Year 9015: Planet Castai
Within the massive flagship of the Baruk space fleet, a nightmare sat upon a throne. Kale stood completely erect before his master, Lucin. “You summoned me, my lord?”
Completely black eyes measured Kale. When Lucin spoke, his voice echoed throughout the chamber. Kale seemed ready to start shaking. He tried to remain cool and collected-difficult considering the person he stood before.
“Kale Soone, son of the king of the Barudii, I want you to accompany our survey team down to the planet,” Lucin commanded. “Since you were the one who provided us with the means to defeat your father and his Barudii warriors, I assumed you would want to survey your handiwork.”
Lucin smiled the entire time. “The Barudii have been defeated, the battle is over?” Kale asked.
Regret was written all over the boy’s face. Kale wished he had not allowed his pride push him to such traitorous action. If only there were some way out. Too late for that now-the deed was done.
Lucin came down from his throne walking toward Kale. He towered over the teenage boy by a good six inches. “We’ve had a marvelous victory, Kale,” he said. “And that victory is all thanks to your willingness to turn against your father.”
The words cut Kale to the heart. “Was that what I did?” he said.
“Oh yes. We are in your debt, young man. Why, without your complete betrayal of your people, we never would have been able to destroy your father and his forces. The victory we have gained today will allow us to take the entire planet of Castai.”
Kale looked pale now.
“Go on, son of Kale the first. Go down to your home world and see what your pride has accomplished for the enemies of your people.”
Lucin grinned as Kale walked toward the door of his throne room. One of the Baruk officers met him at the door. Lucin called after him, “Lieutenant, please see that our young warrior gets a thorough look at the battlefield. I don’t want him to miss out on any of our conquest.”
Such devastation, it was like nothing Kale had ever laid his eyes on before. Bodies were piled upon one another and strewn throughout the entire valley before Mt. Vaseer. The ground was soaked with the blood of his people. Birds of prey launched skyward as he walked through the aftermath. Most of the dead were from Kale’s own clan, the Barudii. He had known many of these people personally. They had looked to him as the next in line for the throne. Their pale faces and lifeless eyes condemned him now.
He wandered between bodies for nearly six hours. His boots were stained red as he splashed through puddles of Barudii blood. Around him, the murderers of his clan retreated from the battlefield; the dark skinned Vorn and their vicious brute clones, the Horva. Yet they did not lay a finger to harm him-why would they? After all, he was the one who had led them here-had given them the information necessary to make all of this possible. He was a villainous traitor. He belonged among their enemies now.
“Master Kale?” one of the Vorn commanders called. “You had better find a transport to take you back to our Lord’s flagship. We’ll be departing soon to join the fleet. You don’t want to keep him waiting.”
Kale paused in his search. “I will be along shortly,” he said.
The soldier went on about his business, rounding up the Horva for departure. Their work here was finished.
Kale searched more frantically now. He had to find him, had to know if all of this was really happening, or merely some nightmare. Near the front lines, Kale saw it on the ground. The diadem was pure adomen-a costly, durable alloy bearing a luster all its own. The single azure jewel normally mounted on the front was missing.
Very near, Kale found his body-the owner of the crown and King of the Barudii. This was his father, his namesake-the man whom he had betrayed into the hands of the Vorn and Baruk. His bloodstained expression was strangely peaceful. Kale could not take his eyes off of him. He felt frozen in place, frozen in time. Could this really have been what I wanted, he wondered? Is this my prize, my victory for the humiliation that was brought upon me?
He shut his eyes and turned away from the face, but it was still there, piercing his soul. He considered his mother and his younger brother, Tiet. How horribly had they died? His brother had only been in his eighth year-ten years the younger.
He heard the troop transports power up and ready for take-off as the last of the enemy combatants made their way aboard. Many ships to choose from, but none of them contained any friendly faces for him. He began to walk away and thought of looking back to take in one last glimpse of his father, but he could not do it. He didn’t have to-Kale had a feeling his father’s face, its expression cast in death, would haunt him for the rest of his days.
Kale boarded one of the transport ships, carrying thousands of Vorn and Horva, and stood next to a view port. The massacre was less personal from the air. He was the only survivor of the Barudii clan-the only survivor and a traitor. He felt like pulling his blade and stabbing it into his heart, to kill the soul wrenching agony before it could begin its feast, but he didn’t have the courage.
He sat on the floor against the wall of the ship’s troop compartment among a hundred smelly Horva brutes. His Barudii clan had been the guardians of Castai’s people. Now those people would be ripe for conquest by the Vorn and their masters, the Baruk.