“What do I do?”
Silence followed.
He was about to ask if everything was okay when Zora threw her head back and gasped.
She cried out and Taza had to stop himself from running to her.
She opened her watering eyes and gritted her teeth. "Queen Charr needs to rest. I will have to join her soon."
Taza turned to the sounds of footsteps and found Leeroy, Ria, and a Quamat approaching. He vaguely recalled seeing the lizard-alien while in recovery.
Skallig glowered at Taza.
"Save me your judging glare, Terran," he spat. "Your people killed my brothers. Consider yourself lucky I do not gut you where you stand."
"Your brothers were murderers." Taza reached for his blaster. He had no desire to get in a hand-to-hand tussle with a Quamat, but backing down would be considered weakness.
The Quamat hissed. "I’ll kill you yet, Terran filth."
"My friend killed one of your brothers quickly. Had it been up to me, I would have made it slow and painful."
The Quamat went for his weapon, but Taza pulled his first. The alien froze. "Dishonorable as all Terrans. Fight me without your gun.”
Skallig hissed and spat, making a show despite being the one in the precarious position.
Clicks and rattles echoed from the darkness above, buzzing through the chamber like a bee-hive.
Despite not having a blaster, the Quamat squared up to Taza, his forked tongue flapping in his face. He spat on the ground by Taza’s boots then turned and walked away, folding his arms and keeping his back to the small gathering.
"The only people either of you will be killing are Chimera or Ushtaran guards." Leeroy pushed Taza’s weapon down as his eyes nervously scanned the chamber. "Now, keep your damn voices down."
"Thank you for coming," Zora said, still catching her breath.
Ria bowed deeply, a case with three blinking lights in her arms. "Of course."
The Quamat sighed. He turned to face the throne and stared without blinking.
Taza holstered his blaster and nodded to the case. "Looks interesting."
Ria looked to Zora as though afraid to say anything.
Zora turned her attention to Taza. "Since melding with the Aknar Queen, I’ve been seeing fractions of the temporal vision I had on the planet with the Primordial Orb…like she’s helping me remember things I’ve long forgotten. That case Ria carries holds Queen Charr’s last three primal eggs. I often dream about Ria going through the gate with them. Sometimes she’s alone. In those visions, something bad happens. Other times, you accompany her, and she lives."
"When I accompany her where exactly?"
"The first nests still exist on the Aknar homeworld of Gelzaz. They are faint, but the queen can still sense them. If her eggs make it there in one piece, the Aknar could rise again. Sometimes I have visions of Aknar stemming the Aphnai tide. In the visions where the Aknar are absent, I see only destruction."
"You mean to raise an Aknar army?"
Zora shook her head. "I mean for you and Ria to raise an Aknar army."
Taza wondered how much control the Aknar queen had over Zora as she spoke. Either way, the mere thought of such a thing bordered on madness. "The Queen made it clear that the Aphnai are being controlled by our enemies. What’s to stop them from turning your Aknar army on us? Or what if they turn on us of their own accord? The Aknar here have hardly been hospitable."
Clicks and rattles issued from the surrounding pods once again.
Zora’s eyes opened and closed slowly, like she struggled to remain awake. "An Aknar Queen’s memories transfer to her eggs. When the next queen matures, she will access those memories. Queen Charr laid the final three eggs after our joining. My imprint will remind the new queen of her purpose."
"You’ve read the same reports and watched the same footage I have. You’ve seen what the Aphnai can do. I’m not sure these spiders…I mean Aknar…will stand much of a chance against them."
Rattles resonated all around him as though the Aknar took offense.
Zora lowered her voice. "These offspring are underdeveloped…They are young. Given time, they will cast their shells and emerge much stronger. Aeons ago, the Queen shed her own humanoid form in order to survive such a long hibernation. When in their full form, the Aknar are as deadly as the Aphnai…if not more so. However, none of that will matter if Ria does not deliver the eggs to the ancient Gelzazian nest. Queen Charr and I have shared some of our memories with Ria. We trained her as much as we could in what little time we’ve shared. But she stands a better chance of succeeding if you join her."
"Zora…" For some reason, Taza felt strange using her name. "You know that I have a mission of my own. I can’t simply abandon that or my people. They need to know what’s been going on here. That Chimera have penetrated deeper into the Shroud than anyone thought possible. That they have a means to tear a hole in the Shroud. Besides, Grimshaw and the others expect my return. And Clio…"
"Of course," she said with sadness in her eyes. "You will return to them…in time. The eggs are of paramount importance. Without an Aknar army, the Aphnai will sweep through the galaxy unchallenged."
"I’ll help you destroy the weapon. And I’ll help Ria get to the gate, but I must return to the Orinmore."
Zora sighed. "I understand. I won’t pretend I’m not disappointed by your decision, but I appreciate your willingness to help all the same. Leeroy will brief you on what needs to be done. Goodbye, Taza."
"Wait…" He reached forward, countless spiders snapped and stamped their warnings as the throne closed up.
"Goodbye," he said feebly, his heart burning at the thought of them parting on such bad terms. Chances were, he would never see her again.
Zora didn’t answer. She wore her usual stony expression, but as the petals folded in, tears formed in the corners of her eyes.
Ria and Skallig scouted the tunnels ahead on their way back to the Chan rebel base while Taza and Leeroy meandered several passages back. Leeroy explained that two people made less noise than four and drew less attention. Otherwise, the lanky redhead left Taza to his thoughts. He could hardly believe what had just happened. Zora had been with the Aknar Queen. He had thought he would never get to see her again, never get to say a proper goodbye. Well, he had seen her, but their final farewell still left much to be desired. As much as he tried to ignore it, the empty hole in his chest grew with every step.
"So much for closure," he mumbled.
Leeroy peered over his shoulder. "Sorry?"
"Nothing. Just thinking out loud."
Leeroy eased off the gas and fell in next to Taza. "You’re not going through the gate with Ria?"
"I need to get back to the Orinmore and warn everyone. They’ll need to know what’s going on down here. If the Ushtarans pose a threat to the Omnion, they also pose a threat to my friends."
"We will happily send word to the Omnion. Once the Chimera weapon has been neutralized, the storms jamming our communications should dissipate."
"I appreciate that, but what if they have a backup weapon or find another gate that allows them into the Shroud?" Taza countered. "It’s too much of a risk. The longer we take to inform the Omnion about the Ushtaran descent, the longer the enemy maintains the element of surprise. The Omnion might have tech on par with the Tal’Ri or better, but they aren’t used to being caught off guard. The retrovirus proved that much. I’m happy to help on my way out. Taking out that weapon is a priority."
"Of course. It’s located in Priodome Five, not far from the gate."
Taza recalled asking Allora about the dome when arriving on Ushtar. "That’s the big one standing away from the others."
Leeroy nodded. "People rarely go out that way. It’s mainly used for storing old dismantled gear. But that makes it the perfect place for building something in secret."
"I didn’t see any roads or tunnels leading to it on the surface."
"The Ushtarans control a large underground service tunne
l that connects Priodome Five to the mines in the mountains. It’s heavily guarded at both ends, but we’ve got people inside the dome’s gate control room. They were the first to alert us about something strange going on. They noticed a sudden spike in the amount of gear being decommissioned, and our miners noticed an increase in traffic through the service tunnels. We did the math and took a closer look. Turns out they were chipping in enough supplies and gear for a small army. We tried to plant an agent in their ranks, but Chimera have things sealed airtight on the inside. They’re in charge of the party and we haven’t been invited."
"What about Chimera’s numbers?"
"When I came through the gate, six followed. I took out three before getting away. Judging by my calculations, they’ve opened the gate twice more since. Based on the supplies being shipped into Priodome Five, they have close to thirty men. Probably half of those are Ushtaran. That includes engineers and scientists, but we have to assume every one of them knows how to pull a trigger."
"I figured you may have come through the gate." When they first met, Taza had asked Leeroy how he’d entered the Shroud, but the redhead had told him to wait for answers. "Do you know the area?"
"I was fleeing Chimera guards when I came through. I can’t remember much. I took cover behind machinery as we exchanged fire. The next thing I know I’m hurtling through the air. Tripped into one of the vertical tunnel shafts. Thought I was a goner, but the shaft curved into a gentle slope, breaking my fall. I must have stumbled around like a lost puppy for Months before I found Ria. When we found the Chan rebels, I thought they’d kill me, and I was hardly in any state to put up a fight. But they took me in. One thing led to another. I started training them. And here we are."
Taza tried not to smirk. It was the most Leeroy had spoken since they’d met. "Why were Chimera chasing you?"
Leeroy winked. "A story for later, perhaps."
"Thirty trained guards holed up in a defensive position. You better have a whole lot of Chan who can fight on your side."
"Well, we won’t attack them head on. At least not in force. We have a large stockpile of mining explosives. We’ll blow key tunnels directly under Priodome Five. But we’ll need to set a few charges on the surface to make sure they can’t salvage anything. I’ll lead an assault team from the nearby tunnels. It’ll be more of a distraction to keep the fire off the demolition team."
"Sounds like you’ve got it all figured out."
"We’ll have the element of surprise and plenty of cover inside the dome, but with air support, the Ushtarans will likely deploy reinforcements before we can wrap things up. Without air support of our own, things could turn bad quickly. Our attempts at securing air transports have failed. It would make all the difference if you could keep some of the heat off when delivering Ria and her team. Ria gave me a report on your ship. She’s an impressive piece of kit. She could lay some serious fire on the Ushtarans."
"Allora’s a nice ship, but she’s a jumper-class, built for quick travel, not fighting. I’ll not run her into anything blindly. You’re certain your agents can open the Priodome doors?"
"They’ve spent months working their way onto the Priodome door crews. Zora trained them well. We’ll get Priodome One open first then Priodome Five. Easy in, easy out. Maybe take out a few incoming transports as you leave. Before you know it, you’ll be on your merry way."
Taza sighed. "If things go as smoothly as you claim, I’ll see what I can do."
"That’s all we can ask for," Leeroy said, tapping him on the shoulder. "Getting to your ship will be the tricky part."
"The Ushtarans have taken her?"
“They haven’t gotten on board yet, but they have her under guard. They’ve also reinforced security around the spire and locked down the skyways. Ria and Skallig will gather a team as soon as they reach the base. They’ll get you as close as possible to the skyways using the maintenance shafts. As soon as Ria gives us the signal, we’ll create a diversion. We’ll clear the way long enough for you to reach Allora. You’ll take Ria and the others to Priodome Five as planned."
"Where exactly am I supposed to drop them off?"
"Once you get through the doors, keep going straight. Beyond the scrapyard, you’ll pass a steep escarpment. The gate is just on the other side. I’ll send you the exact coordinates before you leave."
"And the weapon?"
"Intel says it’s in the area behind the gate. You’ll be able to see it from the sky. But let us worry about that. Focus on getting Ria to the gate while we’ve got the bulk of their forces distracted. We don’t have an exact layout of that part of the dome. Our agents have only seen it from a distance, and most of the area is obscured by debris. You’ll need to find somewhere to set the others down…as close to the gate as possible of course. You’ll have to move fast. Our guys could lose control of the Priodome gate control room when the Ushtarans realize what’s up."
"Doesn’t Skallig know his way around?"
"He and his crew were brought through blindfolded. They were shipped to Priodome One then straight off to the Orinmore. He didn’t see much."
Taza lowered his voice even though the Quamat was likely miles ahead. "I’ve never known an honest Quamat, and I’ve met quite a few. Are you sure you can trust him?"
Leeroy shrugged. "I’m sure I can trust him about as much as the next person…which is to say, not a lot, but we don’t have a choice. That said, Chimera tried to kill the guy when they no longer had any use for him. After joining us, he helped take out a number of key Ushtaran positions. That’s got to count for something."
Taza still wasn’t convinced, but Leeroy was right. The odds were stacked against them and they needed all the skilled fighters they could get. He would just have to keep a close eye on the lizard man and put him down quick if he got up to no good. Leeroy was clearly an experienced leader in a previous lifetime, but greater men had been brought to nothing by betrayal.
"Are you sure I can’t convince you to tell me what brought you to Ushtar?” Taza said. "It’ll make me feel a whole lot better about taking orders from a stranger."
Leeroy stopped and regarded him, dripping water echoing in an adjoining tunnel. "Okay. You know Clio Evans, right?"
"Ahuh," Taza grunted. "What’s she got to do with you being here?"
Leeroy smiled and continued walking. "She’s got everything to do with my being here."
"I didn’t realize you knew Clio."
“I don’t know her as such,” Leeroy’s voice resonated in the hollow chamber. “But she’s my daughter."
30
Kragak Pit
Grimshaw reviewed his TEK’s levels and gave the systems status report a once over. The angel-class unit was running optimally, though his battery sat at a little over eighty percent. He was glad for the service Eline had given it before leaving the Orinmore. Not that any of that was going to protect him from Aglat. The giant had made short work of Imrorr with that poleaxe.
He figured he could to lay down some fire, but the Kragak were faster than they looked and nothing short of a heavy machine gun or oscillating rounds—none of which Grimshaw had—could penetrate their armor.
The arming chamber had been roughly carved from the asteroid rock. It was lit by several dim crystals and smelt damp and musty. Grimshaw stifled a sneeze as he perused the weapons racks. Nothing in particular drew him.
"Any ideas?" he said to Kaliff.
Each combatant was allowed one warrior to help them arm.
Kaliff waved at the giant bladed weapons hanging on the walls. "None of these will do."
"The weapons down here are too big and heavy.” He noted a crossbow contraption that was half as tall as he was and twice as broad. "I’ll have to rely on my guns and powerblade."
Kaliff looked at him curiously. "Your rifle might rattle Aglat a little but nothing more. Overloading your plasma pistol’s power cells could create a useful distraction. I have yet to see a powerblade, but I am led to believe that they can cut through ou
r armor. However, you will have to get close enough."
"I’d rather keep my distance if I can help it, especially with that pole-arm Aglat used on Imrorr. His Kragak armor didn’t help him much against that thing, and that means it would cleave straight through this TEK."
“Tridarium cuts us easier than others. Your armor might work a little better, but yes, Aglat does favor longer weapons. He fears death, but he likes to pretend that he is honorable by using melee weapons…even when his opponents wield ranged weapons. At the same time, he uses whatever will give him the longest reach. Your size will put you at a great disadvantage. And you are not strong enough to carry a weapon that would give you similar reach. You can move faster. And you know that Aglat fears death. Use those in your favor."
"Aglat fears death? I thought the Kragak embraced death in battle. A duel with so many spectators would mean even more honor."
Kaliff nodded solemnly as he rummaged through a giant equipment crate filled with things Grimshaw didn’t recognize. "It would. The more victories a Kragak collects while in the same body, the more honor he is assigned. Aglat is among the oldest and has garnered many victories. He was badly injured during the war. The wound still troubles him. He could have been revived anew, but he was full of pride and did not wish to lose even a fraction of the honor he had accumulated. He preferred to die in battle. When you broke the chambers, his chances of being reborn in the case of death was decreased dramatically. Ever since, he has chosen to only fight the old and frail or the young and foolish. He avoids encounters with seasoned warriors."
"I can see why he hates me."
"Aglat was full of hate regardless, yet his honor weighs heavy on the Kragak. He has had more victories in a single body than any other living Kragak. That might be his downfall. His golden armor conceals the old war-wound under his right arm. Even we Kragak have weaknesses if one knows where to look. You must use that against him."
The Galactic Sentinel: Ultimate Edition: 4 Books with 2000+ Pages of Highly Entertaining Sci-Fi Space Adventure Page 102