Battle Beyond Earth: Insurrection (9 page)

"Then we are forced to live according to their barbaric ways?"

Jafar nodded again.

"We will do whatever must be done."

"I have the coordinates for you, Sir."

"Remember to do as I ordered. If you do not hear for me in twenty-four hours, or are fired upon, you leave. Those orders must be followed, and Sarik, if you will not follow them, I fully expect every member of this crew to overrule you."

 
"Understood," he replied solemnly.

"My volunteers?"

"More than half the crew have come forward, but I have selected two of the very best," replied Sarik.

"Very well."

He left the bridge without another word. He was still wearing the same slimline armoured suit he wore in his everyday duties. He knew it would be a mistake to arrive with any kind of pomp and ceremony, for it would have the exact opposite effect as would be intended with any other situation. Many of the crew he passed on his way to the dock stopped and nodded their heads in respect and appreciation. They acted as if he was walking to his death, and to some degree he felt that, too.

But then he thought,
what would Taylor do?

And he righted his back and walked a little taller.

Taylor would tell me to not fear death. He always said the same to those that followed him. It is time for me to live by his words
.

The two soldiers awaited him. They had been selected from Sarik's personal elite unit. They each carried pulse carbines, a brace of pistols, and retractable powered glaives on their backs. It was the signature equipment of those he had trained personally.

"Your names?" he asked them.

"Boz and Gur," came the responses.

"Neither of you fires without my order. Do not lay a hand on any of them or even look at them in a threatening manner. I do not care what happens, but while I am still breathing, you will not fire without my order, understood?"

They acknowledged in agreement as he carried on into a shuttle that was waiting for them. Boz took the pilot’s controls. Jafar took a seat and watched the door close behind him, wondering if it were the last time he would see his friend Sarik. They lifted off, and he looked to Gur sitting opposite him. They did not exhibit an ounce of fear. While he respected them for that, he knew it was merely through inexperience. No one would ever go to Erzurum and not be scared.

"Have you ever met a Barbarlar?" he asked.

Gur shook his head.

"Do not underestimate them. They may look like simple creatures, and in some respects they are, but they are also savage beyond belief. Many of them would tear you apart just for their own entertainment."

Gur nodded.

"You are allowed to speak."

He nodded once more, and Jafar assumed he simply had nothing to say. He was a loyal fighting machine and little more.

"I may be leading us to our deaths, and I am sorry for that."

"You are our Lord, and we would follow you anywhere you asked," replied Boz.

"Maybe you should not. A leader is not always right or just. I stand before you now because I did not follow my Lord. The society we have today was created through something very different, and it certainly was not blind loyalty."

"This loyalty is not blind," Gur finally said.

Jafar appreciated the sentiment, but there seemed little else to say. They were soon breaking into the atmosphere of Erzurum. They were no signs of cities or modern infrastructures. For kilometres in every direction there was only thick jungle like foliage and craggy rock outcrops. The foliage was of a deep red and darker green. It seemed to give a tint to the world like a deep blood red sunset back on Earth. A single small fighter zipped past them, and another soon came alongside to escort them down to the surface. A roar sounded from the other side of the craft, and a large winged beast flew into view.

A Barbarlar rode the monster with its ten-metre wingspan. Its dark yellow and brown striped scales looked like they could stave off the most robust of weapons. Its stubby and strong snout had gnarly and vicious looking teeth. Steel chains were lashed around its mouth and throat as a means of control, giving the impression it would rather eat you than have you ride it, and yet they did.

"They are called Ejdars," stated Jafar, "According to legend, they were common across all our people at one time, thousands of years ago."

"This really is our homeland? This is where we came from?" Gur asked.

Jafar shrugged. "I really don't know anymore, but they believe it, and that is all that matters right now."

"What can these primitive creatures possibly contribute to our fight?"

Jafar was amused that Gur didn't see it.

"This planet is occupied by millions of the toughest warriors of any species in the known galaxy. That is a resource we could use, don't you think?"

Gur didn't seem entirely convinced, but he didn't reply. The rider of the Ejdar pointed for them to reduce altitude and follow him. They were led through a vast rocky canyon, beneath an overpass, and into a corridor that had been cut through a dense forest of trees. It looked so barbed and sharp that they would tear flesh from the bone with any contact with your skin.

"They choose to live here?"

Jafar was amazed to hear Gur speak so many words, but he could understand why. Many of the Krys led a harsh existence on worlds that were far from easy to live on, but they seemed nothing compared to the environment they had now entered. An Ejdar appeared through an opening in the woods as though intending to lash out at their craft, but the Ejdar rider ahead drew out a spear and launched it at the creature as if it were a typical sight. The spear hit the Ejdar in the chest and penetrated half a metre. The Ejdar staggered back a little until a tree stopped it.

Their craft passed the beast, but Gur looked through the aft porthole. It gripped the spear in its jaws and pulled it from its body, continuing on as if nothing had occurred.

"What do you think it takes to make one of those your own?"

"Guess you just have to demonstrate who’s in charge and show no fear," replied Jafar, as he looked at the formidable beast flying ahead of them. "You can see the appeal, can't you?" he whispered, "Power, freedom. They have far more than you might first realise."

"You talk like this is some sort of paradise."

"To some, Boz, I believe it is."

The path opened out into a vast circular area. It was surrounded by a ten metre high stonewall that had clearly been built with hard graft. It looked more like an arena than anything else. The rider signalled for them to follow him down, and Boz obliged. They were soon on the ground, and the door opened for them to acquire their first smell of Erzurum air. Jafar knew what was coming, but he was still not prepared for its acrid nature. There was an acidic taste that burnt the nostrils and scorched the eyes.

Boz and Gur went to activate their helmets contained within their suits, as Jafar's was.

"No," he stated firmly, "They already think we are soft and weak. Do not give them any further reason to believe so."

He stepped out onto the ramp and down to the large arena. The ground was hard, almost like rock. He couldn't believe anything could actually grow or live there, and yet that explained the harshness of everything they had seen. He knew every living thing in that planet had evolved through such adversity that only the toughest would make it.

The Ejdars landed just fifteen metres away, and the Barbarlar rider leapt off with ease. His armour covered most of his body, with overlapping blades seemingly made of hard skin or bone. A pistol hung at his waist, and yet it was dusty and likely saw little use. He carried a small axe and a cudgel on his back, and they could see a glaive like weapon slung under the saddle on the Ejdar. None of his close quarter weapons appeared to be powered.

Jafar could see his two bodyguards didn't understand why the Barbarlars chose to live such a primitive existence, when they had access to technology far beyond what they appeared to utilise.

"You wish an audience with the Barbs?" asked the rider.

"I do," replied Jafar.

"The Grand Siparis Coskun will see you, but be wary you do not issue insult, for he is not forgiving."

"Yes, I am aware."

Although he was thinking what Taylor would have said in his usual dismissive and sarcastic tone. He almost went as far as saying it, but he kept it within his own mind.

No shit!

 
The rider drew out a horn from his side and blew into it. The deep warble echoed around the vast open topped arena until it fell silent once more. Boz and Gur looked suspicious and turned constantly, expecting to find a threat or ambush of some kind.

"Be calm," said Jafar, "There are things of this world that you never thought possible, things long forgotten to the Krys people. They may look like us, but we have long since parted their ways. Stay calm, and do nothing."

The Barb rider looked at Jafar with suspicion, holding onto his every word, as if not recognising the language and trying to make some sense of it. He seemed to hold a position of power, but nothing near Jafar's level, and yet he looked down on the Lord as if he meant nothing at all. Jafar could tell the situation was already highly volatile and so kept his calm.

They could now hear the flutter of heavy wings from dozens of Ejdars. The trees around the outskirts were fluttering as they flew close to the canopy and soared into view. Twenty of the beasts came in to land, some with individual riders, others with up to five Barbarlars on their backs. More of the Barbs came rushing in through small entrances around the perimeter. Some carried rifles, but most just held spears and bladed weapons.

The Ejdars landed in a fifty-metre crescent around their position.

Whoever the savage creatures are, they are well trained and disciplined.

Though just as he thought it, one of them reached around to try and take a bite out of the rider that had just leapt off. The Barbarlar warrior casually punched it on the top of the head. It slumped slightly, accepting his will and drooping its head in submission. Jafar wasn't sure whether to respect or pity them.

A few moments passed as the Ejdar riders stood silently watching them like hawks. The other two looked uneasy, but Jafar knew what was coming, as he had been here with Erdogan once before. He had witnessed how intimidating the Barbarlar Lords could be, and he would not make the same mistakes his predecessor did. The roar of a large creature filled the air from over the treetops. It was as loud as it was coarse and almost burst their eardrums. Seconds later, the huge beast swept into view and swooped in, landing smoothly in the middle of the circle a few metres from them and their shuttle.

The Ejdar was twice the size of all others. This was a powerful leader, and the Barbarlar they needed to talk to. Despite the heavy creature’s smooth landing, it sent vibrations through the ground as it came to a standstill. Its body and wings were painted in bright blue stripes, the only done in this manner. The skulls of a dozen Krys hung from a chain running around its neck. The rider wore a cloak made of some garish multi coloured animal hide and a cloak of thorny branches and teeth. Jafar began to wonder if this could ever have been a good idea, but both Taylor and Irala wanted it, and that was enough.

Jafar felt the weight of the creature’s breath as it snorted before him. It stank like nothing he had smelt in a few hundred years. The rider seemed to let the beast weigh him up for a moment; then jumped down and stepped up before him. He was larger than the average Barbarlar, and that meant he stood over Jafar, much like he always towered over Taylor. He was starting to get a feel for how that might have felt all those years ago.

He wore the torso armour of a Krys Lord, much like Erdogan had, no doubt pillaged from one that he had killed. The rest of his armour was made from animal skin and bonded layers of animal skin and bone. Long locks of hair flowed from his brow and would have been pure white, were it not for the dirt and dust particles. He looked like some bizarre circus creation to Jafar, but also a very strong and unforgiving one.

"I am Siparis Coskun, Lord of all Barbarlars," he stated proudly.

Jafar almost laughed, for he sounded even more anachronistic and absurd than he had expected, but he knew he must remain calm.

"Lord Jafar, of the Krys unified worlds."