by Tobias Roote
Pulling out his hand-blaster, he clicked off the safety. It had a decent burst on short range targets. Those guards wouldn’t stand a chance of getting near him with their damned sword-arms. He would need to find the Queen and deal with her before those elite guards of hers got themselves organised.
Closing his eyes, he visualised where he wanted to go. He recognised the slight tug, as his body was pulled into the ether. When he opened them again, he was staggered to find he was exactly where he expected to be. However, if he wanted to live, he needed to jump again - fast.
Fixing on a location behind the throne he jumped again, a split second before a Shonkeel swung into the space he had vacated as the group of guards, overcoming their surprise, responded to his sudden arrival in their midst. He had jumped directly between two groups.
His second jump was marginally safer. Luckily, there was nobody behind the throne. He turned back to see the group of guards all turning their bodies outward, initial surprise replaced with alert aggression as they scanned the bridge area, searching for his presence.
Deciding to using the throne as cover to engage them, Zeke raised his blaster, aiming it at the nearest guard, and pulled the trigger. Nothing happened. He swung behind the throne again and under cover looked at the safety, yes - it was off, and the power cell was showing fully green. He re-aimed at the same guard that was now turning in his direction.
He pulled the trigger again and again. Nothing! There was zero effect, as if there was no connection between trigger and plasma release.
The first guard saw him and began advancing, Shonkeel raised. The others, alerted by the first, all moved in his direction, spreading out to surround the throne area. He knew their combined response would be aggressive and realised he had badly misjudged the speed of their response. He was now in great danger and needed to regain the initiative quickly, or be overrun.
Drawing his sword from the ‘Conan’ sheath fixed to his back, he brandished it ready to fight his way through them, holstering the useless blaster. Glancing behind him, he saw more guards approaching through the nearest gangway. Reinforcements must have been summoned. He was now surrounded by an angry swarm of sentries who wanted him on the end of their Shonkeel. But, he wasn’t going to oblige them, although he couldn’t leave, not yet. The small defence force was depending on him to end this war. He had to persevere and get clear of the trap he had jumped into.
Keeping the throne at his back, Zeke prepared to give his all. He needed to locate the Queen and knew she wasn’t far away from the bridge. He could feel the prickle of her presence and knew that she felt his. He had deliberately told the captain of his intentions knowing that she would probably pick up his plan from their perverse Alacite link. If he killed her he would take back those wafers to ensure he never linked up to anything else ever again, excluding Pod of course. He didn’t need to read the Queen’s intentions, he felt them now - deep down in his bones - she was death - undisguised and unfettered. There would be complete and utter annihilation here by her hand unless he could stop her, although it was already too late for many, his thoughts full of regret at his failure to stop this sooner.
Her booming voice told him she had arrived. “Leave him - he is MINE!” she announced.
“You think you can defeat us with an inferior Shonkeel, Zeke-named human?” the familiar voice spat the last word venomously. She sounded pissed. Appearing from the gangway, she pushed her way arrogantly through the guards who parted and then filled in the space behind her.
Her black crystalline features seemed more malevolent now that Zeke had an opportunity to see her at her darkest. Both her arms were rapidly converting to the most wicked looking obsidian blades he had ever imagined. They were coated with something oily that oozed evil. He had no doubt that one slip and that would be coating him. She must have picked up his thoughts.
“You like mine?” she laughed maniacally as she saw his eyes lock onto them. “The blackness on these blades is what is currently eating your world. It will consume anything organic, and it will keep on eating until absolutely nothing remains,” the Queen purred. “You have no world left to defend, Zeke human - where will you go now?” She laughed again. The cloned guards stood still showing no emotion.
She continued to approach, her blades in front providing her with more than enough protection from him.
“Yes, to your unasked question, I only have to touch you with my Shonkeel and these poisonous nanites will go to work, multiplying in seconds. They will eat you alive and you will feel your end coming while screaming in pain. You will wish for my blade across your weak and putrid neck before they have finished their work.”
Zeke pulled out and raised his blaster in a seemingly futile gesture. He needed her closer, but confident. He would only get one chance. He needed it now, a distraction. He hoped Pod had been eavesdropping on the proceedings.
Zeke: Now, Pod.. NOW! He thought at the AI as he struggled to maintain his poise amongst the circle of doom he found himself within.
The blaster pointing at her brought an unexpected shrill screech of laughter that rebounded through Zeke’s head like a murdered banshee.
“You think I would allow weapons to operate in my presence, or near my throne?” she crowed elated at the ease of her victory over these inferior beings, that even now were being eaten alive by her nanite soldiers.
“Fool! Your pathetic weapon is of no use here, only traditional Shonkeel’s will work within twenty feet of the Throne and I’m the supreme master of my people in such traditional fighting,” she said as the blades howled while they swung back and forth, slicing the air with their force, black venom dripping off and crawling back to her via her armoured shoes.
“Do your worst, human, I challenge you,” the Queen expertly flicked one of her swords, spinning off a spurt of the black death in his direction. He jumped to one side, but couldn’t avoid the splatter. Globules of poisonous nanite solution hit him across the face and chest. He felt the burning sensation as it began to eat into his skin, the pain was manageable, less than he expected because of the Alacite.
Believing he had only moments before he succumbed to the erosion of his flesh, he acted.
He dropped the blaster, putting both hands firmly to the hilt of his sword. He figured he was running out of time and the fleet defending Earth would be under immense pressure just to fight off the massive fleet of invaders. He had to move quickly.
Zeke: Where is the fleet - attack the Throne-ship now!
Pod: Done! But Zeke, an unknown fleet has just materialised and is even now attacking the enemy. They look like Nubl!?
Good! He thought to himself, a battle between them would be a great distraction and right now any distraction would do, but could he use it to gain an opening? Zeke wondered. He manoeuvred for a better position further away from the throne so he could get a wider swing. He knew she would be trying to read his intent from their mental link, and needed to throw her off for a second.
“Hah! You should watch your flank, Celnista. Your fleet is under attack by your own people.” Zeke’s raised voice mocked her in the hope she would momentarily lapse her concentration while checking if he was bluffing, but instead she kept her eyes on him. A few seconds went by as the mental connections to the bridge crew and g‘Nars on the ships warned her.
She lashed a sword at him, forcing him to retreat a step. “Stupid human, you think to distract me with your little fleet? - you forget I’m in your head - I know your intentions.” She laughed, then it turned to a puzzled frown as new information was fed to her.
“What is the meaning of...?” she shouted angrily, her head turned towards the screen to confirm the information she was receiving.
Her attention was distracted for a split second, which was all he had been hoping for - Zeke made his move.
Spinning himself at high speed, a manoeuvre he had practised long and hard with on the station, his body rotated, becoming a blur. He extended his arms outward, the sword raised. As he
timed a step forward at the point his body turned back towards the Queen, he observed calmly as her face glanced back. Too late, the Queen realised her error just as his sword made contact with her Shonkeels.
His blade, honed to perfection for just this purpose, sliced through both her weapons as if they were made of butter. His rotation continued to spin him around, in another circuit. As he stepped forward closing the distance between them. Her black steel neck met his swinging blade, slicing cleanly off and over the throne onto the main bridge, where it rolled several times clunking on the deck before it hit a bulkhead and fell still.
Zeke, fully aware that the Queen was finished, slowed his body’s rotation, and wasted no time in thrusting the sword directly into the chest cavity while the body faltered. He came to a stop then, and watched with satisfaction as the dead machine fell to the deck convulsing as rampant short circuits thrashed through the artificial body.
The guards stood still, their orders had been to leave the enemy human, they had no further interest when their Queen was destroyed. They milled around on the spot; with no-one to give them fresh instruction they were useless. He pushed past them using his sword to deflect their half-hearted attempts to engage him until he was clear and could see the rest of the bridge crew and the vidscreen clearly.
Zeke: The Queen is dead.
Pod: The other Nubl fleet seem to be decimating the ships around the Throne-ship None are now fighting back.
Zeke wondered what Pod had just told him. Was this another Nubl hive? Were they going to be at the mercy of them as well. Would he have another queen to decapitate before they were free?
The smoke from his clothes disintegrating reminded him he was wounded. He brushed at his chest, surprised there was so little damage to his body He could see a glint beneath the black smearing his chest. His face didn’t feel anything. He wondered briefly if he had pain inhibitors working. The damage must be going internal, past his nerve ends, he decided.
The bridge crew reacted to the loss of their leader’s connecting signal and began to behave erratically, some wandering aimlessly around the bridge. Zeke recovered his momentum and used the confusion to continue his high-speed carnage, decimating the guards that had surrounded him. They were his only immediate threat and he needed to ensure nobody approached him, or the throne. From the Queen’s comments earlier he had a suspicion it was more than just her seat of power. Why else would it be protected?
Several minutes later, the carnage he had wrought left nothing but scrap metal around him. The Alacite racing through his system, excited by the increased energy he was expending, left him dazed. The changes in his head continued their progress through his system. He could feel the buzz when it was like this, the power and unlimited energy coursing through his body as if it was something he could touch and feel.
His introspection was suddenly interrupted.
A soft but strong voice called out from behind him.
“You’ve certainly changed, my friend.”
To Zeke the voice sounded like someone he knew, but couldn’t quite place. He turned to see, and was instead drawn into the battle on the vidscreen. His mind assimilated the complexity of ongoing carnage within the Nubl fleet. Initially, he couldn’t distinguish which ships were culling which, as many didn’t appear to fight back. Where they didn’t fight, they were often left intact. Slowly he began to see the pattern, but on the screen all the ships looked the same making it difficult to judge who was winning. Then, without warning, his vision expanded to greater depth and breadth, something in him immediately realised what was occurring and forced him to pull back, where he had been on the verge of ‘jumping’ himself into space.
Zeke concentrated on dragging his body back to the Throne-ship’s bridge, although molecules still danced behind his eyes blurring his vision. He shook his head subconsciously as he fought an internal battle to curb the motes, drawing them to him until his vision was restored. In command of himself once more he remembered the voice he had heard, turning his head in the direction it came from.
He observed a silver humanoid standing at the edge of the bridge, well out of reach of Zeke’s sword. The human-like being spoke to him.
“Zeke, you have won. The battle is over. You can relax,” it said to him.
Zeke looked at the apparition as if he should recognise it, but there were big differences that confused his memory and he was amongst a ship full of silver androids of all types - except this one was different.
Another silver apparition appeared near to the alien. It bobbed on AG thrusters and seemed to initially defer to Zeke before turning to the other. Zeke briefly wondered why it would do that, until it spoke, the voice and the words bringing instant recognition.
“The Nubl are vanquished, but we arrived too late, Zirkos. The planet is destroyed, as is the human fleet.”
Zeke bellowed in surprise. He hadn’t placed either the voice or the figure until then. Now, he couldn’t believe what he was seeing.
“Zirkos? - did you say ZIRKOS?” Zeke’s voice roared across the deck of the bridge at the recognition of the silver figure. The utter incredulity of his friend arriving now - after all this time - dawning on him. Even in his excitement he still managed to tell Pod the news as he stormed over to where Zirkos stood.
Zeke: Pod, Zirkos is here.
Pod: It is Zirkos ‘and’ Ship. Be careful, they lead a Nubl fleet!
Zeke: I’m sure you’re correct, but Zirkos is back. This is excellent news.
Pod: Zeke....
As Pod’s warning faded into the background, Zeke couldn’t hold back the relief of seeing his friend.
“Zirkos - we thought you were lost and killed by these Nubl fiends, yet here you are. Although to be honest - you could have timed your arrival sooner. Zeke’s voice faltered with the emotion of everything. “We have lost so many. Where did you go? What is going on out there,” he asked pointing at the vidscreen that showed the ‘red on red’ attack of the enemy destroying themselves.
Zeke brandished his sword. “I was just finishing off the Queen and then was going to destroy the remaining ships. You’ve saved me the trouble,” Zeke said warmly as he approached his old friend and ally.
Zirkos stepped back as if unsure of Zeke’s intentions and Ship’s arms came up brandishing lasers that erupted from his arms and which aimed unerringly at Zeke’s head as if preparing to defend his Maker.
Zeke was stopped in his tracks, bemused by their actions. “What the ....?”
“Sorry, Zeke. Your face, and chest,” he pointed at Zeke.
Zeke looked down at himself. The clothing was gone now leaving his skin a dull green metallic colour where the nanites had taken what they could, leaving what was inedible to them. His shield of Alacite DNA had rescued him again. However, he realised what he must look like to the others.
“Ah! the Alacite is finishing its mutation finally, the Queen’s nanites must have completed the job and exposed my new body. What do you think?” Zeke asked raising his hands, his sword held in his right as light as a feather, while more of his clothing dropped away from the horde that was consuming the natural elements in the material.
“Ah, that expains it. I had no idea that would change you so dramatically. Does it hurt?” he asked, the concern evident, probably remembering how this whole thing started... with his need for the Alacite that held Zeke’s head together.
“No, Zirkos. It’s painless, but difficult to manage...I --”
Pod: Zeke, tell them as little as you can about your changes. Trust nothing yet. Where have they been? Why are they heading a fleet of Nubl?
“...just cope with it,” Zeke finished wondering about the questions echoing in his head. Pod had made two very important points.
“So, Zirkos... I’m afraid Ship is right,” he changed the subject rapidly. “You have arrived too late to save us and had I not beheaded the monster Queen you would have joined us in being slaughtered,” Zeke stated, opening the way for an explanation.
“I’m sorry, Zeke, we’ve had our own battles with the Nubl Queen, and needed to recover our numbers before we sought out Earth.” Zirkos said a little lamely. The fact they had arrived just a little too late left him bereft of answers for his friend.
Zeke turned his scrutiny to Ship who still held the lasers on him. Now a humanoid, he looked somehow menacing to Zeke. He remembered a kind and ambivalent voice inside the old T-ship and tried to compare it with this sleek silver AI hovering in front of him. Something was definitely different. He looked back to Zirkos, who looked much the same, yet he too had changed in appearance. Not obvious, but enough to put off immediate recognition by Zeke. He wondered what had happened to these two during their absence?
He continued his quest for an explanation, hoping to get the information he needed to trust his friends once again.
“Yet, you arrive with more Nubl Shadowships - and they look every bit as mean and dangerous as the ones that were a short time ago killing us,” Zeke gestured at the growing number of Shadowships lining up outside the Throne-ship
Zeke was also tired of Ship’s stance so berated him. “Ship, if you’re going to shoot those blasters, get on with it, or put them away.”
“I was not able to discern your intentions, Zeke, I apologise,” Ship stated with no apology in his voice. The guns disappeared into his arms. Nanotech, Zeke noted.
Zeke sighed. He was fazed by the transition of his body and needed time to wind down the buzzing molecules of his changing metabolism. He also suspected that he wouldn’t get to rest any time soon. He was getting some odd feelings about all of this, possibly sparked by Pod’s cautionary comments. He kept things friendly while he attempted to sort out what was going on
“That’s alright, Ship, nice new body, by the way,” he smiled disarmingly and relaxed, remembering how attentive the AI was to body language.
Zirkos walked nonchalantly towards the throne, inspecting it. “We discovered that not all the Nubl are controlled by a queen such as this one. The Frenon are different. They are prepared to live peacefully with humans. Their enemy is your enemy,” he offered.