Intrinsic: Book One of the Terran Cycle

by Philip C. Quaintrell

  As they dove again leaving the park behind, Kalian saw one armoured attacker jump from the outer ring and land on a passing hover car just below them. The car wobbled under the added weight before the attacker jumped again, this time heading straight up and past them into the platform above. Moments later the underside of the platform began to crack, creating a web around the impact site. Kalian couldn’t believe his eyes as the underside completely shattered under the weight of the lake. Water poured out like blood from a wound before finally releasing its entire content. Kalian shouted a warning as Ilyseal changed course again heading for the outer ring. Water rained down on them just before the car managed to avoid the main body of water.

  They all looked over to see the platform below take the full brunt. Anyone who didn’t die instantly would have been washed off the edge. Kalian felt angry again. They could kill thousands in a single blow. Was he like them? He recognised the power they used but not to that level. What did any of this mean? Were they human, or was he something else? He was angry with himself for not having better control. If he had spent more time learning how to use his strange abilities maybe he could help. He looked at Li’ara cradling her broken arm and felt his other hand becoming hot. Before anything took shape the car banked to the left then the right, avoiding the falling debris from another platform that tumbled down the side of the rings like a waterfall of rock.

  “We need to get to the Valoran, now!” Telarrek had to shout over the whipping wind caused by their speed. Ilyseal interacted with the console for a moment bringing up a holographic display that would lead them to the nearest port.

  “There is a problem,” She replied. “When the Starrillium was ruptured it destroyed the atmo-barrier.” Kalian took a second to consider the consequences of that statement. If the atmo-barrier had been disabled then anyone outside, across the entire planet, would have been exposed to vacuum. That one attack could have killed millions.

  “If the barrier’s down, everyone outside will die.” Kalian said.

  As if only just understanding what was going on the stranger spoke up, “They would have been flash-burned by the explosion before space could kill them.” Kalian looked at him as if that statement was supposed to help. “Just saying...” Who was this guy? Using his good hand he quickly grasped the stranger’s own. His hands. He looked up into the orange orbs of the faceplate but nothing was said between them. There was no time to get into it, he was helping and that would have to suffice, for now.

  “We need to find another transport, alert the Valoran we are en route.” Telarrek looked across at Kalian as if considering something of note. “Inform them we need to travel to Corvus at maximum yield, the moment we land.” Ilyseal made the appropriate arrangements via the console. Kalian wasn’t sure of the importance of Corvus; the name was familiar from the data module. It was the home planet of the Trillik, a Conclave race that lived within the Novaarian border.

  The car soon levelled out on the required ring and travelled across the gap to the space port. With so much danger around, Kalian couldn’t stop the tingling in his spine. He was constantly on the lookout for another attack since they could come from any direction. It was Li’ara who saw it first. The human, or whatever it was, landed on the back of the car in a kneeling position as the metal crumpled around it. The whole car tilted before Ilyseal could make the correction. Namek moved in the blink of an eye. One second he was sitting down, the next he was standing half on the stranger’s seat, half on the back of the car. Using his upper hands he thrust his staff horizontally into the attacker’s neck. In a manoeuvre only a Novaarian could do he used his lower arms to grip the back of the legs and forced the attacker onto his back.

  Namek’s strength was impressive as he managed to keep him pinned while maintaining his balance on the moving vehicle. The stranger was dodging the many limbs that kicked out in his direction.

  “The A.I has initiated lock down procedures, the port is not responding!” Ilyseal was just audible over the fighting.

  “We shall deal with that when we get there!” Telarrek replied.

  “If we get there...” Li’ara was watching closely as Namek continued to take blow after blow from the armoured fists. Bloodied and bruised Namek held the attacker down with his staff across the bulky chest. The light was impossible to miss. Just like his own, the attacker formed a ball of molten light within the palm of his hand. If he hit Namek with it, there would only be one outcome, and Kalian wouldn’t allow it.

  Without thinking he jumped out of his seat allowing the wind to force him across the distance and into the tangle of warriors. Telarrek and Li’ara reached out trying to stop him. The interruption disrupted the light, ending it all together while his body forced them apart. Namek was flung back into the car, landing on the stranger while Kalian and the attacker were not so lucky. At the last second Kalian was able to grab hold of the ridge at the back of the car while the attacker clung to his leg. They were both being dragged behind the car as Ilyseal continued to dodge falling debris.

  “Kalian!” Li’ara was climbing over the seats in agony as her arm slowed her down. He looked back at the attacker wondering how long they could both hold on. The adrenaline was masking the pain he should be feeling in his burnt hand. The tingling in his back was increasing like a pressure building in his muscles. It didn’t matter though, he couldn’t hold on anymore. In the same instant his fingers let go, he felt the grip of two hands around his burnt one. What came next was more like instinct as he levelled his free hand at the attacker and released the energy he felt inside. The unseen wave smashed into the attacker, denting the impervious armour. Kalian watched as he was thrown away, out of sight.

  Returning his attention to his saviour he saw the masked stranger holding on to him. He seemed to hesitate for a moment before pulling him back into the safety of the car, not that it was much safer. Ilyseal banked and dove under an explosion before returning to their original height. They all felt the heat overhead before the car eventually slowed and manoeuvred into the space port.

  “Thanks.” Kalian was examining the dirty helmet worn by the stranger.

  “Don’t mention it, kid.” Kalian got the feeling he meant it. Li’ara reached over grabbing Kalian by the shoulder.

  “If you ever do anything like that again, I’ll kill you myself!” Kalian could only concentrate on the smirk she wore.

  The car landed in a hangar filled with ships, a little bigger than the Fathom. It was the same deep red as all Conclave security ships, though boxy in appearance. Kalian thought it looked like some kind of patrol ship with multiple forward armaments. He noticed the thick door up ahead and wondered if the lock down procedure meant they wouldn’t open.

  “Can you override the ship controls?” Telarrek was supporting Namek’s broken body as he asked.

  “I already have.” Ilyseal pressed something on her bracer and the hatch opened on the side of the ship with a ramp descending. They soon found themselves sitting in various chairs in the ships cockpit. Again Ilyseal worked the controls bringing up different holograms that altered the console for Novaarian use. All four of her limbs danced across the different lights, activating the ships systems.

  “What about the door?” Li’ara asked.

  “Not a problem.” As Ilyseal spoke a heads up display shot across the view port. It indicated the section of the door that was currently being targeted by the one of the ships cannons. A flash of green hit the door, blowing it into space with most of the hangars contents. The ship scratched the edges as it passed through and out of the Clave Tower.

  Thinking back only ten minutes Kalian couldn’t believe the chain of events that had allowed them to get this far. There was no sign in the distance of where the Conclave ship had been rammed and the Starrillium had gone supernova. Why would there be? The power of the explosion would have incinerated everything in its path. Only the mammoth rectangular ship remained as hundreds of Conclave ships surrounded it with salvo after salvo. Across the
interior of the planet was flying debris and broken structures, the cockpit was hit by more than one body. Even the cylindrical towers had been attacked as well as the city above and below.

  Within minutes they were entering the hangar of the Valoran and leaving the planet far behind. As they departed the patrol ship Kalian just had time to see the solar system become a blur that shifted to the left. As per Telarrek’s orders the Valoran had entered subspace, leaving nothing but an empty abyss beyond the hangar bay shield.

  Chapter Eleven

  Through an exertion of will, Savrick expanded his awareness, feeling the individual atoms and elements that made up the wall he was lodged in. At the speed of thought he discovered them all and bent them to his will. The wall cracked in several places around his shoulder joint, allowing him to pull free. The Novaarian had used some kind of gravity distortion; how primitive that they had to rely on technology to achieve such feats.

  He turned to the podium with thoughts of retribution for distracting him. The Highclave had all retreated into some structure they obviously thought was safe. The Novaarian female was still lying in rubble and broken chairs. Being of a different species her mind remained closed to his; though he could still feel the different frequencies it gave off. He thought about ending her there and then until two of his crew returned.

  “Savrick,” the helmet parted to reveal Lilander. Sef kept his own helmet intact, as always. Lilander was a veteran among their kind and had served their cause since the beginning. He still remembered finding her on the outskirts of Nal-hala being hunted by the Terran. They had lost that particular battle and he had tried to save as many as he could. He arrived with Elandar expecting to find her dead or captured; instead he found a dozen Terran bodies.

  Her blonde hair was shaved around the edges with a spiky strip on top. Her features were as perfect as the rest of her species, though her bulky armour hid the toned body within. She had an intricate green tattoo that ran down her left cheek stopping at her jaw bone. She looked to the side of his head where he had hit the wall.

  “You are bleeding...” She said it with amazement and he knew it had been too long since he had been in a real fight. He now felt the blood trickling down his face and across his cheek bone. Connecting with his body in the way only his kind could, he felt the wound knowing it to be minor. His brain’s own introspection told him he would suffer no effects or concussion. Savrick redirected his thoughts to the wound and dramatically increased the levels of platelets flooding the area. Within a second the bleeding had stopped and he instructed his skin to begin building the connective tissue to seal the wound. His mind could remove the scar while he slept.

  The three of them turned as the cry of the beast could be heard beyond the path of destruction it had created. Savrick’s own rage began to surface as he used the cerebral link to momentarily see through the beast’s helmet. They had gotten away, he had gotten away. He looked up to the spiral of glass high above and screamed as loud as he could, his voice carrying the rage he felt. Lilander and Sef stepped away, afraid of any residual kickback from such a display of emotion. The tons of glass shattered, blowing out into Clave Tower below. The shards that didn’t blow out fell back down on them, some of the pieces as big as the beast. The glass never reached them as it impacted an invisible dome around the three of them. Savrick could feel the intense frequencies that Sef’s brain was pushing out and knew he was the reason they remained unharmed. Sef had only been a boy when Savrick found him, his parents killed for the simple crime of bringing him into the world. To this day, he had never spoken a single word. Loyalty was his language, and that was all Savrick could ask of him.

  In the early half of the war they had been appointed by the others in their cause to always keep Savrick safe. It had been him they rallied behind making his survival paramount to victory. He had rejected the idea at first, knowing they all had a reason as unique as his own for starting the war. After centuries of leading and near misses on the battle field however, he had eventually come to the realisation that his survival was crucial, if only so that he could be there when the last Terran fell.

  “He is more powerful than I thought if he can create organic plasma.” Savrick felt the crater in his armour where the super heated ball had hit him. The metal was charred and still hot to the touch. Through his link he connected to the central processing unit located in the circular extension below his naval. In his mind’s eye he saw the command program open to his instructions where he ordered the nanocelium to begin repairing the crater. They were impossible to see with the naked eye as the microscopic machines moved across and within the armour. Upon observation it would appear as though the armour was spontaneously pushing back out into its pre-programmed state.

  “Did you see his hand, though?” Lilander asked. “He hasn’t mastered his abilities yet, he is still vulnerable.”

  “It was my own arrogance that allowed their escape, I underestimated him.” He looked away unable to meet her eyes, he had wanted to prolong the moment to make Kalian suffer more. He was angry to have come so close to finally ending it all.

  They could all hear the distant explosions and screams of the Conclave. His brothers and sisters were making a bloody mess of things. He felt a moment of sympathy for his crew, knowing these savages offered no real challenge for them.

  “Where are they now?” Being only one of two such unique beings in the whole tower there was no where Kalian could hide from their sensors. The pilot relayed the data through Lilander’s link, upon her request, and displayed them via the emitters in the waist of her armour. The hologram was laid out before them, much like the one Savrick had seen earlier with three red dots near the edge of the tower. Lilander silently commanded it to magnify, showing them the erratic movements of the vehicle they had escaped in.

  “There are three of them?” Lilander voiced their confusion. Recalling any memory was as easy as breathing to them. Savrick thought back to the moments after he was pulled into the wall. The image was crystal clear in his mind despite the distraction of being attacked at the time. If his eyes had ever seen it, then the image lay permanently somewhere in his brain. He remembered seeing another individual drop from the gantry above while shooting at the beast. He analysed the image until he recognised the hands holding the weapons. How this particular human had come to be here was a mystery. Ultimately he didn’t care if he was with Kalian, he would die anyway.

  “Sef,” Savrick turned from the hologram, “Bring them to me, alive.” Sef gave a small nod and set off at a sprint towards the beast. “I will return to the ship.” Lilander’s face gave away how torn she was to follow him back. Her duty commanded she escort him but the prospect of the fun she could have here was too much. She had already held back by simply being present for the encounter with Kalian. “You worry too much, Lilander. I will not be so easily surprised a second time.” He considered for a moment wiping out the entire Novaarian species for that particular attack. “I will be fine. As the humans’ say, ‘go break a leg’...” Of course he was not referring to her own.

  After an incredible burst of telekinesis, Savrick found himself back in the command module with a frantic looking Elandar. His hands were darting from one hologram to another as he stood encapsulated in various nanite-made structures.

  “They are fleeing!” Elandar didn’t need to look to know Savrick had entered. Having spent so many years together they were keenly aware of each other’s specific brain waves. Savrick examined the display in front of Elandar, taking note of the trajectory line that cut across the galactic map. The information overlapping the image told him they had retreated to the Novaarian ship.

  He couldn’t believe what he was seeing. How had they escaped Sef? He was growing tired of the slippery nature of this, Kalian Gaines. A quick inquiry through his Link informed him of Elandar’s success regarding his own personal mission.

  “Recall them immediately, all of them!” Their fun would have to wait, the war wasn’t over yet.
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br />   After leaving the hangar Kalian had insisted that they do nothing before getting Li’ara to the med bay. Rather than leave them, Telarrek and Ilyseal followed them along with a small contingent of Novaarian warriors. Kalian had a feeling it was more out of concern for their new guest. They were happy for him to follow them after he offered no protest against the removal of his weapons. Namek was taken to a different med bay as his injuries were more severe. Kalian would thank him the next time he saw him, he had saved their lives twice today.

  The stranger stood to one side with his hands in his pockets as if he was totally at home in this new environment. The mechanical spider descended from its birthing and broke into sections around Li’ara as she sat on the gurney. Being in this room again reminded Kalian of the first time he learned of Earth’s fate.

  The spider’s legs separated into multiple appendages, each with a different tool or implement. Despite her protests the many arms found the seals in her armour and removed each of the plates. With precision only a machine could manage, it sliced the undersuit around her shoulder and down the broken arm, before stripping it off in one smooth motion. The skin around her humerus was bruised and swollen. The entire arm hung at an unusual angle from her collar bone.

  Another mechanical arm slipped out and scanned the arm from top to bottom with a thin blue line. The embedded wall monitor showed the display of the arm like an x-ray, with a visible fracture in the centre of the bone and a dislocation of the ball and socket joint. Although Li’ara couldn’t see it, one of the arms produced a square red patch from within a hidden compartment. The patch was applied to the back of her deltoid where it instantly scrunched up, sticking to the skin. The red contents disappeared as the skin blushed. Her response was indicative of some kind of analgesia.