Chapter 106 : Piece of memory

Maskmana stood silently, watching the stars as he anxiously waited for news. His mind reminisces moments when he first met her. Kaizo walked closer and stood beside him without a word. The deep-space engulfed their silence. 

"You probably have questions right now," said Maskmana calmly. 

"Reinforcement from all stations assembled, just for her," said Kaizo.

"...right," said Maskmana. 

"Why?"

Maskmana went silent. 

"Fleets from many stations are going to war because of her. Including us," said Kaizo. "Now seems like a good time to give me an answer."

Maskmana took a deep breath. "She's an asset. A powerful one," he began. 

"I first found her at TrES-2b after receiving an SOS call from Mars. Back then, the monsters at TrES-2b were going loose. Those monsters that have wings carry those that have no wings and fly outside their planet into another planet," said Maskmana. 

"You mean, those monsters can fly from planet to planet without protection or spaceship?" Kaizo asked. 

"Yes," Maskmana replied. "At that time, Mars was raided by those monsters. But by the time I landed on Mars, the fight was already over. When I asked, they said a traveler has fended off those monsters."

"Axion…."

"Correct. They told me a traveler had stayed on their planet for a while. She was well perceived by the people. This traveler helped fight the monsters. And when the fight subsided, the traveler went missing," Maskmana continued. "The Martians asked me to find her. So I went to look for her."

He took a breath before continuing.

"I followed trails to TrES-2b. From the outside, that planet looked so dark and menacing. Even I shiver when I look at it. But my curiosity beats me. I piloted my ship and landed on that planet. Monsters were everywhere. They growl and roar but they never touch me. They kept their distance," said Maskmana. "After a little bit of exploring, I found a castle. And it is in that castle I first met Axion."

Kaizo looked closely at Maskmana. Maskmana keeps looking through the window. He never turned his face to Kaizo. 

"That's when I learned that she had put a seal around TrES-2b."

"A seal?"

Maskmana nodded. "Axion is a curse master. She forged a crown that binds the creatures of TrES-2b. All monsters of TrES-2b would obey her. But the curse drains her power from time to time. Worse, it can corrupt the mind. As if enslaving the monsters isn't enough, she put a barrier around the planet. Make sure she keeps in check on who comes in and who comes out," said Maskmana. 

"Axion's power is needed to stop the monsters from raiding other planets. That's why we keep watch on her."  

"People like Valerius don't understand that Axion's existence keeps the balance. All they know is that Axion and her monsters are evil and they must be eradicated. Little do they know that evil in itself exists to balance the good," said Maskmana. 

Kaizo went silent. 

Suddenly, Maskmana's communicator beeped. He put his left hand near his left ear and pressed a button. 

"Yes?"

"We got a message from Mars," said Rum.

"I'll be there," said Maskmana. He turned to Kaizo. "Mars sent a message."

"Axion?"

"Not sure. Could be the Terrans."

Kaizo nodded. 

They rushed to the command center.

"Did they find Axion?" Maskmana asked. 

"No. It's the Terrans. They are fighting right now and the Terrans have sent reinforcement," said Rum. 

"What?!" said Maskmana. He hurriedly takes a seat and looks at the screen. 

-------------------------------------------------

-Somewhere in the Milky Way Galaxy-

"I fixed everything I could fix. The ship would hold for a while," said Zivon. "We can barely reach the Dark Planet. Not sure how to get home."

"I sent a message to the other angels. They will come for us," said Verchiel. 

Valerius nodded. 

"So, what do we do once we get there?" Zivon asked. 

"We'll find her and we will do our mission," said Valerius.

"Easier said than done. I heard that the planet is very dark," said Zivon. 

"Our holy sword should be enough to provide light," Verchiel replied. "And hopefully our holy power can protect us from drowning in the darkness."

"That planet is not small. How are we supposed to find her in such a vast area? With all that darkness, it would be hard to even follow her magic," said Zivon. 

"Then I pray that the Gods will be merciful and show us the way," said Valerius. 

Suddenly, Verchiel jolted from his seat. 

"What?" Valerius asked. 

They all looked at the front and saw a fleet of Martians blocking their way. Tense filled the Terrans.

A call appears on the ship's interface. Verchiel picked up the call. 

"Terrans. By the order of the Martian Corps, we ask you to come with us to our station. You are under arrest," said a general of Mars. 

"Under what charges?" Verchiel asked.

"Resisting arrest and property damage on Astraeus station. Surrender now and we will escort you safely to our station," said the General. 

The Terrans froze. 

"So Admiral Maskmana can pull out such a plan. I should have known it the moment I knew he's involved with her," said Verchiel. 

"This ship can't take any more damage. More than this, we won't be able to go to the Dark planet with this ship," said Zivon. "With those numbers, it would be hard to escape without a scratch." 

"Surrender now, and we will not harm you," said the General. 

Just as the Martian is about to push, a fleet of Terrans appears. 

"Verchiel," said a voice from another screen. 

"Adnachiel! You made it!" Verchiel exclaimed. 

"Looks like we came just in time," said Adnachiel. 

"It can't be more perfect than this," Verchiel replied. 

"We'll hold them back. You can carry on your journey."

"Thank you."

"Don't worry about it."

"They may be stopping us from chasing her but they're not bad people. Please have mercy," said Valerius. 

"Yes, I shall," said Adnachiel. 

"Terrans…" said the General of Mars.

"I'm sorry, General. But we will decline your invitation," said Valerius, cutting off the general. 

"You are making a mistake. The intergalactic alliance will see you as a criminal," said the General of Mars. 

"I'm sorry, General. But we need to do this. I hope you'll understand," said Valerius. 

Before the General can say another word, they cut the transmission. 

Verchiel pilots the ship and moves away towards the dark planet. 

The Martians begin to open fire. But the fleet from Terra shoots them back. The battle is unavoidable. With the help of Adnachiel and the other angels from Terra, Valerius' ship managed to escape.