by Kyle Pratt
When we kill you, we change this future. You will never become the prophet to the Titans.
“You are such a fool,” Enki said with a shake of his head. “How do you become the prophet of the Titans?”
Those words from both the demons and the Nephilim shocked Justin. The prophet died centuries ago. How can they think I am the prophet?
With a dismissive toss of the hand Enki signaled the major, “Kill him.”
Justin felt the officer’s hesitation and even his fear that a firing squad might hit civilians, but all he said was, “Yes, my lord.” The major called three soldiers forward. Except for Prisca, all the former prisoners moved as far away from Justin as the marines would allow.
Naomi, now would be a good time to arrive.
“Ready.”
Justin looked over his shoulder to tell Prisca to move away when he sensed her intent.
Aim.”
“No!” Justin shouted as Prisca ran forward firing wildly. One of the three executioners fell. Blood streamed from his chest. The startled soldiers returned fire, hitting Prisca repeatedly.
The lights blinked and then darkness filled the bay.
The Major shouted for his men to cease-fire as the emergency lights came on.
Justin knelt beside Prisca’s bloody body. Rage filled his mind. He lifted his eyes from her lifeless body to Enki and the two remaining soldiers beside him. With a brush of his arm, he threw the two soldiers into air. They landed with a thud upon the marines behind them. He then focused his mind on Enki, wrapping the force of his thoughts around the Nephilim’s throat and preventing him from speaking and breathing.
Enki’s arms flailed and pointed at Justin.
Remee, his eyes darting between the suffocating Enki and the soldiers, pointed at Justin and the other captives. “All of them…kill…shoot…do something.”
A deep, angry, growl filled the cargo bay. The soldiers continued to point their weapons at Justin, but their heads looked in all directions as the growl grew in intensity. Soldiers standing atop the bins went into a panic of wild shots and shouts as dogs leapt upon them.
The Titan Canine Corps had arrived.
Justin sensed the presence of Thor, the dog that had befriended him that first day aboard Exodus. Images of the Canine Corps, rushing single file along the air ducts to the cargo bay, filled his mind. Good Thor.
The soldiers below shifted their aim to the top of the containers, but only terrified soldiers at the edge of the bins were visible.
An explosion reverberated from the rear of the cargo bay. Darkness grew as gunfire shattered several emergency lights.
Imperial marines paid little attention to Justin as they rushed past and engaged oncoming Titan forces.
Justin’s eyes shot back to where Enki should have been. He was gone and so was Ferren. Several former captives were dead on the deck, but others used what cover was available as they headed toward the Acheron. Seeing no fighting at that end of the bay, Justin picked up the pistol Prisca had used and, staying low, headed in that direction.
Justin what is your location? It was Leonidas’ voice in his head.
Are you okay? Naomi asked.
He did his best to answer both as he took cover.
Get out of there quick, Naomi commanded. Most of the imperial marines are in that area.
Yes, thank you, I do know that. Retreating marines set up a position near Justin. He sent them a mental misdirection, enemy on the left, then darted to the right behind a bin. Turning his attention back to Naomi he said, I am trying not to draw attention to myself so I won’t get killed. Running to the far corner, he glanced around. But, with all this gunfire that is going to be hard. Behind the next cargo bay, he saw Thor and two other dogs.
Come.
Justin obeyed and dove toward Thor, sliding to a stop at his front paws. Looking up he smiled.
The dog licked his face, turned, and trotted off.
From about six meters away, Thor looked back. Come.
Justin rose and followed the dogs as they climbed up the cargo bins. Ramps and strategically placed crates had allowed workers to climb the bins. Where these were not available, the dogs were adept at jumping.
After a couple of jumps Justin, bruised and hot, started moving crates.
Once they reached the top, a canine squad greeted him with nudges and nuzzles. Crawling to the edge of a bin with several dogs, he looked down on a sweeping vista of the battle. The imperial marines held a jagged and uneven line between him and the oncoming Titans. From his vantage point, he could see the plan of battle clearly. The Titans were in an arc largely along the line of the cargo bins. Their front line kept enough pressure on the Earth forces to keep them pinned down, while most Titan units pushed slowly forward behind the cargo bins and transports. Many of the imperial soldiers were firing into shadows where, Justin was certain, no Titans were. He became convinced they were being misdirected, similar to the way he had soldiers look one way as he went the other. However, the only ground that the imperial marines surrendered was paid for with blood.
As Justin watched, he understood why the Nephilim were so intent on destroying his kind. The Titans had started out as the best and brightest humans and with work and training had melded into a well-disciplined army. However, over the years, the Titans had changed, becoming more with both psychic abilities that allowed them to know the true intent of those around them, and a faith in something greater than the earthly government that originally sent them. Justin knew that Titans would never be pawns of the Nephilim.
The dogs growled and, all but Thor, headed down toward the deck.
Gunfire immediately below his position grabbed Justin’s attention. Naomi where are you?
“Here,” she said with a gasp.
Justin turned at the sound of her voice.
She smiled and knelt down near him. “Your mind has been wide open for a while. I have been following you.
Sliding away from the edge so he could kneel beside her, he grinned. “I’m glad you reached me. Now let’s get out of here.”
An explosion thundered through the bay. Alarms sounded over the battle. “Decompression Warning. Evacuate the main cargo bay.”
Almost immediately, Justin felt a breeze as the compartment began losing atmosphere, but a new and horrible feeling swept over him. The blast had struck Leonidas.
Justin fell to his knees.
Naomi opened her mind to Justin and thereby to Leonidas. She wrapped her arms around Justin and with her mind comforted them both.
As the life flowed from Leonidas, Justin shared his jail cell encounter with God. “You will be with him soon. You will see your family again.”
The mind of Leonidas faded and then was gone.
Justin turned to Naomi “You shouldn’t have come here. It’s too dangerous. You could be killed.”
“I don’t think so, my destiny is with you.”
Justin thought that a romantic notion and a bit out of place in the midst of battle, but the words silenced his objections. “The Acheron isn’t far,” he said, “let’s go.”
As they moved away from the battlefield, Naomi updated the Titan second-in-command.
The atmospheric pressure is dropping fast, the commander reported. We have to retreat. Get to the Acheron and launch. Our fighters will cover you.
There were few marines at that end of the compartment and they were either moving away from them, misdirected or quickly dispatched by Thor, Naomi and Justin.
The air was cold and moist as they arrived at the Acheron and the breeze had become a steady wind. Both the cargo and passenger hatches of the pirate ship were closed and locked. Together they moved along the belly of the ship to a small maintenance hatch. This they found unlocked. Once Naomi was in the hatch, Justin handed Thor up to her. Thor insisted upon leading the way down a narrow maintenance tube to one of the engineering compartments.
Once they were out of the tube Justin suggested, “Let’s get to the bridge and see if w
e can activate the sensors and weapons.”
Thor led the way along the main passageway.
As the three of them entered the bridge, Thor growled.
From the captain’s chair, Ferren smiled. “Welcome aboard old friend.”
Chapter 28
Naomi aimed her rifle at Ferren’s head, while Thor inched forwarded, growling.
The pirate continued to grin. “I’ve got the reactor and sensors online. The engines will take more time. Unfortunately, they’ve unloaded the missile bays and discharged the lasers and particle beam weapons.”
“Perhaps they don’t trust you,” Naomi snarled.
Ferren shrugged, but Justin sensed his fear.
The growing storm, visible on the view screen, captured Justin’s attention. Tools and other small objects were already flying in the wind. As it continued, the danger to the Acheron would grow as even the large cargo bins creaked and scraped their way closer to the hole in the hull. Something either flying or scraping along would hit Acheron in a vital location. Justin knew they needed to leave quickly and would need Ferren. “There will be no more killing, for now. We need to get out of the cargo bay.”
Justin switched the view forward to the bay doors. “Can you open them?”
The pirate shook his head. “I can’t access the system. Even if I did, it requires a code that I don’t have. What about you? Can’t you open them?”
The day Justin killed Garrett flashed through his mind. He saw again the way he had fixed his eyes on the bay doors and imagined opening them, the old lock cracked and split with a pop. The door shrieked and blew away. “I’ll try to open them. I’ve done it before.” Using the screen image, he reached out with his mind searching for the door. There would be something, some flaw to exploit or some latch that could be moved to release the doors. Many things flashed through his brain: circuits, panels, metal, but it was unfocused and fleeting. “I need to see it with my own eyes.”
“No.” Naomi said. “It is already dangerous outside. If you blow the hatch you will be sucked out and….”
“An emergency shield should activate,” Ferren said casually.
Naomi’s face went stone cold. “We knocked out power to the bay as we fought our way in,”
“There should be an emergency back up,” Ferren rebutted.
Her face turned progressively deeper shades of red. “How long would that hold?”
“Probably long enough,” Ferren said.
Justin felt strangely calm about his decision. “I’m going out. If somehow I am the prophet, or will be, I’ll be okay. If I’m not the prophet, it’s best that everyone know that now.” He stepped toward the hatch.
Naomi reached out to him. “I know you will be okay, but I am still afraid.”
“So am I, but I can do this…”
She held his hand tight.
“…but the longer I wait the more dangerous this becomes.”
She released his hand.
Reaching the airlock, Justin looked out the portal hoping to see at least part of the bay doors. He couldn’t. Reluctantly he opened the airlock to the storm. The wind hit him like a punch to the face. He grabbed the steel handhold as he stepped outside and looked forward. He could see the bay doors. Focus. Focus. Nothing came back to his mind. He yelled into the wind. “God, do you want me to do this? Help me!” Slowly the circuits that locked the doors formed in his mind. One little spark. That is all I….
The doors budged. The wind shifted. Thrown forward against the hull, Justin barely kept his grip on the handle. Red lights flashed and alarms sounded above the storm. A translucent shield appeared as the doors inched open. The wind shifted again and Justin was thrown into the airlock. “Thank you, God,” he said getting to his feet.
The holographic image of a swirling vortex greeted Justin as he stepped back on the bridge. “You got the engines online?”
“No,” the pirate said staring at the approaching wormhole. “I launched using thrusters and then Imperium attempted to jump.”
“Attempted?”
Naomi tapped the side of her head. “Our people are saying the temple ship engines are out of control. The wormhole is distorting space-time.”
“We should get out of here,” Justin said.
Ferren nodded. “If the engines were running, believe me I would. We’re being pulled into the temple ship vortex.”
Justin watched with growing apprehension. “Can anyone reach us in…?”
“Time?” The pirate shook his head. “No.” The pirate reached into a compartment beside the captain’s chair and pulled out a flask. “Care for a drink, old friend?”
Justin shook his head.
The pirate one long drink and then another.
Justin stepped close to Naomi and embraced her. “You shouldn’t have come to me.”
Naomi smiled. “My destiny is with you.” She kissed him gently.
Thor nudged his way between them.
Justin’s petted the dog and then shifted his gaze to the approaching event horizon. “You said earlier that your destiny was with me.” He looked at Naomi. “What did you mean?”
“Remember that day on the bridge when you and I did the drawings of Earth Empire warships?”
Justin nodded and sat at one of the bridge stations.
“I said I found things that convinced me the Titans were telling the truth.”
“Yes,” Justin recalled. “You were doing research in the central archive and needed more time to finish.”
“I finished. The information is all on the slate Becca loaned to me.”
“What did you find?”
She reached out and took his hand. “I found me…and you…together.”
Thor rested his head on Justin’s lap and seemed to smile.
The Acheron shuddered, crossed the event horizon, and disappeared.
* * *
Mara didn’t knock as she entered carrying a large box.
Becca hardly looked up from the couch where she sat with her newborn baby across her lap. Since the battle, she and Becca had shared quarters.
Mara pulled a slate from the box and handed it to Becca. “I think this is the one you loaned to Naomi.”
Lying on a pillow in the corner of the room, one of Thor’s puppies raised its head.
Becca sat the slate on the table beside her.
The black puppy raced across the room and disappeared into the next.
Becca’s eyes dropped to the sleeping baby. I’ll never see your father again and you’ll never know him. Why did he have to die? Over a hundred Titans dead and thousands on the temple ship. Why did any of them have to die. Why? She took a deep breath and let it out it in ragged spasms. Why God? Why did Jon die?
As Mara continued to unpack the box, the last puppies that Thor sired ran into the room and formed a semi-circle around the table with the slate. Their heads tilted toward the tabletop as they jostled around it.
“Go away,” Becca commanded.
The puppies crowded around the table like there was food on top, but there was only the slate. Becca reached for it when one of the puppies jumped up and rested both paws on the edge of the device. The pup cocked his head to the side, locked eyes with Mara, and touched the screen with its front paw.
A holographic image of Naomi appeared. “Originally, I set out to find the truth about the Alien and Titanomachy wars. Jon suggested that I research the history of the Prophet. I did and discovered my future, or is it my past.” She smiled, but there was sadness in her voice.
Mara joined Becca on the couch as Naomi continued.
“There are few surviving images of Justin the Prophet and what remains are locked away. The Prophet’s book warns, I have been told, to worship only the creator, never the creation, and especially never him. So, these few remaining images of the Prophet are only seen when needed for research. Jon encouraged me to do the research and Olham, keeper of the archive, allowed me access.”
An image of Justin, Mara’s brother,
formed in the air. Several others stood in the background around him.
“This is the oldest image of the Prophet.”
Becca gasped. Mara leaned forward.
Naomi continued. “The woman in the background is identified only as his wife.”
Mara reached out as if to touch the people in the image. It was then that Becca realized the woman in the back was Naomi. Other images formed in the air including a few drawings of both him and Naomi.
“These fragile sketches are the work of the Prophet. It is clear to me now,” Naomi continued, “that Justin and I will journey back in time to the end of the Alien War. I don’t understand how, but he will come to faith in God and through him all Titans will come to believe. The Justin we know will become the Prophet. His life will be difficult and his death will be gruesome, but I love him and willingly I will follow him.”
Table of Contents
Titan Encounter
Many authors say that their spouse is their biggest fan. My wife Lorraine most certainly is mine. Thi...
About the Author
Also by the Author
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
