“Listen to me, Dalton!” Arun Snowden said, grabbing his brother’s shoulder, “Malachite's second was the putz who nearly killed me on Pantarus. The royal bitch’s dog. He’ll know where she is. Last thing he said to me before breaking my nose was that it was payback for trying to kill her. We tail Malachite’s ship, watch their outgoing communications and that muscle headed moron with the Abyssian’s own luck will lead her right to us!”
“Do you really think she would be in this galaxy?” Dalton snarled, “Right now we’re running low on latinum and we don’t have Father to bankroll us. So, the next time you crash a mech you won’t be getting another one. I would think after all those logged hours at the academy and everything we’ve done since you’d actually be able to pilot!”
“I’m twice the pilot you are! The only reason that you’re a Captain at all is because Father promoted you! You would have never made it under another Admiral! You can barely complete a contract!” Arun shouted
Dalton turned and punched his brother in the nose, the one that had been broken when Corbin had hit him on Pantaurus and again when Luke Malachite had decked him during their rescue. What had been broken was shattered; the prosthetic made the hit hurt worse when hit than before. Scorsby may have known his mecha but he was a garbage prosthetics engineer. It looked awful as well; who wanted a metallic nose? Arun hit the ground, almost blacking out. Dalton had used his cybernetic arm, too. Farking asshole.
“Father never should have brought you in after you flunked the academy. You’re just useless garbage, always have been. Imoen and Idalia would be better to have than you. Mother will know where they are, father’s alien whore as well. With our resources in the Imperial Military capturing Tamaerial Nova won’t be that difficult. She might actually know where your little crush is. You’re off my crew. Father’s not here to make me babysit you,” Dalton kicked Arun in the side, “My success rate will triple with you gone. The next time you see me, I will be an Admiral!”
“Great! From one percent to three percent! Maybe your cut will match it!” Arun snarled, climbing to his feet. His brother was already too far away for him to be heard. “I’m going to find that royal bitch, make her scream and when I’m done I’ll be made Admiral. I’m going to take you under my command and make you scrub the toilets and garbage compactors by hand!”
“Bold words, Mr. Snowden. Exactly, how are you going to accomplish that without a ship or a crew?”
Arun turned around. Behind him was a tall man in dark breeches, a blood red shirt and black leather jacket. He had a well kept blonde goatee and sideburns. Both of his eyes glowed red, the target shaped pupils gave him a menacing look. Circuitry ran along his face and neck, metallic gills were barely discernible from his skin. Killian Tain, his father’s High Captain.
High Captains were the second in command of their admiral’s fleets and had their choice of contracts before they were sent to everyone else. They would be the ones most likely to become an Admiral. Trost had been the High Captain before he lost to the royal bitch, well, to some backstabbing whore who got in a lucky shot. Trosk should have been rescued with them but Pugh was too focused on kissing his father’s ass.
“I still have access to my father’s accounts, unlike my brother. The ones that aren’t frozen. I’ll alter the records to make myself Captain, take the Snowfall, and take great delight in slitting that bitches throat when I’m done hatefucking her,” Arun said, “I’ll even take a souvenir so I can have her cloned.”
“Tell me your plan. If I like it I’ll give you a spot on my crew. If it’s successful I’ll let you play with her when I’m done. You’re also going to give me your access card and the information to access Balthazar’s contingency and other accounts.”
“Why would I do that? My father’s men will listen to me,” Arun said, “I get no benefit from working for you.”
“Is that so?” Tain said, his voice dripping with danger. Arun took a step back, “In case you haven’t realized it, Daddy isn’t here to give you special treatment. You’re just an unranked grunt within the guild and I’m your Admiral. You can accept my rather generous offer or I’ll just torture it out of you. Then I’ll have you thrown out of an airlock and reeled in, taking bets on how many times it will take to kill you. What do you have to say to that?”
Arun took out his access card and handed it over, “Yes, Admiral. Wait, aren’t you a High Captain?”
“I’ll have all the contracts finished soon if your intelligence is good. I’m actually looking forward to meeting your little sisters. They have their mother’s beauty and their father’s intellect. Unlike you and Doltan. It’s no wonder he wed a ja’darin beauty queen and not your mother.” Tain frowned, “We’ll have to do something about you, I command respect and I don’t need a clown like you making me look bad. A few days with Scrivner should fix you up. Especially that nose and bad dye job.”
“A clown?” Arun snarled, “I’ll show you a clown!”
“Watch what you say, boy,” Tain said, “You don’t have a single cybernetic component in your body. Scrivner made me a god. Now, tell me your plan before you need more than your nose fixed.”
=+=
The warm beach and the cool air with the relaxing songs of the Birds of Paradise was just what they needed. Kiera almost didn't want it to end. Sarlassa was a quiet and peaceful planet with mild weather and a diverse ecosystem. There were mountains, an ocean, forests, and a long stretch of grassland that met a freshwater lake where the crew of the Sunrise Eclipse set up their base.
The only threat on the planetoid was the crag wolves. They kept the local vreeta, a six limbed deer like creature with two racks of horns, in check. Unlike most crag wolves the local pack had been curious about the crew ever since they first landed. Gargax was the one who befriended them, especially after he went hunting and brought back a vreeta. While dressing it he gave the wolves the hearts and other organs along with a sizable chunk of the meat. Later that night the crew was introduced to the pups. Both Osos were blown away by what they had witnessed. The wolves greeted the crew everytime they landed and hung out with them getting pets and going hunting. Calvin failed to get any of them to do tricks or play fetch.
“I hear your sai-tau game is getting better,” Kiera said, sitting down next to Emily, who was sunbathing.
“Playing with you and Hiro will do that, Hitomi’s been learning as well and we’ve even roped Locke in. Gargax tried it once and couldn’t wrap his head around it.”
“You don’t hate it anymore?” Kiera teased
“The two versus one version your father used to teach us the game is better. Hiro used that to teach Locke and Kinsley how to play. Tara picked up on the game really quickly. Sage introduced us to Entana! Gargax still prefers choura and that ork rock game he taught us.” Emily said, “Or wrestling. How are you holding up, Kara?”
"I'm doing okay," Kiera said. "I'm glad that Snowden has been arrested. Knowing Father he's likely already on Tartarus. I'm glad that we're gone home and we don't have to fight in other people's wars, or defend someone's Moon Sugar farm. By the way, happy birthday! When we get home I'm taking you out for a fancy dinner.”
Emily sat up and pulled Kiera into a hug, “Koda gave me a new set of baking pans that he hand made with some help from Skorv. It's been ages since you and I went out together, we should go dancing after dinner! Did I tell you I got a message from your father wishing me a happy birthday? He transmitted me a bunch of recipes he found that were his mother’s. One of them he had marked as favorite. I think it was in all three transmissions. We’ll have to visit him.”
Kiera grinned, “It's a date! You realize that’s exactly what he wants, right? For us to go home so you can cook for him. Father always thought highly of you. He always talked about how you would slip up and call him ‘daddy’ whenever I did. I can’t recall any other handmaiden or page getting a birthday present from him.”
“Oh, we did. Things at Reflection, too. He was really good to all of us. He would always ask me what I wanted for my birthday, and all I could think of was just spending it with you, having fun,” Emily said, ‘It was really nice to hear from him. Lady Elise writes to me, too.”
“Just call them Father and Mother, you know they would love it. Mother would always take care of you when you got sick. Everyone else was attended to by Dr. Ingl, but he visited and then let mother and I care for you,” Kiera said.
“I thought everyone was like that. I was so surprised the first time Jerome asked why I wasn’t in the infirmary if I was sick. With that haughty attitude,” Emily rolled her eyes, “Always saying he was going to marry you and be a Prince himself.”
“Tavin couldn’t stand him, no one could,” Kiera laughed, “He was in the infirmary so much because Tavin would push him down the stairs, out of a tree, in the pond…”
“Off the wall, off the boat, and the horse, and the limo…” Emily giggled, “What a way to learn that the Limo had an ejection seat!”
Kiera laughed at the memory, “I overheard a birthday wish of “Make Jerome go away,” I felt a little bad when Father said Jerome would have nowhere else to go.”
They continued to chat about growing up and laughing at the stories. It always made Kiera feel better to talk with her best friend. Their stories turned back to current events; Emily and Koda dating was something that made Kiera extremely happy. They had been flirting since they met, and Koda decided to ask Emily out by getting different sacks of flour from the worlds they visited and making up a bouquet. It was the perfect way to ask out a baker. They’re nicknames of “Honey Bear” and “Cookie” never failed to make Kiera grin when she heard them. Soon, they fell asleep cuddled in each other’s arms, just like they did when they were younger.
=+=
Locke and the others arrived back at Sarlassa two days later with Kinsley’s new girlfriend, Felicity. It threw Kiera off when she couldn’t feel Felicity’s emotions, but her body language told Kiera that her warm smile and happy demeanor were genuine. Once more Kiera was blown away about how human the SAM seemed. After her birthday party and seeing how real the Skorv's body was, Kiera had changed her mind about his drones. Felicity being a SAM helped that since she really seemed to be a real person and cared for Kinsley. She wasn't the only species in the Universe who weren't able to have their emotions read. Kiera was happy for them and teased Kinsley about breaking protocol.
Kiera wasn’t surprised that Lupin had divided the contract up into smaller ones, or that he gave it to one hundred and fifty other people to pull off with the promise of being an Admiral. She wasn’t sure how he managed to keep the Red Moon functioning, and she didn’t really care. In a few days they would be back home in the Empire. Then the hunt for Belial would begin. She had no idea where to even begin to start looking, but Kinsley might, and if not her, then she'd ask Ben. Kiera was hoping that he would come by, especially after how upset he seemed the last time she saw him. She sent him a message formally inviting Ben and his crew to Sarlassa. Kiera needed to figure out how to convince her father to put a gate here, with Skorv's permission. If she could go between Sarlassa and the Empire Proper, then she would make her home here. It had everything she needed, especially her friends. With that thought in mind, Kiera wandered over to one of the hammocks and closed her eyes.
Archimedes’ call jolted Kiera awake. She looked around for the bird but didn’t see him anywhere. Calliope, called from the other side of the camp, the howl of the crag wolves followed after it, causing the rest of the crew to stir. Sarlassa had a small moon that was made of sapphires and amethyst, it glittered overhead reflecting the ambient nebula’s light. The light vanished for a moment
<<“Hitomi, do you detect something landing on the planet?”>> Kiera asked, using her PUC to remotely start the Pixie Darner
<<“Hrm?”>> came the sleepy reply. After a moment Hitomi continued speaking, <<"Yes, Kiera there is something that is orbiting the planet, and I have detected there are five unknown objects descending onto the gravball field!“>>
<<”Sunbeam to all pilots, it looks like we have uninvited guests on the gravball field. I'm assuming mecha pilots. Suit up and meet me here. Everyone else, prepare yourselves for combat.">> Kiera hopped out of the hammock and climbed into her mecha, not bothering to put on her plug suit. She launched the Pixie Darner into the air, heading towards the gravball field.
Emily was right behind her. Her mech was named Dancia after the protagonist of a fairytale about a girl, Danica, who could make swords fight for her and wielded a ribbon. The mecha had remotely controlled drone swords that served as an additional layer of armor when not in use. Once activated they could be used as both swords or shields, coated with a metal that would reflect phaser and blaster fire. Her ribbon was an energy sword with a gyroscope that controlled the direction and strength of the energy field. She had a pair of plasma blasters built into her arms as well, so the shield swords weren't her only ranged option. It had taken Emily two weeks to figure out how to fight with it and another week to learn to fight with the flying swords. The end result made Emily a terrifying opponent. Kiera struggled against her when they fought and appreciated how far Emily had come. Kiera could pilot Danica with little issues but the ribbon weapon was one she just couldn’t get her mind around.
Surprisingly, Riley had taken to the ribbon blade like it was natural; she was in dance lessons since she was eight and the school she attended made generous use of ribbon twirls in their performances. The Andoran turned out to be a gifted swordswoman, especially after Ben Uller took her as an apprentice. Riley joined Kiera and Emily in their daily practice, and Kiera quickly began teaching Riley the fighting styles that her father and Captain Feren taught her. Riley in turn helped both Emily and Kiera with their ribbon technique, which increased their skill with the ribbon blades.
Five mecha waited in the Gravball field. Two of them were Orions, one of the mecha had a pair of rhino horns on its head, another had a unicorn horn. Both had missile banks on their backs, spikes on their arms and legs and wielded plasma rifles An Arbiter had two horns on the side of its head pointing forward, like a bull's, and a long tail that ended in a ball of spikes. An Onslaught stood in the middle wielding a single sword. It had lighter armor than the others. Kiera noticed that it had both repulsors and sonic cannons built into its back. It would be faster than the others. The last one was a jet black Vindicator with panels and highlights of electric blue. It had a sword shaped horn on its head, a dueling pistol connected to its waist and a dueling sword in its hand. There didn’t seem to be any missiles on it, and the only spikes it had were on its tortoiseshell pauldrons. Even though all of them were medium class mechas, she couldn't rely on what she knew about them. Trosk's mecha had been heavily modified and she assumed that these were as well.
You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.
<<”We’re looking for Princess Kiera Elise Sol of the Astrian Empire, have you seen her?”>> the black mecha said through the intercom..
<<”If we had we would be on our way to Sanguine Luna,” Emily said in her most annoyed voice, <<”You’re in Admiral Skorv’s private territory without his authorization. You woke me up so I’m in a cranky mood. Leave now and you get to keep those scrap heaps and your lives. That might change if you wake up Captain Malachite.”>>
<<”We don’t take orders from useless women!”>> Arun Snowden’s arrogant voice came from the sword wielding mecha, <<”I know she’s here, I saw her dog with your arrogant Captain!”>>
<<”Quiet, Snowball. I’m talking,”>> the Vindicator said. <<”I’m surprised that one of Malachite’s gems is meeting us, or is it two? I guess it doesn’t matter. I am High Captain Killian Tain. Return to your captain and tell him I expect every member of his crew to be assembled and waiting for me. Your mechas docked, and all weapons stowed. If my commands are not obeyed then I’ll simply start killing his women until they are.”>>
Koda’s heavily armored bear shaped Grizzled Ursoc and Corbin’s Pugilist landed in front of Emily and Kiera. Koda’s mecha was built for close range brawling. His dexterous hands could shift into claws that were made of an adamantium-palladium blend that let them punch through anything and parry energy blades. Flak cannons were built into both of his upper arms and had a deployable coilgun on his back that he preferred to use on all fours. His mecha was faster than it looked and if he grabbed an opponent he could compact them against his chest which had built in magnet hammers. He could also reverse the polarity of the hammers to bring his victim into his “bear hug of doom.” There were plasma vents under his flak cannons he could open up to heavily damage anyone he hugged. It also had the same features that the Grizzly mecha had. It had a pair of carbines built into its bearlike jaw that gave it the appearance of having tusks. Rotary cannons were mounted on its shoulders, a pair of flamethrowers were built onto its arms, and finally it had a pair of plasma claws that could slide over the nominally dexterous hands, and a missile bank built into its back.
Corbin liked options, having both ranged and melee attacks on his mech, he also liked explosions. His mecha’s fists were equipped with gravity cannons that left an impact while sending his opponent backwards, or forwards. He had tether beams in his palms to pull opponents to him. The forearms had mounted ion cannons and both of his shoulders were equipped with gatling plasma cannons. His heavily armored back concealed three banks of cobalt missiles, and each leg had two additional banks. Gravity thrusters on his back and feet let him fly around easily.
<<”Stand down,”>> Tain said.
<<”Funny, that’s what I was about to say to you,”>> Koda growled, <<”I don’t know, and don’t care why you’re here. But this region is claimed by Admiral Skorv and granted to Captain Malachite. The Captain didn’t invite you here and he’s pissed that you woke him up. You’re going to jettison out of those mechs, get back in your ship and leave, or Admiral Skorv is going to have some new scrap to play with. I won’t ask twice,”>>
<<”Where’s the royal bitch, dog?”>> Arun snapped.
<<”Kodiak Oso do not lose your cool,”>> Kiera ordered. Calling Koda another animal was the quickest way to make him angry.
<<”I’m cool, I’m going to coolly rip his mecha’s head from its body and shove it down into his chassis and then I’m going to pull him out and beat him until candy comes out,”>> Koda snarled over their private channel, sounding very much like a bear. <<”Don’t know who you’re talking about,”>> Koda said over the intercom evenly after a moment, <<”Now, get off our planet.”>>
Dandelion, in the mecha with the sword and crescent horn, took a step forward. Tain held out a hand to stop him, which the angry youth obeyed. The others in the squad didn’t move. Kiera wasn’t sure what they were up to, but their stillness gave her an uneasy feeling. She was glad the wolves and the birds had roused the camp. She sent a message to Locke, asking if he was okay. The reply came a few seconds later. They were under attack, but fine.
<<”Your friends will be captured momentarily,”>> Tain said, <<”I have confirmation that your captain and his mongrels have retreated into your ship. Is that where Princess Sol is hiding? Arun said the man he saw with your Captain was a…what did you call him?”>>
<<”The spineless muscle brained weakling that fights like a wet noodle,”>> Arun said with all the condescension that he could muster.
Laughter roared over their comms. Kiera couldn't help but smile at Corbin’s reaction to Arun’s pathetic insult. It looked like the entire squad was ready to react to an attack. It didn’t come. Corbin’s laughter stopped after a few more laughs, <<”Can I, please can I?”>> Corbin asked.
<<”Go ahead,”>> Kiera replied.
<<”Oh, Snowy, did I hit you too hard? I know I broke that ugly nose of yours but don’t you remember waking up with a sore face and start begging me not to hit you again, ‘Not in the face, don’t hit me again, not in the face!’ and then I flicked the side of your head and knocked you out? Waiting in the cold rain for someone to come find us because I didn’t know where the fark we were? Then your relief when Cael Feren’s mech landed and you begged her to not let me hit you again?” Corbin laughed, “Kiera’s not here you dumbass. Why would an Imperial Princess be slumming around here around a bunch of guys she couldn’t stand, I mean, they’re all like you.”
Dandelion dashed forward, pushing past Tain, his sword leading his attack. Corbin fired a gravity blast slamming into Dandelion and sending him flying backwards before the arrogant boy got into melee range. Their scuffle was the signal that conversation was over.
<<“Carlton, Colton, Clayton. Disable their mechas and leave their pilots alive,”>> Tain said.
The Orions and the Arbiter mechas moved in tandem, rushing towards Kiera’s team. Emily activated her flying blades, Koda charged forward meeting his tailed opponent half way between the two groups. The one that was heading towards Kiera was knocked off his feet by a carbine blast from above them. Kiera grinned, Tara was a fantastic shot with her mecha. Shooting Star was based on the Valiant Tara used to pilot, equipped with ranged weapons that gelled with Tara’s harrier fighting style, a throwback to her high speed racing days in the Asteroid Field Racing circuit. In addition to the carbine rifle, the Shooting Star had shoulder mounted repulsors, like Kiera’s, hip mounted gatling guns, chest mounted micro missiles and arm mounted photon cannons. Her attack drew the man’s attention and he immediately switched targets.
Corbin engaged Dandelion, his fists swinging at the sword wielding mecha. There was something wrong with the way that Snowden was fighting. She’d fought Dandelion for months. The style that he was using in the mecha was nothing like the way he fought. Not in person and not in the mecha back on Pantaurus. His guard was too good, his attacks too fluid. <<“Strongman, be careful. That’s not Dandelion,”>> Kiera said, <<“None of these guys might be who they say they are.">>
A blast to Kiera’s mecha caught her attention; Tain had chosen her as his opponent.. There was little mecha combat in this galaxy and those that she did face didn’t hold a candle to her team. Mecha weren’t terribly common among the Red Moon, and those who did use them fought well according to the reports Locke showed her. Kiera took a deep breath to steady herself. She wasn’t facing this man in an unfamiliar mecha, she was facing him in one that she helped design and intimately familiar with. Her blades ignited and she shot forward meeting Tain head on. He drew the pistol from his hip as he parried her first blow and took the second, firing off a wild shot. It was likely meant to throw her off, the angle of his firing arc with the closeness of their battle told Kiera that his shot wouldn’t hit her.
He backed off but Kiera wouldn’t let him get comfortable, pressing the attack. He didn’t know what to do against both of her blades, few people did in an age where combat was primarily ranged and when melee combat with single energy swords dominated. A smokescreen concealed him both from Kiera’s sight and her radar, the billowing cloud masked his movements. Kiera shot backwards, exiting the screen, she wasn’t going to be foolish enough to fight him blind, and he obviously had a way to navigate through the concealment, otherwise he wouldn’t have used it.
A barrage of missiles flew straight at her from the smoke and a second volley shot into the sky from the top of the screen. Kiera used her repulsors and dodged the missiles that came straight at her. The ones from above changed direction, launching a second stage rocket burst that slammed into her mecha and exploded. The damage was minimal, but it set her up for two plasma blasts that struck her front. Tain was comfortable in the smoke. His missile count was limited and she could probably weather more attacks, but that let him control the battlefield. Captain Feren taught her that whoever controlled the flow of battle won. Kiera shealted one of her blades and equipped her shield. She fired her photon cannon into the smoke screen at the same angle the blasts had come from. An attack from the opposite site of the field replied, both of them blocked by her shield.
Kiera returned fire, knowing she would likely miss. She wanted him to think she was a poorer combatant than she was and that the smokescreen was really throwing her off. Another paired missile barrage was launched from the smokescreen, Kiera aimed to her left and fired as she dodged around the first set again, which based on their speed were just to put her into a position where the rain from above could strike hard. She continued flying after her attack into the smoke screen and then juked to her right. One of the missiles struck her, another four shot past her, swirling the smoke. Explosions dispersed it seconds later
Scorch marks marred Tain's chassis. He ignited a red energy beam sword and swung at Kiera. She parried it and then bashed her shield against the mecha, throwing him off balance. She quickly followed up, striking at his torso and cutting through his armor. Tain shot backwards to disengage again. Kiera followed him, not wanting to let him go again. He dropped another smokescreen, but Kiera pushed him out of it, raining blows, and blocking his with her shield.
They left the smoke screen trading blows, neither scoring many hits. Kiera felt her confidence rising; this wasn’t the indomitable opponent she fought on Pantaurus, this was someone that she could beat. Kiera took a breath to calm herself, confidence was good but overconfidence would only cripple her. A blow to her back, blocked by her other “wing” diverted her attention long enough for Tain to score a solid hit on her chassis. Dandelion was behind her.
Corbin barreled out of the smoke screen stumbling as he exited. Tain juked around her and flew towards him, firing his pistol. Corbin took the hits and wheeled around arms raised like a boxer. Kiera shot after Tain trying to reach Corbin before he could; the captain was a more skilled fighter than Dandelion and Corbin had the bad habit of letting overconfidence make him take some dumb risks. It didn’t seem like he had heard Kiera’s warning.
<<”Strongman, evade!”>> Kiera shouted, firing her repulsors.
Her shield slammed into Tain throwing off his attack , but not quite enough. His blade lengthened, piercing through Corbin’s mech. Dandelion appeared behind him, striking Corbin with an energy sword in each hand. Both blades pierced Corbin’s mecha and it powered down. Kiera reversed directions with her repulsors, sending Tain flying away with damage on his torso and arm. She engaged her shields to float around her, similar to Emily’s and drew her second sword. That brief attack confirmed it; whoever Corbin was fighting wasn’t Dandelion. He couldn’t dual wield.
There was a pause as the Onslaught backed away with his guard raised. Tain didn't re-engage, content to stay back, his energy blade shut off. That seemed to be a signal for the Onslaught to attack. He saluted her and then charged at her, sword still in a guard position. Kiera fired her repulsors, not waiting for him to come to her. She positioned one shield to block his first blow, parried his second then shattered his guard with her left hand sword. She immediately followed up with a shield bash that sent his mecha stumbling backwards. Her radar detected someone above her, but Kiera couldn't turn to face them, not with her opponent already on the attack again. Her radar showed that Tain was moving in as well. Kiera positioned a shield behind her then shot backwards, parrying a double swing with her own blades. Her other shield spun to intercept whoever was dive bombing her, but it was a fraction too late. A Vulcan slammed into her, causing her to crash onto the ground to a bevy of alerts. It straddled her, pinning her to the ground.
It had the same appearance as the Vulcan that Trosk had used, but within the red moons were white snowflakes. Being pinned to the ground didn't give Kiera a lot of options, she fired her disruptor and scored a clean blow against the Vulcan. In response it drew an energy sword and pierced it through Kiera's core. Her mecha powered down, disabled.
<<”I win this time, bitch. I knew you only received your position because you were screwing the officers,”>> Dandelion’s voice came out of the mech.
<<”Strongman and I are down, and I’ve got Dandelion straddling my mech. Can I get some help before I have nightmares for the next month?”>> Kiera asked over her comms. She could see his smug face through her viewscreen.
Three swords responded to her request, slamming into Dandelion and throwing him off of her. Two more swords attached themselves to her mecha. This was another thing Emily could do with her swords. Skorv called it “Puppet master mode” using the swords to connect to an enemy mecha and override their controls. It was also able to be used to lift other mechas for rescue, like Emily was doing now.
<<”Terabyte, Bear Paws, we need to retreat. Both Strongman and Sunbeam are down and I’m detecting reinforcements!”>> Emily called.
<<”Copy Handmaiden,”>> Tara said her voice calm, <<”I’ll cover the retreat, Bear Paws, do you have Strongman?”>>
<<”I’ll get him, Terabyte. Tail-boy, rhino face, and unicorn are down. I thought Strongman was fighting Dandy?”>>
<<”Voice modulation,">> Kiera replied. <<”His audio was likely played out of the Onslaught trying to trick us into thinking that he was Dandelion. I tried to warn Strongman; they could have done the same thing with Tain. We should have known it wasn't him; Dandelion can't handle something as fast as an Onslaught. I have visual confirmation of Dandelion in the Vulcan with the snowflakes on it.” Part of Kiera wanted to know if she had actually been fighting Killian Tain. In some ways he was more skilled than the last High Captain. Having Dandelion wait in reserves for a sneak attack was the best way to use him. She also wanted to know who was in the Onslaught. It was obvious that he saw her as some kind of equal opponent. The salute before he attacked proved that much.
Kiera was lifted into the air, her rotating shields were picked up by two more of Emily’s swords. Dandelion was getting to his feet, and shot after them. One of the enemy mecha was sliced into pieces, likely Emily’s handiwork Another squad was descending onto the planet, harried by Tara’s carbine rifle. The second smoke screen had yet to dissipate. Koda shot from it, Corbin wrapped in a hug. A shot from his coilgun brought Dandelion down. The Vindicator stood on the ground not chasing them. The Onslaught shot towards them, and requested a transmission from Kiera. Curiosity got the better of her and she acknowledged it.
<<"Your name. I must know your name,">> an eager voice said, <<"We must meet in battle, a duel! I am Enoch Lys.">>
<<"Sorry, Enoch, but I'm not giving you my identity or a duel.">>
Emily lashed at Enoch with her ribbon blade, forcing the man to veer away. He didn't continue to pursue and Kiera shut off the communication before he could say anything else. As they flew back to the ship Kiera could see three other ships orbiting their planet, their home. Men in Red Moon battle uniforms were surrounding their ship, many of them wearing power armor and some of them piloting spider-tanks. Tain had come with a declaration of war.
<<”Skaggan to all mecha pilots. We are outgunned and are at risk of being overrun. We’ve initiated lift off, send coordinates for a pickup.”>> Locke’s voice was commanding without a sense of urgency. Kiera had always found his “command” voice sexy, and even now in the heat of combat when they were in real danger it was an anchor she could latch on to. Tain had outplayed them. How did he even find them?
<<”Handmaiden and Sunbeam are on approach,”>> Emily replied.
<<”Bear Paws and Strongman are on approach”>> Koda’s voice came a moment later.
<<”Terabyte on approach, pick us up in the air.”>>
Sunrise Eclipse lifted off, the hangar bay open. Emily flew them inside and landed them at their docking stations. Koda and Tara were right behind them. Kiera climbed out of her mecha once the hangar doors closed. Infighting among the mercenaries was discouraged but it still happened. She didn’t know who Killian Tain’s Admiral was, but Skorv likely would and they could let her deal with the other. With Dandelion under his command it likely had been Admiral Snowden. Did his Captains have free reign to do what they wanted? Considering Lupin’s uncaring attitude they likely did. He didn’t seem to care about anything other than his secrets and his wealth.
Kiera made her way up to the bridge. She briefly paused to put on a shirt. While no one would really care if she just walked onto the bridge in nothing but her swimming shorts, she didn't want to flash Skorv when they were talking to him.
“Have we contacted Adm—” Kiera said, stopping mid sentence as she looked at the image on the viewscreen.
They were in a tunnel of greens, blues, and yellows. Flashes of prismatic lightning seemed to dance around them in one of the most beautiful sights Kiera had ever seen. Everyone on the bridge was spellbound by the sight that surrounded them. They left the tunnel and found themselves among flames, at least that’s what it looked like with the bright reds, yellows and oranges surrounding them. Kiera realized after a moment that they had to be in a different nebula.
“Calvin, where are we?” Locke asked after a few moments, breaking the silence.
All eyes turned to their navigator, “Sir, according to the star charts that Tallah gave us…”
“We’re in the Benetir Kingdom.”