Chapter 3: Thruster
“I’m sorry, Kelta. I must draw Solcrue away from my brothers and their mates.” I step away from her so I can better track the ship through the low-lying hills of the nearby mountain range.
“Mates?” She leans against a tree like she’s dizzy and squints out at the battlefield. “I thought you weren’t allowed any.”
“We have two female Titans left that I know of. Both are pilots.”
“Never had legs, right?”
“Right.”
“So…”
“Now we are a mix of Titans and human survivors. Many females escaped from the motherships above when they heard we were here. I patrol in the air, so I’m not as familiar with the camp. But I will get you there so you can be with others like yourself before I continue.”
Her brows stitch a line of frustration on her face. “When did the Solcrue attack you here? I didn’t even know you were out here, just that a few of you might have survived after the war ended.”
I encourage her deeper into the woods. I need to get her to shelter so I can return to my post. “It’s been a year, a few months of higher intensity battles after the arrival of two more motherships.”
She picks at the burn marks in her space suit.
“How badly are you injured?”
"I'll survive. The mothership out our way had a berserker and many fighters with it. They found me hiding in an asteroid. I tried to keep them from finding our small fleet. If my father came out of hiding, they all did."
I can see it in her eyes, the fear that no one survived but her. “You’re not alone here. The rebel camps are several hundred strong. I’m taking you there now so you can heal and return to battle like I must.”
She hugs herself. “There are a few groups like ours, clusters of rebels among the asteroids and junk belts. It’s how my younger brother found his wife, Eira.”
Kelta guides her long, dark braids behind her shoulders. "But I wager all the rebel fleets know now. And my father sent me here. So he must be aware of more than he's admitted to us."
“How many fleets?” I ask.
She shrugs. "Twelve that I know of, fifteen plus ships each. There are a few rogue clusters, some bounty hunters, some former CSP who left when the organization became corrupt. I don’t know where they all are, specifically. But I know zones and how to get in contact with them. Trouble is…” Kelta points up at the shadow of a mothership in the sky.
This is helpful. “Commander Savage and his mate, Leah, will want to hear what you have to say. We will be stronger if we can join forces.”
Kelta’s eyes shine with something curious, an emotion I’ve not seen much in humans except on the faces of brothers’ mates.
Branches rustle not far away. I motion for her to stay behind me and quiet, then slip into a shadow and darken every engine, packing them in against my body under sliding metal doors so that I am just a Titan.
Kelta follows, brushes a tree branch, cringes, and eases it back into place.
“Stars, this planet is noisy,” she mouths to me. Then she points to her chest and up at the sky.
Kelta is used to the silence of space.
So was I. “It has definitely taken some getting used to.”
I cover the glowing digibadge on my chest with a hand. There’s nothing I can do about the light in my eyes. So I stay in the darkness.
A Solcrue soldier marches through, scanning the ground like he’s looking for something. The top of his ears have had the military cut, and his scaly skin glistens in the sun. He's a pretty boy for a snake, and I'm eager to paint his face with some new colors. I could shoot him, but gunfire, when it isn't necessary, will draw unwanted attention. I'm sure that's how he found us.
I ease around the tree as he walks into the opening. As I sneak up behind him, a branch releases and smacks him in the face. The Solcrue staggers back and into me. I take him down with a swift punch to his spine.
As he collapses, green fire whizzes past in a ripping ball of fire. I duck and turn to see two more soldiers rushing us. I ignite two of my engines and charge at them, using the extra thrust to turn me into a blunt force. The first slams back and skids through the dirt until he is covered in torn-up brush and doesn't move. When I turn to confront the second, Kelta swings a rock at his head from behind. He crumples to his knees. I plant a punch square on his nose. A scan of his toppling body shows a broken neck.
“Nice work.”
