Chapter 9: Esthi
Armor backs up to his wings and clips into them. “Not a lot of time left, but your scent makes me want things I can’t process right now. I don’t want to go into this battle if it is my last one and not have taken the chance to taste freedom.” He folds his wings up behind him and smiles. “And you.”
Atox joins us, wiping his hands clean of gritty sludge. “Armor, we need a plan.”
Armor turns around to face the medic unit, who continues cleaning himself, starting with the red stripe over his right shoulder.
“Where is Fenrir?” Armor asks.
“Dark like the other six. They need hibernation chambers to be brought back.”
“XO?”
Atox sighs like he doesn’t want to say what’s on his mind. “Yeti, too. Anilius, Panther, Turbine, and Slasher.”
“Then we carry them.”
“To where?” Atox chews a lip. “You’re our commander now. We need some sort of direction. I want a solution for my patients.”
“Might be time to update everyone,” I suggest.
Armor’s eyes flash with light, and the Titans circle up around their dark Brothers. They eat their rations slowly like they’re savoring every bite. I imagine after five years without food, I’d do the same. But humans wouldn’t survive that long without re-generation tanks.
I follow Armor as he reluctantly makes his way to the edge of the group.
“It has been five years since I failed to protect all of you,” he says. “For that, I am sorry. But we must move quickly. Other Titans have found and repaired CP-549 and our BlazeStar. We have just over a day to get onboard one of their salvaged ships if we want to rejoin the fight and get off of this planet. We have already lost eleven Brothers to the Black Death. Some, we may be able to recover. This is our best chance to get them to hibernation chambers and renew our purpose and our promise to the last humans.”
An inky black unit with red eyes pops his knuckles, sending a wisp of smoke off of them. His red digibadge reads Magma. “It was not your fault, Armor. You protected Mother. She is here because of what you did. We endured. Now we will torch some Solcruean ass.”
“Your reports kept me focused,” a dark gray Titan named Snare adds. His blue eyes find mine for only a second. “Even as I powered down into hibernation, I still saw them register even though I couldn’t respond.”
Armor spoke with them and kept them hanging on even when they had no hope. I’m starting to think Armor’s purpose is rooted deeper in him than his design.
Several others agree with nods and quiet remarks.
Javelin motions to Armor. “With Fenrir and Yeti out of service, we follow your orders, sir.”
Armor shifts his shoulders like he’s uncomfortable with the responsibility. I rest a hand to his back, hoping to comfort him.
He looks down at me, nods, and straightens to his full height. “From what Clover has sent, there is an old CSP outpost not far away. They should have a troop transport we can steal. Commander Savage says it landed three days ago. It’s an active vessel and should be in flight-ready condition.
“Mother needs all the defensive ships she can get. The Titans that landed here two years ago have fixed the BlazeStar and arepreparing some distractions. It’s now filled with human female survivors of Solcruean servitude. We need to get it into space, to the portal that brought the other Relics here. The faster they can get off-world, the sooner they can access the portal.
“Hacker model Amp is on board. He and Clover will pilot Mother. The rest of us must ensure they make it through. Not many humans are left in the galaxy. We must not fail them again.”
Mace pops off the wall that he’s leaning against and Spikes in slow waves. “We lost the war, didn’t we?”
Armor nods. “Clover has sent us a message from Leah Krader, General Krader’s daughter. She is mated to Commander Savage.”
A unit from the back of the group steps forward and lifts a modified communicator that projects a video in veins of blue light. The shape of a woman appears above the communicator. She stands with a Titan bearing a blue digibadgeSavage.
“I, Leah Nylami Krader of Omega and Titan forces, now joined as one, free you from all human servitude, effective immediately. Please erase the punishment and decommissioning programs stored in your cores. If you wish to Bond with another Titan or a human, you can do so by choice.
“Now, the only way we’re going to win is if we fight like Solcrue…dirty. Recent years have taught us this. Stand by your Brothers and Sisters. Preservation of our united force is crucial. No self-sacrificing shit. There are no Rules of Engagement. Do whatever it takes to survive, take out as many Solcrue as possible, and return to fight another day. Clover and Savage will communicate information to you about our plan. See you all soon. Leah, out.”
Brunt paces a circle and runs a hand through his dark hair. “How did human females end up stuck with us?”
I lift my hand. “That’s my fault. Well, the second batch. Cara came here with the jailbreak. It was all over the coms on Solcrue ships. Then, they were after Leah Krader. CSP had her for a while. Her half-brother Joey is a CSP traitor working with the Solcrue. Thinks it will save his hide from torture.”
