Seigie nodded. “I need to check my crystal lab, then I’ll join you.”
* * * * *
How’d he do it?
Seigie pondered this while she headed down the corridor and into her lab. Her mind wandered, reflecting on the last battle and the tingling sensation she felt moments before that final blast. It haunted her still. Why did it feel so familiar? She touched her chest, the sensation returning. Then it occurred to her—she’d felt it once before, and in a similar desperate situation. Her final days on D’mar pushed to the front of her mind.
Yes, it was exactly the same as back then, back to when the mighty D’mok squared off with the original Nukari armada attacking their homeworld of D’mar. But D’mok disappeared after his attack. Could the draining effect that happened to Osuto have happened to D’mok himself?
No. D’mok had more control than Osuto. And D’mok’s range was far greater. Seigie was on the planet’s surface when she felt D’mok summoning her power to him, and he was in the orbit around their world.
Then again, the outcomes appeared similar. Both were massive power surges. Who was to say it didn’t do the same thing, even on a greater magnitude, to D’mok? How did he—did they—do it?
She found herself fidgeting with the crystals in her hands. Her body began to tingle, as if responding to her question. She closed her eyes and her memory dove into the key moments in both battles. She began to recreate the warmth and peace as she focused her energies.
Slowly the sensation grew. It wasn’t quite the same, something slightly different, but still warm, still comforting. She sensed a sudden radiance on her crystal-encrusted face. As she opened her eyes, the crystals in her hands were also glowing brilliantly. In fact, every crystal in the room beamed with a spectrum of light. Her very body radiated.
* * * * *
“The overall strength of the Nomad fleet remains around 85%, despite nearly a complete loss of the battle group sent to Beast Hollow,” Kiyanna said. “Varen reports their forces are at our disposal.”
“Now we just need to know where to hit,” Mencari said.
“I can help with that!” Mini-T said as projected star charts peppered with infographics spanned across the room. “Before the data wall encapsulated Eden, only two probes investigating Jencho’s leads had yet to report in. Bob and I have nearly reopened the two data streams. Either way, that narrowed down where the Nukari could be hiding.”
“Affirmative! If we can’t open the streams, we’ll send new probes,” Bob added.
“How much longer?” Kiyanna said.
“We’re not sure,” Mini-T lamented. “The encryption is pretty impressive. It continues to rotate—even better than the Nukari tactics we ran into at Beast Hollow.”
“Then send probes now,” Kiyanna said.
“Do it,” Mencari agreed.
Bob chirped in acknowledgement.
“Speaking of Jencho, do we have a channel to Moonbase Alpha?” Kiyanna said.
“Nega-tori. All Eden channels remain encapsulated,” Bob said.
“We can’t even reach Ghn’en,” Mini-T added. “Be we’re close to cracking it. I can feel it!”
“Rhysus,” Katen said through the communicator.
“Go ahead,” Mencari said as Katen’s projection appeared before him.
“Datochn’s mindwalk has proven fruitful. He still contains an imprint of the Nukari central computer core. I’ve found listings of contacts, worlds with operations, and more.”
“Mini-T, Bob, find a way to connect into Datochn, index what he knows,” Mencari said.
“Affirmative!” Bob chirped.
“We’re on it!” Mini-T said.
Katen’s tone remained placid. “You should know, they’re working on some type of gateway to connect this system to their homeworld. Once completed, a larger armada is planned to come through—”
“Yata! We broke the encryption!” Mini-T screamed. “Decrypting the signal from before—from Eden, and … wait … ” Mini-T gasped. “It’s horrible. I … I don’t believe it.”
“Less drama, more information,” Kiyanna said, annoyed.
“Uploading new footage,” Bob said, his characteristic exuberance gone. The former images of the probe gave way to a massive sea of wreckage.
“What’s this?” Mencari said.
“The Trading Post … Eden,” Mini-T said.
“What? That can’t be.”
“The location metadata matches the station’s, or used to.”
“It’s gone?” Kiyanna asked.
“All of it,” Mini-T said, her voice uncharacteristically stoic.
“Survivors?”
Mini-T shook her virtual head.
Mencari stared, his mind emptied, his body numb. “No.”
All of Eden gone? That wasn’t possible. What about the Be’Inaxi fleet? They would have been there to protect … Eyani … Toriko! Oh God. “Bob, can you raise Eyani?”
“Negative.”
“Toriko—she has to have a signal out there, or something.”
Mini-T’s fox ears drooped as her head shook. “Our main primary instances are gone too … forever.”
How could Eden be gone? What will we do now? He had relied so much on their technology, and access, and information. He never considered how things would go without them. Osuto … he’d know what to do. But his mentor was still unconscious. Maybe Katen could do a mindwalk and consult him? Was that even possible? Did a mindwalk work like that?
“Hey Mencari! Snap out of it,” Kiyanna bellowed. “We need you here. Right now.”
He heard the words, but his every thought doubled back on itself. This wasn’t possible. “You know what this means? The Nukari aren’t sitting back and hiding anymore. They’ve come out swinging. So, what are we going to do about it?”
Mini-T said, “With the code cracked, Bob and I have regained access to the distributed Eden infrastructure. It’s still there, even if the main station was destroyed.”
“Put every diode and relay you have into scanning space,” Kiyanna said. “We need to know where those Nukari are—especially if they’re headed this way.”
Just finding them wouldn’t be enough, Mencari knew. If they just played cat and mouse, eventually the Nukari forces would reach them. No, they needed to strike the Nukari while their forces were scattered on missions. Their asteroid base would have to become the hub and fill the void Eden left.
“Find out who’s still out there. Get us connected again,” Mencari said. “And figure out which of the two locations the Nukari are in.”
“Affirmative,” Bob said.
“I’ve found something else, frequencies and encryption keys,” Mini-T said.
“To what?”
“Looks like to transmission lines … video feeds.”
“Bring them up.”
The projected footage of Eden’s wreckage swapped with multiple video feeds before them. Mencari noticed Nikko enter the command center, stop, and stare. “What’s going on?”
Mini-T continued, “From the digital signatures, I’d say Maro was the one who opened these. It appears to be running on Bansa Corporation communication tech from Tericn.”
The closest display showed a sea of Nukari soldiers swarming from a large platform. To Mencari, it appeared to be the gigantic space elevator back on Cogeni’s world.
“Argosy?” Nikko said, and he nodded as a man with long blond hair, sporting a blue-and-silver trench coat with a maroon sash covered in military-style medals, stood overlooking the troops. “That’s Whemel, the Nukari commander we ran into,” Nikko said. “Remember, Rhysus?”
He did.
A woman with mint-tinted skin, dressed in elaborate robes, stormed into view. “And that’s De’Genico, Cogeni’s moth—” Nikko cried out in horror as De’Genico fell dead from a shot to the head. “No!”
“This is happening all over,” Mini-T said. She motioned to the new view-over. There, a battle raged between Nukari soldiers and an endless tide of
brutish and tattooed warriors. Each wielded a crude but exotic weapon. In the background, Nukari ships skirted along large energy barriers before touching down with reinforcements. “Abunai—Naijen’s world. We saw those barriers when we visited last time.”
A female warrior with a mane of hair like a horse’s rose up from the fighting passes and slashed into their view. The feed disappeared in a shower of light.
“Butchie—that was Naijen’s friend,” Mencari said. “Why did she attack the camera?”
“Because she saw it as an enemy, which means we’re seeing Nukari video feeds,” Kiyanna said.
“We’re detecting Nukari trails in all of the spaceways,” Mini-T said. “Distress calls are going out all over the quadrant.”
“Assemble everyone, we need a plan—now,” Mencari said.
“I’ll help get everyone,” Nikko said, dashing out of the command center.
“Rhysus—incoming communication,” Mini-T said, surprised.
“Eyani?”
“Coalition—Admiral Asten.”
“Open the channel.”
The admiral appeared before Mencari. His strong African features looked gaunt, his entire demeanor haggard. Even the tightly coiled dome of manicured hair looked disheveled.
“Mencari.”
“Sir. The Nukari—”
“We know. Reports are coming in. How are your allies doing?”
“They were the first hit, sir.”
“We’ve seen a buildup just outside our solar system, but they haven’t entered yet.”
“Should I bring the team to the Saturn complex?”
“No, not under any circumstances. In fact, I’m taking my staff and relocating to another position. If the Nukari invade, they’re certain to hit here.”
“We’re close to discovering the location of the Nukari central command, sir.”
“How close?”
“We’re down to two locations. I feel if we hit them now—while their forces are dispersed—they could be more vulnerable. But, with my allies gone, amassing a strike group has become harder.”
“I’ll see what I can divert to you.”
“What about Anrik and his team?”
“The group that doesn’t exist?”
“Yes, sir.”
“I’ll do my best to pack the ships with a few surprises. But, Rhysus, you need to understand something is still very wrong here. You cannot return, or trust others here. Remember our passcode.”
“I remember, sir.”
“I’ll contact you again when I’m in our secure location. Let me know where to send forces to rendezvous with you. I have some favors I can call in.”
* * * * *
“The information stored within Datochn, in combination with the probe verification, has confirmed the location of what the Nukari call the Colonial Authority. They’re not just an armada, they’re a colonization effort!” Though it typically didn’t, Mini-T’s voice seemed to bellow through the conference room.
“Colonies?” Seigie said.
Datochn hesitated, compensating for potential query. “Yes, several Nukari colonies have been established, including exclusive worlds dedicated to resource gathering. Would you like me to show you those worlds?”
Mencari noticed Naijen ignoring the conversation, favoring glances at his latest tattoo—the broken form of a large beast being ripped in half. That seemed a bit of a stretch given the monstrous beast they encountered nearly killed them, and really only died when the station exploded.
“No time to see them now. Continue,” Seigie said.
A holographic projection of Datochn appeared next to Mini-T. “My data snapshot is a few months old. At the time, they were creating a gateway to connect this region to their homespace, with the intention of transporting a larger armada and resources.” With a gesture, a great-ringed object projected, floating next to a barb-covered, split-level station with sprawling segments.
“The structure on the left is the Colonial Authority. Here, leadership directs the activities of the Nukari colonies. Defense forces are directed from here by Fleet Admiral Laduk’na.” The projection zoomed into a structure on the right. Massive ships hung off docking clamps, while others were in various states of construction. “This structure serves as the main shipyard and transport station. Again, this image is now a few months old, and is, most likely, out of date.”
“The probe showed a gateway in final stages of development,” Mini-T added as the video feed from the probe abutted Datochn’s projections. “There appears to be a significant force still guarding these facilities.”
Seigie said, “If that gate opens …”
Mencari’s mind drifted as he looked across his warriors assembled in the conference room. It didn’t matter if they were ready for this or not, the challenge was upon them. Looks of tension and determination appeared to be shared equally by all.
“We can’t let it open,” Mencari said. “We’re going to hit it with everything we have.”
“Without Eden?” Allia said, her tone heavy.
“If we wait, this will only get worse. We still have allies. The Coalition will be sending ships.”
“Will Anrik’s team join us?” Seigie said.
“Asten implied they might. Though, if the Nukari invade the Coalition space, Anrik’s team will be needed there. I don’t know for sure.”
“The Nomads are ready anytime,” Kiyanna added.
“What about Ghn’en and the Be’Inaxi?” Nikko asked.
Mencari shook his head. “We’re not even sure if our signals are getting through. They could be obliterated, given what happen to the Trading Post.”
Cerna said, “I’ve suggested we use the Janux Nebula as the rendezvous location for our forces. The nebula containing my former homeworld is secure, and would provide ample cover for our forces to gather.”
The lighting in the room became crimson and a pulsing alarm blared. “Long-range scans show ships inbound!” Mini-T yelled. “No transponders! 24,092 miles and closing fast.” The proximity display appeared, showing a cluster of red triangles approaching.
“They found us?” Allia yelped.
“Activate our maneuvering thrusters, take us deeper into the asteroid belt,” Kiyanna said.
“I’m on it!” Mini-T said.
“Do we fight, or do we abandon the base?” Seigie said.
“That’s not their full armada,” Kiyanna said, studying the image. “And we messed up the last fleet they sent. This might be a good chance to strike. Mini-T, does this station have anything we can use offensively?”
“Nothing outright. But I might be able to modify the deflector dish around the docking bay, to make it release a blast of high-frequency energy. Of course, that could completely drain our reactor core. But if it worked, it would be one heck of a light show!”
“Make it work,” Kiyanna said.
Mencari’s mind raced. Everything was happening so fast. Not even a chance to pull together a plan. Should they run and regroup with allies, or hit this smaller faction now?
The answer came instantly: If they could stop this Nukari faction, maybe it would weaken the remaining force enough for the allies to stop it, even if he and his team didn’t survive this attack. His warriors had already shown formidable power when working together. Even with Osuto down, more attacks through Cerna might do it.
“We should run, meet up with the others,” Nikko said.
His wife’s death shriek filled his mind, along with visions of his ruined Coalition space station. He relived holding Anrik’s tortured body, and seeing De’Genico murdered. The taunts of the Nukari commander named Jencho played like a twisted soundtrack to memories of Maro attacking his team, her body forcibly converted with cybernetic components by the Nukari. Eyani’s deep-purple eyes and the animated, innocent outlandishness of Toriko filled his thoughts. Rage filled his chest.
“No,” Mencari said, a growl in his voice.
“We’d be stronger with the others!” Nikko a
dded.
They couldn’t just run again, lose another base of operations, risk leaving behind more of their family to die at Nukari hands.
“No!” Mencari screamed, his fists slamming on the table, body immolating with power. “The line must be drawn here. This far—no further! We will make them pay for what they’ve done.”
Naijen broke the awkward silence with a pleased, “The warrior awakens!”
“To the airlock. Bob, monitor Osuto, and Mini-T, let me know when the deflector is ready.”
The group flooded into the corridor. Kiyanna rushed to the front with Mencari. “I agree this is best.”
“One way or another we’re going to leave a mark,” Mencari said.
* * * * *
Like blazing comets, Mencari led the team toward the alien vessels. Raging energy pulsed around him. He could feel it wanting to leap off his body and destroy.
Though still at a distance, he spotted the incoming ships. Something wasn’t right. Even if it was a fragment of the Nukari armada, it was far too small a group to be a serious threat, especially if the Nukari thought Mencari’s team inhabited the asteroid they were about to attack.
“Why aren’t they attacking?” Kiyanna asked. “We have to be within range.”
Then he saw it: the pink ship leading the attackers forward. Blazing white stripes ran along the sides. It can’t be!
Yet it was. And these weren’t Nukari.
“Toriko! It’s Toriko!” he yelled.
“Eudora!” Mini-T cried, appearing in a projection ahead of him. “Scans verify it’s her ship. They have some type of signal-dampening field around them! I think it’s Toriko’s dead-zone tech!”
The communicator resonated with a happy tone followed by an elated Bob. “Field dissipating. Affirmative! Transponders newly detected! Friendly ships confirmed.”
“And our primary instances!” Mini-T squealed.
* * * * *
Toriko had just stepped out of the airlock when Allia sieged her with a viselike hug. “From now on we stay together, okay?”
D'mok Revival: The Nukari Invasion Anthology Page 90
