D'mok Revival: The Nukari Invasion Anthology

by Michael Zummo

  “Look at all of them!” Allia said.

  “Oh yeah!” Naijen roared in elation.

  Ahead, explosions like small suns flashed in the distance. “This doesn’t look good,” Osuto said, concerned.

  The Nukari markers appeared to swarm around their opponent, encapsulating them. “A new signal is being broadcast,” Mini-T announced.

  “What type of signal?” Mencari asked.

  “Analyzing,” the bug-bot said. “It appears Coalition in origin.”

  “Coalition?” Mencari asked; affirmation of his own race’s involvement was at hand.

  “Affirmative.”

  “Open the channel, Mini-T,” Mencari said. “Use my authentication.”

  “Got it,” Mini-T piped up as the sound of static filled the ship.

  “Coalition distress call. SOS,” a panicked voice said over the static. “Command, we’ve been cut off. We can’t get to Anrik. Send reinforcements.”

  “To Anrik?” Mencari stared at the station, and recalled what the Nurealian said when they rescued him from the last battle. “The Nurealian-Human we saved from the last encounter with the Nukari beasts asked if they saved Anrik. Is that what this is about? Anrik’s in that station?”

  “No more talk, let me out there,” Naijen roared, twitching, Skar in hand.

  Mencari motioned to the others. “Launch!”

  “Where’s Toriko?” Allia cried, looking out the port window.

  “We can’t wait,” Seigie said, echoing Naijen for the first time.

  “Mini-T, broadcast on the same frequency,” Mencari said. “Tell them Rhysus Mencari and his team is here for backup. Then send your coordinates, and tell whoever’s leading to fall back and regroup with us.”

  “Command, we need reinforcements now!” a new voice shouted.

  Mencari yelled, “You heard him—GO!”

  * * * * *

  “Let’s draw off some attention!” Osuto said to Mencari and Naijen, both of whom already beamed with golden light. “Cerna, ready for this?”

  “Fire directly at me—don’t hold back,” she said.

  “Hold back?” Naijen scoffed. “Don’know me very well, do ya?”

  Osuto watched as Mencari and Naijen reached forward, hands enveloped in power. He too focused, and outstretched his hand.

  Thunderous energy ripped forth and struck Cerna. She shrieked as her body shattered like ice, leaving behind a being of pure energy before them. They continued their attacks. The golden light swirled about Cerna’s ethereal form and erupted in bursts of energy. Ribbons of power lashed out like flares on the sun, then wrapped back around and disappeared into her body.

  Osuto marveled at the beautiful yet unusual phenomenon. Her featureless head turned toward the swarm of Nukari beasts. The light within swirled like a swarming war of fire and shadow.

  An unearthly howl went forth as she opened her mouth, and a ray of black energy ripped from her. A coil of hellish red light wrapped around the beam, spreading wider as it went.

  As if protected by a bubble, the beam passed around the protective silver auras of their allies, doing no harm to them. However, the Nukari beasts, once struck, shrieked as their bodies were turned inside out.

  Hooting in pleasure, Naijen flew forward, Allia and Ichini in tow.

  * * * * *

  Seigie opened her hands to reveal several sanguine and agate gems. Each radiated power. She loaded them into the wrist launcher given to her by Eden’s devisers.

  Nikko danced through space, snapping her thick legs as she twirled to send blades of energy toward an attacking group of eight Nukari beasts.

  “Eat stone!” Seigie yelled and fired her wrist launcher. The light from the gems grew as they hurled through space. The agate broke and grew into shards of stone that flew like bullets after the sanguine gems exploded behind them. The rocky shrapnel passed through Cogeni’s bubble and tore through the beasts.

  * * * * *

  “No mistakes, kid!” Naijen yelled, looking back.

  “They won’t touch me,” Allia hollered.

  To his amusement, she rode on the back of a transformed Ichini. It was Naijen’s favorite beastie, the stingray-like creature with the long protruding snout and barbed tail. An eerie glow from its underside made it look like it was gliding on the solar winds.

  “See how many we can hit!” she yelled, took her Flower Blade and fitted it into a slot of her wrist shield. A devilish smile crossed her face while she amassed power.

  Little girl ain’t messin’ around! He reveled inside, excited to see the little whelp about to unleash hell. Maybe this was the attack she talked about before?

  After a grunt, her wrist-shield glowed moments before a powerful column of energy blasted forth. It was a solid strike, which sliced through the beasts it hit.

  Not bad, kid. He couldn’t help thinking this, but then shook off the proud moment and joined in, letting loose his own attacks.

  They began counting off their personal kill counts, and he grinned. Just when he didn’t think he could like the kid more, he did.

  * * * * *

  “Coalition soldier en route, Rhysus,” Bob updated.

  “Good.” Mencari watched for the approach of a silver comet.

  “Sorry I’m late to the party.” Toriko’s voice streamed through Mencari’s communicator. Her ship was emerging through a glowing tunnel rift. He wasn’t aware it could tunnel on its own. Maybe that was one of the enhancements Eyani talked about?

  In moments, the pink craft streaked past him and headed toward the swarm of Nukari beasts and silver warriors.

  “What are you doing?” he shouted.

  “This—HENSHIN!” she shouted as the stripes of white neon running lengthwise beamed bright.

  Sections of the ship dislodged. Struck with panic, Mencari thought the craft was coming apart. It tumbled forward, and then twisted. His eyes grew wide when he realized it wasn’t out of control or breaking up, it was transforming!

  Legs flipped down from the underside of the craft. Arms pushed out from the fuselage, and a robotic kitty-head emerged in the middle of the two back thrusters. The forward spikes of the ship folded back, to become wings on the back of the robot.

  The eyes on the robotic head illuminated, along with the white neon strips that ran down the arms. A swirl of energy circled its hands moments before it collected into discs of energy.

  “Super-mega-cannon, BLAST!” Toriko yelled as the disks shattered into hellacious pillars of light that pulsed toward the enemy. Despite a few that dodged, those hit were vaporized.

  “Hum,” she scoffed. “They’re not concentrated enough for that to work.”

  The robot’s hand folded in, replaced by multiple gun barrels.

  “Roto-cannon, obliterate!” she screamed as a constant stream of plasma bolts blasted forward. “Tell Naijen, this kitty has claws!” Her manic cackles filled the intercom as beasts were blown apart before her.

  Mencari stared in a combination of awe and disbelief at her robotic death machine.

  A silver comet streaked their way. “Incoming ally—no one kill him please!” Mencari shouted. In the distance, countless swirls of purple energy appeared.

  “New incoming beasts gating in!” Una screamed.

  * * * * *

  “Naijen and I are going with the Nurealian,” Mencari hurriedly told Osuto. “We’re going after Anrik. In the meantime, you guys assist the other silver warriors.”

  “Be careful,” Osuto said. “Get in and out of there. There’s more beasts by the second. Many more, and we won’t be able to hold them—”

  “Watch out!” Cerna screamed. Osuto turned in time to see multiple blasts of energy almost upon him. He reached forward and extended his protective field. The beams warped, but his own shield flexed, and he felt an odd drain of his abilities. Traveling in an arc, they were pulled away from him and flung back in the direction from which they came. In the distance he saw Cerna’s hands guide the blasts back at their attackers
. As they were struck, the beams broke against them without harm.

  “Go!” Osuto yelled to Mencari, who shot off with the silver warrior, stopping to get Naijen. Allia and Ichini headed back Osuto’s way.

  “Toriko, we’re going in,” Osuto said through his communicator. “Blast a channel open for us.”

  The hair of his body tingled as a massive pulse of energy ripped past. In moments, beasts were dead or scattered, a channel blown open in the swarm.

  “Set up our defense,” Osuto called to Cerna, who was gathering them together. The group clustered and sped into the open channel, to the heart of the combatants. Most warriors of silver attacked the outer perimeter of beasts, while a few followed through the channel to help Osuto. It became a gauntlet of deadly beams and projectiles from the Nukari beasts.

  “We need more cover fire!” Osuto said.

  Cerna yelled. “Use me!”

  Seigie charged a number of yellow crystals, while Allia and Ichini radiated with brilliance. Seigie threw the gems at Cerna, while Allia and Ichini attacked with powerful beams of energy.

  The Amazon’s body lit up with a pure white light moments before small portals of light appeared before her. Foot-long creatures emerged through the milky colored swirls. Living cones of energy, they streaked toward the enemy. Arcs of electricity electrocuted those nearest their path. With each discharge, the summoned creatures became more translucent until they faded out altogether. Despite their brief lives, the damage inflicted was instant and absolute. Not a single beast struck survived.

  Osuto found himself distracted for a moment by the variety of outcomes in Cerna’s attacks. How each attack turned out seemed heavily influenced by the sources of energy that flowed into her.

  The Nukari beasts began to cluster, each radiating their own angry auras. When the beasts unleased their attacks, Cerna tried to redirect some of the blasts into other Nukari beasts. These didn’t just explode without effect, but instead blew cleanly through those hit.

  Osuto wondered why it worked sometimes and not others.

  Multiple flashes behind the group drew his attention. A look back told him that entire sections of the space station were exploding. The sight appeared to give pause to the Nukari beasts as well. “Don’t let up!” one of the silver warriors yelled.

  In the distance, another wave of purple swirls formed. A sinking feeling overcame Osuto.

  “There’s too many!” he said. “Retreat!”

  * * * * *

  The remaining silver warriors regrouped with Osuto and the others as they retreated. Cerna continued to deflect blasts.

  Where was Mencari? Osuto’s eyes fell back on the station. A rolling explosion crawled across the bulkhead, ripping it apart level by level as it went.

  How many times did they need to learn this lesson? Too little planning, too much action. Their group was still fledgling, and here they were attacking an entire army of Nukari beasts just like them.

  His stomach knotted. He could lose the entire group right here, right now. Without them, the Nukari would roll through this quadrant of space just like the last time: unchallenged, and absolute in power.

  This was his fault. What type of mentor—what type of leader—allowed this to happen?

  “We won’t last much longer,” Seigie yelled as she fired a few volleys of sanguine and agate gems into the Nukari beasts that were closing in.

  Osuto had a few more blasts in him, but once he was spent he’d be useless, and most likely defenseless. They had to hold the line, buy Mencari more time, assuming he wasn’t dead already.

  What if it wasn’t enough? He couldn’t worry about that right now.

  He gripped his hands into fists. His heart pounded as power surged through his body.

  “What are you doing?” Seigie screamed.

  He yelled, “Help me, Cerna!”

  He saw Seigie attempt to charge multiple green gems, then noticed incoming blasts from the Nukari beasts. Instead of bending and redirecting back where they came, the energy was drawn toward Cerna.

  Her body shattered as the blasts hit, revealing her ethereal form, swirling with power. Osuto realized the move was brilliant. With a smile, he unloaded everything he had at her. He noticed Seigie also threw her gems toward Cerna.

  Bands of energy crackled from Cerna’s body as a fog of pure power wafted from her. When she reached her spectral hands forward, a vortex of swirling power streamed forth that burrowed like a drill through the Nukari beasts. Chunks of the creatures spun wild into space.

  Osuto felt a great weight overcome him. He closed his eyes and drifted backward, dizzy and spent. As he refocused, he saw the great hole in the beast-swarm close back over, and knew it was hopeless. There was no way he could manage another attack like that.

  Without Naijen and Rhysus, they didn’t have a prayer.

  Radiant light poured from behind them, as strong as an exploding nova. Looking back, swirling disks of white light dotted the dark canvas of space.

  Sleek, dark maroon ships marked with the Eden logo burst through each one, and opened up their forward cannons. The swarm fell into chaos as countless beasts were obliterated.

  A familiar voice echoed in Osuto’s mind.

  I brought friends.

  Katen? he wondered, nervous.

  Yes, the unexpected answer came.

  A lavender glow shot from the nearest ship, directly at him, followed by a golden one. His surprise was replaced by a sensation, that of a cold breeze on a warm day, chilling but refreshing.

  Cogeni and I coming, pushed into his mind.

  Katen? That was Katen?

  New explosions drew Osuto’s attention back to the swarm. It had regrouped and started its own onslaught against the Eden ships. Without defenses against their unique D’mok-like attacks, the ships were easy prey.

  As Cogeni and Katen zipped past, he saw Cogeni reach into his pocket and draw out a twisted metal relic. It almost looked like an angel holding an infinity symbol. Light radiated from it, then swirled out around them. It appeared to be some type of protective field. Katen’s lavender energies grew around his body. His Nukari brethren approached him, holding their attacks.

  Was he going to turn sides and join back up with the beasts? What was Cogi doing with him? Why had Eyani allowed Katen to roam free, much less lead an Eden team into battle?

  Without warning, the Nukari beasts crumped forward. The distraction was long enough for the other silver warriors to blast the creatures into oblivion.

  Their minds are unprotected.

  Katen was speaking to him again. Unease crept across his body. If Katen could do that to the Nukari beasts, he could do that to Osuto’s group as well.

  You worry for nothing. If I wanted to do that, would I not have done so already?

  Was there nothing Katen couldn’t hear?

  No. Now assist me. We must work together.

  The swarm continued to press their advance. The remaining Eden ships retreated into the white, swirling disks.

  “Where’s Rhysus?” Seigie yelled.

  Osuto looked to the station in time to see a series of flashes that ended in a horrific explosion. The station turned into a hailstorm of shrapnel as it ripped apart.

  “Naijen! Rhysus!” Allia screamed.

  “Abort the mission,” Una cried through the communicator. “Eyani said to abort now.”

  The beast-swarm flurried and dove in a desperate, final strike against the group.

  Cerna, I need to channel through you. Everyone focus your energies on her.

  Katen’s command to Cerna resonated in Osuto’s mind. There was no time to think about anything else. Gathering everything he had left, Osuto turned toward Cerna and attacked. He felt his body go limp as the energy left his hand, and he felt lightheaded, and wrapped in an all-consuming warmth.

  I will protect you, old one.

  A shriek filled his mind.

  * * * * *

  “Osuto!” Seigie cried, seeing the old man float back
, lifeless.

  Energy swirled about Cerna’s radiant form. She shrieked, and suddenly the whole of the Nukari swarm shattered. Beasts tumbled in agony in every direction. Some bled from the ears, or crushed their own skulls with their hands.

  “What’s going on?” Allia asked, looking around in horror. “Why are they doing that?”

  Seigie looked back to Katen, whose eyes were rolled back, his body pulsing in elation. Her eyes fell back on Osuto.

  “Osuto!” she cried again and flew to his side.

  “What,” he said, his voice a tremble, “is that screaming?”

  “I don’t hear anything,” she said, relieved he wasn’t dead. “Are you in pain?”

  “No,” he opened his eyes. “Just tired. But I can hear something … like someone shrieking in the …”

  He stopped. His eyes had seen the sea of floating dead beasts. A few still twitched and writhed.

  “I found one alive,” Toriko said through the communicator. “He looks in bad shape though.”

  “Cogeni, help Toriko!” Seigie yelled.

  Looking back through the debris of the station, a new light approached. A cluster of silver and gold emerged. In the middle was a Nurealian in a silver cloak, body limp as it floated.

  “Rhysus!” Seigie cried.

  A band of silver warriors converged on them, and took the man from Naijen and Mencari.

  “What are they doing?” Seigie said as the familiar bays of light opened from sleek black ships, picking up the silver warriors. Then, she realized. “Are you kidding? They’re leaving? Again?”

  CHAPTER 17:

  Into the Rift

  “I can’t believe you actually made it through a battle without getting hurt!” Toriko joked. She watched the eddies of power swirl in the tunnel walls outside the ship. “Start of a new trend, Allia?”

  “I just kept moving,” Allia said, and looked over at Naijen.