Universe in Flames – Ultimate 10 Book Box Set: An Epic Space Opera Adventure

by Christian Kallias

  Chase unleashed a terrible, deafening growl and everything around them started to shake. Giant lightning bolts shot from his orange aura. Then, it merged into a dragon that danced all around him for a few seconds. The head of the dragon opened its mouth and Chase’s eyes flashed with a blinding light.

  He changed posture, and the dragon intensified its dance around Chase’s body. “Now you die. This is for everyone you took from me.”

  Chase unleashed the dragon towards Arakan who tried stopping the incoming attack with both hands. The dragon opened its mouth and roared as it consumed the Fury. It went through the Fury and consumed his entire being on a molecular level. Arakan’s body disintegrated as if it was made of sand. He was disintegrated from the inside out, and by the time the fiery dragon passed through him, there was nothing left.

  Sarah saw Chase fall on his knees, tears flowing from his eyes. His aura receded and his hair fell back into place. He looked beaten in both body and spirit.

  Then Sarah had quick flashes of random places in the universe. The Fury were no more and the different races who had survived the terrible war were reconstructing their worlds, one world, one city at a time.

  Then Sarah felt siphoned away from the scene by a powerful, invisible force and soon she was back in front of her son. The left portal faded out of existence.

  “Mom, hurry up. I’m using too much of your life force to keep this up. Check the second portal now.”

  She didn’t lose time answering and simply stepped into the second portal to be transformed into a bodiless being, her consciousness simply a witness of scenes that were presented to her.

  The first thing she saw was a similar battle happening on Earth. There were new types of ships fighting alongside the Alliance besides Earth, Alliance, Droxian and Obsidian. The battle raged on until the main Fury ship, bigger than the rest, powered up a weapon that made its spikes glow red. Each tip sent energy converging towards a point in front of the ship. The energy kept growing into a massive plasma fireball.

  The ship was about to destroy Earth. It fired towards the planet and impacted with the planet’s shields. It drained their power quickly and they flickered as they destabilized. Every ship in the Alliance was firing towards that Fury destroyer but the monstrosity’s shields held strong. The shield around Earth receded and soon only a small, circular patch of shielding held the plasma wave of energy back. Before it blinked out of existence, something happened.

  An Alliance vessel and a few Zarlack destroyers micro-jumped in front of the Fury ship and the plasma beam stopped, but the resulting explosion claimed many lives.

  Then the scene changed. She was now on Earth, in a cemetery. Chase gave Commodore Saroudis’ eulogy with watery eyes. Everyone she knew was attending.

  The scene flashed out of existence and she was back in space again. It took a while to get her bearings, and then she saw four ships coming her way. They were starfighter-sized but the design was unknown to her. Each had a different colored aura around it. Orange, green, yellow and blue. Four successive images flashed into her mind. She saw their pilots.

  Chase, Chris, herself and Argos.

  What was Argos doing with them?

  The images faded and she saw the same room she had seen earlier through the first portal: where Chase was fighting Arakan. It looked like two gods waging a terrible war. The more they fought, the more the planet cracked, as did the giant room around them. They fought for hours at speeds too fast for human eyes to follow. At one point Arakan took the advantage. He unleashed a series of powerful attacks towards Chase and brought him down. He lay on the floor, paralyzed, his blood spilling onto the ground. Arakan approached him and put his feet on Chase’s torso, preparing his final blow.

  Even though Sarah knew this was a vision, she tried shouting “no” with all her might, but nothing happened.

  In the large, now mostly destroyed room, footsteps could be heard in the distance.

  Arakan looked towards the sound and Chase smiled.

  Sarah was brought back into her original vision.

  Chris was panting and he fell to his knees.

  “Chris! Are you alright?”

  “I’m . . . I’m fine . . . Just give me a moment. What have you seen?”

  “If you sacrifice yourself we all die but Chase.”

  “And the Furies?”

  “They are defeated, but the price . . . Earth is destroyed. Chase ends up alone.”

  “Yes, but he succeeds!”

  “I felt that he wished he hadn’t . . . I don’t want this future to happen.”

  “What about the other one?”

  “Well, Earth seems to survive, we lose Saroudis, perhaps more people . . . Argos seems to fight with us. Chase is alive and fights the head of the Furies. It seems like he’s losing but then someone approaches and the last thing I saw was him smiling. There was so much confidence in this smile, I think whoever walks towards him helps him defeat the Furies.”

  “But you have no confirmation?”

  “No . . . It’s just a general feeling.”

  “Then shouldn’t I sacrifice myself to make sure the Furies are dealt with?”

  “No. I’ve seen enough to tell you that I don’t want you to do it. The price is simply too high. I trust that we will defeat them, and I know that Chase will survive even without your intervention.”

  “Mom, you need to understand that what you saw might not happen in the order you have seen. And you’ve only seen little flashes of the future. Earth might still have been destroyed. Many of your friends might still die. Just because you didn’t see it doesn’t mean it didn’t happen in that timeline as well.”

  “I understand. Still, I feel strongly about which future I’d rather choose.”

  “Very well. You need to wake up and rest now. I need to get my strength back as well.”

  “About—”

  “Your power? I don’t know. I consumed most of your own Fury cells to show you these two futures. I have no idea if you’ll ever develop powers or not.”

  “It doesn’t matter. Thank you, son.”

  The vision vanished and Sarah was back on the floor in her quarters on board the Hope.

  The pain in her belly was gone. She got up and let herself fall on her bed, exhausted, emptied of all energy, but at least hopeful that Chase wouldn’t succumb to his wounds. She hoped these visions of the future were accurate.

  A bright golden light shone inside her room and she sat up.

  Ares appeared nearby. Chase lay on the ground next to him. He was still bleeding from his wound and looked dead already.

  “Oh my god!” she exclaimed as she jumped out of bed.

  She slid onto the ground next to Chase and kissed him.

  He felt cold and so did she. What if she was wrong? What if only by sacrificing Chris could Chase survive?

  “Quick, Sarah!” said Ares, “please tell me there’s a cryostasis chamber on board the Hope.”

  “Med-bay two,” she answered.

  Ares teleported out of the room and Sarah’s hands were no longer holding Chase’s body.

  A rush of adrenaline returned strength to her exhausted body as she ran out of her quarters.

  “Medical emergency in med-bay two!”

  2

  When Sarah arrived in med-bay two, Chase was already in the cryostasis pod. He looked in really bad shape.

  “Is he still alive?”

  “Barely,” answered Ares.

  “Ares, I don’t know how to tell you this.”

  “Say it anyway.”

  “Chris showed me two possible futures.”

  “How?”

  “He has some sort of pre-cog ability but used my own dormant Fury power or cells to amplify it. I don’t really understand it.”

  There was a brief silence. “What did you see?”

  “I’ve seen a future where Chris sacrifices his life to heal Chase. Chase defeats the Furies in this timeline, but everyone else, myself included, dies.”
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  “I see. And the other one?”

  “I can’t say for sure if we defeat the Furies or if we survive, but my gut feeling tells me that this is the future we must go towards. I’ve told Chris not to sacrifice himself.”

  “Are you sure this is wise?”

  “I don’t know, but I’m willing to trust my instinct on this one.”

  “Don’t you think you may be letting your emotions guide this decision?”

  Was she? Perhaps, but a future where Chase ended up alone and stripped of everything and everyone he loved was not fair.

  “I wish I could say it isn’t the case, but I think there’s another way to save Chase. I saw him in the second timeline as well, so there must be a way to save him without Chris having to sacrifice himself.”

  “I think there is. I need to see someone about it. Don’t let anyone remove Chase from cryostasis until I come back with the cure.”

  “Cure?”

  “There’s one Olympian that can do something for him. I tried to revive him on Droxia but he’s too far gone for my powers. I think only Asclepios can save him now.”

  “Do you know where to find him?”

  Ares shook his head. “No. But I know someone who might be able to help us.”

  “Very well. Do what you have to do, Ares. You’re Chase’s only hope now.”

  “I’ll keep you informed, Sarah. I’ll do everything to bring him back, I promise.”

  “I know you will, but before you go . . .”

  “Yes?”

  “In the future where Chris doesn’t give his life to save Chase, I saw Argos, and—”

  “And what?”

  “I can’t be one hundred percent sure but he seemed to be fighting alongside us.”

  “Then I think your instincts can be trusted.”

  “Mind explaining how this makes any sense?”

  “When Argos was about to kill Chase, I managed to invade his consciousness and steer the attack far enough from Chase’s heart so it wouldn’t kill him.”

  “Couldn’t you just have prevented it altogether?”

  “No. Miseo would then have made sure to finish Chase off. It was the only way.”

  “But what does that have to do with my instincts?”

  “When I took partial possession of Argos’ mind, I felt conflict in him. He is questioning his allegiance to the Furies. They clearly haven’t been the allies he expected. I felt in him a lot of hate towards them.”

  “I can’t believe I’m about to propose this, not after all he made me go through, but should we try to turn him?”

  “I think it’s worth a try. I doubt the supreme commander will be happy that he failed to destroy Droxia and the entire fleet in orbit. In fact, he might even kill him for his failures.”

  “Kill him? Wouldn’t that be extreme? He did bring them back, after all.”

  “Perhaps, but that’s one of the fears I sensed in him. I’m also not sure we’ll get to Asclepios without a fight.”

  “Fight against whom?”

  “Best-case scenario, a lower Olympian.”

  “And worst case?”

  “Zeus.”

  “Can Argos take on Zeus?”

  “I seriously doubt it. Perhaps both Argos and Chase.”

  “But that still doesn’t help us. We can’t seriously consider attacking the head of the Olympians.”

  “I’m not saying we should, but my . . . my father is stubborn. We may have no choice.”

  “We have to try to get Argos on our side, then. I hate the guy, probably as much as Chase does, but if he can be of some help, even temporarily, we should exploit that.”

  “Very well. I’ll get the information I need from Athena first, and if Argos’ help is required, then I’ll try to sway him to our side.”

  “I don’t even want to know how this conversation will go.”

  “Well, I can be very persuasive.”

  “Something tells me you’ll have to be.”

  Ares nodded. “I should go now.”

  “Good luck, Ares.”

  “To us all.”

  On board the Dark Star, Argos thought about what had just happened. Was Chase about to die? He was alive when they left. Barely.

  What troubled Argos, though, was why he even cared. He should focus on what to do next. Clearly he hadn’t succeeded entirely in his mission, and because of that there would be hell to pay. Of that he was pretty certain. In fact, he might need to find a way to ditch Miseo before they arrived back on Erevos.

  Miseo kept staring at him.

  “Anything I can do for you, Miseo?”

  “I’m just trying to understand how we failed our mission.”

  “Do you really think we did? Chase—” Argos corrected himself, “Laiyos is dead, most of the ships in orbit of Droxia have been destroyed, and more than seventy percent of the population killed. Not bad for a day’s work.”

  “I think you underestimate how my father sees success.”

  “No, I got a good glimpse of that when I freed our people from the dimensional prison you were all trapped in.”

  “That is nothing compared to what awaits us back home.”

  “Us?”

  “I’ve failed as well, haven’t I?”

  “Not from where I’m sitting, but I can see why your father would think so.”

  “In fact, I’m not sure it’s a good idea for you to return with me.”

  What the hell? What is he implying?

  “Mind repeating that?”

  “I think my father will execute you on the spot for this. I know I will be reprimanded as well, but I’m his son, so that will play in my favor. But you? He was extremely displeased with you already, and I think this time he might want to make an example of you.”

  “Why do you care? I thought you were mad at me for intervening in your fight against Laiyos.”

  “I was. I guess I still am. But I’m a practical person. One day I think your services might be required again, but for the time being it might be better if my father thinks you didn’t survive the fight. I’ll pin it on your brother.”

  “What do you mean ‘one day?’”

  “Can you assure me that what I’m about to say is never repeated?”

  I didn’t expect the brat to trust me. I guess he feels the need to share with me. That’s good. I might get everything I need right now.

  “Absolutely.”

  “My father is . . . insane.”

  “I don’t think that’s a secret,” said Argos with a chuckle.

  Miseo shot him a deadly look. “While I appreciate you’re trying to diffuse the tension with humor, I don’t think you understand what I’m trying to tell you.”

  “Very well then, enlighten me.”

  “My father has a mental issue. He used to be a very strict but just leader. But over the years, he grew more impulsive and began to act rashly. The way he treated you for refusing to fire on your brother’s ship is a perfect example. While he would normally reprimand anyone who defied him or refused a direct order, he came pretty close to killing you that day. I’m sure you noticed.”

  “Yeah. Another second or two would have claimed my life.”

  “That’s the kind of temper tantrum I’ve witnessed for quite a while now. He has killed many apt Furies for less.”

  Then Miseo does want to overthrow his father.

  “What do you propose to do about it?”

  “I don’t know yet, but perhaps a change of leadership will be required at one point.”

  “You’d take command?”

  “If that’s what’s needed, yes.”

  “How would that work? Somehow I don’t see your father listening to reason.”

  “He won’t. If I deem that his decisions are no longer in the best interests of our people, then I’ll have to seize power. Whether I like it or not.”

  “If that situation arose, do you think you could defeat your father?”

  “Alone, I’m not sure. With some help, perha
ps.”

  What if he’s testing me?

  “You would need powerful warriors. The kind we’ve just killed.”

  “I know. But your brother would never have agreed to help us. I saw it in his eyes.”

  “You’re right.”

  “But perhaps you will?”

  “I’m honored you’d think of me. But we both know I’m nowhere near as powerful as my brother was.”

  “I can help you in that regard. You simply need the right training. Since you both share the same genes, I don’t see why you wouldn’t be able to reach the same level as Laiyos. One day.”

  That really played on Argos’ ego. He wanted nothing more than to become as powerful as Chase; more powerful, even. But he still didn’t know if Miseo was testing his allegiance to his father with flattery. This could all be an elaborate deception.

  “I sure would love to be more powerful.”

  Miseo looked into Argos’ eyes. “You will be, when the time is right. For the moment it’s best if my father thinks you both died on Droxia. Do you have a ship? Or a base of operation? Preferably a secret one. Somewhere my father wouldn’t look.”

  I think he is testing me.

  “Why would I have a secret base?”

  “Why wouldn’t you? After what my father did to you I think if you had ships or locations unknown to him, you’d keep them to yourself, as a backup plan, should things turn sour.”

  Argos was getting tired of this dance. He needed to know where Miseo was going with all of this.

  “Are you really interested in having me as a future ally against your father? Or are you just trying to see if I can be trusted, so that you can write my death warrant yourself, perhaps as a way to avoid the consequences of our failures today?”

  “You’re a smart Fury. I like that. I could go either way, depending on how motivated you are. It seems you are willing to do what needs to be done, though, should our people need new leadership.”

  Hell yeah I’m prepared, except I will be the one taking power.

  “I am.”

  “Then give me a location where I can drop you. There’s no need to tell me what it is. I don’t care. We’ll soon have an entire armada of Fury destroyers, so the Zarlack ships, even those behemoth-class ones, will soon be nothing but obsolete relics.”