Chapter 17
Dressed in his metallic blue battle armor and accompanied by Smardwurst, X, and Jenara, Ned walked into yet another conference room. The activator pin was in his pocket, along with his Plasma Crystal. General Marnax sat at a round table in the center of the room with Marvis Harvey and several other people Ned did not know, although he did recognize Mirana Kelar from his stay at Varlax Kanlor. Rows of seats lined the walls. They were mostly empty, but a few aides to those at the table sat there. Ned did not know how StarBlazer was actually governed, but it was apparent that it would be impossible to put a representative from every world in the Alliance on the Council.
Ned’s companions stopped at the row of seats and sat down. Ned, as he had been instructed, continued forward and took the last remaining chair at the conference table. Ned was nervous. He wished he could activate his suit’s helmet so he wouldn’t convey an impression of insecurity by his expression. He had never intended to sit on a governing council of any kind, even if it was just to discuss the services he was willing and able to offer. He had been through worse situations, though, so he kept himself together.
General Marnax rose.
“Greetings, Representatives. Despite all our precautions and the development of our anathelium particle beam, the Anacron Empire has defeated us and taken the world of Ergana Prime. After careful analysis of the battle, Major Marvis Harvey has concluded that this loss was due to a leakage of information regarding the particle beam. I’ll leave it to him to explain the details.”
Harvey explained to the Council what he had explained to General Marnax a few days earlier. No one could shed any more light on the subject; there did not seem to be anyone who could have known enough about the project and had the opportunity to transmit it to the Anacron Empire without being detected.
“If someone can find out about that, then they could find out about anything,” Squignus Frangeld of Plarthron remarked. “For all we know the spy is here, and anything we plan will be leaked as well.”
“I share your concern, Councilor,” Marnax replied, “but I am not sure the situation is quite as bad as it might seem. First of all, I do not believe that our spy is one of us. If he were, he would have been able to do more than leak the plans for our weapon. He would have been able to use our computers to scramble our communications, and possibly order several of our ships to self-destruct. If one of us were a spy, I do not believe that we would have salvaged enough ships from Ergana Prime to form a parade, let alone an army. Besides, what we are doing here is merely informing each other of facts that the Empire probably already knows. I assure you that all tactical plans will be kept under even more security than usual, if that is possible.”
Major Harvey continued. “In addition, we are putting forth every effort toward finding the cause of the information leak. I expect all of you to keep a sharp eye open for anything that might shed some light on the subject. Those who worked on the particle beam project are being very cooperative and have agreed to remain together at a location that will remain secret and heavily fortified. If any of them are the spy then this will eliminate the problem, but I doubt that any of them are. They were thoroughly researched before they were accepted for work on the project.”
“There is another matter demanding our attention,” Marnax said, “but first I would like to introduce you to a man I met recently. His name is Nedward Simmons, and his story is a rather astounding one. He is from the planet called Earth, known to us as the legendary Terrus, the ancient homeworld of the Anacronians. He traveled here through a recently-discovered hyperspace vortex to aid us in our fight against the Anacron Empire.
“Mr. Simmons has obtained possession of what we now know to be the once-lost Anacron Shield Plasma Crystal – the Crystal that gave Koral Ralok his power. Ned has just returned from the planet Palandora inside the Uraxis Nebula, where Koral and a group of his followers lived. On Palandora Ned developed his power, and he is now ready to use that power against the Empire. As I said, this is a rather astounding story, and Ned will now answer any questions you might have. However, in order to keep this meeting to a reasonable time frame, I ask that you ask only questions pertaining to the situation at hand, not about his recent past, interesting as that may be. I will fill in such details for you all at a later, more appropriate time.”
One of the councilmembers gave Ned a suspicious look. “If you really are a Plasma Master, then your power will be a great benefit to us. But I think the main question that needs to be answered here is, what can you actually do?”
Ned took a deep breath. “The Shield Crystal protects me from all damage. In effect, I’m invincible, although I still need things like food and water to survive. I can also use Blast Plasma; in other words, I can use the Plasma force as a weapon. To give you an idea of the extent of my power, on Palandora I was attacked by Kayleen Rax and Markan Dren, the other Plasma Masters. I withstood a prolonged attack from Rax’s Blast Plasma, and I then absorbed her power and turned it against her. I must have at least damaged her suit, because she left the planet rather than continue fighting. I’m sure you’d all feel better seeing my power first-hand, and I’m sure General Marnax can arrange that.”
Then Marvis Harvey said, to the Council rather than to Ned personally, “General Marnax has made it public knowledge that Markan Dren was killed in the battle Ned referred to. Certainly that is a good sign for us. But really, what difference does it make what the Plasma Masters do? It was Devastator that defeated us at Ergana Prime, and our spy, not the Plasma force. It is the Empire’s superiority in numbers that impedes our military progress, not the Plasma force. Even if Ned Simmons were to destroy Kayleen Rax, what difference would it make? It might do some good if he could destroy Dark Viper, but someone would probably take his place. And apparently even Ned does not claim to be able to defeat the Emperor. So what exactly are we suggesting that we do here? If we could get him onto an enemy starship or space station he might be able to cause a significant amount of damage, but it seems to me that he would merely be contained somehow and tossed into space. Forgive my pessimism, but I am not convinced that the Plasma force is all that relevant here.”
Marnax was stunned. He had not spoken with Harvey at much length about the prospect of Ned helping the Alliance, but he had not suspected that Harvey considered the matter so irrelevant. Marnax looked around the table to judge others’ reactions. They were mixed. Ned simply looked nervous. Mirana Kelar dropped her face into her hand and shook her head. “Stupid,” she muttered.
Marnax turned to her. “Mirana?”
She looked up at him as if she were surprised at being asked to speak. “This is exactly the kind of thinking Dark Viper wants to encourage. If we deny his power, we won’t fight it, and if we don’t fight it, we can’t defeat it. Without Viper’s Plasma, Devastator would be nothing. Venom would not exist. His image of power and invincibility would crumble. Without the Plasma, Dark Viper would fall. And if Dark Viper falls, the Empire falls with him.”
There was silence for a moment, then Harvey said, “Wait, just a minute. How does Viper’s power have anything to do with Devastator or Venom?”
“I don’t know how. If I did, I’d probably have the same power he does, and then I wouldn’t have to listen to your ludicrosity.”
“Then what, exactly, are you trying to say?”
“I’m saying that your military efforts, valiant as they may be, will ultimately fail. Every victory you earn takes time, and Dark Viper uses that time to build his power. If you let him, he’ll build up so much power that he’ll be able to strike down your entire fleet by himself, with no army at all. Your only chance at real victory is to destroy him before he can do that. And the only chance you have of defeating him is sitting right there.” She indicated Ned with a nod of her head, but her statement was devoid of admiration or confidence. She said it as a simple fact. “You get Ned Simmons inside Venom and have him destroy Dark Viper, or you all die.”
Harvey did not hav
e a quick answer to that, but he was obviously not convinced. This time no one spoke for several seconds, and all eyes were turned toward Ned. He decided he had better say something.
“If that’s what’s necessary, then that’s what I’ll do. Major Harvey is right about one thing at least – I can’t defeat Dark Viper yet. I need practice. Maybe you should try planting me on a space station or a starship and seeing what kind of damage I can do. With the right planning I think something like that would work. What I’d really like to do, though, is to find Kayleen Rax. Besides punishing her for what she did on Palandora, fighting her again would probably prepare me better than anything else for a confrontation with Dark Viper.”
Mirana was nodding, but again she waited to be asked to speak.
“You agree, Mirana?” Marnax prompted.
“Yes. If Ned can’t defeat Rax, then he won’t stand a chance against someone who really knows about the Plasma.”
“You don’t think Rax really knows about it?”
“Not compared to Dark Viper she doesn’t. And besides, despite what Major Harvey might think, I think that the little incident on Grenotia proves that she is capable of a great deal. Getting her out of the way is a very good idea.”
Ned was confused. “What incident is this?”
Marnax gave Mirana a slightly irritated glance. “We wanted to wait to discuss this until everyone was acquainted with you and had some idea of your abilities, Ned. But I suppose that has been accomplished as well as it can be for the moment. Shortly after you left the Uraxis Nebula we received reports from the planet Grenotia. It was attacked by a ship we now believe was Black Fang. It destroyed Grenotia’s spaceports and planetary defenses. Following the initial attack, survivors report that a yellow light moved from community to community, destroying everything it touched. Then Black Fang destroyed Grenotia’s gravity generator and left. There were thousands of casualties, and those who survived are now looking desperately for new homes.”
“Grenotia was not part of StarBlazer,” Harvey said. “The only reason I can think of that Rax would want to attack it is that it would be an easy target.”
Ned shook his head. “I’m confused. If Rax couldn’t even defeat me, then how could she destroy an entire planet?”
“She didn’t,” Marnax said. “Most Grenotians live in wooden buildings – or they did. She probably just started fires in the right places. The people didn’t have a chance to get out. And she didn’t do it all at once. Reports say that the light lasted for a few hours.”
“But why use Blast Plasma? Couldn’t she have done at least that much damage with her ship’s weapons?”
“Ask her,” Harvey said quietly.
“What?”
Harvey looked at Marnax, and Marnax nodded. “We received a transmission from Black Fang shortly after the attack. Text only. Rax wants you to contact her. We tried contacting her ourselves, but she’ll only talk to you, alone. We wanted to have this meeting before you did so.”
A cold feeling settled in Ned’s stomach. “She can’t possibly be asking to fight me. In a battle between her and me, I’d win. I can absorb her attacks, and she can’t hurt me. She wouldn’t stand a chance. When I said I wanted to fight her, I meant we should set some sort of trap or something.”
Harvey looked at Ned knowingly. “Oh, this most certainly is a trap, Ned. Sure, you might be able to beat her in a fair fight, but a fair fight is not what she’s got in mind.” Harvey turned to Marnax. “Ned shouldn’t even contact her. If you want to make use of him, we should train him and send him with an invasion force. We can use him in our next attack. I don’t think it will do much good, but we can’t just send him to his death.”
“What do you think, Ned?” Marnax asked.
“I agree with Major Harvey. I think…” Ned trailed off. He had noticed Mirana Kelar staring right at him. He was reminded of the first time he had seen her, on Varlax Kanlor. She looked dangerous, and Ned was glad she was on his side. He was even more glad she had so much confidence in him. But Mirana was telling him something with that stare, and he believed he knew what it was. He forced himself to look away from Mirana’s harsh gaze.
“Um, General? I’m don’t know exactly what Kayleen Rax wants, but maybe I should at least call her. If she wants to fight, we can make sure it’s on our terms. But if I’m ever going to test my power against another Plasma Master, this is the only way. We’ll never catch her any other way. And if I don’t defeat her soon, she’ll just keep preying on innocent worlds like Grenotia. I have to defeat her soon. But first I have to talk to her.”
Ned almost thought he detected the faintest trace of a smile cross Mirana’s lips.
The Council agreed with Ned’s choice to contact Kayleen Rax, and Marnax promised him transportation to wherever he needed to go, should he choose to accept the Blast Master’s offer, whatever it turned out to be. Marvis Harvey strongly discouraged Ned from trusting her even the slightest bit, and Ned promised he would be careful. Then the Council adjourned, and General Marnax led Ned to a small communications room where a screen occupied an entire wall. There was a control panel in the center of the room, and standing behind it Ned felt like he was at a podium preparing to give a speech.
Marnax put a hand on Ned’s shoulder. “Of course we’ll be intercepting this entire transmission, but I have a feeling that Rax will cut it off if we try to say anything, so you’re pretty much on your own. Are you ready?”
Ned said he was, and General Marnax left. Ned looked down at his battle suit, hoping it would make him look more formidable. Then he used the console in front of him to key in the transmission code to Black Fang and waited for a response. It came almost immediately. An inverted, red triangle behind a black letter “A” appeared on the screen – the symbol of the Anacron Empire. It was quickly replaced by the face of a woman who looked to be in her mid to late thirties, as measured by Earth time. Ironically, her demeanor was rather pleasant.
“Good afternoon, Ned,” she said with a smile. “I’m honored to meet you face to face at last.”
Ned was shocked. “Honored? You tried to kill me last time we met.”
“No, no. I would not have killed you. I was merely attempting to weaken you enough to take back for the Emperor what rightly belongs to him.”
“You mean my Crystal.”
Rax sighed. “Ned, I am afraid you have been sadly misled. The StarBlazer Alliance is not the noble organization you have been led to believe, nor is the Anacron Empire the monster you have been told it is.”
“I’m listening, but I’m not very convinced.”
“Ned, have you ever given consideration to the fact that the only people you have talked to outside of Earth have been members of StarBlazer and its allies? You have not even heard our side of the story.”
“I’ve heard this before, Rax. I’ve taken history classes. The fact is, I’ve seen you annihilate Ergana Prime after it was already in your hands and defenseless, attack the neutral world of Palandora without provocation, and murder Koral Ralok.” Ned choked back tears; he had not wanted to become emotional here, but he was talking to the killer of the only man in the universe who had been able to help him to control his new power, and that was not an easy fact to forget.
“Ned, no. You have things totally backward. That is why I called you. I would like the opportunity to explain the truth of the situation to you, in person. Will you agree to meet me at a neutral location? We can talk, and then go our separate ways if you don’t believe me.”
“Why not just tell me now?”
“I would really prefer to speak in person. But, as a sign of good faith, I will tell you as much as I can right now.
“First of all, the Shield Crystal never actually belonged to Koral. All of the Crystals belong to the Emperor; he merely loaned them out to others so that the power could be spread. He asked for the Imperial Council’s approval when he wished to join them, but only out of politeness. He had every right to simply take them back. Koral st
ole the Shield Crystal when he left, but the Emperor decided not to press charges, since once the Crystal was lost there was nothing that could be done about it.
“Then you came along. Dark Viper knew that you would seek out Koral in order to learn more about the Plasma force, so he sent Markan Dren and me to intercept you before Koral had the chance to turn you against us. But we were too late. We were admittedly a bit harsh when we arrived on Palandora, but that was because we knew that we would receive no cooperation from Narkus Trennon. I know the man, and he is incredibly stubborn and short-sighted. We did not want to kill either you or Koral; we simply wanted the Crystal returned. We were fairly sure that diplomacy would not work to this end – not while Koral was there feeding you false information about us. So, I tried to incapacitate you, to exhaust you to the point where we could take you with us. I would not have harmed you even if it were possible.
“Koral’s death was an unfortunate accident. This will be difficult for you to understand, but it was not really my fault. Wait – let me explain. Dark Viper had suspected for some time that Markan was not completely loyal to his cause. Markan was always one to try to be the best, and he had displayed an attitude of wanting to become more powerful than the Emperor. Still, the Emperor is a trusting man, and he had no evidence of Markan’s disloyalty, so Viper allowed Markan to maintain his status as Plasma Master.
“But then came our battle on Palandora, and Markan’s true intentions were revealed. When you extended your Shield Plasma around Koral, Markan believed that Koral had somehow gotten the Crystal back from you. He decided that he would take Koral with him back to Black Fang, and then I’m sure he would have tried to destroy you, me, and the rest of Palandora. But I detected his plan as he began to extend his Vortex Plasma around Koral, so I attacked him. This put me at great risk, mind you; I left myself exposed to attack, and if you had not been focusing your power on Koral, you could have destroyed me easily. Incidentally, I thank you for not doing that.
“Dren shouted at me to let him go, that he would destroy me if I did not. It was through our helmet communicators, of course, so you could not hear. You could not have known, Ned, but your shield was actually protecting Markan as well as Koral. That was why I attacked you. I knew what would happen if Markan escaped; his power was too great for me to allow him to turn it against the Empire.
“So finally I destroyed his Crystal. It exploded, and Markan was killed in the process. Koral was killed as well, but it was Markan’s fault, not mine. I’m truly sorry it happened, Ned. I did not personally like the man, but he did not deserve to die.”
Now Ned was really confused. He tried and tried, but he could not find a single flaw in Rax’s story. And she seemed so sincere! When he was silent for a moment, she spoke again.
“So, will you meet with me?”
Ned looked up at her. Whether or not she was telling the truth in this instance, he did not trust her motives. “If you want to meet with me, come to Galactron.”
Rax chuckled. “And let Gerran Marnax capture me? Surely you can’t expect me to do that anymore than I would expect you to come to Venom. We’ll meet on Brenaria. It’s a neutral world, and its people can be trusted to set up a fair meeting between the two of us. We’ll both have Brenarian ships pick us up on planets at least a day’s travel away. I can see that makes you uncomfortable, but really, don’t you think I’m the one who should be nervous? You can’t be harmed, and I can. You can absorb my power. I’m putting a great deal of trust in you, Ned. This whole arrangement is off if you won’t agree to these terms, and if you won’t promise not to attack me. What do you say?”
“I’ll have to talk to General Marnax before I make any agreements.”
“No. I don’t want him to influence your decision. This is between you and me.”
Ned did not like this at all, but he could think of no other alternative. “I’ll come. If you can convince General Marnax that you’re coming alone and that our meeting site is secure, I’ll let the Brenarians pick me up on a planet that he chooses, at least a day’s travel away. And I promise that I won’t attack you if I’m not attacked or otherwise threatened. No other members of the Empire come within a day of us, arranged or not. Keep your people at least a day away from Brenaria. If you can’t convince Marnax that everything’s safe, the whole deal’s off.”
“You sound like an attorney. I may or may not be able to convince General Marnax of anything, but if he’s not convinced I don’t want him sending you anyway, along with a fleet of attack ships.”
“I guess neither of us trusts the other much. Not a very good start, is it?”
“All right. If Marnax agrees to this plan, he notifies the Brenarians. I’ll do the same. Once Marnax has told them he agrees, all matters of trust are up to them, not Marnax, not me. Agreed?”
Ned felt trapped, but rather than just concede he decided to put a little flair into his answer. “Agreed.” Throbbing tendrils of Plasma surged across Ned’s body, and he activated his suit’s helmet. “Try anything, and I’ll bring your entire Empire crashing down around your head. Simmons out.” Ned filled the room with flash of blue light and cut the transmission.