WARLORDS OF ANDROMEDA

Chapter 4

Dargan felt he could detect a change in the air, a rise in ionic concentration possibly. And then Sartok went limp, his eyes rolling to the back of his head, collapsing. Dargan caught him before he hit the ground, but not before he morphed into female form. 

"So your male exterior is something you wear like a shield. The more sensitive side of you attuned to far off things is the dominant side. That's good to know."  

He shook her to awaken her. "What is it?" 

"A billion souls just went off line, courtesy of Nero. There's not a moment to lose." She nearly ripped herself out of his hands, but was still too weak to stand on her own. He had to balance her. "This madman will stop at nothing to consolidate his power. His father is dead. Before the word gets out, he feels he must commit enough great acts worthy of filling his shoes."  

"So the old man is dead. Small wins." 

"For Nero, it's all about appearance and grand gestures. He dazzles the eyes and the mind the way a magician uses sleight of hand, all with the intent of keeping the watcher's eyes off the truth of his own impotence."  

"It's still just a tale told to scare two idiots already trapped on a mountain top in the dead of night. Leastways, until you can get me off this accursed planet."  

She unexpectedly kissed him - but she had something else in mind beside his gratification. Dargan felt his energy draining, until he buckled at the knees, and she had to hold him up. She pulled away in time to keep from sucking the last bit of life out of him. 

As he gasped, she put her hand to the boulder beside her and Dargan saw in the twilight of this world an energy grid rising out of the ground.  

"What am I looking at?" 

"The energy meridians of the planet. Just as your body has them, so do all living things." 

"The planet is living?" 

"Moron. I don't have time for school. Do you notice anything?" 

"Yes, the lines converge at this mountain top. So much for your peculiar choice of home. I still don't know what this means." 

"We will need the planet to assist us by whipping up one of its storms. It is not yet time; she is out of alignment with her moon and sun." 

"You need the energy coursing through the planetary system to surge to some higher level?" 

"Yes, high enough to teleport us out of here." 

"Stunning, but damn inconvenient in a pinch. It would be better if you could solicit this response at will." 

"Forgive me if I'm feeling a little drained after experiencing the loss of a billion souls. The planet too feels it, so she is hardly at her best, either." 

"I'll forgive you when you put me in striking range of that madman." 

"For a moron, I like how you string thoughts together."  

"I can't believe I'm saying this, but kiss me like that again, and I'll kill you." Dargan was still panting and had to lean against the boulder to keep from falling. 

"You wanted to get out of here in a hurry." 

"So your race is vampiric by nature?" 

"No, it's just a backup system, like the nano infesting your body that allows you to wander this desert for weeks at a time without perishing."  

"No offense, but I like my methods better." 

"Just as well, if it helps you from becoming overly infatuated with me." 

"Lady, I'm a lot harder to scare off than that." 

She restrained a smirk. She clearly didn't like her feelings being read as easily as she read others.  

Lightning tore the sky. Clouds were drifting in like an armada of ships intent on crashing through the enemy without firing a shot. Thunder followed, and the earth shook. "Get ready," she said.