Shattered Alliance

by Benjamin Wallace

  The king waved to his cousin who was standing near the back of the room. “Mon’dhak, come here.”

  He positioned Mon’dhak in front of the Rox Tolgath. “This is what royal blood looks like, Malbourne. Do you see it? It pulses with an undeniable power. You can sense it. You can almost smell it.” The king sniffed at the air and smiled as if it was a sweet perfume. “Its power is that intense. And this man is only eighth in line.”

  The Rox Tolgath smiled and said, “I think I am beginning to understand, your majesty.” The commander looked around the room and pointed to another Shandoran. He approached the man and looked into the alien’s eyes. He sniffed the air around the man gently. “This man is of royal blood, is he not?”

  Jondak applauded softly. His student deserved as much. “He is. That man is in fact seventh in line. And you see now. It is in the blood.”

  In one violent move, the Rox Tolgath grabbed the Shandoran by the back of the neck, drew a blade and drove it so deep into the alien’s abdomen that the point exploded through the royal’s back.

  Jondak gasped and turned to signal his royal guards to him. They weren’t moving. Jondak was about to scream at them when he realized Malbourne’s silent pet had outdrawn them all. The man in the black armor directed the barrel of his weapon at the king. Jondak looked back to his cousin as the color drained from his face.

  Royal blood poured over Malbourne’s hand and covered the white stone on the floor.

  The Rox Tolgath looked at Jondak as he pulled the knife free and let the body fall to the floor. Malbourne held his blood-covered hand up in front of his face and studied it. He gave it another sniff and smiled. “Oh, yes. I see it now.”

  He didn’t care if a gun was trained on him. This was sacrilege and deserved to be addressed as such. “How dare you!”

  Malbourne shook the blood from his hand like it was nothing more than water. “The Empire needs a king’s signature, Jondak. I don’t care whose hand it comes from. And I’m beginning to grow less concerned if that hand is even attached to a body. I will give you one more day to plan your ceremony, because I am not unkind. But if the treaty is not signed two days from now, we will work our way through your royal blood until we find a more agreeable man of destiny.”

  The Rox Tolgath moved toward the door but stopped in front of the very nervous eighth-in-line Shandoran. He held the knife out by the blade and offered it to the man.

  The Shandoran reluctantly took the knife but said nothing.

  “Congratulations,” the Rox Tolgath said. “You’re now number seven.”

  With this, the off-worlder left the room. His armored dog holstered his weapon, turned his back and followed.

  Jondak fell back into his seat. He wasn’t powerless. But it’s how he felt. Was this how normal people felt all the time? It was unbearable. His gaze fell on the kardjack board in front of him. Despite his position, his opponent had him in three moves. Jondak screamed and threw the board across the room.

  14

  “What do you think his chances are?” Konditti asked as he idly threw a piece of stone through the tower window and out into the dawn. Several moons had risen and set since the captain had climbed out the window half naked. No alarm had been raised and there had been no visit from the guards.

  “Not good,” Intan answered as he peered out the tower window. He had watched the captain throw a guard over the wall. But there had been no sign of the man since he had entered the palace hours ago.

  “Where do you think he is?” Nowak asked.

  “He’s probably dead,” Intan said. “Or worse.”

  “What’s worse than dead?” Reynolds asked.

  Intan turned away from the window. “Not dead.”

  The crew members shared a laugh.

  “That’s enough of that,” Stendak said, though her heart wasn’t in the defense as much as it should have been. She had spent a good portion of her career taking up for Thurgood and it came like a reflex. “He’s your captain. Show some respect.”

  “He’s only a captain because of his father,” Intan said. “I’m not sure how much respect that really gets him.”

  Stendak nodded lightly. She understood the gripe. Intan wasn’t the first crewman to make his grievances known to her. Many had approached her over the years. She’d had her doubts in the past, as well. But she felt everyone deserved defending. Even Antarius. “Captain Thurgood may be the son of a rich man, but I can assure you that he has more than earned his position.”

  Intan snorted his opinion and turned back to the window.

  Nowak smiled at the exchange, but the smile quickly left her lips when she pressed the question. “You’re not serious?”

  “I am,” Stendak said with a nod. “I’ll concede that the captain may have come into his position through favoritism. And it’s most likely the reason he drew the assignment on the Alliance’s flagship. But I have served with Captain Thurgood for several years now and I can say with complete confidence that he embodies everything that the Alliance stands for.

  “It’s easy to think that the captain wades into action with little regard for the consequences,” Stendak continued. “His actions seem like that of a spoiled brat, an insipid little toddler that’s always had someone there to bail him out of trouble. But have you ever considered that the captain’s rash and dangerous actions are truly the acts of a selfless man?”

  Nowak shook her head.

  Reynolds said, “Nope.”

  Konditti said, “I’m not sure he even knows what selfless means.”

  Stendak smiled. “I don’t blame you. I’m not sure I’d believe it myself. His brash manner of speaking, acting… even the way he stands there breathing more than most people makes it appear as though he values nothing but his own life and amusements.”

  The other prisoners laughed in agreement.

  “But I’ve seen it. These flashes of selflessness. I’ve seen him throw himself into harm’s way. I’ve seen him risk his own life countless times to save others.”

  “Have you ever considered he’s just doing it because he likes being a hero?” Nowak asked.

  No, she had not. This thought forced an instant replay of Thurgood’s greatest hits to run in her memory. And for every heroic deed, she remembered an award ceremony or newsfeed story or secret tryst. It had to be a coincidence. Didn’t it? In situations where mere moments mattered, he had to be acting from an inherent goodness. Didn’t he? He couldn’t evaluate a situation based on potential reward so quickly. Antarius wasn’t bright enough. She couldn’t answer.

  “That’s my guess, too.” Intan said. “He only acts when it’s a benefit to him.”

  “But he still acts.” Stendak’s defense came from arguing out of habit, but as she said it, it made sense. “It doesn’t matter what drives someone to act. It’s the actions themselves that count.”

  “But he still accepts the glory,” Intan said.

  “I’ve seen him act when no others would… when there was no way he wouldn’t be harmed. I’ve seen him act when he thought no one was watching. I think. I’ve seen him risk his life to save lives that others would say weren’t worth saving. He may lead a charmed life for his actions, but those actions are still his own.”

  With this new framing, her memories opened up and played the scenes that fit her new perspective. And there were many. Silent moments away from the press. Moments of despair and vulnerability. Moments where the two said their goodbyes because he was heading into certain death. She choked up at one memory she had long ago buried. She took a deep breath and continued, “He’s a good man. His father’s money doesn’t change that. It may just make it harder for us to accept that deep down he is a decent person.”

  The door to the tower crashed open on cue. Several guards entered the room dragging Antarius behind them. He looked spent and exhausted. He was bloodied and bruised, but the captain was grinning as defiantly as always despite having been recaptured.

  “I mean it’s impressive right? I g
ot pretty far. A lot further than you would have thought.” His voice was raw, but he used what he had left to antagonize his captors. “Yeah, you’re not saying anything, but you’re impressed. I can tell.”

  One guard opened the cell door and the others tossed the captain back in with his crew mates. Stendak moved to his side and helped him sit up. “You monsters! What have you done to him?”

  “Your captain was caught desecrating the royal harem.”

  “What?” Stendak dropped Antarius and stood up.

  “Several times,” another Shandoran added.

  Stendak glared at Thurgood and whispered, “You monster!”

  “He is to be tried.” With this declared, the Shandoran guards locked the cell door and left the tower.

  Antarius grunted as he tried to sit up. He reached up for Stendak’s hand. “Help me up, Stendak. My abs are just shredded.”

  “I can’t believe you.” She slapped his hand away and kicked him in the side.

  He groaned and rubbed the spot she had kicked. “Why the hell are you kicking me?”

  “You desecrated the sacred harem!?” she said, and planted another foot in his side.

  “Several times,” he said with a smile.

  “I cannot believe you. I was just telling them how, despite all appearances, you are actually a selfless person. How you are a good man. And how you do the right thing when it matters most. About how you stick your neck out for people. And this whole time you were out there sticking your… in the royal harem? How could you?”

  Antarius grimaced as he sat up and shrugged. “It was a very exciting time for me.”

  “How can you be so arrogant about this?” Stendak screamed.

  “It’s a new personal best. I mean, there were seventeen of them in there. I didn’t think I had it in me.”

  “You were supposed to be out there finding a way to rescue us. How could you?”

  “Look, I thought that exact same thing at first. How could I? I mean, we’re not even the same species. And they have that pink skin. I didn’t think it would do it for me. But once I was in there… Oh, boy! I finally found out what those gills are good for, by the way.” He leaned over and tried to punch Konditti in the arm, but the ensign moved out of the way to escape the camaraderie.

  Stendak took a stuttering breath and released it slowly. She willed the anger away and composed herself. She may have found her calm, but she wasn’t done with him yet. “You disgust me.”

  “What?” Antarius asked. “I thought you’d be proud of me.”

  “Why in the worlds would you ever think that I would be proud of you?” she asked.

  “Well, obviously, I’ve grown,” Antarius said. “I dig alien sex now. You should appreciate that, if not as a woman, at least as an alien.”

  Stendak turned away and Intan took over with the insults. “This isn’t a game, you complete and utter moron.”

  “Hey, now, Ingman. There’s no need to get personal.”

  “You’re going to be tried,” Nowak said. “Did you hear that?”

  “So what?” Thurgood stood up slowly with more grunting than was probably necessary. “If their courts are anything like back on Earth, it won’t be any problem.”

  Stendak spun back around as the rage returned. The stupidity of his statement had triggered it. “Why would they be anything like they are on Earth?”

  Antarius started removing his uniform from Johnson’s corpse. “I don’t know. I just assumed.”

  “This planet has a king, not a council. They ride pigs, not cars.” She stomped over to the window and pointed into the sky. “There are seven moons. The people are pink. The beer is green. Why would the courts be the only thing that are similar to Earth?”

  “Now, look. There’s no reason to panic until we have something to panic about.”

  The tower door opened once more and several guards walked up to the cell door. “The trial has ended. Captain Antarius Thurgood. You have been found guilty of attempting to escape from the royal tower. The penalty is death.”

  The lead guard drew a blaster and shot Intan through the face. The ensign slumped over in the window.

  “What was that for?!” Nowak shouted as she raced to Intan’s body.

  “You pink bastard, you’ll pay for the death of… Wait.” The captain turned around and looked at the dead ensign. “Who did he shoot?”

  “It was Intan,” hissed Nowak.

  “Don’t get mad at me. It’s hard to tell without the face.” He turned back to the guard. “You’ll pay for the death of Ingman.”

  “You should thank your underling, Captain,” the guard said. “He has paid the price for your crimes.”

  “Oh? Well then. I’m glad that’s over with,” Antarius said.

  “But only for your feeble escape attempt,” the guard continued. “You will still stand trial for desecrating the sacred harem."

  “Several times,” Thurgood added.

  “Shut up,” Stendak said as she approached the bars. “Is this to be another one of your mock trials? Can we expect you to return and shoot another defenseless person?”

  The guard moved closer to the window. “I’m afraid it is not so simple. Your captain is too important to be executed in a cell. He will face trial by combat. And he alone will answer for his crimes.”

  The guards left the tower cell and locked the door behind them.

  “Can you believe that? Trial by combat.” Antarius clapped his hands and rubbed them together enthusiastically. “Finally. I’ve always wanted to beat the shit out of a lawyer.”

  “I don’t think that’s what they mean,” Stendak said as she lowered herself slowly back to the cell floor.

  “Oh, come now Stendak. What else could it mean?”

  15

  “I just want to apologize again for killing your hairy friend back there.” Commander Vides sat in the jump seat behind Priscilla and Cason. “There’s a pretty good chance he didn’t deserve it and I just hate that’s how we all met. They say you never get a second chance to make a first impression, and I’m just concerned that between the murder and the smell that comes from being on ice for 100 years, you may not think that much of me.”

  The woman sat focused with her gaze outside the viewport. She hadn’t taken her eyes off it since they’d boarded. Outside the craft, the starfield stretched into the telltale signs of faster-than-light travel and her attention was solely on piloting the craft.

  Vides let the silence linger for only a moment before he forced a cough and continued. “You know, even in my day, the FTL portion of any trip was the boring part because the computer did all the work. I know you’re not really flying.”

  Silence followed this observation as well.

  “But you don’t have to say anything,” Vides said. “I know you’re mad. I can tell. And, if I’m being honest, which I always promised my momma I would be, angry is a good look on you.”

  “I can’t believe you!” Priscilla screamed as she let go of the controls and spun around in her seat. “You’re actually trying to flirt with me? You murdered my friend and here you are only an hour later, hitting on me?”

  Vides looked at the computer on his wrist as if he was verifying the time that had lapsed. He nodded that her estimation was close enough. “I did say I was sorry, ma’am. And if you’ll pardon me saying, you don’t really strike me as the kind of person to hold a grudge.”

  Priscilla was across the cab and had a knife at Vides’s throat before Cason could even react. She was heaving breaths through clenched teeth and cursing in a combination of several alien languages. Despite the linguistic gymnastics, it strung together a grammatically correct, and fairly graphic, insult.

  The commander looked at Cason. “I don’t suppose all that meant she likes me, too? Does it?”

  Cason shook his head. “It wasn’t good.”

  Despite the smell, Priscilla leaned in and snarled, “I’ll show you exactly what kind of person I am.”

  The commander looke
d back on Priscilla with a sly grin that was sure to get his throat slit. He looked her right in the eyes. That’s when the grin faded. “You’ve got to be shittin’ me.”

  Priscilla looked confused and cast a glance at Cason. Cason was more lost than she was. He had no idea what had come over Vides. Maybe it was part of the thawing process.

  Despite the knife at his throat, Commander Vides stood up and Priscilla backed away at the surprise movement. The unfrozen soldier leaned forward and looked her right in the eyes. “I can’t believe it. You’re one of them!”

  Priscilla turned away and took her seat back at the controls.

  “One of who?” Cason asked.

  Vides pointed at the woman. “You can tell by the gold flecks in her eyes. They all had ’em. Every single one of ’em. It was included in most all of the packages. They were like the damn Sneetches with those gold eyes.”

  “What are you talking about, Vides?” Maze looked at Priscilla. “What the hell is Sneetch?”

  “Genefreaks!” Vides shouted. “I guess spending a hundred years as a half-gallon of Buttered Pecan Blue Bell slowed me down. I used to be able to spot your kind from a mile away.”

  “Only a mile?” Priscilla huffed.

  “You’ll have to forgive me darling, our scopes were only good for a mile back then,” Vides shot back. “Her kind are the whole reason we fought the Longevity Wars. Humanity tinkering with their genes unlocked all kinds of monsters. Your kind disgust me. Your very existence is an affront to nature.”

  “Great!” Priscilla spun around to face him. “Does this mean you’re going to stop hitting on me?”

  Vides voice softened. “Not if it’s working!”

  “It’s not!”

  “Fine,” Vides’s anger had run out of steam. “Fine. I gotta see to the armor anyway. Maze, you call me if she gets out of line. You can’t trust their kind.” He cast one last glare at Priscilla and stormed out of the cabin.

  She turned back to the starfield outside the port, and Cason found himself in a very quiet room. He finally eased back into his own seat and offered the only consoling thought he had. “He’s a relic of another time.”