by Dan O'Brien
Her crimson lips pursed, and she moved close to whisper. “I hear you are a well-respected hunter, and after what I just witnessed, I would have to agree.”
She backed away and took the stool next to Rider, but did not remove the weapon strapped across her back. The ’talon was a two-meter blade chiseled by Dalconian lasers and equipped with a hilt directly in the center. Furshtertalon was the creator of the weapon and one of the greatest pit fighters to ever live.
“I have been known to locate people.” Rider felt drawn to her for some unknown reason; there was something about the girl that did not seem right. “What’s your name?”
“I am Lila Felwar, princess of Narida. My father is Johann Felwar, and he once worked for the same organization as you, James Rider.” She finished her sentence with a small smile, watching for that moment of surprise. She found no such reaction.
“Your father worked in the bioengineering department at the Spacehawks installation. I seem to remember a small girl who helped her father in the lab. I suppose it is safe to assume that the woman before me today is that same girl.”
The girl surveyed him for a moment before responding. “My father disappeared from our home on Narida exactly one week ago. Yesterday I received a holo stating that if I valued my father’s life, I would await his return in silence and never speak of his disappearance to anyone. I became worried and sought after the one man that would want to destroy my father’s captor. It has been rumored that you have returned from the dead. I came here looking for old Spacehawks, and I now see that the rumors are true.” Her beautiful blue eyes filled with tears.
“Who captured your father?”
She wiped her face with hands and sat up. “Xzin.”
“Do you know why Xzin has taken your father?”
“My father had been working on a virus from Palop Ten. He found a single strain that appeared to be incurable. Xzin must have thought the virus had chemical warfare possibilities. I will pay you anything. Please help me find my father.”
The look of absolute helplessness in her eyes almost caused Rider to hold her, but he fought it and motioned for her to follow him outside.
The night air was crisp. Clouds were rolling in, a possible storm on the horizon. An element of crime and danger permeated the city. Lila hugged herself as a fit of wind swept past her. Rider stopped suddenly and raised his face to the sky as if he could sense something unnatural.
Lila came to a halt beside him. “What is it?”
She was silenced by Rider’s gloved finger at his lips. Rider drew a pale staff and with one flick of his wrist, extended it to the entire length of his body. Holding his hand up for Lila to stay where she was, he moved silently along the side of the building.
A shrouded figure dropped from the shadows in front of Lila as Rider disappeared from view. Lila turned to call out for Rider, but the man raised a blade and shook his head, knowing her intention.
“Gimme all ya credits,” growled the man, but the sparkling of the ’talon caught his eye. “Gimme the ’talon for good measure.”
Lila struggled with the man, but her assailant was too strong. He knocked her against the wall, causing the ’talon to come loose and spin down the alley. The thug fell forward after the weapon, tripping over the trash and the cans littered about the ground. He fell, finally, and slid crashing into the far wall.
He stood with the ’talon in his hand. A laugh escaped his lips, but was silenced when the grim silhouette of Rider stepped into the alleyway blocking the man’s exit. Rider dragged his staff across the wall, causing a shower of sparks to litter the ground.
“Where did you come from?” cried the man. The staff at Rider’s side glowed a deep shade of red, and the pulsating of that glow caused the man to shudder. His entire body trembled as if struck.
Rider raised his staff, and in one smooth movement he sent the man crashing into the wall, shattering the man’s jaw. The would-be assailant staggered, trying to right himself against the slick, rotten building he had just collided with. Rider stood statue-like against the night.
Lila came running up beside Rider and cringed. When she saw the glimmering of her ’talon, she leapt forward and grasped it in her small hands. Rider guided Lila back toward the entrance of the alleyway and left the broken man in the shadows of the night. “So, what is the plan, Rider?” questioned Lila after they got back on the dimly lit streets of Meridian. She was visibly shaken.
“I don’t know that I can defeat the army that guards your father. However, I will help you, and I think I know someone who can lend us some aid,” said Rider as they turned down one of the side streets; a silver building rose up in the distance. “I have a ship, and we are going to find some friends of mine. We’ll find a way to help your father.”
The doors to the building stood twice the height of Rider and seemed to be impenetrable to any weapon of man. But with the single swipe of a card it slid open and revealed a vault of pristine ships and other transport vehicles.
Rider walked up to one of the smaller ships and placed his hand on the hull. In one quick motion the security locks disengaged from the atmospheric hatch and it exploded open. Rider started up the entrance ramp and waved for Lila to follow. The inside of the ship was the same color as the hull, and it seemed as though it had seen little or no use in the recent past. Rider moved through the ship effortlessly and made his way toward the cockpit. He sat in the lead seat and spun to face Lila.
“This is my ship, the Quicksilver. It is one of the few things I still have from the past.” Rider ran his hands over a series of keys with efficient skill. “We will make our way toward Baldor, but we will have a short stop in Naulad.”
“Why Naulad?” Lila leaned against the cold, metallic wall and brought her arms across her chest.
“I have a friend there who can set us up with some reinforcements. As well, he can give us some advice. He once worked on Baldor and saw the tyranny of Xzin firsthand.”
Rider accelerated and the Quicksilver leapt toward the sky, clearing the atmosphere in a matter of seconds. The stars blazed in the distance and the Quicksilver floated effortlessly through space. Rider looked out, and Lila moved against him, hugging his arm.
“Rider, I’m afraid of losing my father. Xzin will slaughter millions of innocent people with this virus. I feel so helpless, and no matter how strong I pretend to be, I can’t make myself look past the possibility of my father’s demise.”
Rider could see the small child that he remembered from years ago. He thought of the pain Mela must have felt when she thought that he was forever erased from her life. “I know that pain tends to outweigh the possibility of hope, but try to remember your father when he was there for you and all the times that he made your day brighter. We have not yet lost your father. Don’t give up hope, because you never know when fate is going to smile on you.”
* * * * *
The casino’s interior was littered with extravagance and occupied by all sorts, from the elite to the criminal. Kubidan, in his dark purple military uniform bearing the insignia of Xzin, stood out in the diverse crowd. Other patrons did not even dare to gaze in his direction. As Xzin’s lead weapon of slaughter, Kubidan was known as “the Butcher of Worlds.”
Mela’s dress gently brushed the crystalline stairs as she gracefully glided down, her incredible features drawing stares from women and men alike. She made her way across the hall of tables. Her beauty affected Kubidan, despite his militaristic nature.
“Who might you be?” questioned Kubidan with one of his eyebrows raised as if he hoped to appear charming. Mela adjusted her dress appropriately and flicked her hair back with a toss of her neck.
“Heiko has sent me for the honorable guest, Kubidan. I am Haki, and I have been trained in the arts of pleasure. How might I serve you, my lord?” replied Mela as slyly as possible. Kubidan let his attention slide from the game he was playing and turned to Mela in anticipation.
* * * * *
The Quicksilver ent
ered the atmosphere of Naulad and glided along the Trandolian Mountains with the ease of a much smaller ship. As the casino came into view, Rider could see several smaller crafts hovering in the distance behind him. They were slowly advancing upon the Quicksilver.
“Is that where we are going?” asked Lila as she pointed to the bright lights of the casino.
“My friend, Heiko, owns this place, and he has helped me in the past. I see no reason why he wouldn’t help me now.” Twin, smaller crafts were now flying alongside the Quicksilver.
A high-pitched screech was followed by the view-screen erupting in static. “This is Naulad Security, please identify yourself.” Rider’s hands danced across the controls as he transferred the information across the open communication line. “You are cleared for passage. Thank you for visiting Naulad, and Casino Maximus.”
The crafts dispersed and a path of hovering bulbs was revealed outlining the landing platform in front of the casino. The landing gear touched down and the Quicksilver lowered and landed with recoil as the landing gear retracted.
The atmospheric hatch opened and the ramp extended to the ground with a loud crushing sound. Lila came forward with Rider less than a step behind her. The usual conglomerate that followed Heiko greeted them. Heiko’s smile diminished when he saw the haggard figure of James Rider.
“James?” called Heiko as he approached the two of them, the shock of seeing Rider alive more than enough to penetrate the smooth façade that Heiko usually carried. “How rude of me,” he finally turned his attention to Lila, “I did not introduce myself, it was the shock of seeing James, of course. I am Heiko, and this mesmerizing place is mine. Who might this gorgeous creature be?”
“This is Lila Felwar, princess of Narida. Her father is Dr. Johann Felwar who worked in the bioengineering department back in the better days of the State.”
“And what brings you here?” queried Heiko.
“I was wondering where your loyalties lie these days?” shot back Rider with a smirk.
“Same old Rider, huh? Feeling out the situation because he doesn’t know whom to trust.”
“Still dodging serious questions, I see.”
Lila just sat back and watched the exchange, a deeper conversation was boiling beneath the surface, but superficially it seemed as though they were only old friends giving each other grief.
“What is the matter? Don’t trust me?”
“Are you trustworthy this time? Last time I checked, it was all about money.”
Heiko looked visibly hurt by Rider’s verbal slap, but continued all the same with his trademark smile. “I am no friend of the regime of Xzin. He is a tyrant, and he is certainly no friend of mine.”
Rider regarded his old companion with mistrust, the years spent on Xeon granting him powers of both suggestion and truth. He searched Heiko’s eyes for sincerity and he found it within the glaze there. “I believe you. Our position is quite dire.”
“How so this time?” replied Heiko with a sigh, glad to have the strained slander done and over with.
“Lila’s father has been kidnapped for a virus that he discovered and she has asked for my help. However, the location of her father is something of a problem.”
“How so?”
“He is being held in the heart of the Baldorian Empire, and I cannot do this alone, despite what I would like to believe.”
“So you came to me for what – help?”
“You know people who know people. I know that you no doubt have guards and bounty hunters on your payroll that could help us out,” shot back Rider.
Heiko nodded and led them through the front doors, which were crafted from the finest minerals in the galaxy. The main entrance chamber followed the extravagant doors, equally breathtaking because of the precise order of everything inside. It melded into the casino floor. Rider came to a stop, a member of the crowd catching his eye.
Heiko continued to lead Lila through the casino; unaware that Rider was no longer trailing them. Rider arrived at the table were Kubidan was gambling and placed his hand with such force that all action at the table ceased.
“Excuse me, sir, you are in my seat.”
Mela stared, wide-eyed, in obvious disbelief. Kubidan placed himself between Mela and his opponent. “I am afraid that you are mistaken, friend.”
Rider, overwhelmed, was unable to respond.
“Hey, I’m talking to you, tough guy. This is my seat, and the woman is mine; a gift from the owner of this casino.”
His words woke Rider from his dream state and he turned his gaze at Kubidan. “This woman is my wife.”
Kubidan paused for a moment before drawing a blade and taking a swing at Rider, but he did not possess the speed for surprise. James grabbed Kubidan’s wrist and disarmed him, knocking the blade across the card table. Kubidan immediately swung his fist at Rider’s head, but was stopped short when Mela grabbed the man by his shoulder and struck him across the face with her palm, the force of the strike lifting the man into the air. Kubidan fell to the ground and lay there, unmoving. Rider pulled Mela into his arms. Their lips met before words could be exchanged, and he held her. Drawing back, she looked at him with tear-filled eyes, and her lips quivered as she tried to form words.
“An explanation is in order, I suppose.”
Mela nodded her head, too confused to even speak. Rider held her hand and led her up the crystalline stairs. Mela watched him intently, wondering if it could really be the same man she had lost more than a decade ago. He had not aged a day. Mela pulled him to a stop as they reached the top of the staircase.
“More than ten thousand years before the Age of Chaos, the dark lord Chaos tainted the soil and clouded the skies in death. Exodus came forth in true form, not housed in a mortal body, but ethereal. The meeting of the Seven gathered the vast powers of Exodus and sealed Chaos in the Void with Exodus for all eternity. The world spun against time that day and cast the evil taint from this world.”
-Passage from the Chronicles of Exodus
Xeon Palace stood alone on a barren world, and within its massive walls was carved the one being that exemplified evil; the one man who could, in a single gaze, bring worlds to their knees. The hall echoed with Delgado’s footsteps. The palace itself was a military base that contained enough firepower to level most cities.
The doors to Xzin’s private chambers were more than twice the height of an average man, and the width could allow for the landing of a small cruiser. Two guards in purple cloaks flanked the door, and in their hands they carried crimson pikes higher than their heads.
Delgado bowed slightly, and the guard on the right opened the chamber doors and allowed him passage. Only candles lit the room. Xzin sat in a meditative state in the center of the room surrounded by a ring of candlelight.
Delgado waited silently, motionless.
Xzin moved to his feet in one quick motion and proceeded to put out each of the candles with just the movement of his techniques and then, as he eliminated the last of them, he opened his eyes and left the circle, causing each of the candles to burn a deep purple. He moved toward the chamber doors and stopped when he saw the graven figure of his servant.
“Delgado, I hope that you have brought me good news,” he called, sitting down in a plush chair and casting his sullen stare upon his subordinate.
“My lord,” began Delgado as he postured himself correctly in front of his master. “The bounty hunter Starhawk evaded the sweeps and made her way back to Naulad. I have made plans to send a squadron to Naulad to terminate her threat once and for all.”
“Then you believe she is Mela Alvarez?”
“No, my lord. I would never jump to such conclusions. Only your sight is grand enough to ascertain what shall and will be,” replied Delgado humbly, his body not cowering, but not glowing with confidence either.
“The woman is Mela Alvarez. There is no doubt in my mind.”
“Then it would be safe to assume that both Rider and Wei are alive and well.”
&
nbsp; “Perhaps you assume too much, Delgado. The Hand has reported their suspicions of the Black Rose, but no one has confirmed that he is Jonathon Wei.”
“What about James Rider?”
“I sense his aura, but it is cloaked somehow, his signature seems faded or protected in some way.”
“What shall I do now?”
“Your failure is all but complete, yet you have served me well in the past. Send Edge and Hocher to Naulad to deal with her.”
“Yes, my master.” Delgado began his retreat.
“Delgado?” Xzin watched the man with unblinking eyes.
“Master?” He paused mid-bow, unsure if he should right himself or bow deeper.
“To fail means death. Be sure they bring back Starhawk and anything that gets in their way.”
Delgado bowed humbly and left his master to his training, hoping the two mercenaries would be able to complete their assignment.
* * * * *
“Where have you been?” cried Mela as she wiped away tears from her eyes. “How can you just show up after all these years and expect me to leap into your arms. I’m so confused right now that I can’t see straight.”
Rider was holding her close and he could feel her body losing its strength to resist him. She was trembling with emotion and she pounded her fists against his chest in futile anger.
“I never wanted to leave you.” Rider exhaled and pushed himself away. “I wanted to return to you immediately, but there was something I had to do. I had to stay away so that when I finally did return I could make a difference. Not just for you, for us, but for our universe.”
He gazed out into space as if he could somehow point where he had been this entire time. “After the assault on the moon, the ship was badly damaged. I set course for the one place where no one would follow: the Dark Realm.”
“The Dark Realm?” gasped Mela.
“It is quite real, and the planet Xeon lies directly at its center. I found Xzin’s people there. I met Xzin’s father.”