The Beginning of the End (Universe in Flames Book 4) (3 page)

That gave Chase an idea. “No, you’re right, it won’t. I have a better idea.”

Chase took mental control of the StarFuries and launched them at once.

“What are you doing?”

“Getting the hell out of here and buying us some time.”

“But you just said we couldn’t outrun them with sub-light speed.”

“We’ll jump out of here.”

“Chase, you’re not making any sense. We can’t jump.”

“The StarFuries can.”

“So shouldn’t we be on board them instead of having them out there?”

“They will open the hyperspace windows.”

“Chase, the StarFuries are too small. The
Iron Fire
will never be able to ride inside the corridors they create.”

The ship rocked and half the people on the bridge crashed to the floor.

“If you have a better idea I’m all ears, but right now I can’t think of anything else.”

“This is suicide.”

“Perhaps not. I’ll try using my powers to widen the corridors.”

“Can you
do
that?”

“We’re about to find out.”

Chase heard Ares in his mind.

No, Chase, you must not use your powers in space.

I have to. If I don’t we’ll all die here and this was all for nothing.

I don’t think Argos wants you dead. The fact that he disabled your engines and didn’t go full power on his first attack is suspicious.

Nevertheless, we’ve seen firsthand how he treats his prisoners. I’m not surrendering. But I agree, something doesn’t add up. I can feel it. I don’t think he’s acting of his own volition. But in the end it doesn’t matter. We have to try something.

I hope you know what you’re doing.

Chase didn’t answer. Not only didn’t he know what to say, but he had no idea if his plan was even within the realm of the possible. But it was the only way to escape the immediate threat.

He sent one StarFury to fly in front of the
Iron Fire
, while the other vectored towards the armada, trying to catch some aggro and to test a theory. As expected, Argos started firing on the starfighter, which made little sense since it was absolutely no threat. Was Argos acting against his will by attacking them? He felt no deception from him when he promised to let them go, so this sudden change made no sense. Perhaps it had something to do with the Furies. Nevertheless, Chase had battled with Argos’ forces for long enough to recognize that he wasn’t using the full power of his fleet at the moment and his strategies seemed weak at best, as if he didn’t want to destroy the
Iron Fire
.

“Shouldn’t we be dead already?” asked Sarah.

“Yeah, something is up. I don’t think Argos wants the
Iron Fire
destroyed. He must be putting on a show, trying to convince the Furies he is at least trying. So let’s give him a good one.”

“That makes no sense. Why would he fire on us but try to spare us?” asked Daniel.

“You know what, I think I’d better ask him.”

“You’re gonna do
what
?”

“I’m going to ask him.”

Chase reached for Argos in his mind.

What do you want, Laiyos?
said Argos when he felt his brother within his mind.

Why are you holding off? But, most importantly, why did you start shooting at us?

There was no answer.

They asked you to, didn’t they?
said Chase

Yes. I hate when I need to break my word. I promised you would be able to take Sarah and your unborn child out of here. I owed you that much for your help today.

Glad you think so. So what’s the plan here?

Why aren’t you out of here already?

Your first volley took us by surprise. Our shields were down and it disabled our hyperspace engines.

Chase detected a little compassion behind the words of his brother and it really troubled him. Even though he understood the pride behind keeping one’s word, it was Argos, after all. Why did he care so much? They were still arch enemies, after all. Or were they?

Let me ask you something. You really wanted me by your side, didn’t you?

I don’t know what you’re talking about, brother.

Don’t play coy. We’re the only ones talking here, so you don’t need to appear tough for anyone else. I felt something when I left your ship. I thought it was fear but perhaps it was something else.

Get a grip, Laiyos, you mean nothing to me. Like I told you, I just don’t like being told what to do, especially if that means breaking a promise I’ve made.

Chase knew he was talking with Argos’ ego right now and there was no way he would admit that his decision could be based on anything else. Still, he could clearly sense Argos didn’t want to destroy the
Iron Fire
.

Argos, I have a plan to get me and my friends out of here and make it look like I outsmarted you. But I’m gonna need your help.

Argos growled.
I’m listening.

*   *   *

The StarFury was nearly upon Argos’ fleet. Chase targeted the ship he was about to destroy, with Argos’ help. He fired all four drones in shielded torpedo mode towards it. The fleet tried to destroy the drones but their shields held up and they exploded on the target’s shield in quick succession, their quadrinium-enhanced core successfully draining the ship’s shields. Not enough to fully disable them, but enough for the next part of his plan.

Chase overloaded the StarFury’s engines and micro-jumped the ship towards the targeted Zarlack destroyer. The starfighter jumped into the capital ship and exploded at its center, creating a chain reaction of explosions that took the capital ship out, which in turn created a powerful shockwave that damaged the surrounding ships. With that out of the way, Chase concentrated on the other StarFury and activated its jump engines. Just when it was about to create a hyperspace window the StarFury was hit with a powerful yellow plasma blast that came out of nowhere and destroyed it.

“Fuck! What was that?” shouted Chase in frustration.

“The shot came from the planet,” said Sarah.

A few more shots hit the
Iron Fire
and sparks flew inside the bridge as the lights blinked for a few seconds.

Dammit, the Furies are taking things into their own hands.

As the
Iron Fire
received more pounding from the planet, its shields drained quickly. Chase’s mind raced to find another plan, but he was quickly running out of options.

“Keera, I don’t suppose you’ve managed to restore the jump engines already?”

“Not only haven’t we managed to repair them, but the last impacts have destabilized half the ship’s power conduits. The shield generators are fluctuating dangerously.”

“What do we do now?” inquired Daniel, his voice trembling.

“Abandon ship. Everyone to the
Valken
. Once on board we’ll jump out of here.”

Chase hated the idea of losing the
Iron Fire
, but he could no longer see an outcome that could save his ship. He briefly thought about using the
Valken
to open a hyperspace window for the
Iron Fire
to ride, but surely the Furies would dispatch it before it could get into position, as they did the StarFury a moment ago. In fact, he wasn’t even sure they would have time to board the
Valken
in their current predicament. Another shot impacted the starboard shields and one of the consoles on the bridge exploded, confirming his fears: the ship was seconds away from being blown to bits.

“Tar’Lock, bring your party to the
Valken
at superspeed.”

“On our way. See you there.”

Before anyone could say anything on the bridge, Chase grabbed Sarah, Fillio and Daniel, and erected a force field around them just before the next shot took out power in their section of the ship, effectively disabling the force field that was holding pressure within the bridge’s viewport, thanks to Argos’ punching through it earlier. Chase took his friends through that same hole, punching a bigger one on their way through and flew towards the cargo bay, dodging incoming fire from the planet on his way.

He ignored Fillio’s screams, but understood how disorienting it must have been to be flying in outer space outside a ship.

They arrived at the
Valken
at the same time as Tar’Lock, Keera and Ryonna. They boarded the ship when all hell broke loose. Everything around the
Valken
exploded and the ship was rocked pretty hard. Keera fell and hit her head hard against the nearest bulkhead.

“We’re not gonna make it,” shouted Tar’Lock.

Chase expanded his mind, found the
Valken
’s computer with his thoughts and blindly jumped the ship at the exact moment the
Iron Fire
was obliterated in a fiery display of successive explosions.

Argos stood with a blank expression on his face as the
Iron Fire
exploded into a million pieces. A sense of dread filled his soul and he was taken by surprise by the wave of emotion his brother’s demise brought to the surface.

“Master, we’ve received a transmission from Erevos. They want you to report to the planet’s surface at once,” said his communications officer.

Argos exhaled deeply, knowing this would not be a pleasant meeting. Argos hadn’t expected the Furies to fire from the surface. He would have to find a way to explain how so many Zarlack capital ships couldn’t destroy a measly ship like the
Iron Fire
.

He left the bridge without another word, took the
Dark Star
and vectored towards the surface to the coordinates provided, well within the currently dark side of the planet. His ship rocked a little upon entering the inhospitable atmosphere of Erevos. Bright lightning ignited quick flashes of light inside the cockpit of the
Dark Star
while heavy rain relentlessly poured on the cockpit’s viewport.

Memories of Argos’ childhood with Laiyos came to him while he piloted his ship towards the planet’s surface.

Was Laiyos really dead?

And if he was, why did it bother him so much? He tried to convince himself it was because he had given his word they would be spared. But deep inside he knew that was not the only reason. A lightning bolt nearly struck the front of his ship, illuminating the cockpit brightly for just a moment. Argos could see his reflection in the glass. Except he saw his brother’s face instead.

You’re still alive, aren’t you? Good for you.
You’ve always been annoyingly resourceful. At least you’re consistent.

Argos smiled slightly to himself as he vectored his ship towards the landing pad atop one of many tall building in the metropolis below. Even with the very harsh weather conditions he could see the massive and breathtaking city in every direction, as far as the eye could see. Many craft of different sizes and shapes were flying all around, providing a mesmerizing light show. The blurred lights emanating from buildings farther away gave the metropolis an ethereal quality. As he exited the
Dark Star
he was greeted with a nasty, rough sand-and-rain storm. It didn’t take long for him to erect a force field around himself to deflect the offending weather elements. He walked the ramp separating his ship from the building’s entrance. It was a very angular and massive structure that towered over the rest of the megapolis around it. Clearly some sort of headquarters, thought Argos as he stepped through a door that dematerialized upon approach and rematerialized once he was in. As he walked some red lights appeared in midair, floating and lighting his way a few meters in front of him as well as behind, casting ominous red tones on the dark gray walls around him. He soon arrived at the end of the corridor where a shiny red circle was drawn on the floor.

Argos looked at it just long enough for a voice to be heard. “Please step on the platform for transport,” said the synthesized voice.

Argos entered the circle and was teleported with a hum to somewhere else.

He stood in a large room with a very high ceiling. On each side lines of Fury soldiers extended for a few hundred yards, after which stairs lead to a throne platform, towering above the enormous room. As far from it as he was at the moment, Argos had no doubt Supreme Commander Arakan would be sitting on the throne. The soldiers all saluted synchronously as he walked down the path to the bottom of the stairs. As he passed by, soldiers on each side illuminated their red auras and their eyes shone red. Some sort of official military welcome, thought Argos. Even though they were his brethren, he felt uneasy with the display. At the top of the stairs he saw the throne room, and the soldiers disappeared, leaving him alone, looking up at the throne where Arakan sat and looked down at Argos.

This entire room must be a giant holographic display.

“Come closer, Argos,” said Arakan. His voice was low and throaty.

Argos arrived in front of the throne. Then he noticed another Fury standing behind the throne in the shadows. Argos wondered if the throne was real or also a projection.

The second Fury took a few steps into the light. He was an imposing man, taller than Argos, with short, orange hair and piercing yellow eyes.

“Kneel in front of your master,” said the warrior.

Argos took a knee and lowered his head.

Arakan spoke. “I don’t really know if I should congratulate you or kill you where you stand.”

Argos’ blood froze as fear engulfed him.

“Surely I have accomplished my mission, Master.”

“A little on the late side, but I suppose you have, and that is why I’m considering letting you live.”

Argos couldn’t help but swear in his mind. He had devoted the last ten years of his life to freeing the Furies from their captivity and this was the thanks he got?

“Do you have anything to say on the matter, Argos?”

Argos needed to take a stand or things could get out of hand, so he rose and looked straight at the supreme commander’s eyes.

“I have done as you asked. You’re now free from the dimensional prison the Olympians had trapped our people in ten thousand years ago. I’d think you would grant me leniency for the small delay it took me to accomplish this goal.”

“Spoken like a true Fury. I suppose you are correct, but then you didn’t destroy the ship in orbit as ordered.”

“My brother is a resilient Fury, his flying skills—”

“Enough! Don’t try to find excuses.”

Supreme Commander Arakan rose and waved a hand.

A giant holographic projection appeared in the middle of the hall. It showed the battle that had just happened between the Zarlack destroyers and the tiny
Iron Fire
. Argos turned around and looked at it.

“Mind explaining how a small ship like this could not be destroyed in less than a minute?”

Argos swallowed hard. He had to make a choice, either stand his ground or crawl in fear and hope he would be forgiven. Neither choice was appealing but he decided upon the former.

With a look of determination, he turned back to face Arakan’s interrogating gaze. “I had given my word to my brother that he could leave this place alive! Perhaps it’s a concept that is unknown to you, but I keep my promises. Your renewed presence in the universe should be proof of that.”

“So you decided to disobey a direct order from your commander in chief?”

“You’ve destroyed the ship anyway, so what does it matter?”

“I don’t like your tone, Argos. Tread carefully.”

“I apologize for any disrespect, Master, but I have bled and fought to bring you back here, thanks in part to my brother’s help in acquiring the Pandora stone and bringing me an Olympian to make the dimension portal work. In exchange for his help I promised him safe passage for him and his friends.”

“Why would you do such a thing?”

“To bring you back as early as possible. Forgive me if I was mistaken, but I thought that was why you required my help in the first place. And if I may add—”

Argos was interrupted by the second Fury. “You may not!”

Arakan raised his hand again. “Let him speak, Miseo.”

Miseo took a step back and apologized. “Sorry, Father.”

“Continue,” said Arakan coldly.

“My brother and his friends are inconsequential now that you’re back. They will be defeated shortly. So whether they died today or in a few days or weeks, what’s the difference? They cannot possibly hope to defeat us now, so I really don’t see why keeping my word was such an offense.”

Arakan stood from the throne and approached Argos. His corpulence was impressive, and his ornate body armor and black cape made him look larger than life. The multiple scars across his face increased his already overwhelming presence.

He raised a hand and a column of red light engulfed Argos. Instantly the gravity increased tenfold and Argos had trouble standing. The beam intensified even more and he felt a tremendous pressure inside his body, accompanied by excruciating waves of burning pain. Argos felt that each bone and internal organ was being pressured to the limit of shattering or exploding. The level of burning pain was so strong that he couldn’t try to counteract the effects of that crushing wave.

“Listen very carefully, Argos. I can crush you anytime I want and there is nothing you can do about it. I do not like my orders to be defied, questioned or interpreted. If you didn’t want to destroy the ship, you should have convinced me when you received the order, not accepted them and then defied me behind my back. This is the first and last time this ever happens; are we clear?”

When he thought his body couldn’t take it any longer and would shatter under the pressure, the pain stopped.

Argos fell to the floor, panting heavily, blood spilling from his nose, ears and mouth. It took him a moment to muster the strength to speak. “Understood, Master, please forgive me.”

“Because you have accomplished your primary mission, I will overlook this act of defiance. Bear in mind I will never be so lenient again.”

Argos nodded as best he could as he tried to rise to his feet.

“Now, we need to discuss the next phase of our plans. We are running dangerously low on resources. We need to get enough quadrinium and a few other rare minerals to start building a fleet of ships. What’s the status of your Zarlack fleets?”

“I have more than enough ships to get you as many resources as you require.”

“Where can we find it in abundance?”

“Droxian space is the richest in quadrinium deposits, but I would avoid it, at least for the moment. They are a formidable enemy that thrives on war and they rejoined the Earth Alliance, so they would get help if they were attacked. While a victory could be achieved with the ships I have left, we would incur heavy losses and squander too many ships in the process. I propose we start by attacking smaller systems and draining their resources until we have enough materials, then Droxia will be a much easier target to deal with.”

“Thank you for assessment. My son will take over a ship currently in orbit and finish the job you couldn’t.”

“What do you mean, Master? The
Iron Fire
was destroyed.”

Arakan pointed to the center of the hall and again a giant holographic projection appeared. It showed the yellow plasma fire impacting with the
Iron Fire
in slow motion. “Here,” said Arakan, pointing towards the
Iron Fire
’s cargo bay. A quick blue flash could be seen just a fraction before flames engulfed the rest of the ship, blowing it into a million pieces.

“This is a hyperspace window. They’ve escaped!”

“Then let me track them for you. Let me redeem my earlier mistake, Master.”

“No. My son will track them and eliminate them.”

Arakan looked at his son. “Take a single ship and one of our starfighters and go now.”

“Very well, Father. They will be dead by day’s end.”

Miseo pressed a touch control on his armor and teleported out of the throne hall.

“Laiyos is a very resourceful Fury. One ship might not be enough.”

“Miseo is ten times the Fury you will ever be. I have faith he will complete his mission.”

Argos wasn’t accustomed to being treated with so much disdain and it made his blood boil.

“Yes, Master. What are my next orders?”

“You will make sure we get the resources we need to start building ships right away. Those are your orders.”

“Will I still be allowed to command the first Fury fleet and crush Earth and its allies when the time comes?”

“You have deeply disappointed me today. You should feel lucky just being permitted to live one more day. As for the fleet, we shall see if you are given command. But if you even want the slightest chance of this happening, remember that nothing short of total obedience will be required of you.”

Argos started to wonder if perhaps he should have listened to his brother when they were younger. Laiyos was always against this plan to help bring back the Furies. Until now Argos never understood why, but he was starting to question his beliefs. However, now was not the time to openly display doubts; so he brushed the thoughts away.

“Absolutely, Supreme Commander.”

“Now leave and bring us the resources we so direly need to crush our enemies.”

Argos bowed. “Thy will be done.”

He quickly healed himself and walked down the stairs.

Not the hero’s welcome I expected. How dare they treat me like a second rate citizen? They would still be trapped in another dimension if it wasn’t for me.

Argos went back to the
Dark Star
and left Erevos’ atmosphere with anger and hatred boiling in every fiber of his being.

*   *   *

When the
Valken
exited hyperspace sparks flew inside the ship. A wall console exploded and started a fire. Wailing alarms resonated within the ship.