Chapter 34
We join the battle on several fronts this chapter. Let's dive right in!
###
The two friends shielded their eyes from the spray of dust and sand left in the wake of Volu's rapid departure.
"Whadda we do?!"
"We hide!" Gatebi grabbed his hand and pulled him into a run toward a nearby small, rocky outcropping.
Reaching the illusion of safety, they hunkered down.
"Gabby, this ain't no good. The bad guy's gotta have sensors. They'll know we're here!"
The teen's bright eyes were wide. Flint was right. She wouldn't insult him by downplaying their situation, but there was something the Human wasn't considering.
"They don't care about us, Flint. We're not a threat or important."
That seemed to quell the rising panic.
"Yeah, guess you're right."
She gave him a quick squeeze of a forearm. "All we need to do is stay out of the way."
A huffed sigh escaped the Human. "Vo really is tryin' to save us, not just dump us, wasn't she?"
Gatebi nodded. "Yes. She cares about all of us."
Flint's green eyes misted over. "Means she thinkin' she's not gonna make it."
What could she say?
"As much of a tight-arse as Vo is, she's our tight-arse…and I kinda got attached, ya know?"
She held Flint's teary gaze. "I know. I love her, too."
They sat quietly for several seconds as the sounds of battle raged across the valley and high over head. Afraid of what she'd see knowing Uulophar and Volu were greatly outnumbered, Gatebi still couldn't stop from looking. She eased herself up to sneak a peek at the action at the portal. What she saw was not encouraging. Not only were Eilu ships battling it out with Uulophar and Volu, but they took every shot they could manage at the doorway to the Sentinel. Would it hold?
Uulophar seemed to be faring better than Volu. The Shozen ship's shield technology was likely designed for Eilu weaponry. Volu on the other hand…
Then movement at the opposite crest of the small valley caught her attention – black forms were scuttling over the rise and heading toward the entrance. Blinking as dust blew into her face, the Alcab nonetheless knew what she was seeing – Eilu on foot and seemingly heavily armed. At her sharp breath, Flint was instantly peering over the rock.
"What the fuck?! Thought those bastards couldn't be out in the sun?"
Gatebi was perplexed. The Human was right. "I don't know how it's possible, unless…" She squinted, trying to see more clearly. As the black beings came in a wave down the gently slope, she saw. Her heart quickened.
"I think they are hybrids. There are differences – see?"
"Shit! They're gonna surround that portal and blast their way in – I know it! Why isn't the Sentinel making it disappear?"
Gabebi turned around abruptly and plunked down to the ground as a Turzent vessel began firing on the Eilu foot-soldiers. "I can only guess, but perhaps once the location is revealed, it's a moot point. At first, I thought the portal didn't reside in this dimension, but now I think otherwise. It was likely only heavily cloaked."
Flint rejoined her on the dirt. "So the way in's been here all this time, right under everyone's nose?"
She tilted an upturned hand in agreement. "I believe so. A permanent link to our dimension."
Two sets of eyes shot upward as what looked like a large meteor streaked across the sky, trailing smoke, fire, and debris. A ship was plunging through the atmosphere to crash into the dusty planet. Gatebi sent a brief prayer for the Turzents aboard.
"Those bastards will destroy everything if they get in, Gabby. War and Twae included. We gotta do something!"
Flint had that look again – the one that said he was about to do something foolish. She grabbed his wrist.
"There's nothing we can do."
A sonic boom rippled across the valley. The dying ship was near impact.
Flint eased up again. "Mother fucking bastards!" he cried out, sending Gatebi immediately to her feet.
Volu had sunk to the ground, her body becoming a physical barrier to the portal. Sickening, ugly wounds crisscrossed her exterior. Gatebi's chest tightened, her heart pounded. Volu was lying down her life to guard the portal. Eilu ground troops began swarming her, guns blazing, but there was nothing she or Flint could do to save the living ship. Bile rose as rage and grief threatened to drown her.
"They're killing her!" Anguish raised Flint's voice an octave. "We gotta DO something. Oh, god. Vo!"
She latched tightly to Flint's arm fearing the teen would blindly bolt to the Eshaar'ne without thinking.
Volu's shields rippled and it was obvious they were near total failure. Gatebi wanted to scream and fight and do something…anything. Yet there was nothing they could do. Nothing.
Gatebi thought she could hear Volu's screams.
###
Ztar had not wanted his last days with Jharda to be under the shadow of pending Jtasu – the term for a warrior's honorable suicide. Thus, he vowed to continue the deception until his last breath.
He'd done all possible to smooth the road ahead for those he'd leave behind. Court Member Stjarmas'de and ultimate legal voice of the Empire had been invaluable in ensuring all legal details were attended. 'Estate planning,' he told the law-writer. 'One never knows when your time has come.' As Emperor, he was within his right to name a ruling successor, and Stjarmas'de ensured it would legally stick. And so, Jharda and their unborn child were on solid legal grounds as his heirs and beneficiaries. Despite being born out of wedlock, the child would have undisputed claim to the throne either upon Jharda's passing or should she chose to abnegate when the child reached maturity.
Ztar's biggest regret was that he had not convinced Jharda to move up the marriage ritual. Time had been too short, and if he'd insisted more, she would have become suspicious.
As he strode to the furthest garden pavilion on the Sat'rey palace grounds, warriors dagger tucked out of sight within his clothing, he reflected on his life. It was one punctuated with intensely emotional highs and lows. Childhood was filled with pain, rejection, and constant dread of the next beating for vague reasons shouted in rage. Early manhood in the military brought a myriad of new feelings – acceptance, confidence, and pride. Even love. That was first time he'd fallen for Jharda. But love was alien terrain that he hadn't understood. A lifetime later, he finally realized it was one of the reasons she let him go all those years ago…he hadn't the ability to truly love someone. Desire and possess, yes. Love? No. His upbringing had not taught him how or what it entailed – he had been emotionally stunted. In the personal relationship department, Ztar had been a psychologically wounded child in a man's body.
Ztar stopped to gaze at Moit'de's beautiful masterwork for the last time. The royal gardener's gift with flora few could match. A gentle soul that seemed connected on a non-physical plane with plants. They had been blessed to have the man on staff. A gust of wind washed over Ztar, and he breathed deeply to capture the scents varied flowers offered to the breeze. He loved the gardens and the peaceful retreat they provided. It was why he'd chosen them as 'the place.'
He swallowed hard and continued the journey to the far end of the grounds, retrospect his lone companion.
The aftermath emotions of the betrayal and genetic augmentation were pure, uncomplicated, and ran deep – rage and vengefulness. They consumed him for years. Inability to find fulfillment in the bedchamber only intensified that anger, and a black beast grew that slowly consumed his soul and destroyed the spark of compassion Jharda had once lit. Those years, while glorious on the battle lines of conquest, were dark and empty on the personal front. Ztar had all but lost his soul to darkness.
Then a miracle – Archangel. Physical bliss. Sexual satiety. Finally! Ztar had feasted as a starving man upon the pleasures the Human provided. But it was at a horrific price for Archangel. Gradually, he came to understand that Archangel satisfied a different kind of hunger…one of the spirit. Slowly, the winged man changed Ztar – five imperial years it took to heal his rotted soul. The emotions those years embodied were too many to name.
It was almost a surprise when Ztar realized he'd reach his and Jharda's private retreat. Stepping reverently inside the ornately carved structure, he admired the flowering plants whose intoxicating perfumes hung the air. Sweet, spicy, and earthy with a hint of damp stone. 'A perfect place for the last breaths of an emperor,' he told himself ruefully. He turned to take in the views. To one side was a pond and small waterfall with a stand of native Sat'reyan tall shrubs as a backdrop. Two vistas revealed the expansive and untamed Imperial Valley…a stunningly stark contrast to the manicured gardens. Carved pillars encircled by flowering vines framed the rear view – the distant palace in all its ivory stone glory. It was a beautiful royal home, and Ztar was proud of her.
'Yes, this is a good place to die.'
###
A rumbling boom signaled the death of the Turzent vessel as Flint began struggling wildly against Gatebi's firm hold.
"She's dying! Don't you care!" he raged into her face.
Screams of a different kind cut the air. A quick glance toward the portal showed Uulophar blasting away at the black horde surrounding Volu. Yet that meant Uulophar's focus was no longer holding back the Eilu ships, and they were quick to take advantage. Uulophar's own weakened shields were collapsing and visible damage was quickly mounting.
Behind Flint, a massive fireball broke the horizon. Part of Gatebi's mind wondered why the explosion was so immense.
"We can do nothing, Flint! If you go over there, you will die. She wants us to live!"
He stopped fighting and glared with burning anger Gatebi hadn't seen before. "You cold, heartless bitch!"
Gatebi felt tingling and energy tracing her body. She jolted. Flint's ability! If in his anger, he set her clothes aflame…
Suddenly, sparks began dancing around Flint's shoes, and the ground snapped and crackled. Sparks? How could that be? Dirt isn't combustible. When the Human followed Gatebi's gaze down, he danced a jig and yelped as if his feet were on fire.
"What the hell?!"
Gatebi's mind raced. The Sentinel was built as the guardian of Etxan'Ir – a machine designed to guard against the Dark Coming…and perhaps its creatures, as well. She should have thought sooner. Volu and Uulophar were using the wrong weapons!
Scooping up a handful of dirt, she poured it into a divot in the rock. "Flint, see if you can light this!"
The teen looked at her in disbelief. "It's dirt, Gabby. Dirt doesn't burn!"
"Just try!"
"You're nuts! Vo is dying and you're-"
Desperation swelled. "Do it!" she screamed, making Flint jump.
His look said he believed her crazed. "Okay, okay!"
At the count of three, the dirt burst into a brilliant, crackling display.
"Fireworks! It's like goddamn fireworks!" Flint's face instantly revealed understanding. "You're a genius, Gabby! I'm gonna light up the place and those bastards are gonna die!"
She quickly grabbed his wrist. "Control, Flint. Use control. Volu may not be able to get off the ground. We can't injure her more."
He nodded enthusiastically. "Can't fry us, either. Let's see how this stuff works."
Amidst war raging all around, Flint scooped more dirt onto the rock, then concentrated until a trail of sparks and sight-robbing light burned a winding path through the dirt. To the Alcab, it seemed to be a controlled trail.
"Wild, Gabby! Like a lit trail of gunpowder in the old Westerns Mom watches. I can do this! I can control it!" The teen looked torn between amazed and dumbfounded. "Why aren't Vo and Uulophar's blasts settin' this stuff off?"
They squatted down, settling in so Flint had clear view of the battle at the portal from around the outcrop.
"The wrong kind of energy is my theory." She placed a firm hand on his shoulder as uncustomary vengeance ignited in her veins. "Burn those bastards, Flint." The out of character phrase garnered a wide grin from Human.
"All the way ta hell!"
###
Ta'uii was surprised at the sophistication of the biotechnology, and it took much to surprise the ancient entity. Both its own data files and Etxan'Ir's contained no record of any recent species capable of creating it. Yet two-thirds of the collected knowledge was held by other Nexus – Etxan'Ut and Etxan'El. Ta'uii had access to their knowledge stores only when the three Etxan linked during triadic joining.
Examining the odd winged being further, Ta'uii's found no sheath encasing the genetic strands that shielded many Esha'Aru from alien detection. Stunningly, Esha'Aru genome was not in the abundance that physical appearance suggested. Some sequences did match Esha'Aru sequences, but where the Esha'Aru were blended from several donor species, the one called Warren was more pure – less a genetic goulash than Esha'Aru. Commonalities suggested a meld of perhaps two species from the same planetary origin.
Limited diversity did not mean absence of aberrations. Analysis revealed several deficiencies resultant from imperfect blending of genetic materials…brain abnormalities and physical deficits. Some shortfalls Ta'uii could remediate; others were inherent to the baseline genetic code and corrective alterations would cause termination.
The male's ability to channel Source had been a puzzlement at first. Nothing suggested he should be able to do so, yet he did – in vast quantities. Not until Ta'uii delved beyond the physical that the answer presented itself…a lifeforce signature that matched the subtleties of Esha'Aru patterns, except for the lack of a species marker. In fact, it was so closely tuned to the female's, it was obvious they were to be soulbounds. However, a second lifeforce was present, acting as a block to their soulbinding. Inconceivably, the lifeforce pattern was Turzent.
The being called Warren was a quandary, yet his peculiarities provided a path out of one dilemma.
After cleansing and genetic-manipulation were complete, only one issue would stand in the way of waking Etxan'Ir and stopping the imminent Dark Coming.
With analysis complete, Ta'uii prepared various instruments to rid the Esha'Aru that wasn't Esha'Aru except in lifeforce of the infestation and correct genetic anomalies it could without risking his continuance. The Sentinel conjectured that perhaps the bionites were ancient U'larr technology…so stunningly complex and resistant to removal. Eradication would challenge even Ta'uii's abilities.
Once the immediate task was concluded, another infestation required attention.
###
On hands and knees, Flint faced the horrifying scene at the portal. Gatebi prayed intense illumination would work against the obviously light-adapted enemy, and if it did, that they weren't too late to save the Eshaar'ne.
Within seconds, a line of spitting, intense flare started toward the portal, winding wildly at first then straightening in a narrow line to the portal. With breathtaking speed, the ground ignited around a group of Eilu, exploding into a brilliance that forced Gatebi to cover her eyes. Horrible, high-pitched screams sliced the dry valley air. Like snakes of fire, light raced in two directions, seeking out Eilu who were suddenly running for their lives, weapons dropped to the ground in panic.
"It works!" she cried out in heartfelt joy that the nightmarish enemy was not completely immune to light.
"Run, you assholes!" Flint yelled, jumping to his feet. He quickly returned his hands to the ground.
More trails of brilliance formed, leaping from his fingertips to chase down Eilu, burning and melting the six-legged monstrosities from existence. Joy was short-lived, however. The Eilu ships were unaffected and had reorganized to begin a fresh assault. One looked to be making a ramming run to knock Volu away from their primary target – the entrance. Others were turning ominously in Flint and Gatebi's direction.
Suddenly, a massive scoop of dirt rose into the air seemingly on its own.
"Flint – look! Uulophar or Volu knows what we're doing!" Dirt hurled toward the approaching black ship. "Ignite it, Flint!"
"I can't – it's airborne!"
"Flint, its dust and dirt…there are always particles touching particles. You can do it!"
A deep frown of concentration formed on the young face. 'Just like Ekkamm,' he told himself. The ground around Flint sputtered and sparked. Gatebi's hands clenched. Another two heartbeats and the vessel would collide with Volu. Uulophar was swarmed, unable to intercept.
Suddenly, the dirt veil erupted into a waterfall of light rivaling the sun. Blinded, Gatebi could only imagine what happened as there was no sound of impact between ships. Rubbing eyes in a vain attempt to clear her vision, the sound of sizzling and the feel of prickling energy had her fearful of what she wasn't seeing. Scrambling away from the sensations, her back hit the rocks.
Screams and indescribable sounds echoed across the desert landscape. When vision began returning, her mouth fell open. Flint was surrounded by fire – his clothes in flames! Instinct nearly caused her to knock him to the ground to put out the fire, but she immediately realized he was unaffected and completely focused on the battle.
Guessing his mutation protected him, she darted to the other side of their rocky shield. She, on the other hand, was not unburnable and needed to keep her distance. The scene was riveting. Massive walls of dirt flew up everywhere, enveloping black ships with stunning swiftness. As Flint ignited the combustible soil, it was as if the sky were filled with exploding stars. Squinting between fingers to shield her eyes as best she could, Gatebi could only marvel.
A massive dust cloud rose from the surface of Atmos toward two obviously damaged black vessels to swamp them. A glance to Flint showed the now naked youth's arms raised to the air, his red hair whipping with energy and wind. The portal area exploded in supernova flashover. If Gatebi hadn't covered her face, she was certain she would have gone blind. As seconds ticked off, silence hung thick in the air. She opened her eyes. Even having shielded them, vision was spotty.
"Flint?"
"Yeah. You okay?"
"Yes. You?"
"Gonna take a minute to see right again, but I'm okay."
Blinking and rubbing his eyes, the teen took in the battlefield. "Damn, I'm good!"
Gatebi joined him to scan the portal area. Uulophar hovered near Volu who remained motionless on the ground. Was the Eshaar'ne alive? Dead? Stepping away from the outcropping, she surveyed the valley. Not a single Eilu or black ship to be seen.
"Gone! They're all gone!" Flint shouted. The next sound from the teen sounded strangled. She whipped around in mild panic.
Flint's face was the epitome of aghast. Hands in front of his privates, he stood mortified, the youthful face becoming a bright shade of red rivaling his hair color. "I- I-"
Then in a flash, he took off at a full run toward Volu, yelling for her to open the door. The Alcab would have laughed at the comical situation, but the war was far from over. High above them, it still raged. All they'd gained on the ground was a temporary reprieve. She took off at a lope toward their fallen comrade.
###
Stretching one facet of awareness to normal space, Ta'uii examined the greatly outnumbered forces of light battling the dark swarm above its physical embodiment in that dimension, which others called Atmos Prime. Dark was winning with more of their ships approaching. Light's weapons had limited effect. Darkness' army would swarm Ta'uii's physical housing. Should they penetrate the exterior shell, operational existence in that realm would cease. Unacceptable. The Creators commanded that Ta'uii remain at its post, providing and guarding for eternity the only entrance to Etxan'Ir.
The guardian machine began gathering reserves to cleanse itself of the external infestation that it had been forced to endure for too long. Simultaneously, the task of ridding the one called Warren of his internal plague would begin.
###
Suddenly, the ground was vibrating and air rumbling. Flint skidded to a stop and swung back to face her, covering his front again with his hands. "Now what?!" he shouted over the swiftly intensifying noise.
Something was happening deep within the planet – that was Gatebi's guess. What the 'something' was, she couldn't know, but prayed it meant the others had succeeded. She accelerated to a flat out run to join Flint. She did not want to become separated if the end was near. As she reached him, the rumble grew deafening.
"Volu!" she yelled not slowing down as she passed the teen. He was on her heels in an instant.
As they raced across the valley floor, the bay door dilated open. Gatebi sighed in relief. The Eshaar'ne was alive and functional enough to allow them in – she'd take that as a good sign. Warren and Ettwanae could heal her wounds when they returned.
If they returned. But she refused to consider they might not.
As Gatebi and Flint dove within Volu's protective womb, the world erupted in blinding, golden light. 'Maybe that is what it's like inside a star,' she mused unscientifically. Volu snapped shut the bay door, cutting off the brilliance. That posed another problem…it was pitch black within the Eshaar'ne.
###
Warren was not prepared when a bright beam shot from the disk and hit with almost physical force. Instantly, his insides were sizzling. A yelp escaped. What was happening? Old rage of losing control over his own body rose to blend wildly with fears of what he would be in the end.
Clenching fists and jaw, he pushed aside the pain as best he could. He tried twisting to break free of the invisible restraints. No use. Through the glare of light, he thought he could see Phai and Taer holding Ettwanae back. Was she yelling? He couldn't hear.
Pain escalated until every cell felt bathed in lava. It was worst than any pain he could remember enduring – except under Apocalypses tender mercies. Screaming his anguish, he struggled, but remained unable to move. His mind tried to run, but there was no escape. Images of Apocalypse flashed uninvited. Unconsciousness would not come. When even sound became impossible, he fell silently into the consuming fires of hell.
###
A single surviving vessel recorded the anomalous event. In the first microseconds, computer analytics classified the blinding explosion as Star 2012.1221 having gone inexplicably supernova. Within milliseconds, that theory was eliminated as the energy blast did not fit supernovae characteristics – or any known parameters. Nor had it originated from the star, but incredibly from planet.
When the flashover faded, Jryzkenri stood on the Remwarge's barely functioning bridge staring at the holo display in disbelief. The Atmos system remained intact and unaffected. All seemed exactly as it had been…with one exception.
The horde of mysterious black ships that had destroyed the best defense Turzent and Systems Commonwealth empires could muster were no more.
###
As abruptly as it had begun, the unbearable pain receded, leaving him drenched in sweat, icy cold, and trembling head to toe. The light beam still bathed him, and now seemed to soothe and warm. Warren worked to clear his mind.
"My apologies, Esha'Aru, but I did what had to be done. Cleansing was required."
He blinked and tried to move without success.
"Rest."
The familiar whizzing of accelerated healing ability kick in. Struggling to work his throat, speech returned. "What the hell did you do to me?!" Had the gigantic Sentinel changed his genetic code? Made him more Esha'Aru? Taken his Humanity? 'Dear god, if I've been altered again, couldn't deal with it!' Bile rose. Through the veil of yellow-tinged light, he could see the Shozen Elders calming Ettwanae, but he still could not hear them.
"You were infected and misaligned. I cleansed you of the infestation and corrected defects. If not, Etxan'Ir would reject you."
Warren drew a breath and held it. His heart began to pound. Could it be?! He was nearly afraid to ask, but he had to know…had to be sure.
"The nannites?"
"If that is your term for micro biotechnology permeating your cellular structure, yes."
"They're gone? No longer in me?"
"you are cleansed. Foreign technology is no longer within you."
The light shaft pulled back into the disk and invisible restraints released. Was it possible? After all these years, after all the prayers…the attempts, the dreaming of being finally free of the last of Apocalypse's handiwork. It was hard to wrap his brain around the idea. He felt stunned…drunk…in shock. Suddenly, Ettwanae was in his arms.
"Goddess, Warren! I thought you were dying! It said it was healing you, but you were screaming and…and-" the rest was cut-off as she buried her head into his shoulder. "Thank the goddess you're okay," she murmured.
"Ta'uii says the nannites are gone," he finally managed. "But…but I want independent verification. When we get back to Volu, I'll have her scan me." He hugged Ettwanae close. 'Dear god, please let this be true!'
Phai stepped close and placed a long-fingered hand on his shoulder. "If the Sentinel says you are free of the bionites, then you are. Right now, though, we must stop the Dark Coming or it will matter."
Taer spoke next. "Sentinel, have you completed your analysis of the situation?"
"Yes. Failure of the dimensional barrier is imminent. Matter from Norzra'tir's realm will soon penetrate this galaxy's subspacial encasement."
"And quickly fill subspace with antimatter. Once that has occurred, the phase-shift membrane between subspace and our normal space will dissolve-"
"and a cascading antimatter/matter explosion will occur that annihilates our galaxy." Phai completed Taer's explanation.
"You understand correctly."
Warren darted eyes between the two aliens. "That will be one hell of an explosion."
"Unlike the universe has seen since it exploded into existence, Warren," Phai added, putting the potential cataclysm into perspective, it if that were possible.
"So we need to save the galaxy. All in a day's work for an X-Man," he said in a mix of sarcasm and hopeful levity. Then another concern gripped him. "What's happening above Atmos Prime?"
Ettwanae jerked backward in his arms. "Volu, Mother…everyone! Are they safe?" she asked of the Sentinel, fear flooding the blue orbs.
"Your companions are alive, although some will require your healing Source, Esha'aru Ettwanae."
Her face blanched. "Who?! Who's hurt?"
"All will recover, do not be concerned."
###
Ztar regretted Jharda would forever associate their special place with his end. Yet in a warrior culture such as theirs, what he was about to do was a noble act. Knowing her, their retreat would become a sacred spot. That pleased him.
Time was short. Phai's message said the deed had to happen within the hour, and the hour was nearly up. 'I want to live!' his soul rose up to declare. 'I have too much to do yet. A child…!' But just as quickly, he clamped down on survival instincts. If that child were to have a future, Ztar could not. 'No time for delay. You must do this.'
Mustering courage, he removed his tunic and knelt on the cold stone, short-blade in shaking hands. Tears flowed unashamedly as he pressed the blade against the singular point on his chest that would end life in seconds. Turzents had few such vulnerable spots, but there were a couple if you took the time to learn of them.
"My Jharda," he whispered, closing his eyes to picture her face one final time. "My beautiful, strong, tender Jharda. My love will be with you always. How I wish there was another way – that we could have grown old together. Be brave for me, and for our child. Let him know me through you. Tell him what I did, I did for his sake and for all the children of our Empire."
A sob shook the Emperor's body and determination wavered. 'My gods, how can you demand this of me?! Just when life is so perfect – when I finally have everything that makes it worth living? Why?'
With that, thoughts to a singular Human. 'My Archangel – you first saved and now condemn me. You are not to blame. Phai told me our bond is unique – unprecedented. Something more powerful than either of us decided fused our souls. But now, your soul must be free to join with another. I understand that if it cannot, we all die. Better a single death than untold trillions. Logical. Sensible…'
"But, by the gods, WHY ME?!" The booming question reverberated off the stone walls of the pavilion. The blade hadn't yet found it mark, but his soul was already bleeding. Unjust. Cruel irony. A price too high. He'd riled against it all so many times the past weeks, but it had changed nothing.
He must die for everyone else to live.
Everyone he loved.
Everything he cared about.
"My gods, have mercy! I don't want to do this!" But he must. Gathering images in his mind of all the people he cherished – Jharda, their unborn child, Sukja, Archangel, Gtar-Cro, Atichi, and others – he steeled himself. He'd do this for them…so they would live on. For all the people of the Mi-Tzanti Galaxy. Emperor Ztar of the Turzent Empire would sacrifice his future for theirs.
'Be the warrior one last time. Prolong no longer, Turzent. Fate must be served.' Firming his grip of the dagger, he took a deep breath. The pain would be intense, but blessedly brief. Rechecking that he had positioned the razor-sharp point correctly, Ztar tensed his arms for the Jtasu plunge.
###
Warren is freed of Apocalypse's legacy, but it does little good if the galaxy is lost. As time ticks down, so much left to do! See you for a 'short' chapter in a few days.