The Kota

by Sunshine Somerville

  “We all feel like that.” Whitewolf saw this wasn’t easing her nerves any, so he tried a convincing grin. “Don’t worry. We’ve packed parachutes.”

  Tigris tried to laugh but didn’t quite manage.

  Rave tapped his foot. “We need to go prep the WARBIRD.”

  “Right.” Bullseye walked to join them at the door. “I’ve piled everything we need in the hangar, but there’s still a lot of work to do. Whitey, help us load the heavier equipment before going to the simulator, would you?”

  Whitewolf nodded and put an arm around his sister’s shoulders to guide her out the door.

  “I’m such a baby,” she muttered. “But, I mean… Space!”

  “Yeah,” he sighed. “But this could be huge, sis.”

  “I know.” She took a deep breath.

  The team entered the garage and walked through to the hangar. The WARBIRD stood in the center of the huge, concrete room. The ceiling doors’ lights shown onto the ship’s metallic surface. It wasn’t a large ship, but it had served them well. So far.

  Whitewolf saw the pile of crates and heavier equipment near the cargo doors in the rear of the ship. Bullseye led him and Tigris to this pile to begin sorting. Rave ran off to tinker with the mechanics of the ship. Whitewolf, taking loads into the ship through the cargo doors, was able to catch the women’s conversation as they worked.

  Bullseye evidently knew Whitewolf was listening in, and she glanced at him as he came back for a load. To Tigris, she said, “Hey, are you okay?”

  Tigris paused with a box of ammo on her lap. “Yeah, I’m just once again out of my element. I hate reminders that I don’t fit in around here.”

  “Oh, sure,” said Bullseye with a smirk, “like my life goal has always been to save the planet.”

  Tigris relaxed enough to smile at this, but she grew more serious again. “Bulls, there’s more to why I’m so worried. Trok told me during our last meeting that he couldn’t interfere with whatever future he’s seen. You said he talked to you the other night too, but Trok hasn’t been back since. I don’t think he’s coming back until this next future happens. What if… What if something’s going to happen on Solarus that Trok’s seen and is worried about? I felt in his mind, Bulls, and it wasn’t a nice mood. Before, he’s always at least given us hints about what to do, but this time he’s left us blind. I have a bad feeling. What if this goes horribly wrong? We could be killed.”

  “Tig, you’re too stubborn to die without finding the Magi first. Plus, remember that happy-ending prophecy still coming.

  ‘The Re-Life

  The final battle’s end

  will spark life and light.

  Peace will illuminate the land

  and glow in the Warriors.

  Out of an end

  will beam a radiant dawn.’”

  Tigris frowned even more. “Bulls, there’s something I’ve been wondering about the prophecies.”

  “What?”

  “Well, Trok taught me that they come in pairs, like there’s a pattern in how they’re to be understood. It doesn’t even have to go back and forth between the older and newer prophecies. The Virus Prophecy was accompanied by the Signal Prophecy. The Bearers Prophecy lines up with the Interceder Prophecy. The Mark Prophecy matches up with the Warriors Prophecy. So, what goes with the Re-Life Prophecy? Trok’s always been vague about other prophecies. But, I’m pretty sure I saw something about one more prophecy in his mind before he shut me out. What if he’s hiding another prophecy that has to happen before we fulfill the Re-Life?”

  Whitewolf picked up a crate of ammo and exchanged a look with Bullseye, then returned to the ship.

  Hmm, he thought. Neither of us has spent as much time studying the prophecies as Tigris and Rave. But we know enough. Sis is right… There quite possibly could be another prophecy.

  “Tig,” said Bullseye, “we’ve trusted Trok this far. What good does worrying do us? We can’t control the prophecies, can we? Maybe Trok hasn’t told us about this missing prophecy because he doesn’t want us to force it like people – Trok’s own brother, specifically – have done in the past. Let whatever happens happen, right?”

  Tigris took a breath and nodded.

  Bullseye slapped in a weapon’s clip. “Now, let’s get to work. I need you to load up the ammo and other supplies while I make tactical plans.”

  Whitewolf made his last trip and saw that, while Tigris looked better, now Bullseye’s smile had faded. She stopped sorting and went over a list as Tigris continued packing ammo. Whitewolf thought he saw Bullseye’s hands shaking.

  He frowned. But, he didn’t want to distract them by asking if there was any more work for him, so he headed for one last practice run in the space simulator.

  29

  “Take us in easy, Whitey”

  A few hours later, Tigris’s nerves were mostly under control as the Warriors once again climbed into the WARBIRD. She took her usual seat behind Whitewolf’s pilot chair and strapped herself in. The cockpit was roomy enough, and their individual seats held them fast in place. Bullseye sat beside Tigris. Behind them, a net separated their section from the cargo area where weapons, ammunition, and other equipment was secured. They all were silent as each went through their own pre-combat rituals.

  Rave activated the controls to open the hangar ceiling’s doors. Whitewolf started the WARBIRD’s massive engines. The base had sensors and scanners and stealth shields, so their departures went unnoticed by the outside world. But inside, Tigris could barely hear herself think as the ship lifted off the hangar floor and rose into the air aboveground. Whitewolf shifted the controls, and the force of acceleration pushed them into their seats as the plane flew skyward.

  Outside Tigris’s porthole window, the ground dropped away as the WARBIRD climbed to the height necessary for Rave to activate its independent stealth device. Normally, this was the height at which they’d continue to fly. However, the engines’ roar increased as Whitewolf accelerated to breach the atmosphere.

  “Hold on!” Whitewolf struggled to hold the stick.

  A long period of unsettling shaking began, and Tigris knew she wasn’t the only one holding her breath. Then the view turned from blue to hazy to black and star-covered. At last, the shaking subsided.

  Tigris and Bullseye exhaled in unison. Tigris loosened her gloved grip on her seat. So far, so good. Maybe Whitewolf had figured out what he was doing.

  Space, she thought. I can’t believe we’re in space…

  The WARBIRD rotated with the thrusters, and soon the front windshield displayed Solarus 5 where it floated in orbit. Tigris forgot her fear and gazed with the rest at the enormous space station.

  The main section was a half-sphere, its bulb facing space and its flat side facing Earth. Windows were visible on the side of the half-sphere nearest them, and ‘Solarus 5’ was painted in giant letters across the station’s metallic surface. From the center of the flat underside, a tower-like structure stretched for a hundred meters. On the end of this tower were the antennae that enabled the station to control satellites blinking in distant orbit.

  It’s like an umbrella, thought Tigris. Or a mushroom.

  “Looks like everyone,” said Rave.

  Tigris faced her porthole and saw other spacecraft flying nearby. There were dozens.

  Rave tapped the front console to generate a holographic, floating image of the station. “Look here. Ten Dominion container ships are docked on the far side.”

  Tigris strained to see where the hologram indicated. As Whitewolf steered toward the station’s half-sphere, they saw docking ports running in a ring around the top section. Sure enough, ten large container ships were docked like leaches to Solarus 5. They appeared to be idle and unmanned.

  “I hope Matsuri sees help is on the way,” muttered Whitewolf.

  Bullseye checked her weapons. “Are the coms working?”

  Rave fiddled with the radio controls for a second before shaking his head. “The operatives on Solarus
must’ve jammed us already.”

  Bullseye seemed to have expected this. “Tig, contact Cagod, Commander Miller, and whoever else you can reach. The Dominion forces will be ready and waiting when we dock. Tell our friends it’ll be safer for everyone if they wait until we clear the docking bay.”

  Rave turned in his seat to face her. “Also, I’ve studied the architectural layout of Solarus. Make sure the commanders understand how the station works. There are twenty decks top to bottom, and every deck has increasing numbers of sections running around the decks. Make sure the commanders know their men absolutely must not fire their weapons whenever on the outermost sections of each decks. If they puncture the exterior walls or windows… Well, there are systems in place that’ll close off the ruptured sections, but we’d lose a lot of men. If we get ourselves sucked into space, this will all’ve been a wonderfully glorious waste of time.”

  “And,” said Whitewolf, “tell them to divide their men into small teams. The Underground likes to run around in mass force, but that won’t work here, where the station is multi-leveled and quarters are tight.”

  I’ve been cacking all day, thought Tigris. They’ve obviously prepared more for this than I have.

  “Okay.”

  She closed her eyes and scanned for mind links she’d made with Cagod, Commander Miller, and their other rebel allies. One at a time, she focused her thoughts and said in their minds everything her partners had requested. With each connection, she faintly heard their replies. After a few minutes, she’d gotten through to everyone within reach.

  Tigris opened her eyes and saw Bullseye waiting. “Okay,” she told their Leader, “the commanders will wait for our signal before they enter the station. I’m not sure how happy Cagod was about it, but he seemed to understand.”

  Bullseye nodded in thanks and went back to preparing her weapons.

  Whitewolf slowed the WARBIRD. The curved side of Solarus now filled the windshield, and soon their ship steadied and thrust sideways toward a docking port. Whitewolf looked at screens and sensors, and he used the thrusters to line them up with the docking clamps. A grating sound alerted them to the fact that his aim was a little off, but the clamps caught the WARBIRD and locked in place.

  Tigris again exhaled in relief.

  The Warriors unclamped from their seats and gathered in the cargo area where the docking hatch was located. Weapons slid into holsters. Facemasks were adjusted. It was dark inside the ship with only the life-support functions operating, and Tigris shivered despite the warmth of her suit. In the dim light, she looked at the others and scanned their minds. They too were nervous. At the same time, they were far more capable of handling themselves.

  Stay sharp, thought Tigris. I’ll get myself killed if I don’t watch it. Please, oh, please, don’t screw this up!

  “Rave,” whispered Bullseye as she adjusted her facemask, “ear to the door, please.”

  He did as ordered. After a moment, he whispered, “I hear shuffling. A gun just cocked. You were right; the Dominion’s waiting for us.”

  Bullseye nodded without surprise. “I don’t know how far they’ve distributed throughout the station, but it’s a safe bet drones are posted in the docking bay. That’s what I’d order if I saw us coming.”

  Rave took out his katars and slid their edges together. “We’ll just have to be pushy guests, then.”

  Tigris gulped.

  “No. I’m going first,” Bullseye whispered. “Stay clear of the hatch when I exit and wait until I return before you follow.” She looked at Rave. “Hatch, please.”

  Rave gripped the handle. “Open, sesame.”

  At the same moment the hatch opened, Bullseye disappeared in a swirl of portal light. A second later Rave slammed the hatch shut and put his ear back to the door.

  Tigris stood between the two men. After a quick scan of their minds, she sensed Rave and Whitewolf were equally tense.

  Muffled shooting erupted on the other side of the hatch. A few minutes later, the shooting stopped. Tigris wasn’t sure if this was good or bad.

  She sensed Bullseye calling to her, “Ready, Tig.”

  “Rave,” she whispered, “open the hatch.”

  Rave obeyed, and the hatch swung to reveal Bullseye standing before them in visible form. She motioned for them to follow, and the black-suited Warriors exited the WARBIRD, guns drawn, and crossed Solarus’s threshold.

  Tigris took in the docking bay. The station’s crew must’ve had time to prepare before the Dominion attack – the lights were low, presumably to shift power to security systems. Twenty-plus Dominion drones lay dead throughout the docking bay’s long, curving hall. Fortunately, there was no sign of current danger from either end of the hall.

  That might be Bulls’s doing, thought Tigris.

  The docking bay’s hall wasn’t wide but filled with cluttered mechanical equipment. Behind Tigris, the exterior wall held many hatches like the one they’d used. On the opposite wall, numerous entry points led into the interior of this top deck. There were no doors, only open spaces. The rebels would have little cover if more drones arrived.

  At least there’s gravity, Tigris thought.

  Bullseye hissed for her attention, then motioned a signal. With a nod, Tigris closed her eyes.

  “It’s clear to enter,” she told Cagod through their mind link. “But you better hurry. More drones could be here any second.”

  She didn’t wait for his reply before searching for her other mind links. She repeated the instructions each time.

  A docking hatch opened to her right. Then one to her left. Then another. Then another. Rebel soldiers stepped into the docking bay, guns at the ready.

  Bullseye whispered in Tigris’s ear, “Let’s move.”

  Several Underground soldiers overtook Tigris as she hurried out, and she noticed they’d obeyed her relayed instructions by breaking into small assault teams.

  At least I did something right, she thought.

  Tigris stepped through one of the entry points into a good-sized, metallic, round room. All around, entries led back into the docking bay’s surrounding hall. The walls otherwise showed exposed beams and braces. The metal ceiling had a giant ‘2’ painted in yellow. In the dead center of the room stood an elevator shaft, although red lights indicated this wasn’t functional. To this elevator’s left, a ladder labeled ‘up’ rose from an opening in the floor to one in the ceiling. To the right, a ladder labeled ‘down’ did the same.

  We must be on deck 2 at the top of the station, thought Tigris. This deck only has two sections – the docking bay hall and this access room. In the lower decks, there’ll be more and more sections because the station gets wider and wider, like Rave said… Gosh, I’m going crazy. Which way is down, really?

  The whole thing was very disorienting. Tigris tried to ignore this as she saw Bullseye and the others waiting by the ‘down’ ladder. She hurried over. They looked terribly serious, and Tigris didn’t let herself examine their states of mind, certain she wouldn’t be reassured by their thoughts.

  Bullseye gave final orders. “I’ll find Matsuri so he doesn’t blow the station. Tig, stick around these top decks and alert us if anything goes wrong. Rave, get to the lab and find that blood sample. Then go to the central computers and try to get the transmitter signal back online to send the DRK research planet-side. Whitewolf, make a clear path so Rave can make it back with whatever he finds. No matter what, we leave as soon as we have that research secured.” She motioned for the team to split up on their assignments, then dematerialized.

  Rave turned without a word and climbed down the ladder. Whitewolf looked back at Tigris, squeezed her arm, and followed Rave. Tigris, left to mentally keep them connected once again, walked over to the wall and found a place to conceal herself between two large beams.

  The rebel soldiers took some time to descend the ladders, but finally the last one disappeared from sight. Then deck 2 was still.

  Before long, however, groups of Dominion soldiers
ascended the ladders. Every time, Tigris’s heart leapt into her throat. More and more drones climbed up from the lower decks. Apparently they’d learned of the rebels’ arrival too late and come to stop them. Once they saw the empty docking bay, they ran back to the ladders in pursuit.

  Tigris knew she’d be discovered if she remained here, so she snuck out during a lull and hurried to the ‘down’ ladder. She looked below and was relieved to see no one until several decks below, so she climbed down into deck 3’s access room.

  Here, she saw this room was exactly like the one above – and fortunately empty – so she stepped off the ladder and looked around at the various exits.

  Okay, she thought. I’m getting the hang of this place. But I’m not safe here either.

  Tigris hurried out of the access room into a curving hall. This was actually a narrow corridor with closed doors in the far wall. Tigris didn’t dare stray too far, so she approached the first door she found. Holding the handle, she listened for any soldiers on the other side. The room sounded empty, but it was locked.

  After a few more locked doors, Tigris found one labeled as a storage room. She was about to hide here when she heard movement inside. Suddenly, the door opened and slammed into her, sending her with a yelp to the floor. Before she could recover, a man in an operative stealth suit emerged and stood over her.

  “What have we here?”

  Tigris looked up and recognized the operative from files she’d studied. Codenamed Crobar, this guy was an unscrupulous, merciless thug. He was three times her weight in solid muscle, and his stealth suit wouldn’t even close around his thick neck. His head was shaved, and she saw tattoos creeping from behind his ears.

  Tigris knew she was in trouble. She went for her gun, but Crobar kicked it from her hand, grabbed her, and tossed her back into the storage room. She had the presence of mind to grip his arm as he threw her, and she used a spin move Rave had taught her. Crobar tumbled inside with her, and they crashed into boxes. Tigris lost her grip on his arm and fell to the floor. Crobar’s weight crushed into her back as he pushed her down with his knee, and she heard him close the door. Panicking, she fought and kicked with more strength than she’d thought herself capable of. She struggled to roll and face him, but then he squeezed her throat. He laughed, but at last she looked in his eyes.