Star Crossed: M'ay'aki

Showing posts with label M'ay'aki. Show all posts

Saturday, February 21, 2015

Update ~ Chapter Thirteen

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I blinked as I watched my mate get transported off the surface. One of the Alphans growled angrily, swiping at Lieutenant Riley. His insides fell from the wound and he collapsed onto the ground. A Reman engaged me and I fought, every ounce of my body wanted to go in search of my mate. With a harsh blow to my head, I fell heavily onto a trunk. “Cullen to Volvo! Nine to beam up!” I barked, spitting out blood. “Beam the alien signatures into the brig. Lock on to our comm signals.”

“Energizing,” came the voice of Ensign Kaplan. Just as one of Alphans was about to decapitate me, the tingle of the transporter worked its way through our bodies. We arrived in the transporter room.

“Sir, what should I do for Lieutenant Riley?”

“Cullen to Halé,” I barked, my heart shattering. “Lieutenant Riley was gravely injured down on the planet’s surface.”

“Transport him to the science lab,” Rose said. I nodded to Ensign Kaplan who beamed Riley off the transporter pad.

Smacking my communicator, I snarled, “Cullen to Bridge. Report!”

“Sir, for less than three seconds, a vessel appeared out of nowhere. Then, it was gone,” said the helmsman on duty, Lieutenant Meade. “There was no gamma radiation. We can’t track it.”

“What kind of vessel?” I sneered. “Alphan or Reman?”

“Reman, sir,” Meade answered.

“Fuck!” I spat, punching the pad for the turbolift. “What the hell is going on? Why are the Remans helping the Alphans? What do they hope to gain? And where the FUCK did they go?”

“Sir, you need to calm down,” Jasper said, wrapping his fingers around my arms.

“I will not fucking calm down. They took Bella,” I said, hyperventilating. “I can only imagine what that animal is doing to her! Norex sent us into a god damned trap! He knew that we’d investigate and he knew that Bella would want to go down to the surface! It was a set up. I want to execute him again, god damn it!”

“Are you done?” Jasper asked dryly.

“NO!” I panted, throwing my hat onto the ground. My heart was empty and I felt so lost. I needed her. “No …”

Jasper stopped the turbolift, asking that Lieutenant Commander Anderson check in with the bridge. He moved so he was in front of me and crossed his arms. “Captain, listen to me,” he said, his voice soft but commanding. “I know that losing Bella is gut-wrenching. You have every right to be fucking pissed off. I don’t blame you in the slightest, sir.” He took my face in his hands, glaring into my eyes. “Use that anger. Edward, I know I give you shit and I suck as a first officer, but you’re best god damned captain in this fleet. You’re even better when you’re focused. Use that anger to focus your attention on getting your mate back. She needs you to be strong.”

He was so close, his lips were centimeters away from me. “Are you going to kiss me, Jasper?” I asked, arching a brow.

“Fuck no! I’ll leave that for Bella,” he snickered.

M'ay'aki

Alphan prisoner (we'll get back to him)

Reman prisoner (again, we'll get back to him)

Reman battle cruiser

Jakob

Nebula

Monday, February 16, 2015

Teaser

“Are you okay?”

“I’ll live,” I said, sitting behind my desk. “What happened up here?”

“As soon as you transported down, there was a power drain on both vessels. It affected us more than the Enterprise. I think it was due to our proximity to the Reman war vessel,” Dad said. “It used a different power source. Not antimatter. From the preliminary scans, we think that they used thalaron radiation to power their jump drives. According to the Federation, it’s highly experimental and extremely deadly.”

“How did the Remans harness this radiation? Is it anything like omega radiation? Removing the ability to create a stable jump field?” I asked.

“No, it doesn’t affect the fabric of space. It’s deadly to any organic tissues,” Dad explained, handing me a tablet. “We need to proceed with caution, Edward. I know that you want nothing more than to get Nirabelle back into your arms, but this thalaron radiation could wipe out the entire Cygnarian species, along with every other species in the Federation.”

“And let me guess, this thalaron radiation can only be created by mining on Lapus?” I asked. “It is found on Lapus.”

“I think that’s what killed their planet, Edward,” Dad muttered. “It’s also found on Remus and on Cygnaria Prime.”

“But not Forx,” I said, looking down at the tablet. “This radiation and the ore used to create it is not on Forx.”

“No. But, it’s abundant on Cygnaria Prime. That’s why the Alphans picked up their attacks on Forx. The Remans need more of this thalaron ore to create the radiation for their jump cores. The Turulians use quantum singularities to create their jump drives. The Remans couldn’t figure out how to do it, despite their close relationship to the Turulians. Instead, they found a deadlier version of their jump drives with this thalaron ore.”

“Remus has run out and they’ve bled Lapus dry,” I said, “effectively killing the planet. What about Remus?”

“Remus is already a dead planet, but they are supported by their dangerous and vicious war fleet. They keep to themselves, for the most part, only venturing out of the Neutral Zone when they need supplies,” Dad said. “It appears that they allied themselves with the Alphans to strengthen their fleet.”

“Do the Remans know that the Alphans are dying?” I asked.

“Yes and they are using it to their advantage. Rose sent down a nurse to the brig to collect samples from our prisoners. The Remans are drugging the Alphans, masking their radiation poisoning and making it appear that they are perfectly healthy. The Alphans are sicker than they realize. Two of the warriors are in end-stage renal cancer. The third has an enlarged heart and the last one, the one who attacked you, has a tumor in his belly that is the size of a small melon,” Dad frowned. “They will die within a few weeks, Edward.”

“And the Remans?”

“They are immune to the effects of the radiation, both from the mining of the thalaron ore and the thalaron radiation itself. Part of it has to do with their world. Its atmosphere is thinner and more solar radiation seeps through. Their genes have adapted to the increased radiation exposure and effectively made them immune.”

“So, the Remans and the Alphans want to conquer the Cygnarians all for a deadly, radioactive ore to power their ships?” I spat. “Over my rotting corpse. I know that we are supposed to find a diplomatic solution to all of this, but this is beyond diplomacy.”

“I agree. This thalaron radiation scares the shit out of me, Edward,” Dad growled. “I have an encoded message to President M’Tak. We need the Federation Council’s approval to go to war.”

“I do not want to resort to that. If it’s possible, I want to try to stop all of this before it turns into something bloody and ugly. With the addition of the Remans and this thalaron radiation, it’s creating something more.” I pinched my nose, feeling a headache bubble underneath my skin. “I want a briefing with both the Enterprise crew and mine. Ask Captain Picard to give me all of his findings on the Scimitar, that Reman war bird that attacked his vessel. We stay in orbit of M’ay’aki for less than twelve hours and then we are setting course for Lapus.”

“Why do you think the Reman ship went there?”

“Because they took Bella. Jakob wants her so badly. He would only want her on his own terms and that means on his own planet,” I said. “For now, assemble a science team to have them figure out a way to disable the Reman cloak and how to neutralize the thalaron radiation. I want to meet with everyone in the conference room in one hour.”

“Are you commanding me as emperor?” Dad smirked. “Because, I’m certain I outrank you, son.”

“Dad, don’t fuck with me,” I snarled, glaring at him. “Those … extapi … they took my te’atée. I need her back. I can’t do this without her. If I have to command you as the god damned emperor or the Queen of fucking Sheba, I will.” My dad stood up and he walked to me. He took my face in his hands before enfolding me into a tight embrace. The dam broke and I sobbed into his shoulder, my heart deadening with each light year my te’atée moved away from me.

Reman War Vessel

Sunday, February 15, 2015

Update ~ Chapter Twelve

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I had ordered the death of my uncle. He was no more because of my decree. Because of my power as empress, my uncle, my father’s brother, no longer had a head. He was being burned and his ashes

were going to be thrown away like the trash that he was. I felt guilty.

Was I too harsh and too swift in my judgment?

Should I have given him leniency as I promised to get the decryption codes?

Should I have exiled him?

It was too late now, but I was questioning everything. “Empress, you need to pack your belongings,” Maralice said quietly, breaking my reverie. “You and the emperor are leaving for the coordinates near the Neutral Zone aboard the Volvo within the hour. Is there anything you need?”

“Can you prepare Charanel to come with us?” I asked. “I need him with me. I don’t trust anyone on the surface except Counselor Marcusi. He has to maintain the order of the government while I’m gone. Charanel would enjoy a trip on the Volvo. He hasn’t been on a spaceship since he was a boy. He definitely hasn’t been on a vessel as lavish as the Volvo. Pack his things and prepare him to depart as soon as he’s ready.”

“I’ll make the arrangements, Empress,” Maralice said, getting out of the hover car and darting to get Charanel ready to leave.

Edward squeezed my fingers, looking at his own envoy. “D’Metri, I need you to contact me if anything happens here,” Edward said to his envoy. “I don’t know if anyone is going to try anything, but I’d rather err on the side of caution. Additionally, I need you to keep digging through Norex’s personal communication as well as the communication of the nobles who have fled Forx. We need to find out who is making these decisions about overthrowing the government.”

“Of course, Emperor,” D’Metri said quietly, his voice deep and solemn. He slid out of the hover car, walking to his own office in the Imperial Palace, his fingers flying over his tablet as he worked on the assignment that Edward gave him.

Looking at me, Edward brushed my hair from my neck. “Come, Fíorghrá,” Edward whispered. “I need to change and we have to transport up to the Volvo.” He cupped my cheek, encouraging me to look at him. He frowned slightly. “Are you okay? I mean, truly.” Your mind is replaying Norex’s execution over and over again.

“I never thought I’d have to end a life,” I murmured, leaning into his warm, calloused hand. “It’s one thing to read casualty reports from the frontlines, but clearly another when you see it happen first hand.” I didn’t expect it to be so gruesome, either. Edward snorted humorlessly. I kissed his palm, getting out of the hover car.