“Lemme guess, we’re stuck right?” Naijen quipped. “This is feelin’ like Argosy all over again. Trapped. Nukari …” He smiled roguishly. “But I did have a good time bustin’ heads and carvin’ up creatures.”
For the moment Kiyanna would accept the meathead’s bliss just to make him more tolerable. He was ultimately right; they were trapped, and they still didn’t understand what was going on.
A uniformed alien approached the group. His large bulbous eyes and blotchy green skin gave him almost a frog-like appearance. “Do you need directions to the media center?”
“Why the media center?” Kiyanna said.
“Everything here is closed until the announcement.”
“What’s going on?” Kiyanna said.
He chewed on his lip as he looked over the group. “You were on the craft that just arrived?”
Kiyanna nodded.
“Omegar Station is under lockdown. We’ve been instructed to direct all personnel and visitors to the media center for further information.” Anxious, he gestured for them to move. “Please go now.”
They followed the arrows and flow of aliens into an outer corridor with massive windows along the outer hull. Defense satellites and patrol ships were slowly deploying around the planet. Tiny explosions erupted across the atmosphere.
“What’s that?” Speru asked.
Kiyanna liked the situation less by the moment. “My guess: ships being vaporized. The planetary defense system looks active.”
They entered the media center, a massive auditorium with digital displays lining the walls. The constant din of confusion made it difficult for them to talk. Despite the noise, Kiyanna noticed odd glances between Naijen and Speru. It looked like they were talking, but only Naijen’s lips were moving. Their body language was clear, but how was that possible in this noise?
The digital boards suddenly came to life. Images of riots and looting spanned across the massive displays. Silence fell across the crowd as they watched in horror. A voice boomed, “What you are seeing are scenes from our planet’s capital, Kratn.”
One of the displays updated with another of the blotched, green-skinned humanoids. Kiyanna noticed the same man standing on a makeshift platform on the far end of the media center.
“Um … at 0300 Kerosan Standard Time, the leader of free Keros, Oledant Soyen Voray, was assassinated.”
A murmur washed across the crowd. The displays began to change.
“As you can see, riots have broken out across our world. Leaders are attempting to regain order. As of this moment, all traffic into and out of Kerosan space has been shut down. Those on Omegar Station will remain here for the time being. No one is allowed up from or down to Keros. This freeze will remain in effect until government reopens Kerosan space.”
The crowd’s murmur became agitated.
“We do not have any timetables to share with you at this time. We will do everything in our power to provide facilities and accommodations to you. Our government’s primary concern is to restore order on Keros as quickly as possible, and to find those responsible for the Oledant’s assassination.”
“Meanin’, we’re penned up,” Naijen growled.
Recalling the extensive monitoring done by the Kerosan Homeworld Security, Kiyanna didn’t want to say too much out loud. A peculiar sensation drew her attention to the agitated crowd. There, she saw a mass of black hair with purple streaks, shaped like a lump of steel wool, headed directly toward them. Aliens cursed as they were shoved out of the way. A woman with pale white skin and unusually large honey-colored eyes, clad in studded black leather, emerged from the crowd. Her low-cut top barely contained her buxom chest. The dog collar, and the studded wristbands, matched her unpleasant demeanor. Only her knee-length, pleated leather skirt and thigh-high black boots gave any semblance of modesty.
Kiyanna found her look idiomatic. How could someone so beautiful adorn herself with such harshness? It drove a “come hither,” “go away” paradox.
“You … hey,” the woman said, approaching boldly. “You just arrived in that ship right? When ya leave, ya take me—I can pay.”
Intrigued, Kiyanna eyed her up. “We’re headed planetside.”
“Yeah, you really don’t wanna do that. It’s a mess down there…. ’Sides, nothin’ but hypocrites, bigots, and dung eaters on that planet.”
“Not changing plans,” Kiyanna said.
“I ain’t looking for any trouble, just want a ride out of here. I can pay.”
Naijen stepped between the women. He towered over even the mighty mass of steel wool-like hair. “It ain’t happenin’, so stop buggin’ us.”
The woman looked coolly at the brute, and shrugged with apathy. “You don’t want easy money, that’s your loss. Have fun planetside,” she snipped before storming off.
Naijen snarled. “Freak!”
CHAPTER 11:
Enamored Assassin
The team made their way back to the original guard who helped them. They were informed access to their ship was also denied, due to the risk of using ships’ weapons or advanced drive systems to circumvent the embargo.
“Now what?” Speru said.
“Now we change plans,” Kiyanna said. “We find Yulanis.”
Bob chimed in through Kiyanna’s communicator badge. “Follow yellow wall markers to the promenade. There, look for a shop called Denisiters.”
They waded through the crowds, following the yellow markers, until they reached a large, open-aired space. It appeared to be a massive ring, one that housed countless shops and restaurants.
“It’s twenty meters ahead, on the second level,” Bob said.
“I see the sign.” Kiyanna pointed it out to the others.
When they approached, the shop was dark, a secure gateway pulled down over the door.
“Closed,” Seigie said.
Naijen swiveled his head Kiyanna’s direction. “Now what, genius?”
Seigie motioned to the other shops around them. “Those are just reopening.”
“Then we just wait—”
“Wait?” Naijen said. “Oh, you plan as good as Rylee. What a swap this was.”
Kiyanna watched countless aliens stream by. How long would order remain, with so many aliens literally trapped together? It was one thing when order was imposed on beings that felt they had choice and freedoms, another when they believed they were being held hostage.
“So this assassination, do you think the enemy is involved?” Speru said.
“I don’t think we know enough to say. It could just be an internal thing,” Seigie said.
“But Toriko told me about Tericn, and how the enemy had worked their way into their government. Maybe it was a maneuver to gain power?”
Annoyed, Naijen glared at Kiyanna. “Knew I shouldn’ta come. How long we jus’ gonna stand here?”
“You have a better plan?” Kiyanna said.
His face grew embittered.
“Didn’t think so. This is where our next lead will be. We just have to wait. I’m not going to rush anywhere else blindly. That’s reckless.”
“Stick your lecture. Remember, you’re the newbie.”
A woman with orange tinted skin and thick brown moles nervously approached, fumbling keys from her pocket. She looked across the group blocking her way through.
Velren. Kiyanna’s tension broke with the first good thing to happen during this mission. Mencari said their contacts here would be Velren. They were looking for one with long gray hair, with a chinstrap beard, but this was progress.
“Move!” Kiyanna said, smacking Naijen out of the way.
The woman’s hands trembled while she fidgeted with the lock. It finally clicked, and the security gate retracted. Automatic lights illuminated and the main door opened. She dashed inside and stood behind the register watching the group apprehensively.
Kiyanna led the others inside. Walls were lined with diverse goods and equipment. “We’re friends of Eyani … looking for Yulanis.”
The woman’s expression relaxed.
“I am Yulanis,” a sturdy voice said from a doorway on the far side of the room. “This is Sriya, my life mate.”
Yulanis was taller than his profile image made him appear, but otherwise matched what Kiyanna expected.
“So how is Eyani these days?” he said.
“Busy.”
“Yes, I would expect that. The never-tiring spirit of change.” He smirked. “I developed my own—social activism—from her. Some things never change.”
He looked over the group. “I was told I’d be signaled before anyone came.”
Kiyanna started. “The situation’s evolved. We were headed—”
“I know where you’re going. It could be some time though. Who knows when this situation will resolve. I’ve never experienced this before. I was going to collect some information for you, but the way things played out, I didn’t have the chance.”
“Anything you can tell us would be helpful.”
“Since the security crackdown, I can’t even access any of my info-streams. You’ll have to go to the IBC and get what you need concerning where to go planetside. In the meantime, I’m going to call in a favor and get the component I need to unscramble the streams. I’m not one to sit idle, impaired like this.”
“What’s the IBC?” Speru said.
“Sorry, too many damned acronyms. I forget it’s not normal to talk like that sometimes. It’s the Information Base Center. It’s just behind the media center. Were you at the announcement?”
“Yeah,” Kiyanna said.
“Good. The sooner I get going, the sooner I can be of more use to you.” He began to walk away, but looked back with a serious expression. “By the way, be careful where you go and what you say. This station has many layers of monitoring systems. Had the consumer streams been available, I would have been able to listen to your conversation outside our store. There’s always a chance security teams here still can.”
Saying, “I’ll be back soon, Sriya,” Yulanis waved and exited with the visitors. They headed in opposite directions. Retracing their steps, the team made their way back to the media center. Once there, they followed the signs toward the IBC.
* * * * *
“Hey, isn’t that …” Speru pointed to a news display showing the woman with the purple-streaked hair that had approached them earlier. Text scrolled rapidly beneath her image, with information about the woman.
Cerna gasped. “Prime suspect?”
Naijen’s eyes looked over the crowd. “There, over there … I see her.”
“Where?” Seigie said.
Naijen pointed at a cloaked figure with an odd shape poking through the hood. “See? She can’t hide that hair if she tried.”
Looking the other way, the cloaked figure turned from the screens and dashed around the corner.
“We keep clear of her,” Kiyanna said.
“What if she’s Nukari?” Speru said.
“If she is, we’ll deal with her then. Until we know more—we keep our distance.”
Naijen grunted, and they continued on to the IBC. As they entered they found kiosks lining the walls. Kiyanna and Seigie walked up to one and began working through the options. Seigie co-piloted the interface.
“This can’t be right,” Seigie said. “According to this, where we were headed was where the assassination took place.”
“The exact place?” Speru said.
“Not the exact place, but very close.”
“Could our allies be involved, then?”
The kiosks abruptly powered down, with gasps escaping the many aliens working before them.
Speru said, “What’s a planetary lockdown?”
“Usually when people have to go to designated areas when something goes really wrong. K’pec did drills for that every few years,” Kiyanna said.
Speru pointed to the displays. “That’s what’s happening on Keros right now…. And something about Homeworld Security being deployed.”
The group stopped and read the updates.
“Special deployments to their satellite colonies and gateway stations? Did I read that right?” Seigie said.
Kiyanna nodded. “That’s what I read. The text runs by so fast.”
“I don’t like how this is escalating,” Seigie said. “Now I understand why all those ships were leaving.”
Kiyanna said, “Let’s get back to the shop.”
A disturbing murmur of discontent rolled in growing waves through the crowd. The mood on the station was deteriorating, becoming tense and frenzied. Exactly what she predicted.
“Pick up the pace,” Kiyanna said with urgency.
Before they could reach the promenade, a scowling band blocked their path, each with slimy, deep-blue skin speckled with black spots. Instead of hair, they had thick tentacles that draped down. “Where you headed to so fast?”
“Those are Ennu, an aggressive and hostile race,” Bob warned in a hushed tone through the communicator.
“Who wants to know?” she said.
“Listen to that, boys. ‘Who wants to know?’ Because I asked.”
“To the promenade.”
“Oh? Must have money to spend there. Why don’t you’ze share the wealth?”
She saw Naijen reach for his Skar, but casually stepped in front of him, motioning to stand down. He snarled.
“Find your own wealth,” she said.
“I think we did.” The thugs flashed their weapons. Assuming Naijen was about to pull his weapon, she proactively waved behind her again for him to stand down. A new murmur resonated around them.
“Over there … those guys …”
“Weapons!”
“Call security!”
A group of the green-skinned, big-eyed station guards moved between Kiyanna’s group and the Ennu thugs. As the groups clashed, Kiyanna led the others to the promenade.
Naijen growled. “What was that?”
“That was us keeping a low profile,” she said.
“Low profile, crap. I coulda taken them. Thought I was supposed to show you what I can do. Can’t if you keep stoppin’ me. Maybe you’re the fake.”
“Look around. Things are going to get ugly around here. There’ll be plenty of opportunities. Right now we just need to get back to the shop.”
Behind them, the sounds of battle echoed down the corridor. Kiyanna motioned them to move faster.
Sriya’s greeting showed relief when they entered. “Did you see Yulanis?”
“No, why?” Kiyanna said.
“He should have been back by now. And the few things I’m hearing from other vendors … the station is becoming wild.”
“Do you know where he was going?” Kiyanna said.
“Yes, on the other side of the promenade.”
* * * * *
“This looks promising.” Naijen gave a toothy grin at the spreading chaos in the corridors.
They dodged around a number of fights before a group tumbled in front of them. Happy to engage, Naijen pulled out his Skar and quickly cut down both groups.
“If Yulanis is out here, he could be in trouble,” Kiyanna said.
“Maybe he’s waiting things out with his friend?” Speru said.
“The location Sriya mentioned is just ahead,” Bob said through the communicator.
Cerna nodded. “There. That’s the place.”
As the group approached, they saw the security gate deploy over the entrance. A woman stood on the other side, guarding the door as it secured.
“Excuse me,” Kiyanna said.
“We’re closed. Go away.” The woman’s voice quivered.
Cerna said, “Please, we’re looking for a friend of ours—”
“There’s no one else here.”
“His name is Yulanis,” Kiyanna said.
The woman looked at Speru, suspicious. “Who?”
“Yulanis. His wife Sriya is worried about him. She said he came here, but with everything happening on the station—�
��
“When did you talk with Sriya?”
“We were just there. She sent us to check on Yulanis,” Kiyanna said.
She looked coolly at them. “He was here. He left a while ago.”
“So he’s not here with you?” Kiyanna asked.
She shook her head.
“Do you know what direction he went?” Kiyanna said.
“He said he was going to take back ways to his shop. Thought it would be safer.”
“Can you point us in the right direction?”
The woman hesitated.
“Please, he could be in trouble,” Speru said.
She poked her arm through the security gate and described how to access the vendors’ back ways.
“Thank you,” Kiyanna said.
The group headed to the vendor entrance. As the heavy doors closed behind them, the din of battle faded.
* * * * *
What is that? Cerna thought while a bug the size of an infant skittered along the wall. Speru jumped when it passed him, alerting the others. It disappeared into an open vent.
“Someone needs an exterminator,” Kiyanna said.
Cerna gasped and pointed at two gangly beasts clinging to the ceiling. Long, snarled teeth flashed before the pair turned and walked along the ceiling. Before a word could be spoken, battle noises echoed from the direction the beasts went. Kiyanna motioned the team to follow.
The corridor seemed more like a back alley, lined with crates and barrels. Rounding a corner, they saw the woman with the purple-streaked hair fighting the Ennu thugs that wanted money from before.
“Back!” Kiyanna pointed the way they came.
With her height, Cerna could see over the top crates piled up, and saw the beast skitter past the thugs on the ceiling, directly for the woman. She nearly cried out a warning as the creatures leaped from the ceiling toward her. To her surprise, rather than harming the purple-streaked wonder, the creature dissolved into her body.
D'mok Revival: The Nukari Invasion Anthology Page 84