RED KNIGHT
a STAR FRONTIERS Novel
by Layne K. Saltern
I stepped from the shadows. In my arms sat a full-size sonic devastator which glared at the Vrusk, warning him not to flinch. "You never told me you were a computer expert," I said.
Tulk'n faced me with a smile. His eyes pierced through me from behind his red-rimmed goggles. "Kro'khan, my friend. I wasn't expecting you. I just dropped in see why the heating unit wasn't working."
"Get away from the terminal," I said. "It all stops here."
"What are you talking about?"
"Where should I begin? How about how you sneaked aboard the Cavalier and caused it to self-destruct? I saw you at the ship the evening we arrived, but I didn't know it was you at the time. You activated a program that fired up the Cavalier's atomic engines at full power without any release. That's what caused the nuclear explosion the next morning.
"Zap Xid'kit had copied several files from the starship's computer so that he could continue his astrogation work. When he found your self-destruct program among them, he tried to tell me. We had had a conversation on the same subject during the voyage here. But you found out what Zap was doing and tried to kill him before he could blow your cover."
Tulk'n shook his head. "Kro'khan, you're overworked, and you're recovering from a bad accident. Why don't we go somewhere where you can get some help? I was attacked as well. Don't you remember?"
"That was a pathetic setup. Why was your shoulder only slightly scathed? You shot yourself with a low power blast, perhaps using your full length mirror to reflect the shot back to your shoulder. That way, it wouldn't look like a point-blank wound. You smashed your own window and fired two fake return shots. The story you gave always bothered me because you said that your attacker broke your window from the outside. It that were so, why would most of the glass have been out in the hallway?
"The next day you purposely let me know about your late night meeting with Katrina. Your plan was to draw me away from Admiral Zhelk so that you could kill him."
"How could I kill him if I was with you and Katrina at the time?" demanded Tulk'n.
"You set up a remotely controlled laser in the bushes. As soon as we arrived at the scene of the admiral's death, you ran over to dismantle it. Voar and I searched the soil beneath the bushes and found a gear that was left from the laser's mounting device."
"Then you tried to frame Thibaut by openly making accusations and by planting his chameleon spheres in the refrigeration unit where you stored Krenny's body. If the spheres were placed to convince me of Thibaut's guilt, then it had to be you. You were the only one that saw me watching Thibaut play with the spheres, and therefore the only one who knew that I knew he had them.
"At first I thought it might have been Thibaut that I was chasing outside the dining area. But that possibility was ruled out when I saw how fast you were running. Vrusk can move much faster than Humans. Had it been Thibaut I was chasing, I would have caught up with him.
"But the part of the whole thing that concerns me most is the manner in which the Cavalier was destroyed. The only program I know of that does what you did was designed by the Sathar!"
Kel'krich wasn't smiling anymore, but his stone eyes were still locked on mine. "Congratulations, Kro'khan. But you're too late. I've already set the base's nuclear power generators to blow a crater on the face of this planet. But don't worry, my friend. I did leave myself enough time. . .to kill you!"
My face had never been so rigid. "I've put an end to more Sathar agents than I could count. One more won't make any difference."
Tulk'n took a step forward. "For too long, I've kept my true talents hidden. Go ahead, Kro'khan. Fire your weapon. Find out who I really am!"
I should have guessed that he was an expert in the martial arts. As I pulled the trigger, he swooped floorward like a bird of prey. He crushed my trigger hand with a heel, then leaped into my face and struck me twice before we hit the ground. I was on my side. He was on his feet.
I grabbed my laser pistol. He flew airborne, kicked my arm, snatched my gun, and struck me under the chin with it.
He was ahead of me as I reached for my backpack. A blinding laser bolt from my own pistol turned it into vapor.
"I don't need this," said Tulk'n. He cast my laser pistol out of the room. "This is going to be an honest bare handed fight: slow, fun and painful!"
From the floor I looked up at him. In the corner of my eye I could see my laser pistol. It was lying beyond the door, out in the main area.
"Go ahead, Kro'khan," taunted my opponent. "Run out the door. I could stop you if I wanted to. Run. Take a head start."
I scrambled to my feet, bumping against the doorway on my way out. He would have expected me to run straight for the weapon, so I dived sideways into the cover of the bushes instead. Calling upon my stealth training, I crawled soundlessly from one clump of vegetation to the next. . .until I came to the grinning face of another Vrusk who had hidden himself in the bushes.
"Unpredictable but unimpressive," said Tulk'n.
He turned, and with four legs in unison knocked me out into the open. I skidded across the smooth floor and began clawing for breath.
The floor seemed to tilt. I suddenly felt an overwhelming urge to vomit, and I couldn't pull myself up.
Tulk'n was standing over me. "You don't look too good." His voice faked pity. "Are you having another weakness session? Rather clever of me to put you out of commission by setting off that device in the medical supply room, eh? Well, you're not much fun to fight now. I have an appointment to keep with my Sathar superiors. Meanwhile, you can blow up with the rest of this station once the nuclear reactors reach critical mass. Ah yes, look at how your toxy-rad gauge is glowing red. The reactors are starting to flood this place with radiation as we speak. Time for me to make my graceful exit. Die well, my friend." With that, he turned to leave.
The level of radiation continued to rise. The radiation. Of course! The radiation! My hand slowly curled into a fist.
"Tulk'n," I said. The Vrusk turned back towards me--and got backhanded across the skull. He growled and clutched at my neck, only to get himself thrown across the room.
He landed on his feet, but almost lost his balance. "What the--"
I couldn't see very well. Everything around me seemed to glow with the same intense color: red.
Red. He charged at me, but I cut off his attack with a hammering fist to the face.
Red! My left fist pounded harder, knocking his head to the side. The blow stunned him for just an instant.
RED! My third punch cracked his jaw and knocked him to the floor.
RED!!! He tried to run. I grabbed his body and hurled it full force into the wall. His joints crunched under the impact.
I fell to my knees, on the verge of passing out.
The last thing I saw was Tulk'n on the floor, pulling his broken body like a frightened, crushed bug.
The base was about to blow up, and it would take me with it. My mind replayed images of Admiral Zhelk, whom I had let die. I had stopped the Red Knight, at the cost of my own life.
How appropriate.