Murphy remembered the axe, the way the first blow split Warky’s skull in two, and his need to whack the bastard again. He stopped. “Yeah . . . Asshole down. Are you okay?”

  “Sure,” Caitlin replied. “I’ve never been better.” Then she threw up.

  ª ª ª

  THE LUCKY STRIKE MINE

  Reeger was lying on a filthy cot deep inside the Lucky Strike Mine as legion aerospace fighters bombed the facilities on the surface. Would they resort to bunker busters? Hell, no. Madsen Mining wouldn’t allow that. The corpies wanted to kill the rebels, import new workers, and resume production as quickly as possible. Collapsed tunnels would interfere with that.

  Reeger heard a muted thump as a 2,000-pound bomb exploded hundreds of feet above him and the cot trembled. Particles of dirt fell onto his face and he brushed them away. Reeger wanted to sleep, he needed to sleep, but sleep wouldn’t come.

  A headlamp emerged from the surrounding murk. It bobbed slightly. “Boss? Are you awake?”

  “Yeah, I’m awake,” Reeger replied. “What’s up?”

  “It’s the mechs,” Foley said, as he came closer. “The ones you sent to find the legionnaires. And the girl.”

  Reeger raised a hand up to shield his eyes from the light. “What about them?”

  “Our guys were close, real close, when they were ambushed. Gilman got a message out. They were up against a Trooper 5, maybe two Trooper 5s, and he caught a glimpse of the girl. She was riding a cyborg. Then Gilman went off the air. We haven’t been able to raise him since.”

  “What about the transponders on the exos?” Reeger wanted to know.

  “We’ve been pinging them,” Foley replied. “But there’s no response.”

  Reeger swung his boots over onto the dirt floor. “Shit.”

  “Yeah.”

  “All right . . . If we can’t grab the bitch then we’ll kill her . . . And send a video of it to her father. Let’s get to work.”

  ª ª ª

  NORTH OF KEEBLER’S GAP

  Pylo II was rising. As it did the day dwellers came out to screech, howl, and make strange clicking sounds. The clearing was two miles behind them by then, and even though Murphy could have continued, he knew his charge needed a break.

  So Murphy stopped under a thick canopy of trees where it would be difficult to spot them from above. He coached Caitlin through the process of heating an MRE. And she must have been hungry, because no one eats ham and limas unless they are.

  Once the meal was finished Murphy put Caitlin through an accelerated firearms course. It began with a safety lecture, followed by a brief introduction to Caitlin’s weapons, and a half hour of target practice. The girl had a good eye . . . And both weapons were equipped with laser sights. So by the time the session was over Caitlin could hit a man-sized target with some regularity.

  Next it was time to load up and move out. The latest conversation with Overwatch had been no better than the first. The legion was still stretched thin—and still unable to pull them out. Or were they unwilling? That was Murphy’s guess. It was, he supposed, a matter of priorities. As for why Governor Smith wasn’t in the mix, that remained a mystery.

  A straight line is always the shortest route between two points. But that didn’t mean it was the fastest. Not in the jungle. So Murphy was forced to follow a series of meandering trails, switching as necessary, to stay on course. A practice the drone made possible by scouting ahead.

  After two hours of walking they emerged from the forest onto a U-shaped trough. It was about a hundred feet wide, about fifteen feet deep, and ran straight as an arrow toward the south. It was as if a giant had passed that way, dragging his staff along behind him.

  Though covered with low-lying plants, only a few widely separated trees were growing in the trough. That made for easy walking, and Murphy decided to follow it. But Pylo II was near its zenith by then . . . And the combined heat from the sun and Murphy’s war form would make things miserable for Caitlin. She hadn’t complained though . . . And the cyborg’s opinion of her continued to climb. That’s what he was thinking when she spoke over the intercom. “Murphy . . . Look up! I see a wing!”

  Murphy looked up expecting to see some sort of aircraft. But what he actually saw was something different. The “wing” Caitlin had referred to was a bird that was shaped like an Earthly manta ray. Except that it was flying through air instead of water.

  “Run!” Caitlin said, as the creature circled above them. “Find a place to make a stand . . . The varmin watch the wings, and when they circle above potential prey, the varmin attack. Hundreds of them . . . After they feed the wing will land and eat whatever remains.”

  The information had a familiar ring to it. As if the information was buried in the planetary orientation crap that Murphy had been ordered to download upon arrival.

  But, based on the urgency in Caitlin’s voice, Murphy was willing to take her word for how dangerous the situation was. So he ran. And the obvious destination was the manmade something up ahead. A ship? Which was large enough, and heavy enough, to carve a furrow in the ground? Maybe.

  Murphy could run at a speed of 50mph on open ground. The knee-high foliage slowed his pace. But even at 40mph Murphy was making progress. And a good thing too, because varmin had begun to appear on both sides of the U-shaped trough.

  They were small feathered bipedal animals, with long, narrow skulls. Big eyes stared down on the humans as they ran past. That was when Murphy heard a blood-curdling chitter and sensed that the creatures were going to attack.

  Murphy swore and Caitlin struggled to hold on as the cyborg drew level with the ship’s stern. He saw a jagged hole and had to duck to pass through it. The compartment beyond was home to some incomprehensible equipment. A hatch opened into the ship’s belly but, when Murphy attempted to close the door, it wouldn’t budge. That meant there were two ways for the critters to enter.

  “Get down,” Murphy ordered. “Your job is to guard that hatch. Don’t let any of those things get inside. Understood?”

  Caitlin said, “Yes,” and hurried to get in position. And not a moment too soon as the varmin rushed the ship. Even though the feathered creatures were small, they had a lot of teeth and claw-equipped tails. That made them deadly in large numbers.

  Murphy stood in the gap and fired the fifty. He soon discovered that while the big slugs killed three or four varmin at a time—it wasn’t going to stop the mob. So he slaved the energy cannon to the drone above, and allowed the machine to select targets. It felt weird to have an external force control his arm but there were definite benefits.

  The laser had to recharge in between each shot. But, thanks to the drone’s computer, each bolt hit a target. That meant the energy cannon was killing twenty animals a minute. And the combined kill rate was much higher.

  Meanwhile Murphy could hear the systematic crack, crack, crack of the carbine. Caitlin was doing her job. But what would happen when she ran out of ammo? The answer was obvious. The carnivores would take her down. Rather than allow that to happen Murphy stepped outside.

  His plan was simple: Pull the varmin away from Caitlin, force the animals to bunch up, and slaughter them. And it worked. Sort of. Rivers of chittering varmin poured in to surround the cyborg. So many that he couldn’t kill them quickly enough. And it wasn’t long until they were gnawing on his armor. Murphy kicked the creatures, stomped some into a bloody pulp, and continued to blast the rest. All to no avail. Then, as if a signal had been sounded, the attack stopped. The animals disappeared into the surrounding foliage.

  A shadow passed over Murphy. And, when he looked up, Murphy saw the manta-shaped wing. Not only would the scavenger lead the varmin to their prey, it would feast on them if they were killed. Murphy turned to find that Caitlin was exiting the ship. “You did a good job,” Murphy told her. “A very good job. Come on . . . Let’s haul butt before every scavenger in the jungle shows up for a free meal.”

  Caitlin didn’t flinch as she surveyed the sea of dead bodies. Nor did she throw up. “We kicked their asses, Murph . . . We kicked ’em good.”

  It was the kind of thing that one of Murphy’s fellow legionnaires might have said, and he smiled. Except that Murphy didn’t have a face to smile with.

  Once Caitlin was strapped in they left. It was possible to walk next to the ship most of the time. But when the walls of the trough began to close in on them Murphy had to climb up into the steadily encroaching jungle. They put the wreck behind them after a quarter mile or so. The canopy was lower, which meant the undergrowth was thicker, and difficult to push through. In fact, the vegetation was so thick that the cyborg had to use his energy cannon like a machete at times.

  Eventually they arrived at a river which though not especially fast, was quite deep, and very wide. Murphy could have walked across the bottom but Caitlin couldn’t. So the cyborg cut some trees down and Caitlin used vines to bind them together. The process consumed two hours. By the time they crossed, Pylo II was hanging low in the western sky.

  Once the march resumed Murphy was on the lookout for a place where they could hole up for the night. The drone spotted a possibility fifty yards east of the game trail they were on and Murphy went to investigate. The jumble of rocks didn’t qualify as a hill. But it was home to a clearing that was protected on three sides. And that was pretty good.

  They settled in as the sun set. And it wasn’t long before they had a fire going—and Caitlin was eating her last MRE. The entrée was pork and beans this time . . . And a lot better. “We should arrive in Keebler’s Gap tomorrow,” Murphy told her.

  “Yeah,” Caitlin replied. “That’s good.”

  “You don’t sound very excited. Your father might be there.”

  The fire crackled and shadows danced on the rocks around them. “Maybe he will,” Caitlin allowed, “and maybe he won’t. There’s been no sign of him so far.”

  So there it was. Caitlin had doubts about her father. “He has a planet to run,” Murphy reminded her. “And things aren’t going well.”

  “That’s what I tell myself,” Caitlin said. “But I don’t know if that’s the problem. Mom and Dad split up about a year ago. Dad wanted to take the position on Saa-Na and Mom refused to go. I lived with her for six months, and we fought all the time. So I came here. But Dad’s so busy that I rarely see him. Maybe I should go back.”

  Caitlin looked away, and Murphy knew she was crying. “I think you should talk to him,” Murphy said. “Tell him how you feel. Give him a chance.”

  Deep down Murphy wasn’t sure that Governor Smith deserved another chance. But it seemed like the right thing to say. Caitlin wiped her face with a sleeve before turning back. “That makes sense, Murph . . . We’ll see how things go.”

  The moons rose and arced across the starry sky as animals, birds, and insects battled to survive in the surrounding jungle. At one point Murphy heard a boom as one of the legion’s fly forms broke the sound barrier. Caitlin slept through it. She was a good girl.

  What would Ellie and I have had? Murphy wondered. A boy, or a girl? I would want either one to be like Caitlin. Are you out there, Ellie? Among those stars? I miss you. There was no answer.

  Hours passed. And Caitlin was awake and hungry by the time Pylo II rose. “Your breakfast is waiting in Keebler’s Gap,” Murphy told her. “Mount up. Let’s go.”

  The freshly charged drone was up and scouting ahead as the pair continued south. Murphy had just waded across a river when the alarm came in.

  As Murphy switched to the video feed provided by the drone, he saw a machine the size of an apartment house, which was traveling on massive wheels. The leviathan ate the jungle as it ground forward. Rotating blades fed trees, bushes, and rocks into the construct’s gigantic maw where they were converted into mulch prior to being spewed out of side-mounted chutes. And the monster was headed their way.

  Murphy paused to tell Caitlin about what he was watching. “That’s a Madsen Company scalper,” she responded. “The company uses them to clear land before they open a strip mine.”

  Murphy considered that. Was the company preparing to open a new mine even as it fought a war with its employees? No, that was absurd. So what were they up to?

  Then it occurred to him. What if the Worker’s Army had control of the machine? Yes, that made sense. Murphy’s first impulse was to run. But, from what he could see, the scalper could travel just as fast as he could. And it was surprisingly agile. “How do those things work?” Murphy inquired. “Are there people aboard?”

  “No, not normally,” Caitlin replied. “The scalper should be accompanied by a drone similar to yours only a lot larger. The operator would use it to scout ahead, and relay control signals to the machine.”

  “That makes sense,” Murphy replied. “I think they intend to run over us. So I’m going to get their attention. In the meantime, I want you to head east, and circle around. Then, once the scalper is committed, I’ll head west.”

  “No,” Caitlin said. “I’m staying with you.”

  “I’m in charge here,” Murphy replied sternly. “Get down.”

  Caitlin dropped to the ground. “Please, Murph . . . Let me come.”

  “Thanks,” Murphy said. “But no thanks. Don’t worry, I’ll be fine. I’ll see you in Keebler’s Gap.”

  Caitlin stood and stared as Murphy left her. He was jogging now, running west. The juggernaut turned to intercept him. And it did so quickly. Then, when Murphy veered to the east, the scalper changed direction again.

  Murphy’s suspicions were confirmed. After selecting the most intense heat source the drone was locked onto it. I need a hill, Murphy thought. A slope so steep that the scalper won’t be able to climb it. Then I’ll fire at one of its tracks. Who knows? Maybe I’ll get lucky.”

  But when Murphy ordered the drone to show him a 360 there were no hills to be seen. None close enough to use anyway. Meanwhile the distance between Murphy and the scalper had begun to narrow. And as the cyborg topped a rise he could see the gigantic machine without any assistance. You need to buy time, Murphy thought. So Caitlin can circle around.

  The scalper was huge by then. The machine’s engines roared, its rotors clattered, and the ground shook as it continued to advance. Murphy fired both of his weapons to no effect.

  As the scalper’s shadow fell across him Murphy knew he was going to die. He could run, but why? Ellie was waiting for him. He hoped so anyway. So Murphy cut all of the incoming video feeds and replaced them with an image of Ellie’s smiling face. I’m coming, hon. I love you.

  The noise grew even louder and Murphy felt a wave of heat embrace him as the scalper bore down on him. Then Murphy heard three shots fired in quick succession. As video was restored Murphy saw that the three-story-tall machine was looming over him! The scalper’s engines continued to run, but the rotors were motionless, as were the behemoth’s massive treads. “Murph? Are you okay?” Caitlin had to shout in order to be heard.

  Murphy turned to discover that Caitlin was standing behind him. The assault rifle was cradled in her arms. Then Murphy understood. “You shot their drone down! The one they use to control the scalper!”

  Caitlin grinned. “Lead the target. That’s what you taught me . . . And I was lucky.”

  “You were supposed to circle around.”

  “I’m a teenager . . . And a disobedient one at that. Ask my mother.”

  Murphy couldn’t help but laugh. “Come on . . . Let’s get out of here.”

  They followed the path the scalper had left for a while, veered south, and arrived in Keebler’s Gap two hours later. A squad of legionnaires was waiting to receive them as was a middle-aged civilian. A bandage was wound around his head and his left leg was in a cast. He came forward on crutches. “Caitlin! Thank God, you’re all right.”

  Murphy watch Caitlin hug him. “Your head . . . Your leg . . . What happened?”

  “A suicide bomber blew herself up sixty feet away from me,” Governor Smith answered. “Two pieces of shrapnel hit me . . . One of them knocked me out. My chief of staff thought it was best to keep my condition secret for a while. And, by the time I came to, you were hiking out.”

  Murphy felt a sense of relief. Caitlin’s father did care.

  “There’s someone I want you meet,” Caitlin said. “Corporal Murphy saved my life.”

  “And your daughter saved mine,” Murphy said. “She’s a remarkable young woman. You have every reason to be proud of her.”

  The governor started to say something, but Murphy turned and walked away. He didn’t want to linger . . . He didn’t want to see Caitlin with her father . . . Or to think about the daughter he would never have. Murphy’s mission was complete—and the legion was waiting. That would have to do.

  The Battle for Rainbow’s End

  The Planet Rainbow’s End, the Human Empire

  Dr. Carla Hanson’s office was located on the fifth floor of the Regional Multi-Care facility in the town of Firstport. The settlement was laid out grid style so, rather than the chaotic maze of streets typical of most rim world cities, the town was neat and orderly.

  Further out, beyond the rain swept structures, flashes of manmade lightning could be seen. That’s where the Madsen Mining Company’s mercenaries were battling elements of the Legion’s 2ndForeign Infantry Regiment. Both sides had the same goal, which was to control Rainbow’s End, and the adjacent jump point through which shipping passed.

  Madsen claimed ownership of the planet and jump point by right of discovery. But the Imperial Government maintained that it owned Rainbow’s End as well as the “. . . Navigational node associated with it,” in keeping with a legal concept called “eminent domain.” A process through which the empire could pay what it considered to be a fair price for privately owned property and annex it.

  The company didn’t agree. In fact, according to a news interview with one of Madsen’s largest shareowners, “The Emperor took the jump point so he could tax everything that’s shipped through our node, including minerals mined elsewhere, effectively taxing us twice. The bastard.”