Rise of the Resistance (War for Orion Trilogy Book Two) (12 page)

“Then I'll have to find a way to make sure
no one finds out my true intentions,” Kirill grinned. “I won't need
the crodillians forever.”

“And they won't need you forever
either.”

“They may not, but I'll be done with them
before they're done with me.”

The contact let out a breath. “Let's hope
so. For both of our sake's.”

Pyrrhus' ship entered Hermes' atmosphere and
headed towards Thermopylae. He could tell the races were confused
about what to expect from the crodillians. They’d heard the Queen's
message, but had also seen the death and destruction suffered by
several planets. The spaceport and surrounding city wasn't teeming
with life as it normally was, but those outside appeared ready to
rebel upon sight of any crodillian.

He’d been smart to choose this planet first,
otherwise every race would've been slaughtered. The closer his ship
got, the more he could see going on in the city, and it didn't look
good. Many of the roofs occupied by several races holding cannon
launchers, and what few ships there were, were circling the city
waiting to attack. Pyrrhus would have to calm things down quite a
bit, but at least he wouldn't have any problems finding rebels to
fight for his cause. The whole planet seemed defiant and that was
good news for him.

The pilot landed the cargo ship and Pyrrhus
stepped onto the spaceport. He wasn't approached by anyone, in
fact, he was completely ignored by every race on the pad. He walked
through the city where races were giving out weapons and headed
directly to the bar. If there was a leader in charge of this
recklessness, he’d be in the bar getting drunk. At least that’s
what he’d be doing if he was in charge of something with so little
thought put into it. The door was already opened when he arrived
and he stepped in the dimly lit building.

“And then we'll blow those bastards to
pieces and send them back where they came from!” A white female
human pumped her fist in the air. “No one comes to our home and
kills our families, not without paying the price!”

A group of men were gathered around her, but
Pyrrhus wasn't sure if it was because of her looks, or because she
had such a strong, demanding, voice that boomed to every corner of
the bar. She was over average height for a female human, standing
about as tall as himself. Dark brown hair touched the shoulders of
her old battle armor and her green eyes pierced through him when
she turned his way. A sonic rifle was slung over her back and she
held a laser pistol in her right hand.

Pyrrhus pushed his way through the group of
male races. “Blow who to pieces, may I ask?”

“The crodillians of course,” she answered.
“Who else? Have you not been watching what's been happening around
Orion recently, or have you just been living under some rock?”

Pyrrhus leaned in closer. “Oh, I've been
watching and listening. And if I remember correctly, and this is a
big if, the Queen said not to rebel like fools. At first glance,
this would look like rebelling like reckless fools.”

The female pushed him back with both hands
and pointed her pistol at him. “You want
us
to
surrender
as the Queen suggested. That's not the Queen I
know. The Queen I knew would never surrender, no matter what the
cost.”

“Maybe that Queen was trying to save your
ass,” Pyrrhus crossed his arms.

The female raised her eyebrows. “And how is
that, Mr. What’s your name?”

“Pyrrhus,” he answered. “
General
Pyrrhus.”

Whispers erupted around the room as he spoke
his name. He could see races pointing at him, as they were finally
matching the name with the face. The female seemed to back up a
little before regaining her composure and lowering her weapon.

“Why are you here to stop a rebellion,
General?” She asked. “I wouldn't think you would want us to stop
rebelling against these monsters. You know as well as any that we
can’t let them take over this galaxy.”

“You’re right. I don't want to give our
homes to them,” Pyrrhus nodded. “They killed my whole crew and
crews of my comrade's. I want them to pay, but not like this. We
have to be smart about how we proceed. Making a demonstration like
there is outside will only lead to the deaths of many who could
help win a rebellion.”

“Then how do I fix it?” The female asked.
“Would you rather I lay down my arms and surrender to the
crodillians?”

“If surrender makes the crodillians stop
killing the races of Orion,” he nodded and took a step forward.
“Then yes. Surrender is what you must do.”

Yells of protest emerged throughout the bar
and some of the races began throwing objects in his direction. The
female held her hand up and the room immediately calmed down.

“I’ve heard of you General Pyrrhus and I
know that surrendering isn't in your nature. Why would you suggest
we surrender without a fight?”

“It's what the Queen asked us to do,”
Pyrrhus shrugged. “Isn't that enough reason?”

“She was forced to say that,” the female
replied defiantly. “Are you foolish enough to believe she said that
on her own accord? She’s been beaten, starved, and tortured.”

“She said it on her own. No one forced her
to say a word of it,” he grinned, knowing it’d anger her. “But you
apparently didn't pay close enough attention to what she said,
though I admire you for doing all you've done on Hermes thus
far.”

“I paid attention!” The female shouted. “She
was chained like an animal and has lost all hope. I will not give
up hope! I’ll fight until my last dying breath.”

“If you really paid attention, this
rebellion you've put together wouldn't be so...,” Pyrrhus stroked
his chin and wrapped his finger around his braided beard. “Obvious
is the word I was looking for. Yes, obvious. It’d be much more
discreet, like the Queen tried to tell you, if you’d heard a word
she said.”

“What?” She sounded confused. “She never
said anything like that.”

“The Queen obviously couldn't tell us to
rebel openly, or we'd be killed, as would she. Another thing she
couldn’t say was to establish secret rebellion forces. So, she said
it a little less obviously,” Pyrrhus told her, knowing he’d finally
gotten her attention. “There was one last thing that she didn't
tell them, that I'm sure you have no clue about either, so I’ll
tell you now. We have around three hundred ships ready for battle
waiting at Ares.”

The bar got quiet when they heard about
warships on Ares. The female took a step closer to him and leaned
in.

“You've come to help us then?” A smile
crossed her face and she began to laugh.

Pyrrhus grinned. “I've come to do more than
help. I have a hidden military base for you to take rebels to.
You'll be able to train and take refuge there until we’re ready to
strike.”

“That’s just what I wanted to hear.”

“What's your name?” Pyrrhus asked her.

“Zarah,” she answered.

“How’d you end up here on Hermes?” He asked.
“You’re not native, I can tell by your voice.”

She looked down to the ground, a look of
sorrow washing over her face. “I came here after my family was
slaughtered on Gaea. I knew it was where many races would come and
I wanted to be a part of a rebellion. I refused to accept defeat.
There was no chance in hell I’d accept their peace offering.”

“Well, it looks like you are the leader of a
rebellion now,” Pyrrhus put his hand on her shoulder. “We won't let
the crodillians take Orion from us, but we need them to think that
for the time being.”

“Where is this base that you're talking
about?” Zarah asked. “No one here has mentioned a military base to
me.”

Pyrrhus turned around. “I'll take you to it
myself.”

He led her out of the bar and into the
streets where he stopped a race about to board a glider. Pyrrhus
handed over some currency in his pocket, which was much more than
the glider was worth, and the race happily took the money before
running off.

“We can talk more on the way there,” he
said, throwing his leg over the glider. “Come on, get on.”

Zarah got on the glider behind Pyrrhus and
he took off towards the dark green forest. He wasn't taking a
traveled road, but it was a secret base that very few knew existed.
It wasn't too far off from Thermopylae, but it was far enough that
no one had ever accidently stumbled upon it. Pyrrhus steered the
glider through the trees, zooming in and out, barely missing
several large limbs hanging low.

“Why do those races follow you?” He yelled
over his shoulder.

“Back there?” Zarah asked.

“Yeah,” he replied. “They were all gathered
around you like you were their leader, but you don’t carry yourself
like one. You’re humble, forthright, not like a military leader.
What'd you do back on Gaea?”

“I didn't do anything important, really,”
she said. “I was just a regular citizen. I worked at a high school
as a principal.”

“So you're used to leading groups of races?”
He said more to himself than to Zarah.

“Yeah, I guess, but nothing like this.”

“They follow you without question,” he said.
“When I walked in, the first thing I saw was a group of races
gathered around a strong leader. They were listening to every word
you said. Everything that came from your mouth was absorbed by
them. Those races believe they can win a rebellion because you’ve
told them they can.”

“They killed my whole family,” she said. “My
husband and my two little girls. I watched them get blown to pieces
right in front of me. My whole life, gone in the blink of an
eye.”

“I'm sorry,” Pyrrhus comforted. “They can't
come back, but we won't ever let anyone forget them. We'll make the
crodillians pay for what they've done.”

“I know they can't come back,” she replied.
“That's why I came here. I didn't want to just be part of a
rebellion, I wanted have a chance to lead something successful.
Funny thing is, I never thought they'd follow me like this.”

“But they do and now you're their leader,”
Pyrrhus reassured her. “Did you set up all those men on the
rooftops and have the ships circle Thermopylae?”

“Yes,” she nodded. “Most of the military
leaders are gone, though there were a few of lower ranks hiding
here when I arrived. They didn't want to defend Hera. They hid here
like cowards while their families were killed. How could someone do
that?”

“I don't know,” he shook his head and
steered the glider around and enormous tree. “Someone heartless is
all I can guess.”

“They were trying to start a rebellion when
I arrived, but no one was listening to them. Most were cowering
indoors, praying that a miracle would save them,” she told him. “I
was one of the first to arrive here from Gaea and I immediately
told every race what I saw happen. At first, they came to comfort
me and help me. Once I saw how bad they needed a real leader, I had
no choice but to take charge. There were several male races trying
to lead, but they wanted to take the fight to Hera. I saw what
happened on Gaea and I knew that wouldn't work, so I started to
speak out and they listened, so I kept talking to them. Of course I
saw the message for peace, but I still ordered ships to circle and
races to go to rooftops. I let everyone know that if they tried to
kill us, we wouldn't go down so easy. Hope was something they
needed, something I myself almost lost on Gaea.”

Pyrrhus brought the glider to a stop.
“You’ve brought them more than hope, and soon, you’ll help bring
them victory.”

He got off of the glider and walked over to
a small concrete building covered with thick layers of moss and
leaves. A wooden door creaked open and he stepped in. Zarah
followed him in the building. There were several broken chairs and
other useless equipment scattered across the deteriorating
room.

“Where's the base?” She asked.

“It's underneath us,” Pyrrhus grinned. “It's
another reason I chose Hermes as my first stop. The crodillians
can't stop what they can't see.”

“An entire military base is underneath
us?”

He walked over to the wall in front of the
door and put his hand on a picture of Orion. There was a noise of
concrete scraping on concrete and a stairway was revealed in the
new opening.

“Yes. There's an entire military base right
underneath us,” he turned around to face her. “Want to have a quick
tour of the place?”

“Of course I do,” she followed him down the
stairs.

“This is the Dining Hall,” he pointed as
they were walking down the stairs. “From here, you have several
places you can go. To the left and right you have regular bunkers
for males and females.”

“Do I need to separate them?” She asked.
“There's going to be families here and I'd rather keep them
together. We’ll be fighting as one, I don’t see a need to separate
gender.”