I try to draw comparisons to every sea creature I know.
How do large sea-creatures locate food? That’s a good place to start-
“Finn, watch out!”
My brief moment of distraction has cost me. Golgaloth roars as loud as he can, the reverberations cause my screen to flicker and everything goes black. My ship turns offline for a moment, but it’s enough for Golgaloth to gain a considerable amount of distance.
“N- no way! I’m not going to be fish food!”
The monster's jaws are overtop of me, its teeth are just about to penetrate the exterior of my ship when my controls go back online. Instead of slamming on the throttle, I roll between three large sets of teeth and ride the current back towards Golgaloth’s fin.
“Nice dodge!”
Naki sounds both relieved and surprised. That’s when my eyebrows raise in astonishment. I figured it out!
“Echo location!”
The answer rolls off my tongue before I can process it.
“What?”
Her voice is shrill.
“Is that a human thing?”
“Listen, Naki, I don’t have time to explain. You’ll just have to trust me.”
My grand scheme is coming to a head just as an underwater valley appears in the distance. The stone walls are covered in what looks like coral and seaweed. The fissure is easily fifteen feet wide and hundreds of feet tall. More jellyfish-flowers are hidden along the walls, lighting our way. I look up, to my left, and my right.
No way around this valley. We have to cut straight through! And this time, I won’t be able to ride the current to safety if this thing tries to eat us!
With no other choice Naki and I push forward. We zig-zag through the valley. Golgaloth is struggling to maneuver his fat body around the curves. His fins decimate huge chunks of rock. Naki and I swoosh to the right and to the left.
Golgaloth gives another piercing shriek, and our vessels rumble in unison; we go offline for a moment, coming back just in time to steer around a corner.
Before us is a dead-end. I notice a large hole in the center of the wall that leads to an air pocket, but it’s small, and could only fit one of us at a time.
“Naki! Up, towards the surface!”
“Copy that!”
Naki and I roll at a hundred-degree angle. Our engines roar in unison. We blast-off towards the surface, leaving the valley below. In my rear-mirror, Golgaloth charges towards the wall. He roars as he recoils in a shocked manner. It turns following us towards the surface.
“I’ve figured it out!” I radio. “Naki- split up. You need to take your ship to the center of the valley and hide amongst the boulders at the top. When I tell you - fire your plasma turret at the rocks.”
“You want me to cause an avalanche in the valley?! What about you? How will you escape!?”
Golgaloth is gaining on us. I see it’s gaping maw in my rear mirror.
“No time! Please, just do it!”
Without further hesitation, we split off from one another like two pilots during an air show. Golgaloth is slow to turn around, and it gives Naki enough time to hide amongst the valley's lip overlooking the area below.
“Alright…”
My heart begins to race as adrenaline pumps through my veins.
“Let’s do this!”
I tease Golgaloth by swishing through the water, causing turbulence hundreds of feet away from his snout. I’m close enough though! Because Golgaloth lets out a frustrated rumble, the reverberations locate my vessel and with one rake of his tail Golgaloth hurtles towards me.
I’m leading him to the center of the valley and re-entering the maze. It feels like we are dancing as we majestically twist and turn avoiding one another by several feet. I force increasing pressure on my accelerator, pushing my ship to the limits.
My A.I warns.
“Maximum velocity reached.”
I’m a minute away from reaching Naki’s stationary vessel. It’s impossible to spot her amongst the rubble.
“Naki! Now!”
Without another word, I see ten bright blue bullets explode boulders twice the size of my ship up in the air. They break off into several pieces. The left side of the valley walls crack like eggs. The resonance sounds like distant howling.
Maybe this worked a little too well? I didn’t expect the entire valley to crash around me!
My fingertips are alight with electricity. I maneuver around a humongous rock and swoop through a cloud of dust. Glancing in my mirror for a millisecond, I grin at the sight of Galgoloth bumbling to-and-fro.
Just as I thought! I’m hidden in the chaos, his echolocation is useless right now!
Still - that doesn’t mean the bastard isn’t a serious danger to me.
Time for step two!
Charging towards the valleys end, I hold my breath in growing anticipation. Golgaloth has managed to cut through the avalanche, but not without taking damage. Huge pools of dark red blood float in the sea like paper ribbons. The monster's face is scratched and bruised. Galgoloth shakes his head and grumbles.
My face grows taut with concentration. That hole in the mountain is my target, and I swear on my life I'm gonna’ hit a bullseye! I lunge forward, flicking a switch and shouting at my A.I.
“All systems, emergency shut down!!!”
My voice breaks with concern as I realize that my timing is definitely off.
The interior lights disengage, but my wings are folding into the fuselage at a leisurely pace. There is a gut-wrenching screech as the left and right sides of my ship scrape against rock.
Whizzzzz...snap!
My wings fold into place just in time! I zoom out of the darkness on the other side of the rocks. I’m greeted with a small pocket of stone with multiple breakage points. Above, I can see a way out.
“Restart all ship functions NOW!”
Thankfully, my velocity has decreased significantly. As my ship functions are starting up, we slam nose first into a rock wall. I grip the yoke and spin around, shaking my head which is now fuzzy.
The A.I informs me of,
“Major exterior damage.”
I ignore it.
“Naki- come in! Naki!”
There is a slight pause. I launch my ship upwards, coming to a head at the top of the valley.
Her bubbly voice rings out in my speakers.
“Finn, you did it! It slammed into the wall!”
She cheers while laughing. A smile explodes on my face.
“Just as planned! Without echo location, Golgaloth didn’t know where the wall was!”
Down below, Golgaloth’s dormant figure is floating towards the sea floor. He has a huge bump on his head trickling with blood. The creature flips, revealing the Odium-crystal dug into his chest.
“I’m not done yet!”
Like a dog to a bone, I chase the beast down and shoot ten bullets into Golgaloths core. The crystal flies loose, turning into dust and evaporating altogether. Golgaloth crashes to the seafloor, completely inert. The darkness of his figure looks like a beached whale.
“One down...an entire army to go!” Naki exclaims happily.
She’s right. Now we need to go help Ron and the rest of our squad from Zho-Zho and his Raiders!
Another One Bites The Dust
Naki and I set course for Dree, leaving the unconscious and crystal-free Golgaloth in the valley to contemplate its life choices.
“Warning, major exterior damage to vertical stabilizer and the hull.”
“Naki, status update?”
Her voice crackles over my helmet speaker.
“I've taken exterior damage. We should land at Dree and meet up with Ron on foot.”
“Copy that.”
We arrive at the eastern Dree dome. Naki and I push through the barrier which only gives a slight...wobble! We make an emergency landing at a huge intersection. Two buildings have collapsed forming a semi-circle in the clearing.
“Darn, this city's a mess...”
>
My voice carries a tinge of disappointment.
“Remain at 30% power, keep engines idle for emergency take-off.”
“Confirmed.”
The A.I complies, and we leap onto the seafloor. Naki takes up her position at my left-hand side. Plasma Pistols in hand we make straight for the city center. Atop the coral buildings I can see the flashes of purple and orange bullets colliding into brilliant vermillion blasts. My face tightens.
“I thought my brother said he had the battle under control?”
Naki’s reply is soft.
“Perhaps something happened?”
My panic must be showing. Naki grins and gives a slight nod.
“He’ll be ok, I’m certain.”
My smile widens. I know she can’t truly promise that Ron is alive. But her expressed convictions are appreciated.
Right on cue. We enter a city street overshadowed by a bridge connecting two still-standing buildings. The covering is made from stunning diamonds and other rainbow crystals. The light from each bullet bounces off the reflections like a kaleidoscope.
Three bus sized moss-covered rocks are protruding from the ground. The Etis troops are sheltered behind them avoiding enemy fire. Naki and I notice several Raiders in the distance lifting their pistols. Predicting their movements, we dodge to avoid a ray of bullets just in time.
“Phillia!”
I spot the four legged alien and call her name.
“Where is my brother? Where is our squad?!”
We have to shout over the whizzing of gunfire. Naki and I get on our hands and knees crawling towards them. I rest my back against the rock.
“Ron and his squadron are up ahead. Zho-Zho and three of his Raiders attempted to escape, your brother intercepted them.”
Naki spins to face me.
“We have to clear out these enemies and catch up to them!”
“Agreed.”
We engage the enemy. Thankfully, the Raiders are easy to spot in their bright-orange vests and shirts.
They are hiding on either side of the bridge behind the structure’s rainbow pillars. I spot a straggler who pokes his head out for a little too long. Bam! I hit him right in the helmet and he falls over.
Phillia takes down the next Raider, and her Etis troops handle the rest. The Raiders drop like flies and soon the street is silent.
“Naki, let’s go!”
I vault over the rock before Phillia or anybody else has time to tell me different.
“W- wait, Finn!”
Naki’s footsteps are hot on my tail. We leave the bridge behind and maneuver around multiple buildings. The deeper we get into the city, the darker the light becomes. Many of the jellyfish-flowers are floating away to the outskirts where it is safer.
“Darn, I can hardly see!”
BOOM!
An explosion goes off several yards away from us. Naki and I fly backwards landing in two identical heaps. Clumps of burning seaweed decorate the air.
We blink through the dirt and debris.
“Finn, I see them!”
She points slightly to the left. Five shadowy figures are fighting against four others. Unlike our previous battle, these individuals are grabbing, punching, and clawing one another.
“That must be Ron and the Raiders!”
I spot a brawny lizard-tail swishing through the air. It slams down over the head of an enemy and the humanoid body topples over.
Was that...RON!?
My heart skips a beat. I recklessly launch to my feet and run into the battlefield. Naki shouts behind me but I pay no heed to her warning.
I barrel roll underneath an incoming plasma bolt and lift the unconscious individual into my arms. It’s one of my fellow Altair Aster’s. Their helmet is cracked in two, and blood trickles down their cracked nose. A pair of lifeless pale eyes stare up at me...this is the Mecek from my class! The one who lost to Kiwok...
No, not another one dead! Zho-Zho is going to pay!
Footsteps slap towards me in the darkness. Mindlessly, I spin to face whoever is stupid enough to fight me in my angered state. I raise my pistol and, just as my finger is tugging on the trigger, a familiar hand grabs my own and jerks me to my feet.
“R- Ron!”
I smile ear-to-ear.
“You’re alive!”
He lights up at my enthusiasm but the expression is quickly wiped away, replaced with a tight knit stare. Naki runs to join us sounding equally enthusiastic.
“Thank the gods! Ron, where are the others?”
He answers her while leading me towards a stone shelter.
“I’ll show you. Quick, this way!”
Taking care to avoid bullets and enemies, we tuck behind another fallen building. To my surprise, Roxie and Kiwok are here. They are both panting heavily. Their helmets are stained with dirt and light flecks of blood. When Roxie spots me, her eyes widen.
“Both of you are alive? B- but how?”
“We beat that sea monster to a pulp.”
Her tail twitches and her brows raise, I assume that’s a sign of amazement? Suddenly, the images of Miv and that newly dead Aster flash in my mind. I flex my fists.
“But that’s over and done with.”
My voice turns dark with burning-rage.
“Where is Zho-Zho? I want that slime-ball dead at my feet.”
Even I have the common sense to notice that sounds out-of-character for me...yet I remain unflinching.
Ron furrows his brows.
“We can’t act out of emotion, Finn.”
He gives me a soft pat on the shoulder. My rage quickly dissipates.
“He’ll get what’s coming to him. We need to be patient.”
“R- right.”
Roxie peeks cautiously from our shelter. Her ears swivel towards the battlefield.
“Darn, I can’t see them in the darkness. How many did we take down?”
Kiwok responds.
“We kill two! Three dumb-dumbs left...we should charge. Use enemy bones to pick food from teeth.”
Roxie’s tail twitches once more. We stare at her. Her shoulders tense and her back arches.
“Do you hear that?”
The four of us shake our heads.
“Listen to your translator.”
I close my eyes, drawing all attention to my ear-piece. It’s picking up an alien language in the distance.
A raspy female voice is shouting- “We surrender!”
All at once our eyes alight with realization. Naki cheers.
“The Raiders are surrendering!”
Ron sighs.
“Finally…”
But Roxie doesn’t look so impressed. She remains tense, leering out from our shelter spot again. Curiosity gets the better of me and I join her. Funnily enough, Naki, Kiwok and Ron also stare out at the battlefield like children wanting to be on a playground with their friends.
Two Raiders are on their knees in the center of the clearing with their hands raised. The debris from the explosions of battle have settled, leaving the area with little lighting and a dull glow from distant jelly-flowers.
“They think we’re gunna’ buy that?”
Roxie gives a snort.
“Zho-Zho isn’t among them...we should kill them”
I can hear my brother suck in a sharp breath.
He’s still in charge, Roxie can’t do that without his permission.
Ron says, “I won’t kill unarmed soldiers. Even if they are planning something.”
Roxie shakes her head in disbelief, but leaves it at that. I’m thankful this act of surrender won’t turn into a bloodbath. Ron turns to Kiwok, Naki and I.
“You three stay here. Roxie and I will approach those soldiers. If Zho-Zho attempts to attack us, provide long-range support.”
We nod obediently.
Naki and Ron enter the clearing, moving slowly towards the Raiders. Our eyes are pinned on them as I quickly scan the environment.
If they have a trap laid, how did the
y have time to set it up?
“ f i n n “
My skin freezes and my whole body alights with energy.
A crystal shard?! Where? It must be near - or else I wouldn't be able to hear it.
“ y o u a n d y o u r b r o t h e r w i l l p a y f o r h u r t i n g m e “
I spin to face the voice….
Zho-Zho has snuck up behind us in the darkness. His intimidating figure is a meer foot away. He has a plasma pistol to Naki’s head and a hand over her mouth. Kiwok and I gasp in unison, my Kinquit companion grits his jaw together and roars.
“Let go of little woman!”
“Shut up, Kinquit!”
Zho-Zho’s anger triggers Roxie and Ron to turn in our direction. The remaining Raider troops take this opportunity to run for the hills. I glover at their fleeing hides. Zho-Zho drags Naki out of our shelter. He looks back at us while we rise to our feet aiming our weapons at his face.
“Tsk-tsk little Aster’s. Don’t do anything reckless, or the Tra’vaneer woman gets her brains blown out.”
I make eye contact with Naki. Her gaze is surprisingly calm and alert. She gives a head nod. My body is trembling with anger.
“If you hurt her…I swear I’ll...I’ll..”
My anger is unfathomable. I snarl while he gets closer to Roxie and Ron. He cuts me off.
“You’ll what, brat? Kill me? As if!”
The Raider leader faces Roxie and Ron.
“Altairian’s are weak. They are, by far, the softest Outpost of them all! Even those Etis troops are gutsier than you fools….”
He presses the nozzle against Naki’s temple.
“Now, here’s the deal. Let us escape, or I kill her.”
Ron nods. His quick agreement sends a rush of relief through me.
“I agree.”
“What?!”
Roxie snaps in alarm.
“You can’t let the leader of the Raiders go in exchange for the life of one Aster.”
Roxie’s words feel like a knife through my heart. I can’t stay quiet! I stomp my foot onto the ground and shout.
“What did you just say!? Naki is our family, we wouldn’t let her die for something as trivial as this!”
“Trival? You are an Aster, you don’t get to decide what matters in situations like this. Now be silent!”
Roxie’s terrifying orange eyes bore into me, but I don’t back down.
Hypernova Series: Worlds At war Page 14