by C. W Tickner
The lights beamed on to a hideous swarm of small white scuttlers and creeping monsters coating the interior of the log. A mass of legs and hairy bodies scurried down the walls towards them, some dropping from the roof into the soft floor.
Four legged swayers raised their black spike-covered bodies from holes, followed by a torrent of smaller white creatures that swarmed like larvae from the smaller caves, wriggling towards them as they hit the ground.
‘Fire!’ Damen called.
They all opened fire. Some of the beasts attempted to retreat from the high power beams of light but others ignored it, choosing fresh meat over the darkness.
The white scuttlers weaved across the lose floor, kicking up the bark chippings as they rushed the six of them. Their armour was weaker than their larger black cousins but they were much faster. Blue lit up the cold air in every direction. Harl scored several shots before a stray creature rushed from the side, knocking him back against the ship. Its jerky legs pawed over him, cutting scratches in his exposed skin. A sharp pain jolted through his leg as it sunk its fangs into his calf. He kicked out, throwing it up in the air and ignoring the pain, he got to his feet, aimed as it hit the floor and blasted it apart in a shower of clear gunk.
Sky was lost in a tangle of two white scuttlers and Uman roared as he yanked them off her, throwing them to the floor before Tess shot them until they stilled.
‘Back to the ship!’ Kane cried, making a run for the open door just as a pair of young swayers dropped onto him. The four legged creatures were a shimmering black and covered in long spikes. He dodged one as it tumbled off the side of the ship, just missing him but the second pierced his coat, its spiky body rolling off him in a tangle of legs. Kane went down, falling forward, revealing crimson seeping through the holes in his coat.
Harl rushed over, shooting at the swayers, until their spikes broke off and they curled up dead beside the door.
Threading an arm through the crook in the white coat Harl dragged Kane’s thin form up the short ramp and through the door. He heaved him against one of the passenger seats and began to fire at the rest of the monsters coming towards the ship.
Kane groaned and started to shimmy towards the cockpit as Tess rushed in, unfolding her medical kit.
Sky cried aloud in horror and Harl raced back outside. A hoard of squirming giant larvae were writhing over her, latching on to her legs with a circular mouths of hooked teeth. They dangled from her lower legs and feet, refusing to let go as she tried to shake them off. Several must have felt him move in the woodchip and they squirmed towards him.
Harl kicked them away before they could get a bite on his boots. A sudden eerie quiet fell in the log as the last creatures burrowed down into the floor or scurried away into the caves.
Chapter 16
After so long on board I still seem to get lost. It took me ten hours to get to the reactor to find out why the lifts were out of action.
Uman helped Sky to the doorway as she wiped the dozens of tiny bite marks, smearing the thin streaks of blood.
Damen was roaring at the retreating monsters. ‘That all you got?’ He fired a single shot at the last swayer as it limped on three good legs back into the ground level hole. The blue shot streaked across the distance going wide from its mark and slamming into the wall of the log. A crack, like the breaking of a bone sounded, it echoed across the vast cavern. A ten metre chunk of wood split from the log where the shot had hit and slowly it fell like a pillar from the wall. It crashed into the floor of soggy bark revealing a long black mass where it had been.
Hundred of thick legs were lined along one side of the black mass that was just visible in the crevice it was tucked into. The legs came to life like an old man stretching his fingers and Harl noticed a mass of movement just underneath the thick armour plate of its body. Dozens of tiny white scuttler babies wove around the underbelly among batches of milky eggs. The shiny black body twitched with a shudder and even Damen took a step backwards. It must have been four times the size of the average scuttler. Its neck made a creaking sound as its head came to life and slid from the crevice. Antennae as thick as a man’s leg twitched into the suddenly open space around it.
‘Kane?’ Damen called, back-peddling towards the open door. ‘Grenades?’
Kane muttered something about getting the ship moving as Tess helped him to the cockpit. Uman dug through the armoury locker yanking out a belt of grenades and a box of rifle clips. He raced down the ramp and tossed the belt to Damen, who looped it over a shoulder and stooped to the box of ammo clips as Uman placed it at his feet.
‘Form a line in the doorway,’ Damen said, stepping just in front of the ramp as the full size of the monster was made clear. The rows of armour plates stretched fifteen metres long and four paces wide
It slowly curved and twisted down in a creaking loop towards the ground. The whip like antennae twitched and jerked as they scanned the floor. Its rear legs still clung to the wall as the front feet touched down on the soft ground and its weight compacted the bark pieces underneath.
Kane must have got to the control seat as the engines sputtered in an attempt to power up.
The giant scuttler stopped. It raised its head up giving them a glimpse of the hundreds of tiny babies underneath then sunk low to the ground and churned the woodchip floor in a burst of speed heading straight for the ship. ‘Fire!’ Damen called, tugging a sphere off the belt and lobbing a bleeping grenade in its path.
It must have sensed the noise as a potential threat and weaved its bulk aside as the explosion rocked the inside of the log, throwing up mounds of debris.
Damen fired into the head as the chunks rained down around them, then he dived aside as the beast reached him and the pair of huge mandibles snapped shut where he’d been.
A second grenade detonated underneath the creature blowing legs off the scuttler and tearing a chunk in its side. Eggs and babies dropped onto the floor, coated with yellow ooze as the mother shrieked in agony.
Damen had dropped the grenade where he’d stood, knowing it would head for him. Luckily he’d sprung aside but the force of the explosion had knocked him unconscious and he lay flat, half buried in the chunky wood shavings.
The scuttler swept away from the door as they opened fire, seeking the cause of its pain and heading for Damen. Its pincers clicked together in anticipation.
Time slowed for Harl as he yelled for them all to kill the monster, showering it with blue blasts but it was too late to save Damen.
As the beast reared up it blocked Harl’s view and with a sinking feeling he knew Damen would be impaled by the pincers as they speared down at him.
As if in slow motion he saw Damen spring to life and leap aside just before the pincers ripped deep into the floor. A heartbeat later and a deafening boom rocked the ship and the log shuddered, making them all stumble as wood chunks dislodged from the ceiling and slammed into the ground.
The scuttler burst apart in a splatter of hard shell armour and soft gunk as the remaining grenades ripped it into two pieces. Its legs continued to run as whatever it had for a brain failed to realise its own death until they slowed and curled inwards.
Sky and Uman ran to Damen, kicking off a baby scuttler that had landed on top of him. He was definitely unconscious this time. Uman levered him up and Tess raced out to join them, stumbling alongside until Uman placed him in a seat.
Harl went to press the door seal button.
‘Wait,’ Uman called and dashed past him down the ramp. He grabbed up a broken segment of the scuttler’s armour and hauled it back up inside. He caught Harl’s questioning look and tapped the hiver skull he used as a helmet. ‘I need new breastplate,’ he said.
Harl just shook his head and sealed the door down.
Tess pressed two of her fingers against Damen’s neck. The green paint coating her nails gleamed like scuttler blood in the dimming light as the engines roared and diverted power.
‘He’s alive,’ she said, and Harl felt double relief as the v
essel rose from the floor with a lurch.
They all collapsed into the seats and waited for Tess to do the rounds with her medical kit as Kane took the ship up through their entrance hole.
Uman and Sky were covered in glaring red bite marks and streaks of blood from the giant maggots and Tess dished out ointments for them to use as she moved back and forth tending Damen and Kane.
A series of shallow teeth marks raked down Harl’s leg but he managed to put his weight on it without trouble as Kane called him through to the cockpit and ordered him into the co-pilot seat.
He could see the red stains where the swayer had punctured the scientists coat and cut the skin beneath.
‘Are you alright?’ Harl asked, slumping into the seat and bringing up the secondary display on a screen in front of him.
‘It’s not deep,’ Kane said pressing the wound and wincing. ‘That was fascinating,’ Kane said. ‘Painful, but worth it. Such a large specimen of scuttler. I doubt it is the same genus. Would you like to name it?’
Harl sighed. ‘Talk to Damen about it when we know he hasn’t got brain damage from killing it and saving all our lives.’
‘I will,’ Kane said. ‘How is Tess?’
‘Other than a broken nail she did better than the rest of us.’ He looked back through the door. ‘She’s tending Damen,’ he said, seeing her talking to the big man, holding a powerful hand in her own delicate ones as if trying to reassure him.
Kane stared ahead, unable to meet his gaze.
‘Would you mind finding out if he’s….um damaged,’ Kane said. ‘But don’t tell him I asked.’
‘Of course,’ Harl said, almost chuckling at the concern but still unsure if the big man was actually alright. ‘I’ll check.’
‘I don’t think I can do it,’ Damen said to Tess as Harl ducked through the doorway.
‘What’s happening?’ Harl asked seeing sweat running into Damen’s beard. ‘how are you feeling?’
‘I can’t do it,’ Damen said.
‘You’ll be fine,’ Tess said, squeezing his meaty hand.
‘It’s alright,’ Harl said. He crouched beside him, not knowing what was exactly wrong but he hoped that something would ease the man’s pain.
‘Not if it’s triplets,’ Damen said, ‘I can’t handle three.’
Harl burst out laughing as Tess rounded on him.
Damen scowled and reflexively Harl threw a hand out to punch the man’s thick shoulder. ‘You’re unbelievable,’ he said. ‘Had me thinking you were damaged goods after killing that thing, only to find out you’re more concerned with the number of babies you’ll have to deal with.’
Damen looked shocked but Harl just shook his head. ‘Get in the cockpit,’ he said, ‘and that’s an order.’
Chapter 17
Robots! I couldn’t believe my eyes when I finally reached the reactor to find a dozen robots shuffling around like humans carrying out routine maintenance. If only I could tame one...
Harl stared out from the passenger window as the blue ocean rushed beneath them. The undulating surface gleamed in the sunlight and he was glad to still be alive. They had been lucky to make it out without losing anyone. He turned his attention to the interior of the ship.
Uman was using his sword to carve the black plate and chip layers off, carefully shaping the carapace while Tess was hunched over in her seat, attempting a repair job on her nails.
Harl’s gaze was drawn to Sky with her back to him from the isle of seats on the far side of the cabin. He’d expected her to be fawning over Damen, but instead she was inspecting something so intently that she hadn’t moved since they left the log. As she shifted, Harl caught a glimpse of a milky white sphere.
‘Tell me that’s not what I think it is,’ he said.
Uman looked up from his work and spotted the sphere. He stood up and raised his sword.
Tess had given up on her nails and jumped up, scrambling over the boxes scattered on the floor to stare open mouthed at the giant scuttler’s egg.
‘Is it still alive?’ she asked, wide-eyed.
‘Kill it,’ Uman said but Tess shook her head and stepped closer as Sky jerked the egg tight to her chest.
Tess looked at the sword in Uman’s hand.
‘You’re not afraid of an unborn baby creature are you Uman son of Udal?’ she said, grinning at him.
He frowned and sheathed the weapon.
‘I don’t think those it kills when it hatches will be fearless,’ he said.
‘I’ll train it,’ Sky said, standing as if ready protect the squirming black mas inside. ‘Like I did Flick.’
‘I don’t like it’ Uman said. He looked at Harl for agreement.
Harl shrugged. ‘What are you going to do when it’s the same size as that thing back there?’ he asked.
When she didn’t answer Uman stepped forward. ‘It will be a killer,’ he said.
Instead of backing away Sky stood and stepped forward brazenly. ‘I don’t care what you think Uman son of Idell,’ she said, her chin rising as if to beat Uman’s slender frame in height.
Uman frowned at the mangled name, his fists clenching.
‘What is this?’ Damen said from the doorway. Uman spun at the voice.
‘She has brought a scuttler on board,’ he said.
‘It’s only a baby,’ Tess said. ‘Not even out of its egg yet.’
‘Its mine,’ Sky said before Damen could speak, ‘I found it and I will train it.’
‘You agree to kill it if it hurts another?’ Damen said.
‘That’s not the Compassionate way,’ Tess said.
‘That’s my way,’ Damen growled.
Harl didn’t know what to think. The thought of a scuttler on board or even back at home was unnerving. But she had found it and he couldn't shake the thought of what it would be like if she could train it like she had her bird.
‘And stealing the eggs of another creature is not the Compassionate way either,’ Damen said.
‘It was dead,’ Sky said, ‘and I doubt the Compassionates will look too kindly on that.’
‘Is that a threat?’ Damen asked.
Sky deflated under his stern gaze. ‘No,’ she said, looking around at them, ‘will y’all at least let me try?’
Damen nodded, ‘I’ll have to check up on it to make sure it’s not a problem.’
Sky smiled at the offer of having Damen come over.
Red bloomed under his beard and Damen turned back for the cockpit as Kane let out a shout for everyone to ‘Come and see.’
The water had given way to white sandy beaches that backed onto a death strip where all that remained of the ground had been sucked out by the energy company, leaving only black burnt and churned soil behind. Beyond the dead land a range mountains crested the horizon.
As they got closer it became apparent that every single mountain was carved into vast, stepped pyramids. The sun was setting behind the range, casting a fiery glow across the eerie landscape of giant ziggurats. Beacons of light shone from the mountain peaks like secondary suns lighting up the Aylen climbing the steps below.
Some of the ziggurats were linked by tiered bridges that arched above valleys littered with fruiting plants and huge herds of fat, four-legged animals grazing in contentment as they trampled grass forests beneath their bony hooves. The creatures were hills of moving flesh, cropping at the ground under the bridges. Tangled lengths of hair draped down their hides, cascading fifty metres, to brush the tops of the grass stalks.
They kept away from the dented metal roads threaded their way up the mountainsides and then over the bridges. They were tiny and fragile things at this distance with mechs and vehicles labouring up and down them like insects. They parked in huge metal fields that must have been designed to take the weight of so many machines.
‘Where are we meant to be heading?’ Harl asked and Kane pointed to a central collection of mountains linked by ornate bridges even more impressive than those around it.
‘The meet
ing chamber is in their capitol buildings,’ he said pointing to a group of the sandy coloured pyramids. The central one was topped with an eye splitting light that shone over the beams of the lesser pyramids that surrounded it.
Kane brought the ship closer until the radio crackled into life and through one of Tess’ translators, Vax and Veel directed them to their entrance.
It seemed each of the parties would enter from either side and meet in the middle.
Vax, Veel and their party of guards were waiting for them as Kane touched the ship down beside their diplomatic vehicles, designed to seat several Aylen privately in the rear section.
Like all Aylen buildings, up close the ziggurats dwarfed a person, overwhelming the field of vision and leaving most to the imagination, except for the quality of materials used in construction.
Harl noticed that the rock had been overlaid with a sandy colour marble. From a human perspective the smallest details were as obvious as night and day but to gain the overall picture on the scale of any Aylen construction you had to fly.
Thankfully Vax had brought the hover platform and had placed it beside the entrance. Ten empty seats had a series of controls spread in a quarter circle in front to allow the users to communicate between themselves and view several video feeds on the screens.
The six of them hopped up and Kane took the central seat behind the largest terminal. He raised the platform level with Vax’s shoulder in the wide entrance way and greeted them with a nod. Kane switched on the translators built into the machine as an Aylen strode out to greet them.
‘One of the Bankers,’ Tess said.
The Aylen had an altogether different look from those he’d seen before. It still had the pallid grey skin but his eyes protruded from his face rather than the sunk in look he’d become accustomed to. The yellow eyes shifted, taking in the delegation and finally they peered hard at the humans on the floating craft before offering an expansive smile. It reminded Harl of a child who had been shown an exotic animal.
The clothing was as different to the Compassionates as the eyes. Instead of the smooth plates or linked metals the entire body was covered in silver filigree that was bunched into ruffles like the collars worn by some pretentious noble.
