Alliance of Serpents (22 page)

"That doesn't mean that they'll endanger
Arus," Vultrel said quietly.

"Perhaps not. But what happens when someone
else comes for him? Truce has been looking for a buyer for quite a
long time. Sooner or later, someone will track him down, and who
can say whether the Alliance will be strong enough to keep him
safe? For that matter, who is to say that he isn't being
manipulated already? I bet there are a good number of Aeden
scientists who would love to get a look at that kind of technology.
And a weapon is much more dangerous in the hands of the weak than
it could ever be in the possession of someone who knows how to
treat it." When Kindel looked back at Vultrel, the boy seemed to be
contemplating something. Creases of worry lined his forehead. "What
troubles you?"

"Well, now that you mention it . . . Arus was
being studied by one of the doctors on their ship. He reactivated
the implant's mechanical eye so that Arus could see, and I remember
overhearing him tell Arus that he intended to study it further. You
don't think . . ."

Kindel was already nodding. It was no
surprise. "They're trying to gain control of him. I can't let that
happen. I won't. Arus would be much better off under the protection
of the Armada until the implant's mechanism can be reworked to
prevent
anyone
 from taking control of him again."

Vultrel bowed his head with a pained look on
his face. "And I suppose you want my help in convincing him to
abandon them, is that it?"

"You don't trust me," Kindel said levelly. "I
can understand that. You've been through a lot lately, it
seems."

"I don't know who to trust anymore," he
responded, standing as he rubbed his temples. "I can't even tell
who's good or bad! You say you serve the good of the universe, yet
you've allied yourself with the Kyrosen. The Aeden Alliance claims
to be good, but they just stood by and watched while my father was
murdered. All they were concerned with was capturing Arus. And now
all you're interested is getting your hands on him. Everything has
been about Arus lately, and I feel like I've been left standing in
the middle of a crowded battlefield with no idea which side I'm
supposed to be defending." By the time he'd finished, he was
staring through the viewport, visibly struggling to force his anger
down. "I just feel so lost without—" He stopped short as though he
hadn't intended to add that last sentence.

"Without your father," Kindel finished the
thought. "I understand. I, too, lost my parents to the murderous
hands of a conquering race. It was then that I decided to stand up
for what was right and do everything in my power to ensure that
what happened to me didn't happen to anyone else. To that end, your
father's death falls on my hands due to the Armada's failure to
eliminate the remnants of the Kyrosen, and I apologize. As for our
supposed partnership with them, I owe no allegiance to Truce or his
wretched followers. But I will need his knowledge once we have
rescued Arus so that we can alter the design of the implant to keep
him from being enslaved again."

"And what makes you think he'll help you do
that?" Vultrel frowned as he asked the question. "He just wants to
regain control of Arus for himself."

"Once he realizes that I hold the remaining
members of the Kyrosen race hostage, he'll have no choice but to
obey."

That prompted a look of sheer disgust.
"Extortion doesn't sound like a tactic a man as noble as you claim
to be would even consider."

Thorus shook his head in wonder. The young
man was much like he was in his days of youth before the Ma'tuul
came. "I was raised much like you, you know. Taught to prize honor
and nobility and all that. But when certain events came to pass, I
was forced to see the horrible truth. The universe is not about
honor and nobility. Criminals are not about honor and nobility. The
most dangerous men of the cosmos will kill their mothers to get
what they want. There is no honor in that, is there? These people
do not respect an honest man. Do you think Truce would willingly
help me if he knew my goal was to protect your friend? Of course
not. And that's the reality of the universe. You cannot hope to
make any strides against evil if you are not willing to do whatever
is necessary to defeat it. Those that think otherwise will find
themselves crushed beneath the boots of Kuldaan himself. You,
Vultrel, of all people should know this. Truce showed no mercy to
you. The Kyrosen showed no mercy to your people. They did whatever
was necessary to achieve their goals, and because of that, you now
find yourself without a father, without a lifelong friend, and
without a purpose."

Vultrel's hands had rolled into tight fists
as he spoke, though it seemed more out of pain than of anger. His
jaw was set harder than ever, and the rims of his eyes were pink.
He said nothing, but Kindel knew he was getting through.

"Since the day I realized this," Thorus
continued, looking through the viewport beside him, "I have sought
only strength. Honor, nobility, and all of that idealistic nonsense
has no place in my life anymore. Strength conquers all in this
universe, and I will not allow anyone to threaten the peace and
security of innocent worlds. I will do whatever it takes. Criminals
will do the same, and to allow them to go on with their lives
unhindered and unpunished because of some petty dedication to honor
is just as bad as surrendering to them. They learn nothing from it,
and they certainly don't pay for their crimes through it. The
Kyrosen will have a lot more to deal with than mere extortion once
I am through with them. They deserve nothing less."

The next several moments passed in silence as
Vultrel stared out into the stars. Finally, he looked at Kindel and
asked, "Who is that lady you have locked up in a jail cell?
Almatha, I think her name was?"

That was a question Kindel had not expected.
His own fault, he realized; he should've made sure that Olock moved
Vultrel into a cell that wasn't near hers. "The details surrounding
her imprisonment are classified at the moment," he said, trying to
sound sympathetic. "I wish I could tell you more, but regretfully I
cannot." Vultrel slightly inclined his head in what looked like an
understanding nod, but Kindel couldn't help but wonder if he had
spoken at length with the Belvid. "Did she talk with you?"

"Only long enough to refer to you a snake,"
Vultrel answered, sparing him a suspicious glance.

No surprise there. The woman had the same
silly notions of honor and all that bloody foolish talk as Aldoric.
"I wouldn't spare too much interest for anything she says if I were
you. Almatha stands in the way of the greater good, and she will
learn the value of strength when I am finished with her." That came
out sounding too much like a threat against her, though truthfully
that was exactly what it was. Kindel didn't want to lie to Vultrel
about his intentions, but he did realize the importance of
presenting himself in a manner which would be gentle to the boy's
ears. He was in need of guidance, there was no question of that,
and he could prove to be immensely helpful in convincing Arus to
abandon the Aeden fools. "Remember, Vultrel. Strength is everything
in this universe. It is the strong races that conquer civilizations
and murder the helpless. The only way to truly defeat such evil is
to overcome it with a power greater than anything they can muster.
And in order to attain such power, sacrifices must sometimes be
made; it is the cruel nature of existence. Sacrifices which may, at
the time, seem heartless."

Something had struck a nerve, because tears
were rolling down Vultrel's face. "He wasn't strong enough." The
sentence began as a murmur, but his voice grew with each word. "He
wasn't strong enough to follow Anton's lead. If he only he had
managed to break free for just one moment, he could've ended it
all. He could've sacrificed himself to save . . ." Shaking his
head, he turned his back to Kindel and moved away. "What do you
need me to do? I'll do whatever it takes to keep the implant out of
evil hands."

It was done. Whatever the Alliance may have
said to try to corrupt Vultrel meant nothing now. He was ready to
pledge himself to fight for the greater good. "For now, I require
nothing of you. We are in pursuit of the ship that has taken your
friend, and when we catch them, I will require your assistance.
Until then, I have arranged a room for you, and you will be granted
access to all areas of the
Black Eagle
with the exception of
any area marked for Senior Officers only. That gives you free reign
to wander through most of the ship. If you'd like, I can have an
officer show you around. We have a workout area that you may
enjoy."

Vultrel sighed heavily before responding.
"Thank you, but I'm sure I can find my own way around."

Kindel frowned behind the young man's back,
but he kept his voice pleasant. "Very well, as you wish. I
understand your weapon was confiscated when you were apprehended by
the Mages. I'll make sure it is returned to you." He lifted his
communicator and summoned Scimitar and Kalibur, who entered nearly
as soon as he returned the device to belt. "Scimitar, please see
this young man to his room. I'd like to speak with Kalibur for a
moment."

Vultrel said no more. He silently followed
Scimitar through the door without as much as a glance in Kindel's
direction. A few years in the Armada's training academy would've
done the boy service, but he would learn to show the proper respect
in time. He had a fire inside him that could be harnessed for the
greater good of the universe. But there was no time for that at the
moment. Perhaps once the implant was safely in Kindel's hands, but
not until then. And until Vultrel was properly tamed, he would have
to be closely monitored. "Kalibur, I want you to appoint a team of
soldiers that you trust to befriend Vultrel and keep an eye on him
for me. I want him kept away from any vital systems, and he is not
to return to the prison level. I don't need that Belvid down there
to corrupt his mind any further."

"Yes, my Lord," the white-clad ninja
responded. "What about the Kyrosen? If he harbors such a grudge,
any interaction with them could spark an incident. For that matter,
if he discusses anything that has transpired between you with one
of them, it could cause an even larger problem."

Kindel sat behind his desk and began
rummaging through the paperwork in the lower left drawer. "If there
are any Kyrosen onboard the ship besides Truce, send them over to
the
Falcon Mist
with the others. I was going to give the
ship's command to Olock anyway."

"Command?" Kalibur's question was out of
character for him. "I beg forgiveness, Sir, but a Kyrosen in
command of a Vezulian starship? Have you relieved Commander Enzulia
of his post?"

"Well, not entirely." Certainly there was no
way a Kyrosen would ever be given a position of power by the
Armada. But according to the conditions of the deal he'd made with
Truce, the Kyrosen were entitled to their own craft. There were
ways to get around that, of course. Truce guaranteed that his
people would not turn on the Armada, so there was no harm in giving
control of a ship over to them as long as certain precautionary
measures were taken. "Commander Enzulia has been given the proper
instructions. He will remain onboard the
Falcon Mist
in a
supervisory role, and he has been ordered to kill Olock if he does
anything but obey my orders. They can have the ship as long as they
work with us, but should they decide to go their own way, this
little partnership will be over. I know the Kyrosen don't want
that, including Truce."

Kalibur bowed respectfully. "Of course, Sir.
My apologies, I did not mean to question your orders."

"I admit, the idea of giving command of one
of my vessels to a Kyrosen certainly churns my stomach," Kindel
conceded. "I've questioned myself dozens of times about it. But I
am confident in the commander and crew of the
Falcon Mist.
They won't let the Kyrosen get out of hand."

"Understood, Sir. I shall carry out your
orders immediately." Kalibur wasted no time in making for the
door.

When Kindel was alone once again, he drew a
packet of papers from his drawer and flipped through it. The
specifications for the creation of the amulet were listed somewhere
within those pages, and they would have to be reworked for the
second piece of lephadorite. As for Vultrel, the seeds for a
partnership had been planted, and it seemed as though they'd taken
root. Having Arus' best friend as an ally would be a considerable
advantage in convincing him to leave the Aeden Alliance. The use of
force would be a last resort, though regardless of Arus' decision,
the Alliance would likely launch an attack to keep him in their
hands. Minimal force, then.

Following that, the Kyrosen would soon be out
of the picture completely. Once Truce walked the Armada's
scientists through altering the implant to give control over to
Kindel—hopefully they wouldn't botch THAT up, too—then both Truce
and his wretched followers could be destroyed once and for all. No
doubt Truce and Olock had their own schemes up their sleeves, but
any such plans would soon be rooted out by his spies. "It won't be
long, now," Kindel said under his breath. "The enemies of the
Armada will soon fall to their own methods of evil."

*******

In the days following their departure from
Terranias, Arus did little besides train and rest. Most of his time
was spent either practicing with his sword in the gym or running
through the training lessons built into the flight simulator. Early
each morning, he met with Rollock, Timen, Nat, and Tam to hone his
skills with a blade in a group sparring session. Each had their
strengths and weaknesses, and Arus was constantly analyzing their
maneuvers in search of flaws. He asked that they all do the same
for him, though it was rare that they actually mentioned the
mistakes he made. Perhaps they were concerned about hurting his
feelings, but the truth was that Arus welcomed the criticism.