Ajax paced the control room, his eyes fixed on the myriad screens and monitors depicting the chaotic battle now raging in the space surrounding Eris. Despite the danger, Ajax remained calm. He moved with deliberate purpose and pressed a button on the command console.
“Captain Foresi,” he said, his voice cool and measured. “Move your attack group to quadrant six and engage the frigate. Attack pattern Delta Four.”
There was a momentary pause before the confirmation of his orders came back over the comm. Ajax placed his hands behind his back, his gaze never wavering from the tactical display. Within moments, the monitor showed Foresi’s forces carrying out the manoeuvre with deadly precision. The enemy frigate, having fallen for the trap, exploded into a ball of flame and debris.
Behind him, Commander Nua clapped, the sound echoing through the control room.
“You’ve not lost your brilliance, General,” she remarked with admiration.
Ajax turned to face her, a thin smile playing at the corner of his lips. “Observation, Nua. That is all. The commander of that frigate was too aggressive, too impatient. I merely exploited that recklessness, and they and their crew paid the price with their lives.”
The command centre’s doors slid open, and Zadar entered, his stride purposeful. He saluted sharply. “General, there are intruders in the base. The prisoners from the Camelot have been freed. I’ve dispatched a team of Brothers to reclaim them.”
Ajax raised a hand and shook his head slowly. “Belay that order, Zadar. Let them go. I want witnesses to our victory, as many as possible. The decryption is complete, the generators are charged and primed. They cannot stop us now.”
Zadar looked surprised but nodded, deferring to the general’s wisdom.
“Nua,” Ajax continued, turning back to her. “Is everything ready?”
“It is, General,” she replied confidently. “The last of the transports has been loaded and fuelled. We’re prepared for departure.”
Ajax’s smile grew colder. “Good.”
At that moment, the doors to the control room slid open once more, and two Red Brothers dragged in a struggling figure. It was Doctor Anne Colter, her face pale but defiant. The soldiers forced her into a chair before Ajax, who regarded her with unsettling calm.
“Doctor Anne Colter,” Ajax said, his voice smooth but carrying an undercurrent of menace. “I’m glad you could join us for the finale.”
Colter lifted her chin, refusing to show fear. “You won’t get away with this,” she said, her voice steady. “Star Core will stop you.”
Ajax chuckled softly. “Your faith in this Star Core is... admirable. But you are wrong. The game is already over, Doctor. You just don’t know it yet.” He glanced at Nua. “Make sure she’s secured for the journey. We will have use for her.”
Colter’s eyes widened slightly, but she kept her composure, even as the gravity of the situation sank in. She was a hostage now, a pawn in Ajax’s grand scheme.
“What do you want me for?”
Ajax smiled but there was no kindness in his eyes.
“I have researched your impressive background, Dr Colter. You are the leading xenologist in the Space Exploration Ministry. Where we’re going your skills will be put to the ultimate test.”
“Where we’re going?”
Ajax returned to his monitors, watching as the Red Brotherhood’s forces executed his orders with chilling efficiency. “Soon, Doctor, the galaxy will see the truth. And when they do, there will be no stopping what comes next.”
