Sol Shall Rise (The Pike Chronicles Book 1) (18 page)

Breeah had managed to get the other strand of rope through the loop without the alien taking notice. She sat quietly, stroking Anki’s hair, watching the alien, waiting for the moment she was sure would come. The alien wasn’t paying attention to her, but instead focused on the Security Chief who began to stir. The Diakan didn’t show any emotion, but his right hand rested on his sidearm, leaving no doubt about his intentions.

His attention shifted away from the Chief back to her. He stared at her and spoke, but not to her. She didn’t understand his language and there was no translator here, but she could tell he was using some sort of communication device. He spoke quietly, with no emotion in his voice, but something about the way he stared at her told her things had changed. She gently dropped her hand to Anki’s shoulder and softly gripped her clavicle, ready to use it as a lever to move the child. She felt her child’s body tense up and knew that she understood her silent communication.

The next bit of information came from the Diakan. His fingers curled around his weapon which told her he was going to draw. With one hand she pulled on Anki and the child rolled off her lap. As the Diakan’s weapon came out of its holster she shot her other hand out whipping one of the weighted ends of her lariat belt. The hard metal ball found its target, connecting full with the back of Kinos’s hand.

He let out a sound almost like a bark as his fingers were forced to release the weapon, sending it careening away into a stack of storage bins. Wasting no time she leaped to her feet and swung the rope over her head, the weight now just a blur flying toward Kinos. If the Diakan skull was anything like a human’s, this blow would be certain to kill.

Taking barely a second for the weight to find its mark, Breeah was shocked when it failed to connect. Somehow Kinos had gotten out of the way. Undeterred she chased the Diakan, the weight flying over her head like a propeller. But the Diakan was equal to the task and moved with precision, expertly avoiding each strike, sometimes by mere centimeters.

She changed strategy and with a flick of her wrist she sent the ball in a downward trajectory, taking away Kinos’s ability to duck. To her surprise he adapted and sidestepped the blow, only this time he dropped to the ground and spun his leg around, closing the gap between them and catching her behind the knee, kicking the leg out from under her.

In pursuing him she made the mistake of shifting too much weight onto that leg and when Kinos kicked it out she came crashing down onto her back.

“Momma!” Anki screamed.

Anki. She heard the fear in her voice and knew she couldn’t stop. She had hit the ground hard and was dazed from the impact, but instinct and a lifetime of training took over. She kicked her legs up over her head, rolling backwards onto her knees, and quickly leapt back onto her feet. But before she could stand upright a fist crashed into the side of her head and she was on the ground again.

Relying only on instinct and muscle memory now, she rolled out of the fall and got herself up to her feet again, whipping the weight around before she even stood. Her vision was blurred and she didn’t know where Kinos was, so she swung the lariat around, hoping to make contact, or at least keep the Diakan at bay until she could get her bearings.

Anki’s screams told her why she couldn’t find the Diakan. A surge of adrenalin cleared her vision enough for her to see Kinos dragging Anki up by the hair while his free hand reached around for the little girl’s throat. Instantly she knew he was too far for her to reach him in time.

Her heart crashed into her ribs and despair began to suffocate her. She had failed, and the only thing she loved in the universe was going to be taken from her. She lunged toward them, trying to reach her child in time, but she knew it was in vain.

Time seemed to slow down. A green, scaly hand wrapped around the girl’s neck and she knew she couldn’t save her child. Her despair now turned to murderous rage and she knew that the alien would not leave this room alive.

But the alien didn’t kill her daughter. He was stopped short when the Chief’s massive shoulder smashed into him. His arms and legs still bound the Chief had somehow managed to get his feet under him enough to dive head first at the Diakan. He had caught Kinos by surprise, and the impact of his heavy frame was enough to release his grip on the little girl.

Breeah now moved with all the ferocity of a tigress pouncing on her prey. In a split second she was on him, screaming with primal fury as her fingers turned into claws and gouged deep into the Diakan’s eyes. Baying in agony he tried to kick her off his back, but she would not be denied her kill. She clung to him with unforgiving strength.

Growing weaker his body lost much of its resistance and he collapsed onto his chest. Shifting her weight she maneuvered herself so that she pressed full on his upper back, pinning him to the ground. Removing her hands from his now bloody eye sockets she strung the lariat around his neck twice, creating a makeshift noose, and then pulled on the ends, leaning backwards to get more leverage. She barely registered the Chief yelling something behind her, probably telling her to stop, but she ignored him, and heaved on the rope with all her Reiver strength.

When Marines burst into the storage room, even the Sergeant was stunned by what he saw. The Chief was on his knees, hands and legs bound, shielding the little girl who sobbed uncontrollably. A few feet away from them the Diakan was on the ground with his head pulled up in an unnatural angle, eyeless sockets spilling thick black blood down his face. His head was pulled back by a rope wrapped around his neck so tight he thought it might decapitate him. On his back was the Reiver woman, pulling on the rope so hard that it cut into her hands, the blood trailing down her forearms. Her face had turned savage and twisted. Her features contorted into something primal and base. He had seen a lot of combat in his career. He had witnessed many horrors. But he had only seen that expression a handful of times.

He walked up to her calmly. She had obviously taken a blow to the side of her face and her cheek and eye were already starting to swell. She seemed to not even notice he was there. He carefully stepped into her field of vision and looked into her frantic eyes. He held her gaze until he saw that she started to register his presence. He just nodded at her and said, “It’s ok. It’s over.”

The Hermes brig consisted of a row of jail cells with honeycomb shaped graphene bars. Jon didn’t have much reason to visit it before now, other than routine inspection of the ship. He studied the room intently, looking for vulnerabilities. Anything that could help Tallos escape.

It didn’t look promising for the Diakan. The brig was well designed. The graphene bars were unbreakable, and he knew the walls of each cell were reinforced. Marines stood guard at the entrance and two more were stationed inside. The room itself was monitored by a security AI which also kept track of all the Diakans’ movements and vital signs. Any change in their body temperature, blood pressure, heart rate, or anything else would trigger an immediate response. There would be no breaking out by force.

And to think that Tallos intended to put Jon in here. Even with his abilities, Jon knew there was no chance of escape. The Diakans would have had him and St. Clair in here and that would have been the end of it. They would have been prisoners on their own ship, with the Diakans running the show. He also knew that no one would’ve stood up for him back home either. The Diakans would have made sure of that. The human puppets at Space Force would do as they were told, handing Jon over to the Diakans, never to be seen again. But it didn’t end up that way.

Humans 1. Diakans 0. His hardened features relaxed and a smile began to form on his scarred face. This was a new game now, with new rules. He stared at Tallos who looked back from inside of his cell. Aliens had been making the rules for centuries. First the Juttari and then the Diakans. He wondered if Tallos realized just how much things had changed.

“You have made a tragic mistake, Captain. You and your crew will be charged with mutiny the moment you return to Sol. I will ensure you and your officers are executed for your actions.”

“Be careful Tallos. If my symbiont gets its way, it will have you all executed.”

“Diakus will not stand for this, Captain. You have sealed your fate. Regardless of what you do to us, you and your crew are now fugitives.”

Tallos was right. Now that they had killed Diakans, and imprisoned the rest, Diakus would never allow Jon or any of his crew to walk free. They would demand the death penalty and those boot lickers in the government wouldn’t do anything to prevent them from getting their pound of flesh. And that really was the sickest of all sick things. Their own people would side with the Diakans against them. No, returning to Sol was not an option. What were their options?

“This is not Diakus. Diakus has no power here. And neither does Sol. You know something Tallos? You’ve convinced me. Neither Diakus nor Sol will stand for us, so we will stand for ourselves. You’re right, we are fugitives now.”

“If you release me and relinquish command of the Hermes, I will argue for leniency, Captain. You have my word.”

He considered recent events. If not for Commander Wolfe’s actions he would likely be in that brig right now instead of Tallos. And after all that had happened he didn’t think Tallos would take it easy on him once he had control of the ship.

“I don’t give a shit about your word, Tallos. You’re staying right where you are. And the Hermes isn’t returning to Sol. So I suggest you get comfortable, because you’re not going anywhere for a long time.”

Tallos didn’t say a word. Jon could swear that he saw a hint of fear in that expressionless face of his. If anything it would be fear of the unknown. Diakans were not used to this sort of thing. They weren’t used to not being in control. They weren’t used to uncalculated actions. Certainly they weren’t used to humans besting them. Like it or not, he was coming along for the ride.

They were going on a ride. Of that he had no doubt. He knew that their only option was to push ahead. They had burned the boats. There would be no returning to Sol now. Not so long as Diakus was in control, and he knew that wasn’t changing anytime soon.

So they were fugitives now. Surprisingly he liked the idea. For the first time in his life he felt free. Where others would feel doomed, for him it was like heavy shackles had been removed. Like he could finally breathe. The Kemmar called this region lawless. How fitting.

He sensed contentment coming from the creature as well. He realized that it felt just as trapped as he did. Now they were both free of their masters. They would just have to figure out how to get along with each other. He didn’t know if that could happen, but today was a day of new beginnings, so why not there as well. He felt the creature’s agreement. If they both gave it a shot it just might work out.

He turned and headed for the exit. He had wasted enough time on Tallos. Approaching the exit the Marine on duty saluted and opened the door for him. Walking out of the brig he smiled again. He remembered the stories he heard as a child of his father’s and grandfather’s exploits. They were considered fugitives too. He was in good company.

“This will help heal your injuries,” said the Doctor, approaching Breeah with a syringe.

“What is it?” asked Breeah, jerking her arm backward, still tense and adversarial from her battle with the Diakan.

The Doctor gave her an understanding look. Microscopic biobots. They will help repair your injuries. You have torn ligaments in your knee, a fractured jaw and cheekbone. It’s a wonder you were able to keep fighting.”

The Doctor’s words reminded her of the pain in her knee and face. She could feel the severity of her injuries and let Ellerbeck administer the syringe.

“I felt nothing during the fight. All I cared about was saving Anki. Nothing else mattered.” She could barely open her mouth to speak. The fractures restricted her jaw’s movement and there was a searing pain that accompanied each word as she spoke.

“You succeeded. Anki didn’t suffer any injuries.”

Breeah looked over at her daughter who had fallen asleep on one of the beds. She lay on her back with her arms stretched out above her head. To look at her you would think nothing had happened. Her face the picture of serenity. Hopefully she wouldn’t wake up anytime soon. The poor thing needed the rest.

“What happens now, Doctor?”

“What do you mean?”

“You have told me that the Diakans are human allies. That they liberated Earth. Yet they turned against the Captain and tried to seize the ship. Now some are dead and others imprisoned. What will happen now?”

Ellerbeck frowned. “I’m afraid I don’t know, Breeah. Only the Captain can answer that question.”

What would be the Captain’s answer? She had caused a lot of trouble for him. If the Captain never found her and Anki, he would not have tried to fight the Kemmar, and the Diakans would not have tried to take over the ship. They had used her and Anki as leverage against him. This had exposed a vulnerability. Would he be comfortable with her and Anki around now that the weakness had been revealed? What of his officers? How did they feel? The Captain’s weakness was their weakness. Would they be as tolerant?

And yet a part of her hoped they were his weakness. The feeling was more than her just wanting a future on this ship. Secretly she hoped for a future with the Captain. She knew he felt something for her. It was there every time he looked at her. He obviously cared for her daughter. He had lost his wife, and she her husband. Why not start anew?

A sharp pain knifed through her jaw, much worse than anything she felt until now, and her hand instinctively came up and gripped the side of her face. Her eyes clenched tight and nausea swept through her.

“What you’re feeling is the biobots going to work. They have traveled through your blood stream and reached your facial injuries. They are now beginning to repair them.” Ellerbeck produced another syringe. “This will help you sleep. The biobots can create a fair bit of pain, especially at the start. And you need some rest.” The Doctor injected Breeah and coaxed her to lie down.

Her head sunk into the pillow and drowsiness immediately began to set in. Looking up at the Doctor with heavy eyes she said, “I am afraid that neither of us can go home now.” Her eyes closed and she drifted off to sleep.