Genesis

by Tej Pratap Singh

  “That’s right, I don’t want a war,” emphasized KC. “Send them a peace message. Tell Cdr Rul to stand down his weapons and turn away from the Omixon Ship.”

  “Uh.., directive Cdr.” said Akil stunned.

  The message was immediately conveyed to Cdr Rul to turn away from the Omixon ship, trying to prove that the AMU did not want the confrontation to escalate.

  Meanwhile on the Omixons ship, their leader - Cdr Solax interpreted this action in a different light; mainly due to the reputation KC carried.

  “Cdr Solax,” said his chief operation officer surprised, “the AMU Destroyer is moving away from us and they have even lowered their Pulse cannons. This is unbelievable!”

  “Those savages are up to their old tricks again. You can’t trust them… Ever. Arm weapons now,” said Solax. “The last time I tried for truce, Cdr KC took out five of my eight armies, killed several million of my men. This time Cdr KC will get no respite. Arm and Fire.”

  Cdr Rul instantly got an alert on his radar, the moment the Omixons armed their weapons and got ready to fire.

  “Alert!!” shouted Cdr Rul who had turned around his battleship from the Omixons. “They have armed their weapons and will fire, request permission to retaliate!”

  “Denied,” declared KC bluntly seeing the battle picture displayed in front of him on his wall. He was sure that he could avoid and deescalate this confrontation and stand steady on the promise he had made to his father. However, It did not take the Omixons long before they fired at Rul with all they had. Cdr Rul desperately tried to maneuver his battleship out of the line of fire.

  “Cdr KC, request permission to fire, my shields will not hold on for long,” said Rul desperately.

  “No,” said KC, “hold position. Open a communication wall with the Omixons. Tell them we come in peace and lower your shields as proof,” commanded KC.

  “But Cdr these are the Omixons. We have been at war with them for over a decade….” said Rul.

  “Do as I say,” interrupted KC.

  “Directive Cdr,” said Rul as he ordered his pilot officer to turn his D class battleship around. It was a sight to reckon with, as the massive D Class Battleship Destroyer stopped… and started to turn. The D Class Battleship was the latest class of battleships that the AMU had to offer. It came loaded with the deadliest weapons imaginable including the electron lasers which could vaporize anything and everything in its path instantaneously. The D class Destroyer was huge, stretching almost 650 km in length. As the massive Battleship turned, minor asteroids and space debris collided with it, however it made little difference to the Super Destroyer Battleship.

  The Omixons expected the worst. But to their surprise, Rul opened a communication wall.

  “Omixons, this is Commander Rul. Commander of the outer sectors of the Armed Military Union, which you are in alliance with. I understand that you are now in Union territory and space. As per the directive of the Supreme commander KC, you are welcome, but you must stand down your weapons, we do not want to engage you,” said Rul in a very calm and composed tone as his image displayed all over the Omixon Ship.

  “How do we know you are not bluffing?” asked Cdr Solax. “You have enough of our blood on your hands.”

  “I give you my word,” said Rul and I speak for my Cdr. And as a proof of my armistice offer, I am going to lower my shields,” added Rul with confidence.

  “Sir, they seem to have come in peace,” said Zan Doan, Solax’s chief operations officer in a mischievous tone, “or so they wish to show. We should reciprocate in kind.”

  “Hmmm the AMU cannot be trusted. Not with men like KC in command. He is a deceitful and treacherous commander, unlike his predecessors. His deceit tactics shall not fool us again. Fire when they lower their shields and make every hit count,” ordered Solax looking at his weapons officer.

  “Commander,” reported Cdr Rul one last time to KC, “I am going to lower my shields now.”

  “Do it,” confirmed KC. He was willing to take this ultimate step for the sake of peace. Rul ordered his shields down. There was a momentary silence as everyone in KC’s HQ and everyone abode the Class D super destroyer battleship waited for the Omixons’ response.

  Then there was a faint flash from the Omixons’ ship. Everyone looked closely on their wall!

  “No..!” shouted Rul. “Raise shields. They have fired upon us.” KC’s HQ erupted in bewilderment. Never before had they been at the receiving end. What now? They looked at KC to take the obvious step.

  “Cdr, request permission to retaliate, the Omixons are attacking us,” cried Rul. Without his sheilds, it was only a matter of time before the Omixons would destroy his ship.

  In the background, KC could see Omixons’ lethal negative wave tazers pounding Cdr Rul’s battleship.

  “No, stand down,” repeated KC. KC just couldn’t comprehend how feared and disrespected he was in this alternate time. He couldn’t imagine that someone like Solax, an alliance member could be so against him, to do something so suicidal.

  “Don’t open fire. Tell them again! Do it,” insisted KC as he directly spoke to Cdr Rul through his wall.

  “Yes Cdr,” said Rul, knowing very well he had to obey his Commander.

  He made another attempt to pacify the Omixons. But this time his voice sounded desperate. The Omixons, nevertheless, continued firing on the Battleship relentlessly and with more severity pounding the D Class Battleship with all they had got, destroying the northern and the eastern sector of the battleship in the process.

  “Sir, men are dying there, our men,” pleaded Akil to his commander’s senses. “The Omixons are not going to stop Cdr. They wouldn’t, no one would. They know you too well.”

  “What do they know about me!” shouted KC as he looked at his wall. He could see his men dying on the D Class Battleship. “Why don’t they understand that I don’t want to fight anymore? What… What do they know about me?” roared KC.

  “Cdr, they know us...we show no mercy - ‘No Space…No Life!’ They don’t trust us! Cdr, we massacred three-fourth of their species to get their alliance. They have nothing to lose,” explained Akil.

  “Cdr, I have lost the north-eastern sector of my ship, 1500 men are dead or missing. Cdr Please. Request permission to retaliate,” pleaded Rul once again as he looked at KC on his wall. KC’s face had no expression at all. He was thinking deep as he looked out into the unknown emptiness of space.

  “Cdr…” repeated Rul, “your orders Commander…?”

  Chapter 2

  Jenny

  “Do it…” said KC as his head sunk into his hand. “Fire and Disengage.”

  “Fire an anti-matter beam. Vaporize them,” said Cdr Rul to his weapons officer on the deck.

  And then… There was a bright spark from the ‘D class’ Super Battle Destroyer that traveled at an astounding speed towards the Omixon ship. Just one shot! The Omixons were gone. Vaporized! Out of existence. The last of the Omixons were finished. They were now to become, just a relic! Referred to in AMU teaching labs… in the past tense!

  KC sat on his command chair with his left hand over his face. He realized now, what his father had told him – “Not even the Mighty Commander Kenneth, ruler of 14 sectors of the Universe can hope for peace now! It is beyond you. Take my advice and make peace with yourself if at all. Because where you stand today… No one will understand the word - Peace coming from you!”

  “Cdr…” said Akil keeping his hand on KC’s shoulder. “You made the right choice! You gave them a chance for peace… You did what was required… to save your men.”

  * * *

  KC was dejected, he had lost all hope of putting things back in perspective. Haunted by what his father had told him and devastated by the man he was perceived as, in this time, he was losing his identity. He was all-powerful and almighty. But he stood here alone. All alone. It was
an uphill task to make peace with 14 sectors of the known universe which he had slowly, bit by bit, destroyed over the past 20 years.

  It was still very early in the morning as KC glared outside from his HQ in his city ‘HQ 01’, the biggest city on planet Eco-5, sector 1. He felt like going out and seeing the city up close. When he had left 2950 for the first time, his world only revolved around AMU and IF. They knew of no alien civilization. Things were simple - survive the IF and enjoy life to the maximum. But now things were a lot more complicated, there was not just one alien civilization to deal with, but 14 sectors of the universe and each sector had millions of alien civilizations. Some very advanced and some completely primitive. He had lost his mother and his father couldn’t stand him. He had no one to even talk to! Even his one-time generals and dear friends from his time, Akil, Rul and Amin, were afraid to talk to him. He had got all that he desired and much more. But he had no one to share it with.

  KC was alone, all alone. He got out of his HQ and walked down towards his city. He felt claustrophobic all alone in his HQ.

  “Cdr, what is your destination?” asked Zaul, his elite body guard commander.

  “I’m… going into my city,” replied KC as he continued to walk down the stairs from his HQ.

  “Cdr, it’s not safe.” informed Zaul.

  “What has KC, the ruler of all 14 sectors of the universe to fear!” said KC promptly. Then he stopped and realized what he had just said.

  “Such a cutting tone is very unlike me”, he thought. “Damn, I really got to get into the city and get some fresh air.”

  “Cdr, there are too many humans and aliens in the city and most of them are not very fond of us! I strongly suggest that you refrain from going down into the city until we secure the area,” explained Zaul.

  “No, I am going down to my city and no one is going to follow me,” declared KC.

  “Cdr, that’s against our protocol, we can never leave you alone. You are the Supreme commander of all the universe. Your security is our prime directive.”

  “Who gave you that protocol?” asked KC.

  “Cdr, you did,” said Zaul as KC continued walking down, his guards surrounding him forming a protective circle.

  “Well then, now I am cancelling the directive,” said KC raising his wall.

  His wall rose around him and instantly covered him from the vision of all others. So strong was his wall that not even Crona could find him if he wanted. His guards obviously couldn’t see him anymore.

  “First Directive Breach… First Directive Breach,” yelled his guards on their comn links as they alerted the whole Military Union.

  “Crona,” said KC, “I want my wall to hold till I get to the city, no one should find me.”

  “Directive Cdr,” replied Crona, “Your wall has the highest priority, no one can breach it Cdr, but… I hope you know what you are doing. You have had over 600 assassination attempts in the past month alone. That’s 20 a day!”

  “I know what I am doing,” said KC, “Do it.”

  “Directive Cdr,” said Crona, “rewriting the first protocol.”

  Akil couldn’t believe what he was hearing on his comn link. “What do you mean you can’t locate the Cdr?” shouted Akil at the guards. “How can you afford to lose him? That’s the first directive for the universe’s sake.”

  “Cdr Akil… the Supreme Cdr has changed the first directive and raised his walls; no one can see him,” said Zaul devastated.

  “What’s going on with the Cdr,” said Akil looking at the city on his wall. “He has been acting really strange lately. Crona get me the location of the Cdr… Now.”

  “Sorry Cdr Akil, I can’t do that. The commander has raised his walls.”

  “What are you saying Crona!” said Akil in disbelief. “We are talking about the commander here, our commander! If he lowers his walls in the city, he wouldn’t last there even for a second. For AMU’s sake protect him.”

  “I am sorry Cdr Akil, the supreme commander has changed the protocol. Even I can’t find him now until he lowers his walls.”

  “Directive code alert,” shouted Akil into his comn link. “Crona, restrict the following communication only within the Union - put all Union armed patrols on high alert. Find the Supreme commander’s location at the earliest.”

  “If the news gets outside the AMU that the Cdr is missing, the allies will not waste even a second to turn against us,” said Amin, the Cdr of the Inner sectors of the Armed Military Union on his comn link.

  “I will alert all battleships at Union borders. Any aggressor will be dealt with severely.”

  “Affirmative,” said Akil, “All mobile units look for any signs of unrest in the city. That would be the location of the commander.”

  KC, meanwhile, walked right into the heart of the city. It was crowded. Beings from all sectors of the universe were present. KC wanted to breath like a free man, walk among the beings. He wanted to be treated normal. KC was standing right amongst them but no one could even feel his presence. His wall was too strong, it could easily bend space. Humans and aliens walked right past him without even realising he was there. Finally…

  KC lowered his wall. A minutest of ‘beep’ flashed on the comn link of Akil and likewise on all the Union personnel. But it would take them about a good minute to reach the commander. KC’s signal was still not clear, even Crona couldn’t raise a temporary wall around KC that soon without knowing his exact location.

  There he stood in the middle of everyone. It didn’t take long for everyone to realize who stood amongst them. Some couldn’t believe it. The Supreme Cdr wouldn’t just walk out unguarded, they argued. Most aliens simply moved away, too afraid to even share the same space with KC. ‘The Supreme Cdr got nothing but trouble wherever he set his foot,’ they said. Few moved towards him, the assassins of course. There were a whole lot of them almost from all sectors, all kinds of aliens, some even humans. The assassins were known to follow KC wherever he went. Never missing an opportunity to get him. So what if he wasn’t the real KC, they debated. His look alike infuriated them just as much, besides it was worth a shot.

  KC quickly realized there were a bunch of men following him and almost had him cornered. His smile soon disappeared. Five men cut his route from the front. The last thing KC wanted right now was a fight! KC stopped, he turned around. Two beings were on the side exit of the street and KC could barely make out what they were, they looked so strange, nothing like KC had ever seen. But they sure didn’t look friendly, that KC knew very well. Soon they were on to him. The assassins from different sectors had different kinds of weapons. Some looked like daggers and some like electron guns. They moved up to KC not expecting much of a fight from him. They had heard the Supreme Cdr was a spoilt brat who knew nothing about combat. All he knew was to terrorize the 14 sectors using his massive armies.

  What the assassins didn’t know was that this KC, in this time, was different. Different not just in perspective but also in his proficiencies. He was not just a product of this time alone, but also of the original 2950 and the 2018 where he had been roughed up. The skills he possessed were not of an arrogant ruler but of a hard-working General who had been fighting against the IF since he was a little kid. His life was about survival each day, and lavishness was a luxury he could never afford.

  The assassins attacked KC one at a time. KC was too fast for them and neutralized them skilfully almost effortlessly. The remaining assassins couldn’t believe it; one after the other they fell before him.

  Was this supposed to happen? They wondered in absolute disbelief. How in the universe was the Commander putting up such a fight!! They needed a new strategy.

  They regrouped and attacked again, with one of the groups attacking KC from his rear. And the other group from his flank. KC could read their every move. He twisted the arm of one of the assassins, took his dagger and threw it at the leg
of the second assassin. The assassins from the other sectors were flabbergasted. This had to end. They took out their electron guns and pointed them at KC.

  “No more,” said one of the assassins as he pulled the trigger. KC quickly raised his reserve wall. The electron beam got deflected and made an entire building structure come down.

  “Stop this madness,” yelled KC. He didn’t want to fight with anyone. The remaining assassins realized they couldn’t beat KC in hand to hand combat, he was too fast for them. Astonished but not fully dismayed, they all fired their electron guns at KC simultaneously.

  KC held up his reserve wall and blocked the lethal electron beams from hitting him. But his reserve wall was not even half as strong as his primary wall, which he had already lowered. Only Crona could raise his primary wall now. And the combined power of the electron guns of the assassins was proving too much for KC. The combined energy and sheer force of the electron beams pushed KC back bit by bit. He was on his knees now, his wall greatly depleted. It could be breached any second now. The small beep on the Union’s comn unit had now changed into a giant red spot. It would now take KC’s elite guard a matter of seconds to reach him.

  The combined electron guns had breached one portion of KC’s reserve wall by now and had entered inside KC’s wall. No sooner had it entered in, it burned KC’s right shoulder. KC cried in excruciating pain as he fell to the ground still holding his wall. The remaining assassins joined in, they had KC right where they wanted him. They too fired their electron guns at KC. His wall further weakened as the electron beam now hit KC on his leg, instantly burning it. KC was still not giving up and held on to his reserve wall or whatever was left of it as a weak shield. KC had to do something and that too fast. He was exhausted but was nowhere even near to giving up. He concentrated on whatever was left of his wall and fired a massive beam of concentrated energy towards the assassins. Five of the assassins instantly vaporized.