Aurora Burning (The Aurora Cycle #2)(101)

The feed shifts to a Betraskan man in officer’s dress. The label under him reads GREATER CLAN BATTLE LEADER ANALI DE TREN.

“The Betraskan people strive always for peace, in our hearts, in our dens, and in our skies. But should any world or force engage in unwarranted hostilities, Trask will stand with our Terran allies.”

My heart sinks in my chest as I look around the bridge. I can see the same despair in the faces of my squad. The galaxy is on the verge of war.

The feed continues.

“Disturbingly, an unknown vessel has been detected within the Unbroken fleet. TDF Command has dismissed claims of a ‘superweapon,’ but the fate of the Syldrathi homeworld at the hands of Unbroken leader Archon Caersan, aka the Starslayer—an attack in which ten billion Syldrathi lost their lives—cannot be ignored. Moments ago, before our drone was destroyed, TerraNet managed to shoot exclusive footage of this unknown Syldrathi ship.”

The feed cuts back to an image of the armada, cruising through the Fold. Again, I’m struck by the size of it—the sheer firepower the Starslayer has brought to bear in retaliation for the attack on Andarael.

“This Caersan guy seems to be taking this real personal,” Finian mutters.

“Yeah,” I nod. “I wonder wh—”

“Mothercustard,” Auri whispers, eyes widening.

Kal’s face is pale and drawn as he watches the feed, a sliver of fear and sorrow appearing in the cracks of his normally ice-cool Syldrathi demeanor. But at the note in Auri’s voice, he turns to her.

“Be’shmai?”

I look back at the screen. The footage is blurred, a few frames snatched in the second or two before the TerraNet drone was killed. It shows a glimpse of a vessel between the silhouettes of two Unbroken dreadnoughts. It’s absolutely massive—easily the biggest ship I’ve ever seen. Kilometers across, as long as a city. In contrast to the smooth black metal profiles of the Syldrathi ships, it’s an odd, conical shape, kinda like an oboe or a clarinet. And it’s made of what looks like …

Crystal?

“Son of a biscuit, that’s it,” Auri whispers.

Fin blinks. “What?”

“That’s it,” she says, voice rising. “The Weapon! The Eshvaren Weapon!”

Silence rings out on the bridge, the shock sinking in slow. My thoughts are racing, my heart pounding, the impossibility of it soaking me through.

“Aurora is supposed to use the Weapon to destroy the Ra’haam seed worlds,” Zila says softly. “And the Starslayer somehow destroyed the Syldrathi sun.”

“That’s how he did it!” Aurora breathes. “He used the Weapon on his own world!”

“So, Caersan … ,” Fin whispers.

“He’s another Trigger?” I ask.

Kal’s eyes are wide with horror. “Sai’nuit,” he whispers, eyes on the screen.

“What’s that mean?” Fin asks.

“Starslayer,” I murmur in reply.

“This just in,” TerraNet reports. “We are receiving a transmission from the Unbroken fleet, across all bands. We now cut live to this breaking footage.”

The image of the Weapon disappears, replaced with the figure of a man.

The most stunning man I’ve ever laid eyes on.

He’s tall, wearing a black suit of ornate Syldrathi armor, a long dark cloak flowing over his broad shoulders. His face is pale and smooth, just die-for-me beautiful, razor cheekbones and a piercing violet eye. His silver hair is fashioned into ten braids, curving down over the right side of his face. His ears are tapered to perfect points, the Warbreed glyf etched between his silver brows. He’s bright and fey and terrible, gleaming with a dark light. At the simple sight of him, my skin prickles, my belly turns, my heart flutters.

This is the man who led the attack at Orion.

This is the man who killed my dad.

And then he speaks, and awful as it is, a part of me almost falls in love at the music of his voice.

“I am Caersan. Archon of the Unbroken. Slayer of Stars.”

Glancing around the bridge, I see we’re all rocked by the sight of him in some way. Auri bristling with power and rage and fear, Fin sinking down in his chair, Zila turning her head, chewing on a lock of hair. Kal is as pale as death, his hands knotted, a vein throbbing at his neck. Of all of us, he looks the worst—like someone has opened his wrists and bled every drop of him onto the floor. He’s clearly horrified, shaken to his core at the sight of the monster who destroyed his planet.

Caersan speaks again. Every word a lightning strike.

“My forces are now massed at the edge of Terran space. Against the Unbroken, there can be no victory. People of Earth, hear me now. I gift you one chance. One choice. One path by which you may spare your people, your world, your sun the annihilation that awaits it beneath my fists.”

The Starslayer glares at the camera, and I know it sounds crazy, but I swear I can feel his stare burning in my soul.

“One of my Templars was captured by Terran forces during an altercation in the Fold. I now give you twelve hours to release her.”

I glance at Kal and whisper, “Saedii …”

“If at the end of this time she is not returned to me, I will destroy your sun. I will consign your entire world to the oblivion of the Void. And should any harm have befallen her while in your keeping, know this: For every second of suffering she endured, I shall repay your species ten-thousand-fold. I will not content myself with the destruction of your planet. I will spend the remaining centuries of my life hunting your kind, until not one human remains alive in this galaxy.”