Nova nodded. "Especially with us crashing."
"Yeah." Riff frowned. "Wait, what?"
"Crashing." Nova pointed out the porthole. "Crashing toward a massive rocky planet."
Riff ran.
The starship tilted around him.
He raced along the corridor, leaping over scattered plates, bed sheets, and clothes. He leaped onto the bridge and, through the windshield, beheld the planet racing up toward them.
Riff stumbled toward the controls and grabbed the joystick. He tugged back with all his might.
The Dragon Huntress reared in the sky, raising its nose away from the planet. But they were still moving too fast. The surface of Kaperosa approached at dizzying speed. The observatory lay below, its starship lot barren.
We're going to crash into the observatory.
Riff pressed the forward thrusters, desperate to slow the ship. He steadied its flight. He raised the nose a few degrees. He directed the Dragon Huntress toward the lot, prepared to guide it down.
A shadow stirred.
A dark figure rose before him.
Claws reached out.
Riff tried to leap back, and his hand slipped from the joystick. Shadows swirled. Nova and Steel cried out and leaped onto the bridge.
With a shower of fire and light, the Dragon Huntress slammed into the planet. Metal bent. Glass shattered. Then only the shadows remained.
CHAPTER SIX:
MAROONED
Steel groaned.
Everything hurt.
It felt like an entire starship had fallen onto him. Which, he supposed, was not far off.
"Steel! Steel, can you hear me?"
The voice sounded miles away. A voice from another world. Were the ghosts calling him, summoning him back to that place? The memories filled Steel, and he shuddered. Again he saw that place—the place he had seen on the starship when the ghost had cut his armor and arm. The black hill, reflected countless times. The dark presence that filled the air, the sky, the soil. The rose, and him crawling, trying to reach the flower, to save it, knowing that the Dark Queen lurked beyond, and—
"Steel!"
The voice pulled him into the present. Steel blinked and moaned in pain. He looked up. He lay in ruins, pinned down under metal and glass. Flashlight beams waved back and forth, and a distant strobe light flickered. A figure stood above, small and dark, a silhouette.
Steel stiffened and reached for his sword, sure it was another ghost. But then the shadow spoke again, and he recognized that voice.
"Steel, can you hear me?"
"Giga!" he said, voice hoarse.
The android needed no space suit or helmet. She wore nothing but her kimono, and her katana hung across her back. She grabbed the metal beam that pinned Steel down and lifted it off him. It was a beam the strongest men would crumble under, but the android tossed it aside like a twig.
She knelt beside him. "Oh, Steel. You're hurt."
He did not spare himself a glance. He pushed himself onto his elbows. He still lay inside the Dragon Huntress, he saw. The ship had crashed and lay shattered, the hull dented, the windows broken.
"Are you hurt, Giga?" Steel struggled to rise, ignoring the dizziness in his head. "Did we hurt anyone when we crashed? How can I help? How . . ."
His words trailed off as his head spun. He blinked and swayed, then found himself leaning against Giga. The little android stood a foot shorter and weighed half as much, but she supported him—the tall knight in his armor.
"Let me help you," she said. "Lean on me. Let me get you inside."
Steel looked around. Hazily, he saw Riff and Nova climb out of the wreckage, both still in their space suits. Scientists of Kaperosa Observatory were rushing over to help.
"I must help them," Steel said. "I—"
"Now I help you," Giga said. "Not long ago, you pulled me out of a rough spot. Let me do the same for you."
She began to walk, holding him. Leaning against her, Steel walked too, steps shuffling. He was worried his weight would break her—she was so small—but the android was not as fragile as she looked. She was, Steel knew, stronger than him.
"Thank you, my lady," he whispered.
"Happy to comply, sir," she whispered back, smiling softly.
Cables sparked around them. Scattered fires burned, reflecting in shards of broken glass. They walked through the ruins, knight and android, as ash rained from the sky.
* * * * *
They sat together in the observatory cafeteria—a young scientist and a group of battered Alien Hunters.
"So we're marooned here," Lenora said softly. "The Drake is gone."
Riff nodded. "I'm sorry, Lenora. We could only save one ship, and, well . . . we didn't do a very good job of saving that one either. Piston and Twig are out there, working on it now, but it'll be days before the Dragon Huntress flies again."
Lenora lowered her head. "And whatever alien attacked you on the bridge, the creature that made you crash the ship . . . it's still out there." She shivered. "They might all still be out there. Or in here."
They all nervously looked across the cafeteria, seeking ghosts. Nova growled and clutched her whip. Steel tightened his grip on Solflare's hilt. Romy whimpered, hid under the table, and sucked her thumb. Only Giga seemed calm; the android sat primly in her chair, hands folded in her lap. Thankfully, no ghosts could be found, unless you counted the ghosts of old meals that clung to the plastic trays and plates.
Riff took a long, deep breath. "We have to get you off this planet, Lenora. You and all the other scientists here. We need you in a safe place while we stay and fight. Send out a signal! Call the nearest station for a ship. We need to evacuate anyone who's not an Alien Hunter."
Lenora bit her lip. "That would be a good idea, Riff, if the Dragon Huntress hadn't crashed into our communications antennae." She sighed. "We can receive signals from space. We can send out nothing."
A chill ran down Riff's spine like a ghostly finger. Marooned. No way to call for aid. Trapped on a dead planet haunted by the undead.
I need to get a job walking dogs, he thought. Or maybe open a little hummus house.
"All right." Riff rose to his feet. "Here's the plan. For the next couple weeks, Piston and Twig are going to work round the clock fixing the Dragon Huntress. Meanwhile, Lenora, I don't want any scientist walking alone. Groups of threes. Piston said these creatures might be sensitive to electromagnetic signals, so he built us these." He lifted the rod he carried. The tip thrummed, casting out a powerful electromagnetic field. "I want your people armed too, Lenora. Piston said he can teach them how to build more of these rods."
Lenora smiled thinly. "Believe it or not, Riff, I have an engineer or two on my team as well. They'll manage."
He nodded. "Good. We need weapons—for everyone here, not just us Alien Hunters. And traps. Magnetic traps to catch one of these bastards and interrogate it. I'm going to offer you security too—two guards at the observatory's airlock and a regular patrol through the halls. Wherever those ghosts are sneaking in from, we're going to stop them."
"Not ghosts, Riff." Lenora patted his hand. "Alien life. A new type of life form such as we've never encountered."
Riff cringed in sudden memory. Again he saw it before him: that dark land he did not understand, a land that expanded beyond his normal awareness. The charcoal hill. The flower atop it. The evil lurking unseen, a dark queen, mistress of the creatures. Life? Or something beyond life, beings from another dimension, from a hellish nightmare they could not hope to understand?
"I'll take the first patrol," Riff said. "Nova, will you join me?"
The gladiator nodded and hefted her own rod. "I'm up for round two. Let's see if we find some ghosts again." She glanced over at Lenora. "I mean—ancient, mysterious life forms such as we've never encountered . . . for me to kill."
Steel stood up and raised his chin. "I'll take first watch in the airlock."
"I'll join you," said Lenora, rising to her feet too.
/> Giga also rose from her seat. "And I'll help construct electromagnetic traps. Piston gave me the specs." The android leaned down to look at Romy, who was sucking her thumb under the table. "Romy, would you like to help me? You're good at calibrating the field distribution of electromagnetic quantum photon particles, aren't you?"
"Um . . ." Romy blinked. "Yes?"
"Excellent!" Giga smiled.
They all left the cafeteria, heading toward their tasks. As Riff walked down the dark hallway, he tried to curb the chill inside him. True, they were marooned here, stuck in a labyrinth on a distant planet, no way to call for help, ghosts lurking in the darkness . . . but he had his friends. He had a plan. He was ready to fight back.
So why did his heart keep pounding, and why, when he gazed out the window at that black hole, did visions of dark nightmares shake his bones?
* * * * *
Steel stood in the observatory's airlock, Solflare drawn, guarding the door. He stood with squared shoulders, chin raised, lips tight.
I'm ready to defend this observatory with my life, he thought. For honor. For chivalry. For the people I love. My guard will not end until the evil here is vanquished.
Yet somehow those old vows felt hollow. He was not truly a knight, was he? No. Sir Kerish Rosetta, Lenora's father, had stripped him of his sigil. He was an Alien Hunter now—a cheap mercenary, muscle for hire. Was there still honor in his profession? In his life?
He hefted Solflare, his knightly sword, modeled after the weapons the knights of ancient history had wielded. A battery thrummed deep within this blade, able to cast out beams of searing light. And now a new weapon had been added to the sword. Piston had patched magnets onto the blade's base. When activated, they would cast out a powerful electromagnetic field. Powerful enough, the stocky gruffle had claimed, to disperse any ghost flying his way.
"Would you like some coffee?" Lenora stood by a percolator, pouring a mug. An electromagnetic rod—a makeshift weapon fashioned from pipes and magnets—hung from her belt. As always, she wore a woolen skirt and a sweater vest. Her long brown hair was gathered into a bun, and her glasses perched on her nose.
Steel shook his head. "I don't consume drugs."
Lenora snorted. "I'll brew a second pot. Decaf." She sipped from her mug and sighed. "Lovely hot caffeine. You don't know what you're missing."
"There are many things I chose to miss when I swore my oaths." Steel raised his chin higher. "Coffee. Alcohol. And . . ."
And love, he thought. Your love. A love whose loss I mourn. Even now. Even after all these years.
Yet how could he say those things to her? How could he tell her that his vows too were an armor, protecting him from that old pain? How could he tell Lenora that whenever she looked at him, bittersweet pain stabbed him? How whenever he gazed into her hazel eyes, he felt like a boy in love again? She stared at him now, eyes eager, lips parted, waiting to hear the rest of his words.
". . . and material possessions," he finished lamely.
Lenora lowered her head and nodded. "You are a different man now. No longer the careless boy I once loved." She grinned suddenly and stepped closer to him. "Steel, do you remember that time back on Earth when we sneaked into a petting zoo at night?"
He grimaced. "That llama could spit."
She laughed. "I love llamas. I remember how I patted them, how fluffy the babies were, and how you stood watch over the entrance—like you stand watch here now. Only . . ." She touched his cheek. "There was less pain on your face then. Less weariness in your eyes."
Her touch shot warmth through Steel. Inside him, something hot and sad seemed to melt. And he was there again—a boy of eighteen, sneaking into the petting zoo with the girl he loved.
"I've grown up," he said softly.
"That's not always a good thing." Tears dampened her eyes, and she stroked his hair. "Your temples are gray."
"While your hair is still chestnut brown like the day we parted." Stiffly, he caressed that hair, wondering if he was stepping out of bounds, if she'd recoil . . . but she let him stroke it. It was soft, smooth, full of old memories.
"Do you remember what we did later that night?" she whispered.
Of course he did. Steel had never forgotten. It had been sixteen years, and he still thought of that night, still dreamed of it. It was still his favorite memory—better than the memory of taking his knightly vows. They had sneaked deeper into the petting zoo, found a grove of pines, and lain upon a park bench. For a long time, they had stared up at the stars, and Lenora had spoken in wonder of them. She had been able to name all the constellations, to point out distant worlds and speak of their secrets, vowing to visit them someday.
A comet had streaked across the sky, then another one, and then a great fireball of blue and red fire, gone as soon as it had appeared. Lenora gasped at its beauty, then turned toward Steel, eyes bright. He kissed her. He had never kissed a girl, yet it felt so natural, so right, and she kissed him back. They made love on that park bench under the stars, the trees rustling around them, then slept together until dawn, holding each other, and watched the sunset rise between the trees.
Perhaps it was the only time I felt true joy, Steel thought.
"I remember," he whispered.
Lenora blinked tears out of her eyes and turned away. "Decaf." She nodded, awkwardly smoothing her skirt, perhaps also overcome with memories. "I'll brew you a pot."
She returned to the percolator and spent a moment grinding beans, replacing filters, and adding water, her fingers trembling all the while.
"Lenora." Steel approached her. He spoke in a soft voice. "Lenora, I'm sorry. I'm deeply, deeply sorry." His voice choked. "I know that I hurt you then. I know that . . . that you wanted me to fly to those stars with you. I know that when I chose the knighthood, I broke your heart, and please believe me . . . my heart was broken too. For many years, I—"
She spun around. "Don't." She placed a finger against his lips. "It's all right. I understand. I didn't then, but I had many years here, in the darkness, to understand." She shook her head, hair swaying. "Funny, isn't it? We can use numbers to explore the secrets of the cosmos, yet matters of the heart? There's no logic to them."
"Perhaps that's why I chose the knighthood," Steel said. "To follow a simple code of ethics. To have matters of the heart reduced to a creed."
Lenora snorted, eyes still damp. "That's my father speaking. It's all I heard growing up. Can you imagine what it's like, being the daughter of a knight? Always our home was full of . . . unyielding honor. Discipline. Chivalry. Tradition." Tears streamed down her cheeks. "It's why my mother left. It's why I wept when you chose to follow my father, to join his order. I wanted us to fly to those stars we used to look at. To have adventures together. To see the cosmos. And you . . . you wouldn't join me." Her voice was hoarse. "You were so impressed with my father's armor, his sword, his stiff moral code, that you chose him. You chose him over me!"
She froze. Her voice echoed. Her face paled.
"Lenora," he whispered.
She turned away again. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have yelled." She laughed bitterly. "Funny how old pain can lurk for so long, then emerge like this. With tears. With shouts."
Steel embraced her. He was bulky in his armor, creaking, no longer the youth who could make love on a bench but a stiff relic. Yet still he embraced her, and she wrapped her arms around him. He kissed the top of her head.
"It's all right," he whispered.
She wiped her eyes. "Except none of this is all right. Nothing here is. Not that black hole outside that breaks my equations and breaks the minds of those who look upon it. Not one missing starship, one broken on the ground. Not being marooned here, our communicators dead, and hostile life we don't understand haunting our halls. None of this is right, Steel."
"We'll make it right." He looked into her eyes, still holding her. "I'm no longer a knight, Lenora. Yes, I chose your father's path. I joined the Knights of Sol, the ancient order he spoke so proudly of.
I served him. Yet I found corruption in the ranks of that order I thought so pure. I spoke out. I tried to cleanse the knighthood of its ills. And so he banished me, Lenora. With his own dagger, he scratched the sigil off my breastplate." He touched the mark on his chest, still showing those old scratches. "For many years, I was lost. An outcast. Just as lonely as you are here on Kaperosa. And so no, I'm no longer a knight, but I still have honor. And when I make a vow, I still defend it with my life. And I vow to you, Lenora. Not as a knight, not as an Alien Hunter, but as a man who loved you. Who loves you still. I will make this right."
She nodded and held him, resting her head against his shoulder. They stood like this for a long time, silent in the airlock. The coffee percolated. Outside, the black hole rose over the horizon, an emptiness in the cosmos filling the observatory with its all-seeing gaze.
CHAPTER SEVEN:
CROSSING LINES
"I should never have let you try to land the ship," Nova said, marching down the corridor. "I swear, Riff, every time you try to fly, you end up crashing, and—"
"Nova!" Riff groaned. "For pity's sake. A ghost attacked me while I was landing."
The ashai rolled her eyes. Her golden catsuit, woven of bulletproof fabric, whispered as she marched. "Sure, Riff. Ghosts did it. Ghosts this, ghosts that. I bet it was also a ghost that made you gawp at the black hole while I was opening the ship's airlock."
"It was!" Riff bristled.
"See? You blame them for everything." She glared at Riff, her green eyes flashing. "I thought you were going to start taking responsibility for your life, Raphael Starfire. I thought you were going—"
"Nova." He grabbed her arms. "Listen to me. These ghosts—or whatever the hell they are—pop out of nowhere all the time. You saw them on the main deck. And if I hadn't been there to blast the airlock open, they'd have killed you, Steel, and me, then stolen our starship."
Nova snorted. "I had them."
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