The Forsaken Empire (The Endervar War Book 2) (25 page)

Sovereign Farcia muttered. Former leader of the New Terrans

The human greeted her with a nod. Of course, anger would have been the more natural response.

Do you come for revenge? Farcia asked. To torture me? Do as you want. Nothing matters anymore.

She squeezed the fabric around her. She wanted to drive her face into the bedding. But Alysdeon simply shook her head. She touched Farcia’s shoulder and pulled her away from the cloth.

she said.

Alysdeon motioned with her other hand. As she did so, light appeared. Her open palm waved, generating the hologram. Farcia stared up, watching the lambent energy flow. The pixels formed another cloudy haze, before separating into smaller parts and becoming gold. For a moment, Farcia thought she saw stars. They glistened above her, toward the walls and at the ceiling. But as the hologram settled, the true image came into focus. It spun in the air before finally coming to a floating halt. It was the last thing Farcia expected to see. The growing gold left a glint in her eyes.

Alysdeon asked.

They both sat under the hologram, basking in its glow. At first Farcia said nothing. She was too startled by the sight to respond. Still, she recognized the image. Alysdeon felt the truth.

Hearing this, Farcia closed her eyes. Her mind curdled. She was quick to disagree.

No. It’s not just a story, she finally replied. This is the death of my people. The death of my universe.

***

Many had struggled to recall the image. Its exact meaning was lost, and most had simply forgotten it like a dream.

But at one point billions across the galaxy had seen it. The sensation had been created for all sentient life to feel.

Although the Great War was over, Alysdeon had done her best to try to preserve the so-called visions.

The result had created a simulation that now hovered over them. The source material had come from hundreds of alien citizens, all of whom could still recall one detail or another. Alysdeon generated the supporting data. The holographic window appeared, sho
wing the collection of hand-drawn sketches. The styles varied from dots and scratches to feathery lines and blocks. But the unifying pattern was there. Farcia saw the reality. Bits of her origin a now dead empire were contained within.

Alysdeon pointed past the sketches to the full simulation. At the center was a core of gold, and at the periphery was a ring of darkness. With another wave of her hand, the simulation elapsed. The light expanded, while the shadow receded.

In the final few seconds, the two worlds clashed. The darkness was no longer a ring against the gold. As the core expanded, the containing shadow stretched before tearing apart. The broken pieces drifted above Farcia. The darkness was dying the remains of her people and fading in the air. The black and blue pixels diminished, becoming another puff of haze. The destruction then stopped, and the simulation ran its course. The image returned to its original state: the darkness and light were in balance.

Looking down, Alysdeon glanced at the one person who might have an answer. Farcia, however, said nothing. She merely cringed in her bed and stared at the floor. The simulation she saw was no longer relevant. It was all history now. She preferred to embrace the silence. So Alysdeon went on.

she said.

With a snap of the fingers, she swapped the simulation for another piece of history. Farcia heard the rush of the holograms generating.

On the wall were other images. Images of people from various races. Images that spoke. Each one was a testimony, chronicling the experience under Endervar rule. Farcia refused to look. She was learning things she already knew. Clutching the blanket tighter, she sought to avoid her visitor’s glance. She couldn’t hide, however. Alysdeon was reaching closer. Her telepathy was echoing in Farcia’s mind.

It was what Alysdeon had always wondered: Had the Endervars tried to possess the sentient minds of this galaxy?

With nowhere else to go, Farcia let her emotions speak.

Just shards she whispered. Just dead pieces lingering inside. Not fully formed. Not like me

Alysdeon asked.

Farcia gasped. She wished the woman would stop talking and let her be. The questions, however, came, one after another. Alysdeon knelt down next to the mattress’s edge and placed her hand on Farcia’s shoulder.

The telepathy pressed up against Farcia’s mind, asking for an answer.

Farcia thought of that. Of these so-called others.

No she said, her gills dry. Maybe these others did remember something. Of her people. Of the dead language. But not enough. There was no true soul. Not like her.

Corpses she said. No, they didn’t make the transfer. Not entirely.

For these others, the past was a haze. It was a ghost floating through the psyche. The one on Alliance Command was no different. Farcia had only felt the vague outlines of the entity once there. Even so, she had chosen to spare the station. Maybe, she shouldn’t have. Farcia was sick of this. She shook and then shouted against the cloth. Alysdeon pulled back her hand. Soon, she had her answer.

I am the last, Farcia said. The last of the Endervars. You live, while my people are dead

The answer came less from the air and more through her thoughts. Alysdeon heard every word.

One universe? Farcia asked scornfully. This universe is it was never meant to be.

Glaring at Alysdeon, Farcia dropped her guard. She let her hatred speak out.

We were naïve. We should have tried to destroy you. Let you all die.

She referred to the old protocols. Of the previous attempt to contain and manipulate sentient life. Rather than annihilate this galaxy, her people had chosen to try to control it.

A mistake, she said, nearly sobbing. The visions, they were a waste. The attempt to migrate a failure.

The emotion came laced in pain. None of this matters, she whispered. Not anymore.

The thought had become her mantra. And with it, her anger grew. She wished to silence all doubt. She felt justified in every action.

Alysdeon posed the question, only to hear nothing. But she already knew the answer.

Despite Farcia’s attempts, she couldn’t mask every one of her thoughts. More than ever, she was exposed. She closed her eyes. She was done talking and instead sought to ward off any more intrusions.

Seeing this, Alysdeon decided to leave, but not before expressing one last thought.

***

Arendi watched the conversation. She was only several meters away, just outside the guest quarters. Her mind had synced with the Destroyer’s security feed, giving her access to both the visuals and the vitals of the two subjects inside. Through her machine vision, she watched the interaction. On one side was her friend, Alysdeon. On the other was the faceless woman, exhausted on the bed. Arendi knew the dangers, so she watched, vigilant. The scans were running every half second, analyzing, to detect even the smallest change.

Alysdeon’s heartbeat was relatively steady, even when the exchange was tense. She sat down, speaking with her implants, in a calm and curious tone. Farcia was the opposite. The vitals registered fluctuations in her brain and across her nervous system. Arendi saw the spikes in the graph. Despite her condition, the white-haired woman was clearly trying to access her power. She had even made the threat. But all that had done nothing to stop Alysdeon. She exited the room, unharmed. As expected, Farcia was completely impaired.

How do you feel? Arendi asked when Alysdeon emerged. They met in the middle of the hallway as the door to Farcia’s room closed.

Alysdeon let out a breath.

As Arendi had been scanning the target, Alysdeon had been doing the same, but with her telepathy. The hope was to extract the truth from Farcia. So far, there had been some, but much of it lacked detail.

Alysdeon rubbed the side of her arms. For her, the connection had been more than just an attempt to read thoughts.

She shivered, recalling the cold intimacy.

The raw sentiment had left Alysdeon drained. She leaned her back against the wall, closing her eyes, trying to gather herself.

Arendi had heard the exchange, or at least everything that been spoken aloud. She could only imagine the stress.

You shouldn’t do that again, she said. It’s too risky to be around her.

Arendi was more than ready to use the serum again. She could easily have put Farcia into cryogenic stasis and let Alliance authorities handle the rest. In some sense, the mission was already over. They had their captive. Despite the woman’s uncertain health, Farcia was secure. Both of them, however, remained unsettled. Arendi brushed back her hair. There was more at stake. She thought of everything Farcia had said.

Do you believe her? Arendi asked. Is what she said true?

To her, Farcia was still a stone-faced woman but one who was soaked in tears. Alysdeon, however, had peered past the mask of flesh. Straightening her back, her friend breathed in and wiped her eyes.

She sighed, knowing it was strange. She felt sympathy for a killer. Farcia was responsible for the death of billions, including her daughter. But her empathy told her another story. It was the death of an entire universe, an outcome that was now Farcia’s motive.

The war with the Endervars may have been won, but at what cost? Only now were they starting to understand the fallout from age-old conflict.

Alysdeon turned back to the guest quarters and stared at the sealed door. Locked behind it was someone who was both perpetrator and victim. The resulting entity was torn between two worlds.

The old Farcia, Arendi said. Did you detect her? Is a part of her still there?

It explained the affection for Red. But whether or not the host body could be salvaged was unknown. How the transformation had even occurred was all a mystery. This was beyond any of them, and still there were more questions.

In her mind, Arendi pulled up the woman’s vitals. Although the scans could monitor her current health, the rest was alien.

Will she live? Arendi wondered.

Alysdeon shrugged. She had no idea, either.

Her face didn’t show it, but Alysdeon was holding back her misery. Farcia’s sentiments and the memories of death lingered in her mind. She closed her eyes and tried to breathe. For now, there was nothing to do but endure.

Arendi heard this and could only think back to her own last encounter with Farcia. She had only seen the hatred.

Then she succeeded, Arendi replied.

She brushed back her hair and thought of all the victims. In the end, no one had been free of the pain.

Part 3: Sins of My Universe

We began to die.

So a desperate plan was called for.

We realized you were the heart of the universe

So we tried to control you.

Begging for the destruction to stop.

Chapter 25

Date: June 21, 4898 (five years after liberation)

Location: Sentinel Guard, Feradan training facility

Time index: 22 hours 01 minutes 53 seconds

Simulation commencing

He was standing there, next to the window. Between his fingers was a cigarette. He pulled it up to his lips and inhaled the chemical mix. He breathed out the pinkish fume with a long sigh and savored the taste. This was his third cigarette of the hour. The other buds were smothered in the ash tray. The red and white ash was powdered over his fingers and hands. Maybe it was a mess, but he didn’t care. His whole body was no better. His arms and legs creaked as the mechanical gears stretched and settled. Across the armor were flecks of blood. He didn’t bother to look in the mirror, but along the reflection in the window, he could see the vague imprint over his cheek. A large bruise sat on the skin, bloated.

Shit, Julian said, touching the bottom of his eye. He groaned, drawing on the cigarette again. His discomfort vented like the smoke in the air.

Bad day?

Arendi approached from the other end of the hallway. At first she waved, but Julian didn’t see the gesture. She quickened her pace, suspecting that something was wrong. Julian usually smoked only when he needed to relax. Now, however, he looked upset and fatigued.