The Sac'a'rith by Vincent Trigili Read Free Book Online

valid, but without the computers we can’t be sure,” he said.
    “Your friends are about to charge into a fight they can’t win. We can save them, but we need you to tell them to wait for us to reach them. Otherwise they will all die, and if you really have been on this station for a few weeks, then you know what happens to men these creatures kill,” said Narcion.
    They turned and looked at each other, and then one pulled out a communication device and said, “This is Sergeant Sunto to Basecamp, do you read me?”
    “Basecamp here. Have you made contact?” said a voice on the other end.
    “Yes, Basecamp. Please hold off on operation Pierce the Heart until we return,” said Sergeant Sunto.
    “Why?” asked Basecamp.
    Sergeant Sunto paused and looked at Sergeant Sam, who shook his head slightly. Then he said into the speaker, “Basecamp, just hold off. We will be there soon to explain,” and then cut the connection.
    “Something is wrong,” I said without thinking.
    “Yes, sir. They did not use any of the proper code words, and there is no operation Pierce the Heart,” said Sergeant Sunto.
    “Then we can assume communications are compromised and we must move fast to reach your team before it is too late,” said Narcion.
    “This way, gentlemen,” said Sergeant Sunto as he and Sergeant Sam hurried back the way they had come.
    We ran through the long, empty corridors with little caution. Sam and Sunto seemed to be very concerned about their team. The journey was largely uneventful, but I had a persistent feeling that we were running right into a trap. Narcion must have shared it, as he had me fall back quite a way as a rearguard. This separation would make it much harder to catch both of us at once if we fell into a trap.
    I watched Narcion duck as he rounded a corner. I stopped short of it and waited to see what was up. When I heard muffled speech I slowly peered around the corner and saw Narcion crouched behind a barrier with the two sergeants.
    When I had joined them, Narcion said, “That door ahead is Engineering, but there is no sign of their team.”
    “Do you think they were overcome?” I asked.
    “No bodies, so it is possible,” Narcion said grimly.
    I looked down the hall and saw a lot of scorch marks on the walls and the door. There had definitely been a fight here. “I assume we need to get through that door?”
    “Yeah, not a very good proposition from here. If they are in there, they will have the advantage of surprise and terrain,” replied Narcion.
    “There is another entrance, but it is set up similarly,” said Sergeant Sunto.
    “Do you think your team might have retreated from here and headed there?” I asked.
    “No. If they retreated, they would have gone to the safe area we have established,” said Sergeant Sam.
    “Okay, you two go there. Zah’rak and I will take care of this,” said Narcion.
    “Are you sure? We could get one of the magi and bring them here,” said Sergeant Sunto.
    “No, I need them to protect you and your team. How many of the floating creatures do you think there are?” asked Narcion.
    “Three or four at an estimate,” said Sergeant Sam.
    “Thanks; now go quickly,” ordered Narcion. They hesitated and almost said something, but a look from Narcion silenced them and they ran off. He told me to take cover as he threw two magnetic grenades down the corridor.
    I was already behind the barrier, but I crouched down as a loud thud marked the sound of the magnetic grenades attaching to the door. Not long after that a deafening explosion ripped through the corridor and I felt its intense heat pass over my head. As soon as I thought it was clear I looked over the barrier and saw that most of the door was gone, then two of those creatures came flying towards us at high speed.
    Narcion was already in motion, and with both his knives drawn he catapulted himself over the barrier towards the one on the left. Following his lead I dropped my gun, drew my knives,