Emergence: Chapter 42

Adjeti?

While Cinradahs could agree that the beings that had saved New Orbus certainly looked like old sketches of the long-dead race, he had a hard time believing that there were any left in the Empire. Oblivion was a dead world; he had never been there himself, but the pictures showed a world that could never have been lived on. Maybe a few had survived, but this was not just a small colony; this was a full military operation.

Cinradahs watched as one of the beings, slightly larger than the others, and with gold markings on its armour, came over to him. “Are you in charge here?” It asked forcefully.

Standing up, Cinradahs began to notice how bad his shoulder was again. “I suppose so, yes. Who's asking?”

Cinradahs noticed a flare of annoyance in the thing's eyes. Then, its armour seemed to peel back off of the thing's red skin, before reaching the centre of its chest, disappearing entirely. Underneath was just some casual clothes, made from a gold-dyed leather. “My name is Keinam. Warchief Keinam, one of the rulers of the Adjeti race.” Keinam cocked his head. “You are sceptical of my claim.”

Cinradahs made a noise of exasperation. “Well, obviously; your world is dead, and your race with it.”

Keinam moved closer to Cinradahs. “Look around; do we look dead to you? Look at our ships. Do they look like they were made on a dead world by a dead race? No. Our world is just as alive as it was before the World-Burner was built.”

Cinradahs shook his head. “I've seen pictures of Oblivion; it's a lifeless husk. If that was how it was in its most prosperous years, then the Adjeti weren't exactly what they were built up to be.”

Keinam took a deep breath. “You don't know how much I want to kill you all and take our Empire back. The rest of the Empire – Our Empire! – sentenced us to death. You would be nothing without us.”

“Your kind destroyed this world, what did you expect?” A line of people began to gather nearby; close enough to hear, but far enough away to not get caught up in any fight that might arise.

“Our weapon destroyed this world, but we did not fire it.” Keinam was quiet, as if he was playing his trump card. Cinradahs stepped back, suspicious. “And we can prove that it was the Pyrkagia.”

Gasps echoed around the line, and Cinradahs recoiled in shock. While he didn't quite believe it, he could understand it; the Pyrkagia had been enemies with both the Adjeti and their Orban allies since they encountered one another, and, from what he had read, the Primary at the time pushed for the World-Burner to be used on Oblivion; what a way to dispose of two races they despised. Why had no-one seen this?

“Yes, the Orbans had wanted to stop fighting the Pyrkagia. Yes, the Adjeti were annoyed. But we would not have fired on them; it was purely defensive against any hostile beings entering our Empire from beyond the stars.” Keinam glanced around, as if looking for something. “Ha'kuun. Come here.”

A black humanoid walked over. With a smaller body and longer limbs, this thing looked truly alien even before Cinradahs saw its single eye. “What the hell is that?” He muttered.

Keinam shot him a disgusted look. “Show some respect.” He turned to look at the hideous creature.

The thing bowed in front of the two leaders. “Human leader. Keinam.” It returned to a standing position as Cinradahs touched his temple; it sounded like the voice was in his head.

“It's ok.” Keinam muttered. “That's how Orbans speak; through your head.”

“My name is Ha'kuun.” The line of people nearby could obviously hear him now. “And I am one of the last Orbans.”

Cinradahs knew that he should have been as shocked as the crowd, but he just wasn't; evidently, his reactions had been blunted. “Orbans?” Cinradahs asked. “You didn't die out?”

“Not all of us. There are seven of us left.” Cinradahs raised an eyebrow at Ha'kuun's optimistic approach. “Thanks to the Pyrkagia.” The voice in Cinradahs's head seemed to somehow curdle. “We will kill them. Destroy them as they destroyed us.”

Cinradahs nodded, dazed. “Yes.” He turned to Keinam. “How did Oblivion survive?”

Keinam called to another Adjeti. “Otor!”

Another Adjeti came forward, covered in scar tissue and bruises. Cinradahs couldn't help but feel pity for him; he looked like he'd been tortured.

Otor nodded at Cinradahs and Ha'kuun. “Oblivion survived thanks to me and Keinam. We got wind of the plan to destroy our world, but we also worked out that you had only one way to do so; firing the World-Burner's laser through the Oblivion Gateway. We didn't have much time, so all we could do was simply change the gateway's coordinates, meaning it led from this Empire, to some dead world we'd found centuries before. Unfortunately, the gateway was built from this side, meaning that we neglected to put the controls on both sides; the Adjeti had no way back when the coordinates changed.” Otor cleared his throat. “I ended up on Xaos, stranded and unable to leave. Until I was captured, tortured, and forced to make an “Earth-Scorcher” for their army.” Cinradahs couldn't help feeling sorry for him. “Eventually, I convinced him that my world was alive and we would join his army. He allowed me to go to the Gateway, and I changed the coordinates back, forming the link to Oblivion once more.”

Cinradahs nodded. “Actually a brilliant plan.” He meant that genuinely. Then something occurred to him. “You built the Earth-Scorcher?”

Otor knelt down in front of Cinradahs, head down. “There is nothing I can do but apologise and hope you all forgive me.” Otor paused. “They tortured me, threatened to kill me; I had to survive to bring everyone back!” He finished in a small voice. “I never thought they'd use it.”

“What is the Earth-Scorcher?” Keinam asked.

“A weapon similar to the World-Burner, but smaller in scale.” Otor muttered.

“The Xaosians used it on Raan.” Cinradahs said, before remembering what Xaos had said. “He said that he need to kill the humans to unleash the-”

“Corlens.” Keinam nodded. “Much more powerful than your primitive race.” Cinradahs's face twisted into what he knew was annoyance, and Keinam smiled to see the expression. “The Xaosians will pay even more now. Maybe we'll exterminate them.”

Cinradahs looked at Keinam with wide eyes. “Exterminate them? No! You punish those who need punishing, no more.”

Keinam closed the distance between them with a single step. “Did anyone give my race that mercy? No thought besides extermination. While I'm glad you evolved from your aggressive natures, I hadn't expected you to become so naïve to your former mistakes.”

Cinradahs stepped back. “You know I had no part in your punishment; don't take it out on the entire human race.”

Keinam faltered. “I guess you're right.”

“I don't blame you for being bitter though.” Cinradahs massaged his shoulder; it hurt like a bitch.

It looked like Keinam was going to retort, but he calmed himself. “I have a deal for you: we will help you defeat the Xaosians in war – no extermination – if we can wreak our revenge on the Pyrkagia.”

Cinradahs sighed; he was in charge, it was all on him. Again. He felt he made the right decision before, and there was no way he could defeat the Xaosians without them. “Your revenge on the Pyrkagia?”

“I won't exterminate them, if that's what you want to hear. I will defeat them.” Keinam's tone seemed suspicious, but Cinradahs ignored it. “Get up Otor.”

Otor stood, head still bowed.

Cinradahs looked at the pathetic Adjeti, and then at Keinam, before extending a hand. “Allies?” He asked.

Keinam smiled, and took his head. “You're not bad... for a human. Allies.”

They shook, and then broke apart.

“First thing's first.” Keinam's tone was more authoritative now. “We should check out the Raanian situation; Corlens are dangerous creatures if disturbed. Undisturbed, they're quite docile, but I imagine that the earthquake probably riled them up.”

Cinradahs nodded. “Let's get the injured patched up before we go.”

Keinam nodded, leading Ha'kuun and his Adjeti away. “We'll be waiting by our ships.”

Saiun jogged over to Cinradahs. “You ok?” He put his hand on Cinradahs's wound and called for a doctor. One stepped forward and began to get to work on Cinradahs's shoulder.

“I'm fine.” Cinradahs grabbed Saiun's hand and squeezed it gently. “I'm fine.”