Alliance of Serpents by Kevin Domenic Read Free Book Online

downward as he nodded. "We can speak with him if
you'd like."
    "No! Please, don't press him. He's been dealt
a great loss and I don't want to make things worse."
    "As you wish. I'd never consider interfering
against your wishes, of course."
    The door slid open again to admit Vultrel. He
seemed even more cautious than Arus had, hesitating to enter even
after Damien invited him in. Once inside, he took a seat several
chairs away from Arus. His made his disdain known with glares and
pursed lips, but he did not say a word. Once comfortable, he turned
his eyes to Damien and waited expectantly.
    "Very well," Damien began, rising from his
chair. "We've called you both here today because Kitreena and I
have come to an important decision. Given that you already know so
much, and because you, Arus, feel like you cannot return home,
we've decided to let you in on everything. Who we are, who the
Kyrosen are, where we're from, what we do, and just about anything
else you want to know."
    "And what about me?" Vultrel spoke up. "I can
go home, can't I?"
    "If that's what you've decided you'd like to
do," Damien responded.
    "But it's all right for me to know all this
stuff?"
    "Again, you know so much already," Kitreena
explained. "Regardless of what we tell you now, Terranias' society
has already been irreversibly affected by our interference."
    Damien cleared his throat and continued.
"Myself, Kitreena, and the crew of the Refuge are part of an
intergalactic military known as the Aeden Alliance. I am the
Captain of this ship, though I don't like formal titles, so that's
why you'll always hear people refer to me as Damien. Kitreena is
second in command. I know she's young, but she has proven time and
time again that she is capable of handling her duties. Our purpose
is to protect and defend any planet which either accepts or
requests our assistance in any number of assorted matters. We've
liberated oppressed societies, rescued hostages from pirates,
recovered stolen goods, and even managed to diffuse a few wars
along the way."
    "We learned about Truce's plans for a
cybernetic implant when he made a transmission from the Underworld
to a research outpost in the Sarangoda system," Kitreena added. "We
intercepted the message and tracked it, and that's how we ended up
here."
    "The Underworld?" Arus repeated.
    "That's what Truce called his little
underground lair beneath your Mayahol Desert," Damien clarified.
"I'm sure you've pieced some of the truth together on your own by
now, but here's the full story. The Kyrosen, or Vermilion Mages as
you know them, landed on your planet years ago in an attempt to
escape extinction. Repeated battles with the Vezulian
Armada—another military faction in space—had dwindled the Kyrosen's
numbers so drastically that they needed a place to regroup and
recover."
    Kitreena's eyes shifted between Vultrel and
Arus as she spoke. "Aratus Truce was a ruthless killer. His vision
was for Terranias to become the new homeworld of the Kyrosen. He
changed their name to the Vermilion Mages to try to conceal their
true identity in case the Armada ever came looking for them. And
then he proceeded to wage war on your people. He wanted to
eliminate humanity, or at least enough of you to force the rest
into submission."
    "So that's what the Vermilion War was about?"
Arus asked.
    "That's right," Damien nodded. "Of course,
your fathers spoiled his plans. When Aratus was killed, his son
Sartan took over. His goal is quite different from his father's; he
wants to get the Kyrosen back into space where he believes they
belong. His plan with you, Arus, was to use the implant to conquer
Asteria as proof of how powerful and useful the device can be. Once
he'd succeeded, he was going to use the interstellar communication
devices from their wrecked starships to shop for buyers. He figured
he'd be able to trade the schematics and you for a few transport
ships to get the Kyrosen back on their feet."
    "You mean he never really wanted to