Anstractor (The New Phase Book 1) (18 page)

Hours later, over a large bowl of soup, Rafian received a call.

“Hello, brother. It’s Lucci.”

“Hey, old man, you made it! What is the body count for the Fels?”

There was a bit of a pause before Lucci continued. It sounded as if he was at a camp eating. “Let’s just say we killed every last cadet in that facility. The Felitians will not be having a fresh batch of troopers coming from our moon anytime soon.”

This was major, and Rafian could not believe his ears.

“You men are unbelievable. Well done, Lucci!” he exclaimed.

Excited about the huge success of Lucci’s revenge run, Rafian eagerly summoned Orion, Saiko, Barri, and Corgan to share the news with them. They celebrated with a round of beers at the saloon and tipped the dancers heavily that night. When he had sobered of the celebration, an empty feeling came over Rafian about the mission. The tactics and bravery of Lucci and Eagle had brought success, but in the grand scheme of things, they were detected and routed, so in fact, the operation was a failure.

Talula would now be under the microscope of the Felitians just as Cally was, and for what? He thought they were capable of much more than that. The ideal operations would be the covert ones in which the Felitians would lose a lot but the freedom fighters would not have to atone for much more than they already did. He pondered this for an extremely long time and then got up to return home.

* * *

It was another five months into Rafian’s dealings with Lucci and Eagle when they decided it was time to make their own organization. The old master was sick of the infighting among leaders in the resistance and wanted Rafian to help him build a smaller sect that would stay out of politics and concentrate more on results. With that, they decided to get their most trusted partners together and have a meeting.

Lucci’s meeting was convened at a large camp outside of Dearin, and the people gathered to form an alliance known as the Aygis. The name was chosen by Rafian, who had extensive knowledge of the war. He was known to spend many of his lonely nights poring over vids and holos that told tales about the war.
Aygis
was the name of an attack ship that had carried out an impossible mission on Primia—the planet home of those voluptuous women most Tyheran males lusted after. Primia was taken by the Volf Alliance for their rare ore, which was called
dyuirt
. The amazons of Primia fought back but were outgunned and outmatched until the Aygis showed up to claim over one hundred thousand Volf raider lives. The Aygis won Primia her independence, but the atmosphere was not friendly for the Volf, and most of the men and women on that mission died saving the Primians.

Lucci’s Aygis was to be a small, tight-knit group that specialized in strikes such as the training camp mission, and he surprised Rafian by naming him one of the leaders. The eight members of the newly formed Aygis did a traditional ritual of cutting the palm and holding it above a fire to take their oaths of commitment. The Aygis leadership numbered five, with Lucci as the spiritual leader, Rafian as war commander, Sa-Lin—a cute Primian tailor—as espionage lead, Tyren the escape artist, and Eagle the assassin masquerading as a bounty hunter. The sixth officer was a funny-looking Deijen who called himself Bigun (pronounced “big gun”). He was probably the biggest Deijen that Rafian had ever seen, but he was extremely fast and an ace at using ranged weapons.

Within the walls of the alliance were other resistance fighters whom Lucci had invited, and he was happy to move among them in hopes of great things to come. The Felitians had taken Talula like a storm, and Lucci and Eagle did a lot of missions by themselves, none of which gave them traction in taking back the moon from their enemy. As a unit, the Aygis aided in many military skirmishes and developed a reputation for being the special forces you would call whenever a situation seemed hopeless. Rafian found himself fighting on Tyhera, Talula, Deijo, and even Rofe. His bravery was a thing of legend, and he rallied many hopeless fights into victories, always on the front lines.

Under Master Lucci, Rafian the lost rebel with no Memory became a master of the Mera Ku arts. He gave up vines and whoring for meditation and mastered the unarmed combat arts in their entirety. He became a successful resistance leader and officer, showing up to fights whenever he was called and burning Felitian camps all over the moon.

The Aygis organization was turning out to be a dream come true. That is, until the day Lucci Vadosh disappeared. For months, no one heard from him, and after a while, he was assumed to be dead. Rafian believed that his friend and master had gone too far in his meditation and had fallen into the abyss—a place they all feared in their particular religion. Everyone else assumed the old Ranalos to have been captured or killed by Felitian Special Forces. Whatever the case, it appeared that Lucci was gone from them forever, and Rafian was saddened by the loss.

In an effort to keep Lucci’s dream of the Aygis alive, Rafian tried in vain to keep the meetings and operations going, but soon the other members began disappearing too. Lucci had been the glue that kept their motley crew together, and with him gone, they held no loyalty to Rafian, the cause, or any of the other officers. Out of frustration and disappointment, Rafian returned to Tyhera to the resistance fighting. He was one of the last remaining Aygis members after Bigun was arrested and Sa-Lin and Tyren were killed in action. Eagle vanished like Lucci before him but resurfaced to let Rafian know he would always be there in the shadows. Many members broke their oath and went into hiding after Bigun’s arrest, but Rafian and Eagle sought them out and killed them one by one in honor of the blood pact that they had broken.

A year later, in one of the bravest coups in the history of the resistance, Rafian and a fellow Mera Ku master named Ill Switch executed a plan of tactical genius. The results of their months of organizing and training led to the pair slaughtering a prison full of Felitian troopers to rescue their brother Bigun from its walls. It was a glorious reunion. Felitians began to fear the Mera Ku robes that men such as Ill and Rafian wore into fights, because the men moved like ghosts and struck with deadly precision. It didn’t matter whether it was with gun or knife, a Mera Ku master was a one-man army on the battlefield.

With the help of Ill, the Aygis was reformed on Tyhera behind a bunker owned by Rafian. It was a well-hidden base within the northern mountains of Apun, and it sat upon the ruins of an old Mera Ku temple.
It always felt as if the spirit of Lucci was watching over them
. Rafian was named supreme leader, with Ill and Bigun as his lieutenants—devoted warriors sworn by blood and oath to do as they were charged in taking the hell back to the Felitians.

* * *

One late night Rafian was thinking about Lucci as he walked through the main halls of the temple. Unsheathing a sword that hung on the metallic wall, Rafian examined it and smiled to himself. He had used this sword when he fought alongside his friend a year ago.

“Which will be your focus, Rafian? Unarmed fighting or the sword?” Lucci had asked him one day as they sat discussing philosophy on the steps of the Aygis.

“To tell you the truth, Lucci, I favor both.”

“I think you should lean towards sword and master it. The way of the sword is an old discipline that even the Mera Ku has neglected for many years. Everyone is able to use a fist and a gun, but you can be one better. I bet if you stick with your sword and your lessons, no one will be able to touch you.”

He was right, of course, and the Memory saddened Rafian.

“Rest in peace, my Ranalos friend,” he muttered to himself as he replaced the sword in its sheath.

The sword had been his chosen path. In his heart he made an oath that he would cut the Felitian Empire’s head off from its neck or join his friend in the void if he failed.

If life as a leader was stressful, then one would assume that Rafian VCA had a masochist yearning for trouble. The war had grown intense, and while he had a personal love for the cause, he often worried if there would be any end to the fighting that turned their tiny side of Tyhera black with the char of burnt barracks, bases, and cities. For the two years of fighting, the only “love” Rafian knew was through the prostitutes of the saloons and the faster women of the resistance. Many women assumed the resistance leader to be eternally a bachelor and were happy for a night or two with him whenever his busy schedule would allow it.

On the inside he had made himself hard as steel, refusing to allow the depression he once felt over Rhiya to return. Passing on any relationships with women for fear of losing them to his enemies was not what he wanted to continue doing. This wasn’t to say Rafian didn’t get close, but the women of the resistance were too convenient, and unless he could find a way to stop the fighting, he continued to be a bachelor very devoted to their fight.

It was the supple lips and rhythmic hips of a Felitian baroness that finally caught his eye. Though Fels were eternally his enemy, this beautiful woman was enough to bring thoughts that should not have been in the mind of a commander. Her name was Rienne, and she was a Felitian lady of Veece. It was during an escape from freshly rallied Felitian troopers that Rafian happened upon her large apartment and dashed in blindly with hopes of finding it empty.

“What the…Dog! Resistance scum! How dare you come in here! Help!” she screamed as he gained her doorway, but her objections were cut short by his strong hands as he clasped her mouth shut and held her slight body firmly against his.

“Silence, you little Fel snake. I won’t be here long!” he said as he held her firmly.

Rienne continued to struggle under his grasp regardless of his threats, and it made Rafian frustrated.

“Look, either you play nice, or I will stick you!” he said and brought up his sword to her face in warning.

“I am not bluffing, girlie!”

The threat still did not seem to have any effect on her, and in one clean motion, she spun from his arms and landed a slap soundly on his jaw. She was free now and staring intensely at him. She began to walk in a crouched circle. Her hands were clenched into tight, pale, knuckled fists, and her eyes were all fire. She began to make snarling noises at him.

“You need to calm down,” Rafian said, turning as she circled, keeping his eyes on her the entire time. Experience in multiple situations had taught him to assume the worst at moments like this. Even though his sword was drawn and he was intent on killing, this woman was not backing down. The other thing that kept him wary was the look in her eyes. It was a predator’s look. Her body and facial expression remained calm, but her eyes read intense rage, which made him feel that she was a killer.

It was too much for Rafian, so he took the initiative. Tripping her with his left leg, he swung the hilt of his blade down in an arch towards her head. But Rienne was too quick, and upon being tripped, she forced herself to fall flat and fast, rolling away from the intended blow. Within seconds, she was back on her feet, drawing a hidden dagger, which she held in front of her menacingly. The troops had passed, and it was quiet outside. Rafian assumed that it was quiet inside her house too, but his blood pounded drumlike canters in his ears so loudly he could not notice. He let himself go calm and feinted in and out with her, trying as best as he could to identify the dagger. It looked old—not old as in ancient and rusted but old as in old technology. It was not a cyber-knife, and it wasn’t even metal. It looked like stone, the same type that the cavemen of Toone had used. The same stone daggers that usually came doused and finished in deadly spider poison—this woman meant business.

Rafian could tell by her parries and feints that she was a fencer of sorts, but he was getting too annoyed for admiration. He knew that he had to radio in soon, or his men would worry about him. So with a desperate lunge, he allowed himself to swing the sword wildly, hoping that the she-devil would fall for his trap. Luckily she did and came in for the intended free killing strike, but it was welcomed. Releasing the blade as he swung, Rafian used the ridge of his left hand to knock her strike away while simultaneously hooking his right fist squarely into her jaw. Rienne crumbled instantly, the impact of her fall snapping the legs of her coffee table, breaking the glass and knocking her painting of the Veece Palace off of the wall. Reaching down to take the knife, Rafian realized that his hunch was correct—a nick from its blade would have been instant death.

“Who the hell are you?” he asked the unconscious woman. Then, breathing a sigh of relief, he exited her house to head after his men.

After that day, Rafian hoped he would never see her again. It was a short-lived dream at best, as destiny is cruel that way. A few weeks later, on a trip back to Talula on business, he found himself seated across from a beautiful woman who had a strange familiarity. It bothered him the entire flight until he noticed she was staring at him.

The air became uncomfortable, so he spoke first. “Excuse me. I don’t mean to be rude, but should I know you?”

Smiling widely, the mysterious woman motioned to a mark on her cheek. She was a creature of natural beauty, light brown in complexion with ebony hair spiraled in the style of the day with golden clips as décor. The day they fought, and this day on the flight, she had dressed in the same way—a long, patterned crimson dress offset with comfortable dark dress shoes. She was tall with a slight build, and at a glance she could easily be mistaken for a dancer or model instead of the viper that she really was.

“You know, rebel, you left an impression on me, and after that day, you have not left my mind,” she replied to Rafian, her lips curving into a warm smile.

Ignoring her charm and the sexy accent he couldn’t place, Rafian looked into her eyes again, and they read the same intent as the day they had fought.

“I’m glad I made an impression on you,” he said. “Forgive me for hitting you. I meant only to stop your advance. I am the last man to wish scars upon a beautiful woman, no matter what side of the war she is on.”

This was an obvious lie because Rafian was responsible for the indiscriminate deaths of many Felitian soldiers, no matter their looks or gender. This seemed to anger Rienne more than amuse her.

“Save that
Buraa
shite for the saloon trash, outlaw. I was doing my duty and failed.” She leaned in with a coy expression and then whispered as if embarrassed that anyone else could hear, “My life has not been easy since I let you slip. The Felitian command was not very happy.”

With interest, Rafian stared at her anew. “You underestimate me, you know that? This is why you have the scar and not me.”

Rienne was flustered and spat back, “Only a scar for me, you coward. Were the tables turned, you’d be dead!”

Looking around at the startled passengers, who now regarded them with interest, Rafian smiled as if they were old lovers quarreling in order to take the attention down a notch. Speaking to Rienne under his breath, he made it clear that he was serious.

“Do you think I fear death? I am a man of Mera Ku. It’s the disgrace of dying to a pawn of the Fels that made me even fight back. Look at you, playing the part of their pretty attack dog. You escaped with your life that day, a feat that many have not managed to accomplish with me.”

Rienne kept her eyes locked in on him. “You dare talk to me like that? Outlaw. I allow you to fly on this aircraft without revealing you to the Felitian authority, and you show me arrogance?”

She was visibly upset now, and Rafian looked back at her calmly.

“You’re too uptight, you know that? Call your dogs, and you can watch me dice them into mincemeat, the way I do weekly without challenge. I’ll tell you what I know, though, my pretty little snake. You won’t call the Fels because of your code. You’re a killer like me. I am your mark and no one else’s; you would not let me go so easily without sinking a blade into me first. Would you? Tell you what. When this bird lands, let us go settle our differences, OK?”

* * *

The sun shone brightly through the window slit of the apartment as Rafian opened his eyes. Using his right hand, he began to stroke the long strands of hair flowing from Rienne’s sleeping head as she peacefully purred warmly into his chest. She was in a deep sleep, and her arms clutched his body tightly, as if allowing him no chance of escape. He could not explain how they had come here or why they had made love as opposed to dueling, but he knew that for the first time in years, he felt at peace. Rienne was an amazing woman who made love as savagely as she had fought. She was so good, in fact, that those little pictures of “happily ever after” danced around in his mind as he caressed her hair, ignoring everything else in the world.

Her large brown eyes opened, and she was awake. Lying still for a few moments as if to gather her thoughts, she sighed, smiling, and said, “Good morning!”

Still caressing the mane of his lioness, Rafian replied, “That it is. Did you sleep well?”

Rienne thought for a second or two and then said, “The best sleep I’ve had in a very long time!”

She then sat up, the sheets falling away to reveal her perfectly rounded breasts, which made Rafian wonder how they had managed to go from trying to kill each other to waking up relaxed, as if they had each other’s backs.

“What time is it?” she asked suddenly, turning towards Rafian.

“Too early for you to leave,” he replied and pulled her back down unto the bed.

The time ticked away as the lovers explored each other’s bodies as well as minds. Rafian learned that he had somehow found himself in the arms of a high-ranking baroness of Veece, and Rienne realized that her lover was the most notorious leader of the resistance movement. They laughed at this interesting turn of affairs, but it was Rafian who suggested a proposition.

“Why don’t we let them think we are dead and run away together?” he asked as he examined the scar on her cheek that he had dealt her so long ago.

Holding his hands and staring into his eyes, Rienne replied, “This is crazy, but do you think it would work? People in OUR positions? There would be investigations, and if discovered, I fear the worst punishment for us both.”

She paused before finishing in a hushed voice, “Along with disgrace.”

It was true of course, especially the latter half. The last thing Rafian wanted to do was bring shame on himself or his cause. The resistance would be scarred by a scandal such as this. But for all that he had given up for the fight, he laughed at the thought.

“I can see it now. ‘Rafian VCA the traitor. One of the most militant of the resistance…blah…blah…blah.’ Look, Rienne, before you, I have known only one woman who gave me the feelings I have right now. Beyond lust and the physical, in this moment now that we are both experiencing, I feel something else. You yourself admitted to thinking of me long after your scars had healed and your pain had subsided. The excitement of that day wreaked an impression of one of the strongest women I have ever faced. Then our reunion on the ship revealed to me how absolutely beautiful you truly are. Do not deny how right we are together, us two all fire and fight! Opposite sides of a war though we may be, we are and should be a unit!”

Looking away for some thought, Rafian continued. “Look, Rienne, we don’t have much time. I cannot sit here and play the game of courtship with you. I am a straightforward man, and given the circumstances, I think you know what I am saying. Even if you deny me the part of running away together, I need your reassurance that today will not be the only day that I get to see you.”

Rienne was smiling. Her eyes, once locked into Rafian’s, seemed bashful suddenly, and she began to blush. “This is so crazy. How will we do this?”

Squeezing her palms, Rafian smiled at her and replied, “You just stay beautiful and attend to your duties. It is I who will come to you.”

* * *

The rebels of the resistance began to see a change in their leader Rafian VCA. There was a spring to his step unlike before; he was very accommodating, talkative at times, and actually…friendly. His habit of disappearing for long periods of time increased, but instead of returning with dust and mud caked to his body, he would return clean, freshly dressed, and beaming. It was rumored that the young commander had found love somewhere. Most of his fellows believed her to live in Divina to the north. This was the ploy that Rafian made them believe; instead, he would fly from Aygis to Divina and then bounce from Divina to a private shuttle within the walls of Vyre. From Vyre he would fly off to Cally and ride a Buraa mount northwest to the hidden cottage that he and Rienne had set up as their home of escape.

With the danger of discovery looming, the two would do this ritual only twice a month but would stay together for three to five days before painfully separating again. This continued for a long time during the war. Sometimes they would do foolish things in desperation of finding each other—or out of love. For instance, when three lone Felitian soldiers in a starport of Veece discovered Rafian’s identity, Rienne, who happened to be passing by, watched her lover take them down, but he was injured in the process. With little heed to herself, she ran to his aid in plain view. He scolded her, since it jeopardized her life for them to be seen together. But she promptly explained that she couldn’t help it.