Symphonies of Valor Read online

  Jonas ignored Meomi, keeping his stare on the datapad, replaying the video of his bother over and over.

  “We have a backup plan,” Nume said.

  “Every part of our plan has a redundancy,” Whisper echoed. “We have not shared all the details because it wasn’t necessary to do so yet.”

  Relief filled Meomi’s chest. “You have no idea how glad I am to hear that. Then the mission is still on course?”

  “It is,” Jonas finally spoke. “We’re heading to Lunar next. According to the Admiral’s spies, an unknown party has taken Kalick to a Fleet facility there.”

  “Are they handing him to Fleet?” Meomi asked.

  “It’s possible,” Whisper said. “Kalick is wanted for stealing proprietary technology, but I somehow doubt that.”

  “Why do you say that?” Meomi raised her eyebrows.

  “That facility is an abandoned Fleet shipyard,” Whisper said. “At most, the security there would be minimum. I suspect they are using it as a temporary base for interrogation.”

  “You would think Fleet High Command has other priorities,” Meomi grumbled. “Like, staving off the elimination of mankind.”

  “We’ll find more information once we arrive there,” Whisper said.

  They exited the elevator and made their way back to the shuttle where Ori was waiting.

  “Any issues with Roni?” Jonas asked Ori.

  “None.” He shook his head. “She’s still knocked out. Shame, really. I would’ve liked a reason to shoot her.”

  Meomi turned to face the shopping area. “Does anyone else think it odd that Destiny’s Edge — the entire organization from Admiral Gilson down to his foot soldiers — don’t seem to care that the Mimic invasion fleet is heading their way?”

  “Admiral Gilson was hiding something,” Nume said.

  “He usually does.” Whisper nodded in agreement. “Destiny’s Edge tends to deal in opportunities.”

  “You think they made a deal with the Mimics?” Meomi asked. “Is that even possible? Aren’t they only interested in annihilating us?”

  “Not according to Roni,” Jonas said.

  “How can you believe a single word that comes out of her mouth?” Ori asked.

  “Trust loosely, verify strictly,” Jonas said.

  “What she has told us has been consistent and true,” Whisper said. “Mimics are not looking to eliminate every human, as evidenced by the Kels we encountered. They seek to perfect the human species and life in general.”

  “To do so, they need a certain percentage of humans alive for their experiments,” Jonas said.

  The word experiment sent a chill down Meomi’s spine. In a way, she was the test subject of an alien experience, for the Aogarians.

  “Knowing him, Admiral Gilson is playing both sides.” Whisper frowned. “If humans win, he can claim he helped. If we lose, he has a deal in place to spare his life and those around him in exchange for keeping the remaining humans in line. That is how he operates. It’s possible the people of Olympus will be spared with him.”

  “I only met the Admiral today, but I wouldn’t be surprised based on what I saw.” Meomi squeezed her hand into a fist. “If anyone deserves to die in all of this, it’s that sleazy, sexist, scoundrel.”

  Meomi heard footsteps running behind her. She turned around to see a woman wearing a skin-tight, low-cut, shining chrome flight suit running toward the group.

  “JONAS!” The woman jumped into his chest and wrapped her arms around his neck.

  “Quip…”

  She pressed her lips into him before he could say anything else.

  “I miss you so much!” Quip finally noticed the others. “Oh, where are my manners?”

  “Hello, Quip,” Whisper said.

  “Hello to you too, sexy.” She planted a firm kiss on Whisper’s lips.

  Then, she ran to Nume and bear-hugged her until Nume laughed.

  “And who is this lucky girl that gets to spend time with my favorite people in the universe?” Quip took Meomi’s hand and kissed it.

  “Meomi…” She scrunched her brow. “Meomi Hana.”

  “Quip.” She said, shaking Meomi’s hand. “It’s a pleasure to meet you. I’m sure we’ll get to know each other much better later.” She winked and returned to Jonas. After grabbing his backside and giving a firm squeeze, she said, “I miss these so much.”

  “Where is it?” Jonas asked.

  “Always business with you, Jonas,” Quip said. “That makes the fun all that more enjoyable later on.” She typed into her wrist terminal. A shipped decloaked in front of the group.

  Meomi’s mouth fell open. “That’s the Zephyr! Did we back out of the deal with Destiny’s Edge?”

  17

  Anticipating the need for a second ship, Jonas had Quip build a replica of the Zephyr. With her vast resources and galaxy-wide connections, she did so without raising the attention of Mimic spies within Fleet. Zephyr-class vessels were the fastest and most agile ships in Fleet, customized for small infiltration and tactical teams.

  “Oh honey, you didn’t know?” Quip pinched both of Meomi’s cheeks. “I wish you could see your face!”

  Ori snickered. “I like your surprised face, sugar.”

  “So we had this…” Meomi pointed at the ship. “This backup the whole time, and you had me believe we were giving up our only ship?”

  “We needed you to help sell the Admiral,” Jonas said.

  “Admiral Gilson loves to believe he has the upper hand or the better deal,” Whisper said. “He’s more likely to agree if that was the case. My apologies, Meomi. We needed someone to play the outraged individual.”

  “I wish I could’ve been there to see it.” Ori smiled.

  “Everyone, may I introduce you to the Valor!” Quip made a sweeping grand gesture with her arms, showcasing the ship behind her. “Isn’t she beautiful?”

  “She sure is,” Ori said, keeping his eyes glued to Meomi who rolled her eyes.

  “This ship is fast, tough, and not to be messed with.” Quip pointed to herself with both thumbs. “Just like me!”

  Nume smiled at Quip.

  “Thank you, Quip,” Jonas said.

  “Wait, can you repeat that?” Quip placed her hands behind her ears. “I’m not sure I, and everyone else, heard you thanking me.”

  “Valor?” Meomi smiled and nodded. The anger she had for being left out of the loop earlier had faded, replaced with a newfound hope. The team was back on track again now they had a ship, the location of Kalick, and a new teammate in Quip. What she thought were setbacks were actually progress. For the first time in what seemed like forever to Meomi, she felt a spark of light inside her chest. “Nume picked the name?”

  “You know she did,” Alyana said, stepping off the Valor. “Are you guys done talking yet? Don’t we have some civilization-saving things to do?” She waved everyone toward her. “C’mon, c’mon. The Galaxy won’t save itself.”

  The search for Kalick continued to Lunar, according to the intel from Destiny’s Edge. Lunar, being Earth’s only satellite and closest celestial body, was mankind’s first endeavor at off-world colonization. Many attempts were made to terraform the moon into a livable environment, but its weak gravity proved too difficult an obstacle to overcome for sustained development and population growth. While a negative for human colonies, the low-gravity was ideal for shipbuilding. The League of Nations Space Division established its first base on Lunar several centuries ago, building what would eventually become the current day Commonwealth of Man Navy, colloquially known as Fleet.

  None of the shipyards on Lunar were currently in operation. With most of the building materials in the Sol System spent, Fleet moved their naval operations into newer systems rich with resources. Most of Lunar had been abandoned. Some shipyards were converted to museums, leaving the rest to decay — perfect locations to hide and interrogate high priority assets. If the intelligence report was accurate, Kalick was taken to one of those decommissioned
shipyards.

  Unfortunately, the report left off many crucial details such as the party that took Kalick and his exact location among the dozens of unguarded shipyards. The crew did not know the size, strength, and capabilities of the unknown group holding Kalick which further added to the danger. There were less than ten days to search for him before the Mimic forces reached Mars.

  With the time constraints, Meomi feared the team may not have the time to properly plan and coordinate an extraction without loss of lives. Far from ideal. Two days into the search, Meomi learned that Jonas and Quip were leaving the Valor to search for his brother, Nolan. “Are you seriously going to leave right now?” Meomi scowled at Jonas, confronting him in the hangar. “I know he’s your brother, but it means nothing to save him if the rest of Earth falls.”

  “Oh! Look at that fiery temper.” Quip licked her lips while holding tightly onto Jonas’ arm. “There’s a lot to like about you, Meomi.”

  “You don’t understand, Captain Hana,” Jonas said dryly.

  “I don’t need to understand. I will beat you to a pulp and drag you back into the captain’s chair.” Meomi gritted her teeth. “You’re. Not. Leaving!”

  Nume entered the hangar. “Meomi, please. Let them go.”

  “What?” Her voice cracked. “We’ve only searched a quarter of the shipyards! We are days away from the extermination of our species! Can’t anyone see what our priorities should be?”

  Jonas turned around without answering and boarded the shuttle.

  Quip blew a kiss at Meomi and waved before following Jonas.

  Just as Meomi ran after the two, Nume grabbed her arm. “It is more complicated than it appears.”

  “Explain it then.” Meomi trembled with rage. “Explain how finding his brother right now is the right thing to do to win this war.”

  Nume looked away. “I cannot.”

  “Why?”

  “Because…”

  “Because of what?” Meomi held in an urge to scream.

  Nume inhaled a deep breath. She placed a palm on Meomi’s cheek. “I’m sorry…”

  Meomi felt sleepy. She heard Nume call Ori’s name just as her eyes drifted close. When she woke again, she found herself in her bunk with Alyana sitting next to her, reading on her datapad.

  “You’re awake!” Alyana shouted.

  “How long…” Meomi asked in a hoarse voice.

  “One day.” She laughed.

  “What’s funny?”

  “I don’t think I’ve ever seen anyone sleep with a permanent scowl on their face.”

  Meomi sighed her response.

  “You don’t need to be an empath to see you’re angry about something.” Alyana poured a cup of water for Meomi. “Was it about Ori? What did he say to you now? Say the word, and I’ll kick him so hard in the gonads he’ll never have kids, ever.” She winked.

  Joking at inopportune times. Alyana and Rayfin would have gotten along. Meomi downed the water in her cup. “You know why I’m angry.”

  “I think we’ve earned some of your faith, Meomi.” Alyana half curled her lips. “Not that I know anything. I’m just the pilot, why should anyone tell me anything.” She sighed with her eyes gazing down at her feet. “It took me a while too… Before I accepted the guy. Jonas comes off as an ass sometimes. Well, all the time. But he always has a plan for things. I can’t vouch for his plan working out, but at least he has them.”

  “So you’re OK with Jonas and Quip taking a shuttle to find Nolan when we desperately need to find Kalick?”

  “OK?” Alyana shook her head. “That’s not the right word. I know everyone pretty well on this ship. Jonas… Well, Jonas does things he never explains fully. If it seems like he’s making an emotional decision, there’s always some rational reason. And Nume…” She pursed her lips. “She also has a way of knowing things… You know?”

  Meomi didn’t wake with the strength to argue. Jonas and Quip were already gone. There was nothing to change that. “What’s the status of the search?”

  “Oh!” Alyana hopped as she spoke. “We found Kalick!”

  “What?” Meomi’s eyes opened wide. “You should’ve started with that!”

  “In retrospect, you’re probably right.” Alyana shrugged. “Whisper and Ori are planning the extraction now.”

  “I need to gear up.” Meomi pushed herself out of bed.

  18

  Alyana activated the cloaking field around the Valor before landing the ship two klicks from the abandoned shipyard with Kalick inside. She joined the rest of the crew in the hangar. “No signs the enemy detected our approach,” she said to Whisper.

  “Good, thank you.” Whisper continued with configuring the Centurion combat droids. “See that Meomi has everything she needs for the mission.”

  Alyana nodded and headed to Meomi who was in the middle of fastening her Obscura suit. “You seem like you’re ready to kill things.”

  Meomi glanced at Alyana. “You have no idea.”

  “As much as you want to and as annoying as he is, don’t shoot Ori.” Alyana smirked.

  “I thought I heard my name,” Ori said walking over.

  “What?” Alyana jumped. “No! Did you blink in behind me?”

  “Are you two arguing about who’ll go on a date with me first?”

  “I don’t know which would be worst,” Alyana said as she caressed his lips. “Kissing you or kissing a Reaper.”

  “Depends, I suppose.” Ori rubbed his chin. “… On what you’re into.”

  “Ori,” Whisper called to him. “We’re not done setting up the Centurions.”

  “It’s hard being me sometimes.” Ori grinned. “I’m always in demand.”

  Meomi scoped Ori with her hand cannon.

  Alyana pushed her gun down. “Resist the urge! We still need him.”

  Nume entered the hangar already wearing her Obscura suit and headed for Meomi.

  “It’s not too late to change your mind,” Meomi said to her. “You don’t have to come with us. Losing you would be worse than not having Kalick.”

  “You will need me to narrow your search for Kalick,” Nume said. “I can detect his presence better than any sensor. And he will trust no one other than me. Not after all he’s been through.”

  “Nume is right.” Whisper came over. “We’re running out of time. If we don’t find Kalick here, we have to move on without a Katok.” She turned to Nume. “Can you sense his thoughts?”

  “It is weak.” She closed her eyes. “But I can hear him calling for help.”

  “Can you pinpoint his location?” Whisper asked.

  “No, but he is not far,” Nume said.

  “That’s good enough for me.” She nodded. “Listen up! We leave in five!” Whisper yelled and joined Ori with the Centurions.

  Nume’s eyes changed to a warm red as she stared at Meomi. “It’s strange…”

  “What is?” She scrunched her eyebrows.

  “When I look at you, sometimes I see a face I do not recognize,” Nume said as she traced the lines around Meomi’s cheeks.

  “Let’s go! Let’s go!” Whisper yelled.

  The hangar door doubled as a ramp for the ship. The extraction team, Whisper, Ori, Meomi, Nume, and ten Centurions, slowly made their way down onto the pale gray, lunar soil. Alyana stayed behind with a couple droids to guard the ship.

  Meomi felt at home in the low-gravity after years on a starship. There was an extra spring in each of her steps and less of a weight on her chest. She wasn’t sure if it was from the adrenaline of being in a combat situation or if it was something else. Nume hinted that she saw something different about Meomi, but never went into an explanation. Something was different about her. She knew it as well as anyone. Meomi had alien technology embedded in her genome. However, she had yet to fully understand the totality of what that meant.

  “Everybody better make it back to the ship in one piece,” Alyana said over suit comm. “I’m personally blaming Ori if you don’t.”

&nb
sp; “I’m getting used to being the hero in this story,” Ori said with a laugh.

  “No life signs on sensors yet.” Whisper streamed the video of her reconnaissance drone to the rest of the squad. The abandoned facility appeared structurally sound for not being used in almost two centuries. Its gray, titanium composite walls stood solid and blended seamlessly with the drab, lifeless environment. From east to west, the complex stretched three kilometers at its widest point and, two kilometers from north to south. The entire south side of the base comprised of unopened cargo crates, perfect camouflage for Reapers.

  Whisper threw a spherical holo-projector onto the ground. It floated as it shone a wireframe map of the shipyard. “Nume, I could use a more precise location.”

  “I sense many thoughts here,” she pointed to a building complex in the northeast side of the facility.

  “How many?” Whisper asked.

  “Unclear,” she answered. “At least a dozen.”

  “That’s still a half-click search radius,” Ori said. “With hostiles.”

  “Doesn’t matter how many there are, we still have to go,” Whisper said. “Let’s move. Stay sharp.”

  The team stuck to the shadows as they continued to the northeast quadrant of the shipyard, relying on stealth rather than brute force.

  Nume glanced at Meomi and said, “Share with others your reservations.”

  “This has the makings of a trap.” Meomi stopped walking. “In all my encounters with Mimics, they do not make themselves easy to find. They prefer to surprise, surround, and overwhelm.”

  “I’ve had the same concerns,” Whisper said. “But when you’re on the losing side, you have to take risks.”

  They made it to the northeast building without resistance and positioned themselves with the wall to their backs.

  A dozen red dots flashed on Meomi’s mini-map then immediately disappeared. She glanced at Ori.

  “I saw it too,” he said.

  “Mimics,” Whisper said. She armed the Centurias.