The Pale War

by Max Jager

  Alerius then suddenly stopped right at a dead end. It was a wall of a building that went on into the city but not the way he wanted to go. Through all of the evasion and fancy driving he forgot to make a turn! He was close to the shop now. He knew that it laid on the other side of the street he was on now. He just had to get there. He swung the bike around but it was too late! The spider tank blocked the street altogether! There was no escape! The cannon on the turret was fixed right on him. Alerius frantically looked around for some kind of way to get to the other street. He couldn't go underneath the tank because he figured it would just drop down and crush him. Not even the great speed of the bike would be fast enough to beat gravity's pull on the megalith tank. He couldn't jump the thing; that was just plain suicide. Not that he hadn't done suicidal things before, even before Aurela, but that was too suicidal to even work.

  Alerius then slowly looked up at the building. He knew the bike couldn't run up the building; not without help. He turned around to Aurela, he remembered what she had done back on Scalobore. He hoped she could do it again. "Can you do what you did back on Scalabore? Back on the bridge?"

  Aurela looked at him funny.

  "You made the bike float over rubble! Can you do that again?"

  She nodded her head. "I think so."

  He sensed a great doubt in her voice. What other option did he have though. He had to try and jump the building! It was the only way out left! He revved the bike and spun it toward the building and raced right into it!

  Korzen screamed inside of the turret. He blasted out a shell and the explosion rocked not only the foundations of the buildings but the bike and most of the underlying tar-work of the street. The bike was driven forward into the air front-ways but Alerius had enough strength to pull it backwards so that the under carriage faced the building.

  It hovered right onto the building vertically and began to fall right back down to the ground. Alerius yelled out, "Aurela!"

  Aurela closed her eyes and concentrated hard on the bike. It slid all the way down the building and the backend of the bike came near inches to making contact with the pavement. If it did, it would have been crushed under its own weight and both Aurela and Alerius would landed hard onto the road. Either killing them or mortally wounding them.

  The bike didn't crash though! It stopped and hovered above the pavement, suspended by Aurela. Alerius revved the bike and began to drive the bike upwards. Aurela still had her eyes shut and whispered in Alerius's ear, "I don't know how much longer I can do this!"

  Alerius's answer was just to pull the throttle back more and the bike sped up the building's exterior.

  Meanwhile, Korzen watched in absolute shock as this impossible feat was accomplished right in front of him. He had only one thing to say, "No!"

  Alerius and Aurela went streamlining right up the building passing windows and lighting fixtures as they went. Alerius swerved to miss most of them and others he crashed right through.

  Suddenly, he no longer had building underneath him, just air. He had raced right off the top of the building. Aurela no longer had the power to keep the bike suspended and lost her mental grip on the bike. The bike cascaded down right on to the top of the building ending up in its regular hover mode violently. It began to race across the rooftop right to the other side.

  Korzen was down in the tank aiming up at the rooftop and let out one shot. The explosion happened only ten feet behind Alerius and it made the bike swerve a bit. He maintained control over it though as he came mere inches from the edge. Alerius didn't stop either, he went right over the edge and raced down the building much like he had raced up it on the other side.

  He landed right on the street that the shop was located. Alerius revved the bike and blasted down the street heading for the shop.

  The tank exploded onto the street and pivoted quickly in Alerius's direction. It began to chase him down again. Alerius, on the other hand, had arrived at the shop. He slid right into the shop right where the ship was. He almost crashed into it. He turned off the bike and it parked itself on the ground. Alerius got off and Aurela did too still holding onto the shotgun for dear life.

  Alerius looked around and found Navirun on the other side of the ship. He was doing something to the ship but Alerius really didn't care what it was. He stomped right up to him and grabbed him by the collar. "Is it ready yet?" Alerius screamed in his face.

  Navirun was almost paralyzed with fear! He began to stammer out, "Well it, it, it had some internal, uh, uh, collapsing and some, uh…"

  Navirun was quickly cut off, "Is it ready?"

  Navirun suddenly screamed out, "Yes!"

  Alerius opened up the cockpit and almost flew inside. He helped Aurela in and closed the cockpit. Navirun yelled up to him, "Why the hurry?"

  Alerius pointed behind the ship to the way he had come in which was a big dock door. It was suddenly obliterated by one of the tank's legs crashing in!

  Navirun gasped with absolute fright. He pulled himself away running at the okren ship in an absurd manor and suddenly began to pound on the ship, wanting in.

  Alerius just waved goodbye and began to take off. Aurela looked at Alerius angrily. She suddenly opened the cockpit door to allow Navirun to come aboard. Navirun happily smiled and began to climb into the cabin.

  Another leg crashed into the machine shop and the roof began to collapse along with the sky entrance. The tank was halfway in now and Korzen was targeting in on the ship.

  Meanwhile, Alerius was screaming at both Aurela and Navirun, "What are you doing! There's not enough room!"

  Navirun wasn't even paying attention. He just kept climbing. Until he was near Alerius's side. He began to fall into the ship. "There's not enough room, you idiot!"

  Navirun wasn't even paying attention.

  Alerius had had enough of this! Navirun's whole torso was in the ship when he got stuck between Alerius's seat and the ship itself. Alerius grabbed onto Navirun and hauled his whole body out with one hand. He dangled him in midair and then threw him to the side of the shop or what was left of it.

  Alerius quickly closed the canopy and the back exhaust fired. The fire blinded Korzen inside the tank and when he shot, he missed. Instead of taking out the ship, he took out what was left of the roof instead.

  The ship blasted off into the sky and inside Aurela was screaming at Alerius. "Why? Why did you do that? How could you have done that Firius? He…"

  "He would have gotten us killed! You know we cannot fit three people in this ship! Are you willing to risk your life for that…mechanic?"

  Aurela looked at him with this caring stare and then in her sweet, honeysuckle voice said, "Yes."

  Alerius looked at her shocked! He couldn't believe that she would risk her life for some deranged looking grease monkey. He had to though because he could tell that she wasn't lying.

  "Yeah well, I'm not."

  Aurela looked at him. "Your not willing to risk your life?"

  "No, I meant yours!"

  The ship hit the atmosphere of the planet and was about to rocket out into space. Inside, the two were very quiet. Aurela touched Alerius on his shoulder and was sad to hear him say that. She was sad because she would have. She would have risked her life to save anything. Even a small insect. She still loved Alerius but this was a side she had not expected from him.

  Alerius squirmed in his seat. Rather then knocking Aurela's hand away from his shoulder as so many times before, he tried hard to ignore it. He figured that by ignoring it maybe his anger wouldn't fester up. Sadly though it was. His anger towards his feeling for Aurela was bubbling under his skin like boiling water and it just kept getting worse.

  They had finally broken through the atmosphere and that quiet calm of space was back. Along with all the stars that went with it. Aurela was starting to feel at peace again and she told Alerius that she was, in her own special way. "Firius, it's so romantic, isn't it?" Referring to the stars. Alerius just grumbled a bit and shrugged his shoulder with Aurela
's hand on it.

  She was repelled away by his coldness. She took her hand and began to hold the shotgun in both hands now. It was the only thing that comforted her when Alerius was being his 'usual' self.

  The ship was now heading for Hogarth. the hounds' home world. Alerius hoped that when they got there that finally, maybe, he could move on. Little did he know that when he would reach Hogarth, it would be the beginning of a whole new mission!

  * * *

  Planet Whitmore: Interrogation

  Korzen hopped out of the tank as it was now still. He looked up through the non-existent roof of the machine shop and snarled at it. He jumped down from the turret and onto the floor. He was about five feet away from one of the long tower-like legs. He saw Navirun over in the corner and gave him a very nasty grin.

  From the side of the tank came the excellent driver. Soren hopped down as well and walked over to Korzen. "So, are we done?" Soren said with a very monotone voice.

  Soren knew that he was going to die. He could see that the once legendary agent was now pure evil.

  Korzen pulled out his magnum size revolver and spun around. He jammed the barrel right in the private's face and said, "You are."

  Korzen clicked back the hammer and was squeezing the trigger. Suddenly, he put the hammer back and holstered the revolver. "No, I may need you yet still. What else can you drive like that?"

  Soren had his eyes closed waiting for the bullet to plow his brain but he opened his eyes upon hearing Korzen's question. The private was trained at handling plenty of vehicles like the tank. He figured that Korzen knew that that was some amazing skill that he showed back in the tank. Soren was very well trained in all manor of vehicles. He told him such too. "Name it."

  Korzen had another evil smile crawl onto his face, "Excellent."

  He turned to face Navirun and walked over to him. Navirun was in a crumpled up position over in the corner and Korzen knelt down before him. He looked him over a bit and then grabbed him by the throat with brute force. "Now, you listen hear! I know were those two are heading, question is, how do I get there?"

  Navirun seemed to look at Korzen puzzled. In a choked voice he said, "I don't know!"

  Korzen hung his head and sighed. "You're a grease monkey, I know you know of some available ship somewhere, right?" Korzen took his other hand and shook Navirun's head up and down as if he was agreeing with him. "Good. Now…" Korzen ripped Navirun's name tag right off his shirt and looked at it while still having that crushing grip on his throat, "Navirun, you're going to tell me where I can find a way off this rock and fast! Now!"

  Navirun choked out only one word, "No."

  For some reason he had come to love Aurela. As little time as he had seen her, he instantly had become attracted to her. He didn't know if it was her herself, her pointy ears that made her look like some kind of angelic elf, or if there was a force around her that was greater then that. He just knew that he would not give out a location of any ship even remotely accessible to this fiend. This demon agent could try the most fiendish things possible and Navirun was determined to hold out. Which that was exactly what Korzen was planning to do.

  Korzen just shook his head in disgust at the mechanic's stubbornness. "Kid, the last thing you want to do with me is play hero."

  "No."

  He looked over at Soren and asked, "How much time do we have before the defense forces try another assault?"

  Soren looked up at the sky, thinking. "Well, its going to be dark soon and this shop is pretty well deep in the city. Not to mention, you have already wiped-out everything they've thrown at you so far. I'd say another hour or so."

  Korzen got this somewhat confused look on his face. "Why so long?"

  Soren took a deep breath. "Because they know who was in it."

  Korzen, still with that hard grip on Navirun throat looked back at the private. "You sent out a distress beacon?"

  "Yes. Two of them actually." Soren's monotone was unchanged He was not afraid to die.

  Korzen shook his head, "So, that's how they were able to respond so fast before."

  "The second one I sent was after you blew up those two battle cruisers. That one was more descriptive."

  "So, they're taking there time to prepare for an attack against me?"

  "Yes."

  Korzen again shook his head with a sly look on his face. "Oh well, an hour is more then enough time." Korzen was still looking at Soren. "You will pay for that! Right now though, hand me that diamond cutting ax on the table over there."

  Soren somberly walked over to a table right behind him, opposite Korzen and Navirun. He saw this huge one-headed ax and brought it over to Korzen along with a wide array of other tools. Korzen grabbed it and looked back at Navirun.

  Navirun looked at the bladed weapon in horror. He had used it many times before to work on okren made ships but never had he seen it in such a horrible light before. "What are you going to do?" His voice was so weak and so shrill it reminded both Korzen and Soren of a small injured child.

  Korzen grinned with sick delight and simply said, "Me? 'You' are going to make a huge contribution to organ donation." After that, a sick little muffled laugh came from Korzen before he got underway.

  Navirun lasted bravely and courageously for forty minutes before finally giving in and telling Korzen wanted he wanted to know. Two words escaped his mouth before Korzen was ready to sever another limb. "Top drawer." After that, Korzen spent another ten minutes finishing him off.

  Soren looked on the table which also had drawers to it. Inside the top left one, was a small piece of paper with an address and some directions. Korzen and Soren both left.

  When the attack squad had found the tank and the shop they didn't find Korzen. What they found along with the crumbling building and the battered tank was a bloody mess of what was left of a human being who enjoyed his life and was a true professional at what he did. Not even some of the men could take it and they had been trained to deal with blood and guts! What Korzen had done to Navirun was too horrible to even be put into words. One thing they knew though was that several trash bags and probably a few buckets would be needed.

  The address was a house deep in the city's suburbs. Inside, Korzen and Soren followed the instructions on the piece of paper. They went down about two flights of stairs to a very dank cellar. In the cellar was a spacecraft. The private recognized it right away. He could easily handle the ship. It was sort of old and rusted looking but he figured he could manage. He had to.

  Korzen and Soren both followed more instructions on the paper finding a secret exit port for the ship in the cellar. The two boarded the ship and Soren was in the driver seat. Before taking off, the private looked over at Korzen who had a stone cold glair. Soren, in that same monotone, started to ask, "Did you have to cut off both of his…"

  He was stopped by Korzen. "Just drive!"

  Soren got this very disgruntled look on his face. He then blasted off through the secret exit. It was a long tube tunnel under ground that lead right up to the streets. From there, the ship blasted out of the street like being launched out of the tar and quickly hit the atmosphere.

  Before hitting space itself, Korzen took it upon himself to threaten the private. He pulled his gun and shoved it in his face. "If you even think about sending any more 'distress signals' I will make sure that your face becomes a permanent part of this ships décor."

  Soren gave him just a quick glance. "My flight ability is effected by 20% with guns in my face." Again, he had no fear.

  Korzen's anger flared up and he cocked back the hammer on the gun, "Shut-up! Or I'll effect it a 100%!"

  Soren gave another quick glance. "Go ahead. The bullet will go straight through my head and crash through the glass. The glass will then implode on itself from such a massive change in cabin pressure. When that happens, you'll be pulled into the void of space and your entire body will collapse in on itself." Soren then looked at Korzen with this menacing glair. "I don't give a damn what you
are, you won't survive that!"

  Korzen put back his gun and in a quiet anger. He knew that the private was right. "I could just break your neck!"

  Soren gave a slight smile while his concentration was still on the black blanket of space. "You could."

  Soren was not afraid. He knew that sooner or later he was going to die. He was on a road of death he couldn't escape now. As soon as he saw the demon form that this once great agent had become he knew he was dead. The questions now was the express freeway or the toll road? "So were are we going?"

  Korzen looked over at the private with a grim look in his eye. Then he turned his attention back to space. "Planet Hogarth."