Galactic Destiny

by Alex Guerra

  “When it comes to the real thing, there will be no holding back,” I said, seeing the two sparring.

  “Thank you,” she said, “for everything you’re doing. Because of you, we may have a chance in all this.” She moved aside and made her way back to the team.

  The training came to a halt for a brief lunch break, then continued into the early afternoon. A message from Seya pinged on my dataslate. The conglomerate finished shooting its footage of her and was putting on the final touches. We would be ready to send it out on the several hundred drones fresh off the line tomorrow morning. Seya was still with Lena, who invited us to dinner in the evening. Passing the message along to the others, I sent my reply.

  EIGHT

  “Captain Holland, you look well. The look suits you,” said Lena, taking notice that I was unusually clean-shaven for her dinner.

  “Thank you, Lena,” I smiled wryly. “Please, call me Art.” I had already received comments from my team which varied from teasing to compliments, dependent on the person.

  In the dining hall, they served us the equivalent of an eight-course meal and not the buffet style meal that greeted us days earlier. Luxuriously detailed silverware placed carefully, and flanking gold-rimmed, square plates caught my attention. Their radiance polished to a magnificent shine that was nearly blinding in the lighting, like long, diamond daggers lining the tablecloth in neat rows. Steam coiled in loose trails behind the servers dressed in shined ivory and blood red uniforms, as they brought out three separate appetizers fresh from the kitchen in an adjacent room. The aroma of the appetizers replaced the very air around us. Placed to the left of each of us was wild-caught Kanatrekk fish—right from the ocean the castle-fortress rested upon. To our right they laid a soft bread, baked to a golden brown and topped with a sweet glaze. Finally, they placed a bowl of red soup in the middle, filled with two chunks of fatty meats and vegetable stalks meticulously jutting out of all the bowls, each at the same length and resting at the two o’clock position.

  The fine-dining was something the others and I were obviously unaccustomed to. Everyone besides Seya seemed to feel uncomfortable with the refined surroundings and behaved the same way you would expect a bunch of hardened troopers at a white tablecloth affair. Lena didn’t seem to mind the team’s poor table manners. This dinner was something that she had set up for them. As the dinner neared completion, I thought to mention the arrival of Princess Ellia, so the servers left the room to give us privacy.

  “Lena, with the way we saw everyone treat Seya in the Circle’s chambers, I think it would be a good idea to think about how we will receive Princess Ellia once her ship arrives,” I said.

  “I agree. How long until her arrival?” she asked.

  “Dotty says another eleven days,” I replied.

  “We can take our transport ship to meet with the vessel as soon as it arrives and escort it down to the planet. From there we can take her to a more secure location, away from the people,” I said.

  “The only ones that would know of the transfer would be the receiving defense ships,” said Lena “I will submit an order of secrecy to the ships for the duration, but I assure you, it will be on a strict need-to-know basis. In eleven days, you can bring the princess to a secure facility on the southern cape, a few miles outside the capital.”

  Feeling at ease, now that we had a plan in place for the princess, I dropped the matter.

  “Vira’s progress on the ship-based manipulators will be ready for mass production as soon as she is finished doing a test run,” said Lena.

  “Test run?” asked Seya.

  “Yes, she plans on putting the device on her own ship and traveling to the next system. If it works, then we will begin mass production,” explained Lena.

  “Couldn’t we send someone else for the test run?” I asked.

  “She insisted that she would be the one to do it,” said Lena, expressing my same concern.

  “She got the skip drone working on her first try, I think she can do this too,” I said, with a shrug.

  “Eccentric types,” muttered Kayton.

  “Speaking of skip drones,” said Lena, “the video is complete and can be sent out as early as tomorrow morning. We will continue with a steady stream of drones until the ship-based manipulators go into production.”

  “How long before we expect responses to come back from the other systems after seeing the video?” I asked.

  “While the message will most likely take everyone by surprise, I estimate the command structures will send back word within the same day,” said Lena, furrowing her brow. “Instructions for the drone’s use have been included with the video. They will only need to record their message, then send it back to us. We are targeting the closest systems, as well as worlds that have a significant number of factories to help with the fabrication of the new equipment.”

  “It will be a race against time, who knows what Prince Ibram will do next,” said Seya. I noticed that she didn’t refer to him as her brother. She spoke of him as a stranger.

  “Let’s talk weapons,” I said. “In a head-to-head fight with the same number of ships, how do the conglomerate ships fair?”

  “Difficult to say, I don’t have the numbers for fleet sizes based on the Vallus conflict. The conglomerate fleet there was most likely comprised of local system assets. Our ships can fight the Darkkon, as evidence from the destroyed ships we saw in the video, but we may need to look for a way to get an advantage. Thoughts?” she asked.

  “While I was on Harkloon, I recovered a recording from a destroyed Yau ship,” I said. “The recording had coordinates to where the Yau crew escaped to. Dotty is nearly done working out the coordinates. I was thinking about investigating with our team when the time came. The crew could have taken something valuable with them, or we might find something useful—power cores, or better. Any bit of information or technology could help us,” I suggested.

  “I never did ask you about that device,” said Seya, cocking her head.

  “It’s a longshot. I don’t even know what to expect when we get there.” I shrugged. “Lena, we will stay here until Princess Ellia is planetside. I’m sure you have questions of your own for her, right?” I turned to Seya and Lena who agreed. “I would like to know more as well. We’ll leave as soon as Dotty deciphers the coordinates, as we are not utilizing the team to its full potential here. I hope to alleviate that and possibly find something that can help the conglomerate.”

  The team’s eyes lit up with a glimmer of hope and excitement to no longer be stuck on this planet, despite its safety and paradise. Unfortunately, it would not happen tomorrow. We were all stuck here for the time being, but it offered them a target date.

  “Very well then,” said Lena, turning to the troopers around me. “I want to extend my deepest condolences to you all. I know that no amount of hospitality or dinners would ever make up for what you have lost. I hope you will find it in your hearts to keep up the fight. Now, more than ever, we need veterans such as yourselves for the upcoming battle.”

  “You have my word that the Vallus Troopers will continue on,” said Kayton.

  “I’m glad to hear that,” said Lena, with a nod. “Please, enjoy the rest of your evening. I will be in touch.”

  The woman excused herself from the table and left the room. I turned to the group and looked them over.

  “I know this cannot be easy for any of you,” I said to the troopers, “but we will leave as soon as the time is right. I ask all of you to bear with me during this time, keep up your training, and prepare to move out at a moment’s notice. The threat of the Darkkon Empire can come at any second, and we need to be ready for it.”

  When each nodded their heads in understanding, I was grateful to have a team of individuals that didn’t fight me on everything. After the skip drone revealed Vallus’ fate, they could have easily given up right there and refused to continue. Even if I tried talking them back into helping us, I wouldn’t force them to do anything. How wo
uld I feel if someone destroyed Earth? I don’t think I could bounce back as fast as these troopers did, despite the pain they were surely still carrying.

  The possibility of the Darkkon Empire moving on us was still a reality. I deduced that the only reason they hadn’t jumped into any other systems was because they had not equipped most of their ships with the wormhole technology yet. But if the Galactic Conglomerate could do it, then so could the empire. Hopefully, we would hear word back from other conglomerate systems after sending the drones out. We didn’t have time to wait around, every moment was critical, and I was going to push every asset we had to its maximum output. I was sure I didn’t have to push too hard. Surely, the rest of this region could feel the coming storm on the horizon.

  *****

  “Art, a word?” asked Seya, once we were alone.

  “Of course,” I said, noticing the dark circles under her eyes from lack of a good night’s rest. While being a prominent figure in the conglomerate suited her, the returned responsibility also weighed her down. There must have been a profound sense of freedom during her two years on Harkloon, despite its difficulty. “You alright?”

  “Yes, thank you. I wanted to speak to you about Princess Ellia,” she said. “You understand that we may need to interrogate her for information on the empire, right?”

  I paused for a moment, narrowing my eyes at the woman. “It’s something that crossed my mind. Although on my planet, physical interrogation does not work. The last thing I want is to beat up that woman after what she’s been through. She is our prisoner, but we need to treat her fairly,” I said.

  “Attacking her physically? No, that won’t be necessary. We have less primitive methods to extract information from people,” she said, folding her hands together in front of her. She lifted her gaze, her eyes burning with their golden glow “But she won’t like it.”

  “She may know something as to why the Darkkon are acting this way. Their use of force didn’t match anything the conglomerate was using. They destroyed a planet for god sake,” I said, waving my hand.

  “I know…and that means Prince Ibram must have known she remained on the planet and still chose to move forward with its destruction. I believe she has a few concerns of her own,” she said.

  “That was careless. Let’s use that to our advantage,” I said. “So, nothing physical?”

  “Not at all.”

  “Good.”

  “But, I get to lead the interrogation,” she added.

  “Seya, we may need to move out for those coordinates if Dotty tracks them down. Let someone else do it,” I said.

  “I’m the only other Darkkon in this entire region. I’ve lived in the same palace she has, and I know what that life is about. I would be the most qualified person for this task,” she said.

  She had a point, but I hated to leave her here while we went out to explore.

  “You have the rest of the team to count on, one more person would do little to help,” she said.

  “Yeah unless that person is Seya Aranis,” I said.

  She smiled. “You flatter me, but you know I am right.”

  I sighed in resignation and let it be. “Should we need to move out ahead of the interrogation, I’ll leave it to you then,” I said.

  “I will see you in the morning,” she said with a smile, placing a hand on my shoulder before leaving.

  *****

  In the morning, the team gathered on the beach for training. It was still early when we received word from Vira and Lena that they were sending the first drones out. Hundreds of drones filed out of the castle-fortress like black ants reaching for the sky. When they hit a certain altitude, they broke off with incredible speed. Entering a distant orbit with Fengar, they would use their wormhole technology to reach their destinations. It was out of our hands now. We needed to wait for replies before moving on. We focused on what we could do, which meant keeping busy.

  That same evening, we received our first reply. It came from a nearby system, but not the closest one. The message was a resounding affirmation to the conglomerate’s call to action. Slowly, the replies trickled in, and Lena and her aides handled them case-by-case. Once the number of messages became too much, Lena diverted them to their respective representatives of the Outer Circle. Not even one message hesitated or said no. The drones were coming back now nearly as fast as they were sending them out. We stopped drone production, reusing the ones that had come back to make up for the ones not yet built.

  The conglomerate secured more factories and immediately began production. Ships were built faster than Fengar could produce, bolstering our numbers. Recruitment went through the roof, requiring more uniforms, weapons, armor, and training, unlike anything the conglomerate had seen before. Having a common enemy unified the conglomerate forces, and the allied systems no longer prioritized their immediate issues in their home systems. The people saw what was at stake. If the Darkkon Empire could destroy an entire planet, everyone was a risk. It was a question of who was next, and we needed to stop that from ever happening again.

  *****

  Three days later, Vira messaged us, ready to test the wormhole technology using her personal craft. It was the best choice for testing, since it replicated the appearance of civilian adaptation. She left us instructions on her replacement and what to do with her personal effects and estate, in case of catastrophic failure. Gloomy, but thorough. She was unfazed by the risk to her own life, and her video message was nonchalant, the same as if she was doing something mundane. She was a genius, and her work was just an affirmation of it.

  I, on the other hand, was slightly concerned.

  Twenty minutes later, relief washed over me when she returned from the test flight in one piece. The addition of time was attributed to wanting to run a thorough test on the ship and analyzing the results. The technology worked, and it worked with our resources. The council gave the order to begin mass producing the manipulators on Fengar, while the other systems focused on making our warships.

  Everything was slowly coming together as all parts moved just shy of break-neck speed to avoid errors. Even the refined civilians of Fengar were joining the armed forces. Most of them had already served in the past, but the conglomerated required available bodies to man ships, as well as additional troopers on the ground.

  My team and I helped set in motion the greatest conglomerate operation in its history, and there was no evidence of stopping anytime soon. We waited patiently for the arrival of Princess Ellia. Only one week left.

  NINE

  We touched down on one of the landing pads and exited Dagger, forming up around the transport while waiting for the crew to exit. Several green and black, armor-clad Vallus troopers came out first, followed by the pilot next to Princess Ellia.

  The crew must have given her the dull, grey outfit she was wearing during her trip—her previous regal vestments no longer appropriate after the events of Vallus. She abruptly stepped away from the pilot in a huff before lifting her eyes to ours. She had her long, white hair pulled back in a simple, yet tight ponytail, no longer embellished by the intricate braids like the last time we saw her. Her fierce golden eyes narrowed, burning a hole through us as a look of disgust washed over her face. It was the first time she’d seen us in three weeks, and it felt like three decades too soon.

  “Gods, not you two again,” she sneered, her dark-purple lips curling into an angry line.

  I looked to Seya then back towards the princess. “Happy to see you too,” I said, half-heartedly.

  “You nearly killed me on Vallus. My husband Prince Ibram will kill you all for this,” she spouted.

  “Save it,” said Seya, bluntly cutting her off with a raised hand. “Certain events have developed that you will want to hear about—inside.”

  “Like I care about things affecting your pathetic conglomerate,” she protested.

  “You will think differently once you hear this,” said Seya, nodding for the team to escort her inside the sun-bleached
, beige, white fort with similar defense structures to the capital city, albeit much smaller. Fengar troopers, clad in their red armor, patrolled the perimeter and manned the defenses. Several tanks peppered the rolling hills around the small fort, and aircraft flew circles around the area. I was confident that any rescue attempt at this location would be unsuccessful. Although I doubt anyone would be stupid enough to attempt such a rescue, I kept my guard up, thinking about my own team’s rescue of Seya. Standing only four stories high, the fort was minuscule in comparison to most of the buildings inside the walls of Kestar, but it served our purpose for maintaining a low profile away from the bustling city.

  “Not very lady-like, now is she?” I whispered to Seya who didn’t respond. There was a boiling hatred for the woman beneath the surface.

  Lena patiently waited inside for the princess to arrive with her hands clasped in front of her. Standing beside her were a few other members of the Outer Circle.

  “Princess Ellia Aranis, welcome to Fengar. I am Councilor Lena Marscos,” Lena introduced herself with a curt bow.

  The princess stood still and didn’t say a word, either through defiance or anger.

  “Was your trip accommodating aboard Farsal?” asked Lena.

  “As pleasant as you would expect a junker like that to be,” scoffed Ellia. “The crew was accommodating but most certainly don’t know how to cook a decent meal. I have been traveling as a prisoner for three weeks, so let’s get on with it. What are your intentions with me?”

  “Let me make this clear, you are not a prisoner You are our guest here on Fengar. You will be treated with the utmost respect by all Fengar personnel and staff, under planetary etiquette and courtesies,” said Lena.

  “Then I can leave whenever I want?” said the princess, giving the council member a challenging stare. She spun around and attempted to head to the door before two troopers blocked her exit, followed by her exerting an angry huff. “Move!” she ordered.