Astral Tides: Eravice

Astral Tides

Book Three: Eravice

Nicholas Kory

ASTRAL TIDES: ERAVICE is ©2016 Nicholas Kory. All rights reserved.

ISBN# 978-1-68454-474-5

This is a work of fiction, and any similarity to any person, living or deceased, is pure coincidence and unintentional.

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Thank you for purchasing this book! If you like this story, and want more information on upcoming titles, then I invite you to stop by my author website at nichoaskory.com. If you have any questions, comments, or concerns for me, feel free to reach out to me via email at nicholaskory@gmail.com.

Thanks for your support! It’s what keeps me going as an author and game designer.

My other titles include:

Elephants in the Living Room (2007)

Cybersaurus: The Awakening (2014)

Astral Tides: Rimward (2015)

Behind the Locked Door (2016)

Astral Tides: The Huntmaster (2016)

And my game design and tabletop role playing products include:

Round 10: Role-Playing Game Core Rulebook (2013)

This book is for Roland.

Astral Tides

Book Three: Eravice

Nicholas Kory

Chapter I

Androssi Belt, on board the Nereus

Merrill reacted immediately, moving her left arm as fast as she could in zero gravity, slamming the airlock controls with her fist. With a hiss, the door slid shut, cutting her, Thad, and their unconscious captain off from Sebastian, the huntmaster, and the recently thawed alien.

What are you doing? Thad asked, his voice calmer than she expected.

Getting the captain to safety, Merrill responded.

Good, Thad said. I’m going in after Sebastian.

She turned a surprised look on him, but didn’t openly question his words.

Thad retrieved his weapon from where it floated nearby. Captain wants to keep him on the crew, Thad said. So let’s do that.

Do you need help? Merrill asked as the airlock slid open, revealing the dark umbilical leading back to the Starstorm.

Thad shook his head slowly as they floated there, hanging onto the Nereus’s bulkhead. No, he answered. Cap and I are the only two on the crew with experience fighting Nuani. If anybody else were with me, I’d have to protect them.

Merrill sighed, but she saw his point. Okay, she said, aiming Daltir’s body towards the Starstorm and giving it a shove, sending it floating down the umbilical. Stay in contact. I’ll call you as soon as I get him settled. She pushed her sidearm through the air, sending it spinning towards Thad.

I’ve got this, he said, raising the rifle.

You’ll need more.

He caught the sidearm and nodded to her, slinging the rifle over his shoulder and gripping the sidearm tightly as his quartermaster and unconscious captain drifted off, disappearing into the darkness of the connection tube, and back towards the Starstorm.

Once he couldn’t see their shapes in the darkness any longer, he closed the airlock, confining him to a tight, rectangular room once more. He turned and peered through the small window of the airlock, looking back to the main access hall of the Nereus, to see where Sebastian and the huntmaster had gone to.

His heart was in his throat when he peered through the window and saw the face of the Nuani looking back at him. Purple-gray skin and narrow black slits forming the six eyes, it was only inches away from the glass, watching him intently.

He put one hand to his chest, in an attempt to steady his heart as it beat rapidly. It had been almost a decade since he had seen a Nuani, and never this close. The lifeless slivers of eyes just watched him in unmoving silence, observing his motions as he raised the sidearm and aimed it at the window threateningly. Nuani were resilient, with most of their hides hardened against melee attacks and even crushing forces, but their faces were soft and fleshy like any other race. Thad had seen Nuani flattened by Council armor, their face smashed between rock and metal like a watermelon, with the rest of their body almost completely intact.

Without any sound, the Nuani turned and moved away from the small window, disappearing out of sight. The muffled sound of its clawed feet on the metal floor of the access hall dissipated, fading away until no sound was heard except for Thad’s own breath and rapid heartbeat.

Slowly, he moved up to the window again, looking through, back down the long hallway once more. There he saw the Nuani walking with hunched shoulders towards the middle of the ship, gripping the grated metal floor with its long claws. It stopped, looked around, down each branch of the access hall, and then turned left, towards the bow of the Nereus. It disappeared around the corner, and the hallway was cold and lifeless once more, with no sign of Sebastian or the huntmaster.

Thad took a deep breath, closing his eyes and steadying himself. He reached over to the airlock controls, his fingers hovering above the ‘OPEN’ switch for what felt like an eternity as he listened to the silence of the ship around him. He expected to hear the sounds of the Nuani’s return at any moment, to see the alien charging around the corner and straight for him, emerging from its hiding spot just out of sight. But no sounds ever came, and after what seemed like days, he finally hit the switch, opening the door and exposing him to the unknown dangers of the Nereus.

The airlock to the Starstorm slid open with a hiss, and Allesi was standing there, blue eyes wide and purple hair hanging over her shoulders. Is he alive?! She asked, almost frantically.

Yes, Merrill answered. Give me a hand!

Allesi stepped into the airlock and began helping Merrill drag the captain’s body into the ship, it’s artificial gravity reminding them that the unconscious Daltir Stone was over 200 pounds of dead weight.

Wow, Allesi said as they pulled him out of the airlock and into the ‘Storm’s cargo hold. She looked past Merrill and asked, Where’s Thad?

Someone else get hurt? They heard a familiar voice call from a ways behind them, across the cargo hold.

Merrill didn’t bother to give their captive the satisfaction of an answer, and instead let Lieutenant Aetorin Sandross sit in silence, hands still bound to a maintenance and safety rail near the port side of the hold.

Sedative wear off? Merrill asked Allesi.

Aye, the Ardaxian answered as she repositioned herself to grab her captain by the ankles. He hasn’t been too talkative, but he has been awake. Where are we taking Captain?

Aft, she said, beginning to use Daltir’s body to direct Allesi towards the back of the ship. Let’s get him up to the infirmary.

Allesi didn’t answer, only grunting in exertion as they carried their captain to the foot of the stairs that led up to the gun deck, and then to the crew commons — and the infirmary — above.

After much struggling, they got Stone’s body up the two flights of stairs and into the infirmary, laying him onto one of the two examination beds there, almost dropping him as they did so.

How long is he going to be out for? Allesi asked.

Not too much longer, Merrill said, and then after a beat of silence, added I think.

Allesi looked up to her stern and stoic quartermaster. Elanas is getting restless, she said.

We all are, Merrill answered.

Where’s Thad? Allesi asked again, now that the situation wasn’t as urgent or strenuous as before.

He stayed behind, Merrill answered. To get Sebastian.

Rynn, came the tinny, electronic voice over Merrill’s wrist communicator in her space suit. It was Elanas, their engineer and pilot, speaking to Merrill from the control console on the Starstorm.

Merrill lifted the comm to her chin. Go ahead.

Looks like Nereus power has come back on, she said. I’m slowly gaining access to systems remotely through our ship-to-ship connection. I could turn on the artificial gravity, or security lighting, or anything else you think you need.

Artificial gravity, Merrill said. Help give Thad a more even playing field.

Can he handle the huntmaster?

It’s not the huntmaster I’m worried about, Merrill said, lowering her comm and turning to look at Allesi.

What do you mean?

Our quarry is a mite more dangerous than we expected.

Were they Gehulde Gray Wolves? Allesi asked.

Merrill blinked a bit, surprised at the specificity of Allesi’s guess. What? No. Why would they be gray wolves?

Allesi shrugged. That was the most dangerous thing that came to mind.

Worse, Merrill said. They’re Nuani.

Allesi’s eyes widened. And one’s awake?

Merrill nodded. Aye, she said. I just hope that Thad can get to Sebastian before it does.

Thad made his way down the access hall slowly, his body floating and rotating through the air, his free left hand pushing him off of the floor, ceiling and walls as he made his way towards the central shaft of the ship, and the hall that led to the ship’s bow, in the direction he had seen the Nuani go just moments before.

He reached the corner, and stopped himself by pushing his hand and his feet into the wall, and grabbing the handle of a closed door to keep himself from floating away into the center of the hall. He slowly brought himself ‘up’, peering around the corner and down the hall where the Nuani had retreated.

The hall looked empty. As he concentrated, he thought he could hear clanking on the metal somewhere within the ship, but he didn’t know where it was coming from or who it was. It could be the Nuani, it could be the huntmaster, or it could be Crell.

He hoped it wasn’t Crell. That man should know better than to make such a racket when being pursued by two different hostiles.

He finally found his nerve, resolving to crawl around the corner and push himself down the hall after the direction the Nuani had gone. He reached his hand up and around the corner, to grab the handhold he saw, when there was a low thrumming throughout the ship. By the time he realized what he was hearing, the artificial gravity had already kicked on, and he fell with a heavy thud on his side.

His senses came to him within moments, and he was on his feet again, the shock of sudden gravity passing as he considered the change in his situation. Now he didn’t need one hand free for steadying or propulsion, so he drew his hammer, Thumper, from where it rested on his hip. He pressed the green button on its haft, and felt the electrical energy surge within it, its slight, sharp vibrations signaling that it was ready to discharge the shock when the hammer’s head was struck.

He leaned around the corner, peering down the hall, towards what he assumed was the ship’s cockpit, when he heard more metallic clanking, and this time he knew exactly what it was. It was the sound of thick-soled boots tapping on the metal floor, one deck above him. He turned and looked to the ladder that passed through the floor and ceiling in the central shaft of the Nereus, and stepped back a few paces, putting himself about eight feet away, well outside the view of whoever was approaching, but also close enough to leap forward and swing his hammer as the person climbed down.

After a few moments, he heard the footsteps come to a slow stop right above the ladder access. He heard the sound of someone grabbing the rungs of the ladder and silently climbing down when he realized they were intentionally trying to be quiet. He looked down to his right hand, saw the pistol gripped there, and decided to slide it into his waistband. He didn’t think alerting the Nuani with a loud, echoing gunshot was a good idea.

When he refocused his attention onto the ladder, he saw the huntmaster dropping off the last two rungs of the ladder, standing at the shaft’s circular opening, staring at him.

Smart move, she said quietly nodding to the weapon tucked into his belt.

Can’t draw unwanted attention, Thad responded, his voice just above a whisper.

The huntmaster had replaced her helmet, and he stared into its dark, reflective surface, like a small planet of black glass. I’ll give you one chance, she said. Return to your ship now.

No, Thad answered, raising his hammer.

It is unwise to come between a huntmaster and her quarry, she warned, dropping into a more combat-ready position.

Thad shrugged. I’ll try anything once.

Chapter II

Androssi Belt, on board the Nereus

Thad charged forward, Thumper raised into the air for a powerful, overhead chop. Lizreah dodged, sidestepping the man’s swing and delivering a swift and precise strike into his ribs, just below the left armpit. Her tight, two-fingered strike hit a pressure point with undeniable certainty, and Thad reeled from the blow, dropping his left arm to protect his side as he turned to face her. He was now off balance, and she followed with by thrusting the ball of left hand up into the man’s chin, snapping his head back and sending him backpedaling a few steps.

I gave you your chance, she warned him. This will hurt.

He sneered, swinging his hammer around the side at her, coming in a wide arc from the right. She dropped to the floor, landing nimbly on her side and sending her leg straight out and up, connecting with the man’s groin. He doubled over, and she pulled the leg back in and kicked out again, her boot striking with his face. Thad fell onto his back, blood starting to trail from one nostril.

She leaped back up to her feet, and took three confident steps, standing over him. She raised a booted foot, ready to bring it down on his chest to hold him in place, when he responded. He let go of Thumper, leaving it lying on the floor as he grabbed her boot with both hands. Rotating his wrists, he twisted her leg inward, forcing her to adjust and backpedal in order to keep him from snapping it at the knee. She lifted her foot out of his hands as she completed a full turn, coming back around to face him as he rose from the floor. She saw his right hand, pressed to the metal panels of the floor as he rose, grip the haft of his hammer and sweep low, sending it in a rising arc towards her head.

She ducked to the side and reached up, catching the weapon with lightning-fast reflexes. She took two steps back and spun the hammer in her hand, repositioning her grip on it. As she did so, Thad stood and drew his sidearm, aiming it at her.

They both paused for a moment as they watched each other.

Firing that weapon would alert the Nuani, she warned, holding the hammer a bit higher in preparation for him to charge.

Thad clenched his jaw and pulled the trigger of the pistol, firing a round from the mag weapon directly at her helmet.

Her reflexes kicked in again, and she tilted the hammer to the side as the bullet sped towards her. It struck the weapon just below the head, the electrical mechanisms within it bursting in a shower of sparks as gears and moving parts. The gunshot echoed through the relatively silent halls, and as it began to dissipate, the head of the hammer fell from it’s perch and landed on the floor, punctuating the sudden burst of sound with a loud CLANG.

Lizreah knew that the dam had burst now, and she began to lower the broken haft of the hammer as she simultaneously reached for her sidearm. As she did so, Thad rushed towards her, closing the eight feet in two paces, and grabbed her wrist, the sparking shaft of Thumper now held between them.

She pulled the sidearm out and aimed it at Thad’s midsection as he raised the electrical shaft up. The sound of a gunshot was heard again, echoing through the hall as Thad took a bolt of white-hot plasma to his torso. He gritted his teeth and jabbed the jagged, broken end of the hammer’s shaft into the soft polymer of her skin suit, just below her chin, under the edging of her helmet. The weapon discharged its burst of electricity directly into her skull, and Thad felt the intense heat on his left hand for a moment as she convulsed from the shock and fell backwards, away from him.

He looked down at her body, lying in the hall. She wasn’t dead, but she also wouldn’t be