Lost Among the Stars
Copyright© 2025 by Sol Tangoran
Chapter 21: The Last Soldiers of the Lost War
Tor’Vek’s presence was like a ghost from another time, standing before us with the weight of a thousand years etched into his weathered features. His crimson Narn eyes burned with suspicion as he took in our uniforms, our weapons, and—most of all—the dreadnought’s emblem on my chest.
I lowered my weapon slightly, but not completely. “General Tor’Vek ... you’ve been in cryostasis for centuries. The war you fought ended long ago.”
His gaze flickered, but his posture remained rigid. “Wars do not simply end, Captain. They wait, hidden beneath the surface, until fools wake them again.”
Ny’Vara crossed her arms. “You don’t even know what war is being fought anymore.”
Tor’Vek tilted his head slightly. “Then tell me. Who stands against the Narn now?”
G’Lan stepped forward, his voice steady. “The Kha’reli.”
Tor’Vek’s eyes widened at the name. He inhaled sharply, as if the word itself carried a stench of old nightmares. His fingers clenched into a fist. “Then the war has never ended.”
I frowned. “What do you mean?”
He turned away, pacing toward a ruined console, brushing dust away from its surface. With a few rough taps, ancient displays flickered to life. Holographic star maps appeared—maps from a time when the Narn fought on a scale far beyond what history remembered.
Tor’Vek motioned toward the stars. “We were the last stand against them. The war consumed entire civilizations, entire fleets. We fought to the brink of extinction ... and when defeat was inevitable, we sealed ourselves away, waiting for the next battle to come.”
He turned to me, eyes fierce. “If the Kha’reli have returned, then so must we.”
The Awakening of an Ancient Army
The cryopods hummed to life.
Across the darkened station, ancient warriors began to stir, their bodies preserved but their minds still locked in the memories of a war long past. The first few Narn soldiers stumbled as they awoke, their breathing heavy, their eyes adjusting to the dim light.
G’Lan worked frantically at his datapad. “Captain, I don’t know if their bodies can handle this. They’ve been in stasis for—”
A soldier roared, slamming a fist against the wall as his muscles spasmed. Another clutched his head, growling in pain. Some fell to their knees, overwhelmed by time itself.
Tor’Vek knelt beside one of them, gripping the warrior’s shoulder. “Stand tall, brother. You have not died yet.”
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