She lay on the deck beside Claire and placed the helmet on her head, knowing this net knew her and that her entry would be quick.
Chapter Thirty-eight
When Atiana got into the net, she was not in the dream, she was somewhere else. She sensed darkness at first, then she felt Claire’s presence ahead of her. A moment later, Claire’s virtual presence surrounded her, holding off horrors she could only sense dimly. She pushed her thoughts hard to Claire, and her Rider, Stren, followed her example, both of them trying to give Claire added strength. She felt the horror backing off slightly. She pushed harder, then she felt Claire’s presence enfold her and her Rider. Though the light was dim, she felt herself lifting into the air. A yellow glow surrounded her like a bubble.
She realized she was floating through the air above a great swamp. Bright red streaks flickered here and there across the swamp as they floated along. She heard Claire’s thinking, though it was not addressed to her.
“It’s just mathematics and trons,” Claire kept telling herself. “Use the math, follow the equations.”
Suddenly a red streak reached up and struck the bubble around Atiana. Claire shrieked, then the shriek turned into a moan and the bubble dropped closer to the swamp. Claire kept talking to herself, telling herself it was just mathematics and trons, and the bubble rose back up.
* * * * *
Kas loped over to Lex and told him to look back and up. When Lex turned, he saw an amorphous, shiny, amber globe floating through the sky. It, too, seemed headed toward the red glow on the horizon.
As he watched, a red streak climbed up from the swamp and struck the bubble. He heard a shriek that might have been Claire, but he was not certain. What he was certain of, though, was that whatever was in that globe was the Knights’ means of forcing the peicks from this horrible net that was not a net.
A series of red streaks struck the bubble and it began falling. He called strongly to his men, his call clearly advertising their location to the peicks, then he leaped ahead. His men followed, drawing heavy fire from the peicks. That was a good thing. They returned fire, usually on the run but occasionally stopping for a better aim. Before long, red streaks filled the sky going in both directions. Cats and peicks alike shrieked with each hit, and each hit brought a diminution of strength. At least it did for the cats, and it was probably fair to assume it had the same effect on the the peicks.
Though the cats’ strength was fading, it was focused. Lex and his men knew their purpose now, and it’s what they did best—Protecting, in this case the bubble.
* * * * *
As Galborae, Roskov, and Imblee, the shuttle pilot, approached the bridge, bodies of marines and super peicks littered the corridor. Clearly, someone had fought a terrible battle here. Blood had pooled and spattered everywhere, and it was impossible to tell who had won.
Fearing what might be waiting for them, Galborae sent Limam ahead. She reported back that she had found people. He let Roskov and Imblee know, then he strode confidently ahead.
When he turned the corner and entered the corridor directly outside the bridge, Sir Josh was the only one still standing. Galborae motioned for Roskov and Imblee to guard opposite ends of the short corridor. He went to Josh and grasped him hard by the shoulder.
“You’ve had a bad time of it,” he said.
Josh hung his head. “I lost an entire squad, half of them here and half of them somewhere between here and the armory. None of them ever made it back. I can’t get through the door, and I’m out of explosives.”
Galborae stepped away for a moment of introspection. He had pushed his luck far beyond anything reasonable today. Did he have any more left? He was putting a lot of faith in these Leaf People whom he had never met. Did that make sense? He could not even imagine what a ‘Leaf’ person looked like, and as for how they knew the future and could communicate between stars with their visions . . . well, he didn’t get it, not at all.
But people he respected did believe in them, including Gar, every single Knight he had met, and the Queen and King of the Empire. He supposed that was enough proof for him, though whatever awaited him on the other side of the door might well cost him his life today.
Then he remembered: he had already died and was alive only because the Leaf People had sent Lady Krys to save him. He had come full circle. This was where he was, and this was where he would make his stand.
>Hormuth,< he said to his Rider, >I need to be Otis again.<
>You and me and Limam still make three.<
Galborae drew his sword and motioned for Josh to step aside. When he activated the blade, Josh gasped and Galborae realized that Josh had probably never seen the sword in operation. He brought the tip of the blade to the door, holding the sword in both hands, and touched the armor gently. The blade slid in, making a loud humming noise as it did so.
Josh stepped back, as amazed as he had ever been in his life. “Wait!” he called, holding out his hand for Galborae to stop. Galborae pulled the sword free in surprise. Josh stepped up to him and whispered in his ear. “Don’t cut all the way through. Cut deeply but not all the way through on the first pass, then you can finish it quickly on the next pass.”
Galborae nodded his understanding. He sent Limam out to patrol one corridor and went back to work, slowly cutting an opening through which a human could pass. Sparks flew, and Galborae was again concerned about burning himself, but the sparks did not seem to affect his suit of armor or his gloves. The first pass took five minutes, but the final pass would be quick.
Limam sent a mental warning of approaching danger, and Galborae alerted the pilots. Moments later, shots sounded to his right. Roskov fired round after round down the corridor on his end, then the pilot started up on the other end.
Galborae and Josh both knew this would be a fast, hard skirmish. There was nothing to provide cover, so they moved out into the middle of their corridor with their backs to each other, weapons ready. Galborae held a blaster in one hand and his sword in the other. Josh held a blaster in each hand. Limam crouched down behind Roskov.
Roskov suddenly screamed, followed shortly by screams from the pilot. Both fell to their backs kicking and fighting with their hands. Clearly, the super peicks had executed a simultaneous attack from both sides.
Limam leaped over Roskov, reaching down with her claws and teeth to grasp flesh. She ripped the creature from him and hit the deck rolling in a vicious fight for her life. Multiple slash marks made the super peick clearly visible as the two of them rolled entwined in each others claws out of sight down the side corridor.
Another super peick struck Roskov, killing him before he could get a shot off.
Galborae and Josh fired on the super peick attacking Imblee, but they could not get in a killing shot, and he, too, died. Galborae finished off the peick as it disengaged.
Josh caught the flicker of footprints in blood on the deck from another super peick and snapped a shot as the creature jumped up to the wall and leaped toward him. The single blaster wound was enough to aim at, and he continued firing. The creature fell dead just a few feet away from him.
Limam limped back into the fight, the peick she had disappeared with dead. She let out a warning snarl that another peick was moving on Galborae, and when he caught a shimmer high up on the wall, he fired without hesitation, then moved in with his sword slashing. The peick fell to the floor in pieces.
“I have got to get me one of those!” Josh exclaimed.
They waited, but when no additional peicks materialized, Josh checked on the men. Both were dead. Galborae went to Limam and knelt beside her. Bite marks bit deeply into her face, and though she was wearing her armor, she let Galborae know that underneath the armor she was badly injured.
He took her face in both of his hands and leaned close, kissing her between her eyes. “Stay here,” he mentally commanded her. “Do not follow.” She replied weakly that she understood and closed her eyes.
Galborae turned to make his last cut in the d
oor when Josh touched him on the arm.
“When you’re done, do not enter. I will go first.” Then in a whisper, he added, “I will lead with explosives and smoke.” He opened a hand and showed Galborae three flash-bang grenades. “One more thing,” Josh said. He glanced at his timepiece and said, “I have to get into the net in the next ten minutes, no matter what.”
Galborae nodded, and when Josh nodded in return, Galborae whisked his sword along the deep groove, completing the final cut.
* * * * *
Despair settled over Akurea as she continued her jog across the uneven terrain of the swamp. She kept telling herself to keep putting one foot in front of the other, but there seemed to be no end to the swamp and no end to the horrible, piercing pain in her head. She kept going in the general direction of the red glow, but was that the right way? She had no way of knowing, though the screams she was following were still ahead of her.
Her Rider panicked. >I’m sorry! can’t keep you completely healed,< she cried. >It’s taking a toll on me, too.<
>Just do the best you can. You know the stakes here.<
>I do, my friend. Look up. Something’s coming.<
Akurea looked up, and when she did she questioned her vision. A golden globe floated through the air with someone inside of it. Red streaks struck the globe on a regular basis, and she sensed those streaks weakening the globe just as they had weakened her.
Surely something so beautiful would not belong to the super peicks, and the shrieks sounded like they came from humans.
>We need to help them,< she said to her Rider.
>How?<
>I’m not sure. We have to get up to them. I don’t know how.<
>You prefer physical things, things you can see and feel, but this is not a physical place. I wonder if we can get there by imagining ourselves up there.<
A series of streaks hit the globe and it began sinking. Akurea had nothing to lose. She stared at the globe, then wished with all her heart that she was beside the globe. She felt herself starting to float, and soon she was, indeed, beside the globe.
Because of the net, she sensed the purpose of the globe: Atiana had no concept of what a net was, but she could activate the control panel if she reached it. Claire was protecting her and guiding her to that control panel. Both of them were taking hits, but Claire was taking the brunt of them.
And Claire had no defense against the streaks.
Atiana and Akurea had Riders to limit the pain and provide physical repairs to their bodies, but Claire was essentially naked to the streaks. Nevertheless, she seemed to know where she was going. Akurea heard her talking to herself, continually reminding herself that they were just in a world of mathematical equations and trons.
Akurea had never looked at a net in quite that way, but it made sense. She reached out and touched the globe, then willed her energy to it. Her Rider added to that strength, and the globe began rising.
* * * * *
Red flashes became more frequent below them. Claire broke her concentration just long enough to speak to Atiana. “That red glow on the horizon is our destination. I need you to remember the picture I made for you. I might not be strong enough to do it myself by the time we get there.” Her voice faded, then they were struck by another red streak. Both of them shrieked again and their course faltered, but Claire brought them back up. Another streak struck, then another. They started sinking again, and Atiana felt her Rider, Stren, leave her to help Claire. Atiana sent the strongest thoughts she could to Claire, bidding her to hold at all cost.
Claire brought them back up, then another series of streaks struck. Atiana shrieked, the agony blinding her momentarily, but she did not hear anything from Claire.
She had been hurt before and knew how to shut the agony out. She corralled her agony and held it down, then focused back on Claire. They had drifted closer to the swamp again.
Suddenly she felt another presence, then another. Akurea and her Rider joined them, adding their strength to Claire’s. The bubble stopped its descent, but then more streaks struck. Akurea and her Rider both shrieked and Claire whimpered, but they held on.
They needed more power to sustain their progress. That much Atiana knew. The only power at her disposal was her mind, so she sent the most powerful thoughts she could: wonderful memories of her fathers, both of them, and the wonderful years prior to the gleasons’ arrival on Tranxte. Then she sent thoughts of the terror the gleasons had struck into her heart. Thoughts of terror might not seem to be what Claire needed, but she understood that Claire needed power, any power, and thoughts of terror could be just as powerful as warm memories.
The streaks became intermittent. When she looked below, Atiana saw that their frequency had not slowed, but they were directed toward someone else. She knew that whomever it was, they fought a vicious battle with no quarter.
“Please hold on,” she whispered to them.
* * * * *
The energy strikes were taking their toll. Though Great Cats never gave in, Lex knew he was nearing the end of his strength, and his fellow cats were fading as well. On the other hand, he suspected the super peicks were hurting just as badly. At the very least, he had them in retreat. Where they were retreating to he had no idea, but it was along the path of the globe, so he suspected everyone here was headed to the same place.
The light on the horizon had grown brighter and he sensed its nearness. Too, he sensed the energy of the globe fading. Despite his best efforts, it had taken a lot of hits. He needed to fully draw the peicks’ attention to him and his men, but how?
Fundamentally, this place was a world of abstract ideas and information. Great Cats did not think abstractly, they thought in absolutes, and that deficiency was limiting his effectiveness here. He had to try something, even if it was just an imaginary something.
He stood up on his hind hands and faced a target. This time, when he fired, he raised both hands and gave it everything he had. To his amazement, a single but more powerful bolt of energy flew to his opponent and hit it. Lex went down hard with multiple hits, but that single hit dropped his opponent.
His men saw and followed his example. Two Great Cats stood up on their hind feet and fired multiple, powerful streaks at targets of their own. The other three raced ahead under covering fire, then lowered themselves to the ground. But not for long. The three stood up and fired powerful streaks while the three behind them, including Lex, raced past them and pulled ahead.
They covered ground quickly in this manner, though at a high cost. And the cost to the super peicks was high as well. Several lights extinguished, and the rest of them appeared to move more slowly.
Lex was almost done in. He wished fervently that he could get his hands on a super peick and fight it physically, but such was not possible here in the net. Then all of a sudden he and his men were there. They had come to the red glow. Within that glow stood a door, a closed door that swarmed with dim, red lights.
He looked back, and sure enough, the golden globe was headed straight for the door. The super peicks must have figured out who or what it was, because they all started firing toward it. Screams from the globe rent the twilight and the orb began falling again.
Lex stood up, and his men stood up with him. Everything they had went into a continuous series of shots toward the swarming lights guarding the door. So packed in were the peicks that every shot hit, and they were forced to retaliate. Multiple energy streaks enveloped the Great Cats, but the orb began lifting back toward its course to the door.
A series of streaks struck one of his brothers. The Great Cat struck back, then winked out of existence. Another brother followed, just disappearing, but the number of super peicks was falling as well. The four remaining Great Cats redoubled their efforts, peicks dropping out but Great Cats winking out as well.
Lex was the last Great Cat standing. He lowered himself to all fours and looked around at the swamp, took a few steps, then looked back to the door and lifted his head. He roared a challe
nge, then lay on his back with his belly exposed and pointed all four hands at the door. He gathered every erg of energy left in his body and let loose with one final blast from each hand just before multiple streaks struck him in return. The presence of the mighty Great Cat thinned, then disappeared.
* * * * *
Josh stepped up to the blast door and kicked the center of the outline Galborae had cut. The heavy metal fell with a clunk into the bridge. He stepped to the side and tossed his flash-bangs, then followed them with two smoke emitters. He covered his ears and waited until they exploded, then he leaped through the opening and went right. Galborae was right behind him and went left.
They did not see super peicks, but they saw disturbances in the smoke as the creatures abandoned their stations and fled. Helmets that had connected them to the net still swayed as they dangled on their cables. Clearly, the super peicks had been in the net, but they had been forced to leave it to defend themselves.
He and Galborae each took out two peicks with multiple shots through the smoke while moving to cover behind workstations. Blasters fired back at them from the far end of the room. Josh studied the ricochets and decided they were coming from opposite corners near the ceiling. He fired into one corner, and Galborae fired into the other, but neither of them hit anything.
After a period of continuous firing that netted them nothing, Josh tossed another smoke emitter and left cover, racing ahead two work stations. Galborae provided covering fire, and Josh moved to the next station where he suddenly confronted a super peick face to face.
Both of them were surprised. Josh fell back, firing repeatedly up at the creature as it leaped onto him. One shot hit the peick in the neck and it collapsed onto him.
The other peick leaped over its partner, headed for Galborae. After years of fighting gleasons, Galborae was ready for the erratic leaping and hit the peick in mid-air with his blaster, following up with multiple shots just as he had done against gleasons.
Spirit of Empire 4: Sky Knights Page 55
