Stand or Fall (The Omega War Book 4) Page 20

  The tough kids had set the fire, then cried and pointed their fingers at him, even though he’d been asleep on his bed exactly where he should have been. He’d never crossed Mrs. Green, but she’d turned to him, tears in her eyes, and cast him out into the street with nothing but his mended pajamas and bare feet. The pallets at the old railroad station were off the ground and dry, and Alabama hardly ever got cold, so it was enough. He’d promised himself, right then and there, staring up at Mars hanging almost directly above, he’d never be the weak one again.

  Rains wiped his face with one hand and blinked several times to clear the memory and the simmering rage it brought. He was better than that, just like his Peacemaker instructors told him. He sat up and put his feet on the floor. Resting his elbows on his knees, he took a few deep breaths and held them each for twenty seconds. Flushed with oxygen, his eyes cleared, and his mind quieted. He sat for a long time listening to the near silence of the prison around him. The unearthly quiet meant it was likely night. On cue, the artificial lights in the ceiling came on. Covering his eyes, Rains listened intently for the distant buzzers signaling reveille in the general population areas, but there was nothing.

  “Fucking with me again, huh?” He grunted and shook his head. Whoever ordered the disruption of his rhythms and sleep deprivation had followed millennias of interrogation experience to the letter. Knowing what was coming didn’t make it any easier, but so far, he’d been able to cope.

  The clacking sounds of the external locks on his door opening one at a time caught his attention. No one had announced their presence, so that meant a surprise inspection or some other bullshit. Rains knelt on the floor with his knees spread and raised his hands and rested them on the back of his head in the standard, non-threatening position. Head and eyes focused on the wall across from him, Rains tried to relax as the fourth and final bolt slid back. After a couple of seconds, the door swung open with a rush of cool, fresh air that raised gooseflesh. There was an odor of cooked cabbage, and as disgusting as he thought it smelled, it made him hungry.

  Rains waited for a guard to enter the cell, but nothing happened. He risked a glance through the doorway and prepared to flinch away from a stun baton, but it was empty. The block was dark, so the artificial shaft of light spilling from his cell dimly lit the surrounding area. There was no one in sight. Holding his breath, Rains listened for a full thirty seconds before exhaling. He leaned forward as far as he could, and realized he was being stupid. He crawled over on his hands and knees and looked into the hallway. Seeing no one in either direction, he stood up. As he did, the lights in his cell snapped off and thrust him into utter darkness.

  Jaw clenched, Rains paused to let his eyes adjust to the sudden change and listened. He didn’t hear anything. Slowly, his eyes adjusted enough for him to make out the boundaries of the hallway. The thought that he was falling for the oldest trick in the book flashed through his mind, but he stepped through the door. Motors in the hinges of the door whirred to life, and it swung closed behind him. As the locks clacked into place one-by-one, Rains moved toward the end of the block, away from the entrance. Even if the guards were asleep, he didn’t relish the idea of getting past them. He’d look for another way out.

  Except, passing the guard station was the only way out.

  Rains pressed his back against one wall and looked in that direction. Seeing no activity, he moved quickly, while trying to minimize any noise. Three meters out, he saw the lone Cochkala guard slumped over the main console. The camera feeds and monitors were completely black, except for one showing the same guard sitting up watching a Tri-V display. He’d seen enough “caper movies” to realize some type of operation was underway.

  Stay ready, huh? Rains smiled at the thought. He stepped into the guard station and found the Cochkala unconscious and bleeding from one ear. There was no sign of head trauma, so Rains quickly assumed the attacker used some type of sonic device. He searched the guard and found its keycard, identification packet, and stun baton. He pocketed the identification and keycard just as the external door behind him clacked open. Rains slid back to the wall and raised the stun baton, so he could strike quickly at the intruder’s head.

  A gold-and-white-furred Veetanho poked its head into the room. Rains was about to strike when he noticed the familiar blue coveralls. The breath he was holding escaped in a loud sigh. “Vannix.”

  She whirled on him and put her pistol to his chest. “Rains! What the fuck are you doing?”

  “Hey! Hey!” Rains waved his hands, the stun baton flailing in his fingers. “Easy now.”

  Vannix looked at the sprawled guard and frowned up at him. “You didn’t have to take him out. We could’ve done this peacefully.”

  “We?” Rains pushed off the wall as Vannix let him relax. “You got a posse or something?”

  “You bludgeoned him.”

  Rains pointed at the guard’s head. “Look again. Try to remember what you learned in crime scene rebuilds.”

  Vannix stepped over to the guard and closely inspected the bloody ear. “Sonics, then. How did you do that, Rains?”

  “I didn’t. I thought you did.” Rains said. “The minute my cell door opened, I knew something was up. I don’t know how you did it, but that was—”

  Vannix shook her head. “It wasn’t me.”

  Rains blinked. “But then—”

  “Come on,” Vannix growled. Pistol at the ready, she stepped around him and opened the door. Rains watched Vannix push her head through the slim opening and look in all directions. Vannix leaned back and looked over her right shoulder. “Clear. Stay close.”

  Rains stayed as close to Vannix as possible as she slipped through the door. Moving quickly down the dark corridor, they passed the connecting corridors for main reception and the medical ward. From the printed signs and color codes on the hallway walls, Rains deduced they were heading for the shipping and receiving area. As they moved, every distant sound in the prison seemed amplified and close to his ears. Vannix accelerated their pace as distant lights in the corridors snapped into brightness.

  He realized it was just before dawn, and the prison staff was bringing the silent place to life. The thought ran down Rains’ back like a glass of ice water. “We gotta go, Vannix.”

  “Almost there,” she said as they ducked into a small corridor. What had been fresh, clean air became the foul stench of rotting garbage when they reached the loading dock. Massive open containers filled with garbage filled the area. Lined on one side with six outbound doors, the area was about the size of a basketball court and filled to the brim with shit.

  “Gods,” Rains paused at the smell. Vannix grabbed his arm roughly and dragged him behind two massive containers.

  “Quiet!” She pointed at the space between a container and the greasy wall. When he didn’t move, she tugged him down into a squatting position. She placed an extended digit over her maw in a very Human looking “ssh” gesture. Rains nodded and tried to fold his legs under him in a way that wouldn’t hurt.

  Beyond the doors, he could hear the approach of a transport. As it approached the dock, a shrill beeping pierced the air until a resounding thump shook the entire room. The door he and Vannix had entered through opened and shut quickly. He heard someone moving. The steps sounded like a scrape across the roughened floor.

  A MinSha.

  Above him, Vannix froze. He couldn’t tell if she was hidden behind the garbage, or if she could see anything. The external door slid open, and cool, morning air filled the loading dock, swirling the noxious odors, so Rains buried his nose in the elbow of his prison coveralls. No sooner had he taken a breath than Vannix jumped out of hiding.

  “Stop right there.” The voice was familiar. As Rains came out of his hiding place, he saw the MinSha Peacemaker Chief of the Guard, Rehnah, and the prison’s warden, Calx, pointing their weapons at Vannix.

  Calx turned to Rains and grinned. “Perfect! Caught trying to escape. What a perfect way to sign your death warrant,
Rains. You weren’t fit to be a Peacemaker.”

  “You set me up,” Rains said.

  “She set us up, partner.” Vannix had not relinquished her weapon. “You have no authority to detain Peacemaker Rains any more, Calx. I am taking him back to our guild and completing our mission.”

  “Your mission is a sham,” Calx laughed. “Tara Mason and James Francis are either dead or hiding so deeply they won’t be found until the Mercenary Guild clears the galaxy of Humans. You’re on the wrong side of this conflict, Vannix. Your species is disappointed in you.”

  “I’m a Peacemaker, Calx. That means more to me than my species does.”

  “How quaint. We can etch your sentiments on your memorial.”

  Rehnah turned her rifle on Rains, and he froze. He’d inched forward hoping to disarm one of them, but it wasn’t going to happen. Rehnah was a good three meters away and she had her compound eyes fixed on him. She chirped in her singsong voice, “What about Rains?”

  CLANG!

  Rehnah and Calx snapped their heads toward the cargo hauler parked at the door. Rains caught a quick glimpse of a figure in the hauler’s cargo space as he vaulted forward and hit Rehnah squarely in the chest. The impact ripped the rifle from the guard’s claws, and it clattered to the floor. Rains pounded his legs like pistons and knocked the taller, stronger MinSha onto her back. Pushing his advantage, Rains brought up one forearm, shoved it under the MinSha’s jaw and pressed down on her throat as they skidded across the floor. Rehnah thrashed against him with her claws, scratching his coveralls and drawing blood in a handful of places.

  The sizzle of laser fire echoed over his head, and Rains flinched even as he focused on subduing Rehnah. He saw Calx approaching, then felt the impact of her legs across his back. Sensing an opportunity, he swung his body toward her legs, hoping to knock her off balance. Calx crumpled over him, rolled across Rehnah’s carapace and stared into his eyes. Blood covered her upper left arm and splattered her face. Eyes flashing in recognition, she tensed to strike him. Rains put his rage behind his right fist and struck the Veetanho hard in her left temple. The impact shook his arm and sent a bolt of pain through his fist, as Calx thumped to the dirty decking, not moving.

  Guess Peacemaker combat training really does pay off.

  Rains pushed off Rehnah, and the MinSha stayed still. He could tell by the rising and falling of her thorax she was breathing, but he’d managed to incapacitate her and Calx in one fairly smooth move.

  He looked over at Vannix and found her propped against a garbage container, blood smearing her chest. He got to his feet and crossed the distance quickly. “Vannix, you’re hit!”

  “No shit, Rains,” Vannix said. With a grunt, she struggled into more of a sitting position. “You’re a complete dumbass charging into them. You could have been killed.”

  “What else is new?”

  “Then again, I’d be dead without you and Bukk.”

  “Who?” Rains looked at the cargo hauler and saw an Altar pointing a massive rifle at the unconscious forms of the warden and her guard. “You’re Bukk? Intergalactic Haulers?”

  “You actually paid attention during the intel brief?” Vannix grunted and tried to stand. “You may not be such an asshole after all, Rains. Help me up.”

  “You got it, partner.” Rains wrapped an arm around Vannix and helped the smaller alien to her feet. “I take it we have to go?”

  “Something like that,” Bukk said. “Get onboard.”

  Vannix’s head snapped up. “Wait. Who’s driving? And how did you get Rains out of his cell before I got there? I had it covered.”

  The Altar’s antennae waggled in amusement. “Company secret.”

  Rains tried to step forward but Vannix had frozen in place. “You’d better start talking, Bukk. I’m not going a step further without some answers.”

  “We do not have time for this, Peacemaker Vannix. Please get aboard. I will explain everything on the way to the ship.”

  “Ship?” Rains blinked. “What ship? What have you gotten us into, Vannix?”

  She started to protest, but a thin door on the opposite end of the cargo hauler opened, and a black man with close-cropped gray hair slipped one leg through, swung his torso up, then stepped out with his other leg. “We really don’t have time for twenty questions, people.”

  Rains felt his mouth drop open in recognition. “You’re Pierre DuPont.”

  “Yes, I am. You’re Jackson Rains, the reluctant Peacemaker, and you’re his overly idealistic partner Vannix.” DuPont smiled at them. “Just why your Guild thought you could find Tara Mason and Snowman remains to be seen.”

  “You broke me out?”

  “Yeah, but that’s a story for another time. We’re getting the hell off this planet. Now get your asses on board. I’m not asking twice. You want to find those who don’t want to be found? Get onboard now!” DuPont turned around and stepped into the vehicle’s cabin. A few seconds later, the vehicle rumbled to life.

  Rains walked forward, half-dragging Vannix, until they stepped from the loading dock into the hauler. Bukk followed them and closed the external door as the hauler lurched forward. He stopped and grabbed a familiar red kit adorned with a familiar white symbol from one wall.

  “I believe Peacemaker Vannix requires assistance.”

  Rains lowered Vannix to a sitting position and took the first aid kit. “Thanks.”

  “You lied to me,” Vannix growled at Bukk. “This whole operation could have gone bad in a heartbeat, Bukk. You’ve got to level with us.”

  Bukk nodded. “I am aware of your convictions, Peacemaker Vannix. I told you what you needed to know, but I limited my actions until I was sure you would not succumb to the persuasive arguments of your fellow Veetanho. As you might suspect, Warden Calx is a major player in the Mercenary Guild’s plan.”

  “They’ve got almost every Human on the planet incarcerated,” Rains replied. “Kinda hard not to miss it. What are we going to do about them? We need to let the guild know.”

  “No.” Bukk shook his head. “There are plans afoot for this prison and the inmates. We must let those play out.”

  “Plans? Whose plans?” Vannix grunted as Rains carefully cleaned her wound with medical nanobot spray. The cut was deep but had missed bone and major tendons. Vannix hissed, and her eyes flashed up at Rains. In the look, he saw a glimmer of something he’d never seen before—gratitude.

  “I cannot say.” Bukk replied. “There is much going on you are unaware of. Part of that has been by design, but the other part has been because we need to trust you for our plan to move forward.”

  Rains looked up from the wound and stared at the Altar for a moment. “Your plan?”

  “Not mine, no.”

  “DuPont’s then? He knows where Snowman is?”

  Bukk shook his head. “No one has been able to find him for weeks. All the intelligence assets in the galaxy have been trying. I remained here while Commander DuPont went to the proposed rendezvous site. There was no one there. When he returned to Karma, he found me with what he said was actionable intelligence that your Guild put this plan in motion, Peacemaker Rains.”

  Rains blinked. “What’s that supposed to mean? Your company is believed to be at fault for widespread CASPer failures, and it’s part of the plan?”

  “Those failures were caused by the Mercenary Guild, which is now well known. Humanity was set up to fail. Snowman was one of the few Human commanders who saw this coming. The others are gathering their forces now, and so must we. Your guild has issued recall orders for all available forces to gather and prepare for combat operations. It appears Rehnah and some of the other local Peacemakers chose not to obey those orders.”

  “We never got the order.” Vannix said. Her brow furrowed in thought, and she squinted at Bukk. The news surprised Rains, too, but it sounded like something the guild would do, especially to him. “Did DuPont say where he got his actionable intelligence?”

  “No. I did my part to meet you
, Peacemaker Vannix, and I helped load the programs into the system to open Rains’ cell and incapacitate the guards, but I am merely following the orders of Commander DuPont. As the deputy commander of Intergalactic Haulers, he oversees our recovery operations until someone finds Snowman. Your question, though, raises a great concern, doesn’t it?”

  Vannix looked at Rains for a moment. He could tell she wanted to trust the Altar but could not. Rains stared at Bukk for a moment. “I have a lot of great concerns right now, partner, like where we are going, and how are we getting off this planet? Care to tell us, Bukk?”

  Vannix drew her sidearm effortlessly and pointed it at the Altar’s chest as the cargo hauler lurched forward. “Have you heard the expression, ‘sooner is better?’ That’s pretty much how this goes.”

  * * * * *

  Chapter Nineteen

  Weqq

  The Quiet Storm settled on an isthmus of high ground between expansive marshlands and thick, canopied jungle. Rsach recognized the terrain from the full report filed by Jessica Francis after her mission. A few kilometers away, the MinSha continued to strip and re-purpose Raleigh Reilly’s fallen command ship, Satisfaction. Through the foliage to the immediate east of the marshlands rested the MinSha science compound Jessica had been instrumental in saving. Seeing the terrain gave Rsach a sense of the obstacles she faced, and overcame, through the course of the mission. Fresh gouges remained in the dense, green marshes as if a giant Oogar had slapped the ground with its massive claws. In some places, he could see larger cargo units and the wreckage of Human CASPers poking through the intense greenery. Behind the foliage, though, lay Weqq’s greatest resource in the seeded, cultivated flora the MinSha spread more than a millennium ago. Despite Jessica’s successful mission and the news of the TriRusk’s re-admittance to the Union, the rest of the galaxy had no idea about the trove of medicinal compounds hidden in the jungles of Weqq. As the Peacemaker’s rally point, it was a critical location, as they hoped to get the support of the newly-approachable MinSha and the TriRusk. Still, Rsach worried.