“Spare me your childish rhetoric,” Yen sneered. “You’re not the same either. Our experiences shape who we are. While you were joy-riding around the outskirts of known space, the rest of us were putting our lives on the line to bring down Earth. It changes a man!”
“I can see that,” Adam replied. “It makes you dangerous.”
“Dangerous?” Yen mocked. “You have no idea about dangerous.”
“But I’m willing to bet Iana does, doesn’t she?” Adam said.
Yen froze in mid sentence. Reaching out with his power, Yen scanned Adam’s mind. Images of Iana arriving onboard the Ballistae, scared and crying, jumped to the forefront of Adam’s thoughts. Suddenly, Yen was even more interested in finding out what was happening aboard the Ballistae.
“I think it’s time for you to tell me your battle plan,” Yen hissed. “Tell me about your plans, about Iana, about Alcent, and about Keryn.”
At the mention of her name, the images in Adam’s mind shifted from Iana to a snow-filled landscape. Darkness stretched over the buildings in Adam’s memory, casting thick shadows over the streets. Huddled within one of the buildings, sleeping forms sprawled across the thinly matted floors. In the corner of the room, two figures laid together. Adam’s memory focused, showing the two figured writhing together in pleasure. The woman tossed her silvery hair back, revealing tanned skin and a myriad of tattoos tracing the outside of her face.
Yen stared at Adam, stunned. “It was you,” he managed to mutter. “You took her heart from me. You, of all…”
He didn’t finish the sentence as Adam caught Yen with a solid punch on his jaw. Yen staggered backward as his power surged within. Psychic wind tossed Yen’s hair wildly as tendrils erupted from his back and hurtled toward the Pilgrim. Before they could strike, a single gunshot rang out through the wide hallway. The tendrils immediately retracted as Yen clutched his side, where dark blood now poured from a wound. Looking up in disbelief, he finally noticed the pistol clenched tightly in Adam’s hand.
“Not this time, Yen,” Adam warned over the howling wind as he waved the gun dangerously. “I don’t care how strong you’ve become; you’re not going to stop me from leaving.”
“You greatly underestimate me,” Yen said, regaining his composure. “Few people get to make that mistake twice.”
Waving his hand, Yen launched a wave of hurricane strength psychic wind toward Adam. The energy struck the Pilgrim, lifting him from his feet and slamming him into the far wall. Adam squeezed the trigger again, but his shot went wide, slamming into the wall behind Yen’s head. Blue energy poured from Yen’s eyes. Rolling down his arms, the blue energy sheathed his hands in a strong glow. Jerking his hands upward, the gun flew from Adam’s hand and skidded across the floor. Adam climbed to his feet as Yen reached him.
Swinging again, Adam’s fist slammed into a protective field encasing Yen’s head. He felt bones break in his knuckles from the impact and Adam had to clench his jaw to keep from screaming out in pain. Moving in a blur, Yen punched Adam three times in rapid succession. Each blow fell like a hammer, driving Adam’s head backward into the wall behind him. After the last hit, Adam slumped forward, a red smear being left behind him on the white wall. Yen caught him before he could crumple to the floor and kept Adam upright. His side burned from the gunshot wound, feeding his rage.
“Of all the people to steal her from me,” Yen said, holding Adam with one hand while driving his fist into the side of his head with the other, “I would have never guessed that it would be you to betray me!” A punch landed against Adam’s head. “She would have been mine!” He punched him again. “Now she wants nothing to do with me.” And again. “And it’s all.” And again. “Your.” And again. “Fault!”
Adam fell limply against the wall, slipping in and out of consciousness. Gripping him in crushing energy, Yen held him upright. Yen’s brushed a loose hair from his face while he listened to Adam’s labored gasps for air. He stared into the face of his betrayer, now barely recognizable as the once handsome Pilgrim. Bones had shattered all along the right side of Adam’s face, leaving the skin disfigured and spongy.
“You stole her heart,” Yen said calmly. “It’s only fair that I take a suitable replacement.”
His fist glowing brightly, Yen slammed his fist into Adam’s chest. The ribs shattered under the punch and the skin and muscles ruptured as Yen drove his fist straight into the soft organs beneath. Adam gurgled as Yen punctured his lungs. Opening his hand, Yen closed his fingers over Adam’s weakly beating heart and jerked backwards, pulling the life-giving organ from Adam’s chest. His eyes rolling into his head, Adam collapsed in a heap on the ground.
Yen stood reveling in the power as Adam’s blood rolled down his arm and pooled on the floor. The rage slowly left Yen’s body, leaving him calm and composed. “No, no,” Yen said as he stared at the heart. “This one just won’t do. It’s hardly a good replacement.”
Dropping the heart on the floor next to Adam’s body, Yen looked at the mess in the hallway. He’d have to do some work to clean this up.
The Ballistae made a final turn, in anticipation for the two Cruisers’ return. In preparation, Keryn launched a single rocket from the rear port of the ship. Shortly after it cleared the Ballistae, Keryn ordered the rocket’s engine shut down. Drifting in space, the rocket sat dormant, its kinetic energy causing it to drift slowly toward the sun beyond.
On the tactical display, a single blue triangle appeared from the back side of the sun. Its path was erratic, as though it had suffered severe damage. Though she waited, the second blue triangle never appeared.
“…this is Phalanx,” a voice crackled over the radio. The signal was weak, breaking up as the Oterian Captain spoke. “We’ve suffered… Defiant destroyed… will not let you down… heading your way.”
The five Destroyers appeared from behind the sun, in quick pursuit of the limping Alliance Cruiser. Keryn’s heart fell as she knew that the Phalanx would never be able to escape the Destroyers. Still, they had succeeded in their mission. The Destroyers would never be in a better position.
“Wyck, fire the engines,” she ordered. “Get us as far away as possible.”
As Wyck engaged the navigation controls, Keryn inputted the code to reactivate her rocket. Its engines flaring back to life, the rocket hurtled toward the dormant sun. Keryn watched the small dot representing her rocket while, simultaneously, watching the damaged Cruiser.
“Phalanx, this is Captain Riddell,” she said, activating the Fleet-wide channel. “Your sacrifice will be remembered forever in the annals of Fleet history.” Reaching up, she wiped a tear from her eye. “It has truly been an honor to fight alongside you, Captain Mandox.”
The blue triangle of the Phalanx slowed and turned, allowing the Destroyers to close the distance. Rockets streamed from the Terran ships and hurtled toward the defenseless Cruiser. Before they were able to reach the ship, however, Keryn’s rocket reached the sun.
The rocket slammed into the black surface of the sun, exploding in an insignificant flash of light. As the missile broke apart, the internal canister shattered, spilling Torazine onto the blackened surface. The effect was instantaneous and violent. The Torazine broke down the membranes covering the Deplitoxide, releasing the heat of an entire sun in one sudden and deadly wave. The once dark sun ignited with its former glory. Solar flares erupted from its surface, reaching out thousands of miles into space. One of the flares caught the Terran Destroyers, vaporizing them under the intense waves of heat. Though they flew away at great speed, the shockwave from the ignition of the sun rattled the Ballistae, sending angry vibrations through the entirety of the ship. The solar eruptions lasted only a few minutes. When they were done, a brightly glowing sun stood in the center of the galaxy, illuminating the wreckage of both Fleets.
With the destruction of most of the rest of the Terran Fleet, Keryn received a signal that the remaining ships were surrendering. With an exhaustive sigh, Keryn allowed a smile to spread
across her face.
“I’m sorry, sir, but Squadron Commander Decker was never able to make an emergency landing onboard the Revolution,” the Lithid navigator called over the radio. “Commander Decker’s fighter was destroyed by a Terran rocket moments before he was able to land within our hangar bay. Again, sir, I’m very sorry to inform you of the loss.”
“He’s lying!” Keryn screamed into the open room, startling Wyck, who still stood at the radio. She stormed over to him, pushing the Uligart out of the way. Pushing the transmit button, she yelled into the radio. “I know you’re lying, you bastard! Do you hear me, Yen? I know you’re lying!”
A calm voice replied. “Keryn, I feel absolutely terrible about your loss, but as Tylgar already told you…”
“Don’t give me your political crap!” she interrupted. “I know you killed him and I promise you, if it’s the last thing I do, I’ll make you pay for this!”
“Such hostility, Keryn,” Yen chided. “It’s painful when someone you love is gone, isn’t it?”
Keryn slammed her fist down on the microphone, cracking its casing. Tears of both anger and sorrow streamed down her face. “The son of a bitch is lying!”
“Of course he is,” Iana consoled, placing her arm around Keryn. “The question is: what are we going to do about it?”
Keryn wiped her eyes on her sleeve. Her eyes burned from the tears, but now a new fire had been ignited within her. “I know exactly what I’m going to do.”
She pushed away from Iana and stormed out of the control room. As she staggered down the hall, her mind alight with ideas, Keryn pushed past the crew of the Ballistae who cheered wildly at their victory. Though many tried to pull her into their revelry, their joy couldn’t penetrate her enveloping sadness and thoughts of revenge.
Finally reaching her room, Keryn opened the door and rushed over to the computer console. Typing in a now familiar code, the symbol of High Council appeared on the screen. Knowing she looked terrible, Keryn didn’t care. She waited impatiently for the red recording symbol to appear in the corner of the screen. When it did, she began her brief but important message.
“I’ve changed my mind,” she stated matter-of-factly. “I’m in. But if we’re going to do this, we’re going to do it my way.”
CHAPTER 41:
Yen retreated to his quarters as the other remaining ships in the Fleet tended to the surrendered Terran Destroyers. He had wanted to rest, after exerting himself so much during the battle, but an urgent message from High Council took priority. Safely inside his room, he sat down before his console and entered his command code. The screen shifted from black and a red symbol emerged on the monitor. Yen was surprised to note the small annotation at the bottom of the screen. The call from High Council was being fed to his console live. For the first time in his career, Yen would personally speak to High Council.
The screen slowly faded to reveal six elderly figures sitting around a horseshoe shaped table. From their elevated positions, they seemed to look down upon the seated Yen. Nervously, Yen cleared his throat.
“Captain Xiao,” an elderly Uligart began. “We would like to begin by congratulating you on an exceptional victory in the name of the Alliance. Thanks to your diligence, the Alliance has won a decisive victory over the Terrans, one that will result in the final destruction of the Terran Empire.”
“Thank you for your kind words, Councilmember,” Yen replied, humbled by their personal attention.
“I think it’s safe to tell you,” continued the Oterian Councilmember, “that you are being recommended for some of the highest decorations available to the Alliance. You will truly be forever remembered for the personal accomplishments and sacrifices you made for the Alliance.”
“My accomplishments aside,” Yen added, “I could not have defeated so great an adversary as the Terran Fleet without the support of a number of valiant ships, many of whom were destroyed in the war.”
“Yes,” a gravelly voice issued from behind the stoic mask of the Lithid Councilmember, “it was a great loss of life. All those who gave the ultimate sacrifice during the war will be forever immortalized in our records. But your victory is by no means the end of the conflict. As you recover from your combat, billions of lives are at stake on artificially frozen worlds. It is our understanding that your Fleet has procured a counteragent to the Deplitoxide threat. Is this correct?”
“That is correct, Councilmember,” Yen replied flatly. “We do have a counteragent, one that was used effectively to help us win the war against the Terran Fleet.”
“We knew as much,” the Lithid said smartly. “We have need of that counteragent throughout the known universe. It must be delivered at once, lest all of our species perish along with the Terrans. Perhaps you could send some of your ships to assist?”
Yen sat staring at the screen. The Lithid Councilmember had inadvertently given him a way out of two difficult situations.
“Councilmembers, I believe I have a solution that can work best for all parties involved,” he began, chancing a faint smile. “During the most recent combat, Captain Riddell lost someone who she loved deeply. I fear that this loss has affected her profoundly. In my professional opinion as Commander of the Fleet, I don’t believe the best place for her is in command of a warship.”
“Would you delegate her to a research vessel, primarily tasked to restarting the suns of Alliance space?” the Pilgrim Councilmember asked. “It’s a damning assignment for a Captain to be demoted to a more menial task of serving as commander of a scientific vessel.”
“I understand your concern,” Yen stated, “but I know my concerns for her continuing mental and physical well-being. Should she remain amidst the Fleet, I fear that it’s only a matter of time before she becomes a detriment to herself and others. I’m concerned that her outbursts could eventually bring her to harm.”
The Councilmembers muted their radios and discussed amongst themselves. The elderly figures argued for some time before activating their microphones again.
“We have agreed to your recommendation,” the Avalon Councilmember finally answered. “Once our conversation is completed with you, we will notify the Ballistae that it’s been reassigned for an indefinite period of time.”
“I thank you for your consideration and concern for one of my Captains,” Yen said cynically. “I don’t know how I would react should she come to harm.”
“With that business behind us, Captain,” the Wyndgaart Councilmember stated, “we have another mission which requires immediate attention. Though we have defeated the Empirical government on Earth and destroyed the Fleet, the Terran Premier has still eluded our grasp. If he were to remain alive, he would become a figurehead around which a new underground movement would form. Instead of fighting in open warfare, we would be reduced to fighting guerilla conflicts on backwater planets against fanatical enemies. He cannot be allowed to live.”
“Have we located his safe house?” Yen asked, feeling the excitement build within him.
“One of the captured Terran Captains betrayed his location while under the influence of the Crown,” the Wyndgaart stated. “We are compiling a strike force now that will eliminate the last Terran threat to the Alliance.”
Yen raised his head confidently. “Councilmembers, I would like to volunteer to lead the expedition. I have proven myself time and again both as a ground and aerial tactician. My unique skill set will be invaluable for an assault of this magnitude.”
Again, the High Council muted their microphones as they went into deep conversation. Yen couldn’t hear their words, nor would his psychic powers help him over a console. Instead, he sat impatiently as he watched the Councilmembers debate his request. Finally, they leaned back in their seats and reactivated their microphones.
“We have examined the pros and cons of your request, Captain Xiao,” the elderly Wyndgaart stated. “We’ve decided to grant your request. I’m redirecting the assets for this mission to the Revolution. An emissary will arrive soon with
specialized equipment for your mission. Once he arrives with the rest of your team, I’ll expect you to depart immediately. The journey to the Premier’s location will take less than a day, but he’ll be aware of the Terran Fleet’s defeat. You’ll have to move quickly to ensure he doesn’t escape.”
“Councilmembers,” Yen said, gratified, “you won’t be disappointed in your decision.”
“No, I suppose we won’t be,” the Wyndgaart answered before reaching forward and ending the communication. Yen’s screen turned dark once again.
Where previously he had wanted to sleep, Yen now found himself too filled with enthusiasm. He would lead the strike force that would kill the Terran Premier, effectively destroying the Empire once and for all. Glancing back at the monitor, Yen smiled at his own personal musings. Yen wondered how many people he’d have to kill in order to become a Councilmember.
The Terran transport ship docked with the Revolution a few hours after Yen ended his conversation with the High Council. As the wide side door slid open on the ship, Yen walked forward with his entourage to greet the emissary. He was surprised, however, when a group of soldiers exited the craft in full Terran battle gear.
“What’s the meaning of this?” Yen asked, warily watching the heavily armed men.
“My apologies, Captain,” a tall Oterian said as he stepped out of the ship, bending low at the waist to accommodate his height. In his hand, he carried what seemed to be a heavy briefcase. “We didn’t mean to startle you.”
“You are the High Council’s emissary?” Yen asked dubiously.
The Oterian walked forward, extending his hand. “My name is Maxlar. I was sent to brief you on the technology you’ll be employing during your mission.” Maxlar reached down and patted the side of the large plastic briefcase he carried by his side.
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