Chapter 125: Adonis

"As many of you know, I am Adonis Venal, Leader of the Guard," The green-eyed alien said, sitting heavily in his own chair at the head of the table. "And I have failed in my job."

Of all the things I had been expecting the leader of the entire Guard to say, an admittance of the most blatant truth there was sort of wasn't exactly what I was expecting, because he was right on so many levels. 

Not only was he right about this situation being his fault on the basis that he definitely should have seen it coming, no matter how well defended the natural protections around Prespian City were there always should have been some kind of orbital blockade to stop ships from getting anywhere close, but it was also his fault because it was his daughter that had perpetrated the crimes. 

"When Lara was growing up her mother passed away in the midst of a Null Space invasion. She was a fantastic warrior, every bit as strong as my daughter has turned out to be, and fought tooth and nail against the aggressors. 

"For every invader that she cut down, five more spilled through the inter-dimensional gateway that the invaders were using to take its place. In the end, she had one of two choices, run or fall fighting. She chose that latter. 

"My daughter and I had never been especially close. I loved her, of course, I did, but I had no idea how to raise a child. She went on to grow in power and distance from me alike, and in time she asked to be deployed to the front, just like her mother had been." 

The leader was silent for a moment, though no one else offered any opinions. It was clear that the man needed a moment to gather his thoughts. Revisiting memories of a wife long dead must have been hard for the man, especially considering how it led to his daughter going so very far off the rails. 

If you were to trace everything back to the moment these events began, it was the moment Adonis decided to hold his daughter away from him at arm's length. 

"I denied her the opportunity to prove herself, and instead, assigned her to a simple position on Prespian city," The leader continued. "I could not bear to lose my daughter as I had my wife, and so I decided to hide her away on the planet that was naturally one of the safest with a role that would keep her even out of the most basic of patrols. I thought that this would keep her safe. 

"However, in denying her the chance to prove herself, to follow in the footsteps of the mother that she had loved so dearly, I alienated her and set her on a path of death and destruction and now… she may not be dead, but it would seem that truly she is lost to me, and perhaps the galaxy at large." 

Silence settled over the conference room as the leader's speech came to a close. There were many things I had expected from the man, having never met him before. I was expecting someone of gravitas, of overwhelming power. But this man before me seemed fragile and broken. 

A man of regret. 

"Do you have a plan to deal with the unfolding situation, Leader Venal?" Akash asked. Trust him to be the one to get the conversation moving again. 

Adonis Venal, leader of the Guard, took another deep breath, seemingly filling himself with strength. 

"I shall deal with my wayward child myself," He said, rising from his chair. "The evacuation process is in its final stage, when that is complete I shall teleport down to the planet alone and… make right the mistakes of my past." 

The silence weighed even heavier this time, blanketing us all oppressively. It was clear with the cold fire in his eyes that he intended to kill Lara. Kill his own daughter. Did he even have the strength to do such a thing?

<You're talking about the leader of the Guard here buddy. Lara may be one of the strongest beings in this universe, but so is he. If there was anyone that stood a chance against her… it'd be him,> BB said, and considering he hadn't been wrong regarding power levels so far I figured he was probably right. 

Power levels aside, could a father really kill his own daughter? It wasn't just a matter of physical or magical strength, it was a matter of mental fortitude as well. Could he actually go through with such a thing? That icy fire told me he just might. 

"Nevertheless, none of that is why I have gathered you here today. In my likely absence my previous authority will be distributed throughout the ranks of the Squadron Leaders, with the Guard devolving to more unique territories controlled by singular heads, all routed through a central control matrix. 

"Most of this has been set up already, save for one last key ingredient," he said, levelling his gaze directly onto me. "Jacob Lyre, the only human to ever join the Guard. I had my reservations about you, but the way you have fought to protect Prespian City speaks both to your level of power and to your loyalty. You shall become the last Squadron Leader, and those in this room shall become your squadron." 

My mind seemed to short out for a second. His words hadn't made sense at all. He wanted me to what? With the people in here? 

"I'm sorry… Sir… You want me to do what?" I asked, baffled at the turn of events. 

"I would like you to lead your own force, occupy your own territory, and keep them safe from invaders of any kind," Adonis said. "If there is anything that I have learned over the past week it is that we cannot judge based on species or appearance. You are a great warrior, and you will do well leading your own Squadron." 

Well, that was unexpected.