Talon the Raider

by A A Warren

  Katara's voice trailed away.

  Vaki stared back at her in horror. “That… that’s inhuman.”

  Katara smiled. “The Crown Prince took everything from me. Then he discarded me on a whim and exiled me here. My family's greed, my sacrifice, my beloved's pain… it was all for nothing. I was powerless to stop him.” She clenched her hand into a tight fist. Her lips curled into a snarl. “But I vowed I would never feel powerless again. I would ascend to the throne, without my husband. I would become queen of my own empire. And here, on this dead, frozen world, I found the means to do it.”

  “The larva,” Vaki said in a low whisper. “You found them in the black jade. Used them to raise an army of the dead.”

  “In their natural state, the larva control the nervous systems of dead creatures. I had corpses and laborers brought here, scum and refuse from other clan-owned worlds. Those with the genetic potential to renew my flesh were placed in bio-harvesters like this one. I used the others to mine more black jade. And to serve as subjects for my experiments.”

  “What experiments? You have your army, what are you doing to the larva?”

  Katara smiled again. “I have an army, yes. An army of slaves. But what I need is one man… one man under my thrall, who will do as I command, and take me as his bride. A man who will make me his queen.”

  “The Jotoru Emperor!” Vaki gasped. “But if the larva can only control the dead…”

  Katara rolled her head, stretching the muscles in her neck. “As you said, I have altered the larva. Improved them. Now they control the living as well. I used the bio-harvester to implant them in key personnel here. B’Turo, Gajoro, Makor. But the results were… imperfect. A strong enough will could still resist. So I created a new strain, in a secret lab on the outskirts of the colony. These new specimens were my masterpiece… my prodigal children. But then the Zigra Clan attacked. They stole the black jade where the new larva were gestating.”

  Vaki pressed her hands against the cracked wall of the tube. "That’s why you sent Talon. The dorokuma worms control anyone infected by the larva. If you sent Makor or the others, they would fall under their influence."

  Katara's silvery hair flow across the transparent coffin. “Yes. A true queen knows she must brook no rivals, lest she lose her power over her thralls. When you and Talon fell into my lap, it was an omen. Aumi ar betariki… The work of the gods. The crystal in his eye could detect the dark energy within the black jade. And his mind is not susceptible to the call of the other queens. When he returns my children, I will infect the Crown Prince and the Jotoru emperor with the new strain. They will be mine to control.”

  She closed her eyes, and took a deep breath. "I will seize the throne. And with an unstoppable army of the dead at my side, I will finally crush our rivals in the Dominion. I shall be revered for bringing honor and glory to the Consortium!”

  Vaki stared at the woman in shock. “You’re insane, Katara! Only the worms can control the larva. What good are they to you? Even if you could infect the emperor, how could you make him—”

  Katara’s eyes snapped open. They were cloudy and white, covered by a pale, hazy membrane. A chorus of deep voices emerged from her throat. “Not all worms command the larva. Only those like me. Only the queens…”

  Katara’s mouth gaped open, and her eyes began to glow. A pair of dark blue tentacles snaked out of her mouth and darted through the air. The undulating appendages caressed the glass, leaving trails of bubbling saliva in their wake. Vaki winced, as the suckers and fangs on the tip of each tongue tapped against the glass, inches from her face.

  “You merged with the dorokuma queens,” she exclaimed. “You used the bio-harvester to splice their DNA to yours!”

  “No more questions. No more distractions.” Katara’s strange, echoing voice flooded through the speakers in the tube, overwhelming Vaki in a wall of sound. “Soon, you too will be a part of me. You will merge with my flesh. And when Makor slays Talon and returns with my prize, you will be spared the fate of the others on this planet. You will be carried aloft, borne into space by my greatness.”

  Ridges of shimmering white scales erupted from Katara’s cheeks. Her body writhed, as more armored plates rippled down her neck and chest.

  “Katara, wait,” Vaki shouted, as the woman stepped way from the tube. She lay back, floating in the air. A shimmering blue ring appeared at the top of the bio-harvester. Vaki pounded with her fists, but despite the fracture running across its surface, she could not shatter the barrier. The air filled with crackling energy. Her eyes opened wide with panic as her hair stood on end.

  Suddenly, a tremor rumbled through the chamber. The metal walls of the cylinder rattled and vibrated. Vaki screamed as the entire mechanism swayed. The view through the transparent cylinder yawned to the right, and the metal clamps holding it bent and twisted.

  The lights flickered and went dark. Katara screamed as she fell from the air, striking the platform with a thud. The entire platform shifted. The lifter fields that held it aloft groaned as they strained to compensate for the loss in power.

  Katara lifted herself from the floor and tossed her silvery hair from her face. Her skin rippled and returned to normal. The ridges sank back into her face, and the twin tongues snaked down her throat. Her eyes and hair reflected the spinning red emergency lights above. The walls continued to tremble. The circular window shattered, sending an explosion of glittering shards across the floor.

  Finally, the tremors subsided. Vaki glanced up… the glowing ring was gone. The burning energy in the tube subsided.

  “Control,” Katara bellowed. “What happened?”

  A voice answered back over the speakers. “My Queen, you had best see for yourself. Planetary core readings are off the charts. I don’t know how much longer we—”

  “Silence!” Katara stood up. “Where is Makor?”

  “He intercepted the outlander thirty minutes ago, my Queen. We lost contact with him after that.”

  Katara tightened her robe, belting it across her waist. She shot a withering look at Vaki and the others in the tubes. “How soon till we can restore power to the bio-harvester network?”

  “My Queen, we're routing all power to the primary shields, and life support. We must evacuate before—”

  “Negative! You will issue no such orders, do you understand? Seal the workers’ quarters. No one leaves this planet without my permission.”

  The speakers crackled. “Yes, my Queen.”

  Katara rested a hand on Vaki’s tube, and gazed down at her. "There will be no survivors. No one to reveal what I have done here. But do not worry. When I escape this planet and claim my destiny... a part of you will be with me."

  Katara’s fingers fluttered across the glass. Then she turned, and marched away, disappearing into the shadows of the darkened chamber.

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  Talon gripped the railing before him as the bridge of the massive ore-slicer shook and rumbled. The industrial vehicle had no windows or view ports, but a panel of holo-displays curved around the central navigation chair. The glowing screens showed several views of the icy wasteland surrounding the speeding vehicle. B’Turo sat in the squat, low-slung seat, his eyes pressed up against a view port that lowered from the roof of the cramped chamber.

  A web of cables, scavenged components and relay circuits surrounded him. As the old man raised the viewing port, a manic grin stretched across his dry, chapped lips. His eyes crinkled as he chuckled and grabbed a handful of loose cables. One by one, he plugged them into a patch panel he had strapped to the side of his chair.

  “What in blazes are you up to, old man?” Talon shouted. A series of crashing sounds echoed through the hull. “This contraption sounds like it's falling apart!”

  B’Turo flipped a row of switches on the path panel, and a set of diagnostic readings flashed on one of the holo-displays. “I’ll tell you what I’m doing, kid! I’m trying to get the main beam projector back online. I’m also trying to
stabilize a damaged reactor, maintain surface speed with twelve inactive thruster rings, and confirm hull integrity for the rear three sections of this beast.”

  Talon shook his head and grinned. “Oh, is that all?”

  B’Turo raised the viewing display and glared up at him. “You know, these things usually carry a six man command crew. Not to mention engineers, mechanics, geologists. You wouldn’t happen to be a geologist would you?”

  Another explosive crash vibrated through the deck plates. Talon glanced around the tiny chamber with a wary look in his eyes. “No. I’m not an engineer either, but I believe these things are meant to travel underground. Why are we still on the surface?”

  B’Turo muttered a curse as he switched around several wires, then threw a series of control levers mounted to chair. The grinding sound of the vehicle’s spinning rings grew louder.

  “I can’t plow through tons of solid rock and ice with the main beam projector down. And even if I could, you’re talking about the pressure of an entire planet bearing down on every joint and seal in this thing. If hull integrity is less than a hundred percent, that force will crush us like a ration can in a trash compactor.”

  “Enough jabbering. Is the hull secure or not?”

  B’Turo glanced at the readouts streaming down one of the holo-displays. “Yeah, looks like—”

  Suddenly, a red light flashed on the screen. B’Turo tapped on the controls, calling up a schematic of the entire vehicle. A glowing blue wireframe cylinder hovered in the air before them. It spun around, and zoomed in on a towering hydraulic assembly in the center of the hull. The component was flashing red. A series of numbers and letters blinked to life, displaying the device's status, operation power, and other technical information.

  B’Turo squinted at the hologram. “Hmmm… That’s not good.”

  Talon tensed. He braced his arm against the low ceiling as the vehicle shuddered again. “What is it?”

  The old man adjusted the view on the screen, zooming in on the vehicle's center. “Look, these ore-slicers are huge, almost half a kilometer long. But it’s not just one big tube, see? The hull's got multiple sections, held together by hydraulic locks, magnetic couplings, and structural integrity fields.”

  “Well? What of it?” Talon snapped.

  “Integrity fields went down a few minutes ago. I figured it was a power flux. Thought they would come back when I synchronized the reactor.”

  “And have they?”

  The old man shook his head. “No. But that’s not all. Diagnostic systems just registered a lock and coupling release on deck twelve. We can’t tunnel under the surface until everything is sealed tight.”

  Talon studied the schematics. “Deck twelve? Very well. Keep working on the beam. I’ll take care of the coupling.”

  B’Turo gave him an incredulous stare. “Do you know anything about hydraulic line repair, or—”

  A burst of sparks erupted from his panel, cutting him off. An alarm buzzer sounded through the command deck. Talon grabbed a tool pack from a pile of scattered equipment that lay on the floor. “I’m sure I can figure it out. I’ll call if I have any problems. We’re running out of time. And Vaki…” Talon’s voice trailed off.

  B’Turo looked up, and met Talon’s dark, pensive stare. “You’re worried about her, eh? What’s the story between you two?”

  Talon shrugged. “In truth, I don’t know her any better than I know you. But we made it this far together. And I don’t—”

  B’Turo nodded. “Yeah, yeah, you don’t leave allies behind. You gave me the speech already. Well, don't worry. You get that coupling sealed, and I’ll fire up the beam projector. I don't care if I have to toshi on the power relays.”

  Talon clapped his hand on the man’s shoulder. “I have no idea what that means… but you have my thanks.”

  He shouldered the pack of tools and exited the command deck.

  The interior of the ore-slicer was a labyrinth of catwalks, crisscrossing through the dark, grimy innards of the gargantuan machine. As Talon paced along the edge of the hull, he heard the grinding of the outer rings. Spinning rows of beam projectors, thruster ports, and intake manifolds moved around the slicer’s armored shell. But deeper into the vehicle, the sounds became distant and muted. A faint symphony of mechanical clanks and groans, echoing through the musty air of the battered industrial vehicle.

  A service door hissed open, and Talon stepped into a lift chamber. The tiny cylinder normally traveled up and down the ore-slicer, speeding passengers between decks. But with B’Turo struggling to maintain the vehicle’s power distribution by himself, all non-essential systems were deactivated, including the lifts.

  Kneeling down, Talon removed a torque lever he had attached to his harness. Using the flat end, he pried up a square metal panel from the lift's floor. Underneath, he saw a circular maintenance hatch, covered with bright yellow warning symbols. A large security bolt protruded from the center of the hatch.

  Talon flipped the tool around and fit the torque socket over the bolt. He pressed a button on the handle. A series of tiny blue lights lit up around the head of the tool, as the force field inside spun the heavy bolt.

  A hiss of steam belched from the hatch as the pressure locks released. Talon clipped the tool to his harness, then reached down and tugged the hatch open. The domed cover squeaked and groaned as it flew up. Peering into the darkness below, he could just make out the top rungs of the service ladder that ran down the side of the shaft.

  Shouldering his pack of tools, Talon lowered himself through the hatch, and swung his body sideways. His feet skittered across the top rungs of the ladder. He paused, as another shudder ran through the vehicle. His feet slipped off the rung, and he hung dangling beneath the lift car, holding on by his fingertips.

  He swung out again, and wrapped his legs around the ladder. He paused, as the vibrations continued to rattle through the shaft.

  Finally, the ore-slicer’s motions smoothed out. Taking a deep breath, Talon let go of the hatch, and grabbed the highest rung of the ladder. His boots clanked against the thin metal planks, as he climbed down the darkened shaft. An occasional ring of works lights cast a dim orange glow through the narrow tube. He paused, and wiped a film of sweat from his face. Deck twelve was close to the main reactor, and he could feel the heat rising as he descended into the hellish depths of the interior.

  Finally, his boots hit the bottom of the shaft with a loud thud. The sound echoed into the shadows above. Talon slammed his fist into a glowing panel, and another service door slid open. He stepped out onto deck twelve.

  The open platform was surrounded by a guard railing on all sides. A catwalk ran to another identical platform, several hundred meters away. Glowing diagnostic panels ran along the guard rails. A series of shimmering holographic rings encircled the platform, spinning around him as they matched the motions of the slicer’s outer hull.

  Talon walked over to the nearest bank of controls, and located a comm panel. “B’Turo, I’m here. Deck twelve.”

  The old man’s reply crackled though the console’s speakers. “Okay, the hydraulic clamp should close the mag lock. You can’t miss it… looks like three giant bolts, the size of a man’s head.”

  Talon glanced at the far wall… next to the door he had entered through, a mess of wires and hoses hung from a massive block of machinery. The equipment jutted from a portal in the wall. A haze of smoke and steam drifted in the dark recess behind the unit. True to B’Turo’s word, three heavy security bolts sat in a row on the front of the unit.

  “I see it… what do I do?”

  “You have to re-anchor the bolts… tighten them back down till they make contact. That should reset the clamp, and trigger the mag lock.”

  “Understood,” Talon replied as he walked over to the machinery. Sizing up the large bolts that protruded from the machine, he unslung his pack, and removed a heavier tool. The main bar of the massive wrench was collapsible. He extended it to its full size, about
half the length of his body. Tapping the end against the first bolt, he triggered the torque field. A glowing blue energy field gripped the bolt. He pulled down on the wrench.

  Nothing happened.

  He tugged again, but the bolt refused to turn in its socket.

  “B’Turo,” he shouted. “The first bolt it jammed. It won’t turn.”

  “Must have stripped the conductor sockets. I’ve almost got the beam projector up and running. But if you can’t secure the clamp, it won’t make a difference.”

  “Just keep working,” Talon shouted back.

  He adjusted his grip on the wrench. Crouching on his knees, he reached overhead, and pulled down on the thick metal tool. Muscles rippled across his back, and his biceps were taut as steel. He grunted, and pulled harder. His face beaded with sweat from the heat and exertion.

  A tiny groan emitted from the bolt assembly. Then a squeak. Sparks leapt from the torque field as the tool struggled to maintain its grip.

  The bolt turned a centimeter… then another.

  Talon braced his feet on the floor, and yanked down, pulling even harder. He roared in triumph as the bolt moved again. The energy field crackled, and the bolt spun freely. Talon threw the wrench around, tightening the top bolt in its socket. A loud hum emitted from the machine, and a green light blinked to life.

  One down, two to go.

  He repeated the process on the next two bolts. A sheen of sweat and grease covered his skin by the time he’d finished, and his hair hung in his face. As the last bolt turned into place, the third green light flashed on, and a series of sparks arced across the machinery. Talon leapt back, as the clamp rumbled back through the alcove. A panel slid closed from a recess in the wall, blocking access to the unit.