Worlds Without End: Aftermath (Book 2)

by Shaun Messick

  Jake first met the eyes of Peter Sanchez. Petey quickly looked down, not daring to confront the new commanding officer of the Terrestrian army. Jake then looked at Runa and Kylee, who sat next to each other. Neither one of them made eye contact with him either. They knew there would be no changing General Hauler’s mind. Jake finally made one last attempt. He turned and looked at his stepmother, who sat next to him. “Anyta, convince him. We need to go.”

  Light reflected off Anyta’s brown eyes as she returned his look with compassion. Jake let a small smile curve along his face. In the weeks past his father’s disappearance and supposed death, Anyta and Jake had grown quite close. So close, in fact, Jake now considered Anyta his mother.

  She placed her hand on Jake’s and let out a small sigh. “Maybe Scott is right, Jake. We need you here now more than ever.” She then turned and spoke to Celeste. “We need you too, Celeste. Your father’s forces could have easily decimated us, but they didn’t. I’m surprised they didn’t destroy the base. We have maybe at the most five hundred soldiers left. Morale is low. We need you. … All of you.”

  Jake pulled his hand away. “I can’t accept that. If Celeste and Runa say that finding the source of Koroan’s power on Gnolom will lead to his defeat, then we need to go.”

  Anyta was about to speak again, but Scott interjected. “Jake, I don’t disagree with you on the point that this could cripple Koroan Chast. But how do you know where to find this source? We also know that the planet is uninhabitable, and you won’t have a lot of resources at your disposal to go searching for several weeks.”

  Jake gritted his teeth in frustration and looked at Runa. “Nateal, will you tell him again?”

  Scott interrupted Runa before he could speak. “I don’t need to hear it again, Jake. I know Runa’s theory is solid. If this goddess of light is indeed a hologram, then all you need to do is follow the energy signature from Koroan’s palace to the matching energy signature on Gnolom. Your argument is sound, but I just can’t allow you to go. Your experience as a pilot and Celeste’s abilities are just too valuable right now.”

  Jake balled both of his hands into fists. He wasn’t going to give up, even if Scott was in charge. “My father would have let us go.”

  The room fell deathly silent. Scott furrowed his eyebrows and gave Jake an ice-cold stare. “How dare you? You know I’m hurting just as much as you are. Adrian was my best friend. Don’t you sit there and tell me what I should do. I am your commanding officer; you will do as you’re ordered!”

  Jake jumped up from his chair, knocking it to the metal floor. “Or what, General? You’ll have me court-marshaled? You know as well as I do, the only hope this army has lies at the crash site of the old Mars I space shuttle on Gnolom! If we stay here, we’re all dead!”

  “General Palmer. Go to your quarters now! That’s an order!” bellowed Scott.

  Jake’s face turned beet red as he took a step toward Scott. The general stepped closer as well. Jake was about to retaliate with yelling of his own, but Anyta gently grabbed his arm. He looked down and met Anyta’s eyes, which were beginning to glisten with tears.

  With a soft voice that immediately calmed him down, she said, “Jake, just go. I will talk to you later.”

  Jake looked at Scott and scowled; he slammed his fist on the table and stormed out of the conference room. Celeste stood up as well and followed him to his quarters.

  * * * * *

  Anyta waited until Kylee, Runa, and Petey had left the conference room. Scott had his back to her, looking at the forty-two inch computer monitor on the wall. The screen displayed statistics. Statistics that Anyta and Scott both didn’t want to see. She stayed seated at the conference table.

  Scott broke the silence first without turning around. “His father was never that stubborn. He always listened to both sides and then made a decision. Sometimes, we made the decision for him.”

  The discussion of her late husband was almost too much to bear, but she held back the tears. Scott had officially declared Adrian MIA, but Anyta knew there was no possible way he could have survived the crash on one of the moons of Terrest. And with the limited resources and manpower of the Terrestrian army, there was no way they could go to the moon to gather his remains. Jake, on the other hand, still believed that Adrian was alive. His only reasoning to her and the rest of the rebellion leadership was that he could feel it.

  She wiped a small tear that had managed to find its way down her right cheek. “Jake has dealt with a lot in his life, Scott. He doesn’t trust people like Adrian did.”

  Scott turned around, took a few steps, and sat down at the head of the conference table, a couple of seats away from Anyta. He put his head into his hands and rubbed his eyes.

  Anyta watched, noticing the crows’ feet and dark circles around his hazel eyes. In the week-and-a-half since his selection to take over as leader of the Terrestrian armed forces, Scott had aged quite a bit. His head was now bald and he looked absolutely exhausted. He carried a tremendous burden. Scott Hauler was the unanimous choice to succeed Adrian Palmer. Even Jake cast his vote in Scott’s favor.

  He finished rubbing his eyes and looked back up toward her. “What am I supposed to do, Anyta? Adrian was better at this. I’m better at taking orders. We need Jake, Kylee, and Celeste here. We also need Runa’s computer expertise. What if the Gnols decide to attack again? They know we are at our weakest point.”

  “I know,” she replied.

  Scott continued. “I know that the argument they presented was solid. I’m just as curious to know what lies on Gnolom. But we need them. If the Gnols attack, we are going to need their abilities and skills, not to mention their leadership.”

  Again, Anyta nodded her head in agreement. She could see Scott’s point-of-view. But she could also see Jake’s. “Scott, what if the Gnols do attack? Even with Celeste and Jake helping us in the battle, the Gnol forces will easily destroy us. Koroan’s generals will be ruthless. They will kill us all. If you let Jake and Celeste go and the Gnols do attack, they may be the only hope the Terrestrian people have to survive as a race.”

  Scott stood up and paced the room. Anyta watched him, as he was lost in his thoughts. He finally stopped in front of his chair and leaned on it with his hands. Looking down, he said, “I’ll tell Jake personally that the mission is a go.”

  * * * * *

  Temple site just outside of Talead . . .

  Colonel Sage Merrok stood fifty yards in front of the temple just outside of Talead. Despite the temple’s age, he was still amazed with its beauty and resilience to withstand the extreme seasons on this part of the planet. He looked at the pyramid structure and could see small remnants of gold. Most of the gold plates that covered the granite brick were gone now, being robbed throughout the centuries by looters and fortune seekers. Even some Gnols had robbed the structure of its gold when they came to Terrest.

  He then looked at the five obelisks, four at the end of each point of the pyramid and one at the entrance. The bricks that made up the spires still had most of their silver intact. Gazing upward on the obelisk that signaled the entrance to the temple, he looked at the statue remnants that sat atop the spire and wondered what it would have looked like. All that remained was a gold foot resting on a sphere. Why would anyone want to destroy such a beautiful building? he thought as he lowered his head and kicked at the weed patch under his feet.

  Sage began to feel beads of sweat dripping from underneath his black beret that covered his full head of black hair. The sweat distracted him from his thoughts and he pulled off the beret. In fact, he just realized how hot his 6’4”, 230-pound frame was now. Reaching down to his pack near his feet, he pulled out his canteen, lifted it to his head, and poured the cool water down over his face. He kept his eyes closed, enjoying the cool sensation of the water as it dripped down his head and back and onto his black t-shirt.

  The small shower was refreshing. It had been a long day. For two days now, he and his demolition team had been going
through the temple, taking any valuables they could find, and placing charges on key structural points that would, in about an hour, bring the temple down into a heap of rubble.

  He took a drink from his canteen and noticed his captain walking toward him. The captain stopped and said, “Sir, the last charge still needs to be placed in the compartment underneath the temple.”

  “Very well,” Sage replied. “Once the last charge is placed, perform one final sweep of the temple and make sure all of the charges are functional.”

  “Yes, sir,” the captain said, but then he hesitated.

  Sage noticed. “What is it, Captain?”

  The captain gave him a questioning look. “Sir, are you sure you don’t want to take the last item? It’s a solid gold statue. … It could be worth a lot.”

  Sage looked at the entrance to the temple. He knew that he should reprimand his captain for questioning orders, but he agreed. “I spoke with his lordship, Vlamer Kreuk, this morning about the statue. He is adamant about it being destroyed. In fact, after showing him pictures over the viewscreen and of the painting, his expression was one of sheer hatred. His orders were final. The statue and painting are to be destroyed along with the temple.”

  “Understood, sir,” the captain replied. He then turned and began to walk back to the pyramid.

  The statue and painting to which Sage referred were intriguing. An analysis of the structure showed it to be one hundred percent pure gold, valuable indeed. But what fascinated him even more was what the statue and painting represented. Something that made him question everything he believed in.

  The statue depicted two figures. One figure was of a man standing with his head bowed. The man had long hair that stopped at the top of his shoulders and a bearded face. The man’s hands rested on top of a young boy kneeling at his feet, with his own head bowed, obviously in reverence to the man.

  Behind the statue was a large five-foot-by-five-foot painting. The painting was faded, but the image in Sage’s mind was clear. The painting was a representation of the solar system in which they now resided. However, two planets stood out. The first planet was of Terrest. Every detail of the planet was carefully painted. But the next planet was a representation of Gnolom. Sage knew it was his former world because it was an exact representation of the planet before it had died as a result from an asteroid strike. Every continent and island was accurate. It simply amazed Sage.

  But there was one more thing that haunted Sage Merrok; a statement written under the painting. A statement that was so familiar, one that he had heard hundreds of times, but only in reference to Koroan Chast: And Jehovah said, blessed is he who shall unite two worlds and two peoples.

  Sage had no idea who Jehovah was. He could only assume that Jehovah was the bearded man who had his hands placed upon the child’s head.

  Suddenly, he was taken out of his thoughts after hearing the crackle of the comlink in his right ear.

  “Sir, this is Lieutenant Blaine. I’m in the compartment underneath the temple, and—”

  “What is it, Lieutenant?” Sage asked, growing impatient.

  “Um … sir, you better come in here. We found something.”

  CHAPTER 4

  Onboard Koroan Chast’s command ship in orbit over Earth . . .

  The view was spectacular. A new world that Koroan Chast could call his own. Earth. As Koroan stood in front of the giant viewscreen aboard his new mother ship, he admired the beauty of this new planet. Below, he could make out the continents and islands. It reminded him so much of Terrest and the way his old home, Gnolom, used to look. He raised his head, looked around, and counted three other Gnol ships in orbit as well. A small smile curved along his lips as he thought what his new mother ship could do.

  This new ship was the crown jewel of his space fleet. He had kept the plans secret from every top commander in his military, including Dorange Gar. The only ones that knew of the plans for this new weapon were he, his goddess mother, Vlamer Kreuk, and the secret team of engineers who built the ship.

  He continued to watch the older war ships. His goddess mother had inspired the first model design. But Koroan’s new ship, which he affectionately called the Raqel, was far more superior, and a design that he thought of alone. The ship was gigantic compared to his older warships.

  He wanted his flagship to be menacing; to strike fear into any other ship it faced. As a result, he designed his ship after the Estaley, a gigantic predatory bird from Gnolom. The hull of the ship consisted of five decks and a command bridge. The command bridge was at the head, followed by the remaining decks, creating a long slender look. The bridge, encompassing approximately one thousand square feet, was shaped like the Estaley’s head with a downward curved beak. Its eyes glowed red whenever the viewscreen was on.

  Furthermore, he had viewscreens installed throughout the ship. It was the only way anyone could get a view outside of the spacecraft. He did not want plasma shields installed because the shields were weak points in a ship’s armor. The engineers also placed large sheets of shimmering black Omutx metal as a skin covering the ship, which provided better armor. In addition to artificial gravity, the ship was also capable of generating an electro-magnetic shield, protecting it against plasma blasts and any metallic projectiles, such as missiles.

  The wings of the ship protected the decks as well and angled downward slightly from the hull. Plasma cannons, capable of firing in every direction, were installed throughout the wings, along with missile bays.

  Koroan saw his reflection in the viewscreen and stood in admiration. His black hair hung long and loose to the middle of his back. He looked at his new uniform. The black leather uniform was intimidating indeed. His personal seamstress had designed the uniform just for this occasion. The uniform fit tight to his toned body, from the top of his neck to his ankles, black boots to the top of his knees, and a belt holding his dagger on his waist. Covering his shoulders and torso was a black leather jacket that zipped in the front, with a cape extending downward from his waist to the top of his heals. The cape curled around his legs.

  He was proud, and he wanted his introduction to the pathetic humans on Earth to be one remembered for the ages. For he was their god now, sent to them by the goddess of light.

  With his hands behind his back, he turned and looked at General Lychen, the commanding officer of his precious ship whenever he wasn’t onboard, sitting in the command chair of the bridge. Ignoring the other crewmembers at their different stations, he said, “General, I will be in my quarters. Inform me when the shuttle is ready to descend to Earth.”

  The general quickly stood, bowed to one knee, clenched his right fist, and crossed his right arm along his chest. Bowing his head, he said, “Yes, my Lord.”

  Koroan gave the general a brazen smile and made his way to his quarters, next to the command bridge. After entering his quarters, he looked to his left and saw the viewscreen on with the same image of Earth. “Viewscreen and lights off,” Koroan said as he walked to the center of the room. The viewscreen flickered off and the room became pitch black.

  He stopped when he heard the bottom of his boots hit the metal pad on the floor. With hope that the hologram transmission would reach this far from Gnolom, he knelt down on his right knee and bowed his head. The room immediately flooded with white light. Looking up, he met the beautiful blue eyes of his goddess mother. “We are in orbit, dear Mother.”

  The goddess of light floated in the air about three feet above and slightly in front of his head. Dressed in the same free-flowing white robe and light blue cape, the goddess looked up. The viewscreen flickered back on and she could see Earth. “Well done, my Son. Soon this pathetic planet will know who their true god is.”

  Koroan stood. He turned and looked at the viewscreen. The goddess lowered to his eye level and hovered next to him on his right. He smiled. He loved it when anyone referred to him as a god, but especially his goddess mother.

  The goddess of light turned and looked at Koroan. “That p
leases you, my Son?”

  “Yes, my Queen. I am honored that you have chosen me to be the one to fulfill the prophecy.”

  She returned his smile. “Yes, Koroan, you are the one. You have fulfilled the prophecy and now a new journey begins.”

  Turning back toward Earth, he said, “Yes, Mother, but I still don’t understand why this pathetic planet of humans before us is so important. I am hesitant because I have split my forces between Terrest and Earth, which leaves us vulnerable. I could have easily crushed the rebellion on Terrest by now.”

  The goddess returned her gaze upon the viewscreen as well. “This planet is vital to the plan, and you know that keeping the rebel force alive for now on Terrest is important as well. Also, Celeste and her friends have escaped and she has been reunited with the human, Jake.”

  Koroan gritted his teeth and clenched his fists in anger. Any mention of the pitiful human with whom his own daughter had fallen in love caused him to tremble in absolute hatred. He knew that keeping Nateal Runa alive and using him to help Celeste escape was important to the goddess’ plan. But he still had an uneasy feeling, keeping his only remaining daughter alive. “I do not see how?”

  The goddess levitated herself above Koroan and spoke with a loud voice. “Do not question the plan, Koroan!”

  Immediately, he turned and knelt on one knee. No person could strike fear into Koroan because of his abilities. But the goddess of light was no person. She was the only one he feared. She was pure energy and was immune to his power.

  The goddess lowered herself again and spoke with a softer voice. “Rise, Koroan.”

  He stood and looked directly into her eyes.

  “What you found when you discovered me, your true goddess, revealed all that is related to Gnolom and who the universe’s true savior is. In order for us to succeed, you must conquer this planet. What we have been searching for is on this planet and must be found, and you must kill Adrian Palmer.”