Lanatek, in command of the Leif Erikson, ordered them to position themselves off to the rear left side of the Kalentun and fire all weapons at its midsection. Tim and Chuck flipped switches and pressed buttons to comply with the order. The ship’s computer locked target and fired at the Kalentun at the same time the Telenian fired at the front section of the Ackturrian flagship.
The resulting barrage of weapons fire appeared to take down the Kalentun’s shields. One of the northern clan’s destroyers moved in between the Leif Erikson and the Kalentun to absorb any further battering from Lanatek’s assault.
The Kalentun began to retreat and attempted to speed away to repair the shield damage before they took on too much hull damage. The remaining northern clan ships, being commanded to protect the flagship, broke off their attacks and formed into a small fleet.
The Leif Erikson took charge of the southern clan’s ships Lanatek ordered the bridge crew to allow the Kalentun to escape; they needed time to regroup and form a proper chain of command for their movement.
* * *
Ackturrian Caverns
Year: 2983
The two brothers exited the vortex and fell to the ground in a cold, damp cavern. The light was minimal; the cavern was only illuminated by the glowing crystals that were everywhere. Broken shards of crystal fragments were scattered all about them as they had been the first time Jhahnahkan entered the Crystal Caverns.
The two picked themselves off the ground. They glared at each other like two bulls ready to charge. Each held their master crystals out in front with their left hand, aiming them as if they were a shield. Their cloaks flowed out behind them in a gentle breeze coming from somewhere inside the cavern. They were crouched slightly and slowly moved around each other, preparing themselves for the inevitable conflict.
“Well, well, my brother,” Jhovahkan said, breaking the silence, “it is good to see you again.” He grinned from ear to ear.
“That’s the same thing you said the last time we met. Somehow I don’t believe you,” Jhahnahkan replied with bitterness in his voice.
“You are still jealous that I am the firstborn son and will succeed our father as leader of the high council. Get over it, Jhahnahkan.”
“I think you are jealous that I finally beat you in Bant’tuuk.”
“You might have won that contest, my brother, but you will not win this one.”
“It is you who will not win,” Jhahnahkan said coldly as he began to close the gap in the circle; they continued to move around each other.
“This civil war is your entire fault, Jhahnahkan! I was about to begin to destroy the Zelinites and rule over them and this entire galaxy, and like a coward, you never returned from the Crystal Caverns to take your seat on the council. So where did you disappear to for all this time?”
“I think you know. I’m sure your master crystal told you.”
“I am beginning to understand your confusion, my brother,” Jhovahkan said in a whisper. “Open your mind up to me. Let me read your thoughts.”
“Never!” Jhahnahkan said with a shout. “I will not let you inside my head.”
“I do not understand your problem? Let me in so I can understand,” he replied with an evil grin.
“No! I have come to avenge our father’s death and to take over as the new leader of the high council. I am the rightful son. I am the true firstborn of Qiaoshan.”
Jhahnahkan looked at his brother with a puzzled look as another person entered the area back in the shadows.
“I am quite alive, my son.”
Jhahnahkan looked over at the figure in the shadows, and then he stepped into the light. Jhahnahkan could hardly believe his eyes.
“Father?”
* * *
Leif Erikson
Command Center
Year: 2983
Lanatek ordered Glenda to isolate a com channel for their ships to communicate without the northern clan ships’ access. Glenda manipulated the console with the assistance of the ship’s computer and opened a channel to all of the southern ships.
“This is Lanatek, temporary commander of the southern fleet by order of Jhahnahkan of the house of Sö’,” Lanatek began. “Yes, Jhahnahkan has returned to avenge the death of his father, Qiaoshan. He will bring to justice his brother, Jhovahkan, and Ghaia, the high priestess, for their treason in the murder of Qiaoshan.”
The com channel returned static for a moment before an answer from the Telenian was heard. “This is Panru, Lanatek,” the captain replied. “I do not know what you are talking about. Death of Qiaoshan? The high council leader is alive and well on Ackturra.”
The other captains also replied, causing the com link to jam with chatter, asking what Lanatek was talking about.
“Stand by,” he answered.
“Apparently in this timeline Qiaoshan was not murdered,” Helen interjected.
“Apparently,” Lanatek said as he looked over at Luanren and Helen. “These jamming stations also used to belong to the Zelinites in our timeline. There is more wrong here than we really understand.”
Luanren used her mind to probe the other ship captains. “You need to explain everything to them or they will not follow you as leader. There is one thing that remains a constant—Jhovahkan is still on a mission to destroy all Zelinites, but now he wants to conquer the entire galaxy and to put them under Ackturrian rule guided by his father, Qiaoshan.”
“Attention, all southern clan ships,” Lanatek begged, “please hold your positions and prepare to learn some things that may not sound real to you. You must trust me. You must understand that we do need to defeat Jhovahkan and the northern clan from completing their plans. After I tell you all these things, we need to put out the word to all southern clan factions to form up. All our ships must assemble here with us. This ship will become the flagship of the southern clan. You must trust us. Look at this ship design. Have you ever seen anything close to this vessel? I urge you to scan us, and you will find the proof.”
“Very well,” Panru said, speaking for the rest of the fleet. “We will listen to what you have to say. I must admit that vortex your ship came through is pretty strong evidence that it may indeed belong to Jhahnahkan.”
Lanatek began to explain the situation and provide as much proof as they could to gain the trust of the entire southern clan movement. The ship captains stood by holding their position and monitoring the sector for the return of Jhovahkan’s fleet.
“I do not think he will be returning until he has reinforcements,” Panru offered.
“I think you are correct,” Lanatek replied. “However, we must be ready for anything.”
The fleet captains all agreed that Jhovahkan is unpredictable and would try anything.
Luanren came close to the com system and offered her opinion. “Jhahnahkan left the Leif Erikson through the vortex he can create. I believe he is with his brother, but I am not sure where. I do not think they are on board the Kalentun.”
The ship captains once again agreed but decided to continue to scan the sectors in range.
“We know all of the northern faction’s ships,” Panru offered. “If any of them attempt to cross over to the Kalentun’s position, we will intercept.”
“What of the jamming stations?” Lanatek asked.
“We built them,” Lanatek said. “We have the access codes. Perhaps we should disable the station, or would it be better to keep them active and take them over?”
“That depends if there is a benefit of occupation. Can we adjust the jamming stations to allow our signals to pass through?”
“I am sure that is what the northern clans are doing now. I vote we occupy,” Panru said.
“Agreed,” Lanatek said with authority.
“If we could get close enough to shut down the jamming station’s shielding and enter the station, it would be very easy to overtake the twenty or so crew manning the site,” Panru said.
“The Leif could get in close with our advanced shielding,” La
natek began.
Helen interrupted Lanatek. “If I had a focus crystal, I could send an armed squad over. They would not even know what hit them,” she said with a devious smile.
“Any of the crystals that the southern captains hold are corrupted. They would begin to corrupt you,” Luanren said with concern.
“While it is true that they are currently corrupted, we can heal them like we did the first one. With the Terrens presence, we can,” Helen answered.
“Yes,” Kate added, “we could heal them. I know we can.”
“Then it is settled,” Panru said over the com. “I need a volunteer to give up their crystal to Helen.”
Within minutes, Helen was in possession of a focus crystal. “Ah, I have missed having one of these,” she said with a lift in her voice.
“We will assemble an assault team in the lower cargo hold,” Lanatek ordered. “How many can you send over at once?”
“I should be strong enough to send twenty or so. If I have help from our Terrain friends, maybe as many as thirty,” she said with a smile.
The assault team assembled in the lower cargo bay. Chuck was assigned to head up the team, and he agreed to the task with joy. “I finally get to do something that I am good at for a good cause—beating people up,” he said with a chuckle.
“Okay, everyone, listen up,” Lanatek said with authority. “Your job is to take over the station, and then you will be in charge of manning this station. You should be able to interface with the remaining stations as well.”
He gave Chuck the frequency codes to set that would allow their com signals to communicate among the other southern clan controlled ships.
“Once we have control, I will contact several other ships to take our place in controlling this sector from the north. We need to make our way to Ackturra and deal with taking over the planetary shield control stations, at least one of them, so we can pass freely to and from obit.”
The team acknowledged their mission and made ready to move over to the jamming station through Helen’s vortex, and the Leif Erikson would depart for Ackturra.
* * *
Ackturrian Caverns
Year: 2983
Qiaoshan stepped into the light where Jhahnahkan could see him. “Yes, I am very much alive, my son.”
“If father is alive, how do you possess a master crystal?”
“It was a gift. He thought by giving me his crystal to join into one, it would make me even more powerful. He knew I needed the power from his crystal to launch my attack and finish the work he started: complete Ackturrian rule in the galaxy.”
Jhahnahkan dropped his guard momentarily as he tried to understand, finally realizing this is just one of the alterations to the timeline. But it was too late as Jhovahkan charged at his brother with his momentary lapse caused by the shock of seeing his father.
Jhovahkan leaped at his brother, and this time, Jhahnahkan was tackled, and the two wrestled on the ground. Broken shards of crystals crackled beneath them as they rolled on the ground.
“I watched you kill my father!”
“You are delusional!”
“Now I know why you have been gone, my brother,” Jhovahkan struggled to say as the two continued to wrestle. “It was you who formed the southern alliance to oppose the council. You are responsible for this civil war.”
“It is you who are delusional, Jhovahkan,” he said as he struggled to speak. “You can’t wipe out an entire race. It is not morally right.”
“Who cares, my brother. All that matters is Ackturrian rule. It is not too late to end this and join our movement.”
“Never!” Jhahnahkan exclaimed. “Don’t you see? The timeline has been fractured. None of this is supposed to happen this way. I must go back and fix what went wrong.” He finally collapsed to the ground in tears. He fought his emotion the best he could but finally succumbed to the overwhelming feelings knowing his sister was now taken by the Rune. Now he was faced with seeing his brother having turned totally evil. Even in the original timeline, Jhovahkan would have some compassion.
“You are weak,” Jhovahkan said. “You have always been the weak one.” He too collapsed on his knees, huffing and puffing.
Qiaoshan looked at his two very different sons and finally saw enough and came to their sides. “My sons,” he began, “you cannot settle these differences by brawling. Stand, the both of you!”
Jhovahkan looked over at his father with those deep sunken eyes that glowed reddish yellow; his face turned gray in color, and he muttered some words beneath his breath.
Jhahnahkan slowly stood up at his father’s command, not wanting to show a sign of weakness as well as disobedience.
“What did you say?” Qiaoshan asked.
“I said,” Jhovahkan began as he too slowly stood to his feet, “it appears that you are the weak one.”
As he finished with his disrespectful words, he rushed his father, holding his crystal out in front of him; he knocked his father to the ground and stabbed him in the heart.
Qiaoshan looked his own son in the eyes, and he fell backward to the ground, bleeding from his wound. He then looked over at Jhahnahkan for the last time as his eyes dimmed and closed with the last breath of his being leaving his body.
Jhahnahkan looked on in disbelief, seeing his father murdered for a second time. He looked at his dead body as his brother laughed at the sight as a madman would.
Anger welled up again within Jhahnahkan as he witnessed this father’s murder and knowing what his brother was truly capable of doing. He suspended his crystal out before the two and concentrated on entering the white sphere.
The two brothers found themselves in a white sphere. He had done it. He could face his brother here knowing this is in his mind and not in the physical.
Jhovahkan stopped laughing and looked at his surroundings. “Well, what have we here, my brother?”
“You will answer to your crimes, Jhovahkan.”
“Oh really,” he answered sarcastically.
“You are in my arena now. I control what happens here.”
“I do not think you can control anything, my brother.”
Jhahnahkan held his hand out and began acting like he was squeezing his neck. “Watch me. Are you having trouble breathing, my murderous brother?”
Jhovahkan began to choke and had difficulty breathing. He grabbed his throat as if to pull away the hand that was squeezing his breath away but couldn’t find anything there.
“You see, I said this is my arena. I control what happens,” he said as he continued his choke hold on his brother.
Jhovahkan struggled to speak. “You…kill…me… and you are…no better than….me,” he said, gasping for air.
“I won’t kill you. Just put you down,” he said as he continued to squeeze the life out of his brother.
Jhahnahkan’s eyes also began to change color to the familiar yellowish glow that began to become visible in his brother.
Roth’stavous appeared within the sphere at that moment. “Jhahnahkan, you must not kill your brother. You are being controlled by the Rune. I will not be able to stop you soon. The infection will begin to take over your master crystal.”
He continued to choke his brother while Jhovahkan’s face turned red, and his eyes began to bulge out of their sockets. Jhovahkan, now being unable to struggle for air any longer, collapsed to the floor unconscious.
Jhahnahkan released his grip and returned them once again to the Crystal Caverns as he understood what Roth’stavous was telling him. He knew there was another task at hand and killing his brother would not accomplish the goal of rescuing his brother and sister.
* * *
Leif Erikson
Command Center
Year: 2983
Helen went over to Luanren and Kate with a sense of urgency. “We need to teleport to Jhahnahkan. He needs our help. Come, quickly.”
“But Jhahnahkan said for me to stay on the ship,” Kate said as Helen pulled her by the arm.
&
nbsp; “Nonsense,” Helen said matter-of-factly. “We need a small security detail as well. Tim, you are with us.” She motioned him to follow. “Glena and Rex, you too, we will need you with us. Come on now. We must hurry.”
Kate and the rest followed Helen down the corridor to a cargo hold.
“The ship won’t reach Ackturra in time. We need to intervene now,” Helen said, reaching for her new crystal.
She opened up the vortex and instructed them all to step through. Helen then entered and closed the vortex behind.
The group exited the vortex within the Crystal Caverns and saw Jhahnahkan standing over the lifeless body of his brother. They looked over in horror and saw the stab wound in Qiaoshan, the crystal still sticking out his chest.
Kate ran to Jhahnahkan. “What have you done, my love?” she said with tears in her eyes.
“He’s not dead,” Tim said as he squatted down, checking for a pulse on Jhovahkan. “However, he’s not looking so good.” He then looked over at Qiaoshan.
“What happened here, my son?” Luanren asked.
“I have no time to explain,” Jhahnahkan said. “First, we need to apprehend my brother. Helen, open the vortex and have Tim escort him to the brig on the Leif.” He then motioned the way. “The only way I can prevent the infection from spreading to my master crystal is to join Jhovahkan’s crystal with mine. Together, they will be strong enough to resist the Rune until we find it and figure out how to stop it from spreading.”
Tim picked Jhovahkan off the ground. Still not fully conscience, he stumbled with Tim and Helen, not being able to fight back and now powerless without his master crystal. Helen opened up the vortex, and the three disappeared within.
Jhahnahkan stepped over to his dead father and pulled Jhovahkan’s master crystal from his chest. “Stand back, everyone,” he said as he held both crystals at arm’s length.
“Naeg’ Mos Magniglieo,” he said as he slowly raised the two crystals over his head, “Ack’raamon, two into one.” He finished by slapping the two crystals together.
The result was a loud clap of thunder that resonated within the caverns as it echoed against the cave walls. The shockwave that issued at the same time began to break the other crystals in the cavern. The noise of the crystals shattering became earsplitting.
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