by James Somers
business-end near his belly. He had seen the weapon before. The Barudii had used the same thing to kill the Teragore in the dome.
“Kill me then, if that’s why you came here.”
“I told you already. I want peace between our people. I know of your struggle against the oppression of the Vorn military, but the civilian populace had nothing to do with that. I proposed this alliance to them and those people have sent me with the same hope of peace.
“Our peoples need peace. We’ll already have enough of a fight on our hands when the Baruk come. And they are already on their way. Join us. Let’s fight them together and live to have peace on our planet.”
Grod looked at him, listening and studying the young man. His dagger was still frozen above Tiet’s chest, held by the Barudii’s mental power. Finally, after a long silence between them, Grod spoke. “And if I refuse your peace?”
“Then I came prepared to kill you. I do not intend to fight a war on two fronts between you and the Baruk.”
“Then kill me. I don’t care about peace with you, or the Vorn.”
Grod stood stone-faced looking into his eyes, waiting for him to do it. Instead, Tiet pushed him away, releasing Grod from his mental grip. Grod looked surprised by his reaction.
“I don’t want to kill you,” Tiet said. “Believe it or not, I respect you and your desire to be independent of those who enslaved the Horva. I still think it’s a shame, though. I may have to face you on a battlefield some day instead of around a peaceful table breaking bread as friends, but that’s your choice. At least I tried to talk sense to you.”
Tiet brought his broken arm up to his torso. It throbbed terribly. He heard the room full of warriors raising their weapons again, bringing them to bear on him. Grod raised his hand quickly to halt them.
“As you said, Barudii, we may see one another on the battlefield someday, but this is not your day to die. Take your peace and go in it.”
Tiet gave him one last look then backed away out the way he had come by. The main gate opened up behind him, allowing him to exit as Grod walked slowly after him, watching him leave. The Horva fell in behind their leader with their weapons still at the ready just in case.
☼
Wynn watched from the support beams above the chamber where Tiet had fought with the General. He couldn’t believe what was happening. Tiet had said he would kill him. Grod was within his grasp and he spared him.
Even with the broken arm, Tiet probably still could’ve made it out if he had wanted to. The young king was surprising him more with each passing event.
Wynn’s gun was still trained on General Grod from his perch. He waited for Tiet to make it back beyond the defense field, heading back to his ship over the ridge. Wynn left his hidden position and made his way back to his own fighter. The Horva never knew he was there. His Barudii cloak had seen to that. He wasn’t sure about Tiet sparing Grod’s life, but he wouldn’t be the one to disobey the king’s decision.
☼
It took Wynn several hours to make his way back to Baeth Periege in his ship. He had arrived nearly at the same time that Tiet’s fighter was reported to have docked in a different part of the city, near the main medical facility.
He was going to have to see to his broken arm. The medics would put him through the standard osteoblast enhancement. What used to be done in weeks back home was now done in two hours with Vorn medical treatments. It would be enough time for Wynn to get to Kale before Tiet was able to. Hopefully he would undergo the treatment before anyone even told him about his brother surrendering.
Wynn sprinted out of the lift of the holding facility. He wasn’t sure why Kale would just surrender himself, but he needed to find out as much as he could before Tiet heard of his brother’s arrival. From what he knew about Tiet’s feelings concerning Kale, he would be fortunate to even get a quick death.
Wynn placed his hand on the DNA scanner and entered the room where Kale was being kept. He was still there, sitting quietly with two armed guards watching him carefully. The cell was such that any tampering with the mechanism, even mentally, would cause another separate system to fire a charge within the cell, stunning the prisoner. Everything appeared to be in order.
Kale stood to his feet as Wynn entered the room.
Wynn stood before the energy field, facing him. He could sense the power of the man. He almost felt like he was in Tiet’s presence, the energy was so intense.
“Kale Soone, my name is Wynn Gareth. I served under your father.”
“I remember your name, but I don’t remember ever meeting you.”
“I would like to know why you came back to this planet and why you surrendered yourself to us.”
Kale waited a moment before answering, studying Wynn’s face and considering the question. “It doesn’t really matter. The Baruk are on their way. I’m not one of them. I didn’t have anywhere else to go.”
“But you didn’t have to come here. You must have realized that you would be facing a death sentence. I just want to know why,” Wynn said.
Kale’s guard seemed to soften at that point. “I’m guilty of killing my own family, Wynn. I betrayed them to the Vorn. My brother is the only one of them who escaped. If he wants to kill me then I’m sure I deserve it.”
Wynn could see the sincerity in Kale’s eyes as he spoke. He meant what he was saying. “Perhaps if you told Tiet then he might—”
“He’ll never forgive me. And I really don’t blame him. Whatever I receive for my crimes against my people will never be enough,” said Kale.
Wynn wasn’t sure what to say. He sensed genuine remorse for his past crimes. He stood there, watching the son of his former king, feeling sorry for the man. Not because he might die as a traitor, but because he was genuinely repentant and had no way to repair the damage he had done.
The door to the room opened. Tiet charged in.
“So it’s true!” he shouted.
He drew his blade from its scabbard as he crossed the small room toward the cell. This was exactly what Wynn had been hoping wouldn’t happen. He noticed Tiet’s arm still tucked to his side. He hadn’t made it to get the repair yet. Tiet was already bringing his broken arm up painfully to place his hand on the DNA scanner.
It was a moment frozen in time. The energy field went down. Tiet raised his blade to strike down his brother. Wynn knew it now. Tiet was really going to kill him. Wynn looked at Kale. He was just standing there with his eyes closed like it was going to be a relief to let Tiet kill him.
Tiet thrust his father’s blade toward Kale. A moment later it was landing on the ground beside him. “What are you doing?” Tiet shouted.
Wynn had caught his arm in flight and disarmed him. It was a split second decision to save Kale’s life and to save Tiet from the regret and torture of having killed his own brother.
“Tiet, if you kill him, you’ll never forgive yourself,” said Wynn as they struggled.
“He killed my father, my mother and Orin! Our people were slaughtered because of him!” Tiet shouted.
“It’s all right, Wynn,” said Kale, “I deserve this. Let him go.”
“Shut your mouth, traitor!” Tiet shouted. He attacked Kale with his mind.
Kale was pushed backward into the wall. He slumped to the floor in pain. He wasn’t even trying to shield himself from his younger brother’s righteous fury.
“Tiet, he is still your brother, all that you have left of your family!” Wynn pleaded.
Tiet shook free of Wynn’s grip on his arm. “Stay out of it, Wynn,” he said, glaring at the man.
Tiet looked back toward Kale, still groaning on the floor trying to breathe. Something snapped in his expression as he looked at his brother bent to his will, on the ground in pain. He released him from the attack and backed away with a bewildered look on his face.
Tiet turned away to walk out, looking disturbed. He extended his good hand behind him and caught his blade as it leaped from the ground, flying across th
e room after him. The door closed behind him.
Kale began to recover himself. Wynn did not help him up. Instead he stepped back outside the cell and scanned the lock to reactivate the cell’s energy field.
“Watch him,” he said to the guards, who were stunned by the event.
He looked back to see Kale climbing back to the small bed against the cell wall. There wasn’t time to worry about the pain either of the brothers might be feeling. The Baruk were still on their way.
ARMADA
Ranul rushed into the lift heading for the bridge of the Vorn cruiser, Esyia. The Baruk were headed into the sector where the Vorn cruiser was patrolling. The sensor probes, which had been stationed along the way, were being destroyed systematically as the Baruk journeyed toward Castai-Rex. With at least fifty large warships, they were flaunting their power and moving quickly.
The level indicator increased in number as the lift carried Ranul toward the bridge where he could analyze the latest data. There were only two Vorn battle cruisers assigned to each sector from among the twenty-three that had been confiscated on Castai-Ori and left on Rex after the departure of the remaining Vorn military during the battle of Baeth Periege. The Onicule was traveling with them nearby.
All the Vorn battle cruisers were heavily armed and highly maneuverable. But with the greater number of Baruk vessels approaching, many of the people serving aboard the cruisers were expecting to fight a losing battle. Still, morale among the crews