Iron Core Monks
By: Build Spaceships
Tags: Science Fiction, Space, SciFi, Fiction, Short Story

Iron Core Monks

Part 2

Jakz Monastery

Two blissful days later I was feasting on the lush vegetation of the low rolling hillsides at the base of the mountain. My stomach hadn’t been so full in years. My grandmother used to say happier than a troop in a succulent patch.

I was laying on my back digesting when I saw movement on the next ridge. Two out of place colors caught my eye. I moved quickly through the brush on all fours and watched them through the leaves.

Two lizards. Females. One as blue as the sky with crayon red eyes, golden high command armbands, and a necklace to match. The other wore nothing but pure black and white scales. Their bodies were such extreme colors they didn’t even look real. They walked side by side with speed and purpose.

Then I saw the hyenas, five of them. I faced them once before and they tore an entire squadron to pieces in minutes. The robotic hunting animals were made of an insanely strong golden alloy that sparkled as they glided through the tall grass.

I looked around for anything to use as a weapon. They could slice through wood and hitting them with a rock wouldn’t help. I’d seen them shake off phaser rifle shots at point-blank range. I was screwed. The mechanical nightmares surely had scanners and would be on top of me in seconds.

I stood up, took off my jacket, puffed up my chest, and roared as loud as I could. They stopped their stealth approach and charged overland at a sprint. I pounded my chest and acted as animalistic as I could. Maybe I could wrestle one, but five?

They surrounded me with vicious snarling gold jaws. I was trying to figure out which one would come at me first when they all simply sat down like dogs. I was dumbfounded, my heart raced, and my adrenaline pumped overtime.

The two Varans calmly walked up to me. The black and white one spoke for both. She was holding my gun.

“Gorilla, is this your weapon?”

It was a custom job on a military rifle, augmented for larger handed species. Other humanoids could easily use it, but it fit me like a glove. I’d missed her and thought I’d never see her again.

“Sure looks like one I used to own.”

“We purchased it off a miner. It hadn’t reached the local market yet, so we’ve cut off any trail to you from it. Are there any other artifacts out there we should worry about?”

“Nah.”

“Bet you were issued a helmet to match that jacket?” She pointed my turbo blaster at my coat on the ground.

I picked it up, put it back on, walked over to one of the hyenas, and pet its solid gold head. “Good doggie. I lost that a long time ago, probably the only thing they ever found of me.”

She lifted my blaster and leaned it on her scaly shoulder. A thin serpentine tongue shot out of her mouth and tasted the air.

“We agree. You did a good job of covering your tracks, even if there is a trail of death in your wake. There’s no direct sign of you.”

I shrugged. “Most of them had it coming.”

“I’m Taegu and this is Macrai.” The blue one hardly nodded. “The war is coming here. We’re evacuating the Jakz in residence on the other side of the mountain. The monks at the main monastery are staying against our recommendation. We can take you to Grandor, you could return to the moons.”

The Varans had been on the opposite side of the battlefield from me before. They were dangerous. Cold-blooded reptiles with their own agenda. They were above planetary altercations. Their ancient civilization could manipulate whole sectors of space without even firing a shot. They held influence. Power. Many of them were thought to be spies. I figured they knew exactly who I was.

“I just got here. The monks offered me asylum. Unless you are forcibly removing them?”

They weren’t.

Torri Gate Map

I walked with the ladies and their robotic pets to the other side of the mountain. Built high into the sloping cliffs was a second monastery. A staircase wound up the mountain covered by countless bright orange torii gates. They zigzagged through the forest, clear to the peak then back down again. There was a lovely map of the ruthless stair laden round trip hike posted at the first arch.

Apparently, it was a Zen hiking trail and it worked. Halfway up to the residence, I had no other thought in my mind but that climb.

“We gotta stop.” Embarrassing for me to admit being a mountain gorilla but it was a hell of an ascent.

“Would you like to ride instead?” The blue one finally spoke, maybe she was sick of stairs too.

“Is that an option?”

With a nod of her slender head, three hyenas darted out of the woods and stood at our sides. The ladies mounted them like horses. I hesitantly climbed aboard the one that came to me. It had no trouble lifting my weight even though I was about its same size.

“Do hold on, gorilla,” said Taegu.

I wrapped my arms around the robot’s thick neck and it bolted up the stairs five at a time. Our body types weren’t that different with big upper torsos and shorter back legs, but it was a machine and I was flesh and blood. I liked to think its sensors cared if I was in pain or not, but I still slammed up and down smashing my skull into its metal shoulders with every jumping step.

I looked to my left and the two Varans were casually enjoying the ride like a couple of equestrian debutants out for a jaunt on daddy’s lawn. Small pegs extruded out the side of the beasts they were riding, giving them a solid footing. They were pulling away from me. My head bashed the metal shoulders again.

“Extend stirrups.” Nothing.

“Riding pegs?” Nothing.

“What’s the Varan word for saddle?!” I yelled.

The black and white one turned around and hissed. Two pegs popped out and a loop ring formed near my mount’s golden collar. I put my feet on the pegs, grabbed the loop, and the hyena really took off.

We ran up the orange arch covered stairs so fast I felt like I was in a tunnel. There was a pause in the arches and we broke for the wood. I smiled like a fool. Branches smacking me in the face. It was great!

I let out a roar. I’d forgotten what it was like to have such a pleasure. We slid to a stop in front of the wooden gates of the mountain chateau. I got off my hyena, head locked it in one arm, and give it a pat on the snout.

“Good girl, Goldie, good girl.” She purred back at me with an electronic growl and bumped me off with a shove from her powerful head.

“I think she likes me.” I grinned at the two Varans.

“I told it to keep an eye on you. Next time say RIDE and SHE will understand your command.”

I gave Goldie a shove as hard as I could, only budging her off her footing. She nudged me forward toward the entrance with a brutal head-butt. I liked animals that played ruff, even robotic ones.

I followed the women inside.