“Our projectile,” said Rez grimly.
“We must be close to the bridge.” Ryle chanced touching a deactivate button, but upon pressing it a red light blinked: Supreme Archon Override Required. He held off any more tinkering. Nobody’s changing this...for now.
“Freeze,” said an officer, pointing a pistol at them.
Rez put his hands up but with one hand waved Ryle down—a signal not to shoot.
Recognition dawned on the officer, an uptight-looking man with a black hat, pale skin and a black mustache. He laughed. “Rez Gelibor! I thought I was dreaming.”
“Captain Beelzer, please, whatever you do, do not trip the alarm. Let’s talk first,” said Rez.
“Ha. I should kill you both on sight, but I’ll need backup.” Beelzer reached over toward the station, and just before his fingers triggered the alarm Rez pursed his lips and let loose a high-pitched whistle. Beelzer’s outstretched arm stopped and waved in a circular motion. His face twitched in shock. His arm kept waving until it was spinning. Beelzer’s whole body lurched forward headfirst into the control panel and he was knocked out.
Ryle looked down at Beelzer’s sprawled body. “That was interesting.”
“Still working on that,” said Rez. “Now we know where the alarm is. Can you disarm it?”
Ryle went to the station where Beelzer was reaching. He couldn’t get into the system directly, so he pulled out his “kill switch” and hooked it up. The switch would effectively shut down any non-complex system with which it connected for fifteen minutes. “Done.”
They rolled Beelzer’s body out of the way. “This is it,” said Rez, nodding toward the door. “He’s in there.”
Ryle waved the captured handprint from the first officer they met over the door’s entry pad—didn’t work. He hurried over to Beelzer’s unconscious body and copied his handprint while Rez kept watch. Ryle tried Beelzer’s handprint and it worked. With a hiss, the door slid open.
The Chironex command center featured a captain’s chair in the center facing a series of three large hanging screens, the middle screen twice as big as the other two. Behind the screens rested a curved space viewport. Holographic maps, lowerable by hand movements, floated around the upper edges of the room. Ryle and Rez entered unseen in the rear and ducked behind a row of communication consoles.
Ryle made a gesture indicating no other troops were on the bridge. Rez nodded. They couldn’t decide who should take a peek to look for Jez, so they both did. They raised their heads just above the console. The back of Jez’s head was visible in the command seat. He sat alone, motionless, likely in meditation of some sort. No wonder he was oblivious to their infiltration. Various colorful consoles hummed and flickered around him. The three main viewscreens showed the ship’s path and course calculations which were auto-adjusted as they went. The outer two screens displayed the entire solar system and the planets’ orbits. The middle screen showed a live feed of Topaz overlaid with the Chironex’s route—straight into Mount Trizo.
Ryle and Rez lowered their heads. Ryle gave the hand gesture for: “Wait?” Rez returned the gesture: “Uncertain.” A shrill beeping sounded from the front. Ryle and Rez locked eyes. Ryle peeked over the console again. The main screen lit up with green—a message. Ryle waved Rez up.
The screen morphed into a close up of Zermal’s spectacled, scarred face. “Jez, I’m taking a great risk contacting you, but you must know. Behold.” The feed changed to a holographic image of Topaz. “This strike on the mountain will not destroy Topaz only.” The hologram animation showed the remaining chunk from Topaz drifting into Chrysolite’s orbit. “This is what will happen after the diamond drill passes through. I’m not attempting to dissuade you of this task. I am merely honoring our agreement. Do what you will. Zermal out.” The display returned to the live Topaz feed.
Jez stood. He remained motionless for a moment, then turned around.
Ryle and Rez dropped their heads instantly. Ryle’s mouth gaped open. Rez’s eyes burned with anger and his nostrils flared. Ryle opened his wrist comm and furiously composed a message to be sent directly to President Prevwahn.
Chapter 48
Prevwahn’s comm glowed red and vibrated. He snatched it up—a message from Ryle.
Prevwahn read the message and fell into his executive chair. His chair was no throne for a king; it was a functional seat for a working officer of the land. He rubbed his balding forehead, then pressed his desk’s direct comm to General Turj. “Waap, get to my office now. Please.”
Prevwahn called his aides, Yon Gelvan and Ris Kalman, into the room and swore them to keep things confidential for now to avoid mass panic.
Minutes later, Turj arrived mildly out of breath. “Sir, I skipped the shuttle and ran all the way. That Dash-4 shuttle is always getting delayed anyway.”
“General, have a seat.”
“I prefer to stand, sir. I think better standing up.”
“As you wish, though this news may knock you off your feet.”
“What’s happened, Mr. President?”
Before Prevwahn continued, the door chimed. He made eye contact with Yon who rushed to the door and checked the security cam. “Mr. President, Qusam the wizard is here.” Prevwahn nodded in affirmation and Yon ushered Qusam into the room.
“Qusam, I’m glad you’re here. I have a strong feeling we’ll need you,” said Prevwahn. A grim expression fell over his face as he raised his voice to address the room. “I’ve heard from Ryle Gelibor.”
Everyone hushed.
“The message was very brief, but he says this: He has infiltrated an Archon ship commanded by Jez Gelibor. It carries a weapon that will cut through the core of Topaz, destabilizing it and ultimately causing the planet to break in two. The remaining piece will drift into...,” he cleared his throat, “…Chrysolite’s orbit.”
The air in the room thickened with shock and concern. Yon started to speak but closed his mouth, saying nothing. Ris’s mouth simply hung open. Qusam’s eyes went wide. He looked at the floor, deep in thought.
Turj furrowed his eyebrows. “This explains why they’re evacuating Topaz. We should be next!”
Prevwahn slowly shook his head. “There’s no time. Ryle says they will arrive at Topaz in less than a couple of hours. Besides, where would we go?”
“What about Onyx?” asked Yon.
“That might be our best possibility. General, what’s the status of the Archon fleet?” asked Prevwahn.
“While we technically have control of most of Onyx itself, the Archon fleet has regrouped and could block any direct route there. There’s no way we could launch hundreds of civilian transports into that mess,” said Turj.
“Beryl?” said Prevwahn.
“Since the last incident, Aqtal beefed up security on that rock. Beryl’s still under heavy Archon control,” said Turj. “What if we sent a strike force to intercept Jez’s ship?”
“If Ryle’s info is accurate, it wouldn’t get there in time. We don’t know the exact location of this ship, only the sector and that may be inaccurate,” said Prevwahn.
Everyone remained silent. Prevwahn arose and paced in front of them. Ris Kalman teared up. Prevwahn touched her shoulder but didn’t try to comfort her with words.
“Mr. President,” said Qusam.
“Yes, Qusam.”
“I was contacted by Lieutenant Lygalia who’s on Topaz now. She and Jyssa Gelibor led a mission to find Commander Von Mitchett who was captured. They succeeded but they need help.”
“Jyssa’s on Topaz?” said Prevwahn. “I’m glad I’m kept in the know.” He glared at Turj.
Turj held up his hands. “I didn’t know either, Mr. President! About her or Ryle. The Gelibors are quite the rogue family these days. With Jez out there doing who knows what for Aqtal, and—”
“That’s enough, General,” said Prevwahn, waving him down. “I didn’t mean to start that. You and I know Ryle. I’m sure he did what he felt he needed to do, and evidently he’s discovere
d useful information. As to Jyssa, what are your thoughts, Qusam?”
“I’m gathering wizards to assemble a force to go to Topaz to see what we can do, whatever that may be. Another important piece, Mr. President, thousands of Onyx children were taken from their home world and put on Topaz to work for the Archon, and they are now being left behind to perish.”
Prevwahn thought for a moment and then looked straight at Qusam. “Put your team together. Do what you can. Rescue the children. Turj, we’ll have Exla send as many ships as he can in support. We need the bulk of our fleet near Topaz should this wicked weapon of Aqtal achieve its goal. If we must, we’ll tackle the dreadful task of destroying the planetary chunk.”
“President, I’m afraid we don’t have even close to enough ships or firepower for that,” said Turj.
“We have to try. Our planetary shielding is not up to the task of handling it. We’ll go to Evacuation Stage One. Get troops and protocols ready, but we are not alerting the populace. Not yet. Everyone understand?”
Everyone said in unison, “Yes, Mr. President.”
“Any questions?” said Prevwahn.
“Sir,” said Turj. “If I were the enemy, I would use the distraction of Topaz to make an assault on Onyx. I’m sure he’s bitter about losing it, light or no light, and now would be the perfect time to make a strike at it.”
“Good point,” said Prevwahn. “Make sure Exla and Swaqmota are prepared for such an assault. Have them mock up different scenarios.”
“I’ll contact them now.”
* * *
“Roger that, General,” said Exla from the bridge of the Azurite. The Chrysolite flagship had been patrolling a wide circle around Onyx the previous day. “The bulk of the Archon fleet has gathered in Sector 11, poised to attack Onyx should they want to. Much of that fleet is composed of former Topaz elements.”
“Right,” said Turj from the command bunker’s comm. “How strong are you for a fight?”
“Strong enough, I hope. That is, against the enemy fleet. But against a wandering planetary chunk? I don’t see a chance, to be perfectly honest, General.”
“I hear ya.”
“Swaq’s got my Topaz flank. We took a beating earlier but we’ve had some time to regroup and repair without being bothered too much.”
“That’s gonna change.”
“I figured.”
“One more thing. Can you send support for a wizard mission?”
“A wizard mission?”
“Qusam is leading a pack, group, throng...whatever you call it, of wizards into Topaz for a rescue mission. Can you send some fighters and transports? Apparently the Archon is leaving captured Onyx children to die.”
“I’ll discuss with Swaq and we’ll see what we can do. That’s all I can promise for now.”
“Understood, Admiral.”
“Exla out.” He closed the comm. “Lieutenant, issue Command 234. Gather the squadrons.”
“Yes, sir,” said Lieutenant Wys.
In space near Onyx, the Azurite and its accompanying ships adjusted course toward Topaz and awaited squadrons of fighters returning from action on Onyx. Two other Chrysolite battleships in the vicinity, the Fizer and the Defender, formed up with the lead ship. The persistent glow from the moon’s algae cast a fluorescent green glare throughout the ships’ viewports.
Chapter 49
Still ducked behind the console, Ryle considered the best way to approach Jez. Based on Rez’s account of their previous altercation, a direct confrontation may not best especially with all the dark wizards aboard. Ryle would suggest a diplomatic approach. “Okay, I say we go in slowly and—”
Rez, his anger boiling over, bounded up and ran toward Jez. From his throat he heaved a song of power. The wave of sound energy struck Jez, catching him by surprise and flinging him backwards up into the air. He crashed through the main viewscreen, shattering it to pieces and littering the bridge with debris.
Oh, this is great! Ryle grabbed his rifle and ran after Rez.
“Stay back,” said Rez.
“We should talk to him!” said Ryle.
“I know.”
Jez leapt up, pulled a piece of viewscreen out of his hair and flung it aside. Jez stomped toward them, held up his arm, and said, “Fire!” His backpack contraption slid an electronic component up to his fist and discharged a sound blast wave.
Rez countered with a whistle and raised arms. The blast wave ricocheted off him and struck a holographic projector high above, blowing the projector apart from the ceiling and crashing to the deck. “Brother, let’s talk.”
Jez’s body was tense, his face stern, and his eyes as cold as space. “Get off this ship.” At the sight of Ryle, Jez’s tension eased a bit.
Ryle yelled, “Jez, what are you doing? It’s time to tell us. At least then we can die knowing why.”
Jez approached a control console.
“The alarm is disabled,” said Ryle. “Before you call your wizard goons, talk to us first.”
Jez held up his left hand in a peaceful gesture, and with his right flicked a switch. “Shutting off recording devices.” Jez faced Rez and Ryle. “I know what I’m doing. I’m doing what you could not do.”
“What do you mean?” said Ryle.
“You can’t defeat Aqtal. Nobody can. Not Chrysolite, not Qusam or the wizards. Not even the Lights,” said Jez.
“But you can?” said Ryle.
“I will.”
Ryle chuckled. “Are you serious?”
“I’ve never been more serious about anything.”
“With Zermal’s help too, eh?” said Rez.
Jez’s nose twitched at the sound of Zermal’s name. “What do you know about Zermal?”
Ryle said, “Besides being a genocidal maniac, he’s been a big part of turning you towards evil.”
“He has helped me achieve my purpose,” said Jez.
“And what is that?” said Ryle.
“To be who I was meant to be. To do something that matters…even if it kills me.”
“You’re going to kill everyone on Topaz as well! And Chrysolite too! Everyone we know and love,” said Ryle.
Rez cut in. “The part about Chrysolite appears to be a surprise even to Jez as Zermal just informed him of it. Am I correct?”
Jez’s face remained hard. “It doesn’t change the plan. I will go into the cavern under Mount Trizo, and I will emerge as the most powerful being in Zoain.”
“Except for Aqtal,” said Rez.
“I will be able to destroy him,” said Jez. “I know it.”
Ryle and Rez glanced at each other. Rez spoke. “Brother, I once believed as you do. I soaked up all the so-called power I could get from Aqtal. I thought I had achieved greatness. But it was all a sham. I was merely his puppet, his slave, which is what you are.”
“I am not!” shouted Jez. A wave of energy billowed out from his arm contraption knocking Rez and Ryle backwards. Jez marched toward them.
Rez raised his hands. “Jez, I’ve been down the same path. I know what you’re going through.”
“You do not know,” said Jez, his arm poised in firing position.
“Aqtal promised you everything—power, riches, status, and a purpose,” said Rez.
Jez said nothing.
“He delivered on giving you the power to kill people, which is not true power at all,” said Rez.
“Unless it’s for the good. Right, Ryle? You kill all the time,” said Jez.
Well, sort of, thought Ryle, but he didn’t speak.
“Everything I have done, and will do, is for the good. I will become powerful. And, with Zermal’s aid, we will overthrow Aqtal,” said Jez, lowering his arm from firing position.
“Zermal’s aid?” said Rez. “You have gone mad. He is a disturbed, power hungry liar. He has no one in mind but himself.”
“He has cooperated with me the entire time.”
“Of course, to get what he wants! Even if you did destroy Aqtal, do you think Zerma
l would share power with you?” said Rez.
Ryle took a different approach. “Jez, the war has tipped in our favor. Did you hear about the Light on Onyx? It’s been lit! We threw the Archon forces off the planet.”
“That’s what you don’t understand.”
“Explain,” said Ryle.
“The Lights won’t defeat him. He only becomes stronger. His eyes are everywhere. They see through everything. Each time a Light is lit, Aqtal turns its power to his advantage. It will only get worse.”
“Our forces are gaining strength. We—” started Ryle.
“Your forces are nothing compared to what Aqtal is becoming. He must be personally slain.”
“Like Ethin? You killed him, didn’t you?” said Ryle.
Jez hesitated at first, confirming Ryle’s suspicions. “Ethin was responsible for betraying our father and our people.”
“Did you set the bombs on Mount Phengos?” asked Ryle.
“I had to earn Aqtal’s trust,” said Jez.
“He doesn’t trust easily, does he?” said Rez.
Jez said nothing.
“Jez,” said Rez. “You must not go through the cavern on Topaz. It will warp you forever. Aqtal has lied. It won’t make you powerful. It will only turn you more and more into his blubbering mindless servant. I’ve seen it happen.”
“You were too afraid to go through the cavern,” said Jez.
“I was wise!” said Rez. “You need to learn wisdom—one thing you’ve never mastered.”
Jez’s eyes flared. Control boards around him lit up with electrified energy. Electrical bolts shot out of them, nicking Ryle’s arm.
Rez sang a calming song which quieted the sparks flying around them. He gently brought his song to a halt. “You’re serving the man who murdered our father.”
Jez dropped to one knee. Ryle didn’t think to mention their father’s death, but apparently it struck a nerve. “I am avenging our father’s death. I witnessed it. This evil creature who killed our father must die! This is the only way!” Jez raised his arms high and a wave of power shot out of them knocking out the ceiling lights. Bulbs popped all across the ceiling, showering the bridge with falling sparks.
The Topaz Operation Page 23
