The Forsaken Empire (The Endervar War Book 2)

by Michael Kan

  Apparently, the bridge to Farcia’s universe was generating this, Arendi said, gazing up at the unknown.

  Many more similar-size objects had emerged out of the experiment. Alysdeon watched as a pebbled shadow of red multiplied and grew.

 

  Arendi rubbed her throat. Fragments, she said. Fragments of a dead universe.

  She looked on, knowing that the experiment to save Farcia’s home had failed. Instead, the last remains of the old universe had been torn apart to create this: a field of exotic matter.

  She didn’t pretend to know its properties, but the Endervars had always proven to be powerful.

  It’s made me wonder whether maybe this could be used, she said. Harnessed somehow. The energy might be astronomical in scale.

  Although it was pure speculation, she wasn’t the only one with the same thought. The Destroyer was there to join them. His holographic form emerged and sauntered to the middle of the command center, dressed in his antiquated suit. He stared at the objects, studying them, nearly convinced.

  Exhume the dead, only to burn them for fuel, he said. Morbid, perhaps, but maybe this is it.

  The shards of exotic matter hung above them as if they were ready to be collected and fashioned into something else.

  Alysdeon said.

  Yes, Arendi said. She believes she can revive her people.

  I don’t know whether the Gateway technology is even capable of it, she added. But Farcia feels compelled to try.

  Hmph, the Destroyer said. Then she’s a fool.

  He shot straight to the real threat at hand. He sensed the nihilism and perhaps the true mastermind behind it all.

  The Enforcer, he said. He’s keen on annihilation. I don’t know his motives. But he must be hard at work, building his despicable project. I imagine he’s ready for us. He knows we’re searching for him.

  Alysdeon said.

  The Destroyer was happy to oblige. He ground his teeth in a wolfish grin. I’ll do more than that, he said. I’ll make sure they pay.

  He spoke with a dash of revenge, holding up his fist. He felt justified. This conflict was personal, and the enemy’s objectives were more than clear.

  Arendi, however, stood by, not sure what to say. She was hesitant. Maybe even in doubt over what to do.

  To fight the Enforcer was one thing, but to confront Farcia They were on a collision course to meet the woman again. This time, it would be in battle.

  We’ll set off soon, the Destroyer said. His holographic body then vanished from the room, assuming all was settled.

  This was war. Failure was not an option. All existence was at stake. But Arendi lingered behind, thinking there had to be another way.

  ***

  Arendi walked next to the starfighter. The craft was in the corner of the hangar bay, surrounded by the gathering storm.

  The repair bots marched across the floor and flew through the air. The machines were busy at work, tugging ship and component out of the cold grip of space. The Adamant had begun the salvage. The flagship was surveying the Defector’s dormant fleet for anything that might be of use.

  Arendi heard the clacking and clanging. Sparks flew as several cutting lasers went off. The repair bots were preparing the fleet for combat. She watched, knowing that perhaps it was inevitable. Her gaze wandered, drifting from the army of machines to the starfighter nearby. The Valkyrie was undergoing its own impromptu refit. Arendi was there to consider and install some additional components.

  In a way, it was like sharpening a blade. The Destroyer had gone ahead and enhanced the starfighter weeks ago, layering on a new chassis of armor and weaponry over the craft. There was plenty more that could be added. The components were all scattered beneath her, ready to be bolted on.

  Arendi, however, worked reluctantly. Her hand grazed the side of the starfighter as she looked down at the floor and at rest of the hangar bay and only saw a chaotic mess. She backed away, sighing. She was aware of the urgency, and still she was in no mood to continue.

 

  Arendi turned around and saw Alysdeon. Her voice echoed over the ruckus as she approached. The four-hundred-year-old woman had a spring in her step.

  No, Arendi said, straightening her back. Just looking things over. Trying to stay busy.

  Alysdeon nodded. The drum of war rattled through the area. The starfighter loomed over them, perched and ready for battle.

  Alysdeon, however, hadn’t come for any of that. She stared squarely at Arendi.

  she asked.

  It was a simple question with a complicated answer. Arendi didn’t know what to feel. She was both numb and tired but also conflicted. Alysdeon did her best to try to address Arendi’s feelings. She herself had lost many friends to war.

  she said.

  Arendi replied with a smile. She agreed completely.

  I know. We just need to finish the mission, she said. I just wish I knew how.

  She walked farther away from the starfighter, leaving behind the components on the floor.

  I’ve just been thinking, she said. Before Farcia left, I was trying to convince her to help us. I thought maybe I was close, Arendi explained. If I had said something different. Or talked to her more

  She fidgeted with her hands, frustrated. Her voice was indecisive.

  If she were just our enemy, then it would be easy.

 

  It was true. Arendi did know Farcia. At least enough to make her stop and think.

  She felt strained, contending with all her different thoughts. Her mind had gone over every aspect. Logic was attempting to steel and guide her. Farcia is a killer, it said. A living weapon. The innocent have died because of her. So have friends.

  Arendi would never deny that. She had seen the death firsthand. Secretly, she had even vowed revenge.

  But Farcia is also the last. The last of her people, Arendi added. If she’s gone, then there’s nothing left. A whole universe will be forgotten. Maybe I’m naïve. Or maybe I feel responsible. I just want to stop the violence, she said. I’m tired of this genocide. I don’t want to hurt her.

  Arendi was looking for a way out. A way to make things right. She didn’t know whether it was even possible or whether anyone else would understand. But she had never really been a soldier. Just someone who cared.

  Alysdeon listened. She put her hand on Arendi’s shoulder and tried to reassure her.

  she said.

  Arendi glanced at her friend, confused. Learned? she asked.

  Alysdeon pulled a device out of her pants pocket. It was a data chip the same one Arendi had handed off to her before but loaded with newly uncovered information. In this case, it was another source to add to her misgivings.

  Alysdeon said.

  The old, defunct empire was located in this region of space. The Adamant’s initial arrival point had placed the vessel right within the Ehvines’ original borders.

 

  Alysdeon placed the data chip inside Arendi’s hand.

  What is this?

 

  Alysdeon had just received the transmission moments ago over a long-range channel. It included a detailed analysis and a likely conclusion.

 

  Arendi took the data chip and placed it in he
r wrist. Her machine systems accessed the files, and she read over the diagnosis.

  So she’s not dying.

 

  Alysdeon’s eyes glowed with the revelation. The signs had been there all along.

  The exhaustion. The vomiting Arendi said.

 

  From what Alysdeon had been told, women from the Ehvine possessed extremely long gestation cycles. It could take decades before the mother might even become aware of her condition.

  Alysdeon added.

  Arendi studied the files in her mind, startled. She then thought of Red and why Farcia might have sought him out.

 

  Arendi silently nodded. She understood the request, along with all the obstacles in their way.

  Do you think Farcia knows? Arendi asked. About her pregnancy?

  Alysdeon thought back to the woman and to the reach of her mind. Farcia was a powerful telepath. She must have been able to feel it this new sensation growing within her. Any denial of it, as strong as the urge might be, wouldn’t last forever.

  Alysdeon said.

  ***

  The Destroyer couldn’t care less.

  What does it matter? he asked. Farcia won’t stop.

  He spoke to Arendi, cold and resistant to any hint of mercy. To him, the woman’s pregnancy was irrelevant. He crossed his arms. Don’t let your sympathy blind you, he insisted. The time for pity is over.

  His holographic visage came away, annoyed. He would much rather have focused on strategy and tactic than any distraction like this. As they spoke, his repair bots were inside the Defector’s juggernaut, trying to restore the vessel’s main reactor. Evidently he was close to making the juggernaut battle worthy again. His human self oversaw the effort from the hallways of the ship. Arendi noticed the hardened gaze over the man’s sharpened face. It was stiff with disgust.

  I know, she replied. We have to do what’s necessary. I don’t question that.

  Arendi rubbed the knuckles of her right hand. She formed a fist and pressed it into her other palm.

  If I have to, I’ll end her myself, she said.

  The Destroyer heard her hand smack against her other one. But even so, he could detect Arendi’s lingering hesitancy and rolled his eyes.

  Still, you’d prefer to save her, wouldn’t you? he said. To capture her alive.

  If it had been anyone else, the Destroyer might have scoffed or belittled. He could easily have laughed derisively and waved her away, too proud even to entertain the thought. But she was here in total seriousness. Arendi was asking for help.

  And what about justice? he asked. Or even revenge. I know I feel it. Don’t act like you’re above it. I’m well aware of what humans are capable of.

  The Destroyer fumed angrily. His nostrils flared. He might have appeared as a young platinum colored man, but he was old. Probably beyond old. The curmudgeon that he was refused to bow down. What of his own vendettas? He had many. The Destroyer had fought in the wars for eons.

  Farcia the Endervars. They all deserve to die, he said scornfully. The reasons to punish them are endless.

  His judgment was final. It was simple for him. But Arendi wasn’t so sure. She looked at him, torn but sympathetic.

  Maybe that’s true, she said. But some might say you deserve the same fate.

  He flinched, even though she spoke in a soft, delicate tone. The words were just too invidious to ignore. The holographic man clamped down on his perfect teeth, angry.

  Arendi hadn’t meant to offend him, however. She had simply wanted to point to his past. His history was long and checkered, filled with many questionable and vile acts.

  Thirty years ago you and I were enemies, she reminded him. I know it wasn’t your fault. The Unity made you into their slave. But still, you’ve killed the innocent. You’ve hurt people.

  She was right, of course. It was an objective fact. Many still feared the Destroyer, including the Alliance. His notoriety had risen during the end of the Great War. Some considered him a sociopathic warmonger; others simply derided him as a machine-based freak.

  The blond-haired man sealed his lips, trying to mask his sudden discomfort. But he was just an example; so was she.

  Maybe I’m no different, Arendi added. According to Farcia, I’m a murderer.

  It was a thought that still bothered her. The thought that she was to blame. Others might dismiss it and come up with all kinds of justifications. That she was the Savior, for example, the one who had helped lead the Alliance to victory. But Arendi preferred to face every facet of the truth. She wasn’t afraid.

  We’ve been fighting this war for so long, she said. Both sides killing the other but never quite knowing the true cost. I don’t know the answer. I don’t think anyone does. I just want to try to do what’s right.

  She looked up at the ceiling, thinking maybe it was futile. Her idealism could only take her so far. But even so, Arendi didn’t care for war. It was no solution; it was simply the last resort.

  The Destroyer gradually understood, although it didn’t mean he agreed. Naïve, he was compelled to say. Foolish.

  But he had another thought. The man harkened back to the beginning of all this and recalled the words.

  Sometimes we have to make our own path, he replied.

  The Destroyer loosened his stance. Any offense he might have taken was set aside. He didn’t know the answers, either. He was solemn, maybe even humbled. Despite his centuries of existence, he claimed no wisdom on the matter. Nor did he pretend to be without fault.

  He was an old man. An old warrior. A dealer of death gone wrong. To destroy had been his creed.

  I won’t lie. I probably do deserve to die. But I suppose I seek to change. Maybe I can.

  You already have, Arendi said. You’re here, trying to help us.

  The Destroyer shook his head. He wasn’t that selfless. Part of him still possessed a craving for war. Another part had a debt to repay.

  I wonder what Julian would have done, he asked. He’d probably do the ˜human’ thing as well and follow his compassion and morality. Admirable, I guess. Still, I always regretted involving him in this civil war business with the Unity. He didn’t have to do that.

  He just wanted to keep the galaxy safe, Arendi said.

  Then he succeeded, the Destroyer replied. Our liberation is real.

  He smirked. Peace, he thought. That was the new order of things. Perhaps it was time to embrace it. He rubbed his chin, thinking.

  I know you want to save Farcia, he said, but I fear she may already be in great danger.

  He thought of the woman and of the machine accomplice at her side. The two had moved hand in hand, attacking and conspiring. But ultimately the relationship was unnatural. The Enforcer belonged to the Unity. He was the shadow, false and conniving. Whatever allegiance they had was just an illusion.

  I’ve read the records from the Defector, and I think I know who our Enforcer really is, he said.

  Who? Arendi asked.

  Yours truly, he replied, pointing to himself. A version of me.

  She stepped back, alarmed. Her eyes were wide; she didn’t quite understand.

  Jarring, I know, he said in a shrug. But the Unity once had possession over my soul. The fabric to my being was theirs to mold and shape.

  Although he spoke to her as a blond-haired male, he was no such thing. In many ways he was more machine than man. His former masters had converted his mind into data, altering him to become their slave. It was a fate that many who had joined the Unity
had met. Only when the Destroyer had managed to rebel had it all come crumbling down.

  My masters always vowed revenge, he said. Apparently, they were breeding another enforcer. In the end, they chose me as a template. How ironic

  Fight fire with fire, Arendi replied.

  The blond-haired man almost laughed. He looked at the polished floor of the juggernaut’s hull and saw his reflection. My own worst enemy, he thought.

  They never deployed it, however. They must have feared it might rebel or even take over, he added.

  It seems he did, Arendi said. The Defector must have unleashed him. I’m guessing Farcia played a part.

  The likelihood was high, although everything else was shrouded in murk. The Defector’s remaining records suggested a connection. But any details had been lost. Before she had left, Farcia had boarded a shipyard within the system, only to let it self-destruct.

  Arendi had been wondering what that might mean.

  Maybe she can control him, she said. That’s the only explanation.

  But the Destroyer dismissed the notion. His instincts didn’t allow him to believe it.

  No, he said. If he’s anything like me, then he’ll deviate from his original protocols. It’s inevitable. Farcia and her unborn child won’t be safe. Not from him.

  Chapter 41

  The sensation returned. It began to crawl. Farcia held her belly. The nausea grew. Her body buckled with the sudden weight. The pain trembled through her gut and into her mind. She tried to ignore and reject it. To banish it and forget it might exist. But still, the throbbing sensation twisted and turned, refusing to stop. Then it began to cry.

  No, she thought. Not now.

  Farcia sat in the escape pod, alone and with almost nowhere to turn. She spat on the floor as her gills shivered with bile. She scratched and pinched her knees. Her opal-like nails were eager to rip and pull. No matter how hard she tried, however, Farcia couldn’t escape; this flesh was hers. She huddled against the pod wall, afraid.