Jahdiel nodded and left Merikh alone in the reception room. It hadn't gone as she had planned, but she wasn't going to complain. If he wanted to take his time, then so be it, she would take her time. He’d talked about the races of Orion being foolish for thinking about rebellion, but she was starting to think he was the foolish one. In the other galaxy, he’d never shown mercy, but things changed once that they’d gotten here. She didn't mind, but she was starting to think the power was getting to him, it was blinding him.
There was also the thing with the Queen. He’d promised she could kill her, but she was starting to doubt that after recent events. Adira seemed like a bargaining chip right now, a way to ensure there was no rebellion, but Jahdiel had other plans. If Adira was no longer hers to do with, then Merikh would've have broken a promise. She didn't like that. She was starting to feel used for the first time since meeting Merikh, but she would stay quiet and see if things changed. If not, then she may have to reconsider some things, but that would come in time.
Jahdiel walked into the hangar and saw several transport ships waiting to meet with the fleets in space. There were four General's assigned to each Colchian waiting patiently for her arrival. She walked up to them, already knowing which one would accompany her during her travels.
“Merikh has ordered that one Colchian always stay here on Hera,” Jahdiel informed them. “Another will also stay here on standby in case it's needed while taking over one of the planets. My Colchian and Maolmordha's Colchian will be the ones that are taking over the planets.”
Maolmordha grinned and stepped forward. He was a strange looking crodillian, and if it weren't for his cunning skills, he would be serving the lowest job a crodillian could in a fleet. He wasn't dumb and that's the only reason he was in his position. Besides Merikh and herself, he was the best crodillian Commander. Probably the deadliest, even more so than herself.
Maolmordha had four orange eyes, and his skin was a burnt black with some hues of yellow visible underneath. His skin was scaly and cracked with red fluid seeping through the gaps. The crodillian’s body was disproportionate, with one arm twice the size as the other, and it looked more like an oversized club than an arm. Maolmordha was a monster, by looks and on the inside, but he was exactly what Jahdiel needed.
“We're going to leave now, Maolmordha,” Jahdiel told him. “We're going straight to Ovrea. I've already marked it on your map for you,” she looked over to the other two General's. “You can go up to your ships and make sure your crew is ready for war, if it comes to that.”
They nodded to her and she got on her transport ship without another word. She flew up to her Colchian and prepared to leave for Ovrea. She’d already called ahead of time and told the Captain that they’d be leaving today, but she wasn't sure at the time if she would be conquering planets alone or not. Unfortunately, she wouldn't be, but that wasn't her call and she wasn't going to argue it any further. Once on board, she made her way to the Command Deck where the crodillian crew was eagerly waiting for the orders to depart.
She stood in front of her seat with her arms behind her back. “Get the Colchian ready to go to Ovrea at once. Once we arrive, we’ll wait for Maolmordha's Colchian to exit his jump. You’ll receive further orders at that point.”
She sat down in her chair and prepared for the jump. It was going to be slow conquering one planet at a time, especially if rebellion broke out. It’d be very boring going from planet to planet if there was no action, so she hoped there was rebellion, but if there wasn’t she’d make sure it was done right. She felt the ship starting to engage and prepared to see what, if anything, was waiting for her at Ovrea.
Donnchadh called Kirill for the first time since his failed assassination attempt on Queen Adira. He never thought he'd talk to him again, but he needed to warn Kirill not to attack. If his crew had been disappointed with the Queen's message, he didn't want to see the crodillians' reactions when they’d seen. It was his job to make sure Kirill was aware that the surrender wasn’t an actual surrender, it was a strategic move. If he wasn't smart and ignored his advice, all of the ships would destroy the Deimos Brotherhood in the blink of an eye before moving on the rest of Erebos.
Kirill's image popped up on the comlink. “Donnchadh? Is that you?”
“Yes, it’s me,” he replied. “I need to tell you something important and you need to listen carefully.”
“How'd you survive?” Kirill ignored him. “I thought you were sent to Keres. How did you get off alive?”
“The crodillians took any prisoners willing to help them and killed all of the others.”
“You're with the crodillians? I didn't think you were one of the lucky ones,” Kirill grinned. “Is that why you're contacting me? Are you going to get me in there with them?”
“Not the way that you're hoping. But if you listen to me, I’m sure you can get what you want.”
Kirill's grin disappeared. “What do you mean? Why are you contacting me?”
“I've been sent to capture you and bring you to Merikh, where Jahdiel will end up killing you,” Donnchadh skipped all the other details.
“So, you're coming to kill me is what you're saying?”
“No,” Donnchadh shook his head. “I’m buying time. The Queen needs it if we’re to start a rebellion.”
“You’re what?” Kirill's face started to redden. “You're helping the Queen? How dare you betray me and work for the Queen after I sent you to kill her. Why would you even contact me?”
“Because I’m trying to save Orion,” Donnchadh tried to calm him down. “I have something else planned that may work now that Merikh seems to want peace, though I highly doubt that that’s long term.”
“What are you waiting for? Tell me before I hang up.”
“We're almost to Erebos right now,” he said quickly. “The crodillians have been ordered to take you peacefully unless you resist. If there’s any sign of resistance, they’ll kill you and every member of the Deimos Brotherhood. I need you to surrender peacefully.”
“Why? So you can transport me easier and have me killed?”
“Hear me out,” Donnchadh urged him. “If you come peacefully, then the Deimos Brotherhood won’t be wiped out. You can try to cut some type of deal with Merikh since he wants peace. That’ll buy me time to organize a rebellion and the Deimos Brotherhood could be a valuable asset to a successful rebellion.”
“You want me to pretend to make a deal with Merikh so you can start a rebellion?” Kirill started to laugh. “You really think that's going to work?”
“They trust me,” Donnchadh said. “I'm leading the ships that are coming to take you. They’ve put me in command.”
Kirill thought for a moment. “I guess it could work. Do you think Merikh will actually listen to me and strike a deal?”
Donnchadh nodded. “Convince him that you have services he can't live without. If you do that, there's no reason for him to kill you.”
“Then there's Jahdiel,” Kirill pointed out. “I kind of screwed her a while back. That’s something that can’t really be forgiven.”
“I'm sure you two can work something out.”
“I can always have her killed, I guess,” Kirill shrugged. “I’ll have it made look like an accident.”
Donnchadh ignored the comment. “Just know that whatever deal you make is only temporary. We can't let the crodillians take total control of Orion. I'm sure that even you know that.”
“How much longer until you arrive on Erebos?”
“Soon,” Donnchadh answered. “Are you going to do what I told you?”
“Yeah. Yeah,” Kirill waved his hand. “Surrender peacefully so we can get rid of the crodillians once and for all.”
“I'll call you again right before we land,” Donnchadh hung up.
He’d expected Kirill to follow along with his plan. Though he wasn't much different than Merikh deep down, he’d always be up for a plan that had the potential to put him in power. With the crodillians in control, h
e had absolutely no chance to be in power. They were much more powerful than any enemy he had ever faced. Kirill wasn't old, but Donnchadh knew that he couldn't be patient much longer. He’d never truly get the chance to rule, but he was needed in order to put together a rebellion, and if he thought there was a chance for power, Donnchadh would allow him to think it.
He let out a breath and sunk his face into his black hands. He was scared and wanted to do what the crodillians told him and be done, but he couldn't. He’d followed twisted, cruel, orders enough in his life. He was treading very dangerous waters right now, but if he didn't, who would? The videos of Gaea were only a small example of would happen to rebellions. He was sure almost every race would obey any order give, so that left only him. Races couldn't give up like this and someone had to risk their life to save Orion, otherwise they were all doomed. Pasts no longer mattered, even if he was one of the biggest traitors in Orion's history.
Chapter 8
Kirill immediately called his contact who’d been out of touch with him since around the time of the attack on Hera.
The contact's blue image popped up. “It's not safe to be contacting me, Kirill. There's a reason I haven't reached out to you yet.”
“I think it's safe.”
“They've killed everyone else in the Palace except for the Queen! Please tell me how I'm safe from these monsters.”
“They haven't killed you yet, you'll be fine.”
“The only reason they haven't killed me is because they haven't found the secret tunnels yet! If they find them, then I'll end up like the rest of the Palace. Tortured to death in the dungeons and left to rot away.”
Kirill ignored him, knowing he was blowing things way out of proportion. Sure the crodillians were probably killing everything they saw, but his contact was safe from harm. The tunnels were well hidden. “We have more important things to discuss. If you want, we can talk about your tragic situation after.”
“Don’t mock me! You have no idea what it’s like hiding like a rat,” the contact let out a long, exasperated, breath. “What do you need to talk to me about? If you’re still thinking about taking Adira’s spot on the Throne, I hate to tell you, but that’s out of the question.”
“No. No. I don't want to discuss that quite yet,” Kirill waved his hands. “Donnchadh is still alive. The crodillians freed him from his imprisonment.”
“What? You've seen him?”
“He just contacted me!” Kirill revealed. “He wants me to surrender to the crodillians.”
“He's working for the crodillians now?” The contact asked.
“I'm not really sure who he works for,” he shrugged. “He said they freed him from Keres and now he's leading a bunch of ships to capture me. Maybe he’s just helping them, but I know him, he has other motives driving him.”
“Why would the crodillians send him to get you? They have their own for that. They’ve proven to be more than capable of doing near anything.”
“He said they're going to kill me. But that was until the Queen released a message for peace. Things may have changed since Donnchadh left to get me.”
“So that was a public message,” the contact mumbled. “I wasn't sure what they were doing in that room.”
“You heard it?”
“Just because I've been hiding in the tunnels, doesn't mean that I haven't been listening in on things,” the contact a sly grin crossed the image’s face. “I missed the whole Donnchadh thing, but I heard the Queen's message. I wasn't sure if it was really being sent to all of Orion or if they were just playing her.”
“Well, it was definitely real, and Donnchadh wants to use it against them.”
“How exactly would he use that against them?”
“He wants to take me to the leader so I can strike a deal,” Kirill answered. “He said that it'll buy him enough time to start a rebellion.”
The contact's head nodded. “I do think that's a good idea. It's the best chance we have to get out of this mess. Unless we do something, this entire galaxy will fall apart.”
“No,” Kirill shook his head. “I think it’s a terrible idea. The plan is foolish and reckless.”
The contact looked at Kirill with a look of confusion. “You don't think his plan is a good idea?”
“No,” Kirill laughed. “It's awful, but Donnchadh thinks it's great, which I can play against him.”
“I'm kind of lost here. Where are you going with this?”
“I told Donnchadh I'd follow along with his plan. I'm not.”
“You don't plan on attacking the crodillians without any type of assistance, do you?”
“Hell no!” Kirill chuckled. “Even I'm not that dumb. I know what I have on hand and it's no match against the crodillians. My men will be best fit fighting on the crodillians’ side and that's what I'll propose to their leader.”
“Their side?” The contact leaned forward. “You can't be serious. Oh, Kirill, don’t do this.”
“I'll strike an alliance with the crodillians,” he lifted his chin proudly. “We have almost the same goals in mind, so why not work together?”
“I can give you plenty of good reasons why not to work with them!” The contact said.
“Well, I don't want to hear any of them,” Kirill glared. “Just because we strike an alliance doesn't mean I can't betray them later. I’ve been patient this long, I can be patient some time more.”
“You really don't want to mess with the crodillians, Kirill,” the contact warned. “I've seen what they do. You don't want any part of it. If you were wise, you’d get off of Erebos as quickly as possible.”
“I've seen what they can do,” Kirill said. “And they seem to be doing almost exactly what I want to do. We have many things in common. I believe we’ll get along just fine.”
“Since I'm apparently not going to talk you out of it, how are we proceeding?”
“I'll surrender when Donnchadh comes to get me,” Kirill nodded to himself, already falling in love with his plan. “But I'll reveal his betrayal to the crodillians and let them kill him for it. It’ll gain the trust I need in order to speak to Merikh. From there, I'm sure we can work some things out. I’m a flexible man, I’ll make something happen.”
“Your plan sounds like may work, but are you sure that's what you want to do?”
“Of course I'm sure that's what I want to do. Donnchadh came to kill me, now I'll make sure the crodillians kill him. He’s failed me and he’s crossed me, for that, he’ll pay with his life.”
“I don't care about Donnchadh,” the contact said with a flick of the wrist. “I'm talking about working with the crodillians. You won't win the hearts of Orion teaming up with them. These creatures have torn apart families and ravaged planets. When they catch whiff of this, it’ll be seen as betrayal. Any chance you had that they’d follow you would be gone.”
“Then I'll have to find a way to make sure no one finds out my true intentions,” Kirill grinned. “I won't need the crodillians forever.”
“And they won't need you forever either.”
“They may not, but I'll be done with them before they're done with me.”
The contact let out a breath. “Let's hope so. For both of our sake's.”
Pyrrhus' ship entered Hermes' atmosphere and headed towards Thermopylae. He could tell the races were confused about what to expect from the crodillians. They’d heard the Queen's message, but had also seen the death and destruction suffered by several planets. The spaceport and surrounding city wasn't teeming with life as it normally was, but those outside appeared ready to rebel upon sight of any crodillian.
He’d been smart to choose this planet first, otherwise every race would've been slaughtered. The closer his ship got, the more he could see going on in the city, and it didn't look good. Many of the roofs occupied by several races holding cannon launchers, and what few ships there were, were circling the city waiting to attack. Pyrrhus would have to calm things down quite a bit, but at least he wouldn't have any
problems finding rebels to fight for his cause. The whole planet seemed defiant and that was good news for him.
The pilot landed the cargo ship and Pyrrhus stepped onto the spaceport. He wasn't approached by anyone, in fact, he was completely ignored by every race on the pad. He walked through the city where races were giving out weapons and headed directly to the bar. If there was a leader in charge of this recklessness, he’d be in the bar getting drunk. At least that’s what he’d be doing if he was in charge of something with so little thought put into it. The door was already opened when he arrived and he stepped in the dimly lit building.
“And then we'll blow those bastards to pieces and send them back where they came from!” A white female human pumped her fist in the air. “No one comes to our home and kills our families, not without paying the price!”
A group of men were gathered around her, but Pyrrhus wasn't sure if it was because of her looks, or because she had such a strong, demanding, voice that boomed to every corner of the bar. She was over average height for a female human, standing about as tall as himself. Dark brown hair touched the shoulders of her old battle armor and her green eyes pierced through him when she turned his way. A sonic rifle was slung over her back and she held a laser pistol in her right hand.
Pyrrhus pushed his way through the group of male races. “Blow who to pieces, may I ask?”
“The crodillians of course,” she answered. “Who else? Have you not been watching what's been happening around Orion recently, or have you just been living under some rock?”
Pyrrhus leaned in closer. “Oh, I've been watching and listening. And if I remember correctly, and this is a big if, the Queen said not to rebel like fools. At first glance, this would look like rebelling like reckless fools.”
The female pushed him back with both hands and pointed her pistol at him. “You want us to surrender as the Queen suggested. That's not the Queen I know. The Queen I knew would never surrender, no matter what the cost.”
Rise of the Resistance (War for Orion Trilogy Book Two) Page 8
