The IX (37 page)

Yeah, but for how long?
“Tara, Hiroshi, this is Alpha,” he snapped. “Get the problem sorted. We don’t know the full capability of the portable emitters yet, and now
is not a good time to find out.”

“We’re going as fast as we can, Mac,” Hiroshi called back. “We can’t push it in case we cause an ignition stall.”

“How long?”

“At least several minutes. Sorry, the schematics were slightly different to those we’d been given, and we choked the injectors on our initial attempt.”

Jesus Christ!
“Stu? Fonzy? Are you listening?”

“Yes, yes, Boss,” Stu replied. “Don’t worry about us. I’ve got two fire-teams in each starboard side hatchway. As soon as the curtain drops, the claymore will take out our nearest visitors, and we’ll drill the rest. It’ll be a high pucker-factor moment, but we should be okay.”

“Copy that. Follow the plan. We’ll thin their ranks from the air while the main body is still trying to get their shit together. Alpha, out.”

Mac stopped to ensure he was secured to the hatchway with a safety line. Jayden did the same. The ship pivoted around to gain a better firing solution.

Right, here we go.
“Sam? Are you ready at the rear doors?”

“Affirmative. Scott and I are clipped on and awaiting your orders.”

“Okay, link your HUD to mine. This is your arc . . . .” Mac highlighted the field of fire to his colleague. “Jayden and I will take the rest.”

“Wilco.”

“
Promulus
fire-team. Stand-by, stand-by. You have your targets. Don’t waste ammo. I want short, sharp bursts. Be clean and efficient, and wait for each chain reaction to subside before you shoot again. We’ll start on those grunts about five yards out from the barrier. On my mark . . .” He brought his weapon to the shoulder. “Fire!”

A devastating first volley hammered down. Lurid bursts of flame-red and tangerine-orange intensity engulfed the roiling mass below them. As the concussions caught and spread among the crush, a narrow avenue appeared through the Horde ranks. A brief lull ensued as the crew paused to view the results of their opening gambit. Then the sound of gunfire resumed, becoming more sporadic as each individual took their time in selecting their next victim.

Empty casings tinkled to the floor. The glass ones smashed, but others chimed and bounced out of the doorway. Mac stared in wonder as the brutes directly below him imploded in agony.

Of course! Some of these empty shells are the old steel ones. They’re a weapon in themselves, especially when they fall on our friends from above.

The
Tarion Star
’s engines steadily ramped up in power, sending a pressure wave radiating into the throng. A sense of urgency seemed to grip the ogres closest to the ship. Concentrating on two areas along the curtain, the Horde drove forward, again and again. The barrier at those locations flushed dull vermilion.

Mac accepted the inevitable.
It’s going to give
. “Hiroshi, how long?”

“We still need a few minutes.”

The shields bruised even darker, and a spattering of amber sparks flared along the length of the wall.

Too long.
“Stu, Fonzy, prepare your teams. Any second now.”

“Mac,” Jayden said, “what’s that over there?”

Mac didn’t hear her as he yelled, “All gun teams revert to full automatic fire. Empty everything you’ve got into them. Keep the
Tarion Star
free of infestation.”

“Mac!” Jayden yelled, over the deafening burst of gunfire. Slapping him hard on the back, she pointed. “I said there’s something over there. What is it?”

Scanning the no-man’s-land between their own vessels and those lying wrecked behind the larger congregation of monsters, Mac couldn’t see what Jayden was getting at. The leading members of the greater host were jostling one another and preparing to charge. Individual essences became more and more defined as emotions ran high. Then a huge roar blasted out and the forward ranks broke free. Resuming their mad dash, they quickly covered the remaining distance.

“No!” Jayden screamed. Grabbing Mac’s head between her hands, she twisted his neck. “Not there.
There
!”

A strange distortion halfway between the two groups caught his eye. Looking like a gray glass helix, it hung silently in the air, slowly rotating in on itself. A
twang
of déjà vu just had time to pluck at the back of his mind before a familiar flash of light peeled the vortex open. Two huge entities sheathed in crimson and sapphire radiance stepped out of the portal. The scarlet and golden flames dancing around their heads were sharply defined and radiated overwhelming amounts of energy.

As soon as their feet touched the ground, the Horde Masters separated. The smaller one made its way toward the approaching storm; the other Boss turned and flowed across the ground at surprising speed toward the
Promulus
and
Tarion Star
.

What now?

Mac jumped as a sizzling discharge vaporized the shield emitters. Tearing his gaze back to the scene before him, he watched the tail end of the explosion decimate the beasts closest to the barrier. Before the ogres had time to recover, the claymore detonated, punching a hole clean through their ranks.

An earsplitting volley of death rang out from the ships, only to be answered by an even more deafening reply from the surviving Horde members.

Mac’s eyes danced back and forth as he tried to calculate the speed of the approaching mob.
There are too many of them. Even if this smaller crowd delays the
Tarion Star
by seconds, the deluge will be
—

A thunderous declaration interrupted his line of thought.

Stunned, Mac watched as the entire host responded to the command, and ground to an unwilling halt. Wails of protest broke out. Some individuals within the packs couldn’t control themselves and stomped forward once more.

The Masters reacted instantly. Clapping their hands together, each created a concentrated nucleus of power. Molding these to suit their purpose, they clenched their fists and made a clawing motion in the air. Those fiends that had acted defiantly were shredded on the spot, their essences subsumed by their executioners.

All firing stopped.

An eerie hush ensued.

Guttural barks sounded throughout the Horde ranks. Slowly but surely the two groups merged together to surround the
Tarion Star
.

This is not good
. “Hiroshi? What in God’s name are you doing? Taking a nap?”

“We’re just about to reboot the antigrav unit. Any second now.”

We don’t have a second.

The larger of the two Bosses walked toward the remains of the shield wall. Mac felt an overwhelming sense of familiarity.
Is this the same one?

A report pealed forth, loud in the silence.

Almost instantly, an area not two feet in front of the Master sparked brightly as the bullet rebounded off an invisible barrier. The ogre reacted instinctively. Flowing to one side, it dropped its posture, raised its hands, and prepared to slap its talons together again.

Another flurry of shots rang out. A swarm of angry flecks danced in the ether as further ricochets skittered through the air.

Amazingly, the Controller interrupted its gesture at the last second, and just stood there waiting, a ball of condensed fury glowing between its palms.

As abruptly as it started, the fusillade ended.

Then, with infinite care, the Horde Master did something extraordinary. It extended its arms to both sides and allowed the potency of its counterstrike to drain away.

“Hold your fire!” Mac bellowed.

He watched, astonished, as the beast made a gesture. The obedient mob reacted immediately. As one, they raised their claws in what looked like a cautionary gesture and cried out. Their voices melded together with a plaintive quality that made the humans lower their guns and look about in confusion.

Mac glanced at his comrades. “Are you recording this, guys?”

“Er, that’s a yes, Boss,” Stu replied. “What the hell is going on?”

“Damned if I . . . hang on, something’s happening.”

Holding its hands out in a non-threatening manner, the lead Controller gradually manifested its entire essence and made itself clearly visible to the naked eye. Soon, twelve feet of barely restrained power flexed and glimmered in the sunlight before them.

Its bulk was overwhelming, matched only by the might radiating through every fiber of its being. Ruby-red eyes glowered out from massive overhanging brows. The surface texture of its substance appeared almost fluidic, as if its nature were in a constant state of flux between scintillating light and deep shadow.

Huge fangs scythed down from a cruel face, and massive paws stretched and clenched repeatedly, as if it were fighting to exert control over its burning ferocity.

Now the crown was fully revealed; a nimbus of silver light in evidence around each of the flames dancing around the ogre’s head. The argent radiance overflowed the coronet and cascaded down through the remainder of the Master’s aura, infusing the rest of its matrix with majestic overtones that conveyed a sense of regal authority.

This one wants us to know it’s in charge.

The entity walked slowly forward until it could almost reach out and touch the side of the ship. Mesmerized, everyone stared.

“Mac, Mac!” Hiroshi’s voice was frantic. “We’re just about to take off. Cover us.”

“Will do,” he replied. “Take it nice and easy. Everyone stay calm.”

The engine pitch faded to nothing as the hyper drives meshed at last.

The Controller seemed to sense the change. Throwing back its head, it added its own voice to the chorus, creating a deeper counterpoint among the resonant backdrop. Then it stepped up and placed its hand gently onto the sill of the
Tarion Star
’s forward hatch.

The energies skittering through the cargo vessel began to ground out. The Boss shook its head from side to side in warning.

Stu leveled his machine gun straight at the monster’s face.

The two faced off. Seconds ticked by with agonizing slowness.

Then the Master moved away and raised its hands in submission. Spinning on its heel, it dismissed the threat behind it and turned to look up, directly at Mac. Hauntingly, it repeated its admonition, emphasizing its meaning by waving its arms and crisscrossing them over and over again.

Without knowing how or why, Mac found himself on the verge of understanding the beast’s meaning.

It doesn’t want us to take the ships.

Then the
Tarion Star
was airborne and floating gracefully away from danger. Mac let out a huge sigh of relief. The Horde Master somehow sensed Mac’s indulgence. Pointing at him, it exaggerated its movements as if trying to stress some hidden peril.

What the hell is it trying to say?

The ogre’s eyes gleamed brightly.

Without warning, the world spun, and Mac was struck by a feeling of intense nausea. Slumping to the ground, he gulped down air in an effort to prevent bile rising in his throat.

Jayden knelt beside him. “Mac? Are you okay? What’s the matter? Are you all right?”

He struggled to reply, blinking furiously to quench the blaze of fireflies now intruding on his vision. Before he could form a sentence, a deluge of thoughts and emotions cascaded through his awareness.

Battling to regain his equilibrium, he felt a distinct impression manifesting within his psyche, along with a specific term.

Pandora.

CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN

Star Metal

They stood within a dry riverbed running along the center of a huge canyon. On either side, miles in the distance, towering cliffs punctured the cloud-swathed firmament and disappeared into mystery. A cool breeze freshened the air. Despite the gloom, a gentle phosphorescence filtered down through the veil, illuminating the landscape in silver and shadows.

“We did it,” Ayria gasped, staring about in wonder. “At last.”

“No,
you
did it.” Stained-With-Blood’s tone conveyed a sense of deep satisfaction. “Despite the years of indolence, your gift resisted atrophy. It would appear our blood retained its potency, despite the advancement of society through the centuries.”

“But what do we . . . 
I
do now? It’s taken me three weeks just to get this far.”

They walked slowly around each other, taking in the majesty of the vista surrounding them. Stained-With-Blood shrugged and stooped to sit, cross-legged, on the floor. “Now we wait. Napioa will reveal himself in due course.”

Ayria completed another circuit before deciding it would be useless to protest.

You can never seem to rush these things
. Sighing, she took her place before her mentor, who had already relaxed and closed his eyes to meditate. She was about to try the same thing herself when she remembered a point made during their previous conversation.

No. I’ve got to do this my own way
.

Ayria gazed about her once more.
So, how would I relax if I was actually here?

The zephyr stiffened and the haze above them rolled back, revealing an argent disc of serenity and splendor. By its light, physical features of the watercourse, previously hidden, became defined in crystal clarity.

Her face creased with delight.
Of course. I’d explore.

Jumping to her feet, she scampered across the sand and up the shallow embankment. A wind-worn pile of rocks sat close to the lip. Climbing on top of them, Ayria cupped her hands over her brow, pivoted in a circle, and stared off into the distance.

Unbroken plains stretched away all around her, accentuating the isolation of her position. Apart from Stained-With-Blood and herself, nothing else appeared to live within the vast expanse. No trees, shrubs, or cacti, and certainly no other form of animal life. Apart from the gentle lament of the stiffening breeze, not even the background hum of insects disturbed the night.