Twilight of the Gods (Universe in Flames Book 8)

by Christian Kallias

  Both attacks met in the middle and canceled each other out, but not without generating a powerful explosion that sent a devastating shockwave all around, knocking them both off their feet and making the ship tremble slightly. Sparks flew all around them and the lights in the training cargo bay flickered.

  Chris was the first back up, and he extended an open palm toward her. She grabbed it and let herself be helped up. She ached from the shock but felt both proud and intoxicated with the power now at her disposal.

  “Impressive,” said Chris.

  Sarah smiled. “For a beginner, you mean?”

  Chris shook his head. “That was nowhere near beginner level, I assure you.”

  “Is that good or bad?” inquired Sarah, not sure she wanted to know the answer.

  “That’s very good. In fact, I’m a little jealous, you’re progressing faster than I did when I started training.”

  There was a low-frequency humming as the lights in the room exploded, and they were thrown into complete darkness.

  Chris lit up a ball of light, which illuminated the area around them.

  “Cool, a personal flashlight. I wouldn’t have thought of that.”

  “Yes, but I think I should have activated the force field for this training session.”

  “Why didn’t you?”

  “I didn’t expect us to go at each other with such intensity on your first day.”

  Sarah felt pride at the accomplishment. Her mind now functioned at a level she had never thought possible. She was more aware of her surroundings and everything happening in her body.

  “Fortunately you’re in command of that ship,” Chris quipped.

  “This is still your father’s ship.”

  Chris quickly looked at his feet for a second. “Right—”

  Sarah sensed that he was hiding something. Before she had time to verbally ask the question, she felt her brain link with her son’s and several emotions washed over her. Among them, the pride he felt for his mother but also a slight feeling of jealousy, just like he’d admitted earlier. Sarah had dismissed it as her son being nice with her, but now she felt his emotion within her own mind, which instantly created an even stronger bond. And then she suspected deception, too.

  “What are you hiding from me?”

  “I promised Dad I wouldn’t say.”

  “Well, looks like you’re going to have to break that promise then.”

  “The— The ship.”

  “What about the ship? Spit it out already!”

  “Dad will give you command of the Hope; it’s your ship now.”

  Her face dropped. She didn’t expect that. The Hope had always been Chase’s ship, no matter how many times she captained her lately.

  “You really suck at keeping a secret,” she reprimanded him.

  Chris’ eyes grew wide.

  “And look what you’ve done to my ship!” she barked.

  But she couldn’t keep a straight face for much longer and they both burst into laughter.

  16

  Chase’s heart skipped a beat at the view of Commodore Saroudis standing in front of him in the Underworld.

  “How did you know?” Chase said absently to Hades.

  “I had a feeling you’d like to have one last chat,” replied Hades. “We’ll give you two a moment.”

  Hades and Spiros phased out of existence, and Chase looked at his old mentor, friend and commanding officer with tears forming in his eyes, not sure what to say. Seeing Chase was at a loss for words, Adonis spoke first.

  “Hello, Chase. It’s really good to see you again.”

  “It’s good to see you too, Adonis.”

  Chase’s tears flowed down his face like two rivers.

  “I’m sorry,” he added. “I’m sorry I couldn’t save you. I— I should have teleported to the Destiny and intervened. But if I had done that, Oryn would have been killed.”

  “That’s alright, son. I did what I had to do to protect Earth and billions of lives. And you did what needed to be done to secure a long-lasting Alliance with the Olympians. Don’t be sad, it worked out well; Earth was saved, Gaia 2 is no more. Right?”

  “Yes—” said Chase wiping his tears. “Thanks to the Asgardians and Thor’s fleet. They also helped us save Droxia from a second attack. Their hyperspace engines—” Chase had trouble finishing his sentences. “I wish you could see it, they are so far ahead of us, technology-wise.”

  Saroudis smiled. “That’s good. Hopefully, they can help you defeat the Furies.”

  Chase nodded. “Hopefully…”

  “I would just like to ask that you take care of my family, make sure they are safe, and that they can finally live in a peaceful world. Will you do that for me, son?”

  Each time Adonis called Chase ‘son’, his heart squeezed a little more. Even though he had accepted his decision to save Oryn over his friend, he still harbored feelings of guilt. Now that they were having what was to be their last conversation, these feelings hit Chase with a vengeance.

  “You have my word. I will protect them as I would my own family.”

  “Thank you, Chase. Now I understand it’s time for me to go someplace else.”

  “Did Hades tell you what happens once you get there? I mean, I’ve seen Fillio go there, but it didn’t seem like there was something after, you know.”

  “No, Hades hasn’t told me anything. And I prefer it that way.”

  “The Emperor surprised me at your—” but Chase stopped.

  “Funeral?”

  “Yes…”

  “That’s okay, Chase. You don’t have to tiptoe around the fact that I died. And I was wrong about the Emperor. He’s a changed man, and he opened my eyes to how we should deal with the Obsidian as an ally. If you let him, he will be one of your biggest allies.”

  Chase nodded. “Yes, he had only good things to say about you as well, and— I felt he really meant it.”

  “That’s good, Chase. I can see you’re still uncomfortable about me being— well, dead. But, thanks to your connection with Hades, at least we can have this last moment. Please don’t blame yourself, son. I’m happy with how my life turned out. Before we had to flee our galaxy, I was just a tired, grumpy old captain, given command of a rusty old ship because I knew a few admirals in the fleet, and not so much because I deserved the Destiny. Back then I thought my exploits and career had seen their better days, but you changed all that, at gunpoint—”

  They both chuckled at the memory.

  “And while it’s been a hard journey,” Saroudis continued, “you’ve given my life meaning again. Your passion, your uncompromising sense of morals as well as being the straight shooter that you are— and I’m glad to have been part of your journey. I know with all my heart that no matter the hardships awaiting you, you’ll manage to overcome them. No matter the price to pay, I know you’ll finally rid the universe of the Furies. If there’s one thing I’ve learned about you, it is that you don’t know how to fail.”

  Saroudis extended his hand to Chase before continuing. “It’s been an honor. Captain.”

  Chase grimaced.

  “What is it?”

  “It’s actually—” Chase paused and shook his head almost disapprovingly. “It’s ‘Admiral’, now.”

  Saroudis’ smile lit up his face. “How long have I been down here?”

  “Not that long…”

  “Let me guess, that was Altair’s idea, wasn’t it?”

  Chase pressed his lips together and nodded.

  “Well, at least now you have the rank to do whatever you so please, not that it would ever have stopped you if you didn’t.”

  “That’s exactly what Argos said.”

  “I’m really glad the two of you are no longer enemies.”

  “So am I. In fact, the more time passes the more he feels like a brother.”

  “That’s good; he’s already saved your life before, and I think he’s really turning a new leaf.”

  “Yes, so do I. But, I�
�m still having a hard time about reconciling his past actions, at least fully.”

  “Let bygones be bygones, Chase. And look ahead.”

  Chase wanted to argue that the countless millions of dead, on Earth, Droxia and probably more worlds than he would care to know, was hardly bygones territory. But then he remembered what his mother told him not long ago. That nothing that happened under Aphroditis’ guidance was a mistake. And as difficult as it was to accept, their bloody brother feud had thrown the entire universe into chaos, but perhaps it needed to happen. The thought was too mind-boggling for Chase to follow, and he still believed that his actions shaped his own future, not those of his aunt.

  “Yeah, it’s probably best.”

  “I think it’s time,” said Saroudis.

  “Wait— before you go. I wanted to thank you for having my back, and for trusting in me. You are…were, like a father to me, and—” he took a deep breath. “I’m going to miss you more than I can ever express with words.”

  It was now Saroudis’ turn to tear up. He extended his hand once more.

  Chase went to shake his hand, but Saroudis pulled him into a warm hug. Chase then tenderly clapped Adonis on the back a few times.

  “I’m going to miss you too, kid.”

  “I’m probably way older than you,” Chase said playfully.

  “Who cares?” The expression on Saroudis’ face changed. “I can feel it, something is pulling me in. I guess this is goodbye. It’s been an honor.”

  Chase nodded solemnly and gave Adonis one last salute. “The honor was mine. Goodbye, old friend.”

  All color left Saroudis’ face, and Chase, with great sorrow, watched him walk into the file towards the chasms of souls in the distance.

  Chase sensed Hades reappear behind him.

  “Now what?” inquired Chase, his voice trembling. “How do I bring Spiros’ soul back with me?”

  Hades walked next to Chase and put his hand on Chase’s shoulder.

  “It’s okay. You can take a moment, you know.”

  With a soulful look, Chase silently thanked Hades.

  KEERA’S SHIP exited the Asgardian hyperspace corridor early.

  “What’s going on?” asked Ryonna. “Are we there, yet?”

  “We’ve exited hyperspace, but a few minutes early.”

  “Any idea why?”

  “No, and with the Asgardians’ vastly superior jump engines, that’s not exactly good news. We’re a rather long jump away from Tar’Lock’s home world if we must use our own jump engines the rest of the way.”

  “How long a jump?”

  “A few hours.”

  A bleep resonated from the controls.

  “We’re being hailed by the Asgardian ship. I’m putting them on screen.”

  The face of the female Asgardian commander filled the medium-sized holo-projector in front of them.

  “This is Commander Snotra of the Asgardian starship Ridill. A Fury destroyer fleet on the move has been detected near the jump exit coordinates.”

  “So much for this place not being defended,” snorted Ryonna.

  “Their current trajectory and late detection indicate they’ve not been stationary; we believe their presence to be only temporary while they exit sensor range. We’ve chosen jumping out of hyperspace to prevent early detection.”

  “Probably a sage decision,” confirmed Keera. “How many super-destroyers in that fleet?”

  “Ten large ships and their escort.”

  “That’s not something we want to come face to face with,” said Ryonna.

  “Should we abort?”

  “No, we might not have a second chance anytime soon,” retorted Ryonna. “Commander, any way to compute their destination?”

  “Difficult to say. They have already changed jumping vectors twice since our long-range sensors have detected them.”

  “Won’t their sensors have detected us as well?”

  “Unlikely. Asgardian technology is far superior.”

  “That you know of,” whispered Keera.

  “We also have perfect hearing,” protested the commander.

  “Nevertheless, you have no way of knowing for sure whether we’ve been detected or not.”

  The commander switched to a subzero tone. “No subspace ping has been detected; they do not know we are here.”

  “Very well, that’s good to know, and thank you for your assistance and early warning. Will you stay here, or accompany us at sub-light speed before it’s safe to finish the last leg of the jump?”

  “We’ll stay within long-range communication so that you can use our hyperspace corridors to return when you’re done. Commander Snotra out!”

  The holo-transmission terminated.

  “Charming lady,” commented Ryonna.

  “I was about to say. Well, at least they won’t be too far. There’s always that.”

  “If they don’t provide military support, they might as well pack up and go.”

  “Should I call her back?”

  “No, I’m just venting my frustration. We never know what will happen; knowing where to find a ship in a bind is always something.”

  “See? You can focus on the silver lining when you want to.”

  UPON CHASE’S return to the Hope, he teleported back to Argos’ lab. Gaia’s battle bot was standing next to him. Chase knew a metallic avatar could only express emotions through words, but thanks to his ability to sense emotions with both people and machines, he was also able to merge his consciousness with the battle bot. And as such, he felt the stress she was feeling, and it was the strongest emotion in the room.

  I thought you said Gaia wasn’t coming? questioned Argos mentally.

  I guess she’s patched up enough to be here, and, well, as you noticed I took a little longer than I expected.

  No shit? You and I have a very different definition of what “be right back” means.

  Chase smiled but didn’t answer.

  Cedric stood there as well and simply waved hello to Chase.

  “Welcome back. Where’s Spiros’ soul?” inquired Argos.

  “It’s complicated. It’s in me at the moment, and I don’t know how long I can hold it, so let’s get started.”

  Gaia walked toward Chase and placed an open hand on his chest. “Thank you for doing this, and thank you for everything else.”

  Chase smiled. “You’re perfectly welcome, Gaia.”

  Meanwhile, Argos was entering commands on the holo-console next to the pod containing Spiros’ younger body.

  “Did he have to be naked?” Chase asked.

  “I grow clones, not clothes,” retorted Argos.

  “Fair enough.” Chase grimaced and clenched his teeth. “Please hurry.”

  “What about you stop complaining and diverting my attention, then?”

  “Argos!”

  “Sorry— here we go.”

  Argos finished inputting commands and the liquid inside the pod started draining downward. While the pod drained, Argos took the ancient tech sphere and inserted it into a machine next to the pod. Another couple of inputs into the device’s mini holo-projector and the sphere became engulfed in a blue light while also generating a low humming vibration.

  A vertical blue energy line drew perpendicular from the top to the bottom of the cylinder’s glass. The now split slabs of glass retracted to the side as steam temporarily engulfed Spiros’ body.

  Chase felt panic overwhelm Gaia, and he was in pain from holding Spiros’ soul inside his own body. It required a lot of focus, but he managed to divert some of it to send her a message directly to her matrix.

  You seem agitated. Are you going to be alright?

  I— I don’t know Chase. I know I don’t have the organ, but my heart is trembling with fear and— sadness. I can’t believe he will be back, and I wish I had more time. A lifetime’s worth, in fact.

  Chase’s heart wept. He was not happy that Spiros and Gaia would have to be separated after finding each other again. But did th
ey really have to be separated?

  For the time being, I want you to try and enjoy this moment. Give it your full attention and try not to worry about what’s next.

  There was a rather long pause.

  We both know I have to self-destruct soon after; my very existence puts too many people in jeopardy.

  Let’s not rush this; let’s give it twenty-four hours before we decide anything, okay?

  Gaia’s battle droid nodded.

  The steam cloud engulfing Spiros was almost gone when the clone’s eyes opened wide. He didn’t look human, and his stare was utterly blank and devoid of emotion.

  “Is this normal?” asked Cedric.

  “It’s a completely empty mind,” answered Argos. “I’m surprised it knew how to open its eyes in the first place. But to answer your question, it’s normal…I think.”

  Chase raised an eyebrow but decided to trust in his brother’s ability in this process. He felt an increasing amount of pain from holding onto the foreign soul, and blood started dripping from his nose.

  Hurry, Chase pleaded telepathically. I can’t hold him much longer.

  Almost there; hang on, brother.

  Argos touched the ancient device with his palm, which projected a set of holo-commands in front of Spiros’ motionless and lifeless-looking new body. When he touched the transfer holo-command, Spiros’ pupils enlarged and confusion showed on his face, followed by rapid random eye movement that gave Chase the creeps.

  While a holo-interface transfer bar filled quickly, Argos walked away from Spiros’ body and stood next to Chase.

  “When the interface turns from blue to green, you’ll be up. In the meantime, let me help you with the pain.”

  Before Chase could answer, he felt a warm energy envelop him and the pain quickly attenuated to a more manageable level. Chase felt relieved, and with Argos’ energetic boost, he felt he had a stronger grasp on holding Spiros’ soul inside him.

  But when he turned his head to thank Argos, his brother’s face was deformed by pain, blood running down his nose and both his eyes. Chase wanted to push away the warm energy to stop Argos from feeling such intense agony, but Argos shook his head from side to side.