News reports from across the globe reported on the downfall of the HLF base. The news of the UNE’s victory, however, resulted in a level of chaos nobody expected. Every single Hashmedai member who was present during the attack was killed; even those who surrendered were executed on the spot. Only human HLF members who surrendered were spared, including the mastermind of the operation, Hannah.
“The downfall of this terror group will make it easier for us to detain Hashmedai,” Mariana said. “Though, I’m worried about the flak that might come about as a result of this.”
“I wouldn’t worry about it,” said Fiesei. “The Linl republic had similar things happen within the streets of our cities when the announcement to join the union was made.” He leaned his body closer to Crimei. “What do you think?”
“Personally I’d still like to give it a few more years,” he replied. “But you are the expert regarding this.”
Mariana wanted to agree with Crimei. The safest path would be to make the joining of the union something that occurs over several years. Assuming the Hashmedai don’t return to Earth to finish the job during that time.
“I assure you, any political fallout will be forgotten in the history books,” Fiesei said to Mariana. “Your name will be remembered as the Earth leader who brought the human race to its rightful place in the stars, the sixth member of the Radiance Union.”
A place in the history books of the human race…and quite possibly the history books regarding civilization in this corner of the galaxy. The thought made her smile. “May the gods’ light shine upon you,” she said, patting Fiesei’s shoulder.
Those words were something she needed to get used to saying; it was after all the final part of her recent conversion to the Radiance religion.
In the hours following the downfall of the HLF, protests worldwide slowly broke out. Most of them were from the Hashmedai communities in a rage that the UNE refused to show any quarter to the Hashmedai members of the HLF but wasted no time sparing the lives of the human members. Humans who sympathized with the Hashmedai ended up joining the protests and clashed with counterprotesters who praised the defeat of the HLF.
Existing HLF cells around the world were discovered after the UNE took control of their databases, resulting in a massive crackdown. Midnight raids, led by UNE and Radiance disrupted life within the communities where suspected HLF members or people who assisted them lived, triggering more riots and protests.
… … …
►► ESV Winston Churchill, Earth Orbit
► Sol System
Transports carrying the UNE teams who bested the HLF docked within the main hangar bay of the Winston Churchill several hours after the battle had ended. The doors swung open, and Chloe saw the flight deck crew zipping back and forth in zero-g aided by tiny jets mounted to their jumpsuit belts. They were maintaining fighters, parking transport ships, or directing traffic for the rest of the incoming transports and their marine occupants.
Chloe floated away from the interior of the craft while one of her hands held on firmly around the skinny arm of their captured target, Hannah. Sarah and Chris floated out shortly afterward, talking about the great victory they achieved and how both of them couldn’t wait to get back to the cross-training program they originally came all the way out here for in the first place.
Gavin’s and Jessica’s bodies levitated out from the cockpits of their fighters, while they removed their helmets. Judging by the tired looks on their faces, it would seem they just got back from a long operation themselves. Chloe suddenly felt some resistance from her captured enemy. Hannah’s arms jerked, trying to pull away from Chloe and toward Gavin. He watched the brief struggle unfold from the nose of his fighter.
“Gavin, you are a stunning man!” Hannah’s raised voice yelled to him. “I need you to fertilize my eggs. It is necessary.”
“OK, that’s enough!” Chloe injected and aggressively grabbed Hannah’s head, ignoring the fact that Hannah’s long back floating hair was getting in her eyes.
“Don’t be bashful! It will be a fun experience! Just pretend I’m Anna; just pretend it is the night she got pregnant. Do it.”
Hannah’s body became limp and submissive again. Chloe was once again in control of their microgravity escort of their captured prisoner.
… … …
Hannah was placed in the brig; her cell was next to Ella’s. Though it was to be temporary, Ken was to take Hannah to the main EISS HQ in Geneva for interrogation. Kasidey never reported back after the operation, a small team began a search for her in the area. Afterward, Chloe was called into Xavier’s office for debriefing.
Michei and Xavier floated next to each other, while Chloe entered along with Gavin, Sarah, and Chris—nobody else, which she thought was odd, considering there were others like Jacob’s team who were on the raid. And Gavin? Wouldn’t his debrief be separate? He wasn’t on the ground and was called away to take on another task. She expected a hero’s welcome upon entering, but what she got was something much worse.
“I’m going to make this quick since I’m fuckin’ tired and want answers from you four now,” Xavier said, with anger in his voice. “How long did you have that gem? And why didn’t you tell us it was the source of the psionic activity we discovered?”
Chloe’s chest felt like it sank into a pit of fire. She also saw the look on Gavin’s face change drastically upon hearing Xavier. All the while, Chris and Sarah seemed staggered and confused. Nobody spoke of course; they couldn’t. Chris and Sarah knew nothing of this, while Gavin and Chloe stared at each other for a few seconds, both of them debating how to explain this situation.
“Are you talking about the gem Ella found?” Chris asked.
“Michei tells me he spoke to Ella, who then claimed you guys brought it aboard. Seeing as how your arrival aboard my ship came at the same time we picked up the psionic energy spike, I’m starting to believe it was true,” said Xavier.
“That’s because it is true, sir,” Chloe finally confessed. She saw Gavin’s face get red.
“You five knowingly brought an alien device aboard my ship, without our knowledge and kept it secret this whole time?” Xavier said.
“No, sir, Sergeant Boyd and Vaughan had no knowledge of this,” Chloe said. “They don’t need to be here.”
“Yes, they do, because as of right now you and Chambers are relieved of your duties and are to be confined to quarters until further notice,” Xavier said and then faced Sarah and Chris. “Sergeant Vaughan, Sergeant Boyd, you two are now leaders of your team for the time being.”
“Sir, if I may.”
“That device probably is the reason you and Dr. Lynn are still alive. Yes, I get that, Major. Nonetheless, you don’t know what you are handlin’. Dr. Lynn’s actions are proof of that. Michei says it’s a totem of evil, and while I don’t fully believe in Radiance mysticism, I do believe you might have opened up Pandora’s box.” Xavier continued his grilling. “And didn’t you include in your report of a gem-like object interacting with the Hashmedai commander you encountered on the command ship?”
“Yes, sir,” Chloe said.
“The same commander you claimed turned into a psionic zombie as a possible result of being in possession of the gem?” Chloe nodded to Xavier. “And now you’re playing around with such a device, keeping it secret.” She remained silent, attempting to think of one last thing in defense of their actions, but such a thing never came to her mind. What they did was wrong. Being straight up, as a soldier and former US marine, she should have known better. “Well then, get the fuck outta me sight before I decided to have you put in the brig instead,” Xavier said, ending the meeting.
… … …
Michei stepped into his quarters, and as the sliding doors shut, he sighed. He was starting to like and respect Chloe. But their actions weren’t something that he could turn away from, should the gods learn of their heretic ways. He removed the growing thought from his head, and focused on the truth of the matter;
he reported them. Actions were taken; the gods can’t blame him for any wrongdoing. He was safe.
“EVE, lights,” he requested. As tired as he was, he needed to find his data pad. There was a new message notification that he never got the chance to read because of the discovery of the heretic acts of Chloe, Gavin, and Ella.
The lighting in his quarters went from dark, to brightly lit as per his preset settings. An unwelcome figure sat in one of his chairs at the far end of the room, a human woman, the one they recovered from Vancouver along with Ken.
“Hello,” Kasidey said and crossed her legs.
His firm composure remained unchanged as he asked. “What are you doing here, human?”
“You know, few people in the Radiance Union know of the gems or that the heretics, the Celestial Order value them.” Her fist unclenched and unveiled an oddly shaped data crystal with a small circular device mounted to one side of it. “Do you know what this is?”
“You have no right to be in here,” Michei said, turning toward the door. “I’m going to report.”
“Freeze and stand by,” she shouted into the data crystal. Her request caused him to do exactly that. He stopped moving and stood still, as if he were a statue. Rising up from her chair, she stepped toward him. “Agent seven-two-two-oh-eight, prepare to receive true memories and report.”
… … …
Lights, computers, and holograms aboard the bridge of the Winston Churchill flickered on and off, and then eventually off. Turning it into a black room, the only source of light was the stars in from the windows.
“Well…shit,” Cdr. Cassandra Benally said. “Report.”
“As soon as my computer is working, I will, ma’am!” said Ensign Lu.
Benally’s hand activated her earpiece communicator. “Bridge to engine room, what is going on?” she asked. There was no reply. “Bridge to engine room, this is Commander Benally. Please respond.”
… … …
Chloe couldn’t help but laugh at the irony that she and Sarah now faced. Not too long ago Sarah offered to leave these quarters and go someplace else. Now she’s done just that, though the circumstances are quite different. The dimmed lights within her quarters flickered, and then shut off completely. Whatever, she thought; she was still relatively jaded about what had transpired earlier.
Suddenly, there was light. Only it wasn’t from the lights in her quarters, and it was bright enough that she had to shield her eyes from the burst. It was also blue and vanished as quickly as it illumined her room.
A psionic teleportation.
“Oh, what the fuck!” she yelled.
“Don’t be alarmed, we’ll bring you right back,” a voice said from the darkness.
… … …
►► Location unknown
► Sol System
Chloe’s comforting bed was replaced with solid and cold concrete. She rose up upon noticing she had been teleported off the Winston Churchill. Back on Earth, by the looks of the sunlight bleeding in to what appeared to be a warehouse, judging by the large shipping crates and dust-covered forklifts.
Behind her Chloe saw Kasidey and Whigli. That explains who teleported in and then out with her. How they pulled it off was another story. The mind shield of the Winston Churchill was programmed to prevent all Hashmedai from teleporting in or using any psionics within the ship, much like with Radiance ships. Though that was the least of her worries, this was a straight-up abduction being conducted by an EISS agent, by the looks.
Chloe gripped the collar of Kasidey’s top, while her swinging hand formed into a fist, ready and waiting for a fight. “Hawke, what the fuck is going on?” Chloe asked her.
“Got a live one here,” said Kasidey. “Whigli, if you will.”
Fuck this, Chloe thought and her fist charged toward Kasidey’s face, stopping halfway there. The invisible grip of telekinesis held it in its place. “Whatever the fuck you are planning, I will make your ass pay dearly for it!” Chloe said as the fingers gripping Kasidey were ripped away with the aid of Whigli’s mind.
Chloe’s body levitated off the floor and remained hovering. She was paralyzed all across her body except her face. Every thought of performing an action felt like it was being tossed away. She gritted her teeth, as the stress of being defenseless and immobile created a cocktail of anger, pouring all over her already bitter mood.
“Oh, you were not mistaken at all,” a voice called out from behind a cargo container.
“Who the hell are you?” a frustrated and antagonized Chloe shouted.
A man emerged from the cargo container in question. He wore an expensive fedora on his head, a matching business suit, and a tie. He stepped towards Chloe’s floating body, and while he stared at her from top to bottom, a grin slowly formed across his face.
“Vaish,” he said. “It’s been so long. I thought I’d lost you.”
Is he talking to me? “The name is Chloe Vaughan. You have me confused.”
“No I don’t believe so Vaish.” His head tilted upward, making direct eye contact with her; they were as green as hers. “You really don’t remember?”
“And she won’t until we find the data crystal, Fiesei,” Kasidey added.
“Fiesei,” Chloe mumbled to herself. Hannah spoke of that name. Looking at the man again and processing the fact that Fiesei is a Radiance name meant that this man, this Fiesei, is a Linl. A Linl wearing human clothing. The last time she encountered ones like that, they turned out to be members of the Celestial Order, infiltrating human society.
“Fiesei is one of many names I have, just like you, Vaish.”
“Stop calling me that!”
He continued to speak, paying no mind to her last outburst. “Your friends aboard the Winston Churchill, the EISS and HLF, call you Chloe. However, they call me, Deep Throat.”
Chapter 24
Noylarlie opened her eyes and found herself back on Paryo, back in the imperial palace, back in Akeia’s bed. Her cybernetic implants shined as the dim crimson sunrise entered through the window. A part of her mind knew this wasn’t the present day, but she didn’t care. Her days here, riding his cock just before
they went to sleep, were one of the better moments of her life after leaving the psionic training facility.
She rolled over on top of his body and lowered her head toward his bare chest to brush her tongue across it. Only…it was different. In fact, it wasn’t even him. Pulling her head away, she saw that Akeia’s naked body was replaced with Danyal’s. The shock of the discovery startled her, nearly tossing her off the bed onto the floor.
“Why did you stop?” It was Hannah’s voice, and then later Hannah’s hands as they slid down Noylarlie’s bare arms, almost embracing her from behind. “You don’t like my gift?”
“This isn’t Akeia; it’s that half-breed.”
“He’s gone, Noylarlie, you know that. This is the next best thing; it’s his flesh and blood!”
The entire chamber vanished into that of one with an unfamiliar design. The outside of the window revealed the night skies of a human city, though it was quite different from what she learned of it via the knowledge network. It was Earth before the invasion by the looks of things.
She was interrupted by the sound of a human woman screaming in ecstasy. Noylarlie turned around and clenched her fists. It was Akeia thrusting his hard shaft into a human female and enjoying every second of it. She wanted to look away, but Hannah wouldn’t have it. Noylarlie’s attempts of turning ended up making the entire session repeat, with her looking right at Akeia and his hips moving at a rapid pace.
“This is how Danyal came to be,” Hannah softly whispered in Noylarlie’s ear.
“He’s Akeia’s son.”
Noylarlie was now free-floating through the atmosphere of Jupiter, unaffected by its gravity, pressure, temperatures, or lack of breathable air. The Crimson Arrow was nowhere to be seen. A lightning bolt brightened the thick cloudy and stormy skies, blowing her black hair all over the place. Below
her, she heard a voice call to her for help; it begged and begged. She kicked her legs, swimming through the clouds; lightning strikes provided just enough light for her to see where she was going. And then eventually, she could see the source of the voice.
It was Jerut, his hand rose upward toward Noylarlie, still begging for help as she swam closer. She extended her hand out to Jerut, and as they made contact, his body vanished, replaced by a red shimmering gem with a white glowing orb within the center of it.
“You can’t destroy them so easily—projectiles, weapons, and an atomic bomb.” Hannah’s voice echoed throughout the skies. “It will find a way to repair and hide until someone comes along. Someone like you.”
… … …
►► Crimson Arrow, Jupiter Atmosphere
► Sol System
Noylarle’s eyes stretched open slowly. She had to rely on her psionics to fully open them because of the increased weight of them. She was back aboard the Crimson Arrow’s cockpit, still resting on the same chair where she dozed off. The situation on the outside of Jupiter’s orbit had not changed, according to her ESP and ship scanners. The human fleet had a general idea where she was but were unable to intercept and most likely target her through the interference of Jupiter’s atmosphere.
The dream she experienced gave her the burning desire to step outside. Just about every dream she had regarding Hannah had led her someplace, either toward a goal she didn’t know existed or out of a bad situation like on Lejorania Sanctum. Those human battleships weren’t moving out of orbit anytime soon, so this must be Hannah offering a helping hand.
Noylarlie’s body teleported outside and hovered in the Jovian skies, while her psionic barrier constantly flashed purple, much like the Crimson Arrow’s shields that were located directly above her. A small pocket of air and heat was teleported out with her, and like her, it was trapped within the protective grace of her barrier. Her thoughts kept a close watch on how quickly the air temperatures were dropping. Should they drop too much, she’d have to charge the air particles around her, forcing the temperatures within her barrier to rise just enough to be comfortable. The skies of this world were chilly, after all, even for Hashmedai, and like all living things, too much cold will kill you.
Uprising of the Exiled (Splintered Galaxy Book 2) Page 35