57No sooner have I given the word than Hegit punches the SkyLift controls, and away we go, hurtling through the canopy toward the platform. Branches flash by on all sides, their frayed leaves whipping left and right across the speeding lift, while all around us a hard wind blows, whistling through the trees and rushing against our faces. The lift shakes and rumbles, juddering with every branch we hit and vine we snag, but our momentum barely slows, taking us through the jungle and on to the outskirts of town in a matter of seconds. We reach the now-defunct remains of the enviro-shield, and suddenly we’re in, gliding over the invisible border into Settlement 5. An acrid stench wafts up from the ground below.
Ghouls!
Four launchers whip over the railings, barrels pointed down toward the odor in near-perfect accord. Haft locked against my shoulder, I clutch my weapon close, nose alert for the enemy’s approach even as my eyes pointlessly search the trees for my invisible foe. Through the black-sapped leaves, I can just make out the distant outline of a homestead far below—the source of the smell. I keep my weapon trained on it while on the other three sides of the lift, Hegit, Gavin, and Ri do the same, their launchers tracking the scent in broad sweeps as the lift takes us past the first homestead and into the next. Divya crouches in the middle, launcher braced on one knee as she covers the floor.
The smell of rotting lemons rises on the breeze, and my finger tightens on the trigger. The stench is growing stronger now, intensifying with every second we slide deeper into ghoul territory, and though I can’t actually see my enemy, I can only imagine how many must be down there—watching, wanting, waiting for their chance to strike. The homesteads are falling away now, replaced by the settlement’s outermost buildings, and with our first glide into town, the canopy thins alarmingly.
I tense, feeling painfully exposed without the thick foliage to shield us. In some ways, this ride through ghoul-ridden territory is the most dangerous part of the entire plan. All it would take is for half a dozen ghouls to intercept us, and our offensive will be over before we ever reach the battlefield. The others know it too. The tension in the lift is tangible, spreading over us in a thick miasma that only heightens our labored breathing and tightens our highly-strung nerves. We’re gliding over the most densely populated area of the town now, and the odor is almost excruciating, throbbing through my nose and radiating out through my face.
A wave of terror rolls through me. That isn’t a mere shiver down there; it’s a swarm! If they sense us now, if they come for us, we’re done. My hands convulsively tighten and relax on the launcher as I wait to learn our fate. Every muscle in my body is tense, poised and ready to shoot, to fight the waves of ghouls that are sure to come zooming up at us at any moment . . .
As quickly as it arose, the odor diminishes, fading and falling away as we fly off through the trees. We let out a collective sigh. I allow my grip on the launcher to loosen the slightest bit. Sweat drenches me from head to toe, and my muscles ache from the tension, but I don’t care. Through the canopy, I can see the spaceport dead ahead, shimmers of silver glinting through the foliage. Grabbing one of the lift’s struts, I brace myself for our imminent stop.
Whumph!
The entire lift shudders as we hit the landing station at the end of the line. Without being prompted, Hegit hits the release, and down we go, dropping through the foliage toward the ground. Branches snap and leaves fly, pelting us in a shower of debris. Seconds from the ground, the hover ports flare up, arresting our fall until we’re hovering a mere half meter above the forest floor. Immediately we get to work, unclamping the lift from its moorings and revving the engines. We gear up, shouldering launchers and drawing stunners. Unable to carry two launchers in addition to my stunner, I dump my aero-launcher in favor of my Z-launcher, strapping it securely to my back before drawing my pistol. A quick check-in with the other groups reassures me that they’ve all made it through the settlements unscathed and are making their way to the platform. Satisfied, I give the nod to Hegit. She nods back, flings herself into the driver’s seat, and we’re off.
Gasps ring out as we zoom over the lip of the platform and into the ’port. In the time it’s taken for us to arrive, the last of the water has drained away, and all that’s left in its place is sap. Thick, black, putrid sap, coating the platform, the vehicles, the ships—everything the flood touched. Even the surrounding settlements have been hit, buildings and roads coated with this noxious poison borne on the water only to be left behind in ribbons of sludge that snivel and stink in the waning light.
Ignoring the stench, I raise the magnification in my lenses and scan the ’port, terrified that the enemy has already taken off—but no! I see the first ship to fire her engines, and it’s still on the platform, coughing and spluttering in loud gasps.
The engines are flooded!
I glance around at the rest of the ’port, and a quick count confirms that none of the ships have gotten off the ground. Triumph seizes me. We still have time!
With a quick tap on Hegit’s shoulder, I jerk my head toward the spluttering ship. Instantly understanding, she changes direction, foot to the floor as she races toward the target. Within seconds, we’re there, zooming in beneath the ship’s matte black belly. We’ve barely skidded to a stop before I’m grabbing the rail and vaulting out of the lift. I raise my stunner, take aim at the cargo hatch just above my head, and squeeze the trigger.
Tzee! Tzee!
Two shots into the control panel, and the console explodes in a burst of sparks. Smoke flies out of the panel, hissing down around me in a pallid mist. Dancing just out of its orbit, I call out, “Ri!”
He doesn’t need to be told twice. Hauling back his launcher, he drives it upward like a spear, bashing it against the manual release once, twice. On the third strike, something inside the carapace clicks. The release gives way and the hatch drops open. Down comes the landing ramp, smashing into the platform with a loud clang.
I leap for the ladder, grasping the rails with both hands and taking the rungs two at a time, followed in quick succession by Gavin, Ri, and Divya. Alighting near the top, I pause just long enough to sneak a quick peek over the top of the ladder. Darkness awaits, cut only by the dim glow of the emergency lights, but if anyone is lurking within the silent shadows, I don’t see them. No time to waste, I spring into the hold.
My boots hit the floor with a soft thud. At my entrance, the overhead lights spring on, illuminating the entire bay in an instant. Stunner poised, I spin in a quick circle, but our luck is holding; the bay is empty. Empty of people, that is. Cargo packs the hold from stem to stern. My heart skips a beat, though I knew what I would find: racks upon racks of very familiar-looking canisters. I don’t have to read the labels to know what they contain.
Sinesensu.
A trio of gasps rings out as the others alight in the bay behind me. “Is all that—?” Divya asks, her voice an awed whisper.
I nod and motion to the two doors leading into the rest of the ship. Immediately, Gavin and Ri move to secure the entrances, shooting out the control panels before taking up position in front of the racks on either side of Divya and me. Chit hand to my mouth, I link Hegit, who’s on guard outside the landing ramp.
“All clear,” comes her firm answer.
Linking back a quick acknowledgement, I raise my stunner, take aim at the nearest rack some five meters away, and then give the order.
“Blast it.”
Canisters blow apart in every direction as four stunners fire in near-synchronous bursts. Shrapnel flies, and liquid goes everywhere, flooding across the floor and spewing high into the air, only to rain down on everything within a three-meter radius.
Tzee, tzee, tzee, tzee! Four more direct hits! More liquid gushes out, pouring across the decking to crash against crates and splash over our boots, but we don’t even hesitate. Down the cargo bay we go, wading through liters upon liters of Sinesensu, shooting up anything and everything that even looks like it could hold the enemy’s secret weapon. Racks crack and canisters shatter, divulging their contents one by one until there’s nothing left of the enemy’s stash but a pile of debris and a pool of liquid seeping slowly across the floor. I eye the creeping flood. Already the liquid is sinking into cracks and crannies, filtering down through grates and drains, and I know it won’t be long before the bioweapon is long gone, dispersed into a million tiny crevices, never to be retrieved. Satisfied that our work here is done, I motion to the others.
“Let’s go!”
We’re out in a matter of seconds, scurrying down the landing ramp and flooring it for the next cargo ship before the enemy even knows what hit them. We’re halfway to the next shuttle when reports start rolling in from the other groups.
“Vida here. The Star Blazer’s cache is destroyed.”
“Teal, it’s Trey. Lila Anne’s cleaned out.”
Several seconds pass, and then Kieran reports, “We just hit the Galaxy Runner, but the hold was empty. They must not have had time to load it. Heading for our second target now.”
I acknowledge them all with a quick link, and then our second target is upon us, looming up on its haunches like a fallen bird of prey, wounded but still dangerous. We don’t even need to bust open the cargo hatch this time; half ripped from its moorings, the landing ramp hangs open, its ladder listing precariously against the platform. We’re up it in a flash, bounding through the hatch and into the bay. Unlike our last target, squatters move through the hold, but it doesn’t matter. We’re on them before they even know what’s happening, mowing them down with stunners—Tzee! Tzee! Tzee!—before turning our attention to our real target, the cargo. Smash! Bang! Creaashh! Splaaatter! Ten minutes is all it takes to blow the canisters to bits and send the ship’s entire stash of Sinesensu racing across the deck, and then we’re out and headed for our next target. This one, a small cargo hauler, has been thrown completely on its side by the flood. We don’t even bother to go inside. Upended racks, shattered crates, broken canisters—once glance down the hatch is enough to tell us that the flood has already done our work for us.
Tzeeee! Tzee, tzee!
Shots whiz by our heads as we make for our vehicle. I dare a quick glance back. Squatters are pouring from the passenger entrance, stunners blasting. The enemy is on to us! Luckily, our armor is able to absorb the initial barrage. We put on speed, dodging the shots as we fling ourselves into the roamer. As she’s climbing into the back, a perfectly aimed bolt takes Divya right in the neck, sliding neatly through a slight gap between her helmet and shoulder piece. Instantly she’s down, hitting the platform like a sack of bricks.
Slag! Lunging half out of the roamer, I go for one arm while Gavin goes for the other. Together, we haul her into the back, aided by Ri, whose sheer strength is the only thing that keeps us all from falling out again. We’re barely in before I’m screaming, “Go, go, go!”
Hegit floors it, and within seconds we’re off, speeding away and out of range as the last few bolts fall just short of us. But we’re not out of the woods yet. All across the platform, squatters are stirring, drawn from their vessels by our firefight. Three ships flare to life at once. Two immediately sputter out, their engines hopelessly flooded, but the third continues to run, its lights activating as the pilot prepares for takeoff.
A bolt of panic goes through me. “Hegit, that ship! How fast can you get us there?”
“Not fast enough!”
A curse flies from my mouth. I start to activate my link, but before I can speak, Vida’s team leaps into view, converging on the revving shuttle from all sides. Stunners flare, and the passenger doors fall open. Vida tosses something into the entranceway. Seconds later, smoke pours from the opening. Coughing and crying, squatters flee from the gassed cockpit, only to be picked off one at a time by V’s team.
Knowing it’s only a matter of time before more ships try to make a run for it, we put the pedal to the metal, flying up to our next target seconds before the others. High on adrenaline, we burst into the cargo bay, weapons blasting even before Gavin finishes securing the doors. We’ve barely started destroying the cannisters when a low vibration in my hand catches my attention. It’s my chit, which has been buzzing through my palm for stars know how long. Firing off another quick salvo, I raise my palm to my lips. “Report!”
“Teal, thank God!” Kieran’s panicked voice shouts through the link. “I’ve been trying to raise you for almost a minute now! Something’s wrong! Something’s very, very wrong! We’re in the cargo bay of the Star Jumper, and the canisters, they’re—oh slag!”
The sound of stunner fire, high-pitched and sharp, streams through the link, cutting off whatever Kieran was about to say. In vain, I call his name, but my words are immediately overridden by the barrage of frantic voices screaming through the com. More shots ring out, followed moments later by a terrified cry.
The link goes dead.
A wave of icy cold washes over me. Terrified, I try to raise him. “Kieran? Kieran!”
No answer.
I stare hard at my palm, heart pounding as I will his voice to emerge from my chit—but it never comes. Briefly, I consider running to his rescue, only to shake my head. This mission is about more than just us. Our priority is the bioweapons, and has been from the start. Kieran knew the risks. We all did. Now, with the planetary net down, our only choice is to finish what we started. Either complete our mission . . .
. . . or die trying.
I de-ack my chit, only now becoming aware of a deep-seated silence penetrating the bay. The sounds of destruction have ceased. Dropping my hand, I glance up.
Three sets of eyes watch me with barely concealed alarm. I swallow hard, not wanting to answer the awful question in their eyes, and brusquely speak. “Kieran knows what he’s doing. If anyone can get his team out, it’s him. We have to trust him to do his job and not let the enemy stop us from doing ours.”
I raise my stunner, an expectant look on my face. After a moment, they raise theirs as well, ready to follow my lead. With a single nod, I turn back to the bioweapons. My finger curls on the trigger—
Booom!
Everyone jumps as the heavy metallic thud echoes through the bay. Confused exclamations break out. My finger falters on the trigger, my heart pounding as I scan the bay, searching for the source of the noise. My eyes fall upon the hatch and stop. The opening through which we entered only a minute ago is now shut tight. And not just shut, I realize as I jog over and try the panel, but—
Locked.
A sense of doom suffuses me. My eyes flick to the door at the opposite end of the bay. The voice that comes out of my mouth is strangely calm.
“I think we’re about to have company.”
Then the entire door explodes off its hinges.