“Leopard Squadron, hold your position,” said Sir Gregory. “Yellow Jacket Squadron, move now to support Leopard. The rest of you, keep pushing!”
Kalila heard someone approaching from behind. She turned to see Garrick, one of her spymasters.
“Pardon me, Your Majesty,” he said, bowing his head. “But there is an urgent report for you from our network on Capital World.”
“Can't it wait?” asked Kalila. Now wasn’t exactly a good time; she had a battle to win.
“In my judgment? No.”
“Very well,” said Kalila. “Have it ready in my office.”
Garrick nodded and left. Kalila turned to Sir Gregory, “I trust you to command the battle in my absence.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
Her eyes locked with his. “Make. Them. Bleed.”
“With prejudice, Your Majesty.”
She went to her office where, true to his word, Garrick had a recorded message ready to play. The screen was paused on a picture of Raidan. He stood upon the Harbinger’s Bridge, looking domineering.
“Play message,” she said.
The message played. It wasn’t exactly the move she'd expected from Raidan, but it was close enough and would suffice.
Because she’d had some indication this was coming, she was ready with her own broadcast in short order. This one also sent to every channel and frequency of Capital World, but also to the Empire at large.
“I, Queen Kalila Akira, have received word that one Asari Raidan, a rogue at the head of many warships, has made threat of death against our beloved capital and the citizens there. To all within the sound of my voice, know this. Such threats will not be tolerated. We are one people and one Empire and must stand united. Therefore, I hereby declare Asari Raidan, and any who follow him, to be enemies of the Empire! Let it be known forthwith!”
She ended the broadcast, preferring to keep it simple. She’d done her due diligence, done what was required of her, what the people expected. But as she left her office and walked the long stretch of corridor leading back to the Bridge, guards accompanying her on either side, she smiled a dark smile.
***
Hunter Four dropped out of alteredspace as deeply as possible inside Thetican System. Blackmoth instructed the ship to accelerate to full thrust and then adjusted pitch and yaw accordingly until his attitude positioned him directly facing the bright orange star.
At maximum thrust, Hunter Four moved very quickly, halving the distance in a matter of seconds. “And so it begins even as it ends,” he said aloud, looking at the projected display showing the presence of hundreds of starships within the system, none of which was able to detect his presence. They were forming up innocently enough, the large cruisers recollecting their fighters before jumping from the system. None of them knew they were entirely out of time for such a thing.
He looked back at the star, which now filled the entirety of his forward window. The ship adjusted the view to prevent the star from blinding him with its awesome brilliance, so Blackmoth was able to take in its great orange majesty all at once, looking upon one of the greatest stars in the galaxy, one whose time was up. One which would make an excellent sacrifice to the One True God and gift to the void.
“The fourth destruction is upon us,” he said. “And it is my honor and glory to fulfill it. Blood for blood. Life for life. The galaxy shall be reaped even as this system.” Now the star so engulfed his view most of it could not be seen. “I surrender my soul to the void. Such is the will of the One True God.” Alarms began to sound as panels all over the cockpit lit up, warning of the ship’s inability to resist the intense heat it was experiencing.
“Now is the hour of Darkness! This penultimate destruction is the herald of the Dread Fleet! Bring them forth!” Entire systems of Hunter Four were beginning to fail. The hull integrity was quickly bucking as the armor swiftly melted away. “Let the Final Reckoning commence!”
With that, Blackmoth closed his eyes and raised his arms, delivering himself to the void.
(End of Book 5)
The story will finally and epically conclude in The Phoenix Reckoning.
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Acknowledgements
This book is dedicated to my grandmother Elizabeth R. Wilson. Her example of stubborn independence, sheer determination, and positive belief that anything is possible, is an inspiration to not only me but also the entire family. I am proud to believe I have inherited some of my best traits from her. Thank you, Grandma.
I also would like to give a special thank you to Frank MacDonald and Janell Parque whose heroic efforts have helped to eliminate many errors, atrocious grammar mistakes, inconsistencies, and many other problems that would otherwise have ruined the reading experience. Thank you, Frank! Thank you, Janell! I would also like to thank Brandon Crowther and Ruth McNabb for their continued support.
The Phoenix Darkness Page 45