《The Hydra》


 Chapter 1

    A man kicked open the door to the royal car of a speeding hover-train. He gripped a pistol firmly in each hand. A lavishly dressed woman at the other end of the car screamed with terror. He shot the two guards next to her before they could raise their rifles. He strutted forward with his chin held high.


    ¡°I¡¯ve been looking forward to this for a long time, princess,¡± he said. He holstered the pistol in his left hand, and he aimed the one in his right at the princess¡¯s forehead.


    ¡°Killing me will do nothing,¡± she said in an icy tone. ¡°My father will hunt down your pathetic little rebellion and wipe you out.¡±


    He chuckled. ¡°Killing you will be the first step in liberating Entaya from your father¡¯s cruel reign, and once he¡¯s gone the planet will finally be able to li-¡°


    A bolt of blue plasma flashed through his chest from behind, leaving a gaping hole. He gasped for breath, clutching at his chest to no avail. He fell to the ground to reveal Garion, a tall, averagely built dark elf with light gray skin, short black hair, and deep blue eyes. He stepped over the corpse of the man and extended his hand to the princess.


    ¡°Are you alright?¡± he asked.


    She glared at him with disdain and stood up, refusing his help. ¡°It¡¯s about time you showed up, he almost killed me.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve been dealing with all the other rebels on this train. It¡¯s not my fault those guards of yours are completely incompetent,¡± he said, turning to go back into the next car. ¡°Besides, I did just save your life, a thank you would be nice.¡± He popped open the ceiling hatch in the next car and pulled himself up. The city of Millia was getting closer and closer, only about five minutes away by his estimate. He dropped back down into the car. ¡°We¡¯re almost there, just a few minutes,¡± he told her.The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.


    The door to the next car swung open and Mahios-Tei, a well-built, blue-scaled Teelian with amber eyes, came in.


    ¡°Tei, how we lookin¡¯?¡± Garion asked.


    ¡°We¡¯ve got two more speeders coming up on the rear, about eight rebels total. Looks like they¡¯re trying one last time,¡± he told him.


    Garion nodded. ¡°Alright, we¡¯ll wait for them to come to us.¡±


    They knelt on either side of the car, fixing their guns on the door. Garion rested the barrel of his rifle on the seat in front of him. He looked back at the princess.


    ¡°You better get back into your car,¡± he told her.


    She narrowed her eyes at him before going back into the royal car, shutting the door behind her.


    The sound of footsteps got louder as the rebels approached. The door swung open, but instead of seeing the rebels surge forward, a canister rolled into the car, and smoke spewed out from either side flooding the car. Garion took the butt of his gun and slammed it against the window next to him. Plasma bolts came pouring into the room, one missed Garion¡¯s head by a few millimeters. It took a few hits but the window shattered, and shards of glass got sucked out by the strong wind, taking the smoke with them.


    He ducked down behind the seat to shield himself from the gunfire. Tei had already taken out two of the rebels, leaving six left. He was poking his head out from the side of the seat, firing in three-burst shots. Garion jumped up from the top of the seat, holding down the trigger and spraying plasma bolts at the rebels. Three of them fell to the ground, and the other three were shot by Tei as they looked at GarionGarion.


    ¡°I think that went well,¡± Tei said with a smirk.


    Garion nodded. ¡°Could¡¯ve gone worse.¡±


    The train automatically started to slow down, throwing everyone forward. Garion climbed back out through the hatch and saw the station quickly approaching. He dropped back down and knocked on the door to the royal car. ¡°Look alive, princess, we¡¯re here.¡± She stepped out into the car and adjusted her crown. She took a deep breath and prepared herself to greet the people. The train kept decreasing in speed and finally came to a stop. The doors slid open and the crowd of people waiting kneeled, and the princess stepped through the crowd with Garion and Tei on either side of her as they made their way to the palace.

 Chapter 2

    Garion¡¯s gaze swept across the crowds that kneeled as they walked past. He¡¯d come all this way and there was no way he was going to lose his pay to some random thug. The city of Millia was alive with chatter. Townspeople talked with each other as they went about their day, merchants bartered with their customers, guards joked and laughed as they went about their patrols. Speeders rode down the streets, covered by the towering shadows of the skyscrapers above them. It was too much for him to keep track of. He kept his hand close to his pistol, which was sitting snug in its holster. As they continued to walk down the bustling streets, he could feel the odd looks the people were giving him and Tei. He didn¡¯t have to worry about it for too long, however, as when they rounded a corner they faced their destination.


    The palace was a large, grand structure, with tall spires reaching much higher than the other buildings. The gate that surrounded it looked more like it was decoration than to keep people out. The two guards standing watch at the gate shifted into attention as the princess approached. They heaved the gate open and the trio walked in. Garion looked back as the gate squeaked shut behind them. They strolled along the stone pathway through the front garden, filled with flowers of all shapes, sizes, and colors. Another pair of guards at the front door stood at attention and opened the ornately carved silver door.


    The palace was just as grand on the inside as it was on the outside. The large main hallway branched off into several smaller corridors, which all lead to different places. The princess led them through the long, winding hallways, navigating them with ease. They approached the door to the main throne room, and the guard that was standing watch held up his hand for them to stop. Garion heard voices inside the chamber.


    ¡°I still need time to make a decision. However, the Obsidian Coalition has helped us in the past, and that won¡¯t go unnoticed. I will inform you when I make my decision, until then, you are dismissed.¡±This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    The doors heaved open and a snow elf dressed an Obsidian Coalition officer¡¯s uniform marched out, with a soldier on either side. The princess exhaled heavily as she stepped into the large throne room. Inside, the planet¡¯s king, Lorsan, lounged on his throne as he spoke in a low tone with one of his advisors. One of the guards standing next to him leaned in and whispered, pointing at the three newcomers. Lorsan looked up, and his expression lit up with joy.


    ¡°Ah, Rania! My beloved daughter has returned. Tell me, how did your trip go?¡±


    She motioned for Garion and Tei to stay where they were, and she stepped forward a few feet. ¡°We were attacked by rebels the whole way back,¡± she answered.


    Lorsan looked around with his brow raised. ¡°What of the guards I sent with you?¡±


    ¡°All dead father, the two mercenaries were the only ones to survive.¡± She looked back at the two men.


    He rose from his throne and descended from the elevated platform it rested on. He walked past Rania and stood face to face with Garion and Tei. ¡°So it seems I have you to thank for my daughter¡¯s safe return then,¡±


    Garion held back a snide remark about the guards¡¯ incompetence, at least until after he got paid. ¡°No need to thank us, your majesty,¡± he said.


    Lorsan smiled. ¡°A man of humility I see. That¡¯s a good trait.¡±


    Rania scoffed, still looking at the throne.


    Lorsan looked over to the advisor he was speaking with earlier and nodded. He walked over to the two mercenaries, holding a small metal card in his hand. Garion and Tei, each extended their arms, revealing the chips on the underside of their wrist armor.


    ¡°As agreed upon 5,000 credits each. I will think of you the next time I need services from men of your caliber,¡± Lorsan said.


    The advisor waved the card over each of the chips on their wrists, and a high-pitched beep confirmed it.


    Garion smiled.


    ¡°Thank you, your majesty,¡± He turned around and made his way to the door, and Tei gave Lorsan a small bow before turning to follow.

 Chapter 3

    Tei looked at Garion, leaning back in his seat on their ship.


    ¡°Hey Garion, something just dawned on me.¡±


    ¡°Hm?¡±


    ¡°If it weren¡¯t for us, Rania would¡¯ve died,¡±


    Garion looked up from the screen on the ship¡¯s console. ¡°You¡¯re right. We should¡¯ve asked for a bonus.¡±


    Tei looked out the ship¡¯s cockpit, watching as they raced through lightspeed. ¡°That¡¯s not exactly what I meant, but I guess we could¡¯ve.¡± He sat there in the awkward silence, thinking of what to say to break it. ¡°If they post another job, I think we should take it.¡±


    Garion shrugged. ¡°Depends on what the job is, but they do pay well, so it¡¯s possible.¡±


    The screen started beeping, alerting them that they were arriving at their destination and that they were coming out of lightspeed.


    Garion leaned forward, pressing his hands against the console of his ship as it jolted out of lightspeed. The metal frame shuddered as he lowered the thrusters¡¯ power.


    ¡°Y¡¯know, I think it may be time to retire the Avius,¡± Tei said, knocking against the ship¡¯s hull. ¡°She¡¯s been temperamental for a while now, it¡¯s only a matter of time before she can¡¯t fly anymore.¡±


    ¡°You can retire her when I die Tei,¡± Garion said with a smile. ¡°She was the first ship I had, and I¡¯m not gonna let her collect dust in some garage.¡±


    Tei shrugged. ¡°I¡¯m just saying if she ends up breaking down while we¡¯re on the job, it won¡¯t be good.¡±


    They continued on, heading towards the planet of Acroria. As they neared orbit, they noticed a large ship watching over the planet. They both squinted to get a better look.


    ¡°It¡¯s the Obsidian Coalition,¡± Garion said with a groan.


    ¡°What are they doing here?¡± Tei asked.


    ¡°Ruining the fun,¡± he answered.


    The screen on the console flashed with an incoming communication warning. Garion rolled his eyes before accepting it. ¡°Incoming ship, identify yourself and the purpose of your visit,¡± a voice said.The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.


    ¡°Garion Rilder and Mahios-Tei Xemitus, we¡¯re coming here for work,¡± he said.


    ¡°Your status has been confirmed, you may proceed,¡± the voice said before cutting the transmission.


    Garion gently moved the thrusters forward and they flew closer to the planet. He flicked off the gravity lock as they entered Acroria¡¯s atmosphere, but when the flames that covered the ship during the usual re-entry process appeared, several warning lights on the console came to life and started flashing, accompanied by a monotone beep.


    ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± Tei asked, reading the screen on the console.


    ¡°I think the heat shield just gave out,¡± Garion said. He took a slider and pushed it all the way up. ¡°I put the deflector shields on full power, which should at least keep us from burning up.¡±


    Tei watched as the shield power quickly started draining. The ship shook violently, it would¡¯ve thrown them off their seats if they weren¡¯t strapped in. Suddenly there was a loud clanking sound and the ship started spinning. ¡°Starboard engine is gone,¡± Tei said, looking at the screen.


    The flames covering the ship finally dissipated as they entered the atmosphere. Garion heaved on the stick, trying to counteract the spinning. It slowed a little, making him only slightly less nauseous. ¡°Hold on to something!¡±


    ¡°We need to eject the cockpit!¡± Tei said, reaching for the ejection switch.


    ¡°No, not yet, I need to turn the ship so the body doesn¡¯t crash into the city,¡± Garion said, swatting Tei¡¯s hand away before quickly grabbing the controls again. The south wall came into view, illuminated by the night lights. He pulled on the stick as hard as he could, trying to turn the ship around to face away from the edge of the city. The altitude warning got faster as their descent increased. Garion threw the switch forward and the cockpit shot out, propelling the rest of the ship back to crash just a few hundred meters from the city wall. He then immediately heaved on the cockpit¡¯s emergency thrusters, their descent slowed until they came within arms reach of the roof of the building below them. They both let out a sigh of relief, and Garion pulled the cockpit up. He brought it around the city to the south landing bay, where it gently touched down.


    ¡°Now what?¡± Tei asked.


    Garion was already on the move. ¡°C¡¯mon, we need to go to the wreck. I wanna try to salvage whatever we can.¡±


    He ran through the streets and alleyways, his heart was racing and his mind was desperately trying to catch up. He heard a motor get closer behind him, and suddenly a Coalition troop transport sped past him. He looked back at Tei, who shared the same expression of concern. He looked up past the wall, quickly picking out a black pillar of smoke that rose and contrasted against the starry night sky.


    They ran out through the south gate and saw the remains of the Avius no more than 100 meters away from the wall. A fireteam of Coalition soldiers was sweeping through the wreckage. They all raised their guns as Garion and Tei approached,


    ¡°Stay back looters, this doesn¡¯t concern you,¡± one of them said.


    ¡°Looters?¡± Garion echoed. ¡°This is my ship dammit, or it was at least.¡±


    They lowered their guns. ¡°Well then, I¡¯m sure you won¡¯t mind telling us what happened here?¡±


    ¡°The heat shield gave out during re-entry and we lost our starboard engine. Now if you¡¯ll excuse me,¡± he shoved past him. ¡°I need to see what¡¯s left of this wreck.¡±


    The soldier grabbed Garion by the shoulder. ¡°Don¡¯t bother, there¡¯s nothing here. Now if you¡¯ll excuse us, we have a job to do.¡±


    Garion scowled at him before turning back to the city. ¡°C¡¯mon Tei, let¡¯s go. We can come back later.¡±

 Chapter 4

    ¡°Well now what?¡± Tei asked.


    ¡°We need a new ship that¡¯s what. It¡¯ll probably cost us about 20,000 credits for a new one. ¡± Garion said. He started pacing back and forth. ¡°We¡¯ve got 10,000 between us for the Entaya job, and I¡¯ve got about 2,000 for myself. What about you?¡±


    He shrugged. ¡°Not much, I¡¯d say no more than 1,000 because I bought that rifle.¡±


    That reminded Garion they¡¯d need new weapons, but their pistols would have to do for now. ¡°So that¡¯s 13,000 between us, which means that we need to make 7,000 credits.¡±


    ¡°We better get looking then, it looks like we¡¯ve got our work cut out for us,¡± Tei said.


    The atmosphere of the Stilted House Bar was about the same as any other run of the mill bar, loud music and loud people, but it was places like this where Garion felt the most at home. The door swung open and the two men walked in. A few heads turned as they entered, but nobody said anything. However, one head stayed turned longer than the rest; a cloaked figure¡¯s eyes followed the pair as they sat down at a computer a few tables away from his table, listing off available jobs.


    ¡°Let¡¯s have a look,¡± Garion said, starting to scroll through the options.


    They scrolled past one job after another, each one of them listing off another planet. They scrolled through about three pages of jobs until finally they found one. Garion¡¯s eyes shifted across the screen looking at the pay, only to slump further into his chair.


    ¡°100?¡± He groaned. ¡°Does nobody on this damn planet need anything done? At this rate we¡¯ll never get the money for a new ship.¡±


    The cloaked figure took off his hood, revealing an orc with slicked back black hair and amber eyes. ¡°Hey, you two,¡± He said in a hushed tone.


    Garion barely heard him over the music and chatter. He turned around to see the orc looking at them, gesturing to pull up a seat. He kept his hand near the pistol in his holster as they sat down next to him.


    ¡°You two said you were looking for a ship right?¡± The orc asked.


    ¡°Yeah, what of it?¡± Garion asked.


    ¡°Listen, I¡¯ll cut right to the chase. I¡¯ve got a job for you, and if you do it right I¡¯ll reward you with credits, and I¡¯ll take you to a place where you can get a good ship for cheap.¡±Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more.


    Garion was about to speak, clearly intrigued by his offer, but Tei beat him to it. ¡°What¡¯s the catch?¡± he asked.


    The orc sighed. ¡°The catch is that the job won¡¯t be easy. Allow me to explain. I need to get off of this planet, I worked with an¡­ organization that the Obsidian Coalition isn¡¯t fond of, but before I can leave, I need you to recover some documents from the Coalition. I managed to track it down to their outpost on the east side of town. You got that?¡±


    The two looked at each other. ¡°How will you be paying us?¡± Garion asked.


    ¡°15,000 credits total, it¡¯s almost everything I have, in addition, I''ll take you to a good friend of mine, who can get you a good ship at a cheap price.¡±


    ¡°Can we talk this over?¡± Garion asked.


    He nodded.


    ¡°Of course.¡±


    They stepped back. ¡°What do you think?¡± Garion whispered.


    ¡°Well we¡¯d be against the law on this, and I¡¯d rather not end up in jail,¡± Tei said.


    ¡°But do we really have much of a choice? This is the best deal we could ask for.¡±


    ¡°How do we know that he¡¯s telling the truth? This could be a setup for all we know,¡± Tei said, quickly glancing at the orc.


    ¡°We don¡¯t, it¡¯s just a risk we¡¯ll have to take,¡± Garion said.


    Tei hesitated for a moment, he didn¡¯t trust this, but he did trust Garion, and that¡¯s all he needed. He nodded. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s do this.¡±


    They walked back over to the orc. ¡°Alright uh¡­¡± Garion realized they never got his name.


    ¡°Baskus. Baskus Lagra.¡± He told them.


    ¡°Alright Baskus, we¡¯ll do it,¡± Garion said.


    Baskus smiled, with a mix of gratitude and excitement on his face. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a memory chip. He placed it firmly in Garion¡¯s hand. ¡°Put the data on this chip, and then delete it from the system, it¡¯s imperative that you delete it.¡±


    He nodded. ¡°Got it, anything else?¡±


    Baskus shook his head. ¡°No, just get it done, and get it done quick. I¡¯ll be waiting for you at the abandoned warehouse near the south hangar.¡±


    ¡°Alright we¡¯re back in business,¡± Garion said as they left the bar. ¡°Let¡¯s go scope this place out and come up with a plan.¡±


    Tei nodded. ¡°We¡¯ll need to pick up some new rifles too. Just in case things go loud.¡±


    As they made their way to the outpost, Garion¡¯s mind raced with thoughts about how good of a deal this was, but it didn¡¯t take long for them to turn into insecurities about how it was too good of a deal. He brushed the thoughts away, the money and the ship was all that mattered, he couldn¡¯t let himself get distracted on the job.


    It didn¡¯t take them long to find the outpost. The Obsidian Coalition flag towering above it actually made it pretty easy to find.


    ¡°Jeez, they sure take security seriously,¡± Garion said.


    Tei nodded. ¡°No windows, no vents, no roof access, nothing,¡± he added.


    Suddenly the doors to the outpost slid open and two soldiers walked out side by side, rifles in hand, and started walking down the street. Garion and Tei looked at each other and nodded, knowing they both had the same idea.

 Chapter 5

    Garion pressed himself up against the wall of the alleyway. His heart pounded as he prepared himself, the imminent firefight made him tense. He pulled out his pistol from the holster and flicked the safety off. Tei appeared at the entrance to the alley and pointed at it, looking down the street.


    ¡°He¡¯s in here, hurry!¡± he said.


    He ran in, standing next to Garion and pulled out his pistol. A pair of Coalition soldiers ran into the alley only to be shot by them. Their lifeless bodies dropped to the ground before they could make a sound.


    ¡°Alright let¡¯s make this snappy,¡± Garion said. He went over to one of the bodies and started taking off their armor.


    The armor felt a lot tighter than Garion thought it would feel, especially since the soldier was bigger than he was. He picked up the soldier¡¯s rifle off the ground and turned to Tei.


    ¡°You ready?¡±


    Tei gave him a thumbs up as he slid his helmet on. ¡°Let¡¯s do this.¡±


    They started to make their way back to the outpost. Garion could feel his heartbeat get faster as they neared the door. Sweat seeped into his fatigues and he had to resist the urge to keep his finger on the trigger of his rifle.


    ¡°Here goes nothing.¡±


    The door hissed as it rose up, and they walked in. A few soldiers turned their heads as they walked in, but nobody¡¯s eyes pried for too long. Garion looked up at a sign on the ceiling, giving the directions to each room.


    ¡°We¡¯ll start with the computer room, it¡¯s just ahead,¡± Garion murmured to Tei.


    He gave the occasional nod to soldiers who looked their way, trying to act as casual as he could, which wasn¡¯t easy when he was this tense.


    The computer room was empty when they came in. There were two long desks, each with a row of seven computers. Garion sat down at one of the chairs and set his rifle down next to him. Tei sat down in the seat next to him. Garion reached into his boot and pulled the memory chip out. He stuck it into the computer and navigated to the files.Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site.


    ¡°Wait a minute, Baskus didn¡¯t tell us what files to grab,¡± Tei realized.


    ¡°Let¡¯s start by searching his name, then go from there.¡±


    He typed in the orc¡¯s name and waited for the result. One folder appeared, it was marked ¡®Hydra Intel.¡¯ Garion opened the folder and saw nine or ten files, all marked ¡®Hydra Intel -¡® and then a subject name. He skimmed all the files and saw ¡®Hydra Intel - Baskus Lagra.¡¯


    ¡°This is it. Let¡¯s hurry up and get this done.¡±


    He moved the files onto the memory chip, which luckily only took a few seconds. As he started deleting the files the door to the room flew open, revealing a soldier standing in the doorway.


    ¡°Hey, what are you doing?¡± He asked.


    Garion and Tei glanced around each other before looking back at the soldier.


    ¡°Ah dammit, here we go,¡± Garion muttered.


    He grabbed his rifle and fired a burst of three shots into his chest. Panicked yelling erupted and an alarm started blaring. Garion stood up and ripped the memory card out of the computer and put back into his sock.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go, hurry!¡±


    They heaved the door open only to find about six or seven soldiers waiting for them. Two of them shoved stun batons into Garion and Tei¡¯s chests. A torrent of electricity washed over Garion¡¯s body. He wanted to cry out in pain, but the muscles in his mouth wouldn¡¯t stop spasming. They held the baton to his chest for several seconds before finally letting go. They collapsed to the ground and a wave of black washed over them as their consciousness ebbed away.


    Something hard whacked Garion over the head. He opened his eyes and sat up, which sent a sharp pain in his back. His whole body felt sore, like it was going to fall apart. Something cold dug into his wrists. He looked down to see a pair of handcuffs gripping him tightly. He looked to his left to see Tei right next to him, and above them, a Coalition soldier was looking at some sort of data pad.


    ¡°Let¡¯s see here¡­ Garion Rilder and Mahios-Tei Xemitus. Says here you¡¯re being charged with the deletion of military documents, so you¡¯re probably looking at five or six years.¡±


    A camera lowered itself down from the ceiling and emitted a bright blue light as it scanned their faces. After a few seconds, it rose back up into the ceiling.


    ¡°Let¡¯s move.¡±


    The soldier stood them up and started walking them down the hallway. They were lead to a small cell with a bunk bed on either side, a toilet in the corner, and a row of small holes, no more than a few millimeters big, on the wall for sunlight. They were shoved in and the soldier shut the door behind them.

 Chapter 6

    Garion let out a heavy sigh as he leaned back against the wall. ¡°Dammit.¡±


    ¡°I guess there are worse places to have to spend six years,¡± Tei said, looking around. ¡°As far as prisons go, this is one of the nicer ones I¡¯ve seen.¡±


    Garion looked at him in disbelief. ¡°Are you really just gonna give up? After all that?¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s the point Garion? Even if we did get out we¡¯d still be stuck here. We couldn¡¯t do the job. We had one shot and we blew it.¡±


    Garion smirked, reaching down at his feet. ¡°We didn¡¯t blow it yet.¡± He pulled the memory chip out of his sock.


    It was then that they noticed a lump in one of the beds. It started shifting and threw the sheets off to reveal a pale-yellow thunder elf with long, unkempt blonde hair, and a bit of stubble on his face.


    ¡°They gave me new roommates without telling me?¡± He sat up and stretched. ¡°I guess I can¡¯t complain, it¡¯s been a while since I¡¯ve had roommates.¡±


    ¡°Who are you?¡± Tei asked.


    ¡°That depends¡­ what¡¯re you two in for?¡±If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.


    Garion held up the memory chip in his hand. ¡°We stole some Coalition documents.


    ¡°What so are you two some kind of Aethereal Empire spies?¡± He asked.


    Garion scoffed. ¡°Not in a million years. We were paid to do it- or we¡¯re going to be. Cause we¡¯re getting out of here.¡±


    The elf looked at them with narrowed eyes as he rubbed his chin. He extended his hand. ¡°The guards know me as Faenill Joran, but my real name is Sinril Aedius.¡±


    Garion shook his hand firmly. ¡°Garion Rilder, that¡¯s Mahios-Tei Xemitus.¡±


    Sinril nodded. ¡°A pleasure to meet you.¡±


    ¡°Likewise. If you don¡¯t mind me asking, what¡¯s with the fake name?¡±


    He looked at the door and then back at them. ¡°If they knew my real name, they¡¯d have me executed,¡± he said in a low voice.


    Tei¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°Executed? Why? What did you do?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m part of a group the Coalition has been hunting since the war started.¡±


    ¡®Another one?¡¯ Garion thought. ¡°Who exactly are you?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m a member of a group called the Order of the Hydra. We were¡­ assassins, for lack of a better word.¡±


    ¡°Well I¡¯ve never heard of you before,¡± Garion said.


    ¡°Exactly. We were a secret group of the Aethereal Empire that took orders directly from Emperor Altin. We were sent on some of the most vital missions that he trusted only us to get done. Which happened to mainly involve assassinations.¡±


    ¡°Wait a minute. If you¡¯re supposed to be this top secret group of assassins, why are you telling us?¡±


    Sinril sighed. ¡°Because as far as I¡¯m aware, I¡¯m the only one left.¡±


    ¡°What happened?¡±

 Chapter 7

    Two years ago


    An ice cold wind blasted Sinril in the face as he walked down the ramp of the ship, it was Imiea¡¯s strange way of greeting him. His face scrunched up and his eyes started to water. He pressed down on the button on the side of his helmet and the two halves of his mask converged and fused together in front of his face. There was a split second before the mask¡¯s display powered on when he stared back at the reflection of his eyes in the goggles.


    ¡°Sinril.¡± He didn¡¯t recognize Cirion coming down the ramp behind him at first because of the mask¡¯s voice modulator. ¡°You ready for this?¡±


    Sinril threw his hood up over his helmet. ¡°Yeah, let¡¯s do it.¡±


    ¡°Alright good, let¡¯s go catch up with the others.¡±


    They ran as fast as they could, using the terrain to stay undetected. The jagged hills jutting out from the ground provided the perfect cover. The terrain would be near inhospitable were it not for their armor. The freezing winds never stopped blowing, and the whistling almost sounded like the planet was speaking to them. Sinril saw a black silhouette disappear behind a boulder and sighed with relief as they finally caught up to them. The followed the shadowy figure behind the boulder and met up with the rest of their five-person strike team. They stood on the edge of a cliff overlooking a large Coalition outpost below them.


    ¡°Do you two have the charges?¡± Julisa, the strike team leader asked.


    Sinril nodded, patting the pouch on his belt. ¡°All set,¡± he answered.


    ¡°Good, now get going. His ship will be here any time now.¡±


    Without another word, Sinril and Cirion started sliding down the cliff side. They dug their heels into side to control their descent. They landed at the bottom gracefully. Sinril froze when he saw a four Coalition soldiers on a patrol only a hundred meters away from them. One of them pointed at the strange figures but when they looked back they were nowhere to be seen. They dove behind a patch of rocks. Sinril¡¯s heart pounded as he heard them getting closer. He grabbed the bow off his back and snapped the string on.


    ¡°Julisa, four of them heading our way, you got them?¡± He whispered over comms.


    There was a pause when all he could hear was the footsteps of the soldiers getting closer. Then, three silenced shots hit their marks and their bodies landed on the ground with a thud. Sinril and Cirion shot up from behind the rocks, pulling back the strings on their bow all the way. The strings clicked past the primer and the green plasma bolt drew back with the string before they both let go and two silent shots landed firmly in the last one¡¯s chest.


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    They carried on to the base, using the rocks to cover their approach. They sat behind a rock only a few meters away from the fence. Above them, a watchtower rested on the edge of the fence and a lone sentry stood watch. Sinril raised his arm and held down a button on his wrist, a red light appeared above it and a red dot sat firmly on the sentry¡¯s chest.


    ¡°One in the tower, I have him marked,¡± he whispered into his communicator.


    He saw a bolt of green plasma speed towards them, and the sentry did too. But it lodged itself in his chest before he could react.


    They ran over to the fence, running up, pushing themselves upward, and grabbing onto the edge of the tower. They heaved themselves up into the tower, and took a moment to catch their breath, but they paused as a ship roared overhead. A royal Coalition shuttle hovered over the base¡¯s landing pad before lowering itself down. The moonlight bounced off of the ship¡¯s gold accent trim, making it shine more than it already was.


    ¡°He¡¯s here,¡± Sinril said as they looked down at the ship.


    A ramp extended out and the newly crowned King Vandran came down with a pair of soldiers on either side. The orc looked a lot taller in person, not to mention more heavy-set. A Coalition officer walked towards them and bowed before they started walking and talking.


    They jumped down from the tower and started making their way towards the landing pad. Sinril¡¯s heart smashed itself against his chest, desperately trying to break free. With each step they took, the compound felt more cramped. He could hear the soldiers¡¯ breaths, and see it being pushed out past the oxygen filters in their helmets. Everything and anything they could see was something they could use to hide, and it still didn¡¯t feel like enough. They finally came up behind a building only a few meters away from the landing pad. They did a quick check to look for patrols and rushed over to the ship. Sinril has spent a week studying each component of this class of shuttle, and it was finally going to pay off. He took the charges out of his pouch and carefully placed them in strategic spots; the landing gears, the fuel line, the cockpit, and the engines.


    ¡°Julisa, the charges are all set, we¡¯re headi-¡°


    Sinril stopped, frozen with terror as a Coalition soldier stared straight at them and ran for the alarm. He reached for his bow and tried to take a shot. He yanked the string down and jerked it back. He heard the click and immediately let go, but the plasma bolt dug into the ground only a few millimeters from the soldier¡¯s feet, and his fist slammed on the button. Sirens blared all around them and soldiers started rushing out. They dove for cover behind a crate to avoid the torrent of plasma bolts heading their way. A squad of soldiers rushed over to the shuttle and started ripping them off the hull before crushing them with their boots. Suddenly they saw King Vandran and his escorts running back toward the shuttle. Sinril looked him dead in the eye as he reached for the designator on his wrist and placed the laser firmly on his chest.


    ¡°Julisa he¡¯s marked, take the shot!¡± he yelled.


    He waited for the shot to come, but when it did, it breezed past the top of his head. They ran up into the shuttle and took off. Sinril reaches for the detonator in the hopes that they¡¯d missed one of the charges, but the empty click when he pressed the button only filled him with dread and dismay.


    ¡°You two need to get out of there, now!¡± Julisa ordered.


    They sprinted as hard and fast as they could, dropping a couple of smoke bombs behind them and coming out the same way they came in. They threw everything they could get their hands on behind them to block their path. Plasma bolts sped past them as they jumped and dodged to avoid getting shot. High explosive rounds shook the ground as a gunship buzzed their position. Cirion grabbed a stun grenade from his belt and dropped it as his feet. They scrambled up the watchtower and leaped out, rolling as they landed.


    ¡°That¡¯s it, we blew it,¡± Cirion said.


    ¡°Hurry up and come back so we can get out of here,¡± Julisa said. ¡°This isn¡¯t gonna end well.¡±