Harem Assassins : King Sekton's Harem Planet, Book 2: A Space Opera Harem Adventure by Baron Sord (mobi ebook reader .TXT) 📕

“Direct hit!” Hade cheered on the bridge of Vok Nyfe’s ever-changing Interceptor. They both watched the holographic scanner windows showing where Tim’s golden blip had disappeared instantly after being struck by the brilliant beam from Vok Nyfe’s Technomantic cannon.

Tim Pittwell was now trapped inside the ever-changing and shimmering cage of Vok Nyfe’s Technomantic Labyrinth. It sailed along Tim’s last vector of travel as expected.

“What happens now?” Hade asked.

Vok Nyfe said, “The king and his Dragonfire will—”

“Imposter king,” Hade grumbled.

Vok Nyfe continued without acknowledging or stopping for Hade’s interruption and said, “—remain trapped inside the Labyrinth until you choose to release him.”

Hade’s magnesium eyes burned victoriously. He said, “Can you bring the Labyrinth to us, Nyfe?”

“No. It cannot be moved. Only deactivated. It will travel where it travels. You must go to it.”

“No one can move it?”

“No one.”

“Not even the Zalaxians? They can’t capture it and carry it to Zalaxia for disassembly?”

“No. Any object touching it will be pulled into the Labyrinth and trapped.”

“Even something as large as a warship?”

“Yes.”

“What about a tractor beam? Or a kinetic energy beam to push it off course?”

“The Labyrinth will adapt.”

“How?”

“As would a fluid,” Vok Nyfe said enigmatically.

Hade nodded thoughtfully and said, “How long does this Labyrinth of yours last?”

“Indefinitely.”

“How do we get the True Ring out of the Labyrinth?”

“Once the Labyrinth is deactivated, the king’s Dragonfire, and—”

“IMPOSTER!” Hade bellowed. “HE IS NO KING! HE IS A PRETENDER AT BEST!”

Vok Nyfe continued calmly, “—the king, and his ring will be accessible wherever the Labyrinth deactivates.”

“Will he be alive?”

“If you so choose.”

Hade nodded and said, “Just like that? You deactivate the Labyrinth, it disappears, and there he is with his mech and his ring flying through space?”

“Yes.”

Hade thought for a few thousand milliseconds before saying, “That could be a problem. If the imposter wears the True Ring and it’s fully charged, he will be very difficult to defeat. We have already seen what the ring can do in competent hands and we don’t yet know the full extent of the ring’s powers. No one does.” Gone was Hade’s earlier bravado and flamboyant optimism.

“The Labyrinth can subdue him,” Vok Nyfe said flatly.

“Subdue you say?” Hade said hopefully.

Vok Nyfe tipped a nod.

“Then by all means, Nyfe. Subdue him!” Hade chuckled with fiendish glee. His buoyant mood triggered a dormant subroutine located in the deepest recesses of his cybernetic data stores. Executing the subroutine decrypted a deeply hidden algorithm. That algorithm elevated a new network of thoughts into Hade’s central processors.

What if Hade were to take the True Ring for himself?

What if Hade were to be crowned king of Zalaxia?

That would show Nemisys Imperius.

That would show Synnestra.

That would show Boltus, his simpering father, who had shamelessly bowed and scraped and kissed the feet of Nemisys Imperius like a whipped dog. Humiliating behavior like that was an insult to the Maximus name.

If Hade took the True Ring for himself, it would show every ITAP magistrate, nay, it would show every power broker in the entire universe what it looked like when someone who knew how to wield true power — someone like Hade — put true power to the test. If Hade did that, the universe would cower and bow at his feet and his alone.

Baron Crewd von Bludlust would not like it.

Baron Crewd von Bludlust could go skruck himself.

With the True Ring in Hade’s possession, he could deal with Baron Crewd. Hade would have all of Zalaxia’s formidable military powers at his disposal. Hade would have full access to Zalaxia’s economic power, full access to its political power. The King of Zalaxia had always held significant sway over the Intergalactic Trade Alliance of Planets.

If Hade were crowned king of Zalaxia, he would force ITAP to pardon him for his war crimes. If they didn’t, Hade would make them regret it. He would show them the true meaning of Widespread Galactic Atrocities and Attempted Genocide.

“Nyfe!” Hade snarled, “Dock this curious ship of yours in the hangar bay immediately! I am taking that ring!”

Minutes later, after Vok Nyfe’s Interceptor docked in the hangar bay, Hade marched across the deck, his titanium hooves clinking jubilantly. Vok Nyfe floated quietly behind him on his levitating disc, clutching his transforming Technomantic staff.

“Plot a course for Zalaxia!” Hade barked to whoever was listening. “All ahead full! We’re going to retrieve the True Ring! Then we’ll go down to Harem Planet and celebrate! Everyone into your Fold Beds! I want 5 G’s immediately!”

Every man and mutant working the hangar deck cheered.

They knew what celebrating entailed.

All the Zalaxian tail they could get before Baron Crewd showed up to claim the Zalaxian throne and every last Zalaxian whore on the planet for himself.

—: Chapter 83 :—

I was surrounded by infinite darkness. I spun around in my seat looking for Zalaxia. It was gone. So were the stars.

Instant fear.

Was I dead?

Blind?

No, each of my three HUDs were visible: the one native to my power armor’s helmet visor, the more detailed displays for the YX-37, and my ring HUD. I was very much alive and sitting in the cockpit of my Dragonfire. I could also hear the low hum of my rig’s reactor core.

But my surroundings were completely dark.

Not a single star in sight.

Had something shorted out my Visor View? I opened my helmet visor to check. Except for some indicator lights on my seat, the Dragonfire cockpit was dark.

Were my mech’s external cameras offline? If they were, that was a problem. How did you see outside without cameras? I had never asked Mira about that eventuality. Flying by instruments was one thing. Flying without any windows was another. Even Charles Lindbergh could stick his head out the side windows of the Spirit of St. Louis when necessary (the plane famously had no front windshield). Did this Dragonfire have an emergency viewport somewhere, front, side, or otherwise? Any size would do. A mail slot, even. Heck, a single peephole would be fantastic.

Hey, rig? Can you highlight the emergency viewport, if there is one?

Directly in front of