Star Brigade: The Supremacy (SB3) (62 page)

Khrome cringed, having never dealt with time-space issues.

>>Analysis Solution: Warn Star Brigade in advance…

With a thought, Khrome activated his Star Brigade comms.

“Captain Nwosu! Star Brigade CT-1! Come in!” He only received crackling static.

>>Warning: Transmission failure. Reconnection unavailable.

The receiver shut off the comm channel?
Khrome was baffled, until he realized why.

>>Recollection archive: Unsanctioned transmission at 0809 orvs, Akkabe Plateau.

>>Transmission Analysis: cross-referencing call time with previous call received at Akkabe Plateau.

The transmissions’ times and audio were identical. “It
was
me!” Khrome just hadn’t called CT-1 yet…until now. The Thulican shook his head in bother. “Time/Space shenanigans,” he grumbled.

An internal beep brought Khrome’s attention back to his display of ongoing military chatter.

>>Warning: UComm and Ttaunz Defense Force identified location, moving to intercept.

Khrome’s eyes narrowed into gold slits as he pondered his next move. Even at his current speed, Mach 5.88 and climbing, UComm might reach him in at least ten macroms. He had to lose them.

Khrome dove and the sun-kissed ocean filled his entire vision.

At the last instant, he pulled up just above the surface, cutting a crisscross of bowl-shaped waves across the water.

>>Estimated Time of Arrival: Forty-five macroms.

At this moment, Habraum’s consciousness hung by a thread, red and green spots dancing before his eyes. It felt like his body had aged fifty years in five nanoclics. Showers of geyser drops hit his skin like hot needles. Ghuj’aega, all blue skin and bones and gleaming white tattoos, stood over Habraum triumphantly. His bony hand gripped the Cerc’s armor chestplate, sapping his life away.

“Death comes quickly, Habraum, for you and your
Star Brigade
,” Ghuj’aega spat merrily. “I have foreseen it.”

No
. Habraum refused to succumb, shaking his head.
Not this way.
Khrome and Uyull deserve justice!

Teeth chattering, the Cerc triggered his powers and a familiar energy flooded his body. However, the biokinetic power came more like a slow trickle than a bursting dam. Habraum grimaced, digging deeper.
Our lives depend on it.
After a long moment, the dam burst wide open. He forced Ghuj’aega’s weakening grip off his chestplate. The more he pushed, the faster his strength returned. No more spots filled Habraum’s vision, which revealed Ghuj’aega’s insufferable confidence finally cracking.

As the Cerc slowly climbed upright, the withered feeling in his muscles and on his blood flow all faded.

Ghuj’aega’s frown became full-sized frustration. He snaked a hand back at Habraum, who slapped it away and rose to his full and supple six foot five inches. The Cerc’s body throbbed with constant, refreshing biokinetic power. He had no clue how his abilities had reversed Ghuj’aega’s aging effect, but now wasn’t a time to guess.

Confusion filled Ghuj’aega’s flat face. “H-How?”

Habraum’s reply was a biokinetic-charged right cross to Ghuj’aega’s face, spinning the scrawny Ghebrekh fully around. The Cerc dropped to a crouch, cat-quick, unloading thick crimson blasts from both fists at the Ghebrekh’s back. Ghuj’aega smashed against the rim wall face first with a thunderclap. His body nearly vanished under the gushing radiance of Habraum’s onslaught.

As if someone pressed “play,” Akkabe Plateau’s ruined terrain sprang back to life. Marguliese, Tyris, and V’Korram all simultaneously glanced about to find Habraum and Ghuj’aega’s current locations.

“
Take him
,” Habraum ordered. No explanation was needed. Marguliese’s burning blue eye beams and three different volleys of pulse rifle fire converged with his biokinetic blasts. Ghuj’aega’s body shuddered and shook from each hit. It stunned Habraum how little fight the Ghebrekh was putting up, until he noticed rays of
pink
sunlight cascading down. Qos no longer covered Herope. “The eclipse was supercharging him,” Habraum murmured.

The captain turned to Marguliese, gesturing at their target. She charged and swiped at Ghuj’aega’s head with her energy sword…only for him to vanish again…reappearing behind Habraum.

The Cerc anticipated this. Spinning around, he sank a biokinetic-charged fist into Ghuj’aega’s stomach, followed directly by another concussive blast that nearly launched Ghuj’aega up into orbit. But Habraum firmly gripped the scruff of Ghuj’aega’s neck, ensuring the little bastard felt every iota of his wrath.

As soon as he ceased his attack, Marguliese rushed in. Her brilliant blade erupted out through the Ghebrekh’s belly. Ghuj’aega gaped at the gruesome wound, his insides sizzling loudly like cooked meat.

Marguliese casually tossed back her drenched mop of crimson hair, which had come entirely loose. “For Khromulus,” she stated flatly, but Habraum caught the venom in her words. V’Korram stalked closer, soaked and twirling his scaphe daggers expertly. Tyris, Fiyan, and Vaas kept their pulse rifles trained on the terrorist, ready to fire at even the smallest movement. Ghuj’aega shuddered and slumped to his knees in defeat. Trickles of blackish blood dripped from his mouth. He sucked in short, desperate gasps as the white tattoos covering his body darkened. Ghuj’aega stared up in disbelief at his surrounding foes, looking so small and breakable.

The Cerc stared down at the beaten Farooqua with an icy hatred. “Honestly, how did you
think
this would end?” Habraum’s voice was hoarse and hard. He aimed for Ghuj’aega head, his fist glowing with crimson energy.

“Reign, we’ve got company coming in hot!” Khal shouted on comms.

Instants later, Habraum felt his teeth rattle.
Another skyquake?
The answer came from a trio of diamond-shaped shadows soaring toward them through the pale red sky. The Cerc recognized them instantly: Ttaunz Defense Force aerial interceptors. “Why the hazik are they here?”

“Reign,” Marguliese stated, her sword still lodged through Ghuj’aega’s back. “They’re arming weapons.”

It happened too quickly. Along the sterns of each interceptor, weapon ports opened and peppered the foggy terrain in a hailstorm of blistering emerald fire.

The pungency from the pulse beams fused into the geyser haze, making Habraum’s eyes water. Blinking to clear his vision, he spotted a windy ribbon of scorch marks across the terrain from the Ttaunz interceptors’ warning rounds.

“NO, you klonkers!” Habraum muttered, barely fighting the urge to aim up and blow those interceptors out of the sky.

A ping on their comm channel sounded—a new party requesting access. Habraum sucked on his teeth in fury and nodded to Marguliese. “Strategic Assault & Reconnaissance Brigade,” proclaimed a male with that sing-songy Ttaunz accent. “Ghuj’aega is to be taken into Supremacy custody.”

The look Habraum exchanged with his Brigadiers along with Fiyan and Vaas, ranged between understated confusion from Marguliese, to plain murderous in V’Korram’s case.

“Are you greybricking me?” Habraum spat. “We have a standing kill order on Ghuj’aega.” He glanced at the kneeling terrorist with Marguliese’s energy sword sticking out from his stomach.

This did not sway the Ttaunz Defense Force. “Our orders are to bring Ghuj’aega into custody.”

Ghuj’aega spasmed and coughed up more bloodied spittle.

BRRKSSHHH!!
Another geyser blew just outside the rim wall. Habraum came back with, “And the TDF was ordered by the UComm to stay out of our business.” Done with this conversation, he raised his glowing fist to aim for Ghuj’aega.

VEEP! VEEP!
Two white-hot blasts from the lead interceptor blew up chunks of rock on either side of Habraum.
Warning shots.
V’Korram’s furious roar thundered across the terrain. Fiyan and Vaas protested via comm channels. Tyris swung his repeater blaster, about to target the interceptors. Marguliese didn’t even blink, still as a statue.

Seething, Habraum lowered his arm.

“We were told to disregard UComm’s orders,” replied the soldier on comms with smugness so palpable it was nauseating.

Rogguts
. Habraum could not have hated anything more than the Ttaunz right now, including Ghuj’aega. He turned to the trio of ships floating overhead. Through the all-pervasive geyser steam, Qos continued slipping away from the cherry sun behind the vessels. “On whose authority?” the Cerc demanded, expecting to hear Defense Minister Haemekk’s name.

“Maorridius Magnus, Supreme Ruler of Faroor.”

Habraum and Tyris traded a stunned glance.
Maorridius
Magnus, back in charge after Liliana cured his life-threatening illness.
This is how he shows gratitude?

“This matter is under UComm jurisdiction, so I don’t recognize your Viceroy’s bullshit authority,” Habraum bellowed, too furious to remain composed. “Go flutter on back to your master, then.”

“Ttaunz Defense Force!” a voice shrieked out, clearly not part of the comm channel. Taorr ran into the fray, flailing his hands. “Let Star Brigade complete its mission!”

Ghuj’aega’s chuckle was an ugly rasping from his torn diaphragm. “The little prince wields his overwhelming power.”

Marguliese gave her blade a hard twist, and the Ghebrekh trembled. How Ghuj’aega wasn’t dead astounded Habraum. “Stay back, lad.” He waved Taorr away, doing a double take on Mhir’ujiid appearing next to the Ttaunz. She held the Ttaunz back in a rather acquainted manner.
Good “friends” indeed
.

Zojje also emerged from the mist, trailed by Khal and Liliana. The doctor leaned heavily against him, coughing. Blowing out a heavy sigh of relief, Habraum nodded gratefully at Khal.

“Good to see you alive, Taorr son of Maorridius Magnus,” the voice from the lead interceptor stated genuinely. “You know your father.
His way
is the
only way
.”

That warmth vanished when addressing Habraum. “Captain Nwosu. This is your final warning.”

The weapons banks on the sleek ships lit up brightly. V’Korram paced back and forth like a caged panther. “I was about to say the same thing,” Habraum replied casually, glancing at Marguliese.

The Cybernarr’s left eye flashed a jagged, cerulean starburst. All three interceptors shuddered suddenly, but held position.

“What the—” the once arrogant voice exclaimed. Then, remembering he was on an open comm, the Ttaunz regained some repose. “Every system just became nonresponsive.”

“Ours, also,” another panicky male voice added, probably from one of the other ships.

“Likewise,” declared a third Ttaunz voice, this one female. The ships hovered in the sky, unmoving.

“What’s happening?” an awestruck Vaas asked.

Tyris, V’Korram, Khal, and Liliana all moved toward their field commander, needing no explanation.

“Nwosu?” Fiyan demanded over the comms. “Is this Ghuj’aega?”

The Ttaunz were less polite. “What have you done to our ships, human? Release—”

Habraum switched off the comms to address Marguliese directly, “How long can you hold them?”

Marguliese’s glare was glued to the interceptors. Every so often, a faint grimace rippled across her golden face. “Three ships are more challenging with no direct contact to any,” she admitted. “By accessing one ship to override its network to the others, I paralyze all three for sufficient intervals.”

Habraum stared. “Meaning ‘long enough.’ Let’s finish this.” He turned to the approaching Brigadiers. “Crescendo?” Cortes advanced on Ghuj’aega’s left, still wobbly. Regardless, she pointed her clasped fingers like a gun. Habraum, standing on the Ghebrekh’s opposing side, aimed his fist again—just as the terrorist slid off Marguliese’s blade and slumped to the ground.

Habraum froze, hazel-gold eyes wide. Ghuj’aega flipped onto his back abruptly and quickly.

“DOWN!” Habraum barked, ducking. The other Brigadiers did as told.

Marguliese, however, stood too close as the Ghebrekh slammed his hands together. She moved quick, bridging backwards at the last instant.

Jagged black lightning zigzagged through the air right over the Cybernarr’s belly—impaling the nearest interceptor ship.

Habraum recoiled. “Fekt.”

Marguliese reared up with a sharp roundhouse kick to Ghuj’aega’s jaw. The terrorist flopped onto his side where Liliana crouched and drilled Ghuj’aega’s chest with her signature ring-like soundwaves. The Ghebrekh twisted on the ground with a horrible screech.

Girl’s got great aim
, Habraum mused. Something behind him sent a shiver of goosebumps across his skin.
A new energy signature?
Habraum bucked his teeth and wheeled about, only seeing the interceptor struck by Ghuj’aega vibrating back and forth. Soon, large dents appeared all over the ship’s surface, followed by the wings and nose crumpling in on themselves like tin foil with loud crunches.