Critical Strike (The Critical Series Book 3) (19 page)

Six Unity bikes, with their helmetless croatoan riders, powered over the field. The croatoan from the fallen bike lay face down with a rifle strapped to its back, not moving a muscle. Mike took a deep breath, scrambled to his feet and ran.

Two heads appeared above the edge of the basin.

Mai frantically gestured him forward.

Gib held up one of his prototype weapons, a thin metal tube with a trigger at the bottom of it. He knew the workings of hover-bikes and harvesters better than most and had created targeted radio frequency pulses to confuse the electronics within them, causing their engines to cut. They were due to trial it later, but Mike had no complaints about the results of Gib’s spontaneous pilot test. He felt like kissing his scaly little assistant.

Rifle fire crackled behind him. The Unity croatoans had reached Augustus’ vanguard and an aerial battle commenced. Ten of the city’s ground troops poured over the side of the basin, a mix of human and alien, and advanced forward in pairs, carrying out a controlled firing maneuver toward the enemy.

No longer able to run, Mike slowed and wiped his brow. His lungs burned and his heart thumped against his chest. If Unity could manage to hold the attack at bay for a short time, his small team would have a chance to refine the failed weapon.

Reaching the edge of the steep slope that ran down to the buildings on the first step, Mike smiled down at Mai and Gib. “I’m glad to see one of us can get it right.”

Gib blinked and the corner of his mouth twisted down. “Tested with family this morning. Weapon works.”

“You saved my life.”

“Get yourself down here,” Mai snapped. “You’re too old to be running around.”

The firing ceased.

Mike turned to look.

Two of the attackers’ bikes were down; the other three hovered in the air above the trees, without their riders. The Unity force surrounded the bodies on the ground and inspected them.

They had little time to waste and he wanted to get straight back to the workshop. “We need to get moving—”

Mai cupped her cheeks and her eyes widened. “Look out!”

Mike spun around. The croatoan from the stalled bike had raised itself from the mud. It pointed its rifle at him and fired.

A searing pain shot through his elbow. The force of the projectile threw him forward, down the steep slope between Mai and Gib.

Mai screamed.

Mike tried to grab something to slow his tumble but couldn’t gain any traction. He tucked in his injured elbow as he gathered pace toward a log cabin, spinning out of control and bashing against small rocks.

Clenching his teeth to fight against the pain, Mike braced himself for impact. His back slammed against the cabin wall and the world above him faded to black.

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

Augustus stood amongst densely packed pines, two miles from Unity. The morning sun still hadn’t burned off a thin layer of mist that hugged the forest floor. He placed his hands on his hips and gazed at the clear blue sky through the sparse canopy.

The advanced scout group had still not returned from their reconnaissance mission. He deployed them to establish the strength of Unity’s defenses on all sides of the basin. They were ten minutes late.

Footsteps thumped along the needle-covered ground. Augustus looked over his shoulder. Zoe jogged up the track and slid to a halt, invading his personal space. “Sir, we’re all formed up and ready to move on your command.”

“Any news on the scout group?”

“Nothing yet. They might be here in a few minutes. Better late than never.”

He stepped toward her and crushed her toes under his boot. “Say that last line again.”

“Better late than never. It’s just a saying. I don’t…”

“Would your execution be better late than never?” He applied more downward pressure. “Why did you modern people make up weak phrases to excuse bad behavior?”

Zoe squeezed her eyes shut and gasped. “I didn’t mean anything by it. You’re hurting me.”

Augustus released his boot and patted her on the shoulder. “History will soon be ours to write. Part of it will be purging these pithy accoutrements that disguise ineptitude.”

“Yes, sir,” Zoe said, although her confused facial expression left Augustus in little doubt that she didn’t have the faintest idea what he was talking about. “What are your orders?”

“I’m going back to the shuttle to check on the status of the scout group. You will receive my orders shortly.”

Zoe nodded, turned, and jogged away, impeded by a slight limp. Painful reminders didn’t last as long or do the same kind of damage as psychological ones, but they were ideal for short-term motivation.

Three of the croatoan shuttle team were monitoring the movements of the hover-bikes. They were supposed to report to him if the scout group were a minute late, and the reason why. They didn’t. Somebody had to pay for not providing Augustus with a situation report. He couldn’t stand for incompetence this close to achieving his master plan.

As much as Augustus disliked field punishment, more would be required. The two crucifixions didn’t have the desired effect of frightening everyone into line. This time, the guilty person or alien would suffer the same fate as Saint Marcus, the Bishop of Arethusa.

Augustus imagined the guilty party being stripped naked. Screaming in agony as they were stabbed all over with pencils and quills, smeared with honey, and hung in a basket for bees and wasps to devour. That would get his message across.

The camp was set up in an old barracks next to the forest. Augustus swept aside the decaying chain-link fence and headed for the crumbling concrete parade square. His shuttles had landed in the center of it. The soldiers occupied the ramshackle single-story buildings and makeshift tents around them. Nobody attempted to breach their defensive ring last night. He personally saw to the planning, now they were in touching distance of the snake’s lair.

Zoe and three other commanders stood in front of their respective troop formation at the far left side of the square. His cavalry of one hundred hover-bikes sat in a single row along the opposite end.

Today would be the day that the tyranny of Unity ended and Augustus would establish a new golden era for Earth. He was well aware that sometimes to create, one must first destroy. He couldn’t get Aimee’s smug face out of his mind. She smashed his mask and humiliated him. Crows would feast on her corpse.

Augustus smiled to himself and headed for the shuttle. The buzz of conversation in the air died down. The army’s anticipation of his orders sent a tingle down his spine.

One last check in the sky confirmed no hover-bikes were in the distance. He trudged up the ramp and entered the side of the shuttle.

A pungent stench of rotten fish and garbage hung in the air. Despite spending centuries with the croatoans, he still hadn’t quite gotten used to it. Not even a scrubbing brush and scented oil could remove it.

Two croatoans and one human peered at a map on the front HD screen.

Augustus bashed the carved globe on the end of his golden baton against the metallic internal wall. “Update me.”

The man’s head snapped around. His panic-stricken face didn’t bode well. “We’ve lost contact, sir.”

“Lost contact?”

“We’ll reverse the recording and show you.”

One of the croatoans thumbed a black control pad. The screen flickered and showed six red dots.

“These are the bikes leaving for Unity forty minutes ago,” the man said, pointing to the map. “They approached from the south in a cluster formation.”

The red dots moved up the map in a tight circle. Seconds later, they split and vanished from the screen.

“Please tell me that’s not what I think it is?” Augustus said.

“They took evasive action and formed into a combat line. We haven’t had a response since.”

Augustus squeezed the baton in his hand in an attempt to remain composed. It had to be Mike, Mai, and their new weapons. Nothing else would take six bikes out in one hit. This only increased the urgency in his mind. Unity couldn’t cover the whole of its perimeter. What he needed was a diversionary attack to draw their strength away from the main thrust.

“Do you want us to keep monitoring, sir?” the man said.

“Why didn’t you report this to me?” Augustus said. “I asked to be informed the moment anything suspicious happened. This is more than that, wouldn’t you say?”

“It could have been a technical glitch. I was just about to come and see you,” the man said. Augustus moved toward him and he raised a hand in front of his face. “It won’t happen again, sir.”

Both croatoans turned to look at Augustus. He didn’t want to show himself losing control in front of his army, but he had the cover of the shuttle.

“Do these two understand English?”

“Yes,” the man said as his hand pathetically trembled. “If you speak slowly.”

Augustus looked between both aliens. “Hold him down and make sure he can’t move.”

They grabbed a shoulder each and dragged the man to the ground. He grunted and attempted to resist, but a human would never beat two croatoans for strength, and his face slammed against the rough charcoal floor.

He turned his head to one side. “Give me another chance. I promise I won’t let you down.”

Another chance might be granted if people were watching. Augustus could show himself to be merciful. Unfortunately for this man, he didn’t have that luxury. “If I excuse you of disciplinary measures, what happens when the army finds out? They’ll see me as weak. I can’t afford that to happen.”

The man squirmed a few inches under the croatoans’ heavy restraint. Augustus knelt by his side, raised his baton, and thrust it down against his head. It connected with a dull crunch.

The man’s arms relaxed.

It was years since he’d done dirty work like this, and the intoxicating feeling was almost as good as a goblet of root wine.

Augustus brought the baton down five more times, delivering repeated heavy blows. Blood spattered against his mask, but there wouldn’t be any need to clean it. It helped with his warrior leader image and would soon be joined by the yellow and red stains of the Unity hybrid mongrels.

“Back to your positions,” Augustus snapped at the aliens. “I need you primed and ready to take off.”

Both released their grip and returned to their seats.

“Dump his body over the forest,” Augustus said. “We’re moving out in ten minutes.”

***

Sacrifice was the way of the world. Augustus approached his soldiers and knew that some would give their lives today.

He’d made many sacrifices of his own to reach this moment—agreeing to help the croatoans with their integration program, defecting to the scion, who would soon sweep all before them. The biggest of all was positioning himself as leader and walking a tightrope between the two species. His reward, however, was in touching distance.

Zoe glanced up at his mask and took a sharp intake of breath. “Are you okay, sir?”

“Of course I am. I want you to immediately take two thousand troops to the western end of the basin and launch a flanking maneuver. Hold your position just short of the built-up area and draw them out.”

“Where are you attacking from?”

“I’ll lead a general advance directly at the town from the south, once you have their attention. Make sure you stay in radio contact and report any enemy movements. Do you understand?”

“Yes, sir. You can count on me.”

Augustus smiled. He knew he could, but her team would take the heaviest casualties after Unity reacted to the threat. His feelings for Zoe had waned since their initial rutting, but he would make sure she was remembered in history as one of his brave commanders.

“I’ll give you forty minutes to get into position. Confirm any counteractions and attack immediately.”

Zoe controlled the human contingent of Augustus’ army. They were more expendable in terms of resources. Croatoans numbered far less on the planet, but they could operate the more sophisticated resources he had at his disposal, and couldn’t be replaced as easily.

Maria stood at the end of the front rank. She bowed her head when Augustus fixed his glare on her. The possibility remained that she could be used as leverage. Once they saw the overwhelming force they faced and came to negotiate with him.

“One last task before you go,” Augustus said to Zoe, keeping his voice low, knowing that she’d enjoy it. “Restrain Maria and have a croatoan bring her to me.”

“With pleasure,” Zoe said. She turned away and spoke with another commander.

An alien from the rear rank of his group division bounded around the back of the humans and pulled chrome rigid cuffs from his hip compartment.

Maria spun around, saw the alien approach, and backed away. “I’m with you, Augustus. You don’t need to do this.”

“I’m sure you are,” Augustus said. “But I intend to maximize your presence.”

The croatoan wrapped her in a tight one-armed hug. Maria struggled, slapped a hand on its visor, but couldn’t stop the cuffs being crushed around her wrists.

Augustus moved toward her while the croatoan kept her in a tight hold. “Let’s see how your friends in Unity react when your life’s in danger.”

Maria dropped to her knees. “Please. I’m on your side. I can speak to them for you. Tell them what will happen if they don’t leave.”

“Leave?” Augustus laughed. “There’s only going to be one side in an hour, and you’ll find out that you chose the right one.”

Zoe’s piercing voice echoed around the square, barking orders to her division. They marched away through a gap in the buildings toward their destiny. Augustus stood in front of the remaining army with Maria at his boots. “Men, women, and croatoans, the time has come to start our advance. Your actions today will be legendary in the future centuries. Grab history with both hands, and together, nobody can stop us.”

Augustus turned, walked forward, and raised an arm.

All one hundred hover-bikes raised twenty meters in the air and twisted to face north. The shuttle’s engines roared, blasting out a rush of warm air through the mouth and eyeholes of his mask. Thousands of boots crunched on the cracked concrete behind him.