War for Orion: Ghosts from the Past

by Conner Walworth

  "If no one can get over there then there surely can't be anything worth our time here."

  "Bimisi marked this location for a reason, he knows what he's doing. We'll wait here until something happens. It's not like we have any other leads to follow right now. Unless you'd like to go back to Kremiville and start over."

  Anlon leaned back in his seat. "I'd rather wait around here until something happens. I'll be very impressed if your friend was right about this spot."

  "Well, doesn't look like we have to wait long to find that out," Falcone pointed at the mountain. "There's something coming out of the mountain there."

  "It's some type of dock," Anlon squinted. "There's a ship coming out on it which means Bimisi was right! He was right!" Anlon jumped forward in his seat. "We've done it!"

  "And you thought you couldn't trust him," Falcone smirked. "Now you'll know to listen to me more often."

  "I still think we should wait to see if we can gather anymore intel," Anlon said. "The more Adira has, the better."

  "Look kid. It's the Deimos Brotherhood and that's all we were sent to look for. We need to get off of Erebos and give the Queen this location now. I'm sure she already has more than enough intel on them to execute a successful mission. If it comes to it, she can just blow up the entire area to wipe them out."

  Anlon nodded reluctantly. "Okay. Let's go."

  Before Falcone could start up the cruiser, the distinct humming of a glider bike raced towards them. Anlon looked around the grey wasteland and saw a cloud of dust quickly approaching them.

  "We got company!" Anlon pulled the laser pistol off of his belt. "Nimesha is back from the dead."

  Neither one of them had time to aim before she was firing on them. Falcone jumped out of the cruiser, flipping it and using it for cover. Anlon followed his lead and crouched next to him. He hoped that it was enough cover to keep them safe from the barrage of fire that they were taking because Nimesha wasn't letting up. Anlon peeked over when the firing stopped, just in time to see a grenade flying towards the cruiser.

  "We have to move!" he yanked Falcone. "The cruiser is about to blow up!"

  Seconds after leaving the cover of the cruiser, it exploded in flames, knocking them both from their feet. Anlon landed in the face down in the dirt, quickly scrambling to his feet to find Nimesha. She too lay on the ground from the explosion and he dropped his pistol, running towards her before she was able to rise to her feet. Anlon struck her with a roundhouse kick, knocking her down as she was getting up and pounced on top of her, putting her in a chokehold.

  Falcone walked up and put his pistol on her head. "Don't shoot her!" Anlon held his hands up.

  He lowered his gun. "She just tried to kill us! Why am I not allowed to kill her?"

  "She may have some important information that we can use."

  Nimesha blinked her eyes open and saw Falcone in front of her with his pistol. She struggled to break free for a split second, but stopped. Anlon loosened his grip while Falcone raised his pistol back up.

  "We killed you on Gaea," Anlon said. "I watched you die in that explosion."

  "Really?" Nimesha chuckled. "I must have forgot I was supposed dead."

  Falcone loaded his gun, not wanting to hear another word from the Feleen assassin. "Don't kill her Falcone!" Anlon demanded.

  "She's going to kill us if we don't kill her first!" Falcone insisted. "You can't trust her."

  Anlon stared at him until he lowered his gun. "Is that the Deimos Brotherhood's base?" He pointed, not getting a response.

  "That's a yes," Falcone said. "Now let's kill her and get out of here."

  "We can't kill her. It will make us no better than Kirill."

  "He kills innocents. This Feleen isn't innocent. She just tried to kill us."

  "He uses anyone he can get a hold of so he can achieve his goals!" Anlon looked to him. "I bet she doesn't even know what his true plans are."

  "Kill me kid," Nimesha sided with Falcone. "Kirill will kill me slowly if you don't, so you'd just be delaying the inevitable. I'd prefer a quick death over a slow death. Just get it over with."

  "Why do you work for him if you're afraid he's going to kill you for failing him?" Anlon asked.

  "He picked me up and let me in the Brotherhood when I was seventeen. I had no home and I was barely surviving. He said he saw potential in me, so I worked for him to survive."

  "Did you know what he did when he rescued you?"

  "I had heard rumors," she shrugged. "It doesn't matter though, he saved me. I owe him a debt."

  "You know he used to be the Queen's husband?"

  She nodded. "Yeah, I know and she attempted to have him assassinated. Just a bunch of political stuff that I care nothing about."

  "Do you know why she did that?"

  "Probably something to do with him being power hungry and trying to take the Throne from her."

  "And you still work for him knowing that?" Falcone asked disgusted.

  "I don't care what he does or why he does it. There's always races fighting for that spot on the Throne. What's it matter who rules from it and how they got there?"

  "That was just the first part of his plan. Taking the Throne," Anlon revealed. "Do you want to know what he has planned once he gets the Throne."

  "No, Anlon. Why don't you fill me in on Kirill's plan," she replied emotionless.

  "Once he claims the Throne, he's going to cleanse Orion of any races he deems unworthy."

  Her posture changed, as did the look on her face. "What do you mean cleanse?"

  "Kill every race that isn't human! Complete genocide!" Falcone shouted at her. "We're all dead if he gets the Throne! Even you, the one helping him accomplish that!"

  Nimesha looked to Anlon. "You're both lying. He wouldn't do something like that. That's crazy."

  "You don't have to believe us," Anlon shrugged. "The Queen has his plans recorded from someone he was working with, or thought he was working with anyway."

  "So technically, you were right when you said he'd kill you," Falcone spat. "You're helping him claim a Throne so he can wipe out races like you and me. You're betraying your own kind."

  "Why should I believe anything you've said?" Nimesha squinted.

  "I didn't kill you," he offered. "All you can do is trust me right now. Kirill will reveal his plans later. I have no doubt about it."

  "So, you're not going to kill me?" Nimesha asked. "You're just going to let me walk away from here."

  "No. We are going to kill you," Falcone answered.

  "We aren't," Anlon shot a glance to Falcone. "I think you can help us. You didn't know you were helping a monster when you tried killing us, but you can right the wrongs you have made and help us stop him."

  "Why? Why would you let me live after I tried to kill you?"

  "I'm not a monster like Kirill," Anlon replied. "If I kill you, does that make me any better than Kirill? He uses innocent races to carry out his plans and kills other innocents he can't use."

  "You really think I can change? I've been doing this my whole life."

  "You've already thought about it," Anlon observed. "You're listening to what I have to say. If you didn't want to help us, you would've already left."

  "Anlon!" Falcone hissed. "You can't possibly think about keeping her alive to come with us."

  Anlon shrugged his comment off. "I really think you are better than this Nimesha. You can help us save Orion. You have skills that we'll need to stop Kirill when the time comes."

  "I'm in," she winked at Falcone. "As far as I'm concerned, my debt is paid. If those are his true plans, my debt to him is done."

  "You can't let her join us!" he protested. "She'll betray us! Can't you see she is just playing you?"

  "I can't just kill her," Anlon told him. "I'll be no better than Kirill if I kill her after she's surrendered."

  Falcone lifted up his pistol. "Well, I can kill her and be okay with it."

  "Put the pistol down," Anlon ordered. "She's on our side no
w. She's one of us."

  "This is a mistake Anlon," Falcone persisted. "We can't trust her, no matter what you may think."

  Anlon looked to Nimesha. "Is that the Deimos Brotherhood's base?"

  "Yes," Nimesha nodded. "You can get in by ship or a secret path that goes underneath the lava lake and leads to the base of the mountain."

  Anlon looked to Falcone. "Looks like we can trust her to me."

  Falcone gritted his teeth and lowered his pistol. "We'll let the others decide for themselves."

  Cearbhall led the Queen's fleet to confront the unknown ships near Ovrean. He wasn't used to being the commander of a fleet, but the Queen insisted that it was something that he had to do. He wasn't one to turn down missions and agreed to make contact with this mysterious ships, or destroy them if it came down to that.

  "We can see the ships now Cearbhall!" a crewman shouted up.

  He looked out of the window and saw thousands of ships coming into view. If they attacked him, the Queen's fleet would surely loose. They were greatly outnumbered and outgunned. Cearbhall had no idea where a fleet this big could have come from so quickly. No one in Orion would be able to amass a fleet this large without the Queen's knowledge, or the rest of Orion for that matter.

  "Continue forward," Cearbhall ordered the crew. "Get the comline ready for communication with the enemy," When the comline came online he ordered his fleet come to a halt. "We're close enough. We don't want to get too close, not knowing what their intentions are. Initiate contact."

  The crew scrambled to make contact with the other ships, succeeding after a couple of minutes. An image of a monster appeared for the crew to see, causing many of them to jump back in their seats. Cearbhall kept his composure, unable to take his eyes of the glowing heads and sharp teeth protruding from their mouths.

  "What is your business in Orion?" Cearbhall asked, skipping proper introductions.

  A smile crept across the face of the monster. "I presume that the Queen sent you to make further contact with me?"

  "She did," he answered. "Are you going to answer the question?"

  "Can she hear us right now?" the monster asked. "I would like her to hear what I have to say."

  "Every word that we're saying," Cearbhall tried to conceal the spite in his voice. "She can also see anything that you attempt to do, so be careful."

  "Excellent," The smile on the monsters face seemed to grow. "I will tell her exactly who we are."

  "She cares more about why you are here than who you are."

  "I will get to that once we introduce ourselves," he replied angrily. "We are Crodillians."

  "Thank you for introducing yourselves, now why are you here Crodillian?" he interrupted.

  "I figured Orion forgot who we were after all of this time. Not even a hint of recognition in your voice," he sighed. "We were outcast from Orion centuries ago to the Black Hole. We struggled to survive on the other side in the harsh Galaxy, but we prevailed. Centuries passed by, with generations of Crodillians hearing of the great Orion, and I had the determination to get back to our old home. I worked with scientists to create the required technology to pass back through the Black Hole," He paused to allow the information to sink in. "That caused a rift between Crodillians and led to a long and bloody Civil War, which my side just recently won. We were able to wipe out the opposition who believed we weren't meant to come back. They tried their hardest to keep us from accomplishing our goal, but nothing could prevent me from winning. During our long war, we were constantly working on Warp Reversal to come back and our opposition held the last couple of pieces, which we obtained after defeating them. That last piece is how we were able to travel here, to Orion, to be home."

  Cearbhall stared at him silently and intently, trying to figure out if they were here to cause harm them if they had really just wanted to return to Orion. He hadn't heard of the race, but he didn't doubt that they were outcast centuries ago. It wasn't an uncommon punishment long ago, though it was rarely used now.

  "Our bloody war ended two days ago," the monster continued. "We couldn't have done it without the help of one of your own though. One that your Queen outcast to death many years ago."

  An image of a woman came on the screen. "The Crodillians accepted me in after the Queen wrongly outcast me to exile and death. I slowly worked my way up the ranks and eventually became second in command of the Crodillian army. After we finished fighting our war with the rebel Crodillians, I was presented with some very heartwarming information," she smiled wide. "I could finally travel back home. I would agree only if the Crodillians came back with me. They accepted me when I was outcast, so it was only right to also bring them back to the Galaxy they were outcast from centuries ago."

  "What are your intentions?" Cearbhall gritted his teeth. "I don't care about your history right now."

  "My name is Jahdiel, and this," she motioned. "Is Merikh. You ask why we are here and what our intentions are?"

  "Yes."

  "My intention is to rightly earn my reputation as a traitor," Jahdiel revealed. "I was outcast for being a traitor so it is about time I lived up to that label."

  "Get ready for battle!" Cearbhall ordered his crew. "They're going to attack!"

  "No. Get ready for war," Merikh grinned. "Our intentions are to destroy Orion as it is now and kill the Queen! The Crodillians will rule Orion!"

  Cearbhall cut the comline and stood up from his seat. "Get pilots to their fighters now! We are about to be under attack from enemy ships!"

  Cearbhall looked out of the window, seeing the four largest ships light up with an orange beam. The beams shot forward simultaneously, sending chills down his back knowing it was the last thing he'd see. Upon striking the Queen's fleet, every ship erupted in a giant ball of fire with an explosion that rocked the Crodillian ships. All that lay left of the fleet was charred, twisted, metal and the bodies of those that had come to stop the enemy.

  Chapter 31

  Bimisi landed his small stealth craft on a small piece of land, barely big enough for the ship, and let his passengers off. He had gotten Kanti to Nesoi as fast as he could because he knew she'd be at the top of the Deimos Brotherhood's wanted list of races. He looked to Kanti and Camillus who were standing closely by the water.

  "Wait here," He ordered them, disappearing into the water.

  They stood on the small piece of dry land, waiting for Bimisi to return from wherever he had gone. It wasn't long before they both saw the water start to ripple and a small watercraft emerge from the massive ocean. A hatch opened up and Bimisi motioned them in.

  "Come on," he urged. "The faster we get there, the faster Kanti will be from safe danger."

  "What about your ship?" Camillus pointed out.

  "I'll move it later. Get in the craft for now."

  "Where are we going?" Kanti asked, boarding the watercraft.

  Bimisi closed the hatch and began descending down. "We're going to a secret underground city. Did you not believe me when I told you back on Erebos?"

  "No. I didn't think you were being truthful at all."

  "Not many races have been lucky enough see this one," he informed them. "It's a refuge of types for races like you."

  They were silent the rest of the way as Bimisi steered the ship through the crystal clear water. They passed all kinds of sea creatures and sea life on the way until the city came into view. The city was beautiful, like nothing Kanti had ever imagined when she had left Demeter. The city seemed to glow blue and looked like giant, connected, underwater Palaces. Tall towers erected from all areas of the city and expanded for what seemed like miles. In the middle of all of the structures was a big glass dome with thousands of colors emanating from within.

  Kanti looked over to Bimisi. "This place is beautiful."

  "Told you I had better places than that apartment on Kremiville."

  "They look like Palaces," her eyes glittered. "I'm at a loss for words."

  "They are fit for a Queen," Bimisi said. "And of course,
a Princess."

  "Who exactly is permitted entrance to this city?" Camillus asked. "You can't just let anybody in if you want it to be kept a secret. How is something like this kept secret?"

  "Mostly nobles, royals, and natives live within," he told them. "Most of the natives never leave, so they have no one to tell and the royals don't want others to know. They live their entire lives from within the cities."

  "What about the Filibians that do leave?" Kanti asked. "Do they tell?"

  He shook his head. "No. It's their home. They don't want their families to be harmed. We Filibians take pride in hiding our homes, even the most corrupt and heartless of us."

  Camillus' edginess disappeared and he finally appeared relaxed. Kanti knew it was because attacking a city like this would be hard, as would be sneaking in. Of course it could be done, but with Camillus nearby, no race would ever be able to snatch her away.

  A set of double doors opened as Bimisi steered the watercraft near the building and he accelerated the watercraft through the doors before bringing the craft to a halt. The water around them receded until the chamber was completely empty and red lights flashed, alerting Bimisi the hatch was safe to open.

  "I'll take you straight to the man in charge here," Bimisi helped Kanti out.

  He led them down elegant Nesoi mineral hallways and they passed through the mess hall which was booming with voices. After making their way through, they entered a glass hallway that passed over a field of pink water lilies. Kanti spun in a circle admiring everything around her.

  "He should be in his office," Bimisi took a right after they reached the end of the walkway.

  Bimisi stopped at a green door and knocked on it. After a couple of seconds, the door opened and Bimisi motioned them to follow him inside.

  "Bimisi!" a fat red Filibian raised his arms. "What brings you home? And with these companions?"

  "This," Bimisi held his hand out to Kanti. "Is the Princess of Orion."

  "The Princess?" The fat Filibian raised his eyebrows. "The daughter of Queen Adira who was supposed to have died twenty years ago? That Princess?"