Ilox Saga 1: Eris Monroe: More Than Human (6 page)

The K’Tosk mercenary was clad head to toe in heavy plasteel combat armor. An observer would be hard-pressed to notice him as the surface of his armor light-shifted to blend in with the rocks and vegetation that adorned the side of the mountain he had been climbing. For the last two hours he had slowly and meticulously made his way down the sheer cliff and jagged jutting outcroppings to reach his destination. The high flying robotic sentinels that protected this stretch of territory shouldn’t be able to detect him. They were the reason he was here, because an orbital strike or close attack fly-by to destroy the target would be detected and possibly stopped. He had a heavy pack strapped to his back and carried a laser pistol firmly holstered against his left leg. He paused in his exertions to look down once again - the precipice was almost ninety degrees straight down. The snow covered rocks he had been clinging to were large and sharp and could easily cut unarmored flesh and fabric, but as a K’Tosk his thick chitonous skin would have barely been scratched. He saw the monorail below that came out of the mountainside like a never-ending grey tongue stretching away into the distance. Surveying the valley below him he saw that the rail line snaked along a river for at least two kilometers and then began veering south towards a very small outpost. From this distance it was not difficult for the unaided eye to tell that one side of the town had a large starport as the ships were obvious and situated on variously sized docking platforms. He didn’t try to make out the types and numbers of ships; he concentrated instead on climbing with his cargo intact. Inside was essentially a small nuclear device that would deliver five hundred tons of explosive force, more than enough to accomplish his task. The concealing cover of his armor continued to blend with his surroundings as he carefully climbed down to the top of the tunnel. It had been bored from the mountain using fusion cutters at least forty years before. Long ago, this had been a primary method of transporting the raw materials of heavy metal mines to the one starport on the planet. Now there were five other starports scattered all over the mineral rich surface of this world. Soon, this rail line would be buried under countless tons of rock. If he did his job right, then the train that would soon emerge would also be destroyed along with the cargo it carried. He climbed inside the tunnel and slowed to a crawl. Even though his armor allowed him to stick to the rock walls, it was decidedly uncomfortable, especially when he was hanging upside down. The tunnel was large and wide and he finally found what he was looking for, a small vent that traveled at an angle towards the outside of the mountain. He decided to situate the device there, at least fifty meters from the mouth of the exit. It could be remotely detonated easily, but as he prepared the explosive he made sure to set a timer…just in case the signal couldn’t be sent in time to trigger the device. He had enough experience to realize that contingencies needed to be accounted for. With the device firmly attached to the ventilation shaft and the timer set to explode in the next four hours, he slowly crawled back the way he had come. K’Tosk were not expert climbers as their joints were not made for such activity – they had evolved on a world as armored mammals and preferred the flat and spare plains of their homeworld. He never paused and continued to work his way back up – with any luck he’d arrive back at his destination with plenty of time to spare. He wanted to make absolutely sure that no one knew what he was doing. For those that were going to lose their lives in the next few hours he cared nothing. It was just another job he did for pay and he enjoyed it.

The me
rcenary waited patiently for the command to be given. He’d been told to wait, so he was waiting. The air was chilled and crisp as snow had been falling and sticking to the ground for hours. Standing in front of piled up payload crates on a loading dock he was clad entirely in plasteel armor which showed no outward markings or insignia of any kind. The dock had a commanding view of the entire spaceport as it was elevated the most. The view encompassed a swath of verdant valley surrounded by mountainous and hilly terrain. Looking out over the edge of the platform railing, the merc could see for kilometers as the port rested on the top of a flat mesa. The mercenary’s helmet faceplate was open and he was smoking…lazily expelling vortex rings out of his mouth into the cold air. At a short distance it was obvious he was a K’Tosk, one of the fierce breed of humanoid aliens that had inflicted carnage on Earth’s Republic during the so-called
Misunderstood War
twenty years earlier. From a distance, only an observer familiar with K’Tosk military gear or weapons manufacturing would discern that the merc was not human. To anyone else, he would just be another anonymous gun for hire, a ubiquitous and familiar sight to those that entered or left starship ports throughout the Verge. The cargo loading dock platform was one of a dozen, haphazardly scattered in a ring centered on a control tower that guided heavy ships down to this largely forgotten pirate haven on Domovik. There were at least twenty-eight ships – all smaller craft that could hold few passengers and crew. Those ships were built for speed and were designed to carry heavy weapons and a ruthless crew. Only one starship at the dock was large – seemingly large enough to hold two hundred personnel and a large quantity of cargo. Weapons turrets bristled from the dark grey hull – it was no cargo ship but sported the insignia of the Horizon mercenary group. The starship port had an old maglev rail line extending to the north and through the nearby rugged mountains. A tunnel several kilometers distant swallowed the rail line on the side of the largest mountain in sight of the starport. A second armored mercenary carrying a heavy gauss rifle in both hands approached with his visor down.

“
Get ready. The target should be exiting the tunnel at any moment.” On the far side of the valley, a train emerged from the black pit of the tunnel. The train was still traveling at over one hundred kilometers per hour even while it was decelerating. From this distance it looked like he could reach out his hand and grab it as if it was a toy. The mercenary that had been smoking gave one final puff, dropped the still smoldering cigarette to the ground, and touched a control on his left wrist. A holopad appeared in front of him. In the distance a flash of brilliant white light and orange flame heralded the shockwave and furious sound to come. Thirty seconds after the detonation a massive blast of wind and a pressure wave hit the platform where the two stood. Alarms began wailing from multiple sources all over the starport in response. Figures could be seen running in a panic from loading docks and taking cover wherever they could find it. A few small starships hastily departed and rapidly rose into the atmosphere as if shot from a monstrous invisible slingshot. The two K’Tosk mercenaries silently surveyed the scene – the destruction of the tunnel and remnants from the train as well as the panicked reaction from people at the starport.

“That should cause a lot of confusion. Don’t you think?” As the mercenary spoke,
he pulled another cigarette from a package and lit it, cupping his hand to keep the flame alive. He drew a long pull and exhaled slowly. Through the wispy smoke, the large warship rose out of its berth, the antigravity thrusters propelling the craft upward caused a shimmer in the air as heat fought with the latent cold of the mountain air. The faceless K’Tosk gave a grunt of assent, turned and walked back the way he had come and headed to a nearby landing bay with a small one man ship perched on the dock. Inside his ship he hurriedly gave the computer the coordinates to his destination and manually took the controls as the ship blasted out of the formidable gravity well of the planet Domovik.

Nine hours and three jumps later, the ship entered
the star system known only on star maps as L5328-M. The system of five planets and two massive asteroid belts was well off the normal space-lanes – there were no navigational beacons indicated on his readout, but he already knew of his port of call and had programmed the navigation computer accordingly. As his small ship traveled further into the single star system far from the jump point, he gave a coded response to the unseen sentries that had transmitted a warning when he came within range of their deep radar scans. The robotic sentries orbited a large barren planetoid that was devoid of atmosphere - his destination. The dwarf planet was a remnant of the creation of this solar system and had not fully formed into a full planet. At five hundred and seventy-five kilometers radius it was considered a larger proto-planet, but scouts that had first surveyed this system had found nothing useful on it and it was never fully explored. The Vortex group had set up a base here many years ago and used it as a private retreat for those high in the ranks of their organization to recreate as they wished. As he landed at one of the numerous installations that Chol Cuxa lived at, he wondered how many sentients he had killed in nuclear fire. Normally such thoughts never entered his mind. He was barren of empathy for other living creatures…and only thought in strategic terms of the repercussions of such a violent act. The Horizon mercenaries had been attempting to muscle in on territory and star systems that Vortex laid claim to. This was a message they would understand.
His target had been on that train – the leader of the Horizon mercenary group was just as ruthless and cruel as men such as himself…and such men as Chol Cuxa.

Humans called it a tavern
, or a bar, but K’Tosk were straightforward and liked to use phrases that were unambiguous. He stood outside of the entertainment complex
,
he was tired and he had to report in person on what he had seen. There were other modules scattered throughout the enclave, facilities for ship repair, power supply, water and wastewater – even a few areas that were devoted entirely to food cultivation. Verinous made his way straight to where his leader had ensconced himself, the complex known as
Blood and Honor
. Chol would be living here at for the next few days, and then he would take ship and travel to another clandestine and secretive location. Chol Cuxa had survived as long as he had by frequently changing where he stayed. Chol didn’t trust modern communications much at all and wanted important messages delivered by a sentient and
in person
. No use trying to use a quantum relay or other sophisticated communication systems, as he would not use them. Verinous was used to the odd quirks of his employer and that meant he had to meet Chol Cuxa in person and deliver his report. Sounds of distant music and raucous laughter soon drifted to the mercenary as he carefully made his way through the underground tunnel passages and connected platforms that made up the bulk of the underground facility. He headed towards the central core of the port where the mass of shops and businesses were located. Business was business and the Vortex group made money by selling weapons, armor, food – basically anything someone would want that perhaps was illegal on Republic owned worlds and ports. He knew the way, he had been here before and the twisty maze-like passages were all numbered and categorized in a logical pattern. He heard the music first, and then the raucous sound of hundreds of sentients conversing, laughing, arguing and dancing. The racket was jarring and seemed somehow inappropriate when compared to the silence he had blissfully enjoyed in the familiar comfort of his personal starship. The never-ending party took place twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. The galaxy was large and there were trillions of sentient beings that were trying to make a fast credit - mercenaries, pirates, and outlaws had been coming to the Blood and Honor for years to unwind, drink, eat, carouse, fuck and enjoy the numerous pleasures of the flesh. The mercenary made his way through the hundreds of people that inadvertently barred his path. The mercenary reached the main door, which had two large human guards flanking each side. They let him pass without a word. He was expected. Making his way inside, he threaded a circuitous path through drunken dancers and wild party-goers hyped up on drugs and the excitement of being in a
dangerous
place. The patrons were predominantly human, though here and there could be seen an Evene, or a K’Tosk and rarely an Orvod towering over all others. There was even a small group of Arrasian’s huddled together scheming to make their lives just a little richer. As he arrived the mercenary surveyed the interior of the impressive building. Most structures on this planet were patched, old and rusted, but not the Blood and Honor. Its walls gleamed and neon lights beckoned outsiders to venture inside. Prostitutes prowled the multi-storied lavish outpost looking for customers armed with nothing more than smiles and their own scantily clad and perfumed bodies. A robotic MEK offered him a drink and he ignored it. He climbed stairs that led to the third floor. An overhanging platform jutted out giving a grand view of the main hall. There were at least six bodyguards in attendance as well as numerous hangers-on and slaves to attend their masters every whim. Seated on a plush cushion of pillows was a very large but well muscled Orvod male. His attire consisted of hand woven
Saklaht
silks in bright reds and shades of orange.

“What did you see, Verinous?” Chol Cuxa asked
while reclining and eating slices of a ripe golden-red fruit. Two beautiful Evene girls near the leader were naked and had been feeding him – giggling as they dangled fruit in front of his face. They never took their attention from the huge Orvod. The mercenary looked around at the sycophants gathered near the leader of the Vortex group.

“The
task is complete. It went flawlessly. No mistakes.” His tone was cool and betrayed no emotion. Of course, Verinous had been a stalwart and trusted lieutenant of Chol Cuxa for three years and didn’t display emotions other than a total desire to generate huge amounts of money. Verinous never questioned his superior, he did what he was told and he did it well. The Orvod stood, waving away his Evene slaves. He towered over all those present.