They were nearly halfway down the corridor when the entire group was forced to stop. They had all felt it, the pulling sensation from beneath their feet. It had caused them all to stumble for a step as the invisible force briefly gripped them. It was an unusual feeling, like the Grav Enforcers had suddenly gone into overdrive and increased the g. The pull had been too much for the Commander’s injured leg, bringing him to one knee. Li’ara could see the drops of blood trailing behind the Commander as he smeared them with his boots. Telarrek and Ilyseal attempted to help him up but he shrugged them off. He was a stubborn son of a bitch.
There was an audible cracking sound coming from the floor, further up the corridor. They could hear the metal girders and framework twisting and bending underneath. The corridor was silent as the noise stopped and everyone held their breath. Li’ara couldn’t help but wonder if the Commander’s grenade had destabilised the entire station.
Chaos erupted for the second time, as the floor ahead of them violently imploded like an earthquake. Sparks burst out as wires in the floor were severed and metal frames were ripped apart. The scene reminded Li’ara of a black hole as the floor was sucked into an abyss. It had all happened in a second, the only thing left was smoke rising from the gaping hole in the floor. It was too big to jump across, keeping the hangar just out of reach. The sudden implosion hadn’t caused them to fall over, but Li’ara noticed all three Novaarians were in a crouched position like a runner before a race.
No one said a word as they stared at the hole. The lights began to flicker across the length of the corridor and Li’ara thought back to Numanon’s comment about an electromagnetic pulse. Kalian’s grip on her shoulder tightened. Her training kicked in again- she was calculating her options. The way forward was no longer viable. The command bridge was out of the question, it was a dead end. Two choices: go left at the T-junction or go right. Li’ara hated it when her missions came to violence and chaos, but she couldn’t deny the clarity of mind it gave her. There were no distractions, just the mission.
Her mind went back to The Hub where she scanned through the technical layout of the main sphere. She knew there was an access corridor for maintenance that led to a side door within the executive hangar. The door was on the left inside the hangar meaning the she would have to turn right at the bridge door. Her drill sergeant’s words echoed in her mind.
Always have an exit strategy.
“We need to go this way, now!” She didn’t point at the corridor; her intention was just to get them to follow her. The Novaarians slowly resumed their normal height as Numanon checked the schematics on his bracer.
“The Lieutenant Commander is correct.” Telarrek lifted his head in acknowledgement. They had managed to get as far as the door when Li’ara felt a pit open within her stomach. They had all heard it, the heavy clunk as something ascended into the corridor. Li’ara turned Kalian and herself to look back toward the hangar. The light continued to flicker creating a stark contrast between the white walls and complete darkness. Li’ara kept a hard gaze on the distant chasm. She couldn’t believe her eyes, with every flash of the light something was slowly emerging. A thick arm reached out of the smoke and darkness, its hand gripping through the floor itself. She couldn’t see it all, but from what she could see it was definitely armoured. Every flash of light seemed to bring the new alien into the corridor.
“Run!” The Commander was reaching round for his cannon. Li’ara felt four pairs of hands press against Kalian and herself ushering them down the chosen corridor. The adrenaline surged through her body at what felt like light speed, taking away any aches and pains. Running at a speed Li’ara could only dream of, Ilyseal dashed ahead keying the button to call the lift.
The heavy footfalls could be heard from round the corner, even over the sound of their own feet. From the dense metallic sound Li’ara guessed it to be armoured all over. She heard the pleasant ding as the lift doors parted. Kalian was running alongside her now, his own adrenaline pushing away the pain. They both crashed into the lift together not slowing their speed. Telarrek and Ilyseal were more graceful in their movements stopping in front of them. She had to move her head to see past them.
The lights in the new section of the T-junction began to flicker as the giant turned the corner, it must have been constantly emitting a low level EMP. For a couple of brief moments Li’ara glimpsed the alien in the light. It was big. She guessed it be equal in height to the Novaarians if not bigger. Its shoulder width was certainly wider, the size of the true creature was impossible to tell as it was made entirely of plated armour. She could see that it was predominantly matte black, but it was scarred from head to toe in silver and bronze scratches where it had taken damage. If it had been on a UDC soldier she would have asked what war they had survived.
She couldn’t help but think it was ugly. It was chunky armour that had clearly been designed to intimidate and take a serious beating. Each plated section could be seen connecting to the next like a patchwork. Li’ara’s tactical mind was taking over, she could see no visible weapon, gun or otherwise. From the look of its armour she assumed its wearer must be strong to even move a muscle inside. Its head was encased in a helmet intricately designed with a raised pattern running out of where the mouth would be, flowing over the back of the rounded helmet. Where she expected to see a visor or eyes were two sunken pits. As a face plate goes it was bloody scary. Li’ara had seen rebels of all factions wearing faceplates and death masks, but nothing compared to this. It felt ancient, like it had come from an archaic time of violence and bloodlust. To look into those bottomless pits would be to look at death itself.
Li’ara forced herself to harden, shedding any fears. She couldn’t believe she’d missed it; she had been focusing on the details. On the one hand it had been an easy oversight since it was all she had ever known, until today. The hulking figure slowly approaching was bipedal. It had two arms and two legs just like her. She knew instantly that it couldn’t be human, it was too big and its show of force had been beyond their capabilities. Having seen what she had today it wasn’t a massive stretch to assume there were other bipedal species in the galaxy. She just wished this particular biped wasn’t in front of her.
The sound of her own thoughts was drowned out by the sudden burst of electromagnetic projectiles erupting from the Commanders rail gun. The electronically powered weapon was causing his entire body to vibrate as he backed towards the lift. From this range Li’ara knew it would be impossible to miss the giant. The corridor became a violent light show as every projectile ricocheted off the creature and impacted the walls, tearing away holes the size of her head. The fitted lights burst apart, shattering glass as sparks flew off every part of the armour. The giant didn’t change its pace; it appeared completely unfazed by the Commander’s attack. There were scorch marks all over its metallic body but the armour hadn’t even been dented.
Numanon reached out and pulled the Commander into the confined tube almost lifting him off the floor. Li’ara wasted no time in pushing the button. They only had to get three floors down. As the doors closed the armoured figured was ten feet away and closing. There was no room to move in the cramped space. Clearly it hadn’t been designed with three seven feet tall aliens in mind. Everyone was panting for breath, even the Novaarians. The Commanders rail gun let off a low hum as it powered down the battery.
Kalian was slumped against the wall holding his injured side. Li’ara could see that blood was still trickling out but it wasn’t enough to concern her.
He can make it.
“What the hell... was that thing?” Li’ara’s words came out in laboured breaths. She looked at each of the Novaarians hoping they would have some clue. They remained silent looking from one to the other. Ding. The lift doors parted again revealing a long room lined with monitors and chairs. It was one of the sub bridges often manned by a team responsible for the stations maintenance. Li’ara could see the door on the left, that one should lead them back up to the executive
hangar.
Somewhere further up the lift, metal began to creak and snap as the creature ripped the doors off. Li’ara grabbed Kalian’s jacket and yanked him out of the lift pushing everyone ahead of her. Commander Hawkins hit the exterior panel with the butt of his gun. The lift doors closed moments before a thunderous explosion impacted the other side. The shudder caused the Commander to fall again.
“Keep going!” Ilyseal hesitated hearing the Commanders order. Li’ara saw her glance at Kalian before resuming her pace alongside them. Li’ara herself wanted to stop and help him but Kalian was the mission; if anyone could take care of himself, it was Commander Hawkins.
Numanon had gone ahead this time activating the next lift. Li’ara had the smallest sense of relief when the doors parted instantly. That relief was shattered when the doors behind the Commander bent out of shape before exploding into the room with incredible force. She didn’t hear what Telarrek shouted but once again she was bundled into another lift, she never let go of Kalian’s jacket. The last thing she heard was the densely armoured feet clamber into the room.
Moments later their lift stopped and they entered the access corridor that led back to the hangar. It was darker than other parts of the station; only used for maintenance access it hadn’t been an aesthetic priority. Li’ara didn’t care; she could see the words [Exec Hangar] on the door ahead.
“Come on!” She positioned herself under Kalian’s arm giving him extra support. He had a determined look on his face; he was stronger than she gave him credit. They ran to the door not looking back, she was expecting the lift to explode any moment like the last. The light was almost blinding as they left the dark corridor behind. The hangar remained untouched, directly ahead lay the Fathom with the Novaarian craft further along. Li’ara had never been so happy to see a ship. For the first time since the command bridge she had hope, they were going to make it, they would survive, Kalian would survive.
The floor between the two ships exploded like a volcanic geyser. Debris and contents from the floor below rained down on the hangar. Li’ara instinctively placed herself in front of Kalian. Her hope died as the first armoured gauntlet gripped the edge pulling the rest of its bulk into the hangar bay with apparent ease. It was relentless. She knew it would never stop, a part of her thought it could never be stopped. The thought went against her UDC training, everything was achievable, nothing was beyond her capabilities.
She tapped the screen built into her forearm activating the Fathom’s ignition procedures. She heard the door panel hiss as it opened up. She didn’t take her eyes off the lumbering beast. The chest plating was bulky as if it had armour over more armour; it made its waist appear too small for its size. Despite the training she could see the reality of the situation. The distance between them, the ship and the ever approaching figure was futile. It was a simple calculation that it would tear the Fathom apart before they could escape. But she had to try.
“Get in the Fathom, now!” Li’ara noticed the Novaarians looking at their own ship. “It’s too late, c’mon!” At least they had the sense to follow her. Numanon remained in place, steadfast against the approaching danger. Li’ara was half way up the ramp when she noticed.
“What’s he doing?!” She didn’t have time for this.
“What he must...” Telarrek looked Li’ara in the eyes and there was an understanding between them; it was Numanon’s choice, not his. Li’ara took note of the event; were they always so willing to sacrifice themselves, or was this about Kalian again?
Numanon used his lower limb to reach behind his back. Li’ara couldn’t believe she’d missed it, Numanon pulled out a silver shaft of metal that had been hiding under his tendrils of hair. It was at least three feet long from where Li’ara was standing. One end of the shaft formed a sharp point that glistened in the overhead lighting. His movements were beautiful as he used all four hands to spin and flip the shaft around his body. He finished his presentation with the shaft pressed into the ground parallel to him. Somewhere in all the spins the shaft had extended into a spear. Li’ara would have preferred a gun, or maybe a grenade launcher.
“Go!” Telarrek pushed them into the Fathom’s main cabin. Li’ara took Kalian straight into the med bay behind the glass instructing him to lie on the gurney. She put a small readymade canister to his abdomen and depressed the button on top. The morphine would help until she could properly see to him. Ilyseal had already closed the door while Telarrek made his way through to the cockpit. Li’ara wasn’t surprised at their aptitude towards ship controls; she imagined it was quite a primitive design to them.
She thumbed the panel on the wall activating the holo image of outside. The ship lifted off tucking in the landing gear as it did. Telarrek rotated the ship one hundred and eighty degrees to face the hangar exit. Li’ara could see the armoured giant walking straight towards them as if Numanon wasn’t even there. The Novaarian launched at his opponent with the spear raised like an ancient warrior of Earth. His speed and agility were impressive, every move precise and clearly practised. As he bore down on the giant he had his spear aimed for its head. Li’ara was sure this one blow would end the conflict. She was wrong. The giant caught the spear inches from its head pulling it down to the side and burying it in the floor. Numanon’s body followed the spear and the giant lashed out with its free hand, catching him by the neck.
Numanon attempted to break free using all four of his powerful arms. It was no use, Li’ara could see him punch and kick and even try to pry the monsters hand from around his neck. The giant brought Numanon’s face so it was inches from its own nightmare faceplate. She couldn’t tell if anything was said. The Novaarians body began to shake violently in desperation. A second later his whole body went limp, his arms dropped to his side and his head lolled like the vertebrae were not quite attached.
Li’ara put her hand out to the holo image forgetting it wasn’t glass, with her hand passing straight through to the bulkhead. Whatever this thing is, it’s strong and fast to have been able to catch the spear, she thought. Ilyseal took a deep breath at the sight of Numanon being discarded on the hangar floor. The armoured giant raised his black hand towards the Fathom as if it could actually grab the ship.
What’s it doing?
The sound was muffled from inside but Li’ara couldn’t miss the rail gun fire that suddenly bombarded the giant. Commander Hawkins came into view from the same door that led to the access corridor. His mouth was stretched into a war cry as he continued to fire. He looked to Li’ara but she knew he couldn’t see her through the hull. He waved his hand away signalling for them to flee. His attack had caught its attention like a wasp would pester a human.
The Fathom passed through the shielding membrane into the vacuum of space while Telarrek rotated the ship again. Kalian silently appeared by her side still clutching his abdomen. They both watched in astonishment as the laws of physics broke down in front of them. The giant extended its arm towards the Commander twenty feet away. He dropped the rail gun as he was lifted into the air by some invisible force. The Commanders face was contorted as he appeared to be experiencing immense pain. His limbs twisted and bent into unnatural positions, every part of him being compressed into his centre.
Blood and bone broke through his skin as he became a ball of broken limbs and torn flesh. His humerus snapped as it tore through the skin and shot into his encroaching face. The blood that sprayed from his many wounds froze mid air as if floating in a mini vacuum around him. Eventually his feet disappeared inside his groin with his pelvis shattering from the intense pressure. The Commander’s agonising expression became still, his vertebrae broken. The goliath lowered its arm in the same moment the Commander’s body fell to the floor.
Wasting no more time, Telarrek engaged the ship’s thrusters and left the Icarus station behind. Li’ara was speechless; she had never seen anything like that before. For just a moment she thought she might be in shock. It had no weapon, how could it have done that? The sight of Kalian yanked her
mind back to the mission.
“Come on.” Li’ara walked him back to the med bay. She quickly scanned the shrapnel in his skin measuring its depth. “You’ll need surgery but for now I can remove it and apply Medifoam.” Picking up the necessary tools she pulled out the fragment and sprayed the Medifoam inside the wound, it quickly hardened on the outside preventing further blood loss. “This will keep you awake for now.” Without waiting for his response she pressed another canister to the skin on his wrist. The stimulants would race through Kalian’s veins for at least half an hour.
After helping Kalian Li’ara became aware that an alien was piloting the ship. She marched across the cabin heading for the cockpit. Before she could enter, the Fathom shuddered as its landing gear touched down.
“Where are w-” Li’ara stopped as she surveyed the outside world through the view port. It was not The Hub. Instead they appeared to have landed on a massive landing strip inside the Valoran. The ship was being surrounded by Novaarians. The exterior walls were a beautiful shining purple with hundreds of identical craft lining the hangar. She recognised the design from the craft Telarrek and his group had landed in.
“The Valoran is the safest place to be, Lieutenant Commander.” Telarrek rose to his fall height from the pilot’s seat.
“We need to get back to The Hub, they need threat assessments, and we need to be debriefed. Right now they have no idea what they’re up against!” Li’ara was imagining that beast of a ship containing thousands if not millions of those armoured giants. Telarrek moved past her into the main cabin. His upper hand touched Ilyseal on the shoulder as they shared a moment. They had obviously been closer to Youl and Numanon than she had been to Commander Hawkins. She felt a sense of indifference towards his death, but that could still be the shock.
Intrinsic: Book One of the Terran Cycle Page 9