The Forsaken Empire (The Endervar War Book 2) (39 page)

Arendi came to him, desperate to know:

Why did this happen? she asked. Why did you have to go?

The questions had no good answer and she knew it. Arendi closed her eyes, and stopped in midstep, dragging her feet.

The memory of him tried to console her, but there was little to say.

I don’t know, he whispered. Sometimes things don’t make sense. Sometimes it just isn’t fair.

He said the words, even as he was only a few feet away. Julian walked closer and closer, until he was finally there, within arm’s length.

Arendi shook her head. This was more painful than she thought. She was speaking to this ghost, desperate to hold on.

Rather than reach out, she sniffed and closed her hands.

I said good-bye to you once before. Now I have to say it again.

Her voice cracked as she tried to speak. Arendi would have cried if she could have. Julian saw her pain. Despite that, he smiled again, wishing he could do more. Of course, he could have done many things. They could have relived every moment in the nine years they had known each other. It was a simulation, after all, built from her memories and what she hoped to see. Arendi was tempted to relive those years and ignore everything else. She could hear his voice, feel his presence, and even touch him. But they both knew that she had to let go.

Arendi could only imagine what the real Julian would have said. Maybe it was just an illusion. A fiction that had lasted too long. Nevertheless, the good-bye was real.

I’m sorry, he replied. But don’t be sad. I was lucky to have met you.

Arendi nodded, savoring the moment.

I know. I will always remember you.

Julian smiled. He was certain of that. The long-lost pilot was about to give her another salute. He didn’t want her to agonize or regret his death anymore. But Arendi couldn’t watch. It was too painful. She shut down the simulation. The space in her mind went blank. Her physical body reactivated. For her, it was like coming out of a dream. She gasped, clutching her chest. Arendi shook, and her fingers were numb and tingling. The sensation of a heartbeat was throbbing within.

Julian, she said, thinking of him.

But she was alone. Arendi was inside her quarters on board the Adamant. Her mind had snapped back into real world. Although the pain was there, it began to fade. But if this was closure, she was reluctant to accept it.

She felt the bed under her back, and gathered herself, rubbing her hair. Her combat jacket was on the floor. She was tired, but she had to focus. The whole universe would end if she didn’t act, and she couldn’t let that happen.

The mission, she whispered. That’s all that matters.

She rose from the bed and took her jacket from the floor. With no choice, she tried to push Julian out of her mind and focus on the present. As she put on the armored coat, however, it dawned on her that she probably knew where Farcia was. In her mind, she saw the clue. To her surprise, it connected back to Julian.

Chapter 40

It’s only a guess, Arendi said, but I think Farcia is here. The location where everything changed.

She was inside the Adamant’s command center, pointing to the map. The holoscreen expanded, projecting a location over 150 light-years away. The area was supposedly devoid of any activity. It was a region empty of stars. Twenty-one years ago, however, Farcia had sought to create a bridge back to her people. The experiment with the Unity had taken place here, in the middle of nothingness.

Alysdeon crossed her arms, studying the map. She knew its significance. Julian and the strike force had eventually destroyed the experiment; it had been deemed too dangerous to ignore.

she said.

But I think the experiment still managed to produce something, Arendi replied. Something we haven’t seen before.

There were only a few lines of data to suggest it. But the Defector had uncovered an important detail in her efforts to stop the Unity. Arendi tried to show it now. Over the map, a new object was coming into view. Rays of light beamed down, constructing a loose sketch. The result sculpted a dark-crimson shard of matter. It glowed like a precious stone and looked deceptively small. Alysdeon walked closer, thinking she could lift it with her hand. But it was simply a simulated miniature for the real thing. The actual object was closer to the size of an asteroid, and over a kilometer in length.

Apparently, the bridge to Farcia’s universe was generating this, Arendi said, gazing up at the unknown.

Many more similar-size objects had emerged out of the experiment. Alysdeon watched as a pebbled shadow of red multiplied and grew.

Arendi rubbed her throat. Fragments, she said. Fragments of a dead universe.

She looked on, knowing that the experiment to save Farcia’s home had failed. Instead, the last remains of the old universe had been torn apart to create this: a field of exotic matter.

She didn’t pretend to know its properties, but the Endervars had always proven to be powerful.

It’s made me wonder whether maybe this could be used, she said. Harnessed somehow. The energy might be astronomical in scale.

Although it was pure speculation, she wasn’t the only one with the same thought. The Destroyer was there to join them. His holographic form emerged and sauntered to the middle of the command center, dressed in his antiquated suit. He stared at the objects, studying them, nearly convinced.

Exhume the dead, only to burn them for fuel, he said. Morbid, perhaps, but maybe this is it.

The shards of exotic matter hung above them as if they were ready to be collected and fashioned into something else.

Alysdeon said.

Yes, Arendi said. She believes she can revive her people.

I don’t know whether the Gateway technology is even capable of it, she added. But Farcia feels compelled to try.

Hmph, the Destroyer said. Then she’s a fool.

He shot straight to the real threat at hand. He sensed the nihilism and perhaps the true mastermind behind it all.

The Enforcer, he said. He’s keen on annihilation. I don’t know his motives. But he must be hard at work, building his despicable project. I imagine he’s ready for us. He knows we’re searching for him.

Alysdeon said.

The Destroyer was happy to oblige. He ground his teeth in a wolfish grin. I’ll do more than that, he said. I’ll make sure they pay.

He spoke with a dash of revenge, holding up his fist. He felt justified. This conflict was personal, and the enemy’s objectives were more than clear.

Arendi, however, stood by, not sure what to say. She was hesitant. Maybe even in doubt over what to do.

To fight the Enforcer was one thing, but to confront Farcia They were on a collision course to meet the woman again. This time, it would be in battle.

We’ll set off soon, the Destroyer said. His holographic body then vanished from the room, assuming all was settled.

This was war. Failure was not an option. All existence was at stake. But Arendi lingered behind, thinking there had to be another way.

***

Arendi walked next to the starfighter. The craft was in the corner of the hangar bay, surrounded by the gathering storm.

The repair bots marched across the floor and flew through the air. The machines were busy at work, tugging ship and component out of the cold grip of space. The Adamant had begun the salvage. The flagship was surveying the Defector’s dormant fleet for anything that might be of use.

Arendi heard the clacking and clanging. Sparks flew as several cutting lasers went off. The repair bots were preparing the fleet for combat. She watched, knowing that perhaps it was inevitable. Her gaze wandered, drifting from the army of machines to the starfighter nearby. The Valkyrie was undergoing its own impromptu refit. Arendi was there to consider and install some additional components.

In a way, it was like sharpening a blade. The Destroyer had gone ahead and enhanced the starfighter weeks ago, layering on a new chassis of armor and weaponry over the craft. There was plenty more that could be added. The components were all scattered beneath her, ready to be bolted on.

Arendi, however, worked reluctantly. Her hand grazed the side of the starfighter as she looked down at the floor and at rest of the hangar bay and only saw a chaotic mess. She backed away, sighing. She was aware of the urgency, and still she was in no mood to continue.

Arendi turned around and saw Alysdeon. Her voice echoed over the ruckus as she approached. The four-hundred-year-old woman had a spring in her step.

No, Arendi said, straightening her back. Just looking things over. Trying to stay busy.

Alysdeon nodded. The drum of war rattled through the area. The starfighter loomed over them, perched and ready for battle.

Alysdeon, however, hadn’t come for any of that. She stared squarely at Arendi.

she asked.

It was a simple question with a complicated answer. Arendi didn’t know what to feel. She was both numb and tired but also conflicted. Alysdeon did her best to try to address Arendi’s feelings. She herself had lost many friends to war.

she said.

Arendi replied with a smile. She agreed completely.

I know. We just need to finish the mission, she said. I just wish I knew how.

She walked farther away from the starfighter, leaving behind the components on the floor.

I’ve just been thinking, she said. Before Farcia left, I was trying to convince her to help us. I thought maybe I was close, Arendi explained. If I had said something different. Or talked to her more

She fidgeted with her hands, frustrated. Her voice was indecisive.

If she were just our enemy, then it would be easy.

It was true. Arendi did know Farcia. At least enough to make her stop and think.

She felt strained, contending with all her different thoughts. Her mind had gone over every aspect. Logic was attempting to steel and guide her. Farcia is a killer, it said. A living weapon. The innocent have died because of her. So have friends.

Arendi would never deny that. She had seen the death firsthand. Secretly, she had even vowed revenge.

But Farcia is also the last. The last of her people, Arendi added. If she’s gone, then there’s nothing left. A whole universe will be forgotten. Maybe I’m naïve. Or maybe I feel responsible. I just want to stop the violence, she said. I’m tired of this genocide. I don’t want to hurt her.

Arendi was looking for a way out. A way to make things right. She didn’t know whether it was even possible or whether anyone else would understand. But she had never really been a soldier. Just someone who cared.

Alysdeon listened. She put her hand on Arendi’s shoulder and tried to reassure her.

she said.

Arendi glanced at her friend, confused. Learned? she asked.

Alysdeon pulled a device out of her pants pocket. It was a data chip the same one Arendi had handed off to her before but loaded with newly uncovered information. In this case, it was another source to add to her misgivings.

Alysdeon said.

The old, defunct empire was located in this region of space. The Adamant’s initial arrival point had placed the vessel right within the Ehvines’ original borders.

Alysdeon placed the data chip inside Arendi’s hand.

What is this?

Alysdeon had just received the transmission moments ago over a long-range channel. It included a detailed analysis and a likely conclusion.

Arendi took the data chip and placed it in her wrist. Her machine systems accessed the files, and she read over the diagnosis.

So she’s not dying.

Alysdeon’s eyes glowed with the revelation. The signs had been there all along.

The exhaustion. The vomiting Arendi said.

From what Alysdeon had been told, women from the Ehvine possessed extremely long gestation cycles. It could take decades before the mother might even become aware of her condition.

Alysdeon added.

Arendi studied the files in her mind, startled. She then thought of Red and why Farcia might have sought him out.

Arendi silently nodded. She understood the request, along with all the obstacles in their way.

Do you think Farcia knows? Arendi asked. About her pregnancy?

Alysdeon thought back to the woman and to the reach of her mind. Farcia was a powerful telepath. She must have been able to feel it this new sensation growing within her. Any denial of it, as strong as the urge might be, wouldn’t last forever.

Alysdeon said.

***

The Destroyer couldn’t care less.

What does it matter? he asked. Farcia won’t stop.

He spoke to Arendi, cold and resistant to any hint of mercy. To him, the woman’s pregnancy was irrelevant. He crossed his arms. Don’t let your sympathy blind you, he insisted. The time for pity is over.