“Do you grow these on trees?”
“What, my ships? Let’s just say I made sure I had a sizeable armada before we went after the Alliance.”
“Well, at least you won’t be able to churn them out so fast.”
“If you’re referring to the fall of my shipyard inside the Gatos Nebula, that was only one of my shipyards. Granted, it’s the one I decided to share knowledge of with the emperor, knowing full well one day I could use it to my advantage.”
“So it was all planned?”
“Most of it, yes. You kind of forced me into this position when we parted ways.” He touched his facial scar once more.
“I must have had a darn good reason.”
“Yeah, you seemed to think so at the time, that’s for sure.”
“What now?”
“Now you and Aphroditis come aboard my ship. You have my word neither of you will be harmed. And soon after you can go home with your precious Sarah.”
“You know very well how little your word counts with me.”
“Come on, brother, I’m in a good mood now. Don’t spoil the moment.”
Chase didn’t like this at all, but a warm sensation permeated him now that he was about to be reunited with Sarah.
“Let’s go, then. The sooner I’m done with you the better. You’re starting to get on my nerves.”
Chase and Aphroditis arrived on the Zarlack ship via one of the Iron Fire’s shuttle craft, while Argos took his Dark Star. They exited the shuttle and soon Argos brought them to a room that looked familiar to Chase. He had seen this room in his nightmares—Sarah’s nightmares as it happened—so many times that a shiver ran down his spine when he stepped inside.
The tank holding Sarah was there. She floated in the green liquid, eyes closed, with tubes protruding from her arms, back, legs and thighs.
“Release her at once!”
“Relax, brother, that’s the plan. But first you want me to remove my insurance policy, don’t you?”
Chase reached with his mind and located the microscopic nanite-based bomb in her occipital artery. Argos hadn’t been bluffing. He formed fists. “Do it now!”
Argos smirked and went towards the nearest console next to the tank, still being guarded by two Zarlacks.
“Tell your goons to get the fuck away from her while you’re at it.”
They looked at each other, confused.
“You heard the man. You’re dismissed.”
They left the room at once.
That’s when Chase noticed a device he hadn’t seen in the nightmares. It looked ancient. It stood on the other side of the room. It was made of a black alloy, but looked organic somehow, asymmetric, and was clearly designed for a person to step into.
Argos keyed a few commands and a robotic arm ending in a spike approached Sarah’s head. A red laser flashed for half a second and penetrated her scalp. Chase immediately reached with his mind again and couldn’t find the device anymore. That was it. Now he had a choice to make. Was he going to relinquish Aphroditis to Argos’ custody or could he try and fight their way out of here?
“You forget I’m very good at sensing thoughts, brother, and if you’re thinking you can bring me down now, remember you’re not alone here. And while you could take me down, I would destroy the Iron Fire in a flash, so ask yourself how much your friends’ lives are worth to you before you do anything stupid.”
Chase’s rage bubbled to the surface and the ship started to shake.
“Easy, Laiyos! Calm the fuck down. NOW!”
Argos pressed another set of commands and another robotic set of arms created thin, black clothing, covering Sarah’s breasts and genitals. The tubes attached to Sarah then all popped out in quick succession, creating bubbles in the tank. The green liquid was flushed at a steady pace.
That was it. Soon she would be in his arms.
“And don’t forget you’re not powerful enough to kill me quickly, at least not before I kill both Sarah and Aphroditis, which I could do with a single thought.”
The ship stopped shaking.
“That’s better.”
“What guarantee do I have you’re not gonna try to destroy the Iron Fire the minute we leave here?”
“None whatsoever. Just my word. But I haven’t lied to you all this time, and since you’ve helped me accomplish something I’ve been trying to do for more than ten years, believe me, I couldn’t care less about killing you now. I’m grateful for your help today, so I suggest you take your prize and go before I change my mind.”
“I still want to kill you.”
“And that’s your prerogative, but we both know it will have to wait for another time.”
Chase’s face was clouded with hate, but then he heard it. Sarah coughed and green liquid escaped her mouth as she lay on her knees inside the tank. Chase used his mind to rip the door from the tank and send it flying to the other side of the room.
“I could have opened the door,” said Argos. “But never mind. It’s not like I need this unit anymore.”
Chase approached Sarah and took her into his arms. He used his healing power to influx some energy into her, to help her wake up.
At first she pushed him away and assumed a fighting stance, not sure what was happening. Then she met his gaze. Tears formed in her eyes.
“Chase? Is that you?”
“It’s me, sweetie.”
She then saw Aphroditis and Argos.
“What’s going on? What is happening? I’m confused. I have memories of doing horrible things on Earth, and one where I was saying goodbye to you. I don’t know what’s real or not anymore.”
Chase turned to Argos with a look of disgust. “What is this? Why is she remembering the clone’s memories?”
“Clone? What clone?” she asked.
Argos turned to her. “You were cloned. At first that wasn’t my intention but it took too long to break you without hurting you seriously. The first time I brought you back to life, I detected your unborn son. That’s when I decided to clone you.”
“So I am pregnant. That too I remember, but why do I remember things my clone experienced?” She was clearly terrified and still not sure she wasn’t having a nightmare.
“In case I needed to clone another one of you. I thought it would be best that you have these experiences, so I linked your consciousness.”
She turned to Chase. “You’re working with him now? What is this? This is not making any sense.”
“It’s a long story. I’ll tell you later. We should go.”
“Not so fast. Our deal isn’t concluded yet.”
“What is he talking about, Chase? What deal?”
“Later. I will explain everything, I promise.”
Sarah didn’t like the sound of that, but she was too disoriented to push the issue for the time being.
“What do you want with Aphroditis?” asked Chase.
“Simple.” He took the stone they had retrieved from the Titan and lifted it with his mind to a carved part of the dark machine nearby. The machine came to life, purple and red lights shining in towards its center. “All I need her to do is to step inside this machine.”
“And then you’ll let her go?”
“I wish it was that simple. Unfortunately, she must stay in the machine.”
“For how long?”
“Pretty much indefinitely.”
“What? No way!”
“Chase, you knew full well you would sacrifice her when you agreed to come with me to fight the Titan.”
Chase grew his aura quickly. His eyes shone amethyst and the ship started to shake violently once more.
“Easy, brother, I can still kill your precious Sarah.”
“I won’t let you use Aphroditis this way.”
Argos also grew his aura and soon bright red flames engulfed his body.
Aphroditis stepped between them.
“Stop it now, both of you!”
“I can’t let him imprison you in this thing.”
“Chase, I have accepted this fate. Don’t ruin everything you’ve fought for. In your heart you knew very well my life could be forfeited at the end of this particular journey. Look on the bright side: at least I won’t die.”
A tear ran from his eye. She was right, of course. He knew full well that working with Argos would have dire consequences. In fact, he was almost blind to that part of the plan until it became real just a moment ago. But in truth he knew that would happen.
She put her hand on his shoulder. “Please calm down now. Let me make this choice, and I choose to go inside this machine so you can be with Sarah and witness the birth of your son.”
Tears formed and flowed from both Chase’s and Sarah’s eyes.
“Just remember your promise, Chase.”
He nodded. “I promise. I will stop him and whatever comes next.”
Argos smirked and shook his head. “Time’s up.”
Aphroditis took Chase in her arms and embraced him tightly. “Goodbye, Chase, I’m counting on you!”
He answered telepathically. “I’m so sorry. I will find a way to get you out of this.”
She then released her grasp and walked toward the machine. She turned back and smiled at Chase and Sarah. Then she took a step backward and the machine did the rest. She closed her eyes as red lightning grabbed her and sucked her inside the machine, new black, organic-looking vines extending and locking her in. The device hummed and more lights shone. When she opened her eyes again, they were devoid of life. They were all white, with no pupils showing.
“Is she suffering?”
“I couldn’t tell you, but I don’t think so.”
Chase turned back to Sarah, who was in shock from all she had witnessed in the past few minutes, and took her hand. “Let’s get out of here.”
“Laiyos, wait! You will want to see what happens next.”
“I’ve seen more than I wanted to see today. So long, Argos. The next time our paths cross . . .”
“I know, you’ll kill me. Good luck with that.”
As Chase and Sarah were about to leave the room, something happened outside the ship. It caught Chase’s attention.
A translucent, planet-sized sphere blurred the stars. It seemed to be half here and half somewhere else. As more seconds passed, it became less blurry and materialized progressively. After a minute, a full planet had appeared in view.
“What the hell is this?” asked Chase.
“That, my dear brother, is what you’ve helped me achieve today. Say hello to Erevos, our home world.”
End of Book III
The Beginning of the End
By Christian Kallias
Copyright
Copyright © 2016 by Christian Kallias
All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the publisher except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
First Printing, 2016, Version 1.2
Cover artwork by Christian Kallias
Christian Kallias
[email protected]
www.christiankallias.com
www.facebook.com/ChristianKallias
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Dramatis Personæ
Earth Alliance
Lieutenant Commander Chase Athanatos – Earth Alliance Fury hybrid (formerly Star Alliance Lieutenant Commander)
Commander Sarah Kepler – Earth Human (formerly US Navy Commander)
Commander Daniel Tharraleos – Earth Alliance Human (formerly Star Alliance)
Commodore Adonis Saroudis – Earth Alliance Human (formerly Star Alliance Captain)
Chief Engineer Yanis Tixichos – Earth Alliance Human (formerly Star Alliance)
Ryonna Isch’ys – Droxian Warrior (a fugitive Droxian smuggler)
Tar’Lock – Gorgar (Insectoid & formerly a Hellstar prisoner)
Admiral Ally Thassos – Earth Allliance Human (formerly Star Alliance Admiral)
Commander Fillio Steriopoulou – Earth Alliance Human (formerly Star Alliance)
R&D Engineer Spiros Malayianis – Earth Alliance Human (formerly Star Alliance)
Olympians
Aphroditis – known to humans as the goddess of love
Ares – know to humans as the god of war (deceased, living as pure energy form)
Athena – known to humans as the goddess of wisdom, craft, and war
Furies
Argos Thanatos – Fury and Chase’s twin brother (head of the Zarlacks)
Arakan – Supreme Commander of the Furies
Miseo – Arakan’s son and right arm
Arkoolis – top Fury General
Other Characters
Cedric – Earth Human Scientist
Keera Hawking – Humanoid Bounty Hunter
Gaia – Artificial Intelligence created on Earth, speaks for the planet
Ronan Isch’ys – son of Ryonna
Jonas – Ryonna’s brother-in-law
Sendra – Commodore Saroudis’ daughter
Alexandra – Commodore Saroudis’ wife
The Story So Far
Warning: If you haven’t read all the previous books in the series, you’re exposing yourself to SERIOUS spoilers by reading this part.
This section was created for readers of this series to refresh their memories (should they need to) before reading this new book. It can, of course, be used by new readers but I’d recommend you start reading the series at Book 1: Earth – Last Sanctuary (it’s free).
Volume I: Earth - Last Sanctuary
Following a devastating attack by the Obsidian Empire, helped by the mighty Zarlacks, a band of survivors led by Chase Athanatos from the Star Alliance blind jump away from their home world (Alpha Prime) and end up in an uncharted part of space, near a planet called Earth. Guided by the Olympian goddess of love Aphroditis, Chase and his friends rescue planet Earth from an alien attack and form a new alliance (Earth Alliance). But soon the Obsidian Empire tracks them down and decides to launch a full-scale attack on the blue planet. In the midst of the epic battle that ensues, the leader of the enemy forces captures Chase’s new love interest, Commander Sarah Kepler. He reveals to Sarah that he is Chase’s brother.
Volume II: Fury to the Stars
Chase learns of his Fury heritage and starts developing powers while he tries to rescue Sarah from the hands of his evil twin, Argos, currently torturing her for information. Another Olympian, Ares, trains Chase and helps him harness his emerging powers. Meanwhile, Earth is suffering random terrorist attacks that put the new Alliance’s frail status in jeopardy. After going to Hellstar Prison to get Ryonna out, Chase fights Argos and is finally reunited with Sarah, but something is off. A long-range distress call from a former Star Alliance scientist (Spiros Malayianis) brings Chase and Argos on yet another collision course. Chase is put into the impossible position of choosing between preventing sensitive weapon schematics from falling into Argos’ hands or saving Sarah’s (and his unborn son’s) life. She has been brainwashed to do Argos’ bidding and is also responsible for the wave of terrorism back on Earth. Chase reluctantly destroys Sarah’s ship.
Volume III: Destination Oblivion
Having had to kill the woman he loves as well as their unborn child plunges Chase into a spiral of hatred and self-destruction as he leaves the Earth Alliance. After meeting a bounty hunter (Keera), Chase joins forces with her in order to track the one man he hates more than anything in this world: his twin brother Argos whom he holds responsible for Sarah’s death. Argos resurfaces on their radar after killing Ares in cold blood. When their paths cross, Chase nearly kills Argos after an epic fight in Tokyo, but only spares his twin brother’s life when he reveals that Sarah is alive and the person that Chase killed was a clone. Meanwhile, a dangerous Artificial Intelligence (Gaia) is born on Earth and threatens humanity as a whole, but in the end Spiros Malayianis convinces her that she has nothing to fear from humans. In order to rescue Sa
rah, Chase has to reluctantly team up with Argos in order to defeat a Titan that holds a piece of tech Argos needs for his nefarious plan. When recovered, Argos requests Aphroditis to enter the piece of tech that will free his brethren, once thought to be extinct, from their dimensional prison. Aphroditis enters the machine willingly in exchange for a promise from Chase to rid the world of Argos and the threat he poses. The Fury home world (Erevos) is brought back into their reality as a result. The enemy of old (Furies) is back in play.
And now the continuation . . .
1
Chase’s eyes widened and he stopped dead in his tracks.
“What do you mean our home world?”
Argos grinned.
“You see, Olympians think of themselves as too evolved to exterminate an entire civilization. So thousands of years ago, at the height of the first Fury War, they devised a plan to remove us from the equation by trapping Erevos in another dimension outside of space and time itself, instead of destroying us all. That mistake will be their undoing, and today you’ve helped me correct this. Now that my fellow Furies are back, we’ll conquer this universe that was always meant to be ours.”
The weight behind Argos’ words and the realization of what had just happened hit Chase’s psyche with the force of ten thousand quadrinium bombs. What had he done? A million questions, images and fears rushed through his mind, overwhelming all his senses and paralyzing him to the core.
“What?” was all he could muster.
“You have a choice to make, Laiyos. You’re either with us, your own people, or against us. I’m willing to put aside our differences if you’re willing to rejoin your brethren. You belong with us. Deep within your heart you must know this. This is a one-time offer, though. If you leave here now, you’ll forever be our enemy. So choose wisely, brother.”
Universe in Flames – Ultimate 10 Book Box Set: An Epic Space Opera Adventure Page 115