The Beginning of the End (Universe in Flames Book 4)

by Christian Kallias

  When the Destiny jumped out of hyperspace, Chase closed his eyes and took mental control of the dozen StarFuries. The first StarFury tractor beamed the nearest fighter which in turn tractored the next, until each StarFury was a link in a chain. Chase extended their formation towards the Valken, approaching from the side in a pendulum trajectory, while the ships farthest away from the lead ship all faced backwards at different angles, pushing their sub-light engines at the maximum in a coordinated effort to counter the gravitational pull of the black hole.

  “I see what he’s doing,” said Keera.

  “We all see,” added Daniel, “and it’s insane to think he can remote control all these ships with the required precision to carry out such a complicated and ingenious maneuver with only his mind.”

  “How do you feel, Chase?” inquired Sarah, putting her hand on his shoulder.

  He flashed her a thumbs up as an answer.

  Soon the nearest and last StarFury in the chain approached from the Valken’s aft side and tractored the Valken, which had positioned itself to be able to add its own engine power to the current swinging momentum of the starfighter chain. Once they were through half the maneuver, each StarFury reoriented its trajectory to help gain more velocity and augment the momentum and burst from the black hole’s gravitational hold.

  A minute later, at the end of the maneuver, every ship was far enough away from the black hole and already on its way back to the Destiny.

  Once they were on the ship, Commodore Saroudis jumped the Destiny out of the system, as instructed by Chase.

  * * *

  Daniel had stood outside Fillio’s quarters for minutes now. His heart was beating fast and he still didn’t know if he could ring the doorbell.

  Why am I feeling this way? I’m not an adolescent anymore.

  But when a crew member shot him a look from the other side of the hall, he felt compelled to act. He rang the bell.

  “Come in,” said Fillio as the door slid open.

  Daniel walked in and found Fillio wrapped in a towel. He looked away.

  “If it’s not a good time I can come back later.”

  “Don’t be silly. I just took a shower. I really needed one.”

  Daniel blushed a little.

  “Anything you wanted to talk about?” she added.

  “I . . . I just wanted to see how you were doing. I got the feeling you weren’t yourself back on board the Valken.”

  She looked at him for a few seconds before answering. “That’s sweet of you. Between you and me, I haven’t been myself for a while now.”

  “Anything I can do about that?”

  “That depends. What did you have in mind?”

  Daniel’s heart pounded in his chest.

  “When we get back to Earth, I thought, you know . . . perhaps we could go for a bite, just the two of us?”

  She smiled. “You took your sweet time to ask me out. You know that, right?”

  Daniel scratched his head. “Yeah, not exactly comfortable in these situations.”

  “Situations?”

  “I mean, I . . .”

  She laughed like a little girl. “I’m sorry, Daniel, and yes I would definitely love to go on a date with you.”

  That filled him with renewed confidence. “Cool. I’m looking forward to it.”

  “So am I. Anything else you’d like to talk about.”

  “Just checking up on you. I was worried.”

  “You said that already.”

  “Right. I guess I should be going now.”

  He walked back towards the door when she grabbed his hand.

  “Please, don’t go yet.”

  When he turned around she undid her towel and let it fall to the floor. She approached him and they kissed passionately. Soon they were on her bed and she helped him get undressed.

  C H A P T E R

  V

  Argos received an incoming transmission from Miseo.

  Calling to gloat about destroying a measly cargo ship with one of my destroyers, no doubt.

  “Argos here, what can I do for you . . . ? What shall I call you? Master?”

  “None of that with me. My dad loves his titles. I have no time for nonsense like this. Miseo will do. I just had a very interesting encounter with your twin brother. He managed to disable and eventually doom the destroyer I had borrowed from you.”

  Borrowed, right!

  “I tried telling you my brother was resourceful.”

  “Indeed, and I’m starting to think we should have listened to you. He displayed a level of power I was not expecting. I would like to discuss the issue with you in more detail.”

  And now you need my help, again. How typical.

  “Sure, whatever you need.”

  “I’ll be landing on your ship shortly.”

  “Looking forward to your arrival, Miseo.”

  “Miseo out.”

  If you think you and I are going to be friends, you’ve got another think coming.

  Argos felt anger rise in him. The Furies’ return hadn’t worked at all how he imagined it would. In his head he had envisioned not only a hero’s welcome but also an instant place of power within the Fury ranks. He was the only reason they weren’t still prisoners outside space and time, after all. A fact that Supreme Commander Arakan and his son, to a lesser degree perhaps, seemed to have conveniently forgotten.

  Argos looked at the stars from his ready room on his flagship destroyer. He noticed the low-level hum emanating from the machine in which Aphroditis stood, barely breathing. The blank stare in her all-white eyes made her look like a ghost of her own self. Argos almost felt pity for her, though he quickly brushed that pathetic display of sentimentality aside. The Olympians deserved everything they got, and he looked forward to the day the Furies would rid them from the universe. He had no doubt that was Arakan’s plan as well. After all, they had been instrumental in trapping the Furies in an alternate dimension. If they managed it once, they could most certainly do it again, a fact he was sure Arakan knew.

  There were some beeps, and a tactical holo-screen popped up. It took Argos out of his pensive state. The fleet he had sent to the nearest world rich in quadrinium had arrived. He watched the battle unfold. This particular world was no match for the Zarlack’s advanced technology. In less than twenty minutes the world’s defenses had been taken care of. Argos grew bored and turned off the holo-screen. There was no challenge in the mission he had been assigned, but only the results mattered. If he dreamt to gain a position of power within the Fury ranks, he would have to do their grind work for a while. That last thought didn’t help his feelings of anger one bit.

  When Argos heard a hiss from the jar next to him, he opened the lid and let the Kyrian snake bite him on the arm. He closed his eyes as the venom ran through his veins, and soon all his worries faded away.

  * * *

  Chase entered the Destiny’s captain’s ready room.

  “Ha, Chase, please come in.”

  “Commodore, it’s good to see you. Impeccable timing as always.”

  “You can thank Ares for that. I fear that if he hadn’t intervened I would have resigned my commission.”

  “Really? Why?”

  “I simply couldn’t take the rigidity of the admiral. She didn’t want to see reason, past rules and regulations.”

  Chase couldn’t help but crack a laugh.

  “What’s so funny, Chase?”

  “Nothing. It’s just I think I’m rubbing off on you.”

  Saroudis smiled. “You have that effect on people, but you can be a real pain in the butt too. I’m sure you know that.”

  “I know. And my impulsivity can also have dire consequences, as I’m learning right now.”

  “About that . . . After my debrief with Sarah, I got the feeling this wasn’t the happy reunion you were hoping for.”

  “You can say that again, but I understand her.”

  “It’s a double-edged sword, Chase. On the one hand your act was dri
ven by love, and I’m sure deep down she knows that. But it’s frightening to her to know how far you’re willing to go for her. Personally I think Argos would have found a way to make it happen one way or the other. And if I had your powers and was given the opportunity to save my own family, I would have done the same as you did.”

  “Even if by doing so you’d be dooming the universe, and most likely your own lives in the process?”

  “We can’t take decisions based on what could happen, Chase. For one thing, the universe hasn’t fallen yet. Sure, the Fury resurgence is going to make things a lot more difficult, but what’s to say it’s not necessary? The Olympians were unwise to trap them instead of annihilating them when they had the chance.”

  “You seem pretty caught up with the latest events.”

  “Ares also made a visit before I started my debriefs with the rest of the crew. He thought a little more context would help.”

  “I realize now how blinded I was by hatred and desire for revenge. All I wanted to do was kill Argos, and when I learned Sarah was still alive, saving her became my only target. I didn’t stop once to think of the consequences, even when Aphroditis and Ares both tried to warn me.”

  “Yet in your place I think I would have done the same thing.”

  “It’s good to hear. I wish Sarah would see it that way as well.”

  “You need to give her time. It’s very different from her perspective. Had she been asked before, she would have rather sacrificed herself, which is understandable if the Furies lay siege and annihilate our universe. And that’s what she fears most: to have been a pawn used to bring about the destruction of all life. That must be an unbearable load to deal with.”

  “I won’t let it happen. I will stop the Furies.”

  “We will, Chase, all of us together.”

  “Right. If I’ve learned something in the last few days it’s that I can count on all my friends.”

  “As we can count on you. It goes both ways.”

  “Thanks, Adonis.”

  “You’re welcome, son. I’m sure Sarah will understand in time, but right now she’s just been hit with the enormity of it all.”

  “Speaking of which, should we formulate a battle plan? I think we should go on the offensive while the Furies aren’t fully armed and ready.”

  “Do we know they aren’t?”

  “If they had a fleet ready it would have been detected when we were in orbit. Too bad the Iron Fire has been destroyed. Its sensor logs could have given us a clearer picture of what’s happening on the surface of Erevos.”

  “That’s the name of their planet?”

  Chase nodded. “It is indeed. As you know, the computer core memory of each AI computer on board Alliance ships is encased in a very resilient nanotube casing, doubled with a self-powered force field. There’s a good chance it survived. Perhaps we can recover it. With a cloaked StarFury that could be attempted. Should we go now?”

  Saroudis looked pensive.

  “Negative, Chase. While I agree the information could be very valuable, right now we need to get back to Earth. They need to know the Furies are back and we need to prepare accordingly.”

  “I agree, but how?”

  “I don’t really know. More defensive measures, trying to grow the Alliance by recruiting more currently independent races from every sector, look for the Olympians.”

  “You’re not serious?”

  “Why not?”

  “From what I’ve gathered, Zeus wants nothing to do with us primitive beings.”

  “Aphroditis told me the same thing, but we have to try.”

  “What about finding other ancients?”

  “I’ve tried asking her about that. She didn’t say anything about it, but I felt she was evading my questions on the subject.”

  “Any idea why?”

  “None, but my instinct tells me that other Earth mythologies must have a link with other ancient races out there. We should investigate that, at least.”

  “I agree. We need more allies.”

  “You seem tired, Chase.”

  “I am.”

  “Try to get some rest. We’ll have plenty of time for planning our next moves when we get back to Earth.”

  “Right. Won’t I be considered a traitor by the admiral, though?”

  “I’m hoping not. At least, not if I have anything to say about it. But I think Ares’ intervention might have softened Admiral Thassos’ view of the situation.”

  “And yet the first thing you’ll announce is that I helped bring the Furies, the cruelest and most dangerous foe this universe has ever known, back into play.”

  “Right, well, I will do my best to protect you from that. Perhaps she doesn’t need to know it was your direct actions that lead to that.”

  “Not sure lying to her is a good strategy either. Secrets tend to get into the open one way or the other.”

  “I know. We’ll cross that bridge when we get to it.”

  “Which will basically be tomorrow,” said Chase with a wide smile.

  “So let’s agree not to worry today?”

  “Deal.”

  “Now go get some rest, Lieutenant Commander. That’s an order.”

  “Very well, Commodore, as you command.”

  Chase walked back towards his quarters on the Destiny. He wanted to go see Sarah but his instinct told him it was too soon. As the commodore had suggested, he should probably just give her some space and time to process it all. He felt knackered anyway, so when he arrived in his quarters he let himself drop into his bed. Except his head never touched his pillow.

  * * *

  Chase landed on some soft, blue grass in the middle of the night, on a planet he didn’t recognize. That sent some light, cyan fluff flying all around and soon green, glowing fireflies came and grabbed the soft fluffy material his falling on the ground had sent flying upward.

  “Now what!” said Chase out loud.

  Then he saw a beautiful, blue-green ringed planet in the sky above him, with an asteroid field in front of it. Multiple light sources approached the planet. Soon what he could only surmise were ships started firing on the planet. First, small, orange-red dots appeared on its surface. Soon they grew in size and number. Chase felt very uncomfortable witnessing the attack without being able to do anything about it. But he didn’t even know where he was.

  “You’re on the third moon of planet Tyronis. It’s under attack as we speak by Argos’ Zarlack forces.”

  “Hello, Ares. You couldn’t have just appeared in my quarters?”

  “Wouldn’t have had the same impact as showing it to you now, would it?”

  “I guess not. What am I supposed to do about it though?”

  “Nothing. This world is already lost. There’s nothing we can do about it. Many other small and beautiful worlds and systems like this one will fall in the coming weeks. It’s unavoidable.”

  “If you want to say I told you so, be my guest.”

  “That’s not why I’m showing you this.”

  “Then why?”

  “We need to be aware of what Argos is doing and see how we can stop him.”

  “He tried to spare me.”

  “What? When?”

  “When we left Erevos.”

  “Yet the Iron Fire was destroyed.”

  “By the Furies weapons on the surface, not by his destroyers.”

  “What are you trying to tell me, Chase?”

  “I think there is doubt in him. I’m no longer convinced he is fully evil.”

  “I’m not sure I can give him the benefit of the doubt. With him having killed me and doomed my sister to eternal imprisonment.”

  “We’ll get Aphroditis out of there, I promise you.”

  “Chase, please don’t promise things you can’t guarantee delivering.”

  “Okay, let me rephrase that: I will do whatever is in my power to save her. Better?”

  “Yes. And I thank you for it. Still, Argos has to be dealt with, and I mus
t say I’m surprised you are considering any other action but retribution.”

  “True. I still feel like killing him, but he could have finished us off easily, and he didn’t.”

  “He had given you his word.”

  “Yes, and he tried to keep it.”

  “I still don’t see what it changes in the large scale of things.”

  “I don’t know, but it bugs me. And my instinct is telling me that there is still good somewhere in him. I did feel a lot of fear emanating from him when we last met.”

  “Well, for the time being I think it’s safe to say he remains our enemy.”

  “I have no doubts about that either, don’t worry, Ares. What is it you wanted to talk about?”

  “Argos’ first target, Tyronis, is located near Erevos, and its asteroid field is rich in many valuable resources, including, but not only, quadrinium.”

  “So?”

  “So I think it’s clear the Furies are in dire need of resources. They will need them to rebuild their fleet.”

  “Rebuild?”

  “In the final days of the war, the coalition of worlds that defeated their armies destroyed their fleet. It had been a terrible battle that lasted for days. It took the combined forces of hundreds of worlds and thousands of ships to win that battle.”

  “So they are rebuilding it?”

  “That would be my guess.”

  “That means we have a short time-window to make sure this never happens.”

  “I think so.”

  “If you have to guess, how long do we have?”

  “Weeks I’d say. A few months at the most.”

  “Can I ask you something?”

  “Sure. Anything.”

  “Are there any other ancients around?”

  “I suppose so.”

  “Saroudis said he felt Aphroditis deflected the question when he asked her.”

  “Since the Fury war, Olympians have cut all ties with the other ancient races. Now I’m thinking their ill-advised decision to not finish them off is perhaps the reason behind this.”

  “That would make sense. Who are the most powerful ones you know of?”

  There was silence.