Space Drifters: The Iron Gauntlet: Space Drifters, #2

Chapter 1

Another Reason

to Hate Glowing Orbs

Although I’d just set foot on the blue sands of the alien planet, I knew the ambush was coming. The somber grey sky added an extra layer of creepy to the barren waste. The moon slithered between the procession of dark clouds, casting uneven patches of light across the terrain.

The air was dry and smelled of ash. Low hills spread out before me covered with the white stones of an old, ruined civilization, collapsed pillars leaning like weary guardians planted long ago in the ancient sand. In the distance an ivory temple with a domed roof rose above the landscape. A soft glow came from within, which made it a safe bet that the sphere I was after was inside.

All I had to do was get there without dying.

I drew the thin, black laser pistol holstered at my side and powered it to full. It emitted a high-pitched noise, like a kitten trapped in a well. Finally a soft bell went off as a little green light on the barrel lit up to indicate it was ready to fire. I looked down at the small gun and sighed. I was thoroughly embarrassed to be holding such a feeble weapon.

Something shuffled across the sand nearby.

I crept behind a collapsed archway and flattened against the chalky surface. In the clearing before me were several fallen pillars leaning against a crumbling stone table. A small figure huddled in the shadows. I froze, taking shallow breaths to remain noiseless.

The dark, olive green head of a moon goblin peeked out from the table. His beady black eyes took in the clearing in a series of twitchy glances, and then he dashed into the open, heading for a nearby pillar. I spun clear of the archway, the barrel of my pistol moving in sync with the fleeing creature. A squeeze of the trigger and two sprite-like blasts of green energy rocketed into the goblin. He ignited and fell headlong into the fine sand. A soft cloud of blue dust hovered around his fallen form. Within moments, all that remained was a skeleton lying motionless on the planet’s surface.

I grinned and lifted the gun to my chin, blowing at the smoking barrel. Take that.

Hey, the fallen goblin skeleton sat up, facing me. His skull was of course expressionless, so I could only guess what he was thinking. He pointed a skeletal finger at me. You said it wouldn’t hurt.

No. I waved my pistol like the correcting finger of a parent. "I said it wouldn’t hurt much. I just mumbled the much part so you wouldn’t hear."

The goblin skeleton stood and rubbed its skull. Well, that’s deceptive, which is just as bad as lying.

Yes, only much trickier, I said. Stick around. You might learn something from me.

"Learn from this," a voice called out behind me.

I turned just in time to see a dark-blue pantherwoman leaping toward me, hind paws first. The thick paws thudded against my chest and launched me backward. A rough landing on the sand knocked the wind out of me.

I rolled to my side, struggling to catch my breath, the ashen air burning my lungs as I gasped. The pantherwoman had vanished, and my pistol was half buried in the sand a few feet away. My hands and knees kicked up blue dust as I scrambled toward it. A freem before it was in my grasp, the dark paws of the pantherwoman landed on it. The frail pistol broke into black shards. A dim green light flashed under the paws for a moment before fading away.

My, my. The pantherwoman retrieved a heavy laser rifle from her back and trained it on my head. Alone and unarmed in the cobalt sands. That stings.

Not as much as this. I grabbed the last concussion pellet from my belt and threw it toward her. It exploded near her head in a white cloud of smoke. She let out a small scream as I rolled to my feet and sprinted away.

I threaded a quick path through the crumbling structures, looking toward the horizon. It wasn’t long until my goal lay before me—a large, whitewashed temple. A brief sprint brought me under the shadow of the thick pillars that encircled the open-air temple, supporting the dome-shaped roof. It sat high above the surrounding landscape at the peak of a stone stairway. A bright yellow glow shone from within.

I raced up the stairs, checking behind now and again for pursuers. At the top of the stairs, I saw the object of my quest—a golden sphere resting on a pedestal. It bathed the area in its radiant light.

The temple was most likely riddled with traps, but I had no time to play it cautious. I crept forward on the balls of my feet, ready to dive away at the first sound of a trap being triggered. Near the pedestal the golden light was blinding. A soft twinkling of bells rang in my ears, and pleasant waves of heat emanated from the sphere that lay within arm’s reach.

It was all too easy.

I took a deep breath and steadied myself. In one fluid motion I grabbed the sphere and rolled away to avoid the inevitable falling cage or collapsing floor. As I rolled to a stop, the golden light went dim. The planet’s cold blue light crept in, and I suddenly felt like I was in a tomb.

An eerie sound came from the ceiling overhead, as if a torrent of hail was falling. Within a few sickening moments, dozens of space monkeys scrambled into view, their hideous forms pouring down the surrounding pillars. They came from all sides and at such frightening speed I knew I’d be trapped. Their piercing screeches filled the air and echoed against the marble floor. I leapt to my feet in pure terror, the sight of space monkeys churning my stomach. Mangy, orange fur … grasping claws … never-blinking bloodshot eyes.

The sphere in my hands went dark as if to confirm my doom, and a deep bellow came from outside the temple. There was a sharp, screeching commotion from the monkey ranks and they scampered away, clearing a wide path.

The broad shadow of an approaching creature fell over them, and in the blue moonlight I saw a nasty looking beast. He stepped into the temple, a disturbing combination of gorilla and rhino, tufts of black fur intermingling with his thick, grey hide.

The creature flashed poisonous green eyes at me, and a broad, fang-toothed grin spread across its mouth. O foolish man of dark designs. You have availed naught but a farce. He raised his hands in a theatrical flourish. The false light of your darkened path has led you to ruin. Now behold your calamity and indulge in lamentations. It broke into a victorious, mocking laugh.

I hesitated for a moment. Um … what?

The beast put its hands on its hips and let out an agitated growl. Your calamity. It motioned to the surrounding monkeys. The chosen farce. He pointed at the dim sphere in my hands. He nodded as if waiting for me to understand something simple.

I shrugged. Were the nearby translators working?

The beast sighed, looking defeated. It’s a decoy sphere. You chose the wrong one and now you’re surrounded and you lose. Got it?

Oh. I nodded. So, you’re saying I’ve lost.

He motioned to the monkeys again. I believe that’s apparent.

I stepped toward him. But … what if I already found the real sphere, then switched it with your decoy just to add personal insult to your defeat?

The beast folded his arms and huffed a laugh. Preposterous. The only way to—

He was cut short as I chucked the sphere at his head. He threw up his hands to block it as I sprinted past.

The broad path between the monkey ranks still remained, so I bolted right through it. The monkeys screeched in fury and closed ranks, their clawed fingers reaching for me. Two of them leapt into my path, blocking the escape. I threw caution to the wind and dove toward them, but the mangy fur of their disgusting, gangly bodies covered me. I retched, struggling to keep down breakfast. The impact sent us all tumbling down the stairs in a painful tangle of fur and skin.

There were several freems of jolting collisions and monkey screeching before I reached the base of the stairs. The soft sand of the planet’s surface brought me to a stop. As I looked up into the night sky, I heard a few creatures approaching. Spinning into a threatening fighting stance was my first thought, but my body had other plans. After the nasty spill down the stairs, all I could do was lie there, gasping for air.

The hulking gorilla beast loomed over me. Clumsy and predictable. He gave a patronizing shake of his head. Not to mention ineffective.

The pantherwoman walked up on the opposite side. She looked down at me and sighed. Well, he lasted a bit longer this time.

The moon goblin skeleton joined her. He cocked his skull to the side as if confused by my condition. He doesn’t look so good. Maybe we should take a break.

Quite right, Nelvan. The gorilla beast looked skyward and raised his voice. End training simulation.

The sky dissolved, and the black paneled, vaulted ceiling of a virtual training room took its place. We’d landed at Quingrilloc space station this morning; it was known for its sim training rooms. It was also known for its taxidermy, the passageways from room to room being lined with the preserved forms of alien creatures frozen in hideous states of aggression.

Quingrilloc was our last stop on the way to the superplanet Fantasmica, home of the Iron Gauntlet challenge, and my last opportunity to prepare for the dangerous games I’d been selected to compete in.

The goblin skeleton faded away, replaced by a worried-looking Nelvan. He reached down to me. Captain, you okay?

I waved a hand dismissively. Course I’m okay. I stood too quickly, attempting to prove my strength. My head started spinning, and I stumbled.

The pantherwoman rushed to my side. Glint, I think Nelvan’s right. You should rest a bit. The pantherwoman illusion dissolved and there was Jasette, looking as beautiful as ever. Her blue and silver streaked hair was done up in a tight braid, draped across her shoulder like she’d tamed some exotic snake.

Captain, this is not good. The gorilla beast faded away and there stood Blix, my copper-scaled first mate. He was still shaking his head at me. The competitor reception is tonight and the first challenge starts tomorrow. You’re nowhere near ready.

Maybe this isn’t such a good idea. Subtle lines of concern filled Nelvan’s face. I’ve been hearing brutal stuff about this Iron Gauntlet competition on the uniweb. The captain could really get hurt.

I’m fine, I lied. I got this. I snapped my black ­kandrelian-hide jacket taut to emphasize my confidence. Truth be told, my body was exhausted. We’d only gone through two training simulations, but since my exercise regimen is spotty and my food choices are generally covered in a thick, greasy batter, my stamina wasn’t optimal.

Blix narrowed his reptilian gaze at me and grinned. Then perhaps we should raise it up to level five, eh, Captain? He rubbed his hands together like an excited child.

Simulated or not, it was all too real once the illusion started. Even though the permanent damage limiters were activated, the bumps and bruises were enough to make my insides all twitchy.

Still, I couldn’t look weak in front of my crew. I gave him a look of determination. Bring it on, lizard boy.

Blix’s lips parted, revealing twin rows of sharp teeth. He gave a low hiss. Indeed I will. He signaled to the others. Places everyone. Instructions and armaments will be waiting for you.

Wait, Blix. Jasette looked at me, her face tense. I think we should take that break.

Blix turned to Jasette with a hostile glare. She shook her head. He exhaled deeply and slouched down. Oh, very well.We’ll take a ten jemmin break.

Um, Nelvan furrowed his brow. I forget. A jemmin is an earth minute, right?

Very similar. Blix said.

Nelvan, you’ve gotta lose those old earth terms, I said. Zorwellian Gate time is a superior calendar. Forget about seconds, minutes, and hours, it’s freems, jemmins, and trids. And no more months or years, it’s montuls and gloons. Got it?

Nelvan gave an unconvincing nod. I think so.

The wide, steel door to the control room slid open and a technician in a grey jumpsuit peered in. If you’re all done in here, we need to cycle the sim emitters.

Blix motioned to him. Yes, we’ll take a short break.

The technician nodded. Okay, the snack room is open.

Ah, snacks. A broad smile covered Blix’s face. Just what we need to prepare for the next training.

Yeah. Nelvan held his stomach. I’m really hungry. It’s not that weird frozen worm thing again, right?

Blerk tendrils, Blix corrected. Unfortunately, no. The fare here is far more pedestrian. Mostly fried meats and crispy foods.

Nelvan let out a sigh of relief.

You two go ahead, Jasette said. We’ll catch up.

Blix led Nelvan from the room and Jasette turned to me. She took a deep breath, which of course meant trouble. She’d obviously spent time thinking over something I was unaware of and had come to a conclusion.

Jasette paused, her eyes locked onto mine. You don’t have to do this. There’s still time to back out of the competition.

Her words caught me off guard. Instead of my relationship inadequacies, she was talking about the deadly Iron Gauntlet, which for some reason at the moment seemed less frightening than navigating an adult relationship. Even though it was dangerous, I had already resigned myself to the competition. It was a quick path to getting the kind of money necessary to change my situation. Winning the Iron Gauntlet and nabbing a million vibes meant a better ship, high-end equipment, and a shot at upscale clientele that actually paid well for missions. My current pool of thug employers had a bad habit of trying to kill you to get out of paying for completed assignments. Too many gloons scraping by as a star pilot for hire and living on bare essentials was enough to drive a person insane—I had reached my fill of the meager life and was ready to risk it all to turn my life around.

I had to reassure her that the competition was my best shot. Why would I back out? There’s a million vibes out there with my name on them.

Or a tombstone, she said.

I tapped at the Emerald Enigma, the gemstone hanging from my neck. I’ve got this. I’ll be fine.

That thing is dangerous. She pointed at my chest. Remember Grizzolo? You want to end up a cautionary tale too?

She had a good point. The thought of turning into a spider-legged, corpse-skinned freak was definitely not part of my plan. But this was a chance of a lifetime. How could I let it slip by?

I’m tired of struggling just to survive, I said.

I understand Glint, but you can’t be so reckless.

A painful memory hit, and before I could stop myself it spilled out. I guess I should play it safe like my parents did. Slaving away every day in ‘safe’ jobs, earning enough for a meager living. Until an alien virus sweeps through our city and takes out half the population. It sure worked out well for them, didn’t it? Her face tightened. I paused, wishing I could take back my words. I’m sorry. Look, my head’s a mess right now. I made it a habit not to bring up painful memories from childhood. It was like putting a dagger in an old wound. Somehow in the emotional rush of the impending challenge and my growing connection with Jasette, that pain jumped to the surface. I had to stuff it down and convince her that I knew what I was doing.

I moved closer and fixed her with a confident gaze. Look, all I know is: life’s a gamble no matter which path you take. You might as well make it a good gamble, right?

I’m sorry about your parents. I had no idea.

I nodded. Yeah, me too.

She grabbed my hand. I never said to play it safe, just don’t play it crazy, okay?

I shook my head. It’s not crazy, the Enigma will—

Jasette put a finger over my lips, stopping my words. Just promise me you’ll think about what I said, okay?

Okay.

She gave me