Fury to the Stars (Universe in Flames Book 2)

by Christian Kallias

  The commodore passed his hand over his face. “For now, only the security who caught her in the act. Had they arrived a few minutes later, it might have been too late.”

  “Do we know anything about her?”

  “Yes, we managed to gather some basic information. Nothing special, no history of violence. She really doesn’t fit the profile of a criminal.”

  “Should I… Should I go talk to her?”

  Commodore Saroudis nodded. “She’s in the brig. We’ll monitor from here.”

  * * *

  When Chase arrived at the brig, he got a quick debrief from the security officer who tried to interrogate the perpetrator after her arrival. She’d barely said a word, not even her name—it was found later by accessing some of Earth’s databases.

  Age thirty-seven, Caucasian with brown hair, blue eyes. Named Nina Greenhurst. Widow, mother of one daughter, no previous problems with the law, a real clean slate on paper. Yet, she had tried to blow up a destroyer in orbit. Something didn’t add up.

  When Chase arrived at the cell, the security guard lowered the protective force field. It was reinstated the second he stepped inside.

  The woman sat with her back to the wall, her arms secured at the wrist, on a standard, sturdy, metal, brushed prisoner’s chair. When she saw Chase come in, she held his gaze unapologetically until it was actually him who glanced away.

  “What’s your name?” he asked tentatively.

  She didn’t even blink, let alone answer.

  “So you’re a nameless criminal who finds blowing up people and property fun, is that it?”

  Again, no reaction. No answer. No sign she even registered the question.

  An image of Sarah’s hand sticking up out of the smoldering rubble flashed through his head and he leaned forward with a glare.

  “Do you realize the enormity of the crime you were about to commit?” he thundered, just inches from her face. “The number of people who could have lost their lives? Quadrinium is a very volatile element, but you knew that already since you were near its storage chamber.”

  Again, words didn’t seem to impact her at all. Let’s try a threat then.

  “I’d be talking to me, if I was you. If you don’t, I’ll send my Droxian friend in here and things might get real ugly real fast.”

  For the first time, the words hit home. She looked him right in the eyes and smiled.

  She was clearly taunting him. For what reason, Chase simply couldn’t understand. What was the motivation here? Shaking his head in exasperation, he took a step back. Perhaps a show of force was required.

  His face hardened as he slowly lifted his hand. A second later, a magnificent blue fireball spun into view. He approached her slowly, letting her view it from every angle.

  It clearly got her attention. Her eyes sparkled and flashed as the light streaked across them. But while her expression changed, it wasn’t fear that changed it. It was something else.

  “Freak!”

  He took a step back as she spat out the word, the fire dissipating in his hand.

  “Perhaps I am a freak. But I don’t kill people like a coward.”

  What happened next took him by surprise.

  “Or so you think.” Her eyes flashed in anger. “I believe a few million souls down there would disagree with that statement.”

  The words stung Chase’s heart. It was an affirmation of everything he’d been blaming himself for during the last few weeks. But he brushed the thoughts away. Now was not the time. It looked like they were finally getting somewhere. Grief was where the game would be played.

  “And I believe we saved the seven plus billion souls still alive, included you. Or does that count for nothing?” he asked softly.

  “I don’t care about them, I…” Her voice trailed off, but the words she wouldn’t let herself say were suddenly clear.

  “Who did you lose?”

  She looked at Chase defiantly.

  “You think your parents would agree with what you tried to do?”

  No reaction.

  “Do you have children?”

  This time the anger was mixed with sheer pain, utter sorrow.

  “I see...” he said with soft sympathy. “How old were they?”

  Tears started running down her face. She tried to wipe them only to be reminded that she was still in handcuffs. Chase leaned forward to do it for her, but she reeled back.

  “Don’t touch me—this is all your fault! You should never have come to our planet!”

  The words hit home. It was a touchy subject, one that was often at the center of his thoughts. This time there was no brushing it away. Hearing an Earthling actually say it to his face had more impact that he thought possible.

  “Perhaps...” he murmured pensively.

  As he debated what to do next, Daniel breezed into the brig. Deciding it was best to give both himself and the prisoner a moment to cool off, Chase slipped back out of the cell.

  “Where were you?” he asked Daniel, giving him a playful hit on the shoulder.

  “I was making sure there were no other devices on the ship. And I also visited a prisoner of my own today. Chase, you’re not going to believe it…”

  “Really? Who?”

  “We didn't know it until now, but you know those cells on Earth where we keep the Zarlacks from the Dragon’s Claw locked up? Well, it turns out we have a rather distinctive guest amongst them.”

  “You got me curious. Who?”

  Daniel raised his eyebrows importantly. “The emperor himself.”

  “You’re yanking my chain!”

  “No, I’m serious. I went to confirm it myself just now. And let me tell you, Chase, he has some pretty interesting things to say…”

  Chase considered this before glancing back at his own prisoner. “I’m not getting through to her. I don’t know if she’ll talk without being physically coerced.”

  Daniel looked surprised. “Are we even entertaining that?”

  “Normally I would say no, but things could get out of control real fast if we don’t try to locate the source of these acts of terror.”

  “I don’t know, man.” Daniel shook his head. “That’s a slippery slope.”

  “I know...” Chase said with a sigh. He clicked his comm. “Commodore, tell Ryonna she’s up next.”

  “What about the emperor, Chase?”

  “Let’s go visit him. Now. I’m getting nowhere with this one anyway.”

  But deep down, Chase knew that was only partially true. It wasn’t that he was getting nowhere with the prisoner. It was that she was starting to get to him.

  * * *

  As Ryonna entered the brig, she instructed the guard to stop any video recording. She didn’t know if it was her imposing stature or because she had been seen on the ship a few times already with Chase and the commodore, but he immediately complied even though Ryonna knew very well Saroudis wouldn’t sanction what would come next. She then told the officer to release the prisoner’s wrist bands and wait outside.

  The second they were alone, Ryonna swept into the cell and grabbed the prisoner by her throat, lifting her up and slamming her into the wall. Nina’s eyes flashed with terror as she gasped for air, but Ryonna held strong, intending to keep her there until the fear Nina was so obviously lacking was firmly in place.

  When it looked like she was about to pass out, Ryonna suddenly released her just enough so she could get some much needed air. As she gasped and wheezed in pain, Ryonna leaned in with a flat smile.

  “I think we started on the wrong foot here. You tried to blow our ship, and now you don’t want to talk. If that’s what you want to keep doing, please tell me now so I can put you out of your misery.”

  She let go and Nina collapsed to the ground with a thud. She clutched her throat and looked up in terror as Ryonna towered over her.

  “I’m listening… or would you like to go for another trip against the wall?”

  Droxians were known for their brutal interrog
ations. More often than not, the subjects would either speak or succumb to their wounds. And in this case, Ryonna had no emotional attachment to the life of someone who would have killed thousands if not more with her previous actions. She knew the commodore and Chase had second thoughts, backed by the principles of their Alliance allegiance. She, however, didn’t recognize them yet. And as long as no official treaty or alliance had been signed by her people, she would treat the subject as it would be on Droxian soil.

  Also, unluckily for Nina, Ryonna had lost her power to see a person’s time of death, so she had no idea if she would end Nina today, or if the prisoner would eventually speak.

  When she stayed silent too long, Ryonna took a sudden step towards her, but Nina raised her hands protectively over her face. “W-wait.”

  “I won’t wait long.”

  Nina took a deep breath and managed a whisper. “I’ll tell you what you want to know.”

  “That’s better.” Ryonna softened infinitesimally. “I understand you lost someone close to you. I’m very sorry for that. But if you think the Alliance is at fault, you’re wrong.”

  Silent tears flowed down Nina’s face and Ryonna took a maternal guess.

  “What was his or her name?” she asked quietly.

  The woman sobbed. “Angeliki. Her name was Angeliki. She was just thirteen.”

  Ryonna sighed. She understood the mother’s pain—how could she not? For the last few weeks, she hadn’t known if Ronan was alive or dead. But this woman had tried to do something that would have blown up a lot of people. Ryonna needed information.

  “Who told you to blow up the ship? Who provided the explosive?”

  Nina looked down guiltily. Ryonna knelt down and lifted her chin with a stiff finger.

  “Look at me, Nina. I don’t want to hurt you anymore, but I will if you don’t start telling me who asked you to do this. I am sorry for your little angel; I understand your pain. But the person who convinced you to act this way must be stopped or many Angelikis will lose their lives. Do you have any idea how many sons and daughters would have lost their lives today if you had succeeded? What would Angeliki think of you then?”

  That last sentence hit home and Nina sobbed uncontrollably. When she’d finally cried herself out, she looked up at Ryonna in despair. “You’re right,” she whispered. Then she proceeded to tell her everything…

  A few moments after Nina finished telling her story, the brig door opened and Commodore Saroudis stormed inside accompanied by two security goons.

  “What have you done?” he demanded.

  Ryonna got back up on her feet and looked the commodore straight in the eye. “I did what was necessary. I have the information we will need to track the perpetrators.”

  “You should not have used violence to acquire that information.”

  “Would you rather one of your precious ships gets blown out of existence before doing what needs to be done?”

  His face flushed red. “This is not our way!”

  “I know, but it is mine.”

  C H A P T E R

  XVIII

  Chase and Daniel landed near the prison and were soon directed to where the Obsidian emperor was being held.

  “I’m sorry I couldn’t come to the funeral with you today,” Daniel said as they walked.

  “It’s okay, I understand. Would have been weird timing anyway. I was visited by yet another Olympian.”

  “Really? Who was it? What did they want?”

  “It was Ares. He wanted to help me master my powers… and he trained me to do so.”

  Daniel was surprised. “In such a little time?”

  “From what I gathered, time passes much slower in the vision than on Earth. In fact, only a few minutes had passed when I felt I trained for hours.”

  “What did you learn about your powers?”

  “That I could destroy entire planets if I’m not careful.”

  Dan’s jaw dropped.

  “Yeah, I feel the same, bro.”

  “Anything else? I’m almost afraid to ask.”

  “Well, he’s certain Argos let me live on both our encounters on purpose.”

  Daniel frowned. “Why?”

  “He doesn’t know, but that worries the hell out of me.”

  “I bet.” Daniel shook his head in astonishment then gestured up ahead. “We’re almost there.”

  Chase nodded quickly. “Okay, once we’re in there, let me speak to him. Don’t intervene unless absolutely necessary.”

  Daniel nodded in agreement.

  As they approached, two heavily armed security guards saluted them and moved aside to open the cell. It was poorly lit but when they stepped inside, the Emperor stood up.

  “Who might you—” His voice cut off with a gasp when he saw Chase’s face.

  “I’m not Argos,” Chase said preemptively. “And as per your original question, I’m the one who holds your fate in his hands right about now.”

  The emperor nodded slowly. “I see. Well, as I told your friend, I have a proposition for you.”

  “Let me get this straight…” Chase sneered. “You attack this world, you kill millions of innocent people, and now you want to negotiate for your life?”

  “You should listen to me, boy.”

  “Really? Give me a reason and perhaps I will.”

  The emperor held up his hands to slow the pace of the conversation. “First you must understand something. While our people have been at war for as long as we can both remember, the Obsidian Empire didn’t really have a choice here.”

  Chase and Daniel shot each other a look. “You’re gonna have to do a lot better than this.”

  “Look, less than a year ago, I was approached by Argos.” He faltered for another moment as he studied Chase. “I take it you two are siblings?”

  “That part is pretty new to me as well, but apparently he’s my twin brother. That being said, I’m nothing like him—now keep talking.”

  “The fire in your eyes right now begs me to differ.”

  Chase sighed, clearly annoyed, and gestured his hands impatiently.

  “Alright, let me explain what happened, and then you can decide if you want to hear me out or not. When the Zarlacks and Argos approached us, they promised us a swift victory over the Alliance. They helped us improve our firepower and added hundreds upon hundreds of their very powerful ships to our fleet. At first, we were feeling lucky with this partnership. But it was not a partnership that your brother had in mind… As time passed, I became more and more of a slave to your brother. Soon, I was nothing but an empty title. Anyone who voiced their concerns regarding Argos’ plan was dealt with swiftly and definitively. It wasn’t long before I realized the terrible mistake I had made joining forces with that mad man.”

  The emperor paused as his face grew grave.

  “You see, while I have no love for the Alliance, I despise Argos even more. He took over my empire, and I want to make him pay for that.”

  Chase cocked his head. “So we can resume fighting one another, as things should be?”

  “Does it really matter at this point in time? Are you not in clear numerical inferiority at the moment?”

  “The influx of Droxian battle ships joining the Earth Alliance balances it out somewhat.”

  “Droxians?” The emperor was stunned “I didn’t know they cared about other species.”

  “They started to when Argos made the fatal mistake to try and wipe them out a few days ago,” Chase explained.

  “A bold move indeed,” the emperor mused. “Even at the top of our expansion, I would never have given such an order.”

  Chase shifted impatiently “Where is this going, Emperor?”

  “Right. I am still influential within my own fleet. You may have noticed that the ships coming to Earth were Zarlacks.”

  “Yes and yet you were onboard the biggest one, apparently.”

  “The Dragon’s Claw was a gift. It was supposed to be a symbol of our alliance with the Zarlack
s, but as soon as we arrived on Earth, Argos took over, and without any of my fellow Obsidian forces, I had no other choice but to let him do so. But I am done working for that mad man. It’s not like I’m still emperor anyway…”

  “I don’t follow.”

  “Argos threatened to remove me from power numerous times. I’m sure the first thing he did after leaving here was to elect a new pawn to do his bidding.”

  Chase paused. “So if you’re not the emperor anymore, what good are you to me exactly?”

  “I’m still the emperor, technically at least. When the emperor is missing in action but there’s no body or proof of death, there is a period of time during which an acting emperor is elected. If the emperor doesn’t come back to claim his throne in time, this appointee would become the full-fledged emperor.”

  “So in fact, you’re actually not proposing help, but want my help to recover your throne. I think I’ve heard enough.” Chase turned and started walking away.

  “Wait! I have vital information—a way for you to even the odds.”

  Chase stopped but didn’t turn around. “Talk fast… former emperor.”

  “When Argos came to us he had only a handful of Zarlack ships, but we helped him construct a gigantic shipyard that can churn out up to ten battleships a week. This is why you can destroy his armada—he won’t mind; he’ll just build another. This installation is well hidden and even better protected. And as long as it stands, you have no chance of even contemplating your own survival. You need to take it out.”

  Chase grinded his teeth. This was terrible news, but at least he understood how Obsidian had defeated them so brutally and so fast. He made a fist.

  “Look, I understand how you must feel.” The emperor tempered his anger. “But if we strike a deal, I will help you destroy this shipyard, and then I’ll help you kill Argos. In fact, I might even join your Earth Alliance if you let me.”

  Chase turned around. “Finally, you have my full attention.”

  “Good. Because we have work to do.” He glanced around the cell. “But if you don’t mind, I’ve been rotting here for quite long enough.”