She looked over at me, like you would a pile of shit you had just stood in. “Just leave a reasonable ship for us, and we can go our separate ways.”
“I don’t know what ships will be transporting us, Astrid. You can't seriously think I can just offer you a ship.”
Astrid looked outraged. “It’s the least you can do after you outcast us!”
Mick was about to reply, but I stopped him. “Don’t bother, Mick. You were right; she’s lost her fucking mind.”
I looked back to Astrid and continued, “We came here with peaceful intentions. You ask for a ship, but I don’t have any ships to give. It’s a ridiculous thing to ask.”
“I have said my piece. If you intend to leave us here to die, then so be it. That will be on your conscience,” she said, pointing at me.
“It really won't be, like at all. I can't even believe I came to see you, to be honest. If I’ve taken anything from this encounter, it’s that I was stupid to think I could get through to you.”
“Then go!” she screamed at me. I looked to the people with her and wondered why they couldn’t see how fucking ridiculous this all was. They seemed content where they were. Fucking weirdos.
“Okay, I’ll leave you to it. We’ll see what Shaun has to say when he arrives.”
“Yes, see what the actual leader of your little club has to say, but unless it’s here is a ship for you. He might as well say nothing.”
“Sure, whatever, Astrid. Unless you come to see me before we leave, this is goodbye.” Then in a louder voice to others in the room. “Goodbye to you all. I hope you get whatever the hell it is you’re looking for out of all this.”
“Good riddance, murderer!” she all but spat at me and we left under a dark cloud.
“They all need their heads looking at,” Mick said as we walked away.
Chapter 17
Spare Ribs in Kim Do Sauce…18
Jezai and his small group walked with purpose back to the Council Elders’ Hall. I followed closely behind with Havok on my back where he should be, ready for action. On entering, we found the place crowded—it was the busiest I’d ever seen it. Every damn head turned to stare at us. This was going to be a serious conversation, but I knew that whatever the result I was walking out of there again. With the Omni energy offering protection from mind invasion and Havok by my side once more, woe betide anyone stupid enough to start shit with me.
“Jezai! What is the meaning of this?” Galivea shouted, her face flushed with anger. “You must answer for your actions! Why were you present at the murder scene of Fiekela and Kirel? And why did you then flee with Vakuna?”
“Woah, woah, woah,” I interrupted before Jezai could respond. “Call me Vakuna one more fucking time, and we’re gonna have a big fucking problem! I’m already beyond pissed that you’ve imprisoned my people, destroyed four of my ships, wiped my memories, and if that wasn’t enough, had me thinking I was somebody else. So, if you love all this 99 percent Potential business as much as you say you do, then we’re at a crossroads here. Which way do we go? Do I consider you an enemy or a friend?”
“Do you believe you can just enter our hall and issue demands? We are the Apochros Council of Elders, child,” a male Council Elder snapped. I could vaguely remember him, though I’d not had much to do with him throughout my training. His name was Herial, and I didn't like the bastard, even less so as he continued, “At this moment you stand accused of murder. And Jezai, what was your role in this travesty?”
“I’m sure if we all remain calm, we…” Jezai began, but I interrupted him.
“Sorry, but no. You’re calling me a murderer? After what you all did to me! I need to say my piece here, come what may.”
“I think you’ve said enough,” Herial replied.
“You don’t get to make that decision. You're all too caught up in your own superiority, just like Fiekela and Kirel. They didn’t think my words held any value either, yet if they’d listened to me, they’d be alive now. I told them not to fuck with the door in my Subconscious. My entire mind screamed that it shouldn’t be opened, and I held the door shut against them for as long as I could, begging them to leave it alone. But just like you now, they thought they knew better, and died for it.”
“So you say,” Herial fucking sneered at me. “Would it be okay for the Council Elders to speak now? Or should I have you put somewhere safe while we get to the root of this?”
“If anyone tries to touch me…”
“Shaun,” Jezai said, putting a calming hand on my shoulder, “it’s okay. Allow me.” I decided I should probably let him speak now, but I wasn’t finished by any stretch of the imagination.
Jezai addressed the council members, taking a far less aggressive stance than I did. “Ialos alerted me when Shaun became frantic over the door in question.”
“Why did she not come straight to us?” questioned Herial. “It seems extremely suspicious.”
“Why?” Jezai said, his voice suddenly booming. “Because you supported the abuse enacted on this man. The man you hope one day to be your savior. Let me ask you, would you have listened to Shaun and tried to stop Fiekela and Kirel from opening that door? Of course you wouldn’t.”
“This all seems highly convenient, don’t you think?” Herial replied, leaving the insinuation obvious.
“Herial, I am the oldest, and was considered the wisest of us all until this debacle took place. I guided our people to this part of the galaxy. Are you casting doubt on my honesty? Does anyone else have so little faith in my integrity and intent?” he asked, raising his arms to take in the room. Impressively, there was not a single person in that hall that questioned him.
He continued to speak. “We have an ongoing disagreement over the treatment of a potential savior. It has clearly revealed rival factions in our Council; on one side, I wished to support his growth, to build up rapport and have him as close as a friend. Whereas you prefer to wipe his mind in an attempt to mold him to your own desires. I warned you throughout that it was not only immoral, but against our core values. All of our prophecies and stories say the same thing. The Vakuna is a force of nature, not something to be controlled, so that this attempt backfired cannot come as a surprise to you all. Rather than blaming the rain for soaking you, blame yourself for not taking shelter.” He took a slight pause while everyone absorbed what he was saying before continuing. “Those two lost lives are the responsibility of all those who backed this course of action. I now demand my right to call a vote.”
“We should wait until everyone is present,” Herial said petulantly from the council table.
“This travesty has gone on long enough, and in light of Shaun’s new, previously unheard-of power, I recommend that you all make the right decision this time.”
“New power?” Herial exclaimed, echoing the interest on everyone’s face.
Jezai turned to me. “Shaun, would you be willing to accept a mental attack from Herial?”
I shrugged. “I’d prefer them to make their decision not to be dicks because they don’t want to be dicks. Rather than because they realize they can’t actually fuck me over anymore.”
One of the Council Elders at the table named Ellam cleared her throat. “For what it is worth, it sat uncomfortably with me. I need to see no evidence. I trust Jezai implicitly and will support whatever he has in mind regarding our future relations with you, Shaun. I’d like to apologize for my part in what has transpired. I sat on the fence and went with the majority. That is no excuse, and I should have followed my instincts by supporting Jezai from the beginning.”
Jezai nodded respectfully to her. “Thank you, Ellam, your support means a lot.”
Galivea had remained quiet since the beginning, letting Herial lead the debate until now. “I am deeply devastated by the loss of Fiekela and Kirel. They were an integral part of our community and the Apochros foundations. They will be sorely missed. However, upon careful consideration, I must now offer an apology to Shaun. If any are in doubt, I ask
you how a human with a level in the 250 range may kill two Elder Apochros? And for him to carry out this cruel act while a third high leveled Apochros stood close by, without casting doubt upon Ialos. While I suspect she disagreed with our decision, like her father, I trust her implicitly. As Jezai made clear, if any are to blame, it truly lies at the door of those who voted in favor of using Shaun as a moldable asset, rather than a friend. I give my full support to Jezai’s original plan.”
There was a buzz around the hall after that, with Council Elders all shouting out their support for Jezai. In the end, all members present acquiesced, except for Herial.
“I would still like to see this power you speak of before I make a decision,” Herial shouted.
“Shaun is right, this decision should not depend on such proof, but compassion. There are enough votes to carry,” Jezai said loudly. The chatter continued rising in volume as bickering broke out. I stood in the midst of it all, growing frustrated as they all tried to thrash out finer details on exactly how I should be handled. I decided to just walk out. I wasn’t interested in their politicking in the slightest. Just a bunch of assholes blowing hot air up each other's asses, while stabbing each other in the backs.
Outside in the cool night air, I spoke with Havok. “Hey man, when’s it ever going to calm down? It’s always just one thing after another.”
“Not for me, I’ve been lying on a floor with zero energy, completely deserted for weeks on end. I need some spice in my life. I hoped for a mass melee in there. Extremely disappointing, all in all.”
I couldn’t help but laugh at the insatiable axe. “Yeah, I can see that, dude. You’ll have your opportunity soon enough. Jezai has suggested drawing the Fystr into an invasion of the Dark Sector. He believes the Apochros have the capability to wipe out the fleet that has hunted us.”
“Oh, I hope so! That sounds like fun.”
“He made it all sound straightforward, but it never bloody is. All I really care about right now is getting the crew back.”
We chatted for a while longer, mainly covering the topics of murder and decapitation, until Jezai appeared out of the hall. “Good, then you haven’t run off. The council has agreed for you to collect your people. We’ll provide a transport ship, as the Uprising does not have the capacity to comfortably hold all of your people. Whilst you’re gone, I will arrange for a second ship to gift you.”
“Good, but eh? We had four ships, you know?” I said with a frown.
Jezai chuckled at me. “Ooh, you drive a hard bargain, Shaun. I’ll see what I can do, though you do remember all of your ships were undermanned, yes?”
“That’s hardly the point, Jezai. We fully intended to expand our crew, and the Hunter ships were perfect to protect the larger craft and scout.”
“I’m sure we can come to an arrangement. If there is one thing we do have in abundance, it is cutting-edge technology and spacecraft,” he said as he proudly clapped me on the shoulder.
“I suppose I have no choice but to trust you, again.”
“It might be a nice starting point to rebuilding that between us.” Our conversation was then interrupted by Ialos walking towards us from along the road.
“Hello, Father; hello, Shaun. How has it gone?” she asked on approach with worry in her eyes.
I immediately flushed with embarrassment at the sight of her. I hadn’t properly spoken to her since I’d got my memories back and had calmed down, and the attraction Vakuna had held for her was still there.
Jezai answered, “We’ve made excellent progress, Ialos. The council members present were eventually amenable to a change in direction. We are currently awaiting the preparation of a transport ship for Shaun to collect the crew of Uprising.”
“That is fantastic news! I will accompany you, Shaun, in case there are any injuries or casualties among your people,” she told me happily.
My heart sank. This was the last fucking thing I needed. “Thanks, erm... that’d be great, Ialos,” I replied, not meaning a word of it. If anyone was hurt, I’d rather they stayed that way until we returned and healed them here. Yes, I realize that would be a total dick move, and I didn’t really mean it. But still.
“Besides, I would miss you after how much time we have spent together this past month.”
My cheeks flushed. “Oh… yeah, for sure.”
Jezai then interrupted to ask, “Are you okay, Shaun?”
“Of course I am,” I answered.
Ialos was smirking at me. Jezai looked oblivious, which was fine by me.
Chapter 18
Dual POV Dies For Now
The transport ship was exactly that. Made to carry stuff. I was expecting some gorgeous, sleek machine, being from an advanced race. But it was essentially just a rough-ass looking block of hollow metal. Still, it would serve its purpose. I boarded with Ialos and we made our way through a large open loading area into a seating area beyond—and when I say seating, I mean thousands of them, row upon row, like the worst airplane imaginable. I looked to Ialos and asked, “Are they taking the piss? This thing is a dump!”
“You made the demand to leave for the station today, so if I assume correctly, this would be the only ship available at such short notice,” Ialos reasoned, as if she was explaining to a child.
“That’s fair enough. But what the hell do you use it for anyway? It’s the most uninspiring ship I’ve ever come across.”
“It looks to be an older ship, probably from one of our neighbors. Would you like to see the captain and find out?”
“Sure, I don’t much fancy sitting here,” I complained, looking at the manky seats. “Plus, we need to contact the station to let them know I’m on my way!”
“This ship won't be able to communicate with the station. But my father will have alerted your people of our arrival. Before we go up, can I ask that you leave the axe here? You will put the bridge crew on edge showing up like that.”
“No chance!” Havok yelled. “Tell her, Shaun!”
“Chill out, man,” I answered aloud for Ialos’s benefit, “I’m not leaving you.”
She eyeballed me. “A rather dramatic way of saying no, don’t you think?”
“I didn’t intend it like that. I was more killing two birds with one stone.”
“Killing birds?” She looked at me like I’d lost it.
“Earth expression, don't worry about it. Shall we go then?” I asked.
While I didn't become any more impressed with the ship, I understood why it was a shit tip when I met the aliens. They were, to my mind, a hybrid between Humans and Insects. Pretty freaky, but they turned out to be pretty relaxed. They were a mining ship and had just delivered a few thousand tons of ore to Accre. They kindly agreed to take on this job, though I had no doubt they were getting well paid for it.
We stayed on the bridge, and I enjoyed listening to the banter between the crew. Though it had the effect of making me miss everyone so much more. What I didn’t relish was how long it was taking to get to the station, travelling nearly two whole days. This ship moved like a damn snail.
When we approached the station, I stood looking out of the front display. My stomach was doing cartwheels with anticipation and nervous excitement.
It was going to be so good to see everyone again. Fuck it, part of me even wanted to see Rufus, even if it was just a very tiny part. As we drew closer, I headed off to the exit of the ship with Ialos in tow. Several of the ship’s crew encouraged me to stand further back from the huge airlock door in case of any mishaps. I didn’t care and refused to budge. Havok was chirping constantly on my back, just as eager. The door opened to reveal a docking bay, filled with the people I loved.
“Hola, people! Long time, no see,” I shouted out.
A massive cheer met me, and I barely made it down the ramp before Ember was in my arms. A truly joyous occasion.
“Thank god you’re back with us, and I’m sorry for piling leadership on you. It’s the fucking pits.”
“Hahaha! Not fo
r me, I don’t really do anything. You, Elyek and Acclo do most of it for me.”
“I think you do more than you know,” she said quietly into my chest as others gathered around, making me wonder what the hell had gone down for her to be acting this way. She seemed changed from the woman I remembered. I squeezed her a little tighter for a moment, then looked at everyone else. “Right then, you rabble, shall we get you all the fuck off this station?”
A chorus of various shouts in the affirmative rang in my ears as everyone piled onto the ship, patting me on the arm or shoulder as they passed. It seemed everyone had touched me in some way. Like they couldn’t believe I was real, mixed with thanks for coming to set us free. It struck me then, that there were absent faces.
Ember, the members of my Alpha team, and Ogun who was talking with Ialos remained by my side while everyone else boarded.
“I need to talk to you, Shaun,” said Ember, all serious. “We’ve had trouble while we’ve been stuck here.”
“I could sense there was something. What’s happened? Was the station attacked?”
“No,” she said sadly, “it was with our own people.”
I noticed everyone else was quiet too.
“Who? Tell me who’s been causing shit and I'll kick their asses,” I snarled.
“Rufus was first. I had to lock him up with a few others. I tried to sort it out with him, but he attacked me.”
“That bastard! Where the fuck is he now?”
“Dead. I broke his neck in the fight,” she explained, almost wincing as she spoke.
“Good for you, the piece of shit. He’s lucky you did it, cause I wouldn’t have let him off with a broken neck.”
Havok passionately added his words of wisdom. “No, I would’ve shaved pieces off him until he passed out, then healed him up to do it all over again.”
“And,” I said to Ember, “you don’t even want to know what Havok said he’d do.”
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