by Brian Fisher
Chapter 72
Corin paced the bridge. They had tracked the ship that had scanned the fleet, but now, it was nowhere to be found. Now he was waiting, waiting as Prinelle and Narja ran sensor sweeps of the deserted star system that they had been led to. As he waited, his thoughts roamed, never staying in one place for too long. There were two constants to his thinking though. Mekala, and T'Sula, were in every corner of his mind. The two Bakeerons dominated everything from his thoughts on food, T'Sula being a vegetarian, to where to go if they lived through the coming fight.
"Corin?" Prinelle's voice drifted past his rambling thoughts and into his conscious mind.
"Uh, yeah, Prinelle, what is it?" Corin asked once he was able to collect his thoughts.
"I'm getting a strange reading from this moon." Prinelle indicated a small moon orbiting a dead planet. Neither the planet nor the moon seemed to be anything other than large chunks of rock floating in space. The planet had shown some signs of previous life, but the inhabitants had been dead for well over a thousand years.
"Get some more in-depth scans. I'm bringing us in closer." Corin said as he brought Vengeance into a close orbit of the moon. The surface of the moon was scarred from thousands of years of impacts from debris and meteorites. Its once vibrant brown and green was now a washed out tan and gray. "Scan both the moon and the planet. Let's make sure that our first scans weren't wrong."
Prinelle and Narja worked together running different scans of both heavenly bodies. The planet below had once supported a thriving society, but something had gone terribly wrong a long time ago. There was evidence of a war that consumed the entire world. No continent had survived unscathed. Giant cities once capable of housing hundreds of millions of inhabitants were now nothing more than crumbling relics of a bygone people. There was still a thin atmosphere, but it was toxic to anything that could breathe. The trace elements in the air would instantly burn the lungs of any person, or the leaves of any plant.
"I think I've found something." Narja said, turning to Corin. "On the moon, here." he pointed to a section of the moon, near the northern polar ice cap. Narja enhanced the resolution of the image and put it on the main view screen.
"What is that?" Corin asked as Narja highlighted, enlarged, and enhanced the image again. In the center of the screen appeared a large metal object engraved with strange symbols, and covered in a thick layer of dust.
"I believe that is a door." Prinelle remarked wryly.
"A door?" Corin looked back at her. "How big is it?"
"According to my readings, it measures just over four hundred meters." Narja's voice trailed off as he spoke. The sheer size of the doors seemed like an omen of things to come.
"Four hundred meters?" Corin asked in astonishment. His mind swam at the possible implications that this find could bring. "Enlarge and enhance the image again please."
Corin studied the markings on the door as they grew larger and clearer. The markings were in sets, each set being different from the next. It took a moment before his eyes locked in on one set of markings.
"These aren't some strange alien markings." Corin muttered. "They're human."
"Human?" Narja questioned. "Are you sure?"
"I'm positive. There's English, Russian, Arabic, Chinese, French, German, and a bunch of others that I don't recognize, but it's human." Corin rambled. His excitement grew as he spoke. "It says that this is an Earth Coalition base."
"I hate to interrupt this moment of glee, but according to my readings, whatever scanned the fleet is inside this moon." Prinelle reminded Corin and Narja of their mission. "Should I contact Redemption?"
"No." Corin thought for a moment. "I want to be absolutely sure of what we have here, before we send anything."
Corin brought Vengeance to a halt, barely fifty meters above the mammoth door. He didn't have to wait long before his entire ship was encased in a scanner beam. Moments later, the space doors began to open, and Vengeance slipped inside.
Nothing could have prepared them for what lay on the other side. Row upon row, and layer upon layer of unfinished starships filled the entirety of the hollowed out moon. Giant drones, much like the one that sat in Vengeance's cargo hold, lay motionless amid the thousands of starship hulls. Vengeance flew swiftly between the ships, searching for the signature of the ship that had scanned the fleet.
"I think I've got something." Prinelle highlighted a ship on the view screen. "Ten kilometers in, two up, at one o'clock."
"That looks like a finished ship." Corin studied the readouts. "And it's much newer than the rest."
"It's identifying itself as the Dauntless, Admiral West's flag ship." Narja looked puzzled. "I don't like this. Something is very wrong."
"Why would a resistance ship be in here? How did they even know about this place?" Prinelle dared to ask the question that was on everyone's minds.
"I don't know." Narja looked over at his betrothed. "The other question is why aren't there any life signs?"
"No life signs?" Corin double-checked the readings. "That ship is supposed to have over five hundred crewmen. Where are they?" A cold chill ran down his spine. If this ghost ship scanned the fleet, how did it do it? Why was it here? Where was the crew? There had to be some rational explanation.
Corin found an empty dock near the Dauntless, and set Vengeance down. The air outside the ship was thin, but breathable with an acceptable pressure index that did not require an environment suit. He gathered his weapons from his quarters, and headed for the airlock.
"Alright, Major, I'd like for you to accompany me. We'll take Brutus with us and leave Prinelle here with Mekala." Corin turned to his friends. "Prinelle, I've got a sub-dermal link that will allow us to stay in touch. Any questions?"
"No questions. Just let me know what you find." Prinelle told Corin, and then turned to Narja. "I'm not going to lose you again. Be careful."
"I will." Narja pulled Prinelle into a tight embrace. "Lock the ship down after we leave."
"Time to go." Corin handed Mekala over to Prinelle and walked down the ramp. Brutus and Narja followed behind him into the cool, dry air.
Pale yellow lights fell listlessly onto the cold metal deck. The shipyard was an open expanse of darkness and machinery. Each dock had a separate alcove with a few benches, tables, and tools, but nothing more. Catwalks and lifts connected all the docks, with stairs imbedded against the steel gray walls.
Corin walked over to the railing. Darkness greeted him as he looked down into the abyss. Nothing other than the immediate area was lit, so any further inspection was out of the question.
"Corin, when we get to the Dauntless, I should take the lead." Narja said as he came alongside Corin.
"Yeah, o.k." Corin realized that Narja was actually making sense, even though he could not abandon the feeling that something was very wrong. They continued on the darkness, letting the pale lights come alive as they went. The lights illuminated the passage just enough that Corin and Narja could see a pile of something unidentifiable and grotesque in the distance.
"What is that?" Corin asked Narja as they drew closer.
"I'm not sure, but I think that we should check it out." Narja's voice betrayed his growing apprehension.
Neither spoke as they quickened their pace. As they came closer, the details became more distinct, and the familiar smell of death greeted them.
Lying on the floor was a pile of unidentifiable remains with an Admiral's rank insignia resting neatly on top of it.
"Prinelle, how are things going back there?" Corin asked without any preamble. He tried not to let his emotions show through in his voice, in an effort not to scare Mekala. "Do you have the ship locked down yet?"
"I'm working on it. There seems to be a problem with one of the door mechanisms. It won't shut." Prinelle grumbled.
"Keep working on it. I'll be there in a minute." Corin sighed, and then turned to Narja. "One of the airlock doors is having a problem. We need to go back, and get it sealed before we go
any further."
Corin, Brutus, and Narja quickly ran back to Vengeance. Time seemed to slow as they drew closer to the little ship. Things looked to be alright, but there was something that was definitely wrong. The airlock door was open, and the sound of screaming came from just inside.
Narja bolted through the airlock with Corin on his heels. Inside the second door, Prinelle lay crumpled on the deck. Standing over her was a Bakeeron man in a Resistance Captain's uniform. The look in his eyes, and the smile on his face stopped Corin and Narja in their tracks.
Corin reached for one of his pistols as Narja checked to see if Prinelle was alive.
"I wouldn't do that if I were you." the man sneered at Corin. "This little thing isn't worth all of you dying." he held Mekala before him like a shield.
"Who are you, and what do you want?" Corin kept his eyes on the intruder. He blinked quickly to access the ship's internal sensors. Prinelle would actually live if they could get her to the DioBed in time.
"It doesn't matter who I am." The Bakeeron started to laugh. "But you can call me Nom."
"Alright Nom, what do you want?" Corin checked his sensors again to make sure that Brutus was just outside.
"Right now, I want your ship. The Dauntless is simply too much for one man to crew." Nom chuckled. "This little ship however, will do just fine. Yes, just fine. Give it to me."
"No." Corin stepped forward. "You invade my ship, assault my crew, and take my daughter as a hostage? I don't think I'll be cooperating with you very much. Put her down."
"Your daughter?" Nom's laughter grew to near hysterics. "Your daughter? I don't think so."
"This spawn is mine!" Nom screamed, pulling out a knife and pressing it to Mekala's neck. "My wife gave birth to her! I killed the bitch for it! She's mine!"
"Daddy!" Mekala cried as Nom burst past Corin and was away before Brutus could react.
"Narja, there's a DioBed down that corridor waiting for Prinelle. Take care of her. I'm going after Mekala." Corin pointed quickly before running out the airlock.
As he ran, Corin activated a series of his implants. He was able to adjust his eyesight for the low light levels, and supplement them with his ships sensors. Brutus' footprints glowed a dull red in Corin's eyes. Mingled with the cat prints were a smaller set, belonging to Nom.
Racing up the stairs on the other side of Vengeance's alcove, Corin drew his pistols. There would not be any excuses this time for not having his weapons ready. He quickly crested the first flight of stairs and found only more footprints leading to yet another set of stairs.
Racing across the open alcove, Corin took the steps two at a time. At the top, he saw a large mass lying by the stairs. As he came closer, he saw that it was Brutus breathing heavily.
Corin glanced out of the corner of his eye at Brutus as he passed. The cat lay on his side, bleeding from several open stab wounds. It tore at his heart, but there was nothing that Corin could do for him right now. Not if he wanted to save Mekala.
"Put her down, and I won't kill you." Corin bellowed as he stepped out onto the platform. He kept his pistols trained on the man’s head, trying not to listen to his daughter screaming. "Put her down now."
"Why would I do that?" Nom sneered. "I've been trying to kill this little spawn of mine for quite some time now. I don't think I'm going to simply put her down. No, I think that you need to put your weapons down, or I'm going kill the little vermin." He pressed his knife deeper into Mekala's neck, drawing a trickle of blood.
"Hurt her, and you die." Corin growled, slowly inching forward, while keeping his pistols trained on Nom. His pulse raced as he thought of how he could save his daughter from this madman.
"Aw, you've developed feelings for this pathetic thing. Too bad." Nom laughed as he casually held Mekala over the railing, and over the deep chasm beyond.
"Daddy!" Mekala cried. Tears streamed down her face as she trembled with fear.
"Put the weapons down, or I drop her." Nom turned serious.
"Alright, I'm setting the pistols down." Corin said as calmly as he could manage. Very slowly, he placed the pistols on the floor by his feet.
"Kick them over the edge. Now." Nom ordered. He watched as Corin did as he was told. The weapons slid smoothly across the floor, and disappeared into the abyss.
"Good boy." Nom sneered at Corin. "By the way, never give up your weapons." He laughed as he dropped Mekala over the railing.
"No!" Corin screamed. Mekala fell as Brutus rushed past and leapt over the railing. In one brief moment, Corin lost everything, everyone that he held dear. Mekala's screams filled the air as she fell, and then abruptly stopped.
"Now, it's your turn." Nom growled, stepping menacingly closer to Corin. Bloodlust filled Nom's eyes as he licked his cracked lips. "After I kill you, I'm going to take your ship, and I'm going to find, and kill T'Sula Mir too."
"I don't think so." Corin uncurled his whip. "You're going to pay for your crimes, and then, I'm going to kill you."
"What, with that rope?" Nom mocked Corin as he circled him, looking for an opening.
"Yeah, with my rope." Corin looked at his whip and smiled. The weapon was old, a family heirloom, but it was well made, and well taken care of. Corin's earliest memories were of his father teaching him the proper uses of the ancient weapon. He still practiced the whip in the cargo bay, and meticulously cared for the braided leather.
"This will be too easy." Nom laughed an instant before Corin unleashed the fury of his bullwhip. The tip of the weapon snaked out, and broke the sound barrier as it crashed into Nom's face. His nose erupted in a cascading shower blood, skin, and bone.
Before Nom could react, Corin struck again. The tip of his whip slashed across Nom's neck, severing his esophagus and vocal cords. As Nom fell to his knees, Corin used the whip, and eviscerated his enemy's groin with another supersonic attack.
"You'll have to do better than that." Nom laughed, rising to his feet. The blood had already stopped flowing, and his wounds healed. Blood dripped from his smile as he stepped toward Corin.
Corin lashed out again, lacerating Nom's ear. Cautiously, Corin circled his enemy looking for another opening. Finally, he found one. Almost instantly, the tip of Corin's whip pierced Nom's eye, driving deep into the socket. Nom twitched from the impact and grabbed the whip.
"No more." Nom growled, pulling hard on the whip.
Instead of pulling against his enemy, Corin ran forward, using the pommel of his whip, he smashed it against the side of Nom's head. The impact stunned the Bakeeron long enough for Corin to wrap the braided leather cord around the other man's neck. He stepped behind Nom and pulled back as hard as he could.
Nom grunted in surprise, and pushed back with his legs. He drove Corin back, slamming him hard against the railing. His elbows drove back, repeatedly hammering Corin's ribs.
"You're going to die the same way you killed my daughter." Corin sneered, keeping his hold on Nom as he reached back with his free hand. Gripping the railing, Corin threw himself backward, taking his daughter's killer with him. As he flew backwards, Corin kept hold his whip and pulled.
Corin could hear the maniacal laughter stop as Nom's head came away from his body. He looked down as his dead enemy continued to fall into the blackness of the hollowed out moon. Painfully, Corin pulled himself over the railing, and sat down with his back to it.
He sat there with his head in hands as he cried. Mekala was gone. Brutus was gone. In one moment, they were ripped from his life.
Corin started as he felt a gentle touch on the back of his neck. He turned to see Mekala, held firmly in Brutus' powerful jaws as the cat clamored laboriously over the top of the railing. Wounded and exhausted, Brutus collapsed at Corin's feet.
Wiping tears from his eyes, Corin pulled Mekala close to his chest and held her tight. After too few heartbeats, Corin released his daughter and checked on Brutus. The Sand Panther lay at his feet, not moving.
Brutus' eyes glazed over, and his breathing was labored. H
is wounds still seeped blood, some of it the deep red from his arteries. He turned his massive head and looked directly at Corin. They were more than simply traveling companions or even friends. Corin, Brutus, and now Mekala were a family. Nothing could ever change that.
Corin reached into one of the pouches on his belt and removed a can of spray bandages with a coagulating agent in it. He carefully sprayed each of Brutus' wounds, and then gave him a mild sedative to slow his racing heartbeat. Corin and Mekala sat by Brutus' side, stroking his fur while they waited for Vengeance to come.