abomination.
“In twenty-four hours it will be a fully grown man,” said Luthis.
“Gods…” Ailios gasped. He remembered the abominations that attack him back on Talam the moment they laid their eyes on him. There was no doubt they were dangerous. “We should warn the major. If these things hide under our temples on Talam…” he left the thought unfinished. Instead he tried to talk to Olivia – Olivia, if you can hear my thoughts listen carefully. I need you to warn Major Ailig. Tell him there is a hidden reproduction facility under the temple on Timor. Tell him to do a full sweep on all other temples on Talam, even the one they accused me of destroying. Tell him – tell him to warn all tribes. If these abominations are unleashed on us, we’ll stand no chance…
The reply never came. Ailios didn’t know if Olivia got the message or not, but it was all he could do.
Luthis did a full circle in place, his eyes never leaving the tanks around him. “Do you notice something?” He didn’t wait for an answer. “They are all male,” he said.
And not just that. Ailios remembered his previous encounter with them – they were as tall as Ailios was, but these creatures inside the tanks were way taller than him, almost as tall as Faragar. It gave him the chills. And if they were all male and tall and strong…
“Soldiers,” the word escaped his mouth. “We have to destroy this temple.”
Faragar struck his fist into his palm and growled in agreement.
“I can move them,” said Luthis.
“They are too many,” Ailios said. “How many days would you need to move them all?”
Luthis shrugged. “We have to start somewhere.”
“There has to be a computer,” said Ailios more to himself than to his team. A red button, he thought. I only need a red button. It worked the last time.
“A computer,” Luthis repeated. “Ancient computer that we don’t even understand its language. What good would it do–?”
Ailios heard a growl and a crash. He turned as a tank shattered on the floor, green liquid pouring out. The little abomination twitched helplessly as it died. Faragar growled and pushed another tank. And then another. This one fell backward and took more tanks with it like dominoes. Luthis put almost an evil grin on his face and raised his hands. Two tanks detached noisily from their base on the floor, sparks and wires flung out as they moved up to the ceiling. The tubes turned the baby violently inside, green liquid spilled out. And then with all his might Luthis brought his hands down. Two tanks followed in a loud crash. Glass shattered, liquid splattered, and Luthis only grinned.
I have to find a computer, thought Ailios and left both Faragar and Luthis enjoy their work. Ailios decided if there was a computer it had to be somewhere along the walls, so he started from there.
One side passed, no computers.
Second side. He passed that one as quickly as the first but didn’t find any computers or whatsoever.
Third side. Now that was interesting. Ailios stopped. There was no computer but another door with a tiny round window in the middle. He made a careful step forward and then the door slid up. With his thief’s quickness he jumped aside and hid behind a tank. He observed through the liquid. Five humans wearing black uniforms emerged. They held weapons similar in design to what humans on Talam had. Ailios winced when he heard another crash somewhere amidst the rows behind him. He closed his eyes. I have to warn them, he thought. But how? There was a growl and another crash. Ailios took out his pistol and aimed at the group that now entered the rows. Gunshot will warn them. It has to. He squeezed the trigger. A single bullet hit one of the strange people, and he fell down. And then everything turned to chaos. Burst of bullets smashed the tank next to Ailios, spraying him in green. More bullets whistled. Ailios couldn’t tell if his team stopped crashing tanks or not. His only thought was getting away from the mess he made.
A glass shattered next to his face and shards scraped his skin. Ailios screamed as he fell to his knees, clenching his eyes shut in terrible pain. His hand let go of the pistol to hold his burning face. Then he heard the tank he used to hide shatter some more. The body inside stopped the bullets with thuds. Shouts echoed in a language he could not understand, a commands given to take away his life, no doubt. He forced himself to open his eyes even though it was too damn painful. A bloody tear watered his cheek but he decided to worry about that later.
His silent feet carried him away from the bullets, his body hasting among exploding tanks that splashed their green liquid all over the place. And then Ailios found himself frozen in place. One of those uniformed men was blocking his way. It had a rifle trained at Ailios. And for a moment Ailios saw death in its eyes – they were dark eyes and empty as if all humanity had been stripped out of them. They were almost Cyon, but not quite.
In an instant the man went up, catapulted by an invisible force, and smashed the ceiling with grotesque splatter of organs and blood and metal bones. What remained of him rained down and clattered on the floor. Ailios peered through red droplets, trying to recognize the man behind. It was Luthis with his hand up – he just saved Ailios’s life. For a brief moment guilt took over Ailios’s mind for all those japes he did on the mover’s account. If they survived this mess, Ailios would apologize, he promised.
Luthis turned and disappeared behind tanks. More people were hurled up and splattered on the ceiling as he went.
Loud growl and explosions and shattering filled Ailios’s surroundings. And the smell, it was the nastiest thing that Ailios had ever smelled in his life. It was something rotten, food maybe, mixed with burned metal and human feces. Ailios took the abomination’s rifle from the floor, wrinkled his nose in disgust and went on to search for enemies.
One row he passed without seeing anyone, except those that splattered on the ceiling. Second row he passed where lot of the tanks were destroyed. He tried to avoid stepping on dead bodies when a tank fell in front of him and shattered. Adolescent, not fully developed, body wriggled out, tubes holding it not to escape. In panic Ailios aimed his rifle at the body and squeezed. The bullets dug deep into its flesh and blood started to come out in a steady stream. It still wriggled but not as much.
It was then that Ailios felt a presence behind him, a fearful shadow looming over him. His stomach clenched in fear, heart barely stopped. His vision narrowed for a moment, and quickly as that he spun, only to find death staring at his eyes again.
And then a bullet hit him in the head.
LUCIUS
The large screen looking into space from Aquila’s bridge showed only blackness and blinking lights. Lots of blinking lights. Some of them were stars others were planets while just a tiny fraction of those lights belonged to the Lightning Bolt’s hull. Lucius couldn’t see the ship yet, but he knew it was there.
If only I didn’t lose my eyes, he yearned with regret, I could’ve seen the ship long before we were on its tail. But he had what he had and there was nothing he could do about it. Unless the ship carries eyes as well. That would be bonus. But Lucius decided to avoid keeping his hopes high. Legs would suffice for now.
He leaned forward on his seat and squinted. Maybe those lights to the lower right are the ones I’m looking for? Lucius couldn’t be more wrong. The merchant ship slowly emerged out of the blackness – from the upper left corner on the screen.
“They are still demanding recognition codes, Your Highness,” said Arrius.
Lucius was frustrated by now. “There are no recognition codes,” he said. This was the third time Lightning Bolt demanded recognition codes, whatever they were. “There is only identification friend or foe, captain. Even the civilians on Palatine know that. I believe this merchant captain is toying with us.”
The ship grew larger as Aquila followed its trajectory from behind. Lucius could now see the ship better. It was black metal, shaped in the form of rectangular prism with a tiny tube-like neck that ended with a sphere covered in glass on the upper half. That’s where the command bridge was, and its defying captain.
> “Give them a warning shot,” said Lucius. “Target their bridge.”
Arrius relayed the command and not a second later a gigantic red beam exploded on the Lightning Bolt’s surface. Its shielding barrier rippled by the impact and undoubtedly weakened, but the ship kept moving.
“Tell them to shut down their engines and prepare for boarding, if they value their lives. This is their last chance,” Lucius lied. He wanted the ship as addition to his fleet. Undamaged.
Arrius transmitted the command through the regular communications channel but the result looked the same. Arrius shook his head.
Damn them!
Lartius was standing next to the emperor, shifting his weight from one leg to another, rubbing his hands. “I beg your pardon, Your Highness,” he said with his crude robotic voice, “you asked me to be your advisor on this raid and...”
Lucius sent him a sharp glance. “Say what you have.”
“May I suggest an EMP burst on their engines? It will certainly shut them down.”
“I know it will,” said Lucius. He looked at the screen again. “But a miss might damage the cargo.” And that was a risk he was not willing to take. It was the sole reason they were here, he wasn’t going to ruin his chance on getting his legs back. But Lucius quickly realized that his options were melting down like a heated metal. He had to stop that ship somehow and, if possible, take it back with him.
“I think the pirate is right about this, Your Highness,” said Arrius. “A well-aimed EMP burst is the only way to stop them.”
Lartius’s face tightened. He aimed his finger at Arrius. “Mind your words, Arrius!”
“Captain Arrius to you,” said Arrius.
“And I am Captain Lartius,” said Lartius. “Not a pirate–”
“Enough!” Lucius stood up on his wheels. “I need solutions not quarrel among my men!” Arrius and Lartius bowed in remission. “Captain,” said Lucius and both men raised their heads. “Arrius,” Lucius clarified. “Prepare Caelus’s children–”
“You are not planning to go there, Your Highness, are you?” said Arrius and then lowered his head, probably because he realized he was questioning his emperor’s orders in front of his men again. It is dangerous – he sent along with his emotions of regret – and you are not … not…
…Fit for it? – sent Lucius.
No, Your Highness, I didn’t mean to–
“You will do as I command, captain,” said Lucius and left the bridge. Two of the soldiers that were escorting Lucius on Burnum were waiting him outside the bridge, and now they followed him again. He would have to get used to having guards, no matter how insulting it may seem. I am Lucius Cornelius Venator, he would repeat in his head as he drove toward the elevator. The best Imperial soldier that ever lived. He was a descendant from a long line of Venators – the best Bion hunters in the system. Now I am a cripple, he thought ruefully. But not for long.
Inside the hangar, seven soldiers were waiting at attention for the emperor to arrive. They saluted him, and then their squad leader approached Lucius. “We are ready to deploy, Your Highness,” he said. Lucius looked at his name tag right below his Silver Star medal. It said PONTIUS. There was no other way to recognize his soldiers at all as they had black helmets and gray plates on their faces. Their bodies were black with gray plates as well, and they were all identical. He tried to recognize them by their eyes, but that was a fools’ errand; White lights were all they had. Now, without his cranial computer, he had to read name tags every time he wanted to address anyone by his name.
Pontius took a pistol from his back and passed it to Lucius. “I know you can handle yourself better than all of us combined, Your Highness, but we will feel a lot