Starquake.pdf

"The Terrible One," mused Qui-Qui, suddenly very tired. The rejuvenation robot had been pestering her
to undergo yet another rejuvenation, but she had been putting it off as the news of the Terrible One had
been coming in.
"It seems like history on Egg is following the history of Earth. We even have our own Attila. Only instead
of Attila-the-Hun, Scourge of God, he is Attila-the-Speckled, Scourge of Bright."
"We had better leave," said Linear-Spring, one of the mechanical engineers. "The Terrible One is
irresistible."
"No," said Qui-Qui. "If he is anything like the Attila-the-Hun of Earth, he will not stop until he has
conquered all of Egg or dies. If we leave, he will just follow us. We will stay and fight."
"But he has six dozen mounted warriors with him, and dozens and dozens more in reserve."
"Wemust stay and fight." Qui-Qui picked up a pricker and a long pike. "And he cannot be allowed to
win, for if he does, then the Dark Ages will surely fall on Egg, as they once did on Earth."
Ferocious-Eyes moved unopposed through the deserted city of Bright's Heaven. He stopped his army
when they came to the Maze Temple. He and Falling-Quirrl circled all around the outside wall. There
were a few windows in the high wall, but they were barred and the sliding panels had been shut tight.
Every few millimeters there were portholes—some at crust
level and some at eye level. Through a few ports they caught the glimpse of an eye-ball looking out at
them. Along the top of the wall there ran a spiral of metal. Occasional flashes of light appeared in the
loops.
"Those must be the 'magnetic barriers' our newest slaves told us about," said Falling-Quirrl.
"It is strange that something that is not hot and glowing can burn." Ferocious-Eyes suddenly whipped his
Swift and rode directly at the wall between two portholes, flicked a tendril at the top of the wall and rode
away again.
"It burns," he said, sucking the tip of his tendril. "We can't go over."
There was only one entrance to the Maze Temple. It was large, and because it had no door or bars it
looked ominous. The entrance opened into four narrow corridors that immediately took sharp turns as
they branched off into the maze. The corridors were too narrow to allow a Swift to pass.
Ferocious-Eyes gathered his warriors,
"Falling-Quirrl. You and your warriors will dismount and prepare to enter. Three into each corridor.
Arm yourselves with short swords and prickers for close combat. The rest are to ride your Swifts up to
the wall on either side of the entrance and fill those portholes with pikes and quirrls. If they can't see, they
can't fight."
The picked vanguard of the Speckled Horde arranged themselves in a rough line, one sharp-seeing
'common' eye always watching their commander. He unpouched a pair of limber-swords and waved
them in a complex pattern.
"Attack!" he shouted.