by James Somers
And suddenly, with the realization, Tiet felt no anger, only relief that somehow and for some reason his brother was here to save his life.
He heard Kale as he called for a retreat of their soldiers to behind the defense wall. “Abandon your posts and return to the city immediately, by order of the King!” Tiet was glad Kale was taking charge. His men were getting slaughtered and Tiet would have called the retreat himself had he been able. Hopefully, the remaining civilian population had been able to get behind Wynn’s ten mile front by now. They had been nearly out by the time the defense cannons were set to auto-track and left running.
Kale joined other soldiers who were now in full retreat from the advancing Baruk. They had to reach the access portals quickly to get inside the wall before the enemy caught up with them. Fortunately it appeared that the hurutai were still busy feeding, leaving only the Baruk warriors on their trail.
Baruk weapons could be heard all around, pounding the surrounding buildings, taking down more Castillian soldiers attempting to retreat behind the defense wall. Of five hundred elite warriors, which had come to the battlefield with their king, fewer than a hundred remained standing.
Kale tried to put as many structures between himself and the advancing Baruk as he could to block the storm of weapon’s fire around them. It was difficult to evade all the gunfire with his brother hanging limp across his back. He was supporting the majority of Tiet’s weight with his mental power, but his movements were still cumbersome.
Some of the other soldiers had already reached the wall and accessed one of the portals leading through. One of the soldiers stood at the doorway, waving warriors inside. Kale followed them through the passageway that took them beyond the defense wall into the city. Several of the soldiers guarded the portal until they could see no other Castillian soldiers. Then they followed the others through, sealing the doorway behind them.
The Baruk were locked outside of the city now. As Kale came out into the open, he spotted a place where a med station had been set up and left for anyone that might be wounded in the battle. The other soldiers were congregating around several of these stations.
Kale laid his brother down and examined him. He passed a med-scanner across his paralyzed body, determining that he was alive, despite the neurotoxin from the hurutai. He took one of the needle leads from the scanner and pushed it into Tiet’s deltoid muscle. It may have hurt him, but Kale had to do a neuro-muscular scan in order to determine how best to treat the poison. The scanner ran through a series of tests over several minutes. When it had finished, instructions came across the screen instructing Kale on what medication combination would be effective in reversing the paralytic effect of the hurutai neurotoxin.
The gunfire beyond the wall was quieting down now. This disturbed him. They’re up to something. He rummaged through the med-box in the station tent, looking for the prescribed drugs. Only two were needed, but the dosage had to be precise. He located more supplies to mix the concoction and went to work. Tiet remained seemingly lifeless on the ground.
Beyond the med-station tents, something was happening. The men were yelling. Kale heard the screeching of the hurutai. He went to the tent door to look out, just as a spray of hurutai spines pierced the flaps. Kale jumped back, finding several spines in his body.
He had the injection in his hand, called for by the med scanner. He immediately jammed it into a vein in his arm and pushed it systemically. Kale quickly began to get dizzy. However, within moments, the effects of the neurotoxin subsided. He went to work mixing another dose for Tiet.
Kale heard more than the just the hurutai outside now. He fixed his mental senses on the area around them and found the Baruk warriors coming through the hurutai tunnels into the city. Gunfire erupted again as the remaining Castillian warriors tried to defend themselves against the steady stream of Baruk warriors pouring through the worm tunnels.
Kale worked fast to get the mixture prepared. When he had it, he injected the medication into a vein in Tiet’s arm. Kale now sensed the Baruk closing on their tent. He didn’t have time to wait for the paralysis to be reversed on his brother. Kale lifted him up using the Way and crossed to the rear of the tent where he sliced down the cloth wall with a kemstick and plowed on through to the outside.
The battle was raging again, but there were hardly any of the other soldiers left alive. Kale ran for cover toward the large buildings ahead, but the Baruk were closing on him fast. He felt Tiet shifting on his back as the paralysis wore off.
Ahead in their path, a hurutai worm erupted through the surface, leaving the two brothers with nowhere to go. Kale dropped them to the ground like a stone as the reflexive launch of toxic spines sprayed away from the beast and sailed over their heads. Tiet was moving on the ground now, trying to regain his muscle control. Kale drew his blade to defend him as best he could.
A flash of light appeared between the hurutai and the buildings behind. Kale saw what appeared to be a huge energized portal materialize with men coming through it into the city. Kale recognized them as Horva warriors. General Grod was leading them through.
They each wore a metal glove with wires trailing along the length of their arms to a small pack across their backs. The gloves were held before them as they ran into the city. The hurutai was alerted to their presence. Streams of plasma energy shot forth from the gloves like lightning hitting the hurutai. The creature screeched in pain. Within seconds it fell over dead like a burnt sausage.
The Horva ran toward Kale and Tiet. Kale raised his blade, preparing to fight the Horva coming at them. More streams of plasma energy issued forth like lightning from their fingertips, but the attack passed them altogether and hit the advancing Baruk head on. Kale stood dumbfounded as the Horva warriors ignored them completely in order to fight the Baruk behind him.
General Grod came up to the pair of warriors as they stood there exhausted from the fight they had already faced.
“Come with me. We must get you to safety,” he said, speaking directly to Tiet.
Tiet responded, appearing to realize more of what had just happened than Kale did.
“I knew it, Grod,” he said weakly as he tried to catch his breath. “I knew you were a man of honor.”
Tiet could still barely stand. Grod helped Kale support the young man as they made their way back toward the energy portal.
“My warriors!” Grod shouted. “Return to the transgate!”
Grod, Kale and Tiet ran through the portal, coming into Grod’s fortress at Nagon-Toth hundreds of miles away.
ALLIES
“Sir, we’ve been unable to confirm how many Baruk soldiers have off-loaded inside the city since the other transports began landing,” said Sergeant Corbin.
“What about the power?” asked Wynn. “Have you had any success getting to the main supply conduits?”
“No, sir. The Baruk are still fortifying that area very heavily. We can’t get through.”
“It’s been two hours now and nothing from Tiet or anyone from the preliminary team.”
“With all due respect, sir, it seems clear that no one survived. And the Baruk have the city now. How could they possibly have made it?”
“I understand the circumstances, Corbin, but I don’t want to give up hope. And don’t start that rumor among the men. It would hurt morale, and our fight is far from over. Now get the units mobilized. Those Baruk aren’t going to remain in Thalidi for long.”
It was a fact. The Baruk were mobilizing their ground forces for the inevitable push toward Baeth Periege. For an hour they had seen Baruk troop carriers coming down from space into Thalidi. The defense wall was still in place and the Baruk were sitting safely behind it for now.
Somehow they had gotten into the city without disabling it and had apparently decimated the entire team which Tiet had taken to ambush their army. It looked like Kale had failed to protect his brother. Considering the circumstances, it really wasn’t a surprise. The Baruk were mounting a
formidable ground force behind that wall and Wynn wasn’t sure whether they could stop it or not.
Frustrated, Wynn tapped the communication panel that was locked in with the Esyia. “Estall, what’s your status up there?”
“We’re trying to hold our own, Wynn, but we still haven’t been able to get to that flagship,” Estall reported.
“We’ve seen a lot of troop carriers landing inside Thalidi down here.”
“I know, but we’re completely outnumbered up here,” said Estall. “We just don’t have the ability to guard the surface and try to get to that flagship!”
“I understand. I don’t mean to accuse. I know you’re doing everything you can,” Wynn said. “I’m afraid we’ve have already lost Tiet.”
There was a pause for a moment before Estall answered. “Are you sure?”
“No. I can’t be certain, but it appears the whole unit was wiped out as the Baruk made their way into the city. We’ve not heard any word from them. I don’t want to believe it, but—”
“I understand. Let’s just keep up the fight and hope we can manage to drive them back. It’s all we can do,” said Estall.
Wynn tapped the communication panel again. The scans of the city were still inconclusive. The Baruk were jamming them somehow to hide their next move.
“Sir, the units from the other cities have arrived at the staging area,” said Corbin.
“Good. We’ll need all the help we can get. It looks like this is where our future is going to be decided.”
☼
It had been several hours since Kale and Tiet had come through the portal into Grod’s compound and they were still being confined to the medical lab under guard. Tiet had been relieved to see Grod’s aggression aimed at the Baruk, but what was his intent now? He wasn’t sure. Kale was pacing, examining the room discreetly, looking for a way of escape.
The two brothers had not spoken since their arrival and neither seemed to know what to say to the other. Kale had been the last one Tiet had expected to see coming to his rescue out there against the Baruk, but he was glad to have him.
After all that he had said, plus trying to kill him inside his confinement cell, Tiet was unsure what he could say at this point to even begin a dialogue with the man.
“How’s your equilibrium? Your head hurting?” Kale asked.
“It’s fine. Thank you for saving my life out there.”
Kale stopped his pacing to listen.
“Look, Kale, I’m sorry for what I said and did when you were in confinement. I just don’t know what to make of this. You betrayed us—our parents, our people—how am I supposed to react?”
“I know. Believe me, I wish I could undo all that I’ve done. I would gladly give my life now to undo it, but I can’t. You are my brother. I only want to have you forgive me. It’s all I have left.”
“I’m sorry. I just don’t know if I can give that to you right now.”
Kale looked at him, but there was great pain behind his eyes that Tiet partly wanted to see and partly wished he could relieve. Still, he just couldn’t find it within himself. Then Grod came into the room flanked by several warriors. They were still outfitted for battle.
“Grod, I’m glad you changed your mind about what we talked about,” Tiet said.
“We can discuss that later,” said Grod. “Right now, gentlemen, we have more pressing matters. Follow me.”
He turned and led them out of the medical lab, down several corridors to another larger room full of monitors and all manner of technical equipment. Tiet immediately noticed a huge window on the far side of the room and walked past the General to see it. He could see that it opened up beyond to a huge dome that looked increasingly familiar as he stared. It was the same room where he had been brought to fight when he was captured by Grod months ago. But now it was full of equipment and a huge gateway of some kind that seemed to lead to nowhere. Only the other side of the dome could be seen beyond.
“This room looks familiar,” Tiet said.
“Your right. It is the same battle arena where you killed my teragore,” Grod said. “A very impressive display, Barudii. Come. Look at this information.”
He joined Kale and Grod before the main tactical monitor in the room. They were surrounded by Horva warriors who were performing data retrieval and sorting.
“Here you can see what is left of your ships still in orbit as they battle the Baruk,” said Grod as he pointed to the display. “We’ve been monitoring your progress for some time now. There are very few ships left. We noted that a number of them retreated at once while the remainder attempt to attack the Baruk’s main battle cruiser.
It appears they were able to somehow get through the Baruk shields using a random frequency generator, most ingenious, by the way. But you don’t have the firepower to take out that ship, and it is essential that you do so.
“We know that the Baruk are telepathically controlled by their leader. He will be aboard the flagship.”
Kale listened carefully, but he did not volunteer what he knew about the Baruk leader. The leader of the Baruk was much more than just some telepath.
“Grod, I don’t have any more ships to throw at them,” said Tiet. “If you have ships to aid us, we would be happy to coordinate an attack, but otherwise…”
“I don’t have any ships like that here, but I do have something else,” Grod said as he looked to the window and the chamber beyond.
Kale and Tiet followed Grod to the window.
“That apparatus down there is called a transgate.”
“Is that how you appeared in Thalidi?” Kale asked.
“Precisely,” Grod said. “We developed it for a surprise attack on you, Master Soone.”
“Great,” Tiet said. “That’s certainly comforting.”
“But now we can use it to get a strike team onto the Baruk flagship,” Grod said.
“You mean that thing will transport us inside that ship, even through their shields?”
“Yes, but we have one problem,” Grod said. “The transgate draws a huge amount of power and we can’t send a large force without draining our power reserves past the safety point. We have enough power to send two or three people through the gate. If we can get inside, then perhaps we might stand some chance of destroying their leader and cutting off the ground army from his coordinating mental control.”
“Without their leader, we have a real chance against the Baruk,” Tiet said. “I’m in.”
“I’ll go with him, General,” said Kale.
“I will also go,” Grod replied. “I may not be Barudii, but I can still fight the Baruk. If you’re ready to go, then we don’t have another moment to spare.”
“We’re ready. Lead on,” Tiet said.
“I know my way around that ship,” Kale offered. “I should probably lead, once we get onboard.”
Tiet looked at Grod, who nodded his own approval.
“Then let’s go.”
The three men made their way quickly down to the domed chamber. Tiet and Kale found their weapons lying on a table inside as a Horva soldier prepped the portal for the jump. Grod wore one of the plasma weapons they had seen during the rescue in Thalidi.
“What is that thing?” asked Tiet.
“The glove channels plasma energy from this pack on my back, releasing the energy stream against whatever this targeting laser is set to,” said Grod. “They’re very effective. We’ve worked hard on these weapons.”
“Let me guess,” Tiet said. “So you could use them to attack us?”
Grod nodded then continued to explain the weapon’s workings, “The weapon is similar to throwing a bolt of lightening.”
“I’m glad you’ve decided to be on our side,” Tiet said. “It sounds like you’ve been monitoring our every move lately.”
“Well, it helps to stay informed, doesn’t it?” Grod said.
A technician signaled a lock on the Baruk flagship when they were ready. “Sir, we can’t get an exact scan on
what you’ll face up there,” said one of the men operating the control panel at the gateway.
“We don’t have time to waste. We’ll just have to deal with whatever we find,” said Grod. “Activate the transgate.”
The gateway snapped into being before them. An image coalesced as the transgate brought the chamber at Nagon-toth into direct contact with a location somewhere on the Baruk flagship.
Grod grinned at the Barudii. “Gentlemen, it’s time.”
☼
Wynn watched the last of the pulse fire emanating from Thalidi’s defensive batteries. Tiet had been wise to set the front for this defense at ten miles out from Thalidi’s perimeter.
The Baruk had been trying for nearly twenty minutes to use the city’s cannons against them, but the range was not great enough to reach. It appeared they were giving up on that tactic now and Wynn wondered if they might emerge soon for a face to face fight with his forces. He didn’t have long to wait.
The sixth gate began to open on the defense wall as Wynn watched through his ocular lens which magnified the image. They were coming on a fast march toward their position. From his grounded angle it was impossible to tell how many, but it looked like thousands. With all of their new recruits, Wynn still only had five thousand warriors to face the Baruk. It wouldn’t be enough. The Baruk were strong runners and within two hours they would be locked in combat.
☼
There were no warriors anywhere in sight when Tiet, Kale and General Grod stepped out of Nagon-Toth’s domed chamber onto the Baruk Flagship. Kale studied the location for a moment and recognized where they were.
“Tiet, we’re near the core of the ship. That means we could easily access the power stream for the gravity bomb containment chamber.”
“What in the world is that?”
“Gravity bombs are large super dense alloy spheres that produce a gravitational field powerful enough to crush a ship’s hull like an egg. If we can disable the special containment field that prevents them from destroying this ship then—”
“Then this ship will implode around them,” Grod said.
“What do we have to do, Kale?”
“The coolant system would be the easiest to disable from where we are. If you and Grod can make your way down this corridor, you will come to an overlook for the containment chamber. You’ll be able to see a series of yellow-colored conduits running from above the chamber—these are the coolant conduits. I’m not sure how many there are, but if you can blow out at least two of them the coolant pressure will rapidly fall to zero. After that, it will take about ten minutes to lose the containment field altogether.”
“What about you?” asked Tiet.
“I’m going after their leader. He’ll need to be distracted or killed while you two attack the coolant conduits. That area is heavily guarded, but he can pull many more warriors to stop us if someone doesn’t distract him.”
Grod and Tiet eyed one another. “I think it’s a good plan,” said Grod.