by A A Warren
“Have you made contact with Katara yet?” Mutaro asked.
The Captain shook his head. “Negative. Reports indicate some kind of energy field, covering the entire planet. It’s jamming all transmissions to the surface.”
The prince stroked his long, black mustache. “Katara mentioned a pulsar nearby, causing communication interference.”
The Captain shuffled his feet and nodded “Your Highness, that is certainly possible, but ah… initial readings indicate this disturbance is technology-based. It appears to be radiating from the Toho Mining Colony.”
The prince lifted a single eyebrow. “I see. What about the Zigra… could this be their doing?”
“The Zigra colony appears to be destroyed. Something has torn it to pieces, and we're not reading any life signs on the surface.”
The prince thought for a moment. Then he shook his head. “My wife… If she had anything to do with this, it could lead to an all-out war between the clans. That kind of scandal could taint the Toho Clan for generations, and weaken our claim to the throne.”
“Sir!” a voice called up from the bridge.
The Captain glanced down at the science officer’s station. A female Kitsunian, a fox-like species with lush, reddish-brown fur, met his gaze. Her large almond-shaped eyes blinked as she stared up at the two men.
“Report, Ensign Koshigi,” the Captain ordered.
“Sir, Your Highness… Core temperature readings of Neros are off the charts. I’m showing simultaneous volcanic eruptions at both poles, and multiple other sites along the equator. The crust and mantle are reaching critical instability.”
“I’m no scientist officer,” the prince snapped. “What do you mean critical instability?”
“Your Highness… I mean the entire planet could collapse any minute. And if that happens—”
Before the furry canine could finish her sentence, a glowing holo transmission pierced the shadows of the command deck. Mutaro and the Captain took a few steps apart, as the beam of light coalesced into a shimmering hologram of Katara, kneeling before them. She rose to her feet.
“Welcome, my husband. Your presence honors the heavens of our meager planet. Would that I—”
“Enough with the pleasantries, Katara,” the prince snapped. “I have neither the time nor the patience for your lies.”
Katara rose to her feet and held a hand over her chest. “Your words wound me, loving husband. I wish only to warn you and your fleet. The planet below has become unstable. The Zigra Colony ignored Consortium regulations. They drove their ore-slicers into the core, and caused catastrophic damage to the planet's structure.”
“Our readings show the Zigras are all dead,” the prince replied, glaring at the shimmering image of the beautiful woman.
“The result of their recklessness, no doubt.”
Mutaro stood ramrod straight and clasped his hands behind his back. “And I suppose they also jammed all hyper-transmissions from the ruins of their colony?”
Katara shook her head. “My Lord, I swear, I have no idea what—”
“What do you want, Katara? I warn you, I’m inclined to leave you in your own mess. It certainly makes things simpler for me.”
“If you do, you will lose your prize. The black jade…”
The prince narrowed his eyes. “You mean it wasn’t all just another lie?”
Katara gave him a seductive smile. “I am loading vast quantities of black jade onto my transport as we speak. I can be in low orbit within the hour.”
“Assuming the planet lasts that long.” Mutaro narrowed his eyes. He traced the scar that ran along his cheek. “My lovely wife… I know you too well. You're not telling me everything. Like the scar left by your venomous blade, the wounds of your lies do not heal easily.”
Katara bowed again. “My Lord. As I told you before, I wish only to leave this world, and help my husband rise to greater power. If I am lying, you may always execute—”
Suddenly, the transmission blurred. Katara turned her head and gasped. Then the image blinked out of existence.
“Sir,” the communication officer called from below. “Something cut the transmission at its source. We’re reading a tremendous energy surge from the colony. They appear to be under attack, and their shield is falling.”
“Under attack?” Mutaro snapped. “Attack from who?”
“Unknown, Your Highness.”
The Captain turned to Mutaro. “Shall I send troops to assist?”
The tall, handsome prince was silent for a moment. He stroked his elegant mustache and pursed his lips. Then he spun around and descended the stairs of the command deck. “Negative. Order all ships to hold this position. Alert me if the condition of the planet grows worse.”
The Captain bowed. “Yes, Your Highness.”
The prince paused. He glanced over his shoulder. “And Captain, one more thing. Scan any ships that leave the surface. If you don’t detect black jade onboard… shoot them down.”
“Your Highness, what about your wife’s transport?”
“You heard me, Captain. Don’t make me repeat myself.”
The Captain bowed deeper, as Mutaro disappeared into the shadows.
Chapter Thirty-Two
The door to the rumbling ore-slicer’s command pod slid open, and Talon staggered in. B’Turo glanced up from his command chair, his eyes covered with a pair of imaging goggles. He grinned, and lifted the goggles from his head.
“Look what the retuski dragged in! What took you so long, kid?”
Talon grimaced as he grabbed one of the support railings running through the room. “Unfinished business. Makor boarded us, tried to shut down the ore-slicer.”
“I take it you stopped him?”
“Aye. I saw his body reduced to atoms. May his soul burn in the haunted stars.”
B’Turo nodded. “Okay then. Well, I got the primary beam array working.”
Talon glanced at the screens before them. They showed a wire-frame schematic of the slicer’s forward view, plunging through kilometers of solid rock as it tore beneath the surface of the planet.
“So I noticed. How’s our time?”
The old man checked one of the diagnostic displays surrounding his chair.
“Now that we’re underground, it’s smooth sailing.” He narrowed his eyes and squinted at Talon. “I found a series of tunnels, running straight back to the mining colony. Almost like something dug a path for us to follow.”
Talon grinned, then chuckled.
“What’s so funny,” B’Turo asked.
“Reminds me of something my battle—something an old friend used to say. ‘The greatest victory goes to the warrior with the greatest allies.’”
The old man turned back to his controls. “I’m not much for philosophy, but your friend sounds like a smart man.”
“In the ways of battle, I have known none wiser.”
"Well, by following these tunnels, we've tripled our sub-surface speed. We’ll be coming up on the Toho colony’s outer perimeter in a few minutes. Not a moment too soon, if you ask me."
Talon looked down at the old man. His crimson eye reflects the glowing readouts from the holo-screens surrounding them. “What do you mean?”
B’Turo threw a switch, changing the view on the screens. A sphere of blue light floated before them. A red dot filled the center of the glowing circle. The dot was growing larger, expanding out towards the edges of the sphere.
"That’s the core temperature reading of the planet. Doesn’t take an engineer to tell you things don’t look good."
Talon gripped the railing with his fists. “We still have to get to Vaki. How much time do we have?”
B’Turo shook his head. “Kid, I’ll be honest… I have no kufasing idea. I’ve never seen readings like these. All I know is, once we break through the shields, we need to do what we gotta do, and get out of this system, fast. The shock wave of a collapsing planet… nothing in orbit will survive, that’s for sure.”
&nbs
p; An alarm rang out through the command pod. B’Turo snapped his attention to the main screens. He toggled off the view of the planet’s core, replacing it with a tactical display. The Toho Colony stood on the surface above them. A glowing energy shield surrounded the colony, even underground. The ore-slicer was on a collision course with the shimmering field.
The old man reached up and tightened the straps of the harness holding him in his seat.
“Okay kid, here we go. Approaching Toho Colony shield. And it looks like we’re not alone!”
On the holo-screen, several massive shapes moved ahead of them, battering against the glowing sphere of energy. The field seemed to flicker and dim with each strike.
“Are those the…” B’Turo’s voice faded as the shield dimmed once again. A shock wave erupted from the colony, but the ore-slicer’s armored plating absorbed the impact.
“The dorokuma,” Talon said with a grin. “Powerful allies, indeed.”
“The shield’s power is fluctuating. The worms are wearing them down!” The old man chuckled and pulled his goggles back over his eyes. He tapped a row of glowing lights on the control panel, then pushed a lever on the floor forward. A hum vibrated through the slicer’s hull, growing in volume as their speed increased.
“Hold on tight, kid! Increasing primary beam to maximum power.”
Talon braced himself as the hum grew louder. A vibration ran through the entire command deck. “Will it be enough to penetrate the shield?”
“I put some of the black jade we're hauling into the ignition chamber, to modulate the beam to the shield's frequency. It should cut through, assuming my regulator bypass holds!” The old man had to shout over the deafening roar as the slicer surged forward even faster.
“What happens if it doesn't hold?” Talon shouted back.
B’Turo laughed. “Then the feedback surge will atomize the hull… and us along with it.”
Talon grit his teeth as the power level of the beam continued to climb.
Katara reeled as the tower swayed in the cold air. An ominous groan echoed through the control room, and loose equipment slid across the deck plates.
“Damage report!” Katara demanded, bracing herself against the railing that ran alongside the main consoles.
An engineer dragged himself over to a console. His face grew pale as he read the glowing diagnostic report. “That last impact damaged the structure of the control tower. We’ve lost two support struts. But that’s not all…”
“Out with it,” the queen snapped. “What happened?”
The man wiped beads of sweat from his forehead. His fingers darted across the controls, brining up several views of the mining colony. The glowing sphere of the shield rippled and dissolved in multiple locations.
“The worms damaged the shield. But that last hit was an ore-slicer. The weakened shield couldn’t repel its primary beam. It’s tunneling into the complex!”
“Talon!” Katara hissed. "Where are they?”
“They’re surfacing now,” he said. He tapped more controls, and a glowing hologram of the vast ice cavern hovered in the air. A massive curved opening, surrounded by jagged shards of rock and ice, filled one end of the cavern. A variety of shuttles and transport ships lined up across the floor. Heavy loader equipment darted in between the ships, and fuel hoses snaked across the ground.
Suddenly, an explosion of light filled the screens. The massive spinning hull of the ore-slicer tore through the cavern floor. Its devastating beam reduced a row of transports to molten slag. Fragments of glowing metal exploded through the air.
A squadron of security guards darted around the ships, surrounding the invading vehicle. They opened fire on the industrial behemoth, but their pulse weapons were useless against the thick armor plating of the hull. Another explosion rocked the flight deck. The deck plates beneath the men’s feet rippled, then flew into the air. An angry roar blasted through the control room speakers.
“No,” Katara whispered, her eyes transfixed by the image on the screen.
One of the giant dorokuma worms tore through the floor and loomed over the men. The creature’s maw gaped wide, and its mandibles sliced through the air like giant blades. The beast smashed its bulk down, crushing the men and sending more ships careening through the air.
The hologram flickered and lost resolution, as the burning debris pelted the vid-cams in the sector. Then the image blinked out.
“The dorokuma!” one of the security guards gasped. “They’re in the complex!”
Katara glanced towards him. She narrowed her eyes… on his screen, she saw the girl, Vaki. She was racing down a corridor, wielding a glowing sword. Katara recognized the priceless weapon from her collection.
“Why that little…” she muttered. She paused, as she watched a horde of workers follow the girl through the smoke-filled corridor. Vaki wielded the ancient blade like a trained expert, cutting down armed security guards left and right as she carved a path through the colony forces.
Katara stared at the screen with her pale white eyes. She bit her lip. Then she spun around and tapped a code into her wrist unit. She marched across the deck towards her honor guard, her black robes swirling behind her in the frigid air.
“I must go to my husband. Escort me to my private transport. Immediately.”
The guards bowed, then flanked her as the control room doors hissed open. Katara entered the lift car. She turned and faced the panicked control room crew.
“You have served your queen well. Continue to do so, and you will be rewarded in the next life.”
The doors closed, making a clanking sound as they slid shut. The indicator lights mounted above the arch showed that her lift car was descending the tower.
“The next life?” the security guard whispered. “Does she mean…”
One of the engineers dropped her tablet and raced to the doors. “To the haunted stars with her! I’m not waiting around to be devoured by one of those worms!”
She tapped the control panel next to the doors.
“SECURITY OVERRIDE K-OMEGA.” The computerized voice boomed through the speakers. It spoke in a flat monotone, devoid of all emotion or care. “INITIATING BIO-HARVESTER FIELD. PURGING ALL PERSONNEL. MAY YOUR DEATHS BRING HONOR AND PROFIT TO YOUR CLAN.”
A high-pitched whine filled the air above the control room. The remaining guards and engineers looked up. A ring of blue light filled the domed ceiling, growing brighter and brighter. The noise grew to a deafening volume. The panicked engineer dropped to her knees, covering her ears.
The security guards rushed to the door, pounding and clawing at the metal with their gloved hands. But the armored slabs remained closed as the blue ring of light descended into the room. For a moment, the screams of the trapped men and women drowned out the wailing energy field. Then their cries were silenced. The glowing light reduced their bodies to swirling chunks of organic matter.
A spatter of crimson flew across the windows. Within seconds, the blood and flesh dissolved, broken down into molecules of protein and other biological components. Then the field vanished, leaving behind a thick layer of red slime dripping from the flickering control panels.
Chapter Thirty-Three
Vaki raced down the corridor, clutching the glowing blade in one hand and a pulse pistol in the other. A crowd of workers gathered behind her, following in her steps. Alarms wailed, and emergency lights spun, as the tremors rocking the complex grew even more intense.
She heard panicked cries ringing out behind her, as sparks and debris fell from the ceiling. Bracing herself, she grabbed a small child running beside her, and spun around, yanking the little girl to the side. Groaning metal sounded from above. A glow sphere plummeted to the ground, exploding into sharp fragments where the child had been standing.
“Everyone, keep moving!” Vaki shouted. “The hanger deck is just—”
Before she could finish her sentence, a burst of pulse fire careened off the corridor wall. Vaki ducked, as sparks showered dow
n around her. Squinting through the haze, she saw a squadron of Toho security guards manning a heavy pulse canon on a tripod. Vaki raised her pistol and fired, sending a barrage of glowing bolts into one of the guard’s chest. He screamed and fell backwards, sprawling across the floor. Another guard moved up and took his place, as the man operating the canon swung it towards her, and opened fire again.
The high-pitched whine of energy bolts filled the air. The canon fire tore across the corridor, sending more smoke and debris flying, and burning scorch marks across the walls.
“Take cover!” Vaki shouted. The crowd screamed, as several workers fell before the onslaught. Vaki dragged the child she was carrying to a doorframe and pressed them both against the dura-plas panels. The canon continued to pummel the corridor with rapid-fire energy bolts.
Finally, the barrage ceased. She heard shouts and screams behind her. The crowd was in a panic, and sooner or later the men would advance on their position. But she knew the massive canon burned through power cells… they would have to reload soon. Once they did, the onslaught would continue. Katara wanted no survivors. Anyone who might reveal her treachery to the Jotoru Emperor was a risk.
Vaki ducked around the corner and returned fire. Her shots ricocheted off the walls. One guard dragged a heavy power cell towards the smoking canon. He dropped the glowing disk and ducked as the bolts from Vaki's pistol exploded over his head. The heavy power cell rolled across the floor, directly towards the canon.
She adjusted her aim, lining up the battery in her sights as it crashed into the heavy weapon’s tripod. The man behind the canon grabbed a power transfer cable, and scrambled to connect it to the cell.
Vaki squeezed the trigger. Three glowing pulse bolts screamed from the barrel of her pistol and struck the battery. The containment cylinder disintegrated, unleashing a rippling wave of energy through the corridor. The explosive blast tore the canon into twisted metal fragments, and threw the other men backwards. The gunner slammed into the far wall, then slumped to the ground unconscious.
