by Alex Guerra
“How is Councilor Marscos?” asked Ventall, his long beard shaking with each word.
“Ellar?” I called over my shoulder to the medic.
Ellar stepped out from behind a gaggle of troopers and stood next to me to address the high councilors. “The councilor is recovering still. It will be a while before she heals enough to leave the medical tank, but I expect her to make a full recovery with the help of some physical therapy.”
“That’s great to hear,” said Ventall and the other councilors next to him nodded in relief. “We wanted to apologize for the oversight in the capital this week. We clearly underestimated the level of espionage present in our system. Is the rest of your team alright?”
“Everyone is doing well at this time, High Councilor, thank you,” I said.
“Good. We will offer you whatever we can to help you with future tasks. Whatever you need, just ask. We will send you updates on the task force upon its assembly,” said the high councilor.
“Thank you again,” I said. “I’m sure it will be a great deal of help in the future.”
“Good work, everyone. The Galactic Conglomerate may yet have a chance to survive. Be well,” he said before the channel closed.
“Looks like we have an in with the Inner Circle,” I said, cocking an eyebrow at those behind me.
“Just more luck, huh Art?” Kayton grinned.
“Something like that,” I shrugged. “Okay, back to work. Ellar, check on Del, and see if we can get him out of the tank today.”
“Yes, Art,” said Ellar, moving out of the bridge.
“Disma, I’m not sure when your ship will be back, but feel free to stay with us for the time being,” I said. “I’ll point out some of the vacant rooms we have available.”
“Thank you, Captain,” he said. “We’ll stay out of your way.”
“Dotty, send a message to Inquisitor Litari asking for an update on the prisoner. See if he was able to extract anything useful,” I said.
“Message sent,” replied the A.I.
“The rest of you, get cleaned up and relax while you can. Who knows what else we will be doing shortly.”
“You heard the captain,” said Kayton, gesturing with her chin for the rest of the troopers to leave the bridge.
“Looks like you’re fully embracing the role of captain now, Art,” said Seya.
I chuckled. “Pssh—what are you saying, that I didn’t act like a captain before?” I asked, crossing my arms.
“Not exactly, but you’ve taken the extra responsibility rather well,” she said, brushing damp bangs away from her face.
“Oh…thanks,” I said, realizing it was a genuine compliment and not some jab. “I mean it’s not like I have much of a choice.”
“Remember that destiny is at the helm of all our lives,” lectured Seya.
“So much for free will,” I shrugged.
She laughed and shook her head. “You may have some of the most advanced technology in your head, but I see you’ve been slacking on your meditation. Get cleaned up and meet me the downstairs for a session in one hour.” She eyed me up and down before turning to leave.
“Yes, Your Majesty,” I replied, my eyes wandering around her figure as she walked away. She looked over her shoulder and rolled her eyes at me.
You two have become a bit closer lately.
“Dotty, if there is one thing I ask you to not pry into, it’s my interpersonal relationships with the team,” I said out loud on the empty bridge.
Parameters set.
You mean you could do that this entire time?
Yes, but know that I will not turn such analysis off. I just won’t make any comments on it, unless I see it is a danger to you, or it is leading you away from the mission priority.
Right, don’t get spirited away by a siren, and keep on killing the empire.
If you choose to view it that way, then yes, that is the simplified version.
There was no way of turning the A.I. off, even for some privacy, but privacy went out the window the moment I picked up the advanced A.I.
*****
I showered and got ready for my mandated meditation session with Seya, but before that, I picked up the dataslate belonging to Lena. It was not so different from the ones the team used, and Vira had previously broken through its encryption. I noted that Lena mentioned she was attempting to establish communication with the Vael Empire.
I swiped through several screens to check for any updates, and to my surprise, there was one new, unopened message on it. Like Dotty, I forwent privacy and opened the message. It was a reply to one of the dozens of messages Lena sent to the Vael.
“Councilor Lena Marscos of the Galactic Conglomerate,
“The Vael Empire acknowledges your request for open communication between our peoples. We have unfortunately received the news regarding the Darkkon Empire’s recent actions. Despite our continued efforts to communicate with any Darkkon official, it is safe to say that at this time, the Darkkon have separated themselves from the Vael. Although the previously mentioned empire has yet to commit hostile actions against us, their actions go against many laws we have in place to deter such things from ever occurring.
“Although the relationship the Vael has with the Galactic Conglomerate is a stressed one, we do recognize that all life should follow a code of ethics. The Darkkon Emperor, his consort, and grandchildren are at the Vael homeworld of Battarit and are in our care. We do not believe they are involved, but we are keeping them under careful watch at this time. It is by deduction that Prince Ibram Aranis is behind these recent atrocities, but we have yet to confirm this.
“With the destruction of the planet Vallus, it became clear that the Darkkon Empire has stepped over the proverbial line that separates [man] from savage animals. We will begin an internal investigation and share limited information on our findings—that of which is only pertinent to the safety of your disputed territories.
“Rai Erondont, Royal Liaison of the King’s Court. May the Empire’s light forever be a beacon to all.”
“Geeze could this guy be any fuller of himself?” I scoffed, after reading the final line. The reply didn’t give much, but it did confirm the location of the Emperor and his immediate family. It looked as if the Vael at least understood what was happening for the most part. It didn’t appear as if they would be helping us much at this time, but I forwarded the message to the Inner Circle, to let them handle the delicate and intricate details of diplomacy.
With the modified skip drones acting as watchdogs and messengers through the conglomerate’s territories, there was little need for the Vael’s “precious” warnings, which would most likely arrive too late. Still—it gives us a small opportunity to speak with the Vael, something that was beyond my decision to squander. It was good to see that they weren’t turning a blind eye to all of this, at least.
I told Seya about the message when I met her shortly after. She wasn’t surprised that they had given little information, but she was grateful to see they had chosen to open communications with us. The uneasiness subsided slightly when our session was over, but there was plenty to worry about still. I knew that whatever came next was going to be sudden, and I dreaded the anticipation.
There was nowhere to go but forward and to take solace in the short downtime afforded to the team and me.
EPILOGUE
The dataslate crashed on the far side of the room as Prince Ibram received the battle report from Lumarus.
“Absolute idiots!” he shouted, and his lilac face shifted into a deeper purple with his rage.
“Please, calm yourself, Prince Ibram,” said a raspy voice from a safe distance.
“How can I be calm when we lost one of our most powerful weapons?” he turned to the voice.
“There will be more soon enough,” the voice replied. “It is a minor setback, at most.”
He clenched his fist, hitting the wall beside him. “The auxiliary fleet was completely useless. I’ll have to come dow
n on Command and make sure they do not embarrass the empire like that ever again,” threatened the prince.
The figure shifted slightly from behind the pillar where it hid in the dark, revealing a dark-orange, chitin covered arm when it spoke. “We have been building up our fleets for centuries, waiting for the right opportunity. First, we concentrate on the conglomerate’s forces, then turn our attention to the Vael. You will rule this galaxy soon enough, Your Highness.”
Ibram clutched the side of his head, wincing in pain. “Does this damned thing always have to hurt?” he asked with a grunt.
“The more you fight it, the worse it will become,” said the orange man.
The Yau ship stayed in orbit above the royal palace. Months ago, it moved in from its mysterious origins unnoticed with the help of its cloaking device, and the prince boarded the vessel upon its arrival. He remembered the pulsing waves which washed over him initially as he drew closer, its headache-inducing influence pounding in his skull the moment he stepped aboard the strange ship. Its interiors were slick and black. Walls melted away, and lighting came from undetermined locations. When he resisted, the sudden urge to keep moving forward plagued him. This was the ability of the cube, but he knew that through its power, he would eventually bring the Darkkon Empire to the height it deserved, placed far above the Vael itself.
As time slipped by, Ibram reassured himself that this was the right thing to do, even though he had to deal with the strange, insect-like man skulking around his palace—the two mandibles on the side of his mouth always clicking about, irking the prince. Ibram said nothing; he didn’t want the cube’s power taken away, and since the “integration” took place, he had two voices occupying his mind—his own, and the cube’s.
It spoke to him throughout the day, never letting the prince entirely alone. It would whisper in its cold voice to him, telling him what to do next, and when Ibram didn’t know, it would do it for him. He tried to think about his life before he found the cube, but he found the more he thought about it, the less he remembered. He knew that for the Darkkon to reclaim its former glory from beneath the boot of the Vael, it would be a dangerous endeavor. He knew that he sent his family away, but he could not remember where. He missed his wife and his two sons, but they would be a hindrance to him in this critical time. He needed to isolate himself with the voice of the cube, the strange man, and his commanders, to succeed with his plans.
Another lightning bolt of pain shot through Ibram’s head, causing him to refocus on the task at hand. “When will more of your weapons be available?” he glared at the hidden figure.
“The conglomerate will feel your wrath soon enough, Your Highness. A few days...a week at most, I promise. Soon enough, the galaxy will know the power of the Yau,” the figure rasped and gave a bow.
“Do not fail me again, Omat,” spat Ibram through clenched teeth, clutching the side of his head.
The two large, green eyes glimmered menacingly from the dark before his head bowed marginally lower. “I would never dream of it, Your Highness,” said Omat.
Ibram caught a glance of Omat’s silver teeth gleaming in the pale light as he walked past the man and out of the room.
Notes from the Author
Sorry to make this a little solemn, but a few things happened in my life during after this novel’s completion, the most crucial being the passing of my grandmother—all of which having put quite the dampener on my day-to-day life. To me, this is a time for some deep reflection.
Take the time to reconnect with those you have grown out of touch with. Break away from your routine meet them in person for a little bit or make an actual phone call to hear each other’s voices. Talk about anything. Life flies by before our eyes, it’s already October!
On a more positive note, I am well into book three, though, taking time for improving the plot and will do my best to release it in a timely manner. A couple of other stories are cropping up in my head that I would like to take a shot a writing as well, so be on the lookout for stories outside the Galactic Forge universe.
Wherever you are, be well.
Alex
About The Author
Alex is a veteran of U.S. Air Force, where he worked as a Surgical Technologist for four years. He is an avid and long-time sci-fi reader, beginning in his early teen years and into the present day.
Galactic Destiny is Alex’s second novel.
Alex posts updates, official art, previews, and other awesome stuff on his website at https://alex-guerra.com For updates about new releases, as well as exclusive promotions, visit the author’s website and sign up for the VIP mailing list: Official Galactic Forge Mailing List.
