Tales of Talon Box Set

by A A Warren

  Mutaro slipped a pistol from his belt and aimed it at the quivering ensign. One of the Kujita drew his sword. The weapon hummed to life, and the stable pulse field running along the blade cast a crimson glow over the terrified face of the helmsman.

  “The next officer who refuses my royal command will be relieved of duty,” Mutaro snarled. “Permanently.”

  “Do as he says,” the Captain shouted. “Quickly!”

  “Yes sir.” Koshigi bent over her console and typed in a series of commands. “Firing now, sir. Towline away!” She consulted her holo-display. “Mag lock attached. We have the container in tow.”

  “You see how easy that was? Now, we may leave.”

  “Helm, get us out of here!” the Captain shouted.

  “Already on it sir,” the helmsman called back. “Heading for star-path at maximum sp—”

  Suddenly the ship was thrown forward. Sparks flew from the helmsman’s console, and the hull creaked and groaned.

  “What in blazes was that?” Mutaro bellowed, grabbing a nearby railing as another impact jolted the ship. He glanced down at his wrist unit. “You said we had ninety seconds!”

  Koshigi flew out of her chair. She yelped as another shower of red-hot sparks exploded from her sensors. The deck plates in front of the prince ruptured, sending a jet of coolant steam into the air.

  “The shockwave sir… It’s accelerating as it moves away from the gravity well of the collapsing planet. It’s picking up speed… we don’t have enough power to escape it now!”

  “You incompetent fool!” The prince glared up at the Captain. “What do we do now?”

  The Captain picked himself up and grabbed the railing. He turned to his holo-display. Glowing lines rippled from the site of the destroyed planet. The waves were moving faster and faster, pulsating through space with massive destructive force.

  He shook his head. “There’s only one thing we can do Your Highness.”

  The display showed one of the glowing lines moving closer, at terrifying speed. It was nearly upon them. The Captain closed his eyes.

  “We pray.”

  The wave struck the ship, spinning it around in space. The centrifugal force threw Mutaro sideways. He flew through the air, and kept on going… a second later, he felt the cold stabbing at his skin. He realized he couldn’t breathe. The impact of the wave had torn the ship in half. He saw the shadowy corpses of his men and other debris rushing past him in the black depths of space.

  He had just enough time to see the remains of his ship explode, sending brilliant bursts of glowing plasma into the darkness. Then, the last breath of oxygen left his lungs. His eyes bulged, and ice crystals formed over his face and hands.

  Angry purple bruises erupted across his skin. The sudden drop in pressure had reduced the boiling point of his blood to below body temperature, and it was swelling beneath his flesh. But he felt no pain or discomfort. His lungs had ruptured when the oxygen trapped within suddenly expanded... He was already dead. His frozen body spiraled above the remains of the planet, as the death throes of Neros continued to radiate through the system. Another shockwave struck his frozen flesh. His body exploded into glittering ice crystals, hurtling through the dark void for eternity.

  Chapter Thirty-Nine

  IMPERIAL FLAGSHIP SHOKAR

  Takori Nebula, Consortium of Free Worlds

  A few days later…

  Talon marched down the corridor of the Imperial Flagship. Shimmering membrane tapestries and ornate jade carvings lined the dim passageway. Talon wore a ceremonial fur cloak, draped over his broad shoulders. His axe and scimitars hung from his battle harness. The weapons clanked against his belt as he walked, drawing wary glances from the golden-armored Kujita warriors that accompanied them.

  B’Turo’s fringe of white hair was drawn back into a loose topknot. He wore a crimson vest over a white shirt, and black breeches. New leather boots, polished to a high sheen, adorned his feet.

  The old man glanced over at Talon and grinned. “Say, that cloak looks good on you, kid. You could be a Jotoru yourself someday.”

  Talon shook his head. “I’ve spent most of my life fighting and bleeding on behalf of kings and nobles. I have no desire to rule. At best, they are slaves to their own power and responsibility. And at worst…”

  B’Turo nodded. “I see your point.”

  Talon slapped the old man on the back and chuckled. B’Turo coughed and staggered forward. “But these new clothes suit you,” boomed Talon’s voice. “This is the first time I’ve seen you wearing something other than grease-stained coveralls.”

  “Hey, take it easy you big bulaka! These old bones can’t take a hit like they used to.”

  They reached a pair of ornate, golden doors. The Kujita flanked either side of the entrance and bowed. “May your meeting be profitable,” they chanted in unison. B’Turo gave a quick bow back. Talon merely stepped forward as the gleaming panels slid open.

  They stepped into a small throne room, with a clear dome arcing overhead. The swirling, glowing clouds of the portal-space surrounded them, streaking above. Talon’s jaw dropped as he looked up at the kaleidoscope of colors that painted the heavens.

  Another Kujita stood at attention next to a golden throne. He held a long, heavy staff tipped with a fanged skull in both hands. He knocked the floor twice with the end of the staff.

  “Bow before the Jotoru Emperor!” he demanded. A heavy set man dressed in a partial suit of Kujita armor shifted his weight on the gleaming throne. His skin was tanned and leathery, and wrinkles surrounded his dark, sunken eyes. He stroked a long, gray beard, and peered at Talon and B’Turo with a stern, obsidian stare.

  B’Turo fell to his knees and touched the floor with his forehead. “Glory to the Jotoru,” he gasped. “Praise he who is entrusted with the earth, sea and sky!”

  Talon smiled and gave a brief bow. “As I have been informed several times recently, I am an outsider here. I do not know your ways. But it is an honor to meet you.”

  The emperor chuckled. “I can see my niece spoke true of your courage, outsider. Who are your people? I understand you hail from the Tygon Dominion?”

  Talon looked the man in the eye. "The Dominion is my home, but my people died out long ago."

  The man on the throne nodded. “I was en route from peace talks with the young Emperor there when I received my niece's signal. It would seem I owe you a debt, outsider. Both for revealing Katara and the Toho Clan’s treachery, and for protecting my beloved niece, Vasumi.”

  Talon glanced at B’Turo. “Vasumi? Does he mean—”

  The Kujita rapped the staff against the floor twice. “Bow before the Imperial Princess, blood niece to our glorious Emperor. Princess Vasumi.”

  The curtains behind the throne parted, and a tall, regal looking woman glided into the room. Her head was bowed, and long, jeweled pins piled her hair up in an ornate bun. Long twin braids, each one dyed a dark, iridescent purple, flowed down her back.

  She wore a golden-jeweled harness, and a black Aoshun skirt flowed around her shapely legs as she stepped past the throne. She clasped her hands before her and looked up at Talon. Feathers of gold and jade powder radiated from her eyes, but her smile sparkled even brighter. It lit up her face as she approached them.

  Talon grinned back. “Vaki! You… you’re a princess?” he exclaimed.

  Vaki smirked. “Oh, didn’t I tell you? Must have slipped my mind while we were outrunning an exploding planet. My real name is Vasumi. My father was Lord Haru, brother to the Jotoru Emperor.”

  The old man on the throne smiled. “If my brother were alive… I can’t tell you how proud he would be of you, beloved Vasumi.”

  She bowed. “Thank you, Your Highness. But if my father were alive, he would also be horrified by the treachery and corruption that has infested the Clan houses.”

  A cloud seemed to pass over the emperor’s face. “Katara and her husband may have plotted against me, but—”

  “Uncle, after C’h
irox claimed my father, I made a promise on his death bed. I swore to uphold his dream, and work to better the lives of our people. I hid my identity and traveled through the Consortium in secret. I lived on Clan worlds, worked and toiled in their factories. I have seen how the people suffer. The Clans destroy entire worlds in their quest for profits and shares. The Consortium was meant to balance the power of the Empire, to give citizens a voice in the affairs of our kingdom. But instead, the clans consolidated their power and influence, leaving mere scraps for the people to fight and squabble over.”

  The emperor sighed. “Vasumi, it is more complicated than that. The Clans have ruled in balance with the Jotoru House for centuries, I can’t just—”

  “Uncle, if nothing changes there will be another Katara. And more people will suffer and die.”

  The emperor stroked his beard. Finally, he nodded. “Very well. We will discuss your proposal later.” He turned to Talon. “For now, as I said, I am in your debt. How may the Jotoru Emperor repay you?”

  Talon slipped a small data pad from his belt. “Your Highness, I have need of a solar sail transport. A ship that does not rely on dark energy, or power cells. A ship that can make a very long journey, to these coordinates, with minimal fuel.”

  He handed the pad to the emperor. The Kujita rushed to take it, but the emperor shook his head. He grasped the pad and examined the coordinates on the screen.

  “Young man,” he finally said, his voice booming through the domed chamber. “These coordinates are far beyond the edge of the frontier. Even using a life pod, I’m not sure a solar sail could maintain life-support long enough for you to make the journey.”

  Talon shook his head. “It's not for me, Your Highness. I made a promise to an ally. They helped us escape from the planet before it collapsed. Their kin are waiting for them. And they will wait an eternity, if need be.”

  Vaki leaned over and whispered into her uncle’s ear. Finally, the grizzled emperor nodded. “It shall be done. And what else can I grant the savior of my niece?”

  Talon smiled. “Your Highness, I helped a girl named Vaki. A stowaway whose wit was nearly as deadly as her skill with a sutava blade. This woman, Vasumi, is not known to me. But I would very much like a private audience with her, to become better acquainted.”

  B’Turo’s face went pale. He grabbed Talon’s shoulder and dragged him away from the throne. “Uh, Your Highness, what he meant was… Uh, I think he intended to convey his respect for… Um…”

  The Emperor scowled down at the two men. Then his lips curled up into a smile. He chuckled, then uttered a booming laugh that echoed through the domed chamber.

  He stood up. “I like you, outsider. What did you say your name was?”

  “Talon, Your Highness.”

  “Well Talon, my niece is an adult. She may grant an audience to whoever she wishes. But allow me to offer some advice. A woman who is deadly in both wit and swordplay is not a woman to take lightly.”

  Talon nodded and turned to Vaki. He gave her a deep bow. “I could not agree more, Your Highness.”

  Vaki grinned back at him and shook her head. Her cheeks flushed pink. She bit her lip, but could not hide her smile. “You big bulaka!” she whispered, as her grin grew even wider.

  Talon stood next to Vaki in her private chamber, gazing out the circular window at the swirling clouds of a distant nebula. They watched as a dot of light launched from the side of the sprawling flagship, and jetted towards the streaks of color that flowed through the black depths. As it traveled farther from the ship, a glowing membrane of light unfolded from the hull of the tiny pod-like craft, and encircled the vessel. The solar sail locked into position, and the craft picked up speed. It soon vanished into the clouds of dust and gas.

  “My uncle told me you worked with his navigators to program the coordinates," Vaki said. "Do you know where they're going?”

  Talon shook his head. “The dorokuma implanted those coordinates in my mind, before we escaped Neros. But once I entered the path into the sailer’s navigation system, it was as if something erased the knowledge from my memory. All I know is, the larva have a long journey ahead of them.”

  Vaki sighed, and leaned against him. He felt a tingle of electricity run through his skin as her slim fingers brushed against his forearm. “With people like Katara and the Crown Prince lusting for power, I wonder if humanity will still exist by the time they reach their destination?”

  Talon shrugged. “Who can say? I am older than I appear. I slept for countless ages in a life pod, while my people vanished from the galaxy. The dorokuma told me they are even older than that. They share the memories of their entire species as they evolved over the eons. Who knows how such beings view the passage of time? To them, these centuries may be nothing more than a few grains of sand, tumbling through an hour glass.”

  Vaki looked up into his eyes. She held his gaze, peering into the shimmering red crystal.

  “What is it?” he asked in a quiet voice.

  She smiled. “Nothing. That’s just not something I expected you to say.”

  He smiled. “Because I’m just a big bulaka?”

  She slapped his chest. “Who told you what that means?” She turned away and walked across the room. Her golden silk robe seemed to flutter behind her, like the wings of a butterfly. She poured two glasses of wine from a decanter on her nightstand, as Talon followed her.

  “B’Turo has been teaching me some basic Aoshun,” he said. “Mostly just the swear words.”

  She laughed, and held out a glass of the amber liquid to him. “I’ll have to watch what I say from now on. Here.”

  Talon took the glass. “What is it?”

  She took a sip from her own glass. “Petal wine, from Aoshu. It’s an older vintage, and a little bitter.” She grinned. “Just like you.”

  Talon took a sip and smiled. “It could grow on me. So tell me, Vaki… or should I call you Vasumi?”

  She shrugged. “Vasumi is my real name. After my father passed away, I took on the name of someone else… someone who died, fighting for what they believed in.”

  Talon squinted at her. “What do you mean?”

  She took another sip of the bubbling wine, gazing at him over the glass. “My father… He wasn’t an emperor, or a Clan lord. By blood he was a Katoru… what you would call a duke. But he cared about his people. Centuries ago, when the Aoshun Clans came to Consortium space, they freed the people here from a brutal dictatorship. The Clans were meant to return power to the people, to give them a say in the use of their resources and a share of the profits from trade and commerce. But over the centuries… things changed. The system became corrupted. A handful of clan families rose to power, devouring more than their share, and concentrating all the wealth into the hands of a few powerful houses.”

  Talon nodded. “Power has a will of its own. It can warp the hearts and minds of those who wield it. Like it did to Katara…”

  Vaki bit her lip. She took another sip of wine. “My father secretly funded a resistance. A union of freedom fighters, smugglers, spies… They fought to break the clans' stranglehold on trade and resources, to return power to the people. And when my father died, I promised I would do the same. I helped the resistance fight back where I could. I saw the conditions the people were living in. And I knew something had to change. On a Toho colony world, I saw a freedom fighter shot down, right in front of me. Her name was Vaki. Her courage inspired me. So when I joined the resistance, I took her name as my own. I changed my appearance and put a hold on my blood-scan data, to avoid bringing scandal to my family.”

  Talon grasped her shoulders in his hands. “You’re a brave woman, whatever you choose to call yourself. So what happens now?”

  She set down her glass. “My uncle has agreed to legitimize the resistance. The Union will become a new clan, one that governs the other houses, and insures our laws and regulations are enforced. They will stand for the people, and makes sure all are treated fairly. I am to be the head of th
is new order. But I don’t know… I don’t know if I’m ready to—”

  “I've fought by your side, Vaki. And the woman I saw wielding a sword, battling her way across a hanger bay, leaping into the vacuum of space to save my life…” Talon smiled. “Well, I wouldn’t bet against a woman like that in any arena.”

  Her arms snaked round his neck. She gazed into his eyes. “You could stay, you know. Stay and help me. You’re pretty handy in a fight yourself.”

  He pulled her to him. “Vaki, I can’t. I have to go. I have to find out the truth. About—”

  “I know, I know.” She sighed. “If your friend is alive, you have to find him.” Her lips pouted. “But with the border war still in effect, we can’t take you back to the Dominion. The best we can do is drop you off in wild space. Unclaimed territory, the lawless worlds.”

  “I know. That’s a far journey from here.”

  She giggled, as she ran her fingers over the rippling muscles of his back. “It could take days,” she breathed. “I wonder how we shall pass the time.”

  “I have some ideas about that,” he murmured, then he pulled her to him. He felt her gasp, and a shiver ran through her flesh as her lips touched his. Her hands seemed to devour him, hungrily caressing every inch of his skin.

  Finally, she pressed her palms against his chest and pushed away. Her eyes glinted in the dim light, reflecting the colors of the nebula outside. “How did you know? she asked in a breathy voice. "How did you know I wanted to kiss you?”

  Talon shrugged. “I remembered that time in the shower, back on Neros.”

  A cold look passed across her face. She pulled away. “Oh… you mean after you and Katara—”

  She turned away from him and stomped across the room. Then she gasped as Talon pulled her back. His obsidian stare met hers. “Vaki. I am a free man now. But I was a slave, once. I learned to live for the moment, to treasure the day before me. Because the next morning could bring death. I make no promises, and I go where I will. If you want me to leave, say the word and I will go. But I have no time for games. So make your choice.”