“Trying, sir.”
The enemies swarmed the ship; the radar showed complete red. “We don’t have any more time!” It was a race through the clouds. If any of the fighters got in front of the Starblazer as they jumped, everyone within a mile radius would be toasted, the resulting explosion large enough to take down a fleet of Battlers.
“Ninety-seven percent…ninety-eight,” Spex continued.
With his muscles tensed, Ryze held the controls as tight as he could. Another alarm wailed, signaling that one of the fighters was neck-and-neck with them. “Spex, c’mon, give me some good news!”
“Remaining at ninety-eight percent, sir.”
“Screw it.” Ryze took a hand off the flight stick and punched the QJ button with the side of his fist.
Everyone in the cockpit, including the AI, screamed as the ship broke through the planet’s atmosphere with a sound like a lightning strike. The viewscreen showed a blur of white and blue, and finally the endless black of space.
Ryze breathed a sigh of relief. Laughing, he lowered his head onto the console and patted it gently. “There, there, girl. We did it.”
Jade moaned. “We’ve been saved by a psychopath.”
Ryze frowned at her. “I’m glad you’re grateful.”
Spex added, “Sir, she’s not wrong.”
“Watch it, pal.” Ryze activated autopilot and stood. He needed to get out of his armor and treat his wounds. There were quite a lot of them. “We’ve got about three hours before we hit the Zenith System. I suggest you all get some rest while you can.” With that, he left the cockpit and headed to his quarters.
After changing and cleaning his injuries—three of which required cauterization—Ryze plopped onto his bed and closed his eyes. He was asleep within seconds.
Back on Xovia, Akyra pushed herself up from the rubble. Her head pounded. She raised a hand to the wound and her fingers came back sticky with dark blood. She looked down at her legs. Both had suffered third-degree burns from the bounty hunter’s heel jets, and the pain of these wounds was near excruciating.
Akyra bit her lip, stood, and forced the pain in her mind away. From her utility belt, she pulled a medpack free and took a handful of gel pills for the pain, more than the recommended amount, and almost instantly she hurt no longer. Then she set about cleaning herself up. Ointment on the burns and cuts. Bandages.
She knew what needed to be done. She had failed, and she had to get off the planet before the Dominion got word of her failure.
Healed as best as she could be, Akyra rushed to her ship—a single pilot starcruiser—got in, and took off as soon as the engines were primed.
Once through the atmosphere, a coming transmission pinged on the dashboard.
Akyra pressed the receive button. She expected this.
“Identify yourself, please,” a voice said. “Or you will be shot down.”
“Clearance code 44ERD2,” she said, hoping it still worked. It was the same code that had gotten her onto Xovia’s surface. With so much happening on the planet, she truly doubted they’d revoke her access already.
But the voice on the other end didn’t reply. Seconds felt like eons, and Akyra’s finger drifted toward the console and pressed the button that charged her starcruiser’s lasers. If she had to fight, she would.
“You’re clear,” the voice finally replied.
She cut off the transmission and typed coordinates into the nav. The Zenith System. Planet Zed. She'd heard the fugitives talking of the planet, and she hoped she could get there before they did.
Because it was personal now. She no longer cared about the money, and as her ship blasted through the stars, she thought: I will make them suffer. By the time I am done, you all will be begging me to put you out of your misery.
Twenty
“You have failed me, Ace,” the God-King said over the viewscreen. His robes swallowed up his thin figure, but his haggard face was there for all to see. In his right hand he held a golden staff. The crystal atop it seemed to have lost some of its shine, and with the crystal’s depletion, the God-King lost some of his own shine.
Ace knelt. He was in his personal quarters on the Calamity, but the ship no longer hovered above Xovia’s capital city—What is left of the city, Ace thought. Currently, the crew was preparing for a QJ to a far away system, where they would regroup, replan, and set out again.
“I’m sorry, sir,” Ace said. He was not in a particularly good mood. Not only did the queen get away with the artifact, but the bounty hunter he’d hired went rogue. Good-for-nothing species. If I could, I’d destroy that whole blasted planet.
“You understand the artifact’s importance, or do you not, Ace?”
“I do.”
“Then why did you let the queen escape?”
Because your Thrathan mercenary isn’t worth half a frag, let alone two hundred thousand, he wanted to say but didn’t. He could not disrespect the God-King. “It was an…accident, sir,” Ace answered as he stood and clasped his hands behind his back. “She had more resources than anticipated.”
The God-King grimaced, his teeth bared in a snarl. That fiery light flashed in his eyes.
Is this what the Essence has done to you? Has that terrible power turned you into such a…monster? he thought.
“Ace, you are my best soldier. I expect my best soldier to deliver on his promises,” the God-King said. “What of Akyra? Did she not pan out?”
Ace shook his head. “Her fate is currently unknown, but I have a scout ship surveying the planet’s surface. We will find her soon.” A white lie. He needn’t disappoint the God-King further.
“And what of the ship that broke through the blockade? How can a lowly starcraft slip past three of my warships and a Battler?”
Ace didn’t have an answer. It was not his fault; no, that largely fell on the incompetence of his crew and the gumption of the person piloting that SG-Rogue class, but he knew would be blamed for this nonetheless.
“I guess your soldiers were under the impression that no one would be crazy enough to try it,” the God-King continued. “Are your troops not prepared?”
“No, sir, I—”
“It is said a student is only as good as their teacher. Ace, you are their teacher. Do I have to find them a better one?”
“No, sir. I’m sorry. I won’t fail you again.”
“And how can I believe that?” The King slammed his staff against the floor. The metal on marble made a jarring sound and caused Ace to jump. He was not a man who became skittish often.
It’s that power, Ace thought, that evil power. I don’t trust it, I don’t understand it, and yet, I know he could kill me with it even lightyears away. It’s…unnatural.
He quelled the fear by taking a deep breath, and he dug his fingers into his palms until the pain took his mind off what the God-King could do to him with the Essence. “I have another trick up my sleeve, sir. A fallback plan of sorts.”
The God-King smiled, his aged face twisting into that of a ravenous beast. “I bet you do, Ace. And I am not even going to ask you what it is. You know why? Because I trust you, and you are a dear friend of mine.”
Ace returned the smile; it wasn’t easy. “Thank you, sir—”
“But my patience is wearing thin, my friend. So do use caution, and for the Gods’ sakes, get your troops in order!” Frowning, the God-King slammed his staff down again, the sound echoing like rolling thunder through the speakers.
Ace opened his mouth to reply, unsure of what he would say, but the feed cut off and the screen went black.
He breathed a sigh of relief. He needed rest. Perhaps he would order the security officer who’d carried out the execution of Commander Crane to transfer onto the Calamity. Perhaps he would have his way with her…whether she agreed to or not—
A buzz from the door. Ace pressed the comm button. “Yes?”
“Sir,” a soldier said, “the Thrathan’s been sighted.”
“Where is she?”
“She has just fled the planet. She used her—”
He knew it.
“Clearance code, yes. I didn’t expect anything else. Send a transmission and patch it through to my quarters. Ready a tracker as well.”
“Yes, sir. Right away.”
He would bet his life on the Thrathan being unaware of the new technology the Battler possessed. Thrathans were often too dense to see the bigger picture.
A handful of minutes passed before the viewscreen lit up again, without video this time.
The Thrathan answered after a few moments. “What?” she said in that too-cocky voice of hers, the accent revolting him. Gods, he hated Thrathans.
“You have failed me, Akyra,” he replied. “The queen is gone, and with her the artifact. You are to report to the Calamity immediately.”
The mercenary spoke in her native tongue and laughed.
“Common, please,” Ace said. He lowered his voice. When dealing with insurgents, he left Ace Silver behind and transformed into the war-master, feared second-in-command of the Celestial Dominion.
“In Common, that means ‘fuck off.’ The deal’s done with. I’m keeping my half, and you’re on your own.”
The line went quiet. Ace ground his teeth so hard, he thought they might crumble. Control, control. “You understand what this means, I assume?”
“I don’t give two vernexes what it means.” Sardonically, the Thrathan added, “Sir.”
“You are now considered a traitor to the Celestial Dominion. The price on your head will drive every bounty hunter in the galaxy from the sewers just for a chance to take your life. And any time you step foot on a planet of ours, you will have to constantly look over your shoulder and keep one of those hideous, buggy eyes of yours open while you sleep. Now, does that seem like a smart choice to you, Akyra?” The burning anger strengthened to a rage, but somehow, he kept his voice steady.
“I don’t care,” Akyra replied. “You and the rest of the Dominion can jump into the Hadimir Chasm and take your filthy frags with you.”
“Okay, Thrathan scum, your choice. Good luck.” The transmission ended, and as soon as the signal died, Ace slammed a fist down on the holopad below the viewscreen, shattering the glass into a dozen shards.
The pain felt good. Relieving. For good measure, he took another deep breath.
Better.
Now he could get to work.
“Let’s see where you’re going, Akyra,” he said. A few taps on the broken holopad, and a large map of the galaxy filled the viewscreen. On it, a red light pulsed: the Thrathan’s ship. The conversation they just had lasted long enough for the Calamity to track her. A few more taps on the holopad and— “Like so,” Ace said. He zoomed in on the coordinates given to him by the software and squinted. “The Zenith System. Near the Brink. Interesting…”
Rubbing his hands together, which were now bloodied and starred with bits of glass, Ace thought, Best case scenario: Akyra leads us to the queen and the artifact. Worst case scenario: I find the Thrathan scum and kill her myself.
The image of the mercenary’s life fading from her eyes was almost too sweet. He held it there in his mind as long as he could, savoring it, and slowly, his muscles began to unwind.
They called him the war-master for a reason, and Akyra would soon find out why.
Twenty-One
As the Starblazer tore through space at a speed faster than light, Ryze Starlo sat in the main hold with a steaming plate of meatbrik in front of him. He wasn’t usually one to eat the R2E meals, but after what went down on Xovia, he found himself close to starved.
“Spex, play some music, will you? I don’t like being alone in here with just my thoughts,” he said, leaning back and stretching. He had slept only an hour, and uneasily at that.
“Yes, sir. What shall I play?”
“Something soothing.”
The speakers kicked on and played a slow melody.
“Yeah,” Ryze said, “that’s it.” He then dug into his meatbrik with bare hands. Forks were for kings and queens, not soldiers. He barely had time to taste it before the food was sliding down his throat and into his gut.
“Gross,” Jade said behind him.
Ryze turned and faced her. She looked better off than when he'd brought her on the ship. Her cuts and scrapes were cleaned, now small red lines on pale skin. Her hair had been washed and her clothes changed from the regal Xovian attire to one of the extra jumpsuits Ryze kept on the ship. It was a little too big for her, but it was better than sitting in stinking robes for the duration of the trip.
“You have any more?” Jade asked.
Through a mouthful of food, Ryze said, “You just called it gross.”
“Not the food, but the way you eat it. You’re like an animal.”
Ryze shrugged his broad shoulders. Even without his battle armor and helmet, he looked intimidating, though not much seemed to intimidate the Xovian queen. She must’ve gotten that from her father, Ryze thought. “There’s another meatbrik in the bottom cabinet, on the right.”
Jade crossed the main hold, reached down, and took the dehydrated meal from its shelf. “Elanty?” she said, wrinkling her nose.
“Hey now, that’s a delicacy in a lot of systems.”
“Do you have anything else?”
Ryze shook his head. “This was the last of the varken.” Varken was a meat eaten on most systems, Xovia included. “Besides, it’s not like that’s really made out of elanty. It’s only flavored that way.”
This didn’t seem to reassure Jade, but her stomach growled loud enough for Ryze to hear over the soft music playing from the speakers. He raised his eyebrows, looked down at his plate where half his meatbrik sat, still steaming, and shook his head.
What are you doing, Ryze? Spex was right, you’re getting soft, he though and couldn’t explain what he did next.
“Here,” he said, pushing the plate across the table. It scraped loudly.
“Thank you, but elanty is fine, really.”
“Just eat it, Jade. You don’t have to be regal on my ship, okay? There’s not a lot of rules here. I can only think of two.” He paused for dramatic effect. “Rule one: nobody flies the ship but me—”
“And me, sir,” Spex added.
Ryze rolled his eyes. “Okay, nobody with a beating heart flies this ship but me. And rule number two: When you’re offered food by the captain, you take it. Breaking either of these rules may result in me tossing you out an airlock.”
Jade glared at him, trying to read his emotions. “I can’t tell if you’re joking with me.”
“I’m only half-joking,” Ryze answered.
“Spex?” Jade looked up at the speakers for an answer.
The AI said, “He is telling the truth, ma’am. I’ve personally seen him remove a Gratu via airlock. It was not a pretty sight.”
Shaking her head, Jade said, “Wow.”
Ryze only shrugged. “He deserved it. Just eat the food, and you’re safe.”
Reluctantly, Jade reached for the plate and stared down at the meatbrik. “Do you have any utensils?”
Ryze raised a finger. “Ah, I meant three rules, and this rule states that occupants of this ship must eat with their hands. Yes, like animals.” He offered a sly smile. Really, he just wanted to see if the queen would do it.
Sure enough, she did, wasting no time digging into the brik. She must’ve been hungrier than he was.
“You eat like a wyrmwolf,” he said, getting up and taking the elanty-flavored meatbrik to the quick cooker. He placed it inside the box and pressed a button. Three seconds later, the machine beeped. The brik was cooked.
Jade sat back in her seat. With a heavy sigh, she patted her stomach. “That hit the spot. Thank you.”
“Welcome.” A silence fell over them, slightly awkward. Ryze found himself speaking again just to fill it. “How’s Wylow?”
“Better. She’s asleep. She needed it. I’m so grateful for her. I mean, I’d be dead without her,” Jade replie
d.
“Think she’ll eat an elanty meatbrik?”
“I’m sure she’ll eat anything right about now, but I think she’ll sleep until we get to the Zenith System.”
“Good. You should get some sleep, too.”
“I can’t.” The queen’s shoulders slumped. “Every time I close my eyes, I see…I see the capital burning. I see my people dying.”
Ryze nodded. He, too, had seen the same before, nearly two decades earlier, when this queen was not a queen but a princess who'd just learned how to crawl.
“It’s my fault. I should’ve been ready,” Jade said. Her voice wavered slightly, the usual confidence gone.
“You can’t blame yourself. The God-King broke the treaty.”
Jade touched the crystal around her neck. It pulsed with purple light. “All for this.”
“Yeah, that.”
“But I am a queen, whether I want to be or not, and I must hold my head high.”
“Good attitude,” Ryze said before digging into his meatbrik. “Positive thoughts and all that.” He bit down on a piece, and it crunched. Not cooked all the way, damn. Oh well, he didn’t want to waste the few seconds it would take to get up and reheat it. Ultimate laziness, Spex would’ve said. Shrugging, he took another bite, crunchiness and all. “We gotta be more careful.”
Jade raised an eyebrow.
“That thing around your neck could be a magical artifact, a priceless gem, or a petrified vernex rectum—it doesn’t matter. As long as the Dominion is after it, people are gonna risk their lives trying to get it from you.”
“Vernex rectum? How dare you! This thing saved your life, Starlo.”
Ryze made no reply.
“Oh, do you not want to talk about how close you were to death? Have you forgotten already why you are still here and breathing?”
“Divine intervention,” was all Ryze said on the matter.
“Believe that if you like, bounty hunter. Whatever helps you sleep at night. But I know what really happened.”
“Oh yeah?” he replied. “Then what happened?”
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