by Ivan Kal
She turned to him. “This is what you wanted to show me?”
Adrian glanced up at her, then at the wall. He sent the command with his imp, and the massive blast shield started rising up, revealing the large window that showed the outside of the ship.
The Dai Sha turned her gaze back and watched as the blast shield rose far enough to show the planet below the Veritas.
She gazed at it for a bit, and then turned to look at Adrian again. “And what is this?”
“That,” Adrian started, “is Earth, the human homeworld.”
She frowned but turned back to watch it.
Massive storms ravaged the planet. Volcanos spat fire into the air constantly, red blending with the gray of the ash and black thunder clouds.
Adrian turned to face the Dai Sha. “That is the price we paid to free our people from the Ra’a’zani,” he said grimly. “Their last act was to destroy our world, to kill billions of our people, because we defeated them. We have lost the majority of our race to them.” His voice hardened. “You called us weak, and you were right, we were weak.” He gestured to the devastated planet below. “But now this stands as a reminder of why we will never again allow ourselves to be that weak. The Ra’a’zani still have our people, and we will take them back. And you and your people will not stand in our way. We will not let you have the sphere; it is our legacy. You have lost yours.”
She looked down at him. “I have been charged with finding and bringing that device to my people. Whether you let me go or not will make no difference. The Elders want it, and they will have it.”
Adrian gazed back at Earth. “There is nothing down there that you can recover. The device is probably destroyed.”
“You have another.”
“You would rather fight us for it than approach us as friends in the hope that we would share it?” Adrian asked incredulously.
“We are the Shara Daim, heirs to the galaxy. Rivals are not tolerated,” she said.
“And you think that by saying that you will somehow convince me to give it to you?”
“It does not matter whether you give it freely or not. The Elders will send all our Legions after you; the knowledge of the People is our inheritance. Even had you not taken me, the result would have been the same.”
“How can you just give me this information? You know that we will be ready now, yes?”
“I say it because it will not matter. The Legions of the Shara Daim will take what belongs to us by the right of strength and blood, as we have always done. To bring death and to conquer is our calling.”
Adrian shook his head. “What is your name?” he asked.
She looked at him for a minute. “Anessa,” she said.
“Well, Anessa,” Adrian said resolutely, “I will change your mind. I will show you who we are, and I will prove it to you that your people are wrong in thinking they can just roll over us.”
Epilogue
January; Year 55 of the Empire – Shara Radum
Arisak, Do Sun of the Shara Daim, entered the Hall of Ages. It was an honor for one as low as he to be invited to speak with the Elders. But the nature of his news was enough to grant him entrance. He entered the inner enclave and stepped into the darkened room where the Elders waited.
“Honorable Elders, I am humbled by you allowing me into your presence,” he said as he lowered himself onto his knees.
“Rise, Arisak Do Sun,” a voice from above said, “and tell us what you have learned.”
“Dai Sha of the First Legion was taken by the people that call themselves the Empire. As our informants tell it, the ones that took her defeated her in battle. They are being said to look strikingly like us; the recordings I acquired match the images of the Humans we recovered from the Ra’a’zani databases.”
“Humans...” an Elder said. “They are slaves, and yet you say that they are a part of this Empire?”
“Yes, Elders,” Arisak said. “According to what we have learned from those willing to deal with us, it appears that the Humans were not bound to one world as the Ra’a’zani thought. Others returned and retook their home. Since then, they have spread far and wide. Their technology has jumped forward, and apparently they have awakened to the Sha.”
“That complicates things. But in the end, it doesn’t matter,” an Elder said. “Tell us of the Erasi; they have involved themselves in the matter?”
“They allowed the Empire’s ship to take the Dai Sha, and refused to give us information as to who they were. We had to search for a long time in order to find out; by that time, the Empire had escaped too far for us to follow,” Arisak said.
“We have always known that we would clash with the Erasi eventually. But for now, this Empire is a priority. We have recalled all Legions. It will take time for all of them to arrive from the edges of our territory. But once they do, we will move towards this Empire, and claim that which is ours by right.”
Arisak bowed, confused. He did not believe they were talking about rescuing the Dai Sha. But it was not his place to question the Elders.
“Thank you, Do Sun, you have served us well,” an Elder said, dismissing him.
Arisak bowed again, then turned and left the chamber. If all the Legions were being called, soon war unlike any they had waged in the last thousand years would start. And much blood would be spilled.
***
Numaraas – Erasi capital world
“The Shara Daim are mobilizing their forces,” the Gatrey sent.
“All of them?” asked the Loraru sitting at the head of the table.
“All of their Legions. They are leaving their system defense forces behind. It will take time for all their Legions to arrive in this area of space. They are far away, spread across Shara Daim territory.”
“And what is their target?”
“The Empire,” the Gatrey answered.
“Did the loss of one of their Dai Sha really push them into such a drastic direction?” the Loraru asked.
“Hanaru has sent us some more intel. As far as he can tell, it has little to do with it. He believes that something about the connection between the Humans, the Nel, and the Shara Daim is the cause.”
“Well, that gives us time, then,” the Loraru commented. “How long do you think that the Empire can hold out against the Shara Daim?”
“A while. They are close in technology, but the Shara Daim have more resources to draw on. In the end, they will overrun them,” the Gatrey answered.
“And what do the projections say about the chances that they come to a peaceful resolution?”
“There is a chance, but I have already given leave to Hanaru to do everything in his power to prevent that possibility.”
The Loraru approved. “Good. Our forces will be moving soon. If we get enough time to set things up, the Shara Daim will not have a chance of stopping us. Especially if their Legions are fighting a war with the Empire.”
“Should we offer aid to the Empire? Prolong their war?” the Gatrey inquired.
“Yes, but within reason. If they survive, we do not want to trade one Shara Daim for another. They cannot be allowed to become too powerful,” the Loraru sent.
“I’ll make the arrangements.”
*** END ***
Thank you for reading!
Book 6 of the “Rise of the Empire” coming fall 2016
Olympus – Book 1 of the “Rise of the Empire” – published June 2014
Sanctuary - Book 2 of the “Rise of the Empire” – published November 2014
Out of the Ashes – Book 3 of the “Rise of the Empire” – published April 2015
Warpath – Book 4 of the “Rise of the Empire” – published October 2015
Inheritance – Book 5 of the “Rise of the Empire” – published May 2016
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Table of Contents
Timeline
Prologue
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Interlude
Chapter Twenty-One
Chapter Twenty-Two
Chapter Twenty-Three
Chapter Twenty-Four
Chapter Twenty-Five
Chapter Twenty-Six
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Chapter Thirty
Chapter Thirty-One
Chapter Thirty-Two
Chapter Thirty-Three
Chapter Thirty-Four
Chapter Thirty-Five
Chapter Thirty-Six
Chapter Thirty-Seven
Chapter Thirty-Eight
Chapter Thirty-Nine
Chapter Forty
Chapter Forty-One
Chapter Forty-Two
Epilogue
