Chapter 4: The Cold Front

It had been well over fifteen minutes. The last of the Lifen crew, along with the T’rintar soldiers and the Itrean archeology teams, had disembarked the great battle tank. The underground garage lights remained lit. The Lifen crew hurriedly left the garage, eager to get back to their ship.

Upon entering the tank, the main door slid closed, almost as if the tank knew that Tahir, Tr’ina, Br’ina, and Sr’ina had entered its hold. Tr’ina looked at the scores of plastic containers that the Lifen crews had quickly deposited.

“Look,” Tr’ina remarked, running over to one of the big containers. “Food ... food to last us for days.”

“Clothing and emergency supplies for the cold winters of Palora, too,” Tahir added.

“We’ll be mostly in here, though,” Sr’ina replied. “Not in the mood to freeze my tail off outside.”

“You’re way better at handling it than I can.”

“Heh, that’s what he said...”

“Br’ina, Sr’ina, do us a favor and lock and secure these containers.”

“Oh...,” Sr’ina complained. “Do we have to?”

“Just do it, sister,” Tr’ina told her. “You don’t see your other sister complaining.”

“She doesn’t talk!” The Ko’min threw her scaly hand in the air.

“Yeah,” Tahir gestured to her as he walked into the main operations room. “Her actions tell us all while you still complain.”

Br’ina didn’t protest. She was already putting all her effort into shoveling the boxes into the corner of the vehicle. Sets of large harnesses could be seen where they could be properly secured. Sr’ina huffed through her nostrils.

“Ehhh...,” Sr’ina walked up and helped her sister. “No time for sex ... Damn battles ruining all the fun ... You humans are too ... dra ... dra...”

“Dramatic,” Tahir told her from the adjacent room.

“Don’t worry, sister,” Tr’ina told her, lowering her voice and putting her hand to her pregnant belly. “Our mate will grow weary ... weary for mating ... have patience.”

“His sperm is mine...” she lowered her voice. “You continue to claim it ... not fair.”

“I know, but I will bear the burden you have soon enough.”

“He will not miss my cycle, Tr’ina. I will make sure of that.”

“Don’t worry, sister. My birth is soon. You will be pregnant and I will teach you how to raise a baby after I make my mistakes...”

Tahir could hear mumbling behind. He sat down on the large chair as T’rina entered the room and climbed up onto the chair.

“What were you talking about just now?” Tahir asked her.

“Nothing...,” Tr’ina replied. She made a big smile on her face before she started to slip the massive harness on her. Tahir quickly focused on his main task of getting himself strapped in as well. The sounds of moving boxes could be heard behind them. It didn’t take long before they would finish the task.

“You, Ko’min, always seem to be plotting behind my back,” Tahir said to her.

“You mated with three Ko’min, my mate,” Tr’ina replied. “We like to plot behind our mate’s back. It makes mating all the better.”

“Well, you did a pretty good job holding back at that conference. I was expecting Sr’ina to go all out, especially with the whole ‘porn propaganda’ comment that Oshunian woman said.”

“It is difficult at times. Humans ... you seem so reserved. Sex is so common for us. You are very good in bed and treat us well, but for the Ko’min, sex is a language. To not speak about it is...”

“I know,” He replied. “I can’t speak for all humans. I know a couple of friends that if they were told they were having Ko’min, they wouldn’t hesitate to be glued in bed and have sex every minute of every hour. The only thing they would have to worry about is not being able to keep a permanent hard-on.”

Tr’ina cocked her head to the side. She gave a heartfelt smile to hear that. The blinking of her eyes was something that Tahir adored from her. The man’s face fell serious.

“But,” he lowered his head some. “It’s why I want to go to places throughout the galaxy. Just all of us. We can go to different worlds and not have to worry about the public hearing every perverted thing that comes out of us.”

“That’s what he said!” Sr’ina yelled out.

“You want us all for yourself...” Tr’ina said. “Make lots of babies and enjoy us.”

“Yeah, I would.”

She smiled again. “I promise you that you won’t regret your decision.”

Tahir gave an affirmative smile to her. “Same here ... but, now we have this...” He gave a big sigh grabbing and setting the controls next to him.

“Don’t be scared,” she told him.

“I’m not worried about myself ... I just don’t want to lose you ... any of you.”

Tr’ina gave her quick nods. “We are not frail like human women. Your baby is healthy, ready to see the light...”

Seeing her sitting in her position seemed inviting for Tahir. Her digitigrade legs easily sat cross-legged, leaving her large belly to hang on top of them. She was almost a bulbous mass that rested upon a giant throne, relaxed and happy in her position. Br’ina stepped into the room and proceeded to climb up onto the seat.

“Sr’ina!” Tahir called out to her. “You’re heading to the turret above?”

“Yes,” she replied. “Everything is set. There’s a console for me to sit up there ... but I prefer to be in your lap, though.”

“I’m pretty sure the tank’s weapons won’t work that way.”

“No, but I could use your cannon instead...”

“Lame,” Tr’ina countered her.

“I don’t see you making Kilow’wag jokes.” Sr’ina turned around and stormed off, heading up the ladder system.

Tahir turned his head and gave a sigh.

“I hate the idea of us being separated,” he said.

“We are not separated,” Tr’ina remarked. “Sr’ina is still in the tank with us.”

“That isn’t what I mean. I understand the weapon system needs someone to help control it, but I wish we were all in the same room.”

“She can handle it.”

“Hmmm ... I don’t know. Not with a potential battle like this happening. A lot can happen.”

“We can handle it.”

The man paused, briefly looking over to Br’ina, before pulling the main console controls to his lap. Both Tr’ina and Br’ina looked at Tahir after they followed suit. Tahir thought about it for a moment. Was there a way out of this? Could he still request someone else do this?

No ... he knew this had to be done.

“Let’s do it,” Tahir remarked. “Initiate control interface...”

It didn’t take long before Tahir stretched out his hand, his palm extended to the main panel. The moment his hand touched the panel, his augmented arm began to glow. He closed his eyes and began to concentrate.

We’kal ... it’s time. The man continued to use his thoughts in hopes of a response.

Suddenly, in all familiar events, the man’s eyes opened to the same environment as he had before. He was back inside the realm of purgatory.

However, there were some noticeable differences this time. Instead of a bright light around him, it consisted of a faded variety of colors. The same white light remained, but the hint of life could be seen around him. The man retained his nakedness as he looked down to see his genitals hanging from his crotch for everyone to see. However, he didn’t feel anxious or nervous this time. When he turned around, he could see other changes in the environment.

Both Tr’ina and Br’ina sat behind their chairs. Their hands were pressed to the main panels. They too, also lacked any form of clothing. However, as the man approached them, he noticed that they were little more than gray statues, still and frozen in time.

“Tr’ina?” the man asked. “ ... Br’ina?”

There was no response.

“They are unharmed,” the deep male voice echoed behind him. “ ... A promise made to your Captain Shira.”

Tahir turned around to see the familiar black silhouette. The great Alara’jal remained as a black shadow, towering over the man like he was nothing. However, there was a hint of more in what he saw. There seemed to be more depth in the image. At times, Tahir swore he could see greater outlines of the dinosaur’s body.

“We’kal ... What happened to them?” he asked the image.

“You are in my matrix,” We’kal explained. “It is what happens to you as well ... however, I have chosen to speak to you.”

“Then you know everything that’s about to happen. You chose me ... you chose us.”

“I chose you. Statistics always show that mated pairs operate best when going into battle. The Alara’jal are no different. Those Yutilians are secondary to me. Their roles in tank operation also fall into secondary systems. You will be the main controller, the center of everything in this vehicle.”

“I see,” Tahir replied. “This ... this environment, it’s not normal, right?”

“Under typical Itrean operation, I am not programmed to operate in this form of interaction. However, your presence has changed all of that. Adaption is necessary.”

“What was said between you and Shira?”

“Everything that was necessary, including all information required about the upcoming conflict over your planet, Palora. This unit has reached consensus and will fight the impending Shal’rein clan invasion.”

“You really want me to be your main operator? Not someone else?”

“A consensus was made during the inquiry of who would operate this vehicle. Your prior interaction and interface made you a likely candidate. Due to the finite time available, we wish for you to operate this vehicle into battle.”

“But I don’t know anything about fighting,” Tahir remarked. “How am I supposed to control something like this?”

“In regards to your first statement, no true Alara’jal are perfectly suited for combat. Warlords often handed weapons and tools to their subordinates and provided little training. It was required by the subordinates to learn for themselves prior to the main battle. In regards to your second inquiry, the controls will come naturally to you. Your mates will provide further support. Their thoughts will be yours as you control them as well. Do you have any further inquiries?”

The man turned around and looked at Tr’ina and Br’ina. However, behind him, he noticed that there was another chair, one stacked behind the other. These were similar to the others, but one had Sr’ina, also a frozen statue in place sitting and operating a similar control interface. All three of his wives were present. Instinctively, Tahir felt the need to go and sit down on the empty chair. It was almost calling him to go and have a seat.

“I want to know more about you,” Tahir said, turning back to look at the Alara’jal silhouette. “My profession is all about digging the past. You’re the only thing that provides more clues about your people’s history.”

“This matrix is not a cultural database,” We’kal replied. “It is a database of war. However, We’kal’s memories can be tapped. Brain scanner has been updated to 52% operational proficiency. However, more time is needed in order to access this data. Internal repairs are underway. Full power to the system is required.”

“Well,” Tahir sighed and turned back to the chair. “Let’s hope I get to know more about you, We’kal. In a different time, I might have had a good conversation with you.”

“Different languages would have made interaction difficult. We’kal and the other Alara’jal would have likely devoured you and your mates. Even now, some data flows of various recipes of cooked Yutilian.”

“That’s ... something else,” Tahir said as he walked up to the chair. “Maybe that’s promising to hear you say that.”

“Why does the idea of your demise and reduction to food, please you?”

“It means that We’kal might have worked with food at one point ... something to learn about you. There’s many things to learn about in a culture, including what they eat.”

“ ... Acknowledged.”

The delay in the response from the Alara’jal silhouette remained fixated. Tahir walked up to the chair, noting his nakedness. He found the concept to be odd as he made the step to the great throne. By the time he sat down, the console appeared in front of him. He could see that We’kal was still looking at him but at a greater distance.

“I’ll need all the help I can get,” Tahir told him.

“Let your instincts guide your decisions,” the Alara’jal told him. “But, do not let them rule your emotions. You are an Alara’jal among the insects...”

The man saw the panel. His hand reached out and touched the panel. He closed his eyes and began to concentrate.

Suddenly, the man’s eyes opened, and he was back inside the tank’s dark command center. It must have been a little over a minute or so. He noticed he was back in reality, clothed and all. The recent events felt like a dream, but much closer than the previous interaction.

When Tahir turned his head, he could see that Tr’ina and Br’ina’s eyes were closed. It was almost as if their minds were fused into the machinery. The man turned to look back at his augmented arm. The glow remained. A faint hum could be heard from the circuits. His breathing intensified as if his body was demanding something.

He needed energy. The tank demanded power. It was ready.

“How?” he asked. “How do I turn it on?”

<Focus your mind on what you want, > We’kal’s deep voice could be heard inside his head.

Tahir thought of one word ... Activate...

A great hum could be heard throughout the cabin of the great tank. Near the rear portion of the war vehicle, the flat spherical dome began to spin. Mechanical sounds and electronic rhythms started low and would slowly rev up.

It was like feeling a heartbeat, one that started slowly but increased more and more. Tahir felt life all around him. The organic metals and parts around him felt energy run through their veins. It was always said that Itrean equipment was partially alive. To feel it was warm and inviting. All the lights and diodes on the consoles turned on. Illumination was everywhere, filling the interior with shades of gray and brown.

By now, the tank’s rear fusion power core was active, spinning to the point that all that could be seen was a glowing blue dot tucked underneath and behind the colossal turret. Every motor and drive switched on. Tahir felt over four motors and four reserve drives working in tandem. At first, he felt overwhelmed by the data that was filling his mind. It was a sensory overload. His breathing was intensified, the body was in a mild state of panic as if the human brain was having to process and do new actions that it was almost never meant to do.

But, it was not something that would deter Tahir.

“Incredible,” Tahir remarked, taking a deep breath. “It’s ... so much ... slow down, We’kal ... slow down.”

<Alara’jal are expected to handle the internal network bandwidths, > the deep voice echoed in his head. <Give yourself a minute, and your body will adjust.>

“I can’t imagine what it was like without these ... modifications that you spoke of.”

<Without the modifications, the link would have been more difficult. Tank operators would often suffer neural dysfunction after disconnection. Continuous use for years would result in brain damage.>

“Are they ok?” He asked, looking at Tr’ina.

<You are the master ... they are the slaves. The strongest rules them all ... That is Alarew’s way.>

“Warlord Alarew is dead. Ease up on their control...”

<That is for you to control.>

Tahir could feel his brain reaching out throughout the tank. It was almost as if every control was at his fingertips. More and more control could be felt in his mind. It was true. We’kal was right. The man’s body was growing calmer. Finally, he could sense their minds. Like a puppeteer, he eased the strings that held their minds buried into the tank’s mainframe. It all came instinctively.

Within a second, Tr’ina and Br’ina’s eyes opened up. Their bodies seemed unharmed and in control of their own will.

“Are you alright?” he asked both of them.

“Yes, my mate,” Tr’ina replied. “This is ... different than the other controls I felt ... I feel like your mind is controlling me while I’m connected.”

Br’ina nodded her head.

“Does it hurt?” Tahir asked.

“No...” Tr’ina replied. “It is alright ... you are in control ... I trust you ... we all trust you.”

The man nodded and looked ahead. By now, Tahir could feel like he was in complete control of the vehicle. His eyes looked ahead at the big display in front of him. With a mere thought, the display screen lit up and filled the entire cabin. Tahir turned his head and noted that he was able to see the environment outside the main display ahead of him. Numerous sensor devices on the tank allowed him to see whatever he wanted to see, with the only limit being what the vehicle could track. The data filled his head. Br’ina was responsible for the life-support and engineering functions of the tank. Sr’ina was responsible for the weapons operation. Tr’ina was the sensor and navigation.

It was beautiful. It must have been more profound than what any UHN pilot or UHN ship navigator would ever feel. This felt more natural instead of the artificial construct of a basic quantum AI core. However, their roles were more secondary in case of his incapacitation. Finally, Tahir had but one question that entered his mind.

“How do I get this vehicle out?” he asked.

<You are forgetting, > We’kal told him. <It is your desire, so demand it.>

Tahir took a deep breath. He wanted freedom. The tank had been buried long enough. It needed to see the light. It was as if he knew the answer all this time.

“Open...” he said.

A massive sound echoed inside the garage. The power cores, courtesy of Shira, had been appropriately installed. Massive motors were in operation, causing the sand to shift ahead. A tremor could be felt, creating a rumbling echo that reverberated throughout the interior.

However, there was one catch, Tahir noted in his sensors that not all the garage motors were working. Damage and neglect had taken their toll. Sand and long-term rubble pile up made the mechanical operations almost impossible at first. Tahir remembered the chute that he had fallen through. Heavy sheet metal closed it up before the wall ahead began to move.

“I don’t know if we can get out,” Tr’ina remarked.

“Me neither,” Tahir said. “They might have to...”

Before he could complete his sentence, the wall ahead fell forward narrowly missing the front treads of the tank. Some sand and dust fell toward the vehicle. However, ahead, Tahir could begin to see the hint of light.

“By ... Allah,” Tahir remarked.

The base was far larger than he would ever guess. From the outside surface, it was somewhat small. However, the underground was a different story. Ahead was a large tunnel ramp that opened up. Sand and dirt naturally fell over much of the metal, but it was enough to provide an opening to move through. If anything, it should have been enough to allow all the vehicles to leave, but the damage was too much. Even now, a few large rocks and boulders fell inside. Even a couple of armored dead Alara’jal soldiers crashed onto the ramp and dirt below. Eventually, another layer of metal collapsed and formed the last of the ramp, causing the sunlight to flood inside the tunnel.

The road to freedom ... It lay ahead of the tank. The light beckoned it to leave the darkness.

It was time. Now was the ultimate test, and that was to see if the tank would move...

“I’m bored,” Sr’ina’s voice could be heard through the console intercom. “Let’s go!”

<All systems operational.> We’kal told Tahir. <Minor errors reported ... Full motor controls are available.>

“We can go,” Tr’ina added.

The paleontologist nodded. He pushed his wrist forward on the panel, and the tank began to shift. All four enormous treads started to move slowly, propelling the vehicle at a crawl. It didn’t take long before over 2000 metric tons of armored alien hardware drove quickly, gaining speed.

“Yes!” Sr’ina yelled out. “Finally!”

“Incredible,” Tahir said to himself. “It actually works ... a thousand years, and it still works!”

We’kal was on the move. The tunnel ramp offered enough room to slip through. The numerous piles of boulders and debris were no issue. The vehicle’s massive heavyweight crushed them into the sand and metal below. The great behemoth was a monstrosity given life once again. Every motor functioned without hindrance.

The paleontologist could feel nothing but a calm form of giddiness. A smile could be seen on his face as he looked around. Tr’ina could see it as well. The human had found his toy artifact. Its capabilities were nothing like ever seen before. The vehicle climbed up onto the ramp as the bright sun could be seen hovering over the horizon. The display screen deadened the brightness. Before long, the front treads slowly extended forward, reaching over the lip of the ramp before smoothly landing on the flat desert sands of ground level. Ahead, not far, was the Lifen transport. Despite the great size of the tank, the Lifen was obviously larger, but only by so much. It would have been completely impossible for it to ever fit inside the cargo hold. The moment the tank flattened out on the ground, it came to a complete stop.

“Receiving a message from the Lifen,” Tr’ina told him.

“Connect message,” Tahir replied.

It didn’t take long before the XO’s voice could be heard from the panel.

“Well,” Javier remarked through the intercom. “I wasn’t expecting that form of entrance. You almost plopped right on top of us. How’s the status of the tank?”

“Surprisingly good,” Tahir replied. “I didn’t mean to almost run into you guys. I guess we know how the Alara’jal managed to store their vehicles underground, at least for this base.”

“You ready to go?”

“As ready as we’ll ever be.”

“Alright ... stand by and keep that tank on park. We’ll begin lift off very shortly...”

The intercom communication ceased. Tahir looked at the scenery ahead. He was not far from the entrance to the main valley of the former Alara’jal base. Wind and dust flew away from the Lifen as all six of its engines were activated. The man turned to see the jet exhaust pick up more and more. The nearby encampment also began to flutter around on its hinges and ropes. Itreans who witnessed the scene stood from a distance and looked at the great sight ahead of them.

The sounds outside grew louder. It didn’t take long before the Lifen transport lifted from the ground with ease. Blue flames could be seen as Tahir removed his hand from the console. He momentarily looked at his augmented arm for a moment before the glowing blue light ceased. The tank remained online and stationary. Below the lifting transport was the flattened dirt from where it was parked. However, the jet plumes eroded it and burned into the sands, almost into a glassy-like substance. Tahir watched as the Lifen hovered in the air and grew in height just enough that it was over the tank’s roof.

It was a slow process for the first minute before the dark shadow could be seen over the landscape. It was as if a giant roof had been placed over the vehicle. A set of comm chatter could be heard from the intercom. It was a female voice.

“Preparing connection ... standby...”

“You can disconnect from the console,” Tahir told Tr’ina. “We’re under their control...”

Tr’ina pulled her hand away and momentarily shook her head. The man noted that Br’ina was still connected but looking at the man.

“You doing alright?” he asked her.

Br’ina nodded her head.

“You don’t have to stay connected, you know?”

“She feels secure,” Tr’ina told him. “She’s responsible for the life support of this tank.”

“And?” he asked.

“We’ll be going into space ... she wants to make sure we’ll be alright.”

Tahir didn’t get a chance to say anything else. A large sleeve-like apparatus was being lowered from the belly of the ventral side of the Lifen. A set of four grappling arms opened from the Lifen’s hull. They swung around the hull and gently wrapped around the tank’s frame. The sleeve continued to be lowered down straight onto the top of the main turret. It didn’t take long before a series of metal clanking sounds echoed throughout the interior.

More communication chatter echoed from the console. The same female petty officer could be heard.

“Connection at 60%... 80% ... full connection established ... preparing for lift off.”

The sheer precision work of such a simple operation. Tahir was amazed at how the UHN managed to make peak engineering to create large spaceships that could easily carry itself into outer space while being able to ferry a monstrous vehicle into space. Of course, the same could be said for the Alara’jal tank in turn. The Alara’jal must have used similar methods to move these vehicles around.

“A lot of noise above me,” Sr’ina commented through the intercom.

“Sr’ina?” Tahir called out to her.

“Did you forget me? I leave and go upstairs, and you suddenly have Tr’ina and Br’ina all to yourself.”

“Because we’re better than you, sister,” Tr’ina replied.

“Tr’ina,” Tahir told her. “Can you mute us from the Lifen?”

She did her quick nods in compliance.

“I’m working with many guns...” Sr’ina replied. “I can promise you I have better experience with my mate’s cannon than you do.”

Tahir shook his head. “Even through all this ... I’m going to need to see what it looks like up there.”

“I’m waiting for you...” Sr’ina commented.

“Until after we land on Palora. I’m not going to be tossed into the walls when this vehicle is being brought into a warzone.”

“Your loss...”

The sounds outside grew louder. A shower of jet flames surrounded the great tank like a giant shield of fire. While disconnected, Tahir could only see the front display. Suddenly, the entire interior made a small jolt. Everyone felt momentarily weightless as the vehicle was being lifted.

“We have liftoff,” the same female voice echoed in the comms.

“Alright, Doctor,” Javier added. “It looks like we’re on schedule. We’re on our way to Palora ... ETA 14 minutes.”

Tahir decided not to respond back. The vehicle was being lifted up rather easily. He felt like he was in an elevator. The Lifen’s underside thrusters allowed it to raise its nose to the sky, pointing the great tank in the same direction as the rear engines of the transport activated. The man could see nothing but bluish skies and white clouds. The man’s back was pressed to his seat.

“Let’s hope this journey is a quick one...,” Tahir replied.

It had been a little over five minutes. Inside the small office cabin of the Lifen’s bridge, Shira sat strapped to her chair. The interior was designed as a simple, small, enclosed office, large enough to house a single metal table and display unit. A single closed sliding door could be seen to her left. The Shal’rein’s hair floated a little bit. Ever since the Lifen had left orbit, the lack of gravity became obvious.

Shira could overhear the sounds of bridge com traffic, lowered down in volume just enough for it not to be a distraction. The table display unit consisted of a digital holographic representation of one of the admirals sitting behind his desk. Occasionally, this feed would flicker. Not far from him on the projection was a set of other line channel feeds connected to other high-ranking Paloran officers that Shira couldn’t see. Only a set of names could be deciphered over the connected feeds. A roughly generated 3d map provided a simple overlay of the orbital battle going on over Palora. Simple colored dots could be seen slowly moving around with sets of arrows displaying the largest concentration of ship movements.

The man presented on the display was one that Shira knew all too well. Admiral Thiago was Paloran in his very nature. The man had a light mixed complexion, similar to most South American descendants. He had a black mustache, short black hair on one side of his face, and gray on the other. He seemed to be middle-aged, around in his 50s. The high-ranking officer was focused on multiple tasks, almost as if he were engaged in one of many emergency conferences. The Shal’rein sat back on her table. Her gray fingers pressed relaxedly together.

“We will be arriving over Palora in eight minutes, Admiral,” Shira replied. “The tank is fully operational.”

“Understood,” Thiago replied to her, his Paloran accent could be heard in his voice. “Your arrival is none too soon. Kingston Nueva and Ocotal de Congelada are already reporting casualties from the Shal’rein shelling. Their long-range capability is better than I predicted. I don’t know how much a single tank is going to affect an all-out ground battle, but we’ll take what we can.”

“Admiral,” a female human voice echoed on one of the feeds.

“What is it, Vice Admiral Jevuan?”

“Helera’Kun frontline fleet forces have been reduced by 51%. We’re continuing to provide support fire, but our munitions supplies are running low. Shal’rein forces are shooting down our warheads before they can even hit them.”