Chapter 2 #2
Azazel hesitated. “If I feel you violating my genetic makeup, I will retaliate.” He braced himself when his internal demon stirred, threatening to wake up.
It took everything he had to keep it at bay while maintaining the psychic concealment he’d put in place to keep anyone from knowing the beast was there.
“I assure you, delving into anything deeper in an organic alien would be abhorrent to me.” Vaeloryx held up a hand. “I offer no offense.”
Azazel couldn’t help the grin. He couldn’t agree more. “None taken.”
Without another word, Azazel sensed a warmth envelop him, like walking into a room with a higher temperature. He breathed a sigh of relief as it settled around him. The Krystalii was true to his word and didn’t violate him internally.
JR14 fluttered back onto Azazel’s shoulder, his mechanical limbs clicking in rhythm. “Observation: partnership formed. Must now proceed with outlined objectives.”
“Good.” Vaeloryx turned to lead the way. “If you would follow me, I will take you to a haven in order for us to develop a successful plan of action.”
Azazel followed without a word. For better or worse, the Krystalii resistance had gained a couple of unlikely allies.
Azazel trailed behind Vaeloryx, his footsteps soundless against the crystalline floor, as the passages of the Nyrlith thrummed with a low, steady pulse. The smooth walls they passed were lively with shifting crystalline colors of green, blue, pink, and even midnight black.
JR14 kept a steady perch on his shoulder. His red-and-gold metallic forelimbs gave small clicks as he scanned their surroundings.
Azazel had so many questions it was hard to focus on just one. The silence between the three of them stretched.
Vaeloryx stopped at an unremarkable section of the wall. He raised one translucent aquamarine hand, his movements deliberate as the crystalline surface of the wall rippled and parted, revealing a narrow corridor lit by a swirling pale light.
“This way.” The Krystalii’s voice was low and steady.
Azazel hesitated, his instincts prickling.
He didn’t dare psychically reach out to Vaeloryx, so he had to rely on conversation to get a better understanding.
“I admit I’m still nervous about all of this.
How do I know you’re not leading me into a trap?
” Like the alien would admit it if that was the case, he thought.
Vaeloryx turned, and his bright-ivory eyes met Azazel’s gaze. “If I were, I would not have taken you this far. Trust me, Adamou.”
“Observation,” JR14 responded. “Probability of survival increases when surrounded by individuals invested in mutual success.”
Azazel glanced at the bot.
“However,” the droid continued in his dry monotone, “trust remains a statistically unreliable factor.”
Well, wasn’t that the literal truth?
Gritting his teeth, Azazel followed the Krystalii and kept his senses sharp.
The air here felt different—denser, quieter.
As they moved farther in, the corridor opened into a vast chamber.
The space was unlike the sterile, lifeless halls of the Nyrlith he’d seen so far.
Crystalline structures in a rainbow of colors jutted from the ground like trees, their surfaces etched with intricate designs that pulsed with energy.
A group of Krystalii stood in the center, their bodies in a variety of translucent shades.
One stepped forward, a shorter Krystalii with a feminine-shaped body of deep emerald that glistened under the pale light. “Well, look at you, Vaeloryx. I see you’ve located the outsider.” Her voice was sharp, almost accusatory, as her glittering gaze fixed on Azazel.
“Yes, this is Azazel,” Vaeloryx stated in a smooth voice. “The organic individual who appeared on our sensors. He too seeks the human woman Baelon has taken. I have verified his mission aligns with ours.”
The female’s emerald gaze flicked to JR14. Her crystalline form moved in a subtle shift. “And the construct?”
JR14’s wings flicked out and buzzed before sliding back into their protected panel under his back. “Designation: JR14. Function: support unit. Current objective: ensure survival of biological entity.” For the first time, the bot’s voice came out sharp and unrelenting.
Azazel smirked, one corner of his mouth lifting. “This construct aligns perfectly with my purpose.”
Another Krystalii, taller and slender with a male shaped body of pale amber, stepped close. His voice was softer, tinged with curiosity. “Organic called Azazel, are you agreeable to work with us?”
“I will do my best,” Azazel said in an even tone, his arms crossed. “If you’re as eager to stop Baelon as Vaeloryx claims, I believe we can help each other. But my priority is to rescue the human woman, whose name is Toni, from him.”
The emerald Krystalii let out a faint hum, her tone skeptical.
“And what happens once you have her? Will you abandon us to fight Baelon alone?”
Azazel’s jaw tightened, but before he could respond, Vaeloryx stepped between them.
“Enough, Laytrii. Once the female is removed from Baelon’s control, that will force him and his scientists to divert their attention to her recovery, and that distraction will give us the opening we need to execute our primary objective. A rare chance to stop Baelon forever.”
Laytrii’s gaze lingered on Azazel for a moment before she stepped back, her crystalline body refracting the chamber’s light. “All right, I concede to your suggestion, Vaeloryx. I guess we’d better evaluate the best way to retrieve this human female. What have you surmised thus far?”
Vaeloryx turned to the group, his posture commanding but calm.
“Since Baelon’s private sector is near the Nexus Core, we can use that to our advantage.
” His steady stare met Azazel’s. “The Nexus Core is how Baelon became the undisputed dictator of the Krystalii. It magnifies his already powerful psionic abilities to override anyone else’s.
If his attention is focused on you, we can slip in and disrupt the core to not only weaken Baelon, but also the ship’s defenses.
That should cause him to divide his forces.
” He looked at Azazel. “That hopefully will give you the opening you need to complete the recovery of the human and afford you the probability of leaving the Nyrlith.”
Azazel kept his tone even.
“And how do you propose we do that?”
An opal Krystalii, his form sleek and angular, nodded.
“There’s a private deck near Baelon’s residence that houses his personal fleet of ships. You can take one of the small ones to escape.”
Azazel frowned. He’d never piloted a spaceship before. Even when they planned to escape the Akurns—who created him and his brothers—in a small space shuttle, he never had a chance to travel in it. He’d teleported them far into the future instead.
Vaeloryx must’ve sensed Azazel’s unease. “Most of those ships are self-navigating. All you have to do is use your construct—” He pointed to JR14. “—to interface with it and put in the coordinates for your escape.”
Azazel’s grin wasn’t humorous. “So, let me make sure I understand. For this to work, I’m going in as a distraction to give you a chance to sabotage the Nexus Core?”
Vaeloryx’s smirk matched Azazel’s. “Ah, well, that’s one way of putting it. However, dividing Baelon’s forces between us gives you a better chance to rescue the woman and escape—an advantage you would not have on your own.”
“Laytrii and I will lead a team to the Nexus Core and
Kyrix will go with you to help you free the female. Once that is done, he’ll guide you to Baelon’s private space dock. There he’ll help you determine which ship is the best for you to take.”
Azazel glanced at JR14, whose multifaceted eyes shone with a faint orange light.
“What is your analysis of this, JR14?”
JR14 tilted, his body giving off a low whir.
“Probability of success: 47.3 percent.”
“Comforting,” Azazel muttered. Why bother asking?
JR14’s announcement earned a faint chuckle from Vaeloryx. “Your companion is blunt but correct. Baelon’s Elites will sense our movements once we put this in motion. Now, with that in mind, shall we proceed?”
Azazel’s gaze swept over the gathered Krystalii.
They were a ragtag group, and their colorful crystalline bodies bore faint cracks and imperfections—a testament to their struggle.
He forced himself to unclench his fists held behind his back.
“I believe this sounds promising, but I’d prefer we sit down and plan each detail further.
” It was a chance to consider the plan’s viability.
And, if it fell apart, at least he’d give himself an opportunity to come up with a Plan B beforehand.
With a nod, Vaeloryx gestured to a cluster of low, crystalline structures that formed a rough semicircle behind him.
“Agreed. No reason for us not to be comfortable while we do so.” The surfaces shimmered with a warm glow that cast delicate patterns on the chamber floor.
Azazel studied the crystalline seats. He let loose an inaudible sigh.
Exhaustion wracked him, making it hard to move, and he’d like nothing better than to sit down and take a breather.
But it looked like Vaeloryx wanted to jump into this planning session right away. So, taking time out wasn’t on the menu.
Not like he had a choice, no matter how low his energy was. He’d used a lot of power to teleport to the Nyrlith. And even if he was at full strength, the psychic restraints embedded within the vessel were stronger than he’d first assumed.
Gazing around the austere environment, he grimaced as he lowered himself onto the seat of a crystalline formation. Its smooth surface contoured around his frame and was surprisingly comfortable. JR14 stayed perched on his shoulder, and his metallic limbs shifted as he settled.