by Ivan Kal
Immediately, she felt anger. It was supposed to be her Legion that was destroying the Daksinn—the Ra’a’zani. She turned her eyes to Adrian, seeing him studying her.
“I wanted you to see this,” Adrian said.
“Why? Do you think that if I see you defeating these weaklings that I will change my mind, counsel my Elders not to attack you?” she said harshly. She couldn’t contain herself; this was her blood call. And she was seeing it fulfilled by another.
Adrian gave a sad shake of his head. “You told me that this was important to you, to see the Ra’a’zani dead for massacring your people.”
“I thought that your Empire doesn’t wipe out weaker civilizations. Does that cover only those races that didn’t have the chance to harm you? Are you perfectly fine with killing others when it is out of revenge?” Anessa asked sarcastically.
“You think that you know everything, that you know what my people are ready to do,” Adrian said as he turned towards her, his expression harsh. “We don’t wipe out entire civilizations when there is another option. You think that that makes us weak; I assure you it does not. The end of Ra’a’zani civilization begins now, not because we are vengeful, but because they are a blight on the universe. They made a conscious choice to enslave others with full knowledge of what they were doing, and they cannot change. Their culture, their economy, and their industry all rely on slaves. We gave them several chances to surrender. They refused.” He calmed down a bit, taking a deep breath.
He turned to look at the planet on the holo. “What we are about to do, we do with full understanding of what the consequences will be, and with a heavy heart. But taking a life of a sentient being should never be easy.” He turned to look at her. “You would’ve bombed this planet and wiped out all life on it, with no regard for those that the Ra’a’zani had enslaved, thinking that they are weak. But they are not; they just haven’t had the opportunity to become strong. We are going to give that to them, but the choice of using that chance is ultimately theirs. If they squander the chance we give them, they will remain weak and we will let the universe decide their fate.”
Anessa grimaced. Everything he said went against all that she knew. “And how will you end their civilization without bombing their worlds? Will you become like them and enslave them?” she asked. The Shara Daim abhorred slavery, both the slaves and the slavers. It was a weakness.
A hurt expression came over his face for just a moment, and Anessa realized that her believing he would allow such a thing hurt him. But quickly his emotions disappeared behind a blank mask. “No, we will not enslave them. We will kill them all, because they are too far gone to be saved. We have devised a pathogen that will make all of them infertile. They will not be able to reproduce; this will be their last generation. We will leave them on their worlds with no means to reach space, to die of old age. Their race will not end with a loud bang of a planetary destruction; it will end in a soft exhale of the last Ra’a’zani’s dying breath.”
Anessa looked at him, shocked. To create such a thing was an amazing achievement, one that her people would’ve never attempted, partly because they didn’t have the knowledge, and partly because they preferred to fight and grow stronger from the battles against the weaker races. But to end a race like that, it was a fate far crueler than what she had believed this Empire capable of. She couldn’t imagine living with the knowledge that her people would die, and that there was nothing that she or anyone else could do about it.
“So,” Anessa said, giving him a level look, “you will wipe out an entire sentient species from the universe, and yet you frown on the actions and beliefs of my people.”
“You still don’t understand,” he said slowly, pityingly. “The Ra’a’zani will be gone, but something new will be born out of their ashes. It was never your actions that bothered us; what you are doing is the rule of the Universe, the strong survive and the weak perish—we understand that. It is your core beliefs that we take issue with, those that say that you are better than everyone else, that you are destined to rule. You don’t fight against other races because they have harmed you first; you do it because they are in your way.”
Anessa watched him, wanting to ask him about what he meant by that, but with a glance and a gesture, he dismissed her. Sending her back to her quarters under guard, his face filled with disappointment. And somehow, that disappointed expression hurt her more than anything had in a long, long time.
Chapter Eight
Military transport; Inside Lu’tal’s atmosphere
Commander Sahib Adin waited patiently for his drop-pod to be launched out of the military transport. The fleet was hammering the Ra’a’zani planetary defenses, opening a path for the transports. Suddenly, Sahib’s comm chirped and the pilots informed him that they would be dropped in fifteen seconds.
The chatter from his squads washed over him as he steeled himself for the uncomfortable drop. Fifteen seconds later, his pod launched out of the transport with a lurch. G-forces pressed at him even with the absorbing foam and the dampener field. Then the landing burst initiated and the pod slowed down abruptly, the dampener field working overtime to counter the forces that would’ve splattered him otherwise.
Once the pod was safely on the ground, the pod’s front panel exploded outwards and he stepped out, his weapon at the ready. Twenty-eight other pods were arranged around him; twenty-seven of them were his people wearing combat armor, but from the last one emerged a female figure wearing Sentinel armor. Three blue glowing lights were embedded into hard plates on her chest. Her torso and feet up to her knees were also made out of hard plates and painted silver; the rest of her was covered in small black, scale-like plates. Sentinel Aileen walked over to him and shook her head. “I don’t know how you do this every time you deploy somewhere, but I am never doing that again,” she said slowly.
Sahib grinned inside his battle armor. “Well, we don’t do it every time.”
“Once is more than enough,” Sentinel Aileen said as she shook her head.
“It will take us twenty minutes at full run to get to our target. You sure you can keep up?” Sahib asked.
“I could leave you in my dust, soldier, finishing our mission before you even arrived. But I will match my speed with yours; no point in me taking all the fun,” she said jokingly, but Sahib knew that she wasn’t really joking. He was Adrian’s friend, after all, and was perfectly aware of what a Sentinel could do.
“Right, then. Wolf Platoon, move out.”
***
Twenty minutes later, they reached their target: a larger complex inside a mountain. Two large anti-air turrets prevented any air support from approaching, which was why they were here on foot. Their mission, operation Last Chance, was to take the complex and disable the anti-air turrets, allowing for shuttles to land and pick up their cargo, which was deep inside the building.
“So…a frontal assault?” Sahib asked.
“Yes, and they will be very protective. We need to move through them quickly, killing all in our path, before they decide to barricade themselves into the birthing chamber,” Aileen responded.
“We know what to expect from their guards and soldiers, but do you know what we will find inside the chamber?” Sahib asked.
She shook her head. “I know only what I overheard, which is little. I know that Ra’a’zani females rarely leave the chamber, but I don’t even know what they look like or what they are capable of.”
“Well, then, let’s get going. Move out.” He ordered his platoon forward. They crossed the distance quickly, entering the courtyard unopposed.
“We should’ve been challenged already,” Garth, one of his teammates, said over the comms.
“We could’ve gotten lucky, they might’ve sent their people to help defend their cities,” Loca commented.
“It could be, but the Vanar—the female guard—will remain,” Aileen added.
“Move inside,” Sahib said.
They entered the large building, a
nd Sahib ordered his people to split up and secure the complex, and to find and disable the anti-air turrets.
Sahib’s team and the Sentinel moved deeper inside, towards where they believed the birthing chamber was supposed to be.
“Well, this isn’t creepy at all,” Loca said after a long stretch where they still hadn’t encountered anyone.
“Keep your eyes open, Ra’a’zani are tricky opponents,” Aileen said.
“Contact!” someone said over the comms.
“Report!” Sahib said.
“Found half a dozen of the bastards in a room that looks like some kind of a control hub,” the voice said. “Managed to take them all down. It looks like this is the anti-air control room.”
“Disable the defenses and call the fleet,” Sahib said, and they continued moving forward. They rounded a corner, and found themselves right in front of a squad of Ra’a’zani.
The Empire’s troops were the first to open fire, and bullets and plasma ripped two of the ten large aliens to pieces before they even managed to raise their weapons. The others started firing at his squad, who moved back behind the wall to take cover.
One of his teammates grabbed a fist-sized device in one hand and pressed a few buttons on it with the other, then threw it at the enemy. The device fell among them and activated. The area filled with gas, and a moment later, a high-powered laser’s photons knocked the electrons from the gas’s atoms and flash froze the enemy combatants. Sahib and his people left the cover and finished the enemy quickly. Behind them, they saw large closed doors, with ornamented handles and unique symbols painted on their surface.
“That it?” Sahib asked.
“Yes, if I am remembering the descriptions right,” Aileen answered.
“Not many people guarding it,” Sahib commented.
“They have been fighting a losing war against the Shara Daim for decades. Their best are already gone, and their world is under attack. Their soldiers must be elsewhere fighting against us.”
“Good point. Shall we?” Sahib said, and motioned for his team to open the door.
The massive door slid open and the team walked in. The room was vast, with multiple leveled platforms and stairs leading to them. Each one held large and elaborate golden-colored baskets, and in them were dark brown eggs the size of a small child.
“Secure the room, the shuttles and the retrieval teams should be here soon,” Sahib said, and no sooner had he finished than did a loud snarling noise rip through the room. A six-legged Ra’a’zani at least four meters tall stood to their left, and slowly started moving towards them. His team leveled their weapons, preparing to fire.
“Hold your fire!” Sentinel Aileen ordered. “We can’t risk the eggs.”
“Well, what do you suggest?” Sahib asked.
Aileen stepped forward and spoke in a guttural tongue, Sahib’s implant translating everything she said. “Step aside, Ra’a’zani. There is nothing you can do to save your race, and we will not harm your eggs. They are the only hope you have that something good will come out of your end,” Aileen said.
The large Ra’a’zani—obviously a female—looked at Aileen with her teeth bared and spoke in the same guttural tongue. “You will not touch my offspring, slave!” the Ra’a’zani said, and charged the Sentinel.
Sahib was about to order his teammates to fire when the Sentinel charged towards the Ra’a’zani, meeting her halfway. She jumped over her head, evading the arms that tried to catch her. And just as she was above the alien’s head, she twisted in mid-air so that her head was pointed towards the floor and the Ra’a’zani. She froze in the air as she pushed her hand down towards the alien beneath her.
The Ra’a’zani smashed into the floor and stayed there, held by invisible forces that the Sentinel commanded. The Ra’a’zani tried to move, but she didn’t have enough strength to separate herself from the floor. Sahib ran forward and smashed the butt of his rifle into the head of the alien.
A moment later, Aileen fell downward, twisting and landing with her feet on the floor. She walked to Sahib and slapped his shoulder. “Thanks.”
“I doubt that you needed my help,” Sahib said as she passed, and reached one of the eggs. Sahib followed and peered down at the brownish egg. He saw something moving inside.
“So, are we taking them all?” Sahib asked.
“Yes,” Aileen answered.
“That is a lot of eggs,” Sahib commented as he looked over the chamber; there were thousands of eggs inside it.
“They will birth a new race,” Aileen said simply.
Sahib nodded. His friendship with Adrian had also made him privy to the plan for these eggs. A new race indeed, he thought to himself. He motioned for his people to secure the room.
“What about her?” He nodded towards the unconscious form of the Ra’a’zani female.
Aileen tilted her head, the smooth plate of her helmet making the action look strange. “She wasn’t a part of the plan. Bind her; we’ll set her free before we leave,” she said.
Sahib relayed the order to his team.
Chapter Nine
One day later; Slave breeding camps
Aileen walked over the corpses of the Ra’a’zani slave masters; their broken and scorched bodies lined the hallways. Her Sentinel armor was deployed in its battle mode, and it was covered in Ra’a’zani blood and grime from fighting. She had led assaults on several slave camps, both human and Yunkari. But she had never stayed for the actual transport of slaves; there were still more camps on the planet to be taken. She reached the end of the corridor and the three soldiers waiting for her.
“Ma’am,” the leader said. “They are inside. The Ra’a’zani taskmaster got away and took a slave girl hostage. We could’ve taken him out, but that would’ve risked the girl, and we know your standing orders.”
“You did well, I’ll take care of it,” she said giving him her rifle, and entered the room.
Inside was only a small cot in one far corner, with a bucket-like object in the other. In the middle of the room stood the Ra’a’zani, holding a girl that was no more than sixteen years old. She was wearing nothing but rags. One of his clawed hands was pressed to her neck. The girl wasn’t even upset, and her eyes seemed bland; she no longer cared what happened to her.
Aileen knew that look. It had looked back at her in the mirror for far too long.
“I want safe passage from this camp. Only then will I release the slave,” the Ra’a’zani said in his native tongue. By his faded skin color and stature, she knew that he was old, at least three hundred years.
Aileen tilted her head and responded in Ra’a’zani, “Release the girl, and I will give you what you ask.”
“You don’t give orders here, slave,” the Ra’a’zani snarled, his claw biting into the girl’s neck, drawing blood. The girl barely even reacted.
With a command from her imp, Aileen retracted her armor, the black scales compressing back into the plates on her torso and legs. She looked at the girl and saw her eyes widen a bit when she saw Aileen. The poor girl probably didn’t even know what was happening, only that someone had attacked the Ra’a’zani and she was now being used as a bargaining chip for the Ra’a’zani’s life. It was the least of the crimes inflicted upon her.
Aileen didn’t take her eyes of the girl as she spoke in the Ra’a’zani tongue. “I know how you are feeling right now, but I promise you it will get better. One day you will be alright.”
“What are you talking about? If you don’t get me out of here, I will rip her throat out!” the slave master threatened.
Aileen gave the girl a smile, and then she pulled on her Sha. She reached with her telepathy to the Ra’a’zani; she was still not as good with it as she would have liked, and the Ra’a’zani had no telepathy of their own, which meant that she could only distract for a moment or two. But that was all that she needed.
The Ra’a’zani’s eyes got a faraway look to them and Aileen sprang into action. She jumped forward, grabbing
the hand at the girl’s throat and twisting it away and breaking it. Snatching the girl with her other hand, she took her from the Ra’a’zani and threw her behind her.
Ra’a’zani regained his wits, and his jaws moved towards Aileen’s face. She sent a kinetic blast from her hand at his jaw, snapping it closed and throwing the Ra’a’zani backwards. She jumped, putting her legs on his shoulders and her arms on its head. She twisted with her arms and broke the alien’s neck, dropping down to the floor on her knees and with Ra’a’zani between her legs.
The soldiers had entered the room as Aileen stood and reached the girl. When she tried to give her a hand, the girl recoiled in fear, looking at the Ra’a’zani corpse and back to Aileen.
“It’s alright, you are safe now, and no one will hurt you ever again,” Aileen said, and nodded to the soldiers to take her. The girl was still fearful and reluctant to leave the room, but the two soldiers didn’t give her a lot of choice.
The leader stayed and nodded at Aileen. “Thank you, Sentinel.” And Aileen nodded back and retrieved her rifle. The soldiers retreated, leaving her alone in the room.
Aileen looked around, seeing her past. She had been in this kind of room before, long ago. She had been that terrified little girl, once. She had been afraid that coming here again would make her weak, would make her stomach churn, but it hadn’t. The person who had feared this room no longer existed. She was not that scared little girl anymore. With a sigh, she activated the command for her Sentinel armor, and walked as it encased her in scales. There were still more Ra’a’zani to kill.
***
Command Ship Argo
Johanna stood and watched the holo as the last remnants of the Ra’a’zani were wiped from the system. The only place where they remained was the planet—Lu’tal, as the Ra’a’zani called it.
“The pathogen has been released into their water supplies across the planet and into the atmosphere. By our estimates, the entire population should be exposed in a week or two,” her second-in-command High Prime Narani said, his tail whipping back and forth as he spoke. For a Nel, that could have meant hundreds of things, and she wasn’t as familiar with their gestures as she would have liked, so she ignored it.