James Somers - Heir to the King

With only precious moments to escape, Lucin's monstrous form moved quickly through the opening in the chamber door.

The computer was counting down and there was no time to reach any of the escape pods. Then he saw a trailing glimpse of a man with another across his shoulders running from the area; blood trailing behind them on the floor. However they got on the ship, there must be a way they were planning on leaving.

The gravity was causing intense pain in Tiet's legs as he tried to continue his pace toward the transgate, which he could now see up ahead. Nagon-Toth looked like home sweet home in comparison to this place now. Then he heard something approaching fast from behind.

He could sense the same creature that had been trying to kill Kale back in the chamber. It was coming up fast on him, but there was no time for a fight; only seconds remained before a complete collapse of the containment field surrounding those gravity weapons.

The symbyte gained rapidly on Tiet as he continued to run. Lucin moved quickly, contorting his terrifying symbyte body to reach for anything he could and pull himself along the corridor. His morphing appendages sprang outward, several at a time, to find anchors with which to pull his body along at a swift pace. He could now see the same portal that Kale's rescuer was running for and his pace quickened as the computer counted down the last ten seconds.

The portal was within reach now. Tiet ran through, with Kale still across his back. His brother's blood could be felt across his bare neck and was beginning to soak through his own uniform; but he was still breathing, still alive. As he ran through the portal he saw Grod waiting.

"Close the gate!!" he shouted as they ran through.

The technician punched the button as the symbyte monstrosity reached the field and began to come through. The transgate snapped shut like a light going out. A piece of the symbyte creature burst away as the field separated it from the rest of the body still aboard the Baruk flagship. The lump of tissue landed on the floor smoldering, but did not move.

THE Baruk flagship began to crumple inward upon itself as the containment field fully collapsed around the store of massive gravity weapons within its core. Ranul and Estall watched with their bridge crew as the whole superstructure caved inward.

The numerous escape pods trying to jettison into open space were quickly succumbing to the gravitational pull and being cast back upon their mother ship to join the imploding mass.

The other Baruk ships, many of which were already drifting or damaged were now pull toward the implosion. Then, without warning it burst outward again, destroying or damaging nearly all of those ships being pulled to it.

The bridge crew of the Esyia howled their approval as the whole conflagration went up before their eyes. Only three ships of the Castillian army remained and they were nearly out of shield power, but the fight appeared to be over; they had won against the odds.

"GET the medics in here!" shouted Grod to those monitoring from the control room.

Tiet laid his brother on the floor as gently as he could. Kale's expression was fixed on his face. His face was a mask of blood as he tried to speak to Tiet.

"Forgive?" he asked through the pain.

Tears welled up in Tiet's eyes as he watched the brother he had only recently known, dying before him. He could not hold them back as they fell upon the damaged body.

"Forgive?" Kale strained again.

"Kale, I forgive you all, my brother," he said through the lump in his throat.

And with that, Kale's expression turned from anguish to peace. He stopped his struggle and laid his head back to the floor and was dead.

The Horva medics rushed into the chamber, but Grod bade them to hold with a wave of his hand. The Barudii warrior was dead and they could not have saved him.

Tiet moved away from his body as the Horva prepared to remove him.

"I am sorry for your loss," Grod said genuinely.

He only looked at the General. He had no words now.

"My men will show you where you can rest awhile. I will contact your people in Baeth Periege and we will arrange transport for you back to the city."

Tiet nodded as he choked back his emotions. He followed one of the warriors out of the room as the medics loaded Kale's body onto a carrier.

"What do you want to do with this tissue that came through the portal?" asked the transgate tech.

"Have it taken to the incinerator, that way it will be completely destroyed," said Grod as he followed the medics out of the room.

The transgate technician left his controls after shutting down the control board and went to find a suitable container to remove the tissue. He found an old metal box and scooped the symbyte flesh into it. With the lid shut he headed for the incinerator to dispose of the specimen.

THE trip back to Baeth Periege was lengthy but uneventful. Tiet did not speak to anyone and no one attempted conversation with him. General Grod sat behind him on the shuttle flight, along with a contingent of his warriors; a proper escort for the Barudii King.

When they arrived within the city, Wynn was there to meet him at the port, along with seemingly thousands of people, both warrior and civilian, from among the Castillian and Vorn races. Tiet followed the casement carrying Kale's body as the Horva warriors carried it from the shuttle toward the main port building.

The crowd clapped and cheered for their young king as he passed through them on the walkway. He tried to be as cheerful as possible; waving several times to the people who had come to see him home, but the pain of losing his brother after so short a time of knowing him ate at him.

He was reminded of his other loved ones who had died around him in so short a time. He never doubted the purposes of God in all things, but it seemed so senseless to him.

When he entered the main port building, Mirah was there to meet him.

"I thought we had lost you," said Mirah.

Wynn was relieved to see him safe. Tiet would grieve for Kale, but he would certainly bounce back, in time.

They remained in the south gate only minutes longer before going on to the medical complex where he could get treatment for any lingering effects of the neurotoxin he had been subjected to, and receive dressings for his wounds.

When they arrived he followed Mirah on into the treatment bay. He seemed to be bruised all over. Mirah noticed fresh blood trickling down his arm, the same that had been previously broken and repaired. She cut away the sleeve of his uniform to examine it.

Mirah wasn't exactly sure what to say as she tried to concentrate on her medical duties. She liked Tiet, but they had never been anything more than friends. She had wondered if they might ever be more. He had lost some of the brashness he possessed when he had rescued her from the Vorn prison back on Castai's twin across the Rift. Now he was quiet and kind and very respectful of her as a professional.

Mirah remembered that he had promised her they would sit down and talk soon. As she dressed his wounds, she decided she was going to hold him to that.

RESNIOR watched the alarm on the transgate with frustration.

"Where did Merin go? He's been gone for hours and he's the only one trained on the shutdown procedures for the transgate until Orikel comes on tonight."

"I think the General had him running some errand to the incinerator," said one of the other techs in the control room. "But that was hours ago."

"Well someone needs to take care of shutting that thing down and I'm not messing around with it. I'm going to see if I can find him."

Resnior got up from his station, headed out of the control room and found the lift to take him down to the incinerator.

When he came down the main corridor he could see the main debris port was open. There was a metal container on the floor next to the port, but no Merin. He walked over to the container, which was open and laying on its side. On the ground was some sort of liquid residue. Resnior bent down to examine it. He noticed that there was also blood mingled with it.