Rise of a Legion

by Trey Deibel

  Now pissed off, I started to march right up to him. Landis grabbed my shoulder, stopping me short. Instead, I yelled, “Us… enemies?! You bonies only want more and more power… with no care of the ripples that colonizing worlds does to the galaxy! And Lycargans revel in the pain they cause others over faith in arbitrary, fake forces! They even shrug off MURDER as a simple part of existence. Neither of your species is anything more than animals to me.” I spat in his direction.

  “Murder? My-my… what do you call what you do to my warriors?” the mystery man asked.

  “A means to a better future without the Wersillian Legion.”

  “Except it’s the ARW that is the problem--”

  “Alright, enough with this bull! Tell me who you are!” Landis irritably hollered.

  “Wowhoho! Tough demands for a woman. In dytirc culture, you would be punished for taking such a tongue to me.” He laughed.

  “I won’t ask twice!” she hollered, louder this time.

  “Steion, Your Grace,” he mocked her, giving her a tiny bow. “I am one of the Warlords of Virtue, leading the greatest journey in dytirc history.”

  Steion need not say anything more. I pulled up my gun and aimed straight toward him - but in an instant, he was gone. Black smoke covered the outline of where he had been.

  Suddenly from my right, his leg kicked my gun out of my hand. I looked up to see him standing in front of Landis. Recovering, I threw a punch at his face; my fist hit nothing but the same black smoke. Next thing I knew, Steion kicked me in the back, knocking me to the ground. I looked back up. He'd now disarmed Landis and had her locked in his grip. She tried to break free, but dytircs are four times stronger than an average human male; it was no contest.

  “Look into her eyes! See your failure reflected in her pupils. Watch as I take an ally away from you, as you have done many times to me!” He vanished again, this time with Landis.

  Blinding light entered the room. Stunned, I covered my eyes until they adjusted. Squinting, I saw a large opening in the mountain. At the entrance, Steion had Landis still in his grip. Next to them, a rock-covered lever was pulled down. It must be how the rock doors suddenly opened.

  “Kill him,” Steion instructed the dytircs honor guards entering the mountain.

  Suddenly, an idea flashed in my mind. I got up, grabbed my sidearm, and shot the roof. Some boulders fell down, and I took cover behind them. Steion had already vanished. In seconds, I had five dytirc honor guards advancing on me with suppressive fire. Another was leaving with the artifact. Recklessly, I fired at them, but their armor held strong as they closed in on me.

  “Damn! This is one screwed up barn house I got myself into,” I cursed out loud.

  Thinking on a dime, I decided to kick the boulder I was using as cover toward the dytircs. The boulder scraped against the rugged floor and tripped the honor guards. This was my chance. I charged at them. As they lay still on ground, I curb stomped one of their heads in. Then another and another. The other two had almost gotten to their feet. Not letting them, I tackled one, knocking down the other one as well. Now on top of him, I repeatedly wailed away at his face out of sheer rage. In the process, I broke open my fist, and blood streamed down my fingers. His buddy looked upon my act in horror. I grabbed the last one by the neck and carried him across the room. Furious, I pounded him against the wall.

  “Where is Steion taking her?!” I screamed in his face. He spat at me, but I could see he was unsettled. Slamming my fist against the wall, I yelled, “Where is she?!” Still, he gave no response. He stared at me in either dumb bravery or fear. “You bastards have balls, don’t you?” I reached down and found the mark. “Here's the golden egg.” I gripped firm and squeezed through his cloth-armor. His body shuddered in shock and pain.

  “Ahh!” he howled.

  Loosening my squeeze, I said, “Now, I don’t want to ask you again.” Mistakenly, he remained silent. Losing my patience, I released my grip and pulled off my pistol. I placed the barrel right against his temple. “You're on your last ride. You have until one. Three. Two.” I cocked the gun.

  Just before I counted to one, he pleaded, “I don’t know! I'm just his guard. Steion is in charge… I know nothing. I just do as I’m told! Don’t fire. I swear I’m telling the truth!”

  By the look of terror in his eyes, I knew he wasn’t lying. In that moment, I wanted nothing more than to blown his brains away, but I stared at him in silence and with heartache.

  “James, transportation awaits. Do you copy?” Kalvin’s voice reported from my cyberwatch.

  Still holding the dytirc against the wall, I responded, “I’m coming outside.”

  “What is Landis’s status? Her beacon withdrew from the planet.”

  “What? She still has her beacon on!” I yelled in excitement.

  “According to my cyberwatch, she resides in slip space.”

  “Keep tracking her beacon as long as possible. She was captured by the warlord.”

  “Absolutely.”

  I let down the dytirc in front of me. “Walk! You’re coming with us.”

  With the dytirc in front, we walked out. Kalvin jumped down from the side door, still in his power armor. This hovercraft was much smaller than the one the Order of Aegis had been using earlier in the day, though much of the aesthetic was similar.

  He took off his helmet. “Who is this?”

  “A prisoner,” I uttered words of lead as we walked up to the ship.

  The spinning blades and engines whirled air all over the clearing, sending grass and leaves flying and making it difficult to hear. We entered the ship. Inside were a few seats near the back. I shoved the dytirc into a seat and sat across from him.

  “We harbor some restraints.” Kalvin walked off to grab them. I watched the dytirc like a hawk, refusing to blink until Kalvin returned with power cuffs. They were made from stasis energy and veridium. He placed them on the dytirc, making sure they were on tight.

  “We'll make use of you yet.” I grinned at the dytirc, who looked down in shame.

  Chapter 11: Guilt

  September 31, 2111 – October 4, 2111

  James Stone

  Landis had been captured by the enemy! What were they going to do with her? The torture she would endure; I couldn’t even force myself to imagine it. And it was my fault, all of it. How can I even stand alongside my squad now? And more importantly, how can I fix this disaster of a scenario? Whatever the means, I must get the gears rotating and figure something out.

  After returning from my mission, I arrived back in the command room. Commander Sizar and Kalvin waited across the strategy table, ready for my debriefing.

  “First things first: How's Valiic doing?” I asked as I approached.

  “His injuries have mended at a comfortable pace. He should rehabilitate within the following day,” Kalvin assured.

  “And my squad?”

  “They await your reappearance in the squad quarters.”

  “Do they know yet?”

  “About Landis? Not at the moment. That news is for you to deliver.”

  “Which brings me to the first thing I must inform you of,” Sizar jumped in. “We've been tracking her beacon, and based on its current path, we believe she's being taken to the dytirc home system - the Draynought System. After our interrogation with the dytirc you captured in conjunction with additional intel, we're able to comfortably presume she's being taken to a prison called the Grando Military Prison, on a dytirc moon named Delkeedo.”

  “And what measure do we take to retrieve her?” I asked, ready to jump on the mission to rescue her.

  There was a pause in our conversation as Sizar shot a quick glance at Kalvin. “None.” Sizar’s calm tone was misleading.

  “What? Please tell me you're stroking my shaft?”

  “This is as serious as it gets, James.”

  I raised my voice, making sure I didn’t cross the line. “Respectfully, sir, she has information about our battle tactics, future attack pl
ans, along with her still active cyberwatch!”

  Kalvin jumped in for a moment, “Her cyberwatch will short-circuit the instant it senses a false intrusion. In the off circumstance the dytircs try dislodging her arm to deceive the cyberwatch, it would detect the lack of circulation in her arm and short-circuit itself. Trust me, Order of Aegis cyberwatches are nearly hack-proof. The only information they will obtain will originate from her mouth.”

  “That might be all they want,” I said, raising my voice yet again.

  Annoyed with my tone of voice, Sizar grunted, “James, I don’t expect you to understand this, but an invasion on the Draynought System would be suicide. Even with the entire ARW military, we would lose that battle. The dytircs inhabit many planets in that system and have devastating defenses there. We can’t mount such an attack.”

  “Then send me and the rest of 1070 Legionnaires on a stealth rescue mission. We'll be in and out with no fuss,” I offered.

  “Absolutely not. Legionnaires aren’t trained for long operations such as that. Plus, we can’t afford to lose any more members of your squad.” I glanced from Sizar to Kalvin and back, speechless. Sizar continued. “However, we still have some unfinished business to take care off. As stated by ARW military protocol, upon the death of a captain in an independent standing squad such as a legionnaire squad, the first lieutenant is promoted to captain to fill the role. That said, I hereby promote you, James Stone, to the rank of captain. It is now your responsibility to lead the 1070 Legionnaires and promote someone else to lieutenant.”

  “Sir, Landis isn’t dead.”

  “She might as well be!” Sizar lost patience. “Now name your first lieutenant!”

  After a reluctant wait, I answered, “Valiic Bessile. He may not be as experienced as Shadow-Walker, but he has a level head and a mind for leadership.”

  Kalvin lifted a finger. “You do not think Narrisa would be the optimal choice?”

  “I’ve known her almost as long as I’ve known Valiic. She wouldn’t want that responsibility.”

  “Understandable.”

  “James, you are dismissed,” Sizar shooed me off.

  Frustrated, I stomped out of the command room, followed by Kalvin. Regardless of my past with Kalvin, I needed him right now. Pushing aside my dislike for him, I spoke, keeping my tone low. “Remember when you said there's more to this war than we believe?”

  “What did you discover?” He jumped straight to the point, his interest piqued.

  “On our mission, we encountered a ghost town. Its architecture was unlike anything I've ever seen before. Platforms were floating and disconnected from the structures while not being disconnected.”

  He stopped me, “That is illogical.”

  “Umm… there was this bridge. It had two ramps and a platform, but the platform was disconnected from the ramps. It just hovered as if it were connected. And this house of worship… damn thing floated.”

  “Commonly believed to be constructed by a species known as the devisors. Proceed.”

  “In that ghost town, Landis and I were forced into a temple carved into the mountain where you picked me up. Inside the last room, before the warlord made himself present, we discovered this artifact on a mantle.”

  “Describe it.” He looked as if he knew what I was about to say.

  “It was triangular, with two additional lines protruding from the triangle and converging down into the center circle inside… and covered in symbols.”

  “What happened to it?”

  “A dytirc honor guard took it.”

  “Interesting.”

  “Why? What does it do?” I questioned.

  “I am uncertain. The Order of Aegis has another artifact comparable to the piece you described. Although, I presumed the artifact to be a decoration… or possibly a symbol of worship. In light of the situation, I will set researches on this matter.” He stopped me and whispered in my ear, “James, this conversation remains between us. Understand?”

  “I do.”

  He stepped back and smiled. “Perfect. I have additional matters at hand.” He started off in the other direction.

  “Hold your steps,” I stopped him. “Does the Tempest of Titans still have a monastery?”

  “Absolutely. It is located at the stern, fifth floor. I did not realize you were religious.”

  “I’m not.” I gave him a nod as I left.

  Inside the monastery, the comfortable padding of cedar bench eased away the doubts I had in showing my face here in the first place. One other person sat in the room with me, sitting a few benches ahead of me. The atmosphere was light, feeling like a sanctuary for my soul. At the front of the monastery, a large cedar wood stage scented the room with its aroma. Gold trim gilded the railings and the podium to enrich the room. On the left side of the stage was the confession box, along with a doorway to the back offices. At the moment, the priest was inside the box with another.

  After a few minutes, the priest left the confession box. The other door opened, and a maelkii male stepped out and walked out of the monastery. The priest’s gaze stopped at me and noticed I was new. He came up to me and took a seat to my right. His fragile, old body restricted his movements as he eased into the padding.

  Without making eye contact, he spoke, “In times of war, a place such as this can often be somewhere to unburden one’s self. Tell me, child, are you a Catholic?”

  “Once upon a time,” I replied, staring at the crucifixion cross hanging behind the stage.

  “Great, great. You are in the right room, child.”

  I turned toward the priest. “That maelkii… I didn’t know they believe.”

  Without turning, he responded, “Strange how these things seem to work out? Despite the various religious beliefs on Earth and an innumerable amount more religious beliefs among the galaxy, the maelkii Book of Ancient Prophets had surprisingly similar messages, and even stories, as the Bible. I’ve always believed in miracles, yet I was flabbergasted by that revelation.”

  “And the dor’o? Qwayks?”

  “Qwayks never were historically big into faith. The dor’o--ever hear of the great Library of Alexandria?”

  “Can’t say I have.”

  “I heard it isn’t taught so much these days. Anyhow, it was founded by the Ptolemaic dynasty and served as one of the largest and most significant libraries of ancient human history. It was said to house tens to hundreds of thousands of scrolls documenting everything from art to science. Then much of what was inside was burned by Caesar himself, and… some say… it set us back hundreds of years. The dor’o are said to have had something similar happen. Only instead... much of their ancient religion was destroyed. Dor’o historians claim that was the day religion died.”

  “That’s--”

  My words were lost. I couldn’t help myself. Memories of my family and past came flooding back. I forced myself to hold back the tears.

  “I can see you didn’t come here for a history lesson.”

  “Father, does God exist?” This was the only thing I could think to ask in the moment.

  At that moment, the priest turned to face me. “Would you like to hear a story?”

  “It wouldn’t hurt.”

  “Have you ever heard of the 2nd Big Bang in 2036? I was there if you can believe that,” he joked.

  “I may have heard a whisper or two.”

  “Great, great. Before the energy wave from that big bang hit… scientists… experts… they thought it was the end of the world. Nothing we'd ever seen moved as fast as this wave, not even light. Earth was ravaged. Streets lined with trash; stores burned and ransacked; houses abandoned with nothing worthwhile remaining. Surprisingly, the churches were mostly empty. I guess people wanted to spend their last moments with family. But the day the energy wave hit Earth - nothing. For minutes after the energy passed the planet, Earth had experienced a state of silence unlike any in my lifetime. If I'd dropped a pin, the world would’ve heard. The following Sunday, my church had suc
h an attendance that I had to quadruple the number of sermons I'd prepared for that day. People lined the streets, thinking we'd been spared. Child… from that day forth, I've never doubted the answer to that question.” I sat there for a moment, processing what he'd said. He spoke once again. "Child… I can tell that question isn’t what brought you to this monastery. You look like a man who's already answered that question for yourself. I can see you have something else troubling you.”

  Hesitating, I told him, “I… er, I was on a mission with my squad, and I chose to pursue a lone boney. He was across a bridge, by himself, so I chased after him.” I hesitated for a moment. “My Captain, Clover Landis, warned me, but… but I didn’t even think. I just reacted… I guess it was instinct, but I can’t be sure. As she came after me, the bridge blew. It was an ambush. You see… Landis and I were separated from the rest of our squad. The enemies forced us into a mountain, and huh… I was so confident. We were supposed to take out a high-ranking enemy, and I figured he would be like any other. Well, I guess the enemy forced us into the mountain for a reason. They knew the warlord would best us.” I rubbed away a tear. “I... I did everything I could to save her… but h-he took her.” I looked the priest straight in the eyes. “Father, it wasn’t enough.”

  He sat there silently for a few moments before placing his hand on my shoulder. “If you did everything you could for her, then why you are here?”

  “Forgiveness.”

  “For what?”

  “No-not doing more… I-I--” I answered, unsure.

  “You just said you did everything you could. Looking into your eyes, I’m sure that’s true.”

  I paused for a moment and looked to the ground. “Then why do I still feel guilt eating at my conscience?” I dropped my head in shame.

  He sighed. “Guilt isn’t always a bad thing. Sometimes guilt can be one’s guild; the soul’s call to action. The indication that something… something isn’t quite as it should be. The best way to rid your soul of it is to correct your mistakes and keep going until amends are made.” He took a moment before speaking. “I don’t know what you did or what you should have done, but the guilt… your guilt means your mission is not yet finished.” He stood up and walked up to the front stage.