Chapter 40: Chapter 40

AMY

Amy stroked the skin around her sore neck as she watched Silian pace. Ali held her other hand. The girl didn’t want to leave her side, but she couldn’t focus on her right now. Silian needed her. She hated seeing him this angry.

~But it’s not like he doesn’t have a reason. That piece-of-shit father of his betrayed us all, and now my friend is surrounded by enemies.~

~If anything happens to those kids, I’m going to ram this ship up Kasana’s ass and pull the trigger.~

“What are you thinking, Silian? Can we trust this Kinn?”

He stopped and looked at her before sighing and coming to sit next to her.

“I hope so. I don’t know who to trust, and I am afraid for Dakira, Izzy, and the Princes. I just hope that whatever schemes Zaftar and Kasana have concocted take some time.”

“I’m worried too. We have to help them somehow. Are there any other resources we can call upon?”

He shook his head. “The Fleet has a kill-on-sight order on us. Same as the…”

“What?” she asked.

“Same as the rebels. We could ask Hemkon for help.”

“You think he would?” Amy asked, looking at Ali.

Ali frowned, her green eyes intense on the floor.

“My father has no love for the Realm, but when that man wanted to kill the Sentinels, he refused, even though he knew it would make the man angry. Perhaps. You’ll have to offer him something.”

“There’s only one way to find out. Prime, connect me with Hemkon,” he said.

Amy sat up straight in her chair, gesturing for Ali to come stand next to her as the main screen lit up and the scarred face of Hemkon appeared.

“Ali!” He frowned at seeing his daughter looking less than pristine.

“What is the meaning of this? It has not been two days. What do you want? And why does Ali look like that?” the rebel asked, his face growing more purple by the moment and one vein throbbing in his neck.

“It’s all right, Father. Amy and Silian saved my life. They killed Fleet to do so.”

Hemkon frowned before closing his mouth.

“I am Silian, and for now, in command of this ship. As you can see, your daughter is still alive and well, thanks to our efforts. However, that may not be the case for long.

“The Lady Justice has put a kill-on-sight order on this ship. We are hiding in the asteroid field near Tekron 4, where my Captain and the future Queen of the Realm are prisoners. We have a common enemy.”

Hemkon remained silent for a moment, his eyes on his daughter. “What is it you want from me?”

“Kasana is blockading the planet with six destroyers, possibly the same six destroyers that she attacked your home with. She and Zaftar have hatched a plan to destroy the Sentinels.

“You know this already. We have barely any power with which to defend ourselves or your daughter,” Silian said.

“You call me for assistance? You, a Fleet officer and the man who has killed hundreds of my people? You now ask me to help you?

“Why do I not simply go fetch my daughter and help Kasana destroy the Realm once and for all?”

“Look into your daughter’s eyes, Hemkon,” Amy said to the screen.

“She told us you refused to be a part of destroying the Sentinels. Told me that with ~pride~ in her voice. As much as you think we are your enemy, we are not. What kind of world do you want her to grow up in?”

Hemkon lowered his eyes for a moment before looking at Amy.

“Kasana has sworn peace with me. If I help her, my daughter will live a long and healthy life. You’re asking me to go back on my word and risk my daughter and my people all over again.

“Why do you think those destroyers aren’t coming after you? What can you offer me besides empty promises?”

“Your daughter,” Silian said. “And a promise that if you do this, once Dakira Izzy is crowned, she will be glad to negotiate more than just peace. Do you really want someone like Kasana ruling over the Realm?

“Look at what her family’s greed and hate has done to us already. How long do you think it will be before she starts looking for a fight or turns on you?”

“Not good enough. Even if I wanted to help you, there is nothing I can do. I don’t have enough ships to make a stand against her destroyers and the thousands of flyers on Tekran 4.

“I will not send my men into a fight we cannot win,” Hemkon said, his face releasing some of the anger.

“There are still a few Fleet ships that will stand with me. And once the others see us fighting back, we may have more.”

“It’s suicide. I won’t do it. But I will send ships for my daughter, and if you harm her in any way, I will blow you out of the sky!”

“Perhaps I can offer you something?” The voice of Prime came from the ceiling before a Prime doll walked from the wall and stepped down to stand next to the Captain’s chair.

~This one looks different, ~Amy thought. ~She’s wearing that same face I saw when Izzy touched the wall in the transfer room. ~Hemkon’s gaze transferred to Prime with a frown.

“What could one ship’s Prime offer that would make the difference?”

“I’m not one ship’s Prime. I ~am~ the Alpha Primordial Sentinel Being.”

Amy watched as the entire crew stood and crossed their arms across their chests, some of them even going as far as to prostrate themselves on the deck. Even Silian stood from his chair and bowed with his arms crossed.

Hemkon stood open-mouthed at the pronouncement.

“I’ve spoken to Dakira Izzy many times during this voyage, and there is one thing I feel confident that she will change immediately when she ascends,” Prime said.

She sat down in the Captain’s chair as if it were a throne and crossed her legs. “With a fiery passion, she hates the current class divide that exists within the Realm.

“She was incandescent at the very ~idea~ of slavery and that there are Citizens of the Realm without access to my nanite healing and care services.”

“I-I don’t want the Realm tracking our movements through your nanites. It gives you too much power to find us.”

~Hemkon’s struggling. I’m not sure if he believes this is the real Prime or not,~ Amy thought.

“How about a seed, then?” Prime said.

“What do you mean?”

“The nanites that make up my greater form all come from one place. One original seed nanite. A single perfect creation and the progenitor of me,” she said.

She held out a finger where a tiny shining pinprick of light existed for a moment.

“This seed. What I am offering is to make you another. Unlike my seed, it will be limited, so it can only produce Prime dolls whose function will be strictly to use their healing ability.

“And because they will not be made from my original seed, I will not be connected to them. They will be free to spread throughout the Realm and give healing to anyone who asks.”

Hemkon’s mouth opened and closed like a fish.

“Of course, in order for me to make such an offer, this ship must be saved, and Dakira Izzy ~must~ be saved.” Prime stood, a dramatic and powerful figure on the bridge. “Your answer, Hemkon?”

“What do you need, Silian?”

Prime nodded as if it were all part of some ineffable plan and drifted down to the floor as dust, and Amy watched as one shining nanite disappeared into the gray deck. ~You sneaky bitch.~

Silian shook himself and turned to the screen, the look of wonder on his face replaced by an intense focus.

“Right at this moment, I don’t need ships, I need men. Dakira Izzy and the Princes are on Tekran 4. Your men know the jungles and guerilla warfare better than anyone.”

“How many men do you need?”

“Ten. I have a fast shuttle that can make it. We will go to the planet and get the Royal family.

“Once we return to Homeworld, Dakira Izzy will ascend and become the rightful Queen. Then the Fleet will obey only her, and Kasana will have failed.”

“Very well. Have…Prime lock onto the location I will send you. I am sending you the best ten men I have, Silian. My men will bring my daughter and the seed home once they have finished helping you. I love you, Ali.”

Ali smiled at her father. “I love you too, papa.”

As the screen went dead, Silian dropped his head and closed his eyes.

~I cannot believe I have served on this ship for ~years ~and not known. ~Indescribable joy filled him.

Sentinels rarely revealed themselves, and to have one personally watch over him for the last five years felt astonishing. ~The original Prime, for all this time.~

“Hey, this is good, isn’t it? Hemkon’s willing to help us,” Amy said to him.

Silian nodded, trying to pull his mind back to the task at hand. He stood straight to find some of the Orbanite crew whispering to each other. Some remained prostrate on the deck.

“Return to your duties. You heard the Sentinel. This ship must be kept safe. As her crew, it is your responsibility to keep her safe.”

With a scrabbling noise, the crew resumed their stations, wiping eyes and settling into their chairs with serious faces.

“Ali, would you return to your guest quarters, please? I have to prepare, and I would like to speak with Amy.”

Ali nodded before turning and running up the ramp that led out from the bridge.

“What are we doing?” Amy asked, as he stepped over to her and took her hand.

“It won’t take long until Hemkon’s men arrive. We need to prepare to go to the planet and get Izzy and the Captain back. Amy…” he said and stopped in the hall. He met her eyes, and his heart began to race.

“What is it?” she asked.

“I know asking you to stay on the ship will be futile, but I cannot let anything happen to you…” he said.

“Hey, I’ll be okay. We’re going down there together. And I can look after myself, you know.”

“I have no doubt about that. But the base is filled with thousands of highly trained soldiers. The thought of you down there is not sitting well,” he said.

“Silian, there is no way I’m going to let Izzy and her boys die on that rock. They are the only family I have.”

“I know, and that is why I am not asking you to stay. All I ask is you be careful. Stay close to me, so I can protect you. You don’t know this world, and…”

“Hey. Stop worrying about me. Focus on what we need to do,” Amy said, taking hold of his hand. He smiled at her, and knew it was a weak, uncertain thing.

“Once we get to the ground, Hemkon’s men will clear a path for us. They are more skilled at jungle warfare than we are. The aim is to get in and out as quietly as possible.

“First, we find Izzy, then the boys, and then Mikhlas and Iry. With luck, Kinn will bring as many ships as he can find, and Hemkon will have ships ready and waiting to jump to this planet.

“There may still be a chance we can save them.”

A Prime doll popped out the wall ahead of them. “Silian, we need to speak.”

“Yes, Sentinel.”

“Stop that. I am the Prime of this ship, Silian, just as I have always been. I expect you to treat me no differently than you have over the last five years. Am I clear?”

“Yes…Prime.”

“Good. I analyzed the remains of the nanite jammer. It’s the last piece of the puzzle I needed to extrapolate what Kasana is planning. You have some time to rescue her.

“Kasana will want to kill Izzy only once all the Sentinels are within her. That is the only way she will be able to accomplish her plan.” By the time Prime finished talking, they were outside Silian’s room.

“Can’t you warn the other Sentinels? Let them know to stay away?” Amy asked.

“No. They do not have a choice. As the chosen Queen, Izzy is able to summon them, and they cannot resist for long.”

“Shit,” Amy swore. “Then we have no choice. We’ve got to get them out.”

“That is plan A, as you would say,” Silian said.

“Unfortunately, Kasana has my father’s allegiance, and the thousands of flyers on the planet are under his command, enough to keep Kinn and Hemkon at bay while Kasana attempts this.”

“So, what’s plan B?”

“You’re not going to like it, Amy,” Prime said. “I don’t like it.”

“Tell me.”

Silian looked at Prime. He knew what she would say without being told. He turned to Amy and cupped her face in his hand, drawing her attention to him.

“If we cannot rescue Dakira Izzy, the only other option we may have is to kill her before she can summon all five Sentinels. The Sentinels cannot die. If they do, all life in the Realm will die with them.”

“One life,” Prime said with a tinge of regret, “albeit a precious one, cannot outweigh countless others.”

“Let’s make sure it doesn’t get to that, okay?” Amy said as a small tear filled her eye.

“Forgive me, but I swore to never lie to you,” Silian said, dropping his head down.

“You know, you are coming along very nicely, Silian,” Prime said as she disappeared into the nearest wall.

Amy frowned at the wall and then turned back to Silian.

“Thank you. And if we’re being honest like that, I need you to know something as well. I won’t leave my best friend behind. Not her, or her kids. Even if it means I won’t get out.”

“I know. And that is what sends a fear through me like I have never felt before.”

“Let’s not think like that now. I have your back and you have mine. We know the mission. Let’s do it and come home,” Amy said.

Silian smiled at that. “Home?” he asked.

Amy blushed a little and turned her face away. “Yeah, home. Or the closest thing I have to it now,” she said.

“This is not a home. One day you will live on the ground, probably in the Palace, with Izzy and the boys. And if things carry on the way they are now, Mikhlas will not be far away either,” he said, and Amy laughed.

“I saw the look on Mikhlas’s face.

“And I know from personal experience that once you find something like that, it doesn’t matter how long you need to wait for it, or how hard you need to fight for it. It will be worth it in the end.”

“Oh, is that how you feel?” Amy asked, a smile playing on her lips and looking coyly at him through her eyelashes.

“Have I not made that clear enough?” he asked, taking a few steps closer to her. Amy smiled at the playful look that took over his face.

“I’ve been told occasionally I snore,” she said.

He smiled at that and stepped closer. “It won’t bother me. In the same way I can focus my ears to hear better, I can draw them back, and silence a room if I need to. So that solves that problem,” he said.

“My grandmother grew terribly fat when she got old. Round as an apple and no teeth,” she said.

“Prime won’t let you get fat, or lose your teeth. It’s her job to keep our bodies at optimal levels.”

“So, there’s nothing that will scare you away?” she asked him.

“No. There is nothing you can say that will scare me away,” he said, sliding his arm around her waist. He gently pulled her closer to him and buried his face in her black hair.

“Good.”