Winter Dread, page 33
“Yes, though I gave him something to think about.” I ran my hand through my hair, also remembering our conversation.
Jai turned to face me, his eyes curious. “Oh, something I need to know?”
“No,” I said and added, “That’s also changing the subject. I want an invitation to your wedding.”
Jai choked. “I don’t . . .”
“This next year,” I said. “I’m not kidding, Jai. Marry her.” I smiled as his frown grew, but I could see how much he was thinking on it. “You’ll lose too much weight if you hang on any longer. She’s got you on rations. I guess . . .” I turned to the food she’d laid out before us. “The pudding is mine.”
“All right.” Jai frowned all the more as I spooned pudding into my mouth. “Counsellor Ranz. I’ll sort it.”
“Good.” I plunged the spoon into the pudding again. The velvety smooth texture exploded on my tongue, and I melted, swallowing the wonderful mixture before I spoke. “Damn, I hope Shion can make puddings like this.”
34
The voice that came through as I slept almost had me out of the bed in seconds.
Sleeping on the job as usual, I should slap your ass from here! What have you been doing to my team?
But my eyes focussed, and I could see, Xe?
She stared right at me from within my mind. It was scary. I rubbed my eyes and blinked, trying my best to orientate myself.
You know it. I’m gathering in reports now. Heck, Kyle, what have you been doing to my boys?
You know the usual, working them as hard as I possibly can. I cringed. Fill me in. Jai said you’ve had some trouble.
You’re not kidding, Edward nearly caught us a few times. Quill and G’hale have been very good, though. They’ve come on so much in the merge.
You think I can pull it off when I’m back?
Of course you can. We’ve done all of this so the others could complete your mission. I also want to thank you on behalf of my species for saving all the lives you did.
I mentally shrugged. We must be coming into the planet now. I’ll get up. Will be back in the hangar as soon as we can.
I look forward to kicking your ass again. She grinned at me, turned, and signed off.
It was an easy shuttle ride back to the planet and then underground to the training grounds. It was dark. No one was around, but my bunk was alive with activity. They were all waiting for us.
We snuck back into a mini celebration. It was good to see them all again, and shaking G’hale’s hand, I accepted Xe back.
Okay, if you need me, I’ll be here, Xe said. Looks like I’ve got some catching up to do.
Will call you if I need you, thank you.
I settled down with the team to go over the last couple of weeks. They’d been training hard, that much was obvious as I glanced over their stats. I put ours up there for completing our missions and the extra fighting. To compare. We, of course, hadn’t the same training, but we’d still had some good gains.
“Tell me about the mission he wants us to go on.” I said. “You think we can do this thing they’re asking of us in a few days?”
The whole room nodded.
“You know as much as we want to be part of a mega-merge that is right,” Quill said. “These don’t feel it. We’re just waiting.”
Everyone looked to G’hale. “Ye dinna have to put ma on the spot quite so much.”
This had my attention. “What?” I asked.
G’hal moved to my side and touched the screen before me. “We have worked out the tech to the megas. They’re not that different to a normal merge, just the sheer energy they need.”
She showed me between them how close they were to a mega merge.
“Holy crap!” I said. “You’ve almost done it!”
I looked around the room.
“We are missing one thing, Kyle,” Quill said. “We may have almost got there, but none of us can lead this kind of merge. It hasn’t mattered who we’ve put at the top. Every one of us has tried. We’ve not the skill. The mind to take those thirty-five others.”
“You’re all looking at me here,” I stated, glancing around, seeing all their eyes on me. “I’m not ready. Not yet.”
There were several nods, but I then saw smiles.
Tyto added for them all, “You will be. We’ve a lot to learn yet, all of us. And those megas I am sure are complicated in ways we don’t know yet.”
G’hale turned to him. “They are. That’s why we can do it, but it’s not for long and it’s not controlled. There’s a ton more that goes on, on the inside.”
“But Edward doesn’t let anyone have that kind of say or feel,” Los said. “At least that’s how it was for the few I was in.”
“Exactly, so we have to get used to doing it the way we like,” G’hale said. “It’ll jus take some practice after this mission. You need to get out there and prove to them that you’ve got what it takes to be on that team and for him to do the right thing too.”
“I have the worst suspicion about that, and I’m sure you all know it.”
There were several other nods around the room, and I knew at least for that side of things, we were all on the same page.
I looked back to their stats and how much they’d grown. “I’m proud to go out there with you, though. Let’s work out this mission and what I need to know about it. As a lead and team member.”
Sitting with G’hale and Quill, listening to the technique and how they’d started to finally get Edward into believing they were okay with the team, was interesting. They’d really pulled the wool over his eyes, but I knew they could do it. They were smart, much smarter than he was or could ever be.
The altercations Xe had mentioned were around them taking food back to the bunks. There was nothing against me not showing up to eat in the rules. That’s why we’d worked at this in the first place. But it was grating on him he’d never see me doing anything else but train.
They’d worked around it literally by doing that: train, eat, and sleep. They’d be up and in the mechs before anyone else. Sneaking the mechs to an area where they could swap out. It was complicated, but I was glad it had worked with a little illusion from our illustrious nites.
The mission, now I was here, flagged up in my view:
MISSION LOG – PROTECT TING FROM IMMINENT VROLSH ATTACK
Y/N
I clicked the Y and scanned over the map. It really didn’t seem hard. Something nice and easy for us to go in as a team for the first time. And if needed, fight as a mega as well because we were all there.
Their chatter carried on as I read. Time ticked on way into the early morning. Eventually I had to kick them all out, as much as I wanted to talk to them some more and listen to more stories. I was still pretty exhausted, and the time we had to rest was escaping us.
I did manage to get a couple of hours of shut-eye, though I didn’t sleep. I was tempted to let Asht turn me off again, but I knew I needed to process all the things I’d seen and work through with Xe on how I could work with the mech and the merge.
I was also pretty excited, as much as I had no real practice out there. I just wanted another go at it. To get out and be even at the edge of the rift.
Tyto’s voice drifted to me. “Can’t sleep?”
“No,” I said and disconnected the privacy shield. “Guessing you can’t either.”
“Should get us in with the training and out onto the rift. This is what we want—a good mission we can pull off.”
“Agreed.” There was just something niggling at the back of my mind still. All the previous sneaking about. The dungeon, the facts—it still pointed to him, to the darkness.
“Something is bothering you?”
“There always is. I can’t have an easy life, right?”
“Edward?”
“Yeah, I’ve run the videos of the mega-merge a few times. I can see they’re all very precise. Things have to work the way they do. But why does he block everyone from having that voice?”
“It seems each lead is very different. I don’t know what I’d do. I don’t know if I could do a mega.”
“Maybe we will get to see that you will one day,” I said. “I think you’d make a great lead on anything given to you.”
He laughed. “Biased.”
“Don’t care.” I stuck my tongue out at him.
Noises started to stir around the room. And others were chatting. I guess that meant we would have to get up.
I pushed the sheets aside and went to shower, listening to everyone else as they also washed off and dressed. This was the first time we’d been out for food in a while, and it was nice. As a group we moved and reacted, each watching everyone else, and I watched them all.
“They’ve all grown well,” I said when Hiroto walked up beside me with Dylan.
“They really have,” Hiroto said. “I’m looking forward to getting out there as a team again. Nothing beats being in a mech.”
“I know. I liked space and all that, but running around on enemy ships is not my idea of fun without the extra tech backup.”
Edward sat with Frenk and lots of faces I didn’t know in the canteen.
Do not worry, Xe said. If they say or do anything, I’ll make sure you know who they are. The level, anything you need to keep that interaction going.
Thanks, I might need some extra help, I replied to her.
Frenk dipped his head at me, but I could see Edward was pissed already. When we all sat down to eat of course he came over. “Can come out to breakfast, but you won’t make a personal meeting so we can go over things.”
“I wasn’t feeling so well,” I lied. I had no idea what he was talking about. I had no doubt that would be the reaction the others would have given.
“I know, Trin confirmed you were in the medical hangar.”
Of course she did, and I was sure Frenk had sent her a message, so she’d confirm. I owed them both a lot. I was sure.
I ate the rest of my food, still listening and chatting to the others, but my focus was on Frenk and how he tried to get my attention on more than one occasion.
I needed to speak with him. When I tried to DM him, he rebuffed me.
Okay, so I would make an excuse and go to the bathroom, anything. That was a good idea; it was empty.
I sat by the sinks, pretended to wash my hands in case anyone else came in and waited for him.
Frenk wasn’t long, and I just hoped no one else thought it was weird we’d both vanished together.
“What’s going on?” I asked as soon as I knew he was alone.
“I don’t know, but the invite to you last night was just for you. No one else. He wanted to see you, and you weren’t here. Trin did a great job of convincing him and so did Xe.”
“You think he suspected anything while I wasn’t here.”
“No, not that I am aware of. Something feels off though.”
“Let’s hope not. This mission is important, no? Out on the fringe of the rift, a planet that needs genuine help?”
“Yes,” he said.
“Then we’ll do our job. Complete the mission.”
Frenk nodded. “Just be wary, okay?”
“Yes, of course.” I cocked my head at the door. “You need to let me leave, then you in a little while.”
“Will do. See you out there.”
I left him to it, returned to my friends and the team. We cleared the plates and then made our way back to bunks to grab anything we needed to before we left for the mech hangar. The drop ship was touching down in the distance. I could see and feel the rumble.
“Totally different for us being out there in space. This is the right kind of mission for us as a team.”
“It is,” Hiroto said.
They all split up inside the hangar. Moving to my mech, I felt it respond to my commands as soon as I touched it.
The kenosi inside me reaching to connect and feel the inside molecules which I could move with such ease.
I hopped up, and within seconds fired the consoles up, closing the cockpit around me. The green lights sparked just like I hoped. Everything was ready, and so was I.
Edward and the others met us at the edge of the training field. I had thought it was all of us. The full 216. But this ship was smaller and only had the space for thirty-six. I guess it wasn’t as big a mission as Edward had made out.
I followed the others lead and climbed on up, locking the mech into the unit assigned for me. The ground frighteningly shifted and we were up and into the dark.
“How long are we travelling for? This planet couldn’t be that far away from us.”
But it seemed it was. We all waited and waited.
While I was waiting, I ran through my stats, the changes, the fact I’d quick points again that weren’t greyed out still from the rescue of our fighters and shutting down Fut. I could alter one of my stats once more to make a huge difference in life right now or wait.
I wanted to spend it, and so I did.
Constitution x 2 = 364
It was a big change. I might well need it, keep me on my feet, us on our feet.
There were a few clunks and strange noises. When I looked up and back out into the dark, I could see our drop ship was joining with another. It looked a freighter, not a battleship? This made even less sense. We were allowed to disembark for a while, leave our mechs.
Edward called a meeting in the hangar, and we stood and listened to him and watched as he went through what exactly we were going to do.
“We will drop here. The village that needs cleaning out is here. It’s a quick drop—watch, clear, and regroup. The enemy’s numbers aren’t massive, but they’re meaning to do damage. We nip it in the bud here, we’re going to get on Ohara’s good side.”
It was the way he looked at me, and I just nodded. It seemed a good mission. I couldn’t see anything wrong with his orders. We’d drop as we were. If needed, we could merge, and then we’d have more strength behind us again if there was a mega needed.
I didn’t think we’d be merging, though I felt like this was going to be something we’d complete better spread out doing more damage in higher numbers.
Back locked in on the drop ship, the dark whizzed past me, and I struggled to focus on any one item.
We are coming in fast, but a drop like this is much easier than free falling from space, Xe said.
I’m sure. It’s just unsettling.
I’m not sure that’s because of the ride, Asht added.
“Drop in three, two . . .”
We were about to drop at any moment. Each of us was ready for this, ready for Edward to take the lead and complete this mission. Get in there, get the base re-acquired, and we’d be fine. The planet had sporadic attacks by Vrolsh, and in these conditions with the mechs we only had to push them back.
The more I thought about it, the more I liked this. It meant we could do it just as we were; we didn’t need the mega merge.
“One!”
As the drop ship touched down and we hopped off, I opened up my view, scanning everything around me. The planet stretched on for miles. Like a beautiful canvas, plant life, trees, insects, more. Out here in the area of space we patrolled, I wondered why it was so valuable. The Vrolsh wanted it, but why did the people we were going into protect want to stay?
There are many species here, Asht said. There’s no substitute for your own planet sometimes, you just want to stay. Even if you know of sporadic attacks.
True. Let’s hope this was just that.
Edward ordered from behind us. “Move out!”
Everyone else started out at a jog. I followed.
35
“Split,” Edward called, and I turned to see his team heading off. Just like he had planned.
This feel right to you now he’s actually done that? Xe asked.
No, I replied to her. It really doesn’t.
The large village map spread out before me, the houses clear to see from here. Church points reached high into the skies. Edward was back up as we went in to chase the Vrolsh out. Their green dots steadied on the outskirts of the village and then stopped. Waiting.
“In we go,” I said over comms. “Weapons live.”
The seventeen mechs around me light their guns. Swords drawn, kenosi sparked.
As soon as we crested the village’s outer limits, heading towards our destination, throngs of dots appeared on my HUD.
How the fuck? Thousands of dots. No. Millions. They were small to our mech, but with this many…. we didn’t stand a chance.
VROLSH MINIONS x 2,000,000 - ACTIVE
VROLSH LEADERS x 10,000 - ACTIVE
VROLSH COMMAND x 1000 - ACTIVE
RANGING FROM LEVEL 10 – 500. YOU’RE NOT CAPABLE OF DEALING WITH THIS AMOUNT.
YOU WILL FAIL
I think Edward planned this, Asht said. They’re tracking, just stopped.
They were swarming towards us, from all directions. Thousands of them. These were well controlled, and very angry. They were not stopping for anything. I’d once thought of them more like vampires than zombies. Focussing in I knew they were much worse than the myths or TV shows I’d seen as a teen.
These were terrifying and they we’d be overwhelmed in moments.
Anger spiralled from the pit of my stomach, my kenosi with it. Heightening my senses, I could see Edward’s three teams were fighting, but they were already heading back to the dropship landing zone. Even they were fighting thousands of dots. But not as many as had swarming around us.
My team’s panic came through comms. “Kyle. What do we do?”
“Weapons loose,” Craig said. The air around us lit up.
“He sent us off to where we would get bogged in. He knew it,” I growled out.
“Pull back,” Tyto said.
“We can’t retreat,” I said. “There’s too many!”
“Fuck, we’re not coming out of this!” Naylar said.
“Fucking traitor. He knew there were so many!” Craig spat.
“Hold your positions!” Tyto demanded. “Kyle. Orders.”
