“It used to be said, that every time a bell rings an angel got its wings; but what happens when the world cries? When the world cries out in despair and woe, there is no angel. Instead, the universe gives birth to an equalizer. A force of nature, for better or for worse, designed to restore balance to the world. That, is what I saw in her when I found that young woman…” – Gregor Solomon, Lord Inquisitor of the Inquisition, year 2393 Sol.
Images flashed in Morrigan’s mind at an epileptic pace; images of blood, torn flesh and pain. A familiar gunshot rang out in a menacing echo as she saw a young Eskarii girl’s head hit the sidewalk. The laughter that thundered around her stoked terror up her spine like a burning fire as she saw the dirty fingers of Tyrus’s hand pressed against her face as blood crawled down the stone wall. The primal snarl of a beast unknown to her.
Wake the fuck up! The familiar panicked voice bounced around her skull.
Morrigan shrieked in terror as she bolted upright, her crimson claws slashing around her gouging the wall next to her and shredding the blanket she had been nestled under.
Xol and the Marmuro’k that littered the floor also shot up defensively with cries of alarm or low, threatening hisses at what ever intruder dared to enter the dwelling they huddled in.
They all looked to find Morrigan sitting in bed hyperventilating, eyes wide as she looked at each of them.
“I'm sorry… I'm so sorry,” she breathed, tears filling her eyes.
It’s okay kid, you were having a nightmare, Apollyon said soothingly in her head.
She nodded her understanding as she tried even out her breathing as Yekku and Qiote chirped at her. “Just a nightmare… I’m sorry for scaring all of you…” she stated as she took in a deep breath as the pain in her head grew exponentially.
Yekku padded over on his hands and feet to the edge of the bed, his long slender tail keeping him balanced as he reached his slender head over the threshold to prod her hand with this flickering forked tongue.
The motion tickled the back of hand letting her smile softly as the S’randin looked at her with wide concerned eyes. She brushed her hand over his snout, “Thank you, Yekku,” she said meekly.
A long string of consistent clicking came from his throat and she looked to Xol, “What did he say?”
Xol settled again the opposite wall to have full view of his charge. With a soft huff he looked at her, “Ssays, you arre wwelcome,” his voice ever deep.
Yekku watched her in wonderment as she brushed her hand along his head and along the frill that ran down the top of his head while she watched the other two Marmuro’k settle down to fall back asleep.
The S’randin pointed at the foot of her bed with a chirp. Morrigan didn't need Xol to translate as she found the meaning in the gesture. Looking at the wall next to her, the gouges cutting through deep into the wood hidden in the wall and peeling back some of the metal inner wall, she pursed her lips in concern as she turned her attention back to Yekku.
“I don't think that is a safe idea… I appreciate the gesture though, you’re very sweet to offer,” she said sullenly. It was odd to her that Yekku offered to sleep at her feet, whether it was for comfort or because the S’randin’s personality was short of being that of a feline, she didn't want to risk accidently hurting him in her sleep.
Yekku nodded with a chirp and padded the carpet next to the bed before laying down and curling up in an adorable fashion. For as tall as they were, the S’randin could curl up rather tightly.
“Mirina Sor Sibê, Xol-Tau hişârk’irin,” Xol stated in a deep, soft voice as he crossed his arms.
Morrigan smiled and stifled a chuckle at how the Marmuro’k word for sleep sounded so much like sleepy, as if he was telling her she was sleepy.
She lay back down on her side, shifting the shredded portion of the blanket away from her with a frown, before watching Xol sit like an ever-watching sentinel over her.
Xol was not far off about needing sleep, she would be lying if she tried to claim she wasn't exhausted. Albeit hangover or the nightmare fueled sleep she woke up from, her body demanded rest.
Well, you’re definitely hung over as shit hahaha, Apollyon mused.
Despite the skull splitting headache, she still smiled at her companion’s amusement. She had spent the entire night drinking her pain away when she arrived at the Void Star with the exuberantly gay Dora until Solomon fulfilled half of his promise of directing Xol and the other Marmuro’k to the bar.
Their presence surprised many of the patrons and even Dora himself, though Dora had been significantly more accepting of them being in his bar. It had been a wonderful time to just be able to forget everything around her and joke with Dora.
It worried her that Nora never made it to the bar before an administrator came to lead them to her small apartment within the military district, though she knew better than to worry too deeply for Nora’s safety. The beautiful silver eyed blonde was a powerhouse of a mage and she knew Solomon would not risk Morrigan rejecting the Inquisition by letting something happen to her two closest companions.
It was curious how Xol and the others got there so fast, something she would have to ask him about when it came to their processing. She believed Solomon was just happy to have them aboard that he cared little for what they did as long as they behaved. Like a litter of puppies, they followed their “Mirina Sor” around obediently.
That did not help the desire she had to curl into the woman’s chest and lose herself to the Nora’s heartbeat… perhaps then, maybe, her sleep would be less frightening.
ΩΩΩ
Taylor rubbed the sleep from his eyes as the shuttle docked. Most of Havoc squad was happy with being woken up to a priority mission from the Federation Headquarters.
He turned to see Henry passed out again leaning against the shell of the spacecraft nestled between a crate and a support beam. Jackson handed Taylor a cup of coffee and gave him a meaningful nod before passing coffee out to the rest of them.
The coffee was barely hot however, the familiar earthy taste of the sacred bean helped get his synapses firing. He turned to Aleksei who accepted two cups of coffee for himself smiling brightly. “Good day for explosions my friend!” he toasted Taylor merrily.
Taylor tipped his cup and shook his head, uncertain how someone could be a morning person like that, then again, the man’s love for destruction knew no bounds.
Jackson passed Stephanie as she sat on the crate next to Henry, stealing two cups for herself as well. Taylor smirked as she downed the first cup as if it had been a glass of whiskey before crumbling the paper cup and tossing it on the floor.
She watched him watch her with her icy blue eyes before revealing a smirk of her own with wiggling eyebrows. Taylor smiled wider as Jackson took a long step back while she leaned over and dumped the second cup of coffee onto Henry’s shoulder, at just the right angle that it bled into his clothes underneath his armor.
Henry yelped in surprise and flung himself from the wall, crossing the space Jackson would have been standing if the combat medic did not know better. Even though the coffee had not been hot enough for injury, it was still warm enough to jolt someone out of their sleep.
“What the fuck! Jesus’s ball sack what is wrong with you woman?!” Henry exclaimed as he watched her silently laugh hysterically. Realizing he had just been rudely woken up via brown shower.
“Fucking bitch!” he growled as he wretched the carafe from Jackson’s hands, all the while the medic laughed, and hauled his arm back.
Before he could commit his assault, Ebony walked into the staging area of the shuttle from the cockpit, “Henry give back the coffee or so help me I will eject you into space!” she barked grouchily. He turned his head sharply at his squad leader and huffed before turning back to see Stephanie sitting innocently, throwing knife in hand and a raised eyebrow challenging him.
With a growl, he shoved the carafe back into Jackson’s arms. “Fucking women! Ya know, I’d have been less pissed if you just pissed on me! A golden shower I can at least appreciate… this is just a waste of good coffee!” he ranted animatedly.
“Of course you would, why I used coffee,” Steph signed with a grin.
Jackson finished passing out coffee as Taylor stood there appreciating finally being able to understand the blonde dread headed woman. Though, she usually offered nothing but smart-ass remarks to the team, Taylor had spent the past several months learning her way of communicating and found her to be a deep and highly intelligent woman.
Henry sipped his coffee angrily as he shot a glance at Ebony, “What the hell are we doing out here?”
Ebony savored her coffee and let Jackson refill her cup as she cleared her throat. “We’ve been tasked with spearheading an assault on a mining colony. Supposedly, it was a privately owned prison that used slave labor to mine Viridian,” she explained with hinted exhaustion.
“No shit?” Aleksei questioned.
She licked her lips and nodded, “According to the reports I received from Rosa, there was a rebellion led by someone the higher ups dubbed “the Rose”. Taking over the mine and challenging the Federation across open broadcast.”
This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
“Who is that?” Aleksei questioned.
Ebony shrugged, “Hell if I know, but the brass seems to have it hard for whoever it is.”
“So, what is our mission?” Taylor inquired.
Ebony huffed and took a sip of coffee, “Eliminate all hostile prisoners not in their holes and secure the site for the main group to take over the mine.”
“What kind of crazies are we working with?” Henry chirped.
Ebony smirked, “Significantly less crazy than us. You know how it is, murders, thieves, etcetera…” she waved her hand in passivity.
Aleksei giggled to himself, “No prisoners, boss?”
Every member of Havoc squad hung their head with a groan which made the big man laugh even more.
“That was bad, even by my standards!” Henry groaned with a disappointing shake of his head.
“You can space him,” Stephanie signed with a mischievous smile.
Ebony snorted, “Don’t tempt me, alright everyone, gear up. You have five minutes. Also, be warned, there was an Eskarii Frigate stationed near the prison before they FTL'd out of the sector. Seems the Chevelle spooked them into retreating so we may have visitors inside as well.”
Everyone nodded reluctantly as they finished their coffees and started collecting their necessities for an assault. Taylor grabbed his machine gun and tall shield he had built.
Aleksei strode up to Taylor with heavy foot falls. Carrying a similar shield strapped to his forearm. “I can not wait to try your marvel!” he bellowed with enthusiasm, shifting his arm to indicate the inch thick metal riot shield.
After the incident at the resort that left Stephanie injured, Taylor decided they needed a better way to protect themselves in blind situations. So, he spent any spare time not spent with Stephanie to develop a partially collapsible riot shield with a slot to mount his gun so he could press a position in safety and give anyone behind him cover, or to safely cover someone in the field if injured.
Aleksei was so impressed with his design, he demanded Taylor make him one as well. Given the fact Aleksei could heft the weight of the shield with ease, Taylor obliged even though the man was a force of destruction despite everything.
“Glad you like it, though I apologize that you won’t be able use your grenade launcher with it,” he told the Martian.
Aleksei scoffed at that and held up the pump action grenade launcher, “Sure I can!”
Taylor was too tired to argue or inquire so he just shook his head and moved himself towards the door. He was quickly joined by the rest of the team, Aleksei taking point with him.
At the extension of their shields, Ebony hit the control for the door to slide open revealing a metal and glass corridor, the interconnecting bridge between the void of space and the blast door that housed the interior of the prison.
Havoc squad shuffled forward behind Taylor and Aleksei until it was a safe distance away for Ebony to break away and start hacking into the controls for the blast door.
The yellow circulating lights began to flash as the massive steel door slowly rose. What Taylor had not expected to see was the mound of dead bodies piled up in the center of the room just beyond the door.
“I think it's fair to say they're not friendly,” Henry quipped as he cocked his rifle.
No one said a thing as Taylor and Aleksei moved forward, studying the room through the small window Taylor built into the shields using the same ballistic safety glass they used on the bridges of starships. It was a slow process cutting the glass with the industrial plasma cutter in the R&D lab, but Taylor felt it was better safe than sorry.
The place felt devoid of life however, if the Eskarii had abandoned some of their own in the prison, they likely received word that the Federation was there.
Slowly and methodically, the squad moved through the loading bay and moved through a very picked-clean barracks though bloodstains littered the room in spray and smears.
It was mildly unnerving, just shy of being a setting in a horror film, the only thing that was missing were flickering lights.
Taylor and his partner turned left into a long, white tiled hallway that was riddled with blood and bullet holes. Aleksei cut Taylor a cursory glance before stepping cautiously down the hall.
“Take the next right, that'll lead into the main courtyard,” Ebony whispered into their comms.
As they came to the T intersection, Taylor nudged his partner with his elbow and mimicked himself peering around the edge of his shield before indicating the corner. Aleksei nodded firmly before stepping forward and leaning out with both the shield as well as half of his body in a comical manner.
Aleksei’s shoulders relaxed as he spun around to face the group, “No one here boss,” he said loudly.
Ebony’s eyes went wide with alarm, “are you fucking stupid?” she exclaimed in a stifled tone.
Taylor leaned out and took a look for himself to fine a large amount of stone blocking the end of the corridor.
“He’s right, looks like they barricaded themselves in the courtyard, this way is completely blocked,” he noted aloud.
Ebony swore to herself as she pulled up the map of the facility, “that’s the only way in… but there is a control room down the hall, I’ll head down there and see if I can pull up any kind of feed. Big man, get that rubble out of the way.”
Aleksei pumped his fist with a dark chuckle as Jackson stepped forward with his shotgun leaning against his shoulder, “do you need anyone to go with?”
Ebony shook her head as she studied the map, “nah, the control room is literally door at the end of the hall so I'll be within eyesight, just prepare for anything, I'll let you know what I see from there.”
Everyone nodded as she took off towards the control room while made his way down the perpendicular hall whistling a merry tune.
ΩΩΩ
Ebony looked surprised at the relative cleanliness of the control room. Who ever “the Rose” was, Ebony found them to be rather intelligent to steer a pack of bloodthirsty inmates clear of the sensitive equipment.
She stepped up to the central command console and started digging through the system to find the surveillance modules. She bit her lip hard to find that most of the cameras throughout the complex were disconnect, either by destroying them or by an inmate good with computer systems.
All she could find in terms of live feed surveillance was a camera at the dock, three within the control room and one within the barracks that survived what ever onslaught that occurred.
“Hmmmm‽” she hummed to herself as she found a folder of daily recordings backed up in the core mainframe of the complex.
Selecting the last one to save within the courtyard, she was greeted to over 40 different angles of the courtyard, some showing drones flying through, some of responding security guards and a couple showing the offending party coming from a large door with the number 4 painted on it.
Ebony’s eyes went wide at the sight of human, Eskarii and Saurian prisoners rushing the courtyard, all following a woman with large crimson claws coming from her hands before an even more massive claw apparated and crashed into the camera and causing every single camera to go black.
Something caught her attention though as she cycled the video back and froze it at a good spot. Zooming in she saw the faintest of blue on the woman’s long bangs, her stare haunted and visceral. Ebony’s mind recalled the picture she once saw several months ago of a young woman with dark blue bangs with soldier’s eyes.
“Oh fuck me…” she murmured to herself at the realization that not only had Taylor’s lost girlfriend been there at the prison, she also had led the rebellion which overtook the compound, but that it meant the Federation brass had a deep interest in the girl, the so called “Rose”.
Ebony slammed her fist against the console, unknowingly causing the system to skip to the last saved file within the archive. A flash of red on one of the last surviving cameras drew her attention. It was of a blonde woman, Taylor’s “dead” girlfriend and of a tall white Saurian standing in front of a phalanx of soldiers clad in black.
In between the soldiers and the three inmates was an older man in a long trench coat, holding a wide brim hat in his hands. Though there was no sound, Ebony could tell by their mannerisms that they were negotiating.
“All set boss!” Aleksei chirped happily in her ear through the comm, causing her to flinch.
“Yeah, just give me a minute. Still trying to find a working camera in the courtyard…” she huffed out in worry disguised as frustration.
Ebony sped the recording up and watched the group that stood within the transfer area enter the facility and return to the dock with a parade of prisoners in tow.
Ebony let out a sigh of relief when she realized his girlfriend left with who ever had picked up the prisoners.
Looking at the time stamp of the recording, her eyes widened in disbelief that it had only happened 17 hours ago.
“I have to delete this, if Taylor figures out I lied to him with that bullshit document…” she thought to herself as her fingers flew over the display. She worked quickly to erase a month's worth of the archived recordings, hoping that had been enough to erase the existence of the woman's time there and headed back towards the intersection. As much as she would prefer to erase the entire archive, if she kept her squad waiting any longer someone would be sent to find her.
The second Aleksei spotted her jogging up the hallway, he hit the detonator in his hand without warning.
The resonating explosion rang through everyone's ears as he bellowed a laugh and charged forward with glee, Taylor stumbling after him with shield at the ready.
“Mother fucking Russian!” she barked in anger as she caught up with her unshielded members of the squad recovering at the intersection.
Jackson scrutinized her for a moment, “Find anything‽”
She shook her head and lied, “No, but I'm willing to bet the Eskarii took the prisoners with them so we shouldn’t…”
The sound of rapid machine gun fire that echoed towards them stole their attention and left them sprinting towards the courtyard.
Aleksei and Taylor dug themselves in at the entrance, pushing against a steady stream of mini gun fire coupled with small arms fire that battered relentlessly into their dense shields. Taylor was at least able to return fire with his own machine gun mounted in the port built into his own cover.
Ebony and Stephanie hugged the wall as they came up behind Taylor while Jackson and Henry moved behind Aleksei.
“Flash out!” Henry called as he hurled a flash bang as far as he could.
Though the prisoners with small arms were smart enough to duck behind cover when the grenade landed, but the heavy gunners were too busy focused on the incoming Marines to bother, resulting in being blinded by a flash of white.
Henry and Ebony quickly aimed around the two big guys and shot both heavy gunners. Allowing Taylor and Aleksei to move up after Aleksei’s grenade launcher thumped, sending two prisoners flying from behind cover.
Havoc squad spread out as Stephanie charged with Taylor and Aleksei towards the middle of the courtyard where the toppled tower once stood.
Ebony could appreciate the scary intelligence the girl had for knocking the tower over to use as cover as she noted the scattered pools of blood where the guards had charged through.
An Eskarii that wore alien combat gear popped up from behind cover and fired a steady stream of laser fire at her squad but a quick burst from Ebony’s submachine gun put the alien down while Henry took pot shots at those in cover.
The roar of a chain blade motor followed by the scream of a dying prisoner told her that the gap had been closed by Stephanie.
In only a few short minutes, the courtyard fell to silence as a wasteland of slaughter. She counted four Eskarii troopers within a collection of 12 prisoners who had been left behind… or chose to stay behind, which ever came first.
The occasional gasp from a stab wound or periodic kill shot to make certain that the prisoners were all dead made Ebony flinch as she put together in her mind how the events of Castile V’s prison break happened.
As soon as Jackson gave her a thumbs up, she touched her comm with a heavy breath, “Rosaline, this is Ebony. Site secured.”
“Good work Havoc squad, a detachment is on their way. Return to your shuttle for disembarking,” Rosa commanded to the entire team.
Henry scratched his head as he awkwardly counted in a circle at the surrounding open doors that held carts filled with Viridian, “So, there are 43 mines and only one door open? Where the hell is everyone else?”
“As far as I understand it… this place holds well over a few thousand prisoners collectively. If I had to guess, that one there is the only one that rebelled. The others are probably too deep to have heard,” Ebony pointed out steadily.
Taylor scratched at his beard. “Makes sense to me given the majority of the bullet patterns. There is no way this place would have survived a full-scale riot,” he pointed out.
Ebony waved to her team, “It doesn’t matter, we did our part so let’s get out of here.”
She was the last one to enter the hallway leading back to the intersection as she spied deep, large claw marks torn into the ground beneath the rubble. She looked up to see the massive blast door that had become wedged into the ceiling and connected the dots between the two anomalies. She grimaced as a frightening shiver crawled up her spine, wondering if Taylor knew just how dangerous his girlfriend really was.