Prologue
The Prowler slowly descended through Zorosa 3's atmosphere, settling on the landing strip with a final burst of the maneuvering thrusters. Children rushed to the fighter as the cockpit opened, expelling air in a soft whoosh. The pilot levered himself from the seat, removing his helmet and gazing around the strange landscape as he pulled the gloves from his hands and slipped out of his flight suit. He looked down at the children, dark eyes hard and cold. "Where are the technicians?" he snapped, jumping from the cockpit. The insignia on his uniform placed him as a Peacekeeper officer. He grabbed one little boy by the shoulder as the child turned away. "I asked you a question."
"Over there sir," the boy answered, pointing to the hangar.
The Peacekeeper pushed the boy away. "Keep away from my ship. I don't need you breaking anything," he snarled, marching away from the Prowler.
Bian saw him first and she handed the tools to one of the other techs in the hangar. "Oh frell," she hissed, slapping her comm badge. "Tauvo, he's here." She met the Peacekeeper half way.
"I am to report to Sr. Officer Gregon Shantar. Do you know where he is, tech?"
Bian looked at him incredulously. "I might. What is your business with him?" Her hand drifted to the pulse pistol strapped to her thigh.
"What business is it of yours? Where can I find him?" the Peacekeeper replied.
Two guards stepped up behind Bian. "They will escort you to him." She turned on one heel, returning to the hangar. She looked at the other tech. "Oh, he's going to be a handful."
The Peacekeeper followed the guards, his eyes narrowing. The men were wearing civilian clothing. Terrick was under the assumption he had been reassigned to a new outpost in the Uncharted Territories. He bristled at the insolence of the guards. "Why are you out of uniform?" They ignored him, leading him into a cool building that seemed to be the center of the growing city. "Is everyone on this backwater planet rude?" One of the guards motioned him into a room and he immediately snapped to attention at the sight of Tauvo and Shantar bent over a small table. "Officer Terrick Crais reporting for duty sir," he announced.
Tauvo and Shantar exchanged a quick look, Tauvo nodding to the other man. Shantar walked over to Terrick, accepting the data chip the young man handed him. He slipped around Tauvo's desk, quickly reviewing the information. Terrick had no idea that he had been sent to the resistance.
As Shantar reviewed the information, Tauvo studied his nephew. It was the first time he had ever seen him and he looked almost exactly like Crais did at that age. His long hair was neatly pulled back in a tight queue at the base of his neck, his face clean-shaven. Terrick was tall and muscular, well toned and lethal. There was only one difference between his nephew and his brother: Bialar's eyes had never been that cold and hard when he was fifteen cycles old. Tauvo shuddered inwardly as he moved towards his nephew.
"You have an impressive service record for one so young," Tauvo commented as he came within denches of Terrick.
"Thank you sir." Terrick stared straight ahead, his back stiff, chin up.
"Recently promoted to squadron commander and currently training for special ops," Shantar commented.
Tauvo raise his eyebrows in appreciation as he slowly circled his nephew, hands clasped behind his back. "Very impressive. There is only one other person I know who was in the same position at your age." He turned to Shantar. "Any idea, Gregon?"
Shantar stared at his friend momentarily before answering. "Bialar Crais, I believe." Both men noticed the hardening of Terrick's eyes at Crais' name
"Do you know who I am?" Tauvo asked softly, his voice tinged with attitude.
"No sir."
Tauvo stopped in front of Terrick, canting his head to the side. "I am the head of this base." He stroked his goatee, a habit he had picked up from his brother. "My name is Commander Tauvo Crais."
Terrick's eyes widened slightly and the teenager swallowed hard. "That…is impossible, sir. Tauvo Crais was killed by a weak, pathetic human cycles ago."
"That is what you were told." Tauvo smiled coldly. "No. Crichton did not kill me. I was never even in my Prowler."
Terrick looked his uncle in the eye. "Then if you are Tauvo Crais, you are a traitor and a renegade and it is my duty to kill you where you stand." He reached for the pulse pistol at his waist, his hand stopping in mid-air when he felt the barrel of another pistol shoved into the small of his back.
"Many have tried and failed," Tauvo answered, his voice firm with authority. He slipped Terrick's pulse pistol from the holster, laying it on the console behind him. "Be my guest." He pointed at the pistol.
Terrick swallowed, gazing at the weapon, lunging for it. Tauvo grabbed his wrist and twisted, bringing Terrick to his knees. "I am a traitor, am I?" he whispered.
"Yes." The teenager glared up at his uncle.
Tauvo pushed Terrick away. "Well, then, young nephew, if that is how you see me, then you can rot in a holding cell until our leader returns and decides what to do with you."
"You cannot imprison me. You have no right," Terrick hissed. "I am a Peacekeeper officer."
Tauvo stared at him. "Which means absolutely nothing to me." He snapped his fingers and the guards that had been standing aside grabbed Terrick, hauling him to his feet and slapping a pair of restraints around his wrists. Tauvo held his hand up, pointing towards Terrick. "And I have every right to imprison you. For one thing, I am your superior officer." Tauvo walked around to sit at his desk, staring at his struggling nephew. "For another, I answer to only the leader of the resistance. So…" Tauvo folded his hands on the desk. "…I believe that gives me every right."
"And who is this wonderful leader of yours?" Terrick spat as the guards restrained him.
Tauvo smiled. "Your father. Captain Bialar Crais."
The Prowler slowly descended through Zorosa 3's atmosphere, settling on the landing strip with a final burst of the maneuvering thrusters. Children rushed to the fighter as the cockpit opened, expelling air in a soft whoosh. The pilot levered himself from the seat, removing his helmet and gazing around the strange landscape as he pulled the gloves from his hands and slipped out of his flight suit. He looked down at the children, dark eyes hard and cold. "Where are the technicians?" he snapped, jumping from the cockpit. The insignia on his uniform placed him as a Peacekeeper officer. He grabbed one little boy by the shoulder as the child turned away. "I asked you a question."
"Over there sir," the boy answered, pointing to the hangar.
The Peacekeeper pushed the boy away. "Keep away from my ship. I don't need you breaking anything," he snarled, marching away from the Prowler.
Bian saw him first and she handed the tools to one of the other techs in the hangar. "Oh frell," she hissed, slapping her comm badge. "Tauvo, he's here." She met the Peacekeeper half way.
"I am to report to Sr. Officer Gregon Shantar. Do you know where he is, tech?"
Bian looked at him incredulously. "I might. What is your business with him?" Her hand drifted to the pulse pistol strapped to her thigh.
"What business is it of yours? Where can I find him?" the Peacekeeper replied.
Two guards stepped up behind Bian. "They will escort you to him." She turned on one heel, returning to the hangar. She looked at the other tech. "Oh, he's going to be a handful."
The Peacekeeper followed the guards, his eyes narrowing. The men were wearing civilian clothing. Terrick was under the assumption he had been reassigned to a new outpost in the Uncharted Territories. He bristled at the insolence of the guards. "Why are you out of uniform?" They ignored him, leading him into a cool building that seemed to be the center of the growing city. "Is everyone on this backwater planet rude?" One of the guards motioned him into a room and he immediately snapped to attention at the sight of Tauvo and Shantar bent over a small table. "Officer Terrick Crais reporting for duty sir," he announced.
Tauvo and Shantar exchanged a quick look, Tauvo nodding to the other man. Shantar walked over to Terrick, accepting the data chip the young man handed him. He slipped around Tauvo's desk, quickly reviewing the information. Terrick had no idea that he had been sent to the resistance.
As Shantar reviewed the information, Tauvo studied his nephew. It was the first time he had ever seen him and he looked almost exactly like Crais did at that age. His long hair was neatly pulled back in a tight queue at the base of his neck, his face clean-shaven. Terrick was tall and muscular, well toned and lethal. There was only one difference between his nephew and his brother: Bialar's eyes had never been that cold and hard when he was fifteen cycles old. Tauvo shuddered inwardly as he moved towards his nephew.
"You have an impressive service record for one so young," Tauvo commented as he came within denches of Terrick.
"Thank you sir." Terrick stared straight ahead, his back stiff, chin up.
"Recently promoted to squadron commander and currently training for special ops," Shantar commented.
Tauvo raise his eyebrows in appreciation as he slowly circled his nephew, hands clasped behind his back. "Very impressive. There is only one other person I know who was in the same position at your age." He turned to Shantar. "Any idea, Gregon?"
Shantar stared at his friend momentarily before answering. "Bialar Crais, I believe." Both men noticed the hardening of Terrick's eyes at Crais' name
"Do you know who I am?" Tauvo asked softly, his voice tinged with attitude.
"No sir."
Tauvo stopped in front of Terrick, canting his head to the side. "I am the head of this base." He stroked his goatee, a habit he had picked up from his brother. "My name is Commander Tauvo Crais."
Terrick's eyes widened slightly and the teenager swallowed hard. "That…is impossible, sir. Tauvo Crais was killed by a weak, pathetic human cycles ago."
"That is what you were told." Tauvo smiled coldly. "No. Crichton did not kill me. I was never even in my Prowler."
Terrick looked his uncle in the eye. "Then if you are Tauvo Crais, you are a traitor and a renegade and it is my duty to kill you where you stand." He reached for the pulse pistol at his waist, his hand stopping in mid-air when he felt the barrel of another pistol shoved into the small of his back.
"Many have tried and failed," Tauvo answered, his voice firm with authority. He slipped Terrick's pulse pistol from the holster, laying it on the console behind him. "Be my guest." He pointed at the pistol.
Terrick swallowed, gazing at the weapon, lunging for it. Tauvo grabbed his wrist and twisted, bringing Terrick to his knees. "I am a traitor, am I?" he whispered.
"Yes." The teenager glared up at his uncle.
Tauvo pushed Terrick away. "Well, then, young nephew, if that is how you see me, then you can rot in a holding cell until our leader returns and decides what to do with you."
"You cannot imprison me. You have no right," Terrick hissed. "I am a Peacekeeper officer."
Tauvo stared at him. "Which means absolutely nothing to me." He snapped his fingers and the guards that had been standing aside grabbed Terrick, hauling him to his feet and slapping a pair of restraints around his wrists. Tauvo held his hand up, pointing towards Terrick. "And I have every right to imprison you. For one thing, I am your superior officer." Tauvo walked around to sit at his desk, staring at his struggling nephew. "For another, I answer to only the leader of the resistance. So…" Tauvo folded his hands on the desk. "…I believe that gives me every right."
"And who is this wonderful leader of yours?" Terrick spat as the guards restrained him.
Tauvo smiled. "Your father. Captain Bialar Crais."