“We cannot afford to divert all our forces from here. I shall take my legion to meet with the Senate, no more than that” he said. Then he turned to Gaia. “Sister, it brings me no warmth to tell you this, but before we reconvened my Recon Master informed me that Eve is under assault. Though Nightingale and Cerberus are in the Tempest Sector, they cannot spare any forces to protect your home world. You may take the 505th and any two legions of your choice, if you wish, to save Eve.”
Gaia took the news better than he expected, nodding resolutely. “I will do so with thanks” she said gratefully, bowing slightly in deference and appreciation.
He saw Raina was nonplussed at his choices. “Do you mean to say we’re abandoning the Abodian Sector after you admitted we can’t take forces away?” she asked. “I cannot hold these worlds on my own.”
“Nor will you have to, not for long” he told her. “There is a conflict in the Orpheus Sector that Solitaire must attend to, but once she has secured victory, and she will, she will join her forces with yours here.”
Raina thought to protest, but knew it would be futile. Instead, her Commander spoke up. “My Grace,” Severus said, but not to Lupus. He was talking directly to Calla. “What are your intentions? Can you not stay with us and fight?”
Calla tried to ignore the implied challenge to her independence in his question. “Commander, you do not know the humans, so I will rise above your implications, but one Apostle alone will not be enough now to sway their thirst for war. I have the least investment here now; Valkyrie has the conviction to remain, Gaia has the investment to leave for the Tempest Sector, yet I have neither. The humans will relate more to Lupus if they see us together; it will remind them where we came from, that we really are on their side.”
Severus seemed content with her answer, though she could tell he wasn’t sure how much of it was genuine or made up on the spot as an excuse not to leave the First.
“Is it agreed, then?” Gaia asked when silence once more occupied the tent.
“Vuis” they all confirmed. It had become routine for the Apostles to involve the native tongue of the Black Guardians in their speech, whether on the battlefield or in tactical meetings, and the words flowed naturally from their mouths. Even the Guardians thought they had become fluent in the language, something that each and every Apostle took pride in.
“May the Auranair guide our swords and be our shield” Lupus said, concluding the meeting.
One by one, the Apostles and Commanders filed out of the tent. They each had their own directions and purpose now and each would need to gather their legions together before making way to their new destinations. When Lupus stepped outside, joined by Calla and their Commanders, he took a moment to stop and give them an order that would take them away from the warzone that had seem him weak for the first time in the Deian War.
“Sabre and Chana, I want you to return to the Luminon and Everlasting. Assemble our legions’ ships into a single fleet. Prepare for departure; we leave within the hour” he told them.
“My Lord, what of the Heaven’s Lament?” Sabre asked, ever thoughtful about resources.
Lupus was grateful as ever for his input, but he had already thought about what to do with the mighty medical vessel. “She shall remain here with Valkyrie. I have a feeling its medical bays will be needed here more than anywhere, old friend”.
Sabre saluted dutifully and made his leave. Chana bowed and quickly followed, both heading to a Stormfalcon to carry out his instructions. With them gone, Lupus and Calla were left alone.
“I know what we’re doing is right, yet I can’t escape the feeling that we’re making the wrong choice” Calla confessed. She looked at Lupus, wondering if he had any words to comfort her conscience. “I can feel the doubt emanating from Raina. Are you certain that Solitaire will be able to reinforce her? I can’t leave if you’re uncertain, you know that” she said.
Lupus smiled at her in an attempt to be reassuring, but the truth was that he didn’t have all the answers. “I cannot promise you what the future will bring, Calla. All I know is that I have faith in our fellow Apostles. If we complete our plan, they will complete theirs. None of us has any less conviction and purpose than the rest, not even Hydra or Seraphim. We will be victorious and this war will end with our banner flying on the crest of Gothica, not the enemy’s”.
Calla could hear the belief in his voice despite any misgivings he may have had about the times to come. “If only Samael was still with us…” she lamented, knowing that his presence would have been a boon to their cause.
Lupus frowned, a mixture of sadness and regret in his expression. “The legions have searched for him for so long now and found nothing…We have to accept that the Dragon is no longer with us, whatever that reason may be. Perhaps he is still alive somewhere, fighting the enemy in his own way. In any case, we must fight as though he still flies above us, protecting us with every march we take.”
Little did either of them know how close to the truth they were.
Chapter 4
SENATOR JUN WAS a special kind of human. Not the kind that was destined to be elevated to a demi-god, an Apostle of a goddess called Vermillion who chose a select dozen to immortalise. Instead, Jun was exceptional because he was one of the few willing to acknowledge that something was very, very wrong with the Gothican Senate. Such a thought was, of course, treacherous and he knew that.
The Senate had existed for centuries, appearing and uniting the peoples of Gothica during a time of great strife where it seemed the future of mankind dangled by a thread. History had forgotten how the political organisation had so ruthlessly developed into an unstoppable force of influence, but none could doubt the merit of the first men who had formed it. After all, they alone had the ability to transform the dwindling, endangered human race into an imperial force that colonised the stars.
With that in mind, Jun had questioned himself about his thoughts on more than one occasion. Now, as he left the Senate House in haste after a meeting with friendly colleagues, he reflected once again. Could the Lord Governor really be what Jun suspected? Did anyone else think what he did, or was he alone in his betrayal against the Senate?
On the way out the front doors, he passed Major Barclay. The soldier gave him a cursory look, one that suggested to Jun that his status was recognised but not really admired or respected. He was a Junior Senator, barely in office for five years and it usually took a decade to become a Senior. “Senator Jun” Barclay nodded. The greeting, if you could call the curt sentence that, took Jun by surprise. He wasn’t used to be talking to by the major.
“Uh…ah, and to you, Major” Jun replied. He felt watched as the doors were parted by a pair of Senate Guards that stood watch with Barclay. As he exited into the cold, dark night, he glanced over his shoulder at the trio of soldiers behind him. Then it struck him. Could they have known his inner thoughts? Did they, as ridiculous as it sounded, sense his growing doubts in the Senate?
People had been killed for that. Not in an open, honest way either which made Jun all the more nervous and paranoid.
He wrestled the sudden panic looming over him as he looked away and made way to the gatehouse that would grant him escape to the city. The irony didn’t escape him; the Senate was ringed by a curtain wall to keep it safe from the outside, yet he felt safer on the other side of the defensive structure than its purpose intended.
He desperately considered alternative reasons for the Senate Guards’ interest in him. The Apostles’ war had been raging for a year now, causing all kinds of people to flock to Gothica and approach the Senate for myriad reasons. Security was at an all-time high. The Guard were just curious about him, that was all. They were bored of watching people they actually believed were harmful and now they took the opportunity to glare at a person that was an ally and all the more interesting for it.
As Jun reached the gates, he laughed at how ludicrous his state of mind was becoming. He stood at the checkpoint and showed the last group of
Guards his ID. Without a word, the greying, yet profoundly threatening Guard in command of gate duty called for it to be opened. Despite having calmed himself down already, Jun felt a rush of relief when the towering maw of the gatehouse yawned open and showed him the haven of the waiting city beyond.
He took a step forward, satisfied that everything was going to be alright. Maybe things were getting out of hand, though. He could take a transport from Cygnus Starport tonight, go to the closest city of Harloi and rethink everything.
Then it happened. A voice called out, shattering his paper-thin feeling of security.
“Senator Jun?” the speaker rumbled. Without turning, he knew it wasn’t Major Barclay, but that fact didn’t help in the slightest like he expected.
Slowly, innocently, he spun round and saw a different Senate Guard. He didn’t recognise the youthful man, which unsettled him even further, because a part of him knew he should have done. “Can I help you?” Jun asked timidly.
“If you come with me…then yes, I rather think you could” Captain Ashdown answered.
JUN STOOD SILENT in the courtyard, terror-stricken and afraid. Irrationality flooded him once more as he considered what was about to happen. The Captain could only be interested for so many reasons, one above the rest being the most obvious and dangerous; he’d been found out.
“W-what do you mean?” he stammered.
“Come with me Senator and you will find out swiftly” Ashdown promised.
A hundred questions raced through Jun’s mind, but the most prominent was “Who are you?”
“My name is Captain Ashdown. Please Sir; I need you to follow me. There is a sensitive matter that is better discussed in private. Rather urgently, I might add”.
Jun smiled weakly at the captain and reluctantly nodded his understanding. “Of course, Captain. Lead on”.
Ashdown turned away and in the darkness, he almost faded away. Jun was tempted to let him, but he knew the captain would come after him. The Senate Guard were very good at finding people. He expected the captain to lead him back into the Senate House, but instead he was taken to the inside of the curtain wall nearest the right wing of the governmental building.
Another of the Guard, whose name Jun had no way of knowing, stood on duty at a hatch. The captain spoke some hushed commands to the older soldier, some which Jun could have sworn included “Don’t let anyone else come in” and the doorway was opened. The Senator gulped, fearful for his life and what future awaited him inside the wall. He had been told once, by a friendly Senior who strangely he’d never seen since, that the defensive structure had a series of burrows and hideaways, but nobody could explain why.
A popular theory was that the Senate Guards kept political prisoners inside the wall as a psychological punishment. Jun couldn’t imagine what it would feel like to be trapped in a defensive environment, let alone the most likely in all the Empire to be attacked its enemies.
Trying to swallow his fear, he kept his shoulders square and his head held high as the captain finally gestured for Jun to go inside and that he would follow after. It was freezing and pitch-black within the confines of the ten-metre thick wall, but all he could think about was what he could feel against his right arm. He was in a narrow corridor, barely wide enough to walk in, so he could instantly anticipate the insanity he would be driven to if the rumours were true.
Feeling his hand against an object that was constantly brushing his side, he realised embarrassingly that it was a handrail. He took another step forward, but now there was nowhere for him to go. Terrified, his mind jumped to the conclusion that the speculation was wildly wrong; this wasn’t a kind of prison, it was a death sentence.
“Senator, don’t stop now” the Caption said behind him. “It’s only a flight of stairs - follow the rail”.
As Jun did as he was instructed, he felt childish. It took him a moment to realise that what could have been a condescending comment from the captain was actually surprisingly kind, as if Ashdown genuinely cared about Jun’s wellbeing after all. Before he took another step, however, he had to satisfy his growing fear.
“Where are we going Captain?”
“To meet the others. Now please, descend to the bottom” Ashdown told him.
“The others?” Jun asked, turning but unable to see the captain in the dark. “What others?”
Ashdown didn’t sigh or moan, he just answered with the same polite urgency in his voice as seemed he always had. “The ones like us”.
Jun didn’t know what to say. He couldn’t imagine any possible way that the two of them were similar. They shared absolutely nothing in common. There was simply no explanation for the captain’s answer, yet somehow he didn’t want to ask for one. Instead, Jun wandered downwards into the depths of the wall until his feet didn’t encounter any more steps.
He had no way of knowing how far they were underground now, but when he saw a glint of light ahead, Jun began to wonder if any of the rumours about the Guard’s use of the wall had been accurate in even the slightest degree.
THE CORRIDOR GRADUALLY widened enough that the captain overtook Jun. The Senator was more than happy to let him do so, because frankly he didn’t want to be the first to arrive wherever they were going. He wasn’t even sure if they were still in the Senate grounds or if the tunnel had taken them beyond the wall to somewhere…different.
Regardless, all Jun cared about was getting the answers to this riddle. He could feel danger all around him, but he couldn’t tell who or what it came from and that unsettled him even more. There were torches hung lighting their way and as they moved forwards he could hear faint whispers. He was close to deciphering the distant, murmuring noises into the conversation they formed when the captain suddenly stopped and turned.
“…There is no reason to be afraid of him, even if it seems that way at first” he smiled reassuringly.
Jun wanted to scream “Who is this he?!?” but he didn’t think it was a wise idea. It was not his choice that had brought him here, but someone else’s. To strike out at them now would be asking for trouble. He gave a nervous smile back and when Ashdown moved to the side, opening his arm in a gesture that told Jun to go first despite his fears, a room warmed by light was revealed to him.
Waiting in there was a group of official figures all crowded around something…or someone. With a prod from Ashdown, Jun took a tentative step toward them and found himself walking further, his curious feet moving before his cautious mind could prevent them.
The room with its four dull brick walls was surprisingly welcoming in contrast to the ominous corridor that had brought him here. In one corner was a brazier that filled the space with heat. There were no doors or other secrets in waiting; just this one place, big enough to fit a few dozen people, but holding only half of that number now.
As Jun cast his eyes around, he noticed odd shapes and peculiarities to the bricks that made up the walls. He saw Ashdown go and talk to one of the individuals in the centre of the room and realised he recognised them. It was Karhl, another Junior Senator like him, but he couldn’t fathom what he was doing down here. When some of the other figures turned to see who had entered their domain, he was shocked to see an array of senators from all kinds of offices and functions.
He remembered what the captain had said, ‘The ones like us’. Jun suspected he could see now what Ashdown had meant, but something still didn’t make sense about his comment. The men in this room were all like him in respect to being a member of the Senate, but how then were they like the captain? He was about to voice his question when he saw that the group of Senators were watching him as if waiting for someone to speak.
With a chill up his spine he could see that they wanted to say something, but they all held back as though an unspoken instruction had been given. Then it dawned on him that the mysterious ‘him’ the captain mentioned had yet to be shown. Was he behind the Senators? Was there a leader among them that had been talking before he entered and interrupted their clandestine m
eeting?
“Is this the last of you?” a deep, distant voice asked, seemingly confirming his assumptions. In reality it came from behind the Senators, yet it sounded like it had come from worlds away.
Jun thought somehow the question was directed at him and that he ought to answer, but before he could the captain had already replied. “It is, sire. He is the last of us”.
Jun let out an incoherent stammer and gasp as he thought to ask what the hell was going on, but the unseen stranger choked his opportunity. “Then we should begin, for there is little time left to act”.
The group of Senators parted upon that particular phrase and revealed the mysterious figure that had been hidden by them. Jun couldn’t believe his eyes and blinking several times didn’t help to convince his mind of what he was seeing. At the back of the room, sitting on an old crate with a level of comfort that suggested frequent use, was a man with a presence so profound that Jun felt both immediately intimidated and at ease.
Jun was so distracted by the individual in armour, which was so black it hid the real shape of his body, that he never saw the irregular shapes in the walls finally resolve themselves into something real. In a heartbeat, the headcount in the room had doubled.
As the uncovered men and women assembled themselves into an audience for the austere soldier, whose motionless lips threatened to unleash his powerful voice on Jun again, his patience for their games finally ran out. Though he was awestruck by what he had just seen, as few individuals could claim to see people materialise out of thin air without condemnation of being insane, he wanted answers.
“Who are you, legionnaire?” he asked, for the leader could be no other than a Black Guardian of the Apostles’ armies.
The legionnaire looked up from the papers that were arrayed at his feet and stared at Jun. His steel-blue eyes were penetrating and unflinching, but it was impossible to tell what he was thinking. The look almost made Jun regret ever asking the question for the stern attention it brought him.
The Deian War: Conquest Page 7
