Void Star (6 page)

     Trevor knew then she might be using him to get the position, but she was quite fetching. And he'd let this happen before. A few times. "Well let's get something to eat, eh?"

     And just like it had happened in the past, the two of them went out for a burger and fries. Trev was mostly led by his libido, but they did have a lot in common.  Well seemed to at the time.

     Like looking through translucent glass, he saw a glimpse of things to come in the burger shack. Their unlikely relationship bloomed from that chance meeting on campus. The aggressive girl who got what she wanted, the tiger under the sheets, the girl with a fiery-hot temper and equally hot passion—the girl he was close to breaking it off with when the unthinkable happened.

     "Is this how it was?" she asked suddenly across from him. The words echoed in his mind as his eyes shot open.

     He was sitting on his cot, the fingers of his left hand resting over her picture. He was sweating even though his room was surprisingly cool. He found the sword that had murdered his father in his right hand. He saw his closet was open, and the sheath stood between the two.

     He had a flash of the worst night of his life—the explosion at the lab that killed his fiancée, his father in a pool of his own blood, the dark figure of his dad's assassin looking at him through his opaque visor—the mysterious killer, the one he continued to look for.

     Trevor clutched the assassin's sword hard until it hurt. He needed to have his revenge.

     Before he knew it, the sword had fallen from his hands and he was balled up on the ground. The tremors were painfully contracting his muscles. When he went to yell in agony, nothing, not even air, escaped his lips. Stabbed over and over again, he winced. Then the hot needles stopped and ebbed back down.

     Another attack. So close in frequency to the last one. Was his disease finally running its due course?

     He had to find his father's killer—before it was too late.

-o-

     Nathan sat watching his ship blow through alien clouds. It was much like flying through weather back at the academy's pilot training. In blind-man drills, you weren't allowed to know where you were going or what lay ahead. It was about instinct, training your senses, facing the fear of what you couldn't see, and coming out on top.

     His eyes felt heavy watching the same clouds pass by. He knew deep down that he'd flown this tired before, yet still, it kept at him. Hounding him. It was like something in the air. He pinched his arm to stay awake—hard enough to draw a bruise. It worked for a moment, then…

     "Nathan! Hold still." His wife was straightening the collar on his Royal Air Force uniform.

     He looked around and found himself at a loss for words. He was at the academy. His wife, Maura, was looking at him and smiling. She was so young, younger than he could have ever remembered, and she was pregnant.  They were backstage somewhere.

     "What's going on?" he asked. He had no idea how he'd gotten there. Wasn't he flying? It was like a distant memory that no longer mattered.

     "Honey, you're about to go on." Maura winked at him, jokingly. "I hope you didn't forget your speech."

     What speech?
was all he could think.

     He felt a pat on his back. He turned and looked into the eyes of his mentor: the Armiger of Earth, Callius. He was a younger man too.

     It was then that he saw his reflection in the mirror; he was a kid. Trevor's age.

     Wait, who was Trevor?

     He had no clue. He did look sharp though. His face was clean shaven.  His military dress fatigues were white and freshly pressed. They had a hint of Maura's laundry detergent smell and starch. He had no rank, but that was about to change.

     "Cadet Sutherland, you have made us all very proud." the Armiger told him. "Top of your class. Cheers, mate. If I'm not mistaken, I may be looking at the next captain of the Royal Air Force."

     Nathan shook the compliment off. "I'm just glad I get to serve my world, sir."

     "He's always so professional." Maura laughed.

     Callius chuckled to himself. "Indeed. Knock 'em dead out there. And in the days to come, watch over my boy, Fox. Lord knows, he only listens to you."

     "I will, sir," Nathan answered. Fox was like his little brother.

     The Armiger nodded and left to go watch his speech.

     "You'll do fine, sweetheart," Maura said. She always had a way of reading him, even when he didn't give anyone something to react to.

     "I know." Nathan kissed his young wife on the cheek. "Go take your seat. I'll be out there in a minute."

     Maura smiled and let him finish getting ready himself.

     In a way, he knew how the rest played out. He gave an inspirational speech about the future of Earth and how it would be a major player in the years to come and he would help lead them into an era of peace.  That the envoy that had made contact with Ruvera was going to bridge the two people together.

     There was a blur in the audience next to his friend Fox and another classmate, Gastoff. A person he should be able to see but couldn’t.  It almost cleared, and then his eyes were drawn elsewhere.

     In this moment, he was just a young kid, who didn't know that right around the bend, the Ruveran Empire would see Earth as a threat, that a war would come, that dark days were all that remained ahead, that Earth would be lost, that his wife and son would be on the very planet as it blew apart, their screams never heard.

     Nathan straightened his lapels, took a deep breath, and finally entered the stage.

     A hand on his shoulder stopped him. He turned and looked into the familiar eyes of his nephew. He was back in his spaceship, flying through a cloud bank. Miraculously, they were still in the middle of it.

     "You all right?" Trevor asked.

     "Yeah," Nathan answered. He shook off the remnants of the dream.

     He must have blinked his eyes for a moment and gone under. He checked and made sure the ship was still fine. When he saw the timer, he noticed hours had passed. Maybe it had been longer than a blink.

     Trevor found his seat, still shaking off his own dream. They were close to the exit point.

     "Want to get everyone up?"

     "Yeah. That's fine." Unconsciously, Nathan felt for his wedding band around his neck. He slid it back under his collared shirt.

     Trevor saw the movement but didn't ask. Instead, he walked back the way he'd just come, turning on the lights and making sure everyone was strapped in. Boost turned himself back on when he heard Trev get the others up. They both returned to the cockpit.

     "Ready?" Nathan called as the timer counted to zero.

     Trevor buckled himself down and made sure his copilot systems were at least on, even if they were on the fritz. "Yup."

     With that, Nathan grabbed the steering yoke and they exited the safety of the clouds, emerging back into the lightning storm.

Chapter 5

     The
Razerus XIII
stood anchored in space, thousands of light years away from Nathan and the others aboard the
Wrath
. It was a testament to Ruveran technology and ingenuity. The
Razerus
was so vast, it had to remain outside of the solar system it was built from to make sure it didn't affect the orbits of the planets. They could potentially be drawn to orbit it because of its huge gravitational pull. Too large to be called a space station or even a space realm or world, it was just
Razerus
, the one-of-a-kind impenetrable domain and home of the Ruveran Empire.

     Dacian Velkas stood and looked out over his achievement. He was surrounded by the bustling members of his command and control center. He was enjoying it, even with all the frenetic activity around him. Currently, there were eighteen Breakers docked, seven of which were being loaded for an attack on the outer world of Cenari. That fledgling world had no idea what was on the way.

     He smiled. It was always exciting right before a world got taught their lesson.

     In the reflective glass before him, he could see his long beige robe. This day. he had gone with the red-and-black sash to symbolize the impending attack on Cenari. His long white hair, thick for a man in his early sixties, hung down his back. His eyes, like those of all full-blooded Ruverans, were a sparkling orange. His smile was crooked and still on display for the moment. Apart from his heart, he was strong and prepared to continue his reign for many years to come. This was his universe. He was the master.

     He thought about going to his private office to watch the attack force depart. He could pour himself something strong, perhaps a gin, and relax. He really needed something to keep his spirits up after Render's terrible failure.

     Speaking of which…

     A familiar ship cleared
Razerus
space. The dark-red craft started its entry course into docking. His light spirits turned dark when he realized what he had to do. His work was never complete—especially when dealing with incompetence.

     Dacian turned from the glass of the window, and one of his men was immediately there, bowing. "Sir?"

     "Ready my ship."

     The faceless soldier scampered off.

     Just as he made to follow, a radio operator stopped him and bowed respectfully. "Master Velkas, I have a troubling report." The operator tried his best to keep his composure near his leader, but it was difficult when his master smelled so strongly of overused cologne and dust.

     Dacian motioned for him to continue.

     The operator proceeded without pause. "
Breaker IX
just called in with a status report."

     "Out with it…" Dacian said patiently. Since Render had lost his latest endeavor, the Void Star, to the Eckelions, he'd been sending everything he had to find out where it had gone. They tortured an Eckelion to death to get the name Cleph'thera, and then they had to find out where the Nymarian was and go after him.

     "They say the Nymarian's ship crashed into a planet, Aquaria."

     Aquaria? One of the worlds they had identified as having a secret Elysian base? Hadn't he sent a Breaker to destroy that world?

     The operator continued as he processed. "Well,
Breaker VI
rifted the planet as directed, though it seems the Nymarian was on board a new craft that got away in time. The two Breakers have conflicting reports of what occurred after, but they both say that the rogue ship escaped into an energy ribbon that they are both combing through."

     That made enough sense,
Dacian mused. "Who rescued the alien? Was it the Elysians?"

     The operator paled. "We don't think so. There is one aboard that has been linked to the Elysians, but it doesn't seem that it is an Elysian craft. Its manufacture has been tracked to Earth. And if the vitals-check they performed are correct, the captain of the ship is Nathan Sutherland."

     Dacian coughed unintentionally. He grabbed the report from the operator's hands. Sure enough, it had a list of the names and aliases, and Sutherland's was there. It was a small universe indeed.

     "Ready three more Breakers and have them prepared to launch in the next twenty-four hours!" he barked.

     "Aye, sir." The operator took off and soon disappeared.

     He stood motionless for a moment and let the information find its proper place for use. It kept going back to Sutherland.

     He was still alive.

     Dacian flicked his hand, and a retinue of guards appeared to accompany him. They left the command center behind and walked down the secret, heavily guarded halls toward his private docking station.

     Black as deepest space, sleek and sharp, his ship stood at the ready. It just looked dangerous as was its intent. The side of the ship boasted a placard, on which was engraved the number of worlds that had been destroyed, enslaved, beaten, or otherwise broken underneath the heel of Ruvera. He would have them add another "I" to the "XXXVII" for the world of Aquaria.

     He scaled the steps and took his seat in his private quarters. His mind flashed back to the last battle with Earth before he ordered its destruction.

     The war with that world had been a humbling experience. They had crushed so many others, it seemed that Earth would be a walk in the park, so to speak. But they fought hard, they never quit, and they were stronger than Ruvera.

     The last battle had him commanding the remaining ship in their fleet. It was nothing like the Breakers were now, but it was a decent ship—and it was breaking apart in the attack.

     And then the thing that changed everything happened.

     "Sir, the rift cannon is online."

     Dacian Velkas ordered its first target.

     The cannon exploded with a single blast. Earth took the hit and, for a moment, seemed to absorb the shock. But seconds later, it burst and disintegrated into dust. Then, with the force of the outward explosion, it pulled into itself and was gone forever.

     The Royal Air Force of Earth drew back, most likely in shock, allowing Velkas to escape. They had no idea how close they had come to defeating the most powerful empire the universe had ever known.

     Now with the lessons he had learned eight years ago, Ruvera would never be vulnerable again. Dacian had used the rift cannon to usurp his father and rule Ruvera. He brought countless worlds under his thumb and used them to build his unstoppable armada.

     So it was interesting to him that the leader of the attack that almost killed him was still alive and somehow involved. Maybe he should have ordered the attack of those worlds known to harbor Earth’s survivors.  Too late now.  He wondered if the old captain had any idea what he was getting himself into.

-o-

     Render disembarked the sharp blood-red ship. The flight crew followed after, sullenly. There was worried talk among them. Letting an Eckelion strike force overwhelm them and losing the valuable object their leader, Master Velkas, wanted was embarrassing to them and the empire—especially after all the work it took to recover it from that primitive Salarian world, Vale.