by Cheree Alsop
“Dad, I will bring Brandis home, I promise.” She gestured to indicate the ship in which they stood. “I have a good crew, an army, and a plan. I just ask that you trust me.”
Her father was quiet for a few moments. The concern of a father that showed in his eyes gripped Liora’s heart. He finally gave in.
“Please be careful.”
She nodded. “I will, and I’ll let you know as soon as Brandis is safe.”
“Let me know when both of you are on your way home,” her father replied.
Liora nodded and the screen went dark. She took a breath to push away the warm ache in her heart at the thought of the concern her father felt for her. The sensation was still foreign, yet she welcomed it very much. She let out the breath and looked around the room.
There was loss and want on the eyes that lingered on her. The warriors she commanded had parents who had sold them to the clutches of the greedy Cherum. Whether their mothers and fathers knew what would happen to them wasn’t the point. They were children once who had been happy and playing within a home where hopefully love abounded. Now, they were microchipped, violent warriors sold from the families they had loved. They were misplaced in a Macrocosm that had no use for them. What would they give to have a father ask them to come home the way Liora’s had?
She would give them what they needed.
Pressing her hand to the intercom so that the men and women in the other parts of the starship could hear, she said, “Warriors of the Basttist army, we go to war against the beings that took my brother and are holding him captive in their attempt to capture me. I fly into their trap knowingly.” She looked around at those in the cockpit. “I promise you that if you help me free my brother, you will find a home and a job protecting the planet of Corian and the Day Merchant Fleet.” Relief showed in the gazes that looked up at where she stood on the raised dais in the middle of the control room.
She met each of them in turn. “I have no doubt this is going to be difficult. The beings have plotted to attack the Milky Way Galaxy and annihilate the millions of lives there. When we reach the Dreyer Galaxy, a battle is certain and the outcome has the impact to affect the lives of even the families from which you came. Fight beside me to protect the ones you have loved and left behind. Help me free my brother and end those who threaten to destroy everything in their path with even more malicious intent than the Cherum. Fight beside me and I promise you that after it is over, each of you will have a home and a position of honor as a peacekeeper of the planet Corian in the Tucana Dwarf Galaxy.”
A cheer went through the control room. She could hear it down the hallways and see the warriors on the monitors of the engine room and armory talking excitedly to each other.
She took her hand away and couldn’t help the smile that crossed her face.
“That was smart,” Tariq said quietly from her side.
Liora looked at him. “I meant every word of it.”
He nodded. “Of course you did. It’s what you do.”
“What do I do?” she asked.
He smiled down at her. “You take caged, lost souls and free them.”
“They weren’t caged,” Liora replied.
Tariq nodded at the men and women below them who had turned back to their positions in the room. There was a different light to the fire in their eyes and a straightening of shoulders. Tariq put a hand to the back of his head and rubbed the place where the microchip had been implanted.
“They were caged, trust me.” The look of frustration in Tariq’s eyes said he knew exactly what he was talking about. “At least I always know who I’m fighting for.”
Liora took his hand. She wanted to ease the anger she saw in his gaze. He had been altered against his will, implanted without having the chance to fight back.
“You gave them something worth fighting for, a way to channel at least some of this hostility that never seems to fade,” Tariq continued. “They can’t go back home; they can’t hope to live a normal life. They wouldn’t be welcome there anyway, not like this, so you gave them the chance at another life.”
“We all need second chances,” Liora said. She wanted to erase the haunted look in his gaze. She missed the mischievous cast in his eyes and the smile that brushed his lips when he glanced in her direction. She would do anything to bring that back.
A ghost of that smile touched the corners of his mouth. “At least now we have a chance.”
She smiled back at him. “We always had a chance.”
“I’ve reached Pilot Zanden,” Korgutan called over his shoulder.
“Pull him up,” Liora replied.
“You must have a dozen lives,” Zanden said as soon as his face appeared on the main screen. “I thought we lost both of you back there.”
“It was a close thing,” Liora told him. “But you followed my orders. You would have had no fault if we hadn’t survived.”
“I don’t think your father would agree. He’d probably strand us all on Corithol,” Zanden said. “As it was, we’ve been waiting here hoping beyond hope that you would contact us so we don’t get reassigned to freeze to death or be eaten by goroths.”
“I hope he would have a little more patience than leaving you on that ice planet,” Liora replied with a small chuckle. “Just the same, I’m happy we’re alive. We’re getting ready to make the jump to Dreyer. Tell me what we can expect.”
Zanden’s expression tightened. “There are Ketulans everywhere,” he reported. “If whatever order they are waiting for goes through, we’re fodder for a Gaulded. But they haven’t attacked. It’s like they know you haven’t arrived yet.”
“I’m sure that’s exactly what it is,” Liora replied. “I have a feeling things are going to change very quickly. Do you have any indication of where they’re keeping Brandis?”
“Without a doubt.” Zanden’s gaze moved to one of his windows. “There are a billion planets in this galaxy, yet only one with its own private Ketulan army. I’ve named it Ovo because of its oblong shape. It also has three moons which appear to be very well guarded. I wouldn’t be surprised if they turn out to be Ketulans themselves.”
Liora glanced at Tariq. He looked as ready as she did to get out of the Triangulum Galaxy. She had no doubt the Basttist warriors felt the same way.
“Tell the others to be ready,” Liora told Zanden. “I need a path cut to Ovo. This army needs to be on the ground to fight. The sooner we can land on the planet where they’re holding Brandis, the better.”
“You have an army?” Zanden replied with confusion showing on his face. “How did you have time for that?”
Liora shook her head. “Long story. I’ll tell you later if we survive.”
“I’ll take you up on that,” Zanden said. “Ready when you are, Warden.”
Liora looked around the control room. Even with the amount of warriors she knew filled the halls beyond, she had seen what the Ketulans could do. She didn’t want to make the same mistake as the Cherum and throw away lives so easily.
Korgutan met her gaze, his blue eyes bright with anticipation. “We’re ready when you are, Warden.”
She let out a breath and nodded. “Right. Let’s go.”
The ship jumped forward and Liora’s breath caught at the wash of cold. As soon as the screens cleared, they could make out the Nines firing at Ketulans that closed in from every side. Liora’s heartbeat slowed at the sight of the oblong planet. Red and blue rings encircled it, just like in the memory Tariq had shown her from the day they defeated the Nameless Ones. It had to be the right place.
“Get us to the oblong planet,” Liora instructed Korgutan’s team. “Do whatever is necessary to land on Ovo.”
“Yes, Warden,” several men and women replied at the same time.
The ship shook as it was attacked on every side. She could see the Nines fighting desperately to clear the machines away, but others took their places as soon as they were destroyed. The monitors showed the great Cherum ship being taken apart piece by
piece faster than the Nines could react.
“We’ve lost the shielding on the starboard side,” Korgutan called out.
“Power is being drained from the main lines,” a woman with purple leaves instead of head said over her shoulder.
Liora kept silent. The warriors knew the ship better than she. If they couldn’t land it, she wouldn’t have a chance.
“The planet is surrounded by Ketulans,” another said. “We’ll have to crash our way through.”
“Head straight into them,” Liora commanded.
A creature whose gender Liora couldn’t identify through the thick green fur that covered its body put a hand to the control screen and announced over the communications system, “Brace for impact.”
They hit a wall of Ketulans thick enough to jar even the massive ship. Tariq held onto Liora to keep her upright. She watched in the monitors as huge holes appeared in the sides of the Cherum craft where the Ketulans attacked in response.
Screams and shouts came over the system.
“They’re inside,” a warrior informed them from deeper in the ship.
“Fight with everything you’ve got,” Korgutan ordered over the communications system.
The debris cleared and Liora saw the surface of the oblong planet. Mountains of dark, hardened liquid gave way to valleys so deep they weren’t penetrated by the light of the nearest star. Liora knew without a doubt that the scent of the vapor that rose into the air from the valleys was one of sulfur.
The top of the highest mountain had been leveled and a dome with a glass room glowed from within. One of the many angled panels shone brighter than the rest as if it had been newly repaired and was yet to be coated in the sulfur scum that dulled the luminosity of the others.
Tariq pointed at the main screen. “Korgutan, aim for that dome.”
Korgutan nodded, but didn’t speak as he steered the ship haphazardly around the spikes of a reaching mountain and up toward the dome. Liora gripped Tariq’s arm tightly and he held her steady, his gaze on the structure that had haunted his mind ever since he broke the orbs and rid the Macrocosm of the Nameless Ones.
“We’re going down,” Korgutan announced.
“Brace for impact,” the green creature called into the intercom.
The ship caught on the rocky outcropping of a ledge, tore through several reaching spikes, and spun without response to the warriors who fought to steady its freefall. They were jolted when it hit the side of the massive mountain, careened against a nearby cliff, and slammed to a halt within the saddle of a jutting ridge that rose below the dome.
Lights blinked on and off in the control room. The monitors showed only static. Korgutan’s attempts to bring the screens back to life made them go dark entirely.
“The Ketulans will be coming,” Liora said. “Get weapons and leave the ship. You have to take them out by striking the power cells underneath them. Clear the path for us. We need to reach the dome.”
“Yes, Warden,” Korgutan replied.
She and Tariq followed the warriors down the dark hallway.
“There’s a secondary exit at the base of the ship,” Korgutan told them. “It’ll be our best bet for getting off this rock.”
Members of the army met them at every corridor and fell in with the rest.
“Lead the way,” Tariq told him.
Liora was stopped in the corridor by a young woman with light yellow skin. She held up a canvas bag.
“I made you a bomb, Warden.”
Liora took the offered bag. “How did you make a bomb?” she asked.
The woman’s gaze was solemn. “Let’s just say that where I grew up, knowing how to make weapons out of ordinary materials was essential. This bomb, when detonated, will be strong enough to wipe out an area the size of the control room of this ship. All you have to do is smash the containers together.”
“Thank you,” Liora told her. “I hope we don’t have to use it, but it’s good to be prepared.”
She moved to follow Tariq, but the woman grabbed her arm.
“Warden, please be careful. The bomb I made you is highly explosive. Don’t allow the chemicals to mix unless you want to cause severe damage and death to all around the bag.”
Her warning sent a whisper of adrenaline through Liora’s body. She was getting tired of dealing with finicky explosives. The thing that bothered her was from what she knew of the inhabitants of the dome, the bomb might be entirely necessary.
“Thank you,” she replied. “I’ll take care.”
The sounds of Ketulans working their way in from the outside echoed loudly within the corridors. The warriors followed Liora and Tariq down. Weapons passed along the rows. Liora caught glimpses of short swords, knives, and other blades. Apparently the Cherum hadn’t seen a need for firearms aboard their ship, either. The weapons would work with the Ketulans, but Liora wondered what else they would find within the walls above.
Chapter 11
Ketulans swarmed the warriors as soon as they reached the ridge. They were sitting tarlons just waiting to be picked off. Liora debated whether to command them to retreat, but the ship would be torn apart just like her Nine had been. Their only hope was to reach the dome, yet there wasn’t enough time. The warriors raised their weapons above their heads. Light glinted off the blades of the Ketulans.
“Remember. Aim for the power cells beneath them,” Liora shouted.
Four Ketulans veered from the others and flew toward Liora and Tariq. Liora drew her knives. She braced for the pain she knew their blades would bring.
The Ketulans exploded only feet from Liora. The Nines flew by overhead, their bullets cutting through the air with the buzz of a thousand swarthans. Ketulans careened away from the army as they were peppered with gunfire.
Pilot Zanden grinned when he flew past and put his fingers to his brow in salute.
Adrenaline surged through Liora.
“To the dome!” she commanded.
The warriors took off up the red rock ridge. The scent of sulfur and heavy metals assailed Liora’s nostrils. She wondered briefly if the atmosphere was toxic, but there weren’t any space suits available. She wished Officer O’Tule was there to give her a status report on the planet, then changed her mind. It wouldn’t make a difference and would probably only add to the direness of their situation.
Massive doors loomed above them when they reached the glass dome. Tariq shot at the glass on either side, but the bullet ricocheted away without causing any damage.
“You there,” Liora called to two huge Gauls in her army. “What are your names?”
They ambled forward.
The first peered at her, his small eyes bright. “We don’t have names.”
Liora looked at the female Gaul next to him. They both appeared battle worn but ready to fight. Shifting her gaze to the warriors behind them, she saw the same determined expressions on the faces that watched her. Overhead, the screaming cries of the Nines racing through the sky after the Ketulans were broken by the peppered sounds of gunfire.
“You have names,” she said, looking back at the Gauls. “You are soldiers from your home, brave, strong, and individual.”
She glanced at the other members of her army. There were hundreds of them. They faced the unknown, but did so with tight grips on their weapons and resolve in their eyes. Gauls stood beside humans, Venticans waited beside Calypsans, and members of other races she didn’t know looked ready to fight at her command. They were a young army christened by their battle with the Cherum that had created them. Whatever waited behind the massive doors of the dome that towered high above would meet a fight worthy of the term.
“Remember who you are,” she told them. “Remember your names. We fight as brothers and sisters.” She gave the Gauls an expectant look.
“Kran,” the male said.
“Vea,” the female told Liora. A smile touched the Gaul’s face. It was as if saying her name gave the Gaul her identify back.
“Kran, Vea,” Liora re
peated. “Knock down the doors.”
Kran smiled, showing his flat teeth. “With pleasure.”
Both Gauls lowered their horned heads and ran at the dome. When they struck, the massive doors cracked inward but still stood. The Gauls backed up and ran again.
“Ketulans!” one of the warriors shouted.
Liora looked up to see a dozen of them bearing down on the army. Behind her, a resounding crash signaled that the doors were open.
“Korgutan, take six warriors and stop the Ketulans. We don’t need them coming at us from behind.”
The orange-haired humanoid put a fist to his heart in answer to Liora’s command.
“The rest of you, watch your backs, defend your comrades, and don’t stop fighting. I don’t know what we’re about to face, but we’ll get through it together,” Liora shouted.
She ran into the dome with Tariq at her side. The rest of the warriors filed into the dark expanse.
The floor was rough as if made of the same hardened rock as the ridge. Liora didn’t know why the light from outside didn’t penetrate the glass above them, but nothing filtered through. Tariq switched on his gun light, illuminating a dark, empty cavern. The army slowed. A glance up showed massive black stalactites reaching down from the ceiling above. Stalagmites filled the floor except for a small path toward the opposite end where Tariq’s light failed to touch.
The sounds of Korgutan and the others fighting the Ketulans echoed inside. Liora’s senses thrummed and she looked from side to side as they made their way through the giant pillars. Her instincts crawled with the sensation of danger. There was no doubt in her mind that the innocuous room was anything but that.
A subtle sound caught her ear. Liora stared into the darkness on her right side, willing her eyes to focus. It had sounded like a drip of water falling from the ceiling above to hit a stalagmite below, yet it was louder, more full, as though the substance that fell wasn’t pure liquid.
As if in answer to her thoughts, darkness massed at the top of the closest stalagmite. Another drip sounded, then another. The substance pooled and straightened, forming into creatures Liora had never seen before. They were small, reaching to just below her waist, with a multitude of arms that ended in spikes. The one closest to her met her gaze with huge yellow eyes that reflected golden in Tariq’s light. It opened its mouth and the upper half of its head hinged back so that its jaws could form a complete circle of serrated teeth.
