The Icarian Legacy Collected Edition: Brave Souls - First Strike (Volume 3) (66 page)

As he closed the distance to the fence he could see the three transport ships that landed not long ago. These ships were larger than the three that landed the previous day. As he watched he could see the line of prisoners that left the ships and headed deeper in to the camp. Several hundred slaves from the camp helped the prisoners to come down and led the groups towards the inner camp. They also carried the wounded and the ill. The Dacarian guards were watching the slaves constantly, carefully watching their movement, but that was to advantage to his team as they were not watching the outside of the camp.

As he came to five meters from the fence he pulled out his knife and prepared to cut the wire. As he did that he heard first Jenkins and then Doc as well giving the signal to stop. He could hear the rest of the team stopping in their tracks.

He looked towards the position where Rivers should be. As he did he noticed the other Seal watching him and signaling him to stay put.

They used hand signals to communicate.

“You have movement to the west.”

The message reached both of them at the same time. It came from Jennings who used Morse code on their earpieces to give them the needed information.

Rivers used the same code to answer back.

The answer to his question came soon.

“Not Dacarians. Unknowns, a large group I’m counting at least thirty.”

“What are they doing?”

“They are trying to approach the camp as well. Possibility of the group attacking it is great, recommending retreat sir.”

Several moments later a second signal came this time from Doc.

“Retreat immediately the unknowns are lighting the grass.”

As the signal came the concealed Seals reversed their movement and started a speedy retreat towards the trees.

As they did the first signs of reaction from the camp could be heard.

Several reflectors were pointed towards the burning grass. Shouts came from the legionaries who approached the fence. As Anderson moved the silence of the night was cut by the clear sound of a plasma rifle firing, first one and then a dozen more. Somewhere in the distance in the direction from where Jenkins indicated that the second group came, the sound of what sounded like a mortar firing could be heard. The fence was shattered by the impacting rounds of plasma fire and legionaries fell all along the line. Strange five feet tall creatures, dressed in strange black armor attacked all along the line. What first seemed like thirty now looked like more than eighty aliens in the attacking group as hidden attackers came out and fired at the guards. As Anderson watched he noticed the slaves starting to move. It was obviously a coordinated attack. He noticed that the brown colored aliens looked similar with the attackers and he guessed that they were from the same race. But together with them other races moved as well. In the inside of the camp the attacking slaves overwhelmed the guards and started exiting through the openings in the fence. As the fight progressed Anderson and the rest of the team kept going and they were soon out of the grass. In the distance as they turned they could see the Dacarians gaining the upper hand. But now hundreds of slaves were out of the camp and in the jungle. As they watched suddenly Doc cursed.

“What the fuck?”

Rivers turned towards the sniper.

“Doc?”

“We have humans moving among the slaves.”

”What!!! Are you sure?”

“I’m counting at least twenty among the escapees and several hundred inside fighting with the guards.”

Before Rivers could say anything Jennings gave the confirmation.

The Seals looked at each other stunned. They knew of the past and the Alterans but they never imagined that there might be live humans in Dacarian hands. As they considered what they just learned the whine of approaching aircraft interrupted them. Just a second later, huge swaths of the jungle to the west were engulfed in fire as the aircraft opened up with their lasers and plasma batteries. Several shots ranged back but they couldn’t do anything to the aircraft. The aliens that fired were silenced seconds later as their positions were bombarded. The aircrafts opened up on the grass field as well killing the rest of the slaves that tried to escape. In the meanwhile the fighting in the camp died out as the legionaries overwhelmed the slaves fighting them.

“We have several slaves, four humans and several unknowns moving in to the jungle just a mile to the west. A large group of Dacarian legionaries, at least ten are following them. They’re turned towards us.”

“We need to move.”

The rest of the team looked at Rivers. He could see the questions in their eyes. He had the same questions.

“We need prisoner’s sir. And we need to talk to them.”

Rivers looked at Anderson who voiced his opinion.

He knew that he was right. They had orders not to get involved and to hide and observe but they needed information on the numbers of the Dacarians and their bases and about the slave camps. And they needed to know about the humans they saw running.

“We move out immediately we will try and follow them but we can’t do anything this close. They will have to survive on their own for a little while. Once we are at a safe distance from the camp if they are still alive we will help them.”

They all knew that it was the best decision and the smart one as well. Jenkins and Doc took point and the rest of the men followed them. The nine men disappeared in to the tick jungle moving fast and stealthy, covering their tracks and constantly watching for any pursuit and trap.

City of Grang

Royal Arena

Kobark watched the fight in the arena with interest. As he turned he noticed his son looking but he could not see the admiration as he watched the humans one by one die by the hands of the chosen legionaries. The legionaries were chosen from the surviving guards in the Giak Slave Camp. The sudden Illian attack on the camp the previous night caused quite a stir. Several hundred slaves managed to escape, at least a dozen humans among them and a large group of Lacarian soldiers as well who used the confusion created by the attack. As he watched the human suddenly managed to give a death blow to the legionary he was fighting.  Humans had attacked the guards and gave the rest of the prisoners a chance to escape. Several thousand slaves were killed and he knew that that wouldn’t look good in his next report. He also knew that compared with the rule of his predecessor who had had his hands full with several rebellions and who had had to answer for the deaths of more than three hundred thousand slaves he had a relatively easy rein. He squashed the rebellion the first cycle he got the command and then started attacking the rest of the Illian communities that were left largely alone by the previous governors. They were settlements placed in the deep jungles of the continents, inhospitable regions which the Dacarians didn’t need and their constant resistance was used by the previous governors to train the five legions placed on this world, as well as the other trainees from the legions that were raised from the local population of Dacarians. The resistance from those regions constantly inflamed the rebellions in the slave camps and he knew that among the Illian there were many escaped slaves from the camps that fought together with them. He planned to destroy them once and for all and finally bring peace to this world that was part of the empire for several hundred cycles. He knew that the chances of a rebellion succeeding were nonexistent considering the closeness of the Drukat Five Star base and the constant presence of a large fleet in this star system.

“Marak you should pay a close attention to the humans.”

The young Dacarian turned and looked at his father.

“Why should I father? Soon their home world will be in our hands and they will no longer be a threat. As for the ones here, they are fighting a lost cause.”

The legate looked with a look that silenced his son.

“Marak, I, our clan taught you to value and respect your opponents.”

“Yes father, but they are weak, fragile creatures. I know our history, but unlike Ristarion I don’t believe they are such a threat. They are just like the humans down there in the Arena. He has his armor from their past and yes he won one battle but he couldn’t win the war. He knows he will lose and die.”

As he said the last words a strong punch caught him in the face and before he could recover another one followed. In the enclosed space of their private stand only the two legionaries standing in the back witnessed the rage and the embarrassment of the young commander. But they also witnessed why Kobark was so respected in the legions.

“I know you’re nothing like Ristarion, I could only wish that you were like him but you are all I have. Arios was lucky in that regard. I constantly hope that you will learn but you never do.”

The young legionary wiped the blood from his face and sat back.

”Look at me boy!”

The shout made him turn and look in to the face of his father.

“Don’t you know your history, our history Marak? Do you forget that even on their death bed they destroyed three quarters of our fleet and set us back for a hundred cycles maybe more?

Look at that human down there Marak. Yes, he knows that he will die, but there is no shame, no fear in him. If there is any regret it is that he won’t kill more of us. Let me tell you a story son.

Thousands of cycles ago, when the Zerg Commonwealth sold human slaves, the same slaves whose descendants we have here now, they sold a group of roman legionaries to a young arrogant Legate like yourself.

They told him that just like our legions the roman legions were unstoppable and that the legionaries were great warriors equal to our own.

In his arrogance he chose to test the theory. He arrayed the captured Romans, gave them back their armor, standard and weapons, and then armed our own legion and arrayed it against them.

He believed that the legion would crush them. Instead of that the legion suffered a crushing defeat and most of the legionaries were massacred. And when he went to congratulate the humans on their victory those that survived used that moment to kill him and his guard and then escape and entice a rebellion. That rebellion is now known as the first Slave insurrection and primitive soldiers, humans, his forefathers started it. It took the empire twenty cycles to destroy it and three more rebellions to finally squelch the unrest down. Every other race that has been in our hands for as long as the humans have has lost its desire for fighting, its dreams for freedom. All, all races, except them. The humans still dream, they still fight, just like last night. They are willing to endure anything, to do all they can to survive and they use the first chance they have to try and free themselves. Last night hundreds of them died but we lost more than sixty legionaries when they attacked and overwhelmed the guards without use of any weapons. Sixty legionaries Marak, they used their bare hands to kill sixty legionaries.”

The younger Dacarian watched his father and slowly lowered his head in submission. That was a sure sign that he realized his mistake at least to the people that didn’t know him as well as Kobark did. But the older legate didn’t raise his voice instead he turned and signaled the two legionaries standing guard to exit.

“Marak you have to stop underestimating your enemies. The humans are a dangerous opponent and so is everyone else if you look at them without respect. Last night son was a perfect example for that. We, me included underestimated the Illian population that still lives relatively free in the jungles of this world. The attack on Giak last night was just one of the six attacks on slave camps. They planned them well and executed them almost to perfection…”

As Marak watched his father he slowly understood him. He knew his father was devious and used schemes that would allow him to execute his plans without question.

“Except that you expected them too.”

The look the legate gave his son showed respect.

“Yes. I increased the attacks on their population on the outskirts of the jungle, I wanted them to try and free the ones we captured and brought here. And now I have men in place, men that will follow them to their camps and destroy the small group of soldiers that are constantly attacking our troops that go deeper in to the jungle.”

“And then we will finally destroy and capture all Illian communities that are hiding out there.”

“Yes them, them and the surviving Ksand and any other escaped slaves that are using those communities to hide.”

“You believe that there are Ksand that are hiding among them?”

Kobark looked thoughtful for a moment.

“Yes Marak, you know that this used to be the Ksand home world, those space defenses we have up there are a proof of that and the fact that the Illian’s know exactly where to hide from our sensors…to use the terrain and even some Ksand weaponry, yes they are there. Not many I think, but some for sure.”

“You are a good teacher father. I’m sorry I am not the best student.”

“You have time Marak. After all there was a time when I was just like you.”

The last comment brought a smile to the face of the young Dacarian. The smile showed the rows of sharp teeth and it would have looked scary on another race but it was a sign of pleasure common to all races. Marak was the oldest of the three sons Kobark had, he had two sisters as well, one of them from the same mother that died when they were young. The second marriage brought competition but Kobark was a father that never allowed his children to feel that they were not equal. Yes he was harsh on his sons, but he was also fair and with time their stepmother learned to be the same.

She was here on this world now in their home preparing for her new mission. Just like his father she was an officer but not in the army. She was part of the Dacarian Navy and she was supposed to take command of one of the new heavy cruisers that would arrive in this cycle and that would be headed to the Lacarian front. He knew that his father hated the fact that he would be separated from Lukhma but it was something that both Kobark and Lukhma knew could happen. They were all soldiers of the empire and they all served.

He smiled at that thought, they represented the Al Mach clan, a clan that even though now didn’t wield the power it had in the past, was still a clan that was honored and respected. He knew that his grandfather once said that the Al Mach was the backbone of the empire, the best of it. 

The shout of the crowd and the shriek from the human fighting in the arena was a sign that the fighting was over.

They both looked to see the winning legionary who bowed to them and left the arena while the next round of fighters were going inside.

Kobark raised his hand and a member of their praetorian guard entered. Marak turned and noticed that it was Golan the praetorian commander.

“Are the troops in place Golan?”

The praetorian looked at his legate. In another case this would be a sign of disrespect but Golan and Kobark had long history, a history going back to the time of the Sicarian war and the signs of master and subordinate where long gone. They were equal warriors wearing the same scars and good friends. Golan was one of Marak’s teachers and also one of his body guards should there be a need of one.