Defying The Alliance: ERUPTION (Novokin Alliance Invasion 3) Read online

  "What the prak you talking about Maarie? I came here to help you. To trade my life for yours when I thought the Alliance had captured and tortured you. Why are you doing this?" I covered my head as more debris rained down from the ceiling.

  "Oh poor little Caspia, always having to bail out her little sister. Well who the prak asked you to?" She howled, a bitter, guttural lilt staining her voice.

  “You didn’t have to. You’re my sister. I’ll always be there for you Maarie. You know that. And father always praised and encouraged you as much as he did me.”

  “But you were his favorite.”

  “Not true. He worried about you Maarie all the time, always blaming himself for anything that happened to you. He loved you so much and he wanted you to be safe, and to succeed. We both did.”

  “Lies! It’s all lies. You monopolized his love and attention. It’s what you do. Thinking you’re better than me."

  “That’s not true and you know it! You always blamed him for not loving you more, for not being a good father to you. Yet, he was always there for both of us – supporting us, loving us and caring for us more than any other father or mother I ever saw! What the prak is wrong with you Maarie?”

  What the prak? What are we five years old again? Playing who daddy loves the most? The world was falling apart, people were dying around us and all she wanted was to throw tantrums for skeck that it wasn’t even real. I thought that was a praking phase she would've grown out of by now. All the lies she told while we were children rushed back to me at once. Lies to the teachers, to our father, to me. Oh Goddess! How could I have fallen for one of her stupid lies again? How could I have forgotten?

  I fiddled with the borrowed pistol in my hand, cracking open the cheap casing. These Novokin weapons were ridiculously simple. Charging cell, firing matrix – and just what I was looking for – the discharge polarity regulator. I bit down my near automatic reply to the burst of green fire flying over my head, determined to stay on task. Their guns relied on the same principles as Protectorate weaponry, albeit without the safeguards. All I needed was another second or two to stay on task. The chill from an eerie quiet crept up my neck. Why weren't they firing?

  "Sister my sister, I've got a secret to tell you.” A twisted call from my past reached out to me through my sister’s voice. Much closer than before. As if there was anything she could say at this moment I wanted to hear. Sticking my head up now was a great way to have it separated from my body. Scraping my fingers I pulled and twisted... There – got it!

  Unfazed by my lack of response Maarie continued, "I wasn't on the home world on Independence Day, you know."

  My hackles shot up to the sky. Instinct curled my lip into a sneer at the term Independence Day, a term the Novokins used to belittle Protectorate efforts and subjugate the planets of my galaxy for the last three years. Annihilation day, or sneak attack day or prak you all up your rear waste chute day, those I'd be good with.

  She continued to prattle on about something, but I tuned her out for the most part, the way only a sister could. Checking my other pistol, I was satisfied I had burned out the firing mechanism. Patting myself down, I took inventory of my weapons’ situation. One grenade left and one Karouk; a forearm long curved blade. I prayed to the Goddess, it didn't come down to me using that. My sister’s annoying voice grated over my nerves. Her bragging was incessant and childish. I caught the last part of her soliloquy.

  "I was on the Supreme Commander's ship," she wasn’t yelling anymore. From the sound of her voice she was only about twenty metlars from my position. "Along with the recently deceased Prime Minister Ruten Flores, and several other representatives of the Protectorate Senate. I watched the Novokin attack safely from space." The rubble around me exploded, and the heat of the rapid fire attack told me they were practically right on top of my position. Venom dripped through her voice as she raved, "Not only did I avoid the attack, but I helped coordinate it."

  I threw my last concussive grenade up and over the smoking debris I was hiding behind. It bounced off the ceiling and it landed about ten metlars from my tail. My only regret when I ducked was that it wasn't the regular boom boom kind.

  Even with my eyes closed and my hands over my face, the corridor behind me flashed with a brilliant blinding light. However what followed, was blessed silence. I re-holstered the pistol I had been working on and keeping the other in my hand I slowly crept out to survey the scene. A dozen or so Novokin guards were sprawled out on the corridor’s floor. Some unconscious, others had their arms raised to their heads trying to stave off the debilitating and excruciating headache ensued from the concussion grenade. This gave me five purple heads to kick. It seemed that Marie must've ducked behind one of the Novokin guards before it exploded, because she was awake and writhing like a partially stepped on Helnagian glirth beetle underneath the weight of the now unconscious guard.

  I crept forward to stand over both of them. I recalled her confession. My own voice sounded distant, matter of fact when I spoke. Like someone else was talking in my stead. "You murdered our father."

  Maarie went ballistic like a Tuvian meerkat trapped in a canvas bag. She punched and scratched wildly at the Novokin on top of her. "No! His antiquated ideals killed him! And you killed him, by always having to be better! The better student! The better cadet! The better daughter! Always having to be better than me, and making him hate me!"

  I kicked at the heavy Novokin to roll him off. "You stupid girl," I admonished, all the while keeping the pistol in my hand trained on her. "Why in the eight infernos do you think he worked all those extra hours? Who the prak do you think supported you every time you started some crazy new scheme then quit a few weeks later when something bigger and shinier caught your eye? He was there with you every step of the way. You think it was easy for him when mom died? You think he didn't want to move on, have someone in his life to love him back the way only a mate could? But he didn't, did he? Did you ever stop to ask why? Because he was always bailing you out of trouble. He had to take on extra work because you weren't satisfied with what you had. You always wanted more, but never wanted to work for it. We weren't rich, far from it but you never wanted for anything. Did you?"

  "That's not true," she sobbed.

  My brain instantly recognized those tears. The same tears from the times I had come home and caught her rummaging around my room destroying my things. I kicked her hard, but not hard enough to do any real damage. Some antiquated tie to family apparently dispelling my anger and keeping me from giving her the wallop she deserved.

  "That wonderful man who gave everything to you, gave up everything for you – you killed him," I spat, blood boiling like acid in my veins ready to explode.

  She was crying for real now, shaking her head back and forth viciously. "I didn't mean to! I didn't mean to! I never wanted him to die."

  She worked herself up into a huge sob. Prak. Exactly what I didn't need right now. I pulled out a timepiece Marco had given me. It had been twenty minutes since he and Julie retreated to the docking bay where he had an escape ship waiting for them. They should be well clear by now. My fingers explored the soft muscle on the inside of my arm over my uniform, looking for the hard bump. With a deep breath and a quick prayer to the Goddess, I depressed the subcutaneous detonator on my arm. The hallway I was standing in shook like a fall leaf in a swirl storm.

  My face met the ceiling, then just as quickly made friends with the floor. I'm glad Julie had taken some of the Ratrium out, otherwise there might not have been enough ship left for me to be standing in. I managed to prop myself up on my hands and knees, when a pair of Novokin boots stepped in front of me.

  Glancing up, I wasn't surprised to find my sister hovering above me. I was slightly intrigued by the fact she was doing it with one arm stretched out to me.

  "I'm sorry Caspia." Her eyes soft and her tone gentle.

  I took the pro-offered hand and she hoisted me up to her. We slid into a familiar embrace that if I was really hone
st with myself was as cold and calculating as I remembered, but had always refused to admit. But unlike the mandatory four second embrace she usually employed, today she held on.

  "You’ve always been such pathetic sister," she snarled in my ear. The arms that a second ago were embracing me now shoved me away, hard. I felt the tug of my belt as she liberated the laser pistol from my side. Her unwavering stance had me staring down the barrel of my own gun. She motioned for me to drop the other pistol still in my hand, unfortunately aimed away from her. I tossed it behind me. Far behind me.

  "You were always so gullible," she snorted, spitting a wad of blood and what might have been a tooth.

  "Yes," I remarked.

  "You are always so trusting," she scoffed.

  "Yes," I nodded in agreement.

  "You are always so stupid," she spat with venom befitting of a Texotian shaker snake.

  "No Maarie," I corrected, "you were stupid. Hold that, let me clarify my statement, not merely were. You ARE stupid if you think you can go anywhere with the Novokin Alliance. You’re stupid if you think they'll protect you. You're very stupid if you think you can get everything you want by treachery and callous disregard for the lives of those around you." I paused for a moment to let that sink in, but was again disappointed to see her eyes boiling over with rage.

  That last seed of hope in me, that last little thread I clung to so dearly for my father’s sake, my sister’s sake, for myself... Died. Oh well, in for a bitlyn in for a credit. I decided to slap her with the cold hard truth. "Maarie, you were stupid for thinking that father never loved you. Lastly, you are stupid for thinking I don't love you either."

  She scoffed and raised the pistol she let slip a few inches to once again center it on my head. I gave her the trademark Jones eyebrow quirk so she could witness the full contempt I had for her choices. The disdain I held for her actions, the ugliness I now saw in her soul. As if physically assaulted she took a step back.

  “Maarie please, don’t do it. Regardless of everything, you’re my sister. I love you. We can work this out –.”

  Before I had the chance to finish my sentence she pressed the trigger.

  I ducked and covered my head as green energy tendrils spread out from the gun and then exploded, taking with it both the hand and arm that held it. She let loose a feral scream that agitated gooseflesh from my arms down my spine. The feral scream quickly devolved into a sickening gurgle. The scent of burned flesh assailed my nostrils and a black, putrid smoke stung my eyes.

  Coughing through the smoke I found her. I gasped at the sight of her. Her right arm was gone, nearly to the shoulder. The right side of her face had all but melted. White glistening bone shone through where my sister's pretty face had once been.

  "– Cass, Cass," she rasped.

  I stared into her one remaining eye, which rolled around for a moment before focusing on me. Without malice or pity I spoke softly to my soon to be dead sister, "Most of all Maarie you were stupid for thinking I believed all of your lies. Rest in the eight infernos."

  Tears clouding my vision, I was forced to paw around on the floor for my laser pistol from the floor where I had tossed it. Through the haze of pain, guilt, tears, smoke and dust I made my way to the stairs. He was going to pay. The monster responsible for all my pain, for Trex’s pain, for the pain inflicted on millions over millions of innocent souls. It was Asmot's turn.

  Chapter 11

  Peering around the edge of the escape pod in the port side of the bridge, I made sure no inquisitive eyes were pointed my direction before I made my move.

  Belly crawling across the open walkway as fast as Terranly possible, I slithered my way to the starboard side of the ship, near the stairs at the rear of the expansive bridge. I threw up my hands to both stifle a yelp and hold my breath when a putrid looking vole skittered by. So. Gross. You'd think as far as the Novokin Alliance reached, somewhere along the way they would've learned to clean their ships. Nasty.

  I switched my hands to cover my head, hoping to protect myself from the falling debris as the floor of the Novokin ship shook like a shifting planet. Ha! They must have started the attack. Good for you Jaxx.

  I chanced a glance up and over the abandoned console I hid behind. The Novokin bridge was chaotic to say the least. Kind of like it was put together from a multitude of different bridges, ‘piecemeal’ my chief engineer had called it.

  This entire floor appeared to be the bridge. There were several empty chairs and rows of old consoles directly in front of me. The place was replete with outdated technologies, allowing for more than half the space to go wasted. Then it appeared as if a smaller more compact bridge was dropped right in the center of the oblong open room. That sheetek Asmot sat in the center of it, far closer to the front of the raised platform, shouting commands to the double row of Novokins at his feet. One might also be led to believe, hoped that somewhere in their travels, the mighty Novokin Alliance would have come across an interior designer. This whole dull dark charcoal gray motif of exposed metal and Nasairian ridged welds was made even more drab when paired against their purple skin.

  Images of the firefight outside from several different angles flashed across their viewer. I was held in awe at the immensity of the destruction going on outside. My heart swelled with hope for the fleet’s success, at the same time fear's icy grip clutched it tight ready to rip it apart as images of my valiant crew and Trex’s stunning golden face adorned by a pair of sizzling hot emerald eyes assailed my mind. I saw them fighting for their lives when I realized I'd been in plain view for the last two minutes. I dropped back to the floor with a thump. At least everyone else on the bridge was focused on the battle too.

  Crawling further down the row of unused workstations I shuffled faster past the guard I had been forced to dispatch when he caught me crouched on the stairs. This kind of wet work didn't hold much favor with me. Trapped by his clouded gaze I swallowed down my rising bile. I had never thought of Novokins as people, that is until I met Marco. To me they were faceless, cold-blooded, psychopathic murderers, rapists, terrorists that needed to be put down like sick Iternian husky hounds. My friend stuffed under the terminal, my karouk stuck firmly in his frontal bone, offered no glimmer into the type of person he was. I hope no one is missing you buddy.

  The ship lurched forward like it was hit from behind while waiting at traffic signal. Several of the steel lighting plates affixed to the ceiling retched off, clattering to the deck below. A painful scream from the front of the room told me one of Asmot's crew was the recipient of said plate. At this rate, the bucket of bolts I was trapped on would do the job for us. Then my ears perked up when that foul blowhard Asmot issued a command, turning the blood in my veins to ice.

  "Subcommander, prepared to engage primary shields."

  Skeck. You mean to tell me the Harbinger had yet to raise her shields to full power? This would pose a serious problem for the fleet. But it was his next order that caused my entire body to freeze in place.

  "I want all forward gun torrents and torpedoes locked onto that second Warbird. I believe the fight will go out of the lot of them once they see their beloved Captain Jones's ship crushed under the mighty fist of the Novokin Alliance." His voice dripped with casual amusement.

  Holy skeck, did this guy ever listen to himself talk? I unclipped a second plasma pistol from my belt I had liberated from the Novokin guard I downed earlier. As before, the casing cracked with ease. This time, maybe something a little different was on the menu…

  Chapter 12

  Two minutes later I snapped the cheap casing back in place. Pressing down on the trigger of the plasma pistol, the gun began to emit a slow soft whine. Fortunately, the sounds from the energy shields deflecting the fleet’s attack kept anyone from noticing me. Crouching down, I pulled back as far as I could and heaved the pistol with all my might. I stood just long enough to aim my throw at Asmot's head then ducked back down behind the console.

  – One Andropedian – Two Androp
edian –

  Three seconds later the Goddess smiled down upon me and I was pleasantly surprised with myself when I heard an angry "Ouch!" in a familiar voice. Ahh, sometimes it's the little things in life.

  – Eight Andropedian –

  Finally I was greeted by the glorious symphony of exploding Novokin Alliance control panels. Unlike the superior Protectorate technology, they were never able to reproduce, their power conduits seemed to lack the safety devices I would think any space faring race would have put into place by now. Circuit breakers.

  Boom!

  There was another console.

  Boom!

  The ship lurched painfully, that one must have been part of the navigation system blowing up.

  Boom! Boom!

  Music to my ears.

  Unfortunately, it also proved to be the dinner bell with the beautiful -if I say so myself- Captain Caspia Jones as the main course. I wasn't surprised to see ten guards charging up the stairwell behind me. Remain calm Caspia. I steadied my gun’s aim on my bent knee, making my shots count, picking them off as soon as I could see their purple necks. Another obvious design flaw in the Novokin guards’ uniforms. Seriously, how did we ever lose to these sheeteks? My brow furrowed as vid images from the first day flooded my brain. I had to shoot the next guard twice to find the kill shot. Traitors, that’s how. I fired at the remaining guards with extreme prejudice.

  The world went a brilliant green, followed by a flush of heat from a plasma blast exploding not two metlars from me. But these weren't coming from the stairs. Apparently not all the consoles had been destroyed and some of the cowering bridge crew must have finally worked up enough nerve to return fire. Their funerals. Several ragged streams of fire ripped through the air passing very close but all falling short of their mark. I risked a longer look around between shots, Asmot was nowhere to be found. Had I been lucky enough to catch him in my first go?