Escaping Viltrum

Time: Unknown. Location: Viltrum

The nights on Viltrum were usually breathtaking with the shimmering lights from their high rising architectures. On this day, though, things were different. The metallic odor of blood hung in the air. Innocents' screams and echoes overwhelmed the otherwise peaceful world. A dozen people sped into the woods in a blaze of haste.

"Stop and hide," Frei's right hand went up to his shoulder with a collapsed fist and whispered into his earpiece. The rest scurried into the shadows of Viltrum's plant life as swiftly as possible. A short time later, two other humanoids flew directly past their heads, making no attempt to slow down or even look back.

Some of his companions sighed in relief. In order to make sure there were no additional pursuers in the area, Frei waited a few seconds before commanding, "Let's go!"

Due to passing scouts overhead, the gang had a few closed calls on the way to their objectives. Flight was not an option since the Imperial army had placed various drones and military personnel out for them. Therefore, it was best to keep a low profile and do what was unexpected. They were searching for a spaceship that had been stowed away in dense woodland. It was the only way they could leave the planet. Even though Viltrumites could fly through space and hold their breath for a lengthy period, long-distance travel was impossible without the availability of advanced technology. And right now, they needed to get as far away from the Viltrum Empire as possible.

Reaching the aircraft's platform, the group had a moment of rest for their technician to deactivate the cloaking mechanism. But, before they could board the ship, the scout, Hilga, ran to Frei in a state of emergency and called for his attention.

'Sir, the imperial troops are closing in on the area. They found us." Her voice trembled with anxiety as she relayed the information.

'How? How did they know?' His gaze drifted towards his ragtag group of rebels and stopped at another one of his crew, Sten. He was shivering and making a conscious effort not to meet Frei's gaze. 'Fear? Of the Imperial? No. Of me. Why?' He utilized his speed and dashed towards the young man. His iron grip held tightly onto the man's neck with enough force to lift him off the ground.

"Everyone, get on the ship!" He screamed. Stealth was no longer necessary because the enemies already knew where they were. After that, he switched his attention back to Sten. "Why?" He made the statement. He remembered training the man when he joined their rebellion. Only five hundred years old, Sten was timid, yet his mind was bright. Why did he do this? How could he do this?

"Sir…They have…sister… had no…choice." The boy whimpered. Familial connections would do that. Even on Viltrum, where individual might was valued, they still care deeply about their loved ones. That would change after tonight. Argall was their Emperor and a fool. His belief led their people to rapid conquest of the known universe. Frei was at one point a believer in their infinite might, but the destruction and pain they brought deterred him from the Imperial Army. That was when he met Thaedus, who showed him a different path, a different belief. The mean of the strong should not be to conquer and dominate but to guide and protect. He shifted his eyes towards his friend and mentor, Thaedus.

They believed killing the Emperor would bring peace to their world, but they were so wrong. What left of the imperial ruling class stood together and branded them as traitors. They enacted a policy to cull the "weak" off the planet. So many of their kin died due to such ruthlessness. Men, women, children, elders, it did not matter. The rebellion had changed things for the worst. Thaedus was in shamble after witnessing such an event, but Frei and those under him still had trust in the man.

'Thaedus needed to live,' Frei thought. Just like how he rallied them together, he would do so again in the future with the other species across the universe. Frei was no leader. He was a soldier, and he knew his duties. He ticked under his breath and threw the young Viltrumite away.

"Leave. You'll soon witness the extent of their mercy. Hold onto that hope and plummet into despair. I have no time for you." So many of his people had died tonight, he did not want to take Sten's life. Sten fled at that. Frei had no doubt he would be executed when the Imperialists found him.

"Sir, you should head on the aircraft." Aegel, his second in command, commented. It earned her a confused gaze from Frei.

"We will hold them back. You are the strongest and closest to lord Thaedus. You have to snap him out of it." Aegel continued. Frei was furious now, but she had strong determination in her eyes.

"Out of the question. Do you believe I would leave you behind? All of you, get on the ship. I will distract them" His anger took hold of him then. To him, they were like his own kids. He could not let them die just to save his own life.

"Please, sir, we know what we signed up for. You have to leave now, or there would be no hope for the future." Aegel plead. Frei looked around himself and saw the faces of his comrades. Each and every one of them was trained under him. Some gave him a smile, and others nodded to his gaze.

Frei growled at that. He had seen these faces before. Their looks were filled to the brim with trust and belief. There was no other way out of the situation, and he had a mission to complete. "I'll see you all soon. We'll get a drink then." Frei proceeded to walk onto the aircraft with Thaedus.

"You owe us drinks for the rest of eternity, sir." Another chimed in, which gave the group a brief instant of laughter.

Before the door closed off, locking Frei and Thaedus into the ship, he heard Aegel's voice yell out, "Alright, you country bumpkins! I better see each of you taking down ten of the imperial soldiers! Get…"

With little time for grief, he brought Thaedus to the flight control. "Snap out of it, you old fool. Get yourself in check." Frei screamed.

"Frei…what have we done…look at what they are doing to our people!" Thaedus said breathlessly.

"We did this! So it's time to fix it! You are our only hope!" Frei's hands move quickly to activate the control systems. They needed to leave now before the entire force of the Imperial reached them.

"I don't deserve your lives. I don't…." Thaedus whimpered.

"Look at how pathetic you are right now. We made our own choices. Now be the leader you are supposed to be." Frei continued. The ship took off the ground a flew upward towards the never-ending expanse. Some of the imperialists flew up to stop them, but they were intercepted by his own people.

"Right. Right. I got it." Thaedus held control of the co-pilot seat, and together, they drove the ship to the outer orbit of planet Viltrum. The stars greeted them with their full glory after they passed Viltrum's atmosphere.

"We have incoming. Two pursuing ships." Thaedus alarmed.

"They won't let us leave that easily, huh? Alright, I'm going." Frei said and walked away from the pilot seat.

"What?" Thaedus asked in bewilderment.

"Go get a fresh start. Rally others like how you rallied us. You better win against the empire. Do not let our death be in vain." Frei gave his commands. Speeches were never his things. Frei enjoyed concise words, but today, he triumphantly declared in pride.

Like his soldiers before, a smile appeared on the man's lips as he opened the hangar doors. The vacuum of space sucked out the air inside the ship with incredible force. However, they were Viltrumites. A little bit of wind would not phase them.

Frei jumped out of the speeding ship, and his body carried him towards the pursuers. He could not let them reach the Hyperlane and chase Thaedus, so he did what he did best, fight. Frei pierced the first ship with his body. Friction against the fuel exploded the vessel into various fragments. Despite dealing some damage to himself, Frei was fast enough to avoid most of the explosion. On the other hand, the three soldiers inside the ship were not as lucky and sustained some injuries.

He rushed again towards the other enemy aircraft, and the injured soldiers chased after Frei. They learned their lessons and navigated in a zig-zag motion to avoid his coming attack. He was not a beginner. His military achievements spoke for themselves. With a bit of maneuvering, he successfully destroyed the other ship. Although these soldiers had a better understanding of what he was trying to accomplish, they escaped the ship before the explosion. Frei was now surrounded by six fighters. They would try to overwhelm him with numbers.

"Kingslayer, traitorous scum. Only the strong will remain on Viltrum. Your kind will perish under General Conquest." Mouth by one of the imperialists. However, Frei could not hear him. They were in the vacuum of space, what did he expect. The idiot immediately rushed towards Frei ahead of his peers. Frei dodged his unruly attack and pierced his chest with a fist.

'Young ones these days, no teamwork.' Frei thought to himself.

Four others rushed towards them then. One of the pursuers stayed back. Frei knew her face. This was Mavor, a peer of Frei back in his military days. They were around the same age, a few thousand years old, give or take a century or so.

He dispatched the group of four soldiers with his fists. The older and more experience a Viltrumite was, the more powerful they were. This was key in his race's makeup. However, Frei did not come out of the battle unscathed. He had a few bruises, cuts, and a broken bone on his leg.

Mavor provided enough respect for a fellow soldier and waited until the battle was finished. Then, she floated towards Frei until they were only a few meters apart. She gave him a nod, and he gave one back.

The two flew towards each other in a fury of blows. Despite appearing on equal terms, Frei was losing his stand fast. The previous injuries held him at a disadvantage. More bones were broken between the two sides. More violent. More damages.

He needed to make it quick. More would come any seconds now. Both his hands held onto Mavor's face, and yet both of hers pierced through his abdomens. He knew what she was going to do. She would split him in half if he was not quick enough. He used all his strength then, collapsing their head in a scene of gore and flesh.

'Pop,' He thought. The vacuum of space did not allow for any sounds, yet he swore he heard it. The sound of skull, brain, and tissues meshing together under strain. Removing her hands out of him, he saw two holes in his body. He was losing consciousness swiftly. Soon, the imperialists will come, and he would be executed. Frei was too exhausted to fight. He had little energy left in him to wage another battle. 'Would I be able to heal from this?' With closed eyelids, his mind wandered towards Thaedus. He had finished his saga, and the rest was up to his old friend.

Something traveled across his body then. Strange electricity brought tingles to Frei's skin as it flowed across his suit. He shot his eyes open, and the tingling was gone. What baffled him, however, were his surroundings. Frei was no longer floating in space, he was suddenly in a vast chamber with men circling him. They wore black and white garments with their face and bodily structures reflecting much of the Viltrumites. Some of them, soldiers Frei assumed, had metal weapons pointing towards him. It was hard for Frei to think about why Viltrumites would need such rudimentary armament. He lost his consciousness then and crashed into the floor. The final image he saw was of a silver eagle branding on one of the soldiers' clothes.