Alliance of Serpents (6 page)

"We learned about Truce's plans for a
cybernetic implant when he made a transmission from the Underworld
to a research outpost in the Sarangoda system," Kitreena added. "We
intercepted the message and tracked it, and that's how we ended up
here."

"The Underworld?" Arus repeated.

"That's what Truce called his little
underground lair beneath your Mayahol Desert," Damien clarified.
"I'm sure you've pieced some of the truth together on your own by
now, but here's the full story. The Kyrosen, or Vermilion Mages as
you know them, landed on your planet years ago in an attempt to
escape extinction. Repeated battles with the Vezulian
Armada—another military faction in space—had dwindled the Kyrosen's
numbers so drastically that they needed a place to regroup and
recover."

Kitreena's eyes shifted between Vultrel and
Arus as she spoke. "Aratus Truce was a ruthless killer. His vision
was for Terranias to become the new homeworld of the Kyrosen. He
changed their name to the Vermilion Mages to try to conceal their
true identity in case the Armada ever came looking for them. And
then he proceeded to wage war on your people. He wanted to
eliminate humanity, or at least enough of you to force the rest
into submission."

"So that's what the Vermilion War was about?"
Arus asked.

"That's right," Damien nodded. "Of course,
your fathers spoiled his plans. When Aratus was killed, his son
Sartan took over. His goal is quite different from his father's; he
wants to get the Kyrosen back into space where he believes they
belong. His plan with you, Arus, was to use the implant to conquer
Asteria as proof of how powerful and useful the device can be. Once
he'd succeeded, he was going to use the interstellar communication
devices from their wrecked starships to shop for buyers. He figured
he'd be able to trade the schematics and you for a few transport
ships to get the Kyrosen back on their feet."

"You mean he never really wanted to conquer
Terranias?" Vultrel asked.

"Aratus did," Kitreena told him. "But not
Sartan. He simply wanted compelling evidence that his invention
worked so that he could push buyers toward a higher price. And in
the meantime, I'm sure he preferred the idea of living in a castle
over living under a desert." While she was talking, she noticed
Arus' head begin to hang.
I can't imagine how you must feel. I
wish I could tear that thing out of your head and give you back
your old life.

Me too.

Arus glanced at her momentarily; apparently
she'd let her thoughts get away from her again. She was about to
open her mouth when he spoke. "Are the Mages . . . I mean, the
Kyrosen . . . are they coming after me now?"

Damien didn't bother to soften the truth. "It
is likely. However, with no ships to chase you, they won't be
finding you here anytime soon. Besides, the Aeden Alliance is
dedicated to defending those in need, and we will watch over you.
Not only that, but if Truce were to get his hands on that implant
again, it would be dangerous to many more people than just you. So
we will do everything in our power to protect you, Arus."

Arus took a deep breath before nodding.
"Thank you."

In contrast to his reaction, Vultrel snorted
loudly. "You need someone to defend you now? What happened to you,
Arus? What have you turned into? You and I were going to defend the
world against people like Truce, and now you're cowering behind
others for protection?"

"Hey, back off, Vultrel!" Kitreena growled at
him. "You don't know what he's going through, all right? Unless
you've had your mind controlled by a madman and been forced to
murder your own friends and family, you have
no
idea what
he's dealing with right now!"

For a moment, Vultrel stared back with a
sardonic smile. Then he looked at Arus again. "And now you need a
little girl to defend you. What have you become, Arus?" He rose
from his chair and turned to Damien. "I'd like to return home as
soon as possible. My people deserve some warning of Truce's
intentions."

Kitreena bit her lip to keep from screaming
at him. How dare he call her a little girl? She could wrap him up
in her whip twice before he'd even get his sword from its scabbard.
But anything she said now would be out of emotion, and Damien was
always admonishing her for speaking without thinking.
I hope
Truce's goons grab him the moment he sets foot on the surface.
We'll see what he has to say when the "little girl" has to come
rescue him again.
She may have imagined it, but she thought she
heard Arus stifle a quiet laugh.

"I'll have a transport prepared as soon as
this meeting his complete," Damien said, motioning toward Vultrel's
chair. "You're welcome to stay until we are through; we'll be happy
to answer any other questions you have."

"Thanks, but no thanks." Vultrel gave him a
slight nod. "I'd prefer to just get home and try to get my life
back on track."

"As you wish," Damien finally conceded.
Vultrel gave no more room for talk, leaving the room without so
much as a word of thanks. Kitreena shook her head when the door
closed behind him, but Damien spoke before she could. "He's
suffered a great loss, and though he doesn't understand the truth
behind what happened, he obviously holds Arus responsible. In time,
he'll see the reality of things, I'm sure. He just needs to grieve
for his father."

This time, it was Arus' voice that spoke in
Kitreena's mind first.
He thinks I'm a coward. My best friend
thinks I'm a coward.

Kitreena looked back at him, hopeful her
telepathy continued its sporadic connection.
You're not a
coward. Please don't ever think that.
He did look at her then,
giving her a slight nod of thanks.

Damien never noticed the silent exchange. "At
any rate, Arus, Doc Nori is very excited about you. He wants to
help you out as much as he can, and he's prepared to spend as much
time studying and tinkering with the implant as you're willing to
give him. He's studied the schematics extensively, and he believes
he can restore your vision in that cybernetic eye, along with some
of the programming Truce put in to enhance your abilities."

"No." Arus' voice was quiet, but firm. "No
programming. Just me, and that's all."

"I understand your feelings," Damien said,
"and Doc Nori will not do anything without your consent. But I
think you should at least consider the possibilities. If we could
reactivate your scanners, you'd be able to know exactly where every
enemy stands around you on the battlefield. If we enabled the
various battle programming, you'd have a ton of skills at your
disposal that normally would require years of training to
perfect—"

"No!" Arus shouted, slamming his fists on the
table. "I will
not
allow this bloody thing to control me any
more than I have to in order to survive. I'll allow the doctor to
reactivate my vision if he can, but I won't be
programmed
for anything!"

Kitreena held up an open hand. "It's all
right, Arus. We aren't going to force you into anything you're
uncomfortable with. I promise that."

Damien shifted to his other side. "My
apologies. Please, do not think that we would ever consider trying
to make you do anything that makes you uncomfortable. We're here to
help, and whatever you'd like us to do for you, we'll make our best
effort."

Arus wiped a tear from his human eye. "Thank
you," he said. "I don't mean to be touchy about it; I just don't
want to give the implant any more control over me than I have
to."

"I completely understand." Damien patted his
shoulder. "I'm sure Doc Nori will not argue, either. But his
research will completely revolve around your—"

The overhead speaker crackled a moment before
the voice of Sergeant Lueille spoke. She monitored the
communications systems, and her recent breakthroughs over the past
several months had most certainly secured her a promotion at the
next round of soldier reviews. "Damien, we have something down here
you're going to want to hear." Kitreena knew what that meant.
Another intercepted transmission, and likely another bonus in the
Sergeant's pocket. "I recommend you bring Kitreena and Commander
Naelas."

"Understood," Damien nodded. "Should I be
excited?"

"Not this time. Transmission is forthcoming,
but regardless of what it says, we've got trouble on our
hands."

"Understood." He looked at Kitreena and
rolled his eyes. "I suppose Truce had no reason to alter his
security encryptions since our plan for the castle failed."

Kitreena gave Arus one last pat on the
shoulder and stood. "We're probably better off that way, if this
transmission is bringing us more trouble. At least we'll have some
warning."

Arus looked up at the two of them as Damien's
statement apparently registered. "Failed? Your plan failed? Wait,
what was your plan then? You rescued me and Vultrel and stopped
Truce—You
did
stop Truce, didn't you?—so what part of it
failed?"

"Well, our original plan did not include
Kitreena's transformation," Damien laughed as he spoke. "Using the
schematics of the implant that Sergeant Lueille intercepted, we
came up with a plan to use a portable terminal to emit a
combination of electronic pulses which, in theory, would've
disabled the implant's balance-control mechanism."

Arus looked at Kitreena. "You . . .
what?"

She smiled back at him. "We had planned to
make you so dizzy that the only thing you'd have been able to do
was fall down and possibly vomit a few times."

"At which point we would've dealt with Truce
ourselves," Damien added. "But when Kitreena transformed, the
resulting explosion she unleashed knocked nearly everyone out cold.
I was one of the few to stay conscious, along with Truce and a few
of his men. He immediately fled the castle once he saw you were
down."

"I'm lucky he was conscious enough to catch
me," Kitreena motioned toward Damien, "or else I would've landed
right on my head and split my skull."

"And what happened to Truce?" Arus asked.

"He disappeared into the forest," Damien
replied. "We would've pursued him, but our priority was to capture
you and disable the implant. So in that regard, our mission was a
success. It just didn't work out the way we'd intended. No great
loss in that, though." He looked at Kitreena once again. "But now,
we've got to get downstairs. If you need us, you can contact us
through the communicator we gave you."

"Is there a place where I can practice my
sword technique?"

"There's a gym on the far side of the deck,"
Kitreena told him. "I'm sure the crew will be more than happy to
spar with you, if you'd like. However, you're free to train solo if
that would make you more comfortable."

"Thank you," Arus said again. "I don't know
how to truly show my appreciation for everything you've done for
us."

The door slid open as Damien approached it.
"We're happy to be of service, Arus. Our job is to help people like
you and your friends. It's the reason the Aeden Alliance
exists."

If he didn't know Kitreena better, he'd say
her smile was almost
shy.
"Don't worry," she said as she
followed Damien through the door. "Everything is going to be just
fine. We'll take care of Truce and his lackeys, and your people
will be safe again."

The door slid closed, leaving Arus alone in
the conference room. "Thanks," he muttered, "but that won't change
the fact that I can't return home."

*******

The largest den in the Underworld was packed
to its limit with every single man, woman, and child that could be
gathered on such short notice. Olock estimated there were roughly
two thousand of them, which accounted for more than two-thirds of
the remaining Kyrosen. The number would have to do; they would
surely spread word of what transpired today to those that hadn't
attended. Besides, it was a good wager that no more would've fit
into the cavern anyway. There was scarcely room to breathe.

Olock climbed onto the makeshift stage and
began inspecting the connections on the communications array.
Lugging all that equipment down from the Control Room had been more
than a hassle, but when Truce made his first contact with the
Kyrosen after having vanished at Castle Asteria nearly five days
ago, he'd requested that Olock move the equipment to the arena and
assemble the Kyrosen for a future message he planned to send. He'd
been uncharacteristically vague about the purpose or content of
this message—Truce had never held details of his plans from Olock
before—but if the nature of his plans were that sensitive, then
there was little reason to pry. Regardless, it was good to hear
that Truce was all right after losing Arus. There were some fears
that the failure at the castle would send Sartan into a
psychological meltdown that would force Olock into taking the
reigns of the Kyrosen.

"It's nearly midday," F'Ledro said as he
climbed onto the stage. It was little more than a glorified mound
of packed dirt, but it was enough to lift the array above the rest
of the people so that everyone had a chance to hear what the boss
had to say. "Is it ready?"

"Everything looks to be connected properly,"
Olock responded, rising from the side panel where the majority of
the wiring was fixed. "All we can do now is wait."

"In the meantime, it would probably be a good
idea to address the people," F'Ledro suggested. "They look a bit
restless."

Olock glanced at the crowd uneasily. None of
them shouted, yet their dull conversations echoed in the cavern to
produce a small roar. Getting them to pay attention to him was
going to be enough of a challenge, let alone any transmission that
came from the feeble speaker on the array. "May I have your
attention?" he tried to shout. Few people actually heard him.
"Please, may I have your attention?"