by A A Warren
Talon glared at him with his crimson eye. “We go back to the colony. Find Vaki, steal a ship and get off this world while we still can.”
B’Turo blew a puff of misty breath into the cold air. “Even if we could make it back on foot, Katara’s not about to let us through the colony’s shield.”
“She will if we have what she wants. The black jade.”
B’Turo nodded. “Well, you’re the one with the magic eye. Lead the way.”
Talon glanced up… the skeletal structures of the obliterated colony stretched above them. The mangled metal beams and crumbled walls seemed to arch over them, like the rib cage of a colossal beast. The setting sun cast long shadows across the field of ruins. The dark shapes seemed to dart and move around them, shifting position as the burning orb in the sky sank lower on the horizon.
Talon held out the shaft of his axe, pointing towards the crumbling remains of an ore processing station. His eye seemed to glow even brighter as he focused on the collapsed building. “That way. I think.”
“Are you sure—” Before he could finish his sentence, a fit of coughing wracked the old man’s lungs. He bent over, hacking thick gobs of spittle onto the snow and ice.
Talon placed a hand on the man’s back. “B’Turo, are you alright? You don’t sound well.”
B’Turo stood up, wheezing for breath. “Yeah, yeah, I’m fine. Told you, my lungs aren’t so good. Too much cold air. Let’s get this over with. And keep your eyes open for a vehicle or something. I don’t know how your lady friend got through, but my comms are still down, and there’s no way we can drag a cargo container back over the ice ourselves.”
They stalked into the dark interior of the shattered building. Talon powered up the blade of his axe, using the burning weapon as a torch to illuminate the dark shadows in the collapsed building. The flickering orange glow cast a dim light over the ground beneath their feet. Rubble and debris littered its cracked, uneven surface.
B’Turo whistled. “Looks like something tore the foundation to pieces. Jerked the rug out from underneath the entire colony.”
Talon ignored him, and continued pacing into the shadows. His head snapped to the right… he felt a twinge of pain, a pressure in the back of his skull. His crystal eye pulsed even brighter. Something was leading him, pulling him deeper into the cavernous interior of the ruins.
“We’re close,” he said. “There’s dark energy nearby.”
Suddenly, the ground shook again. A rippling wave ran underneath them, scattering rocks and debris in its wake. Talon threw himself to the ground, rolling out of the path of destruction. The wave came to a stop, throwing a plume of debris straight up into the air. The falling rocks pelted the ground, and rattled off the hanging metal beams that had once supported the structure’s roof.
“B’Turo,” he shouted. His cry echoed through the shadows of the cavernous interior. “Another quake… we have to find cover.”
“No.” The old man’s voice was a hoarse wheeze. Talon tuned and saw B’Turo, stumbling towards him from the shadows. “Not… not a quake!” The old man’s words were a pained gasp. He stepped into a beam of sunlight.
Talon narrowed his eyes. “B’Turo, what’s wrong.”
The old miner’s skin had turned pale. He bent over, as another fit of violent coughs burst from his lungs. A spray of fluid spattered the ground at his feet. Talon glanced down. In the dying rays of light from outside, he could see the thick, viscous fluid was a pale blue, rather than blood red.
B’Turo looked up. A white film covered his eyes. He stooped over and grabbed a piece of torn metal from the rubble on the ground. He raised the makeshift weapon over his head.
Talon took a step back. “B’Turo, what are—”
The old man’s mouth gaped open. An inhuman howl burst from his lips, as he lumbered towards Talon. He swung the pipe, striking the ice with a metallic clang. He raised the club, and took another shambling step forward.
“B’Turo, have you gone mad?” Talon blocked the man’s awkward attack with the shaft of his axe. He shoved the weapon forward, sending B’Turo sprawling across the ice. “What’s gotten into you, old man?”
B’Turo groaned again, and rose to his feet. Blue spittle flew from his lips as he narrowed his pale, white eyes. Another animalistic growl escaped his lips as he charged toward Talon, swinging the shattered pipe through the air.
Talon darted to his left. Again the pipe slammed into ice, missing him by inches. B’Turo howled, and continued his frenzied attack.
“B’Turo, stop this madness! I don’t want to hurt you!”
He dodged another clumsy swing of the pipe, and lashed out with his fist. The blow snapped the old man’s head back. B’Turo paused. The joints in his neck popped and cracked as he rolled his shoulders. Then he turned and glared at Talon, his dead white eyes reflecting the fiery glow of the plasma axe.
B’Turo stalked forward, raising the pipe to strike again.
“Damn it, old man,” Talon muttered. He raised the axe to block. But before the blow could connect, the ground tumbled beneath them once again. An explosion of ice and debris streaked across the room. Something was moving underneath them. Something fast…
The ice rippled and exploded under Talon’s feet. The shockwave tossed the two men through the air like rag dolls. Talon struck the ice with a loud thud, and he rolled several meters across the ground. His axe fell from his grip, and clattered just out of reach. As he came to a stop, his fingers reached out for his weapon.
Before he could grab it, cold, bony fingers dug into his ankle. Something dragged him away from his fiery weapon.
He spun around and saw B’Turo standing over him. The old man held the metal shard over his head. Cursing, Talon rolled to his left as the jagged edge swung down into the ice. Grabbing the metal fragment with his right hand, Talon kicked out hard, slamming his boot into the old man’s knee.
B’Turo moaned in pain and let go of the shard. As he staggered backwards, Talon pivoted his body, swinging his legs in a powerful spinning kick. The blow swept the old miner’s legs out from under him, sending him crashing to the ice.
A loud crack echoed through the ruins, as B'Turo's skull slammed into the cold, hard ground. A groan exhaled through his lips. He did not get back up.
Talon leapt to his feet. His breath was ragged, sending puffs of steam into the cold air.
He squinted at B’Turo, then kneeled down next to the old man. He touched his neck, checking for a pulse.
The miner's heart pounded in a rapid, frenetic beat. Despite the cold, his skin was burning up, as though he were suffering a fever. The veins on his forehead throbbed, and his pale white eyes twitched back and forth in their sockets.
“Iberon’s harem,” Talon hissed. “What happened to you, old man?”
B’Turo uttered another pitiful groan. He grabbed Talon’s arm in his claw-like fingers. “He… hel… Help me!” His groan turned to a howl of pain.
Talon stared in shock, as the old man’s jaws gaped open. Something was moving, slithering up from his throat. Talon stepped back, as the pulsing, quivering thing extruded itself through the old man’s mouth. The worm undulated across B'Turo's chest, leaving a trail of blue slime that stained his jumpsuit.
It’s one of the larva, Talon thought. The dorokuma… B’Turo was infected this whole time!
He paced over to his axe. Hefting the burning blade in his grasp, he watched as the creature flopped and thrashed on the ice.
It was different from the other larva he had seen. It was smaller for one thing, less than half a meter long. And its flesh was pale white rather than blue. But still…
“This thing was inside you,” Talon muttered to the groaning old man. “Controlling you, somehow. Time to send this abomination back to—”
Another wave of agony seared through his skull. Screaming in pain, he dropped the plasma axe. The weapon hissed and smoked as it burned through the ice. Talon fell to his knees, clutching his head with both hands.
His crimson eye pulsed with a blinding glow, piercing the shadows of the ruins with an intense red light.
The ground exploded around him. Whatever was moving under the ice, it was circling the two men, throwing a cloud of snow and frost up into the air.
Talon spun around and picked up his axe, holding the weapon in a defensive grip.
“You want me?” His challenge echoed through the cavernous ruins. “Then come face me!”
The ground shook and rumbled. He staggered backwards as he lost his footing on the shifting ice. A geyser of snow erupted before him. One of the dorokuma worms exploded out of the ground. Its massive body reared up, and nearly burst through the collapsed roof and mangled beams of the building. Its armored snout split open, slashing at the air with razor sharp mandibles.
The creature's roar was deafening. The sound shook the snow and ice from the rafters of the dilapidated structure. Talon staggered to his feet, holding his axe in a double-handed grip.
“If this is where it ends, so be it,” he muttered. “Victory or death!”
He spun the axe, then raised it above his head. The worm roared as it threw its massive armored bulk towards him.
NO!
The voice exploded around them, louder and more powerful than the shockwaves caused by the worm. A pinpoint of blue light, as bright as a star, blazed between them. Before Talon could even move, waves of energy burst from the glowing ball of light. The rippling blue force struck him like a tidal wave, launching him backwards through the air.
He slammed into a bent metal beam and tumbled to the ice. Lifting his head, he blinked… his vision was hazy, unfocused. Hot blood dripped down his cheek. All he could see was a dark, blurry landscape. The ice worm, the colossal dorokuma, lay sprawled across the frozen ground. The wave of energy had struck it as well.
Then he closed his eyes. Darkness engulfed him. He was falling... A familiar blue light surrounded him. He plunged into the depths of the shimmering tunnel, unsure what would await him on the other side.
Wake up, my warrior… there isn’t much time.
Talon groaned. His eyes fluttered open.
“Salena?” His voice was a hoarse rasp.
We are not Salena.
Talon winced. The sounds echoed though his mind, a strange chorus of rasps and clicks shaped into a semblance of human words.
His vision cleared. He was lying in a vast cavern of ice. A violet glow illuminated the chamber, shimmering off the glistening stalactites that hung from the cavern’s roof. A shadow moved over him. More detail came into focus.
Salena was not there.
Instead, a dorukuma worm uncoiled before him. It hung from a glowing spire of purple crystal, one of many that surrounded them in the cavern. The worm’s four hooked beaks parted, and he could see row upon row of white fangs within its glistening maw.
Talon leapt to his feet. He swung his arms up in a defensive position, only to find his hands were empty. His axe was gone.
You do not need your weapon, human. This place is a memory. Nothing can harm us here. But perhaps you will find this form less threatening…
The worm slithered to the cavern floor. As it lowered its bulk through the air, the crystal spires glowed brighter, filling the cavern with a pulsing violet light. Talon squinted as the worm moved closer. The purple light was blinding, filling his gaze, blocking out all other sight. Then a woman emerged from the glow, and the light faded.
She was tall and lithe, and her skin was as pale as the snow and ice on the planet’s surface. A simple robe of blue fur draped over her shoulders. Her hair was shimmering silver and hung loose down her back. It flowed behind her as she approached him.
She stopped close enough to touch him, but her hands remained clasped in front of her, as if in prayer. She focused her jet-black eyes upon him. He met her dark, unblinking stare. His jaw dropped in surprise.
“What dark magic sorcery is this? You look like… you look like her. Katara.”
This form comes from our distant past. After the coming of the First Ones, my people were the initial spark of life born into this universe. As other races grew and flourished, we evolved beyond these simple bodies. And we shall continue to evolve until this universe ends. Please understand, we mean you no harm.
“Is that so?” Talon muttered. “A few moments ago, you were trying to crush me and my friend to a pulp.”
That was before we realized… before we sensed your bond.
Talon let his muscles relax. “My bond is not with you. How are we speaking like this?”
The woman in your thoughts, Salena… She has touched you deeply. Through her, you are connected with loved ones from your memories. Those who have left this plane of existence. Orex Griff. And your moth—"
“My past is my own, worm. Are you saying Salena brought us here?”
She has allowed us to share her bond, so we may communicate.
Talon thought for a moment. “Then it’s true. It is her voice I’ve heard in my thoughts.” He looked up at the pale, beautiful woman standing before him. “Salena's not dead?”
The woman tilted her head and smiled. "Dead? Our understanding of this word is different from yours. She is in another place, another state of being. She is very far away, very distant from this world. The link you share is only a faint spark, but it is enough to bridge the gap. You care for her, do you not?"
Talon nodded. “I do.”
Is she your mate?
He shook his head and smiled. “It… it is not that simple. We’ve shared things. Thoughts, memories. We shared our greatest pain. We understand each other, in a way no one else can.”
The woman nodded. For my kind, this is normal. I did not realize humans do not always share such bonds.
“Most do not,” he admitted. “But we did.” He glanced around the cavern. “Where are we now? If this is a memory, it isn’t mine.”
This place is a part of me. I was born here. And I returned here to plant my young. Deep in the ground, near the planetary core.
The woman’s thoughts flowed over him, like a warm wave on a tropical beach. The creature’s strange speech continued to echo through his mind.
The crystal you know as black jade… it was rich in these strata of rock. It would provide them with sustenance. I thought… I thought they would be safe here.
A deep rumble rose in the distance. Talon glanced up as the cavern shuddered. Snow and ice crashed down around them.
"It’s not safe here!” Talon shouted. “The core of this planet is unstable. It’s falling apart!"
It was not always so. Not until she came… Katara.
Talon leapt back as a giant ice crystal shattered next to them. The woman appeared unconcerned, even as the rumbling grew louder and more intense. Suddenly, the wall of the cavern gave way. A massive energy beam tore through the chamber behind them.
“An ore-slicer,” Talon whispered.
The gigantic vehicle tunneled through the cavern wall. Its spinning beam disintegrated the rocks and ice, blasting them into sparkling bits of rubble. Talon heard screams. The high-pitched shrieks drowned out the roar of the energy maelstrom.
Our young… At first, the humans were content to slaughter us. Scores of my sisters fell before their death machines. But then, they found the black jade. They found our eggs.
The scene before them shimmered and faded. Talon saw a dead worm, its carcass torn open across the ground. Some men emerged from another ore-slicer. They wore heavy environmental armor, to withstand the extreme pressure and temperatures deep within the planet.
They sifted through the rubble, sorting out the black jade particles. One of them held up a small translucent crystal… it sparkled in the light, like a black diamond. The view zoomed closer… inside the shimmering prism. Talon could see a tiny creature, squirming in a sac of purple fluid.
The larva…
“They’re not after the black jade,” Talon whispered. “They want your larva. Vaki said Katara was experimenting, altering the
m somehow. Why? What does she want?”
Katara has taken our young. She has changed them, perverted their essence. She kidnaps our sisters, and uses them to birth more of her abominations.
The man held the crystal up to the lights blazing from the ore-slicer's hull. Talon could see his wrinkled forehead and dark eyes through the clear visor of his helmet.
It was B’Turo.
“B’Turo,” Talon whispered. “He said something was wrong, something he couldn’t remember. And he had one of your larva inside him."
The creature inside him did not spring from our eggs. It was created by Katara, and her cursed bio-mancers. They have tampered with his mind, erased his memories.
Talon watched as another tremor rocked the chamber. The workers recoiled as another gigantic worm smashed through the cavern wall. They opened fire with pulse weapons, but the bolts were useless against the creature’s armored hide. Its pale white flesh thrashed around the chamber, crushing men beneath its massive bulk.
B’Turo sprinted for the open hatch of the ore-slicer. Talon saw the old man’s panicked eyes glance over his shoulder, as a sinewy blue tongue darted from the worm’s maw, and snatched up a worker running behind him. The dying man’s screams echoed through the crystal chamber, then were silenced as the worm’s beaks clamped shut.
As the ore-slicer’s hatch closed, the creature wrapped itself around the massive vehicle, smashing at the armored blades with its mandibles. Four more tongues darted from its gullet and pried at the cylinder’s structure. They tore off sections of armor plating and hurled them through the air.
A deep hum arose from the machine. The prow of the vehicle began to glow…
Talon shielded his eyes, as the ore-slicer’s forward beam ignited, blasting the frenzied worm in two.
The image rippled and faded away.
Gone… so many of us gone. Katara has hunted us to extinction. Once, hundreds of my sisters roamed beneath the ice of this planet. Now, there are less than a dozen of us remaining. And the young…
The creature’s thoughts dissolved into a cacophony of clicks and groans. The sounds of loss and pain were beyond words, beyond human thought. It was primal, and Talon felt an aching sense of emptiness welling up in his chest.
