What should I do? he thought desperately. I can’t kill Sarah! I can’t kill my unborn child!
Onboard the Dark Star, Argos received the red-coded alert meaning that an Olympian was establishing communication with Chase. He acknowledged the alert on his terminal to hijack the transmission.
Oh, Aphroditis… your timing couldn’t be better; thank you, dear.
“Chase, listen to me very carefully, you must—” But Aphroditis’ voice was cut off in a sudden wave of static. It was the first time Chase had ever heard such a peculiar sound.
“Aphroditis?” he shouted back. “I must what?”
“What’s going on?” Daniel asked in surprise.
“Hang on...” answered Chase.
“Chase, can you hear me?” called Aphroditis.
“I hear you.”
“Chase, you must not let Sarah escape with these plans. If you do, all is lost. Everyone will die and Argos will win.”
Chase reeled back in horror. “I don’t think you or the admiral understand what you’re asking of me! I can’t kill my unborn child! I can’t kill Sarah! She is everything to me!”
“I’m so sorry, Chase, but think deep and hard. We’re talking about billions of lives here. What would Sarah want you to do? How would you live with yourself?”
Tears started streaming down Chase’s face.
He locked onto Sarah’s StarFury and fired just enough laser to shut down her shields.
“Sarah! Please don’t, I beg you! Turn around; we’ll find a way!”
A deafening silence answered him.
Chase swore loudly and increased his speed.
“You know what it will mean if you don’t do this now,” Aphroditis said solemnly.
It felt like an icy hand was slowly closing around his chest, squeezing the life out of him as a war of emotions raged on inside his mind.
Then his radar bleeped.
A ship was approaching fast. As it de-cloaked beside them, Chase saw Argos’ dark ship.
He veered off immediately and engaged it, firing everything he had left, but it only drained the Dark Star’s shields about thirty percent.
“That tech is mine, brother,” Argos said telepathically.
“Chase,” Daniel said gravely, “we can’t let him get his hands on this data. If he does, it’s the end of the war; it’s the end of all of us.” He paused, staring at his brother-in-arms. “I can take that shot if you want me to.”
“No! Don’t!”
“There is very little time left,” Aphroditis warned. “In a few seconds, Argos will recover the tech and everything will be lost!”
More tears burned Chase’s eyes as he vectored his ship and lined it up behind Sarah’s. He fired a few more shots to get her attention and smoke started pouring out of her ship.
“Sarah, I beg you. Please turn around or give me some sort of sign that you’re in there, my love. Sarah, please! I can’t—I can’t do this!”
And then he heard her voice.
“Chase, this is taking all the strength I have left so you have to listen carefully. You have to shoot me down. There’s no other way… I will wait for you at the gates of dawn, my love.”
The Dark Star approached Sarah’s StarFury and was now nearly upon her.
It was like the space around them went silent. Chase could still see things happening, he felt a vibration coming from the ship… but everything was quiet.
The power of Chase’s emotions ran through every fiber of his being with the force of a thousand tsunamis. Dread, remorse and self-hatred started to blacken his very soul like an unstoppable venom. But then the sheer weight of his sorrow pressed down inside his chest and he knew he would never be the same. Something had changed within him. Something had died.
With silent tears streaming down his face, he locked onto Sarah’s ship, diverted all power to his weapons, and set them at maximum.
His lips parted with a broken sob.
“I love you with all my heart, Sarah. Please forgive me. Both of you.”
He then closed his eyes… and opened fire.
End of book II…
Into the Abyss
By Christian Kallias
Into the Abyss is a new book set in between Book 2 (Fury to the Star) and book 3 (Destination Oblivion). It’s a brand new story bridging these two books in a way that I believe adds to the overall story arc of Chase at this point in time of his journey.
Into the Abyss is an exclusive story of this Ultimate Box Set. For the time being, you can’t read it anywhere else.
I hope you enjoy it.
Acknowledgments
Cover artwork by Christian Kallias
[email protected]
www.christiankallias.com
www.facebook.com/ChristianKallias
www.twitter.com/kalliasx
Production Editor & Alpha/ARC Team Lead
Paula Lavattiata Lopez
Editors
Paula Lavattiata Lopez
Proofreaders
Alpha Team & ARC Team. You guys rock!!
Copyright
Copyright © 2019 by Christian Kallias
All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the publisher except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
Dramatis Personae
Earth Alliance
Lieutenant Commander Chase Athanatos – Earth Alliance Fury hybrid (formerly Star Alliance Lieutenant Commander)
Commander Daniel Tharraleos – Earth Alliance Human (formerly Star Alliance)
Commodore Adonis Saroudis – Earth Alliance Human (formerly Star Alliance Captain)
Commander Fillio Steriopoulou – Earth Alliance Human (formerly Star Alliance)
Olympians
Aphroditis – known to humans as the goddess of love
Ares – known to humans as the god of war
Furies
Argos Thanatos – Fury and Chase’s twin brother (head of the Zarlacks)
The events of this book happen between Book 2: Fury to the Stars and Book 3: Destination Oblivion.
1
“What did you just say?” asked Commodore Saroudis.
“I’m resigning my commission,” said Chase.
“You can’t be serious? Why?”
“I think you know why.”
“Look, Chase, I understand how you must feel, but as your commanding officer, and hopefully your friend, I ask you to reconsider.”
“With all due respect, sir, I don’t think you can understand how I feel.”
“I have lost my family in this war as well.”
“Perhaps, but you didn’t fire the shot that took them away from you. I can’t sleep. As a matter of fact, I can’t think of anything else. I keep seeing Sarah’s StarFury explode over and over. I—I can’t continue to serve for the Alliance. I’m sorry.”
“I’m sorry too, Chase, I know this must be really difficult for you. And I truly am sorry for your loss and the circumstances in which it happened. It must have been a difficult choice. Hopefully, one day you will accept it, but on behalf of the Alliance, you did the right thing.”
“I don’t agree. And it doesn’t matter now, what’s done is done. In my heart I can’t forgive myself. I need time to think, and…”
“Heal?”
“I suppose. Right now I don’t see how I can ever recover from this, though.”
“They say time heals all wounds.”
“Who does?”
“The humans. I’ve read the saying in many of their books.”
“Even if that sentiment were true, I get the feeling it would take forever.”
Commodore Saroudis took a deep breath. “Is there anything I can do or say to make you reconsider? I won’t lie to you, Chase. You’re my best pilot, and your tactics, even though crazier than a wild groboar, are always effective.”
“Daniel is just as good a pilot as I am. And he flies b
y the book, making him a more reliable asset.”
“Daniel is a great wing commander, that’s true…but he doesn’t have your flying instincts and your ability to look at a situation and find an out-of-the-box solution to it. Since we’re talking about him, what does he have to say about this? Have you spoken to him?”
Chase shook his head. “Not yet.”
“Don’t you think you should have had this discussion with him first?”
“Look, I appreciate your concerns, Commodore, but I just need to know if you’ll accept my resignation. So…will you?”
Saroudis grimaced. “If it’s really what you want.”
“It is, sir.”
“Very well, then. I accept your resignation. You’re dismissed.”
Chase saluted his commanding officer one last time before leaving the commodore’s ready room.
“What’s the matter?” Ares asked.
“Chase blew me off,” said Aphroditis.
“What do you mean?”
“The last time I tried contacting him, he didn’t want to talk to me. He seemed angry too. I wonder why?”
“We’ve put a lot of pressure on him; we sent him to fight his own brother. Perhaps he wasn’t ready.”
“I thought you said he was.”
“Don’t turn this on me now. I trained him in record time, and he was as ready as anyone could be considering the crash course he received from me. But Argos isn’t just a Fury, he’s one of their elites. Chase had a good grasp on his burgeoning powers when he faced him, yes, but that’s a long way from being ready to defeat someone as powerful as Argos.”
Ares sighed before continuing. “What worries me the most is the interruption we’ve suffered when you tried contacting him after his fight on Damocles-3. Something doesn’t sit right.”
“I thought you said it must have been interference from the solar winds.”
“That’s what I thought too, at first. Now…I’m not so sure.”
“Do you mind if I ask what made you doubt your initial assessment?”
“I’m not sure you want to hear it.”
“Try me, Ares.”
“I can’t find any definitive sensor data to coincide with my theory. And that bothers me.”
“It bothers me too, just like it did when it happened. I can’t explain it, it’s mostly a feeling I have.”
“I see…”
“Maybe I’m just rattled because of the lack of communication with Chase.”
“Or maybe your instinct is trying to tell you something. And with your power of precognition, I think it would be best that I investigate the matter further.”
“Thank you, Ares.”
“Don’t thank me yet. If I waste days for nothing, you won’t hear the end of it.”
Aphroditis smiled. “I can live with that.”
2
Chase couldn’t sleep. Nights were the worst, lying in the darkness with no noise besides the faint humming of the Destiny’s engines.
For weeks now, every night had been the same as the one that preceded it. Chase would close his eyes, and he would replay the scene in his mind. The worst moment of his life and he was reliving it over and over. Hearing Aphroditis’ voice telling him to take the shot, telling him to squeeze the trigger. And then Sarah’s ship would explode again and again.
The pain in his soul was so strong that Chase would give anything to make it stop. Tonight, though, it felt even stronger than before. In moments like these, Chase questioned why he bothered staying alive in the first place.
What did he have to look forward to now? Defeating his brother? Sure, just thinking about Argos made Chase so angry it threatened to spiral him out of control. He would give anything to find Argos and rip his heart out. Still…that wouldn’t bring Sarah back.
He let his mind wander, and he fantasized about walking toward the nearest airlock, entering it, and spacing himself. The only reason he hadn’t acted on this impulse was he knew Sarah would disapprove. And if there were an afterlife, he would have to explain himself to her.
The only thing left was to get revenge on the one person who put him in this position in the first place. One way or another, he would kill Argos, then—and maybe only then—he would think about leaving this world.
Argos’ eyes flashed red, echoing his anger.
“What the hell do you mean you can’t locate the Olympians?”
“I’m sorry, master,” said the Zarlack officer. “We thought we had triangulated the signal on their last subspace holo-transmission attempt, but the transmission was too short to acquire a lock.”
Argos growled. “I don’t care about your excuses! Just find me the damn source for these transmissions or I’ll have your head. Understood?”
The Zarlack’s voice trembled. “Yes, master.”
Argos stormed out of the science bay and walked back to his ready room. Once there, he sat on his throne.
The Fury had been on edge ever since his brother had not only defeated him but also nearly killed him. Chase had displayed an incredible amount of power that day. As a matter of fact, Argos never thought any Fury could unleash that much energy.
Could he be the—But Argos stopped his own train of thought. No, that’s ridiculous of me even to think that.
Whatever training Chase had received from the Olympians, it must have been quite efficient. Especially considering how weak Chase had been during their first encounter on Hellstar. It’s like Argos had faced two different people.
Then again, Argos had the advantage in most of the fight on Damocles-3, but only when he wounded Chase’s friend did his brother unleash all his power.
In that instant, Argos could barely see his brother move, and with each of his attacks, he thought he’d perish. One thing was for certain, Argos would give up everything to wield such raw power.
An emotion Argos hated came to the surface. Fear.
How could an elite Fury warrior experience fear? As much as he tried to deny it, his near-death experience at the hands of his brother had rattled him more than he ever thought possible.
Argos opened the jar near his throne and let the Kyrian snake bite his arm. The poison ran through his veins, and the fear faded away and was replaced by euphoria. Kyrian snake venom was Argos’ only escape these days, and he spent many of his days intoxicated by it.
Perhaps I should have killed you when I had the chance…thought Argos before his thoughts blurred into oblivion.
3
The door chimed as Chase finished packing some clothes inside a backpack.
I wonder who it could be?
“Enter,” said Chase.
The door slid open. Fillio stood behind it. “You have a moment?”
Chase grimaced. “Not exactly a good time.”
“That’s what you’ve said for the last couple of days every time I’ve tried contacting you. So do you think there will ever be a good time?”
“Look, I don’t want to talk about what happened.”
Fillio entered Chase’s quarters, and the door slid shut behind her.
“How do you know what I want to talk about?”
“Everyone’s been trying to comfort me about Sarah’s death. I wish they would stop.”
“Fair enough. Let’s talk about something else, then?”
“I’d rather be left alone.”
“Well, we don’t always get what we want.”
Chase knew that all too well. All he wished since Sarah’s ship had exploded was to turn back time and make a different choice. Even if the Alliance had given him a medal for shooting down Sarah’s StarFury, Chase knew he had made a terrible mistake. The damn thing only reminded him he shot down the ship holding the woman he loved and their unborn child.
Tears filled Chase’s eyes.
“Hey,” said Fillio. “I’m sorry. I only wanted to try to cheer you up. Not make you feel even worse.”
“And I appreciate what you’re trying to do, but right now, I’d rather be alone.”
/> She put her soft hand on his shoulder. “Alright. I’ll leave you be. But if you need to talk, be it day or night, you know where to find me, okay?”
Chase nodded, and Fillio left his quarters.
With a heavy heart, Chase climbed into his custom long-range missions StarFury. Now that he was in the pilot’s seat, leaving the Destiny was harder than he thought it would be.
Leaving Daniel behind was even harder, especially doing it behind his back without saying goodbye. Chase hated himself for doing so, but he knew that if there was one person in the universe that could convince him to stay, it was Daniel. But Chase couldn’t stay. This place, this part of space, it all reminded him of a past he desperately needed to forget.
Chase only hoped his best friend would forgive him. Or at the very least, understand his decision. Maybe over time, he would.
Everywhere he looked reminded him of Sarah, and every day he stayed on board the Destiny, it was getting worse. For better or for worse, the time had come for Chase to go far away.
I’m sorry, Daniel, I gotta get out of here.
Chase checked the starfighter’s systems. Every system was up and ready; his quadrinium reserve to the maximum and enough fuel stocked into the small cargo area usually reserved for secondary power to last him a few weeks. Chase had two StarFuries, his short-range combat one and one he had asked his friend Yanis to customize for long-range missions.
The latter one dispensed with some of the armaments and redundant systems for a larger quadrinium chamber, allowing for longer missions behind enemy lines where refueling the craft on a carrier like the Destiny was not an option.
Universe in Flames – Ultimate 10 Book Box Set: An Epic Space Opera Adventure Page 80
