by J. P. Yager
He answered the door and saw a young lieutenant. The kid seemed surprised he finally answered the door. "What is it?"
"Armiger Callius's health is fading as we speak. He has already passed his leadership to his son," he replied. "The new Armiger wants an audience with you."
His first feeling was the pang of loss. He would miss Callius even though he unknowingly helped orchestrate Earth's demise. His second was curiosity. What did Fox want? Nathan dismissed him, and the kid ran off.
Nathan turned back to his room and took in the mess he had helped create. Couch cushions were scattered. Wine bottles were numerous and suspiciously empty. Drapes had been ripped from their rods. He was tired and sore. But all in all, it was a good night. It still felt good to finally let loose and allow a little chaos.
The idea of leaving without seeing Fox or dealing with Callius's death was tempting. He had decided last night that he didn't have to abide by the old rules anymore. He could do whatever the hell he wanted to, and his conscience was not going to haunt him anymore. Live life as much as he could before the darkness got him. That was his new mantra.
Now where was that girl from last night? No note, no clothes, no sign of her. It was almost like he had imagined it. Had he been used?
Nathan grabbed whatever belongings he'd taken out and left the dorm. When he was back in the artificial outdoors, he found himself at a crossroads. He could go left toward the command center or right to his ship. Decisions.
"Uncle!" Trevor called. The young man walked up with Boost in tow. His nephew was wearing new green flight suit, black belt, and a long black duster. "The ship is ready to leave."
"Good," Nathan replied. He still couldn't decide what to do. "Have you seen Kaida?"
"No. Maybe she's helping her people deal with the Armiger's imminent death." Trev looked a little somber at the thought. Well, everyone passing by looked pretty down, he noticed.
"Let's get out of here." No longer having to carry the weight of the world on his shoulders, he could let them handle the Nymarian's last request and the problem with the anomaly and Ruvera. He was going to take off in the opposite direction of all of it and start anew. It was time to run again. He hoped Kaida would catch up with them, but if she didn't, last night was still fun.
"Wait," Trevor said. "Are we really just leaving?" His face and demeanor held something Nathan had never seen from him before. It was like looking at himself thirty years ago.
"Yes. This isn't our mess anymore." Nathan realized the kid didn't know his father had constructed the ultimate tool of death that Earth had gift-wrapped and mailed the key to killing itself. The very thought of having to be around his own species sickened him, and he was not dealing with it anymore.
"It doesn't matter whose mess it is." Trevor blocked his way back toward the shipyard. "What would we do next?"
"What do you mean?" Nathan asked incredulously. "We would do what we've always done. Survive. Make enough to get by. Hope that we can live to see another day."
"I'm tired of running." Trevor paused. He took out the blade at his hip. The diamond sword scraped against the sheath. He showed Nathan the blood that still ran along it. "Too much of this has been spilled. Ruvera and the anomaly have to be stopped. We have to protect whose left."
Nathan considered this. Maybe everything he had stood for wasn't gone yet. "What do you have in mind?"
"We go after the star. Maybe this device can help us save the universe both ways. Getting on the ship and distancing ourselves will only mean they'll come for us later. With the Elysians on the attack and us finding the star, this could be the only chance we have."
Nathan nodded slowly. Maybe the Nymarian was right about what he whispered to in his ear.
"Let's finish what we started." Trevor said.
Nathan looked up toward the towers in the center of the city and then toward the dark entryway to his ship. "For once, you're right."
Trevor breathed a sigh of relief. He was glad he didn't have to reveal his true intentions.
"When did I finally rub off on you?" Nathan pulled him into a headlock and squeezed. Trevor twisted his way out and pushed off.
"Since we're going, do you mind if an Asterion joins us?"
Nathan shook his head. "Since we're probably going to die, I'll transport him on the house."
-o-
Armiger Callius took his last breath and lay at peace. Having looked after Earth for most of his life, his rest was well earned. Fox stood by his side until the end. When Callius went, Fox nodded to his aides to make the proper arrangements.
He walked out of the chamber and took a moment to himself. His emotions were mixed. He had waited his whole life to take over for his father, had been groomed for it, and now when the moment was here, he wasn't sure he was ready for it.
In the quietness, one of his aides found him. "Sir?"
He wanted to send the man away. "What?"
"Captain Sutherland is here to see you. I have him waiting in the atrium."
Fox motioned for him to go. He gathered his wits and crossed the command center. His advisors came, and he doled out orders as needed. Yes, they had to elude the Ruveran counterstrike that was after them. Yes, they needed to figure out a new plan of attack. No, he had no idea what to do about this Void Star thing.
He rode the elevator down, crossed the great columned bottom floor, and entered through the back. There, waiting inside the atrium, was his old flight commander.
The atrium was a natural escape, with birds and trees and flowers. There was even a fake sun or moon overhead depending on what time of day it was. It was a tranquil place Fox went to often when the rest of his fleet was being built.
"After last night, I didn't think you were going to come," Fox said honestly. He noted the young Trevor Andrews and his robot were with him.
"I wasn't going to. I was close to turning tail." Nathan scratched at the back of his neck and looked toward his nephew. “But someone reminded me of who I used to be. Who we both used to be, I guess.”
Fox took the kid in and silently approved. He turned back to Nathan. "I'm sorry about before."
Nathan shrugged. "It wasn't your secret."
Fox agreed. "I'm going to be honest with you. I have no clue what I'm doing."
Nathan's face softened. Whatever weight he had brought to the meeting was lifting. He put a reassuring hand on his old friend's shoulder. "You know exactly what you're doing. Think of what you learned at pilot training. Remember what I taught you during all those flight drills. Always trust your gut. If you can’t trust yourself, why would anyone else?"
Fox nodded his head in understanding, and then walked away from Nathan. "I can't screw up though. I lost one of my battleships yesterday. It was my decision to answer your call, and I don't have anything to show for it."
"You got me," Nathan joked. "Look. Leading isn't always about making the right decisions. Sometimes, it's about learning from the bad ones. It's about having others follow you not because they have to but because they want to. Saving our hides can still pay off. The Void Star is out there, whatever it is."
"Perhaps. But I'm still perplexed. There's some mysterious space anomaly tearing through the worlds of the Outer Rim. No one knows anything about it. I’ll be honest with you when it comes to that. I don’t believe it exists. I can’t. If it’s true we’re all about to die no matter what we do. And then there's Velkas and his Ruveran Empire. Where does this star fit in?"
"I have a feeling that when we find it, we'll know what to do. I believe it’s the answer to all of it. The Salarians had that thing hidden from everybody for centuries. Why?." Nathan sat on the stone bench along the wall. "My crew and I are going after it."
Fox joined him. "What if the Ruverans have reacquired it already?"
"That's a possibility, but I don't think so and really don’t care if I’m being honest too. I haven’t anything else left to do. How long until you plan to attack Razerus head-on?"
"Probably within the
next forty-eight hours."
"Do you have something we can use to signal you when we have the star and know it's useful?"
Fox nodded. "Yes, but it's a prototype."
"That'll work." Nathan patted his shoulder and let it rest there for a moment. "Only wait for us if you feel you have to. You're the Armiger now. Whatever you say goes." He removed his hand when he felt it had been there too long. "I know your father would be proud."
Fox shared a smile with him, and then he grew serious. "What if this space anomaly can't be stopped?"
"Then it’s like you said; we're already dead." Nathan kept his smile. "And we should take as many Ruverans as we can. It’s only fitting we get our revenge before we die. It’s like all that stuff from ancient civilizations like the samurai and the Romans."
“You really don’t know your history, but I appreciate the sentiment.” Fox got up. He stood taller than he had when he first entered. "I'm glad you showed back up from wherever you've been. Good luck."
"Yeah. And, hey, I'm sorry if I came off distant. It has been good to see you again, old friend." Nathan patted his shoulder once more.
"And you, Captain."
Nathan shook hands with him, and the two men came to an unspoken understanding. "Let me walk you in, there's one more question I have to ask."
-o-
Trevor and Boost had the engines at idle and stood waiting, lying back on the new leather seat covers. He had to admit, even though they hadn't fixed their force drive, at least they had spruced her up. They waited for Nathan to finish whatever meeting he had had to attend.
The "open" light for the cargo hold went off. Then finally, he heard the familiar robotic leg clump up the stairs. There was a newness to him. A change. He looked lighter on his feet, human and artificial.
"We're ready," Trev reported.
"That Asterion you picked up is an interesting character." Nathan got into his seat. "I'm pretty sure he has enough weapons."
"Any help is welcome, right?"
Nathan shrugged.
"Oh. Some Elysians came aboard and dropped off a case. They say it's some kind of a screamer beacon that anyone can hear for light years around, and it's probably incredibly unstable and too dangerous to use."
"Sounds standard." Nathan nodded.
"They also wanted to remind us they would attack when they're ready, regardless of our status. They are going to give chase until then." Then Trevor saw a sadness in his uncle, like they were missing something or someone. "You okay?"
"I'm fine." He closed his seat buckles and started flipping switches to prepare for takeoff.
"You sure?" Trev asked again.
"Just drop it," Nathan grumbled. A hint of his darker shell remained. “We need to get the force drive fixed before-“
Suddenly, a familiar smell of flowers entered the cockpit. The soft-footed woman found her seat behind the captain.
"Were you going to leave without me?" Kaida asked innocently.
“Oh ya.” Trevor added. “Kaida’s been onboard waiting for you.”
Nathan turned to face her. "You disappeared! And Fox said you were too busy to see us off."
"Well, I'm not seeing you off; I'm coming with you. And I really had things to take care of before I left with you guys." She held up the data pad in her hand. "And you were just going to leave without this? How were you going to find the location of the Void Star? I solved the second cypher by the way."
“Hold it.” Nathan stopped and smiled at her. "We have the location?"
"Yup." She smiled back and winked.
"Well, buckle in. We have places to go."
The Wrath's engines burst back into life, and they were off once again.
Chapter 14
The crew aboard the Wrath watched the Elysians jump into hyperspace, one by one, until they were alone in space. A string of comets followed in their wake, quietly disappearing through the system. According to their star map, they were somewhere between the Outer Rim and unexplored space in Sector 32-J. The anomaly at its rate of speed and direction of travel was a day away.
"Where to?" Trevor opened the NAV display. He brought up known repair facilities in red with guidance to each. The drinks from the night before were doing a number on his head, but he hadn't felt a tremor attack in hours, the longest it had been since Aquaria. He knew better than to think he was getting better.
Kaida pointed to a dark planet, arching an eyebrow in question.
"Crystalis?" Trev asked, recognizing all too well what it was. "Never again. No."
Nathan looked back at her, conflicting emotions washing together on his face. The edge of his mouth turned down. "Too dangerous."
"They have the best ship engineers around," she pressed. "It's the closest, and my cousin Oran owns his own shop there. It used to be my home a long time ago, so I know it's not bad."
"That place is a blight to the universe. It's overrun with the worst kind of scum. We swore we would never return there." Nathan turned back to Trevor to look at other worlds. Unfortunately, he could see by the NAV system that the nearest one beyond Crystalis would take another twelve hours or more and was equally disreputable.
Kaida was quiet for a long moment and then added, "I also have a book with similar algorithms that can help break the last cipher. It’s not guaranteed though."
"I apologize, but we lost a good friend there. And people like Kendrick Plath don't forget."
"You're worried about Kendrick? Word is he died two years ago."
Nathan thought it over and turned to Trevor. They were wasting too much time in just thinking about what to do next. "Your cousin can fix our force drive?"
"Yes."
"Punch it in." Nathan decided.
Trevor did. The NAV routed them with an expected arrival time. It would take several hours without their force drive.
"I have one rule since we're doing this: make sure you don't meddle with the wrong people, including those you trust. Those who create small footsteps rarely get caught."
Kaida nodded. She saw Trev wasn't looking and motioned with her head for Nathan to follow.
Nathan stood motionless for a moment, also taking his nephew into account, and then shook his head no.
A flash of hurt crossed Kaida's face. Nathan indicated his controls. He was the pilot.
She got up and climbed down the ladder.
Trevor did his best to pretend he couldn't see their reflections. He watched Nathan go back to his controls, frustrated with himself. Trev could tell he wouldn't be much for conversation.
"Mind if I catch a nap?" Trevor asked.
Nathan merely shrugged.
Trev took it as permission and left his uncle to his own grumbly silence. He climbed down the stairs. When he reached the pax compartment, he didn't see Kaida, but he could hear her. She was blowing her nose in the bathroom. He thought about telling her he was out of the way now, but thought better than getting involved. They were adults.
Boost was charging himself, power bars going from three red to four yellow.
A thwacking sound piqued his interest before he committed to going to sleep. After each twang came a deep thump. He followed the sound down into the cargo hold where Glade was practicing archery.
Two large crates belonging to the Asterion were open and a variety of weapons out. A crudely built target sat on one side with Glade on the other.
Glade let another arrow fly and struck the target a good hundred feet away.
"You have to stay sharp," he explained to Trevor. "And I have to keep my mind off space travel. I hate it so much."
Trevor walked down and checked the target. He had hit dead center. "Impressive."
Glade shrugged it off. "This is one of the first things you learn to use as an Asterion. The other is that." He pointed to the sword on Trevor's hip. "And then a fork." Glade laughed at his own joke.
"Can you teach me?" Trev asked.
Glade mulled it over for a moment. "It is only fair. You are helping me find
a way to atone. I shall help you atone as well. Revenge and redemption, right?"
He selected two light blades from his array and handed one to Trevor.
"We will take breaks if you feel one of your attacks coming."
Trevor stopped short. No one had been able to figure out his secret since Epherus. "What do you mean?"
"Asterions can smell out many things—fear, dread, love, but more than anything, sickness. I can smell the parasite below the surface of your skin. I also know you keep this a secret."
Trevor didn't like people calling him out, and he especially didn't like being discovered so easily. "So you won't say anything?"
"I won't have to. Your sickness is very advanced. You will reveal it yourself soon enough."
Trev clutched the practice sword in his hands till his knuckles turned white.
"Good. Use that rage. If you are going to learn how to fight, you must learn how to channel your anger." Glade motioned for him to attack. "Now let's see what you got."
In a blind fury, Trevor came at him.
-o-
Finally spent after a few hours of swordplay, Trevor took a quick shower and crawled into bed. He put his own sword away unused, still refusing to wield it until the right moment came. For a while, he just looked at the ceiling and wondered how much longer he had. His best chance at getting revenge was going after the Void Star. If Ruvera wanted it, Velkas would send his most trusted person after it, his assassin. And then Trevor would get his chance. He would see Render again soon enough.
Just when he thought he wasn't going to be able to sleep, his eyes closed…and he found himself in the middle of a busy spaceport. It took him a moment to recognize it and gather his focus. How did he get back here?
He was at Bastion Aerial Port. This was the meeting spot for countless refugees from the recently destroyed planet Earth. People were meandering around, crying, hurt, lost. Kids were looking for parents and parents for kids. It was mayhem with thousands frantic to find answers.
Trevor had just arrived on one of the main trams from the moon world of Io, where he had lived with Nya and where his father had worked. He had arrived without either of them, the pain of their loss still fresh in his mind. He pushed that out of his mind.
