Maddrax: Volume 3 (English Edition)

By Michael M. Thurner, Christian Schwarz, Jana Paradigi and Ramon M. Randle

Colonel Aran Kormak has taken an interest in the parallel world areas! But first he needs an aircraft to overcome those thorn barriers. Thus, he decides to snatch a glider from under Miki Takeo’s nose in San Francisco, which prompts an arduous journey through the Sonoran Desert and an undercover mission at the Oasis of the Hundred...

Next, the Agarthan enclave is transported into a world overrun by zombie-like creatures. Forbidden experiments on amphibious creatures have produced so-called “Eaters” who dominate every corner of that world. Will the Agarthans be able to help the few remaining survivors?

Finally, Matt, Aruula, and Ydiel visit a 12th century version of Rome ruled by Caesar Aticus. But why are there drones flying through the city and humanoid robots guarding the emperor? At the same time, Quart’ol discovers that the Hydrites of this world are forced to fight ruthless gladiators...

• Language: English
• Publisher: J-Novel Pulp
• Release date: Apr 27, 2022
• ISBN: 9781718329447

Book preview

The Story So Far

By Ian Rolf Hill

This introduction is meant to give you a quick insight into the MADDRAX universe. For those of you who want to know the whole story, please check the extended synopsis at the end of the volume.

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On February 8th, 2012, the comet Christopher-Floyd crashed into the Earth. United States Air Force flight commander Matthew Drax was deployed to observe the comet’s approach. When Drax and his squadron made contact with the Comet, however, they were flung five hundred years into the future.

During this time, the world as he knows it changes drastically: human civilization undergoes extreme degeneration, to the point of now resembling the Bronze Age: the world’s once-great cities lie in ruins, there are no longer any official forms of government, and people regress to living in clans and tribes, moving through the wilderness like nomads and calling themselves the Wandering Folk. Earth’s plants and animals have also mutated in bizarre and dangerous ways.

Upon exiting the timeslip, Drax crashes alone in the Alps. His passenger, the scientist and professor Dr. Jacob Smythe, triggered his ejector seat out of panic and is now missing. There is no trace of Drax’s other comrades.

Attacked by mutated, semi-intelligent giant rats called Taratzes, Matt is saved by a barbarian warrior named Aruula. As she finds his name, Matt Drax, difficult to pronounce, she gives him the nickname Maddrax. A telepath, Aruula is instantly able to understand Matt, and the two form a connection. Soon after, Aruula falls in love with Drax and remains by his side throughout his adventures.

In London, Matt and Aruula meet a group known as the Technos, whose ancestors survived the comet’s impact in bunkers beneath the city. By avoiding the immediate aftermath of the disaster, the group has not only retained its twenty-first-century intelligence, but continued to invent and innovate. However, this knowledge has come at a price: due to their centuries-long stay in the bunkers, the Technos have depleted immune systems, and are only able to visit the surface in protective suits. The community in London offers to connect Drax with other Technos around the world. The journey brings Matt and Aruula to America, now known as Meeraka in the language of the Wandering Folk.

Along the way, they encounter the Hydrites, an anthropomorphized species of fish-people. Later, it is revealed that they are not mutants, but rather an alien race who initially settled on Mars, where they were known as Hydrees. When Mars began losing its atmosphere hundreds of thousands of years ago, the Hydrees traveled along a tachyon-based time beam to Earth, where they took the name Hydrite and settled the undersea frontiers.

One of the Hydrites—a man named Quart’ol—begins traveling with the pair, ultimately sacrificing himself to save Matt’s life. In the aftermath, Matt and Aruula are separated before they can reach Meeraka. While Aruula is forced to travel with the Neo-Barbarian Rulfan (son of a London Techno and a barbarian woman), Matt Drax reaches the coast of the former USA.

In Washington (now Waashton), Matt learns of another bunker-based civilization, one calling itself the World Council and claiming to be the true global political leaders. The council’s president—General Arthur Crow—is a power-obsessed dictator looking to cement his grip on the world. A rebel group, the Running Men, seeks to thwart his plans. The Running Men are led by Mr. Black, a clone of the last US President (and a certain beloved action movie star).

During the clash between the World Council and the rebels, an outside consciousness takes control of Matt Drax. This turns out to be Quart’ol, who at the moment of his death, transferred his soul into Matt’s brain. Quart’ol brings Drax to an undersea city of Hydrites, Hykton, in order to have his consciousness implanted in a clone of his original body.

Matt returns to Waashton where he reunites with Aruula. Together, they are forced to flee from the World Council and end up in Los Angeles (now called El’ay). There, they meet the android Miki Takeo, who becomes one of their closest friends.

Meanwhile, the World Council plans a mission to the ISS, where they hope to find information about the comet’s impact. Matt is forced to travel on a repaired space shuttle to make the trip and recover the data. From space, Matt is able to see that life began evolving much faster near the site of the comet’s impact in Siberia than in other locations.

Together with Miki Takeo, Matt organizes an expedition to Crater Lake. The World Council also catches wind of the discovery and a team is en route. On the long and dangerous journey to Crater Lake, Aruula is possessed by a strange consciousness which calls itself GREEN and is a type of plant-based hive mind. Upon Matt and Aruula’s arrival at Crater Lake, the warrior reveals that she is pregnant, and that her child also possesses plant DNA. GREEN has apparently manipulated the embryo’s development, whereby its gestation is changed. Cruelly, Aruula’s child is taken from her womb by an unknown creature before she can give birth.

Shortly thereafter, Matt and Quart’ol make a shocking discovery: Comet Christopher-Floyd was actually a spaceship!

The ship was an ark belonging to an alien species known as the Daa’mures, who were searching for a new homeworld and crashed on Earth. The Daa’murian consciousness is stored in green crystals, whose energy is not only responsible for humanity’s degeneration, but also the mutations of other species. Their motivation is clear: the Daa’mures are using the mutations to find ideal host bodies in which to rehouse their minds. A further surprise comes in the form of information that the spaceship is also a cosmic being, known as an Oqualun or Wanderer.

When Matt accidentally destroys a Daa’murian egg, he is instantly declared enemy number one. Together with his friends, he flees to Russia. There, he meets with a group of Technos who have created an immunity serum from the blood of Mr. Black, allowing various bunker inhabitants to visit the surface without protection. They also confirm that Matt’s body has been flooded with tachyons, which slow down the aging process—possibly as a result of the time slip.

Matt annihilates the Daa’mures’ mutant army and couriers the immunity serum back to London, where he forms an alliance against the Daa’mures with General Crow.

The Daa’mures succeed at reactivating the Wanderer, which sends out a planetwide electromagnetic pulse (EMP) and takes all remaining technology on Earth out of commission. Chaos breaks out, and the Technos are forced to flee their bunkers without protection. As if that were not enough, Matt and Aruula learn that the Daa’mures themselves are only one of countless servant races created by the Wanderers to protect themselves from their enemies: the Warriors, cosmic hunters of unimaginable strength.

Matt and his allies are able to hold off the Wanderer, but the Warrior is quickly on his target’s trail. In order to overcome this threat, Matt searches beneath the Antarctic ice to find a long-lost legendary weapon created by the Hydrees: the Surface Reamer. A grand artifact of unimaginable destruction, it is naturally being pursued by General Crow as well. He attempts to force Matt to fire the Reamer at Washington, hoping to eradicate the Running Men in the process.

However, Matt manages to change the target coordinates at the last second. Instead of hitting Washington, Matt targets an area in the Appalachian mountains, where General Crow was operating a factory building organic robots. The shot effectively exchanges a region five kilometers in diameter with a bubble containing its counterpart from almost million years into the future, The Earth is left defenseless against the Warrior.

With the help of a converter that harnesses the Earth’s magnetic field, Matt is able to reload the Surface Reamer, only for it to backfire when the Warrior comes into range. The Warrior destroys the Earth, and Matt only has one chance left to fix things: entering the time bubbles created by the misfire, which lead to both the past and future.

While traveling through various parallel worlds, Matt meets the archaeologist and time traveler Tom Ericson in the year 2304. Ericson works for a group of evolved humans from the future who call themselves the Archivists. Their goal is not only to collect technical achievements from the parallel worlds but also to remove any dangerous time lines and continuities from existence. Matt, therefore, gains an opportunity to quickly reload the Surface Reamer and defeat the Warrior. Unfortunately, too late, and the Moon is launched from its orbit into the Reamer’s firing path, threatening to crash into the Earth.

Matt and Aruula travel through a wormhole at CERN and are sent to a far distant ring planet system. There they meet another alien species called the Kasynari. They offer to assist humanity with the evacuation of Earth through the use of a portable wormhole generator. In reality, their goal is to feed off the mental energy of human brains. Only by doing so they are able to maintain the camouflage required to protect their home planet.

Ultimately, it is revealed that the true threat is another Wanderer: like the Daa’mures, the Kasynari are servants of the Oqualun. However, their plan fails and the camouflage screen is nullified. In order to help the Kasynari and save the Earth, Matt and Aruula make contact with the species from whom the Kasynari adapted the wormhole technology: the Pancinovas. With their help, the pair are able to transport the Surface Reamer from the Antarctic to the ring planet system and give the Kasynari a weapon to use against the Warriors pursuing the Wanderer.

And that’s not all! The Pancinovas manage to perform the impossible: They create a gigantic wormhole that sends the moon back to its orbit, saving the Earth before returning to their own solar system. However, the wormhole passage to the ring planet system has collapsed. Contact is lost between Earth and the established colony on the moon Novis.

Before the collapse, a military hardliner named Colonel Aran Kormak also had a lucky break and escaped the collapsing wormhole. Doing so triggered a chain reaction with unexpected consequences: all across Earth, regions measuring exactly fifty kilometers in diameter have been replaced with their counterparts from parallel worlds, surrounded by near-impenetrable forests of thorns.

Undercover

By Michael M. Thurner

Colonel Aran Kormak felt cold rage.

The arduous journey to Yucatán had taken him weeks, chasing after luminous apparitions in the sky and the carcass of a flying lizard. He and his companions had traversed savannas, crossed mountains, and waded through swamps. They had even conquered the Gulf of Mexico in a miserable cockle, which brought its own share of hardship. All that, just to end up empty-handed. Kormak had missed Matthew Drax by mere minutes.

And yet, Aran Kormak had a new objective. In a city called Sub’sisco, a glider was waiting for him—a flying ship.

Fall back! Johnson screamed in a panic. We don’t stand a chance against those beasts!

Stay here, you cowards!

None of the squad’s four soldiers obeyed Kormak’s order. He could hear them running away along the strange thorny thicket, which they had been unable to penetrate. He stayed behind by himself to face an opponent that could not have been more terrifying.

Calm and composed, Aran pulled the M27 from his back. He pressed the butt against his upper body and aimed at the monster. The animal appeared to be made purely out of muscles, tendons, teeth, claws, and rage—and it shouldn’t have existed. It must have somehow made its way through the plant maze before the wall had reached its current height. The beast was injured. Its flanks were covered in blood.

A Tyrannosaurus rex, Kormak reflected; he’d read the ancient history books in Bodrum’s bunker. Now he was standing opposite an eight-meter-long lizard with a mighty tail and thick, horny skin. A second dinosaur, in addition to the flying lizard!

Roaring, the creature stormed toward him with large steps. Its tiny forelegs, equipped with sharp claws, reached out in his direction.

Thirty meters.

Kormak aimed at the dinosaur’s chest before changing his mind and targeting the small, red eyes. They were glowing insidiously.

Twenty meters.

Kormak pulled the trigger and welcomed the Tyrannosaurus with a hail of lead. The rifle butt painfully recoiled against his shoulder; he resisted and continued firing.

The dino shook its mighty skull as if those bullets had merely been pesky, bloodsucking mosquitoes. It must have been too stupid to realize that sizable pieces of flesh had been ripped from its body. Parts of its jaws had been smashed, liquid poured from its flanks, one claw had broken off. Despite it all, the animal kept storming toward Kormak.

Ten meters!

Another salvo! One of the Tyrannosaurus’s eyes burst. The animal screamed, shaking its ugly head back and forth. It slowed down, as if it had only just noticed that it was badly hurt. Then it stopped. Blood gushed out of its wounds and painted peculiar patterns on its gray skin.

Kormak threw the empty magazine aside and reloaded his weapon. These hand movements had become second nature to him. It only took him two, three seconds before he was ready to fire again. He didn’t hesitate. The dinosaur may have been lethally wounded, but it would soon pounce on him if given the opportunity. The predator didn’t look like it was just going to accept its fate. It would do everything possible to take Kormak down with it.

So, Kormak shot again—and to his surprise noticed fire coming from both sides. His squad had returned, led by Margaux of all people—the woman he had distrusted.

The Tyrannosaurus rex screamed in rage and agony. It scraped the ground with the claws on its hind legs and tried to jump—but its legs buckled. There was one last pitiful groan before silence set in. The dinosaur was dead.

***

Aran Kormak suppressed his fury. His soldiers weren’t nearly skilled enough to guarantee the success of his mission. They had recoiled from a single animal that was far inferior to them thanks to their weapons.

Back in Bodrum, he would have made the woman and the three men stand before a tribunal and ordered their summary execution. However, here in this unknown land, he had to make compromises if he wanted to attain his goal of reaching Sub’sisco—a city long ago known as San Francisco, located several thousand kilometers northwest from here.

After leaving behind Méda and its less-than-cooperative villagers, they had wandered westward along the impenetrable hedge. Past shabby huts and tiny farmsteads where famished people sat waiting lethargically for something that would never happen.

Aran’s initial hopes of finding a spot where they could break through or climb over the thorn hedge had been shattered. The wonders hiding behind the wall were outside his reach. As consolation, at least they had discovered that the next big settlement, Campeech, was about ten kilometers away. There, he intended to set camp for the night.

Do you plan on marching to Sub’sisco on foot in day stages, colonel? Johnson asked. We’ll never make that.

Kormak made a mental note. Johnson had remained loyal for weeks, but now he had started to show weakness and doubt his superior’s decisions.

We’ll organize ourselves a transport, We’ll take what we need. The people here are disorganized. They won’t show any resistance in Campeech.

We should return to Knocks first, Derwell chimed in. With the right equipment and renewed strength...

You want to take a detour of two thousand kilometers so you can have a good night’s sleep?

N-No, colonel, I just thought...

Leave the thinking to those capable of it! Fool! We’ll find a quicker way to Sub’sisco.

Aran Kormak continued on the way forward. His minions followed him without saying a word.

No matter who Kormak asked in Campeech, the answer he got was the same as the one in Méda: the means of transport available for their journey back to Meeraka were limited and unsuitable for long distances.

Horsays, horselike beasts with a wolf’s teeth, were probably the best option in this deserted land. And if they didn’t obey him, he would pull out their fangs. But first, he had to acquire some.

Though the villagers assured him that all the Horsay farms were far outside, at least one day’s march south of Campeech, Kormak had overheard a shepherd boast about his two magnificent Horsays in a shabby cantina. That man was their target. They would ambush him as soon as he left his modest abode at the edge of the village.

Kormak didn’t hesitate for long when the short man who reeked of alcohol stepped outside. He grabbed the peasant, threw him to the ground, and rolled him over face-down without paying any attention to the stares of the other locals.

Meanwhile, Johnson, Ludewick, and Derwell were chewing on some tobacco that they had acquired a few minutes earlier at a village shop—disgusting stuff with a foul taste. The smell alone repulsed Kormak. Margaux, the fifth member of his group, had also foregone the tobacco. But her lofty facial expression angered him. She was wearing her arrogance like a badge of honor. While she undoubtedly looked attractive with her dark hair and blue eyes, she lacked subservience. That was a dangerous flaw for anyone who had sworn their loyalty to him.

The shepherd, whose nose was strangely deformed, was pleading for mercy.

Two Horsays? That’s all you got? Kormak growled. You like being alive, right? So tell me: where can we get more animals?

Only...the breeding farms to the south, sir! The man gagged. Please, believe me!

Kormak let go of the man. It took several seconds for the drunk to prop himself up on his forearms. Thick strands of his oily hair stuck to his face. Aran turned up his nose. The odious smell of tobacco was somehow a lot more tolerable than this guy’s foul stench.

Believe someone like you? he grabbed the peasant again. What about your neighbors? They must have Horsays too!

The cringing weed of a man ducked as if to evade a punch. We’re a poor village, señor, he insisted. No one else has Horsays, only Wakudas for the fields. They’re bad for riding. Oh, but I can get you a cart...

He fell silent when the colonel shoved him back down into the mud. Great. Riding across the land on an ox cart. Exactly what I need right now, Kormak thought sarcastically. He kicked the man lying on the ground. You’ll hand over both animals! he declared in a voice that didn’t leave any room for objections. Plus as many supplies as they can carry.

With pleasure, señor, the man hastily agreed. Twenty bax per animal and three more for the sup—

In a flash Kormak grabbed his throat and made him choke on his words. I have a counteroffer, he said in a dangerously friendly voice. Two bax for each nag and another for the supplies. Think wisely before refusing, he added. "My next offer will be less generous. And you can still lose a lot more—like your life."

The shepherd understood and squeezed out a hoarse Okay! He proved more intelligent than Aran had expected.

Kormak let go of the man and shook his cramped hands. He waved at Johnson, who pulled the man up by his collar and pushed him toward the stables.

Two Horsays was better than nothing. But it was hard to tame those aggressive beasts. Together with their load, they wouldn’t be able to carry more than one rider each. A strenuous journey of several thousand kilometers lay ahead of him. Who should I take along?

He needed someone loyal, tough, and capable. He rubbed his temples. The decision was probably up to the second Horsay rather than him. The colonel was certain that he could quickly bring a mount under control—but who else could do the same?

***

To Kormak’s delight, both Horsays turned out to be strong, well-fed animals. The shepherd must have taken better care of them than of himself. They would complete the journey without any problems.

One of them bared its teeth and let out a menacing groan when Kormak approached. He liked this one. He took a bridle off the shed’s wall and opened the gate to let the animal storm out onto the small hill. At once, it tried to push him aside with its head, but he had anticipated as much and elegantly evaded the beast’s charge.

He glared hard at the members of his squad. They were standing around with arms crossed, perplexed looks on their faces. Nobody wanted to tame these beasts. While the Horsays may have been made rideable that didn’t mean they would obey a new master right away.

Kormak grabbed a rope that was hanging next to the bridles and jumped over the wooden fence. The Horsay scraped the sandy ground with its right front hoof and lowered its head like a Wakuda that was about to flatten an enemy. Kormak grinned as he took two steps toward the animal. At the same time, he rapidly knotted the end of the rope, all the while keeping an eye on the attacking Horsay.

The beast growled once more before trying to ram Kormak. Skillfully, he dodged the attack and managed to sling the rope around the Horsay’s forelegs. The noose tightened. Kormak planted his feet in the sandy ground and braced himself with his whole body weight.

A violent jerk went through his entire body, but he managed to stay upright. He pulled on the rope with all his strength—and lo and behold, the Horsay skidded with its forelegs. It collapsed, fell to the side, and shortly after stood up again with a confused look on its face.

Before the animal refocused, Kormak pushed the bit in its gaping mouth and closed the bridle’s hooks. In a single bound, he mounted the animal without letting go of the rope or the bridle’s reins.

Visibly resolved to get rid of its rider, the Horsay started bucking and thrashing. Again and again, Kormak pulled the rope that still controlled the forelegs. He could feel the Horsay’s strength diminishing. It was beginning to bow to his will.

Its forelegs buckled repeatedly. Kormak’s tight hold of the reins caused a nonstop, desperate head banging. The groans had grown weaker, the steps insecure. A few minutes later, the Horsay stopped bucking. It panted, foaming from the corners of its mouth. Both reins and rope had become increasingly looser.

It was easier than Kormak had expected. Tactical skill and a ruthless leading hand—those qualities had distinguished him for years. They were equally dominant whether he was dealing with humans or animals. He pulled the reins and the Horsay came to an abrupt halt.

Kormak jumped off its back and looked into its dark eyes. He thought he recognized a glimmer of resignation there. The colonel grabbed one of its nose horns and pushed the Horsay a few steps backward. It obeyed with a slight grunt. A sense of triumph welled up in Kormak. Slowly, he turned his head and observed recognition in his followers’ eyes.

Child’s play! he shouted at his soldiers. Who’s next?

Margaux elegantly climbed the fence and sat down upon the top wooden beam. She put a straw between her lips and smiled smugly. There’s just one Horsay left.

Kormak bowed in an overexaggerated manner. "Great perception, soldier. May the best man win." He didn’t care whether Margaux realized that he would have preferred a male companion.

However, to Aran’s dismay, Johnson, Ludewick, and Derwell all proceeded to fail. The second Horsay, which he had judged to be less determined than his own mount, had a field day with the three men. They only managed to stay on the animal’s back for several seconds before it threw them off.

Give us orym! Johnson panted. That’ll help us conquer this beast.

Kormak shook his head. I’m not going to give you another dose for this. You’ll have to succeed on your own, he declared with annoyance. You lack energy, he screamed at his men. How about this: whoever tames the bucking beast gets an extra dose? Does that motivate you?

Nothing changed. Johnson managed to stay atop the animal for a while before getting hurled against the corral’s wooden planks. He ended up lying stunned on the ground. Ludewick ran away from the Horsay until he managed to get himself to safety with a daring jump. And Derwell was almost impaled by the beast before he even had a chance to swing himself onto its back.

These losers!

I wouldn’t mind an extra dose of orym, Margaux sneered. So far, she had kept aloof.

Kormak laughed disparagingly. Then try your luck!

May the best woman win! Margaux jumped off the fence into the corral. She gave him a cheeky look. What do I win besides more of the good stuff? That would be a meager reward.

A beating, if you don’t stay disciplined, soldier. I won’t allow such defiant behavior. Especially not from a member of my personal squad.

She placed her fists on her hips. Whoever tames the Horsay should get the privilege to continue the journey alongside you. But you just want to have one of the men come with you.

Kormak smirked and pointed at the Horsay, which was standing there with its head lowered. "Fine. Ms. Margaux wants to demonstrate her riding skills."

Ludewick grinned while dusting off his pants, Derwell cursed under his breath, and a dazed Johnson stared blankly into space.

Margaux attentively observed the Horsay and slowly approached the animal. She picked up the rope that Derwell had carelessly thrown on the ground and waited for the right moment. In a flash, she swung herself on the beast’s back and clung to it.

It was somewhat funny to see the animal bucking while a delicate figure sat glued on its back. Eventually, the Horsay was left with no choice but to calm down to catch its breath. Margaux used that moment to swing the rope so precisely that the animal bit into it. A strong pull later, the rope was secured between its jaws.

The Horsay’s renewed attempts to throw Margaux on the ground also failed. It didn’t take long until it meekly trotted into the direction indicated by its rider.

Kormak wasn’t impressed. Margaux’s slender figure just gave her an advantage staying atop the massive animal compared to her comrades. That was all.

Or was it?

He had to admit that the woman had put on an impressive display of skill. She was more capable than the other soldiers. And a Horsay only respected the rider who tamed it. Johnson, Derwell, and Ludewick would have to wrestle for days with the animal before making any progress.

Tomorrow, Margaux and I set out, Kormak announced decisively. The rest of you gather information on our travel route until then. I want to know what awaits us on our way to Sub’sisco. Margaux, you relieve the shepherd of his supplies.

What about my reward, colonel? The soldier swung off the Horsay’s back and patted its neck.

The information that Kormak received that night regarding the route to Sub’sisco was sobering. There was no easy passage. First, they would have to ride through a sparsely populated wilderness, then cross the Sonoran Desert. That expansive landscape had given rise to many strange stories in Campeech.

The villagers discouraged them from traversing the desert. It was rumored to be a ruthless place. And the residents didn’t just refer to the heat and drought.

Whatever, Kormak thought grimly, I will reach my goal. It’s only a question of will.

His people had amassed as much information as possible in the short time. At dawn, he and Margaux bid farewell to Johnson, Derwell, and Ludewick. The three men would have to journey back to Knocks without any orym supplies.

Kormak swung himself into the coarse leather saddle. He checked the compass, the radio device, and all the other important utensils inside his Horsay’s saddlebag.

Margaux carried the majority of the water and food supplies. The colonel didn’t help her load the provisions. She needed to learn to act independently without complaining. Vasraa had never said anything either.

Vasraa... The traitor. The woman who had abandoned him...

***

Twelve years ago

The first night following his exile from Bodrum, Aran Kormak didn’t get a wink of sleep. He uneasily rolled around in his sleeping bag, plagued by images and impressions: Oerum, the queen of Siragipps, was omnipresent in his thoughts.

Why had his plan failed? Why hadn’t he been able to lure her into the trap at Bodrum Castle and kill her? She hadn’t shown up, probably because she had seen through his plans. And now he had to live with the consequences: exile from the bunker community.

Nobody except for him had shown the courage to sacrifice a few people for the good of everyone else. If he had destroyed Oerum as planned, they would have built a shrine in his honor, and all the casualties would have been considered collateral damage. But as things were, the bunker commander Mustaaf had condemned Kormak’s unauthorized actions.

He’ll get what’s coming for him. The Siragipps attacks on Bodrum wouldn’t end. But that was no longer Kormak’s problem.

Private Alli’s snoring tore him out of his memories. The brave yet mentally challenged soldier had left the bunker community together with him and Vasraa.

Even though Alli wasn’t the smartest guy around, he had realized that Mustaaf’s lax leadership style wasn’t the right response to the Siragipps’ constant attacks. He wanted to fight, and preferably alongside Kormak, who gladly welcomed him. Having another loyal companion couldn’t do any harm. After all, a long, dangerous journey through a Siragipp-infested land lay ahead of them.

His gaze fell upon Vasraa, who was sleeping like a baby. It was as if she was on a family trip rather than in a hostile environment. She was the most loyal and reliable companion imaginable. With her head held high, she had left her home in Bodrum. At her age she was already more courageous and honorable than her father Mustaaf would ever be. Kormak didn’t know what it looked like inside of her, but he didn’t really want to think about it either. She was an excellent soldier. That was exactly what he needed right now.

Slowly, the sun rose on the horizon. Kormak noticed the red morning sky. His time in Bodrum had come to an end. Now began a life without meaningless orders and the incompetence of a cowardly leader.

Is the weapon still working, private? Kormak pointed at the object of his desires. He had discovered the pistol in Alli’s holster. Mustaaf had left him and Vasraa with only two knives and a day’s worth of provisions, which they now had to share with the private.

Yes, sir. I also have spare ammunition, sir! The soldier pushed a piece of mushy bread into his mouth.

Good. Give me your weapon.

Alli stopped chewing and stared at Aran, dumbfounded. Why?

Kormak remained calm. As a colonel, I’m the highest-ranking member of our small group, private. Don’t you think I should be carrying our only firearm?

Alli continued chewing like a stupid Wakuda. Finally, he nodded. Yes, makes sense, sir, he unfastened the holster with the pistol and handed it to Kormak.

That was easy. Aran exchanged glances with Vasraa, who grinned and shook her head.

We should set off and distance ourselves further from the bunker, he decided.

Vasraa packed up the remaining food. It wasn’t much but better than nothing.

Where are we headed? Vasraa asked. The land is infested with Siragipps. We won’t be able to defend ourselves for long with just one firearm and two knives.

Kormak stood up. We’re heading northeast, toward Toorba.

Toorba? Vasraa frowned. There’s nothing valuable there.

That’s conventional wisdom, Kormak answered with a grin. But I started depositing weapons there in a hideout several months ago. I planned ahead, since I didn’t want to leave my fate up to chance, Mustaaf’s whims, or the Siragipps. We’ll raid my hideout and continue marching toward Izmir.

Vasraa nodded affirmatively. Alli, however, didn’t seem to understand what he was talking about. Silently, he trudged along behind them.

***

They didn’t have to walk too far, merely three kilometers. But Kormak already noticed strange movements following their first few steps. He may have been blinded by the rising sun, but one thing was sure: something was approaching them.

Vasraa held her arm back. Do you see that?

Yes, Kormak replied. Get ready. He loaded the pistol, Vasraa drew her knife. Alli pulled out a sharp object that looked like a giant nail from his boot shaft.

It was a single Siragipp coming toward them in its typical scissor walk. This was unusual; normally, the mutated spiders preferred moving in larger groups. Kormak signaled his two companions to stay left and right of him. They formed a horizontal line while approaching the beast.

With a deafening cry, the Siragipp charged Kormak. The colonel calmly aimed at his target and fired a shot. The bullet hit the insect skull right in the forehead. The Siragipp floundered and fell over. Just to be safe, Alli stabbed its head several times with his skewer until it stayed motionless.

Kormak took a deep breath. That was a patrol spider, he explained. Oerum must have sent out scouts to check the whole area. We have to hurry before a Siragipp sights us and alerts the entire pack. The sooner we get to the farm in Toorba where I hid my weapons, the better our chances of survival.

Vasraa and Alli nodded, and they set off in a light jog.

Two more scouts crossed their path. Kormak’s precise shots slew them. The group kept running without making any stops. Kormak reloaded the pistol on the move. Less than a kilometer to the weapons cache...

The colonel tasked Alli with killing the last spider standing between them and the hill on which stood the farm. Like a crazed little Seytan, as the Turkish referred to the devil, the private stabbed the Siragipp until it became lifeless. He only lowered his weapon once all the legs had stopped twitching.

Good work, private, Kormak commented. Small experiences of success lifted the squad’s morale.

On the inside, however, he was much less happy. If he was Oerum, what would be his next move? Surely, the mother of all Siragipps must have known by now that they were heading toward the farm. Her scouts were everywhere. There might have been enough time for the mutant spiders to prepare an ambush.

Kormak raised his hand. We’ll stay under cover and observe the farm for now.

Alli nodded, whereas Vasraa sent him a knowing glance. They had been acquainted for a long time, and she must have had similar thoughts. Good. Fewer explanations, fewer discussions.

When the cottage came into sight, they crawled forward through several furrows in the field until they reached a pile of musty hay bales. There they hid. There didn’t seem to be any hostile movement; the farmstead stood peacefully in front of them.

Nobody’s there. Let’s push ahead!

Alli wanted to stand up, but Vasraa held him back by the arm. Not so fast, private!

We’ll split up, so we can give each other cover, Kormak murmured. Private Alli, you take the right side. Vasraa goes around the pasture fences on our left. I’ll stay in the dried-up riverbed to the right of the farm. We’ll meet at the barn. Understood?

Vasraa nodded briefly. Alli also seemed to understand as he grinned broadly. And then, we’ll get the big guns, sir!

Kormak patted his shoulder. Then let’s go, private. And good luck!

Alli scurried away. When Vasraa wanted to stalk off, Kormak held her back. Could be a trap, he whispered. "Let’s leave it to the private to trigger it. We’ll only intervene if we’ve