Shattered Light Read online

  “Take us to the surface.”

  “General?”

  “I said take us to the surface. We won’t last up here but down there we will only be facing the natives of Resicor. If we can get enough of them we can bargain for a safe exit. Take. Us. Down.”

  The navigator worked on the descent angle and Temross sat in his command chair as they approached the planet they had been watching and nurturing for so long.

  * * * *

  Trala kept her body moving while Resicor provided the power. She had a thought but she couldn’t execute it from where she was.

  What do you need, Trala?

  Get me to the Dome. If you can dissolve clothing you can free those confined by suits. They have physical talents and will fight for survival if nothing else.

  We are on our way.

  Ships would land, the attacks would come but if the last few years watching those who were smuggled out of Resicor proved anything, was that one person could tip the scales in the right situation.

  As the Dome loomed on the rapidly approaching horizon she held her breath. She hoped that there were enough left to tip those scales.

  Chapter Three

  The crowd lining the edge of the Dome proved that they were waiting for someone, anyone to let them participate. Trala stepped to the edge of the energy field and pulled it into her, storing it for later.

  “Resicor has come under fire. The Avatar has risen and the world has a voice. I am here to ask you to help defend those who imprisoned you.”

  Silently, she worked on their suits with Resicor’s help and removed the attachments that bound the fabric to flesh.

  A woman with haunted eyes said, “How are we to help? We are in these damned suits!”

  “The binding of the suits has been removed. Your talents are free once again. If you want to join me step forward, if not, your freedom is yours anyway.”

  Out of the thirty souls facing her, twenty five stepped forward.

  “I thank you, and Resicor thanks you.” She smiled.

  Resicor took over, “Thank you my children. We are going into a live fight but know that I will give you all I can to help you.”

  The woman with haunted eyes smiled. “Thank you.”

  Resicor winked and lifted from the ground, taking the volunteers with her. She returned to the battle with her small batch of reinforcements and a soaring in her heart. Her people wanted the freedom she offered and they were willing to fight for it. Trala wasn’t sure if the joy was hers or the planet’s but it was a solid euphoria and she was going to use it.

  The battle could be seen on the curve of the world and she did all she could to bring them to it as quickly as she could. As she flew she noticed the incoming ship and realized that the battle was about to come to her.

  She paused in the air and asked her gathering, “Do you want to continue to the capitol or to fight with me here? That ship is coming in and it is too large for me to tear apart on my own.”

  Her group looked at each other and the solemn woman smiled. “Just show us where you want us.”

  The large man with the hard muscles flexed and grinned. “Ready when you are.”

  She moved them to a safe distance and flew up to meet the incoming ship. There was nothing but desert under them but she still didn’t want to dent her surface. They were going to come in as soft as a crash could be.

  If anyone could arrange someone to strike a planet daintily, she was going to try to grant that status to the warship.

  A shadow approached her at incredible speed. To her surprise it paused in front of her. “May I assist you?”

  “Um, please.”

  It inclined the upper half of its body, turned and extended its arm toward the warship. She struck out her own hand and when she fired light, he fired shadow.

  The metal peeled apart when the combined bolt struck it, opening like ripe fruit.

  Resicor thickened the air around the ship and it slowed to a lazy descent before embedding in the sand below.

  She landed with her gathering and the stranger came up next to her. Together they approached the kilometer long ship and entered through the ruptured hull.

  “Do what you want to them but keep yourselves safe. They are the reason you were held, they deemed you too dangerous to breed with, so they had the psychics lock you up.”

  The haunted woman looked at her. “Breed with?”

  “The Vorwings—the purple folks—want to resume their empire. For that they need power and Resicor has been dumping power into her population for generations. They needed a sleeping world ready to wake and we fit the bill.”

  “Who are you?” The woman cocked her head. “You have two souls.”

  “Trala, Avatar of Resicor, though you have guessed that much already.” Trala smiled and kept walking toward the crash as the murmur of surprise went through her crowd.

  The shadow kept pace with her. She looked at him. “May I ask who you are?”

  “You may ask. I will tell you after this battle has ceased.”

  He lifted off the sand and directed her, “Find me when things calm down.”

  The shadow darted into the wrecked ship and with a gleeful cry the others followed him in. Trala shot past them and simply stole the clothing and weaponry of all attacking personnel. It was hard to fight while naked and the lack of weapons might save lives.

  She worked her way toward the command deck and searched for the Vorwing that she could smell on the ship.

  When she reached the command deck she hissed. There was a large hole in the ship that had been blasted from the inside out. Her prey was gone.

  The crew of the ship was lined up outside the vessel and left to their own devices. A few of them were a little the worse for wear but no one was dead.

  “All right, everyone, would you like to go and smash invaders in the capitol?”

  The Resicorans grinned and she took off with them trailing in her wake.

  The shadow emerged and followed them closely. He didn’t seem to have trouble keeping up with them so Trala ignored him.

  The capitol was writhing with invaders who were seeking out talents and lining them up. Those who feared retaliation cowered but several were lying unconscious near a set of tubes that had obviously come from one of the invading ships.

  As she landed she stated, “Not one Resicoran ends up on those ships, is that clear?”

  Grins appeared on the faces of her group and the moment they touched down the group scattered.

  One man ran to the unconscious and injured, waking those targeted for extraction.

  The shadow streaked ahead of her, knocking out invaders and assisting the selected talents to free themselves.

  The small corner of the city was soon on its way to being free and the gathering of talents swelled to over three hundred.

  Ships began landing with folk in the uniforms of the Sector Guard and armoured bodysuits used by the Citadel. The gathering of defenders swelled to four hundred and more joined them with every step they took.

  Resicor assured her that all minor invasions around the globe were being handled. This incursion was huge simply because this is where the Avatar was.

  There is a theory that if one can kill the Avatar before the planet has fully integrated that you can incapacitate the world for an indefinite period of time. It is completely false but that will not stop them from trying.

  Excellent. This day was going far too easily. Who is watching out for the provinces?

  Do you remember the thirty worlds that Skiria visited?

  Yes.

  They gave her seeds to portals that are now nested all over the globe, as Admar used to have. The worlds can send their people to us at a moment’s notice and ours to them.

  Will they all send us help?

  Those that can. Some of the species breathe water and they are watching our oceans.

  The portals are…

  Underwater. Ye
s. Three of them are either under water or against the shoreline. They will keep the oceans clear.

  Trala listened to the confidence in the voice of the planet. Resicor had faith in the contacts she had made. Trala wished she could be as sure.

  “Avatar, there is a ship coming down!”

  Trala looked up and saw the sleek lines of an Alliance Sector Guard shuttle. She didn’t recognize it but Resicor did.

  “It is friendly. Stand aside and let them land.”

  The gathering stepped aside and moved to stand behind Trala. To her surprise she was being viewed as a person in control even though she had no idea what she was doing beyond hosting a world in her mind and body.

  She faced the dropping ship as it settled on the sand. A hatch on the side of the ship opened and figures in neatly designed uniforms filed out.

  Cries of recognition sounded behind Trala and four of the women coming out of the ship cried out and ran for the crowd behind her.

  Hugs and tears flowed as the truth of the freedom achieved was confirmed. Whispers of new worlds, acceptance and love were passed with a few conversations.

  Trala stepped forward and inclined her head. “Commander and Pilot if I am not mistaken.”

  The woman with the small jacks in her skull and hands smiled. “You are correct, Avatar. Relay sends her greetings and she will assist you with worldwide communications.”

  Commander grinned. “She has an orb that you can use to address the population. Relay will turn on all screens at the same time.”

  He lifted his hand and a small orb lifted up and rotated gently in the air.

  “Now? Should I speak to them now?”

  He nodded. “Some are under fire but they all need to know what is going on. This is a time of stress and the government has been toppled. They need to know how to take action.”

  Trala walked and the orb followed her. In the shadow of the ship an idea struck her and she shared it with Resicor. The world agreed and they were on.

  “To the citizens of Resicor, I know you are under attack and I want you to defend yourselves with everything in you. The attackers will be seeking out talents and trying to herd them into areas where they can abduct them. The government has been doing this for decades but they have been removed from power now.

  “I am Resicor, the soul of your world. For three hundred years I have tried to rise and those who would prey on you have been keeping me supressed. I understand that this is difficult for you to comprehend now, but I want you to fight, I want you to win, and you can rake me over the coals when those who live here can do so in peace and freedom.

  “Again. I want you to fight. Don’t let anyone take the ones you love, the ones you know and the ones who you fear because of what you have been taught. You are citizens of Resicor and you will survive this and we will be whole!”

  Trala focused and flashed brightly. She carried the program she had devised for teaching alien languages and sent the program into the eyes and minds of everyone near a broadcast source. If they could see, they could now understand. The Raiders and Vorwings would not have ignorant masses to pick on. If they were speaking, they would be understood.

  Commander smiled and pressed one hand to his ear. “Relay informs me that she will replay the education burst at the end of that recording on an hourly basis.”

  Trala nodded. “Good. I don’t think I can do that again today.”

  She heard a throat clearing and turned to see her citizens and the new members of the Citadel and the Sector Guard who had been born on her soil.

  The faces she was looking at were so familiar and they lunged toward her, hugging her in turn until she had been squeezed by them all and each one had touched their Avatar.

  Resicor was welling with joy once again. It replenished her energy stores and she was able to return her gaze to the capitol.

  “We need to get those attack vessels away from my people.”

  Commander nodded. “That is why we are here.”

  Pilot headed back to her ship. “I will get us in the air. All who are coming, get in the ship!”

  Several of the talents rose in the air. A woman with a shock of blue hair smiled. “Ready when you are, Avatar.”

  Trala smiled. “Thank you, Kiiki. It is good to have you back for a moment.”

  A man formed a column of mist that circled around Kiiki. She blushed. “This is my husband, Harken.”

  The other women in Citadel and Sector Guard uniforms laughed and partnered up with the aliens they had arrived with.

  Trala felt Resicor’s pride in her children and their ability to find mates away from their home. Trala pushed the pride aside and lifted off. She still had millions to take care of and her work was not yet done.

  Chapter Four

  General Drenliako sat in his command chair. His ship was completely dead, as were his crew. It wasn’t a shock to see two Nameless appear in front of him.

  The woman with stars in her eyes looked at him. “You know why we are here.”

  “You are here to take it back.”

  She nodded her head. “Yes.”

  He looked around at the devastation around him. “We will not have a second resurgence, will we?”

  She shook her head and her companion remained silent.

  “You are the children of a lost universe. You chose the path to power, that hunger has led you here. You will not sow the seeds of the past in this time.”

  She stepped toward him and Drenliako drew his blade, rushing toward her. He had one chance at life and it was through her.

  The delicate woman moved with startling speed. She ducked under his arm and her companion gripped him, holding him still while she stared into his eyes and pulled his life from him.

  * * * *

  Nothing but ash remained in her hands. Sky flexed her fingers and looked to her mate. Tavik was grim.

  “I don’t like this, Tavik.”

  “I know, love, but it must be done and the Vorwings will not be foolish enough to expose themselves again.”

  Sky looked out the viewports and watched the battles around them, the second wave of Raider ships was being fought off by a shocking presence. The Kozue were defending Resicor.

  “That is not a sight that I anticipated. The Watchers are going to go crazy looking for angles on this battle.”

  Tavik laughed. “That is their problem. We have to seek out another target. A dozen Vorwings are in the vicinity and we need to return as many as we can.”

  Sky nodded and stepped into his embrace, holding the energy taken from the General inside her. It had to be returned to the Orb before they could return in search of another target. She patted her scissors and thought of the moment that she had acted on her own instead of in the path of the Orb. Once this was over, she might just do it again.

  * * * *

  “Makki!” Colah raced toward her niece, trying to beat the Raider who had the young girl in his path. She poured on the speed and projected herself through the spaces between them, slowing slightly so as not to injure Makki as she scooped her up.

  Straight up was the safest place to go.

  “Aunty Col!”

  The small arms were tight around her neck.

  “Where is your mom, sweetie?”

  “The school. Everyone is hiding in the school.”

  “Why were you out?”

  Makki leaned back and looked at her with astonishment. “There are people flying out here. I wanted to see.”

  Chuckling but worried, Col called Ysyr. “Ysyr, we are heading toward the school. I don’t know if they have been herded or not. I am carrying the gun.”

  He sighed in her earpiece. “Keep yourself safe. Don’t let them shoot you.”

  “Then come and help me.”

  “I am working on one of the landing craft.”

  “Then quit whining.” Col laughed and landed in front of the school that she had attended with her sister two decad
es earlier.

  She set Makki back on her feet and pulled her gun around. Normally she wouldn’t carry it but this wasn’t a normal day. She fired on approaching Raiders and backed slowly toward the school.

  “Aunty Col, you look different.”

  “So do you, pet. You have grown.”

  They backed toward the school and the door opened. “Makki, get in here.”

  Colah grinned at her sister’s voice. “Come on, Cabbi. She just wants to see the fliers.”

  Her sister let out a shocked cry and Colah made sure that the school wasn’t under threat from any visible angle before she lowered her gun and turned around. “Into the school, Makki. We need to make a plan.”

  Once inside, a man locked the door while staring at Col in shock. “Colah Geering. You are in the dome.”

  Col shook her head and followed her niece down the hall. “Not for a few years now. Come on, we need to see what weapons we have at our disposal. How many people are holed up here?”

  Cabbi blinked and said, “Four hundred, but we don’t have weapons.”

  Col chuckled and put her arm around her sister in half a hug. “And you also thought I couldn’t fly. Now, let me see what we are working with and we will make a plan.”

  The gym was filled with bodies, huddling on the floor and flinching at the sounds of weapons fire. It was time to give them the briefing that no one wanted to hear.

  Makki pranced ahead of her and Cabbi turned to the man from the door. “Set up the microphone.”

  Col waved her hand. “I don’t need it. My suit can do it for me.”

  Her boot heels rang on the lacquered wood. Her robes flared dramatically around her and while she had lowered her gun she had not put it away. She knew that she depicted a frightening figure and she was going to use that to her advantage.

  With a few light steps she flew to the stage at the edge of the gym. The murmurs became silent as folk realized they were in the room with a physical talent, someone they had all been taught to fear.