Chapter 15
Nan threw her bag into the backseat and hopped into her new hybrid car. “I honestly don’t know how long I can drive, Beetlebee, but I’m not going to just sit back and wait. I may be old, but I’m not useless.”
Beetlebee nodded, tilted his head quizzically, watching how Nan operated the vehicle. “Well, what can you do, little fella? Are you going to be able to help on this adventure?” Beetlebee perked up, seemingly pleased with the chance to show off. He held his hand up, light emitting from his fingertips.
“Okay, so you have a flashlight. That’s pretty good. What else?” Nan said, her voice filled with the bubbly type of encouragement usually reserved for toddlers. Beetlebee raised his other hand over his head. A miniature hemisphere of energy sprouted like a mushroom cap. Nan smiled. “Okay, an electric umbrella. That’s nice, but do you have anything we can really use?” The diminutive, alien gingerbread man shook his head in frustration and pressed the button to lower his window. He held his childlike digits up again, making sure he had Nan’s attention. “I saw your flashlight already.”
A shield dropped over Beetlebee’s face, his hand morphed, liquid-like, into what appeared to be the end of a pipe.
“Well, that’s cute.” Nan shrugged. “Is that a vacuum?”
He took aim at a road sign for Route 80 and –Thum- a nearly silent charge of energy, blasted from his arm, eviscerating the sign, leaving nothing but the smoking stump of a signpost on the side of the road.
“Now that’s what I’m talking about!” Nan patted his head. “I think we’re going to be just fine.”
“Maintain safe distance from the Terovian probes. I want to stay with them, not on top of them.”
“I’m aware of your instructions… that you’ve repeated three times.” Orion replied, perturbed.
“If we lose them or get detected…” Alaris’ usual calm tone was palpably nervous.
“I understand your reasoning, Alaris. It’s quite obvious. What is not obvious is why the Scion is being referred to by his name?”
“As I told you before, Orion. He has a name.” Alaris tapped harder on the control panel. “Do you prefer to be called the Signa?”
Before the discussion could progress further, Orion announced. “Incoming transmission. Receiving.” A holo-screen appeared, projecting the face of the Luminary.
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“Alaris!” The Luminary’s tone was grave. “I hope your mission has been more successful than ours. The perimeter defenses around the solar system are failing. Terovian’s, Annunaki, even the Ba’alu have joined Necromanos. We have detected an unknown entity. A massive ship of some sort within his armada that may already be responsible for destroying our colony on Antures. We will maintain our net within the planet and risk detection by Earth’s surface dwellers, but it’s a risk we must take. Time is short, Alaris. Alcyone preserve us if we fail to hold the line.”
“May the light guide you, Luminary,” Alaris said, knowing the gravity of the words. “It is my task to protect this Scion as he completes the journey. I will not fail him or the Galaxis.”
“Brave Alaris, the other Praesidium have been stretched from the ends of the solar system to reinforce our losses. The Lemurians and Centaurians have lost countless vessels already. The Sirian Dogon ships, though mighty, are no match. The Arcturians, Andromedans and Pleiadeans they simply are not ready for this type of battle. I fear we will only slow the armada’s advance if we can even accomplish that.”
“We must fight as one. It is what the Galaxis is built upon.”
“It is.” The Luminary nodded, grateful for Alaris’ calm demeanor. “And we will. But the Earth’s Scion must rise, at all costs, and quickly! Fight well, brave one!”
“Fare thee well, Luminary. May the light guide you!” The holo-screen blinked, and the Luminary vanished. “You heard the man, Orion. All costs. I want your protection parameters for me changed to Dyl-…the Scion.”
“Alaris, that destabilizes my rapport with you,” Orion challenged his new operating directive. “They designed the Signa class to sense the Praesidium entirely and react accordingly.”
“I know, but if it comes down to me or the Scion, I need to know that you will protect him as you would me.”
“I’m sorry, Alaris. It is difficult.” Orion responded as if he were betraying a friend. “I will comply.”
“Thank you, Orion. I knew I could count on you. I’m sorry for being short with you.”
“I understand, Alaris, part of my directive is to question, not blindly follow.”
“Fair enough. For now, just don’t lose the probes.”
In less than an hour, four cloaked Terovian probes were halfway to California. “Shmire, are you still tracking the energy signatures?” Vorgan growled from his pilot’s chair.
“No.” Shmire said weakly, his recently cauterized forearm throbbing, a single spike prosthetic attachment grafting itself to his stump since the amputation. “The void signatures move too quickly. I have calculated their possible destination point and there is a massive power source in the vicinity.”
“Set a scan for inter-dimensional residue as well,” Vorgan ordered. “Their transport was not a traditional hyperspace and may lead us to him faster than the void or the Praesidium. Though, if I find the Praesidium first, I would relish the chance to pry the vaunted crystal armor from his bones.”
“V-Vorgan,” Shmire stuttered, fearful of offending his brother, “the Praesidium’s armor cannot be removed. It is bound to their soul, only they may release it. Most wear it until the moment they die and pass the armor to another.”
“Interesting. Bound to them?” Vorgan grinned. “If I could wield the power of the Praesidium, Bane himself would bow to my power.”
“Bane is the shadow of Necromanos himself. Surely you can’t-”
“I know my boundaries, Schmire!” Vorgan interrupted, his eyes. “But it is power and glory I crave! My Terovian brethren would rather pillage and take samplings of the riches. None but the Scions have ever had the power to challenge the Hate Bringer himself. A Praesidium’s armor could change that.” Vorgan paused, daydreaming. “And Shmire, if this conversation goes beyond this probe, the next thing cauterized will be your neck!”