Void Wraith (The Void Wraith Trilogy Book 2) (2 page)

Fizgig follows Dryker to the Ghantan system and boards his vessel. Dryker surrenders unconditionally, and when Fizgig reaches the bridge points out the big ass Void Wraith factory and bomb floating like
right there
. Fizgig is all, umm...that looks bad. We should do something about that. Before they can, the Void Wraith attack, and begin boarding the
Johnston
.

Packs of Judicators roam the corridors of the ship, brawling with Marines. All of our heroes step up, and manage to converge on the bridge. They realize they can't win. There are six Void Wraith ships in the system, and just the single ship that's boarded the
Johnston
is handily kicking their collective asses. So Dryker comes up with a daring Hail Mary plan, because he has a white beard. He knows the hero's plan always works at the end, or readers get pissed off and send you hate mail.

He orders Nolan, Fizgig, Izzy (my other house cat), Hannan, and Edwards to EVA (that's Extravehicular activity--going outside the ship) over to the Void Wraith vessel, a harvester-class ship whose troops have boarded the
Johnston
. They're basically doing an end run to take over the enemy ship, since all the enemy's troops are on the
Johnston
. Those who stay behind will hold off the Void Wraith, though they will likely die in the attempt.

Nolan and company head to the Void Wraith vessel. They kick a lot of Judicator ass, including a twelve-foot-tall Alpha Judicator. Unfortunately, that Judicator squishes Edwards. We're not sure if he'll live yet. The author hasn't killed anyone up to this point. Is he a dick? We don't know.

Back on the
Johnston
, Captain Dryker grabs Mills, Juliard (a comm tech), and the Tigris first mate, Khar. They fight their way toward the
Johnston
's main gun. Dryker wants to sabotage it, so he can detonate the ship. That will kill all the Judicators aboard, improving Nolan's chances. Along the way they get into a simple skirmish, but during the fight, the causeway Mills is standing on gets hit.
 

He falls to his death in the most unheroic way possible, despite the fact that he was a total badass. Yup, the author
is
a dick. I still get hate mail about Mills's death, but there was a method to my madness. I needed to show you people that I was serious. Not, like, "George R.R. Martin, kill half the cast" serious, but that anyone could die.

Back to Nolan. He reaches the bridge, which has a VI very similar to the one they liberated from the Primo ruins. The VI monologues like a Disney villain, talking about the Eradication and how Nolan has no prayer. Judicators show up trying to kill them, but Nolan and Hannan hold them off while Lena removes the ship's VI and plugs in the one they got from the ruins. The new VI takes over and merges with the ship, giving them full control.

Around this time, Dryker and Khar set the self destruct and flee for the Claw of Tigrana. They make it aboard, but the acting captain is a real douche. He wants to lock up Dryker, instead of listening to him. So Khar snaps his neck and takes over.
 

A new fleet emerges from the Helios Gate. It's the Tigris! They've come to help Fizgig. Khar tells them about the Void Wraith, and they join the fight. It's an all-out brawl, and it's not clear who's going to win. Then a human fleet arrives! Except it's under Mendez's control, and is here to help the Void Wraith. It starts attacking Tigris vessels. Khar passes out from blood loss, and Dryker takes command of the Tigris vessel.

A Void Wraith vessel de-cloaks right next to the Claw. It's Nolan! He explains that they've figured out where the bomb is being sent. The Void Wraith want to blow up Theras Prime, decapitating the Primo empire. He asks Dryker to flee there and warn the Primo. Dryker reluctantly agrees. He pilots the Claw into the sun.

Nolan and his crew come up with a desperate plan to stop the bomb. If they can open a connection using the Helios Gate, then destroy the limiter that controls a Gate's ability to open and close, they can prevent that connection from being closed and the Void Wraith won't be able to make a connection to Theras Prime. Of course they pull it off, because heroes. The bomb blows up the Ghantan system, plus the sun Nolan connects to.

This strands Nolan until he and his crew can reach another Helios Gate, which will take four months. Nolan also deals with Edwards. It turns out Judicators are made from people, and Edwards can be turned into one. If he isn't, he'll probably die. Nolan orders him made into an Alpha Judicator, because, really, if you were going to be one wouldn't you want to be the twelve-foot-tall one with massive cannons? Hell, yes.

In the epilogue, we check in with Dryker, because there's one final question remaining for the reader: was I enough of a dick to kill Khar? No. Khar lives! The Primo rescue Dryker and Khar.

The End.

Ready to find out what happens next?

Prologue

"Fall back to the choke point," Nolan bellowed, diving into cover behind the blue bulkhead. Plasma fire echoed up the corridor he'd come from, splashing against the edge of the doorway with a hot hiss.

Hannan was already moving, her retreating form disappearing up the stairs and into the room they'd chosen to make their stand in. Nolan staggered back to his feet, pounding up the stairs after her. He risked a glance behind him, catching sight of two Judicators stepping through the doorway.
 

Nolan redoubled his pace, leaping up the stairs three at a time until he crested the landing. The room ahead was full of alien equipment, but otherwise looked empty. That drew a half smile. If this was going to work, the enemy had to believe they had him and his squad on the run. Nolan went into a slide, rolling behind a robotic assembly arm. He sucked in greedy lungfuls of air, wiping sweat from his eyes.

"Contact," Hannan yelled from across the room. She was crouched behind a stack of crates containing parts for constructing Judicators. The soft lights set in the ceiling glinted off her bare scalp, painting her features with a determined brush.

Nolan gripped his plasma rifle in both hands, taking aim at the top of the stairwell. Just in time. Three Judicators prowled into the room, their plasma rifles sweeping slowly back and forth as they sought targets. He resisted the urge to give the order to fire. Not yet.

Two more Judicators joined the first three, and all five began fanning out across the room. Nolan paused one moment longer. Should he wait to see if they could draw more into the trap? No, that was too risky. They needed to deal with them now, even if they didn't catch them all.

"Now!" Nolan barked.

He leaned out of cover, just far enough to begin firing. The plasma rifle vibrated, and a ball of shimmering blue plasma shot from the muzzle. The weapon was quite unlike standard UFC weaponry. There was no kick, and no clip to swap out. It had a battery capable of generating dozens of shots before it needed to be recharged or replaced.

Nolan's shot took the lead Judicator in the face, picking it up and hurling it back down the stairs. It tumbled out of sight with a thunderous crash, but the others were already firing. Nolan ducked hastily behind cover, conscious of the robotic assembly heating up from repeated plasma shots.

Then Hannan burst from cover. She fired two quick bursts, each downing one of the Judicators. The remaining two tried to take aim at her, but she was already behind cover again. Nolan smiled grimly, lining up a shot on the first one. He squeezed the trigger, and his shot caught the Judicator in the midsection. It went down, leaving only one target.

"Clever," a voice whispered from above.
 

Nolan jerked erect, trying to bring up the barrel of his rifle. He was conscious of something falling toward him, and caught sight of golden fur as Fizgig knocked him to the deck. His rifle skittered away across the floor, and Nolan reached immediately for his sidearm. The plasma pistols were less powerful, but still nasty in close quarters.

"Don't," Fizgig said, placing a humming plasma blade against his throat. The blade extended from a blue metal bracelet wrapped around her wrist.

"I yield," Nolan said, uttering the ritual Tigris words with a sigh.

"Your confidence--" Fizgig began.

A volley of plasma came from the far side of the room as a twelve-foot-tall machine lurched into view. The Alpha Judicator let out burst after burst of plasma. The first caught Fizgig in the chest, hurling her off him and into the robotic assembly. The second caught Izzy, who was peeking over the stairs. The third took out the last of the Judicators.

"--is well placed, apparently. Nice work, Edwards," Nolan said, rolling to his feet with grin. He walked over to Fizgig, offering her a hand. Her fur stood on end, like she'd put her tail in a light socket.
 

Edwards lumbered closer, the massive Alpha stepping daintily between crates.

"Your confidence," Fizgig said again, as if he hadn't spoken, "borders on arrogance. I am disappointed, Nolan." Her tail swished back and forth, expressing her agitation.

"We won," Nolan said, resting the barrel of his rifle against his shoulder. "Isn't that what counts?"

"Did you?" Fizgig said, a low growl coming from deep in her chest. It was damned unnerving, and Nolan had to resist taking a step backward. "You led a single enemy squad into a trap, and while you successfully executed the trap, you sacrificed
your
life to do it. If this was war--a real war--what would your troops do now? You are dead. Would Hannan take over? Is she capable of leading your forces?"

"I'm just a squad leader, not a captain," Hannan said, rolling her shoulder experimentally as she approached. "Damn, that shot I took from Izzy earlier really stings."

Izzy had crept back up the landing, though she looked more than a little worse for wear. Her white fur had puffed out from the plasma shot, and she looked more comical than lethal. Nolan tried not to laugh. Despite Fizgig dressing him down, he was proud of his victory.

"Maybe you're right, but this was just a scenario. Not a real battle. In a real battle I shouldn't be commanding a squad anyway. That's Hannan's turf," Nolan protested, meeting Fizgig's feline gaze.

"There you are wrong," Fizgig said, showing an ample supply of fangs. "A commander commands. It does not matter if she is commanding infantry, or a starship. You must be adaptable, and you cannot sacrifice yourself for short-term goals."

"I haven't been trained for that," Nolan said, sighing. "We're not Tigris, Fizgig. I'm not a bad shot, but I'll never be able to fight like Hannan."

"Never?" Fizgig asked, her gaze smoldering. She took a pace closer to Nolan. "You are intelligent, determined, and a fast learner. You
can
learn to fight. You
must
learn to fight. Do you know why we so easily overcame humanity during the Eight Year War, Nolan?"

"Because you had superior technology," Nolan replied immediately. It was the line often given by UFC command.

"No," Fizgig snapped. "We won because we adapted. We won because we are willing to learn new technology." She ignited the plasma blade on her wrist, raising it to show Nolan. "I had never even seen one of these until a few days ago, yet already I am proficient in its use. Why have you not picked one up?"

Nolan was silent for a long moment. Her words struck him like a physical blow. "You're right. Clearly I'm operating from the conventions I was trained under. I'm limiting myself."

"I'm glad you can see reason," Fizgig said. Her tail stopped swishing, and she smiled.
 

"We have--" Nolan checked his chronometer; his resolve firmed. "--eighty-one days before we reach a Helios Gate. Starting today, I want you to train me for an hour a day with one of those plasma blades. We'll spend another two hours drilling squad tactics, like today. Afternoons will be tactical theory."

"What of me, Captain?" Lena said, creeping cautiously over the stairs. "I'd like to be included in this combat training, yet I must also have time for my studies. We possess both the Primo VI and the one commandeered from the Void Wraith."

"Your top priority should be data parsing those," Nolan said, using his forearm to wipe sweat from his forehead. "It would be good to get you combat experience, but the things you discover could determine whether or not we win this war with the Void Wraith. They've got a three-month head start on us. I need you to balance that."

"Yes, mighty Nolan," she said, nodding deferentially. It was new, at least from her. The haughtiness was still there, but it was tempered by respect now.

The next few months were going to be hellish, and Nolan knew it. Not the training--
that
, he looked forward to--but the wondering. What were the Void Wraith up to?

Chapter 1- 81 Days Later

The last three months had been hellish. Dryker gripped the curved railing, peering out the
First Light
's transparent dome. The Primo carrier provided a gorgeous view: an ever-growing fleet of massive warships orbiting a beautiful blue world. It was also mind-numbingly boring, because he'd seen the same view for the past eighty-one days, ever since they'd been rescued by the Primo.

"Another three carriers arrived during the night," Khar growled, joining him at the railing. The Tigris was back in fighting form, though he had several new scars from their last encounter with the Void Wraith. The most notable was a twelve inch patch of white fur across his chest. Khar's tail lashed back and forth, and his eyes narrowed as he stared out at the fleet. His mane added to his height, and he towered over Dryker.

"I'll have Juliard catalogue them," Dryker said, listlessly. Juliard's arm had healed, and she'd thrown herself into data management. That meant reviewing both the data core he'd taken from the
Johnston
just before she'd blown up, and everything they'd learned during their months with the Primo. The latter was, regrettably, scarce. The Primo were tight-lipped, and Dryker still had little idea what was happening between the Tigris and humanity.

"I do not understand how gathering such data will be useful," Khar rumbled, resting his elbows on the railing as studied the Primo home world. "If the Primo continue to imprison us, how will we tell anyone? How will we stop the war that has erupted between our peoples?"