Battle Beyond Earth: Insurrection (18 page)

"Not a big fan of going underground when we only know one way in or out," Jones said to Alita.

"Why?"

"Getting buried alive? Think of a worse way to go?"

"I am sure there are plenty. Don't worry about it. We've got plenty of people to come looking for us if anything goes wrong."

"Providing the heat isn't too much. How do we know there aren't more of those Cingenes up there, or even down here? They could be waiting for their moment to pounce."

"Paranoid much?"

Jones did his best to smile. "Paranoia doesn't necessarily make me wrong. I don't like this at all. If it were this easy, then Irala would have come and done it himself a long time ago. There is something he isn't telling us."

"Probably, but Taylor will get to the bottom of it. He always does."

They went on for five minutes and reached the lowest point, the only lighting in the dark spaces the torches mounted to their shoulders and rifles. Taylor switched his rifle selector to flare and fired off three of the bright blue lights into the darkness beyond.

The light spread into every corner and revealed vast catacombs and arches, and yet there was nothing on the floor space at all.

"Guess they had time to clear out?" Jones asked.

The Guardian continued onwards without another word and led them through one room after another. It became deeper and deeper below the surface. The interior was much like the Aranui vessels, stark and simplistic, but with a level of elegance and sophistication in design not seen amongst the other races. They reached a room at the far end and what had been a huge and lavish fountain. It was built into the side of the walls and stood five metres tall, but there was no sign of any liquid. The Guardian strode right up to it and pushed its hand into one of the openings.

They heard a clunk and a mechanism activate. A square entrance two metres wide slid open. It had previously been entirely invisible to the eye.

"What is this?"

"The secret access tunnels of my people's government," replied the Guardian.

"And you know how to access them?"

"Only a handful of the most loyal subjects ever did. This was passed down to me many of your centuries ago."

They passed through three more such hidden doors before finding themselves at an elevator. It was barely large enough for ten, caked in dust, and yet several lights still flashed at a control terminal.

"No way, that can't still work," muttered Jones. He sounded worried.

"It will work for another three thousand of your years."

"All right, let's do this," said Taylor.

* * *

Babacan took a seat at a table that he had been ushered to. Benli and the rest of the Cingenes around him appeared unusually kind and friendly from the few experiences he had received from their kind in the past. Several large platters of food were delivered to the table that was now occupied in equal number by Babacan's people and Benli's. The leader gestured for Babacan to help himself to the food, and he could not refuse. He took what resembled flat bread. It was a bastardisation of what he was used to.

"We haven't seen any life beyond our own for many years," Benli opened the conversation, "Thought we had been left out here all alone."

"I had no idea any of our people had inhabited this world."

"No, you wouldn't. Only that wretch Jafar would know."

Babacan felt his spine tingle, as he sat up a little taller at the offence towards his master.

"That's why we are here, didn't you know?"

Babacan was starting to sense the trouble they were in, even if he didn't yet understand the situation.

"What did you do to warrant such a treatment?"

The Cingene leader looked even more aggrieved by his question than Babacan had been over the mention of Jafar.

"What did we do? What did we do!"

Babacan felt his hand reach for the rifle slung at his side. His hand stopped just millimetres from the grip. He knew he needed to avoid contact if at all possible. Benli leapt to his feet and began to circle the table. Everyone was on edge. The tension in the room was so thick, it was clear a fight was almost certainly imminent.

"Your Lord Jafar banished us to this world for doing nothing more than what our families have done for thousands of years. For as long as our people have lived."

Thieves, liars, and bandits; just because you have done it for so long, doesn't make it any better. You're still scum!

He thought it but held his tongue. Benli continued circling the table, and finally stopped beside Babacan.

"Your Lord Jafar, the saviour of our people. What did he do? Overthrow the greatest leader our people ever knew, and make allies of a pathetic and puny race of weaklings. Jafar is a disgrace to our people, and I would have him know it."

He smacked Babacan in the face as if to challenge him. The impact was enough to almost make him fall from his seat. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the companion beside him squeeze the trigger on a pistol he had quickly drawn.

"No!" he yelled.

But it was too late. The shot rang out, and he felt blood splash into the side of his face. He turned just in time to see the body of Benli fall with a bullet almost dead centre between his eyes. Babacan was speechless. He saw a gun being raised and reached for his own. There was no choice.

They seemed to have been walking for almost an hour through a never-ending maze of rooms, corridors, and hidden doors. They saw not one sign of life, or even of anyone having disturbed the places they had been through.

"This is creepy," said Jones.

"You're only just now getting that vibe?" asked Alita.

The Guardian was approaching what looked like yet another dead-end that they expected to pass through, when it stopped.

"This is it."

"What?"

"The door I do not know how to open, Colonel."

"What? What do you mean?"

"I cannot open this door."

Taylor looked down in front of the Guardian. There were two fine footprints in the dust. They were Aranui prints, long singe faded and barely visible.

"He did try," Taylor whispered, as he pointed to the evidence.

"Then why would he lie to us?"

"Because he cannot admit that he was here, Jones. He said it himself; it is a crazy story that not even his people believe. And now he cannot sneak away to try again."

"The Aranui live pretty much forever, and they are far smarter than we could ever hope to be. If he couldn't solve this, in what, hundreds of years, how are we supposed to?"

Taylor shook his head.

"I really have no idea, but I am not going to give up just yet," he replied calmly.

A light flashed, and an Aranui warrior projected before their very eyes.

"What is your purpose here?"

Most of them took a few cautious steps back, but Taylor stood his ground.

"I am Colonel Mitch Taylor, and I have come for the Tamir, the Pauri Tao."

"Why?"

"I was sent by one of your people, Irala."

"Why?"

"Because we need the spear. We need it once again."

"Not acceptable."

Taylor stopped to re-think his strategy.

"What does it want?" Alita asked.

"A genuine reason to give up the only thing it values."

He looked back to the Aranui projection that was awaiting his next attempt.

"You are Rua, aren't you? The great hero of the Aranui people?"

"I am the memory of Rua."

"What is it you really want from me?"

"To know if you are the one, one worthy of carrying the Pauri Tao. For if you are not, you shall never enter this chamber."

"Worthy?" Taylor asked.

"Yes."

He stopped and thought, trying to consider every possibility in his head. Almost fifteen minutes passed without a word from anyone as he tried to find the answer. He was starting to believe now that it could indeed be real, and that was only making him more desperate to lay his hands upon it.

"I fight with your people for our very survival. We fight against the same evil you did, Bolormaa and her spawn."

No response came.

Taylor collapsed down onto his knees in desperation, still trying to think of a way.

"Why have you come? You are not one of us."

Taylor was shocked to hear it. He had expected only responses to his words, and not a prompt.

Maybe there is more of Rua in there than just knowledge.

"Why me, and not one of your own? Your people will not believe in you and the Pauri Tao, but I believe, and I will do anything in the hope of one day placing my hand on such a weapon."

"Why? My people have no will to fight Bolormaa."

"But I do," pleaded Taylor, "I will fight her with my own hands until I draw my very last breath. I will fight her with everything I have, and all that I am. I will give my life to end hers, because I know what evil she is."

"Irala, he would not take up this weapon and fight?"

"No, none of your people will, but they can be led back to the right path. They are desperate. But I am not. Give me this weapon, and let me use it for what you showed the universe it could do."

"Do you have the convictions to fulfil this task?"

"I do. I would give everything for one chance at ending the curse that is Bolormaa. I do not ask anyone to do this task for me. I only ask that you give me the chance to do with my own hands what I cannot without the Pauri Tao."

Rua seemed to smile just a little, and then vanished.

"Where are you going?"

Taylor collapsed to his knees and screamed, "What more do you want from me?"

But they soon heard a vast winding mechanism begin to turn, and the enormous wall began to part, revealing it was four metres thick. A tear came to his eye when he realised they had done it.

"Unbelievable," said Jones.

The rest of the Immortals began cheering as the doors slowly drew apart. Alita rushed forward and wrapped her arms around his neck.

"Would you really give it all, everything you have?"

"Yes, he would," replied the Guardian, "That is why he was accepted. He gave what no other was willing to give."

"You knew Irala came here, didn't you?" Taylor asked.

"Yes, I know all that Irala does."

"And will he know this upon our return?"

"Yes."

Taylor knew he would take it hard, as it questioned his commitment, as well as that all of the Aranui, but that was trouble for another day. He got to his feet and strode through the doors. A series of lights came on. The room was little more than a very secure vault ten metres square. At the centre was a plinth and stand holding what looked like some kind of pole weapon.

"What is this?"

As he approached, he could see that it was not a weapon at all, but a staff with a bizarre hollowed dome atop it that was covered in inscriptions.

"Is that is?"

"No," replied the Guardian.

"Don't say that," Alita said, "This has to be it, or what are we doing here?"

Taylor reached forward, grabbed the staff, and lifted it from the plinth. It was lavishly decorated and inscribed in a language he did not understand.

"What's the deal?" he asked, thrusting it at the Guardian. It took the staff and carefully studied it. The others waited impatiently for some news.

"Well?" Jones asked after ten seconds had passed, and they had heard nothing.

"Is it the spear?"

"No, Colonel."

"No!"

"But there are clues here that may lead you to it."

"This really was a wild goose chase," Jones said.

"Well, that's just fucking great!" Taylor snapped.

He stood there speechless and about to ask another question of the Guardian when the primary comms console on his arm lit up. He accepted the transmission and shouted angrily, "What?"

He immediately heard gunfire in the background, and muzzle flashes lit up Babacan's face.

"We are under heavy fire. We need immediate assistance!"

Taylor saw it was an open channel to all parties in their task force.

Oh, shit! Does it get any better?

"Just hold tight. We are coming!"

"Bring that with us!" he shouted at the Guardian and rushed back in the direction they had come from. As they ran, he hailed the Guam. Song quickly responded.

"Update me, Commander, what the fuck is going on?"

"Colonel, Babacan and his team are under attack. Our forces are attempting to reach them but are meeting heavy resistance trying to get into the village."

"They won't last long by themselves!"

"I know. What would you have me do? Every man, woman, and child in that little town is taking up arms."

"Do whatever you have to."

"Like what?"

Taylor stopped and took a deep breath, knowing he wasn't going to make it in time to make a difference himself.

"You can strategically strike from orbit with pinpoint accuracy, can you not?"

"Yes, we can, but at what target?"

Taylor took one last deep breath, realising what he was about to do.

"Target all grids with armed combatants, and neutralise."

Song could not respond for a few seconds.

"We'd have to wipe out the entire population to do that," she gasped.

Taylor nodded.

"I can't..."

"Yes, you can!" Taylor interrupted, "This mission and our people are more important than any collateral damage. We did not cause this fight, but if we must do it, then so be it."

Song shook her head in disbelief.

"This is my mission, and you are under my command. Do it!"

"We'll never be forgiven for this."

"No," he replied solemnly, "And now you know the price we must pay to win this war. Do it, Commander, now!"

Song nodded grimly and relayed the orders.

"Aye, aye, over and out."

The transmission ended, and Taylor rushed back into a sprint to retrace their footsteps. They could feel the ground rumble around them as barrages rained down from orbit, and they knew they could not get there in time to do anything.

* * *

The sun was low in the sky when Taylor finally reached the surface and made his way towards the Cingene town. Far off they could already see smoke arising from several areas, and half the structures had been flattened. A fire still raged at the centre.

"Oh, no," said Alita in despair.

"What have we done?" Jones murmured softly.

The odd gunshot rang out in the distance as they approached, but it wasn't the sound of war, but of execution and ending wounded lives. Several Human and Krys soldiers were being stretchered away to the Stormers, with more walking wounded behind them. Lieutenant Hartley stood on the outskirts. He was facing them, but seemed to look straight through them in a kind of daydream. His face was pale, and it was clear he was in shock.

Taylor strode up beside him and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"You okay, son?" he asked him.

"I will be," he finally replied with some confidence. Though Taylor couldn't tell if that was put on to save face. Taylor, who had first befriended the Krys, was accustomed to seeing their dead in great number, and it meant little to him unless they were friends. He had learnt to hate them so early on that no amount of their deaths bothered him. And yet he understood that it was a very different scenario for Hartley and the rest of them. They had grown up in a world where Humans and Krys were equals and lived together in peace. To him, it might as well have been Humans they had butchered.

"You did what had to be done, good work," said Taylor. He took his hand away and carried on to the rubble of the town. Bodies of fallen Cingenes lay scattered all around. There was none of their own amongst them. He hoped they had not lost any, but it was more likely they had been moved before he got there. A mound of rubble before him partially covered the bodies of two Cingenes. One that was clearly a youngster, and yet died with a gun in its hands which it was still clutching to.

He spotted Babacan at the centre of the village. Three bodies lay around him, and he stood frozen like Hartley had been.

"What the hell happened here?"

Babacan shook his head.

"There was nothing I could do. When the first shot had been fired, they would not stop."

"Well who fired first? Actually, no, don't tell me, it doesn't matter now."

Jones and Alita reached his side and were still looking around in absolute horror at the bodies all around them.