The Chronicles of Soone - Warrior Rising Read online

  Beyond the vent screen, he saw a massive room full of all manner of technologies . Clusters of cloning pods hung from great robotic arms mounted to the ceiling. This must be where they grow the Horva.

  Only one detail was missing from the chamber. There were no clones, none at all. In fact the entire chamber was completely devoid of activity. A series of large tanks with various chemical names printed on their sides stood in the distant portion of the great room. The fluid tanks were transparent and empty.

  A control chamber sat near the tanks. Maybe I can get some useful information from their computers. Tiet pressed his body against the screen and then gave it a good solid push. It gave way and almost fell onto the floor before he could grab it.

  Nothing moved in the room. Tiet climbed out of the ventilation tube and replaced the screen in case someone happened by. He crossed the floor of the huge chamber cautiously, looking for camera mounts. There were a few, but he waited and used the large equipment to stay hidden from their field of view.

  Tiet made it about halfway to the control chamber when doors at the four corners of the room opened up. Vorn soldiers rushed in with clones. The fiendish, crazed looking men were purposely mutated in size and strength during the cloning process. Their fingers had sharp claws and their teeth were predatory. There was no fear in their eyes. They charged at Tiet, howling savagely.

  The lights in the chamber flickered and went out. Emergency lighting immediately kicked in. The soldiers looked around wondering what had happened, but the Horva had no such concerns. They continued to charge.

  Tiet pulled his Barudii blade from the electromagnetically shielded scabbard strapped to his back. The adomen blade hummed like a whisper, desiring to shatter the molecular bonds of anything the metal touched. Shots rang out from the soldiers further away, but they weren’t firing at Tiet. He saw another blade catch the light, becoming a blur as the dark figure wielding it swooped in from the ceiling and began taking down the guards. Tiet recognized his mentor immediately.

  As the Horva lunged for him, Tiet struck the first in front of him then somersaulted over another attacking from the rear. Two strikes cut the clone down.

  The other soldiers, not engaged with Orin, began to fire at everyone: the two Barudii, the Horva and even each other from across the room. It was hard to tell who was fighting who in the half light. More clones rushed Tiet and were cut down by their own panicked handlers—shooting anything that moved. Tiet threw three spicor discs each killing another clone. The discs exploded into three-foot-diameter blue spheres, vaporizing anything caught in the fields. Orin eliminated the soldiers on the other side of the chamber then came to Tiet’s aid.

  One of the brutes lost an arm to Tiet’s sword, but continued his attack with the other arm. The bloodthirsty clone landed a fist to his head knocking him to the ground. Orin appeared behind the brute, striking him down immediately.

  Orin helped the boy to his feet. Tiet knew by Orin’s expression that he was in big trouble with his mentor. Bodies lay strewn on the floor all around them in the chamber. An alarm began to wail throughout the building.

  “You see? This is why I told you never to come here!” Orin shouted.

  The middle-aged Barudii warrior stood a head taller than Tiet with a muscular build. His hair held the gray of experience and his face the scars of war.

  “I know, but I couldn’t just stand around doing nothing. Our people are dying!” Tiet pleaded.

  “Yes, you can. What do you think you’ve accomplished here? You’ve set off alarms. You’re probably being monitored right now. And you might have gotten those children killed, if I hadn’t intercepted them and helped them get off of the premises safely. You’re reckless Tiet. Just plain reckless!”

  “It’s still better than doing nothing! Father wouldn’t want me to do nothing!”

  “Your father would want you to stay alive…now get out of here, while I buy you some time.”

  “Wait, Orin—haven’t you noticed there aren’t any Horva in production here? This chamber didn’t have anything happening.”

  “So?”

  “So, those tanks over there—they shouldn’t be bone dry, not if they’re still in use.”

  Orin looked around to see what he was referring to.

  “Maybe they can’t make them right now,” Tiet reasoned. “This might be our chance to rally the people and drive the Vorn out while they’re weak.”

  Tiet was right about the clones at least. It appeared as though there had not been any clone production for some time. Orin considered the boy as the alarm continued to blare overhead.

  “Please, Orin. We have to at least try.”

  “Come on,” Orin grumbled. “I know someone who might be able to help us.”

  UPRISING

  Ranul awoke to the annoying voice of his computer attempting to alert him to 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 after nightfall.

  “Ranul, K’ore,” he said to the computer.

  “Identified.”

  The visual message flashed onto the screen instantly. Governor Kisch K’ta’s handsome, dark face appeared on the screen—a man from among the Vorn clan who ruled Castai during its occupation. The difference in skin tone among the human clans had long been a source of conflict and had played a big part in the outbreak of war. Still, Kisch K’ta had remained formally pleasant with Ranul as long as he obeyed.

  “Ranul, I want the prototype Sentinel to report to the cloning facility at once,” said the governor.

  “Has something happened that—”

  “It’s none of your concern,” he interrupted. “Have the android report to my office immediately.”

  The transmission link snapped off before Ranul could inquire any further. He knew something big must have happened for Kisch K’ta to put the android into action now. Still, there was no choice but to comply. He knew all too well the consequences of disobedience to the Vorn.

  Ranul threw on his clothes without formality and made his way down the corridor. He identified himself with the robot guard in order to gain access into the main lab. As the lights flicked on, he walked over to the Sentinel’s power dock and addressed the prototype robot by the code name imprinted on its memory.

  “Vale.”

  “Yes, Dr. K’ore,” the android responded politely.

  “Governor Kisch K’ta, demands your presence at the cloning facility. Please report immediately to his office there.”

  “Yes, Dr. K’ore,” said the robot.

  Without further inquiry, the android removed itself from the power 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. I 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 robot guard stood there. Ranul walked back to his onsite quarters with thoughts of late night snacks and Kisch K’ta’s strange middle-of-the-night request, all swirling in his head.

  The automatic door opened then shut behind him as he made his way straight to the food compartment. He jumped as hands wrapped around his upper arm and mouth.

  “Don’t scream,” a male voice whispered into his ear. “It’s Orin, your old friend. Remember?”

  Ranul paled with lingering fright as Orin released him and they faced each other for the first time in years.

  “Orin? But I thought…I thought you were all killed by the Horva years ago at the battle of Vaseer.”

  “Not exactly,” Orin said.

  Down the hall, a robot guard came to life as its auditory sensors caught trigger phrases from Ranul’s domicile. It rolled on its dual tracks toward Ranul’s apartment. Someone was with the doctor, but they were not authorized.

  Ranul’s door chimed then began to open even before he could answer it. Beyond, a Sentinel guard stood with his pulse weapon raised into the room. As the door cleared the robot’s body, a Barudii blade shot out of the shadows toward the guard. The figure wielding it was a blur of motion, dissecting the robot’s weapon hand, then plunging the adomen blade through its torso. The Sentinel’s appendages went limp as Tiet’s sword fried its central processor.

  “We should go now,” Tiet said as he replaced the blade in its scabbard.

  “Your young friend is right,” Ranul said. “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,” Orin insisted. “Why aren’t the Vorn still producing Horva?”

  “They can’t produce anymore right now, at least not until the fleet arrives. They’ll bring us more supplies—equipment and chemical matrix to produce them.”

  “Is it this way in all of our cities?”

  “As far as I know, but the fleet is due to arrive in a matter of days.”

  “You had better come with us,” Orin said.

  “Did you really think I would stay here now?” Ranul said as he gathered items into a knapsack.

  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 ceiling, using his mind to cling like a spider. He cleared the path of the laser fire just in time.

  Orin stepped into the corridor with his blade drawn. A wrist-mounted electromagnetic shield generator repelled the Sentinel’s pulse laser fire. Tiet sprang away from the ceiling toward the robot. When Tiet planted his feet on the ground again, the severed upper half of the Sentinel followed suit. They wasted no time heading up a nearby ventilation shaft. Soon, they emerged onto the roof of the cloning complex.

  “Now where do we go?” Ranul asked.

  “This will buy us a little time,” Orin said. “Tiet, what do you see?”

  Tiet ran along the edge of the building. “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. Large environmental conditioning units squatted on the roof, groaning as they cooled the air inside the complex.

  “I can’t make that jump, Orin,” Ranul said. “It must be at least fifty feet.”

  “Just hold on!” Orin grabbed hold of his friend then jumped over the ledge. Tiet followed them down using the Way to land softly next to the transport. Orin released the cockpit lock with a thought, gaining them quick access to the vehicle. Orin followed Ranul inside then Tiet jumped behind the flight controls and closed the sliding canopy behind them. He ignited the engine as Ranul and Orin fastened their harnesses then they sped off into the night.

  Patrol ships and a Sentinel carrier descended from different directions toward the lab complex behind them. The craft they had stolen was a low altitude transport speeder—quick but with no armor or weapons. Still, it was adequate to get them out of the city and into the open terrain beyond.

  “Where to now?” Tiet asked.

  “I’m not sure yet,” Orin said, “but we’ve got to stop those reinforcements from arriving.”

  “Tell your young friend to take us to Vaseer” Ranul said.

  “But that city has been deserted for years!”

  Ranul smiled. “Oh, really?”

  The security recordings played on several screens before Governor Kisch K’ta as his advisors briefed him on unfolding events. Setaru’ lek spoke in the tongue of the Vorn concerning a mysterious rebel on the loose.

  “And here, Governor—the footage from the cloning room. His weapon—”

  “Is the weapon of a Barudii warrior—yes, I remember,” interrupted Kisch K’ta. “But we wiped them all out years ago. I led the attack that day. We swept the cities and the battlefield for survivors. There were no human life signatures detected. Besides, this one is too young to have been in that battle.”

  “With all due respect, we are not prepared for an uprising,” said Setaru’ lek. “Our supplies are exhausted and we can’t produce anymore clones until supplies arrive. This person might try to gain support from the people. We could have a rebellion on our hands.”

  “I am aware of our situation here,” Kisch K’ta said. “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 reestablish 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. 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. Then 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.”

  The Vale android walked to the control panel and quickly tapped the panel to play all the recorded data being viewed by Governor Kisch K’ta. The images simultaneously played in high speed as the Vale android scanned it all into memory.

  “Data acquisition is complete, Governor Kisch K’ta.”

  “Then go and do not fail me.”

  “Understood,” Vale said. The android left the room as they watched, wondering at how lifelike the machine seemed.

  “Governor, do you think that thing can defeat the Barudii?” asked one of his aides.

  “No one has positively identified this man as a Barudii warrior!” he bellowed, slamming a fist down on his desk.

  “And if he is?” Setaru’ lek asked.

  “I don’t know,” said Kisch K’ta, discouraged. “If the android can only delay a rebellion until the fleet comes through the rift then it will be enough.”

  Vale walked to the hangar bay where a transport was already waiting for him. He acquired the code key from one of the attendants and slipped inside the one man cockpit. The model was small and fast. In a moment, Vale scanned all the control systems into memory then fired up the engine for departure.

  In his android mind all related files regarding the human rebel and the attacks which had taken place correlated. Recently updated reports had fed into his CPU on his way to the hangar. Dr. K’ore was apparently involved now. According to Governor Kisch K’ta even Dr. K’ore qualified as a viable target because of his association with the human rebel. Another report of a stolen transport piqued his interest. It seemed a good starting point for his investigation.

  Vale engaged the ship’s thrusters and proceeded toward the west side of the complex where the stolen transport had been docked when it was taken. He arrived at the site within moments then climbed out of his ship to scan the area for any trace evidence.

  Vale adjusted his micro-optics appropriately. A particle trail appeared. This was just what he needed to acquire his target. The ionization pattern matched the type of transport that had been reported stolen.

  Vale got back to his ship then proceeded to follow the ionization trail his optics had picked up. It led through the city and then appeared to head into the wasteland area beyond. All he had to do was to follow and surprise his prey .

  Vale urged the engine to maximum thrust. Hovering three feet from the ground, his transport flew into the wasteland. His mind became a blur of calculations, reading maps and plotting speed and distance to possible destinations where the targets may have sought refuge. Vale also focused his attention on weaknesses and tactics used to bring down Barudii warriors.

  Orin, Tiet and Ranul left the stolen transport behind at the base of Mt. Vaseer. It took them a full two hours of hiking to make there way along the treacherous mountain pass leading to Vaseer’s side gates. The gates to the city were well hidden by the rough terrain and only accessible on foot.

  Once great cities like Vaseer had been left to decay following the war. The pathway leading up to the gates was wide and much of the intricate carvings on the walls remained intact. As they drew closer to the city gate, Tiet examined the ornate stonework by the light of Castai’s moon. A rich culture he could barely remember lay before him . His mind wondered with excitement, wondering what the city must have been like when his clan was prosperous, respected and alive.

  They came to an intricately fashioned metal gate set within the rock. It was heavily covered with rust. Orin drew his sword then used it to slice through the interlocking mechanism so the gates would swing freely. He and Tiet attempted to move them manually, but to no avail. “Those hinges up there are completely frozen,” Ranul said.

  “Tiet, you take one side and I’ll pull the other,” Orin said.

  Both men stepped back enough to give the gate room to open, then each of them concentrated on one of the gates with their minds. Slowly the heavy doors began to creak and moan as the rust and metal popped and gave way to the mental power exerted upon them. The gates swung wide and stopped when the two Barudii released them. The carved archway led to total darkness beyond. “Ranul, are you sure somebody is living here now?” Orin asked.

  “Of course I’m sure. I imagine they must stay in the lower levels just in case the Vorn ever patrol this far out. Here, take this torch,” he said pointing.

  Orin removed the old gas torch from the side of the archway entrance and depressed the fuel trigger. It ignited immediately.

  “Apparently it’s been used recently,” Tiet observed.

  Orin led the way inside the mountain. The torch gave minimal light, but it was at least enough to see where they were going. Almost immediately the path began a downward descent into the mountain. It was wide enough and tall enough to allow many people at once and Tiet wondered again what it must have been like to live in a place like this. The men proceeded quietly and cautiously. Ranul’s footsteps made more noise than the other two men combined.