by A. R. Knight
“Why?” T’Oli replies. “Does Gar owe you something?”
“Is this entire galaxy full of greedy murderers?” Viera replies.
“I’ll submit myself as evidence that it is not,” T’Oli says.
“What’s that?” I say, as much to cut into their aimless conversation as to point out the slim, soft-yellow building rising up ahead of us.
Before anyone replies, there’s a skittering boom from behind us, and a quick look confirms that what’s left of our shuttle has been sent to whatever afterlife awaits spacecraft. The Sevora fighters tilt up, then their aft jets turn a white-blue and they rocket off back towards the city.
“I think it’s what we came for,” T’Oli says, its eyestalks angling towards the building. “Kolas had the communication traced, and Lan tried to get us as close as she could.”
“Do you really think they didn’t see us?” Viera’s still watching the plume trails left by the speeding fighters. “These stalks aren’t that tall.”
“Either they did and don’t care, or they didn’t see us at all,” I reply. “We shouldn’t stand here, though. Let’s go.”
What none of us say as we walk through the tall stalks towards the building, though, is that we’re trapped here now. Stuck on a planet that, whenever Kolas decides our time’s up, is going to get very hot, very fast.
As we get close to the building, I notice that its roof keeps changing color. It’s not just yellow, but a swirling mix of shades that dart and dash around each other. Jel, and her Sevora faction, had paintings like this on the walls of their base that we saw on our first trip to Vimelia.
“At least it looks like Lan took us to one of Jel’s bases,” I say.
The word ‘base’ oversells the building. It’s not much larger than the shuttle, and spouts adorn the outside, linked to hoses that are, in turn, stretched to floating drones spraying water over the crops. They don’t seem to care that half their field is burning up from our shuttle’s explosion.
“There’s no door,” Viera says a couple of minutes later as we circle the structure. “What’s the point of a building if you can’t get into it?”
“Maybe we don’t have the right key?” T’Oli says.
“Can you make your sword again?” I say. “Then I’ll just cut a hole.”
“That only works on thin metal, like the shuttle’s hull,” T’Oli replies. “I’ll break if you try to slash rock with me.”
I stare at the squat structure. There has to be something we’re missing. I’d ask Gar or Lan, but the two Oratus have disappeared. Instead, I run my hands along the soft gray surface. It’s cool to touch, and the building as a whole vibrates with the amount of water rushing through it.
“Lan tried to fly us here for a reason,” I say. “There’s got to be a way in.”
“Maybe we need to see the way out first,” Viera says, and I see her looking at T’Oli.
“I don’t like those eyes,” T’Oli says.
“When’s the last time you had a bath?” Viera replies, smiling for the first time in a long while.
Using one of the energy blades, we cut a hole in one of the hoses leading to one of the watering drones. The hoses themselves are half as wide as I am, and the amount of water they’re spewing is immense, but it’s also not constant. The drones shut off their spray if they have to shift across a wide spread of watered crops. It’s during one of these short moments when we stuff T’Oli, or as much of the Ooblot as we can, into the tube.
“You’re both terrible people,” T’Oli says, its voice coming back up the tube in an irritated patter.
“Can you block it?” I ask.
“Already did,” T’Oli says. “I went a ways down the hose too - if this works, you’ll see a big pop in that corner there.”
The drone doesn’t seem to notice there’s an issue and makes its way to a section of merrily burning crops. There’s a burst of rushing pressure, and then the building shudders.
“You both owe me for this one,” T’Oli says.
“Whatever you want,” Viera replies.
“You don’t even have any money.”
“We’ll get you something better,” I say. “A title. Empress’s Ooblot.”
“Stop it.”
The blocked water makes itself known first by the rapid rattling of the spout attached to the building, the spout that T’Oli’s blocking with its Ooblot body. Then metal starts to fly as holding rings pop, seams burst, and the entire corner of the building, like T’Oli predicted, crumbles away as the pipe bursts.
Water explodes around us and, as the tube forces its way wide around T’Oli, the Ooblot goes rocketing away too. T’Oli lands a dozen meters away. Viera and I, though, have our miners out and are already walking through the expanding puddle, past Vimelia’s newest geyser, into the leaning building.
In the middle of the building’s floor is the reason there’s no door - there’s a platform, big and metal, with a panel on a stand about the height of my head. It’s clearly meant to go down.
“Guess we found our way in,” Viera says.
“Question is, to where?”
T’Oli catches up with us as we play with the panel. It’s not that hard to parse - there’s a big arrow pointing down wrapped in a green square - but every time I try to press it, the panel gives an annoyed beep and the whole screen flashes red.
“You know how to work one of these?” I ask the Ooblot as T’Oli slimes its way onto the platform.
After I show T’Oli what’s going on, the Ooblot swivels its eyes to me and blinks, then turns its gaze to the back part of the platform, behind where Viera and I are standing. There, wedged into the narrow gap between the platform and the rest of the building’s floor is a piece of one of the spout’s binding rings.
I glance at Viera and she takes a step over to the piece, reaches and, with a bit of effort, pulls it out of the gap. She throws it away as I press the panel again. This time it flashes green and the lift’s motors start revving up.
“Sometimes it’s the obvious solutions,” T’Oli says.
“More often than not,” I reply.
The platform sinks below the surface, into a shaft not much larger than the platform itself. White lights speckle a deep blue-painted wall. Apparently this lift doesn’t warrant the kind of spectacular paint job provided to the building’s roof, but it’s plenty pretty anyway. If I make it back to Earth, I’ll advocate more for this kind of thing - life’s hard enough, it may as well be pleasant to look at.
“Oh no,” Viera says suddenly, and I follow her eyes up to see a pair of massive forms falling towards us.
Gar and Lan land on the platform, their huge bodies causing the lift to rattle, the motors to whine, but apparently the Sevora design their elevators well, because it doesn’t stop. I look at Lan, mouth slightly ajar at the sheer scope of the injuries running along her body; burns, broken scales, and a long, dark scar running down her neck.
“A close shot,” Lan says as she sees me noticing. Other injuries have clear creams spread across them, stuff that seems to be wriggling. “Nanobots, performing miracles. My mask kept me from dying, and these will keep me useful.”
“Why did you run?” I ask Gar, because I don’t know what nanobots are, and I’d rather figure out if we can still trust the living weapons that just landed in our midst.
“I needed space to help her,” Gar hisses. “You were a good distraction.”
Viera has her miner up and aimed as Gar finishes. “Say what we are again, you overgrown lizard.”
For once, I agree with my friend, even though I’m sure the two Oratus could kill us without a second thought. Gar, though, just falls into a fit of hissing laughter.
“Overgrown lizard?” Lan says. “I’ve never heard that description before.” The Oratus turns to Viera, who swivels her miner to track Lan. “I don’t think you can be picky about your allies here, human. If we leave you, who’s going to fly you off this planet?”
“T’Oli and I can fly
,” I say. “Viera’s right. If we can’t trust that you’ll stick with us, then you should leave. We’re in this together, or not at all.”
Gar stops his hissing for a moment, and both Oratus look over at me.
“This human is brave,” Gar says. “She thinks she can survive on her own.”
“But she won’t have to,” Lan hisses. “Kolas asked if we wanted to help, and we volunteered. We will see your friend returned, or we will die trying.”
When Lan says the words, a weight I didn’t know was there lifts off my chest. Deep down, I know that Viera, T’Oli and I won’t be able to rescue Malo alone - there’ll be too many Sevora, and too little time. But with two Oratus? There might be a chance.
10 The Station
It’s been a while since Sax has chased anyone, and running through the thick vines of Aspicis makes for an exhilarating rush. He operates on instinct and the tiny shafts of light that manage to poke down from the sky. Each one is a signpost, pointing Sax towards the next bend, the next spot to sink in his talons as he and Bas rocket along the carved trail.
The two Oratus hold their silence during the run, saving their breath for breathing. There’s no telling how long it might take to catch up to Evva’s captors, or how far the Amigga and its Oratus guards need to get before they’ll find another way to fly.
As if sensing the magnitude of the moment, Aspicis itself is quiet. Aside from the scritching sounds their talons make as they dig into the ground, there’s little other noise; no bird calls, none of the hiss and growls of a jungle, nor the heavy mechanical shunts of technology. The Amigga have constructed their homeworld to their own desires, and Sax finds the result boring.
The smells, too, are bland. The vines don’t flower, and the only scent they bring is a lukewarm nuzzle; a soft, ill-defined layer in the air that tastes of dried grass. The Amigga have embarked on a quest to make the least interesting mix of sensations possible.
That thought ends when Sax reaches the trail’s conclusion. It’s not clear how far they’ve run, but they’ve arrived at another village. Or, no, something else.
What sits in front of Sax is a large cylindrical dome, made from vines that still look alive, but directed to grow like this. The dome itself is huge, several times Sax’s own height and long enough to be a space station wing. At the far end, where the dome looks to have been chopped off, sits the greatest concession to mechanical necessity Sax has seen on the planet.
A mag-lev rail.
It’s a single shimmering silver bar, and it’s raised almost a meter off the ground. The track extends back from the dome away from Sax and Bas, vanishing into the dark jungle.
The dome and the area around it dazzles with brightness, as the overhead vines have been cleared away. Sax can make out other trails leading away from the dome too, and these are occupied with groups of Flaum making their way to and from the station. Some wheel cases behind them, others pull long carts stacked with crates and floating on microjets.
“So Aspicis isn’t always obsolete,” Bas hisses as she stands next to Sax.
“The war,” Sax hisses. “I bet they couldn’t keep the planet sacred anymore, not if they needed supplies.”
Regardless, what they don’t see as they look around is Evva and her captors. The Amigga and its bodyguards aren’t anywhere here. At least, not in sight.
“Think they’re hiding in there?” Bas says, guessing what Sax is thinking.
“If they are, they’ll know we’re coming,” Sax gestures towards some of the moving Flaum. Plenty of the furry creatures have thrown looks their way, their faces twisting into shock or confusion, then retreating into fear and a quickened step. “Not that it matters. If we can’t save Evva, then this is all worthless.”
Bas doesn’t argue, so together the two Oratus stride across the clearing towards the dome. The entrance to the station is, apparently, on the other side from their approach, so their first sight of the Amigga comes when it rounds the near, slope-sided end of the station.
Unlike Dalachite, the last Amigga Sax’s seen, which had grown itself literally into the space station built under its direction, this one has a more typical arrangement: encasing its round, flesh-colored form is a clear shell, with a pair of white-metal bars sticking out from either side. Each bar splits into a variety of appendages, with one jutting straight to the ground and ending in a low-powered microjet that keeps the Amigga off the ground.
What’s really important, though, is how many of this Amigga’s ‘arms’ end in miners or edged blades. Sax counts a half-dozen weapons, all of them angling towards the Oratus. Two of the miners, one on each side of the Amigga, loom larger; high-energy models made to devastate and destroy. The ensemble makes clear how the Flaum village wound up a flattened mess of broken homes and burnt bodies.
“You’re not cleared to be here,” the Amigga announces, with plenty of slime in the words. The voice comes translated and piped through its speakers, so there’s no mouth for the Amigga to pull into a caustic grin. “In fact, you’re no longer cleared to be anywhere, traitors.”
The Amigga doesn’t wait for a response - as soon as it finishes the sentence, those big miners on either side start spraying molten energy at Sax and Bas. The two Oratus, though, weren’t expecting a friendly chat and manage to dive out of the initial blast. As he jumps to the side, Sax uses his right midclaw to grab one of the miners off his mask and, when he lands, snap-aims the weapon and fires.
His shot strikes home, melting the front of the Amigga’s right-side miner, as Bas does the same to the cannon on the creature’s opposite. The Amigga’s only reply is to laugh and bring its set of four smaller miners to bear.
These don’t even get shots off. Apparently the Amigga’s not used to facing Vincere-trained, three-letter Oratus, because every time one of its miners takes aim, Sax and Bas blow it to red-hot pieces. Sax has miners in both midclaws now, and they don’t stop shooting until the Amigga’s left without a single weapon on its rig.
“Where’s Evva?” Bas rasps at the Amigga when it realizes it’s weaponless and finally stops trying to spin to an armed end.
“Inside,” the Amigga says. “Waiting for the train. You can join her if you like. We’re happy to take all of you.”
The Amigga wouldn’t leave Evva alone in the station, which means the mirrored Oratus must be in there, so that’s where Sax goes. Or rather, tries. He gets one long stride towards the Amigga, meaning to go around the harmless blob, when something slams into his side and drives Sax to the ground. Then lifts him up and throws him back towards Bas.
“Kah, you didn’t need to come out here,” the Amigga says as Sax shakes his head to clear away the blurriness. “I had them.”
Bas is by him now, helping Sax stand up, and together with his pair, they turn to see the Amigga’s broken and sparking defenses complemented by a massive mirrored Oratus. Sax can’t tell much of Kah’s features, exactly, as the reflective scales only give a rough outline where the light seems to bend.
“This is what you fought on the frigate?” Bas whispers. “I didn’t think they existed.”
“They do, and they hurt.”
“Traitors!” the Amigga calls. “I ask again - surrender, and perhaps your deaths will come swiftly!”
Doesn’t the Amigga understand that a Vincere Oratus will never surrender? That they’ve been trained to do everything except give themselves to an enemy? A list of things that, as it happens, includes fighting back.
“Finish the Amigga,” Sax hisses. “Then help me.”
Sax digs his talons into the dirt, fakes a burst forward towards the mirrored Oratus, firing both miners as he moves. Kah doesn’t stand still and take the fire, but leaps up and forward, lunging towards Sax just above his firing line, biting on Sax’s move. So Sax digs in hard, leans back and brings up the miners as Kah’s leap doesn’t meet the charge the mirrored Oratus is expecting.
To his right, Sax catches a passing pink blur as Bas heads for the Amigga. Without its we
apons, the monster shouldn’t be much more than a snack for his pair.
Kah, too, isn’t much more than a target for a hot moment as his momentum carries the mirrored Oratus right into Sax’s fire. Blistering burns light up on the mirrored Oratus’ chest, melting vents and scoring gashes in the creature’s reflective skin.
Then Kah’s ramming hard into Sax, pushing him back and tearing away the two miners. It’s an aggressive call for any Oratus, particularly one that should have been able to engage Sax with something other than its claws. Now, though, they’re in a clenched duel of slashing talons, biting teeth, and raking attacks from all four arms.
On Rav’s frigate, Sax hadn’t been enough. The mirrored Oratus had overpowered him, gashed and sliced Sax to pieces. Here, though, Nobaa’s additions prove their worth; the metal plates provide protection, and Sax maneuvers himself to catch the mirrored Oratus’ attacks on those pieces while his own claws rake at a body whose whole advantage comes from being hard to see at distance.
Kah realizes quick that this isn’t a fight he wants to have, and with a tail sweep, the mirrored Oratus forces Sax back. Bleeding and burned, Kah’s having a hard time standing straight, while Sax bears his scratches with an open, hissing mouth. Ready for more.
At least until he sees a second shadow crash into Bas and knock her away. The Flaum back at the village had mentioned two mirrored Oratus, and the second one begins to thrash Bas, pinning her to the ground and going for a mortal strike with its talon. The Amigga, behind it all, crows again for the impossible surrender.
Sax reacts. He falls into the bloodlust, that instinctual do-or-die state Oratus enter when survival leaves no other options. He charges Kah, then feints right, as if he’s going to run by the mirrored Oratus towards the cackling Amigga. When Kah goes for it - apparently Kah’s not used to tricky fighters - Sax plants his right talon and jumps.
It’s a tactic that wouldn’t work against a fresh adversary, against one that could leap up to meet him or grab Sax’s tail and sling the Oratus back to the ground, but Kah’s hurt and tired and misses his chance. Sax lands beyond Kah and, with a hard shoulder charge, bowls the mirrored Oratus off of Bas.