Resurrection (The Inherited War) (26 page)

The floor began to violently shake.  Loose equipment began to rattle over the now bucking floor.  The pile of Esii dead shifted and collapsed blocking the hallway and giving the embattled trio a break from the fighting.  Cole fought for balance and couldn’t begin to imagine what fresh hell the Esii were unleashing upon them now.

The tremor slowed then stopped all together.  Cole quickly resumed his position and waited for the Esii to attempt to break through their mound of dead all over again.

“Cole,” Split hissed over his com.  “We need cover.  We should not be in the open.”

“What?”  Cole screamed.  “What do you want from me?  If I could shit us some cover I would but we are fucked here.  These bastards will eventually over run us.”

“No Cole.”  Split grabbed him and spun him around.  “The bomb we sent down the shaft detonated moments before the tremor.  That bomb was not that powerful.  Something bad is coming.”

As soon as Split had stopped speaking Cole began to hear it.  Air whistling by his external pickups.  The only time he had ever heard that particular whine before was when a ship lost pressure in space.  They weren’t in space.  So on a planet with atmosphere and a means to keep it on the planet when do you hear a whistle like that.

Stupid, Cole thought to himself.  When something big explodes and burns up all the oxygen and the surrounding stuff races in to fill the void.  “Shit.  Grab what you can and run.”  Cole reached down and helped Anastacia to her feet and grabbed what he could and shoved it into his pack.  He shoved both Split and Anastacia in front of him and pushed them down the hall.  He started to feel a definite drag on his body.

Then he felt it.  He felt it vibrate out from the middle of the planet.  He heard the door to the machine room get ripped from its moorings and get sent at top speed down the hallway into the piles of Esii corpses.  Cole didn’t waste any of his breath on shouting or screaming he just moved his two friends as fast as he could down the hallway.  Cole had never been run over by anything or anyone before but he imagined that it would feel like this.

The concussive blast that had torn the door away from the machine room and been diverted, slightly, down the hallway they were in.  Cole swore it happened in slow motion.  He felt the wave slam into his back and lift him off of the floor at the same moment it hit his friends and lifted them off of the floor.  They were well over one hundred feet from the mystery door that led into the unexplored region on his map.  Split and Anastacia were knocked all the way to the door.  They landed a few feet short and slid the rest of the way, coming to rest against the door itself.

Cole didn’t make it as far because he had clipped his head on a now slightly saggy piece of roof.  One that had broken away and sagged down after the earthquake.  Cole went tumbling end over end and came to a rest about halfway to the door.  He managed to retain his consciousness for a few seconds.  He got himself orientated back down the hall and began to raise his weapon before the hallway in front of his eyes started to blur and then finally tilt.  His eyes rolled into his head and the reports of broken bones, internal bleeding, and concussion from his nanites went unnoticed.  Cole slipped into the blissful quiet of unconsciousness.

~

Cole snorted violently and woke up.  He looked wildly around and tried to remember where he was and what the hell had happened.  He took stock of his situation.  His armor was on and working, he was armed and was lying on his back in a hallway that looked like it was about to come crashing down in any moment.  Then he saw the reports from his nanites.  Broken femur, various ribs and a cracked skull.  Punctured lung and a slight concussion with a small bleed in his brain.  Well that would explain his memory loss but then it hit him.

He rolled to his side and looked down the hall behind him.  He saw Split and Anastacia fetched up against the door.  Both were slowly starting to stir.  He looked to their vitals and saw that they took less of a beating than him and were relatively unhurt.  His nanites where doing their jobs and healing him and dulling the pain.

Cole turned onto his stomach and started dragging himself down the hallway towards his companions.  He stopped to grab his rucksack as he neared it.  He wasn’t sure how the damn thing had managed to come off his back.  He shouldered it and continued.  Split had made it to his feet and was attempting to help Anastacia stand when Cole heard it.

He stopped crawling and rolled onto his back then into a sitting position.  His suits externals were picking up a slight shuffling sound from the way they had come.  There was only one thing back that way.  Cole scooted himself over to the wall and using it and his weapon as crutches, managed to make it to his feet.  His suit decided to be helpful at that point and it hardened around his injured leg effectively turning the material into a cast.  That along with the nanites blocking the pain of standing on a broken femur, allowed him greater mobility.

“Split you there?”  Cole called out over the comm.

“Yes...” his voice sounded shaky.  “Yes we are here.”  That sounded much better.

“We have incoming, when I get in range I will open the door.  Get yourself and Anastacia inside.  I will shield you from their attack and work my way back to you.”  Cole got to within ten feet of the door and stopped.  He placed his hand on the wall and closed his eyes.  He ignored Split’s protests over his plan.  This door was different than the last few.  This door had safeguards woven into the opening commands.  Cole forced his shaken mind to focus and find the memories he needed to operate it.

“Split you have to get in there and then find something to hold the door open long enough for me to get through.  Once I break contact it will close.”  Cole waited for a response.  “Damn it Split, did you hear me?”

“Yes we heard and will comply.”

Cole refocused his attention on the door.  He gave the proper mental commands and the door hissed open.  Cole heard the hiss.  No door he had been through had hissed when it had opened before.  God he hoped it wasn’t too bad of a sign.

Cole watched as Split aided Anastacia through the doorway and further into the room.  He helped her to a sitting position and ran back to the door.  Cole was paying attention to Split and didn’t notice the Esii that had come around the corner down the hallway.  They opened fire before he could react.

There were only five of them but they were using kinetic weapons.  The rounds started to slam into Cole’s chest.  The armor functioned properly and absorbed most of the energy but it still staggered Cole backwards and his hand broke contact from the wall.  He didn’t have time to worry about what was going on behind him, he shifted his attention forward and began to fire.

More Esii were pouring into the room from around the corner and firing at Cole.  Cole turned his body sideways, giving the Esii a harder target to hit.  Warning lights on his armor started to go off.  The rounds where begging to impact harder on his body.  His suit was failing under the onslaught of massed fire.

  Cole’s body was giving out as well.  He collapsed when his leg could no longer support him.  He continued firing as he tried to get back on his feet.  He felt the first round tear through his suit and penetrate flesh.  He looked down at himself and saw more rounds entering his body.  Then he saw a small black metal cylinder come to rest at his feet.  He continued moving as best as he could down the hall.

He watched the small black object and he just couldn’t bring into his mind what it was.  He knew he had seen something like it before and his brain was screaming something at him.  But the connection just wasn’t happening.  His battle mode had so completely kicked in at this point his brain was working faster than it ever had before.  He could actually see the individual rounds plowing down the corridor and into his suit or body.

He was only a few feet away from the small device before he finally realized what it was.  He smiled to himself, happy that he finally figured out what it was.  It was a grenade and it was exploding.  He watched as the small device blossomed into a rapidly expanding globe of concussive force.  He turned his head away and looked toward the door.  Something massive was in the door frame and holding the doors open by sheer force of will.

For the second time today Cole felt his body being snatched up off the floor and thrown through the air.  He hurled past the giant in the doorway and into the room.  He saw the floor as it dropped a few feet after he cleared a balcony.  His body slammed into the floor and bounced twice before sliding to a halt some fifty feet into the room.  A smear of blood stained the floor from where he had impacted to where he had finally come to a stop.

His suit had been so utterly overwhelmed that the force of the blast had torn the helmet portion of the suit nearly all the way off.  It hung like a piece of torn skin off the back of his head.  Blood ran from his eyes, mouth, nose and ears.  He lay, arms and legs akimbo, in a slowly expanding pool of his own blood.  His eyes wildly rotated in his skull and he choked out a breath of air.  His chest stilled and his eyes lost their focus. Slowly the last breath he had taken bubbled its way out of his lungs and hissed from his mouth.  Shortly thereafter his heart stopped and his body began to cool.

The occupants of the room slowly made their way forward and surrounded his body.  Male voices could be heard cursing their captors and swearing in vain for their destruction.  In the distance alarm klaxons began to blare.

CHAPTER 19

The transport came out of warped space at the extreme edge of the system.  It was typical looking for a transport.  Longer than wide and aerodynamic for atmospheric insertion.  Wings and tail fin for maneuvering and lift completed the design.  This transport, like its mothership, was mat black and blended into the night sky.  As small as it was you wouldn’t even see it until it was right on top of you, but it could still hold upwards of fifty tight packed beings in its hold as well as its crew.  The ship reentered normal space in a very advantages spot.  By re-entering space near the systems singularity it avoided being picked up by local scans.

The system contained three celestial bodies of note.  The first being its massive yellow star in the systems core.  It was by far the largest yellow star so far discovered in the galaxy.  The second was the one and only planet to inhabit the system, Chrysalis.  It hung like a massive gemstone in the face of the enormous yellow star.  The last was the systems singularity.  Light hours away from the systems primary star was a black hole that, by all reasoning had consumed the other planets in the system, if there had ever been any, thousands or even millions of years ago.

It was too far away from the planet or the yellow star to pose any threat, in the immediate future.  But it was destined to consume both planet and star in the due course of time.  For now it acted as a massive source of quantum radiation and sink hole for the ships arrival.

“We never could have done that in a normal ship,” remarked Thalo as he reconnected to the ship and trimmed the heading and nudged the speed up a bit, “or with a normal ships computer.”  Thalo referred to the ships having come out of warped space just past the event horizon of the black hole.  A few miles off in the wrong direction would have had them past the point of no return and have them find out what happens to someone as they spend eternity being stretched by the super gravity of black holes.

“No praise necessary, I live to serve.  Well not live but you know what I mean.”  The excited voice of the ships AI filled the cockpit.  The cockpit of the human transport was modeled along the same lines of the bigger ships.  It had its holo screens and a few consoles but those were for emergency use only.  The real controls of the ship where in the linkages on the three chairs in the cockpit.

Thalo was like Cole and preferred to pilot human ships from the ships perspective and not with a virtual bridge.  “No, no you did a great job.  We came out right where we wanted and the black hole either covered our reentry or will prevent our signature from making it to their sensors.  Good job.”  Thalo also loved to torment the AI.  Needless to say the AI didn’t handle praise very well.  It had spent its long life in charge of meaningless tasks and systems or in forced hibernation while the AI’s waited for the return of humanity.  No one had ever thanked it or told it, it had done a good job.  In fact it had never even picked a name for itself, Thalo mostly just called it “hey you” or “computer”.  “Now let’s see if we can sneak in or have to use the clearance we got from my government.”

Chrysalis was a unique planet in the galaxy.  For all anyone else knew, it was a planet sized diamond orbiting around the systems sun.  Upon its more recent discovery, some ten thousand years ago, it had been the focus countless attempts to mine the precious gemstone.  Though many had tried over the years, none had been successful in their attempts. Finally, the combined governments of the Nixa. Worlders and a few other various systems had moved in to protect the wonder from would be fortune hunters.  They had established a permanent presence in the system and policed the local space in order to protect the natural beauty of the system for all to enjoy.  They had built a very posh space station that catered to the ultra-wealthy as well as less ostentatious stations to house those of lesser means.  The Chrysalis system was the premier vacation destination around the galaxy.

No one was allowed closer to the planet than the nearest station.  No one except researchers who had permission from at least one of the protector governments.  Permission that Thalo had obtained from his government before they had left.  Papers that specifically allowed them to not only get in a very close orbit of the planet but also allow for them to land on the surface.  That would only be as a fall back though, if everything went as planned no one would ever know they had been there.  If they had to use the permission they had received, there would be a record of them being there and they really wanted to avoid that.  Thalo set in their course and disconnected for the ship.

“We have about two hours until we get there.  We should go get ready.”  He glanced at his companions in the cockpit.  Sky was a bad case of nerves and Snow was still not used to traveling in human ships through warped space.  Jeth, who was also on the ship but too big to fit in the cockpit, was in the troop transports cargo hold.

Sky wasn’t holding up well to the constant delays that kept slowing them down.  She was punishing herself for every day that went by and Cole remained a prisoner.  The longer it took the worse she was getting.  Not sleeping, not sleeping and blaming herself for everything that slowed them down was eating away at her resolve.  Thalo was worried that if they didn’t find the Kin fast enough, she would order their return and subsequent attack on the Esii.  No matter how disastrous that might be.  Only two things kept her upright and going.  Cole and her sister. 

Snow had slipped into the role of nursemaid.  She forced her sister to sleep when there was time and eat even if she didn’t want to.  She played devil’s advocate when her sister needed someone to be mad at.  She focused Sky’s anger and frustration at the job that needed to be done.  Snow poked her sister in her too defined ribs.

“C’mon sis, let’s get the meds ready.”  Snow grabbed her sister’s hand and tugged her to her feet.  She led the way out of the cockpit and to the small makeshift infirmary.  The former command room located behind the cockpit had been repurposed for the mission.

It once housed com systems, video feeds and command and control nodes.  The room had been gutted and retro fitted with four medical gurneys and a cleared space in the corner for Jeth to rest his bulk.  Above the beds and the space cleared for Jeth hung computer controlled IV bags.  IV’s that would be hooked up to all five of them and provide the unconsciousness that would allow them to penetrate the planets exterior.

“I’m tired,” Sky whispered to her sister, “and afraid.”

“Afraid?  Afraid of what.”  Snow walked up to the first gurney and started the checklist for the procedure.

“That we are already too late.”

“No.  Not too late, not yet.  Thalo said he would know through Split if Cole was,” she paused as she fought to find the right words, “lost to us.  We still have time.”

“I am afraid that it has taken us too long because he will be changed, or hate me now.”

“Hate you…”

“Yes hate me for not coming sooner.  Hate me for being tricked by that…woman.  Hate me for getting him captured.  Hate me for not trying harder.  Hate me for my people’s culpability in the delay.  Hate me because… because I wasn’t there when he needed me.”  Sky broke down and grabbed at her sister.

The door to the aft troop compartment was closed and so was the door to the bridge.  The doors and walls blocked out the noise from the ship.  Sky’s sobs resounded loudly in the small space.  She clutched at her sister and railed against the universe.  She screamed at Cole’s captors and shouted curses at her people.  She finally collapsed onto the floor taking Snow with her.  They both held on tight and cried.

Sky had never reached out to her sister before for comfort.  She had always been the strong older sister.  She felt the stress and emotion of the last few weeks draining out with her tears.  Snow held her tight and cried with her.  She could only imagine the depth of love her sister held for this man she had never met.  Snow looked toward the rear hatch wondering.  She hoped to find someone to love like that.  She comforted her sister as best she could.

She didn’t say anything else.  What could she say?  She did the one thing that Sky needed the most at that moment.  She was there and she listened.  She stroked her sister’s hair as she slowly began to regain her composure.

Once she heard the sobs stop and Sky’s breathing even out, she slowly pushed her sister away.  She cupped her hands on either side of Sky’s face and used her thumbs to brush away her tears.  “I am so very sorry.  I can’t even begin to understand what you are going through but I will always be right next to you.  I love you big sis and hate to see you hurting.”

Sky and Snow held each other’s eyes for a few moments before Sky finally closed hers and wiped at her eyes with her hands.  “Thank you.  I needed to hear that from you I think.  I have felt so alone since… the battle.  No one, it seemed to me, had the urgency that I did.  I know you all have been helping but I have wanted to scream, ‘Why aren’t you moving faster?  Why aren’t you helping?’”  Sky pushed herself off of the floor and stood on her feet.  She helped her sister up.  “I know you all are working as fast and as hard as you can, but it just doesn't seem fast enough.  I can’t imagine what is happening to Cole or what he is doing.  I want him back now.”  Sky turned and started to inspect one of the gurneys and IVs.  Snow followed suit and finished the one she had started checking earlier. They finished their permission checks in silence.

When they were done they gave each other a quick hug and split off to different parts of the ship.  Sky headed back up to the cockpit while Snow went back to check on Jeth.  Sky walked into the cockpit mid argument.

“Damn it, listen.  Before.  We. Get. To. The. Planet.  Before, not after.”  Thalo was shouting at the AI.  “If we get to the planet and are still awake we may not realize it but we may not get the chance to complete our mission.  We need to be put out well before we get to the planet.”

“I understand that,” the AI started to say, “my question is, why?”

“Arggg, don’t ask why just follow my orders.  You are more infuriating than Hal.”  Thalo threw up his hands and stormed off of the bridge.

Sky sank into her seat and looked at Vinco, who was trying his best to disappear into the background.  “What was that about?”

“Umm.  Apparently the AI had some questions about the plan.  Thalo wasn’t too happy explaining himself over and over.”  Vinco responded

Sky cocked her head a little and spoke to the AI.  “What's wrong?  Do you not understand the plan?”

“No, I understand what you want.  I have understood since you explained it to me days ago.  We will do it your way.”

“Thanks.  I would leave Thalo alone for a while until he calms down.”  Snow said absently.  She reconnected to the ship and brought up the forward view.  The giant sun hung bloated in the night sky.  They were closer than she had thought they were.  She must have spent more time than she thought in the back with Snow.  She saw a small glint of light just off to the right of the sun.

She focused the view on the glint and zoomed in as far as she could.  The diamond that was Chrysalis exploded in size as she zoomed in closer.  It glittered in the night sky.  This one planet held so much for her.  And for others apparently.  The space around the planet was crowded with space stations, ships of all sizes, satellites and space junk.  It was going to be hard to sneak past the mass of beings surrounding the planet.  They were probably going to have to rely on the permission of Thalo’s people to get close to the planet.

Sky was mad at herself for letting exhaustion and fatigue wear her down.   She was the leader interim until Cole was rescued, she couldn’t afford to be weak.  Thankfully it happened in front of her sister and not while she was with the fleet.  She quickly became mesmerized by a slowly rotating planet.  It glinted and gleamed in the starlight. 

She jumped when she felt a hand gently grab her shoulder and she disconnected from the ship.

“Sky, you ok?  I tried calling on the com and you didn’t answer.”  Snow had a worried look on her face.

“No.  No, I am fine I just got a little distracted looking at the planet.”  She brought up one of the flat screens and put the image of the planet on to it.  The effect wasn’t as hypnotic on the screen as it had been from the ships perspective but it was still beautiful.

“Pretty,” Snow had barely glanced at it, “we need to get ready.  Thalo says we need to get to the med bay and start getting hooked up.”

Sky retracted the screen and stood.  Snow turned and walked back out of the cockpit and into the makeshift med bay.  Thalo and Vinco were sitting on their beds while Jeth had squeezed himself into the corner.  Snow walked to her bed and sat down.

Sky started with Vinco.  She had him lie down and make himself comfortable.  She got his IV ready and inserted the needle into his arm.

“For now this will only have saline fluids, once we get within range of the planet it will add a fast working sedative.”  Vinco looked up at Sky and nodded his head.  She then went to everyone else and got their IV’s ready.  Finally she sat on her own bed and stuck the IV needle into her own arm and lay down.

“Coming up on the outer security ring.”  The AI’s voice echoed in the quiet chamber.  “We are receiving a transmission.”  The room was silent again as the AI communicated with the security personnel.  A few tense moments later they all breathed a sigh of relief.  “We have been authorized to move to the planet’s surface.  I had to transmit the permission from the Twin World’s government.”