Star Watch (37 page)

“You need to support his head, are you a total idiot?”

Bristol repositioned his arm, making sure Ricket’s head was better supported, and stood up. Holding Ricket in his arms, he and Dira quickly headed back toward the passageway.

Dira rushed past Boomer. “Stay right behind me … we’re getting out of here.”

Boomer did as told, while Rizzo and Leon—walking backwards, their weapons held high—followed closely behind them. Boomer watched Bristol as he struggled with his load, seeming ready to drop Ricket as his skinny legs wobbled.

Bristol disappeared into the black opening. He would be the only one.

In a mist of violet-charged light, the speed in which Lord Vikor Shakrim appeared took them all by surprise. He stood tall and imposing, directly in front of the passageway gap.

Boomer could not have been more pleased. His eyes quickly locked on to her enhancement shield, then up to her eyes, and he smiled.

Then Boomer realized Sahhrain warriors were standing all around them.

“There is no reason for all of you to die here,” Shakrim said amiably. “You are, obviously, far outnumbered. Certain death awaits you … and for what?”

Boomer moved around Dira and stood before Shakrim. “Let them go … let them back into the passage,” Boomer said.

“No,” Dira said, doing her best to pull Boomer behind her.

Boomer used her shield to forcibly push Dira back. “This is my fight! No one else can do it!” she said, keeping her eyes on Shakrim.

“Do what she says, Boomer,” Rizzo said. “Get back.”

Lord Shakrim’s expression turned stern. “The
Minian
is mine. The outcome here has been foretold … written two thousand years ago. You cannot change the inevitable. Stand aside.”

“Kill us and you still won’t be able to enter the
Minian
,” Dira said. “You’ve gained nothing.”

“Oh, but how wrong you are. You are the captain’s woman … and that young one, Boomer, his warrior child. Do you honestly believe the captain will idly stand by and watch while I rip the very skin from your arms and legs? While his loved ones cry out in horrific agony?”

“He’s not on the ship, so you accomplish nothing,” Dira said, desperation in her voice.

Shakrim smiled and looked at her—an expression of reluctant patience on his scarred face. “At this very moment, I’m sorry to inform you, in an adjacent realm, the very last of Captain Reynolds’ men are dying all around him … over a thousand humans beaten by a far superior force. I suppose they fought an honorable battle, but in the end their destiny was written, long long ago. As was mine. Your Captain Reynolds, in a matter of minutes, will be the sole survivor. Soon enough, he will be brought before me.”

Boomer listened to Shakrim and tried to quell her rising hatred. She believed him. Sahhrain warriors, enhancement shields on their arms, were an unbeatable force. Boomer’s heart pulled in her chest as she thought about those either dead or dying in the rhino-warriors’ habitat. She looked around at the towering Sahhrain Chosen Spear warriors—each held a long pratta-shaft, plus an enhancement shield. They were the best of the best—Lord Shakrim’s most highly trained personal guard. Boomer looked over at Leon and Rizzo, still holding their multi-guns high, but she noticed no confidence in their eyes. Shakrim was right; there was nothing any of them could do … perhaps they really had been defeated.

Chapter 53

Dacci System

The
Minian
, Habitat 7, Ancient Ruins

_________________

Boomer saw movement at the opening, in the gap leading into the passageway behind Lord Shakrim. She silently cursed Bristol for still hanging around …
why didn’t you
get yourself and Ricket to safety!

But it wasn’t Bristol.

Prince Aahil Aqeel stepped into the light and stood right behind Lord Shakrim. He nodded toward Boomer, a brief smile crossing his lips. He glanced first at Lord Shakrim’s back, then over at her. The message was clear … she knew exactly what she needed to do.

Aahil’s warriors streamed into HAB 7, in a constant blur of blue skin and violet distortion waves. Boomer and Aahil attacked Shakrim at the same moment.

Boomer anticipated Shakrim’s most likely defensive move, positioning one edge of her shield to face both down and inward as she leapt as high into the air as she could. But Aahil’s presence must have been detected before the Blues’ leader could unleash his own attack. Shakrim spun sideways, diverting most, if not all, of Aahil’s bright, lightning-like, violet charge.

Boomer continued to rise higher into the air as her violet waves of light turned red—the power emanating from her shield was far stronger than she’d previously encountered. She flipped over backward as a stream of distortion waves from below sizzled by—just missing her head.

She saw Shakrim and Aahil below her, their shields emitting brilliant waves, crackling swirls, of violet lightning. Boomer landed on her feet and joined in the fight. Shakrim blocked her advances in stride, dodging and spinning with remarkable agility. His cloak, a black frock blowing in the wind, twirled and twisted—making it difficult to see around.

Twice before, Boomer had, somehow, called up the red distortion waves … waves that were far more powerful than the violet ones. As she spun and leapt away from Lord Shakrim’s advances, she consciously surrendered to that same open mindset—that place of allowing—and slowly the shield’s violet distortion waves changed hue. She felt the shield on her arm become heavier—stronger. Holding it out before her, and securing its hold with her other hand, she fired wave after wave of thunderous scarlet distortion waves at Lord Shakrim. He spun left and then right, dodging the incoming bombardment from both Boomer and Aahil. With a quick turn of his arm, the face of his shield ricocheted Boomer’s distortion waves directly into Aahil. Unprepared, the prince took the red waves directly to his face. He stumbled backward, into the ruins behind him, and slid to the ground.

Unsure if Aahil were dead or only injured, she knew she was on her own against Lord Shakrim, either way. For the first time, she became aware of the fighting going on all around her. Blues warriors were going up against Chosen Spear warriors. Both Leon and Rizzo were still alive and fighting hard as well.
Where are Dira and Hanna?

Then she saw it … could it be possible? Was Lord Shakrim slowing … tiring? Boomer, who’d been lulled into false assumptions before, remained on guard when he suddenly attacked her. A rampage—first high, then low, then forward bursts of distortion waves came toward her. Boomer dodged twice and blocked the third volley. Bound in a sense together—neither combatant yielding an inch of leeway—both steadily held their ground as crisscrossing streams of light struck the other’s shield. Shakrim’s stare bore into her. Now anger and hatred emanated from his eyes. But his rage turned to something else when he witnessed her shield’s violet waves turning to red, as they flowed toward him. His arms, noticeably, began to tremble before out-and-out shaking took over.

Desperate, he looked around for an escape. Boomer continued her onslaught—bringing the might of her enhancement shield closer and closer to Lord Shakrim’s exposed neck. Something flashed in his eyes that Boomer didn’t understand until it was too late. Again, Lord Shakrim used his mastery of Kahill Callan: In one fluid, practiced movement he leapt backward, raising his shield over his head, while positioning it face down and to the side.

Boomer marveled at his quick thinking and skill, as once again her distortion waves ricocheted harmlessly away.

No … not harmlessly. Someone was on the ground … someone had encountered the full force of her thunderous red distortion waves.
Oh my God … Hanna.
She’d just killed Hanna! Tears filled Boomer’s eyes and she felt her own energy draining away. Shakrim’s blows came at her now with renewed ferocity. The scarlet-red hue was gone from her distortion waves. She tried to back away, to fend off the overwhelming power of his attack. She felt something hard against her back … she’d backed into one of the ruin’s tall walls. There was nowhere else to go … nowhere to flee. The first of Lord Shakrim’s distortion wave blows creased her left shoulder, and her arm fell limply at her side. The same arm that held her enhancement shield.

Lord Shakrim raised his shield, his face now calm. He looked almost sympathetic at what was to come next. He raised his shield and Boomer closed her eyes and waited.

I should be dead
, was the first thought entering her mind. It had been too long.
How long does it take?
She opened her eyes, not understanding at first what she was seeing. It didn’t make sense … didn’t compute.
Dad?

The fighting around her had ceased. Blues warriors and Chosen Spear warriors and Rizzo and Leon and Dira were all watching her father and Lord Shakrim.
How did you get here, Dad?
More importantly,
How can you fight him?

In the next instant, Boomer recognized Lord Vikor Shakrim’s enhancement shield lying on the ground—the arm straps had been cut. Shakrim was without the use of his shield.

Chapter 54

Dacci System

The
Minian
, Zoo Rhino-Warrior Habitat 170

_________________

Jason was surprised to learn most of the Sharks, even some of the rhino-warriors, were already familiar with what had become known as
Rizzo’s maneuver
. They even had time to practice the quick phase-shifting move for several minutes before the quickly advancing Sahhrain warriors were near.

What seemed most odd as the seconds wound down, before the final attack came, was the sense of calm he and the others were feeling. One and all they’d come to terms with their inevitable demise within HAB 7, and an almost jovial atmosphere had taken hold.

Jason watched Billy use
Rizzo’s maneuver
to flash in and out around Traveler as the big beast swung his heavy hammer wildly—never coming close to hitting him. Laughter echoed across the desert from four hundred Sharks prepared to meet their Maker.

“Incoming!” Jason yelled.

“Lock and load,” a younger Shark, standing near Jason’s side, yelled in response. Jason spoke into the open channel. “Just like we practiced it … spread out … let’s not give them an easy target.”

Fast approaching in the distance, Jason saw the reflective breastplate of Commander Douville.
Come to Papa … you fucking traitor.

As one thousand-plus Sahhrain warriors arrived on the scene, Sharks and rhinos instantly flashed away. But Jason stayed where he was—waiting for Ridert. Dusk had turned to night and, like flitting fireflies, Sharks and rhino-warriors danced in and out, using Rizzo’s maneuver.
Would their diversionary tactics be enough to change the tide in their favor? Enough for their outnumbered forces to win the day?
he wondered
.

He waited for the overconfident Sahhrain warrior to stride to a halt, two paces in front of him. Jason didn’t flash away, but he did raise his multi-gun.

“Time for us to finish this romp, Captain,” Ridert said, looking smug. And why shouldn’t he be? The battle was nearing its end and his face merely reflected his anticipation of victory.

Jason didn’t answer—instead he pulled the trigger on his multi-gun and didn’t let up. Somehow, each plasma bolt was blocked by Ridert’s quick-moving shield. Perhaps it was his
Kahill Callan
training—but he seemed to know precisely where Jason was going to point his weapon next. In the midst of the ricocheting fire, Ridert steadily moved forward, and eventually used his shield, like a distortion wave battering ram, to propel Jason off his feet and onto his back. While flat on his back, Jason used Rizzo’s maneuver to flash away, directly behind Ridert. He fired—this time plasma fire raked the commander’s back. His metallic breastplate, which covered his chest, as well as his back, took the plasma fire—leaving an angled, blackened, foot-long scorch mark. Ridert immediately spun to his left, this time using his shield’s edging to propel himself up and away.

Jason jumped back to his feet, doing his best to track the commander’s movements. Again, he was struck by more distortion waves. Alarms sounded in his helmet as a warning flashed across his HUD—shields and power levels were falling fast. Jason caught Ridert’s life-icon, blinking into view, on his HUD, behind him. Without looking, Jason reacted with a high-angled back kick—delivering a devastating blow to Ridert’s face. Immediately, Jason followed up with a spinning-heel kick, delivered precisely to the commander’s temple. Ridert spun around one hundred and eighty degrees before falling face first into the sand.

Jason stood over Commander Douville, his multi-gun raised. It took nearly a minute for Ridert to rise from the ground. His eye patch, now askew, revealed a grotesque-looking empty eye socket.

“You’re under arrest, asshole. So much as twitch and I’ll blow you away.”

* * *

There were many casualties within HAB 170. Winning the battle was not easy, but in the end, the Sharks and rhinos prevailed over the Sahhrain warriors. Jason’s forces were cut in half—barely two hundred Sharks left—but they’d won, nonetheless.

Jason wasted no time—he phase-shifted directly back to the portal window and hurried across the still open threshold. As planned, he bypassed entering the
Minian
’s Zoo and entered habitat 7, the ancient ruins of a past Harpaign civilization.

What he hadn’t expected was to find himself in the midst of another ferocious battle. Plasma fire came from off to his left and violet distortion waves were virtually arcing all around; slain bodies lay everywhere on the ground. Leon and Rizzo still held their own with the assistance of twenty-plus Blues warriors. There were just as many Sahhrain combatants about, but none of that caught Jason’s attention.

In the distance, closer to the ruins, he saw a reflective gold breastplate and a black cloak—the unmistakable signature of Lord Shakrim. Who was he fighting? Someone small … was it Ricket? No … not Ricket … he’d been injured earlier … oh, God … please not Boomer …