Battle Beyond Earth: Revenge

by Thomas, Nick S.

“So what?”

  “Come on, Mitch, this is quite literally an elephant in the room. He’s lethal. He could probably tear up everyone here if he put his mind to it.”

  “Is there a question in there somewhere?” Taylor asked wearily.

  “You know very well that there is. Will he fight for us? And can he be trusted not to do us harm? Lastly, are we gonna lock him back up?”

  “We can’t do that.”

  “And why not? He is one of them.”

  “He also saved our lives. Don’t ever forget that.”

  “Not because he had any care for us.”

  “I don’t think the reason why matters.”

  “Yes, it does matter.”

  “Not to me, it doesn’t,” snapped Taylor. Jones stopped and let him continue, “Whatever we do or don’t do from this day on, you have to do it with the knowledge that the reason we even have the luxury of making those decisions is that…that creature over there, made it possible. Without his help, we would be dead in that hole, along with the General."

  “I still don’t trust him. It doesn’t change anything.”

  “I don’t trust him either, but it sure does change things. We have gotten more insight into Bolormaa in one short conversation with that Prince than we have through all other sources since this war began. He is an asset, a blunt instrument, and I intend to use him to full effect.”

  Jones had nothing left to say, but he still wasn’t at all happy. He watched Zaya like a hawk all the way back to the Indy. As they made their final approach, Taylor leaned into the cockpit. He could see a hundred marines awaited them, as well as Fortier and several other officers. They were all well armed, but it made Taylor laugh.

  “They wouldn’t stand a chance.”

  As they landed, they found themselves surrounded by the marines. Taylor headed to the door to be the first out.

  “Wait here. Do not move. Do not give them any reason to fire on you,” he said to Zaya.

  “Why would I care? They cannot harm me,” he said, peaking past Taylor and through the door to see their puny rifles.

  “It’s not your safety I worry about. It’s theirs.”

  He turned and walked out casually. He refused to be treated like the enemy.

  “Colonel Taylor, you are harbouring an escaped prisoner and an officer of this fleet who is to be charged with…more crimes than I care to list!” Fortier yelled from behind the cover of a line of marines.

  “Yeah, well, that’s just tough. Time we moved on from this,” he replied.

  “What do you mean by that, Colonel?”

  “Zaya, the former Prince of the Morohta, he is a rebel to his people, and he not only saved our lives, he has agreed to fight alongside us!”

  Fortier looked both surprised and unimpressed. He was too focused on going by the book, but as he looked around, he saw the relief on the faces of those around him.

  “Step aside, Colonel, and let us return this prisoner to his cell.”

  “Not a chance. Let me put it this way, Captain. If you fight Zaya, you will die. You will all die! And we will have lost a valuable asset. He saved our lives, and that means something to me. I may have given you command of this ship, but that doesn’t give you command over this operation.”

  “Then who has command and authority here?”

  “I do!” a voice called out.

  It was strong and commanding, but still deeply feminine.

  Caron was pushing her way through the marines to reach him, her two agents close by her side.

  “Sorry, Ma’am, but you do not have authority here.”

  “Actually I do. I have received confirmation from authenticated sources. I am the next in line to the Presidency of the Alliance. That makes me officially Acting President as of ten minutes ago, and I am ordering you to stand down.”

  Fortier looked a little worried.

  “Madam…President. You have to understand, this is a dangerous prisoner that must be contained.”

  “If Taylor says that creature is our ally, then he our ally. I would put more stock in the Colonel’s opinion than anyone else I know on matters of war, and neither will you punish Lieutenant Hariz for her actions.”

  “But…”

  “But nothing! She used her brains. She thought outside the box, used some initiative, and saved a lot of lives. We should be finding her a medal, have you got that?”

  Taylor was impressed. He hadn’t known what to think of the woman when they first met. He had feared she would be a drink of water, but she was already shaping up to be a formidable force.

  “This Zaya, bring him forward.”

  The Morohtan Prince stepped out calmly and held himself tall and proud. He clearly felt no threat at all. He stopped before Caron as if waiting for her greeting.

  “Welcome aboard, Zaya. I am Lisa Caron, Acting President of the Alliance, and let me be the first to thank you. You saved a lot of lives today.”

  Zaya seemed disinterested as he looked around the bay and studied everything he saw.

  “I am here out of necessity. I will fight Bolormaa with you, but nothing more. I saved Colonel Taylor’s life because he is essential to winning this fight.”

  “Yes, no doubt. We are glad to have you with us,” she replied, turning her attention to Fortier.

  “Captain, you will see that Zaya is given living space immediately.”

  “Yes...Ma’am,” he replied in an uneasy tone.

  “For now please stay where you are until we can arrange something.”

  The Captain was quick to leave the scene as the marines scattered, too.

  “It’s gonna take some real effort for people round here to warm to you.” Zaya grunted at Taylor, “Just take it easy, and don’t kill anyone.”

  “Colonel, if I may have a word?” Caron asked.

  “Of course,” he said and followed her towards one of the exits. As soon as they were out of earshot, it was Taylor who had to ask the question.

  “You didn’t really get confirmation of your Presidency, did you?”

  She smiled.

  “No, but I might as well have. We both know that news is going to come our way soon, and besides, we need leadership now. I believe I can give it.”

  “I like you already.” Taylor laughed at her blatant abuse of the rules.

  Chapter 12

  “I am sorry if I was short or too forward, Colonel, but I was only looking out for the best interests of everyone aboard this ship,” said Fortier as Taylor stepped onto the bridge.

  Irala was on the bridge, and he scowled as Zaya followed him. It was the most emotion Taylor had ever seen on the face of one of the Aranui people. In a flash, he had drawn a blade and covered the distance at the remarkable speed Taylor remembered from the moment they first met. He had just enough time to jump into his path and bring him to a standstill, a metre before he reached Zaya. He already had a weapon drawn, too.

  “Wow, stop this!” Taylor yelled.

  Irala’s blade was at his throat, and he looked more than willing to use it.

  “What the hell are you doing?” Taylor pleaded.

  Nobody else moved a muscle. They were too scared and shocked to do a thing. Fortier knew there was nothing their guards could do to defuse the situation. He looked to Taylor as if he expected him to resolve it.

  “What are you doing here, Irala? He is with us.”

  “This is madness, Taylor. I won’t have it on my ship. Look what you have brought upon us, said Fortier.”

  “I didn’t start this, and neither did he,” replied Taylor, gesturing towards Zaya with his eyes. He dared not move any further and risk provoking a response from either of them.

  He hoped they would shed some light on the situation, but neither said a word.

  “Come on, guys, what the fuck? We all want the same thing. We all came together to end Bolormaa. Is it so much to ask that we work together? This is an alliance after all. Allied, working together, get it?”

  “Not with that thing
,” snarled Irala.

  Taylor sighed as he straightened himself and pushed Irala’s weapon away, which he didn’t seem to appreciate.

  “I have had enough of this bullshit. Clearly you have a problem with him, and it’s eating away at you. That much is your problem, but now you are making it ours. Both of you are vital to winning this war, so let’s have it out in the open. Air your beefs right now, and let’s be done with it.”

  “It won’t be done until that thing is destroyed,” Irala said.

  “Then let’s play this game,” replied Zaya confidently.

  Irala moved to go forward, but Taylor grabbed hold of his arm quickly and held him in place. He looked at Zaya and shook his head, “Not helping,” he added.

  He turned back to Irala who looked ready to explode with anger.

  “Forget him, and look at me,” said Taylor, placing a hand on his old friend’s shoulder.

  “Look at me,” he repeated in a stronger tone.

  Finally, he did, but he didn’t look happy about it.

  “We have been friends for a long time, or at least I hope we have. We have been through hell, but that means trusting one another. I am telling you we need him, and we need you. So tell me what it is that he has done. What is your issue and we can work through it?”

  Irala looked deep into his eyes before struggling to break free, but Taylor held on firmly. He wasn’t going to let it go.

  “Please, for me, for the hope of winning this war.”

  He took in a deep breath, and his nostrils flared as he tried to calm himself. Taylor had never seen him in such a state.

  “That thing butchered my people, my friends, and most of all, my mentor. He was as a father to me, but more than you will ever know.”

  “Damn right, it’s more than I’ll ever know. You know how long I knew my father for? Nothing! Not even a day. I’d have killed to have a father, or a mentor that was even close to one. You should count yourself lucky that you knew someone you could hold in such high esteem in your life.”

  “You wouldn’t understand. Your lifetimes are so fleeting. A mere spec on the history of the universe.”

  “Really? Like the Krys wars were? A people that drove you into the dust, but that with our help you were able to defeat and make peace? Us humans, you think we are that much, a spec of history?”

  “You know that is not what I meant.”

  “No, I don’t,” snapped Taylor, “You have no idea what pain and suffering and losses I had to endure in the Krys wars. Long before you were even involved. I lost more friends that you have probably ever had in your entire existence. That’s right. I saw the slaughter chambers, and the experiments, and the genocide. I saw my best friend be subjected to all that, and almost be ripped apart inside because of it.”

  Jones’ eyes widened at what he was saying. He was talking about his ancestor, but he didn’t know that part of the history. He wanted to ask questions, but he knew he couldn’t as Taylor went on.

  “That was at the hands of the Krys, and yet I made my peace with that, and I made my peace with them. And that is how we have survived to today. Were it not for our human mercy and compassion, our will to make peace, you wouldn’t even be alive today, and neither would your entire fucking race.”

  The crew were shocked by Taylor’s outburst. It wasn’t the version of history they had been taught, and yet they believed him. Irala still said nothing. He looked ashamed and a little humbled.

  “That’s right, so don’t talk to me about losses. I am sure that son of a bitch is responsible for plenty of deaths of your people,” he said pointing to Zaya, “my people, and the Krys. But how many of his have we killed since this began? We don’t have time to try and kill each other. That is not a luxury we have. Maybe one day. Perhaps on that day that we can end Bolormaa, you may take up this matter with him, but until then, you keep your shit together, and you work with us, not against us.”

  Irala slowly sheathed his blade and looked past Taylor into Zaya’s eyes.

  “When Bolormaa is dead, then I will seek you out.”

  “I will be waiting.”

  Jones was relieved as everyone stood down, but there was still so much tension in the room. The door to the bridge opened, and Jafar stepped through. He looked surprised to see Zaya, but accepting of it as Taylor nodded in approval. Even he could see the tension.

  “What did I miss?” he asked.

  Taylor had never been so glad to see his old friend.

  “Only a little disagreement, what the hell are you doing here?”

  “We decided what you did was foolish, but we could not stay back and let you fight this alone. We are with you.”

  “Well, thank fuck for that.”

  “I have to tell you though, Mitch, there are plenty of people in this fleet who are not at all happy about you siding with that.” He looked at Zaya to weigh him up.

  “Yep, I think I’ve noticed that,” replied Taylor sarcastically.

  “What are you going to do about it?”

  “I am not going to do anything. Zaya saved my life, and for that he won’t be touched.”

  “We…”

  Taylor interrupted him as he roared in anger.

  “For fuck’s sake. Do you remember when we met, my old friend?”

  “Of course, how could I forget?”

  “We were enemies, were we not?”

  “Yes, but nothing like this.”

  “Exactly like this. Jafar, he saved my life, just like you did.”

  “I doubt it was for the same reasons. I saved your life because it was the honourable thing to do. He probably did it out of convenience.”

  “We are going to give him a chance. That is my final word, and the President of the Alliance thinks so, too.”

  “The President? The President is dead.”

  “The former one, yes, but I’d like you to meet President Lisa Caron,” he said, waving her to come forward from where she had been watching from the sidelines.

  “Pleased to meet you, Lord Jafar,” she said, coming forward with her hand outstretched in friendship.

  Jafar looked to Taylor in surprise and doubt, as if questioning whether he had gone through any legitimate process.

  “I was in line to the Presidency, it is true, but you are of course, welcome to check my credentials. I would understand.”

  “If Colonel Taylor says it is so, then I believe it,” he said, looking to Taylor.

  “That’s right. We have a new boss, and she is going to see us to victory.”

  “No pressure,” whispered Jones and smiled to himself.

  "You all came here because you wanted to work and fight together, am I right?"

  From their faces it was, but this was going to be an uneasy alliance. There had been so many wars between them all. So much bitter history, and yet somehow they had to put it past them. He kept telling himself, if he could, then should they be able to, and yet Irala didn't look convinced.

  "As long as you accept that creature amongst us, we have no Alliance. It will bring us nothing but death and destruction."

  "We’ve got that already, so it can't get any worse. I shouldn't need to remind you that it was Zaya who saved us down there. I didn't see you riding to the rescue?"

  Irala stormed off the bridge without another word. They had lost one ally as quickly as they had gained one.

  "I guess some grudges you just can't get over," said Jones.

  "Bullshit. I have lived through enough shit to know that ain't the case."

  "If accepting this Morohtan Prince means that we lose the Aranui, they we will not accept him among us," declared Jafar.

  Taylor couldn't believe what he was hearing.

  "Not you, too?"

  "I want what is best for the Alliance, and what gives us the best chance of defeating Bolormaa."

  "Yeah, is that so? Well, you see him right there? He is our best chance. Irala, for all his skills and supposed power, has rarely lifted a finger to help. His people far
ed no better against Bolormaa than the rest of us. And he's not the one offering to go and fight her, is he?"

  Jafar was still not convinced.

  "But without the Aranui, we are weak."

  "We are weak, anyway. It's gonna take a goddamn miracle for us to win this war, and..."

  He stopped himself as he noticed the crew were all listening to him. He had always known how desperate the situation was since he first saw Bolormaa with his own eyes, but he had done well to hide it.

  "With Zaya, I believe we have a chance. Certainly, before he came along, there seemed little hope of ever holding them back. I like the Aranui, and I respect Irala, but he is wrong about this. I fear he is letting personal issues cloud his judgement."

  "Please, Lord Jafar, will you go to Irala and try and convince him to come back?" Caron asked.

  Taylor appreciated her interruption. She was catching on fast.

  Jafar shook his head.

  "I will not change his mind. Nobody ever can."

  "You know that's not true," added Taylor.

  "Maybe, but not this time. Some wounds will never heal."

  "So what now?"

  Jafar sighed. "Without the Aranui, there can be no victory, and humanity is not strong like it used to be. They are a pale shadow of the heroes of your day. The heroes that defeated Erdogan."

  "What does that mean?"

  "It means that we are done here. There can be no victory on Earth. The Krys Lords of old would have sacrificed his own in a folly effort to do so, but I will not."

  Taylor was becoming distraught. He had come back on such a high with their new ally, and yet everything was falling apart around him.

  "So that's it, you're gonna leave us here?"

  "No, we will leave Earth. Come to my homeworld. We can rescue as many humans as we can and re-establish communities in Krys space."

  "Is that what you would do if your homeworld was going to fall? You would run?"

  Jafar had no answer for it.

  "That's right. Come on, Jafar, you fought with me once. You fought against all the odds on what seemed like the losing side."

  "Yes, but I only had to risk my own life to do it. I will not sacrifice millions of my people for nothing."

  The room fell silent as everyone realised what a depressing turning point they’d reached. Jafar moved to leave the bridge. Taylor knew he had to say or do something, but nothing was coming to mind.