War for Orion: Ghosts from the Past

by Conner Walworth

  "What's going on?" He demanded to one of the men running by him.

  "We're not sure. It sounds like we're being bombed, but we've lost all communication with the men posted above us." He informed. "We have lost all contact!"

  "Initiate the warbots!" He yelled at one of the races in the control room he was closing in on.

  "The whole upper level is destroyed," The controller informed Donnchadh. "There is nothing left."

  "What does that mean for the warbots?"

  "They've been destroyed with the rest of the upper level," He pulled up screens and adjusted them so that the screen projected on the entire wall. "Those six ships have taken out the entire upper level and have left it in rubble."

  Donnchadh squinted at the images being projected on the wall. "They have phoenixes on them."

  "Queen ships," The controller nodded. "What do we do? Our first line of defense is destroyed. We can't fight them off from down here, we'll surely all die."

  "Get the men ready for a full scale invasion," Donnchadh replied as he walked out of the room. "Armino has finally come back at long last for his brother."

  The controller sounded the alarms and the hallways dimmed as red lights came on and started flashing. Donnchadh continued walking as races flew past him to stop intruders from getting past the stairs. He knew he would best be able to command his men from behind and he'd also be safer in the back from enemy fire.

  When he reached the group of men, he ordered them to get ready. "They'll be coming down anytime now! The Queen has sent them to kill us all! Show the Queen what happens when you mess with the Deimos Brotherhood!"

  The races pulled out their weapons and readied them for intruders as a hole blasted open, revealing the stairs to the enemy. Instead of running down though, they threw grenades through the opening to the bottom.

  "Back up!" Donnchadh shouted. "Let them waste their grenades!"

  Blasts rang around him, but his men had retreated quickly and there had been no fatalities. He knew that the Queen's men would come rushing down soon and tried to ready his men for the impending invasion.

  "They're coming!" He pointed up the stairs. "Ready your weapons!"

  Surely enough, men were rushing down the stairs. Both sides immediately began firing on each other in a frenzy of laser fire. The Queen's men seemed endless as they came in squadrons down the stairs. The rate at which he was losing his races was alarming and they were quickly getting overrun by the enemy. He looked at the dead bodies of races surrounding him and cursed to himself.

  Donnchadh turned around and ran down the hallway, leaving his dying men behind him in the hopeless slaughter. It would look like a cowardly thing to do, but there was no way he would survive if he stayed behind. This had obviously been a well thought out attack and was coordinated to be quick and precise.

  He raced towards the hangar and boarded a small Falcon Fighter. It wasn't very big and only fit a max of two people, but it would get him out of here alive. It was loaded with weapons and was a swift evasive ship, just what he needed. The hangar doors slid open and he quickly flew the Falcon Fighter out, surprised to be met with no resistance as he flew above the raging battle below.

  Donnchadh landed the ship in a nearby canyon and watched the Queen's ships destroy his home. They stayed there for another full hour before finally leaving. When the last chrome ship left, his base went up in a ball of fire and the ground collapsed below it, leaving a black chasm of emptiness. Donnchadh clenched his fists and cursed under his breath. The Queen would pay for this, she wouldn't get away with killing his family.

  Anlon stared at Donnchadh. "I didn't know. No one ever told me."

  Donnchadh breathed heavily. "Your father and the Queen are the monsters, not me."

  "No!" Anlon shouted. "What did you think they were going to do? You kill races for a living! It's his job to take out races like you, even if he did used to know you! You used to do what he did, you of all races should know that!"

  "Those were my brothers that died. My family!"

  "No. Armino was your family."

  "Was my family," Donnchadh corrected. "I made a new family after he left me to die."

  "So that gave you the right to kill my family?"

  "Yes!" Donnchadh yelled. "I killed his entire family and made him watch, just the way he made me watch as my family was killed."

  "You ran like a coward," Anlon spat. "My Dad didn't run."

  "I only ran so I could kill him and make him suffer for what he did."

  Anlon shook his head in disgust. "You're an evil, twisted, monster, Donnchadh."

  "I am what your father and the Queen made me."

  "No," Anlon corrected. "Someone else turned you into the monster you are now, you're not the same race my Dad was friends with."

  "You know nothing," Donnchadh muttered.

  Anlon threw himself at the cell. "I hope the Queen kills you!"

  "Why don't you, boy? What's stopping you from killing me?" he chuckled.

  Anlon took a step back. "It takes a real man to forgive and move on from the past. I have more important things at hand right now other than carrying out an act of vengeance on a monster as far gone as you."

  Anlon turned around and walked out of the dungeon before Donnchadh could come up with a reply to anger him further. The guard turned the magenta force field back on as he passed and he walked up the stairs to find empty and quiet hallways. He found an empty room and crashed in it for the night.

  Chapter 13

  Anlon woke up early and decided it was best to leave Hera now so he could get back to Gaea sooner to start his mission. He rolled out of the bed and walked to the door, quickly moving down the halls to get to the hangar. Once inside, he walked up to the ship and the ramp hissed down to reveal the pilot waiting at the top.

  "How was your visit Anlon? Was the Palace everything you thought it'd be?"

  "I guess, I didn't really know what to expect," Anlon boarded the ship. "I am leaving much earlier than I expected to though. I thought I'd be here a little longer."

  "No one usually stays as long as they'd like here. Most leave about as quick as you did, to tell you the truth."

  "I think I got everything done that I needed too, we'll just have to wait and see."

  "That's excellent," he beamed. "Now I hear you want to make a quiet entry back home?"

  Anlon shook his head. "How did you know?"

  "Queen already told me," he winked. "Figured you be here early too, so I just stayed on the ship for the night."

  "Thanks," Anlon smiled. "You mind if I go up to a bunker and call someone while you take me back?"

  "No. No," He waved his hands. "You do what you have to do Anlon."

  Anlon smiled and walked up the stairs, taking the bunker he had dropped his luggage in when he had first boarded. He didn't bother closing the door and took out his comlink to call Moran.

  "How's everything going on Hera so far?"

  "Things didn't really go as planned."

  "What'd you do Anlon?" Moran asked. "I told you making an ally of the Queen was important."

  "I did everything that you told me to!"

  "So you told her everything? She's on your side?"

  "Yes," Anlon answered. "But that's not why I'm calling you right now."

  "Okay. Why are you calling me then?"

  "We ran into Donnchadh and his friends while I was here."

  "You what?" Moran asked stunned. "Start from the beginning and don't leave anything out."

  "I was trying to until you cut me off."

  "I thought it was just some unimportant stuff you were going to tell me, or that you did something very stupid. I was leaning more towards you did something stupid."

  "When have I ever done anything stupid?"

  "Where would you like me to start?" he asked sarcastically. "It doesn't matter, tell me what they were doing there."

  "They were there to assassinate Adira."

  "How did they get in the Palace in the fir
st place?" Moran asked. "Security there is tight."

  "I'm not sure, but I saw them in the kitchen as I was trying to find a room. As soon as I saw Ulisse, I knew what they were doing there and I ran to tell Adira."

  "So you prevented it?"

  "That's not all," Anlon continued, ignoring the question. "They caught Donnchadh, but Ulisse and Sanguinarius escaped."

  The line was silent a moment. "That's good, but the Queen will kill Donnchadh soon. After everything he's done, she'll kill him herself."

  "No she won't," Anlon told him. "She said she's sending him to Themis for a proper trial. He'll suffer more that way."

  "That's interesting. I thought for sure that she'd kill him herself after everything that he's done. You know, that gives you a chance to kill him yourself, though Adira may not like it."

  "No, that's not what I want to do anymore. There's been somewhat of a change in plans and priorities," Anlon said.

  "The Queen got you to work for her, didn't she?" he chuckled. "It's okay, that's not a bad thing. As long as she's on your side, that's all that matters at this point."

  "She is on my side," Anlon assured him. "But this isn't a quest of vengeance anymore. The Queen may be in even more danger than originally thought."

  "Not on the comlink," Moran said. "We will talk more when you come back. When exactly will you be back by the way?"

  "I've already left, so I should be there within a couple of hours," Anlon informed him. "No one but you knows I'm arriving, so keep it quiet. I don't want anyone knowing I'm home."

  "You got it kid," he said. "See you when you get here."

  Anlon hung up the comlink and laid back on the bed. He had to find the Deimos Brotherhood and the Queen's daughter very quickly. He knew failure was an option before, but now that he was working to save the Queen, failure wasn't an option.

  She'd also told him about someone was going to help him, but he had no idea who to expect or when they'd reveal themselves. Though he didn't know who they were, they surely knew who he was and what his mission was. He cleared his mind of all the questions that he couldn't answer and forced his eyes shut.

  Adira marched down the stairs that led to the dungeon and woke up the guard who was posted outside of the magenta force field.

  "Open it," she demanded.

  He quickly scrambled to his feet and deactivated the field. "Would you like an escort in, your majesty?"

  "No, I'll be fine," She waived her hand. "Try to stay up while I'm in here. Once I leave I don't care what you do."

  "Do you know what cell the prisoner you want to see is in?" The guard asked timidly.

  "Yes. I know where the scum is," She continued marching down to the last cell. "How dare you show your face back up here in my Palace, Donnchadh!"

  Donnchadh didn't turn around, or even acknowledge that there was someone behind him.

  "You broke your oath to me and you killed one of your brothers!"

  "You should know all about that Adira," Donnchadh spoke over his shoulder.

  "What should I know about? I have done neither of those two things."

  "Oh, so you've never broken an oath?" he asked. "I guess you're right, in a way, but it was much worse than that in the end wasn't it?" Adira was silent, not knowing how to respond. "I know what you did, Adira. Did you really think no one would find out?"

  "Find out what?" Adira asked.

  "I know you sent Jahdiel to a Black Hole. You tried so hard to keep it covered up, but I know what you did. You didn't even give her a proper trial, you just sent her off to her death, yet you call me a monster. How is sending someone to the Black Hole any different from killing them?"

  "I have no idea what you're talking about Donnchadh," Adira replied. "She just disappeared, no one knows what happened to her."

  "I'll tell you what happened to her, she disappeared into a Black Hole that you sent her through," he chuckled. "You may be able to lie to everyone else about it, but you can't lie to me about it, so stop pretending."

  "So you broke your oath because you believe that I sent Jahdiel to a black whole fifteen years ago?"

  "I never said when you sent her," Donnchadh grinned. "But fifteen years seems about right from what I've heard."

  "That's when she went missing, you fool."

  "You didn't report her missing until almost two years later. You made a fake report that you sent her scouting for new planets, but neglected to pay attention to the small details," Donnchadh said. "It's okay, when you tell enough lies, you forget what the lies you have told are."

  "Fine. I sent her to the Black Hole fifteen years ago because she was plotting to have me killed," she whispered. "That is still your reasoning for breaking your oath?"

  "Not all of it, but it was where it all started," Donnchadh confessed. "How can I work for a Queen who is just as murderous as the men she sends me out to kill? What does it matter who I work for, when in the end, both are the same?"

  "We are not the same. You kill innocent people. I kill monsters like you."

  "That's what I thought at first too," Donnchadh told her. "I refused to be turned and become one of the enemy, but when he came in the torturing chamber and saw me, that quickly changed."

  "When who came in and saw you?"

  "What can you tell me about the tragic death of your husband?"

  "It sounds like you're accusing me of something again Donnchadh," Adira snarled.

  "Just a honest question," He shot her a smile. "I want to make sure I have this information correct."

  "He was on vacation when somebody shot him," she said. "Somebody wanted him killed, like there are individuals who want me killed, as you may know. We are important figures in Orion and certain individuals take it upon themselves to rid Orion of races like us to gain things."

  Donnchadh shrugged. "Thought you might know more about it. Like where his body may have disappeared to, for a start."

  "His body wasn't recovered. The people who killed him are accused of taking it."

  "Are you sure about that, Queen?" Donnchadh started to grin.

  "Yes I'm sure about that! There is only video of him being shot in the head, but we recovered no body from the scene and video after the shot was destroyed," She shot back.

  "You didn't send Armino to kill him and leave the body behind did you?"

  She moved closer to his cell. "How dare you accuse me of sending Armino to kill my husband!"

  "You haven't seen his body since?" Donnchadh prodded.

  Adira turned to walk away. She had heard enough from Donnchadh. If she stayed here any longer, she felt like she'd run the risk of killing him before he got to Themis.

  "You might not want to leave yet," Donnchadh called after her. "I still have more."

  "And why not?" She flung around. "You have done nothing but mock me since I've come to see you. You obviously aren't going to tell me what I want to know without being tortured."

  "Don't you want to know where his body went?" he asked, a grin creeping up the sides of his black face. "Of course you do, he was your husband after all."

  "If you know where it is, then why are you asking if I know where it is?"

  "I wanted to see for myself if you really didn't know," he grinned.

  "I'm done playing your foolish games, Donnchadh. You can tell it to the judges on Themis when they give you your sentence."

  "Kirill leads the Deimos Brotherhood," Adira froze mid-step. "Aren't you going to ask any questions about him? I mean, you haven't seen the guy in quite some time."

  "You're a liar," she replied. "Kirill is dead."

  "How do you think the Deimos Brotherhood became so powerful?" he asked. "Think of all the contacts that the he knew before you had him killed. How else could one organization become so powerful in so short a time?"

  "The man you think is Kirill, is a fraud."

  Donnchadh shook his head. "I said the same thing. They showed me the DNA testing though, it was a one-hundred percent match," Donnchadh saw Adira start to t
remble. "What's wrong? Scared Kirill has come back from the dead and is going to have his revenge?"

  "I have no doubt he will enact his revenge," she said. "But I also know he has fed you lies. That's what he does."

  "Lies?" he asked. "You tried to have him killed. You sent Jahdiel to a Black Hole to die. Don't talk to me about lies."

  "Donnchadh," she said calmly. "Listen to me. I did send Jahdiel to the Black Hole, but only because she was plotting to have me killed, or so I thought."

  "What changed your mind?"

  "Kirill set her up. He was plotting to have me killed so he could take my spot on the Throne. What would happen if you had successfully killed me yesterday?"

  "Kirill could place someone else on the Throne in your place or take it for himself if he chose."

  "Don't you see Donnchadh? He set you up from the very beginning," she told him. "He knew you'd be easy to fool and that you'd be more useful alive than dead, so he played you like a puppet from the moment he walked into that room."

  "How do you know he was plotting to have you killed? Did you have as much proof as you had on Jahdiel?"

  She crossed her arms. "No. I had more to go on than speculation and breadcrumbs that time. I created a humanoid that could change appearances to be anyone previously seen in person. I had him become someone Kirill knew and he told that man everything."

  "There is no such humanoid with capabilities like that!"

  "Oh, but there is and I have the whole conversation recorded if you'd like to hear it. Do you know what he planned to do, or still plans if he hasn't changed which I doubt he has, with Orion once he takes the Throne?"

  "No. He hasn't divulged me in the details."

  "He wants to exterminate any races that he thinks don't belong," she revealed. "That would include you, Donnchadh. Any race that is inferior to the human race, will be wiped out. A pure Galaxy is what he calls it."

  "No. No. No," he pleaded. "He saved me after Armino left me to die! Kirill let me live! He's not a monster!"

  She shook her head. "He let you live because he knew he could use your knowledge and your skills to eventually kill me and take the Throne."