Chapter Seventeen

Steele

Two days later, Lieutenant Hawk and Sergeant Rowe took me into a cyborg net conference to brainstorm our strategy for taking the Mesaarkan base.

"The Mesaarkan base is heavily fortified. Our primary objective is to capture the base and neutralize the Mesaarkan slavers. I will lead the first team to take out the guards," said Lieutenant Hawk. "Sergeant Rowe will lead Bravo team. Protector Nova will be responsible for cutting the power and communications. Charlie team will move around the perimeter inside the bases and capture or neutralize any enemy personnel they encounter.

"The map on your internal display shows all of the key points: main entrance, secondary exits, and known guard positions.

"The Intel from the bee drones indicates that we can expect heavy resistance inside the base. I'd like to take as many alive as possible to avoid repercussions; however, I realize that may not be doable. Any questions?"

"No sir," came the answer in a chorus over our connection.

"We'll leave from the barracks at midnight," said Lieutenant Hawk.

I blinked a couple of times and looked up to see Zaya staring at me with a questioning look in her eyes. "When do you leave?"

"I have to be at the barracks at midnight."

Her stricken look was clear evidence that she wasn't happy about it. She took a deep breath, closed her eyes, and let out a sigh. She looked at me, shaking her head. "I'll be fine. I just worry that you might get hurt or worse. You are the most precious being in my life. I just don't want to lose you."

I went to her and took her into my arms, holding her close. "I have every intention of coming back in one piece. I expect to find you wearing that robe and nothing else when I get back. I'll call you to let you know I'm coming."

She looked up at me with a naughty smile, and I couldn't resist kissing her.

Although I knew it worried her, I was glad that Zaya seemed to understand my duty as a protector. We had just finished breakfast when Lieutenant Hawk called our virtual meeting. After a few minutes of sharing affection, we went about our daily routine of caring for the animals and milking the goats. Zaya had stored up enough goat cream to make butter. She used to make it by hand before I arrived on the scene, but now she puts it through the food processor.

There were several inches of snow on the ground so we didn't put the goats outside and cleaned their stall while they were eating. On our way back to the house, Zaya decided to start a snowball fight, hitting me in the back of the head with a loosely packed ball. Then she ran away laughing as if she thought she could get away from me.

Of course, I could've easily caught her, but it was more fun to keep the game going. I made a snowball, threw it at her, and hit her in the upper chest. I was very careful not to pack it too tight or throw it too hard so as not to hurt her.

She squealed and laughed, grabbing some more snow to throw at me. After a few volleys, I ran after her, scooped her up, and carried her into the house. "Breed with me," I whispered into her ear.

"Yes," she murmured and turned her head to kiss me, so I carried her the rest of the way into the bedroom.

We left our sky cycles a mile from the Mesaarkan base and prepared to walk in. I was one among eighteen cyborg protectors led by Lieutenant Shadow Hawk. The air was cool and crisp, and the only sounds were the distant calls of night creatures and the occasional whispering wind through the heavy pine forest covering the mountain. Each protector's HUD displayed the tactical overlay of the Mesaarkan base, pinpointing the enemy positions, potential entry points, and strategic targets. My mind was completely focused on the mission, with no reminiscing about the hours I spent with Zaya before I left.

I glanced at Lieutenant Hawk, a former marine ranger with over ninety years of combat experience. He was a cyborg who had my utmost respect. Hawk scanned the area, probably calculating every possible outcome. I know I was.

"Remember, this isn't about taking them out," Shadow Hawk said in a low, commanding voice. We're here to capture as many of these bastards as we can. We need full intel on their operations and, most importantly, how many more of them are out there."

Encased in our nanite armor, we were a formidable blend of human and machine, made for the fiercest battles and the most dangerous missions. When Hawk gave the signal, we moved out in full stealth mode toward the Mesaarkan base hidden deep within the mountain.

Within was a sprawling network of tunnels and chambers carved into solid rock. The main entrance was heavily guarded by a contingent of mercenaries, their reptilian forms only revealed by the base's harsh floodlights. Along with the guards were automated turrets positioned at key points scanning for motion and heat signatures.

I could see the base's defenses clearly, my HUD highlighting the weak points in the turrets' scanning patterns, less guarded entry points, and the locations of key control centers within the base. The control centers were my targets to disable. Our teams split up, and we each had a specific objective. We needed to disable the turrets and any other automated defenses, breach the main entrance, engage the enemy head-on, and shut down power and communications.

The other teams would be securing Mesaarkan mercenaries. Explosions shattered the quiet as the first squad detonated charges, disabling the turrets and sensors. Almost simultaneously, the other team launched an assault.

At the main entrance, their weapons were blazing with flawless precision. The Mesaarkan sentries were caught off guard, and their initial response was disorganized as they scrambled to return fire. While they were distracted, I sneaked past, moving swiftly and silently toward the heart of the base and the main controls for the power and communication grids.

With the sounds of battle echoing in the distance, I stopped as I heard Mesaarkan officers giving orders, unaware that I was nearby. Activating my armor into adaptive camouflage, I moved in. I had taken down half a dozen Mesaarkans before they could even react. Reaching the control panel, I shut everything down except for the auxiliary lighting.

The room erupted into chaos. A new influx of Mesaarkan mercenaries came in shooting. Most of their bolts ricocheted harmlessly off my armor, but a powerful plasma bolt slammed me to the floor. While I didn't lose consciousness, the blast knocked the wind out of me, and it took me seconds to get my bearings again. Just as a Mesaarkan was about to hit me again, one of my team members took them down with a stun blast.

Of course, it had to be Raven, but I was happy to see him at that moment as he offered me a hand.

"It's all over," Raven growled. "We've got them all under control. While you were playing with the control center, we took care of the rest."

"Hey, not so fast. These were the second wave, so I took out at least a dozen."

"Show off," said Raven in good humor. "We had the advantage because half of them were in their bunks."

"That was the easy part. Now we've got to clean this mess up. I heard they found about fifty humans in lockup."

"You heard right. Lieutenant Hawk put Bravo team on them. The rest of us get to load up these Saarks for transport.

Thirty hours later, I could finally call Zaya to let her know I would be home in a couple of hours. We'd used their shuttles to transport most of them to a starship in orbit that would take them back to Mesaark. Lieutenant Hawk kept ten of the high-ranking Saarks for interrogation. Bravo team took the humans back to their various homes. Most of them were from Western Montana and Wyoming. With everything under control, Sergeant Rowe sent me on my way.