"You've got ten seconds. Then we're coming over," the Ushtaran's voice growled.
The connection wires slipped from Taza’s fingers.
"Shit," he muttered, picking them up and forcing them into place.
He opened the SIG's power gate and activated the transfer switch.
Taza opened the program and re-ran the counter-jamming code.
The SIG's screen blacked out.
Thinking he'd fried the circuits, Taza's eye twitched.
He checked his own SIG and found he had an open signal to Allora.
With three swipes, he connected to her core.
"Time’s up. Toss your weapons or—"
Allora's engines whirred to life, cutting the Ushtaran off.
"They've connected to the ship!" he cried. "Stop them!"
Taza accessed Allora's port-side anti-personal weapons.
The targeting system appeared on his SIG, showing the back of five Ushtarans charging their position.
He aimed the guns and pressed the trigger.
Deep gunfire rocked the walkway as projectiles tore through the Ushtaran’s.
He quickly moved to Allora's top-cannon and aimed at the transport as it took off.
A single energy pulse smashed into the vehicle, causing it to veer from the platform.
It crashed into the side of a building, smashing through glass and steel. The wreckage plummeted to the murk below amidst a shower of burning debris.
"That'll draw attention," Taza said. "Let's get out of here."
He snapped the battery onto the back of the egg-case and beckoned Ria to follow.
He pulled his blaster with his free hand and crept out from behind the machine, keeping low.
A breeze wafted the smoke from Allora's guns out of the way to reveal the massacre.
Bits of Ushtarans lay scattered all over the walkway.
A dying guard with a missing leg and two giant holes in his torso looked up as they approached. He lifted his hand for help, hollow breaths scraping from his mask.
Ria fired.
The guard fell still.
She looked around, and her hand began to shake as her adrenaline wore off.
Taza rested his hand on her shoulder. "Let's go."
He activated Allora's access port and a small ramp descended. He guided Ria inside.
"Welcome back, Taza Arkona," Allora said.
Ria looked around for the source of the voice.
"Relax," Taza said. "It's the ship's AI. She's a little rough around the edges.
"Like a diamond in the rough," Allora said.
Taza chuckled as he climbed into the cockpit and patted her dash. “I’ll take that kind of diamond any day."
Taza went through the launch procedure and increased her output.
He sensed Ria coming up behind him and looked over his shoulder. She checked the case.
"How are the eggs?"
Ria tapped on the case's tiny display panel. She tilted it so he could read.
The battery indicator was close to full and the display showed two healthy eggs.
"I told you they'd be fine."
"Thank you," she said solemnly. "For your help."
“Don’t thank me yet. We still haven’t reached the gate.”
He hacked the skyway's security systems and de-clamped Allora's landing gear. He pulled on the controls, and she lifted off the platform.
"That's it girl, nice and smooth."
The city swung across the cockpit screen as Allora rose between glass skyscrapers. Taza aimed her nose at Priodome One's primary doors far in the hazy distance.
Taza opened a channel to the Chan. “Taza Arkona speaking. We have the package and are on our way to the gates. Does anyone read us?”
Crackling answered.
"The Ushtarans must have signal jammers elsewhere," Ria said. "I’ll try Qurpall."
Taza fired thrusters and Allora rose higher.
“Qurpall, can you hear me?”
Gunfire blasted over the vox.
“Am I glad to hear you,” Qurpall said. “Where are you? Things here are…”
Noise crackled and the line cut.
Ria touched Taza’s neck.
“We need to go down there,” she said, pointing at the Spire’s skyway on the navigation display. "Qurpall and the others need our help."
"Allora's a great ship for space travel, but one well-placed shot will take us out of the sky."
Ria's eyes remained fixed on the navigation display. “We have to.”
Taza angled Allora downwards and guided her around a building, fearing the worst. Ria was stubborn as hell, but she seemed on edge and seeing her dead friends wasn’t going to help.
He considered pulling the controls and heading for the dome's doors as planned. Instead, he gulped and descended onto the walkway junction.
Allora banked left and the junction slid into view.
Dozens of figures moved about amidst heavy fire.
"Look," Ria yelled. "Qurpall and the others are alive."
Taza zoomed in on the navigation pane and was surprised to find she was right. The Chan rebels held the junction, though the fighting was fierce as countless Ushtarans closed in from every direction.
"We have to help them!" Ria all but cried.
"We can't land in the middle of all that fighting. If those Ushtarans have anything heavier than a plasma rifle, we're as good as toast."
“We can't just leave them to die," she pleaded. "Things inside Priodome Five could get sticky. I need their help."
He looked over his shoulder.
Her eyes glistened as they shook. Her lips moved as she mouthed please.
Taza sighed. "Okay. But if we die, it's your fault."
"Thank you," she squeaked, throwing her arms around his neck.
She squeezed so hard he started to choke.
"Sorry," she said, pulling away.
"You Chan have some grip on you," he said, clearing his throat as he angled Allora into a downward spiral.
“What should I do?” she chirped from the hold.
He thumbed over his shoulder. "Get ready to let the ramp down. We can't land. They'll have to jump the rail. And even then we can't stay long. I can only lay on so much cover."
Taza configured Allora’s weapons to fire automatically as he guided her to the edge of the walkway junction. He kept her as far below the rail as possible in an effort to avoid enemy fire.
“Get the ramp down,” he shouted. “Tell them to jump.”
The ramp unfurled, and Taza did his best to keep the gap as narrow as possible. Plasma bolts smashed into Allora’s hull.
"Get on!" Ria screamed.
Five Chan ran for the ship.
Two went down.
Three jumped over the rail and crashed into the hold.
"Hold on, we're going up!" Taza called.
He pulled Allora into a sharp turn and pushed her at full throttle. Skyscrapers sped by in a blur.
Taza brought Allora level above the skyline, the priodome’s mini star shining above the immense reactor in the distance. He ran a scan for the best exit and found that all doors had been locked.
“Looks like the Ushtarans have taken gate control. They’ve locked us in. We’ll have to blast our way through the doors.”
“No,” Qurpall said, appearing at his shoulder. “I’ve worked on those doors. They’re reinforced with tridarium. Your weapons won’t put a dent in them.”
“Any bright ideas?”
“We could land this thing and go through the tunnels,” Qurpall suggested.
“That’ll take too long.” Ria pointed to the ceiling above the Reactor. “Maintenance have been working on that patch for a few months. They’ve been struggling to install new panels over a particularly old section. Most of the old shielding has been removed. It should only be a few layers thick.”
Taza accelerated Allora and zoomed in on the part of the ceiling Ria had indicated. Scaffolding spread over a broad area. Se
veral sections of missing panels created a shallow depression.
“You sure we’ll make it through?”
“No,” Ria said. “Let’s shoot and find out.”
Taza swore under his breath as he kicked Allora into a steep climb, lining her up with the damaged ceiling.
He concentrated all available weapons on the depression. Lines and bolts streaked ahead.
Debris spilled to the ground below and smoke filled the air.
Taza was about to pull Allora away when a beam of light cut through the smoke.
The Chan cheered as Allora sped through the opening and emerged above Priodome One.
Taza angled her towards Priodome Five, pushing the thrusters hard.
The cabin suddenly rocked.
Warnings flashed.
“Stern hull breach detected,” Allora announced.
Taza switched feeds to the rear view and found two Ushtaran gunship closing in.
He fired stern weapons, but the aim was off by a long-shot.
"Ria, the stern targeting systems are busted,” Taza called over his shoulder. “I need you to take manual control using the terminal next to you."
Taza broke into evasive maneuvers, Ushtar spinning about them.
Ria activated the weapons manual controls and opened fire.
An Ushtaran gunship spiraled towards the rocky hills below.
The second answered in kind, tearing more holes through the stern.
Taza ducked as a stray projectile smashed into the cockpit.
“Shit, Ria. We can’t take another hit like that!”
"I've already taken one out!” she shouted. "I can get the other one if you stop moving all over the place!”
Smoke spewed from the cockpit controls.
"If I stop moving all over the place, we're dead."
The cabin rocked as enemy fire hammered Allora’s planetary thrusters.
The ship quickly lost altitude, Priodome Five looming ahead.
"They've taken out the engines," Taza said. "We're going down. I’ll try to clear the way.”
Taza fired the prow canon, sending a volley of searing streaks into the side of Priodome Five.
"Hold on, this is about to get bumpy."
Shit, we're all gonna die, was what he thought.
38
Primelord’s Throne
Artax walked alongside General Ovious through the crystalline tunnel on their way to the Primelord's black throne.
Artax was surprised when he'd heard the entity whisper in his mind. They hadn't heard from him in months, and things aboard the Monolith were starting to show.
He wondered where the Primelord had been all this time.
What has he been up to?
"I was a child when I first saw the throne," Ovious said, interrupting Artax's reverie.
"Is that so?" He was in no mood to converse with the Shanti.
The General had confided in Artax a great deal of late. He figured it was his way of dealing with the unease and uncertainty among the crew. Chimera may have grown powerful, but they had yet to deliver on many of their promises.
"I remember when my grandfather first brought me to see the asteroid like it was yesterday. Chimera was a mere sapling back then. The asteroid looked tiny through the transport’s porthole, but I soon realized we were just really far away."
"The Monolith is one of the largest mobile vessels in the galaxy," Artax said nonchalantly.
"If not the largest. Chimera had just found the asteroid back then...while searching for artifacts left behind by the ancients. They'd started building the Monolith around the rock, but they’d only completed her frame. Even still, you can imagine how mightily impressed I was. Back then, commanding such a ship was no more than a dream…and as unrealistic as dreams went. Yet here we are."
"You must be proud?"
Ovious glanced at Artax sideways. "I'm proud of all that Chimera has accomplished. The Monolith is on par with what the Tal'Ri have in terms of technology."
Artax cracked a smile. "That would make sense, since Chimera used Tal'Ri designs to build much of her."
"Only the substructure," Ovious said, waving the words away like they smelled bad. "The rest of the ship came from secrets Chimera uncovered for themselves and that which the Primelord deemed to share."
Artax couldn't blame the General for his prejudice. He remembered how impressed he was when first boarding the Monolith. She seemed indestructible, a vast machine with which to rule the galaxy, and that is exactly what Chimera had started doing.
"The Monolith has helped progress Chimera's plans," Artax said. "She will no doubt continue to do so."
General Ovious fell silent as they proceeded through the crystalline tunnel network, the way lit by faint lights glowing deep inside the rock.
Artax enjoyed the quiet and hoped it would last.
"With control over the Sentinel and the Galactic Council, we have the galaxy in a chokehold," Ovious said. "Most races just don’t know it yet."
"The Primelord will be pleased...despite setbacks."
"Every mission has its difficulties. Chimera grows, and growth cannot exist without pain."
"Like all the pain the Shanti rebels on Claracia are causing."
Ovious squinted.
That got his attention.
"The Shanti problem is a minor concern. Igra will deal with that in time. Claracia will be ours and Shantalla will fall too. Once we free our ally’s facilities on the Shanti worlds, our army will soon dwarf even the Aphnai in numbers. I'm more concerned about your people on the Sentinel. The Thandrall have a tight hold on the Galactic Council, but unrest is increasing on every level. We've had reports of outright war brewing in the Underways. One of the crimes bosses is calling himself the King of the Sentinel. No doubt he's behind it..."
"Those Thandrall you put on the Sentinel are hardly my people. But Captain Gulra commands them. He's a shrewd man. No doubt he has things under control."
"Hermmm," Ovious said, thinking. "No doubt. However, the Sentinel is a key piece in this game. I've arranged a visit and you will accompany me."
Artax nodded. "Of course."
There was no use in arguing. Ovious was his senior and had a way of twisting people into doing whatever he wanted, and he didn't need psionic abilities to do it.
"As for the matter at hand, the Omnion are living on borrowed time. Soon, they will no longer be a threat.”
"How is your prisoner doing?"
"Marigoth is no longer a threat."
"He's still alive?"
"For the time being. We've found a way to subdue him. Doctor Strabb has moved onto other matters, but Professor Munro requested that the Kragak be kept alive.”
“Professor Monroe takes too many liberties. He has no authority to make such arrangements, but I’ll let it stand this time. Terran or not, the Professor is a…valuable asset.”
Artax thought it best not to mention the experiments the Professor was running. He claimed he was onto something big but wanted Artax to keep it on the down-low until he had significant findings to show to General Ovious himself. Professor Munro turned out to be quite the twisted Terran, even for Artax's tastes, and he had no desire to get on his bad side.
Ovious tapped his SIG. "The latest intelligence confirms that the information you extracted from the Kragak is accurate. The fleet at the location is the primary bulk of the Kragak Separatist movement. With them out of the way, the Kragak homeworld will have no choice but to join the cause. It will be a matter of honor."
Ovious smiled like he was withholding something.
"Why do I get the feeling you are hiding information?"
"Our sources also suggest that Grimshaw and the North Star are with the fleet."
Artax grunted with interest. "So that's where they were going. But why?"
"Probably looking for a cure for their Omnion friends, but we will soon drop out of our jump and take what we came for. Then we'll return to the Shroud and deal with the Omnion. Everythin
g is falling into place just as the Primelord said it would."
"You think the Primelord still intends to take Grimshaw as his host and the North Star as his own?”
General Ovious shrugged and gestured to the throne-room antechamber. "I guess we'll find out."
The antechamber was similar to the tunnels. It was broader and had smoother surfaces adorned with carvings, emblems, paintings, and other items.
Two rows of the Primelord's Black Guard lined each side of the long chamber with a pair standing before the vaulted doors at the end.
No one knew who the Black Guard were or where they came from...not even General Ovious, and few knew more than him about the Monolith and her operations. It was rumored that the Primelord himself had selected the guards from among the most skilled warriors in the galaxy.
They never moved, but their eyes follow Artax as he walked.
The first time he'd entered the antechamber, he had been overwhelmed by a sense of awe at the pulsing wall crystals, a feeling of wonder at being in the presence of one of the most powerful beings in the galaxy, and a wave of elation as the Primelord's warmth washed over him. At the same time, the Black Guard, with their beaked helmets and twisted armor, had stricken him with fear.
Now the crystal light was barely a glow, the sense of wonder a fleeting curiosity, the wave of elation a splash in a pond, and the Black Guard were just another part of the furniture.
Artax and Ovious reached the end of the antechamber and stopped before the guards. The blades on the end of their spears hummed slightly.
He didn't know what their weapons were exactly, and he wasn't interested in finding out at the sharp end of them.
Without moving their heads, the black clad warriors stepped aside and the doors opened.
The space beyond didn't look like so much of a throne room as a glorified cavern. A narrow glowing pathway cut through a vast dark void and led to a small platform with a large growth of crystals growing from the middle. Those crystals pulsed with an ominous shadow, driving back the soft glow of the floor crystals around it.
Six more Black Guard stood around the circle, their backs to the crystal throne, staring into the shadow as though expecting some monster to attack.
As they approached the throne proper, the putrid smell of death assaulted Artax.
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