Read Online Purge of Prometheus by Jon Messenger - Free Book Online
Authors: Jon Messenger
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an end to this monster, once and for all. We did not fly halfway across the known universe simply to strike the head from the beast and then limp home to await its rebirth. Today, I lead you all to battle against the rest of the Terran monster. I know you all are tired. I know that the battle for Earth has been hard fought with many losses to our brave soldiers. But I ask that you not give up now. I ask that you find strength for one more fight and help me destroy the Terran Fleet once and for all.”
Her noble speech done, Captain Hodge began issuing commands. “All ground forces, report to transport ships for immediate lifts to your awaiting Cruisers and Frigates. Ships of the Alliance Fleet, prepare your navigation and tactical stations to receive new coordinates for immediate departure once ground forces are secured. Ladies and gentlemen, soldiers of Alliance, today marks the beginning of the end for a war that has lasted much too long. Revolution , signing off.”
The crew on the bridge smiled warmly at her speech, feeling bolstered by her words. Only Yen still frowned. She noticed his displeasure and arched an eyebrow. “You didn’t approve of the speech?”
“You conveniently forgot to mention that all their loved ones will die anyway, once the Deplitoxide finds their galaxies’ suns,” he said bitterly.
“I didn’t forget,” she hissed quietly enough that only Yen and she could hear. “Some things are better not mentioned. Right now, they need to think the end is in sight. They need hope more than anything else, and telling them about what’s happening on their home worlds will rob them of that hope”
Yen felt his headache spreading, tingling in his shoulders and arms. “Our soldiers are not to be toyed with. They are not your playthings!”
“No,” she yelled at him, startling the rest of the crew, “but they are soldiers and they will follow orders, much like I expect you to do. Our conversation is done, Squadron Commander!”
Yen spun and stormed off the bridge as transport ships began docking with the Cruiser. He stormed through the hall, heading toward his cabin, and shoved aside crew and workers who ran hurriedly to their stations in preparation for departure from orbit. By the time he reached his cabin, the air around him shimmered violently and the power flowed visibly from his body in pale blue tendrils of psionic power, feeding off his anger. Like parasites, the tendrils drained his own strength to fuel theirs, leaving him weak as he staggered into his cabin. He stumbled toward the table in the center of the room, his black eyes glazed and unseeing and his thin lips pressed tightly together, drained of blood. As he leaned heavily against the table, one of the tendrils lashed out and struck the chair nearby, shattering its back and twisting the metal frame.
Closing his eyes tightly, he concentrated on reining in the power; he tried to pull the lashing tendrils back within his body. Sweat broke out across his handsome face as he strained. The force of restraining his power felt like an attempt to harness the might of a supernova and force it into his skull. The strength of his psychic power seemed too great to be contained in within his weak form. Struggling, he regulated his breathing and chanted his mantra, slowly at first as he fought for breath, soon relaxing into the familiar cadence he’d used as long as he could remember.
Yen had once been a master of his power, his strength evolving over the past few years into a formidable might. But since overextending himself in order to defeat the Terran psychic, his ability to manage his power was running like sand through his fingers. He retained enough control to push people aside or destroy a computer screen, but the true power had grown its own sentience and no longer desired to respond to his command. A reflection of his own darkness and
Her noble speech done, Captain Hodge began issuing commands. “All ground forces, report to transport ships for immediate lifts to your awaiting Cruisers and Frigates. Ships of the Alliance Fleet, prepare your navigation and tactical stations to receive new coordinates for immediate departure once ground forces are secured. Ladies and gentlemen, soldiers of Alliance, today marks the beginning of the end for a war that has lasted much too long. Revolution , signing off.”
The crew on the bridge smiled warmly at her speech, feeling bolstered by her words. Only Yen still frowned. She noticed his displeasure and arched an eyebrow. “You didn’t approve of the speech?”
“You conveniently forgot to mention that all their loved ones will die anyway, once the Deplitoxide finds their galaxies’ suns,” he said bitterly.
“I didn’t forget,” she hissed quietly enough that only Yen and she could hear. “Some things are better not mentioned. Right now, they need to think the end is in sight. They need hope more than anything else, and telling them about what’s happening on their home worlds will rob them of that hope”
Yen felt his headache spreading, tingling in his shoulders and arms. “Our soldiers are not to be toyed with. They are not your playthings!”
“No,” she yelled at him, startling the rest of the crew, “but they are soldiers and they will follow orders, much like I expect you to do. Our conversation is done, Squadron Commander!”
Yen spun and stormed off the bridge as transport ships began docking with the Cruiser. He stormed through the hall, heading toward his cabin, and shoved aside crew and workers who ran hurriedly to their stations in preparation for departure from orbit. By the time he reached his cabin, the air around him shimmered violently and the power flowed visibly from his body in pale blue tendrils of psionic power, feeding off his anger. Like parasites, the tendrils drained his own strength to fuel theirs, leaving him weak as he staggered into his cabin. He stumbled toward the table in the center of the room, his black eyes glazed and unseeing and his thin lips pressed tightly together, drained of blood. As he leaned heavily against the table, one of the tendrils lashed out and struck the chair nearby, shattering its back and twisting the metal frame.
Closing his eyes tightly, he concentrated on reining in the power; he tried to pull the lashing tendrils back within his body. Sweat broke out across his handsome face as he strained. The force of restraining his power felt like an attempt to harness the might of a supernova and force it into his skull. The strength of his psychic power seemed too great to be contained in within his weak form. Struggling, he regulated his breathing and chanted his mantra, slowly at first as he fought for breath, soon relaxing into the familiar cadence he’d used as long as he could remember.
Yen had once been a master of his power, his strength evolving over the past few years into a formidable might. But since overextending himself in order to defeat the Terran psychic, his ability to manage his power was running like sand through his fingers. He retained enough control to push people aside or destroy a computer screen, but the true power had grown its own sentience and no longer desired to respond to his command. A reflection of his own darkness and
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