his body beginning to slow as the guard tightened his grip on the boy’s neck. Nemesis allowed the guard’s blade to sink deeper into her body to get closer to Eljun. With the last of her strength she pulled the blade from the guard’s side and slit his throat. A sheet of blood poured from his neck and he dropped Eljun. He fell to the ground in a coughing fit, regaining his breath. With the last guard now dead, the villagers in the longhouse rushed to the aid of Nemesis and Eljun.
The crying little boy crawled towards Nemesis. Her eyes were weary slits as she clung to the last minutes of life. “Be still my child, you fought with honor.” She reached behind her neck with her one hand, unclasped the necklace that once belonged to her daughter, and pressed it into his bloody hand. “This is yours now. Always fight with honor.” He nodded as she gazed into his eyes until her life ended with a final act of love and comfort.
In the distance, in the fields, a cloud of dust filled the air. A moment later the sky rumbled. Through the clouds. large pieces of metal, pieces of the Dreadnought’s conning tower, began to fall to the ground. The village erupted in cheers.
Not far away, Titus shouted, “That’s Kora!” It was the first display that gave him hope for a victory. “May you kill them all and make it back,” he said to himself as he watched the sky.
10
KORA STILL MOVED ON BORROWED TIME. SHE HAD TO GET OFF THE SHIP. AS SHE rose from the seat, she aimed her gun at the turret controls, blasted them to pieces, then rushed for the doors. She ran down the corridor and made it to the elevator on the opposite side. Her comms switched on.
“Kora, where are you? It’s less than a minute until the reactor blows.” It was Gunnar.
“I’m almost to you.”
The elevator stopped. The doors opened to reveal Krypteian Guards. Kora knew they wouldn’t let her leave. They were twice her size and holding their swords. Kora fixed her gaze upon them. Undeterred, she ran towards them, pulling the trigger in quick succession. She drove her body into a guard running towards her. Her right hand grabbed hold of the arm holding his weapon. She spun him around to use him as a shield from the other two. As their weapons discharged into their fellow soldier, she kneeled and aimed for their legs and torsos. Both fell at the same time.
One of them took two large strides towards her and swung his glowing blue sword in her direction. She ducked with enough time to position her gun beneath his chin and pulled the trigger once more. Red mist launched from the crown of his head. He fell at her feet. Kora looked at the sword glinting in the light. It still vibrated with scorching heat and energy, buzzing sharply. She pried it from his hand and walked back to the elevator. It burned her palm as she held it. She ripped a piece of cloth from a dead guard and wrapped it around her hand. She felt the weight of it as she twisted and turned it. She holstered her gun, satisfied with the sword, and directed the elevator to the hangar.
* * *
The elevator stopped and the doors opened. Kora paused. Noble stood before her, a Krypteian sword in one hand and a pistol in the other. Just behind him, about thirty yards away, was Gunnar and her way out. Noble glared at her while pointing the sword directly at her. “You’re surrounded.”
She took slow steps farther into the hangar. In her periphery she could see two Imperial soldiers on either side of her, but her eyes never strayed from Noble. He flashed her a wry smile as he walked closer to her. “Lay down your weapons.”
Kora removed her weapons holster, but kept a tight grip on the sword. He looked at her with smug satisfaction as he moved closer to her. “I suppose I owe you thanks for not accepting my offer of surrender. Makes a better ballad if I slay you in combat. It was a good try—better than could have been expected from a bunch of weary farmers. Yet, you must know this ship can operate without a bridge.”
She held his gaze, expressionless, as she waited for the explosives attached to the Kali to detonate. His eyes wavered for a moment as he searched her face, not knowing why she remained calm. Then a series of pops and deafening explosions echoed through the cavernous hangar. The room shuddered as the floor moved beneath their feet. He looked at her in shock as he stumbled back.
“But can it operate without its engines?”
Noble’s eyes widened hearing this. He moved to attack. Two shots rang out nearby. The two guards on either side of Kora fell to the ground. Noble and Kora looked around at where the shots had come from. Gunnar stood behind Noble with his weapon drawn. Kora looked to Gunnar, then Noble, who raised his pistol towards Gunnar. She moved swiftly to attack Noble. She wouldn’t get to him in time, but maybe she could throw him off, stop him from getting a clean shot. To no avail. Noble pulled the trigger. Bright red blooms appeared on Gunnar’s chest as he fell to the floor.
“Gunnar!” Kora screamed as she renewed her assault on Noble. She hit Noble’s arm–the one holding the pistol—with the butt of her sword. He dropped the pistol and jumped away before she got the chance to strike him with her sword. They circled each other with glowing blue blades in hand, trying to maintain their balance as the ship teetered, the ground becoming more and more unstable by the second. The Dreadnought’s nose began to shift towards Veldt. The floor tilted and parts broke away, causing them to keep moving else they would slide off.
Gunnar’s limp body tumbled and hit the wall, leaving a bloody trail from the gunshot. As the ship continued to spiral, the floor became the wall. Kora’s and Noble’s swords clashed with the echo of ten. She pushed hard to knock his out of his hand, or land a clean lethal cut, but his skill and strength had increased since they last fought.
“You just won’t give up, Arthelais. I can see why you were once the darling of Balisarius,” said Noble.
“No, I won’t give up until you are dead!” Kora pressed forward as the ship rotated again and they fought on what was once the ceiling. Loose items clattered around them, alarms blared. It wouldn’t be long until the Dreadnought broke apart and hit the ground. Noble gritted his teeth as he swung his sword with controlled hysteria. His only intention was to see her bleed and die.
He raised his sword and swung it again as Kora fought to keep her footing. Her blade slipped from her hands and fell to the ground. Knowing her only chance was to use the unsteady ground, she waited a beat until Noble moved with the rotation, to twist her body to use her elbow and upper arm to strike him across the jaw.
Noble flew back and fell to the ground from the blow. She looked around for her weapon. It was sliding across the floor towards a semi-conscious Gunnar. With eyes narrowed to slits and the deep wound to his chest still weeping blood, he caught the sword. Noble scrambled to his feet and punched Kora hard in the belly. The ship rocked and twisted as it burned through the atmosphere, heading for a collision with Veldt. She bowled over for a moment then grabbed his head with both hands as they fell to the trembling ground.
She pounded his head hard against the floor. He managed to grab her by the torso with his feet and legs then launched her over his head. She smashed into the ground. As she tried to get back up, Noble rose to his feet and picked her up in a chokehold. He tightened his arm around her neck as her hands clawed at his arms. Her mouth opened and eyes rolled back. He looked down on her red face with a sinister gleeful smile. “See. This could only end one way.”
So consumed with murder, he didn’t see Gunnar heave himself off the floor, her sword in his hand as he dragged it towards Noble. Blood spurted from his mouth with every step.
“Goodbye, Arthelais. I hope you enjoy—” Noble’s arm slackened and he looked down. Kora’s sword emerged from his chest. Kora fell from his grasp. Weak croaks escaped his lips as he touched the edge of the blade. Gunnar lifted his leg as if it weighed a ton and kicked him to the ground. Noble lay there, watching the ship fall to pieces before his very eyes. Kora took the blade and made sure he would never see anything ever again, beheading him.
Kora crawled towards Gunnar, who had collapsed from his wound. The King’s Gaze was breaking apart. There were shouts from crew trying to escape and screams from those being crushed. Large pieces of machinery fell from every direction and flew through the air as the ship spiraled faster towards the planet. Crew who managed to make their way into a dropship flew out of the bays.
Kora looked at Gunnar’s wounds, then into his eyes that struggled to remain open. “I’ll die with you,” she said to him with tears in her eyes. She stroked his face and kissed his lips when the floor beneath them shook. She whipped her head to the right to see a dropship had come loose and slammed next to them. She looked back to Gunnar and jumped to her feet, dragging him towards the dropship. She pulled him inside and ran to the pilot’s chair. Kora pressed hard on the controls and zoomed out of the hangar. The dropship rocked violently. Their dropship was hit by debris and began to spin out of control.
She grabbed the controls to stop the ship from careening into the ground and bursting into flames. She had to land this thing the best she could. Gunnar needed help, and fast. As it approached the village, she pulled hard on the throttle. Smoke fogged the windows from the damage to the exterior. The ship skipped across the burned and cratered field. She glanced at Gunnar as they bounced against the ground. It finally came to a stop near the bridge. Kora rushed from her seat and slammed the control to open the doors. She pulled Gunnar out, hoping it wasn’t too late. They had made it this far. The King’s Gaze and Noble were both destroyed for good as the Dreadnought broke apart in the sky.
Kora cradled a dying Gunnar in her arms. She touched his face and tried to keep him awake. Tears clung to the bottom of her eyes and fell down, joining the dirt and blood staining her cheeks. “No. No you don’t. Don’t you dare die on me! I’ve got a future here, and I need it to be with you.”
He smiled with a blood-coated mouth and touched her tears, wiping them away. “You’ve got a future alright. You live it for the both of us. Promise me.”
She shook her head, still crying. “Dammit, I want you. I’ve lived my whole life doing as I was told, what was asked of me. I’m tired of it. I want you alive. Why can’t I have this one thing?! Just this one thing!”
Kora began to sob and shake her head. She looked to the sky to see the escaped dropships in attack formation. Gunnar coughed up blood. His chest convulsed. She turned her attention back to him, her tears falling onto his hand, holding hers.
“Look what you did. You saved us. You saved all of us. I love you… but not for what you have done, but who you are. You are a light in the dark. Never forget that.”
She continued to sob, the pain greater than any physical torture she could be subjected to. She opened her mouth to speak, but her words remained choked sobs lodged in her throat. He squeezed her hand the best he could and his voice reduced to a dry whisper. “It’s okay… you don’t have to say it back… I know what you are… and I love you.”
She opened her lips again to speak when ships roared overhead. Dust and dirt circled around them. She looked up, expecting this to be the end, but they weren’t Imperial ships. They were unmarked vessels strafing what was left of the Imperial soldiers on the ground. Cheers erupted from behind her. Titus, Tarak, and Milius punched the air with their fists at this unseen ally. Aris stood next to Sam with his arm around her. His eyes were wide with disbelief and tears.
The villagers emerged from their stations and hiding places to watch this new battle being waged. The Imperial dropships poised to attack the village became engaged in an aerial dogfight and were blasted from the sky one by one. They scattered, trying to avoid these new opponents, but didn’t get far. One of the unmarked ships broke away and landed in the field. Devra Bloodaxe leapt out of the cockpit with a sword in one hand and a gun in the other.
Fresh for a fight, she stormed towards the Imperial soldiers approaching the village. With her gun raised she picked off the easy targets. Soldiers rushing towards her were met with her sword slashing indiscriminately across their bodies. She used both her weapons in tandem without missing a beat. Within minutes she was covered in blood and mud. One of the soldiers knocked her to the ground. Before he could set upon her, she swiped her sword just below his knees and removed both legs. He fell to the ground screaming in agony. She rose from the dirt and shot him between the eyes. Behind her, rebel ships aimed at the soldiers from the sky, sending them into the air and to their instant death.
Kora’s body shook with relief. “Look, it’s Devra Bloodaxe and the whole rebel fleet. It’s… it’s really over.” No response came from Gunnar. She looked down to see his sky-blue eyes wide open, but no heartbeat or breath. Kora closed her eyes and grit her teeth as she pulled him closer. His head rested against her chest. “I love you. I love you, Gunnar.”
She looked back up to the burning fields of Veldt and the rising smoke. The cost of rebellion is always loss. The legacy is freedom and dignity.
* * *
The sunset matched the crimson-stained soil of Veldt. A large funeral pyre blazed. In the center stood a pike with the flags of the fallen. Smoke rose like a pillar candle into the air. Hagen stood front and center before the flames next to Kora and Milius.
“From other worlds they came to fight for us… to die for us. From Byeol, Nemesis. From our own lands, Den and Gunnar. All displaying bravery heretofore unknown. To the lives lost here. To the lives lost on other worlds. To all those who refused to bend the knee to the Motherworld… may they find their peace.”
Hagen’s voice cracked as tears streamed from his eyes and the flames crawled up the pikes, consuming the flags Sam had lovingly made with her own hands as a tribute to the bravery of the warriors. Hagen cleared his throat and continued his speech. “We honor them now in the only way we can. By remembering their names when next we bring in the harvest. A season from now, a hundred seasons from now…” he paused to wipe his nose and eyes, “…and by carrying on. By carrying on.”
Eljun bowed his head to cry as he clasped the necklace around his neck. Sam stood next to him with her head resting against Aris’ shoulder. The entire village stood in respect for the dead who fought to protect their village. Above the longhouse, the banners of the remaining fighters blew in the breeze.
They all stood in front of the village bridge. Kora wore Gunnar’s jacket and stared with vacant eyes into the flames. Nemesis’ swords sparked in the flames as they were consumed with her body. Devra turned to Kora. “I am sorry. My brother was right. He always was.”
Kora looked into her eyes. “When it mattered, you came.”
“No. Not when it mattered. Not soon enough. I have much to learn about bravery from the lot of you.” Devra turned to Milius and placed a hand on their shoulder. “Perhaps you most of all. You who showed strength when we did not. All of you honor the fallen.”
Kora continued to look at the flames. A single tear slid down her cheek. Her entire face showed emotions she had masked through the fight. “Do not speak of me when you speak of honor and bravery. I lied to you… to all of you… Titus.”
She turned to the general. His eyes were filled with compassion and his lips a soft smile. “I know, child.”
“You know I am Arthelais, adopted daughter of the regent Balisarius and assassin of Princess Issa?”
His eyes twinkled in the firelight. “I know your name, yes. But you were not her assassin.”
Kora searched his face. She looked at him in confusion.
“For the princess is still alive,” he said.
She shook her head. “But I…”
He gave her an amused smile. “You thought she could be killed so easily? No… she’s more than that.”
Kora’s lips quivered. She closed her eyes and opened them again. Her mind swirled with images of the past. “What am I to do?”
“You have a reason now, do you not? To find her and to fight.”
Kora touched her weapon.
“If you do choose to fight, I will stand with you,” said Devra.
Kora gave her a nod. Milius glanced towards Tarak, who also nodded his head in agreement. “All of us.”
“And I as well,” said Titus.
Kora looked at him with deep gratitude. “Thank you, Titus.”
Tarak chimed in, “That’s our General Titus.”
They looked up to mechanical stomping. “If I can be of use…” Jimmy approached them. He held up a bloodstained antler. “I do have this. It is a most useful weapon.”
Tarak chuckled and slapped him on the back. “You wish to fight with us, robot, and find this lost princess?”
