by Paul Ormond
“And what destiny is that?” Robert said. “We all know that it’s that big ugly metal tank calling all the shots. You’re nothing more than her servant. You do her bidding thinking that you serve a higher cause, but it is only a matter of time before she rids herself of you. Once she believes she no longer needs you to serve her cause, she will serve you up to her Emperor for breakfast.”
“You do not understand the scope of the design,” Commander Holrathu shouted, rushing toward Robert with his spear raised. “That is why I must do away with you.”
Catching Robert with his ax, Holrathu leaped into the air with is weapon overhead and brought down his blade, but a tremendous blue orb slammed into his chest and knocked him back into a wall of attacking soldiers.
Clutching his arm, Robert righted himself only to spot Drak rushing toward him with his spear in hand.
“Though you could use a little help,” Drak said as he let loose a wide swathe of fire from his spear.
Rounding the corner, Gaelin scanned the cave for enemies before checking on his companions.
“We’re close. I can hear it,” he said as he pushed ahead through the dark passage, using an orb to light his way.
“After 10 years in solitary, you’d think I’d be used to confined spaces,” O’Dell said while following after Gaelin.
“Better down here than up there,” Sheila said before the cave was rocked by an explosion overhead.
“Not sure if I agree with you,” Conrad said, choking back dust. “But we’re down here now. Keep moving before this cave collapses on us.”
“Just what is it that we’re doing down here?” Paddy said from further back in the tunnel.
“We’re going to put XiaoFan’s lovely devices to work,” O’Dell said after they reached another crossroad. “Isn’t that right, XiaoFan? If only your daddy could see you now.”
“I’m sure he’d be thrilled,” XiaoFan said as she and Sanchez approached from the rear.
“Your father will be very proud of you,” Christine said, stepping to her side.
“We can heap praise on each other after we get out of this,” Gaelin said, glancing at his panel. “Ramon, check these readings out.”
“It looks like a major power source dead ahead,” Ramon said.
“Then that’s where we’re headed,” Gaelin said. “Once we get in there, we need to do as much damage as we can before they get on us. We’ve got no idea what kind of security presence they’ve got down there. If things get hot, don’t be a fool. Get out of there while you’ve got the chance.”
“We should split into two groups,” O’Dell said. “The big guns come with me and focus everything we’ve got on this power source. Everybody else, handle the soldiers.”
“I don’t see any other option,” Sheila said, readying her weapon.
“We didn’t come all this way to just stand here and look pretty,” Conrad said. “If you want something done, you’re going to have to get your hands dirty.”
“Two groups it is,” Gaelin said. “But let’s get in quietly. We’re only going to get one shot, so make it count.”
Turning in the air, Gaelin pushed toward a cave across a narrow cavern. As he entered the passage, a bright light flashed at the opposite end, blinding him for a moment.
He covered his eyes and pushed ahead into the open space only to come face to face with a bristling column of light funneling toward the surface.
“Would you look at the size of that thing,” O’Dell said as he stopped beside Gaelin.
“Stop gawking and start firing,” Ramon said, readying his weapon. “We’ve got incoming from the left.”
While Ramon opened fire on the beam, a group of soldiers rounded the column and charged toward the intruders, blasting orbs as they approached.
“We got the soldiers. Keep firing,” Gaelin shouted. “Get under them and draw their fire. Pull them away.”
“We’re with you,” Sanchez shouted before he and XiaoFan dropped out of the sky after Gaelin.
“Don’t do anything stupid,” Christine shouted from behind.
“Stop shouting and start shooting,” XiaoFan said, opening fire on the incoming soldiers.
Several large explosions occurred at the base of the column as O’Dell and the others unloaded on the flowing energy. More soldiers dropped out of an opening above the beam and flooded into the cavern, sending a cascade of fire toward the trespassers.
As the swarm of attackers clashed with the infiltrators, the beam grew in strength and size at an astonishing rate before emitting an enormous pulse that flooded the cavern. `
CHAPTER FIFTY
OVER THE NOISE of the battle raging across the valley, the twin spires rotated at an alarming rate as they pushed higher into the atmosphere.
Blocking an orb with his off-hand, Drak glanced toward the towering vessel before a bright pulse filled the sky.
The Masters’ forces continued to pour out of the ships circling overhead and rushed to meet their opponents racing across the battlefield.
The Chalthantarian soldiers had managed to cut into the enemy’s defenses alongside their Thylocenian counterparts, but they were quickly flanked by a horde of orange and black soldiers flooding the valley.
Battling valiantly, the earthling army was holding their own in the face of the much better equipped invaders, however they had made little headway in spite of their efforts.
Drak pushed ahead with his spear at the ready and struck down a row of soldiers, only to find another shrieking mass of attackers closing in on him from all directions.
“We’ve got to cut through them,” Drak shouted while he and Robert stared down another wave of enemy fighters. “If we don’t get to that ship, we’ll all be done for.”
“We haven’t got much time,” Kalis shouted before cutting down a howling soldier. “Those beams look like they’re ready to burst.”
“Just keep pushing,” Robert shouted, striking at a rushing soldier. “I only care about one of them anyway, and I think I just spotted him again. If we can get rid of Holrathu and his metal cronies, then we can start to do some real damage. Follow me.”
Rising into the air, Robert shot over the raging battle toward Commander Holrathu’s hulking form with Drak and Kalis keeping pace behind him.
“That one’s mine, the rest are all yours” Robert shouted as Holrathu spun around and readied his ax.
“Just who I was looking for,” the commander said, spotting Robert diving toward him. “You can’t get enough, can you?”
“Not until I drive your lifeless body into the earth beneath us,” Robert shouted while swinging his blade.
“I regret to inform you, but this little skirmish is about to end badly for you and all of your allies,” Holrathu said after he blocked Robert’s strike. “It is time for the Emperor’s grand arrival. I suggest your surrender now, or suffer a fate worse than death.”
“I’ve noted your suggestion,” Robert said, dodging to his right. “But I think I’ll take my chances.”
“You will never defeat me,” Commander Holrathu shouted as he struck at Robert again, knocking him back with the strength of his blow. “But I want you to witness the Emperor’s arrival before I strike you down.”
A long lash extended out from the tip of Holrathu’s ax while he raised his weapon in the air. Slashing in Robert’s direction, the coil wrapped itself around his torso and Holrathu yanked Robert toward him before leaping into the air.
Drak spotted the Commander leading Robert away, and he rushed forward to aid his companion, but he found himself surrounded on all sides by several looming Masters.
“Going somewhere?” a master clutching a long scythe said preparing a rope of his own.
“I guess I’m right where I am supposed to be,” Drak said, pulling back his spear to strike. Before he could let loose a blast, he felt something snag him from behind and he looked back to see a glowing rope wrapped around his thigh. Slashing at the cord, he cut in half only to feel another
rope wrap around his leg as the other Masters closed in.
“It is time for the Emperor’s arrival and you and your companions have been granted the pleasure of witnessing this event up close and personal,” another metal brute said while his rope wrapped around Drak’s torso and arms pinning his weapon to his side.
“You won’t get away with this,” Drak shouted as his captor led him past the surging horde of forces and rocketed into the sky.
“This is the Emperor’s will,” the Master said while he raced toward the enormous craft. “I suggest you align yourself with him, or suffer the fate of a heretic.”
Glancing to his right, Drak spotted Kalis, bound at the waist, as she was dragged alongside him toward the imposing ship hovering overhead.
Coming to a rest under the bright glow of the billowing spires, Drak’s captor thrust him onto a wide platform before an undulating mechanism. To his right, Robert fought against his bonds in a vain attempt to free himself while Kalis landed on the deck on his opposite side.
“I’m glad you were able to join us for such a festive occasion,” Mother’s voice boomed from above before KiGuan dropped onto the metallic surface. “It is incredible that fate has brought all of you together for this moment. Each one of you has played such a significant role in this whole drama, so you must be given credit for everything you have done even though you have opposed the Emperor all the while.”
“We will never submit to you,” Drak shouted while another blast of light rocked the deck.
“That is just the thing,” Mother said as the machine accelerated its rotations. “Your defiance only helped bring about the Emperor’s plan. This insurrection of yours has aided us in bringing him into this world in his full glory, he and the Empress. And now you will assist him further by fueling his arrival. Send them into the machine. It is time we finish them off for good.”
“This is madness,” Kalis shouted while she was shoved forward by the imposing Master at her back.
“No, this is the beginning of a new golden age,” Holrathu said, seizing Robert from behind while Drak’s captor hoisted him into the air alongside Robert.
“Your plans will fail,” Drak shouted as he hovered before the mechanism. “It always does.”
“Quite the contrary,” Mother said. “Everything we have done has gone according to plan, and now it is time to complete the journey. I will gladly wash my hands of you, but I am still grateful for the part you played in this immense drama. Send them in.”
Drak kicked against his captor before he was thrust into the pulsating energy rising over the rotating mechanism. A crackling spire of light latched onto his torso and dragged him toward the peak of the machine as Robert and Kalis were flung in after him. In agony, they levitated toward the cloud of energy hovering over the massive device while the towering beams swelled with light.
“We have reached capacity,” Mother shouted after Drak and the others vanished into the cloud. “KiGuan, it is time for you to open the portal.”
“As you wish, Mother,” KiGuan said before he trudged across the deck toward a large hub and seized a lever embedded into the protrusion.
With a swift shove, KiGuan drove the mechanism forward one full rotation. The sound of several massive gears grinding against each other cut through the din of battle before the platform split apart, releasing the rotating machine into the air. As the mechanism rose into the sky, the light pulsing out of the beams grew in intensity, fed by the cloud of energy hovering over the device.
Pushing into the upper reaches of the atmosphere, the rotations of the enormous machine accelerated to a dizzying rate, energizing the cloud of crackling electromagnetic energy above it.
Without warning, a tremendous explosion filled the sky before two bulbous spheres rose through the beams in rhythm within the pulsing light pushing up the spire. Pulled by the current of electricity pouring out of the cloud, the orbs rose to the peak of the columns and burst into the sky in a dizzying explosion of light of sound.
The massive spheres rocketed into the outer atmosphere and disappeared from view before a wave of light shoved out in all directions, rocking the combatants on the battlefield below the mighty craft.
After the wave passed, a deafening silence filled the valley. Fading away, the beams lost their brilliance and retracted into the ship while the mechanism returned to its hub. For a few breathless moments nothing moved across the valley before the clouds billowing overhead were imbued with light.
Bursting through the cloud bank, two magnificent orbs displaying dazzling hues of orange and purple descended from the heavens. At the center of each orb sat a humanoid figure, a tiny speck within a massive pulsing sphere.
Reaching the ship, they entered into a slow orbit around the platform, casting a bright glow across the valley. Unlocking her chamber from the mechanism, Mother launched into the air and landed on the deck with a soft clank. Her head dropped out of the opening and found KiGuan staring toward the orbiting spheres with a dumbfounded look on his face.
“Don’t just stand there gawking,” Mother said while she trudged across the platform toward Commander Holrathu standing near a raised dais alongside the other Masters. “It is time to greet your father. Commander Holrathu, are we ready for the inception ceremony?”
“Of course we are, Mother,” Holrathu said, following mother to the parapet.
“Then let’s not waste this moment,” Mother said as she stepped onto the raised platform and looked skyward. “Assume your positions and make way for the Emperor and Empress. I will summon them to the deck. KiGuan, it is time to ring the bell.”
“Yes, Mother,” KiGuan said before he strode toward a large gong next to the dais and raised his spear. A loud vibration echoed out over the platform and into the open valley after KiGuan’s weapon struck the disc. The sound rippled through the spheres, forcing them to alter their orbits. Angling toward the wide platform, they descended toward the deck in a slow arc.
“My heart is filled with joy as I watch the spectacle unfolding before me,” Mother said, her voice booming out over the platform. Several large holographic screens appeared along the edge of the platform, broadcasting the image of the descending spheres across the battlefield.
“Behold, the Emperor and Empress in their true forms, ascending upon us from the heavens,” Mother said, her voice echoing over the mountain peaks towering over Kingsford. “Blessed are we to witness this grand event, a moment unheard of in all the multi-verse. The arrival of the Emperor into this extent marks the beginning of a new glorious age. All existence will forever be altered by what we have achieved here. But none of this happened by accident. Much credit is owed to the brave and dedicated servants of the Emperor. KiGuan, his rightful son and Commander Holrathu alongside the Masters council, have worked tirelessly to bring the Emperor’s will into fruition. Let us heap praise upon them for all their sacrifices. But first we must congratulate our brave soldiers for their unbridled faith in the Emperor and Empress, their divine rulers. It is your devotion that has made all of this possible. And now may we all bask in the glory of our endeavors, for the time has come for their arrival. Silence now, as they make their final descent.”
A deep hush filled the valley while the spheres approached the deck. Collapsing in upon themselves, the spheres compacted around their occupants in several rhythmic pulses before the figures landed on the deck with no more than a light thud.
Crouching on the ground, the pair paused for a long moment before one raised its head.
“Hello, Mother,” Mitch Mythic said as he rose to his full height.
“Impossible?” Mother shrieked.
“Is this a bad time to drop in?” SoHee said from beside Mitch. “It looks like you're in the middle of something.”
CHAPTER FIFTY-ONE
“THIS IS BLASPHEMY,” Mother shouted. “They must be destroyed, once and for all. Servants of the Emperor, finish off these two before they do any more damage.”
“This is a moment I wi
ll relish,” Commander Holrathu said, lunging forward with his ax. “You have been a bane in our sides for long enough. We have already taken care of your miserable friends, and now it is time that we bring your little game to an end.”
“That’s just it,” Mitch said before he dodged the Commander’s ax. “There is something that you are not quite understanding.”
“I understand perfectly well, Mitch Mythic,” Commander Holrathu said as he readied himself to strike. “You’ve managed to fool yourself into believing you stand a chance against the will of the Emperor, but you are nothing more than a bump on the road.”
“Let me end them,” KiGuan shouted, leaping to Holrathu’s side. “I am to blame for their presence. If I hadn’t strayed from my father’s direction, none of this would’ve happened.”
“Everything is the Emperor’s will,” Holrathu shouted. “And together we shall bring it to fruition.”
“I’ve heard this come up a lot,” SoHee said while she moved to her right to avoid an incoming slash from a scythe wielding Master. “Your continued devotion to the Emperor is admirable but sorely misdirected.”
“I’m going to silence that poison tongue of yours,” Holrathu shouted. “This Goddess idea has gone directly to your head. You and Mitch have both convinced yourselves of your divinity, but I will show how misguided you are.”
“It is you that are misguided,” Mitch shouted as he rolled to his right to avoid another blow. “But I have to admit that you were right about one thing. It was you that said submission is strength, and for that I have to give you credit.”
“Go to your knees and I will be merciful,” Holrathu said while towering over Mitch.
“It is my duty to strike him down, Commander,” KiGuan said with his spear ready.
