The probe hadn’t been able to collect any audio and had mysteriously failed after a few minutes, but the Shepherd had gotten what he needed: evidence of the arrival of another Vax. It was as he feared and expected. He had hoped it might take years instead of months, but in a disturbing way, he wasn’t surprised.
Aiyn was right in her own way. Now it’s up to us to make sure her sacrifice wasn’t pointless.
The Shepherd tapped his silver AllBand on his wrist a few times and waited. The device buzzed.
“Report,” ordered a harsh voice through one of his auditory implants: Fleet Commander Laralan.
The officer currently commanded a four-ship fleet hidden in the outer fringes of the Solar System. The Shepherd knew that some had challenged his request for the fleet. They thought it was a waste of resources, but now, he had all the proof he needed. He only wished he had even more ships available.
“Sentry 8224 reporting verification of a Vax on Oriceran,” the Shepherd responded. “I’ll be transmitting the recording, but from what I can tell, it’s Purifier or Destroyer class.”
The commander sighed. “Even though we knew this was coming, that doesn’t make it any less concerning. Oriceran, though? It is my understanding that the humans have insisted you deal with the Oricerans through them. That will make things more complicated.”
“That’s true, sir. In order to maintain good relationships with the relevant human governments, I’ve agreed to that situation for the moment.” The Shepherd transmitted the image data from his probe. “But that doesn’t change the fact that the intelligence I’ve collected clearly shows a Vax destroying an Oriceran town.”
“I see,” the commander replied. “That might explain why we’ve never been able to find a point of origin. Maybe we’ve been wrong, and the Vax aren’t in this galaxy. From what you’ve told me, Oriceran might not be in this galaxy.”
“Neither the humans nor the Oricerans are completely certain of that point, sir, to be honest. They often refer to Oriceran being in a different dimension, but they haven’t firmly ruled out that it might simply be far away in conventional space-time. The fact that the Vax can portal to the planet suggests that might be the case.”
“Damn,” Fleet Commander Laralan replied. “I’m watching the recording now. If they understood properly what they had been dealing with, they might have had some small chance, but from what I see, all they did was make the Purifier stronger. What sort of countermeasures do you think will come next?”
“I’m unsure, sir, but I do know the Oricerans are reluctant to use magic equivalent to strategic-scale weapons because of their history. I’m having some issues acquiring real-time intelligence on this matter. Unfortunately, the humans don’t trust the Alliance implicitly.”
“I don’t understand much about magic, but what little I do understand suggests we have little chance of getting our ships to Oriceran.”
The Shepherd didn’t respond immediately. He looked up at the ceiling, trying to think of the best course of action, but the same idea kept returning.
“Even if the Oricerans were willing and able to generate a portal of the necessary size, I doubt they would agree to allow the Alliance to orbit four warships above their planet, sir,” the Shepherd explained. “But I’m at least going to ask. They’ve already seen what a Vax can do, and it might make them more inclined to take such an offer.”
Commander Laralan growled in frustration. “The monster gets to lay waste to a world, and there’s nothing we can do about it if they don’t let us go there.”
“I don’t believe that’s the case, sir.”
“You don’t?”
The Shepherd stood and walked over to his window, staring out into the densely packed buildings of the city. “Yes, sir. If this had been about Brownstone summoning the Vax, they would have appeared on Earth directly, not on Oriceran. That’s an important distinction.”
Commander Laralan snorted. “What good does it do us now? It doesn’t matter if Brownstone called the Purifier. It’s there. I don’t know why they didn’t follow their standard attack patterns, but now it’s only important that we respond.”
“That’s just it, sir.” The Shepherd allowed himself a triumphant smile even if he was the only one there to know about it. “My investigations, combined with what little Brownstone and Senator Johnston have passed along, suggest that Brownstone might not have originally arrived on Earth. I believe he was originally on Oriceran, and somehow portaled to Earth as a young child. I also would estimate the unusual Vax behavior is because this is some kind of recovery mission.”
“And what do you base that on?”
“There was a similar incident about twenty years ago,” the Shepherd explained. “It was on a small border planet. The Vax Forerunner there initiated some conflicts and summoned the Vanguard, but there was a successful psionic attack against the Forerunner. The locals didn’t dare use it until they were desperate, but it worked. The Vax started acting erratically, and it wasn’t long after that a Purifier arrived to destroy the local Vax and continue razing the planet with Destroyers. The locals attempted the same attack again, but it failed. The Purifier had already assimilated the symbionts of the slain Vax.”
Commander Laralan let out a small grunt of approval. “You think it’s looking for Brownstone, then?”
“Yes. If this was about conquering Oriceran, it would have already summoned the Destroyers or the Vanguard. I’m sure they’ll come to Oriceran eventually, but I think it’s a secondary priority.”
Commander Laralan blew out a breath. “If it’s seeking Brownstone, that means it’ll eventually come to Earth.”
“Yes, sir, and, if that’s the case, we have a chance, even without the Oricerans agreeing to anything. I would recommend that we no longer worry about concealing the fleet. You’ll need to be in position when the creature comes over.”
“Duly noted. Very well, I’ll leave it to you to smooth over the diplomatic issues. Contact me immediately if you become aware of any new intelligence.”
The AllBand buzzed with the termination of the link.
The Shepherd folded his hands behind his back. He didn’t need magic or Alliance technology to guess where the Vax would arrive. If it was looking for Brownstone, it would come to Los Angeles soon enough.
Yona folded her hands in her lap and peered through the scrying window. Some dangers couldn’t be allowed to exist. If they couldn’t beat the Vax Purifier without strategic-level magic, then there was one major option remaining.
The elf watched as a portal opened. A group of elves emerged and spread out in a half-circle. They had positioned themselves a few hundred yards away from the Purifier. An illusionary wall of trees concealed their position. It would all be over soon enough.
The Purifier continued advancing on its previous course. Currently, the monster was striding through the woods, ignoring the few animals nearby. Only fortune had spared additional victims other than the guardsmen and the second team. The Vax had come close to another city, but not turned toward it. If he traveled long enough in a straight line, he would hit another city, but he would have to cross a sea first.
Everything the US government had passed along about the Vax suggested they were a conquering and destructive species. The Purifier had already proven the latter, but his refusal to lay waste to any additional towns suggested there was some other goal in mind.
Where is he going? Is there something we’re missing?
Ambassador Yona shook her head. It didn’t matter. He couldn’t hurt anyone on Oriceran trapped in the World in Between, and he would be delivered there in moments.
Lines of light surrounded the elves, and complex glyphs appeared in the air in front of them as they murmured their incantations. The Purifier stopped moving and turned in their direction.
He can sense them?
Yona’s heart sped up, and her lips parted. They couldn’t restrain the Vax. The current plan had to work.
The Purifier marched s
traight toward the illusionary trees, his movement slow, steady, and indefatigable. There was no sense of urgency in his steps, nor did he raise his arms. The deadly shoulder appendages in his armor twitched but didn’t fire.
This can work. He’s not reacting quickly enough.
The elves continued their ritual. Swirling energy flowed in front of them, still hidden by the illusion. The spell was working.
Yona let out a sigh of relief. They had worried so much over nothing. The loss of life at Alazi was a tragedy, but the most important thing was to protect Oriceran without risking the disruption of the status quo or the Great Treaty. The Vax monster was threatening to do just that, threatening them in a way that no one since Rhazdon had done, and he would be delivered to a terrible fate.
The illusion disappeared. The Purifier broke into a jog, but he still didn’t fire.
Your arrogance will be your downfall, monster.
A dark hole appeared above the Vax. Air rushed into the hole, and a few stray branches flew inside. The Purifier stopped, straining against the force trying to pull it into the deadly portal. A pulse of green energy blasted from the armor, and the portal vanished.
Yona gasped. Impossible.
The Purifier leapt through the air, raising his arms. He crashed through branches as he rained down energy blasts on the elves. Several of them died in an instant. All their magic and attention had been focused on the World in Between ritual, not defense.
The survivors managed to summon their shields as the Purifier drew closer. He landed with a blade down, cleaving another elf in two. His other arm and the shoulder appendages continued to fire.
Shields saved a few elves from the first attack, but the Purifier sliced and stabbed, his blades piercing their magic with ease. One elf managed to escape with the help of a gust of air.
The Purifier fired both appendages and his arm blades, and several volleys of green energy struck the fleeing man. The third volley pierced his shield and ripped into his back. He tumbled to the ground, dead before he hit.
Yona stared at the image wide-eyed. Thousands of years of life had been destroyed in moments. The monster turned his featureless helmeted head back and forth a few times before resuming his march.
There must be some other way to stop this monster.
8
Shay leaned against the headboard of the bed, her legs underneath the blanket as she swiped through images on her phone. A single lamp illuminated the bedroom. “I still can’t get over what you did.”
James grunted as he finished brushing his teeth and put his toothbrush in its holder. “Huh? What are you talking about? Taking a shower and brushing my teeth?”
“I was just reviewing the guest list.” Shay held up her phone. “And having to add Frank Altieri plus eight reminded me of your…I don’t even know what to call it. Genius? Insanity? Strange-ass plan?”
James shrugged and walked toward his side of the bed. “I was there anyway, and it’s a good idea.”
“I know. As strange as it sounds, I agree with you. Since you’re giving Heather extra time off, I’ve got Peyton tracking down the best contact info for all the major organized crime leaders. We’ll just mail them invitations. It saves you time.” Shay winked. “And here I thought the whole idea was a joke, but look at you, James Brownstone, doing the ultimate power play over the entirety of the Los Angeles underworld.”
James crawled into bed with a frown. “I’m just trying to be smart about this shit and save myself trouble down the line, but is it going to be a problem? We’re talking about adding a lot of people. Can we find a place that big? Maybe I should have kept it to mob leader plus one.”
Shay shook her head. She tapped her phone a few times before turning it around. The phone displayed an aerial photograph of a forested island with a large white mansion in the center, a paved road leading to an almost-as-large beach cabana. “I was thinking of renting this island for the wedding.”
“We’re gonna rent an island?” James didn’t hide the doubt in his tone. “For our wedding?”
Shay grinned. “You think we should buy it instead? It’s surprisingly cheap, as far as islands go.”
“What the fuck would we do with an island?”
Shay flipped her phone around and started swiping again. “I could put warehouses there.”
“Not very convenient,” James replied. “You gonna fly to an island every time you need to grab some gear?”
“I could store my really dangerous artifacts there.” Shay shrugged. “Okay, no buying the island. We’ll rent it, so it doesn’t matter how many people we invite. Groomsmen, check. Bridesmaids, check. Food, check. Shit, this wedding is starting to come together. Hiring that wedding planner really helped.”
“Good to hear.” James nodded. “Anything that doesn’t involve me having to do shit sounds good to me.”
Shay’s grin turned predatory “Still need to figure out a honeymoon. If you don’t give me input, maybe I’ll do something evil.”
“What’s evil?” James asked.
“Like book us a trip to a vegan resort.”
“Now that’s just fucking twisted.” James shook his head. “No fucking vegan resorts. Not vegetarian, either. I get that there might not be American-style barbeque there, but I at least want access to grilled and sauced meat. That is non-negotiable.”
Shay laughed. “I’ll take that under advisement, James.”
He frowned at a sudden realization. “What about Alison?”
“What about her? She’s happy to be a bridesmaid.”
James shook his head. “No, I’m talking about after the wedding. We gonna just leave her home alone with Thomas?”
“Yes, the poor, poor child. You think she can’t survive a few weeks by herself even though she’s almost an adult, has powerful magic and has participated in hunting down bounties?” Shay smirked. “If you’re that worried, just ask if she can stay with someone when you’re gone—Mack or Charlyce or Heather. Whoever.”
“Okay, that works.” James laid his head on the pillow, his thoughts churning with everything that was coming up in the next several months. “I still have to figure out the wedding ring, but I’ve got an idea.”
“Oh? This ought to be interesting. Let’s hear it.”
“That lele in Romania gave me a diamond, right? It’s just sitting around gathering dust. I’m gonna take it to some jeweler and have them cut it down and make it into the ring. I figure some diamond that I got for helping take down a three-headed dragon in a haunted forest is pretty fucking epic as a wedding ring.”
Shay looked thoughtful and nodded. “I can’t disagree. Not as functional as my engagement ring, but stacking shields doesn’t usually work anyway. You’re gonna take point on that?”
“Yeah. I’ll handle it. Do you want it to be big or small?”
“Big!” Shay cackled. “I want everyone in my department to be, ‘Ack, Shay your wedding ring is blinding me. I have to put on some sunglasses.’ Screw being classy. I’m going straight diva with that thing.”
“Might be hard to fight with it,” James observed.
“I’ll take it off when I need to kill someone. Easy.” Shay set her phone on her nightstand and stuck her hands behind her head. “It’s weird when I think about it, all the way back to that first raid together. I never saw anything like this coming.”
“Lots of shit I didn’t see coming. I never thought I’d have a kid and a wife.” James stared up at the ceiling, oddly soothed by the patterns in the paint. “Or, shit, semi-retiring from bounty hunting.”
“Are you worried at all?”
James shook his head. “Nah. It feels…right. That’s part of the reason I want those mobsters and shit there, so I can put everyone on notice that just because I’m not doing it full-time doesn’t mean I can’t come out and kick some ass if I need to.”
“Not just because you like seeing them squirm?”
“That shit’s fun, too.” James shrugged and grinned. “I was never
very interested in the Brownstone Effect. Being a bounty hunter was just the only thing I could figure to do with my skills. I wasn’t trying to clean up the city.”
“What we want and what happens are two different things.” Shay nodded toward her phone. “Maybe that’s why I’m picking an island for the wedding.”
“What do you mean?”
“That was my big plan, remember? To make enough money to disappear to an island. I wasn’t supposed to be getting into a relationship, or having a new daughter and a new life.” Shay chuckled quietly. “Or friends who are actual friends, and not the kind of bitches who’ll kill me in my own kitchen.” She sighed. “It’s kind of weird. It’s almost like when I couldn’t trust people, I knew what to expect, and now, living a more normal life is simultaneously more relaxing and more stressful at the same time. I actually have to give a fuck about people.”
“Because life is more complicated. You can’t have friends and shit without things being complicated.” James sat up. “I get that now. I don’t know, maybe if Father Thomas hadn’t died, I wouldn’t be so fucked up.”
Shay gave James a sideways glance. “You’re a genetically-modified alien whose parents sent you to Oriceran when you were a little kid to prevent you from becoming the bitch of a biotechnological symbiont with delusions of grandeur. Sorry, James, you didn’t stand a chance of coming out normal, but you’re doing pretty well, all things considered.”
“There’s something else we need to talk about.” James frowned. “We should have discussed it earlier when I proposed.”
“What?”
“Kids.”
“Alison?” Shay’s expression turned confused.
James shook his head. “Kids in general. I’m not sure I can have any. I might have been genetically modified by Whispy to be more human, but I’m not human. Are you okay with that?”
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