by Lee Watts
Curious as to what had happened and why Koraden was so pleased with himself, Salazar reached up to feel the skin on the left side of his face. It was smooth, healthy. With almost unbelievable curiosity, he sent his fingers to explore the side of his head. The hair was restored in full; his ear was no longer shriveled. He looked to Koraden in amazement.
"It's not only the caryon," Koraden added, "it's everything. No disease, no aging, no wound can harm you anymore. It is the Elder who keeps eternal life from you mortals. It is how he keeps a rein on power. It was Roq-mordak who wanted to share this gift with the mortals, but the Elder forbid it and banished Roq-mordak and his followers from Paradise."
"The Dridmor? Like you?"
"Yes," Koraden answered and his eyes flashed for a moment then became black as pitch. So dark were they that it seemed light itself could not escape their pull. "It is we Dridmor who offer you the greatest gift. Life in the here and now. The Elder promises some glorious afterlife where only He reigns supreme, but we offer you life now, with all the pleasures it brings. Accept Roq-mordak as your god, and he offers you all you've ever desired."
Staring at the immortal being, Salazar feared and so hesitated to ask his next question, but had to know the answer.
"And if I refuse?"
Koraden's eyes faded back to normal as he lifted his hand and placed his palm on Salazar's face then spoke.
"Reject him, and reject his gift," he responded then removed his hand exposing the caryon ravished skin as before. Salazar didn't need to use his hand to tell him it was back; he could feel it from how his face muscles twisted once again. "The prince does not force himself, it must be your choice, made of your own will. What do you choose, Salazar, son of Darius, descendent of Jeramon?"
Salazar was quiet for several seconds. Saqir forced himself to remain silent during the pause, but his face betrayed all he wanted to say. Lips pursed and eyes near slits, his gaze bore into Chief Minister. Even before this meeting he disliked Salazar, now the upstart Entian was being offered what Saqir had worked so hard for and had yet to be granted, godhood. He hoped Salazar would turn down Koraden's offer so he could kill him and rid himself of the irritant once and for all.
For Merrick, the time seemed to pass as an eternity. He prayed the Elder would intervene, and considered intervening himself by shooting Salazar right there to prevent him from choosing the dark prince. However, as quickly as the thought came to him so did the reminder that the Guardians are not to interfere in the decisions of mankind. This, the most crucial decision all mortals face, was one he could not stop. Koraden was right on one thing, the choice was Salazar's alone. At last, the first son of Darius spoke.
"The Elder has given me nothing in this life but sorrow and misfortune, Roq-mordak delivers all I've ever wanted. He will be my god."
With that, Koraden smiled, knowing he had, at last, achieved all he was sent to do. His great promise was at last fulfilled. In three days, the gate would be stabilized, the legions would pour through, and the age would end for the glory of Roq-mordak.
Placing his hand back on Salazar's face and again removing the caryon he said, "Excellent. On my personal ship is a portal Roq-mordak will use when he enters this realm. I will have it brought here so when he arrives, we may welcome and worship him together.
CHAPTER 26
"For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also."
– Luke 12:34
"There it is again," Shen Mei noted in frustration about the momentary sensor contact she was unable to pinpoint for the past two hours. Working the controls of her console, she tried to get a lock on the intermittent signal. "Ah," she groused. "It's gone." Whatever it is, it was closer this time."
"It's Crimson," Sosimo realized. "He's pushing his engines too hard, and it keeps overloading his cloak." The pirate captain then leaned back in his command chair and began drumming together the tips of his real and artificial hand as his eyes began focusing on something far away.
"He just wants to get to The Vault first and claim the treasure," Jaiden said.
"No," responded the captain. "Even if the Fame overtakes us they won't have time to offload hardly anything before we arrive. Crimson isn't one to be satisfied with just a portion. No, he wants it all. So, this isn't a race, Mr. Suchet; it's a hunt. He isn't able to hit us at lightspeed, so he's hoping to pass us and set a trap in the system."
"Do you want me to increase speed?"
"No. If Crimson wants to get there before us, let him. Who arrives first doesn't matter. What does matter is who leaves. We're going to need the ship in the best condition she can be in by the time we arrive not worn out from overtaxing our own engines. Maintain speed; have the crew continue repairs. We'll deal with the Fame later."
Within the hour the sensors noted another brief contact with the rival pirate vessel, but this time it was in front of the Fortune. For those on the bridge, the rest of the journey was passed in silence. The hum of the engines, soft beeps of the monitors and Sosimo's drumming fingers the only sounds.
"Now entering the Por Tabello system," Jaiden finally announced.
"Slow to sub-light," Sosimo instructed. "Take us to the planet with The Vault. Mei, run a scan of the system."
"Aye, Captain, but if the Fame has slowed to sub-light or is at a stop, our sensors won't be able to penetrate its cloak."
"We're not looking for the ship," responded Sosimo without bothering to add what they were looking for.
Completing the initial scan, Mei reported the findings.
"Reading six major planets, two planetoids, and a comet."
"Position of the comet?" Sosimo asked.
"Passing just beyond the sixth planet."
Sosimo started mumbling to himself. Some called this habit of his crazy, but he liked to refer to it as thinking aloud.
"Let's see, The Vault is on the third planet... No, too far out," he grumbled dismissively. "Mei, tell me about the second and fourth planets."
Jaiden turned to sneak an admiring look at the trim first mate as she read the information.
"The second one's atmosphere is comprised of carbon dioxide and nitrogen. Other chemical compounds are present only in trace amounts. No discernable life forms or power sources. Number four's atmosphere is seventy-five percent hydrogen, twenty-five percent helium with trace amounts of other compounds. Its planetary ring is ice particles. Ring thickness is approximately fifty meters. No discernable life forms or-"
Cutting off her statement came the sharp sound of a quick-repeating alarm.
"INCOMING," Mei warned.
"SHIELDS," hurriedly ordered Sosimo, but before they could be activated the ship rocked hard from a direct impact. Clutching his chair to keep from being tossed from it, he called out, "Byron, lock on weapons!"
"I... I don't see her, Cap'n!"
"I'm not detecting her on my scanners either," Mei added.
"The Fame must have recloaked as soon as it fired," Jaiden figured.
"Must have," Sosimo said pensively. His helmsman's reasonable deduction didn't seem to jive with what Sosimo knew about the time it takes for a ship to cloak.
"Mei, check for-" interrupting the captain came the alert siren again.
"Missile coming in from starboard," Mei warned.
"EVASIVE," Sosimo called out to Jaiden, who was already beginning to veer the ship in a sharp change of direction. Despite his maneuver, the missile hit its target, and the Fortune shook from another impact. "Byron, return fire!"
"I- I still can't find her, Cap'n!"
Quickly, Sosimo turned to Mei who checked her monitor then looked up to her captain and shook her head indicating she couldn't find the Fame either."
"What's going on?" Sosimo asked in irritation to no one in particular.
"I thought ships couldn't fire when they're cloaked," Jaiden grumbled as he continued piloting the ship.
"There's one that can now," Byron added.
"Not quite," Sosimo corrected, which piqued everyo
ne's interest. "He's not firing, he's launching."
"What difference does that make?" Jaiden asked as the siren went off again. This time he was able to avoid the projectile.
"It means he doesn't have to divert power from the cloak to the weapon system only power up one launcher," Sosimo explained.
"I could set the cannons to spray the area and see if it hits anything," Byron suggested.
"No good," discounted Sosimo. "Even if we did hit him, he's moving too fast and would be gone before we could lock on."
For the fourth time, the proximity alert sounded a high-pitched warning.
"HARD TO PORT," Sosimo called out.
Immediately, Jaiden initiated the maneuver, but there wasn't enough time to get the ship out of the way, and the missile struck them. All on the bridge felt the ship tremble from an explosion and heard the rumble.
"HULL BREACH ON DECK THREE, SECTION TWELVE," Mei said. Then the siren sounded. "HERE COMES ANOTHER ONE!"
Despite Jaiden's expert piloting, there was no way to elude such fast-moving projectiles launched from so close, and the weapon slammed into the burning Fortune.
"Can you get anything, Byron?" Sosimo asked desperately.
"Weapon sensors flash for half a second when he launches, but then he's gone before they can lock on! Besides, he's moving too fast. I can't shoot what I can't see, Cap'n!"
"We don't have to see him," Sosimo declared in a tone of revelation as an idea came to him. "Jaiden, change heading. Best speed to the fourth planet. Put us directly under the southern pole."
"Aye, Captain - coming about."
"Byron, I want you to set all weapons aft. Set for a full torpedo spread and all cannons to max power and continuous fire. You'll only have a moment, but it should be long enough."
"Aye," Byron acknowledged as he began the necessary preparations.
"Approaching destination, Captain," Jaiden eventually reported.
"Excellent, all stop."
Jaiden thought coming to a complete stop was the absolute worst thing they could do, but had learned better than to question LaRouche's tactics, especially in the middle of a battle.
"Answering all stop," he acknowledged as he cut the main engines and activated the braking thrusters. "Now reading all stop, Captain."
"Good. Now... we wait. Mr. Suchet, when I give the order, I want maximum acceleration on a course toward the northern pole."
Jaiden nodded, and input the commands, so all he had to do was hit the last button to implement the order when the time came. In tense silence, they waited for several moments.
"Maybe Crimson's not coming after us," Byron suggested just above a whisper. "Maybe he thinks he's driven us off."
"No," Sosimo quietly answered. "He's out there. He knows I wouldn't give it up to him. He's just trying to guess our move."
"...What is our move, Captain?" Mei asked.
"Under the pole, we're in a pocket of the planet's magnetic field. He knows I use this trick so he’ll look for us here. However, the distortion will confuse the Fame's sensors. So, to lock on, he's going to have to slow down and aim manually. Since he's moving slow, he's going to want more distance between us, so we should have enough time for Mr. Suchet to get us out of the way, and Crimson will follow. When we break through the planet's ice ring our ship will create a hole in it and so will the Fame. Though we can't see the Fame, we will be able to see the disturbance of the ice particles. Byron, I'll want you to lock on to that position and then keep firing with everything we've got."
"Wait a second," Mei said. If we break through the ice ring first, won't the ice already be pushed out of the way when Crimson goes through?
"I had thought of that," Sosimo emphasized with a smile, having at last already considered the minor part of one his plans. "He's been attacking us from the side. So, he'll be on a slightly different trajectory than us and so will break through at a different point. Byron, standby."
The seconds seemed to pass by slowly. Jaiden hated the tension of the waiting more than actually coming under fire. When the proximity alarm sounded, he was almost relieved.
"Punch it," Sosimo ordered.
Jaiden hit the button, and the ship's trio of main engines flared to life quickly propelling the ship forward. Missing by only meters, the missile passed harmlessly behind the zooming Fortune. On the main viewscreen, the planet's ice ring grew larger, and the ship burst through the billions of tiny ice fragments forever circling that world.
"View aft," LaRouche ordered with great urgency.
Immediately, Mei switched the camera, and they all waited. In a few seconds, a hole appeared in the ice field, and particles flew outward as if something was erupting from a volcano.
"FIRE," Sosimo ordered, and the weapons of the Fortune came to life. Azure beams lanced out at the disturbance. In rapid succession a quartet of torpedoes leaped from the ship, followed by two more sets. Even the tertiary guns were set to let loose with all their power.
While cloaked, the Fame couldn't have its main deflector shields up or the power would be detected. The Fortune's weapons found their mark and hammered the unprotected Hateeg ship. Explosion after explosion evidenced one direct hit after another. The Fortune relentlessly pounded away at its long-time enemy. The Fame shuddered under the intense volley for several seconds.
"Maintain fire," Sosimo ordered.
"Cannons reaching overheat level," Byron warned.
"Maintain fire!"
Components began flying off of the Fame as the ship was blasted to shreds then in a brilliant flash the ship exploded in a surging, boiling ball of orange flame.
"YES," came a chorus of voices from the Fortune's bridge crew accompanied by some applause.
As the light of the explosion began to fade and the fragments of the destroyed craft were propelled in random directions, Sosimo leaned back in his command chair.
"You are avenged, Lei," Sosimo said softly then turned to look at his former first officer's daughter. Mei returned his gaze and nodded in respect then her face froze as a thought occurred to her.
"But, Captain, what about The Hammer?" she asked.
"Don't worry, Mei. We'll be able to compensate her for the loss with the profits from The Vault. Just a fraction of the treasure should be enough to make her happy. Speaking of which, it's about time to claim the prize. Mr. Suchet, set course back to The Vault.
"Aye, aye, Captain."
Gently, the Fortune changed heading, leaving the ringed world and shattered drifting components of the Fame and started back toward the third planet. Again, taking a shuttle down the crevasse, Sosimo, Mei and Jaiden once more entered the underground world.
"Ah," Sosimo gleamed as they exited the tunnel leading to the structure towering over the Zur village. He walked to the edge of the ziggurat's platform and held out his arms as if accepting applause. "Your Vault Keeper has returned triumphant over the albinos."
"Uh, Captain," Mei interjected, "you may want to hold off on that victory speech."
"What? Why? You know how much I love to give a good speech, Mei."
"Yes, but there's no one here."
"Huh?" Sosimo questioned as he gazed down on the village that was now seemingly deserted.
He didn't need his microchip contact lenses to see that Mei was correct. Once bussing with activity, the village of the Zur's was now a ghost town.
"Maybe the Ramillie killed them," Jaiden supposed.
"I don't think so," Sosimo countered. "There's no evidence of a struggle. No blast holes or smoldering fires."
Pulling out her portable scanner, Mei checked the readings.
"They haven't gone anywhere," she reported. "They're still here. They're just hiding."
"So much the better," Sosimo decided. "Less people to get in our way when we start hauling out the treasure.
With that, he led the group down the ziggurat's steps and through the village toward the path leading to the magnificent doors of The Vault. As the trio walked through the village, th
ey heard scurrying and saw faces peeking at them from behind shutters and around corners. By the time they were at the far edge of the town a few of the people were following them from a cautious distance. Reaching the gargantuan doors, they found them still open from the time when the Ramillie had hauled out that ring portal they were interested in retrieving.
Entering once more into the grandeur of the cathedral-like rotunda, Sosimo drank in the magnificence of the ivory walls with ornate gold trim.
"At last," Sosimo whispered to himself as a greedy smile crossed his face. "Mine."
"Where should we start, Captain?" Jaiden asked.
"Yes," Sosimo responded and clapped his hands together once then rubbed the palms together for a moment. "Where indeed? Let's start with that," he declared as he began walking toward one of the dozen alcoves lining the room. It housed a statue of a muscular man looking upward and holding a sword high. He had one of his feet resting on the head of a slain beast. There was writing at the bottom that Sosimo couldn't read. Lifting the portable scanner, Mei swept the beam over the effigy.
"Unknown," came the computer's voice from the device.
"It's some sort of ivory," Mei said. "That's about all it knows." With a look of confusion, tapped some of the buttons on her device.
"What is it, Mei?" Sosimo asked.
"It's the dating data about the ivory... the scanner must be wrong."
"Why? What does it say?"
"Using a rubidium-strontium method, the isotopes are-"
"Techno-babble, Mei," the captain said interrupting the scientific tirade.
"It's old, alright," she fussed, being frustrated she never got to end such speeches.
"How old?" Sosimo questioned.
She smiled.
"Old enough to have every museum and university in the galaxy bidding for it."
Jaiden added, "Dr. Quace was an archeologist. Sometimes he'd talk about old relics and statues he would find on expeditions. He told me if he wasn't working for the university, he could have sold them for a fortune."