Sacrifice:The Shenkar War (58 page)

             
“
Excellent. Could you speak with the remaining Knights of the
Sacrifice
and see if they will stay on?” the President asked.

             
“
Sure. I am sure most will stay, although some will want to know the pay and benefits.”

             
“
Yes, yes, that will be all worked out. With your help, we will forge a stronger space fleet.”

             
Liam only nodded at this, but it seemed, to the President, that he was distracted.

             
“
Something bothering you, Mr. Brennan?”

             
“
Huh? Oh no, I was just thinking of Admiral Kelvin. He would have been a great help in this. He was a great leader, and I would have really welcomed his help at the new facility,” explained Liam somberly.

The President look confused for a second, but then he smiled broadly.
              “
You don’t know, then?” he asked.

             
At Liam’s questioning look, the President continued.
“
It seems that one of the Meshtrell that accompanied you all stayed on board after all three were ordered to stay behind at the asteroid base. When Kelvin ordered the skeleton crew to evacuate before he detonated the
Tryliene
, it seems the little Meshtrell waited until everyone was aboard the Omega shuttles and then proceeded to the bridge. From what I understand, it seems the Meshtrell subdued my friend, and they both narrowly escaped in an Omega shuttle.”

             
Liam smiled at this news and couldn’t help but wonder which Meshtrell it had been.
“
Which Meshtrell was it?” he asked out loud.

             
“
I don’t know the name, but the little being has a habit of using the word “fascinating” a lot.”

             
“
Reeta,” Liam said with a laugh.

             
“
Ah . . . well, anyway, Admiral Kelvin will be leading up the facility, and he asked for you personally. So shall I tell him you are on board?”

             
“
Yes, sir!” Liam said as he saluted.

             
“
Excellent. We are looking at the beginning of something big: all the major countries coming together to forge a new world government. Something like this has never happened before, and we will be a part of it. Soon the Earth’s defense fleet will be rebuilt, and we will stand united against any future threats by the Shenkar.”

             
“
How long do you all think before the Shenkar come looking for their missing fleets?” Liam asked.

             
The President grimaced at this question as he looked out over the barrier of soldiers that surrounded him. Finally, after a long few moments, the President spoke.

             
“
No one is really sure. We figure that at the earliest we have nine months to a year. All we can do is to attempt to rebuild the defense fleet and hope we are prepared enough if they choose to return.”

             
“
Well, maybe we will get lucky and they will not come looking. Maybe they will feel that the loss of their ships was too big a cost to investigate further,” Liam suggested.

             
“
Maybe.”

             
The President was silent for a long moment as he looked out across the base. Finally, he turned to Liam and smiled.
“
Well, Lieutenant Commander, I won’t hold you up anymore. I am sure Ms. Aecrin would like to spend some time with you now that you’re home. I will let Admiral Kelvin know that you will report to the new facility in Texas in three weeks. Until then, take some time off, get your affairs in order, and of course, spend some time with Ms. Aecrin.”

             
“
Oh, don’t worry, Mr. President. I have plans for Liam already,” Leah said with a smile.

Hanscom Air Force Base

              Liam enjoyed the sweet scent of Leah’s perfume as it wafted up into his nose as she snuggled deeper into his arms. Sitting on the wing of his fighter, they leaned against the canopy.

             
“
So where would like to go? I have three weeks to kill,” Liam asked her.

             
Leah laughed softly but said nothing as she leaned against his chest with her eyes closed.

             
“
Hey, are you two going to spend all night up there?” came a voice from below.

             
Liam and Leah sat up and looked down over the edge of the wing. Evan and the rest of Necro Squadron stood below. Liam and Leah swung their legs over the edge.

             
“
What’s up?” Liam asked.

             
“
We were just wondering what next, oh fearless leader,” said Steve, a mischievous smile on his face.

             
“
What do you mean?” asked Liam, his curiosity peaked.

             
“
Well, what Steve so eloquently is trying to say is, we were wondering where we go from here. Do we stay on or do we go back to our old lives?” said Crystal.

             
“
Okay, I am lost. Why am I being asked what we are doing?               You are all free to make your own choices, so why are you asking me?” Liam queried.

             
“
You are our Commander--we go where you go,” said Dimitri, his face showing no sign of humor.

             
Liam looked from face to face of his fellow pilots and was taken aback by what he saw. He at first thought this a big joke, but none was smiling, except for Steve.

             
“
You are all serious?” Liam asked.

             
“
Yep, Liam, you are my best friend. We would follow you into the fires of the sun if you asked,” Evan said seriously.

             
Liam was dumbfounded at what to say. Part of him wanted his friends to return to their old lives and keep away from the danger. Still, he wanted them to all stay together more. Finally, after several minutes, he made up his mind.

             
“
I am bound for the new facility in Texas where I am to help train the new recruits. I have also been asked to extend an invite to the rest of you to join me.”

             
They all smiled at this news, but it was Evan who spoke.
“
You can count us all in.”

Hanscom Air Force Base

             
Liam leaned against the side of his fighter, Evan standing next to him, as he watched Leah talking to Crystal. The two spoke, glancing over to Liam and Evan every so often.

             
“
What do you think they are talking about?” asked Evan suspiciously.

             
“
Probably planning our lives for us,” said Liam.

             
“
Hmmm . . . yeah, probably,” agreed Evan.

             
Evan was silent for several moments before he broke the silence again.
“
Do you think they will be back?”

             
“
The Shenkar?” asked Liam.

             
“
Yeah.”

             
“
I don’t know. We bloodied them pretty good. They might just cut their losses and never return. All we can do is sit and wait, I guess.”

             
“
Yeah, I guess . . . I hate not knowing,” said Evan sullenly.

             
“
Yeah, me too, but until then we can just prepare and live our lives. I know I plan to do more with my life,” said Liam, the last part said as he looked over at Leah.

             
Evan looked up at the stars, took a deep breath, and let it out slowly before speaking again, more to himself than to Liam.

             
“
I hate waiting.”

Shelecore’s Palace

              Shizta was escorted by two warriors as they made their way into the Shelecore’s palace. The sheer size of the palace was incredible, decorated with all the finest treasures. Trophies of conquered worlds graced the walls. Warriors were stationed everywhere, ever ready to come to the defense of their Shelecore. They marched through the palace for some time until they came to two massive ornate doors. Two warriors pulled the doors aside as Shizta and his escort approached. Without stopping, they passed through the open doors into the inner chamber of the Shelecore.

             
Shizta had never had the privilege of being in the presence of the mighty Shelecore. He had only seen him on the holo-vids, but they had never given him the representation he truly deserved. The leader of the Shenkar Empire was a creature of massive proportions. Shizta had thought Krailsha a mighty warrior, but the Shelecore was easily a head and half taller than Krailsha. His arms were also easily twice the size of Krailsha’s.

             
Shizta, upon reaching the base of the raised platform the throne sat upon, went to kneel and bow his head forward as a sign of respect to the Shelecore. He would remain in this position until he was given permission to raise his head. He could hear his escort retreating out of the inner chamber and the doors close, but he still wasn’t given permission to move. Silence still continued to greet Shizta, and he began to wonder if word of his blunder that had resulted in the loss of the Shenkar flagship had reached the Shelecore’s ears. If so, Shizta expected to die for it, as he knew the Federation’s great leader was not known for his mercy.

             
It seemed an eternity of silence before he finally heard the Shelecore walk down to stand before him. A great shadow was cast over Shizta as he remained still. Finally, the silence was broken as the deep cold voice of the Shelecore spoke.

             
“
So, Shizta, you have returned. I am surprised to see you here, as you surely must know that word of what your arrogance has caused has reached me. The loss of the Federation’s most prized warship due to your arrogance is truly a high price. I am having trouble finding a reason why I shouldn’t tear your head from your shoulders right now.”

             
Shizta still held his silence, for he knew the Shelecore was purposely goading him to see if he would beg for his life by trying to give some outlandish excuse for his blunder. In truth, he felt he did deserve to die for his mistakes. It wasn’t until his long return trip did he come to terms with his arrogance. He had been a fool for believing himself Krailsha’s equal. Krailsha had been a great warrior leader, and Shizta should have studied everything he had taught him instead of questioning everything. If given the chance, Shizta would never again make this mistake. He would strive to become a warrior who would be remembered by Shenkar historians.

             
“
I will not kill you, however--not yet, at least. Instead, I wish to know what you know of these humans.”

Shizta still didn’t move or say a word. He had not
yet been given permission to raise his head. Laughter from the Shelecore resounded throughout the chamber.

             
“
Very good, Shizta. I must say, it is refreshing to find a warrior who does not grovel for his life or forget his place. You may look upon me and speak if you wish.”

             
Shizta lifted his head now to see the Shelecore standing before him.

             
“
Thank you, Mighty Shelecore. I am honored to be in your presence and to bask in your glory. What is it you wish to know of the humans?”

             
“
Well, first I wish to know what you know of the fate of the Dread Fleet I dispatched.”

             
The request was not an idle question; it was more of a demand. Still, Shizta took his time thinking of what he would say. It had taken him longer than expected in returning to the Shenkar home world, as the fold engine aboard the Cruiser
Zratek
had failed and it had taken some time to repair. Still, he was shocked to hear that the fleet had possibly been destroyed.

             
“
I cannot be positive, but I believe the Dread Fleet is lost. These humans we encountered proved to be much more resilient and have a great knack for war. They possess technology equal and in some cases greater than our own. I believe they received the technology from some wayward Meshtrell. It has never been proven we contained all of the Meshtrell who attempted to flee their home world, and something about this has their signature written all over it.”