“What the hell are you doing on this ship?” I demanded, glaring at Elder Brother’s image on the screen. “If you had any sense, you’d be a thousand light-years away from here.”

“And so I would have been, had it not been for you,” he snarled in return. “Do you have any idea what it is you have done?”

Raven and I shared a look. “Enlighten me,” I told him. First rule of espionage: If the bad guy wants to talk… let him.

“When Brother Zayi did not return, I suspected the worst,” he answered, staring daggers at us. “But it was not until one of our brethren recovered his body, retrieving the hidden recording device he had concealed, that we learned the truth.” He lifted his arm, pointing a slender claw at me. “You betrayed us, Terran. Do not deny it. We have already lost contact with hundreds of our brethren as the Masters purge our ranks. Their deaths are on your head.”

“So that was his name,” I murmured, recalling the operative’s gruesome demise under the Masters’ mental assault. “I find your memory to be as selective as ever, Elder Brother,” I snapped. “I came to you in goodwill, offering to overlook the murders of my people at your hands, so that together we could bring down the Troika. And what did I get for my troubles?” I began ticking off my grievances on my fingers, one by one.

“You attacked our ship without warning, even after we’d followed your instructions to the letter,” I reminded him. “You then boarded our ship, taking us prisoner, and then destroyed it.” That was actually a guess, since I hadn’t witnessed it myself, but I was certain I was right. “Then you dragooned us into what any sane person would call a kamikaze mission, promising us our freedom at the end. And when by some miracle we pulled it off and actually survived, you laughed in our faces and broke your promise.” I pointed my finger at him, mirroring his gesture. “If anyone was betrayed, it was us.”

“Aliens,” he hissed, “you know nothing of what my race has suffered. You Terrans think you know pain, forced to wander the cosmos for a mere two centuries? Try fifty. Five millennia, my people have been slaves to the Masters. Do you have any idea what that is like?”

“I have an inkling,” I ventured.

Time out for a moment. Being completely honest, I didn’t actually have a clue. I mean, I could guess, but that’s all it would be. A guess. However, I rather doubted telling the angry hamster that would help matters any.

“Liar,” he growled.

… okay, guilty as charged on that one. Also not admitting that.

He loomed forward, his face filling the screen. “You cannot imagine our lives, those of the Brotherhood,” he informed us, as Raven quirked an eyebrow in my direction. I gave her a shrug, settling in while Elder Brother began venting his spleen. I suspected it might take a while, since it was pretty obvious he desperately needed a good therapist. In fact, it’s practically de rigueur for someone leading a clandestine organization of fanatical saboteurs and assassins. Let’s face it, it’s not a career choice sane folks are drawn to. Perfect example: here he was, about to spill his guts to someone he considers a sworn enemy. Not that he doesn’t have ample justification for hating the universe, granted, but still. Why make such a rookie mistake?

Monologuing, kids. Just don’t do it.

“Do you know what my first genuine memory is?” he asked. It was almost casual, the way he said it, like we were old acquaintances reminiscing over drinks. Weird. It obviously being a rhetorical question, I let him continue.

“It was being led by my instructor, myself and my playmates from the creche, to our first meeting with the Masters,” he continued. “It is a rite of passage for my kind, for reasons I imagine you can infer for yourselves.”

Holy Mother Terra. I could imagine it, all too clearly. Like lambs to the fucking slaughter.

Elder Brother saw the growing comprehension in our eyes and nodded in grim recognition. “Yes, you can see it, can’t you?” A wintry smile graced his features. “Splendid. I hope that image haunts you, as it has me.”

“Why are you telling us this?” Raven asked him.

“Because I want you to know exactly what you have done!” he shouted, catching us both by surprise. “I want you to carry that burden, for the rest of your lives.” He started cackling, never a good sign. “For however long that may be.”

Oh, shit. Now that’s a phrase you don’t want to hear. That’s someone starting a countdown, and countdowns are never good, not in my line of work. I had to know what he was planning, and right now, the best way to do that was keeping my mouth shut, not antagonizing him... at least not more than I had already... and pray he revealed his plan before it was too late.

“They led us into the Masters’ chamber,” he continued, “and when that… thing… rose from the water, we shrank back in fear. But only for a moment.” He got a faraway look in his eye, and then shuddered. “For it was then that the other children froze, their eyes blank while the Masters stole their intellect, their ability to choose. I felt the tendrils of their will attempt to penetrate my mind as well, yet somehow, I resisted their efforts.” The Chell was almost pensive as he gazed at us. “Even now, we do not know why some are immune to their mental powers. Perhaps it is a matter of genetics, or strength of will. I doubt we will ever know for certain.”

“How did you keep your resistance secret?” Raven pressed him.

I gave her the barest of nods, encouraging her efforts. She and Elder Brother had barely interacted during our captivity, and he didn’t seem to be as antagonistic towards her as he was with me. Just keep him talking, I silently mouthed.

“Luck,” he whispered, “pure luck. Or perhaps I should say, the randomness of the universe.” His whiskers twitched with barely suppressed fury. “For I was not the only one that day who was unaffected. A girl... a friend, as it happened. She was immune as well.” There was an almost imperceptible twitch in his expression, there and gone so quickly that I almost missed it. Even now, even while baring his soul, his self-discipline was impressive. But then, it would have to be.

Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.

“Did she join the Brotherhood too?” Raven prompted.

“No.” He was silent for several seconds before continuing. “For you see, she never had the chance. She screamed, and in that instant the adults turned their attentions towards her… and away from me.” Closing his eyes, he all but spit out the rest of his answer. “They dragged her away, shrieking in terror… and I never saw her again.” We held our breath as he relived that moment, waiting to see what he would do next. Finally, he opened his eyes once more, glaring at us with the intensity of a laser.

“In that moment, I knew that if I were to avoid her fate, I would have to blend in with the others. To do as they did, and never, ever, arouse suspicion. To suppress every emotion, camouflage everything about me, even do the unthinkable, should it prove necessary, and never once show them how I truly felt. So, I did.” He grew cold, almost glacial, as the mask slipped into place once more. “Do you know what they do with the culls?” he continued; his tone almost offhand. “As you might imagine, the Masters are most eager to learn what makes some of us resistant. Those that are different are taken away, for experimentation.” He smiled... a dark, ugly smile as he watched us squirm. “They strap the children to a table, cutting away their skulls so they can examine their brains. They are quite skilled, those who toil in the laboratories. Why, some children last almost a week, before succumbing.” His jaw clenched hard, so hard it amazed me his teeth didn’t shatter. “But there always more where they came from, isn’t there?”

“I’m sorry,” Raven said softly. “No one should experience that. But we had nothing to do with it.”

“Do you think I care?” he snarled. “All are guilty… every one of you. Every being that refused to lift a finger to stop them, every race that knelt at their feet to avoid their wrath, all of you are to blame.” There was a sudden manic glee in his eyes as a slasher smile spread across his face. “And I will finally have my vengeance.”

“What are you planning?” I asked him. I had to know. He’d brought us here to gloat, but there was something else going on as well. He wanted us as his witnesses, perhaps in some desperate attempt to justify his actions… and that scared me. I can’t imagine the things he must have done to preserve his cover, or maybe I just don’t want to. Either way, this was someone who’d committed unspeakable acts to stay alive, yet never revealing his true self. If he suddenly wanted observers now, I had a sick feeling in the pit of my stomach he was preparing for…

… honestly? The only word I can think of that even comes close to what my hindbrain was shouting at me was Armageddon. We had to stop it, whatever it was.

He chuckled at that. “Not yet. Not… just yet. I have been planning for this moment for too long to simply rush the conclusion. For a lifetime I searched for a way to smite my enemies, and now, at long last, it is within my grasp.” He held up a small device, not unlike the one I had recently tried to use. Hopefully, he’d have equal luck with it, though I suspected this was one of those moments where Demon Murphy already had both oars in the water.

“Please,” Raven begged him, “don’t do this, whatever it is you’re planning. There are innocent lives at stake, and…”

“NO ONE IS INNOCENT!” he screamed as the last shred of self-imposed discipline was ripped away. “We were innocent, and look what happened to us,” he howled, giving free rein to his madness at last. “Do you have any idea how many of my kind I have murdered, just to maintain the illusion? Hundreds. And the worst part?” He stared at us, daring us to join him in his lunacy, his black eyes gateways to some dark, twisted dimension… perhaps even the gates of Hell itself.

“The worst part,” he whispered, “is that not one of them tried to stop me, for I was merely the instrument of the Masters’ will. They welcomed me, smiling in exultation, as I ended their lives.” His eyes bore into mine. “Their sad, pathetic, useless, insignificant lives. What makes you believe yours are any different?”

There was no point in responding to that. He’d already said it himself; everyone was guilty, as far as he was concerned. This was a lifetime of pain talking, and he wanted the galaxy to suffer just as he had. In his mind he was judge, jury… and executioner. The only question remaining was how he planned to do it, and how to stop him.

Unfortunately, our silence only seemed to encourage him. He smiled yet again... if I could consider in any sense the deranged rictus on his face as an expression of pleasure. “In a curious sort of way I owe you a debt, Terran,” he chuckled, “for it was your contribution that was the last piece of the puzzle. Without you, all of this,” he said, spreading his arms wide to encompass… everything, I guess?... “would not have been possible.”

“What?” I sputtered. I ran through my memories, trying to figure out what he meant by that. I’d shared information, sure, mostly to save our skins, but I was fairly certain I hadn’t handed him any galaxy-ending super bombs while I was at it. “What the hell are you talking about?”

“You will learn that for yourself, soon enough,” he vowed. “And to that end, I bestow upon you one final gift.” The twisted parody of a grin had disappeared as he scowled at us. I felt Raven’s hand in mine as we waited for what was likely to be our dissolution.

Imagine our astonishment when instead the gate blocking our escape vanished before our very eyes.

“You’re setting us free?” Raven asked, her voice tinged with a sense of renewed hope. I on the other said nothing, not willing to risk making an already disastrous situation that much worse.

“You will find the pathway to the shuttles unimpeded,” he informed us. “One has already been pre-flighted and is ready for departure.”

Raven sighed in relief, tugging at my hand towards the now open gate. “Come on, let’s go,” she urged.

I stood my ground. The other shoe had just dropped, but I had no idea what that meant, and it scared me. “Why would you take us prisoner… again… only to set us free?” I insisted.

“Because I want you to live,” he snarled. “I want you to see for yourself the universe you helped create. I want you to taste it, every last morsel of what I have given the galaxy.” he leaned in, his eyes now fixed on mine. “And when they ask, tell them exactly who was responsible.”

“Now wait just a minute…” I started.

“GO!” he screamed, the volume and feedback rocking us back on our heels, and at that point, we didn’t need any further encouragement. Raven and I ran, putting as much distance between us and the mad Chell as we made our way to the loading docks. As promised, a shuttle was waiting for us. We wasted no time in transferring over, hopping into the flight controls as I fired up the engines. The bay doors were already opening for us… yet another of Elder Brother’s contributions, no doubt… and in less than a minute we were racing away from the battlecruiser, redlining the power plants in our haste to escape.

“I can’t believe it” Raven whispered.

Neither could I.

And as if in proof of my skepticism, the radio came to life as our favorite madman sent us a message.

“My last gift to the Perseus Arm,” he informed us, “as proof of my commitment.”

“What…?” I began, only to have the rest of my words die in my throat, as the Tu’udh’hizh’ak warship exploded.

Raven and I stared in stunned silence at the blast as it completely consumed the ship. “Do you think… he was aboard?” she managed to finally get out.

“Yeah… I do,” I answered. “You can’t be a martyr, if you’re still among the living.”

“I think he died a long time ago,” she said quietly, still shaking her head in disbelief. “Why? Why would he do such a thing?” she demanded.

“I don’t know,” I told her.

But I had a bad feeling we’d find out soon enough.