Cosmic Genten

by Grady P. Brown

  Looking up, Bralu saw that Manus seemed unaffected by his maiming. An invisible hand seized Bralu’s throat, and he gasped as he was pinned to a nearby wall, his feet dangling several inches from the floor. Frantically, Bralu tried to free himself, but there was no hand to free himself from.

  I was careless! Getting his face blown off didn’t stop him, and he doesn’t need hands to kill me! Bralu cursed as he gasped for breath.

  Manus stood in front of Bralu like a pillar of death. Staring at the gaping hole where Manus’s face used to be, Bralu felt his sense of dread intensify. Utilizing his telekinesis, Manus summoned his fallen Kiru and pointed the tip of the blade in the center of Bralu’s abdomen. Bralu’s soul froze when he saw this.

  This can’t be! This is what I saw in my vision! This is when I’m supposed to die! Bralu thought as he struggled in vain to break free of Manus’s unseen grip.

  In an instant, Manus’s Kiru was thrust into Bralu’s gut, nailing him to the wall. A sensation that was both hot and cold rippled through Bralu’s stomach as the mik alloy blade impaled him. Blood gushed out of Bralu’s mouth as his stomach acid started to eat his innards from the inside out. Bralu tried to stay conscious, refusing to die. He spat a blob of blood at Manus in defiance.

  Suddenly, before Manus could finish Bralu off, a pair of Shogunate officers approached them. The duo was clearly horrified by Manus’s mutilated state.

  “V-V-Vice Shogun! The ship is exploding! We have to get you out of here!” one officer exclaimed.

  Manus turned his attention from Bralu to his officer before begrudgingly walking away. As Manus left, he telekinetically pulled his Kiru from Bralu’s gut before sliding it into the scabbard on his belt. Bralu limply dropped to the ground and slumped against the wall. His vision blurred as he tried to stay awake. While he fought to stay alive, Bralu tried to channel psychic energy into his wound in an attempt to heal it, but he passed out before he could finish.

  After what seemed like an eternity, Bralu opened his eyes as he heard a familiar voice. He could not process words, but he could tell someone was speaking to him. When his vision cleared, Bralu saw Amber lifting him off the ground and retrieving his Kiru. She slung his arm over her shoulders and hoisted him down the hallway toward the Benfold Star. The expression on Amber’s beautiful face was one of sadness and relief as tears rolled down her cheeks. Despite Amber’s grief, Bralu was pleased that she’d rescued him.

  CHAPTER 23

  Back in the Benfold Star’s hangar, the structural integrity of the hangar was coming apart at the seams, with scrap metal raining down and sparks of electricity spraying from ruptured machinery. It was not just the disintegrating chamber that worried the strike team. The survivors of the strike team struggled to organize themselves after the dreadnaught shook. If it were not for the freighter’s magnetic locks in its landing gear, they would have been tossed across the hangar. Even so, the colossal vibration threw the crew into a panic.

  Desperate for answers, Jarek demanded, “What the hell shook the dreadnaught? That was no laser blast! Something hit us!”

  “I don’t know, but you heard what the announcement said! If we don’t get out of here soon, we’ll be caught in the blast when this ship goes!” Kelba shouted over the noise.

  “Where is Amber? I should have gone with her!” Mooku cursed.

  “I don’t know, but we can’t afford to wait much longer! If she is not back with Bralu in a minute, we’ll have to leave without them! Hopefully they’ll find escape pods somewhere!” Jarek said.

  “You’re not seriously suggesting we leave them in this sinking ship!” Kelba scolded.

  “What choice do we have? We’re running out of time! Besides, if one of the beams from the ceiling crashes on top of us, we’re not going anywhere!” Mooku said.

  “Wait a minute! I see movement through the flames! It’s them! They made it!” Jarek cheered.

  The strike team looked over the boarding ramp and sighed with relief when they saw Amber dragging Bralu along. Mooku ran toward them and helped Amber carry Bralu inside. Once inside, the boarding ramp closed behind them.

  “Just in time! Everybody buckle in! It’s going to be a bumpy ride!” Jarek warned as he manipulated the controls.

  The Benfold Star rumbled to life as it slid out of the crumbling hangar. As the freighter left, a fiery explosion burst out, almost swallowing the ship whole. Once they were past the blast, the crew of the Benfold Star got a good look at the outcome of the battle. The front of the dreadnaught was destroyed, and smaller explosions were sprouting across its hull. Fighter drones floated aimlessly without anything to guide them, while the rest of the Shogunate fleet was either disabled or decimated. The only Shogunate vessel to survive was a single frigate, which turned around and teleported to an unknown corner of known space. Meanwhile, the Spica Defense Fleet and its Coalition allies lost more than three quarters of their combined strength, and the remaining ships were flying toward Spica Prime.

  “Looks like this is going to be even bumpier than I thought! Hold on to something!” Jarek hollered.

  Just like he would on a jet racer track, Jarek navigated through the debris field with speed and precision. There were multiple cases in which he thought he was going to crash against the larger chunks of wreckage as they loomed over the swift freighter. Then a massive flash of light came from behind the Benfold Star, and a shockwave shook the fleeing ship. Jarek looked through the rearview mirror while the rest of the crew looked through the side windows. What they saw was the Emden splitting in half in a blinding explosion. The shockwave that shook the Benfold Star also turned the debris field into a makeshift meteor shower that was hurtling toward Spica Prime.

  “Things just got a lot more complicated! I know I said it was going to be a bumpy ride twice, but this is about to become more intense!” Jarek shouted.

  “Then stop saying it, idiot! Focus on flying!” Kelba chided loudly.

  “All right! All right!”

  With his attention once more locked onto the navigation systems, Jarek swallowed hard when he saw what he had to dodge. Thousands of pieces of charred metal were flying past the Benfold Star like a swarm of angry birds. A few smaller chunks rattled against the freighter’s hull while Jarek did everything he could to avoid the larger wreckage.

  The effects of his intense flying were taking a toll on Jarek. His arms, hands, and shoulders were screaming with pain as he fought against the increasing turbulence. His sense of balance was out of order due to trying to keep the Benfold Star level during the escape. His head was spinning and feeling as light as a cloud from concentrating so hard. The fear that the Benfold Star would become space dust made his heart pound and his stomach twist. Overall, the entire flight was turning Jarek into a nervous wreck.

  When they entered Spica Prime’s atmosphere, the turbulence became worse than before. The Benfold Star shook so much that it felt as though the entire freighter was about to come apart. At one point, a small crack appeared on the far side of the cockpit window.

  Noticing the crack, Jarek cursed, “Come on, damn you! Hold it together!”

  Eventually, the Benfold Star made it through the planet’s atmosphere while the rest of the falling debris was incinerated upon reentry. Flying through the harmless particle shower, Jarek sighed with relief and eased his grip on the controls.

  Over the loudspeaker, Jarek announced, “Mission accomplished, ladies and germs! We … have … survived!”

  The rest of the ship’s crew cheered in triumph at their victory over the Shogunate. However, the only ones not cheering were Amber and Bralu. Amber was still sobbing with an unconscious and bleeding Bralu resting in her lap.

  CHAPTER 24

  In an unknown location, Manus awoke from his extensive surgery. His new vision crackled with static at first, but quickly became clear as day. Surrounding him were several medical robots hovering in the air while a collection of mechanical arms with surgical tools hung over him.

  One of the r
obots asked, “Reconstruction complete, Vice Shogun. Would you like to see?”

  In a raspy, metallic voice, Manus answered, “Yes. Show me.”

  The medical robots projected a holographic mirror, and what Manus saw filled him with both disgust and renown. Manus’s mangled head was not only rebuilt but also encased in a golden mask with red eyes that resembled a human face. A single horn sprouted from his forehead while another pair replaced his ears. Both of his arms were replaced with equally gilded prosthetics that were held together by a series of segment plates. Manus’s new appearance looked both regal and demonic at the same time.

  “What do you think, Vice Shogun?” the robot asked.

  “It could have been worse,” Manus mused before crushing all the robots and mechanical arms to pieces with his telekinesis.

  “Now that was ungrateful of you. They went to great lengths to put you back together, and this is how you repay them?” chided a familiar voice.

  Manus turned and saw Admiral Vao standing on the other side of the room. Like Manus, Vao had also undergone some medical changes. Vao’s right arm was replaced with a cybernetic replacement, while the left side of his scarred face was put back together with metal sutures. His left eye was also replaced with a red implant.

  “Looks like they mutilated you as well, Admiral,” Manus shot back.

  Vao grinned briefly before adopting a more serious expression. “I have good news and bad news, sir. Which would you like to hear first?”

  “Good news, please.”

  “The good news is that even though we failed to conquer the Spica System, our true goals were achieved. The bad news is that your brother, the Shogun, has died. Apparently some overly ambitious official poisoned the Shogun at a feast.”

  Manus bowed his head as he struggled to process the news of his brother’s death. His emotional state was a strange one.

  “Will you be all right, Vice Shogun?” Vao asked.

  Manus chuckled. “Vice Shogun? That’s not my title anymore! My brother was always cautious about preserving what we could of our conquests, but now that we have achieved our main objective and he is dead, we no longer need to do that. With my useless brother out of the way, I am now the new Shogun of the Shogunate!”

  Vao smiled brightly before bowing deeply, chanting, “Hail to the Shogun!”

  As Vao acknowledged him, Manus basked in his new role in an ever-changing universe.

  ______

  Bralu’s head was swimming with visions of his battle with Manus. He envisioned himself being swallowed by the flames that enveloped the hallway as Manus laughed through his exposed throat. Within the inferno, Bralu could hear screams while fiery hands reached out to him. Unable to contain himself, he screamed with the damned.

  ______

  Bralu woke up in a cold sweat as he reeled from his hellish nightmare. He panted hard while jolts of pain rippled across his gut. A massive tube was hooked into his abdomen while computers monitored his vitals. Within the room, Bralu was surrounded by his parents and surviving companions, who sighed in relief when they saw him awake.

  “Honey, you’re alive!” Marthuun cried.

  “We thought we lost you, stud,” said Mikaal.

  “Where am I? Did we win?” Bralu asked, overwhelmed by his new surroundings.

  “You’re in a hospital in Londinium. Your injuries were quite sustainable. The stab wound in your gut was so severe that they had to replace your liver with a cybernetic one. I also did what I could to treat you with my psychic healing, but you will have a number of scars and some nerve damage,” Amber explained, tears rolling down her cheeks.

  Bralu sat quietly in his bed for a moment, struggling to process the extent of his condition. He might have survived, but he was no longer in one piece.

  “Sensei and I fought the Vice Shogun himself. Sensei was cut down, and I was so certain I was going to die. My body may be mostly healed, but I will need time to get over my spiritual wounds.” Bralu trembled as he relived his nightmare on the Emden.

  An uncomfortable silence consumed the room as the group lamented Bralu’s misery.

  “To answer your other question, we won!” Amber said, wiping the tears from her cheeks.

  “We sent those Shogunate bastards packing!” Jarek boasted.

  “You got us out of the dreadnaught just in the nick of time, Jarek. You’re a much better pilot than I took you for,” Kelba sneered.

  Jarek shook his head. “Did you really have that much doubt I could get us out?”

  “For a while, yes,” Kelba replied.

  “My father betrayed us during the battle. He and his cronies are scheduled to be executed for high treason next week,” Amber added bitterly.

  “I’m sorry to hear that, Amber. I knew Governor Spatha was a greedy man, but I didn’t think he would betray us all to keep his power,” Bralu said.

  “I knew. I didn’t want to believe it, but I knew he was that kind of man. I will look forward to watching his execution,” Amber growled.

  “Devan survived the battle, but barely. His Coalition allies also came to help us. If it weren’t for them, we would have lost for sure. They are currently setting up additional defenses in case the Shogunate comes back,” Mooku explained.

  “How many did we lose?” Bralu asked, afraid of the answer.

  Adopting a sobering expression, Mooku answered, “Out of the five thousand ground forces, only thirteen hundred survived. All that remain of the Spica Defense Fleet and the Coalition armada are one dreadnaught, three corvettes, two freighters, two bombers, and nine fighters. All of those surviving ships need repair, but they are still in working condition. It was a grueling battle, and our victory came at a high price. Even with the defenses the Coalition is setting up, we won’t have the numbers or resources to withstand another attack.”

  “What about Kyle? Did my brother survive?” Bralu asked further.

  Marthuun and Mikaal started to cry together as they approached Bralu. Their display of emotion made Bralu’s stomach sink. When they were at his side, Bralu’s parents presented Kyle’s helmet to him. The sight of the helmet made Bralu numb with grief, and he could not find the strength to cry. With trembling hands, Bralu took the helmet and stared at it for some time.

  After struggling to find his voice, Bralu asked, “How did it happen?”

  “He sacrificed himself to destroy the enemy dreadnaught. It is because of him that we won the battle. Your brother died a hero,” Mooku said.

  Bralu locked eyes with the helmet’s visor, trying to find any other trace of his lost brother. Sadly, the cold metal of the mask ebbed away all hope. “I know Kyle did what he had to. He saved us all, but life seems pointless without him.”

  “He will be sorely missed,” Mikaal cried, Marthuun sobbing on his shoulder.

  A chilling silence enveloped the room. The only sound was the beeping of the monitors checking Bralu’s vitals. A great light had gone out in their lives, replaced by a dark despair.

  “Anyway, the important thing is that we won a strategically important battle against the Shogunate. However, I have some bad news,” Mooku said somberly.

  Still recovering from the loss of his brother, Bralu asked, “What it is? What more bad news could you possibly give me?”

  Clearing his throat, Mooku explained, “I have been overhearing the Coalition officers, and our worst fears are realized. We may have prevented the Shogunate from taking the Spica System, but the invasion created enough disruption in trade that it forced the unconditional surrender of the Consulate. By the time the enemy fleet was halfway through the system, Earth and its surrounding provinces were starved into surrender. With the fall of the capital, all the other star systems in known space are now under Shogunate rule.”

  Everyone present froze with dread when they heard Mooku’s revelation. Despite their best efforts, the Shogunate had succeeded in conquering the Consulate.

  “Are you saying we did all that fighting for nothing?” Jarek exclaimed.


  “My brother died so that the Shogunate would not win! Are you saying his death was in vain?” Bralu yelled.

  “Not necessarily. There is a silver lining to our predicament. Fortunately, thanks to our efforts and the efforts of the Coalition, the Spica Sector is the only quadrant of known space to not be under Shogunate rule. After Earth surrendered, there were some factions in the Consulate military and the Grand Council that refused to yield, and they have joined us in securing our territory. The entire Spica Sector has named itself the Consulate due to the fact that we are the last surviving bastion of democracy left in known space. With the remnants of the Consulate navy combined with the Coalition and Spica Prime fleets, we have enough manpower and resources to secure the Spica Sector from future invasions. We have gained control of all shipyards in the quadrant, and there are plenty of people who wish to fight. In a matter of months, we will be able to take the fight to the Shogunate and regain the Consulate’s territory. The original Consulate may have fallen, but the war has just begun.”

  After hearing Mooku’s explanation, he returned his attention to Kyle’s helmet, saying, “If we’re going to continue fighting, then I will fight when I am recovered. I will not let Sensei and Kyle die in vain.”

  With renewed resolve, everyone in the room cheered for the dream of a free universe.