Yen stared at Adam, stunned. “It was you,” he managed to mutter. “You took her heart from me. You, of all…”
He didn’t finish the sentence as Adam caught Yen with a solid punch on his jaw. Yen staggered backward as his power surged within. Psychic wind tossed Yen’s hair wildly as tendrils erupted from his back and hurtled toward the Pilgrim. Before they could strike, a single gunshot rang out through the wide hallway. The tendrils immediately retracted as Yen clutched his side, where dark blood now poured from a wound. Looking up in disbelief, he finally noticed the pistol clenched tightly in Adam’s hand.
“Not this time, Yen,” Adam warned over the howling wind as he waved the gun dangerously. “I don’t care how strong you’ve become; you’re not going to stop me from leaving.”
“You greatly underestimate me,” Yen said, regaining his composure. “Few people get to make that mistake twice.”
Waving his hand, Yen launched a wave of hurricane strength psychic wind toward Adam. The energy struck the Pilgrim, lifting him from his feet and slamming him into the far wall. Adam squeezed the trigger again, but his shot went wide, slamming into the wall behind Yen’s head. Blue energy poured from Yen’s eyes. Rolling down his arms, the blue energy sheathed his hands in a strong glow. Jerking his hands upward, the gun flew from Adam’s hand and skidded across the floor. Adam climbed to his feet as Yen reached him.
Swinging again, Adam’s fist slammed into a protective field encasing Yen’s head. He felt bones break in his knuckles from the impact and Adam had to clench his jaw to keep from screaming out in pain. Moving in a blur, Yen punched Adam three times in rapid succession. Each blow fell like a hammer, driving Adam’s head backward into the wall behind him. After the last hit, Adam slumped forward, a red smear being left behind him on the white wall. Yen caught him before he could crumple to the floor and kept Adam upright. His side burned from the gunshot wound, feeding his rage.
“Of all the people to steal her from me,” Yen said, holding Adam with one hand while driving his fist into the side of his head with the other, “I would have never guessed that it would be you to betray me!” A punch landed against Adam’s head. “She would have been mine!” He punched him again. “Now she wants nothing to do with me.” And again. “And it’s all.” And again. “Your.” And again. “Fault!”
Adam fell limply against the wall, slipping in and out of consciousness. Gripping him in crushing energy, Yen held him upright. Yen’s brushed a loose hair from his face while he listened to Adam’s labored gasps for air. He stared into the face of his betrayer, now barely recognizable as the once handsome Pilgrim. Bones had shattered all along the right side of Adam’s face, leaving the skin disfigured and spongy.
“You stole her heart,” Yen said calmly. “It’s only fair that I take a suitable replacement.”
His fist glowing brightly, Yen slammed his fist into Adam’s chest. The ribs shattered under the punch and the skin and muscles ruptured as Yen drove his fist straight into the soft organs beneath. Adam gurgled as Yen punctured his lungs. Opening his hand, Yen closed his fingers over Adam’s weakly beating heart and jerked backwards, pulling the life-giving organ from Adam’s chest. His eyes rolling into his head, Adam collapsed in a heap on the ground.
Yen stood reveling in the power as Adam’s blood rolled down his arm and pooled on the floor. The rage slowly left Yen’s body, leaving him calm and composed. “No, no,” Yen said as he stared at the heart. “This one just won’t do. It’s hardly a good replacement.”
Dropping the heart on the floor next to Adam’s body, Yen looked at the mess in the hallway. He’d have to do some work to clean this up.
The Ballistae made a final turn, in anticipation for the two Cruisers’ return. In preparation, Keryn launched a single rocket from the rear port of the ship. Shortly after it cleared the Ballistae, Keryn ordered the rocket’s engine shut down. Drifting in space, the rocket sat dormant, its kinetic energy causing it to drift slowly toward the sun beyond.
On the tactical display, a single blue triangle appeared from the back side of the sun. Its path was erratic, as though it had suffered severe damage. Though she waited, the second blue triangle never appeared.
“…this is Phalanx,” a voice crackled over the radio. The signal was weak, breaking up as the Oterian Captain spoke. “We’ve suffered… Defiant destroyed… will not let you down… heading your way.”
The five Destroyers appeared from behind the sun, in quick pursuit of the limping Alliance Cruiser. Keryn’s heart fell as she knew that the Phalanx would never be able to escape the Destroyers. Still, they had succeeded in their mission. The Destroyers would never be in a better position.
“Wyck, fire the engines,” she ordered. “Get us as far away as possible.”
As Wyck engaged the navigation controls, Keryn inputted the code to reactivate her rocket. Its engines flaring back to life, the rocket hurtled toward the dormant sun. Keryn watched the small dot representing her rocket while, simultaneously, watching the damaged Cruiser.
“Phalanx, this is Captain Riddell,” she said, activating the Fleet-wide channel. “Your sacrifice will be remembered forever in the annals of Fleet history.” Reaching up, she wiped a tear from her eye. “It has truly been an honor to fight alongside you, Captain Mandox.”
The blue triangle of the Phalanx slowed and turned, allowing the Destroyers to close the distance. Rockets streamed from the Terran ships and hurtled toward the defenseless Cruiser. Before they were able to reach the ship, however, Keryn’s rocket reached the sun.
The rocket slammed into the black surface of the sun, exploding in an insignificant flash of light. As the missile broke apart, the internal canister shattered, spilling Torazine onto the blackened surface. The effect was instantaneous and violent. The Torazine broke down the membranes covering the Deplitoxide, releasing the heat of an entire sun in one sudden and deadly wave. The once dark sun ignited with its former glory. Solar flares erupted from its surface, reaching out thousands of miles into space. One of the flares caught the Terran Destroyers, vaporizing them under the intense waves of heat. Though they flew away at great speed, the shockwave from the ignition of the sun rattled the Ballistae, sending angry vibrations through the entirety of the ship. The solar eruptions lasted only a few minutes. When they were done, a brightly glowing sun stood in the center of the galaxy, illuminating the wreckage of both Fleets.
With the destruction of most of the rest of the Terran Fleet, Keryn received a signal that the remaining ships were surrendering. With an exhaustive sigh, Keryn allowed a smile to spread across her face.
“I’m sorry, sir, but Squadron Commander Decker was never able to make an emergency landing onboard the Revolution,” the Lithid navigator called over the radio. “Commander Decker’s fighter was destroyed by a Terran rocket moments before he was able to land within our hangar bay. Again, sir, I’m very sorry to inform you of the loss.”
“He’s lying!” Keryn screamed into the open room, startling Wyck, who still stood at the radio. She stormed over to him, pushing the Uligart out of the way. Pushing the transmit button, she yelled into the radio. “I know you’re lying, you bastard! Do you hear me, Yen? I know you’re lying!”
A calm voice replied. “Keryn, I feel absolutely terrible about your loss, but as Tylgar already told you…”