Three Steps to Oblivion, page 1
Three Steps to Oblivion
Book Fifteen of The Guild Wars
By
Ian J. Malone & Chris Kennedy
PUBLISHED BY: Seventh Seal Press
Copyright © 2021 Ian J. Malone & Chris Kennedy
All Rights Reserved
* * * * *
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Cover Design by Brenda Mihalko
Original Art by Ricky Ryan
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License Notes
This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only and may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.
This book is a work of fiction, and any resemblance to persons, living or dead, or places, events or locales is purely coincidental. The characters are products of the author’s imagination and used fictitiously.
* * * * *
Dedication
For our families.
* * * * *
Contents
Prologue
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Epilogue
About Ian J. Malone
About Chris Kennedy
Excerpt from Book One of the Mako Saga
Excerpt from Book One of the Abner Fortis, ISMC
Excerpt from Book One of the Lunar Free State
Excerpt from Book One of the Chimera Company
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Prologue
FTS Long Reach, Camdone System
“Captain, we have hull breach in three places!” the damage control officer reported.
The free trader’s captain took a deep breath and let it out slowly. I never should have taken the cargo. I knew this was coming. But he’d been unable to pass it up; he needed the money, and the rate he’d been able to charge would have made him solvent again. But only if I survive. “How many at each breach?”
“At least 10,” the Zuul security officer replied. “There may be more. I saw 10 before they shot out the camera. They’re moving too fast for us to get a good count.”
“Meet me with all your forces at hold number one. They’ll be going there.” The captain switched to the ship’s intercom system. “All hands, this is the captain. The ship has been breached in three places. Arm yourselves and kill as many as you can. We may yet get out of this alive.”
Although the captain had said it to encourage his crew, he didn’t believe it. For the last year, rumors had abounded in the sector about ships that mysteriously vanished. Their goods often showed up again on the black market, but the ships and their crew were usually never seen again.
They all had one thing in common—they were carrying an ancient treasure. And, unlike the normal goods the cargo ships had been carrying, the artifacts were never seen again.
The captain’s thoughts flashed to the ceremonial blade resting comfortably in its protective case down in cargo hold one. He knew nothing of the saber’s origins, just that it had belonged to the ruler of some ancient reptilian race that’d been drummed out of the Union several thousand years ago for crossing the Cartography Guild. That, and its value, of course—which was substantial.
Everything inside the captain had screamed walk away when the Talgud merchant he’d been dealing with had approached him about carrying the item to a Sidar buyer on Ulvaud Station.
“No one knows of this, save for us,” the Talgud had said. “I’m only telling you because I know you can be trusted to be discreet with the saber’s delivery.”
Someone else knew. The captain drew his laser pistol and faced his XO. “Lock the bridge after I leave. Don’t let anyone but me back in. Coordinate the defense as best you can.”
The XO nodded toward the hatch. “Do you think it’s wise to go?”
“No, it most assuredly is not, but I’d rather go down fighting and try to save my crew.” Especially if the other outcome is that I’m never going to be seen again.
The captain raced down the passageway, hoping to reach the hold before the pirates.
* * *
M strode onto the merchant ship, still adjusting to his new form, as two of his pirate units cleared the nearest junction leading onto B deck. As expected, the merchant crew consisted mostly of Lotar, with a few Jeha along as engineers. M had known prior to attacking that no one aboard posed a threat to his cogs. That was what he called them, those beings he’d recruited to his cause. Even the merchants’ Zuul security officer was scarcely worth watching. Sure, one mercenary could do some damage to his forces, but it would never come close to harming him. The primitive beast couldn’t.
M chuckled as he marched toward the staccato sound of weapons fire ahead. Most of the Lotar fled from his cogs; those who didn’t were shot down. It’s good to be back, he thought. It’d been some time since M had led a raid personally, and he’d forgotten how stimulating the danger of the experience could be under the right conditions. Danger. He chuckled again. At the very least, the raids were a nice respite from his normal routine, hence why he’d left himself the flexibility to run one on occasion when he’d begun executing his plan.
The plan. M’s smile faltered. For all he knew, the others still mocked him for his ambitions. They couldn’t understand why he believed as he did about the old ways, and why things had to change. To them, life was merely a game of amassing power and resources. However, to him, it was more—so very, very much more. True, amassing resources was important, but there were other things that made the game worth playing. And, in the end, there could be only one winner.
Me.
The cogs wasted little time carving a path through the merchants’ defenses en route to the cargo hold two sections over. To their credit, the crew who stayed behind put up more of a fight than M would’ve expected, as evidenced by the growing number of corpses lining the corridor at his feet. No matter. He would get more.
Spotting his objective ahead, M pressed his forces forward though the torrent of laser fire as, one after another, cogs and merchants fell like dominoes until he reached the hold entrance.
“Fall back for reinforcements!” one of the Lotar said before fleeing from sight. The others went with him.
Typical. M heaved a sigh, then sidestepped a pair of dead Jeha and went inside.
“Give it up, Pirate!” someone shouted.
M turned to find the merchant ship’s captain glaring across the room at him from behind a drawn laser pistol. The Lotar was joined by his Zuul security officer, but no one else remained. Hold positions.
“I’ll make you a deal,” the Lotar captain said. “Turn around now and leave my ship, and you’ve got my word that I’ll let you go.”
“You’ll let me go?” M asked.
“That’s right,” the captain said. “While you’re at it, you can take the rest of your pirate thugs with you. But go now.”
M met the other’s glare with a wry smile. “With respect, why would I ever comply with that order?”
“Because you want to live?” the Zuul growled.
“Agreed, but I also want what I came for,” M said.
“Not happening,” the captain said. “You should’ve checked your intel, friend. My crew and I delivered the item you seek to our client on Ulvaud two days ago. It’s no longer aboard this ship.”
M chewed his lip. “It’s not aboard, you say. I find that…disappointing.”
“Find it whatever you want,” the captain said. “The fact is you and your crew of bandits came all this way and sacrificed all those lives for little more than three tanks of waste sanitizer and 50 cra tes of Dutya dahva beans. That’s it; that’s all we have left aboard. The good news is, your losses can end here if you so choose, which brings us back to my offer.” He cocked his head. “So, what’ll be it? Are you gonna leave my ship conscious and upright, or dead through an airlock? The choice is yours, but decide now.”
* * *
The captain watched nervously as the pirate leader seemed to consider the offer. The alien intruder was humanoid, all right. In fact, it looked a lot like the Human males the captain had encountered during his travels to Earth, although this one sported a shorter frame than most, with pale, ghoulish features and a shaved head.
The intruder’s eyes flicked to the security officer then back to the captain.
Don’t even think about it. The captain stepped forward, gun up, in unison with his security officer. In contrast, the intruder’s weapon remained in its holster.
“I must commend you, Captain,” the intruder said. “This ship of yours is deceptively fast, given her rather pedestrian model and class. Your engineers have done a masterful job with her systems.”
“My deal, yes or no?” the captain asked.
The pirate leader exhaled through his nostrils. “Your proposal is intriguing, to be sure. Alas, in light of the fact that I believe you’re bluffing about the artifact, I’m afraid I must respectfully decline.”
The captain’s gaze narrowed. “You’re kidding.”
“Not at all,” the pirate leader said calmly. “You see, there’s a third option you clearly haven’t considered. It’s the one where I kill you where you stand, take what I want, and retire to my own ship, while my cogs ransack yours and slaughter everyone else on board.” He paused, considering. “Come to think of it, I rather prefer that option. Let’s go with that, shall we?”
The security officer twitched.
“Have it your way.” The captain sighted on the pirate’s chest and squeezed.
Pop, pop.
A plume of crimson misted the wall at the intruder’s back as the humanoid crumpled to the deck in a bloody heap.
Greedy fool. The captain holstered his sidearm. “Bridge, we’re clear. Have security round up the last of—”
A sun went nova on the captain’s chest, and he was falling. How did…He glanced up to find his security officer looming over him, a wisp of smoke trailing from the other’s pistol barrel.
“Why did…” A gush of blood poured into the captain’s lungs, ending his ability to speak, while the world around him went gray.
The Zuul shrugged and marched over to the fallen pirate leader. The latter started to move, and the humanoid hunched onto an elbow with the tortured scowl of a man who felt completely and utterly violated. “Burn in hell, Mercurius!”
The Zuul grinned and pressed his pistol’s barrel to the other’s temple. “You first.”
Pop.
* * * * *
Chapter 1
Golden Horde Headquarters, South of Chorvoq, Uzbekistan
“Your…visitor is here, ma’am,” Sansar Enkh’s XO, Lieutenant Colonel Beth “Bambi” Lobdell, said from the doorway. The way she stressed “visitor” told Sansar she wasn’t pleased at being kept in the dark about who it was.
There are some things even the XO of the Golden Horde is better off not knowing. Sansar looked up from her slate with a small smile of condolence. “Send him in, please.”
“Go right in,” Bambi said to someone behind her. She gave the visitor another glance, then stalked off back toward her office.
A Caucasian male, slightly on the tall side, but otherwise nondescript, flowed into her office. He winked and nodded in Bambi’s direction. “I don’t think she likes me.”
“She doesn’t like secrets, but I can’t let everyone know that senior members of the Gray Wolves visit me here.”
The man raised an eyebrow. “‘Senior members?’”
Sansar smiled. “Yes, senior members. I heard about your promotion.”
“You did?” He cocked his head. “I thought—”
“Oh, come on, Beowulf, you—if anyone—should be aware of the special relationship between the Wolves and the Horde.”
“I am,” Beowulf said with a nod, “I just didn’t realize how much you kept track of the inner workings of the organization.”
“I’m sure there are things I’m not privy to,” Sansar said, “especially things I don’t have any need to know. However, Timur and I meet periodically to discuss matters of mutual benefit to our respective organizations.”
Beowulf nodded once. “That makes sense.”
“In a recent conversation, I may have mentioned something about your doings in the Spine Nebula, and that I thought a promotion or two might be in order.”
“So I have you to blame.”
While his smile took away some of the sting, he didn’t appear as happy about the promotion as she’d expected. “Blame? I don’t understand.”
“I was given a task to complete prior to being formally recognized.”
Sansar cocked her head. “And that involves the Horde?”
“It involves the Wolves, the Horde, the Merchant Guild, the—”
“Wait.” Sansar sat forward. “The Merchant Guild? How so?”
“Well, I didn’t mean the Merchant Guild, so much as a number of ships under contract to the Merchant Guild.”
“Some of the Human mercenary units have recently had…problems with the Merchant Guild. Perhaps you should start at the beginning, and I can see if our problems are the same as yours.”
“May I sit?” Sansar waved him to a chair, and he carefully sat on the edge, obviously contemplating what and how to tell. He finally shrugged and said, “It all started with a couple acts of piracy.”
Sansar nodded. “Piracy is an occupational hazard in your line of work.”
“Well, yes, and I’m not saying that we haven’t relieved some ships of goods we thought could be better distributed by our organization.” He smiled. “We have.” He shrugged. “There’s always some low levels of piracy going on. Certain systems—and some races, like the Pushtal—are known for it. This is something different, though. Recently, ships have been disappearing throughout the Gresht region at a greatly increased rate.”
Sansar shrugged. “As long as we were without contracts, it wouldn’t surprise me if some enterprising merc commander decided piracy was a profitable way of life. Maybe more than one. They’d have the arms and ability to do it well, too. Do you suppose that’s what’s happening?”
Beowulf shook his head. “We thought about that, too, when it started, but things just don’t add up. There’s no single system or cluster of systems where this is happening. It’s throughout the whole region, and it’s spilling into the core and Tolo regions, as well. Also, if it were mercs, word would get around. The Wolves are connected to the underworld; we believe we’d have heard something by now if that’s what was going on. A rumor here…a strange occurrence there. In this case, though, there’s nothing. Not a word. It’s strange, almost creepy even.”
“So what do the Wolves think is going on?”
“We’re not sure, yet, but we’re pretty sure we’re going to need your help to find out.”
“Why’s that?”
“Because of the scale, if nothing else. These attacks are occurring throughout a vast region; they have to have a large, coordinated force to be able to pull them all off.”
Sansar nodded. “We are…between jobs at the moment.”
Beowulf’s eyebrows rose.
“We had a fight with the SI that runs the Science Guild,” Sansar explained. “We almost killed it, but it got away. Finding it and killing it is our number one priority, but it’s vanished. Until we find it again, the Golden Horde—and most of the Four Horsemen—are available to deal with this.”
