Alliance of Serpents (7 page)

"Quiet!" F'Ledro shouted, drawing his pistol
from its holster. He fired a single blast into the ceiling,
dislodging dust and small rocks over the people. The act certainly
got their attention but for all the wrong reasons. Olock grabbed
him by the vest and snarled in his face.

"What do you think you're doing, you bloody
fool?" he growled. "Don't you ever pull a stunt like that again or
I'll make sure it costs you your hide! How many times must you be
punished before you'll learn to—"

The communications array came to life with a
series of crackling sounds. Olock shoved F'Ledro away, nearly
tossing him on top of the crowd, and immediately cranked the volume
knob to its maximum. "Quiet, everyone!" he yelled. "Listen up!"

It was several more moments before Truce's
voice came from the communications array. "This is Sartan Truce, do
you read me?"

"Yes, Boss!" Olock responded. "I've gathered
everyone according to your orders. We await your instructions."

"Well done, Olock. As always, you've
performed above and beyond my expectations. That having been said,
I ask that you and everyone else trust my judgment as you have so
many times in the past, because what I am about to say may shock
many of you. A decades-old conflict has finally come an end, and
the agreement that has been reached will set into motion a sequence
of events that will—and I stress that word—it
will
return
the Kyrosen to space where we belong!"

That sent a murmur rolling through the crowd.
Olock held his hand up to silence the people as Truce continued.
"First off, I want to apologize for my failure at the castle. I was
in charge of the mission, and I alone accept the responsibility for
what happened there. I wanted to provide proof of the implant's
power, and in the process, I wound up losing it to the Aeden
Alliance. Rest assured, it
will
be recovered, and it will be
recovered soon." There was some applause in response, but Truce
went on. "Following the incident at the castle, I followed the rest
of you who managed to escape into the streets of Cathymel. We
scattered according to the contingency plans we had set, but along
my escape route I was apprehended by assistants of Kindel Thorus
and the Vezulian Armada."

An even louder rumbling of voices came from
the Kyrosen. Beads of sweat formed on Olock's forehead at the
mention of Kindel Thorus. "I was taken to his ship and brought to
Kindel himself, where I managed to work out a deal. However, no
deal comes without compromise on both ends. That having been said,
for an unspecified amount of time, I must step down from my
position as leader of the Kyrosen. Olock will be taking over,
effective at the termination of this transmission. I expect you to
answer to him as you would answer to me, because I fully intend to
deal with any dissenters when I resume command. Olock, be firm but
fair in your decisions. I have full confidence in your abilities. I
wouldn't have chosen you if I didn't."

"Thank you, Boss," Olock acknowledged. "But
what are we to gain from this deal? The Armada has never been
friendly with the Kyrosen before. Why start now?"

Truce chuckled openly. "I wouldn't exactly
call them friendly, Olock. But we've reached a professional
agreement over a common enemy. As we know, Arus and the implant
were taken by the Aeden Alliance. Thorus is going to help us
retrieve the implant from them, at which point he will keep it. In
exchange, he will provide transport ships for all remaining Kyrosen
on Terranias."

A mixed reaction came from the crowd. Some
were excited and joyful about the prospect of returning to space,
while others were understandably concerned about trusting the
Armada. Despite the risks, Olock felt a bit of excitement of his
own. If everything worked out—and that was a
big
‘if'—the
Kyrosen would be back among the stars where they belonged. No more
caves, no more heat, no more dirt and filth and sand snakes and
wretched humans interfering with their society. Finally, they'd be
free again. "That's good news, Sir. We've been away from space for
far too long. How did you get Thorus to agree to that?"

"As I said, no deal comes without compromise.
He ordered some restrictions that I must tell you about," Sartan
responded. "But I feel they are necessary sacrifices to attain our
own goals. First off, we
must
help him retrieve the implant,
or any ships carrying Kyrosen will be destroyed by the Armada.
Second, once we have presented Arus to Kindel, we will be allowed
to go our own way under the condition that we remain loyal allies
of the Armada. Thorus retains ownership over his ships, and he will
be free to track us at anytime, anywhere."

The smile quickly faded from Olock's face,
and F'Ledro was muttering something under his breath. How could
Truce agree to give such power over to one of their most bitter
enemies? "Sir, how can you be sure that we can trust him?"

"Do you remember the deal my father struck
with the Military of Senluthia twenty years ago?"

Olock recalled the incident well. The Kyrosen
had landed on the planet to refuel and restock their supplies when
a rebel group calling themselves the Military of Senluthia hijacked
two of their transports and one assault ship and proceeded to use
them in their personal battle against their country's elected
government. Aratus worked out an agreement to recover his ships on
the condition that the Kyrosen would help the rebels eliminate
their enemies. In the end, the Kyrosen turned on the Military of
Senluthia as soon as the ships were back in their possession. The
rebels were quickly annihilated, and the Kyrosen absorbed their
weapons and supplies into their own before leaving the planet. At
first the deal had seemed like a catastrophic blunder. But in the
end, it turned out to benefit the Kyrosen in more ways than one. No
doubt Truce expected the same from this situation. "I remember,
Boss. We were barely twenty years old, then."

"We were all nervous, but it all worked out
in the end, right? I realize that many of you may be uneasy about
being allied with the Armada, but I ask that you trust me on this.
Once we capture Arus and the implant, freedom amongst the stars
will once again be ours. And if anyone even considers turning their
backs on the Armada, I will take it as an act of treason against
the Kyrosen as well. Kindel doesn't trust as, which I'm sure comes
as no surprise to any of you, and he has taken me prisoner as his
collateral. Should any of you betray him, I will be killed. That,
Olock, is why I've put you in charge. I cannot oversee everything
myself, but I know that you are capable of filling in while I'm
gone. Once Kindel has the implant and we go our separate ways, I'll
return to my place at the head of the Kyrosen. Until then, Olock,
treat any traitors to the Armada the same as you would treat
traitors to the Kyrosen. My life, this partnership, and the future
of the Kyrosen depend on it."

"Understood, Boss," Olock answered. "I'll
keep them in line. When should we expect these transports?"

"I requested time for our people to gather
their belongings and prepare to vacate the Underworld, but Thorus
wouldn't have it. The transports will touch down on the Mayahol
tomorrow at midday. That gives you one day to prepare to leave.
Take only what you need; food and supplies will be provided for
you. Again, and I cannot stress this enough, treat the Armada
soldiers as you would treat your Kyrosen brothers and sisters. They
are our allies now, and anyone who disrupts that relationship will
be punished harshly."

"You needn't worry, Boss," Olock assured him.
"Our loyalty is to you, and if you give an order, we follow it
without question."

"Well,
you
 give the orders now,
Olock. Be firm and steadfast, and don't let F'Ledro get out of
line." He laughed with a joy that Olock had not heard from Truce in
years. "I must go now. Be ready for the transports tomorrow.
Kindel's ships will not return for anyone who gets left behind.
Remember, I guaranteed long ago that the Kyrosen would return to
their former glory, and I never go back on my word. Truce out."

The transmission crackled for a moment before
going silent. Mutters arose amongst the Kyrosen, most seemingly
skeptical about a partnership with Kindel Thorus. Helping him
retrieve the implant was one thing, but borrowing ships from the
Armada and being tracked was entirely another. Still, Truce's
mention of the Military of Senluthia hinted that he had no
intention of continuing a relationship with the Armada once he had
what he wanted. It seemed like a gamble, but with Arus in the hands
of the Aeden Alliance, their options for recovering the implant
were limited. Truce made the most of the situation he was in,
because truthfully, without the Vezulian Armada, Arus would be
completely out of reach. At least this way, victory still seemed
possible.

"All right, you heard him!" Olock shouted,
rising to his feet. "Let's get moving! We have a lot of work to
do!"

"Olock—I mean, Boss?" F'Ledro spoke beside
him. For once, he wore his nervousness openly on his face. "Do you
think we can trust Thorus?"

A leader must be firm and confident,
Olock thought to himself. "I do. Kindel's got an unquenchable
thirst for power, and if Truce has told him about Arus, then he's
certainly going to want to get his hands on that kid. Besides, I
don't think Truce would ever honestly agree to a lasting
relationship with the Vezulian Armada. We are to pledge our loyalty
now, but I'm confident that Truce has no intentions of remaining
under Thorus' command for long."

"And you don't think Kindel has considered
that possibility?"

Olock grinned. F'Ledro may be a nitwit at
times, but now he was thinking like a Kyrosen. "I'm sure he has.
But then, I'm sure Truce has realized that as well. It's all a big
game of chess, really. Truce and Thorus are moving their pieces
into strategic positions, but only the most sound strategy will
prevail. Thorus has always craved any kind of power he could get
his hands on, but he'll soon learn that power means nothing if the
strategy is flawed. Don't worry, F'Ledro. War isn't always about
might. We will succeed because we are smarter than the Armada, and
I'm sure that's exactly what Truce is counting on."

F'Ledro nervously twirled his pistol around
his finger. "If that was the case, why didn't Truce tell us
that?"

"He was likely being monitored," Olock told
him. "I doubt he would've referenced the Military of Senluthia so
vaguely if he could've said outright what he was getting at.
Besides, if I was in Thorus' boots, I never would allow a prisoner
like Sartan Truce to make an unsupervised transmission to his own
people."

The wiry man nodded thoughtfully before
holstering his weapon and hopping down from the stage. "So what
now?"

"Now we prepare to meet our new allies,"
Olock said simply. "And we follow Kindel's orders to the letter.
With luck, Arus will be in his hands in a few days, and Truce's
intentions will become more clear. Until then, however, we must be
loyal and humble servants to the Armada. I don't know about you,
but I certainly don't want to be the one to throw a wrench in
Truce's plans."

*******

"Here is that information you requested,
Admiral."

Kindel dropped the schematics of Truce's
invention on the side of his desk and took the small packet of
papers from the soldier. She was a young girl from the science
team's historical reference department, trained in the histories of
hundreds of cultures and learning more every day. A smart girl, if
only a bit timid, with bright red hair that curled below her chin.
Telash was her name. "Thank you, Private. That will be all."

Without a word, she turned and strolled
through the door. Kindel began flipping through the pages of the
report as soon as she was gone. It didn't take long to find what he
was looking for.

The Military of Senluthia was formed in the
planetary year of three hundred and fifty-two, on the astral
calendar date of D forty-seven. Convinced that government
corruption had reached irreversible levels, rebels calling
themselves the Military of Senluthia began a brief assault on the
Senluthia capital of Tekumsus. They met with little success until
the arrival of a foreign race known as the Kyrosen. The rebels
managed to hijack several Kyrosen ships, and they proceeded to use
their firepower to obliterate the capital building and the Temple
of Ught Tahm. Outraged, the Kyrosen penned an artificial deal to
ally themselves with the rebels in exchange for control of the
ships they had lost. However, once they had recovered their stolen
property, the Kyrosen unleashed their powerful spells of sorcery
upon the Military of Senluthia, obliterating the rebels and
securing the government's safety. Shortly thereafter, the Kyrosen
departed, leaving the citizens of Senluthia to fend for themselves
against the tyrannical reign of President Menduin Ratuhs the
Third.

The History of Senluthia

Volume VII

Chapter XII

Kindel dropped the paperwork on his desk and
leaned back in his chair.
So that's what Truce was referring
to.
The Kyrosen had seemingly struck a deal in that case, yet
they'd quickly turned their backs on their would-be allies. And
now, Truce was comparing his alliance with the Vezulian Armada to
that incident. He may as well have come right out and told Thorus
he'd intended to betray. Proper precautions would have to be taken,
of course, but knowing this gave Thorus and the Armada the upper
hand.

The schematics of the implant were indeed
interesting, however incomplete. If he didn't need Truce's
knowledge of how to construct the thing, he could make his own, but
the man's technological expertise was unmatched, and Kindel would
need help in order to make proper use of it. He
hated
asking
for help. Still, the assistance of the Kyrosen army would prove
useful; why send Vezulian troops to do the dirty work when an
expendable group of fighters were willing to go? He would just have
to watch his back for betrayers. There would be some for sure,
especially amongst
that
lot.