by Sean Robins
Xornaa, wearing the Xortaag uniform and sporting a fake unibrow, smiled and asked, “Is it your first time being worshiped? Don’t worry. You’ll get used to it.”
They took their tactical backpacks and entered a high-rise building.
“This is so much easier than Operation Royalty.” Oksana pushed the elevator button. “Nobody’s shooting at us, and we don’t even need to run up and down the stairs.”
Kurt thought about Fate’s schemes on their ride to the building roof. Just a few short months ago, humanity was on the brink of extinction, and all hope seemed lost. Now, here they were, having saved Earth, on the verge of liberating Alora and saving some fifteen billion sentient beings.
Thank you, Allen.
And Keiko. If she hadn’t sacrificed herself to kill Maada, it was likely the general would’ve slaughtered them all. Thinking of the Japanese girl made him feel a painful tightness in his throat. She’d made him happy, but for a very short time, and Kurt couldn’t help wondering if it was worth all the pain and suffering that followed. He tried to push Keiko’s image away and focus on the job at hand.
“You know what hurts?” he asked Oksana.
“Looking at me with this stupid unibrow?” she answered immediately.
“That, and the fact that we do all the work, but I bet you somehow Jim will end up taking all the credit again.”
Xornaa looked surprised. “What do you mean? He did kill Maada and led his forces to victory against the Xortaag fleet, didn’t he?”
Kurt crossed his arms and told Oksana, “See what I’m talking about?”
Oksana shrugged. “Ours is to do and die.”
Fidgeting in the cockpit of my golden Viper and checking the time every two minutes, I watched Operation Free Alora unfold and wished for things to move faster.
Kurt, Oksana, and Xornaa went down to the planet in an invisible spy ship at zero dark thirty. Right before dawn, they shot a few missiles into the force field protecting the MFM controls from the top of a high-rise building. Then Tarq hacked into MFM and made the planet’s local population, the Kaldooks, turn on their former masters.
There were roughly fifteen billion Kaldooks on the planet. The Xortaags, most of them sleeping soundly in their city, were caught by total surprise and slaughtered by the thousands, and whenever they did put up a fight, they were overrun by hordes of Kaldooks.
My heart started beating faster when I saw some enemy ships get off the ground, but a few minutes later, I realized there were less than twelve hundred—against the ten thousand of us. And with Invincible behind me and my fighters, I had every right to feel, well, invincible.
“Such eloquence,” said Venom.
“You have to admit she’s an impressive ship,” I said.
She really was. The starship had a silver, stretched oval hall, with twin side engines, and more laser turrets, blaster cannons and missile launchers that I could count. It was like I had Battlestar Galactica’s pretty sister in my fleet.
I opened a channel to my people. “OK guys, showtime. No grandiose speeches this time. Just don’t get cocky. It might sound easy, but a momentary lapse in concentration will get you and your comrades killed.”
“Very inspirational,” said Venom. “It’s like Churchill and Patton had a baby.”
I heard Tarq’s voice. “Jim, we are sending you over in three, two, one!”
Using SFD, we made the final jump. My view changed. One second, I could see nothing but a dark blanket with hundreds of small bright spots on it, and the next, I was looking at a yellow Terra-type planet with cloud-blurred seas and continents, and two moons. Alora, where the first Akakie-Xortaag encounter happened, where Tarq’s daughter was killed, and where the chain of events that ended up with seven hundred million dead humans started. And we were about to get it back from the Xortaags. Choke on it, Maada’s ghost.
I looked at my display and saw the Xortaag fleet, all twelve hundred of them, were scrambling to meet our fleet. Not that they could do anything to stop us. With ten thousand Vipers behind me, I’d never felt so powerful in my entire life. It was bloody intoxicating. There was nothing I couldn’t do. My confidence and dominance grew. I could conquer the world, which was literally what I was about to do. Hell, I could even turn to the dark side and obliterate that planet, if I wanted to.
Wow! Where the hell did that thought come from?
“Absolute power corrupts absolutely,” said Venom philosophically.
I looked at the enemy fleet and growled, “These guys can’t count.”
I asked Invincible to open a channel to the Xortaags. “My name’s Colonel Jim Harrison. I’m sure you know who I am, but in case you need to refresh your memory, have a look at the Viper I am flying,” I said in Xortaag language.
Tarq had told me the story of me and my golden Viper going toe-to-toe with Maada and the Crimson Deathbringer had spread in the whole galaxy, and I’d become some sort of a living legend—the man who killed Maada.
“That was a different Viper, in point of fact,” said Cordelia.
I ignored her. “I killed your precious General Maada, and the fleet under my command defeated yours at the height of its power. What exactly you think you’ll achieve here by attacking us is beyond me.”
“Also, you didn’t kill Maada. Keiko did,” said my annoying AI.
“You think I don’t know? It’s called ‘psychological warfare.’ ”
“Also known as lying in layman terms.”
“Can you please shut up and let me focus?” I didn’t try to hide my annoyance.
“I told you we should’ve sent her back,” said Venom.
No answer from the Xortaag fleet. They just kept racing towards us. “OK. Be that way,” I told them, tapping my fingers on the Viper’s stick.
We flew in, and the first human-Akakie-Xortaag battle in the galaxy started over Alora.
This was the first time I took my Viper Mark II space fighter into battle, and despite having the memory of hundreds of ours of doing exactly that in my brain (compliments of MICI), I was still astonished by how fast and maneuverable the ship was. The laser cannons were more powerful, too. My heart pumping with excitement, I drew a bead and fired dead center at an approaching Deathbringer, lighting it up like a Christmas tree. Another enemy ship disintegrated when I shoved a pair of Sparrows down its throat. I blew up the third approaching from underneath. We were so close when the Deathbringer exploded, I had to fly through its expanding debris.
“It’s like taking candy from a baby,” said Cordelia.
I’d always loved two things with consuming passion: flying and destroying enemy ships. Nothing ever made me feel more alive. This, however, was too easy. I felt like I was a professional footballer playing against a bunch of elementary school kids. I got bored and pulled away. The people under my command, especially the Akakies, could use some practice.
Despite our significant technological advantage and the fact that we outnumbered the Xortaags almost ten to one, our alien allies still managed to put their feet (all four of them) in their mouths. I watched in horror as not two, not four, but freaking six Akakie ships ran into each other and exploded. There were also a few blue-on-blue casualties. The human pilots spent half of their energy and concentration trying to keep a safe distance from the insectoids instead of focusing on the Xortaags.
I lowered my head and pressed my lips tight. This is hopeless.
“They should give their space fighters to us and let human pilots fly them,” said Cordelia.
“I did mention this to Tarq,” I said. “He insisted the Akakies had to learn how to fight at some point.”
“Fat chance of that,” she said.
I couldn’t sleep that night. Despite the easy victory, there was enough adrenaline left in my blood to keep me awake. Plus, I was super excited as the result of our spectacular success, despite this particular vengeance dish not having been served cold. I watched a movie, wrote a few pages of my new book, and then decided to head to the m
ess hall.
The mess was almost empty, except for a few insomniac souls like me. I poured myself a glass of Cabernet Sauvignon. I’d just started sipping my wine when all the male hormones in my body spiked even before I heard a soft, mellifluous voice from behind. “Would you mind if I join you?”
I turned around and found Xornaa standing behind me, wearing a tight black bodysuit that hid her body less than what it showed, complete with ridiculously high-heeled boots. How she’d managed to sneak up on me wearing those was a mystery. I tried to gulp down the frog that had suddenly appeared in my throat and be my usual cool, confident and manly self. “By all means. Didn’t know you’re back on board. Kurt and Oksana are here, too?”
She sat on an armchair right next to me, uncomfortably close. Her right leg touched mine when she sat. “No, they’re still dirtside, along with the rest of the Marines, helping the Kaldooks restore order on their planet. What are you doing here, sitting alone?”
I pointed at my drink. “Celebrating our glorious victory.”
“You should celebrate. What you did today added to your already impressive reputation. Do you know the Xortaags have a nickname for you?”
“Really? What’s that?”
She leaned even closer. I could smell, well, not sure if it was her perfume or just the way she naturally smelled, but whatever it was, it was more intoxicating than the alcohol I was drinking. “Kingslayer,” she said.
I couldn’t believe my ears. “Seriously?”
Venom laughed. “LOL. Ha-ha. So funny!”
Yeah, it’s hilarious. Shut the hell up.
“Not being a Xortaag yourself, it’s difficult for you to truly understand the magnitude of what you did,” said Xornaa. “For several generations, all Xortaags thought Maada was immortal, even me, despite seeing him as the pompous jackass he really was.”
“So you want to tell me why you hate your own people? Looks like we have time to kill.”
She shrugged. “A member of the royal family raped my mom, which is how I ended up having telepathic powers. My mother killed herself a few months after I was born, not being able to deal with the humiliation. What kind of a warrior woman lets herself get raped, after all?”
I was certain I didn’t want to know any of that.
And here I thought I had it rough with my parents.
My father, consumed by a burning desire to unite humanity, had no time for me, and my mom had totally forgotten I even existed. In her defense, she suffered from various mental disabilities, which was probably how I’d ended up with Venom stuck in my brain. Xornaa’s story beat my parent issues hands down though.
She continued, “I grew up in shame, the illegitimate child of a spineless coward. When I was in my mid-twenties, I changed my identity and started working as a spy for the Xortaags Intelligence Service, with my particular set of skills being very useful for them, as you can imagine. Later on, I approached one of the king’s sons and volunteered to work for him, given that we had a common enemy: his brother, and my father.”
It took a few seconds for the penny to drop, and when it did, I nearly fell off my seat. “You’re Mushgaana’s daughter?”
“Yep. And I must say, I’m pretty pissed you guys killed him before I got the chance to.”
Heavy!
“You probably know the rest. Tarq found me and offered me to work for the Akakies. I faked my own death and ran to Kanoor, and here I am now.”
I tried to lighten the mood, after all the rape-suicide-murder talk. “Have you been a victim of his stupid pranks already?”
Her nostrils flared. “Several times. I’ll run back to the Xortaags if he keeps doing it.”
I smiled and sipped my wine. She said, “Let me ask you a question: how many times do I have to touch your arm before you invite me to a drink?”
Oh boy.
I hadn’t noticed she was touching my arm, being pre-occupied with the fascinating conversation and with, eh, the view.
“Get her a drink!” yelled Venom.
I’m still mourning for Liz.
“So? Are you planning to live like a monk for the rest of your life?” he asked.
I frowned. It sounded like something I would’ve said in another life, before I understood what losing someone really meant.
“You did say that, idiot,” said Venom. “To Kurt, when he said he didn’t want to start a relationship after Janet died.”
I looked at the Aphrodite sitting right next to me and basked in her incredible beauty. Measurement for measurement and pound for pound, she was more perfect than anything I’d ever imagined possible. Then I wondered how much of it was real, and how much was the result of her psychic powers.
No, I wasn’t going to stay a monk forever.
But I wasn’t going to jump into bed with every manipulative succubus that came my way either.
I bit my bottom lip, gathered all my willpower, and pulled away from her. I raised my left hand so that she could clearly see my wedding ring. “See, the thing is, I lost my wife just a few months ago. Way too soon for me.”
She pulled her hand back. “She must’ve been an amazing woman.”
I could almost hear her thinking “so that you turn me down for her memory.” I must’ve been developing telepathic powers, too.
“She was,” I said. “She was a fighter pilot, and a brilliant one. And she had guts. She attacked Maada. Twice.”
“Is that how she got killed? Not very bright then.”
I glared at her.
“You’re loyal to the woman who loved you even though she’s gone now. I respect that.” She leaned closer and whispered in my ear, her lips gently touching my skin. “But if you ever change your mind, I’ll be around, Kingslayer.”
Xornaa stood and walked away. I watched her go and tried my best to get my mind out of the freaking gutter.
“That figure!” said Venom.
“I hate you,” I told him.
A feminine voice with a British accent called out, “I can’t believe you just turned that down.”
I looked around and saw Ella sitting in one corner, a tablet in her hand and a PDD on the table in front of her. I hadn’t noticed her when I came in, probably because she was mostly hidden behind a vase. She looked like she was working. She tipped an imaginary hat. “There’s hope for you, after all.”
“Venom disagrees with you,” I said sadly.
“Who’s Venom?”
“I have purely obsessional OCD,” I said, remembering a conversation I had with Liz about my mental problems, “and a common therapeutic technique is to personify the constant stream of negative thoughts—aka ‘the voice’—in your brain, as a way to differentiate it from your own conscious thoughts. I call mine Venom.”
“That explains a lot,” Cordelia interjected.
Ella looked amused. “And do you talk to this, eh, Venom?”
“All the time,” I answered. “Don’t you ever sleep, by the way?” She had a reputation for working twenty-four-seven and expecting the same from her subordinates.
“A starship captain’s job is never done,” she said with a gleam in her eyes. “But witnessing what just happened is worth not sleeping for a month. I’d be watching my back if I were you. Trust me. That Xortaag woman isn’t used to being rejected.”
“What’s she gonna do? Kill the commander of the fleet in our own starship?”
“There are a lot subtler ways for a woman to get even, my boy.”
I wondered if I should’ve been offended. “ ‘My boy’? You’re, what, five years older than me?”
“And a lot more experienced by the looks of it,” she answered.
“I need your advice on something,” I told Tarq with a wavering voice, trying to keep my agitation under control. He was sitting on a sofa in front of me. We were in my quarters. I’d called and told him I urgently needed to have a word, and he’d come to see me.
“Happy to help, if I can,” he said. “What is going on?”
I rubbed my t
emples and told myself to calm down. “Last night, or more accurately, early this morning, Xornaa came on to me in the mess. I rejected her. Then today, I wake up and feel I’ve fallen madly in love with her all of a sudden, as in I literally can’t think about anything else.”
Tarq sat up straight. “Did she touch you?”
“Only about a million times, which is why you’re here now. I vaguely remember you saying that if she touched people, she could make them tell her their secrets. That made me wonder what else she might be capable of, and to be honest, I’m freaking out about it.”
Tarq smiled soothingly. “I dare say you have come to the right person. Here is what we are going to do.”
In a short blue dress and matching high-heeled shoes, Xornaa was breathtaking when she entered my quarters. “I must confess I’m surprised by how quickly you changed your mind,” she said.
I grinned widely, feeling happier than I’d been in a long, long while. “I decided there is no point in being lonely and miserable for the rest of my life. I’m sure Liz would’ve wanted me to be happy.”
“You’re such a cliché,” said Venom.
I’d set a romantic table. Flowers, candles, light music, red wine, the whole nine yards. We ate, drank, talked, laughed, and had a great time. Her beauty was so mesmerizing that I mostly forgot what we talked about as soon as the conversation was over. There was lightness in my chest, and I kept imagining what would happen once the meal was finished.
After dinner, we moved to a sofa, the one in front of the TV, where I spent most of my evenings alone, with the memory of my dead wife to keep me company. I kissed her strawberry-sweet lips, first gently, then more passionately. I felt her body loosen and her arms enwrap my back. I’d died and gone to heaven. This was the only way I could explain this much happiness.
