Star Brigade: The Supremacy (SB3) (41 page)

They already know.
The transport sped up, closing in on the Farooqua terrorist. “How is he doing that?” Sergeant Fiyan demanded.

“Some type of intangibility?” Nwosu suggested.

Marguliese chimed in, “I can attempt to sync our shields to the variable frequency of his body.”

“How long will it take?” Nwosu asked.

“Moments,” Marguliese replied in her usual smugness. How many times the Thulican had heard that voice and restrained from punching her fake human face in…

“Do it,” Habraum ordered. “If we can’t shoot him, we’ll run him down.” The conversation continued as Khrome plummeted back into the fray, a dive-bomb of compact silvery metal. The sound of more bones breaking and more shrieks of death greeted his ears. Still, he kept an eye on Ghuj’aega, who hadn’t attempted to move—until he clapped his hands together.

Concurrently, Khrome spied the clouds gathering and flashing.

>>Warning: Substantial buildup of exotic particles!

>>Energy analysis: Similarities to previous Thasque incursion.

Two lightning bolts forked down—drilling the military transport on both sides. The massive vehicle bucked, shuddered, and flipped over, never coming close to touching Ghuj’aega. A cacophony of voices shouted in surprise from inside the transport, until comms went dead.

Everything happened in mere nanoclics—Khrome watched the transport roll over several times, kicking up dust, sparks, and hull fragments—finally coming to rest after wrapping around a jutting rocky spike with a jarring crash.

Khrome’s horror bit down harder than any jusha beast. His team. His friends.

>>WARNING: Damage to UComm Assault Transport critical.

“NO!” The Thulican hurtled away from the jusha beast horde at top speed. Suddenly they were behind him, both physically and mentally. Khrome quickly spotted Ghuj’aega approaching the downed transport with an almost leisurely stroll, his fingers glowing with bright yellow energy.

“GHUJ’AEGA!” the Thulican bellowed. “Face me!”

The Farooqua froze and glanced over his shoulder. Khrome shot forward, quickly cutting the distance between them. The terrorist smirked cruelly, and vanished into nothingness.

Khrome zipped a moment too late through where Ghuj’aega just was. The Thulican pulled to a halt and swiveled around, employing all and any optical sensors in his vast arsenal in his search.

>>Primary Threat Scan: Searching…

No sign of Ghuj’aega for miles. He was gone.

The Thulican howled in frustration, having missed his chance to end the Farooqua terrorist. But there was no time to dwell. Khrome moved to the wrecked transport, where dark curls of smoke began spiraling up from its bottom.

A quick but detailed technical scan of the vehicle told Khrome that Ghuj’aega’s attack, compounded with the crash, had been catastrophic. Standard propulsion, life support, weapons, shielding, among other systems were either destroyed or critically damaged. He flew at a side door, charred black and smashed inward by the energy attack. Digging thick fingers into the metal and twisting, Khrome pulled.

After a fleeting moment of resistance, the door came loose and he tossed it aside.

A white, foam-like substance greeted him inside the transport. Crash foam protected passengers from extensive damage. Khrome flicked the foam with his pointer finger, equal in force to that of a stiff punch for most typical beings. Micro-fissures spidered across the misshapen foam, making it crumble into clouds of whitish dust.

A dazed Habraum muscled his way out of the rest of the foam holding him inside the transport. He was surprised and relieved by the first sight to greet him.

“Khrome.” The Cerc stumbled out of the transport, his white, green, and gold field uniform powdered lightly in crumbled foam dust. “Did you get him—”

The Thulican took his superior by the arm and helped him up. “Transmatted away before I could.”

“
Fekt
,” Habraum swore through gritted teeth and rubbed his left shoulder, injured months ago. Thankfully it was mostly okay. Nonetheless, he did a quick physical assessment.
Nothing feels broken…

Khrome noticed the Cerc’s discomfort. “Your shoulder. Did you dislocate it again?” He moved to assist.

Habraum waved him off. “Just sore. Get the others.” A loud, hollow bang drew both their attention to the transport’s further end, sending a metal plate flying off the door trailed by a cloud of foam dust.

Out came Marguliese, unscathed, with Khal slung limply over her shoulder as one would a beach towel. Seeing Khal’s limp form drove an icy terror knife into Habraum’s chest.

“Lt. Al Abdullah was rendered unconscious during the crash,” the Cybernarr stated, gently laying her teammate on the earth near the transport.

“Anyone else injured?” Habraum asked, hiding as much of his anxiety as possible.

Khrome pulled out Tyris and Mhir’ujiid. The moment she laid eyes on Khrome, her already wide eyes enlarged with worry. “What happened to the jusha beasts?”

“Was dealing with them but I flew here as soon as I saw the crash.”

Mhir’ujiid jolted in Khrome’s grasp. “That was a mistake,” she warned darkly.

Khrome, ever jovial, made a “Pffffft” noise. “You worry too much.”

“And you don’t worry enough,” the Farooqua shot back, her mouth a grim line.

“Hrrmph.” V’Korram crawled out of the outlet Marguliese had created in the transport, sporting a nasty cut along his right shoulder. Following him were the TerraTroopers and Liliana, all looking wobbly on their feet but unharmed.

Upon seeing Khal, both Liliana and Byzlar promptly ran to the fallen Star Brigadier.

“Ghuj’aega?” demanded Uyull as he strode up to Khrome, two heads taller.

The Thulican shrugged. “He vanished when I went for him.” Khrome addressed the whole group, “This transport’s toast, guys. But we can rig up the comms to—”

“Not an option.” Marguliese cut him off with a terse headshake. “Ghuj’aega’s attack fried the communications array, every primary and auxiliary system of it.”

“How long will it take to fix comms?” Habraum asked.

Khrome wore a blasé look as he guesstimated. “If I do it, fifteen to twenty macroms.”

“And if I assist?” Marguliese asked with an arched eyebrow.

The Thulican glared at his teammate unkindly. “An orv.”

“Any word on Vertex, Cortes?” Habraum stretched the soreness from his left shoulder.

Liliana looked up from tending to Khal. “He’s fine, but out cold. Might have a concussion…” The doctor’s voice trailed off as she scanned the plains around her. “Anyone feel that?”

“Yes,” growled V’Korram, crouching and licking at a dark bruise on his forearm while placing his free hand to the ground. He swiveled his ginger-haired head about, both ears flattening. “Massive stampede.”

Tyris immediately extended his quarterstaff with a
CL-CHAK
and whipped it about. Byzlar reached for his holstered pulse pistol.  Fiyan raised both her right hands, her craniowhisks stiffening in gravity. “We’re going to need something a bit more powerful. Corporal, artillery.”

Uyull immediately bolted for the rear of the ruined transport.

Habraum glanced over his weary team and their allies, already having weighed their limited options. With their only means of transport destroyed, fleeing was off the table, leaving combat against considerable odds. And still they remained well within the blanket jamming communications. “Khrome, fly out and try reaching
any
UComm frequencies—”

But the Thulican shook his head. “Sorry, Captain, but I have to say no.”

Habraum felt his eyes widen as his hackles rose. “No?”

“I’m not leaving my team,” Khrome stated firmly. “Not again.”

The Cerc had no taste for this. “You’re refusing an order?”

“No,” Khrome raised both hands in a calming manner. “Only until my teammates are safe.”

Habraum opened his mouth to respond, but a noisy rustle in the tall urbrui grass to everyone’s left distracted the Cerc, which soon blew up into a murderous roar ripping through the night. Two jusha beasts burst out from the thickets, teeth and claws bared.

Liliana gasped and threw herself over Khal’s body.

On instinct Habraum fired off twin concussive force blasts. The crimson beams impaled the nearest creature through the unprotected belly, exploding out of its spine in an eruption of gooey fragments.

There was still the other beast, snarling and hurtling toward Fiyan.

But Marguliese moved faster, somersaulting through the air to intercept.

One slashing zigzag of light later, the fight was over. Marguliese landed silently in a crouch, her double energy blade burning in the night gloom. The dead beast’s carcass hit the ground in three pieces—head, torso and hindquarters.

“Shit, Marguliese,” Byzlar exclaimed, helping Liliana up to her feet.

Habraum marched toward the field of grass where the jusha beasts emerged and pumped it with a few more biokinetic bursts. Several squishy bursts signaled his attacks struck true.

“More are approaching,” Marguliese informed him.

V’Korram dragged an unconscious Khal by the leg to the safety of the transport—as much safety as a totaled military vehicle could provide.

Moments later, Uyull reemerged from the transport bearing gifts. He tossed long-volley heavy blasters to Fiyan and Byzlar, and a fair-sized repeater pulse rifle to Tyris. The rifle fit around the Tanoeen’s forearm like an oversized gauntlet. The Nirandian armed himself with two similar repeater pulse rifles, both appearing so massive it was a small miracle that he could hold them and himself upright. The three TerraTroopers readied their weapons with practiced efficiency.

“I need a gun,” Mhir’ujiid demanded. A small quiver shook the determination in her voice.

The Nirandian ignored her, aiming his colossal firearms into the distance.

Seeing this girl with nothing to defend herself, Habraum asked, “Know how to use a pulse pistol?”

The Farooqua bobbed her head so eagerly it looked ready to fly off.

Habraum heard the braying of the jusha beasts grow ever closer. His decision came quickly. “Give the lass a shooter, Corporal,” Habraum ordered without offering the Nirandian a glance.

Uyull leveled a glower at him, but did as ordered, briefly removing a repeater gauntlet to draw his ankle sidearm and toss it
at
Mhir’ujiid.

The Farooqua caught the weapon clumsily, almost dropping it. But once she properly gripped the handle, Mhir’ujiid released the safety and cocked the gun with confidence.

“Stay with Vertex, Mhir’ujiid.” Habraum gestured at the still-motionless Khal. “Fire only if needed.” The Cerc addressed the group, “Crescendo and Jakadda, flank west. Maggie and Uyull, east. Fiyan, you and I are north. Byzlar and Arcturus, south. Khrome, provide air support where needed.”

Everyone scurried into positions—and not a moment too soon. At once, half a dozen jusha beasts burst through the thick grass from the west, all fury and gnashing teeth.

Liliana clasped her hands like a gun, and issued forth a teeth-rattling sonic energy wave. Chunks of earth and grass ripped off their moorings when her rings of sound struck the beasts like a jackhammer, shattering their outer carapaces into sticky fragments. V’Korram hissed and launched himself at one jusha beast. Tackling his foe, the Kintarian immediately went for its throat with his claws—a spray of blood splattered across his armored chest. The beast shuddered and went still.

That small number was trailed by a horde of countless jusha beasts, snarling and spitting and charging—all with the single-minded goal of murder.

Habraum knew his decisions had brought them here. But self-flagellating would get him nowhere. The Cerc offered a silent prayer to the Sacred Twins—a habit resumed since rejoining the Brigade.
Earth is my Mother, Sky is my Father, guide the hands of my CT and myself. Keep us whole and safe.

After his prayer, Habraum raised both glowing fists to fire. He would survive this to see Jeremy
and
Sam again. “Attack!” the Cerc bellowed.

And under the Inorskii Fields’ dark crimson skies, the battle was joined.

Awareness returned slowly to Taorr, trickling in little by little. By the stupefying amount of pain seizing his jaw, the Ttaunz wished he had remained unconscious.

Taorr opened and closed his mouth experimentally, noting that no bones had been broken or dislocated. But by the empty space and odd tang of blood in the back of his mouth, he could tell a tooth or two was missing. Then there was the knotted stand keeping him upright—neither hard enough to be stone, nor soft enough to be living flesh...

Taorr sensed he was placed in a kneeling position on small, pebbly stones digging into his uncovered ankles. The soft crash of foamy waves close by told him they were near a coastline, maybe Kakencha Beach?
That beach has rocks similar to this,
he thought.

He had no clue how much time had passed, but clearly Ghuj’aega had transmatted them again.

Taorr finally ventured to open his eyes and saw at least a dozen Farooqua standing around. He found himself unaffected by their sudden appearance, though curious—they were cloaked mostly in the black of night. Lanky outlines and the long, stringy hair identified them as Inuu, a tribe residing mainly on Faroor’s coastlines and islands.

Then, Taorr turned to whatever was propping him up. The Ttaunz looked up to see Ghuj’aega at his side, sinewy and chiseled as if anticipating an attack. If the Ghebrekh sensed Taorr waking up, he gave no indication. Ghuj’aega now addressed the Inuu with flowing, swirly arm gestures—gentle motions telltale of Inuu kineticabulary.

Taorr understood Ghuj’aega telling the Inuu how they made a smart choice by allying with him. In response, the Inuu nodded in agreement as he spoke, but made little other movement.

So the Ghebrekh got to the Inuu as well?
The same Inuu who swore to Taorr three months ago that they wanted no part of Ghuj’aega’s evil. He should be angry, but he had realized sometime after his capture how hopeless his fight for peace really was…