Void Star

by J. P. Yager

  Yorhune never answered again. The video feed was cut off.

  In the quiet of his office, Velkas took a difficult swallow. His empire was crumbling before his eyes.

  He strode through his office and took in his private collection, which ran along the walls. There were treasures from countless foes the Ruveran Empire had defeated throughout their centuries of unopposed dominance. His favorite would always be a simple chunk of rock. His men had presented it to him in a ceremony after the greatest battle Ruvera had ever won. It was the last piece that remained of the planet Earth. He mused that the Earthborns had been their greatest adversary since ancient times, when his ancestor Relken first took over the planet of Vale. Putting down that revolution over five hundred years ago set everything else in motion like a domino effect. Of course, they'd abandoned Vale in search of other conquests centuries ago. That was until he learned of the Void Star and returned to their ancient homestead.

  And now their long reign was coming to an end. Life was coming to an end. Maybe he would have one last laugh with an old enemy. That brought his mind back to his present conflict.

  "You almost have it." Like a scream run through a grinder, the voice ripped at his mind.

  He dropped to both knees.

  "Do you remember my deal?" Abel asked. He was in his office, sitting behind his desk. Abel started tossing the chunk of Earth up into the air and catching it on the way down.

  Velkas struggled to stay conscious through the pain. It felt like something was ripping his mind apart. Then it stopped.

  "I am almost finished ending the universe, Dacian. It's been pretty fun thus far. And a long time coming." Abel threw the clump of rock up and smashed it into dust. It rained into nothingness. "So what's your answer? When the Void Star reaches your hand, you will…?"

  "Destroy it. Immediately!" Velkas cried.

  "Good. Good answer. Bravo." Abel appeared at his side and helped him to his feet. "You know what? There is something else."

  Velkas braced himself for another onslaught.

  "Easy, bud," Abel said calmly. "I'm only going to ask a personal favor, from one new ally to another."

  "Anything," Velkas moaned.

  "There is this legend of the device, and for some reason, I believe it's true. My vision is blocked from something about to occur, and I don't like that. I have a theory of who it is that's been chosen to stop me, and I would like you to do something special for me to make sure they can't."

  Velkas just nodded.

  "That's a good boy." Abel chuckled. "So here's the deal…"

  -o-

  For a long time, he sat quietly at his desk and stared into open space. He kept thinking about taking his ship and flying into a star. It would be fast and much better than what was coming. Would it even let him?

  "Master Velkas," the intercom buzzed. "Are you there, sir?"

  He sat there numb. At last, he shook himself out of it. There had to be a way out of this. He was Dacian Velkas, master of the universe. He was letting his judgment get clouded.

  "Yeah, I'm here." As the wheels in his mind churned, he knew what he was going to do next. "Open a line to Render."

  It didn't take long for his people to route a line to his assassin. The dark-armored figure appeared on the screen. "What can I do for you, sir?" came the robotic question.

  "Render, ready to make things right?" Dacian fumbled to clear his messy, long white hair from his face.

  "I will atone for losing the star," Render replied darkly.

  "That you shall."

  "My ship is closing in on their ship's location. What will you have me do?"

  "I have a new plan."

  Chapter 20

  Nathan brought his ship out of the hyper-jump. He saw the little fledgling space station the NAV had designated. Zephlar-318 was barely the size of a small city and had all the appearance of a junk frigate. He got clearance to land and went into the docking port. His was one of three ships in the nearly empty bay. The Wrath limped into a spot with her broken gear earned from Loffgannon's landing. It sounded like it bent more metal back. But it could be worse.

  The docking bay closed and a dirty, green light indicated it was oxygenated. From the view in the cockpit, Nathan could already tell they weren't going to find an Eckelion here. The sleek blue WX-33 the Eckelions flew was absent.

  Nathan led the way off the ship. They processed through the receiving center, a gray-walled square with the latest space weather and occurrences displayed on multiple screens. Nathan had Trevor break into their system. He went through the visitors' log and couldn't find any Raxus. Plus, the last Eckelion ship to traverse this area had been there months ago.

  "You're right. He hasn't been here," Trevor agreed. Sweat beads were gathering across his forehead. He was still looking better than he had on Loffgannon though.

  "We should wait." Nathan answered. He saw what looked like red scratch marks running down the back of Trev's neck. They were definitely new. It appeared as if his blood vessels were bursting out. He steadied Trevor as he wobbled. "You all right?"

  A dizzy spell was leaving him woozy. Trev grabbed the counter. "I'm good. I just need a drink." He was holding his head. It looked like the sickness was pulling him back.

  Nathan looked to Boost. "I can't let this go further. He's needs medical attention. Get him to a medical station."

  "Aye, Captain," he answered. Just as Boost came up to Trevor, he collapsed against him.

  "I'm going to look around in case he is here and didn't register in." Nathan's face softened when it stopped at Kaida. "Can you look after him?"

  Kaida nodded. "Of course." She ran over and gave him a quick kiss and then hurried after Boost.

  Glade was looking through the glass top of the station toward the stars beyond. "I have a sinking feeling something terrible is headed our way."

  "Me too. Help me figure out a backup plan."

  Glade followed Nathan out of the receiving center.

  -o-

  A sinister-looking red ship appeared outside the fledgling space station. It crawled to a stop, floating there for a few minutes until Render pulled it around.

  Master Velkas had doled out several squadrons of specialized ground troops for this. They sat hunkered down below deck, ready to move out. There was always room for overkill.

  The blip on the ship's radar had gone from flashing to a steady red.

  Sutherland's ship was there, which meant Trevor was with him.

  Render smiled at the chance to finally get revenge for what that stupid kid had done.

  -o-

  Trevor, on the other hand, wasn't concentrating on anything. After going in and out of consciousness, seeing blurry lights and pitch-black, he found himself back on Io. He had been getting ready to go on a secret trip to infiltrate Ruvera. With no cure in sight, he had traded his dream of being a diplomat to be a spy for his world. After wrestling with how he should spend his remaining years, he decided he should make his life mean something. He knew this deadly quest would probably get him killed. Trev had just stopped by to say good-bye to his father. Then it would be onto the much harder task of breaking off his engagement to Nya.

  His father was working diligently at his desk. His dad was like an older version of himself with graying hair and a slightly larger nose. He appeared deep in concentration, surrounded by stacks of papers. Schematics were hung across the walls. Formulas were displayed on chalkboards. There was a smell of aged books.

  Scott smiled as he recognized his son approaching. "Hey, Trevor, I was just finishing up. I have news." He put his pen down and closed his notebook.

  "I have news of my own. I was handpicked out of my class to undertake a dangerous mission—" As his confidence left him, he saw this was already not going as he had rehearsed. His father would never give him his blessing to go underground against Ruvera.

  His dad interrupted him. "My team and I have found a cure."

  "I thought you said they forced you to quit your res
earch," an apprehensive twenty-two-year-old Trevor replied.

  "You know I never listen to authority." Scott smiled broadly. "Plus, the two projects turned out to be connected. I have discovered a new source of energy: plasmatheric energy. When exposed to low doses of PTE, the parasite is eradicated, and your body will expunge the remains over time. I just tested it on Harriet, the monkey. She's fine. You're next."

  Trevor hugged his dad. The thought of living life without having to hide his condition was unthinkable to him. He would quit the mission he was set against, since his life expectancy had just gone up threefold. No use throwing it away. Maybe he could get back into the diplomacy apprenticeship.

  As they patted it out as father and son, an explosion struck. A deafening boom nearby shattered the glass of Scott's office and rained down on them. Cold wind from the ocean blew in.

  "My lab!" Scott yelled. He ran to the window and saw the fiery ruins and smoke reaching into the sky. It was in pieces, burning.

  Trevor ran to his father's side and looked. Scientists and researchers who had survived the explosion were rolling in the grass trying to put out flames from their clothes and hair out. Some didn't even make it that far. "Nya," he said.

  "I just left her there. The energy field was stable. She was finishing up the process for human testing." Scott's hands were shaking. "She's the only one that…" His father left the thought unsaid.

  At the time, Trevor didn't register she had known about his father's secret work. How long had she known about it? All he cared about was her safety.

  "Let's get over there," Scott told him. They turned from his father's office and saw something odd. Right in the opening of the door stood a robed figure. His father paused. "Don't do this."

  A blade flashed menacingly in the figure's hands; it was an ornate sword made of diamond. "I have come for the last of your research," it hissed. The lights from the office showed it was wearing a mask under the dark hood.

  "No. Please stop." Scott stood between the two. "Let me check on my lab and cure my son. I don't want anything to do with this war. Have mercy."

  "Your people are all dead. Your lab is destroyed. Give me the data."

  Trevor's father blocked him. "No. This can't be. It's his last hope."

  Trev's mind was spiraling. The lab was gone. His fiancée was dead. An assassin was blocking their only escape.

  "Ruvera always wins. Your kind is a poison to the universe." The figure paused, slowly closing the distance between them like a thief in the night. "Have it your way."

  The sword flicked out and flashed. The figure dove in a blur of movement and stabbed his father in the chest. The blow spun him around as he grasped the blade in surprise.

  Scott coughed blood as he landed near the open window.

  Trevor had his hands up in surrender. The figure scoffed at him and ran after his father. The dark figure grasped at the sword lodged in Scott's chest.

  "Now for you. See you in another life," the robed figure mocked him, as the sword began to slide out.

  Trevor was at his father's hutch where he kept a small pistol. "You're right." Trevor aimed his father's gun and pulled the trigger. A hot flash of laser burst forth, and the dark figure was thrown out the window. Trevor ran to see if the fall had killed the assassin, but he couldn't see anything in the water. He could only make out the waves lapping against the rocks below.

  "Trevor," his father choked. He was lying in a pool of hot red blood. The diamond blade still remained lodged in the hole it had created.

  Trevor held his father's head and watched his eyes grow dull. "Dad, it's okay. It's gonna be okay."

  "She…she is…she is…" Then his father died in his arms.

  A loud vermillion ship erupted from the ground below and shot off into Io's atmosphere. Somehow Render had survived and escaped.

  The assassin was gone, and so was his wife-to-be, his father, and the cure that would've saved his life.

  -o-

  Trevor was suddenly jolted back to reality. He was surrounded by familiar figures. "What's going on?" He tried to stand and nearly fell when Boost caught him. He helped him leave the medical station and walk through the main thoroughfare.

  "You've been out for a while," Boost answered. "The doctor has given you something to lessen the effects of the fever."

  "Trevor!" Nathan looked surprisingly relieved.

  Trevor straightened up groggily and looked around. "Did I miss something?"

  "An Eckelion just docked. How do you feel?"

  "Good enough." Trevor wiped the sweat from his brow. He shook off the remains of the fever as best he could. Whatever the doc had administered had some side effects or else his vision was going. When he focused his eyes, he saw the walls melting. He saw nonliving objects whisper to each other. There were odd little things happening all over. He massaged his eyes to no effect.

  "Just follow us." Nathan couldn't look at him. The sickness was pulsing through the kid; his eyes even looked different, lighter almost like they were losing color.

  Kaida and Glade met them at the receiving station.

  "He's looking better…" Kaida seemed happy and then looked at Trevor more closely. His pupils were dilated; he was sweating profusely; and his skin was pale. She didn't finish her thought.

  "He's fine," Nathan answered shortly.

  Kaida wiped away the green bile running down the side of Trev's mouth. The sorrow behind her look said it all. Trevor was glad she had come to like him in the end.

  "Focus," Nathan said darkly. "Look, the anomaly will be here soon; we have to get this star-thing and get out of here."

  Kaida looked like she wanted to object but remained silent instead.

  An Eckelion they recognized from the holograms came through the main bay. He was carrying a little pack on his shoulder—the same one that had belonged to Dosh, the Salarian.

  Just as Nathan went to call out to him, a familiar ship pulled around to dock. One Trevor had been searched for his whole adult life.

  After all these years, Trevor was going to get to fight his father's killer.

  He would get to meet Render, face-to-face.

  The ominous craft left space and entered the station.

  Chapter 21

  "Raxus!" Nathan yelled.

  The little Eckelion walked through the docking station, oblivious to the arrival of his pursuer. His head was hidden underneath dark-blue robes as if he was trying to blend in. He was doing a terrible job.

  "C'mon." Nathan ran toward the little creature to warn him. The sleek, dark-red enemy ship slithered through the bay and aimed itself at their group.

  Finally, the little blue hominid looked up and saw the group descending upon him. His eyes grew wide, and he looked like he was going to take off. Then his eyes focused and his mouth slid into a smile. He seemed to hold out his bag toward them in excitement.

  Immediately, Raxus knew his decision to abandon Loffgannon had been the correct choice. After losing his closest friend, he worried he wouldn't be able to find the one the star called for. Cleph'thera must have gathered this crew for him.

  Just as the little man was halfway to them, his ship exploded, and the small creature was thrown sideways.

  "Get him." Nathan nodded toward the crumpled form of Raxus. Boost dodged the red ship's gunfire as he reached the alien. He pulled his small form up and met the group that was running into the station.

  "What are we going to do?" Kaida cried.

  "Make sure they don't get it." Nathan saw his ship far on the other side of the hangar behind the Ruveran craft, much too far to risk an attempt. They put distance between themselves and their attackers.

  Trevor looked at the ship again and almost wanted to huff back at it. It was Render—the one who ruined his life and doomed him to die. "Wait, this is my chance!" he said, as the stress allowed the fever to break through.

  As he slowed, his uncle pushed him forward. "Not now, Trevor. We have to move."

  Trevor looked up at him
through bloodshot eyes. "Please…I have to…" He coughed and breathed with difficulty. "…my chance…"

  Nathan looked to Glade. "Help him."

  Glade nodded and put Trevor over his shoulder. He was too out of it to realize what was happening, as he was losing touch with reality once more. Colors climbed across the rusty storefronts. Buildings seemed to bleed together into strange figures. He wasn't sure where they were going, but it felt like the wrong way.

  "I'm okay!" he called. He just needed time to get away from them to get at Render.

  Glade helped him to his feet, and they both ran together. The Asterion wouldn’t let him go back.

  Trev noticed what he'd missed before. This station was a junk heap. Most of the businesses were boarded up. It was mostly filled with Bregomon aliens, the ones who literally ate trash and collected garbage trinkets. But with his vision going berserk it was at least colorful. Together with Glade, he slushed through the dirty streets away from their enemy. No wonder his fever was returning so fast. He bet the medicine he'd been given had expired.

  Then they reached a large, open expanse. Trev looked back and saw figures off in the distance. They were coming from every street and corner, leaving no room for escape. He wouldn't have to try to find Render. There was nowhere to go. Render would find him just like in the dream.

  When they reached a dilapidated, three-story building, Nathan herded everyone in. "This isn't the best plan, but it's the only one left. What do you think of the vantages?" Nathan asked Glade.

  The building was a large industrial factory. It sat at the very edge of the station and had a glassed-in view behind it. The walls were made of metal and were supported by beams. It would be able to withstand a sizeable attack for a short period of time.

  "This is better than the spot I found for our last stand. They have to run across one hundred meters of open expanse to get to us. A three-story building has many firing points. This will give us a chance depending on their numbers."

  Glade closed the door as everyone came inside. Trevor saw some familiar weapon cases and other knickknacks from their ship. This had been halfway planned.