His hands cracked as he put on the fingerless gloves and balled them into fists, inspecting the metal knuckles. Extra belts were required across his waist and over his shoulder to fit all the gear. Laser mines hung from his waist, next to the grav-grenades and his Terran blade. A few of the smaller knives from the crates were concealed inside his Laronian boots and hidden pockets. A new addition to his arsenal were the seekers; small spherical bots that move around an environment independently and feed back a collective image of his surroundings, direct to his neural interface used for directing the Rackham.
Roland saved his favourites until last; the amber hilted Tri-rollers that fit to his hands perfectly. After loading extra ammo onto his chest belt, he slotted the weapons into their holsters on his thighs, comforted by their weight.
When he was finished he noted that Li’ara was similarly attired with her combat suit and several belts of weaponry, though she favoured one large rifle over any of the handguns. The backpack she carried was the most valuable item between them. Without the explosives provided by The Laronian they wouldn’t be able to destroy the A.I. Roland admired how cool and collected she was. Her previous career had its dangerous moments but nothing like this; she simply hadn’t been trained for it. Then again, he thought, she looks tougher than most of the hardened bastards he’d trained with.
There was slight crackle before Ch’len’s voice came over the internal com. “We’re about to land in the hangar. Get your asses up here, now!”
Back on the bridge, they looked out through the view-port to see the hangar doors opening on cue. Inside they could see one other smaller ship and a few loader bots ready for the next delivery of equipment. There was a single Shay standing in the middle of the hangar, swinging his arms to pull them and land as quickly as possible.
“Len, why aren’t you ready to go?” Roland asked seriously.
“What-” Ch’len was immediately distressed.
“I’m just dickin’ with ya’!” Roland laughed.
“Hilarious, shit-kicker,” Ch’len replied dryly. The Ch’kara’s expression became grave. “Just... make it back, both of you.”
There were few moments between the two bounty hunters that could be considered serious. Roland knew there was sincerity in Ch’len’s words, and acknowledged the fact that there was a friendship between the two unlikely companions.
“Just keep the engine running, Lenny boy. If we manage to survive this shit-tip, something tells me we’re going to need a quick getaway.” It was the best Roland could do.
The whole hangar shook momentarily, knocking over two of the loader bots. The Shay stumbled outside the view-port and the three of them held onto the chairs inside the bridge.
“What the hell was that?” Li’ara asked.
“A pretty big explosion is my guess...” Roland looked around, waiting for the soldiers to flood into the hangar, but no-one came.
“What the hell is going on out there?” Li’ara clasped her rifle a little tighter.
“It had to be inside Protocorps.” Ch’len was checking the array for any news.
“We need to go.” Roland moved off.
Both humans were met outside the ship by the same Shay that had coordinated their landing. It was evident from his armour that he was part of the private security force. Most of his artificial enhancements appeared to be around his eyes and arms, no doubt to increase his handling of weapons. He looked away when they approached, as if he was concentrating on something else.
“Something’s happening at the main entrance. Is that you?” the Shay’s question was met with shrugs. “Well whatever it is, reinforcements are already on their way. You don’t have long. Take the cargo Translift over there. You can use the distraction.” With that the Shay removed his weapon from its holster on his back and made for the door on the other side of the hangar.
“Seriously, what is going on?” Li’ara asked.
“I don’t know,” Roland replied. “But I wish I’d thought of it!”
“WE’RE GONNA DIE!” Spelnar screamed as the Blade accelerated at breakneck speed into the main entrance of Protocorps HQ.
Kubrackk ignored the wailing Trillik with manic glee, and continued to angle the ship into the expansive double glass doors. The landing platform that extended from the entrance managed to take the force of the collision, causing the Blade to bounce before exploding into the foyer. Through the view-port, he just caught sight of the few employees unlucky enough to be walking through the entrance when the ship crushed them. Debris blew into the building causing more chaos, with shards of glass butchering anyone who wasn’t killed by the ship.
The Blade’s speed pushed it through the reception wall and into the rooms beyond. Kubrackk could no longer see out of the cracked view-port, now covered in rubble and a shredded semi-organic arm from a Shay receptionist. All the lights flickered inside the ship and the holographic display fluttered. To his right, Spelnar was rubbing his chest where the straps from the harness had kept him in his chair. There was a trickle of blood flowing down the side of his green head, mingling with beads of sweat. Kubrackk hit the buckle on his own harness and fell out of the chair, unable to support his own weight. His right leg had bashed into the console at the point of impact and taken a knock. Aware of the time, the Novaarian stood up and tested his knee, desperate to get out of the ship before Conclave security descended on them.
“Get up!” Kubrackk barked at Spelnar, who was still dazed in his chair. “We need to go, now!”
“This is suicide.” Spelnar stumbled from his chair. “The ship is ruined; we’ll never get out of here now.”
“We can secure another ship after North is dead.” Kubrackk tried to shake off the hazy mist that clouded his vision, before realising it was smoke rising from the consoles.
The Novaarian slammed his fist onto the touchpad on the wall after it didn’t respond to his code. The wall came apart to reveal a concealment of weapons and various types of ammunition. The Quad-roller was fully loaded with explosive rounds and Kubrackk stocked up on more, with an entire belt of grenades and one large blade hilted to his thigh.
“You’re insane!” the Trillik spat. “You’ve finally done it; you’ve killed us both! You said this was going to have the biggest payday ever. But now we’re going to die...”
Kubrackk closed the gap between them and shoved his Quad-roller under Spelnar’s jaw, “Then I guess you have a choice to make. You either die right here, right now, or you die out there in battle, taking as many of them with you as possible.”
Spelnar audibly gulped while looking from Kubrackk to the large barrel under his jaw. His sweat dripped off his face and onto the wide muzzle in the awkward silence that followed the Novaarian’s ultimatum.
“Ok... let’s get North,” The Trillik whispered.
The Blade had come to a stop on an angle, forcing the two bounty hunters to hold onto the railings as they descended the cargo bay ramp. Kubrackk punched the emergency door-control button with his lower fist to lower the ramp with speed. The thick metal dropped with a crash, unable to meet the floor with all the debris that littered the ground.
“They’re coming!” Spelnar jumped off the ramp with both sub-repeaters raised in his hands.
“Get to that door!” Kubrackk could hear the incoming boots down the corridor. “We’ll funnel them through there.”
The bounty hunters dashed across the gap and skidded over the broken glass. Spelnar let rip with the sub-repeaters, tearing the corridor and its occupants to pieces. Taking no time to marvel at the killing machines, Kubrackk threw a grenade down the length of the corridor and took cover. Any who survived the Trillik’s onslaught were blown to oblivion.
Through the walls, the screams and pleas of terrified staff could be heard in every direction. Behind them, the Blade looked to have seen its best days with every panel battered or caved in. It would take a recovery crew to remove it from the building now.
The bounty hunters stepped over the smoulde
ring bodies and entered the nearest room. Two Shay women screamed in their faces and ran for the door, waving their robotic arms in the air. Kubrackk considered letting them go for a second, then decided it would be better if no one knew where to start looking for them. The Quad-roller blew the head off one and put a hole in the other that almost separated her torso from her legs. Spelnar gave him a sideways glance but kept his mouth shut, instead going to work on the closest terminal.
“It’ll take me a minute to hack the internal feed.” The Trillik plugged in a series of devices Kubrackk didn’t know much about. He had seen Spelnar use them time and again but only cared about the results.
“We don’t have a minute. Our grand entrance will have attracted every Conclave security ship on the capital. Find them!”
Spelnar’s nimble fingers danced across the holographic display, typing in the override codes as fast as a Trillik could. It wasn’t long before the holographic display changed to a square block of different feeds from cameras throughout the building. There was a general panic among the employees as they flooded back to their vehicles in the thousands. It was an amusing thought to Kubrackk that it was the second time in as many days that the building had been subject to an attack.
“There they are!” Spelnar expanded the camera’s feed. Both humans were exiting the cargo Translift several floors above them. “Without a Novattoo they’re tripping all the alarms.”
“Amateurs...” Kubrackk hefted his Quad-roller until it rested on his shoulder.
“Where do you think they’re going?” Spelnar continued to follow them on the camera feed.
“There’s only one thing of interest in this building. They’re going to the top.”
“The A.I.? What could they want with the A.I.? Even if they manage to disrupt its processors there’s redundancies within redundancies to keep it running.” Spelnar sounded almost amused.
“So...” Kubrackk was putting it together in his mind. “If they really want to destroy the A.I., they’re going to have to find the back-up mainframe?” Spelnar nodded. The Novaarian examined the feed more closely. “The female is wearing a bag, but has no weapons attached to it. She must be carrying the bomb.” It was all coming together in his mind. “They’ll either split up to achieve both objectives at once, or go together. Either way, the defences are going to be stronger nearer the A.I. hub. Find the back-up mainframe, Spelnar.”
The Trillik went straight to work on the adjacent terminal.
The Rackham’s view-port was pitch-black with the emptiness of sub-space staring back at Kalian. After touching the strange sub-reality, he knew better than most that empty was the best adjective. Their arrival into the Helteron Cluster was imminent and he couldn’t wait. As he sat back in the pilot’s chair, ALF appeared at his side with a sombre expression.
“Are you ready for what’s coming?” The A.I. cupped his grey beard. “I only ask because I’m trapped in this exo-skeleton, and if you die, I die. I’ve still got the whole Starrillium incident playing over and over...”
Kalian rolled his eyes at ALF’s remarks. “Something tells me that whatever happens to me, you’ll find a way to survive.” He wasn’t in the mood to talk after his argument with Esabelle. She had remained in the cargo bay to meditate after he stormed off.
“You can’t tell me you’ve never thought about what she said?” ALF knew exactly what was on his mind. Even Esabelle couldn’t short circuit the A.I. for long. “The Avatar came to me once with the same dilemma.” ALF had a faraway look in his crystal blue eyes. “He fell in love with a woman, like men always do. He knew he had to spend the rest of his life with her, but he couldn’t. Back then he was an immortal, and a very lonely immortal. He alone had learned how to rejuvenate his cells on a subconscious level; never to age, never to die. And I know what you’re thinking, Kalian; why not just let yourself die? Age like anyone else? But letting yourself die is not so easy, even over time. Your brain is hardwired to survive.”
“What did the Avatar do?” Kalian was hopeful for the answer.
“He gave her the best life he could, and then he gave her back to her star.” ALF met Kalian’s eyes. “He tried to teach her, and many others, but it was a long time before the Terran caught up with him.”
It wasn’t what Kalian wanted to hear but he sympathised with the Avatar. “What was his name, his real name?”
“You mean before Savrick turned him into the beast?” ALF paused with an expression full of regret and sorrow. “His name was Alai, and he was magnificent; the first of a perfect race. You remind me of him, you know? He too had a passion and a need to do what was right, to make the hard sacrifice.”
“I’m sorry you had to kill him, on Naveen.” Kalian could see it was as if ALF was talking about a son.
“That thing wasn’t Alai. Savrick killed him long ago.” ALF looked away and took an artificial breath in his continued imitation of human life. “There’s going to be more fighting before all this is over, and I don’t just mean with Professor Jones. I think you need to have a clear head and be confident in your abilities if you’re going to succeed. But, it always helps to have something worth fighting for, and I already know how far you’re willing to push yourself for Li’ara. So my advice; whether you choose to live forever or not, when you get back you take Li’ara in your arms and you never let go. She’ll see it’s what she wants too.”
Kalian didn’t know what to say. He completely agreed with the A.I. and yet it was Li’ara’s voice that rang clear in his head that ALF wasn’t to be trusted. But listening to him talk about Alai like his own child, his insight into Kalian and his trust that he would succeed with Li’ara, not without her, it made perfect sense in a way it never had. It didn’t matter what the future held for any of them, immortality or not, there was only Li’ara and the now. Kalian was filled with an urge to hold her again, as soon as possible. It was Li’ara that kept him fighting and believing in himself in a way he never could without her. He knew she loved him. In a way she always had and he knew it.
Kalian’s train of thought ended when Esabelle entered the bridge and announced, “We’re about to exit sub-space.”
She walked over, meeting ALF’s eyes in the way they always did. Nothing was said and yet it felt to Kalian like everything was said at once. There was still animosity between them, though both felt it hard to express exactly what the other had done. Esabelle took a seat in the co-pilot’s chair, where Ch’len usually sat, and scraped most of the half-eaten snacks onto the floor, where the nanocelium gobbled them up. ALF stood between them, staring at the abyss before it flashed and gave birth to the starry field of space.
“Stealthware systems engaged,” Esabelle stated. “Commencing scan now.”
There was an awkward tension on the bridge as Kalian shifted in his seat, unsure what to say. He had been overly harsh with his last comment to Esabelle and he hadn’t really meant what he said. In her own way she was just trying to ensure that he survived emotionally and physically.
“I’m sorry about what I said.” It was the best start he could think of. “You only want to help me and I understand that. I wouldn’t be alive now if wasn’t for your training all these months, but I haven’t lived as long as you. I can’t look to the future and know how quickly it comes around. I live in the now, and right now I have Li’ara, and that’s all that matters.”
Esabelle looked back at him. “It takes more than a few words to break my bones, Kalian. I just don’t want to see you get hurt.”
Kalian smiled. “How can I get hurt with you around?”
Esabelle mirrored his smile, “Well at least I’ve taught you something.” They shared a brief laugh before the main console chirped with an alert. “There’s something passing in front of a star on the edge of that nebula.”
Kalian looked out at the panorama of deep orange and blue swirls that made up the expansive cloud. The entire Helteron Cluster was packed with similar nebulae across an expanse of several million light years.
“Is it a planet or an asteroid?” Kalian asked.
“Neither,” Esabelle studied the scans results. “It’s entirely artificial, and big. It makes the Gommarian and the Marillion look small. I’m plotting a course now.”
ALF spoke for the first time. “Perhaps we should send these coordinates to High Charge Uthor?” the A.I. elaborated, “It would only serve our larger cause if the Conclave could see whatever this thing is for themselves. Not to mention the back-up.”
“Good point.” Kalian transmitted the coordinates to the Nautallon using the Rackham’s com relay.
At maximum yield it took several minutes to reach Protocorps’ big secret. With such close proximity to the baby yellow star, the Rackham’s view-port had been polarised almost completely to keep out the intense light. Esabelle brought up a holographic dial to control the spectrum of light until they could see the mega-structure before them.
“Is that what I think it is?” Kalian had seen the giant space station during his time in the subconducer on Naveen. Its crescent moon shape was quite distinct and easily recognised.
“It can’t be...” Esabelle whispered.
“It’s a Starforge.” ALF didn’t take his eyes off it.
“How could they build a Starforge without you?” Esabelle‘s tone was aggressive. “Your level of intelligence is the only thing that could even operate one of those things. The calculations are unthinkable. Where would they even get the plans for it? The Starforge is a Terran design.”
“It’s a little different though. Look,” Kalian pointed, “There are three Starrilliums attached to it. It’s a Terran design with a little Conclave added in.”
“That still doesn’t answer where they found the plans. I made sure the Gommarian was wiped of all information like this. Besides, they’ve clearly been building this thing for years.” Esabelle was standing now.
Tempest: Book Two of the Terran Cycle Page 36