Tempest: Book Two of the Terran Cycle

by Philip C. Quaintrell

  Being perfectly calculated, she landed with a heavy thud on the starboard wing of Roland’s craft. Behind her she could hear alarms blaring from both ships as they battled with their controls to land the damaged vessels safely. In front of her were three Protocorps mercenaries circling Roland like predators. The nearest mercenary heard her landing and turned to attack. They didn’t have time to stand and fight, though. With a sweeping hand Esabelle launched the Shay off the top of the craft in a wave of unstoppable force. His mechanical screams were soon cut short as he collided with another patrol ship.

  Roland had already beaten one of his attackers half to death and thrown him overboard. The other received a swift shot to the face from a Tri-roller. Esabelle wasted no time in grabbing the bounty hunter and forcing him to run with her until they reached the edge of the ship.

  “Not this again!” they both dived off the end and plunged down into the tower. They soon passed through the cluster of patrol ships and continued drop into the flow of traffic. Lines of vehicles traversed the diameter of the great rings, in every direction. The drag combined with the rushing air made it hard to focus on any one thing. Esabelle was relying more on her paranormal senses than her eyes and ears. She could feel every particle vibrating inside the vehicles that thundered by them, some missing them by only metres.

  “That one!” she pointed at a slow moving hover truck with the logo, Planetary Mover’s printed on all sides. It was big enough for them to land on and allow Roland the extra time required for his boots to land on a moving object.

  “I have a better idea!” seemingly from nowhere, the Rackham swallowed them up inside its cargo bay. Matching their speed perfectly, the Terran ship gently pressed up against them until they were flat against the floor. The ramp closed, sealing off the world below, and the ship’s artificial gravity corrected their sense of balance.

  Roland practically jumped into his bridge chair and punched multiple commands into the surrounding console. Ch’len was right where they left him in his own, slightly wider chair, surrounded by food packets and a grease-stained console.

  “Hold onto something. The grav plating isn’t going to be able to compensate for these kinds of manoeuvres.” Roland wasn’t wrong.

  Esabelle gripped the bar beside the bridge door just in time for a starboard shift in gravity.

  Ch’len groaned as his many items of food were flung from the console.

  “What’s the plan?” she asked as blue streaks of Intrinium flew past the view-port.

  “As soon as we’re a hundred kilometres out, I’m hitting the Solar Drive. I think we’ve outstayed our welcome.”

  Kubrackk started up the launch sequence the moment he witnessed the unbelievable. Both humans jumped out of the tower and somehow survived.

  “What does it take to kill these humans?”

  Spelnar rushed onto the bridge with an exhausted look on his face. He looked around in surprise as he clearly knew the sound of the thrusters warming up.

  “I got the tech we need...”

  “Shut up and man your station!” Kubrackk couldn’t deal with the Trillik’s incompetence right now. His quarry was managing to escape the inescapable and it was pissing him off. Right now the bounty hunter was vulnerable without his ship and stuck on top of a patrol ship. He wondered if the Highclave would actually reward him for stepping in and killing the human criminal. Before the Blade could lift off the platform, a red holographic warning flashed across his view-port. Conclave security was prohibiting his take off since the surrounding area was classed as a live crime scene. He slammed his fist into the console and swore at the flashing sign.

  By now he could no longer see the human pair after their suicide jump from the red craft. By simple physics the jump should kill both of them, but after seeing the stunt they pulled at Krono Towers he knew they would find a way to survive.

  “What took you so long?” He decided to take his frustration out on Spelnar. His hand firmly rested across the handle of his Quad-roller. The Trillik’s mouth moved a lot but no sound came out. Kubrackk sat back in his chair and already knew he would have to call Revus again. Only the Brenine would be able to track the Rackham out of the tower.

  “If he gets away because of your uselessness, I’m going to add another body to the cargo bay...” The Trillik sat so still as to blend in with his surroundings; if he so much as flinched, Kubrackk knew he would kill him.

  Chapter Nine

  Li’ara watched in horror as the Starrillium’s internal cameras were instantly eviscerated by the miniature star. She could no longer see Kalian as he fought for their lives. She and Naydaalan had been quickly ushered to the Nova’s bridge while Professor Jones escaped. In charge of the Nova was Alvara Versanti, an Atari female from the planet Trendor, deep within Laronian territory. The Charge had taken a moment to acknowledge Li’ara’s presence but it was clear where her main concern lied.

  “Status, Palaaren?” The Atari directed her attention to the Novaarian surrounded by orange holograms to their left. Alvara had left her command-chair and was frantically making her way around the various stations, giving orders and checking every readout personally.

  “Engineering is working to bypass the virus the human uploaded. It’s overwritten most of the safety protocols and completely disabled our ability to jettison the Starrillium.” All four hands of the Novaarian danced across the holograms in every direction. “The upper decks, twenty-four through to thirty-six are gone...”

  “Casualties?” Alvara wiped the sweat from her pink forehead, her yellow eyes focusing on the crewman beyond Palaaren.

  “Confirmed fifty-eight from those decks,” the Brenine answered. “But the med bays are filling up with injuries. A further ninety-two are critical.”

  “Where’s Garrett? The human!” Li’ara walked into the fray, despite Naydaalan’s warning to stay back. Li’ara narrowed her eyes at Alvara for a second, taking her in.

  The Atari was surprisingly human in appearance; her facial features were almost identical except for the bony cheek bones, pointed ears and wide-set eyes. Her hair was a darker shade of pink to that of her skin, slicked back to the top of her neck in thick locks. Her physique was similar to Li’ara’s with the big difference being the Atari’s feet. They were closer to Novaarian with an extended foot, angling behind the knee. Feet like those probably allowed for great speed and agility.

  “He landed on Trantax IV. I’ve sent troops to apprehend him.” The Charge nodded to her security staff and two Laronians appeared at Li’ara’s side. “Right now we have bigger problems. If we can’t get the Starrillium under control, we will all be dead in minutes.”

  “They won’t be able to stop him!” Li’ara shrugged off the blue hands and noticed Naydaalan take a quick step to intercept the annoyed Laronians. “If Kalian couldn’t stop him, they definitely won’t. You need to hit him with the ship!” Li’ara was fighting her tears at the thought of what Kalian was going through right now, and the only way she knew how to do that was to get angry.

  “Engineering?” Alvara ignored her.

  “We don’t understand,” the voice came through the speakers. “The Starrillium’s containment sphere has been obliterated, Charge. We can’t figure out why we aren’t all dead. It should have burned through the whole ship by now.”

  “Kalian...” Li’ara looked at the hologram where his image had been.

  “I saw what he did on Naveen. Can he really be doing this?” Alvara gave Li’ara a disbelieving look.

  “I don’t know.” That fact truly scared her.

  “Wait!” Palaaren sat forward and expanded one of the dozen holograms. “Sensors show a mass depletion in hydrogen and helium; it’s being dispersed somehow. The internal temperature is cooling, electromagnetic radiation is...” Palaaren looked closer at his monitor. “It’s being diverted back on itself, like an artificial containment.” He turned to the crew with an amazed expression.

  It took another agonising hour before the sensors relay
ed the final spark of the raw Starrillium. Li’ara hadn’t left the bridge and continued to monitor everything around her. There had been too much radioactive interference for the crew to get a positive reading on Kalian. The ship still being intact was testament to his being alive, but at what cost? Professor Jones had escaped the system with the cube. His ship had proved impossible to track with the Terran technology powering it.

  Li’ara couldn’t remember how she ended up outside the Starrillium chamber; the question mark over Kalian’s fate dulled her senses. Naydaalan was by her side again. He had left the bridge briefly to check on Telarrek. She knew he was still alive but couldn’t recall the details he gave. She could only think about what they would find when that door opened.

  The entire area had been exposed to massive amounts of radiation and heat. Li’ara’s protective suit was designed for an Atari or a Laronian, but didn’t feel too cumbersome as she stepped into the chamber. A thick fog had settled over the floor after the emergency cooling system had evened out the temperature. The ground crunched beneath her feet as she slowly made her way to the kneeling form of Kalian.

  He was surrounded by a team of scientists and medical staff with a hovering Medder taking scans of his every inch. He remained perfectly still on his knees, with his arms spread out and his head hanging low. His stillness disturbed her. Seeing her, the team gave some space so she could see him better. She couldn’t help the sound of alarm that escaped her mouth. His hands and face were charred black like the bark of a tree. He had no hair to speak of and his eyes were concealed behind blackened lids. She fell to her knees in front of him when she realised the truth, Kalian had no eyes. Most of his nose was missing along with any definition around his mouth.

  The armoured suit had fared better, with only a few plates across his chest still glowing from the heat.

  “Is he...” She couldn’t say the word as tears rolled down her cheeks.

  “He’s still alive.” The Ch’kara didn’t seem to believe his own words. Li’ara took a breath she didn’t think would ever come again and allowed her heart to continue beating. “We have no idea how, but our scans show his brain and organs remain untouched. The skin under this armour is probably burnt to some extent, but we can’t be sure of the extent. Oddly, he’s not giving off any radiation.”

  “His vitals are dropping!” a Laronian medic started concentrating his scans around Kalian’s chest. “We need to get him to a Medder tank immediately!”

  Naydaalan helped Li’ara up and took her aside to give the team space.

  “If anyone could survive this, it would be Kalian.” Naydaalan was trying to reassure her.

  Li’ara looked at his broken form and fought hard to break free of the doubt that clouded her mind, and dared to hope.

  Kalian’s mind was an island. He was cut off from every nerve and receptor, leaving him senseless to his external body. He was standing on freshly cut grass, looking out over San Francisco bay. The Golden Gate Bridge was shining in the midday sun as a beautiful super-yacht glided underneath. Everything was moving in slow motion around him. There was no sound coming from the people or the cars slowly passing by.

  It took him a moment longer to collect his thoughts. He had been inside the Starrillium chamber. With that thought he tried to orientate himself back into reality and leave the memory behind. A cloud of darkness appeared on the fringes of his sight and began to take over the bright and vivid world as if a storm was descending over the city. He knew that if he continued, this darkness would be all that greeted him, along with unimaginable pain.

  He immediately stopped and tried to sink deeper into his mind. The fact that he was still inside his own reality was proof that he had somehow survived the Starrillium. He surmised that the feeling he experienced was a warning that his body was trying to heal. He trusted Li’ara to keep his physical body safe while he...

  What was he going to do? He was stuck inside his mind for who knew how long. Esabelle had been teaching him about the benefits of retreating inside himself. He could take the time to learn more and allow his subconscious to absorb it. When the darkness continued to spread through the city, Kalian remembered that he wasn’t alone in here. He failed to take control and reshape his surroundings. The cityscape began to crumble around him in silence, the rubble taking a different form and changing into an alien landscape.

  He fell to his knees as the weight of Savrick’s memories washed away his individuality. When he thought of Li’ara he could only see T’lea staring back at him, her beautiful dark eyes reflecting the love she felt for him.

  Kalian fought against the intruding memory but felt his energy being diverted to repairing his body. He was helpless against the torrent of images that consumed his vision.

  Savrick looked out over the stunning vista of snow-capped mountains and the never ending range of canyons. The sun was beginning to set behind the furthest mountain, blanketing Nal-hala in a dusky orange glow. The magnificent land before him was a poor reflection of the scene that had taken place only two hundred miles away. He looked to the West, where yesterday the Gomar had met the Terran forces head on in a brutal but short battle.

  The Gomar had suffered heavy casualties taking the planet. He knelt down and cupped a handful of dirt, letting it slowly slip through his armoured fingers. The soil was dry and brown as it should be. Two hundred miles away the ground was stained red with blood and littered with bodies.

  A flicker of doubt crossed his mind at the memory of all the blood. They had been fighting this war for eighty years with no end in sight. It seemed like every day a new war machine was constructed by ALF and spat out of one of his assembly plants. Was all this death worth his revenge? How many more would have to die to satisfy his rage?

  For her...

  The voice was his own but it had not come from his consciousness. It was the cube. He could feel its microscopic nanocelium coursing through his blood, connecting the two of them forever. He was forced to see T’lea die in a brief flash. Her bloodied image flashed across his mind as Esabelle’s cries filled his ears. His resolve returned with a promise that the Terran would pay with their lives.

  He felt a mental pull and turned to gaze upon the Gommarian. It hovered a thousand feet above him, a dark sentinel keeping watch. Its sheer mass had caused several earthquakes in the area, opening up new canyons. He knew the source of the pull had come from the cube. It hadn’t requested his presence like this for years but he always answered the call. Savrick gave the setting sun a longing look before using a controlled burst of telekinesis to fly up to his floating home.

  His awareness pulsed through the ship and filled his mind with a mental picture of where his crew were. He could feel the energy emanating from over a hundred thousand men and women, all loyal to him and their cause. He focused for a moment on Lilander, the newest member to join their ranks. She was being treated in the med bay before being introduced to her exo-suit. The Terran had been using Nal-hala as a staging post and so Lilander had been one of dozens of Gomar slaves. Her job had been to provide the Terran with anything they required and be grateful for being a part of their civilisation. She had made them suffer for that. There was a fire in her; he had seen it when they found her, surrounded by Terran bodies.

  The pull in his mind became more intense, directing his attention back to the heavy door in front of him. Savrick’s hand pressed against the cool metal, allowing the nanocelium to take a biometric reading. A heavy thud preceded the door spiralling open and disappearing into the wall. The reason for his required presence was evident.

  “Elandar...” He was the only one aboard that had the know-how to bypass the biometric scanner. His oldest friend slowly rose from his crouched position and turned to face him. His dark hair was tied in a knot behind his head, exposing the elaborate tattoo across his cheek. Savrick glanced over the cube, noting a lack of tools or scanning equipment. Elandar was more than capable, however, of learning everything he needed to know with his abilities alone.
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  “You shouldn’t be here.” Savrick walked round the cube, inspecting every surface. “When I told you about this, I specifically forbade you from coming here. How did you find it?”

  “Forgive me, brother, I had to see it. I would never say anything in front of the crew but...”

  “But what?”

  “I have seen that look on your face, Savrick. After the fighting ends and our feet are bathed in blood, I have seen the doubt that creeps into your mind.”

  Savrick appeared stunned at the remark, but knew Elandar would see through it. He had doubted their course of action in recent years.

  “I know that it was this... cube, which gave you what you needed to start the war, to set us free. I also know that you haven’t been down here in a long time.” Savrick gave him a questioning look. “The Gommarian see’s everything.” That was explanation enough for his knowledge. As caretaker of the pilot he was in a position to survey the entire ship.

  “And you think that my lack of resolve is tied to this?”

  “I think it fuelled you, why I don’t know, but it did. You told me you found this and it changed everything. It gave you knowledge and power. It drove you for decades in pursuit of complete Terran annihilation and you were unstoppable. But now I see you fading, brother. It’s your fire that fuels us. You must see that! As your oldest friend and a free Gomar, it is my duty to ensure that whatever fuels you must stay alight.”

  “It was what they took from me that drives me on! What they have taken from us all! This machine is a means to an end. It gave us the tools we need to win this war, Elandar. That is all...” Savrick felt his forearm sting from the memory of his earlier years interacting with it.