The Starhawk Chronicles Page 16

  Another laser blast and Kafu bellowed. Plex caught sight of the seeping wound in the strider’s left flank just before the animal toppled onto its side. Kafu was trying to get back up, back legs flailing wildly, but his own weight kept him down. Oozing blood was matting the animal’s hair down.

  From the darkness in the direction of the riverbed, three forms emerged and strode toward Plex. He gasped as they came closer, their features becoming recognizable under the light of the moons above.

  Plex knew them. All too well.

  The shortest of the three, the maniac he knew as Khyber, approached first. The Harkonian knelt and picked up Plex’s severed leg. “Excuse me,” he said, and Plex could tell he was trying hard to contain his laughter. “Did you drop this?”

  He did laugh then, a maniacal giggling that was strangely reminiscent of nails grating on a chalkboard. His laughter joined with a deeper, throatier chuckle. Kahr Garrakis stood over Plex looking down at him, the slightest touch of sympathy in his feline eyes was present for all of a millisecond. “Hello Plex. Remember me?”

  “Kahr,” Plex gasped through clenched teeth. “G-good to see you again.”

  Laughing again, Kahr knelt beside the old man. “I find it amazing that you humans can be so pleasant, even after someone dismembers you. An admirable quality, I suppose.”

  The third figure approached. Plex did not recognize her, but the minute she set her gaze upon him, he feared her. She was clad all in black, with long dark hair and black, soulless eyes that gazed on him without expression. “A friend?” she said. It was more an observance than a question.

  “An acquaintance,” Kahr answered. “Just one of many old acquaintances you will meet tonight.”

  She humphed and walked away, in Kafu’s direction. The beast was still struggling, but its moans were growing louder, more distressed. The woman stroked Kafu’s side, and he seemed to calm slightly. Then she touched the laser wound and Kafu let out the most heart-rending cry Plex had ever heard. The animal thrashed more violently, trying not so much as to get up, but just to move away from the person that had hurt him.

  “Please,” Plex cried. “Don’t hurt him. Do what you want to me but don’t hurt Kafu. He never harmed anyone.”

  The woman fixed him with her dead gaze, turning to observe the animal. “I won’t hurt him anymore,” she replied in a voice as dead as her eyes. “I’ll see that he has no more pain.”

  Pulling something from the pouch at her hip, she appeared to feed it to the animal. Kafu was silent for a moment, then he let out another cry, more shrill and piercing than the last. He suddenly grew silent as his belly exploded, bathing those around in blood and viscera.

  Plex fought back the urge to be sick. Kahr and Khyber gave their companion a round of appreciative applause. “No more pain,” she said stepping away from the animal’s smoking corpse, not bothering to wipe the blood from her face. There was no humor in her voice, no emotion of any kind. Looking at her in revulsion, Plex knew that she only appeared human. Inside there was a dark evil that could only have been spawned in Hell itself.

  Kahr lifted Plex off the ground and held him so that they were eye-to-eye. “Do you wish your pain ended as well?” Kahr asked.

  Plex turned his head, not wanting or caring to meet that feline gaze. He would not give them the satisfaction of defiance in the face of death, simply closing his eyes and waiting. He felt claws pierce the flesh of his chest, felt his ribcage shattering, and his eyes sprung open in reflex. Looking down, he saw Kahr’s hand deep inside his chest. Kahr yanked his hand back, and Plex felt his life leaving his body.

  The last thing Plex Morgan saw was Kahr feasting on his heart.

  Kahr let the body of the old man drop without ceremony to the ground as he bit the heart in half. What was left he tossed to Khyber, who likewise took a bite, then handed it to Jahrna. More Nexus members had approached from the darkness in the last few moments. Kahr searched among their faces, but did not see his brother. He motioned for Trank to approach. “Where is my brother?”

  Trank fixed Kahr with a dumbfounded look that was typical of his ape-like race. The Simadrian people were not high on the galaxy’s list of most intelligent species, known more for their brutish strength and fighting ability than anything else. However, even for a Simadrian, Trank was incredibly dull-witted. When he spoke, it was in a deep slow voice, and most of his words were slurred. “Rahk, your brother, he stay behind. Bugman stay with him. Say they have other work need doing.”

  Kahr found it no surprise that the Mantilorian had stayed behind. Tesk was useless in a fight. He lacked the fire in his hearts that a true warrior needed. He would certainly get his ugly head blown off if he chose to join in the fight.

  Rahk’s absence disturbed Kahr more. The whole time they had been imprisoned, all Rahk had spoken of was vengeance, and the glory Forster’s death would bring to their family name. Lately, however, it seemed to Kahr that his brother’s heart was just not in the fight anymore, a disturbing fact made all too evident in recent days. It was as if Rahk wanted Forster to win. Kahr was determined not to let that happen.

  He called the group together, looking them over in the moonlight: Khyber, Jahrna, Trank, S’biz with his pale pink skin, glowing amber eyes and flat, anvil shaped head, and the cat-like Feros. Even Charris Bu’kel had joined in. Despite the fact that Kahr had killed Charris’ brother, the Chinsharra would follow Kahr into battle without question. Gall had been given an honorable death, and that was all any Chinsharra wanted. They were a race that lived for battle.

  They looked to Kahr with expectation. He could see in their eyes and on their faces that they felt the same as he. It was time for the Nexus to take a new leader.

  “My friends,” he said, “It is sadly evident that my brother has lost his love of the fight.” He paused, seeing several heads nod in agreement. He thumped his chest. “I have not lost that love! I crave blood and carnage! It is what I live for! What I was born for!”

  Kahr pointed a claw toward the lights of the colony in the distance. “It is time, my friends,” he said, his voice growing louder with each frenzied word. “Time to do what we were born to do! To do what we do best! We will have our rightful vengeance! First against those that betrayed us here on this miserable world, and then, against Forster and his crew who tried to stop us! Are you with me?”

  He was met with an enthusiastic chorus of cheers and weapons raised overhead. Blood and adrenaline racing, he threw back his head and roared. The others joined in, heads thrown back, shouting with all they had.

  The war cry echoed across the prairie of Piraxis Three.

  Battle had begun.

  Chapter Seventeen

  “Piraxis Three,” K’Tran announced, watching as the brown and gold-hued world grew larger in the viewport. “Never thought we’d be coming back to this dust ball so soon.”

  Jesse sat in his command chair, chin resting on one hand, eyes diverted away from the planet. He knew he would have to look at it soon enough.

  Kym watched the sensor screen with Morogo. “No sign of that corvette in orbit,” she reported. “Either they were here and left already, or Lotha sent us on a wild goose chase.”

  Jesse shook his head. “No, they’re down there. Those late model Vengeance-class corvettes were atmosphere capable. They probably set down out of sensor range of the colony and hiked in.”

  “They could have just passed overhead and razed the site from the air.” Podo offered.

  “That doesn’t sound like it would be much fun for them now, does it?” K’Tran said.

  “I agree,” Jesse said. “They’d want to get their hands dirty, especially Kahr. No way he’d pass up an opportunity like this.” He rose, pacing the bridge. “Podo, I want you and Morogo to head into the armory and move all the equipment we have ready to the airlock. Also bring that reflective body armor for anyone who wants it.”

  “You don’t want me to try contacting the colony?” Podo asked.

  “If we need to
make contact, I’ll do it myself,” Jesse replied. “Besides, do you honestly think we’ll get a response?”

  Podo lowered his eyes, his head shaking slightly. “No, unfortunately,” he answered. Gesturing to Morogo, the two exited through the hatchway. Kym assumed Morogo’s place at the controls.

  Kayla looked up from her seat at the science station where she had been researching the colony’s history. “According to this,” she said, “the colony is nestled in the center of a horseshoe-shaped mesa, which protects it from the summer sandstorms. Tactically though, it doesn’t seem like the best place to set up an ambush. Once inside, the only way out is the same way in. We block that off; they’re penned in, unless they decide to climb the mesa.”

  “That’s true, but don’t forget the old saying that the cornered animal is the most dangerous,” K’Tran said. “These slime-lickers are bad enough out in the open. Penned in like that they’re gonna be real tough to control.”

  “Do you think they may have left anyone alive down there?” Kym asked. Her eyes were on her controls, because, Jesse knew, she did not want anyone to see the fear in her eyes.

  Jesse sighed, “Some may have been able to get away.” There was no hope in his voice, and he knew it.

  The sensor alert buzzed, catching everyone’s attention. K’Tran checked his monitor. “We’ve got something in orbit,” he said. “Looks like wreckage. Not enough to be that corvette though.”

  “Guess it would be overly optimistic to hope for something like that,” Kayla said.

  “They’re here all right.” Jesse replied. “And they’re waiting for us.”

  The Starhawk raced onward.

  ***

  Sitting on the edge of the roof of the colony’s communications and tracking station, Kahr’s eyes followed the stars. He knew his wait would be over soon. Forster was approaching. He could almost feel it.

  A new star appeared in the night sky, and Kahr tracked it as it drew closer. At last . . .

  At the same time, he heard Khyber whoop from the room below. The Harkonian ran out onto the terrace and climbed the ladder to the roof. “We just picked up. . .”

  Kahr held up a claw, silencing him. “I know. Forster is on his way.”

  He threw back his head, loosing his battle cry once more. The sound echoed, reverberating off the mesa walls around them. From all over the complex, answering cries could be heard. Kahr got to his feet, looking at Khyber fidgeting with pent-up impatience on the ladder. “Bring me that concussion torpedo launcher I’ve been admiring for so long. It needs a proper field test, and I want to give Forster and his crew a proper reception.”

  “Looks like they still have power,” Kayla commented. “I see lights.”

  “Punch it up on the screen and magnify,” Jesse ordered, watching the settlement grow larger through the ship’s viewport. An enhanced view of the colony appeared on the screen between the pilot and co-pilot stations. Jesse scrutinized the image, and then sat back in his chair with a sigh. “Only a few and even those are pretty dim. Must be running from an emergency generator somewhere in the compound, not the main power grid.”

  “You still want to make a pass overhead? It’d be kind of like ringing the doorbell and announcing our presence with a singing telegram.” K’Tran said.

  “Believe me; if they’re still here, they knew we were on our way long ago.” Jesse pointed to the sensor array atop the tallest tower. “Doesn’t appear damaged. They’ve known we were here since we dropped out of hyperspace. We’ll make a quick pass overhead and assess the situation, scan for any survivors, then find a place to set down.”

  The hatchway behind them opened, and Morogo entered, handing Jesse his weapons belt. Jesse rose out of his seat long enough to fasten the weapons to his hip.

  “Believe me, they’re more than ready for us,” he said. “Now we just have to see who’s going to win this game.”

  *

  Kahr allowed himself a smile as he tracked the Starhawk’s approach through torpedo launchers rangefinder. Beside him, Khyber continued to fidget in anticipation.

  “Aren’t they in range yet?” he asked.

  “Yes,” Kahr replied, “They have been for some time. I want to make sure this shot counts.

  The Starhawk was passing over the shattered gateway that led into the colony from the prairieland beyond, nearing the sensor tower. At this range, Kahr no longer had to use the scope.

  “Coming right for us,” Kahr laughed. “How considerate of them.”

  The Starhawk was nearly on top of them now. With a war cry that echoed up along the mesa walls, he loosed the torpedo into the air. Trailing a plume of smoke, the torpedo struck the Starhawk amidships. Despite the deflector shields protecting her, Kahr could see that he had done some damage. The ship was losing altitude, careening wildly for the mesa wall.

  “Projectile hit at close range! It penetrated our shields. We’ve got damage” Kym shouted, hands scrambling over her controls as she and K’Tran struggled to steady the ship. She spat out a curse. “I just got this damn thing fixed.”

  The mesa wall filled the viewport as the ship struggled to get its nose up. The straining engines almost drowned out the sound of the alarms screaming throughout the ship.

  “All power to the forward lift jets,” K’Tran shouted. “Everybody hold on. This is gonna be close.”

  Everyone grabbed something. Jesse looked over and saw Kayla fastening her crash restraints just as the ship pivoted wildly onto its tail. Morogo, still standing, grabbed the nearest bulkhead, powerful fingers imprinting in the metal where he gripped, catching Bokschh as the drone fell off balance by the sudden maneuver. The star-filled sky replaced the mesa in the viewport. K’Tran brought the thrusters up to full and the Starhawk rocketed skyward.

  With bare meters to spare, the ship cleared the wall and leveled out, skimming over the top of the mesa, K’Tran pulling the ship hard to one side to avoid slamming into the colony’s transmitter dish. Jesse was out of his seat as if sprung from it.

  “Let’s go, people,” he shouted. “The Nexus just gave us their formal invite to the party.”

  K’Tran and Bokschh traded places at the controls. With a curse, Kym rose from her seat. “Guess I have to sit this one out to fix whatever those scrubbers just broke on us,” she said. She raced back toward the engine room, Kayla, K’Tran, and Morogo hot on her heels.

  Jesse assumed Kym’s seat beside Bokschh, and together they brought the ship safely across the mesa top. Cutting in the lifter jets and descended along the far wall, kicking up clouds of dry prairie dust as the ship settled in for a landing.

  “Soon as we’re offloaded, get her airborne again,” Jesse ordered, jumping from his seat once more, heading off the bridge. “Don’t let those scum get another shot at her. Call Kym up from damage control if you need the extra hand.”

  “I shall endeavor not to get shot down,” Bokschh called after him.

  Meeting the others at the ramp, Jesse took his jacket and rifle from K’Tran and led them down onto the prairie, clearing away from the ship. Jesse tapped his communicator twice in rapid succession, signaling to Bokschh that they were a safe distance away. The Starhawk lifted with a roar of jets, running lights fading away into the distance, and they were alone in the night.

  “Let’s double time,” Jesse said, already breaking into a jog. “We’ve got a lot of ground to cover. I’d hoped we could pass over the colony and circle back around, but I don’t want to know what other surprises the Garrakis boys have planned for us.”

  “I agree,” K’Tran said. “High time we showed them a few surprises of our own!”

  “Not to be a downer,” Kayla chimed in. “But would one of those surprises happen to be how we get inside the colony without the Nexus cutting us all down at the front door?”

  “I’m currently working on that,” Jesse replied. “I’ll have something for you by the time we come in sight of the colony.”

  It was, of course, a lie. He had no idea how they
would accomplish that feat, and was certain that a full frontal assault would be perhaps their only way in, suicidal as it was.

  They made good time across the flat, hard ground, deviating only slightly to cross a deep dry wash or tangle of prairie bushes. They were already rounding the southernmost tip of the mesa when K’Tran suddenly stopped.

  “Shit.”

  Jesse, who had been in the lead, stopped, turning to his friend. “What is it?”

  “It’s shit,” K’Tran replied dryly. “I stepped in it.”

  Kayla chimed in. “It’s all over the place. I just stepped in some, too.” He could not see her face in the dark, but from the tone of her voice, Jesse knew she was not thrilled with the discovery.

  “This some kind of weird Nexus Gang joke?” Podo inquired. “They hoping we’ll all slip and fall and hurt ourselves so bad we wouldn’t be able to fight?”

  The suggestion was so inane, and Podo’s voice so deadpan, Jesse could not help but laugh out loud. When his laughter subsided, his ears picked up a new sound. It was a soft, almost mournful sound. “Do you hear that?”

  Podo was the first to hear it. “Sounds like someone in pain.”

  “No, it’s different,” Kayla said. She had moved close enough that Jesse could see that she was her cocking her head to one side, listening intently. “It’s . . . mooing.”

  Jesse shot her a curious glance she could not see. “Mooing?”

  “Livestock,” she replied.

  From behind him, Jesse heard K’Tran utter a soft curse. “Good Lord, please don’t let it be gravars.”

  “No, I’m almost certain it sounds like cattle,” Kayla replied. She hefted her rifle and Jesse could see from the faint green light spilling from the scope that she had turned it to night vision. “Yep. I was right. A nice-size herd about a quarter-kilometer from here.”

  Without a word, Jesse started in the direction she had indicated. The others, curious, followed close behind.

  The moon broke though the intermittent cloud cover overhead, making their journey a bit smoother. They found about three hundred head of cattle. Most were Earth-bred; Jesse recognized Brahma and Hereford in the mix, but there were a few others as well. Several of the tri-horned breed found in the Tesla system were present, as well as the Pygmy Buffalo from Tatonka Prime.