James Somers - Heir to the King

Wynn knew they were right. He clipped his kemstick and then he and Tiet took a short run to the ledge and jumped. They carried themselves across the entire expanse kinetically and soft landed on the eastern platform. Without stopping, they ran into the hangar area out of Grod's sight, as they went looking for a ship to take.

The building was tall but not very wide. It only had a few access doors to the roof and Grod stationed himself and the other Horva soldiers in positions to defend those exits. At least, he thought, they can only file through the doors a couple at a time.

Wynn and Tiet broke into the first sizeable troop transport they could find.

"I don't have the right access code," said Wynn as he punched the keys on the panel with frustration.

Tiet didn't answer. He turned to find him concentrating on the controls mentally. Wynn heard a beeping from the display and the engines fired up immediately.

"Excellent!"

"I had a good teacher," replied Tiet with a grin as he jumped into the pilot's seat and took over the controls.

The transport lifted off of the platform and headed for the bay entrance.

When the transport climbed to the level of the roof on the adjacent building they could see the remainder of the team blasting away furiously at the symbytes pouring through the roof access doors. As one person was being hit by the plasma weapons the others would jump through over top of them. The roof was quickly becoming overrun.

Tiet brought the transport down near the few team members who were left; five more had been overrun by symbytes and had been pummeled by the crowd or thrown over the side of the building to their deaths. Grod and the others ran for the transport with symbytes hot on their trail, firing with blasters.

Wynn took the controls of the mounted gun turret through an access panel behind the pilot's chair and began to fire into the crowd of symbytes chasing after the Horva. He mowed them down as Grod and two others jumped into the transport.

Tiet wasted no time lifting away from the roof. Several of the symbytes tried to jump and cling onto the transport but they quickly fell off over the city as Tiet brought the engines to full power.

"We've got to get to the wilds before they catch Mirah and the boys," he said plotting the navigation data into the computer.

"I only hope we're in time," said Grod.

KALE adjusted the controls slightly to keep on course for the campsite that he and Emil had previously scouted out for their post trial outing. It was located deep in the wilds. They had relished the idea of a rigorous survival trip, but had never intended on this.

The Whiplash glided just above the massive treetops as the sun began to set. Electronic eyes watched from orbit above the planet. A skynet satellite locked onto the fast-moving target. The satellite network had been intended to help repel invaders, but was now under the control of the symbytes.

The satellite's laser focused to a tight beam as the guidance system compensated for the speed of the target. A precise pinpoint shot was needed to bring the ship down in a controllable fashion.

The satellite fired from the silence of space. Onboard the Whiplash, the fighter rocked with the blast that took out its engine cooling system.

"We've lost the coolant system, something hit us, but I can't find it on the scope."

"The temperature will go up fast if I don't bring her down. How far to the campsite?"

"We're still twenty minutes out."

"That's too far. I've got to find a place to land now."

"I'm scanning the terrain…I've got something…I'm loading the coordinates."

Kale changed his course to reflect the new landing zone on his display. Smoke billowed from the laser burn on the hull as the engine began to heat up rapidly. He slowed the speed and spotted the clearing among the massive trees as he began to land the ship before it exploded.

"Kale?! Kale?! What's going on, where are we?"

"Hold on, Mother, we're on landing approach."

He continued the landing and got the ship safely on the ground. Smoke still billowed out of the laser burn as the ship's engines powered down.

"The engines is still at critical temperature, Kale, we'd better hurry."

He popped the latch on the spare compartment and quickly helped his mother out of the space.

"Where are we?"

"Out in the wilds. We didn't know where else to go with the military conducting attacks on us and at Wynn's home."

"What about your father?"

"We don't know where he is."

Mirah looked worried, as if the worst may have happened to her husband.

"Mother, I know he's alive, with Wynn. I can sense it."

"Well, what now, have we been followed?"

"I think so. They shot us down somehow, but we never saw them. They have to know our location; it's only a matter of time before they find us. Our best chance is to set out on foot."

"On foot? In the wilds?"

"Wild animals are the least of our worries now."

"Could they track us on foot?" asked Emil.

"I don't know, but all the wildlife out here might just mask us enough to keep them guessing."

The engine compartment continued to smolder more and more, then the whole ship began to burn.

"We'd better get out of here before it explodes," said Emil.

"Let's go."

The trio gathered the gear they had available and headed out cautiously into the cover of the dense jungle foliage.

"SIR, we're picking up some burning wreckage approximately ten miles ahead west by southwest."

"Good, their ship is down, which means they'll be nearby on foot," said Lucin. "I want you to scan for any group of three human size life forms traveling away from us; it will be them. Then I want the transport, with our little gift, to swing in front of their heading and drop her one mile ahead in their path."

"Sir, the ship that the King took from the hangar has not been located yet."

"Once we have the boy, it won't matter anymore."

GROD could not believe what he was seeing on the display. The image was pulled from one of the skynet satellites by Wynn. He still had access to the data, but the weapons systems were controlled by the symbytes now.

On the display was the site of his home at Nagon-Toth. The entire compound was now nothing more than smoldering rubble and layer upon layer of sand baked to glass. This explained what had happened to the transgate portal back at the detention center. Somehow they had planted a bomb there or sent one through the portal after they left it to rescue Tiet.

His people and his wife were all gone. Only the few of his Horva brothers with him in the ship survived now; and his son, he hoped.

"I'm so sorry, Grod," said Tiet sitting next to him.

He tried to offer consolation to his friend. Grod could not weep. Instead his grief welled into anger so powerful he found himself almost unable to sit still. He looked at his remaining two warriors, Jael and Merab, still sitting near the front of the transport; he would wait to share the demise of their people; wait until they reached the enemy on the ground. Then they would be free to unleash their fury upon these symbyte creatures without reservation.

Grod looked at Wynn through narrow eyes and he placed his hand upon the Horva general's shoulder.

"Soon my friend, soon you will have vengeance," he whispered.

They were the only words of comfort that could have been offered. Wynn was truly his friend and had been since the end of the Baruk war when he knew of the Horva rescue of Tiet and his late brother Kale. And he was right; he would take his vengeance soon upon these creatures. He thought of his son Emil and recovering him safely and it quieted his spirit somewhat.

The wilds were before them now. Tiet pressed the engines hard toward a destination only he could sense; toward his son. He knew the boy was alive; there was no doubt within him.