Zena- Commander

by Edward Lake

With the Serpents’ help, we slaughtered those men and moved on to the next group of soldiers. But this time, there was no space between us and the enemy. The Holy Army troops rushed us and fired close-range shots that made us back up a little.

  I blasted the man in front of me with blazing shots. He fired back at me, creating a flash of light between us that made it difficult to see. The flash disrupted the soldier, too. His shooting stopped for a second as he tried to refocus. I dropped down and shot at his legs. He tried to protect himself, but it was too late. He crumpled into a bent, bloody mess. The man wept and held his hands up to the sky. He asked God to save him, but his prayer was not answered.

  When I saw him die, I looked up and found my next target. I tried to kill him quickly, too, but he had better skills than the last one. He ran at me and knocked my gun out of my hands. Using my long legs, I managed to kick his gun out of his hands before he could shoot me.

  He dove for the gun. I leaped to the ground and wrapped my arm around his neck. I applied pressure and strangled him to death. It happened so fast. As I knelt over his dead body, the realization of my strength frightened me. I figured the pem-peh plants had given me this awesome power, but I wondered if it would transform me into a monster, too.

  Ada ran to me, grabbed my arm and pulled me up. She handed me my gun and covered me as I moved ahead. The area had been taken over by black smoke. I wheezed and covered my mouth as I marched through the endless haze of darkness.

  From above, a missile blasted the ground in front of us. All of us launched in the air, then crashed to the ground like dead birds falling from the sky.

  The blast killed a few of the men in our group. I tried to get up, but my right knee gave out. I looked down and realized I had a deep wound in my leg. Gasping for air, I turned my head and saw Ada, unconscious, blood leaking down her face. No!

  I reached out and gripped her ash-covered jacket. I pulled her to me and shook her. “Wake up, Ada! Wake up!” I turned on my radio and called for help. “Jax! We need backup! Now!”

  Two enemy ships came swooping down over us. They aimed at me, and I saw the bright red lasers bloom from their cannons. But before the lasers left the cannons, blasts from out of nowhere deflected the shots.

  “On your feet, Zena! Get Ada to safety!” Jax said to me over the radio.

  I dragged her to a wrecked building and hid behind a large table. I rocked Ada in my arms, trying to wake her.

  “Hey? Ada?” I shook her again, harder this time. “Come on, wake up.” I wiped away some of the blood on her head. “You’re not dead. No, not yet. You’re too strong for that. Remember?”

  “Zena! Where are you!” a familiar voice called out.

  I looked around and checked the area. The black smoke was even worse now, making it impossible to see. “Over here! Whoever you are.”

  “It’s me, Evander.”

  I couldn’t have been happier to hear his voice. “We’re over here! Please help us.”

  He found me and knelt. My eyes were burning so bad I could only see his shadow. “Is she dead?”

  “I don’t think so.”

  He quickly helped us get to our feet. He noticed me limping and took Ada from me. “I’ve got her, Zena. Just follow me.”

  More and more missiles rocked the area as we crept outside. The deflector shield on Jax’s ship was still on, which gave the three of us a clear path to safety until we reached the ramp. Once inside, he closed the ramp and took off.

  Taft hurried to us and knelt. “Oh no. Is she alive?”

  Evander gently laid Ada down and checked her face. “Yes. But she needs treatment.”

  “No. All she needs are these,” Jax said and threw a bag of plants at us.

  Evander snatched the bag and opened it. He crunched the dried plants into tiny pieces and pinched them with two fingers. He shoved the fingers into Ada’s mouth and swiveled them around.

  I winced as I got down on the floor. I watched Ada closely, praying for a sign of life. I was afraid to lose her, knowing I would lose my chance to be her friend. Wake up, Ada! Please, wake up!

  It took a few more prayers, and perhaps time for the plants to do their work, but at last, she woke up, panting for air. I touched her face and brushed away the soot on her skin.

  “Goodness, I thought we lost you.”

  She coughed and sat up. She touched her chest and opened her eyes. “What happened?”

  “We nearly died when they fired that missile. Jax and Evander saved us.” I scooted away to give her some space. I held my bad leg, trembling as I felt the pain getting worse. “Will those plants heal this, Jax?”

  From the cockpit, he turned his head and peeked at me. “Hmm, that’s a nasty one.” He went back to the control panel. “But yes. Those plants will help you heal much faster than your typical remedy.” He snapped his fingers. “Evander, help Zena out.”

  He handed me the bag of plants. I took it and ate a few. The effects were instant, surging through my body like a cold drink. The wound on my leg was still there, but the pain lessened by the minute. Incredible. I stood up and took a few steps. My limp was still there, but it didn’t hurt to move.

  Jax turned on the boosters and flew us up higher. “Our work is done for the night. It’s time to celebrate.”

  I walked forward and looked out the window. On the outside, I saw endless wrecked battleships and dead bodies. “So that’s it? Agholor is ours now?”

  Jax nodded. “Yes. With the slave soldiers on our side, the holys are helpless.” He glanced up at me. “Saros will soon be dead, Zena. You’ll get your revenge—and I’ll help you save your family.” He landed near a cluster of rebel ships, Serpent ships and Holy Army ships that had been taken over by slave soldiers.

  When he opened the ramp, the roar from outside hurt my ears. Jax jogged down the opening and cheered as the four of us followed him out.

  “My troops! We’ve won!” He held a lively fist out towards the crowd of troops. “Agholor has fallen! Loot the land! Take whatever you can find. At dawn we fly to Sodus, the Holy Planet, and end this war once and for all!”

  Evander covered his brow and let out a miserable sigh. “Dear God, no.”

  Ada shook her head at him. “If Master heard you say that, you’d be dead.” She reached out and touched his shoulder. “That lie you worship is no more. Join us, Evander. Be greater than a slave to some make-believe spirit.”

  He reached up and gently moved her hand off his shoulder. “You’re wrong, Ada. I’m a disciple of God. You’re a slave to a masked man.”

  She smirked as she looked him up and down. “After everything that has happened, it’s a shame you haven’t learned anything.” She walked forward and stood with Jax.

  The three of us remained still, staring at each other.

  “Sodus is next,” Taft said. “I believe in us. If we stay loyal to each other, we can make it.”

  Jax, Ada and the rest of the soldiers made fists and held them up high over their heads. They roared as one, then waved us onward, asking us to join in. We were reluctant at first, but I had a feeling Taft and Evander were thinking the same thing as me. I didn’t want to be seen as an outsider. The rebels had to believe we were on their side.

  I gave them both looks that screamed, come on, we have to do this. Finally, we stepped forward and stood with Jax and Ada. We raised our fists in the air and cheered with the troops. It was just what we needed, a sign of solidarity. Although little did I know, things were about to take a turn for the worse. Far worse than anything I could have imagined.

  Part 5

  The Rebel Spy

  16

  Pastor Saros

  At last, the moment of truth had come. The rebels and Serpents were headed to Sodus to destroy my Holy Empire. Godless thugs. Fools until the end. The slave soldiers had turned against me, too. Their betrayal would send them to an early demise, and after my servants washed their blood from the streets, the Holy Planet would rejoice.

  Aboard Station Four, i
nside the central command center, Agnes and I met with Commander Vault and Vin Naas. On the monitor, I saw millions of battleships, most of them Holy Army ships that had been taken over by slave soldiers. I shut my eyes and grit my teeth, disgusted with Vault. It was his idea to create an army of slave soldiers. He told me it would assure the Holy Empire a swift victory over the rebels and Serpents. He had failed me, and now, it would be his undoing.

  I opened my eyes and breathed out slowly, doing my best to keep my emotions under control. “Commander Vault.”

  He stepped forward, his head held low. “Yes, My Priest?”

  “As of this moment, you are dismissed from your duties as Commander of the Holy Army.” I turned around and faced him. “Because of the knowledge you have, I cannot let you live, Vault. Therefore, you will be executed at once.”

  Shockingly, he had no response to my ruling. I wondered if he had given up on himself, just as I had.

  I went to the control panel and sent a message to Captain Otto Slate. He arrived shortly after, accompanied by a group of my finest men. Slate had a slight grin on his face as he stared at Vault. He marched forward and secured his wrists and ankles with metal restraints.

  I was so disappointed. Castor Vault had served the Holy Empire for over thirty years. His peers considered him the greatest combatant to ever journey the galaxy. Somehow, he lost his way. All he had to do was track down a spy, so that I could regain control of my security system. I had seen him overcome much more than this before. It truly was a shame.

  I looked him over one last time, shaking my head. Finally, I turned my attention to Slate. “Captain Otto Slate, I grant you the rank of commander. Do you accept the responsibilities that come with this duty?”

  He stood at attention and gave me a bow. “Yes, Pastor Saros. I do.”

  “Very good. Take Vault to my chambers. Shoot him. Beat him to death. Whatever it takes. Just do it quickly. We have a war to win.”

  “Yes, sir. Right away.”

  Vault looked up and kept his head held high as Commander Slate shoved him out of the command center.

  Naas rubbed his chin, glaring at the dismissed commander as he left with Slate. “Linus…something doesn’t feel right.”

  I crossed my arms and went back to the monitor. “Like what? You think Vault knows something we don’t?”

  “Exactly. You just sentenced him to death, and he didn’t flinch. Not one bit.”

  I shrugged. “It doesn’t matter. He’ll be dead soon.”

  Naas hurried to me. “We must leave Sodus. You and Agnes are not safe here.”

  I chuckled at his ridiculous claim. “You forget, old friend, we are aboard Station Four—the most powerful battle station in the galaxy. If the rebels make it past my fleet, they will be wiped out when they reach Sodus.”

  Agnes came to me and took my hand. “Maybe Naas is right. So much has happened. Things we can’t explain.” She exhaled. “Let Slate do his duty and prove to us that he’s worthy of his new rank. Then, when it’s safe, we’ll return to Sodus.”

  I madly waved my hand in front of her face. “This is our chance to get Zena! I want that savage locked up—rotting away in one of my chambers.”

  Agnes pointed at the monitor. “If Zena is in that battle, Commander Slate will capture her when she reaches Sodus.”

  I turned to my wife and grabbed her arms. “I want to capture her!” I narrowed my eyes. “I thought that’s what you wanted, too?”

  “Of course I want Zena captured! But you and I are more important than that.” She yanked her arms away from me. “We’ll get our revenge, one way or another. But right now, we need to think about our safety.”

  I made fists and held them up to her face. “No! I want Zena to suffer. Slow, agonizing pain. You said you wanted to turn her younger siblings against her! You said you wanted to make them hate her.” I sneered, my eyes wide. “Wouldn’t that be the sweetest revenge? We can do to her what she did to us.”

  Agnes nodded. “Yes. That’s what I want. But that was before the slave soldiers turned on us.” She calmly touched my face. “My love, I promise you, we’ll return as soon as Slate has Zena in custody.”

  I stared at her for a moment, blinking, considering. Finally, I turned my back to her and paced the room. “I can’t. Not now. I have to make sure Slate captures her.” My eyes suddenly welled with tears. “She took Sadie from us. Our only child.” I hid my face, sniveling under my hand. “She turned our sweet, innocent daughter into a filthy savage!”

  Agnes jogged to me. “Oh, Linus.” She hugged me from behind. “Stop tormenting yourself.”

  I closed my eyes and let the tears fall down my face. “Sadie was so beautiful. She had her whole life to look forward to.” My chest rumbled, sparked by my burning hatred for Zena. I opened my eyes and rubbed them dry. “A magnificent, holy wedding. Beautiful grandchildren. She took that from us. That…dirty slave woman ruined our lives.”

  Agnes hugged me harder and kissed my head. “I know. But remember, God is with us. We can’t lose.” She kissed me again. “So leave with me, right now. When the fighting is over, we’ll come back.”

  “Pastor Saros! Come in, Pastor Saros! This is Commander Slate!”

  My wife let me go and stepped back. I dashed to the control panel and activated the radio. “Slate! This is High Priest Saros. What’s going on?”

  “Castor Vault has escaped, sir! He broke out of his restrains and ran to the main docking station. He’s just hijacked one of our battleships!”

  My eyes blinked continually for a few seconds, my thoughts deeply confused. “How did he escape from the restraints, Slate?”

  “I don’t know, My Priest. It was like he somehow developed a boost of strength. He pulled the restraints apart with ease. We tried to stop him but he overpowered us.”

  In the background, I heard lasers shooting and screams from every corner of the docking station.

  “He’s getting away, sir!”

  I touched my brow and slowly massaged my temples. Finally, I went back to the radio. “Send our best men to find Vault and destroy him, Slate. He knows too much; he can’t survive! And maintain pressure on the rebels. This war needs to end.”

  “Yes, sir! Right away!”

  Vin Naas came over to me, a pitiful look stamped in his eyes. “Linus, please…listen to Agnes. We must leave Sodus and regroup on a safer planet.”

  Over our heads, an earsplitting alarm went off. I staggered backwards and covered my ears. Naas covered his ears, too, and collapsed to his knees. Agnes rushed to the control panel and tried to shut the alarm off, but she didn’t know how. Red lights flashed from the corners of the ceiling. Then, the battle station began to shake.

  I hurried to Agnes and gently shoved her aside. I quickly found the button that disabled the alarm. I pressed it and let out a big sigh, the pain in my ears fading. I turned on the radio and gasped, “Commander Slate!”

  “Vault fired a missile that took out our deflector shield, sir. My troops are trying to turn it back on, but it may take us time to fix the damage.”

  God, no! I leaned my head back and shouted as loud as I could. How could those idiots let this happen? I sternly pressed the button that activated the radio.

  “Get that shield back on at once, Slate! Or I’ll rip your heart from your chest and feed it to the creatures in the forest!”

  “I will fix the shield, My Priest. You have my word.”

  I grumbled and slammed my thumb into the button. “Now!”

  “Yes, Pastor Saros!”

  I looked down and closed my eyes. All this madness was making my head spin. Still, I had faith that God would lead us to victory. I opened my eyes and turned to Agnes. I took her hand and shook it as I talked, staring into her eyes. “My dear wife, go to Turk and Lydia; make sure they’re safe. Stay there with them and keep them company. Wait for me there.”

  “Where are you going?”

  “I need to speak with Declan Ezra. He’s going to help me lure Zena in
to a trap.”

  17

  Pastor Saros

  When I got to Declan’s room, I found him pacing near the far wall. The soldiers who had been stationed in the room noticed me and stepped forward from their post. The grandmother, Petra, was sitting on the sofa, gazing into the distance. When she realized I had arrived, she straightened her posture and glared at me.

  I moved forward, calmly staring back at her. “Comfortable?”

  She stood up. “No. I’d rather be in a prison cell.”

  I smiled and wagged a finger at her. “I think I can have that arranged.”

  Declan dashed around the sofa and got in front of her. “What do you want, Saros?”

  I threw my hands up, still smiling. “Come now, you know what I want.” I sighed and paced in front of them. “Actually, it’s who I want.”

  “My sister Zena. We know.”

  “Very good, Declan. But she won’t come to me willingly.”

  “So you still haven’t caught her?” He laughed. “I thought you were more powerful than this.”

  I stopped pacing and gradually turned to him. “You will soon witness my power, Declan. I can get Zena with or without your help.” I glanced at the soldier to my right and gave him a nod. Once his gun was aimed and ready, I pointed at Petra’s head.

  Declan quickly shielded her, glaring at me, his eyes seething. “If you hurt her, I’ll kill you.”

  I chuckled and shook my head. “So much fight in you, Declan. You would have been a great soldier.”

  Petra boldly stepped in front of him. “If it’s me you want, then kill me. Let Declan go.”

  “I want Zena. And unless Declan helps me, I have no use for either of you.”

  His chest puffed out as he began to breathe heavily. “What about Turk and Lydia, huh? You going to kill them, too? Two innocent children! What kind of a man—”

  “Your little brother and sister are safe. Playing with toys and eating sweet foods. Agnes and I would never harm them.” I paused for a moment to ponder the young Ezras. The idea of grooming them into respectable, God-worshiping citizens made me smile.