BT - Chapter 14

The difference between showering on a space vessel and showering in my beachside home is immense. With my short fur, cleaning up used to be easy and enjoyable. But these showers are a different story. The water never gets hot enough, and the pressure from the nozzle is lacking. I could still taste the small hint of the recycling chemicals in the water.

As I dried my hair, my mind drifted to our route. We were on the opposite side of the galaxy from

Systems Alliance territory,

Sun Jin Empire space sitting between us like a buffer. Anyone who found us out here would almost certainly be Sun Jin first. The Alliance would need weeks just to cross SJE space, and there were no patrols scheduled this far out. A smooth ride, same as the last few days.

I tied back my hair and walked into my quarters. My book sat on the bedside table next to my dismantled handgun. An odd pairing, maybe, but the ship had a small library of lighter reading available to passengers, and I'd taken advantage of it. The whole vessel had that feel to it. Less like a military stealth ship and more like a fast private yacht. I pulled on my tank top and khaki cargo pants and decided it was time for a quick walk.

Once in the large control cockpit, I made my way to the navigational computer near the forward window. No need to sit down in the chair. I didn’t plan on being here long. Everything checked out on first glance. No warning indicators, engineering systems seemed fine, navigation was accurate, and the path in front of us gave the beautiful dancing light show of slipspace.

I stepped backwards to leave, turned, and gasped as I nearly crashed into something solid. It was Akima, standing tall and imposing over me with her red eyes boring into mine. My heart raced as I stepped away from her, trying to regain my composure. Her long gray arms reached out on either side of her, the metal of the doorway creaking under the weight of her claws. A deep exhale rumbled from her throat and out her nose. She was dressed in cargo pants and a heavy black hoodie. I couldn't believe how easily she had managed to sneak up on me. My whole body felt suddenly small, like the air in the room had rearranged itself around her.

"Late night stroll?" Her bare feet padded against the metal floor, her sharp claws clicking with each step. As she approached me, I couldn't help but take a few cautious steps back. Her slow and deliberate movements were almost intimidating. She stopped in front of me, her arms crossed over her chest, and I couldn't help but feel like I was being interrogated. Akima's intense presence and piercing gaze made it difficult to compose myself.

I took a deep breath to calm my nerves and gave Akima a small smile. "Yeah, just checking on things before heading to bed. You scared me there," I said, trying to make light of the situation. "Besides, what's night?" I asked with a chuckle, turning back to look out the forward window of the narrow cockpit. “We're in space. Yeah, back on Bethany it'd be pretty late right now, I suppose.”

In response, her red eyes peered. She just lifted her nose a bit, watching me. She didn't have to say much to actually provide a meaningful response. After a moment she too softened for a brief moment before she returned to her stoic demeanor. "I didn't mean to startle you, but I do love seeing the reaction." She gestured towards the navigational computer. "Everything seems to be in order, then?"

I nodded, grateful for the distraction from our awkward encounter. This was probably the first time we’d seen each other all day. She spent most of the time in her room. It was the first time we’d met in the command area since leaving Bethany. Though it had only been a few moments, this conversation was already shaping up to be the longest we’d had.

"Yeah, everything's running okay. Our route is still on track and no issues have popped up with the ship yet."

Good," Akima said calmly, turning towards the door, her long gray and red hair swaying behind her as she started walking out of the cockpit.

"Were you heading somewhere?" I asked, following her out into the clean hallway.

"Just taking a walk around the ship," she replied casually.

I couldn't help but feel curious about where she was going. It seemed out of character for someone as disciplined as Akima to take a leisurely stroll out of boredom. But before I could ask any more questions, Akima spoke up again.

"I've been digging around in some of the items in the cargo hold. Seeing what we've got. Join me?" She glanced over at me with a slight tilt of her head.

I hesitated for a moment before giving in to my curiosity and nodding my head. We made our way towards the back of the ship towards the rear cargo hold. As we walked down the well-lit hallway I could smell the clean disinfected metal and oil. It was as if this old ship was brand new, clean, purpose built.

As we walked towards the large metal doors, they smoothly slid open with a hiss. The artificial lights inside spilled out into the previously dark room until the lighting in the hold clicked on. Inside were rows of neatly stacked crates and containers, probably sixty total, stacked three tall. A few of them had their metal doors already open, some packaged goods stacked outside the doors. Probably Akima's doing.

"What do we have here?" I inquired, examining the scattered supplies for any identifying labels.

"A mix of things," Akima replied vaguely as she approached one of the crates, prying open its top flap.

I followed her lead and watched as she revealed a box containing what appeared to be medical equipment. There were first aid kits, both individual and group-sized, along with other assorted medical supplies. It could definitely come in handy.

"This one has medical supplies," she paused and gestured towards another open crate nearby, with a few more boxes outside. "And that one seems to have some sort of scanning equipment and scientific tools that I'm not familiar with."

I placed my hands on my hips and nodded thoughtfully. "There's more than enough here for just the two of us." I didn’t feel like telling her that someplace on the computer was probably a manifest of all this gear, organized neatly and content sorted by container. Each row and container categorized and inventoried.

"I imagine it's meant for setting up a base camp of some kind. A forward operating base, perhaps. There are enough of firearms in the back to arm a small town."

I awkwardly smiled, only one side of my face responding. "See, that's more my style," I chuckled nervously, shifting my gaze to the floor for a moment. She was still kneeling by the open box, but she stopped and turned to look at me. We just sat there in silence, studying each other. The chill in the room intensified as we both felt the tension between us.

“I had some questions for you, Rio,” Akima said, finally breaking the silence. “Thought maybe we could talk.”

Might as well be honest. I stepped over towards one of the containers, and leaned my butt against the cold metal, and folded my arms. “I had some questions too.”

“Makes sense,” Akima snorted. “Why is a stranger being assigned to this mission?” She dusted herself off and stood up. “I have no rank or immediate loyalties to Kaisara. The Sun Jin never marched into my family's territory yet, nor the Systems Alliance.”

I shrugged a bit. “She said you brought her intel and based on that intel she took the empires' flagship to

Quall.” I paused a second and reemphasized: "She took the

Esther... to Quall."

She smiled a bit pushing herself against the cargo container next to her. “The

Quallian family and my family have never seen eye to eye. Our conflict feels just as ancient and bitter as the Templar squabbles Kaisara talks about. When my hometown was destroyed by the Quallians, I retreated. Just in time to save my life as much of the city was vaporized by orbital bombardment.”

“So, you told her ‘sign me up for top secret work’ or something?” I couldn’t help but chuckle a bit.

“No, but a few words with Sun Jin command about Quallian space faring technology did strike their interest for a few moments. Word made it up the chain, but they didn't care about the technology. The Sun Jin Empire doesn't need any more technology. What piqued their attention was the planet itself, and its location. Only a few days later

Sun Jin Kaisara herself invited me for a meeting and questioned me about everything I knew concerning Quall.” Akima snorted a bit and shook her head, looking off to the side a bit. “Kaisara isn’t scary, but that white wolf with her, Atomis, he’s an interesting puppy. Watched me like a hawk while I walked. Like he was inside my head, reading my mind.” She tapped a claw on the thin metal container next to her. “Very intrusive feeling.”

I observed her, taking in every detail. The information I had received during the briefing only scratched the surface of what she had experienced. It was clear that the Quallians had left a deep psychological impact on her. Her cold and menacing demeanor seemed to reflect the darkness that they had inflicted upon her. As I studied her, I couldn’t help but wonder what secrets lay beneath her hardened exterior and if I would ever be able to unravel them.

“My original plan was to tip the Sun Jin off to their technology so they could go in and raid them or something. Some small petty revenge based on what little I knew about how the Sun Jin Empire actually operates.” She continued, propping her foot up on the container and sliding her hands into the pockets of her hoodie. “Ruin them like they had done to me. I never knew that I would be invited for this, like you. I just had a big piece of the puzzle that Kaisara was looking for.”

“Just the location of Quall? The planet?”

A long deliberate shrug. “I guess so.”

“And now we’re running around doing her dirty work?”

“She can’t go to

Eveny like we can.”

I snorted a bit and cocked an eyebrow in question. “Yeah, I remember her saying that. She was from

Magnum. She would go to Eveny for diplomatic reasons but because of the Sun Jin Empire and Alliance war she said she couldn't set foot there.”

“Did you get to speak to Atomis too? Did you see him?”

“I saw him. The same one you were talking about a second ago. I don’t know much about him.”

“Yeah,

Atomis Silverwolf,” she started. “He’s the tribal leader of the

Nightfall Templar, at least right now anyway.”

I sighed heavily and closed my eyes. This was getting more and more complicated. What was Kaisara planning? She had a whole secret agenda, one known only to her and her Templar cabal. “What do you mean?”

“That Templar organization Kaisara spoke of, on Magnum, and how if any unwanted visitors showed up they’d pretty much gut you like a fish on the spot? That’s him. Atomis is their actual tribal leader, called a Redken. Remember, Kaisara was from there?”

“Yeah, I recall.” I pinched my lips together in thought.

“Whoever leads the Nightfall Templar, their Redken, decides how the whole tribe will operate during the time of their leadership, but it’s all mostly symbolic. Guess who the real lord of the Nightfall is that everyone reveres so much, regardless of whom the Redken is?”

I frowned a bit, and that sinking feeling gripped my pit. “Kai- it’s not Kaisara, is it?”

She shook her head. A somewhat relieving sign. “This

Flarion we’re looking for. He’s the one who unified the Nightfall Tribe a thousand years ago, or something. Kaisara says he’s gone off the deep end and has been acting on his own agenda apart from the Nightfall. Atomis seems to help organize the war effort, and with Flarion turning up at Quall he came to visit Kaisara to plan their next move.”

The pieces clicked into place with a cold, final snap. This was more sinister than I’d imagined. Kaisara and Atomis weren’t just allies; they were puppeteers, and we were the pawns sent to find Flarion. I’d seen what a single Templar could do, the memory of a tank disintegrating under Kaisara’s power flashed behind my eyes. An army of them? The thought was chilling. Was the Sun Jin Empire using the Nightfall as a weapon, or was it the other way around, with Kaisara handing them a galactic military?

“Atomis is the current Redken of the Nightfall, and,” she leaned forward a bit, “In case you didn’t pick it up yet, you know who he replaced, right?”

“I furrowed my brow a bit and turned my head in momentary thought.”

Akima nodded her head. “Redken… Sun Jin… Kaisara.”

I sighed a bit. This only solidified my concern. No wonder the Sun Jin Empire, specifically the Esther, had such unusual technology. “How long ago was this? Before or after she started her rebellion against the Systems Alliance?”

“Sounds like twenty or thirty Amber Krowen years ago, actually. How old is the Sun Jin Empire rebellion, again? A decade?”

A slow inhale through my snout. “Depends on where you want to say it began, but basically, yeah.”

“Well, regardless, Flarion who usually guides the Nightfall left without a trace, and never returned, causing concern for Kaisara and her plans for the future. She had been counting on Flarion's assistance when the time came, but now he is missing, so,” she brought her feet down off the crate and hunched forward, wagging her hand around in thought. “So you get it. Here we are trying to find him for her.”

I shook my head in disbelief, but I tried not to let how I felt about this show. "How do you have all this information?"

Akima lifted her snout and let out a small snort. "Kaisara likes to talk," she explained nonchalantly.

“Kaisara would get the aid of Flarion, huh? Looks like you've been getting some special treatment from Kaisara. She's spilled more to you than she has to me. What makes you so special?”

“Probably because I saw Flarion myself. She told me most of these details on the trip back to Bethany, probably a week before you got called up, so her and I have had some time together.” Akima chuckled, waited a moment, and got a big grin on her face behind closed lips. "I saw him, Rio. His power was something else."

I couldn't help but get a hint of admiration for this power from Akima. She spoke about her vendetta against the Quallian people and how she had ended up leading the Sun Jin Empire to Quall. Flarion appeared there, and his power was so immense that Kaisara personally took the Esther there to witness it. It was clear that Akima was hungry for this same power, to exact her own revenge on her enemies. She had already aimed the Sun Jin Empire at the Quallians and they had done her the favor of wiping out a whole city as part of her vendetta.

“I've personally seen what Kaisara can do in battle,” I said. “And she needs Flarion's help? And you saw him on Quall.”

“Yeah,” she confirmed with a nod. “It was an incredible sight. This incredible, black, griffin. He smashed his way around and had these almost magical abilities at his command that-”

“And you want that kind of power for yourself?”

Akima scoffed directly at me. “Who wouldn't? With that kind of power, I could finally have my revenge on those who have been haunting me for years.” Her tone was clearly shifting. “Against

Kiara Quall for destroying my home. Everything that’s happened to me?” She stood upright now, and shook her head, clearly frustrated. “No, no, no… with that kind of power at my command I could finally strangle the stars for all they promised me.”

Her logic was terrifyingly simple, and I knew firsthand the destruction that followed such immense, unchecked power.

“But what about your loyalty to Kaisara and the Sun Jin Empire?” I asked skeptically. I shouldn’t have. She already mentioned it before, but it felt instinctive to bring up loyalty - Not that I’m really one to talk…

“My loyalty is to myself above all else,” Akima replied coolly, crossing her arms again. “But for now, Kaisara's goals align with mine. We both want to find Flarion.”

I could see the fire in her eyes as she spoke about taking down her enemies. But there was also something unsettling about her thirst. Surely, Kaisara knew this about her, right? Kaisara and Akima clearly had spent some time together. Akima was able to get all this information from Kaisara, but what did Kaisara glean about Akima during that same time? Kaisara obviously thought her capable enough to put her on this ship with me.

“Just be careful, Akima,” I warned. “The Nightfall Templar don’t sound like they are to be taken lightly.”

She scoffed at my cautionary words. “What do you know?” She shook her head a moment, full of herself. She snorted again, her head twitching to the side as if trying to hold back an instinctual reaction to bare her teeth. The huge claws on her bare feet clicked against the steel floor as she walked away a bit, turned, and walked back, pacing a few moments.

Finally, while walking back and forth, Akima continued. “Kaisara says the last time Flarion left Magnum, she was appointed the majordomo of the clan. When he returned, she continued in a leadership position, but after a few years of that left Magnum.” She tossed her arm out to the side, still clearly agitated. “There was some business on

Amber Krowe for a few years, and then she started her rebellion against the Alliance. I imagine that now her military and empire is, to Atomis, a major tool for destroying the Neverborn, while Atomis’s Templar are now her ultimate weapon against the System’s Alliance.”

I flushed. “Sounds like a fair trade.” Consider it sealed. But two wars were unfolding here: the Sun Jin Empire of Bethany versus the Systems Alliance on Amber Krowe, and Magnum’s Nightfall pitted against the

Neverborn Templar on Eveny.

Unease gnawed at me, though I kept my face blank. Everything was spiraling out of control, and I realized my actions could upend the galaxy’s power balance. If Kaisara landed on Amber Krowe, the Alliance would crumble. At her side, Atomis Silverwolf’s Nightfall Templar would seize dominance. Allied with the Sun Jin military, Eveny would be annihilated.

“I reduced their deal to its blunt outline: “I once led your tribe. Give me your best soldiers, we’ll crush the Alliance, then turn my legions on the Neverborn. Win-win.”

Guilt hit me hard. Was I about to witness a new era of slaughter? The Empire’s energy technology already outmatched the Alliance’s. Add Templar magic, and the carnage would be unthinkable.

Templar ships would rend Alliance cruisers, super-soldiers would mop up survivors on Amber Krowe. Nausea churned in my gut. I’d aided her, sparked this war. I’d celebrated freeing

Caisteal and Bethany from Alliance rule. But this?

I kicked off the container, exhaled, and headed for the hangar exit.

Akima stayed behind, her eyes drifting upward. A faint smile touched her lips. “With a legion of Templar Knights, the Sun Jin will dominate the galaxy, and Redken Flarion will crush any world in our path.”

“One day,” I rasped, stomach twisting as I stepped outside. Genocide…

Akima didn’t get to ask me any questions in return. I asked, she answered, and yet I feel like my reactions were probably answering any questions she may have had about me. Time to take another crappy shower.

I had dedicated my life to fighting for Bethany's freedom, believing it would lead to a brighter future. Even after retiring, the doubts began to gnaw at me; something felt wrong about the Sun Jin's ultimate goal. Now, Akima's words had confirmed it. This wasn't the cause I had signed up for. It was a path of destruction that would devastate countless worlds and cost millions of lives.

The question burned in my mind. What could have possibly driven Kaisara to this point? It wasn't just about the rebellion anymore; she had gathered powerful allies and built an empire with a fierce fleet at her command. This wasn't just about independence, there was a deeper purpose behind it all. I couldn't help but wonder if this had been her plan all along, a tool for the Nightfall Templar to use against their enemy, the Neverborn. Her ties with the Nightfall went back decades before the rebellion even began. What secrets did she carry from that time? And what event triggered this thirst for war?

A fresh purpose gnawed at me, insistent and unwelcome. We're cutting through open space toward Eveny, where the Neverborn Templar keep to themselves, and where we're supposed to drag Flarion out so Kaisara can fold him into her war like she folds everything else. My stomach tightened just thinking about it. I won't watch her do it again. I… she already did it to me. Back in my room, I twisted the top off the bottle and took a drink. A loud exhale left my maw.

Who's to say what secrets she'd already woven about the Templar into the Sun Jin Empire? Countless hours spent in hushed whispers over schematics and theories perhaps? This couldn’t all be her. She couldn’t have done it alone. How many others were secretly helping her organize and plan the logistics of Templar and Sun Jin cooperation? I shuddered to think what more she could unveil. It's dawned on me now, the seamless integration, the impossible intricacies, all hallmarks of her Templar ingenuity. This had to be the quality of genius that got her honored with the Nightfall rank of Redken years before the war even began. And now there's two of them on the Esther! She had done all of this from the shadows. Nobody in her Empire knew anything about what I had learned over the last few days. They believed in the propaganda that the war against the Alliance was purely for their safety and survival. Fear tugged at my heart when I imagined what they've already achieved under her watchful eye.

I should say something. I should do something. But then, what exactly would I say, and to whom? The Alliance? They’d sooner lock me up than listen. The Neverborn? We’re flying straight toward them with Akima at my side. I took another drink. Kaisara liberated my planet. She liberated me. I believed in that. Part of me still does. That’s the part that scares me.

I stared into the bottle, feeling its cold bite against the inside of my cheeks. In only a few moments I had already drank half of it. I could feel it coursing through my veins as I tried to escape this feeling.

I'm just one person floating aimlessly in this vast universe, but I can't shake off the feeling. even one person, stubborn enough and refusing to stop, can bring down something that seemed immovable. That's something Kaisara did teach me. She alone won the rebellion victory against the Alliance. So, here I am struggling with the pieces of this puzzle that is far bigger than me, far bigger than any of us. I don't have the grand solution, but I will do what I can. Because in the end, isn't that all any of us can truly do?

I remembered what Kaisara said to me. “…a person who puts the people first. At a soul level, and that’s what I need. Someone who I know will make the right choices when presented to them, regardless of what it means to me, the Empire, or others.” When she looked me in the eyes and said this, something about her. Her body, her posture, and her face. The way her eyes ever so slightly rattled when she said the words. She was sincere. She meant every word of what she told me. She wasn’t speaking as the SJE Empress. She was Sun Jin Kaisara. Did she know I would feel exactly like I do right now? Did she intentionally overshare information with Akima knowing she would run her mouth to me, leading me to this exact moment?

Ugh. Akima… there's a name that twists my gut in knots, a name that encapsulates the uncertainty. What do I do about her? Was she here to keep me in check? Her loyalty, like the facets of a complex jewel, shimmers different shades at different angles. Is it shadowy figures of the Nightfall Templar that hold her heart or is it merely survival, an allegiance to herself? Loyalties shift. People change. These are truths I am feeling right now more than ever.

It's not the quantity of knowledge she carries that scares me. After all, we live in an age where information is everywhere, but it's what she might do with it that scares me. Could she wield this power as mercilessly as Kaisara, turning words into weapons and truths into traps?

She's lost her home, a place she loved, vaporized by the Quallians. Yet, how does one calculate right or wrong when cities become ashes and lives become numbers on screens? I drank, the pieces clicking into place. Was Akima truly a victim, or had she brought that destruction upon herself?

For now, in this limbo of fear and faith, I wait. Wait for tomorrow’s truth to unravel today’s doubts about Akima. Ally or adversary? This is a game of survival and power, yet I dare not confront her, not here on this ship. I simply can't beat her. I know I can't. She'd overpower me and the fight would be over in moments. I'll need to bide my time, allow her to lead me to Eveny under the pretense of cooperation. There, if the opportunity arose, I'll try to warn them of the coming storm. Yeah… that’s what I’ll do, if it all works out that way.

My trembling hand fumbled in the darkness of the shower stall, searching for the temperature dial. My naked drunk body huddled against the wall, drenched and vulnerable. I turned on the hot water, trying to drown out my thoughts with the scalding spray. Every moment felt like an eternity as I waited for Akima to slam open the door to my room and murder me, reconsidering my value after all that I had discovered. I stood shivering under the harsh spray, my muscles coiled tight. There was no escape from this, no turning back. Akima could appear at any moment, ready to end my life in a single swift blow. I glanced at my hand, holding my now assembled pistol.

The difference between showering on a space vessel and showering in my beachside home was smaller now. With my short fur, cleaning up used to be easy and enjoyable. But now these showers share the same story. I could still taste the small hint of the recycling chemicals in the water.