The Targothian: Crimson Death: Targothian Trilogy, #2

By Larry Yoakum III

Told in his own words, Sargas continues his story.  After a long and successful rule over the planet of Targoth, Sargas soon encounters betrayal from a trusted friend and eventual banishment from the world he loves so much.  Arriving back on Earth in the 1950s, he prepares to live his life until the fateful day his past self is to be taken by the Bah'Tene.  He is happy to discover that the K.O.T. has continued to be in existence in the United States for quite some time.  Claiming his place as Lord Knight among his Earthbound brethren, Sargas must prepare his comrades for a new threat that has emerged in the Three Galaxies:  The Crimson Death.

• Language: English
• Publisher: K.O.T. Publications
• Release date: Jan 13, 2020
• ISBN: 9781393154464

Larry Yoakum III

Born in Wichita, Kansas and raised in Valley Center, a small nearby town, Larry graduated High School in 1993 and joined the Air Force in 1995.  Serving 4 years, he got out and ended up in the Dallas, Texas area.  Writing short stories since school, Larry eventually put them to print and now has several published works. 

Book preview

Prologue

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You know, this is actually doing me some good mentally.  I hadn’t thought about these events in years.  I am glad that I am documenting it all before it’s too late. 

Targoth has been my home for centuries now.  Everything I had done since arriving in 1498 was a string of events that in my youth I’d have never dreamed that I’d ever achieve.

Me, a young guy in the Air Force, in a bad marriage and feeling trapped in his personal life.  I had always felt out of place in my life, never really having a whole lot of friends. 

I was terrified that night when the hole in the sky opened and brought me five hundred years into the past.

After dying and coming back with strength and power and halted aging, I thought I had a group to call my own.  I had family back home, sure, but these were people that could let me do things I’d never achieve back in Kansas. 

I fought on their behalf, destroying undead and others of my kind who had joined forces with the servants of Lucifer.  My mentor and good friend had gone insane and I was forced to kill him.

And, as you know, that led to the discovery that my planet of ancestry wasn’t destroyed, like my new friends had told me.  They led me to believe that Targoth, where my people came from, was destroyed long ago. 

My new friends that I had spent a decade serving had lied to me.  Had they never done that; I might have never gone off to find Targoth.  I suppose I should have thanked them. 

But I wouldn’t debase myself in such a manner.  Ever.  Nor would I forgive them.  Had they told me the truth, I’d have gladly stayed in the Imperium, though I would have still gone to Targoth and destroyed Dea using the weapons at my disposal and warships and everything else and Targoth today would be a member world of the Imperium.

Looking back, I am glad it didn’t happen that way. 

Had I stayed in the Imperium; I may have turned into a man like my counterpart in that alternate reality. 

So, in hindsight, better that I discovered the Council to be the liars that they are instead of bringing Targoth into their domain.

And these insipid bastards had the nerve to ask to come to Targoth for a sit-down with me.

CHAPTER 1

Well, of course I invited them.  I suppose it was the Terran in me that wanted to be petty and shove in their faces everything that I had achieved without them.

Of course, in the past, they had been on Targoth and I spoke with them.  They wanted me to join their council as an equal.  It would have allowed me to remain Lord of Targoth but then we’d be a member world, which, as I’ve stated before, wasn’t something I wanted.

Before they arrived, I ended the meeting early.  I asked my military leaders, fellow Knights, and the Chancellor to meet me in one hour in the banquet hall.

I cleared the room out and had the communications section put me in contact with my new guests.

Lord Sargas, it has been a long time, spoke someone I didn’t quite remember.  I asked who I was speaking to.  He identified himself as T’Nar of Elginia, the newest council member, having joined their ranks thirty years ago.  A Bah’Tene who primarily operated in the Triangulum Galaxy, he was asked to join the council when member Kop Va had dusted from old age. 

I remembered Kop Va a bit from my first meeting with the Council.  He was an imperial cleric before taking the Test.

I inquired about Arakus and they told me he was busy in the core section of the Milky Way. 

Inviting them into the system, I warned them there would be several ships flying escort.  T’Nar assured me that they were simply one ship, no fighter squadrons accompanied them. 

It was true.  They had arrived in a non-combat vessel.  Pretty awesome of them to fly all this way with no troops.  They must have really wanted to gain my trust.

Which made me distrust them all the more.

Within the hour, their vessel had docked at our port, and they were walked to the Citadel.  They were watched by hundreds of Targothian troops and Knights of Targoth.  I had no interest in making them feel at ease.

It was only T’Nar and several Elginian royal guards.  All of their soldiers had been ordered to stay on board.  So, they did bring some protection.  Not as stupid as I remembered.   

T’Nar was a man of about twenty-five with a look of an entitled life of privilege.  Just the sort the Council normally recruits into the ranks of Bah’Tene. 

Of course, we all weren’t rich kids.  Gostal was a warrior beforehand, and I could only assume Dea was, as well.  Someday I planned on looking into Qal Dea’s Bah’Tene life.

They were brought into the main chamber where I sat.  The wall of the Throne Room was lined with Knights, their swords drawn.  I could sense the apprehension from the Royal Guards.  It made me smile.

Gentlemen, please, we are having our meeting in the dining hall.  I’ll meet you there shortly.  I didn’t give them a chance to speak as several Targothian soldiers led them away.

They were seated at my personal table along with General Holwa of the Army, Admiral Cenican of the Navy, Chancellor Milton, and his chief-of-staff, Minister Balifar. T’Nar’s guards stood behind him, staring straight ahead at attention. Other than that table of men, it was empty in the dining area.

I watched them from the kitchen door.  I wanted to make them wait a bit longer, so I just stood there mocking the Elginian visitors in my head.

My people knew I was doing this on purpose, just to prove that the presence of the Elginians meant very little to me.

I burst into the room.  At my entering the room, the First Knight Fynn and the newest Sergeant-At-Arms, Tynan, the great, great nephew of my old friend Tymber, came in from the main door, each flanked by two knights just as I ordered them moments earlier.

I sat down, my two lead Knights sat on my left and right, their own knights went off to sit at another table, eyeing T’Nar the whole time.  They were doing it to make him feel ill at ease.  I wanted to applaud them for it.  My Knights were incredible.

The food was brought in, steak, which I had sampled earlier, and potatoes and bread.  Hearty Targothian food, just like our people brought to Earth years ago.

OK, T’Nar, what is it you want of me?  Why did you feel the need to contact me after so long?  I didn’t look at him while I spoke.  I focused my attention on my food and drink.

I knew the reason even before he answered.  We formally request you join the Council.  All eyes were on me.  My people probably thought I’d hurl a fireball at the man for asking that.

I asked him to explain why I was so needed.  The calm in my voice did more to unsettle T’Nar than anything else I could have done.

He explained that the Council was in shambles.  Two of the members, who I didn’t recognize the names of, had joined forces with the Fallen.  Arakus was busy trying to look for powerful fighters to join the ranks of Bah’Tene.  They were done with recruiting aristocrats and their kin.  They needed warriors.

My own reputation in the Imperium is what prompted them to try and get me to join once again.  I told him that Arakus asked me long ago, and I turned him down, and he was actually one of the Council members I respected.

Many of the Bah’Tene serving them right now were starting to have thoughts about leaving, much as I did.  They were beginning to wonder if maybe joining the Fallen was a better choice than to continue working for a leadership that was slowly falling apart.  If I, Sargas, the rebellious Targothian, would rejoin their people, it might give heart to those contemplating leaving.

Even to this day, I laugh at their attempts to butter me up in hopes that I’d give in.  I detest sycophants and brown-nosers.  If you’re unaware of the meaning of brown- nose, you can look it up in a book of late 20th Century Earth slang.  I told them I wouldn’t join their little council now or in the future.  But I’d be willing to train some Bah’Tene for them if they wanted.  I don’t know why I gave in that much.  To even agree to take on a student was tantamount to putting on an Elginian uniform again. 

Consigned to my answer, T’Nar agreed and told me that they had a newly made Bah’Tene that they would send to Targoth for me to take as an apprentice, much like I was to Gostal.

CHAPTER 2

Three days later, I met Jym.  This young man was younger than I was when I became Bah’Tene.  The son of an Elginian nobleman, he was invited to take the Test several weeks ago.  At age nineteen he was one of the youngest tene in years to undergo the transformation into Bah’Tene.

My first impression of him was tainted by the fact he was Elginian and noble-born.  His military short hair was intended to show me that he was serious about the life he had become a part of.  Slightly shorter than I, he seemed eager to learn and take his place among his kind.  He showed up with his weapon at least, a double-sided axe.  At least the kid had a unique taste for his weaponry.  The handle was a few feet long and the blades were not overly sized, but big enough to take off a head or two.

He carried the weapon on his belt instead of on his back as most Bah’Tene did.  Personal choice.

Of course, I never had to carry my sword since I could summon it to my hand and send it back to its place on my mantle or the cockpit of my ship.

I couldn’t believe I agreed to this.  The whole teacher/student thing wasn’t for me.  Sure, I helped train some of the Knights, but that was different.  I had no contempt for them.  My fellow Bah’Tene on the other hand, well, that is a different story altogether.

Jym had just arrived via shuttle on the landing platform.  I was there to greet him, and as was usual lately, I was flanked by Fynn and Tynan. 

Jym walked down the ramp and knelt before me.  I shot a glance at Fynn who only rolled his eyes and smirked.  He knew that I hated people kneeling before me.  I told Jym to get off his knees and stop embarrassing himself.

I took Jym on a tour of the Citadel and showed him to his quarters.  A small but adequate room, it was filled with the bare necessities.  A simple bed, a desk and chair, and a meditation mat.  I told him it wouldn’t require all that much as he wouldn’t be here indefinitely.  As soon as I was satisfied with his training, he would be going back to Elginia.  He was fine with that.  Telling my two Knights to leave us, I escorted Jym to my personal training area.  I used it to keep my sword skills sharp.

The room was filled with machines that resembled faceless metal men.  Their arms were lightning fast, which would require you to stay alert and keep moving, just like in a real fight.

Every so often I would decimate a machine and have the mechanical team fix or build a new one.  I told Jym to show me what he had.

I was actually quite impressed.  I set the machine on a medium speed and told him to get ready.  Pulling out his axe from his belt hook, he readied himself for battle.  I already knew he wasn’t a fire master or any other rare power user.  It wasn’t every one of us that gained an ability like that. 

The training fight began.  The kid was extremely fast.  He cut the machine in half within ten seconds.  At first, he looked my way with fear in his eyes, thinking himself to be punished for destroying my property. 

I smiled slightly and shook my head as I went to another machine and set it on the fastest setting.  This setting even I had trouble with at times.  I had my left arm sliced off at the elbow earlier that year.  No worries.  It grew back before nightfall.  Very itchy at first, though.

Jym leapt at the machine, hacking and slashing at it in a frenzy. The sword-wielding mechanical arms blocked every strike, but he blocked strikes against it as well.

Deciding to up the stakes a bit, I activated a second machine.  He deflected the blows from both sides very effectively.  After about five minutes, in one deft move, he sliced both machines in half, his axe a blur of steel and oil.

I was satisfied with my new trainee.  Heading to the dining hall, we ate dinner and I asked him questions about where he hailed from and what he expected from life as a Bah’Tene.

Apparently, Arakus and his father were old friends.  The Counsel Member had agreed to take the boy on as Bah’Tene so his father could have the prestige of his son fighting alongside the most revered and respected beings in the Three Galaxies.

However, he was also glad to become one of us.  As a child, he heard his father and Arakus talk about the exploits of the Bah’Tene as they hunted the undead and Fallen and other evils of the universe.  He’d play in his room alone, imagining fighting epic battles against Nefarium and Nosferatus. 

Many times, he heard Arakus talk about a great Bah’Tene who left to do his own destiny.  His name was Sargas.

Wow, did Arakus miss me?  Probably.  But the feeling wasn’t mutual, though out of all of the Council, he was the one I detested the least. 

He also told me that the Emperor was overthrown, and his bloodline is no longer the ruling name of the Imperium.  Now that was very interesting.  Another name, the Klants, have become the Imperial family.  It mattered not.  The Council were the true rulers of the Imperium.  They only allowed an Emperor as it gave the people a sense of normalcy. 

After our meal, I told Jym that I was very impressed with his abilities, and it was time to go out into space and fight some real fights. 

I planned with the First Knight and the Chancellor.  I would be gone on another journey again.  They were used to it.  They knew that my helping the Three Galaxies was important.  I was glad they were able to function so well in my absence.  I wouldn’t be around forever, after all.

I contacted the Council.  I asked if they had any missions they needed Jym and I to handle.

Of course, they did.

Receiving a laundry list from them, I told them I wanted full freedom in when and how I handled these missions.  They agreed.

You ready to rock and roll? I asked Jym in Elginian.  He answered me in Targothian.  Ready, willing, and able.

I had almost forgotten how quickly a Bah’Tene can learn another language.  I had been speaking Elginian the entire time.  He must have picked the local tongue from hearing the guards talking.

I learned it before I arrived.  Ok, so he took the time to learn my language before coming here.  Not your typical Elginian.  I was starting to hope I wasn’t the arrogant one to him like the typical Elginians were to me.

I hated to admit it, but I really was beginning to like this kid.

CHAPTER 3

We were soon in the Hunter and flying to the first stop on our list.  The destination was a small planet called Techna, alone in its orbit around a red giant star.  In millennia past, the system held five more planets that were engulfed when the star transformed into the crimson death ball that it was now. 

Techna barely held an atmosphere.  It was breathable by most tene of the carbon-based variety, meaning oxygen of course.  Most tene would probably be crawling around on the ground from the poor breathing conditions.  Luckily, Bah’Tene have the ability to survive on very little oxygen, sometimes even none at all for short periods of time, including limited exposure to the vacuum of space.

The assignment was simple.  Several undead were terrorizing the citizens.  They were a primitive community, barely having settled into communities.  They were unaware of the universe at large, and the Council wanted to keep it that way.  Since when did they care about screwing up the development of primitives? 

Jym sat beside me in the cockpit, his axe resting beside him, propped up against the seat.  Sargotha sat at my side, as well.  I always enjoyed the knowledge that my sword could be called to my hand at will.  Since I first put my hand on it, it read my DNA and recognized me as the heir to Targoth.  I could leave Sargotha at my Citadel and from anyplace in the Three Galaxies, I could make the sword instantly materialize in my hand.  I hoped to one day learn about the technology that allowed that.  Truly, it was nothing mystical, merely an ancient science that has long since been forgotten.

I could sense that Jym was nervous.  He had never actually been in the field before. 

We were soon arriving at Techna, and I scanned for a suitable landing site.  I found one in a mountain range near the community we were sent to assist.  Within moments, we landed and made our way to the town, the red sun high in the sky, covered by a lot of clouds.  As long as they were blocking most of the light, the vampires would be stronger.  Didn’t matter if it was light from a star like Earth’s sun or Targoth’s sun or even a giant red star.  Any solar energy weakened a vampire.

Too bad they didn’t burst into flames like in the movies.

I ordered Jym to keep his axe covered as to not scare the locals.  He put on a cloak, hiding his weapon underneath.  I just left Sargotha on the ship.  I’d call if I needed my old friend.

The population looked more or less human.  As old as this system was, I was at a loss as to why they were so primitive.  Perhaps their race had gone through some catastrophes and lost their own history.  It had happened on Earth. 

In my studies during my slow periods, I discovered some forbidden texts that the Council wouldn’t let others see, though I had my ways.  I read a lot on how after Lucifer fell, he decimated the Earth and how Atlantis, once the dominant Empire of the planet, fell to legend.  God started over again with Adam and Eve and kept that knowledge from them.  I figured Michael had given these texts to his chosen, though they decided to keep their fellow warriors from reading them.

Very likely there were countless worlds out in the vast universe that went through apocalyptic events that caused them to lose their culture and future generations had to develop a new one.

Jym wanted to start talking to some of the townsfolk, but I told him not to.  I told him to remain silent and brooding.  They’d likely think us from some far-off tribe and leave us be.  Reports indicated they weren’t hostile.  I hoped it was true.

We walked through the town and soon Jym got a funny look on his face just as I sensed something amiss.  He could sense it, too.  There were Nosferatus Exmortus around.  That was always a mouthful.  I just referred to them as vampires.

From somewhere out of our line of sight, screams erupted from the people and they ran around like decapitated chickens.  Seven ugly vampires, all dressed as Elginian fuel traders, burst onto the scene, eyes blackened and growling with an insatiable hunger.  They were mostly former humans, but