Ten years later…

  In the ten years since his capture, General Kantaos had forgotten the sound of his own voice, replacing it with the scratching and clawing of the vermin that shared his cage, the footsteps of the guards who brought him his food, and the heavy rattle of his chains.

  He was stripped of his dignity — the pride that made him a proud Zoronion — but every night, when the guards fell asleep on their stools outside his cell, he would get up. He would look through the tiny gap of his cell window and search for the stars, always finding the brightest one in the furthest corner of the night sky. When that star twinkled in the backdrop of space, it brought a tear to his eye — the only solitary comfort he had in a life of pain and misery.

  There were many a night where he asked himself why. He was broken in ways he never thought possible; his mind had snapped. There were moments he quit on himself, ready to become La Mort’s foot soldier if that meant keeping his wife safe and allowing him to claw back the scattered jigsaw that was now his mind. But every time, without fail, as he prepared to call the guards to tell La Mort he was ready to join his cause, he felt a gentle hand touch his shoulder.

  It reminded him he was not alone and stood for what his wife believed in, so he kept fighting. Because with that star shining — and his wife not brought before him beaten, battered, and tortured — he knew she and his people were okay, and that he needed to be strong.

  Ezra, on the other hand, survived that fatal night on Planet Zoron, but the scars of that night cut deep enough that the wounds never healed — not truly, anyway. That night changed everything for Ezra. His father hardly uttered a word to him, and Cane’s anger and disgust only heightened toward his brother.

  By saving Ezra, his father saw Cane as weak. So, in the ten years since that day on Zoron, Cane spent his every waking hour proving his father wrong. He put himself in the toughest of battles, endured the most rigorous and intense training sessions, and led the line countless times as La Mort and Cane conquered newer, tougher planets.

  Civilisations bowed to their ruthless rule out of fear. A once-young boy was a boy no more — he was a man carving his own legacy. Some would say Cane became more ruthless than La Mort’s cruelty ever knew, many fearing something snapped in Cane along the way. He became a byword of tyranny; his very presence sent tremors wherever he went.

  He became what his brother tried so hard to stop him from becoming — his father’s instrument of pain and justice. A merciless warrior who always stood on the frontline, revelling in the bloodshed and madness as he broke the wills of his enemies, bringing new territories with each conquest. His father’s power, absolute and unchallenged.

  But Ezra did not stand by idly. That day may have left unrepairable scars on Ezra’s psyche, but he had a promise to keep. He fought in the shadows. On planets his father sent his lower-tier men to contain, he would disrupt and sabotage their missions. Like a ghost in the night, he moved stealthily through the besieged cities, a silent saboteur who wore a cloak and wreaked havoc on La Mort’s men.

  But in the background, Ezra bided his time — his resolve strengthening with each passing day — saving planets from his father’s ruling hand of justice. A hero that operated in the shadows. Like a ghost in the night, he moved stealthily through the besieged cities, a silent saboteur who wore a cloak and wreaked havoc on La Mort’s men.

  He had learnt his lesson; he wasn’t strong enough to take his father head-on, so he knew he had to move in silence, to fight for those that couldn’t fight for themselves, saving who he could. The galaxy trembled, and rebellions started to build, waiting in anticipation for the day the tide would turn and the reign of La Mort would be no more.

  They call me the man who walks unseen between the stars, he thought. Releasing the boot my father held on this galaxy’s neck, allowing them to breathe. The ghost of the rebellion. But I am merely nothing but a man — flawed.

  I often wonder what it would be like to truly be the hero, to silence the screams that bellow across the galaxy, to stop the bloodshed. But no one told me it would come with such a great cost — the faces you can’t save that haunt your every waking hour. The innocent mothers and children I told would be okay, not knowing if they would survive the night. No one told me the mental battle would take more than just the physical toll I would have to pay for the path I chose.

  It’s been ten long years of battling, saving those I can, sending them to the planet Zuron — the planet beyond the stars. I feel like for every person I save, I lose three in return. I often wonder if I’m doing more bad than good — if I am the hero they need, or the person I want them to look at as a hero.

  Word of this hooded figure reached back to Cane, and he knew exactly who this hooded lightning wielder was. He approached his brother, storming into his room. Ezra’s door slammed against the wall, causing Ezra to turn his head to see who it was.

  “Oh, it's just you, brother,” Ezra chuckled ever so slightly. “Try to use a little less force next time, brother — these walls are delicate.”

  “You want to play games with me, brother?” Cane said. “You know exactly why I’m here and the cause of my rage.”

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  Ezra looked blankly into Cane’s eyes and told a lie so stone-cold, even Cane almost believed it.

  “Brother — I have not the faintest idea as to what you mean. I've simply been in my room all day, training my mind.”

  Cane looked at Ezra, his left eye squinting tightly.

  “I am not stupid. Father may have turned a blind eye to you, but I have not, Ezra. I see right through this bravado, and I know that you’re the hooded figure sabotaging our men,” he continued. “Who else can wield the power of lightning, brother? Answer me that.”

  Ezra simply shook his head.

  “I don't know what you want me to say. I cannot answer a question I do not have the answers to, Cane. Does it look suspicious? Sure. Are there any other potential lightning wielders out there somewhere in the galaxy? Of course. Now, if you don't mind, I would like to get back to my meditation.”

  Cane’s lip began to quiver as his teeth ground in rage.

  “It’s only a matter of when, not if, hero. Clearly, you did not learn your lesson on Planet Zoron,” said Cane. “But heed my words: there will be no saving you this time.”

  He then spun on his heels and stormed out of the room.

  Later that night, Ezra was wandering down the hall. When he turned a corner, he overheard one of the soldiers and Cane speaking about the next big invasion. He quickly scampered back and rested his body against the wall as he listened in.

  Cane placed a steady hand on his soldier’s shoulder.

  “Planet Arleon. You and your platoon will take the lead on this mission.”

  The soldier looked around, confused, before pointing to himself.

  “Me? Are you sure, Cane? That's a big mission to take on without you or your father being present.”

  “I understand your hesitation, soldier, but your training has prepared you for this moment,” Cane said. “Grasp this opportunity with both hands. Take your moment.”

  The soldier nodded, and Cane’s eye glanced secretly over to the corner, knowing Ezra was hiding behind the wall listening.

  “He’s gone now, soldier,” Cane said. “Remember the plan, and do not deviate from it.”

  “Cane — are you sure about this? Maybe we should run this by your father first?”

  Cane yanked at the soldier’s chest plate and pulled him in.

  “Listen — you, just like the rest of these men, will do what you’re told,” Cane said. “And we won't have a problem.”

  “But to release the barren beast on Ezra — he may not make it out of that battle with his life,” the soldier said sympathetically. “But if it's what you want, I'll do it.”

  “Good,” Cane said as he fixed the soldier’s armour plate. “I gave my brother the chance to tell the truth. I let him know I was onto him. So if it is him, and he falls for the bait and tries to save the day — he has only himself to blame for what awaits him on Planet Arleon.”

  The soldier and Cane walked down the hall until they reached the bottom of the corridor. They turned to each other, looking into each other’s eyes, but neither man spoke a word. They simply broke eye contact, and the pair went their separate ways.

  The soldier headed over to the barracks to tell the men about the mission they'd been assigned, and Cane—well, he went to prepare the beast before Ezra got wind of his plan.

  As the soldier arrived at the barracks, his arm extended toward the handle. Pulling it back slowly, he garnered the attention of the men in the room. Once inside, the men saw his dour, glum facial expression and knew immediately something was up.

  “If you're not smiling, then we're all done for,” said one of the soldiers to their leader. “Who pissed you off? And before you answer—it's not any of the men you see here. They've been with me all day. I can vouch for them.”

  Their leader wasted no time replying to his soldiers.

  “We've been tasked with Planet Arleon,” the lead soldier said. “And it's our mission to run alone. No La Mort. No Cane. Just us.”

  A soldier rose from his seat, his eyes squinted as he looked at his leader like he had lost his mind.

  “Hasn't that been the reason why we've worked so hard—to lead our own mission and earn our stripes?” he continued. “Now we can finally show our worth, leapfrog the ranks, and you're all doom and gloom about it. Something's not adding up. What is it?”

  “It’s nothing—you’re right,” the lead soldier said, shaking his head. “I apologise. I didn't mean it to come across that way.”

  “Well—how did you mean it to come across? Because I think I can speak for all of us here—we’re confused,” said the soldier.

  The lead soldier scanned the room, and every soldier shared the same sentiment. There wasn’t a pair of eyes in that room that wasn’t either squinted in confusion or raised at their leader like he had lost his mind.

  “It’s just tiredness, men,” he replied. “Tiredness.”

  “You sure? If there is something going on,” the soldier said, “you know you can trust us with whatever it is that’s plaguing your mind.”

  Their leader stepped forward, standing over his men.

  “It’s nothing. Like I said—it was just tiredness, that’s all.”

  With an attempt to lift the mood and rally his soldiers, the lead soldier began to clap.

  “Come on, boys. Why are you still here? Gear up and head out.”

  The soldiers looked at each other, confused for a moment, but they didn’t need a second invitation.

  The men put on their armour, prepared their gear, and loaded up on the ships. There were hundreds of sleek, metal-black cruisers, and leading the line was the death cruiser, which housed the leader of the Blue Platoon.

  The black-and-grey ship had fiery orange structural lining and ocean-blue engines with weapon accents. A heavy angular wedge with an extended flat prow. And sitting upon the ship was a multi-deck structure rising centrally, with high-tech sensors and command capabilities—a ship fitting for such a mission.

  The engines fired as the hangar doors opened slowly. Once fully opened, the ships shot out into the emptiness of space and were gone.

  But one man remained—Cane.

  He watched on with a joyous smile carved from corner to corner. He knew Ezra was watching, waiting in the wings, and once the final hangar door finally closed, he left, taking up his hiding space, waiting for Ezra to fall right into his trap.

  An hour had passed, and the men still hadn’t entered hyperspace.

  “What’s going on? Why haven’t we entered hyperspace? We should have entered miles ago,” a soldier demanded. “What’s the hold-up?”

  The lead soldier turned to him.

  “Patience. I know what I'm doing,” he said, glancing down at his wrist console.

  And there, on cue—when the hangar bay was cleared—Ezra’s ship shot out.

  He engaged cloaking mode and followed the troop ships waiting ahead.

  Cane waited half an hour before sending a secure message to the lead soldier.

  “Seriously, we’re just wandering around in space for what?” another soldier pressed. “There must be some reason for the delay.”

  But just as the lead soldier opened his mouth to give them an answer, his wrist device began beeping. His hand immediately gripped around the throttle, as his other hand punched in the coordinates. Stealers of white light engulfed the ships, then they all jumped into hyperspace, one by one—with Ezra following closely behind