For Duty (Antaran Legacy Book 1)

by Matthew C. Plourde

  “You will make a fine empress,” the voices echoed.

  She hesitated. There was another way.

  “No other way ensures this,” the voices said.

  Despite the protests of the voices from her ancestors, Helena toiled for what was a lifetime to her. She recruited the help of people in the city sympathetic to her, but even they died of old age. Perhaps she was working for longer than one lifetime.

  When she was finished, she gazed upon her wall in the morning desert sun.

  “This will hold,” she said aloud. “This must hold.”

  “A wall is fallible,” her ancestral voices said. “You must return to the cities and kill everyone. Only then will you be free from your emotions.”

  Helena shook her head. “I will keep them safe behind this wall, with me on the other side. I will not destroy them, but I cannot allow them free reign any longer.”

  “They are like a barbarian horde. They will destroy this wall and you as well.”

  “Your solution is imperfect,” they said.

  For the first time since she started, Helena looked upon the faces of her ancestors.

  “No,” she said, “yours is. This wall will hold.”

  “You are speaking from emotion,” they said. “Even your own calculations don’t yield one hundred percent success.”

  Helena grinned, a gesture of Nathan’s she imitated.

  “I don’t need one hundred percent,” she said. “It’ll hold.”

  With a flash, she returned to the chaotic bridge of the Jupiter. Time snapped back into motion and Helena almost stumbled.

  Nathan caught her forearm and was prepared to ask her for help again. She scanned every facet of his mind, even the dark recesses. He loved her but she wasn’t familiar with the emotion. Memories of the past few months clicked by in her mind like a slideshow and she realized her tactic must have been to gain his trust before killing him.

  A solid plan.

  Like a rebooting computer, she quickly took stock of everything else that had transpired. She only found one interesting item of note: a wall around her heart. Well, she visualized the mental construct as a wall, long and tall against some unseen force. She calculated she must have put that there for a valid reason, but she couldn’t recall the exact details.

  No matter, she had a battle to win.

  Before Nathan could say another word, Helena whirled to examine the tactical display. “Full burn – now!” she said.

  The helmsman didn’t hesitate and the Jupiter lurched forward and between the two Proxan battleships.

  “Double-broadsides,” Nathan said. “On my mark.”

  “Double?” Helena questioned. “Are you sure?”

  He nodded and said, “Let’s try to do as much as we can before passing them.”

  Helena calculated the risk and said, “That will leave us too vulnerable.”

  “I’ll just need you to time it perfectly,” he said. “Trust me.”

  “Okay, Captain,” she said.

  To her surprise, she realized she did trust him. When did that happen? No matter, the plan was aggressive but appropriate. They would likely survive the maneuver.

  The weapons officer shot a glance to the captain.

  Nathan nodded and said, “On her mark, Lieutenant.”

  Helena waited and watched the display. Just a few more seconds. “Mark!” she said.

  The front viewport was set ablaze with laser and tracer fire. Both Proxan ships reeled from the blow and veered away to get a better angle on the now listing Human battleship.

  “Engines are offline. All we have are torpedo bays seven through twelve,” the weapons officer said.

  “Okay, you were right,” Nathan said. “We’re defenseless. Any ideas?”

  “No, that was a good move,” she said as mind worked through a solution. “Have the frigates form a perimeter around us and patch communications directly to me. I’ll guide them.”

  Nathan issued the appropriate orders and he stepped to her side. “What are you planning to do?”

  Helena affixed her earpiece and said, “We took out their batteries. All they’ll have while we recover are torpedoes.”

  “I know,” Nathan said. “That’s not good for us.”

  “The frigates will shoot down the torpedoes,” Helena said. “I’ll send them coordinates.”

  Stugardt looked up from his console and said, “They’re firing. Two volleys of torpedoes incoming.”

  Helena sensed the trajectory and firing solution used by the Proxan gunners. She barked a series of coordinates and angles into the communicator and watched as the Human frigates moved into position and picked the torpedoes apart.

  “All bogeys were shot down,” Stugardt said.

  Straining to keep her concentration, Helena entered the minds of the Proxan commanders and found that another volley was on the way. She recorded those coordinates and fed them to the frigate captains. Again, each torpedo was destroyed. She gasped as her head throbbed and her stomach threatened to empty its meager contents.

  “No,” she said as she gritted her teeth, closed her eyes, and kept her mind attuned to the Proxans.

  “Helena?”

  The voice was Nathan’s, but she couldn’t respond. She had to remain focused on the enemy.

  “Engines back online,” someone called.

  Helena opened her eyes and said, “Move to delta-four.”

  “What’s your plan?” Nathan asked.

  “Delta-four,” Helena said. “I sent the frigates to harass the second Proxan battleship. We’re going after this other one.”

  “You’re moving to attack them?” Stugardt asked.

  “We can’t run,” Helena said. “We must find out what happened to the Saturn. This is the only way.”

  Nathan pondered the order and his mind was conflicted. Could he allow Helena another aggressive move? What if this one ended as poorly as her decision to keep the Bastion engaged? Was she right? Was there no escape?

  The memory of the destruction of the Bastion was a distant spark in her mind. Was there something special about it? That day saw many Humans killed. All Helena recalled was the completion of another task in her list. It was a victorious day for Antares.

  After a few moments of silence, Nathan said, “Listen to Lady Helena.”

  “Coming around,” the helmsman said.

  “You sure about this?” Nathan said as he leaned close to her.

  Helena glanced at him, but she didn’t respond. He expected a warmth in her eyes that wasn’t there. Why had she changed in his mind? She remembered the wall and realized it was significant, but she wasn’t sure why. She mentally shrugged the chatter in her mind. Now wasn’t the time for second-guessing herself. She needed to know what happened in that nebula and to Prisca. Helena decided to play out the battle a few thousand times in her head to determine a way to destroy both ships, in case that became a necessity.

  She sensed the Proxan ship was about to change course, just like she predicted. “Quick burn on my mark.” She waited. “Mark!”

  The Jupiter shuddered from the strain, but the vessel lanced forward. Too late, the Proxan battleship attempted to correct its mistake.

  “No you don’t,” Nathan said, realizing the brilliant move Helena had just made. “Starboard broadside - fire!” he said.

  “Torpedoes too, sir?” Stugardt asked.

  “No,” Nathan said. “I see what Lady Helena was trying to do.”

  The broadside scorched the Proxans and, sure enough, the battleship corrected its position again. They had it.

  “Fire all forward torpedoes now, Lieutenant,” Nathan said.

  “Torpedoes away.”

  Moments later, the Proxan battleship imploded and the shockwave rattled the Jupiter. Cheers and pumped fists escaped from the bridge crew and the brilliant display unfolded on the main viewport.

  “Now, the other one,” Helena said through clenched teeth.

  “The other ship is heading for the ne
bula, sir.”

  “Follow it in,” Nathan said.

  “Are you sure that’s wise?” Stugardt said. “Our sensors will be scrambled.”

  “Helena?” Nathan said. “Can you find them in there?”

  She narrowed her eyes and said, “Yes, Nathan. I can see them no matter where they try to hide.”

  Why did she disregard his rank and title? Why would she call him by his given name? A quick scan of her memory told her she had been using his name since their trip together to Caledonia. Very well, she thought, best to not raise his alarms.

  At her first convenience, she decided she needed to meditate on her actions inside of her own mind. She determined she must have ventured into her own mind for some important cause, but she had to trust her reasoning. Why couldn’t she remember?

  “Good enough for me,” Nathan said. “Helm, full ahead! Lieutenant, bring the frigates in.”

  The Jupiter penetrated the nebula and the gasses parted for the vessel as it shot towards its target. Helena guided the helmsman to where she sensed the Proxans. She relayed a firing solution to the weapons officer and waited.

  Then, the Proxan ship was gone.

  Helena opened her eyes and said, “There is a wormhole in this nebula. They are no longer here.”

  “Wormhole?” someone asked.

  “Two points of connected space,” Nathan said as he looked out the viewport, expecting to see the anomaly.

  “I’m not sure,” Helena said, “but I believe this would take us deep into Proxan space. I’m keying the location on the tactical display now. It’s that area of dense gravity.”

  All eyes moved to the tactical display as it showed the faint outline of a tornado-shaped area of high gravity.

  Then she remembered. Her memories had finally aligned and she recalled her reason for the wall. She needed to remain emotionless throughout the rest of her mission because her emotions were clouding her judgment.

  Wise decision, she thought.

  She visualized the wall around her heart and recognized the truth of the barrier. It shook from some internal force and dust fell from a few of the bricks. She wondered what could slam against the wall with such great force.

  Then, for a moment, Helena didn’t care about the wormhole nor the destroyed Proxan ship. Her heart thumped in dread over the loss of her sister.

  “Prisca,” she whispered. “Where are you now?”

  As soon as the terror arrived, it was thrown back over the wall. Back to where it couldn’t harm Helena. Back to where she could forget.

  Before serenity returned to her the wall shook again.

  Chapter 37

  Before he rang the chime to her quarters, Helena sensed Nathan. In fact, she was in his mind when he made the decision to come see her. She remained in everyone’s mind aboard the Jupiter. How could she have been so foolish before? Why did she respect their desire for privacy? Her mission from her father was of the utmost importance. Though she couldn’t recall the exact reasons behind her decision to build her wall, she recognized the prudence of it. She calculated that she must have been on a self-destructive path.

  After pressing the unlock code and raising the lighting level, Helena stood and watched as Captain Nathan Connor entered her quarters. The war effort was at the forefront of his thoughts, but he also hoped for another sexual encounter with her. He was just uncertain of how to talk to her after the death of her sister. She pitied him for allowing his emotions guide his thoughts and actions. Humans were flawed.

  “Helena,” he said.

  Before he could continue, Helena said, “You will address me in the proper manner, Captain.”

  Shocked by her words, he blinked and raced in his mind. After a mad dash of thoughts and doubts, he arrived at his conclusion: Helena was mourning her sister.

  How wrong he was. There wasn’t time to grieve.

  “I’m sorry, My Lady,” he said. After a brief hesitation to search her eyes, he motioned to her desk and continued. “I sent new orders to your station here. We’re pushing into Proxan space with the wormhole.”

  “I’ve read the report,” Helena said, her eyes as cold as the space beyond her quarters. “The anomaly connects that nebula with a point very near the Proxan homeworld. The Saturn’s destruction shall not be in vain, it seems. I’ve already sent my plan to Admiral Leighton.”

  Nathan’s doubts continued. He wondered if things between them would ever be the same as they were before. He doubted his ability as a Human outsider to remain in her life. Above all, he wondered what she was feeling at that moment. He also grieved Prisca, but mostly because it should have had a profound effect on Helena. He wondered why she didn’t request time away from her duties as tactical advisor. He also wondered how much he could talk with her.

  He decided to be direct.

  “Helena,” she said softly as he stepped towards her and put his hands on her shoulders. “I just want you to know that I am here… if you need me. I know what it’s like to lose family-”

  Helena shrugged his hands from her and glared into his eyes. No, she cautioned herself, you mustn’t distance yourself just yet. Keep him coming to your bed so it will be easier to kill him when the time comes.

  Trusting her inner voice, she feigned softness and allowed herself to be encompassed by his embrace. The wall around her heart shook and cracks formed along the surface. Ignoring the turmoil within, she kissed him fiercely.

  The wall will hold, she thought. Somehow, those words were important to her so she held on to them as she savagely made love to him. He seemed surprised at first but he welcomed her aggressiveness.

  She played the part of the secret lover but he sensed a change within her. At first he rationalized it as a response to Prisca’s death. However, after he had left her quarters, Helena remained in his mind. His doubts swirled into a maelstrom as he returned to his room. A part of him was screaming that he had lost her, that she was always beyond his reach and he was just fooling himself. He tried to suppress that voice of reason, but it grew louder within him as he agonized over her.

  Not much longer, Helena thought as she walked naked to her desk. She keyed her code into the surface and prepared the message to her sisters. Under even intense scrutiny, the message appeared to be a casual note of encouragement. However, Helena hid a secret code in each message instructing her sisters to carry out the rest of their plan once the battle at Proxus was won.

  They responded. They were ready.

  As the Jupiter sat in the nebula, waiting for the command to attack Proxus, Helena thought of her sisters. Ferocious Valeria had become the tigress. Her battleship was on the front lines of the war and had dealt serious losses to the Proxans. Justina managed to collect extensive notes about Human religion and had forwarded them off to Antares. She was also able to deflect much of the Human Church’s attack on the daughters of Emperor Agreios. By befriending a priest of the Human’s faith, she gained an ally in the smear-war against the Antaran “witches.” Rowe’s betrayal flared brightly for a few weeks, but then died away. The populace was already in love with Helena and they found it easy to cheer her sisters as war heroes with each victory over the Proxans. Marcella had so completely won her Captain’s heart that he would have likely laid down his life for her. She was in complete control. Claudia’s ship, the Minotaur, served more of a support role and Helena hadn’t heard much from her. Terentia had become famous for her Song of Lunar Lament which she sung over the graves of fallen Human warriors. The people of Terra made her into a celebrity and she was quite common in Human recruitment ads. Then, of course, Prisca had fallen in the nebula where Helena now sat. Ambushed and killed by the Proxans, Prisca gave her life for her homeworld. Helena found she harbored no grief but the wall around her heart rattled each time she thought of Prisca.

  The wall must hold.

  A Human officer smiled at Helena as he departed from the lift.

  “One more battle, hopefully,” he said.

  Without responding, Helen
a ventured into that dangerous part of herself – the area around her wall. One more battle. She felt as if she had lost a part of herself behind that wall. What if she needed that part? Could she carry forward after the war if she was no longer intact?

  Helena ascended the rest of the way to the bridge alone with her thoughts. Unwanted thoughts. The wall trembled and Helena focused upon the task at hand. The Proxans must fall. Prisca was the first Antaran casualty in their new struggle. As Helena risked a last parting glance at her wall, she realized her heart was the second casualty.

  The doors glided open and Helena strode towards her place at the tactical display. The bridge was quiet on the eve of battle. With the main lights dimmed, each Human face was illuminated by their consoles. They were anxious, nervous and hopeful. Even without her abilities, Helena could sense their tension. Utilizing a trick Marcella had mastered, Helena soothed their minds with thoughts of confidence. They gradually eased.

  “We have the order,” Nathan said as he manipulated the holographic tactical display between them.

  He glanced at Helena a few times as his doubts continued to roil. She pretended to not notice.

  “Orders confirmed,” Admiral Stugardt said.

  Nathan activated the ship intercom system and drew a deep breath.

  “This is everything we have trained, hoped and fought for,” he said to the entire crew of the Jupiter. “One last battle and we will be free from Proxan raids for all time. We will no longer have to worry for our family and friends. We can sleep easy. All I ask is one more day of your dedication and ability. One day to triumphantly defeat our enemy and build a new era of peace. One day to live forever in the histories of our time. One day is all I ask.”

  Helena felt the confidence rise in the crew. They were dangerous, determined and ready.

  The Jupiter hurtled through the nebula and wormhole to join the battle already in progress. Helena immediately assessed the situation from their flank and began to issue her orders.

  For Helena and her sisters, there was still one fight to finish after this one. The Humans wouldn’t be prepared for that one. The seven daughters of Antares had succeeded in their secrecy. Human leaders had no comprehension of the danger that lurked in the shadows. They would regret their actions of the past.