Astral Tides: The Shadows of Uhmakhet

By Nicholas Kory

The excursion to Eravice ends with a bang as the crew flees the core planet, leaving destruction and a very angry Palorian crime lord in their wake. But even as they cross enemies off their list, more are added by the very hour. Now with a loftier goal in mind, Daltir leads his crew to the Outer Rim once more, in search of a planet left for dead. What waits for the crew on the war-torn world of Folir? How far is Daltir willing to push his crew? And what sort of alliances is he willing to make - and break - in order to uncover the secrets kept in THE SHADOWS OF UHMAKHET?

Continuing the exciting, space fantasy saga of the ASTRAL TIDES series, The Shadows of Uhmakhet sees the return of our space pirate crew as they sail out into the black, desperately trying to stay one step ahead of the Council of Allied Systems, and other pirates!

• Language: English
• Publisher: Nicholas Kory
• Release date: Nov 20, 2015
• ISBN: 9781311064158

Nicholas Kory

Nicholas Kory is a twenty-something Science-Fiction/Suspense/Horror author from central Minnesota. He is pursuing his career in creative writing while balancing his home life with a wife, daughter, and baby on the way, two jobs, and involvement in community theater. He is never happy with his own work and constantly struggles with deciding when it's finished and good enough for readers. It is his dream to write and publish books full time while following his other passion - tabletop game development. You can follow visit nicholaskory.com to follow his blog, 'Experience Points', where he catalogs everything he's learning in the world of self-publishing and independent game design.

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Astral Tides

Book Four: The Shadows of Uhmakhet

Nicholas Kory

ASTRAL TIDES: THE SHADOWS OF UHMAKHET is ©2019 Nicholas Kory. All rights reserved.

ISBN# 978-1-68454-475-2

This is a work of fiction, and any similarity to any person, living or deceased, is pure coincidence and unintentional.

Reproduction in whole or in part of this publication without express written consent is strictly prohibited. Your purchase of this book, and support of Nicholas Kory, is greatly appreciated. Please consider leaving a review wherever you made this purchase, or telling your friends about it, to help spread the word.

Thank you for your support.

Thank you for purchasing this book! If you like this story, and want more information on upcoming titles, then I invite you to stop by my website at nicholaskory.com. If you have any questions, comments, or concerns for me, feel free to reach out to me via email at [e-mail].

Thanks for your support! It’s what keeps me going as an author and game designer.

The Astral Tides Series:

Astral Tides Book One: Rimward (2015)

Astral Tides Book Two: The Huntmaster (2016)

Astral Tides Book Three: Eravice (2016)

Astral Tides Book Four: The Shadows of Uhmakhet (2019)

My other titles include:

Elephants in the Living Room (2007)

Cybersaurus: The Awakening (2014)

Behind the Locked Door (2016)

And my game design and tabletop role playing products include:

Round 10: Role-Playing Game Core Rulebook (2013)

This book is for Antonio, for all of the stories we’ve shared (always too few).

And for Corey, who helped me realize the importance of storytelling, even while we were both so young.

Also for Joe, for all of your help even when I felt as lost in this story as Daltir.

Astral Tides

Book Four: The Shadows of Uhmakhet

Nicholas Kory

Chapter I

Starstorm, Tevria City, Eravice

Daltir Stone boarded the Starstorm almost as soon as its gang plank connected with the sky pier, followed closely by Merrill, Thad, and Allesi. The ship was floating high above Tevria City, the lights of the Core-world metropolis looking like a sea of neon blue, yellow, and magenta stars far below. The night wind was strong, and the humming engines and spinning turbines of the Starstorm were ever-present. Daltir strode across the deck, towards the helm, climbing the stairs up to where Firiz stood behind the wheel. Merrill directed the other two, leading them down to the crew commons below.

Stone stopped at the base of the steps, turning and watching as Allesi followed her quartermaster below deck. Suddenly, he felt a strange sense of urgency grasp him. He stood still, his hand on the bronze-colored rail that swept up from the main deck to the command deck above. Having James present on the Starstorm would complicate matters for them. The best bet, as far as Daltir could tell, was to keep James hidden, at least for now. The fewer people knew he was on their ship, the better.

The captain swung around the rail and climbed up towards the helm. Report, he said, stopping about two steps below the command deck, looking up at Firiz.

Our three guests are down in the commons, Firiz said.

Daltir’s eyebrows shot up. They’re ALL awake?!

Firiz face-palmed in frustration, his six-fingered, green hand sliding down his amphibian face. No, he said. "Dallas, Tarubos and Nodgel of the Suverrius. They showed up, holding us all at gun point. But things have calmed down since Sebastian started talking to the other guest."

Now Daltir gave Firiz a quizzical look. You mean Hayla?

Dammit! No. The Nuani.

Daltir blinked a few times. We need to start being more specific about our guests, he remarked.

Which ones?

All of them. He paused, and then looked down to the pier where, waiting patiently off the gangplank, stood Reziak and his cronies. The Palorian watched him intently, the dark, reptilian eyes two black pools amidst his golden scales. Alright, Daltir said, turning back to Firiz. See them? He asked, jabbing his thumb towards Reziak.

Firiz peered over the rail, and then nodded.

None of them get on the ship until I get back up here.

Aye aye, Captain.

With that Stone descended the stairs, and made his way down to the crew commons deck, the hull of the ship blocking the oppressive winds and dulling the engines to a distant reverberation. His booted feet stepped down the stairs two at a time, and he descended into the most crowded common area the Starstorm had ever seen, at least since the job on Forrix.

All ten pairs of eyes were on him as he entered, and he saw the room was divided, with his crew on one side of the room, and Captain Sahrrim’s pirates on the other.

Welcome back sir, Hayla said.

Thanks, Daltir responded to the short, pink-skinned Irokian, and then looked hard at the three members of Sahrrim’s crew, their weapons still in hand. Put those away.

Dallas and Tarubos looked to Nodgel, who frowned but offered no retort. The cerulean alien nodded to his mates, and within a moment order was restored on the Starstorm and all the crew stood together, under the command of Daltir Stone.

I’ll deal with you three later, he said, pointing to Sahrrim’s crewmates. But first, we have more pressing matters. Sebastian, give me the short version.

His name is Scour, Sebastian said.

Daltir waited, but nothing else came. …and?

And he read the datapad.

Okay… Daltir said. Does it know what’s at the end of it?

"He’s been very vague, Sebastian said. But he knows where it leads."

Daltir frowned. Where? He asked, growing impatient.

Sebastian shrugged.

"What exactly did he say?"

Well, he looked into what I expected, and said my expectations were correct.

Wealth?

Aye.

Daltir sighed, and then looked to the floor in thought. Rynn, he said.

Aye sir? Merrill responded.

What’s your assessment?

She took a deep breath, her green eyes going from Sebastian to the open door to the medical bay. I don’t like it, she said, turning to look back at Daltir. It’s too vague. Could be a trap.

That the Nuani set up while in cryo-stasis? Elanas asked.

Daltir turned to look at the red-skinned half-Palorian. You believe it?

She shrugged. I’ve heard stranger things, she said. I believe the story. I believe that whatever we find at the end of that datapad will be worth quite a bit to somebody.

Why do you believe that? Stone asked.

Because it’s the Nuani, Elanas said. Anybody outside of high-ranking Council Security knows next to nothing about them. The datapad itself is probably worth a lot.

Daltir nodded as he listened, and then looked to Thad. Vanorin? Any input?

Thad stared at Daltir for a few moments, chewing his lip and thinking through all the information before speaking. I go where you lead, he said. If you think it’s worth keeping the Nuani on board, then so do I.

Daltir nodded, and then looked back down to the floor below him, thinking things through. Hayla? He finally asked.

There was a pause, and all eyes turned to her. She blinked a few times, and then regarded Stone with a pair of shocked, black eyes. Me? She asked, stunned.

Aye, Stone said. Thoughts?

Well, everybody raises good points, Hayla said. The one thing I don’t like is having this Scour on the ship. But keep him under control, and I think that following this datapad sounds better than simply running and hiding from the Council.

Daltir stroked his bearded chin, his other arm crossed over his chest. They were willing, and that was a good sign. Though they were cautious, and aware of the dangers this situation presented, they were willing to follow him at his word. He just wasn’t sure of what he would command. Hayla Geir had raised a very valid point; without this datapad and the offer from Scour, they would be spending the better part of their foreseeable future on the run from the Council and keeping to the deepest reaches of the Rim. He didn’t like the idea of scrounging around out there for work. This datapad, and the apparent support that Scour was providing for it, was just what they needed to both avoid the Council and to keep out of the Core. At least for a time.

Daltir finally looked to Sebastian, taking a deep breath and crossing both arms across his chest. Okay, Stone said.

We’re following the datapad? Sebastian asked.

No, Daltir said. First I want to talk to this Nuani.

Daltir stepped into aft storage from the crew commons. Glaring white light illuminated the dark room, flooding through the window to the sealed infirmary. The tall, dark humanoid shape of the Nuani stood just inside the window. It was well over six feet high, its skin gray, its limbs thin. Six paper-thin slits marked the location of its eyes on the mouthless face, and Daltir was strangely relieved to see all six eyes were closed. Stone moved to stand directly in front of the alien, and as he did so he realized that the Nuani had scarring around his six eye-slits, tiny hash marks at the inside and outside corners, as if they had been cut by incredibly precise and impossibly thin blades. He frowned, crossed his arms, and set his jaw firmly in place, considering the Nuani through the window.

Can you hear me? Daltir asked, without touching the comm system.

Yes, came the milky feeling in his head, more of a sensation than a sound. Daltir was shocked to hear the voice sound very familiar, yet also elusive in its own way. It was as if the Nuani was communicating by using Daltir’s memory of various voices. He recognized his own in the mix, which was unnerving, but he also felt the voice of Sebastian, of Thad, and even of Merrill.

You’ve got us in quite the spot, Daltir said. "We were going to sell you."

And now?

Daltir uncrossed his arms. Now I don’t know, he said. I’m Captain Daltir Stone, but you probably already knew that.

Yes.

And you’re called Scour?

It is a name for you to use.

Daltir nodded. "So, Scour, what exactly will we find if we follow this map of yours?"

Scour peered at Daltir through the glass, and the man could feel a ripple inside of his skull. A wet, organic tapping, or a sliding of a tendril across the folds of his brain. The inside of his cranium itched, and his left eye twitched. Stop that, Daltir said.

The sensation was gone as quickly as it had arrived.

Why that? Stone asked.

Communication is difficult, Scour said. Your knowledge determines how I communicate.

You are learning our language by reading our minds?

In a way.

Daltir narrowed his eyes, considering the connotations of this. He didn’t like his brain getting picked through, but he understood the impossibilities of communicating with a race as alien as the Nuani, a culture so far removed from their own that there was no crossover in language. He didn’t like getting used like a dictionary, but the mere fact that Scour stopped when commanded was a good sign.

Daltir sighed, closing his eyes. He straightened, standing tall and square-shouldered, as if readying himself to be punched in the face without making an effort to stop it. Alright, he said. Go ahead.

The sensation returned, and Daltir began to see images in his head. He saw a dark planet, floating in the orbit of a young, red star. Then he saw a great structure, ancient in design, old and ruined, yet still standing tall and strong. It was a pyramid, rising up out of red-tinted sand, and before he could really focus on it, he saw a door, towering above him, and he realized he was inside the pyramid. The door lacked any handle or hinge, but he could peer through a small crack in its surface, and so he did. As he approached the crack, he realized he was looking down, and the door was actually more of a hatch on the floor. He pressed his hands to the cold surface, leaned downward, felt the gust of his breath reflected back to him off of the floor as he closed one eye and squinted with the other through the small hole.

Stone opened his eyes, back on the Starstorm. Sweat was beading on his forehead, his breath coming in ragged gasps, barely able to fill his lungs. Enough! He coughed out, and then blinked a few times.

Merrill and Thad were in the doorway to the commons at the sound of his voice, both peering in with concern.

Sir? Merrill asked. Everything alright?

Daltir looked back at her briefly, but didn’t say a word. Instead he advanced on the Nuani, pressing his hand flat against the window of the medical bay. Where do you get off showing me that? Daltir asked, his voice no more than a whisper, hissing through clenched teeth.

I showed you what you could find.

Daltir took a moment to regain his composure, his intense stare locked on the gray and black alien standing statuesque before him. Finally, the captain said that’s impossible.

Scour just looked at Daltir, and he got the mental sensation of confusion or questioning in his mind.

What don’t you get?

That word.

Which one?

Impossible.

It means it can’t be done. Daltir said, now speaking slower. Each word was fueled by purpose and definition, carried by the weight and finality that he had been forced to face for many years. It means there’s no way in the entire universe that what you showed me could be there.

Scour just stared at him, the six angled slits watching him like six cracks in a stone-gray wall. Daltir felt tears welling up in his own eyes as he looked on the Nuani, but he blinked them away and finally steadied his breathing. His muscles relaxed a bit, shoulders dropping and jaw releasing.

I did not choose to show you something, Scour said. You saw what you could find there.

That’s the whole truth? Daltir said. No trap, no fake. Just… that?

Yes.

Daltir blinked a few more times. He nodded, and turned around, facing Merrill and Thad.

Sir? Thad asked, still in his old dress coat from the event earlier, his brown hair messy from the chaotic wind outside.

Merrill said nothing, just watched Daltir with concerned hazel eyes, her auburn hair still falling on her slender shoulders.

Stone moved forward, past them and into the common room, where once more all eyes were on him.

The third Nuani, the waking one, he said, looking from one person to the next. Broke free and attacked the crew. We had no choice but to kill it. Now all we have are the two frozen aliens, and the body of a dead one, which we will incinerate here on the ship. This is what happened. Any questions?

Everybody stared at Daltir, a few of them nodding in silence.

The silence was finally broken when Thad asked You mean to follow the map?

Daltir nodded. Aye, he said. We will. I have reason to believe that map will answer a lot of questions.

About what? Elanas asked.

Stone was as still as his namesake, nothing but his eyes moving as he looked from the half-Palorian to the rest of the crew gathered there, and ended his gaze upon Elanas once more. He opened his mouth as if to answer, and then paused. After a brief moment of silence which hung in the commons like the weight of a dozen dying stars, Daltir said About everything.

Chapter II

They have been taken care of, Reziak said, raising his voice just loud enough to be heard over the strong night winds that whipped across the sky pier, and the rumbling engines of the Starstorm. You have been paid in kind. Now let us gather the third one. The Palorian was tired of the circles that Daltir and his crew had been running around this deal, doing whatever they could to prolong its resolution. Captain Stone’s insistence at transferring the two cryogenically frozen Nuani before they dealt with the live one was perplexing enough, but since they had indeed delivered two frozen aliens as expected, Reziak decided to give the human smuggler the benefit of the doubt.

But that benefit was being abused as the captain and his officers continuously stalled.

Daltir stood above the frustrated Palorian and his thugs, looking down on them from the deck of the Starstorm. Well, the reason why I’ve been delaying such, Stone said. Is because the third one is actually dead. Just haven’t been sure how to break it to you.

Here it comes, Daltir thought. Here comes the confrontation, the dozens of questions, and the real effort of this entire ordeal; getting Reziak to leave without taking the third Nuani. He decided to stop the interrogation before it started. Front-load the Palorian with all the information and bullshit now, rather than give him the upper hand in the conversation. It got loose, and my crew had to take it down. So, as long as it’s alright with you, we’ll just take—

Fine, Reziak said.

Daltir blinked. F—fine? He asked.

Reziak nodded. We will take a corpse. Bring it out to us.

Daltir’s eyebrows went up in surprise. You want its body?

Reziak nodded. Alive or dead, it makes no difference to us. It will serve its purpose, regardless.

Daltir frowned, and then looked behind him, to where Firiz stood, at the foot of the stairs leading up to the command deck. Stone gave the Irokian a look that said