Lethal Planet by Rob May

ever want a divorce,’ Jason said. ‘Now, have you got the rings?’
    Brandon held out his palm. The rings were beautiful: thin, strong and shining like silver. They had been formed out of some of the bionoids.
    ‘I’ve made a necklace for Kat, and a bracelet for Hewson, too,’ Brandon said. ‘We’ll all be linked through the bionoids, so we can talk to each other wherever we are.’
    ‘One big happy family,’ Jason said. ‘Alright, let’s go and do this thing. Take me to church!’
     
    * * *
     
    Three miles out from the stronghold, an ancient temple to Zaal fought a losing battle with the jungle. Enormous building blocks lay strewn about, wrapped up tightly by vines and creepers. The only untouched relic was a twenty-foot-tall statue of Zaal—a horned monstrosity with the strange combination of a heavily muscled chest and arms and a saggy pot belly.
    Even the grass around the statue refused to grow. ‘I bet some balaks creep out here every night to do a bit of gardening,’ Brandon said as he and Jason stood at the feet of the statue, waiting for Jason’s bride to arrive.
    Jason was too apprehensive to reply. Above the dark, midnight jungle a powerful storm was making a racket. Storms on Corroza were immense, and the trees shook and the ground shuddered with every blast of thunder. The balaks seemed to think that this was a good omen, though. Jason hated to imagine what a bad omen looked like.
    Kat worked her way towards them through the gathering congregation. She stopped every five steps to issues orders to a balak usher or a human marine in ceremonial dress. She waved the guests clear as an MTV rolled through and parked up near the statue, turning on its lighting rig to illuminate the proceedings. Jason blinked in the harsh light. He wasn’t too happy being the centre of attention while Kat ran around issuing orders instead of him.
    ‘TESTING ONE TWO THREE,’ Kat said into a mic. Across the clearing, Hewson had set up a PA. Kat’s voice belted out louder than the storm and everyone clapped their hands to their ears.
    ‘OH SOrry,’ Kat said, lowering the mic. ‘That system is actually a sonic cannon, used for crowd dispersal. How are you feeling, Jase?  Ready?’
    Of course I’m not ready! I’m only fifteen!
    ‘I’m fine,’ he said.
    I’ve never even touched a girl before … at least, not with her permission.
    ‘Good,’ Kat said. ‘Just remember, this is the sort of thing you have to do in the name of peace and intergalactic relations. Like the Pres, you have to make sacrifices for the common good.’
    ‘Are you saying that Doo isn’t good enough for me?’ Jason challenged.
    Kat’s smile was wiped off her face. ‘No! No, I just thought … erm … I’m just talking crap, really!’
    Jason tried to hide his grin. This was how you won battles—by never admitting weakness or defeat.
    ‘Bring it on,’ he muttered under his breath as he scanned the ruins for any sign of his intended.
     
    * * *
     
    Drums rolled. Thunder rolled. Lightning flashed so bright that it filtered down through the canopy and floodlit the temple. In the brief flash, Jason spotted Doo emerge from behind a broken down colonnade. She wore a dress of vivid birds’ feathers, and a crown of twisted flowers.
    Out in the jungle, an alien animal roared.
    And suddenly Doo was running. Humans and balaks cheered and screamed as she hurtled towards her groom.
    Steady on! Jason thought. He braced himself to catch her, but she pulled up short at the last moment.
    ‘Dragons!’ she gasped, as the creature roared again out in the darkness. She looked confused and distressed. ‘Yet … yet that’s impossible—it’s their mating season, and they migrate to the lakes at this time of year—’
    ‘They’re coming!’ Brandon confirmed, clearly seeing something through the bionoids that the others could not. ‘ Something big is coming, anyway. And I can sense … zelfs. I can feel their thoughts, their cruelty and … their