Chapter 16

Why had Vage not made any move ? Instead he stood there grinning stupidly at him. If Vage wanted to kill him, Calk thought, then he should better get it over with and fast, then he saw Vage lift his right arm into the air.

"Rode", Vage communed telepathically, "that'll do, I think Calk has had enough."

But Rode was persistent, he wanted to take his pound of flesh, and his paws kept crashing upon the shield. What was wrong with this creature ? Calk shivered. Rode finally stopped, his paws resting on the shield as he growled furiously. He had been denied something which he desperately wanted, but Vage was his master and he didn't have any choice but to obey. Letting go, Rode turned around and walked away, but like a torn tendon, he spun around and struck again, charging at the shield his paws landed like halos making it quake without giving way for the infuriated beast to go through. Calk's heart leapt to his throat due to Rode's sudden reaction, now he felt his knees knocking against each other, he had never been afraid of a cosmic beast his entire life, he had always controlled them and they in turn served him to death. But this one - this was a mad beast - Calk's gaze once again fell on Vage who was still grinning and eyes were still on fire, it was just too hard for him to deny his pet of what was rightfully his - vengeance. It was just like denying himself the same thing, they were one and they felt it all as one.

Rode finally stopped pounding at the shield, his breaths enflamed as he panted and growled, and his eyes boring into Calk's mind, letting go of the shield, he walked away. "Don't come back, just go to Vage", Calk hoped silently as he watched the cosmic beast take his leave, it suddenly stopped, Calk's breath froze, not this again ! Rode only turned his head backwards, giving one last beastly look at Calk, he leapt to the skies in the form of a halo and dove into his astral cage, then descended as the normal panther which he once was, landing at the side of Vage.

Calk was relieved, still Vage grinned, with both his and Rode's eyes still flaring, Calk couldn't tell what they had next in mind.

Vage stared at the holographic screen which had projected itself before his wrist, the message was brief, and it read :

I'M HAVING A PARTY WITH SOME CLOWNS, DO YOU MIND TAKING PART IN THE FUN ?

"I don't Thorace", Vage replied to himself, "I'll be there in a moment", lifting his gaze to confront the now shaken Calk Xan once again, "after I clear away this garbage." Staring at Rode, Vage said his eyes flaring gold.

"I'll make sure he doesn't ever find his way here, isn't that right Rode ?"

Growling, Rode replied, "Yes indeed."

That multigeometric structure projected itself on Vage's palms, creating unique confirmations by changing the positions of the shapes. A red Sea of glistening waves flooded Calk's fleet, concealing everything around them. Calk hoped that this wasn't another cruel trick of Vage's, he just couldn't handle seeing another furious cat.

Clearing away, the haze unveiled a now disappeared cosmic arcade, and the Talon was nowhere to be seen. Staring at his cosmic compass Calk realized the entire truth surrounding this strange scenario. Vage hadn't disappeared, it was he, Calk, that had been taken somewhere else, somewhere outside the route that would lead them back home, now they were lost in the wilderness, lost !

"Vage Verzak !" Calk yelled to the astral skies, his voice echoing the bitterness within his soul.

*** *** ***

This expanse quaked and the turbulence was unceasing, the clanging of steel and massive armour. This wasn't a cosmic plain or an astral expanse, the rocky mountains and the blazing suns - twelve in all - depicted this place as an asteroid, but it was far from being one, it wasn't even an asteroid. These types of plains were known as Astral Stereo-asteroids, or simply ASA, and this was where the conflict was taking place.

The battleships crashed into each other as their massive bladed and rugged plates dug into the armour of their target, with the halos from their ray-guns covering the expanse like a thunderstorm, it was chaos at its peak, the very apex of interstellar warfare. The groups could be distinguished by the flags they bore, two in all, one black bearing the emblem of a skull, while the other which was brown bore the emblem of a mace, and it seemed like the former were the majority in this battle as they surrounded the battleship bearing the emblem of the mace.

Thorace's palms slid across the holographic screen before him as he battled with the controls of his battleship - the Mace. Beside him stood an antelope who's bronze antlers and hooves glistened along with its rubied eyes, it snorted as it stared at the holographic screen, taking short glances at its master who was buried within the battle at hand.

"We're outnumbered", said the antelope, "and you know that Thorace."

"Well", Thorace sighed, "you're right Trident, we are, so what do you suggest we do."

"The ship can take care of itself", Trident replied, "it's designed for auto-combat, isn't it ?"

"Of course Trident."

"Instead of keeping me bored by watching you play cannons and bubblegum, why don't we step up the gear," Trident snorted.

"Are you sure of that Trident ?" Thorace continued.

"Are you doubting me !" Trident fired. "My antlers have been itching for a battle for more than seven cosmic days and you keep me waiting here while you're busy playing the role of a ship that can take care of itself. These punks are really trashing us from inside here, I think it's high time we had thought these feudal minions what being a true pirate is, but we can't do that hiding here and you annoy me by acting as if you don't know what's going on in my head all this time, making me feel like we don't share a bond."

Thorace didn't reply, the only thing that key moving were his palms gliding over the holographic screen.

"Thorace !" Trident yelled. "Can't you hear me ?"

"Fine Trident", Thorace said, "take it easy, I was only refreshing my aptitude on battling with cannons, from what I've seen, I think I need more practice, I missed several shots that could have given us an advantage - and you're right", he said grinning at Trident, "we're outnumbered."

"Five against one", Trident noted, "and you're sure that Vage and Rode are going to come ?"

"Vage is quite of a pendulum that doesn't stop swinging, I think he's dealing with some other concern of his", Thorace held his jaw thoughtfully, "but we don't need him to win our own battles, do we ?"

"Of course we don't," Trident affirmed.

"Then let's show them the consequences of confronting a cosmic pirate," Thorace said as his fingers slid over the holographic screen creating that geometric configuration setting the ship up for auto-combat.