Chapter 20: Betrayal in the Stars
The quiet of Kaelen's hideout in the remote sector of the galaxy had always been a source of comfort. It was far from the prying eyes of the factions, far from the dangers of the ever-encroaching war that consumed the cosmos. The station—hidden among asteroid fields and nebulae—was an imperfect refuge. But for Kaelen, it had been enough. It had been a place where he could breathe freely, a place where the weight of the Multiversal Construct seemed distant, even if only for a fleeting moment.
But that peace was a lie. And lies, Kaelen had learned, were as dangerous as any enemy.
"Kaelen," Lena's voice echoed through the dim hallway of the hideout, cutting through the silence like a blade. "You need to see this."
The urgency in her tone was unmistakable, and Kaelen's heart skipped a beat. His thoughts immediately returned to the Construct—the artifact that had cost them so much already, that had drawn them all into a war they never wanted. He stood from his seat in the quiet control room and followed the sound of Lena's voice, his mind racing through all the possibilities.
When he reached the small operations room, the flickering light of the holoscreen revealed Lena's anxious face. She was staring at the display, her eyes locked on the data that streamed across the surface. It was a transmission—a message intercepted from deep within the Astral Hegemony's network. But it wasn't just any message.
It was personal.
"Lena," Kaelen said, his voice tight. "What is this?"
Lena turned to him, her face pale, eyes wide with disbelief. "It's a communication... from Jorin."
Kaelen's stomach twisted. Jorin, the quiet one. The stoic member of their crew who had become a trusted ally, a brother in arms. But now, seeing the encrypted message—seeing the way it was being relayed to the Astral Hegemony—it all came crashing down. His mind raced, trying to make sense of it. There had to be an explanation. There had to be some kind of error.
But no. The transmission was too clean. Too deliberate.
"I don't understand," Kaelen muttered. "This isn't possible. He's one of us."
Lena's voice was barely above a whisper. "Not anymore."
The screen showed Jorin's face, but it wasn't the face of the loyal crew member Kaelen had come to trust. This was a man marked by something darker, a man who now bore the weight of a hidden agenda. Jorin's expression was cold, his eyes betraying nothing but calculation as he spoke into the transmission.
"The Multiversal Construct is in our hands," Jorin's voice echoed from the screen, clear and devoid of emotion. "I've secured the location of the artifact. The Astral Hegemony will be pleased. Tell them I'll be expecting my reward."
Kaelen's heart sank as the words hit him like a physical blow. His pulse quickened, blood rushing in his ears. Betrayal. It was written in Jorin's every word, his every movement. He had sold them out—sold him out—for what? Power? Money? What could possibly drive someone to this?
"No..." Kaelen breathed, taking a step back as if the ground beneath him had been torn away. "He can't—he wouldn't."
Lena turned back to the screen, her expression darkening as she reached out to pause the message. "We need to move, now. The Astral Hegemony won't waste any time. We've got a limited window before they come for us."
Kaelen's eyes were locked on the screen, unable to tear himself away. He could feel his thoughts spiraling, reeling in disbelief. How long had Jorin been planning this? How much of their journey together had been a lie? All the conversations, the trust, the camaraderie—how much of it had been part of a game?
"Get the others," Kaelen said, his voice hoarse. "We need to leave. Now."
But before Lena could respond, a violent shaking rippled through the station, a low, rumbling tremor that sent the walls vibrating with an unnatural force. The lights flickered, casting erratic shadows that danced across the room. Kaelen's breath caught in his throat as he instinctively reached for the blaster at his side.
"They've found us," Lena hissed, her voice filled with dread. "We need to go—now!"
The alarm blared, a harsh, shrill sound that pierced the chaos, signaling the breach in the hideout's defenses. The station was under attack. The Astral Hegemony had arrived. The cold realization settled in Kaelen's chest like a stone.
"I'll grab the others," Lena said, rushing from the room.
Kaelen was already moving, his mind snapping into focus as the adrenaline surged through his veins. He couldn't afford to hesitate. The betrayal had already been set in motion, and now the Hegemony's forces were coming for the Construct—and for them.
The crew scrambled to their stations, moving with a practiced precision. Marek was already in the armory, loading weapons, his face set with grim determination. Zira was at the comms, coordinating the defense, her sharp eyes darting across the console as she spoke in terse commands.
"They've launched assault drones," Zira reported. "We have maybe five minutes before they breach the outer hull."
Kaelen's mind was a whirl of possibilities, none of them good. Jorin had betrayed them—but why? What had he hoped to gain by selling them out to the Astral Hegemony? The questions gnawed at him, but there was no time for answers. The station was under attack, and they were going to be caught in the middle of a brutal chase.
"We need to get to the ship," Kaelen ordered, his voice cold and firm. "Get everyone to the docking bay. We'll fight our way out."
Lena and Marek moved quickly, gathering the crew and making their way to the ship. Kaelen followed closely behind, his mind locked in on the mission ahead. They had no choice now but to run—to escape the Hegemony's forces and figure out how to survive long enough to figure out who their real enemies were.
The air was thick with tension as they reached the docking bay, the sound of their boots echoing on the metallic floors. The ship was ready, engines humming as it stood poised for takeoff. But just as they were about to board, the doors to the bay slammed shut, cutting them off from their only escape route.
A voice crackled over the comms, low and mocking. "Did you really think you could escape, Kaelen?"
Kaelen's heart stopped.
It was Jorin.
He had been playing them all along.
The sound of weapons charging echoed through the comms. The battle was about to begin in earnest.
"Dammit!" Marek snarled, turning to Kaelen. "What the hell do we do now?"
Kaelen's mind raced. They had been outmaneuvered, but they weren't out of options. The only chance they had was to get to the ship's secondary bay and make a run for it. The Astral Hegemony's drones were fast, but they were predictable. And Kaelen had learned how to outsmart his enemies before.
"We split up," Kaelen said, his voice hardening with resolve. "Marek, you and Zira take the lower levels. Lena, you're with me. We'll get to the secondary bay. We can't waste time."
The crew nodded, their faces set with determination. They knew the risks. But this wasn't the first time they'd been cornered. And it wouldn't be the last.
As they made their way through the winding corridors of the station, the sound of pursuing forces grew louder—footsteps pounding, weapons firing, drones buzzing in the distance. The walls around them seemed to close in, but Kaelen's mind remained focused on one thing: survival.
The betrayal cut deep, but there would be time for reckoning later. Right now, they had to get out of here.
The sound of heavy boots echoed behind them, and the chase began.
The price of trust—Kaelen realized now—was often betrayal. And the consequences were going to be far more dangerous than they could ever have imagined.