by Seth Libby
“Ah yes, it seems it is true then. My guard that recorded the conversation was unable to get the recording device activated right away but he did report that he overheard one particular portion of the conversation.”
“Oh, and what would that be?” Shizta asked neutrally.
“The part where it elaborates that this great human you speak of is romantically involved with one of the females….the one named Aecrin to be specific.”
Shizta attempted to keep his face impassive but something must have shown through because Viero smiled a wicked smile. Shizta scrambled to think of some that might deter Viero, not sure what a madman might do next. Then an idea struck him and he spoke quickly.
“Do you really think the Shelecore would approve of you depriving him of one of his three human prizes?”
This time the smile faltered on Viero’s face as the reprecussions seemed to dawn on him. He thought this over for several long moments before he turned back to Shizta.
“Maybe so but that would only be a problem if he were to know I had three humans captured. Whats to stop me from simply changing the report to say that only two humans were captured. Or maybe one…was killed trying to escape?”
“Do you really think the two remaining humans wouldn’t say anything? We may be their enemies but do you think they would pass up an opportunity to sell you out to insure their own revenge upon you at the hands of our Shelecore?”
This must not have occurred to Viero because his face faltered when Shizta explained this too him. Shizta knew the Shelecore would not believe any humans tale spun to him over the word of one of his overlords yet Viero seemed to believe this a distinct possibility. The fact that Viero believed this comforted yet at the same time worried Shizta. Comforted him based on it seemed Viero was clearly not as intelligent as Shizta had given him credit for which would make manipulating him and possibly escaping easier. It worried him because people like Viero tended to act irrationally and the results could be unfavorable to Shizta’s needs.
Viero was quiet for a long time before an idea seemed to come to mind.
“You may be correct but perhaps I could snag a bigger prize using what I have.”
Viero did not elaborate; instead he turned and walked from the room. Shizta was left with gnawing feeling at the pit of his stomach that left him speculating on what the bigger prize was. Somehow he thought he knew who it was and if that were the case Viero did not know the hell he was about to unleash upon his men if he harmed Leah.
February 1st, 2014 2:32am EST
Lykaa
Liam paced the command center, awaiting any news from the forward units which had departed over an hour ago. It had taken much longer than Liam had wanted but General Leonid had finally mobilized the Praetorian Guard and given order to send scouting parties ahead looking for soft points to assault the Shenkar from. Men and women had been coming and going over the past hour with updates but none so far had provided anything of worth. There was a steady stream of chatter around the command center but Liam hardly noticed it. All he could think of was Leah and wonder if she was okay. He didn’t think she was dead, he couldn’t think she was dead because it would crush him. He had to continue telling himself that she was alive and he would see her again. Perhaps Shizta had been able to infiltrate the facility and he would rescue her and the others. If they did escape the forces were being maneuvered into place to provide support.
Liam had wanted to be a part of the advanced forces but both General Leonid and Admiral Kelvin had disagreed, both feeling he would be an unstable element. He understood their reasoning, but it still stung a bit, especially coming from Admiral Kelvin. He had hoped he had proved himself to the admiral that he could control the power he held within. He knew he was fooling himself with that thought. He saw it anytime he demonstrated his abilities…they feared him. They obviously didn’t realize it themselves but he could see it in their eyes when they saw destruction he could unleash. He knew they all worried what would happen if he lost control.
A commotion at the entrance to the command center interrupted Liam’s thoughts as a guard member stumbled through the door. At first glance it was easy to see that he had run into trouble. His uniform was torn and burned in several locations. His face was bruised badly and a patch of dried blood matted his hair to his head and ran down the side of his face. He staggered forward, refusing any help from others, until he stood before the general. He came to attention, although he seemed to waver as he grimaced from some internal pain, as he saluted. General Leonid returned the salute quickly as he spoke.
“Soldier, what has happened to you? What is so important that you forego medical attention?”
“I was part of one of the forward elements; my team was ambushed and slaughtered. I was left alive to bring you this,” the soldier explained as he held up a small device.
General Leonid leaned his head forward to look at the device before he slowly reached up and took it. He turned it over several times as he examined it before he finally spoke.
“What is it?”
“I was told it’s a comm device that will allow you to directly link to the Shenkar overlord that is in charge here. His name is Viero and he wishes to speak with who is in charge of the troops on Lykaa.”
The general looked up in surprise at this before he turned to one of the nearby engineers.
“Can we link this to our technology without anything harmful occurring?”
The engineer looked at the device for several moments before he nodded slowly and spoke.
“Yes…I believe we could link to it with what we have here. It only appears to be some sort of comm unit, they must have solved the interference we are experiencing from the tunnel wall makeup. This device also seems to allow for video capabilities so I suggest we link it to a comm station with a monitor.”
The general indicated for him to proceed and the engineer quickly went about his work. The entire command center was silent as they awaited word the device was setup. Liam couldn’t help but wonder what the Shenkar overlord wanted to say to them. It was probably too much to hope that this Shenkar was one of those that wanted to overthrow the Shelecore and the current government.
Fifteen minutes had passed before the engineer looked up and gave the thumbs up. General Leonid picked up a nearby headset and moved to stand directly in front of the monitor. Keying a few commands, the camera atop the monitor transmitted the general’s image to a small box in the right corner of the screen while the remainder of the screen glowed blue. Nothing happened for several long minutes, causing many to wonder if the device was working properly. It was only when the general looked towards the engineer did the screen flicker to life to show a Shenkar roughly ten feet from a camera, standing beside the battered form of Lieutenant Wellmo.
“Ah, I see your soldier made it back alive, I was starting to wonder if maybe we had been a little too rough. Those humans did not seem to be able to take the punishment that this human can,” the Shenkar stated as he indicated Tim beside him.
“I take it you are Overlord Viero? I am General Leonid, you wished to speak with me?”
“Yes, I am Viero and yes I did wish to speak with the leader of the humans upon my world. I demand that you surrender your forces to me. I will not fill you with false promises…you all will most likely be executed but I will make sure you are executed honorably and not tortured to death. Perhaps the Shelecore will even let some of you live if I let him know how cooperative you have been.”
General Leonid stared flatly at the screen, the rage within clear upon his face. Liam thought for sure that when he spoke he would be yelling but Leonid proved him wrong as he spoke in an even voice.
“Do you seriously think we would surrender to you? We have destroyed your fleet in orbit, you have no reinforcements coming to your aid…at least not anytime soon. While I admit you have certainly set up your defenses well you are by no means safe. I could destroy you at anytime but I wanted to give your people a chance at survival
. Return my people, lay down your weapons and I will give my word that none of your people will be harmed.”
Now it was Viero’s turn to look as if he was going to explode. Clearly he hadn’t expected to be addressed in such a way. This only added to the evidence that most of the higher command Shenkar lived in a world where they firmly believed no race could defeat them…even when they clearly had evidence to support they could be defeated.
“How dare you speak to me in such a way! You humans need to be taught to know your place. The Shenkar are the supreme rulers and you would benefit from accepting this. If you do not then you will all die!”
Viero stopped, removed a plasma sword from his belt, ignited it and moved behind Tim.
“Perhaps you need a demonstration of how easily I can kill one of you!” Viero said as he raised the sword aloft, preparing to bring it down upon Tim.
“Wait!” Leonid said suddenly, his hand reflexively going towards the screen.
Viero looked up and hesitated for a moment before extinguishing the sword.
“I am not an unreasonable being, I will negotiate a trade for this human as well as the other two females.”
Relief flooded through Liam at hearing this, this meant that Alyssa and Leah were still alive and there was still hope of getting them back alive.
“You must know I cannot surrender all my forces to you in exchange for three lives?” Leonid said quietly.
“No, I know you humans would never agree to such a thing. However I will trade the three humans for one of the humans on your side….the one referred to as Commander Brennan.”
Almost everyone in the command center turned to look in Liam’s direction. Only the general did not look his way, continuing to stare at the screen. Liam quickly moved forward so he came into view on the screen. As he turned to face the camera Viero smiled and spoke.
“Ah, I see you do exist, although you do not look like much,” Viero stated as he seemed to scrutinize Liam.
Liam only stared flatly at the monitor, his face an emotionless mask.
General Leonid however did not remain silent.
“I do not negotiate with the enemy, especially when we have the advantage. If you execute the three prisoners you have then I will not need an excuse not to attack you and if I were to do that then your entire facility and all your men will die…this is not a threat but the truth.”
Viero’s eyes seemed to shift on the screen, looking away from his study of Liam to look at Leonid. He tilted his head slightly and leaned in closer to the screen as he looked in silence at Leonid, weighing whether the general was bluffing. After several long moments he leaned back and smiled slowly.
“I do believe you would do just that, however I believe I can still make my point if you do not meet my demands. I give you four of your hours to deliver Commander Brennan to me, if you do not I will execute one of the prisoners. That still leaves two in my custody of which means would be still be executing your own people…minus one.”
Viero then leaned forward and the screen went black as the transmission ceased. General Leonid continued to stare at the screen, his jaw clenched. Liam did not waste anytime, turning to face Leonid.
“You have to let me go in there!”
The general did not say anything at first, only continued to stare at the screen for several long moments. Liam was about to yell at him when he turned and looked at Liam.
“I will not let you sacrifice yourself for those three. You will remain here until we figure out what we can do.”
Seeing Liam’s rising protest the general raised a hand.
“I understand why you wish to go in there but you are far too important to sacrifice. You have clearly risen on the list of their most wanted which is very interesting. Why do you think they want you?”
“I don’t know, maybe they want revenge for the lives of the Tryliene…frankly I don’t care. All I do care about is getting those three back here safe and sound.”
“You could be right about the reason but I would bet against that. I think they want you because of the symbol you are to a lot of the men and women of Earth. You have achieved legendary status in a relatively short time. Do you even hear what the men and women of this crew whisper about you? You are a hero and many see you as the driving force of the defense force. Do you realize how demoralizing it would be to lose you to the Shenkar? Also, do you realize how much it would help the Shenkar of one could deliver the Dala Dvierik to their Shelecore? Many think you are an unstoppable force that will personally defeat the Shelecore. When you enter a battle you bring hope to those that are fighting. Losing you would be worse than losing the Kraken,” Leonid explained.
Liam did not know what to say, it wasn’t an answer he had expected. As he thought over what to say he became aware just how quiet the command center had gotten. Looking around showed that everyone was looking at him. As he met the eyes of the first Ensign, the Ensign snapped to attention and saluted. As he shifted his eyes from person to person they mimicked the first ensign, snapping to attention when he looked. Soon the entire command center was all saluting, including General Leonid. Liam was at a loss as what to say; thankfully he was rescued from that as Admiral Kelvin entered the command center and looked about, clearly surprised by what was transpiring. Seeing that Liam was the focal point of whatever was transpiring Kelvin made his way over to his location.
“Anyone care to let me in on what is going on? I just heard we were able to speak with this planet’s Overlord. Fill me in on what happened with that.”
“Overlord Viero has agreed to trade Lieutenants Wellmo, Aecrin and Birchette on one condition…he wants our Commander Brennan in return,” Leonid explained, not looking in the admiral’s direction but continued to look at Liam.
“Like hell we will,” Admiral stated.
Liam’s head whipped around to face the Admiral, his face a storm cloud of emotion.
“Admiral Kelvin, one life for three is worth it in my opinion…” Liam began but was cut off by the Admiral.
“Maybe so, Mr. Brennan, but not when it is you that is part of the equation. Do you realize the symbol you have…”
This time it was Liam’s turn to interrupt.
“I know, I know, the general has just fed me the same spiel and even if that is true I cannot stand by and do nothing. You know exactly my reasoning for why I want this so much,” Liam explained, knowing that Admiral Kelvin would know he was referring to Leah.
Admiral Kelvin studied Liam for a few moments before he shook his head slowly in a negative motion. When he spoke next his voice soft and held a note of sympathy within it.
“I understand your reasoning but I am sorry I cannot allow you to throw your life away. I will have you detained if necessary but I would rather not do that.”
Liam tilted his head slightly as if to say “Do you really think you can detain me?” The admiral clearly understood the meaning of the look because his became a thin line and his brow furrowed.
“Commander, we are all aware of how powerful your abilities are and I imagine you could stop us from detaining you but that would mean you would need to hurt your friends and fellow soldiers…are you ready to do that?”
Liam sighed heavily and shook his head ever so slightly in a negative manner. The admiral’s face softened and he reached up to light grip Liam’s shoulder.
“I understand your frustration and I assure you we will do everything we can to get her home but you need to be patient. Can you be patient for me?”
Liam nodded slowly as he looked up at the admiral.
“Good, now let’s see what we can do to rescue them. I understand Shizta went after them to try and free them, have we heard anything in regards to him? Did Viero say anything about him?”
Liam had completely forgotten about Shizta and a small spot of hope filled within him. Shizta had not been mentioned in the whole meeting which made Liam wonder if he had infiltrated the facility and was now working to rescue them.
Februa
ry 1st, 2014 6:05am EST
Lykaa
Viero looked to the comm unit again with mounting anger. He had heard nothing from the humans and now the deadline had passed. Reports from the front lines revealed the humans had begun moving forces in closer as if preparing for an assault but no attack had come as of yet. He knew if he did not do anything then they would eventually attack and if he did not follow through with his threat then they would not take him seriously. Perhaps these humans did not think he was serious with his threats?
Turning about he looked to the two prisoners bound on the floor nearby, the male human and Shizta. If he was going to execute one of his prisoners it needed to be one that would have the largest impact. Shizta was a distinct possibility especially in light of his traitorous actions with helping the humans. Still he did not think this would enrage the humans enough to make a mistake. Then there was the male human who always glared at Viero with most defiant eyes. This human seemed to have great respect for the human, Brennan, but Viero could not say how his death would be taken. He thought of the two females and knew one of them was involved romantically with the human commander. Aecrin he believed was the name…would killing her be going too far? This would certainly enrage the human to come to Viero in an attempt to exact revenge. Then Viero thought of the stories he had heard of this human. If the stories were true would it be wise to enrage such a powerful individual? Viero did not know whether he really believed these stories and in fact he was willing to bet it was just that…stories. It was that small amount of doubt however that was troubling him.
In the end it was Viero’s determination that won out and finalized his decision. He clicked a button at his wrist and soon eight Shenkar warriors appeared and quickly approached. Once they snapped to attention nearby he turned to them.
“The humans do not think I will act on my threats and this is where they are flawed. I order you to go to the holding cells and execute this female prisoner,” Viero explained as he held out an image of the name tag found upon the prisoner’s flightsuit.