Excerpt From the Chronicles of Emperor Adar Zahn Tavereus Volume 1 From the Early Years to Ascension Chapter 12 Rescue Mission

Earth Edition and Translation © 2278

A lot happened those first weeks I'd come back to Ethia. I think back on it, and marvel at how I could get through it all with as much grace as I did. I was going from one crazy situation to the next so fast; I didn't have the proper time to really digest everything. Maybe that was for the best. Maybe if I hadn't been so busy, I would have had too much time to think, and that may well have ruined me.

Instead, I powered through and came out the other side changed. Different from what I had been, but in a way I couldn't quite describe in totality. There were parts of me that still related to my old identity of Michael Layton, especially those that liked to use my mind to fix things and make everything better. But I was certainly embracing this newer version of myself. The version that was slowly learning to take the lead and step into a newfound power.

It was a rare moment of downtime right before we launched our rescue mission for Rainus that I even realized that I was no longer the man who first set out to Ethia six weeks ago. I had become something more. Something I had never been before. And I found that even though I did not like all the events that led me to this newer version of me, I very much liked who I was becoming.

Gayle reached out with her senses and touched the new part of her consciousness that was connected to King Rainus. She'd been traveling for thirty-nine hours to reach him with an imaginary compass needle unrelentingly pointing the way in her mind, but it wasn't until now that she could actually feel his presence. He was like a brilliant crimson star in her mind's eye that pulsed brighter the closer she got to his physical person.

Her compass needle had led the fleet to an asteroid field nearly five lights years away from any colony or Vanguard Outpost. They would be hard pressed to find people this far in the Outer Reach, except for a possible Vanguard patrol. The border was only a little less than a light-year away. Most people didn't dare to get so close to the border beacons, even though they were usually only activated to disrupt ships' systems if one tried to pass through the beacon network. No one wanted to be in a dead ship with little chance of being rescued, or worse, prison time if caught by a patrol. It was a good place for the enemy to hide.

The King was here, though. Gayle could feel it with absolute certainty, his presence a thrumming beacon that grew more distinct with each passing moment. Not just near—he was somewhere in this very asteroid field.

"Captain Renault," an officer at the navigation station of the Vigilant said. "Sensor grid is picking up enemy energy signatures scattered throughout the field."

The Vanguard Captain nodded. "Transfer to the command tactical display."

The bridge of the Vigilant was small, so it was a tight fit as Renault, Gayle, Markus, and Nathias all gathered around a rectangular holographic table in a side nook of the bridge used specially for the kind of mission they were about to embark on.

The holographic projection bloomed before her, asteroids rendered in translucent blue while faint red markers indicated the energy sources of the enemy. They were cunningly positioned, tucked into the shadows of larger rocks and spread throughout a large section of the field.

"They've set up a perimeter," she observed, studying the pattern. "This isn't a temporary hiding place. They've established a defensive position."

"We expected a defense of some kind," Markus said. "That's what the distraction is for. We just need to wait for the rest of the fleet to do their thing and slip in while they are preoccupied. You have a solid fix on my father?"

Gayle scanned the red blips. There were dozens of small ones, which she imagined were shuttles or starfighters of some kind, but there were three distinctly larger vessels further into the field. She honed in immediately on the largest blip, which was to the far right and the furthest into the asteroid field.

"It's that one. That bigger one there," she said, reaching out to point at the ship she sensed Rainus to be on.

"Anyone notice there are three ships instead of the two we were expecting?" Nathias replied in a dry tone.

"Yeah, I see it," Markus replied. "Let's hope that's all the ships the Shixx currently have in the Empire."

"Do you think we are that lucky?" Nathias said.

"If we were, there wouldn't be a third ship."

Nathias just grunted. He then turned to the Captain. "Make sure this information is relayed to the fleet immediately. They need to know what they are about to walk into."

The Captain nodded and went to do as ordered, while the three of them continued to study the tactical display.

"We'll need to move fast once the diversion begins," Gayle said, mentally calculating the distance between their position and the vessel containing the King. "So far from what I'd seen, the Shixx aren't stupid. They'll suspect a rescue attempt is coming."

She had gone through all the information available about this new enemy since she'd gotten the tracer bond, including what was gathered from the Battle of Sora X, to prepare her for the mission. While these creatures were clearly alien and much was still unknown, she was eager to deal them some damage, especially after the mess they made at the College. The casualty list from the battle was finally being made public, and she'd gotten the news that several Pledges she had been close to were killed in the attack. Gayle was ready to deal out some retribution to the bastards.

Markus's fingers traced a path through the asteroid field. "There's a narrow corridor here that could give us cover. The asteroids are dense enough to mask our approach."

"It'll be tight flying," Nathias warned, his brow furrowed as he assessed the route. "One wrong move and we're space dust."

"I've flown tighter corridors," Markus said, his voice hardening with resolve. "We need to get as close as possible before they detect us."

Gayle felt the crimson star of Rainus's presence pulse more urgently in her mind. Something about it felt... strained. "We need to hurry," she said, the words tumbling out before she could analyze the sensation fully. "The King's condition is changing."

Captain Renault returned, her face grim. "Fleet's acknowledged. They'll commence the diversion in fifteen minutes. Admiral Havoreat says they'll hit the main cluster hard, draw as many of their ships away as possible."

"Then we need to be in position before they start," Markus said. "The Wraith ready to go?"

Nathias nodded. "Just waiting for us, and the rest of the team is ready to board as soon as I give the call."

"Then let's do this," Markus said with impatience clearly in his voice.

"Get the Vigilant here and we'll take the Wraith in from there," Nathias pointed to a larger asteroid that had strayed a way from the rest of the field.

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"Yes, sir," Captain Renault said. "We will wait with the Valiant and the Vehement. We will make sure you have an exit."

Nathias nodded to the Captain and then made his way off the bridge. Markus was close on his heels, and Gayle followed. In a matter of minutes, they were in the landing bay with the rest of the team.

The Wraith could only hold twelve people, plus a small area designated for an injured person, so they had been careful in picking the other eight members to ensure they had the right combination of skills for the rescue mission. Four were Vanguard Elite commandos, specialists in tactical insertion and extraction under fire. Two were intelligence analysts with combat training, there to gather any data they could from the enemy ship. The final two were medics with combat training, because King Rainus's condition was unknown. All members were wearing the MX4 suits provided by the College.

As they boarded the sleek black vessel, Gayle felt a strange flutter in her connection to the King—like static interrupting a transmission. She paused at the foot of the ramp, her hand instinctively rising to her temple.

"What is it?" Markus asked, noticing her hesitation.

"I'm not sure," she admitted. "The connection... it wavered for a moment." She concentrated, trying to recapture the steady pulse of Rainus's presence. "It's stable again, but different somehow. More intense."

Markus's jaw tightened.

"They could do something to him," Markus said, his voice dropping to a dangerous whisper. "Let's move."

Inside the Wraith, the team performed final equipment checks with practiced efficiency. The vessel's interior was sparse and utilitarian, every surface matte black to minimize reflections. The cockpit barely accommodated Markus and the pilot, Lieutenant Lissa Vex, one of the Elite commandos with over twenty years of experience flying covert insertion missions.

"Systems check complete," Vex announced as she activated flight controls. "Stealth systems active. Heat signature dampeners at maximum."

Gayle strapped herself into one of the jump seats behind them, closing her eyes to focus on the King's presence. The crimson star in her mind pulsed with increasing irregularity—bright flares followed by moments of dimming. Whatever was happening to Rainus, it wasn't good.

The Wraith detached from the Vigilant with barely a tremor, its engines whisper-quiet as Lieutenant Vex guided it toward the asteroid field. Through the view port, Gayle watched the massive rocks tumbling slowly through the void, some as large as small moons, others no bigger than the ship itself.

"Approaching entry point," Vex murmured, her focus absolute as she threaded the needle between two spinning asteroids. "Engaging proximity sensors. Switching to manual thrusters."

The ship slipped deeper into the field, navigating the treacherous corridor Markus had identified. Twice, they had to power down completely and drift past sensor buoys hidden in the asteroid shadows. Each time, Gayle felt her heart hammering against her ribs, the silence of the ship broken only by their collective breathing.

"Four minutes until the diversion begins," Nathias announced over the comm, his voice tight with tension. "Everyone check weapons and prepare for hard contact."

Gayle felt the King's presence flare again, this time accompanied by a stab of pain that lanced through her temple. She sucked in a breath, gripping the edge of her seat.

"Gayle?" Markus turned, concern etching his features.

"They're doing something to him," she managed, the words coming through clenched teeth. "Something... invasive. I–I don't think he had much time left." She couldn't look at Markus, but she felt his eyes on her. Instead, she looked out of the view port out the front, willing them to get to the King faster, but she knew they had a plan that they needed to stick to.

Almost. Just hang on. Gayle sent to King Rainus, even though she knew he couldn't hear her through the bond and was too far away to catch it with his Telepathic Dome-ni.

The cabin was deathly silent as they moved in closer to the enemy ship. One minute, two minutes, and then a third and fourth passed as they deftly darted through the field with the stealth of a predator on the hunt.

The atmosphere inside the Wraith was stifling, every team member half-holding their breath as the ship crept toward the heart of the asteroid field. All comms were silent except for brief, coded clicks acknowledging course corrections or status checks—no one dared break the quiet with unnecessary chatter. The only sounds were the low hum of life support and the subtle, almost imperceptible pings of the proximity sensors as the vessel slipped between tumbling rocks. Even Vex, usually prone to sardonic commentary, kept her focus absolute, fingers flickering over the manual thruster controls while her gaze darted between the heads-up display and the shifting darkness beyond the cockpit glass.

Outside, asteroids tumbled in their stately, indifferent ballet, some glancing past the hull at distances that would have been measured in centimeters. On one especially tight squeeze, the hull vibrated in a way that made every trained professional in the cabin quietly tense, hands hovering near restraints or weapons. Gayle tried to steady her breathing, feeling both the throb of her own pulse and the erratic flare of Rainus's presence out there—somewhere beyond the next wall of stone and shadow, dimming ominously.

Gayle witnessed a blinding flash erupted from the far side of the asteroid field, followed by a second, then a third. The diversion had begun.

"That's our cue," Lieutenant Vex said as she opened up the throttle all the way. "Increasing thrust to attack speed."

The Wraith surged forward, weaving between asteroids with precision and velocity that would have been impossible without Vex's skill. The crimson presence in Gayle's mind pulsed erratically now, like a heart struggling to maintain rhythm.

"Two minutes to intercept," Vex announced. "Enemy vessel coming into visual range."

Through the view port, Gayle could see it now—a massive ship unlike any ship design she'd ever seen. Its hull was a mottled black-green with strange organic protrusions that seemed to shift and undulate. No clean lines or symmetrical structure like Ethian vessels—this grown rather than built.

Along its surface, faint bioluminescent patterns pulsed in rhythms that seemed almost like a heartbeat. Gayle felt her skin crawl at the sight.

"What in the yavit is that?" muttered one of the Vanguard commandos.

"Our target," Markus replied grimly. "Lieutenant Vex, take us in."

"Aim for the depression near what looks like the ventral section," Gayle added.

Vex nodded, adjusting their course. "I see it. Might be an access point or maintenance hatch. Readings suggest a thinner bulkhead there."

The Wraith accelerated, darting between two asteroids on a direct intercept course. Through the view port, Gayle could see distant flashes of weapons fire as the Imperial fleet engaged the Shixx vessels at the perimeter. The diversion was working—several smaller enemy craft were breaking away to intercept the fleet.

"Approaching target," Vex announced. "Preparing for docking procedure."

The Wraith's systems hummed as the vessel slowed, maneuvering toward the alien ship's strange, pulsing depression. Gayle's eyes narrowed as they drew closer—what had appeared to be a simple indentation from a distance was actually a complex arrangement of overlapping segments, like a massive iris.

"That's not a maintenance hatch," she said. "It's some kind of—"

The segments suddenly parted, revealing a dark opening into the ship's interior.

"It's opening for us," Markus said, his voice tight. "They know we're here."

"Negative," Vex countered, checking her instruments. "No targeting systems activated, no change in their defensive posture. I think it's… responding to our presence automatically."

Nathias moved forward, his weapon already drawn. "Could be an automated response—or a trap."

"Either way, it's our best option," Markus decided, his voice steely with resolve. "Proceed, Lieutenant."

Vex guided the Wraith into the opening with practiced precision. The ship slipped through the iris-like aperture, which contracted behind them with unsettling organic fluidity. They found themselves in a vast chamber bathed in the same eerie bioluminescent glow that pulsed along the exterior.

"Atmosphere readings?" Nathias demanded.

One of the intelligence analysts checked her instruments. "Breathable, sir, but with high concentrations of unknown compounds. Good thing we are already wearing the MX4s. I would recommend keeping helmets on while we are inside."

Gayle barely heard the exchange. The moment they'd entered the ship, the King's presence had intensified dramatically in her mind—no longer a distant crimson star but a burning sun, its heat searing through her consciousness. The bond was fully active now, proximity bridging whatever dampening had been in place.

"He's close," she gasped, rising from her seat. "Two levels down and approximately three hundred meters toward the ship's core."

The Wraith settled onto what passed for a docking platform—a slightly raised section of the chamber floor that seemed to mold itself around their landing gear. The material beneath them shifted, securing the vessel in place with disturbing intentionality.

"Lock it down," Nathias ordered. "Vex remain with the ship and keep the engines hot and ready for immediate extraction."

"Yes, sir," Vex replied, as she prepared defensive protocols.

As the team assembled near the exit ramp, Gayle felt another surge of pain through the bond—sharper this time and accompanied by a distinct feeling of fear. Not her own—Rainus's fear, bleeding through the bond. It made her shiver as she desperately clamped it down. She didn't need the distraction.

"We need to move now," she said, her voice tight. "Something's happening to him."

Markus nodded, signaling the team to form up. The ramp descended with a soft hiss, revealing a corridor that seemed to breathe—its walls undulating slightly with a rhythm that mimicked respiration.

"Standard infiltration pattern," Nathias ordered. "Commandos on point and rearguard. Medics center position. Gayle, you're our compass—lead the way."

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