by Yakov Merkin
Abruptly, the room began to fade away, along with the still nameless soldier before her.
“Wait! I have more questions!”
Another smile.
“You have everything you need, within yourself, and with those who support and care for you. You’ll be fine.”
A moment later, the light grew bright enough that it drowned out everything, and Nayasar had to shut her eyes.
When she reopened her eyes, Nayasar was on the floor of her quarters. A near-empty bottle of crihal lay on its side a half meter a way, and as Nayasar pulled herself up onto her elbows, she realized as well that she was halfway out of her very disheveled uniform and there was an old war film playing on one of her screens.
She groaned, pushed herself into a sitting position, and then immediately grabbed her head. Omnipresent preserve, it throbbed like she’d been battered unconscious.
She leaned back against her bed, and after a few minutes, the ache subsided somewhat. Then, when she rubbed at her face, she realized that there were dried tears in her fur, and it all came back to her.
She’d come back here, overwhelmed by everything that had happened, by the… loss of Felivas.
Even the most inspirational war film hadn’t helped, so she had gotten the bottle. When had she last drunk even near that much?
The thought of it all threatened to overwhelm her again, but the memory of the conversation with the nameless soldier stopped her.
It truly didn’t matter if that had merely been a dream fueled by alcohol, emotional distress, and whatever else had been around, or something more; it still felt like something truly unique.
Nayasar pulled her legs up against her chest and held them there as she centered herself, remembering the dream, vision, whatever. Despair would do nothing for her, and if she ever intended to see Felivas again—now, more than ever, she was convinced he still lived—she had to stay strong, focused, and close to her friends.
As if on cue, a message came in to her multitool from Darkclaw; he wished to speak with her over the comm in a little while.
Nayasar stood up, stretched, massaged her aching forehead, and pulled off her uniform as she shut the film off. She had just enough time to clean herself up, put on a fresh uniform, and speak with Darkclaw in a manner befitting a grand admiral and royal heir.
CHAPTER 63
Darkclaw sat, alone, in a large room that was both disturbingly familiar and comfortingly new.
Betrayed.
What had once been the High Lord’s throne room on board the now nearly battle-ready Hudecar, would now be Darkclaw’s private meditation and long-range conference chamber. Gone were the etchings and statues depicting the Reizan’Tvay, as well as the pedestal through which Darkclaw had communed with his dead former master, replaced by a massive computer console, transmitter, and numerous projectors that were now displaying dozens of excerpts from alien literature and other cultural creations, the first step in his new approach to defeating his enemies.
This was far from the only thing changed aboard the flagship. When he had made the decision to salvage the Hudecar following its crash on Dorandor, he had determined to make it his own, and to improve on what the High Lord himself had created.
The ship, which had previously been extremely large, as befitting a battleship, and the flagship of the armada, now dwarfed them all, becoming the galaxy’s first super dreadnought. It was many times larger than the original ship, the remains of which, essentially, now served as the core of the new one, and carried more firepower on its own than an entire battlegroup; its own small fleet, capable even of carrying support capital ships in addition to hundreds of fighters.
Darkclaw had hoped for it to become a symbol for his people, of their might and ingenuity, as well as something that would deter future conflicts. But now, the Hudecar would be seeing battle again, due to the Alliance’s treachery.
The Alliance.
The mere thought of them now filled Darkclaw with a rage he hadn’t known he possessed. He had saved them, at great risk to himself, and done all that he could, more than he had to, truth be told, to work with them, make amends for his crimes, and build a better future for them all—even when that goal had caused him to butt heads with his longtime allies. And this was how they repaid him. Because of them, and his own naïveté, his people, as well as his closest allies and friends, were in arguably the most dire straits of their existence. The overwhelming force of the Galactic Alliance and the Revittan Empire was arrayed against them, and with Sneva already fallen, they only had a tenuous hold on two systems. And the enemy knew this.
He had been a fool to underestimate Sai’var. The grand admiral’s reputation and early brilliance had made that clear enough, but Darkclaw had let his desire for peace and friendship with the Alliance blind him. They had never been winning the war, and could not have been, not in the way they had fought, at least; fighting like the Alliance, not like the High Lord.
And now, Darkclaw had a decision to make. A decision that carried with it potentially very dangerous consequences. One he had been wrestling with since his return home. But as much as what he now planned to do scared him, there was no choice. It would take a terrible personal risk—which could also carry dangers for others along the path—or all-but accept defeat and all that entailed, removal of freedom, if not worse.
The console chimed as Nayasar contacted him, right on schedule.
Darkclaw repositioned himself in his seat, and accepted the transmission.
A life-size hologram of Nayasar appeared before him, her head only just clearing his tall desk, which only further emphasized her small size, and Darkclaw felt even more for the heavy burden the small, young commander carried.
“Darkclaw,” Nayasar said in greeting. She projected calm, standing still with her face neutral, but Darkclaw now knew emotional species, and Nayasar in particular well enough to recognize that this was a front, and that just below the surface lurked tremendous anger, fear, and sadness. When he had first met her, Nayasar had been a female bent on revenge at any cost, and this Nayasar made that one appear mild. This time, however, it was clear that while her thoughts were with Felivas, her desire for revenge was not a selfish one. For now, at least. Vengefulness was not inherently bad, so long as it was for the right reasons. And right now, Darkclaw understood her feelings, all of them, all too well.
“Nayasar,” Darkclaw replied, choosing words carefully. “I want to say that I am sorry for not seeing what you saw, for not adequately preparing for what happened. And I am so, so sorry about Felivas. Do not let yourself bear any blame for our dire situation; that is all on me. And I pledge to do everything in my power to right this, to avenge those lost over Ilvaness.”
“He is alive,” Nayasar responded immediately, eyes hard. Darkclaw could not tell if she truly knew this, somehow, or if she told herself it was so in order to keep herself going, so he did not linger on the point.
“Then we must get him back to you, safely. However, Nayasar, we must do it the right way, according to my plans.”
Nayasar didn’t immediately respond, and Darkclaw could see her muscles tense. A few seconds later, however, she relaxed slightly, and nodded. “I understand,” she said, through it was quite clear that she wasn’t completely happy with it.
Darkclaw decided to immediately progress to practical matters, and hopefully alleviate any doubts. “This war will not be like our last with the Alliance, in nearly all aspects. We have none of our past advantages, and, clearly, are in a terrible position at present. But there is a very real possibility that we can both survive and defeat our enemies. However, to even have that chance, there will be a cost.
“I will have to tap into what I once was. I did not need to make full use of the tactical skills I was imbued with, during the invasion. The Darkclaw I was during this conflict with the Revittan Empire cannot win this war. That Darkclaw can.”
“I can’t let you do that,” Nayasar said, concern in her voice. “You worked so ha
rd to escape that, Darkclaw. To voluntarily submit to it again… I…,” her voice trembled. “Surely there is another way.”
Darkclaw shook his head. “I wish there was, but the facts are the facts. In that vein, if I am to truly attempt to win us this war, I will need absolute control over all of our forces, and my commands must be followed without question, no matter how hard-hearted, cruel, or even immoral those orders are. It sickens me to say this, but that is the only way in which we win this war; we fight dirty, we fight hard, and we will live, free, to come to terms with whatever we have to do. I only hope the others are willing to take part in this.”
“If they are not, I will change their minds,” Nayasar said without hesitation. “Is that why you wanted to speak with me first, alone?”
Darkclaw smiled. “Not entirely. As you might expect, if I open myself to… the old me, I will become, shall we say, less personable and more reclusive. So I will need two things of you, Nayasar. While I remain our leader from a tactical perspective, you must be the face and the heart of our resistance. You will speak to friends and enemies, and, most importantly, inspire our fighters. You are far better than me at that regardless, and as outnumbered and out-positioned as we are, that will be vital. The moment our forces start to despair and give up, is the moment we lose, tactics or no tactics.”
Darkclaw paused, took a breath, then went on. “There is one more thing. In doing what I must, there is a significant risk that I could fall back into what I once was, and not re-emerge again. I will, of course, do whatever I can to prevent that from happening, but I may need your help as well. You played a major role in the changes that led to me becoming the better person I am now, and thus I will need you to keep an eye on me, and make sure that I don’t fall into that abyss. You must be my lifeline.”
“Of course, I can do that.” Nayasar forced a smile, which clashed with her tired, worried eyes. “You really think we can pull this off?” She asked after a moment’s pause.
“I know we can. The Empire is not as secure as it may appear, and the Alliance will definitely have internal conflict before long. We have allies within the Alliance as well as the Empire, allies who I can put into play when the time is right.” He chose not to get into details, especially about the mysterious message of support he had recently picked up from Imperial space; he had to investigate that further, and would then inform the entire command staff in conference, once he had made contact with said supporters. He could only hope that he could convince the rebels to work with him; after the crushing betrayal of the Alliance that so many had pinned their hopes of a better life on, they would justifiably be wary. But their options were at least as limited as his own, and that could well override their disillusionment.
“There is hope, Nayasar. Do not forget that. You have to be strong; for me, for Felivas, and for all our people. Together, we can, and will, prevail, no matter the cost.”
“When you speak like that, I can believe it. Don’t sell your inspirational abilities short, my friend,” Nayasar said. “I’ll see you again soon.”
Nayasar ended the transmission, and Darkclaw let a hand drift down to where he kept the relic recovered from the hollow world and then sat back to resume his detailed research into his now seemingly endless enemies. Perhaps the relic, the power source, had a role to play in all of this, even if not in its intended purpose. Darkclaw shook his head. There was much to learn, and very, very limited time.
And once he was ready, the Alliance would pay. They would pay dearly for their treachery.
CHAPTER 64
Nayasar sat in front of the broadcast transmitter in the RFN High Command building on Felinar, staring at it as she worked to ready herself. She had a speech to make, one the whole galaxy would hear, and on top of everything else she was feeling, the pressure just kept on building.
Is it warm in here, or is it just me?
Nayasar glanced down at her prepared speech. In truth, it was more a rough outline that she would have to expand on. It should serve its purpose well, but the delivery was what would truly matter.
She smoothed out her uniform, checked in a small handheld mirror that her face looked as it should, with no hints of the recent stress, then repositioned her notes, rested her arms on the desk, and activated the transmitter.
“This is Nayasar Khariah, grand admiral of the Royal Felinaris Navy, heir to the throne of Felinar, and I have a message for the entire galaxy; my fellow Felinaris, our allies, and, most importantly, our enemies.” Nayasar paused for effect, and to allow for more people receiving the wide-broadcast signal to start listening, before continuing.
“Contrary to what some of you may have heard, and despite the heinous betrayal of those we had considered allies, we are not broken, and this fight is far, far from over. To my beloved people, and all of ours friends and allies,” Nayasar went on, just managing to contain her emotions, “take heart in this. No matter how dark it may seem, and no matter what the enemy may say, we will survive and prevail. To our enemies, you have no idea what you truly began over Ilvaness not long ago.
“We will fight you, and never stop fighting you. We will fight you in your systems, over your worlds, and over ours. We will fight you in orbit, we will fight you on the ground. We will survive your coming attempts to end us, and take the fight to you, and your worlds, to all of you who sought to annihilate us, and we will defeat you.”
Nayasar’s blood began to pump ever faster as she felt herself become invigorated by her own words, and she no longer had to feign confidence and strength at all. “You sought to destroy us in one fell swoop, but you failed; soon, you will learn just what you have unleashed, and before the end, you will come to regret this decision.” She could picture, in her mind’s eye, her enemies in both the Alliance and the Empire hearing her now, and wondered how they would all take this.
“And to the traitors in the Galactic Alliance,” Nayasar added, going off script slightly, “your fate will be the worst of all. Whether you acted out of cowardice, or malice, you have sealed your fates. You have lit a fire the likes of which the galaxy has never seen, and brought a reckoning upon yourself.
“My people, and our allies, will never surrender to the likes of you, and by the end of this, you will be the ones on your knees, begging for mercy!”
Nayasar terminated the broadcast, and glared at the transmitter as the adrenaline began to subside. Once it did, Nayasar closed her eyes as some tears began to form, and uttered a quick prayer for Felivas.
Stay strong, Felivas, the love of my life. I will come for you, and we will be together again, to build a wonderful, holy family among the Felinaris.
Glossary
Acaviss System: The home system of the arachnid Stilliek. As a relatively new member of the Alliance, it does not have much involvement in general Alliance politics, mostly dealing with its immediate neighbors.
Alaren: A fairly remote planet, the largest of three inhabitable but sparsely settled worlds in a system of the same name, Alaren possesses a wide variety of climates, and an abundance of natural resources, but in part due to the Revittan population in that region of space not being particularly high and a number of very dangerous animals, no large-scale settlement has been established. The Free People’s Alliance at once point had a major base on Alaren, until it was discovered and captured by Imperial forces under the command of Grand Admiral Sai’var.
Algen: A Tehlmanlike species native to the Algen system. They are naturally more acidic than Tehlmans, due to their homeworld’s climate, and also have plantlike traits, being able to derive sustenance from sunlight and regenerate, over time, even lost limbs.
Algen System/ Algen: The Algen, and their home system, are not major players politically within the Galactic Alliance, but over time their system, not too far from the Alliance’s core worlds, became a business hub, to the point where over a third of those living on the planet’s primary world are not natives, though they are often referred to as Algen regardless.
A
liyasen: The capital city of the Khadohs Kingdom of Felinar.
Archmagi (Singular: Archmagus): Key advisors and protectors of the Custoratis king, who are particularly proficient in the species’ ability to channel energy through lightcasters and other similar devices.
Arelaan: The homeworld of the amphibious Myqar, Arelaan is located not far from the Alliance border, and, due to that location, has a significant Imperial presence, entirely on the surface of the watery world. Myqar cities are primarily underwater, and a difficult place for members of other species to live, though some have made the underwater cities home, and more non-Myqar live on the several floating cities—most of which are extensions of older, underwater cities. The planet, which had very strongly resisted Revittan expansion, was later rebuilt with Imperial support, as, in the early years at least, the Myqar were seen as an adversary worth of respect and as equal citizens of the Empire, a view which has changed over time both to them and the Revittans.
Arthromic: Not a whole lot is known about this winged, insectoid species, which was only first seen in the Empire very recently, and then exclusively as cannon fodder shock troops for the Imperial military. Common speculation is that they were recently discovered and either pressed into service, or some sort of deal was made behind the scenes. In addition to their ability to fly, Arthromic have been observed firing globules of a highly acidic substance from their mouths, giving them a potent natural weapon for use in their front-line combat role.
Arasan Flitter: A small creature, native to the backwater moon of Arasa in Imperial space—and now also found on several other worlds—that is capable of floating and traveling on even light air currents.
Arraz Trees: Fruit trees native to Felinar, that also produce a sweet, fragrant scent all year round.
