Legacy Of Korr

by Barlow,M

  Noah sighed. “I will.”

  “How old is the alien?” Mara asked, still looking at her mother.

  He’d turned to leave the room, but her words stopped him in his tracks. He spun around to face her. “Very.”

  “Exoskeletal bone armor?”

  “Yes.”

  “Then you have a problem,” Mara said, frowning. “They get stronger with age. If his exoskeletal armor is developed, he’d be tough as nails, and his bloodlust would be unconscionable. Make sure your men are careful, quick on their feet, and mindful of his wrist weapon blasts.”

  Noah thanked her and left.

  Mara glanced at his back. A part of her wished she hunted down the pilot herself, but she had to watch over her mother. She’d stay here as long as needed.

  This illness was not new to her family. Her grandmother, Queen Kaya, had it in her old age. Her vitals were faint and her limbs were still. She lay in her deathbed for months before she died. But her mother was young and strong. She could beat it.

  Shara smiled. “Remember when Alissara took off into deep space on her own as a child because mother wouldn’t let her join the exploration program? We chased after her with a small army until we found her a week later?”

  Mara chuckled at the memory of young Alissara in the spaceship by herself. The Queen had tried to contain her laughter to sound serious and intimidating. And what had little Alissara done? She’d fainted.

  They both glanced at Alissara and laughed.

  “It wasn’t my fault,” Alissara said, her face green as grass. “When I entered the ship, the drive was active. I pushed a button and cried the whole time.”

  Mara glimpsed at her mother. When would she recover? Mara placed her hand on her mother’s forehead. Her core was weak, but she was alive. And she was dreaming.

  *****

  “No!”

  Carilia screamed in despair at the sight of Korr, exploding.

  The Manakaris wiped out hundreds of thousands of years of culture and civilization in hours. Her anger spiraled out of control when she saw her world shatter into pieces.

  She should’ve annihilated their world when she had the chance.

  She closed her eyes for a moment to contain her wild emotions. Her first officer waited for her instructions.

  “Prepare the emergency protocols,” Carilia said, her eyes glowing. “Load a Planet Annihilator on a small ship and send it to Krath at once.”

  “Your Majesty,” he said with a look of horror on his face.

  Carilia stared him down. “Now, Captain.”

  “Yes, Your Majesty,” he said and rushed to carry out her order.

  A small, black ship emerged from her command battleship. It traveled at a blazing speed before it vanished.

  Minutes later, three silver ships took off from battleships and traveled until they disappeared.

  Her daughters survived.

  “Your Majesty, your ship is ready,” her first officer said.

  Carilia ordered her most powerful weapon to be prepared and fired in the middle of the invasion army. She hovered through the metal passages until she reached the Royal ship where two pilots had been awaiting her arrival.

  Once she entered the ship, they departed through an opening in the Mothership as it fired the deadliest weapon they had. It created a black hole that expanded, swallowing everything in around it. The royal ship picked up speed to escape the black hole’s gravitational field.

  “We made it out,” one of the pilots said, “preparing for the deep space jump now, your Majesty.”

  She nodded and looked at the rocks and dust, the gasses and lava, the water and metal scraps. What used to be Korr.

  Suddenly, the ship shuddered. Manakari soldiers materialized in the middle of the ship, and before she or her pilots left their seats, the soldiers fired their immobilizing weapons. For a minute, the ship spun around her before she lost consciousness.

  A while later, she opened her eyes to see a short Manakari retreat away from her in cautious anticipation. She tried to lift her arm, tried to fight, but her body didn’t respond. The Manakaris seemed pleased with the result.

  “Our work here is done,” the short Manakari said. “Her Majesty will take care of the rest.” He disappeared with the others.

  Hours later, her pilots recovered, and she regained control of her limbs. Carilia felt a heavy weight on her chest. She couldn’t feel or react the way she did before, even when she stood at the pyramids—a spot that reminded her of the victorious past. She saw her daughters, recalled the memories, but they never brought the same joy they used to bring her.

  Her mind raced to the desert when her daughters confronted her. She wanted to scream. To tell them she knew what they’re trying to do. She didn’t want to fight them, but her own mouth and body rebelled against her.

  The only consolation was that the rigorous training she put them through wasn’t in vain. They worked well together. They were strong, nimble, ferocious. Mara even risked her own life to free her. Carilia helped them. She shut down her own core before she could hurt her daughters.

  The last thing she remembered was a sharp pain in her head as Alissara and Shara forced her down and bombarded her with energy bursts until she fainted.

  Now, her body, once again, rebelled against her. It refused to move when she wanted it to move, or talk when she needed it to talk. But she wouldn’t give up. She’d try to control her limbs again. To tell her daughters that they weren’t alone. They needed to find the Last of Korr.

  Mara lifted her hand off of the Queen’s forehead.

  “Same dream?” Alissara asked.

  Mara nodded.

  Who were the Last of Korr?

  *****

  The Manakari Pilot

  January 3, 2031

  Alex walked into Noah’s office late in the afternoon. He entered and sat down across his desk. Noah leaned forward and clasped his hands on his desk, the look on his face like a judge, handing down a death sentence.

  “Mike is asking for our help with an assignment,” Noah said.

  “What is it?”

  “You’ll lead a team of enhanced soldiers to capture an alien.”

  “Again?”

  Noah nodded.

  “You’re not talking about the Queen or her daughters, are you?”

  “No, of course not. It’s a Manakari soldier.”

  Alex’s eyes narrowed. “They’re here?”

  “This one never left,” Noah said, and handed him a small tablet. “This is the encounter between the alien and a team of CIA agents in the Philippines.”

  The alien was quick, powerful, and vicious. His brutality was like nothing Alex had ever seen. He’d better write a will, and fast.

  Noah brought him up to speed in a few minutes. He explained the origin of the alien, and how the CIA found it. Noah told him what Mara advised him to do.

  “Your team left for the Philippines,” Noah said. “Your ship leaves in an hour. The alien hasn’t left the island. I need you to capture him alive.”

  “I’ll do my best.”

  He left Noah’s office to get ready. This assignment made his long career look like a trip to Bali. He’d never seen a human, or an animal, fight with this ferocity. If Alex was lucky, he’d get out with his skin intact.

  He prepared his bag and was about to board the ship an hour later when Noah showed up at the airport.

  Alex put down his bag. “I didn’t know you’re coming with me.”

  “I thought you’d like someone to hold your hand before the picnic.”

  “Picnics are my jam.”

  “I’m sorry I keep throwing you to the wolves, kid.”

  “No worries,” Alex said. “We have to face them sooner or later. Besides, I think we can take him.”

  “I asked for Mara’s help, but…”

  “It’s okay. I know you had no choice.”

  Noah sighed. “That’s what I tell myself every night to go to sleep, but what if our luck runs
out?”

  “One hell of a pep talk. You should’ve coached my footy team.”

  “Take care of yourself, kid.”

  Alex nodded, but didn’t comment. He shook Noah’s hand and boarded the ship.

  A while later, Alex stared out the window as the ship flew over the Indian Ocean on the way to the Philippines. The video he watched earlier played in his head nonstop. A kind reminder of the monster he was up against. Of the fate of those who faced it before him. Alex couldn’t take his mind off it until the ship landed, and his feet touched the ground on Badoc Island.

  Ten enhanced soldiers waited for him at the beach. Together, they marched to the bunker. The energy monitor, he carried, couldn’t read the alien’s location. He must’ve devised a strategy to avoid detection after Malik found him.

  Alex led his team through the island the same way Malik led his team in the video until they reached the makeshift footpath, and minutes later, the bunker. The metal door was open. Two soldiers jumped down, following his order.

  “Clear,” a soldier said.

  “Good, I prefer to fight him outside where we can evade his attacks,” Alex said and motioned them to split up and search for the alien.

  The soldiers followed his instructions. Teams of two scoured the island and searched for the alien in four directions. Alex joined the two soldiers in the hideout to look for clues to the alien’s whereabouts. Everything looked as it did in the video except for the suit of armor and weapons which was no longer in the room.

  Alex picked up the radio. “Team leader to team. The creature is armed and protected in a durable suit of armor.”

  The room was empty except for two tables and a small bed. Hard to imagine the alien had lived with so little for a hundred years.

  But what if it wasn’t little? What if this room had hidden paths?

  His phone had a nifty little feature—similar to X-Ray scanners—which sent sound waves to detect cavities behind walls. Alex held his phone along the bunker walls one by one to see if they were hollow. They were normal. The only wall left was the one behind the bed. He dragged the bed away and waved his phone across it, and it was hollow.

  He pulled his radio to recall his team. “Team leader to team. Everyone back to bunker ASAP.”

  The wall was smooth and normal-looking. Alex couldn’t find a visible door or a latch. Alex stepped back and aimed his palm at the wall. He felt the edges of a rock door in the center. Focusing his mind, Alex tightened his mental grip on the door. Then he moved back, ripping the door out of the wall. A long, well-lit corridor extended for at least twenty meters. In the bright, blue light, Alex saw openings on both sides, the alien’s hiding place for a hundred years.

  He waited until the team joined him in the room before he stepped forward to inspect the area. Two rooms had sophisticated communication equipment, one had high end tablets, and the rest had old human bones—he’d given up human experimentation decades ago. In the last opening on the left, the alien was sitting in a large metal chair. He was in full gear, with a large gun sitting on his lap.

  “Welcome to my lair, Agent. I see you have the Mark of Korr,” the alien said in a deep croaky voice that made Alex feel uneasy.

  Alex didn’t comment. He examined the alien, his weapon, and his armor as he inched forward to give the soldiers behind him enough room.

  The alien looked less frail in full armor. A gray helmet masked his face, except for two burning blue eyes behind the dark visor.

  “I saw your handy work from yesterday,” Alex said as he stepped to the right.

  A ghost of a grin covered the smug face behind the visor. “I hope that didn’t surprise you—I’ve killed many.”

  Alex reached for his gun. “I’m sure you have.”

  “You’re not here to chat, are you?”

  “No, I’m here to take you in willingly or not.”

  “I like my accommodations,” the alien said, waving his hand around. “As you see, I put a lot of effort into making it comfortable. As for the ‘not willingly’ part, well, you know what happened to my last uninvited guests.”

  Alex pulled his gun and stared him in the eye. “Believe me, you’ll pay for it.”

  “Perhaps, but it won’t be you or your half-baked, enhanced team that will make me.”

  “Don’t be so—”

  *****

  “No, I will.”

  Alex’s jaw dropped. “Mara!”

  The alien shot to his feet and aimed his gun at her. “I feel privileged. A Princess of Korr is here for my poor soul?”

  “Don’t flatter yourself. Training bores me.”

  “You’re correct. My memory fails me when I need it most. You’re not a Princess anymore. Your world is gone.” The alien turned his attention to Alex and his team. “Don’t worry. We have different plans for your world.”

  Mara’s eyes glowed, fed by bloodlust and a deep desire for revenge. “I was never much of a Princess, but don’t let that tie up your limited gray matter. You’ll be long gone by then.”

  “Uh, I was informed of the delightful, godly Korr attitude, but to see it with my old eyes is a rare treat. No, Princess, you should’ve perished with your world. You cannot hub between planets, crushing their necks with your heavy boots if they’re not to your liking.”

  The alien’s posture straightened, and his voice became loud as thunder. “A lot has changed in the millennia you spent drunk with power after destroying my world. You thought the bugs you crushed wouldn’t come back to life. But here we are. For the first time, you tasted defeat, and you have another one coming. Tell me Princess, how does it feel to be weak and helpless in the face of a flood you cannot hope to stop?”

  “You’re misguided. We’ve done nothing but defend ourselves from your attacks. But I have learned long ago that you can’t be reasoned with.”

  “Is that what the Queen told you?” He chuckled before he cut his laughter and his eyes smoldered through the visor. “You attacked my world—unprovoked—in a pre-emptive strike and annihilated the survivors who tried to seek refuge on Earth.”

  “I’ve heard enough.”

  “That is a happy coincidence because I have nothing more to say.”

  “Cuff him agents.”

  “I will see you in hell when my people arrive.”

  He pulled the trigger. His weapon launched a large, bullet-shaped projectile. Without hesitation, Mara pushed the agents out of the room with a large power wave. She balled her hands together, trapping the projectile between them.

  It exploded.

  Mara contained the explosion. Then she absorbed its energy. She reached him in one quick move. She carried the alien, slammed him against the wall. He let out a loud cry as his body hit the ground.

  Before he can make a move, her fist crashed against his torso. She punched through his armor and exoskeletal bone shell. She pushed her hands in the opening and ripped both layers open.

  In a desperate attempt, the alien bent his elbow to fire his wrist weapon. Mara’s fist crushed the metal bracelet and his bones. Forcing another scream out of him. He tried to punch her with his other fist. She met his punch with one of her own. She crushed his hand and his dream of winning the fight. A final blow to his head rendered him unconscious.

  Mara grabbed his leg and hovered in the air. She dragged him out of the opening through the corridor and out of the bunker. His head and chest smashed against the floor.

  “I’m taking him to Australia.”

  Alex nodded, his eyes wide. “I thought you’re staying by the Queen’s side.”

  “I liked Agent Malik,” Mara said.

  Before he had time to wonder, she turned around to speak to her sister. “Search the place.”

  Shara glided inside to analyze the contents of the bunker while Mara hovered to her ship. She threw the unconscious alien’s body in the ship and headed to Australia.

  *****

  Mara arrived at the medical facility where her mother lay unconscious. Alissara wa
s sitting beside her bedside, a wistful look on her face.

  “How is she?” Mara asked.

  “Ill.”

  Mara’s eyes glistened. She leaned forward and pulled up the blanket to cover her mother’s shoulders. Then she stepped back and grabbed a metal bar in the bed stand.

  Her mind was back in the year 1530 BC in Egypt. When she was little and her mother was well.

  Little Mara clutched her hands around the metal staff and looked up at Queen Carilia, her mother, who stood tall in her royal golden and red armor. Little Mara jumped up and hovered, then landed on her small feet. Again, she hovered and landed in a vain attempt to pass the time and keep her mind occupied. The King would arrive any minute now. She’d never met one before.

  Before long, King Ahmose appeared in a golden war chariot followed by his council and royal guards. He was tall with a thin waist, wide chest, and long muscly arms. His dark skin, black beard, and black hair further complimented his square jaw and light, brown eyes to paint a picture of a creature that was far more attractive than the Manakaris Little Mara had seen earlier on the trip.

  She was taken by the handsome King. Her small, green eyes lit up. She turned to bury her face in her mother’s armor to hide a shy smile and a face flushed with desire. The Queen noticed and smiled as she wrapped her hand around the tiny shoulders.

  Ahmose stepped down from his chariot and bowed in respect. “Your majesty!”

  The Queen touched the king’s shoulder, motioned him to stand up, and shook his hand. “I’m Queen Carilia.”

  “I’m Ahmose,” he said, and a big smile filled his face when he turned his attention to her. He touched her shoulder. It sent shivers down her spine.

  “This is my daughter, Mara,” her mother said.

  Before Mara knew what she was doing, she stretched her hand to the King.

  His smile widened, and he shook her little hand. “Your Highness!” He bowed in respect.

  Again, Mara buried her face in her mother’s armor and continued to do so for three straight days as Ahmose his people celebrated their arrival.

  Mara’s grip tightened on the metal bar in the bed. A happy, nostalgic smile covered her face.

  “Why are you smiling?” Alissara asked.