Wrath of Acquisition, page 4
Halfar pulled a chip from the small insert of his jacket and placed it on the data platform embedded in the table. The battle feed from before played. Rass leaned forward, getting a closer look. Kur crossed his arms. Halfar could see his fingers digging into his forearms. When the feed neared its end, Halfar paused it.
Romnus reached into his cloak and pulled out a small orange fruit. He rolled it in his hand for a while before taking a bite. Its juice wet his lips and he licked it off slowly. The fruit was mildly poisonous, like a neurotoxin, causing paralysis in most. It only calmed Romnus slightly, acting as a sedative if he took too much.
“I am requesting three armada ships for the scouting party to show a force of might.” Halfar waited for an answer. Romnus appeared to ignore him. “Cousin.” He said sternly.
Romnus glanced over at him, still chewing the rest of the fruit he shoved in his mouth.
“That would only add fuel to the fire.” Romnus used a finger to remove any excess juice from his lips. “What good is a scouting mission if the goal is a fight? Cousin.”
Halfar looked at the shadow lurking in the dark corner.
“How long are you going to keep quiet? I’m sure you have an opinion.”
The figure moved into the light. Farin, his daughter, now Queen of Azrom, was beautiful as ever. A prominent belly protruded beneath the dark robes. Eyes like her father amid her mother’s features gleamed.
“How did you know I was here?” She seems perplexed.
Romnus laughed. “You’re not as stealthy as you think.”
“I knew the moment you entered.” Halfar smiled. “It’s good to see you, my child.”
Farin blushed. She walked over to the table maneuvering past Kur and hugged Halfar,
“It’s good to see you too, father.” She stayed standing. “As for my opinion. I think a small battalion is ideal. The goal is not to pick a fight but avoid one.”
“If they listen,” Rass said.
“And they don’t look like they would,” Kur added.
“If it all goes south, we go back in with true Azrom power.” Farin rubbed her belly. “As an alliance, we can’t have New Lassa seen as weak.”
“I understand that,” Romnus replied, heatedly. “This seems like the wrong tactic.”
“Hit hard or not at all.” Kur said.
Rass sat back. “But there lies the dilemma. We have no idea what reinforcements they have.”
They remained silent not looking at each other. Halfar finally spoke.
“So what is your answer?”
Romnus stared at him with disinterest. He could sense Farin tense up behind her father.
“I’ll have to think about this. The last thing Azrom needs is another war.”
“Yet, it will come to you whether you want it or not.” Halfar stood. “I can find a guard to escort me back to the gate.”
Farin grabbed his arm, stopping him from moving. “You’re not leaving!” Halfar turned to her. “You haven’t visited my son or the rest of my people.”
“If the Supreme Ruler agrees, I would love to stay and visit for a day or two.”
Romnus glared at him. “Tread carefully, cousin.” Farin slowly turned her gaze on him. “It’s not even a question. Of course you can stay. What are you implying?”
“Nothing at all. Cousin.”
“Really?” Kur said exasperated. “This game the two of you play is getting stale.”
“Has,” Rass retorted.
Halfar took his daughter’s hand in his. “Lead the way.”
As the two left the room, Halfar peeked behind him at the feed frozen in midair. Rass reached over and hit the replay.
Good. See what I see.
**•**
A transmission came through the gate console and the operator skimmed the contents. It was a message Halfar had been waiting for. He copied the feed on to one of the tiny recording chips before paging another guardian to come retrieve it. The handoff complete, he resumed his tasks. He had some anxiety about the upcoming mission.
While he calculated how to maneuver the vortices, he wondered if Halfar still had the same burning desire for carnage as he did when he was supreme ruler of Azrom. As much as the operator despised him, he understood Halfar’s needed expertise.
“Don’t let anyone stop you,” he called out to the other guardian already yards away. “That message is important.”
The guardian waved a hand in the air as acknowledgement. He made his way to the commons where Chardon and Halfar resided in their personal chamber. Using his knuckles, he tapped on their door. Halfar flung the door open, startling the guardian.
“What brings you here so early in the day?” Halfar did not look pleased.
Wearing only a pair of leggings, his hair in disarray, he appeared to have just rolled out of bed. His murky green eyes bore into the guardian.
“I am to deliver this urgent message from Azrom.” The guardian held out the chip.
“Oh.” Halfar’s demeanor changed. He smoothed his hair back with both hands. “Give me a moment.
He shut the door. The guardian heard muffled voices and people moving around. He waited patiently in the hall. When the door finally opened, Halfar was dressed with Chardon walking up behind him.
“Give it me.” Halfar held out a hand. The guardian placed it in his palm. “Thank you. I am grateful. Please wake the rest of the council and have them meet us in the war room.”
The guardian bowed and left the commons. He too didn’t like the idea of their leader sending a scout party to hostile territory. Haven’t we suffered enough? Back outside, he looked up at the yellowing sky signaling daybreak. This was not Lassa. He sighed and continued walking. No need to dwell on the obvious any longer.
By sunrise, everyone involved with the mission were gathered in one room. Halfar had already read the message. He sat next to Chardon at the center of the table. Jaron came in rubbing her eyes. She sat across from Talas who had already downed one glass of his breakfast drink.
“What is so dire that we had to crawl out of bed at the crack of dawn?” She stretched while yawning.
“My request for three Azrom ships has been approved.”
“Then the planned mission is a go,” Talas exclaimed in delight. He clapped his hands together and eyed Jaron on the other side. “Are you ready?”
Ambassador Lombis clasped his hands together on the table. “I have sent a secured message to the ruling planet in our system. They await your arrival.”
“Our political councilman and I will be on the first ship to negotiate along with energy users. Trinon and Und will be the leads on the second ship in case a fight does break out. The third ship will have most of the weapons to lay cover fire if it gets nasty.”
“Huh.” The head of science’s mouth downturned. “A three tier mission. I like that. Would you mind letting me ride along? I want to get more data on their tech.”
Ganna immediately protested. “If that’s the case, I should be going as well!”
“Absolutely not.” Chardon didn’t yell, his harsh tone effective. “We need you here to coordinate any emergency actions.”
She almost pouted. Talas fought back his anger. He never liked her either. Could never trust her. Every time something sinister happened on Lassa, it always led back to Ganna. He looked away from her and met Jaron’s gaze. She had the same look on her face. They both fell in a silent disdain.
“I want detailed reports.” Chardon leaned against the table. “The more information we get, the better. If possible, get a hostage.”
General T’Halgar’s head snapped up in horror. “You can’t be serious!”
“They would probably die first than be taken by their enemy.” Emperor Xanic said.
Halfar’s eyes narrowed. He felt the bloodlust fill his veins.
“All the more reason to capture one.”
The three aliens flinched at the expression on his face. Talas tilted his head to one side as he took at the former ruler’s demeanor. Oh, yes. He was coming on the mission.
No doubt.
Bad Blood
Three Azrom armada ships waited on the outskirts of New Lassa’s stratosphere for their crew to be beamed up. Each one spanned close to three hundred meters in length and fifty meters wide. Their dark metallic gray hulls were accented with maroon markings beneath the Azrom symbol. Purple lights ran down their length on both sides.
On New Lassa’s surface, four blocks of fighters and representatives stood in formation. The two on the end were split at the center with Trinon commanding one group and Und the other. Talas, Chardon and Halfar led the center block and the third were a group of energy users led by Jaron’s second in command along with the head of science. Behind him were General T’Halgar and Ambassador Lombis.
Halfar tapped his wristband and it blinked blue.
“Ready for transport.” He waited for a response.
“Commencing retrieval. Stand by for allocation of the first ship.”He turned to Talas and nodded.
Behind them, the political advisor fidgeted with his robes.
“Nervous?” Talas smiled at him.
“What?” The advisor smirked. “Pfft! Not at all. I was just thinking maybe I should have worn my short sleeved robe in case I had to fight after all.”
“It’s too late now,” Halfar said.
A wide beam of light shot from above and engulfed Talas’ group. Each person disappeared as it narrowed into a thin line. When the blinding light died, they found themselves in the main docking area of an Azrom ship.
“Let’s get ready for departure.” Talas led his group down the corridor towards the bridge.
He could see the other groups get beamed up to their designated ships as well.
**•**
Jaron and Ganna watched from the lookout on the hillside. Both had grim expressions on their faces. A sick feeling came over Jaron and she mentally pushed it away.
I have to think positive!
“This is going to end badly.” Ganna’s outburst somehow echoed in the wind.
“How about not sending bad omens to our people as they go into unknown territory.”
Ganna rolled her eyes. “No need to get testy. I was merely stating the obvious.”
“That’s part of your problem,” Jaron seethed. “Not everyone wants to hear that.”
Ganna turned from the ledge and made her way down the narrow walkway.
“I’m going to prep for incoming wounded. No need to fumble that protocol.”
Jaron spun around and was blocked by Modas. She hadn’t heard the manbeast approach. She never did. Modas towered over her.
“Don’t. It’s not worth it.” Hands clenched, Jaron nodded. She knew better than to let that woman get to her. “Everyone will come back alive.”
“But not unharmed.”
“No.”
**•**
Trinon did a walkthrough of the ship to get familiar with its features. Und had reluctantly followed, seeing the benefit. He was miffed that Trinon was the one to suggest it first. Did it really matter? The manbeasts and fighters in their charge steered clear of their verbal attacks on each other. Trinon ducked around the arch of a high beam and continued down the corridor towards the weapons room.
“So, great superstar of manbeasts, are you about satisfied with your inspection?” Und’s voice was filled with venom.
“What does that mean?” Trinon glanced behind him at Und. “And it’s not MY inspection. If things get bad, we need to know where everything is.”
“Of course. You are always so observant.”
The condescending tone was not lost on Trinon.
He let out a loud sigh.
“I am not going to fight with you, Und.”
“Good. Then don’t assume you know everything and dictate what my unit needs to do.”
“I never…” Trinon was not allowed to finish.
He saw Und turn around and went back towards the main cabin. At the cross section he veered off course for the weapons bay. The amount of weapons could determine if they got out alive.
Brute Force
Small projectiles fired from an angle outside the vortex rim rained down on the left bow of the armada ships as they eased out into the system’s main planet space. Red and gold lights criss crossed between the enemy ships holding position in an arc around the planet and the military forces defending it. Land to space weapons fired at will knocking a few of the enemy ships out of orbit.
It wasn’t enough.
There were at least fifty enemy ships bombarding the surface. Talas was certain there were ground troops causing destruction. The armada ships had the advantage due to their unexpected arrival and size. The puny rounds merely left scorch marks on the hull where they hit. The ships cruised forward to find a landing on the surface. Halfway there, he decided on a different strategy.
“One of these ships needs to stay in orbit,” he addressed the head of science.
“We would be sitting wide open!” The man balked.
“True, but this ship has more fire power than the enemy. They are not going to stop fighting just so we can plead with them to do so.”
“The whole reason for the mission…”
Talas held up a hand to stop him. “Our forces will transport down. You will get to see the planet up close and personal.”
“And you?”
“As much as I want to get my hands wet, I will stay here.”
“Fine.” The science leader turned from him and headed to the transport bay. “I wish you luck.”
Talas’ lips went thin. He stared at the massive amount of firepower pummeling the planet. It was nonstop; relentless. The other two ships sped passed a group of enemy ships and punched through the atmosphere in fiery glory. To his dismay a handful of enemy ships followed, training their weapons on the ships.
The bridge rocked, tilting hard to the right. Alarms went off and the overheads flickered. He managed to keep his balance. The main screen changed to show a group of ten enemy ships had turned so their weapons were dead locked on the armada ship. Talas glared at the screen.
“Damage report?” He called out to the technician.
The tech turned his head so fast, Talas almost thought it would keep going one hundred and eighty degrees. A look of terror covered his face.
“There’s a breach in the hull!” He pointed to a group of smaller enemy ships clamping on. “They're attempting to board!”
“Have the science leader and all the energy users been transported?”
“Yes.”
A sinister smile spread on Talas’ face. “Good. Lock down the bridge. Send the order for our soldiers to assemble near the breach.”
“Of course.” The tech went back to focusing on his station.
Talas motioned to the five soldiers standing near the doors. They nodded and went out before him as the doors slid open. Guess I’m going to get to play after all.
**•**
The first armada ship managed to land at the capital where the majority of the attack was occurring. It seemed the enemy was dead set on wiping it out first. The main building was already in ruins from multiple rounds over the past year. Royal guards were barely keeping the enemy at bay. Chardon and Halfar met the representatives racing out of the ship and took cover near a group of fighters positioned by a stone staircase that led up to the top of the building.
General T’Halgar pointed to a man perched near the top, laying rounds of laser fire onto the enemy below.
“That is His Majesty Cogar Wenthril!” He called out. “I have never seen him outside the palace in a battle.”
Hearing his name and title called in the hot wind, the ruler of the planet glanced down at them, his hand never leaving the giant gun’s trigger. Chardon stared at him in awe.
The man was indeed majestic in every way. Even with his royal garb dirty, torn, and bloody, he stood with authority, a bicep exposed through a large tear showing off muscles. Half of his dark blonde tendrils had come out of its ponytail and waved in the air as if reaching forward. Grey eyes squinted in rage.
“We have to get to him!” General T’Halgar yelled.
The ruler made a tsk sound. He was out of rounds. Climbing down, he landed close to Chardon at the middle of the staircase.
“This is what you deem reinforcements? Forgive me for sounding ungrateful but…” he swept an arm across the landscape. “They won’t stop.”
Halfar stepped forward and met his gaze. “These are Azrom ships. They can handle this much.”
“So you say.” Cogar was not impressed.
The Lassian political leader held up the translator.
“Have you been able to decipher their language?”
“They didn’t give us a chance to.”
“We started sending a cease message to allow negotiations. To let them know this planet is under New Lassa Regency.”
“And?” A royal soldier handed Cogar a new cartridge. He ejected the used one and slapped the other in.
“Something is odd.” The political leader watched the translator go through its database and flicker blue multiple times. “It’s like it found it but didn’t.”
The translator went solid blue. Enemy rounds seemed to lessen as if in slow motion. They looked up at the sky, witnessing a backdraft of smoky air. There was an eerie silence blanketing the planet. The translator clicked. The blue light turned red, losing its signal.
And the enemy unleashed a round of hell. Like a meteor shower, the ships in orbit resumed firing onto the surface with increased intensity.
**•**
The leader of the energy users immediately called out formation. They all scattered to encircle the palace and the royal soldiers within the perimeter. Hands raised, glowing with blue pulse energy, they collectively blocked the onslaught. The strain was harsh.
