and Aaron heard the voices of himself and Verona as he told him about where he came from.
“Earth,” Halcylon smiled wolfishly. “Tell me human, where is this Earth?”
Aaron felt his strength ebbing away as he hung at Halcylon’s mercy. “Like Safanar, Earth is beyond your reach, Hythariam.”
Halcylon grabbed Aaron by his shirt and flung him across the room, “Safanar is not beyond my reach, human!”
Aaron crashed into the wall and lay sprawled upon the floor.
“Sir, what do you intend to do with him?” Ronan asked.
“He’ll stand trial for war crimes against the Hythariam. The Zekara will have justice,” answered Halcylon.
“Very good, sir.”
Aaron sat up against the wall. The Hythariam soldier leveled his pistol at him, but it didn’t matter. He doubted he could stand at the moment. Though the Nanites had ceased their assault, he could still feel them crawling inside him. He had to think of a way to turn them off. Aaron looked up at the holo display, and where there were foreign symbols before, now he could read them.
“The tribunal will meet within the next thirty minutes. I want the prisoner brought to central shortly after it starts,” Halcylon said.
The Hythariam soldier stood over Aaron and slapped two metallic shackles to his wrists. Halcylon and the soldier exited the room.
Ronan keyed in a sequence into the display, and Aaron could feel the Nanites go dormant. With his strength returning and his head clearing, Aaron rose to his feet.
“We don’t have much time,” Ronan said.
“For what?” Aaron asked.
“Tell me, are there any Hythariam left alive on Safanar?”
“You think I’m going to tell you anything?”
“I was part of a special force of infiltrators, tasked by Iranus to bring others from Hytharia back to Safanar.”
Aaron clenched his mouth shut and glared at the Hythariam.
“We came through a different portal from Shandara,” Ronan said.
Aaron let out a mirthless chuckle, “Now I know you’re lying. There was only one portal on Safanar. The one with the barrier put in place to keep the likes of you, and your psychotic leaders, from ruining our world as you’ve already done to yours,” Aaron said nodding toward the door.
“You’re wrong. We built another place capable opening a secret portal from within Shandara. Mine was part of the last mission to come here. We were part of a covert mission to bring back more of my people, but something must have happened because the portal never opened back up for us to return.”
Aaron pressed his lips together in thought, “When was this covert mission?”
“Twenty-five cycles of our dying star,” Ronan answered.
Could it be? Could this Hythariam be telling him the truth? Iranus or the others had never said anything about another portal being used.
“Shandara has been destroyed,” Aaron said.
Ronan looked away with a pained expression, “Destroyed...but that would have been impossible.”
“I assure you, I’ve seen it for myself.”
“We knew the risks in coming here, but what happened to all of the other Hythariam that were living in Shandara?”
Aaron regarded the Hythariam. He couldn’t tell him about Hathenwood, despite the sincerity of the Hythariam before him.
“Please, I need to know.”
Aaron leaned back against the wall, staying silent, but part of him wanted to tell him something.
“I can help you. I have already helped you. Do you still feel the Nanites?”
He didn’t feel them anymore, but that wouldn’t stop someone else from turning them back on. “You could give me the Keystone Accelerator.”
“It won’t do you any good. The charge has been drained from it.”
“Can you remove the Nanites from my system?” Aaron asked.
Ronan slowly shook his head, “This is something I cannot do.”
“Then what exactly can you do?”
“You need allies here if you wish to survive,” Ronan said.
“I want to live, but I won’t betray my friends.”
“Halcylon will use
“Earth,” Halcylon smiled wolfishly. “Tell me human, where is this Earth?”
Aaron felt his strength ebbing away as he hung at Halcylon’s mercy. “Like Safanar, Earth is beyond your reach, Hythariam.”
Halcylon grabbed Aaron by his shirt and flung him across the room, “Safanar is not beyond my reach, human!”
Aaron crashed into the wall and lay sprawled upon the floor.
“Sir, what do you intend to do with him?” Ronan asked.
“He’ll stand trial for war crimes against the Hythariam. The Zekara will have justice,” answered Halcylon.
“Very good, sir.”
Aaron sat up against the wall. The Hythariam soldier leveled his pistol at him, but it didn’t matter. He doubted he could stand at the moment. Though the Nanites had ceased their assault, he could still feel them crawling inside him. He had to think of a way to turn them off. Aaron looked up at the holo display, and where there were foreign symbols before, now he could read them.
“The tribunal will meet within the next thirty minutes. I want the prisoner brought to central shortly after it starts,” Halcylon said.
The Hythariam soldier stood over Aaron and slapped two metallic shackles to his wrists. Halcylon and the soldier exited the room.
Ronan keyed in a sequence into the display, and Aaron could feel the Nanites go dormant. With his strength returning and his head clearing, Aaron rose to his feet.
“We don’t have much time,” Ronan said.
“For what?” Aaron asked.
“Tell me, are there any Hythariam left alive on Safanar?”
“You think I’m going to tell you anything?”
“I was part of a special force of infiltrators, tasked by Iranus to bring others from Hytharia back to Safanar.”
Aaron clenched his mouth shut and glared at the Hythariam.
“We came through a different portal from Shandara,” Ronan said.
Aaron let out a mirthless chuckle, “Now I know you’re lying. There was only one portal on Safanar. The one with the barrier put in place to keep the likes of you, and your psychotic leaders, from ruining our world as you’ve already done to yours,” Aaron said nodding toward the door.
“You’re wrong. We built another place capable opening a secret portal from within Shandara. Mine was part of the last mission to come here. We were part of a covert mission to bring back more of my people, but something must have happened because the portal never opened back up for us to return.”
Aaron pressed his lips together in thought, “When was this covert mission?”
“Twenty-five cycles of our dying star,” Ronan answered.
Could it be? Could this Hythariam be telling him the truth? Iranus or the others had never said anything about another portal being used.
“Shandara has been destroyed,” Aaron said.
Ronan looked away with a pained expression, “Destroyed...but that would have been impossible.”
“I assure you, I’ve seen it for myself.”
“We knew the risks in coming here, but what happened to all of the other Hythariam that were living in Shandara?”
Aaron regarded the Hythariam. He couldn’t tell him about Hathenwood, despite the sincerity of the Hythariam before him.
“Please, I need to know.”
Aaron leaned back against the wall, staying silent, but part of him wanted to tell him something.
“I can help you. I have already helped you. Do you still feel the Nanites?”
He didn’t feel them anymore, but that wouldn’t stop someone else from turning them back on. “You could give me the Keystone Accelerator.”
“It won’t do you any good. The charge has been drained from it.”
“Can you remove the Nanites from my system?” Aaron asked.
Ronan slowly shook his head, “This is something I cannot do.”
“Then what exactly can you do?”
“You need allies here if you wish to survive,” Ronan said.
“I want to live, but I won’t betray my friends.”
“Halcylon will use
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