Adrian, Sora, and Akash stood at the edge of the plateau on which Olympus City was built. Behind them was the city, and below them spread the endless sea of trees, illuminated by the two moons and the nebula. The vista was amazing, with mountains in the distance piercing the teal-tinted sky.
And this was the spot where his former squadmates had held the wake for Bethany. Where they’d said their goodbyes. Even though they had lost touch over the years, she was still a part of their team.
Adrian studied his surroundings for a few minutes in silence, an alien world that was the new cradle of humanity. He turned to the sky and spoke.
“Hey, Beth. I… I wanted to make a promise. A promise to myself, and I wanted you as my witness,” he said to the sky. “I will never stop pushing myself. I will never stop trying to better myself, to push against my limits. And I will not retreat into my shell again. You were the first person that I let inside, but I will not let your death be something that breaks me, turns me away from other people. I don’t think that you would have wanted that.” He paused, a tear rolling down his cheek. “I know that there are still so many areas in which I can improve, so many things that I need to learn and master so that what happened never happens again. I will become the example that others will want to follow. And I will never forget you.”
Adrian looked down at a couple of rocks lying around him. He reached out with power, and slowly several rocks rose to float around him, and he grabbed one of the larger ones and pulled it above his palm. With a surge of power, he broke it into three pieces.
Yes, there are still many things that I need to master.
INTERLUDE
Fourteen years later; Year 50 of the Empire – Ra’a’zani space
A flash of violet light announced the arrival of a hostile fleet inside the Ra’a’zani system. The Ra’a’zani fleet was ready when they came, and three thousand war vessels moved in unison to intercept the invaders.
Ra’tran watched as his fleet moved towards the hostile force, which numbered some eighteen hundred, fewer than his force. But their vessels were powerful, and he knew that while his force would hurt them, he and his vessels would die in the end. The invaders were too strong, and the sacrifice of his fleet would serve to give the Ra’a’zani people time to build new fleets, research new technologies, and finally strike back against the invaders.
For as his fleet was dying, the people on the planets and stations of this system were destroying every mention of the other Ra’a’zani worlds. Only three clans had survived until now, and only because their territory was further away from the core. The Ra’a’zani had sent all that they were able there—people, slaves, materials, everything that they would need in order to someday defeat the invaders.
Every world that the invaders took died after they had destroyed their data about the other clans and locations of their worlds. But this system was the last and the largest core world. There was so much here that it would take time for everything to be destroyed. And every moment that they kept the enemy occupied here was a moment gained for those in the last three clans.
Ra’tran ordered his fleet to fire their Pasha’ka, and thousands of them launched from every vessel, speeding towards the enemy. He watched as they fired their own Pasha’ka. Half of them slammed into those of his fleet, destroying a great number of them, while the rest continued towards his vessels. He didn’t order the Srasah’uk used; it was useless against the Pasha’ka of the enemy. Instead, his vessels fired their own modified Pasha’ka to hunt and destroy the enemy’s. But it was not enough; the enemy Pasha’ka got through, and he lost three hundred vessels.
Pasha’ka from his ships had passed to the enemy as well and had impacted their ships, only they did nowhere close to the same amount of damage. The enemy lost only two vessels, with one other being damaged.
Ra’tran watched as his fleet entered the range of his other weapons, and he ordered his Larsha’ka and Tarsha’ka to fire. The space between the two forces was suddenly filled with beams of light and heat, energy weapons and plasma.
Shara Daim forces – Bloodbringer
Anessa, Dai’Sha of the First Legion, commanded her fleet against the Daksinn—those marked for death. The Ra’a’zani had killed Shara Daim. For that, there was only one possible punishment: death. The Ra’a’zani ships were adequate, and they had powerful weapons. But that did not mean that they had any hope of victory. The only thing that they were able to do was prolong their lives by denying her the locations of their other worlds, making her devote time and resources to exploring their area of space in order to find them. But in the end, it would not matter; she would find them and destroy them.
And now she had one more thing to do. She had found a mention of a Ra’a’zani slave race, Humans. And they looked very similar to the Shara Daim, barring a few differences. They could only be one of the three that the Shara Daim lore spoke of, descendants of the People. She remembered how she’d felt when she’d learned of them, another race who was their equal. Someone with whom they could share their legacy. But as they’d found more information about them, she’d learned the truth. They were weak; they had allowed themselves to be made slaves. And so they were not of any use to the Shara Daim. She had sent a message to the Shara Daim Elders; it was they who would decide what would happen with the Humans. She would try and find information about them, the location of their homeworld, but it was not her primary task.
Anessa looked at her battle map as the Ra’a’zani started to retreat behind their stations and defense platforms. It was to be expected; they too would try and prolong this fight, as all others of their kind had. But in the end, the Shara Daim would spill their blood and bring their deaths, as they always did.
Two years later; Year 52 of the Empire – Unknown space
Anessa, Dai’Sha of the Shara Daim, entered the great Hall of Ages, the heart of the Shara Daim civilization and the seat of their rulers on their homeworld of Shara Radum. She moved below the high-reaching arcs and paintings of Dai’Sha of the past. One day, after she no longer walked the realm of the living, she too would be immortalized up there. Hundreds of years of history were painted on the walls, back to the time before they’d conquered their homeworld—ending the war with the Nazaari, who were the second race that had evolved on this world—and left to explore the stars.
She reached the end of the hall, and the two guards wearing the traditional chestplate armors that left their dark arms bare, the intricate white markings there shown to all who could see, moved as she approached. They were bearing the traditional Doams—the long staffs of their ancestors—and as they moved, they grabbed the handles and pushed the massive ornate doors open. Anessa entered the darkened round room, walking down the stairs to the podium below. She stopped in the center and dropped to one knee before the nine Elders sitting in high-backed chairs on pedestals in a half circle in front of her, obscured by shadows.
“Greetings, Elders, I answer your summons,” Anessa said.
“Rise, Dai’Sha of the First Legion,” one of the Elders to her left said.
Anessa stood and turned her eyes upwards. Here inside the hall, she didn’t need her secondary eyelids that had evolved to shield her people’s eyes from the deadly radiation of their homeworld. Her eyes were now a white iris surrounding a dark pupil inside a black backdrop.
“Why have I been summoned in the middle of a war?” she demanded. Dai’Sha standing was second only to the Elders, and she was the first among the Dai’Sha. In time, as she grew older and lost her prowess in battle, she would replace one of these Elders. Her previous name would be taken from her and a new one given so that she could become one of the rulers of her race. As such, she could demand answers from them. She had just finished taking the last Ra’a’zani system they knew about, and had been sending ships to look for others. It was taking her too long to finish the Ra’a’zani, and she was growing impatient and agitated.