by Edward Lake
He nodded and revealed a long frown. He then gradually rose from his seat and walked over to me. “God blesses those who are worthy, and that is why you are the High Priest, Linus. You shall overcome this challenge.”
Naas was one of the only people who could call me by my first name, and I appreciated when he did so. It reminded me of my younger years, when that was the name everyone called me. “Thank you, old friend.” I turned away from him and glared down the long, dark hallway that led to Sy-Ru’s prison chamber. “How is he?” I asked.
He shrugged. “Miserable and loud as always.” He sat back down in his chair and took a swig of a bowl of soup he had been eating. He carefully set the bowl down and patted his lips with a thick napkin. “Still, he might have some useful information for us. For who would know the Serpents’ methods better than their former king?”
“Precisely.” I slowly breathed out as I marched down the hall. When I reached the tall metal doors of the chamber, I placed my hand on the cold, jagged surface. Within seconds, in a robotic tone, the automated system transmitted, “Welcome, Pastor Saros.”
A heavy mist bloomed from the doors as they slid open. I moved forward and said, “Lock the chamber doors.” A loud beeping sound blared over my head, and then the doors closed and locked behind me.
Far in the distance, perhaps one hundred feet away, stood the holding tank that contained Sy-Ru. I walked forward with great caution. The Serpents were resourceful, unpredictable, and never to be underestimated. Yet I knew I would be safe if he broke out somehow. The mist in the chamber was a chemical compound poisonous to the dreadful Serpents. One breath of the air and that hideous brute would die within seconds. Luckily for me, the compound was harmless to men and women.
As it became clearer, I saw Sy-Ru inside the tank, chewing on the bones of an animal that had been fed to him. Like all Serpents, he was tall and muscular, a magnificent specimen of raw strength.
Finally, I reached the glass tank and pressed the button on the left side of the control panel that activated the loudspeaker. “Hello, Sy-Ru.”
The large beast sluggishly turned to me and stood tall, revealing his scaly, dark green skin. He stood directly under the light that beamed down on him from the ceiling. Licking his fangs clean of the flesh he had been chewing, he bent low to get a better look at me. “Linus Saros?” he growled with a deep, raspy voice.
I nodded to him. “Yes, Sy-Ru. It is I.”
He spoke broken mankind lingo that was difficult to understand at times but clear enough to carry a decent conversation. “Years since last time?”
I paced back and forth. “Yes, it has been years, and I hoped I would never have to see your ugly face again.”
Sy-Ru let out a roaring chuckle. “To me, men look like sea animal. Food to eat.”
I shook my head at his arrogance. “All these years locked away in solitude and you haven’t changed.”
Sy-Ru growled at me and slammed his fist on the impenetrable glass. He barked in his native Serpent language for a moment, gibberish that sounded like senseless whining to me. Then he snarled. “You have Sy-Ru body. Not soul.”
A fool to the end, like all his kind who defied the one true spirit of the stars. “God has your soul, Sy-Ru, once king of the Serpents. The Holy Spirit will keep you here for the remainder of your life.” I stepped closer and got face to face with him. “Your Serpent friends have returned from the shadows.” I waited a moment to read his reaction.
Sy-Ru’s creepy yellow eyes shifted around like those of a lost child. “Yes, Serpents return.” He focused his eyes on me and a wide smirk grew on his face. “You doomed, Saros.”
I heatedly shook my head to his claim. “No. History will repeat itself. The Serpents will fall again.” I sighed, trying my best to keep my emotions under control. “You were once king of the Serpents and ruler of the planet Mercilus. Surely you have some useful information we could use to stop your friends.”
The old brute showed his fangs and knelt, bringing himself eye to eye with me. “Oh, so sad, Saros. I tell nothing of my kind. Not a fraud like you.”
I breathed in deep and spat at his tank, a sin that I hoped God would forgive. “Then you will suffer. Not like before, but worse this time. I will rid the galaxy of all Serpents until you are the only one left.” I stepped closer, so close that my nose nearly touched the chamber glass. “I will capture them all one by one and bring them to you so you can watch them die.” I grit my teeth and breathed hard through my nose. “Do you understand, you hideous demon?!”
Sy-Ru jumped to his feet and released a piercing growl. “They come for king! I kill you, Saros!” He dropped down on all fours and lashed his thick, slimy tongue at me. “Serpents will rule galaxy!”
I could not let him get the best of me. Regardless of my qualms or my hatred, I had to put my faith in God, for that was my duty as High Priest of Starlight. I bent down to a knee and touched the glass. “I must pray, Sy-Ru. God loves all—even you—for the all-powerful spirit is the creator of all things.”
He broke out into mischievous laughter as I began. Yet I ignored his ignorance, for he did not know better.
I closed my eyes and breathed out a deep sigh. “Dear Lord, let us end this dreadful conflict. There has been too much bloodshed. Allow the Serpents to see the light of the Holy Empire so they can live righteous lives as we do.” To end, I lifted my head and slowly opened my eyes. “Forgive me for my transgressions against Sy-Ru.”
I watched carefully as the green beast stood tall, flexing his muscles. He let out an earsplitting roar that shook the holding tank. “Serpents, your king lives! Hear me. Come for Sy-Ru!”
His heavy, scratchy voice echoed throughout the chamber like a rousing alarm. My father might have wanted the former Serpent king to suffer for all that he had done to our people. Alas, by the end of this war, I knew that all Serpents must be destroyed, especially Sy-Ru. For now, he would serve as bait to lure his army into a trap.
7
Evander
Really, a spy? I couldn’t wrap my head around it. Ten years as a member of the Holy Army and three years as the captain of the Holy Guard and I had never seen anything like this.
As I stood alongside Commander Vault inside the central command center on Station Four, I kept replaying the terrifying attacks in my head. Tens of thousands of our citizens and slaves on Agholor and the North Star had been killed, and with our defense system breached, more casualties could soon follow. For me, being captain of the Holy Guard was more than a rigorous duty. It was a way of life, a promise to defend the Holy Empire at all costs.
“Captain Cain, prepare your ship for takeoff to the North Star. We will be leaving soon,” Commander Vault ordered, then quickly left the command center.
I followed him out and went down to the main docking station. Beaming from ear to ear, I marched over to my tiny ship, the EC3. Every soldier of the Holy Army was given a number once they completed basic training. Our initials were then combined with that number, and our fighter ships were identified with those letters and our given number.
It gave our ships a personal touch that seemed rather appropriate. Our ships were our homes. Night and day, we ate, slept, and dwelt on our spacecraft, journeying the stars and protecting the governed planets of the Holy Empire. Yet for the first time, it seemed as if we could lose everything we’d fought for.
I found the keypad on the main door and entered in the access code. The doors popped open in a flash, allowing me a clear path to my room down the main hallway.
This was going to be a long, enduring trip. I checked all my carrying containers and made sure I had enough outfits and a few extra pairs of boots. All my guns and knives were neatly assembled along the walls. Everything else I needed was already packed away.
It was an exciting time to be a soldier of the Holy Empire. I was truly honored and blessed by Pastor Saros to be given the assignment of assisting Commander Vault with the task of building an army of slave soldiers. With Vault as
the catalyst for this army of slaves, I knew we would not fail.
To my surprise, I received a knock at the entryway of my ship. Having left the ramp opened, I turned my head to check the walkway. “Come in, whoever you are.”
“Getting ready for your next adventure?” a sweet voice echoed through the narrow hallway.
Sadie? We had been friends since our early education years at the Temple of Learning on our home planet of Sodus. “Sadie? Is that you?” I turned around and saw her lovely face. My eyes widened as I walked toward her.
Like always, two Holy Servants accompanied her: women the High Priest had chosen to watch over her. It was a tradition that began with the Saros Dynasty, for it was against God’s will for an unmarried woman to be alone with a man.
“Something is going on, isn’t it, Evander?” She sighed, shook her head, then reached out and shared a warm hug with me.
I wanted to tell her about the attacks on the North Star and Agholor, but it was not my place to do so. “I can’t say anything, Sadie. But don’t you worry. Everything is going to be all right.”
Sadie had a reputation for being a wild heart who didn’t know how to obey her father’s rules. I fancied her for being different and unafraid to live her life as she pleased. Yet deep down, I hoped I could change her into a more mature woman.
For years, her sharp green eyes touched my soul every time we crossed paths. The sweet fragrance emanating from her long black hair always sent chills down my spine. Recently, I had revealed my true feelings to Sadie, but when I tried to woo her, she crushed my heart when she said we could only be “friends.”
She told me I was the big brother she never had and that she didn’t want things to change between us if the relationship didn’t work. But I didn’t believe that was the only reason she rejected me. Ever since that day, I had pondered about it, trying to understand why Sadie had never been in a serious relationship with any man. Of all the slick-talking blokes in the galaxy, I figured at least one of us would have tamed her by now.
“I hate feeling left out, Evander, like I’m some helpless damsel without a care in the world,” she fussed as we separated from our hug. “Please, tell me what’s going on.”
The sadness in her eyes was real, deep, and lasting. Seeing her like this made me wish we could be young and free again—just one last time, like when we were children who chased each other through the flowery meadows of Sodus.
“Like I said, I can’t say anything. But I’m sure your father will tell you when he’s ready.” I tucked my lips and crossed my arms. “Listen, when I return, I’d like to have dinner with you. Just you and me, like old times.”
She flickered her gold-colored eyelashes at me. “That sounds like you are asking me to share an evening with you.”
I put my hands up and confirmed, “Just dinner, Sadie. I promise.”
She moved closer to me, so close our arms nearly touched. “Sorry, Evander.” She flashed a beautiful, warm smile. “I’ve told you already: we can’t be, so don’t waste your time trying.”
I gave her a painful, false grin. “Okay. I understand.”
She boosted herself up.
I bent down and slowly closed my eyes.
She pecked a tender kiss on my cheek. “Good luck, Evander.” She turned around and headed down the hallway, her Holy Servants close behind.
I stood there like a post on a frozen wasteland as I watched her leave. Dreaming about her could not help anymore. Seeing her in passing would not be enough. Somehow, I had to let her go. I was the captain of the Holy Guard, sworn to protect the High Priest and his family. I could not take the pain of having my heart broken over and over again. Sadie and I would never be. That was my reality.
“Captain Cain! Our ascent to the North Star will commence in approximately fifteen minutes. Are you prepared for takeoff?” Commander Vault’s voice blared on the loudspeaker.
I promptly snapped out of my love trance and rushed over to the control panel. Without delay, I jammed my finger into the button that activated the radio transponder and replied, “Absolutely, Commander Vault! Ready for takeoff, sir!”
Soon after, we blasted into the sky and journeyed to the North Star, a tiny planet most of us had never visited. A hot wasteland with limited water sources, the North Star had seven scattered districts where the slaves resided—pockets of withered shacks and prisons tainted with bad plumbing.
Unlike most of my fellow comrades, I did not see the slaves as worthless men. Secretly, I felt remorse for them. I could never imagine bearing a life of dreadful servitude, which typically led to an early demise. Why would God allow such pain and suffering for so many? To me, it was clear that slavery was man’s will, not God’s.
Since I was a young boy, my mother Juno always showed kindness to the local slaves on Sodus, as if she knew the torment they endured was unjust and she wanted to give them a shred of hope. I admired my mother for being true to her convictions. She set a great example for me, and that was why I stayed true to my beliefs. Still, my convictions had to remain secret, for if anyone in the Holy Empire knew my true sentiments, my life could be at risk.
Up ahead, Commander Vault’s massive battle station, the CV6, landed on a dry, deserted plain near the outskirts of District Four. Towering and wide with a pointed top, the large space station resembled the mountains of Sodus. I landed the EC3 a few yards from the CV6. It looked like a crumb compared to the commander’s space station, yet for me, the CV6 was pure motivation, a reminder of what was possible, for it was my dream to one day ascend to the rank of commander and rename the massive space station the EC6.
Over my head, in the sky, I saw hundreds of ships swoop down and land near the CV6. I had never seen so many captains of the Holy Army in one place at the same time. My heart rumbled with great anticipation as I daydreamed about our quest to rid the galaxy of all Serpents. Those horrid beasts had invaded our planets for thousands of years, kidnapping men, women, and children for food and looting our cities for riches.
“All captains of the Holy Empire, report to the assembly room aboard the CV6. I repeat, all captains report to the assembly room,” one of the operators buzzed to us over the loudspeakers.
With the others, I marched to the outside and headed up the long ramp of the battle station. Flashing yellow lights ran along the sides of the incline, and at the very top, a gate resembling the Holy Star Symbol had opened to let us in.
Past the gate, a sea of soldiers strolled from end to end of the docking station like bugs on a dirt hill, moving heavy equipment, assembling guns, and performing maintenance on their ships. At any given time, Commander Vault kept at least ten thousand troops on his battle station, each of them equipped with their own fighter ship.
The assembly room was located near the top of the ship. We spread out in groups of fifty or so and formed lines in front of the nine elevators on the main floor. Each elevator held about twenty men, and it was a tight squeeze to fit all twenty.
After a few trips and what felt like an endless ascent, we all made it to the upstairs corridors. Through the looking glass of the elevator, I saw thousands of soldiers training in the various sparring and conference rooms. In the sparring rooms, the troops worked on their physical conditioning, while the ones in the conference rooms used touchscreen mechanisms on the glass windows to review combat strategies.
The elevator doors opened, revealing a long passageway that led to the assembly room. When we arrived, I found Commander Vault standing at the far end of an enormous rectangular marble table. I quickly found a seat at the table with about a hundred other captains or so. All told, there were at least three hundred more captains standing around the table, each of them looking on with somber stares as if we all knew, collectively, that we were about to embark on the most daunting task of our lives.
The rebel army combined with the ominous Serpents had the power to destroy us. If we failed in our duties to create this army of slave soldiers, it could mean the end of the Holy Empire.
“Welcome, captains of the Holy Army.” Commander Vault paused and took a moment to look us over. “Today is the dawn of a grand expansion. As you all know, our galactic nation is under attack. To ensure a swift, resounding victory over our enemies, High Priest Saros has given me his blessing to build an army of slave soldiers.” He scanned the room until he spotted me. “Captain Cain!”
“Yes, sir.”
“I’d like you to recap the details of the situation to your comrades.”
I gave him a quick nod. “Certainly, Commander.” I waited a few seconds to allow the others a chance to bring their full attention to me. “This dawn, a considerable attack occurred on the North Star. The reported casualties are north of sixteen thousand.” I paused and let that sink in with them. “There was also an attack on the planet Agholor.” My body tensed as I reflected on the innocent citizens we had lost—and the slaves. “We believe a spy is among us, perhaps in this very room.”
A few grumbles erupted as I peered across and around the table at the other captains.
“Silence!” Commander Vault snapped. “Save the mindless chatter for your recreational activities.” He put his hands behind his back and paced around the room. “Captain Cain, please continue.”
I cleared my throat and grit my teeth as I glared at all the faces in the room. “The person or persons responsible for the security breach must be found and brought to justice.”
Commander Vault turned and slammed his fist on the table. “We have come to the North Star to find qualified slaves and turn them into soldiers!” He scowled around the table. “All four hundred and sixteen of you will be separated into groups of sixty or so. Of the sixty captains in each group, only two will be selected to lead the group. The seven groups will then be assigned to one of the seven districts of the North Star to prepare the slaves for combat.”