"Do I understand you correctly? You are asking me to fight your war for you? You do realize we're fighting a war of our own here."
"I understand, but we're fighting the same enemy. We're fighting the same war."
"And because of what my brother did to your planet, you expect me to risk my own planet's safety – the safety of my entire empire - by cutting what's left of our defense fleet in half."
"Not at all, Emperor Dorzal. I hold no ill will against you for what Zordar did." In truth, Derek did feel that Gatlantis somehow owed the Earth something, but you don't say such things when dealing with royalty, especially when you were asking for help.
"What about your government? What's their opinion on this?"
"My government doesn't even know we have made contact with you. We are too far away to speak to Earth. I am lucky we were able to get a signal to Gatlantis, given that I have no idea exactly where we are."
"I see. I would hate to think you're trying to set up an ambush as some sort of revenge ploy."
"Earth barely has the ability to defend itself against the Pri'Tan right now, let alone stage an offensive against your world." Right, appeal to his ego.
"The – what did you call them? Preetan?"
"Pri'Tan. With an 'i' and..."
"Yes. Over the past year or so, they have let up on their attacks, but we believe it's because they are regrouping for a final strike. Sending Battlecruisers to Earth would cut down on our own defense, and they would surely take advantage of that."
"We believe their attacks on Gatlantis have decreased because they are focused on Earth right now. Their own forces are split. I think defeating them at Earth will make the remaining ships easier to take out."
Dorzal closed his eyes in thought, then said, "I'm sorry, but I just can't risk it. I wish you luck." With that, the viewscreen went blank.
"Damn." Wildstar stood up, then reached back and hit another button on his com panel. "Bridge, this is Wildstar."
"Yes sir?" Eager answered.
"I want a meeting with the bridge crew in one hour. Tactical Room." He turned the com off without waiting for a response. "Damn," he said again, walking to the domed window. It was getting dark outside, and he knew they had to leave soon. They were still far from home, and he still had no way to get them back in a hurry. Then he had an idea. At first, he felt foolish, and wasn't even sure it would work, but he had nothing else to lose at the moment. He sat down, closed his eyes, and focused. I humbly request your counsel.
An hour later Sandor, Nova, Dash, Maria, Eager, Kitano, Orion, and Homer were standing around the large display panel embedded in the floor of the tactical planning room. Normally, there would be a schematic, or a map, or a battle plan on the display, but today Derek had nothing to put there.
"I'm going to lay it out straight," Derek began. "We're lost. We're up against an enemy that easily overpowers us. The people on this planet have offered to help us, but the nature of that help has not yet been determined."
"What exactly does that mean, Wildstar?" Homer asked. "You've been pretty hush-hush about what you found here."
"Yes, and for good reason. They value their privacy, but have had some dealings with Earth in the past. They are willing to help us, but have limitations regarding their involvement. The exact kind of help they can offer is still under discussion." Not technically a lie, but not enough truth to cause problems. "They have, well, certain abilities that could help us, but they are hesitant to use them. It has something to do with cosmic balance." That answer would have to do for now. "So now, our main concern is getting home. We didn't do so well inside the Delta Tunnel the first time, but I think we've cut enough distance thanks to Razon's help that we might be able to try it again. Orion, how's the engine?"
"Fully charged, and ready to go at your command."
"No problems since jump-starting it with the Brachtu's reactor?"
"None, in fact it seems to be running at a higher efficiency now. I've checked the numbers several times, but I have no explanation for it. Simply put, it is running better than it was before we got here." On any other ship, this would be cause for concern, but Tim Orion had been on the Yamato long enough to know that sometimes you didn't question such things.
"Excellent," Derek said, knowing the answer to the question but not able to share it. "Nova, plot a course back to the Delta Tunnel. There should be data on it in the nav computer now. Maria, I want to be underway in two hours." Both women nodded. "Dismissed."
When they had left the room, Derek looked up and said, "Tell Maia we're leaving." There was no reply. None was needed. He then picked up a microphone and keyed it. "Attention all hands, this is the captain speaking. At 2100 hours tonight, we will be departing for Earth. I want all stations checked thoroughly and manned for space travel. Be ready for anything. That is all." He sighed as he put the mic back in its holder, wishing that truly was all.
Bridge, 1945 hours"Engine is at 90%, sir." Maria was going down the last of her checklist. "I promise the take-off will be better than the landing," she added sheepishly.
"It's okay, I have my water skis ready this time," Kitano said.
"Quiet over there or I'll stick those skis -"
"Very good, Maria, we all have the utmost confidence," Derek said, cutting her off mid-insult.
"Actually," Kitano began, but Maria raised a finger at him and glared. Kitano shrugged and went back to his own checklist.
Derek suddenly felt like something was pulling at him. He needed to go to his quarters, but he didn't know why. "I'll be back in a few minutes," he said, ascending the lift to his quarters.
Maria looked around the bridge, then said, "Anyone else have to go before we leave? It's a long trip."
Derek rose from his chair to find Melinda at the window. Not exactly standing in front of it; more like she was projected onto it.
"Derek Wildstar. When the time comes, we will be there to help you. We have foreseen when that moment will be. Do not call upon us before that time." Before Derek could respond, the image was gone. Then the words, "our blessings go with you" echoed in his head.
"Bullshit," he mumbled. "She has no idea what's going to happen." He shook his head as the chair descended back to the bridge. For a brief moment, he thought he heard a woman giggling.
"And, launch!" Maria jerked back on the lever that connected the main engine circuit, lifting the ship out of the water and back towards space. After Derek had told the bridge crew that it was time to go, Maria has taken the ship to open waters for a clear take-off. True to her word, the lift-off was much smoother than their splash-down the previous day.
"Yamato is in space, sir." Maria hit the switch retracting the wings, then reached for the throttle – and then stopped. "Uh -"
"Yeah, I see it too." Kitano pointed out the window.
"Massive fleet just appeared on radar!" Eager shouted. "Hundreds of ships!"
"They were waiting for us!" Derek stood and grit his teeth. "Damn them."
"Could this have been the idea all along?" Kitano asked. "Lure us to the relative safety of this planet, and then..."
"No," Derek cut him off. "This is not their doing." He didn't know why he knew it, he just did. Dash was already on the horn declaring battle conditions, and the red alert alarm started. "Maria, can we warp away from them?"
"I can try. Maybe if we get on the other side of the planet so they can't shoot at us." She turned the ship hard to starboard, then said, "Whoa, wait a minute! The planet's not there!"
"What?" Sandor looked as well, and Nova confirmed on her radar.
"The planet is gone!" Nova said.
"Where did it go? How the hell does a planet just -" Maria was staring out the window, as if waiting for the planet to reappear.
"Right now that's the least of our worries," Derek said. "Get us out of here."
"Yes sir!" The ship was now facing away from the fleet, and Derek could hear the engine building up for a warp. "Is it safe to use the coordinates for the Tunnel as a warp destination?"
"Should be, let me -" Nova was cut off by an explosion that shook the ship violently. Dozens of small craft flew past the ship, then spun around for another run.
Orion's voice came over the loudspeaker. "Wildstar, they hit the main engine! I have to shut it down before -" Another explosion interrupted him, and the com channel went dead.
Derek punched a button on his com, shouting "Black Tigers! Get out there and defend the ship!" Then he looked over at Kitano and Dash. "Return fire. With any luck, Orion can get the engine going again."
The Pri'Tan fleet was moving forward to surround the Yamato. The main guns fired, followed by swearing by Dash as the cannons proved ineffective. Derek sat down and put his head in his hands. We didn't come this far to be defeated. Not here. Not today.
He stood suddenly. "Eager, find the largest ship in the fleet." It had worked before.
"Port side, just out of our range. Surrounded by dozens of smaller ships."
"What about the wave motion gun?" Derek asked.
Kitano replied, "Well within wave gun range, but those fighters will chew us up and spit us out before we can even aim."
"I don't think so." Derek looked over at Sandor. "Be ready to activate the reflective shielding."
"I haven't had a lot of time to work on it, Wildstar. I can't guarantee -"
"It will work. Trust me."
Sandor seemed to understand, then went about preparing the shield generators.
"Maria, evasive maneuvers. Make it look like we're trying to get away, but I want us aimed at that flagship. Kitano, begin charging the wave gun."
"Yes sir!" The ship shifted suddenly to port and spun around to narrowly avoid a set of ships that appeared to be linking together. She dove down underneath a small group of ships, then bucked upwards, almost hitting a large carrier.
"Did I mention, keep us in one piece?" Derek asked, hanging onto his console.
"Oh, sure, make my job that much harder," Maria said, jerking the sticks back and then forward.
Derek had called Venture a 'space cowboy' many times for his reckless flying, but compared to Maria, Mark was a little old lady driving to church on Sunday.
"Shields are ready, Wildstar," Sandor said. He tried to sound confident, but it just didn't come off that way.
"Activate it."
Sandor threw the switch, and the ship was enveloped in a white glowing shield. "Shield is active."
"Pray that it holds. Maria, get us lined up. Wave gun status?"
"95%." Kitano hit the switch that raised the target scope and firing trigger. "Ready to fire in 30 seconds."
Dash was shouting into a microphone, "Black Tigers, Yamato is going to fire. Get out of the way!" With any luck, this was not too obvious a move.
"Firing in 5... 4..."
Derek looked out the window. The shield was reflecting energy beams back at the attackers, damaging or destroying them. The flagship was sitting in the distance, hopefully unsuspecting of what was about to happen.
"2... 1..."
Derek was knocked off his feet as the ship lurched to the left. He could hear Maria screaming and Kitano swearing as he dragged himself to his feet. Outside, everything was moving too fast to figure out what was going on. The crew was struggling to get back to their consoles, then the ship stopped with a loud crash and everyone was thrown to the left. Derek felt a sharp pain, then...
The room was dim, and he smelled smoke. He opened his eyes to see the ceiling of the bridge clouded in a haze. Lights were flickering, but other than a weak alarm the ship was silent. He rolled to his side to get up, feeling a stabbing pain in his leg. His head was screaming at him, and he tasted blood. Lifting his head, he surveyed the damage.
The main viewer was smashed. There was a large hole in the main bridge window, but the protective panels had closed to seal the breach. Several consoles were on fire, and his bridge crew was scattered around the floor, some obviously bleeding. Homer's leg was bent in a position the human leg was not designed to take. Dash was hanging from his chair, glasses askew and broken. Kitano was nowhere to be seen.
Derek's thoughts went to his wife, whom he couldn't see. As he struggled to crawl to Nova's station, he felt a sharp pain in his side. He turned his head to the right and saw a large greenish figure standing over him. The new pain he felt had come from the tip of a long spear.
The figure chattered. When Derek didn't respond, the figure chattered again, louder, and accented it with the spear. Finally the figure sounded out a word Derek could understand. "Move."
Derek was allowed to sit up. When he tried to stand, he felt the pain in his leg again. Looking down, he saw that there was glass sticking out of his thigh. He reached down to remove it, but was shoved forward, causing him to fall again. Now he was able to see the other side of the bridge – a Pri'Tan boarding party. Some were dragging Sandor and Eager towards the back of the bridge, while another was heading for Maria, who was conscious and trying to get away from its grasp. Then he heard a shriek. Turning his attention towards the sudden commotion, he saw Nova, bleeding from one arm yet still trying to defend herself. She had apparently landed a kick to one of the Pri'Tan, who was chattering to his comrades. Another one came up behind Nova and swung one of its arms at her head, knocking her to the floor. Derek tried to go to her, but he was smacked across the face with a spear. He looked over to Nova and screamed "NO!" as one of the warriors raised an arm, pointing its arm-blade right at Nova's face. The blade dropped, and Derek closed his eyes as he heard a loud "thunk" followed by a blood curdling scream.
There was much loud chattering, then a voice rose above them. "She will not be killed!"
"How DARE -"
"She is a broodmother! You are not worthy to carry out her execution!"
Derek opened his eyes again. Nova was trying to slide away from her attacker, whose blade was stuck in the floor. A larger Pri'Tan was standing over him; this one had war paint on his midsection, which Derek took to mean that he was in charge. The painted one had knocked the blade away from Nova, and was pointing his own arm-blade at the head of Nova's attacker. "See for yourself," he hissed.
The attacker pulled his blade from the floor, then approached Nova. Where his movements earlier had been threatening, now he seemed almost reverent. He flicked his antenna towards her, then closed his eyes. Turning to his superior, he bowed and said, "You are correct. I am... ashamed." He hung his head as he walked to the back of the bridge to see to the others.
The one with the war paint looked down upon Nova, then grabbed her arm and dragged her to her feet. "Do not mistake this for mercy, human. You will be punished for your defiance, but our traditions dictate that your death will not come from one so insignificant." He tossed her body to another, who caught her and dragged her towards the elevator.
Derek felt the spear stabbing into his shoulder blade. The one behind him grunted, so Derek limped towards the back of the bridge. His crew was being piled into the elevator, which descended as soon as he and his captor got into it. Nova looked up at him; her face was bloody and she was clutching her arm. Derek reached down to cup her cheek, but his arm was slapped away.
The elevator stopped and they were all herded down the corridor. They were pushed or dragged towards a large hole in the wall, where a docking tube had been placed. Several carts were loaded up with the wounded and incapacitated, while the ones who could walk were shoved into a large box resembling a shipping crate. When they were tossed in, the box was closed and shortly began to move.
"I haven't been through anything like this since the academy," came a weak voice.
"Kitano? Is that you?" Derek couldn't see a thing.
"I think so. Hey! Watch where you're -"
"Yeah, it's him." Maria's weak voice was heard from a bit farther away.
"Okay, who else is here?" Derek asked.
A loud hiccup could be heard, followed by the smell of alcohol and incoherent mumbling.
"Okay, Dr Sane is here..." Orion said, slurring slightly.
No one else spoke up.
"Nova?" Derek asked the darkness. She was either not here or was unconscious.
"Any idea what happened?" Kitano asked.
"We got our asses kicked," Maria mumbled.
"Something hit us right as we were about to fire. That's all I remember," Derek said. He reached for his leg and found the piece of glass sticking out. He pulled at it, grit his teeth, then breathed out sharply as it slid out.
"Sir?" Maria made a shuffling sound like she was trying to feel her way towards him.
"I'm okay, just doing a bit of field medicine." He pocketed the glass shard so no one else would hurt themselves with it.
"What did the big one mean by 'broodmother?'" Kitano asked.
"Nova's preggers," Maria said matter-of-factly.
"Wow. Congratulations, Wildstar. And, sorry."
"What are you sorry for?" Maria said. "She's not dead. They spared her."
"For now. Eventually we're all going to be killed. She just has the honor of being killed by someone higher up the command chain." He then added, "No disrespect intended, Wildstar."
Derek did not reply. This could not be the end. Everything they had fought for, this couldn't be it.
"You bring news, Lanis?"
"Yes, my King. The Destroyers and their ship have been captured. They are being brought here so you can watch their execution personally."
"Brought here?" King Ham-Sha'Peth looked down upon Lanis with disdain, but Lanis did not notice.
"I understand that one of them is with child. You may wish to end her life personally."
"You're leaving something out, Lanis. The last report I was given said that their ship was still floating around their planet in a chunk of ice. When did this change?"
"They somehow managed to rebuild their ship, and launched it towards our construction base."
"WHAT?" King Ham-Sha'Peth rose and slammed his staff against the floor. Sparks flew from the tip as the King screamed. "Yamato lives?"
"Yes, my King. But it is of no-"
"DO NOT TELL ME what is of concern! The ship that destroyed our world! The very people who caused our race to be scattered across the galaxy! They were heading here, and you chose not to tell me?"
"I didn't think it was worth bothering you with -"
The King swung his staff, striking Lanis square across the face. Lanis was thrown back, but did not show his pain. He would not.
"It is not up to you what I should and should not know!" He stepped down from his throne and approached Lanis, raising his staff again. "Now, GO! Leave my sight! You will bring the Destroyers before me so I can deal with them myself!" Lanis scrambled to his feet and headed for the door. "Fail me again and it will be YOUR execution!"
"Enjoy your reign while it lasts, old fool," Lanis said to himself as he left the throne room.
The crew was dragged to a large storage area and sealed inside. Dr Sane and his nurses flitted about tending to the wounded as best as they could. Shirts and jackets were torn apart to make bandages, but without painkillers or disinfectants many people were still in bad shape. Nova had offered to help but was told to stay put. Her arm had been broken, and when word spread of her pregnancy everyone insisted that she should not be exerting herself. ("Not exactly the way I wanted to announce it," she kept saying.) Derek's leg had been bandaged, but his head was still throbbing. Most of the bridge crew had suffered bumps and bruises from the crash, which had finally been explained when the Black Tiger pilots were brought in. Right before Kitano could fire, a large ship resembling a beetle came out of a square portal in space. It extended large claws and rammed into the starboard side of the Yamato, pushing it into the waiting claws of a larger ship. The second ship used its claws to clamp down on the Yamato, then used a large energy burst to disable the shield and effectively cancel out the build-up of energy in the wave motion gun. Once the Yamato had lost power, the Pri'Tan boarded the ship and took all hands prisoner.
"So now what?" Conroy asked.
"I don't know," Derek said with a deep sigh. He looked around the room, seeing only one small door, plus a larger door which was possibly used for loading the ship. "I doubt there is anything in here that could help us, or they wouldn't have put us in here."
"It's worth a look though," Conroy said standing up. "Come on guys, spread out and search the place."
Before anyone could move, a chattering came from above them. The chattering then changed to English, although spoken slowly. "It is no use," it said. "I have already checked."
Derek looked up to see a Pri'Tan lying on top of a large crate. Everyone had been so concerned with the welfare of the crew, no one had noticed him lying up there. "Who are you?" Derek asked.
The Pri'Tan looked like one of his arms had been torn off, and one antenna was missing. He struggled to sit up, and said, "I am of name Razil."
"Are you here to keep an eye on us?" Derek snorted.
Razil gave Derek an odd look, then said, "I am here because I defiled my superior."
Derek looked at Nova, whispering, "Defiled?" He looked back at Razil.
"I refused to follow orders," Razil explained.
"Oh, defied. Right." Derek shrugged.
"Yes, defied. I am sorry, I do not know your speak as well as some others."
"So they just happened to throw you in here with us?" Derek asked, not believing a word of it.
"I have been for many weeks. You are the first I have seen in a long time. At first, guards would come in and taunt me, wave food in my face and then taking it away. After a few days that got to be dull, so they stopped doing even that. Then you showed up. You are of no help to me, but at least I have someone to talk."
"What did you do to get beaten so badly?" Nova asked.
"My ship attacked your space station. I think the planet is 'Ploot.'"
"Pluto?" Derek offered.
"Yes, perhaps. After we attack, Earth ship showed up and sent smaller ship to rescue the hurt ones. I was told to fire on the ship, but I say no."
"So they imprisoned you," Nova said.
"Beaten and tossed in here to die. We are a ship of war. Take prisoners is not our way. No brig. This was best they could do. Why didn't they just toss me out airlock? Guards like to see me suffer."
Realization came over Nova. "That was my rescue shuttle. I guess I should thank you for not shooting at me."
Derek looked at her, then at Razil. "That was our ship at Pluto, rescuing Eager and his staff."
"I later heard talk that the ship was the one that destroyed our world."
"Sadly, it's the truth." There was no point in lying to the Pri'Tan. It wouldn't help either way.
"I see." Razil seemed to think on this, then spoke. "They tell me I was honored to be part of the attacking force. I felt no honor in firing on hurt. Not everyone believes that killing of your people is the answer. We lost our home, and many died, but killing you will not bring them back. We are people stuck in old beliefs. We were always taught that we the first race, the oldest. Then we explore other worlds, and learn that this false. We found worlds with records far longer than us. The Elders, however, would have none of this. Blasphemy. All who did not heed the word was put to death as hectics."
"Heretics," Nova said, but Razil did not acknowledge her. Instead he looked up at the ceiling.
"We are two – those who believe the words, and those who want new words. Many Elders died with our world, and we wished their teachings died with them. King is a puppet of the Elders, and he survives. He first allowed new words to be spoken, but now he is different. Changed." Razil shifted position and looked down at Derek. "Human, was the death of our world a willful act?"
"No, not at all," Derek replied. "We didn't even know of your world's existence when we fought the Black Nebula Empire."
Razil nodded. "There are many who believe. Believe that you deserve mercy. Our King is not one of them. He demands your heads as trophies. You will be dragged before him to die at his hands."
"And then what?" Derek asked. "Will he continue his campaign against Earth? Or will he leave?"
"I believe he will kill all your people to please the Elders."
A rumbling was felt, causing several crew members to look around. "We've gone to warp?" Derek asked.
"We return to the construction platform. Where our fleet is being assembled. Where the attack on your world will originate."
Derek looked down at the floor. They were being taken back to their own galaxy, yet it would do them no good if they were trapped in a cargo bay.
"Where the King's weapon is being built."
Derek almost didn't hear it. "What weapon? A ship?"
Razil looked like he was going to speak, then thought better of it.
"Razil, please. We need your help. Any information you can give us will help stop this war. People on both sides will stop dying."
He shook his head. "I have broken rules, but I am not traitor. Yes, the war may stop, but if you win there will be more death to my people."
"No matter who wins, there will be blood on both sides. Sometimes people have to die so others may live. I don't like the thought of that either, but I have to accept it."
Razil shook his head again. "I am sorry, I cannot. I can say that the weapon will destroy your world."
Derek turned away, but Nova looked over his shoulder, nodding and whispering a "thank you" to Razil. Razil grunted something unintelligible and laid back down on the crate.
"So now what?" Derek asked.
"Any plan starts with getting out of this cargo hold," Conroy answered. "Until we can figure out that part, nothing else matters."
Nova looked around the room and said, "Most of the crew is seriously wounded. We're in no condition to fight our way out of here."
They sat, mostly not speaking, for what seemed like hours. Occasionally it felt like the ship had stopped, but it was difficult to tell. The ship was either much larger than the Yamato, or was better at suppressing the feeling of motion. Given the size of the cargo door, they assumed they were close to the outer hull of the ship, yet they could hear and feel nothing. For all they knew, the room was floating through space on its own, abandoned by the Pri'Tan fleet. Finally, there was a noise near the smaller door, as four guards opened it and walked through. Two carried large spears, the other two had menacing looking blades on their arms. The two with the arm blades approached Derek and grabbed him by the arms. He started to fight back, but one of them smacked Nova across the face, knocking her to the floor. He looked at Derek and said, "Perhaps you do not value your own life. Surely you value hers?"
Derek spat at him. "You bastard. You savage bastard."
There was a chittering sound which may have been a snicker. "Resist again and I may forget that she is a broodmother." He grabbed Derek's arm again, and the two of them dragged him to the door. Outside was a large crate, which Derek was tossed into. The first two guards crossed their spears to block the opening while the second two went back in to grab more crew members. By the time they were done, Derek was joined by Sandor, Nova, Maria, and Kitano. The door to the crate closed, and the crate began to move. While no one could see where they were going, it felt like they went down several hallways and changed levels a few times before finally stopping. The door opened and they were dragged out and shuffled through a door. They passed two rows of guards, all leading to a large raised dais with a throne on it.
On the throne sat what appeared to be an old, weak, and frail version of the other Pri'Tan they had seen. However, this one was adorned with colored robes and had a large staff in its hand. This could only be their King, Derek thought. What had Desslok called him? Shopeth? They were dragged out to the foot of the dais and shoved into a kneeling position.
The old Pri'Tan rose to his feet and waved his hand, chattering loudly. The guards near the door clicked their spears against the floor, turned, and marched out, closing the large doors behind them. Derek quickly looked around the room – there was a bodyguard on either side of the throne as well as the three that had brought them into the throne room. It appeared that there was only one way out. They would never make it out of this room if they tried to fight.
"Welcome, Destroyers. I am King Ham-Sha'Peth." He looked down on them with disgust. "Normally, criminals are not permitted to look at me. They do not have that honor, and their eyes are gouged out should they disgrace me with their gaze. However, I shall allow it this time, since I shall be the last thing you see." He paused to let this sink in, then stepped down from the dais. "You will leave this room on a body cart, your corpses shall be placed back into your ship, which we shall cast into your Sun. Then the surface of your world will be reduced to ash and rubble. Your colonies will be obliterated. Any last remaining humans will be hunted down and sacrificed in the names of our Great Elders." He raised his upper arms and looked upwards. "Then, and only then, we shall consider your retribution to be paid." He looked back down at Derek and struck the floor with his staff. "You. You are the leader, are you not?"
Derek looked up at the King and nodded. "I am -"
"I gave you no permission to speak!" the King screamed, waving his staff as if to strike Derek. Derek did not flinch. He had resolved to show no fear. He wasn't sure if it would make any difference in the end, but it seemed like the thing a leader should do in the face of certain death. "It was you who struck the death blow upon our world, was it not?"
Derek nodded, but said nothing.
"What was the purpose of your war with the Black Nebula Empire?" King Ham-Sha'Peth nodded and added, "You may answer."
Derek looked the King straight in the eyes and said, "The Black Nebula Empire attacked us. We were defending Earth."
"A predictable response. Always in the name of defending yourselves. Your people have a long history of death and destruction, all for defense. You think you can just run rampant through space, destroying entire planets, and then sit back and smugly claim innocence." The King turned and pointed a thin arm at Derek, then swept it through the air. "I've been reading up on your history, human. You've been a very naughty species." He laughed in that sickening chittering sound. "First you destroy each other, and when that's not enough for you, you spread out through the universe like a plague. You find other worlds, other species to attack, to defeat, to rule, all in the name of self-defense."
"I think your research is a bit flawed, Your Highness," Derek began, then paused to see if he would be permitted to continue. When the King said nothing, Derek went on. "The people of Earth did colonize other nearby planets, but the intention was not to conquer anyone. Until the Gamilons attacked us, we weren't even aware that there was life besides our own. Oh, sure, we suspected, but we never found any proof of it."
"Typical arrogance, to assume you were all alone in this vast universe. So when you did finally find your proof, what was your response?" King Ham-Sha'Peth asked.
"The Gamilons attacked us without warning. We attempted to defend ourselves, as anyone would do." Derek knew he was being steered into a trap. No matter what he said, the King would twist his words.
"Yes, and as I recall, you were losing rather badly until you received help. Suddenly you had a new ship, with a powerful new weapon. You could finally defeat your enemy, and you did! You destroyed the Gamilon homeworld! It wasn't enough to beat them in battle, you had to completely crush them. For such is the way of your people." He turned and walked to the far end of the room, where a panel suddenly lit up. "Your people are never satisfied with a simple win. No, your victories must be absolute. Your resolutions are final." The panel displayed a very grainy picture of an army marching through a street. Superimposed over it was a black cross, which Derek did not readily recognize.
"You're comparing our battle against Desslok with Nazi Germany?" Sandor said, horrified. "How dare -" He was cut off by a sharp blow to the head by one of the guard's spears.
"Are you saying you do not learn from your past? I found many more such examples of your brutal history. It is in your very nature to destroy yourselves, and when you got bored with that, you took your belligerence into space." The King pointed to the panel, which now showed Hitler standing at a podium. "This one, he decided to wipe out an entire race of people. Do you deny this?"
Derek replied without looking up. "We deny nothing. Yes, we had some rather unsavory characters in our past. That doesn't mean we emulate them."
The King made a sound that may have been a laugh or a cough, Derek couldn't tell for sure. The panel began to change, showing images of more people, some of which Derek remembered from his old history classes. Napoleon, Hussein, Stalin, bin Ladin - crazed leaders who were bent on conquest and destruction.
"Is your race that different? You're attempting to exterminate my people because your ancient religion tells you to. Many of the people you just cited believed the very same thing – that they had the right to kill. We have changed much since that time."
"Have you now?" the King said with obvious amusement. "Let's see how much you've evolved, shall we?" The King waved his hand and an image of the planet Gamilon appeared. "Did you not attempt to destroy their entire race? You were not content to simply defeat them and leave. No, you set off a chain reaction by shooting a volcano. Brilliant strategy! Tell me, who came up with this idea?"
Derek said nothing.
"Yes, I thought as much. Very well, then, let us move on. So much for your supposed enlightenment." The image now changed to that of the White Comet, streaking through space. "The Gatlantean Battle Comet. I am aware they built it in an attempt to defeat us, yet they used it to attack the Earth. Do you know why?"
"Zordar wanted to enslave us," Derek said.
"He wanted to use you to attack us! Even as far away as Gatlantis, your brutality was well known. You were almost respected by some as a vicious people, well qualified to send into war for a guaranteed quick conclusion to the battle."
"You're insane," Maria said. The King glared at her, amazed that she had dared to speak. "You really think Zordar wanted us for our combat skills? He wanted slaves, pure and simple. You're just looking for excuses to-" She gasped, then fell forward to the floor and was silent.
The guard behind her cackled and withdrew his spear from her back.
"NO!" Kitano screamed and attempted to get up to attack the guard, but he wasn't fast enough. Kitano was knocked flat on his back by a swing of the same spear. The guard raised the spear for a death strike, but the King bellowed loudly, causing the guard to stop mid-lunge. Everyone looked over to King Ham-Sha'Peth; some of the guards appeared amazed that he could utter such a sound.
"No one..." the King began, slowly. "NO ONE dies in my throne room without my permission. Is that clear?"
The guard lowered his spear and bowed. "Yes, my King. I am ashamed."
"As well you should be." He made a clicking sound; without hesitation the guards on either side of the throne drew their spears and hurled them at the one who had attacked Maria. He was impaled against the wall, shaking in pain, then was still. "You are forgiven," the King muttered.
Kitano got back up and went to Maria. "Come on, come on! Stay with me!" He cradled her in his arms.
The King walked over to Kitano, who either did not notice or did not care. "She was your mate?"
Kitano did not look up.
"I wish I had known. I would have had her killed much sooner." He chattered loudly and walked away, then turned to Nova. "Ah, yes, you are the broodmother everyone is up in arms about. You may not be aware that our traditions hold high regard for those who bear young. It is for this reason alone that you still live. However," he waved a hand towards Lanis, "this shall now be resolved."
Lanis walked over to Nova, his head bowed. "What is your wish, my King?"
"As my Second, I grant the honor of ending her life to you, Lanis."
"Thank you, my King. I am..." He hesitated, then said, "unworthy." Lanis raised an arm, exposing a large blade similar to the ones they had seen on other warriors. This one, however, had an odd purple tint to it.
"Carry out the execution." The King turned to step back towards his throne but stopped suddenly. Lanis held up an arm, preventing the King from moving.
"With pleasure, old fool." The King began to move back, but Lanis quickly drove his blade into the King's chest. Ham-Sha'Peth fell to the floor, blood running down his body.
"Ah, Lanis," he coughed, "I was beginning to think... that you didn't... have it... in you." He crumpled to the floor and was silent.
With a sudden quickness, Lanis turned and shot purple sparks from his blade, striking the two bodyguards. They froze in place, their faces twisted in pain. The remaining two guards raised their spears towards Lanis, but did not move. Lanis walked over to the guard who was still stuck to the wall and picked up his spear, then walked back towards the throne. He tossed the spear to the floor, then shouted at Derek. "Pick it up!"
Derek shook his head. "No."
"I said pick it up!" Lanis kicked Derek in the side, knocking him over. Derek sat back up and crossed his arms.
"I refuse. I will not be a part of your insurrection."
Lanis scooped up the spear and tossed it into Derek's lap. Then he turned to the guards, shouting, "The Destroyers have murdered your King! Don't just stand there! Kill them!" The guards, obviously well trained for such an abrupt change in leadership, pointed their spears at Derek and Sandor. "I will take care of the broodmother." He grabbed Nova by the hair and held his arm-blade at her throat. "The old fool may have been wrong on a few points, however, his judgement still stands. You are hereby found guilty of crimes against my people, and the penalty is death!"
Nova closed her eyes as Lanis swung his blade.
There was a scream.
There was a thud as her body crumpled to the floor.