“Don’t make me laugh”, Taura mused. “Zorban might remember every second of every battle, but nothing of his personal life! Allow me to demonstrate. Zorban, do you remember when your son was born?”
“No, but that was a long time ago.”
“It was only yesterday. Come on you need to go and see the little tyke. You have enough time to stop in before our next assignment”, explained Facha.
“He’ll be sent away soon anyway. What’s the use?”
“Your choice Zorban”
Changing topics, someone piped up “Why do we fight for this dump anyway?”
“This planet has special energy. Supposedly develop psychic powers living here. Mind-reading and seeing the future stuff”, cut in Zorban.
“Anorial’s such a paranoid freak, he’d jump at the chance to read minds.”
“Scary thought! Anorial reading minds.”
A pile of rocks suddenly burst up into the air. Out of the rubble arose a Canasan soldier. “Wish you baboons could read minds! You could have seen the thoughts of my people as you slaughtered them.” He charged at Zorban in rage, hitting him in the back of the dead. Taura fired an energy beam at him from his hand. The Canasan only emitted a white aura.
“What the heck is going on?”, Zorban cut in surprised.
“I have distributed your destructive force into a more tolerable energy. Soon you will all die.”
“We’ll see about that! Goodbye!”
“You have come here seeking psychic powers. Now you will see the future Zorban.”
“He who seeks the power, Anorial, will never have it, but you will witness the horror of demise as we did!”, cackled the Canasan.
“Shut up!” In a fit of rage Zorban launched a powerful energy beam at the Canasan, killing him.
* * *
A small despicable looking creature sat upon a chair, a malicious gleam lived in his eyes. A manifestation of evil named Anorial.
“Pardon me, Lord Anorial. Planet Canasa has been occupied as of last night. The Canasans are eradicated”, said Vioray.
“A band of low-level Tierzans took the job – they’re becoming comparable to our elites.”
“Our best fighters. Am I right?”
“Yes sire.”
“On a full moon, fully transformed, they’re hard to beat.”
“Are you afraid, Vioray?”
“This Zorban who led the assault – if he and his crew teamed up with other greats?”
“Hmmm”, thought Anorial.
* * *
A capsule containing Zorban leant against the wall. Wires hooked up monitored his recovery progress. His crew approached him.
“There’s a slight change in his brain wave patterns.”
“Doesn’t sound good Taura. Better handle next one on our own.”
“Get better soon, old friend.”
They left en route for their next assignment. Zorban heard a baby crying inside his head. A planet was being destroyed… ‘Tierza?’, he thought. ‘No, it couldn’t be, but wait, the baby, my son…sent away…grown up…Taura!’
“Why am I seeing these images? No…!”, he screamed.
“Get him out of there!”
“Just a nightmare. Where’s the crew?”
“You’re team were ordered to go to Planet Mislen, by Lord Anorial himself.”
“Anorial? So we’re finally getting the recognition we deserve. My crew left without me?”
Hastily he tried to catch up with his crew. Again, however, that baby was crying. He remembered what the Canasan had said. ‘His son cried inside a pod; on the cot read ‘Rugald, average strength’ “You’re going away!”
* * *
Under Anorial’s orders, Vioray ambushed Zorban’s crew as they landed on Mislen.
“Anorial’s very impressed with your service record. Yes…too impressed. It seems he wants you dead”, mocked Vioray.
“Nobody’s safe from Anorial, not even you…”
Zorban landed on Planet Mislen after a long, tedious journey. He thought he heard his name being called.
“Zor-baan.”
“Taura.”
He approached a bloodied Taura, the remainder of his crew all dead around him. He learnt from Taura that Anorial had been afraid of what Zorban might have become.
“Anorial will pay!”
As Zorban grieved, an arrogant Vioray approached.
“YOU WERE BEHIND THIS”, bellowed a fiery Zorban.
Vioray fired an energy beam at Zorban. Zorban was swept from his feet and landed a fair distance away.
“Zorban, you should have remembered your place”
* * *
“Launch coordinates FX50. His name is Rugald.”
Unknown to most, Tierzans sent all youngsters to a different planet to train and become warriors that would serve Anorial.
“Stand clear of door 7. Launching sequence initiated.”
* * *
Vioray was sure he had killed Zorban, his surprise could not be contained upon seeing Zorban heading back to Tierza.
“A Tierzan space pod! I don’t believe it. Lord Anorial, let me go kill Zorban.”
“No, Vioray. You’re going nowhere. There’s no need to chase after the bee anymore, I’ve decided to go straight for the hive,” laughed Anorial.
* * *
“Zorban your son just left before you arrived.”
“I wasn’t hallucinating. The other part of the vision must be true as well! He’s going to blow up the whole planet. I must warn the others.” He once again remembered what the Canasan had said. If I’m able to see the future, there might be a way to change it, he thought. He ran down the hallways to find some soldiers. He explained to them that Anorial was out to get them all. They mocked him in disbelief. He had to stop Anorial. “Anorial, come out and fight me. You’ve lived long enough for my taste. We all quit. Find someone else to do your dirty work.” He fired an energy beam, “this is for all the people that we killed in your name.” Suddenly Anorial built up an enormous energy beam on the tip of his finger, releasing a beam headed straight for Zorban, and then Tierza. The beam ripping through him, Zorban had his final vision: his son on a battlefield, a dead Anorial at his side.