The Commander

THE COMMANDER

Part Twelve

By Arthur

The next twenty four hours were a blur of activity as Cameron set about forming his plans to finish once and for all the hold of the Melecasians over the people. Matteus slowly began to recover and for that Cameron was thankfull, he still didn't know how he was going to be able to overcome the power of the enemy but he had to find a way.

With the four hundred double and single seat fighters over the main city of the Melecasian base Cameron felt reasonably confidant that he could contain them until he had a hard and fast plan for their end.

'Besat!!! Besat!!!! we have an emergency, your fighters are under attack and I am unable to continue to protect them. The Melecasians are using some power source I have not seen before.'

'Can't you boost their defence grids?'

'No Besat, I have run everything through my memory and there has never been anything like it recorded before, it is like a neural power and not a common source like laser or bio.'

'Do what you can Jason, if nothing else then order all fighters out of the area.'

'General Jopty has already done that Besat, but they are still being downed as they retreat.'

'Where are the survivors now?'

'The last of them are just on the other side of the Earths moon but they are falling fast, we have only one hundred and fifty still flying.'

'We have to find out what they are doing Jason.'

'Besat we are under direct attack, I can not stop the power source.'

'Evacuate all personel immediately, Jason.'

'Bes......................'

A blinding flash ran through Camerons head bringing him to his knees in a scream of pain and rage.

'Jason?'

'Jason?'

The comlink on Camerons wrist buzzed against his skin.

"Jopty?"

"Besat, some of us have got away but the station is gone, we are still under attack, Besat, (tears of anguish could be heard in Jopty's voice) it's slaughter Besat."

"How......how many with you Jopty?"

"We only got two transporters out Besat, about two hundred men, for some reason they are only attacking the few fighters that are our escort and not us in the transports."

"Can you make it down here to the Island Jopty?"

"If they don't attack us we can make it Besat, we have nothing to fight them with, none of our technology works against them."

"It has to be something really awesome to have taken out Jason's shields, it means that mine also are useless against them."

"What are we going to do , Besat?"

"I don't know Jopty, Im sorry, I just don't know."

"We should be with you in about thirty earth minutes if we aren't attacked."

"I'll be waiting Jopty."

As the general went off the link Cameron collasped on the floor, tears of utter frustration ran down his cheeks in a never ending torrent as he tried to reconcile the loss of life on his station, almost ten thousand souls had just gone in a few seconds.

A gentle hand touched his shoulder as the sobs wracked his body with muscle wrenching spasms.

"Besat?"

General Jopty's voice broke through the barrier of personal feelings of loss and inadequacy in his position as Besat.

"Besat, we're here, we have to do something."

Cameron lifted his tear stained face to look at his first friend on the station.

"I know Jopty, but what, they've got us beaten before the fight even starts."

"No Besat, while we are alive we're not beaten, your father was in a worse position when he stopped them, look back into your biosync, his story is there for you."

"Jopty, what have I done, so many lost for nothing."

"we all knew this was not going to be easy Besat, they died for you and so you could use your energy to finally finish off the last of the Melecasians."

"I don't think I can Jopty, they're just to strong."

"Go to your fathers memories Besat, your answer is in them."

Cameron gave a last heartfelt sigh as he realised that Jopty was right, all he had now was his fathers memories and he didn't know if that would be enough. The deep feelings of loss and frustration as well as his own short comings began to play in his mind again. With a last grip on his shoulder Jopty led him to his bed and helped him to lie down to rest.

Somewhere deep in his head a glimmer of white light began to form, at first it was just a pin point but as he lay in semi consciousness it began to grow into a strong beam within his head.

'Kahmrune....Kahmrune....'

In his minds eye Cameron could see a tall figure begin to form in a twisting tendril of half formed mist.

'Kahmrune....listen to me and answer this question, are you prepared to make the ultimate sacrifice to save this planet?'

The etherial image began to look more like Cameron as it filled in its form.

'Father.....father?'

'Yes Kahmrune, I'm here for you, now my son are you ready to make the ultimate sacrifice for your planet?'

'What sacrifice Father?'

'Would you give up the last of your command?'

'It looks like that has already been decided Father.'

'Not yet my boy, would you also give up your own existance?'

'My own life I would Father but not the last of my men.'

'Would you give up your lover Son?'

'NO Father not Matteus, never, I could not give him up, not for any world.'

'You may have to my Son.'

'No Father, he is an innocent, I will never give him up to anyone.'

'Do you think that by your sacrifice should it come to that, that your lover will not follow you?'

'I'll order him not to.'

'Do you really think he would listen should you not be here for him, Kahmrune, that boy loves you beyond life itself, if you are taken then he would follow you.'

'Are you telling me not to die Father, that if I do then Matteus dies as well.'

'Love is not always easy my Son but total love and devotion is unbreakable, your Matteus would follow you, so now you have to win this the last fight, you have an inner strength that's not tapped yet but you will find it when you need it. When the time is at its blackest, that's when you will know how to fight the Melecasians.'

Slowly the misty figure disapated and the light dimmed as Cameron became conscious of everything around him. Matteus stood over him with a look of awe tainted with fear. Jopty stood stoically as cameron surveyed his surroundings.

"He came to you Besat?"

"Yes I think so."

"It was your father, I didn't tell you before as it wasn't the time for you to know that you could call on him, that's why you are the Besat, only you and others like you have the ability to call on your fore-fathers."

"He told me I would have to make sacrifices that I wouldn't like."

"Are you sure Besat, that that is what he meant?"

"Well Jopty he asked me if I am prepared to make sacrifices to save this world."

"That doesn't mean you will have to make them, only if you are prepared to if all else fails."

"Uhm...I hope your right Jopty, there's been to much loss today."

"Besat Daffid was believed to have said in a time when all was blackest, 'That to loose ten battles to win the war, is better than to loose the war without a battle.' The Melecasians have only won some battles, the war is yet to be fought, Besat."

"Thank you Jopty I guess it's time to put on my thinking cap and do something about them."

"You will find a way Besat."

The humming from the vidcom startled all three of the men.

"Ahh, young Besat, I see you are now down to a few diehards, are you ready to leave this world to us now?"

"So Septre, you've decided to stop skulking behind shadows and come out in the open."

"I NEVER SKULK BOY, I'm not afraid of you boy, you're nothing to us, just an inconvienece that we will soon get rid of like all your kind."

'It's a glimmer' Cameron thought to himself. 'Maybe I can use it against him.'

"Tell me Septre, if you are all powerful why do you hide behind your screens, does a teenage Besat scare you so much?"

"DON'T MOCK ME BED BOY, I can destroy you now if I wish to."

"Then why don't you, I'm here without guards or army, do I frighten you that much?"

"I'M WARNING YOU BUTT BOY."

"Ah Septre, you know warning a teenager only makes him more rebellious."

"Do you wish to die so much, and all those with you?"

"You, Septre, kill me and mine. You the hero of the world killing young teens, how is that going to look to others. The big time leader so afraid of a few teens that he has to kill them from a distance because he's scared to face them when they die?"

"You go to far young Besat, you issue insults to your superiors and have nothing to back it up with."

"I have enough to back it up Septre, but I think you are to afraid to meet me head on."

"You want to face me Besat?"

"You and all your kind, altogether in one place at one time."

"You're a fool butt boy, I alone am strong enough to leave you in small pieces spread all over this world."

"Then come and face me Melecasian and bring your other worthless trash with you so they can witness how good you are, or are you scared of me?"

"You impudent little bed slut, where and when?"

"The Australian center, near Ayres Rock, just you and your minions."

"And you, who do you bring?"

"Just the three you see before you."

Septre broke out into uproarious laughter, with tears running down his face in mirth he spluttered out his reply.

"Those two, Young Besat you're a bigger fool than I thought you were, that skinny girl-boy of yours is not even worth my time and that so called General is ineffective at best."

"As they say here on earth Septre, 'Put your money where your mouth is' meet me in two hours at that place and you can have your day in victory......if you can."

"We'll be there slut boy, just make sure you are."

"Oh I wouldn't miss this for the world Septre, two hours and don't be late, there's a good man."

The irony was of course lost on the Melecasian but Cameron getting the last word in before switching off the vidcom was a part of his plan.

"So what are you going to do Besat?"

"I'm going to try to get him as angry as I can Jopty and hope he makes a mistake before he has a chance to do to much damage to us."

"But all of them will be there, that's going to be a lot of power if they all join in together."

"I don't know Jopty, I have a funny feeling that he isn't the real power and that he feeds off the others, at least thats what I'm hoping will happen. If he isn't the real source of the power then we may have a chance, if I'm wrong then it was good to know you."

"When do we leave for the Center Besat?"

"Ten minutes Jopty."

"Why so early Besat?"

"I have things to do before they get there."

"Very good Besat, I'll make arrangements for transport."

General Jopty left the room and Cameron turned to his lover, opening his arms for what he hoped was not the last time to hold his Matteus.

"Are you ok my love?"

"Yes my love, it's how it should be, if you must lose to them then I want to be by your side."

"I don't want you doing anything when they arrive, stay behind me and don't get involved. let me do the fighting."

"Just don't leave me my love, these last few years have been the best in my life, I couldn't go on without you here."

"I hope you'll forgive me my love but this is one of those times when we stand or fall together."

"There's nothing to forgive Cammy, this is how it should be."

Cameron noted the use of Matteus's pet name for him and knew that this was for everything they both believed in.

"Come on my love, one last hug and then we go."

The two boys held each other tightly in what they hoped deep inside themselves was not the last hug they had together.

Twenty minutes later the three friends were standing under the shadow of the Australian monolyth, Cameron surveyed the surrounding desert with a critical eye as he tried to get a picture in his mind of where he should be standing when the Melecasians finally arrived in an hour and a half.

Cameron spied a cave close to the outer edge of the massive rock and directed Jopty and Matteus to wait in there and after further instructions to Jopty was soon standing alone in the shadows. Time passed slowly as he awaited his final destiny and that of the people of his adopted planet.

Cameron knew deep inside himself that he had no idea on how to win the up coming battle except for the brief discomfort of Septre Braun when his abilities were attacked by Cameron, it wasn't much to fight a war on but at this stage it was all Cameron had at his disposal.

At last Cameron spotted the Melecasian craft coming over the far off horizon toward where he stood in dark shadow waiting. The craft landed out in the strong sunlight thereby keeping Camerons body hidden by the overhanging cliff. The Melecasians stepped from their craft and after looking around one of the men turned back to the craft and called out to the last one inside to come out.

Septre Braun looked as big in real life as he appeared to be on the vidscreen but Cameron detected some nervousness about him as he lookled around the landing sight.

"Where are you Preadian, don't tell me you have decided to run after all?"

Without moving Cameron spoke up knowing that he would be hard to see against the glare of the sun and the darkness of the shadow.

"I'm here Melecasian."

"Ah the commander without a command has decided to die after all."

"Not yet Melecasian, and not by your hand either."

"Ahh young Besat Kahmrune, so you still think you can beat me, that's good I like a good fight."

"I see you brought your minions with you?"

"Just to witness your end, they all lost family when your father attacked us."

"You mean when he defended the rest of the galaxy against your kind, don't you Septre?"

"What ever, young Besat."

"Why did you pick this world to do your dirty work on Melecasian?"

"Ahh, my little Besat, it was because of their attitudes toward each other. If they only knew the power they would have if they stopped their petty little wars with each other we would never have got a start here. Look at their history, they take their childish religions to a state of fanatacism, then they fill their lives with corrupt poloticians and beaurocracy until the whole population is subjugated with unruly laws. It was easy for us to move in and slowly take over the reins from their ineptitude."

"So what do you plan to do with them if you win today Melecasian?"

"It's already decided, Preadian, these fools had everything at their finger tips when the Haedrus craft crashed at Roswell, if they had used the fluids from the live speciman they would have had all the cures they needed for any disease, instead they take their samples from the dead ones and with the military tendences to secrecy they instead infected the globe with the worst killer virus that they could have. It was the same in the middle ages, if their religious factions had been in unity they would never have had the plague that killed millions of their kind but the powers that be decided to keep the secret to themselves for their own gains and the gains to the church. They are all fools my young Besat, they deserve nothing better than what I have in store for them."

"And what would that be Septre?"

"Why my young Besat I'm going to divide up the planet with a few other races from our galaxy. the fools and their secrets don't realise that all the UFO sightings were for real and they were coming here to make the arrangements for their landings. The crash of the Norbians craft in the old Siberia could have put an end to it all but all their energies were put into hiding from each other the real truths of what they had, so they missed again another opotunity. The Haedrus will take over the mountainous regions so they can keep their body temprature at an even state. We have let the Norbians take the sea's for their use and the Braxans will have the desert areas, they are looking forward to breeding the humans for their tables. If the humans only knew that their penchant for overweight bodies was just what the Braxans like, they would soon keep themselves in check."

"I see, and you Melecasian, what do you get after you have brought all the scum of the galaxy here?"

"Me Preadian, why I get to rule over the lot of them, with our newly developed powers there are none that can go against us, you included, so now young Besat take your last look at life."

Cameron watched the Melecasians as they came closer together until they were shoulder to shoulder and only Septre Braun stood alone at the center of the semi circle of the last of their race. Cameron pushed out his Bio shield to it's fullest extent but as the first blast of raw power hit him he felt the the excrutiating pain in his knee joints as though they had been hacked with some blunt cutting tool. Cameron collapsed onto the red sand as the agony hit him. His shield seemed to have no effect on stopping the power of the Melecasian from torturing him as he pleased.

With tear stained eyes Cameron looked up into the smiling face above him and with almost total resignation realised that he was beaten even before he could strike in any way.

"You see Preadian, we have developed our inner power far beyond anything your father had to fight, I'm going to make you suffer for his war on us my young Besat."

With those words Cameron felt the pain as his arm joints were wracked with the same seering agony, it was as though his arm sockets were being twisted and torn out by their roots. Camerons screams echoed over the barren desert as the Melecasian stood above him with an enigmatic smile on his face.

Mind numbing blasts assailed his brain as the Melecasian worked on his joints one by one, his groin felt as though it was compressed in a five ton press and slowly crushed, not a mark showed on his body as the attack continued to wreck havoc on his mind. Somewhere in the haze of fog Cameron saw a bright sharp blast of Jopty's weapon or was it only his imagination, no, there it was again. Septres voice came through the pounding in his head.

"So the little sodomite General joins the battle."

Cameron felt the pressure ease on his body as Septre turned toward Jopty, from somewhere deep inside himself Cameron found his voice.

"Jopty, NO, protect Matteus, leave this to me."

But it was to late, Septre Braun let loose a visible blast of raw power and Jopty crumpled to the ground, his weapon slipping from his numbed hands. From the mouth of the cave came a cry followed by a small golden figure that seemed to fly over the desert sand without touching the ground and with a mid air twist that a gymnist would be proud of Matteus scooped up the fallen weapon and began to fire at the group of Melecasians.

"MATTEUS.....NOOOOOOOOO."

It was to late, Cameron saw the blast going toward the small figure of his lover and then the strike and scream as it hit Matteus on the temple and only the last words could be heard ringing around the barren landscape.

"Cammy....I LOVE YOU................."

A darkness began to descend over Camerons mind as he watched his last friends fall to the power of the Melecasian. In a last gut wrenching effort he turned toward the Melecasians, nine of their number lay dead on the sand from the attack of Jopty and Matteus, Septre Braun was now not looking so confident and Cameron then knew where the power came from. Septre did not have the power, it was the others that had the power and Septre was only the conductor of it and the focus for its use.

Cameron felt a warmth overtake him as the blackness came down to dull the pain. From the depths of his inner soul he felt the formation of a spark of intense mauve light begin to form.

'Now is the time my son, use your loss to fuel your revenge, let the light of Preadia be your beacon.'

'Father......how?'

'Ignore the focus and strike for the power source, use your mind my Son, use the power of Preadia.'

The intense light became brighter as Cameron let his rage build until the efforts of Septre meant nothing. Anyone observing the build up of Camerons awesome power would have seen only the diminutive figure of a teenager surrounded by a shimmering mauve light as his body took on the look of a glowing statue.

For Septre Braun it was a moment of terror as he recognised the light that had been used by Camerons father to destroy his own world and force his few remaining men to escape to this world. The hesitation was all Cameron needed as he let go of the power that had built within him and began to decimate the remaining fifteen Melecasians until only Septre stood before him.

The shimmering curtain still surrounded Cameron as he pulled himself to his feet to stand to his full height before the last of the enemies of this planet.

"It's your time Melecasian, you took from me the one person I loved and now I'm taking from you the one thing you desire above everything."

With those words Cameron let an aura of power form in his mind and then sent it toward the Melecasian. Septre Braun sank to his knees before the teen Besat, his legs no longer able to hold him upright.

"I'm going to let you live Septre, but as a cripple and with little more mental ability than an insect so that you can think back to this time and remember what you were, with your long life span I'm sure you'll have plenty of time to suffer. You don't deserve a quick end Melecasain, for what you did to my friends and to this world you deserve to live it over and over again."

Cameron turned away from the figure now trying to crawl back to his craft by pulling himself with his hands over the red sand. Going to where his beloved Matteus lay Cameron saw the livid red crease across his forhead, the blood was still seeping out of the wound and as he knelt to lay his hand on his lover a soft moan escaped the tightly closed lips.

"Matteus....Matteus.. hold on baby, I'm going to get you to stasis."

Cameron lifted the boy in his arms and ran toward his flyer and with a final burst of speed lay Matteus in the seat and then returned to find Jopty in the same condition but he was further gone than Matteus and needed immediate attention. Cameron lifted his friend in his arms and placed him inside the flyer with Matteus and without a backward glance at the struggling Melecasain took the flyer off the ground and turned toward the Island to save those most dear to him.

Matteus slowly opened his eyes and looked up into the caring eyes of his Cammy.

"I love you my Besat"

"I love you my little song bird."

"Cammy, your hair, what happened?"

Cameron turned toward the mirror on the wall, his hair now had a stark white streak running down the centre like a slash of lightening.

"I think it was from the power my father gave me to beat the Melecasians."

"I like it my Besat, makes you look so sexy."

Matteus stirred on the bed and looked down to where his body was telling him the same thing.

"Hmmm....Cammy...you think we can....well...can we?"

Cameron looked down at Matteus now hard and rigidly asking for his love to be buried deeply inside him. Cameron needed no second request, the near loss of his Matteus had without his knowledge made him want him even more than before and so with more tenderness than he had ever felt he lowered himself down on the bed beside his lover and with gentle hands began the process of final healing by carefully caressing the golden boy beside him and then with his mouth opening he lowered his head until their lips met to again confirm their love for one another in gentle passion.

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