Too Old To Die, page 1
Too Old
To Die
John Walker
Copyright © 2022 John Walker
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law.
DISCLAIMER
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, business, places, events, and incidents are either the products of the author's imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental. This story contains explicit language and violence.
Blurb
Gareth Weston feels old. After a lifetime as a soldier, he’s retired to a quiet part of Earth where he expects to live out the rest of his days in quiet tranquility. With the universe at peace, he experiences a sense of uselessness. Long hikes in the woods only go so far in keeping him busy and active.
Sometimes, fate isn’t content to allow obscurity to set in. When a mysterious force descends upon Earth, Gareth learns how battered his body has become. What starts off as a threat to his small community swiftly escalates as the invaders obliterate major cities. With few chances for survival, and only a rogue doctor as an ally, Gareth must find a way to escape his home. Or die trying.
Table of 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
Prologue
“Home row,” Sergeant Bryce Driver spoke quietly into the comm on his lapel. He carried a sidearm, a standard issue beam weapon. Explosions off in the distance made the walls tremble, vibrating enough to make them appear blurry. “This is Sconce One. I am taking Candlestick out the northwest corridor.”
That’s odd. Ambassador Nila Chance knew the embassy well. They were standing at the eastern side of the building. If he meant to work with their security team, he’d misled them. On purpose? She used the hand signals he had taught her during their evasion training from weeks back, asking him what was going on.
“Misdirection,” Bryce signed back. “Our comms are likely compromised.”
Oh God. This would prove the theory about a traitor. Someone’s selling us out. Nila had only just received a packet of information marked urgent from one of their field agents. They’d been sending them into Veldon space for the past six months. It had started to feel like a waste of time. Until today.
Nila had recently celebrated her forty-first birthday. She’d been with the diplomatic corps ever since she had graduated university. Heading out to the middle of nowhere had been her choice rather than a punishment. Something she felt like she needed to do in order to best serve her people.
She kept her brown hair in a neat bob, cut to her chin. Blue eyes held a hint of sea green, particularly with the right outfit. At five-seven, she wasn’t short, though her companion towered over her at six-one. As a runner in college, she kept up with her fitness. A point that would serve her well that day.
A crack like thunder resounded in the distance. The floor pulsed with seismic energy, enough so Nila slapped the wall to maintain her balance. Bombardment of the planet’s surface had begun twenty minutes earlier. It had taken that long to recognize they’d fallen under attack then another ten to clear out of her office.
“Sconce One,” an older man’s voice replied. Deep and raspy from years of yelling, he must’ve been one of the war veterans commanding the primary defense forces. “This is Chessboard. We will hold the position as long as possible. Be advised, you have a breach on the eastern side of the building.”
“Roger that.” Bryce tapped her hand twice, indicating it was time to move. She placed her hand on his back, following as he advanced through the door. They stepped onto a landing, moving quickly down the stairs. He kept his weapon aimed over the sides until they leveled out, then checked the doors.
All the way down to the bottom.
Nila tapped his back two times. He stopped, glancing back. She signed to him, “Where are we going right now?”
“Armory,” he gestured back. “We need weapons and armor. Then we make for the escape vessel.”
Nila had managed to secure copies of all the correspondence she’d gathered over the last six months then deleted it. Their attackers wouldn’t get their hands on that data, which might’ve saved a lot of lives. Many humans moved about Veldon space in covert vessels, hiding around their cities to gather intel.
Fewer of them reported in regularly. Nila thought it might’ve been from Veldon military activity. They’d been shown drilling more often, training in space maneuvers. No one seemed to know why. That part didn’t make any sense either. If hostilities were about to begin, they should’ve discussed it on some channel.
Unless the most recent material I received talks about it. Nila had planned on digging into the most recent reports that afternoon when the attack came. The first detonation had surprised her, made her think a storm had come on. It had felt like thunder, rattling the walls as if a giant wave crashed against the building.
The Korla governmental officials hadn’t reached out to her when it became apparent a hostile force had achieved orbit then battered the surface. Smaller ships swept over the continent, hitting the smaller cities and villages. Absolutely Veldon ships, but why they went after civilian targets, Nila couldn’t fathom.
Humans had fought with them before. They’d always been an honorable species when it came to fighting. For the most part. There were a few incidents here and there, mostly brought on by misunderstandings over what proper treatment of prisoners meant. Once they had worked out those details, the fighting had become almost civilized.
Not that Nila agreed with it. If someone had time to negotiate how to fight a battle, they should’ve worked on stopping the fight from happening. Yet instead, they had to rattle the sabers, testing their might on one another. The whole situation became all the more ridiculous when both sides had to settle down to make peace.
At a table. Without shooting.
Bryce got them moving again. They reached the first floor. He’d brought them through the servant’s passage, bringing them through the back way into the armory. If they could trust the communication from the older man, then the enemy happened to be on the opposite side of the embassy.
That gave Nila and Bryce a good ten minutes of leeway before they’d encounter the invaders. With any luck, they’d be aboard the escape ship and well on their way out off the planet before that happened. Though distant shots echoing through the halls brought a new wave of anxiety.
Gunshots in the same building sound damn close no matter how far away they are. Nila worried about stray shots coming their way. A lucky blast became just as deadly as something aimed. Calm yourself. There are a lot of walls between here and there. Made of metal. And reinforced against bombardment.
That had been one of her biggest concerns taking a job so far on the border. If anything happened, would the building hold up? And how long might it take to get some backup from the military? When the assault began, her communications officer reached out to fleet command in the region.
And their signal was blocked. Even the emergency band. Which offered additional evidence of a traitor.
Otherwise, how would the Veldon know? We change the frequencies every day. And yet they still managed to jam it.
The murmuring purr of Veldon battle chatter stopped Nila in her tracks. She didn’t need Bryce to stop her. There were at least two or three of the creatures ahead. Which begged the question if they’d been misled by Chessboard. I’m not trusting anyone now. She even wondered about her companion. I cannot go down that path.
Bryce held up his hand, showing her the number three. He closed his fist, which told her to drop low with him before he started moving again. The sidearm seemed somewhat pointless against a battlegroup. Intelligence reports suggested their recent armor upgrades made them ridiculously tough.
Now isn’t the time to ask about it, though I probably should have before we set out from the offices. When we had the opportunity to carry on a conversation that wasn’t designed for short, swift messages conveyed in the heat of battle. Nila had spent a brief time in military training then kept her skills up-to-date with frequent examinations.
Bryce had spent the better part of a month honing her understanding of their tactics, particularly in the case of escaping a situation. When it came time to put them to the test, she was about to find out whether or not they had paid off. Or if she’d wasted a lot of time only to die during her first real trial.
They paused outside the door to the armory. Walls trembled as dust showered down from the ceiling. The world responded to the orbital pounding, grumbling explosions that lingered long after the initial impact. Bryce waited until one went off nearby… then he dashed through the door.
Nila followed closely, staying low.
Bryce opened fire, blasting the first of the armored Veldon soldiers. He hit them three times in the back, driving them forward with each blow. The ot her two fumbled to grab their weapons. That’s when Nila got her first good look at them.
Looming over them at nearly eight feet tall, Veldon body armor gave them a mythical quality with helmets etched to look like monstrous cats. The torsos hugged the rugged, thick frames while the wide legs held power sources for their defenses, computer systems, and weapon recharging points.
Nila hit the ground, crawling to an overturned table to take cover. Bryce dropped down beside her as the Veldon laid down heavy fire toward their position. Blue-white beams scorched the walls, every impact point coming out blackened. They achieved a position of relative safety, however temporary.
“What is the point of this?” Nila shouted. “What are we going to do?”
“One moment,” Bryce replied. He poked his weapon over the table then pulled the trigger.
“For what?” Nila yelped as a barrage passed over their heads. Sparks cascaded over them, burning her cheeks. “Holy shit! We need to get out of here!”
“One moment,” Bryce repeated. “Just… relax there. You’re fine.”
At this exact second, maybe. But not long-term! What does he honestly think is going to happen here? Nila wanted to see what the Veldon were doing. Get a visual on the room, maybe understand why the aliens didn’t charge them. If they walked over here, there’s nothing we could do!
Heavy footsteps pounded in the hall, the noise rising above the shots fired. Nila figured there had to be more than four of them, possibly five incoming. And the clatter made it more than likely additional Veldon forces descended upon them. Then it occurred to her why they hadn’t been killed.
They want to take me prisoner. They know I’m the ambassador here.
“Here it comes,” Bryce shouted. “In three… two…” He tapped the side of his pistol then twisted something. Tossing it over the table, he pulled Nila close against his chest. A sound like a hundred balloons popping in unison filled the air. Her ears instantly started ringing. She tensed up, waiting for the end.
Flickers around her made her jump. Nila watched as a group of humans entered the room. They exchanged fire with the aliens, some taking cover on the other side of the door, while others stood their ground. Those going toe to toe went down, chests smoking from direct hits.
The violence continued. When only one of the Veldon remained, he howled like a wolf as he charged the hallway. His heavy footsteps made the floor shake. When he cleared the door, another explosion pierced the air, followed by a series of wet, meaty splatters.
“What the hell?” Nila mouthed the words. She couldn’t hear beyond the loudest of noises. She resorted to signing, “What happened?”
“Compromised comms,” Bryce signed back. “We might have traitors, but that doesn’t necessarily mean they’re working closely with the Veldon. The exploding pistol added enough confusion to get them fighting. Once the shooting started, neither side would stop. And now we have a chance to get out of here.”
Nila stood as he scampered away. Two Veldon sprawled on the floor, their chests and faces blackened from multiple shots. Against her better judgment, she approached the door. An arm sat directly outside, severed in the middle of the bicep. Another few tentative steps brought the rest of the scene into view.
Blood coated the walls. Meat dripped from the ceiling. The Veldon’s armor had exploded, killing everyone inside. Had it not been for the wall, Nila knew full well they would’ve been turned to paste as well. Armor couldn’t defend against something like that, not at point-blank range.
Jesus Christ. Nila swallowed back rising bile. Bryce grabbed her shoulder. He spun her around, thrusting some armor into her hands. She nodded before he could sign to her. I’m on it. For God’s sake, how can you ignore what happened out there? How does it not bother you remotely?
The armor fit loosely about her. She turned to the interface on the inside of her forearm. A couple quick taps brought the computer online. It measured her in seconds then adjusted to fit her snugly. Every time she had to put the stuff on, it made her gasp. A couple deep breaths brought about a few last second changes, adjustments to make it more comfortable.
Bryce handed her a rifle, then gestured for her to follow him. They didn’t hesitate, taking a right directly out of the room. Nila took care to jump over the largest pools of gore though some of the mess was unavoidable. Stepping on chunks of flesh made her shiver. The helmet reminded her to keep it under control.
Throwing up with this thing on would be the worst thing ever. Next to seeing the mounds of corpses. Yeah, that wins as the most horrible sight I’ve seen.
“Head to the servant’s wing,” Bryce signed. “We have to get around the vehicle bay. They will have taken it by now.”
Nila struggled to keep her breathing under control. She felt on the verge of hyperventilating. Panic combined with stress. A chill made her skin crawl, despite the armor’s environmental controls. They ran down a hallway, past the door leading to the hangar then slid to a halt by the servant’s corridor.
Bryce put in a code. The door opened and they were off again. Doors on the right led to dormitories for the staff. They had the misfortune of being right beside the hangar. During high traffic times, the whole area filled with the noise of engines, shouting technicians, and loaders taking care of cargo.
A passage at the end of the hall could not be opened outside of the security department. It provided access to a secret hangar for VIPs to leave the embassy if needed. Few people had the code. Nila’s biggest concern was whether or not Chessboard knew it and had already given it away.
When the door opened, two beams nearly took Bryce’s head off. That gave her the answer. He shoved her against the wall before taking a knee. By the time he opened fire, two more shots came way too close for comfort. Unlike the pistol, the higher-powered weapons cut through the Veldon defenses easily enough.
Nila jumped every time he pulled the trigger. She recognized she needed to help, to fire as well. The gun felt heavy as she fumbled with it, bringing the stock to her shoulder. When she lifted the barrel, Bryce grabbed her by the arm, dragging her into the passage. They hustled past two massive bodies.
“I’m so sorry,” Nila said, “I should’ve…”
“Don’t,” Bryce cut her off with a word. He signed the rest, “No speaking. Remember. We’re almost there. I’ll get us out of here alive, Ambassador. I promise.”
How can he? Nila glanced over her shoulder. She half expected to see more Veldon chasing them, weapons aimed directly at her ready to put her down. When they weren’t there, she physically jumped. The surprise made her curse under her breath. We might make it out of here after all.
Bryce slapped the wall panel to bring it to life. He input a six digit code to make the door open. As it slid to the side, he ushered her through while aiming back the way they came. She shuffled through, huffing when an energy beam slapped her in the left shoulder. The blow knocked the wind out of her.
Six steps led down. Nila missed the first of them, falling so her right side struck the next stair down. The world blurred as she rolled to the bottom, coming to a halt against the opposing wall. Flashing lights held her attention above her, hitting the wall from the hallway. Bryce exchanged fire for a moment then appeared over her seemingly an instant later.
“Are you okay?” Bryce signed the question. She doubted she would’ve heard him had he tried to speak. When she didn’t immediately reply, he tapped her three times on the head. “Are you okay? Can you understand me?”
Nila bobbed her head.
“I’m going to pick you up.”
“No.” Nila shook her head then used her right hand to sign, “I can walk. Help me up.” Back on her feet, the world spun. Blood rushed to her head. Her shoulder throbbed even as the rest of her left arm went numb. Bryce kept his hand on the small of her back, leading her the last few yards into her private hangar.
“Run,” Bryce spoke now, “get aboard, strap in. Cockpit. I might need your assistance.”
The embassy had many official vehicles. This one came straight from the military. A stealth vessel for an ambassador and their family to escape a dangerous situation should the need call for it. Five cabins, a partial infirmary, enough supplies for a month, and a system to prevent scans made it an incredible asset.
