by Lee Watts
"I still don't know why you didn't take the fleet commission they offered you after that battle in the Oosay asteroids," Mei prodded.
"Are you crazy? Take an honest job and give up on finding The Vault? No way; your father and I sacrificed too much to quit now; we're so close. Besides, doing honest work is dangerous… that's how I lost my hand."
CHAPTER 25
"For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places." – Ephesians 6:12
Vivica made her way down a hall of the palace at a hurried, yet dignified stride. She had taken a few extra minutes to get her hair just right and to pick precisely the right outfit, and now she was running late. Initially, she wasn't planning to join the group who was welcoming back Merrick's ship.
It's only been two weeks, she groused to herself.
Lady Canton's change of heart came about when she heard Alexander was among those greeting the travelers. Alexander was there because during Aulani's transmission she mentioned she had found her father and was bringing critical news.
She's so transparent, Vivica thought about Aulani as she made her way to the landing pad. Any little excuse to get attention and make herself look like she's important.
Rounding a corner, Vivica glanced out the glass door and noticed the descending ship's exhaust whipping everyone's clothing and hair. There was no way she was stepping out into that. When the roar of the engines cut off, she briskly stepped into the bright, midday sun. As the ship's boarding ramp began to lower, Vivica passed the waiting medical technicians, Councilors, and even Caedmon then nestled herself on Alexander's arm and gave him a wink.
"Vivica," Alexander said in surprise. "I didn't know you wanted to be in the greeting party."
"If you want to meet these people, then I do," she responded, adding a mental, No matter how insignificant they are.
With the ramp in position, the king looked anxiously for sight of Aulani, but it was Sev who appeared first, followed by Christina. Alexander extended his arms to embrace his dear friends from the islands of Acatus but did so gently because of their frail conditions.
Standing next to the king, Lady Canton had unintentionally formed what appeared to be a receiving line, and so she found herself having to greet each of the haggard survivors also. Concealing her disgust of their grime and stench, she welcomed each person with a much-forced smile. She tried, somewhat unsuccessfully, to keep a wince off her face.
In contrast, the Marquis of Estrada, Nathan Matthews, in his usual manner, greeted each refugee with courtesy and genuine respect. Bowing from the waist to each man, as if greeting a noble gentleman, and taking the hand of each woman, kissing the back of it, as he would a refined lady; he bade them a warm welcome to the Realm.
Refugees from the Morningstar made their way down the ramp, the waiting medical staff attending to them. Finally, Aulani appeared, and Alexander breathed a sigh of relief.
"I was beginning to worry," he said to her.
"Yes," Vivica chimed in, her words overly dripping with sweetness. "We were beginning to think something might have happened to you."
Realizing his trusted bodyguard had not yet emerged from the ship, Alexander was puzzled.
"Where's Merrick?" he asked.
"That's the news Alex-," Aulani corrected herself quickly, "I mean, Your Highness; we don't know."
"Don't know? What happened?"
"They took him," came an unfamiliar voice from the top of the boarding ramp.
Alexander, Vivica, and Caedmon looked up but saw only a silhouette. As the form descended the ramp and stepped into the light, Alexander noticed a battlestaff encased in a leather sheath across the stranger's back. His smoky jacket, with intricate woven patterns, extended to the top of his knee-high boots. Jaiden followed the man down the plank.
"This is Imenand," Aulani introduced.
"He's the Guardian who came to save Merrick and us, but they'd already taken him," Jaiden added.
"Who?" Alexander asked. "Who took Merrick? Where?"
"Koraden," Imenand answered. "He's a Dridmor overlord backed by the Ramillie. As to where they've taken Merrick - I couldn't say. He contacted me before he went to find Koraden and told me where to meet him, but I'm afraid I arrived too late to help my old pupil. They already had him, and so too, another key."
"Key?" Vivica asked.
Jaiden explained what Merrick had told him of the portal, the twelve keyholders, and how the device was hidden during the end of the last age.
"Koraden is desperate to find the portal," Imenand said tilting his head to wave some of his elongated hair from his vision. "It's vital we locate it before he does. Everything depends on it, especially since the Dridmor now have eleven of the keys."
"But they don't," Jaiden interjected. "Koraden told Merrick to hand over his key, but Merrick didn't have it with him."
"That's impossible," Imenand countered. "A keyholder would never hide one of the stones because then there is a chance that a Dridmor could get it."
"Maybe the chance of losing the key is the very reason why Merrick didn't bring his," Aulani suggested. "He knew there was a possibility Koraden might win."
"I must find it right away," Imenand insisted. "The Dridmor are relentless. They'll track Merrick's steps back here, and when they do, they'll kill everyone on the planet if they have to in order to find that key."
"You are most welcome in the Realm, Guardian," Alexander declared. "Clearly you've all had a rough experience; let's go back in the palace and give you a chance to get some food and rest. We'll talk more this evening."
"With your permission, Excellency," Imenand pleaded, "I'd like to be shown Merrick's quarters right away to search for the key. Every hour it's missing could prove vital."
"Uh… of course. Jaiden, will you be so good as to show him the way."
"No problem," Jaiden answered.
This caused his sister to give Jaiden a gentle look of reminder.
"Your Highness," Jaiden added.
As Aulani and the others headed into the palace to get some food and rest, Vivica went to rid herself of grime from the Morningstar survivors. At first, she thought she'd have her garments sent out to be cleaned, but on second thought decided to have them burned instead.
Returning to inside the palace, Alexander was pressed to go straight to yet another meeting.
How did my father ever get anything done? he thought in exasperation.
After hours of meeting with his small band of advisors in the royal conference chambers, Alexander again felt the pressing need to reinstate the full Council that was disbanded during Hegemony rule. Though he was reluctant to send for Aulani, who returned only three hours prior, the sudden arrival of a foreign delegation required her services as a translator. Imenand entered with Aulani, and he took up position in the back of the room. The foreign dignitaries were from one of the nations the Realm had helped free from hyperspace. Alexander wanted to form an alliance in hopes of coordinating attacks against the Ramillie, but the visitors brought news that such an agreement was rejected by their government. Their decision was based primarily on the perceived difficulties required to maintain such efforts given the vast distance between the two powers. When the dignitaries left, Alexander placed his elbows on the table and buried his face in his hands while letting out a long breath of disappointment and frustration. When he looked up, he saw the same emotion reflected on the face of each person in the room. Scattered rebellions struggled against the Hegemony, but the Realm was the only one they knew of that was actually taking ground. As the other uprisings were steadily eliminated, Alexander and his advisors knew each time a resistance was squelched, it meant the enemy was stronger.
"We're holding our own," Marquis Mathews said, breaking the silence, "but as we take more systems, it's forcing us to spread our resources thinner to keep everything protected. Our advancing forces have slowed cons
iderably in recent weeks."
"Not only that," interjected Baroness Montay, a crotchety old woman who seemed to be a member of the Council before time began, "but to put it bluntly, you're not providing the liberated outer colonies enough protection. My own world of Celtis Po reports repeated attacks from Hegemony forces. With the Ramillie's hyperspace ability, our quick reactions forces are constantly running from one system to another. I say we should fortify our current positions before continuing."
"We won't stop the advance," Alexander declared plainly. "If we wait until there's a convenient season for the war then our other worlds will never see freedom. However…" he sighed in resignation before continuing, "we must find a better solution. We must strike a balance between defending our people on the liberated worlds and the duty to our citizens still under Hegemony rule. I will not abandon them. We've reached the halfway mark, twenty-five worlds, but only half the Realm is free. As long as I am king, we will not stop until the entire Realm is free again."
"Then simply put," Baroness Montay commented in her air of superiority, "we need allies."
"I'm trying," Alexander snipped in frustration, referring to the recently failed negotiations. "But, I don't know who else to approach. The only power in the region with enough strength to aid us is the Hateeg Confederacy, and they're almost as great a threat as the Hegemony."
"It's not a single power we should approach, Sire, but a coalition," suggested the Baroness with intonation making it clear she was disappointed that the young king hadn't already figured out who she meant. "The Chinix Coalition," she elaborated with a frown.
"The Chinix?" blurted another of the Councilors. "We just fought a war with them."
"A war we started," Baroness Montay reminded.
"She's right," Alexander added though was loath to find himself on the same side as the ever-cantankerous woman. "It wasn't the Chinix who ambushed the ship with my father and me; it was the Ramillie. So actually, we attacked the Chinix without cause. The Baroness brings up a good point. During my last meeting at the Assembly of Worlds, the Chinix warned about the problems we're now experiencing, but when the Assembly did nothing, the Chinix withdrew, and some worlds went with them. What's become of the Chinix Coalition anyway?"
"None of them have fallen to the Hegemony, Sire," the Marquis of Estrada answered. "However, recent reports show an increasing number of skirmishes between them and Hateeg forces."
"I think we should seek out an alliance with them," Alexander proposed.
"There's a great deal of bad blood between us, Sire," another Councilman cautioned.
"Yes, and it's our fault," Alexander retorted. "Listen, it can't hurt to see if they're willing to talk."
Though there was some reluctance, the Councilors agreed.
"But who do we send?" one asked.
"I guess I should be the representative," Alexander answered.
"Sire, I wouldst advise thee to send another as an emissary," Caedmon interjected. "Thy security is paramount, and such a journey is fraught with dangers."
"Who then?"
"Send Caedmon," came the voice of Imenand from the far end of the room. "He's the most logical choice. Caedmon, aren't you from Tishbia?"
"Yes."
"That's on the Realm border nearest Chinix space. Are you familiar with their customs and language?"
"I am."
"Caedmon's position in the Realm, closeness to the crown, and familiarity with the Chinix make him the absolute best choice, and no doubt you have full confidence in his judgment."
"He has a point," Alexander admitted. "Caedmon, I entrust you to negotiate any kind of an alliance you see fit. I think it's a good idea. Will you do it?"
"Sire, if thou bidst me go hence unto the Chinix, I shall."
"Excellent," turning to the Councilors Alexander asked if there was any dissent, but there was none. "Very well then. I'll contact Admiral Balin and have him assign one of our cruisers to escort you."
"Nay, Sire. I think that most unwise. A Realm warship approaching Chinix space would garner the wrong kind of attention. I will take my shuttle."
With a nod from the king, it settled the matter. The following day, Caedmon boarded his small, timeworn ship and began his journey. Depending on his route, the voyage might take weeks or months considering the relatively slow speed of his vessel.
As the tiny ship shrank into the sky, Imenand and Alexander left the landing pad and began walking back toward the palace.
"I had an opportunity to speak with the Faithful Voice last night," Imenand said. "He expressed concern about you being without a chief vizier. Have you considered who should fill in while he's away?"
"No, I haven't. It could take quite a while to select someone."
"With all going on, time is of the essence. Maybe there doesn't have to be a drawn-out process. Ask yourself, Alexander, what would your father do in this situation?"
That afternoon, as Alexander walked into the royal conference chambers, with his new chief vizier. Familiar with everyone except the new translator, Alexander introduced her to him.
"This is Aulani Suchet. She was one of the survivors I met on the planet where I crashed. She has an uncanny knack for languages and serves as chief translator for the royal court. Aulani, this is an old friend of the family, Chief Mediator Yilib Wasi."
CHAPTER 26
"The wicked in his pride doth persecute the poor: let them be taken in the devices that they have imagined." – Psalm 10:2
In rapid succession, three hyperspace portals opened at the edge of the Realm colony in the Beta Antari system. A trio of Ramillie warships exited from each opening, immediately racing toward the planet.
In hyperspace, Captain Crex, first officer of the goliath vessel Tyrannus, crisply made his way down the lengthy corridor leading to Warlord Ra'daq's private meditation room deep in the bowels of the ship. Except for the reclusive warlord, no one save the first officer was authorized to enter that area, and Crex had successfully avoided it since his arrival. Theories abounded as to what the warlord did during the long hours in there. There were stories of voices, screams and unidentified energy surges. In the short time since Crex's arrival on the Tyrannus, he learned the ship virtually ran on rumors. With mounting curiosity, Crex recently ordered an internal scan of the ship under the pretext of preventative maintenance. All it revealed was that the bulkheads surrounding the private sections were lined with a dense material that effectively blocked the sensors.
With no communication terminal installed in the highly restricted section, Crex was forced to report his news in person. Coming to a halt, he pressed the call button beside the door and stood at attention. For several seconds nothing happened. Crex began to wonder if he should hit the button again but was hesitant to do so. In one way he was relieved when the door slid open, in another way he was disappointed. No words were bidding him enter, but deciding that was what was expected, he pushed aside his trepidation and, with sharp military bearing, stepped into the dimly lit room.
"Welcome to my sanctum," came the echoing voice of Admiral Ra'daq as the door closed.
Crex remained motionless, allowing a few seconds for his eyes to adjust to the lower light level before proceeding. As he waited, he heard the heavy click of the door closing and locking behind him. It was… disconcerting. A mix of candle smoke and incense permeated the air. Red, heavy curtains bisected the entire length of the room. This blocked Crex's view of most of the expansive chamber. Ra'daq sat cross-legged on the floor facing a large screen on the right-hand wall. Crex noticed one of the many images on the screen was of his workstation and another was his quarters. Before he could discern the other pictures displayed, the screen faded to show only the tribal-like symbol of the Hegemony.
"Step forward, Captain," Ra'daq instructed.
Forcing down his uneasiness, Crex briskly stepped to the warlord, came to attention, and then reported.
"Sir, the rest of the task force has exited hyperspace at the location you
specified and has begun its charge to the planet. As ordered, we are holding position in hyperspace."
"Excellent. Notify me when defensive ships arrive."
"Aye, Sir," Crex said with questioning in his voice.
Ra'daq detected his first officer's lack of understanding.
"What is it, Captain? Something troubles you about my tactics?"
"With respect, Warlord, I am curious why you had the task force open portals so far from the planet. Such lead time gives the colony sufficient opportunity to raise its defensive screens and prolongs the amount of time needed to destroy it."
"Precisely, but you are assuming our target is the colony."
"Is it not?"
"No, this world is of little importance. It's sparsely populated and serves mainly as an agricultural development. Our target is something more... elusive."
"What other target is there in the system?"
"Morale."
"Morale, Sir?"
"Yes. As the Remnant has gained the momentum in this conflict, their spirits are high, and so they fight more effectively. It's made them overconfident and prideful. Pride blinds; therefore, we will encourage their arrogance then exploit it to destroy them."
Ra'daq finished speaking and gave a wide, toothy smile. Closing his eyes, he resumed meditating. With the information delivered, Crex clicked his heels in military fashion then turned to leave. To his relief, the door unlocked and slid open. Since Ra'daq didn't move, the captain wasn't sure how the door was activated. As Crex walked toward the door the warlord spoke again, though Crex didn't think it was to him.
"Yes," Ra'daq growled lowly, "pride."
***
"Now entering the Beta Antari system," announced the navigator of the Dauntless to its commander, Admiral Balin.
"Drop us out of lightdrive and set full sublight velocity for the colony," Balin ordered. "Sensors, have any additional ships exited hyperspace since the original distress call?"
