by Lee Watts
"WHO ARE YOU?" came an unexpected voice from the other side of the room.
The holy man was so transfixed by the creatures he had neglected to check to make sure the room was vacant of people. The sudden noise made some of the hybrid creatures begin to stir. Some pounded on the walls of their tubes trying to get out. Turning quickly to face the challenging voice, Caedmon noticed the milky purple skinned T'lec master surgeon Nim-Gimmer.
"He is Caedmon," came a second voice from someone on the room's open second level. Caedmon immediately stopped, but before he even set eyes on the person, he knew it was Jambrek. In a mocking tone, the Ramillie high priest continued. "Faithful Voice of the Elder. Leaving so soon? We have unfinished business you and I."
CHAPTER 35
"And the servants of the king of Syria said unto him, Their gods are gods of the hills; therefore they were stronger than we; but let us fight against them in the plain, and surely we shall be stronger than they." - I Kings 20:23
"What do you mean we'll all be killed?" Crimson said distrustfully.
"The Vault Keeper would have set booby traps," Sosimo explained. "You've seen some of them already. You don't know the legend well enough to get past them, Crimson. You're such a dolt you'll set off every trap there is and get us all killed. So, by all means, go ahead and try. I wanted to kill you personally, but if I have to settle for you doing it to yourself, well, I guess that will have to do."
Crimson hated his old captain. The infuriating doubletalk, the bouts of insanity, his infuriating knack of coming up with a brilliant plan yet always seeming to forget one minor yet crucial detail, - all these made him despise LaRouche all the more. What was most irritating is the man was too often right. Crimson had noticed the deadly effects of setting off some of the Vault Keepers traps so LaRouche might not be bluffing this time.
"You're right," Crimson at last said. "I don't know all about booby traps and the Vault Keeper, but you do, and I think you are going to open the real vault for me. Oh, and you better work fast," he said as he pointed his blaster at the Fortune's first mate, "or I'm gonna send Mei here to a family reunion a piece at a time."
Mei knew he like nothing better than blasting her. She also knew Crimson was likely to shoot them all anyway even if Sosimo found and was able to open the room with the payoffs.
Sosimo raised one finger, paused then used it to motion for everyone to follow him.
"This way," he said.
His gesture was both reassuring, and concerning to Mei, it meant he had... a plan. Heading to the back of the rotunda, he led them to the pedestal of thirteen symbols that controlled the door to the room that had housed The Weapon.
"Here we are," Sosimo declared.
"What?" Crimson said in disgust. "There's no treasure here."
"Well I didn't say 'here's the treasure' now did I? I said 'here we are' not 'here it is.' You need to pay better attention. Now, as I was about to say, before someone rudely interrupted, here we are at the spot with the secret to finding the real vault. It is said there is a combination to The Vault, but anyone who gets the combination wrong will breathe death," he said dramatically.
"Then you better hope you get it right," Crimson said.
Sosimo raised an eyebrow.
"Here we go," he said as he slowly reached for the pedestal of buttons, but then quickly jerked his hand back. "Of course, if I guess wrong-"
"Quit stalling," Crimson said while emphasizing the point by moving his pistol forward a little.
"Fine," Sosimo said and used his real hand to press three of the buttons of the circle then activated the center one.
"INTRUDER! INTRUDER," came a computerized voice that echoed off of the high rotunda walls. "ONE MINUTE TILL THE RELEASE OF POISON GAS." A moment later the sound of moving stone drew everyone's attention to the massive double doors of the main entrance that were slowly closing.
"Quick," Sosimo said. "We've all got to get out of here before the gas deploys!"
"Hold it, LaRouche," Crimson said adding another gesture of his pistol. "You, Mei and your boy here aren't going anywhere." Nodding with his head to his crew he said, "Come on boys; let's go." His crew made no hesitation in heading out of the rotunda.
"THIRTY SECONDS TILL THE RELEASE OF POISON GAS," the computer's echoing voice announced.
With weapon aimed at his nemesis, Crimson backed toward the closing doors.
"Think of it this way, LaRouche," he said in a gloat. "You searched your whole life for The Vault, and now you're going to die there. Fitting isn't it," he said with a laugh then stepped to the other side of the doors just before they sealed shut and locked.
***
Captain Crex ascended the steps to the command platform overlooking the bridge of the goliath warship Tyrannus. Warlord Ra'daq was in his command chair. A myriad of screens was before him, each displaying not the space outside or sensor readings, but workstations and the inside of multiple private quarters. Crex noticed his own quarters were on one of the displays. Trying to stay focused on his purpose, he clicked his heels as he came to attention before reporting.
"We just received new orders from Central Command, Warlord. We are to begin the assault."
"Yes," the Warlord said as he hit a switch deactivating all of his screens. "So I've been told."
The statement made Crex uneasy. He was by the communications station when the orders were received and came directly to tell Ra'daq. How could he know about them already? Ra'daq smiled wickedly at the thought of the long-awaited annihilation of the Realm fleet.
On the bridge of the Dauntless, its commander was anything but smiling. Balin stared at the HPT showing his fleet at a literal standstill facing a force of greater size in front of him, and another behind him.
"So much for our surprise attack," he grumbled to only himself. Not only was there no surprise there was no attack either. Uncertain if there would ever be a message from the king, he wasn't sure what he was waiting for if anything. Alexander might be in the middle of peace negotiations. If we attack, it could-
Interrupting his line of thought suddenly came a quick repeating buzz from one of the bridge consoles. Balin knew what it was even before the crewman there reported.
"Detecting an energy spike from the enemy fleet," the crewman announced in a warning.
"Shields up," Balin ordered. "Send out a fleet wide signal. Standby to engage, but hold your fire. I won't let Ra'daq goad us into starting this battle. If there's to be no peace deal then let history record they are the ones who broke the ceasefire."
Balin then hit a button to broadcast to each ship in his fleet. "To all hands, this is Admiral Balin. One way or another, this will be the final battle of the war. Defeat is not an option. Today you will bring about the destruction of the Ramillie war machine, the elimination of Hegemony tyranny over the oppressed peoples of the galaxy, and freedom to our worlds. We are on the enemy's doorstep. You are about to embark upon the great crusade toward which we have striven these many years - driving the Ramillie from our homes and back into The Cloud. The eyes of the galaxy are upon you. I have full confidence in your courage, devotion to duty, and skill in battle... Long live the Realm. Balin out."
No sooner had the admiral finished the transmission when the sensor operator called out, "They've locked on!"
Balin said a quick prayer then whispered, "And so it begins."
Suddenly, flashes erupted from the thousands of cannons of the Ramillie fleet and sent blazing streams and bolts of deadly red energy at the Realm ships.
"RETURN FIRE," Balin called.
On the flight deck of the Dauntless, Ian Hammond and Dakota Farabaugh, now both in Dagger class starfighters, were sitting in their ships with the rest of their squadrons.
"LAUNCH. LAUNCH. LAUNCH," came the order.
Activating their thrusters, every starfighter of the battlecarrier leaped from the ship and broke off into their assigned groups for the battle.
Ian called out over the intercom to the pilots of his
flight. "Form up on me. We'll make a pass of the hypergate to get a close-range scan to see what we're dealing with then loop back for our attack run. Acknowledge."
"Bravo Four copies," came the voice of one of the pilots, followed by three others. After waiting a moment for the final pilot to respond, Ian called out, "Stinger One, everything alright?"
"Alright? I'm happier than a mosquito at a nudist colony," Dakota said. "Acknowledge orders and standing by."
Ian merely let out a sigh and shook his head.
"There's just no hope for him," he said to only himself then vectored his starfighter toward the massive hyperspace portal. His flight's objective was to knock out the upper shielding and disable any cannons so the infantry could board the gate and take control allowing Realm ships to enter The Cloud and carry out the primary objective.
Scores of tri-winged Ramillie fighters raced toward them - each group determined to obliterate the other. Ian's display sounded the warning of a missile lock. His training took over as he instinctively activated countermeasures and veered sharply to avoid the projectile. Three more missiles raced passed his ship, one of them finding its mark and destroying one of the ships of his flight. They hadn't even reached their first pass of the target, and he was already a pilot down.
"Stay sharp," he called out. "We've got to get through!"
Squeezing the trigger, he sent a hail of blue bolts at the reptilian-like fighter that had destroyed his comrade.
***
In dignified haste, Saqir again entered the throne room with unpleasant news. Despite the urgency of the matter, he knew better than to not observe the protocol his god demanded and so knelt at the base of the platform's stairs.
"You seem vexed, Saqir," Koraden said in an almost uninterested tone. "And of the eve of total victory. Rise and report."
"There is a problem on the Neovenator, Overlord. I thought you should be notified immediately."
Hearing the name of his colossal ship where the portal was located got Koraden's complete attention. "What problem?"
"The prisoners, they... they weren't on the shuttle. Instead, there was someone else."
"Who?" Koraden demanded.
"A security officer on the ship sent this image from the landing bay," Saqir said and handed a datapad to a guard who immediately brought it up the stairs to Koraden.
"Merrick," the Dridmor said in enraged disgust as he looked at the picture. "He's come for the gate, and somehow the prisoners have escaped. If they didn't go to the ship with him then there somewhere in the towers. Sound the alarm. Imenand, see to it our guest is secure," he said while looking at Salazar. "I'm going to the ship. I'll return with Merrick's head and the legions. This age ends today, and Merrick fate is sealed." With that, he stormed out of the room.
Lifting from one of the towers' landing pads, Koraden pressed the shuttle for maximum speed as he moved toward the orbiting Neovenator. Bursting through the docking bay's magnetic field, he cut the shuttle's engines setting it down hard on the deck next to the oversized freighter he planned to use in ferrying the Dridmor from the gate to the soon-to-be-obliterated worlds of the mortals. The landing ramp lowered and, battlestaff in hand, and fangblade at quick access in a sheath on his chest, he began hunting the Guardian.
***
Stealthily making their way through Ramillie capitol complex, Alexander and Aulani suddenly realized their escape was discovered. Displays throughout the hall all suddenly flashed their pictures, and alert lights began flashing.
"Guess our secret is out," Alexander said, "Better take this," he added while handing Aulani the blaster rifle he carried. "At least I get to take this thing off," he added while removing the helmet of the guard uniform he wore. With Aulani's picture displayed, there was no need to act like he was escorting a prisoner anymore. Withdrawing the blaster rifle from his own holster, the two quickened their pace toward the ship he and Caedmon had arrived in earlier.
"THERE," cried out a guard with a search party who rounded the corner at the far end of the corridor. One of the troops with him let off a shot. The blast slammed into the wall next to the fleeing couple. Aulani fired off three quick bursts toward the pursuers as she and Alexander turned to double back. For the next several minutes they played a game of cat and mouse with the searchers.
"BACK! BACK," Aulani called out as yet another search team spotted them. There was a quick exchange of fire. Two guards fell, but the third continued after them.
Racing down the corridor, the fugitives knew they were getting boxed in more. With each team they encountered, the Ramillie were able to better pinpoint their position.
"This is it," Alexander said as he recognized the corridor they first entered after landing. "This way!"
They rushed down the hall. Automatically opening as they approached, the doors to landing pad parted and let in the cool breeze from outside. They could see the ship and for a moment thought they might make it, but then, stepping from around the far side was a squad of Ramillie troops led by Cale Rayne. Knowing they would almost instantly be gunned down if they started firing, Alexander and Aulani slowed to a stop and dropped their weapons.
"Guessed your move," Cale gloated while keeping his pistol trained on them. "You're so predictable, Alex."
As the far set of double doors of the throne room opened, the recaptured prisoners were escorted in by Cale and a half dozen guards.
"Well done, Cale," said Imenand who was seated on the throne beside Salazar. "You've delivered the second son of Darius to us twice in one day. You will be richly rewarded."
Cale bowed and stepped aside as the Dridmor rose and began a slow descent on the stairs.
"Now, Alexander Lyons," the long-haired immortal said as he eyed the Realm king up and down. "I'm so delighted to see you again that I almost don't know what to do with myself."
"I have a few suggestions," Alexander quipped.
"I bet you do," Imenand replied with almost a laugh... almost. "I hate leaving something undone. I thought I killed you on that forsaken planet, but somehow, you're here and very much alive. That annoys me - especially since I reported you were dead."
"Sorry to disappoint you," the Realm king said defiantly.
"Within the hour the portal will be stabilized, the legions will pour through, and the age will come to an end. The time of the prophecy is at hand, and I can't risk having the descendent of Jeramon who worships the Elder still around when that happens. So, I'm going to have to finish what I started. Don't worry, I'm not going to simply have you shot. No, that's not nearly entertaining enough. We brought you here to show your corpse to your fleet. It will take the fight out of them. But, how much more gratifying it will be to show you not just dead but broken. Yes, far more satisfying. Tell you what, I'll give you a sporting chance," he said as he tossed Alexander a closed battlestaff and withdrew another for himself. "Though I grant you, with your skill, it's not much of a chance."
"What's the point, Imenand," Alexander said. "If it looks like I'm going to win your guards will shoot me."
"Don't trust me, eh? Too bad you didn't learn that lesson earlier. No matter. Guards, leave us."
Obediently, the red armored troops all left the chamber. Cale kept hold of Aulani's arm so she couldn't get away or help Alexander. Salazar was still seated in the Plyeecian device throne, and Saqir watched from the lower level.
Swiping a gloved hand over his dark auburn hair, Imenand smiled in delight as he separated the blades of his weapon and reattached the ends together to form a double-edged, burning staff. Alexander kept his eyes locked on his opponent as he separated his weapon. Though skilled with the weapon, being mortal, the blades did not flame at his touch. He tried to push all distractions aside and focus on the many training sessions with Merrick. The two combatants circled each other in sizing up their opponent. Then, with an unholy shout and lightning speed, Imenand struck.
***
On the second level of the T'lec lab, Jambrek looked down on his rival.
"The Elder is all powerful, Jambrek. I taught thee this lesson once, but it appears thou art a slow learner. I shall teach it to thee again." With that, by the leading of the Elder, Caedmon raised his staff high then quickly brought it back down again. It was if a giant unseen chain was linking his staff to the entire runway of the secondary level because when Caedmon lowered his stick, it pulled the whole walkway crashing down. The metal floor, Jambrek, and all the equipment of the upper level fell with great impact on the lower floor. Smashing against the stasis tubes, a majority of the canisters broke open and crazed or panicked T'lec monsters rushed into the fray.
CHAPTER 36
"Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of his saints." - Psalm 116:15
"TEN SECONDS TILL THE RELEASE OF POISON GAS," announced the computer voice echoing off the high walls of the rotunda.
Jaiden, on the ground and holding his injured leg cried out, "Captain, what are we going to do?!"
"Nothing," Sosimo answered.
"WHAT?"
The voice began a ten-second countdown, but the pirate captain took no action and seemed unconcerned and a little impatient that it was taking so long.
"THREE, TWO, ONE."
With that Jaiden, in desperation, took a deep breath and held it figuring it would be the last air he would ever have.
"By all means let it out my boy," Sosimo said. "There's no poison."
"No..." Jaiden began to say but was panting a little. "No poison. What? But the alarm."
Mei, who had figured out Sosimo's game as soon as the alert sounded filled Jaiden in on the happenings.
"Since when does the Vault Keeper send out a warning in the modern Galactic Standard language?"
Jaiden's brow furrowed as he considered that.