Intrinsic: Book One of the Terran Cycle

by Philip C. Quaintrell

  Li’ara threw her arms into the air in celebration as the beast was reduced to slag. She looked to the others who appeared more occupied with their own impending doom. The Gomar had switched off the hard light projections with an electromagnetic pulse and launched himself through the corridors with the gravity bombs. Nothing was stopping it.

  “Is there another way out of here?” She asked. ALF remained silent as he observed the expansive hologram of Kalian. She followed his gaze to see Savrick standing over Kalian. There was nothing she could do. For all of her skills there was nothing she could do to help him against this kind of enemy.

  “There is no other... take cover!” ALF’s warning came just before the room exploded into chaos. Kalian and Savrick burst through the ceiling like a missile and ricocheted off the floor as they tore into the next room. They continued to blow through the complex, knocking through walls like paper. Li’ara felt the many hands of a Novaarian help her up and pull the debris off her. She tried to breathe through the cloud of dirt and broken rock but could only manage a cough. The complex shook one last time before they left for the surface of the moon again.

  “What... was that?” She finally managed. ALF’s hologram flickered trying to keep cohesion with the damaged emitters.

  “That was them.” Li’ara couldn’t quite make sense of the AI’s words. Was he saying that Kalian and Savrick had just rammed through the Outpost? On the other side of the room the panoramic hologram continued to feedback the footage from above. Hardly believing her eyes, Li’ara watched as they both shot out of the ground with hands around each other’s throats. They slammed into the ground in a tumble of limbs until Savrick ended up on top of Kalian. She watched hopelessly as he pounded Kalian with blow after blow. Somehow he managed to catch one of Savrick’s hands mid strike with a telekinetic barrier. Unable to push through, Savrick ripped Kalian from the ground and performed a complex series of attacks that ended with a telekinetic push, forcing Kalian into the nose of the Gomar craft.

  “Do something!” Li’ara pleaded to ALF.

  “Inside the mesh he is protected, I cannot...” The AI paused as he no doubt ran through a thousand scenarios in a second.

  “What, what is it?”

  “The Helion. With the laser-com shut down, I cannot enter its mainframe and take control.”

  “Explain.” She needed something, anything that could save him.

  “If my nanocelium could be injected into one of the ship’s consoles, I would have complete control of all its systems. Would you do anything to save him Li’ara?” A small canister slotted out of the nearest oval column.

  “Yes.” She didn’t hesitate.

  “Then get me that ship.”

  “Li’ara...?” Kalian couldn’t believe his eyes. It didn’t help that Savrick had just taken him on a ride through the Outpost’s interior. The only reason he still had all his limbs was because of the telekinetic cocoon they had both been wrapped in. He saw Li’ara and Namek run from the broken entrance of The Wall to the Fathom on the other side. How had she survived the other Gomar? And where was Telarrek? He decided not to question it and be thankful she was getting away from it all.

  “She will not get far. When I am finished with you, I will find her...” Savrick’s words were like poison in his ear. The very words ignited a fire in Kalian’s mind as he pulled himself out of the crater. Savrick had already climbed out, he could recover quicker, but Kalian didn’t care.

  He launched himself into Savrick, letting his telekinesis lift them both high into the air and planted four successful blows to Savrick’s face on the way down burying them into the ground again. Savrick responded with a swiftness Kalian didn’t possess. With a simple wave of his hand Kalian was thrown away like a broken toy. He tried to get up but found himself pinned on one knee, his limbs solid and unresponsive. He could feel every molecule and cell in his body being manipulated by Savrick. Kalian didn’t need to expand his awareness to know Savrick was slowly walking towards him. Like a predator that knew it had already won.

  “I won’t let you hurt her.” It came out as more of a growl. Savrick laughed as he paraded over his prey.

  “You couldn’t stop me killing the rest of your pathetic race. What makes you think you can stop me killing her? You’re just a child, Kalian. You trained in a machine! Everything I am was forged through war!” Kalian wasn’t ready for what happened next. Savrick poured himself into Kalian’s mind the same way he had placed a finger into Li’ara’s mind, only Savrick wasn’t using a metaphysical finger. Kalian felt Savrick’s mind slam into his own, almost pushing him out of his own brain.

  He experienced instant agony as Savrick took control and stimulated every pain receptor at once. If he screamed, he couldn’t hear it. Kalian lost his sense of self as the two merged together. He could no longer tell the difference between Savrick’s body and his own, he felt his rage as if it were his own. In a single moment that could have been a lifetime, he felt the love Savrick had once held for T’lea and Esabelle, before he became the shell he now was.

  Kalian’s memory merged with the ancient Gomar. He saw the hundreds of times Savrick had woken from the Rem-stores to investigate a new system or planet. He saw Esabelle strapped into the Gommarian and argued with himself over the reasons for her imprisonment. Suddenly he was standing inside a large cavern on another world and another time. Through Savrick’s eyes he saw the stream that ran through the cavern and felt a moment of worry for Esabelle who he had left behind. Kalian could feel the cool air on his skin as drops of water fell from the stalactites above. There was something on the other side of that stream, was it a cube? There was too much rock covering it to see clearly.

  The memory was torn away as Savrick clawed at his mind like a savage beast searching for meat.

  He was being hollowed out.

  Kalian felt the names of his parents slip from his grasp as he failed to recall their faces. Where had he studied history? How old was he? What planet was he from? He couldn’t tell the difference between Earth and Albadar, he had memories of living on both. Then he saw Li’ara. Her image was backed with light and he knew Savrick was coming for her, to cleanse the memory of her from his mind. Kalian held onto her image, her voice, her smile. He wouldn’t let Savrick take her from him, he wouldn’t let her go.

  The Fathom passed through the hangar shield of the Helion. The ship’s sensors swept the bay searching for a space large enough to house it. The damage was typical of the Gomar. Smaller craft and work stations had been decimated, with bodies of every species strewn across the floor.

  The view port was overlaid with a hologram highlighting an available space in the centre. She activated the landing gear and ignored the sensor feedback concerning a weight variable on the port side. She had a job to do. If she didn’t do this Kalian would die, Savrick would go on to obliterate the Conclave and Telarrek would probably die for nothing. She thought of the Novaarian back in the Outpost.

  “I will keep the Gomar occupied.” Telarrek had said. It wasn’t the first time she had seen a Novaarian give their life for Kalian and herself. She could still see Numanon challenging the beast on the Icarus station. His sacrifice meant their survival and now Telarrek would do the same. She knew he couldn’t survive that encounter, they were too powerful. Li’ara turned to Namek who had been agitated since they left.

  “No my charge, I will stay.” Telarrek had held up his hand to Namek.

  “No, you will keep Li’ara safe and ensure the success of the mission.” Li’ara had felt like arguing the point that she didn’t need protection, but didn’t want to taint Telarrek’s sacrifice. She also saw the logic in his staying, they had to reach this ship and ALF couldn’t keep the Gomar contained. She had no doubt that Telarrek was a formidable warrior.

  Before landing, Li’ara identified the nearest console she would inject the nanocelium into. Once inside the system ALF could subsume its controls and save Kalian. The AI had explained that the security ship had the required fi
repower to affect the Gomar craft. One blast would disrupt the mesh and allow ALF to target Savrick.

  They left the Fathom and ran across the hangar to one of the few consoles still in one piece. Li’ara removed the hand-held cylinder and depressed the only button. Multiple spikes shot out of the bottom, each a different size and shape. She didn’t hesitate to stab the cylinder into the glass console. The display flickered as the microscopic robots flooded the console and infected the ship’s mainframe. All they had to do was wait for ALF to bring the weapons online.

  “Forgive me, Li’ara.” ALF appeared as a hologram the size of her arm on the console.

  “What’s going on?”

  “I believe I have found the only scenario that ensures Savrick’s demise and the survival of Kalian. It does however reduce your chances of survival, dramatically.” What was he talking about? She had a sinking feeling that the AI had betrayed her.

  Li’ara’s next thought was more action than words.

  Namek was flung into the console, shattering the glass and falling limp to floor. In the same moment that she levelled her gun, she could see that the Novaarian had the hilt of a blade lodged in the base of his neck. Li’ara had no time to consider the implications of that blade before she squeezed the trigger of her sidearm. In between the flashes of Intrinium she glimpsed the advancing form of the female Gomar. Every shot was futile as she absorbed the energy. When they were within arm’s length everything changed, including gravity.

  The grav plates deactivated at the same moment as everything not bolted down rose into the air. Not only did everything rise, but Li’ara and the Gomar were pulled towards the back of the hangar at speed. Li’ara managed to catch a fixed console and keep herself in place while trying to dodge the various tools, bodies and large vessels. She lost sight of Namek’s body and the Gomar amidst the debris. From the direction everything suddenly flew, Li’ara surmised that the Helion must be in freefall, towards Naveen’s surface.

  What had ALF done?

  Kalian, can you hear me?

  The voice was echoing from somewhere inside his head. It sounded familiar but he couldn’t place it. Kalian had been forced to split his focus between his thoughts and memories of Li’ara and pushing Savrick out of his head. He felt the rage welling up inside but didn’t know if it came from him or Savrick. Kalian saw images of his wife, no... not his wife, Savrick’s wife. He watched through eyes that were not his own as a pillar collapsed under the strain of a baby’s cry, and buried T’lea.

  Kalian! You must listen to me. Li’ara is on that ship!

  He knew then that the voice belonged to ALF. Hearing her name sharpened his focus and gave him strength. He tracked the voice to the earpiece but couldn’t respond. Kalian wasn’t sure what he meant but he understood that Li’ara was in danger. He relinquished some of his control and concentrated on his external vision. The surrounding desert was overcast with a dominating shadow that blotted out the sun. He was still on one knee with Savrick standing over him, his back to the...

  Kalian struggled to comprehend what was coming. The Helion was dropping out of the sky above them, its central nose burning as it breached the atmosphere. He heard the AI’s words again and felt his muscles tighten at the thought of Li’ara being onboard. He was whipped back into his mind as Savrick disconnected him from the occipital section of his brain. Kalian had the feeling that Savrick was unaware of the threat from above. He was too busy trying to cause Kalian as much pain as possible. But Kalian was slave to his will, unable to move or use any of his abilities. He fought through the pain, trying to come up with a solution- and fast.

  He saw another image of T’lea flash across his consciousness. She was clearly at the foundation of what made Savrick who he was. With that thought, he knew what to do. With a change of plan he stopped fighting Savrick and instead pulled him in. Kalian created a virtual world from the memories gained by their merging. He created a basic room from the home they had once shared, trying to replicate as much as he could get from Savrick’s bleeding memory. He felt the walls of the virtual room crack under the immense pressure from his attacker- he was running out of time. Kalian stepped away from the door, allowing Savrick to breach the last vault in his mind. The Gomar’s consciousness filled the room and he watched Savrick’s face soften at the sight of his wife, who now looked and felt very alive standing before him. Kalian felt more and more of Savrick being pulled into the virtual world as he drank in the sight of T’lea. With every bit of Savrick that moved into the virtuality, Kalian regained more control.

  He opened his eyes and found he now had his limbs back under control. The Helion was terrifyingly close and dropping with incredible speed. There was only one play left to him. If Li’ara was inside that ship he would have to go in and get her. He had to act now.

  Kalian leapt up, pushing Savrick to the side as he did. The physical push broke the bond between them, snapping Savrick’s mind back into his own head. The speed and violent nature of the disconnection caused Savrick pain, as he tried to categorise and delete the memories that were not his own, as well as T’lea being torn away from him again. Kalian was banking on the image of his wife opening up memories Savrick had kept in the deepest vaults of his mind. These moments were all Kalian had. His mind felt similarly fractured as he pushed away, but he focused only on Li’ara.

  He never paused, continuing his leap and using all his energy to propel him. Time slowed for him as he partially retreated into his mind. He held his arms above his head and blew through the hull as if it wasn’t there. His telekinetic cocoon protected him against the battering debris and jagged metal. Continuing his push, he moved straight through the ship, tearing it apart like an ancient ballistic weapon would pass through a balloon. Had the situation not been so dire, he would have marvelled at the fact that he was flying.

  The Helion changed course slightly as it impacted the moon’s surface. He expanded his awareness, searching for Li’ara and felt the luminous aura of Savrick below. He could feel the power Savrick was pouring into the ship, obliterating every atom before it could crush him at the epicentre of its weight. Everything behind Kalian was a turbulent world of chaos and exploding debris, but he could feel every ton hammering Savrick’s defences.

  Moving at just over a hundred miles per hour on a vertical incline, Kalian was making quick progress through the interior as its giant mass continued to sink into Naveen. Nearing the end of the ship, he could sense a large opening coming up and knew it to be the hangar. There was no mistaking Li’ara.

  He burst through just as she was hurtling towards the back of the falling ship. Slowing down a fraction, he simultaneously engulfed her in his own telekinetic cocoon. The Fathom slammed into the far wall and crushed Lilander as it came apart, its fuel cells exploding violently. He pulled Li’ara in close before altering their trajectory at a right angle. At the same moment he felt the last of Savrick’s defence break under the sheer weight of the Nexus class star ship. He had held up the weight of the ship for more than half of its length before finally Kalian felt those specific Terran brain waves wink out of existence. Somewhere in his mind he heard the last defiant scream of the oldest living being in the galaxy, and knew Savrick was finally dead.

  The sun was momentarily blinding as they exited the ship amidst an explosion from one of the small craft in the plummeting hangar. He stopped pushing up and gave into gravity, using one last surge of telekinesis to take the impact of their fall under his feet.

  When the dust settled, he could see their fall had created a small crater. He heard the distant explosions as the Helion broke into a million pieces and hammered the moon. Kalian held Li’ara close as the shockwave passed over the top of them, filling the crater with more sand and smoke.

  That’s when he felt it.

  His hand grasped the end of a small piece of metal framework. He quickly followed the length until it stopped below Li’ara’s heart. He gasped unable to find the words for his despair. With a mental pulse he banish
ed the surrounding fog to see the unconscious form in his hands. He naturally tried to wake her with conventional methods but she remained still. He pushed his awareness into her and felt the inferior vena cava had been pierced along with some lung tissue and extensive muscle damage.

  Kalian instinctively held his hand over the metal rod and telekinetically retrieved it before throwing it away. He immediately regretted it as hot blood pulsed from the wound uncontrollably.

  She was dying.

  “Kalian...” A flickering image of ALF was suddenly crouched with him in the crater. The suit had reconfigured the emitters in its reprieve from the constant barrage.

  “I can heal her!” Kalian couldn’t stop the tears running down his face and dropping on to her pale skin.

  “Don’t, Kalian. To heal another person you would have to become a part of them. It would be no different to what Savrick has just done to you, only her mind will not repair itself like yours.”

  “I have to try!” Kalian had lost too much to lose one more thing, to lose her. He deactivated the hologram and focused on Li’ara flooding her mind with his consciousness, he melded the two brain waves. Feeling her body as if it were his own, he stimulated the connecting tissue quickly sealing up the various cuts and strands of muscle. The vena cava was more difficult but he eventually grafted the tissue back together. The last thing he did was heal the skin, stopping the blood loss where he then encouraged the bone marrow to produce more blood cells. He breathed, or she did, he couldn’t tell. His memories and feelings bled into hers in an attempt to pull her from the recesses of her mind.