RANUL awoke to the annoying sound of his computer trying to tell him of an incoming priority message. He sat up groggily in his bed as the display flashed in his eyes. He noticed the time was now three hours past nightfall.
"Ranul, K'ore," he said to the computer.
"Identified."
The visual message flashed onto the screen instantly. It was Governor Kisch k'ta a handsome man of the Vorn clan who ruled Castai in its occupation. The Vorn were a dark skinned clan, while almost all of the Castillian clans were light skinned. This difference among the human clans had been a factor in the outbreak of war. Still, he had remained formally pleasant with Ranul as long as he obeyed his demands.
"Ranul, I want the prototype sentinel you've completed to report to the cloning facility at once," said the governor.
"Governor, has something happened that…"
"That is none of your concern," he interrupted. "Have the android report to my office immediately."
The transmission link was cut before Ranul was allowed to inquire any further. But he knew that something must have happened to put the sentinel android into action now. Still, there was no choice but to comply. He knew all too well the consequences of disobedience.
He threw on his clothes without formality and made his way down the corridor. He identified himself with the sentinel guard to gain access into the main lab. As the lights flicked on, he stepped to the dock and addressed the prototype robot by the code name he had imprinted on its memory.
"Vale."
"Yes Dr. K'ore," responded the android politely.
"Governor Kisch k'ta, demands your presence at the Vorn cloning facility. Please report immediately to his office there."
"Yes Dr. K'ore," said the robot, "Accessing coordinates now."
Without further inquiry, the android removed itself from the upload dock and proceeded out of the lab. Ranul admired his work, but took no pleasure at the thought of such a weapon in the hands of the Vorn. The android moved fluidly, even gracefully-like the warrior it was designed to resemble. It seemed almost as though one of the long dead Barudii warriors was alive again, but this one's mission had nothing to do with protecting Castai.
Ranul's stomach growled with hunger. Might as well have something to eat since I'm up anyway. When he exited the lab, the android was already gone; only the lone sentinel guard stood there. Ranul walked back to his onsite quarters with swirling thoughts of late night snacks and curious Vorn orders fetching his new creation in the middle of the night.
The automatic door opened and shut behind him as he made his way to the food compartment. He jumped as hands wrapped around his upper arm and mouth.
"Don't scream," whispered a male voice in his ear. "It's Orin, your old friend. Remember?"
Ranul was still pale with lingering fright as Orin released him and they faced each other.
"Orin? But I thought…I thought you were all killed by the Horva years ago."
"Not exactly."
Down the hall, the sentinel guard came to life as its auditory sensors caught trigger phrases from Ranul's domicile.
The door chimed as it suddenly began to open. Beyond was a sentinel guard with his weapon raised into the room. As the door cleared the robot's body, an ignited Barudii blade shot out of the shadows toward the guard. The figure wielding it was a blur of motion and shadow as he quickly dissected the robot's weapon hand and plunged the glistening blade through its torso. The sentinel's appendages went limp as the blade turned its primary circuits and power grid to molten metal.
"We should be going now," said Tiet as he replaced his blade into its sheath.
"Your young friend is right," said Ranul, "The sentinels share a collective mind. What one knows, they all know. They're no doubt sending more units to this location right now."
"I need to know about the clones, why aren't they still in production?"
"They can't produce them right now, at least not until the fleet arrives; it will be bringing more supplies, equipment and clones along with more chemical matrix to produce them."
"Is it this way everywhere?"
"As far as I know; but the fleet is due to arrive in a matter of days."
"You had better come with us."
"Did you really think I would stay here now? Let's go!" said Ranul as he gathered some essential gadgets.
Tiet led the way out of the room into the corridor. Another sentinel rounded the corner and fired. Tiet's body sprang upward reflexively, pressing flat against the ten foot ceiling, and clearing the path of the shots.
Orin stepped into the corridor with his ignited blade, drawing the sentinel's fire as Tiet sprang away from the ceiling toward the robot. When he planted his feet on the ground again, so did the severed upper half of the sentinel. They wasted no time heading up a nearby ventilation shaft, and soon they were emerging onto the roof of the lab complex.
"Now where do we go?" asked Ranul.
"This will buy us a little time. Tiet, what do you see?"
"I see a small transport, down here off the west side. It looks empty!"
Orin and Ranul joined him on the western wall of the building.
"I can't make that jump, Orin," said Ranul, "It must be at least fifty feet."
"Just hold on!" said Orin as he grabbed his friend and jumped over the ledge. Tiet followed them down as they used their kinetic power to soft land next to the transport. Orin mentally released the cockpit lock; gaining them quick access to the vehicle. Tiet jumped behind the flight controls, and closing the sliding canopy behind them, they sped off into the night.
Ranul could see patrol ships and a sentinel carrier all descending from different directions on the lab complex behind them. The craft they were in was a low altitude transport speeder; quick, but with no armoring or weapons. Still, it was adequate to get them out of the city and into the open terrain beyond.
"Where to now?" asked Tiet.
"I'm not sure yet," said Orin, "but we've got to stop those reinforcements from arriving!"
"Tell your young friend to take us to Vaseer."
"But that city has been deserted for years!"
"Not necessarily."
THE recordings flashed on several screens before Governor Kisch k'ta as his advisors briefed him on the unfolding events. Setaru' lek spoke in the language of the Vorn concerning a mysterious rebel on the loose.
"And here Governor, see the footage from the cloning room? His weapon-"
"Is that of the Barudii warriors; yes I remember," interrupted Kisch k'ta. "But we wiped them out years ago; I led the attack that day. We swept the cities and the battlefield for survivors and there were no life signatures detected. Besides all that, this one is too young to have been in that battle."
"With all due respect, we are not prepared for an uprising. Our supplies are exhausted and we can't produce anymore clones. If this person is fighting back, then he might try to gain support from the people; we could have a rebellion on our hands."
"I am aware of our situation here," said Kisch k'ta. "However, attempting to get the fleet fully prepared and through the rift any sooner than scheduled is impossible; we haven't even been able to re-establish contact yet."
The door to the Governor's office chimed. Kisch k'ta touched the panel on his desk allowing the door to slide open. There in the doorway stood the image of a Barudii warrior.
"Come in, android."
The mechanical warrior moved gracefully into the room.
"I want you to scan all the data we have on this matter, android. And I want you to destroy this person and anyone who may be involved in his rebellion. Nothing must interfere with the arrival of the fleet. Is that clear?"
"Completely, Governor."
He moved to the control panel and quickly tapped the panel to play all the recorded data that was being viewed by Governor Kisch k'ta. The images simultaneously played in high speed as the Vale android scanned it all into memory. After only a moment he was done.
"Data acquisition complete, Governor Kisch k'ta."
"Then do not fail."
"Understood," said Vale, and he was gone.
"Governor, do you think this machine can defeat the Barudii?" asked one of his aides.
"I don't know. If he can only delay a rebellion, then it will be enough."
Vale made his way to the hangar bay of the complex, where a transport was already waiting. He acquired the code key from one of the attendants and slipped into the single occupant cockpit. The model was small and fast. In a moment Vale had scanned all the control systems to memory and fired the engine for departure.
In his android mind all related files to the human rebel and the attacks that had taken place were being correlated. Recently updated reports were coming in and Dr. K'ore was apparently now involved. And according to Governor Kisch k'ta, Dr. K'ore qualified as a viable target; yet his transport was not missing. A related item concerning a stolen transport belonging to a Vorn scientist was the the closest calculated correlation.
Vale fired the thrusters and proceeded to the west side of the complex where the transport had been docked when it was taken. He arrived at the site in a moment and climbed out of his ship to scan the area for any trace evidence.
The transport was reported as a Castillian model, which left a distinctly different exhaust signature from that of the Vorn ships. Vale adjusted his micro-optics appropriately and a particle trail appeared.
He got back to his ship and then proceeded to follow the particle trail that his optics were picking up. The trail went through the city and appeared to head into the wasteland area beyond. All he had to do was to follow the trail and surprise his prey.
Vale powered up the engine to maximum and continued out into the wasteland. His mind was a blur of calculations as it read maps and plotted speed and distance to possible destinations where the targets may have sought refuge, while simultaneously reviewing files on the Barudii warriors; their tactics and weaknesses.
DURING the years they had been in hiding, Orin had never taken Tiet into the Barudii city of Vaseer. It was still littered with old bones-the bones of his people.
The trio had left the transport behind two hours before so they could make their way along the treacherous mountain pass to one of Vaseer's side gates. The gates were well hidden by the rough terrain and only accessible on foot.
Most of the clans had built their cities underground because of the severe weather that resulted from the Transdimensional Rift being in such close proximity to the planet. But the Barudii had enjoyed the added advantage of building within mountains.
The pathway was fairly wide and much of the carvings and hewn out walls still remained intact. As they drew closer to the city gate Tiet examined the ornate stonework by the light of Castai's moon. His people had always preferred to dwell in the strongholds they had carved out of the mountains. It protected them from the severe weather that plagued many of Castai's regions. Some said it was related to the proximity of the Transdimensional Rift to the planet. The mountain cities were also difficult for their enemies to attack and many tunnels and hidden paths provided ample means of escape when it became necessary.
A rich culture he could barely remember lay before him. His mind began to wonder with excitement at what the city must have been like when his clan was prosperous and respected. He was curious and amazed, yet sorrowful at his own loss and the senseless slaughter of his people.
Eventually they reached the gate. It was massive in size; two metal gates coming together and interlocking. Apparently an automated mechanism had opened and closed it, but no power appeared to be available now.
Orin ignited his blade and sliced through the interlocking mechanism to allow the gates to swing freely. He and Tiet attempted to move them manually, but to no avail. "Those hinges up there appear to be completely frozen," said Ranul.
"Tiet, you take one side and I'll pull the other," instructed Orin.
Both men stepped back enough to give the gate room to open, and then each concentrated on a respective gate mentally. Slowly they began to creak and moan as the rust and metal popped and gave way to the kinetic forces being exerted upon the hinges. The gates swung wide and stopped when the two Barudii released them. The ornate archway led to total darkness beyond. "Ranul, are you sure somebody is living here now?" asked Orin.
"Yes. I imagine they must stay in the lower levels just in case the Vorn ever patrol way out here. Here, take this torch."
Orin removed the old gas torch from the side of the archway entrance and depressed the fuel trigger. It ignited immediately.
"Appears to have been in recent use," said Tiet.
Orin led the way inside the mountain. The torch gave minimal light but it was at least enough to see the path. Almost immediately the path began a downward descent into the mountain. It was wide enough and tall enough to allow many people access at once, and Tiet wondered what it must have been like to live in such a place as this. The men proceeded quietly and cautiously, with Ranul's footsteps making more noise then the other two men combined.
With a quick flash of metal, Orin's torch was decapitated and knocked from his hand. The gas burner still cast a dim light from the ground where it landed and shadows began to move about the walls. Orin and Tiet reflexively drew their blades and moved close to guard defenseless Ranul from attack. Several dark figures moved in from the shadows and slashed at the trio with blades. Tiet and Orin countered each strike while trying to keep their backs to Ranul, enclosing him.
"We're not your enemies!" shouted Ranul over the noisy clanging of swords. "These men are Barudii warriors!"
The two figures attacking Orin backed away, but remained ready to attack. Meanwhile Tiet and one of his opponents were still exchanging blows at rapid fire pace, and seemed oblivious to the sudden cease of battle. Tiet's opponent suddenly flipped over his head. He reflexively used the same leg sweep Orin had used on him, catching the attacker as he landed.
As the figure fell back he caught himself by the hands, rebounded back to his feet and struck at Tiet again; catching him a little off guard by the recovery. Tiet rotated in with a shoulder-level wide swing of his blade to knock his opponent's blade away as he followed through with a powerful backhand to the face. The darkly clothed figure reeled back from the blow as Tiet took advantage and quickly pinned his opponent's neck against the wall under his blade.
"Surrender! Don't make me kill you!"
"Don't make me kill you," answered a softer voice from beneath the mask.
Tiet looked down to find that his opponent held a sizable dagger to his belly. Well this is embarrassing.
"Who are you?" he mumbled as he reached up and slowly lifted the mask to reveal a Castillian woman with fiery eyes glaring at him. He quickly lifted his blade and backed away. A woman!
Orin caught the surprise on his face.
"Hmm. She nearly killed you Tiet," said Orin without letting his amusement be too obvious. Tiet glanced back at the girl as she replaced her dagger confidently.
"We thought the Barudii were all dead," said one of the masked attackers.
"Not quite," replied Orin. "Is there someone leading your people?"
"Yes. Estall is our leader. We'll take you to him."
Orin and Ranul followed the men as they lit another nearby torch from the wall and proceeded down the path. Tiet looked at his opponent again; who was still fixed intently on him. He sheathed his blade and followed the others as the girl fell in the line behind him. How could this girl fight so well? She's not a Barudii, but she carries a Barudii blade and knows how to use it. Better keep and eye on her.
THE ion trail was growing stronger as Vale approached the mountains. At the present concentration, his mind calculated that his target must be very close now. In the distance his optics picked up an object near the base of the mountain.
His eyes focused and enhanced the image. It was a small transport craft and the ion trail led right to it. If they had abandoned the craft, then logically they were proceeding on foot into the mountains.
Relevant sites in this region displayed in his mechanical mind's eye. The only prominent one was the old Barudii city of Vaseer. It was an obvious match, correlating with the present circumstances and nature of his target.
As he approached, Vale slowed the transport and shut it down next to the other ship. It appeared abandoned. He exited his own transport and moved to the engine compartment of the other ship. He tore away the compartment lid and grabbed the fuel cell housing, ripping it from its place among the other operational components and hurling it yards away. If his prey did return, their vessel would not be an escape route for them.
He returned to the cockpit of his own ship and encoded the ignition sequence to prevent anyone stealing it, then stepped up to the rear pulse turret. The android grasped the pulse repeater cannon, pulled it free from its mount, then jumped back to the ground with it. The large cannon was nearly half his size and weighed four hundred pounds; yet he carted it away with ease.
Accessing various, known entrances and exits to Vaseer, Vale located the closest and bounded away after his prey with his pulse cannon in tow. It was approaching dawn and he planned to be inside the city before he lost the element of surprise over his targets.
AS the group came to the lowest level of Vaseer, the light suddenly greeted them with the splendor of the old city. Orin was overwhelmed by a flood of memories at the sight of it again. He remembered all of the times he had spent here with Kale Soone and the grand banquets and tournaments that had been held in Vaseer's great halls; it was still glorious to behold.
Tiet also found himself overwhelmed by the sight of the city. All of the carvings and gems and precious metals that decorated the walls and structure spoke of royalty and power. It was so distant a memory; some time around his eighth year the massacre had stripped him of his family and his people. It was in this place also that his mother had been murdered by the Horva; those horrible brutish clones of the Vorn-they feared nothing. This was the place of his dreams and nightmares.
They followed their guides down through a large open area that acted as the town square, and on through large columns hewn out of the rock into a smaller chamber. All around them people were milling about and looking on curiously. Orin noticed that almost all of them were wearing the clothing of the Barudii that had been left in the city after the massacre. It was an eerie sight to him-like his people raised from the dead.
The irrigation canals were still functioning and he could see fresh water coming in from one of the underground mountain streams. Evidently the gardens must still be in production to keep what appeared to be hundreds of people alive down here. As they came into the adjacent chamber several men were convened in a meeting. One, dressed as though he may be the leader, came toward them.
"Gentlemen, welcome to Vaseer. My name is Estall," said the man.
How strange to be welcomed to his former home by this man who had taken possession of it only because of the absence of his people. "I'm Orin Vale, this is Dr. Ranul K'ore and this young man is Tiet Soone."
"Ah, then you must be the son of Kale Soone, the Barudii King," said Estall.
"Yes. How did you know that?"
"Both of you Barudii are written of in the city's archives. We have studied your history and trained our people in your fighting art for some years now," said Estall. "We came to the city nearly eight years ago to escape the Horva. After the Barudii were wiped out, the Vorn staged a massive takeover against the remaining clans. They released the Horva upon our people and killed millions. Some still remain in what was left of our clan cities. We chose to flee. At first we went into the wilderness, not knowing where to go. Then some of the elders among our groups suggested that we take refuge in one of the abandoned Barudii cities, since no activity really took place in this region anymore. Once we arrived, we realized how well the city was fortified and with the ample supply of fresh water and the irrigated gardens, we knew it was the right place to stay."
"Have the Vorn not patrolled here in all that time?" asked Orin.
"At first we feared they might eventually make their way back out this far. Many people began to research the Barudii archives and we discovered the warrior art. Our people began to train according to your ways. The weaponry was still functional and in good supply, and even without the special abilities of the Barudii, I think we've learned a great deal of the techniques," said Estall.
"Of that I'm quite sure," said Orin, "This young woman and Tiet nearly killed each other. I was quite impressed with the skill of your people."
Tiet looked again at the girl, only to find her gaze fixed on him. He looked away quickly, then back trying to appear as though he were surveying the room beyond.
"Dorian is my younger sister," said Estall. "She is only in her eighteenth year, but she has been an eager student of your ways. She has instructed many of our people."
Impressive! Each time he glanced at her, he noticed her eyes fixed unwaveringly upon him. He felt childish for his unwillingness to meet her stare.
"I guess you've been very eager yourself to be leading this people when you too are still fairly young," said Orin.
"He is young, but he has proven his courage and his wisdom to our people," said one of the elder men standing near.
They were talking, but Tiet wasn't listening anymore. He decided not to be a coward about it. He lifted his eyes to fix on Dorian. She was still standing behind the right side of her brother Estall with a straight faced stare on him. He returned it without expression. She smiled slightly, he noticed-he had definitely seen it. She broke away from the group and walked past him, back toward the public area they had come through. He suddenly realized he may have been smiling himself and pursed his lips to disguise it. Better to pay attention to what was important right now.
"If you don't mind my asking," said Estall, "the archives contained nothing concerning the last battle of your people. What happened?"
"Something we just weren't expecting," said Orin. "The Vorn were assembling a massive ground force and we were prepared to meet them. What we didn't realize was that they had developed some new technology. They just walked right out of the walls, like some portal in mid-air. There were thousands of Horva clones pouring into the mountain cities while we had our warriors on the surface preparing for the ground attack. Our king, Kale Soone, had chosen me to guard his wife and son. We tried to fight, but it was only women and children, besides me. The enemy got to his mother, but I managed to take Tiet and flee the city with him. I later investigated the scene and from what I could tell, the Horva in our cities came at our warriors from behind as they fought on the surface."
Everyone was silent for a moment. It was a tragedy that had cost all of Castais' clans their freedom.
"It now may be time to act, though," said Orin. "We've just discovered that their main cloning facility is no longer producing Horva."
"That would explain what our spies have been reporting," said Estall.
"I don't understand."
"We have spies that go into the cities on a regular basis. They have reported seeing hardly any Horva at all. The Vorn have taken to patrolling without them."
"It won't remain that way for long," said Ranul.
"Have you heard something specific?"
"I work in weapons development," said Ranul. "There has been a lot of talk about a fleet that is coming through the Transdimensional Rift some time very soon. They're supposed to be establishing actual Vorn colonies on Castai."
"It doesn't sound like we have much time to act," said Estall.
"We have to find a way to stop that fleet from coming through the rift," said Orin. "If your people could attack the main Vorn complex directly, then perhaps we could seize a ship from the main hangar, and take it through the rift to intercept their reinforcements."
"But we have a ship here," said one of the men with Estall.
"What kind of ship?" asked Ranul. "Is it Barudii? Is it operational?"
"Yes, at least most of the systems work," said the man. "We've never fully ignited the engines; there hasn't been a need."
"We had hoped that it would provide a last stand defense or escape if the Vorn discovered us," said Estall.
"They're going to discover you eventually," said Tiet.
"Estall, it's now or never," said Orin. "Your people are trained and the Vorn here are at their weakest moment, but the opportunity is about to pass to finish this war and free our people."
Estall considered a moment, looking at the other men with him. "Please allow me a few moments to speak with the elders."
"If it's alright, we should take a look at the ship," said Ranul.
"Of course. Millo will show you where it's docked."
Millo, one of the men with Estall, motioned them to follow as he led the way down another corridor out of the chamber. Orin and Ranul fell in behind his lead.
"I'm going to locate some more weapons and meet you down there, okay?" asked Tiet.
Orin looked toward the public square at someone beyond, and then back at Tiet. "Alright, but don't linger, we still have work to do."
Tiet turned and headed back toward the public area, only to find Dorian standing near the central fountain. When their eyes met again they were both smiling noticeably at one another. He walked over to the fountain, not exactly sure what to say next.
"I couldn't help but overhear that you need more weapons," said Dorian.
She either had excellent hearing or had been closer to the chamber entrance when he said it. "Well yes, as a matter of fact, I could use some help."
"I'll show you the way to the armory."
"Thank you."
The words seemed so difficult to get out and he wasn't sure why. After all Dorian was only a girl. They made their way down a passageway to yet another chamber. Dorian keyed in a code on the wall pad and the mechanical door slid aside into the rock wall allowing them access into one of the Barudii weapon stores. What a sight, he thought as he surveyed all the various weapons of his former people.
The walls of the long chamber were lined with blades and kemsticks on one side, and racks of pulse rifles and pistols like his own taking up space down the middle of the room. On the opposite side along the wall were combat uniforms of the Barudii with insignia for the clan upon them. They were fresh-looking in comparison with his admittedly somewhat shabby gear. He walked through the rows looking over the various items, and paused at the dark colored uniforms. They were the same that Dorian wore and the others that had met them in the entrance to the city.
"If you are going into battle, you should wear the uniform of your people." She looked him over for a moment, then retrieved one of the uniforms from the wall.
"Here, I think this one should fit well."
"Thanks."
He could hardly wait to put it on.
"Around that partition is an area where you can change," said Dorian.
Tiet smiled like a child with a new toy as he made his way around the wall and began to change into his new Barudii uniform. She's quite nice after all.
"Dorian?"
"Yes?"
"I'm…I'm sorry about hitting you in the passage way."
"It's alright. I understand; after all-I was attacking you."
"Yes, but for all you knew, the Vorn were coming in to harm your people. Anyway I would not have done it if I had known…"
"Known what? That I was a woman?"
"No…I mean if I had known you were so nice."
Dorian smiled again, knowing he couldn't see her.
"Well, what do you think?" he said as he emerged from behind the partition.
"Just as I imagined."
"What do you mean…imagined?"
"Nothing. Just a statement." Changing the subject, she reached for one of the gadgets on a nearby shelf. "You should take one of these," she said handing him the object. "It's an electromagnetic shield generator." She raised her forearm to reveal the same apparatus fixed upon her uniform.
"When a stimulus such as weapon fire or an ignited blade comes within proximity of the field, it generates the polarity of the energy source reacting with that of the field and causes the deflector to respond. It's actually two fields separated by a magnetic field. Each field is polarized; one negatively and one positively."
"Wonderful, I'll take two," he said, still smiling at his hostess.
"Well, let's get you fully equipped and we'll load up this cart and take it down to the ship."
"Do you think your people will be willing to attack the Vorn?"
"Personally, I think it's time we took the fight to them, and others feel the same way."
Tiet nodded and they began loading weapons for the ship. When they had what they needed, Tiet pushed the cart back out of the chamber and up the passage they had come by, with Dorian at his side.
"We had better hurry before Orin rushes off without me."
"I wouldn't mind."
The comment pulled a quiet smile from his face again. He couldn't remember smiling so much. He couldn't remember having a reason to.