When War Calls(95)

‘Another failure made a success,’ concluded Liet.

‘Call it what you wish, it will lead to victory and nothing less.’

‘What will you do?’

Kobin looked back to where he had come from and saw Alkon leaving his quarters to walk in the direction of the laboratory. By this he knew that the general had indeed been guessing, and now he wished to make sure he was prepared to face up against the Daijuar at Waikor. The general was putting on a show, an act to make him believe he was better informed than he really was. He had been working on plans for attacking Waikor when Kobin had entered, and now he had new information to work with. The general must have now been scared.

When Alkon was out of sight, Kobin faced Liet again.

‘Your faith is lacking. I would tell you my plans, but actions are louder,’ he said mockingly, and without another word he walked away, following the same route that he had seen Alkon take.





Chapter Eighteen





They follow, but by choice or need?





January 31, 997 R.E.





General Alkon Zaccarah sat silently beside a bed in a private medical unit, thinking over all that had happened. The memory of ash, smoke and deadly fumes filling his lungs was still strong, as he remembered fighting for his life from underneath a fallen metal beam. He had almost suffocated, unable to move or call for help. If not for the swift and disciplined action of the soldiers being drilled nearby, he would not have been here this day, one week after the accident in the laboratory had occurred.

There was a man in the bed, connected to the machines that would sustain his life and keep him in as much comfort as possible. Alkon still had trouble believing what had happened, even after replaying it a hundred times in his mind. He had lost one of the largest functioning prototypes of the Equan Plasma Cannon, and witnessed the almost fatal wounding of his leading scientist, Ethan Coride, who now lay in the bed next to him, completely still.

Alkon cursed at the injustice of it, how it should never have happened. It had seemed like any other demonstration. He had stood safely behind the protective area while Ethan prepared the weaponry to show its capabilities against a metal target behind a shield. The various lights had come alive and Ethan had kept his concentration on the controls. It was only a matter of seconds before firing that Alkon had thought he had seen something, a strange light that came from the other side of the room. It was no bigger than a pen in width, but the external power generator used by the weapon soon began to rumble in its place. A warning light had then flashed as Ethan did his best to slow the weapon’s firing procedure, but before it had been completely shut down, the generator had exploded, causing half of the building to collapse. Even Alkon had not been safe, forced to duck down and shield himself from the collapsing roof. The large metal beam had come crashing down then as the air filled with smoke and toxic gases. Fires made the heat unbearable, further choking him as he desperately attempted to take in air from his newly formed prison.

The soldiers had come to his aid and quickly set about extinguishing the blazes before searching for Ethan. But Alkon did not remain to help. He had run from the laboratory into the daylight, forcing himself to race around what was left of the building. He had found the one he searched for shortly after, limping away past the barracks ahead. He did his best to run faster, ignoring his bruised ribs and shoulders as he attempted to catch the man with the limp. When he had covered the distance, he had pushed the man hard into the wall and then was upon him before a hand could rise in defence. Pinned against the wall by his neck, Kobin Guyde was able to do nothing as Alkon searched his eyes for any hint of guilt.

The Callibrian had sworn his innocence and for the first time showed fear. Under his left eye was cut, most likely from the explosion, and he was doing his best to nurse his left arm across his chest. When queried, Kobin said his prior wound to his shoulder had not yet healed completely, and the cut had been from a rogue bit of debris, but he had been standing very far from the explosion, otherwise, he questioned, how could he have still been alive?

Alkon knew it was a lie. He knew Kobin was responsible for what had happened. He would have used it as an argument to allow for his execution under High Council rule if not for the lack of evidence. He had been unable to press him further as Liet had come to his defence. After a brief argument, Alkon had been forced to allow Kobin to go free, as he was reminded that the council did not yet know of the technology, and unless he was ready to divulge such information to them, it would be wise to pretend that the entire incident had not occurred. Kobin was banished to his quarters, unable to roam the fort unless under the strict supervision of two or more soldiers. It was all Alkon could think of doing as punishment without the technology coming into question later.