Shadow of the Blue Ring (44 page)

“Kalmar, which way?”

“Straight ahead from here,” said Kalmar, “I can’t get any kind of specifics on the base interior but I can give us a general direction. We’ll be able to find it though, don’t you worry.”

“Then lets keep moving, the sooner we find it, the sooner we end this.”

The group pressed on through the heart of the Al’cari base. With most of the Lataka and Al’cari soldiers outside, trying to deal with the combined alliance force, the number of soldiers on the inside was greatly depleted. There were the occasional Lataka soldiers attempting to block them but through the sharp-shooting of Kosare and Julio as well as James, they were able to deal with the token resistance easily enough.

“Captain Tavarez, are you Ok down there?” James heard Juarez try to contact him over the comm, “have you made it inside the enemy base?”

“We’re in and we’re moving towards the Shadow Bringer now,” James replied, “the alliance force is engaging the enemy and drawing them away from us. We should be able to reach the centre of the base without too much resistance.”

“Is the alliance force holding out?’ Juarez asked, “do you need reinforcements down there at all?”

“They were holding their own when we last checked,” said James, “I don’t want to see any more people thrown into the fight if it can be avoided but I’m sure they could use the extra help.”

“I’ll send the last of our transports now,” said Juarez, “we’ve got an opening so we can get them through safely for now. The Adeans are keeping the Al’cari occupied and we’re managing to avoid major casualties. These bastards are pretty tough though, we haven’t managed to take any of the Al’cari ships down yet, we don’t want to have to get too close but from a distance, we just can’t inflict enough damage to break their shields.”

“Are Isha and the Evening Star Ok?”

“They’re doing fine,” Juarez assured him, “your wife is a more capable commander than she would like to have us all believe. Just worry about getting that weapon assembled, I’ll watch over everything up here and let you know if anything changes.”

“I appreciate it, general, keep the skies clear for us, we’ll be out of here soon enough.”

James continued to lead the team through the interior of the base, following Kalmar’s directions towards the Shadow Bringer. Several more small groups of Lataka soldiers tried to block them off but each time, the group was able to make it through unharmed. Their attacks were becoming more and more frequent though and progress was slowing down with every few meters.

“Kalmar, how much further?” James quickly asked as another group of at least a dozen Lataka came into view and opened fire, forcing the group to find cover.

“Less than five hundred meters away from our current position,” Kalmar called back, “we’re getting close.”

They were certainly on the right track, the increasing number of Lataka attacks were a sure sign that they were getting close to the centre of the base and the resting place of the Shadow Bringer. The Lataka attacks were getting more ferocious and more desperate the further through the complex they went. Even if they couldn’t get a completely accurate location on the Shadow Bringer from their current position, the closer they got, the clearer the signal became.

“Come on, we have to keep moving!” James gave a rallying call to his team. The Lataka were defending the base with everything they had but James was not going to let them slow him down. Leaning out of cover he took aim and took down two of their soldiers who were not able to find cover in time. He signalled to the rest of them to move forward, Kosare, Julio and Ansare all moving up first, moving, firing then taking cover as they did so, hitting the Lataka and getting out of the firing line before they could counter-attack.

There was the sound of more activity above them from outside the base. James looked up through an open area of the roof to see more alliance transports attempting to land, this time the Naisan and Juyoan ground forces were joining the fight along with more Voronian reinforcements. The anti-air guns were firing again, trying to bring them down but the majority were making it through. One of the Naisan airships guarding the transports took a shot at the gun turret directly above where the team had been taking cover. The turret’s supports were knocked out, sending the still-active gun toppling to the ground, right above where James and his team had been taking cover.

“EVERYONE MOVE!” James quickly yelled. There was mayhem, the engineering teams quickly pulled the pieces of Shadow Bringer out of the way, several meters back from the blast zone but the rest of them were too close. The turret was still active and still firing, taking several more shots which were now coming down towards the ground beneath it. The force of the impacts created a powerful explosion, the force of which knocked James off his feet and sent him flying backwards several meters. He hit the ground hard, the force of it almost knocking him unconscious. He was dazed, his vision blurry but after a few seconds, he came around, he wasn’t badly hurt, it was just a few scrapes and bruises. Recovering his composure, he dragged himself to his knees, surveying the scene. There was wreckage and debris everywhere and there was a thick grey smoke from the fires around them making it difficult to see what had happened.

“Is everyone Ok?!” James called out, the condition of his team a worry for him right now. “I’m Ok!” He heard some of the calls coming back. He could hear Morelli, Ansare, Kalmar, Saavoy, they were all Ok. Connolly, Lucy and the engineering teams had managed to escape the blast radius with the pieces of the Shadow Bringer and Kyrakian was Ok too, if a little disoriented.

James dragged himself to his feet and stumbled towards the wreckage to find the rest of the team. Kristea was lain back against some of the wreckage however she looked unharmed, just too dazed to make it to her feet, James quickly helped her up. Through the smoke he could see Julio on the floor, but he looked conscious and uninjured, however there was a sickening sight next to him. Kosare was lain there and she was not moving.

“Oh no… Jaiden!” James rushed over to her and flipped her onto her back. She was hurt badly. James quickly put his ear to her chest, “she isn’t breathing!”

Everyone had gathered around where Kosare lay. No one quite knew what to say at the sight of her lying motionless on the ground, she just couldn’t die on them like this so suddenly and in such acrimonious circumstances. The injuries were bad but enough to kill her?

“Stand back!” Julio quickly said to everyone who was now crowding around, pushing them back. He ripped open the combat gear covering her chest and began compressions followed by mouth to mouth. He tried it once… twice… three times but she didn’t move.

“Julio… I don’t think…”

“It will work!” Julio snapped, “it will work… she isn’t dying like this, not today!”

He tried mouth to mouth one more time. James didn’t want to see her go like this but he couldn’t deny, it looked as if she was gone. Just as all hope seemed lost for her, Kosare suddenly let out a gasp, her eyes opened.

“Wha… What happened…” she gasped, “where am I… ?”

“Oh thank god,” James let out a sigh of relief, “well done Julio, really well done.”

Kosare looked confused but she was conscious again. It looked as if she had no idea what had happened to her and by the looks of it, no idea as to the extent of her injuries. She was definitely not going to get on her feet again, not without serious medical aid and she was still losing blood. Not a huge amount but it would add up over time if they couldn’t stop the wound.

“Please don’t tell me Julio saved me,” Kosare said, still breathing rapidly through the shock, “please don’t let me have to owe him my life.”

“I’m afraid so,” said James, “you’re damn lucky to be alive you know. You’re going to need a lot of medical attention too, we need to get you out of here.”

“I’m not going anywhere, not like this,” said Kosare, the rush of adrenaline in her system likely blocking out the pain and making her unaware of how serious her condition was.

“She’s right, we can’t move her without making it worse,” said Julio, “James, I’ll stay here with her. I’ve been trained for trauma and battlefield care back at the academy. I can stabilise the wounds and keep her alive. You all go on ahead and finish this, we’ll be Ok here.”

“Oh lovely, of all the people I have to be alone and wounded with…”

“Not your choice Jaiden,” said James, “I’m not leaving you alone here, you need someone to take care of you. We have to get the Shadow Bringer assembled and armed so we need to keep moving. Julio, see if you can get a message through to the rest of the alliance force, they’ll have field medics on standby down here. Get them in here and make sure you both get out of here alive.”

“I will do, James,” said Julio, “I’ll do everything I can to keep her alive, even if she would rather die than be trapped here with me.”

“And Jaiden, you stay alive,” James said to her, “don’t you dare go dying on me down here.”

“Well I guess at least I’m stuck with someone who will actually do everything he can to save me,” Kosare said through the shock, “the answer will still be ‘no’ though.”

“We’ll see,” said Julio, “go on, all of you, go and finish this. Get the weapon assembled and blow this place to hell and back.”

With Julio’s confident assurances, James and the rest of the crew left him with the few medical supplies that they had on them and pressed onwards. He really hoped that he would get to see them both again after this. After all, his adventures had already resulted in the death of one Castellan and he had dragged Kosare into this mess against her will when she would rather have stayed on Tolis. He couldn’t afford for either one to be killed but he had no choice but to press on and finish the mission. As much as a part of him would have wanted to stay by Kosare’s side and not leave until she was safely extracted, he had to put his trust in Julio to do it by himself.

“I hope she pulls through,” Morelli said as they continued through the base, the Lataka not having regrouped since the explosion, “after everything she has been through and everything she has survived, to go out like this…”

“She wont,” James said confidently, “she’ll make it through, she always does. We’re all getting out of here and we’re all going home. I’m not having anyone die under my command today.”

Bold words, especially as he couldn’t guarantee anything while they were in a very hostile environment surrounded by a powerful enemy. Kalmar continued to lead them through the Al’cari base, following the signal that was being given off by the Shadow Bringer. The industrial part of the base reached an end and the construction lead out into what looked like a very secure bunker at the heart of the complex.

“This has to be it,” said Kalmar, “its less than a hundred meters in front of us, it must be inside this structure. I don’t see a way in though.”

“We might have to force our way in,” said Ansare, “we’ll find the doors and set charges, it should blow them open. A structure like this should withstand the blast without any major damage.”

“Good call,” said James, “Ok, Loca, Kaldun, take the charges to the doorway and get them set, the rest of us will cover you from here.”

Ansare and Morelli took the demolition charges from Lucy and hurried across a small area of open ground to the bunker entrance. James, Kristea, Saavoy, Kyrakian and Lucy all took up defensive positions, watching for any signs of Lataka or Al’cari. The sounds of the battle were still evident in the distance, it sounded like both sides were still well in the fight and neither one was giving any ground. So long as it stayed in the distance, they would hopefully be able to complete the job without drawing too much enemy fire. From the looks of the Bunker, there was only going to be one way in or out. Once inside, they would need to ensure they did not draw too much attention or they could be trapped in there with no chance of escape.

“We’ve got incoming!” Lucy quickly warned them. A squad of Lataka soldiers were hurrying over towards them in the distance, lead by an Al’cari warrior. Morelli was still working on the charges and needed more time. James quickly took the initiative opening fire from a distance to force the Lataka from the open and slow them down but they kept on coming, despite one of them taking a hit and falling to the ground. Far in the distance, James could see more of them coming into view. It looked as if the enemy was aware of their plan and just how far they had got.

“Come on, hurry up with those charges!” James called to the others, gunning down another Lataka soldier that could not get out of the way in time, “we haven’t got all day.”

“Almost done,” Morelli called back to him, “twenty seconds.”

With supporting fire from Kristea, Lucy and Kalmar, James slowed the approaching Lataka enough to give Morelli and Ansare enough of a chance to finish the job and get clear of the blast-zone. With a press of the detonation switch, the charges went off, blowing the doors down in a ball of fire but leaving the rest of the structure standing and undamaged.

“Ok we’re clear, lets move!”

James ushered the engineering teams forward. As they moved the pieces of the Shadow Bringer across the open ground, the whole team broke cover and moved to support them as they made for the open doors of the Al’cari bunker. The Lataka were not letting up in their attack, more and more of them were pushing forwards but James was determined to hold them back. He was taking a risk but he held his ground, taking the Lataka down one after the other as they came into range. It was all the time the engineering crews needed to get out of the open but James was caught up in the moment and he didn’t retreat back towards the bunker.

“James! Come on!” Ansare called after him, “we’re clear on this side, the crew have made it inside.”

Snapping out of what had almost felt like a trance, he quickly turned and made for the bunker but the Lataka were following closely behind him. They opened fire on him as he dove for cover, one of their shots almost striking him on the shoulder as he made his move. As he stumbled, Ansare grabbed him by the arm and pulled him to cover.