“Ghosts from the past

  often come in the form

  of unfamiliar faces.”

  -Unknown

  Chapter 13: Escape

  “How did this happen?”

  “Clearly, the Blight brought them here. Must have happened after you thought you had the real one.”

  Tulius knew Martzia was probably right, but would never openly admit it. He moved onto the next subject as he sped down the hallway. Martzia seemed flustered by all of this as well.

  “Do we still have the Paradignian pilot? Do we know where he and the Blight are?”

  “We lost all video feed when our surveillance station was destroyed. Last we heard, the prisoner did escape.”

  Tulius groaned in anger, gritting his teeth. He had no time to waste. Overlord Thanator would be here in under 48 hours, and everything needed to be brought under control by the time he arrived.

  “Get every fighter we have available up in the air. Mobilize our forces, and get them down to Project J?rmungandr. I want everything in order for-”

  Tulius was cut off as the elevator door in front of him opened. To his shock and dismay, Thanator stood before him. He could not believe his eyes. In that moment, it felt as though his heart stopped.

  “My- my Overlord! This is most unexpected!” Tulius squeaked, falling to his knees in obeisance before the mighty figure. Martzia stiffly fell to one knee, bowing her head.

  He was larger in real life than Tulius had anticipated. Standing nearly two and a half meters, the giant, bulky figure was a sight to behold. Looking up below his hood, Tulius could see his harrowing, X shaped visor, which glowed a bright red. Metal tubes fed up to the bottom of his helmet, as though acting as some type of gas mask.

  “Enter,” Thanator demanded. The two of them quickly complied.

  “My Overlord, I’m so sorry. There’s been an oversight and-”

  Thanator ignored the man, looking straight ahead. Pressing the elevator button, they began to ascend. Tulius became more confused.

  “The roof? My Overlord, the lab. It’s been infiltrated. I fear we need to go down and attend-”

  “Silence.”

  Tulius silenced himself immediately. Martzia, ever so pleased he had stumbled through his encounter, smirked as the elevator continued upward. Tulius shot her a dirty look. Thanator said nothing more.

  Upon arriving at the roof, Thanator exited slowly, sauntering towards the top of the Ziggurat’s edge. He looked out onto the dog fight currently happening in the sky above them. The Sashyrians were contending with the rogue interlopers, all consisting of a ragtag group of ships and various crafts. With his forces outmatched, Tulius grew even more concerned. However, he knew better than to comment on such an observation now.

  Meanwhile, cargo transports were flying away safely. Presumably, with escaped prisoners. The transports were comprised of old Paradignian craft, while the fighters and destroyers were of a modified Kenzanite design. This was not some ragtag group of pirates or mercenaries, but an organized sect that stood against the Triumvirate. It was surely the same group that fought to free the slaves they had aqcuired over the past few years. An underground group, much like the one he served, that fought to continue the chaos that had been set in the universe long ago. With such conclusions drawn, Tulius finally understood.

  “This was meant to happen...” Tulius whispered, his eyes trailing off into the distance as he stood behind Thanator.

  “You lured them out into the open. This was about more than just eliminating the Blight. You wanted to expose them, so you gave them a prize too valuable to resist. All so you could-”

  “Crush them,” Thanator confirmed.

  “Everything has gone according to plan, whether you were aware of it or not,” he explained.

  “But what if some escape? With the knowledge they could have about our operations, they could ruin everything!”

  “Some will,” Martzia realized, “but only to ensure we destroy our opposition from stem to root.”

  “To trace it back to its source...” Tulius noted, appreciating the clever plan that had been put into place.

  As the battle raged on, few transports remained of the enemy to carry away prisoners. Lifting the hood off his head, Thanator stepped over to the very tip of the ziggurat’s edge. Slowly, his crossed arms fell to his sides.

  Immediately, enemy fighters began falling from the sky. More accurately, they were pushed from the heavens, all by an eerie, invisible force. Tulius could not understand what he was seeing, but he knew it had to be Thanator’s doing. Just like he had experienced, the enemy vessels fell under Thanator’s complete control. Crashing to the ground, or being crushed in the sky, each one ended up like torched insects. Within seconds, no enemy fighters remained. Among the destroyed craft were also two transports that had been too late to escape.

  A voice-call over Tulius’ H.I.C. came through. He answered it promptly, staring in awe at the wonder of it all. He felt safer now, knowing it was all a part of the master plan that this was happening.

  “We’re victorious, Commandant. Should we pursue the stragglers?”

  “No,” Tulius replied, “Leave them alone. Seal the hangar bay doors by any means necessary, and prevent any left behind from escaping.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  *

  The Horizon barely squeezed through the narrow teeth of what remained of the hangar doors. Red breathed a small sigh of relief, but Lima gasped in horror. His face showed a look of defeat Koga had never seen before. Beyond concerned, the man looked devastated.

  “Our ships! The transports! Where are the remaining transports? Manter 7-11, do you copy? Zexla 218, do you copy? Is anyone on?” Lima cried into his H.I.C., trying to raise anyone on the comms.

  “They’re gone, Lima,” Gar said over their intercom. Lima hung his head, realizing what this meant.

  “We will be too if we don’t get out of here. Start lighting up those Sashyrian fighters!” Red ordered, swooping The Horizon upward through a maelstrom of enemy laser fire.

  From their port and starboard sides, Pickett and Gar began to fire on the enemy fighters. Red, using a spinning tactic, launched The Horizon down again, trying to find an opening through the enemy ranks. Unluckily, or by design, there were none. Throwing out one of the nonsensical words she often used, she spun the ship back around towards Deathlock. Koga felt the weight of his failure, knowing so many had died to save him. Now, the souls on board might pay the price.

  “We’re going the wrong way, idiot,” R.U.D.E remarked, shooting down one of the Sashyrians as The Horizon turned.

  “Don’t you think I know that?” Red replied, flustered as she maneuvered through another swarm of fighters.

  “Oh. Then you’ve become suicidal. Somehow I knew you’d take me with you in the end. Selfish fugrukkler,” R.U.D.E. replied.

  “Sorry, I know we’re on death’s doorstep, but where do you people come up with these... these... nonsensical insults? I mean, what do they even mean?!” Pickett asked over the comms, bewildered.

  Koga looked to Red’s shield regulator as it began to beep out a warning sound. He knew that unless something changed, this would be their end. All because he could not complete the mission. All because he was not strong enough.

  The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.

  “We’ve taken too many hits! The shield is nearly down!” Lima warned.

  With this many opponents, Koga wondered what Red would choose to do to get them out of this mess. With no one to back them up, they were merely seconds away from death. Their escape, if even possible, was not going to be pretty.

  “Direct all shielding to the Horizon’s nose when I give the word. Everyone, hang on!” Red instructed, her grip of the wheel tightening.

  Koga grabbed hold of a side rail, as Lima did the same. Somehow knowing what she was going to attempt, R.U.D.E. buckled himself in. He shook his head in disapproval.

  “This worked really well for you last time, didn’t it?” R.U.D.E. remarked.

  “In theory, it’s one of the best ideas I’ve ever had,” she retorted, sounding unsure of herself.

  “Shouldn’t that scare you a little?”

  Red couldn’t help but chuckle.

  “You’ve got to be the chattiest assassin droid I’ve ever met,” she stated, turning to look at him.

  “Your brother knew somebody would have to keep your ego in check,” R.U.D.E. remarked, taking on a slightly lighter tone.

  Red gave a small smile as she turned back to look out the cockpit.

  “I guess he did.”

  She grabbed the heavy forward thruster lever, ready to launch it forward.

  “Shield integrity, 15%,” the onboard computer warned.

  “Here we go!” Red yelled, “Punch it, R.U.D.E.!”

  The droid shifted all shielding to the Horizon’s front nose. Blasting forward with the engines one should use only for space travel, Red launched the Horizon forward and through a line of fighters. The ships exploded in front of her, and she waited for her own ship to do the same.

  “13%. 12%.”

  Another explosion rocked the Horizon.

  “5%. 4%.”

  “It’s been good knowing you, son,” Lima spoke solemnly, looking at Koga.

  “1%”

  When the explosions cleared, no fighters remained. Koga realized he should not have, but in what he imagined to be his final moments, he had shut down his senses. The Horizon launched high in the sky, free from any pursuers. It appeared they were, at last, homeward bound.

  Throughout the ship, cheers could be heard. Red, not bothering to get caught up in the moment, ordered R.U.D.E. to divert the remainder of the shield’s power to the whole of the ship. She acted as though the danger was not over yet.

  “We’re not through this yet. There will be more fighters on our tail. Gunners, stay alert!”

  As they soared higher and higher, Pickett related a disturbing revelation.

  “No one is coming for us,” he informed the crew. “I see a few fighters leaving the hangar bay from the other side, but they’re just hanging around.”

  “What?” Red replied, turning on her rear cameras to check for herself.

  “He’s right,” Gar confirmed. “They’re filing into formation by Deathlock.”

  Before Koga could ponder the occurrence, something even more strange occurred. The Horizon came to a violent stand still. The ship jarred, as anyone not seated nearly lost their balance. R.U.D.E.’s head violently slammed into the computer interface in front of him with a comical fashion. Those on the bridge looked to the rear camera monitors to see what was happening.

  “What is going on?” Lima asked.

  “Space thrusters are full blast. This shouldn’t be happening,” R.U.D.E. noted.

  Red brought up the rear cameras to her main screen, then enlarged them. Nothing more than what was already noted appeared on the screen. Then, she zoomed in towards the Ziggurat.

  “Look,” she directed, pointing towards a figure on the camera.

  An imposing, armored man, standing next to a woman wearing a chauffeur styled cap and another man Koga knew to be Tulius, seemed to be halting The Horizon. With his right hand extended towards them, the intimidating figure with the X shaped visor on his helmet began to slowly pull the ship down toward him.

  “We’re losing altitude,” R.U.D.E. commented.

  “This isn’t possible,” Red remarked, stunned by what was occurring.

  “Dagon’s right hand man,” Gar commented, seemingly recognizing the figure with the X shaped visor.

  “You know that guy? How is he pulling us in? Is this the tech they’ve been working on down there?” Red asked, trying to rectify in her mind how such a thing was possible.

  “No… he has power beyond what technology can provide. He is in touch with the machor,” Lima noted. Koga’s eyes widened. A terrible revelation came to him.

  Koga did not recognize the man from sight, but from feeling. He was there. That horrible night on which the witch had died, he was there. From the holo-communication, he remembered the question the Dark Lord’s underling had asked.

  “Shall I go to destroy the child?”

  Those were the words he had spoken so many years ago. He was the same man who had haunted his dreams. Ones where that horrid question had been repeated over and over in his mind. Koga’s inner morgath, the same energy Ozzeray had taught him to use, spoke to him now as never before. It confirmed his suspicions without question.

  “Koga where are you going?” Lima asked as Koga turned around, heading for the elevator. Koga made no reply.

  “Koga, wait!” Lima implored, following behind him. Switching the controls to the co-pilot’s chair, Red did the same.

  “You can’t face him, Koga. If his powers are as they seem, he’ll destroy you,” Lima warned.

  “He’s right,” Red confirmed. “There’s no sense in going out there.”

  Koga responded as he waited on the elevator.

  “I’ll get him to release his grip on the ship. When he does, leave as quickly as you can. Keep all thrusters on overload.”

  Lima grabbed his arm.

  “Don’t do this. Don’t throw your life away.”

  Koga turned to look at him.

  “He’s the one in my dreams, Lima. The one I hear every night. I must face him.”

  “Your friend is right,” Red remarked. “You can’t throw your life away for us. There’s no guarantee you’ll get him to let go of the ship.”

  “But there is a guarantee,” Koga retorted. “Mine to you. I promised you I’d get you out of here.”

  Koga stepped into the elevator.

  “And I always keep my promises.”

  Lima reached in to grab him, but Koga pushed him back just before the elevator door closed. Lima slammed his fist onto the elevator’s control panel.

  “Koga!”

  Koga could sense Red had pushed Lima to the side, trying to activate the override before the elevator reached the lower level. Her efforts were in vain. She hopped aboard the next elevator. Lima followed her in. They could not stop him. This was his destiny.

  Once the door opened to the lower deck, Koga could sense that Naf, his little droid, was in Checotah’s hands. Gar rushed forward to stop him.

  “You can’t do this, boy! We came here to get you! Don’t throw your life away!”

  “That’s not why I called you here,” Koga replied, continuing to walk towards the exit ramp.

  “Stop!” he replied, swinging a fist in his direction. His attack was well delivered, but was to no avail. Koga easily dodged it, tripping Gar so that he fell back. That, however, seemed to be Gar’s plan all along. Swiftly, he kicked the back of Koga’s knees from a prone position , hoping to bring him down with him. The attempt would have worked, save that Gar underestimated the strength the morgath gave him. The blow barely quaked his legs. Koga walked off, opening the ramp as he walked on to it.

  He turned back to face Naf.

  “Obey Lima, Naf. He’s your master now.”

  “Master, much no go...” Naf replied, crawling to the edge of Checotah’s large hands to better see his master.

  Checotah watched, but made no efforts to stop him. Some individual’s morgath created an aura about them, and Checotah’s was one of pain, much like his own. It was as though the Taur somehow knew the path he walked, and understood it well enough to know not to interfere. The Taur nodded towards him, a silent sign of his recognition, respect, and best wishes. Koga nodded back, then proceeded with his mission.

  Red and Lima ran towards him, but they were too slow. Koga jumped off the ramp, and plummeted down towards his foe. At last, he would come face to face with his tormentors.

  *

  The dark armored figure was diving down towards them, but Thanator made no efforts to stop him. Tulius guessed that it had to be the Blight based off how he looked. This was a fight he would watch with bated breath.

  The Blight dropped nearly all the way to eye level before turning on his rocket propulsion systems. He then rocketed towards Thanator at a horizontal angle as he fired off a series of projectiles. Miniature rockets, electric blasts, and basic laser fire zoomed towards his Overlord. Tulius grew scared for a slight moment, wondering if Thanator was going to do anything to halt their progress.

  Thanator, with ease, launched the projectiles into the sky, just before they all reached him. Closing his giant fist, the rockets exploded, while the lasers and balls of electric energy dispersed into nothing. All this, while still keeping Tulius’ new ship suspended mid air.

  The Blight launched himself at Thanator with lightning speed, moving to take on the colossal menace head on. Like a black blur, the demon from the dark realm was upon them like a wraith, noticeably startling Martzia. The Blight raised his sword to strike.

  In the blink of an eye, their enemy was thrown to the ground, crushed below the might of Thanator’s power. Continuing to use his superior strength, the sword which the Blight had wielded flew out of his hand and off the roof. Then, Thanator pulled the dark menace toward him like a rag doll, the invisible force dragging him along the stone floor.

  The grand conflict that Tulius thought he was about to witness was not so grand after all. His Overlord was far more powerful than the Blight. It almost seemed that, on top of defeating his opponent, Thanator wanted to make a statement demonstrating his prowess. To add injury to insult, Thanator dragged his opponent on the floor so heavily that sparks flew off the armor plating as it grinded against the stone slabs below.

  The look of concern fled from both Tulius and Martzia’s face as Thanator dragged his opponent closer. He smiled as the Blight’s body flew upright, the invisible force suspending him mid air as his ligaments flew out to make an x shape with his body. Though he struggled, the Blight could do nothing to escape Thanator’s unyielding grasp.

  The Overlord’s victory was total. Nothing the Blight had done had even made him move from his position. With both the prisoners in the ship and the Blight himself captured, there was none left present to oppose them.

  A loud noise was heard when Thanator flung off the Blight’s pressurized helmet. A clanging sound was heard as the helmet fell to the ground beside them. Along with Thanator and Martzia, Tulius looked up to examine the face of the Blight.

  His complexion was quite pale, as though his skin had spent very little time under the suns. His hair was blonde, nearly white, and was long and scraggly. He had sharp, attractive features, with a strong jaw and well placed cheekbones. Those features, however, were not the most noticeable.

  Over his eyes, his ears, his mouth, and his throat lay single, slash-like scars. His eyes were gray, like those of a blind man. Other scars, looking slightly different than the more pronounced ones, existed on various spots on his face and neck.

  Thanator took a step back, seemingly shocked at whose face the helmet had hidden. Tulius had never seen the Overlord any less than in complete control of his reactions. Martzia, apparently, had seen nothing less either, given the expression on her face. In his shock, denial, or whatever it was the Overlord was feeling, he did the unthinkable. He made a mistake.

  His grip on the ship loosened, and Tulius’ new transport flew off out of sight and into the upper atmosphere. The Blight fell to the ground, his boots thudding as the rubber material thumped against the stone. Tulius turned to face Thanator in bewilderment, as Martzia did the same. Her expression was that of disappointment.

  “My Overlord, you let them escape!” she spoke, not even thinking about the tone she was using.

  Incurring his angst, Thanator threw Martzia back with the invisible force at his control, her body tumbling and rolling against the floor. She nearly fell off the structure, but was able to stop herself. She looked up at Thanator in a hot rage, as Tulius smiled down at her, enjoying every moment of her outburst. Letting go of her anger, she composed herself, standing to her feet as she brushed herself off. Thanator, still transfixed on the figure before him, paid her no mind.

  “You’re alive...” Thanator spoke, his tone one of unbelief.

  The Blight made no response. The two stared at one another for a moment, each assessing the other. This seemed to be, by outward glance, only a one sided reunion. While Thanator seemingly knew the figure before him, reading the Blight’s reaction was less easy. Tulius grew puzzled as to what their history was.

  After a long pause, the Blight fired a blast from his wrist cannon at Thanator, who deflected it easily off to the side. Not letting his opponent get another shot in, Thanator raised the Blight into the air once more. Immobilizing him, he began to bow the Blight’s back backwards, causing him to wince in pain. By the looks of things, Thanator intended to break the man’s spine in two.

  “You should have never come back, Koga Kane,” Thanator spoke, squeezing his grip as he brought his foe closer to a painful death.