Ashra

By Jon Lang

Ashra, the youngest Sanctum princess, is used to being told what to do and when to do it. She has little freedom; born blind and mute, she lives inside her own mind, experimenting with her burgeoning psychic powers and seeing the world through sight borrowed from those around her. But when her mother sacrifices herself to ensure Ashra leaves on the right escape pod, the princess is forced to begin making decisions for herself, decisions that will shape the fate of empires and the galaxy.
Alan Belmont, officer of the Einhart, has seen better days. He isn’t used to failing, but his latest mission ends abruptly when the Sanctum Empire captures the man he was supposed to rescue. However, when a new weapon that decimates the Sanctum fleet is linked to the girl inside the escape pod he recovers, his structured life of orders and battles begins to crumble. Especially when the girl reminds him of the daughter he once had...
With Ashra under his care, Alan must balance his duties to the Einhart with keeping the princess safe from both the superhuman Sanctum royalty that seek her and his own comrades that want her dead. Their adventures will take them to lush forests filled with strange creatures, vast spaceships packed with Sanctum soldiers, and a hidden research facility where the twisted products of the Empire’s ambition lurk. But they won't face them alone; Aki, an assassin with a personal vendetta against the Sanctum, and Argus, a bear of a man that recites poetry between gunshots, will have their backs at every step.
With memorable characters and action from start to finish, the story explores the morality of war, how a lonely child can heal a broken father, and the beautiful yet tragic consequences of self-sacrifice.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Jon Lang
• Release date: Aug 27, 2014
• ISBN: 9781311077417

Jon Lang

I was raised deep in the Midwest, where the land is sold in acres and the horses, cows and chickens outnumber people. I fled as soon as I could by going to UC-Berkeley, and ended up graduating with a degree in Japanese with a few years of molecular cell biology on the side. Fleeing even further, my travels took me to Tokyo, where I discovered the best sushi and the worst weather. The wind has now blown me to Seattle, where I can be found running down Pike St. yelling, “Go Seahawks!” at the top of my lungs, in turn scaring small animals and children.

Book preview

And

The man with eyes the color of rocks on the riverbed, for showing me things

I couldn’t see by myself.

Chapter 1

Left or right?

Alan Belmont looked at the statue of an Erudite from ages past. Its sleeves were frozen in stone, hanging to the ground. Its palms faced the ceiling, waiting for a divine command that would never come. Each hand pointed down two corridors that both extended as far as Alan could see. He had come through one that looked no different; the walls adorned with the paintings and tapestries that detailed the history of Galea, a world famed for its learning and arts.

He looked down one path, noting windows that stretched to the ceiling, casting light upon the bodies of the temple guards and Sanctum soldiers scattered on the floor. Their blood mingled and soaked into the carpet underneath. He was glad it was still too early to smell the decay.

Did you check the map? A woman appeared behind him with a layout of the temple displayed in the air. We had ample time in darkspace to look it over. She slid by silently, her calf-hugging boots making no sound as she walked over the carpet.

I took a glance, Alan said, but this place is too big and we only need to find one person. Our contact hasn’t been responding. He held his pistol with one gloved hand and rubbed his stubble with the other. He wondered if the statue in front of him held any clue, but its eyes were closed and its mouth was shut. After all, he continued, if I knew where to go, what would you do, Aki? he joked.

Aki dismissed him with a wave of her hand. She studied the map glowing from her wrist— a maze of multicolored boxes that intersected with other shapes, outlining the temple complex and its buildings. She traced a path with her eyes, following the corridors and rooms. Left, she said.

Alan turned and started down the hallway, away from the mess of bodies that lay down the other hall. The guards must’ve tried to defend that area, thinking they could hold them off in tighter spaces, he remarked. His boots left deep impressions in the carpet as he jogged.

Good plan, poor execution, Aki said. The soldiers sent to retrieve an offering aren’t stock Sanctum. She swept the area with her gun as they ran, looking for any movement. She hopped around the bits of broken statue on the floor, her short hair bouncing in time. The ceiling had been blasted through, now missing in most places, letting a mixture of light and salty air inside.

Alan looked up to see a Galean fighter in the distance, its boxy frame leaving a trail of flame and smoke as it was shot down by two bolts of plasma launched by the Sanctum ship chasing it. An explosion followed as the outdated fighter crashed into a building, sending bits of metal raining into the nearby sea. The shockwave forced Alan to steady himself on the remnants of a column. He shook the plaster out of his hair and heard shouting ahead, the voices punctuated by screams. I think we’re close, he said. He saw Aki dash forward, her body covered in a tight black suit that blended into the shadows.

At the end of the hallway, an arch made from a giant pair of sculpted hands invited them to enter. As they went through, the shouts became louder. Alan noticed that here in the antechamber, the debris was larger, large enough to hide behind. Chunks of stone had fallen, exposing a reinforced ceiling high above them designed to withstand attacks even from orbit. He knew, however, that the Sanctum Empire no longer used such weapons.

Alan ducked through and Aki followed. They went to opposite ends of the room, crouching to avoid the superheated plasma blasts volleying over them. The fighting had become trench warfare; the Galeans held their position behind a barricade of furniture and debris, while the Sanctum soldiers shot back from across the other side. Alan slid down and hid himself behind a fallen slab of rock, next to a Galean guard that held a hand over his stomach. The wet spot underneath the guard’s charcoal uniform grew larger as he tried to breathe. Alan held a hand over his, trying to staunch the flow of blood. The guard winced.

Is the Erudite behind that door? Alan asked. He looked at the set of wooden doors that towered over them in the antechamber.

The man nodded and gasped, finding it hard to speak. And…Seth. The man closed his eyes and focused his remaining energy on breathing.

Alan glanced down the row. The Galean forces were falling fast. He caught a glimpse of Aki, surfacing from her cover and firing two shots. He saw two sprays of blood cover the wall and heard two bodies fall to the floor on the other side.

Alan opened his com. Aki, Seth is in the other room.

I guessed as much, she responded. Looks like he barged through the guards and sealed the door from the inside, leaving his troops to defend. She popped up and fired again. We don’t have much time. A Javelin has been sighted entering the atmosphere at this location.

Alan played with a smooth piece of metal in one of his many pockets. We only have one left, should we save it for inside? he asked.

Only if you want to kill the Erudite in the process, she said. She stopped firing and ducked behind a marble slab, covering herself with a painting as plasma splattered against the wall behind her. Some dripped onto the canvas and the oils burned green and red. I still have my Sheet, she said, throwing away the flaming art.

Alan nodded. He was already assembling the weapon from parts ferreted out of three pouches on his pants. With a pinch of his fingers, two silver crescents came together to form a ball. He checked the pulse of the Galean next to him and felt nothing. Risking a glance, he saw the Sanctum forces as some of them stood up, preparing to jump over their own cover and close the space between them. Are things clear on your side?

No friendlies left here, she said.

Deploying Ardor, he said.

Aki ducked. Alan pressed a button on the completed ball and lobbed it high above him towards the center of the room. He pulled himself under a table, clutching his knees and tucking in his head. He tapped a command into his wristband, pressed it to his chest, and then took a deep breath. A silvery film flowed outward from his suit and covered him, tightening around his limbs and armor and hardening against his back. Aki had flattened herself into a hole between slabs, a similar silver lining covering her boots as she pulled herself under the marble and disappeared.

The ball hung in space as Sanctum soldiers ran underneath it. The surface of the ball rippled once and receded, revealing a blue core that pulsed white, a moment that Alan thought was strangely beautiful when he saw it for the first time. The core shrunk to a pinprick and imploded, releasing a burst of light. Alan closed his eyes and felt a wave of intense heat wash over him. The silver film glowed orange as it took the brunt of the burn.

He opened his eyes. All that remained of the table were the ashes the clung to him as he stood up. The Sheet was burnt, the edges eaten by embers that crept up his body and fluttered away. Aki came to join him as he surveyed the damage. A crater stood where the center of the antechamber used to be, surrounded by sooty prints in the shapes of bodies. The door that led to the inner chamber was blown off its hinges, lying charred on the floor. He ran to what remained of the frame, pressed his back against it and peered inside.

The Erudite of Galea was cowering in the corner of his audience chamber, his thin hair matted with sweat as he clung to a pillar behind the holy dais where he normally governed. The ceiling was missing here as well. Within the sunlight another man stood in the middle of the chamber, dressed in robes that weren’t fit for battle. He moved so fast that all Alan could see were blurs of purple and blue as he danced between what remained of the elite guard of the Erudite, striking with only his hands. Alan recognized him instantly. This was Seth, First Prince of the Sanctum and Voice of the Empire. He stood at least a head above the other soldiers, an impressive feat considering Galeans were known for their stature. Yet despite his size, Alan couldn’t follow his movements. His fist seemed to hang at his side, but a moment later it impaled one of the elites in the chest. As the man staggered and fell, Alan saw a hole where the man’s heart used to be.

Having Seth here was an opportunity Alan couldn’t pass up. He nodded to Aki. She aimed and fired a bullet at Seth as he was preparing to impale another particularly large elite guard. As soon as the shot rang out and the vibrations rippled through the air, Seth threw the man aside and spun away as the bullet sped past him. The bullet only took out a chunk of plaster from the wall. Alan aimed another shot right after Aki, seemingly into empty space. He watched as it connected with Seth’s shoulder as the prince appeared; Seth had dodged one bullet only to hit another. It impacted and shattered inside his arm, slicing through muscles and sinew. Seth stood still as he looked at the wound. The blood seeped through the fabric of his sleeve, turning the blue into black. He lifted his head and roared in anger. Alan took the opportunity to fire two more shots at him, but Seth dodged them with ease, leaving only a shadow of himself every time he disappeared and reappeared at a different location, coming closer with every turn. Alan stepped back and watched as Aki slipped behind them and headed towards the Erudite, helping him to his feet. Alan continued to shoot, but Seth had stopped moving forward and held still. Alan looked at Aki with the Erudite near the back of the circular room, seeing no other way to escape other than through the door he was slowly backing out of.

He thought it was strange that Seth would stop, for the First Prince was known for his ruthlessness and didn’t rest until his enemies were dead. Alan heard a rumble above them, the sound of ship engines. A moment later, what remained of the ceiling was splintered and sucked out. He looked up. Instead of sky, the underside of a transport emerged, its smooth silver hull designating it a Sanctum ship.

Seth was nowhere to be seen. Aki only had a moment to deflect the fingers that were aimed at her heart before another hand came and swept her aside. She collided with the back wall and fell to the ground. As he swatted her away, Seth grabbed the Erudite, who was mumbling incoherently. Alan still had his pistol trained on Seth, but couldn’t shoot and risk hitting the hostage. The air around Seth and the Erudite started quivering, as if there were waves of heat surrounding them. They lifted off the floor and were pulled up through the antigravity beam, along with rocks and bits of debris. Alan couldn’t believe they could equip such a small ship with such a beam. There was still much to learn from their enemies, he thought.

Do you have a shot? he said into his com.

Aki nodded, recovering her breath. She lay on the ground and looked up, aiming at the back of Seth’s rising head. She fired. The bullet sped towards its target. But when it hit the beam the bullet slowed, then stopped, until it spun lazily along with the other debris.

Seth and the Erudite disappeared into the ship. As it started climbing, Alan opened another channel.

Claudia, are you there? he asked.

A crackle of static, then a male voice responded, "The High Adjudicant is currently integrated with the Aurelius. This is Second Medium Simmons."

Seth has taken the Erudite and they’re leaving by transport ship. Alan looked up through the hole at the vessel speeding away. Looks like they’ll be heading out of system.

We haven’t detected a Sanctum ship preparing to shift, Simmons said.

I’m looking at them right now, Alan said, "and they're going to shift. We can’t risk losing the Galean Erudite to the emperor. The Baldur is close isn’t it? We can use their armament." The ship had enough long range missiles, Alan thought.

I’ll check. A few seconds passed before he responded, The AIs have decided that we cannot risk starting a war with the Galeans. Your request has been denied.

Alan clenched his fist. Understood, he said, his level voice hiding his disappointment. He continued watching as the ship sped away until all that remained of it was a bright blip that vanished into the clouds, taking Seth and the Erudite with it.

Alan's eyes widened when he saw the other ship descending towards Galea. Tell me Simmons, what do you plan on doing about that thing up there? he asked. Though he had seen a few during his battles with the empire, the Javelin-class warship was sent only to the most resistant territories. It was a behemoth of metal shaped into an octahedron, a spearhead. Where each triangular face met at the edges were deep grooves brimming with recessed plasma turrets. A full squadron of fighters waited inside it. To Alan, it seemed like overkill for a city that had already all but fallen.

The warship cast a shadow across the capital city of Galea, the bottom point burning red as it entered the atmosphere. Alan knew that once it was through, it would quickly destroy whatever pockets of resistance were left. Even now, its grooves started to glow blue as it built up charge.

"We’ve identified the ship as the Javelin-class warship, the Edict, last seen in the battle over Phalos, Simmons said. The Baldur has arrived and we’re evacuating as many as we can from other major cities on Galea. The rest will need to find their own way offworld. We don’t have enough resources to wage a battle while coordinating rescue operations."

Leaving another world to die? Alan spat.

Insubordi—

Alan tapped his com and cut him off. Quiet Simmons, he said to himself. We share the same rank.

Aki had pulled herself up and limped next to him. "Call the Umbra?" she asked.

Already on its way, he responded. He watched as the remaining Sanctum fighters left the isolated temple and headed towards the main city further inland. He was updating his position when a large chunk of the fallen ceiling behind them started shaking. Startled, he and Aki both aimed their guns on it. A muffled voice came from underneath it.

Alan put his gun away, found purchase on the cracked floor and braced his knees. With a grunt, he pushed against the rock slab with his back, straining to lift it. He felt his legs tighten and burn with the effort. From underneath him, a large pair of hands followed by two burly arms appeared. A face emerged; Alan recognized him as the elite guard that Seth almost killed earlier. With a final heave, they pushed the slab off. The man rolled out from under it and balanced on his knees. Aki kept her gun trained on him.

The man spat dust out of his mouth. The Erudite? he choked out in a baritone voice. He pushed himself up with hands so large that Alan was sure he could crush his head without effort. This bear of a man seemed larger now that Seth was gone. He towered over them both, standing on legs as thick as Alan’s torso.

Alan shook his head. He’s been taken.

But the Galean could only stand for a moment. The man staggered and sat on the ground, holding a hand to a deep gash on his thigh. Aki lowered her weapon and tore a piece of fabric from one of the dead elites and wrapped it around the wound.

Thank you, he said. I am Argus Volgren, one of the guards of the Erudite of Galea. He looked at them. My saviors are? he asked.

I’m Alan, and this is Aki, he said, pointing to her as she tied a tight knot around Argus’s leg. I believe you called for us earlier. We’re from the Einhart.

The Einhart! Thank you for coming, Argus said. With your ships, we can go after them. Surely you have some way we can find His Sagacity! His excited movements caused a fresh stream of blood to trickle from his leg.

Alan put a hand on Argus’s chest, shaking his head, but the large man continued. They couldn’t have gotten far. Did you see where they went? He tried to push himself up and looked around, searching for some sign of the Erudite’s gold and red robes.

He was taken by Seth onto a stealth ship, Alan said. It’s too late for the Erudite. When we received your distress call the invasion had already begun. Even with the drugs that coursed through Alan's veins, he was still saddened to the see the hopeful light fade from Argus's eyes.

Argus hung his head in shame. I apologize on behalf of the Erudite, he said. Galea has always been a center of learning, collecting information from many of the known worlds, a neutral land that believes that knowledge should be free and available. We have never participated in any of the conflicts that occurred in other areas, and we never thought we would be attacked in such a fashion, he said.

Is there anything special about the Erudite of Galea? Aki asked.

Argus held his back straighter, his voice clear and his words rehearsed. He is the guiding light, the principal magister of the twelve schools, the great scion of the arts and leader of the peop—

There’s no need for the speech. The man is gone and he isn’t here to hear it, Alan said.

Argus sat down on the floor. A sigh escaped his lips as his failure to protect his leader fell onto his shoulders with a greater weight than any slab of stone. He took a breath and said, The Erudite was a jerk. He was never popular, and his policies pushed away the few that would support him. But, it was still my job to protect him, and I couldn’t fulfill my duty to do so.

You did what you could, Aki said. This isn’t the first time the Sanctum Empire has come to a world to only take a few, though they will make the populace believe otherwise. She looked at the broken throne on the dais. Was there anything the Erudite could do that others could not? she asked.

Now that he is gone, there’s no need to keep it a secret anymore, Argus said. We Galeans believe that knowledge is the greatest attribute an individual can have, and it is a waste when one dies and takes it with them to the grave. The Erudites have always transferred a select portion of their knowledge and being into their successors so that their descendants wouldn’t make the same mistakes their forebears did. It’s a tradition and technique that has been practiced here since the beginning of our recorded history, and it’s an ability particular to the Erudites of Galea and their bloodline. Though it doesn’t seem to have helped much in his case. He looked up wistfully. His flaws could also be attributed to this tradition; the knowledge came with the vessels that once held them, and the vestigial remnants of the minds of the Erudites before him tore at his psyche like birds to carrion, inflicting their own opinions and viewpoints.

Argus gazed towards the city in the sunset, watching as Sanctum fighters swarmed its skyline like flies around a corpse. The husks of buildings lay on their sides half-collapsed, as if they were hands stuck in rigor mortis.

Alan knew the look in Argus’s eyes. Remember it while you can, he said. Or maybe it’s better if you forget altogether. He recalled an evening in his own past, when he realized all that he knew was no more.

I know most of the landmarks, Argus said. I played in a park over there, as a child, pointing to a column of smoke, and I trained over there on our military grounds. Alan followed his finger to a smoldering crater. It’s funny, even the most forward-thinking worlds have some backwards customs. But I’ll keep them. I’ll keep these memories close to me. His hands dropped and he clenched them into fists.

He knelt on his good leg before Alan and Aki. Even on his knees he wasn’t much shorter than they were standing. You have saved my life, he said to them both. And since we share a common enemy, I pledge what remains of it into your service in the hopes I can find the Erudite and put an end to his captor. He spoke with his head bowed.

Aki looked at Alan. We may work together, but my goals are different from his, she said. She backed away and headed through a hole in the wall to keep track of the Edict and its descent.

Alan helped him up. Don’t you have obligations here? This is your homeworld, he said. They followed Aki out.

Argus’s face had become stone, his features unreadable. Before the Sanctum came, I told the people I needed to of the invasion. What they did with the information was their choice. Here, upon Galea, I am limited. What can a grain of sand do to stop the tide? He looked at Alan. We guards dedicated our lives to the Erudite. My only obligation is to atone for my failure, he said.

From above, Alan heard the hum of engines. The Umbra came in from above, its elliptical shape black against the setting sun. Four variable hybrid quadrupole engines rotated around it, their cylinders glowing blue and white as they held the ship aloft. They were connected to the main body by electric purple tethers that crackled and popped as they heated the air around them. At Alan’s command, the tethers shifted to the bottom of the ship, bringing the engines with them as they reoriented their position. The ship began to descend.

"We need to leave before the Edict arrives and turns what remains of this city to dust, Alan said. Already, most of the Javelin-class ship could be seen. Lances of plasma shot from its sides, melting the fallen buildings. Seth got what he came here for and there are no more defenses left to hold the empire off." He stepped over the wall and headed towards the Umbra as it prepared to land on a small rocky patch.

Look! Aki said. Alan and Argus turned to look where she was pointing. An explosion rocked one of the sides of the Edict high above them, halting the bombardment and sending out plumes of fire from one of the hatches.

Chapter 2

Left or right?

It was Lydia’s first time in the bowels of the Javelin-class warship, the Edict. As a consort of the emperor, she had only walked within the bright halls of the ship, a ship reserved for dignitaries and nobility. She wasn’t used to the darkness of the service corridors through which she now blindly felt her way. The only light came from lamps built into the ceiling above, so high that they barely illuminated the ground she ran across. She had made her way through the maze of turns and pressure doors as best as she could, her sandals slipping on the wet floor when fear overtook her, when she saw shapes without substance in the darkness. Vents released jets of steam into the air that coated her hair, turning it into an ebony mat that slapped against the back of her blouse. Her memory and adrenaline had brought them here, but as she faced a choice between two equally gloomy corridors, she knew she was lost. She kept one hand against the wall to steady herself as she made her way forward. With her other hand, she guided her daughter, Ashra.

Lydia asked her again. This is what I see, one light and a choice between two identical corridors. Can you sense where there are others?

The princess Ashra was a child that only came up to Lydia’s waist, yet she had the same dark hair and light skin that she had inherited from her mother. Though she was blind and mute, she had ways of seeing that which no one else could, and a way of communicating that was rare even among the royals of Sanctum. The princess thought it was strange to see her mother outside of their arranged appointments, but she had come when Lydia beckoned.

she said. Ashra’s voice sounded like the leaves of a tree rustled by a light breeze, skipping the ears and heard directly by the mind.

Lydia knelt down and held her daughter by the shoulders. They are chasing us because they want you. Now that you’re older, your father wants to turn you into another tool of the empire. They will beat the humanity out of you until all that’s left of my daughter is a shell that obeys, like all the other children. I cannot let that happen. She stood up and squeezed Ashra’s hand, We don’t have time, but we can leave here, we can leave forever, if we leave now. What do you see?

Ashra hesitated. What her mother was afraid of should’ve been an honor. She was, after all, a princess of the Sanctum, even if she wasn’t treated like a daughter of the emperor. Still, she would trust her.

she said. she turned and looked back as if she could see through the murk. They were still a ways away, but they moved with purpose and their steps didn’t falter. she said.

Lydia pulled Ashra close, felt her daughter’s hand upon her hip, and they headed through the darkness. Lydia recognized the passage from the crudely drawn map she had received earlier. She kept her fingers connected to the surface of the wall, feeling the smooth stone until one of her rings snagged on a vertical slit. She released Ashra’s hand and felt inside her skirt pocket for a card that was no bigger than her thumb. It was a final gift she received from one of her servants a little earlier, a eunuch that had served her faithfully for the last few years. Though they were supposed to meet before she left, he never appeared and Lydia had left alone.

She pressed the card into the slit, took her daughter’s hand and stepped back. A screeching came from above as thick slabs of metal dropped from the ceiling on hidden rails. The two crouched and huddled together as the slabs collided with the floor with a blast of air that forced Lydia to shield her eyes. Foam sealant oozed out of the sides of the plates, filling the air with an acrid scent as it fused the plates together along with the floors and walls, creating a vacuum seal against decompression. It would buy them enough time.

Let’s go, she said. She grabbed Ashra and led them down another set of dark hallways. She had found her bearings, and with one more turn, they arrived at a dead end. Her hands searched along the wall, patting it up and down until she found an indent and pressed it with her finger. She heard a click and the wall panel slid to the side on invisible tracks, flooding the area in front of it with light. Lydia squinted and shielded her eyes, but Ashra didn’t react, for the princess saw nothing.

Lydia looked around the corner, and seeing no one there, stepped out with Ashra. As soon as they left, the panel slid back soundlessly and sealed itself with a hiss.

The hallway they entered was smooth and white, with graceful curves that wrapped around a long panel of mercurial glass that doubled as the wall. The energy shield that surrounded the Edict took the brunt of the force of entry into Galea’s atmosphere, painting the air outside in shades of orange and red that mixed in with the sunset. Beneath them, all that remained of the capital city were spires that stuck out of the ground at odd angles, the scorched earth underneath them visible through their melting frames. Escape craft carrying refugees launched from the surface, leaving trails of wake with their ion engines. Some made it out of atmosphere and gathered enough speed to shift to darkspace. The rest were destroyed by Sanctum fighters or the Edict itself, their debris raining down on what remained of the city.

Since her capture, Lydia had seen it many times. The Sanctum Empire went to worlds with technology, with resources, with people, subjugating and acquiring what it could in an effort to expand and dominate. The empire would justify the deaths of the escaping Galeans one way or another, perhaps even going so far to suggest that their souls were at peace and one with the holy emperor; but what the empire didn’t want was people hiding in the far reaches of space who would remember this day.

She remembered when her own homeworld of Phalos had fallen. Now, she and her daughter were close to escaping the Edict, the great warship that was also their prison. Ashra would know what it was like to walk the ground of Phalos, as Lydia once did.

In the empty hallway she knelt next to her daughter, using her hands to comb and straighten Ashra’s dark hair, doing her best to wipe the sweat and dirt that had covered them during their escape through the tunnels. Ashra’s white silk dress was torn at the sides from a fall earlier; Lydia brushed off the grime that clung to it. We’re close, Lydia said, allowing herself to feel hope. She knew this area of the ship. This path would lead to the bay that held the escape craft she was looking for. With the preparations to conquer Galea, she hoped that the guards normally stationed in front of the bay would have other duties.

She took a deep breath. From the hem of her skirt, she unhooked a knife she had smuggled earlier and held it behind her back. She and Ashra walked with measured steps, their footfalls loud against the floor.

After turning a corner and seeing the same two guards stand in their usual positions, flanking the sides of the escape bay, Lydia steeled herself.

The two soldiers assigned to watch the escape bay were not happy where they were. Bloodlust coursed through their veins. They wished to be with their comrades as the first terrestrial raiding party. They wished to be part of the battle, to bring glory to their emperor, to spread the truth of the Sanctum Empire.

Despite their own desires, they stood guard at the bay, prepared to kill any soldier that dared run away. As they saw the royal consort and her daughter approaching, the guards bowed low, their faces held in rigid solemnity, their trunks parallel with the ground. They thought nothing of the two appearing. Perhaps the consort wanted to show the child the might of the empire firsthand.

They remained bowing as Lydia walked next to one of them, appearing to gaze out the window. When he saw the knife it was too late. In one motion, Lydia released her daughter and sliced through his neck. He clutched his throat as blood escaped through his fingers. He fell to the ground with a thud, the last of his life pooling out onto the floor.

Consort or not, the other guard reacted quickly. He ran towards Lydia and tackled her, pinning her under the combined weight of his body and armor. The knife was knocked out of her hand and clattered to the ground.

Ashra! Lydia cried out right before the guard clamped his hands down around her throat.

Ashra stood silently next to them. Her hair quivered as she trembled. In the past she had caught hints of her mother’s life before the empire, but she never imagined she would kill another Sanctum in their bid to escape.

Lydia tried to call out again, but the guard’s hands were strong and no air escaped her lips. She saw the edges of her vision darkening. She thumped against his armor, her fists useless against the metal. The interval between taps became longer.

Seeing it in the world she lived in, Ashra felt her mother’s life slipping away and she made the decision any daughter would.

The guard’s consciousness was a mix of colors, the red of his adrenaline infusing everything around him. Ashra focused on him, easily slipped into his occupied mind, and felt for the right synapses. Imagining herself as a vine, she wound herself through his neurons and bundled a select few together, knotting the impulses that shot through them.

The guard’s hands loosened from Lydia’s neck. The only thing that moved were his eyes, still