Chapter 3
Balos
September 2229
It was the privilege of a conqueror to survey the conquered, to stand upon the field of glory and look with all due pride and satisfaction at the fruits of their victory. While Warmaster Jha'dur was currently exercising that right she wasn't overly impressed, Balos was hardly the Elysian fields or some sort of blissful paradise, as far as her eye could see there was only a rough landscape of blasted rock and the openings of underground warrens where the Balosians thrived.
She walked on, looking past the other Dilgar naval personnel who had finally been allowed to the surface after the army had secured most of the major population centres. The other groups were currently pointing in awe at a vast crater caused by an impact from one of the mass drivers of the fleet, a particular officer was telling proudly of how his ship at the best firing rate in the navy and how this crater was his personal accomplishment. She didn't resent his moment of triumph, but to Jha'dur it was pointless so she headed slowly away.
The sky was a dull orange colour caused by the sun light refracting through particulate dust in the air thrown up by the orbital strikes, no surface city was left standing and many underground warrens had been collapsed, the death toll was estimated to exceed a billion and that was before famine and disease had set in to cull the remainder. Armed guards watched her closely, it wouldn't do for a senior Warmaster to be assassinated on a visit to a safe planet, and the notion made her smile a little. Life and death had blended into one for her, for so many years she had existed in a world where both had struggled for dominance she no longer made a distinction. They were the same thing with no deep moral or spiritual meanings, you lived and then you died. End of story. She had dedicated her life to the study of death, everything she had done for a decade had been in its company so much so that she had a greater affinity for death than for life. If she dwelt on it too long she found herself becoming deeply uncomfortable.
Beyond a low rise in the terrain she came upon a valley and paused to examine the view. The valley was filled with people, Balosians, who were held behind masses of electrically charged wire and fences. They had been herded together by troops cleaning out the underground cities and grouped in their thousands in these holding centres all across the planet with only very basic food and shelter, if they were lucky.
She scrambled down the slope of the valley with her escorts, noticing an overwhelming odour of unwashed people, the scent caused her to wrinkle her nose in abject disgust but did not stop her from walking right up to the wire.
"Warmaster, with respect," her escort leader spoke. "You shouldn't get too close."
"Thank you Captain." She replied. "But I know what I am doing."
A large group of Balosians had begun to gather opposite where she was standing, they were wretched to look at with only the tattered clothes on their backs as possessions. She guessed most of them were civilians and recognised some had once worn high quality clothing, now as stained and dirty as everyone elses. There were no social classes anymore, no rulers or leaders, wealth had no meaning to them and privilege was a thing of the past. They were all the same now, just a conquered people at the mercy of the Dilgar, at her mercy. The thought gave her a rush of exhilaration, the power she had over these people an arms length away to grant life or take it with a word, to merely indicate to the guards around her to open fire or lob a grenade into the mass, to sow such pain and destruction. She could feel herself succumbing to the temptation to do so.
"Jha'dur." A voice interrupted her thoughts. "At last I find you on this gods forsaken world!"
Her annoyance at the interruption evaporated as she recognised her brother. She smiled widely and embraced him with a laugh, the Balosians staring emptily at them with hungry and haunted eyes.
"Brother, good to see you!" she laughed. "I saw your forces performed well in the attack, I'm proud of you."
"Bah, it was barely a challenge." He grinned. "They were swept away like sand in a hurricane." He gestured dismissively at the camp inhabitants.
"Even so I hear the Supreme Warmaster noticed you, there good be a great deal of honour heading your way."
He grinned even wider, Supreme Warmaster Gar'shan was very frugal with praise, very few people ever impressed him and those that did were well rewarded. Jha'dur herself was one of those few, her enthusiasm at work had earned her a quick promotion but it was only when she spoke of fleet matters and how to run a strategic war that Gar'shan truly saw her potential. He gave her an opportunity to prove herself by planning the attack on Alaca and she did so with such skill she was made a Warmaster on the spot.
"I ask only to serve my people." Sha'dur answered solemnly, the knowledge they shared was still the best kept secret of the Dilgar race, besides the council of Warmasters and some senior scientist nobody knew about the doom hanging over Omelos. The expansion was explained to the people as the Dilgar race seizing its destiny, that the aliens were constantly taking and hoarding resources that belonged to the Dilgar and that soon they would falter as a species unless something was done. The people were surprisingly easy to work up into a militant frenzy, they embraced the idea of outside persecution and fervently supported the attacks on their neighbours. A full scale war with the League was not only expected by the people, but demanded. Which of course was exactly what the Warmasters had engineered them to think.
"And that time is coming." Jha'dur nodded. Her brother was a fleet Captain in command of a sizeable task force but had not yet reached the rank of Warmaster, although she suspected it was more through a lack of opportunity rather than skill, something soon to be remedied.
"Our intelligence officers are saying the Abbai and Drazi are preparing for war." Sha'dur said, throwing a quick glance at the eyes watching him silently.
"To be expected." His sister agreed. "But crucially no other League worlds are mobilising, even after everything they will not unite against us, their petty squabbles still keep them at each others throats. Well, until we tear them out."
"But they might unite once we strike." He stated. "And when combined the League fleets are not insignificant."
"They are uncoordinated and mostly poorly led." Jha'dur said precisely. "Even if they fight well raw courage does not win wars, planning and careful preparation does and that is where we have the advantage, plus our warriors are fearless and without peer in the galaxy." She looked over her shoulder and winked at one of her guards. To his credit he remained completely emotionless, a perfect soldier.
"The sooner the better." Sha'dur grumbled. "I hate this place, the people are revolting." He glared at the prisoners who continued staring silently back. "And it stinks to hell."
Jha'dur nodded. "Trust me, it won't be long until we can conquer some more worthy planets, but this place has its uses." She turned to view the crowd, meeting the gaze of each one in turn. Each turned away from her cold eyes, perhaps intimidated by the uniform or her side arm, perhaps cowed by some deeper uncertainty. But one did not, one met and held her gaze full on causing her to crack a small icy smile. "Come here." She said in the Abbai language which seemed commonly spoken on Balos. For a moment the man did not move, then lost his hesitation and stepped forward.
"Sister…" Sha'dur hissed and the guards slowly changed to a fighting stance.
"Stand easy." She commanded. "Why so nervous brother?" she smiled widely. "They are no threat." She continued grinning widely as the Balosian reached the wire, as he stopped she noticed a tiny figure clinging to his trouser leg trying to stay behind him.
"Who are you?" she asked in Abbai.
"Troslan." He answered bluntly.
"I don't care about your name." She answered calmly. "I want to know who you are to these people."
"I am a mayor of the closest city." He responded still meeting her gaze.
"A local leader, man of power and dignity." She nodded. "You speak for these prisoners?"
"Yes, I do."
"Good, tell them they are all slaves to the Dilgar Imperium and will be expected to work hard for us. If they don't they and everyone they know will be killed."
He hesitated slightly, obviously thinking of what lay ahead for him.
"Now." Jha'dur said firmly. With another glance, much less confident now, he turned and began to speak in his own language.
"The Balosians are a hardy race." She said aside to her brother. "They will make good workers in our mines and refineries, plus we can forget about safety features, any accidents and we can always get fresh supplies from here." She returned her gaze to the people. They were livestock to the Dilgar, a resource to be used and expended for whatever short term gain they provided. Their lives were inconsequential, meaningless, especially to Jha'dur. Their only worth was what she could learn from them before they ceased to exist as a race.
It all came back to the same idea, that of live and death which dominated Jha'durs world. She had mastered death, it obeyed her in all its myriad forms, she could unleash it or keep it caged away at her whim and could easily bring death to anyone she wanted. It wasn't anything great or terrible anymore, she had no feeling when she killed another sentient, or even when she killed thousands. It wasn't real power, any fool with a gun or a nuke or a phial of biogenetic agent could do the same. Real power was life, and that was her ultimate desire, to exert the same dominance over life as she did over death, to command it and keep it close to her forever. Life immortal, that was power.
The Balosian finished speaking, but Jha'dur was fixed on the small child clinging to the Mayors legs. She bent down with a big smile and gestured at the child.
"Come here." She whispered. "Come on, don't be afraid."
The mayor moved his hand to hold the child back but one of Jha'durs guards raised his rifle, and reluctantly the man backed away.
"What's you're name?" The smiling Warmaster asked.
The young child, a girl, cautiously walked forward towards the crouching Dilgar. While young she at least partially understood that the cat like people on the other side of the wire were not friends, and was therefore confused by the friendly manner of this particular woman.
"Don't be afraid, I won't hurt you." She continued smiling warmly, the mayor grimacing in helplessness.
The child moved forward to the wire, to the apparent pleasure of the well dressed Dilgar leader who smiled with white teeth and wide eyes.
"What is your name child?"
"Manty." The young Balosian whispered quietly.
"And is this man your father?" she asked, glancing at the Mayor.
"Yes miss." The girl replied, assuming the woman was fairly important so addressing her like one of the school mistresses. The Warmaster smiled wider, seemingly amused by the title.
"He has brought you up well, you are a very well behaved and respectful little girl." Jha'dur complimented softly. She noticed that beside the girl her father had his hands clenched so tight blood was seeping between his fingers. That amused her further. "Where is your mother?"
The child cast down her eyes. "I don't know."
Jha'durs smile slipped and she spoke with an even more gentle tone. "She's missing?"
"Yes, we haven't seen her since the ground started shaking and the sky burned."
"We were separated during the bombardment." Her father said accusingly, but held his temper under the steely gaze of Jha'durs guards.
Jha'dur was still focused on the child. "Do you think she is alright?"
The child did not look up. "I don't know. Maybe."
"Do you think she is alright?" the Warmaster asked. "What does your heart say?"
The little girl looked up, slightly brighter. "It says she's fine, she's waiting for me and father."
Jha'durs smile returned. "Then I believe she is." She noticed the Mayor was getting more and more distressed. "You know when I was little I lost my mother too, just like you have."
"Did you find her?" The girl chirped.
"No, but I know that she is still here, waiting for me and my brother to come to her." The Warmaster smiled sadly and looked to her brother, who could not meet her gaze. He always retreated into himself when they talked about their parents.
"I hope you find her." The girl said. "and you live happily ever after."
The Warmaster laughed, her cats grin spreading across her face. "Why thank you, you are a good little girl. When was the last time you ate?"
"Two days ago." She replied.
"There isn't much food in the camp." Her father the Mayor added.
"Then we ust resolve that, Captain," Jha'dur turned to her escort. "Make sure these people have their rations. They are important in their way to our war effort. Lets not waste our resources."
"Yes Warmaster."
"And you," she returned her attention to the little girl. "By beig so polite you have earned a treat." Jha'dur took a piece of candy from her top pocket, it was yellow and crumbly in texture but had a heavenly scent. "here, take this, I'm afraid the other food you get may not be so tasty, at least for a while."
The girl reached through the wire ant took the offered sweet, eating it down quickly.
"Now remember to eat well and keep your strength up." Jha'dur said. "Obey your father and I'll have my people look into finding your mother."
"Really?" the child grinned.
"Really." Replied the Warmaster. "Now, off you go, play with your friends."
The girl ran off and disappeared into the crowd, her father stepped back with her. "I guess I should thank you." He admitted. "Can you find my wife?"
"Perhaps." Said the Warmaster. "But you must agree it is important your daughter thinks so. It will keep her strong and we need good strong workers for our industry, you must all do your part to earn your food. Do you understand?"
"I understand."
"Good, remember this conversation, you are responsible for ensuring these people work. Do not let me down."
Jha'dur turned and moved away back up the slope she came down, her guards shouldering their rifles and followed, with her brother running to catch up.
"What the hell was that?" Sha'dur snarled. "You talk to these animals of our mother!"
"The girl moved me." Jha'dur said smoothly.
"Are you going to use our troops to find the things own mother?" he said harshly
"Of course not." Jha'dur scoffed "You sound tense, you should relax more."
"We're on the verge of the biggest war in our history, how do you propose I relax?" he snapped.
"Immerse yourself in research like I do." She replied. "Our work is our biggest gift."
Sha'dur growled as the reached the summit. "I still don't see why you help these creatures."
"Giving that girl a treat?" the Warmaster smiled. "Brother, do you not know me by now? I do not help our enemies, I merely find ways for them to serve us. The candy had a large dose of compound 291-K, my latest formula."
Her brother blinked absently. "It was what?"
"291-K, a biological agent of my own invention. Captain, come here." Jha'dur said plainly as if describing something completely inconsequential. "Make sure to monitor the spread of the contagion within the camp, the squalid conditions and close packed people should be ideal for the virus. You know who patient zero is, watch the child closely and report her progress. I expect a 98 fatality rate within three to five days of contraction, any who are still alive after that are to be put in cryo freeze and sent to my team for dissection."
"yes Warmaster."
"The virus is harmless to our species, but even so take precautions. You have your orders, dismiss."
They exchanged salutes, then the officer marched away to attend to his new duties. Jha'dur turned and smiled at her brother, raising an eyebrow at his shocked expression.
"I don't understand you." He said. "Why did you do it?"
"Its my research." She said. "Or have you forgotten I am in charge of bio weapons?" she chuckled. "Oh, don't tell me you care for those dumb refugees? Not developing feelings are you?"
"Of course not!" Sha'dur sneered. "They are beasts, just because they walk and talk does not make them like us. But why did you talk to that child first, why not just hide the virus in its food and have it delivered?"
She shrugged. "I honestly don't know. I just wanted a connection with her I suppose. I wanted to see into her eyes and experience a little of her life, to understand her and examine her feelings. To empathise with her. I wanted to know what it was I was destroying., what I was taking away."
"You wanted to be a god." Her brother stated.
His sister laughed. "For all my life."
She looked back on the camp one more time, then turned and headed for the other officers. She had no regrets, the Balosians were nothing to her besides a means to advance her people by whatever means necessary. But her brothers question had raised something in her mind, why did she want to be close to those she killed? What was the point of that? Whatever the reason it wasn't going to just pop up in her mind, and it wasn't really important. The main concern she had was to prepare for the coming war, everything she did had that same goal from infecting the camp to discussing fleet formations.
She banished the thoughts from her mind and looked up into the dim and dusty sky, making out warships beyond. The League was out there blissfully unaware that its days were numbered. Time was almost out.
Balos, high orbit.
Later that day.
"I'm sorry sir, can you repeat that?"
Supreme Warmaster Gar'shan frowned, he was not used to repeating himself but Jha'dur was one of his ablest commanders and something of a protégé of his, so he would forebear this time.
"I said the invasion of the League worlds is being postponed."
"But sir, our forces are ready! This is the perfect time! We can beat them!" Jha'dur stated emphatically. She was stood in the private quarters she used on the Dreadnought Dominator, one of the fleets flagships, staring at the holographic transmission from Omelos. The room was opulently furnished in browns and golds but not particularly large, she did have her own customised Dreadnought being built but it was still over a year from completion, she half expected the war to be over by the time it was built. That expectation was now evaporating.
"The League has stepped up its defences, and this is a concern to us." The Supreme Warmaster said. "However our intelligence sources tll us that the League is lazy and in a few months they will return to their lack of readiness. They will return their fleets to standby and dismiss their reserves, then we attack."
"Master, every month we delay brings our world closer to death!" Jha'dur pleaded. "You must attack!"
"If we attack without favourable conditions then our destruction will be brought about sooner, and not at the hands of our sun but by the aliens." He stated. "My orders are to wait and prepare."
"Master, whatever opposition waits us now we can overcome, I am positive that…"
"Are you questioning me?" Gar'shan said icily.
"No sir." Jha'dur lowered her head. "Not at all."
"Good." He said, then sighed. "Listen Jha'dur, I know you are a good officer and I know you want to take your revenge on the Drazi, and when the tie comes I will unleash you myself, but not yet. There is more to consider than just the League, there are three other powers who can affect the course of the war and we must time our actions with them."
"Three powers?" she frowned. "I understand the Narn and Centauri, but what is the third? Minbari?"
"Humans." Gar'shan said. "They live beyond the league, they are new but may pose an obstacle. Apparently they are on good terms with the League and it is important to make sure our plans consider them."
"I've heard of them." Jha'dur recollected. "The Centauri consider them primitive, weak barbarians."
"The Centauri say that about everyone." The Supreme Warmaster cackled, his aged throat weary from decades of barking orders. "But they handled the Narns very easily in a few skirmishes before treaties were signed, they may be an obstacle which slows our attack, and as you know once it begins we cannot slow down for any reason."
"I understand Warmaster." Jha'dur nodded. The invasion was perfectly choreographed, a sweeping assault that would crush the League in less than a year, her own task was to de-populate the billions of inhabitants on the primary League worlds to make way for the Dilgar civilians, but without totally wrecking the planetary infrastructures through orbital bombardment or prolonged ground invasion, which meant a biological plague. Wiping out billions was easy, the problem she faced was engineering a plague deadly to the target species but safe for the following Dilgar.
"The Narn are a concern, they are predatory and may attack us as we launch the invasion. I have opened talks with them aimed at making sure this does not happen." Gar'shan said absently. "We'll probably give them some League worlds we don't want so they can profit from the war."
"And the Centauri?"
"Well that's the real issue isn't it?" Gar'shan said seemingly to himself, as if his student wasn't present. "The Centauri fear us, and that fear may cause them to act irrationally, to attack us while we are overstretched. However, there is something going in our favour, an example of fate smiling on us and encouraging us to take our destiny."
"And that is sir?"
"The Centauri Emperor is dying." Gar'shan smiled. "And when he dies there will be the usual squabbling among the noble houses before the successor takes charge, most likely a Lord Turhan, reportedly something of a pacifist."
"A man not likely to start a war with us." Jha'dur nodded. "Especially if has to calm down the Centarum and establish a solid power base."
"Exactly, a foreign war would be impossible for him to wage within a year of ascending the throne, and of course by then we would have conquered all we need." The Supreme Warmaster explained. "And naturally his position would be even more precarious if the Narn were to attack during the transitional period, I hear they have ships already massing near Gorash."
Jha'dur grinned widely, the old Warmaster could still weave a rich tapestry of deception. She didn't know how much of a hand he had in matters but it would only need one or two nudges from him to convince the Narns that the death of the Emperor was a perfect time to exact a measure of revenge, and at the same time keep both governments out of the Dilgar plans.
"My compliments sir," Jha'dur said. "And my apologies, I should not have questioned your strategy."
"You are my best student Jha'dur." The old man smiled. "Of all the Warmasters you are the most gifted, the most determined, the most pure. It is in you the future of the Dilgar rests, you are what we should all aspire to, the prime example of our race."
Jha'dur was stunned into silence, Gar'shan was a legend, the most successful of all Dilgar commanders and a man as hard as iron plates. He never said more than a few words and even the tiniest praise from him could make an officers career. To see him smile and hear him speaking so frankly and openly was totally unexpected, it took all her effort just to keep her jaw closed.
"I have followed your progress intently Warmaster Jha'dur." He continued. "And I do not say these things lightly, I have considered you a daughter in many ways, and my natural successor when the time comes."
"Master, I do not know what to say." She gasped.
"Say nothing, I am merely explaining the facts. When this war comes I will rely greatly on you, I can trust you not to fail me. Contine your research, be ready. We invade when the Centauri Emperor dies, and not before."
"Understood sir." Jha'dur stood to attention.
"You are my chosen, Warmaster Jha'dur." Gar'shan said. "The Chosen of the Dilgar, do not forget that."
"I won't sir. I will earn that title."
"You already have." He smiled again, Jha'dur thought probably only for the second time in his entire life. Then the image disappeared leaving her breathless. She had known Gar'shan for years, but he had never once taken her into his confidence as he did now, perhaps she really was as important as he thought. The realisation was nerve wracking but also deeply exciting, she was being lined up to rule her people, to command the great empire they were about to forge and oversee the resurgence of her race. It was a great honour and a high destiny, and she knew that it was something she could handle. Ten years ago it had been different.
"Commander Jha'dur!" the haughty voice had said, causing her to swivel quickly in her chair. The bright white walls of the research centre still dazzled her from time to time especially if she was interrupted.
"Oh, technician Nar'ken, what can I do for you?" she smiled pleasantly.
He slammed a stack of papers down on the young womans desk with a face like thunder, and rapidly her smile vanished. Nar'ken was at least forty years older than her and a formidable personality. Jha'dur may well have been in charge of the research facility in name but it was this old technician who really ran things. "What the hell is this!"
"Work schedules." She squeaked, cowed by the mans fury.
"I can see that." He snarled. "But why am I pulling a double shift in D-lab?"
"Because you are the expert in Cyborganics, and we need that element of research completed before we can proceed with anything else. So it needs working on quickly."
"I am not working a double shift." He sneered.
"But you have to!" she said. "We must get this work done quickly!"
"Why? Why the hell should we, what's the rush?" he folded his arms and glared at her.
Jha'dur had been sworn to tell nobody about the approaching disaster, not even her staff in the research facility. "You should do it because I told you to." She replied with no conviction in her wavering voice.
The old technician snorted and walked away, telling her where she could shove the work schedules.
She stayed in her chair, ashamed at herself for being dominated by someone who supposedly worked for her. She had only been here a few weeks and already the stress of the work was getting to her, she was too young for this, too young to run a hundred staff for the military, she just wasn't a born leader. She knew that tears were beginning to well in her eyes as her mind screamed at her, telling her to just quit and save herself further embarrassment. But there was another voice, a cool calm reminder that unless she got a grip the planet would die. It seemed such an extreme thing to say to herself, but the more she repeated it the more it mattered, and the more it drowned out her doubts and convinced her to do something. With a burst of energy and rage she grabbed the work sheets and tore off after Nar'ken.
She found him up in D-lab where he was alone having a snack in the secure area behind thick glass walls where . Food was strictly regulated on the facility because of the risk of disrupting a sterile environment, Nar'kens actions were blatantly flaunting the rules. He didn't even acknowledge her presence.
"Technician Nar'ken, it is customary to stand when a superior officer enters the room." Jha'dur said sharply.
"Who said you were superior?"
She tried to ignore the remark, and put the papers on his desk. "You will work on these shifts."
"No, I won't."
"If not I will be forced to have you arrested for insubordination." She stated firmly.
"I'm not one of your soldiers, beside you need me here, so why don't you get lost and play with your school friends?" he smiled maliciously and shovelled in more food.
"Stop eating!" she shouted.
"No." he grinned and ate some more.
"Dammit I order you to stop!" Jha'dur shrieked, losing all composure. "I'm warning you!"
Nar'ken rocketed to his fight and stood directly in front of Jha'dur, he was at least six inches taller than her and far larger. With a thin smile he leered down at her. "You want to warn me?"
"This is intimidation." She said, keeping her voice even despite her sudden fear. "Warmaster Gar'shan put me in charge!"
"Yeah, guess you're his new pet." The large technician continued looking down on her. "So why would our greatest leader put a whiny, snivelling little girl in charge of this place?" he chuckled "Maybe he and your mom got really well acquainted say twenty something years ago?"
Jha'dur gave him a powerful slap across the face, surprising even herself. She stood with her mouth wide in shock as she registered her actions, she couldn't remember the last time she had lost her temper, certainly not since childhood. Her wide eyes met those of Nar'ken who stared at her with cold anger.
"You stupid little girl." He shook his head. "You are so far out of your depth, this is my lab, my facility. I've been working here for years, I was all set up to run this place before you came along. You just walk in and get handed everything I worked long and hard for. I hate you little girl, I suggest you resign and let someone more capable take over, like me."
"Never," sh snarled, her own anger taking charge of her thoughts, she wasn't going to be bullied by this primitive male who thought intimidation was the way to earn command. "I am in charge because I am better than you, so deal with it."
"Deal with it?" he growled. "Fine, I'll show you how I deal with it."
With vicious speed he pushed Jha'dur backwards, the force lifting her off her feet and hurling her out of the lab. She hit a console on the outside with a yelp, her head banging the control panel and activating the lock down sequence. Yellow lights blinked on as the doors to D-lab slammed shut, trapping Nar'ken inside the secured analysis room. The lights turned a sickly yellow and warning sirens began to sound.
"Jha'dur!" he banged on the glass. "Get up! Get up!"
She rolled on the floor, stunned from the impact and blinked her eyes. The side of her head was pounding with pain, and the screaming sirens weren't helping. She stared up at the white roof now toned yellow in the light and gradually regained her focus, enough to hear the muffled shouting from the lab beside her. She slowly turned her head and saw her attacker banging on the glass with a look of terror on his face.
"Hurry!" he yelled. "The room is sealed, I'll suffocate!"
Even in her groggy state Jha'dur knew he had hours before he asphyxiated. She picked her self up, lifting herself onto a chair beside the control panel and slumped back, closing her eyes and nursing the pain in her head. The attack had left her in a state of shock, even now she was having a hard time grasping what had happened, her brain seemed to be processing information at a snails pace, like an overloaded computer which she guessed it was in a way.
"Commander, the door!" the voice continued. She noted absently that now he wanted something he was giving her some respect.
"First of all, I want your word that you will obey my orders." She said slowly, trying not to stumble over her words. The sides of her head were still stabbing with pain.
"Anything, I can't stand being locked in here!"
"Second, you're going to face charges for assault."
"What?" he squealed. "Come on, it was only a push! It was nothing!"
She felt her anger growing and with it the pain in her head. "You deliberately attacked me!" she accused. "You will answer for your crime!"
"They'll kick me out of the facility! I'll be destitute, I have a family to feed!"
"You should have considered that earlier, before assaulting your facility leader." She said coldly.
"You can't do that! this is my life!"
She felt a wave of revulsion for the man, he was nothing now and she couldn't believe she had been worried about him. He was a bully, a shallow and self obsessed bully who was now pleading like a slave to be allowed to continue his ways. Like hell. Now it was Jha'dur who had the power and she would see him begging on the streets before the day was over. It had been a lesson in power, one she now understood, he only had power if she allowed him to have it, if she gave it away. It was something she must always remember, that power could not be taken from her, only given away.
She leaned over the panel and found the door opening control.
"Come on girl, I haven't got all day!" he called, and Jha'dur stopped.
"Girl?" she said softly. "You do not call me 'girl' you call me Commander. Is that clear?"
"Yes, of course it is."
"I don't think so, in fact I think you'll just go back to the way you were once I let you out, that you will once again try to dominate me and the other workers."
"No, no I won't, I swear it!" he banged on the glass. "Just get me out!"
"No." she said. "No, you are scum, you are nothing!" she spat. "I have read your reports, seen you work, all you do is take advantge of others, and try to do the same to me!" all her rage began to well up, the frustration at not only his treatment but of everything, of the academy council belittling her, at the sun preparing to snuff out the world, at the forces who killed her parents, at the whole damn universe. It opened like floodgates of pain and anger and she slammed her hand on the control console, not activating the door mechanism but the labs emergency purge function. Through fierce tears she watched the lab being doused in intense radiation and that flash burned up to thousands of degrees, nothing inside could have survived and in her fury she did not care. For those moments she was not in control, she gave herself totally to emotion and when she came around she realised the terrible consequences of doing so. She had taken a life.
The inquiry was a whitewash of course, Jha'dur was too valuable to go to prison for murder. Officially she had been concussed by a fall and accidently pressed the wrong btton, a tragic accident for which no blame was assigned. It seemed she had friends in very high places. But in the facility the rumours were quietly circling, whispers said she had killed Nar'ken for not obeying her orders and that despite her age she was a stone cold killer. Jha'dur did nothing to dispel the rumours, it seemed to help them meet and exceed their targets and she even began to enjoy the fear she caused in others. But dep down she was badly shaken, a life had been taken because she lost control. She resolved never again to give in to emotion, never to act on impulse but instead to treat life like science, with clinical observations and distance.
From that moment on she didn't listen anymore to her heart, until she barely even remembered it was there. The warmth of compassion was gone forever and she didn't care, her mind told her it was a weakness, that pity and sorrow were wasted emotions and that the mind could more than replace the heart as her sole measure of conscience. It was a way to be stronger so she would never be a victim and instead could serve her people to the best of her abilities. From then on she would do whatever was necessary and feel nothing for it, the youthful exuberance was gone and the new Jha'dur was born, the person who would one day become infamous as Deathwalker. And she didn't give a damn.
Returning her thoughts to the present she frowned, Gar'shan had always been her protected and he would not allow her or the Dilgar race fail. His strategy was sound and delayin the war was necessary. If he could ponce when the Centauri were weak and perhaps even set them and the Narns on a collision course it would lead the Galaxy's great powers too busy to interfere in the coming slaughter, and then only the fractured League would oppose them.
A single thought came to her mind, it told her not to forget the humans. She considered it for a moment, then laughed it off. The humans were no concern of hers, if anything thy were merely future slaves, or future victims. She turned to her bed and prepared for sleep, the following day would be busy, she must immerse herself in her research and monitor the progress of her latest test subjects, the future required it and her mind demanded it. Underlining everything was the one constant in her life, the anti-agapic, and secretly she was anxious to examine Balosian biology and see if it could yield the final missing clue to the formula.
She entered sleep with a smile, while on the planet below the death she had brought did its murderous work.