Lupus thought about the weapon and what it could be used to do. “There is no doubt that it would have been used against us, but to what extent and effect I cannot say” he admitted. “We cannot take it to the Aurora Sector without knowing for certain what it is designed to do. For all we know, the Phantoms may have a way of activating it remotely. It’s even possible that they Corrupted the humans to forge it in the first place.”
“Nor can we leave it behind” Cerberus added.
“Indeed, brother, which leaves me to one conclusion” Lupus said. “The worlds of the Fallen Pariah Alliance lie between your position and my own. There are no forces allied or malign there; it is a safe meeting place. Bring the weapon to me there and we can decide its fate before reinforcing Hydron.”
“A risky move that will cost us time” Nightingale argued.
“It is one we have to take, lest we are taken surprise by our ignorance again” Lupus told her.
With that matter settled and the plan made, he cut the communication assured of what his path now was. When he re-established contact with Novus again, she told him about the Promethian Ships and it tested his decision to split away from the Apostles heading directly to Hydron. However, as dangerous as that may be, he feared to underestimate the nature of the Energy Sphere.
“Lupus, if Solitaire is right, then we know how the enemy intends to attack Hydron. We should intercept them as a united force, not lie in wait for them and give them the advantage” Novus insisted.
He shook his head, looking at her holographic form as it became distorted from the effort of joining the two in conversation across sectors. “The Energy Sphere makes things uncertain, Novus. We cannot be sure of the Phantoms’ movements now. We underestimated them before and let ourselves become negligent of their intentions. Second-guessing them now would only exacerbate things, I fear”.
“Very well,” Novus sighed, “but I don’t like this at all. The enemy is devious beyond all our imagining. Who’s to say this Energy Sphere even works? It could just be a trick to distract you away from Hydron. I don’t want you to go chasing a red-herring, Lupus” she frowned.
Lupus smiled to himself. As close as he felt to Novus, as though they had been friends from before he could remember, she could be the worst to throw barriers up against his direction. Maybe that’s why he enjoyed her company, though. The fact that she challenged him without acidity or malign intention was actually constructive; it made him handle his responsibility more easily. It allowed him to be certain in his convictions when assessing his choices.
“The enemy has more cards up His sleeve, I’m certain of it. The Energy Sphere was part of that, have no doubt about it. We stick with the plan, Novus. I’ll see you at Hydron soon” he told her.
That was half an hour ago. Since then, he had been trying to work out the best way to deal with the next problem. Whichever way he looked at it, he couldn’t see another alternative. For the first time in years, he and Calla would have to go in different directions and it would be his suggestion. He had not the slightest idea of how to broach that to her and he already felt sick just thinking about it.
GAIA FELT A pair of hands shake her gently by the shoulders and wake her up. She had the most painful headache imaginable, her vision was blurry and she could barely remember where she was. She tried to speak but her lips and tongue didn’t want to carry out the movements to articulate the speech that her brain demanded of them.
Gradually, her sight returned to normal and the pain in her head seemed to dull a little, but it lingered threateningly. “Ria?” she asked the figure crouching over her. As she said the name, memories flooded back to her and she recalled where she was and what had happened.
She could see Ria smile in relief. “My Grace, are you alright?” the Commander asked.
Gaia shifted on the floor, curling her legs underneath herself so she could sit up. Something lukewarm ran down her left cheek and she put a hand against her skin. Bringing it back to her eyes, she could see her own blood on her fingers. “I’ll live” she answered, knowing the wound to be a trivial thing in comparison to what it could have been. “The Phantom that attacked us didn’t mean to kill me. If it did, the Chosen would be another member short” she laughed morbidly.
Another person approached and knelt by her side. It was Fabius, she realised as he came close. “The Achillean has made contact with us, my Grace. Your sister Apostle Valkyrie has sent a warning. She was unable to reach us during the battle, but Corvus has saved her message. It does not bear well”.
Gaia shook her head, feeling the nuisance of the headache shift slightly with it. She was in the forests of Ardenne on her home world of Eve, that much she could be happy about. The powers of the forest, her intimate connection with its nature, granted her an ability to heal quicker than she could elsewhere. Though she couldn’t understand or explain the relationship, she wasn’t about to question it.
“There are many things that would threaten my hope for us now, yet we cannot falter or shirk from the truth of things as they are. Let us go back to the Achillean and hear of this warning ourselves” she told them.
Gaia climbed to her feet and walked to the pool. She crouched down and allowed herself to spend a moment cleaning the wound her head had suffered. When she was upright once more, she turned to see Ria and Fabius waiting for her with the same level of respect and awe as they had before they knew she could be hurt just like them, even if it did take a little more to do it.
“Whatever Valkyrie has to tell us, it’s going to take us somewhere for reasons that will not be just or fair. We could be sent to our doom, with only our honour standing in the way of saving our own lives. I can feel it in my bones that we will know great peril my friends, but I am going nonetheless” she said openly.
They looked at one another and saw a reflection of their own feelings in each other’s eyes. Then they turned back to their Apostle, the mother of nature and with complete sincerity and faith in their voices, they both answered “And we will follow you, to whatever fate”.
“I DON’T WANT to do this” Calla said.
Lupus felt his shoulders sag in regret. He had taken her back to the same room that he had used to talk to the other Apostles in private before and after Valkyrie’s broadcast. He wasn’t sure how he managed to tell the one he loved that they had to go separate ways; perhaps a part of him just took over and spoke the words while his conscious mind drifted out of time until she spoke. Now, he wished he had never had to tell her, but the opportunity to avoid it was gone.
“And you think I do?” was all he could say. “Of course I don’t, but this is the way it has to be”.
Calla moved away from him, physically rejecting his voice. “You’re the father of my child, Lupus. You want me to go to a place that Raina is seen aflame alone while you leave in search of a weapon that could be used against us? What part of that makes any sense to you? Please, tell me, because I can’t understand it at all!” she demanded. She knew, deep down, that he must have a reason for what he was asking her to do, but her heart couldn’t accept it. It felt like he was abandoning her.
He moved towards her and clasped her in his arms, bringing her back to his embrace to reinforce the fact that he knew what he was to her. “Calla, you won’t be alone. Every legion we have together will be with you, bar my own and every Apostle will surround you. That is protection enough. The enemy isn’t at Hydron yet, that much I can sense and Raina would have too. Trust our brothers also - Hydra and Seraphim would have sent word of an assault if it was underway, would they not?”
Calla looked at him, still upset but thoughtful. “How can you promise me you’ll return to me before the enemy arrives? How can you ensure my safety by turning away and leaving, Lupus? I should be going with you”.
There was a hint of bitterness in her voice that threatened to break his heart, but he couldn’t deny what he had to do. “I will be back in time, I promise you. The lives of the most important people in my life depend on
it. I just…I have to do this one thing, Calla. There’s so much at stake here. If I don’t see this weapon before taking it to Hydron, that could be the mistake that takes you from me, not the path that I take now and if I take you with me…who’s to say this weapon isn’t a trap designed to hurt us? I couldn’t let that happen, not ever”. It was the hardest decision he’d ever made and the fact that it was the right one didn’t make him feel any less monstrous for it.
She let his arms hold her a little more comfortably, but there was still a resistance to her that belied her endangered trust in him. When she turned her face away, then back to his, he saw fear in her eyes that she had tried to hold back. Now he suspected that it wasn’t just about her protection and her safety, but his own.
“I don’t ever want to be without this” she whispered and he knew she meant their connection. “I couldn’t stand to lose you Lupus, not after everything we’ve been through. Just let me come with you…” Calla pleaded with him.
Doing what had to be done was hurting him like nothing before. “But you never will. Everything I do is in your name, always. This time apart now will be a drop in the ocean of our lives together. Nothing will keep me from breaking my promise and returning to you and our child” he promised her. Lifting her chin up with his fingers, he made her hold his gaze so she could believe his words as he looked her in the eye.
“Not a Gore Prince, not a starship, not even the gods could sway me from my resolve. I don’t want us to be apart Calla, not after what happened because of the Blessing, but the safest place for you is Apollia. Nothing can breach far enough to get into Elysium City, especially in time to avoid my wrath. I will come back for you, for us, I swear it” he said, his voice strong and adamant despite the tears welling up inside.
She could tell he meant what he said, but all the horrors and uncertainties of the war made her just too scared to believe it. Deep down, she knew she had to try and trust the future would be kind to them, because if she didn’t her doubt would tear his strength down and it would be more than them at stake. He may have been her shield, but she was his sword, and she was only just beginning to accept what that meant to him. Certain sacrifices had to be made on both sides, even if for her that meant putting on a brave face against a tidal wave of fear.
“…You better” she said eventually, wearing a nervous smile on her lips. He kissed her forehead, her mouth and then her nose, making her dread fade for as long as the connection lasted. When he drew back and held her close, it returned but it didn’t seem as powerful as before.
Whatever the future held for them, she knew they were never going to give each other up. That was enough to let him go, just this once. It was even enough to let her forgive him for leaving.
Epilogue
HYDRA DIDN’T WANT to talk about immortal beings and the hints of power that Seraphim had found on Apollia. He talked his brother out of the conversation with a skill that he had developed over the years, though he was sure it was part of the ‘gift’ that Vermillion had bestowed to him from the Blessing. Eventually he bored his brother with enough talk of what the other Apostles were doing and how their campaigns were waging to make him want to return to Elysium.
“War is not my craft, not yet” Seraphim said. “My role is different and I will not let the monstrosity of death and destruction cloud my perspective on what I have to do”.
Hydra managed to laugh the statement away, reluctant to argue with him over the reality of their purpose. It wasn’t long before Seraphim returned through the Gate to Apollia, excited to pursue more knowledge even if his brother seemed disinterested. For a while, Hydra was alone again with his thoughts. Then, when he was beginning to persuade himself that the things he had done could be justified, Tiberius called to him over a comms channel emitted by a device attached to the vast table.
“What is it Commander?”
“My Lord, I do not mean to disturb, but something unusual has happened. An unexpected fleet of Guardian warships have arrived in-system. We have checked their recognition codes and they are verified legion vessels” Tiberius answered.
Hydra felt irritated that the Commander would bother him over an issue that seemed to resolve itself like this. “Then what exactly is the problem Tiberius? I do not have the time now to greet a missing legion, if that’s what you mean to say they are” he almost snapped.
He could sense Tiberius taking a moment to think out his next response. “My Lord, it is not a missing legion, but a returning one…and the Commander claims to be…-”
“Say it soon, Tiberius, before I tire of this interruption” Hydra insisted.
“He claims to be your brother, my Lord”.
The words startled Hydra back into genuine interest. “…Grant him access to land, whichever way he chooses, and do it immediately”.
A FEW MINUTES LATER, the Nimerian arrived in the Aurora Sector with a distinct flare. It was in no hurry to disguise its approach to Hydron, though the naval defences of the fortress world automatically locked on and demanded the proper security codes. Vita gave the authenticating response immediately, wasting no time in ensuring the ship’s permitted access to the world’s orbit.
Valkyrie was busy searching the view screens of the bridge for any sign of something that would confirm her apocalyptic vision. After numerous passes and confirmation from Basilius that there were no Phantoms present, she breathed a sigh of relief that the danger at least seemed distant. They still had time.
She turned to Vita. “Put the ship at anchor, Captain. I will descend to the surface when the protocols are cleared properly.”
“Yes, my Grace” Vita answered.
Valkyrie, satisfied that Hydron was safe for the time being, couldn’t help but look at the view screens and gaze at the brilliance of the world. She could see the lone continent that the fortress covered without magnification even from this distance, though she suspected that was partly down to her attuned senses.
Her eyes naturally tracked over the screens from left to right. On one, she thought she saw something she did not expect. Wordlessly, she backtracked her search and found it again. She took a few steps closer to the screen, but she realised that wasn’t going to help her identify what it was. “Basilius magnify that screen for me” she pointed.
A second later, the dot that she had a hunch about was enlarged tenfold. Its form was resolved to be a Blackstar, one long thought destroyed and lost to the enemy. Around it was an entire fleet that was supposed to have shared the same fate, but now the evidence was to the contrary and it was not for a moment a relieving moment.
“I know those ships…” Valkyrie muttered.
Then, making her feel stupid and naive, a terrible realisation dawned on her. “Get me a Stormfalcon, someone - anyone, now!”
Vita and Basilius shared an uneasy look. Why should the Apostle become so unsettled by the sight of allied vessels? What had she seen that they hadn’t?
“My Grace, we can’t make a landing until we have cleared the next set of authorisation protoc-” Basilius began.
“Vecq that! If we wait any longer, it’ll be too late” Valkyrie yelled in dismay, storming off the bridge to the hangar where she would pilot a Stormfalcon herself, whether it was ready for her or not.
HYDRA COULD HEAR a sound that he both missed and dreaded to be hearing once more. It belonged to someone he didn’t know whether to mourn or hope to see again. It came from the end of the room, from beyond a bay door that had been installed to allow access to a being that was so large and unique that it could arrive into the centre of the Hydra’s House without challenge.
The noise of the distinctive wing-beat resounded against the vast aperture and before he knew what he was doing, Hydra activated the controls and allowed it to open. Beyond it was the deep darkness of the tunnel that was carved from the surface through the mile of rock to the room he now stood in. The decision to create what many thought of as a structural weakness had been easy for him; he had a brother that loved his form
and if the rest of his fortress was capacious, why couldn’t it accommodate every kind of Apostle no matter what form they took? Strangely, however, he had fashioned it for the brother that had just left for another world. The one that was coming now was unexpected.
Despite its flawed existence, the tunnel could be collapsed if it ever proved to be a vulnerable spot were the enemy ever to assault the bastion and discover the flaw. Somehow, though, Hydra felt like that was exactly what was about to happen. The wing beats were slowing now, as if to control the speed and arrival of his guest, but he knew it wouldn’t diminish their arrival or make it any less impressive.
Presaged by a rush of hot air and with the sound of thunder, a beast from human myth and legend landed in front of Hydra with his wings spread out in a show of strength, power and fiery rage.
“Samael…” Hydra said aloud, forcing himself to say the name to help accept his brother really had come back.
“Hydra, it’s been too long…” Samael replied as he changed form. As a human he was no less intimidating, but he was easier to understand and communicate with. Nonetheless, Hydra could make little sense of what was happening. He had so many questions to ask.
“Where have you been, Samael?” was the most obvious.
His brother smiled at him and took a seat at the table that both of them knew he didn’t belong at anymore. He gestured for Hydra to join him, who refused, and went on to tell of his exploits across the stars and how it came to be that he was still alive.
“YOU…YOU DID what?” Hydra asked, stunned by what he had just heard.
The Deian War: Conquest Page 24
