Backlash Rising

by Brandon Ellis

  “Sol says she is, and so do the prophecies,” said Bilrak. “So, shut your mouth son and do what your mother asked, be kind and obey.”

  “She asked that I be kind to my brother, not anyone else.”

  They reached the platform and Ali and the rest stepped on. The elevator rose. Thun looked around. “We’re missing someone.”

  Thodion nodded. “Dilgor. He's on the bridge already. We'll see him in a moment. He has eyes for Ramira.” Thodion elbowed Thun and laughed again.

  Thun punched him in the shoulder. “That’s my sister.”

  The elevator reached the bridge, clicking in place. Daf’s mouth slackened. “Whoa. Never been on a bridge before. It’s pretty intense.”

  “Take a seat somewhere, Daf,” ordered Ali, making her way to the command chair. “Where's Chan? Still helping the Bawn up the ramp?”

  “I’m on board, but in Tranquil's engine room,” came Chan's voice over the intercom. “All are aboard. You can give the order to take Tranquil skyward when ready.”

  Are you ready, Ali? asked Tranquil.

  “We’re ready. Follow Starship Swift.”

  Aye, my friend.

  The starship lifted off the ground. The vidscreen surrounding the bridge came to life, zooming in on Swift, who climbed high toward the Eos clouds.

  Tranquil? asked Ali. Where are we following them to?

  On another mission.

  Ali slouched in her chair. “Another mission? Please tell me you're kidding.” She wanted to get back to Starbase Matrona and to her father, then back to Eos to get to the sarcophagus. Simple.

  “Who are you talking to?” asked Daf from across the bridge.

  “To the starship.”

  “Oh, right.” Daf sat back. “I guess, carry on?”

  Thun, in the seat next to Ali, leaned over. “We’re going on a mission?”

  “Yes.” She closed her eyes, taking in a deep breath. Tranquil, where does our mission take us?

  Earth.

  44

  Eden

  Eos

  Eden looked incredulously at Skye, her shoulders rolling forward. “We have Sirona’s people. Yet, we’re going on another mission?” She wanted to get them back home on the starbase where they belonged.

  Skye nodded. “We received a distress signal from a Space Temple outlier. A massive armada is on their way to Earth’s system, hyper hopping from system to system until they reach Earth. They’ll be there sooner rather than later.”

  Other than the short details Skye had given Eden about Earth, she didn’t know much about it, other than it was beautiful and where her race had originated. She didn’t have an emotional tie, but she did have an emotional tie for her people in Star Guild, and here they were, on Starship Swift, being taken to another potential fight.

  Eden’s nostrils flared. “We need to head back to Starbase Matrona and drop these people off before we jump into Earth’s system.” She eyed the vidscreen. Planet Eos displayed on the screen via the rear cams, shrinking smaller as they flew farther from it.

  Nyx held a glass of water in her hand. “Drink up, Eden.”

  Eden pushed it away, shaking her head. “I’m not thirsty.”

  Nyx moved the glass in front of Eden’s nose. “I said, drink up.”

  Eden released a breath and took the glass of water. “Fine.”

  Skye raised his hands to his chest, his voice lightening. “I’m sorry, but this isn’t up for a vote.” He put his palm out, face up, jabbing his index finger in the middle of his palm. “That’s Earth’s Solar System.” He tapped his palm again in the same place. “Enlil and his allies, some of whom are the Graxic and Reptilians—half-human, half-lizard hybrids—are jumping into this location soon.” He tapped on his forearm. “We’re somewhere over here and if we don’t get to my palm, the humans on Earth won’t be able to defend themselves with any success. They’ll put up a good fight, but the armada will wipe the humans off the face of the planet.”

  Eden took a swig of water and swished it around in her mouth before gulping it down. “And when we get there, we fight. Do we stand a chance? We don’t have a fleet other than our two ships.”

  A smile grew on Skye’s face. “Our own armada is on the way. We’ll defend Earth, and we’ll defend her well. Trust me.”

  She took another drink of water. “Good, because it wasn’t adding up. So—” A surge of energy rushed through her. She glanced at the half-full glass, wondering what the heck Nyx spiked it with. She shook her head, taking a seat at the station where she had stood, and watched the Space Templars monitoring the holoscreens at their stations.

  Nyx slapped her hands together, rubbing them back and forth. “I can’t wait to persuade those evil pricks to leave.”

  “Is it that easy? A simple persuasion?” asked Eden. Maybe all Beings feared the Space Templars’ fleet. Perhaps just showing up would cause the enemy to retreat. One could hope.

  “No,” replied Nyx. “What would be the fun in that?”

  Eden tilted her head back. “So, we definitely fight.” She wanted her people to live, to have a break from battle. It didn’t look like that would be happening.

  Skye crossed his arms. “We fight.” He held his hand out for Eden. She grasped his hand like a handshake, and Nyx wrapped her fingers around their locked hands. “This will be one for the history books,” said Skye.

  Eden locked eyes with Nyx. She couldn’t get out of the coming battle, and the Sirona crew on the ship couldn’t get out of it either. Best not to fight it, but deep down, she held back a grin. She couldn’t wait to knock the Anunnaki and their allies around. “All right, let’s kick some Anunnaki tail.”

  “Now you’re talking, Eden.” Nyx’s lips twitched. “Your aura…changed.” She stared above Eden’s head and shoulders, her eyes scanning. “You’re ready. I can’t believe my own ears when I say this, but dammit girl, you’re ready.” She twisted to the side, her hand extended to the captain’s chair. “Do your thing.”

  Eden splayed her fingers on her chest. “My thing?”

  Skye cocked his head to the side. “Are you sure, Nyx?”

  “I didn’t want it in the first place, but yes, she’s ready.”

  Skye extended his hand toward the middle of the bridge, mimicking Nyx. “Eden, you’re the captain now.”

  Eden wrinkled her brow. “You’re serious?”

  “Don’t make us change our minds,” came Skye.

  She lifted her chest and set her jaw. She wouldn’t mess this up twice. She strode to the captain’s chair and sat. “Swift, set coordinates to our first hyper hop.”

  Coordinates set.

  Eden pulled up the com, opening all channels. “Man all quarter stations. Secure all loose gear about the decks and bays. Stand by for a Negative Matter Jump. Find restraints and secure yourselves.” She eyed the time on the holodisplay at the front of the bridge. “Stand by for time check. On signal, the time will be four hundred hours, thirty-six minutes. Stand by. Mark.”

  We’re ready, Eden, came Swift.

  Eden dipped her head. “Stand by to jump.”

  The NMJ drives activated, and Eden bit her lip to hold down a smile. She didn’t know if her commands met Space Templars’ protocol, but they felt damn good coming out of her mouth.

  45

  Shae

  Aurora

  Shae sat on a bench. Green frond trees stood behind him in a semi-circle, shading him. He rested his elbows on his knees. Throughout his life, Shae had glimpses of large, wide-open skies, wispy white clouds, and the sun beaming down on a large field of yellow grass called wheat. He never understood why these scenes would explode like a movie in his mind, but now that he realized the Anunnaki had wiped his memory and placed new memories in him, the glimpses made more sense.

  “That was Earth,” he told himself.

  He glanced up at Aurora’s big sky, though not entirely blue, but large like Earth’s. The sky here held a purple hue, perhaps from the ringed moon that orbited the planet
. He shook his head, wishing Ali were here, not knowing exactly where she was or if she was safe. His gut twisted, worry for his daughter slamming into him worse than he imagined. It consumed him like a nightmare. The worst scenarios he could bring up dangled themselves at the forefront of his brain. He squeezed his eyes shut. “I have to get used to this father stuff.”

  He stared at his old home—Starbase Matrona. It floated like a silver gem in front of Aurora's moons. Word had it that the Templars were decommissioning it and tearing it apart. All living organisms on the starbase, including plants and animals, would be transported planet-side.

  He turned away, shifting his focus to the orange-colored hills that rolled across the countryside, lush with foliage and leafy green trees. “This is what freedom is.” Yet he still felt like he needed to monitor ebb transports reports, ebb mining, and fleet training like he had before the Anunnaki attacked.

  He used to work fifteen hours a day, and when he slept, his dreams threw paperwork at him, and upon waking, mornings threw meetings, paperwork, and more paperwork at him. The rest of the day mimicked the mornings. Now, he didn’t have a damn thing to do, other than heal.

  When Kalista touched the Starhawk down on this planet, the Space Templar healers transported him away. He barely had time enough to wave to the piss-ant, Kalista, and the nice kid, Devon. The healers set his bone, sent him to something similar to a Suficell Pod, but with twice the healing power, and hours later, here he sat…free.

  “Hi, Admiral.”

  Shae lifted his head. “Devon.” He smiled. “If this is your new home, I’m jealous.”

  “My home? It’s your home, too.”

  Shae didn’t have the heart to tell the kid he wouldn’t be living here long. Instead, he winked. “Yeah, what you said.”

  Devon turned, gesturing toward a translucent domed building. A path led from their spot to the domed building’s door a quarter of a kilometer away. Kalista sat on a grassy knoll beside the pathway, picking blades of grass and tossing them aside like a bored child. Devon chuckled. “I don't think she's the grump she pretends to be.”

  A soft rumble of engines filled the sky. Dozens of vessels appeared on the horizon, heading their direction. Shae lifted his chin as a loud boom in the heavens took his attention away from the coming ships. Several more craft entered Aurora, coming in fast, then slowed and leveled. “Looks like the Space Templars are gearing up for something. Unless this is normal.” Shae doubted there was any “normal” to the arriving ships, especially in such growing numbers.

  Thunder shook the earth, and Shae turned, glancing behind him. A ship, almost out of nowhere, headed in for a landing on a pad in the fields of blue and green grass off to his right. Wind picked up, and blew Shae’s hair as the vessel hovered. Landing sleds extended from underneath, and the ship touched down on the pad, its almond-like appearance making Shae gape. “Wow.”

  Cannons jutting from the edges and in the front rotated and slid inward, hugging against the ship’s exterior. Shae stood, keeping more weight on his good leg, something he wasn’t used to. Although his leg felt all right, he took a hobbling step forward. “What a beauty.”

  The ship had a sleek design. There was a tinted cockpit window set in the front that widened around the sides. He could tell the thing was fast, not in space, but planetside. It’d be a worthy opponent.

  A hiss and a ramp opened from the underbelly, extending to the pad. Boots came into view on the ramp, and then pants, and finally, a woman.

  She turned and faced Shae, giving him a gentle nod. She strolled toward him, her long strides athletic, almost sexy, her face perfectly sculpted. Devon inched beside Shae.

  She bowed, her hands folded at her chest, her palms touching. “The light in me bows to the light in you.”

  Shae shot Devon a look, then eyed the tall woman, bowing. “Thank you.”

  “That’s the Space Templars’ greeting to all Beings.” She smiled. “My name is Sabra and we have a mission for you two.”

  “I heard that on the com, but ma’am, we just got here,” said Devon. He glanced past her at the ship. “Did Naveya come down with you, or my parents and sister?”

  “Naveya is managing the evacuation of your old home, and I’m sorry, but I don’t know who your sister and parents are. If they aren’t here, I assure you if they survived the main attack, they’re alive. They may be part of the last evacuation wave.” Sabra looked upon Shae. “Fleet Admiral Shae Lutz,” she shifted her gaze, “and Robert Rose, follow me.”

  “Robert Rose?” asked Shae.

  “Yes,” said Sabra.

  Devon shook his head. “It’s a long story. Don’t ask.”

  “Well, I’m going to ask sometime,” Shae replied.

  Another ship hummed overhead, coming in for a landing on a nearby landing pad. Shae, Devon, and Sabra made their way toward a forest at the base of the nearest hill. Pushing aside massive ferns that grew at the forest's edge, and ducking under the wide palm leaves, Shae’s boots sunk into the soft, forest soil at every step.

  He stepped over exposed roots and past hanging vines that held leaves as colorful as the flowers attached to them. A large insect with multiple legs walked in front of him, white and bulbous. They continued on in silence, jumping over a thin stream. Finally, Sabra pushed through thick shrubbery, practically disappearing inside it. Shae and Devon stopped at the hedge. She poked through the shrubs, her hand extended, waving them to follow. “C’mon.”

  Shae pushed through the thick leaves, some thin branches cracking as he did so. He quickly emerged on the other side, Devon in tow.

  Sabra raised her hand. “We’re here.” A small clearing surrounded them, thick and tall green brush encircling the area.

  Shae scratched his chin. “Where is here, exactly?”

  She clasped her hands together. “I have something for you. It’s been waiting for the right person for centuries, probably longer.” She pointed to the dirt-laden ground. Patches of moss and grass peppered the area. "It’s been charging.” She bent down, pressing on a small clump. A small box lifted upward as soil cascaded away from it. She lifted the box and held it out to Shae. “Open it. But understand, we have added more elements to it, more life.”

  Shae took the box and opened it. He stared at an oval blue crystal with what looked like a small dab of ash spotting the inside. “What is this?”

  Sabra cupped her hands behind her back. “Please understand that you, your daughter, and another, have a mix of Anunnaki DNA inside of you. Very few in your race have such a…” she paused, thinking for a moment, “…a blessing in their lives, if one may look at it in a positive perspective. The Space Templars of old encoded three such crystals, placing one in the hilt of a sword, with similar mixed DNA. Those who have the DNA may activate one of three starships. This mix is few and far between, but when one of your kind is discovered, a Space Templar will choose whoever we consider the best of the Chosen Ones and grant you these crystals.”

  Shae pursed his lips, cocking his head to the side. “What are you saying?”

  “You have one more mission, Fleet Admiral.” She held up her index finger. “One more mission to save your people.”

  “I understand about one last mission, but what I don’t understand is what does that have to do with me and this crystal?”

  Sabra gave Shae an understanding nod. “We’ll give you a starship. You’ll use this starship and our vast Space Templar fleet to defend your home.”

  He glanced up at the sky, eyeing the starbase. “I thought my home was being evacuated as we speak?”

  “I’m speaking of your old home, Earth. Enlil and his Navy, along with several of his allies, are en route to Earth. They plan on breaking an intergalactic treaty that leaves Earth alone, to leave them to their own evolutionary gains. Enlil and his allies are planning on killing and enslaving humans…on their home planet.”

  Helen immediately came to mind, and an invisible gut-punch slammed into his belly. He took in a deep breath,
his chin set. “I accept, and I’ll lead.”

  “As I’d expect.” Sabra touched Shae’s chest. “Take out your Space Templar pendant.”

  Shae did.

  “Now, touch the crystal and the pendant together.”

  Shae pressed the crystal on his pendant and felt a melding, a twisting and turning. He glanced down and his eyes widened. In seconds, the crystal surrounded the pendant, like blue glass molding and cooling around a coin.

  “You may tuck it under your shirt now,” she said.

  Shae complied. The moment the pendant touched his chest, sorrow vibrated through him. He lost strength and fell to his knees.

  Devon rushed to his side. “Admiral, are you okay?”

  Shae went on all fours, swallowing tears and forcing down a rage that burned through him. He shook his head, doing his best to shake the emotions, the strange sensations begging to burst out of him. “What’s…happening?” he demanded, blinking rapidly.

  Sabra bent down, rubbing his back like Devon. “Listen, Fleet Admiral. This will hit you hard, but understand, they saved the entire starbase.”

  Shae pushed up, pressing his hands over his eyes. “No.” He knew before the words came out of her mouth because somehow, he had felt them, their presence, their souls.

  “We found your friends and nephew floating outside Matrona. We gathered them and gave them a remembrance of life.” She cleared her throat as if she were choking up. “Thousands came, Admiral. Thousands. We sprinkled a piece of them, their ashes, in your crystal. The rest of their ashes float in the cosmos.”

  “Koda?” Shae fell, unable to grasp that his nephew, the closest family he’d ever known until he reunited with Ali, had died. “Louise? Manning?”

  Devon backed away. “Koda? Dead? I can’t… I can’t believe it.”

  “All three saved the starbase, Shae,” said Sabra. “They gave their lives to open the airlock and rid the starbase of the toxin. In the process, they rid the starbase of Payson and his men. It took your friend’s lives, but they’ll be remembered as heroes, always.”