by A A Warren
Talon activated the intercom again. “Avra, we’re running out of time!”
“I just need a minute! We almost—”
“We don’t have a minute! Is it connected or not?”
THUNK! Another impact rocked the ship. Talon glanced out the window. “What in the blazes,” he muttered to himself. “Those rocks can’t have made it this far!”
“Those were not rocks,” Utu answered, as his star-path coordinates flickered to life on his screen. “Zakarba is surrounded by a debris field. Refuse from the entire sector is dumped in orbit here. Everything is being pulled into the gravitational anomaly. Including this vessel.”
Talon cursed, as the control stick vibrated in his hands. “I can’t… pull up! The ship is fighting me!” The hull groaned. Talon forced the controls to the right, and the ship made a wide, lazy turn, avoiding a floating sheet of burned, mangled scrap metal.
The ship’s engines sputtered and groaned. “Losing speed! Utu, can you divert any more power to the main engines?”
Utu’s tendrils danced across the controls. “This unit will divert all reserve power to thrusters. But it will not be enough to escape the black hole's event horizon. We must open a star-path in—”
The mech ceased speaking, as a shadow drifted over the bridge. Talon looked up. More debris floated towards them. Huge, mangled plates of scrap metal, antiquated construction equipment, faulty atmosphere generator parts… the discarded remains of a hundred shattered kingdoms bore down on them. The cloud of waste dwarfed the ship.
A length of metal pipe larger than the Star Claw itself collided against the bow, sending more cracks through the transparent viewing panel.
“Utu, where are our shields?”
“Shield power has been diverted to maintain positive velocity.”
Talon grit his teeth as he fought the shaking controls. He darted the ship left and right, weaving though the cloud of floating junk.
“Talon!” The intercom crackled to life. “The cell is online! Get us out of here!”
“Utu, now!” he shouted.
“Opening star-path,” the mech replied. “The ship must exit the debris field to enter portal. Sending coordinates to your display.”
Talon threw the ship into a step climb, tearing up through the layers of trash and mangled junk. In the clear space beyond the cloud, he saw the glowing symbols and spinning rings of blue light… a portal was opening.
He just had to make it there in time.
CRASH! Another impact shook the hull. Talon pushed the throttle to maximum. The engines screamed in protest, but the ship leapt forward. It broke away from the gravitational waves and exited the debris field.
“All hands,” Talon called out. “Prepare to enter star-path in 3…2…1.”
The ship sped into the glowing circle of light and vanished. In the black void behind them, the debris field streaked towards a distant point of light. More gravity waves rippled through space, growing stronger and stronger. The planet below began to shake and crumble…
Chapter Twenty-Three
Suphara’s glowing blue eyes fluttered open. She blinked, as the blurry images surrounding her came into focus. She saw stars… billions of tiny lights, glowing in the cold, dark void. For a moment, she thought she was floating adrift, lost in the endless black depths. She gasped, filling her lungs with oxygen. Then the image cleared, and the tremor of panic subsided.
She was not floating in space. She was hanging before a curved panoramic window, gazing out at a vast, spiraling star-scape. Her arms stretched up over her head. A metal cylinder studded with lights and controls clamped around them. She struggled to move, but it was impossible. The machine gripped her hands tight, rendering them immobile.
She closed her eyes again and took a deep breath. Something was wrong… Something was missing. She felt a phantom tingle crawl across her skin. She reached out with her senses, searching for dark energy, willing it to flow though her crystalline structure. If she could find just a spark, she could amplify it, use it to form a weapon. She could shatter this machine, free her body from the bonds that held her…
But the energy, the power… it was gone. Whatever this machine was, it was weakening her, preventing her from using her gifts. She thrashed her body back and forth, but it was no use… she was trapped.
A door slid open behind her. She struggled to turn her head, but it too was held in place, strapped to the metal frame of the machine.
A low chuckle echoed through the room.
“Please, my dear, you must conserve your strength.” The voice came from behind her. It was a low, cackling whisper that seemed to crawl into her ear. “We will both need it later, I assure you,” the voice continued.
“Who’s there?” she shouted. “Show yourself, coward!”
For a moment, there was silence. A reflection moved across the window, but she could not tell who it was. Then the machine that held her prisoner emitted a grinding sound. The cylinder holding her arms rotated, spinning her along with it. A shudder ran through her body as the machine locked in place, now facing the opposite direction. She glared defiantly at her captor.
“You,” she snapped. “Volonte’s lackey. I should have known.”
Dulkar tilted his head and regarded her in silence. His expression, if he had one, was impossible to read beneath his mirrored helmet.
He's a Spectaran, she reminded herself. A sentient energy field. No face, no body… no emotions.
“That is incorrect.” The alien’s voice echoed from his helmet, and his visor pulsed with a violet glow.
“What do you mean,” Suphara snapped. “How did—”
“Like you, my people naturally wield dark energy. And our abilities are far more powerful than organic creatures such as yourself. I sense your thoughts as easily as you might read a book. It is pointless to try to hide them from me.”
He reached out and stroked her face. “It is true, we do not possess bodies of flesh and blood. Or organic crystalline structures, like yourself. But we do feel... sensations. Changes in polarity, the ebb and flow of energy. Indeed, what you might call emotions. Love. Rage. Desire… And fear.”
She recoiled at the cold metal touch of his gauntlet. “I do not fear you! When the Sorari find out what you’ve done, they’ll—”
Dulkar laughed again. “The Sorari? My dear, if you think your pathetic sisterhood can save you, then you really have no idea what’s at stake here.”
He leaned closer, bringing his visor within millimeters of her glowing blue eyes. She peered into the light behind his helmet… it seemed to shift and move. It was as if a swarm of glowing insects flitted about within his armored shell.
“Nothing can stop what I have set in motion,” he said. “Even Volonte Er’Gosi, the great Zedrakon warrior, bends to my will.”
“Volonte? Your master?”
Dulkar gestured out the window. Plumes of glowing gas jetted from the cosmic fountain, far way in the vast reaches of space. “This… all of this… has been my doing. Volonte found the tabeki statues, true. But it was I who guided him to the ancient weapons they control. He is chasing a dream, a phantasm. In the end, it is Volonte who serves my purpose. Not the other way around.”
Suphara thrashed at her bonds, struggling to free herself, even though she knew the effort was futile. “What purpose is that, coward? The deaths of millions of innocent souls?”
Dulkar gazed upon her. “Death? From my perspective, beings such as you are barely alive at all. You are born, you burn with a brief, tiny light. And then you fade, so quickly. As though you were never here at all. And yet you devour vast resources, far more than you need to survive. You pollute and destroy, turning countless worlds into toxic wastelands. And you tear through time and space, spreading your seed to the farthest stars. Even in death, you leave behind more and more of your cursed spawn, to continue the cycle of destruction.”
The glowing slit of Dulkar’s visor burned bright as his fingers brushed the crystalline hair
that spilled over her shoulders. “Organic life is a plague upon this galaxy. The stars would be far better off without your kind.”
“For someone who hates organic life, you seem to have trouble keeping your hands to yourself,” Suphara snarled.
Dulkar snatched his fingers away and took a step back. “Yes… even I appear to be susceptible to the corrupting touch of flesh. And yet, I cannot truly touch anything, or anyone. Like Volonte, I am trapped in a metal shell. My containment suit is an imperfect vessel. Compared to beings such as you, I am ancient. But I am not immortal. The cohesion of my energy field is breaking down, I grow weaker with each passing day. Soon, even this suit will be unable to sustain me. It has been centuries since I spoke with another of my kind. For all I know… I may be the last of my people.”
“Gods willing,” Suphara replied.
“The gods left this universe long ago, child. Now, it is up to sentient beings to choose their own fate. And I choose to prolong my existence. To grow in strength and power. Regardless of how much flesh I must burn to make it so!”
He twisted his hands in the air. Glowing symbols circled around his fingers. “I require a new vessel to contain my essence. And the Zedrakon created just such as a vessel, eons ago. One more powerful than I ever dreamed possible. Volonte wishes to relinquish this power, to trade his prison of metal for one of flesh and blood. What he discards, I will use to bring order and logic to this masterless region of space.”
Suphara narrowed her glowing eyes at the sorcerer. “You mean… his body? You want his mechanical shell for yourself?”
"I want much more than that, child. But the amount of dark energy my plans require is massive. Far more than my containment suit could channel, I’m afraid. But perhaps, with your help…”
A red light flashed above Suphara’s head. Glancing up, she saw a tiny metal column lower from the cylinder that held her arms. It was hollow, like the barrel of a pulse weapon, and the crimson glow emitted from within its shaft. A deep electronic hum rose from the machine, as the light grew brighter and brighter.
“I’ll die before I help you, Spectaran!” she snapped.
“No, no. I require you alive. For years now, I have siphoned residual dark energy from the portal drives of this vessel, as well as the ships we destroyed. It will take all of this power to complete the rituals required to achieve my goals. So great was my desire, I was willing to risk damaging my containment suit in the process. But now, thanks to you, I possess a unique crystal matrix. A living body, capable of channeling vast amounts of dark energy. The transfer process will be difficult, yes. But I doubt it will kill you.”
A crimson beam erupted from the device above Suphara. It struck her shimmering hair and drilled through, penetrating her crystalline skull.
“However, it may sting a bit,” Dulkar hissed.
Her mouth opened as if to scream, but only a stifled moan emitted from her lips. Her eyes pulsed brighter, as their blue glow was replaced with a brilliant white light.
Dulkar twisted his hand in the air, forming a fist. The beam grew even more powerful. Its crimson glow reflected in his mirrored face plate.
Chapter Twenty-Four
Talon sat hunched over a small, octagonal table in the Star Claw’s crew lounge. He peered out the tall floor-to-ceiling windows, his smoldering stare oblivious to the beautiful, luminescent trails streaking through the dark void. Within the glowing confines of the star-path, portal space was a mind-bending display of color and light. But all Talon could see was his reflection, peering back at him from the window.
He was naked from the waist up. His battle harness lay on the floor, and the damaged remains of his axe were on the table. His attempts to repair the severed power relays within the two halves of the weapon had so far been in vain. He was unable to ignite the slightest spark within the beam chamber, let alone get the blade to power up.
His gaze traveled down his reflection to the small, pink mass of scar tissue that marked his chest. The ship’s medical bay had patched him up well, and his wounds were almost healed. He touched the ridge of flesh, wincing as he traced the wound up to his shoulder.
He could still hear Volonte’s voice. The mechanical tones echoed through his mind, like thunder on the distant horizon…
Victory or death, No’varran…
He blinked, remembering the look on Avra’s face as Suphara vanished into the depths of the sorcerer's dark portal.
Suddenly, he leapt to his feet, and swept the remains of his axe to the floor. He bellowed a roar of fury, then slammed both his fists down on the table as hard as he could. A crack rippled through the dura-plas surface, but the table remained standing.
He shook his head, then uttered a low, bitter laugh.
You lost, he thought to himself. Volonte, whoever he is… whatever he is… he beat you.
The door hissed open behind him. Avra stepped into the room, and Orvane scurried after her. She frowned as she noticed the crack running through the table.
"That make you feel any better?” she asked, as she met his brooding gaze.
He shook his head. “It did not.”
Her eyes darted down to the remains of his axe, strewn across the deck plates. She bent over and picked up the pieces with a sigh.
“Too bad. The thought of hitting something seems strangely appealing right now.”
Orvane pulled himself up onto a counter, then began throwing open cabinets. “I need drink. This ship have a bar?”
Avra set the gnarled scraps of metal down on the table and sat down across from Talon. “A bar? No. But try the next cabinet. I think Zobo kept some Akaelan brandy behind the ration-packs.”
The stout creature opened the cabinet and began rummaging inside. “Zobo? Who is Zobo?” His eyes lit up as he tugged a small, unmarked bottle from the cabinet.
She sighed. “Long story.”
She fiddled with the remains of the axe, fitting the pieces together with her delicate fingers. She looked up at Talon. “Funny. I remember repairing this weapon for you like it was yesterday. I removed the inhibitor chip, after you and Salena stole it from that skakhol of an arena.”
Talon grinned back at her. “I remember well.”
Orvane leapt down and joined them at the table, He huffed and puffed as he struggled to climb into the human-sized chairs. Opening the bottle, he took a took a long swig, then passed it Avra. “Here. You look like you need drink too.”
“Can’t argue with that,” she muttered.
“I am sorry about your friend. Blue girl save Orvane’s life. I drink in her memory.”
Avra slammed the bottle down on the table. “Her name is Suphara! And she’s not dead, understand?”
The tiny alien blinked, then nodded. “Yes… Sorry.”
Avra took a deep breath, then swallowed another sip from the bottle. “It’s not just you. The Sorari think she’s dead as well. They ordered me to leave the Gyre, and return to the training center on Athenar. Gods know how long that will take. The gravimetric map of this whole sector has shifted.”
“What did you tell them?” Talon asked.
Avra lowered the bottle and cocked her head. “Nothing. By a strange coincidence, we lost their hyper-transmission before I could reply." She took another drink, then gave Talon a bitter smirk. "Must have been interference from the gravity waves."
She slid the bottle across the table. “I’m not losing another sister. Not after… Not after what happened before.”
Talon placed his hand over hers. “If Suphara lives, we shall find her. And Volonte…”
Avra met his gaze head on. “What about him? Talon, I watched you fight in the atmosphere tower. You said it yourself, our weapons couldn’t touch him.”
Talon let go of her hand and looked away. “His body was protected by an energy field… some kind of shield.”
She bit her lip and thought for a moment. “I’ve trained with energy shields at the Sorari center. But I’ve never seen anything that powerful.”
Talon looked up at her. His crimson eye reflected the swirling glow outside the window. “Nor have I. But there must be a way to penetrate it.”
Avra’s hair hung behind her like a trail of flame as she stared up at the ceiling, lost in thought. “If it works like a starship’s defensive shields, it must cycle power to keep from overloading his internal reactor. When he takes damage, it grows weaker for a short time. So it draws power from the rest of his systems to compensate. There should be a delay while it builds up to full strength.”
“So if I could strike before it recharges, I could—”
Avra shook her head. “Theoretically, yeah. But we’re talking fractions of a second, maybe less. Even Sorari reflexes aren’t that good.”
He clenched his fist and looked down at the crack in the table. “I’ll find a way,” he growled. “Mark my words… Volonte Er’Gosi will pay for what he’s done.”
Avra leaned back in her chair and sighed. “Even if that was true, Volonte could be anywhere by now. We have no idea where’s he going next, and no way to track him.”
Talon turned his gaze to Orvane. “Before, on my ship, you said Volonte was setting off these weapons, the gravimetric bombs. Why? What does he stand to gain?”
Orvane shook his head. “Not sure. Volonte and his men have been raiding shipping lanes in the Gyre for long time. I join his crew, help steal artifacts. Not know what was inside. His sorcerer, Dulkar, the floating man… he study ancient scrolls. Use dark energy to reveal trigger for bombs, hidden in statues. After they set off first bomb, I try to steal back statues, keep Volonte from using them. But I too late.”
Talon looked back into the window, staring at his reflection again. “A great darkness… Salena told me a great darkness was coming. The Zedrakon.”
Avra narrowed her eyes. “That name, Zedrakon. That’s what Volonte called his people.”
Talon nodded. “I feel like she was trying to tell me something, something more. But our bond is weak here. The vision faded.”
