Jack Grotefendt
By the creek which was named the Ro-Feum by the people of the planet of Kar Kator, a temporary camp had been built. It stood on a muddy bank, which was shaded by a few trees. The creek was a few miles west of the Sebanicus territory border, which had been populated by the Katorian people for many years.
While a Katorian mule was drinking water from the creek, Zeb Cullen, who had built the camp, was extinguishing the campfire. Zeb had long, brown hair and was bewhiskered. His face and arms were covered in burn scars, and he wore a tattered cream-colored shirt covered by an olive-green vest with the symbol of the Terraguard on it. A cigarillo rested on his lip but had not yet been lit. Zeb wore an old leather hat similar to the hats of the cowboys of the American West nearly 400 years prior.
Once Zeb had finished packing up, he placed the saddle back on his mule and tied the supplies to it. After getting on the mule, Zeb led him west through the shallow creek and out onto the barren plain.
Kar Kator was a desolate planet, covered in mountains, deserts, and sparse forests. A lack of water and resources kept it from its highest potential, especially for the human race, which had discovered and began settling the planet a century prior. But Kar Kator did have some value– it was the last stop before the barren and unexplored space past it, millions of light-years from Earth.
Days were much shorter on Kar Kator than on Earth. Only a few hours after leaving the camp, the sun began to set, and a settlement was nearing in Zeb’s sight. A wooden sign near the outskirts read ‘Armalon’ in the Katorian language. The small town consisted of several streets and buildings made of wood and mud brick. Most of the buildings were dark, but there was plenty of light emitting from what seemed to be a bar near the east entrance of the town.
Zeb got off the mule and stepped onto the porch in front of the establishment. The sounds of an instrument similar to a sitar could be heard from within.
Zeb pushed open the swinging doors and walked inside. As he stepped toward the bar, Zeb noticed the lack of patrons, especially for a cool night. There were a few men scattered around, some Linian and some Katorian. Linians and Katorians were similar physically, but there had always been a sense of conflict between the two populations. The Linians had spent centuries on the small moon of Kar Lin that orbited Kar Kator and had returned to their home planet after a famine. Soon after, the Katorians started a war over the Linians’ return, followed by another war years later. But after the conclusion of the two wars half a century prior, which wiped out most of each population, bad blood wasn’t as prominent among the civilians. However, the relationship between both nations and their militaries was a different story.
A Katorian bartender was lighting the lamps above the bar and the musician had stopped to take a drink. Katorians had wrinkled, damaged skin like walruses and large, piercing eyes like lemurs. They were similar in size to humans but had distinctly slim faces and large ears that pointed backwards. “Good evening, stranger,” he greeted Zeb.
Zeb looked up at the oil lamp that the bartender had just lit, and his eyebrows lowered. “Is this town near the Uulcroh Fort?” he asked.
The bartender scratched his head. “The temple and the fort are a few miles southwest of this town.”
“Temple?” Zeb asked, while lighting his cigarillo.
“It was used for that long ago, and then the Linian army turned it into a fort during the second war,” the bartender explained. “A few weeks ago, the Katorians took it for themselves, and now the Linians are preparing to take it back. Are you heading there now?”
“Yes,” Zeb answered. “Concord, the colonel of the Katorian rebel army, was on the same mission from Earth as me. I got mail from him a few weeks ago. He wished for me to bring myself and some men who are willing to fight at the Uulcroh Fort near Armalon.”
The bartender looked around. “Where are the boys?”
Zeb puffed his cigarillo. “Have you heard of the Naza Gang?”
The bartender’s expression went grim. “I suppose you’re the only one that’s left.”
Zeb nodded and combed through his dirty hair.
One of the Linian men at a table coughed. Linians were like Katorians in appearance but instead had hair covering their faces and were shorter and stockier. “You better get there quick,” the Linian man told Zeb from across the room. “Hadrian’s troops are headed for the temple in two days.”
“Hadrian?”
“He’s the Linian nation’s best general,” the man explained, standing up and making his way to the bar. “The Linian Leader has his eyes set on reclaiming the Uulcroh Fort, and he sent Hadrian with an army to take it back. You must leave soon if you want to get there before the siege starts.”
“Could you point me in the right direction?” Zeb asked the Linian.
“How about a guided tour?”
***
The light from the moon of Kar Lin illuminated the path that Zeb and his companion were following. Armalon was far behind the two men as they made their way to the Uulcroh Fort at a consistent pace. The Linian was riding his horse alongside Zeb’s mule.
“What do they call you?” the man asked Zeb.
“Zebulun Cullen. Call me Zeb.”
“They call me Hyam.” He shifted around on his saddle. “You know, we don’t see too many humans around here.”
Zeb nodded. “I’ve been on Kar Kator for years. I came here on duty for the Terraguard and was posted at the military base in East Kator.” He lit another cigarillo. “Until the Terraguard had to focus on a security threat in our solar system and decommissioned all bases outside of a 2 million light-year radius.”
“I had heard about the Terraguard leaving Kar Kator, but I was unaware of the scope of it,” Hyam replied.
“There wasn’t enough room in the ships for the entire company to head back to Earth all at once,” Zeb answered. “They told us to wait at the military base for a few months. But they never returned, and all communications with humans have ceased for years now.” He turned around and watched as Armalon disappeared from his view. Facing forward, he could barely see the distant light of the fort. “You know, most people in East Kator haven’t heard much about what’s going on out here,” Zeb said to Hyam. “I might need some elaboration.”
“Well,” Hyam began to explain. “The Sebanicus territory was safe until the Linian nation tried to take full control. Many of the settlers– humans, Katorians, and even Linians– disagreed and revolted. A few weeks ago, the Katorian faction finally drove the Linian army out of Sebanicus, but it didn’t last long. From what I’ve heard, Hadrian has already crossed the border in the south and is headed for us at this moment.”
“How many of our men are at the Uulcroh Fort?”
“Around two hundred.”
“And Hadrian’s men?”
“I’d say around two thousand.”
Zeb turned to face the Uulcroh Fort, which was getting closer every minute. “Concord needs all the help he can get. When I arrive without men, I’m sure he’ll feel great.”
“When we arrive, I’ll tell Concord he’s got another volunteer in his army.”
Zeb nodded and gazed at the fort in the distance as the sky began to change to a lighter hue.
***
“Colonel Concord!” one of the guards called out from the watchtower by the officer’s quarters. “Two men, one on a mule and one on a horse, headed here from Armalon!”
James Concord walked over from the platform which held the laser cannons toward the watchtower. “Can you see what they look like, John?”
John, who was a human like Concord, peered into the distance. “It ain’t bright enough yet, but they ain’t goin’ too fast.”
Concord scratched his chin. “It might be Zeb Cullen. Let them in through the Sally port.”
Once Zeb and Hyam entered the fort, they were taken to Concord by a guard.
“Zeb!” Concord exclaimed. “I can’t thank you enough for coming. We’re going to need all the help we can get.” Concord shook the hand of his old friend.
“Good to see you, James,” Zeb replied.
“I suppose my message got to you quick enough.”
“It did. I had brought a group of human and Katorian men who were willing to help, but we got caught up in a mess with the Naza Gang on the border.”
“And?”
“I was the only one who made it.”
“That’s a shame,” Concord replied. “Who is this Linian?” he asked Zeb, pointing to Hyam. “He’s the hairiest one I’ve ever seen.”
“This is Hyam. I met him back in Armalon and he showed me where the fort was. He’s agreed to stay and fight.”
“That sounds alright,” Concord answered. “We must finish our preparations before tomorrow morning. I’ve already decided that we won’t act first, but we will be prepared to defend this fort through the extreme.”
Zeb nodded. “Whatever we can help with, point us in the direction.”
“How do you think this will turn out, Colonel?” Hyam asked Concord, who was distracted by the shouts of some men hauling a laser cannon up a ramp on the north side of the fort.
“Well, we have a lot of men who are passionate about Sebanicus and freedom,” Concord answered. “Without purpose, we’d be lost before the fight begins. I say we have a pretty good chance.” The colonel turned to Zeb. “I am going to help with more preparations. Feel free to look around and converse with the others. I will see you again.”
Hyam headed toward the ammunition hut, and Zeb stepped down the ramp and began to explore the bustling fort. It was a large stone complex in the shape of an L pointing east, with the shorter wing pointing south and containing the prominent Uulcroh Temple. Soldiers of all species rushed around the fort, preparing for battle. The walls of the complex were thick, with a walkway and command posts on top of them surrounding the fort’s plaza.
The Uulcroh Temple was showing its age. An hour after arriving at the fort, Zeb walked through the threshold of the temple and looked around at the state of disrepair that it was in. The roof had fallen, and its remnants were scattered across the floor. In the main room of the temple, Colonel Concord was kneeling in front of a makeshift wooden cross formed out of the roof beams.
His head was lowered and his Katorian hat was on the dusty floor beside him. He heard Zeb enter and turned around.
“I didn’t mean to interrupt, James,” Zeb said, preparing to leave.
“No worries, Zeb,” Concord answered. “I was just getting some things off my chest before we finish the preparation.”
“Is it worse than we expected?”
“Much worse. I received a message at dawn from a scout who was a few miles south of here. He told me that once the Linians capture the temple and Armalon, they’ll head right for Pease City, and then onto East Kator.”
“If we lose, I’m sure they won’t make it to Pease City without a few more fights,” Zeb replied.
Concord looked more concerned. “We have forces in Pease City and far east of here, but that’s all. We must win this or the Sebanicus territory will be lost.”
“Then we’ll win.”
Concord grabbed Zeb by the shoulder and smiled. “That’s why I’ve always liked you, Zeb. You always go through with what you put your mind to.”
Zeb took out a cigarillo and lit it with a match. “If that were always true, I’d be here with a dozen extra soldiers.”
Concord brushed the dust off from his knees and put his hat back on. “Tell me, Zeb, after we were marooned and left the base, I understand you found a female human settler to marry. What happened to her?”
“Madeline?” Zeb asked, puffing his cigarillo.
“I left town before I could find out what happened between you two.”
“We got married around the time you left. We had a son.”
“I see. Are they in good health?”
Zeb stood silent for a few seconds. “I haven’t seen them in two years, James,” he replied. “One day, I woke up, and our ranch was on fire.” Zeb rolled up his sleeves to reveal his scarred arms. “I struggled but managed to get out of the house. The rover was gone, and they were never heard from again.”
“I’m sorry, Zeb.”
Zeb looked at Concord’s worn Katorian uniform, most likely from the wars decades prior. “How did you end up the colonel of a Katorian rebel faction?”
Concord adjusted the collar of his jacket, which was blue-grey and had cream-colored shoulder pads. “I met some people who needed my help. I joined them. I worked up the ranks, and now I’m here. As you know, there hasn’t been a proper Katorian government for a hundred years, and when the Linians threatened a second war years ago, that’s when the Terraguard stepped in. The Linians have always wanted more power, and now with the Terraguard gone, they’ve begun to wreak havoc on this planet once again. This army and the Katorians in Pease City are the only people standing in the Linians’ way.”
Zeb started to reply but was interrupted by the sound of movement near the entrance of the temple. Hyam was slowly making his way into the room when he stepped on a piece of fallen roof and intruded on the conversation.
“I am sorry for interrupting; I didn’t mean to eavesdrop-,”
“No worries,” Concord replied, raising his hand. “I’ve been stalling for far too long.” He waved toward the door and the two men followed him back into the plaza.
***
In the barracks of the fort, Zeb chose one of the remaining beds and placed his belongings on it. There was no light in the room, except for the sunlight peeking through the cracks and holes of the door. Zeb sat down on the bed as the door opened. Hyam entered the barracks and put his belongings on a bed near Zeb’s. “Hello, Cullen,” he said in his gruff voice.
Zeb nodded. “Hyam.”
Hyam looked up at the oil lamp hung from the ceiling. “We need some light in here,” he proclaimed, activating the lamp. Zeb stared at Hyam in silence with lowered eyebrows.
Hyam looked down at Zeb and noticed his concerned face. “What’s the matter, Cullen? You don’t like a little fire?”
The door opened and Colonel Concord entered the room. “All settled in, men?”
“As settled as I’ll ever be,” Zeb replied.
“Hyam, you never got to see Zeb Cullen in his prime,” Concord said, taking off his hat. “This man was a wizard in piloting a defense probe. He took down hundreds of vessels without them ever entering our solar system, let alone him ever leaving Earth’s orbit.
Zeb smiled and stood up from the bed. “I haven’t piloted anything, or even used a computer, in years.”
Concord smiled. “Zeb, I need you to go find John in the ammunition hut and help him disperse some equipment around the fort.”
“Certainly, Colonel,” he answered. Zeb grabbed his satchel and walked out into the fort’s plaza.
The colonel scratched his chin and looked at Hyam for a few seconds. “Hyam, I have a job for you.”
Hyam stood up from his bed. “What is it?”
“Even though we are low on soldiers here at the Uulcroh, I want you to go back to Armalon and bring back any women and children who are left behind,” Concord explained. “We still have a few hours before things get serious, and I’m still not convinced that the small group of civilians we have in the back of the temple is the entire population. Armalon is no longer safe.”
Hyam stood intently, listening to the colonel.
“I want you to ride to Armalon and tell one of the soldiers in the town to lead the remaining civilians to the Uulcroh. You will stay there and help defend Armalon.”
Hyam nodded and Concord handed him a letter.
“Give this to Major Carc, who is stationed at the old communal baths on the west side of the town. He’ll tell you what to do next. Good luck, Hyam.”
“Thank you, Colonel,” Hyam replied, who began to pack up.
***
As the sun began to set on the fort, faint lights began to illuminate in the distance. Zeb and Colonel Concord were standing on the southeast corner of the fort, watching the scene.
“There they are,” Concord sighed. “On time, as I expected.”
“That doesn’t look like thousands of soldiers,” Zeb replied.
“That’s only a fraction of Hadrian’s army. I’m guessing that half of the first wave will come here to the fort, and the other half will try to capture Armalon. If we somehow fend them off, then more will surely come. We should be focused on the southern direction.”
“How do you think they’ll attack the fort?”
Concord scratched the back of his head. “They’ll most likely split into smaller brigades to slowly make their way over here. After a while, they’ll start firing.”
Zeb pondered for a moment and puffed a cigarillo. “What about the people still there?”
Concord turned to face northeast, toward Armalon. “Most of the men are here, prepared to fight. In the case of the women and children, the rest are on their way.” The colonel pointed toward the town, and Zeb turned around to see the caravan of townspeople making their way to the fort. “I sent Hyam to help defend the town with Major Carc.”
John the guard walked over to the spot where Zeb and Colonel Concord were standing and took off his hat.
“Colonel,” he said in a monotone voice. “We are out of cannon batteries in the ammunition reserves.”
Concord sighed. “Are there batteries dispersed to all of the posts?” he asked John.
“Yes,” John replied. “There’s only a few left, which are the ones that were left here before we arrived.
“We’ll have to make do,” Concord said. John nodded and put his hat back on.
Concord turned to face Zeb. “There’s another Katorian fort to the east of Armalon, near the Ro-Feum creek. They call it the Grove Fort. A few hours ago, I received a message that the fort has a sizable group of men and plenty of supplies left. If we want to defend the temple, we must get their supplies. I want you to go and find the fort, alert the men, and bring them back with the supplies.”
“Do you think I’ll make it back in time?”
“Of course,” Concord replied. “If you can make it back before dawn, the Linians will still be preparing when you arrive.”
On the other side of the fort, one of the guards shouted, “Open the Sally port!” This alerted Concord and Zeb of the townspeople’s arrival.
Zeb turned back around to face Concord. “Where is the fort located?”
“Twenty miles northeast of here. Once you reach the creek, you’ll be close.”
Zeb nodded and climbed down the ladder onto the ground. “Wish me luck.”
As Zeb was about to leave on a Katorian horse, one of the artillerymen tapped him on the shoulder.
“Be careful, Cullen,” the man told him. “That’s Naza territory out there.”
Zeb’s eyebrows lowered at the thought of the Naza Gang. He nodded at the artilleryman and exited the fort, galloping in the eastward direction.
***
The moon was above Zeb when he reached the creek. In the northern distance, he could see a glowing hue near a grove of trees. As he rode closer to the grove, he realized that the light was emitting from a large fire.
Zeb kicked the Katorian horse, which had a large, raised tail like a cat and a shorter snout like a cow. The horse began to gallop through the grove. The fort stood on the other side. When Zeb arrived at the fort, it was completely engulfed in flames. It was a sizable log and mud brick structure in the shape of a square. The trees next to it were on fire as well.
A portion of the wall had already fallen, and Zeb got off the horse to run inside. “Hey!” he called, frantically looking around in search of survivors. The yard on the inside of the fort was littered with dead bodies of rebel soldiers, most of them Katorian alongside several humans. One of the humans, who was leaning against a well, was coughing and holding a chest wound with his bloody hands. Zeb ran toward him and caught him before his upper body fell to the ground.
“What happened here? The Naza Gang?” Zeb asked the dying soldier.
The man gasped as Zeb cushioned his body against the well with his jacket. He opened his mouth to speak. “Ha-,” he said, struggling to talk to Zeb.
“What?” Zeb asked the man, who was fading away.
The man closed his eyes and shook his head. “Ha-Hadrian.”
Zeb looked around at the small army of massacred men. “Hadrian?”
“They aren’t just coming from the south. They’re coming from everywhere.”
“The Linians?”
The man took his last breath and died.
Zeb laid the man on the ground, left his jacket, and watched as the flames from the fort walls rose into the night sky. He ran out of the fort and jumped on the horse.
“Hya!” he called, and the horse galloped out of the grove and toward Armalon.
***
When dawn broke, the bartender at the bar in Armalon stepped out onto the front porch and gazed into the northern distance, where thousands of Linian troops were marching. The soldiers wore thick, matte black armor and held laser rifles. Their laser cannons were on hovercraft, being guided by their operators. The front line consisted of foot-soldiers, while the calvary on Katorian horses were in the back.
“Sarn!” the bartender called, alerting the store owner inside his shop down the street. “They’re in the north!”
Sarn stepped out of his store and onto the porch. He turned and investigated the eastern direction and noticed a similar number of soldiers amassing outside of Armalon. “Look, Smit!” he yelled to the bartender. “They’re in the east, too! I thought they were coming from the south!”
“Where’s your wife, Sarn?” the bartender asked. He walked into the center of the street where Sarn had moved to.
“She’s at the temple. How about your wife and kids?”
“They’re all at the temple as well.”
“What are you going to do, Smit?”
“Stay here, fight if I must. I’ll die here if I have to.”
Sarn nodded. “Well, I’ll be here fighting alongside you.”
Smit the bartender stared into the east, watching the soldiers make their way toward Armalon. He noticed a small battery of artillerymen run away from what appeared to be a galloping horse.
“Who could that be?” Smit muttered out loud, gaining the attention of Sarn.
“What is it, Smit?”
“Look,” he replied, pointing toward the man on the horse as he was being shot at by the soldiers. “Someone’s headed toward us.”
***
Zeb Cullen’s horse dashed through the lines of Linian soldiers, knocking several of them out of the way. As he bolted toward the town, the men behind him started firing laser cannons and rifles. Once he got to the edge of Armalon, he cantered over to the two men.
“Hey, you’re that fella who was headed to the temple!” Smit exclaimed.
“Zeb Cullen. Have you seen Hyam?”
“The Linian? No, why?”
“He’s supposed to be here with Major Carc. Me and the colonel suspected that the Linians would head from the south to the temple and then take Armalon. But now that I know that they’re coming from all sides, I don’t know what to do.”
“Major Carc is at the communal baths on the west side,” Sarn told Zeb. “However, I don’t know the situation over there.”
The sound of a laser cannon blast exploding out of the barrel was heard from the west side of town. Zeb looked down at Sarn and Smit.
“Well, there’s your answer. Good luck, men.” Zeb kicked the horse and began to gallop down the street. Smit and Sarn turned around and gazed at the army preparing for the imminent battle.
***
When Zeb reached the communal baths at the edge of Armalon, he leapt off the horse and stared at the large, pillared walls surrounding the complex. He looked to the north and noticed the army marching toward him, preparing to invade. Beyond the baths, in the west, another group of Linian soldiers marched, some on rovers and hovercraft. A laser cannon shot at a nearby building and the foundation exploded, causing the walls to fall in. Suddenly, both armies in Zeb’s view shot red flares into the sky. “No quarter,” Zeb muttered to himself, watching the flares dissipate.
Zeb entered the baths, where Hyam and an abnormally tall Linian man in a brown cloak and hood were surrounding an elderly Katorian. Hyam had his foot secured on the Katorian’s chest, who wore Colonel Concord’s style of uniform. There were several Linian soldiers and civilians with guns inside as well.
“Hyam?”
“Cullen?” Hyam responded. “What are you doing here?” He extended his arm toward one of the armed men, who was pointing his laser rifle at Zeb.
“I’m here for Major Carc. What’s going on here?”
Hyam lifted his foot off of the Katorian man, who was presumably the deceased Major Carc. “I’m afraid Hadrian here has offered me and the rest of the Nazas a great sum of money to help him.” Hyam looked around, implying that he and the other civilians were members of the infamous gang.
The Linian general pointed to Major Carc, signaling the other soldiers to pick up his corpse and take him out of the building. He walked over to Hyam, who raised his arm and motioned toward the man. “This is General Hadrian.”
General Hadrian removed his hood, who appeared as if he were half-human with the hair of a Linian and the height of a Katorian. He had menacing eyes and wore similar armor to his soldiers under his cloak.
Zeb paid no attention to Hadrian and instead glared at Hyam. “The Naza Gang, Hyam?”
Hyam held up his hands. “You don’t have to worry, Cullen. I had no part in the death of your friends,” he replied. “I am passive in most affairs. Hadrian paid for information, so I provided.” Hyam stepped toward Zeb and put his hand on his shoulder. He began to speak, but his voice was silenced when Zeb grabbed him by the neck, strangling him.
“You broke our trust, Hyam, both mine and Concord’s,” he growled as Hyam choked. “Who attacked the Grove Fort?”
Hyam stared at Zeb, struggling to breathe. He didn’t attempt to answer.
“Was it your gang?”
Hyam shook his head, using most of his strength to gasp for air. Zeb looked over at General Hadrian, who he expected to intervene.
“No-quarter flares?” Zeb asked the general, referencing the red flares from earlier. He continued to grasp his former friend’s neck. “You’re going to kill everyone in the town?”
The general put his hands behind his back and walked closer to the scene. “My men have been instructed to spare the women and children,” he answered slowly in a thick Linian accent and a deep, menacing voice. “I suppose they are all at the temple now. However, this town will burn.”
Zeb let go of Hyam’s neck and threw him to the ground. One of the gang members walked over to help him up. Zeb turned to the general.
“Tell me, General, why are there thousands of troops surrounding the area?” Zeb asked Hadrian. “There’s only a few hundred men against your massive army.” The soldiers in the building slowly made their way toward the scene, rifles at the ready.
“I know why, General.”
Hadrian waved his hand, and the soldiers moved more quickly.
“Your soldiers lack purpose. They fight for you, but they’re fighting a war that’s been fought twice already. They know there’s no reason.”
The general stepped back as Zeb pulled out his laser pistol. The soldiers raised their rifles but ceased to fire as Zeb pointed his pistol at the ground, firing at Hyam without looking. The blast hit Hyam’s arm, and he fell backwards. The gang members and soldiers who had not yet raised their weapons did so promptly.
Hyam screamed in agony as his arm caught fire and his blood poured into a puddle around his body. Hadrian held up his hand and his soldiers lowered their rifles. The gang members backed away and Zeb put his pistol back in the holster.
“I had every intention of killing Hyam and the rest of the Naza Gang when they came to me a few hours ago,” General Hadrian explained. He took his Linian command sword out from the sheath on his uniform. “I listened to one of the men, who told me that he and a group of his bandits had killed the rebels at the Grove Fort and set fire to it.”
Zeb watched the general as he paced around in a circle. Hyam continued to yell in agony behind them.
“I decided to spare them when Hyam came to me on the north side of Armalon. He had taken Major Carc as his hostage, killed the remaining soldiers in town, and told me he had gained the trust of Colonel Concord and his friend, Zeb Cullen.”
Zeb turned around and stared at Hyam, whose agonizing expression ceased.
The general slid his finger across the gleaming blade. “He explained everything to me– your attack plans, your expectations. I was amused when he told me that the colonel was expecting my troops to solely attack from the southern direction.” Hadrian lifted his sword up to Zeb’s heart and touched his jacket with it. “I did not expect Colonel Concord to be that ignorant.”
Zeb scowled as the general twisted the edge of the sword, digging into the jacket.
“I promised to pay the Naza scum, and they led me here. I had the chance to meet Major Carc, and then you arrived.”
General Hadrian smiled and lowered the sword. Zeb watched as the general spoke a few words in the Linian language to two of the men, who went over to Zeb and restrained him.
“I am afraid I have to respect the order of the red flares.” Hadrian told Zeb. “May your God have mercy on your soul, Cullen.”
The soldiers dragged Zeb past the bleeding Hyam and toward the entrance, but they were soon interrupted when two shots were fired from outside the baths. The laser blasts went through the soldiers’ heads and blood rained on Zeb and Hyam. Zeb turned his head and discovered that Smit and Sarn had arrived to help him, killing the soldiers who were leading him to his death.
The remaining soldiers and gang members inside the baths opened fire on the rebels as Zeb threw himself at General Hadrian. Hadrian lifted his sword and ran toward Zeb, who tackled him at his legs and launched him to the ground. The sword flew out of his hand and landed in front of one of the soldiers.
“Let’s get out of here!” Sarn yelled over the piercing sounds of laser fire. Zeb ran toward the entrance and Smit and Sarn followed him, leaving Hyam on the ground.
Once they were on the street, Zeb jumped onto his horse and his two companions leapt onto theirs. The soldiers followed them out of the communal baths and continued to fire. Zeb, Smit, and Sarn rode out of the town of Armalon and in the direction of the Uulcroh Fort.
***
Thundering down the trail, Zeb clutched onto the reins and pushed the Katorian horse to a tremendous gallop. Sarn and Smit held onto their laser rifles as they tried to keep up with the speed at which Zeb’s horse was traveling at.
The Linian troops who had been making their way to Armalon on the west side shifted their focus toward the galloping rebels and opened fire. The three men dodged lasers as they were nearing the fort.
John the guard, who was atop the Sally port, noticed Zeb and the two men from Armalon and yelled at the men to open the door. They slid off the horses and ran into the fort.
Concord was waiting for them. He looked rougher than he did the night before. “Zeb, I’m glad you’re here. I-,”
He was interrupted by the first laser cannon shot to the fort. The blast hit the south wall, but it didn’t penetrate it. The rebels responded and opened fire on all sides of the complex. Smit and Sarn went straight to work and ran to the nearest cannon.
“James,” Zeb shouted to Concord over the sound of artillery. “Hyam’s a Naza. Hadrian is in Armalon right now with forces on all sides. The Grove Fort is lost and so are the soldiers!”
A laser cannon blast exploded through the eastern wall and knocked the men from atop the fort onto the ground. Concord’s expression was more nervous than ever.
“They’ve already reached Armalon?”
“If you didn’t already notice, they’re coming from everywhere!”
Concord sighed and placed his hand on Zeb’s shoulder as the booming sounds of the cannons echoed throughout the temple. “Zeb, I need you to help the civilians in the back of the temple,” he told him.
“But I have to fight.”
“Zeb, you-”
“I need to-”
“That’s an order, Zeb! I trust you more than anyone here, and I need you to make sure they stay safe. Now go.”
“My God be with our souls, James.”
“Goodbye, Zeb.”
Zeb ran into the temple and headed towards the back, entering through the small rear door. Dozens of women, children, and elderly civilians sat on the ground. They were huddled together, embracing each other as the battle continued.
“Everyone!” Zeb called out into the crowd. “I am Zeb Cullen from the Terraguard of Earth. Colonel Concord sent me to make sure you sta-”
The walls around the temple exploded as several laser cannon blasts were launched into them simultaneously. The stone rained on the civilians as Zeb clenched his fists and closed his eyes.