Freedom Saga 2: Freedom's Bell (24 page)

When
the rebels blasted the front gate Zaris stood up. His guards went to intercept
anyone trying to reach the upper levels while his advisors seemed more
interested in saving their own lives. He grabbed his Keiker pike and cawed in
disgust.

“It’s
not looking good,” Shakar said.

“We’re
wounded, but not beaten yet,” Zaris said. “I entrust the battle to you old
friend. I’ll leave this place and regroup our forces on the surface.”

“Of
course my lord,” Shakar said.

Zaris
gripped his pike and ran to the rear area of the throne room. He pressed a
button on the wall to open a secret elevator. As he stepped inside the elevator
closed and moved upwards.

“This
isn’t over,” Zaris said.

* * *

Seles
let the berserk come as she fired an arrow into the center of the enemy fleet.
As a cluster ships exploded the Maidens flew into the fray and destroyed one
enemy craft after another. The enemy fleet moved to surround them but found
they were too fast. Seles closed her eyes and focused her energy before
separating from the other four. In her state the Artemis moved faster than the
enemies could anticipate and blasted them to bits as she passed them. A moment
later the Minerva’s drive sped up and Valis joined in the display of destruction.
After a few minutes the two moved back within the Aegis’s shield and ended
their berserks. The enemy fleet was reduced to less than fifty scattered ships
with a couple hundred Talons.

“That’s
enough,” Valis said.

“I’m
for that,” Seles said.

“They
don’t have anything left,” Kivi said.

“Maintaining
position,” Celi said.

“Going
to standby,” Mira said.

* * *

Vikrit
and Daekon continued directing the forces of the Sicily base. As the battle on
the other side of the planet fell apart the Gold fleets began pulling back. The
Silver fleets regrouped and pushed forward.

“The
tide seems to be turning,” Daekon said.

“Yes
it does,” Vikrit said.

He
glanced at the live feed from the surface on the monitor as it showed the
palace was being overrun.

“You
seem quite interested in that sir,” Daekon said.

“I
waited a long time for him to return,” Vikrit said. “And when he finally did I
prayed he’d have his wrongs righted.”

“Are
you talking about Commander Grigon?” Daekon asked.

“Yes,”
the admiral said. “Our friendship goes beyond loyalty. We fought as fellow
pilots in the first and second Malcovin and Kalaidian wars.”

“Sir,
we’re detecting another fleet of ships coming out of gravity jump,” the Minan
reported. “They’re flying the flag of the Iron navy.”

“Let’s
see what he’s chosen,” Vikrit said.

The
Iron navy aimed for the nearest fleet of the Gold navy and attacked. Admiral
Regelik appeared on the screen.

“It’s
good to see you,” Regelik said.

“What
brings you to our little war?” Vikrit asked.

“Both
of us swore to protect the people of Malcov from all enemies,” Regelik said. “If
you fly with Heaven’s Light then I must follow your lead,” he cawed, “let’s
free our people once and for all.”

* * *

Veda,
Shiken Ka, and Reban were at their stations when the news of the Iron navy
came. They watched their newfound allies help the Silver navy in a pincer
attack on the Gold forces. The few remaining ships on their side of the planet
quickly made their way towards the rest of the fleet.

“Should
we pursue?” Shiken asked.

Veda
shook her head. “There’s no need to. It’s a matter of time before they
surrender.”

“Part
of me is surprised Zaris didn’t try anything rash,” Shiken said.

“If
he used nuclear weapons or detonated gravity drives the Confederation would be
doing what we are right now,” Veda said. “He gambled everything he had on one
last victory.”

“All
stations report damage control is working,” Reban reported. “As long as we’re not
attacked we should be able to get the shields running again.”

“How
are the other ships doing?” Veda asked.

“The
Freedom took some damage,” Reban said. “But none of the other ships suffered
anything major. There are a several casualties amongst the pilots though.”

“Let’s
continue as we were,” Veda said.

* * *

The
Maidens watched the enemy ships as they fled. As they did so the Minerva moved
to the front. Valis closed her eyes and saw the possibilities of the battle
flowing around her. Once she was finished she returned to normal.

“With
the mess down there I wonder if this will turn out well,” Kivi said.

“It
will,” Valis said. “People are people, whether they’re birds, reptiles, or
mammals.”

“What
did you see Valis?” Seles asked.

“I
saw a bright future for the people of Malcov,” she answered. “Like Kalaidia,
they’ll recover and be much stronger in a few years. There’ll be bumps along
the way, but aren’t there always a few?”

“What
does the future hold for us?” Mira asked.

“It
holds a lot of blood, sorrow, and war,” Valis said. “Perhaps the day will come
when I see less of it, but until then, I’ll enjoy each day as it comes. It’s
all we can do to survive.”

“We
will,” Celi said. “We have to see the end to this.”

“You’re
right of course,” Valis said. “Let’s return to base.”

* * *

Zaris
made his way through the secret hallways in his palace. Fear crept into his
eyes as he looked at his wrist computer and saw the Iron navy attacking his
forces. He shook it off and snuck into his opulent bedroom. After stuffing as
much gold and jewels into a bag he glanced out the window and saw the masses
converging from all points on the palace. Cursing under his breath the Malcovin
king ran into the secret hallway and made his way up a flight of stairs until
he reached his last resort. He opened a door and found a secret launching bay
for a single gravity drive equipped Phase Talon. He quickly took the elevator
cord to the cockpit and threw his bag of trinkets into the back room. He sat in
the pilot’s seat and turned the systems on. A moment after the lights went on
they flashed before turning off.

“What
the hell!” Zaris shouted. “What’s wrong with this thing?”

He
heard a tap come from outside. As he poked his head out he saw Grigon standing
there holding his Keiker pike in one hand and the main power circuit in the
other.

“It’s
been awhile Zaris,” Grigon said before cawing.

“What
have you done!?” the king bellowed.

“I
removed the power circuit, that’s all,” Grigon said. “Even and idiot like you
could reinstall it.”

“What
are you saying?”

“I’m
saying come down and fight me like a king should,” Grigon said. “It’s time we
settled our accounts.”

“I
agree,” Zaris said.

The
king slid down the elevator cord and grasped his pike in an offensive position.
Grigon held the circuit up before putting it on his belt.

“It’s
simple, kill me and you can run away,” Grigon said as he took a defense posture
with his pike.

Zaris
cawed. “I’ve waited too long to for this.”

While
the palace shook from explosions Grigon and Zaris circled each other with their
pikes in hand. The two birdmen were grey of feather but youthful from their
graceful steps.

“If
you don’t hurry this place will be found,” Grigon said.

“That
rabble doesn’t know their up from down,” Zaris said.

“You
underestimate them,” Grigon said.

“You
believe in them too much,” Zaris said. “This world has two kinds of people.
There are those who rule and those who are ruled. That’s the natural state of
the world and always has been. Even if that Terran upstart forces democracy on
every race in the galaxy it’ll migrate back to its natural state. The only
difference is who holds the wealth.”

“What
you say has much truth in it,” Grigon said. “But it lacks one inevitable
thing.”

“What
is it lacking?”

“Change
you fool,” Grigon said. “Nothing lasts forever. The world of tyrants is coming
to an end and with it people will evolve. Whether I see the world of peace is a
question I can’t answer, but I’ll try finding it. I made that promise on
Rikai’s grave.”

“That
world’s only a dream Grigon, a mirage,” Zaris said. “I searched for the same
thing and found nothing but a vast emptiness in others. This is the real world
old friend. It’s cruel, mean spirited, and full of suffering. There’s nothing
we can do about it.”

“Perhaps
I’m living in a dream,” Grigon said. “But it’s better to live in a dream than
except the world as it is.”

Grigon
stepped forward and thrust his pike. Zaris met the attack and knocked it aside.
As the king twirled and stabbed Grigon clipped the tip aside and locked poles with
Zaris. The two wrestled with their weapons before knocking themselves away from
each other. The two sparred mightily before Zaris slipped his pike into
Grigon’s left shoulder. The old birdman managed to pull away before the glowing
tip went in too far. As his feathers smoked Grigon groaned in pain.

“I’ll
make you an offer,” Zaris said. “Give me the circuit and I’ll let you live.”

“I
decline,” Grigon said. “The last time I took you up on your offer my family was
murdered.”

“Your
decision,” Zaris said.

The
Malcovin king sped forward and knocked Grigon to the ground. As he went for the
coup de grace Grigon rolled away and flipped to his feet. As he did so his eyes
began flickering blue. Zaris stepped back, unsure of what was happening.

“What’s
wrong with you?” Zaris asked.

“There’s
nothing wrong with me,” Grigon said. “I accept change.”

Grigon
jumped forward with a flurry of thrusts. Zaris couldn’t keep up and was forced
back. As the two neared the wall Grigon hit a button. Behind them opened a
window to the outside. Grigon masterfully rolled around Zaris and thrust his
pike through the king’s shoulder. Zaris fell to the ground and cried out in
agony as he dropped his pike. When he opened his eyes he saw Grigon standing
over him with his pike tip to his neck.

“For
Rikai and all the others I should kill you right now,” Grigon said as his eyes
faded back to their normal color. “I will change this world Zaris. From the
blackened heart you represent to the ideal we seek.”

When
Grigon turned to walk away Zaris grabbed him with his hand and went to pull out
a pulse pistol. Grigon twirled around and thrust his pike into the king’s
chest. As Zaris writhed Grigon kicked the glass from the window. He thrust
Zaris outside and looked him in the eyes.

“You
always were a cheat,” Grigon said.

With
a swing of his pike Zaris fell from the top spire of the palace until he
splattered on the ground below. From the corpse sprang a single coin wrapped in
cloth. As the coin flew free it turned before landing on the ground with a
resounding ring. The face that came up was tails. Grigon’s shoulder began
aching as he limped away.

“I’m
getting too old for this
relk
,” he said before hitting his com. “All
forces are to retreat from the palace. I repeat, retreat from the palace.”

* * *

Admiral
Shakar watched Zaris fall from the palace and stood up.

“All
ships of the Gold navy are to surrender,” the admiral said. “Our king is dead.”

He
looked at the crew around him as he pulled a pulse pistol from his belt.

“All
of you have served me well over the years,” Shakar said. “For that I thank
you.” He placed the pistol to his head. “My fate follows Zaris, farewell.”

Before
his subordinates could stop him the admiral pulled the trigger and blew a pulse
shot through his head. His commander knelt for a prayer before taking the
captain’s chair. He opened a com channel to the Columbia base.

“I
am Commander Ulken, acting head of the Gold navy,” he said. “We surrender.”

* * *

As
Grigon limped back to his Talon he found Dreka waiting for him. His grandson
helped him back into his Talon. He quickly took out a med kit and covered the
wound.

“You
shouldn’t be fighting at your age,” Dreka said.

“And
you shouldn’t be fretting,” Grigon said before wincing.

“What
happened?” Dreka asked.

“Justice
has been served,” Grigon cawed. “Let’s go.”

“Alright,”
Dreka said. “What were you doing in there?”

“Let’s
fly away and you’ll see,” Grigon said.

As
the two flew away the other Talons joined them. All of the foot soldiers and
citizens ran from the palace before a series of explosions rocked the tall
structure. The precision was so exact that it fell on top of the palace
perimeter and didn’t damage the buildings near it. Smoke from the rubble filled
the city skyline.

“You
set those?” Dreka asked.

“What
this world needs are less towers of greed and more fields of happiness,” Grigon
said. “Let’s go Dreka; a new age begins today for our people!”

* * *

Brian
watched the citizens of Malcov celebrating. He went to the console and pressed
the button. The intercom system activated and connected to every communications
device nearby. The sound emerged as the bell rung once more.

“Aren’t
you going to say anything?” Myden asked.

“I
feel cheesy saying that kind of stuff,” Brian said.

“You’re
a
Maigar
,” Jesela said. “Everything you do is cheesy.”

“Alright,”
Brian said before hitting the button again. “To the people of Malcov, I am
Captain Peterson. The bell you hear today is the sound of freedom. No king, no
tyrant, no despot will ever rule over you again. If any should try we will
return as many times as needed until the bell rings forever.”

“Simple
and beautiful,” Myden said.

“That
wasn’t as bad as you think,” Jesela said.

“I
hope their dreams come true,” Brian said.