Dark Planet Warriors: The Serial (Books 1-3)

by Anna Carven

Is this what he meant?

  Fissures start to appear in the super thick glass, widening, lengthening. It’s all messed up now, like crazy paving, so I can’t see clearly through to the other side.

  I start to back away, the skybridge wobbling beneath my feet.

  There’s an almighty tearing sound, a rush of air, and then the whole panel of glass caves in. I scramble out of the way as massive chunks fall all over the place. I think some splinters have caught me in the face. A sharp, irritating pain flares across my forehead and cheeks. I’m suddenly grateful for my goggles and gloves.

  The breach in the outer surface has exposed me to the vacuum of space, and air starts to rush out, accompanied by shards of broken glass. It’s trying to suck me out. I grab onto the railing and pull myself across the bridge, dragging myself further and further away from the breach.

  The sucking air whips at my hair and makes the cuts on my face sting. I’m sure I’m bleeding somewhere, but I don’t have time to assess my injuries. I cry out with the effort as I continue to drag myself away from the huge, gaping hole, not daring to look back.

  And bit by bit, it becomes a little easier, the pressure lessening.

  I start to run, the metal bridge clanging underfoot. I run until the sucking force has lessened and I’m standing at the top of the narrow ladder, looking down.

  I curse Station Boss Emin to hell for being too cheap to install a freaking hoverlift. And that’s when I hear it.

  That sound. A low-pitched, chchchchch. An insect-like chittering.

  “What the hell is that?” I groan in dismay.

  I shouldn’t look back right now. I really shouldn’t look back. But I can’t help myself.

  I turn, and see something straight out of a twentieth-century horror movie.

  It’s an oversized cockroach. At least that’s my first impression. But I realize it’s black, with two giant claw-like limbs as its arms and several pairs of long, spidery legs. It has a head of sorts, that pops out of its hard carapace to reveal a giant, gaping maw. Two triangular black eyes stare back at me.

  It’s about twice my size.

  This is not good. As I make eye contact with the thing, it lets out a shrill shrieking noise. And then, its multiple lower legs start to retract. It’s sort-of crouching down, and I realize, in horror, that it’s preparing to jump. At me.

  I have barely a second to think and weigh up my options.

  One, I could try to climb down the ladder. But this thing will get me before I reach the second rung.

  Two, I could rush at it, and try to fight it. With what? A bucket and brush? This thing just cracked the supposedly impenetrable outer dome of the facility. No, I don’t want to end up skewered on its serrated claws.

  Abbey shish kebabs is not an option right now.

  Three, I could…

  Oh, hell no.

  I look towards the thing, then back, then down. Then at the thing again. Bridge. Ladder. Down. Me. Thing.

  Jump.

  “Shit,” I whimper, not liking the options before me. Climb ladder and die. Stay here and die. Jump and die.

  One has more chance of survival than the others.

  If I’m lucky, I’ll land in a tree, or in a compost heap. There are a hundred things down there that can break my fall.

  The insectoid thing opens its mouth, revealing strings of viscous mucus. I don’t hesitate for another second.

  “Fuck that,” I whisper. There’s no way in hell I’m letting that thing bite me.

  So I close my eyes, and jump.

  Tarak

  As I enter the giant vegetation dome, an ear-splitting rushing sound reaches me. The air is moving.

  It’s being sucked out of a break in the structure.

  Movement draws my eye. At the top of the flimsy ladder, a figure is falling, and screaming.

  The female.

  I start to run, willing my exo-suit to push my legs faster, harder. She’s dropping like a stone. And after her comes an adult Xargek, its spindly legs flailing in the air.

  The Xargek must have breached the glass of the dome. Only a Xargek could survive for so long in pure space without oxygen.

  I jump over bushes and garden beds and containers of fertilizers and harvesting machines. I will myself to reach her.

  But she’s too far, and no matter how hard I try, I just can’t make myself go any faster.

  I let out a grunt of frustration as she gains velocity. The sucking air has become a roar, and a wailing, deafening alarm starts up. Bits of leaf and sticks are flying around, and I bat away a small branch as I sprint towards her.

  An emergency shutter is sliding down over the dome, cutting off the light, restoring normal pressure. As I whip through a grove of trees, I see her crash down into the foliage, a cry of pain coming from where she’s landed.

  Then silence.

  I curse out loud in Kordolian as the Xargek flutters its small, useless wings, landing next to her.

  Moments later, I’m reaching the spot where she’s landed, beneath a fruit tree. Pink, round fruits are scattered all around, some squashed on the floor. And beside her, the Xargek is raised on its hind legs, its claws poised. Ready to strike.

  Yellow venom drips from its maw, and it shrieks, carrying on with its incessant death cry.

  Blood lust overcomes me and I draw my twin blades, my armor extending to protect my face and hands. I have to kill it. As it descends, I move in front of the Human, my blades meeting its sharp foreclaws with a metallic clang.

  It emits its piercing cry again, in anger.

  It’s engaged me now, forgetting about the Human. As I deflect its vicious blows, I draw it away from her, towards an area stacked with barrels. It’s focused on me now, and it’s irritated.

  I need to get in close. Even Callidum can’t pierce its tough carapace. I need to find its weak spot, at the top of its head, or I need to sever its neck.

  The Xargek swipes at me with its claws, and one of the strikes catches me in the torso, sending me skidding back several paces. The exo-armor absorbs most of the impact, but the force is enough to slow me down. As it goes for the second strike, I drop to the floor, evading it. It hits again and again and I roll out of the way.

  Deep gashes are left in the synthetic floor, where it has struck.

  I’m lying on my back, about to jump to my feet when the Xargek swarms over me, dripping acidic venom onto my armor. If it were my bare skin, my flesh would have melted.

  The Xargek extends its head, its mandible working overtime. I see my reflection mirrored in its strange, triangular eyes.

  Fuck that.

  With a grunt, I launch both of my swords, plunging them upwards through its head.

  For a moment, the creature keeps moving, and I use all my strength to resist it. Then, a gurgling sound starts to emanate from its throat. I pull out my swords and roll away as it collapses to the floor.

  It shudders and jerks and then goes still. A pool of foul-smelling yellowish liquid forms around its head.

  That’s how they bleed. Yellow.

  The thing is finally dead.

  I realize that it’s gone quiet. The wailing alarm of the Station has stopped, and the entire transparent roof of the dome is now covered with some kind of metal emergency shutter.

  The air is still. The vacuum created by outer space has been sealed.

  I get to my feet, breathing heavily as a faint whimper draws my attention. I swear heavily in Kordolian.

  The Human female is injured, but she’s alive. I rush to her side. She’s lying on her back, with her legs twisted at an uncomfortable angle. Her face is covered in cuts and grazes. I gently pull the safety goggles away from her face.

  She grimaces in pain, but somehow manages a smile. “That you, General?”

  I will my helm to retract, and her smile grows. She’s lying here battered and bruised with her legs twisted underneath her and she still manages to have that expression on her face. “You killed that awful thing?”

&n
bsp; “I killed it.”

  “Good.” Her expression turns fierce, but then she grimaces in pain. “I can’t move my legs. They hurt like a bitch. I guess in this case pain is a good thing?”

  I take her hands into mine. Human skin is soft, and her hand appears tiny against my own. Her fingers are warm.

  If only I’d been here sooner, this mess could have been avoided. But now, because of me, this has happened.

  She tries to move, but that only makes her suffer. I put a hand on her shoulder. “Stop,” I say gently. “Don’t move.”

  Her composure in this situation amazes me. I’ve seen battle-hardened soldiers with lesser injuries wailing like children in the field. Her Human body may be weak, but her will is strong. If she hadn’t jumped, she would be dead right now.

  I should leave her to the Humans now. She’s injured beyond measure, and her recovery will be long and painful. If she survives, her life will never be the same.

  Behind her, the Xargek lies in a heap, lifeless, its soulless eyes staring at me in seeming hatred, even in death. They are predators, nothing more. Organized. Efficient. Deadly. They have their own incomprehensible hive intelligence. They are without empathy or remorse. We have tried to understand their motivations, and failed.

  So instead, we try to eliminate them.

  “What was that thing, General?” Her voice cracks. Behind her brave face is fear. She’s never seen a Xargek before.

  “Do not worry about such details now, Human.”

  “It’s Abbey,” she whispers. “I have a name, General.”

  “Ah.” I watch the rise and fall of her chest as she lets out an involuntary cry of pain. I should call the Human medics, but Humans have not mastered technology on our level.

  She needs a nanograft.

  My people will not like it, but I will insist. This is my responsibility.

  “Rykal,” I snap, activating my comm. “Get Zyara. Tell her I’ve got a full emergency. She needs to come now. We’re in the vegetation dome. If you don’t know the way get the Human soldier to lead you. Bring a stretcher.”

  “What happened, Sir?”

  “Questions later,” I bark. “Just get your asses over here now.”

  A small hand squeezes my own. “We have medics too, you know. Maybe you should call them. They’re more familiar with treating Humans. I get the feeling our biology’s a little different to yours.”

  I look down at her legs. I can see a fragment of bone protruding from one of her injuries.

  “Human medicine can’t do what we can,” I whisper.

  A tortured expression crosses her face, and her breathing is becoming faster, shallower. Crimson blood is pooling around her legs.

  “Rykal,” I shout, into the comm. “Where the fuck are you?”

  “On the way, Sir.” He sounds breathless.

  The female’s eyes flutter. She has pale brown eyes, almost golden. “The skydome is cracked,” she murmurs. “There’s no sunlight for the oxygen filters. We need to get it fixed. Or we’re all going to choke to death.”

  In the midst of her suffering, she’s still worrying about the fate of this Station, making sure the Humans have air to breathe.

  Unbelievable.

  “You talk too much,” I scold, but there’s no sting in my voice. She blinks, as if staring at me for the first time, her eyes big in her pale, heart-shaped face. I reach down and wipe away a trickle of blood that’s about to enter her eye. Her skin feels clammy, a light sheen of sweat making her features glisten.

  Her eyes become unfocused, and her grip becomes weaker.

  She’s drifting away.

  The thought of her dying bothers me. A lot. I shouldn’t care about an inferior Human this much, but in the short time I’ve spent with this female, she has somehow earned my respect.

  Some of her traits are so very Kordolian.

  And the Xargek are here because of us. I failed to protect her, despite my assurances.

  This situation has come about because of me.

  It would be a shame if her life slipped away now.

  I’m a filthy cur, tainted by war. I have played my part in destroying civilizations and spreading Kordolian rule across the nine galaxies, and I have done it well. Under the old regime, I was feared and hated.

  But I am not without honor.

  And I am not leaving this female to die needlessly, because of my negligence. An instinct stirs in me, stronger than ever before. She’s under my protection now. Mine.

  I will do everything in my power to cure her, even if it means dragging her back to Kythia and forcing the High Council to grant her the healing privileges given to the Kordolian elite.

  They have the ability to restore her body to its original state.

  I just need to convince them. And I can be very persuasive, when I want to be.

  CHAPTER FOUR

  Abbey

  It hurts. I can’t move my legs and I’m looking up to see the skydome covered over by the emergency shutters, the sunlight shut out. I’m surrounded by something sticky and warm. Is that my own blood?

  It’s gone dark. I can barely see, but something large and warm squeezes my hand.

  It’s the General. I can’t believe he’s here, bending over me like this, all his hardness and arrogance gone.

  There’s something about falling off a hundred foot ladder that invokes sympathy, I guess.

  His palm is rough and callused, and it completely engulfs my hand, but it’s warm.

  At least these Kordolians aren’t cold-blooded.

  I try to move, but he puts a firm hand on my shoulder. Something’s seriously wrong. The pain is so bad it’s almost not painful anymore, if that’s even possible. At least my legs actually hurt. I read somewhere that if you’re really paralyzed you don’t feel pain anymore. I don’t know if that’s true.

  It feels as if my legs are broken in a hundred places.

  “Don’t move.” The General’s deep voice reaches me through a fog of agony. I bite my lower lip and nod, trying to reassure him that I’m fine, but my vision’s starting to go blurry, and his pale, alien features start to become distorted. Even when he’s trying to be nice, he’s still bossy.

  He is a General, though. Bossy is in the job description.

  What a stupid thought to be having right now. I might actually not survive this.

  Did I just think that? No way. I can’t afford to not survive. I refuse to die.

  Especially because of an oversized cockroach. I am not having ‘killed by a cockroach’ on my obituary.

  I can’t believe this has happened. I guess they’re right when they say anything can happen in deep space.

  The General’s saying something, but I can’t quite make out the words. I close my eyes. Everything’s going black.

  It would be nice to just sleep right now.

  There are lots of voices now. I can’t move. I’m floating on a cloud of pain. This really sucks. This morning I was having coffee above the dock. Now, I’m lying here with my legs smashed to bits, after being attacked by a terrifying alien insect.

  And another alien is holding my hand. His hand is warm. Rough and warm.

  I force my eyes open again. It’s an effort to stay awake. His face swims into view. I see deep red eyes. He’s staring at me with a strange expression. I can’t concentrate. I can’t understand anything.

  Lots of voices swarm around me. They’re speaking another language. Kordolian? I don’t understand anything. The General sounds really fired up now, barking orders at them.

  Hands are on me. Gloved hands, pressing something cool and sticky onto my injuries. Sticking something into a vein in my hand. There’s no pain anymore.

  I try to speak, try to open my mouth, but nothing’s happening.

  Hands are all over me, sliding me onto what I think is a hover-stretcher. It floats upwards, and then we’re moving. I twist and try to see what’s happening. My eyes flutter open and closed, revealing glimpses of the brightly-lit service corrido
r. We’re moving fast.

  Others have joined the General now. Kordolians? I’m hooked up to something, and whatever they’ve put on my legs has stopped the bleeding, I think.

  The pain’s becoming less, too.

  The lights are too bright. I’m floating in and out of consciousness.

  Everything’s dark now, and there’s nothing I can do except let these strange aliens take me away as everything fades to black.

  Tarak

  As Zyara raises the hover stretcher with the help of the yellow-haired Human female, Abbey floats in and out of consciousness, now connected to lines and monitors. I glance at her, noting the paleness of her skin. The pink flush to her cheeks is gone, and the delicate skin around her eyes appears grey.

  A flicker of movement at the edge of my vision catches my attention, and I turn.

  It’s the Xargek. It’s round abdomen writhes and pulsates, and I curse in frustration. I pull out a plasma gun and run over to it, firing at its mangled body.

  “Rykal,” I yell. “Burn it! It’s about to spill its larvae.”

  “On it, boss.” He leaves Zyara’s side and pulls a plasma cannon, setting it to incinerate. I step out of the way as a great blue flare of energy engulfs the Xargek’s corpse.

  The smell of burning chitin rises from it, as a swarm of tiny, skittering creatures scatters across the floor. I fire at them, but they disperse like a cloud, disappearing into the vegetation.

  “Fuck,” I growl. The Xargek, in a final, irritating act of defiance, has released its offspring. They’re going to be almost impossible to find until they’ve grown larger.

  I will not abandon this station until we’ve found and killed each and every one of them. It’s not for the Humans that I’m doing it. It’s for the entire nine galaxies. For the Kordolian empire. We cannot allow the Xargek to gain a foothold in any sector.

  And the Humans can’t defend against them on their own. They’re weak.

  I activate my comm. “First Division,” I snap, “be aware that our little Xargek problem has now increased by a factor of a hundred. Be alert and exterminate. I want all of them destroyed before we leave this station. As usual, eliminate at all costs. But try not to kill too many Humans in the process. I don’t want to deal with another fucking inquiry from Interspecies Relations.”