Universe in Flames – Ultimate 10 Book Box Set: An Epic Space Opera Adventure

by Christian Kallias

  “Not so fun, is it?” said Argos, with pure hate in his glowing eyes.

  Blood gushed from Ares’ left shoulder. He put his other hand on the wound in an attempt to prevent the blood loss.

  “I don’t care. That’s one hand you won’t be using against Chase when he comes to take vengeance for Sarah’s death!”

  “Sorry to disappoint, Ares,” said Argos with a smile. He picked up his hand and put it back on his severed limb. An intense red glow formed between the hand and the forearm, and soon it was reattached. Argos moved his fingers.

  “I should have cut off your head!” said Ares, with blood now flowing profusely from his mouth.

  “Yes, you should have. Unfortunately, as much fun and surprisingly challenging as this distraction of a fight has been, your time is up.”

  Ares looked straight into Argos’ eyes and ran towards him.

  Argos smiled, prepared a fireball and threw it at Ares. Using every bit of remaining energy, Ares deflected the attack, slid to the floor between Argos’ legs and rolled back up to his feet. He resumed running back towards the communications room. He shot one fireball at the ceiling, collapsing some of it in his wake. In the room he went for a control panel in one corner and lifted a glass flap to reveal a large, red button, just as he heard Argos explode the rubble out of his way to come running in pursuit.

  When their eyes locked, Ares spoke. “Goodbye, asshole!” Argos understood Ares was about to hit some sort of self-destruct and Argos shot a fireball at the controls. But Ares’ fist was faster and it struck the button full force before the fireball hit his hand and exploded it clean off, sending sparks and blood all around the panel.

  “Self-destruct damaged,” said a female voice through hidden speakers.

  “You’ve got to be—” but Ares never finished his sentence.

  When he looked down at his chest, he saw Argos’ arm impaling it, exploding his heart on its way through. Everything turned black. Death was upon him now. After millenniums of living, with many good and bad choices, his last breath had finally been drawn.

  “Goodbye, Chase,” he said, before Argos removed his arm from his chest in a swift motion.

  Ares’ body fell to the ground.

  Argos snorted and smiled. He healed his wounds and walked back towards his ship.

  Chase was eating the flash-unfrozen sandwich that Keera had brought him. It tasted quite bland but Chase was famished, surely a side effect of the powerful drug he had taken the night before.

  “How’s the food?” inquired Keera.

  “Do you want the polite answer or the truth?”

  “He he, I see. Sorry I didn’t have time to resupply with better stuff, as I was supposed to yesterday . . .” She paused briefly. “Can’t believe that piece of shit tried to . . .” She left the words hanging.

  “I’m really sorry you had to endure this on my account.”

  “It shouldn’t have happened. Tron’Tak was never friendly, but I never imagined this.”

  “I should have taken my ship back by force. It wouldn’t have been difficult.”

  “Why didn’t you?”

  “I dunno. I don’t like using my powers since . . .”

  “I understand.”

  “Still, let it be a lesson. I . . . I also was under the influence when I was supposed to meet you.”

  “From the drinks we had the night before?”

  “No, something called synthetized Kyrian snake venom.”

  “Wooooa! This is like the most addictive and dangerous drug in the universe. You should not touch this stuff.”

  “I’ve been warned but it . . . it felt good.”

  “Yeah, that’s the point of drugs.”

  “Right. I had such a nice dream when I was under. Sarah was still alive, our son Chris was with us . . . It was just . . . perfect.”

  “Chris, huh?”

  “Yeah, I guess that’s how we would have named him if we had a boy.”

  Tears started flowing.

  “I’m sorry.”

  “So am I.”

  Keera didn’t know what else to say so she diverted her attention back towards her own sandwich and took a bite.

  Chase heard a voice in his head. It sounded like Ares. The voice said, Goodbye Chase. Chase knew exactly what that meant.

  His blood boiled.

  4

  Daniel entered the room and sat in front of Commodore Saroudis, already sitting at his desk.

  “How did your mission go, Commander?”

  “Nothing we couldn’t handle. A little resistance, but the F-147s have proven far superior to the Zarlacks in a dogfight.”

  “At least we can take a small comfort in knowing we have superior technology now, even though we’re probably still outnumbered for the time being.”

  “How are the shipyards doing?”

  “They’re churning out new Prometheus-class ships every week. I’ve also asked for upgrades to be made to the Destiny. It has stronger shields and firepower. It’s not as strong as the new ships but it should perform better now.”

  “Good. Any news from Chase?”

  “I’m afraid not.”

  “Look, Commodore, I’d like to ask permission for something.”

  “What is it?”

  “I’d like to ask Ryonna and Tar’Lock to try to locate Chase.”

  “I miss him too . . .” he paused. “But I don’t think he wants to be found.”

  “Still, he may need our help.”

  “I doubt that. And as much as it pains me to admit it, so far we don’t seem to be needing his. There’s no incentive to start looking for him at the moment. If he wants to come back, his commission is still open, indefinitely. I haven’t forgotten that the only reason we’re all alive, and perhaps even looking like we could be winning this war, is all thanks to him.”

  “Do you really think we’re winning?”

  “We sure don’t seem to be losing that many encounters lately.”

  “Perhaps the enemy is regrouping. It’s been three months. It’s entirely possible they have created new shipyards and are rebuilding an even stronger armada.”

  “I would be surprised if they weren’t. But in the meantime we’re building one of our own, with far superior firepower, mind you.”

  “Right.”

  “Look, we’ve even entered into negotiations with the Obsidian. They will most likely join the Alliance. That alone may push the other neutral powers to take sides as well, and soon the Zarlack will only have enemies. I don’t want to shout victory just yet, but if you compare our situation with how it was a few months back, I think it’s one hell of an improvement. In fact, I never thought we’d be where we are today. Not in such a short time.”

  “That has me worried also. It seems too simple and way too fast. Nonetheless, I can’t help thinking we could have ended this war if I hadn’t convinced Chase not to cut off the head of the snake.” Daniel looked down, a pit opening up in his stomach.

  “You did what you thought was right.”

  “What good did that do? It alienated my best friend, and now he’s gone and I don’t even know if he’s okay.”

  “Look at it from this perspective: if he hadn’t destroyed Sarah’s ship, Argos would have gotten his hands on the technological edge we now have.”

  “How’s Spiros’ work going?”

  “Well, he stopped complaining about us blowing up his research, but since he’s the one who made all these advances, he went back to work and recreated the data. He had a good chunk of it also stored in his brain implant. He’s still struggling with some of his older work, but in some cases he’s even enhanced his original ideas. It’s all going well, really. The new ships being constructed now already contain the new multi-phasic shields and stronger plasma guns.”

  “There’s that at least. I still think I should have let Chase kill his brother.”

  The commodore stayed silent for a moment. “Perhaps. We will get him, though.”

  “Somehow
I doubt anyone but Chase can deal with him.”

  “Argos is only one man.”

  “One Fury, a fact we should not take lightly.”

  “I’m not taking it lightly, believe me. But right now things are going well, so I’m not gonna worry about one man; especially since we haven’t seen any actions on his part that would even be considered dangerous.”

  “He has to have something up his sleeve. I don’t see him letting us retake the universe while he watches. Something is wrong here. We’re missing the big picture.”

  “Commander, you’re starting to sound like Chase.”

  “Perhaps. Still, can I please task Ryonna and Tar’Lock to search for him?”

  “You have his insistence as well, I see. Look, while I don’t think it’s a good idea, if it helps you feel better, then sure; but may I suggest you go along with them?”

  “I . . . I thought you’d need me here.”

  “I see how this is affecting you. Your wingman told me how reckless your flying seems to have gotten since Chase left us. I think it would do you good to be part of this. Settle your mind, blow some steam. I can spare you at the moment. If that changes, I’ll recall you.”

  “Thanks, Commodore, I’ll be going shortly.”

  Saroudis nodded.

  “No unnecessary risks, though?”

  Daniel flashed the commodore a thumbs up.

  Ryonna opened the door at the signal. It was Daniel.

  “Hey, long time no see. Is everything alright?”

  “Yeah, mind if I come in for a minute?”

  “Sure, sorry, where are my manners? Please come in.”

  Daniel stepped into the flat and went into the living room. Tar’Lock was on the sofa watching some TV. He took his feet from the table when Daniel entered the room.

  “Hello, Daniel.”

  “Hi, Tar’Lock.”

  “We’re watching baseball.”

  Daniel smiled. These two had become quite the pair over the last few months. In fact, Daniel couldn’t remember the last time he saw them apart. With Ronan training to become an officer in the Droxian army, she was probably glad to have a friend to spend time with. Ever since they had helped diffuse the near nuclear meltdown a few months back their help had not been required much. That was about to change, however.

  Ryonna followed behind Daniel. “Can I offer you something to eat or drink?”

  “I’m fine, thanks.”

  “Not that I’m not happy to see you, but what brings you here?”

  “I’d like to ask you two for some help.”

  “Finally, something to do,” said Tar’Lock, straightening up. “Don’t get me wrong. It’s okay spending time in front of the TV, but I get the feeling my brain is going to sleep after a while, like I’m getting dumber or something.”

  Daniel smiled.

  “What’s the mission?” asked Ryonna, clearly interested.

  “I’d like us to try to locate Chase.”

  “Do you think he wants to be found?”

  “I don’t know, but at this point I don’t really care. I miss him. I . . . I really don’t like not knowing how he is.”

  “I understand. Any idea where to start looking, though? The universe is a big place.”

  “Not a clue. I was hoping you might have some connections so we wouldn’t just wander aimlessly.”

  “I’ll make a few calls. Do we know where he went in the first place?”

  “I asked Yanis to track his F-147. Last his transmitter worked he was somewhere deep within Obsidian territory. But one day it just stopped transmitting. Here is his last set of coordinates.” He handed her a thin glass tablet.

  She studied it. “He probably disabled it, then.”

  “Yeah, that’s what I think as well. Unless it was damaged.”

  “Can’t blame him. I mean, that’s just horrible, what he had to do. I’m not sure I could have taken that shot myself.”

  Daniel swallowed hard.

  “Yeah, I . . .”

  “Sorry, Daniel, I know it’s not something you would like to hear.”

  “That’s alright. What’s done is done. No sense worrying about things we can’t change.”

  Ryonna nodded and put a hand on his arm.

  “When are we leaving?” asked Tar’Lock, enthused at the prospect of doing something productive.

  “You tell me.”

  “As soon as I’ve made a few calls. But from the location on that star map,” she said, gesturing at the tablet, “I imagine he might have gone to one of the Ponos stations.”

  “What makes you think that?”

  “Last I saw Chase he was reckless, on edge, wanting to find a way to dim the emotional pain.”

  “I don’t think there’s a way to dim that kind of pain.”

  “I beg to differ. When my husband died . . .” She paused. “I wanted to cover the emotional pain by replacing it with physical pain. I started fighting for pleasure, just so that I could think of something else.”

  “Chase fighting strangers? Not really in his character.”

  “Believe me, you reach a point when you actually would do anything to forget or distract yourself from the pit inside your soul, eating at you day after day.”

  “If that’s the case, he might leave a trail of bodies behind him. I mean, who could take on Chase?”

  “Probably. Look, he’s hurting, and like you I want to help him, so I’ll call my contacts on one of the stations, see if he can dig something up. Give me an hour or two and then we should get going.”

  “Thanks, Ryonna. Both of you, actually.”

  “He’s our friend too. We wouldn’t be alive if it wasn’t for him. We’re glad to help. And, like Tar’Lock said, we’re getting a little tired of TV programming on this planet.”

  Daniel attempted to smile, but he was too worried to make it convincing.

  “Alright then. I’ll pass by later and pick you up with a shuttle. Commodore Saroudis allowed me to take the Iron Fire. It’s been retrofitted with better shields and weapons, and a few StarFuries as well.

  “We’re no starfighter pilots.”

  “I know. I’ve already programmed them with Chase’s automated flying scripts. I’ll fly them all if we get into trouble.”

  “Sounds like a plan. See you soon.”

  Daniel waved goodbye to both of them and left.

  When the door closed, Ryonna looked at Tar’Lock, who shot her a dubious look.

  “What is it?” she asked.

  “I got a bad feeling about this. I don’t think Chase wants us to look for him.”

  “Perhaps, but to tell you the truth, it’s been a long time since he left. I have been hoping to hear from him. I dreamt of him the other day, so perhaps I thought it might mean he was coming back.”

  “There’s nothing but bad memories for him here. I don’t think he’s ever coming back.”

  “I know. I miss her too, you know.”

  “Tell me about it,” said Tar’Lock, exhaling deeply. “She was such a sweet soul.”

  “That she was . . .” Ryonna let a tear roll down her face.

  Chase returned to the cockpit of the Valken and sat next to Keera.

  “How long before we arrive?”

  “Another few minutes. That’s the third time you’ve asked in the last two hours. Why is it so time sensitive?”

  “Actually, we’re most certainly arriving too late.”

  “Too late for what exactly?”

  “Argos was there.”

  “How do you know this?”

  Chase cursed himself. He didn’t want to give her too much info at this point. He needed to see if he could trust her first.

  “I just know.”

  Keera looked skeptical.

  Chase tried changing the subject. “What about Argos? I’m curious who ordered the warrant on him and why.”

  “Datalight Thieves.”

  “Who are they?”

  “The best and most dangerous hackers in the univers
e.”

  “Why do they want him so bad? And do you know why they’re paying more for him dead than alive?”

  “He must have pissed them off. They didn’t say why on the warrant but I called my agent, and she dug a little more. It’s not every day that such a warrant becomes available. Apparently he hired some of their men, top hackers in their field, to do a decrypt job for him. When they were done he killed them all.”

  “Sounds like dear brother alright.”

  “Yeah, except DTs are a powerful bunch of people, and they take this kind of thing very seriously. Hence my presence here; hence our meeting, in fact.”

  “I must admit I found it weird how we first met.”

  “About that . . .”

  Chase raised an eyebrow. “Yes? I’m listening.”

  “Well, I wasn’t one hundred percent honest at the bar.”

  Here we go, thought Chase.

  “How so?”

  “Well, when I approached you I knew you must be related somehow.”

  “How did you know that?”

  “You kind of look exactly like him.”

  “There’s a picture of him on that warrant?”

  “Perhaps they used yours. You need to understand that DTs are masters at entering any security system in the entire universe. If your picture or his was anywhere, even in a system he thought was secure, DTs probably found it.”

  “Or perhaps he pissed them off on purpose. That wouldn’t surprise me.”

  “Why would he get himself a death warrant?”

  “So I can find him, for one.”

  “Alright, let me get this straight, ’cause I’m starting to get confused here. You want nothing more than killing him, right?”

  “That’s right.”

  “And he knows it?”

  “Yeah.”

  “And he wants you to find him? That makes no sense!”

  “He needs me for something. He made that very clear when he saved my life a few months back.”

  She took her head in her hands.

  “Oh boy, first he makes you kill your . . . wife?”

  “Not quite yet, but most likely would have been. I never really asked myself the question, as we don’t have the same pairing rituals in the Alliance. But seeing couples get married on Earth, I figured we’d get there one day.”