by James Somers
PARTURE
Estall had done a good job preparing the Vorn battle ships for departure. With the enemy under control here on Castai, they had been able to gain control of the ships still docked on the planet. Ranul had produced technology allowing them to operate the Vorn computer systems. The devices converted the Vorn computer language to Castillian and vice versa, allowing them to pilot the craft through the rift if necessary.
A number of pilots from various Castillian tribes had already signed on for the mission, and now it looked as though it would be necessary to travel through and intercept the Vorn fleet before they attacked, as Kisch K’ta had threatened. According to Ranul’s readings of the data, the rift would be stabilized within five hours and they needed to be in space waiting for it.
The Vorn fleet still had not contacted the governor and Ranul could only conclude that the Sphere was the cause of it. According to the files contained in the Vorn database, the Sphere had been constructed by the Barudii. It still blew his mind to think that on the other side of the rift there was a twin planet to his home world of Castai.
So much of their history had been lost during the war. Their people had migrated long ago, but it had never been properly recorded for future generations. Those born on this Castai knew nothing of the twin world across the rift. Life went on as though the tribes had always been here.
Ranul was as anxious to see the twin planet as he was to know what had become of his friends. Perhaps, when they took these Vorn battle cruisers through the rift, they would find the Vorn engaged in a battle with the Barudii Sphere and be able to aid in the fight to destroy the Vorn armada.
His communication link beeped. “Yes?” said Ranul.
“Ranul, all seven battle cruisers are under way. Are you ready to go?” Estall asked.
“Yes. I’ll meet you at the pad in ten minutes. Are all systems functioning well?”
“Everything seems to be operating smoothly so far. Those translation devices are working well.”
“What about our prisoners?”
“They’re tucked away nicely in one of their own prison compounds, guarded heavily by my men. I’ve already transported Kisch K’ta to the prison as well. The other Aolene warriors are settled in on the warships and ready to join Orin and the others in the fight across the rift.”
“Very good. I’ll join you shortly.”
He did not mention to Estall that the Saberhawk may very well have been destroyed by now.
Still, Ranul couldn’t give up on them yet. The Barudii warriors were powerful. But in a space battle that would make little difference. Ranul hoped Estall’s optimism was well-founded. He too wanted to see his friends again—alive.
Ranul glanced over the data screens once more as he grabbed a pack of his own technical gear then left the lab he was working in. He boarded a nearby transport tube and was whisked away on a suction controlled mass transit system toward the main launch platform where he would meet Estall.
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Within three minutes he sped across the large compound and exited the tube system to find Estall waiting for him with a shuttle. They greeted each other unceremoniously then climbed into the small ship. Estall, a capable pilot himself, operated the shuttle controls as they ascended to the Vorn battle cruiser hovering one thousand feet above the compound.
The other warships were already en route for the transdimensional rift and would be leaving the atmosphere by now. The transport was dwarfed by the ominous size of the Vorn ship now receiving them into itself like a mother pulling in its young.
The battleship was easily ten times the size of the Saberhawk and more heavily armed. These same ships had destroyed the Castillian space fleet in the early years of the war with the Vorn and Baruk. Now, they would allow the Castillians to exact retribution for those losses.
Estall and Ranul made their way to the bridge where a Castillian crew piloted the ship with the aid of Ranul’s translation devices. They had all spent many years under the heel of the Vorn. It was a tremendous feeling to have taken so much control back from their oppressors. The ships were fast and well armed. Ranul was confident that, should they have to face the Vorn fleet, they would fair well in the battle.
The cruiser soared upwards toward space, leaving the atmosphere. The rest of the ships appeared on the main monitor. The new Castillian space fleet pushed on toward the transdimensional rift. Neither Estall nor Ranul had ever been in space. The sight of the rift was awe-inspiring. The phenomena looked as though it could swallow the entire planet. Absolutely nothing was visible beyond the void.
Ranul checked the science station readouts on the stability of the rift. It would still be several hours before it became permeable enough to cross. He continued his work on communication with the Barudii Sphere. If the Sphere was orbiting the twin Castai then he would need to establish contact with it quickly to show themselves as Castillian and not more Vorn ships for it to destroy. The void lay before them, waiting. Ranul wondered what mysteries would be revealed today.
☼
Within the ventilation system, Tiet and Orin strove to escape the Horva compound. As they passed under an intersecting vent above, Tiet heard a clattering sound like something coming toward them. He looked upward into the tube and saw an insect-like robot scrambling on multiple legs to intercept.
Tiet leaped out from under it as it fell into their vent tube. He saw more of the robots appear behind it, coming from the way he and Orin had already been. The robots looked like metal centipedes the size of a man’s leg with a crown of red sensors on the heads.
As the creatures took up pursuit, scurrying along the vents, they began to fire small spikes from compression jets on their heads. The spikes clattered along the metal sides of the vents as Orin and Tiet tried to evade through the curving tubes.
The spikes imbedded into the metal wherever they hit, injecting acid cores, causing the walls to sizzle and burn. At this point, Orin and Tiet did not know if they were going in the right direction to lead them outside or not. But the robot insects were gaining on them. If they tried to blast the mechanical creatures telekinetically they might shatter the entire vent tube and drop themselves right into the middle of an army of Horva.
The tube, which previously had provided many twists and turns to help them avoid the spikes, now opened up into a long straightaway. Orin almost paused, but there was no time to find another route. He picked up the pace as fast as he could, but the creatures were quick and the spikes they fired were even quicker. With a straight line to their targets the creatures would have them in seconds.
Orin heard Tiet behind him, dogging his heels. The younger man definitely had the advantage running in these tubes. A security door came down in front of them. The tube connecting from above was there only outlet. Orin came to a halt below it, turning to see if he could hold the robots at bay while allowing Tiet to go up first.
The moment Orin turned to fight, the entire ventilation tube between them and the approaching robots collapsed inward, as though a giant hand had grasped it from without and crunched it like a can. Orin couldn’t believe what had just happened in their favor and had no explanation for it. The integrity of the tube seemed to be intact. They could here the robots on the other side of the collapsed tube clattering against the crumpled metal trying to get at them.
Wasting no time, Orin and Tiet shot up the outlet tube using their mental power to propel them in great upward leaps. The tube kept going and it seemed they might even reach the roof by this way. Orin wondered if the robots had transmitted images and navigational information back to the Horva. He couldn’t come up with any other reason how they had could have shut the security door on them. He had no reason to believe the cloaks had failed to hide them.
But if the Horva were looking at their own schematics of the system, they might well know where this tube was taking them. They could be waiting. Still, he and Tiet had no choice but to try and escape the facility or get caught in a battle they couldn’t win.
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br /> Orin sent a pressure burst ahead toward the vent cap. The power rippled the air causing odd refractions of the available light, like a wave of heat rising off of a hot road. The vent cap shot off the tube. Both men flipped out of the tube and landed with weapons ready on the roof. Orin’s suspicions had come to fruition.
Several hundred Horva warriors were closing from all directions across the roof. But the automatic gun turrets still had not picked up on their life signatures. The cloaks were working, but didn’t hide them from the soldiers. The Horva closed fast and began firing their pulse weapons.
The pair blocked several shots with E.M. shields. They each sent out mental blasts of power trying not to hit each other in the process. Soldiers fell like wheat each time, but more followed. From somewhere within the Horva masses, a huge kinetic burst erupted, sending many of the soldiers over the sides of the rooftop. Tiet and Orin looked at each other in surprise as neither had caused the incident.
Then they saw someone new in the midst of the clones. This warrior utilized twin swords. He carved the air precisely, dispatching soldiers in every direction. The mystery warrior had both Orin and Tiet captivated by the complexity of his attacks. Neither of them had ever seen such swordsmanship. The auto-guns on the roof charged up and
