Saint (Gateway Series Book 2) (10 page)

Stone cried out from the pain.

“I must keep you warm, brother,” added Thay as he next placed the hot wood against Stone’s arm.

Stone again lost consciousness.

When he came to, Stone’s entire body ached and his head throbbed. As he slowly opened his eyes, he felt the pressure of another hand against his. He looked up into a pair of enchanting green eyes.

“You made it,” said Mori.

His focus returning, he could see a huge smile on her face. “Wh—” Stone tried to speak but his mouth was so dry it was no more than a whisper.

“It’s okay,” replied Mori. Stone felt her other hand on his head. “It will take a few minutes to come out of it completely.”

Stone ran his tongue over his the roof of his mouth as the dryness started to fade.

“What?” his voice cracked. “What happened to me?”

“You’re finished,” she smiled.

“The vision?” he asked.

“All of it,” Mori replied. “The Shirt-Wearers felt you had to be tested immediately for my sake so some of the normal traditional practices were waived. The
wichasa wakhan
were consulted and agreed to the accelerated test but required the Iroqua False Faces to be consulted as well on the off-chance you were Iroqua.”

“Was it real?” he asked.

Stone felt Mori’s hand move to his chest. She ran her fingers over his right pectoral causing Stone to let out a grunt of pain. Looking down, he saw bandages covering his chest. Quickly looking toward his left arm, he saw another bandage.

“Thay,” blurted Stone. “He did this.”

“To welcome you, brother,” came a voice from the corner of the room.

Stone turned toward the voice. It was Thay.

“You bastard,” he shot back. “You burned me.”

Stone started to pull himself from the bed but was slowed by the myriad of tubes and wires connected to him as well as his weakened state.

“Wait,” interrupted Mori as she placed her hands on his. “Let him talk.”

Stone turned back toward Thay, confused and angry.

“Your vision convinced the holy men that you are half Akota and half Iroqua. Because of this, and direction from the Shirt-Wearers and the Iroqua Matrons, it was directed that you undergo both the Akota Stellar Dance and the Iroqua Requickening ceremony.”

“No one has undergone both ceremonies in generations,” added Mori. “It’s usually not allowed.”

“And I’m sorry for the pain inflicted,” replied Thay. “The ceremony is a mixture of your visions in the spirit world and action here in the physical.”

“The huge beast—” asked Stone, turning back toward Mori.

“A buffalo,” she answered. “Very powerful medicine.”

“And the beaver and the lodge?”

“Iroqua symbols,” added Thay. “Strong and important ones.”

“What does it mean?” he asked still trying to comprehend what he had just experienced.

“Your vision and what you get from the Dance is for you to decide in due time,” answered Mori.

“But the
wichasa wakhan
and the Shirt-Wearers are pleased.”

“And the Requickening,” added Thay as he stepped forward and put his hand on Stone’s shoulder, “washes you of your old existence and welcomes you as kin.”

Thay smiled and for once it wasn’t an evil or guilty smile but a welcoming one. “I am glad to call you brother.”

“Brother?” asked Stone. Only a few days before he and Thay had almost come to blows.

“Yes. Brothers. The night of your vision, a spirit came to me in my sleep and told me I would soon be able to end mourning for my brother. The next morning, I learned you would undergo the Requickening. My heart was made even stronger when I found out your dream rekindled the lodge-fire of my people.”

“What does it mean?” asked Stone.

“It’s yet to be seen, but I believe your arrival will bring about Iroqua entrance into the war.”

“How?” asked Stone, his head was spinning.

“Time,” interrupted Mori. “All of this will come with time.” She leaned in and kissed Stone gently. “What’s important is that you have taken the first step toward fulfilling the Great Spirit’s plan for you.”

“For now,” said Thay, “know that I am proud to call you brother and give you the name Tadodaho, Keeper of the Fire.”

“I knew from the first day I saw you,” said Mori as she turned his head toward her, “that you were going to change everything.”

Stone, although confused and full of questions, felt an odd sense of contentment and place as he looked into her eyes.

“And besides,” she added, “we’re leaving for Echo 2 tomorrow. Better rest up, Magakisca.”

“What does that mean?” asked Stone.

“It’s your Akota name. All Akota will now call you Duck.”

“Duck?” replied a perplexed Stone. “My warrior name is Duck?” He had wondered what the naming would be and had hoped for a powerful name such as bear, or wolf, or lion. But Duck?

“Don’t worry, brother,” replied Thay. “Duck is a good name. And very fitting. The duck returns home in the dangerous winter season, just as you have done.”

“And,” added Mori with a smile, “they’re calm and relaxed above the water and frantic underneath, just like you.”

She knew him too well. “Thanks,” replied Stone sarcastically. He felt Mori grip his hand again.

“It is a good name. A proud name. And you have returned home.”

Chapter 8

Stone stood in
Hydra
’s cargo bay with the rest of Mori’s team. On the table in front of him, combat packs, food stores, electronic equipment, and weapons—a lot of weapons—were spread out for preparation. Running through a mental inventory of his equipment, Stone busied his hands with affixing a combat knife to his tactical vest resting on the table. With the exception of some stiffness in his chest, Stone had fully recovered from the effects of his visions and ceremonies a week earlier. The rest had Stone feeling physically and psychologically rejuvenated and he was looking forward to the mission as an opportunity to prove himself to the others.

“Looks like we’re here,” said Katalya as she packed her gear for the mission.

“Orion should be putting us into orbit in a few minutes,” replied Mori as she handed pemmican strips to Katalya to include in her pack. Stone had immediately liked the meat, oat, berry, and animal fat mixture the first time he tried it. It was just as space-friendly as Humani military food packs but tasted much better. He looked up from his task toward Katalya and Mori as the two sisters exchanged smiles. Even with Katalya’s genetic mutations, there was no doubt they were siblings.

Katalya reached for a large metal pack stored against the bulkhead.

“We won’t need exoskeletons,” Mori said to Katalya. “Echo 2 is only slightly above the gravity of our home worlds so we just need to pack the heavy gravity injections.”

Gravity sucks
, thought Stone. Luckily, most planets of military importance had gravities that were within the tolerable range, at least when one used the injections to boost muscle response, bone density, and oxygen exchange. The low gravity planets could make people feel invincible but readjusting to normal gravity made it feel like a person was carrying an extra twenty-five kilograms and breathing through a straw. And the heavy gravity, those greater than one and a half times normal, required the injections, forced oxygen, and hydraulic metal exoskeletons to make up for the energy required to overcome the gravitational force. Unfortunately, the exoskeletons were slow and uncomfortable.

“Major Skye to the bridge,” announced Orion across
Hydra
’s intercom. “We’ve got company.”

“Damn it,” responded Mori as she dropped her gear on the table and headed toward the bridge.

Just before exiting the cargo bay she turned back toward Stone. “Care to join me?”

Stone sheathed his knife and quickly joined Mori.

“Last thing we need is for this mission to start off bad,” huffed Mori as she made her way down the passageway to the bridge. “If there’s Humani in the area, you might be able to give some insight on our next move.”

Stopping outside the entrance to the bridge, Stone and Mori shared an apprehensive look with each other. “Let’s see what the bad news is,” he said.

“If it wasn’t bad news, there wouldn’t be any news,” she replied with a smile as she opened the hatch.

“Damn it, TC,” Stone heard Orion shout. “I can see it too, just get me a reading.”

Stone looked toward the huge Scapi. The rapid motion of his massive blue arms and a steady flow of high-pitched squeaks from the navigator made it obvious to Stone he was irritated even before the universal translator on the creature’s vest spoke.

“If you would stop bugging me for…see, here it is—” More squeaks. “Looks like two ships. Single or double piloted, no jump drive but with fire control systems.”

“Probably old Gen 1 fighters,” replied Orion. “Can we jam them?”

TC manipulated several switches on his ECM panel and turned back toward Orion.

“Yes, shouldn’t be a problem.”

Stone turned to Mori, who let out a sigh of relief.

“So no muss?” she asked Orion.

“Lookin’ go—”

Orion was interrupted by more squeaks.

“Additional contacts…four more probable Gen 1 fighters and something else.” TC’s huge hands punched on the keys of his electronics suite. “Damn it,” he added after more squeaks. “Humani corvette. It’s running full scan on electronics and comms. And it looks like it’s linked up with the fighters.”

“Shit,” interjected Orion, who turned back toward Mori. “I don’t know what the deal with the Gen 1s is but that corvette is up and running with full sensors, so even if we jam the fighters, the corvette will pick up the neutrino spike from our jump soon and pass our location to those fighters.”

“They’re Gen 1s. Can you take six of them?” asked Stone.

Orion looked back toward Stone, her forehead contracted and one side of her jaw tightened. “I’m good, but nobody’s that good, at least in this old bucket.” Orion turned slowly and placed her hand on
Hydra
’s control panel. “Sorry, girl. You’re still the only one for me.” After apologizing to
Hydra
for the slight, she turned back to Stone and Mori. “Anyway, we’ve got about five minutes before that corvette picks up our signature, about five more for them to figure out we’re not supposed to be here and contact those fighters, and then about ten more until they’re on us.”

“Damn it.” Mori slapped her hand against the bulkhead.

“Damn it is right,” agreed Orion.

“I didn’t come all this way to turn back,” grunted Mori.

Stone wanted this mission to be a go. He needed it to be a go. “So we have twenty minutes?” he asked.

“Nineteen,” answered Orion. “And that’s not enough time to put down on Talia and get our shit unloaded quietly. They’ll know right where we’re at.”

“Plot a jump to get us the hell out of here,” conceded Mori, shaking her head in frustration.

“Wait,” interjected Stone.

“What is it?” asked Mori. “This mission is over before it even started.”

“Eighteen minutes,” added Orion.

“Hold on,” directed Stone as he raised his hand to the two. He looked quickly toward Mori; she wanted this mission too. “Are you trained on HALO inserts?”

“HALO—what the hell is that?” asked an increasingly frustrated Mori.

“High altitude para-drops.”

“Oh,” replied Mori, her mouth slightly open in both acknowledgment and contemplation. “We call them iono-jumps.”

“So you’re trained?”

“Yes. And so are Sandwick, Henry, and Thay…there’s no way Katalya and Magnus have been.”

“Seventeen minutes.” Orion continued her countdown.

Mori’s eyes focused on the floor for a few seconds of contemplation before she spoke.

“Let’s do it,” she declared. “Orion, get us into the ionosphere and find the biggest population cluster that isn’t in a city. That should be an army. We’ll jump about thirty kilometers away from them.”

“We’ve got to be fast,” added Stone.

“Yes, get back to the cargo and get them moving—the jump suits are in 2-40-3 storage. Have Katalya and Magnus put as much gear as they can grab and the comms equipment into a drop pod. Orion can jettison it when we jump and pin its navigation system to your landing zone.”

“What about us?” asked Orion.

“Once we bail out, jump to Echo 8—it’s a gas planet so no one should look for you in orbit there. Hang out and go passive and we’ll link up for data bursts so you’ll know when to come pick us up again. Katalya and Magnus will stay with you.”

“Sounds like a plan. I don’t know if it’s a good one, but it’s a plan,” she replied. “Sixteen minutes.”

“I’ll get the suits,” declared Mori as she turned toward Stone. “Go!” she shouted, but Stone was already turning toward the passageway.

Stone rushed through
Hydra
and in less than a minute, burst into the storage compartment.

“We’ve got a Humani corvette out there and they’ll be on us soon.”

“What’s the plan?” asked Henry.

“HAL—I mean iono-jump,” he answered.

“That’s what I’m talking about,” replied Thay. “Where are the suits?”

“Mori’s on the way with them.” Stone then turned toward Katalya and Magnus. “You won’t be able to make the jump because you’re not trained on the suits. Mori wants you to stay here for this one.”

Stone could see the anger grow on Magnus’s face as his canine teeth flashed in a low snarl.

“I’m sorry, Magnus. We’ll miss you and Katalya, that’s for sure.”

“Fifteen minutes” was announced across the intercom.

“Shit,” uttered Stone as the urgency hit him. “Magnus and Katalya, load up the drop pod with our additional gear, stores, and comms equipment and get to the jettison bay quickly.”

Stone could feel the frustration radiate from Magnus. He didn’t have time to placate him.

“Magnus. Now,” he repeated.

Magnus returned a stare.

“Magnus,” added Katalya as she grasped his arm. “We must do this now.”

“Yes, of course,” he said angrily. “You will show me this i-no-jump thing after this mission. I won’t miss another—”

“Yes,” shouted Stone. He knew this was a bitter pill for Magnus but he didn’t have the time.

“Come,” repeated Katalya as she pulled Magnus toward the gear on the table.

With a growl, Magnus conceded and he and Katalya quickly started gathering the equipment on the table.

“Fourteen minutes.”

Mori entered the room, followed by the lumbering TC. In his arms were a bundle of jumps suits and gear.

“This shit’s heavy,” declared Mori as she dumped an armful of gear on the table. “Katalya and Mag—”

“Loading the pod,” Stone answered quickly.

“And he’s pissed about it,” added Sandwick.

“It sucks,” replied Mori as TC dumped the jump suits on the table. “I hate going in without everyone, but we don’t have a choice.”

“Thirteen minutes,” counted Orion over the intercom. “Picking up comms from the corvette to the fighters.”

Mori flipped the toggle switch for the comms circuit at the table. “Are they on to us, Orion?”

“Standby.” Stone heard more squeaks from TC in the background. “Damn it, they’re good,” declared Orion. “They got us. We just lost three minutes. They’ll be on us in ten.”

“Son of a bitch,” grunted Mori. “Get us over the drop zone.”

“Roger,” replied Orion as Stone felt
Hydra
bank and accelerate.

“Grab your shit and get ready,” ordered Mori to the team.

Stone quickly unhooked the belt holding his sword and sidearm and had a jumpsuit in his hands before they hit the deck. Stepping into the suit, he slid his feet through the leggings and quickly secured the pressure bands around his feet. Stone then grabbed the lanyard for the suit and pulled it to his neck.

“Nine minutes,” reported Orion. “Fighters changing course to pursue.”

Now the hard part. He had done dozens of jumps with Humani equipment but the Terillian gear was different. Quickly looking over the table, Stone saw sets of double-cylinder canisters.
Must be O
2
, he thought. He grabbed the canister.
This goes….right here
. Stone slid the containers into a pouch on his right thigh. A quick look and nod of approval from Henry told him he was right.

Now the—

“Your vest,” said Sandwick as he threw his own vest over his torso.

Stone picked up the tactical vest from table and threw his right arm through the arm hole, then repeated the same for his left arm. He felt for his knife in the vest.
Still there
.

“Eight minutes.”

Stone hefted the drop pack containing the parachute over his shoulders, connected the latch across his chest, and tightened the apparatus with a strong pull on the straps.

“The chute pack has a sheath for your sword,” said Mori as she picked up Stone’s sword and slid it into place over his right shoulder.

Stone picked up his belt, checked his pistol was secure, and reattached it to his waist.

“Entering the ionosphere,” reported Orion. “We’ll be over target in four minutes.”

“Let’s hustle,” shouted Mori as she attached her assault rifle to a clip on her vest and secured it with a lanyard.

“Seven minutes ’til the fighters are on us.”

Stone quickly followed Mori’s example and then reached for the face mask that would keep his head from becoming frostbitten and provide direct oxygen to him during the jump.

“Where’s the rest of it?” he shouted looking for the back-head piece.

“We don’t use those,” shouted Thay. “Pull this over your head then put the mask on,” he instructed as he tossed Stone a fabric hood.

Stone caught the hood and paused to inspect it.

“It works just as good,” promised Sandwick just before he pulled his own mask over his face.

Stone shoved his head into the hood and was picking up his mask when Mori grabbed his arm.

“You got this?” she asked.

“This line goes to these canisters and this one goes into the suit, right?”

“You got it.” She smiled. “The pressurization and depressurization are automatic based on altitude after you activate this button,” she added as she pointed to green LED button on the portion of the canister protruding from the suit. “And this lever—”