Tala jogged out again to get the mortar and pestle and hunt for equipment. There wasn’t a hazmat suit, but she did find goggles, a mask for her nose and mouth, and gloves. They would have to do.
An ear-splitting screech came from the corridor and raised all the hairs on Tala’s neck. She hoped that had been the sound of one of the aliens dying.
But as she smashed pills into her mortar, the main sickbay door was wrenched open with a squealing of metal. Women screamed, Orion yelled a battle cry, and Lulu roared like a lion.
Tala leaned back to glance out in time to see two huge Zi’i warriors spring into sickbay, one after the other.
All except a few of the women scurried back, tripping over the beds and each other as they tried to get away. Katie and Juanita lifted weapons, but they didn’t have clear shots.
Lulu leaped and crashed into one invader, her claws and fangs slashing. But the Zi’i also had claws and fangs, and it returned the svenkar’s attack.
Orion fired at the second Zi’i, and the stench of burning flesh filled the air. The Zi’i did not fall, even though the energy bolt slammed into its chest. It whirled and sprang at Orion.
Other Zi’i crowded the door to sickbay. What had happened to the Star Guardians outside?
Tala lunged for the office door and hit the button to close it. She didn’t lock it, figuring people would try to flee inside to hide, but she didn’t want the Zi’i to learn what she was doing and rush in to stop her. She felt cowardly for hiding in the office while the others had to deal with them, but if she could get this concoction together, maybe she could stop them.
“Yeah?” she grumbled to herself as she poured the powdered drug into one of the bottles and reached for the chemical to pour in. “And how are you going to poison them when they’re in the middle of your people now?”
The smoking concoction did not answer her.
A thump against her door made her jump. Was that one of the women? Or one of the aliens?
She was certain she hadn’t locked the door, but she dared not stop in the middle of her pour to check.
Just as she finished, the door opened, and two women, one bleeding from a gash torn in her shoulder, stumbled inside.
“Careful,” Tala said. “Don’t bump that.” She found the cap to screw on, afraid the women would inhale the fumes.
The amount of liquid in the single container seemed paltry. Did she need to make more?
Screams of terror and pain came from sickbay. There wasn’t time.
“Eridanus?” Tala asked. “I need—”
No, the AI couldn’t help her, not yet. Tala pushed past the women and to the door of her office in time to see Katie and Juanita fire at a Zi’i that had leaped atop a bed, its head brushing the ceiling as it slashed at Lulu.
Poor Lulu bled from a dozen cuts. There were four Zi’i in sickbay and three armored Star Guardians had followed them in. Everyone was attacking everyone. God, it was hell out there.
“Orion,” Tala cried, catching sight of his brown hair—it had fallen out of his bun again and hung around his shoulders. “I need you guys to get the aliens out of here.”
“We’re trying!” he yelled, throwing her an exasperated look as he tried to find room to fire at a Zi’i lunging for a woman.
“Eridanus,” Tala said, “where do I have to take this so you can disperse it?”
“To Access Panel Eight in Corridor Three Alpha.”
“And where the hell is that?”
“Give your beaker to the medical robot, and I will direct it to the appropriate place. The robot will be immune to the end product and can also heat the liquid to the necessary temperature to turn it gaseous.”
“Will it be immune to getting torn to pieces by an alien?” Tala asked, slipping out of her office and squeezing past more terrified women as she held the bottle. She was glad the medical robots were close to the office, in a corner where they stayed when dormant.
“Star Guardians,” she yelled as one of the robots activated and rolled toward her. She placed the bottle in one of its mechanical grippers. “I need someone to accompany this robot to make sure it gets where it’s going.”
None of the armored men glanced her way. Had they even heard her over the screams and roars and cries of pain? The Star Guardians inside sickbay were trying to push the Zi’i back out. That was good, but it did nothing to help her with the gas.
“Orion?” Tala yelled.
He was closer to her, standing protectively in front of Juanita as she took shots when she could, and he glanced back.
“Tell them to escort this robot!” Tala wanted to explain further, especially when a confused furrow creased his brow, but she had to assume the Zi’i would understand her. The last thing she wanted was for them to figure out what she was up to and put all their efforts into stopping the robot.
“I’ll do it,” he said as the robot rolled toward the exit with the bottle, oblivious to the chaos and carnage around it.
“No,” Tala yelled as he started after it. “It has to be someone in armor, someone with a helmet.”
Someone with an independent air supply, she wanted to yell, but the Zi’i on the bed squinted toward her. Its eyes focused on the robot, and it bunched its muscles, as if to spring at it.
“Attack, Lulu,” Angela cried.
The bleeding svenkar sprang out of the crowd to slam into the Zi’i on the bed. Instead of leaping after the robot, the alien tumbled to the deck between two beds with the svenkar on top of it. Angela gave Tala a thumbs up from across the room.
A couple of women hiding under the beds screamed and scrambled away on hands and knees as alien and animal fought inches away from them. They tried to find safer hiding spots, not that there were any.
“In my office,” Tala yelled to them, then turned toward the exit again to further warn Orion of the dangers. Her heart missed a beat. He and the robot were already gone.
“Eridanus,” she blurted. “Can you warn him?”
“I will inform him of the dangers when it is safe to do so, Doctor.”
“Final push, men,” one of the Star Guardians yelled. “Let’s get these animals out of here.”
Tala started back toward her office, wanting to stay out of their way, but her foot slipped on something wet. Blood. She flailed, trying to catch her balance, but a huge, furred alien slammed into her.
She fell hard, losing all her air as she landed hard on her back.
The Zi’i that had struck her loomed over her, intelligent eyes staring down from the face of a monster. Hot breath that smelled of rotten meat and something like kimchi washed over Tala, and she saw her death in that face.
19
The comm officer reached for the controls to open a channel to the other Zi’i warships. Sage couldn’t allow that.
Without looking at the Zi’i pointing the death launcher at him, he threw himself into a backward roll. He jumped up in front of his foe as the alien shifted his aim toward him. Sage knocked the spear-hurling weapon aside and sprang past the Zi’i, hurling an armored elbow into his side as he went.
Grsh and the officers weren’t armed, so Sage didn’t anticipate projectiles coming his way, but he still hurried to the bulkhead so he could put his back to it. The Zi’i threw his weapon down, whirled, and rose up on two legs, his claws raking toward Sage’s face.
Sage twisted and launched a side kick at the Zi’i’s exposed belly. His armor enhanced his speed, and he connected before the alien could compensate. Those claws still slashed through the air scant inches away from his face.
Aware of the rest of the Zi’i racing toward him, Sage jammed his helmet on, not bothering with the fasteners, and reached for the discarded death launcher. Grsh sprang as Sage’s fingers wrapped around it.
He dove to the side, rolling again. Grsh crashed into the bulkhead where Sage had been standing.
Sage leaped up, the death launcher in hand. It was big and bulky, half spear thrower and half high-tech weapon. Without the ass
istance from his armor, he would have struggled to lift it, but now, he had no trouble pointing it at the admiral.
“Halt, Grsh,” he said.
Claws scraped on the decking as the bridge officers raced toward him. Sage shifted himself back toward the bulkhead to protect his back while keeping the weapon trained on Grsh.
“Keep coming, and he dies,” Sage snarled at the Zi’i, secretly hoping they wouldn’t stop, that they would give him an excuse to fire.
They paused, but Grsh himself charged at Sage.
He was almost caught off-guard. The admiral tried to spring over the death launcher to tear his head off with powerful claws, but Sage raised the weapon in time. As Grsh slashed at him with those deadly claws, Sage fired. The short spear crackled with electricity as it sprang free—and slammed into the admiral’s chest.
The head of it plunged through fur and muscle, and crackling lightning spread all around Grsh’s body. The admiral roared in pain, but he still flailed at Sage. His eyes burned with battle fury.
Sage leaped to the side, but even injured, the admiral was fast, and the bulkhead got in the way of Sage’s retreat. His helmet, not fully on, twisted on his head and interfered with his sight.
Cursing, he tore it free. Just as those claws whipped through the air at him.
They squealed as they scraped across the shoulder of Sage’s armor. The admiral’s other set of claws aimed for his eyes. Sage jerked his head away, clunking it against the bulkhead.
Fire erupted at the side of his face as one claw caught him. He yelled in pain and anger, but made himself calmly thumb another spear down into the launcher.
Sage was aware that the other Zi’i had stopped and stood in a semi-circle around him and the admiral. He didn’t know if they couldn’t find an opening to jump into the fray or if they had decided this was a matter to be decided one-on-one, man to Zi’i.
Grsh faced him, all four legs on the deck, the end of the spear sticking out of his chest, blood dripping down its length. Blood dripped from his mouth too. He couldn’t last much longer, surely.
But the enraged admiral charged, as if he fully believed he could win.
Sage pulled the trigger. The death launcher fired, and the spear thudded into Grsh’s head, right between his eyes. The lightning danced all around his head, and the smell of charred meat filled the bridge.
Finally, the admiral stiffened, then went limp, collapsing to the deck. Dead.
Watching him, Sage almost missed one of the Zi’i officers leaping for him.
He thumbed another spear into the launcher as he whipped it up. He fired, catching this one in mid-air, the same as he’d done with the admiral. The electric spear slammed into its chest, but the airborne Zi’i continued toward him. There was no room for Sage to back up, and Grsh’s body blocked the way to the side.
Sage dropped into a crouch, then dove under the bridge officer as the wounded Zi’i flew over him. The alien smashed into the bulkhead where he’d been standing.
Sage jumped up, glimpsing the other two Zi’i converging on him, attacking as one this time. And quickly.
Before Sage got his feet fully under him, one belted him in the side, the muscled arm as hard and rigid as a club. Sage flew across the bridge and smashed into a row of consoles, his back striking hard enough to dent the metal.
Fortunately, his armor cushioned him, and he got his feet under him immediately. A good thing, because both Zi’i followed him, thundering across the bridge.
Sage thumbed the final spear into the launcher and fired. This time, he only caught his target in the shoulder. Not a killing blow. But the electricity sparked around the Zi’i officer, and his head flew back as he roared in pain.
The second Zi’i didn’t slow down.
With only a split second before the alien would be upon him, Sage threw the now-empty weapon at him to distract him. His instincts told him to dodge to the side and get out of the way, but he put some trust in his armor. It would keep him alive against claws and fangs—at least for a while.
He ran in as the weapon bounced off the Zi’i, deflected by a paw. For a second, his enemy seemed surprised. Sage landed four powerful punches to the alien’s face, throat, and chest before it recovered. Even though his armor lent him more power, the Zi’i shook off the blows with a growl. The alien snapped at him, fangs flashing in the light coming from the displays. Once again, Sage met the attack. This time with his head.
If he’d still worn his helmet, he would have slammed it straight into the alien maw, but he worried about impaling himself. Instead, he came up from below, clunking his head under his foe’s jaw. It hurt, but the Zi’i yowled as his jaw was forced shut with a snap. Sage hoped he had bit his tongue off.
Wanting time to collect himself and come up with more efficient tactics, Sage sprang away.
Expecting his enemy to follow—perhaps the one he’d hit in the shoulder too—he kept his fists up and ready. But as the two officers charged him, a great shudder shook the ship, rocking the deck like a boat on a tumultuous ocean. The lights went out, all of them, even the indicators on the consoles.
Hoping he had the layout of the bridge firmly in his mind, Sage darted forward and to the side, to where the death launcher had clattered down. Claws clacked on the deck less than two feet away.
He found the weapon with his foot, plucked it up, and sprinted toward the bridge doors, toward the spot where the admiral had fallen.
“He’s running,” one of the Zi’i blurted.
Not exactly.
Sage reached the fallen admiral, almost tripping over his large body. He bent down, patting around for the two spears. He yanked one out as claws clattered across the deck right behind him.
Sage jumped away, fumbling to get the death launcher loaded. Something whistled past his cheek, and he felt the draft. Zi’i claws, almost getting him again.
He wished he had his helmet so he would have night vision. The only reassuring thing about this was that the Zi’i didn’t have great night vision, either, not unless they had some ambient light around for their eyes to amplify. But the view screen had gone out along with everything else, so no starlight filtered into the bridge.
“I smell you, Captain,” one of the Zi’i growled, prowling toward him.
Did he know Sage had a spear loaded? He’d only managed to grab one though. He longed for his bolt bow. Or even a dagger. He should have hidden more than poison in his armor, but he’d been certain the Zi’i would scan and search him before bringing him to their admiral.
“Just kill him,” the other one said, his growly voice sounding pained.
They fell silent, and the soft scuffs and scrapes of claws on the deck were Sage’s only way of determining his foes’ locations. Only one seemed to be stalking him. But one was enough.
Sage waited until what he believed was the last second, then fired.
Blue lightning streaked all around the spear as it flew into the approaching Zi’i. A yowl of pain sounded as Sage darted out of reach. He doubted he’d struck a killing blow in the dark, and he held the weapon like a club, ready to parry with it.
But a soft thump sounded. The Zi’i dropping to the deck.
Though he might only be wounded, Sage knew he still had to deal with the other one, one that might be sneaking up on him at that instant. He rushed forward and groped at the fallen Zi’i, searching for the spear shaft.
His enemy wasn’t yet dead. As Sage’s fingers wrapped around the spear, a brutally strong grip snapped down around his wrist and squeezed. Only his armor saved him from crushed bones.
Sage dropped the launcher and yanked the spear out of his foe’s side with his free hand, eliciting another yowl of pain. Relentless, he jabbed it into the Zi’i, over and over until it let go of his wrist.
The other injured officer slammed into his back, claws scouring across his armor. Sage tumbled over the fallen Zi’i, but he managed to retain that spear. He spun and rose to one knee, thrusting outward with it. He got nothing but
air, and something swiped over his head. Slashing claws? He calculated where the sound had come from and where the rest of the body would be and thrust again.
This time, he plunged the weapon into flesh. A few sparks flew from the spear, though not so impressively as when it was launched from its carrier.
For a second, by the light of the flashes of electricity, Sage saw the muscled Zi’i officer looming over him. He batted at the spear, knocking it from his flesh. It clunked to the deck. Sage found his feet and launched a kick before his enemy could rush him again. The alien roared and slashed at the air between them, claws coming disturbingly close to Sage’s face as the light from the spear faded.
Sage snatched up the spear as he ducked and dodged, but he wasn’t sure how he would get close enough to strike again without the launcher. Where had the thing fallen?
The Zi’i leaped, roaring as he did so, the noise allowing Sage to pinpoint his foe in the dark.
He spread his legs and planted himself, angling the spear upward and bracing it against his hip while doing his best to protect his bare head.
The Zi’i slammed into the spear, his weight almost tearing the weapon from Sage’s hands, but the tip sank in deep. A killing blow.
The lights came back on, and the doors to the bridge slid open.
Sage scrambled to where the death launcher lay on the deck, grabbed it, and jumped to his feet. He didn’t have a spear for it, but he spun toward the lift, ready to use the weapon to beat off a new threat if he had to.
Two Star Guardians in black armor stood there, also at the ready with their bolt bows poised to fire. But they saw Sage and lowered their weapons as they took in the carnage, the four fallen Zi’i.
“Uh, we came to rescue you, sir,” one of them said, Ensign Mikolos.
“Nah, that’s not true,” the second said, Chief Hierax. “We just came to watch you defeat four Zi’i singlehanded. But since we’re too late for that…” Hierax walked over and picked up Sage’s helmet. “We’ll hold your headgear for you. And wipe it off.” He swiped his gauntlet ineffectively over the blood spattered on the visor. “Is this yours or theirs, sir?”
Sagitta: Star Guardians, Book 3 Page 17