Earth

2027

It had been several hours since Aeryn had left, and it was time for Jace to go as well. He entered the room where Levi slept, pushed the boy's hair back from his face, and kissed his forehead. His son squinted his eyes open.

"I'll see you soon," Jace said quietly.

Levi reached his arms around Jace's neck like he used to when he was little. "Be safe. We need you."

"Alright, buddy."

When the boy settled back down, Jace knelt down beside him. "I have missions coming up and your mom has work to do. It may be a little while."

"I know."

It had been the two of them for so long that it didn't feel real for Aeryn and Levi to have reunited. When his son was first born, they had done everything together as a family. Then, for ten years, Jace navigated parenthood alone. "I'm sorry that I wasn't always who you needed me to be."

Levi rubbed his eyes and propped himself up. "You're the best dad ever."

He smiled, because his son believed it. "I'll do better. I love you, Levi."

"Love you too. Don't act weird, okay?"

He nodded. "Okay."

Jace had been around Levi's age when he left home for good and never saw his parents or siblings again. This history of family separation stretched on for too long and it had to end. Aeryn was right that they could not give in to Vehru or the federation, but Jace legitimately could not allow anyone to hurt her. It defied the essence of his being.

He left Levi with an old worn picture of Aeryn holding him as a baby with Jace's arms around her from behind, the rapture and fatigue of being new parents glowing in their smiles.

When Jace left, he did not hide from Morfrain that he wanted to meet. All those days when Morfrain had used the neuroweb on Jace had taught him something about the commander that he likely would never have learned otherwise. Jace knew without doubt that the other man would be eager to talk to him, even if only for the entertainment of seeing him betray Vehru.

Jace met with Morfrain in Aeryn's home, away from prying eyes. When he slipped in through the back door, the commander already stood in the basement that had been trashed by the fight with Vehru.

"Looks like you had fun here," Morfrain said, facing the bar with his back turned to Jace.

"We shouldn't waste time. I'm due for a mission in a few hours."

"Yes, one of those humanitarian charades." Morfrain turned to lean against the broken bar. "Rescue the humans before we conquer them."

It was the first time that Jace had looked into the man's eyes again since Vehru kicked him off the planet. His chest tightened at the memory of lying on the ground while Morfrain leaned close and told him he could see that Jace still hadn't accepted how powerless he was against the commanders. The same stoney green eyes stared at him today, promising Jace that victory still was impossible.

The renewed grin testified to the fact that Morfrain had noticed Jace's reaction. When he tried to block the memory, his body remembered for him, tingling with the raw and unending pain Morfrain had caused. His body tensed.

"You must be desperate if you're willing to meet with me," Morfrain said.

"We know that Vehru is rebelling against you."

"Impressive. You think you can use it to your advantage?"

He breathed in deeply. Even though he'd agreed to this plan, it made him so sick to appeal to Morfrain that he wasn't sure he could utter the words. "Vehru has garnered favor with the federation. Her unique tactics produce results. We can help you deal with her discreetly."

Something venomous lurked beneath Morfrain's amused smirk. "How could you ever help me?"

"Vehru drinks herself to sleep at night because of her guilt over what she's done to my family and others like us. That means we can hurt her."

"You want something in exchange."

"Only one thing." Jace walked forward. "Remove the neuroweb."

Morfrain chuckled and took two steps closer, which made Jace's muscles tighten on instinct. "Vehru does have some advantages. Her role means that she determines more about your life than I do. She is still obligated to finish serving her tenure, however. I'm a full member of the Federation and always have been. If I want to take control of your neuroweb, I can. So, why would I need to remove it? If you betray her and I don't want her to do something to her, I can stop it easily."

He'd known they wouldn't be able to make an emotional appeal to Morfrain. If the man had been born with the capacity for sympathy, then he'd either lost it or shut it off. "That takes energy."

Morfrain's head tilted. "Oh, you really do want this. The children have grown up. You understand the way of the world."

"I want Vehru gone. Free me and I'll stop at nothing to kill her."

"You realize that you're no match for her, don't you? You're resourceful, though. She's also a fool. Still, you can't beat her. If I supply you with some advantages, however, you might stand a chance."

Was Morfrain really biting? He couldn't let the hope surge in his heart just yet. "Then take her weapon out of our minds."

"You realize that we don't actually need the neuroweb, right? It's useful, but we can crush you easily without it."

Jace struggled to control the anger churning in his gut. "I want it out of my wife's head."

"You know so well how it feels to be used against you. Understandable."

He had to control himself. "Yes." Jace bit the word off.

"You know why I was always so hard on you?" Morfrain stepped closer, eyes gleaming with his grin. "I wanted to make you strong. I saw what you are capable of. I'm happy you came to me. It tells me that you can put aside your feelings to do what must be done. I can read the war going on inside you like a book etched into your microexpressions, your heart rate, your blood pressure. Your anger against me and fear for your family screams from you."

If you come across this story on Amazon, it's taken without permission from the author. Report it.

"I hope you enjoy." Jace muttered it in a low voice.

"When you've lived as long as I have, it's hard to get a rise anymore. Witnessing such ferocious emotion can be satisfying. That's not why I hurt you, though. I wanted to break you." Morfrain worked even closer. "I wanted to so I knew whether it was possible. The truth is that I knew either you'd fail your test and prove you're unworthy or your ordeal would help train you for the difficulties of the future."

"I get the feeling you aren't talking about preparing me for the war to conquer Earth."

Morfrain raised one brow. "No, not at all. You're capable of more than just that."

Jace narrowed his eyes. "I don't know what game you're playing but you should know I'm not interested in helping you attack other worlds."

"I listened to you. Now it's time for you to listen to me. You want me to remove the neurowebs so you can fight Vehru freely. Why stop there?" Morfrain clasped Jace's shoulder with a strong grip. Chills snaked down his spine. "Not every world has warriors who can rise to levels beyond that of a human. Let me help you harness your full potential."

His breath thickened as he pulled back. This wasn't what he'd come here for. He didn't want to hear whatever twisted plan Morfrain had. "I only care about protecting my family and stopping Vehru."

"That's not true. You care about Earth and Lumiea as well. You want peace for these worlds, but peace comes at a cost, and it is not easily won. I could give everything you want. I mean, everything."

"I don't think it's possible for you to ever give me what I want."

Morfrain smirked. "You remind me of Vehru back when we conquered her world."

Of all the things Morfrain could say to enrage Jace, this was one of them that nearly managed to shred every bit of self-control he had. "Fuck you."

"It's true. Vehru may have disappointed me, but at one time, she was the best recruit I'd ever had. She endured the neuroweb as well."

Jace's eyes widened. "Vehru had a neuroweb?"

"Oh yes. Only, no one was there to kick me off her planet. You got off easy compared to her."

Though he was not capable of feeling anything remotely close to sympathy or pity for Vehru, he did at least dislike the thought of the woman enduring such torment before she'd become the commander she was today. Knowing, however, that Vehru was so intimately acquainted with the agony of a neuroweb and that she still had used it on Aeryn managed to make him hate her even more, when he didn't know it was still possible for the depth of his wrath to deepen.

For the first time, though, Jace considered that it may not have only been the power and the thirst for more that deformed Vehru's soul, but the efforts of this man standing before him. What had Morfrain done to Vehru? What would he have done to Jace if Vehru didn't intervene?

It at least made more sense to Jace now that Vehru stopped the other commander. She finally had control when at one point she'd had none.

"I don't do this for fun," Morfrain said. "You have to be strong to do what we do. I was making you strong."

"What you do?" The urge to run flooded Jace in a wild, primitive impulse. "You want me to conquer worlds?"

"I want you to save them."

The last thread of control snapped and Jace shoved his hand against Morfrain's shoulder, nudging him back. It was foolish and dangerous, but he'd done it before he could stop himself. "You listen to me, you twisted fuck. I will never, and I mean never, do what you do."

"Vehru said the same thing. Look at her now. She's developed such a taste for conquest that she's even coming after me. You would be amazed at what the perspective of a long life can do for you. Is it really better for Lumiea or Earth to be left to their own devices? If either planet did survive, it would take so long to advance to the point of being capable of creating peace. The wars your planets would fight would pale in comparison to this one."

He wouldn't listen to this. "Invading someone's planet and stealing their world is no kindness. Just because someone may be capable of hurting themselves even more than you can does not justify you in attacking them."

Morfrain sighed. "I knew better than to appeal to your reason. We can save that for later when you're ready for it. Today, there's only one thing you need to understand." The commander lowered his head, staring intently into Jace's eyes, with all hints of his sneer gone entirely. "Your wife and child will suffer far worse than they ever have before until eventually we give them the mercy of death. There is no hope for a Witness and her family. You have only one way to save them."

Jace felt his hand mods activate even though he didn't mean for them to. Energy glowed hot in his palms.

"Serve at my side as the next Commander." Morfrain's stature seemed to swell with his voice. "Kill Vehru and take her place."

Jace strained to draw a breath in through his tight throat. This couldn't be real. "I could never."

"I can help you with your weakness. Look at yourself." Morfrain swept his hand down Jace. "You've wrestled with the limits of a flesh and blood body your entire life. After years of training, you've managed to push it to its limit. You long for more. Think of what you would be capable of with a biomechanical body. Vehru would stand no chance against you."

He has to ball his hands into fists to keep from trembling. "That won't work on me."

"Your wife and son would have biomechanical bodies too. They'd be safe. Earth and Lumiea both could have membership in the Federation after you serve your tenure. Not only could your family have peace now, but your worlds could one day as well." Morfrain's voice softened. "Think about it. We're going to conquer these worlds anyway. Don't you think you could do it in a less damaging way than Vehru? It's been a long time since I've made an offer to someone. Hundreds of years. It's not just because Vehru has disobeyed me. We were always going to end up here. You're the one I need next."

"No." He whispered it breathlessly. Even as he said it, the idea of Aeryn and Levi finally being safe filled his mind. If they had biomechanical bodies, they could do more damage against the Federation than as they were. Jace couldn't, though. He could never become Vehru. He despised her.

Compassion filled Morfrain's eyes. It was something Jace had never remotely seen. "It's hard to let yourself think about it. This is so black and white for you. It's not for me. Vehru struggled as well. We altered her mind enough to help her live with the guilt she feels. We would have taken it from her entirely, but she won't release it to us. If you say yes, we will help you make the necessary adjustments."

"Necessary adjustments? You mean you'll rid me of my humanity."

"Come on, Jace. You've been getting your ass kicked for twenty years. Look at what your wife has been through. Don't you both deserve some mercy? You would sacrifice worlds for Aeryn and Levi. You know it in your heart. You resist my words because they're true."

Jace backed up against the wall, chest heaving with each breath that he struggled to draw in. He didn't want to believe it was true, but he couldn't deny it to himself. The resistance on Lumiea had always been futile. Even the honest rebels admitted the only point of their fight was simply to never surrender. Wasn't Jace's war against Vehru and Morfrain the same? No matter what Jace did, he'd lose. The federation would conquer planets unfazed. If he helped Morfrain, he could save Aeryn and Levi. They would never be hurt again.

He squeezed his eyes shut tight. Those thoughts did roll through his mind, but they weren't the only ones. A much louder voice screamed inside him, thumping hard in his heart. "I could never do that to them." His eyes and throat burned. It was all he wanted–Aeryn and Levi living in peace together. Jace would sacrifice himself in any way for it, even his own soul. "Aeryn is good. She's so fucking good. It would kill her, just like Vehru is killing her mother. And what kind of man would I be raising Levi to be?" His image of Morfrain blurred. The temptation of security for his family took a firm hold of him and denying it hurt far worse than any pain he'd ever suffered. "I would rather Levi suffer and die than turn into you."

The warmth of compassion, the softness of Morfrain's appeal, the carefully peeled back guard that normally blocked Jace from seeing a shred of humanity in the commander dissipated entirely. Morfrain looked made of steel once again. "I'm more than happy to oblige."

They had made a terrible mistake. Vehru had warned them that Morfrain was coming and they couldn't afford any mishaps. As much as Jace had hated Morfrain, he had hated Vehru even more, because the torment he'd suffered from the neuroweb paled to that of the heartbreak of losing Aeryn. Now, though, Jace saw his foolishness. Morfrain conquered worlds because he liked it. He didn't need to in order to gain acceptance into the federation or save his home planet. Sure, Jace believed Vehru enjoyed it too and that despite being mired in the conflicting emotions of guilt and hunger for power that she truly just wanted to win. At least, Vehru had some kind of feeling inside of her holding her back from her own depravity. Morfrain had no restraint.

Jace had thought that if Morfrain removed the neuroweb and helped them fight Vehru, then they'd at least be rid of her strange tactics and could fight a more simple enemy. Morfrain was actually worse, though.