Miranda's War Read online

  “No!” Lee wailed, realizing he’d just killed Wulf. The monster had yanked the master hunter up to use as a shield just as he and Leighman’s men had started shooting.

  “Focus!” Keith Leighman yelled at Lee. “We have to stop this thing here!”

  The former Earth Gov operative’s words snapped Lee back into being the professional monster hunter he was. Lee took aim at the monster again with his high-powered sniper rifle as the monster hurled Wulf’s corpse at him. He was forced to abandon his shot and threw himself to the side to avoid being smashed by the heavy weight of Wulf’s armor. Wulf’s body thudded to the ground in the spot where Lee had been only a fraction of a second before.

  Leighman and those with him spread out in a half circle, blocking the monster’s path into the town. They poured fire into the great beast, rifles and pistols blazing. The monster ignored most of the rounds hitting it. Only those that struck one of its already open wounds caused the monster any pause at all. The beast flew into a rage, charging the closest of Leighman’s people. Lee watched as a swipe of its claws removed the head of a woman carrying a semi-automatic rifle. Her head bounced across the dirt as a geyser of blood sprayed from what was left her mangled neck.

  Before the woman’s body had even flopped onto the ground, the great beast took out another of Leighman’s group. A young man had moved closer to it as the monster killed the woman and fired a series of shots into its back with his pistol. The monster spun about, plunging its hand into the young man’s guts. The young man screamed as the great beast jerked its hand back out of him and his intestines spilled onto the dirt in front of him. The young man bent over, collapsing to his knees, frantically trying to hold the rest of his guts inside his body. That left only Leighman and two others in his group.

  Another man with Leighman took aim at the monster with both barrels of his shotgun-like weapon, and they thundered in unison. The heavy slugs from the weapon hammered into its chest where it already bore the wounds from the Hog’s auto-cannon. The monster screeched, a wail so loud and high pitched that it hurt Lee’s ears, as it dropped to its knees. Hanging its head, the monster looked down at the ground. Lee knew the great beast was faking just how badly it had been hurt by the weapon’s blast, but there was no time to warn the man, who was moving in for another shot.

  The monster allowed the man to get close and then rose upward to its full height, bringing its hand down in a blow that pulped the man’s skull. Bits of bone, blood, and brain matter splattered into the night air as the man’s head was smashed apart. Worse, it seemed the monster was through playing around. It hurled itself forward at the last of Leighman’s group. The man it charged toward was barely able to scream before the monster plowed into him like a crashing transport vessel. Dying instantly from the force that shattered his bones and pulped his organs, the man’s body was flung fifteen feet from where the monster had hit him.

  “Aim for its head!” Leighman ordered as Lee raised his rifle and braced it against his shoulder.

  Lights were on everywhere in the town of Harold’s Colony now. People were bursting out of their homes and running toward the far side of town in mindless panic. All of them raced off, except for one, who didn’t appear panicked at all and came running toward where Leighman and Lee were making their last stand. Lee saw the young blonde girl sprinting their way and was taken back by her courage. It was Miranda, and there was no sign of fear at all in her expression, only a burning determination.

  “Dad!” Miranda cried. “Watch out!”

  Leighman heard his daughter’s warning, and it saved his life. He spun sideways as the monster came snarling at him. Its claws raked across the side of his arm, causing him to drop his rifle instead of slicing open his stomach. Leighman grunted from the pain as he managed to get clear enough of the monster to recover.

  Lee targeted the monster’s head and fired his rifle again. The monster saw the shot coming and was able to jerk its head out of the bullet’s path just enough to turn what should have been a lethal hit into a glancing blow. Lee’s shot ripped open the flesh along the right side of the monster’s head. Blood flowed from the wound as the monster went for the closest target, which was Leighman. Jumping several feet into the air, the monster came down on top of Leighman, taking him to the dirt.

  Miranda had reached the battle and paused in search of a weapon she could use to save her father. She stood next to Wulf’s broken and bleeding corpse. The master hunter’s axe was still clutched in his dead hand. Miranda braced one of her feet against Wulf’s arm and tugged the axe from his grasp. It hummed and vibrated in her hands, then made a clicking noise as if switching into another mode. The axe she couldn’t fully lift went from being impossibly heavy to light as a feather.

  Leighman screamed as the monster tore his ribs open and sank its remaining hand into him to remove his still beating heart. It was so focused on the carnage it had just wrought that the monster didn’t see Miranda come up from behind it. The young blonde girl howled as she brought the axe’s blade swinging around in a wide arc to take the monster’s head from its shoulders. Its headless body thudded onto the corpse of her father as its head flew away in another direction. The monster’s head rolled across the dirt, the fire of its burning yellow eyes growing dim and then fading entirely as the head came to a rest near where Lee stood.

  “Frag me,” Lee muttered, staring at the lithe blonde girl holding Wulf’s axe as she stood over the fallen monster and the body of her dead father.

  * * * * *

  Chapter 8

  Two Days Later…

  Anna sat on the edge of Miranda’s bed, watching the thin blonde pack up her things.

  “You’re really doing this, aren’t you?” Anna asked.

  “I am,” Miranda answered without turning toward her.

  “You’re a big hero now,” Anna said. “Everyone in this town is in your debt.”

  “Doesn’t change the fact that my dad is dead.” Miranda took a photo of her and her father down from atop her dresser and tucked it gently into the suitcase spread open on the chair next to it.

  “Running away isn’t going to stop it from hurting,” Anna argued.

  “I know.” Miranda sighed and finally turned around to look at Anna. “But there’s nothing left for me here now, Anna. My father was the only thing keeping me on this rock, and he’s gone. You know I’ve always wanted to go into the black. This is my chance to do it.”

  “Mrs. Bergman won’t be happy,” Anna protested.

  “Mrs. Bergman doesn’t have any claim to me, Anna. Neither does this town, even if I did save it from the monster. My life is mine to do with as I please, and I want to see the stars,” Miranda said.

  “You really think that Lee guy is just going to let you go with him?” Anna asked. “What if you ask him, and he says no?”

  “Then at least I will have tried.” Miranda shrugged. “You’ve been my best friend for as long as I can remember. Don’t you get it? If I don’t take this chance, I may never get another one.”

  “I get it,” Anna answered sadly. “It’s just that…”

  “I’ll miss you too, Anna,” Miranda said and moved to stand in front of her.

  Anna rose from the bed and took Miranda into her arms. The two of them embraced, clinging to each other tightly. Both of them had tears in their eyes.

  “You really know how to make a person feel selfish.” Anna laughed as they released each other and wiped at her tears.

  Miranda closed her suitcase and zipped it up. “It’s time for me to go if I’m going to catch Lee before he’s ready to lift off.”

  Anna did her best to smile. “You take care of yourself out there in the black, Miranda Leighman.”

  “I will,” Miranda promised.

  She left Anna to lock up the house; Miranda didn’t plan on coming back to it. She had told Mrs. Bergman it could be given to anyone in need, but she wasn’t sure the woman had heard her. Bergman had been too focused on trying to talk her into stayin
g, just like Anna had done.

  Miranda paused and took one final look back at the house where she had lived with her father. Fresh tears welled up in her eyes at the memories they had made together there. As much as she missed him—as much as it hurt that he was gone—Miranda willed away her tears and headed toward the town gates. Strider still sat in the clearing just beyond them. She picked up her pace with each step. By the time she reached the clearing outside the gate, she had broken into an all-out run.

  Lee was standing on Strider’s landing ramp, smoking a cigarette. The professional monster hunter smiled as he saw her coming. Miranda ran up to the edge of the ramp and stopped there, catching her breath and looked up at him.

  “Figured you’d be coming, kid,” Lee chuckled.

  “You did?” Miranda asked, totally surprised.

  “Sure.” Lee grinned. “You’ve killed a monster, so you think that buys you a ticket out of here. I hate to break it to you, but it doesn’t. I’m the only survivor of the ship’s crew, but on the upside, your Mrs. Bergman paid me a heck of a lot of credits, since the contract she had with Wulf was fulfilled. I got no idea where I’m going, or what I’m doing next, but I know I don’t need a kid like you along for the ride.”

  “You’re wrong,” Miranda said, taking a step up the ramp, her suitcase swinging at her side. “You need me just as much as I need you.”

  “How’s that exactly?” Lee asked.

  “You know I can fight and take care of myself, Lee, so don’t give me any crap about being a kid. I’m eighteen, and by killing that thing, I’ve damned well earned a place on this ship,” Miranda snarled. “Don’t make me go through you to get on it.”

  Lee burst into laughter, nearly doubling over. Miranda glared at him, steeling herself for a fight if it came down to that.

  “I like you, kid,” Lee finally said when he could breathe again. “You wanna come with me and likely get yourself killed, then, why the frag not?”

  Lee stepped aside as Miranda walked up the ramp and into Strider.

  * * * * *

  Part II

  Chapter 9

  Miranda sniffed the air. The smell of decay was powerful. Knowing she was close to the monster’s lair, she drew her sword from the sheath on her hip. Her armor gleamed in the harsh sunlight that beat down from the bright sun. Lee had stayed behind on Strider with Melson and Brook. She missed having Lee in the field with her, but his instincts weren’t what they used to be. Joe, Rachel, Flynn, and Robbie backed her up as she started walking in the direction of the smell.

  Brickson was a small town. Like many places on the fringes of Earth Gov space, its population numbered fewer than two thousand residents. The colony had gone silent over a week before. Miranda was afraid she knew why, too.

  There was nothing special about Brickson. Had it not been for the fact that Senator Lindsey’s brother was among its residents, no one would likely have even noticed the colony’s lack of comm chatter until the next transport due to pick up a run of ore from its mines showed up, and the next transport wasn’t due for more than a month.

  Senator Lindsey was a wealthy and influential member of Earth Gov though, and apparently cared enough about her brother to hire Miranda and her people to find out what had happened to him. Miranda hadn’t wanted to take the contract, but Lee had convinced her otherwise, reminding her that she had a crew to pay and a ship to keep flying. The credits for both had to come from somewhere. With the growing presence of Earth Gov ships along the fringes due to the civil war raging between the outer colonies and the inner worlds, Strider seemed to be in a perpetual state of needing upgrades so she could stay ahead of the Earth Gov vessels on her runs between worlds. Contracts were few and far between these days, and ones that paid as well as what Senator Lindsey was offering couldn’t be passed on just because of politics. The Senator wanted her brother found and returned to her, even if it meant dealing with “unsavory” types like her and her crew.

  Strider had touched down on a hilltop overlooking the town of Brickson several hours ago. Brook had done a fantastic job landing the ship between the natural cover of two large outcroppings of rocks. That was as close as Miranda and Lee would allow Brook to set down without more knowledge of what had happened to the town. Search and rescue crap like this contract weren’t their usual business, and Miranda didn’t like dealing with unknowns. They tended to get people killed.

  There was just as good a chance that whatever had happened to the town of Brickson was biological or radiological in nature as it was the work of a monster. Miranda had breathed a sigh of relief when Joe had told her Strider’s sensors confirmed the absence of both after they had landed, and he could get a decent set of readings on the small town. That meant a monster or monsters were the likely cause of the town’s silence, and slaying monsters was what Miranda and her crew did best.

  A decade had passed since Miranda had slain the monster that had killed her father, and she’d grown to assume the role of lead monster hunter aboard Strider, with Lee’s help. They had spent the credits from that kill getting back on their feet and hiring a new crew for the old Deathbird. Since then, the two of them had led the others from one contract to another, always dodging conflicts with Earth Gov and its people as they made their living as professional monster hunters among the fringe worlds.

  Lee, while he could never replace her real dad, had become a father figure to Miranda, and she loved the old man dearly. They and their crew were like a family of misfits, who somehow managed to get along together and thrive despite everything. There were days Miranda couldn’t believe she was living her dream. As a young girl, all she had wanted to do was travel the stars, from world to world, and see the universe. She had been doing just that for ten years now, and it had never grown tiring.

  Colonists were always pushing the edges of the fringe farther and farther out into the black. There were always new colonies popping up, and a good number of them ran into problems with indigenous, predatory lifeforms they couldn’t handle on their own. The colonies that were willing to turn to Earth Gov for help were rare. Most of them had been established to escape the oppressiveness of Earth Gov and its agents; they weren’t about to invite those agents onto their worlds unless there was no other choice.

  Miranda was the other choice. If something crawled up out of the swamps and ate your cattle, if some creature descended from the hills and attacked your town every evening, or if there were razor-toothed giant worms with a taste for human flesh borrowing beneath the soil of your fields, you called Miranda. Hiring her wasn’t cheap, but compared to inviting Earth Gov out to your colony and risking them establishing a garrison, Miranda figured the fee she charged was a fair price.

  Usually, though, Miranda had some info about what she and her people were going up against, even if it was just vague descriptions from people who had survived an encounter with whatever it was. This time, though, they were going in completely blind, and that fact bothered her. Still, there was nothing for it if they wanted the large payday Senator Lindsey was offering.

  She and those going into the town with her had geared up and walked out of the hills on foot. Strider carried two top-of-the-line Hogs aboard her, but Miranda had opted not to use them. The Hogs made noise, and there was no point risking detection by whatever might be lurking around when they could hopefully sneak into Brickson unnoticed. As far as Miranda could tell, the plan had worked, too. They hadn’t encountered a single living thing, human or otherwise, during their trek to town.

  Miranda and her crew now stood in the center of Brickson’s main street. The others were shivering their butts off in spite of the heavy coats and jackets they wore, as the thick snow that covered it crunched under their boots. Miranda didn’t have that problem. The armor she’d inherited from Claus Wulf, contained its own environmental systems that kept her snug as a bug in a rug.

  Janto III, the planet the town of Brickson had been established on, wasn’t an ice planet, but it did have long, terribly col
d winters that lasted half the planet’s rotation around the weak and distant sun it orbited.

  Miranda’s nose led her toward what looked to be the town’s meeting hall. The power appeared to still be on everywhere. That explained the scent of rot that reached her nostrils. The hall would be heated, and if the townsfolk had gathered inside the hall in an attempt to find safety in numbers or to make a last stand, then the heat would keep their corpses from freezing solid.

  The doors of the hall had been forced inward. Claw marks were slashed into their thick wood, and they were hanging loosely inside the frame of the doorway, barely attached to their hinges. Miranda motioned for Flynn and Robbie to move up and go into the building. The two were the muscle of her kill crew. They crept forward as Rachel and Joe held back. Rachel was the crew’s medic, an addition Miranda had made, and Joe was the team’s sniper, taking Lee’s place in the field.

  Holding back didn’t stop Joe from taking aim at the doorway with his rifle, though. If something came springing out of it at Flynn and Robbie before they entered the building, Joe wanted a shot at it. Miranda remained where she was between the two groups of her crewmen. She raised her sword into a two-handed grip, and its blade hummed near her face.

  Claus Wulf had always used an axe as his main weapon. Miranda had begun her own career as a monster hunter with his axe as well, but as time went on and credits became available, she had traded the axe in for a katana built to her own specifications. Her dad had trained her in swordsmanship on Tanatos IV for years before he’d been killed. Miranda liked her sword a great deal more than Wulf’s axe and not just because of the weapon’s lighter weight. She had a natural talent with the sword that impressed even someone as jaded and hardened as Lee, so when Miranda had begged him to let her switch over to using one, the old hunter had supported her completely. The sword was as much a part of her now as the rifle Lee had carried for over two decades was a part of him.