Conquest (Rise of the Empire Book 9)

by Ivan Kal

  The assault would be aided by Adrian’s and Vorash’s agents on the ground, who would work together to bring down a section of the planetary shield. Adrian already had that plan worked out. It was part of the alliance’s invasion plans for siege of Gena Prime. The strike team would be led by Ryaana and Lurker of the Depths on the Alliance side, and one of Vorash’s commanders on the Erasi side.

  The details were still being worked out, but they planned on starting the operation soon. Vorash’s couriers had already entered this system and were on their way to rendezvous with the Erasi fleets. As soon as the Erasi assembled a large enough force, they would begin. A part of Adrian wanted to try and get Vorash to accept more of the alliance’s forces to help, but he understood. This needed to be done by Erasi; the presence of the Sovereigns alone was probably hard for them to accept.

  After they finished with the agreement, Adrian escorted Vorash back to his ship as he wanted to return to Gena and oversee the preparations there.

  They walked up to the Erasi ship in silence, and then Vorash turned to look at Adrian.

  “I loved my brother,” Vorash started. “He and I had been through much. And as much as it pained me to watch him turn away from the ideals he once held, I always held hope for his redemption. A hope you took away from me.”

  Adrian didn’t respond.

  “As Garash’s brother, I hate you,” Vorash said. “As O’fa of the Erasi, I understand.”

  He held Adrian’s eyes with an intensity that could almost burn. Adrian bowed his head in understanding and acceptance.

  “Heart of the Mountain,” Vorash bowed his head in return, before turning and entering his ship.

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  Herald of War

  “You plan on sending Ryaana…and her second with me,” Lurker of the Depths sent.

  Adrian turned his head to look at him. They were in his office, attempting to figure out an attack plan. “Yes, I do.”

  “Are you sure that it is a good idea?”

  “I can’t not send her. She is the expert. And sending her means sending him,” Adrian sent. Then after a few moments he added, “I think that he saved her in the Erasi core.”

  “The Erasi weapon? You think that he destroyed it and the Erasi fleets?” Lurker of the Depths sent, along with a feeling of uncertainty.

  “Yes, as we know that we didn’t destroy it. The Erasi only think that we did. It is very suspicious to me, that only they survived. You’ve seen the records. There was no way that they could’ve escaped.”

  “What reason would he have to help?” Lurker of the Depths wondered.

  “I don’t know, but that is why I must send him. This was why I decided to keep him close. I need him to act, to react. Every move that he makes as an Enlightened is a clue,” Adrian said.

  “Yet you don’t know why he would’ve destroyed the Erasi fleets,” Lurker of the Depths pointed out.

  “Not now, but I am sure that I will figure it out. He acted to save Ryaana–that could mean that he has grown attached to her, that he needs her for something, or a hundred other things. The more data I have, the more I will be able to piece together about the Enlightened and their motives. I doubt that their goal is just eradication of all life in the galaxy. That’s too simple. There needs to be more.”

  Lurker of the Depths was silent for a few moments. “You do realize that if he destroyed the Erasi, he also destroyed all of our surviving ships? He killed everyone in the system but Ryaana.”

  Adrian nodded. “Yes, I know.”

  “And still you want to risk your daughter?”

  “This is not about just us, it is about the fate of every living thing in the galaxy,” Adrian insisted.

  “And is that really why you are trying to defeat the Enlightened?” Lurker of the Depths asked.

  Adrian opened his mouth to answer in the affirmative, but he stopped himself, thinking about it.

  “Does it matter?” Adrian sent after a while.

  “In the grander scheme of the Universe? No, it does not matter. But the Sowir had once believed the same. You saw where that got us.”

  “It is not like I don’t care,” Adrian sent. And it wasn’t; he loved his daughter, his other children. He loved Anessa. He cared for the few friends he had. It was not like he was some emotionless beast.

  “I know that you do, Adrian,” Lurker of the Depths sent. “I also know that the force that drives you is not like those of others, that you care little for what others think is right and wrong. You live your life contained in a bubble, where you act in accordance to your desires. It just so happens that most of the time what you want also helps those around you.”

  “And you think that that is wrong,” Adrian sent.

  “I don’t think one way or another. Ultimately, the Universe will not remember the intent behind events that shape it–only that they had happened.”

  * * *

  Several days later, Adrian sat alone in his room, the conversation he had with Lurker of the Depths still lingering in his mind. He was trying to decide if he had been endangering everyone by keeping the presence of the Enlightened a secret.

  Yes, there was risk. There was danger. But there would’ve been danger had he not been able to discover the Enlightened, and there would be danger if he had told more people. There would’ve been more danger to Ryaana if she had known.

  And there was risk in him trying to kill the Enlightened. If he failed, he might not get a second chance. The Enlightened could just kill everyone. If he succeeded, he couldn’t predict what the reaction of the other two would be. Would they be able to tell? Would they realize that something was wrong? Would they immediately send forces to kill them all?

  None of those choices were good. Every time he thought about it, he always came to the same conclusion: that was that he was following the path of least risk, with potential to learn much more about the Enlightened.

  It had been luck that an Enlightened had encountered Ryaana and realized who she was. She was arguably safer by Vas’s side. As long as he needed her, he would make sure that she was safe.

  And no matter what Adrian’s motives were, the truth did not change.

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  Gena system – Erasi capital

  Valanaru seethed with anger. She couldn’t believe that that worthless pawn had attempted to take power away from her, and she was livid with herself that she had not seen it–yet another result of the gift given to her by the Lurker of the Depths. She had grown soft, hadn’t seen what was right in front of her face. Vorash had been undermining her for centuries. Only now, when she had actually taken the time to look, did she see all that he had done.

  Thankfully she still had the presence of mind to keep a few pieces close to her chest. Yet the fact that the entire council of O’fa was against her was a difficulty. If she hadn’t had the foresight to create the Pillar, to make sure that she had her own people working there, always ready to act on her command… She could’ve lost it all.

  Now, she realized she didn’t need them. She never did. It was she who had made the Erasi, she who had made sure that they’d had the time to become what they now were. She alone was the one who had always been supposed to lead. The Erasi were hers.

  Already she was making sure that the messages through the Pillar told to all of the Erasi that Vorash and the rest were the traitors. She called them all to battle. Some had refused her summons, others had ignored it, but there were those who answered. Less than she had expected, which only made her angrier that she hadn’t noticed how extensively Vorash had undermined her.

  The only ones who answered her call without exception were her own people, the Gatrey. But then she had always ruled the Gatrey, even after they had joined the Erasi. She had never been ready to give away power to a council.

  She read through the latest reports, seeing that more fleets had arrived in system, some on her side and some on his. It galled her to see. She did not have enough forces on her side
to actually do anything. She could use the forces she had around the planet and take the system, but that would leave her weakened in the case that any more fleets arrived, especially those from the front. She had, of course, sent only the fleet not loyal to her to the warfront–it had seemed like a good idea at the time, especially since no one knew how much influence she had in the Erasi military.

  But she hoped that Vorash would not be stupid enough to pull the fleets from the front. It would only allow the invaders to push further into their territory. The Heart of the Mountain would not let such an opportunity pass. That might give him a force large enough to defeat her, but it would also put him in an even worse position.

  And Valanaru knew that Vorash would never sacrifice his own people to break her.

  That meant that they were at an impasse. As long as she controlled the Pillar, they were cut off from the rest of the Erasi, and she had control of every communication going between the systems by the relay network.

  It meant that she controlled information, and she only needed to convince everyone that Vorash was a traitor–which, in the light of his undermining, was not such a hard task. She just needed a little time to bring the rest of the military on her side.

  And then she would kill him and take the reins of the Erasi once and for all.

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  Gena system

  Vorash looked over the plans for the assault on the planet, and he did not like them. Already he had accepted Heart of the Mountain’s plan for how they were going to get an assault time on the ground, but the assault on the fleet was not to his liking. It allowed too much time for Valanaru to react, and he did not want her to get a chance to do so.

  “Commander,” Vorash called. The commander of the Erasi fleets in the system was a tall Bomtu named Hammu–his hulking fur covered torso made him stand out. He walked over to Vorash.

  “O’fa?”

  “Tell me, how well defended are Valanaru’s stations that hold the skim disruptors?” Vorash asked.

  “Fairly well. Why do you ask?” Hammu asked.

  “I want to take them out,” Vorash said.

  “O’fa…that would allow anyone in the system to use s-missiles. It might not be worth the trouble,” Hammu said.

  “I was more interested in allowing the forces that we bring in through the access point to skim to the planet. I do not want to give Valanaru time to react, and if we let those fields up then we will need to slowly approach the planet, allowing her time to prepare, especially for the Empire’s Sovereigns. I believe that having us strike unexpected will have a much greater impact,” Vorash said.

  Hammu, to his credit, didn’t immediately throw out the idea–instead, he thought about it for a long minute.

  “Surprise could work in our favor, O’fa… We can do it. But we will need to adjust our plans a bit. She will see us do it, and it will make her suspicious… Even if it doesn’t show her what we are planning, she will know that we are up to something.”

  “Can you see to it?” Vorash asked.

  “Of course, O’fa,” Hammu said.

  “Thank you,” Vorash told the commander before returning to studying the plans, looking for any other advantage that he could find. Against Valanaru, he would need everything that he could get.

  At times, he couldn’t even believe that it had come to this. Their beginnings had been so promising. Garash and Valanaru together had done great things. Yet, as Vorash looked back now, he could see signs that things had not been what he had thought they had.

  It pained him to see the Erasi, something to which he had given a large portion of his life, to flounder, to come this close to falling apart…even if it had been built with rotten intentions. Now was the time for Valanaru to finally pay the price for her manipulations, for the way she had used the Erasi people.

  * * *

  Adrian watched out of the viewing screen on board the Herald, in the staging system, watching the Erasi fleets as they got in formation and readied themselves to enter the access point. His four Sovereigns were in the formation as well. It felt odd, to stand with the ships he had fought against for so long, and he knew that the sentiment was not unique to him. The Erasi commanders felt the same way. The only reason they were accepting his help was because they feared Valanaru more.

  The operation was complicated, with many moving pieces, requiring exact timing. His four Sovereigns were going to be acting independently, each being supported by the Erasi fleets. It was not a perfect situation, and Adrian did worry about a trap, but he knew that if Vorash did betray them it would only serve to see the Erasi destroyed completely. Anessa would not take kindly to it. And with the access point now open, the Empire, the Shara Daim, and the Krashinar would be able to spill into the Erasi capital system.

  They would need to fight their way through its defenses, but he doubted that Anessa would care. At least there wouldn’t be any mines, as Vorash had removed them in preparation for his fleets passing through.

  But Adrian doubted that it would come to that. He was a very good judge of character, and Vorash did not seem like someone who would betray his word.

  He was interrupted by a comm request from the command center.

  “Yes?” Adrian answered through his implant.

  “Lord Sentinel, we received a request from the Krashinar for Old Scar to come on board. It wishes to speak with you,” the comm officer told him.

  Adrian frowned, but gave his permission. Sighing, he closed down all the holos in front of him and stood, then walked out to the landing bay to meet with Old Scar.

  * * *

  Old Scar moved gracefully toward Adrian, its lower body slithering across the floor as its upper body leaned forward. Once it reached him, it raised up to its full size. Looking at a Krashinar was akin to looking at a monster from stories told to scare children. Smooth, teal skin, an alligator-like head, fin-like appendages, and wings that somehow looked too large. The Krashinar had evolved in the water, with the ability to jump out and fly for short periods of time and hunt the air life of their world. Over their evolution, they had abandoned the need to stay in the water, but they still preferred it.

  Adrian remembered swimming in the oceans of Krashinar as Old Scar–the freedom, and the air pulling at his face. It had been glorious. Shaking his head, Adrian pushed the memory he had received from Old Scar back. It was a great gift, a memory of another life, but it was not his own.

  “Old Scar,” Adrian greeted.

  “Adrian,” Old Scar returned, inclining its massive head.

  “Come, let us move somewhere more private.” Adrian used his imp to call ahead and set up a small room for their use. Then he led Old Scar toward the Sowir part of the ship.

  They entered a large room with a large pool of water in the middle. Adrian inclined his head, and they moved toward the pool.

  Accepting Adrian’s invitation, Old Scar submerged itself in the water, exploring the rooms beneath the water for a while, then returned back up, its head appearing above the surface.

  “Will you relay my appreciation to the Sowir, Adrian? Their environment is pleasing,” Old Scar sent, along with feelings of content.

  “Of course, Old Scar,” Adrian said. Then he crossed his legs and sat on the floor across from the pool, looking at the Krashinar. “What did you wish to discuss?”

  Old Scar, and the Krashinar in general, rarely opened lines of communication, not unless it was something fairly important.

  “I understand that you and your Sovereign beasts will be aiding the Betrayers of Oaths against the one known as the Weaver?”

  For a moment Adrian felt a stab of fear. He knew that Old Scar was aware of Adrian’s plans, and they had agreed that completely wiping out the Erasi was not only not feasible, but in all probability not possible. Old Scar and the Krashinar had agreed to follow Adrian’s plan of changing the Erasi, and punishing the ones who had wronged the Krashinar. He did not know if they would change their mind because they wouldn’t wa
nt to work with those who had betrayed them.

  “Yes,” Adrian responded simply, waiting to hear more. Old Scar was not a being prone to violence and allowing of misunderstandings. It would explain its thoughts.

  “I wish to ask for something,” Old Scar told him.

  “Of course, anything.”

  “Allow me and Araxi to accompany you.”

  Adrian looked at Old Scar in surprise. He did not expect that the Krashinar would be willing to aid other Erasi. Stay aside, perhaps, yes, but not actively help.

  “May I ask why?” Adrian asked, curious.

  “You have lived my life. You know that it was the one known as the Weaver who is responsible for the death of the Seventh. I do not presume to understand all about other races. Much of it is incomprehensible to me. But I know that for other races, one could steer others to lies. It was the Weaver who broke the Oath, who planned the death of the Seventh. The Krashinar have agreed to your plan, Adrian, but we will see the Weaver pay for the crime she committed. This is the one thing we will ask from you and the Erasi: the Weaver dies.”

  Adrian remained quiet for a moment, thinking. It was a reasonable request. The Erasi owed the Krashinar much, and it was Valanaru who had orchestrated everything. It was not as if the Erasi would want to keep her alive. The plan was for them to attempt to capture her, but they were not certain that they were capable of doing that without endangering their lives. More than likely any fight against her would be to the death.

  Having the Krashinar there fighting for the Erasi, being a part of the assault, would send a message to the Erasi people that their new government was capable of coming to an agreement with races they had been at war with for a long time. It would take much for the general public to change their opinions, but they would do so eventually, once they had the time to hear the truth and digest it.