Chapter 65: Sparta’s Wrath

ANDRO’S READY ROOM

“ ... She be safe Nauta Melme?” Dysea asked the question from within the life-size holo transmission in Andro’s Ready Room.

Martin sat on the large couch looking at the image of his three Queens who he had not seen in far too long. The mug of Aricia’s coffee was in his hand, with Aricia sitting on one side of him and For’mya the other. Martin let his eyes gaze upon Dysea, Isabella and Cirith for a long moment before he answered and once more, as he had done many times through the years, he silently asked himself how six such breathtakingly beautiful women could love him as they did. Dysea’s emerald green eyes were bright and alert as they always were, Bella and Cirith sitting close to one another at a table in whatever building they were using as a Command Center. He missed them terribly, they all did. They hadn’t been apart for this long in nearly a year and Martin had gotten used to waking up smelling all of his wives and mates beside. He wasn’t worried, for when they were back together the reunion would be very sweet indeed.

Martin finally nodded his head in response to Dysea’s question. “She is reasonably certain Melda Min.” Martin answered her. “You know Red, she’s got good instincts and she won’t back herself into a corner.”

Dysea nodded her head. “Yes, this is true.” She spoke.

“The man who hurt her Martin?” Isabella asked now. “What of him?”

Martin met her hazel green eyes and nodded his head. “It was taken care of Bella. He paid for his mistake in touching her.” He answered her. “He will never harm her or another again.”

Isabella nodded when he told her this. “Zil ol zhal’la tlu.” (As it should be) Isabella whispered in the ancient vampire tongue. Martin felt rather than saw Aricia and For’mya nod their heads on either side of him.

“Zuch Bella.” Aricia commented from beside him in the vampire language. All of them were fluent in the ancient vampire tongue.

Bella looked at him now, her hazel eyes twinkling in the light. “Things are becoming very lively where you are it seems Du’ased M’ranndii.”

Martin chuckled and nodded his head. “Tell me about it.” He said playfully. “And all I ever want is peace and quiet.”

Dysea and Cirith were the ones who burst out into soft laughter at this while Isabella, Aricia and For’mya only shook their heads in humor.

“What word do you have of the Svorag ship Martin?” Dysea asked him with a smile on her face.

“I spoke with Yuriko before contacting you.” Martin said. “Their speed and course has not changed since they slowed down. Her new figures put them as arriving at Honelze in a little over five weeks. If they do not increase their speed again. Apparently our victory here threw them for a loop in many respects.”

“Do you still believe your theory Martin?” Cirith asked now.

Martin nodded his head. “It makes the most sense as we discover more. Thoti and his team should have hit the facility late last night, so we should be getting a report within a few hours. We’ll know more then, but the more Andro, Danny and I put our heads together about this, the more it comes together.”

“And you think it is one of those Alphas taken from Dynina’s group?” Isabella asked.

Martin nodded his head. He had kept all of them advised of what was happening on Ventori, he always did, even if it was just in simple secure flashes of information.

“It would explain how they have begun to use the technology they have taken. Anja and Duewa agree that they are retaining more and more of their memories because they have broken from Lorendo’s control. Everything that has happened up until now is almost exactly what an Alpha wolf would do if faced with destruction. He would try and build his people back up no matter the cost.”

“And without the control measures that Lorendo put in place, they are free to follow those same instincts, only now they are beginning to remember higher function skills.” Cirith commented.

Martin nodded his head. “Bingo.” He echoed her words. “Our Spider Probes haven’t picked up anything so far looking for Lorendo’s main facility, but six of them still have yet to flash us data. He has covered his tracks well.”

“Not well enough if he has lost control of more than half the Svorag he created and they are now operating without whatever control measures he implemented on them.” Dysea spoke. “How do we know he will not lose control of the others he has influence over?”

“We don’t.” For’mya spoke now. “Which is why we are hoping Thoti’s mission brings us some new information.”

Dysea nodded her head as she moved back to the table where Isabella and Cirith were sitting and stood between them. “Preparations here are progressing well. General Koguth and Akod’dris are handling most of the training and ... it is amazing to see Nauta Melme. The Pralor people seem to be almost like a soothing balm to the Kavalians that Koguth chose to come with us. They are reaching out to the Kavalians in friendship and openness and the Kavalians are jumping at the chances they are receiving. We have seen many budding friendships beginning to form and you know how hard it is for them to develop true friendships. They are learning that they can be so much more than what Keleru allowed them to be and it is infectious.”

Martin nodded his head. “I had a feeling Koguth would have that effect on them. He opened the door and they just needed a nudge to walk through it. Good, Ceale is reporting the same thing from Manne and Komirri reports that the few drills they have run since returning there have all been productive. The Kavalian ships that defected to us are coming around quite well and their officers are soaking up knowledge like a sponge.”

“It is knowledge that Keleru would never allow them to have because it took away from his control of them.” Dysea said. “Now that they have been exposed to it, they will not be denied the future all of them can see.”

“The three of you are secure?” Martin asked her. “And Tenna Meral?”

Dysea smiled and nodded her head. “We are tripping over our security Nauta Melme.” She told him.

“Well, better safe than sorry. Lorendo is just desperate enough to try and come after you there now. Delnash has exposed him for what he is on Artaaya, and from what he tells me, his own people want to hang him by his nor.” Martin replied. “I not willing to take that risk.”

“You cannot kill him Martin, you know that.” Cirith spoke now. “He is the only one who can translate the tattoos on Androcles and the others.”

Martin rolled his eyes. “I know and that burns my ass.” He replied.

“Is there any way around that?” Isabella asked now.

“Dynina’s engineers and the Worker Drones will be finished installing one of these Portal Generators on SPARTA’S WRATH in four hours.” For’mya answered leaning forward. “Then we will jump to Lorenu. Perhaps we will find something there in this temple that sheds light on everything and will allow us to not have to rely on Lorendo.”

“What does Andro say?” Bella asked now.

Martin chuckled softly. “I would have to relay that information to you in seven different languages. And none of it in very pleasant words.” He replied. “Andro hasn’t even met him and he dislikes him more than I do I think.”

“I doubt that.” Isabella commented with a smile.

Martin sat forward now. “Sit down Melda Min.” He said softly. “As much as I hate to do this, we have some decisions to make and we need to make them together.”

Dysea nodded her head and moved to the table and sat beside Isabella. “I know. We are putting it off aren’t we?”

“Only because we don’t want to face the possibility of it.” For’mya spoke.

“Avoi.” Aricia commented.

“It needs to be done.” Martin echoed softly. “No matter who it pisses off and no matter how much we don’t want too.”

The room was silent for a moment before Isabella nodded her head. “Then let’s get it over with.” She said.

JETANIA

HIDDEN AIRFIELD

SIX KLICKS NORTHEAST OF WARIM

It was one of the most closely guarded secrets among the leadership of the Mountain Packs. An airfield completely hidden from Osrod’s eyes and realm of control. Nestled at the bottom of a deep, three-thousand-foot ravine northeast of Warim, you could pass right over the top of it without ever noticing it was there. The thousand-year-old trees grew tall on either side of the ravine and their canopies were almost interlocked together over a thousand feet into the air, with very few openings. Only someone who knew the terrain as well as the Mountain Packs would be able to navigate down through the openings in the canopy with enough skill not to crash their ship. Lazar had made this descent dozens of times and was one of the few pilots who had the skill to do so, yet as he and Rhaos watched with awe in their expressions, Endith and Tina were dropping SPARTAN ONE through the canopies as if it was the easiest operation in the universe. Anja stood beside them, Kalis directly behind his Aunt, unwilling to leave her alone with the two Lycavorians for any reason. Normya was sitting at the engineering station where Tina usually sat when For’mya was with them, monitoring their power output and also their weapons systems. Should anything go wrong, Normya had her fingers poised over the weapons console to her right and would lay waste to anything beneath them as they escaped.

Anja Leonidas had invited them into the cockpit for the descent, and Lazar instantly sensed the blood within the exquisitely beautiful pointed ear young female. For a split second he asked himself if all of this Alpha’s female children were so stunningly beautiful. She was a daughter of the Alpha that he smelled on nearly all of them and within her blood he detected the scent of the massive, bone faced giant who was guarding his men. They were obviously mated and just from her sweet orange clove scent he could tell they were deeply in love. Lazar blinked quickly as visions of Retta filled his mind and he chased them away with a shake of his head and returned his gaze outside the cockpit view window. Most COLS ships had much smaller cockpits with fields of vision that were not so expansive. This did not go unnoticed by Anja however, and she looked at him intently.

“What?” She finally asked watching as Lazar’s head turned to look at her.

Lazar Aspion shook his head dismissively in nature. “Nothing.” He lied without caring if this Alpha female detected the lie. “We ... our ships do not have such large views. It is odd to see all of this as we descend. Can you see this much from the cockpit in all of your ships?”

Anja canted her head to the side slightly but she knew the real reason he had lied and she said nothing.

Tina turned her head and looked at him with her hand over the throttle control as Endith guided them down. “No.” Tina answered after receiving the nod from Anja. “We train on much smaller ships with smaller cockpit fields of vision. You have to graduate to this class of ship. It is pretty neat though, isn’t it?”

“Nubous tiadala!” Rhaos muttered without thinking. He blinked in shock and looked at Anja with wide eyes. “Forgive me!”

Anja smiled and shook her head. “It is pretty amazing.” She said. “I was stunned when I first experienced it.”

Lazar looked at her surprised. “This ... this was new to you?”

Anja nodded her head. “At one point, oh yes.”

“How is ... how is that possible?” Lazar stammered.

Endith snorted from her pilot’s seat. “If I remember correctly, you blew chunks all over the inside of my RAPTOR the first time Anja.”

Anja chuckled and nodded her head. “That was not a pleasant experience.”

Tina laughed. “The Skipper was pulling it out of his hair for two days!”

Lazar looked between them. “What is this? Blew chunks?”

Anja smiled once more. “I lost my breakfast.” She told him seeing his eyes get large with recognition.

“You admit this?” Lazar asked shocked.

“Why not?” Anja replied with a shrug of her shoulders and a smile. “It happened and we have laughed about it many times over the years since.”

“That we have.” Tina agreed. “That doesn’t compare to the Skipper though. Remember Lacora Five?”

Anja shook her head with another smile. “Well ... in Martin’s defense Tina, you were flying upside down for nearly three minutes and he and Danny had just conducted a hundred kilometer sprint to the extraction.”

“Bah! Don’t make excuses for him!” Tina quipped. “It took us a week to get rid of the smell.”

“Five hundred feet!” Endith called out now as she glanced out of the cockpit. “Looks like we got company at three o’clock.”

All heads turned to the side and Lazar’s wolf eyes smiled as he recognized his mother. “It is my mother and Garget.”

“Lots of armed men mother.” Normya spoke from her console as she scanned the area below them. “Upwards of thirty.”

Lazar turned quickly to Anja. “This airfield is one of our most closely guarded secrets.” He told her. “They are the standard security detachment we leave here. This is not a trap! I give you my word!”

Anja stared at him for a long moment and unlike a few seconds ago, Anja detected not even a wisp of a lie in his words. He was being completely sincere. “And I will take you at your word.” Anja told him. “With one condition.”

Lazar met her gaze, glancing quickly at Rhaos and then back to her. “What is that?” He asked.

“If there is to be any sort of trust between us, a trust we can build on, you will not use the signals that you gave to your mother during our conversation.” Anja said.

Lazar looked shocked at her pronouncement. “How ... how did... ?”

Anja smiled at him. “We may be from different quadrants of space Lazar Aspion, but we are wolves as well. And we also have a unique, and soundless way to signal and talk with others that we know, much like the one you were using. We have no ulterior motives here Lazar Aspion. Trust needs to begin somewhere, correct?”

Lazar stared at her for a long moment and then nodded his head. “Yes it does.” He spoke.

“Good.” Anja spoke before looking at Endith. “Take us in Endy.” She told her.

Endith nodded her head. “Here we go.”

Garget stood beside Loras looking skyward into the opening of the canopy above them. “I don’t like this Loras.” He spoke.

Loras looked up into his face with an expression of insult marring her exotic and stunning features. “Do you not trust Lazar anymore Garget?”

Garget turned his head and looked at her with a stern expression. Garget Ranev had been the first of the elders among the many Mountain packs to endorse Loras as their leader after his nephew Warim had been assassinated. Warim and he had spent many hours simply talking after Warim had claimed Loras, Garget taking the place of Warim’s long dead father and Garget’s brother. Warim had always been praising Loras on her intelligence and inner strength. That her love for their people knew no bounds. Garget had seen it himself many times through the years and he had never doubted her for a single moment. He truly believed, as did Loras’s mother and father, that she was meant for greatness.

Garget had also been the one to take Lazar under his wing when he would come to visit them while Loras was Queen, and even after Lazar would sneak away from the palace to see his mother when she returned and became Warim’s mate. He and Warim had given the boy many years of instruction that Lazar would never have received with his father, and among that knowledge was the history of their true people and how they had come to Jetania. Garget knew that Lazar hated his father intensely, but the boy had enough intelligence to hide it better than anyone he had ever met.

“How can you ask me that Loras?” Garget hissed at her softly.

Loras quickly lost the expression she had and she reached up to take his arm. “Forgive me Garget.” She said softly. “He ... Lazar sees you as the father he was denied for most of his life.” She commented looking at the ground. “He has warmed to you more than he ever did with Warim.”

Garget nodded his head slowly. “Warim knew this and he did not resent it.” He spoke. “I would never question your son’s loyalty to you or to our people. That would be like questioning my own loyalty. But bringing them here? To our most secret facility anywhere on the planet? Not even Osrod’s finest trackers have ever been able to find this place and he knows it exists.”

Loras met his eyes now. “Speak your mind old friend.” She told him.

“Where have you been these last two days Loras?” Garget asked her now. “Your Security Commander told me you were with the Priestess, but none of our local sensor scans detected your life signs on this continent or anywhere on the planet for that matter. There were many among us who were beginning to worry about you. Some even feared Osrod had managed to abduct you. Then you suddenly reappear with my youngest daughter and others and tell me to meet you here. That Lazar is bringing potential allies here, to the most secret of our bases anywhere on the planet. What is going on Loras? Who are these people and how do we know they are not agents of Osrod?”

Loras continued to meet his eyes and she took a deep breath. “I have been with the Oracle Garget.” She spoke finally meeting his gaze. “I have been to where she has been hiding for centuries and helping to train the Black Watch.”

Loras watched Garget’s eyes grow wide in disbelief as he looked at her. “The Oracle?” He finally sputtered in disbelief. “She ... Loras she lives?”

Loras nodded her head. “And she is unlike anything that I ... that I believed Garget.” She answered.

“What ... what do you mean?” Garget asked her.

Loras squeezed his thick arm. “There is much I must tell you Garget, information that Nilantha wants me to share with you and the other Pack elders. I don’t really know where to begin. I have ... I have discovered so much these last two days. So much that even I cannot believe it all.” She looked at him.

Garget shook his head. “We have ... we have believed she was gone for so long.” He stammered. “That Osrod’s father succeeded in finding her and killing her.”

Loras nodded her head. “That is what I believed as well. That is how she wanted it to be in order to protect us and herself.” She told him. “I believed it until Rylin and Taris brought me to meet her.”

“Taris?” Garget gasped as she spoke the name of his youngest daughter. Taris had been a surprise to his mate and him, for they had thought they were done having children. When it was discovered she carried Taris, all things changed for Garget. When he first held her wailing body in his arms seconds after she was pulled from her mother’s womb Garget knew things would be different. Even as she had grown, and her beauty surpassed that of her mother and her sisters, Garget knew Taris was meant for something far beyond his understanding and he had embraced that. Her mind was like a trap, taking everything in and absorbing it completely. When she announced she wished to become part of the Black Watch, Garget did not hesitate in giving her his blessing. She continued to make his mate and himself proud of her every day. He looked at Loras intently. “Taris has known she was alive?”

Loras nodded her head. “There is more to your daughter than meets the eye Garget.” Loras said.

“So it ... so it would appear.” Garget said softly.

“Did you know that the Betas, Gammas and Omega wolves on Ventori survived Garget?” Loras asked him.

Once more Garget’s eyes grew wide. “Impossible.” He gasped. “My father told me that they would not survive without the Alphas among them. It is why he and so many of the elders hold such distain for Osrod and his bloodline, excluding Lazar of course. His ancestors forced them to leave and then refused to allow them to return. How could ... how could they survive without Alphas.”

Loras shook her head slowly. “I do not know, but I have discovered that they did indeed survive and they built a thriving world of many, many millions. Only to see it destroyed by another species a few short years ago. Several of them on are this ship that Lazar arrives with.” She looked at him. “And there is something else Garget.”

“What?” He pressed her. “Loras ... now is not the time to keep things from me.”

“Ethoni wen reull oia allon endra lon cerler vada saan rie vada allsknesi vorevor hel Garget.“ Loras spoke softly. (There are those on this ship that carry the blood of the ancients within them.)

Garget pulled back from her slightly in disbelief. “Vada saan rie allsknesi!” He gasped aloud causing the heads of several of the nearby guards to turn towards them.

Loras looked around quickly and squeezed his arm tighter. “Garget!” She exclaimed to him softly.

Garget quickly reigned in his emotions and stepped back closer to her. “Loras you cannot be serious.” He stammered. “That is only ... that is only a myth. A legend that we tell our children as they grow.”

Loras shook her head quickly. “No.” She spoke. “It is only a myth and legend because that is what Osrod’s father and grandfather wanted our people to believe in order to consolidate their power. It is why they chased the Oracle into hiding Garget. I have discovered so much in so short a time as I said Garget. Our ancient homeworld exists, the Oracle has been there. Those that carry the blood of the ancients within them exist.” Loras looked at him. “And the Fera Mard Revik exists. I have seen the distinguishing sign of Royal Blood Garget! I have seen it in one who I have spoken to myself Garget. Just hours ago!” She took his other hand. “A Queen. One of six Queens that...”

“What?” Garget asked.

“She is one of six Queens to the Fera Mard Revik.” Loras told him. “The First True King of our people. The King that our ancient writings and even our myth and legend have told us would one day come to walk among us. He lives now Garget! The First True King and jen Tarivuos. His Heralds.“ Loras squeezed his hand and arm tighter. “I have seen her Garget! I have seen the distinguishing signs! On her! On her children with her! I have felt her within me Garget, even over the distance we were talking! And through her I have felt the other Queens. She is a beautiful wolf Garget, with dark red hair and amazing green eyes!”

Garget Ranev stared at Loras for a long moment. He was one of the few who had read the many Ancient Scrolls given to their people by order of the Oracle after they had arrived here on Jetania. The Priestess back then had told them they had more in common than they believed and the Scrolls had told them exactly that. Though they were locked away in a secret location much like this base, there were still those who read the Scrolls and what they contained. That those of ancient blood did exist, that they populated the stars far away, and that their original homeworld did in fact exist. The Ancient Scrolls spoke of many different things, all of them amazing to say the least, but they also were very specific in that those who carried the powerful and Ancient Lycavorian Royal Blood within them, the line of the First True King of the Lycavorians, that they would be most distinguishable by the dual wolf fangs that only the Royal bloodline would carry.

“Emdar delhims?” Garget asked her in a whisper. (Dual fangs)

Loras nodded her head. “Yes.” Loras answered with a nod. “She is ... she is also not fully wolf Garget.”

“What do you mean?”

“She has been turned.” Loras told him. “She is a half breed, but she is more powerful than any pureblood Alpha female that I have ever sensed. Including myself and my mother.”

Garget’s eyes went a little wider at this for it was well known that Loras and her mother were among the strongest Alpha females anywhere on Jetania. Loras descended from a strong bloodline, both of her parents having some of the purest blood among all of the Mountain Packs on Jetania. The Ranev Pack was very similar and this is why Garget had pushed hard for Osrod Aspion to honor their ways and release Loras from her commitment to him in order to fulfill the arranged marriage that his brother and Warim’s father had agreed to when Loras was born. An arranged marriage between the Athltin and Ranev packs would surely cement the leadership of the Mountain Packs for many centuries to come since they were the largest and most influential of the packs. This Union between Loras and Warim had done just that. Loras’s father was the most senior Alpha on the Mountain Council at nearly two hundred thousand years of age, and he was anchored in the tradition and culture of their people from long before Garget was ever born. He was also one of the few remaining Alphas who had protested vehemently to Osrod’s father to allow them to return to Ventori. He was a hardened and experienced wolf, having survived several “accidents” that everyone knew had been assassination attempts by Osrod’s father, and he bore the scars proudly.

“Loras, how is that possible?” Garget finally asked.

Loras shook her head. “I don’t know for certain and the Oracle was vague in her answers to me but it is true Garget. This Gelleenat told me that being a half breed does not carry the same stigma within their empire as it does here. She was very open about this fact and she was very honest. You will see for yourself.”

“How ... how large is their Empire?” Garget asked hesitantly.

Loras met his gaze. “She referred to it as a Union.” Loras answered. “She says it has over thirty trillion citizens within it and it spans hundreds and hundreds of light years.” She saw Garget’s eyes nearly bug out of his head. “Our people make up only thirty-five to forty percent of that population. She says she doesn’t know the exact number because that is not something that concerns them. All of their citizens are equal.”

“Son vada carians.” Garget gasped softly. “Where ... where have they been hidden all of this time?”

Loras shook her head. “They have not been hiding at all Garget. They are not from this Quadrant of space! They come from the Alpha Quadrant!”

Garget gripped her arms tighter. “The Alpha Quadrant! Then they have ... Loras are you saying that they have Interstellar Engine Technology? That ... Loras that...”

Loras nodded her head. “Lazar did not speak much, he was sitting with her, but I saw the look on my son’s face Garget; and the body language he was using. Everything she was telling me was true Garget. Lazar signaled me that there was much he had to tell us. And given what I saw when with the Oracle, I don’t doubt it one bit.”

Garget looked at her oddly. “What ... what did you see Loras?”

Loras smiled at him. “I will tell you everything Garget, all of it. You will be just as shocked as I was. And you will also be just as awed.”

Garget looked up just as Loras did as the soft whining noise filtered to their keen wolf ears. It was growing louder and Garget let his eyes move among the towering trees seeing nothing out of the ordinary. He turned to one of the nearby Landing Pad technicians.

“What is that noise?” He demanded.

The man was moving his hands over his podium control panel and he shook his head. “I do not know, sir!” He stammered. “We are detecting a two hundred percent increase in wind vortex within the area but...”

“Garget ... perhaps you and my mother would be so kind as to move back a few dozen meters!” Lazar’s voice boomed from all around them like an echo. “This ship we are on is rather large and the pilot does not wish to land on you.”

“Lazar!” Loras gasped as she clutched Garget’s arms.

A strange new noise filled their ears and both of them stood in open mouthed shock as the Shroud Shield on SPARTAN ONE lowered smoothly, revealing the huge ship directly above them and the source of the high pitched whine they heard.

“Saoi Sibfla!” Garget heard the technician’s voice near them as he stared at the ship. “Sensors never picked it up! We never saw it come into the lane!”

The ship was easily over a hundred meters in length and perhaps twenty meters in height from what Garget could see quickly. It was very sleek and almost beautiful in its design with a blazing black and crimson shield emblazoned upon its side near the rear. There appeared to be a hatchway on the side close to the nose of the ship, and also what could only be a ramp in the rear of the ship to allow access. His wolf eyes could detect people moving in what appeared to be the cockpit in the front of the ship and then they grew wider as he recognized Lazar looking out at them through the large cockpit view window over the shoulder of the pilot with rust colored hair.

Loras could only stare at the ship in silent awe. A smile slowly split her face and she gripped Garget’s arms even tighter.

“Garget my friend...” Loras Ranev spoke. “I believe our future has just made itself known to us.”

Anja stood beside Retta holding her hand tightly just behind Lazar and Rhaos at the top of the ramp. Zarah was on Retta’s opposite side holding her other hand and while Anja could smell and sense Retta’s fever and the burning of her blood for the tall, powerful wolf in front of them, Zarah, Normya and Lucia were helping her to hold it back and resist it. With the three of them combined helping her, Retta was in complete control of her actions and mind. Though barely seventeen years old by human measuring standards, Retta Leonidas was fully grown by Lycavorian principles and as Anja had stated before in many reports and findings published in the Union’s Medical Journals, Lycavorian females were now coming of age sooner because of the natural evolution of their species.