Dark Nine [18+]

Chapter Sixty-Nine

Mars' POV

"We should just deny it all as conspiracy," I suggest this to Alpha Centauri, who has casually suggested exploding the Earth's core more times than I care to count. We are in his Midnight Chamber, where we discuss strategies regarding our exposure to the universe of light.

He wasn't going to destroy Ninth Squad's home solar system based on the human's complete overreaction to Arcturus' explosive appearance in their hospital. I wouldn't allow the Estori's rage to spiral this time.

"How do we play this development softly?" Alpha Centauri's in war mode, he's completely detached from his easy-going lethality.

"Free Diana from expectation," I say this with caution, my blood protesting. I need her in my bones. But we can't keep their precious Galactic Queen any longer.

"You're suggesting a surrender," Alpha Centauri looks like he wants to gut me with his spear, even at the thought of letting her go.

"In all respect, Estori, this isn't the war we once fought... we can hunt in this world without disrupting them, putting them into full blown research about us. Now that they're so advanced. That'll happen if we go to war. They'll advance faster."

"Advanced, ha," Alpha Centauri fights back a smile, "How. Funny. Mars – if you think I'm unfit to figure this idiotic development out, you tell me the solution. Ninth."

"You're just mad you let the Empress live with the forbidden knowledge... but we all did, this is just how it'll be now. We shouldn't declare war when they haven't," I gulp down my panic.

We were almost wiped out. Completely. Elion kind was so very fragile.

We had never explained this to Diana.

We were the last of our kind.

"We are the Gods of us," Alpha Centauri closes his eyes and holds back a groan, "We could destroy entire galaxies if we wanted, perhaps we should take one into the dark, to warn them."

"I won't sacrifice that much light," I slam my clenched fist onto the table, "Get a grip, Estori, or we'll be reduced to nothing."

"We need them off our backs," Alpha Centauri opens his eyes, "Get. Them. To silence this issue."

"The Universal Board won't accept anything but a peaceful surrender, in return they won't..."

"They won't what?" Alpha Centauri sounds terrified for once.

"They won't kill us if we submit now, it's another option. We have the upper hand only in that Arcturus delivered Diana to life-saving treatment, it's the only reason they are negotiating at all with Elions. They love her, they want her safe – and I still can't find her."

"Diana will cry out to us if she's in trouble... now, Mars. War is always an option. I will speak to Regalis and –"

"He will hide... Regalis has more sense than all of us. Regalis knows we're not in the war we once were. And what of your new-borns, Ephereum and Entrpy? We're all dead if we attack first, Estori," I blink and look at the luminescent patterns in the dark rock under my fist. I had never been so scared.

We killed ourselves with our love for making Empresses.

They were an addiction.

We thrived on that attachment.

An innate need to figure them out.

The most complex light structures in the universe.

"Fuck," Alpha Centauri was a King of the Universe, and that's all he can say now.