Boomer (Star Watch Book 3)

by Mark Wayne McGinnis

  Chapter 58

  Boomer was the last of the team to crest the narrow rock stairway leading up to the top plateau surface of the Palwon effigy. She craned her neck to look up toward the looming statue’s face. It … she … didn’t look particularly happy.

  Leon and Rizzo were busy hefting the lifeless corpses of fallen Tahli ministry members to the far side of the area. Rizzo unshouldered a body right onto another one—the way one would add one more log to a stacked wood pile. She had no affection for the cunning ministry members, but did feel they deserved some level of deference—if not respect—for their years of training … or maybe even their advanced age.

  She heard excited voices and walked around the curved base and the effigy’s almost human-looking, automobile-sized two feet—each with ten toes instead of five. The three surviving Tahli ministry members were on their knees with their bound hands behind their heads. Boomer was about to protest, but remembered what had recently happened to Rogna—whose body was now growing cold down on the rocks fifty feet below them.

  Hanna had a multi-gun pointed at their heads. “What are we doing with them?”

  “Hopefully getting some answers,” Boomer said. “They’re highly trained … not to mention devious … I wouldn’t take my eye off them for a second.”

  “Over here!”

  Boomer recognized Drom’s voice. She continued on around the base and found Drom and Mollie standing together in front of a protruding arch that was about five feet across and rose up about three feet in the air. It was nestled in between the backs of the effigy’s two big heels. As she approached she saw the arch was flat on top, like a table or console.

  “It’s made of Glist … like the rest of her,” Drom said, using a flat rock to scrape at a small section on the surface. A bluish glow emanated through the scrape marks. “Volcanic sediment makes everything look black here.”

  Boomer stood before the surface and took in a myriad of intricate symbols. There were also three cut-out openings. “These are where the wons go?” she asked.

  “Definitely,” Drom said.

  Boomer lowered a shoulder and grabbed the strap of Lord Zintar’s satchel. She opened it and pulled out the small seventeen-inch-tall statue and looked at it. She glanced back and forth between the base of the statue and the three odd-shaped openings. “These match,” she said, gesturing between the middle positioned opening and the effigy in her hand.

  “The Nordwon,” Drom said.

  He brought up the two statues from the satchel lying at his feet.

  “You’ve got the Goldwon and the Lortwon,” Mollie said. “They go here and here,” she said, pointing to the other two openings.

  Lightning flashed across the dark sky, quickly followed by three nearly eardrum-shattering thunder cracks. The wind came up and driving rain began to splatter the arch top surface.

  “Any idea the order they need to be inserted … which one goes first?” Boomer said with her statue already poised over the center opening.

  “Not that one!”

  The voice had come from the darkness between the statue’s massive feet. Hidden behind a section of long, draping Shadick, the warrior in black stepped into view. He was holding a multi-gun. Not the most recent model, but a multi-gun just the same.

  Rain bulleted his face—while his thick matted hair seemed to repel the moisture. His eyes were on Boomer. “I am Commander Jarial Shakrim … and I watched as you killed my father.”

  Boomer hesitated, then said, “I’m sorry. Sorry you had to see that. I didn’t want to …”

  “Shut up … just shut up … Calhoom.” The hatred in his voice was audible.

  She stopped talking. Boomer felt Drom tense and wondered if he was thinking of making some kind of move. That would be a mistake. He was fast—certainly a great warrior. But he wouldn’t be quick enough to beat plasma bolts. She looked at Drom and, almost imperceptibly, shook her head. She hoped he’d gotten the message.

  Using the muzzle of his weapon, Jarial gestured toward Mollie. “That one … it goes there. Insert that one first.”

  Mollie glanced at Boomer. She shrugged. Mollie took one of the statues from Drom and moved to position the Goldwon above the right hand side opening.

  “No … ignorant human … the other way … head in first.”

  Mollie hesitated before flipping the statue around—she squinted her eyes at the Sahhrain warrior. Eventually, she slowly lowered the Goldwon into the hole and quickly found that it needed to be turned until the head and shoulders and wing tips were aligned with the identically shaped cutout. With that done, the statue dropped all the way into the opening until there was a clang—its downward progression stopped by its wider base.

  “Now that one … it goes there!” Jarial said, indicating for Boomer to go next with the Nordwon.

  Boomer flipped it around as Mollie had done and, while looking at its shape, matched it to the opening and then lowered it into the middle hole. She dropped it and it too made the same clang sound. It had come to rest with only the base visible.

  Drom held the last remaining won effigy statue and leaned forward. Boomer watched as he positioned it over the left-side hole and stopped. He looked over his shoulder at Boomer. “If these are indeed keys … like to a gateway to a distant realm … are you sure we want to do this?”

  “You there … Blues mongrel … don’t look at her … look at me. Do it … do it now!” Jarial ordered.

  Drom ignored him. “You know … this probably can’t be undone.”

  Boomer had been thinking the same thing. This could be one of those epic moments in time. Perhaps it was a moment that had already been scribed onto stone tablets two thousand years ago. Her indecision was paralyzing. But what had really changed? Wasn’t the original plan to temporarily work with Lord Zintar Shakrim to open the gateway? Her intent had been to defeat Rom Dasticon … somehow … once and for all. Make it so he could never threaten this realm … not ever, while Zintar’s plan had been to defeat Dasticon also, but then to take his place as some kind of master of the multiverse. That in itself was ridiculous. But either way, both of them had planned to kill Dasticon.

  Boomer said, “I know what your father wanted. He told me. Why don’t you tell me what your intentions are?”

  Jarial furrowed his brow. “I don’t have to tell any of you anything! Least of all you. You murdered the only person that meant anything to me.” His eyes leveled on Drom. “You … drop in the statue or I’ll kill you where you stand.”

  Drom held fast and continued to look back at Boomer.

  “Perhaps you are less of a warrior than your father was,” Boomer said. “Perhaps you intend to do Dasticon’s bidding. To be Dasticon’s …” Boomer searched for an appropriate word.

  Mollie said, “Bitch.”

  “Yeah … Dasticon’s bitch,” Boomer said.

  “No. I will not be Rom Dasticon’s bitch. And I will honor my father … take his rightful place as the leader of the Sahhrain people. Soon the U.S. fleet … the Alliance will fall to our superior forces in space. And Sahhrain supremacy will not stop there.”

  “One way or another, Dasticon is coming. And he needs to be defeated. Your father knew that, and I know that. He wasn’t smart enough to comprehend one simple fact.”

  “And what is that?”

  “Only together can that happen. He is far too powerful to be defeated by any one of us alone.” Boomer took a step forward and placed a hand on top of Drom’s. She held it there and turned to Mollie. Mollie smiled and placed one hand on the others. All eyes turned to Jarial.

  He looked from Boomer to the others, and then back to Boomer.

  “You and me … we’re not done.”

  “Agreed.”

  Jarial lowered his multi-gun and let it fall to the ground. He stepped forward and placed his right hand on top of Mollie’s—completing the four-hand mound. Drom looked into Boomer’s eyes and waited. She nodded.

  He released his hold on the last won effigy
. Gravity pulled it down and, like the previous two, it clanged into place.

  The arched flat top surface began to rise up while increasing in size. The four of them stood back as the archway continued to rise up.

  For the first time, Boomer noticed that Leon and Rizzo had been standing several paces behind them. Hanna, presumably, was still keeping watch over the three Tahli ministry prisoners.

  Made of Glist and glowing bright blue, the archway continued to rise up high in the air—not unlike what that monument … the St. Louis Arch looked like back on Earth. She’d never seen it in person, but she had seen pictures. Obviously, what they had been standing at was just the top—the pinnacle—of something much … much larger. By the time the arch slowed and came to a full stop, it had widened beyond the sides of the base and loomed as tall as the effigy itself, well above the effigy’s head—as if she, angelic with her high tipped wings and defiant far-reaching look off to a distant horizon, was standing within a doorway of sorts.

  They were all looking up—shoulder to shoulder. Boomer felt Drom to her right and Jarial, now to her left.

  He looked at Boomer, his expression intense. “Are you ready for this … for what is about to happen?”

  “I don’t know. Are you?”

  Both Boomer and Jarial hadn’t noticed what the others—those still looking up at the archway—had.

  “Oh … my … God!” Mollie said.

  Rizzo said, “Did that just happen?”

  Leon said, “Yup … think it did.”

  Boomer looked up and then forward. It didn’t register at first. Register that the huge Palwon effigy was gone. The archway had remained but the statue was no longer there. In its place was a tunnel—carved out of roughly chiseled Glist blocks—a tunnel that looked as ancient as the ruins back on Harpaign. Somewhat larger than a subway tunnel, it was perfectly straight and looked to span many miles—the walls converging down to a distant tiny point of light that twinkled every so often. She stepped away to the side and, just as she figured, the tunnel was only visible while looking directly into the arch. The arch … or the tunnel … or both were a portal. How long it would stay open she had no idea. But something told her waiting much longer was not a good idea.

  Boomer looked over her shoulder and found Leon. “Think the Stellar would fit … could fly through that opening … into the tunnel?”

  He shrugged. “Probably.”

  The end.

  Thank you for reading Boomer, Star Watch - Book 3. Find out what happens next—stay tuned for Star Watch, Book 4—coming very soon. There’s lots of action still to come and I hope you’ll come along for the ride! Mark Wayne McGinnis.

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  Acknowledgments

  I am grateful for the ongoing fan support I receive for all my books. This book—my thirteenth, Boomer, Star Watch - Book 3—came about through the combined contributions of numerous others. First, I’d like to thank my wife, Kim, for her never-ending love and support. She helps make this journey rich and so very worthwhile. I’d like to thank my mother, Lura Genz, for her tireless work as my creative editor and a staunch cheerleader of my writing. I’d like to thank Mia Manns, for her phenomenal line and developmental editing … she is an incredible resource and friend. A special thank you goes out to L.J. Ganser, who produces the audiobook versions of my books. Anyone looking for a truly immersive—not to mention ‘fun’—reading experience, with all his wonderful character voices, you have to try the audiobook version. I’d also like to thank those in my writer’s MeetUp groups, who, bringing fresh ideas and perspective to my creative output, elevate my writing as a whole. Others who provided fantastic support include: Lura and James Fischer, Sue Parr, Stuart Church, Eric Sundius, and Chris DeRrick.

  Other books by MWM

  Scrapyard Ship

  (Scrapyard Ship series, Book 1)

  HAB 12

  (Scrapyard Ship series, Book 2)

  Space Vengeance

  (Scrapyard Ship series, Book 3)

  Realms of Time

  (Scrapyard Ship series, Book 4)

  Craing Dominion

  (Scrapyard Ship series, Book 5)

  The Great Space

  (Scrapyard Ship series, Book 6)

  Call To Battle

  (Scrapyard Ship series, Book 7)

  Mad Powers

  (Tapped In series, Book 1)

  Lone Star Renegades

  (Lone Star Renegades series, Book 1)

  Star Watch

  (Star Watch series, Book 1)

  Ricket

  (Star Watch series, Book 2)

  Deadly Powers

  (Tapped In series, Book 2)

  Boomer

  (Star Watch series, Book 3)

  Copyright

  Copyright © 2016, by Mark Wayne McGinnis. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law. For permission requests, write to the publisher, addressed “Attention: Permissions Coordinator,” at the address below. This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

  Edited by:

  Lura Lee Genz

  Mia Manns

  Avenstar Productions

  Ebook - ISBN: 978-0-9974514-0-5

  www.markwaynemcginnis.com

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