by Chris Fox
The cruiser rumbled to a halt. Aluki unbuckled her harness, hopping down from the pilot’s chair. Khar started back up the corridor, but had only made it a few steps when the entire ship lurched. He caught himself against the wall as the ship tilted wildly.
“Mmm, not so stable!” Halut shrieked from the cockpit.
Aluki tumbled past Khar, and he shot out a paw to seize her by the scruff of her suit. He pulled her to safety.
Zakanna landed nimbly across the corridor. “We’re in free fall,” she yelled, seizing the bulkhead.
“Hold on!” Halut said.
Straining to hold Aluki—she was surprisingly heavy—Khar risked a glance into the cockpit.
Halut had gotten an arm onto the pilot’s chair, and was struggling against inertia to pull himself up. Khar had no idea how far they could fall before reaching the bottom, but doubted they had much time.
The Whalorian gave a titanic bellow, pulling himself into the pilot’s seat. He snapped the harness in place, then seized the controls. The ship continued to drop for a few moments more, then halted abruptly. Stone tumbled all around them, banging off the viewport as it rained past.
The ship righted, and the viewport turned to face a magnificent ivory spire. It was nearly identical to the one where he’d met Zakanna, and at its peak had probably been just as tall.
Halut guided the ship lower, settling near the base of the spire. Everyone held on for a good thirty seconds, waiting for the ship to lurch again. Finally, Halut turned off the engines, and everyone relaxed.
“Mmm, thank you,” Aluki said, patting Khar’s arm. “Our bones are more brittle than yours. I would not have survived that fall.”
“You’re welcome, little one. You are a strong ally.” Khar nodded respectfully to her, the nod he reserved for warriors.
“We’re fortunate to have you, Aluki,” Zakanna said, smiling warmly. She glanced behind her at the viewport. “Shall we see what we’ve found?”
“How long do we have?” Khar asked, starting for the cargo bay.
“What do you mean?” Zakanna asked.
“Won’t your world’s satellites pick up the tectonic disturbance?” Khar asked over his shoulder, slapping the button next to the ramp.
The door slid up, and the ramp began to extend. A wall of heat blasted into the ship, not enough to harm them but certainly uncomfortable to everyone not currently in an artificial body.
“There is no such monitoring, at least not that I’m aware of.” Zakanna recoiled before the heat. “I do not believe Utfa possesses any way of detecting our arrival, but I could be wrong.”
“It’s possible the Void Wraith might be monitoring, but they’d be unlikely to do so unless ordered,” Khar allowed. “We may be fine, but just to be safe I’d suggest we be as swift as we are able.”
“Agreed,” Zakanna said, nodding.
“Mmm, it is best we stay with the ship, I think,” Aluki suggested. “Until you’ve determined it’s safe.”
Khar looked to Zakanna, who nodded. Aluki looked back at Halut, giving him a wicked grin.
“We will inform you of any threats, but will not disturb you otherwise,” Khar said, smiling as he trotted down the ramp. He burst into a full run and sprinted across the hardened magma. Heat shimmers twisted the air, blurring the spire even as it grew larger before him.
Zakanna glided to perch atop a narrow twist of black rock, laughing. She eyed him mischievously, then sprinted toward the spire’s entrance.
A race, then? Khar poured on the speed, dipping into his power reserves. He leapt from rock to rock, narrowing the gap between him and Zakanna. He’d nearly caught her when she leaned into a sprint and zipped ahead through the entrance.
Khar grinned, slowing as he reached the entrance. “You were toying with me.”
“Maybe,” Zakanna said, still smiling. Her fur was a soft pink. She looked around her in wonder, eyes wide. “This place is the truest representation of our people still in existence. Our culture has changed and evolved, and everything we know about our beginnings is layered under myth now.”
Khar took in the majesty of the place, the high vaulted ceiling abruptly cut off by a wall of black rock. It wasn’t dissimilar to the spires currently in use, but instead of floating islands the place was more conventionally structured. Each island was connected to the outer ring by a slender bridge.
“Those bridges hardly look strong enough to hold up these islands,” Khar mused. “Yet they’ve done so for many millennia, apparently.”
“Built for form and function, as I’d expect,” Zakanna said and started for the closest bridge. “I think that island would have been reserved for greeters. We no longer use them for an entire spire, but most families still employ one.”
“Greeter?” Khar asked, following her up the bridge. It was less than a meter across, and would be even more dangerous for a Ganog.
“It was their responsibility to make sure guests were properly attended to. Greeters would wash their visitor’s feet, and allow them to take their ease while waiting for an audience with the host,” Zakanna explained, taking sure steps up the bridge despite the width. She reached the top and stepped off to the right to give him room to join her.
A literal labyrinth of tall shelves awaited them, covering the island in a maze of narrow walkways. Three paths led into the shelves, which were covered in strange cylindrical objects. Khar approached one and picked it up cautiously. “Are these…scroll cases?”
“They are,” Zakanna said, moving to inspect one. Reverently, she ran a hand along the case. “These predate the discovery of arcanotomes, I’d imagine.”
“Why are the shelves laid out like that, and what lies at the center of the maze?” Khar asked, scanning ceaselessly. He didn’t trust this place.
“I don’t know. My people have forgotten this place’s existence. I couldn’t even begin to guess why they built what they built.” Zakanna took a trio of quick breaths, flaring all four nostrils. She leapt into the air and kicked off a shelf. Two more kicks took her to the top of the shelf, where she landed lightly.
Khar followed, not nearly as gracefully. He pulled himself over the top of the shelf and rose into a crouch next to Zakanna. “Clever idea. This will be much faster than navigating the maze.”
Zakanna picked a path across the shelves, angling toward the center of the island. She paused at the final row and waited for Khar to catch up.
He trotted up next to her and peered down at the center of the maze. “What am I looking at?” he asked, studying the strange blocky contraption. Six black cables snaked from the box, but they weren’t connected to anything.
“I believe we’ve discovered one of the first arcanotomes.” Zakanna turned a worried gaze to Khar. “We should get Aluki.”
29
Inside the Tome
“Mmm, I concur,” Aluki said. “This is some sort of primitive arcanotome.” She peered inside the end of one of the cables that snaked from the strange contraption. “Since the device is immovable, I imagine seekers would have utilized it to learn whatever they needed, then unplugged.”
“Fascinating,” Zakanna said, inspecting another cable.
“Is it possible, then, that connecting to this device would allow us to see into the enemy’s data stores?” Khar asked. “That kind of intelligence would be invaluable, particularly right now. We might be able to learn what defenses they’ve placed around the spire, and, more specifically, the beacon.”
“True.” Zakanna pursed her lips. “I don’t like the idea of it—entering their world. We don’t really understand that world, though it’s something I doubt they’d expect us to attempt.”
“Mmm, how would we connect though?” Aluki asked. “None of us have been outfitted to utilize a tome, unless there’s a facility somewhere here to install one. Halut is still exploring. I could ask him to keep an eye out for such a device.”
“I can connect,” Khar volunteered. He picked up one of the cables. Its dull surface see
med to absorb the thin light filtering from the holes in the rock above. “This is, ultimately, Void Wraith technology. My nanochrons can easily adapt to fit this. I’m not the best person to explore data archives, but I can at least perform the procedure.”
Zakanna shot him a wide smile, then composed herself, looking to Aluki. “What do you think, lore keeper?”
Aluki gave a wide, baleen grin. “Mmm, that’s a title I’d never expect to hear from Ganog lips, much less from an empress. I believe there is much value to be had in forging a connection. We could learn vital information, something we desperately need.”
“What are the risks?” Khar asked.
“Mmm, I don’t know.” Aluki gave a shrug. “We have no idea how this technology works. My people have done well to preserve what knowledge we have, but have never deciphered an arcanotome. Both times our people procured one, the Ganog slaughtered millions in retaliation.”
“Then I will discover them,” Khar said, wrapping his paw around the end of the cable.
Nanochrons pooled in his palm and enveloped the end of the cable. He snapped erect as sudden energy flooded his nervous system, the last biological part of him. He relaxed a moment later, as the pressure eased.
“I believe I have forged a connection. The sensation is…dizzying. The data is located in a temple, and I am not alone.”
Khar could see two worlds: the ancient spire library, and a dark, vaulted room. It looked much as the spire did, with shelves of scrolls piled in the cubbies on the shelves. Ganog moved between them, occasionally plucking out a scroll for examination.
There was very little light, filtering down from a high mist where the ceiling should be. It made this place shadowed and mysterious, no doubt intentionally.
A deep thrumming came from the center of the library, washing over Khar like the bass of some mighty drum. He kept his head down, hurrying through the stacks as he attempted to trace a path toward the center. There would be no vaulting to the top of the shelves, not here. He wanted to avoid notice, as much as possible.
Thankfully, if any of the Ganog had noticed him, they did not react. Each seemed fixed on their own task, to the exclusion of all else. They moved robotically, as if they had little control over their own actions. Khar circled around another, making his way up a row of shelves.
When it ended, he was suddenly spilled into a room with a wide, empty dais, like the empress used. Atop that dais floated a ball of black energy, pulsing and rippling. Streams of purple pulses flowed from the ball and zipped off in all directions. To the Ganog, he imagined.
A Ganog voice rumbled behind him. “You should not be here this fully. How is this possible?”
Khar turned slowly, tensing as he recognized those milky eyes. Utfa stared hard at him, all four nostrils flaring suddenly. He’d changed since Khar had last seen him. More of his fur had fallen out, and only a few wispy strands remained.
“You are the alien who attached himself to Zakanna. Is she with you?” Utfa gave an evil grin, his wispy fur darkening to a predatory brown-black. His robes shrouded him, completing the ghastly image.
“Perhaps. Perhaps she pillages the secrets in this place, while you waste time speaking to me,” Khar taunted, giving as nonchalant a grin as he could muster. “You don’t really expect me to tell you, do you?”
“No matter,” Utfa said, his cruel smile broadening. “I will carve up your mind and devour your secrets. You will tell me where she is. You made a mistake, entering the tome.”
Khar considered his options, not liking the short list. He could fight, with no understanding of the rules of this place, or he could flee. The latter seemed the safest course. He willed the nanochrons to sever the connection, gasping reflexively as the second world vanished.
His last view was of Utfa’s shocked face, reaching out to catch Khar.
“What happened?” Zakanna asked, eyes wide with concern.
“Utfa was there. He saw me. Talked to me.” Khar shuddered. “I do not think he knew how I was there, or where I was coming from. I left as quickly as I could, in case he had some way to glean information from my mind.”
“Mmm, a wise precaution. A frightening experience, but perhaps one that will not harm us,” Aluki mused. “Utfa doesn’t know which world you were on, though he may have figured out that we made it back to Imperalis. Even if he did, this is a very large world. There are many places to hide. He will never find us.”
“I hope you’re right,” Zakanna said, staring up at the light filtering through the holes above. She looked at Khar. “At best, we’re no closer to a plan. At worst, we will be forced to flee.”
“Perhaps, and if it comes to that, we will run,” Khar said. He rose to his feet, giving her a confident smile. “But I do not think things are so dire. We have suffered a setback, true. But we have a safe place, filled with ancient lore. Let us see what can be gleaned. If we cannot find an answer, then I will brave the tome again. One way or another, we will learn what we need to know.”
30
More Guards
Utfa’s eyes snapped open, and he rose slowly from his supplications. He pulled on his heavy robes, donning the hood as he stepped from his chambers. Agitation, with undertones of confusion, rippled through what remained of his fur.
What had he just witnessed? There was no doubt—that had been Khar, the Tigris from this…Coalition. Somehow they’d found a way into the arcanotome, which was most troubling. What had they learned? Would could they learn?
He examined the entire experience as he waited patiently for the transport disk to arrive, pondering what he’d seen and sifting through it as he sought some clue, some bit of data that might tell him where to find Khar—and thus the empress.
There was nothing. Not a single shred of evidence that might provide their location.
Utfa’s fur drifted to red, and he paced back and forth. Finally, the transport disk arrived. He mounted it, enjoying the breeze as it carried him aloft. It brought him to the command deck, where a single techsmith stood.
The disk deposited him on the edge of the island, and Utfa strode to the center, motioning for the techsmith to attend him. Unlike other clans, the Kthul did not trust techsmiths. They too were inducted into the seekers, and while they were not given the same standing, their minds were forced open to the Nameless Ones, ensuring their loyalty.
What could the empress be after? There was no doubt she was on Imperalis. Was she attempting to raise an army? No, such a move would have resulted in at least a few rumors. Besides, it was unlikely to be effective. Any army she raised would be swiftly destroyed by the Void Wraith. Unless she found a way to deal with them, there was simply no way for her to retake her world.
And there it was—the reason she’d returned to this world.
“Techsmith,” Utfa snarled, staring through the observation dome at Imperalis. “Have a full detail of warriors moved to the beacon. Also include a complement of Adepts, and enough labor-slaves to build fortifications.”
Zakanna was coming. They both knew she’d need the beacon if she wished to wrest her throne back. Utfa might not be able to find her, but he could be ready for her return.
That matter dealt with, he turned his attention inward, closing his eyes as the whispers provided a tantalizing tidbit. He focused on the data pulses and watched the feed coming from his scout vessel.
It had arrived at Akadia, a populous Saurian world that supplied most of the Nyar labor-slaves. Normally, Utfa would have ordered his dreadnoughts to incinerate the world from orbit. Instead, they’d merely destroyed the small Saurian fleet, leaving the world intact.
The world was no longer occupied. All nine billion Saurians were gone, as was every other biological entity. Even the trees had been devoured.
Part of Utfa wished he had footage of the Nameless One devouring Akadia, but mostly he was glad he couldn’t see it. That level of destruction was disturbing, a subtle reminder that no world was safe from his masters.
Not even Imper
alis.
31
Bruth
Nolan tapped the eject sequence, then wiped a thick sheen of sweat from his forehead. The mech’s chest slid open, allowing a blast of blessedly cool air into the cockpit. He undid his harness and started down the rungs on the mech’s leg. Once out, he straightened, giving the chaos in the hangar a weary once over.
Annie and Hannan were parking their mechs in the neighboring stalls, while Kokar and Hruk stood off to one side. There was no sign of Nuchik yet, but Nolan wasn’t worried. She was damned good at taking care of herself, and probably just wasn’t done killing Kthul yet.
Alpha Company’s surviving mechs were streaming in, but Nolan only counted eight. Fortunately, there were a few more pilots being helped in, suggesting they’d survived the destruction of their mechs. Behind them came a thick cluster of armored Ganog, most still in great form.
They huddled together nervously, each clutching a rifle or a melee weapon. The cluster was centered around the massive female Nolan had seen earlier. She stood head and shoulders over the others, pointing a thickly muscled arm as she barked orders to the other Nyar. They snapped to, and Nolan couldn’t blame them.
“May as well get this over with,” he muttered.
Squaring his shoulders, he strode over to the Ganog. By the time he arrived, most had noticed him, including the woman he assumed to be the leader. Many had shifted back to their lesser forms, but they were still taller than he was.
He paused about three meters away, nodding respectfully. “I’m Captain Nolan. Welcome aboard the Demetrius. The vessel belongs to Major Burke, who is making his way over now.” Nolan waved in Burke’s direction.
The copper-haired soldier’s eyebrows were knit together in a mixture of irritation and anger, and he stalked up to the Ganog like he wanted to do violence. “Who’s in charge of this rabble?”