Clouds Of War, page 1
part #3 of The Descendants War Series
Clouds of War
The Descendants War
Book 3
John Walker
Copyright (c) 2020 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
The Triton follows the clues discovered in an ancient, alien key intent on discovering the history of their enemies. The trip takes them to a world populated by a forgotten tribe of beings lost to the sands of time. An ancient temple hides information they desperately need to uncover the next step in their quest.
But they aren't the only ones on the hunt. Old enemies pursue a similar path while threats on the surface both conventional and otherwise bar their path. Every member of the human crew will find themselves tested, pushing them to the limits as they fight not only for their objective but their very lives.
Elsewhere in the universe, the hunt for the mystical Prophet continues. A POW struggles to unify other prisoners in an effort to escape and a Prytin vessel finds itself behind enemy lines, squaring off with a dangerous foe.
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
Epilogue
Prologue
Smoke filled the chamber, pouring out of busted mainframe consoles in the center of the room. The scent of ozone made the air especially difficult to breathe. The noxious fumes contained a variety of harmful particulates, enough to kill after too much exposure. It kept the guards out, but that was the only benefit.
Milna Lithe knew she needed to find her way out fast. Charging the door meant death. At least three men guarded that pathway. Fires blocked her path to the maintenance tunnel, but even if she could get there, smoke filled the corridors. Her problems multiplied by the second. She would have to take her chances with the soldiers.
Keeping low to the ground had kept her alive thus far but she essentially found herself in a sealed box. They closed the door, essentially allowing her to die in there. That didn't surprise her. After what she'd done to get inside, they weren't taking any chances. At least six of them were already dead; two maimed and possibly dying.
The three guys who tracked her to the archive room didn't intend to make the same mistake as their comrades. Not when the environment would do the work for them. Though honestly, they should've vented the space. Sucked all the air out. Stopped the fire, killed her, then reclaimed the space for the engineering teams.
When an officer arrived, that would be the way. Which added additional pressure to take her chances. Dash out into the hall, find a ship to steal, and get out of there. If Jok had any sense, he was already gone. Light years away with the data she provided him. Getting stuck there meant she helped the enemy.
I've failed the Lord Marshal. That, more than all the rest, even dying, bothered her the most. Moving toward the door, she prepared herself. She'd been shot before. Knew the pain of impact when it struck the torso. The armor she wore would protect her from the initial blow but those men would keep firing. If only I hadn't lost my helmet.
The respirator in the thing could've saved her life. Waiting out those guards, despite a lack of air, would've been no big deal. And no one would want to enter. Not with only one real entrance. But that didn't matter. She hit the panel. The doors began to open, sliding far too slowly for her taste.
If I'm going to die, things might at least move quicker. Gunshots rang out, a group of high-pitched pops from somewhere off to the left. A firefight broke out. Milna leaned out, shooting one of the nearest guards, distracted by the attack coming at him from dead ahead.
One of the other three made a break for it. He took two shots to the back, dropping him to the floor.
"Come on!" Jok shouted. "Hurry!"
He came back for me. Milna did something she hadn't done in years. She hesitated. Standing there, dumbfounded that a man she barely knew risked his life even after he got what he wanted. The data was his. He could've gone back to his people, repopulated his teams, and moved on with his mission. Instead, he tried to save me.
"Milna, are you hurt?" Jok moved over to the door, extending his hand to her. "We have to go!"
"Yes, of course." Milna nodded. She didn't take his hand but instead followed him. They rushed down the corridor. Taking a couple deep breaths alleviated some of her headache, but her lungs still ached from sucking in the contaminated air. I'll need a moment in the medical bay to clear this out properly.
Whatever toxins had been released in the room surely got to her. She wasn't versed enough on the topic to understand whether or not she might get sick from the stuff. Poisons, she basically understood though. A scan would tell her what to watch out for. But for the time being, there were more pressing matters.
They reached a ninety degree turn. Jok held up his hand for her to stop. "What happened to your helmet? I was trying to contact you."
"Damaged," Milna replied. "I got shot in the head."
"You're lucky to be alive." Jok leaned around the corner, opening fire. She moved to the opposite side of the hall, leaning out as well. A group of Kahl soldiers took up position in a room between them and the area they docked. She had no idea how many. Without her HUD she wouldn't be able to tell, but they had good cover.
Taking aim, she blasted one in the face. A couple shots struck the wall around her, much too close for comfort. Fading out of the way to cover, she allowed Jok to get a few shots off before coming close to him.
"We can't allow them to pin us down here," Milna said. "If we do, they can wait us out. There's no way we'll pick them off."
"What do you suggest?"
"Back the way we came," Milna gestured. "I'll grab a helmet from one of the dead people. See if it seals. If so, we can slip through the archive room and get out that way."
"Seems risky. That seal might not be tight enough and then..."
"Yes, I'll suffocate. It's that or be shot to death."
"I have a better idea." Jok took a pipe off his belt, roughly a foot and a half long. He tapped the top, hurling it underhand in the direction of the enemy. It bounced twice before rolling to halt near the door though not quite inside. He grabbed her, pressing her back against the wall.
An explosion rocked the deck, shaking the station as if it had been struck by something outside. Milna clung to Jok to maintain her balance though he pulled her with him, hustling down the hall toward the enemy position. She aimed her weapon, eyes wide. Why they hadn't been hit yet, she had no idea.
This man knows how to take risks. He's completely insane, but this took nerve.
Milna moved to the side of the door while Jok laid down some heavy fire into the room. He shoulder-slammed the wall opposite her. She risked a glance. The canister he threw put a couple of men down. They held their heads, wallowing on the floor. She took aim, putting two of them out of their misery.
"How many?" Milna asked.
"Only two seem to be up. I think..." Jok paused. "We can go. They've left the room. Move!" He dashed out. Someone shot him in the shoulder. The blow made him stumble, but he went with it, rolling toward cover. He came up there with his weapon aimed--but in the wrong direction.
Milna saw the flash. The attacker hid behind a console much like those that had burst while she was in the archive chamber. She took aim, giving them a moment. When they poked their head out for another shot, she fired. The attack hit the console by their head, making them fade back.
The miss gave Jok a sense of where to direct his attack. He turned, discharging the rifle eight times. His target danced from cover, falling forward.
"Run!" Jok struggled with the word, grunting at the end as he made his way toward the opposite door. Milna broke cover to catch up with him, glancing behind her a couple times. They made their hallway, moving fast though he was faltering. Every step looked pained, and every motion must've been agony.
"What was that thing?" Milna asked. She'd seen all manner of weapons in her time but that looked like some kind of improvised device. Something that he probably shouldn't have had though it did appear to be nonlethal. "What did it do to the people impacted by it? And how did you get it?"
"You've got a lot of questions considering what we're doing," Jok spoke between gasps. "It scrambled their comms and HUDs. Forced a high-pitched noise through the speakers. The whole point was to disorient them long enough to get into position so we could finish them off or even move past them."
"Was that one immune then?"
"Just had better cover." Jok stumbled, leaning against the wall. "This is incredibly painful. Suit says I've got deep bruising but it feels like a lot worse than that. We're less than five hundred yards from the ship." He shoved away, grunting as he moved, huffing the first few steps.
He's got stamina. And will. Some would've given up if they felt the way he does. I'm more impressed than I should be.
Footsteps behind Milna drew her attention. She spun, running backward to put down some fire. That suppressed the attackers though one dove into the room, grazing her left side before he even hit the ground.
As he landed, she put one right in his face, following up with a second to his back. He may or may not have died. She survived a blow to the side of the head, but chances were good the pain from the blow dazed him. That bought them another moment, but running some four hundred yards with soldiers harassing them the whole way wouldn't be easy.
Milna kept moving with her weapon aimed. One of the guards leaned out. She blasted the doorframe, top and side, before he moved back. The barrel of a weapon appeared around the corner next. She shouted for Jok to take a wall as she sidestepped, pausing to take aim.
Her target discharged, glowing briefly before the bolt raced down the hall. Her attack nailed the barrel. The gun dropped, likely held by the sling so it didn't fall to the floor. Whether or not it worked anymore was another matter entirely. She guessed he'd be forced to use his sidearm.
Got a little more time. Milna glanced at Jok. He'd made it to the docking arm for the ship and waved at her to hurry. Ah... I'll have to take the chance. Here goes. She fell into an all-out sprint. Her lungs burned from leftover toxins she breathed earlier which in turn made her limbs rubbery and uncomfortable.
The door was open when she arrived. Heavy fire came after them just as they entered the airlock. Jok paused to shut the door, shoving at her to get aboard the ship. She wheezed, coughing as she moved. They boarded. Milna locked them down while still struggling to catch her breath.
Jok made his way for the bridge. "Catch up to me when you're done!" he shouted over his shoulder. Just as she finished the final code to secure the door, the engines started whining to life.
Milna made her way there while the deck rumbled. A hiss behind her indicated Jok broke the link to the station. She picked up the pace, grabbing the walls in case he took off before she could get seated. The way he was acting, he'd be moving fast. The artificial gravity wouldn't keep up and she'd be tossed around hard.
"Strap in," Jok said. "Fast."
"We've got their defenses to contend with," Milna said, "and they'll be active this time."
"I know. That's why I need you on the turret there to take theirs out. If I'm not mistaken, they use automated systems. Which should give us the advantage. If you're as good of a shot as I think at least." Jok pressed the throttle all the way down, making them lurch forward. "You have to buy us two minutes."
"That'll get us out of range?" Milna asked as she took control of the defenses.
"No, that'll get us out of the system. There's no getting out of their range. Not since they've got..." A concussion blast caught them from behind and the top, which shouldn't have been possible from defensive turrets. "Interceptors. You'll need to at least harass those while I get to a safe minimum distance."
Milna had the screen up. Two Kahl ships came racing after them, mobilized much quicker than she would've given them credit for. Why hadn't they been out and about already? They should've been hunting for where they were attached to the station. Maybe the Lord Marshal's order for them to stand down hampered their officers.
Or these men are simply incompetent. I've seen that too often now. We have some cleaning up to do.
A second hit brought her sharply back to the moment. She let the turret fly, opening up to lead the target. The fighter climbed and banked, desperate to avoid her assault. The other kept after them, maintaining a steady stream of fire. Jok's evasive maneuvers made it difficult for both sides.
At least he's avoiding damage. That's worth more than me scoring a few hits. Milna wanted to take the fighters down. They shouldn't have been so aggressive. Unless they'd been told to help sell her partnership with Jok. Surely the Lord Marshal hadn't gone so far. Can't get much more real than this. If they don't trust me now, they probably never will.
Milna redirected the fire at the other ship, making it veer off as well. Station defenses cut on at that point, taking potshots at them. She wondered which was worse, the other ships or hardpoints with heavier weapons. With the way they moved, it seemed reasonable to assume they'd get out.
Then the fighters performed a couple good strafing runs, nipping at the top of the vessel. Shields held but dropped below fifty percent. Milna didn't know how far out they needed to be to safely go into warp. She always figured it was a matter of switching speeds. Which was why she generally had pilots to get her places.
"Can't we go?" Milna hadn't managed to hit anything. The combination of quick motions made it impossible to aim. She employed the computer to assist but it couldn't keep up with Jok's erratic maneuvers. "They don't care about our weapons. I've got the aim of a blind beggar over here."
"Ten more seconds."
The next three hits shook the ship hard enough that Milna's jaw hurt from clenching against it. She clung to her seat, forgetting about aiming. The AI fired random shots, casting attacks that came closer than she'd ever get. They took damage from the turrets as well as the fighters, each whittling down their defenses...
Jok reached for something on the console. The ship lurched forward though she didn't know if it was the transition to warp speed or another blow. The world around them blurred. She checked the internal scanner, noting the defensive shields dropped. Only the environmental field remained.
The one allowing them to go to warp without turning to paste.
"We made it." Jok turned to her. "That was a close call. We need to get a damage report. I'm thinking we'll have to stop to fix some things before we make our way anywhere else."
Milna grabbed his arm before he could stand, staring him in the eyes. "Why did you come for me? You had the data. You had everything you needed and you risked your life."
"You're my partner on this," Jok said. "You went in there on your own. I thought I could help so I did."
Once Milna had started the upload of data, the security alarm had gone off. When she had stepped into the hall to check for approaching guards, she'd gotten tagged on the side of the head. That had knocked her helmet's visual out, but she'd managed to get back into the room. Securing the door had bought her time.
The upload hadn't taken long. She'd told him what happened, had ordered him to leave her there. She couldn't even remember why she did it. When the door opened and the guards opened fire, they'd torn through the different consoles, causing the fire. She'd driven them back, locking herself in a second time.
I should've made him wait. I could've used my credentials, had him arrested, put the questions to him hard. Instead, without thinking twice, she had demanded he leave her there. Completing his mission at the expense of hers. The heat of the moment robbed me of my senses. I need to know why.
"Thank you." Milna shook her head. "I do appreciate your loyalty."
"If you want to be cold about it," Jok said, "then you can assume I did it because you're the only person I've got left to do missions with right now."
"But that's not why you did it. You were genuinely concerned. Is that it?"
"Yes." Jok nodded. "I know some of the people I've hired and worked with are more... zealous than others. Many of us take the lives of our partners seriously. We want them to survive. We do what we can to bring everyone home safely. The best we can at least all things considered."
"Of course."
"Come on. We both need some medical attention too. I heard you coughing and wheezing. We can get you cleansed really fast. I'll check myself over then we can look how badly they hurt us. With any luck, we'll be safe in a few days and can analyze this data. Thank you, by the way. This didn't work out as we hoped, but it did work."
"You're welcome."
Milna followed him, staring intently at the back of his head. She didn't understand Jok. Her line of work rarely afforded her the luxury of seeing loyalty beyond what she felt for the Lord Marshal. Even her own division didn't necessarily follow much in the way of true dedication to one another.
