The Ripper and freighter tore through the atmo-barrier of Grondon, departing the white planet and entering the heart of the Terramesh. The cityscape of Jarovy gleamed off in the distance. The domes of neighboring realms filled the void in all directions with icy poles, stark deserts, and lush jungles. Commerce centers sparkled inside sprawling valleys. Island chains peppered giant oceans. Every globe connected to the next, creating an endless maze of dirt and steel.
Migg surged forward, steering the Ripper into the open space between Grondon and its neighbor. Zoey boosted the engines in order to keep pace. They sailed around enormous sky bridges and weaved through chaotic traffic. No one gave them a second look as the old Varokin fighter buzzed about the colossal labyrinth with a dirty dumpster in tow.
Migg zipped through a shuttle convoy and barrel-rolled around a lumbering barge, forcing Zoey to dive underneath and reunite on the other side. She grunted and gnashed her teeth as she tried to match the maneuvers. Every so often, the acrobatics drew a grin of admiration.
“Wow. Migg is a hell of a pilot.”
“That he is,” Perra said.
Max gripped her harness with both hands while ogling the viewport. She wore a cheeky grin as if enjoying the hell out of a flight simulator.
Ross continued to nap on her lap with claws dug into her leather pants for support.
Lord Essien grumbled from the cargo bay, emitting the occasional yelp-curse combo.
Henry maintained his statuesque presence. That is, until a long-held camaraderie bubbled from the depths. “Migg is an exceptional pilot.”
Zoey raised her brow with curiosity.
Perra and Max turned to the wrinkled brute.
Henry closed his eyes and took a weighted breath, as if to prep for a round of meditation. “We fought side by side during the Larroko Raid of Kyvon Rai. We were both grunts at the time, little more than expendable meat, but he had my back despite being a filthy Durflock.
“I shouldered a seething hatred for most of my life. We were taught from an early age to despise their race as part of a severe indoctrination. Hate for the sake of hate, a diet of pure tribal animus. We abhorred their culture, their nature, their beliefs, everything. Typical ‘us versus them’ mentality. We worshiped a shiny rock, they worshiped a purple ferret, and we hated them for it. We were tall with pink skin, they were short with red skin, and we hated them for it. The hate festered inside us with the full capacity of our being.
“Our planets warred for centuries over trivial contrasts. The deaths were innumerable and the scars never healed. I donned the blood of my brethren more times than I care to recall. I vowed to slit a Durflock throat for every brother and sister I lost. And I succeeded, many times over. I know what Durflock blood tastes like. It’s warm and thick and metallic. It makes me think of rusty sap on a summer dawn. They’re tough to kill and their blood runs as red as their skin, so you never knew who was close to death. They fought and flailed to the bitter end like rabid animals, using their own hatred as a fiery fuel.
“But then came the Larrokos.
“The Boobyborks and Durflocks fought a never-ending war. Entire generations grew up knowing nothing but spite and woe. But when something as malignant as the Larrokos enter the fray, you start to question the potency of your own venom. They showed us a level of cruelty that we were not prepared to see. The depths of their evil rattled our world in ways we never could have imagined. When the first wave hit, it left us all in a state of paralysis. Boobybork, Durflock, didn’t matter. We had gazed into the eyes of true villainy, wickedness on an unimaginable scale. We found peace in a chamber of horrors and united under a banner of fear. The Larrokos shredded the veils of prejudice and awakened us to the depravities of an uncaring universe. I dare not speak them aloud, for the depictions would scar your minds with madness.
“The first wave induced a systematic slaughter that cut our populations in half. The next wave took another half, then another, onward into a callous oblivion. As we stared into the dark void of extinction, one of our scouting groups uncovered a valuable weakness. The Larrokos were a hive mind. They shared a neural bond controlled by a nefarious queen. Our concerted mission had simplified. Kill the queen and live. Fail and perish.
“Further recons pinpointed the queen on Kyvon Rai, a rocky moon orbiting a gas giant on the outskirts of our own system. The breathable air and dense ecosystem made it an ideal place to hide, but a terrible place to battle. Regardless, we needed to end their rot.
“Our united force was no match for the Larrokos on an open plane. We all knew that any attack on Kyvon Rai was likely a one-way ticket. The assault needed to be sublime, a divine coordination, a singular strike the likes of which had never been seen and would never be seen again. And so, our leaders got to work.
“We trained day and night. Every boob, bork, and binky had a role to play. What we had in strength, the Durflocks matched in rigor. Their pilots and assassins were unrivaled, so they led our assault squads. I was a scrapper, a ground soldier who was good with a blade. Migg was my pilot. We met on the training grounds. We established a foundation of respect that grew into admiration and eventually friendship. We thought alike. We dissected strategy with a single mind. Migg knew how to leverage me in a tight situation. He also knew that I had his back.
“When raid day came, I was frightened. Not about the battle, but about losing what we had built. Migg was my brother and the thought of losing him infected my psyche with a caustic dread. We were not going to lose this battle. I would fight the entire hive alone if I had to. And for a time, I did. I could think of nothing else.
“We descended on Kyvon Rai like flaming rain. Streaks of red and orange pierced the clouds as our mighty armada fell with a single purpose. Migg’s shuttle sliced through the heavens with two dozen grunts inside. I manned a cannon mount, an ionic blaster with copious throughput. I can still feel the rushing wind on my face. The air smelled crisp and verdant, like dried moss.
“The battle started before our feet touched the ground. Red streaks zipped by the vessel, the heated laser blasts of ground cannons. Migg evaded every shot on his way down. The shuttle banked and swerved like a hawk on the wing. The metal beast was an extension of himself, in a very real sense. It gave us a tangible sense of safety and security, and to a point, invincibility.
“As we neared the surface, I could trace the outlines of Larroko watchtowers. I opened fire, unleashing a torrent of ion pulses. Several towers exploded on impact. Others took blasts to their trusses and crumbled into to the surrounding thickets. The lush landscape of Kyvon Rai soon found itself painted with a yellow sheen. We set the entire moon on fire. From orbit, the world looked diseased, as if choked by the creeping tendrils of death.
“The shuttles grouped inside an open valley to offload troops. Soldiers poured into the grass like a rush of surging water. I remained behind the cannon to cover Migg on his return to orbit. Each transport carrier was tasked to deliver three payloads of personnel. Some gathered more because others never returned. I wish I could say that Migg fulfilled his end of the bargain. And in a way, he did.
“As transports returned to orbit, the Larrokos launched interceptor rockets. The majority of our ship losses came in this manner. The laser blasts crippled and maimed, but the guided missiles rarely missed their mark. Luckily, our fleet greatly outnumbered their launchers. By the sheer grace of math, most of our shuttles completed their missions.
“Migg lifted his shuttle from the valley floor and began his second run, cognizant of missiles turning his neighbors into balls of flame. I resumed my tower assault as the main engines ignited and pushed us skyward.
“And then I saw it.
“A white exhaust trail emerged from a nearby patch of jungle. The missile screamed towards us, but no alarm had sounded. It had locked onto another ship ahead of us. I tried to shoot it down, but the risk of hitting other ships was too great. I could only fire short bursts, all of which missed. The missile continued its deadly hunt.
“Migg was thrust into the corner of a dreadful dilemma. On one hand, he could watch the missile scream by and hit its target, a rookie pilot with dubious skill. Certain death for the greenhorn and his gunner, but guaranteed passage back to the cruiser to shuttle more soldiers. Or, he could swerve into the trajectory and force it to hit a seasoned pilot with a greater chance of survival.
“It was an easy decision.
“Migg barrel-rolled behind the rookie pilot. The missile slammed into our tail section and exploded on impact. The deafening blast destroyed the stern and swallowed us in a cloud of fire. I clutched the cannon for dear life as the ship plummeted towards the surface. Migg struggled to control the crippled vessel. Flames poured from the fuselage behind me. When you stare into a wall of hellfire, you welcome the sweet release of death. I braced for impact, wondering if I would meet my fate with charred flesh.
“The transport spun for an eternity, creating a swirling inferno. But then, much to my astonishment, the ship leveled out into a comfortable glide. Migg had managed to correct the fall with a combination of functional hull thrusters and manual drag maneuvers. We drifted on crippled wings and crash-landed into a patch of jungle brush. The thick foliage slowed our descent enough to retain structural integrity. We smashed into the ground and skidded to a stop, shedding little more than glass and paneling.
“I saw Migg moments later when he rushed back to the holding bay. He had a pair of deep gashes across his face, not that you could tell atop his garnet skin. I was slumped against the panels behind the gunner station, battered and bloody, but still alive. We met eyes and he smiled. It should be noted that Durflocks never smile. Ever. They are a calm and dispassionate species with stony demeanors that make them highly effective soldiers and poker players. But Migg smiled that day, and I returned that smile. It was the most impactful moment of my life. I knew, right then and there, that our bond was sacred and unbreakable.
“We stumbled out from the flaming wreckage and into the dense jungle. The ship exploded soon after, vomiting a plume of blazing guts. The shockwave yanked us from our feet and tossed our bodies into the dirt. Our gazes lifted to the sky where the carnage continued to rain. Shuttles rose and departed in constant waves. Most of them made their rendezvous. Many didn’t. We learned later that the rookie pilot survived to make 14 troop runs. He even climbed the fleet ranks to become a revered admiral. Migg never took credit, content to own his part in silence. He never spoke of his heroic sacrifice that day, a singular and selfless bravery that I feel privileged to have witnessed. But that’s not how they view the world. He had fulfilled his duty and that was enough.
“We gathered our bearings and crept through the thick foliage, hunting for Larrokos. Seeing them on training feeds was one thing, but seeing them face to face was something wholly different. These creatures wore darkness like cloaks of affliction. Their plated bodies were black and burnished, like shards of obsidian crushed into living monsters. Boney ridges protruded from their flesh, creating a natural armor. White eyes, fanged teeth, and razor-sharp claws completed the image of a walking nightmare.
“The first one we encountered took eight plasma blasts to the chest before it fell. At that moment, we realized that our weapons would expend long before the battle ended. We accepted death. Our ends would be met on Kyvon Rai, the great campaign of our time. Whether or not our species survived was out of our hands. Our mission morphed from the whole to the few. We would stare into the eyes of every Larroko we found and remove their stench from the world, or die trying.
“And then the bombs hit.
“We were unaware that our commanders had reached the same conclusion. We had the raw firepower, but not the sustained munitions. After a grim debate, a nuclear option was approved. The cruisers in orbit launched warheads to all primary targets, knowing that countless soldiers would perish in the assault. I cannot imagine a greater weight on my conscience, having to witness annihilation from launch tubes I had opened. Many of those commanders took their own lives after the war.
“The blast reached our eyes well before the shockwave, forcing us to recoil and shield our bodies. Migg and I were fortunate, as the nearest target was inside a mountain pass off in the distance. The impact ripped the bark off trees and tossed us into a jungle stream. A wall of fire raced overhead as we sank into the depths. I gazed up to a rippling surface painted with an orange sheen.
“Migg drowned beneath the waves before I could make sense of it all. The blast had knocked him unconscious and he was floating amid the debris. I cradled him to my chest and swam for shore. As I clawed up the muddy bank, my eyes refused to accept the horrid reality presented to them. The entire world was on fire. Flames danced through the jungle canopy. Embers fell from a scorched sky. Ash curled through the choking air like windswept snow. But I didn’t care. Migg needed me and I needed him. I gazed into the shadowy eyes of death and made him a deal. On that day, he would take us both or take his leave. I thumped Migg’s chest and breathed life back into his lungs. When he finally revived, he gazed deep into my eyes like a frightened infant. He knew what had transpired. The agony of losing so many brethren paled in comparison to losing each other. He wore that horror, and I mirrored it back to him.
“Much to everyone’s surprise, the nuclear assault had granted a reprieve. The Larroko forces fled underground to protect their queen, allowing our own forces to regroup. Up to that point, our ground losses pushed 70%. The reality of the situation became apparent to a fault. If we were to win, we needed to follow the enemy underground.
“And so, we did.
“Migg and I were unaware of that plan. The crash had separated us from the platoons. We had no com device. Our weapons were nearly drained. The skies were burning and we had no bearings. But, we had each other, for however long that would last.
“We settled beneath the smoldering husk of a rompum tree and watched the mushroom cloud rise in the distance. The glowing column and swirling crest served to highlight just how small we were in the great battle of our time. Our races had banded together to fight a fearsome enemy. And fought them we did, inside the grandest of arenas. That war continued to rage, oblivious to our contribution. Migg and I cradled each other and welcomed the end of all things.
“We made love under that rompum tree, consummating a devout friendship built on trust and admiration. It was as challenging as it was beautiful. What Migg lacked in girth, he made up for with talented hands and athletic endurance. I entered his forbidden valley and he explored my caverns, for hours on end. He accepted my savory gifts and returned the kindness innumerable times. We gave in to our greatest desires that night, safe inside each other under the mangled branches of destruction.
“Beneath us, the war raged on.
“We awoke that next morning to the distant howls of elation, like the dull roars of a stadium crowd. Migg and I limped out into a clearing where shuttles were scanning for survivors. We were rescued soon after and learned of the improbable yet hard-fought victory.
“The commanders had detected the queen’s location on the opposite side of the moon. After the Larrokos retreated, biosignatures uncovered a large concentration of warriors stationed at the base of a mountain range. The conclusion was made that they were guarding their queen. As a final effort to snuff out the Larroko plague once and for all, the commanders deployed a large team of assassin units to the mountain range. They invaded the cave system and fought through wave after wave of resistance. Most failed, but one succeeded. An elite unit managed to survive the plunge and infiltrate the queen’s lair. As they battled the final wave, a Boobybork named Doon sliced through a nest of defenders and plunged his blade into the queen’s skull, killing her and the entire Larroko army. Their black bodies fell to the dirt, never to rise again.
“The war had ended.
“The losses were many, but our species had been saved. We returned to our homeworlds under a lasting banner of peace and prosperity. Never again would we fight among each other. We would stand united as a guardian force, one that protects our shared worlds from any and all invaders. And to this day, that pact remains.
“Migg and I parted after the war. Not out of want, but out of necessity. His skills were best served to help rebuild the Durflock fleet. As for me, my place was with my own. The war had left my planet in shambles. My people were destitute and I had an obligation to help those most in need. Migg and I never forgot each other and we kept in contact the best we could. But as with all things in life, your chosen paths take you in different directions. We are not the same creatures we were before, but we remain brothers, and we will always have Kyvon Rai.”
A weighted silence fell upon the group.
“Wow,” Perra said with a somber tone.
“I know, right?” Max said. “That’s his actual voice.”
Zoey snorted.
“Seriously, I thought he was doing a bit. The guy sounds like an anime princess with an asthma problem.”
“Dude!” Perra said, adding a WTF arm spread.
“What? It’s like listening to someone pinch the air out of a balloon.”
Zoey bit her lips to hold in the laughter.
Henry maintained his longing stare out the viewport.
“C’mon, you have to admit, he sounds like a scholastic toddler.”
Zoey burst into laughter.
Perra dropped her jaw and eyed poor Henry as if trying to apologize with her own palpable embarrassment.
The ruckus roused Ross from his nap. He yawned and smacked his lips. “Yo, what’d I miss?”
“Your friends being assholes,” Henry said.
“Ha! You sound like a frightened chipmunk.”
Zoey howled with laughter.