Ruins of Talamar (Syrax Wars Book 2)

by Tom Chattle

  She stuck her head out to take stock of the situation and saw that several Marines had been hit, their bodies smoking with crackles of eldritch fire. The hum of blades igniting next to her made Chen jerk around as Sina strode out toward the matriarch. "Sina, no!" Chen cried.

  There was no chance for the lone woman to prevail against the huge creature.

  The matriarch turned its head to face the new threat. It snapped its jaws when it recognized what stood before it, and the hate that emanated from it echoed through Chen's head.

  ~Talamar! Your fate will be the same the rest of your race~

  Its limbs widened into a defensive stance, and a buildup of energy crackled across its skull. Chen winced when the blast fired at Sina and the psychic flame engulfed the alien woman entirely. Chen wanted to scream, but nothing emerged. She slumped back and squeezed her eyes shut, her fists clenched. With all the Marines out of the fight and now Sina gone, what chance did their plan have left?

  An angry cry from the matriarch snapped Chen's eyes back open, and hope swelled inside her. Sina still stood, the psychic energy from the matriarch having not affected her in the slightest. She bent her knees and exploded forward toward the alien monstrosity, her swords angled down toward its torso. The Syrax raised a long, bladed limb to block the attack, and Sina's swords deflected off the bio-armor with a squeal of energy.

  Sina ducked under a counter swing and skidded across the floor. She stabbed a blade up into the matriarch's torso, and it jerked backward with a screech. It slashed back and forth, and its tail whipped around, the deadly barb on the end aimed for Sina's head.

  The woman deflected it with the flat of her blade, spun away from the attack, and brought both blades horizontally across the matriarch's thigh. It roared and staggered, then lashed out with a psychic blast that once again washed over Sina with no obvious effect. Chen could only assume the matriarch knew the psychic barrage would be ineffective, but it repeated the effort regardless.

  Sina parried another brutal attack from the Syrax beast and pushed back against the huge scythe blades with both swords crossed above her head, the blades pitted and hissing with energy.

  The Talamar was strong, but the matriarch was stronger. The blades slowly dipped from the force of the huge alien. Sina bared her teeth and cried out with exertion, her well-muscled arms bulging from the strain. Her concentration on the Syrax's main weapons proved to be an error—the long tail whipped round from behind and struck Sina in the side. The barb sliced through her leather top and sent the Talamar flying across the room. Limp, her swords fell from her grip and skittered away across the deck.

  - 48 -

  2208.10.23 // 15:32

  Syrax Carrier

  The matriarch stalked forward on long, armored limbs, ready to finish the kill. It ignored the Marines sprawled out across the deck and advanced on Sina's limp form with laser focus, tail swaying behind it. Chen knew she had to do something—Sina was moments away from certain death if the matriarch kept on its current path. Without a second thought, she sprinted across the deck and snatched one of Sina's swords from the ground. The blade was surprisingly light and well balanced.

  "Hey!" Chen yelled at the matriarch, waving the blade in the air. "Leave her alone!"

  The creature's head snapped around, and even though it had no eyes, Chen could feel its focus bore into her mind.

  ~I do not recognize your species, but you will die as easily as any other~

  The extent of Chen's plan was the hope it would come after her and forget about Sina. What she would do if it did, she had no idea. A psychic corona coalesced around the beast's carapace and erupted toward Chen, pulsing across the room before the matriarch turned back to deal with Sina.

  With no time to dodge the web of power, all Chen could do was hold the sword up before her and squeeze her eyes shut at the inevitable. But instead of being immolated by psychic fire, a warm wave spread over Chen, and her every extremity was filled with an electric tingle.

  Chen opened one puzzled eye and was dazzled by a wreath of energy wrapped around Sina's sword before her. Bolts of energy shot out and slammed into the deck around her. She gasped for air and looked down—the psychic storm had engulfed her entire body.

  Chen shook her hands, her instinct to drop the sword, but her grip wouldn't budge. She jerked back, thrust her hands ahead of her, and the energy was suddenly gone, dissipating into the air with a sharp crack.

  The matriarch swung round at the noise. It paused for a long moment, obviously confused at the failure of its attack. With a furious roar, it abandoned its prey and pounded across the deck. It gathered speed, and its tail whipped back and forth while it charged at Chen.

  Blood drained from her face at the terrifying sight of the oncoming monster, but Chen held the sword out ahead of her and edged backward. She risked a glance behind her for an escape route, but there was nowhere to hide from the fury that advanced on her.

  Almost upon her, the matriarch ignited its bladed arms with psychic light and launched itself the remaining distance to Chen with a spring of powerful muscles. Out of instinct, Chen thrust the blade above her head and somehow deflected the monstrous claws downward. When the sword had absorbed the impact, she was filled with a pulse of power. Some of the energy involved in the heavy impact transferred to her.

  Chen ducked underneath the monster's torso and scrabbled around on the smooth deck to emerge behind the creature. She rolled to one side, dodged a vicious swipe from the barbed tail, and sprang to her feet.

  The matriarch turned to face her, raised itself up, and looked down at her, fangs glistening with moisture. It tried another slash, but Chen deflected it once again, and another rush of energy surged inside her.

  Her hands trembled with power, and she snarled back at the creature. She thrust the sword forward and unleashed a bolt of psychic energy at the monster.

  The matriarch squealed at the unexpected attack and staggered back toward the pit. Her bloodied lip curled into a smile, and Chen tried to throw another pulse of energy in its direction, but nothing happened.

  She grimaced and shook the sword again, trying to make something, anything come out.

  "Damnit," she muttered while the matriarch advanced toward her once again.

  Showing more hesitation this time, it circled her warily, and its tail struck out to test Chen's reactions. Chen faced it, pivoting in place to keep it in front of her. She held Sina's sword at the ready but felt her arms beginning to sag—not from the weight of the weapon, but from her strength sapping away, replaced by fatigue and aches. Whatever powers she'd absorbed from the matriarch's attacks had begun to take their toll on her body.

  With no choice, she braced herself as the beast snapped forward. It tested the water with a long-armed slash that Chen parried with a pained grunt. A second one followed quickly after. Although every clash transferred an energizing jolt to Chen, the swirl of combat drained it almost immediately and left her struggling to fend off the much more powerful creature. Her diminishing reaction times allowed the matriarch to slap her aside with its tail, and Chen tumbled back across the deck.

  Her head throbbed—both from the impact and the constant psychic pressure exuded by the matriarch. Chen tried to push herself up, but her arms felt unable to hold her own weight. Her chest heaved in effort, but she released the sword and stared at the Syrax through watery eyes. It stomped toward her with its head lowered while its third arm unfurled from its chest. It stopped over her and crouched. The acrid stench of its breath washed over Chen, turning her stomach. When the third arm reached toward her, she knew what was coming.

  ~How you have our powers, I do not know. But I will find out~

  While the beast had identified Sina as a known threat, Chen was something new, something different. The only logical choice for it was to investigate, to rip through Chen's mind like the matriarch back in the Arcturus system had done. After the changes that had overcome her body and mind from that first attempt, Chen didn't know if
she could survive another.

  It loomed over her and long, delicate talons reached down. Chen shuddered when they drew across her head and picked through her tousled hair to find just the right spots. She closed her eyes and braced for the pain, but it didn't arrive. A burst of gunfire echoed around the chambers, and the matriarch jerked back with a roar. It twisted furiously to locate the new assailant.

  Across the room, Wilde had emerged from behind a pillar. A rifle in her hand, she blasted away at the matriarch. She wiped grime off her face with the back of her hand and jerked the gun toward the passageway they'd come through. "Auri, get out of here!"

  She fumbled with the weapon and triggered the grenade launcher. A projectile hurtled at the matriarch, but the beast absorbed the impact on its carapace and bellowed in rage. It accelerated into a charge and heavy, clawed feet thundered across the deck. Wilde's eyes widened, and she staggered back, rifle on full auto in a futile attempt to stop the beast.

  - 49 -

  2208.10.23 // 15:35

  Syrax Carrier

  It was moments away from carving her up when Sina leaped between them. Her lone sword clashed with the matriarch in a shower of sparks. She looked badly bruised, but her movements were still as swift as ever.

  While the pair battled the matriarch, Chen's head darted round in a hunt for anything that might be of help. She pushed herself back along the deck and stopped when she came up against something. She craned her neck behind her and narrowed her eyes. One of the downed mechs lay toppled to the deck. The pilot was far beyond saving, skull crushed by the matriarch, but the mech itself didn't seem too badly damaged.

  Chen hauled herself up and fumbled with the Marine's restraints, finally managing to disengage the interlocks from his exo-suit to the mech. With a grunt, she dragged him out and dumped the body unceremoniously to the deck. She whispered a quiet word of apology but knew he would understand the callous actions.

  Every muscle in her body protested, but Chen heaved herself up into the cockpit. She did her best to ignore the sticky mess that coated much of it and slid her legs into the control harness. She hadn't used one of the Marine mechs before, but it seemed similar enough to the grav-loaders she'd trained on in the Academy.

  The furious sounds of battle raged ahead of her, and Chen scanned the inside of the cockpit for the right button. She found it, slammed the ball of her fist down on it, and her exo-suit locked into place, now interfaced with the mech's systems. Status displays flickered into view in her helmet, and red icons superimposed themselves over damaged parts of the machine. One gun was out of action, the other so low on rounds as to be essentially useless. She frowned and willed the mech to its feet. Mechanical joints whined, but it righted itself slowly.

  Chen pushed the mech to advance, and it stepped forward hesitantly. Damaged and unbalanced, the computers that drove it had to relearn how to walk. She was prepared to go after the matriarch with nothing but the mech's grabber arms, but a glint of light from the sword she'd been using gave her another option.

  She crouched down and picked it up. The mech's hands seemed bulky and ungainly, but they were capable of a surprising amount of finesse. The stubby fingers curled around the handle, and she locked the sword in place, giving it a couple of test twirls. It was a strange feeling—as far as her brain was concerned, she was wielding the sword with her own hands, but her eyes told her something different.

  Blade held at the ready, Chen focused on her target. Sina was being badly battered, and her movements slowed with every brutal impact she parried. Wilde tried to keep her distance, taking potshots at the matriarch whenever Sina dodged far enough away. Chen gritted her teeth and urged the mech forward. Splayed, metal feet hammered across the deck.

  Sina saw her and held the Syrax's attention until the last minute, leaping away moments before Chen plowed into the back of the matriarch. The beast staggered forward, and it's tailed whipped around in defense.

  Chen deflected the barb with the sword and punched at the matriarch's back with the mech's free hand. She blasted the remaining cannon rounds into the weakened spot.

  The creature swung around and slashed both of its scythed arms in toward Chen, the organic blades wreathed in psychic fire. One gouged into the mech's shoulder guard, but Chen managed to parry the other, and energy exploded between the Sina's sword and the matriarch. Tendrils of power arced down the sword and up the arm of the mech. They fought their way through the heavy armor and pulsed into Chen.

  The matriarch pushed down hard in an attempt to force the edge of its blade through Chen. Servos whined in protest at the immense force, but the mech held out. Searching for a killing blow, the other monstrous claw swept in from the side, but Chen grabbed it mid-swing and held it at bay.

  Chen could feel the psychic might of the beast pulse through her own head. Her jaw clenched, she tried to block it all out, but lances of mental power stabbed through her brain.

  ~You will be destroyed~

  Enraged that it couldn't find a way in, the matriarch's third arm lunged out and tried to lash Chen's face with its needle-like talons. She pushed back in her harness as far as she could to try and avoid them while she grappled with the beast, but the longest sliced down her face and sent blood welling into her eye.

  Chen squeezed it shut and snarled. The distraction dropped the barriers she had tried to construct around her mind to protect herself from the Syrax, and the power that surged between the matriarch's blade and Sina's sword rushed through her, electrifying every nerve. For a moment she couldn't move, locked in a grapple with the monstrous beast.

  Her eyes went wide when she finally felt something unlock inside her, something that had been there ever since Arcturus but fear of what she had become had held buried deep inside.

  She tightened her grip on the controls and gritted her teeth to use every last muscle that tingled with psychic power to push the matriarch away. Its arm stretched out to one side, firmly grasped in thick, metal fingers. A pulse of energy blew back through the sword, and the alien beast jerked away. The flaming blade released from its lock, and Chen swung it down on the matriarch's arm. It severed at the elbow in an arc of thick gore.

  An unearthly cry echoed around the domed room, and the huge creature staggered, the remains of its limb flailing around while it pumped out dark, sticky blood. Chen seized the opportunity and urged her mechanical steed forward. She charged across the deck and jumped at the matriarch. Despite the grievous wound, it rallied itself and deflected Chen's attack with its other arm. Blades clashed in a squeal of discharge. It lashed out wildly, and Chen was forced to dodge to one side, almost unbalancing the heavy suit of armor before it corrected itself. A warning flash of heat rushed down her spine, and she twisted back when she saw the matriarch's weapon scything down toward her.

  There was an explosion of light, and the alien spun away. Chen snapped her head to the side and saw Wilde advance on it from behind. Shot after shot erupted from her rifle. "Just die already, you overgrown bitch!" she snarled.

  The beast swung around, ready to rip Wilde apart, but Sina was there too, ready to absorb any psychic attacks with her sword. Arcane, violet light flickered across its broad carapace, and Chen saw the matriarch was happy to try, anyway. The waves of fury that rippled off it left a bitter taste in her mouth.

  Its judgment clouded by pain and anger, the beast left an opening that Chen fully intended to take advantage of. The psychic corona around its head built to an almost painful brightness in preparation to unleash its rage on the two beings in front of it.

  Chen crouched down, and power gathered in the mech's legs. She raised Sina's sword above her head and commanded the suit to jump.

  Too late, the matriarch realized its mistake and began to turn back to face Chen moments before the hissing blade cleaved down through its damaged carapace. The weapon cut deep and released an explosion of energy that hurled Chen back and slammed her into the far bulkhead.

  - 50 -

  2208.10.23 // 1
5:39

  Syrax Carrier

  The ceiling swam above Chen, and the constant tone in her ears gradually subsided. She tasted blood in her mouth—she must have hit her head hard against the inner cockpit framework in the explosion. The lights of the Syrax bridge flickered and dimmed from the massive shock wave that had battered them.

  Warning symbols of every type flashed across Chen's view, screaming at her about the heavy damage the mech had taken. She elected to ignore them for now and tried to command it to move, but all she accomplished was to make one of the arms shudder for a few moments before it crashed back to the deck.

  She reached for the harness release and gasped at the tug of a pulled muscle somewhere in her side. With a grimace, she yanked the release handle but nothing happened. Locked in place by the interconnections with her exo-suit, all she could do was hammer on the handle to try to shake it loose.

  A shadow crossed over her, and her adrenaline spiked before she realized it was just Wilde. The young woman mouthed something at Chen, but she still couldn't hear much more than a muffled jumble of sounds. Chen grasped the release handle, and Wilde seemed to figure out the problem. She clasped one hand around Chen's, pulled out a knife, and pressed it somewhere behind the lever, then pulled back on it until it let go.

  With assistance from Wilde, Chen exited the ruined mech and stretched out her battered muscles while she took in the room. Wilde's voice finally started to punch through the background noise in her head, her tone both jubilant and exhausted. "We did it, Auri!" She pointed across from them. "The matriarch is dead!"

  Chen followed her finger. The corpse of the Syrax leader was sprawled out next to the command pit. Thick blood pooled under it and oozed in a gelatinous waterfall down the steps. Leaning on Wilde, she scanned the rest of the room. "Did anyone else make it?"