Galactic Assimilation 2:: Empire Rising

by J. K. Mabrey

  "Like what you see?" Stiner asked, his arms held out wide to show off what was probably stolen equipment.

  Zavik looked around. He wasn't exactly sure what he was seeing, or if he liked it. He couldn't tell the difference between a cultivator and a baler.

  "We just want what's on our list," Brax said.

  "Your list can be filled with these," Stiner said. "Now, did we agree on a price?"

  Zavik heard a dull roar building outside the garage. He tried to ignore it, but a low resonance from the engines was starting to pierce his ears.

  "I think you said a fair price," Brax said. "Say, seventy-five thousand?"

  Stiner whistled and said, "That would be a fair price, for you now wouldn't it? But it wouldn't be fair to me. I was thinking more like one twenty. I could get well more than that individually."

  "But you couldn't get it all tonight," Brax said.

  The buzzing of the engine grew louder. At first, Zavik figured it was a ship taking off from the city, possibly from a nearby garage. Now it sounded like it was slowly skimming the city, drawing closer and closer.

  Charra seemed to notice. He craned his neck up at the open canopy of the garage. One of the Rovun did the same. The engine noise grew louder.

  Stiner raised his voice instinctually to compensate and said, "How about one hundred, then?"

  Brax looked at Zavik and Zavik snapped back to the conversation. He returned a short nod.

  "Hey! What is this?" Stiner shouted. His face was frozen as he stared at the sky. Zavik looked up and saw a black ship hovering over the top of the garage.

  "Hey, I said no funny business," Stiner said over the now deafening roar of the engines.

  "It's not us," Zavik said, his hands moving to rest on his pistol.

  A door on the underside of the ship opened and a white light flooded out. Zavik could see a small figure standing on a landing platform suspended in the air. The ship was invisible against the night's sky. The figure seemed to be hovering in midair a hundred feet above them. Suddenly the figure stepped off the platform and disappeared into the darkness. Zavik caught a glimpse of a shadowy figure as it tumbled down. He almost panicked at the thought of someone falling to their death.

  The next moment the body froze in midair just about thirty feet above their heads. One of the Rovun stumbled backward and fell to the floor. The figure slowly descended into the light of the garage. It was dressed in a black robe, a hood covering the top of its head. A red stripe ran down the center of the robe, up over the hood and down the back. It was connected along one side by another red stripe. Zavik had seen a similar pattern on a flag once. Brax had too. It was the flag of Red Moon.

  Zavik's fists clenched and he became aware of just how sweaty they were. His natural reaction to grab his gun was met with a slip. He ran the palm of his hand down his pants and unholstered the gun.

  The others followed suit as did the group of alien sellers. Stiner shouted, "What the hell is this?"

  "Red Moon," Zavik said only loud enough for his crew to hear.

  "No way," Charra said.

  "It is," Brax replied. "His cloak has the symbol."

  "There's no moon on his cloak," Charra said.

  "The symbol's not a moon," Brax said.

  "Clearly," Charra said.

  "Focus," Zavik said.

  The figure slowly lowered his hood over the back of his head. It was a Chokmnd. Zavik was surprised and relieved that it wasn't Varin. He also found himself a bit disappointed. For a moment he truly thought it was Varin. He almost wished it was, it would have validated his paranoia. He didn't find much comfort in it not being Varin though, there was a flying Chokmnd above their heads with the symbol of Red Moon on it. There's not much comfort to be found in that situation.

  The Chokmnd started to laugh as he looked down over Zavik and his crew. He spread his arms out and leered over them for a moment. The ship he rode in on had left, leaving them in silence. Zavik felt the throbbing pulse in his neck grow ever more fierce. His ears were filled with a steady hum from his heartbeat.

  "Isn't this wonderful," the Chokmnd said. His voice was thick and echoed throughout the garage. He lowered himself and came to rest on the ground in between the two groups. He faced Zavik and his crew and was paying almost no attention to the others.

  "This is our deal, pal," Stiner said.

  "I think he's trying to rob us," the other Savin said.

  The Chokmnd glanced quickly behind him and smiled. He lifted his left arm to his waist. The guns the Savins and Chokmnd were carrying were ripped from their hands and floated just above their reach. The Chokmnd squeezed his hand and the weapons all collapsed on themselves. Shards of metal and plastic splintered and fell to the floor.

  "What the hell?" Charra said.

  Stiner shrieked and pulled a sidearm out. He fired shots at the Chokmnd, but they were just absorbed by a blue barrier that surrounded him. He turned towards them and thrust his two arms out. They staggered back and were flung twenty feet. Each hit the wall of the garage hard and slumped to the ground.

  "Now that they're out of the way," the Chokmnd said.

  "Who are you?" Zavik asked, his hand holding his gun at his side. He was afraid of making any sudden movements.

  The Chokmnd rubbed his chin and said, "You don't remember me? How disappointing. My name is Traval. My master has waited a long time for his revenge, and I will be the one to deliver it for him."

  "Your master?" Zavik asked. The name sounded familiar, but he couldn't quite place its location. The Chokmnd didn't respond to Zavik. "You're the one who's been attacking us."

  "I sent my ships after you," Traval said. "You did well in fending them off, but that was to be expected. I've seen your ship at work before. It is a very capable ship, indeed. It will make a nice trophy."

  "Why were you tracking us?" Zavik asked.

  "Sport," he replied. "You are far too insignificant to be the goal, just a side job. Because of you, our plans were delayed five years. For that, I shall enjoy watching you die."

  Zavik swung his pistol up and fired off three blasts. Each hit a blue shield that flashed around him. Traval just continued to laugh at their attempts as he stood out in the open. He didn't appear to have any guns, but Zavik had no idea what he could be hiding under his cloak.

  His feet touched the ground and he leaped in the air again, hovering a few feet above the ground.

  "How is he doing that?" Brax asked.

  "I don't know," Zavik said. "Are you telling me not all Chokmnd can fly?"

  "No one in my family can," Brax said.

  "I don't care how he's doing it," Charra said as he unloaded an entire power pack of blasts on him. It had little effect. "I want him down here so we can fight face-to-face."

  "Face-to-face?" Traval asked. He pivoted in the air and darted for Charra. Traval tackled Charra to the ground and began raining his fists down on Charra's face in a blur of fury and rage. Zavik brought his gun up but was frozen from firing for fear of hitting Charra.

  Brax tackled Traval off Charra and tried to bring the butt of his gun down on his head. His hand froze in the air and he was suddenly thrown off Traval.

  Traval stood and brushed some dirt from his cloak. He reached under a flap of cloth and brought out a long sword. It had a thin, straight blade, but the handle was thick. The metal glistened under the overhead lights as he waved it in front of him.

  "It's a shame, really, that no one fights with a sword anymore," Traval said as he eyed the sword from hilt to tip.

  Charra picked himself up to one knee and said, "That's because it's easier to shoot someone." He raised his gun and fired a shot. It was absorbed by his shield.

  "You seem to be having a problem with that," Traval said. His sword flashed and a blue wave of energy ran up and down the blade. Traval jumped at Zavik and a heavy overhead swing came down. Zavik fell to his right and the blade buried itself in the ground where he was. Zavik turned to run as Traval swung the sword across the g
round. The tip of the blade caught the back of his left leg. Zavik could feel the blade slice through his flesh, but the pain from that was nothing compared to the surge of electricity that followed. His left leg went numb from pain as high voltage energy ran up his leg, causing it to spasm uncontrollably. He collapsed to the ground and clawed at the floor with his hands to move. His nails dug into the dirt, he could feel them tearing away. His right leg kept sliding on the floor as he tried to move. His left leg was utterly useless.

  Traval walked in front of him and hovered over his head. He bared razor fangs in a menacing smile. He tapped Zavik's shoulder with the blade. It didn't cut his skin, but a burning fire coursed down his arm and into his chest. Zavik felt like his heart was going to explode as he gasped for air. His head pounded and a scent of singed flesh crept up his nose. It reminded him of the Rodschtok Varin used to torture Dani and him. Her terrifying scream, the thought of her being dead, the pain and the smell of her burned flesh. He cleared his mind. The Rodschtok. Someone burst into the room while Varin was torturing them to tell Varin about the rescue attempt. It was a Chokmnd. Varin called him Traval.

  "Varin," Zavik spat out. His mouth was dry and a little numb on the right side. "Varin is your master."

  "Very good, Zavik Khan," Traval said. "He will enjoy hearing that at the end, you knew the truth." He raised the blade above his head. The tip pointed at Zavik's head. In a swift motion, he brought it down. Instead of flesh and bone, the blade met a metal arm and pinned it to the ground. Sparks flew from Rudy's arm and a visible arc of lightning ran down his body. Rudy turned his head to speak, but instead, his head fell to the floor along with the rest of his body.

  "A robot?" Traval grimaced as he struggled to pull the blade free.

  Brax pulled Zavik to his feet and Charra fired three grenades at Traval. The first two were flung to the sides while the third was deflected into the air by Traval and exploded near the open roof of the garage. Concrete and dust rained down on them.

  Dani ran for the Rinada and Charra laid Zavik up against a support beam next to the ship. The underside cannon on the Rinada opened fire on Traval surrounding him with heavy blaster fire. His shield stayed blue, but he ran from the blasts. Charra and Brax fired on him as he ran.

  "See, this is why I always bring my rifles," Charra said.

  "Right," Brax said, "cause we typically run into psychopathic criminals with super powers."

  "Never say never," Charra said.

  Traval rounded a pillar and dashed at them. His speed was immense and before they could fire another shot he was in between them. He caught Charra in the face with his right arm and kicked Brax in the chest with his left leg. Charra let out a frightening scream as he cocked an arm back. He caught Traval on the side of the head and a flash of blue from under his cloak showed through. He wrapped his arms around him as Traval lunged for Brax. He ripped his cloak across his chest. The blue light lit up Brax's face. His eyes were frozen on it for a second.

  Traval's eyes widened and he looked more terrified than angry. He thrust his arms forward and Brax flew backward, striking a pillar hard. He fell to the floor and slumped over, motionless. He brought his two arms down on Charra's, breaking the grip he had. The sword flew to his hand from the center of the room. A blast from the Rinada caught the side of Traval just as he was about to drive the sword through Charra. Traval fell to the floor, an audible moan emanated. He held out his hand and the Rinada began to shake. His face strained and the ship began to lift off the ground. He walked closer and the strain eased a little.

  Zavik pounded on his leg, trying to get more feeling back into his muscles. A tingling sensation, like a thousand needles being jabbed in at once and quickly removed coursed up and down his leg. A sudden rush of warmth came over him and the tingling subsided. The Rinada was a foot off the ground when Zavik climbed to his feet. He ran at Traval, hobbling when he landed on his left leg. Traval saw him a second too late. Zavik tackled him to the ground and wrapped his fingers around the blue light. He ripped it from his chest. The light resonated in his hands and its magnificent glow flooded his eyes and reached deep into his mind. It was a calm blue ocean under a clear blue sky. For a second, he wanted nothing more than to just hold it in his hands forever.

  Traval jerked his head around and struggled to pry it from Zavik's hands. Zavik felt a rush of anger at the thought of it being taken from him. He bit Traval's hands. It was a salty, scaly surface, like unpeeled shrimp just from the sea. Traval cried out in pain and Zavik pulled the light free. He fell to the ground and curled into a fetal position with the light.

  Traval stumbled backward, scrambling to grab hold of his blade. His eyes focused on each one of them, taking an inventory of the situation. He clenched his teeth, briefly showing those white fangs again. "I need an emergency pickup," Traval said to himself. The ship came back to the garage and hovered over its opening. Laser fire rained down on them, forcing them to take cover behind the pillars. "We are not through, Khan."

  A ladder descended from the ship and Traval grabbed hold of it. When the firing stopped Zavik looked out from behind his cover and the sky was empty. Across the room sat the supplies they had come for. They had been blown apart, scraps of metal were twisted and a small fire raged. They couldn't even finish the job for Garos, though that was the furthest thing from his mind. As it always seemed, there were more important things to worry about now. The only thing he cared about was finding Varin...and this light. For some reason, he really cared about this light.

  Zavik sat at the base of a pillar, still holding tightly to the light. Brax offered him a hand up and he took it. They limped together back to the Rinada. Charra started to walk to the Rinada but turned around and went back to Rudy. He picked up his body and slung him over his shoulders. The robot didn't move, he just clanked with every heavy step Charra took. He dumped the body next to the ramp when he got onboard and closed the door.

  Dani took the ship into the atmosphere and made a run for space. Brax ran for the overhead turret while Zavik and Charra went to the cockpit.

  "Do you see them?" Zavik asked.

  "What?" Dani responded.

  "The ship. Do you see them anywhere?"

  "I'm getting us out of here," she said. "I'm not looking for that ship."

  "What!" he said. He recoiled at his own voice but didn't lower it. "We have to find them!"

  "No!" she shouted back just as loud. "I'm getting us away from this planet. I don't know who, or what the hell that was back there, but I'm not going up against it in this ship. Who knows what he can do?"

  Zavik wanted to go after him for his own sake. He didn't want him to get away, and to go back to Varin and plan another attack. He wanted him dead, just like he wanted Varin dead. He opened his mouth, he was going to order her to stay and look for the ship, but Charra put his heavy hand down on his shoulder.

  "She's right," he said. "We have to let him go."

  "But-" Zavik started to say but Charra cut him off.

  "That guy had some kind of power and we can't afford to go up against him without knowing more."

  Zavik sat there and didn't say anymore. Charra was right, of course. When he didn't want to rush into battle, it was probably a good idea to follow suit. He looked at his right hand, it still held the blue light tight. He studied it closely. It was like a blue crystal that didn't reflect light but instead generated its own brilliant illumination. Deep inside the crystal looked like a whirling storm. Clouds of gray and black spun around the center. He shook the crystal, but they continued on their swirling path unaffected by his jarring. A gold housing was wrapped around the crystal. A metal tip at the bottom divided into four pieces and ran along the edge of the crystal to meet at the top. The top and bottom appeared to have been broken off from something. Each piece was twisted and a small crack ran down from the top. The crystal fit in the palm of his hand. He was amazed at how bright it was for such a small thing.

  "What the hell is that thing?" Charra asked.
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  Zavik's eyes remained fixed on it. "I don't know."

  "Do you think that's what was giving him those powers?" Dani asked.

  "What do you mean?" Zavik asked.

  "Well, when Charra ripped it off, he kind of freaked out," she said, "and then he ran away."

  "Maybe," Zavik said almost to himself. He wanted to try it out. He wanted the crystal to give him the powers that Traval had. The powers to defeat Varin. That was all he wanted them for, he told himself. He didn't want the powers for any other reason. Just to stop Varin. He was a very dangerous person, and he had to be stopped. But...if he did have powers he could do so much more to help. Help his crew, help Dani, help Earth and the Galaxy. Help himself. Yes, he could have any job he wanted. They could be rich, he could be rich.

  He dropped the crystal to the floor. It pinged throughout the cockpit as it bounced three times and rolled forward.

  "Get it away!" he cried.

  "What's wrong?" Dani asked. The ship was in space and about to make the jump through the Cedona portal.

  "I...I felt angry," he said. "I had a sudden fear that the crystal would be taken from me. I felt it earlier too. I was mad and afraid that someone would take it away. It's got such power in it, and I just want its power."

  Charra picked it up as Zavik hesitated to stop him. His eyes dove deep into the blue storm brewing inside. He suddenly squeezed the crystal and bared his teeth. His eyes flashed a fire deep inside and he put the crystal down on the console.

  "Yes," he said, his breathing slightly labored. "I see what you mean. It doesn't want you to let it go. It wants you to use it. But I don't know how to use it. It's not that strong of a feeling, though. You can easily resist it if you want to."

  "If you don't?" Zavik asked.

  "It can be intoxicating," he said.

  "I don't think that's what we should be worried about the most," Zavik said.

  "A super-powered Chokmnd running around the Galaxy, what's to worry about?" Charra asked. "We all know how peaceful they are."