Her eyes were closed; darkness embraced her with its smothering presence, her mind pondered the events that led to the demise of the all-powerful Thanatos Velix. Iphis never imagined the day would come, though she thought it would be sweet; instead, there was a bitterness in her heart heavier than the one she thought she would have with his demise. The galaxy was finally free from an evil it did not know was holding it captive; Iphis had hoped for much more than this.
The transporter was still gaining speed, trying to escape the atmosphere of Dessix; through the small observation window, she turned and looked upon the thick smoke towering high into the stratosphere from the collapsed citadel. Her thoughts wandered to the fates of all the monks she so dearly cared for; they were nothing more than collateral in the grand scheme of what had transpired. They willingly gave up their lives for an ideal that had died when Thanatos ascended to the pinnacle of the power they swore to protect.
The attack did not go as she planned; everything was hanging on a fragile thread; the stability of the Order and galaxy as a whole, her leadership, and everything that goes with the responsibilities of being the Epsimess. She looked back into the ship upon her two unconscious captives, it was a relief that she managed to capture a Monk of the Ipsimus; without him, the mission would have been a complete failure.
She looked back at the smoke and dust in the distance lingering thick where the Citadel once stood. The ship was now slowly ascending, leaving the minor planet's atmosphere. It always gave her a nervous tinge in the pit of her stomach when the craft she traveled in left the safety of the planet she was leaving. The ships would shake, and the surface of the planet would move further away from her, taking her into the unknown void where she would vanish to find a different world within the oceans of space.
The transport slowly approached the Iron Star’s port side docks and landed gracefully without haste on the sprawling landing pad; medical staff was standing at the ready, waiting for the injured to be transferred to the medical deck. The ship's door slowly opened with much effort, it was attacked by one of the anti-air guns of the Citadel during its approach, but it was the last ship to leave the surface of the Planet, not giving Iphis the luxury of choice.
Iphis emerged from the ship with an angered stride, furious she walked past all the medical staff without allowing them to scan her for any injuries. Then, with an invisible command, she dragged the three surviving soldiers with her; they were stringing along as she rushed to the Council Room, where her co-conspirers were waiting for her triumphant return. The seven seated in their council chairs were pleased to see her enter the room unassisted and in full health; their smiles were plentiful but were burnt down as soon as the Lady in White began to speak.
“This mission was a complete failure!” Iphis shouted at the council members.
“Word is Thanatos is dead.” Jared Clide said in confusion.
“He was not supposed to die!” She continued. “These three men were the only ones to make it out alive; why is our military so worthless?”
The soldiers used in the attack were from many corners of the galaxy, all of whom were employed under one of those seated on the council. Their jobs were to keep the systems in line and ensure their armed forces were well trained and ready for any task, and beyond all else, loyal to their deaths.
“In times of peace, there is no reason to waste resources on training soldiers; it would cost too much and provoke too many,” Olgigar said with a deep motherly tone; she had trained Iphis during her youth and knew her well.
“With all due respect, Mistress Junix, this is the failure of Thanatos; his insolence and idleness have caused this galaxy to grow soft. Wars are important to maintain the balance; surely you of all people know that it is part of the philosophy of this Order?”
“It is true, Mistress Velix; however, we were blinded by the years of prosperity and peace, waging wars is a tiresome affair and meaningless in this day and age.” Olgigar continued. “Besides, Thanatos is no longer amongst us; you can restore balance now that you are Epsimess.” Her old face distorted into a happy face with a broad smile.
Iphis looked at her with compassion; Olgigar always knew how to tame the wild oceans raging in her soul. Then, her mind shifted to the galaxy.
“News of what had happened here today will spread quickly once we leave the system; if we do not approach this with great care, the Order might cease to exist.” So Iphis spoke, but not directly to those in front of her.
“Then it might be time for a new Order to be born,” Hegard Verex said out of turn.
“No, the Order of the Ipsimus must survive; if a new Order is born, the loyalists of the Old will retaliate, then we might be stuck fighting an endless war.”
There were slight murmurs under the seven; what Iphis had said was true; there was no way a new Order could exist.
“The boy lives.” Said an old familiar and frail voice from a shadow in the room.
Everyone present was startled by the sudden intrusion, and some even stood up from their chairs to get a better look at who was behind the old voice. Olgigar went pale when she saw her face appear from the dark; she knew the woman.
“Mistress Yoreal Velix!” She said in shock. “But you were dead.”
“I am very much alive, my dear Junix, and I am very pleased to see you here amongst us.”
“How is he still alive… how are you still alive?” Her thoughts reeled; she was not sure what to make of this. There was no way Yoreal could have been on the ship with them; there was no way for her to have gotten off Dessix.
“He possesses the same power that I do.” There was evident agitation in her voice. “And I cannot die; there is no one capable enough to kill me.”
Everyone gasped; Iphis was silent; she knew the power that Yoreal had; Thanatos was searching for it on the planet below. Yoreal stepped forward, standing next to Iphis with a dire grin.
“We must find the boy.” Yoreal broke the silence; she was in control. Though Iphis had no time for questions and explanations, she turned to the three soldiers behind her.
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“What are your names?”
All three stood to attention and recited their names, one by one, without hesitation.
“Albert Banks”
“Carlene Xane”
“Sarah Bates”
“Carlene Xane, I promote you to the expeditionary forces Supreme General. Albert Banks, you will be her deputy, and Sarah Bates, you will be the Commander of the expeditionary forces on the ground.” All three saluted in unison, though it seemed to them they were not ready for such roles.
“General Carlene Xane, you are to brief the Company Commanders on the situation on the ground and deploy a full legion to sweep the debris and surrounding forests for any stragglers or survivors. Anyone found alive must be brought to the Iron Star; no harm should come to them.”
“As you wish, Mistress Velix.”
An alarm sounded throughout the ship; everyone looked at Iphis for answers; Iphis looked at Yoreal; she also had no clue what was going on. But, then, her personal communicator sounded; she didn’t hesitate.
“Admiral, what is the situation?”
“Mistress, we have word from the outer territories; the Archons have been alerted to the situation on Dessix. They have amassed a fleet and are inbound.”
“How many ships, Admiral?”
“Scouts report three hundred and twenty-nine, forty-eight are heavy carriers with at least one thousand and fifty small wings on board. Our cruisers are no match for those carriers.”
“Estimate time of arrival?”
“Thirty-nine hours, my lady.”
“Prep the fleet for retreat; we leave the system at the twentieth hour.”
“As you wish, my lady.”
The transmission ended, Iphis was fuming, she threw her communicator to the side, and it broke into a thousand pieces against the wall.
“HOW IS IT POSSIBLE THAT THEIR MILITARY IS MORE PREPARED THAN THE ONE YOU MORONS GAVE ME?” She was angry, she screamed at the top of her voice, Yoreal vanished into the shadows once more.
“Jared!” Iphis turned to the wide-eyed Archon, too scared to answer.
“Find out who these traitors are!”
She turned her attention to her newly promoted commanders.
“You have fifteen hours; you are dismissed!”
“Mistress.” Jared was trying not to raise his voice, but it was almost impossible with her heavy breathing.
“Did I not give you a task?” She was calmer now, but it was the calm before the storm.
“We’ve managed to pinpoint the ringleader of the forces; it is Archon Aardragon Mullexius; he is actually trying to make contact.”
“Maybe we can reason with him. Let me speak to him.”
The room went dark, the flickering of the holographic projector gave some light; in the middle of the room, an image appeared of a broad man seated on a floating chair, the man lost his legs eons ago and was bound to the chair for life.
“Archon Aardragon, I acknowledge you.”
“You acknowledge no one, you traitorous trash! Ramon contacted us and told of an imminent attack. Epsimus Thanatos is not responding; we assume the attack had already taken place.” The man demanded respect; he was a respected war veteran of the outer systems; he had no patients, even less for any traitor.
“Now now, Archon, you can either play it cool or….”
“You hold your tongue!” It almost seemed like the old man was getting up from his hovering chair.
“My scouts had just informed me that the Citadel is in ruins and that your fleet is above Dessix. My fleet will wipe yours out in an instant!”
“Archon! Now you listen to me!”
“No! You listen to me, you indolent witch! You have spread rumors of Epsimus Thanatos’s lack of drive when you, yourself, don’t even have the guts to stand before him! The death of the Epsimus is on your hands; we will ensure that you will be dealt with according to the full laws of this order!” He slammed his fist down on the armrest of his chair. The veins on his temples were about to blow.
From the shadows, Yoreal appeared, the old man in the hologram recognized her; he went pale as a sheet.
“Mistress Velix!” He was trembling.
“It is I.” She replied with a hoarse voice.
“I am sending you a recording; watch it carefully.” Yoreal pressed a button on a small remote in her left hand, she smiled. Moments later, the old man looked at her in disbelief.
“The young man from the Lybrarius Society is to blame for this?”
“It is as you see. He also has in his possession Thanatos’s sword, an important relic I would imagine.”
“Indeed.” The old war veteran thought for a moment.
“Even if so, the Citadel could not have been destroyed by even a thousand members of the Lybrarius society, let alone one boy. However, my scouts reported that a fleet bearing the emblem of the Order laid siege to the Citadel, and with you being in the orbit of Dessix, there is only one explanation for this. You might be the wife of Thanatos, but you are a lying witch, just as Iphis. There is nowhere in the galaxy you’ll be able to hide from me!”
The transmission ended, Iphis looked blankly at Yoreal; the mysterious old woman did not award a response.
“We need to retreat to the Sol system. The Earth Council is our oldest ally, and they will not hesitate to protect the new Epsimess.”
Yoreal turned around and faded back into the darkness; the others in the room kept silent; Iphis had no words either. Standing and staring into nothing, she contemplated her next move. The risk of splitting the order into two was too great, and she would avoid it at all costs. She had been warned about the possibility of a chasm in the new Order if Thanatos was killed. However, it was not her intention to kill the aging Lord of the Galaxy.
Once again, she looked around the room, searching for an ounce of accountability; her councilors did not offer any. The success of their mission on Dessix depended on Izzar being captured or killed. However, she did not want the boy to die. It was still unclear whether or not Izzar survived the collapse of the Citadel; Yoreal could have been mistaken. Though they did know that Aargon was still alive, and she needed the sword in his possession in order to exert her dominance over the vast hordes of Archons controlling the galaxy in the name of the Order.
Iphis turned away; she paused for a moment shaking her head in disappointment; the others in the room could feel her disappointment.
Elsewhere…
“My lord, do you think it is possible that the boy worked alone?”
The old man in the hovering chair shifted in discomfort, his eyes flared and his nose too. He turned towards a massive map displayed on a flickering screen with his entire chair. The room around him was busy; men in uniform ran about doing their duties.
“Iphis was there to kill Thanatos or subjugate him… or something. She was not there for a friendly visit. Ramon contacted us for a reason, albeit against the wishes of the Epsimus. We shall proceed with the attack on Iphis.”
The officer nodded and turned away. Another appeared from the fray.
“My lord, we have the Grand Keeper of thw Sanctum on Prion, Luther Lexius, for you.”
A large hologram appeared with the face of Luther seemingly resonating from thin air; he slightly bowed his head, his face seemed distorted, and the weight of the world was on his shoulder.
“My old friend.” Said Aardragon to Luther, he was genuinely happy to see him, but the matter of his son made the call a not-so-happy reunion.
“Archon Aardragon. How may I be of service to you?”
“I have a delicate matter regarding your son to discuss with you. Do you have the time?”
“My son?” Luther’s eyes lit up, and his voice quivered through the hologram.
“Yes. Are you aware that he has slain Epsimus Thanatos?”
Luther’s eyes grew wider, anguish overtook him, he fell to the ground in disbelief; it was a death sentence; nothing less would be handed down by the Order.
“We do not know the circumstances behind his attack; that’s why I wish to contact you first… Does the Lybrarius Society have any cause to commission an assassination of Epsimus Thanatos Velix?”
Luther was still shaking; he was lost for words; he could not comprehend the meaning of this. Did he push his son over the edge?
“The-The Lybrarius so-society is a peaceful society. Therefore, we-we have no cause for this. Pe-Perhaps I could offer an explanation?”
“I have heard what I needed to; Aargon’s actions are circumstantial and nothing more than that if he stands to gain nothing. I truly am sorry for what transpired; the law specifies that Aargon should be hunted down and killed for treason. You have my heartfelt sympathy.”
Aardrogan stopped the transmission and took a communicator from his pocket.
“Commander, proceed to Dessix and assume all battle protocols.”