Universe in Flames 3: Destination Oblivion

by Christian Kallias

“What happened?”

  “The shield is down. Thanks for trusting me.”

  “I don’t remember anything, but I’m glad you managed.”

  Tar’Lock hailed Daniel, surprised to see he had both hands again. He pointed at it. “Your doing?”

  “I needed it.”

  “So do I, so thanks.”

  “Daniel, here. What’s your status, Tar’Lock?”

  “The shield is down. You can come in.”

  “Great job, thanks!”

  “What now?” Tar’Lock asked Ares.

  “Now you go help your friends.”

  “How?”

  “The altars. Use their power to immobilize the Titan.”

  “Any chance you know how they work?”

  “You’ll have to figure that out with your friends.”

  “Alright, thanks, Ares.”

  “Go, now!”

  “Right.”

  When getting to his feet Tar’Lock felt a tremendous pain in his back.

  “Sorry about that. You may want to leave the glass there until Chase can heal you. I’m afraid you might bleed out if you take it out now.”

  “Swell, alright.”

  Tar’Lock ran back towards the arena.

  CHAPTER

  XXI

  Chase and Argos had been attacking the Titan with a series of fireballs when the StarFuries arrived on the scene.

  “More of your friends?”

  “We clearly need the help.”

  “Right. Somehow I doubt their firepower will be enough to bring it down, though.”

  “Perhaps not, but they will provide a diversion.”

  “For what?”

  “We need to use the altars.”

  “Again with that?”

  “Look, we’ve done things your way up till now and it hasn’t worked. Time for a change of tactics.”

  “Do you know how they work?”

  “No, but now is the time to try them. Ryonna will take care of the altar near the entrance, Tar’Lock the one behind the giant gate. That leaves one for each of us at the sides.”

  “Very well. This better work!”

  “Not really like we have a choice here.”

  The StarFuries deployed drones and started raining laser fire towards the Titan. It drew the beast’s attention and it frantically waved its arms, trying to bring the starfighters down. When it realized they were too skilled for it to smash them with its bare hands it began shooting lasers from its eyes.

  The StarFuries went evasive and dodged the incoming attacks.

  Chase landed near the altar and had another vision. Four colors flashed before his eyes in quick succession: yellow, green, blue and red.

  He understood immediately what that meant. He reached with his mind and spoke to Ryonna.

  “You need to touch the yellow sphere. Do it now!”

  Ryonna ran towards the altar, pausing for a split second to look at the chaotic scene created by the StarFuries and Argos attacking the Titan. Then she resumed her run and touched the yellow sphere of energy on top of the altar. A wooden staff with shining runes materialized in her hand. The tip of the staff contained a similar yellow energy, glowing through the elaborate woodwork containing it.

  “What now?”

  “I’m not sure. Point it at the Titan and thinking of firing.”

  Ryonna did just that and a stream of yellow energy shot towards the chest of the Titan.

  Upon impact, solid brown stone formed around the chest and shoulders of the beast and seemed to immobilize it.

  Argos lost no time firing a powerful fireball at its face, but the Titan blew it out of the sky with a shot of his eye lasers. The StarFuries each sent a missile at the beast’s arms. Its arms exploded for a moment, but almost immediately reconstructed themselves.

  The Titan shrieked and cracks appeared in the brown, stony prison engulfing its rib cage and shoulders. It finally gave away and rocks flew in every direction. Some of the debris lit up the shields of Daniel’s StarFury upon impact and sent him in a spin towards the nearest wall.

  Chase grabbed the ship with his mind and restored a safe trajectory to avoid collision. He then plunged his hand into the red energy sphere and felt fire run through his bloodstream. As a pair of finely crafted gold gloves materialized in his hands, he punched the air in front of him towards the Titan and a powerful wave of flames hit it with full force. It growled from the pain but the flames didn’t last long. Soon smoke arose where the fire had touched the Titan. It screamed and everything shook.

  Wrong order. But he needed to know what each altar’s power was to use them efficiently. He reached Tar’Lock telepathically and asked him to use the green energy sphere.

  When he put his hand inside the green sphere a trident materialized in his hand, glowing emerald. He pointed it towards the Titan and a watery typhoon shot from the trident into the Titan’s back.

  “Argos! Quickly use yours!”

  Reluctantly, Argos waved his hand through the blue energy sphere and immediately felt an ice cold current inside his body. His arms shone with blue light and he sent a shockwave towards the distracted Titan. The wave flash froze the water on the Titan’s back forming a thick layer of ice, trapping the beast once more and restricting its movements.

  The StarFuries came about for another round of laser fire and missiles, which only resulted in the Titan screaming in frustration and breaking the ice. It slammed a foot into the ground with tremendous force and all four of those on the ground lost their balance. The Titan then screamed so loudly that the sound waves sent Ryonna crashing against the nearest wall, cracking a few ribs in the process.

  Then the Titan turned towards Argos, who was back on his feet and already launching himself towards the beast at full speed. He punched once more in the air but the glacial air current had almost no effect this time, most of the water on the Titan having being shaken off when it smashed the ground.

  The Titan’s reaction was immediate and it smashed Argos in midair with both palms. The shock was so powerful that Argos’ body exploded on impact, sending waves of body parts in every direction.

  “NOOOOOOOOOOOO!” shouted Chase as he fell to his knees. The full realization of what had just happened blackened his soul once more. In thirty seconds Sarah would die and there was nothing he could do. Argos had been obliterated and Chase could not heal him.

  Anger rose within him, but the full power of his emotions was now useless. He entered rage mode, but he didn’t know what to do with the tremendous amount of power running within him.

  “Chase!” said Aphroditis. “Quick! Smash the stone on your pendant. It will reverse time by forty seconds. Make sure Argos doesn’t get hit this time.”

  A shiver running through every atom of Chase’s body, he snatched the pendant and crushed it in his hand. Then everything changed. Time seemed to slow down and then reverse. When it resumed its normal course, Chase grabbed Fillio’s StarFury with his mind, ejected her cockpit and threw the ship towards Argos, just before he was smashed by the Titan, who hit only air this time. He then took control of Daniel’s StarFury, ejected Daniel as he had Fillio a moment before and danced the starfighter all around the Titan, firing every laser, missile and torpedo at it, making sure the Titan devoted all its attention towards the craft.

  He reached Ryonna’s mind and told her to fire the staff at the Titan’s legs. She moaned, trying to get back to her feet, but she managed to direct the staff as instructed and shot another beam of yellow energy that struck the Titan right below the knees. She held the staff and lowered it a little. Soon the Titan’s legs were trapped in a thick layer of brown stone.

  Chase then sent the next telepathic command to Tar’Lock, who sprang into action and fired the typhoon at the beast’s back with his trident. He ran as fast as he could. He felt Ares’ presence again within him, which seemed to give his speed a tremendous boost. In an instant he had circled the Titan fully and covered it in water.

  Argos did not need any
instruction as he flew in the air above the Titan, both arms glowing a bright blue as he unleashed the most powerful shockwave he could muster, putting nearly all his remaining energy into that blast. The result instantly transformed the Titan into a statue of ice.

  Chase then touched the red energy and let it send more fire inside his body. Soon a flaming dragon materialized and whirled around him. Lightning, sparks and embers danced in the air as he took a fighting stance. He used the rage in him to power up to the maximum, bringing his energy levels beyond anything he had felt before. His hair flew upward, his eyes turned orange and in a fluid motion he threw his punch forward, and with it the flaming dragon unfolded from around him and shot towards the iced Titan. It punched through ice and stone and impaled the Titan, before circling all around the beast like a boa constrictor. Chase intensified his aura to the maximum, unleashing a deafening war cry, and the Titan exploded from the fiery pressure unleashed upon its sub-zero, flash-frozen body. The explosion released a powerful shockwave that blew ash particles all around at incredible velocity.

  The sheer impact of the explosion broke most of the arena’s walls and sent everyone but Chase and Argos flying. He caught his friends with his mind and held them in the air, protecting them with orange force fields.

  When the dust settled, only a pile of melted ash stood in the center of the arena where the Titan once towered, a round, obsidian gem on top of it.

  Argos grabbed the fist-sized stone with his telekinesis. He looked at Chase and nodded, a wide smile of contentment across his face.

  Chase saw Tar’Lock fall to his knees and flew towards him.

  “Are you’re alright?”

  “Well, Ares helped but he suggested you help me with this.” He turned to show the large piece of glass firmly planted in his shoulder.

  Chase took the glass out without warning.

  “Aaaarg.”

  “Sorry, the pain won’t last long. Hang on.”

  Blood spilled from the wound at an alarming rate, but soon Chase’s healing hands patched it up and energy rushed back into Tar’Lock.

  “Thanks, Chase, feeling much better.”

  “No, it is I who thank you, my friend. Without your intervention, I don’t think we would have defeated the Titan.”

  “I must admit I had my doubts about that. I didn’t see what we could do that you two couldn’t, but I guess powers aren’t everything.”

  Daniel, Fillio and Ryonna all approached them.

  “Thanks, guys. I would say you shouldn’t have come, but I would be lying.”

  Daniel smiled. “A little heads-up before ejecting us from our starfighters would be nice next time.”

  “I second that. I almost soiled myself,” said Fillio.

  “Sorry. In the heat of the moment, I didn’t really have time to do anything but act on instinct.”

  “Well, it turned out for the best, it seems. That was quite the take down.”

  Chase nodded, realizing that the most difficult part of recovering Sarah was now over.

  Ryonna stayed silent but Chase could tell she was in pain.

  “Mind if I take care of your wounds?”

  “It’s just some broken ribs. I’ll be fine.”

  “Be that as it may,” said Chase, approaching her and resting his palms on her side. “It will just take a second.”

  “Laiyos! When you’re done celebrating with your friends, we have to go,” shouted Argos from afar.

  “He’s a hoot. Felt like closing his yapper much in the last few hours?” asked Daniel with a chuckle.

  “You have no idea. He’s insufferable.”

  “Still, you seem less hateful towards him, or am I reading it wrong?”

  Was he? Chase didn’t know. For now all that mattered was to make sure he would hold Sarah and the unborn Chris in his arms soon. The rest seemed to be background noise, no matter how difficult it had been.

  “I think he’ll get what he deserves soon enough. Right now I can’t think about that, not while he still has Sarah’s life in his hands.”

  “About that. He might not fulfill his end of the bargain. You realize that?”

  “I’ll make him. I’m no longer afraid of him. I know I can beat him now.”

  “I hope you know what you’re doing.”

  “So do I, my friend, so do I.”

  * * *

  Chase arrived back on the bridge of the Iron Fire.

  “Welcome back, Chase,” said Aphroditis with a smile.

  “Thanks, and thank you for the pendant. I’m sorry I had to destroy it.”

  “It was unavoidable under the circumstances. I’m glad you succeeded in your mission. Now we should go get Sarah. I . . .”

  “What is it?”

  Argos was only a few steps behind, so she decided not to tell Chase about her latest vision.

  “Nothing, I’m fine.”

  She caught a glimpse of the obsidian stone in Argos’ hand. “So that’s what he wanted, the Pandora stone.”

  “Do you know what it’s for?”

  “All I know is that nothing good can come from his possessing it, otherwise it wouldn’t have been protected by one of the last Titans in existence.”

  “I see. I wish I knew what he intends to do next, but I must admit all I care about is seeing Sarah again.”

  “I understand, Chase. And soon you will.”

  Argos cleared his throat to get his brother’s attention.

  “What do you want?”

  “We should get going.”

  “I have some conditions, though.”

  “I already have what I want. You’re unable to impose anything anymore.”

  “Nonetheless, am I right in assuming that you still need Aphroditis’ help?”

  “That’s correct.”

  “She is not to be harmed, or I let her go this instant.”

  “And let Sarah die? I don’t think so. You’re terrible at bluffing, you know?”

  Chase’s eyes hardened and flashed amethyst briefly.

  “Alright, she won’t be harmed. What else do you want? I’m feeling particularly generous today.”

  “I bet you are, and you can thank my friends for that. There’s no way we would have defeated this beast without their help.”

  “We would have if you had used all your power.”

  “I’m not so sure. I think this battle was never a matter of power.”

  “Power is everything.”

  “Obviously not, but you’ll learn that lesson one day.”

  “So that’s all?”

  “No, there’s one more thing. You have to free Sarah before you use Aphroditis for what’s next, and you must promise us safe passage from wherever it is we’re going next.”

  “Done and done.”

  Chase was surprised by how easily Argos had agreed to his terms. Something didn’t feel right. But he had no choice but to let his fate unfold. He had already reached the point of no return.

  “Where do we go next?”

  “Not too far. Let me enter the coordinates into your ship’s computer.” Once that was done he added, “You can jump whenever you want. I’ll be in your ready room.”

  As Argos left, Chase turned back to Aphroditis.

  “Anything you wanted to tell me?”

  “It wouldn’t change anything now. Just a word of advice.”

  “I’m listening.”

  “Forgive yourself when the time comes, but promise me you won’t let the darkness win.”

  “You have my word, but I don’t like the sound of that.”

  “What comes next is unavoidable now.”

  “What is coming next?”

  “The beginning of the end.”

  * * *

  Chase joined his friends in the mess hall.

  “Hey, guys.”

  “Chase,” said Daniel, “come sit with us. You must be tired. Now is time to rest a little and blow off some steam. We’ve jumped to hyperspace?”

  “Yes, soon we’ll arrive wh
ere Argos is holding Sarah. I’ve launched a drone to let the Alliance know where we went, just in case they come after us.”

  “I wouldn’t count on that,” said Fillio. “Admiral Thassos isn’t as forgiving as Commodore Saroudis. We’ve already lost our commissions with the Earth Alliance, I can guarantee that.”

  Chase didn’t like the sound of that. “I’m sorry, guys. I didn’t want to get you in trouble for helping me.”

  “You didn’t want our help,” reminded Ryonna. “We decided to come and we did it knowing full well the consequences.”

  “Perhaps there’s a way to change the admiral’s mind, if I surrender myself and take all the blame. I could tell her I forced you to do this. That way she could go easy on the rest of you.”

  “No way!” objected Daniel. “We’ll face the music, whatever the consequences. Ryonna is right, you made it clear you wanted to do this alone.”

  “And yet without your help I would have failed. I don’t know how I will ever repay you. Thank you, every one of you.”

  Chase sat next to Keera. “You alright?”

  “You have amazing friends.”

  “I’m glad to count you amongst them, you know that?”

  “That’s sweet. What about Argos?”

  “Keera, today is not the day we get to cash your warrant, but it’s only a matter of time. Once I’m sure Sarah is back home and safe, I’ll make sure Argos pays for all of this. I’m certain I can beat him now.”

  “Careful. He might have been playing you all along.”

  “What do you mean? I beat him twice already. I think I can do it again.”

  “Be that as it may, something doesn’t add up. He might have an ace up his sleeve.”

  “Thanks for the advice. I’ll be careful.”

  “When we return to Earth, I suppose I should be on my way and resume my activities.”

  “You’re welcome to stay with us.”

  “How will I make a living? I don’t think Earth requires bounty hunters.”

  “You won’t need to make a living, and I’m sure we can find something for you to do that will require your abilities.”

  “I’ll think about it. Thanks for the invitation.”

  “Good. And you’re welcome.” Chase rose. “Everyone listen.”