32
Liam scanned the bridge for any sign of movement. Through the relative darkness he saw none. Nix and Ju-Long stood back to back near the center projection, eyes wide in anticipation. If Nix could sweat he would have been drenched by now based on his jittery demeanor. Ju-Long meanwhile glistened in the yellow glow of the hologram. He rubbed at his eyes with one hand while keeping his weapon aloft. The beeping had reached its peak intensity, the only noise left in the room.
The dots stopped moving on the projection, hovering there, all around them. Saturn was focused on the console, mashing several buttons fruitlessly.
“What are you doing?” Liam asked over the beeps, keeping his head on the swivel for the Kraven.
“I’m trying to get some light in here,” she replied. “Wait, I think I’ve got it.”
Dozens of small lights lit up the workstations while overhead pot lights rained down from the ceiling. The coarse material of the bridge was far too industrial to be considered elegant. In contrast, the workstation’s tech was impressive. Despite the lights, the bridge remained fairly dim, the dark metals of the room doing little to reflect the beams. Along the walls Liam could see that the room was damaged, but the many thick supports cradled that section of the ship, so its ruin couldn’t compare with the rest of the ship. Only a few workstations were affected and they shot blue sparks from the consoles.
Liam turned around several times, taking in every inch of the room. The bridge was empty. He lowered his weapon slightly. “Do you think that machine is busted?”
Ju-Long eased up his shoulders and dropped his weapon to his side. “Had me going there.”
Saturn tightened her grip on her weapon and backed away from the console, keeping her back toward the side wall. The many dots on the image began to move once again as though writhing all around the bridge. She began to charge a mass of energy at the tip of her weapon. She whispered, “Why is it still beeping?”
“This doesn’t feel right,” Nix declared.
Ju-Long nodded, regaining his defensive stance. “I’m with Nix, this place creeps me out.”
“You know Ju-Long, with all that muscle you’re still afraid of your own shadow.”
“Don’t start, Saturn. You weren’t so collected when faced with Xara and the Disciples.”
Saturn raised her voice, “For good reason.”
“Quiet. All of you!” Liam called. He put a hand up in the air and said, “Listen.”
Over the monotone beeps of the holographic projection Liam could hear a faint hiss, growing in volume until it began to sound like a growl. What started as one became a dozen, two dozen, more, until the bridge was filled with the reverberations of the guttural sound. The crew gathered near the center of the room, back to back with their weapons facing out.
Liam still couldn’t make out any movement and could not place the sound over the echoes. A thought struck him and his legs froze in place, filling with ice as he came to the realization. His eyes, shaking with adrenaline, began to crawl toward the ceiling. Liam’s jaw clenched as he beheld the unfathomable.
He nudged Saturn in the side and held a shaking finger up to the ceiling. After a short protest Saturn followed his eyes up. She cursed under her breath. Countless yellow eyes stared back at them. Nix and Ju-Long soon saw what the commotion was about and pointed their weapons up toward the ceiling.
The stories didn’t do them justice. Though they were bunched together as they hung from exposed pipes on the ceiling, Liam could tell they were at least four meters tall and made mostly of muscle. They wore sparse garments that were tight against their hardened bodies. The angular faces were reminiscent of the Ansarans, though far removed from millennia of evolution. The only feature that truly remained of the Mother World were the eyes. Golden orbs of light so much like Nix’s, though so far apart in intentions.
One of the Kraven dropped from the roof, slamming down on the grated floor ten meters from the crew and raising himself up to his full height. His muscular chest puffed out, purple veins pulsing along his tight physique and lining his body. The hair on his head was matted and black, slicked to the back with the sweat and grease gained only by neglecting to bathe. Purple brands marked his body, countless symbols burned into his flesh. Liam noticed that he favored his right leg, the other was deeply scarred.
The Kraven giant starred directly at Liam, his golden eyes locked on and his brow turning downward with fury. His jaw clenched together and he ground his pointed teeth together. The Kraven’s boxy chest was ornamented with dermal implants and red war paint adorned his face that just as well could have been blood.
One by one the rest of the Kraven began to drop from the ceiling until the center area was surrounded. When the last of them landed, the crimson-faced Kraven let out a war cry that incited the others. He held himself with the confidence of a leader. Liam raised his energy weapon up toward his chest, a small ball of blue light pulsing at its tip. The Kraven leader didn’t seem to be concerned, his expression unwavering.
Before Liam could pull the trigger something flew through the air and knocked his weapon from his hands, clanking and sliding along the floor. Liam’s eyes turned to follow it. A jagged blade was sticking out of the side and had absorbed all of the energy, dissipating it into the air. His eyes returned up to the leader, whose glare had intensified.
He spoke with a deep voice that easily filled the massive bridge. “Coward. You would fire on an unarmed opponent? What weak species are you, outsider?”
“I am Liam Kidd of Earth,” Liam said, feigning confidence though his moxie was fading fast. “Do you have a name?”
The Kraven leader spat at Liam’s feet, prompting an eruption of laughter from the Kraven Throng. He slapped his large chest with his flat palm and said “Crius, Lord of the Throng. You are unwise to come here, Liam of House Kidd.”
“We’ve come for the device.”
Crius looked around and shrugged his shoulders, showing two rows of yellowed teeth as the corners of his mouth edged up into a grin. “The Azure Key. You’ll find its power is beyond your puny reach.”
Some of the Kraven continued their laughter. Their enormous frames easily filled up most of the room and their broad shoulders often touched. Crius dropped his chin to get a better look at Liam, sizing him up curiously. Liam tightened his jaw and made himself look as big as he could, a wasted effort by comparison to the brute before him.
Liam took one small step forward. His head was about as far back as it could go so he could still see Crius’ face. “Ragnar must have promised you a handsome deal for you to come out of hiding.”
His smile distorted and Crius bellowed a grunt that elicited angry roars from the other Kraven. “The Kraven hide from nothing. We fight for honor alone.”
“It was honorable to attack this colony without provocation? It was honorable to attack our asteroid mine? No, there’s no honor in that. It was cowardly.”
Every one of the Kraven roared with rage. Liam began to think he had touched a nerve. Nix grabbed at Liam’s cloak from behind and whispered, “What are you doing? Are you crazy?”
He put a hand up over his shoulder to signal to Nix that he knew what he was doing. Crius raised his hand as though he was going to strike at Liam, but when the other Kraven protested he lowered it. Liam took notice and stepped forward once more. “We’re taking the Key. One way or another.”
Crius looked around to the other Kraven and laughed from his belly. “You are a fool, Liam Kidd. Look around you. You are in no position to make threats.”
“Your attack on this colony has failed. Your leadership of the Kraven is in question, I can see it in the faces of the brave warriors around you. If you are a man of honor you will prove you are fit to lead by using diplomacy.”
“I will give my people your head, outsider!”
“I am unarmed. I doubt your people would respect a murderer.”
The Kraven on the bridge grew restless. It was clear that the longer the conversatio
n went on the less they thought of their leader. Liam could see that Crius appeared weak to them. A man half his size was speaking down to him. Crius’ rule was hanging by a thread.
Crius grunted and spat, “Single combat. Your death will be swift, but honorable.”
“A duel?” Liam asked. “What are your terms?”
“Terms? We fight for honor.”
“No,” Liam said, provoking snarls of outrage from the Kraven. He continued, “If I best you, I require safe passage for myself and my crew as well as the Azure Key.”
Crius considered the offer. The Kraven watched on in silence, the tension in the room mounting. The Kraven leader had countless scars across his body from innumerable fights. Liam couldn’t imagine Crius would see him as much of a challenge. Crius put his hand across his chest and said, “By the gods I swear it. However, when I kill you, your companions will feed the Throng, starting with your puny Dinari friend.”
Nix’s eyes widened. He was quivering under his thick cloak, having trouble holding onto his weapon. Liam got the impression that eating their foes was a form of disrespect more than anything else. Still, Liam had a plan and it was their only way off the ship. He nodded and said, “Then we are agreed.”
“Choose your weapon, whelp.”
A half-dozen Kraven approached them and laid out several weapons, from blades to spears, all far too crude for their level of technological prowess. Each was meant for a Kraven hand, far too large for Liam to wield, save for one. It would have been a dagger to the Kraven, but to Liam it might as well have been a sword. It had a smooth curve to it like a scimitar, but with strange lines in the metal that made Liam question how it was forged and from what exactly it was made.
Liam bent down and picked up the blade, which was surprisingly light in his hand. Crius nodded and chose a large jagged blade, seemingly made from a broken part of the ship, but sharpened into a devastating weapon. Liam knew if he were hit by that, Tetanus would be the least of his worries.
Crius made a motion with his hand and the Kraven scooped up the remaining weapons and gave them a wide berth. Several of the Kraven took back to the rafters or climbed on top of the suspended workstations to leave room for the duel. They were restless now, clamoring over each other to get the best view.
Saturn’s weapon was raised at Crius and she said, “Liam, you don’t have to do this. There’s got to be another way.”
Liam turned to her and smiled confidently. “Trust me.”