by Dean Kutzler
Saren winced at the sound and dropped her hand.
“Now Ensign!” she shouted.
Ensign Brody tore around the square rock and into the clearing. He cupped his hands around his mouth, and shouted, “Hey! Ye big shite! This way!”
The Cyborg stopped chasing Daxton and raised its cannon arm getting ready to shoot him.
Ensign Brody started jumping up-and-down, shouting, “Ye big fuck-all! Over here! Hey! HEY! Look over here!”
He bent down, picking up a rock and heaved it at the Cyborg.
The rock bounced off the tank on its back, and it slowly turned its head in Ensign Brody's direction. The red glowing centers of its eyes grew in size, and Ensign Brody felt his blood turn cold when it turned toward him.
“Oh shit!” he said, running back around the rock.
Saren whipped around. “Grôk, you’re up! Throw the rock at its head, as hard as you can! Hard as you can! NOW!”
The Kractorian hoisted the gigantic sphere high over its head, and lumbered out into the clearing.
At first, Saren thought the rock was too heavy for him, but then realized what he was doing.
The metal giant stopped, trying to process what it was seeing.
Grôk was holding the massive sphere in front of his body, spinning in circles like an Olympic discus thrower, charging at the Cyborg.
He let go at the last possible second, and the rock launched from his hands. It flew at the metal giant with incredible force, missing the head but smashing into the Cyborg’s chest.
The shrieking sound stopped, and the Cyborg fell backward, landing on the ground, pinned down by the boulder. It tried sitting up, but the rock was too heavy to get its arms around to push itself up.
Saren was already running past Grôk.
The Cyborg started flailing its arms and legs, trying to aim the cannons at the rock but the angle was too sharp.
It stopped moving, and the arms started humming.
“What the fresh hell?” Saren said, stopping near the Cyborg and keeping out of its firing range.
She flicked the setting to max on the wristcom and aimed for its head, letting off a shot.
The plasma bolt struck the Cyborg’s face, and it squirmed beneath the rock in pain. The necrotic flesh darkened, but the energy was just absorbed, leaving it unharmed.
Great.
The sound of humming grew in intensity as both forearms bearing the cannons detached from the elbows connected by the orbs and dropped by its side. The orbs began glowing brighter then lifted the cannons into the air and floated around the Cyborg.
Seriously?
Saren aimed at one of the arms and let off another shot with the wristcom.
The Cyborg’s head swiveled, and the arm safely dodged the plasma bolt.
“Shit!”
“Commander!” Ensign Brody yelled, noticing the Cyborg tracking her with its eyes. “It’s watchin’ ye! Get out of its sight and then shoot!”
Saren dropped to the ground, rolling out of sight behind the boulder on the Cyborg’s chest and the cannon blasted the ground where she’d been standing. The arm circled to the back the rock, taking potshots, and a huge boulder sailed through the air crashing into the arm, shattering the orb. The arm dropped motionlessly to the ground, seeping black liquid from the broken orb.
Saren watched the liquid snake past her boots, gaining in speed and slithering across the terrain until it shot up into the blackness of the Kek Ring, disappearing.
It’s powered by the souls.
She searched for the other arm, and Grôk was already on it.
He ran passed her snatching the arm from the air careful of the plasma bolts shooting wildly from the cannon and smashed the orb against the rock pinning the beast.
The orb shattered, raining black liquid down over the rock which quickly gathered at the bottom and followed the path to the Kek Ring.
Saren ran behind the Cyborg’s head, and its red eyes followed her.
“Grôk! Take the rock off!”
Daxton ran out into the clearing aiming the gun at the Cyborg.
“What are you doing? I’m sure it’s got more tricks up its slee—something,” he said.
Grôk stepped close to Saren, ready to protect her, and shoved the rock off the Cyborg.
The metal giant struggled sitting without the use of its arms and flopped over on its side.
Saren shot the tank on its back and the energy absorbed into the metal.
She redirected her aim and first shot at the hose connected to its head, vaporizing the rubber, then the hose buried in its neck. The black liquid sloshing behind the window and shot out both holes, returning to the Kek Ring.
The Cyborg flipped on its back, rolling its head toward Saren. The red light started fading, and it mouthed the words, thank you, before its eyes went dark.
Saren knelt near its head, looking at a face that was once human. The remaining flesh started decomposing at a rapid rate.
Saren stood, backing away shaking her head. “Now we know what becomes of the living in this Ring.”
Daxton and Ensign Brody walked over to stand next to Saren and Grôk.
Grôk had also seen the sad exchange.
Ensign Brody stepped up to Grôk.
Saren opened her mouth to say something then closed it when Ensign Brody held his hand out toward the Kractorian.
“Ye ain’t a Gobshite no more,” he said. “Thank ye for saving me, Commander.”
Grôk stared at him with icy eyes, then grabbed his hand, shaking it.
“What you mean, no more?” Grôk said, carefully squeezing a little harder.
“Aye-ya, ya, okay! Okay! Ye be no Gobshite!”
Daxton looked at Saren rolling his eyes, and said, “Okay you two, get a room—get a room! We got more important shit to deal with.”
“He’s right,” Saren said. “This wasn’t the ruler of this Ring. Yeah, it was big and dangerous, but it wasn’t operating with its own intelligence. I imagine the other two are working for either the Middle or Outer ring. I think the one that got away probably slipped back into the Middle Ring.”
Daxton’s eyebrow cocked, and he said, “What are you gettin’ at?”
“I don’t think any of these Rings have had any real competition in a long time. How could they, stepping into an ambush? If it weren’t for my body armor, none of us would be here right now. That’s why it wasn’t waiting for us,” she said, gesturing to the pile of rotting flesh and metal. “Why expend the energy when simple projectile weapon would do?”
“Someone created this thing,” she continued. “And put it here like a pawn.”
DRONES! BITCHES!
“WHAT’S with that black shit?” Daxton asked. “Did I see it skip town into that Kek thing?”
If Saren told him the truth, they would all know just how dangerous getting killed on Kahari truly was and lose focus. It might be the very thing that got them killed.
I don’t see any other choice.
“I don’t know—I mean, yes, I saw what happened. I—don’t know what that was all about,” she said, looking away.
“Okay—,” Daxton said, blinking. “What’s the plan now, Boss Lady?”
“We got two options. We can stay here and wait for them to come to us and plan an attack. Or we can find the Inner Ring entrance and have the advantage of surprise. I vote for the latter. I’ve never been one to wait, and from experience, the odds are greater, especially when your opponent doesn’t know what’s coming.”
“If I may, Commander, this place looks a wee bit big,” Ensign Brody said, eyes roaming over the sea of geometric shapes off in the horizon. “Ye have to wonder how long we’ll be searchin’, no? We have no food or water—we could die of thirst before we find it.”
“Good point, Ensign, but I’m aware of that. I’m betting that who—or what—sent this thing will be curious why it didn’t return. And I’d rather find it than it found us. Does that make sense to everyone?” She asked, scanning t
heir faces.
Part of being a successful commander was taking input or suggestions from her crew when the stakes were high. No one’s decisions were always one-hundred percent right. Listening to alternatives helped avoid mistakes.
Grôk pointed to her wristcom, and Saren shook her head.
“Unfortunately, it’s limited to what it can do on this planet.”
When no one offered a better plan, she said, “I have a way we may be able to narrow this down.”
She eyeballed Daxton and Ensign Brody, nodding her head.
“Grôk kneel and let Daxton get on your shoulders.”
Without question, the Kractorian dropped to his knees and bent forward.
“Wait—whaaaa? I’m not getting on top of him. Why doesn’t he do it?” he said, nodding at Ensign Brody. “They kissed and made up!”
“Because clearly, you’re taller.”
Ensign Brody smiled. Being short served him twice in one day!
“Ah—for fuck’s sake,” Daxton said. “You better not have fleas!”
“What are fleas?” Grôk said.
Daxton buried his hands in the fur on Grôk’s shoulders. “Ahhhhh—yuck! It’s so—thick and greasy,” he said grimacing, as he climbed on his shoulders.
“You are girly for man.”
“Okay, Grôk. Easy-does-it. Stand up slowly. Give Daxton a chance to look around in case there are more creatures,” Saren said.
Grôk slowly rose to a standing position.
“Get up on his shoulders, Daxton,” Saren said. “That’s only about a foot.”
He was riding piggy-back, his chin just above Grôk’s head.
“Yah knowwww—“ he said, not finishing the sentence.
“I need to help you?” Grôk asked, looking behind.
“NO! That’s quite all right—hold still!”
Daxton hooked his right leg over Grôk’s shoulder, grunting as he hoisted the other. Grôk slowly stood, but Daxton wasn’t ready and lost his grip on the oily fur.
He slowly slid down Grôk’s back with his upper body at a right angle like an Aurailian pole-dancer starting her number. Daxton kept sliding until he was laying flat on his back, looking to the sky.
Grôk looked behind, and said, “Try again?”
Ensign Brody laughed, and Saren was covering her mouth.
“Grôk,” she said, stifling a snort between fingers. “Why don’t you try sitting on the ground and leaning forward?”
He did as told and Daxton was able to get a knee on each of his shoulders this time, gripping the beast’s ears for balance.
Grôk carefully rose without casualty as Daxton searched the horizon.
“All I see are these weird-shaped rocks in all sizes, shapes, and colors, everywhere. Like a giant kid’s toy box.”
Daxton squinted, then frowned.
“What is it?” Saren said. “What do you see?”
“I’m not exactly sure, but I think one a those toy blocks has a window. And there’s a path of smashed-rocks that looks like it leads to it. Can I get down now?”
“Why would it need a house,” Saren said, thinking aloud.
She gently tapped Grôk.
“Okay big fella, let ‘em down.”
Grôk lowered his body and Daxton back-flipped off, landing in a squatted stance before standing and taking a bow.
“Whatta ye tryin’ to do, make up for that other lovely move, are ya?” Ensign Brody said, slowly clapping.
Daxton scowled at him.
“Come on, guys—playtime’s over. Dax, what shape and color was that house?”
“It’s a red rectangle,” he said, bristling at her abbreviation of his name.
Saren shook her head. “Let me guess—biggest around?”
He looked up, thinking.
“Now that you mention it, yeah. It’s what caught my eye. Or else I wouldn’t a seen it.”
“Okay, can you lead us down that path in the direction of the house?”
Daxton nodded.
“If it’s that big, we should find it pretty easily. We’ll discuss the plan along the way. Keep your eyes open. We don’t know what else is here. Also, search everything on the ground as we go. There’s got to be something around here Mr. Brody can use as a weapon.”
“What happened to your little rod, shorty? A case-o-the-Irish-curse? Or did you prematurely lose it in all the excitement?” Daxton said, grinning, before leading the way.
The four of them walked for miles, each searching the ground along the way. The terrain was impossibly—and annoyingly—filled with the geometric-shaped rocks.
Saren wondered what purpose the shapely rocks served?
A tree back on Aurailia provided shade, precious-homes to wildlife and, served to scrub the air of carbon dioxide among many other useful things. The rocks were just bigger parts of Aurailia which had broken off over time or had worn down.
Everything back home served a purpose but these rocks and the colors—what purpose could they possibly serve?
The red building peeked over the horizon in the distance, and Daxton said, “I think it’s just another mile, or two.”
Grôk sniffed in the air.
“What is smell?”
Saren remembered smelling it as they got closer to the Inner Ring with Faelar. She didn’t want to think about what was causing the putrid smell.
“I dunno,” Ensign Brody said, covering his nose. “But it’s makin’ me head ache.”
“Oh lookie—here you go,” Daxton said, snatching up a long rod and handing it to Ensign Brody.
The young man firmly grabbed the rod, and said, “Ye know where I should put this?”
“In your Mommy’s—“
“Shhh—cut it out!” Saren said. “We’re getting close, and there may be guards. If you two don’t stop bickering, they’ll hear us coming. Let’s work our way around the back. If anything, they’ll be expecting us to come at them in a straight line from the Kek Ring. Or, they think we’re wandering around aimlessly, but I doubt that. In any case, it’s the best option. Does everyone agree?”
They all nodded in agreement.
“Grôk kneel again. This time I wanna have a look around, myself.”
Before she knew what was going on, he gently grasped her around the waist and lifted her onto his shoulders.
“Really?” Daxton said, throwing his hands on his hips. “You couldn’t a done that—“
She darted him a glance from above, stifling him like a mother giving “the look” before the paddle came out.
Saren scanned the area with her wristcom, checking if the recon system still worked before she reached down, and patted Grôk on the chest. “Let me down, Grôk.”
He gently obliged.
She tapped the wristcom, and a basic 3D schematic of the building popped up.
They gathered close as Saren displayed the image.
“I saw two guards at each corner of the building. Here and here,” she said, pointing. “I’m pretty sure they’d also have two more stationed at the back. So, going in from the back,” she said, crossing her arms.
“Hey come on. Don’t tell me you’re giving up just yet, Boss Lady?
She slowly blinked twice, and said, “Saren Thorn never gives up, but I am open to suggestions right now.”
“What if we create a diversion?” Daxton patted Grôk on the arm. “Slugger here could toss a boulder near the building, make ‘em go looking.”
“No,” Saren said, shaking her head. “I don’t want to go in hot. We don’t have enough firepower for that or intel—we have to see what’s going on in there first. We can’t make that kind of diversion look coincidental.”
“Why not?”
“We just walked for miles,” she said, nodding behind. “Did you see anything besides these blasted rocks? Last time I checked, they don’t move on their own.”
“No, but they’ll think it’s us and go on a wild goose chase?”
“And what if only two go to check and leave t
he other two behind?”
“Oh,” Daxton said, looking down. “That’s all I got.”
Saren immediately regretted her comment. He was just thinking aloud, trying to help her. Before she got a chance to apologize, Grôk cocked an ear to the sky, catching her attention.
“What is it, Grôk?”
Grôk looked up and pointed. A buzzing sound became audible to everyone else, and by the time they realized the threat, it was too late.
Daxton raised his pistol, ready to take aim.
“Save it,” Saren said, pulling his arm down. “It's too late. It’s a drone. They already know we’re here.”
“Whatta we do now, Commander?”
“We’ve got no choice,” she said, checking the energy level on her wristcom. “We go in hot.
“Grôk, gather as many rocks for ammo as you can carry. Stack ‘em over there.” She pointed to a spot alongside a large sphere. “Ensign Brody, there's another rod behind that rock. Grab it! Daxton, you're with me on point—“
“Commander Saren? More!” Grôk pointed to the sky.
The drone in the clearing brought three friends.
Why four?
All four drones were identical to the orbs powering the Cyborg’s arms. Below each hung short low-tech antennas.
The drones quickly swirled in the air a hundred feet above their heads, spreading further apart with each rotation.
Ensign Brody picked up a square rock and hurled it at the orbs.
The rock sailed near the orbs, and they separated, letting it harmlessly fly by, and circled back into place, continuing the outward scrawl.
Daxton raised his pistol and pulled off a shot.
The orbs kept circling as the bolt struck one on the left and it grew brighter, absorbing the energy, just like the Cyborg.
Saren lowered her wristcom.
Fuck!
The damned things were operating on a more intelligent level than the Cyborg’s orbs.
What were the orbs doing? With the advantage point over their heads, they could easily take out each one of them.
Think Thorn.
Everything had a weakness, even advanced technology. She just had to find the Achilles' heel.