Borne On Wings of Steel (2 page)

The darkness suddenly filled with movement as Drinar's sword crashed against first one black shape and then another as the Destructor reached for him. The metal blade sent showers of sparks as it hit home each time. Again and again he swung his weapon as he slowly retreated.

Out of the darkness, first from the left, then the right, and even from below, Drinar fought the shadowy arms lashing out at him. He still could not see the Destructor itself, but sometimes with a blur of movement, his eyes caught a glimmer of it.

He swung his blade like a machine, sometimes feeling a steely grip almost grasping him just as his sword quickly knocked it away. It was disconcerting to
almost see
this evil, to feel it right upon him but still not see it.

The warrior grunted with each mighty blow of his weapon as he began to tire.

If only he could find a way back into the dance room, perhaps under the pulsating lights he could his see his enemy plainly and deliver a disabling blow.

Suddenly, his blade swung and struck nothing but air.

Drinar's heart froze as he held his sword ready before him.

But nothing came to his ears now except the rapid-fire pounding of his heart.

He was so close to escaping—he felt it.

Drinar lowered himself into a battle crouch, only to freeze again as the faintest of sounds came to his hearing.

The ominous scratching sound came from somewhere above him again.

He moved back another step as he aimed his blade.

But it was a ruse.

Too late, he saw the shadow of the outstretched arm extended outward to confuse him.

Out of the darkness the Destructor leapt.

Once again Drinar felt the merciless blows and cringed as steel talons searched and found their hold on him one last time. With all his strength, he tried to free his right arm for one more blow of his sword, but his enemy proved relentless and unstoppable.

Seconds later, shoved onto the ground and pinned, Drinar realized he couldn't move. In fact, he could barely breathe under the suffocating weight.

The warrior's heart melted with defeat.

With only the ominous humming as accompaniment to the faint music from the room beyond the wall, the needle came into view out of the darkness.

He cringed.

Slowly, he watched its deadly tip draw ever closer.

With a single, hot flash, the probe pierced his skin, and Drinar felt his body burn as if lava flowed inside his very blood. He grew disoriented, and in another moment he couldn't remember where he was—or who he was.

Or
why
he was...

Mercifully, the Destructor finished its grisly work in the silent darkness.

Silent, except for the faint sound of humming and a metallic scratching...

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"THIS PLACE IS wall-to-wall aliens,” Jaric said, his eyes full of amazement.

"That's exactly what we want.” Kyle laughed.

Jaric glanced over the countless faces around them, each one different from the next.

The harsh, artificial light reflected off Jaric's ebony face and caused his bright, intelligent eyes to sparkle. His face was well defined—the handsome face of a young man just twenty-one years of age. Jaric's body was lean and lithe like a long-distance runner and filled with the energy of youth.

They stood overlooking a huge, open atrium filled with aliens as they entered and exited the doors of Bullet-Cars and Bullet-Trains, and entered the main terminus of this floating city. In his mind, Jaric compared it to the mythical Grand Central Station of old New York before the destruction of Earth—except this place was on a scale far larger.

More importantly, and the main reason for their own arrival, most came in order to use the famous Search-terminals. These Search-terminals were the portals to the knowledge of all the known sectors, and beyond. They allowed users to view the results of far-traveled expeditions in pursuit of new races as well as knowledge collected throughout the history of the known worlds.

Yes, aliens traveled here to conduct business both new and old, personal and private—to learn and understand.

They came because the Mrad did not allow remote access to their most valuable resource—knowledge.

"There has to be thousands of different alien races in this one place alone!” Jaric chuckled.

"Yeah, I've never seen a place like this before.” Kyle nodded. “We've traveled to twenty worlds in the year since we left the Three Kingdoms, and this is the first...” Kyle's voice trailed off as he searched for words that adequately described RahajMr.

"Floating city,” Jaric completed for him.

"Yes—
floating city
that I've ever seen,” Kyle finished. He ran his hand through his curly hair. It was now a sandy brown instead of the blonde of his childhood. Kyle crossed his arms over his broad chest as he admired the overflowing atrium of the floating city.

"Or even heard about, for that matter,” Jaric added.

"Cities, plural. There are others."

The two young men turned toward the familiar voice of Minstrel.

But there was nothing familiar about Minstrel. Bulbous eyes at the end of seven eye-stalks gazed down at Jaric and Kyle.

"What kind of being are you disguising yourself as this time?” Kyle looked the strange alien up and down.

Indeed, standing between Rok and Jysar was the weirdest creature any of them had ever met in all their travels.

"I am a Zuuk, please remember that in case Security questions us,” Minstrel replied. “The Mrad like to register all species that come to use their system—the most powerful computer system known in the universe."

"Yeah,” Jaric said with awe. “It's amazing that they've got more raw computing power than Mother!"

Jysar's eyes gleamed with keen anticipation.

"I'm sure the Hrono Technologist will enjoy this.” Minstrel laughed as four of its eyes focused on Jysar.

But Kyle kept his gaze fixed on Minstrel's new form. “A Zuuk sure is an interesting alien."

The Zuuk's seven eye-stalks extended from a small head whose only other feature was a mouth shaped like an upside down U. The tiny head and slender eye-stalks sat on top of a long, flexible neck that protruded from a body all but hidden inside a huge, colorful shell. The Zuuk's silver skin glistened under the lights, moistened by its bodily secretions.

Other than the fact that the eye-stalks rose on its neck three meters tall, the most striking feature about a Zuuk was the shell that protected its body. The shell's surface had a polished glaze, covered in a rainbow of bright, iridescent colors.

"Is this armor, or part of your body?” Kyle asked as he lightly tapped the shell.

"It's a shell,” Minstrel-Zuuk explained. “The Zuuk creates this over its lifetime with bodily secretions. This fantastic shell is the pride of every Zuuk."

Minstrel-Zuuk moved effortlessly closer—almost as if the huge, ungainly body floated on air.

Jaric bent down as he tried to get a look under the Zuuk's shell. “How did you move like that?"

"I have over ten-thousand tiny, cilia-legs that move in waves, hence my seemingly effortless and fluid motion.” Minstrel-Zuuk chuckled. “The Zuuk's homeworld is a world of never-ending rain. Every moment of every day it rains, and so the Zuuk's legs allow it to move especially well over wet surfaces, as well as dry."

"How in the world did this race develop tools, let alone technology that took them to the stars?” Kyle asked incredulously. “You've got no arms, much less fingers or an opposing thumb."

The seven eye-stalks twinkled with humor. “There are appendages, delicate ones, folded inside the shell that the Zuuks extend and use to fashion tools and operate their technology. These fragile appendages are protected inside the shell until needed."

"Cool.” Kyle gazed at the multi-colored spiral shell.

Rok grunted in agreement as he looked back at the crowded room filled with alien races. He brushed his hand over the ridge of black feather-hair that grew in a narrow band over the top of his otherwise hairless head. But it wasn't the long feather-hair that dominated the Kraaqi's profile. Curved horns grew upward from each side of his head directly above each ear—these were the pride of a Kraaqi, his natural headdress that complemented his thick feather-hair.

Rok's skin glowed a deeper ebony than Jaric's under the bright lights, and the Kraaqi alien stood head and shoulders above the two humans. His warrior background was also very evident—solid muscle covered his taut body.

"Why do they build their cities around a lifeless planet like this, Minstrel?” Rok asked.

"Yes, this is a gas giant,” Jaric said, remembering his original question about these unusual floating cities. “No life can be supported on the surface of such a planet."

"And that is precisely the answer, Jaric,” Minstrel-Zuuk said as its seven eyes stared back.

"They bought this world cheap,” Jysar said with a twinkle in his eyes.

"Indeed, other aliens felt it a worthless world. The gravity is too powerful for anyone to survive on the surface. Additionally, the nearness of its home star means its surface is constantly bombarded with deadly radiation. And so they purchased this world at a huge discount and built these floating cities. The Mrad are shrewd at business."

"And knowledge is their main business now,” Jysar added appreciatively. The Hrono smiled to himself. “I bow in honor to these wise aliens."

"But why inside the cloud layers, why not in orbit around this world? We have visited huge orbiting stations before,” Kyle said.

"But none built near the magnitude of this one city alone.” The smooth, green scales of Jysar's face deepened with emotion as he admired the scene before him. “This must be a very advanced race, technologically speaking. I must consult with them on some of the fantastic engineering feats they have accomplished in creating this truly one-of-a-kind city.” Jysar's eyes widened with pure excitement just thinking about such a conversation.

Being a Hrono, Jysar literally worshipped technology. Like all others of his race, his body scales shone with a green electric hue, including the twin row of upright scales that ran across his head like that of an ancient dinosaur—except these were ridged and a darker green than his tiny body scales. His slim physique and his bird-like arms and legs gave his race a seemingly fragile appearance. But the Hrono were physically strong, more than their appearance indicated.

Jaric and Kyle broke out laughing.

Jysar's face changed to puzzlement. “Do you find humor in engineering masterworks?"

"No, only in geeky aliens gawking over engineering masterworks.” Jaric laughed.

"Hmmph.” Jysar pursed his mouth with a look of indignation.

Rok grinned from horn to horn, intrigued by this exotic and artificial place. “So why are these cities in orbit
within
the cloud layers?” Rok and the others looked out the massive reinforced window that dominated the seven-story wall. Green, white and purple clouds whipped by like ragged sails caught in a full hurricane.

"Other than the natural beauty of living among these wonderful clouds, I cannot fathom a valid reason.” Rok paused as an entire line of green clouds suddenly enveloped the sky outside the window. Just as quickly they disappeared, replaced by the normal stream of clouds of various colors whipping by at mind-numbing speed.

"And I hope those windows are made pretty well. It looks like those winds are blowing over three hundred kilometers an hour,” Kyle said with a hopeful look.

"Indeed, sometimes over thrice that speed,” Minstrel-Zuuk said. “And yes, those windows are triple-reinforced using the strongest transparent metal known. After all, the clouds are the only natural beauty here, and you will agree that the view is worth it."

"Indeed.” Jysar's eyes widened with excitement at the window and its own engineering marvel—not at the beauty it displayed.

"But the reason is quite simple why this city and the other twenty-three floating cities were built inside the tempestuous clouds of this gas giant.” Minstrel-Zuuk paused, building the moment to a climax.

"And the answer is...” Jaric prompted.

"RahajMr orbits at about the same position as the human's home-system planet Venus, which is the second reason the Mrad built their cities within the cloud layer,” Minstrel-Zuuk said.

"Ah, the clouds provide protection from the star's energy,” Jysar surmised correctly. He smiled broadly at his own quick thinking.

"Partly correct. Primarily, the brightness is too intense for any alien's eyes. One could be instantly blinded this close to the star if they looked directly at it."

Jysar frowned.

"You are right, this huge planet is so close to the star it orbits that the radiation would be lethal—the clouds do provide protection. The hull of the cities are designed to protect even further. Still, more is needed. Which is why the cities are not stationary but travel with the winds around and around this planet.” Minstrel-Zuuk lowered its serpentine neck so its eye-stalks were closer.

"Which explains why Mother took that route—always keeping the planet between us and the star as we made our final approach from space.” Kyle's eyes narrowed with the recent memory of that ride. “And I must say, as we entered the cloud bands of RahajMr that was the roughest ride I've ever felt. Those are some winds!"

"Yes, landing is the trickiest part. The Wind Specialists have to determine a window when the buffeting winds will remain a constant speed in one direction for a few minutes in order to allow a visiting ship to land at a Leeward docking door and get inside the protective city walls,” Minstrel-Zuuk said with admiration. He raised his head far above the others and admired RahajMr.

"But how do these cities stay afloat, as well as steady themselves, as they ride the winds?” Rok asked.

Kyle and Jaric both looked expectantly at the eye-stalks far above them.

"Rok, you above all races should guess that answer.” The seven eye-stalks twinkled with mirth.

"Anti-gravity engines!” Rok half-shouted. He rubbed his chin in thought. “They must be massive, to keep a city this size floating and utilize the gravity of such a huge planet."