Ep.#14 - A Line in the Sand (The Frontiers Saga - Part 2: Rogue Castes)

by Ryk Brown

  Marcus smiled. “Yeah, that was a hell of a fight. You almost won that one.”

  “What do you mean almost.” He looked forward, spotting Josh and Dylan sitting silently in the cockpit. “How’s he doing?” he asked Marcus under his breath.

  Marcus glanced back, then sighed. “He won’t admit it, but he knows Loki’s gone.”

  “Think I should talk to him?” Nathan asked.

  “Couldn’t hurt,” Marcus replied. “Hey, Dylan, I need your help for a few minutes,” he called back toward the cockpit.

  Dylan rose without speaking, heading back to Marcus and Nathan. “What’s up?”

  “Just shut up and follow me,” Marcus told him, turning to head aft.

  Nathan nodded at Dylan as he passed, then began moving slowly forward, working his way along the starboard side of the center stair ladder that led from the middle of the command deck down to the main deck, finally leaning against the rail along the forward side of the stairwell. He remained silent for nearly a minute, unsure of how to start. Finally, he sighed.

  “Don’t say it,” Josh warned without looking back at Nathan.

  “Josh…”

  “We’re not going anywhere until Loki gets here.”

  “And if he doesn’t?” Nathan asked.

  “He will,” Josh insisted, sniffling. “Any time now.”

  “How bad off are we?” Nathan asked, trying to lead him toward the inevitable.

  “We can wait.”

  “That’s not what I asked.”

  At first, Josh wasn’t going to answer. “Half our sensors are down. We’re losing power from our starboard jump banks, and Vlad doesn’t know why. We’ve got about a dozen holes in the outer hull, and of course the entire utility bay is basically a back porch right now, which really pisses off the Ghatazhak since they can’t get to their weapons.”

  “Let’s not forget we have no aft shields,” Nathan added.

  “Yeah, that too.”

  “Most of that can’t be fixed sitting in space,” Nathan pointed out.

  Josh sighed. “I know,” he said softly, a hint of resignation in his voice. He looked down, silent, trying to control his emotions. “Just promise me one thing,” he finally asked, his voice breaking. He turned slowly to face Nathan, his eyes welling up with tears. “Promise me we’re going to finish what we started. Promise me we’re going to take the Dusahn out. I don’t think I can live with the thought of Lok dying for nothing.”

  “He didn’t die for nothing, Josh,” Nathan insisted. “He died protecting us.”

  “Promise me,” Josh repeated. “I want to be there when you kill him. I want to see him die.”

  “Josh…”

  “Promise,” Josh repeated, more insistent than before.

  Nathan stared at his friend. The devastation in Josh’s eyes tore at his own heart. Finally, he sighed. “We’ll finish what we started,” Nathan promised.

  “And I’ll be there when you kill him,” Josh reiterated.

  “You’ll be there.”

  Josh wiped his eyes, then looked up at Nathan.

  Nathan put his hand on Josh’s shoulder. “Take us home, Josh.”

  * * *

  Cameron stood at the forward end of the Aurora’s open port aft flight deck as the Voss slid backwards through the pale blue pressure shields. They had received no updates from the crew prior to their return, only a call for landing clearance moments after the Voss jumped into the Darvano system.

  As the ship set down, Cameron could see why. The aft ramp was bent, with several holes blown through it, and there was extensive hull damage around the utility bay entrance and all along the underside of the ship. She had no idea what had happened, but based on what she was seeing, the mission had not gone as expected.

  It took several minutes for the Voss to cycle down, during which more than a dozen engineering techs gathered to examine the damage.

  “It appears they were unable to maintain their covert plans,” General Telles said as he stepped up next to Cameron. “Any word from the crew?”

  “Nothing,” Cameron replied, concern in her voice.

  “Perhaps their communications array was damaged,” the general suggested, hoping to put Cameron’s mind at ease.

  “They called for landing clearance.”

  General Telles sighed. “I see.”

  Finally, Nathan and Jessica appeared at the top of the Voss’s battered cargo ramp, along with a young woman whom Cameron did not recognize.

  She felt a wave of relief wash over her as Marcus, Vladimir, Mori, and Jokay also appeared, following Nathan and Jessica down the ramp.

  “Welcome home,” General Telles greeted. “Difficult mission?”

  “That’s an understatement,” Jessica replied.

  “I look forward to the debriefing,” the general stated.

  “This is Lynne,” Nathan introduced. “Lynne, this is Captain Taylor and General Telles.”

  “Nice to meet you,” Lynne nodded.

  Josh and Dylan were the last to appear, their expressions just as somber as those of the rest of their crew.

  That’s when Cameron realized there were two people missing. She looked at Nathan, her head falling slightly to one side as sadness washed over her.

  “We lost Loki and Naralena,” Nathan told her.

  Cameron was immediately crestfallen. “I’m so sorry, Nathan.”

  “I trust you got the answers you were looking for,” General Telles surmised.

  “We did,” Jessica replied.

  “This is probably a bad time,” Cameron said, “but Lord Dusahn is expecting to meet with you in less than twelve hours. I tried to stall him, but…”

  “I’ll be there,” Nathan assured her as he continued past.

  Cameron watched him pass, greeting the rest of the Voss’s crew, somberly nodding to each of them as they passed. When Josh came, she couldn’t help herself, and she threw her arms around him. “I’m so sorry, Josh,” she whispered.

  For the first time in days, if only for a moment, Josh at least feigned a smile.

  * * *

  Infernum was a completely desolate world. No life; no water; no vegetation; not even any unique elements. Other than a thin, breathable atmosphere and enough gravity to hold it, the planet had nothing to offer humanity.

  Its biggest value was as a safe place to meet with an adversary, face to face. Its parent star, Pella, gave off an unusual type of cosmic radiation that made navigation difficult. Even better, Infernum’s proximity to Pella made it impossible for a ship to jump in close, thus making an ambush impossible.

  As agreed, the Aurora had positioned itself on the edge of the Pella system furthest from the galactic core. From there it had been a four-hour shuttle ride to Infernum. Now, Nathan found himself sitting in his shuttle, alone with his thoughts as he pondered what he might say to his enemy.

  A full hour beyond their agreed meeting time, a proximity alert beeped on his sensor display. Another ship was descending from orbit and would be landing shortly. Although his sensors were garbled, he could tell the contact was small, too small to hold more than a few people; the same as Nathan’s shuttle. That too had been part of the meeting parameters that Cameron had wisely negotiated.

  Nathan watched his sensor display, the image of the approaching spacecraft flickering in and out due to the cosmic rays bombarding the tiny planet and interacting with its magnetosphere. The deeper the approaching ship got into Inferno’s tenuous atmosphere, the more clearly his sensors could track it.

  After a few minutes of watching his sensor display, Nathan leaned to his right, looking up at the sky. As expected, it was a Dusahn shuttle, painted black and trimmed with crimson and gold.

  Nathan rose from his seat and headed aft, out of the cockpit. After donning a jacket to protect him from the abra
sive sands blowing about outside, he stepped up to the side hatch and took a deep breath, bracing himself.

  The hatch slid open, and a wave of heat struck him. Yet another reason they called the desolate world Infernum. Nathan watched from the safety of the open airlock as the Dusahn shuttle set down thirty meters away; another negotiated detail. Too far for an easy shot, yet close enough to clearly see one another.

  A few minutes after touching down, the side hatch on the black and crimson shuttle opened, revealing Griogair Dusahn himself. As agreed, he was dressed in civilian attire, as was Nathan, and carried no obvious weapon.

  Nathan stepped out of his shuttle, his hair and clothing tossed about by the hot, sandy winds of Infernum. Once down the ramp and on the surface, he paused, holding his hands out at his sides, showing that he was not carrying a sidearm.

  Thirty meters away, Lord Dusahn did the same, slowly turning completely around before heading toward Nathan.

  Nathan matched his counterpart’s move, turning around slowly and then walking toward the Dusahn leader, coming to a stop a few meters apart.

  “An interesting location for a negotiation,” Lord Dusahn stated, a confident look on his face.

  His opponent’s expression concerned Nathan. It was more than just confidence, the man genuinely appeared to be enjoying himself. For the leader of a would-be empire who had recently been backed into a corner, his demeanor seemed unnatural, as if he knew something Nathan did not.

  “I trust you are well,” Lord Dusahn continued.

  “Speak your mind, Griogair,” Nathan stated, his own expression one of complete contempt.

  “Perhaps we should retire to one of our shuttles,” Lord Dusahn suggested. “I am told this environment is only survivable for a short time.”

  “I’m fine right here,” Nathan assured him. “What is it you wish to discuss?”

  Lord Dusahn sighed, shrugging off Nathan’s refusal to move to a more comfortable location in which to conduct their negotiations. “To offer you a cease-fire, of course.”

  “And why would you want to do that?”

  Lord Dusahn took a careful breath, looking to the side at the distant horizon as he let it out slowly. “The Dusahn have been a warrior caste since the beginning,” he began. “We were tasked with doing what was necessary to ensure the survival of the Jung Empire; the things the other castes found…distasteful.”

  “I am well aware of the origins and the history of your caste,” Nathan assured him.

  Lord Dusahn eyed him for a moment, then returned his gaze to the distant landscape as he continued. “Our caste was banished for trying to protect the Jung Empire from its own weaknesses.”

  “Like wanting a more peaceful existence?”

  Lord Dusahn smiled. “I know it sounds brutal, but at the time, a peaceful existence was not possible. The empire was too fragile, her military weakened from centuries of expansion. Even worse, the number of castes had grown, and the leadership had become paralyzed by so many varied interests. For the empire to survive, it needed to be reunited; made stronger.”

  “By the all-knowing Dusahn, I suppose.”

  Lord Dusahn’s eyebrow raised slightly. “It did work,” he insisted. “Perhaps not as my forefathers had hoped, but our banishment did galvanize the empire. The current empire would not exist were it not for the revolution that my predecessors started.”

  “Then I have you to thank for all the death and suffering that the Jung Empire has since inflicted upon humanity,” Nathan surmised. “I don’t see how you’re helping your case, Griogair.”

  Lord Dusahn’s smile faded slightly. This arrogant young captain’s use of his first name was disrespectful at the least. “My intelligence officers once told me that you were a student of history. Were they correct?”

  “You have good intelligence officers,” Nathan confirmed, being careful not to reveal his concerns that such information had been obtained.

  “As such, you must surely be aware that every government created by the many has eventually succumbed to the same problems that plagued the Jung Empire all those centuries ago.”

  “Not all of them,” Nathan disagreed.

  “Really? Which might you be referring to?”

  “While it is true that no human civilization has survived more than a few hundred years, many of them failed due to circumstances beyond their control, such as natural disasters, famines, and of course, plagues.”

  “A fair point,” Lord Dusahn conceded. “However, absent of those events, they still would have collapsed. You see, the human animal is flawed. We are so easily corrupted. Thousands of years of human civilization, thousands of years of cultural, spiritual, and technological advancement, and those flaws still remain. But do you know the one problem that prevents humanity from overcoming those flaws?”

  “I’m sure you’re going to tell me,” Nathan replied.

  “Failure to accept that we cannot, and should not, rid ourselves of them,” Lord Dusahn explained. “We are creatures of varying viewpoints, beliefs, and desires. One man’s trash is another man’s fortune, and all that. In order for humanity to survive, those varying points of view must exist, as they cause tension and struggle. And we humans need something to struggle against. Mere existence is not a worthy goal. It is simply existence. Perhaps some can convince themselves it is enough, but they are fooling themselves. We need something, or someone, to dislike or to wish to improve upon. That is what drives us forward as a civilization. But again, all those varying opinions make it difficult for civilizations to focus.”

  “That’s where you come in,” Nathan surmised.

  “You, I, some other person, it matters not. Someone must lead, or civilization unravels from the inside. Freedom is an illusion created to pacify the masses; to allow them to believe they have some measure of control over their destinies. But you and I both know it is the few; the ones strong enough to step forward and seize control, who will shape the future of humanity.”

  “And you see yourself as the right man for the job,” Nathan remarked.

  “At the risk of sounding narcissistic, I do.”

  “And what are your qualifications?” Nathan wondered, unsure of why he was entertaining the man’s ramblings.

  “I have spent my life preparing to lead humanity,” Lord Dusahn explained. “Studied all the great thinkers; studied all the political and socio-economic theories; studied the histories of all the great human civilizations, past and present. I have even trained to reach the pinnacle of mental and physical health.”

  “No, you don’t sound narcissistic at all,” Nathan commented.

  Lord Dusahn sighed. “You don’t see it, do you?”

  “See what?” Nathan asked, growing tired of the elder man’s delusional ramblings.

  “You’re so concerned with doing what humanity would consider the right thing that you cannot do what is needed. Do you not agree that someone must lead?”

  “I do,” Nathan replied. “I just don’t believe that someone is you.”

  Lord Dusahn shook his head. “Your limited thinking would condemn humanity to continue its endless wars, fighting over our differences, forcing our beliefs on one another, instead of just accepting our imperfections and allowing us to live happily amongst those of similar ilk.”

  This time, it was Nathan who sighed, having finally had enough. “About the only thing I’ve agreed with since you began this self-indulgent rant is that this environment is only survivable for a short time. Therefore, I’m going to put an end to this complete and utter waste of time.” Nathan took a few steps closer to his adversary, his body tense and ready to defend himself should the need arise. “I’m going to end you. You and your pathetic little empire. And I no longer care about Takara, or any other world you may have rigged to explode. Because no matter how many people die at your hand, it will pale in comparison to how much better
off humanity will be with the Dusahn Empire being nothing more than a footnote in human history.”

  Lord Dusahn’s expression suddenly changed, becoming deadly serious. “Surely you realize I could easily kill you where you stand.”

  “But you won’t,” Nathan replied. “Your narcissism won’t allow it. You need witnesses to feed your giant ego; to make you feel like the god you believe yourself to be.”

  “I might be willing to make an exception for you,” Lord Dusahn sneered.

  “Then kill me now,” Nathan replied, unwavering. “Another will rise in my place. You see, good is like weeds in a lawn. No matter how many you kill, more will pop up eventually. Killing me here, without witnesses, under a flag of peace, will only increase our numbers, exponentially. And those numbers will come from all worlds, even Takara. So go ahead and do it. Let’s really get this party started.”

  Lord Dusahn studied his younger opponent for several moments. “Your righteousness may someday betray you, Captain.”

  “Of that I am certain.”

  After another long pause, Lord Dusahn continued. “I came here today seeking a way to coexist peacefully.”

  “Don’t insult my intelligence, Griogair.”

  “You realize you are drawing a line in the sand, one that I will have no choice but to cross.”

  “I am counting on it,” Nathan replied.

  Lord Dusahn turned, looking out across the desolate landscape, watching as the sands blew across the parched surface. “Then I shall waste no more of your time, Nathan.” Lord Dusahn turned and bowed his head respectfully. “I look forward to seeing you on the field of battle,” he said, before turning and heading back to his shuttle.

  One thing was certain. There was no way Griogair Dusahn could be allowed to live.

  Thank you for reading this story.

  (A review would be greatly appreciated!)

  COMING SOON

  Episode 15

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  The Frontiers Saga:

  Rogue Castes

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