by Shae Mills
Fremma hugged Yanis just as tight. “I am so thankful you made it, my friend. All these years I had no idea.” Then Fremma pulled back. “Up until I saw the fighters...” He looked around at all the stunned warriors and then to Korba. “Up until this morning, I had no idea what was happening out there. RIBUS 7 was such an early casualty, I was not even sure if Talon had won or not.”
Korba finally managed to compose himself. “Then we have a whole lot to talk about.”
Fremma smiled. “We do,” he whispered, his eyes finally coming to rest on Chelan.
Chelan had just managed to let go of Korba, but she was shaking so badly she could hardly stand. She placed both hands over her mouth as she muted her sobs.
Fremma stared at her. “Oh, my Lady. It is so good to see you once again.”
Chelan gave in to the intensity of the situation and burst out crying. She ran to him, leapt at him, and hugged him with all her strength.
Fremma clutched her to him, her long-lost scent tugging at his heart. He buried his face in her hair and inhaled. In a soft voice, he whispered in her ear, “I have missed you so, my Lady.” He squeezed his eyes tight. “Ton droth los... ‘My love forever lost.’”
Chelan cried even harder. When finally she found the strength, she let go of him, and he let her sag back down to her feet. She stared into his eyes for the longest time. “I cannot believe it is you. I cannot believe it.” And she reached for his face... her fingers tracing the lines of his features as if trying to memorize him.
Korba smiled at the two of them. Then he glanced at Annya, and the Warlord sobered. The young woman looked absolutely crestfallen, her hands tightly clenched together in front of her, her eyes downcast.
Fremma smiled at Korba, and the Emperor signed quickly. Fremma instantly looked at Annya. He stepped back from Chelan and reached for his woman. He pulled her to his side and nodded to Korba and Chelan. “I would like you all to meet my wife, Annya.”
Chelan returned to her mate and hugged into Korba’s side. She smiled and wiped away her tears. “We have met your beautiful wife. She brought us here to meet her husband, a man who has done so much for her people.”
Fremma looked down at Annya and touched her face reverently. “She did so much for me. If not for her, I would not be here today.”
Chelan saw the pride in Annya’s eyes as the woman peered up adoringly at her husband. But Chelan felt her own heart twist, so many emotions surging through her at the moment, she could hardly breathe. Then she observed the love in Fremma’s eyes, and she knew this was a bond that was meant to be.
Finally, Fremma looked from Annya to Korba. “And where is my hug from his Majesty, or would that be breaking Imperial and military protocol?”
Korba laughed as he concealed his rifle. “I guess we can get away with it this once,” he said, and the two men embraced one another. Korba patted him on the back as they parted. “We need to talk about so many things. But unfortunately I have to get to business right way as I have a mission to complete on this rock. I am going to have to leave all the reminiscing for a day or so while I deal with the Troke.”
Fremma nodded. “I could tell by the number of fighters out there that this was no small military maneuver. Let me guess—you are taking over the whole planetary system?”
“That would be correct, and so far, so good.”
Fremma nodded. “The Troke are concentrated here on Rake, but they run roughshod over all the other peoples throughout the system. However, when confronted by the Empire, they would not be able to mount much of a resistance.”
“I anticipated that. But I did not want overconfidence causing any mistakes whatsoever on our part, so we hit hard and fast. They surrendered almost immediately.”
Fremma smiled. “Now what?”
“Now I meet them and basically tell them they work for us. It is a long story, the last few years, but the Troke need to answer a few questions I have. Once they cooperate, we will finalize the takeover.”
“Want help?”
Korba saw Annya flinch, and he cleared his throat. “I think I can manage. I will leave a large contingent of my men here with you, just as a precaution while I hammer out the last details.”
Fremma nodded. “I wish you luck with that one. But I know you. You have done your research on these people, no doubt, but their propensity to negotiate anything is nil, and I am well aware that you are a Warlord first.”
Korba grinned. “I may have changed over the years.”
Fremma laughed. “Yes, well, you will change when the laws governing gravity do.”
Korba rubbed at his jaw. “I do have negotiators with me. I did take all scenarios into account.”
Fremma nodded. “I can guarantee they will be of little use. In the end, I suspect you will be the best man for the job.”
Korba drew in a deep breath as he glanced at Chelan. Then he focused back on Fremma. “Anything else I may need to know?”
“The Troke have interplanetary conveyances, and effective ones at that. But they are not a threat against our level of sophistication. I am sure you know that. Still, their communications network is extensive, mostly satellite generated, and they have interstellar modes also. You should be wary.”
“Despite communications, they cannot mount any sort of military resistance.”
“No, but I can tell you that the messages of your invasion would have gone out rapidly. You may have the head of the Troke rounded up here—a strategic coup, no doubt—but all the other affiliated factions far and wide will have been moved underground and shielded from detection on every planet in this system. My resources tell me there are ninety-four such planets in all. The Troke will not be able to attack now, but they will defend. And just to make your life a little more difficult, they will shut the mines down and pick off anyone who attempts to work them.”
“What did Talon do? Were you ever privy to that information?”
“As far as I know, he operated on only five of the planets, plus this one. He approached the Troke here in the beginning, but no meaningful deals were ever made. I fully expected him to eradicate them here on Rake, but obviously he needed their expertise and their workforce.”
“Was there an exchange of goods, then? Anything that may have inspired them to cooperate?”
Fremma laughed. “Talon was very much like you, my Lord. He had no patience for such trivial affairs. The other five planets afforded Talon what proved to be his main bargaining chip. Communications out here in the Outlays are sparse at the best of times, but from what rumors I heard, when preliminary talks here vaporized from the start, Talon went in on the other planets full force and wiped them nearly clean of their inhabitants. Then he rounded up people from neighboring worlds to mine what he required there. Eliminating billions convinced the Troke leaders here to give him what he wanted, and the deal, if you could call it that, was done.”
“Why did Talon not take over more of the planets?”
“His timeline, maybe? But from what I can tell, his needs were relatively small. If he had wanted to outfit his fleet, he would have had to take all the planets and hope like hell the Zenatropium deposits were more extensive than they actually are. And, in retrospect, he probably figured that out pretty fast. So he got what he required strategically, and left.”
Korba sighed. “We came to the same conclusion. He had special forces teams that necessitated cloaking.” His voice lowered as he glanced at Chelan. “Unfortunately, they were very effective.”
Fremma’s eyes narrowed as he looked between Korba and Chelan. “I take it the story here is very long and somewhat tragic?”
Korba worked his jaw, preferring not to touch such a sensitive subject for the time being. “I will take care of all the communications systems, rendering them useless as soon as possible. After I deal with the Troke here, I will return, and we will talk.”
Fremma stepped forward and locked arms with Korba. “I look forward to that, my Lord.”
The two men sta
red into one another’s eyes, mutual understanding flowing between them. Then Korba stepped back and refocused on the task at hand. He turned and looked at his warriors. “Yanis.”
“Yes, my Lord.”
“I am leaving you here with your men. While I am gone, bring our friend up to date, preferably without beating him to death.”
Yanis smiled. “Gladly, Sire. I will restrain myself in that regard, if I have to.”
Korba signed and the warriors separated into two groups, Yanis’s men dismounting. Zar and Shabby stepped forward, and Korba helped Chelan onto Shabizar’s back. Then he vaulted onto Zar’s. “I shall also leave many of the fighters nearby, just in case not all is at is seems. I will keep in touch with Yanis and he can relay progress reports to you.”
“Excellent, my Lord,” And then Fremma looked to Chelan. “Be safe, my Lady.”
Chelan nodded and smiled. “I shall.” And with that, she and the rest of the men headed off.
THE LARGE CONTINGENT of mounted riders entered a clearing and Korba signaled a stop. Chelan looked up at him. “What is happening?”
“A change in plans. From this point on we will be going via fighter.” And he dismounted.
Chelan swung her leg over Shabby’s back and dropped to the ground before him. “Problems?”
He shook his head. “No, I just want to get this over with. The men here can continue a sweep inward, but considering what Fremma had to say, you and I may as well cut to the chase.”
Chelan smiled. “I am surprised you are still taking me with you.”
Korba frowned. “Why wouldn’t I?”
“Because with Fremma confirming that negotiating will be fruitless, there really is no reason for me to appear by your side.”
“True, and that has been going through my mind, but I promised to take you through to the end of this, and I will.”
Chelan looked down at the ground for moment as she collected her thoughts. Then she glanced around at the impressive army mounted on equally impressive steeds. “You know...,” she began quietly, “if I were a betting person, I would lay my money on the odds that this is going to go sideways badly.”
Korba was quiet as he studied her. “Why would you say that?”
Chelan gave him a lopsided smile. “Because Talon wanted so little compared to what you are planning to take. Talon was in and out, but the Empire is here to stay. The Troke know this. They are well aware that their lives as they have always known them for eons are about to be changed irrevocably or be snuffed out. None of us knows the numbers as of yet, but Talon took out billions on just five planets. You are about to take over ninety-four or more. The Troke have nothing to lose by throwing whatever they can at you in this, their last stand.”
“Terig and I will give them options. When confronted with extinction, they may have second thoughts.”
Chelan squinted at him. “You know that is not true, right?”
Korba stared up at the sky and drew in a large breath. Then he looked to her. “I know in my mind why they would quite likely prefer death over capitulation. I see their point of view as a leader and a warrior. But I am curious what you see.”
“I see a violent race of people who reject compromise on all levels, a race of people who have terrorized their workers and subjects for millenniums, successfully. They have managed to hold captive billions, forcing them into slavery, quashing all uprisings, and instilling fear into the masses on nearly a hundred planets, and we really have no idea how they have managed to retain such domination for so long. But I suspect that whatever methods they use are none too pleasant. Regardless, they have attained a lifestyle on the backs of all these people who undoubtedly fear them and hate them with a vengeance. If they cooperate with us, they will lose their status and their ability to suppress and control all those who despise them so much. In the end, the Troke would not only forfeit all, but over time, each and every one of them would be picked off by the likes of Flek’s people, and they know it. Tyranny, when it is toppled, is not done away with gently.”
“And you know this how?”
Chelan sucked in a deep breath. “Oh my god, Korba. On my world this scenario has been acted out so many times it is appalling.” She winced. “A long time ago a man came to power who tried his best to take over the world. His methods were brutal, his desire to cleanse the word of all subordinates... insatiable. People high in his military elite committed atrocities your culture has never even contemplated. In the end, he was taken out, the world saved from his brutal society, but that kind of dethroning has never occurred here, at least not yet. Anyway, this man of Earth took the coward’s way out when faced with annihilation, but many of his officers simply disappeared and blended into society during all the ensuing chaos. Some were ferreted out and eliminated over the coming years, but a few slipped through the dragnets erected to catch them. My perspective on all this is that the Troke would rather die quickly by your hand than to be humiliated first by defeat, and then only to survive to be slaughtered slowly over time by those they repressed for so long.”
Korba took a moment to soak in all that she had relayed, and of course she was right. But as a man who was about to take over a substantial planetary system, he had to act as an Emperor first and a Warlord second. “Assuming that is true, is that why you are surprised I am still taking you? Because you are sure there will be violence?”
“I know there will be. You have a dangerous animal cornered. How can it not strike out?”
Korba paused. “It wants to strike out, of that I have no doubt, but it has been rendered ineffectual.” He paused. “I have already thought this through. I will not put you in danger. But my reason for stopping here is to tell you that though I will keep you safe, and though I have all in place to do just that, I may not be able to spare you from witnessing that which you would consider a horror.”
“I understand, but I also feel that some small part of you, maybe the part under the influence of Terig or the optimism of the Telesians, may entertain the idea that the Troke could still settle for some sort of last-minute reprieve.”
“I actually have no delusions pertaining to that. But a diplomatic solution will be offered to them nonetheless. They can take it or leave it.”
Chelan nodded. “Well then, I suppose it is up to me whether I wish to witness the final solution enacted before my eyes.”
Korba nodded. “You know how my people work, how my society functions, our values and our missions, and you have seen our form of justice delivered by my own hand. I will not bar you from accompanying me, but if you attend, I will not shelter you either.”
Chelan nodded. “So, enlighten me now. What are we walking in on?”
“All over the planet, the mines and all the major cities have been shut down. The Troke, as many as we have been able to find, have been rounded up and detained. Through our intelligence, all the ringleaders have been brought together in one spot here on the outskirts of this city. We have commandeered a large structure for our needs. The Troke are there and are surrounded, both inside the facility and on the outside. All avenues accessing this large structure have been cut off, and our air support is maintaining a secure perimeter around the area. We arrive, we talk with them... and whatever the final solution, it is decided then and there.”
“So they will not be able to consult with their kind in other areas of this planet or with their leaders on the other planets?”
“Reconnaissance listening in on transmissions long before we arrived identified the leaders on each major planet. Locations were pinpointed. During the night, all people of importance were scooped up and transported here. Everyone in a decision-making capacity is now within the walls of this one facility. Anything that needs to be ironed out among themselves can be done here, in person. Decisions made will be administered instantaneously throughout the star system.”
Chelan’s eyes widened. “My, you do work fast.”
Korba nodded. “Just remember, a lot of the framework and pr
ep was done by my crews in the weeks before we arrived. What is happening now was built on the back of all that preparation.”
“Yes, but to put this all together and execute it so fast now... I mean the logistics of it all...”
Korba grinned. “You forget how long I have been doing this sort of thing, my Lady.”
“Oh no, I have not forgotten. But surely, coming in and crushing the masses is a little different from this kind of mission.”
“It is, but all the strategic planning is the same. It is just enacted a little differently.”
“Despite the speed of what has occurred here, the whole process has been undoubtedly more time-consuming, though.”
Korba frowned. “You have that right. With such an archaic military, if we had just simply come here to take over, well, things would have been taken care of long before our arrival, and we would simply be seeing to the mining operations. But we are on a fact-finding mission, and that requires a degree of finesse.”
“Well, hopefully they will cough up that information, but if they resist, as I suspect they will, things will not go smoothly. With that under consideration, and despite the fact that things are so well contained, is there an actual threat to me in accompanying you?”
Korba looked deep into her eyes. “My Lady, from the moment you were taken by my Earth landing crew so long ago, there has been constant threat to you.”
Chelan smiled. “I understand that, and from the moment I was bound to you, that threat increased a thousandfold, but you know to what I refer in this situation. I do not want your decision-making compromised by my presence.”
Korba stepped into her and gave her a hug. His voice was warm and low. “I do know that concerns you, just as it does me. But as I said, as things stand now, I am concerned only about what you may see. There is no way the Troke can get to either of us.”
Chelan hugged him back. “I understand what I signed up for.” She looked up at him. “And after all my years with you, I know what to expect. And I asked to be brought along, so all I want is for you to do your job as you would without my presence, and I am sure I will be fine. In fact, I know I will be. I have hardened a bit over the years, you know?”