Bringer of Chaos- The Origin of Pietas Page 3

  Pietas turned away, wishing he did not have to disappoint her, but he could not in good conscience carry out the council's command. Lock his people into a treaty with these oath breakers? Never.

  The entire council would be furious with him. As usual.

  Dessy arrived as the doors were closing and slid into place on his right as second-in-command.

  On her bosom sat an oval-shaped gold and black brooch, the glass front of which revealed a plait of his hair interwoven in a complex pattern. His sister said nothing, but he felt her empathic outpouring of assent. Yet despite her emotional support, she had voted against him.

  Would he never understand this woman? Shoulder to shoulder they faced front.

  The closed car meant the sting of emotions in the small space bombarded him from all angles. His skin twitched and he rubbed his arms as if cold.

  A cadre of humans waited in the assigned receiving chamber. Ten humans would be given in exchange for ten members of the Ultra Council, as Mahikos and the council had requested. While the Ultras were on board Enderium Six, the humans would act as hostages. If anything happened to the Ultras, the humans would die lingering deaths.

  A crawling-ant sensation on his skin escalated to a sting. These creatures hid some secret he did not yet fathom. Pietas bit the inside of his cheek, fighting the urge to lash out, to rip away the life of these mortals.

  As agreed, the council members had come unarmed. Ultras had no need to carry weapons. They were weapons.

  "You!" He gestured toward the human who approached. "I want more."

  "I beg your pardon?" The man stopped and looked up at him. Average height for a human, he was over a foot shorter than Pietas and clothed in nondescript gray from head to toe. The dark-skinned man gave him a quizzical look. "More what?"

  "More hostages. Ten for ten implies you are our equals. You are not. I want thirty. That will not come close to matching the worth of one of our warriors. Since I doubt you have more than thirty brave enough to face our wrath if you fail, that will suffice."

  Grimacing, the man looked over his shoulder. A woman in the group gave an almost imperceptible nod. He turned back. "Very well. We'll need more time."

  "You have ten minutes."

  "It will take longer than--"

  Pietas lifted a hand. "Power up the guns."

  When Mahikos came up beside him, flickers of heat traced over Pietas's skin. His father's emotions announced his displeasure, but a council member who interfered with negotiations risked being banned from service.

  A hum in the background escalated as lights on the wall panels switched over to red. "Activated," replied a robotic voice.

  "You can't do this!" The human emissary stretched out both hands. "There are half a million souls on board. You said you'd come in peace. We can't--"

  "Nine minutes."

  "Please!" The man raised the hands in a placating gesture. "Please. Give us thirty minutes. "We need thirty minutes to find--"

  "Your repetition bores me. Do you need thirty minutes because you include children among your hostages?"

  A cold smile tightened the man's bland features. "We sent all the civilians and their families off station five days ago, knowing you were coming."

  This underscored what Pietas had said all along. Why would the council not believe this was a trap? They had believed none of his warnings. He would have to get them out of this on his own.

  "So you feared me, did you? First intelligent thing you've said today. If laying waste to this station will kill human soldiers, so much the better." Pietas set his hands on his hips. "Your ten minutes starts now. You will lose a minute every time you argue with me. I suggest you stop dawdling. My warriors will open fire unless my demands are met."

  "So that's how you negotiate? With guns?"

  "You waste my time. Nine minutes." Pietas spun on his heels and walked away.

  "Very well," the man called after him. "Ten minutes."

  "Eight." Pietas kept walking.

  His parents trailed him back toward private quarters. "Pietas," his mother called. "Wait!"

  For her, he stopped and turned around.

  Small compared to most Ultras, and delicate of face, Helia ap Lorectic was as tough as any soldier. Like him and his father, she possessed an eidetic memory and a fine scientific mind. If anyone was the hope of their people, it was she.

  "Pietas, you know this is wrong. We agreed to those terms before we arrived."

  "It is not wrong, Mother, and the terms were made by the previous council head, not by me." He opened the door to his quarters and turned back to Helia. "They'll agree to my terms or they'll die."

  Mahikos stepped in front of his wife. "You will destroy these talks, you inflexible, intractable narcissist!"

  "Why, Father. I'm impressed you know words that big. Thank you."

  The man lurched toward him.

  "Stop it!" Helia positioned herself between the two. "Pietas, please. It took--"

  "No, Mother. I never negotiate with humans from a position of fear."

  Mahikos jabbed a finger toward him. "You never negotiate at all."

  "Your precious humans have five minutes." He shut the door in the man's face.

  His father's shout of anger followed, and then his mother's calmer tones, soothing. The thud of a fist rattled the door before Mahikos gave way to whatever it was Helia was saying to him.

  "Just like old times." His message board lit up. Furious texts and outraged faces filled the screen. "It seems I made every council member angry at the same time. How efficient of me."

  The device on his wrist let him portal anywhere on the ship, or to the side of whichever member he wanted. He could use it to communicate. He kept his on private mode, always. No one entered his presence or spoke to him unless he wished it.

  His empathic senses, however, he left open. Politicians lied as a matter of policy. Emotions did not.

  "Better the enemy you know, than the enemy you do not."

  He stroked a fingertip over the bracelet's smooth black surface and then gave it one tap. "Security! Keep the guns hot."

  Chapter Four

  Within the prescribed time, thirty human hostages crowded the chamber, most of them men. The few women had the look of soldiers about them. As they passed Pietas, they emanated a tired resignation, as if knowing they marched to their doom.

  The hair on the back of his neck prickled. "Did you feel that?" He turned, keeping them in sight.

  Mahikos frowned. "Feel what?"

  "Never mind." Pietas had always absorbed far more emotion than other Ultras, even more than his twin, and around humans, sometimes he had to tamp down and ignore his empathic senses.

  He entered the elevator once more, with the council blasting an even nastier sting of emotions toward him.

  Last to enter, Dessy clasped her hands behind her and faced the front.

  When the doors opened, Pietas stepped out. The station smelled of metal, polish, gun oil, and human sweat. Enderium Six was no longer a trading station. They'd made it a military outpost. Or worse. The site had the stink of a penitentiary, with none of its charm.

  The council arrayed itself around him. Their empathic chill shifted toward a human who came into view.

  Pietas surveyed the officious, gold-braid-draped mortal. "What do you want?"

  He popped Pietas a salute. "Welcome to Enderium Six. I'll be escorting you to the main chamber. I'm General--"

  "Lies. What you are is some lackey dressed up in gold braid to impress me. You are no one." He mimed a yawn and then fluttered a hand, curling his lip. "Take me to someone important."

  "Of course. Come with me." He headed toward the door.

  Such blissful acceptance after that insult triggered warnings. Was the man under the influence of an Ultra? Pietas remained where he was.

  His sister leaned in close, her mouth next to his ear. "He didn't react. Is he stupid? Or entranced by an Ultra?"

  Pietas leaned toward her warmth. "I'm gettin
g nothing false from the Council."

  "Agreed. If he's entranced, it's not by anyone here, but they'll riot if we don't go with him. What are you going to do?"

  He motioned for her to wait, and as the man continued to walk away, studied him. If he was entranced, it was subtle. Pietas found no trace of another Ultra's presence and it would be there if he'd been influenced.

  Once the human reached the door, he turned, and the realization that no one had moved crossed his face. "Is there a problem?"

  "Humans do not command Ultras. You may ask if we desire to accompany you. If I decide that we shall, my people will follow me. Until we are shown the respect we deserve, we will go nowhere. In addition, you will address me as 'my lord' when you speak to me."

  The man made a deep bow. "Of course. Where are my manners? Forgive me, my lord. If it pleases you, will you come with me?"

  "It does not please me." Pietas spoke each word with clarity. "I am here because my people will it, but do not think to placate me, human. I will not be trifled with."

  Bowing, the human indicated the door. "Please."

  Every cell within Pietas warned against proceeding, but with the council's firm insistence in mind, he walked beside the human. Every step he took delivered a psychic rebuke. Do not do this! He clamped his jaws to shut the rage inside him.

  "This transport tube is the last elevator you'll have to take. I promise." The mortal opened a wide door. He bowed and then stepped inside. The man's fear spiked, along with that same resignation the others had emitted, but he was not lying.

  Pietas hesitated, but entered. The Council joined him.

  The door closed and a change in pressurization showed they'd also entered an airlock. The car lifted, and within moments, opened.

  Barren of furniture or people, this chamber held two rows of steel stasis tubes in a windowless room.

  Pietas tapped his portal bracelet, but nothing happened. Only walls of copper and steel would prevent the device from transporting them.

  He grabbed the man's jacket and hauled him off his feet. "These peace talks are over!" Pietas lifted the man in both hands and over an upraised knee, broke him like a dry stick. He threw the body onto the floor.

  "Enter the stasis tubes," announced a disembodied male voice. "You'll be allowed to live."

  Above and to the left, lighted windows displayed the silhouettes of humans.

  "How dare you? Your hostages will be slaughtered for this!"

  "We were prepared to sacrifice a hundred hostages, Pietas, did you know that? They were willing to die to keep Ultras from being in power any longer."

  Pietas motioned to the council members to assist him. Together, they tore off the control panel of the elevator, but behind it sat an empty box.

  "That will do you no good." The voice sounded amused. "The car has been disconnected from the system. It's going nowhere. You're stuck. As you've surmised, the walls are copper and steel and they're a foot thick. You won't be breaking them and you can't portal back to your ship. We spent a long time figuring out how to trap you. The stasis tubes are your way out. Enter them, and we'll transport you to a world you can have to yourselves."

  Pietas stepped back and looked up. "Ultras never surrender."

  "Then we'll jettison this section of the station and explode it. Not even Ultras will survive that."

  "If I don't contact my people within the next five minutes, one hostage will be killed. Another will be killed every ten minutes until we contact the ship."

  "Ah, the hostages. Those thirty hostages you demanded all have bombs surgically implanted inside them. We can trigger them remotely. Unless you enter the pod, we will kill your entire crew."

  The reason for the hostages' resignation made itself clear.

  "Your capture is being streamed live throughout the Terran Crescent and Colonies of Man. The public can see you're trapped and being forced to enter stasis. As we speak, on every planet, your people are being warned to surrender. You see, it's not just that you have to enter stasis. They do too. For every one hundred thousand that surrender, we'll let one member of your council live. There are ten of you. That should account for the million Ultras."

  "You think to frighten my people into surrendering?" He barked a laugh. "Grab a chair and put your feet up. You have a long wait, human."

  "You'll be the last we save, Pietas. Considering how much even your own people hate you, I wouldn't count on living much longer."

  "You know nothing of my people. We do not submit to the enemy to save one another. It's not our way. Have the courage to face us. You want to imprison us in pods you can incinerate without having to see us burn. You want to kill us? Come in here and do it yourself."

  "I'm not stupid enough to ever take you up on that, Ultra. Once you're in stasis, and your people have surrendered, you'll be transported to your new home. It's called Sempervia, which means 'ever living.' Fitting, isn't it?"

  "Sempervia. You offer us an empty world on the other side of the galaxy. How true to type you are. An offer of glass beads and trinkets when we already own every star."

  "Sempervia has oceans and rivers full of fish. Fruit trees. Plus we'll give you supplies for farming. You warrior types might not be good at farming, but you'll survive. We'll show you the mercy you've never given us. We give you our word you'll be left alone."

  "Oh, how comforting that a human has given us his word, as if that meant anything to you or anyone else. The word human is synonymous with oath breaker. And as usual, those who don't fit humanity's definition of normal are exiled without a trial."

  "You had your fair trial in absentia."

  "Too bad I missed the pleasure."

  "If you think the trial we had for you was a pleasure, that's your mistake."

  "I was referring to the pleasure of bathing in your blood."

  "Charming. Enter the tubes and you'll be allowed to live. You have ten minutes and then the air will be removed from the chamber. If even one of you refuses, we'll jettison the room and explode it. You have no other options."

  The human disappeared.

  Pietas made two hand-signs, and the others bolted into action. They helped push a stasis tube against the wall beneath the window.

  The twins, Armand and Philippe, stood on it and supported the smaller Helia as she climbed onto their shoulders, heading for the window far above.

  Joss, another councilwoman, prepared to join her if needed.

  "Hologram." His mother allowed the twins to help her down. "There's no opening."

  The council gathered around, looking to him for answers. As usual, when his people needed help, they bypassed Mahikos and went straight to Pietas. He would not fail them.

  Chapter Five

  In the end, the sole option was surrender.

  Mahikos railed and punched the wall, showing enough anger for everyone in the room.

  Pietas remained near the door, removing himself from the drama.

  Above them stood silent sentries, a row of human-shaped silhouettes.

  At last, around the barren room, the casket-like stasis tubes hissed, sealing the council members inside. These tubes wouldn't jettison like lifepods to protect against implosion or the hazards of space. They were the Ultras' prison. Who knew how long they'd lie trapped within them, or if they'd ever be released.

  Pietas lifted his head, willing anyone who watched to see his defiance, his pride. His determination never to surrender. He guarded the door, daring anyone to enter. All had been sealed inside his or her pod except his family, but Pietas remained vigilant.

  Mahikos accompanied Dessy to hers. Though it was common knowledge his family was on the council, Pietas refrained from any show of affection in public. Enemies needed no details as to who was more--or less--fond of whom.

  Besides, all of them were empathic. He felt their love, or lack of it.

  "Pietas." Dessy spoke, but did not look at him. "You were right."

  "This one, Dessy." Mahikos patted the middle of three empty un
its. "Between your mother and me. Close to family. We love you."

  How like their father to throw all caution to the wind and show his weakness to everyone. Yet he would expect Pietas to defend him if attacked.

  The tube they expected him to occupy sat isolated from the others, nowhere near family. As usual, his father had isolated him.

  Dessy climbed nimbly into the unit. "Love you all. Stay safe."

  The pod sealed. Through its small window, her face showed. Her eyes closed. Her color paled. Within two minutes, she was frozen, as good as dead. Gone.

  For no reason would he let them do that to him.

  The thought of a galaxy full of people watching, seeing his family humbled almost drove Pietas to madness. He fought the tremble of rage lest anyone mistake it for fear. His jaw ached from clenching.

  "I love you," Mahikos told Helia as he walked with Pietas's mother to an open pod. "I'll be here when you wake. I swear it on my life." He lifted his head and looked at Pietas, promising it of himself, his eyes pleading with him to make it true.

  He did not acknowledge the man. Pietas evoked his gift of illusion. The ability simmered beneath his skin like a dragon waiting for the chance to fly.

  Helia mouthed, Pietas, I love you.

  He tapped a fist over his heart.

  The device closed her inside. He would guard her with every breath, to the nth degree of his strength.

  Now that Helia was no longer there to rein in Mahikos, the man's temper flared. Pinpricks of fury sparked from him like a thousand bee stings.

  Pietas remained passive, meeting his father's gaze, unwilling to reveal pain. He freed the illusion he'd been creating.

  Mahikos came up to him, nose to nose. "I hope you remember this day. Your arrogance did this to us."

  As usual, his father had it all wrong. Human treachery had done it. Pietas channeled aetheric energy toward his father. Someone would indeed remember the day, but because Pietas had saved them once again.