Krizzik was starting to get extremely frustrated with the shortsightedness of his people. They were treading water, poorly if he might add, and had received a lifeline. They were told that it wasn’t likely they would receive any aid since they were so far away from the heart of the coalition. They had larger battles to attend to, with much larger tactical value than Saxar IV. It was a miracle that an awakened had been sent to them.

They had been extended a lifeline, but due to their pigheadedness, they had sent him away. Why couldn’t they just adapt? If they had ages ago, they likely would be a greater asset to the coalition and wouldn’t have been left to their own devices. Heck, if they had better devices, they would be able to handle greater threats. As it was, the Saxans were not very technologically advanced. When they had joined the coalition, they had progressed leaps and bounds. That outside help only went so far though. They had stagnated, and their ruin was their own.

It had been nearly two months since the grub had been exiled, and their situation was only growing more serious with every passing day. He had been trying for weeks to convince the elders to change their minds. They answered him the same every time. ‘He is a heretic. We will not abide his transgression. He should have been executed. We were merciful since we only exiled him.’

Krizzik knew they were only grandstanding. Not only could they not kill him, they wouldn’t. No they just knew that as the war waged, their position only held so much sway. They wanted to remain in the good graces of the many so as to not lose the dwindling power they still had. While their power waned, the military’s as a whole waxed ever stronger.

This is what frustrated him the most. They were purposefully losing the war. It felt like a short term gain for a long term loss. Sure the elders would retain their positions, but at what cost. If they lost would the Zotari have mercy on them? Could they even choose how they would be handled? Or did these invaders have the final say in what do with his people? If that were the case, Krizzik did not like their odds of survival.

No, they couldn’t lose. Krizzik wouldn’t allow it. He had worked too hard for it to end with their defeat. He would rather die on the battlefield, than see his people suffer any further than they already had. That was why when his lieutenant rushed in he felt both a sense of dread and hope well up inside him.

“Sir! We have lost Tristix. We are suffering losses that we can’t sustain. We have lost three this week. If this trend continues, we will lose the war within the month,” he said.

“How many of our brethren have fallen?” Krizzik asked.

“More than one hundred thousand today. Many more are wounded. Even they barely survived,” he answered promptly.

“Have the elders received word of this yet?”

“Not yet. The messenger came straight to me and I relayed it directly to you. Word will get to them eventually.” His lieutenant said.

“This will be our chance then. They will have to see their own errors. It is sad that so many had to fall for them to see reason. The growth of the awakened is said to be rapid beyond normal means. I’m unsure of how strong the grub has grown, or even if he is still alive, but if he still remains, his strength should add much to our strength. Hopefully, enough to turn the tide. It is all we can hope for,” Krizzik said.

He started to formulate the best way to present this information. He needed the elders to understand just how dire things were. If they would not see reason, he would go over their heads and speak to the queen directly. He had a high enough rank that he could meet with her. Yet, it was no small business meeting with her. If it was deemed an unjust cause, he would surely be executed. He hadn’t arranged a meeting yet, because things were desperate but not enough to warrant such drastic measures. He could leave the army without its leader without a cause.

Now, things had changed. Tristix was one of their larger strongholds. Without it, things really did become bleak. It would be difficult for them to mount an offensive without it. They would need to take it to gain back some momentum.

With the details of his plan nailed down, Krizzik and his lieutenant made their way to the council chambers. The coming hours would decide the fate of the Saxans.

----------------------------------------

Alex had finally made it back to alpha site after hopes of speed walking through the desert. The second he was inside, he crashed, literally. He didn’t even try to get in a comfortable position. He simply flopped onto the ground and passed out. Hours passed and Alex remained in the same position. His legs were scrunched up close to his body with his chest down, butt raised in the air. His head was butted up against the cave wall. If someone were to walk in on the scene, they would think he had either been killed or that he was attempting to seduce someone in the most peculiar way possible. A puddle of mud surrounded his face and head and a light snoring could be heard from outside the cave.

If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

Luckily, there wasn’t much in the way of wildlife near the Sand Drake’s lair. So, unless the Great one decided to pay Alex a visit, he would be undisturbed.

A sudden light in Alex’s vision startled him awake. Since his head had nowhere to go, he just crammed it harder into the rock, bending his neck in an unnatural way.

New quest

Take back Tristix

The stronghold, Tristix, has fallen to the Zotari forces. You are to aid in its recapture. Rendezvous with Saxan forces set. Follow directional navigation to rendezvous point for more information. Rewards to be given dependent on performance.

Well that’s odd. I thought they exiled me. Why am I getting another quest from them? Are things getting that crazy back there?

Alex wasn’t exactly sure how it worked, but he suddenly felt a location being marked. He couldn’t exactly tell how far it was, but he did get a rough feel for how long it would take him to get there. He also knew exactly which direction he needed to go. The only problem was that it led him through the Great One’s lair.

Alex began packing his belongings. If they were giving him another quest, it looked like he was welcomed back into the fold. He wouldn’t be needing alpha site any more. His eyes shot wide.

I’m going to get the good stuff again! This is the best day of my life!

He started packing much faster now. He needed to hustle. His only source of food had been either what he killed or what he had received from the Saxans when he got exiled. Which meant he ate almost exclusively scorpion meat, field rations, or his health bombs. He had eaten some of the monkey he had killed, but they tasted like beef jerky that had been seasoned with gym socks. Not pleasant in the slightest, so Alex decided he’d rather eat field rations.

Everything was packed. Alex decided to head around the rocky cliffs to avoid the Sand Drake altogether. He wasn’t walking for more than a minute before a prompt filled his vision.

Stay on the directed path. Time is of the essence and deviations will not be tolerated. Correct current path or punishments will be administered.

Time until penalty: 30 seconds.

What the heck! That’s like no warning at all. How was I supposed to know I had to follow that path?

He turned around and started moving. To his alarm, the timer was still ticking down. Alex quickly hurried back to the mouth of alpha site. Fortunately, he had been taking a rather leisurely pace before or he might have been too far to make it back in time. The second he passed his starting point, the timer finally stopped. There was only three seconds left when it did. Alex was sweating, and not because of the desert heat. The last thing he wanted was another punishment tour. He hadn’t even made it out of his current one yet.

Is this how it’s going to be for the rest of my life? It seems like they hand out punishments for nothing. If I’m not careful, I’m going to spend my entire life getting punished for minor infractions.

The more Alex became acquainted with the Starbound Coalition and its methods, the more he hated them. He was starting to wish he could go back, even if it meant he would lose his ability to walk again. He felt like the trade was not worth it. His life was immeasurably more difficult now than it had ever been, or likely would have ever gotten. At the same time, he felt more alive than ever. To put it in simplest terms, Alex had a complicated life that would only get more complicated.

Alex made his way down the rock alleyway, following directions given by the most hostile GPS to ever exist. It did make his way finding much easier. There were a lot of snaking paths, but Alex always knew which one he needed to take. He wasn’t even sure if it was going to take him by the Sand Drake at all. He kept moving in the direction of the beast, however.

Each step brought Alex’s heart rate up. At the rate it was going, it would like attract the Sand Drake by sound alone. Alex’s anxiety soared as he heard the beating wings of the Great One overhead. He hugged the rock walls as close as he could as he watched it land somewhere up ahead. He wasn’t sure how close it was, but it wasn’t that far. Maybe another ten or fifteen minutes at the pace he had been going.

He froze. For a long time.

Alex had visions of his fight with the monkey king. It had been grueling, and it was very fresh in his mind. He had been so close to dying in that fight, the last thing he wanted to do was get into a fight with an even more deadly opponent.

Time is of the essence and deviations will not be tolerated. Maintain progress to rendezvous point or punishments will be administered.

Time until penalty: 30 seconds.

Crap! This is stupid. I can’t catch a break. What’s worse? Dying right now, or another punishment tour? How do I even know if it’s going to be another punishment tour? Maybe the second one is more severe. Or if you get a second one while you are in the middle of another one.

There was no way to know how the Coalition would dispense his chastisement. Indecision left Alex motionless. He had no idea what he was going to do. He felt trapped between two terrors. The fear of the Sand Drake's imminent discovery warred with the dread of the punishment awaiting him.

20 seconds

He could still hear the Sand Drake moving around up ahead. Each sudden shift made it that much harder for Alex to move forward again.

10 seconds

Alex was hyperventilating. He felt like the monkey king was choking him again. He started to get dizzy.

5 seconds

His vision blurred, sweat poured down his face, but Alex forced himself to focus.

3 seconds

2 seconds

1 second

It was now or never. With a deep breath Alex finally made his decision.