The Joining: The Saga of the Shards Book One (The Cycle of the Shards 1)

by Chris Stephenson

  “We get it?” Critock asked, coming around the monitor with Tom in tow.

  “We’re getting in!” Shanna was beaming with pride that she had succeeded in her task, which would hopefully be the last thing that Critock required of her. The alien put a hand on her shoulder and squeezed, which she found felt quite pleasant.

  “Good work, Shanna, well done. Just get us to the pictures and you’re done with all this.” Shanna nodded as Critock finished, and even he was smiling now. The plan was working, albeit more extended and difficult than they had originally planned. The last pictures would come up, Pt’ron would be revealed, and he would be stopped. Nothing would stop them now.

  It was impossible to make out the two figures huddled over the desk in the small room from a distance with the naked eye, but the pirate was not ill-equipped, even after his great fall and the destruction of his vessel. Even though he had not planned on ever leaving his ship during this mission, he had a pack strapped to his side that contained emergency supplies in case of a plan gone wrong, and between the previous evening and his efforts today to remain incognito despite his size, this plan had definitely gone wrong.

  Being stranded on the planet that was doomed to possibly explode was not something he was counting on, and at this point, he knew his only chance was to turn his back on the original mission and gain the favor of Pt’ron, and claim the Shards for himself when his back was turned! It was not the greatest or most likely of plans, but it was all he had. He looked upon Critock, somehow still in the body of a child, and a less-covered feminine child next to him, and snarled. He lowered the card that served as binoculars from in front of his eyes, and stood, gauging the distance between himself, standing undisturbed on the flat land that separated the school from what the pirate considered a small village. He growled, and began to move, getting quicker as he went, aiming to surprise his adversary. After all, what better way to gain the favor of a Marconian who would be God than to present him with the head of his enemy?

  By Critock’s estimation, the computer had taken far too long to boot up. After Shanna had vacated the computer chair, he had claimed it, anxious to get started on this last list. He knew this wasn’t the end of the mission, in fact finally finding out who Pt’ron was would throw a new wrinkle in the already disastrous proceedings. If it was someone who had been expelled, they had to be stashing the Shards somewhere on school grounds, and would be returning to get them. If it was someone that was still there, then it was imperative that they intercept him or her before the Shards became active, in case they had them upon their person. Fortunately, even with so little time left before the missiles were launched, there was time enough to take care of any eventuality.

  “It’s up, are we good?” Tom asked nervously, flying from one side of Critock’s head to the other.

  “Just a minute more…” Shanna said almost directly in Critock’s ear, the slight breath coming from her answer caused a brief flash of excitement from Kyle, who was in high spirits due to Critock’s imminent departure if nothing else were to go wrong.

  But at this point, it was just waiting. The wheel stopped moving, but the arrow on the screen refused to respond. Critock glanced at Shanna, who just shrugged. “I’m sure your computers boot up instantly and are ready to go, but we’re making do with what we have here.”

  Critock shook his head. “I don’t do anything with ‘my’ computers. We have specific departments for that.” He tried the mouse again, and was relieved when the arrow moved in accordance to the motions of his wrist. “Now?”

  Shanna nodded. “Now. Scoot.” Critock moved a bit out of Shanna’s way as she leaned over and took control of the mouse. As quickly as she could, the nervousness in her stomach not making it any easier, she moved the arrow over a folder marked ‘Yearbook’. She had a hard time finding it at first, as Mr. Tompkins was someone who didn’t know much about computers or operating systems, but did want to save anything, so Shanna was met with a full screen of folders and files that were in no particular order. Fortunately, she was a fast reader, and eventually located it in the third row, halfway down. Clicking it brought up another full page of files, and a few folders, one of which was ‘Pending’. She clicked again, and yet again when confronted with a folder ‘Images’.

  With each click Critock’s patience grew thinner and thinner. At last when the images folder opened and the same sort of list he had seen on Phelps’ computer opened, he could not wait any longer. He moved back in front of the screen, and grabbed the mouse from Shanna. “I assume these are the ones?”

  Not offended that he had regained control of the system, she just pointed at the screen. “Click that one.” Following her directions, he was instantly met with a familiar face. Kyle’s.

  There was a few sentences of writing underneath ‘his’ face, listing the offenses that had been committed, all of which from two days prior, he noted. He smirked, looking into what were currently his own eyes, and then clicked next. And then next again. Just as in Phelps’ classroom, he clicked through the pictures as fast as he could. He paused briefly on Brian’s two friends, but they were clean, and he clicked through. Only a few more pictures left, and he remarked to himself that he hadn’t seen most of the people that Kyle knew. Not Daniel, not Jim, not even Claire. Just as he thought that, he reached her picture. Her fair face and blonde hair, along with pretty green eyes, stared back at him, and Critock looked at her eyes, taking extra special care. He had to be sure…Could it be…?

  It was a beautiful day outside, with nary a cloud in the sky, so the sun coming down through the window provided a slight distraction on the screen, along with making everything behind the screen reflect on it. So Critock and Shanna not only had a view of the pictures, but also directly outside. As it was the middle of a class and lunchtime, it was unusual to see someone out at this time. But as he focused his eyes on Claire’s, he also noted motion from behind, slightly to the left of him. His eyes widened as he recognized who was making the motions, just from the armor that he wore, and the tentacled visage. Realizing his target quickly, he grabbed Shanna and dove to the right, pulling her down to the floor with him, just as the pirate crashed through the principal’s window. The impact of the large being completely shattered the full pane of glass that went from ceiling from floor, sending pieces flying into the room, and Critock tried covering Shanna as best as he could. The pirate landed from his jump directly on top of the desk, his legs on either side of the monitor.

  The pirate looked directly at Critock, snarling. Here was the boy that caused him so much trouble, who had stranded him here and embarrassed him! The soldier who had destroyed his vessel that he had worked so hard for! The girl with him was no mind, she undoubtedly was some sort of conquest of Critock, some sort of reward for his victories. Well, there wouldn’t be any more victories here, not on this world! He reached for his belt and recovered the small weapon, bringing it up and pointing it directly at Critock’s forehead.

  “Sk’wrak.” Critock cursed, his throat burning from the difficult Marconian curse word as he and Shanna had risen to a kneeling position. He shoved her as she let out a sudden scream, just as the pirate fired the weapon. Mere inches separated them from the blast of the Disintegrator, which cleanly seared a hole through the carpet and the floor of the building itself. They both scrambled back as the pirate jumped off the desk, and faced them.

  Critock and Shanna backed towards the wall, and found themselves against the door, staring at the monstrous space pirate, who stood waiting for his weapon to recharge. “YOU DESTROYED MY SHIP! YOU WILL DIE!” The yell was in rough Marconian, and Shanna couldn't understand what was said. He lunged at the pair, and Critock pushed Shanna left, and jumped right. He was larger, but slower, and only succeeded in grabbing air.

  “CRI-TOCK!” Shanna screamed, as Critock waved his arms in the air, desperate to keep the pirate’s attention on himself.

  “C’mon, c’mon, look at me you ugly frak.” He spoke to the pirate, who growled, movi
ng his body around, slowly stalking his prey.

  The doorknob turned slightly then, still locked, and suddenly there was a pounding at the door, with the older secretary calling from outside. “Shanna! What’s going on! Let us in!” Shanna looked frantically at the door, then back to Critock.

  “Don’t open that door, Shanna!” Critock called out. “Ugly will tear the rest of this place apart and Pt’ron will know we’re on to him.” There was a whirring and a click, and the pirate smiled, and raised his arm, leveling the disintegrator right at Critock’s chest.

  Just as the pirate fired and Critock dove again out of the way, Tom suddenly rushed in from the ceiling and emitted a bright white flash, blinding everyone in the room. The shot from the pirate went wild from it’s intended route, and struck the computer directly. In an instant it disappeared in a blast of sparks and smoke, and the monitor shut off, its wires severed from the main unit.

  Critock blinked as his eyesight recovered, looking on in disbelief at the blackened surface of the desk where the computer had been just a moment before. Any chance of finding out who Pt’ron was before the Shards activated was gone. He turned his head to the pirate, who was still feeling the effects of the flash, and looked at him with a horrified expression. “You can’t imagine what you’ve just done.”

  The pirate blinked again, looked at the boy, and laughed a sharp, guttural laugh, his tendrils slightly quivering with each sound. Critock slowly rose to his feet.

  “Critock! I can’t do that trick again for a while!” Tom floated nearby, a little woozy from the light attack.

  Critock waved him off. “Take her out of here! Get her someplace safe!”

  “NO!” Shanna yelled as Tom rushed to her. “I’m not leaving you!”

  “Tom!” The wisp sighed, looked at Critock, then reached for Shanna, a white tendril moving out of the backend of the comet form, and wrapped it around her arm.

  “C’mon, Shanna, there’s nothing we can do. It’s okay, this is what he does.” Then Tom pulled with surprising strength for something so small, and Shanna was yanked off of her feet. Critock watched warily as the two disappeared out of the recently completely smashed window, Shanna still struggling. As they disappeared from view around the corner, Critock and Shanna’s eyes met, and both were full of fear, for different reasons. Shanna was scared for Critock’s life. Critock was scared for her planet. As soon as they were completely gone, Critock turned, facing the pirate again.

  “Okay, big guy, just you and me now. C’mon!” Critock pounded his chest once. The pirate roared, and beneath the noise of the roar and the increasingly loud pounding on the door came the distinctive whirring click of the disintegrator. Before the pirate could react to his weapon’s noise, Critock rushed him, again catching him off guard despite the difference in sizes. Their bodies met and the pirate was forced to the ground, Critock punching him with all of his might. Unfortunately, even the combined strengths of a Marconian and a human were not enough to cause much damage to the pirate’s bulk, who pushed Critock off of him. He flew through the air, landing roughly against a bookcase in the corner of the room. He bounced off of it, and down on the floor, flat on his back. The pirate advanced, and Critock rolled and sat up, back against the bookcase, looking up at his enemy, who had murder in his eyes.

  Critock just smiled, one hand on the floor, the other gripping the disintegrator. He fired the weapon directly at the pirate, who hadn’t even realized that Critock had stolen the weapon. The blast hit him in his mid-section, and all the pirate could do was look at Critock with astonishment as his entire body disintegrated, evaporating into the air, from stomach outward. The last thing to exist of Oi'rramal before disappearing entirely was his trembling tentacles.

  Critock sighed, breathing heavily, rubbing his side where he had been thrown into the bookcase. He looked down at the disintegrator, which sparked once and then was silent, having used up all of its charge. He tossed the weapon out the window, knowing that there wouldn’t be energy suitable for refueling that gun created on this planet for millennia. And now they didn’t have millennia, did they?

  The door suddenly burst open as Mr. Tompkins had finally been located, and a spare key used. Tompkins, the secretary, and a couple of other unknown office workers all came into the room, looking around at the broken window, the burned computer, and the pile of ash that was formerly an alien invader to their world. Their eyes followed the disaster to Critock, who lay looking up at them. He looked at them with a tired look.

  “You’re not going to believe this.”

  30

  Qua’roti Alpha sighed heavily as he stared at his wrist, waiting on a call that he was now convinced would never come. At this point, though, it was too late to matter. Knowing when the sacred Shards would activate, knowing the distance between worlds, and knowing the time it was going to take for these two world-ending missiles to reach their exact targets, the time had come to launch if they were going to forestall the next War of the Shards. And the pig-faced general of the Marconian fleets knew it too.

  “Why haven’t we launched, already?” A slight snort emitted from the nostrils of the General. “It is too late for Critock, Alpha. If the Shards activate…”

  “I know!” Alpha slammed a fist down into a nearby wall, an uncharacteristic response for the normally stoic figure. But the General was not wrong. “The final preparations are complete. The coordinates are set. The last fueling will be complete momentarily, and then they can launch. And you will have your war, General.”

  If the General had caught the angriness in Qua’roti Alpha’s tone, he did not comment on it. He simply clasped his flipper-like hands behind his back. “If we had just prepared sooner, all this would have ended by now.”

  Alpha swung his head to face the General directly. “If we had fired a second before the timing says we should, the missiles would arrive early. If the Shards are not active when the missiles arrive, then they will not be able to be located with any accuracy. If that cannot happen, then we cannot guarantee that they are destroyed. Not only will we have our civil war, but the next War of the Shards will undoubtedly begin soon after. No, General, it will all end precisely as it was planned. With fire, and the verified destruction of the Shards.”

  The General nodded, and noticed a flashing light on a panel near the rocket. “Then it is time to end this, Alpha.” Alpha turned towards the light, sighing. He took one last look at his wrist, the silver band remaining undisturbed, and then walked towards the missiles. The General followed him, and the two stood side by side at the panel, which was flashing ‘Fueling complete’ in Marconian script. Both took a hand, and placed on their respective sides. Together, they spoke one word.

  “Launch.”

  Almost immediately, the missiles sprung to life. Bright white lights appeared across the sides where the metal pieces came together, and a roar began from the engines as they sprung to life. The white smoke that had been emanating from the exhausts of the missiles turned to grey as orange flames began to appear. The pair of missiles moved in unison as they began to move upward, slowly at first and then suddenly firing into the sky, within seconds almost disappearing from view among the daylight. Only two small points of light shone in the sky. As the General watched alongside Alpha, a small black hole appeared from where the missiles had last been seen, and then within an instant disappeared again, along with the weapons.

  Alpha continued looking upwards as the General moved away, half hoping for something to have gone wrong with the missiles. A miscalculation, perhaps, that would have caused them to explode harmlessly in space. But there was no sign of any mishap, with no evidence to the contrary, there was no reason to think that the missiles were not on their way to Earth.

  “I will contact my division, Alpha. We will have a recorder at the planet for confirmation a few kliks after the missiles terminate.” Qua’roti Alpha looked up to find the General staring at him. He didn’t look as smug as Alpha had assumed he would be, instead there was a
small look of worry upon his pig-like face. Was it possible that the reality of the situation had finally set in on the Military leader?

  Alpha looked back up at the sky, holding on to the slimmest of possibilities. “There is still time, General.”

  The general looked at him for a moment, assessing his equal among the Religious sect, and sighed. “All the same, I have to start preparing.” With a nod, the General departed, leaving Alpha alone, waiting on a miracle that seemed much farther away than the millions of light-years that separated him from the mission.

  31

  The first bell for the next period had rung, and the students who were scheduled to work in the office were beginning to file in, expecting the day to be like any other. Working in the office was seen as a privilege by the staff, but it was mainly seen as a easy way to get out of class by the students. Today, however, they were met at the door by the secretary with an even sterner look on her face than usual. She simply shook her head at them and gave each one a separate pass to join the Study Hall for the period.

  Daniel was one of these students, and was far more curious than most of the others. He was met the same way as the others, with an upraised hand and a small piece of paper directing him to the library to sit in there. He glanced at the paper and shook his head. “What’s going on? Why is the office closed?”

  She fixed her gaze on him. “Nothing you need to worry about. Please report to the library.” Daniel took a step back, but tried to peer around her, hoping to catch a glimpse of something going on. Frowning, and seeing that there were no more students trying to get in, the secretary closed the door in his face.