If All Else Fails Read online

  It made sense if you didn’t take free will into account. She wondered if those at the top considered them as anything except resources to be applied to their problem.

  SI Torrence wrapped up his lecture with a final remark. “The next twelve weeks will be dedicated to ensuring you will survive when inserted into a hostile situation. Pay close attention to the specialists teaching you.”

  Gabriel remained in his seat after Torrence dismissed the class and waited until the room had cleared before approaching their instructor with his problem.

  Torrence smiled, his mandibles parting in a more human than Yollin expression. “Gabriel, what’s up?”

  Gabriel leaned against the desk behind him and folded his arms. “I have a couple of questions about the video,” he told him. “This isn’t sitting right with me.”

  Torrence tilted his head in understanding. “You come from the Etheric Empire, right? So you know exactly why we use the system we have. We were not blessed with an Empress to inspire the masses to take up arms.”

  Gabriel nodded. “Yeah, I get that. The thing is, rolling up on some unsuspecting planet and forcing people to fight isn’t just, or honorable, or any of the things I was brought up to be. What gives the leaders of this military the right to tell people how to live? To force them to fight?”

  Torrence sighed as he placed a hand on Gabriel’s shoulder. His tone and demeanor shifted to those of a confidant. “I don’t make the rules. I just teach them. Look, I’ve been to the front line. The enemy…” His voice trailed off, his gaze becoming distant with harsh memories. “We might be curtailing the freedom of individuals, but in this circumstance, there’s no other way to ensure they survive what’s out there.”

  Gabriel didn’t see how that was relevant to his unit being ordered to suppress revolutionary action on conscripted planets. “Surely there are enough volunteers to fight?”

  Torrence chuckled softly. “You humans. Not every species is willing to pick up arms and fight for their people, much less any other race in need. I want you to take a look at the archives and learn the history of this galaxy.”

  Gabriel furrowed his brow. “How’s that relevant?”

  “History is vital,” the SI explained. “If we do not look to the past, we are doomed to repeat the same mistakes over and over. I want you to read through the archives and get some understanding of why this model works.”

  “What about the enemy?” Gabriel ventured. “When will we learn about them?”

  “Soon,” SI Torrence promised with more than a little regret. “All too soon. Dismissed.”

  Alexis was waiting when Gabriel exited the classroom. “What was that about?” she asked.

  Gabriel bumped her with his shoulder as they set off walking. “I’m with you on the conscription issue,” he confessed. “Torrence told me to read through the archives to get some understanding. Apparently, we humans are quicker than the rest to defend what’s right.”

  Alexis grinned. “That’s the nicest way another species has described us since we’ve been here.” She flipped her hair over her shoulder. “Personally, I think Torrence is right. It’s not like they’ve got Mom here to inspire them. Can you imagine Linda rushing in to save anyone but her own?”

  Gabriel wrinkled his nose in distaste. “I couldn’t even see her saving them, but then she’s a selfish bitch who couldn’t be relied on to piss on you if you were on fire.”

  “That’s an insult to bitches and firefighters everywhere,” Alexis countered. “But ‘selfish’ describes Linda’s group perfectly. What’s next on your schedule for today?”

  Gabriel checked in his internal HUD and found the next class. “Oh, that’s just great. Another brutal session with Specialist Childers.”

  Alexis grinned. “Oh, hells. Me too. Come on, we don’t want to be late. He’ll use us for target practice.”

  Chapter Five

  They made it to the training center on the bottom deck just in time to fall in at the back of the line outside the doors as the Leath instructor arrived.

  Late or not, Specialist Childers had a hard-on for punishing the candidates, and the two humans especially. He shook his head as the twenty candidates entered the vaulted room. “If it isn’t my favorite class. Get a move on, candidates. We haven’t got all day.”

  K’aia and Trey led the line as they filed in and took their usual places in a circle around the specialist.

  Jentek grumbled as he took his position, “Curse the Seven and the burden they put upon my family. I never asked for this.” He nodded at Gabriel and Alexis. “It’s a damn shame the Empress didn’t defeat them sooner. Maybe my family wouldn’t have fled Leath, and I wouldn’t be stuck in this class with the likelihood of getting my genitals blown off for looking at the instructor in the wrong way.”

  Alexis went for Jentek with her fist cocked, ready for a fight. “I hate to be the one to tell you this, but your people only ever met one clan of the Seven. The Phraim-‘Eh.”

  Slash leaned in and whispered out of the side of her mouth, “Maybe your people shouldn’t have bought into Kurtherian lies in the first place. Power comes at a price, and those who have it don’t share without taking their payment in blood.”

  Specialist Childers stopped Alexis before Gabriel had the chance to pull his sister back. The solid impact against the instructor’s muscled arm sent Alexis stumbling back. “Your place, candidate, is to be quiet and obey. The Leath knew no better, and Jentek is not to blame for his affliction.”

  Jentek opened his mouth to agree but closed it again when he realized the specialist was insulting him as well as Alexis.

  Alexis shot an apologetic look at Jentek and mouthed the word “Sorry.” Specialist Childers was right. Jentek couldn’t know that her mother had torn herself to pieces over the Leath war. It wasn’t his fault, and it was wrong of her to jump down his throat just because she felt a certain way.

  K’aia remained silent, as she always did in the training area. She saw little point in drawing attention to herself when their instructor took any opportunity to grind down their spirits. While she was aware that this pressure tactic was intended to bring the unit closer and force them to bond, she found it to be a test of her resolve to see the twins and Trey beaten and battered during Specialist Childers’ close-combat lessons.

  The SI took them through the warm-up before splitting the candidates into five groups of four to begin the training exercise. “Today we will be putting into practice the urban infiltration techniques you have been studying for the last few weeks. Your goal is to pass through the city without being apprehended. This is a live exercise, so I don’t want to see anyone playing out there.”

  Out where? Trey sent over the team channel. What city?

  I’m sure we’re going to find out, Alexis replied.

  Specialist Childers indicated a door. “Through there is the airlock to your transport.” His usually hard face softened. “Be aware of your surroundings at all times. I don’t want to lose any of you to stupidity.”

  He joined the rear of the line and ushered the twenty candidates onto the transport. “Take your seats and strap in.”

  Slash and Boden joined Alexis, Gabriel, K’aia, and Trey on the right-hand bench.

  “What is this?” Slash asked as the map came up in their helmet HUDs. “It looks like this city is already under Zenith control. Why send us there?”

  Specialist Childers answered in a sharp tone, “It wouldn’t behoove us to send untrained candidates into a hostile zone. However, do not take the exercise lightly. I can tell you that you will be up against various specialists who are scattered throughout the city. They will be armed with crowd-control equipment. Non-lethal, but I guarantee it will not be a pleasant experience if you are caught. Use what you have learned so far to avoid capture. There will be a reward for the teams who make it from the east wall to the west wall without being caught.”

  “What happens to the teams who don’t make it?” Trey asked.

 
Specialist Childers shook his head. “Just don’t fail.”

  The transport landed, and the unit spilled out into a dust storm.

  Alexis was grateful for the protection her armor provided from the scouring wind. She turned up the heat in her armor and looked around for the others.

  The other teams were forming tight huddles.

  Gabriel grasped Alexis’ hand and pressed a g-clip into her gauntlet. Attach yourself to the rest of us, he instructed. This storm is likely to separate us if we’re not smart about it.

  Alexis clipped the line to the attachment on the waist of her armor, and the team pressed close together to plan their entry to the city. Okay, so we can’t see the walls or even our hands in front of our faces. That means that the specialists can’t see us either, not until we get close enough to be seen on infrared.

  Why doesn’t this armor have stealth tech like ours? Trey asked. I can’t figure these menus out. I miss voice activation.

  You want your momma, too? Gabriel teased.

  Trey smirked. No, I want your mom. Then we could just walk through the city, and nobody would dare argue with us.

  Enough wishing for things that aren’t going to happen, K’aia told them. We need to move. She took point, using the bulk of her body to shield the others from the wind as they crept closer to the city wall.

  K’aia called a halt a few hundred meters from the base. Would you look at that?

  What are we looking at? Trey complained. I can’t see in front of my visor.

  Look up, K’aia told him. There’s a welcoming party on the walls. Wait, I think I see Linda’s team.

  They hung back while the other team approached.

  It doesn’t look like they know the specialists are up there, Alexis murmured. Do you think we should tell them?

  Yeah, no, K’aia told her. She snorted as Linda’s team was bombarded with suppression rounds by the specialists. Couldn’t have happened to a nicer set of assholes. But we should give the others a heads-up. She opened a comm channel to Sibil. “You guys, there’s a bunch of specialists manning the wall. Find another way in, and we’ll meet up inside.”

  “Good to know,” Sibil responded immediately. “Thanks, and good luck out there.”

  “You too,” K’aia told her before dropping the connection. It doesn’t solve how we’re going to get inside.

  Alexis pressed her lips together in thought. Let me try something. We might be able to skip around the wall completely. She opened a path into the Etheric. It’s going to be a push with our armor, but we can rest on the other side while we wait for Sibil and Gorrak.

  Gabriel sensed the parting of reality. That’s not large enough for K’aia to get through, he told her. Try adding my strength to yours.

  Alexis took his outstretched hand and immediately felt a surge in her ability to access the dimension. Trey, you’re first.

  Trey looked at Alexis’ window in his HUD skeptically. I don’t know about that. What if you run out of juice and I get stuck there? Is the Etheric even the Etheric here?

  Alexis shrugged. I have an open portal, so I’m guessing Eve was able to replicate it in some sense. Come on, I can’t hold it all day.

  Trey turned a slow circle in the mists. “I have to say, I’m underwhelmed.

  Alexis laughed along with the others. “What were you expecting?”

  Trey shrugged. He was trying to spot any color besides gray. “I dunno. Something? This place is bland.”

  “That’s because you’re not connected to the energy,” Gabriel explained. He waved a hand, and the mist around them reacted instantly. “See?”

  Alexis narrowed her eyes and pressed her lips into a wicked smile as an idea occurred to her. “We don’t need to go through the city at all.”

  K’aia knew that look. “What are you thinking?” she asked with more than a little wariness in her voice. “Because I’m pretty sure cutting through the Etheric wasn’t an option Specialist Childers gave us.”

  Alexis held up a finger. “No, but Specialist Childers doesn’t know we can access the Etheric, does he?”

  Gabriel wrinkled his nose. “What about the training experience?” he countered. “It’s all very well using our gifts to step outside the boundaries, but how does that help us learn anything new?”

  Trey nodded. “Besides, I’m getting tired of just standing around. We need to get out of this place before we end up stuck in here.”

  Alexis caved. “Fair enough. I suppose you’re right.”

  K’aia sighed in relief. “Then get us the hell out of here, so we don’t get beaten by Linda’s team.”

  Alexis held out her hands for them to take. “I doubt Linda’s team escaped the welcoming committee, but if you insist.” She brought them out in a tree-filled park a few hundred meters inside the city wall.

  K’aia grabbed the twins and pulled them into the cover of the trees when an explosion sounded nearby.

  Gabriel caught Trey before he fell over a thick root protruding from the ground. “Easy, buddy.”

  Trey’s eyes widened. “What’s going on out there?”

  Alexis peered out of the foliage. “It looks like Boden’s team has made it through the wall, literally. There’s a huge hole. Must have been Pootie.”

  “Nice!” Gabriel exclaimed in a low voice.

  Trey scowled at the dust cloud beyond the park. “I only see Boden, Slash, and Jentek. Where’s Pootie?”

  They all peered out of the foliage to scan for the fourth member of the other team.

  The Leian dashed out of the dust into the park, no less nimble for the heavy robes she wore in place of standard-issue armor.

  Gabriel furrowed his brow as he considered the merits of having a munitions expert on hand. “What do you all think about joining up with them?”

  “Nothing in the brief against working together,” Alexis agreed. She opened a link to Sibil to give her and Gorrak their location. “I just called Sibil. That’s got to be enough to make a winning team.”

  Trey cupped his hands around his mouth and called in a sharp whisper, “Pootie! Guys! This way!”

  Pootie’s keen hearing caught Trey’s direction. She turned her canid-shaped snout into the wind and sniffed them out before ushering the rest of her team over to the stand of trees.

  “Pootie sure took to the leadership role, huh?” Trey commented as she led her team across the park, hurrying them from one spot of cover to the next. “It’s funny. She’s half the size of Slash and twice as terrifying.”

  Gabriel chuckled. “Tell me about it. I thought she was a dog at first. Goes to show there are only so many models life forms into.”

  “Not true, Gabriel,” Alexis pointed out. “Just because we’ve only ‘discovered’ carbon-based life forms, it doesn’t mean that there aren’t other life forms based on other elements.”

  Gabriel frowned. “I thought we were all carbon-based? I’m sure I remember Phyrro’s lesson on that.”

  Alexis made a moue. “Yeah, no. You didn’t take the advanced lesson where he went into all the other probabilities.”

  “This is no time for a science lesson,” K’aia interrupted. “We’re in the middle of a live exercise.”

  Trey grinned at Alexis’ pouting. “I’m interested. Tell me about it when we get back to the station,” he requested as the other teams arrived at their hiding place.

  Pootie wasted no time getting down to business. “What do you know?”

  Boden's quiet laughter had the sound of gently-shaken pebbles. “They know as much as we do,” he told his erstwhile leader. “Calm down.”

  Pootie’s face delivered the reply she was too polite to give verbally. “We’re being graded on this exercise. I’m not playing here.”

  “Shame,” Jentek commented, his eyes on the wall. “We could use some fun with all this seriousness.”

  Gabriel grinned as their friends arrived. “There will be time for fun after we win the exercise. You know Sibil and Gorrak, right?”

  Alexis
took a knee to be on eye level with Pootie and Slash, gesturing for the others to do the same. “Okay, everyone, get your maps up. If we work together, we can get to the endpoint without losing anyone.”

  Nobody had an argument for that. Pootie engaged her HUD, a transparent strip that came out of her headdress, while the others brought up their maps in their helmet HUDs.

  Gabriel marked a number of places. “My best guess is that the specialists will be stationed at these points. Definitely here on the main road through the city center. Here, here, and here, at the transport links.”

  Trey nodded. “We should add the commercial quarter to the list.”

  K’aia nodded. “Yeah, and anywhere else that they can create a bottleneck.”

  Gabriel marked the shopping district as a no-go area.

  Jentek’s brow furrowed as he thought, which tightened the skin around his mouth enough so his tusks protruded. “What we need is a route the specialists won’t expect anyone to take.”

  “What about underground?” Boden offered. “We could go through the sewer system.”

  Slash bared her teeth in disdain. “And spend the next month trying to get the stench of shit out of my fur? Are you crazy, stone man?” She ran a hand through her fur, one hand on her hip. “It’s okay for you with your easy-wash bodies.”

  Trey patted Slash on the shoulder. “I appreciate the sentiment, but I’m pretty sure we’re going to be getting worse things stuck in our fur once we go to war. Suck it up, buttercup.”

  “You’re wearing armor,” Alexis pointed out.

  Boden made a face as he pointed at his shoulder joint. “You are lucky. You don’t have crevices to clean out.”

  Slash tilted her head. “That’s what you think.”

  Alexis wrinkled her nose. “Ew, TMI.” She snickered at Slash's preening. “So, are we all agreed that the sewers are the way to go?”