Gorn: A SciFi Romance

Chapter 1

Gorn

The massive translucent webbed porthole on the bridge of my doomed ship provides an excellent vista through which to view the Accretion disk of the supermassive black hole at the galactic core. Blazing streaks of white zip around so quickly they appear solid lines, stars which have succumbed to the inexorable pull of nature’s most powerful force.  Bits of scrap drift through my field of vision, some of them still aglow with the heat of the weapons fire which tore them from the hull. The floor beneath my feet vibrates as yet another explosion shudders the vessel.

“Are you just going to stand there drinking wine?”

I turn away from the porthole to face my captive, a human woman in a brightly printed floral two piece swimsuit. She snaps her dark hair out of her eyes with a jerk of her head and places her palm on the smooth convex edge of the force bubble trapping her on the bridge. 

“There seems to be little else for me to do, Ms. Kronus. It would appear I underestimated the resources your husband Zerebu could bring to bear.”

“You got that right, Lumpy.” She sneers at me through the translucent fore field. “You never should have interrupted our vacation on Glimner. You must have been out of your mind if you thought my baby would ever make weapons for you.”

“I had grown desperate, I admit.” I stride slowly past the apropos sized command console that Shem developed for me. Warning lights flash all over its surface, telling me what I already know; all ship systems are in critical failure. “Now there is nothing for me but to watch the death of my dream.”

Vera chuckles derisively.

“For galactic conquest?”

I turn to her and smile sadly before taking a sip of my Terran wine.

“For galactic peace, through force of arms. I am aware of the seeming dichotomy of my position, Ms. Kronus. There is no need to be rude.”

“Rude?” She puts her arms akimbo and glares through the bubble. “You want to talk about Rude? How about sending your thugs to drag me off the most beautiful beach I’d ever seen. Do you have any idea how hard it is for someone as protected as Zerebu to even get approved to take a vacation off world? Now that’s rude.”

“Don’t get yourself worked up. I’ll be paying for my crimes soon enough when your erstwhile husband and those cursed interlopers the Coalition Contras arrive.”

“The who?”

“Never mind. It is of little consequence.”

“Great, then let me go.”

I shrug and turn my back on her again.

“I’m aware of your reputation. I’d prefer to finish my drink at the least, while I watch my dream die.”

Vera laughs, but not mockingly.

“I’m reminded of Nero, fiddling while Rome burned.”

I turn about with a small smile on my lips.

“Ah, but in Nero’s case there was little to be done about the fires given his access to manpower and technology. Much of his madness was manufactured by his political opponents.”

Vera cocks her head to the side, lips pursed in a thoughtful frown.

“You know a lot about Earth leaders.”

“I study the great and famous leaders of all sapient races, my dear, and I dare say in  more depth than your educational system.”

“Hey, I slept through history class, all right? But I’m still surprised you haven’t fled.”

“There is no point in trying to save my own life.” I swirl the wine around in my glass, enjoying the floral elements of its fragrance. “I have already failed. My men are all dead or have long since fled. This magnificent ship will die along with its many secrets, and my last hope, the Oblitterons, turned out to be pacifists. Pacifists.”

I throw the wine glass across the massive bridge and it shatters against the far wall, leaving a crimson blotch on the smooth chromatic metal. The bridge had been designed for sapients of much greater height, so it’s more spacious than a shuttle’s cargo bay. All that does is magnify the echo of the shattered glass.

“I was a little surprised by that, myself.” Vera sighs and thumps her fist against the force bubble. “Come on, Gorn, let me out. You already admitted that you’ve lost.”

“If you are not present when  your husband and his minions arrive, I fear they might torture me. I’m hoping for a quick death, at the least.”

“How do you know they won’t arrest you?”

I walk over to her and smile wide, displaying all of my sharp teeth.

“Because I won’t allow them to. A warrior’s death is what I seek.”

A ship flashes past the porthole, and we both turn to watch it. A frown creases my scarred visage, because I don’t recognize its vaguely disc like design.

“Do the Contras have allies?” I mutter to myself.

The door to the bridge slides open, and I sigh in relief, thinking that my wait for death is over at last. However, it is not Zerberu or the Contras I see, but my own man, Shem. He staggers forward on a wounded leg, his hook nosed Grolgathian face contorted in panic.

“General Gorn, the Contras have penetrated the hull. They’re on their way here right now.”

“I gathered as much, Shem. Why have you not abandoned ship as I ordered?”

He draws himself up as much as his wounded leg will allow.

“Because I won’t abandon you, General, or your glorious purpose. Peace is worth any sacrifice I might make.”

“Indeed.” I gesture to him to come closer, and then put my arm around his shoulder. “In that case, can you take a look at a system for me?”

“Sure, of course I can.” We walk over to a series of six oval doorways, each with an alien number scrawled on its surface. Shem’s face wrinkles in confusion. “The escape pods? But I already hooked them up to my superluminal drive prototype, I don’t understand—“

I slam my fist on the panel next to the pod door, causing it to swivel open into the ceiling. Then I shove Shem hard on his back, making him fly into the pod.

“I’m sorry, Shem. I hope that you find glory on another path.”

I activate the pod, sending it launching out into space. 

“That was noble, Gorn.”

I turn back to face Vera, and scowl.

“Don’t be ridiculous. There was no need for him to give up his own life just because my own is forfeit.”

The door to the bridge cycles open, and I turn toward it, expecting to see my enemies, the Contras. Instead, there are three sapients I’ve never seen before, and one that I recognize in Zerberu. The others are a massively muscled, strangely handsome Odex, a Vakutan who appears to be in charge judging by his bearing, and a tall, lean Shorcu.

“Vera.” Zerberu rushes across the room and places his hands against the force bubble. His wife returns the gesture, and the sweet smile they share pierces my sentimental heart to the core. At least, I won’t have to resort to lowering myself any longer with abductions or murder, now that my plans have all failed. “Are you all right, my love?”

“I’m fine. Gorn’s twisted sense of honor won’t let him harm me. Can you get me out of this thing?”

“In a Jeffy. That is the human term, yes?”

“Close enough.”

While Zerberu fiddles with the console controlling the force bubble, the Vakutan steps forward and jabs a finger in my direction.

“General Gorn, by the authority invested in me by the Trident Alliance I herby—“

The Shorcu places his hand on the Vakutan’s shoulder, his three eyed head facing back down the corridor from whence they came.

“Gurtal, we have multiple life signs inbound on our position.”

“What?” the apparent Gurtal turns to peer that way as well. “How many?”

“Three. Looks like an Odex, a Pi’Rell, and a Shorcu.”

“That’s a weird line up. Are they Gorn’s men?”

The Odex turns to Gurtal and growls low in his throat.

“WE are a strange line up, as well.”

“And I can assure you all of my men have either died or long since fled.” I cock an eyebrow at their reaction. “Whoever is inbound, I assure you they are no friends of mine.”

Gurtal and his crew ready their weapons, and wait. The sound of running feet reaches my ears, and then my adversary Haru and his crew of misfits arrive, minus one I had been expecting. They slow to a halt, pointing their own weapons at Gurtal and his men.

“Who the fuck are you supposed to be?” Snarls Brax.

The tall Pi’Rell with Raith’Pa tattoos steps up as well, throwing knives held in his ready grasp.

“You would do well not to stand between us and Gorn. We are taking him into custody.”

I begin to laugh, which draws all six men’s gazes my way.

“Ah, my dear monk, I’m afraid that you will have to hash that out with these strangers Zerberu has brought into our midst. They also seem to believe that they’re going to take me prisoner.”

The two groups eye each other warily, until Gurtal lowers his weapon slightly.

“We’re here to arrest Gorn by the authority of the Trident Alliance. Do not interfere.”

Brax snarls and cracks his knuckles.

“Let me tell you something, Lumpy. We’re here to arrest Gorn by the authority of the Ataxian Coalition. You are the ones who are interfering.”

Haru snorts and shakes his shaggy head.

“We should just cut Gorn in half and arrest his corpse.”

Brax throws his head back and guffaws, filling up the bridge with the sound.

“Good one. It would be a shame to slay you, brother.”

“I was just about to say the same thing.” Haru’s eyes narrow. “Stand down. We were here first.”

Zerberu, in the meantime, has managed to shut off the force prison. He and Vera embrace, kissing each other wetly and noisily enough that we’re all distracted. Vera moans as he rubs his hand down the small of her back. Zerberu activates a device on his belt, and they both disappear, leaving only a floral printed swimsuit fluttering to the floor.

“Um, our client just vanished without paying us.” The Alliance Shorcu turns to Gurtal and shrugs.

“It was more a favor for Dowron, and besides, Zerberu’s good for it Me and him go way back.” Gurtal jabs a finger at his counterpart Brax. “Look, dingleberry, I don’t have any beef with you, but if you get in our way we’re going to take you down hard and fast.”

“Gentlemen.”

Both teams swing their gazes my way and I chuckle before taking a long pull straight from my wine bottle. I wipe away a line of crimson from my ridged chin and grin at them with just a bit of madness.

“You seem to be overlooking a critical detail. I’m not going to allow myself to be taken alive.”

Gurtal lets out a snort, and Brax guffaws.

“Like you can do anything to prevent it.” Gurtal shakes his head. “You’re not even armed.”

“Am I?” I brandish the segmented titanium sleeve on my right arm. “A master of Khur Lei needs no weapon.”

The tattooed Pi’Rell’s face is crossed with an incredulous scowl.

“You lie. There are only six masters of Khur Lei left in the entire galaxy.”

“I know.” I close my fist and grin. “And I have trained four of them personally.”

Brax turns toward the monk, arching his brow in query.

“What the hell is a curly master?”

“An incredibly dangerous opponent. Be wary.”

Gurtal rolls his eyes to the ceiling and stalks toward me, gun held lazily in the crook of his arm.

“C’mon, Gorn, the game is over. No archaic combat system is going to prevent you from cooling your heels in my brig.”

I wait until just before his hands close around my bicep before I lash out with a sudden, vicious head butt. My forehead crushes the bridge of Gurtal’s nose, and he falls down to the floor holding his bleeding face.

Everyone springs into action at once. Haru and Brax rush toward each other and engage in a classic Odex test of strength, each trying to force the other to literally knuckle under. Brax’s Shorcu throws a smoke bomb at his feet, disappearing into the shadows, while his Alliance counterpart moves to check on his fallen commander. The monk hurls his throwing knives, which I deflect with ringing sweeps of my gauntlet—all save for the last. That one I catch by the handle and send spiraling back toward him.

The Monk shouts and flattens himself on the floor, the knife sailing right through where his heart had been a moment before. I run forward, springing off the shoulder of Gurtal’s shorcu and smashing his face into the floor. The escape pods beckon. I’m not afraid of death, only capture. I will not be made a mockery of, some zoo exhibit for the powers that be to point at and mock, saying ‘here is the fate of all traitors.’

I leap inside of the pod and the door slides closed. At the last moment, a scaled hand grabs the edge and prevents it. The safety features kick in, and the door hastily withdraws.

“Going somewhere?” It’s the Coalition Shorcu, a magnetic tracking boomerang in his hand. “You’re going to answer for your crimes, Gorn.”

“Perhaps, but not at your behest.”

I twist in a tight circle and lash out with my foot, connecting solidly with his midsection. Ribs crunch, his mouth flies open, and he stumbles back out of the pod. The door, its path now clear, slams shut and I quickly hit the launch button.

Now for the risky part. As my pod drifts away from my dying ship, I activate Shem’s experimental superluminal drive. There’s no time to make any calculations, so I just set it to the first survivable vector to a livable planet. With such wide criteria, the computer makes the jump in seconds.

I scream as my whole body seems to stretch and taper into infinity. For a moment, I’m of infinite mass, and every one of my infinite particles is in abject agony.

Then I’m slammed back into normal space, the traumatic jump concluded. Alarms flash all over my HUD console. Shem’s experimental drive has severely damaged all ship systems. My spheroid streaks through the atmosphere of the unknown planet below, lighting up brighter than the sun as friction heats up the hull.

I see the ground rushing up toward me, the verdant green of a forest an indistinct blur, before I finally succumb to the g forces and everything goes black.