Dark Universe & Forbidden Love

by Hao Yang

  It was a long day for Kiel’s squadron. They just finished a night-long airstrike as the infantry forces pushed for the mining center.

  Jason and other pilots gathered together near a table. He was sitting on the edge of a bed and listening the dirty jokes thrown around by others. Several whiskey bottles scattered on the table. They were passing around another whiskey bottle and drank directly from it.

  A pilot handed Jason the bottle and Jason took a deep dive. It was strong, but he took it like a man.

  “That is what I am talking about!” Rew yelled. Other pilots cheered.

  “Come on! Jason, now it is your turn.” Riodin said happily.

  “Alright, here we go. So why did we invent whiskey?” Jason asked in a mysterious voice and looked around at others.

  They all shook their heads.

  “So that ugly guys like us can have a chance for sex.” Jason shouted.

  “Yea.”

  “Yea.” Everyone shouted out of their lungs.

  “Actually, that is true.” Kiel’s voice struck the crowd.

  Two new pilots sprinted out of chairs and saluted Kiel. Others broke into laughter.

  “Come on, guys! Give them a break.” Kiel said in a joking tone as he picked up a bottle on the table. He took a sip and said, “Listen. Life is short here and we don’t need all those bullshit. Here we just enjoy lives while we still can.”

  “Yea.”

  “Yea.” Everyone shouted.

  Kiel winked at Jason and then left the crowd. Jason hung around for another minute and said, “Guys, I need to take a leak. Be right back.” He walked away and found Kiel outside.

  “You want to make some money.” Kiel asked quietly.

  “That won’t hurt.” Jason said happily.

  They went to the hangar, took out their fighter jets and flew to the battlefield where they bombarded before the dawn.

  Dead bodies were everywhere on the bleak field. Sporadic gunshots and explosions still rolled from the distance. After a whole night fight, Human and Oepttese seized most of the mining center. Jason and Kiel landed their jets near a big gate at the front of the facility. Jason could see several Human soldiers checking corpses at close range. Kiel and Jason got off their jets. Kiel handed Jason a rifle and said, “Just in case someone wakes up.”

  They started to scout the field. Some corpses were still warm and some were still bleeding. Jason checked pockets, hands and necks. To his surprise, many of them had rings on their fingers. He got several necklaces also, but they were not that great. These guys were just as poor as him.

  Kiel had much better luck than Jason. He mainly checked Oepttese and Dolanz and collected all those weird things that Jason couldn’t even name.

  Jason rolled over an Oepttese and checked its front pockets. Just at this moment, the Oepttese grabbed Jason’s hand and muttered, “Save me. Save me.”

  Jason quickly aimed the rifle at him, but the Opettese never made another sound. Jason shut those lifeless eyes and said, “Just another poor guy.” Then he moved on to the next one.

  Kiel and Jason spent about an hour on the battlefield and then returned to the carrier. They gave a share to their mechanics and the hangar manager. Then they went to the supply officer on the carrier and exchanged what they had for several bottles of whiskey. Kiel took one bottle and gave the rest to Jason and said, “So I hear you have a Glycan girlfriend.”

  “Well, right now I am not so sure about that.” Jason sighed.

  “What do you mean? You never mentioned anything to me.”

  “Because I don’t know whether she is alright or not.” Jason said sadly.

  “You tried to contact her?”

  “Yea, I did, but that didn’t work out.”

  “Man, you sound like you really love her.” Kiel said in surprise.

  “I do.”

  “So what is your plan? I mean you will go to find her?”

  “I am thinking about it. Besides I can’t stay here forever anyway.”

  “Where are you going?”

  “I don’t know. Probably find a planet to settle down first and then I will find a way to see her.”

  “I feel like you are planning on leaving.” Kiel said listlessly.

  “You can feel that?” Jason asked in surprise.

  “You know its better this way. Better than die on the battlefield.”

  Later they went back to the squadron living quarter and got drank with other pilots.

  Chapter 168

  It had been two weeks since Klaycon started hunting for Jason, but he didn’t get anything. Right now, he was strolling back and forth in his room in the training center. Nissen was sitting nervously on a sofa. Zier was polishing his fingernails next to Nissen.

  Klaycon looked at Nissen and Zier and shouted, “It has been two weeks!”

  “Sorry, we, we, we haven’t found anything yet. There are so many planets out there. He could be hiding. I mean, I am quite sure he is hiding from you. But we will find him.” Nissen stammered.

  “I see.” Klaycon said as he threw a chair at Nissen.

  Nissen and Zier jumped away from the coach, barely missing the chair.

  “Klaycon, may I suggest an alternative?” Zier asked politely.

  “What?”

  “Maybe we can ask Jason’s friends.” Zier said cautiously.

  “Ask them? I can’t believe you say something like this.” Nissen said disappointedly.

  Klaycon slowly turned to Zier and asked, “You know anyone we can use?”

  “Several days ago, I sent out a message to his friends and most of them didn’t give a damn except one. Lucis William.”

  “That doesn’t mean anything.” Nissen said.

  “Well, it won’t hurt to give it a try and find out what he is thinking.” Zier said.

  “Let’s give it a try.” Klaycon said firmly.

  “I will send the message right away.” Zier said.

  In the second class species area, Erikon, Lucis, Titainein, Sayilin, Idi and Orizy were checking their gears for the combat training.

  “I am wondering whether you guys got the message from a Glycan.” Orizy said carelessly as he loaded his rifle.

  “Surprised?” Sayilin asked.

  “Yea.”

  “Same here. It was the first time a first species sent me a message.” Sayilin said.

  “Me too.” Idi added.

  “I can tell who sent it.” Titainein said suddenly.

  “Friends of Klaycon?” Erikon guessed.

  “But I thought they didn’t know Jason was alive. I got that message too.” Idi said innocently.

  “It’s just a matter of time.” Sayilin said sadly.

  “Titainein, how did you reply?” Orizy asked curiously.

  “I said fuck off.” Titainein said firmly.

  “Me too.” Erikon said.

  “So did I.” Idi added.

  “I thought I was the only rude one.” Sayilin said happily.

  “The moment I sent that, I really felt great.” Orizy said excitedly.

  “Now you are talking.” Titainein said happily.

  “I am proud of myself.” Sayilin said confidently.

  “You are always proud of yourself.” Erikon joked.

  They all smiled.

  “Hey, Lucis, you alright? Seems you are very busy with your watch.” Orizy asked.

  “Get a message from your girlfriend.” Sayilin joked.

  “Very funny.” Lucis said coldly as he removed the sticker from his forehead. He did just check a message.

  “Alright, guys, are we ready?” Titainein shouted as she stepped into her armor.

  “Lady first!” Erikon said in a cheerful mood as he jumped into his armor.

  Others smiled and got into their own armors. ‘

  “When it comes to dinner, you never say lady first. You know that?” Titainein said to Erikon.

  Everyone laughed loudly.

  Lucis couldn’t really focus on the combat training. He k
ept thinking about the message sent by Zier. Unlike the previous message, this time it was an invitation. After the training, Lucis went back to the dorm with Erikon. On the way, Erikon still talked about how good he felt when he told the Glycan to fuck off. Lucis got the first message as well and he didn’t reply. But when he got the second message, he started to think it in a logic way, “Jason will be dead anyway. His life and career are gone the moment he made those decisions. He acted on his passion and didn’t even thought about it. There is nothing I can do and I have helped him in numerous situations. I didn’t ask for anything for return. I act as a friend and I finish my duties.”

  “Hey, man, are you alright? You look really lost today.” Erikon said caringly.

  Lucis smiled reluctantly and said, “You know, I am thinking about how to save Jason. Right now I have no clue.”

  “I thought about it as well. It will be difficult, but we will work it out.” Erikon said firmly.

  “Yep.”

  “You know, if one day I have a girlfriend like Gloria, I hope I can act like Jason.”

  “What? Are you crazy? You have seen what he went through!” Lucis said in surprise.

  “I know. But you should follow your heart at least one time in your life. Just let it go.”

  “That is stupid.” Lucis said firmly.

  They were all tired after the training. Erikon went to bed and fell into sleep right away like a pig. Lucis couldn’t fall asleep. He was still pondering whether to meet those Glycans or not. He was worried that they would abduct him and torture him to find out where Jason was. He decided to stay put and forgot the message.

  Several days later, Lucis received an official invitation from first class species to visit the recently commissioned Glycan spacecraft carrier. Lucis was the only trainee invited and others were teachers from second class species. This indeed stirred quite a rumor. Lucis could tell the way trainees looked at him was different. He enjoyed this feeling and looked forward to the tour.

  Chapter 169

  The brand new Glycan spacecraft carrier was approaching the landing zone in the Guardian Fleet headquarter. Lucis and some 30 teachers from the second class species were marveling at its scale. It was so enormous that it could barely fit into the landing zone the size of 30 football fields.

  “It is huge.” Lucis muttered.

  “Lucis, why you were invited?” Sistyen, the history teacher, asked directly.

  “I don’t really know. Maybe they need one trainee as the representative of the rest.” Lucis said proudly.

  “That is a theory.” Iueoto, the chemistry teacher, said carelessly.

  “Not even all the teachers received the invitation.” Sistyen said as he looked around at the teachers.

  “Well, I am happy to be here.” Lucis said with a big grin.

  “I am sure you are.” Sistyen said coldly.

  Just at this moment, a Glycan military officer walked to the crowd and told them that the tour would begin now. They followed the Glycan officer and walked on a long boarding corridor.

  Klaycon stared at Lucis from the top deck on the carrier. Zier was standing next to him. Nissen walked to Klaycon and asked, “What if this Lucis doesn’t talk.”

  “If Zier can’t make him talk, we will do it in my way.” Klaycon said as he patted Zier’s shoulder.

  “We can always save that as the backup.” Zier said easily.

  “Alright, let’s get ready.” Klaycon said firmly.

  Lucis and other teachers soon boarded the carrier. The smooth interior, spacious hangars and well-organized compartments pulled a beautiful picture in front of everyone. While Lucis was admiring the beauty of its engineering, Xwiteri, a Lozisusis, called Lucis aside. She was teaching the class called intelligent plants in the universe.

  “Lucis, you want to see the bridge?” Xwiteri asked in a mysterious voice.

  “I thought we couldn’t go there.” Lucis said quietly.

  “Well, I know some glycans.”

  “I don’t know about that. I don’t want to be caught sneaking around.” Lucis said hesitatingly.

  “Come on. Don’t act like a kid.” Xwiteri said as she motioned Lucis to leave the group.

  Lucis didn’t like being despised and he really wanted to see the bridge, so he left others and followed behind Xwiteri. Ten minutes later, they walked into the bridge that was as large as a basketball field and surrounded by huge windows.

  Lucis was too busy checking out the bridge to notice Zier and Nissen walking to him silently.

  “Impressed, huh?” Zier said gently.

  “Ah.” Lucis was scared and fell on his ass.

  Zier helped Lucis stand on his feet and said, “It’s OK. It’s OK.”

  “Sorry, sorry. I was lost and got here by accident.” Lucis said in panic as he looked around for Xwiteri. But she was no longer here.

  “Don’t you worry a thing. We just happened to be here. What a coincidence!” Zier said happily.

  “I am sorry. I will leave right now.” Lucis wheezed.

  “No hurry. You must be here for the tour. Right?” Zier said kindly.

  “Yea.”

  “Then, enjoy. By the way, I am Zier.”

  Lucis immediately recalled this name. He backed off slowly and said, “I should be leaving. Thank you.”

  Nissen blocked Lucis and said, “I know what you are thinking. Don’t worry. We are just talking.”

  Zier pulled a chair right in front of Lucis and motioned him to sit down.

  Nervous and shaky, Lucis slowly sat down, but then sprinted out. Zier and Nissen ran after him and caught him before he could reach the door.

  “It’s OK. It’s OK. We are just talking. We won’t hurt you. Don’t worry.” Zier said gently as he forced Lucis on the chair. He took another chair and sat right in front of Lucis. Nissen was standing behind Lucis.

  “I don’t want to beat around the bush. You are smart. You should know what we want.” Zier said patiently.

  “Maybe.” Lucis said in a shaking voice.

  “Maybe you are not that smart. Where is Jason?” Zier said patiently.

  “I don’t know. I, I, I, I really don’t know.” Lucis stammered as he shook his head.

  “Lucis, you should know that Jason is done. He will be dead no matter what. But you have a bright future. Do you want to end up like Jason?”

  “No, no, no.” Lucis said quickly.

  “You see, I can tell you want to become somebody not nobody. We can help you, if you help us.” Zier said firmly.

  Casting his eyes down, Lucis thought for several seconds and said, “I am sorry. I don’t know.”

  “You are not a very good liar. You know that?” Zier said with a grin.

  Right at this moment, Klaycon rushed in, his uniform transforming into an armor suit. He grasped Lucis’ neck, kicked away the chair, lifted Lucis in the air and snarled, “Where is Jason?”

  “Klaycon, take it easy. I almost got it.” Zier said easily.

  Lucis couldn’t breathe, his feet kicking around, his body trembling like a leaf in the wind.

  “Klaycon, I think he wants to say something.” Nissen whispered into Klaycon’s ear.

  Klaycon smashed Lucis on the deck, grabbed his hair and pulled him up.

  “Ah, aaaaah.” Lucis screamed in pain.

  “I am going to ask one last time. If you don’t tell me, you will join Jason eventually.” Klaycon said decisively as he flashed the dagger in front of Lucis’s eyes.

  “He is in the Second fleet. On Carrier Michael Stonan.” Lucis said hastily.

  “Which unit?” Zier asked.

  “Fighter jet squadron 8.”

  “If you lied, we will be back.” Klaycon said and dropped Lucis.

  Soon, two robots pulled in and carried Lucis out.

  “Find the Human Second fleet right away. Get things ready. I will ask Neiteo to come with us.” Klaycon said firmly as he looked at Zier and Nissen.

  They nodded and walked out of the bridge.
>
  Chapter 170

  It was a sad night for Kiel’s squadron. More than half of the pilots died in Dolanz’s ambush. Rew and Riodin were killed and Jason saw their death. Back then a Dolanz missile passed through the countermeasures, heading directly to the carrier. Rew flew his jet into the missile’s path and blocked the missile. He ejected himself out right before the explosion. Jason swooped in to grab the ejection pod. The moment Jason just touched the pod, a stream of laser passed through it. Jason watched Rew break into pieces in the pod. Riodin was following behind Jason, when a stray missile hit Riodin’s jet. Jason watched the jet disintegrate into pieces.

  The Human Second fleet sustained serious damages in this ambush. Ten combat cruisers were shot down. Some 260 fighter jets along with pilots vanished. The three carriers survived the ambush, but would need overhaul as soon as possible.

  Feeling useless and helpless, Jason suddenly felt he had enough. He decided to leave the fleet today. Right now he was sitting at the edge of his bunker bed, tapping his feet and waiting for his midnight shift.

  Kiel stumbled into the room listlessly, apparently drunk. The death of Rew really knocked him down. Jason knew Rew and Kiel had known each other since they joined the Second fleet. Jason watched Kiel walk to Rew’s bed and sit on it. Jason didn’t say anything to Kiel. He simply didn’t know what to say.

  After several minutes, Kiel stood up from the bed. He walked to Jason and said, “There are several guys hanging around outside.”

  “Something wrong?” Jason asked.

  “Jason, you are a good man.” Kiel sighed.

  “Oh, thank you.”

  “You risked your life to save Rew.” Kiel said sadly.

  “But that didn’t work.” Jason shook his head.

  “Yea, it happens.”

  They both fell into silence.

  “You need to watch your back.” Kiel said suddenly.

  “Why? Something wrong?” Jason asked in confusion.

  “Just a feeling. Those guys around the door. It’s unusual.”

  “Jason Marton. Jason Marton. Report to the bridge.” The voice from the speaker surprised both Jason and Kiel.

  “See you later.” Jason said uneasily as he headed out. As soon as he walked out of the door, he saw the four guys Kiel talked about. Jason didn’t pay much attention, but after he walked several minutes, he noticed those guys were still following him. Jason stopped at the elevator and waited. Two of guys caught up with Jason and stood behind him.