Rise of the Resistance (War for Orion Trilogy Book Two) (29 page)

“We need to get out!” Fausto shouted over
the blasts. “I can't get an aim on any of them and I think we’re
just pissing them off.”

“I'll pull the rock into the lava lake.
We'll get on it and shoot them if they follow us through the
tunnel.” Anlon slung the rifle over his shoulder and pulled the
raft, swatting the insects as they swarmed him.

The insects seemed to grow in number,
gathering in large clusters before striking. Anlon pushed the rock
in the lava and hopped on top. He quickly motioned for Fausto just
as the cluster raged towards the raft floating on the lava. Anlon
pushed off the wall with all his might and the rock slowly started
traveling down the river. Fausto leaped forward and crashed down on
his stomach next to him.

The cluster raced towards him and he fired
his weapon, causing many of the insects to drop to the ground and
the cluster to break off, reforming near the top of the cavern.
Anlon looked behind him and saw they were nearing the end of the
river as the cluster came again. This time, they both fired,
killing nearly half of them before they broke off once again. Anlon
didn’t give them the chance to come at them again, jumping on land
as soon as they’d exited the tunnel.

“Guess we know where the goo came from,”
Fausto followed his lead.

“It looked like something locked them up
behind the rock intentionally,” Anlon said.

“Let's hope whatever did, is long gone or is
no threat to us,” he looked around to see where they were at. “We
definitely didn't end up where we should have.”

“I don't think we should've taken the left
tunnel to begin with.”

“I believe my cave is right over there. The
terrain is similar and there is no other wall quite like that one,”
he pointed. “Either way, we made it back safe. Not as close as I’d
thought, but we’ll make it back fine.”

“We're finally going to get off this
planet,” Anlon trudged forward.

“Finally? You just got here. Try living here
for fifty years.”

“I'll pass. I've already seen everything I
want to see on this moon. I've been here far too long.”

Anlon and Fausto walked back to the entrance
of the cave without any further trouble. They could see the four
legged creature off in the distance feeding on several of the
three-headed creatures. They squeezed through the entrance of the
tunnel and back into the cave. Soon, if Anlon had grabbed the
correct circuit boards, they would be off Tartarus. He could see
the joy in Fausto's eyes, though he wouldn’t admit it, and he too
was excited to get off Tartarus, though he was nervous to find out
what’d happened to his friends once he did. Hopefully they were as
lucky as himself.

Jahdiel watched out of the cockpit as she
closed in on the Palace. She could see races roaming the streets,
no longer afraid of the crodillians. Deep down, she knew the peace
wouldn't last for long, they were too bloodthirsty to allow others
to live amongst them in harmony. She’d lived with them long enough
to know they’d never be civilized. They were nothing more than
intelligent, powerful, predators.

Kanti stirred in her seat and Jahdiel turned
to see what the Princess was doing. It was odd she’d just now
become restless considering she’d been silent the entire trip. Her
silence had been a surprise at first, as she thought Kanti would've
put up much more of a fight. The defiance she’d seen in her eyes in
her chambers was no longer there, instead, there was emptiness.
This girl had sacrificed herself to save her friends, which could
ultimately lead to her death. Jahdiel admired the sacrifice, though
it was utterly foolish.

The ship docked in the hangar and the ramp
slowly hissed to the ground. Jahdiel got up and motioned Kanti to
follow her down the ramp and into the Palace. The girl quickly
obeyed and followed in silence through the bloodstained halls. It
bothered Jahdiel the crodillians had been so messy in overtaking
the Palace, but there was nothing she could do about it, not since
being demoted in the eyes of Merikh. The crodillians would do what
they wanted, unless ordered differently from their leader. Soon,
the rest of Orion would look the same, she knew it.

She neared the end of the hallway and opened
the door to the reception room to see Merikh, Kirill, the Queen,
and an abomination. They were all intently looking at the screens
in front of them. The room as eerily silent as she pulled the
Princess forward.

“Here's the Princess you two want so bad.
Who's the experiment next to you?”

“My name is Abdul,” he answered. “I’m a
longtime adviser of the Queen and friend of Kirill.”

“Those two to go together real well,” she
chuckled in amusement. “How'd you survive the initial attack? I
could’ve sworn the crodillians cleared every crevice in the
Palace.”

“I got lucky was all. They passed over me
several times.”

“Kanti,” Kirill walked forward with his arms
out. “It’s so nice to finally see my daughter.”

Kanti backed away. “Some father you are,
bringing me to the enemy.”

“Enemy?” He smiled with a glint in his eyes.
“Why, the crodillians are our friends, Kanti. They aren’t our
enemy.”

“Friends?” She repeated in disgust. “Look at
my mother. She's chained up like some animal when that thing should
be. Look at Orion, it's burning because these monsters thirst for
blood. You call them our
friends
? What kind of sick monster
are you if you can’t see what they’re doing to our home?”

“The Queen is being treated well,” Kirill
glanced over. “She’ll tell you as much. Things are changing. The
crodillians had to show force to get Orion to listen.”

“What's wrong with you?” She asked. “How can
you do this?”

“He’s my ally. Together, we will rule Orion.
Peacefully without confrontation of any kind from those that heed
our commands.”

“Queen Adira was already ruling Orion
peacefully. You're the ones that ended that,” she replied. “Peace
will never come again, no matter how hard you try. Someone will
always want to rebel, and eventually, someone stronger than the two
of you will come along. Once that time comes, you’ll pay for what
you’ve done with your life.”

“Power changes are common throughout
history,” Merikh said. “In this instance, force was need, but
that's not uncommon. Your galaxy may despise us now, but in time,
they’ll come to see it was necessary. There won’t be any thought of
rebellion in a few years’ time.”

“And I'll assume you're the monster in
charge of all the others going from planet to planet killing off
races.”

“I’m Merikh,” he nodded. “And to answer your
question, yes, I would be in charge of those crodillians that you
are referring to.”

“Why’d you bring me here?”

“You're the Princess. Why wouldn't we bring
you back to your Palace? This is where you belong, isn’t it?”

“Well, it’s obvious don't need me,” she
crossed her arms. “There’s nothing I can do to help you. There’s
nothing I’ll agree to do to help you.”

“Oh,” he held up a finger. “But we do need
you and you will assist us in any way necessary. You see, we truly
do want peace in Orion, but we fear the races may not want it at
this moment.”

“And I wonder why,” Kanti huffed. “Oh, I
know! You've been picking them off, one by one.”

“Be reasonable, Kanti. We're trying to make
things better for everyone here,” Kirill’s eyes furrowed.

“Better for everyone, or yourself?”

“It’ll be better for all of those pathetic
races you keep talking about,” Merikh answered. “We're going to ask
you and the Queen to send out a message. You’ll tell them all that
there’ll be peace, and that you and the Queen are perfectly fine
here. In fact, tell them you're guiding us in our decision making.
If they really love their Queen, they'll listen.”

“Tell them yourself. I won't help you.”

“If you don't tell them, and they do rebel,
I’ll burn every last planet to the core,” Merikh’s red eyes came to
within inches of hers and his scaly skin rubbed on her. “No race
will be left standing against me when I'm done.”

“When do you want me to speak?” She
spat.

“We're going to take you out to the front of
the Palace now. You and the Queen will stand side by side. After
you make your speech, we’ll let you live freely in the Palace. It’s
very simple, Kanti. You'll soon see that it's the right
decision.”

Kanti nodded. “Then let's get this over
with.”

“Take them both to the front of the Palace,
Jahdiel,” Merikh ordered.

Jahdiel motioned to them and they both
followed her out of the room. They walked briskly down the bloody
halls until they reached the front doors. A pair of crodillians
swung them open, allowing the three of them to exit the Palace.
Jahdiel turned around to face the two of them, seeing Kanti
whispering in Adira's ear. A grin flashed across her face and the
two of them looked to Jahdiel innocently. They thought they’d been
quiet, but she’d caught every word. Without a keen ear, she’d never
made it up the ranks to her current position.

“I knew you seemed different when I’d picked
you up, Kanti,” Jahdiel put her hand on the humanoid.

“What are you talking about?”

“I’ve learned to keep my ears open at all
times over the years. I heard every word you just told your
Queen.”

“Jahdiel, please don’t stop us,” Adira took
her hand. “You must see we’re only trying to protect our home.”

“I know what you’re doing. I’ve seen
firsthand what the crodillians can do, and unfortunately, I’m
responsible for much of it,” she said. “If there was any way to
change the path I’ve taken, I would. You don’t need to worry about
me trying to stop you. I’ll act as if I didn’t hear a thing.”

“You’re his slave, aren’t you?” Adira
asked.

“It hasn’t always been the way you see it
now. Back in the other galaxy I was respected. I felt wanted, but
now, I’m just a way for him to accomplish his goals. We both know
what’ll happen to me when he’s done.”

“I'm sorry,” Adira said. “I truly am. I want
you to know that before it's too late. If I could take back sending
you through the Black Hole, I would. You didn't deserve it and you
shouldn't be helping the crodillians. It’s my fault we’re in this
position.”

“It's the past. I hated you for a long time,
but recently, I’ve stopped caring. I’ve made mistakes of my own so
I know how easy they are to make. Coming back home really opened my
eyes and now I have to figure out how to make up for them.”

“You’ll find a way,” Adira grabbed her
hand.

Merikh emerged from the doors with Kirill
and Abdul close by his side. He pointed to something out in the
yard and a large camera floated down in front of Adira and Kanti.
Jahdiel took a step to the side, giving a slight nod to the Queen,
just as Merikh motioned for Abdul and Kirill to stand next to her.
The crodillian leader stood next to the Queen and Princess and
nodded.

“Hello, Orion,” he said. “You’re all well
aware of who I am by now. With me today, I have Queen Adira and
Princess Kanti. They’re both living here peacefully with us. Just
recently, we’ve spoken, and we all feel that there may be some
tension throughout Orion. Well, we want to end it and that's why
the Queen and Princess are going to speak to you today.”

Adira turned to face Kanti and then turned
back to the camera. “Races of Orion, I’m truly sorry. I’ve terrible
made mistakes and those mistakes have cost countless lives to be
lost. I was foolish and I thought I knew what I was doing, but I
didn't,” she paused. “Today, Merikh and I
have
talked about
peace. I know you all closely listened to my last message and I’m
glad that you all acted so quickly, though I’m saddened I couldn't
witness it in person.”

Merikh looked over to her and motioned with
his hand for her to get to the point. Adira looked to Kanti and
gave her a quick wink before a grin inched across her face. Kanti's
body shimmered black and turned to a silver humanoid. Before Merikh
noticed, Adira quickly finished her message.

“I regret that you will all have to act on
your own now, as I'm sure I’ll be killed for this. I know you’ve
been hiding and putting together a rebellion. The time for that
rebellion to strike has come. We won’t let the crodillians kill
anymore of our own while we stand by and watch. The time to fight
is now! We
will not
surrender to the crodillians! We’d
rather die than hand over our home to you, Merikh.”

He turned to the Queen and slapped her with
his long claws, leaving streaks of blood streaming down her face.
The leader looked to Camillus and clenched his fists in a tight
ball. The humanoid levitated off the ground and exploded in a ball
of sparks, pieces falling to the ground with clunks. He moved to
the Queen in a swift motion.

“You would all be smart to disregard the
Queen's foolishness,” he glared to the camera, eyes raging bright
red and teeth salivating. “If there is
any
sign of
rebellion, by anyone, we’ll kill every race on the planet and then
burn it to the core. You’re no match against us, and would be wise
to succumb to my request for peace. We’ll be coming to the
remaining planets, and will expect no resistance. Do not test us or
you will see our full fury unleashed upon you.”

The camera cut off and Merikh picked up the
Queen using his telekinetic powers. He turned her and brought her
close to his snarling mouth.

“I bet you didn't know about these powers.
We were saving them in case of something like this. Your rebellion
is hopeless. We’re too strong for the few survivors to stand even
the slightest chance.”

“They'll defeat you,” she grinned with
defiance. “Even with your magic, they'll kill every last one of you
monsters.”

Merikh threw her to the ground and walked
back to the Palace. “You were right when you said you wouldn't get
to see the rebellion. Your life has now come to an end.”