Dark Nadir

by Lisanne Norman

“Leave our helmets. You will gain nothing by removing them,” said the Seniormost, struggling between Manesh and Taynar. “You have not been harmed. Why do you attack us?”

  “Break his faceplate if he keeps struggling,” ordered Kaid, turning to watch as the gold’s helmet was finally lifted off. He blinked, not trusting his eyes, then moved closer till he was standing over the unconscious Prime. “Vartra’s bones! Valtegans!” He spun around to watch as the others’ helmets were removed.

  The gray Seniormost turned to look at him, large green eyes blinking rapidly in the unaccustomed brightness.

  From the doorway, Rezac looked back as he heard Kaid’s voice. His gun swung round to aim at the Seniormost but Tirak grabbed him.

  “Eyes front!” he snarled. “You’re on duty now!”

  Growling, Rezac turned back to watch the corridor.

  “We are releasing you,” said the Seniormost in Sholan. “There was no need for this attack.”

  “You attacked us!” said Zashou from where she was helping to pull the second guard’s helmet off.

  “We did not attack your craft. We took the M’ijikk. We found you on board their ship.”

  “You took us from our companions and examined us against our wills!” she shouted, dropping what she was doing to start to her feet.

  “Enough, Zashou!” ordered Kaid, striding into the center of the room. “Get back to work! We’re not discussing this now!” He looked over to Sheeowl and the gold Prime. “Get him out of that armor and on his feet, conscious or not. I want us out of here as soon as possible. And put his gold tabard back on him so they know who we have. You,” he said, turning back to the Seniormost, “Tell your people that you are our hostages and we want safe passage down to the flight deck and onto our ship. Jo, over here and make sure he tells them what I said.”

  “I need my helmet for that,” the Valtegan said.

  “Give it to him,” Kaid ordered Jo.

  “Kaid, this Prime’s got an implant on his head,” said Mrowbay from where he knelt by the prone guard. “Just like Giyesh said.”

  “This one’s also got an implant,” said Jeran, tossing the helmet to the floor.

  “Tell the guards to obey us, then send the message,” said Kaid.

  They waited while the Seniormost spoke to the guards, then to his commanders. Listening to the guttural speech, Kaid was acutely aware of Carrie’s distress at being in their presence again.

  You’re doing fine, he sent to her. They can’t touch you, remember that.

  The gold Prime was being held in a sitting position, being stripped of his armor. He’d come round but was looking decidedly groggy.

  “He’s different,” said Carrie, watching him. “They all are. Not the same as those on Keiss. For a start, three of them have crests. And the Seniormost, he’s smaller, with rainbow colors round the eyes. Same with the gold. I’ve never seen one that pale yellowish color before.”

  “Later, Carrie,” said Kaid, looking round at the other two Primes. “Get something to tie their wrists with, please. Get that armor off fast, people! I want to get out of here today! Those with rifles, they’re trank darts. Use them only on unarmored targets. I reckon we’ll see a lot more of them outside this area.”

  “You will have your safe conduct,” said the gray Prime as the helmet was taken away from him. “You had it anyway, I told you. But you must . . .”

  “We must nothing!” said Kaid harshly. “You’re the prisoners now, remember that! Strip him quickly,” Kaid said to Manesh and Nayash. “Don’t bother with fastenings, cut through them if you can.”

  “We could use the armor,” said Jeran, hefting a breast-plate up and examining it. “We’re about the same size.”

  “Tie him up,” said Carrie, handing him one of the strips she was ripping off a sheet.

  “Legs are different,” said Rezac from the door. “Theirs’ are like the Humans. Suits won’t fit us.”

  “Done,” said Sheeowl, tossing aside the last piece of the gold’s armor.

  “Me, too,” said Mrowbay, dragging his captive closer to the door.

  “Almost there,” said Manesh, hauling the final leg protector off as Taynar bound the gray Seniormost. “Ready!”

  “Let’s get going,” said Kaid, heading for the door. “T’Chebbi, you at the rear with one guard, the gold in the middle with the civilians and the Cabbarans. Get the other two at the front near Rezac.”

  They began to assemble in the corridor, Rezac to the front, Tirak to the rear, until they were in position.

  Kaid picked up a helmet, handing to Jeran. “Hang onto that for as long as is practical, in case we need it,” he said before going to the front with Tirak.

  “There’s no damper out here,” said Carrie. “I can sense the way ahead of us.”

  “Do it. You, too, Rezac. Zashou and Jo, check our rear,” he said, leading them up the corridor to the junction on their right. A short distance, then they were heading down the corridor to the elevator. It was deserted, like a ghost ship.

  “I reckon this gold Prime is important,” said Tirak quietly as they waited for the elevator to come up. “It’s as quiet as the grave here. Too quiet.”

  Kaid merely grunted, watching to make sure the elevator was empty as it came into view.

  “How many do you want on?” asked Tirak.

  “All of us. It’s large enough,” replied Kaid, gesturing to the others to leave their cover in the corridor. “Check out the fight deck, Carrie, Rezac.”

  “Done, said Carrie.” “Two groups of ten about two hundred yards from here. More, farther in two largish groups and a smaller one.”

  “Agreed,” said Rezac.

  “Yell down the shaft and get them to move,” Kaid ordered the Seniormost.

  “If you’ll listen to me first,” the Seniormost began.

  “No deals,” interrupted Kaid. “Just do it.”

  “We want a treaty with you,” said the Seniormost, speaking in a rush. “You were to be released. Your ship is ready. All you have to do is . . .”

  Kaid pushed him toward the elevator cage. “Enough! Tell them to move!”

  The Valtegan shouted down in his own language. Beside him, Jo translated.

  This is so strange, sent Carrie. I sense none of the usual fear or aggression from any of our prisoners. The gold and the Seniormost are terrified of us, the guards are just waiting for new commands.

  That’s not a male, sent Rezac, staring the gray Prime full in the face. That’s a female! The Gods know what she’s doing here, but it’s a female.

  Focus on what we’re doing, Kaid reminded them.

  “She says it’s clear,” said Jo.

  “They’ve backed off,” agreed Rezac.

  “Keep alert, people,” said Kaid as they filed on and he pressed the control.

  Whining and creaking under the weight, the elevator began to descend. T’Chebbi and Tirak crouched down so they could see the flight deck as soon as the cage cleared their floor. Kaid kept his hand poised over the stop button.

  “They’re clear,” said T’Chebbi, standing up.

  With a jolt, they came to rest. A hundred yards away, the Profit stood facing the bay doors, engines already running.

  “As I said, your craft is waiting for you,” said the gray Prime. “Proof of our good intentions.”

  “Cool heads, people. We take our time,” said Kaid, opening the gate. “Same order as before. If you have to fire, make every shot count.”

  Those with the guns joined Kaid, forming a shield in front of the others and their captives as they filed out onto the flight deck. While he waited, he looked around, gauging their surroundings and assessing the numbers of Valtegans present.

  Behind them and to their right—some hundred and fifty yards away—were maintenance areas with twenty or so mechanics. Two large vehicles berthed there were obviously being worked on. Beyond them, half a dozen fatigue-clad soldiers stood beside another cage elevator.

  On their left, barely ten y
ards from them, was the M’ijikk with two shuttle craft berthed beyond her. From that direction he caught the whiff of volatile lubricants. Though he couldn’t see anyone from this position, there was plenty of opportunity for soldiers to hide between the vehicles. Level with the Profit, near the starboard bulkhead, were another two large craft and some thirty people.

  “Remind them we have safe passage,” said Kaid to the Seniormost. “Tell them if they shoot at us, we’ll shoot you.”

  She yelled the message out, her voice echoing strangely as it bounced off the walls and high ceiling.

  “Those with guns, fan out, cover us on all sides,” said Kaid.

  Slowly, very slowly, they made their way across the open hangar deck toward the Profit. Round the edges, the groups of Valtegans stood in tight knots, keeping very still. Here and there they spotted the odd armored guard.

  “Don’t like this. Still too easy,” muttered T’Chebbi, maintaining her grip on the pistol she carried.

  “They’re scared, T’Chebbi, terrified of anything happening to the hostages,” said Carrie from behind her. “Particularly the gold one. Many of them are terrified even to be seeing him.”

  “He’s the Enlightened One I heard them speaking about,” said Giyesh suddenly.

  “Later,” snapped Kaid, constantly scanning with mind and eyes. “Keep focused.”

  With only a few yards to go, Kaid caught the sudden movement by the leg of the M’ijikk out of the corner of his eye. A cry of pain, quickly stifled, came from the rear of his group before he could get his shot off. The armored marksman fell without a sound.

  Kaid grasped the Prime guard from Giyesh. “Keep moving,” he said tersely to her as he put the gun to the side of the Valtegan’s head.

  The Valtegan began to struggle, letting out a shriek of terror as Kaid pulled the trigger. The cry was cut short as his body began to sag. Kaid flung him aside and reached for the gray Seniormost.

  “That’s one gone!” yelled Kaid, pulling her in front of him.

  A scuffle from the rear of the group, then the second guard made a break for freedom.

  Kaid was about to fire on the fleeing Valtegan as a shot rang out, hitting the guard square in the upper back, felling him instantly.

  Got him, sent Rezac.

  Good shot. “She’s next!” Kaid yelled, putting the gun to her head as he kept moving slowly toward the Profit. “Tell them that,” he snarled in her ear. “You’re next, then the gold one.”

  Green skin almost white with terror, the Seniormost shrieked out the warning as, stumbling, she was dragged closer and closer to the Profit.

  They were in the lee of their ship now, protected from the Primes behind them.

  “Take it easy. We’re not out of here yet,” Kaid warned them as Giyesh began to move a little faster.

  At last he felt the Profit’s ramp under his feet. Dragging his captive with him, he backed up a few feet before stopping. “Rezac, bring the gold. Use him as a shield. Those with weapons, up front with me now. The rest of you, board! Tirak, get her fired up, ready to go!”

  Carrie, Jo, and Jeran joined him, giving cover to the others as they scrambled for the safety of the Profit. As soon as he saw her, he knew T’Chebbi had been hit.

  She’s fine, sent Carrie. Flesh wound, upper arm.

  Before his eyes, an old vision briefly exploded, showing him T’Chebbi, her upper arm wrapped in a blood-soaked bandage. It hadn’t happened on Jalna, but it had happened.

  “All on board,” reported Rezac. “Our turn.”

  “We want a treaty with you,” said the Seniormost urgently as Kaid hauled her up the ramp with him. “We must talk of this now!”

  I’m picking up someone out there, sent Carrie as she ducked inside the Profit’s cargo bay. If we don’t agree, they plan to wait until we’ve left, then put that beam on us to bring us back unconscious. They’ll keep several of us as hostages and release the others with the offer of a treaty.

  “Why?” demanded Kaid, tightening his grip on the Seniormost’s arm. “Against whom?”

  “The Valtegans from the M’ijikk and others. We’re threatened by them. We need allies who can fight for us.”

  “Your people couldn’t even keep the safe passage agreement! Do you really expect us to want an alliance with you?” Kaid stopped at the edge of the Profit’s cargo bay, standing behind the Seniormost.

  “He was a bodyguard and unstable! We’re not responsible for them! We treated you well! We examined you only to find out how much you’d changed since the fall of our Empire.”

  “What’s your world called?” demanded Rezac, rejoining Kaid.

  “K’oish’ik.”

  He let out a hiss. “The world we were on. The Emperor’s world.”

  “We have no warriors now. Those from M’zull and J’kirtikk will find us soon. They have an ancient prototype weapon of ours. It’s the one they used to destroy your two worlds. It must be retrieved and destroyed. You’re as much at risk from them as we are. They hate you more,” she added.

  There was truth in that. But an alliance with less hostile Valtegans to fight a war not of their making? Vartra’s words about a pact with the Liege of Hell came back to him. Shola had to be warned.

  “We’ll take this Enlightened One of yours back with us to plead your cause. He does talk, doesn’t he?”

  “Take me,” she said anxiously. “I can put our case better.”

  “I will go,” said the gold-robed Prime from where he stood with Jeran and Jo inside the cargo bay. “I came to present our arguments to you in the first place. I had documents . . .”

  “Don’t need documents,” interrupted Kaid. “Tell your people we’ve listened to you and that the gold one can put your case to our leaders. Tell them not to bother using that beam weapon of yours on us again. If you do, he dies.”

  “How will we know your decision?”

  “Stay here. We’ll send a message,” he said, pushing her down the ramp and ducking out of sight inside as Carrie shut the bay door. He hit the communicator control set into the bulkhead. “Tirak, Kaid here. On our way up. Get us out of here immediately.”

  “Taking off in two minutes,” came the captain’s reply. “To the bridge, on the double.”

  They raced across the Profit’s hold toward the elevator, feeling the ship begin to vibrate as the sound of the engines changed. They made it, but only just. T’Chebbi was sitting at the nav console, arm being dressed by Mrowbay as she worked.

  Tirak turned his chair to look at them as they entered. “Take him to the mess and watch him,” he ordered, pointing to their hostage. “Need you to tell us where we’re heading,” he said to Kaid.

  “T’Chebbi, you coping?” Kaid asked.

  “Almost done.” He could hear the pain in her voice, see it in the set of her ears and the way she held her head.

  Mrowbay looked up at him as he fastened off the bandage. “I want her in sick bay the moment she’s through. This is only temporary.”

  “She will be,” Kaid promised, flicking the safety on the pistol before sticking it in his belt.

  “I’ll go with her,” Carrie said to Kaid.

  “How fast you want to be there?” asked Annuur’s voice through the comm.

  Tirak raised an eyebrow at him. “I’d say as soon as possible.”

  “Shortest possible time,” agreed Kaid.

  “Can do five days,” said Annuur. “But risky. Margin for error much less. Leave us exhausted. Ship need overhaul.”

  “Do it,” said Kaid. “I want as much distance between us and them as possible. I’ve got to get a message out to Haven and our ship at Jalna immediately. It’s ready encoded in with the nav data.”

  “Route it to Giyesh’s board,” said Tirak. “She’ll send it.”

  “Done,” sighed T’Chebbi, falling back in her seat. “Nav comp back on-line for Haven.”

  “Dorsal turret on-line,” reported Sheeowl. “Ventral turret on-line. Batteries armed and ready. Waiting instructions,
Captain.”

  “Five days it is, Annuur,” said Tirak, turning back to his console. “Start powering the jump drives, Sheeowl. Sit in on nav, Kaid. Nayash will help you if you need it. Where we heading for?”

  Kaid moved to the front to take Sayuk’s vacant seat. “A Brotherhood outpost called Haven,” he said. “It’s in the outer reaches of the Chemerian sector.”

  “The Primes haven’t opened the landing bay doors, Captain,” said Nayash. “Switching to forward view.”

  “I figured there might be a delay,” Tirak said as the screen changed to show the roof of the hangar. “Nayash, I’ll take her out. Ventral turret, fire rearward on my command. Dorsal, fire at will: aim for the bay doors. I want a hole big enough to get out through.”

  “Understood.” Manesh’s voice sounded remote through the ship’s speaker.

  The engine noise increased until Kaid felt the Profit start to lift. He began to smile. “We’re going to leave here like a cork out of a bottle,” he said.

  “That’s the idea,” agreed Tirak. “And do some serious damage in the process. Brace yourselves. Ventral turret, fire!”

  The kickback from the missiles hurled the Profit toward the closed bay doors as simultaneously, blossoms of red began to mushroom across them filling the interior with smoke. Then the vacuum outside started sucking at them, pulling everything inside the hangar toward the hole Manesh was still blasting in the hull.

  “I can’t see for the smoke,” said Giyesh, a tremor in her voice as they hurtled toward the center of the vortex they’d created.

  “Don’t need to,” said Sheeowl calmly as the ship was buffeted from side to side. “We’ll be pulled through the hole whatever we do.”

  Suddenly the buffeting stopped and they were floating free in the blackness of space.

  “By Kathan, that looks good to me,” said Tirak with feeling as he switched his controls to the pilot. “Full speed, Nayash. I want to jump as soon as we can. Rear view, Mrowbay.”

  “Aye, Captain,” Nayash said, turning his head briefly to grin at everyone.

  This was their first view of the Primes’ ship. It was large, very large; a flattened diamond shape, with a gaping hole in the hull near the nose, around which floated a large mass of assorted debris and dead bodies.