by Yakov Merkin
“I have learned from my sources that there is a traitor in our midst. A fellow Tyrannodon that seeks my destruction.”
That should not have been possible. Tyrannodons could not consciously betray the High Lord; it was programmed into them. If the High Lord’s sources were accurate, this was extremely problematic. “Whoever that is must be found and eliminated,” he stated.
“My thoughts exactly. This traitor has already set our efforts back; the Galactic Alliance was tipped off about those within their ranks that were under my sway. They will be fighting back in force now.”
“What would you have me do?” Darkclaw asked. The plan would have to change. “And how can we find this traitor?”
“To the first,” the High Lord said, “we accelerate the plan of attack. No more gradual conquest, no more wasting time on small worlds. No, you will initiate the final phase of the war. Immediately strike the heart of the Alliance. You will take the Vakarin system, just outside what the Alliance considers its core, and from there capture the Legion Navy resupply base on Kalisene, in the Corseden System. From there you strike Dorandor directly, and end this war before the traitor can cause more damage. I will join the battle over Dorandor personally. The enemy fleet will be no threat.
“As for the traitor; I suspect he is searching in vain for a way to kill me. But there must be careful watch kept on all of those who might have known about my agents. You will not be exempted, though I can clearly tell that you are not responsible.”
Darkclaw nodded. Of course. It was a sensible reaction. The traitor would have to be of some rank, unless there was a larger conspiracy, which could prove to be far more problematic.
“To properly observe,” the High Lord continued, “I have dispatched an extension of myself, an avatar if you will, to join you on the Hudecar. It will observe and allow me easy access to the minds on the ship as well as solve the problem you have raised in the past of my soldiers acting improperly in combat.”
“Of course, my lord. Whatever you deem necessary.” An excellent plan, accomplishing two things at once. “Full cooperation will be given to this avatar.”
“I expect nothing less.” The High Lord paused, only then truly examining the recent events through Darkclaw’s mind. “You have taken Felinaris and Snevan bodyguards? And allowed them and other Felinaris into a Reizan’Tvay facility? I do not approve.”
“I apologize, my lord,” Darkclaw immediately replied. “But our temporary allies insisted on have a hand in protecting me personally, as a show of trust. But on the other hand, the Felinaris have grown suspicious of my searches of Reizan’Tvay facilities. So I relented and permitted them to enter one, to allay their suspicions.” Was there another reason as well? Darkclaw could not recall.
“Very well,” the High Lord replied. “But see to it that you maintain control of them; do not let them influence you as they have in the past. And furthermore, WHAT IS THAT YOU ARE HOLDING?” the High Lord shouted, interrupting his planned words as his consciousness noticed the device Darkclaw was holding.
Darkclaw looked down at the Reizan’Tvay device in his hands. Strange; he had no recollection of picking it up, nor of what it did. At the High Lord’s behest, he attempted to activate the computer console in front of him. A message in the Reizan’Tvay tongue began to play, but it was garbled, deteriorated. But he heard enough. The device in his hands was designed to kill beings such as the High Lord. This could not be allowed to exist, Darkclaw realized after a moment of confusion. Something was amiss with his memory.
“Destroy it! Now!” the High Lord ordered.
Darkclaw complied immediately, and used his claws to completely destroy the device so that it could not be reassembled. He should have done so as soon as he found it. “Further treachery of the Reizan’Tvay.”
“Yes, exactly. You have done very well, Executor. Likely this traitor will have no way to carry out his plans now. But he must still be found, as I see he is working to impair your function. Continue with your operation here, and we will speak again.” As abruptly as it had come, the High Lord’s touch vanished.
Only then did Darkclaw notice the Felinaris and Snevans staring at him, as though they were in shock. Perhaps it had been a mistake to permit them to accompany him. “What are you staring at?” he asked blankly.
A few seconds later, one of the Felinaris, Lieutenant Elkevel, pressed a button. Then Darkclaw felt strange for a moment, and so much rushed back to him. He looked down at the ruins of the Reizan’Tvay weapons. What have I done? What had he won the battle over the planet for, a flicker of hope that would be snuffed out just as quickly as it ignited? Darkclaw recalled an old Daeris saying: There is no despair so great as having a small hope to cling to, only to have it torn away.
“Are you alright?” Nayasar asked. What, had she finally realized exactly how much he was going through for their sakes?
“No, I am not,” Darkclaw said, not caring to control his voice. “That device was our one chance to stop the High Lord.” We had one chance, and now it is gone. I’ve failed everyone I made this choice to protect.
Everyone averted their eyes for a few moments. “You had no choice,” Lisar said, resting a hand on his arm. “It was either that or let this whole enterprise be discovered now. There is still a chance. After all, the recording said—”
“The recording said there were two other ways. One was an unknown metal that apparently only exists in a distant galaxy. Even if we knew what to look for, we would never be able to find it in time.” He paused for a moment, glad that Tyrannodons could not cry. “And the third option was never fully stated. And I doubt we will get more from this computer. It is over. I suppose I can order my fleets to destroy each other, and Selixan Station. It will not stop the High Lord, but it will give you more of a chance.”
“No,” Felivas said, taking a step forward. “It is not time yet for rash actions. The lieutenant is right. There is still hope. Reserve judgment until we fully extract what we can from this laboratory, and the rest of the facility.”
Darkclaw looked over at him, and Nayasar. The grand admiral finally was not looking at Darkclaw with contempt, but she had not said anything either; her face was definitely betraying something, though Darkclaw could tell what. It was a start.
“Now you see the foe we face,” he said as he dropped to one knee to pick up the ruined device. “I do not see any true chance of success, but I am with you to the end. If we fail, and your species are subjugated, I will not stand idly by. If we die, it will be together.” Of course, Darkclaw realized just after he spoke the words that he did have another option. With the innocence chip deactivated and all of his forbidden thoughts and memories gone, he could return to how things were. It would be a simple matter of destroying the chip. No, Darkclaw said to himself. I will not succumb. He had made a choice, and he would hold to it.
Darkclaw looked up as Felivas rested a hand on his shoulder. “I cannot speak for anyone else, but I think I can trust you again. It is truly clear now what you have given up, what you are going through. I am grateful. Even if we do ultimately fail, I am glad to have fought at your side.”
Darkclaw smiled. “Thank you.” He looked past Felivas, where Caretaker was excitedly mumbling to itself. It had surely found the last few minutes very fascinating. But he would have to ensure that it remained silent. Their chances were now even slimmer; he could not let anything else go wrong.
He stood up, and looked at everyone in the room. So long as he drew breath, so long as the High Lord had not discovered his plot, there was still hope, however slim. And he could not allow himself to give up so long as that hope remained; if he would give up, he might as well rejoin the High Lord. And that would never happen. “A single defeat does not end a war,” he said, dropping the pieces of the device to the ground, hoping he sounded more sure than he felt. “We will find a way.” Or, more likely, they would die. But they would die fighting.
CHAPTER 21
Nayasar walked quickly throu
gh the Selban’s shuttle bay to the briefing room where she would ensure that all was ready for Maviiri Detzak’s next operation. They had only been able to gut two targets thus far; six more to go. Once that was done, she could devote herself again to helping Darkclaw. She was finding it hard to still be angry with him, after what she had witnessed in the alien research lab. But she had a duty to avenge the dead, a duty that would be impossible once the war was over. Six more pieces of filth to kill.
When she finally reached the briefing room, Nayasar took a quick look over her shoulder; she’d had a strange feeling that she was being followed but when she saw no one, she entered the familiar, pleasantly cool room, where the rest of the team was mingling and checking their gear. It was nearly time. She was about to address them when she felt again like she was being followed, and the room quieted. Nayasar turned around to see Felivas standing in the doorway, decloaking.
“What in the fifty levels of hell do you think you’re doing?” he demanded.
Nayasar opened her mouth to snap back at him, but she was, surprisingly, unsure of what exactly to say.
Felivas shook his head. “I can’t believe this. All of you, out, now,” he ordered far more forcefully than she had ever heard him speak before.
The group glanced at Nayasar, and when she didn’t say anything slowly filed out of the room, avoiding eye contact with Felivas. Only Kiari had the nerve to reply. “I’m not under your jurisdiction, Felivas. I think I’ll stay right here.”
Felivas glared at her. Nayasar couldn’t recall the last time she’d seen him so angry. “Don’t make me repeat myself, assassin. You will wait outside with the others, or else I’ll arrest you for a stowaway and ship you back to Felinar in a crate.”
Kiari moved to stand in front of Nayasar, arms crossed. “I’d like to see you try.”
“Kiari, just… just do as he says,” Nayasar said. She did not want two of the people she cared about most in the galaxy fighting over nothing. “I’ll resolve this myself.”
Kiari shrugged, and headed for the door. As it hissed open, she turned back to Nayasar and shook her head. “I’ll never understand what you see in him,” she said, then left the room.
“What are you doing here?” she asked. “How did you know where to find me?”
Felivas moved over to the door and locked it. “You’re not impossible to track through the fleet, Nayasar. And besides, I had my suspicions once I learned who else was ‘taking personal days.’ You really didn’t have to pick eleven of the highest profile soldiers in the military, you know. After that, it was a simple matter to shake down Captain Felikhav. So the whole ship is in on this? How many people did you tell what Darkclaw made clear could be told to no one?”
“Only my team knows,” she replied, avoiding eye contact. “They’ll keep it secret.”
“As you did?” Felivas asked. “That assassin is not even part of the military any more. What happens when she gets drunk again?”
Nayasar flinched. “Again?” She knew that Kiari drank too much, likely a result of her action as part of the Hermav unit. But it should not be an issue. She really had to talk to her friend when they had a quiet moment, ensure that she was alright.
“It’s actually thanks to her that I figured out what you’ve been doing. She’s pretty noticeable, especially while drinking. Once I saw her strutting around the fleet I knew conclusively what you were up to. She’s really not quite right in the head, but that’s for another time. Do you have any idea what you’re doing?” he asked, voice rising. “You abandoned your post, put all of our lives at risk by revealing what Darkclaw told us, and to top it off, you’ve been assassinating people! You know what would happen if this were discovered. Don’t you worry that the Alliance might retaliate against Felinar?”
Nayasar had had enough meekly accepting Felivas’s criticism, however valid it might be. “Yes, I know what would happen! And yes, before you ask, I’m well aware of the situation with Darkclaw!” she shouted. “And I know that Felinar is a target! Almost half our fleet is still there, and the Alliance knows that they can’t commit to such a large assault at this time, not without losing the core systems. Even if they know what’s happening, they won’t risk an attack. And if they did, we would stop them in their tracks.
“I will admit that the chance exists, but I also have an obligation to avenge the murdered, something I will not be able to do after this war. You don’t know what it’s like, having thousands of dead souls crying to you to avenge them! Don’t try and claim otherwise. It has to happen, and it has to be me. And we can do it without losing anyone else. If I don’t,” she paused as she began to cry. Felivas would completely fold now. “If I don’t, I’m going to go insane. Report me if you want, but just wait until after we’ve finished. This revenge is the reason we wanted this war in the first place. If we kill our enemies then I can accept ending the war with the Alliance intact.”
Felivas wiped some of the tears from her face with one hand and rested the other on her shoulder. “You know I could never report you. But why didn’t you tell me you were suffering? I could have helped. You could have told me what you were doing. Do you have any idea how worried I was, especially once I figured out what you were up to?”
Oh, Felivas. So earnest, so loyal. She truly did feel bad about hiding things from him, about manipulating him to agree with her. “I didn’t tell you because I assumed I would be discovered. I did not want you implicated as well. We’re hardly secret, after all. There was no reason both of us should fall.”
Felivas was silent for a long moment. Had she succeeded in convincing him? “I… thank you for your concern, but, as you told me about yourself in the past, I don’t need protecting. My place is by your side, whether that involves facing down an indestructible energy being or abandoning our posts to assassinate our enemies. Which leads to my condition for keeping this little expedition of yours a secret: I’m on the team.”
Nayasar had no prepared response. Was Felivas serious? “You can’t,” she finally said after some awkward silence. “We’ve already divided up roles, the ship’s crowded enough, and if you’re missing as well—” Felivas cut her off by placing a hand on her other shoulder.
“That wasn’t a request. I have as much right to do stupid things as you do. There’s nothing more to discuss.” He leaned closer and hugged Nayasar. “Next time, don’t keep me in the dark.”
Nayasar returned the hug. “But what about Darkclaw? And what about the fleet?” They had both seen the stress the Tyrannodon was under, and without either of them to speak to…. Damn it! She did care about Darkclaw after all. But her revenge came first.
“Darkclaw is capable of managing for a short time, at least. And if you’re as organized as you claim to be, we won’t be missed for long. As for the fleet, it will manage for a brief time. I still do not count Darkclaw a friend, but I trust him, in light of what he is doing. We have nothing to fear from him or the Tyrannodon fleet, as long as he is not discovered. And if that happens, I don’t think my being there will make much of a difference. As much as it hurts to leave the fleet, searching for a solution takes priority. And as such,” he added as they ended their hug, “I am going to hijack your little band to search some of those Reizan’Tvay ruins for Darkclaw. We owe him that much, and we’ll already be dangerously deep within Alliance space. Even if you weren’t already going to be there we’d have had to search, and we can’t send anyone else. If we cannot stop the High Lord, then both fighting this war and killing our enemies is for nothing.”
“Fine.” She had gotten most of what she wanted, but Nayasar still felt that Felivas had come out on top of their discussion. Twelve was a better number than eleven, at least. “Just, don’t tell Darkclaw that I’m mostly over being mad at him, not yet.” There would be time for that once the last architects of the Selban Massacre were dead. Until then, nothing else mattered. The fleet would be in good hands under one of the other admirals and Darkclaw. Felivas’s words about the importance of s
earching for a way to stop the High Lord lingered, however. He was right, once again, but she could not admit it. Their species was at stake, not her guilt and anger. Her mind would not allow her to let go of her mission, however, but she could do that along with the searching.
“So should we get the dream team back in here?” Felivas asked. “It’s fortunate that the entire ship is in on this: that group would look quite suspicious standing around in the hallway.”
Nayasar laughed as she imagined an unsuspecting crew member walking by and seeing her team, all outfitted for action and clearly all from very different units, standing awkwardly in the hallway. She wiped away the few tears that still remained on her face. “Call them back in. We have people to kill.”
* * *
“I still can’t believe you let him tag along,” Kiari said as the ship, recently named Harbinger, silently entered the Gretham system, one of the Alliance’s core systems. There were six inhabited worlds in the system, but luckily for them two of their targets were relatives, and lived at the same location, on one of the larger worlds, Hallenon. “He’ll completely ruin our fine-tuned team dynamics.”
Nayasar failed to stifle a laugh. “What, the ones we’ve formed after spending a whole four days together as a team?” The team functioned well, of course, but Kiari was taking it to an extreme. “But seriously, what do you have against him?” Nayasar asked. Felivas was in the cockpit with Mir, acting as copilot.
“What, aside from the fact that he voted against keeping the Hermav unit intact, thus hastening the end of my—official—military career? Honestly, I don’t think he’s good enough for you. He’s so by the book, and dull. You deserve someone more interesting, exciting. At least, that’s what I came to believe after having known you for as long as I have.” A look of mock horror came over Kiari’s face. “You haven’t grown boring, have you?”
