With the wailing roar of its ion engines, the TIE Reaper cut through the thick clouds, flanked by a TIE Defender and Avenger. Wisps of clouds were churned up as the ships sliced into them, furrowing a trail behind. The layer of white began to thin, gradually showing the first signs of the planet’s surface below, with mountain peaks rising into the white haze. Banking slightly and shifting into a shallow dive, the Reaper descended lower into the atmosphere.
Laceeya peered out the viewport, catching a closer glimpse of the planet. Tall mountains reached up as if trying to grasp the ships. Nestled against the sides of the mountains and cliffs, cities were built, with buildings carved into the rock faces. It was pretty incredible, Laceeya thought. As the Reaper dropped lower between two particularly immense ranges of craggy cliffs, the spectacular nature of the cities became even more apparent. It appeared as though the Gruhjaffa didn’t actually build any of their structures, rather they were all just a part of the landscape, carved in exquisite detail out of the stone. The craftsmanship and intricate design, even from a distance, was stunning.
The screams of ion engines echoed across the chasm between the cliffs as the group of TIEs sailed through the ravine. The pilot eased up on the throttle a bit, slowing the ship as he glanced at the display and scanned the mountain ahead of them for the landing zone. A huge brightly lit hollow in the cityscape became clear, beacons of light guiding the ship in. Laceeya bit her lip nervously, shifting around in her seat. She wasn’t quite sure what to expect from the meeting with the Gruhjaffa High Priest. Steering the Reaper in the direction of the hangar, the pilot glanced over his shoulder.
“We’re coming in for our landing now, Commodore.” He said.
“Thank you.” Laceeya acknowledged, feeling the reassuring weight of her charric pistol against her hip. Laceeya heard the ion engines lower in volume as the pilot slowed the ship, gliding it through the gaping mouth of the cavern. The pilot smoothly landed the Reaper, and Laceeya loosened the straps of the seat. Standing up, she took a closer look at the exterior view. It was an impressive space, with the cavern extending deep into the mountain. It was large enough to accommodate multiple corvette sized ships, at least.
That made sense, after all the Gruhjaffa frequently traded with the Renthassi, and they’d likely want convenient areas to land medium sized freighters and other merchant vessels. But there were certainly no Renthassi here today, Laceeya mused.
Another TIE Reaper had already landed ahead of Laceeya’s own ship, its ramp lowered and troops disgorged. It had been sent shortly before Laceeya‘s vessel, checking for danger or a trap and confirming that the area was secure.
Standing at the base of its ramp were a group of white armored stormtroopers and a black clad officer. Beside them was another group, this one much more colorful and varied.
Let’s get this over with, Laceeya thought, grimacing slightly as she stood. After her succinct conversation with the High Priest, she didn’t think her upcoming meeting with him would be particularly pleasant. Exiting the cockpit, she descended into the main hold of the ship, where a number of stormtroopers and black uniformed navy troopers stood waiting.
With a hiss of hydraulics, the hatch of the TIE Reaper cracked open, the ramp lowering to meet the ground. With the dull clang of boots on metal, two pairs of stormtroopers marched down the ramp. Taking a deep breath and smoothing out any creases in her uniform, Laceeya followed, the remaining troopers forming up behind. She scanned the cluster of Gruhjaffa, easily making out the High Priest in his elaborate and ornate robe. The Gruhjaffa were a tall race, with scaly reddish skin, large black insectoid eyes, and two sensory stalks sticking from their forehead. Long spindly arms and legs combined with a short torso gave them a very distinctive appearance compared to the proportions of humans or Chiss.
The High Priest stood with his long arms entwined together in front of him. His thin skeletal body was shrouded in dark blue robes that were covered in elaborate patterns of gold and silver stitching. A golden semicircle of cloth rose from his shoulders, reaching just above the top of his head, giving the appearance of a sun rising or setting behind him.
On her way over, the black uniformed officer, his uniform and the four blue tiles of his rank plaque marking him as a stormtrooper corps Captain, intercepted her. “We searched and scanned them all for weapons, Commodore,” He murmured. “The High Priest was carrying a holdout weapon that we confiscated. The others came up clean.”
“Thank you, Captain.” Laceeya said, inclining her head in thanks. The presence of a weapon on the High Priest certainly spoke to his intentions.
As she approached the group, the distant wail of ion engines could be heard, as other TIEs and Clawcraft passed by outside the hangar, diligently patrolling the area in case of trouble.
Reaching where the Gruhjaffa waited, Laceeya clasped her hands behind her back. “I’m Commodore Laceeya,” She said, nodding to the High Priest in greeting. “Thank you for agreeing to meet with me.”
One of the High Priests sensory antenna twitched slightly. “You gave me little choice.” He countered sharply.
Laceeya bit her lip. The High Priest didn’t seem to be in a particularly happy mood. This is going to be fun, she thought. “You attacked my people,” She pointed out. “We mean you no harm, but when you’re going around killing innocent Renthassi and assaulting our ships, I have to figure out what’s going on.”
Both of his antennae twitched this time. Laceeya realized it would be very difficult for her to get a reading on him. The Gruhjaffa’s dark insectoid eyes were blank and unmoving, displaying no emotion or expression. The two large mandibles around his mouth worked silently.
Turning suddenly, he gestured with his long arm. “The meeting room is this way.” The High Priest bit out, the delegation of other priests falling in behind him.
Laceeya nodded to the black clad Captain. The officer gestured to his troopers, and they marched off with precision. Laceeya and the Captain took place behind the first group of six stormtroopers, with another six falling into escort position behind her.
The procession headed towards a relatively large door built into the side of the hangar cavern. Upon their approach, the stone doors split apart in the middle and with the quiet turning of gears smoothly recessed into either side. A hallway carved into the stone of the mountain lay ahead. But it wasn’t just a plain square tunnel. No, the tunnel was covered with carved trees, incredibly detailed, from the roots stretching out to the branches snaking across the arched ceiling. Laceeya was stunned at the beauty and detail of it. The tunnel stretched on, not in a straight line but gently winding and twisting in an organic fashion.
The clatter of boots on stone softly echoed through the hall as they strolled through the rock forest. Laceeya’s eyes flicked around, absorbing the incredible art in awe. After a minute, the group of priests stopped before a doorway. Even the doorway was a beautiful work of art, with stone trees curving around the edges where the doors slid into.
Entering the room revealed a massive and elaborately carved stone table, surrounded by numerous sculpted stone chairs, lavishly appointed with thick cushions and upholstery. Fanning out around the room, the first six stormtroopers took up guard positions with their E-11 blasters held ready in their hands in case of danger.
Lowering himself into the large chair at the far end of the table, the High Priest gestured somewhat dismissively toward Laceeya, indicating for her to take a seat. She sighed internally. He really did not like her.
Taking a seat of her own, she smoothed her hair, continuing with the conversation they’d been having in the hangar. “Your people have always been peaceful,” Laceeya said. “So this aggressive activity came as an unexpected surprise.”
“It is as you were told,” The High Priest bit out contemptuously in his grating voice. “We were attacked first. A Renthassi freighter came, masquerading as traders, yet their true intention was far more sinister. They broke into the holy temple, the most sacred of places to my people, and stole the holy scrolls. These scrolls carry the words of the gods, and are allowed only to be seen by the Great Priests, and myself. After making off with these, they left a bomb, destroying the holy temple, killing the previous High Priest and others,” He straightened proudly in his chair. “I was appointed in his stead. There are many witnesses who saw these treacherous Renthassi fleeing the temple, killing any who tried to stop them, before escaping in their ship.”
Laceeya compressed her lips in thought, tapping a finger on her thigh. She hadn’t known that the current High Priest had so recently been appointed to this position, only days prior. She’d seen the destruction of the temple on the flight in, so she knew he was being at least partially truthful in that regard. And there were plenty of witnesses who confirmed they had seen the group of Renthassi enter and exit the temple, with it exploding behind them as they fled.
“The Renthassi told me that a freighter and its crew went missing a month ago,” Laceeya explained. “It matches the ship used by the group that destroyed your temple. Their leaders have no knowledge of any sort of attack against you, and they haven’t seen the freighter return to their world since it went missing.”
The High Priest’s antenna both twitched. “How do you know they do not lie?” He spat out, jabbing a long finger in Laceeya’s direction. “None of you can be trusted!”
Laceeya sighed to herself. “Even if they are lying, that still doesn’t explain why you attacked their cities, killing thousands of innocent civilians,” She said. “And what reason would I have to lie?”
“I should not have to explain myself to you,” The High Priest said, clacking his mandibles together. “I receive my orders from the gods, and I do as they wish.”
A convenient excuse, Laceeya thought, grimacing. In this case, she had a feeling the gods’ will matched closely with whatever the High Priest himself desired.
Laceeya recalled the last trip she’d made to the Renthass system, where she’d been fortunate enough to speak with the prior High Priest. She’d found the elder Gruhjaffa to be calm, wise, peaceful, and friendly. All things the new High Priest sitting before her was not. The Gruhjaffa would sorely miss their previous High Priest’s sagely leadership.
It dawned on her that the change in leadership was a key part of the Grysks plan. The old High Priest certainly wouldn’t have attacked the Renthassi, even after an attack on their temple. The Grysks accomplished multiple goals in one sweep. By using the Renthassi to steal the scrolls and destroy the temple, blame was placed on them, and the High Priest was killed in the process. Those were essentially all the worst offenses one could commit against the Gruhjaffa. The role of High Priest fell to the current one, who was ambitious, angry, and able to be manipulated. Armed with the ammunition of the offenses by the group of Renthassi, he could rile up the people against them.
Maybe she was looking too far into it and seeing Grysk manipulation where it didn’t exist. But no, why else would that group of Renthassi steal the holy scrolls and destroy the temple? They would have no use for the religious texts of another species and culture, there was simply no logic to it. It was always possible that the Renthassi were lying about things, but Laceeya was almost certain that wasn’t the case.
“Saying the gods told you to do something doesn’t excuse your actions,” Laceeya said to the High Priest. A few of the other Gruhjaffa standing around him looked rather uncomfortable. It seemed quite likely that they weren’t all in agreement with the High Priest’s decisions, Laceeya thought. “Did you make the choice to attack the Renthassi on your own?”
The High Priest held his chin high. “The gods made the choice,” He sniffed. “I merely spoke it.” Laceeya exhaled softly, pinching the bridge of her nose. It wasn’t exactly something you could disprove, even if she was fairly certain that he was just following his own agenda.
“Actually, High Priest, would you excuse us for a moment?” Laceeya asked. “I’d like to talk with the others alone.”
The High Priest snapped his mandibles together in anger. “That is an insult-” He cut off at a sharp look from Laceeya.
“Please.” She said, her tone of voice making it clear that it wasn’t a request. He stared at her for another long moment, before storming away. A pair of navy troopers waiting at the door fell in behind him. Watching him go, Laceeya sighed heavily, before turning back to the other Gruhjaffa.
“So,” She started. “Did any of you disagree with the High Priest’s decisions? The actions taken under his leadership have been completely different from what I would expect from your people,” She paused for a second, pursing her lips slightly as she gathered her thoughts to speak in a more diplomatic fashion. “I know that you feel he speaks for the gods, and that you must obey their will. But what he ordered your people to do was wrong, and I think you all know that.”
A couple of the Gruhjaffa stirred nervously, another lowering his head. Finally one of them spoke. “I do not think his actions were just,” He said quietly in his nasally and raspy voice, his head lowered as if in shame. “I do not know why the gods would want such death, even if they did strike at us first.”
Laceeya pondered over things for another moment. “Have you had any alien ships visit your world recently? Or do you know if the High Priest has been interacting with any aliens?” She questioned intently. “I worry that he’s being manipulated by the Grysks, and that he’s just listening to his own ambitions instead of your gods. I can tell you all don’t agree with him, and I imagine most of your people wouldn’t choose violence as their response.”
The Gruhjaffa looked between each other, their antennae twitching nervously. “Before his recent elevation to High Priest, he had been spending much of his days alone in his private quarters,” The spokesperson of the group said. “There was an alien trader that came, perhaps a year ago, who met with some of the Great Priests, claiming he was interested in learning about our religion and culture. I noticed he spent much time with the High Priest, who at the time was still a Great Priest such as myself.”
“What did this alien look like?” Laceeya questioned, but she already was essentially certain she knew the answer.
“He did not show his face,” The spokesperson said. “He wore a cloak and veil that shrouded his whole face and body. He explained that it was a part of his people’s culture.”
Laceeya grimaced slightly. It confirmed what she had suspected. She didn’t know of any other species that would cover their bodies in such a way, and encounters with the Grysks in the past had found them to do so. They were an incredibly secretive species, going to great lengths and utilizing extensive measures to prevent others from gaining knowledge about them.
“I see,” Laceeya sighed. “Do you know anything else about this alien?”
“I do not,” The Gruhjaffa replied. “He spoke only briefly with the rest of us.”
Laceeya nodded in acknowledgment. “I’m also curious about how the current High Priest was chosen for the position,” She said.
“The gods chose him,” He said, sounding puzzled, as if the answer was obvious. ”He speaks for the gods, so of course he must be chosen by them.”
“Understood,” Laceeya said. “How does this process work?”
The Great Priest described the process of how a new High Priest was chosen by the gods from among their ranks.
It certainly sounded possible to rig, Laceeya thought. Given everything, she was positive that was what had happened. Glancing at the group of priests before her, she chewed her lip thoughtfully. She didn’t think they would be fond of the idea that the promotion had been rigged. Would they see it as an insult to their religion?
“I don’t mean this to come across the wrong way,” Laceeya began carefully. “But I have a suspicion that it may have been set up. I think the Grysks selected and manipulated the current High Priest because of his ambitions, and I believe they essentially framed the Renthassi while also killing the previous High Priest to get him out of the way.” She swallowed before continuing. “And I think it possible that the selection of the High Priest was rigged.”
The group of Gruhjaffa priests looked between each other. One of the others wriggled anxiously before speaking. “I admit I have had my doubts about him,” He said carefully. “I questioned his appointment as Great Priest, and his elevation to the position of High Priest is even more confusing.” His antenna lowered to lay flattened against his head. “I do not believe he is fit to lead our people. I do not believe that the actions he has taken are those the gods would condone. I could feel them cry out as he carried out destruction against the Renthassi. Yet I feared speaking out against him, against the gods.” He bowed his head in shame.
“I appreciate you doing so now,” Laceeya said, inclining her head in thanks. “It’s not easy to speak out against your leader, even if you know he’s doing the wrong thing.” She hoped her words would help coax the others to speak out as well.
The spokesman of the group lifted his head, his antenna twitching. “I also agree,” He murmured in his nasally and rough voice. “I cannot believe that the gods would support such wanton destruction.” He made a long buzzing noise, the Gruhjaffa equivalent of a sigh, Laceeya decided. “The High Priest is not fit to lead.”
They turned, speaking to each other in their own language, a series of buzzing words and clacking of mandibles. Leaning back in her chair, Laceeya observed while the Gruhjaffa conversed among themselves. Minutes ticked by before eventually the spokesman switched back to Minnisiat.
“We have all agreed,” He said wearily, his antenna flattening against his head, with the left one intermittently twitching. “The High Priest has not been speaking for the gods. Together we have come to the conclusion that he should be removed from his position, and a new High Priest appointed in his stead.”
Laceeya exhaled, relieved that they had seen reason and arrived at what she thought was the correct decision. “Good,” She said, nodding. “Thank you for being brave enough to go against him.” If only they had been willing to do it before so much death and destruction, she thought. Many had, and would suffer thanks to his actions. “Will he be arrested?”
“He will be under house arrest,” The spokesman explained. “Placed under constant guard.” He gave off another buzzing sigh. “I take no pleasure in this.”
“Try to take solace in knowing that it’s the right thing to do,” Laceeya told him. “At least some justice will be provided for all the Renthassi who were killed by his orders. I’ll have a few of my troopers escort him to where he’ll be kept.”
With that, the meeting was adjourned. On her way out, Laceeya saw a pair of navy troopers leading the former High Priest down the corridor, with two stormtroopers walking ahead of them.
“This is unacceptable!” He shrieked, looking back over his shoulder as the troopers respectfully but firmly guided him along. “You will pay for this! The gods will not stand for it!” He continued yelling out his complaints as Laceeya walked the other way to return to the hangar, ignoring him.
The group made it back to the cavernous hangar, entering the TIE Reaper. Laceeya made her way up to the cockpit, deciding she wanted to fly the ship back to the Ethereal. Politely asking the pilot for the controls, she slid into the seat, settling in and fastening the harness. It felt good just to be behind the controls, she thought, resting her hands on the flight yoke.
Firing up the ion engines, she lifted the Reaper on its repulsorlifts, adding thrust to glide out of the hangar. The comforting roar of the engines echoed through the valley between the mountains. The TIE escorts followed, with one on either side of the Reaper, and others that had remained in the air spread across the valley.
Further ahead in the deep valley, Laceeya could just make out a large freighter exiting a cavern similar to the one she’d just left. She frowned. She didn’t think any Gruhjaffa ships had been authorized to be in the air until she’d left the planet. Around the Reaper, the tall mountains rose up, climbing into the bottom of the cloud layer.
“Try and hail that freighter,” Laceeya ordered. “There weren't supposed to be any ships out here right now.”
“Yes ma’am.” The copilot answered.
The freighter was a large blocky thing, a roughly 150 meter long box with engines strapped to either side. An expansive door for cargo loading dominated the rear of the ship, nestled between the bulky engine nozzles. Laceeya eyed the freighter suspiciously, easing back on the thrust of the Reaper.
Without warning, a few small explosions dotted the rear of the freighter, blowing the cargo door clean off and sending it flying down into the valley. However, this freighter wasn’t carrying a typically mundane cargo. Starfighters began to suddenly pour out the rear of the ship, like stingflies whose nest had been disturbed.
Immediately, Laceeya pulled back on the yoke, sending the ship into a climb. “Get Major Safiram on the comm.” She snapped.
The copilot quickly switched on the comm channel. “Major, permission to open fire on the enemy fighters. But watch your fire, we don’t want any stray blasts or crashing ships to hit the city.”
“Yes ma’am.” Safiram’s voice confirmed. The other TIEs had already been converging on the freighter after the emergence of a threat.
Laceeya set her teeth, glancing down at the sensor display. There were over two dozen starfighters. She was amazed at how many fighters the enemy had been able to pack in a freighter of that size. Thanks to the huge opening of the cargo door, they’d been able to quickly deploy, their noses already aimed in the direction of Laceeya’s ship.
Inhaling deeply, she throttled up to full power, the ion engines climbing in pitch as they rocketed the ship on its upward trajectory. The TIEs were maneuvering to engage the new threat, spitting green laser blasts at the enemy fighters.
“We’ve got to lead them away from the city,” Laceeya said into the microphone. “One crashed ship could be devastating with how densely packed it is.” Taking another quick look at the sensor display, she saw a few fighters had dropped in on her tail. She bit her lip in focus, dancing the ship unpredictably side to side and up and down, as white lasers streaked through the air on either side. Reaching the peak of the mountains, she leveled the Reaper out, skimming over the craggy tip.
Safiram in his TIE Defender and Katani in her Avenger had swung around and tucked in behind the group of enemy craft that were intently pursuing Laceeya. One of the enemy ships went up in an explosion as a concussion missile from the Avenger struck it. Small chunks of debris rained down on the mountains.
Thankfully, they’d gotten clear of the city now, crossing the top of the mountain chain to the next valley, whose barren cliffs were uninhabited. Cutting back slightly on speed, Laceeya pitched the ship down into a sharp dive, lasers cutting through the space her ship had just occupied as she headed into the deep crevasse between the steep cliffs. Glancing at the sensor display, she jerked the yoke to the left to narrowly avoid a volley of laser fire from the pursuing fighters.
Dropping the throttle, Laceeya delicately worked the etheric rudder, and turning the yoke she kicked the tail of the ship out and swung it into a tight right turn. The mountain face rushed toward the side of the ship. Accelerating hard out of the corner, she released a breath she hadn’t realized she’d been holding as the Reaper narrowly missed the stony wall of the steep mountainside. The relief was short lived as explosions from laser fire flung rock debris into her path. Twitching the yoke to the right to avoid a large chunk of falling stone, small pieces of rock clattered across the ship, doing no harm but causing Laceeya to wince nonetheless at the noise.
A vivid flare of red and orange flame grew behind as an enemy starfighter caught a burst of green plasma bolts squarely in the center of its body. The remaining enemy craft traced the Reaper’s path through the twisting crevasse, sticking closely behind as green energy from the pursuing pair of TIEs shot past them.
Turning the Reaper through some winding curves as the canyon twisted between the mountains, Laceeya took a few slow and deep breaths as she tried to calm her racing heart. Sweat gathered on her palms as she clutched the flight yoke. She gritted her teeth as she used a touch of the etheric rudder again to slide the back end of the ship around, steering the ship to bring it into a tight port turn. The side of the cliff was no more than ten meters away from the starboard wing as she executed the maneuver at high speed. The roar of the twin ion engines dominated the cockpit, but Laceeya could hear another large explosion as a damaged enemy fighter sailed into the cliff side, impacting with a blossoming cloud of fire.
Steering the ship around another bend in the valley, Laceeya noticed her hands were tightly gripping the controls, and her heartbeat continued pounding in her ears. She deliberately tried to relax her hands and breathe evenly. She wasn’t used to this, she thought, chewing her lower lip in nervousness. It had been a while since she’d flown in a dogfight.
The ship suddenly shuddered as laser blasts splashed across the rear, but thankfully the strong shields soaked them up. The Reaper was a fast ship, but it didn’t seem to be able to outrun the enemy fighters. The TIEs of the Ethereal’s squadron were blisteringly fast, being some of the most advanced starfighters that existed.
Out the viewport, a long straight lay ahead, and Laceeya increased thrust and dodged the ship unpredictably in every direction as much as possible in the tight confines of the canyon. Laceeya swallowed heavily as laser fire streaked by on either side of the ship, trying to work moisture into her dry mouth. More rock debris from stray shots tumbled down the steep mountainsides. Laceeya was jarred in her seat as the ship shook as another laser blast struck it, inhaling sharply in surprise.
“Shields down to 21 percent.” The copilot called out tightly.
Laceeya clamped down on her lip anxiously. The TIE Reaper was a sturdy ship, with her personal one featuring upgraded shields and weapons, but it wouldn’t hold out forever. A light flashed on the console, indicating one of the enemy ships was attempting to acquire a missile lock. She jinked the ship downward as a volley of laser fire shot past overhead, continuing to bob and weave to try and shake the missile lock. A dot winked out of existence on the sensor screen as another of the pursuing enemy fighters was destroyed by the TIEs.
Angling the nose down, Laceeya dropped into a shallow dive, taking the ship deeper into the canyon. Blurred cliff walls raced past on either side as the TIE approached a fork in the valley.
“Activate sensor jamming,” Laceeya said as she rolled the ship up onto its port side, a plan in mind. The Reaper featured an advanced sensor and communications suite, containing powerful jamming equipment. Hopefully that could help to confuse the missile targeting system of the enemy fighters.
Stray laser bolts struck the cliff walls, showering shards of rock outwards. Biting her lower lip in concentration, Laceeya found her hands again tightly clutching the control yoke, her palms sweaty. The split in the canyon was rapidly approaching, the two paths each cutting off at a sharp angle. Keeping the ship on its port side as if she was going to turn left, Laceeya gently pulled up to begin the turn.
She rapidly cut back on thrust, slamming on the etheric rudder and precisely yanking the yoke to the right to roll the ship over on its starboard wing. The back end of the Reaper kicked out, the ship skidding sideways toward the rapidly approaching cliff face before them. Dialing up the repulsorlift power to help to push the ship away from the mountainside and increasing thrust, the Reaper came out of its tight sideways turn mere meters away from the cliff, angling off on its new vector down the canyon.
Behind, an explosion shook the ground as one of the enemy fighters smashed into the cliff. Debris and shrapnel clattered down the rock to fall into the deep valley. Laceeya had kept the ship up on its left side and began the turn in order to trick the pursuit into thinking she was going that way. Wanting to stick close to her ship and line up a shot, the enemy had began the left turn, but thanks to Laceeya’s last second maneuver, they’d been caught off guard and quickly tried to correct their direction to follow.
As Laceeya had hoped, evidently the enemy weren’t all able to pull off such a tight and technical maneuver. Trying to dodge the fireball of the first crashed fighter, one of the enemy pilots overcompensated and jerked their ship too far to the right, clipping their wing and sending them spiraling out of control to smash into the mountainside. The fighter crumpled and shattered as it was bashed across the rocks.
“Drop the jamming and get Major Safiram on the comm.” Laceeya said, finding her voice shaky.
“Yes ma’am.” The copilot replied, promptly carrying out her commands.
“Commodore,” Safiram’s tense voice came over the speaker. “Excellent maneuver there. You took out two of them, and I got a third as they were recovering from that turn.”
As she steered around another bend in the path, Laceeya stole a quick glance at the sensor display. Sure enough, three icons of enemy ships had vanished from the display.
“Thank you,” Laceeya responded. Before she could say more, the ship shook as a laser blast hit the aft end of the Reaper. A warning beeped and the shield displays flashed red.
“Shields are down ma’am!” The copilot warned urgently. “The hull took some damage but everything seems alright for now.”
“Got it.” Laceeya said through clenched teeth as she leaned the ship up partway onto its port side and cut back slightly on thrust, turning the yoke and swinging it into a left turn around a bend. ”Shut that beeping up.” She had to lower speed again as the canyon immediately turned right, and with a gentle tap of the etheric rudder and a twitch of the yoke, she steered it around on a new vector.
Laser blasts shot through the space her ship had just been occupying to explode against the rock. The canyon widened after the last bend, and Laceeya accelerated hard as she weaved the ship to try and avoid another hit as lasers continued to streak past the ship.
“Got another one, ma’am.” Safiram reported as one of the enemy ships burst in a cloud of flame.
The Reaper bucked violently as a pair of laser bolts grazed the top of the hull and right solar array wing. Laceeya wrestled with the yoke as the ship was jarred off balance by the impact, barely regaining control before the craft could smack into the cliffside. Another alarm beeped and Laceeya immediately reached over to slap the control to turn it off.
“The right shield generator and energy collection coil took some damage,” The copilot reported tensely. “And the hull armor took a hit, but is holding for now.”
Laceeya grimaced, feeling the dryness in her mouth and swallowing heavily. Her heart was beating rapidly and her hands were slick on the controls. Is this how I die?
“Commodore, after the next turn I want you to pull up and fly straight toward the sky,” Safiram said. “Got it, ma’am?”
“Yes.” Laceeya replied, embarrassed at the slight quiver in her voice. She swerved around a large rock jutting out into the canyon, and the ship vibrated as another blast just barely skimmed the bottom of the ship. Her heart continued to race in her chest, she could hear and feel it, but she remained focused and in control. The Reaper approached the next twist, and Laceeya slowed the ship slightly, easing into the turn. As the tail of the vessel passed around the bend she yanked back on the yoke, bringing the ship into a vertical climb and increasing thrust to full.
Twitching the yoke slightly to try and remain a difficult target, Laceeya watched as cliff walls shot past on either side, the narrow view of sky widening as the Reaper rocketed upward. The enemy fighters were still close behind, sticking onto her tail. The peaks of the mountains came into view and the Reaper arrowed past them into clear sky.
The vessel suddenly shuddered and jerked violently as a direct hit from a laser blast struck the rear of the ship. Laceeya fought for control of the ship as it threatened to spin, and alarms chimed noisily over the roar of the engines. Managing to keep the ship straight on its vector, Laceeya felt a jerk course through the vessel as the speed faltered. Apparently the ion engines had sustained damage.
The warning light indicating a missile lock flashed again. So this is how it ends, Laceeya thought grimly. She thought of Bren, her face flashing through her mind. Did Bren know how much she meant to her? What if this was the end, killed by enemy fighters while flying a transport, and she’d never get another chance to tell Bren how much she loved her.
Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
The pursuing enemy fighters cleared the peaks, ready to finish their kill of the injured Reaper. Before they could do so, a volley of green laser fire lanced out horizontally to strike the pair of ships that were a clear and vulnerable target as they exited the canyon. Safiram and his wingmate had cut out of the valley and climbed, already clear of the mountaintops and ready with a shot lined up as Laceeya led the enemy fighters into their sights.
Shattering and detonating under the furious assault, in a matter of seconds the enemy craft turned from fully complete ships to a shower of slag and debris and clouds of flame.
“You’re clear ma’am,” Safiram’s voice came from the speaker. “We got them. Apologies for it being so close, is everything okay there?”
Laceeya exhaled a heavy sigh of relief. She glanced around the cockpit, inhaling deeply. “We’re all good in the cockpit,” She said, before raising her voice. “Is everyone okay down there?” She called out into the crew compartment.
“Yes ma’am.” A voice replied. “We got shook around a little but we’re okay.”
Laceeya nodded to herself. “Yes,” She said back into the comm. “Everyone’s okay.”
“Glad to hear it, Commodore,” Safiram said, sounding relieved. “We need to get you back to the Ethereal ma’am. The rest of the squadron is finishing with the last handful of enemy fighters, but there’s still the possibility of another attack, ma’am,”
Laceeya swallowed, loosening her hands from her death grip on the controls. “Got it,” She confirmed, tilting the yoke back to face the nose of the TIE Reaper up towards space. The ship cut into the fluffy white cloud layer, its ion engines screaming unsteadily thanks to the damage they’d received. She made sure to keep the thrust at a moderate level, not pushing the engines too much to avoid stressing the components. ”Is everyone else in the squadron okay?”
“Thankfully they are, ma’am.” Safiram responded.
”Good.” Laceeya said, nodding to herself. The remainder of the flight through the atmosphere was fortunately uneventful, aside from some jerkiness and shuddering through the ship due to the damage, and soon the sky darkened as they made their way into space. Laceeya continued to take deep breaths, feeling her hands and arms trembling slightly from the aftermath of the adrenaline of battle.
Stars began to become visible and come into focus as the Reaper and its pair of escorts entered space. The group of the Hand’s capital ships grew in size as they approached, the reassuring triangular shape of the Victory-Class Star Destroyer standing out in size against the others. The port ventral hangar bay door of the Ethereal was open, the blue haze of the magnetic containment field glowing invitingly.
Taking the ship in and gently lowering the wounded craft on its landing gear. Laceeya leaned back in her seat, letting off a long and exhausted sigh.
“That was some amazing flying, Commodore.” The pilot sitting behind Laceeya said.
“Thank you.” Laceeya managed softly. She hadn’t flown in a dogfight such as that in a long time, and she still felt a bit shaky. She wasn’t used to being in the cockpit pursued by enemy starfighters. Wiping her sweaty hands on her pants, she reached up to undo the harness.
Her body felt tense, like all her muscles had been clenched and couldn’t fully relax. The brief battle reminded her of the extreme bravery and courage of starfighter pilots, and the dangers they faced in every fight. Laceeya had flown starfighters in battle before, but it had been a long time.
“I hope my flying didn’t scare you too much.” Laceeya said to the pilot and copilot, who had likewise loosened their straps and were standing up.
“Not too much ma’am,” The pilot said with a faint smile. “It was a bit intense, but your piloting skills are very impressive, Commodore. I admit being a passenger is never my favorite thing in general.”
“I get that,” Laceeya replied with a nod while she climbed out of her seat. “I can be the same way.” Descending into the troop bay, she saw the stormtroopers had begun to exit, standing at attention outside of the lowered ramp.
Walking around the parked TIE Reaper, Laceeya examined the wounds that the vessel had received. Carbon scoring marred the hull in multiple places, with small gouges cut into the armor. Around the rear of the ship, she winced at the ion engine area which was blackened and scorched, the metal mangled and torn. Thankfully the engine had still held together.
She ran a hand down the side of the body of the ship as she walked back around to the front. Laceeya hadn’t realized how strong of an attachment she had to the vessel, and she felt a bit guilty about the damage. It was a sturdy and strong craft, and thanks to its solid hull and powerful shields, combined with excellent speed and maneuverability for a ship of its class, she survived the recent skirmish. She felt fortunate to be alive after the ambush.
Right now all Laceeya really wanted to do was to be alone with Bren. However, she probably needed to give a briefing of the conversation with the Gruhjaffa and the attack. She hadn’t put much thought into the details behind the attack yet. The fighters appeared to be a Gruhjaffa design, but on whose authority was the attack ordered?
The High Priest was the logical answer, but theoretically he shouldn’t have access to communications.
Laceeya made her way from the hangar up to the bridge. Upon her entrance, Shyka and Harax met her at the holotable.
“We heard about the attack, Commodore,” Harax said. “I’m relieved to hear that you are unharmed, ma’am.”
“Thank you Captain,” Laceeya replied with a nod. “It did come as a bit of a surprise. Thankfully warrior’s fortune was on our side today.”
“Yes ma’am,” Shyka said, standing before her with her hands clasped behind her back. “I’m really glad you’re okay.” She hid it well, but Laceeya could see the concern in her eyes. She really just wished she could run up to Shyka and feel her arms wrap around her, but now wasn’t the time or the place for that.
“Thank you Shyka.” Laceeya responded with a faint smile. “Let’s comm the Gruhjaffa and see what they have to say.”
“I might have to go down there and give hem a scolding myself, ma’am.” Shyka said.
“I appreciate your willingness to do so,” Laceeya said amusedly. “But if my conversation with them told me anything, I doubt it was a concerted effort on their behalf. The High Priest, or former High Priest as of now, appeared to be the one who was behind all the violence. And you know how some of these hyper-religious groups will follow whatever their leader says the gods want,” She pressed her lips together. “Although he shouldn’t have had any authority after being removed from his position, so maybe there’s a group loyal to him who carried out the ambush.”
“Understood, ma’am.” Shyka replied.
Laceeya gave her a nod and walked over to the comm station. “Open up a channel with the Gruhjaffa.” She told Rikal.
“Yes ma’am.” A few moments later, Rikal confirmed that she’d reached the Gruhjaffa and had them on the comm.
“This is Commodore Laceeya,” She announced into the microphone. “As I’m sure you saw, my transport and escorts were attacked by a group of Gruhjaffa fighters as we exited your world.”
“Commodore Laceeya,” A voice replied gravely. “I am the Great Priest you spoke to earlier. I offer my greatest regrets for the attack. It was certainly not authorized by us.”
“Is the former High Priest locked up?” Laceeya asked. “I assume there must have been a group loyal to him that was behind the attack.”
“He is. Sadly one of the guards had conspired with him to provide communications access,” The Great Priest said solemnly. “The guard has been apprehended as well. I am thankful none of your people were harmed.”
“As am I,” Laceeya agreed, chewing her lip thoughtfully. ”We’re going to need to interrogate the former High Priest at some point, to see if we can get any more information on Grysk involvement in all this.” She paused. “I’m a bit concerned about leaving him with your people, if I’m honest. He’s responsible for the deaths of thousands, and he might know more about the Grysks.
“I see.” The Gruhjaffa priest murmured after a moment of silence. “What do you propose?”
“I was thinking we’d take him with us for the moment, for both safety and information,” Laceeya replied. “He gave orders for some terrible actions, and we just saw that there’s still some of your people who are loyal to him. I don’t like the idea of something happening after we leave that ends up with more bloodshed.” The images of the scarred surface of Renthass floated to the forefront of her mind. She didn’t want something like that happening again. “The High Priest needs to be held accountable for his horrible crimes.”
No noise came from the speaker for a long few seconds. “Very well,” The priest said wearily. “Your points are truthful.”
Laceeya exhaled slowly. “I’ll have a transport sent down shortly to pick him up,” She said. “Thank you for your cooperation.” She gestured to Rikal, and the comm channel closed with a click.
Laceeya turned to face Harax where he stood listening nearby. “See to that please, Captain.”
“Very good, Commodore.” Harax briskly responded with a nod.
“Should I make some fancy food and get the guest room ready for our special visitor?” Shyka said wryly, a hint of a smile quirking the corner of her mouth as she swiveled slightly in her chair to face Laceeya.
She rolled her eyes in response, shaking her head, unable to help the grin that crossed her face. “I don’t think that’ll be necessary,” Laceeya answered, raising an eyebrow. “He doesn’t deserve that anyway.”
“You’re right,” Shyka said slowly with a nod, cocking her head a bit to the side in a thoughtful expression. Her eyebrows scrunched together slightly. It seemed to have clicked with her that the person who directly ordered the ambush on Laceeya’s ship would be onboard. “But I am tempted to go have a one on one conversation with him.” She murmured darkly, her tone serious and a subtle fire burning in her brown eyes.
Laceeya frowned. “I’m not sure that’s such a good idea.” She said carefully, narrowing her eyes as she peered closely at Bren. There was an intensity to her expression that Laceeya rarely saw in her, a quiet anger beneath the surface.
Shyka shrugged noncommittally, some of the intensity fading. Laceeya pursed her lips, eyeing her. She wasn’t sure what Bren had in mind, but Laceeya could tell her emotions were tangled up in it, and that usually wasn’t a good recipe.
Sitting back in his chair, General Kazrus pondered over the recent intel he’d received. An Empire of the Hand task force had defeated the Gruhjaffa over their world. Comparing the specifics of the Hand’s ships, he found that they appeared to match those under the command of Commodore Laceeya. Her identity had been confirmed from intercepted transmissions to the Gruhjaffa, as well as her meeting with them.
He interlaced his fingers together, allowing a small smirk of satisfaction. The system would be ripe for the taking, with both the Renthassi and Gruhjaffa fleets essentially destroyed. Certainly the Grysks could have crushed their combined forces without too much trouble, but with their defenses out of the way it lowered the risk of any minor annoyances.
The Renthassi and Gruhjaffa had done most of the work, and the Hand had unknowingly gone in and finished the job for him. Now, in the future the Grysks could gain an easy hold over the prosperous economy of the twin planets, turning it into a cog of the Grysk war machine.
That said, the skirmish between the Gruhjaffa and Commodore Laceeya’s task force provided more evidence of how capable an opponent she was, defeating the Gruhjaffa without losing a single fighter or receiving any real damage to her ships. Yes, the Gruhjaffa were weak and pathetic, but it was impressive nonetheless. If she was half as clever as she seemed, she would have realized the Grysks had instigated the hostilities between the two groups.
But it would not matter; discovering that knowledge wouldn’t get her anywhere, and the more time she spent in the Renthass system was more time Kazrus had to further his plans without interference from her. It didn’t matter if the Gruhjaffa learned how they’d been manipulated either, they were now powerless.
Although disappointing, the news that the assassination attempt by the Gruhjaffa had failed wasn’t particularly unexpected. This Commodore Laceeya and her forces had proved far too competent and capable for the Gruhjaffa to deal with.
Kazrus examined one of the display screens arrayed before him, checking to see that the ship had returned to hyperspace. The recent conquest of the Fariivi had bolstered his forces, with the remaining half of their considerable fleet now under Grysk control. They would be useful and powerful pawns against the Hand.
Yes, he would certainly need all the forces he could muster to combat the Hand. They had forces spread across the Chaos, and it wouldn’t be a quick process regardless. That was a weakness of theirs, Kazrus thought. The Chaos was such a vast space, and the Hand tried to be in many places at once. There were countless systems and planets in this region of the Chaos alone, with many of them that weren’t mapped or known by most. Many systems lay under Grysk control that the Hand didn’t even know existed. The slow and difficult travel, limited communications, and an endless amount of small states and nations worked to the Grysks advantage.
Pressing a button on a panel, a detailed map of the Chaos materialized before Kazrus. Markings showed where the Grysks had found Empire of the Hand bases, as well as the known position of their forces. Other dots indicated Grysk fleet locations, and the planets and systems held in their fist.
Kazrus smiled coldly as he pored over the map. Knowledge. The Grysks did their best to see all, and know all, and their scouts had been stealthily and extensively mapping the Chaos for decades. He gazed at the map, at the ever increasing areas of shaded red that indicated Grysk control.
Kazrus was patient, and he knew the Hand wouldn’t be easily or quickly defeated. Kazrus and other Grysk commanders had been planting the seeds of conquest for a long time, often working in the shadows. They infiltrated species, bending them to their will. They sparked civil war and allowed a group to tear themselves apart. They made promises of power or glory to hungry leaders, convincing them that aiding the Grysks would help them to achieve their goals, like had been conducted with the Gruhjaffa priest.
Most groups and species were weak and pathetic creatures, Kazrus thought. He took pleasure in conquering them, but seeing the strong and powerful ones fall to the Grysks was far more rewarding. The Fariivi had been a more cunning and formidable opponent than most, but ultimately they fell to the Grysks. He especially looked forward with anticipation to the day he could destroy this Commodore Laceeya and her flotilla of ships. That would be a good day indeed, and it couldn’t come soon enough.
Kazrus wouldn’t allow himself to rush into it. Underestimating the Hand, and the Chiss, had proved costly in the past. Their numbers were limited, but the Hand’s ships were powerful and their commanders smart and resourceful. Kazrus would have to be careful.
But in the end, they would fall.
Standing in the industrial grey corridor, Senior Lieutenant Bren Shyka knocked a couple times on the door before her. Knocking wasn’t really necessary, but she did it regardless. A moment later, the door retracted with a hiss, revealing Laceeya standing before her.
Bren stiffened to attention, her back straight and head held high. “Commodore,” She said formally, a hint of a smile playing across her lips. “May I request to enter your chambers?”
Laceeya snorted and smiled, waving her in. Bren stepped inside, grinning as the door closed behind her. Immediately she embraced Laceeya in a tight hug, their lips meeting in a kiss as she squeezed her body close. The touch of Laceeya’s body against her own was a relief after the close shave Laceeya had experienced earlier. The thought that she’d been so close to possibly losing her had been terrifying. After a long minute they finally parted.
Sitting down on the bed, Bren pulled her cap off, setting it aside and running her fingers through her blonde hair.
Laceeya was wearing a white tank top that exposed her sharp collarbones, and the lean muscles of her pale blue arms. A pair of dark shorts revealed her long blue legs. Waves of dark hair cascaded down her back, her midnight bangs framing her face. She always looked beautiful, Bren thought, and right now she looked absolutely stunning despite her casual clothing.
“Hey.” Laceeya finally said.
“Hey to you too.” Bren replied, meeting her glowing red eyes and smiling. “I was just thinking how you manage to look so beautiful without even trying.”
Laceeya smiled coyly. “I’ve always thought you were the expert at that.” She countered, sitting down beside Bren on the bed.
Laceeya moved to sit close to Bren, reaching a hand to rest against her neck. She leaned over to passionately kiss Bren on the lips. Bren reached out a hand to clutch her narrow waist, as they kissed. The contact of their bodies provided much needed reassurance that Laceeya was safe here with her now. Parting for just a moment, she could feel the warmth of Laceeya’s breath on her face.
They kissed again, the softness of Laceeya’s lips brushing against her own, Bren’s fingers running over the smooth skin of her thigh as she placed a hand there. She could hear Laceeya’s heavy breathing in her ears. They split again, resting their foreheads against one another for a few seconds, before leaning back.
“Is this how you always greet subordinates?” Bren teased, smiling at her.
“Only with one of them,” Laceeya whispered, smirking back at Bren.
“I guess I must be pretty special.” Bren said, gazing into her glowing red eyes.
“That’s for sure.” Laceeya said, the corner of her mouth lifting. The pair was silent for a a few seconds.
Bren wet her lips, swallowing. “I was so worried when I heard about the attack. I’m just so glad you’re okay.” She murmured softly.
“I really thought for a second I was going to die,” Laceeya replied quietly. She paused, glancing down and lowering her voice. The ship was damaged and the shields were down, with two enemy fighters right on our tail getting a missile lock.” She swallowed. “All I could think about was you, and how much I love you, and I was afraid that I haven’t made it clear enough just how much you mean to me and that I would never get the chance to tell you. I don’t want to lose you.” The last sentences came out in a rush.
“I’m not going anywhere anytime soon,” Bren said. “Unless you decide to get rid of me.” She said wryly, hoping to cheer Laceeya up a bit.
Laceeya rolled her eyes. “Yeah right. I’d die before that ever happened.”
“Let's avoid both of those options. And don’t worry, Laceeya. I know how you feel,” Bren soothed. “I hope you know how important you really are to me as well,” She said, reaching out to gently place a hand on Laceeya’s cheek, tracing the outline of her jaw. She couldn’t imagine living without Laceeya, and the thought of losing her in the sudden ambush had scared her more than anything. “And I wish you could see how incredible you are, and how much stronger you are than you realize.”
Bren knew all too well how much Laceeya struggled with the heavy burden of command at times. But it certainly didn’t make her weak. She cared so much about each person under her command, she viewed them all as individuals, as people and family, not just as faceless subordinates to be commanded in battle. The environment of the Ethereal was very different from some other ships Bren had served on, where commanding officers were cold and detached from their subordinates. Throughout the whole ship, there was a tangible sense of loyalty and belonging, a feeling of trust and camaraderie between everyone. Much of that was thanks to Laceeya’s command.
Bren didn’t carry the same weight of command that Laceeya did. War and death affected her as well, but she didn’t have to live with the fear that she could’ve given orders to prevent the loss of those lives, and knowing that she had ordered them into battle and she was responsible for them. Losing Joak had been hard on Bren, but she did everything she could to hold herself together, remaining strong and stable on the outside. Laceeya had enough to worry about already, and Bren knew she already worried about her, and so she didn’t want to add to that.
Averting her gaze momentarily, Laceeya pursed her lips slightly. “Thank you Bren,” She met Bren’s brown eyes again. “You’re the most important thing to me too.” She paused, her eyes defocusing slightly as she stared off into space. “I imagine most other commanders don’t struggle so much with losing those under their command,” She swallowed. “I feel weak.”
“It doesn’t make you weak at all,” Bren countered gently. “Death hits you harder because you care so much more than any other commander I’ve seen. The people we serve with, people like Joak or Safiram or Apoyarp, they’re friends, like family to you, and even others you don’t know or aren’t close with still matter and you still treat them as individual people. It makes you stronger.” She leaned over, putting her arms around Laceeya and pulling her close, pressing together in a tight embrace. She felt Laceeya’s arms snake around her side in response, coming to rest against her back, clutching each other securely.
It was comforting to just feel the touch of Laceeya’s body against hers, knowing she was safe in her arms. They parted, and Bren realized she was still dressed in her uniform. “I’m going to change real quick.” She said, standing up. Undoing the sealing strip of her tunic, she slid her arms out of the sleeves and pulled it off, revealing a light grey tank top and the lean muscle of her arms. Folding it up, she tossed it down on Laceeya’s desk. She reached her arms above her head, stretching stiff muscles.
Glancing over at Laceeya, she noticed the other still looked troubled. “Hey,” Bren said, frowning slightly. “You okay?”
“Yeah,” Laceeya replied, not entirely convincingly. “That attack was just intense. Maybe I’ve gotten soft being on the bridge.”
Bren snorted. “I don’t think anyone would call you soft.” She said, sitting back on the edge of the bed, and started working on sliding off her boots. “It’s a different type of danger in a starfighter cockpit versus the bridge of a capital ship. You’re just not used to it and you had a close call. No shame in being shaken up about that.”
“Yeah,” Laceeya repeated. “I know.”
Bren finished removing her boots, and pulled down her uniform pants, wearing a pair of lightweight shorts underneath. Sliding herself back beside Laceeya on the bed, the pair sat together as minutes ticked by.
Images of the carnage inflicted upon Renthass, the death of innocent civilians, had drudged up uncomfortable past emotions to the forefront of Bren’s mind.
“Sometimes,” Bren started, the old memories floating through her head. “I feel guilty about serving the Empire in the past. It’s not all evil but…a lot of it is. I joined to do good, and for the most part, I did do good. We fought pirates and criminals who terrorized innocent people.” She was quiet for a long moment. “But seeing what happened on Renthass, all those innocent people being slaughtered for nothing…” Bren took a slow breath. “I’ve told you before, but…it reminded me of that one time, our ship was ordered to fire on an unarmed transport that was suspected to be carrying a couple rebels. There were at least a hundred people on board, and they had us slag the whole thing,” Her voice was low and pained. “No one survived. All for two rebels that might’ve been onboard.”
Bren exhaled a long sigh, closing her eyes. “Knowing I participated in propping up such an evil regime really weighs on me sometimes. Knowing I fired a turbolaser on an unarmed transport filled with innocent civilians.”
“But you left to join the Hand,” Laceeya countered. “You realized you didn’t want any part of it, and you left. That’s not an easy thing to do, and there’s so many people who stay with the Empire despite the terrible things they’ve done in service to it. And now you’re here, where we're making a difference, helping people. Like you said, the Empire isn’t all evil, and that can make it even more difficult to leave. But you did the right thing.” She gave Bren a reassuring smile, and slid an arm around her waist, resting her head against her shoulder.
Bren smiled back faintly. “You make good points.”
“You’re a good person, Bren. There’s plenty of others in the Empire of the Hand who realized the same thing,” Laceeya said. “That they joined the Empire thinking they could do good, to help people, but saw its evil and at some point left, coming here to do what they set out to do in the first place. It’s in the past. You didn’t compromise on your morals, you stuck by them and left when you saw the dark parts of the Empire. That takes a lot of strength to do.”
“Thanks Laceeya,” Bren hugged Laceeya a little closer, and leaned over to kiss her softly on the cheek. She was right, Bren knew. But she also knew the guilt of firing a turbolaser bolt into a civilian transport, even if she was following orders, would haunt her forever.
“It’s okay to feel guilty,” Laceeya said. “That’s another sign that you really are a good person. Just know that you did the right thing by leaving, and now you’re in the right place.” Bren knew all this, but coming from Laceeya, it was so much more reassuring.
“Yeah, you’re right. I guess at the end of the day, we just have to do right by ourselves, and those around us,” Bren said, staring off into the distance. “Do our best to make the galaxy a better place, one decision at a time. That’s all we can do.”
Laceeya nodded. “That’s all we can do.” She murmured in agreement.
Bren glanced over at Laceeya. “But I definitely am in the right place. Because I met you.” Bren whispered slyly, feeling Laceeya’s hair against her arm and shoulder.
“That’s for sure.” Laceeya agreed. “Warrior’s fortune was definitely smiling on us in that regard.” She said with a wry smile.
“Definitely.” Bren said, turning to face her and smiling in return. She lifted a hand, placing it gently on Laceeya’s cheek, running her fingers along the sharp angles of her jaw and chin. Brushing her hand across the smooth skin of her neck and collarbone, Bren stared deeply into Laceeya’s glowing red eyes, softly grabbing her shoulder and pulling her forwards.
Closing her eyes, Bren leaned into the kiss as she pulled Laceeya closer, their lips meeting delicately. Everything else seemed to melt away at the soft touch of Laceeya’s lips against her own. She slid an arm around Laceeya’s waist, the other grasping behind her shoulder, savoring the closeness of their bodies pressing together. The thought that she’d been so close to losing her today was terrifying, and Bren never wanted to let go of her. Here in her arms, she could keep Laceeya safe.
Laceeya’s hand clutched her waist, and Bren breathed heavily as their mouths parted. She met Laceeya’s gaze, smiling alluringly at her.
Letting her arms slip away, Bren reached to slowly begin to work her top over her shoulders, exposing more of her torso. She could sense Laceeya’s eyes on her as she tugged the tank top off her head.
Tossing the garment aside, Bren’s body seemed to move without command, placing her hands on Laceeya’s shoulders and pushing her onto her back. Biting her lower lip, Laceeya looked up at her as Bren climbed over top of her. Their lips connected, Bren’s pulse quickening. She ran a hand down the curve of Laceeya’s waist and hips, shifting to kiss her neck and collarbone. She could hear her short gasping breaths.
Bren leaned back for a moment, staring down at Laceeya. “You have no idea how thankful I am you’re safe.” She whispered as she gazed into her fiery crimson eyes. Laceeya was absolutely gorgeous, Bren thought, her blue-black hair fanned out around her head on the blanket, her slim body and long legs. She could feel the warmth of excitement in her cheeks, her heart beating in her chest.
“Why don’t you show me just how thankful you are?” Laceeya said, a provocative smirk at the corner of her lips.
Bren grinned back in return. “I’d love to.” She murmured huskily, leaning forward, joining again in a kiss.
Rolling over to face Laceeya, Bren’s face was flushed, her heart still beating quickly as she inhaled deeply. The connection she felt with Laceeya, the blissful moment they’d just shared, drove home just how important she was to Bren.
Running her fingers through Laceeya’s messy dark hair, Bren grinned over at her as their eyes met, their faces centimeters apart. Moving her hand, Bren carefully brushed a loose lock of hair from Laceeya’s face as she smiled in return. Bren didn’t want to take her gaze off of her, she didn’t want to let her from her sight. The incident earlier really had shaken her up.
Although they risked their lives in the frequent occurrences where they engaged in combat, typically Laceeya was right there beside her on the bridge. With Laceeya in sight, Bren felt that she could protect her.
“What’re you thinking about?” Laceeya asked softly, fractionally narrowing her fiery red eyes.
Bren adjusted her position slightly, one arm draped around Laceeya’s body. “I’m honestly still just a little shaken up from earlier,” She admitted. “Maybe I just worry about you too much,” A faint smile played across her lips. “ I know you can take care of yourself, but…” She trailed off.
“I appreciate your concern,” Laceeya said, pursing her lips. “But I don’t want you to feel like you have to take care of me all the time.”
“I know,” Bren said. “You are a fancy powerful commodore, after all.” She playfully said with a wry crooked smirk across her mouth.
“Right.” Laceeya said, snorting softly and dramatically rolling her eyes.
“It’s just that normally you’re right there on the bridge with me,” Bren murmured, her tone serious again as she voiced her thoughts. She swallowed. “But today, I felt so helpless and scared, and there wasn’t anything I could do to help you.”
“You can’t always be there to protect me, Bren,” Laceeya said with a small frown.
“Yeah. I know,” Bren sighed. “Doesn’t change the fact that I wish I could.” She kissed Laceeya lightly on the forehead. “You just…you mean so much to me.”
“So do you. And I really do appreciate you worrying about me,” Laceeya said earnestly. “Just try not to worry too much, okay?”
“I’ll try.” Bren replied, giving her a warm and hopefully reassuring smile. But if she was honest, she knew that she had no intention of worrying any less about Laceeya.
A little while later, Bren peered closely at Laceeya, watching the slow rise and fall of her chest and listening to her steady breathing. She’d finally fallen asleep.
Although Bren didn’t want to let Laceeya from her sight, there was something she felt she had to do. Carefully extricating herself from Laceeya’s arms, Bren climbed out of bed and quietly pulled on her uniform, forgoing her cap.
Grabbing her blaster pistol, she snuck out of the room, Bren headed off down the softly lit grey metal corridor, her long strides briskly covering ground. The hallways were silent, with most of the Ethereal’s main crew off-duty, and the smaller secondary crew filling in their positions.
She reached behind her, feeling the pressure of her DT-12 blaster pistol where she’d tucked it behind her waist.
A few minutes later Bren arrived at the detention block, a couple black uniformed navy troopers with their flared black helmets positioned alertly on guard, seated behind the two semicircular array of consoles.
“Senior Lieutenant,” One of the troopers said, standing and straightening to attention. “What brings you here, ma’am?” She asked, her eyebrows raised.
“Prisoner interrogation,” Bren replied casuallly. “Could you show me to the Gruhjaffa priest’s cell?”
A slight frown creased the brow of the trooper. Undoubtedly she hadn’t received anything about a scheduled interrogation by Shyka at this time. But they both knew and trusted her. “Right this way, ma’am.” The trooper said after a short moment of hesitation.
“Thank you.” Bren said with a nod, following as the guard stepped away from the console, leading her down the short brig corridor. It was a small detention block, containing only a few cells.
She stopped before one of the doors. “He’s in here, ma’am.” The trooper indicated to the door. “Should I accompany you? Or do you need any recording equipment?”
Bren shook her head. “That’s not necessary. It should be pretty brief.”
“Very well, ma’am.” The guard said, pursing her lips. “Let me know if you need anything.” She tapped the control panel, spinning on her heel to walk away as the door retracted with a hiss.
The lone occupant of the room looked up at Bren, who was silhouetted in the doorway. Still clothed in his elaborate robes, the former High Priest stood, holding himself haughtily. “This is an outrage!” He bit out in his nasally and buzzy voice. “I demand to be released at once!”
Bren scoffed, stepping into the small cell and closing the door behind her. “I don’t think so.” She said coolly, her eyes narrowed, her lip twisted ever so slightly. So this was the one who’d had all those innocent Renthassi murdered. The one who had orchestrated the ambush on Laceeya. “You’ve committed some pretty heinous acts.”
One of the former High Priest’s sensory antennae twitched. “I do as the gods command.” He said, holding his chin high.
“Oh, really.” Bren snarled sarcastically, stepping forward closer to the Gruhjaffa. Despite the fact that Bren was tall, he still towered a head above her. Less than half a meter separating the pair, she stared up into his lifeless dark insectoid eyes. “It’s hard for me to imagine the gods believe in wholesale slaughter.”
“The gods told-“
“Shut up.” Bren snapped harshly, cutting him off, anger burning behind her brown gaze. She turned away from the tall alien, taking a couple slow steps over to the lone chair in the room. “Despite your terrible actions against the Renthassi,” She began conversationally, reaching behind her back to pull out the blaster pistol she had tucked away, sitting down in the chair and resting the weapon in her lap. “We came to try and resolve things peacefully.”
Cocking her head to the side, she gazed up at the tall being before her. “But you attacked us,” Bren continued. The former High Priest’s mandibles worked silently, his long and thin arms crossed on his chest. “We did our best to take your people alive. We showed you mercy. Commodore Laceeya herself met to try and resolve things diplomatically with you.” Bren could feel her heart rate quickening, emotion flowing through her.
She stood back up, deliberately setting the blaster down on the chair. “And what did you do?” Bren murmured, her voice a forced calm, walking slowly back to stare into the Gruhjaffa’s eyes. His antennae twitched again. “You ordered an attack on her ship.” She said contemptuously, her hand balled tightly into fists at her side. “You’re lucky she was okay. Otherwise…” She paused, moving so her face was centimeters from the High Priest’s. “Otherwise, I would’ve killed you myself.” She whispered coldly.
Jerking his head back slightly, the High Priest’s antennae both flattened against his head, his mandibles clacking together. His head moved ever so slightly, as if glancing over at the blaster sitting unattended in the chair. “How dare you.” He managed.
Scoffing with disgust, Bren swiveled away, striding to the side of the room opposite the chair. This being was despicable, she thought, carefully observing him out of the corner of her eye. He shifted his stance slightly, an antenna raising as his head turned minutely towards the chair. “You’re a coward.” Bren sneered, doing her best to keep her tone controlled and calm.
Creeping slowly to the side, the former High Priest said nothing. Bren pretended to focus her attention on the wall in front of her as if staring out into space thoughtfully, letting the Gruhjaffa priest out of her view. Her pulse raced in anger and expectation. Holding her breath, she waited a brief moment until she heard the rustle of the Gruhjaffa’s thick robes.
Spinning around immediately, she saw the lanky alien lunging for her weapon, his spindly arm outstretched. Bren sprung into action, charging towards him as his long fingers were closing around the weapon. She slammed the Gruhjaffa hard against the metal wall, pinning the arm with the blaster and punching him in the gut with her free hand.
Bren struck him again, hard, battering him against the wall. The former High Priest wheezed, folding forward slightly. But Bren wasn’t done. Her jaw clenched tightly and her breathing heavy, she yanked him forward and brought her knee up into where his stomach would be if he was human. The blaster fell from his grip, clattering onto the grating of the cold durasteel floor.
Coughing and gasping for air, the alien stood hunched over in pain, his antennae quivering. Pulling her right arm back, she swung her fist upward to strike his face, knocking his head violently back. A sharp pain sliced through her hand as her first connected with the hard chitinous scales of his face, but she ignored it.
Bren roughly shoved him against the wall again, a loud banging impact as he slammed into it. His head lolled slightly, appearing dazed, dark blood running from the twin slits of his nostrils.
Bren let the helplessness and fear she’d felt for Laceeya earlier flood through her, fueling her anger as she hit him in the face again, and again, blocking out the pain caused by punching his hard skin and throwing him to the floor. Her heavy breathing filled her ears as she stood over the cowering form of the former High Priest.
Whimpering quietly in pain, the former High Priest lay curled up on the grated deck. Noticing Bren’s position before him, the skinny alien held up his hands in a silent plea.
Scowling, Bren paid no attention to the Gruhjaffa’s pathetic pleas. He deserved far, far, worse than what she was doing. Gritting her teeth, Bren drew her leg back and kicked him twice in the gut with her booted foot. A choked noise came from the figure on the ground as her boot made contact with his body. She placed one more hard kick into his body, before stepping away, flexing her now bleeding hand open and closed.
Taking a deep breath, she held it a second before letting out a long exhale, bending down to retrieve her DT-12 blaster from where it had fallen on the floor. Bren slid the weapon back behind her waist, crouching beside the alien who lay curled on his side on the floor. He flinched away from her, gasping for air in short wheezing breaths, black blood trickling down his chin and his antennae flat against his head and shaking.
“That’s for all those people you murdered,” Bren murmured. “And for Laceeya. You’re so damn lucky you didn’t hurt her,” She said, her tone icy. “Or else this would’ve been a hell of a lot worse.”
There was no answer from the trembling alien. Standing, Bren smoothed her tunic and straightened her rank plaque. Keying open the door, she threw one last glance over her shoulder at the injured High Priest before stepping back out into the hallway, locking the cell behind her. Her footsteps clanged on the metal grating of the floor as she walked back down the short hallway, her mind still swirling with a mix of emotions.
“Ma’am? Did everything go okay?” One of the guards asked as they heard her approach, looking over.
“He tried to take my weapon and attack me,” Bren stated casually, shrugging. “But I was able to fight him off.”
The guard’s brow was furrowed with concern. “Are you alright, ma’am?”
“I’m fine, thanks,” Bren replied. “He might have a few injuries, though.”
“Understood.” The guard said uncertainly. Bren nodded to him and departed the detention block. Sighing again, she examined the knuckles of her right hand, frowning slightly. A few of them were split and bleeding slightly.
The cold anger she’d felt earlier had mostly subsided, the former High Priest being an unfortunate outlet for her fear and anger. But he’d definitely deserved it, Bren thought as she quickly strode down the quiet hallways of the Ethereal. The loss of thousands of innocent lives were on his hands.
And he’d ordered an attack on Laceeya’s transport. That was personal. Bren tried to sort out the complex mix of feelings going through her. She felt both satisfaction and guilt at the small bit of vengeance she’d dealt. She grimaced, knowing Laceeya wouldn’t be happy about what she’d done.
Squaring her shoulders, Bren sighed softly to herself. Yes, the former High Priest had tried to take her weapon. But she’d set it down as a lure, giving herself a reason to inflict punishment upon him. It had been her intention to do so, and she’d done far more than was necessary to retrieve her blaster.
It was difficult to discern the cause and effect between the emotions she was experiencing. She realized her guilt stemmed less from the beating she’d given the alien, and more from the fact that she didn’t feel guilt over what she’d done. She felt guilty that she didn’t feel bad about it. She was aware that what she’d done was a cruel act, even if the Gruhjaffa deserved far worse.
No, Laceeya wasn’t going to be happy about this. Bren pursed her lips, flexing the fingers of her sore hand as she arrived back at the door to Laceeya’s quarters. Hesitating a moment, Bren finally pressed the button, the hydraulics cracking open the door. Stepping into the dark room, Bren shut the door behind her, walking quietly through to Laceeya’s room.
Ben undressed as silently as possible, watching Laceeya’s still form. She looked so peaceful, so serene. Looking down at Laceeya gave her a feeling of certainty in her actions. Something about the ambush the former High Priest had ordered had struck a nerve with Bren, being such a cowardly act targeted directly at Laceeya. She’d felt so helpless and afraid when she got word of it, and inflicting physical pain on the former High Priest had been payment for committing such a deed against Laceeya.
Bending forward to place a soft kiss on her forehead, Bren could see Laceeya’s chest slowly moving up and down with her breath.
Threatening Laceeya had been a mistake for the High Priest, but it was one that Bren was certain he wouldn’t make again. Bren would go to whatever lengths necessary, and do anything to protect her.
Carefully, she climbed into bed beside Laceeya, crawling beneath the blankets. Bren winced as Laceeya stirred from her movement. Her eyes cracked open, two slivers of glowing red.
“Bren?” Laceeya murmured groggily. “Everything okay?”
“Yeah.” Bren replied softly, laying down and smiling reassuringly at her, draping an arm across her body.
“Okay. Where were you?” Laceeya asked tiredly,
Bren hesitated a brief second. “I’ll tell you later,” She said casually. “You need to get some rest.”
Despite the dim light, she could make out the small frown that crossed Laceeya’s lips. “Okay,” She conceded. “Goodnight, Bren.”
Bren kissed her gently on the lips. “I love you,” She whispered. “So much.”
“I love you too.” Laceeya murmured tiredly, closing her eyes.
Bren lay there with Laceeya, thinking over the actions she’d just taken. She wondered what it meant that she was capable of delivering such a beating to the former Gruhjaffa priest without feeling guilt. Was that bad? She still felt as though she should feel guilty over it. She knew her actions were cruel. But with the thousands of innocent civilians he’d killed, and the fact that he’d personally ordered Laceeya’s death made it so she didn’t. Bren wasn’t sure what that said about her.
Snuggling up closer to Laceeya, Bren closed her eyes. She felt oddly content with the pain she’d caused the alien. That worried her a bit. But he’d threatened Laceeya. In a short time, Bren fell asleep without too much trouble.
