Book 2: Power and Vengeance

  Chapter 1

  Father, I am leaving. By the time you read this message, I will already be gone. You have always expressed your disappointment in me, so I think this news will come as a pleasant surprise to you. I will not sit idly by as you lead our people into another war for your ambition. We deserve more, so much more.

  -Daxia’s farewell note to the Devil

  5.31.1368 AS of the Galactic Standard Calendar

  Zara had never seen a dragon before. Sure, she had heard the tales from the second age, tales of large, maned, serpents that swam through the stars and brought fire and death upon the galaxy. Yet the cargo container before her was smaller than her family’s apartment back on her homeworld of Rodina. Even then, it was dwarfed by the cargo bay she stood in which was currently occupied by stacks and rows of cages filled with buzzing, chittering, crooning livestock. The container didn’t even come up to the edge of the first story of the cargo bay and it was supposed to contain a dragon? The bay itself had three separate stories with catwalks connecting different sections of the room. They were all in perfect lattices and all floors were united by three lifts on three walls that framed the bay, with the fourth wall containing the bay doors that led out to the sea of stars beyond.

  The room was crowded with the bodies of the murav crew, the short, stocky worker caste of her people, the Nazeko. Zara herself was a tlyek, the navigators and sailor caste. In all matters of star faring, the Empress of the Nazeko had entrusted the tlyek clans to ferry the rest of their people to the stars. They were taller than the murav, almost as regal as the Royal bochka clans that the Empress hailed from. Unlike most of their kin with their spiny hair, Zara’s kind had soft, human-like hair, feather-like antennae, and fur that sprouted from their neck like a luxurious scarf. Her mother was the captain of this vessel, she stood over twice the height of most of the Murav in the room, her chin held high while she watched the workers disengage the lock on the container that held their “guest.”

  Zara could hardly contain her curiosity or enthusiasm. That energy had her shifting from one foot to the other. All she had known about the dragon was that her mother had been volunteered by the empire to assist the Order of the Ignited in their effort to take the dragon from one location to another. All of the animals currently making noise in the bay were a part of the operation, but Zara couldn’t put her finger on why. She was not quite old enough to be in on the secrets that her mother and father shared. She was only fifteen cycles old, just old enough to start moving from her general education to taking the place of her mother as captain when she inevitably retired. The best answer she ever received was that it was the duty of every Nazeko to assist the Order in any way possible. That answer never satisfied Zara, but she hadn’t quite gotten her mother to crack like she could make her father.

  Her impatience got the better of her and she whispered to her mother beside her, “what’s taking so long?”

  A large hand planted on her shoulder. It was Ana, one of the zhuk aboard the ship, they were the warrior caste and Ana loomed even taller than her mother by at least a foot and was twice as wide. She had a single horn sprouting from the center of her forehead that forked at the end and thick and heavy locks of hair that were pulled back into a warrior’s tail. Ana tapped one finger against her lips and Zara huffed back into silence. On cue, the lock beeped twice in acknowledgement of whatever efforts the crew were using to open it. The doors slid open with a thrum and whirr of mechanisms. Zara leaned forward in anticipation.

  Inside was not one figure, but two covered in grey cloaks, one armored, one not. The armored one stood in the imposing, black chitin Teyhozkin Plate that was made by the Nazeko and used by the Order of the Ignited. The armor had lots of ridges and sweeping curves. Each set was unique to the wielder, and Zara tried to get a better peak at the form of it, but all of the details were hidden beneath the sheer silhouette of the cloak that barely touched the ground. The shield carried in one hand and the sword magnetized to their waist gave her the faint impression of a wandering knight. That couldn’t be the dragon, so it had to be the small person beside them. Zara blinked in surprise, all the expectations she had shattered in a single moment. They were a little shorter than Zara was, most of their frame covered in the same cloak as the armored figure. Zara noticed now that the cloak cast a shadow over their faces and she swore she saw wisps of near translucent smoke billow off of the edges. The figure lifted their head and Zara could see red eyes that burned from within the shade of her tall hood. They stepped forward, the room that was once filled with noisy animals now eerily silent. Zara had hardly noticed the shift, transfixed on those eyes. The dragon stepped out of the container alongside their companion, the click of their boots echoed alongside the thump of the armored warrior.

  Now in the artificial light, they pulled back their hoods to reveal themselves to the crowd, the wisps of smoke dissipating into nothing to fully reveal them. The smaller one had two, wicked black horns swept out from her hairline and back, framing a mane of cream-white hair. Her skin was olive brown, with her jaw and neck framed by black scales that disappeared under simple travelers clothes. She folded her hands in front of her and Zara saw that they too were covered in black scales with talons at the end that looked like they could tear anyone in the room to shreds. Yet Zara kept being drawn back to those eyes that swept across the room before they fell back on her mother. The woman’s mouth opened to speak and Zara noticed red lines form along the dragon’s cheeks to the back of her jaw, “you have taken great risk in bringing me aboard your ship.” She spoke in a clear voice in an accent Zara couldn’t recognize, but didn’t let it distract her from what she had said. They were in danger? She wasn’t sure why, their ship was at least a dozen lanes away from space owned by the Black Dragon Enclave or any of the others for that matter. Zara didn’t voice these opinions, of course, because she didn’t want the woman to burn her alive, or worse, cause Zara to receive a scolding from her mother. “There are no words I can use to describe how much this kindness means to me, knowing what my people have done to yours in ages past,” the woman bowed to the hip, “thank you.”

  Zara’s mother gave a thin smile, “Yes, we are at the will and disposal of the Order,” her gaze shifted to the armored warrior beside her and bowed her head respectfully. “Our Empress sends her regards to the warriors of the Exalted Sovereign, and has gifted our blood and steel to your cause.” The words were practiced, Zara knew. She had to memorize them herself, should she need to obey the will of the Order. The woman stood upright again and Zara noticed the faintest frown on her features.

  The warrior lifted a hand to his helmet. There was a hiss of airlocks releasing before he pulled it free. He was a human with tan skin and curly brown hair and a friendly smile on his square, broad features, “we thank you for your assistance in this mission, Captain Luna. I am Theo, a Shaped of the Order.” Zara’s eyes widened. A Shaped? Here? They were not the highest ranking members of the Order, but many people within it could spend lifetimes trying to achieve it. Shaped were beyond just supernaturally strong and immortal, they could warp the world around them in different ways, each unique to the shape of their soul, molded by the Exalted Sovereign himself. To stand before one was to stand before a hero of legend and Zara couldn’t help but be a little awestruck. “How long do you expect our journey to take to reach Corfulan?”

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  “Considering we had just left Zadar and assuming we do not run into any unforeseen circumstances or detours it will take us approximately thirty-one days, twelve hours, thirty two minutes and 15 seconds to reach Corfulan where your next drop off is located,” Zara’s mother answered with the precision that tlyek were known for. Theo’s smile only broadened further but before he could speak she cut in again, “just what sort of danger are we putting ourselves into? Putting a longshi on our ship?”

  The woman stiffened and Theo’s smile softened, “Madam Hedar is an important person to the Black Dragon Enclave and that is all the information I am at liberty to give. We were able to leave without any pursuers, and any response they may have to her leaving will not be quick enough to catch up to us,” he assured.

  “I would not be so sure of that,” her mother replied, “I may not be ignited, but your powers are not something I would ever assume to have any surety of.”

  Theo lifted his hands in a placation, “any threat that may come will have to deal with me,” his hand slipped to his chest, “I have a protection identity, as long as I am within this vessel it will take another shaped or beyond to even think of being able to pierce the armor of your ship, Captain. I can offer you this assurance.”

  One of her mother’s antennae twitched, her displeasure still written over her face. A hand touched her shoulder opposite of where Zara was standing, her father, who had been there silently this whole time, “Captain, we must remember our duty. It is dangerous, but we must make the Empress proud.”

  She took a deep breath in through her nostrils, eyes closed, then let out a slow exhale. “I suppose I do not have a choice in the matter regardless,” she mused.

  Theo offered an apologetic smile, “I assure you, the rewards for your service and time here will be well worth it. The Order does not forget those who assist them, especially from an important ally such as the Nazeko.”

  “If we are alive to claim it,” Zara’s mother muttered under her breath. Zara glanced up to her and her father squeezed her shoulder in support. Any composure lost was regained in a moment and Zara’s mother lifted her chin up again. The proud captain persona returned, “So it shall be. However, for the safety of both myself and my crew, I ask that you both remain here in the cargo bay… and preferably in the container until we reach our destination. I do not want to take any chances with any… unaccounted for threats.”

  Zara saw something rustle beneath the dragon’s cloak, then saw a tail flick just beneath the end of it. She looked up at Madam Hedar and saw disappointment written clear on her face. “May I at least walk through the bay? Being trapped inside of such a small space is bad for an Ignited such as ourselves.”

  “I’m afraid not, Madam Hedar,” Zara’s mother said, tone curt. It made the dragon wince.

  Theo put a hand on her shoulder, then smiled, “I’ll make sure your potential stays burning bright, don’t worry.” Madam Hedar didn’t look convinced.

  “If that will be all, then I believe we are done here,” Zara’s mother nodded. “All communication will be handled in person. There will be no messaging in or out or use of the Webnet. We will bring your meals down to you at 800, 1200, and 1600 hours each day. If you require reading materials, we will provide them. If you need anything, please knock on the container to allow one of the crew to see to it. Do try to keep that to a minimum.” Both of the Ignited nodded, and Zaras mother’s smile returned. “Safe journeys to us all, then. Please, enjoy your stay on our ship, Madam Hedar, Lord Theo.” She bowed her head and the rest of the crew and Zara followed suit. She then turned on her heel and walked out of the bay, a silent command to the murav sending them back to their duties. Zara looked over her shoulder one final time, seeing both of them retreat back into the container, Madam Hedar did not look nearly as proud and regal as she did when she first stepped out of the container.

  She was thoroughly unsatisfied with how much they got to see of her. There was a dragon on board and Zara had to not talk to her? She kept in lock step with her mother as her father and Ana trailed behind them. They had only gotten to the lift before Zara couldn’t hold her silence any longer, “Captain,” she began, hoping that the formal tone would lend her some of her mother’s sympathy towards her next question. “I think some of what you said today would get your loyalty questioned by the bochka. Aren’t we supposed to follow the whims of the Order without question?”

  Her mother shot her a look and Zara had to fight not to wince at the weight of her gaze. “We are,” she answered coolly, “however the wisdom of the bochka is not without scrutiny. We of the tlyek are high enough in caste to where we may offer counsel when we think our superiors are in error.”

  Zara nodded slowly, “then you think that this is a bad idea?”

  Her mother hesitated, then sighed, “The Order tends to forget the people surrounding them are much more… fragile, than they are. Even a zhuk like Ana would have troubles facing an Ignited soldier. Their concept of danger is warped by their invincibility. I would imagine someone with a protection identity is even more so.”

  “Have you ever seen a Shaped before, Captain?” Zara asked, curious.

  She smiled softly in reply, “we are not warriors, luboxia,” she said, letting some of her maternal fondness peer through the veneer of the stoic captain with the use of a pet name. “And those beyond the warrior Ignited do not often cross paths with merchants. Other than that artwork in your room, the realm of the Order and all of those other Ignited are outside of our world.”

  “Then wouldn’t we be safe then? I mean, if we are only merchants,” Zara quipped back, hoping to chip away at the restriction of the two waiting in the cargo bay. She wanted to talk to them more after all. “No one will bother us, won’t they? The extra precautions would be unnecessary and–”

  Her father spoke up, “Zara… I understand your curiosity in this matter, but please, listen to your mother’s wisdom on this. Ignited business may be beyond us, but that is why we must tread with extra caution. The light of the Ignited tends to draw other Ignited in one way or another.”

  Zara sighed, her shoulders slumping. No fair, ganging up against her like that. She was the first mate, wasn’t her job supposed to be questioning everything her mother did? She had to better understand her reasoning, after all, so she could make better judgements when she would inevitably become captain, “alright…” she replied, defeated.

  Her mother nodded and stepped from the lift which had entered the top floor of the ship. They walked towards the bridge with Ana and her father following close and Zara trailing behind. Her mother then turned over her shoulder, “we will be behaving as if they are not on board to the best of our ability, besides small check ins. I suggest you try your best to forget about their presence aboard the ship.” She gestured down the hall, “why don’t you go to your studies for a bit? Give that mind of yours something else to focus on.”

  Zara sighed again but saluted. “Yes, captain,” she said, then turned away from the rest of the group to head towards her quarters. How could she study at a time like this? She had so many questions she wanted to ask, yet she knew she wouldn’t be able to break through her mother’s defenses just yet. She’d have to buy her time. Maybe a little studying won’t be so bad.