HUMANITY: A Post-Apocalyptic Sci-Fi Novel (16 page)

He pulled on his thrusters, and the ship lurched forward slowly. Something had damaged his mobility, and his acceleration was 1/10th of normal. He slammed his fist on the control panel and turned so that his blasters were aimed at the missing shield and fired a far, last chance prayer at the larger ship.

Inside the the Zatyr, everyone breathed a sigh of relief when the small attacker had been sent spinning away by their blaster fire, but that relief was short lived with a loud explosion and array of sparks came shooting from up beneath them. Alarms wailed and lights flickered as a small fire broke out in the far of the room.

Scraggs jumped out of the co-pilot’s chair and cursed. “He hit us where we yanked off our shields the other day.” He ran for the fire extinguisher and began trying to control the flame.

“All shields have lost power!” Walter yelled, examining the level of damage on his monitors. “But he’s moving much slower now. I think we can get away.”

Walter turned the ship towards Rashada and kicked the thrusters into high gear. The other ship continued to fire from a distance, but they were quickly widening the gap. Soon they were entering the fragment planet’s atmosphere, leaving the smaller ship firing misguided shots as they pulled away.

Their problems were far from over when the Rashada mines came into view far below them. Walter could see the wreckage from Stryker’s starship, and sparks continued to shoot out from the floor of the Zatyr.

Walter activated the landing gear, but a malfunction warning appeared on the screen, and although he was able to slow the thrusters, he couldn’t disengage them all the way. “Everyone hold on tight. We’re going to land fast and hard!”

Mich grabbed on to Tristyn, who was still sitting on the floor, trying only halfheartedly to avoid the sparks and chaos around her, while everyone braced for impact. The ship wailed as it hurried towards the ground, and when it finally touched down, it burrowed across the ground, causing a loud roar outside and whipping the passengers around like rag dolls.

Equipment was shattered, lights burst, and everything went dark.

M
ich coughed violently
at the taste of filth in his mouth. Dirt had funneled up into the Zatyr through a large tear that was created during the crash. He was surrounded by darkness, save for the single beam of sunlight that was channeling through a crack between the Zatyr’s door. Inside of the cabin, the sound of hissing and the smell of fuel was making him nauseous. He covered his mouth with his hands, trying his best not to inhale the dust floating in the air, and navigated to the door, tripping over random objects every few steps of the way.

When he arrived at the door, he pushed a few times but it didn’t budge. Though it was practically broken off of its hinges, the metal was bent severely causing it to be locked in place.

“Tristyn? Mich?” Walter’s voice rang out shakily.

“I’m here, Walter,” Mich yelled. “Give me a minute.”

He stood back a few feet and kicked, but still received the same results. Then, he leaned back and lunged forward, putting all his weight into the door. The door popped out of the frame, but Mich went flying with it. Thankfully, it was only a couple feet to the ground.

Mich’s picked himself up and allowed his eyes to adjust to the sunlight. Stryker’s wreck was a few hundred meters away, and The Zatry was mostly destroyed. There was smoke running out of the front of the ship–reminded him of a car that was about to explode if he had still been back on earth–and coupled with the fact that he could smell fuel, he knew that he should get the others out as fast as possible.

He climbed back in the Zatyr, now receiving ample light from the missing door, and could see both Tristyn and Scraggs laying side-by-side unconscious. He lifted them, one at a time, and brought them outside while yelling across the ship to Walter, assuring him that he would be back to get him as soon as possible.

Walter was conscious when Mich found him, but blood was dripping from his brow, and his leg was trapped under a piece of equipment.

“Are you okay?” Mich asked as he tried to lift the large metal object from off of him. “Hang in there…”

“Not sure,” Walter moaned. “It’s tearing into me.”

Mich grunted as he strained to lift the metal, but eventually had it high enough that Walter’s leg was free. After Walter scurried out from the trap, Mich let the object fall back down with a heavy clang.

“Yep, broken,” Walter confirmed as he clasped right below his knee.

Mich grabbed Walter’s arm and lifted him up, then threw his arms around his shoulder to usher him outside. He helped Walter get a safe enough distance from the wreckage, then moved Tristyn and Scraggs out of the danger zone as well.

“She’s still breathing,” Walter said and held an ear against Tristyn’s nose. There were lacerations on Tristyn’s neck and arms, but nothing that looked more serious than a surface wound.

“Scraggs has a pulse,” Mich added as he attended to the unconscious techy. A bit of blood was dripping out of Scraggs mouth, perhaps from biting his lip or tongue during the impact, but otherwise the rest of his body had made it through unscathed.

“We need to get them some water,” Water said.

Mich pulled himself up and turned around, surveying the surroundings for help or anything that might be of aid for his two unconscious friends, but his search ended before it began when a heavy wind beat down on his face, and he saw small ship landing dangerously close– the same starship that had brought the Zatyr down.

“Oh shit!” Mich said as he turned around and reached for Tristyn.

“It’s useless,” Walter cried. “You can’t get away while carrying her too. If you’re going to run, go ahead and run solo.”

Mich’s head was spinning, and his hands were shaking. It was all happening too fast. He was still roughed up from the sudden crash in the ship, and now he was facing someone who may very well put a blaster shot to his face.

He reached for Tristyn’s holster, grabbing her pistol from her belt, then fumbled it in his hands. “How do you use this thing?” Mich asked.

“There’s a safety on its side. Slide it, but take your finger off the trigger before you do.”

While Mich searched for the safety button, the door to the small starship hissed, and Tamor stepped outside. Mich spun around and pointed his weapon erratically, still not having found the safety, but hoping that aiming the weapon itself might garnish some fear in the attacker.

“Walter St. James… I should have known you were behind all this,” the Keeper growled.

When Mich realized that it was Tamor, a lump formed in his throat. His mind flashed back to the fight that he witnessed between him and the other strange, robed Keeper. He and the others would be killed if
that
man was after them. There was no way they would survive.

“Walter has nothing to do with the Queen!” Mich reasoned.

Tamor continued to march forward and reached for the large sword on his back as he approached. “I have no more patience for human nonsense. I’ll take matters in to my own hands for all the damage you’ve caused!”

“Tamor Landry,” a voice bellowed out from afar, causing all parties to turn their head. Stryker was limping towards them, blood dripping down the crevice between his eyes and to his nose. He held a slender, copper sword in one hand, and his opposite arm was sagging. “It’s nice to be of your acquaintance.”

“Stryker…” Tamor whispered as he stopped in his tracks. “You’re part of this as well?”

“Well…” Stryker clenched his teeth and darted his eyes. “Not really. But I’d suggest you put that ridiculous sword away before you hurt yourself.”

Tamor growled and changed directions, running towards Stryker with bolts of electricity beginning to surge around his sword.

Stryker stopped moving as Tamor stormed forward. “Tamor, just relax and let us explain. If you fight me, things won’t end in your favor.”

Tamor ignored Stryker’s remarks and continued to close the gap between them. The human Keeper sighed and gritted his teeth. His limp arm suddenly started emanating a blue hue, and energy began to flow freely into his sword. His bad arm eased back to life, and he gripped the hilt of his sword tightly with both hands to block the first heavy blow that was brought down over his head.

The two locked their crackling swords, and Tamor stared into Stryker’s eyes. “I heard you like to kill Keepers,” Tamor snarled.

“Only the kind with bounties,” Stryker grinned through blood.

Tamor’s eyes panned to the tattoos on Stryker’s arms and neck. “For the bounties or the koridiam?”

“Koridiam’s a big bonus, but–“

Stryker was cutoff as Tamor reached his sword back and swung it towards his head. Stryker ducked, just missing the blow and countering with a swing of his own. Tamor was barely able to bring his massive sword around to block the lightning-fast strike then took a step back to reassess his opponent.

“I’m much faster than you, Tamor,” Stryker declared as he lashed out again, nearly causing Tamor to lose balance in order to dodge the blow. “Stop now, and get back on your ship before you die.”

Tamor’s face was set in stone.

As the two Keepers fought, Mich dropped the defunct blaster and reached for sword that he still had stowed behind his back.

“What are you doing?” Walter asked.

Mich sat down beside his friends and closed it eyes, holding his sword in his hands the same manner that he had practiced with Stryker. “Someone needs to stop them before they kill each other.”

Walter tried to laugh, but it came out more as a cough. “What you need to do is stay out of their way. Going anywhere near those two will get yourself killed. Stryker knows what he’s doing.”

Mich ignored the older man’s suggestion and began searching for the flame inside of him. Copper slamming against copper and energy sparking against energy rang out in the distance, causing a sense of fear and urgency to overcome him. Focusing was difficult with the noise, but Mich thought back to his training with Vishi. The fighting was a danger to him, but it was not yet a direct threat.

Blackness slowly crept over him, and a small globe of energy appeared in front of his eyes.

Stryker quick stepped forward, swiping his sword rapidly, and Tamor could only block in response. Again, Stryker lunged out, and immediately after his blow was blocked, he crouched and knock down the larger Keeper with a quick leg sweep. Ready to end the bout, Stryker whirled his sword upwards and then plunged it down at Tamor’s leveled body.

Tamor rolled out of the way, missing the death strike by a split second, then scurried to his feet. He had heard stories of Striker’s strength, but he thought they were exaggerated. How could a human, a petty and misguided species, learn to harness his life force to such a degree? It seemed so improbable that one would ever rise to become a Keeper, but his speed and fighting abilities were far beyond anything he could have imagined.

Stryker panted and leaned over, hand on his knee. “I’m exhausted. You see now that you can’t beat me, right? Let’s talk.”

Tamor’s jaw tensed, and the dragon tattoo on the side of his face began to glow. He rushed towards Stryker with a growl and increased intensity.

Nearby, Tristyn started to stir into consciousness, and Walter was helping her assimilate. “Thank goodness you’re alive,” Walter sighed.

“Scraggs!” she yelped when she saw his limp body.

“He’s unconscious, but he should be okay.”

Stryer huffed right before a blow crashed down, and when he blocked it with his sword, he felt a bolt pain shoot through his broken arm. He had infused his battered body with a large amount of his life force, but Tamor’s power coupled with the size of his sword was rattling. Each time he blocked a blow, he felt it; the energy might have stabilized him, but it didn’t block the pain. He needed to end the fight before the agony overwhelmed him.

As Tamor hacked again and again with his sword, the koridiam patterns on Stryker’s body began to glow. He could feel energy surging out of him in every direction, and when Tamor swung a heavy blow once more, he was gone.

Tamor turned, looking for the vanished prey, but he was nowhere to be found. Again, he turned back to the opposite direction, but this time he cried out as pain shot across his back.

Stryker moved with impossible speed, so fast that when Tamor turned, he was able to move in the opposite direction before his eyes could find him. He slashed his sword down Tamor’s back, and when he turned again, he moved and slashed in the opposite direction, forming a large bloody “X”. Again and again, he slashed at Tamor’s body, punishing him for wrecking his ship, punishing him for forcing him to fight, and punishing him for making him leverage his koridiam to kill him.

Tamor wailed and fell to his knees when the blade cut through his hamstrings, dropping his sword in the process. His body was covered with lashes, and his head hung loosely, preparing to meet his maker.

“How naïve was I?” he thought to himself. He had never seen a Keeper with so much power, and to think that it was a human–a human who was also sending him to the grave.

Stryker rounded so that he was in front of Tamor and lifted his chin with the point of his blade. “I suppose your koridiam will be payment enough for the ships you wrecked. I’ve never been a big fan of face tattoos though. It’s a bit off-putting.” He lifted his blade and aligned it with the nape of Tamor’s neck. “Anything to say for yourself?”

Tamor coughed blood but spoke no words.

“Hmph,” Stryker said with a shrug right before he brought his sword down.

“Nooo!” Came an unexpected voice, and the moment before the copper met Tamor’s flesh, a crackling blade lunged out and intercepted the blow.

Stryker’s eyes grew wide. “Mich?”

Mich’s hands were glowing blue, and the energy was flowing freely through his blade. “Don’t kill him,” Mich panted. “He saved my life.”

“What? He wants to kill us…” Stryker threatened.

“Because he doesn’t understand. He thinks we caused this mess.” Stryker’s face remained set. “Please, I owe it to him. He’s practically dead already. He can’t do any more harm.”

Stryker gritted his teeth and paused for a moment before yanking back his sword. “I don’t usually listen to others, but I’ve gotta say I’m impressed. It took me a lot longer to learn how to channel my energy into a blade.” He kicked his foot out against Tamor’s shoulder, causing him to fall into a heap of dirt. “I guess this beast can be your early graduation gift.”

The energy radiating from Stryker’s body rapidly faded, and he fell down to a knee, dropping his sword and clutching his ribs with his good arm. Mich jumped to his side. “Are you okay?”

Stryker winced. “I’ll live, but I’m pretty beat up. Activating so much koridiam drained me, and my arm is fucked. I won’t make it down the mines like this, much less fight Snake. We’ll need to regroup and come back another day.”

“If we leave now, we can’t come back,” Walter called out. “He won’t stay in the mines forever, and once he sees the crashed Zatyr, he’ll move forward with his plans–or worse, he might just kill the Queen.”

Mich looked at his battered friends, and he was the only one who was still standing. “I’ll go…” he proclaimed. “I’ll stop Stryker. I can channel my energy now. Maybe if–“

“All power, no aim,” Stryker interrupted. “Remember what we talked about? Snake is a stone-cold killer. You’ve learned a lot, but you still haven’t learned how to fight.”

“And what do you think he’ll do the moment he sees you alone?” Walter asked. “He doesn’t know you. You can’t just waltz in and expect him to let his guard down.”

“I’ll go,” Tristyn groaned and pushed herself up on her knees. “My brother died for this. I’m not letting his death be in vain.”

“Trist…” Walter lamented. “I can’t lose you too.”

Tristyn placed her hand on Walter’s shoulder and smiled. “I won’t be able live with myself if I don’t try. Hang in there until I get back. We need to get that leg fixed up.”

Walter swallowed and tilted misty eyes to the ground before giving a slight nod.

Stryker rolled his eyes and sighed. “Look, Walter is right. Stryker’s got a lightning fast pistol draw, and he knows how to fight hand-to-hand. This is the first time Mich has channeled his energy into a blade and that was only for a moment. It’s too risky for you two to go in there alone.”