Star Brigade: Ascendant (SB4)

by C. C. Ekeke

  “Even Khrome?”

  “Of course.” Habraum’s brow furrowed in confusion. “Why wouldn’t he?”

  “I yelled at him on the trip back.”

  Despite the situation, the Cerc had to chuckle. “Unless you’re Cybernarr, I doubt Khromulus will hold a grudge.” Eyeing his chronometer, he slowly stood up. Cortes followed suit, just under half a foot shorter.

  “Any more questions?” Though Habraum had plans, he’d delay if Cortes needed him.

  The doctor shook her head, less dejected than before. “I’m sure I’ll have more as this thing gets closer.”

  “Of course.” Habraum understood. “We’ll get through this, Cortes. Star Brigade is behind you a thousand percent.”

  The doctor began nodding, only for her long face to contort. She hugged herself, visibly fighting back intense emotions.

  Habraum’s heart ached at Cortes’s brave showing. “It’s alright, Lilliana. Let it out.” He reached for her. After initially hesitating, Liliana collapsed against him in a fit of loud sobs. The Cerc embraced the doctor firmly, whispering positive assurances. When finally calming a little later, Liliana was positively mortified.

  “I won’t tell if you don’t.” Habraum winked at her. She had made such progress these last six months. He truly hoped this accident didn’t set her back.

  After exchanging farewells, the Cerc contemplated their meeting outside Cortes’s quarters. “I’ll check in tomorrow. She, Sammie, and I can run target practice drills in a HLHG suite.”

  His wristcom chirped then, a missed incoming message from fifteen macroms ago. Habraum frowned. Samantha. The Cerc, instantly feeling an uneasy sensation, tapped his wristcom to receive.

  “Had too much fun tonight. Meet tomorrow morning?”

  Disbelief rippled through Habraum. She’s dodging me, he realized. The Cerc knew Sam better than anyone. It wasn’t just about declaring his feelings to Sam. She had a right to know who really attacked them in Beridaas.

  “What the hazik?” Annoyed, the Cerc pulled up a small screen on his wristcom to contact Sam.

  Then he heard unruly laughter around the corner to his left. Two individuals, one clearly human female. Habraum silently slinked to the corner to peek his head around. A lanky Ciphereen facing away from him stumbled down the hallway, giving a piggyback to a human with tousled butter-blonde waves. They were swapping incoherent jokes and explosive belly laughs.

  At a glance Habraum knew both Brigadiers. Yet something kept him immobile.

  They finally stopped when the Ciphereen stumbled backward into a wall. The human grunted, sliding off the Ciphereen’s back and to her feet. Both of them laughed hysterically.

  His tall and long-limbed frame hugely contrasted with her shorter, curvy figure. He turned, leaning in so close his duck-billed mouth nearly touched the woman’s nose. He pressed a webbed hand on the wall beside her. Habraum heard a door hiss open.

  Must be his quarters, the Cerc surmised, heart in his throat. Yet he couldn’t look away as the Ciphereen’s mouth lingered too close to the woman. She pushed the hair from her face with a drunken smile and bedroom eyes. For a moment, Habraum was confused…

  Until he watched the Ciphereen extend his unreasonably long tongue out to touch hers. At first their tongues slowly caressed and rubbed. Then their mouths mashed together, eager and sloppy.

  The view was a cold knife thrust to Habraum’s chest. Still, he couldn’t look away.

  After a prolonged stretch of time, the woman seized the Ciphereen by the collar and dragged him forcefully into his own quarters. The door closed behind them, and the corridor was empty.

  Habraum emerged from hiding, his eyes glued to the door of Jan’Hax’s quarters. Shock and more mind-numbing shock were the only emotions coursing through him.

  “You’ve gotta be greybricking me,” he muttered. The Cerc turned and walked slowly back to the translifter.

  Returning to his level was a blur. Shock had put him on autopilot. It wasn’t until he had entered his quarters that he was jolted out of his stupor.

  Back already? Tharydane’s surprise filled his head.

  Yeah. Habraum stopped in his common room and looked himself over, feeling rather foolish.

  Where’s Sam? The Korvenite was still excited, with some anxiety.

  Habraum shrugged. You’ll have to ask Sam, he replied, more tersely than intended. No need to tell Tharyn what her adoptive mum had done—again.

  NO! Tharydane cried telepathically. By her flood of regret she clearly sensed things didn’t go as planned. I’m so sorry. I’ll go back to my quarters—

  Habraum almost agreed. But after getting Jeremy excited about him and Sam together, he couldn’t handle plutoing the boy’s hopes while his own heart still reeled. Not yet. Can you stay half an orv longer?

  Absolutely, Tharydane agreed. I’m really sorry.

  Me too. Habraum forced himself toward his private study. He activated privacy mode upon entering, rounding his desk and slumping into his seat. The Cerc didn’t bother calling for lights.

  His best friend Rukk had been right. Samantha doesn’t do long-term relationships. Maybe Habraum had already known, but loved her too much to admit it. Admitting that was when the pain presented itself—a dull and crushing ache starting from the hollow of his throat down to the base of his belly, like being gripped in a clenched fist, intensifying by the moment.

  Desperate for a distraction, the Cerc pulled up a floating holoscreen from his desk and checked incoming messages to his work account. His gaze landed on one in particular.

  From the Maorridius Magnus of Faroor, further souring Habraum’s mood. “What does that squit want?” He almost deleted the memo, but took a moment to calm himself and opened it. The message had needed his decryption passcode.

  The missive was brief, but Habraum could almost hear the Viceroy’s smug singsong voice. “Defense Minister Haemekk was colluding with an unknown organization to undermine Faroor’s planetary government. The same organization possibly behind Senator Praece’s assassination.”

  A surplus of attachments followed: holovids and holodocuments from the late Defense Minister. Habraum’s rage became confusion. “What the—?”

  A shuddering boom shook Habraum’s whole residence. He popped to his feet. That came from upstairs. Dani? No answer. Self-pity forgotten, Habraum sprinted out of his study and across his common room.

  “Jeremy? Tharydane?” the Cerc called out, racing up the stairwell. Still no response.

  Icy fear consumed Habraum as he reached Jeremy’s room.

  Habraum? Lethe psychically said. I sensed pain and surprise from Tharydane, then nothing.

  Checking now. Jeremy’s door wouldn’t fully open. A red glow emanated from inside. “Jeremy?”

  “Daddy!”

  Habraum loudly thanked the Holy Gemini. His son sounded unharmed, but afraid. “I’m coming, lad!” He gripped the edge of the door, biokinetic powers activated, and pushed. The Cerc met grinding, crunching resistance. Habraum clenched his teeth, forcing the door fully open.

  Stepping into the bedroom, he nearly tripped over Tharydane’s body.

  “Dani?” Habraum’s heart stuttered. He swooped down to the motionless teenager. Instinctively the Cerc went into triage mode, propping her head up for a quick physical assessment. The Korvenite was out cold, but nothing appeared broken. The wall she lay against revealed a huge depression struck by massive concussive force.

  “Rogguts.” Lethe, get over here. And contact Dr. Cortes, Habraum instructed. Dani seems fine but unconscious. He turned his attention to Jeremy, and fell on his behind in surprise.

  His son stood on the far end of his bedroom, round face awash with fear. His little body glowed bright with crackling red energy. Biokinetic energy…like Habraum.

  “Daddy,” he moaned desperately. “I didn’t mean it! I just wanted to show Tharyn how I could glow.”

  “Jeremy…” Habraum’s mind slowly digested the befuddling dilemma. This was impos
sible. Jeremy had been countlessly tested since birth. No trace of xenotrophin or any other maximum markers were ever found. Habraum’s son was a baseline human. Yet here Jeremy stood, a manifested maximum oozing biokinetic energy.

  Habraum swallowed his shock and stood, approaching slowly. “It’s okay, sprout. It’s okay.” Jeremy needed his father strong and present. Habraum knelt before his son, enfolding him in a fierce hug.

  Fortunately, the biokinetic force oozing from Jeremy began to ebb. “I’m sorry, Daddy.” Jeremy shook with sobs. “I didn’t mean to hurt Tharyn!”

  “I know, sprout, I know.” He heard Tharydane moan softly. Looking over, the Cerc was beyond grateful seeing her stir.

  Then Habraum took stock of Jeremy’s bedroom, and went cold all over. The clean area from almost an orv ago was a disaster. Smashed toys lay everywhere, and the walls looked partially blown outward. Only an incredible amount of concussive force could do that.

  Jeremy did this, Habraum realized. My son…

  Meaning this timeline did have slight alterations, affecting his son.

  “It’s okay, Jeremy.” Habraum held his son tighter. “We’ll figure this out.” That was a lie.

  The Cercidalean was as terrified as the boy in his arms, unclear if anything would be “okay” going forward.

  Epilogue

  Moments ago, an infinite expanse of white stretched all around him, bordered only by the dark and craggy silhouettes of distant peaks.

  Now, he was back inside his shuttle. The golden orange lighting presented a warm, welcoming ambiance—his partner’s idea. Not spacious but large enough for personal and professional needs.

  Yet he remained crouched and ready to attack. His head swiveled left and right, long ponytail of thick copper braids whipping about. He scanned all over the shuttle with intense, beady violet eyes. Everything appeared as he’d left it before his outing.

  “Good,” he spoke in a deep, digitally-enhanced cadence. “My time jump had no adverse effects.”

  The human/Cybernarr hybrid rose to his full six-foot-seven height. Already powerfully built, the cobalt-blue armor etched with dull grey circular patterns and the gold faceplate covering his nose and mouth proved terrifying for many an adversary.

  But inside his shuttle at the edge of known space, he expected no attacks. Just the love of his life. “Ana?” His face flushed with anticipation. He had jumped back in time to save Ana-Lucia. She should be back on their vessel before her abrupt disappearance.

  Slipping out of his sleeveless black overcoat, flowing past his knees, he tossed it casually onto his pilot seat. “Ana-Lucia?” Again, no answer.

  That worried him. She should be back. I fixed what happened to her on Titanoa.

  “Welcome back, Darkstar.” The familiar, gender-neutral voice of SEUM, the ship’s AI, greeted him.

  The man named Darkstar scowled. Glad as he was to hear SEUM, Darkstar would rather have heard Ana’s voice. “SEUM. Any word from Ana-Lucia?”

  SEUM paused to process the query. The reply should’ve been instant. “I don’t understand the question.”

  Darkstar frowned in concern. “Liliana Lucia Cortes Gallegos,” he emphasized. “My fiancée. Is she back?”

  SEUM answered more promptly. “I’m sorry, Darkstar. There is no record of any Liliana Lucia Cortes Gallegos in my archives. Or ever entering this vessel.”

  Suddenly Darkstar felt colder inside than the icy wastelands of Titanoa. That was impossible. “I saved her. She’s supposed to be alive after I saved her!” Unless something happened after Titanoa. Some other mission caused Ana’s death before we ever met.

  Darkstar slammed a fist into a wall multiple times. “GODDAMNIT!” he roared, leaving a sizeable dent.

  His frantic mind skipping from possibility to possibility at light speed, grasping for hope, Darkstar ordered SEUM to make a call. Within macroms a life-sized holo appeared: a pink-skinned Pogollish human with bone-white shaggy hair and deep red roots to match his scarlet eyes. Agent Puemri Tas, Darkstar’s superior officer, stood just above Darkstar’s shoulder. His face, blocky with a scar across the nose, looked worn yet severe. Tas was situated in the headquarters in-between time, yet could communicate with any of his team wherever or whenever.

  “Darkstar,” the stormborn stated, neither angered nor elated by the call.

  “I went back and rescued her from Titanoa,” Darkstar interrupted, not caring how wildly his gestures appeared. He had to find Ana.

  “Darkstar,” Tas repeated.

  “She was supposed to be safe. Has Ana reached out? Is she okay?”

  “Darkstar,” Tas thundered, silencing his subordinate. “Ana didn’t return. Nor will she.”

  Darkstar’s heart sank. “Why?” Thankfully the gold faceplate over his mouth and nose masked the horrified reaction.

  Tas shook his head. “It isn’t just Ana.” Now that Darkstar studied him, the stormborn looked wearier than ever. “Several operatives that went to investigate the Zenith Point aberrations never returned.”

  Darkstar stiffened, accepting the cosmic implications behind his superior’s words. “Was it the Zenith Point?” How ironic that the very entity which rescued him a lifetime ago had now doomed his beloved.

  “Not exactly,” Tas replied with disquiet. “While we were all distracted fixing the Zenith Point’s more severe disruptions, another time incursion transpired in the universe you and Ana-Lucia came from.”

  The words filled Darkstar with alarm. “What kind of incursion?”

  The stormborn gave him a strange look. “The Cybernarr attacked two Star Brigade combat teams in 2402. Wiped out every Brigadier except Habraum Nwosu and Samantha D’Urso.”

  It took Darkstar’s brain several moments to digest the revelation. The Technoarchy, which was half of his makeup, had attacked Star Brigade in the past. “By the Twins. Ana-Lucia wasn’t even an active Brigadier back then. Was she—?”

  “No.” Tas hastily raised a reassuring hand. “But the incursion altered the timeline Ana-Lucia came from.”

  Darkstar felt the room spin, knowing what that meant. Tas articulated it anyway. “Because of that, Cortes never met you, was never recruited to freelance with The Timeless.”

  “Meaning…” Darkstar whispered, barely breathing, “the Ana-Lucia I know…and love…never existed.”

  The reality of this issue sank in, as did the solution. “I must jump to 2402 and stop the Cybernarr.”

  Tas glanced down, expecting this reaction. “Darkstar. We can’t.”

  “The hell we can’t!” Darkstar barked back. Everything he’d wanted, needed, had been erased from existence. And unlike many Timeless agents, Darkstar didn’t need external tech to time travel. He possessed the power to save Ana-Lucia. “Those Star Brigadiers weren’t supposed to die so soon. And Liliana… She’s one of us. If this is the incursion that created the Sovereign—”

  “Darkstar!” Tas barked, no longer weary or sympathetic. His face was a frightening, furious mask. “You will not correct that incursion. Not when we are clueless where it came from. And if you defy me, I will marshal any resources still available to stop you.”

  Darkstar opened his mouth to protest, but Tas’s fury kept him quiet. The stormborn’s words weren’t hollow. Darkstar had seen quite a few operatives imprisoned for attempting to use time travel for personal gain. I am no exception. With a heavy, broken heart, he nodded.

  Satisfied with Darkstar’s compliance, Tas continued, the weariness returning. “Another Habraum Nwosu already foolishly tried to intervene. Whether it was intentional or Zenith Point-related, I don’t know.”

  “But—” Darkstar’s mind was a mess. His Ana-Lucia was erased from existence. Regardless, the human/Cybernarr hybrid kept focus on this new crisis.

  “My point is that I already allowed you to time travel for personal means. Because it was Liliana. You rescued her from death and she is safe. But not again.” Tas paced, shaking his shaggy head of hair. “Not when we’ve lost nearly half of our
operatives and have no idea how the Cybernarr Technoarchy gained time-travel technology.” He stopped, his gaze raking over Darkstar. “Who knows the damage they can do? Agents of the Timeless should’ve been immune to most temporal changes. Yet that wasn’t the case. Meaning everyone and anyone affiliated with The Timeless is vulnerable out there.”

  All Darkstar wanted was to find Ana-Lucia. But she could be gone, erased. Because of the Technoarchy. “The Technoarchy had been near extinct in the timeline Ana and I came from,” he reminded Tas, “thanks in large part to Star Brigade.”

  “I’m well aware.” The stormborn scratched the stubble on his jaw. “This incursion couldn’t be a coincidence.” He approached until he was in Darkstar’s face, almost confrontational. “I need your help to discover how the Technoarchy acquired time-travel tech. Can I count on you, Darkstar?”

  The mere thought of what the Technoarchy had taken from him seared through Darkstar’s veins. Now they have taken Ana-Lucia from me.

  The only thing left was revenge. And permanently eradicating the Technoarchy.

  “Yes, sir,” Darkstar answered crisply. “Wherever and whenever you need me.”

  BOOKS BY C.C. EKEKE

  STAR BRIGADE SERIES:

  Oblivion (prequel novella)

  Resurgent (Book 1)

  Maelstrom (Book 2)

  Odysseys (Anthology)

  Traitor (novella)

  Supremacy (Book 3)

  Ascendant (Book 4)

  Acknowledgements

  I’d like to thank my editor Claudette as well as my beta reader Corine for making sure my writing is coherent and has a few typos/spelling errors as possible. Also want to thank Tom Edwards, my brilliant cover artist. Your stunning artwork really changed the look and feel of the Star Brigade series to potential readers starting from Book 1. I will always be grateful for that more space opera branding shift which you provided. And lastly, I want to once more thank the readers who have been so supportive of my writing, and so eager for when my next book will come out. Always grateful to get your emails and your reviews!