The Sunfire

by Mike Smith

  “Well you are out of luck,” Jon snapped irritably. “He foolishly thought he could take out my flagship with a single shuttle. He is currently smeared across the hull of my ship. What is left of the Commander would just about fill a coffee cup. It’s a miracle that his sword survived the impact.” Jon waved towards the weapon resting on the desk. “Now that I have fulfilled my part of the bargain, I want what is rightfully mine.”

  “What is rightfully mine,” Sejanus repeated the phrase with a curious catch to his voice. “Then you and I are alike in this regard, as we both want the same thing. I am not a greedy person, all I want returned to me is what is rightfully mine. Something that was promised to me, but was later stolen away and promised to another. That is all that I want…” Sejanus’ voice trailed off. However, he finally noticed the two officers standing behind Jon. “However, my manners. Please introduce me to your fellow officers before we get down to the business at hand,” he said, his eyes lingering on Miranda.

  Jon hissed in frustration, but realising that while Sejanus had the Emperor he held all the cards and, for the time being, he had to play by Sejanus’ rules. However, Jon had never been one to play by the rules, at least not for long.

  “Master Sergeant Patrick Reynolds, my personal head of security,” he motioned to Gunny on his right. “Captain Miranda Sun, my pilot and personal aide.” He motioned towards Miranda on his left as he introduced her.

  Sejanus only gave Gunny a cursory glance before dismissing him, moving instead towards Miranda with a hungry gaze. It was a credit to Miranda that she did not so much as flinch, even when Sejanus stepped way into her personal space, reaching up with his forefinger to run his fingernail down the side of her cheek. “Such a beauty,” he breathed, continuing to run his finger along the side of her mouth, down her chin. “I hope as the Admiral’s aide that you help him, in many different ways,” he said, continuing to run his finger down the front of her chest, along the surface of her flight suit, lingering on her breasts clearly accentuated by the form-fitting suit.

  Miranda did not budge, did not even breathe as she stared into his eyes, which were dark with desire. Leaving her feeling alone, naked and vulnerable. It was only then she truly understood the difference between the two men. For when Jon stared at her with a similar gaze, he promised warmth, shared pleasure and endless passion. However, this man, with his dark empty eyes, promised nothing, only what he wanted to take, giving nothing in return. His gaze left Miranda feeling cold all over.

  Finally as his finger wandered even lower, Jon’s hand shot-out in a vice-like grip, catching Sejanus’ wrist and prised his hand away from Miranda. “Why don’t we focus on the business at hand shall we? Instead of getting side tracked by distractions,” Jon uttered, giving Sejanus a penetrating stare.

  Sejanus just shrugged nonchalantly, as if Jon’s interruption was a minor inconvenience and he would simply resume where he left off whenever he felt it convenient. “Then we need to discuss the other requirement that I stipulated, for I do not see the Princess.”

  Whatever Sejanus was going to say next was interrupted by the chime of the door. Far from being angered by the interruption he seemed excited, as if he had been anticipating it. “Excuse the interruption,” he said insincerely. “However, as I was not anticipating your sudden arrival I have other business to deal with. It will only take a few moments to finish. Stay, I insist.” The last few words were delivered as a command, tolerating no dissent. “Come,” he called out in the direction of the door. All the while focusing on Jon with a searing gaze of his own, demonstrating his command over the entire situation.

  As the door slid open Jon had a sudden sinking feeling in his stomach. He observed the auburn-haired woman being manhandled into the room by two of the burly guards who had been stationed by the door earlier. In a rough, homespun white cotton dress, Jon guessed she was barely in her mid-twenties, her pale blue eyes wide with terror as she stared at Sejanus. None of this inspired any confidence in Jon that this encounter was going to end well. Sejanus meanwhile gazed upon the young woman with unrestrained delight. The guards forced the young woman to her knees in front of him and then, at a sharp nod, quickly withdrew to the far side of the room, but remained inside.

  For a brief moment nothing could be heard in the room except the woman’s terrified gasps, for a moment Jon thought he could actually hear her trembling. The silence was interrupted by Sejanus taking a step forward, then another, until he was standing over the woman. Explaining to the occupants of the room, Sejanus announced in a loud voice. “This woman has been caught stealing from me. I have made it perfectly clear, nobody steals from me, ever.” With those words he reached down and pulled the woman sharply to her feet by one arm. Spinning her around, he slipped one powerful forearm under her throat to restrain her. Her back was pressed firmly into his chest, as she was forced to face Jon, Miranda and Gunny.

  Jon tensed as he caught Sejanus glancing at the sword resting on the table. Knowing what was about to come next and powerless to stop it, he nonetheless braced himself, for if Sejanus made any move towards that weapon he would kill him where he stood. His sword had already shed the blood of one innocent person, many years before. At the time Jon had promised himself it would be the one and last.

  However, as if changing his mind, Sejanus instead withdrew his own sword from his side, reaching back until the point of the weapon pressed into the base of the young woman’s back. It was obvious she could feel the point of the deadly weapon, as her eyes went wide in paralysing fear, her gaze begging Jon for help.

  Jon’s arm snapped up, just in time to stop Miranda. He could feel her take a step forward to intervene in what was obviously about to take place. Similarly Gunny took a step closer to her, reaching a steadying hand on her shoulder. To similarly restrain her, or just to offer her his unvoiced support, Jon did not know. Meanwhile Jon did not look away from the young woman’s terrified eyes as he knew that this entire travesty was being put on for his torment.

  That this woman was to die because of him. Sejanus’ way of demonstrating who had the ultimate authority in this place, at this time. The power to determine who lived and who died.

  Jon would have tried to stop what happened next, if he thought it would have made any difference, but it wouldn’t have. For Sejanus was staring at Jon to ensure he observed every second of this. Glancing into Sejanus’s eyes Jon saw something he had missed earlier—rapture. For while Sejanus was doing this to make his point, he was also taking pleasure in doing so. Jon could not miss the unmistakable gleam of pleasure in his eyes, the upturned smile of delight as he suddenly thrust the sword forward, angling the blade up past her ribs, through her still-beating heart and out through her chest.

  With his gaze still locked onto the woman he could see her expression change to one of stunned disbelief before the light slowly faded from her eyes, until finally they continued to stare at him, vacant and lifeless. A stain of red blood spread rapidly across the front of her plain white cotton dress.

  He could hear Miranda retching in the background uncontrollably.

  It wasn’t until that moment Jon made a decision. Up until then, his only objective had been to breach the complex, find Marcus and get him out, alive. However, staring into Sejanus’s upturned face and glazed eyes, seeing him elated and relishing the moment, Jon promised himself he would not leave until he saw this man dead.

  “Sergeant, please take Captain Sun elsewhere and help her get cleaned up. Stay with her and I’ll join you later, after Sejanus and I have finished our business.” Jon did not look away from Sejanus, but could hear Miranda and Gunny depart. Meanwhile, the two guards dragged the now lifeless body from the office. Jon noted absently the thick, blood-red carpet seemed to absorb the bloodstain with ease. Wondering how many other poor innocent souls had lost their life-blood on this very carpet. Perhaps the very reason that Sejanus had chosen that colour?

  “Sorry for the interruption, now where were we?” Sejanus inquired with a
smile, shifting topics as if all he had just done was sign another report and not take a woman’s life.

  “You were about to hand Marcus Aurelius over to me in return for me fulfilling my part of the bargain and bringing you the Praetorian Commander,” Jon insisted smoothly.

  “Not so soon Admiral,” Sejanus wagged a finger at him warningly. “The deal was that you brought me both the Commander and the Princess.”

  For the first time Jon let his irritation clearly show. “She is holed up in the Senate on Eden Prime. It’s not as if I can send my troops to retrieve her. Eden is the most heavily defended system in all the Confederation. If you want her, go and get her yourself. I am hardly welcome on Eden Prime.” Jon confessed, although the real reason that he was not welcome was far different.

  “Who said anything about the Princess being on Eden Prime,” Sejanus responded with a feral smile. “I think your intelligence is out of date. The Princess left Eden Prime several days ago.”

  For the first time since stepping into the room, Jon was at a complete loss for words and hence couldn’t keep the shock from his voice when he replied, “Sofia isn’t on Eden Prime?”

  “Not anymore and before you ask I already have a team en route to retrieve her, so I will take your point into consideration.”

  Meanwhile Jon’s expression remained frozen, but his thoughts were running overtime. Where the hell was she and what had ever possessed her to leave Eden Prime? For Jon had spent a great deal of time and an obscene amount of money to ensure that while she remained there she was protected. After all, where better to keep her safe than the most protected building, on the most protected planet, orbiting the most protected system in the entire Confederation? In addition to this, Jon had used all his connections and considerable wealth to ensure she was protected both day and night.

  All for Sofia to simply walk away, through his rings upon rings of security, and leave. Jon felt like banging his head in frustration. All his time and effort completely wasted. Jon decided if he every managed to get off this planet alive, he was going to hunt her down, drag her back to Terra Nova and tie her firmly to his bed. The thought brought a brief smile to Jon’s lips.

  “Something you find amusing?” Sejanus asked curiously.

  “I was wondering what you wanted the Princess for?” Jon casually sidestepped the question. “You already have Marcus, what could you possibly want with his daughter too?”

  “That's none of your concern,” Sejanus snapped, for the first time letting his own mask of indifference slip for an instant.

  Jon thought quickly, wondering what this sadist would want with Sofia. Somehow Jon doubted he was attracted to her beauty or personality. No, he needed her for something else and the obvious answer suddenly popped into his head and, for the first time during the meeting, Jon smiled in satisfaction. “You cannot break him can you?”

  Sejanus’ darkening expression was all the answer that Jon needed.

  “You have had him for five years, but in that time you still haven’t been able to break him. That's why you need the Princess, his daughter, as leverage.”

  “That’s not the only reason,” Sejanus insisted leaning forward with an angry stare. “She was promised to me, but was stolen away from me. She’s mine and I always, always, take what is mine.”

  Jon took a step back in surprise, unable to believe what he was hearing. Yet looking into the other man’s eyes he saw the truth of his words, or at least some twisted version of it. Suddenly Jon saw the truth, the horrible, disgusting truth. That Sejanus and he had more in common than he could ever have imagined.

  Marcus had promised Sofia to this monster!

  The thought made Jon’s blood boil and for the first time ever Jon contemplated violence against the man he had come to love almost as a father. To offer beautiful, gentle Sofia, with her disarming smile, kind personality and silvery laugh, to this man, this incarnation of evil?

  What was even worse was Sejanus had no idea of how precious Sofia was. Instead only seeing her as a stepping-stone to the greatest prize of them all—to be Emperor. For the short time Sofia and he had been together he had learned all of the combined wealth of the Imperium could not measure up to her love. That her smile and touch made him more powerful than the Emperor himself. Everything she was and could give would be lost on this man, who would simply have taken whatever he desired and left her broken, empty and alone.

  Jon swore to himself this was never going to happen. He would find the Emperor and free him. After he was safe Jon would return here, and there would be a reckoning between them. And whatever fate befell him, Sejanus was never going to have Sofia. Instead he was going to die by Jon’s hand.

  Chapter Twelve

  Planet Tartarus, Sigma Draconis System

  A tired and despondent Jon finally made his way back to their assigned quarters after a further several hours of fruitless negotiation with Sejanus. The man had made it abundantly clear that unless Jon could offer him something of equal worth to the Princess, then Marcus would remain firmly in his grasp. Unfortunately, Jon could offer very little in return, as it was obvious wealth mattered little to Sejanus and the few remaining secrets Jon possessed he refused to give up. He could not contemplate what horrors this man would unleash on the Confederation if Jon shared with him what he knew. Jon knew with absolute certainty it was that very same fear allowing Marcus to continue to refuse to divulge whatever secrets he knew.

  That, of course, brought up the next problem Jon didn’t want to face, the fact that if Sofia had left Eden Prime, she was in a very vulnerable position. Jon trembled at the thought of Sofia in that man’s grasp. What was even worse was Jon knew Marcus would give Sejanus whatever he demanded if Sofia was brought before him. For Marcus and Jon shared the same weakness. Sofia was all the two of them had left and both of them would sacrifice all they knew to keep her safe. It was that fact that scared Jon most of all as he entered the small quarters that had been assigned to them.

  Stepping into the dimly lit room, the first thing that he noticed was a tear-stained Miranda sitting on the bed, arms tightly enfolded around herself, sobbing quietly. At the sound of the door opening Miranda looked up and, recognising Jon, flew at him furiously. Jon managed to quickly catch her in his arms as she frantically pounded on his chest.

  “I hate you. I hate you,” she cried. “Why didn’t you do anything? Why didn’t you stop him? Why did you stop me?” She continued hitting him on the chest for a few moments longer before, finally exhausted, she just rested her head against him and cried.

  Enfolding her in a tight embrace, lowering his head so he could kiss her silky crown of hair, he said to her, “There was nothing I could have done. If I had let you intervene you would have ended up dead too. Sejanus killed that woman, not you or me. I promise you I will not let her death go unpunished. Trust me on this, okay?”

  Miranda just nodded her head in understanding against his chest, trying to draw comfort and strength from his embrace. After a minute she stepped back and, with an embarrassed expression, wiped the tears from her eyes. “I’m sorry. I know that it is not your fault, it’s just—”

  Touching underneath her chin, using his fingertip to lift her head up to look him in the eye, he reassured her. “You do not ever need to be embarrassed for having feelings, emotions or compassion. That is what separates us from people like Sejanus.” Glancing around the small room, Jon finally noticed Gunny and Jason seated around a small table. The little light from a small desk lamp cast long shadows over their drawn faces. “I assume that Gunny and Miranda have brought you up to speed on what happened during the meeting?” Jon inquired.

  Jason just nodded glumly.

  “Then I assume Gunny has also told you Sejanus is a Praetorian?”

  “Sejanus is a Praetorian?” Miranda exclaimed looked up in disbelief. “But you told me that there were no more Praetorians, that you were the last.”

  “I can only tell you what my own two eyes saw,” Jon insisted. “
Sejanus is a Praetorian, or at least was one once. I don’t know how it is possible, as I commanded them all. I knew every one of them by name and they are all now dead. I can’t explain it either, as the previous Praetorian Commander assured me you could never quit the Praetorian Guard. However, he knew this man; he called him by name once.” Jon sighed, rubbing the back of his neck tiredly, sitting down on the bed where Miranda had been seated only moments before. “I wish I could talk to Gideon, Marcus or even Sofia. Maybe they could tell us what happened. All I know for a fact is that when I arrived Sejanus had long since gone, but for what reason I have no idea.”

  Looking around at their worried expressions, Jon tried to reassure them. “Just because he was a Praetorian doesn’t mean everything is lost. At the end of the day he is a man and is just as fallible as the rest of us, in some ways more so.” Looking at their confused faces he tried to explain. “When you become a Praetorian you are told from the start you are the best, the strongest, the most elite, and no person can ever better you. After a while, hearing it so often, you start to believe it.”

  “You become overconfident,” Miranda uttered, finally understanding what Jon was trying to say. “So doesn’t that mean you are overconfident? Not to mention being overbearing and arrogant?” Miranda laughed.

  “I was the leader of the Praetorians,” Jon sniffed at the accusation. “Hence it doesn’t apply to me.”

  Miranda just fell back on the bed, laughing hysterically.

  “Tell them the rest of it Commander, they both have a right to know,” Gunny insisted quietly in a grim voice, interrupting Miranda’s laughter.

  Jon stared at Gunny momentarily as something passed between them, a mutual understanding, recognition of shared horrors and the depravity of how low some people could sink. “Sejanus did not just put on that show for our benefit, he enjoyed what he did to that woman.”