by A A Warren
The woman nodded. “What about you? We owe you our lives… we can't just leave you here.”
“Don’t worry about me,” Vaki replied with a grin. She planted her elbow on Talon’s shoulder and leaned against him. “I have to look out for this big bulaka here. We’ll be fine.”
The miner looked Talon up and down, then beckoned to the other workers. "Everybody, follow me! We're leaving, this way!"
The crowd peeled off, running for the transport ships. Within seconds she lost them in the swirling smoke.
Another tremor shook the flight deck. Talon and Vaki stepped back, as a metal girder came crashing to the ground. Shards of ice erupted from the deck, spreading the deck plates on the floor. Fiery orange lava spilled from the ruptures.
“Enough talk,” Talon shouted. “B’Turo is waiting!”
They raced across the shuddering deck plates, dodging falling debris and stray pulse fire. Talon glanced to his left… One of the dorokuma fell, as a dozen plasma missiles penetrated its armored scales. The massive creature writhed across the ground, sending a pile of cargo pods skidding into their path.
Talon grabbed Vaki and yanked her back, as one of the metal containers tumbled less than a meter from where they stood. The girl’s face turned pale, as she watched the mass of crumpled metal go flying past.
“Don’t stop,” Talon shouted. “Keep running!”
He set her down, and they broke into a sprint. Up ahead, he saw the cargo ramp of the transport closing. The bulky ship’s rear thrusters roared to life, sending a trail of glowing gas into the air.
They were only a few meters away now. Talon pumped his legs, darting left and right as more debris pelted the deck. He swung his plasma axe, cutting down a security guard who was firing on the ice worms.
Suddenly, another massive shock wave tore through the hanger deck. Vaki and Talon fell to the ground as the deck plates shifted and exploded beneath their feet. A massive gorge tore open the floor before them. Smoke and steam belched from the chasm, and a fiery orange glow filled the air.
Talon coughed as the hot, sulfurous vapor wafted from the torn earth. A series of violent aftershocks tore the ground open even further. Vaki struggled to maintain her balance as the earth rocked beneath them. A trail of molten rock crept over the edge of the chasm, making its way towards them.
“We’re cut off,” Vaki shouted.
“Aye,” Talon replied as he staggered to his feet. “The planet is dying.”
“So will we, if we can’t get across that chasm!” Vaki snapped.
Talon took a deep breath. “I can try to jump… stand back!”
Before he could move, another tremor shook the earth… the ground on the opposite side shifted further away. The distance was now at least twenty meters.
Vaki grabbed his shoulder. “No… no way. That’s impossible, you’ll never make it.”
Talon looked her in the eye. “Then this planet will be our grave.”
NO!
Talon reeled, as the chorus of voices rushed back into his head. He fell to his knees, gripping his head.
“Talon, what’s wrong?” Vaki shouted. She grabbed his hand and brushed his tousled hair from his face. “Your eye… it's glowing again!”
A shadow fell across them. Vaki looked up. One of the larger dorokuma hung in the air, looming over them. It fell forward, covering the gap in the earth with its massive body. The ground shuddered, as its armored bulk slammed into the ice.
We made a promise, Talon of the Novarran. The woman, Salena, shared her bond with you. She allowed us to communicate. And in return, we vowed that you would not be harmed. Now you must go! Leave this world and fulfill your promise to us. Our time is at an end. But through our children, our memories will live on.
Talon staggered to his feet. “The worm… it’s helping us cross the gap.” His voice was a hoarse croak. "Come, we must hurry!"
“Wait…” Vaki eyed the monstrous creature stretching over the chasm. “You want us to climb over that thing?”
“Iberon’s harem, girl! Do you want to wait for a more attractive bridge to come along?”
Talon grabbed one of creature’s thick scales and pulled himself up. He scrambled onto the dorokuma’s dorsal ridge, then extended his hand to Vaki. She grimaced, but allowed him to pull her up the side of the creature.
The worm was at least ninety meters long, and several meters in width. Its scaled hide was rough and uneven, but the pair were able to move at a quick pace over the chasm. As they crossed the gap, Talon felt an intense wave of heat below. Glancing down, he saw fiery orange lava, bubbling and rushing towards the surface.
“Faster!” he shouted. “The lava is rising!”
The edge of the chasm was only a few meters away. Vaki gasped as her foot slipped on the creature’s jagged scales.
“Talon!”
He spun around, and saw her rolling over the side of the creature’s serpentine body.
He dove forward, reaching out with both hands. He felt the worm’s scales rasp across his chest and tear at his skin. His fingers closed around Vaki’s flailing wrist, as she tumbled over the side. Talon’s eyes grew wide… he could see the lava beneath her dangling feet, rising faster and faster.
Grunting with exertion, he pulled her back up. They both staggered to their feet. “Keep running!” he shouted.
A plume of lava erupted behind them. The scent of burning flesh filled the air, as the worm bucked and writhed beneath them. The molten rock doused the creature’s body, leaving charred black flesh everywhere it touched.
Hurry… The creature’s frantic thoughts battered his mind, drowning out all other sensation. We cannot hold on much longer…
Talon and Vaki stumbled across the remaining distance and leapt to the ground.
Talon spun around. “We’re safe! Go now, before—”
Another burst of lava erupted from the chasm, flying into the air. The worm’s flesh buckled, then collapsed, as vast chunks of its body were reduced to cinders.
It writhed and lurched behind them, losing its grip on the edge of the chasm.
There is one more thing, Talon. Something you must know. Our bond connects us to our brothers and sisters, scattered throughout the stars. But through Salena, we have also sensed others... others who have touched your thoughts. The man who trained you, Orex Griff. He is… he is not… Orex Griff is not d—"
The worm’s charred, flaming body crumbled apart, collapsing into two segments. It fell into the chasm, sending another wave of molten fire bubbling over the edge.
“What?” Talon shouted. "What do you mean?"
Vaki grabbed his arm. The tide of lava sloshed out of the chasm, sending a blast of heat rushing towards them.
“Talon, the ship is right over there! We have to go!”
Talon kept staring at the chasm, but did not resist as Vaki tugged him towards the ship. A voice crackled through the speaker in her wrist unit.
“What the hell are you two waiting for?” B’Turo shouted. “I can’t maintain this position much longer!”
The ship listed a few feet into the air, hovering over the rippling deck plates of the collapsing hanger. The rear cargo ramp was closing, but a smaller passenger ramp hung open near the nose of the ship.
Talon clenched his jaw, but said nothing. He glanced one more time at the fiery chasm behind them. Then he turned and followed Vaki. They jumped up onto the ramp, and let it close behind them as the ship streaked towards the hanger bay exit.
The doors at the far side of the hanger bay hissed open. Katara braced herself in the entrance as the room shook. Another quake pummeled the structure, and the entire deck seemed to tilt before her. She stumbled forward, moving out on to the deck as the battle raged around her. A beam-skater tipped over and slid across the floor, crashing into a small cargo hauler. Katara squinted as the colliding ships exploded in a massive fireball, bathing the deck in a brief orange glow.
“My Queen, please,” one of her guards shouted. He grab
bed her shoulder and pulled her back. “We have to find another way out… this entire deck is collapsing. Perhaps we could—”
Katara whirled around. Her jaw gaped, and the two tendril-like tongues snaked out, dancing in the air like swaying cobras. She hissed, as rows of sharp scales erupted from her face and arms. She swung her hand, striking the guard in the chest. The force of the blow sent him hurtling backwards. He struck the wall with a loud crack and slumped to the floor.
“My Queen… What are you—” The other guard took a step back, and raised his pulse rifle. Katara whirled to face him.
“There is no other way,” she hissed. “All the other decks are sealed. Neros is collapsing. We find a ship here, or we die with this planet.” Her voice reverberated off the sloped metal walls, a chorus of inhuman clicks and growls.
The guard’s eyes were wide behind his helmet, as he watched Katara continue to morph and mutate. Her arms elongated, stretching down to the floor. Long, sharp talons erupted from her fingertips, clicking across the metal tiles as she advanced towards him.
The terrified man ducked out the doors, letting them close behind him.
The groan of torn metal echoed from above. Katara glanced up… a metal support beam swayed in the air above her, torn loose by the devastation that engulfed the hanger. She dove away from the door, as the beam plummeted to the ground, bringing a barrage of debris and ice with it.
The rumbling subsided, and Katara lifted her head from the ground… the collapse had blocked the doors. She glanced left and right… All around her, Toho security guards battled hordes of shambling corpses. Glowing pulse bolts crisscrossed through the air, lighting up the haze of smoke and mist that hung above the deck. She heard a horrific wail, and watched as a dorokuma plunged into a lava-filled gorge. Molten rock erupted from the center of the hanger, sending glowing trails across the deck.
The floor rattled beneath her, and a few loose cargo containers tumbled by. As she had suspected, the entire hanger was collapsing, falling into the pit of fiery destruction unleashed by the planet’s violent death throes.
There was not much time left…
She struggled to pull herself to her feet, but she promptly fell back into the ice. Her limbs felt cold and numb. She looked down, and her mutated features twisted into an all-too-human grimace of horror. Her once shapely legs had become entwined, like two thrashing serpents. They stretched out behind her for several meters, dragging across the ground as she clawed her way over the ice. A wave of flesh seemed to ripple through the limbs as they fused together. With a shriek, she reared up, her legs replaced by a single, serpentine tail. More armored scales emerged from her pale skin.
The metamorphosis, she thought. I missed my last bio-harvester treatment. The dorokuma queen’s DNA is becoming dominant… it’s taking over my…
She screamed in agony. The pain pushed all conscious thought from her mind. Her spine bent and twisted, and a row of jagged, bony plates tore through the flesh of her back.
She felt her skin crack and peel… It shed away from her, congealing around her quivering flesh in puddles of blood and slime. As her body continued to change, she felt a vibration run through the ice. The sounds of battle seemed muted and distant. Her nerves tingled as a web of new sensory information assaulted her. She could feel every molecule of the frigid air dancing across her flesh. The vibrations of the surrounding battle formed a collage of glowing images, searing her retinas with glowing trails of light.
She saw transport ships taking off, men falling dead on the ice. She could hear the death cries of the great worms, drowning out the roar of thruster jets. Even when she closed her eyes, she could still see a kaleidoscope of shapes and colors. It was like nothing she had ever experienced. It was too much, a tidal wave of sensations crashing over her.
She clutched her head and screamed.
Suddenly, all at once, her senses seemed to clear. Her eyes snapped to her left. She saw another ship, a small personal transport, fire up its engines. Through the wisps of haze that filled the air, she could just make out the vessel’s rear cargo ramp as it hummed shut. A single cargo container lay nestled in the rear bay, held in place by hydraulic clamps.
Through the sliver of the closing ramp, she could read the letters and numbers on the side of the container. They were Zigra markings.
Talon, she thought. He has returned. And he has brought my prize with him. The larva are here…
The ship lurched off the trembling hanger deck. Its lower thrusters belched smoke and plasma trails into the air as it hovered a few feet above the deck and oriented itself towards the hanger exit.
If I can get the larva to my husband’s ship… He will have bio-harvesters onboard. I can restore my genetic profile. And with the larva under my control, the plan can move forward…
Katara’s vision became a blur. She could sense ripples of invisible energy, radiating from the black jade within the closing cargo bay. The sensation washed over her body, flooding her nerve endings with white-hot pangs of hunger. The larva, the children… she could hear their cries, sense their fear. They were a part of her now, linked to her mind through the web of dark energy that bound the dorokuma together.
She slithered across the ice, rushing towards the hovering ship with inhuman speed. The hanger, the battle, the streams of molten rock… everything else faded into the periphery of her senses. All that mattered was the ship, and the precious cargo it contained. The larva were hers to claim, and hers alone.
A prize fit for a queen…
Chapter Thirty-Six
PLANET NEROS
Consortium of Free Worlds
Low Orbit
“I thought you said this guy was a decent pilot,” Vaki shouted. She grabbed the side of her passenger seat as the transport lurched up and down. She pursed her lips and blew her purple braid out of her face. “He’s even worse than you!”
B’Turo shot her a sideways glance as he increased power to the main thrusters. “Beg your pardon, miss! It’s not everyday I take off from an unstable platform on a planet that’s falling apart. The atmosphere beneath us is already starting to super-heat. It’s only a matter of time before—”
“Stop your bickering, both of you.” Talon made an adjustment on his control panel. The holo-display expanded, hovering in the air before them as the ship continued to climb. “We’re about to enter low orbit. And it looks like someone is waiting for us.”
A cluster of tiny red dots hung around the wire-frame image of a larger ship. Vaki leaned forward in her chair, studying the readouts. “Consortium dreadnaught, with a full complement of fighters. Probably the Toho Clan, come to clean up Katara’s mess.”
Talon narrowed his eyes as he watched the tiny red dots peel away from the main ship. He tapped his display controls, magnifying the sector of space around them. A series of blue dots blinked to life, rushing past them from the dying planet.
“Those fighters are engaging the emergency transports,” he said. “They’re trying to shoot down any survivors fleeing the surface!”
B’Turo glanced at the readings, then returned his attention to the bucking ship’s controls. “Trust me, that’s not our biggest problem right now.”
“How can you say that?” Vaki snapped. “Those are innocent people! Workers, like you and—”
“Look here,” B’Turo replied, cutting her off. Keeping his eyes focused dead ahead, his fingers darted across the holo-display, rotating the view to show the planet beneath them. The giant sphere of light was turning from ice blue to a deep, hellish orange.
“Neros is collapsing even faster. We only have minutes left. And when it goes, it’s gonna send a shock wave rippling through this entire system. Make a pulse canon look like a stiff breeze.”
“By the gods!” Vaki gasped. “Most of those ships don’t have portal drives! They’re just short range transports.”
Talon studied a series of technical readouts on his display. “This ship has a portal drive. Can we open a stable sta
r-path, and let the others escape?”
B’Turo shook his head. “What in blazes do you think I’ve been trying to do, boy? I can’t get the portal drive to fire up. I think all that black jade in the cargo bay is causing feedback with our dark energy cell.”
Suddenly, the view through the cockpit changed. The burning orange sky gave way to wisps of cloud. Tiny pinpoints of light became visible… distant stars, bright enough to pierce the atmospheric veil of the dying planet. A velvety black curtain surrounded the ship as they raced into low orbit. Tiny explosions lit up the dark void in the distance. Toho fighters wove a curtain of glowing beams through space as they engaged the fleeing refugee transports.
“The black jade…” Vaki stared out the clear dome of the cockpit, as one of the distant transports exploded into a cloud of shredded metal and burning gas. “That dreadnaught's scanners will pick up the black jade's energy signature. If we fly closer to the big ship, we may be able to get their attention. Draw the fighters to us, give the transports a chance!”
“Closer?” B’Turo stared at her in disbelief. “You want to get closer to—”
Suddenly, the ship bucked to the left. A loud crash echoed from its rear compartment.
“What was that?” Vaki asked, glancing at the bulkhead door behind them. “Is someone shooting at us?”
B’Turo examined the sensors. “Negative. Impact came from inside the ship.”
Talon unbuckled his crash harness and stood up. “Whatever it is, I don’t like the sound of it.” He slid the shaft of his axe from his battle harness. “I’ll go check the cargo bay.”
He rested a hand on the old man’s shoulder. “Do as she says, B’Turo.”
B’Turo shrugged. “Okay, sure. Closer. Your funeral.” He adjusted the controls, and the ship veered towards the larger Toho vessel. “Mine too,” he grumbled, as Talon strode to the rear of the bridge.
