Chapter 27

LYCAVORE

He felt the pain lance through his lower back and right leg as they scampered along the dusty cavern floor, the sounds of the STRIKER DT's huge chain cannon ripping above them down the cavern. Danny was a large man, standing six foot four and nearly two hundred and sixty pounds, and he had also been hit enough times to know when something was bad. He didn't see the two projectile rounds tear out the front of his body armor, cleanly snapping the large femur in his thigh, and punching through his lower abdomen. There wasn't much that could drop a man of his size and skill with a single bullet, but breaking his femur would do it easily. The others scrambled past him even as he began to fall, and only Anuk and Nayeca noticed he had gone down, most likely because his right hand involuntarily flinched on Anuk's shoulder and brought her down with him as if he was tackling her.

Her cerulean blue eyes and Nayeca's amber orbs were wide in horror as she and Nayeca scrambled back to him.

"Daniel!" Anuk screamed.

"Get out of here!" He yelled at them rolling onto his back and dragging his P190 back towards him.

"No! We won't leave you!" Nayeca screamed trying to get her arms under his muscular bulk and hoist him to his feet. "Anuk ... help me my love!"

Danny paid them no heed as he lifted the P190 and let loose with a long sustained burst back through the dust cloud, his yellow wolf eyes now fully changed and seeing the advancing Immortals through the cloud of shattered rock and dust. "Leave me!" He screamed again as he began to change magazines.

Anuk shook her head viciously. "Never!" She snapped moving to where his injured leg was now pumping out blood at an alarming rate. She tore at her medical bag as Sivana let fly with half a dozen missiles over their heads, the explosions following seconds later further down the tunnel, to include the screams of Immortals who were tossed like rag dolls across the cavern. "I have to stop the bleeding!" Anuk shouted stabbing a syringe into his muscular leg near the exit wound and shoving down on the plunger. It was a fast acting coagulant and would rapidly move to the areas he had been hit and begin clotting. "Daniel you must get up! You..."

Anuk's body shuddered as two nearly spent rounds impacted against her body armor and sent her flying backwards.

"No!" Danny screamed lifting the P190 and mashing down on his trigger in the direction that the fire came from. He was rewarded with seeing the top portion of an Immortal's head and neck explode apart like a melon as his rounds walked up his body. "Anuk! Baby!"

Anuk rolled over with a groan of pain and crawled back to her Soulmate, her single most important purpose for going on. Stars and white spots were whirling in her head and she could not focus her eyes. The body armor had stopped the rounds from penetrating, but they had knocked her silly. "Daniel!"

"I'm busted up bad baby!" Danny shouted reaching for her even as he fired the 190 one handed. "My leg is broke! Leave me! Please!"

"No ... we won't!" Nayeca screamed still trying to pull his body up and not winning the battle even with her elven strength. She had no leverage to try and get her feet under her, and Anuk was staggering dazed as she got back to her knees next to him.

"Leave me damn it!" Daniel screamed looking at her with those eyes. "Nubian you have to take Anuk and go! Don't let my son die!"

"Daniel ... no ... we..."

"Go now Nubian!" He shouted feeling a tingle in his head. "Help is coming ... but take Anuk now! Please! My son ... my son is more important than me! Go!" Danny heard the inhuman scream over the roar of the STRIKER'S chain gun and without thinking he lifted his left arm, his Shi Viska flaring into existence and he launched his shield.

The Shi Viska's razor edges extended before the shield was a meter away from him and they struck the Immortal forty meters away as he was screaming and climbing over the fallen mounds of dirt and rock. His head plopped to the dirty cavern floor even as dozens of other Immortals all around him dropped back to the floor of the cavern trying to avoid the deadly flying shield as it curled back around and began returning to its master.

Danny glared at Nayeca as he caught his shield on his arm. "Go Nubian! Go now damn you!" He screamed as he launched his shield again and brought the P190 up one handed once more and held back the trigger.

Nayeca was about to open her mouth to reply she would stay and die with him when the powerful force seemed to lift her off the floor of the cavern and yank her back along with Anuk. She let out a loud yelp of surprised pain as she landed a dozen meters from the rear of the huge Mindvoice ship where the din of battle was somewhat muted. She scrambled catlike to her feet reaching for Anuk and saw Anja standing beside Martin's mother and Miath. Anja lowered her hand and Nayeca watched her open her eyes. It had been her Mindvoice power that had pulled her and Anuk away. Pulled them away nearly two hundred meters down the cavern from the man they both so loved and adored.

"What have you done?" Nayeca screamed at her as she moved to get Anuk's dazed form close to her so she could help her move. "Daniel ... Daniel will die! He is ... he is alone now! Our mate will die!"

Anja moved closer to them quickly and shook her head as she went to Anuk's other side and slid her arm around her waist. "Danny is never alone!" She spoke loudly. "Not while his brother Martin lives."

As if on cue ... the entrance to the mining tunnel blew apart even more so then it already was. Many of those gathered ducked and moved to cover their faces as thousands of shards of rock and dirt blew outward. Even Gorgo ducked behind Anja in an attempt to cover herself, while Anja and Miath simply stood there. Those gathered near the ramp watched in stunned amazement as the collection of shards of rock and dust didn't even come near them. They could only watch in unmitigated awe as the thousands of rock and dust shards made a sharp ninety degree turn and then screamed down the cavern tunnel directly at the advancing Immortals. Following that wave of natural death Martin Leonidas burst from the mining tunnel at a dead run, Torma's massive bulk moving behind him with measured rumblings of his chest. Their psychic shield was activated and humming at the full extent of the power they could bring to bear, and Torma's near six metric tons made the ground beneath their feet tremble as he let out a trumpeting roar of anger.

Nayeca gripped Anuk to her tightly, her amber eyes open wide in disbelief as that first cloud of rock and dust shards hit the incoming tidal wave of Immortal troops that were almost upon Danny. She watched with wide amber orbs as their skin began to peel from their bodies, even as thousands of lethal shards became millions of lethal shards. Martin applied his unique and far from fully tested Mindvoice abilities in a different way now, pulverizing the shards into tiny missiles and darts. Nayeca and the others could only watch in terrified wonder as almost two hundred Immortals were being shredded alive as they came over the mounds of rock and granite that had been laid to hinder their path. They could easily see Danny lying on the floor of the cavern, his Shi Viska launching and returning, launching and returning even as the wave passed over his head and joined the chain cannon that Sivana was directly with unerring accuracy effectively encompassing the advancing Immortals in a thick cloud of dust and rock shards that they could not even see through.

Danny looked up from the floor of the cavern when he felt the staggering presence next to him and he saw Martin lift his left arm and the silver Shi Viska erupted into existence. It launched down the cavern at the same moment Torma unleashed a blast of superheated breath in a widening arc that melted dozens of screaming Immortals in an instant.

Martin bent over and grabbed Danny's body armor, hauling him to his feet even as Danny caught his own Shi Viska on his arm and it vanished in an instant. The moment Martin touched him, the psychic shield he shared with Torma extended around Danny's entire body and he gripped Martin's shoulder tightly.

"I told you to haul ass! Not get shot you clumsy black bastard!" Martin yelled at him as he got his shoulder under Danny's right armpit effectively becoming his right leg.

"Bout fucking time you showed up!" Danny yelled back even as he grimaced in pain. "I thought I was going to have to kill them all myself!"

Martin grinned at him. "You know I would never let you have all the fun to yourself! You are too fucking ugly!" Martin shouted back.

Martin's right hand came up quickly, Danny moving with him in thoughtless concert. Martin's Nehtes appeared in his hand and extended in a single blink of an eye. With a heave of incredible power he launched the eight and a half foot spear down the tunnel even as Danny once more called his Shi Viska and it launched on another mission of death. The Nehtes was thrown with such power it impaled not one or two Immortals, but plunged completely through the thick upper bodies of three Immortals and ended up protruding from the body of a fourth.

"Ah ... I think it's time to go brother!" Martin screamed.

"You'll get no argument from me on that!" Danny barked as projectiles were bouncing off the psychic shield that encompassed all of them now. "You got to give them credit though! They're persistent fuckers!"

Martin laughed as he turned and they began hobbling back towards the Mindvoice ship. Torma ... bring it down my bonded brother!

It is a risk Martin!

Life is a risk brother! Martin answered even as he and Danny began to hobble as fast as they could back towards the Mindvoice ship.

Torma chuckled within their connection. Ah ... you are so right.

Torma needed no further encouraging and he looked up at the ceiling far above them. He closed his golden eyes and drew from deep within himself, feeling both his own enormous power and control mingle easily with Martin's equally staggering Mindvoice command filtering through him. The deadly projectiles that bounced off his psychic shield caused him no pause and with a mighty heave of the combined power of Martin and himself he ripped a section of the cavern ceiling from its place hundreds of meters above them. There was a massive groan of protest and then a two hundred meter long, six meter thick slab of rock and dirt broke free and began its crushing plummet to the cavern floor below. Bright sunlight burst in from the now gaping hole in the top of the mountain they were inside, even as the massive chunk of death came hurtling down from above at devastating speeds as Torma turned without hesitation and began following his bonded brother back towards the Mindvoice ship. Dozens of Immortals looked up for only a moment and then they were crushed into oblivion as that slab of rock and dirt impacted the cavern floor effectively obliterating nearly a hundred more Immortals who had bunched together in a single instant.

Anja touched Nayeca's arm around Anuk's waist seeing those amber orbs turn to look at her. "Never doubt his love for his brother Nayeca. Martin will never leave him. He would die with him first." Anja spoke with a smile even as she pulled at Anuk. "Hurry ... we must get inside the ship! It's time we got off this forsaken rock of a world and went home."

Nayeca turned once more and saw Martin and Danny hobbling toward them as quickly as they could move, Torma's huge bulk moving right behind them. Martin had Danny under his right armpit and they were running so easily in that position it was as if they had done this sort of thing before. She didn't pause and with Anuk between them, she and Anja headed for the large ramp.

-Activating main power nodes-

-Powering Quantum Nacelles-

Avi stood in front of the massive control console his expression blank while Endith and several other engineers sat in chairs in front of others.

-Detecting power surge in conduit three nine. Repair drones moving to compensate-

-Main power is coming online. Sixty-six percent and rising quickly-

-External sensors now operating at seventy-three percent efficiency. Detecting five hundred thirteen Akruxian species closing on our position-

"Those are the fucking bad guys!" Endith screamed out. "Doesn't this damn crate have any weapons on it Avi?"

Endith whirled to face him. "Wait Avi! The mountain above us!"

-Scanning. Six point two meters of limestone and bedrock. This will not hinder City Ship 41 from obtaining orbit-

-Continuing with pre-orbital division-

Endith looked at him wide eyed. "Not hinder? That's eighteen feet of rock and dirt up there!"

-Eighteen point six nine to be precise. City Ship 41 is designed to penetrate up to forty-nine point eight meters of similar combinations of material-

Endith looked at him stunned. "Oh."

-Activating Spatial Navigational Systems. Activating Quantitative Thermodynamic Acceleration modules. Internal Sensors indicate all exterior approaches have been sealed. Preparing to initiate firing of Sequential Thrusters. Stand by-

"Wait!" Endith shouted. "You mean we're going straight up?"

Avi's dinosaur like features turned to look at her.

-Obtaining orbit is the directive of the descendant of Chief Elder Pralor Sumar. We can not do that by going down female elf Endith. Please secure your physical person so that I may initiate firing of the thrusters. Injury to your physical body would not be considered a successful launch completion-

"Shit!" Endith barked almost leaping back to her chair and scrambling to pull the straps over her shoulders.

-Attention in City Ship 41. We are initiating engine activation for atmospheric entry. In five ... four ... three...

Martin lay on the deck where he had tossed Danny as the massive ramp was closing behind them. Anuk was scrambling around Danny's legs; her cerulean eyes clear once more as she treated Danny, Nayeca holding his head in her lap rubbing his bald sweaty head. Anja was moving her hands over Danny's abdomen, the glow of soft white light very evident in the palm of her hand. Dozens of Lycavorians filled the corridor, as they had been the last to board the ship, and they huddled on the floor, holding weapons across their heaving chests, Husen among them. He turned quickly as Relina found him and threw herself into his arms even as he lay on the deck. He crushed her lithe frame to his body and buried his face in her thick dark hair as he realized they had made it. All their dreams and hopes of leaving this world one day were finally being achieved.

Gorgo pushed herself from the strange metal floor where Anja had gently tossed her upon entering the lower deck of the ship. She looked up to see Martin lying a meter away, the back of his head resting up against the massive talon equipped foot of his dragon. Gorgo saw the smaller blue/black dragon nuzzling close to his father as Lisisa dropped quickly to Martin's side, throwing her arms around his chest and hugging him tightly. Amazingly she saw her long lost son begin to laugh. Softly at first ... then with more power. Her eyes grew wide as the black Spartan beside him began to laugh as well, his face grimacing against the pain of his wounds and the pain that his laughing was causing.

"Damn Martin ... that's eleven I owe you now!" Danny almost shouted as he continued to laugh.

Martin pushed himself to his butt, his arm holding Lisisa tightly and he turned his face to look at her. He reached out quickly and snatched his mother's arm, pulling her to him and crushing her head to his chest even as Gorgo wrapped her arms around Martin's waist and fresh tears burst from her eyes.

Martin rubbed his cheek against his mother's dirty hair, heedless of the grime and dirt and he could feel her body wracked with sobs. He then did the same to Lisisa as they both clung to him tightly, their hands clasped tightly at the small of his back.

"No Danny..." He said softly turning to look at Danny's face as his dark brown eyes met his when he heard the tone of Martin's voice. "We're going to call it even brother. Now I owe you two."

Danny nodded his head slowly when he saw Martin holding his mother and daughter and he smiled. He cut his eyes to where Anja was treating him; her hands moving over his body where she had peeled the armor away form his skin. "So what's the verdict red? Everything still working?"

Anja looked up from where her hand was slowly moving over the wound in his abdomen, the flesh knotting back together even as she held her hand near his skin. "You know ... between you and Martin ... treating the two of you is starting to become a full time job!" She snapped at him.

Danny laughed. "We're too ugly and ornery to die!" He announced.

Nayeca squeezed his head. "You are a fool!" She nearly shouted. "You could have been killed!"

"And I told you to leave!" Danny said.

Anuk moved up quickly next to him and took his face in her hands. "We will never leave you Daniel Simpson!" She hissed at him. "Not while there is breathe in our bodies. We will never leave you alone! You could have died."

Danny breathed her sweet cinnamon scent and then inhaled Nayeca sweet apple scent and he smiled. "I was never alone." He said softly turning his head to look at Martin. He lifted his hand and arm and saw Martin release Lisisa to reach out and take his hand in a grip that no force of nature could have ever torn asunder. "How can you die looking at something that ugly with a side kick that has gold eyes?" Danny spoke with a grin motioning to Martin and Torma. "No god is that cruel."

Torma chuckled within Mindvoice and extended his massive head out on his long neck until Danny could reach up and touch his cool snout. You are welcome Daniel Simpson.

-Attention in City Ship 41. We are initiating engine activation for atmospheric entry. In five ... four ... three...

"Shit!" Martin barked suddenly realizing what was still happening around him. "He's taking off! Fuck!" Martin slammed his hand down on the COM unit built into his body armor. "Sivana ... that robot thing is lifting off! He'll bring the entire cavern down on you! Get out!"

Martin heard Sivana chuckle and he turned his head quickly to see her standing in the corridor, Belen with his arm around her waist and holding her tightly against him. She held up the small control console. "I was operating the STRIKER by remote." She said. "A little trick that For'mya told me it was capable of. Right now it is slaved to Avi's control and docked alongside the City Ship within its own shield grid."

-Two ... one. Initiating flight mode and engaging thrusters-

Yuri looked up quickly from the table she occupied. The hot tea had long gone cold in the mug and the small lounge was silent except for the dull din of the LSD coils operating. The chime on the table sounded and she looked up slowly. She slid her hand across the table.

"Captain I asked that I not be disturbed!" She barked. "What part of that did you not understand?"

"Princess! Long range sensors are detecting a ship of some sort lifting off the surface of Lycavore!" The ship's captain declared sounding excited. "It matches no known ships in our database."

"A ship?" Yuri asked stupefied. "How is that even possible? There were no ships on Lycavore!"

"We are receiving the images now Princess!"

"Very well I'll be right there." Yuri spoke coming to her feet. She moved quickly across the lounge floor and through two adjoining offices before she passed through the last door that opened into the bridge. She saw the nearly two dozen men and women staring at the holo screen and she followed their gaze.

Yuri's dark eyes nearly erupted from her head as she saw what was lifting off the surface of the planet on the screen.

"It's getting bigger as it rises through the atmosphere!" A Coven tech shouted from his console. "Now its reached two point six kilometers long Captain!"

"Record this!" The captain screamed. "Record this!"

Yuri stepped up to the man seeing Pa'cour move up just behind her. "What is it?"

The Coven Captain shook his head. "I have no idea Princess. I've never ... I've never seen anything like it."

"Three point four kilometers in length now!" The tech shouted. "It will achieve orbit in twenty-eight seconds!" He barked. "Lycavore planetary batteries are coming to bear! They will..."

Yuri and the others could only watch as what appeared to be thousands of small lasers began blasting from the unknown ship in concentrated and coordinated bursts. They could only stand and watch as all twenty-four of the planetary batteries around Lycavore were instantly obliterated from space.

"Captain ... long range sensors are detecting massive Quantum particle surges!" The tech announced. "I've ... I've never seen anything like it. It's almost as if..."

"What?" The captain barked.

The tech looked at him. "Captain that ship is using some sort of Quantum Drive." The man spoke.

Yuri whirled on the man. "Quantum Drives are only theoretical!" She barked. "They don't exist!"

"Princess ... I'm only speaking to what our sensors are telling us." The man spoke quickly.

Yuri turned back to the holo transmission. "It's Leonidas." She said suddenly. "It has to be! Can you contact the Immortal detachment on the surface! The one that was attacking his position?"

"We have been able to raise no one on the surface Princess." The captain stated quickly. "A High Coven Runner departed only moments before our sensors detected this ship rising from the surface. It was running dark and not broadcasting."

"The ship is obtaining orbit of Lycavore! Five point three kilometers in length now Captain!" The Coven tech almost shouted out now.

"Captain we're being scanned!" Another officer exclaimed.

"Go dark! Activate the Shroud! Initiate Evasive pattern Theta Three one!" He barked immediately.

-Long range sensors are detecting one heavy cruiser type ship one point six light year from current location-

-Quantum Drive Nacelles are locking into position. We have achieved optimal orbital rotation. All sections signal cruising transformation complete-

Endith began unbuckling her straps as the entire top section of the bridge compartment began to retract in a counterclockwise pattern. She watched with glee in her eyes as the stars became more and more exposed and her head turned as Komirri came darting in from where he had been monitoring the engineering section of the ship. He hadn't had much to do as the repair drones apparently acted as crew members also, and they dashed across the expanse of the engineering section faster than he or any of his crew members could.

"I never thought I would see them again." Endith spoke softly as Komirri came up next to her.

-Initiating long ranger sensor sweep of surrounding systems. Activating and receiving the tracking beacons of three additional City Ships-

Endith and Komirri turned as Martin strode into the bridge, Gorgo clinging to one hand, Anja the other. Lisisa was holding tightly to Anja's arm even as Tina moved quickly around them and dashed to where Endith stood.

"Look at that Tina." Endith spoke. "Isn't it the most wonderful thing you have ever seen in your life?"

-Detecting tracking beacon of City Ship 39, City Ship 27 and City Ship 19. Signals are weak. Damage to transmitting array eighty-four point two percent probable. Detecting no corresponding activation of tracking beacons. Ninety-one point seven percent chance that entire complement of sister City Ships have been terminated likely cause of negative response-

-Detecting no active Quantum signatures. This indicates complete shutdown of Quantum Drive or destruction of computer function to active drives-

"Can you tell where these ships are?" Martin asked moving up next to the avatar.

-Processing ... scanning. Scanning complete. City Ship 39 beacons are transmitting from Cenolau Minor. Estimate two point three years before City Ship 39 loses all power and beacons discontinue-

-City Ship 27 transmitting from third moon of unknown planet thirty-five point four light years from current location. Detecting massive structural failure to City Ship 27 and beacons are transmitting on damaged alternate power cells. Estimate seven point six months before power cells are full exhausted-

-City Ship 19 beacons transmitting on solar cells from sixth planet of Rotarb System. Planet's designation is Nuwaroa. Detecting heavy structural damage to aft third of ship. No Quantum signatures detected. Hypothesis ... Quantum Nacelles were not fully retracted before beginning control reentry. They were destroyed upon reentry into Nuwaroa's upper transition atmosphere. I estimate forty-three point one percent of City Ship 19 intact-

"All of these places are within High Coven territory boss." Endith spoke softly as she looked at the star chart on another console.

"What is the probability that any of these ships can be restored like you did this one?" Martin asked the avatar.

-Processing. Analysis complete. Probability of restoration nine point seven percent. City Ship 39 indicates overwhelming exposure to corrosive salt fluid. Only twenty-four percent of City Ship 27 remains intact. City Ship 19 would need one thousand four hundred and three years of refit before being able to fully function once more. No indication is detected that the knowledge and materials needed to conduct repairs to City Ship 19 are available within seventy thousand light years-

-Estimate City Ship 19 will lose all remaining power nodes within this decade and cease to operate even at the low levels it is using now-

"Wait ... someone is using this ship?" Martin asked.

-Affirmative. Detailed sensor scans are not possible due to high levels of Tronic Gas between our location and City Ship 19. Preliminary scans indicate medical sections and part of bridge command module remain intact-

"What parts of the medical sections?" Anja asked.

-Sections forty-three through sixty nine. These sections contain bio and genetic research laboratories-

"Avi ... is it possible that there were survivors from City Ship 19?" Endith asked.

-Processing. Analysis complete. Probability that there were survivors is eighty-eight point two percent. Remaining sections are the most heavily fortified-

Martin looked at Endith. "What's going through your brain Endy?" He asked. "I know that look."

Endith looked at him. "Skipper ... based on what we know happened here ... isn't it safe to assume that the same thing could have happened with the High Coven?"

"Explain." Martin barked out.

Anja's eyes grew wide now. "I understand where she's going lover." She spoke. "These Pralors ... they blended into the population on Nuwaroa the same as those that survived on this ship did with the men and women of Lycavore."

"And ... so... ?" Martin spoke.

"If that is what happened ... it might explain how the High Coven came to be like it is." Anja spoke.

"What ... you mean bloodsucking sonsofbitches?" Martin snapped. "Well ... most of them anyway."

"It's obvious these Pralors used Mindvoice exclusively." Helen spoke now coming into the large bridge. "How much do we know of the High Coven and its origins?"

"I'll worry about their origins when I don't have my ass hanging out in their space!" Martin said.

"It could go a long way to explain why Resumar ... your father and now you are so attuned within Mindvoice." Helen spoke. "Why you are so powerful. If one of these ships crashed within High Coven space it could explain how Veldruk came to power."

"If their medical sections survived ... it could also explain how the High Coven cloning techniques are so far advanced than anyone else." Anja spoke.

Martin shook his head. "Ok ... thinking about this shit really gives me a headache." He spoke. "All I truly want to know is how long it will take us to get home. This deep stuff is for you guys to figure out and then explain to me in terms I can understand! Jeez!"

Anja looked at him and smiled gently. She pressed her body up against his, using her female aura to reach out to him and sooth his stormy emotions. "You are cranky lover." She spoke. "Take a deep breath and listen to me."