Ryonna's Trials: Novella 1 (Universe in Flames Book 20) Read online

  When Ryonna landed she rolled and arrived right in front of the stunned sentinel. As she stood up she swiped her blade vertically and cut him in half. The sentinel’s blade was so thin it went through him like a hot knife through butter. The cut was so precise the sentinel’s body didn’t move, but blood flowed from his forehead, then his nose and soon his chin. More pain radiated from within her. Her acrobatic landing had made things worse. In a fit of rage she kicked the already-dead, but miraculously still-standing, sentinel and his body split in two almost perfectly symmetrical parts. Each part fell to the ground, spraying blood on the nearest walls and tables.

  Everything had happened quickly, but when Ryonna heard someone scream after the gruesome display of her last take down, she realized the visual impairment of the flash bomb was probably wearing off. She looked towards the scream and saw two shadow droids cutting a path through the still-disoriented crowd inside the bar.

  Time to get the fuck outta here!

  Ignoring the pain throbbing throughout her body, she grabbed the unconscious Grolax and dragged him through the back entrance as fast as she could, spilling a trail of her own blood in her wake.

  C H A P T E R

  IV

  Ryonna kicked open the back door of the bar and stumbled into the alley. It was pouring rain. She looked around for a sign of her shuttle but it wasn’t there. She only had a few seconds before the shadow droids caught up with her. She dropped Grolax to one side, used her blaster at max setting to weld the door to its frame with a few well-placed shots, and then took a small device that Alix had given her. She deployed it on the ground in front of the door. When she tried rising up she was rewarded with another jolt of pain. That was when she saw the trail of blood she had left behind.

  This is not good. I’ll need to see that annoying holo-doc soon or it will be the end of me.

  She dragged Grolax for a few more yards before activating her communicator. “Alix, where are you? I have shadow droids on my back. I need you now!”

  “You weren’t there thirty seconds ago when I made my flyby.”

  She swore in her head. That’s what she had been afraid of. Her fight with the sentinels had taken longer than originally planned, and she had called Alix too early.

  “Can you come by for another pass, pronto?”

  “Trying to, but I’ve picked up a bogie on my tail. Hathan security isn’t keen on unauthorized flybys in town. These guys don’t mess around; they shoot first and ask questions later.”

  Things were looking bleak. There was no way she could dispatch both the droids in her current condition. She estimated that if it took her more than twenty minutes to get back on board Alix’s ship, she would bleed to death.

  “Do your best. I’ve lost a lot of blood. Could use the pick-up.”

  “You do realize this information could give me an incentive to just let you die down there?”

  “I do, but I also think you know that, should I survive, my wrath would go beyond anything you can imagine. But strike that. I’ve decided to trust you. Hope you won’t let me down.”

  “On my way. Be ready. I should be flying over your position within a minute.”

  But then she heard a heavy, metallic clunk against the door. The shapes of punches deformed the thick steel door. She took to one knee, went for another contraption in the pocket of her jacket and mounted it on her blaster.

  This better work or I’m toast.

  After ten more seconds of pounding, the door finally gave way.

  As the first shadow droid stepped out, the device she had planted magnetically stuck onto its leg. The droid looked down just in time to see the device explode, spreading its body parts in every direction. Ryonna had to dodge one of its arms that was propelled towards her.

  The flames weren’t yet out when the second droid emerged from the fire, both arms extended, and started shooting lasers from its palms towards Ryonna.

  She jumped to the side, aimed her blaster at the incoming droid and pressed the trigger. But her blaster jammed.

  “You’ve got to be shitting me!”

  She grabbed the top of a nearby garbage can and used it to block the incoming laser shots. As the droid approached, it kicked the red-hot piece of metal from her hands and pointed its palm at her face. A supercharged jolt of adrenaline rose inside her and she reacted instinctively, rolling to the side at the exact moment the droid fired. She scissored the droid’s legs with her own with just enough force to make it stumble and crash its head against the nearest wall. But that was a short reprieve. The droid was back on its feet faster than Ryonna expected and definitely faster than her. The next thing she saw was the droid’s black, metallic foot hitting her full force in the face. She flew upwards and backwards for a good fifteen yards before landing in a garbage bin. Her head spun and her sight was compromised by blood flowing into her eyes.

  That’s it, I’m toast.

  She heard the ominous, metallic steps of the shadow droid approaching the trash bin. Her entire body ached. She mustered every last bit of energy just to raise her head and get a visual on her approaching foe. No way was she dying without looking at her executioner. That was not the Droxian way. If she died today, she would die with honor. Time slowed. She looked at the incoming, black-matte droid, droplets of rain rebounding from its exoskeleton as its eyes shone bright yellow. It was already raising its palm to aim at her head.

  I’m so sorry, Ronan. Forgive me.

  The light inside the hand-integrated, repulser blaster shone brightly, and each of her strongest memories flashed before her eyes. But then she saw a missile exploding on the shadow droid’s torso, just as it fired its shot. It deflected its aim just enough so that the shot burned a hole an inch from Ryonna’s head, burning some of her hair in the process. The droid was ejected hundreds of yards away in the back alley and crashed to the ground with a very loud, metallic clunk.

  Ryonna climbed down from the garbage dump and let herself fall to the ground. She ached everywhere, and barely had enough energy to get back to her feet; but, with a tremendous effort, she stood up, picked up her blaster and holstered it. She approached Grolax, where she had left him on the ground before engaging the shadow droids.

  He moaned. The stun effect was probably wearing off. He was a fat bastard, after all. He opened his eyes a little, blinking heavily. Then he opened them wide.

  “You!”

  Her holo-suit must have been damaged and she probably appeared in her own form. Ryonna didn’t let him regain his bearings. She clocked him straight in the face with a powerful right hook that sent him back into unconsciousness.

  She activated her communicator.

  “Thanks for the assist.”

  “Anytime. I’m coming around for another pass. I’ve dispatched my security escort, but it won’t be long before they send many more after us. We have to get out of here!”

  “Yes we do. I see you in approach.”

  “No, no, can’t be me. I’m still six blocks away, turning back now.”

  “Oh just great. Hey, Alix, any idea why my blaster jammed when I tried using the EMP add-on you gave me?”

  “Did you turn it counterclockwise?”

  “No, why?”

  “It’s a security feature.”

  The incoming ship, with a green laser pointer scanning the ground, approached her position quickly.

  “Hang on, I got to deal with this now.”

  “Use the EMP!”

  My thoughts exactly.

  She unlocked the add-on on her blaster and re-attached it counterclockwise. A green LED lit its cylindrical shape.

  As the incoming ship approached at tremendous speed, laser shots impacted the street, shooting flames and stones upward.

  She set her weapon to max power and squeezed the trigger. A strong, blue sphere of light headed straight towards the ship. On impact, the ship was engulfed in a spherical, EMP shockwave. Its lights flickered briefly before going dark, and its engine died almost instantly. The shi
p fell to the ground like a heavy boulder. It destroyed much of the concrete on its trajectory towards Ryonna, emitting sparks and igniting fires along the way. It came to a halt just a yard from her position.

  Ryonna removed the EMP add-on from her blaster, making sure the blaster stayed at its maximum kill setting, and aimed at the ship’s canopy. She saw another sentinel at the helm, lined her shot and sent a deadly discharge from her weapon right in the middle of his eyes. The sentinel’s head fell on the ship’s pilot console. Soon Ryonna heard the familiar humming of an incoming ship.

  She grabbed Grolax just as Alix landed the shuttle. When its doors opened she threw the sad but heavy bag of fat and bones to the floor and fell to her knees.

  “Get us the hell back to your ship at maximum speed.”

  “Sure thing, boss. You’d better grab on to something.”

  But Ryonna had already collapsed to the ground, barely conscious as more of her blood spilled onto the floor of the Alliance shuttle.

  C H A P T E R

  V

  Ryonna felt queasy. She was moving but didn’t have the strength to open her eyes. Her body was put into a horizontal position. A voice in the distance said something about the nature of the medical emergency. That’s when she remembered what had happened. A jolt of adrenaline brought her back to consciousness. She sat up and caught the arm of the person nearest her. It took a second for her sight to adjust.

  “Easy, Ryonna! You’re badly hurt,” said Alix, whose hand Ryonna had just grabbed.

  “Where are we?”

  “We’re back on my ship. Lie down and let the doc and I work on you. It’s a miracle you’re still alive.”

  “Why don’t I feel pain anymore?”

  “The doc injected you with powerful painkillers.”

  “Grolax?”

  “I’ve secured him in a room.”

  “He must not be allowed to escape. He’s a fat sneaky weasel.”

  “Don’t worry, he won’t. I used your blaster to stun him once more when he regained consciousness. That made him puke all over the floor of the shuttle.”

  “That happens sometimes,” said Ryonna, lying back down with a smile on her face.

  “Rest now. He’s not going anywhere. I triple lassoed him to the chair in one of my guest rooms. Would you like me to interrogate him for you?”

  “No, I’ll do that myself when I’m back on my feet.”

  “That could take a day or two.”

  “Unacceptable. That’s way too long. Tell the doc to patch me up and inject as much stimulant as needed. I need to be up in two hours.”

  “I must object to this course of action. There could be some serious side effects,” said the holo-doc.

  “Stuff it, Doc, you’ll do as we tell you!”

  The doc looked at Alix for confirmation.

  “Do as she says. Patch her up and make sure she’s up in two hours, I guess.” Alix shrugged.

  “Thanks, Alix.”

  “Hope you’ll remember that, next time you feel like killing me.”

  “We both know who started that game.”

  “I really must insist that my patient gets some rest now,” added the holo-doc.

  Ryonna shot him a murderous look.

  “Alix, you’ve earned your life back today. I will probably still need your ship, but you can get it back when I get sent to Hellstar.”

  “That’s your plan? Get locked in Hellstar? Are you insane? Nobody escapes.”

  “Please, she needs her rest.” The holo-doc was becoming more insistent by the minute.

  “Alright, we’ll talk about this later. Now relax and let the doc work on you.”

  Ryonna nodded and closed her eyes as Alix exited the med-bay.

  * * *

  When Ryonna opened her eyes the doc was using a glass medical pad to run some scans.

  “It’s been two hours already?”

  “I’m afraid I had to let you sleep a little longer.”

  “WHAT?”

  “After fixing your obvious wounds I detected cerebral hemorrhaging. I had to operate and that required a minimum of five hours’ rest. It’s still risky waking you now. It goes against all my programming.”

  Ryonna wanted to slap the holographic particles off the doc, but she had been around enough wounded people during her time with the Droxian military to recognize that a brain hemorrhage was not something to be taken lightly. She probably got that from the powerful kick the shadow droid had inflicted on her in the alley.

  “Very well, Doc, where can I find Alix?”

  “He’s on the bridge, waiting for you to recover.”

  “How soon can I go, Doc?”

  “You’re about done. Let me inject another stimulant, but I would avoid stressing your system any more than needed in the next few days. I’m serious. Your body won’t be able to take such beatings a second time, unless you give it time to recover.”

  As the doc injected her with the stimulant, a jolt of energy coursed through her body and she jumped out of bed.

  “Can’t make any promises, Doc. I’m on a tight schedule.”

  “Well, you’ve been warned. There’s little more I can do.”

  “Thanks, Doc.”

  “You’re welcome.”

  Ryonna exited med-bay and arrived on the bridge a minute later. Grolax was seated near Alix and her blood boiled. She reached for her holster but her blaster wasn’t there; neither were any of the smaller blades she usually carried.

  “What the hell is he doing out and about?” asked Ryonna, pissed.

  They both stood and Grolax shot Alix a look and smiled.

  “He made me an offer, a very difficult one to refuse,” said Alix, pointing Ryonna’s own blaster at her.

  “You should not trust this piece of garbage.”

  Grolax snorted. “Look who’s talking. At least I have something tangible to offer our friend here beside his life.”

  Ryonna kept walking towards the pair.

  “That’s far enough,” warned Alix.

  She thought she saw him wink at her.

  “Shoot her, and you’ll be rewarded beyond your wildest dreams, as we discussed.”

  Ryonna took the last three steps towards Grolax and Alix, who was still pointing the blaster at her.

  “Discussed?” asked Ryonna with murder in her eyes.

  “Sorry, pal,” said Alix as he swung the blaster into the back of Grolax’s head, sending him crashing to the ground.

  He threw the blaster at Ryonna who caught it promptly and holstered it. She smiled at him.

  “Once you have what you want from him, I wouldn’t mind if you managed to convince him to still send me the money he promised,” said Alix with an another wink.

  “Consider it done.”

  “I’ll kill you both for this!” exclaimed Grolax, holding him head.

  “I think you got it backwards, my friend.”

  He spat on her shoes. “You’re a dead girl, Ryonna!”

  She kneed him on the chin with such force it raised him back up, and Alix caught him and immobilized both his arms behind his back, exerting enough force to make sure Grolax felt the pain.

  Grolax turned his head. “You’re dead too, by the way.”

  Alix moved his head from side to side. “Sorry, pal, I’m pretty sure I just bet on the winning horse.”

  Before Grolax could answer, Ryonna punched him in the guts. Grolax vomited on the floor.

  “Was repainting my carpet really necessary?”

  “I suppose I can expect the same in my shuttle? Now we’re square, puke wise.”

  “Right,” said Alix, with a smile that demonstrated he enjoyed their playful banter.

  Ryonna couldn’t help wondering again why she saw Alix die at her hands. Perhaps he was really good at hiding his ulterior motives. Still, something didn’t feel right. She really felt as though she could trust him now; but perhaps that was part of his plan.

  When Grolax finished his disgusting and pathetic disp
lay of weakness, she grabbed him by the throat and lifted him five feet off the floor, effectively cutting his air flow. She looked at him with disdain as he slowly changed color.

  He tried to speak but was unable to.

  “I think he wants to tell you something.”

  “Give it a little more time.”

  “Not sure he has that much. He doesn’t seem to be a very healthy fellow.”

  “Are you, Grolax?” said Ryonna casually, as his face turned a deeper shade of blue. “No, Alix is right. You clearly don’t lead a very healthy lifestyle.”

  When it looked as if Grolax would faint or even die, Ryonna released her grip. He fell to the ground as unceremoniously as a bag of potatoes. He wheezed, trying to catch his breath, and panted heavily. Rivers of sweat dripped from his ugly mug.

  “What . . . what is it you want from me?”

  “Feel like talking now? It has the advantage of requiring you to breathe, so all in all a good decision. I need to find someone who either works or has worked on Hellstar.”

  “Again with that. Forget about Ronan. He’s toast!”

  “Oh boy, you should really think twice before using that mouth of yours,” said Alix.

  Ryonna’s blood boiled. She struggled with the impulse of blasting Grolax’s head clean off with her blaster. She thought of Ronan and envisioned the day she would rescue him. That gave her just enough strength to regain control over her erupting emotions.

  “I’ll give you this one for free, Grolax, but next time you mention my son’s name, I’ll cut you into little pieces while you’re alive and feed them back to you.”