Universe in Flames 3: Destination Oblivion

by Christian Kallias

  Commodore Saroudis was nervous, and his heart pounded, but the more steps she took in his direction, the less nervous he felt, as if she was emitting a calming aura. In fact, Saroudis felt more serene now than he had in years. She stopped in front of him, smiled and presented her hand.

  “Thank you for having me on board the Destiny, Commodore Saroudis.”

  He took her hand and kissed it.

  “It’s my pleasure . . . Your . . . I’m sorry, how should address you?”.

  She beamed a smile at him. His heart skipped a beat in admiration.

  “Aphroditis is fine, Commodore.”

  “My pleasure, Aphroditis,” he said, in a tone suggesting he was not yet completely comfortable.

  She looked around. “Ah, the Destiny, the ship Chase was aboard when I first contacted him.”

  “That’s right. She has been to hell and back, but she’s one tough ship. I’m very proud of her.”

  “You should be, and of yourselves, all of you,” she said, extending her voice to everyone around.

  A grease monkey passing by opened his mouth when he caught her gaze, dropping whatever tools he had in his hands.

  She returned her gaze to the commodore. “You did a fine job protecting this world. I thank you from the bottom of my heart.”

  “I . . . Well, we couldn’t have done it without you and Chase. I mean, if you hadn’t convinced him when you did, I would not have attempted such a dire rescue.”

  “I know. That’s what’s so curious about this universe. Sometimes it’s the little things, the actions of so few people at a particular point in time, that can make the difference between light and darkness.”

  “Chase said something along those lines too, in fact. That all would be lost if we didn’t come here and repel the Zarlacks. You’ll have to tell me more about that. I’m really curious to understand how you know these things.”

  “Perhaps. It’s not something I usually talk about. My abilities, I mean.”

  “I didn’t mean to intrude. Please forgive me.”

  She smiled with a level of innocence and compassion Saroudis had never experienced.

  “You don’t have to, really. I’m . . . I’m really sorry, but it’s been a long trip and I left in a hurry.”

  “Absolutely. Would you like me to show you to your quarters so you can rest?”

  “That would be lovely, but if I could eat something as well, that would be great.”

  “We can definitely arrange that. Let me show you your quarters, and then if you want we can have dinner. Unless you’d rather dine alone?”

  “No, I would really enjoy some company. Thank you, Commodore.”

  “Please, call me Adonis.”

  “Very well. Thank you, Adonis.”

  * * *

  “Is the food to your liking, Aphroditis?”

  She took one more bite.

  “It’s unusual but quite tasty, thank you.”

  “It’s Earth’s food. They have amazing dishes, millions of them.”

  “This isn’t flesh though, is it? I . . . I’m starving but I would hate to think I’m eating something that once lived.”

  “No, it’s a replica, so it’s pretty much how flesh would taste, but this was never living.”

  “Alright. You’ll find me silly, but that still disturbs me a little.”

  “I know how you feel, and to tell you the truth I’ve tasted real flesh. I thought before I passed judgment I should at least know about it.”

  She grimaced. “And?”

  “Well, it was delicious too; probably slightly better than the replicated stuff; but we’ve asked the humans to reduce their consumption of meat for the greater good of the planet.”

  “Besides the obvious objections to eating once-living beings, what was the problem exactly?”

  “The way they were raised and treated. In some cases it was humane but most of the time it was . . .” He paused. “Barbaric at worse, cruel at best.”

  “I see,” said Aphroditis with clear sadness.

  “But wouldn’t you already know all that?”

  “We are not all knowing. When we decided to let Earth take its own path, so long ago, we didn’t really look back. In fact, it wasn’t until I started having strong visions of this planet’s destruction that I decided to intervene.”

  “On your own?”

  “Yes, at first at least. Ares accepted to help me when it became clear that Chase needed a mentor.”

  Saroudis nodded.

  “But at first I took it upon myself to contact Chase, against my father’s wishes, in fact.”

  “That would be Zeus, right?”

  She raised an eyebrow. “Yes. I’m surprised you know that, though.”

  “I’ve been fascinated by the tales of Olympia since I was a child. In fact, it played a role in accepting what Chase was saying when . . . when he pointed a gun at my face, practically ordering me to go to Earth and battle the Zarlacks right after . . .”

  “Right after the fall of the Alliance.”

  Saroudis’ expression became grave at the mention of that dark moment in the not-so-distant past.

  “Yes, that.”

  “I’m sorry it took such a measure to convince you; but I’m not sorry it did. I’m certain Earth’s survival is the key to saving the universe. I’m also glad you knew about us beforehand. Looks as though that helped convince you.

  “Clearly. You don’t have to apologize, though. While I was shocked at first, I realized that Chase was doing what he thought was right. He did have doubts though.”

  “I’m sure he did. And still has them; probably stronger now than ever before, after what happened to Sarah and his unborn child.”

  “I thought you were the one who told him to fire upon her ship.”

  “No. Argos managed to intercept our communications and masqueraded as me when speaking to Chase.”

  “That’s unfortunate. Does he know? I don’t want to ruin your evening, but he wasn’t really happy about the Olympians when he resigned his commission and left this world.”

  “He does now, and hopefully with time we can mend that broken trust between us. At least I hope so.”

  “I know you mentioned earlier that you didn’t especially want to talk about your visions or your ability to see . . . the future?”

  “Possible futures, in fact. It’s always in movement. It’s the actions and thoughts of every inhabitant of this universe that shapes the future. While there are many potential futures ahead, I only see those that seem more likely to happen.”

  “Makes sense. In those, you are persuaded that Earth plays a capital role? And I take it Chase as well?”

  “That’s correct.”

  “Chase mentioned at one point that our current enemies, the Zarlacks, are only a pawn race, that their real masters are yet to be revealed. That has me worried.”

  “Yes, the real storm hasn’t begun yet. This is just a prelude to a much darker war.”

  “Whoa! Really? I thought times were pretty tough already. I mean, the original Alliance was obliterated, billions dead; millions died on Earth. How much worse can it get?”

  Tears formed at the corners of Aphroditis’ eyes. “Much worse.”

  Saroudis swallowed heavily, not sure if he wanted to know more. “Do you know who that enemy is?”

  “No. In my vision they appear distorted, as if they’re not even from the same plane of existence as us.”

  “How is that possible?”

  “I have no idea. All I know is that every possible future I look into lately, they’re there. Their arrival, whenever it happens, seems inevitable at this point.”

  “But will we prevail?”

  “There is . . . There’s only one future I see in which they can be stopped, but at great cost. Much of the life in this universe will burn before it can be reborn, if . . .”

  “If it is even reborn?”

  She nodded.

  “Are you ever wrong?”

  “I am n
either right or wrong, Adonis. I just see what could become, and sometimes I get hints. A person, a place, that becomes clear in my vision, as if I’m being nudged towards it. A way for me to know who or what will be instrumental for that particular future to come to fruition.”

  “Like Chase and Earth?”

  “Yes. They are part of whatever the future holds, that’s for sure. And they are the keys to making the only acceptable future hold.”

  “Boy, that’s really heavy stuff. I think I lost my appetite.”

  “So have I. I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have told you any of this.”

  “No, that’s alright. It’s fascinating, in fact. Plus I can see it takes a toll on you. So if talking about it helps you release some of that burden, I’m more than happy to listen. But mind if I ask you one more thing?”

  “That’s sweet. It does help a little, thank you. Ask away.”

  “What about Zeus? Will the rest of the Olympians help?”

  “Doubtful.”

  “Why?”

  “When we stopped interfering with younger races—Earth but also many others—it was for a reason. A new age began once the Furies were defeated. The older races decided not to interfere with the younger races. We decided it was your time to shape the world you lived in. No matter the consequences of your actions.”

  “I can respect that. I mean, who doesn’t want free will?”

  “Indeed. You deserve it; every living being does.”

  “So then why? Why did you disobey? Don’t get me wrong, I’m glad you did. My instinct tells me I’d be dead by now if you didn’t.”

  “Because when the only futures I could glimpse were filled with darkness, pain and death, so much death . . . I decided I should do something about it.”

  “What did Zeus think?”

  “Well, to put it briefly, he banished me.”

  Saroudis’ didn’t know what to say. After a very uncomfortable minute of silence, he asked, “What about Ares? I mean, before he was killed, was he banished as well?”

  “Ares had been banished long before me; thousands of years before.”

  “Wow, alright. Why, if I may ask?”

  “He became drunk on power. He lost his way, his . . . sanity. He made some poor decisions, exercised even poorer judgment and as a result countless civilizations were lost because of him. It’s a miracle my father didn’t kill him.”

  “Boy, and I thought the tales were just legends with lots of exaggeration. I also thought they only applied to my race. I see they extend to the entire universe.”

  “Most myths and legends have their roots in reality. Whether the details are precise is another matter.”

  “Ever since we arrived on Earth I have been studying their own legends. There are so many. Could some of these be referencing other ancient races?”

  “Without knowing more about them I couldn’t tell you.”

  “Well there’s the Egyptians, the Norse gods, to name only those I’ve studied. There are many more tales and legends.”

  “I . . . I’m feeling a little queasy. Do you mind if we table this discussion for another time?”

  “Absolutely. Sorry, I didn’t mean to overwhelm you with all my questions.”

  “I understand, Adonis. You don’t need to apologize. Thank you for the lovely evening and tasty food.”

  “My pleasure. Shall I escort you to your quarters?”

  She attempted a smile and nodded.

  Saroudis offered his hand to help Aphroditis up. They left his dining room and he led her to her quarters on the same deck.

  A few minutes later she was lying on her bed when it happened again.

  * * *

  A bright blue light shone from within Aphroditis and rays of light escaped her mouth and eyes. Soon she was levitating a good three feet above the bed. The first minute of vision mode was always painful and disorienting. No matter how many visions she received, she never really became used to this part.

  Soon the world before her eyes split in two, then four, then eight; and within a minute or two there were too many realities for her brain to count or register. Some were blurrier than others, some darker, and a select few were brighter and blinked to attract her attention. She focused on the one that blinked brightest. It took a while for her brain to block the other realities.

  Once she focused on it, her vision became like a tunnel. She travelled through this reality and saw things, possible things, from this particular future.

  Then a face flashed. It was Chase. He was crying, but his face was devoid of sadness. Then Earth flashed into view. It bore some new craters, and Aphroditis heard the cries of millions of lives going extinct.

  She then saw another face: Sarah’s. She struggled to understand how this was even possible, but she had no time to dwell on it as she continued accelerating in her tunnel vision. Another flash overtook her mind. It was powerful and she felt more strain than ever before. It was a vision of a gigantic creature. There was no doubt about it: it was a Titan. It was fighting two figures, but they were running and jumping around it so fast she couldn’t make out who or what they were. The tunnel vision resumed again at great speed, increasing both her discomfort and sense of dread.

  The rate at which she accelerated was very disorienting. Aphroditis felt as though her body was being stretched over space and time itself. The space between the flashes lasted minutes now instead of seconds. When the next flash vision finally occurred, a planet appeared out of nowhere. Aphroditis had never seen it before. With orange-red surface hues, and large cities shining on its dark side. The planet started spinning really fast, impossibly fast, and then, when it settled again, she saw a very large armada of ships in orbit. She had never seen these ships before either. They looked as if they came straight from hell, dark and spiky. She felt fear and dread just looking at them. Suddenly everything was engulfed in bright flames. Her body temperature rose, her skin burned and her organs and fluids boiled within her body. For a brief moment, she felt as though she was really burning, inside and out. When the vision ended abruptly it took the wind out of her, and she fell, crashing onto her bed. She could barely breathe, wheezing heavily; with each attempt only a fraction of the air reached her lungs and her brain. Soon an even greater sense of dread engulfed her, like nothing she had experienced before.

  She tried to calm herself, focusing on restoring a deep breathing pattern. It wasn’t easy at first, but after a few minutes she managed to breathe steadily.

  Only then did she try analyzing what she had seen. The image of Chase with tears in his eyes was new; on account of Sarah’s passing, for sure. But then she had seen Sarah in the vision too. What did that mean? Sarah’s ship had been blown to pieces. Chase had destroyed it to make sure the schematics for the Alliance’s new powerful technologies didn’t fall into Argos’ hands. Yet there was no mistaking her presence in the vision. Unless this was a flash from the past. That would explain why she felt differently than during previous visions, and why it all seemed out of place. Still, there had been no vision of the garbled and distorted enemy. Unless the planet in the vision was their home planet. If that was the case, she wondered what it meant to have seen their world and their ships clearly this time. That couldn’t be a good sign, she decided.

  She went into the bathroom, bent over the hand basin and splashed cold water on her face. She could still feel a weird heat within her, as if some of the heat from the visions had carried over. She splashed more water on her face, until the water turned red. Suddenly her skin no longer felt smooth. It was burned and oozing. Her reflection in the mirror was pure hell. Deep cuts bled and oozed a thick, black, semi-liquid goo. Flames burned where she was cut. That was when she saw him, behind her in the reflection: Argos was smiling at her, a look of murder in his shining red eyes. She screamed at the top of her lungs but nothing happened. No sound carried away.

  “I will get you. You’re mine now!” His words echoed in her brain.

  The mirror exploded and large pieces
of glass sliced through her face.

  She screamed once more, this time waking on the bed where she lay. Her heart pounded so hard that the pain radiated throughout her rib cage. She quickly put her hands on her face to feel its smoothness. Feeling no cuts or bruises eased her panic.

  A nightmare? Or another vision? she wondered.

  Before she could think more about it, the ship rocked and she fell from her bed. The Destiny was under attack.

  * * *

  On the bridge Commodore Saroudis ordered the shields up the moment the first salvo of incoming fire hit the ship.

  “Saroudis to the fleet: return fire.”

  An entire armada of thirty behemoth ships had jumped right into orbit. Three of the ships had materialized where two ships and one defense satellite had been. One of these ships had been the last off the assembly line, her fresh crew gone, just like that.

  “How the hell did they jump here without us noticing their approach?”

  “Unknown, Commodore,” answered the helmsman.

  “Lock all batteries and torpedoes, and bring main weapons to bear.”

  “Aye aye, sir”

  And then it was chaos. While the fleet in orbit matched the enemies in numbers, these were behemoth-class ships. Even with stronger firepower, this was not going to be an easy fight, and Saroudis knew it.

  The second ship hit by the incoming hyperspace Zarlack ship, the Medusa, exploded in a bright flash, damaging a nearby Droxian battle cruiser.

  The Zarlack ships started spewing starfighters like locusts.

  “All pilots scramble to your ships now!” he shouted.

  None of his best wing commanders were here for what could very well be the most difficult engagement yet. Saroudis swore, cursing Chase’s absence. And Daniel’s too. The Earth Alliance had won many of the last battles, and they thought they were safe. Saroudis realized how wrong they were.

  “Open a channel to Lieutenant Steriopoulou,”

  “Sledgehammer here. What can I do for you, Commodore?”