Axyn had been in steady contact with his commander the last few days, and during a few of the conversations he got the gist of what was happening along with what drastic actions needed to be done aboard the ship. He knew the names of all of the traitors and had eyes on them all now, but the most dangerous one was under his nose right now.
“Picking up a disturbance a few kilometers aft of the shuttle.” Kala reported sheepishly. “Could be just from the exhaust ports, but it’s hard to be sure.”
“So what do you recommend?” he asked; careful to not let on that he was wise to her secrets.
“Change the approach vector of the shuttle.” She became a bit more chipper. “Have it swing around the Dark Light so we can complete a full scan and make sure the Councils are safe.”
Axyn pondered this request. At any other time he would more than agree with this course of action, but knowing Kala had an agenda he began a mental checklist to see why she would suggest this specific course. It took him a minute, but it came to him and he resisted the smile that came with it.
“Do it.” He ordered and watched Kala’s fingers punch in the co-ordinates to relay to the approaching shuttle. “Shuttle two-two-three, this is Ops Con; we are changing the approach vector and have relayed your new flight plan to you. Acknowledge and confirm.”
“We have them now and are making the corrections.” The pilot replied. “Five minutes to dock.”
Axyn took a deep breath and pretended to avert his attention, then watched from his peripheral vision as Kala slipped her right hand over and opened the targeting system for the forward turrets. She punched in a series of codes and masked the source of the commands, then slipped quickly back out and snuck a peak back at him to see if he was watching. To her eyes, Ayxn could tell she thought she was in the clear.
“Shuttle passing the bow and coming about to enter forward docking bay.” The tracking officer announced. “Bay clear of personnel and depressurized; opening doors now.”
“Sir, we have a problem.” Kala spoke up.
“Go on.”
“Sensors show the shuttle is clear of any tails or anomalies.” She continued. “But for some reason, our turrets are tracking it.”
“Are weapons armed?” he asked.
“No they aren’t.” she began. “Wait, they are heating up……what’s going on here?”
“Shuttle two-two-three.” Axyn barked over the comm. “We are experiencing a technical issue with our forward turret array. Vector out and take evasive actions immediately!”
“Captain,” Lyxia’s voice came over the speakers. “What the hell is going on? Why are you targeting us?”
“Malfunction of some sort.” He answered and turned back to Kala. “Shut it down, now!”
“I can’t!” she cried. “Nothing’s working! Oh no, it’s too late!”
Axyn spun back to the view screen and watched as four turrets fired and the shuttle carrying the human Council, some of his best men, and his friend - the ship’s commander - was obliterated. After the exploding gasses dissipated, all that remained was the smoldering fragments of some of the thicker parts of the hull.
There was a quiet shock in the room; most of the women simply stood up from their stations and hung their heads remorsefully. Axyn shared a look with Onai; one that told him that everything else had gone according to plan. Now it was time to do his part; he honestly was going to enjoy this.
Axyn bent over the crying Kala, who was putting on quite the act, and whispered in her ear. “You are under arrest for treason.” He watched her expression change from sadness to fear in a split second. “You will accompany me quietly to the cells, or should I simply snap your neck right here and now?”
He watched her breathe rapidly, get composure over herself, then slowly stand up and turn to the rest of the staff to address them.
“I need to step away to deal with what just happened.” She announced to them proudly. “The Captain will escort me to my quarters due to the emotional trauma of what I have experienced to ensure my well-being.”
Onai nodded at her, and Axyn led Kala from her station and out of Operations Control. The whole time he stayed a foot behind her and his hand on the hilt of his blade in case she decided to act foolishly; but to his dismay she only did as she was told. When the two entered the lift and the doors closed, she finally spoke to him.
“You know, with her gone this is my ship now.” She grinned at him. “You have no authority to hold me, and I will see you stripped of your rank and titles for this embarrassment.”
“Poor foolish snitch.” Axyn growled at her. “Was that your reward for betraying your Council; to take her place? To command the ship you so covet?”
“There is a new order now.” She leaned in to him. “A new Empress takes the throne and with it shall usher in a new age for our glorious Empire. Your precious Lyxia was simply part of the old guard and had to be brushed aside to make way for us to step forward. Your loyalty to her is foolish and pointless. She is dead and there is nothing you can do to bring her back.”
The doors opened on the detention level and he watched as Kala began to realize she wasn’t alone down here. In more than a few of the cells were some of her fellow Guild converts; faces she recognized from her messages from her masters. Once more her face went blank with fear.
Axyn shoved her into an open cell and activated the electric field that kept her prisoner. He had caged his prey, but she was still as dangerous as ever. The longer they kept her - and any of her cohorts - alive, the more they played with the inevitability of them trying to escape and resume their coup.
“My foolish loyalty?” he leaned in to whisper to her. “Is not without reason, I assure you that. For with all you’re planning you forgot to pay attention to the whole picture. Do you remember us closing the rear shuttle bay doors as you changed the flight plan to come around to the front so you could bring them within weapon’s range?”
Kala looked back at him blankly. “What are you talking about?”
“Council Lyxia docked successfully right when you pulled the trigger to destroy the shuttle.” He grinned devilishly at her. “And after all your fellow mutineers have joined you she will gladly meet with you to gain insight on everything you know; and I assure you that you will not enjoy that conversation one bit. That is, if you survive it to its conclusion.”
Axyn stepped back and looked at a few of the others that strained to hear what he was saying to her. They all looked confused and angry; the sight of her joining them added the look of defeat as well. He let out a deep laugh from his belly; mocking their well-planned efforts that had gone for naught. As he walked back to the lift, he nodded at the J’Karin guard and grinned.
“New era my bronze ass.” He mocked as the lift doors closed.
—
“So what now?” Sara said as they had landed and been secured in the Dark Light’s shuttle bay for more than an hour now aboard Aen’s mystery ship.
“We wait until my Captain of the Guard comes to give me the all clear.” Lyxia chided her impatient friend.
“Are you sure you can trust him?” Sara asked.
“More than I can the rest of you.” She smiled at her little group of friends.
Her men looked around and focused on the new comers - the man in the chrome armor and the female Ifierin who refused to remove her helmet - on the trip here Iana had reversed her facial and body changes to disguise herself before and could not remove the helmet if she wanted to remain incognito. Neither had identified rank or regiment to them, but on Lyxia’s orders they had accepted them as friends; at least for now. Her men’s loyalty made her smile more; after what she just witnessed it was good to feel like you had others to rely on.
“They are apprehending the last of the conspirators.” Caretaker announced. “It appears that a few of the fake Ifierin aren’t going down without a fight.”
Her guards looked back in unison as the call for action was over tempting to soldiers that had been idle
for far too long. She admired their want to jump in to make a difference, but regretted having to advise them to stay put.
“Not this time boys.” She apologized. “But I promise next time you are all on the front line to taste blood before the others.”
In unison, the Ifierin slammed their right arm across their chests; saluting their commander. The noise of armor striking armor hard, echoed in the ship and made Sara jump. The other two didn’t move at all. Lyxia admired them for staying in character, and was proud of herself for resisting the urge to steal Aen away to a bed and ravage him.
Her thoughts were interrupted by the visual of the access doors opening and Axyn along with a few Ifierin tailing him in formation marching towards them. Lyxia pressed the button for the loading ramp to open and her men took up flank formation to guard her as she disembarked. Sara and the other guests stayed aboard and out of sight. As her Captain got closer, she could see the spattering of blue blood on his armor and the smoldering scars of plasma rounds still smoking on his left shoulder.
“I am afraid to inform you.” He began with a smile. “That the last few prisoners did not survive transport to the cells.”
“Something tells me you took great joy in that.” She smiled back at him.
Axyn stopped a few feet from her as he and his men saluted her then he bowed to one knee. “I return command of the Dark Light to you, Council Lyxia. I only wish it was under better circumstances. I fear I didn’t do that great of a job.”
Lyxia grabbed his hand and lifted him up, and in a very informal act she hugged him gratefully causing a few cocked heads from the on looking Ifierin.
“If it hadn’t been you in charge, I would not be here to accept my posting once more.” She applauded him. “Again, you have proven invaluable to me with your service and your friendship. Thank you for trusting me on this.”
“And the Terran Council?” he asked. “How did she fair in the ship to ship transfer through the cold of space?”
Sara had taken the mention of her title as cue to amble down the ramp and join her friend a few feet away. Immediately she was taken aback by the blood stained Captain’s appearance and looked upon him with awe. Axyn saluted her, then offered his hand in the human greeting; knowing their customs from the time spent on their planet years ago. Lyxia watched as Sara took the gauntlet adorned hand and shook it lightly.
“It is an honor to meet you, Council.” Axyn nodded.
“The honor is mine, Captain.” She replied. “I hope one day to find a soldier half as good as you, to serve at my side; and if that were to happen I would consider myself a lucky girl. Lyxia speaks your praises often, and I see that her stories don’t do you justice.”
Axyn’s usually gruff appearance cracked, and he smiled from ear to ear followed by a loud chuckle. “Such words of respect are not common from the Council, but please don’t stop on my account. Go on.”
“Another time, old friend.” Lyxia interrupted the exchange. “We have much to do before we arrive home, and a few more guests to pick up on the way.”
“That’s the part you weren’t clear on.” He began. “I got the part about the conspirators, but are you sure it reaches through the entire Fleet? I would love to see your data on that; just to be sure before we make asses out of ourselves in front of the entire Empire.”
“I assure you that this is all on the up and up.” Lyxia assured him. “And this goes deeper than just the Fleet. From what we can tell, this ‘infestation’ begins in the Guild, which means you and your men get a shot at kicking some Forgotten asses.”
This created a stir in the Ifierin, but Axyn frowned as he knew this was only the beginning to what was really happening. “You mean to wage war on the Guild?” he asked. “The same Guild that infiltrated this ship on every level and almost succeeded, if it wasn’t for your intercepting a stray signal? Do you know what doing something like this means?”
“I do.” a new voice called out from behind them as the chrome clad Ifierin sauntered down the ramp; closely followed by the armored female. “I mean to raze the corrupt Temple and all within it to the ground. I mean to burn its loyal followers for their sins and show the truth to an Empire that has been blinded by deception for too long. I mean to assassinate the High Priestess Myril at the height of her time of glory in the most public of ways and return the throne to its proper place. And most of all, my dear Captain, I mean to follow up on all I have promised and drag those responsible for all of this into the light for all to see.”
Axyn immediately shot a look of alarm and anger at Lyxia; she knew he recognized the voice from the masked soldier. This was going to be the hard sell to him and his men. She knew the next few minutes could decide if they would be successful or fail; because without the Ifierin on their side, things would become a lot harder.
“Do you trust me?” she asked her Captain.
“Do I have a choice?” he replied, turning his fixed gaze back to the wanted assassin.
“I have never simply commanded you to do anything.” She said. “So I will ask you to follow me blindly. It took me a long time to come to terms with the truth, but for now you will have to trust me that he is on our side and all is not how it seems.”
“And if I ask him to show his face?” Axyn asked. “If I am to allow a murderer on my ship, I at least want to see the bastard’s face and look him in the eyes. That way I know who I have to ghost when shit goes down.”
“When shit goes down, it is this ghost that shall fight by your side Captain, not against you.” The soldier said and reached up to his helmet to remove it.
The Ifierin around them all raised their weapons in anticipation of the worst, but few could have anticipated the face revealed as the helmet was pulled away. Axyn took a step back and muttered a prayer to the Gods, for he was looking directly into the eyes of a dead man. Like all the others joining him, he had seen the vids of the Amarra bravely ramming the Husk marauder and exploding before disappearing from sight. In the circle of the Ifierin, the name Aen had become that of a tale of heroism; single handily taking on and defeating the Hivemind of the Husk.
“The afterlife was boring.” Aen said handing his helmet to the female Ifierin behind him. “So I thought I would come back and stir up some more shit. And you still haven’t answered her; do you trust her?”
“Without question.” Axyn mumbled.
“Good. Then it’s time to talk to our guests and learn as much as we can about the enemy before it all starts.” Aen smiled.
“Before what starts?” Axyn asked, still dumbfounded.
“War.” Aen answered coldly. “You’ve been under attack all this time Captain; it’s time to get you head out of the sand and fight back.”
—
Lyarran Vessel Dark Light; Jumpspace
The weeks had passed slowly in the bowels of the Dark Light, and Kala was growing fearful as each new day passed. She had felt the jump engines cycle shortly after being locked away, followed by the familiar feeling of nausea that came with the entry to jumpspace. They were obviously on their way home, but Kala wondered what it was they hoped to accomplish. Even though the Dark Light was the flagship of the fleet; the largest and most advanced cruiser ever built; she knew her masters had control of the entire fleet and one ship couldn’t stand alone against all that.
But more disconcerting was the fact that every day another prisoner was taken away for questioning, and never returned. Of course, those that had infiltrated the ranks of the Ifierin had never lived long enough to be taken hostage, but the rest of them shared looks of apprehension each day the lift doors opened and Axyn emerged to collect someone. With her here were some of the more influential creatures aboard - ranging from the temple priestess and her priests that served her, to engineers, to back up Ops Con staff - but they all looked at her for advice. After all, she was supposed to be the new Council of the Dark Light.
But she had nothing to say that could alleviate their fear; she was in here with them and clung to
the hope that the ship would be intercepted by one of theirs and order restored while she was still alive. The others could be replaced as far as she was concerned. So without sage counsel, the grouping was thinned one by one until it was just the priestess and Kala.
“I do not fear their questions.” The priestess said as the lights rose to signify morning.
“I do.” She replied.
“We were only doing as the Gods willed.” Her counterpart explained. “So if we go to our death, we can do it with our heads held high for we have done nothing but try and make the Empire better.”
“What we have done is traded one necessary evil for another.” Kala scowled back. “Problem being, the one we left behind won’t roll over and die like we were told they would. The masters made a mistake, and that mistake has cost us our lives.”
“They cannot kill a priestess of the Guild.” The priestess proclaimed proudly.
“Want to bet.” Axyn smiled back through the bars.
The two had been so absorbed in their words that they didn’t even see him there and jumped in surprise to the Captain’s gruff voice. Kala’s heart was racing and her body trembling in fear. She closed her eyes and waited for the sound of her door to open, and breathed a sigh of relief when she heard it was her neighbor’s.
“Take your hands off me, unclean filth.” The priestess demanded.
As Kala peeked out her closed eyes, she saw the Captain’s arm clenching the left shoulder of the struggling Guild priestess; the evil grin still on his lips. He let her squirm for a while, then began to drag her from her cell. Despite her struggles, the woman of privilege could muster little to stop the Ifierin commander from taking her away. Despite her relief at it not being her turn today, Kala still held her breath as he passed by the door to her cell with his newest victim. She almost died then and there when she noticed he stopped and his cold, battle hardened eyes stared right at her.
Ghosts of Lyarra Page 27