A dark-skinned man appeared on the screen. He wore a small, black hat. Sora pulled his head back, blinking. “Tony?”
“Captain Trok. As soon as my employer saw it was the Killer, he instructed me to answer the call,” Tony said, lightly smiling. He gave Sora a nod of respect. “What can we do for you?”
Sora had worked with pirates already. He just didn’t know it, which shouldn’t surprise him.
“Uh, we understand you worked with a Chief Bosnan,” Sora said, rolling backward so Natalia could fully appear to Tony. “This is Senator Natalia Valie, a fugitive from the Queen. We have attempted to fight back against Queen Bettina’s tyranny and we encountered the people of Catalan. They told us to contact you for help.”
Tony blinked. “This is a surprise, Captain. We have been unable to reach Chief Bosnan. Are you also working with him?”
Sora blew out air. “Not exactly, Tony, but we have had dealings with him. This led to the Queen imprisoning most of my crew on the Bombard. We only have a day to rescue them before they reach the capital. Do you have any idea of its flight path?”
“As a matter of fact, yes. We monitor its trajectory in order to avoid contact on our own missions,” Tony said. He sighed and looked down. “That is a big request, Captain Trok. In times like these, my employer values privacy above all else.”
Sora and Natalia exchanged a look. Sora frowned. “I understand, Tony, but we are desperate. You are the last resource we have. Your credits have already supplied a great deal of our needs but, please, I ask that you consider this.”
Tony looked to the side, hesitating. Sora fiddled his hands together and exhaled again. He needed this to work.
“It will make a significant difference, Tony,” Natalia said, leaning down. “I know you want to strike back against her, too, if you worked with Bosnan.”
Tony finally looked back and took a deep breath. “We always kept tabs on government ships but lacked suitable weapons for the new galactic climate. You provided those for us, Captain, at great risk to your crew. I can provide you with the location of the Bombard. Where did you last encounter it?”
Sora and Natalia both relaxed their shoulders. Sora finally felt the hope returning. “Thank you, Tony, thank you. Send your employer our gratitude. We last saw it in orbit of Wantim.”
Tony nodded and signaled to someone off-screen. “You will not have an easy journey, Captain. The Bombard is armed and nearly impossible to attack.”
Sora grimaced. “I know.”
Natalia sighed, touching Sora’s shoulder. “This was a good call, Sora. The odds are bad, but it’s our best hope.”
He grimaced again. “I know.”
“Judging from the Bombard’s usual path, we have pinpointed the system it would most likely stop in after leaving Wantim and before returning to Etionapa,” Tony said, looking down at the information beneath him. Sora heard keys hitting a keyboard. “I am transferring the coordinates to you now.”
“Thank you, Tony,” Sora said, standing and bowing. “I will repay your employer for this.”
“Be careful, Captain Trok,” Tony said, frowning. “Conditions in the nebula are only worsening.”
He vanished. Sora turned and walked to the central communicator. The beeping of an incoming message sounded. Sora accessed the console, but Natalia pulled on his shoulder.
“If we’re going to storm the Bombard, you really need to mend your injuries.”
Sora put his own hand on her shoulder. “I will, but first let’s set a course.”
The soldiers squeezed him through the narrow door and shoved him into the cell block, which proved just as narrow as before. He only disliked the cuffs on his wrists. They reminded him of the chains that ruined his existence.
Soldiers loaded the crew’s weapons into the armory to the left and after that a line of gray, barren cells stretched out before the crew. The soldiers manhandled most individuals as they uncuffed them and tossed them into cells.
“Get off me!” Trika said, before crashing to the ground. An electric, purple barrier appeared, separating her and the soldier.
“You will regret this,” Felicia said, glaring at Nelson as soldiers sealed her cell. Chief Bosnan already sat in a cell across from her.
Nelson stood at the end of the block. He grinned and beckoned to the large door behind him. “Prepare the execution chamber. Her Highness wants Redgrave to go first.”
“We’ll get you out of there before then, Naos!” Trika said, slamming on the wall. Across from her, two soldiers tossed Naos and Viktor into a cell.
He saw Naos’ face pale at the mention of execution. Very good.
The soldiers yanked Fi out of the armory. She struggled, but they shoved her head down. She thrashed back and forth, spitting on one soldier. The soldier punched her. As her head fell and blood dripped from her mouth, she looked in his direction. A cold look.
How intriguing.
Two soldiers met Captain Nelson at the end of the block. They followed him into the execution chamber.
He had the soldiers to himself at last.
Two of the soldiers pulled him toward the armory. The other remaining soldiers exited the cell block amidst Trika’s screaming and punching. One soldier tossed his rifle into their new collection and the other patted him down.
As the soldier reached his waist, he used that chance to strike. He lunged forward and grabbed the soldier, sticking his long nails into the man’s neck. He felt his nails extend as he punctured his skin. Good, a few of his abilities returned. Not nearly the amount he needed but he could make do with a few.
“Take all of Chief Bosnan’s resources into your laboratory at once. I am positive this vessel has one. Get aid if you need it.”
He nudged the soldier’s helmet off. The soldier’s eyes stopped moving. His jaw fell open and he felt the soldier’s warm breath. He kept his nails inside of his skin and felt the new chills emerge from the soldier’s mouth. His eyes turned completely white.
The soldier let go of him and nodded. “Yes, master.”
He scurried out. The second soldier turned and rose his eyebrows, but he rushed him and put his hands to his neck. He thrust his helmet off his head and the soldier pulled back, bumping into the wall.
“Get your hands off me, prisoner! Need backup, this scum is—”
He silenced him by crawling up and puncturing his cheek. His eyes froze and his jaw fell. White consumed his eyes.
“Release me from these cuffs. Take me to the nearest set of private quarters and then bring Fi Kal to me. If anyone questions you, say that Captain Nelson ordered this.”
“Yes, master.”
The soldier uncuffed him and escorted him out of the armory. He squeezed him back through the narrow entry and took him a few steps farther before opening another narrow door. A barren room sat on the other end, only featuring a small bed. The soldier let go of him and turned to complete his next task.
He walked inside the room, inhaling the air of the Bombard. Controlled air. Air that bended to the Queen’s will.
Now, it would bend to his. Everything would.
He turned to face the doorway and kneeled. The sensation of his knees rubbing against the metal even pleased him. He did not miss much but he had missed this. He did not have full control yet, but once he did, he would enjoy everything he missed. He would consume it all.
Seconds later, the soldier threw Fi into the room. She fell to her knees and spit again in the soldier’s direction. The soldier marched forward, preparing to strike, but he held his hand up.
“Leave us. Close the door and wait for me to signal you in again.”
He bowed, turning and doing as he told. After the door shut, Fi’s eyes flashed from the door to him. She crawled closer.
“Talek,” she said, lowering her voice to a hiss. “What the hell is happening? Why are they listening to you?”
He wondered if he should puncture her, but he decided against it. He found her too intriguing.
�
��Anyone will listen to me, Fi Kal.”
She scoffed. “This isn’t the time, Talek. They will execute every single one of us if we don’t escape. I need you focused.”
His face hardened. “Address me with respect, Fi Kal. Address me by my name.”
“I did,” Fi said, blinking. Her eyes narrowed. “It’s time to be serious, Talek. You know this.”
“Indeed,” he said, rising to his feet. Fi’s eyes followed him up. “My name is not Talek Dano. Talek Dano is merely a guise, Fi Kal. An identity created by a man who lived in fear and on borrowed time. The man you know and admire is really called Selas Taban.”
Fi’s facial expression didn’t change. She didn’t move. “Talek, I need an explana—”
“Yet I am not Selas Taban,” he said. He put his hands to his helmet and finally removed it from the top of his head. Selas had used that as a covering for too long. His black, slick, thin hair fell, draping down his back and shoulders. The helmet clattered to the floor.
Fi didn’t speak. She kept her mouth shut and her eyes didn’t turn away.
“I am Anziar Wraith,” he said, finally letting his true voice through. The deep-throated growl of his words came through as he lost the pleasant sound that Selas had. I never wanted it. “I am here to reclaim what is mine: my body.”
Fi opened her mouth but no words came out. She stammered before shaking her head. “That’s impossible. You’ve said a lot of weird crap but this is too much. Whatever you’re into has to end now so that we don’t die at the Queen’s hands.”
“You are not ignorant, Fi Kal. You saw the conflict within Selas, even after he had worked for so long to hide it. The man changed his name so that this could never catch up with him, but wherever there is darkness, I draw near,” Anziar said, dangling his hand over Fi’s head. “Do you remember how he had knowledge of supernatural elements?”
“I told you I don’t believe in that and I don’t plan on starting while I’m held prisoner on the deadliest ship in the nebula.”
Anziar bellowed, grabbing Fi’s chin. He kept his nail away from her skin, but he clung to her as she pulled back. He caught her other fist mid-air. “Belief does not change existence, Fi Kal. The elements that concerned Selas? I am what he fears. I am what has attacked him on every planet that your crew has set foot on. I am what you ‘centered’ him from.”
He released her and turned his back to her. “Although you have made a significant impact on him. You and Sora Trok. You drowned me out multiple times. While impressive, that was futile.”
“Who are you?” Fi said. Her stoic tone had vanished. He only heard disbelief.
“Not who,” Anziar said, looking over his shoulder. “What.”
Fi stood and launched toward him, but Anziar whirled around and caught her. He slammed her to the ground. “You are lucky to be alive! Do not ruin that.”
She crawled backward and he stepped closer. “I am far beyond anything you could ever fathom. I am the master of darkness and, many years ago, the masters of light and gray feared that darkness. They stripped me of my powers, imprisoned me and created a new entity to occupy my body. However, darkness always rises in the nebula and as it rose I grew strong enough to break free.”
He screamed. He wished to have the full use of his abilities. In time, they would come.
Fi leaned up, putting her weight on her elbows. She hissed. “I don’t care who or what you are. Bring back Talek.”
Anziar bellowed again. “He will not be returning, Fi Kal. I have too much to accomplish. I am about to create chaos.”
He whistled. “Soldier!”
The soldier entered and bowed. “Yes, master?”
“Take Fi Kal back to her cell. Bring Chief Bosnan and Felicia Malone to me.”
He grabbed Fi and tightened his arm around her stomach. She struggled, glaring at Anziar as the soldier carried her out. “Talek! Talek!”
Anziar kneeled again. He agreed with Selas: quite a mystery, indeed.
16
Trika punched the force field again and flew backward as it electrocuted her again. She knew the shock would follow, but she hated this. She hated that they got captured. She hated that douchebag Nelson for running the show and rubbing it in their faces. She didn’t care how bad the force field hurt. It felt better than being stuck in here.
“Trika, this force field is top-of-the-line. Brute force will do no good,” Viktor said, shaking his head in the cell across from her.
She groaned as she stood up, touching the steel walls beside her and using them to stay on both her feet. The small width of the cell actually worked in her favor. After the heat wore off, the freezing air of the cell block sent another shudder throughout her body. “What else should we do, doc? Just sit and let them come for your cellmate over there?”
Naos put his hands behind his neck and looked at the ceiling. He paced back and forth. “How could we fight back? Viktor, do you think both of us could overpower a couple soldiers?”
Viktor hesitated. “We could try, but logistically, we do not stand much of a chance.”
“Better than nothing!” Trika said, raising her voice. She hit the wall again. The steel hurt, but she hoped she did some kind of damage.
“Your crew is not so coordinated without your captain,” Felicia said. Trika clenched her fist at hearing the voice of her father’s killer. “Your efforts fell apart rather quickly on Wantim and they won’t come together now.”
“You’re not in a much better place!” Naos said, shouting as he rushed to the front of his cell. “All of your men died! You worked so hard in that bar on Adli and then on Wantim and what did it add up to? Nothing!”
“Maybe you should stick to murdering dads,” Trika said, slamming her fist against the wall again.
“They were expendable compared to what I will create. This is a minor setback,” Felicia said. She held her calm, soothing tone, but it just annoyed Trika. She wanted to strangle the woman. “Soon, I will find my way out of this cell and finish off Queen Bettina.”
Trika heard shouts from the right. She peered out of the cell to see a soldier carrying Fi. Where had he taken her? Where had he taken Talek? Neither of them had anything special to offer and Talek hadn’t said a word since they were captured. Usually, Trika would look to him for a strategy.
He tossed Fi into the cell that sat on the right of Viktor and Naos. Fi shot off the ground and scowled as he activated the force field. The soldier didn’t say anything but turned and proceeded to Bosnan’s and Felicia’s cells. He deactivated both force fields.
Trika punched the wall again. This had to be a joke.
“Come with me and don’t try anything,” the soldier said, grabbing both. They obeyed and walked with him. Felicia cast Trika a smug glance as she passed her cell.
“Are you alright, Fi?” Viktor said. He couldn’t see her, but he looked in her direction. “What did they do to you?”
“Where’s Talek?” Trika said.
Fi closed her eyes, sitting on the metal slab in her cell. She didn’t look at any of them. Trika held her hands out, before remembering Fi wouldn’t see that. Fi kept her eyes shut and didn’t move. Trika couldn’t see if she even breathed.
“Fi!” Trika said, raising her voice. “Fi! Come on, we need you!”
Fi opened her eyes. She still didn’t move.
“Fi!”
“They may have tortured her somehow,” Viktor said, glancing at Trika. “It could have rendered her mute. Naos, are you familiar with any of the Queen’s torture methods?”
“I’m sure they’re horrifying, but I mean, I never—”
“Something’s wrong with him. Something’s taken over Talek,” Fi said. She still didn’t budge. “He said that Talek’s real name is Selas and this… thing calls himself Anziar. He’s a spirit of some kind and is controlling that soldier.”
Trika blinked. Fi didn’t talk much, but when she did,it made an impact. “Um… excuse me?”
“What do you mean, Fi?” Vik
tor said, wringing his hands together.
“Exactly what I said. Talek has been struggling with something for a while. You all saw it in the laboratory on Adli,” Fi said. She finally moved a muscle, looking at the ceiling. “Something has been literally hurting him from the inside. I didn’t fully believe him when he started talking about realities beyond what we can see, but I think it’s true. This… thing has him.”
“As kids, we were taught about various spirits and their powers,” Naos said, scratching his head. “Bettina always said it was a thing of the past. She is the only one in the nebula who holds power now. There are a thousand different belief systems and none of them were real.”
“There’s no logical explanation for this, but whatever his name is, I know Talek Dano,” Fi said. Finally, she stood and gazed at Trika. “He has something planned but I need to get him back. Whatever this thing is, I think I can reach him.”
Trika didn’t know how to respond to that. They had to go up against the Bombard and some supposed dark spirit? Maybe Talek had just lost his mind from the stress. Didn’t sound like him, but maybe.
The execution chamber doors opened and two soldiers marched inside the cell block. The soldier who had taken Felicia and Bosnan appeared on the other side of the block, alone. The soldiers looked at him after passing Felicia’s and Bosnan’s cells.
“What happened to those two prisoners?”
“Captain Nelson ordered a brief torture session for each.”
He lied but still had a complete monotone. He sounded more robotic than the other soldiers already did. Maybe Trika shouldn’t call Fi’s accusation so crazy. They had already met a man who made people so Trika didn’t know what to think anymore.
The soldiers stopped in front of Naos and Viktor’s cell. They deactivated the force field and Naos charged out, punching one soldier. The second reached for Naos, but Viktor grabbed his arm. He threw Viktor back and grabbed Naos from behind.
“No!” Naos said, flailing his arms. “No!”
The other soldier recovered and punched Naos’ face. Naos cried out and went limp while the soldier activated the force field. Viktor pulled himself off the wall as the soldiers carried Naos away.
Survival, Dark Times Page 22
