‘I see. How many of these have you made?’
‘This is the first of three that is complete,’ said Ethan, breaking the brace into two sections.
‘May I wear this one?’
‘If you wish, General.’ Ethan signalled for Alkon to hold out his right arm and roll up his sleeve. ‘This will fit underneath your clothing. You will lose some movement until we have corrected its skeletal system, but it will function.’
Ethan clamped the two sections back together over Alkon’s wrist, positioning four directly over his knuckles. He then reached into the case again to retrieve a rectangular black box, which he fitted to the brace at Alkon’s elbow.
‘This is its power supply,’ Ethan explained. ‘You will need to recharge it after each use. And this,’ he said, taking out a black arced component that he fitted to the top of Alkon’s forearm, ‘is where the charge will concentrate. Move your hand as little as possible while wearing this. The tubes it uses to fire are flexible, but they will lose their effectiveness with each wear.’
‘I understand,’ said Alkon. ‘How do I use it?’
‘With this,’ said Ethan. He reached into the case a final time and placed a trigger mechanism over the back of Alkon’s hand. It fitted perfectly over the tubes, holding them in place. Ethan rolled the General’s sleeve down so that the device was completely concealed and then placed a new glove over his hand. ‘There is a latch here for your thumb. Open it when you want to use it. There are two buttons inside; blue is for charging, red is for firing. The charges will fire systematically from left to right. You have eight shots in total, but it will take one minute to charge between the two rounds.’
‘And this is the same technology as the plasma cannon?’ asked Alkon.
‘It is, General.’
Alkon’s smile was devious. ‘Daijuarn killer,’ he said. ‘Let us see if the Callibrian can defend against this.’ With a laugh to himself, he stood and headed for the door. ‘You have done well, Ethan. I will make sure you are rewarded beyond anything ever seen in the Alliance to date.’
Before Ethan was able to respond, Alkon had left. As quickly as he had walked to the laboratory, he now hurried to his quarters, where he rested for a short time in a high-backed, brown leather chair, looking over the weapon he now possessed underneath his sleeve. After a few moments’ contemplation, he took a bottle from a drawer of his desk and poured some of its contents into a glass. He drank it quickly, careful to use only his left hand so that he would not bend the weapon. He then poured two more glasses and drank them both equally as fast. He sat back, relaxing, awaiting the drink to take effect. He had to dull his excitement. His eagerness would raise questions where there should be none. This was how he had been masking how he truly felt for much of the previous months. In such troubled times, it was of absolute importance that none knew his thoughts other than him. There was too much at risk. Everything had to go perfectly for his plans to work.
As his smiled faded and his head began to swirl a little, he summoned his second-in-command, Lieutenant General Liet Revarn.
‘You called, General?’ said Liet, entering a short time later.
Alkon did his best to maintain his composure under the new influence. ‘We will move to take the city of Waikor in one week,’ he said.
Liet studied him a moment. ‘You will defy High Council orders?’
Alkon nodded. ‘I do not wish to fight any longer than I must. The sooner this is over, the sooner I may return home.’
‘You are beginning to sound like your father, General.’
Alkon waved away the statement with his left hand. ‘War has its uses, but it cannot be allowed to consume one’s entire life. Since I was but a youth, this is all I have known. It is time, my friend, we will move.’
‘As you wish, General,’ said Liet, turning slightly toward the door. ‘If that is all?’
Alkon held one finger up, signalling for Liet to remain. ‘I told you to watch the Callibrian,’ he said. ‘Have you anything to report?’
‘No, General.’
‘Impossible. I have seen him converse with the High Council more times than the two of us combined. It is almost as if he is in charge of this fort. He is hiding something.’
‘Is there proof of this?’ asked Liet.
Alkon looked up, carefully reading what he could in Liet’s eyes. He then looked away. ‘No,’ he said. ‘It might be that I am simply tired of fighting. Perhaps I am seeing things that are not there. It is times like these that I wished I had not joined the Alliance.’