Chapter 3
The corridors of the Jade Serpent held a stagnant silence as Admiral Lorna Holden strode punctually through them. The admiral’s prowess commanded respect that often yielded her the right to speak before any of her crew, which tended to leave most of her treks through the halls of the vessel without conversation. She was used to silence, yet this wasn’t the flavor of stillness she was used to. She knew the unsettling feeling currently aboard the ship had not been born from her rank or reputation, but rather because the news of tragedy travels fast. It was hard to tell how many crew members were patched into the active communication frequency when the young man was killed during the inspection, but the Admiral was sure everyone was well aware of the incident by now. When she heard the news she had been sitting at her desk in her quarters for roughly fifteen minutes. That was just enough time for an exhausted officer to begin to nod off.
This had become a normal occurrence as of late. Admiral Holden would man her post on the bridge for nearly one whole Earth Standard day waiting for something, or rather anything, to happen. The crew of the Jade Serpent worried for her well being, as she had never exhibited these behaviors before. Even during the intense naval campaign against the CTR she managed to maintain an average schedule. Despite growing concern, all but one member of the crew couldn’t bring themselves past their reverence for her to suggest she get more rest. The single crew member capable of this was Captain Raymus and it took him over a month to muster the courage. The following day she retired to her quarters for an hour before returning to the deck. The small segments of time spent in her personal room went undisturbed, until today. Just as her eyelids couldn’t stand to be open any longer, Lorna was contacted from the bridge. The sharp, repeating beeps from her communicator caused her muscles to tighten as she sprung into a state of sudden alertness.
She quickly moved from her room through the long labyrinth of hallways. Lorna knew a red impression of her right fist sat brightly upon her cheek, but she had no time for the formality of letting signs of her rest clear. The urgency in Lieutenant Bugsby’s voice as he called her back up to the bridge was unnatural, even for the small anthro. The demeanor of the creature gave even more wind behind her sails as she quickly approached the bridge. Honestly unsure of what to expect when she set foot on the command deck, the Admiral stopped at the door and took one last deep, exasperated breath before entering what she considered her home. “Attention! Admiral on deck!” Announced the Lieutenant, making known Lorna’s presence to all. Everyone snapped up and saluted as she made her way to the canine-like anthro.
“Report, Lieutenant,” commanded Admiral Holden as she came to a halt.
“The crew aboard the ship were hostiles. Spectre Group was able to kill two of the men on board, but one escaped. After running checks on the crew we were able to determine they were a CTR Engineering team.”
“Any casualties on our end?”
“Private Miller, Ma’am. He’s unresponsive. Raymus requested a line with you.”
“Patch him through.” It was situations like this that really made Holden curse the history of humanity. Just fifteen years ago they would have sent a scanning team made of of A.I. driven machines, sparing Private Miller his life. Fifteen years prior, however, a small band of rebels on the Titan colony thought it would be a good idea to militarize over ten thousand robotic units all programmed with artificial intelligence. The artificial intelligence, however, thought it would be a good idea to eliminate the rebels who brought them into being as well as attempt to gain control of the whole colony. After Earth stepped in with its main military corporation, Arrowhead Industries, it was ruled a war crime to implement intelligent robotics in warfare. The civil war had been the first major conflict since the law was enacted and it had been a rude awakening for the citizens of the Far Reaches to be reminded what the true sacrifices of war were. Regardless, the decade long conflict had left both the Union of Sovereign Nations and the Confederate Territories of the Reaches with many fallen fathers and even more dead sons.
During Admiral Holden’s contemplation of the situation at hand, a hologram of Captain Raymus appeared in the middle of the command bridge. It stood at about the same height of Lieutenant Bugsby and let off an ominous, blue glow. Despite these characteristics, it was clear to see that it was the mighty Captain Raymus being projected before the command crew. Though he looked just as powerful as ever, there was a touch of anguish about him. “Admiral, after further investigation of the Confederate engineers we have discovered they were trying to sneak by our blockade to search for something. We haven’t been able to uncover what they were trying to retrieve or where it may be at this time. It has come to my attention, though, that if the CTR thought it was worth sending a crew that’s well above the paygrade of an average soldier it must be worth something.”
“What makes you think it wouldn’t just be a waste of time, Captain?” interjected the Admiral.
“There’s one last bit of information that keeps things fresh, ma’am. Before he died, one of the engineers commended his companion who escaped. He said that his efforts would bring our demise. Whatever it is they are after, High Command may be interested in it too.”
“Perhaps these are just the ramblings of a delusional zealot. Why risk everything by attacking Private Miller if their end goal was so important?”
Raymus released a dull snort, “The hunger for revenge is not easily satisfied. He thought he could control that desire, but when he finally encountered us face to face, the hunger pains had become too strong. In short, he snapped and compromised their mission. We were able to locate his file through some encrypted data we picked up earlier. His brother served in the Confederate Navy. We sank his ship during the CTR’s last effort to break our blockade.”
“I see.”
“It’s your call, Admiral, but my instinct says we need to chase this one.”
Lorna tilted her head and sat in silence as she took a moment to weigh her options. “Command won’t like this…”
“Very well, ma’am…”
“However, I will not watch another young soldier’s death pass in vain while we sit idly around a mining platform. I’ll have a word with them. Raymus, take Spectre Group planetside and find where that pod landed. I’ll have Lieutenant Bugsby search the databases we’ve collected from the enemies ships so far for information about what they may have been after. Stay in touch with him while I’m away.”
“Yes, ma’am. Thank you, Admiral.”
Admiral Holden lowered her gaze as the communication ended and the cobalt image of the anthropomorphic rhino dispersed into nothing.
To the average passerby, if there were to be such thing amidst the desert of FR-1 in the middle of the night, the scene that was unfolding would seem quite uncanny. After all, there were very few times in galactic history where a gorilla had been confronted by a human who appeared to be around the age of ten. “Look, I’ve had an awful day already. I wasn’t even able to enjoy my drinks in peace. The last thing I need is to be harassed by a child with hormone problems claiming to be a bounty hunter,” said McGraw with an obvious overtone of annoyance. “Now I’m going to give you one last chance to change your mind and get on outta here.”
“You’re going to give me a chance?’ questioned Jett with a chuckle. The self-proclaimed bounty hunter then raised his left hand, in it he held an item that was very dear to McGraw. It was the ape’s handgun that he had accidentally cast aside moments before. “It doesn’t look like you’re in the position to give anything. Except up. You can always give up.” With a quick twirl of the sidearm, Jett tucked it into the back of his belt.
“You know I just took down a group of actual bounty hunters, right?” boasted the ape.
“Actual bounty hunters? I take offense to that. Just because my application to the guild has been denied seven times doesn’t mean I’m not an actual hunter!”
McGraw edged closer to the human. “I’m afraid I…” Before he could even think of finishing his thought, McGraw felt his legs being swept out from beneath him. His muscular back met the ground with resounding force before he could even comprehend what happened. The wind left his lungs instantly; he couldn’t express his disbelief that he had just been upheaved by the small human even if he desired to. Embarrassed, he shot up from his back and prepared to lunge at the small, yet seasoned mercenary. “You little…” The ape was again cut short, but this time by the sight of a high powered rifle leveled directly at his stubby nose.
“Get up. Keep moving. I know your ship’s just up ahead,” said Jett. McGraw scrambled to his feet, not eager to lose everything between his ears. They quickly made their way around the grandest spire in the area, behind which sat McGraw’s ship. It wasn’t how the anthro had left it, however. It looked like the power had been engaged and it was prepped for takeoff. “We’re gonna take it to turn you in. I warmed her up for us.”
“My ship? What the hell’s wrong with yours?!”
“Eh, mine’s in the shop. Crashed her into a market. Poor girl, I really should treat her better. The Crosby brothers told me I could hitch a ride out here anyway just as long as I told them where you were.”
“You’re the one that tipped them off?” The odd couple approached the boarding ramp of the ship. The silvery-blue sheen of the dart shaped vessel softly reflected the moonlight back toward the two. The ape marched solemnly in front of the human who elected to continually prod his victim in the spine to remind him who was in charge.
“Well yeah, I needed a ride. Besides, they kinda suck at bounty hunting so I knew regardless of if I had to fight them or you I could make the claim.”
“You’re insane. Everything about you is insane.”
“Well, they don’t pay me to be psychologically healthy. Thank the Lord for that. Is it my voice that makes you think that? Kinda deep for someone who looks like a kid, huh? Oddly enough I’m actually twenty-nine...”
Feeling it was his turn to interrupt and definitely not one to go down without a fight, McGraw turned and quickly grasped the lengthy barrel of the hunter’s rifle. With a symphony of strained whirs that originated from deep within his prosthetic arm, he altered the angle of the weapon by ninety degrees. “What’s with you bounty hunters anyway? You’re always talking when you should be shooting,” jested the ape. Jett cocked his head and gave a smirk, mocking the anthro and his attempt to intimidate him. Before McGraw could release his grip, Jett let out a cry and with unnatural force tossed him toward the hydraulics of the boarding ramp by merely shifting the rifle upward and out of his hands. The gorilla hit the ramp and rolled down to the soft ground. With an enraged snort, a puff of red dust cleared from around his nostrils. “Alright you abomination, this ends now!” McGraw jumped up, charging at Jett from his position on the ground. With his momentum and a strength possessed by few in the known galaxy, the anthro launched a punch at his targets chest. Confident in his strength over the beasts, Jett refused to budge and instead elected to attempt to parry the attack.
Jett’s overconfidence has always been considered a weakness by his peers, and that judgment may not have been completely wrong. Though he was correct in assuming his genetic alterations and physical enhancements gave him strength comparable to McGraw’s, he underestimated the speed at which the blow would make contact with his body. Jett threw his palms downward in an attempt to catch the incoming fist but only lessened the severity of the blow. Upon contact, the hit sent him hurtling approximately five meters through the crisp night air before he was able to come to a stop after another meter long skid. “I may be all about fun, but I’m still just a soldier at the end of the day. I’m sorry drongo, but playtime’s over.” Upon finishing his statement, Jett pulled McGraw’s own gun from his trousers and lined the barrel up with the ape’s center of mass. Unhesitatingly, Jett pulled the trigger. However, he was met with a soul crushing sound.
Click.
Click.
“Genetic locks, my friend,” shouted the gorilla. “Besides, it’s bad luck to kill a man with his own weapon.”
“You’re right, what was I thinking?” Jett quipped sarcastically as he threw the handgun to the ground and drew his own. “You know, I’ve been in a good deal of tussles since my augmentation twenty years ago, but this one’s gold. You’re value, mate. Too bad I’m willing to settle with taking you in dead.” Just as Jett turned off his safety a low rumbling could be heard from above the two combatants in the sky. Looking upward, they witnessed what appeared to be night opening up into day directly overhead. What looked like a circle of light and fire grew as the rumbling turned into a scream. As the object descended upon them, thoughts of the fight disappeared and instinct kicked in. “Holy shit!” yelled Jett as he dove for cover behind the nearest rock. McGraw scrambled for his ship in an even more desperate manner. Unable to see the collision from his place of hiding, Jett heard a thunderous thump and the sound of warping metal. This was followed a millisecond later by a shockwave accompanied by the resonating force of the impact traveling through the ground. As the dust finally settled around him, Jett looked up from behind his rock, gun in hand. The first thing that Jett noticed was McGraw laying motionless against some rocks not too far off. The second thing he noticed was that whatever was veiled by the remaining dust had completely destroyed half of the ape’s ship, rendering it completely useless.
The sound of vacuumized air being released from within the mysterious object accompanied a gust that moved the remaining dust away from the crash site. Jett’s view was finally cleared, “An escape pod?” he questioned. More importantly now that the main hatch had been pried loose, he was able to see that inside sat a man. Cautiously, the bounty hunter crept from behind his cover toward the vessel. The human inside sat motionless, though his eyes were open. Fresh wounds marked with shrapnel lined his neck and chest while blood trailed from his lips.Now within reaching distance, Jett prodded the man with his pistol. Expecting no response from the ravaged human, Jett jumped out of his skin as a blood soaked hand latched onto his.
No comments