Revelations: Acropolis 3000, #3

By Susanne L. Lambdin

Demetri, now in command of the Echo Task Force, which is comprised of replicons, risks all to save Earth from its greatest threat—humans. When Dictator Thorndyke and Ambrose replace the High Command and Council in Acropolis, anyone who opposes them is arrested or murdered, and any replicons associated with Demetri are targeted.

 

Discovering a city of reptiloids in the Beta Quadrant might be Demetri's only chance to gain an ally as civil war threatens Acropolis. The reptiloids, called Saurians, are Annunaki worshipers who believe the Sky Gods produced both humans and reptiloids long ago. However, the artificial intelligence named SIMON, which controls all technology in Acropolis and every AAA base worldwide, is compromised. It commands the ONE, androids that fly in cubes and have only one order to follow—destroy all Sapiens and Saurians.

 

As Demetri attempts to reveal Chancellor Ambrose's ambitious plans to rule the world, she and her task force must enter the NEST to destroy SIMON. But does Ambrose or something else control the AI? Demetri aims to find answers. However, what awaits in the NEST is far worse than she ever imagined. 

• Language: English
• Publisher: Susanne Lambdin
• Release date: Apr 26, 2022
• ISBN: 9798201092979

Book preview

What hunts us neither sleeps nor eats, driven only by its desire to kill.

—Scout Tallifer, 3000 CE

Alpha

Chapter 1

Raindrops the size of pearls splattered onto the palm leaves directly above Demetri’s head as twilight settled over the jungle. A steady rivulet of water slid down her nose and the back of her neck, yet she resisted the urge to move. Thirty feet from her position, tucked between the roots of a giant kapok tree, a pair of Abelisaurus fed on the carcass of an animal. Demetri estimated the theropods were forty feet long, fifteen feet tall, and weighed several tons. Not the largest dinosaurs her platoon had encountered but still Class-5 REMs. The Acropolis Army-AirCorps cataloged all registered mutants, and C-5s were the deadliest lifeforms on the planet. War had changed the landscape and weather patterns, raised the seas, and reintroduced species extinct millions of years earlier. The jungles of Beta-Quadrant thrived with a wide variety of flora and fauna, mutated from the nuclear fallout into giants.

Their throaty snarls and the continual snap and crunch of bones were audible over the other nocturnal animals crying out in the dark. They drowned any sound made by Echo Platoon, scaling a cliff behind Demetri and the three soldiers who had volunteered to stand guard with her.

Stinks, Jakiro said.

The odor of blood from the slain beast had attracted a horde of winged insects that buzzed around the exposed chest cavity. Demetri’s PLR-1 switched on, mimicking the soft buzz of mosquitoes. Jakiro, his sister Seika, and Rose’s pulse laser rifles duplicated the sound of her weapon. After hours of hiking through the jungle, Echo Platoon, decimated in a battle fought earlier that day, needed a place to rest for the night. The wilderness provided all they needed. Tall, jagged cliffs surrounded the little valley they were in. At sunset, golden light revealed a cave forty feet off the ground, accessed by long vines that draped the cliff in green. As the weary soldiers hauled their gear and a wounded major up to the hollow, Demetri and her companions waited, listening to the loud chomps as the rain continued to patter on the overhead palm leaves.

Jakiro suddenly blurted aloud, Affirmative.

Rose put a finger to her lips and said, ‘Use telepathy only.’

‘Just heard from my brother, Daitan. They have Major Crowe in the cave. We can come on up,’ Jakiro said.

The big male dino gazed in their direction, head lowered, and growled.

He heard you. Run, Demetri said, trembling with fear.

Jakiro stepped back and hurled a canister over the root. Citrus-smelling repellent spewed out of the canister, creating a thick, white cloud that stung Demetri’s eyes. From the way the Abelisauruses snorted and thrashed their tails, she knew the chemicals burned their eyes and lungs when they inhaled. Hoping the giant lizards would retreat, Demetri followed the three soldiers and scrambled over the tree’s massive roots. They ran in the opposite direction from the dinos toward a rocky bluff three hundred yards off. Demetri kept close to Jakiro, Seika, and Rose even without powered-armor. For once, she appreciated the tampering of Chancellor Ambrose, who had altered her and her team’s DNA with an illegal drug injected into their growing tanks while still embryos. As hybrid replicons, they possessed psychic powers, higher intelligence, and superhuman strength.

With a nut-sized brain, the REMs operated on sheer instinct and rage but were too close for Demetri to try and control. Angry bellows and heavy footfalls grew louder. A massive head appeared in the gloom, dipped low, and made a swipe at Demetri. She ducked behind a tree and heard a loud thump. Jakiro and Seika ran past and disappeared into the thick vegetation. The big male went after them, but its mate stayed behind. A loud crunch followed that reminded Demetri of the noise made when a lobster shell was cracked open. Her eyes widened as she whispered, Rose. She needed confirmation that the girl was dead and slowly moved around the tree and stared at the towering female dino. The large head lifted. A large lump appeared in its throat as it swallowed her friend.

Unable to see Demetri in the dark, the female reptile searched for a moment, rooting about in the foliage, and paused to sniff the air. Demetri took a step back, her foot inadvertently stepping on a twig. At the sound of the snap, the female roared and released a fetid, damp breath that sprayed the side of the tree. A helmet dislodged from between its teeth and thudded to the ground. Demetri ran through the trees as the female followed in pursuit. Her enhanced vision helped Demetri see in the dark. In her haste to outrun the REM, thorny vines and tree limbs whipped her face as the stickiness of a spider web clung to her hair. The distant shouts from the soldiers led Demetri through an obstacle of vegetation to the cliff. Able to see two dark forms no more than thirty yards from her position wiggling up the vines, she heard nearby snuffling and spotted the male. Not waiting for the arrival of its mate, she slung her rifle and climbed up the vines as the female REM came crashing through the trees. The pair started to rip away the plants with their sharp teeth as Demetri scrambled upwards. Small thorns dug into her bare palms, cutting deep, but a rush of adrenaline blocked the pain as she climbed hand over hand. As she neared the edge, a hand reached out and caught hold of her jacket, tugging her into the cave. Dragged inside, Demetri rolled onto her back and stared at Jakiro and Seika.

Where is Rose? asked Seika.

Demetri stood on weak legs and said, She’s gone.

All three looked over the edge. The REMs stood forty feet below, staring up at their lost dinner. The male gave a final roar of frustration, turned away, and lumbered back into the jungle with its mate.

It’s my fault. I spoke aloud. I knew better, Jakiro said. I’ll explain to Amber and her sisters what happened. Are you okay?

The repellent didn’t work, that’s for certain, Demetri said, dreading the reaction Rose’s death would have on the platoon. They had lost too many of their friends, and she feared more would perish on the way to Rimac. I don’t think I’m hurt, she said.

The light on Jakiro’s helmet allowed her to examine her injuries. Another trait of C-2 hybrid replicons was quick regenerative powers. She was dripping wet but otherwise undamaged, and the multiple cuts on her bare hands and arms had healed. She also discovered that even without the powered-armor's acceleration, she kept up with two of her friends, both in armor, and outran a Class 5 REM. But being able to jump high, run fast, heal quickly, and read open minds didn’t make her invincible.

We got here just in time, Jakiro said.

Inky darkness blanketed the southern hills of old Bolivia. Dark rain clouds obscured the stars and the moon. The occasional flash of red lightning appeared in the distance, followed by a crack of thunder, and it started to rain harder.

Demetri pulled her damp shirt out from her pants, resettled her holster on her hips, and twisted the lower section to squeeze the excess water. She still had her pistol but had lost her sonic sword in the jungle. Somewhere in the dark, the One still searched for her platoon. The One were androids and shared a collective mind. They required no rest, no recharging, and never gave up. The Odomok, a race of intelligent and dangerous reptiloids, used the androids as enforcers. She knew about the Odomok because she had one of them in her platoon—a scout—currently in the custody of her sister, Vega, at the back of the cave.

The REMs tasted human flesh, Demetri said, keeping her voice low. There’s no going back down the way we came, not unless we want a fight.

Let me make sure a poisonous thorn didn’t jab you. We can’t afford for you to be sick, Seika said. It was stupid to leave your jacket on the Warbird, Demetri. Every inch of your exposed skin has welts and bug bites. I have something in my med-kid that will soothe the itching. No thorns, but you don’t want to feel sick even if it’s only for a short while until you heal.

I’m fine. See to Major Crowe, please, Demetri said. She noticed Jakiro with Jade, one of Rose’s sisters, giving her the bad news. Seika looked upset as well. I know our battle-boards are useless. Do your best.

What if I can’t save him? He’s a C-1 with no unique gifts like us.

Major Beljan Crowe commanded Outpost 2 and, like all C-1s—the elite of society—was born to parents through the tried-and-true method of sexual reproduction. C-2s emerged from fish tanks as eighteen-year-olds who immediately went to a military academy, and C-3 clones were considered disposable. The major was an ordinary man with no special powers, no ability to regenerate at an excelled rate, and utterly dependent on the skills of Seika. Her friend had whatever tools were inside the med-kit, and once she calmed down, the ability to access the pre-stored medical information in her head. Info-Pacs on all subjects were exclusive for C-2 replicons and injected by techs into their brains shortly before they awoke outside their birthing tanks.

All you need is in your head, Seika. Do what you can for him.

I will need all the good luck you can spare.

Seika went to the cave's back, where the major lay on a stretcher. The temperature was dropping fast, typical in Beta-Q’s dense jungles. Demetri knew Major Crowe felt it even more so if she felt cold. Before she could tell Seika to use a thermal blanket to keep him warm, the girl had removed the pack from the back of her armor, put it on the ground, and removed a blanket to cover the major.

How much ground did we cover? Demetri asked Jakiro.

Fifteen-miles. Another eighteen miles to Rimac, but it’s through rough country. I’m sure I can get us to the old city. Don’t worry about the team. They’ll make it. Jade doesn’t want a formal announcement about Rose. Her sisters know. The others will figure it out soon enough. Everyone knew what they were signing up for.

No, they didn’t. We’re guides, not soldiers, but here we are, an experiment to learn how hybrid replicons perform in the field. I’m sick about Rose. It happened so fast, and that sound…that crunching….

We’ll make it to Rimac, all of us. No more mistakes.

Despite the confidence of Jakiro, her acting guide, Demetri turned to face the interior of the cave. The remnants of Echo Platoon had gathered in small groups within the confines of the thirty-foot-wide cavern with a low ceiling. Jakiro’s other siblings stood together, sharing a canteen and eating MREs. Jade and her three remaining sisters, called the Rainbow Girls, had shed their armor and built a small campfire. Corporal Nova and her brothers, Eridanus and Caelum, cleaned their weapons. Vega stood guard over their Odomok scout, Tallifer, near where Seika tended to Major Crowe.

Soon, flames leaped from a stack of dried vines, and tendrils of white smoke drifted toward the entrance. The flame's light and warmth drew Demetri like a moth, and she stood near it and rubbed her arms.

I’ll be glad to give you my jacket, Jakiro said. I’ll have to shed my armor, but you can’t continue to Rimac in a sleeveless shirt, Colonel. We’ll be heading into the mountains and snow. Not even you can survive below-zero temperatures.

Stay dressed and stand guard. I’ll get a jacket from someone else. Your pod takes first watch, so get something to eat. Maybe pull some of those upper vines down to limit the amount of smoke from the campfire getting out. If any androids show up, those voracious dinos will warn us of their approach.

They glanced at each other and pretended to crunch down on something hard, like the androids’ armor. Neither laughed aloud, but Jakiro’s dark eyes twinkled.

You should know Tallifer found the cave, Jakiro said. I have a good sense of direction, but I would have turned west several miles back and taken us right into a box canyon. The scout knows his business. He’s a good egg, Colonel Demetri. I know he’s one of the Odomok, but to be honest, I like him.

Do you trust him?

Yes, I do. Tallifer grew up around humans. He never lived among his own kind. But he’s gotten us this far.

He’s not been to Rimac. I have, Jakiro. We have a long haul ahead of us. Our com-links remain out. There’s no way to contact any AAA forts. I believed Tallifer when he told us the androids’ EMP weapons don’t have a lasting effect. Putting distance between them and us didn’t make a difference. Our armor and weapons run on a system resistant to electro-magnetic pulses, which is why they work but nothing else. We’ll be okay. I’ll get us to the abandoned city.

I’m sure you will, sir, Jakiro said. MREs, water, and thermal blankets we do have, sir. You’re shivering. At least let me get you a blanket.

Jakiro chose his brother Ling and opened the hard-cased MOLLE on his back. The pack detached with ease and, when worn by soldiers, added to the bulk of the armor, which gave them the appearance of bipedal armadillos. He removed a silver blanket folded into a small square, as Seika had done for the major, and shook it out to place around Demetri’s shoulders.

Jakiro’s octopod—the official term for replicon siblings—born in groups of eight, were of Asian descent. Demetri, Baron, and Vega were all that remained of their original octopod and also appeared Asian with black hair but violet eyes. Nova, Eridanus, and Caelum were Nordic and had two brothers serving as guides at military bases in Acropolis, each with platinum hair and pale blue eyes. Jade, Amber, Tawny, and Teal were of Eastern European descent but dyed their dark hair to match their names. Eight octopods had attended Trinity Academy. Three pods survived, of which only Jakiro’s was fully intact.

All pods came from fertilized eggs stored in replicon birthing stations, selected every year by the First Guide, the current Director of Operations and Technical Affairs. Grown for twelve months inside incubators and fed nutrients and hormones through oral tubes with another removing all waste, they were subjected to injections directly into the brain to provide pre-enhanced knowledge on all topics. When replicons finally awoke, they crawled out of their tanks as highly intelligent yet socially awkwardly eighteen-year-olds. While at the academy, Master Strombo had overseen the C-2 cadets, acting as a pseudo-father, was loved by his students, and had died protecting Demetri and her friends from Ambrose’s assassins. Ambrose considered his hybrids defective, and Demetri and her friends had proved him wrong. They were intelligent, strong, and able to survive under the most grueling situations, but no one had taught them how to deal with the trials and tribulations they now faced. But an essential part of the platoon was missing—Hamlet’s pod.

The might of their plan had depended on Hamlet and his six brothers—of African descent—as strong in body as they were reading minds. Nutcrackers could penetrate through the electrical field of any neural-blocker, and among them, the best fighter and psychic was Corporal Ajax, second born. The brothers had outlived their sister, Hadley, by eleven months. The girl had vanished in the night during their first semester at the academy. There had been another brother named Troy, but he died in the birthing chamber along with three of Demetri’s siblings. Since C-2s were not buried in cemeteries, as was the practice among the elite C-1s, Demetri and her friends seldom mentioned the dead, but the remaining brothers had all died earlier that morning. Ajax had been her brother, Baron’s best friend. Jade, Ajax’s sweetheart, mourned his death and softly sobbed.

The platoon was now under General Craigg’s command and far removed from Chancellor Ambrose, whose proclivity to cull hybrid replicons made it Demetri’s top priority job to keep her platoon alive. Yet, she felt a shift in the atmosphere. A mix of emotions was typical among the young psychics, registering from fear and sorrow to immense anger. Everyone knew Rose had died in the jaws of a theropod and feared they would be next. Vega was outraged at the harsh treatment shown to the Odomok scout but had limited concern for Baron, who was missing in action. Demetri hoped Baron had made it back to Outpost 2 and notified General Hadrian Craigg of what happened. Last seen flying off on a second Warbird with a Dreadnaught hot on his tail, if Baron had failed to return, she knew it was only a matter of time before her small team met the same fate.

We can’t afford to lose anyone else, Jakiro. I noticed a tunnel in the back of the cave. It might lead us through the mountain to another exit.

I can take a squad and check it out.

Go with Corporal Nova. If you smell fresh air, then we’ll use it. Tell the others we’ll pull out in a few hours. We’ll know by then if Major Crowe is coming with us.

Yes, sir. Jakiro removed his helmet and cradled it under his arm as he approached Nova. Her brother Eridanus joined them. The trio headed to the tunnel and disappeared inside.

Demetri stood near the campfire and rubbed her hands over her arms, brushing off scabs from healed bug bites. She met Amber’s gaze. Amber was Baron’s girlfriend, and, added to her concern that he was dead, Rose’s violent death left her eyes tearful. Her long blonde hair was damp and tangled. Without meaning to, Demetri heard what Amber was thinking. ‘I can’t talk about it. I never want to talk about it, so don’t say anything to me, just go away.’ The girl broke contact and returned to stoking the burning vines. Knowing how Amber felt forewarned Demetri that her sisters suffered the same, so she decided to remain silent and stared at the flames. The fire was small and encircled by rocks. Vines found in the cave were dry and produced minimal smoke, and the crackling was soothing.

No one complained, not aloud, but the team was exhausted. They had left with Major Crowe at dawn in three Warbirds from Outpost 3. As the fort commander, the major had agreed to take Echo Platoon and two companies to an ancient Incan temple called the Lizard House. General Hadrian Craigg had ordered them to contact Chief Zurwin of the Frogmen, and they landed on a riverbank and hiked through the jungle to the temple. There, they found the dead members of Zurwin’s tribe stuffed into an old well. Demetri had climbed the temple stairs, which had no visible entrance, but the moment she touched the temple wall, a portal opened and pulled her inside.

Within the temple, she had found a city inhabited by android enforcers and enslaved humans, under the control of Neti the Gatekeeper. Neti tried to control her with illusion and telepathy, and Demetri played along until he exited the temple with her. She had shot Neti on the steps and ordered her soldiers to continue firing until all that remained was smoldering green scales and red ooze. Neti was an Odomok—Komodo as in Komodo Dragon spelled backward—a term Major Crowe had invented due to the reptiloids’ appearance. Demetri had not expected the swift reprisal after the order to kill Neti was carried out, for the Odomok had arranged an ambush.

Within minutes of his death, the cube-shaped Dreadnaughts arrived and used their disrupter beams to destroy one gunship with two hundred soldiers. Baron had escaped and headed to Outpost 2, a thousand miles to the east, on another Warbird, while Demetri’s vessel had returned to Outpost 3. They witnessed the destruction of Major Crowe’s fort and had attempted to avoid more Dreadnaughts by flying toward the interior of Beta-Q. The androids’ EMP rays had brought down Demetri’s aircraft, killing Echo’s flight crew and a few soldiers in the subsequent crash. Those who escaped with salvaged equipment had followed Demetri to the cave.

Hungry?

Caelum joined Demetri. His platinum curls lay damp across his forehead. He had removed his armor, as had Eridanus, and wore black padded undergarments.

My brother and I caught a few lizards in a tunnel. Nova found a way out, he said. Almost cooked too. Daitan ate his raw and vomited.

We have dried rations.

Seems only fair to skin and eat lizards. The Odomok do the same thing to us.

Caelum was not the only one present who thought about killing the young Odomok, and murderous glances were cast in the prisoner’s direction. Tallifer, hands tied behind his back, knelt beside Major Crowe and Seika. The young Odomok looked concerned for the injured man. As of three days ago, he had been living in the ruins of a mountain station, unaware he was anything but a C-4 humanoid scout. Tallifer had lived on his own and without hope of rescue for ten years after the androids killed the human soldiers at the garrison until Demetri’s team arrived and took him with them. Demetri had asked the scout to join their mission, but after meeting Neti, she’d realized what Tallifer was and had made him a prisoner. His people became psychics from exposure to urdinite in the soil, making them illusionists and telepaths. The Odomok also used urdinite, found within power crystals, to activate their androids and the Dreadnaughts.

For an empath, you can be cruel, Demetri said. When Master Ambrose injected urdinite into our incubators, he turned us into psychic hybrids. We’re not so different from the Odomok, which you proved by cooking reptiles in front of him.

"He could be a spy, Demetri. What are you going to do with him?

Tallifer had shown no aggression since he’d joined Echo Platoon. He’d spent his childhood among C-1 officers and C-3 soldiers at Mountain King Station and later dug their graves. Tallifer was either telling the truth when he claimed to know nothing about the Odomok, or Caelum was right, and they’d caught a spy. For some reason, Vega had connected with Tallifer, was never far from his side, and watched over him like his personal bodyguard.

General Craigg ordered us to find the androids’ base, Demetri said. If Baron made it to Outpost 2, then Craigg knows we’re heading to Rimac. When I was there before, I saw an android in the ruins. Every fiber in my body says Rimac is where we need to go. Tallifer might prove useful. Leave him be.

Red splotches appeared on Caelum’s pale cheeks. He had absorbed the team’s anger and grief. On overload, he released it in a rare display of fury. I’m not the only one who lost family today, he said, getting into her personal space. Hamlet and his pod were wiped out. Pearl is dead. Fornax and my sisters. The major is next. How many more must die to satisfy your lust for blood and glory?

It had quieted in the cave. Team members listened. Demetri pictured a black box, neatly tucked her thoughts and emotions inside, and closed the lid.

We’re through here. Get some rest.

It’s a joke, you know, calling you ‘Colonel.’ Stop pretending you’re something you’re not, Caelum said. Unaware his big sister approached from behind, when Nova’s hand landed on his shoulder, he at once cowered.

Put a sock in it, boy, Nova said. She dwarfed her brothers in size and strength and held a twenty-pound Big Dog against her shoulder. When you joined the Army-AirCorps, little brother, the registration form didn’t say soldiers get to snivel or whine. Nor is insubordination tolerated. This is ‘Colonel Demetri’ because the general says she is, and I say she is. Do yourself a favor and scram, you little lizard, before I lose my temper.

Caelum slunk off with anger festering in his breast. From a distance, the curly-haired boy glared at Tallifer, guarded by Vega, whom Caelum feared more than his sister. The boy knew he would not win this fight and laid down to rest.

Hydrate, sir. Nova unfastened her canteen from her holster. She gave it to Demetri and said, There’s a network of tunnels further in. One leads to a larger cavern. There’s a bit of climbing to do, but oxygen is good. It’s coming in from the outside, which means there’s an exit.

Demetri drank and tasted fresh rainwater, which tasted good but added to a full bladder. Soldiers urinated in the comfort of their armor and, collected along with waste in a disposal unit, went through a dehydration process and released in powder form on the ground. She looked for a place to do her business and entered the tunnel with Nova as her guard. A draft teased her backside as Demetri squatted, pants at her ankles, and gazed into the gloom.

"I’m in need of a new sergeant. The job falls to you, Sergeant Nova."

The big girl smiled.

You may be the first C-2 to command a platoon, but you’ve proven your steel, Colonel Demetri. Count on me to keep the troops in line, Nova said. With her left hand, she tapped three fingers on her forehead. Guaranteed, sir.

Nothing like being saluted while taking a piss.

Demetri yanked up her pants. She emerged with Nova from the tunnel. Amber opened her eyes as Nova walked past and sat up, alarmed. Her eyes met Demetri’s gaze. It wasn’t hard to figure out Amber was worried about Baron. ‘Don’t worry. My brother will find his way back to you,’ Demetri told her. The girl sighed, laid down, and closed her eyes. Demetri made her way to Major Crowe with a softer tread than her sergeant. The injured man lay on the stretcher. His jacket and undershirt were off, revealing a hairy chest and deep purple bruises. Seika, her armor removed, held a damp cloth against his forehead. Each breath the major took came out in a rattle, and blood bubbled in the corners of his mouth.

The diagnosis isn’t good. He cracked his ribs in the crash and punctured his spleen. Toxins are filling his chest cavity, and everything in the med-kit is useless, Seika said. Exasperated, she pointed toward an assortment of medical instruments and her knife laid out on the major’s jacket. I could try to operate, but I’m not a real medic. I only know what’s provided in my Info-Pac, and it’s not enough for me to feel comfortable cutting into him. Under these unsanitary conditions and without a blood transfusion, I’ll only hasten his death. At this point, all I can do is keep him comfortable.

I can help him if you let me, Tallifer said, craning his long neck to peer down at the major. Lieutenant Colonel Pascal showed me how to heal with my hands. It is an Odomok healing ritual.

Does it work? Demetri asked.

It should. A few of you are empaths. If his mind is clear of pain, he will be more receptive to my healing touch, or you must watch him die.

Cut him free, Demetri ordered.

Vega shouldered her rifle and drew her knife to cut the scout’s binding. Tallifer trembled as he rubbed his sore wrists. He was bald with light-green scales and light-blue eyes, yet Tallifer had a strange, exotic beauty, and his manner was gentle. He knelt beside the major, removed his jacket, and used it as a blanket to cover the unconscious man’s torso. Demetri knelt beside the major across from Tallifer and Vega and placed her hand on the major’s arm. Her empathic abilities allowed her to ease his pain. Caelum was the strongest empath and had the ability to absorb pain into his own body, but it would leave him drained. The temperature had dropped with the rain, it was cold in the cave, and Major Crowe shivered.

Whatever you’re going to do, do it, Demetri said.

Vega, with weapon drawn, remained close to the prisoner. I’m fond of you, Tallifer, she said. Don’t make me regret trusting you.

For you, Vega, I will perform a miracle, he said.

Please, save him, Seika said. Easing the major’s head onto her lap, she wiped his brow with the cloth and gazed at Tallifer with hope in her eyes.

"Odomok healers called it the Vümac, which means ‘soul mending,’ Tallifer said. Lieutenant Colonel Pascal told me the strongest healers can bring life or death with a touch of their hands. If I must give my own life to restore Major Crowe’s, I will gladly do so, for he is my friend too. A long, pale green tail with slight ridges poked out the back of his slacks as he bent over the major. His long toenails had burst through the ends of his mycelium boots during the hike. He slid long-fingered green hands beneath the jacket and gently pressed down. I must recite the healing words now, he said, gazing at Demetri. Pascal taught me to be fluent in the Saurian language, but I have not used it in a long time."

How do I know you’re not sending a signal to a Dreadnaught? Demetri asked. I assume those flying cubes are commanded by an Odomok officer and not an android.

This is different. This is a prayer, he said. "Gloroc tuo Dorianum…. It means, ‘I take death, and I give life.’ Link minds with me—all of you. I give my consent, and so must you. He’s at Death’s door, and I need your strength to return him to the land of the living."

Gladly, Seika said.

Will it hurt? Vega asked.

No more than what the major feels, the young Odomok said.

Demetri had no time to consider consequences and joined her mind with Tallifer’s. She was surprised to feel a strange warmth radiating from him, not only from his body but from his mind. Tallifer prayed to a higher power, an arcane god, and believed he had a soul. Whatever entity answered provided Tallifer with powerful energy. She felt a warmth spread through her body, and a sense of tranquility settled over her mind. But Major Crowe, touched by Tallifer, received the full rejuvenating effects of this unknown power. He breathed without labor. The steady rise and fall of his chest beneath the Odomok’s hands were visible.

Something is happening, Demetri thought.

Tallifer closed his eyes, and as he repeated "Gloroc tuo Dorianum," she felt the warmth and energy he projected link her mind to his. His natural psychic defenses were firm, not allowing her to see his past, yet his foreign words held a familiar cadence. In its pattern, she heard a word, Saurian, and knew this was the language spoken by Tallifer. He was a Saurian, a proud race of intelligent reptiloids, who had remained hidden from the world in their underground lairs for centuries until now. While living at Mountain King Station, someone had taught Tallifer about the Saurians, their language, culture, religion, and the healing arts. Someone he had loved and someone who Demetri knew was Saurian. Tallifer hid the name from her, and to probe felt wrong as he needed no distraction as he attempted to save the major’s life.

Her sister suddenly knelt with a clang and bowed her head. Vega prayed along with the Saurian scout. Seika, seated at the major’s head, bent over him, letting her long hair hang in his face, and softly whispered, "Gloroc tuo Dorianum." A soft yellow light appeared beneath Tallifer’s jacket, covering the major’s body. The light spread like an electrical current until it bathed the major in a golden aura.

On impulse, Demetri took Major Crowe’s hand in hers and was surprised his skin felt cold. The strange coldness moved into her hand and flowed up her arm. She closed her eyes, shivering as images appeared in her mind, creeping like spiders to weave a web between Tallifer and Major Crowe—Soldiers led by Major Crowe appeared in a jungle, drawn by the strange cries of a baby. The major approached a trunk split in half by lightning. In its center, lying on a golden cloak, he found a small, pale-green reptiloid with a long tail and blue eyes, eating the remains of its purple shell. The infant held up its tiny, scaly arms to Major Crowe. Moved by its innocence and unconditional trust, the major gathered the hatchling in his arms and delivered it to Lt. Colonel Pascal at Mountain King Station, far to the north in the Andes Mountains. Pascal registered Tallifer as a C-4 scout, a humanoid, and raised him at the outpost for fourteen years like a son. The major often visited Pascal and the boy over the years, fond of both, and vowed never to reveal their secret to anyone, especially not General Gravedigger Craigg.

Demetri felt a tingle in her brain and immediately lost the connection as an invisible electrical current redirected her to Tallifer’s mind. Androids in white armor appeared at the gates and swarmed over the outpost walls. Pascal ordered Tallifer to hide in a cave as Dreadnaughts in the sky barraged Mountain King Station in a hailstorm of flames and death. Five days later, the station still smoldered despite a layer of snow. More soldiers arrived in white winter gear. It was Major Crowe and a rescue team sent from Outpost 3 to search for survivors, but Tallifer hid in the rubble, too terrified to answer when he heard his name called. From the shadows, Tallifer watched the major depart, never to see another human until ten years later, on the day Demetri, Vega, and Echo Platoon arrived and found him.

Demetri felt the connection break and opened her eyes. The major’s fingers twitched in her hand, warm to the touch, and his eyelids fluttered open.

Major Crowe! You’re alive, Seika shouted.

Not only very much alive but eager to show his appreciation, Major Crowe cupped Seika’s face and pulled her down for an upside-down kiss. Seika sat back, holding a hand to her lips. It was her first kiss, and a deep blush reddened her cheeks. The major sat up and tossed aside the jacket. The bruises on his hairy chest had vanished. He showed no sign of injury or pain but croaked when he spoke.

Thirsty.

Give him water, Vega said and handed her canteen to Seika.

Only small sips, Seika said.

Still glowing from the unexpected kiss, Seika displayed more than a medic’s concern as she poured water into the canteen’s cap and held it to his lips. Major Crowe was in his forties with a face weathered like an old map and tanned from years living in the jungle, unlike his upper body, which was white and bushy. Clearly infatuated, she would have continued giving the major tiny sips, but it was an impossible solution for a thirsty man.

Love you, kiddo, but I don’t need a sippy cup. Hand over the canteen, Crowe said and took it from her, guzzling several large mouthfuls. He wiped a hand over his mouth. Will someone please give me back my clothes? It’s bloody cold in this cave!

Quickly responding, Seika collected the major’s bloody garments from the rock they had been lain out on to dry and returned with them. The major gave the canteen to Tallifer, then stood to put on his attire. Tallifer shook the canteen to confirm it was empty. He returned it to Vega with an apology. Not in the least bit angry, Vega hooked it to her belt and crouched beside Tallifer, threw her arms around his shoulders, and kissed the top of his scaly, bald head.

I thought miracles were a myth. That was the most amazing thing I’ve ever seen, Tallifer. I don’t care what anyone says or thinks. From now on, you’re my brother. Baron can get over it. I like you better.

"Vega, my Omaki…‘sister of the heart,’ Tallifer said in a voice filled with emotion. He pressed his forehead to Vega’s. With you at my side, I will never be lonely again."

Thank you for saving my life, boy, Crowe said. He leaned over to pat Tallifer on the shoulder, then did the same to Seika. No medic ever tended better to my injuries. Not once did you give up on me. Thank you too, little lady.

Are you hungry? I’ll get you something to eat, Seika said and went to the campfire to get the major’s dinner.

Beljan, I have questions. I got a glimpse into your head during the ritual, Demetri said. Yours and Tallifer’s. I assume you both meant for me to know you have a longstanding relationship. Okay. You have a past. But you left out details about Lieutenant Colonel Pascal’s involvement. How did he know so much about the Odomok? She refrained from using the correct term, Saurian, fearing it would cause Vega and anyone eavesdropping to interrupt. "Pascal knew how to perform the Vümac, yet he taught Tallifer. Do one of you want to fill me in?"

Tallifer and Vega separated. He remained seated and folded his hands in his lap. Vega stood with her rifle and directed a murderous look at Demetri, who could understand what her sister was thinking without reading her mind.

I didn’t invade their minds, Vega. The information was out there, free to access, so I did. Now answer the question. Major Crowe?

Guess I can’t wiggle off this hook. Pascal knew a lot about everything because he was a scholar. He knew a dozen languages, read everything salvaged from ancient libraries, and collected a bunch of weird stuff. Crowe said. Few officers show interest in anthropology or ancient cultures, but Pascal was a deep well that could not be filled.

You found the child in the jungle.

And decided Pascal was the best place to keep him safe. Pascal made me promise never to tell anyone about the boy, so I didn’t. Tallifer is a good lad.

The colonel raised me as his son. He was kind to me, Tallifer said and collected his dusty jacket to hold against his chest. His pale blue eyes gleamed. Pascal taught me many things, as both mentor and father, and tutored me about the world. This also included the Odomok, and he lectured that they are dangerous. I was told to hide if any strangers came to the fort and ordered never to wander into the jungle, not on my own. No one knew I was anything more than a C-4 scout, bred in a lab, and until now, I didn’t know the major had found me in a tree.

Who put you in the tree in the first place? And why? Vega asked.

I don’t know. Pascal never told me.

Nor did I bother to ask, Crowe said, regret in his voice. He buttoned his jacket and gazed toward the campfire. I should have, I know. I wanted to tell Hadrian, but Pascal made it clear Tallifer’s safety came first. No one was ever to find him.

We did find him—no more secrets. I want to know everything, Demetri said.

"Secrets? We both have our share of those, my young friend. You know what Gravedigger was like before the accident, Crowe said. He would have killed Tallifer then stood me in front of a firing squad. After he came back from the hospital, a changed man, I wanted to tell him. I honestly didn’t know Tallifer was an Odomok. I thought he was a mutant, an intelligent one, but a mutant, nonetheless. All that hocus pocus Pascal taught the boy didn’t seem all that strange, not if you’d known Pascal."

‘Bi-pedal Komodo dragons’ is what you called them. Not mutants.

Hadrian’s different now, isn’t he? I want to tell him. I suppose that’s now up to you, Demetri. You two have a close relationship. He’ll take it better coming from you.

General Hadrian Gravedigger Craigg was the youngest officer to oversee all military operations on a continent. From a powerful and influential family, groomed since childhood to be the next Head General of the Acropolis Army-AirCorps, all would assume he would soon command the AAA’s military on a global scale. Handsome and brave, the general had won more battles than any prior commander, acquiring war medals and power, with a reputation for fighting duels and seducing women. His personality was sadistic and cruel. He hid behind a mask of glory. His explosive popularity among Acropolitans came from propaganda fed over the news stations and a penchant for attending parades to allow his adoring fans to see him.

Only this was not the man Demetri loved. The general sustained grievous injuries against an acid-spitting red dragon called Old Satan four months earlier. Sent to Acropolis for medical care, he returned to Beta-Q noticeably different. Compassionate, merciful, and less inclined to fight duels or kill REMs, it did not take Demetri and others long to realize he was not Gravedigger but an identical clone.

Two men had seized the opportunity to create their own version of General Craigg. Ambrose relied on a hybrid clone, able to transmutate into the general's likeness, to maintain control over Beta-Q. However, Mercator, a cautious man, had made certain that Hadrian-1 only looked the part when he cloned the general. Hadrian lacked Gravedigger’s vicious nature and had no idea who or what he was. He believed his injuries were the cause of his partial amnesia and why he took nurvo to hide his scars. Major Crowe knew the truth, had guessed it right away, but with both Mercator and Ambrose juggling for control of Acropolis, both he and Demetri had decided weeks ago to protect their beloved command, which meant hiding the truth from him.

I don’t feel good about keeping secrets. It isn’t right, Beljan.

What secrets? Vega asked, curious.

Not your concern, corporal, Crowe said. What’s important is Tallifer needs our help. Tell Craigg whatever you want about Pascal or me. Just promise that’s all you’ll tell him. You know what I’m talking about, Demetri.

I promise, she said, hating to be part of the deception.

If you’re talking about the Lizard House, General Craigg knows we got our asses handed to us, Vega said. Big red flag, people. Going to Rimac is a huge mistake. The Odomok will be waiting for us. It’s a trap.

The major thoughtfully stared at Vega. My wife, Mara, was Zurwin’s daughter, he said. Neti killed my wife, Zurwin, and enslaved their tribe. Then he sent the One to destroy my garrison. Trap or not, we’re going, Corporal Vega, and Tallifer is coming with us.

Dinner! Seika appeared with a palm leaf filled with skewered lizard, burned to a crisp. Sitting beside the major, she handed him a kabob. When Major Crowe curled his upper lip, she giggled. I’m sure you’ve eaten far worse.

Grubs make a fine meal. It’s their bristles you have to worry about, Crowe said and winked at Seika. He bit into the meat. I will need a new senior guide once my fort is rebuilt. Seika, I’d like that to be you.

Really? It would be a great honor, Major Crowe. Thank you.

Tallifer sat on his frayed jacket. Seika offered the scout meat, which he accepted with a grateful nod. He sank his sharp teeth into the blackened flesh, smacking his lips as he chewed. Demetri declined to take a skewer, but a ravenous Vega helped herself and enjoyed eating the burned meat.

What else can you tell me about the Odomok? Demetri asked.

"They’re oviparous. Females lay one egg per year, preferably in a secluded place which has a thermally stable environment, typically underground, Crowe said. I was lucky to find Tallifer in that tree. Sometimes I dream I found a big blue egg instead of a boy in a tree. Funny how your subconscious mind plays tricks on you. Most of the time, I have nightmares. A few shots of bourbon help me sleep."

Demetri sat on the cave floor with her back against a rock. I wonder who put Tallifer’s egg in the tree. Did Pascal know? she asked.

Can’t say as I don’t know. The major finished eating and licked his fingers clean. Pascal told me to look after the boy if anything happened to him. I know it’s risky taking him into Rimac, but if anyone can find their base, it’s Tallifer. Honor means something to me, Demetri. I gave my oath of honor to protect the boy with my life. I aim to see it through and won’t let Craigg use him as bait.

He won’t when I explain things. But I’m still confused about Pascal’s part in all this. Was Pascal an Odomok disguising himself as a human?

The major lowered his eyes and remained silent. Seika and Vega stopped chewing and stared at the major, waiting for an answer. He refused to answer, but Tallifer gave a quick nod and said, Yes, he was Odomok.

Damnit, boy. You went and spilled the beans.

It’s okay, Vega said and put her arm around Tallifer’s shoulders. "I won’t let anyone hurt you. I’ll die before I let you fall into enemy hands. That’s my oath of honor."

How did Pascal hide his identity? Can he transmutate into someone else like the rest of us, or did he wear a hologram? Demetri asked. We’ll have to stick you in armor to hide you, Tallifer, unless you can turn human.

No, I can’t. Pascal told me the Odomok use illusions, Tallifer said. You will believe what you touch, smell, taste, hear, and see. It will feel real, but it’s not. I managed to cast an illusion of appearing larger than dinos trying to eat me. Pascal couldn’t transmutate, nor can I. He believed Neti often posed as a human, visiting different forts like Outpost 2, trying to get information about the AAA and me. I fear Neti frequently visited Major Crowe pretending to be his wife.

You mean I lay with Neti instead of my wife? I think I may vomit.

All I’m saying is, it’s possible that Odomoks live in Acropolis and serve in the AAA, like Pascal did, and no one would know the difference, Tallifer said. I’m not half as powerful as Pascal was and can only imagine what Nippur looks like.

Nippur? What’s that? Demetri asked.

An Odomok underground city. It’s a real place you can read about in history books and far removed from this place. Pascal only mentioned it once. I wanted to know more, but he wanted me to be human. I’m sorry I can’t help more than that.

Maybe this city is beneath Rimac. I wonder if Mercator and Ambrose know about Nippur, Demetri said. Imagine if they were Odomok in disguise.

It’s not some big conspiracy, stupid, Vega said, annoyed. If the Odomok were already inside Acropolis, they’d have opened the gates and let their androids inside long ago. Leave Tallifer alone. He’s drained from healing and needs to rest. She laid down in her armor beside Tallifer, using her helmet as a pillow. Keep it down if you’re going to keep talking. I have less than an hour to get some sleep.

Anyway, I need to stretch my legs, Crowe said. He slowly rose, and his pandiculation caused Seika to respond with a wider yawn. Let’s get some fresh air, kiddo. We can talk about your new assignment as my senior guide.

Seika picked up her rifle and accompanied the major to the cave entrance. They stood where the vines dangled over the opening. He put his arm around the girl’s shoulders, pointing out something in the night sky. Soft, rumbling snores came from Vega, confirming she was asleep. Tallifer balled his jacket together and considered replacing the helmet with it, but the girl was in armor and didn’t need comfort. He handed the jacket to Demetri, and she slid it on, glad to have her arms covered.

How old are you?

Twenty-five, I think.

Is that old in Odomok years?

Pascal was seven hundred years old, so no, I’m quite young. He claimed the Odomok Elders lived for thousands of years. Honestly, I thought Pascal was a little crazy, but I can see now that everything he told me was real.

Who are the Elders?

A religious council who govern Nippur.

Theocratic government, interesting.

Sometimes, I dream about Nippur. I hear exotic music and smell spices in the air I never smelled before. Nothing remains of Pascal’s library at the station, the One saw to that, but I wonder why he never told me about my parents or why they hid my egg in the jungle.

Hard to speculate without more information. I’ll do my best to help you, Tallifer. I know the term Odomok is not what you’re called. I didn’t mention it earlier because it doesn’t feel safe to say it aloud. Major Crowe wants me to protect you, which I intend to do. I give you my oath of honor, too.

Demetri noticed the coat had an earthy scent. Pheromones. It explained why Vega felt a strong attraction to Tallifer and a need to protect him, for Demetri felt the same. She laid down on the cave floor and crossed her arms beneath her head. Tallifer stretched out between Demetri and her sister.

I hope this means we are friends, Demetri.

Well, my sister claimed you like our new brother. I guess that makes us family.

"Then I’ll tell you another secret. Pascal’s true name was Paschalis."

Goosebumps rose on her arms. A secret name, a hidden underground city, and a mysterious young Odomok who knew only enough about his people to be dangerous. What were they getting themselves into? Was Vega right, and going to Rimac was a trap? Mercator wanted Demetri to return to Rimac, a city he had built. Ambrose wanted the abandoned city to remain off-limits to AAA troops. Both men knew more than they let on, and as much as she wanted to learn more about Pascal and link with Tallifer’s mind, she was too exhausted to summon the energy and try.

Keep that between us for now and get some sleep, Demetri said and closed her eyes.

To Sleep, Perchance to Dream.

― Hamlet, Act 3, Scene 1

― William Shakespeare, 1600 CE

Inconceivable

Chapter 2

Demetri lay on the cave floor, fingers laced across her chest, on the verge of sleep where reality merged with dreams. She heard her name whispered in the wind. Her eyelids fluttered open. The soldiers slept near the fireside while guards stood at the cave entrance. She relaxed and listened to the patter of rain mixed with the soft crackling of burning vines from the small campfire. Like her, the Odomok were psychic and able to bend minds to believe their illusions were real. This ability had to come from urdinite. It had changed her and her platoon. Why wouldn’t it do the same to the Odomok?

The wind and rain carried traces of the element. She inhaled through her nostrils, able to feel a strange connection to every living thing. The theropods had wandered away from their kill. Smaller predators picked the carcass clean, and not more than a mile away, she heard the strumming of spider webs, as if something caught in its stickiness struggled to get free. Desperation and fear were the most potent emotions coming from the REMs—a constant deep-seated anger that pulsated like a heartbeat in her ears. The struggle between life and death in the jungle knew no rest and showed no mercy, yet Demetri felt a strange sense of calm. The urdinite was in her system, and with every breath she took, she felt more alive than ever. She thought the hardships experienced by Echo Platoon and herself were worth it when considering how far they had come since leaving the academy. Every step they took brought them closer to learning more about the urdinite, Doctor Linken, the purebloods, the Odomok, and it also meant they knew more than Chancellor Ambrose.

Samples collected by her team were now at Fort Warwick in Acropolis, safe with Master Mercator. As soon as Mercator analyzed the power crystals, she felt certain his findings would coincide with Doctor Leonard’s. She remembered every word in Doctor Leonard’s official report. With eyes closed, she recalled the contents: ‘Space algae, red in appearance, exists inside the crystals, alive and thriving in a colony, with powers I am only starting to understand. This alga is a xenobiological entity that came on the same meteorite that killed the dinosaurs. Sections broke off as it entered the atmosphere, and urdinite spread across the planet. The urdinite was encased in molten rock and buried deep beneath the ground on impact. Yet, as it is anaerobic, requiring no oxygen, the colonies lay dormant for millions of years until the devastation of WWIII brought it to the surface, where it was exposed to high levels of radiation and thus evolved. Urdinite absorbed radioactive material worldwide, but the process remains a mystery. If my source is correct, each colony within a single crystal can communicate with each other, as REMs do. They function like neurons, firing off messages to each other while showing more activity and interdependence than any Earth-born colonial microorganism. The crystal’s shell, composed of carbon and silicon nanotubes, has an assortment of unidentified compounds and proteins capable of harnessing and storing energy gathered from radioactive sources. I believe large exposure, in other words, contamination, to urdinite induces radiation-driven mutation in living organisms, which explains why the planet’s flora and fauna have mutated, and why extinct species now thrive. Other than what we have witnessed, I cannot say what it will do to the Trinity Hybrids, but we are all contaminated, and Doctor Howard’s journals sadly fail to offer a clue or a cure.’

Everything the doctor had said made sense, yet Demetri wondered where the Saurians came into the picture of evolution and if the urdinite had turned lizards into an advanced society of reptiloids. She wanted to discuss the development of both humans and reptiloids with Doctor Leonard, for both had a connection to the urdinite, as did all living things. Maybe Saurians were bred in a lab, not just any laboratory, but the one inside the NEST.

Eight hundred years ago, the Founders had created pureblood humans, immune to disease and radiation and physically and mentally superior to the survivors of WWIII living within the underground haven. Most of the Founders were genetic engineers, able to create life, and someone might have made the Saurians. ‘Who was the first of their kind? Did the Saurians have Founders’? She thought of Adam, the first pureblood human, considered a beautiful specimen despite being born in a vegetative state. Doctor Linken had injected Adam with a drug called eurothal, and Doctor Howard had also written about it, for that at least was something factual in his confiscated journal. Howard had written eurothal's secret ingredient was urdinite, but Linken had revived Adam from his death-like slumber and released him into the Frontier, with all his kin, only to be harvested by the Saurians as slaves and supper.

A voice spoke in her mind, ‘Sleep, little mouse.’

Her eyelids grew heavy, and dreams came swift—of Chief Zurwin’s execution at the order of the Saurian overlord, Neti the Gatekeeper, before thousands of pureblood slaves. Squads of androids fired disruptor beams at the chief and several tribal leaders, incinerating them. Then she saw Neti on the steps of the House of the Lizard, and at her order, a dozen soldiers opened fire with their plasma rifles, melting all but a few green scales into a puddle of viscera. Baron and Vega appeared beside her, smiling, dressed in white, and then Zurwin returned, alive and well, wearing a feathered cloak.

‘You and your siblings come from Adam’s seed, but it is your mother you take after. All your kind come from the NEST, from the original purebloods, and yet have grown into something far more special. I believe you can save us, Demetri. Save the Children of Adam. It need not be a war that brings peace with the Saurians. Find a way.’

Chief Zurwin spread his arms, and a brightly lit path appeared behind him. A line of purebloods in white jumpsuits and slippers walked into the light along with Vega before vanishing, but Baron remained.

‘Thousands of fertilized pureblood eggs remain hidden in some secret lab in Acropolis,’ Baron said. ‘Probably more survive in the NEST. You, Vega, and I are Adam’s children. Literally. The rest of Echo have pureblood parents, too. All other guides come from C-1 donors, were untouched by Ambrose’s medical team, engineered to feel little emotion, and were sterile. Ambrose has all the hybrid donors he needs to make more like us—a new classification of super humans.’

‘Adam is our father. We have more of his DNA than Zurwin did,’ she said.

‘Um, Adam was out of it when they collected his seed. I don’t even want to think how that was accomplished. Now, can we move on to something else? I need to talk to you.’

‘This is my dream.’

‘Well aware, sis, and I’m in it.’

‘Ambrose knows urdinite causes serious side-effects and that cloning hybrids is dangerous, but he doesn’t care,’ Demetri said. ‘Doctor Howard chronicled the lives of the inhabitants in the NEST and every experiment, yet none of it was true, Baron. Linken saved Adam and the other purebloods and released them into the Frontier. Howard claimed they developed violent behavior and eventually went mad, and many died in a revolt led by Adam. Will we become violent?’

‘I might if you don’t shut up. Time for an update on wonderful—me.’

Demetri groaned in her sleep. On a subconscious level, she knew her brother used a dream to contact her, and through his eyes, she saw—Baron on a green-and-orange Warbird, with angled wings and lift fans on its hull, as it sped over the jungle. Baron, who through a drug called nurvo, looked identical to Captain Seth Powell—a dark-complexioned young man—appeared calm as three Dreadnaughts gave pursuit. The silver cubes, five times the size of the gunship, had strange symbols on their sides but no visible sign of propulsion. The enemy vessels fired rapid bursts of blue particle beams, punching holes in the gunship's fuselage. As the Warbird dropped to follow a winding river, a massive Acropolis Army-AirCorps fort, surrounded by a high fabricated wall and covered by a domed forcefield, appeared in the distance. Soldiers inside SkyTowers opened fire with their plasma cannons. As the Warbird stayed low, dodging the blasts which slammed into the Dreadnaughts, a Scarab-class battlecruiser dropped from the sky and unleashed a barrage of plasma missiles and cannon fire, obliterating two Dreadnaughts. The remaining one left a trail of smoke before crashing into a cleared section outside the fort.

The Warbird descended into Outpost 2 through an opening in the shimmering blue forcefield, landing in a large courtyard, and Baron exited with the flight crew. Her brother entered headquarters, still pretending to be Captain Powell, as it was necessary to hide from Chancellor Ambrose and spy for Master Mercator of Fort Warwick. Baron was met by Senior Professional Tour Guide Lamone, a C-2 guide, and taken into General Craigg’s office. The handsome general whom Demetri loved sat behind his