Defiant (The Mythrar War Book 4) Read online

  "Order firing teams to stop focusing on the human ship. Instead, turn our guns on Flagship Sventna."

  "Are you sure that's wise? The other flagships are the only vessels capable of reliably damaging this ship."

  "Which makes us the only vessel out there capable of damaging them. If we can take down another one, they might have a fighting chance."

  To her credit, Robbins didn't hesitate further, and soon the emerald beam stilled, and with it, the explosions from the Reliant ended. The heavy cruiser belched mist and debris into the void from the massive crater in its hull. Nearly a quarter of the ship was gone, though most of the ship's critical components still seemed to be intact.

  The ship was a testament to human technology. Back home, any attempt at studying science or technology was squelched by their oppressors. It had left them in a position of needing the aliens to survive. But here, allowed to exist on their own, they had thrived. Sure, their advances had nothing on Mythrar technology, but within a few generations, they might have gotten close.

  Flagship Koniva made a slow, lumbering turn, exposing its port side to the NEC fleet. The humans wasted no time targeting the bulk, causing Miller's console to light up with damage reports. Nothing that risked damaging the ship, but it was a start.

  "The Main weapon is primed and ready. Targeting Flagship Sventna now."

  "Fire when ready." Miller grinned and leaned back in his chair.

  Then two things happened simultaneously. The beam lanced out from Flagship Koniva and into the side of Flagship Sventna. The armor burned white hot from the beam that cut it like a torch.

  On the bridge, the main door burst open in a spray of sparks and shrapnel as an explosive charge ripped it free from its moorings. Seconds after, twenty of the Mythrar's bruisers, the Klyptons, burst into the room, each brandishing their version of a blaster.

  A tall Klypton stepped out from the crowd, his weapon still strapped to his back as if Miller and the crew weren't an obvious threat. It stared at Miller for a moment before pulling a translator box from a pouch on its hip and held it to its mouth.

  "The collective is disappointed. You were to lead the charge against humanity in Koniva's stead. Just think what you have thrown away. To those insects out there, you could've been a god."

  "You mean a pawn? That's all any of us are. A tool at the disposal of the Mythrar. They don't care whether we live or die. They only care about what we can bring them. New planets. More resources. New bodies. It's all the same to them."

  "Bodies? They do not need more of your frail forms. They produce more than enough back in the labs on your homeworld."

  The labs. His memories were coming back. Vaguely, he remembered being in on a plot to destroy more than one in his earlier years. It was one of those plots that landed him here, at the head of the Mythrar fleet.

  "You were correct about one thing. They no longer care that you live. Only that you die."

  Chapter Fifty-Four

  New Earth Sector

  Bridge, NECS Reliant

  "Are you seeing this, Captain?" Ritter asked from her sensor terminal. With a few taps, she brought up the image of the lead flagship on the main viewscreen. Out of nowhere, it had stopped firing on the Reliant. Then, just as suddenly, it turned, exposing its starboard flank to the fleet before firing on one of the other flagships.

  "When you scanned the communications relay, what else did you find?"

  "Nothing," Ritter replied.

  "They had something nestled behind there, Midshipman. Try scanning that section again and see what you find."

  Wilson stepped forward as Ritter got to work initializing the first of many scans on the flagship. "Why they're attacking another flagship isn't important. Dealing with the threat in front of us is."

  Wilson's words seemed to snap Wellard back into focus. He was still interested in the results of the scan, but determining the cause would have to wait until they had more time.

  "Richards, how are you coming with the drones?"

  "With a few exceptions, I have them under control. Commander Bradley and I are coordinating our efforts to take some strain off the entourage and the fleet."

  "Any idea how far your control range is?"

  "As of now, no. I could try to send a few out to see what happens."

  "Do it. We need to see what we’re working with here," Wellard said.

  Combined with the efforts of the fighters, the drones made short work of the Mythrar fleet that surrounded the entourage. They moved like a swarm, disabling weapons and thrusters alike, giving the remaining capital ships a bunch of easy targets.

  And for their part, the entourage delivered. One by one the Mythrar ships fell, either to the combined firepower of the drones or by a critical hit from one of the capital ships.

  Slowly, things were turning around for the entourage.

  The same, however, couldn't be said about the rest of the fleet. Surrounded by the Mythrar in front, and the traitorous captains in the rear, the fleet was a wreck. The only saving grace any of them had was that the flagships were busy with each other, ignoring the danger surrounding them. The momentary reprieve was allowing the NEC ships a chance to regroup, and to focus on the myriad of smaller threats surrounding them.

  "Sir, you'll want to hear this," Ritter said.

  "What's the problem, Midshipman?"

  "I'm detecting multiple transmissions coming from the flagship."

  "Any luck isolating them?"

  "Some," she replied. "Mostly it is people crying out for help. Likely from the damaged portions of the ship."

  "Is it human?" Wellard asked.

  "Seems that way, though it is hard to tell through the interference." She hesitated for a moment, waiting on Wellard's response. When he didn't reply, she continued. "I've also tapped into their targeting systems and can confirm they are firing on the ship intentionally. But it's the last signal that is the most disturbing." She transferred the signal to his terminal, and within moments the transmission played over his comm.

  "That sounds like Klypton communication. Can you confirm?"

  Ritter worked at her console, cross-checking the communication in the database. "It is coming back as unknown. Perhaps it is being encrypted."

  "Perhaps," Wellard agreed. "For now, keep working on the signal and let me know what you find."

  "Captain," Richards said. "I have definitive information on the drone range."

  Wellard strode to Richards' station and took a knee. "And?"

  "Well, from what I can tell, the range is just shy of one hundred kilometers."

  "Great! Have the drones all focus on the third flagship. See if we can help get things under control over there."

  "About that." Richards cleared his throat. "It seems the other flagships can steal control of the drones away from me." He pulled up the feed from one of the drones and put it on the screen. It zoomed away from the Reliant towards the two flagships duking it out. It was a few dozen kilometers away when the drone made a sudden turn and fired on one of Admiral Navarro's ships. "Unless we can destroy the communications arrays on the other flagships, I recommend keeping them for mop-up duties."

  Wellard nodded. "As good a plan as any. I'll send a message to the other admirals and let them know what you found. Perhaps we'll get lucky and be able to control all the drones. Or, at the least, be able to pilot the ones we control where they're needed most."

  "New contacts are entering the sector from Terivar Gate," Ritter said. "Thirty, no, fifty…"

  Wellard sprinted to Ritter's terminal to get a look for himself. When he got there, he nearly yelped in surprise as the dots from two hundred new contacts filled the screen. How the hell are we going to get out of this alive?

  Chapter Fifty-Five

  New Earth Sector

  New Earth Station

  "Where the hell did you come from?" Jason asked, as one of Flannigan's Marines helped him to his feet. While he was glad the Admiral was here to save his ass, her sudden appe
arance made him wonder. Was she in with the agents? Surely not, considering her involvement against the Mythrar over the previous months. Still, it was unsettling.

  "We were looking for you," the Marine replied.

  Flannigan grinned. "I heard a few rumors that you were on the station. Figured if anyone could help get my bridge back, you were it."

  "Me?" Jason questioned.

  "You."

  Jason snorted. "Those men of yours will be much more use taking the bridge than I will be."

  The Marine grunted his approval and put an arm around Jason's back. "That may be true, but we’re about as worthless as a hollow asteroid taking control of the situation outside the station."

  Jason smirked. "Your plan, Admiral?"

  "Best I could do, considering the short notice." She stepped over the Klypton's body, taking care not to step in the blood that had pooled under what remained of his head. "You don't realize how hard marshalling your troops is without access to the station comm or systems." When she noticed Jason's aggravated look, she filled him in on the events that had led to her expulsion from the bridge. "Looks like you weren't the only one being exiled to the surface."

  "Pardon my saying, ma'am, but you weren't going to make it to the planet." Walker stepped into the room, his hand covering the bandaged wound on his shoulder as the arm dangled at his side. Blood soaked his fatigues clear down to his waist, but the bleeding seemed to have stopped. The grimace on his face said he was in pain, but he wasn't about to let it bring him down.

  Jason nodded. "We ran into an ambush before the shuttle bay. It looks like Landry's corruption ran even further than we believed it could."

  "Speaking of which," Flannigan interrupted. "The bastard is on my bridge trying to get the fleet to surrender to that son of a bitch leading the Mythrar fleets."

  Jason's eyes widened. "You saw one of them?"

  "No." Flannigan glanced over at her Marines, who helped the others check the remaining bodies and tend to the wounded. Soon, the two senior officers were the only ones left in the room. "The Mythrar's main flagship is crewed by humans. Flesh and blood humans. Could've been born down here on New Earth as far as I know."

  "Maybe he was part of one of the hijacked crews."

  "I don't believe he is. Before they could revoke my access to the server, I cross-checked his name in both the NEC and EU databases to make sure. If he was part of one of those crews, he sneaked onboard." She strode across the room, stopping at the remains of a ruined desk in the corner. With some effort, she lowered herself down on the seat. "I believe it is more likely that he is from Earth. Considering what we've seen in our space the past few months, I believe it is likely the Mythrar are using the remaining humans on Earth to crew their ships."

  "It would explain a few things. Like why they would be loyal to the people occupying their homeworld."

  "That's the easy explanation. What I want to know is why they haven't tried to fight back."

  "Maybe they have," Jason reasoned. "We have little intelligence on their true numbers or intentions. Not only that, last I checked, we have no reliable information from the Sol System for a century. There's no telling how much things have changed since then."

  Flannigan remained quiet, which made Jason uneasy. More than that, the silence was enough to prove that his statement wasn't true. Her hesitation to speak on the subject only proved that humanity, the section loyal to New Earth, had more data on the enemy than he’d believed.

  She opened her mouth, but Jason silenced her with a hand. "No need, Admiral, but there is something you should know. Landry isn't the only one with a clone running around New Earth space."

  She shot him a questioning look. "Care to explain?"

  Jason filled her in on the remaining details, specifically the parts associated with the person he killed near the shuttle bay. There was a chance the resemblance to him had been coincidental. In a universe with trillions of people, the odds of having a doppelganger were high. In fact, Jason would bet he had at least a few dozen others that looked similar enough to him to pass at least a glancing inspection throughout known space.

  But that man hadn't just been close. He was damned near perfect.

  "Walker and his men spent more time with him than I did. He can tell you more than I ever could."

  A knock at the door silenced their conversation. Flannigan turned her chair to face the door. "Enter."

  Her Marine poked his head through the door. "We captured one of the agents. What should we do with him?"

  Before Flannigan could speak, Jason bolted to the door. "Where is he?"

  "Sitting in the hallway with three of my best on him."

  Jason pushed past the Marine and into the corridor. Down the hall, he noticed the group stationed just outside of the door Jenkins had gone through a few minutes prior. He took off to the group at a jog. Stopping a few feet away from the group, he peered into the room.

  Hands behind his head, Jenkins knelt on the floor, eyes focused on the blaster aimed at his face. Bremerton's heart seemed to lighten, knowing the agent had survived.

  "Special Agent Jenkins is with us. We wouldn't be alive now if it weren't for him." It wasn't entirely the truth, though he suspected it wasn't far off. Jenkins' distraction had allowed them to take down the mixed group of agents and Klyptons with minimal casualties.

  The Marine glanced down the hall to Walker. "Sir?"

  "Is this true, son?" Walker asked.

  "Yes," Jenkins replied. "There were too many for us to take on our own. So I told them I knew where Alvarez's killer was." He motioned his cuffed hands up and down his body. "Didn't work, so they roughed me up."

  "Seems like you were on the wrong side." Walker stepped closer and threw the Marine his keys. With a click, Jenkins was free from his restraints and standing. "Good news is, the CIC is just down the hall."

  "You don't say." Admiral Flannigan stepped into the hallway, her boots clacking against the steel floor with every step. "Gentlemen, as much as I would like to give you time to rest, we don't have it. Hand the agent a weapon and let's be on our way."

  Chapter Fifty-Six

  New Earth Sector

  New Earth Station

  Admiral Flannigan stood behind the group of Marines as they moved deliberately down the hall. Unlike before, the group skipped checking the rooms, as if their occupants were no longer the greatest threat.

  She knew better than anyone how costly delays getting to the CIC could be. As it were, the bastard Landry and his lackey Rear Admiral Austin had had more than enough time to make a mess of the battle for the sector. Without access to the station's terminals, she couldn't see the full extent of the damage they'd caused, but her imagination made up for the lack.

  Flannigan hoped… No, hoped was far too weak of a word to describe it. Prayed was more apt, though she'd long since given up any pretense of divine intervention. If humanity was going to be saved, it would be done by human hands. The notion suited her fine. It meant humanity was responsible for their position now, but that they were just as capable of getting themselves out of the mess.

  Commander Bremerton stepped in line next to her, holding one of the Marines' blasters. The kid had come a long way since she'd first met him at the academy. Back then, he was more likely to quote regulations at every transgression, reprimanding his crew when they did something wrong. The mere sight of him with the blaster was enough to prove he'd grown out of that phase.

  It also showed his resolve. His actions left little doubt which side of the war he was on, rumors of a clone be damned. If there were more impostors, like the traitorous vice president, she'd lead the charge to get them all rooted out. For now, that would have to wait. She had much bigger ships to fry.

  The Marines stopped outside the door to the CIC. Amazingly, it had been left unguarded. Had Landry believed the welcoming party down the hall to be enough? Surely, he had to have a trap waiting for them on the other side of the doorway.

  "Waiting for your command
, Admiral," Talbot said through the comm. He held a finger to his ear while keeping his gaze, and blaster, focused at the door.

  "Focus on containing the threat. Use lethal force if it is used on you. Otherwise, we want to regain control. Many of the officers on the other side are only guilty of being in the wrong place at the wrong time."

  "And what of Landry?"

  "He is to be arrested on sight on the grounds of treason. Once he is in our custody, I will send word to Speaker Arnold and let her know she is in charge."

  "Understood." He removed his finger from his ear and faced the nearest Marine. With a nod, the second Marine slammed his hand against the nearby console. The door opened with a hiss, and the Marines rushed inside.

  Flannigan strode towards the doorway with Jason close at her side. Together they held back, allowing the Marines to do their job. She kept expecting to hear blaster fire, but as they drew close, the room remained silent. She wondered if Landry had set up a trap of his own, but as she turned the corner, she saw her Marines had things well under control.

  Noticing Flannigan enter the room, Admiral Austin stood. With his finger outstretched towards her, he said, "This is an outrage. President Landry ordered you to exit the station. Instead, you are here, attempting to take control of the bridge."

  "Sit down," she demanded. "I've done far more than attempt to take control. By my estimation, the only thing I'm missing is access to my terminal."

  With that, Rhodes leveled his blaster at the offender and motioned him to move from the terminal.

  In the center of the room, Landry smiled. "Well done, Admiral. By your coup, you have guaranteed you won't leave the station alive."

  "Please." She strode into the bridge, pushing past the displaced worker to take a seat at her station. "We've taken care of your guards. The only person you have left on your side in this room is soon to be relieved of his command."