“It’s done,” Treena whispered. If they’d had any other Ugna on board, they would be incapacitated now.
Shu continued to the next series of waiting ships. No one would be filled in on what was truly occurring. Reeve had sent a message to the entire Concord fleet that they were performing a shield upgrade before the Ugna arrived, and so far, none had objected.
There were hundreds of modified ships in their fleet, and Treena realized how few high-end Concord vessels existed. Hopefully, this would be a sign that they needed to resume building more flagships and expand their reach. The war with the Statu had depleted them fifty years ago, and again recently, but having a prepared enemy like the Ugna had left them exposed. There had to be at least another fifty well-provisioned vessels patrolling the Border at the moment. Protecting their partners was still a priority, but the internal battle had to be won first.
Treena observed the line of Ugna ships arriving on the viewscreen as Brax zoomed in on their fleet. The ships were impressively imposing, but the sheer number of them was what disturbed her, and she’d been the first one to witness the fleet as they’d watched Wylen destroy Tebas.
“Something’s happening,” Brax said, returning to his position. Conner had already taken Darl’s spot, and Treena moved into Conner’s, since they were now short-handed.
“What is it?” Treena asked, switching their view. One of the older, previously decommissioned craft from Earon Station was attempting to fight its way out of formation. “They’re trying to avoid the EN-01.”
It fired on the neighboring ship, which was seeking to corral them toward Legacy as Baldwin’s new vessel struggled to use the anti-En’or tool against them.
“Captain, I’ll use the tractor beam, if you’re okay with that,” Brax suggested, and Treena gave him her blessing. The flagships like Constantine had more powerful technology than the others, and a couple of the older craft were failing their efforts to lock on to Prosper. Conner swung them around, steering clear of the nearby allies, and Brax waited until they were close enough to fire the tractor beam at Prosper. Treena tried communication with their bridge, but it went unanswered.
“Got them!” Brax said. “Legacy, proceed!”
The pulses began again, and soon Treena saw the face of Prosper’s Captain Nuum arrive on screen. “Captain Starling, thank you. My commander…” She pointed to the floor, where Commander Fredrick, a human from Earon, lay convulsing. Her security officer was detaining him. “What is happening?”
“He’s an Ugna. Secure him and have your team scour the ship for anyone else suspicious. Return to formation,” Treena ordered, even though she held no seniority over this woman or her ship.
“Yes, Captain.” Nuum was already barking orders before her image vanished.
“Baldwin’s sent a message to our entire fleet. They’ve finished the clearing, and—” Brax was cut off as they read Baldwin’s note. Two ships exploded inside their formation, rocking Shu’s shields. In seconds, they were torn into unidentifiable pieces, and they watched in horror as their allies disappeared.
Treena tried not to think about all the lost lives, but focused on saving countless more. They were already in chaos, and they hadn’t even made it beyond enemy lines yet.
____________
Fayle’s ship thrust forward, past the entire fleet, and she peered at Captain Hanli, then at Gar Ellix. Her allies were enough to sustain her, despite the fact that she’d been stripped of her En’or. She’d told herself it was for the best, but she needed to test something else. An hour ago, she’d locked herself into the Ugna bridge’s captain’s office and had injected herself with a liberal amount of the drug. It had done nothing. Her link to the Vastness was either healed or removed; only further analysis would tell.
The only way to prevent this devastation from happening under Wylen’s rule was to convince them to join the Concord… and her. As they approached the enemy, her people, Fayle thought about the unforgiveable things she’d done in her past in the name of the Ugna. At the time, it had felt like she was doing what was necessary for their survival, but it was merely performing Wylen’s deceitful bidding.
She could have led these people and made them see the light, rather than the darkness that shrouded the High Elder. He didn’t deserve the title. The First Elder had been regarded as a saint, but Fayle knew better. He had only been the first in a series of leaders that wanted power and control. Wylen would be the last.
“High Elder, are you ready?” Hanli asked.
“Are we within range?”
“We are. It’s set to target each individual ship and not the colony vessel.”
Fayle walked closer to the screen, centering the bridge floor. She glanced at her traditional white garb and nodded slowly. “I imagine the message will be relayed by some overzealous captain seeking a stronger position in Wylen’s Concord, but hopefully, by that time, it will be too late.”
Fayle didn’t feel like the same person without the Vastness as a source of grounding. Everything was dark, with no emotions or feelings emanating from the bridge crew. Using those abilities had been like breathing for her, and now she realized how much she’d relied on them for most of her life. She exhaled and saw the light above the viewscreen turn green.
“Ugna, heed my words. The Concord is not what you’ve been told. Wylen’s spread nothing but lies. I am not dead, and Admiral Thomas Baldwin and Prime Xune are honorable men, both supporters of the Ugna and myself. Don’t fall victim to the deceit Wylen has draped over our people. Together we can end this before it begins!” Fayle paused, staring at the distant black vessels.
“High Elder, the first captain of Tribulation is attempting contact,” Hanli said.
Fayle knew First Captain Ruik and frowned as he appeared on screen. “High Elder? You seek Wylen’s title?”
“It was my show of dissent. He is not the true leader, and I hold the title in another’s stead.”
“Whose?”
“Ven Ittix.”
First Captain Ruik laughed. He was full of En’or, his eyes blazing, his hands nearly vibrating as he spoke. “You’re a fool for opposing Wylen. Even if we believed you, it would go against everything we—”
“Silence, Ruik. You have two minutes to decide before your identity is stripped away.” Fayle made sure the entire Ugna fleet was tuned in, and continued. “The Concord will let us stay a partner, even on Driun F49. Would you give that up so easily? We do not need to rule others. We as a people have yet to live peacefully with one another. Turn on Wylen, join us today, and end this strife.”
She checked the time, knowing the Concord ships would arrive in seconds to begin the first stage of their plan.
The screen muted, and Captain Hanli let out a small cheer. “High Elder, they’re coming!”
Five of the two hundred or so dispersed, darting from formation. Another ten from the other side did the same, with more every passing breath.
The viewscreen flickered, and Wylen’s angry face showed up. “Fayle, what is it you are attempting here?”
She stood her ground, unwilling to concede to the evil elderly man. “You think you have it all figured out, Wylen, but our people have the right to decide for themselves. You’ve fed them nothing but false truths, and now they see you for what you are—a fraud and a liar!”
Wylen’s smile was terrifying, his elongated face twisting into a foreign expression. “My people are in the midst of upending your fleet. In the matter of minutes, they will be in disarray, fighting amongst themselves, and I will walk onto Nolix amidst the madness.”
“Is that what you think? Why don’t you take another look?” Fayle waited while Wylen whispered something to Nerlip, who lingered close. His eyes squinted as he stared past Fayle, likely seeing the Concord fleet.
“Is that Constantine? She was supposed to prevent their return…”
“As you can see, your plan has collapsed. You face an impenetrable defense, and already your fleet is disbanding. Wylen, turn you
rself in, stop this madness, and we will let your people live,” Fayle said, her weight coming to the tips of her toes as she leaned forward in anticipation of an answer. For a second, she thought she had him. Wylen’s shoulders told a story his eyes didn’t, but instead of answering with words, red-hot fury shot from the belly of his colony vessel, striking at the departing Ugna ships. The first few exploded after the blasts wore their shield energy to nothing.
Fayle watched helplessly as Wylen continued to kill his own people, a sneer over his lips. “Do you see that, Ugna? Follow the traitor and that is your future! Stay with me, and you will be one with the Vastness!”
The communication ended, and Fayle stared at the viewscreen while the other Ugna began turning on their own. Only one made it through unscathed, and they flew as fast as they could by Fayle’s vessel. “Return to the fleet. Inform Admiral Baldwin there will be no intervention. He has full authority to deploy the EN-01 devices.” She slumped into her seat, for the first time sensing that there was no victory for her people today, no matter the outcome of this battle.
____________
Everything happened so fast. Tom couldn’t believe his eyes when Wylen opened fire on his own fleet, destroying anyone advancing to their enemy’s lines. Tom almost respected the man’s decision, because he’d have done the same thing, but with far more remorse than the cold-hearted psychopath.
“Orders?” Lark Keen asked.
The twenty modified ships were at the front of the fleet, with heavy defenses protecting them from attack. Their only shot was to hit enough of the Ugna with the beams before they started trying to melt their brains, or whatever it was they did with their connected minds. Tom had experienced the pain once and wasn’t thrilled about the idea of reliving it.
“Stay the course. Targets are approaching range,” Tom said, his shoulders tightening as he watched the countdown on the screen go from ten to one. “Fire!”
The pulse beams erupted, covering a thousand-kilometer spread between the twenty vessels. Any of the Ugna caught in their path would be wiped of En’or, and Tom stared as the first vessel was hit; then another, and another. Their pulse fire and offense ceased as the EN-01s worked their magic, but to the Ugna crew’s credit, they responded quickly, returning fire despite the fact that they no longer accessed the Vastness.
Lark yelled something, a hand flying to his forehead, and a second later, Tom felt the shearing pain. “Hit them! Hit them now!” he shouted. They were under telekinetic assault and couldn’t withstand much more.
“I believe I’ve tracked the culprit,” Reeve said.
“Take them with the beam,” Tom cried over the pain.
“They’re being blocked—”
“Then let’s destroy them the old-fashioned way,” Keen suggested through his clenched jaw.
“Do it!” Tom yelled, and Lark fired at them, blasting through the shields of two ships before both targets exploded, ending the current threat. Tom wiped sweat off his forehead with a sleeve and searched for Rene’s craft. “Where’s Shu?”
“She’s in line, still fending for herself.” Reeve’s voice was confident, not as shaky as it might have been two years ago.
“Good.”
They continued shooting the pulses, occasionally adding in blasts when they were under duress. There were two hundred Ugna fleet ships, but only twenty Concord vessels with EN-01 rays. They’d worked their way across at least forty enemy targets, blowing up or incapacitating eight. Fayle wanted minimal losses, but at this point, Tom would be content with all of the Ugna being destroyed before the day was through. All that mattered was the safety and sanctity of the Concord.
Tom searched for the colony ship and was pleased to see it falling behind the ensuing battle scene. Wylen was no fool, and Tom hadn’t expected him to fly up, letting them strike with the device. All things considered, the battle was proceeding better than anticipated. If Treena hadn’t arrived in the nick of time, things would have ended far differently.
He was curious how many of their ships had been harboring the enemy, and how deeply it ran through the governments around the Concord. He suspected the coming search would take months, if not years, but they still needed to stop Wylen before Tom could consider any of that.
“They’re retaliating.” Lark was right. The Ugna had recovered from the drug’s extraction and were now fighting with a newfound ferocity. A group of thirty had veered away from Tom and his front line, aiming for the main fleet beyond, and he noticed Constantine fending off the first couple of invaders. Tom ordered Legacy to intercept the batch of five. Their shields took a battering as all of the Ugna took exception to his interruption at the same time.
Lark managed to end two of the threats, while the other three darted past, using the explosions as a distraction. Everywhere Tom looked, more Ugna were passing their lines, unreached by the EN-01 tools. Things were taking a turn for the worse, and he sent a message informing these twenty it was time to break apart. He ordered them to wipe the En’or from as many as they could, and that segment of the fleet enthusiastically obeyed.
Tom shuddered as Shu moved further into the fray. Rene Bouchard knew what she was doing, but his instincts told Tom to protect her and his baby with everything he had. But they had their own objective.
“Bring us closer to Conquest. Let’s see if we can ambush Wylen,” Tom said grimly. They flew through portions of broken hull, winding their way into enemy territory.
Eighteen
The valley grew narrower and more sloped the farther Ven walked. It had been well over an hour since he’d seen the beam of light guiding his path from the cliff above the gully, but since winding over the rocky path, it had vanished. Ven was beginning to wonder if it had been a figment of his imagination.
He stopped, his legs protesting from the heavy gravity, and took a break, flipping the night vision off. It was pitch black. He could see nothing at all, and it reminded him of death. Ven had experienced it once, but according to Fayle, the Vastness wasn’t finished with him. He had a purpose to serve, and he was trying to fulfill that now. Death could wait. The pull of the Vastness was faint, so he tried to use his mind and floated his feet off the ground. It took little effort, and he lowered again, happy it wasn’t completely gone. That was a good sign.
Ven rested a short while, letting the darkness settle around him. He searched the outlines of the rock formations and tried to gain his bearings. The gorge was to his left, a steep incline to his right. The Vast stone should be straight ahead, and close, judging by the light’s location from his previous vantage point. But after so much wasted time, he feared he’d overstepped it, missed a clue somehow.
Ven left the night vision feature off and started forward, taking small, precise steps. If the light guiding him had dimmed, he’d be able to spot it more easily this way. He went on like this for ten minutes, steadily rising over the slight incline of the path.
When he crested the peak, he located the flame in the distance. It was the Vast stone. The Flame is life, Ven thought to himself. The light he’d seen was none other than the very thing taught to young acolytes when meditating. Even his friend Brax Daak lived by the mantra, using it as a focus technique. This was the basis of it all. The Vastness was real.
Ven felt humbled as he watched the still orange glow. It was unmoving, an impossibility. Ven used his HUD to check the wind speed around him, indicating that a light breeze was blowing through the underground caverns. It should have been enough to disturb the element.
It had to be two hundred yards ahead, and he started to walk, each step faster than the previous one. Ven’s heart beat slowly, patiently as he neared the area. The flame burned above an archway of stone, unfamiliar symbols carved into the frame, leading into a cave. The ground was smooth again, darker than the rest, and Ven stopped at the arch, setting a glove on it.
Blinding lights. Swirling nebula. The birth of a galaxy. Stars beginning. Stars ending. The Vastness welcomes all.
Ven stagg
ered away, the lights searing into his vision as he pressed his lids shut. How did this place exist? Was it just a conduit to something deeper than anyone could comprehend? Had an ancient race found the means to link to the creator of the universe? He stared at the entrance, finding nothing but ancient carvings of geometric shapes.
He glanced beyond the opening, trying to see inside, but it was covered in a shroud of blackness lingering in the cave. Ven used a searchlight, powering it on, and aimed the beam forward. It stopped short at the entrance, not able to penetrate the darkness. He stowed the light away and peered at the flame atop the stone ridge, unmoving and bright.
Ven thought about another saying, one engrained into his mind by Fayle as a child. Time goes on in the Vastness. Nothing ever starts or finishes, but only continues.
With a ragged breath, Ven stepped into the opening.
____________
“Wooooohooooo, that was close,” Carl shouted as they narrowly missed clipping the Ugna’s underside. Carl swung them around while Jun fired a series of shots, almost all striking at this close range. The ship ignited in flames, the explosions rippling over the hull, and Carl continued on, moving for the next target.
Brandon clutched the chair’s arms as he stared out the viewscreen. Five Concord fighters screamed by, one glowing brightly before space cut the flares short, and Brandon cringed at the loss of their ally. The fighting zone outside of Nolix was chaos, with no coordination or purpose.
“Look, one of ours is in trouble,” Jun said, and Brandon saw the white Ugna vessel being flanked by two.
“Bring us in, Carl. Kristen, see if you can contact them,” Brandon ordered.
“On screen,” Kristen called.
The Ugna woman’s hair was in her face, her eyes frantic. “We’ve been hit too many times. Shields are almost zero!”
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