“The death whispers do not affect it.” Alesti said.
“Your death whispers, I call them arrows by the way. They won’t penetrate its metal casing.” Alex said calmly even as Alesti was panting for air.
“It fled from me, it can’t be too far.” Alex said as he wondered what made the bot abruptly halt its pursuit.
In the faint light Alex could tell something was bothering Alesti but he didn’t want to spend time hashing out the issue yet. He wanted to catch the bot before it got further away. Applying pressure to the lobe the juntards took off at a sprint in a general northern direction.
* * *
Tired and exhausted, they rode until it was dawn again and stopped only when the Juntards came across water. They hadn’t seen the bot since the close encounter during the night but a new and fresh pillar of smoke nearby rejuvenated their pursuit and they took off pushing the juntards to their unknown limits. The surrounding area was mixed with pockets of lush farmland and barren pockets of cracked dirt.
Certainly nothing like this would seem feasible on Earth, yet here it appeared commonly. As they dashed across the dirt and farmland alike they approached a fairly large city with the noticeable distinction of having no walls or towers or gates of any kind. Fires had started on the north side of the city and Alex was sure he momentarily spotted the bot.
As they approached the city people were fleeing, scattering into the surrounding land. They approached the nearest building and Alesti’s juntard stopped and laid down on its own accord and would not get up, no matter how hard she grabbed its lobes. She bounded off her juntard and joined Alex on his. No sooner did she add her weight to its body did that juntard lay down as well.
“Great now were without a ride and the damn thing is way over there.” Alex said pointing to the other side of the city.
“Where are the guards, or warriors?” Alesti asked.
“Maybe they are converging on the bot.” Alex almost left at a jog but he noticed Alesti reach over and begin to unlock the makeshift harness. He kicked himself for almost forgetting about that. Then he remembered he let Alesti borrow the headset and she spent a long time talking to Symboli during the night.
“I don’t know what to do with Symboli?” Alex asked realizing they couldn’t take it with them.
“I will watch Symboli, you go and do what you must do.” Alesti said as she struggled to pull the tank on the soft ground near the buildings. After helping her pull the tank against the nearest wall, she slumped onto the ground next to it appearing tired and exhausted.
Alex bounded forward making sure he had both of his weapons and crept around the various buildings. They were all made out of metal but nothing was smooth. Everything had a cheap appearance to it, as if they tried to smooth the walls with large hammer strikes. The people appeared healthy with various conditions of clothing. It didn’t take long before he realized as much as he was watching them, they all regarded him with strange expressions. One mother even hid her children from him. Belatedly he realized his smelly hood was gone and wondered where along the trip he lost it.
Throngs of people were fleeing the alleys between the buildings and Alex rushed through them. His hyperactive brain intuitively recognizing the best path through the mass of people. At one moment the crowd was too much for him and he stepped into a building. Four men were in such a heated argument they didn’t even notice he entered.
“The workers are fleeing.”
“No, the workers are dying!”
“Sletven, this crisis will pass, until then you need to find a way to keep the workers digging for ore.”
Whatever else they were discussing was of no interest to Alex and he reentered the mass of people which was dwindling in intensity. As he got closer to the bot, the louder the screams and pleas for help became.
The bot was caving in a roof on the second of the nearest adjacent building. It was striking the structure with its front two legs. With both hands on his weapon and his enemy in sight he took aim and fired. A deafening bang shocked the people around him, many ended on the ground with hands over their ears.
The round struck the bot in an upper leg close to the chassis and was blown cleanly away. The bot fell from the building, crashing onto the hard clay alley. With its remaining legs it made slower progress in an attempt to flee. Alex was frustrated with yet another leg shot. But the legs themselves almost acted like a shield to the chassis. As Alex approached, dead bodies of people were splayed across the street. With a moderate run Alex would be able to keep up with the bot now, he jogged and allowed his weapon to recharge.
At some point the bot stopped trying to escape the city. A large group of people were giving both the bot and Alex a very wide birth. The bot managed to rotate its body and faced Alex directly. Instead of fleeing the bot was now approaching Alex.
Alex raised his alternate weapon and fired all seven medium rounds into the bot. Which, despite penetrating its chassis in two places, seemed to have little effect in stopping its approach.
“Alex, you survive today. But know with certainty that nothing you do will prevent us from bringing peace to Earth.” Suddenly the bot said out loud.
“You speak!” Alex shouted, half stunned, as the bot continued to close the distance. “Are you alive as well?”
There was no response. Realizing the bot was getting to close for comfort he anxiously awaited the primary weapon to charge. Instead the secondary weapon indicated it was ready with another seven rounds.
Taking aim at the same point as he had just done recently. Dead center of its chassis and fired seven times again. This time the bot seemed to jerk uncontrollably on its own accord, which greatly hampered its forward movement. With the bot twenty meters away and still closing, albeit slowly, Alex continued to wait for his weapons to recharge. A couple moments later his primary weapon had recharged, but he was afraid the bot was too close and the blast would likely hurt him as much as it would the bot. Alex began to walk backward until his legs hit a wall.
“Perhaps victory is not with you today.” The bot said. With ten meters remaining, his weapon reloaded with another seven shots and he fired again. This time the bot stopped moving altogether, leaving just a couple meters to spare.
In his mind he figured he might have been able to run perpendicular from the bot and escape, but wasn’t so sure as the crowd of people was thick and still growing.
Alex looked at the crowd of people and they looked at him. The sounds of mourning echoed around them: mothers over the loss of a child, men and women over the loss of a loved one, children over the loss of a parent. Their cries and wails could be heard by all.
Not leaving anything to chance when his weapon charged again, he walked up to the bot and found what appeared to be a sensitive looking box with solid wires coming from it. At point blank range, Alex fired seven more times into it and whatever was beyond. Satisfied, he tucked the weapon in his belt and began walking away to look for Alesti.
The people parted in the alley, keeping their distance from him as if he were a greatly feared predator. Alex wished he could speak to Symboli at this moment. He was feeling oddly alone. As he turned a corner onto a clear and unobstructed path a man running from the center of the city ran into Alex head on.
While still on the ground, Alex looked at the man that had run into him.
“Where are you going in such a hurry, haven’t you heard the beast is dead.” Alex said rubbing his shoulder.
“Obenday is dead, killed by the labor union. I barely escaped with my life.”
“Unions in space.” Alex mumbled tightly closing his eyes as he rubbed them.
The man looked more closely at Alex and appeared stricken as they both stood up.
“Who’s Obenday?” Alex asked as he eyed the street for Alesti.
“Our leader.” The man glanced down at the ground and then at Alex, appearing deep in thought.
“I am sorry to hear that.” Alex said as he resumed walking towards where the juntar
ds had given up. The man resumed his reckless pace ducking into one of the many alleys.
Minutes later he found Alesti slumped against the outermost building of the city holding Symboli in her hands. Alex walked over and sat down next to her.
“It is over?” She asked.
“The bot is destroyed but it is far from over. Years from now many thousands more will come and lay this planet to ruins.”
“What must be done next?” Alesti asked with a disheartened expression.
“I need to get to Earth, and prepare to confront galactic genocide.”
Eager to get moving Alex walked over to his juntard, which was lying on its side in a deep slumber.
Alex kicked it hard, with its mass anything less might not even be registered. “C’mon let’s go sleeping beauty.” The juntard didn’t move or otherwise indicate it was even aware of Alex.
“It’s not going to move, not for several days. Even if it survives. Where are you planning to go? I don’t see how you expect to get to Earth, your ship is destroyed.”
Alex was going to respond but her expression became distracted, and Alex guessed Symboli was explaining it to her. Unsure of what it might be saying, and with no quick options to get underway, he sat next to her.
“This all seems so unreal.” Alesti sighed glancing at Alex.
Alex sat quietly and watched as people passed them. Most were still learning that the threat was over, and as they sat there people started to gather and linger around their area. However, no one seemed brave enough to approach them.
“Symboli says we should find somewhere else to recuperate, perhaps an inn.”
“Good idea.” Alex replied standing up.
They slowly walked through the growing crowd of people.
“Did you kill the beast?” A mid aged man asked. He looked as if he worked outside his whole life.
“Even if we make it to the inn we won’t be left alone.” Alex whispered in English.
At that moment Alex remembered passing an empty, knocked over market cart. He took off at a jog, and found the cart still knocked over. He uprighted it and brought it back to Alesti. Together they moved Symboli onto the cart. He did consider that he was steeling the cart, but he figured the whole city owed him one or perhaps the owner was killed.
“What now?” Alesti asked as she glanced at the Juntards, one of which she was sure had died.
Alex gazed upon the beasts, it was so odd that they could run themselves to death.
“We walk.” Alex said as he pulled the cart towards the firm ground of a well worn path.
Alesti walked beside him for a couple minutes and looked back. The gathered people seemed to be in a heated conversation.
“Don’t look back.” Alex said, instead keeping his gaze locked on the people on the road far off in front of him. Many of them had fled the city during the attack and wouldn’t have known it was safe to return yet. Most of those who fled were heading towards the mountain.
“What’s over there?” Alex asked.
“How would I know? I’ve never been here.” Alesti responded sharply.
Alex raised an eyebrow and glanced at her but didn’t respond as he tried to suppress a smile.
“Alex, if you intend to go to Forex, know that journey is going to take a day or two. We need to find a place to sleep. You rode through the night and are both exhausted.”
Once they were far enough from the city Alex felt reasonably safe from immediate harm and made camp under a large tree. Alex didn’t fall asleep immediately, instead he stared up at the tree in wonder for some time. Oddly, the huge, oak like leaves pointed up into the sky instead of hanging down as they would have on Earth. Before sleep finally overtook him, he spent a moment marveling over how lucky he was to be able to live his dream of exploring space. If he had never left Earth he would have never seen the many new, and sometimes wonderful, things that he had.
CHAPTER 14
WINTER IS COMING
IT WAS AN uneventful trip, and aside from the lack of food and water, it wasn’t long before Alex and Alesti reached the permitters. They were amused that they didn’t even approach them for coin. A short time later they sat in the outer chamber waiting for the king to greet them.
The doors burst open and Hu Va appeared. “Heros of the mountain! You went to complete one grand mission and instead you completed two.” The king said with a wide smile.
Alex stood with his headset firmly attached and approached Hu Va. They smiled at each other as Alex closed in for a hug, only to remember at the last moment that it was not a local custom.
“Come inside, look at what we’ve accomplished.” Hu Va said and turned around.
Alex noticed the king making a face before turning away, and Alex lifted an arm to smell himself. He shook his head.
The king quickly led them through his room and into the crashed ship. The first thing Alex noticed was that the lights were on and several people were inside it carrying wires, tools and other such things.
Alex took a quick glance at the sight but continued walking behind the king. They ended up in the converter room. There were four men pedaling at a moderate pace, two on each device.
“Alex, the amount of energy these men are producing should not equate to the amount of output the lights are giving on the entire ship.” Symboli said
“I don’t understand.” Alex whispered catching an odd eye from Hu Va.
“The debris is extensive and the lights would require a lot of power, more power then what should be capable from what we are observing.”
“And how exactly do you know how much power this alien alternator is generating?” Alex asked knowing there was no way he could have that kind of information.
“…”
“Silence, really?” Alex asked amused.
“Hu Va, with your permission I’d like to explore the rest of the ship.” Alex asked.
“We shall do it together, there is much I myself have not seen. Some of it is in darkness and the rest seems unstable.” The king replied.
Alex led the way as Hu Va and Alesti followed side by side behind him.
“So tell me, I want to hear your story of what happened in Jebney.” Hu va looked at Alesti.
Alex pretty much ignored their conversation as he was too busy figuring out the layout of the ship. They were passing a lot of crew quarters on both sides of the corridor until they reached a double-sided staircase.
Alex wasted no time traversing to a lower level. This level was occupied with many rooms filled with short thirty gallon drums. Each room was solely dedicated to a particular resource. Most barrels opened were slimy, or filled to the top with some foul mold.
“Whatever these were I assume they expired.” Alex said as he continued on.
Soon they traversed into a nonperishables section, the rooms were now filled with ore, and precious metals to include even a large pile of gold. The way the metal was just laying there, it appeared they didn’t give it much value.
When they reached the end of the corridor again they were confronted with a locked door.
“I’ve never been past this door.” The king said.
Alex noticed a hidden panel on the door and, with some effort, he was able to open it up and reveal a lever. After pulling the lever the door opened and they were able to pass through. Beyond the door was a set of double stairs, and he walked down as if he knew what he was doing.
“How many levels are there?” Alesti asked as they reached the next level.
“I am not sure.” Hu Va replied as Alex momentarily cued into their conversation.
This corridor was much different than the others. The floor was dirty and you could tell several different kinds of materials were present. Everything from dirt, to gold dust, to crystal fragments, to pieces of wood. Large enclosed shoots descended from the ceiling and some came from the adjacent rooms.
“These look like little transport tubes.” Alex said as he pictured the tubes at a bank drive-through that he
liked to play with when he was younger. He had been fascinated how fast the little containers would zip off, hidden from sight only to arrive at the bank tellers moments later.
“Alex, I calculate a high probability that this floor is dedicated to manufacturing.” Symboli said.
Aside from the bright lighting, everything looked run down and with decay. Dust and dirt covered everything.
“Oieee.” Alesti said as she disappeared into a room.
Alex turned around and went to the threshold of the room she was looking into. It was big, about the size of perhaps five rooms combined. Dozens, if not hundreds, of tubes lined the ceiling. The center of the room descended an entire level.
“Alex, please take a closer look at the decorative piece on the ceiling in the center.” Symboli asked.
All the tubes went to a circular base, their ends remained hidden from sight. At the center were four ultra thin metal arms.
After a few moments of wandering the room, Alex found a display screen. Touching it activated the screen. The language was the same as he remembered being taught by Yesla, the little school girl. Symboli took no time in figuring out what it was.
“This is a fabrication room and what you see are fabrication options. Choose the seventh option. Its rather small and will demonstrate if it still functions properly.” Symboli said.
Alex pushed a small icon next to the description. The four black arms spun once and descended about an inch before there was a pop and the lights went out through the entire ship.
“What was that?” Hu Va asked.
“I think this room is a fabrication room. I tried to fabricate something.” Alex said.
“And broke my ship.” Hu Va said quite loudly in the utter darkness.
“King, your ship was already broken.” Alex said as he touched a wall and fumbled in the darkness.
The King started laughing. After a few moments, the lights slowly began to return to normal brightness.
Alex watched the lights return to strength and considered. “I believe the device drained the power up to the point where the system crashed. If we can restore main power this room will greatly accelerate my timetable off this planet.” He said as he left the room.
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