James Somers - The rise of Lucin

An invisible force, apparently under her rescuer's control slammed into the creature, sending it hard against the racks of medical equipment that had been monitoring her beside the bed. His weapon dislodged of its own will and bounced back to the mysterious man as he launched his self again at the monster. Several quick blows with his energy sword silenced the beast once and for all.

"Who are you and what was that thing?!" she asked frantically as the man began to lift the tortured bed frame and mattress away from her.

"It's an aerogore; very deadly. We've got to get you out of here, now."

"Thank you for saving me," she said as he scooped her limp frame up off of the floor into his arms.

"I'm Emil. Don't worry. I won't let anything happen to you, Ramah."

Somehow, those were very comforting words. The dead beast on the floor helped to bolster that feeling that he meant every syllable of his statement. She could tell he was dark skinned even in the low lighting and handsome. He seemed quite strong for a young man and he was soon heading quickly but cautiously down the corridor with her in his arms.

"Where are we going?" asked Ramah.

"We've got to evacuate with the others," said Emil. "We've got a ship waiting."

She hung onto his neck, but she was still weak from the intoxicating effect of the medications. Their hold on her was beginning to take over again as she slipped in and out of consciousness while the young man carried her off into the darkness toward his ship and safety.

THE warrior trio, Barudii and Horva, watched ships in the main hangar leaving without them. They were able to see, but not able to get to those escaping the horrible infestation of the rebel's Sector City base. Ships were rising off of the tarmac as fast as their crews could ready them for take-off.

"How many do you think?" asked Tiet.

"At least two hundred smaller vessels," observed Grod, "Maybe thirty larger cruisers."

The warriors and their king had managed to make it safely to the observation lounge nearly ten stories up from the hangar bay's main level. They had seen many people along the way that had been killed by the aerogores-left lying in pools of their own blood: men, women and children. The beasts were obviously not hunting for food but for service. This was a planned attack by a master of the elements-a master of evil.

"Can you see the Equinox?" asked Tiet.

"There are too many to pick it out," said Grod, "It may be all the way down on the other end where the ships all seem to be heading. Perhaps they have found a way out without the transgates."

"Wynn? What are you doing over there?"

The elder man was studying a schematic up on the wall behind the control desk.

"I think you're right, Grod," he said without taking his eyes off of the chart. "If I'm reading this right, there is supposed to be an escape tunnel big enough for the larger ships to be able to get through. It looks like there is a barrier, maybe a gate. They will have to open it to get out."

"Where does it lead?" asked Tiet. "Do they come out in the plains where that army is?"

"No. It looks like they will come out in the city…near the airbase for Sector City."

"That should provide them some cover then; maybe enough to get away from the cruisers they have stationed out over the plains," said Grod.

"Look!"

Down in the hangar, aerogores were beginning to come into the massive underground chamber in great numbers.

"There must be hundreds of them," said Tiet helplessly.

They could make out people being attacked outside of their ships as they tried to ready for departure. Some of the smaller vessels were being attacked also as the aerogores hurled great blasts of chemical fire at the vehicles. Others had several of the beasts clinging to them and ripping away at the armor plating to get inside at the human occupants. They continued to unleash hundreds of bursts of flame at the ships. Some of the smaller personal craft were completely engulfed in flame and then suddenly one nearby the observation window exploded before them. The heavy shrapnel clanged into the blast proof transparisteel, but did not penetrate.

Tiet removed his blade, ignited it and hammered into the viewing window. It scarred the material, but did not penetrate.

"You'll be working a while to get through that stuff Tiet. It's made to withstand a large freighter explosion if need be," said Wynn.

The heavy doors they had come through began to ring with pounding coming from the other side. "They've found us!" shouted Grod as he prepared his plasma weapon for a final showdown.

"Wait men," said Wynn. "If I'm correct we can follow this back hallway through this control station and we'll find a corridor that is supposed to lead to a small fighter bay. It must be a reserve hangar just for personal fighter craft?"

He pulled the map down to take with them. The doors began to glow from heat being put to it from the creatures beyond.

"Let's get out of here," said Tiet as he and Grod jumped the counter to join Wynn. He led them through the control station area according to the schematic. Hopefully they wouldn't encounter more predators along the way.

EMIL helped Mirah to get Ramah situated in the single patient bed in the Equinox's med-bay. They strapped her in securely as the rumble of the engines increased in intensity-they were taking off.

"I'd better get up front and help Kale," said Emil.

"Do you have to go right now?" asked Ramah, half dazed from her medications.

"You'll be fine now," he said. "You've got a great doctor looking out for you."

He smiled and acknowledged Mirah and then turned to head up to the bridge.

"Emil?"

"Yes?"

"Thanks for saving my life."

"You're very welcome," he replied, smiling again.

Emil headed on through the main corridor quickly as pounding noises began to resonate through the hull. When he reached the bridge, Merab and Jael were with Kale as he brought the ship up off of the tarmac.

"Let's get those shields up!" he shouted. "We've got some of them on the hull!"

"I've got it!" said Merab.

Beyond the main bridge window, he could see hundreds of ships clamoring into the air trying to get away from the aerogores. They were raining fire down upon the smaller ships that were vulnerable to such an attack and others were almost completely covered by the beasts as they tried to rip through the hull armaments to get at the people inside. The larger ships, some that were much bigger than the Equinox, were shielded and impervious to the creature's attacks. Nevertheless, evacuation was still necessary.

Emil took a seat at the communication and science station next to Kale. "Let's see who's leading this parade."

He tapped into the rebel's coded frequency, still in the computer's memory from recent communications, and found one particular ship, the Maelstrom, apparently leading the others out.

"It looks like the lead ship has opened whatever gateway is up ahead in the huge escape tunnel down at southern end."

"They must have had power feeding it from another source," said Jael.

Some of the smaller ships were colliding in the low light conditions and aerogore fire and smoke from some of the wreckage on the tarmac wasn't helping the mess.

"We've got a long line to get out that way," said Merab. "The smaller ships are getting bogged down behind those bigger vessels."

"What about the transgate?" asked Emil.

A moment of epiphany swept the bridge as they all remembered the special capabilities of their ship.

"Do it," said Kale. "Just put us above ground inside the city; we don't want to leave the main group."

"Calculating," said Emil as he worked the controls frantically. "I've got it! I'm engaging transgate."