Lokians 1: Beyond the End of the World

by Aaron Dennis

  His crew agreed and invited her to join them. She took a seat next to Zak. DeReaux eyed her ample bosom heaving beneath a loose robe. Fitzpatrick squinted at him.

  “I understand,” her hue paled to a pinkish gray when she spoke. “Fighting is never easy, not this kind of fighting; we are all struggling to survive.”

  “Yes,” Nandy said. “I read over some of your history.”

  “We was just talking ‘bout that,” Marty smiled.

  “Oh,” the Thewl nodded. “Much has changed to be sure, but our goals are the same, to live a happy life and care for our future generations. What has changed is our habits; no more do we idly pass the time. Every second is carefully calculated in order to survive, to persist. We have become militant, but there was a time when a person could be a farmer or shipwright without the demands of strategy.”

  There was something simple, but elegant in her rendition. O’Hara was astonished by the ease of connecting with Thewls. Once he got past their lack of expression or tone, their emotions became evident.

  “You just came to check on us,” Day asked.

  “I did. Korit wanted to come himself, but he’s meeting with the admiral,” Lam-Yung answered.

  “Well, how about we go for a walk and talk?”

  The pilot looked everyone over. They had finished eating. Glances passed and frowns of approval went around. So, they left the mess hall to amble about the vessel. Day asked about the ships she had seen docked in the Carrier.

  “Would you all like a look at our ships,” the Thewl asked.

  “I think Day is bursting, here,” Swain chuckled. “Let’s go. Let’s go.”

  Phoenix Crew giggled, which made Lam-Yung’s jaw clench. She maintained the she was unfamiliar with the sound, but they were at a loss to explain laughter.

  In the Carrier’s docking zone, they were witness to such an expanse of steel grating, railings, enormous sets of stairs, ladders, cranes, and innumerable rows of ships. They paraded across a platform guarded by a tall rail. Day had to stand on her toes to peek over. All manners of vessels stood beneath her.

  There were angular fighters, bigger ships shaped like discs, but pinched at the ends. Some had wings, some didn’t; some even looked like semi-seamless race cars with jets at the rear. All of them had some weaponry, and a plethora of armored Thewls ran about, chatting, pointing, working.

  “Can I ride one?” Day begged.

  “I’ll have to get clearance, but it can be arranged,” Lam-Yung answered.

  They spent moments meandering about the fighters. Day bolted off to question pilots regarding the controls, while Marty asked about the weapons, and Swain asked about the mechanics. O’Hara, Zak, Nandy, Fitzpatrick, and Lam-Yung looked each other over.

  “We are not so different,” the Thewl said.

  “Are the other races?” Nandy was curious.

  “The Yvlekesh certainly are. They are nothing like us. They are more like the Lokians—insects—but they lack a hive mentality; it is something from which they evolved away….”

  “But they’re on our side, right?” Zak looked jittery.

  “Yes. They have no desire for destruction.”

  After meeting back up with the others, Day stated she had been invited to ride on a fighter, so O’Hara let her scoot. Some of the others also wanted to visit different decks. Lam-Yung was open to anything; she left with Swain, Marty, Fitzpatrick, and DeReaux for the weapons lab.

  Zak, Nandy, and the captain climbed up a set of stairs, a rather difficult feat, and from high up, they leaned against the rail to observe their alien friends. Everything was regimented, organized, and they functioned with efficiency without being cold or hard. In fact, they were all rather congenial, and they accepted change, and all seemed happy to coexist, if temporarily, with Humans.

  Finally, they all went their separate ways. O’Hara bumped into the agents outside his crew quarters. They exchanged looks, but Adams and Franklin claimed they were busy. They didn’t apologize or explain; they just walked off, vanishing around a corner. Weird, they’re always together, like one person. He smiled to himself.

  As the seven, day sojourn unfolded, the crew spent as much of their time together as they did separately, with Thewls, learning more and more of everything there was to learn. When they weren’t helping deckhands, they met up to share their newfound knowledge with each other. Adams and Franklin also schooled the Human crew on the Grays, however the agents spent most of their time building relations or compiling data on the Lokians, which they sent back to Bureau HQ, which meant meeting with them was rare.

  Meanwhile, Swain finished crafting his Swainium bullets. Martinez and DeReaux tested the new ammunition, which used Helium-4 as a propellant. Initial tests revealed the explosions were too powerful for their gun barrels, so new Swainium barrels were created. They were lighter, sturdier, and dissipated heat more efficiently.

  ****

  The series of coalescence jumps led through several arms of the galaxy. By the end of the week, the ship arrived at its destination. That morning at 06:00 hours, the captain called his crew to the Carrier’s bridge, where they found Lam-Yung scanning the system.

  “Sahagun is a small, white, dwarf planet,” she reported.

  Nandesrikahl walked over to the screen and looked over her elbow. “What’s it called? The system, I mean.”

  “There was no name for it. In fact, the only named object was the planet.”

  “Well, that won’t do. What do you think about Centaur system,” he asked the bridge.

  “Good a name as any, I suppose,” O’Hara shrugged.

  The aliens looked around. Nandy figured they were confused. Finally, Lam-Yung asked why and for what reason.

  “I don’t know. It’s in the Centaurus arm. Just seems fitting, I think. Besides, I get the feeling we’ll be needing to chat about this place in the future. Why not give it a proper name, eh?”

  O’Hara patted his friend’s shoulder. He didn’t care much about what it was called. He only cared about what was there, but whatever Nandesrikahl needed to do to keep his mind clear was appreciated.

  “Anyway,” Lam-Yung continued, “data indicates Sahagun orbits an enormous C-class star with an intense, gravitational pull. Any planet too near the star was either pulled in and destroyed, or over heated and coalesced as a gas giant. One of those gas giants ignited thousands of years ago, acting as a smaller sun.

  “Sahagun is mostly composed of Calcium and covered in a thin layer of frozen water. We haven’t any life signs, though,” she trailed off.

  The admiral walked over from across the room. He covered a hundred yards in a matter of seconds.

  “An exploration team is our best bet,” he told O’Hara. “I hope you join my men on the ground.”

  “Thank you, Sir. I’ll gather my crew on one of the Explorers.”

  As O’Hara led his men out of the bridge, the admiral’s orders resonated throughout the Carrier’s intercom. Among the orders was a mention of which Explorer was taking leave. Making a mental note, O’Hara turned to his comm. He relayed to Phoenix Crew orders to suit up.

  As soon as he was geared, he ran from crew quarters to the elevators, where he met up with Fitzpatrick. Her head was freshly shaved, so he ran his gloved hand over her scalp. She winked at him.

  “You ready for this,” he asked.

  Shaking her head, she said, “Ready as I can be…you?”

  “Honestly…I hope we don’t run in to trouble, but if we do, I’ll do my best to keep coordinated.”

  “Roger that.”

  “Where’s your better half?”

  “I’m sure he’ll be the last aboard the Explorer.”

  “Why?”

  She just arched a brow, smiling. O’Hara’s brow furrowed. He didn’t know if she was implying he was having relations, and if that was the case, he was doubly worried about with whom.

  “Day,” he called through his comm.

  “Copy.”

  “On your way to
the Explorer?”

  Fitzpatrick looked him over. He saw her from his peripheral, but didn’t look at her directly. By the time the door slid open, and they stepped onto the Explorer bridge, Day came back.

  “I’m lending air support.”

  “You’re gonna’ fly a fighter” Fitzpatrick yelled at O’Hara’s wrist.

  “Yep. I like the Type-B ships. I already have one picked out. So, if you’ll excuse me,” she cut communications.

  “Anyone else have any surprises,” the captain asked aloud.

  “Sir,” Swain saluted. O’Hara returned it. He had been standing with some Thewls outside the lift, talking, when the captain showed up. “I think I have a surprise.”

  “What?”

  “You asked if anyone had a surprise, well, they asked me if I want to drive a rover; I’d love to put one of those babies through its paces,” Swain said, eagerly.

  “You don’t know how to drive that thing,” Martinez said. O’Hara turned to see him exiting another lift. “’Sup, Cap?”

  “Hey…do you know how to drive one?”

  “I’ma ‘bout to find out,” Swain replied, comically, pretending to lean back and drive lazily.

  “Captain, gentlemen,” Nandy said when he stepped onto the bridge along with some Thewls, who immediately took posts. “This is so exciting.”

  “Hey! Keep it in your pants,” Fitzpatrick joked.

  Unable to stop smiling, Nandy just showed his pearly whites, while Marty rattled off how great the new rifles were. DeReaux joined them, followed by more Thewls, and then the agents. After Swain bolted for the loading zone to pick a rover, the rest kept their eyes glued to the monitor at the far end of the Explorer’s bridge.

  Chapter Thirteen

  O’Hara and crew marched to the loading zone where they piled into multiple rovers. Rather than keeping Humans and Thewls separate, everyone shared seats. O’Hara was stuck with the agents, who stared at the ceiling while a Thewlish countdown ensued.

  ****

  In the far reaches of space, against a backdrop of distant stars and the hazy, light of a glowing, gas giant, the Carrier employed stabilizers, reducing speed to a standstill. As immense panels released hydraulic pressure, rotated, and slid beside the enormous sphere, Explorers and various fighters took formation. One Explorer took point, locking onto Sahagun, a tiny speck of white, like a snowball floating amidst the interminable void.

  One-by-one, the space crafts pierced the thin atmosphere. Zooming over crags, mountains, smooth, webs of ice, and numerous depressions formed from millennia of crashing comets, the Explorers finally touched down, where hatches opened to release eight rovers. Swain occupied the driver seat of one carrying Martinez, DeReaux, Fitzpatrick, Zakowski, and three Thewls. Another vehicle carried O’Hara, Nandesrikahl, the agents, and four Thewls. The squadron of surveyors barreled over bumpy, frosty terrain.

  ****

  All were awestruck by the glowing, gas giant; it resembled a pulsating, reddish moon. Flares of pinkish fire gushed out in all directions, giving the impression of a beating heart. Though the planetary body was too far to fully light Sahagun’s surface, it provided a degree of luminescence.

  High hills and deep valleys of crystal reflected dazzling patterns. Bright flashes shone back inside the vehicles; headlights bounced off the shining environment, forcing everyone to squint.

  “Did we get any signs of civilization,” Nandesrikahl asked.

  “Not that I heard of. I assume they landed here though. Maybe they left their ships or something. What are we looking for, anyway,” O’Hara inquired.

  One of the Thewls answered him. “A sign of a sign, I suppose. There was nothing specific, so we’re just systematically scanning on the ground while the air crew surveys overhead.”

  “If traveler technology advanced, a sign of their existence here may be more difficult to find,” Franklin commented.

  “Meaning,” O’Hara asked.

  “Meaning they very well could be or have been here, but easily covered their tracks. They were underground on Marduk. Logically, they dwelled underground here, too,” Adams explained.

  “We had readings and energy signatures on Marduk,” Nandesrikahl added.

  The agents shrugged.

  “Oh, that’s reassuring,” O’Hara snipped.

  ****

  Back on the Carrier, Lam-Yung picked up an energetic anomaly. A sort of harmonic distortion was working its way through the surrounding subspace, but data revealed nothing in their vicinity. After reviewing heat and magnetic resonances, her scans indicated a mass collapse of a section of nearby subatomic particles.

  “Admiral, we may have a problem!”

  Glossing over the readings, he first ordered his men check for a miscalculated jump. A tear in subspace was not an impossible result of such, but everything turned up fine. Then, readings spiked; six, enormous objects of incalculable mass were coming from nowhere; they literally appeared from dark space, and headed straight for the Carrier at an alarming speed. Scanning for material composition revealed alloys often found in Lokian construction.

  “Admiral, that can’t be!”

  “It has to be,” he yelled. “They’re moving at faster than light speeds. Look, it’s the only way they can escape the pull of their own black holes.”

  “Their own black holes?”

  Suddenly, readings stabilized. The enemy had patched the space-time fabric. No sooner had Thewls taken a breath that the Lokians came to a halt. Readings indicated a flood of information.

  “They’re releasing fighters, Sir,” someone barked.

  “Damn it,” Yew grumbled. “Message the rovers. Inbound enemies. Tell them to make exploration their only concern. We’ll handle the Lokians space side, and the scrambled ships can handle them planet side. Got it?”

  “Sir!”

  All aboard the Carrier, Thewls darted off for their posts, for ships, and those unable to cram into lifts took stairs and maintenance shaft.

  ****

  Back on Sahagun, the crews of each rover braced themselves. “Aw, shit,” Swain gasped.

  “Stay focused. They got us covered,” Martinez reassured.

  Swain looked to the Thewl on his left, who nodded. “You’re doing fine. Head for the ice mountains in the distance. You there, take the gun,” he said.

  Martinez wasted no time, moving to a seat on a slightly higher level towards the rear of the rover. Another Thewl quickly ran down instructions on how to operate the cannon.

  “Hell yeah! We gonna fry these bitches,” Martinez yelled.

  ****

  Just beyond Sahagun’s atmosphere, the Carrier powered its weaponry. Apart from plasma cannons was a devastating, anti-matter, reverse, magnetron charge, or just AMRMC. Swain and Martinez had studied its properties extensively during their week long trek. It was an ingenious weapon, which fired a conglomerate of anti-matter particles. The reverse, magnetron charge contained the explosion caused by collisions of matter and anti-matter particles. In short, the AMRMC caused a destabilization of spatial particles, a potent, high frequency, explosion, but partially contained in one spot.

  Lokians were closing in at a phenomenal rate. Their fighters, creatures bred and built in a fashion resembling mechanical beetles and hornets, took the forefront. Quickly and efficiently they arranged themselves in such a tight formation that they maneuvered as one, single unit; they were like a swarm of fish, which sensed one another via lateral lines.

  Thewlian fighter pilots looked on in horror as shiny, sleek, space bugs bore down. Gritting their teeth and dimming their faces, they prepared for the worst. Then, Yew’s orders blared over speakers.

  “Once the enemy fighters close the gap, fire the AMRMC. I want to blow this alien trash to Hell and back!” The enemy came in, shifting panels to reveal all manners of protuberances, cannons, glowing membranes, and arcs of fizzling energy. Thewlian fighters held firm, however, they knew what an AMRMC did, and they wanted no part of its catastrophic damage, so t
hey waited, breaths held, for the enemy to move just a little closer. “Fire,” Yew shouted.

  From the Carrier’s cannon, a black blast flew through space. It covered some serious distance before the reverse charge broke down. Suddenly, as anti-matter particles were freed from their field, they collided with standard particles, resulting in an expanding array of black and white lightning. Carnage knocked out half the Lokian fighters—the whole of their rear—in mid-flight, yet the enemy transporters remained a safe distance as if gauging the battlefield.

  Slowly, the AMRMC blast vaporized, leaving Thewlian forces an opportunity to engage half as many enemy vessels. They broke into various formations, fired plasma bursts at the insects, and tried to dodge laser beams.

  ****

  “Steady,” an unfamiliar Thewl voice spoke into Day’s earpiece.

  “Who’s that,” she asked from behind the helm of her Type-B vessel.

  “The coordinator, he’s piloting one of the ships,” one of her men replied.

  Day and her comrades remained poised as the enemy headed directly for a collision course. “Why are they coming in straight?” she was freaking out.

  “Stay calm,” the coordinator advised. “My squadron attacks when I say, Human.” Day sat wide-eyed, fingers shaking over the controls. She wanted to make eye contact with someone, but her vessel was designed with several partitions. “Now!”

  A volley of blue-green struck Lokian forces. Day immediately executed evasion maneuvers. To her dismay, a second wave of Lokians pulled up at the last second, efficiently avoiding the brunt of the cannon blasts, and after pulling up, they took a wall-like, formation, firing red lasers from tubes resembling stingers.