by Ben Hale
Dakorians rushed to enter through the airlock, leaping over the dead as their captain barked orders. Strictly speaking, Malikin did not have the authority to command anyone in the military. He was supposed to be an impartial judge, the Voice of the Empire. But the dakorians of the Kildor, a ship serving the Emperor himself, had been ordered to obey his command. The power was intoxicating. The Emperor clearly wanted Bright’Lor destroyed, and he was the privileged destroyer.
A dakorian met them at the airlock. “What do you want them to do with the station?”
Captain Thekton was a Bloodwall like Quel, but that was where the resemblance ended. Tattoos marked his body, making him appear devilish and fearsome. Each tattoo represented a ship destroyed, and there were thousands of ships.
Malikin swept a hand to the station. “Rip the station to shreds. Make it look like a group of mercenaries robbed the station of valuables and killed its occupants.”
Captain Thekton would relish the order. The captain of the Kildor smiled and called out orders, while Malikin turned to survey the station. He already wanted to destroy Bright’Lor, but never imagined that doing so would grant him every desire. He snorted at the prospect of augmented slaves. Only a desperate krey would put their hope in a human. No matter how much power they were given, they were still just animals.
The Kildor’s main cannon fired, and a ball of superheated plasma hit the shields. The entire shield shimmered, the shield emitters struggling with the sudden power drain. Then the main cannon fired a second time, belching a ball of plasma from its throat. It hit the shields, and they burst. The ball of plasma hit the scaffolding and melted through the seracrete, burning a hole all the way through the station. With the shields gone, the Kildor fired the lances, and ion beams bombarded the station.
As explosions blossomed and atmosphere vented into space, Malikin turned away from the window, the station already forgotten. He had a House to destroy, and a rank to obtain. His smile caused the slaves in the pristine corridors of the ship to swerve away, their eyes dropping to the floor.
The Kildor remained outside the station until the supports shattered, the leisure pods detonated, and the corridors snapped and floated through space. The remaining structure caved open, venting bits of debris. Finally, the central gravity drive cracked. In the span of minutes, it imploded, drawing the nearby wreckage inward and crushing everything into a tight ball at the center of a void. The outer wreckage floated away, bits of twisted seracrete occasionally bouncing off the dead.
The Kildor’s gravity drive powered up, and the ship glided away. Three circular Gates appeared ahead of its prow, and it accelerated to hyperlight. As the three rings dissipated, a tiny V-class ship—so named for its pointed design and space for a single occupant—dropped out of the shadows and departed in the opposite direction.
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ALSO IN SERIES:
EMPIRE OF ASHES
RISE OF RENEGADES
GALAXY OF TITANS
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ABOUT BEN HALE
Originally from Utah, Ben grew up with a passion for learning. At an early age he was often caught reading by flashlight after bedtime. In his youth he played various sports, became an Eagle Scout, and taught himself to play the piano. In 2001 he did two years of volunteer work in Brazil and now speaks three languages. After completing a bachelor’s degree from the University of Central Florida, he started and ran several successful business ventures that gave him time to work on his numerous writing projects. His interests are eclectic and include, but are not limited to: sports, board games, tree houses, reading, camping, rock climbing, video games, movies, and snowboarding. His greatest support and inspiration comes from his wonderful wife and six beautiful children. Currently he resides in Missouri after completing his Masters in Professional Writing.
To contact the author, discover more about Lumineia, or find out about the upcoming sequels, check out his website at Lumineia.com. You can also follow the author on twitter @ BenHale8 or Facebook.
To contact the author, discover more about Lumineia, or find out about upcoming novels, check out his website at Lumineia.com. You can also follow Ben on twitter @ BenHale8 or on Facebook.