Chrysalis

by Kayne Sampson

  Erisda suspected that the whole thing was a smokescreen. But it didn’t matter if he could not convince them of that. “I think something is happening here that we’re not supposed to see. That is why I’ve come to ask for a ceasefire.”

  Zeta was silent, lost in thought. She came to her senses when the soldier she had sent off returned to her side. The Xegin general walked away so that they could talk, leaving Erisda under the watchful eyes of the other soldiers.

  I’m putting a lot of stock in faith that they won’t just start firing on me and call it a day, Erisda thought to himself. Here he was, standing like an idiot in front of a hostile army. His only consolation was that if he did get killed and reincarnation was a thing, then he could be revived as someone less a fool.

  “What? What are you talking about?” The noise brought him out of his pity party. Zeta had just raised her voice in response to whatever the soldier had just told him.

  Erisda sighed. He had been trying to be a good person and give them their privacy. But he had certain skills that he had honed in his years abroad. And so he stopped internally humming in his brain and focused, so that even at the distance he was at, he would be able to eavesdrop on their conversation.

  “General Delta has commanded that we cease all communication with the Human known as General Erisda Walker and insist he return to his camp,” the soldier was saying.

  “If you would just allow me to explain what the man has been saying to me, we can…” Zeta started to say, but the soldier cut him off.

  “No need. General Delta is able to tap into the systems of other Imperial General armor and listen in on conversations. He has heard it all and the decision stands.”

  Zeta stumbled slightly backwards. “What the...when did he...how? And why? Why is he listening in on conversations from other generals. This is very unnerving.”

  “This conversation is taking an excess amount of time. General Delta is assuming direct control.”

  Erisda pointedly made sure he was facing the other soldiers, but he caught a glimpse of Zeta and the other out of the corner of his eye.

  What in the hell… Erisda had to stop himself from reacting to the violently shaking Xegin soldier. The episode lasted for a few seconds before stopping, and the soldier looked up and spoke.

  Only a different voice came out.

  “General Zeta, why do you delay my orders? This unit was quite clear on what you were supposed to do.”

  “General Delta? What did you to this soldier?” Zeta asked.

  The soldier waved his arm. “This unit is one of the XSM that I have modified. I have performed upgrades to allow me to directly control them when the situation calls for it. However, we are still wasting time.”

  “I just don’t understand why…”

  “General Zeta, you will follow orders. The mission is underway. We must…” the voice stopped, and the soldier turned to Erisda, who was staring off at the ocean. “The Human is more astute than I gave him credit for. Be rid of him before we speak further.”

  The soldier marched off, leaving the Xegin woman alone once more. Erisda feigned ignorance of the situation, though he wondered how much this Zeta understood. It was clear to him however. Someone at the head of the army was not looking to negotiate.

  Erisda was still trying to piece together everything that had just happened. There was no other chance for this to end peacefully. He steadied his resolve as Zeta approached him.

  “I am sorry, General Erisda. But I am unable to assist you any further. The fighting will continue unless you surrender. There will be no truce otherwise,” Zeta explained, her voice steady as opposed to when she was speaking with the other soldier.

  She composed herself, Erisda noticed. This was bad. It meant that she had accepted the orders. He didn’t have the authority to offer a surrender, not without returning to Aurora to speak with the Administrator and the rest of the officers.

  So he could do nothing but nod, and turn to leave. This had been a colossal waste of time. “My advice to you, general? Hasten your return home. It would be in your best interest not to delay,” Erisda heard Zeta say before she returned to her forces.

  Erisda frowned. Something about the way she said that did not sit well with him. Hoping he was just being superstitious, he quickened his pace. But he knew that more often than not, his intuition proved correct.

  ***

  Tianna made sure her armor was set right as she made her way to the fields outside Zelrega where the standing army was to meet before deployment. She needed to look the part and could not afford to be anything but perfect.

  She had been placed in charge of the remnants of Epsilon’s forces. In time, she would be named as the newest Imperial General, General Eta, and they would become the Eta squad.

  But there was no time for the ascension ceremony in the midst of a war. So for now, she was still Tianna and she would do her best to live up to the expectations of the Imperial Generals.

  Sephiel was beside her, always nearby to put her at ease. Tianna had been grateful that General Gamma had allowed the young soldier to transfer to her command. Sephiel was a powerful asset to any squad.

  The soldiers were gathered together, each by their own unit. She remembered her conversation with Delta the day before, and so it was now more noticeable. Mingled amidst the regular Xegin soldiers were more and more mechanical soldiers. The XSM, Xegin Soldier Models.

  Xegin Soldier Models had been created by Delta to limit the fighting force of the Xegin. Many of their people were augmented but wanted nothing more than to live a normal life. So to maintain their military strength, they had created these to fill in.

  It made sense, to have soldiers that were able to do the tasks normal soldiers could not. But she wondered how they would perform in the field. She could not directly control them, only the Imperial Generals had those functions built into their armor. She would eventually receive customized Imperial General armor, but for now, she assumed they were programmed to follow orders from higher level Xegin.

  She strolled forward as the soldiers parted to allow her to pass. They had been briefed in the morning memos about Tianna’s promotion and her acquisition of the Epsilon squad. Many of them knew her and her achievements in the army, so they had not protested.

  Gamma was at the head of the army, along with Alpha. Delta, Beta and Zeta were elsewhere, to mislead the scouts of the Humans into believing the Xegin army was mobilizing. They would join the assault later on, but these soldiers were to be the advance force, with Tianna at the lead.

  “Greetings, general,” Gamma said, as Tianna approached and saluted. She returned the salute, and smiled. “It sure will take some getting used to saying that.”

  Tianna realized that it had been quite different to get used to calling this woman general. Gamma had been very young when she was promoted to an Imperial General. Tianna was eight years her senior after all. She didn’t doubt her skill now but it had been a challenge.

  “Well met, general,” Alpha said, joining in. She walked up closer and looked from Gamma to Tianna. “Look at this, three women of the Imperial Generals, working together on this mission. How marvelous.”

  Tianna nodded. “It will be an honor to work alongside you both. It’s a shame that Jessica can’t join us on this mission, but it makes sense that we split the generals amongst the army. Oh! I’m sorry, I forget my place. I mean, General Zeta,” Tianna said, quickly correcting her mistake. She would need to work on that if she was to be a leader of the Xegin.

  Alpha crossed her arms and studied Tianna, who tried not to shy away from the intense gaze. “Peace, general. I know you and General Zeta are quite close. Just be mindful of protocol in the future. Regardless, it shall be an honor to work alongside you as well. Squads hardly ever sortie in tandem, so we’ve never had the chance to fight together. But General Gamma here has had nothing but the highest of praise for you. And your little friend, of course.”

  Tianna looked around. She hadn’t rea
lized that when she had moved up to join the others, Sephiel had joined the ranks of the other soldiers and was standing at attention. Diligent as always. It would have been a breach of protocol to have approached the generals with Tianna.

  “All right, let’s get this show on the road. I just received the signal from General Delta’s team. They have successfully diverted the attention of the enemy army. We can now proceed as planned,” Gamma spoke up.

  “As you will be leading this assault, it is customary to address the soldiers beforehand,” Alpha said, moving aside to let Tianna take the lead. Gamma nodded and followed suit.

  Tianna stepped forward, and looked out at all the faces. She frowned, noticing that many more were mechanical soldiers as opposed to real Xegin. When had this begun happening? Delta’s words from earlier echoed in her head.

  “I am Tianna and I will be replacing General Epsilon, who has fallen in combat in this terrible war. Though I have not yet received my general title, I will be leading our advance forces in his stead. We will honor his sacrifice and continue working for stability in our nation of peace,” Tianna said.

  “This war has gone on long enough. We have combined all squads for a focused assault on the Imperial Gate. The gate is the key to the rebel defenses. While they control it, Zelrega is in danger,” Tianna explained, pacing back and forth. “But, if we can capture it, then the war will be over within days.”

  Tianna stopped and looked out over the army. “A siege is never easy, but we of the Xegin army are the most efficient and effective soldiers in the entire world. The Empire fears us. Let us show these rebels exactly why and end this quickly. For General Epsilon and all those fallen in combat!”

  As the soldiers shouted a war cry, Tianna turned around. And for Commander Tyrannes, she thought to herself privately. That piece of information was still being hidden from the public. The man who had formed the great nation of Teforia, their leader, was dead. They would have to explain to the people after the war, and elect a new leader.

  But for now, they needed to focus. And so, Tianna began the march. She set the pace, going at a sprint. They needed the element of surprise. They had calculated the amount of time and energy they would need. While the other force acted as a decoy, her soldiers would storm the gate and set up their assault before they could get their defenses in place.

  “Aether reactors, set to 90 percent. The details have been uploaded to the Xegin database. Do not let up and do not expend excess energy. You will need it all for the second part of the plan. To victory!” And the Xegin army ran, aether fueled armor pushing them forward.

  It was a bold move, to overcome their enemy before they could react by using their aether to accelerate the march. General Delta’s data had proven this was a sure path to victory. So long as Tianna did not mess up, that is.

  Please let me not screw this one up, Tianna prayed silently to herself, though to whom she had no clue. The gods were dead. It wasn’t very Xegin-like, but she was nervous. But with Alpha and Gamma with her, she felt her resolve return. She would make this fight the one that would decide everything.

  7

  Keta had retired early to their guest room, leaving Max in the mess hall. Pent had gone off to check the training grounds, and no doubt frighten some Humans into a duel. That suited Keta though. He needed some time to think.

  It was their second day in the Human city, and they were still being treated as guests, awaiting Erisda’s return. But what it really meant was they were prisoners in all but name.

  Erisda was an interesting person. He was unlike any other military person he had met. He had successfully managed to talk down both Pent and Max from a fight. And he had taken their warning about the Brotherhood seriously and was trying to stop all the fighting.

  Keta had felt like he could trust the man, which was becoming increasingly rare the older he got.

  Things had been spiralling out of control for him as of late. From the first encounter with Master Inferno all those weeks ago, Keta had been in some form of conflict. It had begun to tax him, both physically and mentally.

  Keta looked down at his hand, turning it over. Something wasn’t right. He had been in plenty of fights lately, and many of them he had lost. And yet, his body was in relative good condition. He should not have been able to function so soon after all those injuries.

  Could this be the power of the Kitaan? Keta wondered, moving his fingers in an intricate pattern. That was the only explanation he could come up with. There was still so much about his heritage that he didn’t understand.

  And yet, was it truly his heritage? He was a false Kitaan, created through DNA of a deceased one. That Human scientist had called him a chance at creating the gods. Was he an abomination just like that creature back at the lab?

  The thought had been nagging at him lately. Keta wasn’t like Pent or Max. Those two were born Demons. They wouldn’t understand. Had the old Master known? He must have. He had been the one who rescued him and Sarel.

  Why didn’t he tell me then? Keta thought sadly. Was he hoping he would never find out, because he knew the knowledge would hurt him? Perhaps, but he would never know now that his great mentor was dead. But Master Inferno still lived…

  Keta quickly shook his head. The last thing he would receive from that man right now was a nice conversation. They were at odds, and the only way this would end was when they came to blows.

  And to do that, I’ll need the help of the Demons, Keta thought grimly. In terms of raw power, Max and Pent and even Xuan were out of Keta’s league. He only hoped they would be willing to listen.

  The sound of a horn snapped him out of his thoughts. He whipped his head around, as the horn began to sound over and over. Outside his room, he could hear the sound of increased activity. Curious, he made his way and opened the door.

  He was met by the sight of soldiers running through the halls. This alarm must have caught them unawares, as some were still in the process of putting on their uniform. They all seemed to be headed outside.

  Keta knew he was supposed to be restricted to the building, but concern won out over his other instincts and he followed them. In all the panic, nobody seemed to have noticed that he was with them. He moved with the crowd until they joined the soldiers gathered at the city’s gates.

  He felt a tap on his shoulder, and he turned around, expecting to see a disapproving glare that would lead into a lecture. Instead, he was met by a pair of red eyes. Max smiled and pointed his thumb over to where Pent was standing. A few soldiers were nearby and were staring apprehensively at the young Demon.

  Up ahead, he could see what the soldiers had gathered for. Giselle was speaking. “...have launched an attack against the Imperial Gate. The other force was a decoy, to distract us from their true target.”

  The soldiers began to murmur, turning to look at their fellow soldiers in panic. Giselle silenced them quickly with a gesture. “General Walker and General Ivaldi are both unavailable. I shall assume command in their absence and lead from headquarters. Lieutenant Kae will coordinate the defenses at the gate. Squads 4 through 9 are to join squad 3 there. Squads 1 and 2 will remain here on standby. This is not a drill. Dismissed.”

  The Humans began to move. They were quite organized, forming into lines of what he assumed were their squad, led by their captains. They were issuing orders to check equipment as Keta pushed by, with Pent and Max in tow. They were all too busy to give the three any spare thought. That is, except Giselle, who looked annoyed when she spotted them. “Didn’t I tell you to remain inside the base?”

  Keta ignored the question. “What’s going on? I thought Erisda was going to initiate peace talks between the Xegin. Why are you still fighting?”

  Giselle fixed him with a glare. “General Walker has already left on his goodwill mission. Whether or not he will be stopped by the advancing army is up to chance. Regardless, we can’t sit around worrying about peace when a battle looms in front of us.”

  Keta cursed inwardly. E
risda had been the best hope to end hostility. If the war continued, who knew how many more could die while Keta and his allies were detained? If the Brotherhood was already moving through Teforia, they couldn’t afford any delays.

  “I don’t have time to babysit you three. I must ask you to return to your quarters. General Walker has asked that you be treated as guests, but if you will not follow our orders, I will treat you as criminals,” Giselle said.

  Pent frowned. “Since when are guests prisoners in Teforia?”

  Giselle folded her arms. “We are at war. There are certain laws in place that function during wartimes. Be grateful that you were permitted entry to Aurora, and to Teforia in general. We could have turned you away.”

  Pent opened his mouth to retort, but the girl held up a hand to stop him. “Enough. I have no more time to entertain your questions. If you have nothing else to contribute, leave me be and return to your quarters.”

  She tried to leave, but Keta stepped in front of her. Fury welled up in the girl’s eyes and her hand went to her waist, resting it on her holster. Keta held up his hands. “Peace, Giselle. I only wished to ask if I could help.”

  Both Pent and Max looked at him with surprise. The girl stared apprehensively, hands on her hips. “What do you mean by help? What could you do?”

  Thoughts had been swirling through his mind the entire time he had been speaking to Giselle. Keta knew that he needed to act. If he let things continue, there was no telling what horrors the Brotherhood of Shadows would unleash left unchecked.

  “One of the Xegin soldiers was at Frostclaw Village when the Brotherhood of Shadows attacked. She saw firsthand that they are operating nearby. If I can get to her, I might be able to explain about the attack on the border. With her testimony, perhaps I can get the Xegin to agree to a temporary ceasefire.”

  The girl was silent for a moment, playing with her hands. “That is actually not a bad plan. It could work. You do realize that would mean you going to a battlefield, however. You would do that for us?”