Warrior Chronicles 5: Warrior's Curse (26 page)

“It’s about Quinn Faulks, baby…”

Cort felt a shift. The HAWC was wrenched open and dozens of pairs of Jaifan arms began to peel his CONDOR off of his body. “Kim, just a minute. I see H’uum.”

And then he didn’t. A great wall of fire swept over him, incinerating the Jaifan limbs, then their bodies. Cort watched as H’uum turned from flexed smiling mandibles to a cloud of ashes that swirled and settled on the remains of his own armor. The flames were gone as quickly as they appeared, just like H’uum.

“George!” he screamed. “What’s happening?” Cort began to struggle free of the remains of his heavier armor and finally stood in the middle of the ash-covered rubble around him.

“Some sort of incendiary weapon has been used. I’m not sure by whom. There are no Jaifans left alive in the city.”

Cort picked up his weapons. He plugged them into his suit and watched them charge. “Are there any humans here? Any allies?”

“There are none, Father. Only enemies.”

“Show me where they are. Now.”

“You should wait for reinforcements, Father. There are Marines on their way. Mother has sent them.”

Cort’s voice changed. “Show me my victims, George.”

“Cort, no!” It was Kimberly’s voice this time. “Baby, please don’t do this. You can’t win.”

Cort bent down to retrieve a sword from the CONDOR’s weapons pack and charged it. Rage washed over him as he brushed his friend’s remains from his FALCON. “I am coated in H’uum’s ashes. I’ll have my revenge.”

“Baby, w…”

Cort drew the sword from its scabbard and pressed a button on its hilt. Along the meter-long blade, molecules aligned and ensured the blade was perfect. “George, show me where they are. That’s an order.”

“Yes, sir.”

--

On the
Kalashnikov,
Kim commed the lieutenant she now knew was named Vaughn. “He’s alone in that hell and he’s not waiting for you, Lieutenant. Get down there now!”

“Yes, ma’am!” Vaughn began barking orders to the thirty Marines that were left. Then he asked George to take control of the shuttle and to take it in hot.

A few minutes later, Dalek walked in and said he couldn’t find Bane.

Sixteen

Without the CONDOR to charge his weapons, Cort knew the pistol and railgun would have limited use. Especially given that his FALCON’s power was still limited. The sword had enough juice to hone itself over and over though.
There will be blood.

George said, “They are emerging from what appears to be a bunker, Father. There is a group of six who are approaching from your left.”

“Thank you.” Cort turned toward the enemy and began climbing a pile of rubble that had once been a building. He crested the debris and stood behind a section of wall that was nearly vertical. There was still a lot of dust in the air, and Cort looked at his hand. The active camouflage of the suit was working and he saw little more than a shimmer. He doubted the enemy could see even what he did. But he saw them. The six were smaller than the Gryll, but they had the same basic appearance. Their heads were narrower and longer, but the facial structure was the same. He thought of how an alligator might look with longer limbs and walking upright.
Wasn’t there something like these things on Star Trek? Didn’t Kirk show mercy? I won’t.
They weren’t the same species, but Cort knew these were the people who created the Gryll. These were the people who were eating human babies.

We know you are here. You are the one called Ares. Yes?

Cort remained silent as they approached.

You are not the same now. You have been modified.

Cort thought,
Do you hear me?

Why do you not show yourself? We wish to see our enemy.

Not this time. No more strokes for me. Unless they are with my sword.

We sense you, Ares. Why won’t you speak to us?

You can’t hear me, can you? Because you can’t see me?

Cort decided to risk showing himself. He looked at the corner of his HUD and turned off the active camouflage. He drew his sword and absentmindedly thumbed the alignment stud. Still dark and ominous, he stepped out from behind the wall.
I’m here, lizard. What are you?

The creatures looked up in surprise and all of them seemed to focus on Cort at once.

Ah! You are not human. You are like our warriors. That is why we cannot harm you. But why won’t you speak to us. We must understand each other.

Cort didn’t want to risk speaking to George, so he messaged him.

ARES[loc:??] GEORGE THEY CANNOT READ ME. WHY NOT?

COMMAND MOD[loc:MARE’S LEG] UNKNOWN FATHER.

ARES[loc:??] FIND OUT SON.

COMMAND MOD[loc:MARE’S LEG] I WILL TRY FATHER. REINFORCEMENTS ARE ONE MINUTE AWAY. I AM IN CONTROL OF THE SHUTTLE. BANE STOWED AWAY WITH THE MARINES.

Cort watched as the aliens backed away from him. He began jumping down the mountain of debris, moving toward them.
Why can’t you hear me? You were trying to stroke me out again too. But you couldn’t. Why not? You can see me now. My eyes? Do you need to see them? No. They got me last time without seeing them. What’s different?

ARES[loc:??] GEORGE, DON’T LAND NEAR ME. THE MARINES ARE STILL VULNERABLE.

COMMAND MOD[loc:MARE’S LEG] WE MUST RESCUE YOU.

ARES[loc:??] NO. STAY BACK. THAT’S AN ORDER.

COMMAND MOD[loc:MARE’S LEG] YES FATHER. MOTHER WILL BE ANGRY.

Cort looked at the aliens.
You don’t know what to do, do you? I’m somehow immune to you and I am going to end this. Do you have weapons? Or just your minds?

He reached the ground and began walking toward them. The blade projected from the side of his body. “Can you hear me now?” he spoke aloud.

Yes. You speak English. How are you immune?

“What is your name?”

Answer my question please. How are you immune?

“What is your name? I won’t ask again.”

Four more aliens appeared. The group looked at one another, then all eyes turned back to Cort.

One of them looked to be straining.
WHY ARE YOU IMMUNE?

Cort remembered torturing Cuplans on Government World years before. He spun the blade absentmindedly in his hand. “I went through this once before. It will not end well for you. You have been eating our children. That has been stopped. Now I will learn everything there is to know about you. I’ll ask you once more.
What is your name?
”

One of the newcomers stepped forward and began to think,
This is our
…

Cort’s blade cut him off. Literally.

He turned to the first alien to think to him. “What is your name?”

I am Nawsig.

“I am Ares, Nawsig. Your reign of terror has ended. This planet is now mine.”

Nawsig looked around and thought,
You are one, Ares. We are many. How will you stop us?

"Nawsig, you don't know me very well. I'm not going to stop you. I'm going to kill you. You will only live as long as you cooperate with me."

Cort sent a message to the ship.

ARES[loc:??] GEORGE. WHY IS MY SCREEN LIGHTING UP? I TOLD YOU NOT TO LAND.

COMMAND MOD[loc:MARE’S LEG] FATHER, YOU TOLD ME NOT TO LAND NEAR YOU. THE MARINES ARE APPROACHING ON FOOT. BANE IS NOT IN ARMOR. OTHER EIGHT WOLVES ARE. THE TELEPATHIC EFFECT ON CANINES IS NOT KNOWN. BANE IS MUCH CLOSER TO YOU.

ARES[loc:??] GODSDAMMIT!

Cort continued speaking to Nawsig, almost casually. “My people are here. Your time is up. Close your eyes and lay face down on the ground or I will not protect you.”

Yes, there are thirty-one of your warriors approaching. We sense them. They are not immune.

Cort saw George’s count and knew he was about to lose thirty-one Marines.
Marines. But not Bane. They cannot sense him. He’s immune!

ARES[loc:??] GEORGE, HOW MANY ENEMY ARE THERE?

COMMAND MOD[loc:MARE’S LEG] TOTAL ENEMY COUNT IS 34.

Cort activated his command link and said, “Ares to ground forces. Release your wolves. Do not engage. Repeat. Release wolves, do not engage. Humans are vulnerable. Acknowledge.”
Does that mean I’m not human?

Cort signaled the wolves and began to watch their markers on his HUD approach.
Where is Bane in that pack?

Your warriors have stopped
.

“Will you cooperate, Nawsig?”

How do you understand us?

Cort studied his HUD. “Nawsig, you have very little time.”

We must know how you resist us.

“Nawsig, you are out of time, and I cannot let you live. You are too dangerous to us.”

Bane came around the building debris behind Cort and stood between him and Nawsig’s group. Cort leaned down and drew the blade of his sword through the alien he had already killed. As more wolves appeared around him, Cort held the blade to the wolves noses.

We do not understand. What are you doing, Ares?

Every wolf became agitated. Cort peeled back the mask of his FALCON and looked at Nawsig. “I am sorry, but you brought this on yourselves.”

We do not understand.

Cort looked at the wolves and said, “Jakt.”

Yokete?

The wolves didn’t give Cort enough time to tell Nawsig the word meant
hunt
.

--

The shuttle landed in the bay of the
Kalashnikov.
When its hatch opened, Cort and Bane were the first two out of the craft.

Kim and Dalek were waiting in the safe area near the shuttle’s landing pad, but when Cort appeared, they both ran forward. Cort’s FALCON was covered with alien blood, but it had been sterilized. Kim hugged him anyway, while Dalek held his hand.

“You always stink when you come home Poppa,” the little boy said.

“I sure do buddy.”

Cort looked at Kim and whispered, “Sure.”

Kim was confused. “Sure what?”

“Sure you can wash my back,” Cort whispered.

Kim’s eyes searched Cort’s face. “I said that out loud?”

“Didn’t you?”

Kim shook her head and they turned to walk away. “Let’s get you cleaned up. Bane too.”

“Are you washing Bane’s back too, Momma?”

On the way back to their quarters, Cort said, “Shouldn’t we talk about that when we are alone?”

“What?”

“Quinn. You just asked how to bring Quinn up to me.”

Kim stopped and looked at him. “No baby, I didn’t.”

“You heard it didn’t you, Son?”

“No Poppa. Momma didn’t say anything.”

Kim smiled down at her son. “How about you take the wolves to the grooming area, Dalek?”

“Okay. Bane stinks too.”

When Dalek was gone, Kim said, “Baby I thought that. I didn’t say it.”

“Let’s go see Ceram. On the way tell me about Quinn. What did she do to you?”

“It wasn’t me,” Kim said, trying to decide if she should guard her thoughts.

“Who then?”

She raped you, baby,
Kim thought.

“She what?” Cort demanded.

Just listen to me. I don’t even want to say it. Can you really hear me, Cort?

“Yes, I hear you.”

By the time they walked into Ceram’s medical bay, Cort knew what had happened. He brooded for over an hour while Ceram ran tests.

“It appears, Pledge Father, that several structures near the area that was affected by the stroke are somewhat changed. Your biosynthetics are at least partially responsible for your newfound telepathic involvement.”

“Telepathic involvement?”

“I do not have a better term. You yourself seem to have developed some telepathic ability while being immune to that of the enemy species.”

“Well, at least that can’t be bad.”

“I believe that would be a matter of personal perspective, Pled…”

“Yeah, yeah. From my perspective it’s good. Are there any potential problems I need to know about? Progression or anything?”

“I will be taking daily scans. Until I have several scans, I cannot speculate.”

“Okay, do you have any idea why it didn’t happen until today?” Kim asked.

“Only speculation.”

Cort made a frustrated sound. “Then speculate, dammit.”

“I suspect the initial changes were made by some combination of your synthetics trying to protect your brain, and the residual neural energy of what I am calling
telepathic spikes.
”

Cort looked at Kim, then back at Ceram. “We follow you so far. Go on.”