The Athena Operation (7 page)

CHAPTER 14: AVALON

The ship landed in an open field of yellow vegetation. There was a large building to the left. Tropical foliage decorated the outskirts of the area. Dense trees ran jaggedly along either side of the field, and the sun cast everything in a yellow-orange coat of light. The planet gave off a serene vibe.

The three survivors stepped off the ship, armed and strapped in armor. The smell of fresh, crisp air with a forest scent greeted them as they planted their feet on the ground.

Ret looked out into the woods. “This is beautiful.” Despite everything that was happening, seeing the sight brought him a small feeling of tranquility.

“Let’s not get too comfortable,” Seraph said. “Come on; let’s try that building.” He pointed to the left of the field. “This place is underground, so there has to be an entrance.”

The group walked over to the building, on alert. The landscape looked untouched by war, but the men weren’t fooled. They weren’t taking any chances. Not after what they’d seen on Vidron.

Drever planted his back on the left side of the door and Seraph covered the right. Ret stood at the opening, pistol aimed at the entrance. No sound came from the building. From the outside, the building seemed like some sort of corporate headquarters or office. As far as they could see, this was the only piece of civilization in the deep jungle that covered the planet.

Drever kicked the door in. Ret stormed in first, followed by Seraph and Drever.

The room they entered was a lobby with a desk and a waiting area. Just as they started sweeping the room, they heard the chambering of a round in a gun and a loud voice.

“Drop your guns! I’ve got all three of you in my sights!”

Seraph exchanged a glance with both Ret and Drever. He tossed his pistol onto the ground and turned to face the gunman.

He couldn’t believe who he was seeing. It was Sadhis. Seraph’s jaw dropped. He held up his hands.

“Whoa, whoa, Sadhis! It’s me, Seraph!”

Sadhis took a moment to study Seraph, then lowered his assault rifle. His eyes shot wide open.

“By B'yon. Seraph? I thought you were dead!”

Drever lowered his gun and glanced at Seraph. “You know this guy?”

Seraph nodded. “Yeah, yeah, I trust him.”

Sadhis glanced over Seraph’s shoulder and his smile evaporated. He shoved Seraph aside.

“Maxen, no!”

Drever, Ret, and Seraph all ducked and spun around as the sound of gunfire filled the room.

Sadhis threw himself in front of them and spread his arms. “They’re friendly!” He screamed. “I know them!”

A dark-skinned human holding a beat-up assault rifle edged his way out of cover.

“Yeah? They don’t look friendly to me.”

“They’re a lot friendlier than you,” Sadhis said. “Now calm down.”

Maxen shook his head, but he relaxed his grip on the gun a little.

“Who the fuck is that?” Drever kept his shotgun beaded on Maxen.

“Hey, hey! Take it easy!” Seraph put a hand on Drever’s shoulder.

Drever scoffed, but he lowered his gun.

“We’re all on the same side here,” Seraph said. “Let’s just take it easy.” He turned back to Sadhis. “This is Ret and Drever. We met on Vidron. Ret’s a private, or was going to be. Drever’s a mercenary, but he's all right. Saved my ass a few times.”

“Good, we need the numbers,” Sadhis said. “That’s Maxen back there. I met him on Vidron too, actually. I don’t know much about him, but I think we can trust him.”

Drever scoffed again.

“I take it we’re here for the same reason, then?” Seraph asked.

“I guess so. I did some research on this place. We need to get to the top floor. We’ll find a stairwell that will take us down to the underground facility. Thank B’yon this place hasn’t been hit. Let’s move.”

The group reached the top level of the building and stormed into the main room. They swept the room carefully. The place was desolate, except for the desks and file cabinets. A perfect office.

“Keep an eye out for a door or a break in the wall,” Sadhis said.

Ret was riffling through a desk. He turned to Sadhis and Maxen. “Either of you actually hear anything about the status of the Confederate Chamber?”

Maxen kicked open a door leading to a conference room. “Don’t know, don’t give a flying fuck,” He muttered.

“Nothing yet, but protocol dictates that the top-ranking military officials escort the Confederate Chamber to the shelter in times of crisis,” Sadhis replied. “If they’re alive, they should be here.”

“We heard a transmission when we were leaving Vidron that said that they may be alive and at Kaken Industry Plant,” Seraph said.

A look of confusion came over Sadhis’s face. He stared hard at Seraph. “And you didn’t go back for them?”

Seraph ran his fingers along the floor, feeling for cracks. “It could’ve just as easily been a trap,” he said. “The seythra could’ve been holding the Chamber hostage, forcing a worker to send out a distress signal. Does it matter?”

“Of course it does,” Sadhis said. “Seraph, you took a sworn oath to defend the Confederate Chamber to the death. Instead, you saved yourself.” Sadhis moved toward Seraph.

Seraph sighed. “It was fucking chaos, Sadhis. Nobody knew anything. Military communication was spotty and everything was fuckin’ disorganized. What did you want me to do? Die running toward the plant? It would’ve been a suicide mission. There’s no way we could’ve gotten to them. I did what made the most sense. Trust me, if the Confederate Chamber’s alive, they’ll be glad we didn’t all risk our lives.”

Sadhis hesitated. “I’m not saying that doesn’t make sense. I would’ve gone back, though. I would’ve had to have made sure.”

Drever turned to Sadhis. “You guys really make no sense. I thought humans were too emotional, but for fuck’s sake, you fesar are way worse. You aliens couldn’t be more short-sighted. This isn’t about the Chamber or about saving anyone. It’s about survival. The sooner you learn that, the better off you’ll be.”

Seraph shot a glance at Drever. “Ironic coming from an othal, the species of peace and diplomacy.”

“I’d be the first to tell you most of the othal are fucking idiots,” Drever said. “Politicians and diplomats who care more about their consciences than they should. They’re just as bad as anyone else.”

Seraph ignored Drever. He had more pressing questions. He turned to Sadhis. “How the hell did you make it out of Vidron anyway? Where did you end up when the command center was attacked?”

Sadhis ran a hand over his head. “That’s a long story, but I’ll give you the short version.”

**

Sadhis planted his back against a crumbling wall on the outskirts of Koss. He took a moment to think, panting as he loaded a fresh magazine into his assault rifle. Ever since his morning meditation had been interrupted by the seythra’s attack, he’d been on the run. After trying and failing to reach the Confederate Chamber, he’d been faced with wave after wave of seythra. He had no idea what was going on, what the endgame was, but the seythra were too organized for these attacks to be driven by a single faction. Sadhis was convinced that this was a species-wide attempt to slaughter the rest of the universe.

There was far less destruction on the outskirts of Koss. From what Sadhis could see, the seythra were targeting big cities, major locations. He was about twenty miles out from Koss. He saw fewer seythra here than in the heart of the city, but they still outnumbered Confederate forces. Smoke still tainted the wind and interfered with Sadhis’s view of the horizon.

He turned instinctively as he heard seythra chatter, ducking and moving along one of the destroyed walls. He tried to listen as best he could. Fesar possessed the most advanced hearing of any species, and could target a location and hear everything within a ten-foot radius fairly clearly. All Sadhis heard were more orders to sweep the village before them and leave no survivors.

Sadhis took cover at the house adjacent to the one he’d been hiding behind. He was inching toward the woods, which would let him slip away and find a way off Vidron. He needed to get to the Confederate Chamber’s retreat shelter. He was holding onto the hope that the Chamber had made it off the planet already.

Sadhis couldn’t hear any movement, but he wasn’t convinced the area was clear. He ran out of cover and rushed behind another house. A seythra soldier came around behind the house, rifle at the ready, looking for hostiles. Sadhis turned, only to find the path between the houses blocked by rubble. He moved his rifle to the holster on the back of his armor. He withdrew a survival knife from a sheath on his boot.

Sadhis snuck up behind the seythra, concentrating his footsteps precisely. Once he was close enough, he brought his left arm up around the seythra’s neck and jammed the knife into the back of the seythra’s skull, killing him instantly. Sadhis removed the knife and set the body down. He pulled the body back into the path between the houses, out of sight. He grabbed the ammo from the seythra’s body and moved out from cover. He sprinted into the woods as quickly as he could.

Once he was a decent ways into the woods, Sadhis came upon a small, makeshift structure. Pieces of wood were stacked around a tree and sheets of metal were nailed into the outside for protection. Wooden planks led up the back of the tree. A small, rectangular hole was cut into the wood toward the top. Perfect for a sniper. Sadhis approached the fort carefully, gun planted firmly in his shoulder and aimed directly at the fort.

“Drop it,” A voice boomed behind Sadhis. The voice was deep and raspy. Sadhis complied. “Turn around,” the voice said.

Sadhis turned around slowly. He came face-to-face with a dark-skinned human male. His head was shaved and he was sporting facial stubble. He had an air of grim conceit about him, and he seemed like he would pull the trigger if Sadhis so much as took a breath. His body was dressed in gauze.

Seraph held up his hands. “Easy, now."

“Been watching you. You killed some of them. Be on your way and I won't kill you,” the man said.

“We’re on the same side,” Sadhis said. “And we have a better shot at surviving together than we do alone. Come with me, we can work together.”

The man raised his gun. “Just go. Be glad I spared your life.”

“You spared mine, and I want us both to keep ours,” Sadhis said. “They’re maybe fifty feet away. I know they’ve been through here. I know you’ve killed at least a couple. Their blood’s still fresh on that bark over there.” Sadhis motioned to a large tree behind him. “You're good. But together, we'd be better. That's what this is about, isn't it? Survival?”

The man shifted his weight from one foot to the other. “Been on my own for a while, still breathin’.”

Sadhis glanced at the bandages covering the man’s body. “Looks like you’ve taken a few bad shots. You may not last on your own.”

“I’ll be fine.”

“So your odds can’t get any better?” Sadhis said. “I’m just a liability? Strength in numbers, as you humans say. Is two not better than one?” Sadhis took a step toward the man.

The man tightened his grip on the gun. “You got balls, but balls ain’t enough, alien. I ain’t got nothing left to give. You gotta earn my trust.”

Sadhis heard a faint click come from the fort.

He sprang forward and shoved the man to the ground. A shot rang out from the fort and landed right where the man had been standing. Sadhis fired a dozen or so shots into the fort. He heard a loud scream and ceased fire, returning to his cover point. An assault rifle was there to greet him.

“How’s that for trustworthy?” Sadhis said. “I just saved your life.”

The man frowned and lowered his rifle. “Just so we’re clear, I ain’t palling around with you. I ain’t going anywhere with you. I’m on my own.”

Sadhis shrugged. “Up to you. But you’re going to regret it. Even two of us isn't enough to survive long. We need numbers.”

The man shook his head. “Yeah, you followin’ that advice real good, aren’t you?”

“I am, actually.” Sadhis said. “I’m a soldier, a Lieutenant Commander. Sadhis Loxai. I’m going to a rendezvous with the Confederate Chamber. We’re going to find out what’s going on with the seythra and shut them down.”

The man raised an eyebrow. “You’re going to destroy all of the seythra? Put a stop to them once and for all?” The man tried to sound indifferent, but he looked curious.

“Assuming we can’t reach peace with them, the only alternative, barring the Confederate Chamber’s orders, is to destroy them,” Sadhis said.

“You’re damn right it is.”

“So you’re with me, then?” Sadhis extended his hand to shake.

“For now, at least,” the man said. “No promises. I’m Maxen. Don’t ask about my past, don’t ask me any personal shit. You need me to help you kill seythra, fine. But our teamwork ends there.” Maxen glanced at Sadhis’s hand and turned away. “Where we going?”

**

“Maxen had a private ship,” Sadhis said. “I didn’t ask where he got it, or how. But we came here right away. We’ve been here maybe five hours. The planet, that is. It took us a while to find the building. The ship must have misread my GPS coordinates. We had to do quite a bit of walking to get here.”