NOVEL NEXT Book 3 – Chapter 2
01:44, January 1st, 2135
“Just remember: we’re going to be doing hit-and-runs, so air support is going to be nonexistent until Ashley shows up with the fleet.” Selina reminded them over the radio as they exited the shuttle. “You’re going to be on your own for a bit.”
“Got it.” Kayden said, levelling his rifle as he scanned the landing pad around them.
Behind him, Anna stepped out of the shuttle and levelled her own pistol as she took up a position by his side. Her green skin was hidden underneath a layer of nanobot-created armour, but nothing could hide the fact that the top of her helmeted head barely reached his hip. She took a moment to fidget with the Kel-made glove that gave her healing powers before chuckling over the radio.
“Looks like your friend Commander Duke wasn’t kidding. There’s gotta be a hundred ships on this pad, maybe more.”
Choosing to ignore her comment about being friends with the commander, Kayden nodded. “It’s too bad none of them are military ships – otherwise, they could be up their bolstering the fleet instead of sitting down here.”
They’d parked the shuttle at the very edge of the landing pad, where the dark grey metal and concrete gave way to the barren rock of Trappist Prime. His eyes traced the grey, black, and silver metal hulls of the utilitarian ships around him, gradually moving upwards past the automated defense turrets towards the enormous habitation dome at the end of a long walkway. He could see flashes of light from the firefight that was obviously happening inside, but noted with satisfaction that the fighting seemed to be contained to within the dome for now and hadn’t spilled out to threaten the makeshift fleet.
“We should offer them refuge on Sanctuary.” Anna suggested as she climbed onto Kayden’s back. “I bet we could retrofit some of these ships to make them good in a fight. Or at least make good use of them around the colony.”
Mirana stepped out of the shuttle behind Kayden and closed the door behind her before levelling her own rifle. Together they followed the dim running lights to a brightly lit pathway – one that led through the rows of parked ships to the dome beyond. They set out at a light jog, wary of any creatures which could be hiding in the shadows underneath the ships parked all around them. As they moved, Anna kept up a running commentary – her way of keeping the mood light despite everything that was happening.
“That’s a Titan-class cargo hauler over there, I stole one and rammed it into a Black Company cruiser a few years back…the silvery box thing beside it is an Odyssey-class shuttle, I didn’t realize any of them were still in service. Shit, these ships are full – I can see people’s faces looking out the windows. Duke wasn’t kidding when he said they were ready to leave…Oh look, there’s an Einstein-Class science ship! That’s gotta be brand new, and we could use one of those back on Sanctuary to-wait, stop!” She suddenly cried.
“What?” Kayden said, stopping dead and whirling around as he checked for enemies.
“Just one second.” Anna replied, pulling out a small tablet from a back pocket and taking a picture of a strange-looking ship. “Alright, got it. Keep going. Selina’s going to lose her shit over this.”
“Over what?” Kayden asked, furrowing his brow as he jogged faster to catch up to Mirana.
“That’s the Bluenose.” She said by way of explanation.
“I don’t know what that is.” Kayden replied.
“It’s the most famous racing ship in human space! I know it looks like a cockpit with engines, but I promise you that ship has won more races than the rest of the top 10 racing ships combined.”
Kayden glanced back at the ship as they continued to jog. The description was apt – it had an enclosed angular cockpit with what looked like enough room for 2 pilots to sit, one in front of the other. The blue painted hull tapered outwards slightly, before ending in a cluster of enormous engines. Turning his head, he caught up to Mirana as they continued their jog.
“What is the ship’s purpose?” Mirana asked.
“We race them.” Anna replied. “Usually the course extends around a moon. First one to complete the circuit wins.”
“That seems like an enormous waste of resources.” She replied disdainfully.
“In wartime, sure. But in peacetime? It’s important for people to have fun distractions.” He paused for a moment, thinking. “What do the Vrul do for fun?”
“I…well…we…” She stuttered as they neared the doors to the habitation dome. “We should remain focused on the mission. We don’t have time for such frivolities.”
Kayden chuckled as the outer doors slid open smoothly for them. “Okay fine, you don’t have to tell me now. Maybe another time.”
They stepped into a large metal airlock with another set of sliding doors in front of them. The room was lit by a large overhead light which was currently red, casting sinister-looking shadows everywhere. As soon as Mirana cleared the threshold leading outside the door behind her slid shut and a hissing sound filled the room while the airlock repressurized. It continued until the air around them matched the atmosphere of the habitation dome.
They leveled their weapons at the door in front of them, unsure of what they would be walking into due to the soundproofing effect of the heavy metal doors. Kayden thumbed the safety on his rifle as he took a deep breath, preparing for the worst. A moment later the process completed and with a soft ding noise the red light overhead turned to green as the doors slid open.
As Kayden took in the scene in front of him, he almost wished it hadn’t.
Ahead of them, a squad of a dozen SCI marines were desperately firing their rifles wildly over a makeshift barrier in the middle of what looked like an urban street. They were wearing what looked like standard-issue combat armour – a black kevlar-nanoweave bodysuit with dark grey steel pauldrons, vambraces, greaves, and boots. On their heads they wore helmets that housed an internal computing suite that handled communications, projected energy shields around their bodies, and housed the heads-up display that provided them with relevant mission information. All-in-all their armour wasn’t as good as Kayden’s nanobot-created armour, but it was effective and easily produced at scale.
On either side of the street were a set of burned out buildings filled with pockmarks of bullets. The dome’s overhead lighting system seemed to have gone out, replaced by dim yellow emergency lighting that lined the streets. Further beyond the marines Kayden could see a quickly-advancing group of quadrupedal spine monsters, their tongues hanging out and their jaws snapping as they raced towards the group. They were flanked by a pair of crab monsters – ones who were currently firing a barrage of energy rounds at the marines and ensuring that they couldn’t peek out of cover. Kayden knew first hand that it was an effective strategy, and that he had to act fast if he was going to save the soldiers.
“Mirana, go left and set up your robots to flank them!”
“On it!” Mirana replied tersely.
While she did, Kayden raced forward in long, loping steps. In seconds he’d reached the marines, vaulting easily over their barricade before sliding and crouching next to them, causing shouts of alarm as Anna climbed off his back. With a thought he changed his suit radio to the frequency supplied by Commander Duke and began shouting.
“Friendly! Don’t shoot!” He shouted.
“Who are you?” One of the marines demanded from behind a helmet.
“Kayden Reynolds!” Kayden replied, sending the command codes from his own suit to the soldier’s with a thought.
Something flashed across the soldier’s in-helmet heads-up-display before he nodded. “Sir! We could use a hand!”
The Voidborn crab’s cannons boomed, a projectile round slamming into the concrete barricade and throwing one of the marines back. He cried out as he sailed through the air, bouncing several times before going silent. Gritting his teeth he turned to Anna.
“You’re on medic duty!”
“Got it!” She replied, running towards the injured man as fast as her legs would carry her.
Turning back to the soldier, Kayden gave rapid-fire orders. “Don’t shoot her, me, or my friends that are going to appear on your left in about 30 seconds. Focus your fire on the runners, aim for the heads, I’ll take out the crabs.”
Without giving him time to reply, Kayden mentally spoke to Ali. I need that adrenaline rush now.
Time around him slowed as he launched himself over the barricade, sprinting towards the oncoming horde before the soldier had fully registered what just happened. In the blink of an eye Kayden levelled his rifle and began strafing the quadrupedal monsters, scoring several headshots as he did. His legs pumped ever faster as he turned suddenly to the right, targeting the first crab monster and switching his rifle to energy rounds while squeezing the trigger.
If the creature wasn’t trying to kill him he might have felt badly for it. Its spindly legs scuttled to the side, desperately trying to bring the powerful stationary cannon on its back to bear. Kayden knew that against even regular opponents it would have trouble tracking a target which didn’t stand still.
Against Kayden with his adrenaline rush active it didn’t stand a chance.
His energy rounds slammed into the creatures shield, draining it just as Kayden neared. The nanobots in his arm formed his hand into an enormous blade – one which he used his Kel-given abilities to run an electrical current through. With his enhanced strength he plunged the blade into the ugly creature’s ‘face’, piercing its armour and frying the delicate electronics hidden underneath its shell. It shuddered for a moment before falling to the ground, dead.
Tearing the blade out of the corpse Kayden turned as the adrenaline rush wore off. He saw that his plan worked perfectly in that it caught the attention of everyone on the battlefield – Voidborn and human. Unfortunately for him, that meant that there was a group of several dozen quadrupeds standing between him and his other target – the second crab creature.
Fortunately for him, Mirana chose that moment to emerge from a burned out building with half a dozen robots on either side – all of them armed. They unloaded the submachine guns they carried into the crab from behind, blowing through its shields and killing it under a hail of gunfire. The sight seemed to invigorate the marines as they popped out of cover and joined the barrage, adding their fire to the bots’.
The combined crossfire quickly shifted towards the quadrupedal monsters, and in moments all that was left of the group of Voidborn was dead bodies. In the eerie silence that followed Kayden took a moment to scan for any more monsters lurking in the darkness. When he found none he quickly retreated back to the marines, hopping over the barricade as he checked on his squadmates.
“Anna? Mirana? You both okay?”
“I am.” Mirana confirmed.
“Yep.” Anna added as she strode towards him, adjusting her healing glove. “Good thing we arrived when we did. That soldier would be dead if we didn’t. He’ll be back on his feet in a few minutes.”
“Good.” Kayden said before turning to the soldier he’d spoken to before. “Hey! Marine! Who’s in charge here?”
He looked around for a moment before shrugging. “I guess I am, sir.” He said, his voice quivering.
Shit. He sounds like a kid. Kayden thought to himself before replying out loud. “Name and rank?”
“Lance Corporal Davis, sir. 12th infantry battalion, Bravo Company.”
“Lance Corporal Davis, do you know where the rest of your battalion is? We’re going to need some help.”
He nodded in reply. “We’ve had some scattered radio contact with them, and there are still active transponders. Here, I’ll share their locations with you.”
Kayden watched as he input several commands into his wrist-mounted computer. The heads-up-display in his suit flashed once as it received the signal, and suddenly he saw dozens of locations marked in green ahead of him. He furrowed his brow for a moment before responding.
“That’s all that’s left of your battalion?” Kayden asked, concerned.
“Most of us were stationed outside, to protect the AA guns.” He explained before pausing for a moment. “A lot of them didn’t make it back into the dome.”
Kayden laid a sympathetic hand on the man’s shoulder. “It’s alright. We’re gonna get through this. I need you to radio them and tell them to rally somewhere. Is there a central landmark or something they can go to?”
He nodded and pointed to a tall building in the distance. “The refinery tower, over there.”
“Great. Tell them to rally there, and wait for me to get them. Then I need your squad to dig in here and protect this exit. Make sure nothing gets through to the landing pad out there, okay?”
He cocked his head in confusion. “Are… you not staying here, sir?”
“No.” Kayden said. “We’re going deeper into the dome. There’s a high-value target in there who we can’t let leave.”
“You’re going in there with those…things?” Another soldier asked, having overheard the conversation. “You can’t! They’ll kill you, just like they did everyone else!”
Kayden shook his head calmly. “We’ve already shown we can handle ourselves, marine. So can you. You beat them here, and you can do it again.”
“No, not those things!” The marine said urgently before pointing. “Those things!”
Kayden turned and levelled his rifle. Rounding the corner ahead of them were several dozen bipedal, human-like creatures. They wore tattered clothes that revealed metallic grey skin underneath, and their eyes, mouths, and ears each omitted an eerie blue light. As he focused on them he saw that metal studs were installed haphazardly across their bodies, and a short spike protruded from the base of their necks. Their fingernails had been replaced by sharp-looking 6-inch blades – ones that they swung back and forth as they moved.
“Fuck.” Kayden swore before unleashing the first salvo on the creatures, killing several with headshots.
Their slow shamble towards them turned into a reckless run as Anna, Mirana, and their robot companions added their fire to his own. The sight was enough to bring the marines to their senses, firing wildly into the crowd. Kayden watched with horror as one of the marines blew a creature’s legs off at the knees only for it to continue crawling forward. With a grimace he adjusted his aim and put a pair of rounds through its skull before shouting orders over the radio.
“Headshots only! Save your ammo!”
When the last creature fell Kayden took a deep calming breath before turning back to the marines. Even though they had clear sightlines the entire time and nothing came within 10 meters of them, several of them were slumped onto the ground, catatonic. The ones that were still standing were shaking badly enough he started to worry they’d fire off a round or two by accident.
“Mirana, bring your bots around front and take over guard duty.” He ordered, a pit in his stomach forming as he realized where the creatures likely came from. “Everyone else huddle up behind the barrier and take a breather. Anna, you can coach them.”
When they moved to comply, Kayden jogged out to the corpse of the nearest creature. Its face was mangled from a gunshot, but it still wore a set of standard-issue military fatigues – though admittedly they were hanging on by threads. Kneeling, he examined the blue veins visible through the creature’s skin for a moment before deploying his nanobot swarm, sending them to gather data about the creature.
[“Kayden.”] Ali’s voice sounded in his head. [“You already know what I’m about to tell you.”]
I know. He said, the pit in his stomach deepening. But I need you to say it anyways.
[“This creature was human. It’s been heavily genetically modified and cybernetics have been grafted onto it, but it’s human.”]
How did they do this? He asked, disgusted.
[“I am seeing the same genetic markers present in the creatures who were transformed on Arcadia and Sanctuary. They’re likely using their cocoons to transform them into this.”]
“Davis.” Kayden called over the radio. “Have you come across any large fleshy sacks, maybe 5 meters tall and 10 meters in circumference? They would have probably been deployed from orbit. They’ll have spindly metal arms and a tough carapace on the outside.”
“No sir.” Davis responded instantly. “We haven’t seen anything like that here.” He paused for a moment then added. “Should…we be expecting that?”
“No.” Kayden replied. “I don’t think so.”
[“It’s likely they were transformed somewhere else then brought here as shock troops.”] Ali theorized.
It makes a sick sort of sense when you think about it. There are billions of people on Earth. Capturing it gives the Queen access to all the disposable ground troops she could possibly need. She can use those troops to capture more colonies, who in turn can be used to replenish any of her losses.
[“It appears that is her plan, yes.”]
Is there any way to tell who this person was?
[“Not without more information.”]
Can we change them back into being human? Or break the Voidborn control over them?
[“Unknown. I would require further examination of the bodies to find those answers.”]
With a deep exhale Kayden stood and moved back towards the group. To her credit Anna had all the marines on their feet standing at the barrier. Whatever she said to motivate them apparently worked well because they were scanning the street for threats, rifles raised as he approached.
“Davis, your orders remain the same. You hold this door, and you shoot anything that attacks you. That includes these…zombie…things.”
“Understood sir.” He replied, his voice hardening. “Good luck.”
With a nod Anna left the marines and scrambled onto Kayden’s back. Mirana quickly dismissed her contingent of robots, their nanobots returning to her armour and forming a protective layer around her. When she rejoined them they wordlessly began walking down the street, taking care not to step on the sea of corpses around them. As they rounded the corner Kayden levelled his rifle and spoke into his radio.
“Broken Shackle, this is Kayden. Come in.” He said over their shared channel.
“We’re here.” Dawn’s voice replied.
“We’ve encountered Voidborn-modified humans, similar to the creatures we found before. Ali and I think the queen brought them in from Earth or Alpha Centauri.”
“Glad we got my family out now…” Anna muttered softly.
“Shit Kayden. What do you want to do?” Dawn asked.
“The plan remains the same. We’re going to rally whatever forces we can, then hit the queen with everything that we’ve got. I’ve got no idea what will happen to the Voidborn after we kill her though, so be ready for anything.”
“Understood.” Dawn responded. “Be careful and good luck.”
“You too.” Kayden said. “We’ll see you on the other side.”
