Dark Metamorphosis

by John Coon

  He walked between the couch where Bella concealed herself and a table. A faint growl emanated from under a cushion. Bella lunged forward.

  She sank her sharp front teeth into his calf.

  Talan screamed.

  “Get off me you worthless cala!”

  He stooped down and swatted Bella with the backside of his armored sleeve. She crashed on the floor and crawled away, whimpering. Anger swallowed the terror gripping Calandra. With Talan distracted, she charged toward him and swung the metallic book. It connected with his nose and left eye. The eliminator flew free as he brought his hand to his face. Talan stumbled sideways and crashed down on the table. The impact broke all three legs and cracked the tabletop down the middle.

  “Don’t touch my little Bella,” she shouted.

  He gazed up at Calandra and cradled his injured eye. Talan finally pulled his hand away, giving her a clear view of the damage. His nose now bent at an odd angle. A puffy purplish bruise overtook his eye and blood trickled from the corner down his cheek.

  “I’ll enjoy executing you,” he seethed.

  Talan’s eyes darted over to his eliminator. Calandra cast a quick glance over at the same spot on the floor. They dove for the weapon at the same time. The metallic book fell from her hands to the carpet. She crawled forward and wrapped her fingers around the handle before he reached it. He elbowed Calandra in the jaw and strained at the eliminator with his other hand. Pain surged through her jawbone, but her grip held firm.

  She elbowed him in the torso with her other arm. Talan gasped and Calandra rolled out from under him. She swung the eliminator around at him at the same time he scrambled to his knees and raised an armored sleeve to fire razor discs at her. A bolt haphazardly struck Talan in the left shoulder. He grunted in pain.

  Talan pressed a button on his other armored sleeve. An arm saber popped out. He lunged toward her. Calandra fired another laser bolt. This one missed its intended target, sailing under his armpit, and left a smoking hole in the wall behind Talan. He slashed at her right arm and cut through both fabric and flesh.

  Calandra cried out and dropped the eliminator. Blood seeped from the fresh wound on her arm as she backed away from him. Talan cracked a satisfied grin.

  “You think you can stand against a Stellar Guard officer?” He edged closer until backing her against a wall. “I’m trained for combat. You are nothing more than a small thorn jabbing my skin.”

  He grabbed Calandra by her fresh wound. She cried out in pain again.

  “Stand on your feet, you setaworm.”

  Talan rose to his feet and forced her to do the same. He marched Calandra toward the balcony door. She fought to free herself, but he only tightened his grip. More blood seeped out under his fingers.

  “You are going to plunge from your balcony,” he said. “Your ‘tragic suicide’ will help me finish this mission the right way.”

  “It’s a little late in the game for that.”

  Calandra’s eyes widened.

  She knew that voice.

  Talan wheeled around, trying to bring her around in front of him at the same time. Kevin stood before them. The Earthian had drawn a melter and pointed the barrel straight at the navigator.

  He fired an acid pellet before Talan had a chance to use Calandra as a shield. The pellet hit him square in the torso. He gasped and then screamed as acid burned through his uniform and flesh. Calandra wrenched free from his grasp and Talan lurched forward. He raised his other arm to fire razor discs. Kevin fired a second acid pellet, hitting him in the upper chest.

  Talan’s eyes glassed over, and his lifeless body fell to the floor with a thud.

  Calandra cast an unblinking stare at Kevin while she cradled her wounded arm. Her eyes drifted from his weapon to the contact block Ominade gave her earlier.

  It did not glow this time.

  “Kevin?” shock tinged her voice.

  “I came as soon as possible.” He flashed a warm smile at her. “I’m really here. In the flesh.”

  Calandra’s face contorted as tears rushed unbidden from her eyes. She sprinted forward and he embraced her. Kevin saved her life.

  For a second time.

  “How did you know?” Her lips trembled as she forced out the question. “When I didn’t hear from you—”

  “Ominade’s shop was raided hours after we spoke,” Kevin said. He pulled back from the embrace and fixed his eyes on hers. “When I received word, I realized you were in danger. I sneaked back into Luma in the safest, speediest way possible.”

  “They were searching for you. How did you make it here undetected?”

  “You know I used to be an army ranger on Earth. I have a few tricks hidden up my sleeve old Delcor’s agents don’t know about.”

  Calandra never realized Earthians also used items hidden in their sleeves. She glanced over at Bo’un. He lay motionless on the ground, fixed in the same spot where Talan shot him earlier. Her eyes darted over to the couch. Bella lay hidden underneath, still whimpering.

  “Take care of Bella,” Kevin said. “I’ll check on Bo’un.”

  She tiptoed over to the couch and called out to the cala in soothing tones. Bella poked her head out from under the couch and looked at Calandra with a worried face. Her little nose and whiskers twitched.

  Calandra knelt in front of the couch. She extended her natural hand, gritting her teeth as a new burst of pain shot through the laceration on her arm, and petted Bella gently on the head. She closed her eyes and bumped her snout against Calandra’s wrist.

  “You’re a brave little cala. I love you.”

  Calandra rose to her feet again. She turned and looked over at Kevin. He bent over Bo’un and pressed his fingers against his throat.

  “He still has a pulse,” Kevin said. “If we get him some help, I think he’ll recover.”

  Calandra studied Bo’un with a worried stare. Kevin pushed the chest pouch aside to check the extent of his eliminator bolt wound. She wondered how in the world he survived a blast in his lower chest at such close range.

  “Bo’un is one lucky sucker,” Kevin said as though he sensed her unspoken question. “His flex armor absorbed enough energy to keep this from being a fatal wound.”

  Still teary-eyed, Calandra flashed a grateful smile at her Earthian friend.

  “I’m so thankful you didn’t abandon me,” she said. “You saved my life once again.”

  Kevin answered her with a renewed smile.

  “I won’t abandon you. Or Xttra. That’s a promise.”

  34

  Calandra paused after entering the assembly floor. Unsettled nerves tied her belly in knots. She mulled over what she wanted to say so many times in her head. Fear of the chief sovereign no longer controlled her actions. He had limited ability to harm Calandra now. Still, her words promised to make her clan a public target. Xttra’s clan and Bo’un’s clan also faced similar repercussions. Calandra understood the stakes. She also had no other choice except to travel this path.

  The people of Ra’ahm deserved to know the truth he worked so hard to conceal.

  She fixed her eyes straight ahead and marched toward the central platform. Calandra sensed eyes falling on her from both sides. A murmur swept through the chamber. Delcor stared at her wide-eyed, watching her approach the speaking platform with surprise and suspicion etched on his face. She halted atop the lowest stone step and gazed up at the chief sovereign’s platform.

  “I request permission to address this gathered assembly on an urgent matter.”

  Delcor narrowed his eyes and leaned forward in his chair. A half-frown graced his lips.

  “Ra’ahm citizens are not allowed to address the assembly without an official invitation,” he said in a stern voice. “Who extended such an invitation to you, Calandra Menankar?”

  Calandra crossed her arms and answered him with
an apologetic smile.

  “I plead for you to let my voice be heard. Please do not bury my message under assembly protocols.”

  Guards flanking both sides of the chief sovereign’s chair started forward, intending to subdue Calandra and arrest her. Delcor raised his hand and cast a glance at each guard. He waved both guards off and refocused his attention on Calandra.

  “Those protocols exist for a wise reason. We value our citizens’ voices. But order governs this place, not chaos.”

  Her eyes fell upon a few seated assembly members on her left side. Disdain for Calandra threaded through their faces. They placed themselves above her because of their exclusive access to the chief sovereign. Their arrogance sickened Calandra. They were all a collection of spineless traitors groveling for approval from a ruthless murderer rather than true representatives of Ra’ahm’s people.

  “I admit I’m not well versed in political matters,” Calandra adopted an apologetic tone to buy herself time. She fixed her eyes on the chief sovereign again. “Is it not just and fair to allow a Ra’ahm citizen to present their message before deciding whether or not their voice should be silenced?”

  “Not all messages are created equal,” he said. “Trivial concerns have no place in this assembly.”

  Her eyes hardened. His haughty lecturing words would not deter Calandra from doing what she had to do.

  “I assure you my words are not trivial,” she said. “I only seek an audience to publicly reaffirm my loyalty to you and Ra’ahm.”

  Delcor allowed an amused smirk to cross his lips. The chief sovereign said nothing. If he felt threatened by Calandra, he hid visible signs of harboring such feelings. His arrogance would be his undoing.

  Calandra climbed the steps and stood atop the round stone platform. She turned and faced the assembly.

  “I imagine my presence is an unwelcome surprise. No doubt a few here hoped my voice would be silenced before I thought to raise it. No one will silence me.”

  Fresh murmurs swept through the chamber. Several assembly members leaned forward in their chairs. Her opening statement caught their attention.

  Exactly as she hoped.

  “The chief sovereign has taught us all that he is a benevolent ruler,” Calandra said once the murmurs subsided again. “Filled with wisdom. Sanctioned by Ahm to lead our people. It is all a lie.”

  Angry shouts greeted her words. One bristling voice cut through the clamor.

  “That’s enough. Guards, remove Calandra Menankar from the assembly chamber at once.”

  She glanced over her shoulder at Delcor as he growled out his order. Both of his hands clasped the ends of the armrests on his chair. His arrogant smile had devolved into an angry frown.

  Both of his guards drew out their eliminators and each one marched down a separate aisle toward the speaking platform. Calandra stood as firm as a statue, refusing to yield her spot.

  “Valadius, our former prime oracle, uncovered his crimes. The chief sovereign tried to murder him. He failed. The prime oracle lives, hidden on a distant world.”

  Gasps splashed through the chamber right as the guards reached the platform. One guard reached out to seize her by her right arm.

  His hand passed straight through flesh and bone.

  Flickers marked the spot where the guard tried to make contact. Within seconds, Calandra regained a solid state again. She appeared as vivid and real as though she physically stood inside the chamber.

  Fear flickered within Delcor’s eyes. His guards stood frozen on the platform, staring at her as their mouths fell open. Several assembly members sprang to their feet. Pure silence replaced their earlier shouts and accusations.

  “Where are you?” the chief sovereign said, looking around wildly. “How did you breach this chamber?”

  Calandra flashed a knowing smile. Confusion washed over one face after another throughout the chamber. Their unfamiliarity with Peleusian technology gave her an unmistakable advantage over the assembly.

  While the contact block remained concealed, they had no means of silencing her.

  She pulled a metallic book from her chest pouch. The same book holding the travel log she discovered. Calandra hoisted the once-hidden record skyward.

  “Now I know what he knew,” she said. “Here is evidence showing crimes Delcor committed during the Separatist War. A travel log detailing where his agents hid remnant hybrids that he used to massacre Confederation civilians. Valadius paid a steep price for his knowledge. My own grandfather learned the same things and was given a choice of silent and permanent exile or death.”

  Delcor’s face hardened like stone as he soaked in her words. A deepening scowl crossed his lips.

  “Silence!” he thundered. “How dare you enter this chamber and bombard me with such vile accusations? I am your sovereign.”

  Calandra jammed the book back inside her pouch. She turned and faced the chief sovereign’s seat, folded her arms, and answered him with an icy stare.

  “You are not my sovereign.”

  Scattered voices instantly labeled her a traitor or a Confederation agent. Calandra shrugged off their accusations. Many assembly members were willfully blind. The same condition once afflicted her. Now her eyes beheld Delcor’s real nature. His true ugliness and vileness were on display, hanging in the chamber like a vivid banner.

  “You do not deserve to rule this people.” Calandra paced back and forth on the speaking platform, never taking her eyes off Delcor. “You are a plague which has destroyed countless lives. The truth I bring is the cure.”

  Delcor slammed his fist down and rose to his feet.

  “Such insolence! How dare you threaten me?”

  He cast his eyes over at his guards on the platform.

  “Search the entire chamber for the source of her transmission. We must silence these seditious lies.”

  “You see how he reacts to one who speaks the truth?” Calandra stopped, wheeled around, and jabbed her finger at the assembly members. “Is this the hallmark of a virtuous man? A benevolent ruler? Not as long as the sun crosses the sky. He is only a bloodthirsty tyrant!”

  Murmurs swept through the gathered assembly members anew. Indignation permeated their faces. A few called her a liar.

  “Many of you do not believe. But the truth is right here in these records and the people outside this chamber will believe.” Calandra turned and faced Delcor a second time. She narrowed her eyes and knit her brows together. “When I open their eyes, all of Ra’ahm will see you for what you are. And then you will have no place among this people or hold power over us any longer.”

  Pure rage filled Delcor’s eyes. She knew if he could crush her with his foot like an ictus bug, he would not hesitate to stomp.

  “You are one person speaking unjustly against our sovereign.” An aged assembly member rose from his chair and shook a finger at her like a club. “Why should we believe you? How do we know you did not fabricate these records yourself?”

  Satisfied murmurs reverberated through the entire chamber. Delcor responded to the accusing questions with an approving nod.

  “Calandra’s voice is not the only one raised against this tyrant.”

  Her heart swelled within her when those words reached Calandra’s ears. She could not believe it. She knew that voice. Tears brimmed in her eyes.

  Praise Ahm.

  She knew that voice.

  Calandra turned toward the assembly chamber doors. Xttra approached the speaking platform. A joyful smile sprang up on her lips. Her year of heartache, loneliness, and crushing pain swept away in a moment.

  He was alive.

  Her husband was truly alive.

  “Delcor arranged for my assassination on Fengar.” Xttra stabbed a finger at the chief sovereign. “But his plan failed, and I uncovered evidence he helped create hybrids and subsequently ordered multiple hybr
id attacks on Confederation cities.”

  “Your treasonous accusations will not go unpunished for long.” Delcor’s eyes revealed a hidden fear his words tried to mask. “You will be found and brought to justice.”

  His guards fired multiple eliminator bolts as Xttra reached the steps leading to the speaking platform. Each bolt passed through his body and struck the platform floor itself. Flickers marked the spots where the bolts struck his image. Xttra had also entered the assembly chamber with the aid of Peleusian technology.

  “We are in a safe place far from your reach,” he replied. Xttra removed a holocaster from his chest pouch. “A place where you cannot silence our voices.”

  A holoscreen materialized above the holocaster and a single enormous image appeared on the screen. It showed a hibernation pod with a Ra’ahm seal on the exterior.

  “Confederation agents abducted me and took me to the Aramus system,” Xttra explained. “There, we recovered this hibernation pod from a planet called Mars. The pod held a living hybrid who massacred a small Earthian colony on the planet. It unleashed a Ra’ahm Separatist War battle cry and attacked me before I executed the monstrosity.”

  Calandra’s smile turned into a worried frown. Xttra faced greater danger during his absence than she ever imagined in her darkest moments. She was not alone in enduring life-altering ordeals while they were apart.

  “We turned this evidence over to leaders from the Confederation and Daraconiah,” Xttra said. “Your crimes will be exposed to all of Lathos.”

  Delcor sank back into his chair in stunned silence. Multiple assembly members joined his guards in searching high and low through the chamber, trying to find a way to end the transmission.

  “Remember this day.” Calandra picked up where her husband left off. “It is the beginning of your end.”

  A clamor erupted near the back end of the chamber.

  “We found this device wedged in an alcove near the main doors,” a breathless voice said. “It’s the source of their transmission.”

  Calandra wheeled around and spotted an assembly member carrying a contact block resembling the one Ominade gave her earlier. A glow emanated around the Aracian letter etched on the block.