Unsung Heroes

Consciousness returned abruptly to Dex. His eyes snapped open. Anger surged through his veins as it had a thousand times before, only not quite as strong. He was lying on a gurney, healing fluids pumping through him intravenously. Somehow he had survived his fight with Janus.

Yet this revelation did not come as welcome news. Though he was still alive, it appeared as though he was being transported to another prison—and that, for Dex, was a fate even worse than death.

He considered letting the rest of his wounds heal. He wasn’t worried about the scars—he had plenty of those already—but rather how serious his condition was. If he broke out too early, he wouldn’t be strong enough to escape. But if he waited too long, his captors would be ready for him, and he would lose the element of surprise.

Making his decision, Dextanic let his fury rise within him. He felt the tremendous power of his genetically enhanced abilities at his beck and call. Dex reached out and grabbed the two straps holding him down. With but a thought he detonated the molecules, blowing the nylon bonds off his body.

Dex removed his IV and slid off the gurney. Landing in a crouch, he opened the only door out of the med-bay and stepped outside into a tiny corridor. His Biomancer power stirred within him, channeling through his outstretched arm toward the figure in front of him. At the last second, Dex recognized the bounty hunter and reined in his attack.

The armored warrior reflexively raised his plasma rifle. “Stand down,” he ordered, his tone firm.

Dex narrowed his eyes. “I have no qualm with you yet,” he replied, letting his muscles relax. “Make sure that doesn’t change.”

“Guys, settle down,” the human hacker, Tola, said.

At first Dex thought his words fell on deaf ears. But a moment later the bounty hunter lowered his weapon.

“Who else is here?” Dex asked. He could smell the presence of one more individual on board.

A woman strode into view, stopping beside the other two. “I’m Loralona,” she said. From her stance, tone, and mannerisms, it was clear this woman was dangerous. The Latoroth decided he would keep his guard up around her.

He didn’t bother to introduce himself; he had more important things to deal with first.

“Where are we headed?”

The bounty hunter answered: “Nowhere at the moment. I’m about to change course to Kyro, the home planet of my warrior clan, the Kyronades. I’ll drop any of you off somewhere that’s on the way, if you like.”

Before Dex could argue, Tola jumped into the conversation. “Wait a second, here. Why don’t we work together to finish what we started?”

“What we started?” the bounty hunter echoed. “The Black Scourge is long gone, and so is Janus. We don’t even know if he’s still alive.”

Hope flickered inside of Dex. He hadn’t seen the battle’s conclusion. But knowing his old master, Dex was sure he was still alive.

“Don’t assume he’s dead until you see it yourself,” he said.

The bounty hunter snorted. “If you want to hunt down that psychotic Biomancer, knock yourself out. The next time I face him, I’m bringing twelve of my clan brothers to back me up.”

Tola shook his head and smiled. “No. I don’t mean going after Janus. But the armor he wore, Varrcaran issue, is being manufactured somewhere and that’s what we need to destroy. We’ve seen its capabilities firsthand, and if we don’t do something soon, all of the Regime will have it.”

“Let ’em,” the bounty hunter replied. “If you ask me, the Coalition needs to be taken down a peg anyway.”

“This isn’t about them,” Tola protested, his voice calm. “The Regime just captured all of us; would have sent us to a prison colony or on the front lines of their next battle if we hadn’t escaped. Even still, there’s a good chance we’re already on their wanted list. If they win this war, you can bet Varrcaran troops will come looking for us sooner or later.”

Dex frowned. The human made a good point. He didn’t want either the Varrcaran Regime or the Coalition to come to power; not after what he had endured from both. He had a score to settle as it was. Right now it seemed the Earth Alliance was the least of three evils,

The bounty hunter’s face was hidden behind his helmet, but Dex could hear the disdain in his voice as he spoke. “That’s true. I would hate being hunted by those slime buckets. Taking the fight to them would be a nice change of pace after what they’ve done to us. What do you have in mind?”

“First I need to find out where their hidden factory is located. I downloaded all the data files from the Scourge that could help with that. Then we find a way to steal the designs or destroy the base completely.”

Dex smiled. This plan was sounding more fun all the time.

“Sounds like a worthy battle,” the bounty hunter said, loading a fresh energy pack into his plasma rifle. “And maybe a little payback is just what the doctor ordered.”

“Glad to hear it, Terrik,” Tola said with a grin. Dex made a mental note of the name. “What about you?” he asked the Latoroth.

Dex thought it over. He had little interest in traveling with others. Right now he wanted to get a message to Jezebel. Then his primary concern was killing Janus—and as he’d learned firsthand, he still wasn’t strong enough to do that. Not while he was wearing the power-immune armor, at least.

But if he could find a way to neutralize that. . . .

“I’m in,” Dex agreed, “as long as we can find some way to counter the effects of that armor.”

Tola nodded. “We will. It’s a mission priority.”

“I also want to contact someone. A civilian,” he added after a moment.

The hacker frowned. “I can’t help you there.”

“I can,” the bounty hunter said. “You can make a video call from the captain’s cabin. It has an encrypted signal, so there’s little chance of someone intercepting it. Just in case though, leave out any important details.”

“That will be fine,” Dex replied.

“Hold on,” Jezebel said. She reached to her side and unclipped an electrical whip—the same one Dex had used on the Scourge. “I believe this is yours,” she concluded, tossing it to him.

Dex caught it in one hand and gave her a slight nod of appreciation. Then he turned and marched toward the captain’s cabin. The door slid aside for him as he walked through, a troubled expression masking his features. He had no idea what he would say to Jezebel, only that he should say something.

Maybe she won’t even want to talk to me, he thought.

Right now Dex felt it would be easier fighting Janus again. But this was something he had to do. He’d been given a second chance to tell Jezebel what she meant to him. He wouldn’t let it go to waste.

“Well? What about you?” Tola asked Loralona.

The assassin considered his offer. Though she hated the Varrcaran Regime, her loyalty still belonged to the Shock Syndicate. She could kill Tola with the push of a button, but she didn’t want to until she knew why he was so dangerous to the criminal organization, and that meant tagging along a little further.

She also knew that her superiors preferred Alliance rule over the Regime or the Coalition. The Earth Alliance had far more red tape to cut through to arrest the Shock Syndicate’s associates, and thus, was better for business.

“No,” she said at last. In spite of her words, she had already decided to aid them, at least for the time being. She knew it was likely she would cut and run during the mission, so it was important that they not suspect her of treachery. If she appeared too willing to join in their plan, it would raise questions as to what her ultimate objective was, and she didn’t need a bounty hunter or a computer hacker looking into her records.

“Why not?” Tola asked.

“Because there’s nothing in it for me,” Loralona argued. “And what makes you think I could help anyway?”

“You must be a decent pilot to have come rescued us,” Tola pointed out. “And if nothing else, we could always use someone to guard the ship.”

Loralona shook her head. “You’re talking about a suicide mission behind enemy lines with only four people—none of whom I’ve ever worked with. Why would I take part in that?”

“Because the Regime tried to kill you.”

“That’s nothing new. Marching into a heavily guarded stronghold without backup is tantamount to letting them finish the job.”

“Oh, we’ll have backup,” Tola assured her with a lopsided grin. “If I can find this facility, the Earth Alliance will send in an entire fleet to help us out.”

Loralona paused a moment. “If it’s that important to the Earth Alliance, I assume they’d be willing to pay handsomely for the job.”

“Yes.”

“Good. Then I want one hundred thousand credits—non-negotiable.”

Tola frowned. Loralona knew the demand was ridiculously high; the Earth Alliance would never waste that much money on a lone agent they didn’t trust—not when it could just as easily pay for a full platoon of infiltrators.

“Done,” Tola said.

Loralona barely masked her surprise. Either this man was lying, willing to give up his share, or the Earth Alliance consisted of even bigger fools than she thought.

“Very well,” she agreed. “But all of this is moot if you don’t start scouring those files to find the hidden base.”

“Agreed. I’ll get started on that,” Tola said, heading for the cockpit with a smartphone in hand.

Loralona casually sat down on the couch in the main hold. Though she wasn’t sure, it appeared the bounty hunter was watching her closely.

“Do we have a problem?” she asked icily.

Terrik paused, his expression unreadable behind his mask. As he headed for the cockpit he uttered a single reply:

“No.”

Working with non-Kyronades was something Terrik had never done before. It was unusual having others aboard his ship who didn’t follow his code, and that made him curious to see how they would react in a situation that wasn’t forced upon them. He trusted Tola and Dex—to a point—but it was the woman who made him cautious. Her role in this was too . . . convenient for his liking.

But don’t forget she saved your life, he reminded himself.

Perhaps he was being paranoid, but that came with being a bounty hunter. Terrik had heard many lies from his captives over the years—desperate attempts to sway him into releasing them—so he had learned to watch people closely. Words were easy to fabricate; body language was not. And something about her answers made him think she had an alternative agenda.

Terrik shook his head. Twenty-four hours ago he never would have guessed he would be partnered with a crew like this. And with a Biomancer no less. Terrik had lost many clan brothers and sisters to a Biomancer. He hadn’t forgotten his vow to kill any who crossed his path, but he decided to make an exception for Dex. They had fought alongside each other, and Terrik did not turn on his comrades in arms.

Even still, the bounty hunter hadn’t changed his attitude toward other Biomancers in the slightest. The Coalition was just plain evil. Murder and destruction seemed to be a hobby of theirs, regardless of whether it was against true soldiers or unarmed civilians. They were honorless: killing innocents and children without a second thought. To top it all, their leaders, the Biomancers, relied too heavily on their vaunted powers. Strip those away and most could barely walk, let alone stand against a true warrior.

And now, here he was working with someone who wasn’t a warrior. The hacker, Tola, was the perfect example of this. Terrik had always looked down on those who couldn’t fight for themselves, but he’d be lying if he said he wasn’t impressed by Tola’s performance aboard the Black Scourge. Armed only with a dagger, he had proven both dangerous and cunning. What Terrik respected most of all was Tola’s bravery in the face of certain death. Even without weapons, armor, or high-tech equipment, Tola had never backed down from a challenge, and had saved their lives more than once.

Terrik knew he could learn a thing or two from Tola—and perhaps even Dex. The chance to battle alongside those two again and strike back at the Varrcaran Regime was too good to pass up. Reaching the cockpit, Terrik saw Tola hard at work studying the information he’d stolen. Terrik slid open the door to his weapons closet and reloaded his armaments. Fuel for his flamethrower and jet pack; a new battery pack for his miniaturized annihilator; concussion grenades for the mounted launcher on his rifle; bolas for capturing targets alive; it felt good to be fully equipped again.

Additionally, Terrik strapped a set of EMP grenades and C-4 to a bandoleer around his armor. After his brush with the cyborgs, he wanted to be prepared for more situations he might run into.

He was ready for the glory of battle once more.

Data streamed past Tola so fast it was almost a blur. Green lines of binary text filled the computer screen as he scoured through it bit by bit. Computer systems, mechanics, and technology were Tola’s specialty; he was gifted at bypassing firewalls, locating hidden information, and improvising when necessary.

The Varrcaran commanders were smart; they had covered their tracks well and concealed references to the secret manufacturing plant. False data streams pointed to Moaz as the base’s location—all crafted as an ambush site to detain or kill those searching for such an important stronghold. Even the ship’s logs had been altered to avoid naming the true planet where the factory was located.

But some clues had been overlooked: a transmission referencing additional heat shielding; smoke filters placed within helmets; astrogation charts with missing systems—slowly Tola was piecing these clues together.

“Want some company?” a voice asked from behind, startling him.

It was Loralona. She had changed from an all-black outfit into a slightly darker all-black outfit. Her brown hair was tied back neatly in a ponytail. Her emerald eyes shone with a fierce but beautiful intensity. She was certainly attractive . . . but there was also a deadly grace about her that spoke of a shadowy past.

Tola considered her offer for a moment. Typically he held strict rules of no distractions while he worked. All he required was a big bowl of spicy nacho chips and silence. But the last conversation he had with Loralona weighed heavily on his mind. She seemed to be a mercenary through and through, and they weren’t known for their loyalty when things got rough. If money was all she cared about she could easily be turned.

Leaning back in his chair and stretching, he made a decision; he would be extra-friendly toward her, help her assimilate with the others in the hopes that she would grow to care about her teammates. The last thing he needed was one of his crew bailing when trouble came around. Especially since trouble seemed to follow Tola like a stalker.

“Sure thing,” he said, trying to keep his voice casual. “Is there something on your mind?”

A smile graced her lips. “Yes. I’m curious as to what your stake is in all this. Why is it so important to you to find and destroy this facility?”

Tola resumed his search as he spoke. “It’s for the greater good. Earth Alliance strongholds are being overthrown at an unprecedented rate. If nothing changes, the Alliance will crumble soon. And I don’t want to liver under the flag of the Regime or the Coalition, quite frankly.”

“There must be more to it than that,” she pressed.

“Not really. This is the job the Earth Alliance hired me to carry out. And I only take jobs for a cause I believe in.”

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw her nod slowly, as if she were surprised by that. “I take it you’ve been with the Earth Alliance a long time then.”

“No. Technically I’m freelance, though the Earth Alliance has been my main employer over the last two years. Before that I . . . well, I’d rather not talk about it.”

Many people had horrified reactions when he shared about his time with the Shock Syndicate. Though Tola hadn’t done anything too terrible himself, the same could not be said of the criminal organization as a whole; he couldn’t blame people for reacting the way they did.

Loralona sat down in the seat beside Tola. The action caught him so much by surprise that he turned his gaze from the screen to look at her. She placed a hand on his shoulder.

“It’s okay,” she said gently. “I didn’t mean to pry. I just want to get to know my teammates better.” She paused, her beautiful smile returning. “Thank you for saving my life on Moaz.”

Tola’s heart raced. He was so stunned he didn’t answer right away. Then, with a smile, he said: “You’re welcome. Er, rather, thank you for saving my life on the Black Scourge.”

For a moment she didn’t say anything. Her eyes were locked on his, almost as though she could see something that no one else in the galaxy could . . .

Tola quickly averted his gaze.

No. Naomi was the same way. I can’t trust anyone. Not anymore.

“Is something wrong?” she asked, her expression a mixture of hurt and confusion.

“No,” he replied, continuing his search through the files. “I just have a lot of work to do.”

Loralona stood up slowly, her hand slipping from his shoulder. “All right. If you need help, let me know.”

Tola nodded, but didn’t respond as she left the cockpit. It was difficult to concentrate on his work over the next few hours. His mind kept returning to their conversation, playing it over and over in his mind. But no matter how many times it did, he couldn’t decide if he should have said something different or not.

His eyes hurt from the relentless scouring, but at last his efforts paid off. Combining the missing star systems with previously traveled faster-than-light routes, and the extra caution against extreme heat led to a single planet: Karakk.

Tola knew with certainty the hidden stronghold was there.