Shadow Sun Unification: Shadow Sun Book Five

by Dave Willmarth

  Allistor froze.

  This was what he’d been pushing for. Pushing not just himself, but all his people. Trying to make them strong enough to not only survive in their new world, but to take the fight to the ones responsible for all of this. The ones who nearly eliminated the human race and left the survivors fighting for every breath, every morsel of food.

  It was too good to be true.

  “What’s the catch?” Allistor watched Harmon’s face closely. He hadn’t known the orcanin long, but he thought he had a pretty good handle on his friend’s expressions.

  “The catch?” Harmon appeared confused for a moment. “Ah, I see. What you would call the catch is that Baldur will ask that you hear him out, listen to what he has to say. About Earth’s induction, all of it. And my guess is that he will offer you the chance to show mercy.”

  “Why would I do that? If what you’re telling me is true, Loki is responsible for billions of deaths just on this planet. The deaths of my family, and so many friends who have become family. And regardless of whether or not Amanda’s death was the direct result of his orders, Loki put us in this situation in the first place. She’d be alive if it weren’t for him!” Allistor was breathing hard, his fists clenched. He could feel tears forming in his eyes again, but they were tears of anger and frustration this time.

  Harmon held up both hands in a calming gesture. “I am not advocating for mercy, Allistor. You should know by now, that’s not my style.” He flashed a wicked grin at his human friend. “I’m saying that from what I know of Baldur, his inclination is toward mercy. He is slow to anger, and always tries to see both sides of an issue. His demeanor, his beliefs, are the basis for the concepts of justice on many worlds that he and his people have fostered over the eons. Including, I suspect, this one.” Harmon looked to L’olwyn, who nodded his agreement.

  “As to mercy for Loki, I suspect that Baldur will offer you a significant reward for not taking Loki’s life when it is offered. Amanda’s death has… altered the timeline Odin and Baldur were working from. Loki is quite skilled at what he does, gathering information, using it to further his own purposes without drawing attention. It was expected he would be more successful in protecting you. Honor demands that Loki’s failure be met with the punishment Baldur had already proscribed. And the public, widely viewed nature of her death has its own consequences. Still, Baldur would likely prefer to keep Loki around for some time yet, for investigative purposes and… let’s call it intelligence gathering, before carrying out his ultimate punishment.”

  L’olwyn cleared his throat, obviously wishing to add something. Allistor nodded for him to speak. “I feel it only prudent to point out as your advisor, Allistor, that taking the life of an ancient being such as Loki would grant you a nearly unfathomable amount of experience. Thus making you many times more powerful than you already are.”

  “Like, how many levels are we talking?” Allistor thought back to when Helen accidentally promoted him by granting him parklands, and the significant jump in levels he received.

  The elf looked to Harmon, who shook his head and shrugged. Tapping his chin, L’olwyn thought it over for a moment. “I’m afraid that’s unknown. I doubt someone at your current level has ever defeated a being on par with an Ancient One. I’m sure the System would put some kind of limit on your growth. But it would likely mean hundreds of levels of growth for you.”

  Harmon leaned forward in his chair. “Loki is one of the most ancient and powerful beings still living within the Collective. Even Baldur would probably not be able to end his life without Odin’s help. Or direct action by the System. Most of the Ancient Ones have long ago abandoned their mortal forms and ascended to another form of existence. Taking his life, even with the help of Odin and Baldur, would advance you to a higher level than myself or anyone you’ve met, with the possible exception of Master Daigath.”

  Allistor’s head began to spin with ideas, imagining what he might be able to accomplish with that kind of power. His eyes unfocused as he pictured himself becoming Emperor of Earth, then expanding the human influence across the galaxy. He’d no longer need to be afraid of factions like the Or’Dralon. He could track down whomever was responsible for the attack on the space station and make them suffer for Amanda’s death…

  Allistor phrased his next words carefully. “Please inform Baldur that he is welcome to attend the service, Harmon. And if you’ll excuse me, I need to call my people together and make sure everything’s ready.”

  The massive orcanin nodded once, lifting his great bulk from the chair with ease, and made his way to the elevator. Just before he stepped through the open doors, Allistor called out, “Harmon, one question.” When his friend turned and raised an eyebrow, he asked, “How does one go about killing someone like Loki? I mean, do I need a special magical weapon? Or do we lock him in a room and gas him, or what?”

  Harmon shook his head, a definite look of sadness on his face. “I imagine that by the time he arrives, his physical stats and health will have been greatly reduced. In which case, like most living beings, a sword through the heart, or removal of his head, would finish the job.” He turned his back on Allistor and entered the elevator, the doors closing behind him.

  “Nigel, I need all of my ministers, advisors, inner circle, raid leaders, and stronghold leaders to meet me at the Bastion as fast as they can get there. Also, I want all of our raid teams called back from wherever they are around the world or on Orion. Right now, please.” Allistor looked at L’olwyn. “If I’m going to kill the being responsible for destroying our world, and maybe many others, all of our people should be there to witness it.”

  L’olwyn stared at him for a brief moment, his face completely neutral, as usual. Then he rose gracefully from his chair. “I shall help ensure that your instructions are carried out.” He looked Allistor directly in the eyes. “I would advise, Allistor, that you not be hasty in your decision. At least wait until Baldur has spoken his piece before making up your mind. I know revenge is something you desire quite… emphatically. But I beg of you to think of what is best for our people.”

  Surprised, Allistor simply nodded his head. When the elf was gone, Allistor sat for several minutes with his eyes closed. Thoughts of Amanda mixed with visions of removing Loki’s head in front of a crowd of Invictus citizens. His mind replayed the explosion on the station, the look of terror in her eyes as she and William were ejected into space. His heartbeat raced, his desire for revenge flaring bright and as hot as a sun. He wallowed in his anger, then focused it all toward Loki and those of his race.

  Then he took a few deep breaths and forced himself to replay Harmon’s words, and L’olwyn’s, in his head. Revenge would feel great, and would be a huge morale boost for his people, but he knew the feeling wouldn’t last. What benefit for his people might he secure from Baldur in return for foregoing his revenge? Then again, how much easier would it be for him to become Emperor of Earth if he could tell each human leader he met with around the world that he was the one who killed the being responsible for wiping out most of the human race?

  After a while, he cleared his mind and asked in a voice just barely a whisper.

  “What would you tell me to do, my love?”

  Chapter 11

  Allistor had chosen the Bastion in Denver for Amanda’s memorial rather than Invictus or their original Stronghold at The Warren. Mostly because there wasn’t room for the expected crowd at The Warren, and she’d liked the park area outside the capitol building in Denver. When he and the kids arrived on the Bastion teleport pad, Allistor found most of his advisors already waiting for him. In addition to his four hired alien analysts, there was his core group, along with Master Daigath, Gralen of the beastkin, and each of the Stronghold leaders. Bjurstrom and McCoy stood with a dozen or so raid leaders. There were still some raid groups scattered across the globe who were being picked up by either Kira or Gene, and would be back in time for the service.

  “Thank you all for coming here ear
ly.” Allistor spoke loudly enough for everyone to hear as he and the kids stepped off the pad. Almost immediately it flashed behind him, and a group of twenty citizens that Allistor recognized from Laramie appeared. Folks were already arriving to pay their respects. Seeing the growing crowd beyond the trees, he added, “Let’s head inside and talk. We’ve got a lot to cover.”

  He led them through the park and into the old capitol building where they gathered in the rotunda. A quick word to Prime and several droid guards sealed off the building to ensure their privacy.

  He spent some time updating them all on what he’d learned about Baldur and Loki, and Harmon’s suspicions about what Baldur wanted. It took nearly an hour, as his people had many questions, and there were multiple angry outbursts that Allistor sympathized with. Each time he allowed a little while for tempers to calm before he continued.

  “So there you have it.” He looked around the room at his most trusted friends and advisors, his people, his new family. Surprisingly, it didn’t feel at all odd to him that a good number of them were non-human. In his heart he knew that none of them were responsible for the apocalypse on Earth, or for Amanda’s death. He had narrowed his focus and hatred to the race of ancient beings that included Loki, Baldur, Odin, and the rest.

  “I have a decision to make. I intend to listen to what Baldur has to say, and once I’ve heard him out, I’ll consider his offer. But I’d like to hear from all of you what you think.” He held up a hand as several mouths opened. “I realize you don’t have all the information yet. And in this case, this isn’t up for a vote. This is my decision to make, right or wrong. I’d just like to hear your thoughts. Do I execute Loki for his role in the near genocide of our race, or do I leave him to Odin’s justice and accept some probably epic reward from Baldur?”

  Immediately there were several shouts of “Kill him!” and even one “Off with his head!” that he was pretty sure came from the usually quiet and reserved Lilly, of all people. In the back there was a shout of “Gnomes rule!” and he briefly searched for Selby while shaking his head and holding up his hands.

  “Okay, clearly some of you have strong opinions. Let’s do this. Raise your hand if you have a comment to make, other than kill or don’t kill. When we’ve heard from everyone who wants to speak, I’ll ask you to vote by a show of hands. Who wants to start?”

  Bjurstrom was the first to speak, raising his hand and stepping forward into the small open area between Allistor and the others. “I think you need to consider what you’d gain from killing Loki. We’ve been sort of tippy-toeing around since the aliens,” He paused and nodded to Gralen and the others, “Excuse me, the non-humans started arriving. You’ve been worried about accidentally angering some faction and being taken out. Well, now we have strong allies, with agreements to help protect us. And if you yourself were to suddenly gain a massive number of levels, you’d become pretty difficult to take out. We’d be operating from a position of strength for a change.”

  There were lots of murmurs of agreement as he finished, even a little bit of applause, mostly from the gamers in the group, who always approved of leveling up. Gralen cleared his throat and raised his hand, and Allistor motioned him forward.

  “While I do not have the same urge for vengeance that all of you native Earthlings feel, I understand your desire to see Loki dead. But I would remind you that Odin has declared Loki’s life forfeit, and has done so, at least in part, because Loki failed in his obligation to protect you, Allistor. An obligation set upon him by Baldur, a member of the same race, who has apparently been working on your behalf all along. In a sense, whether you physically take Loki’s life yourself or not, you will be the ultimate cause of his demise. It is merely a question of timing, and what benefits you reap from his death. As someone with more experience in the ways of the Collective, I strongly recommend you consider Baldur’s offer, and allow them to deal with Loki in their own time.” He bowed his head to Allistor and stepped back, the crowd around them completely silent.

  “Thank you, my friend.” Allistor nodded his head slightly at the beastkin. “That was a well-considered and logical argument.”

  One by one his people stepped forward and made their individual cases, both for and against Loki’s execution. Not surprisingly, the majority were in favor of taking the mass murderer’s head right there in the park in front of everyone. But it wasn’t a huge majority. Many of those who’d been gamers like Allistor, while curious about what Baldur might offer, couldn’t resist the idea of racking up a huge number of levels and the stats that went with them. Others were, like Allistor, just thirsty for revenge. Allistor noted that Master Daigath did not step forward to offer his opinion. He just stood off to one side and listened.

  After more than twenty of them had spoken, they were tending to overlap in their arguments or just repeat what others had already covered. Finally, there were no more volunteers, and Allistor took over again.

  “Thank you all for your input. Regardless of what I decide, I want you to know that I’ll be seriously considering all of your advice.” He paused and took a deep breath. “Now. We have a little planning to do. This is going to go one of two or three ways, and I want us to be ready for all of them. So… here’s what I want you to do.”

  They spent another hour together, going over Allistor’s instructions for each scenario. If for some reason things went badly, he wanted to be able to react immediately. When he dismissed them, some of his people were grinning and chatting excitedly, while others were just shaking their heads.

  Harmon and Daigath remained behind at Allistor’s request. He had some additional questions for them, questions that the others didn’t need to hear the answers to just yet.

  *****

  When Allistor exited the building just before noon, he was nearly overwhelmed by the sight that greeted him. Standing atop the wide staircase that faced westward across the park, Allistor was looking down at a throng of his citizens, tens of thousands strong. There were humans, beastkin, and dwarves in large numbers, as well as a scattering of elves, gnomes and other races. Standing head and shoulders above the rest, gathered around Droban, were a few hundred minotaurs that Allistor hadn’t even known had become citizens. Off to one side was a group of more than a hundred of the trainers they’d hired, come to pay their respects.

  Atop the stairway, off to the right and left sides, were the representatives of the elves, dwarves, and others who had asked to attend. Cogwalker was there, along with Melise and her father the commander, among a few dozen others. Allistor nodded to them, silently thanking them for attending, before stepping forward to face his people.

  He’d known that his citizenry had grown in leaps and bounds, especially as he added in the non-human contingents. But the numbers in his UI as each group had joined had been just that. Numbers. Seeing the football stadium sized crowd standing before him, Allistor’s heart beat faster. If he had to guess, he would say there were more than fifty thousand beings in attendance.

  All for Amanda.

  Unable to speak, for a moment, he just stood there taking it all in. A brief look up at the clear sky showed the protective dome covering the area. Seeing it reminded him of the day Gralen and his shipmates attacked the Bastion. The fact that the wolverinekin had since become one of his most trusted advisors was not lost on him.

  Taking a deep breath, he said, “Nigel, loudspeaker please. Everywhere.”

  “Go ahead, Sire.”

  “I want to thank you all for coming here today, to help us say goodbye to Amanda. And to thank those of you who stayed behind to guard your various homes.” He paused, a small smile forming as he looked across the park. “I can’t believe how many of you, how many of us are here. My heart is… full today.” There was scattered applause, but Allistor kept going. “Some of you never met Amanda, so I’ll tell you a little bit about her. I loved her. It wasn’t love at first sight, mind you. Amanda was… stubborn, occasionally rude, extremely capable, and independent. She was there w
ith me from the first days of the apocalypse, when we first claimed and built the Warren. She could shoot better than I could, and saved my butt more than once on scavenging trips!” Some of the humans laughed, mostly those who’d been at The Warren or Luther’s Landing. “She took great pleasure in using me as a… guinea pig.” His voice caught for a moment, visions of her advancing toward him with scalpel in hand making him tear up.

  “She teased me mercilessly, often threatening to trade me in for one of you cowboys out there.” Several of the cowboys whooped and whistled at this, making Allistor smile along with most of the crowd. “And she never, ever stopped trying to help people. Many of you were healed by her in those early days, before we all learned how to heal ourselves and each other. She saved hundreds of lives after scavenging missions and during raids. She kept me grounded, often called me prince fancy-pants or something similar to keep my head from swelling.”

  “She was a terrible cook! Her specialty was peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.” This time nearly everyone laughed. “But she was a great mother to William, Sydney, Addy, and everyone who found themselves in her care. She was a natural and gifted healer, and her last act was to save a life.” Allistor looked at William, who was standing between the girls, all of them crying openly.

  “I loved her, and wanted to spend the rest of my life with her.” Again he had to pause, a lump forming in his throat. After clearing it a few times, and taking a deep breath, he wiped tears from his cheeks and began again.

  “Like so many other friends and loved ones, Amanda was taken from us too soon. We gather together here, as we’ve done too many times before, to share our love for her, to offer support to each other, and to say goodbye.”

  The service continued for nearly an hour as several people climbed the stairs to stand next to Allistor and share a memory of Amanda. Some were funny, others simple stories of how she’d saved a life or healed a devastating injury. Allistor quietly offered the kids a chance to speak, but they all shook their heads, holding each other and crying. When it was through, Allistor nodded toward Harmon, who spoke into his wristband. Stepping forward, Allistor got the attention of everyone below.