Dark Stars: Firelight

By Matthew Tonks

Zander Kane was once a trusted and highly decorated general for the United Federation, that was until the day Kane betrayed not only his own race, but his own flesh and blood to join The Dark Collective, so he could be with the woman he loved.

Now he rides stardust and slipstreams, captaining the star ship Betha, fighting for the Dark Collective in hope of one day freeing the worlds from the Federations ruling grasp.

Follow the adventures of Kane as he not only races through the stars, but also beyond them.

For the dark does not just exist in between the stars, it is in them.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Matthew Tonks
• Release date: Sep 26, 2020
• ISBN: 9781005424350

Matthew Tonks

Together we ride the steed of madness, along a road long foretold. Do not let the dire consequences scare you from this journey, for it is written, so it must be. We traveller. We explorers of otherworldly things. Let us share our providence, so we may all prosper.Hidden in the depths of it all, you will find your utopia, and it will be a beautiful sight to witness.For I may walk beside you, and I may carry your umbrella in the sun, just don’t expect me to dig you up, when the zombie apocalypse comes...

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DARK STARS

Firelight

Words by Matthew Tonks

mtonks.com

Art by Garry Williams

yazgar.com

Copyright 2019 Matthew Tonks

License Notes

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Elsewhere…

The explosion rips through the doorway, sending the very door itself across the room and into the wall opposite, as the smoke clears a figure steps through the breached threshold. His suit beeps several times, hisses loudly as hydraulic gears lock into place and then fall silent, leaving only the sound of air sucking in and out of his breathing apparatus. He surveys the rusted and decaying room with an almost desperate silence. Suddenly if on cue, the room moves as the ship itself takes a hit from outside. The figure casts a fevered glance behind him, and then turns back to the room. His eyes search with a renewed aggression, finally coming to rest on the remains of the ship’s captain, Zander Kane.

He rushes to the body and starts digging through the dead man’s pockets, until finally he pulls out a silver key. Holding it high into the air in victory, he allows himself to laugh for a brief moment, before the ship lurches forward again as it takes another hit.

He scrambles to his feet and out the door, quickly he rushes down a hallway as two huge black slug-like creatures crash through the walls behind him, flipping, twisting and turning their way towards him. He dares not look over his shoulder, as he powerfully strides down the corridor coming out into the ship’s lifeless cockpit. The creatures explode into the small room moments after him, filling the space with their gigantic forms.

He hits the ground with a thud, feeling his right ankle give way. A hiss of aggression passes through his lips as he forces himself to his feet and runs forward. The things scream behind him, but their wretched cries have become like taking a breath to him now, which is another problem on its own. He runs towards another derelict ship almost identical to the first and forces his way in through the cargo bay door. Desperately he scrambles up through the supplies hold, out into the main corridor, and comes to a stop as he reaches a hatchway in the weapons room. He pulls the silver key from his pocket, and quickly places it into an awaiting lock. Sweat pours down his forehead and runs into his eyes, forcing him to tighten them as he tries unsuccessfully to turn the key. Smacking the lock in frustration, he mumbles a group of obscenities before he tries the key again, this time it moves but only a fraction before it becomes stuck once more. He twists and turns it aggressively in the lock, feeling it slowly begin to give way as the ship shudders with an impact.

He freezes in place, knowing they are on board. He bites down onto his bottom lip, and tightens his shaking hands into fists, looking down once again at the key. He hears them charging through the cargo bay, he hears metal plates crash to the ground as they make their way into the corridor. He grabs the key once more, closes his eyes tightly, and twists. His heart skips a beat as the key turns, lights flash before him, and sounds of century-old hydraulics begin to fill the air as a spiral metal hatch slowly opens. He looks over his shoulder as the creatures burst into the weapons bay, he looks back at the doorway, and dives through in a panic. One of the creatures grabs his leg, screaming in terror he frantically kicks at it, and somehow manages to free himself from its grip. He scrambles to the control deck and slams his fist down onto the hatches override, then repeatedly punches the ignition switch as one of the things tries to fit its gigantic body through the ever-narrowing doorway. But it’s too late as the small escape capsule veers forward, shooting out into the deep, dark nothingness of nowhere, and he lets out a sigh of relief as he falls into the seat exhausted.

His heart races a million miles an hour as the capsule arches upward, and then he hears it, like nails running along a blackboard. But it isn’t a blackboard, it’s the capsules outer hull. He leaps from the seat and presses himself up against the glass dome that covers a quarter of the small capsule, spotting it instantly, as it does him. Its talons dig deep into the side of the ship, then it rushes towards him.

What the HELL do I have to do to get away from you THINGS! He yells as the creature screams its horrific cry while it pounds itself violently against the glass. Under the pressure of its blows the glass dome slowly begins to crack, as the small capsule continues to climb upwards into the vast, black, emptiness of space.

The Middle, At The Beginning, Sort Of…

The light blinds him, he looks up trying to shield his eyes, but his hands jerk back as glowing blue shackles tether him to the metallic cells surface.

Welcome back to the world of the living, Captain Kane, I thought you were going to rob me of the reveal, a voice says from somewhere behind the light.

So, you’re High Lord Quinn, Zander says through clenched teeth.

You don’t seem too surprised? Did I give too much away?

Everyone knew you for what you were, and to be honest, I’ve always wanted it to be you.

Quinn laughs, "Zander, you amuse me as