Balance of Power: The Blackened Prophecy Book 2

by Oganalp Canatan

  “Approach,” a deep voice echoed through the hall. It was powerful. Demanding.

  Ray took a few steps toward the Devourer’s cage. “Interesting,” he found himself saying. Ray realized he wasn’t afraid but curious. Even facing a race eternally more powerful than his own, and even unable to reach the touch of Arinar, he was anything but terrified.

  “Human.”

  “Raymond Harris. My friends call me Ray, but I prefer you to call me Lohil. Mr. Harris also works.”

  “You have brought the Marakhunassan prince with you.”

  “Mara… what?”

  “He means me, Lohil. Marakhunassan is the name the Architects gave us.” Sim’Ra’s usage of the word was filled with bitterness. “It is a disgraceful name.”

  “So is what your people name us.”

  “You deserved that name.”

  “The Architects?” Ray asked, joining the exchange. “They are offended by that?”

  “No, Lohil.” Sim’Ra had his stare locked with the male. “The true name we gave their race is impossible for your oral communication abilities to express. It would be amusing to hear it used by humans, though.” Sim’Ra’s smile was full of mockery, his eyes flickering in true joy. He was really entertaining the idea, by the looks of it.

  Even if his words hit the spot, the male Architect didn’t show it. “Why are you here, Prince? You were not summoned.”

  “I wasn’t summoned either.” Ray knit his brows. “Sim’Ra?” Was this all another scheme involving these freak creatures and the Baeal? “Was I summoned?”

  “You were expected.”

  “You almost got me for a second there, pal.” Ray put his hands in his pockets. This would be the end of his macabre journey, and he’d enjoy every tiny moment of it as his burden resolved. “So, all right. Here I am. Now what?”

  It was the female who broke the silence. “Now, you will be judged.”

  “For what?”

  “For your actions. For denying your purpose.”

  “What purpose, lady? I was carrying stupid crates for a living before your glowing, flying ambassador or whatever he is, reached out for me, giving me one of your trinkets.”

  “Your realization of your purpose is insignificant. Your role, whether you understand it or not, is dominant in your creation.”

  Ray scratched his beard. “Lady, I don’t think I like your tone.”

  “You will be judged, Lohil.”

  “Now, that would be the day.”

  BROTHERS IN ARMS

  “That was disgusting.” Stefanu was still cleaning gooey resin from his uniform and his face. “It sticks, it stinks, and it itches.”

  “Will you stop crying, Mr. Stefanu?”

  “I’m sorry, ma’am. I’m not used to being carried around in sacks.” The mercenary looked at the floating balls with eyes. “I know it stares at me, and it laughs. It mocks me with its slime.”

  Rebecca couldn’t help but smile, though she couldn’t tell what was so cheerful about their situation. “Maybe it does.”

  When Vengeance said they would be going down to Tarra, Rebecca didn’t think of being transported like a grocery bag. Shuttles, pods, or landing the ship even, but not this. As the infested woman gave the order, the mantis creatures grabbed the crew with their solid legs and tibial spines, carrying them to one of the hangar bays. Their grasp was strong, but Rebecca had to admit, the creatures were gentle. As if they had been specifically ordered not to damage the goods. Rebecca hoped it was a sign of goodwill and not some investment opportunity for infesting a pristine human body after the fuss was over.

  When they reached the hangar bay, Rebecca realized they had lost the battle. Their battle at least—she had no idea what Mr. Harris was doing. The hangar bay was crowded full of people, cramped in the center. Thousands of critters surrounded them, guarding the prisoners. Dozens of the mantis creatures escorted them. Fliers circled over the humans, passing through the high ceiling's metal beams, screaming their irritating wails. There were the bulls, looking mean and frenzied but standing motionless like exemplary soldiers. Rebecca winced when she saw infested crewmen, small insects flying around their heads like hives. She could not see their eyes from this distance, and she was thankful after remembering Major Kasper’s reports.

  The walls, floors, consoles, and the hangar bay ships were covered with the same chitin formation that had taken over the bridge. It would be a genuine surprise if those ships could take off without an explosion, let alone engage in combat. Not that they had any real chance against such an oppressive force with their half-crewed, half-assessed superdreadnought carrying only a handful of ancient Kaplan class fighter craft. But until now, Rebecca had held some small hope inside her.

  Rebecca winced at the memory of their transportation. The hangar bay had a huge, plant-like creature sitting on top of the main door. She wasn’t very good with botany, but if she had to, she would have called the thing a twisted version of Earth’s peace lily. Brown and dark purple were the dominant colors. The plant was huge, towering to the ceiling. Each spathe was as big as a small cabin, and the thing had at least thirty of those arms. The monster took people from the crowd at random, restrained them within the spathes, and threw them into some sort of organic sinkhole, formed like a pool on the bay doors. Rebecca had protested, but she finally realized what Vengeance meant by “transportation.” It was basically a packaging machine, covering everyone in organic sacs and tossing them out of the airlock.

  “At least we are still in one peace, Mr. Stefanu.” She looked at the residue of her organic pod, which had melted the moment it touched the ground. “I never thought I would skydive from a superdreadnought's hangar in high orbit.”

  “Yeah,” Stefanu scratched his head, grimacing as his fingers touched a gooey spot. “How does that even work?”

  Rebecca had no answer. She simply shrugged, watching the pods fall from the skies like shooting stars, approaching at tremendous speed and yet, touching the ground as softly as feathers, releasing their passengers as they dissolved rapidly. “Have you seen Mr. Ga’an?”

  “Not yet, but I’m guessing he’s not far behind. He was but a few meters behind me with Major Kasper and the one-eyed lieutenant.”

  Rebecca nodded. They were on a plateau, and it looked as if they were standing over clouds. A dense fog had descended, reaching kilometers in each direction. The air, besides the unnatural contrast the mist had created, was dry and sunny. Too dry, too bright. Of course, there was also the sick, huge sphere hanging in the sky. Rebecca had never been to Bunari or Tarra before, but she knew the system as a part of her job and from Mr. Harris’s team's exploits. None of her knowledge included an infested Bunari. She wondered how Brother Cavil was doing.

  “Admiral Conway.” Ga’an appeared from inside the crowd a moment later, his face tensed, his eyes bulged in anger. “This is disgraceful.”

  “At least we are alive. That still gives us a chance.”

  Ga’an grunted. He looked around in distaste. “I did not miss this planet.” He then raised his stare at Bunari. “And its condition has certainly declined.”

  “Mr. Ga’an, Mr. Stefanu,” Rebecca whispered, signaling them to follow. “This very much looks like a hecatomb to me. We need to advise a plan before Vengeance does whatever she has in mind. Fast.”

  “The nearest human buildings in this region are all military installations.” Stefanu narrowed his eyes, immediately focusing on the subject, forgetting about the goo. “I had three covert operations on this moon. That’s Crater Town,” he pointed to a mountain formation in the distance. The only significant geographical sight as far as Rebecca could see.

  “I remember that formation from my time with Sarah Davis,” Ga’an concurred.

  “By the looks of it, she’s taking us to Farkas Research Base. The lab where they messed things up and caused this fog.” Stefanu nodded at Vengeance in the distance, walking toward them. “It’s the only base I know of in that direction.” Stefanu tur
ned to look at the mountain formation one more time, narrowing his eyes. “There are four more military bases on this moon. Two of them are on the other side of that mountain. They are at least a few hundred kilometers away. The third one was a refueling station long-buried in the sand. That leaves us with Omar Base.”

  “Omar Base? I thought she was taking us to Farkas.” Rebecca whispered.

  “Omar Base is an underground base for training commandos and officers. Its armory was intact several years ago, although somewhat dated, and it has several shuttles. It may be our salvation or at least give us a chance to fight fire with fire.”

  “If we can break free. Vengeance will probably form a nest at Farkas, away from prying eyes to feed on us, infest us. Not that any prying eyes would make a difference against this horde.” Rebecca shivered.

  “We cannot evacuate this many people with shuttles, Admiral Conway.” Ga’an’s voice sounded concerned, and it was rare for the man to show his emotions. “And several years is a long time. We cannot be sure if the shuttles are operational.”

  “It’s a factor, and this fog kept most people away. There are ranger villages in those parts, but they are but a few people. They may have looted the guns, but the village people have no use for the shuttles. There must be some hardware left intact.”

  A clicking behind them irked them all, and a woman stood before them, very much like Vengeance in her ageless stare and serpentine skin. However, she lacked the anger and hatred in her eyes, and neither had the red glow nor the rage.

  “I am the Voice.”

  “Voice of what?”

  “Our Mother.”

  “Oh,” Rebecca faked a smile. “My pleasure. Fleet Admiral Rebecca Conway, Consortium First Banner.” Rebecca realized all of that was a lie except for her name. The Consortium was probably gone, and so were her rank and position. Not that it matters.

  “I carry the voice of our Mother. Her words echo through me as she executes the divine work of the Creators.”

  “Sister,” Vengeance’s voice interrupted their dialog. She was with a third woman. Rebecca couldn’t figure out who Voice was before the infestation, but she remembered Ellen, who had been on duty near the captain’s quarters before settling in on New Eden. She wondered if Ellen was still there, somewhere.

  “I am the Observer,” Ellen said. Like her sister, Voice, she was serene and peaceful in her stance, unlike their third sister. “I observe and relay the events of lesser worlds to Mother. We have come here by her will.”

  “I am glad to meet you. I am hoping we can find a peaceful resolve—”

  Vengeance’s eyes shone their brightest red. “Dear sisters, your services are no longer required. You can relay that to Mother on your way out.”

  With a sudden shriek, the woman Vengeance grew from her back a pair of limbs with boney tips sharper than spears, and her face split into four as it had on the bridge of Deviator. Her fingers merged into one another, forming another pair of spears as her skin transformed its pale, serpentine state into the very same chitin that infested Deviator.

  The Observer was the first to go, her head rolling from a fast swing of one of Vengeance’s back arms. Vengeance thrust both her normal arms into the Observer’s chest, splitting her in two with a violent pull. Rebecca pushed down her stomach contents and thanked the gods for not having anything to eat for a while. Insects scattered in every direction, as if a vase of bugs had shattered, as the Observer died.

  Shock bloomed in Voice’s normally-expressionless face—she hadn’t expected any hostility from her sister. Rebecca sensed nothing but loathing from this Vengeance since they met, but then, she had very little experience dealing with… bugs.

  As Vengeance took an attack stance, circling her sister, Voice transformed into a lizard-like shape. She had a tail with two menacing spikes at least as long as Rebecca’s arms and two powerful-looking back legs. Her face was like an iguana, although her eyes stayed the same as before her transformation.

  Voice hissed and jumped forward, swinging its tail. Vengeance turned as if she expected the move and blocked her sister’s attack with her back limbs, like a warrior with two swords. She turned to her left with lightning reflexes, her forward arms cutting the air, aimed at Voice’s tail.

  Rebecca had to admit, it was a spectacle. Two alien princesses—or commanders, queens, whatever—danced in a deadly battle, Rebecca’s people gathered in a big, cautious circle, watching the exchange. One of Rebecca’s crewmen thought there was enough distraction to make a run for his safety, dashing into the fog. A flier dived after him, returning him a few seconds later in its claws. One of the mantis guards made a loud click, and the flier threw the poor marine in the middle of other infested humans. His body was covered in small bees in less than five seconds, cocooned for infestation.

  Rebecca focused on the fight before her. She had missed the part where Voice got a nasty cut to her chest, but Vengeance seemed unharmed. It was disheartening. Rebecca knew they might have a chance with the lesser of two evils— one was loyal to its Mother. Meanwhile, Vengeance was emotionally unstable, hostile, and apparently had no issues killing her own kin. Even if the Devourer was done for, or somehow Mr. Harris could stop this war, Vengeance had her own agenda and set of orders from a higher power.

  Voice howled and spat at Vengeance, but the enraged sister evaded. The spit hit a mantis guard, and the towering bug shrieked in agony, melting where it stood. That gave the incentive the crowd needed to enlarge the circle, almost doubling the battleground.

  “Remind me to avoid that.” Stefanu’s face was full of concern. Like Rebecca, it seemed his money was on the lizard sister. Meanwhile, Ga’an observed the exchange with profound interest.

  Voice was again on the offensive. The lizard feinted left and right before vaulting atop Vengeance. The moment her enemy jumped, Vengeance dashed forward, transforming back to her human form and shrinking. She rolled under the lizard, and as Voice was about to connect, Vengeance changed again, her now-sharp limbs like a pit full of spikes. The lizard twisted frantically in the air but landed in the trap, body connecting with all four spears and sliding to their roots as the life faded from its eyes.

  As with Observer, Vengeance didn’t shy from tearing Voice apart, sending flesh, resin, and chitin flying. She rose to her feet slowly, still in her monster state, and opened her limbs wide, her four-piece mouth screaming a shout of glory. When she completed her ritual, all the insects bowed to her, fliers circling above in formation—even the humans were in awe.

  “I am your Mother. I am your queen.” She returned to her human form, approaching Rebecca.

  “This must be the burden of command,” Stefanu whispered. “Wouldn’t want to be in your shoes now, Admiral.”

  “Thank you for your encouragement, Mr. Stefanu.”

  Vengeance came close. “You will be brought to the rift to meet with the Creators as the leader of your species.”

  “What about my people?”

  “All humans will be gathered at one of your human structures.” Vengeance turned and walked away, not even entertaining the idea of Rebecca disobeying her order.

  Rebecca started, Ga’an and Stefanu following close behind, but Vengeance stopped them, pointing at Rebecca. “Only you, female.”

  Rebecca had to keep it together for the sake of her people. She looked at her comrades and smiled. “All right. You and Mr. Ga’an are now in charge. Do as you see fit,” Rebecca said and turned to walk behind Vengeance. They were at the edge of the plateau now, facing with the impenetrable fog, just like Rebecca’s immediate future.

  “Admiral Conway.” Ga’an stopped her in her steps.

  “Mr. Ga’an?”

  Her first officer straightened his posture, his already towering height rising even more. “It has been an honor serving by your side, Admiral Conway. May you find a glorious death.” He touched the left side of his chest with his right fist.

  Stefanu was but a second behind, saluting in the traditional milita
ristic way of humans, the tip of his forefinger touching the outer edge of his right eyebrow. “It was an honor knowing you, Admiral Conway.”

  Rebecca felt tears rushing to her eyes. She knew these were probably her last moments, and it wouldn’t be long before her brothers in arms joined her. Of course, that was the hopeful future, better than the possibility of hosting an unknown organism. Rebecca shivered. “The honor was mine, gentlemen. May you find peace.” She gave her formal salute, sending the two officers back, and turned to face the fog but a few steps away. Even if she wanted to hesitate, it was in vain. It was impossible to deny the two bright red dots piercing the gray curtain.

  “Move.”

  LIGHT GUIDE MY PATH

  It was a sheer surprise for the bunch to see Admiral Conway walk into the hangar room deep below the compound. “Admiral?” Sarah felt her heart beat faster. “It’s so good to see you alive and well!” She was so relieved she almost hugged Rebecca. Almost. An ant, considerably taller and bigger than her, moved on its tibial spurs to stop her before she took five steps. The thing clicked its mandibles, its freakish black eyes looking down at Sarah without any hint of emotion. Surprise turned into hopelessness as more monsters filled the room. Sarah and the others tried to go topside only to find insect soldiers surrounding the compound. Their capture followed soon after. If Sarah had any hopes sparking when she saw the admiral, they quickly died with the rest of the monsters filling the chamber.