by Tripp Ellis
"I promise." Diesel said. "Now get moving."
Flur sighed. He didn't have much choice. "Where are we going?"
“To find the harvest station."
"I think I know where that is."
The two marched through the corridors and weaved their way to the forward compartments. They passed guards here and there without incident.
Diesel peered through viewports of various compartments until she found the extraction room. She watched as a flexible arm descended from the ceiling gripping onto the cranium of a prisoner strapped into a chair. The prisoner's eyes bulged with fear. Without any pain medication, or localized numbing agent, the robotic arm drilled through the prisoner’s skull. Chips of flesh and skull splattered as the bit bore through, then extracted the brain matter. The old man screamed in agony, and his body twitched during the procedure. Then he slumped in the chair.
Two guards unstrapped him and dragged him away.
Diesel mashed a button on the bulkhead, and the hatch slid open. She pushed into the extraction room, blasting at the guards. She eviscerated them with two precise bolts. Their bodies crashed to the deck. Smoke wafted from the pock marks in their chests. A small flame flickered in the crater, then burned out. The pungent stench of burning Tarvaax flesh filled the compartment.
Fear washed over the faces of the two extraction technicians. They were dumbstruck by the assault. One of them finally lunged for the alarm button, but Diesel fired a shot, incinerating the creature’s hand. A second shot blew a hole in his chest. His body slumped against the control console.
The other technician raised his hands in the air.
"Sergeant Cole. Where is he?" Diesel asked.
The technician shrugged.
"Cyrus Cole! Where is he?" She asked in a slow, deliberate tone. Diesel pushed the barrel of her weapon into the technician's face.
The creature pointed to a temporary holding cell.
Diesel moved across the compartment and opened the hatch. She pulled off her helmet and shook out her flowing hair.
Cole's bright eyes looked up at her with relief. "It's about time you got here. I was next in line for brain soup." He scowled at the technician who was trembling by the console.
Diesel motioned for the technician to take a seat in the extraction chair.
The creature hesitated, but Diesel was insistent. The technician finally moved to the chair and Cole strapped him into the seat.
Diesel moved to the control console. Her hand hovered over the button to activate the extraction process.
The technician’s eyes filled with terror. His shaky voice muttered a few words in Federation-speak. "No. Please don't."
48
Zack
Aarnok stabbed his sword down toward Zack's chest. But an explosion rumbled the entire palace, knocking Aarnok off balance. The power went out, and the only illumination was coming from the plasma swords and the light cascading in the window.
Aarnok’s evil face was bathed in the blue glow from his sword.
Zack rolled aside as Aarnok's plasma sword stabbed into the marble floor. The blade pierced the stone like it were soft cake.
Zack scampered for his sword. He grabbed the handle, launched to his feet, and slung the blade around to deflect another blow from Aarnok’s sword.
The alien's eyes blazed with rage as he slashed at Zack. Aarnok took a wild swing, and Zack ducked underneath the blade. Aarnok's momentum carried him forward. Zack whirled around and stabbed his sword deep into Aarnok’s side. The searing hot blade incinerated part of his lung and the right ventricle of his heart.
Zack pulled the blade from Aarnok's torso and prepared to strike again, but the fatal wound had already been inflicted. It would just take a moment for the damage to settle in.
Aarnok's eyes were wide with disbelief. He glimpsed at Zack for a moment, then collapsed to the ground. His sword clinked against the marble and deactivated. The last gasp of air seeped from his lungs.
The Prince was dead.
Zack deactivated his plasma sword and moved to Honor. He winced with pain, clutching his side as he moved. The heat cauterized the wound, so there wasn't any bleeding. But it still felt like someone had pressed a hot iron against his flesh.
Another explosion rumbled through the building. Marble cracked and debris fell from the ceiling. Charlie had blown up the reactor. The palace was beginning to crumble. It was like an earthquake had hit the structure.
Zack glanced out the window and saw the protective force-shield evaporate.
"Come on. We have to go." He took Honor’s hand and pulled her toward the door. She was still in a daze.
Zack pushed into the hallway and marched toward the stairs next to the elevator. He spiraled down to the ground floor with Honor in tow.
The building was in chaos. Terrified courtiers scurried about, screaming. The air was filled with smoke and haze. Zack coughed as his lungs filled with dust. Shattered pillars and debris lay strewn about. Sections of the palace were on fire. There was no telling how much radiation had escaped into the atmosphere from the blast.
Zack made his way down the corridor, dragging Honor with him. He navigated the maze of debris, heading toward the landing pad.
A guard caught sight of him and tried to stop him, but Zack slashed at him with the plasma blade before the alien had a chance to react. The beam severed the creature in two. Both halves splattered against the floor.
Zack pushed through the smoke and haze to emerge on the other side of the palace. He wasn't far from the exit that led onto the tarmac. He hoped Charlie would be there. He wasn't a pilot, and he had no idea how to fly one of these Tarvaax ships. But that wasn't his biggest concern at the moment.
Vuul was blocking his path to the tarmac. He was going to have to get through the Emperor first.
49
Diesel
“Let me do the honors," Cole said. He had a devious glint in his eyes as he pressed the button on the console that activated the extraction device. The flexible arm descended from the ceiling and latched onto the technician’s skull. The drill-bit spun up. A high-pitched whine filled the room. The jagged teeth of the hole-saw tore through the alien’s soft flesh, splattering blood on the cranial guard. It bore down into the skull, debriding away fine chips of bone. The device lifted the circular plate of bone, then began to suck out the contents of the alien’s skull.
The creature screeched and screamed.
Cole delighted in watching the creature get a taste of his own medicine.
The gunnery sergeant grabbed a plasma rifle from one of the dead guards. He checked the plasma charge and readied the weapon.
“Hey, can I get one of those?" Flur asked.
"No," Diesel snapped.
“Who is this?" Cole asked, curiously surveying the green little alien.
"This is our way out of here," Diesel said. "He's got a ship, and he's going to take us wherever we want to go.” She glanced to Flur. “Aren't you?"
Flur shrugged. "Yeah sure. No problem."
“Let's get Rex and Cyclops and get the hell out of this place,” Cole said.
“There are thousands of people in cryo-stasis,” Diesel said. "I'm not leaving them behind."
“And how exactly do you plan on getting them out of here?” Cole asked.
“I don't."
Cole's eyes narrowed at her. "You're not thinking what I think you're thinking, are you?"
Diesel nodded.
"You want to take over this entire station?"
“We’ll infiltrate the CIC, jump the entire station back to Federation space, then destroy the quantum drive. It's a no-brainer."
"Yeah, you've got to have no brain to attempt it." Cole said.
“Flur said that there were several hundred prisoners waiting to be transported to one of the mining colonies. If we can release them, we’ll have our own little army."
“And what if this thing is lying to you?”
"Flur's not dumb enough to lie to me, are
you, Flur?" Diesel eye’d him with a deadly stare.
"Look at her,” Flur said. “This woman is psycho. Do you think I want to mess with that?"
Cole wasn't going to argue with him.
“Between you and me, I'm not a big fan of the Tarvaax. They smell bad. They’re pushy. And they’re making a mess of our planet."
Cole contemplated this. "Where are the prisoners located?"
“I can take you there," Flur said.
Cole gave a reluctant nod of agreement. He moved to the hatch and peered through the viewport. The hallway was empty. He opened the hatch, and the trio pushed into the corridor.
Diesel put on her helmet, and marched Cole forward at gunpoint. Flur led the way, strolling along as if he owned the place.
Cole craned his neck back and muttered to Diesel, "What's with this guy?"
"He's impersonating a Prince."
They snaked through a maze of passageways, mostly unnoticed until a Tarvaax officer stopped them.
“Where are you taking this prisoner?”
Flur hesitated. "I may have gotten a little turned around."
"Which docking bay is your ship located at?"
“32," Flur said.
The officer let out a heavy sigh. It was clear he was getting tired of giving directions to lost aliens. He turned away slightly as he pointed down the corridor. "Go to the end of this hallway, take a right, then your first left, then take the third right and follow that all the way to the terminal—“
Diesel cracked him in the back of the head with the butt of her rifle. Cole pounced on the alien and snapped its neck.
“Remind me not to get on your bad side,” Flur said.
Cole grabbed the dead alien by his collar and dragged him aside. But two other guards turned the corner before he could hide the officer in a nearby compartment. They drew their weapons and spewed a stream of plasma bolts down the corridor.
Diesel flattened her back against the bulkhead, taking cover behind a pilaster. Flur followed suit. Cole grabbed the officer’s pistol and ducked behind a support structure. The two returned fire while Flur tried to make himself as small, and as obscure, as possible.
Blazing bolts of plasma rocketed through the corridor. Smoke and haze filled the air as blasts impacted the bulkheads, leaving smoldering craters behind.
Alarms sounded, blaring through klaxons. More guards flooded in the hallway, and soon they were cut off with a squad of guards on either end.
“Maybe we should have just gotten out of here when we had the chance,” Diesel said.
Cole sneered at her. He inched along the bulkhead and pressed a button, opening a hatch to a nearby compartment. Cole fired several blasts down the hallway, then spun his barrel around 180° and fired a few quick bursts in the opposite direction. He ducked into the compartment.
Diesel waited for a lull in the action, then sprinted across the corridor and dove into the compartment.
Flur cowered in the hallway amid the streaking bolts of plasma. The air was so thick with smoke, you could barely see the guards at the end of the hallway. Flur closed his eyes and ran across the hallway into the compartment as plasma projectiles blazed all around him. He could feel the heat on his skin as they sizzled past.
Once Flur was inside, Cole closed and locked the hatch. It was only going to be a matter of time until the Tarvaax broke through.
50
Zack
The Emperor twirled his sword in a dazzling display of his prowess, then brought the weapon to the ready position. "Perhaps my son was right. I should've killed you when you first arrived."
"Aarnok might still be alive if you had," Zack said, trying to enrage the beast.
It worked.
Vuul snarled and charged at Zack. His eyes burned with hatred. He swung the blade down at Zack with all his might. The power in his strike was immense.
Zack slung his sword overhead to block the blow. The impact rattled Zack's hand and sent a jolt through his arm, up to his shoulder, and down into his rib cage. The flexion of his muscles reignited the burning sensation of his wound.
The plasma beams crackled against one another.
Zack was face-to-face with this tyrant, trying to hold his blade back. Both of their faces were illuminated by the glow of their swords.
Zack pushed off and circled around the beast. If he had learned anything about fighting larger opponents, it was to keep moving. Wear them down. Let them do all the work.
Vuul charged at Zack again, hacking his blade at the tiny human. Zack stepped aside, and the massive sword sliced into the marble floor, missing its target. Vuul twisted around to face Zack, slashing the blade inches from Zack's torso.
Zack stepped back and circled around.
Vuul hacked at him again, and Zack blocked overhead. Their swords clanked and sparks flew. Zack spun away and slashed Vuul's thigh. The blade dug a canyon in his quadricep. The Emperor's leg buckled, and he growled in pain. But it only seemed to energize him. He attacked Zack with even more fury, hacking and slashing. He had a crazed look in his eyes. Nothing was going to stop him. He was going to get his revenge.
Zack defended against the blows, dodging and circling. Zack's heart was in his throat. His chest heaved for breath and his lungs were on fire. The smoky haze made it difficult to breathe. The dust tickled the back of his throat.
Vuul didn't seem to be slowing down at all.
Zack felt like he was wearing himself out more than he was the Emperor. But he certainly couldn't stand toe to toe with this beast.
The swords clamored and clanked. The sound echoed through the halls of the palace. The plasma blades crackled and sparked.
Vuul kept hammering at the little human. Each strike rattled Zack’s bones. It was getting harder and harder to defend against Vuul's attacks. Zack’s hand was almost numb from the constant battering. Each hit sent a shockwave through his metacarpals. The previous damage to his torso made it hard and painful to even hold up his arm in defense. He wasn't going to be able to keep this up for long.
Vuul struck down with all his might. Zack's sword rattled from his hand and slid across the floor. Vuul struck down with another blow, severing Zack's arm.
Zack screamed in agony as he crashed to the floor. The searing pain jolted through his body, he could feel it all the way into his toes. His eyes brimmed with tears, and his face was beet red. He could still feel sensation in the arm, even though it was across the room. It was phantom impulses from the severed nerves. His heart was racing, and adrenaline coursed through his body. He looked up at Vuul as the alien towered over him with a victorious smirk on his foul face.
"You disappoint me," the Emperor said. "I expected more. And I so wanted to prolong your suffering."
Vuul gripped the handle of his sword with both hands and raised it high overhead, ready to stab down ending Zack once and for all.
Zack looked up at the glowing blade and contemplated his final moments.
51
Diesel
The guards swarmed around the hatch, frantically trying to override the locking mechanism.
Diesel, Cole, and Flur were trapped in a small birthing compartment. There were four racks, two on either side with a narrow space between them, a minuscule storage closet, and a tiny desk.
Diesel pulled off her helmet and tossed it aside. She handed her plasma rifle to Cole, then unholstered her pistol. She grabbed Flur and put the pistol to his head. "Play along, or I will blow your head off."
"You should really look into meditation. You seem too aggressive for your own good," Flur said. "By the way, is that pistol on safety?”
"No."
“I’d feel a lot more comfortable if the safety was on. You seem a bit twitchy."
Diesel nudge the barrel against his temple, giving Flur the signal to shut up.
The guards finally bypassed the lock, and the hatch slid open. Furious plasma rifles poked into the compartment.
"Back off, or I'll blow the Prince’s head off,”
Diesel yelled.
The guards didn't budge.
"I mean it, or frog-boy dies. You'll have an intergalactic incident on your hands."
The guards weren’t sure what to make of the situation. They hesitated for a moment, then finally backed away from the hatch.
Diesel had no idea how important the Prince was, or if the Tarvaax cared one way or another if he died.
She could hear the guards communicating with their superiors, getting clarification on how to proceed. A few moments later, the guards fell back.
Diesel pushed forward to the hatch. "Clear the hallway," she yelled.
She could hear footsteps clink against the deck as the guards retreated. Cole peered around the corner and watched the troops back into a nearby junction.
"What's your plan?" Cole asked.
“We get back to his ship and barter for the rest of the hostages in exchange for his release."
Cole had a look on his face that said this is never going to work. But they didn't have much choice.
Diesel eased into the hallway using Flur as a shield. Cole was right behind her, keeping an eye on their flank.
Diesel marched forward attempting to navigate the maze of passageways back to Flur's ship. She yelled ahead to the guards lurking around the corner. "Keep the hallways clear. If I so much as see a guard, or sense any hostile action, froggy dies."
“Do you have to keep calling me that,” Flur said. “It’s kind of insulting.”
The guards scampered to clear a path.
Diesel turned the corner with her hostage and saw Lytok standing in the corridor. Her eyes narrowed at him, and her grip on the pistol tensed.
Flur flinched.
"I see someone let you out of the storage compartment. I should have killed you when I had the chance."
“Your kind has never been known for its intellect,” Lytok said.
Diesel clenched her jaw. “I said clear the hallway."
