The Alorian Wars Box Set

by Drew Avera

There was no sound to his feed, but he could almost hear the percussion rounds as they exploded upon contact with their target. He was more than a little surprised to see just how many people on his ship were loyal to Vesna, and in some way to Haranger as well. He thought the Organization was much smaller than what he was witnessing. He had been sworn to secrecy, yet Vesna controlled a large portion of the ship despite the secrecy he had been sworn to. I wonder if Haranger knows about this, if he condones the use of all these men who have no idea whom they really serve? The answer to that question did not matter, not in the least, as man after man fell into pools of their own blood.

  “I’ll be damned if the King Slayer doesn’t come with a ruthlessness that really holds true to her name.”

  Outside of his room he heard the throaty pop of explosive rounds coming into contact with organic flesh. Less than a second later the sound of something wet soaking the door filled his ears. He knew there was a gross mess on the other side, but the wicked man inside of him shrilled with delight as his rescue party came with a vengeance. He heard a commotion on the other side of his door and he knew it was the King Slayer’s men coming to take him.

  Ilium stood and straightened out his uniform, zipping the front all the way up. I may as well look the part.

  The door burst open before him, smoke filling the room as shadowy figures emerged, weapons drawn. “Sir, are you all right?” The lead man spoke with a muffled voice through his gas mask. Ilium understood within a few seconds why as the smoke filling the room turned out to be gases. Ilium choked as he nodded his head. The man handed him a gas mask and waited as Ilium strapped it over his head, pulling the side straps tight to get a seal over his face.

  His eyes still burned, along with his lungs, but it didn’t feel as if he was dying anymore. “Thank you,” he choked out.

  “My pleasure, sir. We have orders to deliver you to Captain Crexon on the King Slayer.” The man said. “Are you well enough to walk on your own?”

  “Yes,” Ilium said, feeling the need to raise his voice to produce enough sound to hear himself through the mask. Each breath caused a plastic flap to flutter by his mouth and it was already grating on his nerves. This is the most miserable thing I’ve ever worn. I can barely breathe and sweat is already burning my eyes. What in the hell is the point of such a contraption?

  “Follow me, sir.” The man turned to face his men. “You two, fan out and flank us. You, cover our six.” He pointed at each of his men as he shouted his orders. The man took Ilium by the arm and led him out into the chaos on the Hamæråté. Everywhere Ilium turned was blood soaked bulkheads and dead men lying with their weapons beside them. A part of him thought he should feel bad, but the truth was these men were never his to lead. Haranger, using Lieutenant Vesna, commanded these men. Instead of feeling sorry for their losses, Ilium wanted to spit on their lifeless bodies to spite them.

  Speaking of Vesna, I don’t see his body anywhere, Ilium thought as the man dragged him by the arm through the ship. The closer they got to the airlock, the more of the King Slayer’s men he saw, standing with the guns drawn, but not in Ilium’s direction. All of the weapons were trained on members of the crew of the Hamæråté.

  As they approached the airlock he saw the captain of the King Slayer boarding his ship with another dozen men surrounding him, protecting him. The man walked like a victorious hero who just championed the greatest defeat of his military career. In some ways he had, Ilium thought, but the true enemy was not defeated.

  “Lieutenant Commander Gyl, I am so glad we got to you in time,” Captain Crexon said. He extended a hand towards Ilium. The man’s grip was strong, commanding. Ilium liked the man already. “Tell me, did the man responsible for this survive our boarding?”

  Ilium turned to face the crippled and bleeding crew; at least what was left of them. As he scanned the room he saw Lieutenant Vesna trying to hide behind one of the other men like a coward. “There, sir,” Ilium pointed.

  As Ilium looked back at Captain Crexon, the man nodded to one of his men. A moment later, Vesna was pulled from the crowd and dragged to kneel before Ilium.

  “Every military leader fears a mutiny rising on their ship, but not every leader survives the outcome. You are a lucky man, Lieutenant Commander Gyl. Your quick thinking allowed us to rendezvous with your ship and retrieve your command. Are you certain this is the man responsible?”

  “Yes, sir,” Ilium answered. “Lieutenant Vesna was the man who seized command of my ship and locked me in my quarters. He is also responsible for the death of our security chief.”

  “That’s a lie,” Vesna screamed, but he was silenced by a kick in the stomach from one of the men holding him.

  “Shut up,” the man ordered Vesna.

  Captain Crexon stepped forward and whispered to Ilium. “Then you know what you have to do.”

  Ilium smiled as he looked down at Vesna, the man who thought he had cornered Ilium, taken his ship, embarrassed him. In truth, Vesna had done all of those things, but it was a temporary setback. Ilium came to realize he did not need Harenger to rise to power. He had the power already. All he had to do was act upon it and use it to his advantage.

  Ilium removed the gas mask from his face, relishing the cool air as it blew upon his sweaty face. He dropped the mask to the deck and fought the urge to wipe the sweat from his eyes, not wanting to look weak in front of Captain Crexon’s men. Ilium inhaled deeply and extended his empty hand to one of the men who rescued him. The man drew his sidearm and handed it to Ilium.

  “Sir,” the man said as an acknowledgement.

  “Thank you,” Ilium said. The weapon was heavier than the standard issue sidearm he normally carried, but the weight gave him a confidence as he held in front of him, the barrel in line with Lieutenant Vesna’s forehead. From his line of sight, Ilium could hardly see the man’s nose for the barrel of the gun.

  “You don’t have to do this,” Vesna said. Spoken like the bitch you are, Ilium thought as a smile curled his lips. Revenge is the best part of my day. Vesna looked behind Ilium and spoke. “Sir, this man is not‒”.

  Ilium squeezed the trigger, not letting Vesna speak, knowing it was only an attempt to smear his name to the captain of the King Slayer. The weapon discharged and a high caliber round severed the top of Vesna’s head off, brain matter splattering to the deck behind him. There was a gasp in the crowd and it echoed in Ilium’s ears, just before the final kill order was given, and hell rained down on the mutinous bastards who took Ilium’s ship from him. Ilium didn’t hear the order, but he saw it carried out in an explosion of weapons being fired. He watched in awe as the crew was torn apart by the rounds piercing their flesh. Despite the horrific sound, Ilium was lost in silent glory as the entire crew fell. He watched for any movement from the crew of the Hamæråté, but there was none. Only the growing pool of blood flowing from their dead bodies.

  Ilium felt a hand on his shoulder and turned to see Captain Crexon smiling at him. “Well done, son. I have to admire a man who stares his enemy in the eyes before taking his life. Let’s go share that with Shiveih, shall we?”

  “Yes, sir,” Ilium said as he handed the weapon back to the man who leant it to him.

  Ilium followed Captain Crexon onto the King Slayer, the airlock opened up into a long corridor that linked the ships together. Ilium had never seen anything as advanced his whole time in the Greshian Navy. What the King Slayer had put every other piece of fleet technology to shame, and this is just the airlock, he thought.

  “What about my ship?” Ilium asked once they were on board the King Slayer.

  Captain Crexon turned and frowned slightly. “I’m sorry, son. The Hamæråté is lost to us. I’m having my men detonate her once we are out of range.”

  A part of Ilium felt bad about losing such an asset, but the destruction of the Hamæråté would be symbolic. It was the end of his service to Harenger and the beginning of something else entirely. “I understand, sir.”

  Captain Crexon smiled
. “Good. Life will get better when you can move on from this. In the meantime, why don’t I show you to your quarters?”

  “I do have a favor to ask, sir.”

  He stopped and turned once more. “What’s that?”

  Ilium took a deep breath, knowing what he was about to ask could make him look bad in front of the man who was responsible for saving his life, but he had to ask. “Sir, there is a stasis pod on the Hamæråté with a pirate in it. I have reason to believe the man has information about an rebel ship, so I preserved him until the time I could launch an investigation. I would like to have the stasis pod preserved from the destruction so that I can continue my investigation at a later time.”

  The man frowned, but not in the way that made Ilium feel he was destined with an immediate “no”. “This rebel ship, would it pose a threat to Greshia?”

  “Without a doubt, sir.”

  Captain Crexon nodded and looked to one of his men. “Go, retrieve the stasis pod and put it in our cargo hold. I want to disembark within the hour,” he said.

  “Yes, sir,” the man replied before running off to carry out the order.

  “Thank you, sir,” Ilium said. He was surprised at how easy that request was approved.

  “No problem, son. Sometimes we have to preserve an enemy’s life to take out the bigger threat.”

  “Yes indeed.”

  “I would advise against going that route in the future, though. You don’t want word getting out that you’re a rule breaker,” Captain Crexon smiled and it made Ilium wonder if the man was onto him, or rather on his side.

  “I won’t, sir,” Ilium replied.

  “Right. Now, let’s get you to your quarters. I think you’re going to like being on board the King Slayer. I’ll have to give you a tour, but I have a mission brief coming soon.”

  “I can tell this is an amazing ship, sir.” Ilium marveled as he looked at the ship. Everything was brilliant, with none of the exposed wiring of the older ships. It was all clean decks and polished bulkheads. The lighting was brighter too, but not blinding.

  “You bet your fucking ass it is,” Captain Crexon said with a deep laugh. “And this amazing ship is going to destroy Shiveih in the next six hours. It’s going to be a magnificent display in fire power.”

  Ilium followed Captain Crexon, barely containing the smile on his face. This is where I want to be, he thought. I could command this ship and set afire the worlds of my enemies. That is my destiny.

  23

  Anki

  It was the first time in weeks that all four members of the crew sat around the table for a meal on the Replicade. Ever since Crase Tuin tried to take the ship, the crew had been split into shifts, two people manning the bridge at all times in order to keep the ship secure. That extended into the time they spent in the ship yard for overhaul and Anki presumed it may always be that way. The sad thing was that the close bond they had been forming as a team was splintering because they were not able to spend as much time together as they once had. No one was fighting, but then again no one was not fighting either. She noticed the strain on Deis and Malikea’s relationship after what happened with Neular and she did not want the same to happen for her and Brendle. But what choice was there when it came to protecting the ship? Point defense systems be damned, there was no substitute for a sentient being taking the helm of the mighty warship. It was like the crew was slowly sacrificing itself for the wellbeing of the ship. That’s something we will need to address if we ever get out of this, she thought as she took another bite of food.

  Anki looked across the table at the girl named Carista, her light hair tucked behind her ears. Her pale skin was almost translucent in spots where Anki could see the arteries just below the surface of her skin. The cloudiness of her eyes had given way to the lightest blue color Anki had ever seen. She was almost certain it was the girl’s natural eye color, but she wasn’t willing to bet her life on it. Carista was an enigma and one that Anki might never figure out.

  “How do you like the rations, Carista?” Malikea asked. He was smiling, bonding with the girl just as he had been in the medical bay before Brendle spoke to Kich.

  “It is a little bland, but I like it,” she answered, a reciprocated smile etched on her face. Ever since she revealed herself to Deis, coming out of hiding after accidentally hurting Brendle, Carista seemed to come out of her shell. Anki liked her this way and wished that it could last, but she knew that time was running out. I wish I could stop time in its place, she thought as she watched Carista laugh at whatever silly thing Malikea and Deis were saying to her.

  Anki looked over at Brendle and saw the worries look on his face. He nodded at the monitor on the other side of the room counting down until they were expected to hail the Yeopa again. They had less than ten minutes before Kich would respond with a hail of gunfire. She knew Brendle would not let it come to that, but she also knew by the look on his face that he wanted to delay for as long as he could.

  “Thank you,” Anki whispered, taking his hand in hers and rubbing her thumb along the soft flesh on the back on his hand. His fingers tightened lovingly around hers as his gaze matched hers.

  “I would do anything for you,” he replied, and she believed every word of it.

  Laughter drew her attention away from Brendle and back towards Carista. She was poking Malikea in the ribs, tickling him and carrying on about it with just as much enthusiasm as Malikea was. It seemed to Anki that Carista tickling Malikea was mutually laughter inducing.

  “I think it’s time,” Brendle said as he stood from his seat. Everyone in the room stopped what they were doing as Brendle approached the monitor. It was less than five minutes and Brendle was hailing the Yeopa to turn Carista over to Kich. The look on his face reflected the sorrow in Anki’s own heart. She watched his shoulders sag under the burden of what he was having to do. She knew he was doing the right thing, but part of her wanted to stop him, to restrain him for just another minute or two.

  It was too late.

  “Replicade, you are cutting it close,” Kich said. “I have a short timeline to report back to my employer.”

  “Yes, sir. I just wanted to give her time to enjoy herself on our ship. But as we discussed, we will turn her over to you.”

  Kich nodded, a somber expression reflected back at Brendle. “Very well. How do you wish to carry out the transfer? We can dock to your airlock or send a transport to you.”

  Brendle turned to look at Carista and then to Anki. “That won’t be necessary, sir. Carista told me that she can open a portal from our location to yours. If it’s all the same to you, I think she should turn herself over to you on her terms.”

  Kich hesitated to reply, the look on his blank face revealing nothing. “I’m hesitant to allow that, Mr. Quin.”

  “I understand, sir. I just think that it would go a long ways towards letting her trust you. She’s been through a lot.” Brendle’s argument wasn’t unfounded, but Anki wasn’t confident he would be able to sell it. Kich looked skeptical, almost unwilling to bend to do the right thing. Carista was, after all, property to his employer.

  “If you can make it happen within the next five minutes, then I’ll let you do it your way. If she isn’t on the bridge of the Yeopa in that time, I’m sending an armed transport.”

  Brendle shot a friendly smile to Kich. “Yes, sir. She’s on her way.”

  The monitor went blank and Brendle turned to face Carista and the crew. “I’m sorry that time has run out, but we need to act now. Carista, are you ready?”

  “Yes,” she answered.

  Brendle nodded. “All right, let’s head to the bridge to facilitate the transfer.”

  Brendle led the way from the galley towards the bridge and Anki followed, holding Carista’s hand as they walked through the narrow passageways.

  Anki’s heart pounded with anticipation as they made their way to the bridge. She found herself choking back tears by time they made it. Brendle stood in the middle of the bridge with h
is arms crossed, his eyes puffy from wiping away his own tears. “All right, Carista. I hope you‒”. He stopped talking and Anki thought she knew what he would say. She felt it in her heart as well.

  Carista walked up to him and wrapped her tiny arms around his waist. Tears poured down Brendle’s face as he embraced her. Deis and Malikea exchanged hugs with Carista too, each one too brief for the occasion, but everyone knowing they were on a short timeframe.

  Anki stepped next to Carista and looked down at the girl. “Are you ready?”

  “Yes,” Carista replied. “Are you?”

  “As ready as I’ll ever be,” Anki answered.

  “All right, be safe, Anki,” Brendle said, pulling her in for a kiss. Their lips locked together, the taste of each other’s lips tickling the other’s tongue.

  As they pulled away she trembled, but it was only partially due to fear. “I’ll do my best,” she said. Carista squeezed her hand causing Anki to look down at her. “If anything happens.”

  “We’ll be there,” Deis said, his hand on his weapon. Malikea was standing next to him, close enough they could touch one another.

  “All right, let’s do this,” Anki said.

  Carista stepped forward, one hand still clinging to Anki. She extended her hand out to the open area of the bridge and closed her eyes. All around them the light on the bridge dimmed momentarily, and then it grew brighter, but it wasn’t the blue lights of the ship, but of the portal Carista was creating with her mind.

  Anticipation filled the bridge in a simultaneous gasp as everyone watched the portal open. At first it looked like dust spinning counterclockwise, a dull blueish glow forming between the thousands of particles comprising it. Then, as it grew larger, it took on a more solid shape with every pigment of blue and green glowing from the deep cavernous snare in the center of it. It widened and grew brighter. The swirling effect grew faster until it moved at such speeds it seemed to reverse course, but Anki knew it was only an optical illusion. She could still feel the air rushing in the same direction as when it started.