Alliance of Serpents (23 page)

On the first morning, he had arranged to
train with Rollock. It was there that Rollock introduced him to the
other three. They each had enormous potential in Arus' opinion,
held back only by a lack of experience. Timen was a fair-skinned
Thanai who was always polishing his sword. He was younger than Arus
by nearly a year, and it showed in the youthful chubbiness of his
cheeks, though he was not overweight by any means. He held an
insatiable thirst for knowledge behind his sparkling eyes of blue,
and his closely cropped blond hair reminded Arus of little Max
Nadealai from back home. Nat was a human with shaggy curls of brown
hair and shifty eyes that reminded Arus of Nevin's. The young man
was great with a sword, though he never seemed capable of admitting
when he'd made a mistake even when it cost him the match. Rollock
was surprisingly swift for a Svodesian. Despite his unusually large
belly, he darted around with the quickness of a rabbit, making his
drooping ears seem more sensible. Tam's biggest asset was his
strength. A human with dark hair and a budding beard, Tam's
muscular arms seemed capable of handling any weapon with ease.
During the course of battle, he'd rotate through an arsenal of
weapons he had dangling from his belt, switching from sword to axe
to club to spear like they were regularly used appendages of his
body.

It was Arus who set the pace most often,
swinging his weapon in such a blur that the others had no choice
but to struggle to keep up or withdraw from the fight. They were
very gracious about their defeat, though Nat always seemed to have
a convenient health issue to explain his inability to win. He was
never arrogant about it, but it was clear that he wasn't the sort
to openly accept that his skills couldn't match Arus' own. It
mattered little in the end, though, and Arus didn't hold it against
him. It reminded him a little of Anton, minus the attitude.

Each morning session was usually followed by
a few hours in the simulator. It wasn't long before he had mastered
each obstacle course and conquered every combat challenge.
Occasionally, he'd link his systems up with others who were
training at the same time and practice with them. It helped give
him a wider perspective on starfighter combat strategy and flight
tactics by exposing him to real pilots as opposed to the
preprogrammed enemies created by the simulator. The control stick
was beginning to feel like a part of him just as much as his sword,
though he knew there was plenty of room for improvement. No matter
how much he was taught, there would always be more to learn, and he
was happy to embrace whatever knowledge and wisdom he was
offered.

Weight training came next, followed by dinner
with Samas, Doman, and Orchi. They were an interesting trio. Arus
had first run into them while lifting weights the day that he'd
ended up going to the Observation Deck with Kitreena. Samas and
Orchi were both dark skinned humans from a world they called
Provodan, a warm world in a solar system on the far side of the
charted galaxy. They were twin-sisters with a strange sort of
telepathic connection that didn't allow them to share thoughts as
much as it did feelings. They were revered warriors on their
homeworld, able to sense each other's movements before they
happened. This gave the two of them the ability to fight as one,
stringing their attacks together in a fluid sequence of motions
that would've otherwise been impossible. And they did it all
without saying a word. Beautiful girls, in Arus' estimation, though
at least ten years older than him, with loose golden curls they
kept wrapped in tight ponytails with leather cords. Their
complexions reminded Arus of the hot chocolate Mrs. Boyer sold in
Trader's Square during the wintertime.

Doman, on the other hand, was pale-skinned
human mercenary from the southern pole of the same planet. His
burly body was covered with large jagged knives. He kept two in
leather sleeves latched to the front of his belt, another hooked to
the back, and two more attached to straps that ran vertically over
his shoulders. A slight frown seemed etched onto his broad face of
stone, though the minute he opened it, he seemed like an entirely
different person. Behind the fearsome facade was a gentle and noble
man who had nothing but kindness in his heart. Arus didn't know the
whole story of his relationship with Samas and Orchi, but he knew
that the ladies had saved him from certain death, and in return he
had pledged his lifelong protection to the two of them.

When Arus headed to the cafeteria that first
night, the three of them invited him to sit at their table. They
urged him to share his story, and so he told them of how he'd come
to reside on the
Refuge
and the unknown future he faced.
Upon learning he was a swordsman, they invited him to join them in
their sparring session following dinner. Happy to accept any chance
he could get to improve his skills, Arus quickly accepted, and the
evening workout became a part of his nightly routine for the
remainder of the week. Samas and Orchi practiced an almost
acrobatic style of hand fighting, flipping and whirling with almost
every movement while somehow always keeping their golden eyes
locked onto their opponent. They seemed to prefer hand-to-hand
combat, but when they drew weapons, they were unlike anything Arus
had ever seen. Bronze colored yet hard as steel, the blades were
inverted half-circles that were sharp on both sides and pointed
like hooks at their tips. They reminded Arus of what the opposite
of an axe might be, and they proved to be incredibly difficult to
defend against due to their shape. His sword was yanked from his
hand on more than one occasion.

Doman's knives were equally dangerous.
Despite the fact that the man had only two hands, he seemed to find
a way to make use of each blade he carried—there were four more
hidden beneath the legs of his pants, Arus later found out, two on
either side of each shin—and each blow he dealt to Arus' sword made
his bones rattle. He was a muscular powerhouse of strength, though
he never allowed his weapons to even graze his sparring partner. At
first, it seemed as though Arus would never be able to keep up with
the three of them. But the challenge was welcome; he'd have to be
able to defeat the toughest opponents if he wanted to keep anyone
from controlling him through the implant again.

The rigorous workout must've had
some
effect on him. By the end of the week, his morning training with
Rollock and the others almost seemed to be too . . .
easy
.

Rumors of the mysterious "robot boy" had
circulated throughout the ship rather quickly. Where once people
had simply nodded and smiled when passing him in the halls, they
now whispered amongst each other and sometimes stared openly at the
implant. Damien had said it was because people hadn't realized that
it was connected to his brain when he first appeared on the
Refuge
, and that as word got out that his brain and the
implant coexisted for survival—something that had never been done
before—more of the crew would begin to take notice. It was nothing
personal, just interest in a revolutionary technology. There were
hopes among many that it could lead to more advanced treatment for
people with brain disorders or those with head injuries that would
otherwise be fatal. Arus tried his best to take it all in stride.
No one he'd met was afraid of him, nor did they harbor any ill will
over what he'd done on Terranias, so he tried not to let it bother
him. Their interest in the positive possibilities of the technology
was better than having to deal with the backlash he would've had to
face if he'd gone home.

Kitreena spent many evenings with him. She
joined him for dinner with Samas, Orchi, and Doman one night, and
caught him coming out of the cafeteria on a few other occasions. He
would've spent more time with her if he could've, but her duties to
the
Refuge
kept her busy. She did join him in the simulator
on the second day, however. And on the fourth, she and Damien were
in the gym when Arus arrived early for his morning workout. He kept
his distance and watched as Damien tried to teach her how to
control her powers as a Morpher. She seemed to have already learned
to initiate her transformation by the time Arus entered; that eerie
purple light encompassed her eyes more than once. Rollock and Nat
entered as she and Damien were leaving, and both commented that
they were glad they weren't sticking around.

"I'm surprised the Captain allows her to work
on that power onboard the ship," Nat said, wringing his hands with
an exaggerated shudder. "Hope she doesn't blow us all up."

Arus laughed at the absurdity of the idea.
"No worries, Nat." He patted the young man's shoulder. "She's
capable of handling herself." Truthfully, he wasn't exactly sure
even
he
believed that considering how she'd exploded at
Cathymel. Still, he trusted Damien's judgment. He wouldn't let her
power get out of control. "I'm sure they won't endanger the
ship."

Later that night, he met up with Kitreena
following his evening workout. They wound up walking along the
corridors, talking and laughing and just enjoying the pleasure of
each other's company. Vultrel's jaw would've hit the ground if he
saw how comfortable Arus had grown to be around her; it was nothing
like he'd been around the girls on Terranias. There was a certain
connection between himself and Kitreena that didn't exist with
anyone back home. He looked forward to every moment he got to spend
with her, and whenever she popped up unannounced, it felt like the
Maker had decided to bless him a little extra that day. There was a
moment in a quiet corridor around the corner from the cafeteria
where they simply stared into each other's eyes for what seemed
like an hour, though how she could look at his mechanical eye like
a little girl adoring a fluffy rabbit was beyond his comprehension.
He almost kissed her that day, and her telepathic connection
betrayed her intention to do the same, but a call from Damien on
Kitreena's communicator interrupted them. Despite his attraction to
her, he was almost relieved. Talking with her was easy enough, but
once the possibility of something more arose, his knees began to
shake so much he nearly toppled over right in front of her. It took
all night just to calm the butterflies in his stomach.

Insomnia gripped him one evening while
thinking over everything in bed. Concern over the Kyrosen and the
Vezulian Armada and Vultrel and his mother and everything else that
had happened all piled onto itself and tied his emotions into
knots. When it became clear that sleep wasn't going to come any
time soon, he found himself wandering the corridors, trying to
settle his mind. Before he knew it, he was exiting the lift onto
the Observation Deck. The lights were dimmed and Ron was nowhere to
be seen. A lone figure, tall and ominous in his dark cloak, stood
at the far end of the dome, staring into the sea of space. His
flowing white hair gleamed against the light of the passing stars,
and he spoke without looking back. "Having trouble sleeping?"

Arus nodded as he stood beside Damien,
watching the cosmos silently glide past. "Something like that. The
further I get from home, the more I worry about the safety of
Asteria. And the rest of the Terranias, for that matter."

"Understandable." Damien's voice was low and
quiet. Almost solemn. "If it eases your concerns at all, neither
the Armada nor the Kyrosen are anywhere near Terranias
anymore."

"Really?" Arus looked up in surprise. "How
can you be sure?"

"Because they're following us."

"Oh." That brought on a whole new set of
fears, but it
was
comforting to know that Terranias was
safe. However, that meant only one thing. "They're coming after me,
then."

"It was to be expected," Damien reminded him.
"Do not worry. We will protect you. We'll reach the Aeden Outpost
before they catch us, and a good portion of the fleet has been
recalled from various outposts and planets to gather there. We'll
have plenty of support."

It all sounded like such a grand effort. And
it was all because of him. That placed a tremendous guilt on top of
everything else he'd been feeling. Plans were being altered, lives
were being changed, and people of various races from across the
universe
were placing themselves in the path of danger all
for him. In spite of his resolve to view his life experiences in a
more positive light, actually doing so was proving to be difficult.
"I apologize for the trouble I've caused. I feel terrible placing
such a burden upon you and your army. I didn't mean for all of this
to happen."

Damien's head shook ever so slightly. "No one
holds you responsible, Arus. If it hadn't been you, Truce would've
found another boy to test his experiment on. Likely one much
younger, as the design specifications called for a child under the
age of ten. Supposedly, the likelihood that the implant would
properly synchronize with the brain rises significantly with a
younger host."

"Max . . ." Arus murmured, remembering the
young boy that the Mages had tried to kidnap. "At least my
experience protected him from having to go through it."

"For now," Damien noted. "But if we fail to
get the plans for the device out of the hands of the Kyrosen and
the Armada, the children of the universe will forever be at risk of
being swept away into a cybernetic army of slaves. I fear this
won't end until both Kindel Thorus and Sartan Truce are dead." His
voice took an even more melancholy tone at that suggestion.

Arus looked up at him. The towering man's
eyes were visibly pained. "I don't like killing any more than you
do, but if they refuse to change their ways, what choice will we
have?"

Damien nodded a slow agreement. "I just hoped
to never have to face Kindel in battle. He was once a good man. I
believe he still is, despite his vile interpretation of peace. He
genuinely wants to see harmony and tranquility across the universe,
but his methods of achieving such cannot be condoned."