Chapter 24

Adrik

Iheard the transport rumbling away and gave myself a moment. I paused, leaning on my spear as a great ache rolled through me like a crushing weight. I missed her. I missed the thing we had begun. Missed what it would’ve become.

I heard my name called and let thoughts of her go like the retreating sound of that transport carrying Lise. There were many, many more left to be evacuated. Preparations to make, files to destroy, or at least hide someplace the enemy wouldn’t find.

“Pal-Adrik!” I heard my name excitedly called from the medical lab. I turned to see Trutan running towards me. “We’ve done it.”

“Done what?” I asked.

“Un-hacked the human females’ bodies from the Dessicans.”

I seized him by the shoulders. “Is this true?”

“One of the engineers figured out how to alter the sonic wavelength synthesizer to disrupt ionic particles and the—”

On a different day, I would have patiently listened to the medic’s incomprehensible explanation, but today I did not have the luxury. “How fast can you free them?”

“Well, it’s not a hard process. The wavelength penetrates the tissues and renders the particles inert. But I have to do one at a time and it’s just a few moments per person.”

“You there,” I bellowed to a group of warriors across the square. “Every single human female that is still here is to be brought to the medical lab immediately.”

“We have room for so many?” asked one of the guards.

“Do it now,” I commanded. “There is no time to lose.”

Trutan’s eyes widened. “You think the Dessicans will realize they have lost control of these females?”

“I am certain of it, but I will not allow them to remain in this state one moment longer than they have to.” I turned to Dikon, who was once again by my side. “Once they are freed, load them onto the transports.”

“Very well, Warlord. Shall I also tell our remaining warriors to prepare for imminent battle?” Only Dikon would be so bold as to ask me this.

“The possibility exists that they never intended to allow these females to leave, like Lise said.” I uttered the words through my teeth. “If we have the means to free them, we will. Yes, alert the warriors.”

“I will, Warlord,” he said, and hurried off.

I looked up at the ridge with a grimace. What I’d just done was a risk. I was gambling on the Dessicans not knowing right away that their chips had been found and disrupted, but if they did, they might begin their invasion early, before everyone was gone. I closed my eyes and gritted my teeth, hoping none of these females met their end at the hand of a Dessican.

To my dismay, not two hours later, as Skrah’s light was sliding towards the horizon, scouts up on the ridge let out a cry and shot plasma flares into the air.

I let out a curse. About a hundred human females had been treated and released from the invisible control the Dessicans had had over them. There were more to go. Too many more to go, but our enemy was coming. Time had run out.

“Give everyone arms,” I said to Granat and Dikon. “Continue to load the transports and move them out. Ready the Thrail’s defenses.” Thrail Tyvor did have a few tricks up its sleeve. Laser cannons with auto-targeting capabilities were built into the tallest buildings. The two warships on the hill had also gotten their weapon capabilities back online. In the meantime, the warriors handed out weapons to everyone willing to take them. That included some brave human females. They would fight for their Thrail just as the Mitrans did. Lise would be among them, if she were here.

Before any of us were ready, before any of us could truly prepare, the Dessicans poured over the edge of the ridge. Their leathery, tattered wings allowed them to glide down to the valley below. They were blue, and the glowing red, late afternoon sky made them look black as ink or the most lightless cavern. Their tails were long and thick, and tapered to points. They landed on legs that hinged backwards at the knee, and they carried, as I feared, powerful blasters.

The Thrail’s defenses engaged, firing at the enemy. Many of those Dessicans did not land in the valley alive. The cannons were making the first wave manageable.

But more and more poured over the edge. Far more than our defenses could effectively repel. And as smoke rose from the shooting of thousands of blasters, the cannons became less effective. They couldn’t target the enemy through the clouds of smoke.

I fought until my blaster overheated, then I used my other weapons. The ones of my ancestors. The ones that had fought the Dessicans in centuries past. All around me I could smell blaster fire and smoke and death. I knew Mitrans were dying right alongside Dessicans.

I hated this. I hated it more than I had words to describe it. The smell of it, the sounds—sweet Skrah, the sounds—and yet my only thoughts were of protecting the Thrail against the Dessicans. Their huge, hinged jaws opened on wheezing, screeching death screams. Their blood was the same color as their skin and it slicked over the stone, mingling with the red blood of Mitrans.

We would not win. There was no way—not with Dessicans still pouring over the side of that ridge. My strength would give out. I would make a mistake. We all would. But at least Lise was safe. Some of the human females escaped and survived—many of them, I hoped.

The ugris herd was far from here by now. Strange thoughts to have when dodging blaster fire and gauging the distance of a knife throw.

It was not lost on me that we were being pressed back towards the main square. Towards the medical lab, where the last of the women were hopefully still being treated by the medics. A glance back at it revealed a ruin of the building. My heart sank. My fury exploded. I let out a bellow of rage and attacked harder, recklessly, letting my anger and frustration out on the enemy that would not stop coming.

This was our last stand. The final time Thrail Tyvor would be held by Mitrans, unless the other Thrails decided to take it back, but it was unlikely. By the time the Dessicans were done with it, and it would not take them long, there would be nothing left to save.

The water would be polluted, the soil stripped of its nutrients and it would just become part of the Wasting Plains.

Something seared through my shoulder. Something else tore at my side, each hitting the gaps between armor pieces. I felt pain, but I dared not look at the damage. I had more in me before I fell. And I knew without a doubt, I would fall.

My sword arm grew heavy. I was beginning to labor for breath, as did all the Mitrans around me. The defensive cannons had fallen silent.

“Take cover,” I screamed hoarsely, but my words were swallowed up by the roar of a ship overhead and a gust of wind that sent smoke into everyone’s eyes, including the enemies.

The sky darkened. I looked up to a sight I didn’t understand—a dozen warships glided overhead. Mitran warships.

I gaped, unable to grasp this. Was I hallucinating? How did they know? Communications were down all around and the first transports had not reached Thrail Crovax yet. Not even close.

The Mitran ships opened fire on the Dessicans. Dozens and dozens of small one-on-one ships poured from the bellies of the warships and began attacking individual ground enemies.

Half of the warships moved over the ridge to disrupt the incoming fighters and all I could think was—is this real? Everything hurt. My body felt like it was smoking. I looked down to see it was. My armor was barely hanging on. Blood poured from almost everywhere, flowing over my armor to the ground. I dropped to my knees, lightheaded.

I had no idea the extent of my injuries. I looked around to see a surprising number of Mitrans still on their feet, with human females looking filthy and injured but as fierce as berisi defending a kill. And a terrible number who were on the ground. My vision blurred. I had to stay upright, but I felt so heavy. At least, if I wasn’t imagining the warships, we hadn’t lost. I was dying, but Lise was safe. Many of my people were safe.

That was my last thought as I collapsed to the blood-smeared ground and the world went black.