Chapter 28

UNCHARTED SPACE

EDGE OF PRALOR SYSTEM

FOUR DAYS FROM MANNE

Pusintin studied the star chart intently, ignoring all else going on around him. He was in a foul mood and had been ever since Kalis had escaped and taken the Hadarian witches with him. It wasn’t so much that he had escaped, it was the fact that Kalis had fooled him so easily, and had been fooling him for some time it seemed. He had taken Pusintin’s own personal transport and fled from right under his nose. A ship that held many Kavalian secret COM channels and different orders on its main computer. All of which were undoubtedly now in the hands of his brother. He held a begrudging respect for his middle son that he had not held before, but he still wanted to string the boy up on a pole and watch him die a slow death. Kalis had never seemed that smart, he was always so brutish in his actions and Pusintin had never believed he had the fortitude to go against him as he had. Something must have happened to him in the last months and before he died, Pusintin was going to get that very information out of him.

His brother had made a mistake and Pusintin vowed to make him pay for it.

The Kavalian fleet was moving steadily forward, searching planets that they discovered were very similar to what his brother had mistakenly described to them over the COM channel. They were not rushing forward for fear of encountering more mines as they had before. Martin could be very devious and Pusintin did not want to walk into a trap. It also did not appear to be needed, as his brother’s ships had stopped. He knew this because the Borellum Acoustic Pulse was steady and not moving. Thinking about his younger brother made Pusintin churn with hate and a deep-seated anger. Seeing him in that transmission gloating with Kalis standing beside him still caused his wolf blood to burn. To then see For’mya press her lush, elven figure against him so very intimately, her dark brown eyes full of life and love and emotion, this caused nearly uncontrollable rage to boil within him. Even when For’mya was naked beneath him, unwillingly responding to his full and unshielded wolf aura as it attacked her female wolf senses; even when she was whimpering for him to fuck her harder; he could never get her to say she loved him. Or that she even cared for him. Pusintin knew better though. He knew For’mya wanted him and only him. How could she want something else after the fucking he gave to her?

Hate seethed through him at the thought of his brother touching her, bedding her, and that hate is what drove him forward. Martin had taken two of his three sons from him. His clear and favorite son Leruk had been brutally murdered by his younger brother’s oldest son Androcles. Hate and rage is what propelled him forward now. He would find his brother and he would kill Kalis and the Hadarian witches and he would take For’mya back. She belonged to him now. His brother’s other wives he would happily give to his men for playthings. After a few months as sex toys for Kavalian troops being gang raped every day they would be quite insane, if they still lived.

Pusintin did not consider that they were thousands of light years from any help. He did not consider that they could not communicate with Keleru back in the Alpha Quadrant. Kalis had succeeded in permanently destroying their only long range communications array capable of reaching Kavalian space and now there was no hope of repairing it unless they were in space dock. All of his focus was now on killing his son and brother and reclaiming For’mya for his own. The elf bitch would squirm under him once more and he would inhale deeply of her sweet Orchid scent while he pummeled her tight body into the bed and listened to her cry out to him for more. Not even Jalersi had affected him like For’mya had and now all he wanted was to feel her warm tightness wrapped around his cock again.

Pusintin blinked as Popal appeared next to him and he looked up at his executive officer.

“Popal?” He questioned.

“I have the latest reports from the outlying frigates Marshall.” He spoke as he held out the datapad.

“Nothing I assume?” Pusintin asked as he took the pad.

“No sir. All three planets were scanned intensively but there were no signs of life or any kind of activity aside from the indigenous lifeforms.” Popal answered.

“We are still picking up the secondary signal correct?” Pusintin asked.

Popal nodded. “Yes Marshall.” He replied. “We have to keep two complete sensor arrays locked onto it, but it is still broadcasting. And it remains stationary.”

Pusintin nodded. “He thought he was smarter than me.” He said. “He thought that when he found the Borellum Acoustic Pulse I wouldn’t be able to track her anymore. Shows what a fool he really is. I had three of them implanted into her, all of them in different parts of her body and on different frequencies. He would never find all three. It will lead us right to them.”

“Then why are we stopping to search these planets as we go Marshall?” Popal asked. “If we go to full power we could be upon them in less than two days.”

Pusintin shook his head. “My brother is stupid but he isn’t a fool.” He stated. “For’mya may be where the signal is originating from, but Kalis and my ship he would not keep together with her. Most of his people and his three ships are probably orbiting this planet he accidently described in the COM transmission. They have to be low on supplies by now.”

“We are becoming low on fresh supplies as well Marshall.” Popal reminded him.

Pusintin nodded. “We find them... we kill the men and keep the women and take their ships and whatever supplies they have and then we can use them as leverage. My brother is weak and he wouldn’t put his females in danger.”

Popal nodded his head slowly. “As you say Marshall.” He spoke.

Pusintin looked at him oddly for a long moment and then stood up straighter. “What is it Popal?” He asked. “Speak what is on your mind.”

Popal looked at him. “It is not I Marshall...” He said. “Other... some of the officers and different ship Captains have come to me with concerns.”

“Concerns such as?” Pusintin asked.

“They question why we are out here Marshall.” Popal told him. “They question what we are doing so far from home, in territory we have never been too before. We have no star charts to navigate by and we have to make it up as we go. We are following this signal from the elf female For’mya yes, but it has been leading us deeper and deeper into uncharted space. The men are becoming nervous. They are... they are speaking among themselves.”

“Are they?” Pusintin spoke softly. “What are they saying?”

“Marshall, I...” Popal began.

“Relax Popal...” Pusintin told him evenly. “You have nothing to fear from me. I trust your words and your judgment. Now tell me what they are saying.”

“They believe the Lycavorian King knows exactly what he is doing.” Popal said. “They believe he is out here searching for something and now that they have stopped, they believe he has found what he is looking for.”

“Looking for something?” Pusintin questioned him. “There is nothing out here Popal. What could he possibly be looking for out here? No one has ever been this far spaceward of the core.”

“He has not veered more than a few degrees from his base course since the beginning Marshall Pusintin.” Popal told him. “If he was simply out here to draw us away from Kavalian space, why not alter course more often? Why follow an almost straight line? Why not have his Ghost ship drop more mines in our path? He could have been picking away at us for weeks now and he has chosen not to. Unless he knows exactly where he is going... or at least has some idea and does not want to be deterred.”

Pusintin shook his head. “Martin is not that smart.” Pusintin answered. “There is nothing out here. All of the long-range probes we have sent out and nothing ever came back.”

“None of them ever came out this far from the core Marshall. And none of those we have sent out from our ship have spotted anything.” Popal said. “It makes the men uneasy.”

“They will get by.” Pusintin said.

“First the shrouded mines from his ghost ship...” Popal continued. “Then Kalis’s action in taking the transport and the Hadarian females and knowing exactly where to go to meet him. How did he know this? He must have had a means to communicate with him. Then the Juturi Pride abandoning us to go with them. A senior Pride we thought to be loyal to us for decades and they do this. And now our only means of communicating with Kavalian High Command is gone. Disabled permanently by Kalis.”

“You do not have to remind me Popal.” Pusintin hissed softly.

“The men are beginning to believe this is more of a personal vendetta than anything else Marshall.” Popal told him. “They believe we should go back. Return and help our brothers fight the Lycavorians in the war we know is going on.”

“With For’mya and the twins we can return and take control of the Union by political means!” Pusintin snapped.

Popal shook his head. “Most of them no longer believe that can happen.” He said. “They do not believe the Elf Queen or your son with her will help stop anything. Not with his oldest son back there and leading the fight against us.”

“For’mya is my woman! She wants to be with me! My brother is keeping her against her will!” Pusintin snapped more angrily. “She will do as I say! My son will do as I say! And I will make my brother pay for taking her from me!”

Popal nodded his head. “As you order Marshall.” He said. “I do not question your actions or your orders.”

“They want to see the fruit of their labor and time... fine.” Pusintin spoke. He stabbed down on the star chart forcefully. “Have two of our fastest Frigates conduct combat jumps that will put them within extreme sensor range of his ships. Here... at this point.” He said pointing at one spot on the chart. “They will scan his ships and area around them and find out what they are doing... and then they jump away before they are seen. Our Frigates can spot them easily from extreme range with their lateral sensor arrays, and even if they are spotted they can jump away long before anyone comes to investigate.”

“And what of the Ghost Ship Marshall?” Popal asked him. “That ship... if it is one of the ships that our Intelligence says your brother possesses... it will most certainly pick up our fast frigates. They will know that we are coming.”

Pusintin nodded. “Yes, they will. Once our ships return we will plan our attack and move. If we have not found the planet by then we will simply take the information from his computers or his women. Then they will see. And they can have the pick of the women that are left alive! Tell them that Popal!”

Popal nodded quickly. “This will please them Marshall. You know that.”

“Good.” Pusintin declared. “Now leave me alone so I can devise a strategy to crush the life from my brother’s forces and his body.”

Popal nodded his head and turned away from the star chart leaving Pusintin alone. He made his way calmly across the bridge and onto the elevator lift. He was silently running so many things through his head as he descended to deck eleven and then exited the lift. He paid no mind to the crew he passed in the corridor until he reached the entrance of the Officer’s Lounge. He looked around casually and then touched the panel opening the door where he stepped through quickly.

He watched as the five other Kavalians rose to their feet from the table they had been sitting at and turned to face him. Five ship captains that represented seventeen others within their task Force.

“Popal?” The senior Kavalian asked as he turned.

Popal shook his head slowly. “He has ordered that two of our Fast Frigates jump to within extreme range of Leonidas’s ships, scan the area, and then return.” Popal told them. “When they return with this information we will attack.”

“If they return.” One of the men spoke shaking his head.

“Popal... surely you see... you must see that this is all wrong.” Another spoke moving closer to him. “He is... he is not right anymore.”

Popal looked at him. “Mind your words Captain Kunti.”

“I will not mind them!” The man hissed. “This is madness! We are chasing ghosts and shadows! You know that now just as we all do!”

“Popal... you must see what we are saying.” Another man spoke as he moved closer. “The Marshall has not been right since... since his brother almost killed him.”

“Killed him.” Kunti hissed. “The Lycavorian King nearly beat him to death and did not break a sweat in doing so!”

“Kunti!” The man hissed looking at him.

“What?” Kunti demanded harshly. “For weeks, we have followed without question while King Leonidas has drawn us further into uncharted territory. His Ghost Ship leaves mines in our path and now we are forced to move at a crawl. The Marshall’s own son, who has been trained by the finest Puma Bane Commandos within the Federation, he deserts us to go to Leonidas. And he takes the Hadarian wenches out from under our very noses! And then the Juturi Pride joined him!”

“We know all this Kunti.” The second officer said.

“And still we follow blindly Weoerr!” Kunti hissed. “This is madness.”

“He says that the elf female and his son with her can facilitate us gaining control of the Union.” Popal spoke now grasping at something to defend the man he had served for so long. “That the Lycavorian King holds her against her will.”

Weoerr, older and more experienced than Kunti, simply shook his head. “Popal, you of all of us know that is not true.” He stated plainly. “The Elf Queen would just as soon cut off Pusintin’s cock and feed it to him before she let him put it in her again. She has no feelings for him! None! He forced her to respond to him in any way that she may have. She believed that Leonidas was dead and not being able to sense him with her wolf senses or within the realm of their Mindvoice ability made her act in the manner she did. You know that is how pureblood Lycavorian females and those females turned by Lycavorians act. We all know this. We were trained in this knowledge at the Academy. Once the inhibitor that Pusintin implanted into her was removed and she could sense and feel Leonidas once more, well... you saw for yourself how she acted.” He moved closer to Popal.

“His children by her hate him just as intensely as she now does. She has been the wife and Queen of Leonidas for over two decades Popal and she only acted as she did because she thought he was dead and the wolf blood in her reacted to that false information. Leonidas... he slaughtered over a hundred of our men to get her back Popal! And he did it without even breathing heavy! He is not dead Popal and you saw how she acted with him in the transmission. You cannot honestly believe for an instant that she will side with Pusintin over Leonidas, do you? You saw the same open transmission we did.”

“We cannot communicate with High Command because Kalis disabled the Long-Range COM array.” Kunti spoke more calmly now. “We do not even know what is happening back home. And the Marshall is leading us into a trap.”

Popal looked at him. “What do you mean?”

Weoerr met his eyes. “Martin Leonidas is the foremost tactician in the Union military. Perhaps anywhere in the galaxy. He could fight circles around Marshall Pusintin every day Popal. You know this. The mines... the transmission when Kalis escaped... he is baiting us. Drawing us further away from home.”

“He has three ships Weoerr!” Popal snapped. “Three!”

Weoerr nodded his head. “That we know of.” He stated calmly. “All Union ships have Shrouds. How do we know there is not an entire fleet out there following us? We had a hard-enough time recognizing High Coven Shrouded ships during the war. We have never been able to detect a Shrouded Union ship Popal. Never. And the King of the Lycavorian Union would never travel with so few ships.”

“He is baiting us!” Kunti said again. “This is not about drawing us away so we cannot fight anymore... this is about Marshall Pusintin.”

“What?” Popal asked.

“This has become personal Popal.” Weoerr told him. “Kunti is right. In Leonidas’s eyes Marshall Pusintin raped his woman. He raped a sitting Queen of the Lycavorian Union. You know how they view such an act within the Union. That she is Queen makes it even worse. You know what he did the last time this very thing happened. He obliterated an entire government and empire. He smashed it under his boot without so much as a second thought and everyone who had a part in that act died gruesome deaths. This is not about drawing Pusintin away so we cannot fight against his son; this is all about killing the Marshall.”

“What are you saying?” Popal asked.

“Leonidas is drawing Marshall Pusintin... drawing us... to a time and place of his very own choosing.” Weoerr said. “When he has us where he wants us, he will strike. When he does strike, many of us, perhaps all of us will not survive. You know this Popal, we know this and our men know this. Marshall Pusintin is bent on revenge for some perceived crimes committed against him by his brother, when it is the Marshall himself who is guilty of those very crimes. King Leonidas would never act in such a manner Popal, no Spartan would. It goes against their code of honor. Pusintin has twisted the facts to suit him. King Leonidas simply took back what belonged to him. And the Elf Queen is his Popal, make no mistake about that. The Marshal is... he is... he is no longer right in his mind.” Weoerr said calmly. “And we are going to be caught in the middle and we will bear the brunt of King Leonidas’s vengeance. And it will be absolute vengeance Popal. He will not offer us mercy or redemption. Not after what Pusintin did to his Queen.”

Popal was silent as he let his eyes move between the men gathered in the room. None of them were in disagreement with what Weoerr had just said that he could see. He moved to the view window in the lounge and looked out at the many stars. “You... you suggest going...” He turned. “You suggest turning against the Marshall of all Kavalian forces!”

“We suggest surviving as opposed to death.” Kunti spoke now.

“The Puma Bane will... they will not follow you.” Popal said.

“The Puma Bane are fanatical fools.” Weoerr spat. “Nothing more than secret police for Keleru. If they wish to follow Pusintin to their deaths so be it. We do not. Do you? You have a woman and three sons... do you not wish to see them again?”

Popal shook his head. “I must... I must think about this.” He said softly.

“Do not think long my friend.” Weoerr spoke. “More and more of us are beginning to feel the same way. It is spreading and there is nothing we can do to stop it. We must decide soon what to do... or it will not matter.”

Popal looked at him. “Give me until the frigates return.” He said. “Let me see what they discover before making a decision.”

“If that is your wish.” Weoerr told him. “Know that if you go to Pusintin with what you now know, it won’t matter. There are too many who feel as we do. He won’t be able to stop the coming storm no matter how many he has the Puma Bane kill.”

“Two days!” Popal hissed. “Give me two days.”

Weoerr nodded. “Two days.” He said. “Then we will decide what is to be in our future and not some madman who is already dead and does not even know it.”

JUNCRO

UNCHARTED PLANET

UNKNOWN SPACE

T’lolt hadn’t really thought about what seeing him would make him feel. He knew every event that had happened that day on Lycavore. He had given the order originally, yet something had made him reverse himself, and attempt to rescind that same order. When he was told that it was too late and the order had been carried out, he had killed the lone vampire officer who had arrogantly reported this to him. As well as the Immortals who had carried out the order. Given all that was happening on the planet then, hiding their bodies among the many hundreds of High Coven vampire and Immortal dead that day was easy. T’lolt wanted so much to believe that at the end, no matter the distance they had allowed to come between them as family, T’lolt wanted to believe that his brother could not do it. That he had done everything within his power to stop it. As he fingered the small data disc in his hand he knew the truth. So many years of questions and all it took was this one little data disc to show him that what he believed was very much true. Given to him by a Lycavorian officer he did not know at the bidding of Martin Leonidas.

He had talked at length with Cha’talla in the first few weeks after settling on Kranek, each of them finally coming to the belief that indeed their brother had tried to stop it. That no matter the differences between them, he could not bring himself to have his own family killed. The data disc he now held only confirmed what they had believed for over two decades now. He had failed in that task and both of them knew that the shame he must have felt at that must have been overwhelming. Shame he had carried all of these years, increasing the distance between them as family and brothers. He and Cha’talla had decided that if the day ever came where they could make it all go away, they would not hesitate. T’lolt had spoken very briefly with Cha’talla before leaving with Martin and he had agreed with what T’lolt intended. All of them had begun new lives now and the past held no place in the present for the three brothers. They were all that was left of their family and they belonged together. And if not together in body, then at least they all needed to know that they had their brother’s backs. It is what Cha’talla wanted, and it was now what T’lolt wanted as well.

T’lolt had a new wife now and the much younger Ir’qua had given him two new sons and one very beautiful daughter in just the last ten years, with plans to have more. Since taking the serum that had returned the Akruxian people to their natural appearance, T’lolt had spent quite a bit of pleasurable time rediscovering his new wife. Ir’qua had arrived with Daniel’s wives, as had so many others, and her long flowing black hair and bright eyes had filled T’lolt with desire for her that had taken two full days to quench. Ir’qua remained on Manne now, helping with building the defenses there, not wanting to leave him. Their three children were with her parents back on Kranek and safer than they could be anywhere else but within Union territory. Ir’qua had urged him to go with Martin for this meeting, knowing what he desired deep down in his heart, and as T’lolt stared at his brother’s broad back he knew he had made the right decision.

He was reading from a datapad and as T’lolt moved further into the G9 LRR, the two other Immortals who were with him looked up. They recognized him instantly for like Cha’talla there were not many Immortals who did not know who T’lolt was.

“General!” One hissed softly as he rose quickly to his feet.

Pa’cour did not look up or spring to his feet T’lolt saw. He saw his chest and back heave upwards in an almost defeated sigh and he lifted his head to look at the two Immortals. They were obviously security for him and Yuri and very well trained for they imposed themselves between him and Pa’cour.

“Leave us.” Pa’cour spoke calmly.

“General... it is...” The younger soldier began.

“I know who it is In’atan.” Pa’cour spoke as he rose now. “Leave us. Both of you.”

T’lolt noticed that his brother spoke with a command tone in his voice. Very confident and firm. He had been Yuri’s Immortal Captain for so long that he had finally learned what this role meant and how he was looked up to by so many other young Immortals. The two younger Immortals looked between each other briefly before moving in his direction. They looked at T’lolt with something akin to awe in their eyes before they moved past him and down the ramp of the G9. T’lolt looked back to his brother.

“Have you come to take your vengeance brother?” Pa’cour asked softly without turning around.

There were only seven years in age between the three brothers and they had often played and explored together as boys. T’lolt’s mind flashed back many millennia to those days and he remembered them fondly. He and Cha’talla had spoke of them often as they sat under Kranek’s moon and discussed their future and how they wanted Pa’cour to be part of it.

T’lolt moved forward into the G9 until he was standing behind his younger brother. They were the same height and equally massive in size. Pa’cour turned slowly now, intent on facing his brother with the honor he had thought lost so long ago. The honor his love for Yuri and the birth of his daughter had returned to him.

“There is no vengeance to take brother.” T’lolt spoke softly.

Pa’cour met his eyes now. That they were brothers and kin to Cha’talla was without doubt or question. Their facial features and eye color were identical. Their bone spurs were a healthy white and placed in almost the exact location on both their faces. Just as they were with their older brother.

“You expect me to believe that?” Pa’cour asked him but with no malice in his voice.

T’lolt held up his hand and held out the data disc. “Martin Leonidas gave me two things my brother.” He said. “The first he gave to me the day he saved my life on Lycavore. He gave me blood to heal in order that I might bury my sons. Then he gave me a means to exact my vengeance. Against the true enemies of our people.”

“It was I... it was I who gave the order.” Pa’cour spoke softly.

T’lolt looked at him. “The second thing he gave to me was not so very long ago when I rejoined him. It is part of why I travel with him now. Follow him as I do.”

“What... what was this second thing?” Pa’cour asked.

T’lolt held out the disc further to him. “He gave me hope.” He replied. “Hope for the... hope for the future. That one day... that one day our family would be reunited once more. He gave me this. It seems rescuing his mother was not the only thing Martin Leonidas did on that planet that day. He downloaded the entire High Coven database by remote from his ship. Or his people did.” T’lolt activated the data disc and a small holographic transmission shimmered into view.

“Order was already given.” The High Coven officer spoke dismissively. “You don’t think you are truly in command here do you Colonel Pa’cour. You are an Immortal!”

In that transmission Pa’cour snatched up the officer like a doll and he slammed the High Coven Colonel against the wall, tearing out his throat with barely any effort. The memories of that day came rushing back to him.

“They were my family you High Coven piece of filth!” Pa’cour’s voice screamed out in the transmission. “My blood!”

T’lolt looked at Pa’cour as he deactivated the disc. “You did not kill my sons brother.” He said.

“I gave the order!” Pa’cour insisted.

T’lolt shook his head once more. “The order had already been given by Veldruk. The moment Cha’talla went against him and the High Lord tried to kill our brother the order went out. You tried to stop it.”

“But I...” Pa’cour stammered feeling the shame fill him once more. Shame he had buried deep for so long. Shame at his actions. “I should never have done it to begin with!” He hissed.

T’lolt stepped closer to him, his own emotions threatening to break through. “I hated you Pa’cour.” He said softly. “For years after that day I hated you. It was our brother Cha’talla who finally convinced me that no matter what had happened between us so long ago... none of that would have made you do such a thing. He made me see that you would never betray your blood. And you did not!”

“But I did T’lolt!” Pa’cour almost shouted. “I...”

T’lolt lifted the data disc slightly higher. “This tells me that you remembered your blood.” He said evenly. “This tells me what Cha’talla and then I believed once the pain of their passing was gone. You would have disobeyed your orders to save me and my sons. You were doing that very thing until you discovered that you were not the one who was truly in charge on Lycavore. You did not kill my sons brother... Veldruk did that. All these years... all of this time you have carried a shame that is not yours. We knew this is why you did not come forward. Cha’talla is... our brother is bonded to a dragon now you know.”

Pa’cour looked at him with wide eyes. “What?” He gasped.

T’lolt nodded. “He is a very different Cha’talla now. Esther opened his eyes to so many things. She is the Matriarch of our people now... who would have ever thought that?” T’lolt shook his head and chuckled softly. “A pureblood vampire as Matriarch of the Akruxian people. You would like her Pa’cour. She is stubborn and pig headed and smarter than anyone I have ever known. She and our brother... you should see the fights they have had through the years! He has chased her through our village on Kranek many times! He never catches her. Yet she loves him more furiously than anything I have ever seen. And he loves her just as deeply.” T’lolt moved even closer. “Just as I now love Ir’qua.”