of his unconscious mind.
Kale, I'm here.
Father?!
Kale, you must fight the symbyte's control.
It speaks to me, Father; I don't know how to stop it.
Concentrate, Son, you're more powerful than it is; use your power to fight its takeover of your body. You've got to focus and take control back before it can gain anymore ground.
I'll try…it's hurting me!
Fight it, Kale!!
It hurts!!
Kale's body began to spasm on the floor of the compartment. Mirah quickly looked for something in her medical kit to sedate him and suppress the spasms. She pulled a hypo from the bag and went for her son's arm. Tiet grabbed her and stopped the effort. 'Wait, Mirah.'
I'm trying, Father! It hurts but I'm fighting it; Are you still there?
I'm here, Son. I'll never leave you.
His body continued the spasming as Mirah watched helplessly, wanting to intervene with her medical training, but knowing that something more mystical was happening between Tiet and Kale; something she had never quite been able to comprehend.
His trembling then began to quiet and his body became still. Within a few moments, with Mirah terribly concerned and recommencing her scanning, Kale began to breathe normally and his heart rate normalized. Then his eyes opened to everyone's relief.
Mirah fell on him kissing his cheek, as he turned to look at his father. Kale reached for Tiet's hand and grasped it tightly.
'Thanks,' said Kale weakly.
Tiet only squeezed his son's hand tighter.
'What's going on?'
'It's still with me, Mother. I can't kill it.' He looked at Tiet again. 'I can't kill it.'
Tiet squeezed his hand again. 'We'll figure out something, Son, don't worry.'
'Where are we going?'
'We're going to escape the planet; Grod has a way. Just rest, for now.'
Kale laid his head back on the rolled up jacket that was serving as a pillow, while Mirah continued to conduct scans of the organism inhabiting his body. She knew it would be up to her to find a way of removing it; if there even was a way to remove it.
XIX
GROD paced the cabin compartment of the transport as they approached the area of Nagon-Toth. He had not informed his two remaining soldiers of the fate of their home, of their families. Once they passed over a few more ridges the compound would be in sight.
He looked out the window through the front of the ship and saw a column of black smoke rising up beyond the farthest ridge ahead. His heart sank at the thought of his own wife and all of the families that had perished. His rage was kindled again, and he wanted nothing more at the moment than to be face to face with as many of those creatures as he might be able to put his lethal grip upon.
Grod looked at Emil, still unconscious, but apparently doing fine even with the symbyte in his body and Grod's emotions settled again on what was best for his future. He had to think responsibly about saving his son from the infestation of this planet. Then he looked again at his men and decided now was the time to let them in on the fate of their brethren.
'Jael, Merab…'
'Yes, Sir,' they said.
'I have something to tell you and it won't be easy for you to hear.'
His men looked at him, puzzled at what he was about to say to them. Wynn watched the exchange from the navigator/weapons console chair. He could see Grod trying to control his own anger and frustration as he told them what had happened to their fellow Horva and their wives and children.
He felt bad for him as a leader having to break that kind of news to his men. He could see the rage crossing over the faces of the soldiers as the realization of what had happened gripped them. They looked forward through the windshield of the ship and he followed their gaze to see the huge plume of black smoke rising above the area ahead where Nagon-Toth was supposed to be.
Jael rose to his feet and walked to the bulkhead across the compartment; he couldn't stand to hear anymore of it. Grod lowered his head as he sat before Merab who was still looking at the column of smoke in disbelief. Jael slammed a fist into the wall of the transport so hard Wynn was sure he must have broken several bones in his hand, but he did not cry out for pain.
'I want them dead!' said Merab from his seat.
'I know, Merab, but…'
'DEAD!!' he shouted.
Grod just looked at him. What could he say? He felt the same way and the only way he was controlling his own rage was his responsibility to his son, but their children were dead; they had nothing left.
Wynn continued to watch the two men as they fought to keep their control within the confines of the transport. The walls were closing in on them now as their rage grew.
Wynn found it a little difficult to empathize; he had never married. He was used to being alone and had grown to like it. The closest he had ever been to having a family was mentoring Tiet and continuing his training after the death of Orin Vale.
Then he thought about Kale lying back on the compartment floor with a symbyte fighting for control of his body and mind and it hit him. Kale had been his pupil with his father from the time he could walk and he loved him like a son. His reaction to almost losing him back at the clearing among the symbyte soldiers had been to immediately jump out of the transport, risking his own life, without a second thought, to save the boy. Kale was stable for the moment, but Wynn could understand now how much more terrible it must be for these men.
The transport finally sailed beyond the Korsov ridge and into view of Nagon-Toth. The entire basin was charred from the blast. The remains of the compound were nothing more than charred shrapnel and fiery debris on the basin floor. All of the Horva men were pressed to side viewing windows as they passed over the site.
The devastation was unbelievable. Wynn conducted a life scan quietly at his console even though he was sure what the result would be. The computer sounded an alert: 'No life readouts within specified parameters.'
Grod and his men turned at the voice. Wynn was embarrassed that the men had heard it. They all looked at him helplessly. The scan only punctuated the aching in their hearts at the sight of the smoldering ruins and lost family members.
Tiet began to bring the ship into a descent toward the impact crater beyond the sight of the compound. He recognized it as the same place where Kale's trials had been conducted. He looked back to Grod, 'Is that it?'
He nodded back. 'The entrance to the underground compound is in the southern wall of the crater. We'll land and get inside quickly.'
'If the symbytes are tracking us…'
'They have to be,' said Wynn.
'Then it won't take them long to get their forces here,' said Tiet. 'How fast can you get the ship ready to depart?'
'Prep for the ship and the transgate will take twenty minutes; the ship has never been out of the bunker. I also need a little time to set the detonation system for the bunker; I'm not leaving this planet without taking out as many of those things as I can.'
'But, we'll have to wait for them to get into the bunker to do that,' protested Mirah.
