“Have we been sighted?”
“No, First Regal. There is no indication that the humans have detected our drones, or our vessel.” Beter smiled, her tentacles lifting over her teeth.
“Good work. Let’s keep it that way. And the First Ruler’s Barge?” Preston watched the giant warship out of his bridge’s screen. He still couldn’t believe that the First Ruler had demanded to be present. Together they would usher their fleet through the gateway the drones created, making history.
Earth would fall under the Velibar foothold. He’d learned a lot about the Velibar since his departure from Biks. The First Ruler sensed their ultimate demise. There were too many other factions seeking vengeance on their people. The Darlor, a brutal race from the far reaches of the galaxy, had teamed up with the Hidan, and were slowly picking off minor outposts. He doubted it would be long before they terrorized one of the Regencies. The Velibar needed to expand, and Earth was a suitable location for the next colony.
The Ruler had promised they’d be safe, but Preston knew the Primaries would never concede their world, not after their companies had spent the last two hundred years climbing to the top of the food chain. Even if the Velibar were planning to be amiable, they’d never allow it. Preston knew the CEOs personally. He’d attended numerous Board meetings in Primary City. The only chance of a smooth transition was to make it seem like they had no choice, and that was why he would tell them how terrible the Velibar were. If he offered up any of their weaknesses, they would fight.
He couldn’t have that.
“The race is about to begin,” another officer told him, and Preston sat down, picking up the feed from Mars.
“Baru, in a change of plans, SeaTech is bringing Arlo ‘Hawk’ Lewis in for the Pod Sprint challenge. Holland Kelley has been preparing for this moment for his entire life, and just like that, he’s been pulled. Rumor has it he’s ill, but many suspect that Hawk Lewis likes his own odds better.”
Preston gripped the arms of his seat. Arlo was racing in a Pod again, and he wasn’t there to assist him from the sidelines. Arlo was going to hate him. Preston dreaded his grandson seeing his face on the screens while he delivered the Velibars’ ultimatum. An idea came to Preston, and he grabbed his tablet. He could send a message to Arlo, something covert. The man was clearly an intelligent person. He’d figure it out.
The feed showed Arlo walking to the Pods, holding his helmet in his hands. Preston smiled. He was a chip off the old block. He did look like his mother, and a little like his father too, but mostly he was a spitting image of Preston when he was in his early thirties. That confident walk. The smirk he couldn’t seem to wipe off his lips.
The picture changed, showing the race about to begin, and Preston actually felt nervous.
“Fly like a hawk, Arlo,” Preston whispered.
The bridge crew all watched the race, knowing their First Regal’s grandson was in the number eleven Pod. They cheered as he darted to the final checkpoint with the win.
Preston hadn’t even had time to celebrate the victory, when the First Ruler’s ship contacted him. He glanced at Beter Con and left the bridge, taking the call on a private desk.
The Ruler was inside a damp room on board the Barge. Water dripped from his pale face, his eyes even whiter than before. “First Regal of Biks.”
“I am here to serve,” he said out of instinct.
“I have changed my mind. We will no longer be working with the humans. We will bring our fleet, and they will be destroyed.”
Preston stayed still, not trusting his own body.
“Do you understand? You are Velibar, are you not?” the Ruler asked.
“I am Velibar. I am here to serve, your eminence. Tell me what you want me to do,” he said, the entire time contemplating how to change this outcome.
The First Ruler was testing him, but Preston remained calm. He nodded and agreed, and when the call ended, he set to work.
A few days passed, and Preston watched the end of the race on his screen. Of course it was Arlo at the final checkpoint. He chuckled as he turned it off, already sure of the last few minutes. There was too much to do.
Saturn was beautiful. Preston had visited Titan many times when he was younger, and seeing the ringed planet again had ignited something within him. He couldn’t betray his people, but he would have to put on a good show. If this worked out, humanity would eventually be saved. He would just have to appear as the villain for the time being. Preston could live with that.
“The First Ruler has gone ahead,” Beter told him, getting Preston’s attention.
“What? We were supposed to go together.”
The Barge was gone from the blind spot beyond the rings. The First Ruler was so cocky, believing he could bend their will with the mere snap of a finger. Well, he couldn’t throw a spear at them from inside his bridge.
“Should we join him?” Beter asked.
Preston waited a minute before telling her no. “Perhaps he doesn’t want our help.” His gaze settled upon the small bridge crew, and they all nodded, giving him their support. He’d discussed this possibility with Beter, and the others agreed to support their First Regal. Many were tired of the Ruler’s tyrannical methods, especially after his recent decision to destroy humanity. From what these people knew, Preston was the embodiment from the Word’s prophecy. None could say the same for the old First Ruler.
“You might be correct. Let’s see what he does,” Beter said, and they watched as the Barge’s arms began to pulse red. The Boardroom was a gigantic vessel, and the Ruler thought it was full of the CEOs. Preston had reached out to his contact and advised them it
