Starfallen led Jacek into a large white building shaped like a dome. The building was the size of a football stadium and lay adjacent to the world-famous Starfallen Spire at the southern tip of Africa.
“This way. We must hurry!” Starfallen moved with purpose entering the building with her loyal guards saluting her reflexively as she passed.
Jacek had never been invited to the Starfallen Empire much less the capital where the spire was. He had a thousand questions after being whisked away from the battlefield, “Why are we here? How is this a contingency plan?”
Starfallen led Jacek through multiple levels of security including various doors locked by both mechanical and biometric means, “It will be easier to explain once you see it. It will be more believable if it is in front of you.”
Jacek wrinkled his forehead and quietly said to himself, “What?”
He impatiently followed Starfallen expecting an answer the moment they reached their destination. After several more doors including a set of blast doors, he began to hear a loud buzz with snaps of electricity. And as they reached the center of the domed building, he finally laid his eyes upon a massive swirling portal.
The portal was circular in shape and stood 20-feet tall. Complex computer systems with cords and wires running all over the room could be seen.
Jacek stopped in his tracks as Starfallen ran off urgently speaking with her technicians and engineers.
“I know this. I’ve seen this before.” Jacek marveled at the portal.
Starfallen looked back at Jacek, and Jacek said, “This is a void portal. Just like Xenia’s.”
“Very good, Jacek. Then you know now why we are here.” Starfallen nodded to an engineer and walked back towards Jacek.
“I’m afraid I still don’t know why we are here. We’ve traveled half way across Earth to get here. And what? Now we are going to travel somewhere else on Earth?” Jacek remained confused as he had only seen void portals work within Earth itself.
Starfallen grabbed Jacek’s arm and looked him in the eyes, “This doesn’t take us somewhere else on Earth.”
She paused holding his gaze before continuing, “This takes us somewhere other than Earth.”
Jacek wrinkled his face and gulped as he looked back at the portal, “So we are running? Is that what this is?”
“It’s not running. It’s admitting a temporary defeat to ensure an eventual victory.” Starfallen knew Jacek’s sense of pride would eventually come up as a point of contention.
Jacek shook his head, “Run and hide isn’t exactly the Heraklinos way. Why don’t you go, and I will stay behind to fight. I’m not sure I want to jump in… this.” He motioned to the portal with hesitation.
Starfallen shouted at him, “This is your dad’s plan as much as it is mine! Are you suggesting your father, the great Jarek Heraklinos is a coward? Or do you think he is facing reality as it is and choosing the possibility of a future over certain defeat?!”
Jacek whipped his head around to stare at Starfallen who continued, “Look. If we stay, and your father fails, then all is lost. If we leave, we will return to finish this fight and avenge not only your father but also everyone who has fallen to Xenia and the BloodStar family. Your father made a hard decision, but he made the right decision. It is time for you to do the same.”
Jacek stood silently staring at the portal as it whirred before him, “Where does it go? How can you be so sure this works?”
“My family has been studying space and portals for generations. This is the culmination of our work, and I don’t think it is coincidence that our studies have come to fruition in our time of need. This is destiny Jacek.”
“Okay, but do you know where it leads?”
“Yes.” Starfallen slowly walked to a galactic chart, “We will be traveling across our galaxy to a planet that has deep historical ties to our own.”
“What kind of deep historical ties?”
Starfallen smirked, “You will see. But my point is that I know exactly where we are going, and I know exactly who we are meeting once we are there.”
This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
Starfallen walked back over to Jacek, “But we are short on time. Xenia could be on her way here now. She could be here in a moment with her very own use of void portals. We must go now, so that no one may follow.”
Jacek was overwhelmed with information and uncertainty; however, realizing the dire situation of the moment, he nodded in agreement, “Very well. Let’s go.”
Jacek had also just witnessed Xenia bleed an entire city dry. He knew his father’s chances were poor. He knew humanity’s chances against Xenia were poor.
Starfallen turned her head and nodded at an engineer while giving a thumbs up. The portal began to spin even faster and Starfallen grabbed Jacek’s hand, “Then let’s go. While we still can.”
The two walked up the shallow steps leading to the portal and swiftly walked through disappearing into the void as they left the Earth behind.
The lead engineer, Elliot Spencer, then shouted, “The readings show they have successfully entered. Let’s shut it down in 3… 2… 1…”
As the portal shut down, the loud noises fell to soft whirs until it went completely silent. A pedestal housing the ki stone flickered with a brilliant light as the energy running through the stone to maintain the portal suddenly dissipated. The ki stone which had facilitated the transfer of energy was now colorless and spent, like a dead battery.
Elliot then immediately drew his cell phone from his pocket and dialed a number, “Hello, John. Please tell your friends they have thirty minutes to be here if they still wish to enter. Remind them to bring their stone. They will need it.”
_________________________________________________
Xenia and Constance had since teleported to BloodStar Castle where Xenia was currently going through her wardrobe at a relaxed pace, “What should I wear Constance? It’s not every day I conquer a new planet.”
Constance stood behind Xenia waiting with her arms crossed, “Will you not be able to use your void portal to retrieve whatever you may need while there?”
“No, my portals, as amazing as they are, are still restrained by the laws of physics. I can teleport around Earth freely because I am intimately familiar with where I am going, and it doesn’t take much of my power to do so. Using a portal at a greater distance would theoretically be possible if I had enough energy, but the main problem is that I won’t know where I am in space. I need to know my relative location, or I need enough to power that I can waste while figuring out where I am before teleporting.”
Xenia smiled and looked back at Constance, “But don’t worry. I have no doubt I’ll eventually be powerful enough to forge our way back.”
Constance smiled and nodded, “Well, you plan to conquer this planet, yes?”
Xenia turned back around sifting through her wardrobe, “Oh yes.”
“Then I wouldn’t stray too far from your all-black leather outfit. It commands power. And it’s sexy. People recognize it instantly here on Earth. Why not make it recognizable everywhere in your empire?”
Xenia grabbed her black leather pants, double-breasted leather top, and her black gloves and boots, “You make a good point. All black it is then.”
Xenia began to change while talking to Constance, “And I’ll bring BloodBane and Blood Scourge, of course. What will you bring?”
Constance waved her hands over her body, “Just me.”
She wore red leggings and a provocative red sports bra showing off her exquisite cleavage.
Xenia nodded, “Can’t argue with comfort.”
“I gather if Starfallen is headed there, we will find civilization with everything we need. She wouldn’t dare leave her roost for anything less than the best.”
Constance and Xenia both seemed anxiety- and worry-free about their upcoming interstellar travel.
“Who will run the world in your absence? Or do you plan to let it simmer with its own will and way until you return?”
Xenia zipped up her boots and said, “John Vand will be the brains. Ashrok will be the brawn. They will oversee the empire in my stead.”
“Quite the team. Your empire should be in good hands.”
Xenia stood fully dressed, “How do I look?”
Constance walked up to Xenia and kissed her on the lips, “Like my empress.”
Xenia kissed her back, “Once we settle in to our new planet, I plan to marry you, Constance Khan. Would you like for me to promise you the entire planet for your wedding gift?”
Constance shuddered with pleasure at the thought of marrying Xenia, “You’re worth more than any planet. Just give me you, please.”
The two girls made out for several minutes with Constance rubbing her hands up and down Xenia’s leather clad body, grabbing her ass, and squeezing her big tits as they kissed.
However, Xenia reluctantly broke their fun off as she whispered, “What did you tell me? Thirty minutes?”
Constance opened her eyes and nodded, “More like 15 minutes now.”
Xenia saw the disappointment in her face, “We are going to pick up right where we left off. Don’t worry. We can even make Nero watch if you want.”
Xenia made a portal next to them, and said, “Speaking of Nero, let’s go pick him up.”
They walked through the portal and appeared back at the Sage Empire capital city standing in front of a kneeling Nero.
Nero’s body emitted steam from scalding flesh wounds upon his skin as he kneeled in silence. Xenia immediately began to heal him bringing him back to full strength.
“Stand, Nero.” Xenia put her hand on her hip and smiled at him.
Nero grunted and nodded with thanks at his empress.
“Don’t be too hard on yourself, my love. Everything is working perfectly even if Jacek escaped.” Xenia walked up to Nero and pushed her body up against his, “In fact, I think it’s sexy.”
Nero grit his teeth, “Forgive me empress. I should’ve finished Jacek off without hesitation.”
“Oh no, no, no, Nero. You just faced off against two of the world’s strongest fighters. Jacek, the son of the great Jarek Heraklinos. And Starfallen. Few know of her powers, but I know she can manipulate fusion energy and gravity. She isn’t an easy opponent to face. And yet, they ran. They ran! They knew you would kill them even if it was 2 vs 1. My big, strong Nero.” Xenia looked up and kissed him on the lips, “Your strength alone scares even my strongest enemies. That… is sexy.”
Xenia then turned around and walked away from Nero saying, “As much as I would like to stop and fuck the living daylights out of the both of you for hours on end, we can’t be late for our very important date.”
She opened a portal and looked back at both Constance and Nero, “Let’s go.”