“I made them regret that,” she spat. “They were closing on me, and I could feel this creeping on my skin. They were little spiders, millions of them, ran like water off my body. The hunters hit me with their shock sticks, and I screamed. Felt this burst of energy, and suddenly the room was filled with hundreds of spiders—every size—tiny to monstrous.”
A wicked smile crossed her face. “Turns out a few were poisonous: and the hunters didn’t last long. And the spiders, well … they did anything I wanted them to. That’s when I learned I could call creatures and control them.”
“And this Tal?” Kiyanna prompted.
“He was powerful, and hot, a deadly combination in any man.”
“If you say so,” Kiyanna scoffed.
“He found me, half starved, hiding deep in the sewers. Let me join up with his group.”
Kiyanna held out her hand, waving the group behind a pile of crates. A hovering patrol droid floated past. Dane noticed Kiyanna motion for Naijen to remain still. It made sense. Destroying the droid would give their position away. If it could be avoided, they should leave it alone. Tal taught her that. The droid disappeared around the bend and Kiyanna motioned for them to continue.
“Never had a connection to anyone like I did with him. He made my gut twist with a strange type of, comforting sickness. And thanks to him, I mastered my power to call creatures—using these cards.”
She fanned out a few, each with an image of a creature on it.
“We began forming a resistance to Homeworld Security. Fighting back. But every time we tried something that bastard Voray would spin it, telling the public we had sabotaged something, or hurt children, or scared seniors, or something else ridiculous.”
“So you killed him,” Naijen said.
“You do what you have to, to survive. But, no, I didn’t.”
“Then Tal did,” Kiyanna said. “But from what we saw, you’re getting the rap.”
“At least Voray got his,” Dane said flatly.
As they approached the exit to the service corridors a tingle ran through Dane’s body. “He’s close.”
They entered the docking ring, found the panfish-shaped cargo vessel and waited inconspicuously among those off-loading. Minutes passed, and Dane began to eye a section of the crowd more closely.
“There!” She led them to a plainly dressed man with a scraggly goatee and ratted hair. As she approached, panic filled his eyes.
“Didn’t expect to see me again, did you?”
The man nervously looked around.
Dane motioned. “Follow me. Think you can handle that?”
The man followed without question. They returned to the service corridors.
Tal said hesitantly, “How are you?”
“Don’t give me that crap. You made me believe in you. We were supposed to be a team. But the second you got what you wanted outta me, you dumped me off like I was nothing.”
“Okay, we’ll skip the niceties—I’m fine too, thanks. You got away didn’t you?”
“Not the point, sleaze.”
“Hey, I was the one at risk there. Why do you think I left you where I did? If you would’ve come in with me, you might not have come back out alive.”
“Don’t try and sound all noble!”
“Not everyone tries to make you their victim,” he snapped. “You know, I can’t tell what’s worse: your martyr complex or your narcissism. Never able to see what’s in front of your nose. You think I used you!”
“Think? What’s there to think about? It’s reality—it’s a fact.”
The entrance to the service corridor opened, revealing a small troop of Homeworld Security. Tal cursed.
The soldiers entered and addressed them sternly. “Omegar Station is in lockdown. This is now a restricted area.”
“Here we go,” Tal huffed as another scanned him with a wrist device. A warrant flash-projected and the soldiers’ weapons snapped up.
Another yelled nervously, “Tal Ermad, you are wanted in connection with the assassination of Oledant Voray. You are under arrest!”
Dane saw Tal pull a cylinder from his pocket and squeeze. It expanded into a staff with blades snapping into place on each end. He quickly traced an arc toward Dane and the others. Naijen moved forward; he found himself blocked by an invisible wall of force. The soldiers opened fire. Tal deflected the shots with the staff, and then counterattacked. The soldiers never had a chance. In moments they were sliced to ribbons. He swiped his hand through the air, releasing the barrier.
“What was that?” Naijen snarled.
“Look, you’re going to get caught!” Tal said. “Go somewhere and lay low.”
Dane’s face tightened. “Little late to be all concerned about me isn’t it?”
Tal grunted in frustration. “I should have told you what I was planning. But …”
Again the corridor opened. This time a larger force entered. The band watched as a horde of Homeworld Security flooded in. Tal’s eyes locked on hers. She expected guilt or perhaps annoyance, instead she saw a steeled resolve.
He raised his weapon and charged her. Naijen drew his Skar and intercepted him. Sparks flew as the blades collided. Tal stepped back and traced an arc toward his allies, unleashing a ripple of blue translucent light. Upon contact each was flung down the corridor like a rag doll.
Shaking off the hit, Dane saw Tal turn toward her and snarl like a rabid animal. Her body tingled as he gestured. A massive purple portal appeared on the ceiling near him. A thundering beast dropped down, causing the soldiers to cry out. He was using her powers!
The reinforcements panicked. “That’s … that’s the thing that killed the Oledant!”
“That’s the guy!” another yelled.
Commanding the beast, Tal attacked the soldiers and drove them out of the service corridor back into the docking ring. In pursuit of the soldiers, he paused to look back one more time. “I didn’t just leave you. I’m trying to protect you! Go!” He pounded his fist through a glass panel next to the exit into the docking ring, activating the emergency seals.
An alarm rang out as thick panels emerged from the walls covering the exit. Tal jumped through, and the metal wall clanged shut. Dane heard a battle of guns and cries erupt on the other side. She stared in disbelief. Kiyanna grabbed her arm and lifted her to her feet.
“Let’s get out of here,” Kiyanna grunted. “Homeworld Security will be back to sweep this area.”
“But,” Dane said, confused, as they backtracked through the service corridors toward the shop.
The entered the promenade and found it empty.
Yulanis opened the security gate and hurried the three inside. A relieved Speru greeted them in the back room, and Yulanis explained the entire security detail was directed to the docking ring. The summoned creature had been killed, and Tal taken into custody.
They reviewed various feeds of the corridors as Tal was walked to the main homeworld’s security ship. He looked directly into one of the cameras as he passed. Dane simply stared.
“You make ice cold, I like you,” Naijen said.
“Keep out of it!” Kiyanna yelled.
Dane’s demeanor returned. “I never asked him to protect us.”
They watched the security transport depart with Tal, escorted by a fleet of homeworld fighters. Communication was restored as the planetary defenses stood down.
A statement was quickly released on every communication frequency from the acting Oledant, thanking Homeworld Security for the swift justice and restoring order and harmony to their world.
“I wouldn’t recommend going down there right now,” Yulanis said.
“Agreed,” Kiyanna said. “We’re aborting the rest of the mission.”
“Can you take me with you?” Dane said.
“Could you at least get her to the Trading Post?” Yulanis pleaded.
“We were supposed to get a package from you,” Kiyanna added.
“There were others like Dane, but they never m
ade it up here.”
“She was the package?”
“With others, yes.”
“We’ll take her then. You might want to depart yourself.”
“Not just yet. We still might be able to help a bit here.” He shook his head. “Besides, we’re simple shop owners. What threat do we pose?”
“Watch yourself,” Kiyanna said.
They headed back to the bay. With Kerosan space reopened, ships were again allowed to depart. They waited in a new queue of departing vessels.
In an update with Osuto, he recommended they meet at a safety port to talk about alternatives for Dane. After a reluctant conversation, and upon learning of the history of D’mok Warriors, Dane decided to return as a new member of the team.
CHAPTER 12:
Beast Hollow
“I have everything under control, Cogeni.” Small spherical bells, suspended from the sleeves of the woman’s ornate religious robes, rang out as she waved his concern away.
Cogeni huffed at the projection, then looked about his empty sleeping quarters. “You shouldn’t underestimate them, Mother.”
The woman before him that he called Mother was also known as the High Priestess De’Genico Omura, champion of their deity Demas and religious leader for his homeworld, Argosy. This was the second time he’d contacted her since he and Nikko fled with Mencari.
The conversation felt awkward and tense, as usual. It was not lack of love between them that created the tenuous dynamic, but rather a difference in how each chose to see the world. As the matriarch for an entire world, his mother tailored the teachings of Demas to fit the need of the moment, to appeal to the masses. He held a much more consistent faith that he’d been blessed with as a child.
He wasn’t sure how he and his mother would finally reconcile their differences, but he hoped they would one day. Regardless, even if they were apart, he wanted her to know how much he loved her.
But for now, the question was: how could he get her to understand? Before he and Nikko left Argosy, they uncovered an entire Nukari operation in the Smog Sea. He’d later discover it was his mother who brought the Nukari to their world in the first place. She wanted their help to find Cogeni in the Smog Sea and bring him back to her. The Nukari did far more than she expected. They were now pulling the strings of everything that supported her world. Despite his warning during his departure, she didn’t take the Nukari threat seriously.
“I’ve managed our world for decades, my son. I can handle a few thugs,” she said, again with a dismissive wave.
“Remember what they did in Selsamed? They’re far more than thugs. If you need help—”
“I’ve already made it known, they will be departing within the week. If they don’t, my forces will root them out wherever they hide.”
Cogeni shook his head. It wouldn’t be as easy as she thought. Her forces were not familiar with the Smog Sea, since they directly avoided going into it. Further, the Nukari operation sprawled. He doubted they’d ever find the tendrils to root out. “If they give you trouble, let me know.”
“That’s kind of you.” She gave him a tight smile. “I will show you just what your mother is capable of.”
* * * * *
Osuto, Mencari, and Kiyanna sat before a group of familiar holograms: Mini-T, Bob, Tenrl, Eyani, Toriko, who was still at Eden, Varen of the Nomads, and Ghn’en of the Be’Inaxi fleet. The allies listened as Kiyanna shared her experience at the Kerosan station.
“So in the end, it was a Nukari puppet that was killed on Keros,” she said when she finished. “Unfortunately, the assassination garnered public sympathy. His successor came from the same party—different person, same policies.”
Mini-T added, “Reports say despite reopening the Kerosan space, many parts of the world are still being held under marshal law by Homeworld Security.”
“That seems to be the trend,” Eyani added. “We’re seeing a continued Nukari footprint on many of the worlds they’ve been to. Take Argosy—they haven’t made any real progress getting rid of them.”
Toriko’s holo-image scowled. “It’s not just on-world, though. There’s an increasing number of ships leaving Nukari ion trails every day.”
“We’ve also noticed an increase in mercenary activities across the sectors,” Varen said.
“There’s some type of buildup happening,” Eyani agreed.
“Speaking of buildup, I have an update on the fleet found in the spaceway,” Ghn’en said as footage appeared. A mass, revealed to be a tight cluster of ships by the tiny white halos superimposed over the images, sped through the spaceway. “A scout ship was able to get a tracer on one. No sooner had the sensor bonded, the scout was detected. They never had a chance. Damn good pilots too. Then this happened….”
The spaceway’s walls began to superheat as the mass of ships began to drag along it. “The damnedest thing—I didn’t think it possible, but ships just punched through the gravity walls of the spaceways. Didn’t even use an off-ramp.” From the perspective of the sensor the group saw a flash of plasma, then normal space.
“And they weren’t damaged?” Varen said in disbelief. “We’ve never heard of any race that could do that.”
“Our sensor wasn’t even damaged, and it sat right on the outer hull,” Ghn’en said, equally baffled.
“Where are they now?” Osuto asked.
Ghn’en said, “The latest signals seem to be coming from the Heran Cluster. Eden probes have been dispatched to scout the area. We’ll keep you all updated.”
Looking pensive, Eyani asked, “How are your Nukari beasts, Osuto?”
“Decreta doesn’t leave Katen’s side. Both seem to be doing well. In fact, Decreta appears to be doing much better, already getting many of his skills back.”
“Speaking of beasts, we believe we’ve found where they’re coming from,” Toriko said. Ghn’en’s projections faded, replaced by new star charts. “The Wise Men have been reviewing the star charts, constellations, and other markers indicated from Decreta’s mindwalk. We’d already narrowed down a few particular regions, when the Nukari beasts’ attacks flared up.”
“Right after we captured Decreta?” Mencari asked.
“Yes. In addition to the information we already had, beast movements pretty quickly narrowed the search. The Wise Men zeroed in on a few key locations, each of which was visited by probes.” A blip flashed on the star chart before that region of space expanded, then bloomed into actual video footage. In the distance a serrated dome, a jellyfish-like structure, appeared in the horizon. “Long-distance scans matched images taken from Decreta’s mindwalk. We believe this is the belly of the beast. We’ve dubbed it Beast Hollow.”
“Well done!” Mencari said.
“We’ll begin pulling together support resources, but Rhysus, I want to you to plan an assault,” Eyani said. “The primary goal is to get inside and get as much information we can. The second is to obliterate the structure.”
“I have all the information you need,” Mini-T said, elated. “I— Oh, Eudora! Terminate the transmission. Major hacking! Hurry!”
“Eudora! That’s not all,” Toriko said, but as she spoke, Ghn’en’s, Eyani’s, and her holographic projections zapped out.
Mini-T and Bob’s projections flickered, but maintained. Mini-T looked across her body, her face twisted in surprise. “I’m an instance! Okay, abrupt, but it works.”
“An instance? Like back on Ruul?” Mencari asked.
“Mhum,” she said.
“The same goes for me,” Bob chirped.
“I wonder what that was about,” Varen said. “Regardless, concerning the Nukari beasts, whatever you need of the Nomads, it is yours.”
* * * * *
“I’ve never seen Eden erect a data barrier like this,” Mini-T said. “It’s been hours!”
“Affirmative. I still don’t have access to my primary instance,” Bob said, in a depressed tone.
“Keep trying,” Seigie said. “We should begin planning the
assault.”
“I’ve already started,” Mencari said.
She looked at him. “I wonder if the Coalition would send support. Any updates from your Admiral Asten?”
Mencari shook his head. “Nothing. He said he’d contact me and not to reach out, so I guess I can only wait. Where did Osuto go? I wanted to run some tactics by him.”
“He’s going over those training crystals from Speru’s world.”
“With Speru?”
“No, the boy’s with Naijen and the others, training in the mines.”
“Of course. Well, I hope Osuto discovers some new tricks from the Aloan crystals.”
“Speaking of, I need to go check my crystal cultures. I’ve been away from my lab for too long. Can you watch things?”
He watched Seigie plod her heavy crystalline form to the corridor. While Toriko’s device, strapped to Seigie’s arm, kept her crystal plague at bay, it didn’t reverse the damage already done to her body. At least it gave her a nearly impregnable skin: just one that compelled her to move at a snail’s pace.
He looked back at the jellyfish-like station on his display. Soon enough, they’d be at its front door.
* * * * *
Mencari fidgeted as he looked across the meeting room. Nearly everyone was assembled. Varen’s projection floated along with Bob and Mini-T’s. He was anxious to present the plans he’d worked out with Varen, Seigie, and Osuto’s help.
Where are Naijen and Speru? Those two always seemed to be late to everything.
As if on queue, the two scurried in. Speru’s cheeks burned red. “Sorry,” the boy said as he sat.
“Let’s begin,” Mencari said while the jellyfish-like station projected before them. Long, tubular structures sprawled down under a large barbed dome. Beside it, a star chart appeared, marked with a yellow and blue dot in adjacent locations.
“Using Eden probes, Mini-T detected space traffic with Nukari ion signatures in the surrounding area,” he said. “A small Nukari armada appears to have recently departed. We feel now is the time to strike, even without support of our Eden and Coalition allies.”
D'mok Revival: The Nukari Invasion Anthology Page 86
