Authors: Barlow,M
Alex climbed the metal stairs to the upper floor. Before he reached the top, a Manakari soldier looked down and fired his weapon. The shield absorbed the hit. Alex raised his hand and sent a telekinesis wave that torpedoed the soldier up toward the ceiling.
More Manakari soldiers rushed to his location. Two strong arms grabbed him and tossed him. Before his body hit the wall, Alex warped near the ceiling. He fired a large wave toward the soldiers and knocked them back, then he landed on his feet.
Dozens of Manakaris poured into the large hall. Alex and his team fired their weapons and sent telekinesis waves, but it wasn’t enough. They were outnumbered.
Then Korran soldiers rushed in. Two teams blasted through the floor of the hall and attacked the Manakaris. Their attacks were swift and focused. Although they were smaller, they dominated their enemy and used their numbers to their advantage.
They never fought alone. Always in teams, always orchestrated. One would hit a Manakari then move to another one. Two Korrans would hit the first Manakari and switch to others. The Manakari soldiers were no match for their speed or their skill. A thousand years of refined training in action. Alex sprinted through the side door to the next hall.
*****
She killed him. Mara stared at the limp body of Emperor Porje. A ruler driven by revenge and hate.
A Korran creation.
Her body froze in an agitated state. Mara couldn’t hear or see anything around her. Her core burned, her skin glowed, and her eyes seared her sockets. She felt as if she surrendered her body to a powerful demon that, now, refused to leave.
“Mara.”
“Mara!”
“Mara, are you okay?” Alex asked and tapped her shoulder gently.
It took her a while to come to her senses.
“The ship is clear,” Alex said.
Her body relaxed. Her bright eyes faded until they became dark. And she stood still. She had her revenge. For her mother. For her world.
The Korran and human teams took over the ship and landed it in the middle of the base. She rushed to the command center. Shara still hadn’t returned.
“It’s over,” Mara said.
Noah sighed. “Well done, Shara hunted down the ghost ships. She’s on her way back.”
“Incredible!”
Noah smiled. “She had help.”
Mara’s eyes widened. “Help?”
“Alissara warped seconds after you left. She destroyed a few battleships then chased the ghost ship and helped Shara destroy them.”
Mara smiled, relieved. “Are the cities safe?”
Noah shook his head, and he lowered his gaze to the floor. “Six cities sustained heavy damage. Thousands died. But it’s over now.”
Mara threw her body in the nearest seat and removed her top armor. Her shoulder was bleeding. Noah called one of the medical officers who rushed to patch up her wound. Mara closed her eyes. The medic’s gentle touches felt like sharp daggers. She could hear Emily’s voice in another message. Mara opened her eyes.
“I’m detecting a small ship, heading to earth,” Emily said.
The words of Porje played in Mara’s head ‘you lose’. Was that what he meant?
Mara pushed the medical officer’s hand away and darted to the hologram. “Do you have an image?”
A picture filled the hologram. One pilot or unmanned ship blazing past the moon and heading to earth.
“It’s a planet destroyer like the one that destroyed Korr.”
Noah’s jaw dropped. “What?”
“The Emperor said that he’d achieved his goal because he knew if he lost, his people will deliver the bomb and kill us all.”
“Is there any way to stop it?”
“Yes, have Emily guide me. I’ll take intercept,” Mara said and darted outside the base.
In a minute, Mara took off at maximum speed. Her ship left the atmosphere and followed the directions Emily sent her for a few minutes until she saw the ship. She maneuvered to intercept it, without detonating the bomb.
Before she reached it, a yellow light flashed past her. Her mother’s royal ship swallowed the small ship and vanished before Mara could do anything.
“Emily, what happened?”
“The Queen, she warped outside the galaxy.”
Mara ended the message and turned her ship around to the command center. When she arrived, Shara and Alissara were there.
Alissara sat down in a chair and rested her head on her hand. Her body was shaking. Shara stood behind her. She leaned forward and stroked Alissara’s back. Shara’s eyes were dark, void of life. Noah sat down across the holograms, his eyes watering. Alex stood next to him in complete silence.
“What happened?”
“Mother recovered minutes ago out of nowhere,” Shara said. “Her pilots detected the destroyer, and she ordered them to take it out before it destroyed Earth.” Shara looked up at Mara, her face pale as a ghost. “I tried to teleport her out of the ship, but I couldn’t... I couldn’t save her.”
Mara hugged Shara for a while before she tapped Alissara’s shoulder. Her younger sister didn’t lift her head. Mara swung around and accepted condolences from Noah and Alex.
There were no winners today.
The Manakaris died. Their race seized to exist. Humans lost tens of thousands of lives. And they lost their mother.
A chirp from the computer caught Mara’s attention, a transmission from outer space. Alissara shot to her feet, and Shara leaned forward and played the message.
In the transmission, The Queen stood on her feet. Her skin green, and her posture straight. She was as healthy as she’d ever been.
“My daughters, the light of my days. I can’t tell you how happy I’m that you found the Last of Korr. That you are no longer alone in the universe. Whatever you decide to do next, I want you to know that I love you. I’m proud of you and what you’ve achieved on Korr and on Earth.”
The Queen lowered her gaze for a moment before she looked at the hologram, her green eyes dimmed. “Porje plans to destroy this world. The way he destroyed ours. I will intercept his weapon to save you. To save this world. I have no regrets, giving my life to save yours. Whatever happens, stick together. It’s the only way you’ll survive. To my people, Mara is your new Queen. May she restore our once great civilization.”
*****
June 15, 2032
Fireworks lit up the sky. Colorful lights reflected on the Great Pyramids. And symphonic music filled the air.
With a wide smile on her face, Dara stepped forward and bent down to place a green crown on Mara’s head.
Mara got to her feet and faced her sisters and a thousand Korrans behind them who bowed in respect for her—the new Queen. Humans lined up on the sides to witness the royal inauguration. She saw Nick, Noah, Alex, Gabriel, Michael, and Alissara’s friend, Hala.
Two worlds were at her feet.
She hovered forward to the stage and faced her audience, her gaze down and her eyes dim. “The worst day of my life led to a journey that transformed me and my sisters. The destruction of Korr took my world away and gave me another. It took my mother and brought me closer to my sisters. It took billions of Korrans from me and gave me the Last of Korr. I cannot change the past and bring back the ones I’ve lost, but I will spend my years treasuring the ones I have. I will honor the memory of my mother, Queen Carilia. Without her sacrifice, none of us would be here today.”
Mara opened her eyes and faced the crowd. “I have decided to look for a new home for my people and rebuild our civilization. We’ll always be in contact with Earth and revisit. May our brief time here bring you eternal prosperity and peace.”
Shara and Alissara rushed to her once the ritual was complete.
Mara hugged her sisters and Dara. She accepted congratulations from her friends, presidents, heads of governments, and army generals.
An hour later, Mara and her sisters boarded the Korran battleship and nine more followed. A gift of Earth. To find another world. To rebuild Korr.
But first, she’d visit the place where her mother died. She would pay her respects and tell her mother what she never said. Mara wanted to tell her that even though she didn’t agree with what her mother did thousands of years ago, she understood why her mother did it. Why she invaded Krath, sheltered her and her sisters, and enforced a strict military lifestyle on Korr.
She never had the chance to tell her mother she was proud of her sense of duty and selflessness. To tell her that as the new Queen, Mara would find her people a home. She would become a mother to Alissara, an older sister to Shara, and a good ruler to the rest of Korr.
*****
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