Once again, the Wanderer felt fear at the realization that she was on the brink of being overcome by these Telinaruul. All the Shedai held dear on this world, everything for which they had prepared as part of her people’s vision to return to power, might be at stake if left in the hands of these savage interlopers.
Only one option remains.
28
With each strike of the Zin’za’s torpedoes, Kutal released a deep, wolfish laugh of unrestrained satisfaction.
“Continue bombardment!” he shouted to Tonar. “I want every one of those sites reduced to burning cinders.” A tactical overlay displayed on the main viewer showed him the current assessment of the orbital attack’s effectiveness, and he nodded in approval at what he saw. Of the sixteen sites determined to house active power sources which had come online as of their own accord, six of them had apparently been destroyed thanks to Tonar’s skilled marksmanship.
Whatever the ancient planetary defense system possessed in raw power, it seemed obvious to Kutal that it appeared to be lacking in something as basic as a means of protecting itself from attack. Perhaps the original designers had believed their offensive capabilities to be so superior as to nullify the ability of an enemy to counterattack. While Kutal could grasp and even admire such audacity, there was a fine line to be drawn between confidence and foolhardiness, and it appeared this world’s long-departed original inhabitants had chosen to travel on that divider’s wrong side.
Such are the fortunes of battle.
Kutal knew he was taking a risk by releasing the full fury of his vessel’s armaments, given the apparent importance the High Council placed on the plethora of ancient structures and artifacts littering the planet, which presumably also would include any weapons technology that might be hidden down there. Still, whoever or whatever now commanded the weaponry being used against his ship as well as the garrison on the surface could not be allowed to escape punishment for their actions. Those on the planet below, or by extension beings native to the Gonmog Sector and unfamiliar with the political realities of neighboring regions, would learn at Kutal’s hand the imprudence of daring to challenge the Klingon Empire.
It’s long past time we announced our presence in this sector with due authority.
“Adjusting orbit to bring us in line with the next set of targets, sir,” Kutal heard his helm officer report, and on the viewer he noted the angle of Palgrenax shift as the Zin’zamodified its position over the planet. The tactical overlay highlighted sites that already had fallen victim to the battle cruiser’s weapons; bright red circles were superimposed on the computer-generated map of the world’s natural topography.
“Sensors are continuing to register subterranean power sources,” Tonar called out. The tactical officer turned from his console to regard Kutal. “It appears there are redundant systems which are coming online to compensate for the primary targets we’re destroying.”
His brow furrowing as he rubbed his chin, Kutal nodded at the report. “Perhaps those original designers were not so shortsighted, after all. Factor the new targets into your firing scheme and relay revised coordinates to the helm.” To Lieutenant Kreq at the communications station, he asked, “Any contact with Morqla or the garrison?”
Kreq replied, “I’m unable to reach the governor, Captain, but I am continuing to get scattered reports from other officers on the ground. The battles continue, both with jeghpu’wI’as well as the new enemy. There are accounts of many casualties, though no reliable estimates as of yet.”
The report did nothing to assuage Kutal’s growing concerns. What was going on down there? Where had the strange attackers on the surface come from? Did they live underground, somehow shielded from the scrutiny of his vessel’s powerful sensors? Had they arrived from elsewhere, perhaps in another ship he somehow had failed to detect? Who controlled the mammoth network of weapons which had been deployed against his own ship? What other capabilities did they possess?
Swearing a particularly vile oath under his breath, Kutal rose from his chair and stalked toward the front of the bridge until he stood before the main viewscreen. He crossed his arms and watched as the Zin’za’s orbit shifted to align with the next targets called for by Tonar’s bombardment plan. The area of the planet now visible to him was still shrouded in darkness and dominated by dense cloud cover, preventing him from seeing the outlines of the continents or even those areas that now burned in the aftermath of orbital attack. His inability to see his targets only deepened the mystery surrounding the odd battle he now waged.
“New targets selected,” Kutal heard Tonar say from behind him. “All weapons are ready. I await your…”
When the rest of the customary report did not come, Kutal turned away from the viewer and saw the tactical officer hunched over his console, his face bathed in warm yellow as he peered with intense scrutiny at one of the sensor display monitors.
“Massive spikes in power readings are being detected across the planet,” Tonar finally said. “Geothermal activity is rising rapidly.”
“Helm, break orbit,” Kutal said, feeling the hair on the back of his muscled neck stand up as he considered the report. “Prepare for evasive maneuvering.” If their faceless enemy was preparing to unleash yet another weapon against his ship, he wanted to be ready.
Then Tonar whirled away from the tactical station, his eyes wide with terror. “Captain, the planet! We need to move away from it! Now!”
Frowning, Kutal turned back toward the viewer, muscles tensing in anticipation of a renewed attack from the surface. “What?”
Despite himself, the captain felt his mouth fall open in mute shock.
The rim of the planet seemed to glow as the blanket of clouds shrouding his view of the world below began to burn away before his eyes. Was it his imagination, or was he able to discern cracks in the very continents themselves, easily visible even from his vantage point thousands of qelI’qamsoverhead? Highlighted in bright orange as magma from deep within the planet’s crust was forced to the surface, the fractures appeared to widen and multiply with every passing heartbeat.
“What in the name of Kahless is this?” Kutal asked, though of course he expected no one on the bridge to answer. Whatever was causing the horrific scene before him, common sense told him that it could not possibly be a natural phenomenon. No indications of problems beneath the surface had been detected on any previous sensor scan. The only explanation for what he was seeing—as startling as it was to contemplate—was that it was the result of a deliberate act. Who or what could possess such power?
Ask your questions later!The mental rebuke stung with the force of a physical blow. Assuming you survive!
“Get us out of here!” Kutal shouted, pointing to his helm officer even as he pivoted on his heel and lunged for his chair at the center of the bridge. “Full impulse power!” Slamming his fist down on the arm of his chair with such force that he thought he might break the control pad embedded there, he shouted into the intercom, “Engineering! Stand by warp drive!”
“What about our warriors on the planet?” Tonar asked, his expression a mixture of shock and confusion. “We cannot leave them.”
“They’re already dead!” Kutal said, his attention riveted to the main viewer. The deck plates vibrated and even shifted slightly beneath his boots, the Zin’za’s harried maneuvering away from the planet coming so quickly that the ship’s inertial-dampening systems struggled to maintain balance for the robust yet still fragile living beings inside it. Below and far behind the bridge, the steady drone of the battle cruiser’s impulse engines increased to a whine that was transmitted across every surface of the ship as their power amplified in response to his orders. On the viewscreen, Kutal saw plumes of lava and magma hurled skyward from the surface as the tortured planet slid out of view.