Tales of Talon Box Set

by A A Warren

  Smoke streamed from the enforcer’s cloak, as the strike bisected the thug in two. His legs fell to the left and his torso to the right. The smell of charred flesh wafted through the chamber.

  Talon spun around… More armored soldiers stormed into the room and trained their weapons on him.

  “Drop your weapon and freeze!” a voice commanded.

  Talon glared at the leader of the armored men. He was a tall, muscular human with dark, penetrating eyes and a long, braided beard.

  “Magistrate Balakov!” Talon growled.

  The man grinned. “Yes, I could not resist attending in person. Finally, after all these years, I bear witness to the death of the famous Emerald Empress.”

  Talon raised his axe and charged towards the man. But before he could close the distance, the Magistrate tapped the glowing screen of his wrist unit.

  Talon fell to his knees and gritted his teeth. Bolts of energy shot from the collar and crackled across his body. His muscles convulsed and a sheen of sweat covered his skin as the agonizing bolts grew in intensity.

  “I lied earlier,” the Magistrate said with a smug grin. “The collar does indeed have a pain inducer, as well as the pulse beams I told you about.” He consulted the display on his wrist. “Speaking of which, those beams should trigger in about five minutes. So unless you can make it back to your cell on Kybera IV in that time, I’m afraid these shall be our final moments together.”

  Chapter Six

  The muscles in Talon’s neck popped like steel cables, as he forced himself to look down at the collar. A low hum rose from the device and the first dot lit up red.

  “You… You sent me to… kill the Empress!” Talon grunted, struggling to speak as the glowing energy bolts intensified. “Why… did… you… betray me?”

  The Magistrate glanced at Talon as he marched across the chamber towards the body of the alien woman. “Oh, you were only ever meant to be a diversion. When you triggered the proximity sensors below, you diverted the Empress’s forces into the tunnels. My men had seeded the waters earlier with krakasaur pheromones… I knew those beasts would make short work of her combat mechs, leaving her tower relatively undefended against the Lokaba’s assault.”

  “You… working… with… Lokaba?” Talon snarled. The hum of the collar grew louder, and another dot lit up red.

  The Magistrate frowned. “We have similar concerns… The Lokaba intercepts the food shipments from Galt-Rand and adds their Fire Orchid dust to the rations. It’s a mutually beneficial arrangement. The Lokaba get paid for their wares and the miners’ productivity increases ten-fold. You see, thanks to you, the young emperor ended slavery in the Dominion. When trade guilds like Galt-Rand saw their profits fall, something had to be done to make up the difference.”

  “What… What’s in it for you?”

  The Magistrate knelt down and prodded the woman’s corpse. Wisps of smoke drifted up from her charred silk garments.

  “Me? Oh, nothing much… Just a sizable bonus at year’s end. When I said I valued my subjects, I truly meant it. They’re extremely valuable to me. So long as they exceed their quotas.”

  Another dot lit up on Talon’s collar. The warrior staggered to his feet. He raised his axe and took a lumbering step towards the Magistrate. But the bolts of energy grew even stronger and he fell to his knees next to one of the fallen enforcers.

  “Impressive,” the Magistrate said, raising an eyebrow as Talon writhed in pain. “But futile, I’m afraid. One more light to go.”

  He kicked over the woman’s corpse. His eyes opened wide with surprise and his jaw dropped. A mass of wires and melted dura-plas hung from the woman’s face. Smoke wafted up from sparking circuits, and a blinking photoreceptor hung from a tangle of colorful wires.

  “Impossible… The Emerald Empress… she can’t be a mech—“

  Suddenly, a wave of golden energy erupted through the chamber, striking the armored men and tossing them backwards. They slammed into the wall with a loud crack and fell to the floor.

  “Enough of this farce!” A woman’s voice boomed through the throne room. Talon looked up and saw golden hair rippling in a sudden wind. The woman hovered above him…

  The Emerald Empress…

  He glanced down at the collar around his neck. The glowing dots pulsed blood red, and the humming sound grew louder. The pulse projectors were powering up to fire.

  The alien woman’s three eyes looked down at him. She waved her hands and mystic symbols blazed around her. The bolts of energy surging across his body turned gold, and the collar began to shimmer with a blinding light.

  He reached up to touch it… and found it was gone.

  The pain was gone as well. The energy bolts no longer burned across his skin. He sucked in a deep breath of air as he staggered to his feet.

  “Orion’s blazing bow!” he gasped.

  “AAAAHHHHRG!” The Magistrate cried out in pain and fell to his knees. The collar was now looped around his neck... somehow it had left Talon’s body, and jumped to his. The man struggled to reach for the controls mounted to his wrist. But before he could deactivate the collar, another wave of energy shot across his body, and the pain amplifier kicked it. His muscles spasmed… his finger hung a few centimeters from the glowing display.

  Talon chuckled. “This Emerald Empress is no mech, Balakov. You said yourself, she is a powerful dark energy wielder. A dangerous enemy. And the enemy of my enemy…“

  “Could be a new friend,” the alien woman said with a grin.

  Talon narrowed his eyes. The woman’s voice sounded familiar…

  A golden light bathed her body. As the glow rippled across her skin, her features morphed and changed. Her skin took on a pink, healthy glow. Her hair seemed to flow back into her scalp, and turned to a coppery auburn shade. And her third eye morphed into a pale gem, adorning a simple leather band. She lowered herself to the ground and stood next Talon.

  “Dariel,” Talon exclaimed. “I had a feeling you were wrapped up in this somehow.”

  The woman glared down at the quivering man on the floor.

  “Magistrate Balakov… Long have you fed upon the suffering of your people. But today, your reign of corruption comes to an end."

  “No… no!” The prostrate man cried out. “I can pay… The Lokaba will give you a cut, I—“

  The hum of the collar became a high-pitched whine. The final dot lit up red. Balakov’s features froze in a grimace of pain and a brilliant pulse of light circled his neck. His skull seemed to light up beneath his skin, until it was too bright to look upon. Talon shielded his eyes as the light grew brighter.

  A last hiss of air escaped his mouth. Then his head toppled from his body and fell to the floor. His headless corpse hit the ground with a dull thud.

  The woman gave a satisfied nod then turned to Talon. “You risked your life to fight for the Empress. Why?”

  Talon shrugged. “I trusted my instincts. I might as well ask you why you choose to help me enter your fortress. A powerful sorceress like yourself could have attacked me at any time.”

  The woman ran her fingers through her hair, as she gazed at Talon with questioning eyes. “Perhaps… but I too have an instinct for such things. When I saw you in the tunnels below, I knew you were a man of honor. That is a rare quality in this sector of the galaxy. And it is a quality I value highly.”

  “Death!” A voice shouted. Talon grabbed Dariel and pulled her behind him, as one of the magistrate’s men staggered up from the floor. He hefted his rifle, aiming the weapon at the alien woman. “Death to the Emerald Empress!”

  ZARK!

  The weapon fired. Talon felt time slow. He moved without thought, relying on reflexes honed by years of ceaseless combat. Triggering his axe, he swung the weapon up, blocking himself and the Empress. The woman gasped, her eyes opening wide as the fiery blade deflected the energy bolt. Talon ducked down and grabbed the discarded rifle from the corpse of a Lokaba enforcer.

  He fired low, shooting from
the hip. The shot struck the soldier in the torso, burning a glowing hole in the man’s armor.

  With a last pained gasp, the man slumped to the ground.

  Talon stood up and deactivated his axe. He turned to Dariel. “Perhaps we’d best talk somewhere else. There may be more cowardly dogs like this roaming about your tower.”

  The woman nodded, as she tapped her wrist unit. “You may be right.” She glanced at the smoking mech woman on the ground. “And now my duplicate will no longer distract them. But I’ve just activated a second wave of combat mechs. They should have no problem clearing out the rest of these vermin. Come, follow me. I have some Nova Centauri wine decanting. It should be just about ready.”

  Talon narrowed his eyes. “Follow you where?”

  She glanced back at him over her shoulder. “To the Empress’s chambers, of course. We have much to … discuss.”

  Talon grinned. “Aye. That we do.”

  Chapter Seven

  The Empress’s bedchambers perched at the top of the tower. A transparent dome surrounded the luxurious room, and a bed draped with silk and furs lay in the center. Beyond the curved windows, Talon could see the slate gray water and ivory waves, crashing against the island's dark, rocky shore.

  “Navena’s husband purchased me from slavers on Kybera VI, many years ago,” Dariel said, as she poured ruby red wine into a pair of crystal goblets. She set down the bottle and padded across the room, carrying a glass in each hand. “My people are called the Tec’taran. We have certain… abilities.”

  Talon accepted a goblet. “What kind of abilities?”

  “I can look into a person’s heart and see the truth of their words, even over a-hyper-transmission."

  "But I thought the Emerald Empress could--," Talon began.

  "After her husband’s death, the Empress continued to use me as a truth-sayer.” Dariel peered at him over the rim of her glass as she drank. "She controlled me with a pain collar, much like the one the magistrate placed on you.”

  “So the Empress had no powers of her own?” Talon narrowed his eyes. “It was you, all along?”

  She nodded. “Yes. She forced me to disguise myself as human and stay by her side, so others would not suspect. Navena was not human, but not all aliens can manipulate dark energy.”

  “But with talents such as yours, how could she force you to—“

  A shudder ran through Dariel's body, as if she were reliving an unpleasant memory. “I am half human, so it took longer than usual for my powers to develop to their full potential. But once they did… Navena controlled me no longer.”

  Talon took a sip of wine. “You killed her, then?”

  Dariel blinked, then she too sipped from her glass. “I don’t wish to dwell on the past. Suffice to say, the Empress was a cruel, paranoid woman. She dwelled alone here in this tower, surrounded only by mechs. Her death was easy to conceal, at first.”

  “Below, you took the form of the Empress… So you can shape shift?”

  She nodded. “As my powers matured, I found I could do many things. But I was still a registered slave. And even I couldn’t fool a blood scan. The penalty for a slave who murders her mistress is—“

  “Death,” Talon said, cutting her off. “I was a slave once, as well.”

  She wrapped her arms across her chest, as if embracing herself. “So instead of fleeing, I took on the appearance of the Empress herself. Navena rarely appeared in person, so it seemed to be the safest way to hide. At first, I only wished to avoid being discovered. But then, I came to realize that I could use her resources for my own ends.”

  Talon threw back his head and laughed. Dariel gave him a strange look. “You find my tale amusing?”

  Talon gulped down a long drink of wine, then wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. “The Magistrate… all his lies and subterfuge were for naught. In the end, he lost his head trying to assassinate a woman who was already dead.”

  Dariel smiled and gave a nervous laugh. “Yes… I suppose it is ironic.”

  Talon laughed again. “So you took on the appearance of the Empress and became a smuggler yourself?”

  "Yes. But I only smuggled nutri-packs, medicine, air filters… vital supplies the colonists desperately need. The Magistrate sells them at a huge markup. He lines his pockets with chips as his people suffer."

  Talon peered into her eyes. “And the fire orchid dust?”

  The woman shuddered. "When I realized the Galt-Rand guild was tainting the colonists’ food shipments with that poison, I used my drone fighters to intercept their supply ships. Once I disrupted their operation, the Lokaba declared the Empress a traitor, and vowed revenge. They must have pressured the Magistrate to have her… me… assassinated."

  "You seem to have made many enemies," Talon said.

  "And a new friend." She set down her glass and stepped closer to him. "Despite my enemies' best efforts, I still live. As do you. That is something to celebrate."

  “There’s still one thing I don’t understand. What were you doing in the tunnels below?”

  The woman gazed out the window at the churning sea. "I downloaded evidence of Balakov's crimes from the supply ship we boarded in the hangar. I planned to transmit my data to the Emperor, but when the Magistrate's men bombarded my tower, they destroyed the communication array. I couldn’t risk the data being erased. So I fled into the tunnels. Naveena’s husband built other strongholds on this moon. There are shuttles that could take me to the throne world of Tal Adar, where I could present my evidence in person.”

  “So those other bodies in the cave… they were mechs?”

  She nodded. "When the krakasaur attacked, they tried to defend me, but they were no match for the beast. I thought all was lost until I sensed your presence in the tunnels.”

  Running her fingers through her hair, she gave him a shy smile. "My powers may not be as strong as a full-blooded Tec’taran, but I could feel the conflict in your heart… I knew you would not harm me. But just to be safe, I used my powers to change my appearance. I assumed a form I thought you would find pleasing.”

  She set down her glass and took a step back. A golden ribbon of light ran down her body. Her hair grew long and dark, spilling down her back like an inky black waterfall. Her skin took on a deep blue hue, and her eyes blazed with golden light. A pair of antennae emerged from her head. Their tips pulsed with the same luminous glow.

  A jeweled harness and diaphanous silk girdle did little to hide the supple curves of her lithe body. “This… this is my true form. But I can still be Dariel, if you prefer.”

  One side of her head shimmered with the golden light. Her hair grew shorter and returned to its auburn shade. Her bare shoulder shimmered and turned a pale white in the dim light of the glow spheres.

  Talon put a hand on her other shoulder... the one that remained sapphire blue. “I prefer to see you as you truly are. Why would you think otherwise?"

  Her hair returned to its normal state, and her skin flushed back to its azure blue shade. She looked up at him. “The queen and her husband… they found me repulsive, disgusting. They called me an insect.”

  Talon shook his head. “They were wrong. You are very beautiful, Dariel."

  Her lips parted. “Navena preferred the company of machines. Months would go by with no other life-forms visiting this tower. And in all my time here, I have never peered into a heart quite like yours.”

  Talon drained his goblet and set the glass down. “I’m just a man, like any other.”

  She rested her hand on his chest. “No. You are not cruel… I see kindness in you. Compassion, honor. And something more….” She squinted at him. “A great destiny waits you. But I can only see its shadow, just a glimpse. It is a faint echo of a time not yet born.”

  “The Magistrate believed the Empress could see into the future. But you must be mistaken. I am a warrior. Nothing more.”

  A mischievous look filled her eyes. “Well, who knows? If I can be the Emerald Empress, perhaps you coul
d be an emperor yourself, someday.”

  Talon chuckled. “Perhaps. But I live for the moment before me, here and now. Not for some grand vision of what may be.”

  Her antenna bent towards him and glowed even brighter as she looked into his eyes. “Here and now… Such yearning for life, for freedom. Such... desire. It is an intoxicating mix; unlike anything I have felt before. Or anyone.”

  His crimson eye flashed as he met her golden gaze. He felt his skin flush, as he saw the hunger in her eyes.

  “Dariel, you freed me from the Magistrate's collar. You owe me nothing. I have contacted the Balteus. They are sending a shuttle that will return me to my ship.”

  She smiled. “After pretending to be Navena for all this time, it is good to hear my name on your lips. It’s been so long since I heard anyone utter it.”

  The alien woman stepped closer and rested her hand on his chest. “Your shuttle will take hours to arrive. Perhaps we could... enjoy each other’s company, for a bit longer?” Her voice was husky and low.

  Talon smiled. “Who am I to deny the Emerald Empress?”

  RASTAN - THIRD MOON OF KYBERA IV

  Tygon Dominion, Outer Reaches

  A few hours later

  Talon shielded his eyes with his hand as he peered up at the shuttle’s landing lights. The small, chunky spacecraft settled down on the rocks, while towering waves crashed in the distance. The exit ramp opened with a hydraulic hiss, and a trio of armored men marched out of the vessel. A symbol decorated the breastplates of their battered armor… a red triangle, surrounding a black lion.

  The crest of the Tygon Dominion.

  “Command Unit 2246,” the lead man shouted. “You have been designated Absent Without Leave. Captain Snow has order you consigned to the brig until such time as—“

  “Here,” Talon grunted. He tossed the merchant marine a data crystal. “Tell Snow to take a look at that. He may not be so eager to court martial me then.”