“I think Kalian has the surface under control. Let’s just take out the vessels.”
“As you wish,” Talli said jovially. “Wormhole established.”
ALF brought his attention back to the small Kellekt fleet traversing space towards them. “Let’s giving them something to think about, shall we?”
The Starforge opened a wormhole seven thousand kilometres wide and let rip with the power of a star.
Kalian was past the point of having fun and was now beginning to wonder if he had made a mistake. His exosuit was now five times its normal size, having absorbed and repurposed a portion of the nanocelium from one of the towers. There wasn’t an inch of him that was exposed and there was at least a metre of nanocelium between him and the outside world.
An initial blast of telekinetic energy kept the horde of Shay from overwhelming the fleeing humans, but he had wasted no time wading into the Shay masses and putting his tree-like arms to good use. A single backhand, coupled with telekinetic energy, was enough to send ten of the infected aliens flying away in a jumble of broken limbs.
He stomped this way and that, flattening them under his heavy feet. Alarms were flaring inside is HUD, alerting him to the Shay on his back, desperately clawing at the nanocelium. Kalian jumped forward into the air and landed in a row that squashed the aliens on his back. Another blast of telekinesis scattered those directly in front of him, as well as blowing away the bottom corner of the nearest building.
Another alert broadcasted across his face, notifying Kalian of the link trying to be established by ALF. At least he was asking this time…
“Are you in orbit?” Kalian asked as he picked up a Shay by the leg and hammered it into the road.
A slither of nanocelium wormed up his neck and came to rest behind his ear. “Not quite,” came ALF’s reply. “I’m just mopping up the reinforcements up here. How is it down there? Looks like you’re in the thick of it now.”
Kalian held out both his enormous arms and ran forwards, sweeping up a dozen Shay in each embrace. One tight squeeze across his chest was enough to severe most of the aliens at the waist.
“I’m keeping them back,” he managed between breaths. “But they keep putting themselves back together! It’s infuriating!” Kalian reached over his shoulder and three free the two Shay who had been digging their infected hands into his helmet.
“Well, they’re not putting themselves back together up here, that’s for sure.”
Kalian looked up and caught the end of a shining beam of light streak across the sky. “You’re using a Starforge!” he exclaimed.
“You know me,” ALF said, “I like to arrive in style.”
Kalian turned about in the battlefield of shredded Shay and found that at least a hundred of them had ran past him and were chasing after the humans again. One last backhand gave him the room to break into a sprint, something his lumbering exosuit didn’t excel at. He flattened or pushed any aside that didn’t get out of his way in time, before leapt on to the building wall and pushed off, clearing the fallen skyscraper beneath him in a single bound.
His impact on the other side was devastating for the Shay. His speed and hulk scatter the aliens in every direction and a sweeping hand caught one of them by the torso. The Shay made for the perfect projectile to throw at the others still running after the humans.
“Half of the population has made it through the Forge,” ALF told him.
“What about Corvus’ population?” Kalian asked.
“They’ve recommenced their orbital evacuations but there just aren’t enough Starforges to get everyone off the surface. Still, the Trilliks will outnumber the Raalaks.”
“What?” Kalian knew exactly what ALF meant, but he couldn’t imagine that level of genocide on a core planet.
“Arakesh is gone, Kalian,” the AI explained. “The Three harvested the whole world. The networks are pretty patchy right now, but it looks like the Raalaks are officially on the endangered list.”
Kalian continued to run forward, shoving aside every Shay in his bid to reach the back of the human parade. The Raalaks weren’t the only endangered species in the galaxy and he had to ensure the survival of at least one.
The sparkling dome at the end of the street was one of the few buildings to have remained intact, and right now there were fifty thousand humans cramming through its doors and running through a pair of Starforges. The Gomar lined each side of the human line, ready to defend against the infected aliens.
Kalian came bounding down the road, a behemoth in his exosuit, and skidded to a stop a few metres away from the men and women unfortunate enough to be at the back the line. Turning back to the street he had come from, the fallen skyscraper cut across the middle was hidden beneath the wave of Shay crawling over and through it. There was only one way he was going to buy the rest of the humans enough time to escape.
His awareness expanded into the buildings and towers either side of the street, searching for the spark of life that existed inside all intelligent beings. Thankfully, they were in an area of the city that had been within the priority evac zone, leaving the buildings empty.
Using his HUD, Kalian had his larger exosuit project his voice to the Gomar. “I need you all to erect a shield around the last of them! Make sure you’re on the inside!” He waited until the Gomar had positioned themselves around the humans and he felt the solid wall of air form around them.
Then he let loose.
With one hand, he dragged it down the tower on the left before mirroring his actions over the tower on the right. His telekinetic strands dug into the buildings and tugged at their framework. The ground shook and glass rained down amid giant slabs of wall. The charging Shay took little notice, however, and continued their advance, some even running on all fours like an animal.
Kalian gritted his teeth and brought both of his arms in with one last pull of telekinetic energy. The towers couldn’t resist his power. The top halves crumpled first, blinding at an angle that would see them fall into the street, but the bottom halves soon followed suit and collapsed under the weight. The Shay directly in front of him were picked up and thrown back into the avalanche or kicked away. Ultimately, there was no escape for the infected aliens.
The fog of dust and debris concealed them all before the first of the buildings slammed into the street, quickly followed by the second. The impact created a shockwave both through the air and under Kalian’s feet. Protected inside his exosuit, he remained still and allowed the impenetrable fog to wash over him and around the filed the Gomar had erected. More than one slab of rock bounced off his nanocelium armour, but still he remained, waiting for any Shay that might have escaped the devastation.
“They’re all through,” ALF reported. “Get yourself through, Kalian. I’ll see you at the capital.”
Kalian waved his hand across the brown fog, clearing his vision. A fifty metre wall of destruction lay before him with only a handful of Shay on the outside, though there wasn’t one of them with all of their arms and legs. He turned to the Starforge inside the dome, leaving the aliens to crawl across the broken ground.
The Gomar had dropped their shield as the last of the humans made it through the event horizon. Looking now, Kalian could only see Sef and Vox standing in front of the bright light, surrounded by Trillik technicians and security personnel. He hated to think what the green aliens thought of them being given priority evacuation Forges while their people were left to suffer. It was an imbalance that kalian felt helpless to change.
“Nice suit!” Vox exclaimed.
The ground shook with every footstep he took inside the dome. “It’s just a loan,” he said as the front of the exosuit opened up like a zip.
He dropped out and watched the nanocelium knit back together, leaving an ominous-looking giant behind. That gave him an idea. Kalian covered his right hand in a glove of nanocelium and brought up his finger menu of orange holographics. The giant mass of nanites was still under his control even after detaching fr
om his slimline exosuit.
“We need to go, Kalian!” Vox called.
Kalian ignored her for the moment and entered the coordinates of the second enemy tower into the giant’s navigation systems. “Destroy it,” he ordered. “And protect as many people as you can.”
The giant gave no indication that it had received the commands other than to turn around and exit the dome. It wouldn’t be enough to save the whole planet, but with ALF’s help in space and the giant’s help on the surface it was something. Kalian kept telling himself that as he stepped through the Forge.
18
Roland stood as a sentinel on the top deck of the control room, inside Clave Command Tower. Everyone beneath him was busy coordinating the shit show that was the Conclave’s defence. Above it all, the bounty hunter looked out on the planet-sized tower of the capital, watching distant explosions while the mobs surrounding the tower took on wild Shay. Nowhere was safe anymore.
He could still see Arakesh in his mind, burning and glowing a molten orange as it collapsed in on itself. Not only had the enemy harvested the planet in a matter of hours, but the ship had also grown to the size of a small world now.
“You get awfully pouty when you’re serious,” Ch’len said from behind him.
“Shouldn’t you be a quivering wreck with all this open space?” Roland kept his eyes on the unfolding chaos outside.
“I’m okay as long as I keep my eyes on my feet.” An awkward silence fell between the bounty hunters. “So,” the Ch’kara managed, “do you think this is it? The end, I mean?”
Roland sighed, always uncomfortable taking part in a serious conversation. “We’re fucked, Len.”
Ch’len nodded his head, though he was clearly distressed at the idea. “But, there’s still a chance…”
“No.” Roland couldn’t say it any clearer. “You’ve heard Kalian. These things have been harvesting civilisations since the dawn of time. You don’t do something for that long and not become really good at it. We’re fucked.”
Ch’len shrugged his shoulders. “But, we still have…”
“Len. They eat planets. What can you do against an enemy that literally devours planets?”
“You sound scared,” Ch’len stated boldly.
For a fraction of a second, Roland wanted to snap at what was really his only friend, but the lack of alcohol in his system gave the bounty hunter access to other parts of his brain for a change. “There’s nothing wrong with being scared, Len. Fear is what keeps us alive.” In the blink of an eye he saw all the terrible things he had done for Central Parliament, all the battles he had fought in and the lives he had taken just to prevent them from taking his. “We should all be afraid…”
“Mr North!” Telarrek called from below. “They all made it through.”
That was something, Roland thought. At least they could all die together.
Along with the Raiders, Roland took a transport to the Lambo District, where a chain of hotels had been taken over by the human population under C-Sec command. According to the reports coming through on his sleeve’s screen, most of the Shay had been pushed back to the lower levels now, where many were said to be finding old tunnels to hide in. Still, the bounty hunter made certain that both of his Tri-Rollers were fully loaded with Intrinium.
It took some time to sift through the various directions he was given, but eventually he came across the Starstruck Hotel where Kalian and Li’ara had been housed. As he entered, C-Sec soldiers were still escorting the hotel’s staff outside and ushering them into transports. Roland wondered if the Raalaks were getting the same level of security wherever they were.
The hotel was one of the more luxurious establishments, with a grand staircase, red carpets, and golden bannisters. The sweet aroma of the perfume was quickly being overtaken, however, by the fouler smell of human sweat. Inspecting the faces of the humans huddling in groups and waiting for their assigned rooms, Roland could see the exhaustion that wore them all down. They had been running for their lives, something they were all becoming accustomed to.
“You’re either the toughest bastard to kill or the luckiest guy in the galaxy!”
Roland turned around inside the foyer and looked up at the landing, where Li’ara Ducarté was leaning over the rail. “Hey, Red! Can’t a guy be both?”
“It’s good to see you all alive,” she said as she made her way down the stairs. “I heard you were in the Arakesh system when it got hit.”
“We heard you guys went for a stroll through Corvus,” Ava Matthews replied.
“The last twenty-four hours have been something of a nightmare for us all,” Captain Fey said, meeting them by the reception desk. “Are the reports about Arakesh true?” she asked.
“It’s gone, Cap.” Roland couldn’t help but wonder what Earth and Century had looked like when they were destroyed. He was tempted to ask Li’ara, who had witnessed both, but he had been sent to the hotel for a reason. “Telarrek wants us back at the command tower,” he explained. “Kalian and Sef too,” he added.
“Are we in trouble for bringing the Gomar?” Li’ara asked.
Captain Fey shook her head. “If we get reprimanded by anyone in the middle of all this, they’re going to have deal with my foot up their ass.”
Roland laughed for the first time in a while. “Now there’s a captain I can get behind.”
Fey ignored his comment. “I’ll find Jed…”
“I’ll go find Kalian and Sef.” Li’ara turned to the Raiders before leaving. “It’s really good to see you all. I hope Jess recovers quickly.”
“She’s a fighter,” Ava relied confidently. “Like the rest of us.”
The Valkor had limped back to the capital with the Rackham, but the damage it had taken had slowed down the Medder treating the lieutenant. Still, she was in good hands now in the same hospital as High Councillor Brokk. She was, after all, one of them.
“Go and get some rest,” Roland suggested. “It’s all talk right now, but the fighting is far from over…”
The Clave Command Tower had quickly become the most fortified place in the Conclave. Roland had been forced to give over his Tri-Rollers, as well as all of his other toys, most of which gained him funny looks from the C-Sec soldiers.
“Unbelievable,” he muttered beside Li’ara. “Two walking weapons of mass destruction are allowed to just stroll in,” he said, gesturing ahead to Kalian and Sef, “but little old me has to give over my babies.”
“You sound like a baby right now,” Li’ara retorted.
They were shown to a new room within the complex, taking them away from the control room. It was no less impressive, with a dome of glass and an entire wall of holographic data relayed from the control room below. A round table took up most of the available space, surrounded by twelve chairs occupied by the eleven representatives of the new council. The empty chair beside Telarrek was obvious, but Roland assumed it was supposed to have a Shay sitting in it.
“I hate this part,” he admitted.
“What are you talking about?” Li’ara asked.
“This.” The bounty hunter gestured to the table of alien leaders as the two of them were ushered to the side to join Naydaalan, away from Kalian, Sef and Captain Fey. “The part where everyone seems to forget that a war just kicked off. Plus, we get sidelined because we, A, don’t have superpowers and, B, don’t have enough lines on our uniform.”
Li’ara rolled her eyes as she took her place beside Naydaalan. “You are long past wearing a uniform, Roland.”
“I’m just saying: we need to be out there fighting back, not talking about stuff in here.”
Before Li’ara could reply, Telarrek stood up from his chair. “We are officially at war,” he declared, much to Roland’s amusement. “We have already suffered horrific blows not only to our homes, but to our hierarchy. The Highclave was attacked on Nova Prime, leaving only Councillor Brokk alive, though his situation has become critical. In their absence, and with Councillor Brokk’s bless
ing, we have formed a new Highclave in this time of emergency. Until the war is over, there will be no elections. Councillors will be appointed by the majority vote of those present.”
Roland was already starting to feel sleepy. To keep himself awake and standing, he clocked every C-Sec soldier, their weapons, and potential weak points, as well as the exits. He wasn’t entirely convinced that the command tower couldn’t come under assault any minute, what with all the Shay unaccounted for.
“As it is,” Telarrek continued, “this council has already voted prior to your arrival,” he said to Kalian and the others. “Unlike previous Highclaves, this one represents every race in the Conclave, since we are all in this together. From what we can tell, there is not a single Shay who has not been affected by this nanocelium virus. That leaves us with an empty chair…”
Now that caught Roland’s attention. He also noted that it had captured Captain Fey’s too, who was swapping glances with Captain Holt and Kalian.
“The Conclave consists of thirteen species now fighting for survival. Captain Fey, would you represent the humans of Evalan?”
All eyes fell on the captain, who appeared to take in a deep breath and straighten her back. Kalian bowed his head and whispered something into her ear, which caused Fey to tug on her uniform and lift her chin.
“It would be an honour, in this time of crisis, to sit on the Highclave,” she finally replied.”
“Due to the dire situation among the Raalakian community, High Charge Uthor has regrettably stepped down from his position,” Telarrek said. “We thank Councillor Ordak for being present in spite of such a time.” The Novaarian held out his upper hand to incorporate the stone-like alien on the other side of the table. “Your input will be appreciated, I am sure. With our lack of a High Charge in mind, we are also grateful that you have accepted your place on this council, Captain Fey. Our civilisation has known peace for so long that we would value any insights that you may offer in these violent times.”
The Terran Cycle Boxset Page 144
