The Icarian Legacy Collected Edition: Brave Souls - First Strike (Volume 3) (88 page)

As he did she smiled even more and then hugged him and kissed him on the cheek.

He noticed her mother waiting at the door. He noticed tears in her eyes.

He took Aya to her.

He put her down and looked at her eyes.

“Go to your mom angel.”

The girl watched him with eyes that showed she couldn’t understand his words.  

“Momma…”

He smiled. She at least understood that word.

“Yes momma.”

He took her hand and took her to her mother. As he came closer she took Aya and took her inside.

She stopped for a second and turned.

“Thank you Lieutenant Kelley. Thank you.”

He nodded.

“There is no need to thank me. It is good to see her smile. Tell her that she will get one more tomorrow.”

The Illian female nodded and turned.

As she did he noticed the other children smiling and giggling. They all had chocolates and other sweets in their hands and were eating them with joy.

“Yes it is a good thing to see them happy.”

He felt relaxed and he knew that he had that little girl to thank for it. As he came out of the house he noticed Ellis watching him.

He was smiling.

“Don’t start John.”

“Sure thing boss…It’s just, I think she has a new daddy.”

Kelley turned and punched Ellis in the shoulder.

“I think I can say the same about Osak for you. I think I saw your chocolate in his hand.”

Ellis smiled at the reply. The small boy was his own follower.

“Well we sure didn’t expect this when we came here did we Lt.”

“It will be tough when we leave them.”

“Yeah…But at least now we know what we are fighting for, don’t we?”

  Kelley looked at his XO. They both knew that this was already a huge breach in their orders and they knew that it probably won’t be the last.

“We just have to deliver them to that base, make contact and then leave them and return to our mission.”

Ellis nodded.

“Is the perimeter covered?”

“Yes. Rhodes and his team have first watch. We are next so we should get some rest.”

Kelley nodded.

They both took their sleeping bags and joined the other members of their team.

Six hours later they started waking the mixed group of civilians. They took a quick breakfast eating some of the food rations they had and sharing with everyone while several of the Illians went through the houses picking up food for the rest of the journey.

He noticed the Illians and the others looking at the bodies of the former residents of the village. There were mostly women and children. It was a sad sight. But they moved beside them just gently touching them and saying a prayer.

They didn’t move the bodies knowing that that would pose a risk. As Kelley watched them he knew that this must be something that they are used to. He remembered seeing this sight back on Earth in villages in Africa and South America. It was something that made him angry and as he saw the others he knew that they felt it too. But there was nothing they could do.

Not now.

Half an hour later they were already on the move.

They moved faster thanks to the rest. It was obvious that the civilians were refreshed from the rest. Delta was forward while Gamma covered the rear.

They stopped several times and lay low as shuttles passed over head.

Kelley knew that it was a small chance to be noticed in the jungle that covered them but he took every precaution he could.

It was early afternoon when Mitchell returned. Kelley needed just one look to know that the news weren’t good.

He didn’t ask just looked at Ellis and then they both moved forward. The rest of the group kept moving slowly behind them.

It took them ten minutes to reach a small hill that overlooked a village placed in a small clearing. The village was covered by the jungle but there were several places that were in the open and it was these places that gave them up to the shuttles.

The view showed something Kelley hoped would never witness again. It was a massacre. 

He could see groups of killed children, and he noticed many running while the legionaries followed them slowly taking their time. Small children were crying beside their dead parents and he winced as he noticed a legionary throw a small baby in to a burning house. Some of the villagers were trying to fight but they were cut down easy.

He didn’t notice the group coming closer.

He heard the shudder behind him as they saw what was unfolding and several even started crying.

“Get the children in the rear Morai.”

The words came from Arnes. Morai followed the order without question and so did the rest of the civilians. They all retreated. The humans stayed and watched

Arnes joined them.

He looked at the massacre that was unfolding in front of his eyes. His eyes were filled with tears. Miur and Hars fell to the ground and covered their eyes. He wished that he could do the same but he couldn't. He turned and looked at the humans standing around him. He could see that they were also disgusted by what they were seeing. But by the look in their eyes he knew that they have seen it before.

“This is what they do. They sometimes come and start killing everyone. But they don't kill them quickly. They take their time. They kill them slowly, painfully. They kill everyone. They let us be for some time and then they attack like this.

You have seen them do this kind of atrocities before, haven't you human?”

The human turned and looked at him. His dark eyes looked hunted when he spoke.

“We've seen it before, but it wasn't the Dacarians that did it. It was our own kind. It was a long time ago but i still see their faces, the faces of the dead, the faces of the children.”

Arnes looked at him and he could sense that both Miur and Hars were staring at the humans. He could sense their fear.

“Your own people did these things to them selves?”

The human didn't turn. He just looked straight ahead at the carnage and answered him.

“Yes that and so much more. Our race has done so many terrible things in the past, things you can't even imagine. We learned from it, and we vowed that we will never let those things happen again.”

He then turned his head towards him and repeated that same word.

“Never!!!”

He raised his hand and the other soldiers stepped up.

Ellis looked at his team leader. He knew the parameters of the mission, they all knew them. He knew that they had strict orders not to get involved, only to gather information for when the fleet arrived.

But they all knew that look on the commanders face.

“Lt?”

Lieutenant Kelley looked at his first officer. He knew that he might be acting against orders but he knew that he can’t allow this to happen.

“James, think about the rules of engagement…Our orders.”

“We are already involved Ellis. Bring them up.”

Ellis made a circle with his right hand and the rest of the members of the team stepped forward.

Arnes looked at the human soldiers. He knew what they were about to do. He looked at their strange weapons. He turned to his own men. They like him were looking at the strange humans before them.

He stepped up to their leader.

“You should stop. There is nothing you can do to help them. Nothing except stay alive and fight another day.”

The human soldier didn't even bother to answer him. Instead he kept on talking to the rest of his men on their strange language.

“Atkins you and your team will disable their attack ship.”

Eight human soldiers disappeared without saying a word in to the thick forest.

“Rhodes you cover the right. We'll take the left. Ford you take the front.”

Then he turned to Arnes and spoke in Latin.

“Tell your men to stay back.”

He then turned and followed his men.

The rest of the Illians stepped forward and turned their eyes toward the settlement. Four Dacarian legionnaires were preparing to kill couple of the females and four children that they gathered on the small clearing in front of the settlement. As the Dacarians pointed their weapons Arnes heard four pop ups from the trees that were surrounding them.

In just a second the four legionnaires fell dead on the ground with small holes in their heads. Arnes turned and noticed that in the trees around them four snipers were systematically taking out every Dacarian that was in the open. Then they noticed the human soldiers that entered the settlement. They entered from three sides and started clearing the houses. The legionnaires never saw them coming.

Just seconds later the fourth team entered from the east side. Arnes took the binoculars and looked at where the attack ship was placed. He noticed two human soldiers guarding it and seven dead Dacarians.

He noticed as a Dacarian legionary came face to face with one of the humans. He had seen the Dacarians in hand to hand combat and knew that the human had no chance against him. They had sharp talons and scales on their hands that they used with deadly accuracy. The Dacarian swung his hand in what looked as a crushing blow and tried to start the alarm with his other hand. Ellis, that was the name of the human soldier moved with a stunning speed. Before the Dacarian was even aware the smaller human sent several crushing blows to his head and neck. The Dacarian collapsed on the ground and the human finished him with a knife stroke in the neck. Black blood started spreading under the body.

He noticed as several Dacarians noticed the humans coming to them. Before they could react the snipers and the team of humans in front of them eliminated them with several well placed shots. It was obvious that the humans knew how to kill the legionnaires, and that the weapons that the humans used had no trouble going through the legionnaire’s armor. They were simple projectile weapons but they were extremely effective. The armor that the legionnaires were wearing was made to resist strong laser and plasma weapons but it had no chance against the projectile weapons the humans used. They had mentioned during their talks that they used a heavy armor piercing ammunition. They also mentioned that they are here as a prelude to an invasion. He laughed at their words then and he had a hard time believing that they might stand a chance against the might of the legions. But what he was seeing now, what happened before his eyes made him believe. He knew from the humans in the camps that they are tough, and he had heard the stories of ancient times and the legends of the Alterans. But until today those were just words from dying old prisoners, just stories that brought false hope. Today he could see the truth in those words. He knew that these humans had no knowledge about those ancient times. He still remembered the shock in their eyes when they noticed the human slaves in the camps. But he knew in his heart that they were the true descendants of the Alterans. The legends were true. Some of them must have survived. In just couple of minutes all the legionaries lay dead. Just two of them were left alive but unconscious. He noticed that the humans were trying to help the Illians that were staring at them filled with fear. One of the humans looked straight at him and gestured for them to come forward.

It took him just a moment to understand. Then he turned and waved his men forward.

Morai came first followed by the others.

“Leave the children and several of their mothers here. All the rest come with me down there we have to help them and convince those that survived to come with us.”

Morai didn’t say anything. It was obvious that he was still shocked. Arnes knew that this must have happened to his own village and it probably woke memories for all of them.

He wondered how many times in the past several weeks this picture played out.

How many villages were destroyed in the same way?

As they came down to the village the first thing he noticed was the smell of burning bodies. Several of the humans were dragging the dead bodies of the legionaries and throwing them in to the burning houses.

The rest of his group overcame its shock and spread out moving and helping the surviving civilians.

He noticed one human soldier cradling a small Illian girl. She was young from one look Arnes thought she must be no more than four cycles. She was crying outside one of the houses. He could notice a captured dacarian inside. That made it three that were still alive. The other two were on the other side across the yard and three humans watched and he could see murder in their eyes.

The dacarians showed no fear. Arnes didn’t expect it. This group was one of the death squads. They were cold blooded murderers that carried out missions like this one. The rebels tried to hunt them down but almost always they reached too late to do anything but burry the dead bodies.

He noticed the anger in the warriors that came with Morai.

It was anger and anguish he felt as well. But now was not the time. And as he looked at the humans he knew that these dacarians will get what they deserve.