The Antithesis- The Complete Pentalogy

by Terra Whiteman

  This was not the first time that I’d considered leaving. The idea had been circling my mind for a while now. My instincts told me all was lost and I should be helping the rest of mine protect Exo’daius, but every time each idea was followed by the intrinsic sense of betraying those that were left here.

  What would Qaira do if I was gone? I felt alone, but could barely perceive what he was feeling. I remembered how it’d felt when I had lost Aphasia. Magnify that tenfold by everything that had happened to him recently.

  No, I couldn’t leave.

  Not yet.

  *

  After evening meal we were summoned to the command station for a final briefing before the transporter was set to depart. I walked with Yahweh through the halls, onto the deck.

  “Is something troubling you, Justice Trisyien?” inquired Yahweh. “You seemed quiet at dinner.”

  Well, since he’d asked. “It’s Qaira. He’s losing it.”

  “Yes, I’ve noticed. Hard to blame him.”

  “Oraniquitis is sinking her talons into him while he’s vulnerable.” Quite literally. “I’m worried that he won’t be able to come to terms with the fact that she’s not his wife.”

  Yahweh nodded, casting his eyes downward. “She’s wearing her skin.”

  “We need to make an effort to keep them separated until he gets his shit together. The last thing we need is Qaira bending a knee to the Scarlet Queen.”

  Yahweh paid me a faint smile, but the reason behind it was imperceptible. “I wouldn’t worry too much.”

  I stopped walking, abashed by his response. He paused, looking back at me in question.

  “What is wrong with you?” I demanded. “Is everyone going crazy except for me?”

  Yahweh’s smile was gone, replaced by a look of introspection and a hint of sympathy. His eyes shone in the flashing lights across the deck. “You think the Scarlet Queen is seducing Qaira?”

  I winced, confused. “Of course, don’t you?”

  Yahweh shoved his hands into his coat pockets. “I think it’s the other way around, and we would be wise to let it all play out.”

  At my silence, he turned and began to walk again.

  “Come, Justice Trisyien, I can’t be late to my own briefing.”

  ***

  Belial Vakkar—;

  Naberius offered me a smile of encouragement, watching me suit-up as the transporter descended to the hangar dock. “Good luck, though I doubt you’ll need it.”

  I scowled and spat out my cigarette, side-eyeing the looney bitch boarding with the other soldiers. “It’s not the Judas I’m worried about.”

  He looked beyond me as Samnaea disappeared through the transporter’s sliding door. “Maybe you should learn to keep your mouth shut, then.”

  “Whose side are you on?” I muttered, strapping the sniper rifle to my shoulder, snatching my cane off the rail.

  Naberius took a step back, seeing me off. “The winning side, like you.”

  Prove your worth, Qaira had said.

  I’d already done that, numerous times. I shouldn’t have saved that sorry twat. I’d shot King Godkiller in the head for him and now he treated me like fodder.

  I frowned at that thought, entering the transporter.

  Michael had opted to come along, which was a small comfort. He was the only angel I liked. Samnaea sat on the bench across mine, squished between soldiers. She was not in any armor, only a long black coat with a hood that cast a shadow over the upper portion of her face. Underneath was the red battle-gown she’d arrived in. I was a little surprised they hadn’t at least given her any armor—a protective vest, or something. She needn’t any weapons other than a clear head, but that didn’t mean she couldn’t get shot.

  Samnaea’s head rose; her eyes met mine. She said nothing, holding my stare with equal fire.

  I relented and turned away, praying she hadn’t seen the pity on my face.

  *

  Hours later, we arrived at the hangar beneath Judas’s port. The doors slid open, and we were greeted by Caelis and a group of demon guards. The look on their faces as they watched Samnaea and I exit the transporter, side-by-side, was priceless. Even better was the image of Michael and the other angels lining up behind us, awaiting our orders. It seemed Yahweh had failed to mention to them who would be sent to inspect the ship.

  Once the novelty wore off, Caelis nodded to both of us. “Archdemon Vakkar and General Soran. Let me escort you to our command station.”

  “Admiral Vakkar,” I corrected him, gesturing to the Argentia crest adorning my armor.

  Samnaea turned to Michael. “You and your team, inspect the ship. Level by level. Start at the bottom and work your way up. Any suspected threats must be reported immediately.”

  Michael nodded and he and his soldiers moved past Caelis and the demons, heading for the hangar exit.

  Caelis watched them leave, uneasy. “I promise there are no threats onboard.”

  I gave him a serrated grin. “Just a routine check. So, what have you got to drink around here?”

  *

  Samnaea watched me down another glass of wine. She stood by the observation glass of the Judas command station, arms folded in disapproval. I ignored her and happily continued.

  “So, are you just going to get blasted in front of everyone?” she demanded, enmity in her eyes.

  I grinned. “I’ve been drinking like this since I left Moritoria. My aim only gets better, love.”

  “Don’t call me that,” she muttered, scowling out the window. Quieter, she said, “You’re disgusting.”

  I held the bottle out. “Are you sure you don’t want a drink? It sounds like you need something to take the edge off.”

  “The only thing I need is your severed head on a pike.”

  “Take the lamp post out of your cunt, darling. The only person who did you in was you.”

  Samnaea said nothing, looking over the port. The Judas halo rotated across the hull, illuminating us in hazy crimson iridescence. She seemed mournful.

  Michael and his team had returned to the command station and declared the ship free of any threats. After that, they moved Caelis and the remaining military to the brig. Michael sent word of clearance to Ezekiel, and now we were biding our time until the cavalry arrived.

  “Having second thoughts?” I said, mockingly.

  “I don’t understand why you keep speaking.”

  “If you don’t want me to speak, leave the room.”

  “No, you leave the room. Go stagger around somewhere else.”

  I just scoffed and poured myself another drink. “I can’t believe you want me dead.”

  Samnaea frowned, giving me a side-long glance. “I’m fairly certain you want me dead as well.”

  “Well, yes,” I said, matter-of-factly, “but that’s because you tried to arrest me for treason and killed my wife. I didn’t even do anything to you.”

  Her eyes turned to slits. “Don’t play stupid, Belial. It doesn’t suit you. We all know the clever snake that you truly are.”

  I sighed loudly, shaking my head. “I told Leid about the ledger, yes. I admit that I was giving information to the Celestial Court. There, I said it. I’m guilty.” I raised both hands. “However, I did not give Leid the ledger. Your brother willingly fucked her, fell for her charm and her lies. You can’t put that on me.”

  Samnaea flinched. “Stop.”

  “No, I won’t stop until you understand that I had nothing—well, very little—to do with your brother and your husband’s deaths. I was doing my own thing; just like you and the Sanguine Court were doing yours.”

  “Why are you trying to make amends?” she asked after a lengthy moment of silence.

  “Because it appears we might have to work closely together for the foreseeable future, and it won’t help anyone if we keep trying to murder each other.”

  There it was. A smile. It’d been brief, but it was there. “None of it matters anymore,” she murmured, casting her gaze back ou
t the window.

  “Come, have a drink. I promise I won’t poison it.”

  Reluctantly, she sat across from me. I fished another cup out of the cabinet below the podium and filled her up. “Cheers,” I said as she took the glass, “to being the only demons not dead or in jail right now.”

  Samnaea fought a laugh.

  Clink.

  XXVI

  ERASURE

  Qaira Eltruan—;

  SEYESTIN ENTERED THE HANGAR AS WE were gearing up to board Judas. Yahweh was at his side.

  “I just spoke to Belial,” said Seyestin. “They have the ship contained and ready to dock. He also sounded really drunk.”

  I shook my head, strapping on my vest and activating its shield. Although Lt. Kiran had assured us there were no threats aboard Judas, I wasn’t going to take any chances.

  Beside me, Adrial scoffed. “Well, at least he got the job done.”

  “Was Dr. Jonarr able to shed any light as to what Commander Raith has in store for us in Akkaroz?” asked Naberius. He sat on the bench, smoking a malay cigarette. He wasn’t accompanying us and had no reason to be here. I assumed he was just lonely, or something.

  “They didn’t mention that,” said Yahweh.

  Naberius nodded. “They should take the drives from central command. The ship has monitoring systems in almost every room, save for the private sector. If he had a conversation with anyone prior to him leaving, it’ll be on there.”

  “Commander Raith would have wiped anything on him before he left,” said Seyestin, incredulous. “Surely he wouldn’t have left evidence of his plans before handing over the ship.”

  Naberius shrugged. “It’s worth a look.”

  “That it is,” agreed Yahweh, glancing at Seyestin. “Tell Belial to have Caelis pull the ship’s central command drive before their departure.”

  Seyestin nodded. “Sir.”

  He left to the command station.

  Our orders were to board Judas, strip her of all resources—armor, weapons, jets, halo-charge cells—and return with her detainees. We would send a small group of ground soldiers ahead of us to clear the ship of its former tenants; Adrial and I would then help the engineering teams disassemble any equipment requiring special handling. So far everything was going smoothly.

  Too smoothly.

  I’d had a feeling in my gut since Michael’s call that something was wrong, but couldn’t pin-point exactly what.

  The fact that Lucifer was just handing over Judas seemed unreal, although every step since then had gone according to the terms he’d laid out. Had there been an ambush lying in wait, they would have already presented themselves as we were too near the proximity of their warship to engage without risking any damage. On the surface it all appeared fine, but the feeling in my gut persisted. Judging by the foreboding expression Adrial had worn since we started suiting up, he shared my sentiments.

  “Once we dock to Judas, you should stay in the command station,” I advised Yahweh.

  He tilted his head. “Do you suspect something?”

  “No. I don’t know. Maybe.”

  “Qaira’s right,” said Adrial. “None of this feels good. I know it’s all going according to plan, but in case our course takes a sudden turn, it’s best you don’t be anywhere near the demon warship.”

  “Stay with Seyestin,” I said, loading my pulse rifle. “I’m not risking any chances; not when we’re so close.”

  “I think you’re being a bit paranoid,” remarked Naberius.

  I eyed him, curling my lip. “Yeah? Did I just hear you volunteer to lead the first wave on board?”

  Naberius cast his gaze downward, sucking on the end of his cigarette.

  “No? Because you seem to think I’m being paranoid and that everything is completely safe.”

  “Qaira, enough. You drove the point home,” said Adrial.

  He was right. It wasn’t worth it. I turned to Yahweh. “Let me know when it’s go time. I’ll be on the deck.”

  Yahweh nodded, wary. “See you then.”

  *

  It was cold in Junah. And dark. It was so dark that our deck’s light systems had to be on even during daylight hours. The layer was shrouded in never-ending night; and even as a Sanctum native, I could have never lived here. That anyone lived here was insane. And a bit sad. I could definitely understand why the demons felt like they were treated unjustly.

  I pulled the collar up on my coat, shivering as I moved across the deck. The soldiers chosen to secure Judas were assembling into a line. My visor relayed that we had twenty minutes until then. I slid the screen down all the way; anything to break the cold from my face.

  Oraniquitis was standing at the edge of the deck, overlooking the bow, staring off into the night. She felt my approach and turned her head, hair lashing against her cheek. She paid me a somber smile, and then looked back at the sable sky. Lately her demeanor seemed more and more like Leid’s.

  I stood beside her, silent, following her gaze.

  Silhouettes of jagged black peaks spired in the horizon. There was nothing but cold and rocks, not even wind save for what Ezekiel generated.

  “You seem better,” I remarked, my voice resonating with a hollow sound through my mask.

  “Yahweh’s upgraded potion seemed to do the trick,” she said. “For now.”

  She was only wearing Leid’s coat. Her cheeks were already turning red with cold. “You should probably go inside before you freeze.”

  “I’m not cold,” she whispered. “I can’t die from cold anyhow.”

  “True, but I bet frostbite stings like a bitch.”

  “I’m flattered by your concern for me.”

  “No, really, you shouldn’t be out here. Your health is already compromised and your regeneration abilities aren’t up to snuff either. Just because you feel better doesn’t mean you are better.” When she didn’t respond, I added, “Last time the Court of Enigmus came to get you, we barely escaped. You’re not strong enough to defend yourself. Hanging out in the open isn’t an option.”

  Oran sighed. Her breath left her lips as a snaking plume of steam. “Just a second more, then.”

  “Why? There’s nothing to see.”

  “I like the scenery.”

  “What scenery?”

  “The emptiness, the openness, the darkness.”

  I hesitated, unsure of how to respond.

  “Look around; it’s practically just us. The quiet is…calming.”

  Ezekiel’s halo rolled over the deck, immersing us in shimmering light. Oran recoiled, shielding her eyes.

  “We can go now,” she conceded, bowing her head and lifting her hood.

  We retreated into the command station. Just before I slipped through the door, I caught a glimpse of Adrial watching me from the hangar entrance. I froze, holding the door ajar.

  He looked at me, and I at him. There was ice where our eyes met.

  ***

  Belial Vakkar—;

  I ordered the soldiers to bring Caelis back to the Judas command station. As I polished off the last of Lucifer’s most expensive wine, the Good Doctor appeared in the entrance accompanied by Michael, confused as ever.

  “Thanks, I’ll take it from here,” I said, flashing Michael a grin. He nodded and left to rejoin Samnaea. They were leading the detainees out of the brig and onto the deck. Ezekiel was here. I could hear her engine purring beyond the observation window.

  “Sorry to bother,” I said, setting the empty bottle down on the navigation desk, “but I don’t know how to work this bird and the Young Commander wants her drive.”

  Caelis furrowed his brows. “Why?”

  “He didn’t tell me.” I gestured to the central command panel. “Time is of the essence.”

  He sighed resignedly, taking a seat at the panel. “This will take some time. I’ll have to shut everything down so the systems command won’t turn the engines off.”

  “Yes, that would be ideal.”

  The Judas rumbled sligh
tly as her docking mechanism engaged. I could tell because the screen above the panel blinked green with a message that read DOCKING. That was just about the extent of knowledge I had in operating a command ship.

  I leaned against the wall, tapping my cane against the floor idly, watching Caelis’s fingers blur across the keypad.

  I heard a strange chime, and then he froze.

  “Again?” he murmured to himself.

  “What’s the matter?” I asked.

  “The system just encountered a program abnormality.”

  “I don’t know what that means.”

  “Neither do I. One second,” he said, typing again.

  Several screens opened up on the panel, scrolling rapidly with script. I watched, dizzy, as Caelis typed commands into the prompt bar. One of the screens froze; a line of script was highlighted. He leaned in to read it.

  “…Oh.”

  I tilted my head. “Everything okay?”

  Caelis turned in his seat, eyes wide with terror. “We have to get off this ship, now.”

  ***

  Qaira Eltruan—;

  It’d all been a roaring blur.

  Ezekiel and Judas had conjoined their docking bridges, leading a clear path between ships. From the upper deck I’d observed Samnaea and Michael, their soldiers surrounding the demon prisoners, awaiting command to bring them onboard.

  Yahweh had set up camp with Seyestin in central command, and Adrial had stood sentry a few hundred yards from me. Oraniquitis was leant against the rail, watching the commotion with a toilsome frown. She’d only heeded my advice of staying inside for half an hour.

  Our group of soldiers had only made it halfway across the bridge when all of our transmission lines went crazy. It was Belial.

  “Lucifer planted a fucking anti-gravity bomb on the Judas! You have twenty seconds to get out of there!”