Red Nova
Chapter Eighteen

Liagon’s Legacy

Dozens of journalists and UEC news reporters gathered together, following Malcolm Renfred while several UEC soldiers forced him into the court chamber of the president’s flagship, the Eochaid Ollathair. They were trying to approach and ask Renfred questions, but security guards and soldiers held them back. Detective Renfred, however, could still hear some of their muffled voices.

“Detective Malcolm Renfred,” called out a middle-aged news reporter. “Have you ever attempted to commit murder prior to Fen Treydis?” He didn’t even bother waiting for Renfred’s answer. He immediately asked another question, “How does your wife feel about you being a murderer?”

“Detective Renfred,” began another news reporter, “how long have you been taking intergalactic law into your own hands?”

“Why were you in Fen Treydis when your orders were specifically to investigate the attacks in Ubieria?” asked yet another reporter, pushing himself past the regiment of UEC soldiers. “How come—”

“This is absurd!” interjected Renfred. “I’m not a murderer! I do not take the law into my own hands.” One of the many guards tried to cover Renfred’s lips as he added, “And I was never in Fen Treydis!”

The reporters made their robot probes take digital photos of Renfred while the guards pushed him forward. In the court’s public gallery sat an audience of humans. The jury was a mixture of humans, calisians, and fe’lorians. And the judge was Richard Weldner, president of the UEC.

“Richard,” said Renfred, irked. “What is the meaning of this?”

“Take a seat, Malcolm,” replied President Weldner firmly. “You are in front of an intergalactic court and are embarrassing the UEC. There will be order in this court.”

Renfred was furious but complied, taking a seat on the left side while everyone else in the court stared at him with hatred. The jury’s law probe was activated, recording Renfred’s every action. The people inside the room were still talking until President Weldner folded his hands, staring at them from his podium.

“This trial is now in session,” said President Weldner. “There will be utter silence in the court unless someone is told to speak. This case has been marked as FT-4 since this is the fourth incident in the Fen Treydis colony throughout the history of UEC and IGF colonization.” Some of the many news reporters were still taking photos as the president spoke. “Detective Malcolm Renfred, many witnesses have claimed you were inside Nirvana, deliberately shooting innocent civilians while trying to kill the renegades of the Tenth Fleet. The statements of these witnesses are inductive. Nirvana’s cameras, however, have recorded you in there, which has given us deductive evidence against you. What do you plead?”

Renfred stared blankly at President Weldner for a moment. He responded, “Your honor, this is insane. You yourself sent me to investigate the Tenth Fleet’s disappearance and Goliath’s AI: 0009837-Shiva, which has gone rogue. The only part of Earth I visited was Corselos. Once I realized the stolen sword in the museum was ported out by a UND, I left and traced the signal to Ubieria. When this incident in Fen Treydis occurred, I was already in the Ubierian colony. My entire fleet has vouched for me.”

“Detective, there is no physical evidence to prove your alibi despite others saying you were there,” said President Weldner. “We even checked the cameras in your flagship, and not one of them was active.”

“Of course,” replied Renfred in a ticked off tone. “Why would I bother recording anyone when there’s nobody to be suspicious of on my ship? I am proud to command the Seventh Fleet because not one of my officers have ever disobeyed UEC protocol. There’s never even been a criminal act in the UEC for nearly two centuries. I am not guilty.”

“Detective,” began President Weldner, “despite your words, they are simply inductive. Therefore, regardless of your premises for being innocent, we have concluded that your alibis are false statements. In fact, the physical evidence we have proves that the accusation against you is valid.”

Someone abruptly shouted, “Murderer!”

“Order!” exclaimed President Weldner, slamming his hammer against the plinth of mahogany before him. “There will be order in this court!” Silence returned, and order was restored. “Again, what do you plead?”

“I plead not guilty,” said Renfred. “Someone set me up. I swear it.” President Weldner looked as if he was about to speak, but Renfred held out his hands and added, “Listen, I did as you had asked. I investigated Corselos and found no one who could’ve stolen that weapon. Yet the same exact traces of theft were occurring in Ubieria, so I traveled there and continued to investigate. I’m sure you’ve all heard by now, but there was an incident in Ubieria—some kind of battle with high-tech weaponry only seen in a black market.”

“Black market?” said President Weldner, chuckling.

“Yes,” responded Renfred. “If others, perhaps the Tenth Fleet, have been pirating these weapons, we could be in danger. Most of all, it points to an AI cracking our codes. None of my men can keep track of the signal. It’s changing in a perennial sequence.” Renfred started to raise his voice as he continued, “And you know very well that an AI can use our G-DNA to mimic our molecular structure. I believe without a doubt in my mind that it was catching on to me and that son of a bitch used my identity. I am not guilty!”

“Calm down, detective,” said President Weldner. “Only I am allowed to raise my voice. Regardless of how interesting your theories are, the fact still remains that Nirvana has recorded footage of you killing countless innocent civilians. Now normally since we have deductive evidence against you we would ignore your plea and send you to prison for life. However, you are lucky to have a witness who wishes to speak in your defense. One who claims that there is infallible and irrefutable evidence to prove your innocence.” President Weldner turned around and signaled a security soldier behind him to walk near the rear wall where a vidlink monitor hung. “I present Vreffith Larser, the CEO of Vignia Corporation.”

The security guard clicked into the wall panel beside him, activating the court’s vidlink. On the other end appeared Vreffith Larser, sitting in what seemed to be his starship’s private quarters.

“Greetings, ladies and gentlemen,” said Vreffith warmly. “I have heard of these terrible accusations against Detective Renfred, but I must tell you that he speaks the truth. Right after the rift tournament I had a scheduled meeting in Ubieria and saw him there. I have also heard of the Tenth Fleet going rogue. Here is an interesting fact that I’m sure you would all love to know.” Vreffith’s innocent smile suddenly contorted into a maddening expression while he glared at his audience. He continued, “Just as Niralus had put his hopes into that pathetic AI: Shiva, who used the G-DNA of Niralus, I, too, released an AI using the detective’s G-DNA to track down and kill Shiva.”

President Weldner laughed and said, “What’re you talking about, Vreffith?”

“What I’m telling you is that you’re all a bunch of backstabbing bastards with no sense of respect for one another,” said Vreffith. “What I’m telling you is that Niralus and Shiva were your last hope of surviving. But I killed Niralus. And all those pathetic renegades of his have given up and are now in hiding. Don’t look so surprised, Richard. You still have a few minutes left before I arrive with my fleet of warships—a few minutes to kiss and make up with your innocent, hard-working detective.” Vreffith stared at the audience repugnantly while he added, “A few minutes before Earth becomes a wasteland.”

He instantly terminated his vidlink.

“What’s the meaning of this?” said President Weldner fretfully. “I want that transmission back online immediately! FT-4 is adjourned until Vreffith Larser’s brought in and answers for those threats!”

“It’s not going to happen,” said Renfred with a sigh.

Not a second later, the battle alarm triggered. People in the court started screaming and rushing out. Beyond the IGF Casimir space station, which hovered between Earth’s moon and the president’s starship, was a forming wormhole. When the spherical wormhole expanded and opened with surges of thermal energy, an entire fleet of Black Moon starships emerged. Thirty vessels appeared, firing at the fleets of the UEC.

“Attention!” shouted President Weldner via his UND. “This is your president speaking. All nine fleets are to gather together and destroy the syndicate starships!” He turned around and looked at Renfred. “Malcolm, get back to your ship while I send out a distress call.”

“I’m on my way,” said Renfred.

Vreffith heard President Weldner speak to the UEC via his hacked frequency channel. He felt as though he could smell the president’s fear, no longer caring about the repercussions. If the UEC labeled him a criminal or a psycho, he didn’t care. This had nothing to do with him being good or evil. He was different than those who fell into the scheme of morality. Vreffith was simply a man of vendetta. He eventually ported out of the wormhole in his newly built vessel: Apeiron.

“What in metta’s name is that?” muttered Renfred, looking through one of the Eochaid Ollathair’s windows. He stood alone in the corridor while everybody else tried to escape from the ship. Pondering to himself, he continued aloud, “My goodness, that thing is bigger than all our ships put together.”

The intergalactic ship—Apeiron—was completely black, flowing with jolts of electrical currents as it hovered above its armada. It was the largest vessel that Detective Malcolm Renfred or anyone had ever seen. The central chamber, shaped like a sphere, hovered with a revolving Ouroboros that remained suspended due to fe’lorian runes filled with power. Vreffith stood in an observation chamber, observing Earth and the UEC fleets.

“This is the hour of redemption,” said Vreffith, speaking into a hacked channel so every person in the UEC could hear him. “Do you know how long I was imprisoned in that wretched facility? Do you?” His tone was in a callous murmur and yet somewhat strident while he spoke through his ship’s communication console. “Do you know how many syringes were injected into me? Are you aware of all the experiments your scientists put me through? Do you know?”

President Weldner remained silent as he gazed at the starships that were destroying his armada.

Vreffith continued, “You’ve tortured me enough. Now it’s time for me to torture you.”

“I repeat,” shouted President Weldner, “all fleets are to join together and attack the syndicate ships!”

“Bring them all to me, Weldner,” said Vreffith. “Bring them all to me!”

Vreffith thought to himself, the life of a human being was once considered to be, above all, the most important thing. To the general mentality of humans, there was no crime worse than killing someone. But he’d rid himself of their system long ago; he became a man who returned to the chaotic and nihilistic roots of the universe: the crude, empty, and absurd universe.

“Behold, I am a man of complete freedom!” he shouted. “Here is the sum of our universe: nihility. The nil laws of nature cannot define us. I shall show you all the fearful truth that has no credibility of goodness or evilness in this universe. And as a gift to the universe—my legacy—I will vaporize all of you. Then, I’ll take my own life! But wait. Dare I stop here? No, this is the end of the line. I will wipe out the human race. And only when you are extinct shall I depart from the ordinary, beautiful, disgusting, godless ship of existence!”

The wormhole sealed within the fissured veil of black death. The syndicate vessels were upon the UEC. And in the distance appeared Apeiron. However, it wasn’t flying toward Earth. Instead it was flying toward the sun. It glided silently through the Solar System. Fe’lorian runes sporadically radiated around the Ouroboros as its energy continued to grow and generate cryo-fusion power. The Apeiron wasn’t just an incredible dreadnaught, it was Liagon’s legacy.