“I’m not trying to go for glory here, Yanis. I just don’t see any other course of action to prevent Gaia 2 from killing millions on Earth. I just couldn’t live with myself, if it can be avoided.”
“I dig that, but—”
“I’m listening. Don’t be shy. We’ve known each other long enough for you to tell me what’s on your mind. No need to tiptoe around me, you know that.”
“You’ve done a lot since we came into this part of space, and while most of your crazy plans worked, to some extent, what if this one doesn’t? What if you die battling Gaia 2? Which, according to Kvasir, is a possible outcome. Like you, he’s more optimistic, but I can’t help worrying that we’ve bitten off more than we can chew with this mission. Gaia 2 is ruthless, and you’re going in without backup.”
The image of Spiros’ head exploding once again flashed before Chase’s eyes.
“I know. But we have to do something while there’s still a window. If we give her a few more days, she might become unstoppable.”
“I understand. What about Cedric?”
“Kvasir and Gaia both know to try and acquire any info on how to rescue him while they enter Gaia 2’s matrix with me. But as much as it pains me to admit it, and in light of the challenge we’re about to face, I guess I have resigned myself to dealing with him on the fly. I’ll do all I can to save him.”
“Perhaps you won’t have to.”
“I don’t follow.”
“Chase, Cedric is a genius. If there was anything he could have done to stop what happened to Spiros and Gaia back on Earth, he would have found a way. So I’m going to assume he was overpowered and unable to help. Perhaps once you start distracting her enough that will give him the opportunity to save himself.”
Chase smiled. He hadn’t thought of that. Yanis’ point was sound. If anyone had the know-how and will to get themselves out of Gaia 2’s grasp, that was Cedric. When push came to shove, Cedric always delivered.
“That’s the spirit.”
Chase looked around.
“Anything wrong, boss?”
“I just thought Chris would be here.”
“I ran into Argos. He’s working on your son in that cargo bay you allowed him to turn into a lab. Perhaps you should go check on them now?”
“Yeah, I’m going to do just that. Thanks for all your help, and thanks for keeping up with my crazy ideas.”
Yanis grinned. “You know what? It never gets boring working for you, Captain.”
4
Oryn held the mental control device in the palm of her hand. She was impatient to test it, but first she had to report to her father. Should the test with Miseo be successful, this research would allow her to take command of the Furies without having to fight for it.
As strong and determined as she was, the thought of having to defeat Arakan in single combat still terrified her. Not to mention the difficulty of selling the idea of a female on the throne to the rest of the Furies.
No, she had to resign herself to using her father as her puppet. That’s why the test with Miseo was so important. If it succeeded, she could then control her father as well.
She pocketed the device as she entered the throne room and heard her father’s voice in the distance. It was not intelligible enough at that range, and she wondered who he was talking to.
To her surprise, Chase’s words about Arakan not being her father also came to mind.
Could it be? Could I be the daughter of Zeus? No, that’s nonsense! Chase is trying to trick me. The question is, why?
Yet the question had been omnipresent in her thoughts lately, nagging at her. The “what if” part of this train of thought troubled her.
She climbed the stairs to the throne platform and stood in front of Supreme Commander Arakan.
“Father,” she said, dropping to one knee.
“Rise.”
Oryn did so but found it difficult to keep her gaze locked onto her father’s eyes. His look was cold and filled with disappointment.
“What do you have to say regarding your failure?”
“I couldn’t have anticipated the intervention of an Olympian fleet, Father.”
“Excuses. When it’s not you, it’s your brother. Do I have to do everything around here? Can’t I even count on my own children anymore?”
That’s harsh.
“Father, I apologize and take full responsibility. Soon we’ll have enough ships. I’ll take them back to Earth and finish the Earth Alliance.”
“No!”
What?
“Why not, Father?”
“I have other plans. Long-range probes have detected a large fleet of ships going to Earth. They will undoubtedly try to recover their home base.”
“Shouldn’t we use this opportunity to strike? We could let them battle and kill one another and simply swoop in and finish the job.”
“I have considered that. But I think it’s best to strike where they least expect it. And at the same time fix one of your brother’s mistakes.”
“I don’t follow.”
“Let the Earth Alliance recover their precious planet. Earth is of no consequence for the time being. We need a stronger fleet to ensure victory. Especially if they have Olympian destroyers on their side now.”
Was that fear she detected behind his words?
“We need to strike at their supply chains,” Arakan continued. “That means Droxia and then the Obsidian Empire. I have sent a spy to Droxia. Their world has barely recovered from their near destruction, so they will be easy prey. I’m hoping the Droxians will help their allies with ships, whatever feeble fleet they have left and, once they do, my spy will let us know. The moment their fleet makes a move, ours will move in and finish the job that Argos and Miseo botched.”
“Would you like me to command that fleet?”
“You were away when I took that decision, so the fleet is already in place a couple of jumps away from the Droxian sector, hidden within a nebula to stay undetected until they make their move. I have sent one of my most trusted admirals. He will get the job done.”
Oryn flinched but then relaxed. It was actually playing in her favor to not have to worry about any side mission for now. She needed time to make progress on her research and develop the next part of her plan.
“Understood, Father.”
“That will be all.”
She turned her back, started walking and then suddenly stopped. Without bothering to turn around, she said, “Who were you talking to a minute ago?”
“Nobody. You must be hearing things.”
That’s precious. I’m the one hearing things?
“You haven’t gone off your meds again, have you?”
When her father growled, she finally turned around. The look of anger in her father’s eyes froze her blood.
“Oryn, I said that—will—be—all.”
She knew not to push the issue, but also knew she would have to find the answer another way. Arakan needed to be less volatile and that meant taking his meds; especially since it was the only way she could insert her new drug into his regimen and have him take it unknowingly.
“My apologies, Father.”
Oryn left the throne and climbed down the stairs quickly, but soon she could hear her father talking to himself again.
When Chase entered Argos’ lab, the first thing he saw was his son in tremendous pain. Chris was on a medical bed with small tubes inserted in his veins. Black blood exited his body and entered what Chase surmised was blood-cleaning equipment of some kind. Another tube carried crimson blood back into his son’s body.
“What the hell are you doing to him?” asked Chase, his tone cold.
“What needs to be done,” said Argos.
I’m fine, said Chris in Chase’s mind. It’s not as bad as it looks.
“It looks like you’re killing him!” insisted Chase.
“On the contrary, I’m making sure your son lives a long and healthy life. But I have to bombard his body wit
h neutron radiation while we have his blood purified and enhanced with the added nanites to rewrite his rapid-aging genes. Unfortunately, the procedure is quite long, and obviously painful. But Chris is using his healing ability to cope with it.”
“Don’t talk about me,” said Chris between clenched teeth, “as if I wasn’t in the room.”
“I’m not, boy,” said Argos with a smirk. “Don’t worry, Chase, in a few hours he’ll be right as rain, and his aging problem will be history.”
Chase didn’t like the fact that his son had to endure that much pain. And even if Chris told him it wasn’t so bad, his own sensory feedback told him that wasn’t the case. His son’s pain was at torture levels, which didn’t put Chase’s paternal instincts at ease.
“Thank you for doing this for my son. I won’t forget it.”
“It’s the least I can do, brother. I’m glad you still trust me enough to do this.”
“Believe me, my trust in you is slim after the stunt you pulled with your Kyrian snake addiction. But right now you’re the only one who can help. Where’s your Zarlack scientist by the way?”
“In his quarters. He did what I needed him to do. I don’t need his help anymore. What should I do with him going forward?”
“I’ll let you decide this. In any case, his fate is linked to ours. If we survive what’s to come, then he’s free to go. Unless you have a better idea?”
“No, I suppose the least we can do is spare his life for his help. Not that I would have considered it in the past.”
The more time passed, the more Argos’ overall attitude surprised Chase. He was becoming an entirely different person. Or, at the very least, he wanted Chase to think so, which was working.
“Right. I also came here to tell you about the mission, since both of you missed the briefing.”
Chase explained in every detail all that had been discussed.
“I’m surprised you’re willing to go at this alone, at least in the first part of your plan. Shouldn’t I at least join you for that?”
“I’d rather you stay here and monitor Chris’ evolution.”
“You may need us, like you did with Oryn.”
Chase was painfully aware that had it not been for Argos’ intervention during his fight with the mighty Fury, he would have perished.
“If things turn bad I’ll let you know.”
“Alright. Hopefully, Chris’s treatment will be over by the time you need our help. Unfortunately, it can’t be stopped once started; or it would have to be done all over again; and seeing how tough it is on his system, I wouldn’t recommend that.”
Chris talked through gritted teeth. “I’d rather . . . not . . . either!”
Argos laughed. “I like your son. He has a good sense of humor.”
“Thank you, Argos. Keep me updated. I need to make the last preparations.”
Chase approached Chris.
Do you need me to send you some energy, son?
Nope, Dad, but thanks. You’ll need it for your upcoming fight. Be careful. This Gaia 2 is more evil than anything we’ve fought until now. I don’t like this. I don’t like this at all.
I know, son, I don’t like it either.
“What the hell were you thinking?” said Sarah.
“What’s the problem?”
“I’m just a commander, Chase, and you put me in charge of a massive fleet. Are you trying to make First Admiral Zenakis your enemy?”
“I have total confidence in you, and I think you need this. Command will suit you, I’m sure.”
Sarah was not as mad as she was scared. Captaining a starship, even one as powerful as the Hope, was one thing; orchestrating a full fleet was another. Yet she felt touched and flattered.
“Look, Chase, you’re sweet and I thank you for your trust in me, but I’m not going to command the fleet and I’m surprised you don’t see why.”
“I don’t follow. You have the skills.”
“We don’t know that for sure. I may get overwhelmed.”
“Then Admiral Zenakis or Athena will take over.”
“Yeah, that would make me feel great, wouldn’t it? To hand over the reins after I’ve messed up. And it’s not about fear, even though I can’t lie: it is scary to be handed such a great responsibility. But it makes me understand how you must have felt so many times before. Like the weight of the world was on your shoulders. But ultimately I think you’re missing the bigger picture here.”
“And that would be?”
“We need the admiral and his fleet, Chase. And last I checked he didn’t seem happy about handing over command to you. I doubt giving it to me will fly any better in his book.”
“He’s not even officially Earth Alliance,” said Chase annoyed.
“Chase, are you using a technicality to win this argument? We need the admiral’s fleet, don’t we?”
“For the time being, I guess so.”
“Alright then. What would be the best way to have him cooperate? Put me in charge, a mere commander over a first admiral? Or recognize that you can use his extensive battle experience and make him happy, increasing the odds on our side? The two of you started off on the wrong foot; this was and still is the best opportunity you have to soften the rough edges. Don’t you see that?”
There was a moment of silence.
“I suppose so. I just don’t like this situation. Should he join the Earth Alliance, he may become my boss, and this is a recipe for disaster.”
“I agree Chase, and yes, it is. But it will be far worse if every one of your moves screams lack of trust a mile away. You’ve already put him on the defensive with the Earth Alliance. If it weren’t for Saroudis, the admiral would have already left the battlegroup. Now is the right time to mend that fence. Tell him you’ve reconsidered the situation, and that you’d like him to be in command, as we both know he should have been from the start.”
“What about Athena?”
“What about her?”
“She’s supposed to be an incredible tactician, probably the best there is—”
Sarah buried her face in her hands, and then grabbed her hair.
“Chase, stop resisting this. You need to mend that relationship with Zenakis. Who do you think will be hurt the most if you give command to one but not the other? Athena already obeys you blindly since she got her orders to do so from Zeus. She even followed that order to let the Furies go, without question. So do you really think she’ll mind if the admiral gets to be in command instead of me? She didn’t voice a single concern when you gave me that position. Something you did without even checking with me first.”
Chase rubbed the left side of his face. Sarah knew what that meant. He did that when he was about to concede or, at the very least, reconsider a decision he had made.
“Very well, I guess you’re right.”
Sarah’s eyebrows rose. “Guess?”
“That’s all you’re going to get, dear. And yeah, I should have discussed this with you earlier. Obviously it would have avoided what needs to come next. I’ll call the admiral right away,” said Chase before taking Sarah in his arms and kissing her hair. “Thank you.”
Back in her quarters, Oryn turned off the lights and installed the subspace mental link on her right temple but didn’t turn it on. Because it used a subspace link to the target mind, it would work over great distances. That was vital to her plans of controlling as many Furies as she needed, over time. Especially to keep an eye on her father once the technology was proven.
She took a deep breath and activated the device by pressing it for three seconds. A holographic HUD appeared in front of her with a list of subjects. For now there was only a “Test Subject One” to select from the holo-HUD. The scientist had had the presence of mind not to use his name, which pleasantly surprised her. She must have scared her lead scientist enough that he would do anything she asked of him from now on. She felt the need to gain power and soon. Her father was slowly but surely going insane, and her fellow Furies wouldn’t ac
cept a female on the throne. Yet that was where she needed to be.
Between Argos, whose allegiances had flipped, and Miseo’s repeated failures, she would need to deal with the future of her race on her own.
She selected Test Subject One and activated witness mode.
What happened next was extraordinary, but also partly weird and partly scary. She started feeling things totally alien to her. Thoughts that weren’t hers. Seeing a place she wasn’t currently in. Feeling different in her own body in a way that she couldn’t explain and was hard to tolerate.
She was inside Miseo’s body and mind alright, and at first the biofeedback was almost overwhelming. Her first instinct was to disable the device, but she forced herself to keep at it, and, little by little, she became acclimated to this strange array of feelings and sensations.
Miseo’s mind was a mess. A large part of its thoughts was deeply rooted in anger and hatred. And a large part of that was directed towards her, which was difficult to ignore. Miseo hated her with a vengeance and blamed his current predicament, as well as his lowered position of trust with Arakan, on her.
As she grew used to the sensory overload of the device she slowly managed to overlay her own thoughts on top of her brother’s, even though the negative emotions were tiring.
Was he right to blame her for everything?
It mattered not in the grand scheme of things; she had already struck off her brother as a potential ally when he repeatedly failed his assignments.
But then she remembered what her scientist had told her. That in both simulation and animal testing, the subjects tended to become aggressive and their anger levels were off the scale. That would explain the inner rage she felt in Miseo’s mind. That could have a detrimental effect if this part of the technology wasn’t stabilized. For this first test, though, she didn’t care if Miseo lost his mind. And the witness part of the technology already seemed to work beyond her expectations.
“What can I do for you, Captain?” asked a very cold and distant Admiral Zenakis on the holo-transmission.
Armageddon Unleashed (Universe in Flames Book 7) Page 6