The Alliance Boxset Books 4-6

Chapter 25-2

Ajaska glanced at Commander Atlas and nodded his head. The commander pursed his lips before he barked out a sharp order for the room to be cleared and sealed. Within minutes, the only ones left in the room were the Kassisan, Commander Atlas, and the Trivators.

“How well do you trust the men in this room, Razor?” Ajaska asked in a quiet voice.

“With my life,” Razor replied immediately.

Ajaska chuckled. “Something tells me that is not something you would normally say,” he responded with an assessing look.

“It’s not,” Razor answered in a clipped tone.

Ajaska released a sigh and walked over to the map. He stood studying it for several long minutes before he turned. His face was cut into a hard mask, highlighting the long scar along one side of it.

“I won’t tell you everything, so don’t bother asking,” he began, looking around the group with a serious expression. “What I am going to tell you might not make sense, or even be believable, but I can assure you it is all real. Shortly after we joined the Alliance, one of our shuttles was returning from a diplomatic mission. It was overtaken by a Tearant warship…”

Saber listened as Ajaska Ja Kel Coradon outlined the initial threat against the Houses of Kassis and the unexpected alliance with Elpidios that led to the discovery of a special ship… a ship that went places and a special warrior who saw things that warned of events to come.

“If you are worried about influencing the future, why are you telling us?” Trig asked. “Why didn’t this ‘warrior’ of yours tell you how to prevent it?”

Ajaska turned a steely gaze to Trig. “Because he understands more than anyone that such knowledge could work both ways. He was only able to obtain a limited amount of data during his mission. What information he did record made it essential that we prepare as much as possible. War is coming, the only uncertainty is the outcome.”

“If it is just the Drethulans, we can strike now,” Ace argued, standing up and glaring at Ajaska. “Why go to such extremes by building a base here? Why not just eliminate them?”

Ajaska’s lips tightened. “There are more than the Drethulans. There is another group, one that has been building up forces for centuries.”

“Who?” Hunter asked.

“Ones that we faced in a previous life,” Ajaska replied quietly. “That is all I can tell you at the moment. We are still trying to interpret what we do know. Our single most important advantage is the knowledge we have that it is going to happen. We are currently taking steps to infiltrate the enemy as much as we can in an effort to minimize the devastation.”

“The Kassisan at the fortress,” Saber murmured.

Ajaska grimaced and nodded. “He is just one of many. I have kept a low profile among the Alliance Council in an effort to keep much of what we know a secret. It was also essential to give the impression that the Kassisans are not interested in the issues going on in this star system.”

“Why are you?” Dagger asked with a raised eyebrow. He waved his hand around the control room. “I see at least a dozen technological advances that we are just working on. The power source for this base alone would take up half a mountain, yet unless you were able to build it underground without anyone ever seeing a damn thing, then I would have to say you are ahead of us in energy technology.”

A slight smile curved Ajaska’s lips. “We have a common interest, Trivator,” he assured Dagger in a quiet voice. “The safety of the star systems is paramount to the welfare of us all. The fall of one can easily lead to the fall of the entire Alliance. I don’t particularly relish seeing my planet enslaved, or worse.”

A low murmur swept around the group. Saber glanced at the Kassisan before turning to look at Razor and Hunter. His hand ran down to his leg. This mission showed that he was still capable of fighting. He would do whatever was necessary to protect Taylor and his people.

“Why here?” he asked, looking at the Kassisan. “Why Dises V?”

Ajaska turned to look at Saber. “Dises V is where the Drethulans obtain the ore necessary to build up their forces. We must prevent that. The production has just started, but if it continues, it will not only give the Drethulans and their Allies the resources they need to fight, it will also cause massive environmental destruction. Dises V will be the first planet to fall, Trivator. We must make sure that does not happen.”

“The Waxian forces have taken over the Western Region. Their annihilation of the Western Council was foretold by Ajaska’s warrior. The Western council refused to acknowledge the threat by the Waxians, despite the warnings given to them. This refusal is what led to their assassination when they began to realize that the warnings given to them were valid,” Commander Atlas said, stepping up.

“Then, how was this base built?” Hunter asked with a frown. “As Dagger said, this structure would take years to build. I cannot see the military being unaware of it.”

“It wasn’t,” Commander Atlas stated. “I was the military for the Western Region. Ajaska approached me with evidence five years ago. Construction began without the Council's knowledge a few months later.”

“What about the Eastern Region? Why enslave the people from that region?” Saber asked.

“We don’t,” Commander Atlas replied. “The Eastern Council is just as corrupt as our own. The Waxian and Drethulans have purchased the council. They are using the propaganda that the West is behind the recent enslavement of their people to create unrest and explain for the massive disappearance of their people. When I proposed a military attack on those running the mines, I was labeled a traitor. I, and several other senior military officers, disappeared before we could be arrested and sent to the mines.”

“The rebel base in the mountains of the Crescent Moon,” Saber murmured.

“Yes,” Commander Atlas replied. “It is run by my Eastern counterpart, Commander Faila. Fortunately, most of the construction of this base has been completed. What is left can be done without drawing the attention to the current ruling forces, especially now that both the East and the West are under the control of the Drethulans and the Waxians.”

“Our forces…,” Hunter started to say in concern, looking at Razor.

Razor shook his head. “I contacted the Alliance Council earlier,” he replied grimly. “They have ordered the Trivator forces to leave. They believe that individual strife on a planet should be handled by the planet’s ruling governments. The ambassador to Dises V insists this is an internal matter. They have specified that all Trivator military support here to protect the medical aid is no longer necessary. The Council has agreed. All Trivator military troops have withdrawn.”

“Except us,” Dagger muttered, looking around the room. “So, where does that leave us?”

Razor turned his gaze to the small group of men. “Behind enemy lines,” he replied grimly.