Talon the Raider

by A A Warren

  The ship dipped as another crash echoed through the hull. The rear door ballooned inward. Something slammed into it from the other side, with enough force to dent the metal panel. Talon reached up with his free hand and braced himself against the roof of the transport.

  “What in Nitara’s name—” B’Turo hissed as he struggled to maneuver the ship towards the dreadnought.

  Talon’s axe hummed to life, as another dent erupted in the door. “B’Turo, Vaki, strap yourselves in, quickly!”

  Vaki clicked the straps of her crash harness into place. She glanced over and saw the old man had already secured his. “What in blazes is that?” she shouted back.

  “I don’t know,” Talon replied. “But whatever it is, it’s strong enough to punch dents in solid metal!”

  A third dent rippled through the door. The frame surrounding the panel buckled. With a final groan, the door exploded inwards.

  Talon leapt back as the bent sheet of metal sliced through the air. It struck the cockpit window and ricocheted backwards, sending a network of cracks through the transparent dome. Vaki ducked, as the jagged metal whirled a few centimeters above her head.

  “Orion’s blazing bow!” Talon gasped.

  A thick, fleshy creature surged through the opening, and reared up on the bridge. Armored scales covered the thing's serpentine body, like the dorokuma worms. But the jagged plates lining this monstrosity’s hide were a deep obsidian black. Tufts of silver fur circled the beast's head, like a lion’s mane. The four-way snout was malformed, and larger than the other worms. A curved, bony beak tipped each mandible. The thing’s maw split open and emitted an ear-piercing shriek. Glistening purple tentacles shot out of the creature’s mouth and whipped through the bridge.

  Talon pivoted, slashing through the air with the fiery blade of his axe. The beast howled as he severed a pair of the smaller tendrils darting towards him. The massive worm swung its head side to side, slamming one of its hooked beaks into Talon’s abdomen. The force of the blow tossed him through the air. Sparks cascaded around him as he slammed into the wall, and slumped to the ground.

  B’Turo gasped, as one of the fleshy appendages wrapped around his pilot’s chair, pinning his arms to his side. The ship began to dive, and veered off course. The luminous planet below filled the cockpit windows. An orange glow lit up the cold, black space surrounding the vessel.

  “Too… steep!” the old man gasped, as the tentacle’s embrace crushed his ribs, forcing the air from his lungs. “We’re… Burning… Up!”

  As the ship plunged into the atmosphere, the heat in the cabin grew more intense. Beads of sweat rolled down Vaki’s face, as she struggled to reach the controls in front of B’Turo. It was just inches away, but she had to fight against the crash harness holding her in her seat, and the massive G-forces pummeling the ship. She groaned as she strained to lean another inch forward. She felt her fingertips graze the contoured surface of the control stick…

  Suddenly, she felt a tremendous pressure yank her back. Glancing down, she saw another tendril of flesh, wrapping around her body and crushing her ribs in a lethal embrace. A blast of putrid air from above blew her hair back. She looked up and stared into the fanged maw of the enormous black worm.

  Its four beaks parted, emitting a howl of rage that drowned out Vaki’s scream.

  Ensign Koshigi raised a fury brow as a new dot of light blinked onto her holo-screen. Her delicate clawed fingers danced over the glowing controls of her console. As the dreadnaught’s sensors scanned the new object that had entered their battle space, a stream of detailed readings ran up the side of her display.

  She gasped.

  “Captain!” She spun around in her chair, facing the raised command bridge where the Captain stood. “I have a new target reading. A small cargo transport, leaving the mining colony. It’s entering orbit now, sir!”

  The Captain stood with his arms behind his back, staring up at a giant floating holo-display. Glowing wire-frame models of the Toho ships, and the transports escaping the doomed planet, flickered in the air.

  “Put it on my display, Ensign,” he muttered.

  “Already done, sir. Sector Alpha four zero—”

  The Captain glanced down at the glowing edge of the planet on the display. He could see the new ship, blinking on and off to show it had just entered the field of battle. “We’ve had a steady stream of ships leaving the surface. What’s so special about this one?”

  Koshigi tapped the keys on her console, then made a swift waving motion with her hand, sending the data stream to the Captain’s display. “Sir, the crown prince said to shoot down any ship that left the surface, unless sensors showed black jade onboard.”

  “Your point, ensign?”

  The fox-like alien grinned, revealing her razor-sharp front canines. “Sensor’s show a unique energy signature on this one, sir. The readings are consistent with black jade emission patterns.”

  “There’s black jade onboard? Can you tell how much?”

  Koshigi checked her sensor display. “I can’t be sure, but the readings are off the chart. There must be tons of it, at least.”

  The Captain squinted at the tiny blue dot on the display. “Tons? That would be enough to power the entire Toho fleet for—”

  “Decades, sir.” Koshigi finished his sentence.

  The Captain leaned forward and grabbed the railing. “Ensign, you may have just earned yourself a promotion. Alert all fighters. Order them to break off from their targets and pursue that ship. Target engines and life support, but do not destroy it!”

  Koshigi grinned wider and turned back to her console. "By your command, sir!”

  The Captain activated his comm unit. A glowing hologram of the crown prince loomed over him. The glowing figure stroked his long mustache and glanced down at the Captain in annoyance. “What is your report, Captain?”

  The Captain bowed, then clicked his heels and stood at attention. “Your Highness. You may want to come to the bridge…”

  Chapter Thirty-Seven

  Talon lifted his head. A salty tang filled his mouth… a trickle of blood, flowing from a bruised gash across his forehead. His eyes blinked as the haze cleared from his vision.

  He saw the worm, rising up from the deck and towering over Vaki.

  Talon staggered to his feet. He wiped the blood and sweat from his face, and glanced left and right… the shaft of his axe was several meters away, rattling across the deck plates. He staggered towards the weapon.

  The creature’s body writhed and undulated through the air. As the ship dove into the planet’s atmosphere, the axe rolled beneath a coil of black armored flesh. Cursing, Talon ducked into a low crouch. He struggled to keep his balance in the plummeting ship.

  Vaki screamed again, as a thick stream of drool fell from the beast’s mouth and pooled around her feet. Another tendril, slimmer and more delicate than the other’s, emerged from the four-beaked maw. It curled down, caressing the girl’s flesh with long, slow strokes.

  A sound emerged from the creature’s innards. It was a voice… a hissing chorus of clicks and groans, shaped into a semblance of human words.

  “Now, little one… My patience has come to an end.”

  That voice, Talon thought. This thing… could it be her?

  He drew one of his cryocite blades. Gripping the hilt with both hands, he raised the gleaming weapon over his head.

  The worm’s probing tendril wrapped around Vaki’s throat, choking off her scream. The creature's jaws gaped even wider as they approached her head.

  “You will join me,” the worm’s voice hissed. “You will become one with my greatness. And I shall taste of your flesh…”

  “Katara!” Talon bellowed. “All you will taste is my blade!”

  Talon plunged the weapon down, stabbing through a gap in the beast’s armored scales. A wail of pain assaulted his ears, drowning out the ship's alarms. The creature thrashed and heaved, whipping through the air like an enraged snake. Talon ducked
, as a coil of sinewy black flesh lashed towards him. Diving under the giant worm’s undulating hide, he rolled across the deck towards the opposite side of the bridge. The metal plates beneath him were hot to the touch, and his skin burned as he brushed against them. The ship was heating rapidly. If they didn’t pull up soon, they would burn in the atmosphere.

  B’Turo and Vaki gasped as the crushing tendrils released them both. The fleshy tentacles retreated into the beast’s innards, and the thing’s jaws snapped shut.

  As he popped to his feet, the worm swung towards him, slashing at him with its bony, pointed snout. Talon ducked again and reached towards the floor. His lips curled into a grim smile as his fingers wrapped around the hilt of his axe. He pressed the power button, and the fiery blade hummed to life.

  Bellowing a fierce battle cry, Talon swung the weapon, tearing through the worm's armored belly. A spray of crimson blood washed across the deck, hissing and smoking as it touched the heated metal plates.

  The creature roared and darted back, snaking away from the burning touch of the plasma weapon.

  “Pull up, old man!” Talon shouted. “Now!”

  B'Turo grasped the controls and yanked the stick towards him. The ship leapt upwards, screaming out of the burning atmosphere in a rapid ascent. The worm rolled across the floor, as the sudden climb threw it towards the rear of the bridge. Talon fell backwards as well, slamming into the mangled doorframe that led to the cargo bay.

  As the ship continued to climb, a series of violent vibrations rocked the hull. Emergency compartments flew open, spilling their contents into the air. Talon rolled sideways, as a container of emergency rations struck the wall beside him and burst open. Cans and plastic containers bounced into the cargo bay. A pair of regulator belts and some spare batteries pelted the howling worm, then disappeared into the bowels of the ship.

  Talon glanced up at the cock pit. He saw B’Turo, piloting the ship through a series of evasive maneuvers as they continued to climb out of the atmosphere.

  “Toho Fighters!” the old man shouted. “Looks like we got their attention. They’re targeting us now!” A series of glowing pulse bolts streaked past the forward windows. A pair of the sleek, tiny craft rushed towards them, splitting off into banked turns as they lined up for another shot.

  “I’m… a little… busy!” Talon grunted. He rolled left, as the worm’s jagged beak dove forward, smashing into the wall and gouging a long dent in the metal. It reared back and roared, then struck again. Talon rolled in the opposite direction. His fingers flailed at edge of the doorframe as he fell through the opening. Grabbing the edge, his body hung and swayed above the cargo bay. The ship was nearly vertical now, and it struggled to climb out of the gravity well of the planet below.

  The worm’s head swung towards him, hovering above the opening. Its mouth split into four segments, and roared. Talon felt the deep sound rumble through his innards. Then the beast launched towards him, ready to engulf his entire body in its glistening, fanged maw.

  Talon let go of the doorframe, allowing his body to plummet into the rear cargo bay. He grunted in pain as he slammed into the cargo container, held fast in a pair of retractable loading clamps.

  The worm snaked through the opening after him. Talon rolled off the container and hit the slope of the rear cargo ramp. He rolled across the angled metal until he reached the stern of the ship, next to the loose regulator belts and other debris.

  Looking up, he saw the worm coil around the cargo pod. The metal container buckled as the worm tightened its grip.

  “My children…” the creature hissed. “I can feel them within. They long to take their place at my side.”

  “They don’t belong to you, Katara!” Talon shouted. The ship lurched, and Talon smelled smoke wafting from the cockpit above. More pulse bolts has struck the hull. If the Toho fighter hit their engines, they would be dead in space.

  The worm lowered its jagged snout. It bobbed and weaved through the air, hanging in front of Talon’s face. The four jaws peeled back, and a new, fleshy appendage emerged from within. The tendril was as thick in girth as Talon’s arm. It curled through the air, pulsating and bubbling as it moved closer.

  Talon watched the quivering lump of flesh shift and morph before him, taking on the features of a human face. Strands of hair sprouted from the amorphous head, falling down in a long, shimmering wave of mercury. A pair of white eyes blinked, then regarded him with a lustful stare. A mouth tore open in the black, bubbling flesh.

  The features solidified into the face of a beautiful woman. It was Katara…

  “Orion’s blazing bow,” Talon whispered.

  “Talon,” she hissed. "We shared great pleasure, warrior. And now you have brought me my prize. You fought for me. Killed for me..."

  “Not for you,” Talon muttered, pulling back from the beautiful yet horrific face.

  “I have never met a man like you,” she said, gazing upon him with her strange, glowing eyes. “My husband, Makor, the others… So many men have failed me. But not you. Join me now.”

  “Your greed destroyed an entire planet,” Talon said through clenched teeth. “You’ve killed hundreds, maybe thousands. All for vanity and petty jealousy.”

  Katara smiled. “I was destined to be a queen, Talon. And a queen must protect her throne at all costs. Soon, I will return to my old body. You desired me once, did you not?”

  Talon glared at her, but did not answer. Katara’s head moved closer. Her lips caressed his cheek. He felt her silvery hair move across his neck and chest.

  “The dorokuma blood courses through my veins,” she whispered into his ear. “I feel what they feel. I see what they see. Like them, I can sense the dark energy bonds that flow through space all around us. I can give you what your heart desires most, Talon. Orex Griff lives. I can feel his presence. I can help you find him. If you join me… If you love me.”

  Before Talon could answer, a pulse bolt screeched through the air. The glowing dart of energy struck the cargo container above them. He looked up, as a shower of sparks rained down around them.

  Vaki stood in the doorframe above them, her feet perched on either side of the mangled opening. She held a pulse pistol in a two-handed grip. "Some women just can't take a hint," she snapped.

  Her pistol fired again, sending a pair of sizzling energy bolts into the worm’s body.

  Katara’s face twisted in a furious snarl. Then her features dissolved into a mass of lumpy, glistening flesh. The tentacle shot back into the worm’s mouth, as the beast heaved its body around to face its attacker.

  The ship rocked as another burst of pulse fire struck the hull. Vaki fired again, but the sudden, violent lurching of the ship threw off her aim.

  The worm lurched towards her.

  Before it could strike, Talon rolled to his side and slammed his fist into a glowing red panel.

  A shimmering wall of energy leapt up in the doorframe, sealing the cargo bay from the rest of the ship. The worm’s snout crashed into the crackling barrier. It roared in fury and struck again, but it could not break through the field.

  A loud buzz droned through the air, and spinning orange lights glowed to life above the ramp. Vaki’s eyes opened wide with concern. She pounded on the energy barrier. “Talon, what are you doing?” she shouted.

  “Finishing this!” He grabbed a regulator belt and looped it around his waist. As the belt’s field shimmered around his body, the loading ramp hissed open behind him.

  A rush of air exploded from the cargo bay. Talon gasped as the absolute cold of space assaulted his body. He could barely breathe, and he felt himself sucked through the opening. His flailing arms grasped the edge of the ramp. The muscles in his shoulders screamed, and his arms bulged like cords of steel. The belt’s first power cell glowed red. It had already depleted its energy compensating for the sudden vacuum and rapid drop in temperature. The second cell lit up almost instantly… he knew the belt would only protect him for a few minutes in the harsh vacuum of sp
ace.

  Gritting his teeth, he forced his free arm up, and pulled himself back into the cargo bay. The control panel mounted next to the ramp glowed green. He reached towards it, fighting against the rushing air and pressure. The worm darted back around and faced him. The creature’s roar was drowned out by the explosive decompression.

  As it darted towards him, Talon stabbed down at the green button. The cargo clamps unlocked from the roof of the cargo bay, and the container shot towards him. It slammed into him, dragging both him and the worm out of the cargo bay, and into the cold depths of space.

  Chapter Thirty-Eight

  Vaki watched through the glowing barrier as the container plummeted from the rear of the ship, taking Talon and the thrashing worm with it. The metal cable that connected the cargo clamps to the roof of the bay hissed through the loading winch with a high-pitched whine. The faint pull of the planet’s gravity below was just enough to tug at the bulky container, and seconds later the cable snapped taut. They were dragging the container about a hundred meters behind them.

  Vaki turned back to the cockpit. “B’Turo, we have to go back! Talon fell out of the—” Another barrage of pulse fire from the Toho fighters jolted the ship. She braced herself against the doorframe as the transport banked right, dodging the glowing energy bolts.

  “I’m trying, but I can’t shake these blasted fighters!” B’Turo shouted back. "One more hit to the engines, and we'll be stranded here when the whole damn planet crumbles to pieces!”

  More pulse bolts streaked past the cockpit. Vaki held on to the edge of the doorframe as the old man threw the ship into another sharp bend.

  “There's more of them, coming in off the port bow!” she shouted.

  “I see ‘em, but there's not much I can do about it. This tug boat wasn’t built for combat!”

  Suddenly, two powerful energy bolts lanced through the darkness, striking the pair of fighters head on. Twin explosions blossomed in the cockpit windows. A massive cluster of dots blinked to life on the holo-display.