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  The crowd began to talk back, but their voices overlapped one another. Still, she managed to piece together several responses, most of which were questions, rather than answers. Only a few attempted to provide any information. “We don’t know!” shouted one. Another yelled back, “They took them away!”

  Commander, I believe I have some data that may prove useful.

  What was that, Pip? You found something?

  Correct. Now that I’ve been granted access to the local network, I can see the entire layout of this facility, including another set of cells to the east. They appear to be nearby.

  Julianna regarded the crowd. “Everyone, listen up!” she barked. “We’re going to get the rest of your people! Your husbands, wives, daughters, and sons! We’re going to take you home! Do you hear me, people? We’re going to get you the fuck off this godforsaken rock!”

  The people cheered. “Thank the heavens!” “We’re finally free!” “The Federation has finally come!”

  Pip, let’s move. Where do I go?

  Back the way we came, then north through a short passage. You’ll encounter four locked doors, but I can handle those. There’s a guard there, but nothing you can’t manage, I’m certain.

  “Everyone, head to the surface!” shouted Julianna. She turned to Margo and the human guard. “Except you two. Come on.”

  “Are we going to rescue my wife?” asked the man, a wide-eyed expression on his face.

  “I promise you, if she’s alive, I’ll find her,” assured Julianna. “What’s your name?”

  “Jeffrey,” the man said.

  “Okay, Jeffrey. Both of you stick close to me.” She motioned for him to follow, and together the three of them took off down the long underground hallway.

  Elsewhere, near the top of the tower.

  Eddie downed three Trid soldiers as he and Lars entered the highest floor of the building. At the same time, Lars came head-to-head with another Kezzin, locking with him, both their arms wrapped around each other.

  The other Kezzin struggled to break free, but Lars would not oblige him. Instead, he pushed the alien’s hand away and then slammed his fist into his side, jabbing his stomach and forcing the Kezzin to yelp. Then, Lars pulled back and, using the heel of his palm, jammed the Kezzin’s nose up and into his skull.

  The enemy staggered, a confused and disoriented look on his face. He opened his mouth like he was about to say something, but then collapsed, hitting the floor with a loud thud.

  Eddie looked at Lars, cocking his brow. “Damn, Lars. You aren’t playing around, huh?”

  “What?” asked Lars. “We have little time to waste, do we not?”

  Eddie nodded. “Right, let’s go!”

  Together, they kicked the double doors open. The metal creaked and snapped the hinges as the entrance opened into a large, egg-shaped room.

  A fist slammed into Eddie’s chest immediately, knocking him back and into the foyer. He wheezed, gasping for air. “Fuck,” he muttered.

  Two guards were there, running at him, both of them Trids. They must have been waiting to take them by surprise.

  Eddie leapt to his feet, shaking off the pain, and then raised his rifle.

  But before he could fire, the Trid came at him, grabbed the gun and tried to pull it away. Eddie fired, but the bullet only hit the glass windows along the nearby wall, shattering them and letting in the outside light.

  A strong wind suddenly entered the floor, filling the area with the scent of wet grass.

  Lars tackled the second Trid, kicking him in the neck and causing the alien to scream. Before he could get to Eddie, the Trid grabbed at his feet, pulling him to the floor. The two of them wrestled together while Eddie continued fighting with the other one.

  The Trid pushed Eddie back, almost to the staircase, but Eddie stopped him there, holding his ground. He wouldn’t be taken down so easily, not by some grunt.

  Eddie shoved his leg around the back of the Trid, forcing him to turn. As he did, the alien tripped over Eddie’s foot, falling forward.

  Eddie quickly stepped aside, letting the Trid fall, but the alien would not release the rifle, and he took it with him, forcing Eddie to let go.

  The soldier tumbled down the stairs, breaking bones as he hit the steps, one after the next. As Eddie watched him fall, Lars called out for him. “Captain!”

  Eddie turned and saw a Trid’s arm around his friend’s throat. “Lars!”

  He ran at him, seizing and pulling the Trid’s hand away from Lars’ neck. Eddie wrapped the alien’s arm around his back so Lars could squeeze out from under him. Once he was free, Lars took his gun and slammed it into the Trid’s forehead, knocking him out.

  Eddie let go, standing back up. “Well, fuck,” he muttered, breathing a little heavily.

  “Where’s your weapon?” asked Lars.

  Eddie nodded at the staircase. “Lost it, but I can go get—”

  A shout rang out from the other side of the doorway. “Hurry! They’re here!”

  “Who the fuck was that?” asked Eddie.

  Lars blinked, pausing. “I…I recognize that voice.” He took a step forward. “Quickly, Captain!”

  Lars ran into the room with Eddie close behind him.

  There, straight ahead, Eddie saw two men near the farthest window, a pad in one of their hands. One was a Kezzin, while the other was a Trid. Eddie wasn’t good with alien faces, but he was pretty sure he’d seen the Kezzin before.

  Somewhere.

  “You!” shouted the Trid individual as Eddie and Lars came running.

  “Who the fuck are these two?” asked Eddie.

  Lars’s eyes widened as he stared at the other Kezzin. “Commander Orsa!”

  “Lars Malseen?” Orsa stepped forward, surprised. “Is that you? What are you doing here?”

  “I could ask you the same question,” demanded Lars.

  “Are you with this human?”

  “What does it look like?” asked Eddie.

  Orsa examined Eddie. “You’re the one who escaped our facility.”

  “You’re goddamn right I am.”

  “I suspected you had help, but I never believed the one who captured you would be the one to free you. When Lars went missing, I assumed he’d been killed.” Orsa shook his head. “Lars, how could you betray the Brotherhood, after all we’ve done for you?”

  “You’ve done nothing for me!” barked Lars. “I only joined your organization because you threatened to take my brother away.”

  “Such disrespect!” scoffed Orsa. “The Brotherhood has kept the Kezzin race safe and secure from the human invaders for nearly twenty years. If it weren’t for us, these despicable aliens would have killed us all by now.”

  “The humans aren’t the problem with Kezza. You are,” said Lars. “The Brotherhood kills its own people. It enslaves children. It destroys families. You’ve proven yourselves the enemy of our people, not the humans.”

  “I will admit, Lars, that sometimes we must burn the field to regrow the crop, but only because it is necessary.”

  “Is that why you attacked those human colonies?” asked Eddie. “To regrow your crops?”

  Orsa nodded. “The universe must be purged of all who would threaten the Kezzin people. We were a dwindling species before the Brotherhood took charge, but since then, we’ve expanded our worlds and seized what is rightfully ours. We have become strong!”

  “At the cost of your soul,” said Eddie.

  “He is right,” agreed Lars. “Kezza was once a place of beauty. We prided ourselves on our ability to reason, to discover. We were scientists, painters, and farmers, but now—”

  “Now, we are strong!” snapped Orsa. “What good are painters when the armies of other worlds are seizing our territory? What good are farmers when the galaxy is shrinking?”

  “Shrinking?” asked Eddie.

  “The universe is only so big, human. There aren’t enough worlds for everyone. Imagine the Kezzin’s surprise when we discovered how much
of the galaxy was already discovered and owned by others. You left us with nowhere to go! You left us to wither away and die!”

  “So you kill colonists and take their land,” finished Eddie.

  Orsa nodded. “For the good of my people! We did what had to be done.”

  “You did nothing for Kezza,” interjected Lars. “You did it for power, for yourself! We had eight thriving worlds when the Brotherhood seized control. Now, our population starves and fights among itself, all because of what you have done.”

  “Quiet!” barked Orsa. “Silence yourself right now, traitorous filth!”

  “Enough,” shouted the Trid, standing beside him. “I grow tired of this exchange. Really, Orsa, you waste your time on them. I thought more of you.”

  Orsa stifled. “I-I’m sorry, General Vas.”

  “Vas?” asked Lars. “Commander Orsa, who is this person?”

  “None of your concern!” snapped Orsa.

  “I think it is our concern,” corrected Eddie. “In fact, if you don’t tell us right now, I can promise it won’t be good for you.”

  “Threaten all you want, but we aren’t telling you anything,” said Vas.

  “You don’t have to,” said Eddie. “We’ll just toss you in a cell and wait. I’m sure you’ll want to tell us something after you haven’t seen daylight for a few months.”

  Vas laughed.

  “You think that’s funny?” asked Eddie.

  “I think you don’t know what you’re talking about, boy.”

  Lars raised his gun and aimed it at the two aliens. “You heard him. The two of you are coming with us.”

  Eddie heard a click in his ear. “Captain, I’m sorry to interrupt, but Commander Fregin wanted me to relay a message to you.”

  “What is it, Pip?” asked Eddie.

  “She’s found the prisoners beneath this facility. There appears to be several hundred of them, based on my estimates, but there are more located somewhere else in the compound.”

  “That’s great, but I’m a little busy right now.” Eddie glanced at Orsa and Vas. “I’m looking at the two guys responsible for everything.”

  “Understood,” confirmed Pip. “I’ll let her know. Please update me with any further progress you make. Try not to kill them, if you can help it.”

  “I’ll use a soft touch,” agreed Eddie, staring at Orsa. The comm clicked off and he raised his voice again. “Now, put your hands where we can see them and move your asses out from behind that desk.”

  Vas looked at Orsa and muttered something that Eddie couldn’t hear.

  “Hey, no whispering over there. I told you, if you try anything, we’ll—”

  Vas laughed. “I’m afraid I have some bad news for you, Captain.”

  “Oh? Did you wet yourself while I was kicking your guards’ asses? It’s okay. I won’t hold it against you. You seem like the cowardly sort.”

  “Ah, not quite,” said Vas. “But I’m sorry to say, we can’t do as you requested.”

  “How’s that now?”

  “We’re unable to walk over to you.”

  “You, what?” asked Eddie. “He took a step towards them. “Look, buddy. If you don’t stop with this bullshit, I’m going to do something rash, like break a rib. You don’t want that to happen.”

  “I’m sure you’re right, Captain, but unfortunately, the issue has more to do with physically moving. You see—” Vas raised both his hands, and suddenly he flickered, disappearing briefly. “—We’re not actually here.”

  Eddie’s eyes went wide as he finally understood. “Oh, fuck.”

  “That’s right.” Vas smiled.

  Lars snarled, then charged into the two holograms, passing straight through them. The images flickered again before coming back together. “While you’ve been storming the castle, so to speak, we’ve been on a ship in orbit, sitting behind a moon.”

  Eddie clenched his teeth.

  “Like an idiot, you let us talk while we broke orbit,” said Orsa. “Now, we’ll be free to—”

  Lars crushed a small box sitting against the window and suddenly the two aliens disappeared. He screamed in rage, full of anger.

  Eddie tried to think for a second, to try and find a solution. Those two were the key to understanding all of this. The key to stopping the Brotherhood once and for all. If they got away, the entire search would have to begin again.

  And Eddie had talked with them. The conversation raced back through his mind. What had he given away? He couldn’t remember. Fuck!

  “Bastards!” snapped Lars.

  The word jolted Eddie. He looked at his angered friend, a man who had given up everything for this mission. He deserved something out of all this. He deserved his revenge. His justice. Eddie wouldn’t let all his sacrifice be in vain, nor would he allow these people to just walk away from this. “Fuck this,” he muttered. “Pip, are you hearing me?”

  “I am, sir,” said the E.I.

  “Put me through to the Q-Ship, now!”

  A short pause, followed by a click, and then, “Hello?”

  “Hatch, are you hearing me?” asked Eddie.

  “Is everything okay, Captain? Did you—”

  Eddie motioned at Lars to follow him, and he started running out of the room. “Listen carefully, Hatch. I need you to get that ship over here to pick us up right away. We’ve been tricked!”

  “Oh, I, uh, okay,” answered Hatch, trying to process what he was hearing. “I’ll be right there.”

  The comm clicked off right as Eddie reached the stairs. He leapt down nine steps, then jumped to the following floor. “Pip, patch me through to the ArchAngel!”

  “Yes, sir,” responded Pip. “I’ll have to use the Q-Ship’s long-range communicator, but it won’t take long.”

  Eddie reached the next floor, racing down as fast as his body would let him, continuing onto the next section. As he took another leap, a Kezzin guard appeared, a surprised look on his face. Eddie twisted in the air, kicking off the wall of the stairwell and slamming his foot into the alien’s face, knocking him several meters back. The Kezzin dropped to the floor like a sack of bricks.

  “Sir, I have ArchAngel on the line,” interrupted Pip.

  “Captain?” asked ArchAngel. “I do hope everything is going well for you down there.”

  “Listen up, Arch,” said Eddie. “I need you to get your giant metal ass over here. We’ve got a runner.”

  “A what?” asked the A.I.

  “The fucking aliens in charge of this whole debacle are trying to run and I need you to stop them. Can you do it?”

  Without so much as a pause, she said, “You can count on me, Captain. I’m on the way.”

  “They just broke orbit. Use your sensors to find them and keep them targeted, but don’t engage. We don’t want to kill them. Not yet.”

  “Understood,” answered ArchAngel.

  The line clicked off again as Eddie reached the next floor. He glanced behind to see Lars coming right behind him. Almost there, he thought as they continued down the stairwell.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

  Northern Continent, Pal III, Pal system

  Seven large cells, which were really more like cattle pens, unlocked and slid open as Julianna entered the massive prison room. Dozens of thin, filthy, and deprived people walked past the bars, staring at the woman who had just rescued them.

  “Olivia!” yelled Jeffrey. He ran and wrapped his arms around a young woman. She was dirty and bruised, and he dropped to his knees, wrapping his arms around her waist.

  She stared down at him, looking shocked, but after a moment, she seemed to understand. “J-Jeffrey? Is it truly you?”

  He clutched her and buried his face in her thigh, wailing like a small child. “You’re here! You’re here!”

  She knelt to him and embraced his whole body. “Oh, my sweet man!”

  They cried together, and so did several others as they watched.

  Margo looked for her father, rushing through the crowd. “H
ave you seen Jeremy?” she asked each of them. “Jeremy Holistar?”

  “Margo!” called a bearded man near the back of the room. “My girl, is that you?”

  She ran to him. “Father!”

  Julianna watched all of this, relieved at the sight. She’d been worried that these people might be dead and that the guards were using their memory as an incentive to keep the rest in line. Thankfully, this had only been partially true. They were alive, although only barely. She had to get them back to ArchAngel, and quickly. They all looked like they were on the verge of death.

  Pip, how’s the rest of the colonists? Did you direct them topside?

  They’re arriving there now. I told them to wait in the field to the north of this complex. They…

  There was a short pause. Pip? Pip, are you there?

  Apologies, but it appears Captain Teach is requesting your presence above-ground. It seems the enemy has fled.

  They ran?

  Archangel is on her way, but I suggest we move quickly. Doctor Hatcherik is coming with the Q-Ship to retrieve the team.

  It seemed these people would have to wait until the mission was over, unfortunately. “Everyone, please follow Margo and Jeffrey. They’ll take you to the surface,” she told them.

  “Are you leaving?” called Margo, running up to her.

  “I have a job to finish,” Julianna responded. “Think you can handle the rest on your own? I promise I’ll join you soon.”

  The girl nodded. “Of course. Thank you so much for your help. You’re a godsend, Commander Fregin!”

  Julianna shook her head. “You showed me the way. If it hadn’t been for you, Margo, none of these people would be walking out of here.”

  Margo smiled, a tear in her eye. She ran back to her father, telling him what was about to happen. A second later, she raised her hand to get the attention of the rest of the prisoners. “Everyone, we need to get going! Help carry anyone who can’t walk, okay? We have to leave together.”

  Looks like she can handle this. Okay, Pip, time to go!

  The Q-Ship is about to arrive. I suggest you get going.