by A A Warren
He rounded the corner of the alley and hefted his axe. The narrow passageway dead-ended in a small cul-de-sac. More archways flanked the left and right walls. The shattered remains of an ancient stone fountain lay in a heap at the end of the alley.
The tall, cloaked figure cowered before the debris, surrounded by his three pursuers. Talon watched in surprise as one of the men grabbed him by his collar and hoisted him into the air. The cloak fell away, and Talon saw there was no more doubt… The man held Orvane Raygor in his powerful grasp.
The alien’s orange eyes and fanged maw were unmistakable, but he was far shorter than he appeared in the holo-vid. As the dark cloak flew away in the wind, Talon saw the tiny alien stood perched atop a mechanized platform… the two legs beneath him were artificial, controlled by a harness of wires and tubes strapped around his tiny body. The shadowy figure who held him tore the harness free, and the mechanical legs clattered to the floor of the alley.
“Did you think we would not find you, Orvane?” the man hissed. “Did you truly believe you could hide from him?”
The diminutive alien’s stubby legs kicked and flailed in the air. “Put me down!” He whined in a high-pitched voice.
One of the men drew a pistol from beneath his robes. “Coward! You know the price for stealing from your own. The reward for betrayal is death.”
Talon powered up his axe. The men whirled around to face him, alerted by the hum of the blade glowing to life. The fiery orange weapon cast hellish shadows across the stone walls.
“Hold,” Talon bellowed, his voice echoing off the rocks. “I have business with this Orvane. And I require his head intact… for now.”
The man holding Orvane turned his head and glared at Talon. The wind blew his hood from his face, revealing his features in the dim glow of the plasma weapon. A hideous mass of scars and burns stared back at Talon. A tattoo adorned one side of his shaved skull… Two rings, one black, one white, entwined in an infinite loop.
“Your business is of no concern to me, stranger,” the man growled. “Leave, while you still can.”
Talon’s eyes moved across the three men, noting the bulges of weapons beneath their cloaks. He gestured with his axe toward the struggling Orvane. “I intend to. But there’s a price on Orvane Raygor’s life, and I’ve come to claim it. So when I leave this dustball of a planet, I shall leave with his head… or all of yours.”
The scarred man’s mutilated lips twisted into an approximation of a smile.
“Very well. Kelgar… give this bounty hunter what he is due.”
The man with the pistol chuckled as he raised the weapon. “My pleasure.”
Before he could aim the gun, Talon sprang into action. Moving faster than a jungle cat, he dipped his shoulders and surged forward. A fierce war cry exploded from his lungs, as he leapt towards his opponents.
The man fired, but Talon’s sudden, ferocious charge threw off his aim. The glowing pulse bolt whined through the air and struck the side of the alley. Chips of stone and rock exploded from the wall. Talon ignored the shrapnel as he hurled the axe forward.
The glowing weapon spun through the air, and sliced through the shooter’s head. A smoking black gash split his face in two as he collapsed in a heap.
The scarred man released Orvane, dropping the alien to the ground. He darted sideways, fleeing through an archway on the right side of the alley. The remaining enemy drew a glittering cryocite saber from the folds of his cloak. He whirled around, lashing at Talon’s neck with the curved blade.
Talon ducked under the attack and rolled closer. Rising up, he drove his knee into his opponent’s stomach. The man coughed and staggered backwards, as Talon held out his gauntleted hand. The axe whirled back into the control glove. With an angry roar, Talon swung the blazing weapon. His attacker screamed, and blood spattered the alley walls. The crimson droplets painted the crumbled stones on the ground, as the man collapsed in a heap.
Talon stood in silence, panting for breath like a lion after a hunt. He glanced down the dark archway to this right… the escape route of the scarred man. There was no sign of him now. He had fled into the shadows, and now he was lost in the labyrinth of the ancient city.
Glancing down, he saw Orvane, kicking and rolling in the rubble. Talon powered down his axe and pulled the tiny alien to his feet. He slipped a pair of restrainer cuffs from his harness and tossed them to the ground.
“Unlike those cowardly dogs, I’m a bounty hunter, not an assassin,” Talon said. He glared down at the little alien. “Come quietly and I’ll bring you in alive. Understand?”
Orvane nodded.
“Good. Now put those on.”
The alien complied, but began speaking in a hushed, breathless voice. “Thank you, thank you! But you not understand! I’m innocent, I not kill those people! And Volonte… Must stop Volonte, before—”
ZZZZT!
As the alien clamped the second cuff to his wrist, a stasis field glowed to life around his body, freezing him in place. Talon powered down his axe and hefted the paralyzed alien over his shoulder.
“Orex Griff taught me never to judge an opponent based on their size,” Talon muttered as he carried Orvane out of the dark alley. “But you don’t look like a murderous outlaw to me. And you certainly don’t talk like one.”
Chapter Ten
A tall, dark figure strode through the mangled interior of the passenger liner. The glow strips above flickered on and off, revealing long scorch marks on the walls, and molten holes melted through the bulkhead. The air was heavy with the tang of smoke and burned flesh.
The figure walked past a pile of dead bodies. Their torn uniforms marked them as officers of the ship’s crew. The figure paused, watching as a pair of men wearing scavenged battle armor tossed another body on the pile. He turned to face them.
A long, tattered brown cloak hid his features. He towered over the other men, and his shoulders were so broad they barely fit in the narrow corridor.
“Is that all of them?” he asked. His deep, rumbling voice sounded like gears grinding in a massive engine.
The men turned, startled by his appearance. They each gave a quick, nervous bow. “Yes, Captain. Most of the crew surrendered after our initial assault. We rounded up the resisters and threw them out the airlock, as you ordered. One lifeboat launched from the ship, but our gunners took care of it before it left the sector.”
The towering man nodded. As he gazed down at them, his eyes glowed bright red… two pinpoints of crimson light, burning within the shadow of his cloak’s hood. “Wretched cowards,” he growled. His mouth made a sound like the grinding of gears. “Bah. These shattered kingdoms, these people… They disgust me. They’ve grown soft… weak. In my day, a ship’s crew would fight till the death.”
“Should we do another sweep, Captain?”
The towering man shook his head. “Do not bother. We’ve destroyed the hyper-transmission system. If anyone is still onboard, they won’t be able to call for help. Where is Dulkar?”
“In the engine room, Captain. Working with that… device. Our men are attaching it to the vessel’s ion drive conduits, and we’re approaching the coordinates you specified. Should be in position within minutes.”
The tall, broad shouldered man nodded. “Very well. The men have done well… let them strip whatever valuables remain in this rusting hulk. Then get them aboard our cruiser and lay in an escape vector. Once we activate the device, it will doom any ship in this sector of space.”
“Aye, Captain.” The men hurried off. The towering man watched them relay his orders to the other men nearby. Then he turned and continued marching towards the rear of the ship.
As he entered the rear cabin, he heard panicked cries and terrified sobs. A group of passengers sat huddled against a bulkhead. There were a dozen of them, guarded by a trio of armored men wielding pulse rifles. A plasma conduit in the ceiling above sparked and crackled, sending a cascade of glowing particles to the ground. The flash of light illumina
ted the dead bodies that littered the deck… men and women who had tried to flee for the life boats.
As the huge man marched past the terrified group, a young girl with long blonde hair broke from the crowd and rushed towards him.
“Wait!” she cried out. “Please wait!”
Before the guards could grab her, she scampered over to the tall man and grabbed his cloak. She tugged at the edge, and he stopped. He turned around.
She looked up as the plasma conduit sparked again. The flash of light revealed the towering man’s massive body… it was constructed entirely of metal. Bundles of woven cable contracted like muscles, as he raised his arms and lowered his hood. His glowing eyes peered out from a gleaming chrome skull, etched with serial numbers and alien symbols. A thick, v-shaped wedge hung above his optical sensors, like a furrowed brow.
Twin armored plates flexed above his chest, and a soft hydraulic hiss accompanied his every move. He tilted his head down, gazing upon the terrified child.
He was not a man at all… he was a mech.
She screamed as one of the guards marched up behind her. The man wore battered, damaged armor like the rest of the raiding party. But his twitching, bloodshot eyes glared down at her from behind a black helmet, studded with rows of metal spikes.
The armored guard grabbed a handful of the girl’s tattered dress and yanked her away.
“Come back here you little whelp! I should pull out your—”
“Silence!” the mech bellowed. His voice echoed through the cavernous interior of the gutted ship.
The man in the helmet lowered his rifle. “Captain, I—”
“Release her, Klaus. Return to our ship. Perhaps I should speak to Angelos about reducing your share of the salvage loot. If harassing children is the extent of your bravery, I have little use for you in my crew.”
Klaus glared at the mech through his helmet, but he did as he was ordered. He let go of the girl, then stormed off into the dark innards of the ship. The child took a hesitant step towards the mech.
“Are you… are you the captain?” she asked.
The mech glanced at the terrified passengers, huddled beyond the barrels of the other guards’ weapons.
His joints clanked and hissed as he knelt down. “Yes, child. I am the captain of these men. Don’t be afraid. What do you wish to ask me?”
She took another step towards him. “I can’t find my mother. She was in the rear cabin when… when the bad things happened. There was a fire. I smelled smoke, I…”
The mech reached out and mussed the girl’s hair. “There, there. What a brave little girl you are.” He dabbed at her tear streaked eyes with the hem of his cloak. “Your mother must be very proud of you.”
“I’m trying, but…” She looked back at the guards.
The mech followed her gaze. “Don’t worry child. These men will be leaving soon. You must be brave a little while longer.”
He reached down to his belt and removed a small holo-crystal. He held it up and triggered it. A glowing projection appeared in the air. It revealed a beautiful alien woman. Her skin was covered with fine, jade green scales, and her hair was long and dark. Her eyes were yellow, with black vertical pupils. She held a small child, a girl, in a loving embrace. The youth’s cherubic, reptilian face was frozen in laughter.
As the glowing hologram spun in the air, a song played through the crystal. It was a simple tune… a lullaby of chiming bells. The human girl stared at the bright image hovering before her, as if it had placed her in a trance.
“There, you see?” the mech replied. “You remind me of my daughter, back home. See her there? If she can be so strong and brave without her father, you can as well, yes? While we look for your mother.”
The girl reached out to the image. Her fingers slipped through the shimmering, ghostly hologram. “What’s her name?” she asked. She looked into the mech’s glowing red eyes. “Your daughter, what’s her name?”
The mech was silent for a moment. Then he deactivated the hologram and stood up. “I don’t… I don’t know. Don’t… remember.”
The girl gave him a confused look. “You don’t remember your daughter’s name?”
The mech pulled the hood back over his head, cloaking his features in shadow. “It has been a long time since I’ve seen her, child. Longer than you could imagine.”
The little girl continued staring up at him. She brushed a lock of pale gold hair behind her ear. “Well, what is your name then?”
The mech’s eyes clicked and whirred. They seemed to focus on a hazy, indistinct point in the air.
“My name is… Volonte.” He paused, as if speaking the words required some effort. “Volonte Er’Gosi. Now, go back to the others. Keep your chin up. Stay brave. I am certain you will see your mother soon.”
He gestured to one of the guards. “You… accompany me.”
The guard lowered his rifle and jogged over to Volonte. They continued walking down the corridor, leaving the terrified passengers behind them. “We are almost in position,” the mech growled. “Alert the other men. It’s time to leave.”
“Yes, Captain.” The armored man hesitated for a moment. The mech stopped and glared down at him. “You have something to say?”
The man looked back towards the passengers. “That girl… I saw you take an interest in her. Do you want me to put her in a lifeboat? Or…”
His voice trailed off.
Volonte followed his gaze. The mechanical irises of his glowing focused on the girl. Klaus and pack of armed men herded the small child back to the other prisoners.
“No,” he growled. “We cannot risk alerting anyone before we trigger the final key. She is already dead. When I leave… shoot them all. It will be merciful compared with what is to come.”
The man nodded. “Yes, Captain.” The guard hurried away, typing orders into his wrist display. The mech known as Volonte Er’Gosi took one last look at the girl. The other passengers were comforting her, and shooting suspicious glares in his direction.
“She is already dead,” he repeated to himself. “Like the others. Like so many others…”
A voice crackled from a comm unit built into his metal forearm. “Captain Er’Gosi, one of our men is reporting in from Kharis. He says they apprehended the traitor, Orvane. But they were attacked by a bounty hunter before they could interrogate him. Only Pek’pah survived.”
“A bounty hunter?” Volonte snarled. “One sell-sword killed two of our best men?”
“Yes sir,” the voice crackled back. “According to Pek’pah, they found one of the statues at a local junk dealer, where Orvane had sold it. But this bounty hunter took the traitor off-world, before they were able to retrieve the second one.”
The mech’s glowing red eyes blazed in the shadows, but his metal face showed no sign of emotion.
“Sir, should I—” The voice began.
“Orvane and his brother were members of the Lokaba syndicate, before he joined our crew,” the mech snapped. “They fenced stolen tech, on Zakarba. Set a course there. Then, order Dulkar to trigger the device on this ship. We will track down Orvane, and retrieve what he stole ourselves.”
“Aye, Captain!” The voice replied.
Volonte thought for a moment. He rubbed his fingers together, feeling the cold rasp of metal on metal through his sensors. Setting off the devices now was a gamble… The gravimetric distortions would certainly alert authorities in the region.
But the Gyre is fractured and disorganized, he thought. The shattered kingdom’s leaders are weak… Petty cowards, who only care about filling their vaults with coin and chips
He closed his fingers into a fist. The servo-motors in his arm clicked and clanked.
They will not act in time. I will retrieve the final key from that fool Orvane first. And once I do, it will be too late to stop me.
“Dead,” he mumbled again. “They are dead already. Everyone… They just don’t know it yet.”
Then he spun around and marched in
to the shadowy depths of the derelict ship.
Chapter Eleven
Talon sat in the pilot’s chair of his tiny craft. He sighed as he watched the stars outside the cockpit window. A rainbow of colored lights surrounded the ship. They were in portal space, following a star-path back to Gesa, and the Order of the Blue Star’s outpost. No matter how many times he experienced it, Talon still found the warped space inside a star-path captivating and strange. It was like being inside a dream… a kaleidoscope of light and color, stretching to infinity.
A soft clicking sound filled the air. Utu tapped the controls at its station with three spindly metal tentacles. A series of star-path vectors, planetary coordinates, and gravimetric readings flashed across the holo-display, faster than Talon could read them.
Finally, the mech pivoted several eye stalks towards Talon. “This unit has calculated that with our current capabilities, it will take sixteen standard days to return to Gesa.”
“Sixteen days?” Talon bellowed. “Iberon’s harem, we’re in the same sector! How long would it take to get back to the Tygon Dominion?”
The mech tapped another series of calculations into its control panel. “Astronomically speaking, that journey would be relatively quick. At our current reduced efficiency, it would take approximately 160,000.743 years.”
Talon chuckled and shook his head. “I’ve already spent too much time in a life pod, Utu. I have no intention of hibernating for another eon or two. Contact the salvage yards on Gesa. Tell them to prepare the parts we need to fix the dark energy cell. I’ll deliver payment as soon as I collect my bounty from the marshal’s office.”
A series of beeps emitted from the comm system. “Incoming hyper-transmission,” the mech said in a monotone voice. “It is a Blue Star frequency.”
Talon pivoted his chair and faced the comm system. A hologram shimmered to life… a glowing image of Marshal Waylan’s leathery face hovered in the air before them.
