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The sound of Blaen’s fist through a glass table was all that could be heard as he trashed his room in Prince Korun’s suite at The Celestial Jade. Deciding to stay put until they resolved the Briegrot debacle seemed like the best idea at the time. However, the longer they waited to hear from the tiny tyrant, the angrier Blaen got. The only reason they didn’t call Kryz’uhr to carry out his original plan was to grant them enough time to figure out what was happening with Lacey.
“I can feel her vibrations and it’s driving me crazy!” Blaen stormed into Korun’s room. “We must do something now!”
Korun was sitting on a sofa looking at maps to different planets and one of Terra 5. Two of the royal guard members were standing in front of him. He looked to them and to Blaen, who was uncharacteristically falling apart.
“Leave us,” Korun waved the guards away. Once they left, he leaped to his feet. Getting in Blaen’s face, he took him by his collar. “You don’t think I can feel her too!?”
“That has to mean she’s not at Radiance yet. Something must have happened. Maybe the ship stopped somewhere or stalled,” Blaen paced around the room. “I can’t believe I didn’t do anything. I should have moved faster.”
“Make no mistake, Blaen, as much as my father cares for you, he would have killed you on the spot had you defied him. I don’t know why he spared Lacey, but sending her to Radiance Magnus wasn’t exactly a blessing for us to move forward with her either. There’s much for her to learn if she were to become ours. There are so many traditions and responsibilities for the Princess of Ubos. I care about her just as much as you do, but we need to take care of this Briegrot situation as well before Terra 5 gets destroyed. Do you know if anyone has heard from him? What does he want?”
Blaen looked to Korun flatly, “Do you think I’ve been in the most pleasant of moods? Do you think anyone has been able to tell me anything these last three days?”
Korun sighed, “I guess I let you take out our frustrations. So how about this...take a few of the guard with you and head to Radiance Magnus. See if you can meet Lacey and the others there. Perhaps you can grab her before she’s even entered. If she goes into that place, you know she’ll never make it out of there alive.”
“It will be done,” Blaen bowed his head and left the room immediately.
Once he was gone the two guards came back into the room. Korun wondered what was in store for him. Negotiating with the Ecurian wasn’t going to work if he couldn’t get in contact with him. Looking down to the maps spread out in front of him, all that came to Korun was doing as his father wished. Taking out Terra 5 while Blaen intercepted Lacey at Radiance Magnus would solve his problems. But the morality of the decision weighed heavily upon him.
Lacey’s energy was closer to them than he anticipated. There had to be the possibility that there was another layer to what Briegrot was up to.
“Has anyone been able to get through to Terra 5?” Korun asked his men.
They both shook their heads.
“What do you think the likelihood is that he’ll reach out to me before he does my father?”
“I don’t know, Sir,” one of the guards answered.
This was different territory for Korun as his duties were usually relegated toward the more civil responsibilities of his kingdom. Lacey was the only reason he deigned to step forward and take charge. He had to do all that was possible to rescue her. Hope was the only thing that filled him as he wished Blaen nothing but success on his mission.
Returning his focus to the plans of Terra 5 he began eyeing the access points of the space station. Drawing a large breath in, he looked to his guards, “How many of you are trained in Enigmatical Introgression?”
The same guard spoke up, “Our apologies, Prince, but the only members of that particular team were separated into the ship that went with Briegrot and the rest were with Arganock to escort the Earthling to Radiance Magnus.”
He grunted at the sound of Lacey being referred to as simply an Earthling. She was more than that. She was going to be more than that to all of them. Sighing as he tried to keep his mind on the task at hand, he said, “Find me someone who I can get onto Terra 5! I don’t care if you have to turn Arganock’s ship around! Get a pod with a guard from his ship or find me one who is here that can get there with stealth. I need someone on the inside of that space station immediately.”
“It will be done,” the guard saluted Korun and rushed out of the room. The other guard stood still waiting for his own set of directions.
“Well don’t just stand there!” Korun yelled to him. “Go help him!”
Silence overwhelmed Korun’s thoughts as he ran over several scenarios that would resolve the hostage situation. However, it wasn’t quiet for long as the sound of an incoming hologram flecked into the suite. Watching his father appear sent a chill down Korun’s spine. It had been days since he’d last spoken to him and he still didn’t have any answers.
His hair was white with a pearl luster which travelled down the strands stopping just above his feet. The crown he wore was simple in design; a single band of metal around his head. His blue skin wasn’t as vibrant cerulean as Korun, but of a lighter shade reminiscent of the Earth’s sky. The emerald color of his eyes glowed with anger as he narrowed his gaze onto Korun.
“Absolute allegiance to you my father,” Korun knelt down on one leg, with his forearm crossed in front of his head and his face pointed toward the floor.
Kryz’uhr groaned. “Rise, my son. Tell me your resolution for the Terra 5 situation. Time is of the essence. The reputation of our leadership is on the line. And where is Blaen? Why do you not have guards with you?”
“Blaen is attending to another matter for me in regards to the Terra 5 crisis. My guards are right outside the room. My plans were to breach the space station, get our men inside, seize our ship and assess the hostage situation. If we can get them away from the station in its rescue pods, that should minimize our diplomatic responsibilities to all the planets with interests involved. The only planet we’ve yet to truly assess is Ecury. I’m waiting on intel regarding its combative presence and armament. I assumed it not to be of any excessive risk to the Ubosian Corps since it needed to highjack one of our ships to simply procure Terra 5.”
“Never make any assumptions but I understand your plans and have a simple issue with them.”
“What is that?” Korun asked.
Kryz’uhr held his hand out for him to be quiet. Another image materialized into the room. The stocky image of Briegrot’s dark gradient of green scales with his four arms folded across his torso appeared next to the King. The glimmer of joy in his face told Korun nothing good was to come of this call.
“What’s the meaning of this?” Korun stood from his seat.
“Take it easy Prince,” Briegrot snorted. The higher pitch in his voice irritated both Ubosians but Kryz’uhr was far more interested in what the Ecurian had to say in front of his son. Briegrot grinned a toothy grin. “I’ve been speaking with your Imperial Lord seeing as you have failed to respond to all of my requests for communication to resolve this negotiation.”
“Negotiation?!” Korun cried out angrily. His eyes lit up, glowing fluorescently, as rage surged through his body. “YOU LIE! What communications?”
“You see,” Briegrot gestured toward Korun with his eyes on Kryz’uhr, “I told you the Prince would have no idea seeing as he isn’t the one in charge of the situation. I only did this as proof of what I am willing to do in order to serve the crown. I have no intentions of harming anyone aboard.”
“So, everyone on Terra 5 is still alive?” Korun snarled in disbelief.
“Everyone who decided to attack my crew, that your Imperial Lord, has so graciously bestowed upon me, was met with the same amount of force as if they were attacking yourself, Prince Korun. I cannot attest to who’s alive and who’s passed as I have men attending to those details. I delegate like a natural leader should,” the reptilian terrestrial sneered.
Kryz’uhr looked to Korun whose eyes were locked onto Briegrot. The tension in the room was enough to start a battle right then and there. But Kryz’uhr decided to speak before his son could say anything to throw negotiations off course. “I understand you had a plan, Korun.”
“Had? But father, I have not had the chance to even enact my strategy as of yet. You must allow me to follow what I believe is right. My rhythms are not off about this creature. Trusting him will be a mistake!”
“Hey, hey, hey! I’m far more trustworthy than you assume, Korun!” Briegrot replied.
“Silence!” the king cried out. “Briegrot, although things are changing, you must not forget your place. My son is still your Prince, and he will be respected as such. However, as I am intrigued about the Ecurian plan for this situation I am inviting you, Briegrot, to my planet where we will discuss your role in the Ubosian regime. If I am disappointed in the least, you and your planet shall reap the full wrath of the Ubosian Corps. Is that understood?”
“Yes your Imperial Lord,” Briegrot kneeled the same way Korun did, “I promise that you will not be disappointed in what I have to bring to the table. I shall make my way toward whatever coordinates you send me now. Thank you for this opportunity Lord Kryz’uhr.”
The image of Briegrot faded away and Korun practically lunged toward his father. “You are making a mistake trusting him!”
“Who said I was trusting him?” Kryz’uhr spoke softly. “If you think I’d take his word over yours, perhaps he was right about your leadership skills. You are letting your emotions interfere with intergalactic politics. The two must go hand in hand and if you cannot navigate your way around that, then you are not the leader I have raised you to be. I only wished to get Briegrot away from Terra 5 so that we can see who is truly pulling the strings over there. That nimrod isn’t smart enough to take hold of one of our ships without help. Figure out who in the Guard has betrayed our crown and carry out your plans as you see fit. But I give you a warning just as I did him, if you do not produce anything useful from this than I shall show no mercy upon Terra 5, nor any of those aboard it. I expect an update within the next few sun rotations. Do not disappoint me my son.”
“It shall all be done, my Imperial Lord,” Korun sighed as he knelt once again in front of his father before seeing his hologram vanish.
Rising to his feet, Korun was invigorated to see his tactics come to fruition. The only thing left for him to figure out was how Lacey fit into the picture.