Ladies and gentlemen...the end! I really really hope you enjoyed reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it! It's been a good time, and I really enjoyed all of your support-follows/faves/reviews. It means so much! Please review and let me know how you like this final chapter, and how you like the story as a whole! xoxoxo
Early the next morning Samira was woken by Siberius kissing her shoulder and making love to her with a sweetness that brought tears to her eyes. Later, as they boarded the transporter, he held her hand in his, and in full view of his soldiers bent to give her a kiss.
Fear and joy tore through her. There was little going back now. When they arrived back in space with the fleet he pressed another kiss to her lips and whispered, "I have to go command the fleet to Kryon, I will see you later."
She nodded and watched him leave, her heart pounding. Making her way back to her chambers, Samira paced, wondering how to pass the hours it would take them to get to Kryon. Running a hand over her face she sighed, frustrated, and went to the med bay to work on the treatment.
If they were going to the source of the outbreak, she wanted to be ready.
Hours later, she watched as the Necros carefully guided the machines into mass producing the treatment. Just in time too, she thought, looking out the large windows, seeing Kryon's half frozen surface approaching.
When the bay doors opened and Siberius strode in dressed in his full Lord Marshall regalia, her heart skipped a beat. He looked around the room and gave a perfunctory nod, glad to see a treatment was being produced. He came to her side and spoke in an even, commanding tone, "Samira, you will accompany me and the legion of men going to the surface. Bring enough treatment for all, in case things should go poorly."
Samira's gaze shot up to his face, which turned to hers and she could see that he thought that things going poorly was a distinct possibility. Her heart turned over in fear. She nodded and cleared her throat, "Yes Lord Marshall. When do we leave?"
"Ten minutes."
Nodding, Samira moved quickly through the room and grabbed up enough treatment for a legion of men and Siberius. She put together her medical kit with the treatments and tossed in a few extras that she could use if things got ugly.
Eight minutes later she came back to Siberius's side and gave him a firm smile, "I'm ready." He nodded and turned away, leaving the med bay, expecting her to follow. She did, knowing he was taking precautions to not treat her differently in front of the newly recovered Necros. She had barely gained their trust, and he didn't want to tarnish that.
She loved him even more because of it.
As she followed him to the large frigate that would take them and the legion of soldiers to the moon, Ignis, where they would be meeting the leaders of Kryon, Samira noted the tension in Siberius's shoulders, and the tense set of his jaw.
She wanted to reach a hand out and smooth the worry lines from between his brows, but with so many soldiers around them, knew that her actions would be most unwelcome.
Once they were aboard the frigate the soldiers dispersed to their stations and the Lord Marshall motioned for her to follow him. They went to the small chamber off the central command deck; largely furnished with a single leather couch a glass coffee table, and a small wooden bar well stocked with alcohol.
Siberius sank down onto the couch and watched as Samira stood, uneasy in the small chambers; unsure of what to do with herself he could tell. He reached a hand out and pulled her down on the couch beside him when she took it. He sighed deeply, "Soon, this will all be over. The Kryonite leaders have indicated that they have intelligence on where the terrorist that created this disease is located. We will find him and eliminate him."
Samira nodded, but she thought of other things. Sunsets, the beach, the cottage. Siberius noted her silence and searched her face, looking for what could be wrong. "Samira? What's wrong?" he asked softly.
She looked up into his strong face, lined with concern for her and had to bite her tongue, the words "I love you" so close to slipping out. But if she said those words, she would be lost forever to a man who may not love her. She knew deep down, she was lost already, but at least without saying them, she didn't have to see his face when he realized her affection, and his lack of it for her.
That realization would kill her.
So she shook her head and smiled at him, a bright, happy smile, but he could still see that it didn't reach her eyes, and that something wasn't right. "Nothing Siberius, I'm just concerned for your safety. Please let me come with you to all the meetings today. I'm immune to this disease, and have antibodies to most illnesses that could harm you, so I would be very effective in a crisis. Please."
He had been going to say no, absolutely not, but at the desperation in her voice and the lingering look in her eye, he hesitated, and then shook his head, "Okay. But if something happens, you must get yourself to safety, you understand?"
Samira nodded and agreed, but knew she would never leave his side, no matter what happened.
Thirty minutes later they landed on Ignis, and after the ship settled, they departed for the city's council headquarters. The leaders of Kryon and Ignis met them there, cool and detached, much like the Necros.
Samira followed Siberius closely, and though she received curious looks, no one commented on her status. Long minutes passed in pleasantries and Samira could tell that Siberius was getting irritable.
Finally, he sat silent and stared at the leaders of Kryon and Ignis as they continued to speak of their wish to join the Necro religion and race, and waited for his silence to speak for itself. When they realized that their simpering words were falling on an unreceptive leader, they grew silent.
Siberius leaned forward and gave them a wolfish smile, "Now…I believe you had informed us that you have the location of the person who tried to murder me?"
The leaders of Ignis and Kryon exchanged looks and after a moment the Premier of Kryon spoke with an ingratiating smile, "Lord Marshall, we did indicate we might be able to help you find the person who did this…however, we would like to know that us, and our people are able to convert."
Siberius bit down an angry retort and breathed evenly for a moment before speaking, "Premier, if your people so wish to convert, we welcome them. However, I see no reason to delay in aiding us, when the attacker came from your planet. A rational leader might see that as reason for war."
He let his threat hang in the air, and watched as the leaders smiles ran off their faces like wet paint in rain.
The Premier gave him a pained smile, "Yes, well…none of us want that. If you'll give us a moment?"
Siberius nodded and sat back in his chair with an indulgent smile. He glanced over to Samira and found her watching him with a strange expression on her face. He raised a brow and gave her a half smile, and was pleased to see her smile back, though hers was laced with hesitation.
-probably because we are in a room full of other people she is not comfortable with-he thought before turning his attention back to the Premier. The man was now speaking softly to one of his own Kryonite soldiers and when he had finished, the man nodded and walked away.
The Premier gave Siberius a warm smile, "Lord Marshall, just a few more moments. My commander is retrieving the coordinates of where the suspect is believed to be located. He was last tracked to this location this morning."
Siberius nodded, even if he was gone, they would lense him out.
A few minutes later the commander came back and handed Siberius a slip of paper with coordinates on it, bowing as he did so. Siberius thanked him, recognizing a good soldier when he saw one.
Standing, he smiled over at the congregated leaders, "Well, I thank you for your assistance with this. Once we have caught the man responsible, we will contact you again about conversion." With that Siberius nodded to his soldiers and led them back out to the frigate.
Back aboard the ship they put the coordinates in the navigation systems of the ship and made their way to the northernmost reaches of the planet and descended, setting down on an ice flow a mile from the small town the coordinates had led them to.
Samira looked down at her clothes and over to Siberius's armor, she didn't think either would be sufficient in this cold. Seeing her look Siberius came closer, "My armor has padding on the inside to keep me warm, and trust me it's heavy enough that I will be. But your clothing, that's not going to do you any good out there."
Staring at her for a long moment he held a finger up and then exited the small chamber to the command deck. Samira heard him speaking with someone and after a few minutes he reappeared with a bundle of clothing in his arms and held it out to her.
"It's cold weather gear. We only have one set, and it's for a man, so it's going to be a bit large."
As Samira layered the clothing on over her own, she laughed, it wasn't just "a bit large" it was huge. She rolled the sleeves up three times and the pant legs up twice. The thick socks he gave her served well to fill up the large boots.
When she was fully dressed, she was sweating, but knew that as soon as they stepped outside onto the frozen surface, she would feel differently.
Samira followed the soldiers and Siberius down the hatch door and onto the icy surface of Kryon once again, shuddering as a blast of frozen air cut through her. Siberius grabbed her arm and held her close, uncaring of the stares his soldiers were giving him.
"The house the terrorist is supposed to be in is a mile ahead. We want to capture him alive if possible. Move out!" he commanded, yelling above the wind.
They moved quickly, jogging over the rough terrain, and Samira felt the icy air tearing into her chest. She hated it. When Siberius raised his fist, they came to a sudden halt, and she would have gone crashing to the ground were it not for him grabbing her arm and pulling her into his side.
Outside of the house two houses up from them were empty vials, beakers and other medical paraphernalia. Siberius and two soldiers stared at Samira and pointed to the house, questioning if they had the right place.
She held up a hand and moved silently closer, coming up to the equipment and inspecting it. It was definitely the equipment used to engineer the disease. It smelled strongly of disinfectant and had also been exposed to heat, so there was little chance of exposure, but as she made her way back to the group of men she had an idea she didn't like.
Beckoning the men close she whispered, "Is it not possible that the Kryonites set this up in order to infect more people and do a better job of taking out the empire?"
Siberius stared at her, it was something he had considered, but he hadn't thought she would. "It's a distinct possibility" he whispered back.
Nodding, Samira unslung her bag from across her body and opened it, pulling out the needles full of the treatment. "Alright, everybody but the Lord Marshall gets a quick stick. Either in the arm or the ass gentlemen."
The soldiers looked at first her, then the Lord Marshall in alarm. He suppressed a laugh and smiled at his men, "Choose a spot and hurry up."
Quickly enough the men shifted their armor out of the way and rolled up sleeves so Samira could give them all the treatment. After the last man was done she tossed the needle in the bag and nodded at Siberius, "Ok, we're safe to go."
He nodded and stood from his crouched position, leading the men and Samira to the house. Peering into the window, he saw no one inside, and no lights on. His commander tapped him on the shoulder and made hand movements that Samira didn't understand.
Siberius nodded and stood to the side, pulling her behind him. When the soldiers poured through the front and back doors, she understood what the commander had been saying.
When the soldiers went further into the house, she heard a noise, and then a moment later an explosion rocked the two story house. Siberius whirled and covered Samira with his body as the debris from the house rained around them.
Long minutes later he heard footsteps on the icy ground. He raised his head and saw not one of his soldiers, but a tall hooded figure, shrouded in dust from the remains of the house.
The figure raised a hand, and in the second that it took him to realize what was in it; it was already too late.
He raised his hands in a surrendering gesture and stood in such a way that his body was blocking Samira's crouched one. The hooded figure cocked its head and then waved the gun, "Move."
Siberius shook his head, "I'm fine here, thanks."
Pointing the gun at Siberius's feet, the hood figure fired and then immediately pointed the gun back at his head, "MOVE."
Siberius had flinched when the bullet bit the ice in front of him, but he didn't want to expose Samira to this psycho. He also knew that if he didn't move, the man would kill him and he wouldn't be there to help her if he tried to hurt her.
Moving slowly he stepped to the side and back, setting himself beside Samira. He reached a hand down and waited until he felt her smaller one rest in his, and pulled her to her feet.
Samira stared at the ground, her head swimming from the blast. Her ears were ringing and her head was aching, but Siberius seemed to be fine. Her hearing sounded like it was in a tunnel, but if she concentrated, she could hear.
The hooded man stepped forward, "So Necromonger, are you ready to die?" Siberius sighed, "Why do you want to kill me, or my people?"
There was menace in the man's voice when he spoke, "Why did you want to kill my people? We had never done anything to you. You invaded Helion Prime and threatened to slaughter those who wouldn't convert."
Siberius nodded, "That's true. But that was the way of our former Lord Marshall. The one after that halted conversions, and I have not allowed forced conversions. Only those who wish to convert are accepted."
The man shook his head violently, "No! You lie! I know you have killed."His voice raised and the gun in his hand shook. "You killed my mother, and my sister. You took my entire family."
Samira's ears were clearing of the ringing sound and she was able to hear more clearly….
"You killed my family and left me an orphan. You and your empire came like a plague and nearly destroyed my planet…my home."
Samira's head tilted toward the man. That voice was so familiar…
"You took my Sammy!" the man cried, his voice breaking. Samira's head came up like a whip and Siberius felt her arm go rigid in his hand. She took a half step forward and was stopped from going any further by his restraining hand.
She spoke softly, "Zeke?" When his head turned towards her, she stepped closer, shaking Siberius off. "Zeke…is that you?"
The man's hand shook violently. "Sammy? It-it can't be you…you're dead." The fear and hope were equal in his voice. Samira held her hand out for him to touch, "It's me Zeke, its Sammy."
His gun wavered for a moment more and then lowered slightly, still pointing at Siberius. He reached the other hand out and touched her hand, making a broken gasping noise when their hands connected.
Samira felt tears gather in her eyes, she was standing so close to her brother…but he was the one holding a gun…he was the one who had created this disease.
She stepped closer still and peered up at him under his hood, "Zeke, why would you do this? Why would you kill so many people and try to kill so many more?" she whispered.
Siberius watched from nearby, horrified, and unable to believe that her brother was the perpetrator.
"Why? Because you were dead! Because mom IS dead. Because they ruined our home. For the lives they stole." Zeke hissed at her, a fury in his face she didn't recognize.
"One wrong doesn't right another Zeke" she whispered back. He glared at her and then pointed to her medical bag, "So it was you that saved the Necros then? I heard some healer came up with a treatment."
He looked at her with disgust, "How could you save them?! Why didn't you let them die?!"
Samira stepped back at his rage and shook her head, "Because Zeke, my oath as a healer means I give care to anyone, even those who hold me captive."
Zeke shook his head furiously, "No…NO! You should have let them die. Let the go to the Underverse they care so much about." He raised his gun and pointed it at Siberius, "I'll just have to finish what I started."
Without thinking, Samira moved in front of her brother's gun, blocking his shot. Zeke stared at her for a moment and then frowned, "What are you doing Sammy?" Samira swallowed hard, "I can't let you do this Zeke. I can't let you murder anymore."
Zeke shook his head, "Get out of the way Sammy! This is for mom. If these filthy Necros had never shown up, she would still be alive." Samira choked on the lump in her throat, "No Zeke…no. Mom was sick. She didn't want me to tell you. She knew she wouldn't survive the conversion process, so she rebelled to give us time to get away. I volunteered my healer skills to keep them from taking you. You were too young."
She cried freely, they both did. Zeke shook his head, "No Sammy. It's their fault, for all of it. Now move." Samira looked in his face and knew he wouldn't be moved from his decision, and so she did the only thing she could.
Sinking to her knees, she stared up at him, "I'm not moving Zeke. It's my job to protect people. And I'm going to protect Siberius." Zeke stared at her in disbelief, "Siberius? You know the Lord Marshall of the Necromongers by first name?"
She hesitated and then nodded, "I love him Zeke. And I won't let you kill him. You'll have to kill me to harm him."
At her confession she heard Siberius suck in a breath, and she saw Zeke's expression change to one of disgust and anger. "I don't even know you anymore. You aren't my Sammy. My Sammy wouldn't love a monster."
His words cut her to the quick, but made her come to a deep realization. Staring at him, she knew he wasn't her Zeke anymore. Lunging, she grabbed his wrist and wrenched with all her strength until she had the gun pointed away from Siberius.
Kneeing Zeke in the gut, she grabbed the gun when his grip loosened and stood away as he staggered. Walking over to Siberius she handed him the gun and stared up into his face briefly before looking away, "Lock him away…please don't kill him. I know I don't have the right to ask for that. But please" she whispered.
She didn't wait for his response, but instead began the long walk back to the frigate. The freezing air hardly touched her; her whole body, inside and out felt like it was made of ice.
Samira sat on the cottage patio, watching the sun set. The sky was painted with so many different colors; it made her itch to pick up a paintbrush, though she had no knowledge on how to paint.
It had been three weeks since her encounter with Zeke on Kryon.
Upon their return to the frigate, Siberius had locked Zeke in the brig and had taken them back to the fleet. Once there, he had given her a transporter and a piece of paper that he had told her to look at once she was away.
When she had set her destination for Aequus, she had opened it and found it to be a document declaring her a free woman, and an apology for her time in enslavement. He had also enclosed wages for the years she had been with them.
Samira had found her belongings all aboard the transporter and wondered how long he had been planning this.
Now, sitting on the porch, she wondered what to do with herself. She had more money than she knew what to do with. She had bought the cottage. She had outfitted it with furniture from her mother's home, and her belongings, but didn't know what to do with herself.
She had spent the last weeks wandering the beach, swimming, cleaning the house and making repairs, reading….but mostly thinking of Siberius and Zeke.
As she sat watching the sun set, she heard a noise, soft at first, and then growing louder. She sat up and listened, her hearing having been damaged in the bomb blast, and recognized it as the hum of a transporter.
She sighed and stood, walking slowly out to the front of the house. The transporter hatch was open and two Necro soldiers were unloading two trunks followed by three canvas bags onto the ground. The glanced at her and gave her perfunctory nods, before turning back into the ship and disappearing.
A moment later Siberius emerged from the darkness of the interior and walked down the hatch door and onto the ground. The hatch closed behind him and the transporter lifted back into the air; Siberius's eyes locked on her the entire time.
"Zeke?" she asked softly.
"Imprisoned until he dies naturally."
Samira nodded, it broke her heart to think of her brother that way, but he had brought his punishment on himself. She stared at Siberius, why was he here?
"Imprisonment until natural death and no forced conversions were the terms that I negotiated before I stepped down as Lord Marshall and Niles took my place." Siberius spoke softly, but the force of his words hit her like a wave.
"I couldn't lead without you by my side. And I knew you couldn't be there, in space, with them anymore. So I had to decide which I loved more, being Lord Marshall, or you." His words pulled at her like a rip tide, but she stood steady, her breathing ragged, and fighting tears.
"I chose you. I know now that my Underverse, my perfect ending, is wherever you are." With that Samira began to sob, and sank to her knees, all the emotions of the past weeks finally catching up to her.
Siberius was at her side in an instant, his arms around her, pulling her into his lap as he joined her on the ground. They sat that way for a long time until her tears, and his, cleared. When they were both under control, Siberius lifted them both to their feet and smiled at her, "Now, should we go finish that sunset?"
Samira nodded and smiled back, her heart bursting with joy. They walked hand in hand into the house, Siberius's belongings momentarily forgotten. They had each other and that was everything they wanted, now and for Underverse to come.