Purge of Prometheus

death. The man she named surprised us, especially when we found out that he was now her successor.”

Keryn’s heart pounded in her chest as she realized what the Oterian meant. The Avalon Councilmember added the final punctuation, the name of which Keryn already guessed. “Captain Hodge named her murderer as none other than Captain Xiao, her second in command. We have attached the video report from Captain Hodge for your review. Once it is complete, we will explain the mission which we want you to undertake.”

The screen changed, the council room disappearing and being replaced by a pale Avalon face. Keryn recognized Captain Hodge immediately, though her face was more drawn and worried than Keryn remembered. The Captain looked like she had aged decades in the short time they were apart. Her face was shrouded by shadows, the only light in the room being reflected from the screen itself. As the picture finished its transformation, it began automatically playing. A singing Avalon voice filled her room as she watched.

“This is communication number seventy-two between the Commander of the Fleet and High Council. This communication is being sent at an irregular interval, the contents of which have been heavily coded to ensure that its message is for the Councilmembers’ eyes only.

“As reported previously, my second in command, Eminent Merric, was murdered. His body was disposed of in the exhaust vent of the plasma engines, leaving little biological evidence that he had been murdered at all. We have arrested Magistrate Vangore, my former Communications Officer, for the murder, based on evidence collected and from his own confession under duress from the Crown.”

Captain Hodge paused, searching for the words. “There is no other way to state it other than telling the truth: I don’t believe he’s guilty. I believe Magistrate Vangore was framed for the murder. I know that one of your questions will pertain to proof of my assumption. I have none. There is no definitive evidence that Vangore did not commit this atrocious crime. In fact, all the evidence, including now a confession, leads us to believe that he is incredibly guilty of the accused crime.

“My only evidence on the contrary will never hold up in Alliance court. My sense that he isn’t guilty came from the look in his eyes. I don’t mean Vangore’s eyes. I mean Squadron Commander Xiao’s eyes. I have spoken with Yen Xiao multiple times since the murder was committed. It was his clue that led us to Vangore in the first place. However, I couldn’t ignore the fact that during every one of our conversations following the murder, something gleamed in Yen’s eyes. I think he was enjoying himself. It sounds paltry, placing so much faith in the look of someone’s eyes, but there was a homicidal bliss in his look when he would discuss how he thought Vangore committed the murder. He seemed to me like a puppeteer telling his fairy tale while pulling the strings of his marionette. I can’t help but feel that Vangore was that puppet, having his strings pulled.”

Captain Hodge leaned back heavily in her chair and let out a sigh. “I can’t prove it. If you’re watching this, you already know that’s true. But I want you to think about what I’m about to tell you. Yen Xiao is a psychic of incredible power. He keeps himself as reserved as possible so that others can’t tell the extent of his abilities. But I’ve read the reports from Earth. I know that he made a Terran guard shoot himself in the face with his own pistol with no more than a psychic suggestion. He dropped the Washington Monument, a massive landmark millennia old, on top of an adversary. He lost control of his powers and destroyed half his own team while trying to stop the Terran scientist. He is powerful, insanely so. Maybe that isn’t the best choice of words… or maybe it’s the perfect choice of words. Power corrupts and having the ability to alter men’s minds with a simple thought could easily lead to thoughts of God-hood. And if he was guilty, if he truly did commit the murder of Merric and framed Vangore for the crime, how do you prove that a psychic made someone confess to a crime they didn’t commit?”

The Captain rubbed her temples as though suffering from a terrible headache. Keryn was prone to believe that, having suffered under the mantle of command with such events transpiring, Captain Hodge very possible no longer remembered what life was like without a headache.

“I’m rambling now, but it’s hard to keep your thoughts in order when you’re constantly questioning if they truly are your own thoughts. If he could make a man confess to a crime while under the influence of the Crown, what else has he done? How many other people on board this ship have done things against their will because he was toying with our emotions? I’m suddenly second guessing every crime and accusation made on board, wondering if he had an influence on the outcome of the events. Gods, I even fear for my life. He can read peoples’ minds. If he even began to believe that I thought him guilty, I have no doubt that I would suffer a sudden and severe ‘accident’.”

Captain Hodge suddenly glanced away from the screen. Glancing down quickly, she added, “I will continue this message momentarily.” She looked up and called, “Please, Yen. Please come in,” as she turned off the recording. Less than a second later, the video restarted.

“He was just here. As I stated before we were interrupted, I am concerned about all our safety. I think he’s still oblivious, but I have no way to hide my thoughts from him. If anyone on board does anything to rouse his suspicion, I think we’ll be his next victims. Maybe I’m just paranoid, but I don’t believe so. Neither does Horace, my Security Officer.

“I tell you all this because I don’t think I’ll survive the war with the Terran Fleet. Should something happen to me, I want you to know that it wasn’t an accident. No matter how preposterous that may appear when you hear of how I died, realize that he had a hand in it. More than anything, I want to know that my death wasn’t in vain and that he will be prevented from do the same to other Officers, Warrants, or Crewmen in this Fleet.”

Captain Hodge took a deep breath and brushed the hair out of her face. “This concludes this correspondence with the High Council. Captain Hodge, signing off.”

Keryn felt the tears streaming down her cheek. She didn’t want to believe it was true, that Yen could truly be that savage, yet she couldn’t deny Captain Hodge’s words. As Keryn’s emotions continued to storm inside her, the image of the Captain disappeared and the High Council returned. Though it was only a recording, Keryn could feel their intense stares judging her as she cried quietly alone in her room.

It was the Uligart Councilmember who spoke next. “I believe that, after watching that correspondence with Captain Hodge, the last one we received before her death, that you can imagine our interest in this situation. We have discussed this issue for the past few hours, which is a great length of time for men as old as we are. We have come to the following conclusion: we believe that Captain Hodge’s concerns were valid. It is the only way we can account for the Captain, Horace, and Vangore all dying in a single attack on the Revolution. If Captain Xiao truly did commit the murders of three more Officers of the Fleet in an attempt to cover his first murder, than he is growing careless. A careless man with deadly power is apt to continue using that power for ill gains. We don’t believe that he has stopped committing murders. In fact, he may very well be choosing his next target as we speak.”

Keryn’s thoughts jumped to Iana, who had hidden onboard her vessel, fearing for her life and claiming Yen was trying to kill her. Her claim no longer seemed so far fetched.

The Pilgrim Councilmember, her face full of the wrinkles of age, finished for the High Council. “Magistrate Riddell, we are tasking you with a mission most severe and important to the continued success of the Fleet. We are tasking you with killing Captain Xiao for the good of the Alliance.”

The Councilmembers let the declaration hang in the air as Keryn absorbed their request. Her heart stopped beating at their words, unable to believe that they would choose so drastic an approach to dealing with someone they perceived to be a threat. More importantly, Keryn couldn’t fathom why they would choose someone who once had an emotional attachment to Yen to be his hired assassin. Regardless of whether or not she felt the accusations were true, Keryn wasn’t sure if she was strong enough to follow through with blatant murder. Killing an enemy would always be easier than killing a friend.

The Pilgrim Councilmember continued. “We have already conceived a plan that will succeed, but we need your support. We understand the depth of the request that we have thrust upon you, which is why we do not expect an answer soon. However, we feel that you must move against Captain Xiao during the next conflict. If his ship is destroyed during the battle, then he will no longer be a threat to the Alliance. Think about our request, but think quickly. We will be expecting an answer soon.”

The screen faded back to black with the symbol of the High Council emblazoned in the center of the console. Eventually, that too faded, leaving Keryn alone to her thoughts. She shook, feeling cold all over and numbness spreading through her limbs. She wanted to leave her chair, but feared that her legs would not support her.

“How can they ask me to do this?” she asked the air, knowing only one other entity heard her cry.

Because if he is allowed to live, the Voice replied, you could be the next to die after Iana. Maybe he’ll kill us because I insulted him during our meeting. Or maybe it will be because you