Equilibrium of Terror: Part 1 (Splintered Galaxy Book 3)

by Eddie R. Hicks

  Alisha’s sobbing subsided as she looked at Jainuzei who was still holding on to her, then later wiping away the tears from her face. It was at that moment she realized the vision was no accident, someone, or something, wanted to her to see it. Wanted to give her the answers to the questions that clouded her thoughts for so long. Wanted to show her the route to the one truth path.

  “True teachings?” she asked.

  “Yes, Alisha. The false teachings are enforced by the Radiance council, the true ones however,” he stood, bringing her along for the ride, “are taught by the Celestial Order, sadly the council wishes to silence our voice.”

  There was a blinding flash, and they returned to the temple as Dalhakei lowered his staff then said. “The gods have gifted us yet again.”

  … … …

  ►► Kasidey’s transport, Paryo orbit

  ► Uemaesce system

  “Paryo still exists I see,” said Whigli dully.

  Their transport had arrived at a low polar orbit around Paryo. None of the ships from the imperial navy paid any attention to their presence. Either they weren’t able to detect the ship or they were expecting it. But that wasn’t Whigli’s concern. He was more upset that the atomic weapons that he launched clearly did no harm to Paryo. Two whole months passed, and he thought for sure that the empire was suffering in the aftermath of his vengeance.

  “Unfortunate, but don’t give up,” Kasidey said. “They will feel your wrath.”

  “When?”

  “Just keep your anger and desire for vengeance bottled up, the empire, union, and UNE will all bow down to you.”

  Five minutes later, a psionic teleported aboard their ship, with him was an older Hashmedai man wearing a dark suit. Both Kasidey and the old man made eye contact. “Torval,” she said to him. “Nice to see you again.”

  “Have we met?” he asked her.

  Kasidey smiled at the aging Hashmedai guild master. “Kinda.”

  Torval’s face shifted left to right, clearly impressed with the design of their ship as well as the gravity. “How soon can we be there?” Torval asked her.

  “It won’t be long,” she said. “There’s space in the back to rest until then.”

  Torval nodded to the psionic that teleported him aboard. The psionic vanished into bright blue light, heading back to the surface of Paryo. Whigli approached Kasidey as Torval retreated toward the back, and away from listening range. “Dead humans, a data pad, and now the Assassins’ Guild master?”

  She said to his enquiry, “Wait until you see what lies at the end of our journey.”

  CHAPTER 19

  ►► Abyssal Justice, interstellar space

  ► Edge of the Uylanni system

  ► Fifty years ago...

  Victory celebrations were held all over the ship, New Paryo was turned into an uninhabitable world devoid of all Hashmedai life including the imperial family. Plans to enter cryostasis and begin the long journey home were put on hold to allow the crew to enjoy their drinks. That and several members of the crew were to be reassigned.

  For Jainuzei however, returning home to Aervounis was one of two assignments he was willing to accept. The second one was an invitation to Xyniea’s quarters. As the doors closed behind, she appeared out from the corner, she held a bottle of wine that was strategically covering her breasts, as she was topless. Jainuzei was pants free seconds later, the things wine, rum, and celebrations could do to one’s mind.

  His pants hovered next to him, or was it behind him? He couldn’t remember or care, for a naked and fit Rabuabin woman was right in front of him. He held onto her as she held onto the bottle of rum. Their lips exploded on each other’s bodies amidst the effects of the zero g, moving slowly from the neck down to each other’s chests. Jainuzei’s large hands held onto her waist as his hard Aryile shaft entered her thrusting back and forth. Gravity was a non-issue, and Xyniea made sure to remind him of that, spinning her body from time to time. It was a pointless act, but when booze has complete control of your mind nothing really has a point.

  Jainuzei lost count of the unique positions they found themselves in. All he knew was that her orgasm count was rising every five to twelve minutes. And would continue to do so. She wasn’t an Aryile woman, so it was impossible for him to finish. Aryile intercourse was normally a thirty to forty-five second task. Enzymes produced by the female stimulated the male enough for a climax to be made possible, meanwhile, enzymes released by a male started a chemical reaction that would trigger a female to also climax. The end result? Aryile intimacy was literally one continuous orgasm lasting as long as thirty seconds for both partners. And this evolutionary function was the primary reason the Aryile race had issues with over population before forced sterilization was enforced throughout the union.

  The thrusting between them as a result went on for almost two hours. Jainuzei did his best to not pay attention to the beads of sweat that floated next to their bodies, or the beads of her love juices next to their waist. Rabuabin women knew how to party after a great victory.

  In the aftermath of their ravaging, Jainuzei looked up at the ceiling of Xyniea’s quarters with his hands behind his head, floating. Xyniea pulled him downwards toward her then moved her face in to kiss his chest, then stroke his shaft, still hard from earlier.

  “I can’t believe I did that,” she said.

  “Too many drinks.”

  “I mean, you’re a man,” she said, correcting herself. “I’ve only allowed other women to fondle my body.”

  “And I’ve only allowed Aryile women with mine,” he said raising his hand to touch her wild and floating hair. “Not a word of this to my wife.”

  “As I said before, wives are a hassle, ditch her,” she said with a stern grunt. She grinned, then crawled her weightless body back onto his.

  “We shouldn’t.”

  “One last time, these are uncertain times after all. Might be the last time we get to have any kind of fun like this.”

  His face said no, his manhood said yes as she held onto it and guided it back inside of her, held onto his broad shoulders and waited for him to start thrusting upwards while holding her writhing waist. The excitement of being inside of a Rabuabin woman was too much for him to resist.

  … … …

  The next day came and the reassignment orders were issued. The Abyssal Justice came to a stop, joining up with a fleet of Radiance cruisers. Many of those ships were poised to travel in a different direction than that of the Abyssal Justice.

  Jainuzei entered the transport bay in which several familiar faces were all floating next to a transport with their belongings in hand. Those faces being, Hilemei, Xyniea, Karklosea, and Fiesei. He was somewhat upset to see them go as he never had the chance to spend a great deal of time working them, or chatting during off-duty hours.

  “So, this is goodbye?” Jainuzei said as he got closer.

  “Indeed,” General Hilemei said. “With that said, I think promotions are in order.” He faced Xyniea first. “Za Xyniea, I hereby promote you to Ranger Second class.”

  “Thank you, General,” she said, taking a bow.

  “Ary Jainuzei,” Hilemei said to him. “Congratulations, Ranger First class.”

  “The honor is mine, thank you.”

  He kept his composure solid, first class ranger was something he had dreamed of for years. Something he came dangerously close to losing several times as he put his life on the line in the battlefield. All in the past now, he was a first-class ranger, and nothing would change that.

  “Wow, first class, uh?” Xyniea said to Jainuzei. “Retirement, like most rangers that get that high?”

  “Perhaps, or maybe,” he held a plasma dagger up, one of the many Hashmedai weapons he collected over the years, “weapons master.”

  “Weapons master?” Xyniea said. “There hasn’t been anyone of that title in years.”

  “That’s because every first-class ranger retires, becomes an officer, or joins The Whisper,” Jainu
zei said grinning at Fiesei who looked away. “May I ask where you all are heading?”

  “I’ll be overseeing operations in our deep space exploration missions,” Hilemei said. “Fewer assassins.”

  “After what we just finished, the empire will probably be sending all their assassins after you,” Jainuzei said.

  “And that’s why the frontlines are a place I can no longer be. Thankfully Karklosea will be joining me.”

  “What about you two?” Jainuzei asked Xyniea and Fiesei.

  “My assignment is classified,” Fiesei said, then boarded his transport.

  Xyniea smiled at him and said. “Mine as well.”

  “Well it was a great honor fighting with you all,” said Jainuzei. “May the gods’ light shine upon you all.”

  Everyone floated toward their respective transport ships. As they all moved out of hearing range Xyniea moved her way closer toward Jainuzei. At one point, he was expecting another insane kiss considering how close she had gotten. Instead she asked. “This ship is returning to the capital correct?”

  “Yes.”

  “Have you visited the great temple yet?”

  “I have not. Patriarch Dalhakei is there. I’m sure him being such a powerful religious leader has other things to worry about.”

  “Visit him when you arrive.”

  “Why is that?”

  “I’d like to work with you again,” she said then grabbed onto his neck and lunged forward for another open mouth kiss. “Have an open mind if you speak with him, his words are the truth regardless of what anyone says.”

  “Of course, he’s the Patriarch.”

  “He’s muzzled by the council.”

  “What?”

  “Religion mixed with politics, you know how that goes.” She looked back toward her transport where the pilot was waving at her to hurry up. “I should go.”

  … … …

  An hour passed since they all left and boarded their ships. Jainuzei was on his way toward his cryo pod as he glanced at the information that displayed on his data pad screen. On it was listed where each of the ships leaving the fleet were heading. Hilemei and Karklosea boarded the Abyssal Seeker, which was en-route to meet up with the Abyssal Explorer at Lejorania Sanctum. Xyniea boarded the Abyssal Hammer which was assigned to monitor heretic activity at Foicanta. Fiesei. His was interesting, The Abyssal Wave was heading toward Earth. Why would a warship head to a primitive world? Science and exploration ships like the Abyssal Explorer he could understand, not ones built for war.

  That question would have to be dealt with later, however. His cryo pod came into view. He climbed in, shut off the pad and activated the pod. Its glass tube hatch slowly lowered shut while he lay back in a comfortable position, and prepared himself to sleep for several years.

  … … …

  ►► Veromacon, Aervounis

  ► Luminous system

  ► Twelve years later...

  Jainuzei’s multiyear journey through space officially came to an end when his feet touched down after making a triumphant leap off his transport. The Radiance military base his transport landed at was located in the middle of the floating city, obscured amongst towering trees in the surrounding forest, and various other military installations. Just another hour to go, were his only thoughts as he walked toward the rapid transit platform with his equipment and battle spoils tucked away in a large bag.

  Surrounding him were other rangers or ship crew members, stepping away from hundreds of transports that also came to land at the base. It was indeed a glorious spectacle for him, brave men and women returning from the frontlines having delivered what might be the final blow to destroy the evil empire once and for all.

  The return to his home was lukewarm to say the least. For a grand victory that they had achieved, there were no major welcoming parties, no parades, no religious leaders offering their blessings, nothing. Not even his wife Ary Marrea was there to welcome him back. At least the other service men and women had their loved ones there.

  His home was in his view. He admired how much the community had changed during his absence. Trees that were once tiny saplings had now grown to be taller than him, with their rustling leaves large enough to cast a shade on the grass below. Several new homes had been added in the far end as well, while existing ones had been modified, adding additional floors or rooms. His finger pressed against a computer panel located on the side of the front door to his home. Even that was different. Marrea must have had the system upgraded. It even made a different chime.

  There was a delay, naturally, in which he heard footsteps from inside slowly make their way to the front. The door opened, it felt like eons passed during the process of her opening it up, but in reality, he was too excited to see her again. He wondered what her reaction would be. Shocked? Overly happy? Would she remember him? It’d been almost twenty-six years in total.

  “Oh my gods,” Marrea said.

  “Home at last,” said Jainuzei. “I’ve missed you.”

  A long powerful hug full of emotion came next. He was surprised how well she had aged. She was such a young woman when they were married. Now she was almost as old as him. The advice his commanding officers gave him indeed paid off, marry them young so that when you return from space decades later, they’ll be around your age.

  “You were gone for so many years,” she said, finally letting him go. He could see a small stream of tears dripping from her violet eyes.

  “War doesn’t always give one a chance to send messages,” he said. “You’ve aged well.”

  “You barely aged at all!” Marrea said playfully. “So how long do I have you in my life?”

  He waited until he stepped inside to give her an answer, dropping his bag on the floor as the doors closed. “Forever, I’m retiring.”

  She looked at his bag, as some of the contents of it were sticking out from the top, namely the Hashmedai hilts to the several swords he had. “That gear says you want to become that weapons master you’ve always talked about.”

  “These are just battle trophies,” he said. “I plan to build a rack to honor the mighty Hashmedai fighters I’ve slain.”

  He sat down on a velvet smooth couch placed in front of the glass door leading out to their patio dining room and swimming pool. It took him a while but he soon realized this was the same couch that was here when he left. The material must have been rejuvenated to give it a new fresh look.

  “Honoring demons?” she asked, sitting next to him.

  “The ones I’ve killed fought like brave men and women. They had no demonic traits unlike the rest of their underlings.”

  He wrapped his arm around her, drawing her closer, eager to see what her lips felt like now compared to when she was a teenager. Not much of difference that he could tell as they finally embraced passionately, though she did seem much more confident. Certainly, a much better kisser now than back then. And sneaky too. As he pulled away, she moved her face forward to steal another kiss.

  Nightfall came quickly, completing the process of him feeling back at home, with the planet’s nineteen hour cycles. Jainuzei sat at their patio dining area and watched as Marrea stripped away her clothing and dove into their swimming pool. The lights installed at the base of the pool reflected its light upwards as she swam through it.

  Every Aryile home had a pool, a tradition that was carried on throughout the years. Swimming in the nude was viewed a great means of stress relief after a long day, or clearing one’s mind in preparation for work. Some say the tradition of Hashmedai bathing with their partners stemmed from this, as Hashmedai were once allowed to live on this world before the war started.

  Marrea’s head popped up from the waters for some air after being below for the last ten minutes. She smiled as she saw Jainuzei standing next to the mouth of the pool, ready to join her in his naked form just like they used to do before he was deployed. His feet kicked through the warm waters of the pool as she teased him, goading him to chase her amongst the wav
es. The last several years had not only turned her into a beautiful woman, but an expert swimmer, he had a tough time keeping up with her. Their playful game of pool tag came to an end as their wet naked bodies embraced again. His hands were massaging her breasts, their mouths interwoven in passionate play while her hands moved up and down across his hard member.

  She found herself partially immersed in the pool, sitting on a set of steps leading into it. Waves of water from the surface gently splashed across her pleasuring petals between her legs as he pushed himself inside her, moving his hips slowly. It didn’t take long for the enzymes within her womanly parts to release, triggering a symbiotic chemical reaction. He released his sterilized seed inside of her, she trembled and moaned. For thirty-eight seconds they sang a loud song of ecstasy as her hands held onto his abs, while his hands cupped her small pert breasts. Their dripping wet bodies quivered under the starlight.

  She still held onto his large muscular body even after their ravishing session had long ended and asked. “So, you are here forever?” He nodded. “Prove it!”

  “We were approved to have children before I left,” he said. “Let's visit the breeding hatchery and have some.”

  “Seriously?”

  “Yes, I’ll even let you design them.”

  She gently pushed him back by pressing her hands across his chest then sat up and to list her demands. “I want a daughter.”

  “Well, uh.”

  “Ha, and you want a son I bet.”

  “We could have both.”

  “Twins?”

  “There’s an idea.”

  “I want our daughter to be the envy of all women. When she’s an adult, I want her to make all men hard as she walks by.”

  He briefly thought about all the extra genetic enchantments options they’ll have to purchase to make that happen. Especially if she wants their future daughter to be attractive to races outside of Aryile. “Sounds expensive, but with all the credits the union has paid me for my service, it shouldn’t be an issue. Let us go first thing in the morning.”

  … … …

  For the last several thousand years, Radiance races have all reproduced via hatcheries located in each city on every world the union controls. It was one of the many gifts from their gods used to combat the growing problem of overpopulation during the early days of the union, especially amongst the Aryile race, since pregnancy was a quick and easy process. With predators out of the equation and the advancement of medical technology, populations on worlds with a heavy Aryile population hit catastrophic levels. Even with colonization, those worlds quickly filled up as more and more couples showed up with children. And that was just the Aryile race. Throw in the total populations of the rest of the Radiance races, and the union was forced to implement one of their more controversial laws to date, forced sterilization of all members.