KORA STILL MOVED ON BORROWED TIME. SHE HAD TO GET OFF THE SHIP. AS SHE rose from the seat, she aimed her gun at the turret controls, blasted them to pieces, then rushed for the doors. She ran down the corridor and made it to the elevator on the opposite side. Her comms switched on.
“Kora, where are you? It’s less than a minute until the reactor blows.” It was Gunnar.
“I’m almost to you.”
The elevator stopped. The doors opened to reveal Krypteian Guards. Kora knew they wouldn’t let her leave. They were twice her size and holding their swords. Kora fixed her gaze upon them. Undeterred, she ran towards them, pulling the trigger in quick succession. She drove her body into a guard running towards her. Her right hand grabbed hold of the arm holding his weapon. She spun him around to use him as a shield from the other two. As their weapons discharged into their fellow soldier, she kneeled and aimed for their legs and torsos. Both fell at the same time.
One of them took two large strides towards her and swung his glowing blue sword in her direction. She ducked with enough time to position her gun beneath his chin and pulled the trigger once more. Red mist launched from the crown of his head. He fell at her feet. Kora looked at the sword glinting in the light. It still vibrated with scorching heat and energy, buzzing sharply. She pried it from his hand and walked back to the elevator. It burned her palm as she held it. She ripped a piece of cloth from a dead guard and wrapped it around her hand. She felt the weight of it as she twisted and turned it. She holstered her gun, satisfied with the sword, and directed the elevator to the hangar.
* * *
The elevator stopped and the doors opened. Kora paused. Noble stood before her, a Krypteian sword in one hand and a pistol in the other. Just behind him, about thirty yards away, was Gunnar and her way out. Noble glared at her while pointing the sword directly at her. “You’re surrounded.”
She took slow steps farther into the hangar. In her periphery she could see two Imperial soldiers on either side of her, but her eyes never strayed from Noble. He flashed her a wry smile as he walked closer to her. “Lay down your weapons.”
Kora removed her weapons holster, but kept a tight grip on the sword. He looked at her with smug satisfaction as he moved closer to her. “I suppose I owe you thanks for not accepting my offer of surrender. Makes a better ballad if I slay you in combat. It was a good try—better than could have been expected from a bunch of weary farmers. Yet, you must know this ship can operate without a bridge.”
She held his gaze, expressionless, as she waited for the explosives attached to the Kali to detonate. His eyes wavered for a moment as he searched her face, not knowing why she remained calm. Then a series of pops and deafening explosions echoed through the cavernous hangar. The room shuddered as the floor moved beneath their feet. He looked at her in shock as he stumbled back.
“But can it operate without its engines?”
Noble’s eyes widened hearing this. He moved to attack. Two shots rang out nearby. The two guards on either side of Kora fell to the ground. Noble and Kora looked around at where the shots had come from. Gunnar stood behind Noble with his weapon drawn. Kora looked to Gunnar, then Noble, who raised his pistol towards Gunnar. She moved swiftly to attack Noble. She wouldn’t get to him in time, but maybe she could throw him off, stop him from getting a clean shot. To no avail. Noble pulled the trigger. Bright red blooms appeared on Gunnar’s chest as he fell to the floor.
“Gunnar!” Kora screamed as she renewed her assault on Noble. She hit Noble’s arm–the one holding the pistol—with the butt of her sword. He dropped the pistol and jumped away before she got the chance to strike him with her sword. They circled each other with glowing blue blades in hand, trying to maintain their balance as the ship teetered, the ground becoming more and more unstable by the second. The Dreadnought’s nose began to shift towards Veldt. The floor tilted and parts broke away, causing them to keep moving else they would slide off.
Gunnar’s limp body tumbled and hit the wall, leaving a bloody trail from the gunshot. As the ship continued to spiral, the floor became the wall. Kora’s and Noble’s swords clashed with the echo of ten. She pushed hard to knock his out of his hand, or land a clean lethal cut, but his skill and strength had increased since they last fought.
“You just won’t give up, Arthelais. I can see why you were once the darling of Balisarius,” said Noble.
“No, I won’t give up until you are dead!” Kora pressed forward as the ship rotated again and they fought on what was once the ceiling. Loose items clattered around them, alarms blared. It wouldn’t be long until the Dreadnought broke apart and hit the ground. Noble gritted his teeth as he swung his sword with controlled hysteria. His only intention was to see her bleed and die.
He raised his sword and swung it again as Kora fought to keep her footing. Her blade slipped from her hands and fell to the ground. Knowing her only chance was to use the unsteady ground, she waited a beat until Noble moved with the rotation, to twist her body to use her elbow and upper arm to strike him across the jaw.
Noble flew back and fell to the ground from the blow. She looked around for her weapon. It was sliding across the floor towards a semi-conscious Gunnar. With eyes narrowed to slits and the deep wound to his chest still weeping blood, he caught the sword. Noble scrambled to his feet and punched Kora hard in the belly. The ship rocked and twisted as it burned through the atmosphere, heading for a collision with Veldt. She bowled over for a moment then grabbed his head with both hands as they fell to the trembling ground.
She pounded his head hard against the floor. He managed to grab her by the torso with his feet and legs then launched her over his head. She smashed into the ground. As she tried to get back up, Noble rose to his feet and picked her up in a chokehold. He tightened his arm around her neck as her hands clawed at his arms. Her mouth opened and eyes rolled back. He looked down on her red face with a sinister gleeful smile. “See. This could only end one way.”
So consumed with murder, he didn’t see Gunnar heave himself off the floor, her sword in his hand as he dragged it towards Noble. Blood spurted from his mouth with every step.
“Goodbye, Arthelais. I hope you enjoy—” Noble’s arm slackened and he looked down. Kora’s sword emerged from his chest. Kora fell from his grasp. Weak croaks escaped his lips as he touched the edge of the blade. Gunnar lifted his leg as if it weighed a ton and kicked him to the ground. Noble lay there, watching the ship fall to pieces before his very eyes. Kora took the blade and made sure he would never see anything ever again, beheading him.
Kora crawled towards Gunnar, who had collapsed from his wound. The King’s Gaze was breaking apart. There were shouts from crew trying to escape and screams from those being crushed. Large pieces of machinery fell from every direction and flew through the air as the ship spiraled faster towards the planet. Crew who managed to make their way into a dropship flew out of the bays.
Kora looked at Gunnar’s wounds, then into his eyes that struggled to remain open. “I’ll die with you,” she said to him with tears in her eyes. She stroked his face and kissed his lips when the floor beneath them shook. She whipped her head to the right to see a dropship had come loose and slammed next to them. She looked back to Gunnar and jumped to her feet, dragging him towards the dropship. She pulled him inside and ran to the pilot’s chair. Kora pressed hard on the controls and zoomed out of the hangar. The dropship rocked violently. Their dropship was hit by debris and began to spin out of control.
She grabbed the controls to stop the ship from careening into the ground and bursting into flames. She had to land this thing the best she could. Gunnar needed help, and fast. As it approached the village, she pulled hard on the throttle. Smoke fogged the windows from the damage to the exterior. The ship skipped across the burned and cratered field. She glanced at Gunnar as they bounced against the ground. It finally came to a stop near the bridge. Kora rushed from her seat and slammed the control to open the doors. She pulled Gunnar out, hoping it wasn’t too late. They had made it this far. The King’s Gaze and Noble were both destroyed for good as the Dreadnought broke apart in the sky.
Kora cradled a dying Gunnar in her arms. She touched his face and tried to keep him awake. Tears clung to the bottom of her eyes and fell down, joining the dirt and blood staining her cheeks. “No. No you don’t. Don’t you dare die on me! I’ve got a future here, and I need it to be with you.”
He smiled with a blood-coated mouth and touched her tears, wiping them away. “You’ve got a future alright. You live it for the both of us. Promise me.”
She shook her head, still crying. “Dammit, I want you. I’ve lived my whole life doing as I was told, what was asked of me. I’m tired of it. I want you alive. Why can’t I have this one thing?! Just this one thing!”
Kora began to sob and shake her head. She looked to the sky to see the escaped dropships in attack formation. Gunnar coughed up blood. His chest convulsed. She turned her attention back to him, her tears falling onto his hand, holding hers.
“Look what you did. You saved us. You saved all of us. I love you… but not for what you have done, but who you are. You are a light in the dark. Never forget that.”
She continued to sob, the pain greater than any physical torture she could be subjected to. She opened her mouth to speak, but her words remained choked sobs lodged in her throat. He squeezed her hand the best he could and his voice reduced to a dry whisper. “It’s okay… you don’t have to say it back… I know what you are… and I love you.”
She opened her lips again to speak when ships roared overhead. Dust and dirt circled around them. She looked up, expecting this to be the end, but they weren’t Imperial ships. They were unmarked vessels strafing what was left of the Imperial soldiers on the ground. Cheers erupted from behind her. Titus, Tarak, and Milius punched the air with their fists at this unseen ally. Aris stood next to Sam with his arm around her. His eyes were wide with disbelief and tears.
The villagers emerged from their stations and hiding places to watch this new battle being waged. The Imperial dropships poised to attack the village became engaged in an aerial dogfight and were blasted from the sky one by one. They scattered, trying to avoid these new opponents, but didn’t get far. One of the unmarked ships broke away and landed in the field. Devra Bloodaxe leapt out of the cockpit with a sword in one hand and a gun in the other.
Fresh for a fight, she stormed towards the Imperial soldiers approaching the village. With her gun raised she picked off the easy targets. Soldiers rushing towards her were met with her sword slashing indiscriminately across their bodies. She used both her weapons in tandem without missing a beat. Within minutes she was covered in blood and mud. One of the soldiers knocked her to the ground. Before he could set upon her, she swiped her sword just below his knees and removed both legs. He fell to the ground screaming in agony. She rose from the dirt and shot him between the eyes. Behind her, rebel ships aimed at the soldiers from the sky, sending them into the air and to their instant death.
Kora’s body shook with relief. “Look, it’s Devra Bloodaxe and the whole rebel fleet. It’s… it’s really over.” No response came from Gunnar. She looked down to see his sky-blue eyes wide open, but no heartbeat or breath. Kora closed her eyes and grit her teeth as she pulled him closer. His head rested against her chest. “I love you. I love you, Gunnar.”
She looked back up to the burning fields of Veldt and the rising smoke. The cost of rebellion is always loss. The legacy is freedom and dignity.
* * *
The sunset matched the crimson-stained soil of Veldt. A large funeral pyre blazed. In the center stood a pike with the flags of the fallen. Smoke rose like a pillar candle into the air. Hagen stood front and center before the flames next to Kora and Milius.
“From other worlds they came to fight for us… to die for us. From Byeol, Nemesis. From our own lands, Den and Gunnar. All displaying bravery heretofore unknown. To the lives lost here. To the lives lost on other worlds. To all those who refused to bend the knee to the Motherworld… may they find their peace.”
Hagen’s voice cracked as tears streamed from his eyes and the flames crawled up the pikes, consuming the flags Sam had lovingly made with her own hands as a tribute to the bravery of the warriors. Hagen cleared his throat and continued his speech. “We honor them now in the only way we can. By remembering their names when next we bring in the harvest. A season from now, a hundred seasons from now…” he paused to wipe his nose and eyes, “…and by carrying on. By carrying on.”
Eljun bowed his head to cry as he clasped the necklace around his neck. Sam stood next to him with her head resting against Aris’ shoulder. The entire village stood in respect for the dead who fought to protect their village. Above the longhouse, the banners of the remaining fighters blew in the breeze.
They all stood in front of the village bridge. Kora wore Gunnar’s jacket and stared with vacant eyes into the flames. Nemesis’ swords sparked in the flames as they were consumed with her body. Devra turned to Kora. “I am sorry. My brother was right. He always was.”
Kora looked into her eyes. “When it mattered, you came.”
“No. Not when it mattered. Not soon enough. I have much to learn about bravery from the lot of you.” Devra turned to Milius and placed a hand on their shoulder. “Perhaps you most of all. You who showed strength when we did not. All of you honor the fallen.”
Kora continued to look at the flames. A single tear slid down her cheek. Her entire face showed emotions she had masked through the fight. “Do not speak of me when you speak of honor and bravery. I lied to you… to all of you… Titus.”
She turned to the general. His eyes were filled with compassion and his lips a soft smile. “I know, child.”
“You know I am Arthelais, adopted daughter of the regent Balisarius and assassin of Princess Issa?”
His eyes twinkled in the firelight. “I know your name, yes. But you were not her assassin.”
Kora searched his face. She looked at him in confusion.
“For the princess is still alive,” he said.
She shook her head. “But I…”
He gave her an amused smile. “You thought she could be killed so easily? No… she’s more than that.”
Kora’s lips quivered. She closed her eyes and opened them again. Her mind swirled with images of the past. “What am I to do?”
“You have a reason now, do you not? To find her and to fight.”
Kora touched her weapon.
“If you do choose to fight, I will stand with you,” said Devra.
Kora gave her a nod. Milius glanced towards Tarak, who also nodded his head in agreement. “All of us.”
“And I as well,” said Titus.
Kora looked at him with deep gratitude. “Thank you, Titus.”
Tarak chimed in, “That’s our General Titus.”
They looked up to mechanical stomping. “If I can be of use…” Jimmy approached them. He held up a bloodstained antler. “I do have this. It is a most useful weapon.”
Tarak chuckled and slapped him on the back. “You wish to fight with us, robot, and find this lost princess?”
“If what you say is true and the princess lives… I have no choice. I serve the line of the slain king. It is my honor to fight.”
Kora looked above their heads at the glowing embers and ash being carried on the wind towards the sky. They looked like distant stars floating in the vast universe. She turned back to the crumbling pyre. There was nothing left here on Veldt for her but memory. “Yes, to find her and to fight.”
A young girl no more than ten years old stepped forward. She took a deep breath and began to sing.
From far my home land calls to me
Over ever-rolling fields my heart is taken out of me
Fire within fire I follow your feet
Fire within fire my end will I meet
From far I hear my homeland cry
Under ever-gloaming skies thunder
Rolls up on her sighs
Fire within fire I follow your feet
Fire within fire my end will I meet
Far from far your wandering soul
Under stars I will never hold
Stars I will never hold
Must I let you go far from far my heart my home
No one spoke, only listened with tears streaming from their eyes as the bonfire consumed the bodies of the dead and the banners hanging above their bodies, with embers and smoke rising to meet the night.
* * *
Balisarius stood beneath a two-story stained-glass window, half dressed. Colored light filtered in from the grand window as he stared at the gray walls with his chest out and chin held high. Attendants worked to dress him in the highest ceremonial royal attire. A tunic was pulled over his head followed by the heavy cape embroidered with gold. His attaché walked with quick steps and a look of worry across his face. He swallowed hard when he stood before Balisarius. “Sire.”
Balisarius glanced at him and held out a finger. “One moment. I do love this part.”
He bowed his head for a laurel of gold leaves to be placed on his head. He closed his eyes, relishing every second of being treated like and believing he was the most important man in the universe. When the laurel was secured on his head, his lips curled to a smile. He straightened and opened his eyes. He stood like a king. His eyes glanced towards the attaché. “Tell me as we walk.”
Balisarius moved from his attendants towards the doors. His footsteps hit the gleaming marble floor. A dozen guards and generals waited outside the doors and followed him as they walked down a corridor. The attaché scurried to keep in pace with him.
“You’ve brought word from Admiral Noble. When can we expect his return?”
The attaché stammered. “Yes… Well… We felt you should know as soon as we could confirm that we have no contact with the admiral and fear The King’s Gaze is lost.” The attaché held his breath for a beat after giving Balisarius this news.
Balisarius stopped before a doorway. He furrowed his brow. “Lost?”
The attaché looked towards the stony-faced soldiers and to the floor. “Destroyed, sire.”
“What?” The sternness in Balisarius’ voice echoed through the archway of the high ceiling hall.
“We were able to confirm that the ship disintegrated upon impact with the moon Veldt. As far as we can surmise there may be no survivors.”
Balisarius looked towards the door. His face turned to a scowl. “Survivors? No, there will be no survivors. She would have seen to that.”
The attaché gave him a puzzled look. “She? Sire?” Balisarius looked back to the attaché for a moment before turning on his heels and whipping his cape to the side. He walked quickly towards the doors that became brighter the closer he was to them. Two guards opened the doors for him. He stepped onto a balcony that overlooked hundreds of thousands of uniformed Imperial troops. He raised his hand and cheers erupted from below. In front of the troops were more men in head-to-toe armor. He took in a deep breath as he scanned the crowd. They began to chant, “Regent! Regent! Regent!”
He raised his other arm. In that moment, flower petals descended around him, falling to his feet. The parade of weapons and soldiers continued below, creating a frenzy in the troops. His eyes raised towards the sky, where a thousand Dreadnoughts hovered in perfect battle formation. He smiled and said under his breath, “There is only one of you, Arthelais, and so many more of us. Prepare to be hunted.”