by Drew Avera
“Yes, sir,” Ilium answered. “Lieutenant Vesna was the man who seized command of my ship and locked me in my quarters. He is also responsible for the death of our security chief.”
“That’s a lie,” Vesna screamed, but he was silenced by a kick in the stomach from one of the men holding him.
“Shut up,” the man ordered Vesna.
Captain Crexon stepped forward and whispered to Ilium. “Then you know what you have to do.”
Ilium smiled as he looked down at Vesna, the man who thought he had cornered Ilium, taken his ship, embarrassed him. In truth, Vesna had done all of those things, but they caused only a temporary setback. Ilium came to realize he did not need Haranger to rise to power. He had the power already. All he had to do was act upon it and use it to his advantage.
Ilium removed the gas mask from his face, relishing the cool air as it blew upon his sweaty face. He dropped the mask to the deck and fought the urge to wipe the sweat from his eyes, not wanting to look weak in front of Captain Crexon’s men. Ilium inhaled deeply and extended his empty hand to one of the men who rescued him. The man drew his sidearm and handed it to Ilium.
“Sir,” the man said as an acknowledgement.
“Thank you,” Ilium said. The weapon was heavier than the standard issue sidearm he normally carried, but the weight gave him a confidence as he held in front of him, the barrel in line with Lieutenant Vesna’s forehead. From his line of sight, Ilium could hardly see the man’s nose for the barrel of the gun.
“You don’t have to do this,” Vesna said. Spoken like the bitch you are, Ilium thought as a smile curled his lips. Revenge is the best part of my day. Vesna looked behind Ilium and spoke. “Sir, this man is not—”.
Ilium squeezed the trigger, not letting Vesna speak, knowing it was only an attempt to smear his name to the captain of the King Slayer. The weapon discharged and a high caliber round severed the top of Vesna’s head, brain matter splattering to the deck behind him. There was a gasp in the crowd, and it echoed in Ilium’s ears, just before the final kill order was given, and hell rained down on the mutinous bastards who took Ilium’s ship from him. Ilium didn’t hear the order, but he saw it carried out in an explosion of weapons being fired. He watched in awe as the crew was torn apart by the rounds piercing their flesh. Despite the horrific sound, Ilium was lost in silent glory as the entire crew fell. He watched for any movement from the crew of the Hamæråté, but there was none . . . only the growing pool of blood flowing from their dead bodies.
Ilium felt a hand on his shoulder and turned to see Captain Crexon smiling at him. “Well done, son. I have to admire a man who stares his enemy in the eyes before taking his life. Let’s go share that with Shiveih, shall we?”
“Yes, sir,” Ilium said as he handed the weapon back to the man who lent it to him.
Ilium followed Captain Crexon onto the King Slayer, the airlock opened up into a long corridor that linked the ships together. Ilium had never seen anything as advanced during his whole time in the Greshian Navy. What the King Slayer has puts every other piece of fleet technology to shame, and this is just the airlock, he thought.
“What about my ship?” Ilium asked once they were on board the King Slayer.
Captain Crexon turned and frowned slightly. “I’m sorry, son. The Hamæråté is lost to us. I’m having my men detonate her once we are out of range.”
A part of Ilium felt bad about losing such an asset, but the destruction of the Hamæråté would be symbolic. It was the end of his service to Haranger and the beginning of something else entirely. “I understand, sir.”
Captain Crexon smiled. “Good. Life will get better when you can move on from this. In the meantime, why don’t I show you to your quarters?”
“I do have a favor to ask, sir.”
He stopped and turned once more. “What’s that?”
Ilium took a deep breath, knowing what he was about to ask could make him look bad in front of the man who was responsible for saving his life, but he had to ask. “Sir, there is a stasis pod on the Hamæråté with a pirate in it. I have reason to believe the man has information about a rebel ship, so I preserved him until the time I could launch an investigation. I would like to have the stasis pod preserved from the destruction so that I can continue my investigation at a later time.”
The man frowned, but not in the way that made Ilium feel he was destined with an immediate “no”. “This rebel ship, would it pose a threat to Greshia?”
“Without a doubt, sir.”
Captain Crexon nodded and looked to one of his men. “Go, retrieve the stasis pod and put it in our cargo hold. I want to disembark within the hour,” he said.
“Yes, sir,” the man replied before running off to carry out the order.
“Thank you, sir,” Ilium said. He was surprised at how easily that request was approved.
“No problem, son. Sometimes we have to preserve an enemy’s life to take out the bigger threat.”
“Yes, indeed.”
“I would advise against going that route in the future, though. You don’t want word getting out that you’re a rule breaker.” Captain Crexon smiled and it made Ilium wonder if the man was onto him, or rather on his side.
“I won’t, sir,” Ilium replied.
“Right. Now, let’s get you to your quarters. I think you’re going to like being on board the King Slayer. I’ll give you a tour, but I have a mission brief coming soon.”
“I can tell this is an amazing ship, sir.” Ilium marveled as he looked at the ship. Everything was brilliant, with none of the exposed wiring of the older ships. It was all clean decks and polished bulkheads. The lighting was brighter too, but not blinding.
“You bet your fucking ass it is,” Captain Crexon said with a deep laugh. “And this amazing ship is going to destroy Shiveih in the next six hours. It’s going to be a magnificent display in fire power.”
Ilium followed Captain Crexon, barely preventing a smile on his face. This is where I want to be, he thought. I could command this ship and set afire the worlds of my enemies. That is my destiny.
Chapter Twenty-Three: Anki
It was the first time in weeks that all four members of the crew sat around the table for a meal on the Replicade. Ever since Crase Tuin tried to take the ship, the crew had been split into shifts, two people manning the bridge at all times in order to keep the ship secure. That extended into the time they spent in the shipyard for overhaul, and Anki presumed it might always be that way. The sad thing was that the close bond they had been forming as a team was faltering because they were not able to spend as much time together as they once had. No one was fighting, but then again no one was not fighting either. She noticed the strain on Deis’ and Malikea’s relationship after what happened with Neular, and she did not want the same to happen for her and Brendle. But what choice is there when it comes to protecting the ship? Point defense systems be damned, there was no substitute for a sentient being taking the helm of the mighty warship. It was like the crew was slowly sacrificing itself for the wellbeing of the ship. That’s something we will need to address if we ever get out of this, she thought as she took another bite of food.
Anki looked across the table at the girl named Carista, her light hair tucked behind her ears. Her pale skin was almost translucent in spots where Anki could see the arteries just below the surface of her skin. The cloudiness of her eyes had given way to the lightest blue color Anki had ever seen. She was almost certain it was the girl’s natural eye color, but she wasn’t willing to bet her life on it. Carista was an enigma and one that Anki might never figure out.
“How do you like the rations, Carista?” Malikea asked. He was smiling, bonding with the girl just as he had been in the medical bay before Brendle spoke to Kich.
“It is a little bland, but I like it,” she answered, a reciprocated smile etched on her face. Ever since she revealed herself to Deis, coming out of hiding after accidentally hurting Brendle, Carista seemed to come out of her she
ll. Anki liked her this way and wished that it could last, but she knew that time was running out. I wish I could stop time in its place, she thought as she watched Carista laugh at whatever silly thing Malikea and Deis were saying to her.
Anki looked over at Brendle and saw the worried look on his face. He nodded at the monitor on the other side of the room counting down until they were expected to hail the Yeopa again. They had less than ten minutes before Kich would respond with a hail of gunfire. She knew Brendle would not let it come to that, but she also knew by the look on his face that he wanted to delay for as long as he could.
“Thank you,” Anki whispered, taking his hand in hers and rubbing her thumb along the soft flesh on the back on his hand. His fingers tightened lovingly around hers as his gaze matched hers.
“I would do anything for you,” he replied, and she believed every word of it.
Laughter drew her attention away from Brendle and back towards Carista. She was poking Malikea in the ribs, tickling him and carrying on about it with just as much enthusiasm as Malikea was. It seemed to Anki that Carista tickling Malikea was mutually laughter inducing.
“I think it’s time,” Brendle said as he stood from his seat. Everyone in the room stopped what they were doing as Brendle approached the monitor. It was less than five minutes and Brendle was hailing the Yeopa to turn Carista over to Kich. The look on his face reflected the sorrow in Anki’s own heart. She watched his shoulders sag under the burden of what he was having to do. She knew he was doing the right thing, but part of her wanted to stop him, to restrain him for just another minute or two.
It was too late.
“Replicade, you are cutting it close,” Kich said. “I have a short timeline to report back to my employer.”
“Yes, sir. I just wanted to give her time to enjoy herself on our ship. But as we discussed, we will turn her over to you.”
Kich nodded, a somber expression reflecting back at Brendle. “Very well. How do you wish to carry out the transfer? We can dock to your airlock or send a transport to you.”
Brendle turned to look at Carista and then to Anki. “That won’t be necessary, sir. Carista told me that she can open a portal from our location to yours. If it’s all the same to you, I think she should turn herself over to you on her terms.”
Kich hesitated to reply, the look on his blank face revealing nothing. “I’m hesitant to allow that, Mr. Quin.”
“I understand, sir. I just think that it would go a long ways towards letting her trust you. She’s been through a lot.” Brendle’s argument wasn’t unfounded, but Anki wasn’t confident he would be able to sell it. Kich looked skeptical, almost unwilling to bend to do the right thing. Carista was, after all, property to his employer.
“If you can make it happen within the next five minutes, then I’ll let you do it your way. If she isn’t on the bridge of the Yeopa in that time, I’m sending an armed transport.”
Brendle shot a friendly smile to Kich. “Yes, sir. She’s on her way.”
The monitor went blank and Brendle turned to face Carista and the crew. “I’m sorry that time has run out, but we need to act now. Carista, are you ready?”
“Yes,” she answered.
Brendle nodded. “All right, let’s head to the bridge to facilitate the transfer.”
Brendle led the way from the galley towards the bridge and Anki followed, holding Carista’s hand as they walked through the narrow passageways.
Anki’s heart pounded with anticipation as they made their way to the bridge. She found herself choking back tears by time they made it. Brendle stood in the middle of the bridge with his arms crossed, his eyes puffy from wiping away his own tears. “All right, Carista. I hope you—”. He stopped talking and Anki thought she knew what he would say. She felt it in her heart as well.
Carista walked up to him and wrapped her tiny arms around his waist. Tears poured down Brendle’s face as he embraced her. Deis and Malikea exchanged hugs with Carista too, each one too brief for the occasion, but everyone knowing they were on a short timeframe.
Anki stepped next to Carista and looked down at the girl. “Are you ready?”
“Yes,” Carista replied. “Are you?”
“As ready as I’ll ever be,” Anki answered.
“All right, be safe, Anki,” Brendle said, pulling her in for a kiss. Their lips locked together, the taste of each other’s lips tickling the other’s tongue.
As they pulled away, she trembled, only partially due to fear. “I’ll do my best,” she said. Carista squeezed her hand, causing Anki to look down at her. “If anything happens.”
“We’ll be there,” Deis said, his hand on his weapon. Malikea was standing next to him, close enough they could touch one another.
“All right, let’s do this,” Anki said.
Carista stepped forward, one hand still clinging to Anki. She extended her hand to the open area of the bridge and closed her eyes. All around them the light on the bridge dimmed momentarily, and then it grew brighter, but it wasn’t the blue lights of the ship, but of the portal Carista was creating with her mind.
Anticipation filled the bridge in a simultaneous gasp as everyone watched the portal open. At first it looked like dust spinning counterclockwise, a dull blueish glow forming between the thousands of particles comprising it. Then, as it grew, it took on a more solid shape, with every pigment of blue and green glowing from the deep cavernous snare in the center of it. It widened and grew brighter. The swirling grew faster until it moved at such speeds it seemed to reverse course, but Anki knew it was only an optical illusion. She could still feel the air rushing in the same direction as when it started.
With her eyes still closed, Carista pulled Anki towards the glowing portal. Anki tried to shield her eyes from the wind as it flew past her at an incredible rate of speed. Still, it somehow seemed to not prevent them from walking towards it. She expected heat to be engulfing them by now, but nothing really changed, just a brightening of the lights and the sensation that the air was rushing past them. A part of her vaguely remembered a similar sensation from when Carista transported them to the Replicade before, But most of those memories were lost somehow, as if she only heard stories about what happened and formulated the images in her mind. This was real, though. She was experiencing the magic of Carista’s power, and her mind was latching onto it, trying to decipher it so she would not forget again. But this is all in vain, she thought. She will not let me remember this. Carista’s hand tightened on hers as if in response to what Anki was thinking. It made Anki smile nonetheless. It didn’t matter if she remembered. What mattered was if they were successful.
She turned to look back at Brendle who watched her with his arms crossed. There was concern in his eyes, but she could see he was fighting to keep it at bay, to support her decision to do this. He was leaning forward as if he was withstanding the torrent of wind rushing past Anki and Carista. Perhaps it feels different for them, she thought as she gazed into his eyes.
“I love you,” he mouthed, or perhaps he said it, but she could not hear him.
“I love you too,” she said before turning to follow Carista into the abyss and leave the Replicade behind.
Chapter Twenty-Four: Brendle
The brilliance of blue light arcing across the bridge blinded Brendle, but he watched anyway, despite the searing pain as it burned his retinas. Anki held Carista’s hand, the two silhouettes eclipsing the portal Carista created with her mind. He watched them nervously, waiting for the heat radiating through the nerves of his body to catch fire to the Replicade, but it never came. Deep inside, he knew the heat wasn’t real, just another mirage of his mind trying to make sense of what was happening around him. Deep inside, he knew that was a lie being projected onto him by Carista as she looked back at him with emerald eyes fading into amber as Anki’s hand tightened on hers.
He saw it all happening before him, and he felt it too. They were connected in a way previously unimaginable, but now he couldn’t imagin
e it any other way. It was like being bound to a sibling, sharing a heart, sharing lungs, sharing a mind, while being wholly separate at the same time. That’s how I look at it anyway, he thought as they took the first step towards the portal.
“Wait,” he said softly, not loud enough for them to hear him, but they felt his voice and were saddened by it. His eyes met with Anki’s, a smile forming on her lovely lips. He craved to kiss them, to hold her to him, to feel her heart beating through her chest as she lay with him. Carista looked back as well, her own smile mirroring Anki’s, but it was fighting back fear. He could see it as tears welled in her eyes. There were many things he wanted to say. “Don’t do it. You don’t have to do this. There’s another way.” But his lips fell silent against his will. Carista silenced him. She doesn’t want those words to be spoken. She doesn’t want a way out, he thought.
Anki smiled and said, “I love you too.” Had she not heard me? Brendle thought for a moment and realized that Carista probably changed what he thought before it hit Anki’s ears. A part of him wanted to be angry, but it was probably for the best. Instead, he just watched them move closer to the portal.
Anki and Carista stepped forward again. This time the lower portions of their bodies were enveloped in the brilliant glow. Brendle was distracted by Deis’ and Malikea’s hands holding his shoulders.
“What are you—?”
“You need to let them go,” Deis said, his voice unnatural.
“It is the only way,” Malikea added.
Brendle looked up in time to see the forms disappear, absorbed by the blue orb pulsing in front of him. He wanted to run towards it, to pull them back to safety. To hell with CERCO. We will outrun them just as we outran the Telran and Crase Tuin. These were his own thoughts now, but they echoed in his mind as pure fantasy. His heart knew better, and it ached nonetheless.
Just as quickly as Carista and Anki disappeared, he saw movement in the light again. His hand found his gun, cradling the grip in his hand, flexing his fingers around it for something resembling control of the situation. “Someone’s coming,” he said, wanting to back away, but his feet were planted to the deck by fear, by anxiety, by not knowing.
