by A A Warren
Before Talon could answer, a pulse bolt screeched through the air. The glowing dart of energy struck the cargo container above them. He looked up, as a shower of sparks rained down around them.
Vaki stood in the doorframe above them, her feet perched on either side of the mangled opening. She held a pulse pistol in a two-handed grip. "Some women just can't take a hint," she snapped.
Her pistol fired again, sending a pair of sizzling energy bolts into the worm’s body.
Katara’s face twisted in a furious snarl. Then her features dissolved into a mass of lumpy, glistening flesh. The tentacle shot back into the worm’s mouth, as the beast heaved its body around to face its attacker.
The ship rocked as another burst of pulse fire struck the hull. Vaki fired again, but the sudden, violent lurching of the ship threw off her aim.
The worm lurched towards her.
Before it could strike, Talon rolled to his side and slammed his fist into a glowing red panel.
A shimmering wall of energy leapt up in the doorframe, sealing the cargo bay from the rest of the ship. The worm’s snout crashed into the crackling barrier. It roared in fury and struck again, but it could not break through the field.
A loud buzz droned through the air, and spinning orange lights glowed to life above the ramp. Vaki’s eyes opened wide with concern. She pounded on the energy barrier. “Talon, what are you doing?” she shouted.
“Finishing this!” He grabbed a regulator belt and looped it around his waist. As the belt’s field shimmered around his body, the loading ramp hissed open behind him.
A rush of air exploded from the cargo bay. Talon gasped as the absolute cold of space assaulted his body. He could barely breathe, and he felt himself sucked through the opening. His flailing arms grasped the edge of the ramp. The muscles in his shoulders screamed, and his arms bulged like cords of steel. The belt’s first power cell glowed red. It had already depleted its energy compensating for the sudden vacuum and rapid drop in temperature. The second cell lit up almost instantly… he knew the belt would only protect him for a few minutes in the harsh vacuum of space.
Gritting his teeth, he forced his free arm up, and pulled himself back into the cargo bay. The control panel mounted next to the ramp glowed green. He reached towards it, fighting against the rushing air and pressure. The worm darted back around and faced him. The creature’s roar was drowned out by the explosive decompression.
As it darted towards him, Talon stabbed down at the green button. The cargo clamps unlocked from the roof of the cargo bay, and the container shot towards him. It slammed into him, dragging both him and the worm out of the cargo bay, and into the cold depths of space.
Chapter Thirty-Eight
Vaki watched through the glowing barrier as the container plummeted from the rear of the ship, taking Talon and the thrashing worm with it. The metal cable that connected the cargo clamps to the roof of the bay hissed through the loading winch with a high-pitched whine. The faint pull of the planet’s gravity below was just enough to tug at the bulky container, and seconds later the cable snapped taut. They were dragging the container about a hundred meters behind them.
Vaki turned back to the cockpit. “B’Turo, we have to go back! Talon fell out of the—” Another barrage of pulse fire from the Toho fighters jolted the ship. She braced herself against the doorframe as the transport banked right, dodging the glowing energy bolts.
“I’m trying, but I can’t shake these blasted fighters!” B’Turo shouted back. "One more hit to the engines, and we'll be stranded here when the whole damn planet crumbles to pieces!”
More pulse bolts streaked past the cockpit. Vaki held on to the edge of the doorframe as the old man threw the ship into another sharp bend.
“There's more of them, coming in off the port bow!” she shouted.
“I see ‘em, but there's not much I can do about it. This tug boat wasn’t built for combat!”
Suddenly, two powerful energy bolts lanced through the darkness, striking the pair of fighters head on. Twin explosions blossomed in the cockpit windows. A massive cluster of dots blinked to life on the holo-display.
“What in blazes?” The old man adjusted the controls, tilting their nose up. A glowing star-path filled the heavens above, and a squadron of gleaming starships emerged from the swirling portal.
B’Turo squinted as the largest of the ships moved towards them. The massive battle cruiser dwarfed the tiny transport. Its armor-plated hull filled the cockpit, blocking the faint starlight, and casting a shadow over the bridge.
“Who the hell are these guys?” He squinted at the hull passing over the cockpit. “Wait… that’s the symbol of the Jotoru Emperor. What the hell is he doing here?”
Vaki ran to the co-pilot’s chair. “I called them.”
The old man glanced over at her. “You called them? And just who the hell are you?”
The girl brushed her purple hair from her face and grinned. “Let’s just say I have an 'in' with the Imperial family. Open a channel, quick!”
B’Turo’s fingers danced over the controls. “Whatever you say. You’re on, kiddo.”
Vaki leaned over her console as the massive ship continued to drift over them.
“Imperial Vessel Shokar, do you read me? Neros is undergoing a planetary collapse. We have multiple emergency transports that need passage out of this system immediately.”
The reply crackled through the speakers. “Unidentified transport, this is Imperial Vessel Shokar. By whose authority do you—”
Vaki tapped a code into her console. “Transmitting Imperial IDENT code now.”
There was silence. A series of beeps sounded from the tactical display. More fighters appeared behind them, rushing towards their stern.
“Fighters closing in,” B’Turo muttered. “They’re locking weapons.”
Suddenly, the enemy ships veered off. B’Turo cocked his head and stared at the display in confusion. “They’re breaking off the attack. But why?”
“New orders,” Vaki said with a mischievous grin. “From a higher authority.”
The speaker crackled back to life. “IDENT code received and acknowledged. We have granted all vessels access to our main docking bay, and we are prepared to offer medical assistance. The Jotoru Emperor sends his regards, Your Highness.”
B’Turo’s jaw dropped. “Wait, did he say—”
“Acknowledged, Shokar command. We’re on our way.” She cut the channel and handed B’Turo a regulator belt. “Send a general message to all transports leaving Neros. Direct them to the Shokar’s main docking bay, and give them the code I transmitted. Then put this on.”
“A regulator belt? What the hell for?”
She strapped a belt around her waist and activated it. The first power cell glowed to life. “I have to get back to the cargo bay. We’re going back for Talon. Then we’re getting the hell out of here, before that cursed planet—”
A new alarm wailed. The holo-display flashed red and filled with warning symbols.
“Too late,” B’Turo shouted. “Neros’ core just went critical. The outer crust is collapsing. It’s generated a shockwave that’s off the scale…” He consulted the readings, then looked up at her. “And it’s going to hit us in less than a minute.”
Darkness.
Cold.
Oblivion.
Talon was cocooned in black silence. He saw nothing. Heard nothing. Felt nothing.
Then a voice cut through the haze of his dulled senses, echoing from the fringe of consciousness.
Wake up, boy. What do you think this is, a pleasure planet?
He knew the voice. Its deep bass tones were some of his earliest recollections. The memories of his own parents were shattered fragments, mere glimpses, lost during a life pod malfunction ages ago. But this voice… this voice he remembered.
“Orex?” he mumbled. “Orex Griff?”
Who else would it be? You are in battle, are you not? And I am your battle instructor, am I not?
Talon sensed the darkness receding. A faint glow crept over the horizon. A warm light in the cold, infinite blackness.
“But… but you’re dead.”
Perhaps I am. But no matter. The greatest victory is that which is snatched from the jaws of defeat. And you, Talon… You are my greatest victory.
“I don’t understand…”
The voice chuckled. Are you a gladiator or a philosopher, boy? You don’t have to understand. You have to wake up. You have to fight. Do you hear me, boy? You have to fight!
The glow was blinding now. A shimmering sphere of light filled his vision, burning away the frozen shadows.
Remember. I will always be by your side…
Talon’s eyes snapped open.
He gasped for breath as he drifted in space. The cargo container hung a few meters away, slowly floating towards him. The worm writhed and thrashed around it, sending the pod tumbling through space.
The container, Talon thought. It struck me as it fell out of the ship, knocked me unconscious. But for how long?
He glanced down at the regulator belt wrapped around his waist. Half the energy cells glowed red. A third one blinked to life… The field was almost out of power. It would fail in a matter of minutes. Then he would suffocate and die, a frozen corpse tumbling through space.
As the cargo container tumbled closer, he reached out and grabbed a handle protruding from the side. The handle was connected to a circular module, implanted in the container. It was designed to allow for quick inspection of a container’s contents at trading ports. A small screen sat next to the handle, displaying a series of biological readings. Temperature, oxygen, dark energy concentration levels…. Talon narrowed his eyes as he saw tiny heartbeats flicker across the screen.
The words of the dorokuma echoed through his mind. Our remaining children… gestate in the black jade. You will know what to do…
The larva, he thought. They must be in the container’s sample module!
He twisted the handle, and the cylinder slid out the side of the cargo pod. Inside, suspended in the liquefied black jade, ten metal spheres floated in a row. He knew the larva were inside, waiting to emerge.
A voice crackled to life in his ear. “Talon? Talon, can you hear me?”
“Vaki, is that you?” he replied. Another power cell beeped and glowed red on his belt.
“Yes!” She laughed. “You’re still alive! Thank the gods!”
“The gods have nothing to do with it,” Talon muttered. “But yes, I’m alive for now. My regulator belt has a few minutes left, but that’s all.”
“We’re tracking your signal. Just hang in there!”
“I don’t have much choice. But you better hurry, or—”
Before he could finish his sentence, the razor sharp beaks of the worm stabbed into the container, barely missing his head. Talon bounced across the metal surface of the cargo container, struggling to maintain his grip as the worm thrashed around him.
Talon! Katara’s voice filled his mind. Talon, please don’t leave me. I have given everything, sacrificed all I have for this moment!
As the container spun through space, the glowing surface of Neros came into view. Talon saw the brilliant blue sphere yawning beneath him in space. A massive orange spot grew in the planet's center, consuming the pale blue surface in a fiery inferno. Massive chunks of ice and rock broke away as the planet crumbled before him.
I will grant you anything you desire. Orex… Or the woman, Salena. I can feel the bonds you share… I can bring them back for you!
“You bring only death and destruction, Katara,” Talon shouted, drowning out her whispering thoughts. “My bonds are my own. Alive or dead, those you speak of are a part of me. And you cannot grant me what I already have.”
Talon! Please, It is so cold... stay with me!
Another cell glowed red on the belt. There were only two cells left. He felt ice crystals form on his skin. The cold chill of space was already penetrating the field. One of the worm’s tendrils snaked around his arm, yanking him away from the container.
Please Talon… I am afraid. This death. So cold, and black. So empty. I cannot face it alone...
“We all face death alone, Katara. It will be no different for me.”
Talon reached over his back and drew his plasma axe. Slashing down, he severed the tentacle, and drifted away from the container.
As more tendrils snaked towards him, he saw the planet below collapse in upon itself. Plumes of molten rock hundreds of kilometers long shot into space. Entire continents of ice and rock collided, then crumbled to pieces. The planet’s matter fell into a loose ball, compressed by the gravity of the collapsing core. Then a rippling wave exploded from the congealed mass of ice and rock. He could see it in the distance, distorting his view of the stars surrounding them.
The shockwave struck a tiny moon orbiting the collapsed planet. Within seconds, the lump of rock splintered apart, as the relentless shockwave tore through space. Talon watched as concentric bands of force streaked towards him, a silent oblivion, annihilating anything in its path.
“Talon, do you read me?” It was Vaki again, speaking through the nano-transmitter. “We’re almost there! Can you hear me?”
Talon tried to answer, but no sound came out. He glanced down. The final power cell on his belt glowed red. Frost covered his skin, and he felt his eyes bulge in his head. His belt had failed. It was over…
Katara’s tendrils wrapped around his legs. She pulled him back toward the container. In the distance, the shockwave rippled closer and closer. A pair of Toho fighters streaked towards the Toho ships in the distance, but they could not outrun the wave of destruction. The tiny ships exploded into glistening shards of metal, reflecting the glint of the distant sun.
Do not leave me… stay with me. Die with me.
Using his last ounce of strength, Talon slashed with the axe, lopping off the tendrils that grasped at him. Then he twisted the controls in the axe’s handle, venting a stream of fiery plasma gas from the top of the weapon. The burst of super heated plasma rocketed him away from the container. He flew beyond the reach of the worm’s writhing tentacles.
Goodbye, Katara. Perhaps the golden stars may receive even the likes of you…
A haze crept around the edge of his vision. The regulator belt was fading. Soon he would fall unconscious as his oxygen-starved brain shut down. He had only a few seconds left…
Suddenly, he saw a light streaking towards him. He deactivated the axe’s plasma vent. The light grew closer. It was the transport ship! Vaki had found him!
The vessel spun around as it rushed towards him. It dipped up and down, lining up his floating body in the open maw of the cargo bay. At the last second, it fired its reverse thrusters. Four plumes of fire jetted through space, slowing the vessel to a near halt a few meters from his position.
Vaki stood on the lowered ramp, a charged regulator belt wrapped around her waist. She leapt from the ship, floating towards him through the black gulf of space.
The torn cable snaked behind her. It snapped taut as she floated less than a meter away.
“Talon!” Her voice sound distant, muted. She was only a few centimeters away, but it may as well have been light-years. His eyes slipped closed.
“Talon, reach for me! There’s no time! Hurry! Fight, damn you! Fight!”
Talon shook his head. He forced his eyes open. He stared into her brown eyes, just an arm’s length away. “Vic… Victory or death,” he croaked. He stretched out his hand.
Her fingers closed around his wrist. “I have him!” she shouted. She looped a fresh regulator belt around his shoulders and activated it. The shimmering field hummed to life, and Talon gasped as oxygen entered his lungs.
Vaki slapped a control unit hanging from her belt. The cable retracted, pulling them into the cargo bay. Within seconds they were inside, and the ramp slammed closed behind them.
“We’re in!” she shouted. “Punch it!”
; The ship’s thrusters kicked in at maximum power, throwing them to the ground. They streaked forward, darting towards the Jotoru vessel’s star-path. Violet swirls of energy filled the rear windows, as they followed the massive flagship into the glowing portal.
Alarms wailed on the bridge of the Toho Dreadnought.
“Sir, the planet Neros has collapsed,” Koshigi shouted, as she glanced at the readings on her holo-display. “There’s a level five shockwave radiating through the system. If we leave now, we should be able to make it to the star-path before it hits us.”
The Captain gripped the railing of the command bridge. “Have our fighters returned to the flight bay?”
“Affirmative, sir. The Jotoru Emperor has ordered us to disengage and leave the area immediately.”
The Captain nodded. “Very well. An Imperial order is good enough for me. Helm, plot a course for that star-path, best possible speed. With any luck, we—”
“Negative! Belay that order!”
All hands on the bridge looked up as crown prince Mutaro and his guards marched into the room. His Kujita warriors took up positions next to the helm console, their hands resting on the hilts of their sutava blades.
The Captain gave a brief bow, but an incredulous look filled his face, and droplets of sweat ran down his forehead. “Your Highness, surely you must understand, if we stay in this system, we will be destroyed!”
Mutaro stabbed a finger towards a blinking dot on the sensor display. “Captain, that cargo pod contains enough black jade to power the Consortium fleet for decades. It is worth billions of shares. Billions! We are not leaving it behind.”
“But Your Highness—”
Mutaro whirled around to face the fox-like ensign. “You there… how long do we have until the shockwave hits us?”
Koshigi gave a brief, nervous snarl, baring her tiny white fangs. “Technically sir, we have approximately ninety seconds. But that doesn’t—”
“Then stop prattling, and target it with a towline! Do it now!”
“But sir, we—”
