Rise of the Resistance (War for Orion Trilogy Book Two) (31 page)

“I know just the place where we can get a
ship to get off Erebos,” Donnchadh said.

Anlon and Fausto stood next to his crashed
ship and looked to the sky. It’d been several hours since Anlon had
talked to Pyrrhus and they both knew the rescue ship would be here
anytime soon. Neither one of them wanted the ship to miss them so
they’d stood in the same spot where they’d be visible to any
passing ships.

Anlon looked back and forth, for any sign of
help when he saw an extremely familiar ship break through the thick
clouds. The sleek black ship caused a smile to creep across his
face and tears to come to his eyes.
Drakos Mavros
slowly
lowered down into the hole of the cave and landed by the crashed
ship. The ramp hissed down and Kanti rushed out, embracing him in
her arms. When she pulled back, she looked him in the eyes and
kissed him deeply. It caught him by surprise, but he was happy to
do the same back, not realizing how much he’d missed her.

“I can't believe you're alive! I thought I'd
never see you again,” she said.

Anlon smiled. “I can't believe you are
either, but I sure am glad you are. I don’t know what I’d do
without you.

Falcone and Nimesha walked down the ramp of
the ship, making sure not to interrupt the two of them. Fausto
walked over to them and smiled widely, holding out his arms and
looking to the sky.

“You don't know how happy I am to finally be
able to see living races again.”

“How long have you been here?” Falcone
asked.

“Fifty years,” he answered. “Fifty long and
lonely years I’ve been secluded in this cave.”

“You're lucky you survived that long here,”
Nimesha looked around. “The stories I've heard of Tartarus are
terrible. Very few get off this planet alive unless they know it
well.”

“Oh,” he chuckled. “And do Anlon and I have
a story to tell you about what's out there!”

“This is Fausto,” Anlon walked over, holding
Kanti’s hand. “I would've died out there if it weren't for
him.”

“Well, let's get off this planet! I've been
waiting fifty years, isn't that long enough for a themin?”

Anlon laughed and followed him up the ramp,
with Kanti close by his side. Falcone and Nimesha went to the
cockpit and lifted
Drakos Mavros
from the cave. Anlon looked
out the window as the hellish planet shrunk below him. He sure
wouldn't miss this deadly place, from the creatures lurking around
to the hard land. Once they were in space, the ship lurched forward
with a jolt.

“So how'd you get off of the ship?” Anlon
turned to Kanti.

“Mostly Nimesha,” she pointed. “And
Camillus. Definitely him.”

“Where is Camillus by the way?”

Nimesha turned around. “He sacrificed
himself for Kanti. He changed his image so the crodillians would
think he was the Princess. Luckily for us, they took the bait and
let us go.”

“They'll kill him when they find out!”

“They already have,” Kanti said. “The Queen
sent out a message for rebellion. Camillus switched his image
during the speech and Merikh used his powers to blow him up. It's
fueled the rebellion. The races are furious and want to strike now,
but Pyrrhus has called for calm as he finishes putting together
battle plans.”

“How did Adira send out a message for a
rebellion?” Anlon asked. “I thought she was being held
prisoner.”

“Merikh is a fool. He underestimated how
much the Queen values her own life,” Nimesha grinned. “Honestly,
the Queen caught everyone by surprise, the rebels included. No one
expected her to give the go ahead publicly, at least not so
straight forward.”

“I thought it was another message for peace,
but she knew it was Camillus next to her the whole time and they
timed it out perfectly. As soon as he changed to show Kanti was
safe, Adira rushed to get every word in she could,” Falcone said.
“It was one of the bravest things I’ve ever seen. The two of them
gave their lives so we could all have chance to live.”

“They haven’t killed my mom yet. That
monster is waiting,” Kanti grabbed his hand. “Pyrrhus said there's
no way they'll allow her to live, but they need to make an example
of her, so they’re waiting.”

“Merikh has threatened to burn every planet
and kill every race if we rebel,” Nimesha said.

“We're still rebelling, right?” Anlon asked.
“Pyrrhus wouldn't back down. The crodillians made that same threat
before any of this started.”

“You bet we are!” Falcone said. “You think
some ugly looking thing like Merikh will scare any of the races out
of rebellion?”

Anlon grinned. “He'll never know what hit
him when we strike.”

“You have no idea. Pyrrhus has set up
rebellion forces all over Orion! We have more than just a few
hundred ships. We have bases all over with thousands of races who
are ready to take their homes back,” Kanti said.

“We stand a pretty good chance. The
crodillians have been pretty predictable so far, and Pyrrhus thinks
we can use that against them,” Nimesha said.

“They haven't seen anything yet!” Falcone
added. “When we strike, it'll send them into chaos. Their leader is
counting on fear to keep us all at bay, and so far, we’re doing a
good job making it appear that way.”

Anlon smiled to himself and hugged Kanti.
They
had
helped Orion in speaking with the Elders. There
were rebels all over Orion and he knew they stood a good chance
once banded together as one. He also knew when they killed Adira it
would only fuel the rebel cause even more. There was no way the
crodillians were going to stop the rebellion from succeeding, it
was already rolling and it would be impossible to stop once
everyone was on board. Death was impossible to avoid, but he knew
the races of Orion understood and wouldn’t stop fighting until
they’d taken their galaxy back. Adira had told him she believed in
him and he was now going to prove to her she’d placed her trust in
the right person, even if she wouldn't live to see it.

Zarah stood behind the races she’d chosen to
be her officers. They’d come much further along than she’d imagined
they would in such a short time. Keeping them together had proven
to be a wise decision. Each of them had come to know each 0ther
very well from rarely leaving the other leaders’ sides. Every
strength and weakness had become exposed and they’d worked on ways
to improve both during their own free time. Zarah knew once battle
came, all of their time spent together would pay off huge.

Of the ten officers she’d picked, there were
two clear leaders of that group who’d taken complete control during
exercises. Ludwig, a short and scarred quierleon, who immediately
fit into the role, showing the other’s ways to fight from his own
training. He was one of the few at the base to grow up on Ares.
Luckily for them, he’d chosen to leave that life behind when he’d
become of age, but never forgot what he’d learned. Strangely, he
hadn't been the most vocal at the beginning, but once he’d gotten a
hang of the routine, others followed his lead and he began to speak
up. He’d approached her to set up a daily routine more than just
physical and she’d approved it, knowing he knew better than any
what they needed to do to prepare. Knowledge was one of the biggest
things he stressed and he required every officer to read about
different war tactics during library sessions. She too had taken up
the practice, and slowly but surely, she’d seen an improvement in
herself.

Yvette was the other officer that stood out
amongst the group. She was a light brown and white kaneen who was
the exact opposite of Ludwig. She’d been very vocal after being
chosen as officer, but she had absolutely no prior experience.
Yvette had been the manager of a large production farm on Demeter
before it was burned and she escaped. Upon arrival only one thing
was on her mind, killing every last crodillian responsible for
taking her home and family from her. It was clear she was hurt from
looking in her eyes, but talking to her, it was impossible to know
her true feelings. She kept her emotions in check, knowing if she
wanted revenge, they’d only get in the way.

Both races encouraged and motivated every
officer and race within the base. The expectations for them was
growing, but they rose to the challenge every day. She knew Pyrrhus
didn't expect too much from them, but why should he? None of them
had any real experience with leading an entire base, especially not
a base full of rebels with no more training than themselves. But
she knew right now, Pyrrhus would be very pleased with progress and
the officers' attitude toward the war. The base didn’t feel like a
bunch of untrained races. Every race knew their job and they
carried them out without question or mistakes.

None of them walked around with a sense of
defeat, though it would be easy after what the crodillians had done
to their planets, and what was going to happen to others in time.
It was clear they lacked numbers against their enemy, but each
still believed there was no chance of defeat, not now, not with
this base. They trained hard and walked with a sense of pride that
radiated throughout the entire base. This confidence all stemmed
from her and the officers she had chosen to lead.

Zarah looked at every one of them and
smiled, knowing that these were the ten races that would be
standing by her side when they won the rebellion. They would all be
saviors, all because Pyrrhus had believed in her and her
capabilities. He could’ve easily chosen someone else over her, but
he’d placed his trust in her and she was going to prove to him she
was up to the task.

“It's time to go to the library,” she
informed them.

They immediately stepped out of their
simulations and followed her down the hall to the library. The
halls were teeming with races who were hustling to get various
things done and prepped. Allowing the races to choose their own
jobs had also proven to be the right decision. Every race had
chosen wisely and put their unique set of skills to use. There were
plenty of cooks, nurses, janitors, and even the children were
finding ways to help. She honestly hadn't expected things to go so
smoothly, but she was glad that they had.

There’d also been a small group of races
who’d approached her about scouting the land. At first she’d been
reluctant, but the races had been persistent and she’d eventually
given in. Scouting was necessary and she felt she was able to trust
the races from revealing the location of the base. Knowing the best
places to fight in the forest would just give them one more
advantage against the crodillians when the time came. Every day
they came back with additional maps and put them on the walls in
the Command Room for her and her officers to view. Traps were being
set and updated schematics were put up daily.

Zarah pulled open the library door. “I'm
going to go to my quarters while you all read,” she told them. “I
have books of my own in my quarters and I think it’s time I took a
look at them. I’ve gone through several of the ones here, but I
have a feeling the ones in my quarters will prove useful.”

“We’ll win this rebellion. You’re a great
leader. Without you, I don't know where we'd all be,” Yvette
said.

Zarah smiled. “Thank you, but I can't take
the credit for everything that's happening here. You ten officers
are more to thank than me. It’s you who’ve pulled this base
together. Every one of them is following your lead, not just
mine.”

“No,” Ludwig said. “You brought us here.
When we win this rebellion, it’ll be because of you.
You
brought us together and you’ll lead us through to the end. We
merely assisted you in achieving what you’d achieve without us by
your side.”

Zarah blushed and nodded. “Call me when
you’ve finished. I want to meet back up with you.”

She left the races to learn in quiet.
Library sessions rarely resulted in group discussions until after
time was up. Once that time came, Ludwig shared additional
knowledge that he’d learned on Ares. His knowledge, paired with the
information in the books, was preparing them well for the upcoming
battle. The Queen had risked her life for every single rebel. She
was selfless, and Zarah admired her for that. She knew if she was
caught in the same position of life and death, she’d also choose
death if it meant the rebellion would succeed. Only in such
selflessness could this rebellion amount to anything. Lives would
be lost and she was prepared for hers to be one of them.