by Vi Voxley
The general knew that technically, he still didn't. The Benevolent was more than enough to handle the Chali android army and the approaching Fleet both. As for the Fearless, he was going to challenge the monster himself.
But, as things stood, allies had attached themselves to him along the way and while Braen wasn't prepared to share the ultimate responsibility, there were some perks to having them around. It would have been stupidly prideful of him to ignore the two parties who could offer him vital information about the enemy.
Alona knew the Chali and their technology. And Uthers knew the planet.
Stomech was the first to speak, in his usual grumpy way. He pointed to the holographic map in front of them, showing the planet Darius as well as the dispositions of the fleets around it. Braen observed it with interest, wondering how things had come to that.
In the beginning, it was supposed to be a secret mission, but that had been a fool's hope. Brions were great at all sorts of tactics of warfare. Stealth wasn't one of those.
It had something to do with the enormous flagships. Very difficult to hide even small maneuvers when sporting a vessel that was bigger than some smaller habitable worlds. Pair that with the very real Brion need to be noticed and one would not find a single Brion battleship passing through space in any way that could be described as stealthy.
Now, they were at the brink of a major conflict. Not only with the Fearless, which was inevitable, but starting a war between two members of the Galactic Union as well.
Braen was tempted to let the Chali and Uthers deal with their problems on their own, but he knew he couldn't simply ignore them. Somewhere behind him, Naima's green eyes were watching him, bearing the hopes of the whole galaxy. He couldn't bring himself to disappoint her, even if his own mission took priority.
The time to teach his willful allies and enemies a lesson would come. It simply was not now.
"Darius is an unremarkable world," Stomech was saying, barely visible from behind the high collar of his walking suit. "It bears no strategic importance. It is not even colonized. It doesn't have any intelligent lifeforms. Until the Fearless, that is. Now it also has the Chali."
The Uther spat out the last word like a curse. Braen didn't move a muscle, standing as he had so far, arms crossed over his chest, studying the hologram. Stomech gave Alona another angry look, but in the general's presence, he didn't seem to dare to venture further. So far, he'd borne the presence of the android with poorly hidden distaste.
Commendable, considering that Braen would have expected him to launch at the android and tear it to pieces ten times over by now.
"We have located the enemies," Stomech went on, zooming in on the planet's northern hemisphere. "The Fearless doesn't hide from you, General. It waits in plain sight, right in this area here. It's almost barren, save for the occasional cave system in these low mountains.
“The cursed Chali ships are right where they presumably first landed. We gathered no evidence of them moving after they touched down."
"My men have found the same," Braen nodded. "Go on."
Stomech glared at him, as much as the general could tell from the Uther's little beady purple eyes peeking over the edge of his armor.
"I see this planet and nothing makes sense. If you keep something from me, General, you are our enemy as much as the Chali."
"I have no reason to lie," Braen answered coldly. "And you are in no position to threaten me. You are a commander of the Uther army, are you not? Know this, then. Speak to me like that again and I will begin this battle by using your ships for target practice. Same goes if you decide to get in my way."
Stomech bristled, but the general had discovered that some rumors about the Uthers might have been exaggerated.
That shouldn't come as a surprise to Brions. There are still plenty of people in the Galactic Union, in high places even, who believe Faren drinks the blood of his enemies.
The rumor he was debunking in his mind was the famed stubbornness of the Uthers. Back on Nebulos and now here in orbit of the planet Darius, Stomech wasn't inviting death the way his kind was rumored to. Behind the ridiculously heavy walking suit and the boasting talk, there was an active mind that realized how much destruction he was courting by provoking Brions.
He was surprisingly cool-headed for such a hot-tempered little thing.
"I will keep my ships intact," Stomech said.
Braen had to fight down a ruthless grin that would have been below his station. It was so tempting, though, considering he'd just forced an Uther to back down.
"My question is, are we walking into a trap? Why didn't the Fearless leave the planet before? It has the ships of the Chali, it is strong enough. Yet it sits there, baiting you. I smell a trap."
"I would also like the answer to that," Naima put in diplomatically, clearly expecting him to make the Uther commander a head shorter in the very near future.
That's a fair concern, I suppose.
"You read the briefs we provided you with?" he asked Stomech. "The ones about the previous two reincarnations of the Fearless."
"Yes," the Uther said, a begrudging note of respect in his voice. "You have killed the enemy before. Not many in the galaxy can say that."
Braen allowed himself that feral smirk now, his deep voice dropping even lower as he responded to the unexpected compliment.
"And no one ever will. The Fearless knows it too. I am the man most likely to send it to the final sleep of death and it fears me. That's why it hasn't left. It doesn't want to flee, because it's pointless.
“Sooner or later, the enemy would have to face me and here, it can choose the terms. The region fit all the criteria well, which is why the Fearless chose it in the first place. As far away from the place and the warrior who killed its previous form as it could reasonably get and hidden from plain sight.
“As you said, no one comes here. Without my gesha, it would have taken me a long time to trace the enemy, by rumor and by blood.”
He paused for a moment to look at Naima. She smiled back at him and his heart seemed to swell in his chest just from that. Returning his attention to the war council, he continued unchallenged.
"You were a big part of the reason as well, I have no doubt about that. Uthers don't grant passage and the section on the other side is right on the borders of the Union. No one goes there either. Here, in the safety of your territories, it was free to gather strength and prepare."
The Uther grunted, signaling his agreement.
"That makes sense, but why didn't it leave with the Chali ships?" Naima chipped in. "It could have flown to the trader worlds, gather an even larger army."
"Too risky," Braen said with a shrug. "You have to keep in mind, it has developed fast after its last death. That takes energy. It easily overpowered Sinetha, yet it wouldn't risk the entire fleet coming to rip it to pieces.
“As powerful as the Fearless is, it couldn't take chances like that. Time was a factor for us, but for the enemy as well. It let Sinetha draw us nearer, allowing her to think she still had a way out. I believe she's long dead now. We both know we only have one chance at this. The loser loses forever and the victor keeps the win for all eternity."
Knowing that meant her, Naima sent him a soft, sad look. It pained Braen to look upon her, so fragile and unshielded against the storm that raged above her head. Still, he admired her spirit and couldn't bring himself to deny her the chance to fight the enemy that wanted to destroy their love, their bond and their future.
He thought of their child, too. The life growing in Naima's belly, waiting for them to set the galaxy right before being born. A child who perhaps would become an even greater warrior than he was…
The general pushed those emotions down. Time for battle had arrived and nothing distracted a Brion in war, not before he had achieved the victory for all of them.
"Does everyone know their tasks?" he asked. "I will head straight for the Fearless, hidden in the Chali mothership. Alona and Naima will try to diseng
age the android army. My warriors will keep the androids at bay while Stomech handles the approaching Chali fleet. It has the unfortunate timing of the Chali – arriving exactly when they are least welcome."
There were affirmatives all around.
Braen was about to turn from the screen they had gathered around when he heard the slight hitch of Naima’s breath before her mouth opened. When she screamed, he’d already crossed the distance to her, grabbing her in his arms just as she collapsed, panting for air.
His heart now constricted in his chest, while adrenaline pounded through his veins. It was like he’d been struck by a blade, seeing his gesha’s face in shock and pain.
"What is it, my heart?" he asked, his voice rough from fury at the enemy showing no honor by waiting for its true opponent.
"The Fearless," Naima whispered. "I – I only saw a single image. I think it wanted me to. Braen, the androids. There are thousands. Tens of thousands."
Of all the news she could have given, the general counted that one the best. She seemed to be relaxing in his arms and along with her breath calming, so did Braen’s.
Stomech was looking on with that trademark glower of his, only slightly deeper than it usually was.
Naima frowned, seeing the widening smile on Braen’s lips as the room around them slowly turned red. The battle hormones were rushing through his body, beating him up to meet the monster head-on at last.
"It's trying to scare you and distract me," he told his fated, raising his voice so everyone in the room could hear him. "It is a sign of weakness. Positions, everyone! To war!"
33
Naima
It was her first war.
Didn’t think I’d ever see one.
Naima stood in the hangar of the Benevolent, observing the bustling preparations for the battle with a very peculiar calm. Brions had had an effect on her, it seemed, because she certainly wasn't born with an inclination towards the chaos of conflict.
Waiting for Alona and Kerven to finish checking the safety protocols of their dropship – under the watchful eyes of a dozen warriors, ready to report everything to Braen – Naima guessed at the reason of her relaxation.
One was the general, of course, coming towards her with fast, purposeful strides, looking every bit the part of a galactic warlord. He was dressed head to toe in his battle gear, the valor squares on his neck pulsing some sort of sound that Naima couldn't fully comprehend.
It made every warrior he passed stand straighter and on guard, at least that's how it appeared. The hefty spear on his back was quietly gleaming as well, the lifestone embedded into it as ready as its master was.
The other reason, a more logical and considerably older one, was Naima herself. She'd thought she wasn't fit for war, but that was because she had been comparing herself to Brions. No one was their equal and she certainly didn't want to be. She possessed a clear mind of a different kind.
On Matthos IV, Naima had been the one who dared to go into the ocean, to take it on without question. Janey did too, but every inch of her spoke of disdain and reluctance. She walked to the deck like she was going to her execution and every time they emerged from the pitch black water, the younger scientist had looked like she'd seen the light at the end of the tunnel.
Naima, on the other hand, had been able to force down the natural unease. Just like with the battle to come, the waiting was considerably worse. Moving, actively doing something was so much better than sitting around and letting the world happen around her.
This is just another dive, she told herself. Only instead of the dark ocean, there is a clear field of ice and snow and rocks. The darkness comes from the enemy.
In full battle readiness, Braen didn't give her any speech. The general caught her in his embrace, kissing her like it might be their last time, which Naima knew was still an option despite all the reassurances. His lips were soft and demanding, his tongue pulling hers into a fierce play for dominance. She answered by biting gently and heard the general groan appreciatively in return.
It was too amazing. At that moment, Naima was very ready to convert to whatever the Brions believed in. Simply because time and time again the general had stated that the fates would not bring them together to tear them apart like that, so soon after getting everything they ever wanted.
The despair in her wanted to rise, but she pushed it down with all her might.
Naima smiled broadly when they broke for air.
“It will be alright,” she said, speaking before Braen could.
I will not send him off to war with the last image of me crying my eyes out. Also, what the hell. I'm sending my man to a battle for my sake, what am I, a medieval princess? I really should have found a handkerchief or something similarly silly to wave with.
"We're ready to go," she said before Braen could ask her for the final time if she'd rather not stay behind. "Kerven will look after me, don't worry. If everything goes according to plan, the Fearless will never even know I was there. It will be focused on you, it can't spare time to look for me. It doesn't think I'm a threat."
Braen raised an eyebrow, looking at her with a mixture of love and passion and something she could only call amusement.
"In battle, nothing ever goes the way it was intended to," he said, making Naima roll her eyes, "but I trust my warriors. Kerven knows I'll rip the skin off his flesh inch by inch if he lets anything happen to you."
"That's certainly encouraging," she replied. "I'll pass that on."
Around them, the first fighters were taking off. The plan was beautiful in its simplicity. Braen would descend to the planet first, to go look for the Fearless and immediately draw the full attention of the monster to him. With an army of Brions covering his back, the general was bound to break through the android army already gathering on the snow fields where the fate of the galaxy was to be decided.
Naima would then follow when the first reports of the battle arrived. She and Alona were supposed to take a roundabout way, but they had to end up in the same place Braen did – the Chali mothership. The monster lurked there for now, puppeteering the android army. It was unfortunately also the only place where the army could be turned off.
While Braen’s suggestion to simply ram spears into the machinery until it stopped working was a sound enough plan, Naima thought that between herself and Alona, they could bring a much quicker end to the Fearless’ makeshift army.
They had all agreed that the less people went with Naima, the better. Crowds tended to draw unwelcome attention, as much as the general wouldn't have preferred to send her down to the surface with an armed guard capable of conquering worlds.
As for Naima herself, she was going in case Alona needed the magical touch of her glove again. For that purpose, they had given Kerven the rights to open up the lifestone from the glove.
Braen's fighter turned on the massive deck, ready to take its rightful place at the spear tip of the attack. The general's deep blue eyes were filled with devotion and determination as he looked at her.
"Tonight, I will hold you in my arms again," he said, kissing her gently for the last time. "Both of you. Be careful, my heart. And know that my love for you will live forever, long after our hearts have stopped beating."
Naima smiled, exercising the last remnants of her self-control to let go of Braen's hand and step back.
"I love you too," she whispered. "When you return, I can tell you that again."
With that, Braen turned and marched to his fighter and the last Naima saw of him was the bloody red glow that shined through the cracks of the door before it finally slid close.
She didn't allow the tears to come before she sat down in her dropship. By then, thankfully, there was nothing to cry about anymore so her eyes remained dry.
In the darkness, they waited. It wasn't for long. It seemed war had found Braen as soon as he stepped onto Darius. With a nauseating flinch, the dropship lifted up minutes later and slowly made its way down to the planet, carefully hiding between
fighters providing cover and Uther ships preparing for the arrival of the Chali fleet.
This is it. No way out now.
Kerven exited the dropship first, to make sure the surroundings were clear. The brightness that burst in when the hatch opened was so intense it hurt. To Naima's relief, it was only the aftereffect of spending all that time on a Brion ship. Darius itself wasn't that different from Terra, with the exception that it was winter everywhere. Always.
She'd honestly expected something like Audrey described Verien to be – a vast icy hell where the endless caves and snow storms were the least among the things trying to kill off every living being. As Naima carefully stepped out of the ship, she was hit by a nostalgic longing for a nice Terran ski vacation.
Something so normal seemed to be a million light years from her.
The snow was crunching beneath her warm boots that the Brions had provided for her. Naima was dressed head to toe in a light gray suit with fur lining to protect her against the cold, but she was feeling rather cozy.
Which was in itself rather worrying.
Kerven wore a similar cloak over his armor to mask their approach and of course, Alona fit in with the cold planet with ease.
"Are you okay, Miss Jones?" Kerven asked, returning to them.
"Yes. And I warn you not to ask me that again unless half of me is missing."
The warrior glared, but there was a hint of smile on his lips.
Naima liked him. She was glad the general had chosen the young warrior to protect her on Darius. It would have been hard to find another Brion who appreciated her odd sense of humor.
"We should go," Alona said, the android's gaze directed at something in the distance. "The battle has begun. I can hear the others."
It struck Naima that she'd never asked Alona how well the androids communicated with each other. Would it be able to do it over a distance as great as the one separating them from the noises of battle afar? And if so, could they somehow sense Alona as well?