The Betrayal of Ka (The Transprophetics Book 1)

by Shea Oliver

  “Sir, what the hell are you doing? He’s not good enough for Elite Forces,” asserted Colonel Agastya, stunned at what he was seeing.

  “You and I know that, you dumb son of a bitch. Tell Captain Tristanidad Luciano that a new cadet has been assigned to his command. And make sure he understands that this little fucking shitbag is to fail, or better yet, die!”

  Glancing at the trashcan, Colonel Agastya was unsurprised to see the bottle. The secret compartment in the General’s bookshelf was obviously getting lots of use, as scratches now showed where the door opened. Today was just another episode in the twisted thinking of a man completely hooked on rodka. As he walked back to his office, he began to think about the General. Agastya had attributed part of the General’s thinking and behavior to the addiction, but that was only a small part of the truth. The man was simply a complete asshole. The rodka just helped him cope with those around him who were disgusted with his being an asshole while, at the same time, it gave him the courage to be the asshole that truly he was.

  Chapter 22

  Revealed

  Tomar led Scharbigot Canchorus into a plush seating area near some floor-to-ceiling windows in his office. The Minister was presumably there to talk about the Donovackia Corporation’s latest acquisition target. Scharbigot had publically staked out a position on keeping the remaining Nine Corporations intact, not allowing any more mergers, acquisitions, or takeovers. Scharbigot knew it was only for show. Celestina had been in complete control ever since she revealed that his son, from his secret marriage, was scheduled for execution. At least, Celestina had kept her word. The young man’s execution had been indefinitely delayed.

  “My esteemed Minister Canchorus, how are you today?” came the greeting from Tomar.

  “Good, but let’s cut the formalities. You’re planning another hostile takeover. I know you have the means, but at some point, you have to stop. Your Corporation is bigger than any Corporation in history. It’s time to rest on your laurels,” Scharbigot asserted.

  “Did you hear that Minister Hareold Wiroviana has died?” Tomar asked, completely ignoring what the Minister had just said.

  “No, this is news to me. What a shame,” Scharbigot expressed. “He was a rare man, especially in these days.”

  “Yes, indeed, he certainly was, and I must congratulate you also.”

  “Why on the two worlds would you say that?”

  Tomar smiled. “Hareold’s seat has been folded into Celestina’s. Her first act was to vote to convert your seat into a lifetime appointment, just like Hareold’s had been. Congratulations.”

  The Minster sat with a stunned and disappointed look on his face. He had planned to retire and completely disappear from public life when his term expired. The Ministry had become a sham. Celestina was completely in charge and now had an unnecessarily massive military.

  Tomar watched Scharbigot’s face for a moment and then looked across the room. On his desk sat a meter-long cord of rope. He had impressed himself recently with his ability to manipulate the rope with his mind. Previously, he only moved things about, but now he had discovered that he could fold paper, tie knots in a rope, and even pour a glass of water. The more he worked his skills, the more impressive and powerful they became.

  He still had not revealed to anyone that he was a Transprophetic, not even to Celestina. He loved having the secret, and he now knew that it had its uses. He would reveal to Scharbigot what he was capable of doing.

  “Do you personally know any Transprophetics?” Tomar asked the Minister.

  “I’ve met one once, but she was a bit of a religious fanatic. She believed herself to be divine and her so-called powers to be divine in origin. Of course, it’s nothing but simple biology, anatomy, and physics,” replied the Minister.

  “Yes, it is a simple thing, but it is almost divine, wouldn’t you say?” asked Tomar. “It’s the ability to do so much more than others.”

  Tomar brought the rope into the air behind the Minister’s back. He tied a slipknot, leaving a large loop. As the Minster began his reply, telling Tomar that simple evolution didn’t create more divine or superior people, the loop slipped over Scharbigot’s head and Tomar pulled it tight around Scharbigot’s neck. Tomar focused his mind as intensely as he could on the loose end of the rope. He pulled it harder and harder and higher and higher. Scharbigot scratched at his own neck, trying in vain to get his fingers under the tightening cord.

  For a few brief moments, Tomar could see nothing around him, but the end of that rope. He kept pulling with his mind, focusing with every bit of energy he could muster. Scharbigot, unable to fight the force, eventually found himself hanging in the air, with the rope becoming tighter and tighter, spastically fighting for his life. His face turned red. For a moment, he looked at Tomar, not understanding why. Tomar responded with a cruel smile as he watched the Minister’s life fade away.

  Chapter 23

  To Become a Killer

  Kadamba looked at the list displayed on the monitor in the hallway of the Donovackia 2th Brigade Initial Military Training Facility, Zoranth Division, command building. He couldn’t believe that he had been assigned to Elite Forces. His expectation was to be assigned to infantry or transportation. He knew that he had performed well in the initial training, but he didn’t think that he had performed that well. Being named to Elite Forces would be a prestigious assignment; however, receiving this assignment felt absolutely impossible. Ka was sure that there were other soldiers, better soldiers, ones who didn’t carry his scars that would be more likely to get this honor.

  He took a deep breath. The last couple of months had been extremely hard, physically, mentally, and emotionally. He hadn’t made any friends, but as far as he knew, he hadn’t made any enemies either. He continued to be an outcast because of the scar on his arm and what that scar told people. He looked at the screen again, expecting it to change at any second, assigning him to some horrible assignment. Then a terrible thought occurred to him. What if the assignment was simply a ruse? What if he was just going to be sent back to prison?

  He looked up and down the hallway; he was still alone. He touched the screen just to make sure that it was real and stared at the list. All of the members of his unit that had completed training had assignments. Most of the assignments seemed to be somewhat aligned with the capabilities of the men with whom he had trained. However, there wasn’t a single name on the list, other than his, that was assigned to Elite Forces. That was it. It was someone’s idea of a sick joke. In his gut, he knew it. He was going back to prison or someplace far worse.

  Kadamba’s mind shifted into overdrive. This was a military training camp. It was not a prison. There were not multiple fences with barbed wire, no guards wondering about with guns, and the truth was, that there was no one forcing him to stay. He made a quick inventory in his mind of the things that he would need. He would be heading into the woods tonight, going AWOL. A comfort began to sweep across him. No prison. No military. It would just be him and a planet to discover. He would live off the land for a few years, not that he really knew how, but he was confident that he could figure it out. He took another deep breath and began consider how to secretly start gathering the supplies that he would need.

  “Cadet Vorhoor,” the voice broke his concentration.

  “Yes, sir!”

  “I’m sorry to startle you, son,” Lieutenant Mittelwert Padda remarked. “I see you have been looking at the post-training camp assignments.”

  “Yes, sir,” replied Kadamba, fearing that the look on his face would give away his plans of living life on the run.

  “It appears we have a common destination, cadet. I’ve been transferred to Elite Forces. I will be taking charge of their training program and facilities on Koranth. The shuttle leaves in two hours. I’ll see you on the platform.”

  “Yes, sir,” replied Kadamba.

  Kadamba watched as the Lieutenant walked down the hallway. Two hours would not be enough time to gather what he
needed to head into the woods. If he wasn’t on that shuttle platform before the Lieutenant, he knew that a contingent of soldiers would begin looking for him. Even if he could slip away from the training camp, he would be captured before the end of the day. He wouldn’t be sent to a military prison. No, he would be sent back to prison with Jackos, where he was sure he would die.

  Then another thought crossed his mind, “What if the Lieutenant was simply escorting him back to prison?” He had been the one to pick Kadamba up and bring him to the military training camp. Kadamba realized that he was trapped. The only real option was to be on that platform and hope that he really was heading to Elite Forces training.

  The shuttle departed on time. Rather than a typical military transport, this was the same shuttle that had brought him to the camp. Kadamba imagined that it was an executive shuttle. The seats, large and comfortable, were arranged in seating areas, rather than just rows. He felt out of place, as the Lieutenant walked into the section of the shuttle that he had been told to sit in. Like the prior trip in this shuttle, there was no one else around.

  Lieutenant Mittelwert Padda sat down across from Kadamba. While the Lieutenant had brought Kadamba to the training camp, Kadamba had seen little of the commanding officer since they had left the shuttle. It felt odd again, to be on the same shuttle, heading once again to the Kareenet-Pooshz Portal, with the very same soldier who had picked him up just a few months before. The Lieutenant studied the newly graduated cadet for a few moments.

  “Are you surprised to be on this shuttle with me again?” asked Lieutenant Padda.

  “Sir, yes, sir,” responded Kadamba, “I didn’t expect to be assigned to Elite Forces, but I am grateful.”

  “You know your scores weren’t good enough to get into the Elite Forces?” stated the Lieutenant.

  “Sir?”

  “With your past, son, and the fact that you were mostly a loner, you didn’t score high enough to get into Elite Forces. You simply didn’t make the cut,” stated the Lieutenant.

  Kadamba swallowed hard. This was it. Kadamba just knew that the Lieutenant was about to tell him that he was going back to prison. He tried not to panic. In his mind’s eye, he could already see Jackos laughing and telling him to get ready to complete the “business” they had together.

  “Son, what I am about to tell is strictly off the record. I will deny this conversation,” Lieutenant Padda informed him.

  “Yes, sir,” replied Kadamba. The sense of dread began filling his insides. He could taste the acid from his stomach working its way into his throat. He wanted to vomit, but he held his composure, at least on the outside. He watched as the words formed on the Lieutenant’s lips, knowing his life would soon be over.

  “Your scores were artificially reduced while you were participating in training. No one wanted to give you the scores you deserved. No one wanted to give you the scores you earned. And it is simply because of that brand on your arm,” the Lieutenant stated, in a very matter-of-fact manner. “It is this simple. The world will always look at you as a devil. Our job here was to make you fail. Everyone will deny that, but it is the truth. You were given the worst assignments, the hardest jobs, and put in situation after situation that would have broken many men. Yet you survived, and even excelled.”

  Kadamba searched the Lieutenant’s face for a twisted smile, for an evil grin, for anything that would let him know that the man was playing him and making fun of him. The next statement had to be about going back to prison, back into the domain of Jackos.

  “Cadet, I am a man of honor. I don’t much follow politics or the whims of society. I measure a man by what I can see with my own eyes. I see the brand on your arm. I know what the words mean, but I don’t know, and I don’t need to know, the details. What I have seen is a man set up for failure, set up to be ruined, yet a man who refused to give up.”

  Was this a compliment? The Lieutenant seemed to be showing something like respect to Kadamba, and he didn’t know exactly what to do. He just looked at the Lieutenant and listened, not knowing what the next words would be.

  “I don’t know who, son, but once again, someone has twisted the strings of fate on your behalf. Your scores from training camp were changed. Someone, with some serious influence, has given you the scores that you actually deserved. I have no idea whether they knew what they were doing or not. Your assignment to Elite Forces surprised the hell out of me, but you are capable of this assignment.”

  “Thank you, sir,” replied Kadamba, not knowing what else to say. The vision of Jackos faded quickly from his head, as he realized that this wasn’t a ruse. He really was going to Elite Forces training.

  The Lieutenant looked at Kadamba for a long moment, as if he was trying to see inside of him. “I don’t know what it is that keeps you going, but you will need it for this next year. For every ten men that go to Elite Forces, four drop out. That’s four people without any stigma. You’re going to have one hell of a difficult time at training. I imagine that it will be similar to initial training. You will be given the toughest tasks, the hardest jobs, and you’ll have little or no support. I can’t promise to make it any easier on you, but I will be watching.”

  The Lieutenant stood up and left. Kadamba just sat in that comfortable chair, not sure what to think. He would be leaving Zoranth in a few hours. That meant a ride in the tubes again. He wasn’t scared to ride in them, but he wasn’t looking forward to it either. Actually, he’d rather ride around in the tubes all day than ever see Jackos again. He realized that his entire body was still tense. He closed his eyes, breathing deeply, forcing himself to relax.

  The sun was shining brightly, and Ka looked around. Everything seemed perfect, as it always did here on Schmarlo’s Landing. The trees, shrubs, and grass were green. The sidewalks were swept, and trashcans empty.

  Ka walked to the playground. The sand was perfectly flat and level, as if no one had ever touched it. He stood for a moment, regarding the spot where Alorus had died. It almost seemed too perfect of a place for anyone to experience any pain, but he knew better.

  There wasn’t a cloud in the sky, as Ka walked to the very edge of the Landing. A small half-wall and guardrail stood at the very edge of the building. Some people couldn’t get very close, but Ka walked right up to the wall, reached out his hand, and felt the force-field cover that protected the Landing. He wondered whether it might not have been better for there to be no force-field cover. Maybe he could have run to the wall and jumped over before Alorus had died. Maybe he could have fallen off before he had sold the rath to Alorus.

  “Why are you here, Ka?” asked the boy.

  He turned to see Alorus standing behind him and looking at him intently again.

  “I don’t know,” Ka answered him.

  “How come you and I are the only ones here on the Landing?” Alorus inquired.

  Ka looked at the boy. He wished with all his heart that he could undo what he had done. A tear began to run down the boy’s face. Ka stepped towards the boy, but the boy took a step back.

  “Ka, why isn’t there anyone else? Why is it just you and me here?”

  “I don’t know why, Alorus. It just is.”

  Ka walked over to a nearby bench and sat down. Alorus followed but stood a few feet from the bench.

  “Where are we going, Ka?”

  “Back to Koranth.”

  “Are we going home?” asked the boy.

  “No. I’ve been assigned to Elite Forces. I’m going to training,” stated Ka.

  “Do they like to have guys that are real killers in Elite Forces?”

  Ka’s face dropped into his hands, and he began to cry again. Maybe there was something to the boy’s insight. Maybe he would be good for a place that trained soldiers to be the best. To kill on command. Maybe he was nothing more than a killer.

  The shuttle landed with a jarring bounce, waking Kadamba. He looked around, almost expecting to see Alorus standing there, looking accusingly at him, but there was no one but t
he Lieutenant signaling him to the door.

  “This portal trip will be a little different than your last,” chuckled the Lieutenant. “You’re not going first-class this time. This is true military portal transportation. Welcome to the Pooshz Rapid Transport Facility.”

  They placed their bags on a conveyor belt and watched them zoom into a hole and out of sight. They were surrounded by all sorts of military personnel. They were waved through and headed into a large, open building with a maze of walkways. The employees of this facility were obviously military and simply fulfilling their duty, which was packing the passengers as efficiently as possible into the tubes.

  Lieutenant Padda and Kadamba were directed to the same tube, as was a third soldier. Little was said as the men were stacked into the tube. While each had his own space, it was even more claustrophobic than before. The space was tighter, and the surface was harder. However, it was the same calm voice that came on in the dimly lit space to review the safety instructions. This time, Kadamba pushed the button and felt the gentle spray of mist hit his face. With the next breath, he was unconscious.

  Chapter 24

  Lost Love

  The smell of the barbeque filled the air. Captain Tristanidad Luciano stood near the grill on the deck in his backyard, wearing casual clothes and holding a pair of tongs, as Colonel Jecamiah Agastya walked around the house and greeted his young friend. The Colonel, also dressed casually, took a deep breath. “Oh Lords of the Fourth System, what are you cooking? We’re going to have to fight off your neighbors!”

  Captain Luciano smiled. He was happy that his mentor and friend would join him on an off-duty day. The Captain’s children played in the yard, laughing and enjoying themselves. As was often the case, Mungo Chaldea, the General’s son, was playing with them. The Colonel smiled as he watched the kids, and Luciano handed Agastya a dark glass bottle without any label.