“Did you see that? Those creatures—” Kiyanna motioned Cerna to silence.
With a malevolent smile, the woman with the purple streaks waved her arms and pulled a card from her sleeve. The thugs laughed.
“Girlie, that card better have one sharp edge or you’re in big trouble….”
A deep purple aurora surrounded her.
“Do you see that glow?” Cerna said. Kiyanna again motioned for quiet. As the woman’s card-hand swept in an arc, a barrier of living teeth and claws appeared before her.
The thugs charged forward as if oblivious to the barrier. When they struck it, their shrieks of pain and surprise were met with a cold shrill from the woman. Cerna was baffled. Why would they just run into the barrier like that? Something behind the woman caught her attention. Though, it wasn’t something, as much as someone. Cerna whispered quietly to Kiyanna and pointed. “There. Isn’t that Yulanis? Hiding behind the pillar there?”
He sat crouched, frozen in fear, a large golden object in his arms.
The leader of the thugs chided from behind his front line. “Stop screaming like some girl, she didn’t even touch you!”
The wounded staggered back; blood oozed from the cuts. The leader’s face paled at the sight. One thug tried to lunge again but was met with the same painful result.
“Big, bad boys having trouble with little old me?” The woman’s face contorted and her voice raged, “Come on! Come and get me!”
She waved her hands and pulled another card. A black fog snaked around her purple glow as a swirling portal of energy appeared before her. With mouths agape, the thugs saw it this time. Furry, clawed arms were first to emerge, followed by a beast twice their height. Razor-sharp horns and a demon’s face unhinged her attackers.
“She— She’s one of those! Run!”
One of ‘those’? Cerna thought.
The band turned and ran, passing Kiyanna and the others as if they weren’t there.
* * * * *
“I know you’re there, so just come out already!” the woman shrieked.
Kiyanna rounded the corner and stood with her hands in the air. “We don’t want trouble.”
“Oh, yeah, the ones that wouldn’t help me from before.”
Yulanis peered from around the pillar. “Wait … wait!”
Her eyes held firmly on the strangers as she tilted her head to listen.
“They’re friends. Please—”
“You sure? That one doesn’t look like anyone’s friend,” the woman said, looking at Naijen.
“Yes.” He emerged from his spot and went to her. “Thank you for helping me.”
“Don’t thank me. How else am I going to get out of here?”
Yulanis looked at the group, grateful but puzzled. “You came looking for me?”
“I’m all he needs,” the woman said. With a dismissive motion of her hand, the portal reappeared and the creature crawled back through it.
“Sriya was worried,” Kiyanna said.
“I should have waited with my friend. But I wanted to get this woman to safety.… I’m sure Sriya was very worried.”
Speru approached the woman. “What were all those creatures? Especially those two that were crawling across the ceiling—and disappeared into you.”
The woman cocked her head to the side. “You saw those?”
He nodded emphatically.
“What else did you see?”
“Some type of creatures that made that barrier,” Cerna said.
The woman glared. “Who are you?”
“They’re friends, Dane,” Yulanis said.
“Are you from Keros?” Dane said suspiciously.
Kiyanna shook her head.
“It’s okay,” Yulanis said, in an attempt to calm her.
Dane’s face soured. “You don’t get it do you? They can see … are you part of Homeworld Security?”
A purple mist gathered around her body. The others stepped back.
Yulanis looked on confused, apparently not able to see the mist.
“You won’t take me. I won’t let you,” Dane said, lost in a rage. She began to reach into her sleeve.
“We’re not from your world or Homeworld Security,” Kiyanna said.
“They are friends, Dane,” Yulanis said.
“What do you know about these friends? They’re not what they seem.”
Her hand pulled from the sleeve, revealing a card with two skeletons locked in battle. A vortex of the purple mist erupted above her.
Naijen howled, excited, “Make this fun, please!”
A golden glow flooded the corridor. Dane’s expression melted as she looked to Speru. He had erected his golden aura, boosting it with his own hidden talents. He smiled warmly and said, “We’re the same, aren’t we?”
Her quilled demeanor lapsed; her eyes reflected longing and disbelief. She breathed heavily and waved away her vortex, and tucked away the card.
“What is going on?” Yulanis said.
“You can summon creatures?” Speru said.
Still not ready to trust them, she simply nodded. “What’s your story?”
“We have abilities too,” Speru added.
“This isn’t an isolated phenomenon to Keros?” Yulanis said.
Kiyanna shook her head.
“That’s what I was trying to tell you,” Dane snapped. “Usually people only see what I want them to, unless they have abilities too.”
“Eyani didn’t mention …” Yulanis stopped as the noise of battle grew from down the corridor. “We should get back to the store, talk more there.”
* * * * *
“Great Creator!” Yulanis said as the door unsealed and the sound of rioting flooded the corridor.
They ran through the promenade, fighting through a few groups before arriving back at the store. Sriya stood at the entrance fending off a group of thugs. Kiyanna and the others intervened and dispatched the threat. Gas canisters began exploding around them. Cries of anger were replaced with panic all around them.
“Into the store! Quickly!” Yulanis cried.
The group leaped over the unconscious thugs while Sriya deployed the security gate. They watched through small windows as soldiers streamed into the promenade, firing upon the rioters.
“Homeworld Security!” Yulanis said.
Dane shrieked as she ran inside, “Sriya, take everyone into the back room. Quickly!”
Sriya herded the group toward the rear of the store. Dane looked over her shoulder, wrinkles suddenly aging her otherwise youthful face.
“They got here fast,” Kiyanna said.
“You knew they were coming?” Sriya said.
Speru said, “We saw the announcement when we passed through the media room before.”
“What did it say?” she asked.
“That they’re deploying to all the colonies and gateway stations as well as across Keros,” Kiyanna said.
Dane cried out, “No!”
“They after you, right?” Naijen said.
“Not just me—anyone not like them.” She shook her head, trying to contain her despair. “You don’t understand. The things they’ve done …”
“Like what?” Kiyanna said.
“People disappearing, beatings, hunting people like animals. And all led by that bastard. Got what he had coming to him,” Dane added, pounding the wall.
“You’re not making sense,” Kiyanna said.
Sriya tried to console Dane then turned to the others. “Homeworld Security is a group that was founded and led by the leader that was assassinated.”
Dane’s agony quickly became rage. “The bastard … the bastard! Many of my friends were killed by his goon squads.”
Sriya continued, “The Oledant created a branch of the security force that focused on nonviolent criminal acts. It sounded innocent enough, but after becoming popular with the public, they expanded the group—began enforcing other things ‘on the books’ that hadn’t been taken seriously for decades. They became k
nown as the moral defenders. But it didn’t stop there. Rather than investigating things that happened, they started looking for potential offenders.”
“A witch hunt,” Dane cried. “It wasn’t about laws or anything anymore. It was about people who were different from everyone else. People who weren’t sheep like the rest of the mindless trash walking around …” Dane looked away. “People began to disappear, but no one cared—at least not about the type of people that were disappearing. And the more credit Homeworld Security got for societal progress the more the public loved their moral defenders.”
“And the bigger they got,” Kiyanna said, predicting the outcome.
Sriya nodded. “And the more popular Oledant Voray became.”
Dane’s porcelain face was now a deep red. “He used persecution and suffering to get to where he was. Fitting it was also his end.”
Sriya said, “Yulanis and I have helped many people leave Keros. We’ve worked with Dane in the past few weeks to get as many out of here as we could—without getting noticed.”
“Always wanted to leave this crap hole behind,” Dane added.
“Seems to me they’re looking for you for that killin’,” Naijen said.
Dane’s wrinkles deepened with frustration. “You think it’s a big surprise they’re doing this? Just gave them an excuse to crack down harder … telling the world that people like me did the assassination … are you some kinda sheep too? Can’t you see they’re just doing this to gain more control? They couldn’t care less that dung eater got offed. They’re just using this to get sympathy—sympathy from those mindless meat-sacks. Can’t you see how they’re all rolling over, like a dog? And soon the enfeebled masses will be under the complete control of Voray’s cronies.”
Her head shook, as if trying to dislodge unpleasant memories. “I’m done with this place. I never want to see it again. Let them live like that, in the mess they created. Not me. I won’t go back there. I’d rather die first.”
“We’ll find a way to get you out,” Sriya said.
“They better stay away from me,” Dane threatened. “I’ll kill them. I’ll kill them!”
Sriya said, “It’s okay, Dane. We’ll—”
The sounds of the store gates opening silenced the group. Kiyanna and Seigie peered from the back room into the store. They saw Yulanis move into the exit-way, talking to soldiers dressed in ink-black body armor.
* * * * *
Nukari! A rush shot through Seigie’s ancient body. There was no mistaking the emblem on the chestplate. Here too? How widespread could they be? Then a more terrifying thought came. These were supposed to be Homeworld Security members. If they were, then the Nukari were already in control of Keros—all of it.
She grabbed Kiyanna and jerked her back with the others.
“What?” Kiyanna said, annoyed.
“It’s our enemy. I’ve seen them on plenty of other worlds.”
“But Sriya and Dane said Homeworld Security is Kerosan … Sriya, where did this Voray come from?”
“I think he was from some small rural area….” Sriya hesitated, trying to remember.
“From Aerili,” Dane snapped. “Ya, but I heard he was an offworlder, just claiming he was from there. Remember his first big scandal? No one remembered him, no friends, no other family in Aerili. Then all of a suddenly all kinds of people claimed they grew up with him. He’s was a fake!”
“Why do you ask?” Sriya said.
“There’s a specific emblem on their armor.”
“They’ve had the same seal since they began,” Sriya said.
“I’ve seen the very mark burned into bodies,” Dane said. “Spray painted in the homes they’ve searched … used as the backdrop to happy posters with smiling children and old folks … bastards.”
Seigie looked to Kiyanna. They heard the front gate closing and approaching footsteps. Yulanis appeared, his eyes filled with anxiety. “The station is under martial law.”
“Like the rest of the planet,” Dane said bitterly.
“Yes,” Yulanis said.
“What do we do?” Sriya said.
“Other than wait, we get the info-streams decrypted. Any of you technically inclined?”
“We’re ready anytime,” Mini-T said through Kiyanna’s communicator.
To the confusion in Sriya’s eyes, Kiyanna said, “We have experts that can help.”
* * * * *
They took the next hour installing and configuring electronics. As the device came online, information streams unscrambled, restoring access to the internal communications network and other monitoring systems of the station.
While they reviewed the feeds, they discovered a number of the ships that fled Kerosan space had been intercepted and were being escorted back by ships that looked frightfully similar to the mountains traveling in the spaceway before their arrival at the Omegar Station. They also found reports of deaths on ships caused by the high-intensity scanning beams used by the same intercept ships.
Something drew Dane to a window overlooking the docking ring. She stared at a large, panfish-shaped cargo vessel that just pulled up to the station, escorted by a small squadron of fighters.
“That ship is back,” Cerna said, looking over Dane’s shoulder.
“Tal …” Dane said in a hushed tone.
“Did you say something?” Cerna asked.
Dane turned quickly to Yulanis, ignoring the inquiry. “How do I get to that docking ring?”
“What? Why?”
“How do I get there?”
“The whole station is under martial law. You … if you go out there, you could be recognized. They have your profile splashed across the video screens.”
“I just have to.”
“She said ‘Tal’ or something like that,” Cerna said.
Yulanis’ eyes shot from the Cerna to Dane. His voice was angry, even accusing when he said, “What about Tal?”
Frustrated by the revelation, Dane’s demeanor became obstinate. “Nothing. I just need to get there, okay?”
“Is he here?”
“Look, you going to tell me … or do I just find my own way?”
Naijen said, “Chick has a death wish—let ’er go. Maybe she’d like getting branded with that mark.”
Annoyed, Kiyanna said, “Ya, good advice Naijen. Just shut it!”
“Hey, this wasn’t supposed to be no rescue mission. We was huntin’ Nukari—’member?”
“Plans changed. We can’t risk anything right now,” Kiyanna retorted, then continued. “We thought the Nukari might have done the assassination. But it looks like one of their own was assassinated. Best thing to do is get out of here when we can. This place is beyond anything we want to deal with.”
“Wait a minute,” Yulanis said. “Nukari. You mean that race Eyani mentioned—”
“Yes. They’re behind that Voray guy, Homeworld Security,” Kiyanna said.
“Look, I don’t give a crap who’s out there. I need to get to that docking ring,” Dane said.
Yulanis grew insistent. “Is Tal here?”
“Yes. Yes he is!”
Kiyanna reached out and grabbed Yulanis’ shoulder. “Who is Tal?”
“Kind of a leader of people, hunted by Homeworld Security,” he explained.
“And I’ve got a score to settle,” Dane said.
Speru said, “Could we just bring him here? We could go get him, couldn’t we? They shouldn’t know about us.”
Dane gave him a tight smile. “That’s sweet, really, but I’m gonna talk to him myself.”
Speru said, “Well, ya, but do it here.”
Dane stormed up to Yulanis. “You telling me, or do I go find it myself?”
“Fine … fine. At least take the service corridors. Hopefully Homeworld Security won’t have as much there. They seem pretty busy keeping the main sections of this station under control, so …”
He pulled up a diagram of the station and showed her the corridors to take. Kiyanna grabbed Nai
jen and motioned to Dane. “Something slows us down, you bust its head,” Kiyanna said.
“Finally talking sense,” Naijen said.
“If we get into trouble out there, you sit tight here, lay low and take the ship and leave when you can,” Kiyanna said.
“We won’t leave you,” Speru said.
“If this goes bad, that’s exactly what you do. Understand? We can take care of ourselves.”
Speru looked at Naijen, then half-heartedly nodded and said, “Good luck.”
Yulanis opened the front gate and let the small band into the promenade.
* * * * *
“There,” Dane said. “The way in.”
Unlike before, only a few factions still brawled in the promenade area. Despite their affiliations, Homeworld Security appeared to be getting the station back under control. No sooner had they approached the door, patrol robots rolling on triangular treads whizzed around the corner, weapons drawn.
“Take them down!” Kiyanna yelled.
Commanding her abilities, she took aim, letting loose a flurry of shots, each striking with deadly accuracy. The others charged forward, following up on her hits. It was over in moments. After kicking the debris behind some crates, they entered the service corridors.
“So what do you know about what’s going on down there?” Kiyanna asked while the group walked.
“Homeworld Security,” Dane said with disgust. “Oledant Voray’s invention. Protection of some, through demonizing others.”
“You gonna go into riddles, I’ll just tune you out,” Naijen said, showing unusual interest.
“He was afraid of people like us, sent his goons out to hunt us down. The one place we could go, they shut down. Set these policies he called ‘non-acceptance’ and ‘dis-promotion,’ making it legal to revoke our housing leases, and to not hire us just because we we’re different.”
“How’d you manage?” Kiyanna said.
“Found others like me, worked together,” Dane said, indignant. “Collected scraps of food, made a new haven in the sewers for our kind. But they kept on hunting us—all of us, until there was just me left.”
Her fist gripped tight, and she smacked an outcrop in the wall as they passed.
D'mok Revival: The Nukari Invasion Anthology Page 85
