Chapter 60

We moved stealthily through a series of ducts and maintenance tunnels under the main temple on the Orc occupied planet of Enterla. We were, as a matter of course, avoiding any guards or drones. Along with the usual members of my squad were Abi and Jemima who were with us to handle the super-beam as and when we actually got near the main Orb that they assured me was currently in this location.

“Not exactly a lot of guards as far as I can scan,” I said as we waited patiently for a small group of maintenance drones to get out of our way.

“They think they learned a lesson from the last time as they assumed we’d located the Orbs by the number or type of guards, rather than the quantum signature the Orb uses to disrupt the planetary identifier,” Abi replied.

“Ah, right,” I chuckled. “Bigger fools them then.”

“Yep. Once this goes down we can set off the high-energy plasma generators we’ve located at the various sites on the planet to take out the others.”

“Surprised they haven’t armoured up the auxiliaries,” Róisín shrugged.

“Me too, but they haven’t.”

“OK, the drones have gone. Let’s be on our way,” I ordered. We moved off towards what the Seers assured me was a disused maintenance stairway of some kind that would take us down below the armoured storage area where the Orb was located.

“Picking up a few omniscient probes and a possible Crimonach,” Abi announced as we entered an area that clearly hadn’t been built by the Orcs.

“Interesting décor,” I murmured.

“Yes. If it was the Enterlech, wonder if they could be persuaded to decorate that outcrop we have next to the Null circle,” Róisín nodded, then giggled.

“Would be worth asking,” I chuckled.

“Will you two behave, I like our outcrop,” Abi admonished us, making us grin as we’d been baiting her as she would often practice her meditation/gestalt communication sitting cross-legged on top of it where Mark couldn’t get to her.

Suddenly both Róisín and I raised our silenced Glock’s and fired at exactly the same moment. Less than a second later, a Crimonach crashed to the floor.

“Wonder what the hell that was doing down here?” I asked to no one in particular.

“No idea,” Jemima shrugged. “But it was clearly managing to survive.”

“Something interesting up ahead,” Abi announced.

She was right. We walked out of the tunnel we were traversing into a huge cavern that wasn’t registering on any of our senses, not even the Seers. In it were row after row of cocoons preserved by what appeared to be an energy shield.

“Enterlech or Crimonach?” Clara asked.

“Enterlech,” murmured Abi. “Still not sure why a Crimonach would be here.”

‘Because I controlled it, ‘ came a gentle mental voice.

‘And you might be?‘ I politely asked, using the same mental channel.

A creature moved into the open from the deep shadows at the far end of the cavern. It had squat, powerful limbs designed, it seemed, for burrowing, yet it was also psionically capable too, particularly with regards to breaking down substrates with its mind.

‘I am Kupar, the guardian here. You are not of the Yr’ch, hence my revealing of myself to you, ‘ came a reply.

‘These are your people?‘ I asked, indicating the cocoons.

‘Yes, there are thousands of hidden vaults like this, set aside for the day when the Yr’ch leave. A remnant of my people from when we realised we could not win and our psiontists were mostly dead from a brutal disease, ‘ Kupar replied at length.

‘That day you have been waiting for will be soon. My people are even now moving to destroy the Orb and restore your world to you.‘

‘Truly?‘

‘Here and on several other worlds.‘

‘We are grateful beyond words. Is there anything we can assist you with?‘

‘There is a chamber containing an Orb near here. We would seek to avoid contact with its Orc guardians until we are ready to destroy it, ‘ Jemima explained.

‘I know of it. It is death to enter uninvited, ‘ Kupar informed us.

‘All we seek is proximity.‘

‘I have a tunnel going underneath it to avoid the death zone, would that do?‘

‘Yes, most certainly.‘

‘Follow me.‘

Kupar led us on a circuitous route that avoided omniscient probes as well as Orc guards. We were soon deep under the chamber where we knew the Orb to be and prepared ourselves to destroy it by drilling a hole via our minds and then using the super-beam to melt it, hopefully before the Orcs realised what was happening and where.

“Ready?” I asked.

“Ready, came a series of replies as the Seers began to carefully bore away a tube upwards to the Orb. The rest of us were teleporting away the detritus of the dust and falling rocks that were dislodged by Jemima’s and Abi’s efforts.

“Bore is ready,” Jemima finally announced. “We just need the go ahead from Roxanne as and when the other teams are ready.”

“High explosives are in place for the rest of the Orbs,” Tirus announced. “We just need a ‘go’ off you, Seer Jemima.”

In the command tent, Roxanne stood next to Mages Simon, Julia, Morgana and also Queen Verenestra as the various teams went about their business. Co-ordinating the activity were Seer Simone and Apprentice Seer Dorry.

“Good of you to add some Seers to the teams,” Roxanne murmured as the first of the reports came through.

“Better than only being able to do two jobs at a time,” Julia replied. “Besides, some of them wanted to get out and play,” she finished with a grin.

“It will be interesting to see how the Orcs react,” Simon nodded. “As it is, the Drow army is now ready and will begin transferring in two days.”

“Arch had to bang a couple of heads together initially, but their discipline levels were very high and they got the hang of group tactics very quickly,” Verenestra added.

“Yes, the list Brinont supplied was quite accurate as to who the hard core of troublemakers would be,” Morgana nodded. “He and Arch have them well in hand and haven’t had to kill any ... so far.”

“The Drow respond well to discipline and superiority. Arch beating the crap out of a couple of them helped as it set in concrete that he wasn’t to be messed with,” Verenestra chuckled.

“He has a lot of experience in that sort of thing,” Roxanne added with a slight smile.

“They have all been supplied with armour and weapons, though will need practice in the field ... as and when the Vultoqi re-emerge,” Morgana stated.

“Aye, though initially it’s my intention to permit them to attack the Orcs on the three worlds on which we could not find the Orbs,” Roxanne replied. “Mostly because Athena is unsure when the Vultoqi will break their trap, only that they will.”

“How is she?” Simon asked.

“Growing, but still very much Athena,” Roxanne chuckled.

“So, worship or the number of followers is a factor with Higher or Minor Powers?”

“Only the neutrals, the Powers representing the Almighty or the Enemy have their own source stemming directly from the leadership ... we surmise.”

“True enough, according to Jude,” Morgana confirmed.

“But probably not the whole truth,” Simon added with a grin.

“It rarely is. Not even Jude knows the whole truth and the sheer number of things he can’t tell us grows daily,” Morgana laughed.

“Such as why we’re involved here and the Theurgists aren’t?” Verenestra added with a wry smile.

“Yep, although it’s pretty obvious it has to do with the Vultoqi, not the Orcs,” Morgana nodded.

“The Vultoqi and, more likely, who’s behind them,” Simon added with a shrug.

“Aye, you have the right of it there, Simon,” Roxanne sighed. “But things are ready now; all we need is a ‘go’ from you, Mage Simon,” Roxanne finished, moving into formal mode.

“You have a ‘go’, Mage Roxanne,” Simon replied formally.

“Send the word please, Seer Simone.”

“On its way, Mage Roxanne,” Simone nodded. ‘All teams, mission is a go!‘

“We have a ‘go’, John,” Jemima announced.

“When you’re ready, Seer Jemima,” I replied. ‘Get ready. I doubt the Orcs will permit this just to pass!‘

I received various acknowledgements from the team as the Seers opened up with the super-beam, a thin pencil of energy that speared directly upwards into the Orb, setting off a series of alarms that we could all sense.

‘Which is the most likely way for the Orcs to get down here, Kupar?‘ I telepathically asked.

‘Through their maintenance tunnels, ‘ he (probably) replied. ‘It is the most direct route.‘

“Nell, can some of your team keep an eye on the Seers? Ilzik, Tu’tar, cover the main route in. We’ll try and slow them down a little.”

Blocking the maintenance tunnel was fairly easy, though it wouldn’t stop the Orcs for long as their beam weapons could clear any object easily. Nor were we inclined to hang around to shield it from the beams as there were other routes the Orcs could potentially take.

What we could do though was booby trap the route and force them to use extreme caution as they attempted to approach.

“Here,” I finally said. “This is where we hold them after they clear the tunnel. It’s a choke point and they won’t be able to bring any strength in numbers to bear.”

“Good place,” Tirus nodded. “You can also use those mini-guns you like here too, plus they won’t be able to hit you very easily with any grenades or missiles either.”

“That’s the plan,” I agreed, before ordering various members of the team to the positions I’d indicated. ‘Right, Kupar, anywhere else?‘

‘No, not unless they bore down onto you, but they’d need to use my people to do that. There are other routes, but not any they could use in any numbers.‘

‘Would you know if your people were boring down?‘ I asked.

‘Yes, we are all interconnected.‘

“They’re coming,” Esira announced.

“Positions!’ I ordered. My team melded into the shadows from the Orcs at the far end of a long tunnel. ‘Kupar, you should return to where the Seers are. It will be most dangerous for you if you stay here.‘

‘I wish to see my enemies die ... just for once in my long life, ‘ he replied softly.