Beyond Antares Dimensional Gates

by Edited by Brandon Rospond

  Without warning, a searing blast of light engulfed Undari's guards. The noble and his scientist were sent sprawling, tumbling across the rocky ground. The soldiers who'd been set to protect him were ripped into fiery fragments, foul black smoke streaming upward from their scattered remains. Shocked by the sudden violence, several of the domari troopers broke away from the outpost wall and rushed to aid their fallen lord.

  “Get back! Take cover!” Alkasta shouted at them, but the command was too late. Their sense of duty to Undari had already caused her soldiers to expose themselves to the enemy that now rapidly advanced toward them.

  Clambering up from a narrow defile were a trio of bulky machines that were exact replicas of the one the probe had spotted inside the corridor. These however were undamaged and occupied by Ghar pilots. The left arms that hung down from two of the machines were fitted with massive cylindrical cannons while that of the third was given over to a strange device festooned with an array of power cells and hoses. While they advanced, the Ghar aimed their cannons at the domari. The muzzles snapped open into three distinct petals. From the mouth of each petal they sent a withering rain of fire into the Vardosi soldiers. The deadly stream pelted Alkasta's troops, searing through the shields of their reflex armor and burning through their flesh. In an instant, four more of the Vardosi were lying on the ground, felled by the vicious Ghar weaponry.

  “Kashar, drive them back!” Alkasta put action to words, aiming her mag gun at the advancing battlesuits. Her shot smashed into one of the lumbering Ghar, but the flechette failed to penetrate the thick metal hull. Kashar's shot glanced away from the head of the same target, leaving an ugly dent but delivering no substantial damage.

  Gravikk's attack bore even less remarkable results. Dropping to one knee, he set his x-launcher against the Ghar, lobbing a grenade into their midst. Prepared to subdue rather than destroy, the grenade was a scrambler meant to disrupt and distort an enemy nanosphere rather than visit any direct harm on the foes themselves. The shell detonated in a flash of nanophages that would quickly devour any energy fields protecting the enemy.

  The Ghar lumbered onward, unfazed by the attack. Alkasta and Kashar sent two more shots at the battlesuits, each round as ineffective as the earlier ones had been. Awful realization hit Alkasta – the Ghar weren't using fields to lessen the impact of their shots. Those grotesque crab-like battlesuits really were as formidable as they seemed.

  The Ghar retaliated, sending another spray of fire across the domari troops and dropping two more as they scrambled back toward the outpost. The third Ghar pointed its weapon toward the retreating men. From its front, a grapple shot toward one of the men. The heavy metal talon closed around him, pitching him to the ground, and leaving him writhing in agony as it sent a series of electric shocks sizzling through his body.

  Alkasta set down her mag gun and drew the plasma pistol holstered at her side. Taking a steady aim, she targeted the Ghar that had launched the grapple. The sizzling blast of energy crackled across the bulbous lens array at the front of its head, reducing it to molten slag. The battlesuit staggered back, blinded by the shot. As it did so, the other two Ghar swung around, turning their weapons toward the rock.

  “Get Doma Undari inside the outpost!” Alkasta ordered as she scrambled behind the rock. She had a brief glimpse of Gravikk and the surviving domari grabbing hold of the noble and dashing toward the hole in the wall, Lydiana hot on their heels. Then her view was blotted out as the Ghar began turning their weaponry against the rock. The scattered blasts peppered the surface, sending stone splinters flying through the air. One slashed Alkasta's cheek as it went spinning past her face.

  Kashar leaned out from behind the rock to send a futile shot from his mag gun into the advancing battlesuits. “Undari safe. Crabs want us now.” Kashar gave Alkasta a grave look. “You help Chief Undari,” he told her.

  Before Alkasta could stop him, Kashar leapt from cover and charged toward the Ghar, a plasma grenade clenched in his hands. She didn't wait for the explosive result. Kashar was sacrificing himself to give her a chance. She wasn't going to squander that sacrifice. Rushing down the opposite direction, Alkasta sprinted toward the outpost. Behind her, she heard Kashar's scream and the explosion of his grenade. She also heard the crackle of Ghar cannons, a sound that persisted even after the explosion.

  She was almost at the outpost wall when Alkasta lost her footing and went rolling through the dirt. Instantly she glanced back at the rock she'd been using for cover and the Ghar that had been advancing upon it. There was no sign of Kashar beyond a plume of smoke and a smattering of burning debris. The Ghar however were much in evidence; less than a yan from the rock they aimed their cannons at it. The petals closed, forming a single murderous barrel. From the collapsed cannons there came a concentrated blast of plasma energy. The rock was ripped apart, shattered as though by some tectonic force.

  Alkasta didn't linger to see anything more. Back on her feet, she rushed toward the hole in the wall. She didn't look down as she ran past the bodies of her slain comrades, but she did cast a worried look at the Ghar battlesuit she'd blinded. The compartment where its operator had been sitting was open now, but every bit as empty as the destroyed machine the probe had spotted inside the corridor.

  Any question as to what kind of creature could fit inside so tiny a space was answered for Alkasta when she looked ahead and saw the tortured domari the grapple had struck. The man was no longer alone. The thing that crouched over him bore only the most remote semblance to a human. It had four limbs, a distinct head and torso, but there the similarity ended. The long, thin arms were almost simian in their shape, the squat face with its bulging eyes was more batrachian than human. The admixture of loathing and hate that stretched across the Ghar's face as it spun around and snarled at Alkasta was beyond human expression.

  Alkasta didn't hesitate. Despite her revulsion, she kept running, kicking out with her foot as she came near the Ghar. The wiry creature was knocked back by the heavy impact of her boot, but even as it crashed in a cloud of dust, it was twisting itself around to face her again. Uttering a stream of guttural screeches, the Ghar lunged at her.

  A blast from the plasma pistol clenched in her hand hurled the misshapen creature back, a gaping hole blown through its chest. Alkasta stared after the shot Ghar, ready to shoot again if it gave any sign of life. The creatures that piloted the massive battlesuits were far less resilient outside their armor. The only motion about the Ghar was the steam rising from its fatal wound. Convinced it was indeed dead, she turned back toward the soldier caught in the electrified grapple.

  Even as Alkasta started to lean over the man, a warning shout sounded from behind her. “Three more of them!” Gravikk howled. His words were punctuated by the crack of mag guns and the growl of his x-launcher. Alkasta looked up in alarm, quickly spotting more Ghar advancing from the direction Kashar had first noticed the flittering spy device. The remaining Ghar from the initial attack were also moving toward her, clambering down from the shattered rock at a steady pace.

  Alkasta gave the trapped soldier a sad look. There was no time to try and figure out how to deactivate the grapple that held him. If she tried to help him while it was sending out electric shocks, all she'd accomplish would be to injure herself. Shamed by the deed but knowing it was the only course open to her, Alkasta turned away and sprinted toward the outpost. As she ran past the dead Ghar, she reached out and caught hold of its grisly arm. The diminutive creature weighed little enough, and she was able to sling its carcass over her back as she ran.

  Strangely, the battlesuits held their fire. Though the Ghar continued to advance, they made no effort to cut down Alkasta with their cannons. Instead they converged upon the man she'd left behind. Alkasta didn't question their distraction, it was enough that she was able to reach the hole and scramble inside before the Ghar decided to avenge the creature she'd killed.

  Panting, Alkasta pushed her way into the dark corridor, squeezing past the spotter pr
obe. She found the other survivors keeping close to the walls, all eyes turned toward the opening and the enemies outside. There were pitifully few who'd escaped the ambush. Gravikk and three of the other Vardosi, Doma Undari, and Lydiana. At least the soldiers had kept their weapons for all the effectiveness the mag guns had shown thus far. The compression carbine Undari had might be more useful, the weapon having a substantial punch. Lydiana, the intellectual with nothing but contempt for violence, of course had disembarked the Revenger unarmed.

  “Well,” Gravikk declared as he looked out through the hole. “I'd say that was a firm 'no' to any idea of an alliance with us.”

  Lydiana stepped toward Gravikk, shaking her head. “We don't know that,” she protested. “They may have seen us as invaders.” She turned toward Undari. “My lord, we have to try again. We have to try and establish communication with the Ghar. You can make them understand our intentions are friendly. That we share a common enemy.”

  Alkasta glared at the scientist, then looked over at Undari. Her temper flared. The noble seemed to actually be considering Lydiana's words. Angrily, Alkasta swung the Ghar carcass around, tossing it onto the floor so that Undari, Lydiana, and all the rest could see it.

  “That is what's inside those machines,” she snapped, kicking the Ghar with her foot. Its head rolled back, its dead face leering at Undari. The noble blanched and drew away when he saw the hateful expression frozen on its face. “Does that look like something that wants to make friends with anyone?” Alkasta swept her gaze across the Vardosi survivors. All of them, even Gravikk, had a look of revulsion. All except Lydiana. Her visage was almost placid. Alkasta could think of only one reason why that might be.

  “You knew what these things were,” Alkasta accused, grabbing hold of Lydiana's tunic and pressing her back against the wall. “Everyone else was shocked to see that thing, but not you. You knew what the Ghar looked like.” Her eyes took on a deadly glint. “Maybe you knew how they'd receive us as well.”

  Lydiana shifted around so she could see Undari. “She's deranged!” she shouted. “Think, my lord. If the Ghar had wanted to kill us, then why didn't they simply open fire on the Revenger?”

  Alkasta had an answer for that. “They want the ship,” she said. Turning, she nodded at Undari. “Look at this place. Something nasty was going on here before we showed up, and from the look of things, the Ghar have been getting the worst of it. They're looking to get out of here and aim to have the Revenger as their ride.”

  “Could be why they chose this spot for their ambush,” Gravikk said. “Get us around the back of their outpost so no stray shots would hurt the ship.”

  “There was craft in their attack,” Undari conceded, “but putting the outpost between themselves and the Revenger could have just as easily been to keep the ship's guns from firing at them.”

  Lydiana nodded in agreement. “There you have it,” she crowed. “Besides, it would take extreme circumstances for any Ghar to consider using foreign technology.”

  A cold smile crept onto Alkasta's face. She looked over at Undari to see if the importance of the remark had impressed itself on the noble. “You know an awful lot about the Ghar all of a sudden,” she accused. “Before we landed, all they were was a name and a reputation as enemies of Vardos Yarkarri. Now you know enough about them to predict how they think.”

  Undari glared at Lydiana, all doubt leaving his expression. “That demands an explanation,” he growled. “You convinced me this enterprise was viable, that with the Ghar on our side, the Torani Freetraders would be powerful enough to reunite the scattered K'yam Federation.” He pointed down at the dead creature. “Instead all I've found is that.”

  Before Lydiana could try to explain herself, an agonized voice cried out from the desolation outside. A chill swept through the Vardosi within the outpost as they recognized the tones as that of Therik, the domari caught in the grapple. The voice, at least, was his, but the words had a mechanistic coldness that belied the pain with which they were spoken.

  “Atavisms designated Freeborn,” Therik screamed. “Submit. Terminate hostility. Surrender weaponry and submit.”

  Through the images relayed by the spotter probe, the survivors could see Therik kneeling on the ground. One of the Ghar stood behind him, cables running from the armored battlesuit and into a grisly gash in the side of his head. The captive's face was twisted into a tormented mask, blood streaming from nose and ears. The cables pulsed with energy, electricity crackling down their length. Therik shrieked in pain, then his mouth struggled to repeat the Ghar's demand for surrender.

  Horrific as the sight was, Alkasta noted at once that only three of the Ghar were visible. Even as they listened to Therik's screams, she could only think about where the other two Ghar had gone. A suspicion flared through her, recalling the way the second group of ambushers had used the initial attack as a diversion while they came at the Vardosi from the flank.

  Releasing Lydiana, Alkasta turned and stared down the corridor. Four yan further and the hall made a sharp turn to the left. Almost anything might be around that corner. They'd entered the outpost through a hole in its wall. Certainly, the Ghar had more standardized methods of getting inside. While the three holding Therik kept them occupied, the other two could be moving against them from inside.

  Alkasta quickly explained her suspicion to Undari. Still stinging from the way he'd allowed Lydiana to manipulate him, the noble acceded to his champion's plan. “We leave the probe to watch the ones outside,” he repeated Alkasta's orders, giving them his stamp of authority. “While it keeps tabs on them, we head down this hall and try to find another way out.”

  “The drone goes first,” Alkasta said. She gave Lydiana a vicious glance. “Then you. Maybe you'll have a chance to convince them to surrender.” Tapping the barrel of her plasma pistol, she forced the scientist to follow the drone as it flew off in to the gloom.

  Images relayed by the spotter drone showed the area beyond the turn to be empty. Around the corner was a short passageway that fed into another corridor. Here and there a few illumination panels flickered along the ceiling, casting a fitful crimson light along the hallway. Urged on by the threat of Alkasta's gun, Lydiana walked a few yan behind the drone. The irony that the intellectual scientist was less capable in the role of scout than a primitive feral like Kashar wasn't lost on Alkasta. Even so, she still expected Lydiana to give them some sort of advance warning.

  The Vardosi slowly made their way down the hall and around the corner. The instant Alkasta reached the end of the corridor she ordered the spotter drone to navigate the next turn and the hallway beyond. The images relayed back to the combat shard showed another stretch of passageway, but this time there were what looked to be sealed hatchways against either wall. She ordered the drone to slow its advance, to turn its optics toward the hatches. She wasn't sure what she expected to see – some clue that would indicate whether the room beyond each hatch was occupied or not. Unfortunately there was nothing the drone could do to either confirm or deny her concern.

  It would need a human touch.

  “Lydiana, check those doors,” Alkasta ordered the scientist.

  Lydiana didn't move. She shook her head. “I won't do it,” she stated.

  “You will,” Undari snapped. “I command it!” He put a bit more than just the threat of his authority behind his orders. The nobleman raised his composite carbine, aiming it at the duplicitous scientist.

  While Lydiana slowly went around the corner, Alkasta diverted her attention to the images and sounds being relayed by the probe. The Ghar were still out there, still forcing Therik to voice their demands. The Ghar were offering to spare the lives of the first two Vardosi who surrendered to them and convinced the Revenger's crew to let them aboard. It was a vicious diktat, intended to provoke paranoia and have them falling over themselves to surrender before anyone else did. The armored monsters certainly had a contemptuous opinion of Vardosi integrity.

  A fluttering motion relayed
by the drone turned Alkasta's attention back to the interior of the outpost. As she concentrated, she saw the motion again, that weird fluttering that characterized the flight of the robot the Ghar had used to spy on them outside. “They're here,” she cautioned the domari.

  Soon after the Flitter noticed Lydiana, the halls echoed with the sounds of heavy steps. The scientist cried out and fled back to the turn as first one and then a second Ghar lumbered into view. The battlesuits raised their cannons, sending a spray of shots rippling down the hall, chasing Lydiana through the corridor. From the view afforded by the drone, it looked to Alkasta like the Ghar weren't trying to hit her, simply force her back.

  “They're going to try and herd us back outside,” Alkasta said. “Right into the claws of their friends.” She caught hold of Lydiana as the woman came running past her. She gave her a withering look. “There's more outside, in case you forgot.”

  “What do you advise?” Undari asked.

  Alkasta thought quickly. The Ghar expected captives. That meant they might hesitate when it came to shooting anything that rushed out from the outpost. “Everyone give me your grenades,” she ordered. She turned to Gravikk. “Try to hold them at the corner. You don't have to stop them, just make them reluctant to do anything hasty.”

  Gravikk looked at her and scowled, his forked tongue flickering out from between his scaly lips. “We know scramblers don't work on them,” he said, hefting his x-launcher.

  “Try net-shells,” Alkasta said. “Just slow them down for a little while. You'll know when you don't need to keep them back anymore. That's when everybody comes running.” She shoved the handful of grenades into Lydiana's arms. “You're coming with me. Whatever reason you had for bringing Doma Undari here, it's your neck on the line too. You either help me, or I'll leave you gut shot for the Ghar to find.”