Ghosts Of The Obsidian Flame

Chapter 27 – Ghosts of the Obsidian Flame

The ship that loomed before us wasn't just any vessel—it was The Obsidian Flame, my old command ship. My breath hitched the moment I recognized the jagged hull and the twin red insignias burned into its side like old scars. I hadn't seen it in over three years, but the memories came flooding back instantly—memories I'd fought to bury in the silence of deep space.

"She's hailing us," Mira said quietly. Her hands hovered over the controls, waiting for my lead.

I shook my head slowly. "Don't answer."

"But—"

"They won't talk. Not until they're ready." My voice sounded hollow, distant. "And when they do, it won't be words. It'll be weapons."

I knew the man behind that ship. Commander Voss. Cold as a dying star and just as unforgiving. I'd served under him during the final siege of Helion Prime. He had trained me, molded me, and then tried to break me when I turned my back on their mission.

Now he was here—just a few hundred kilometers away.

"They've locked onto us," Mira said, voice rising. "We're being pulled in by a tractor field."

I stared out at the looming mass, the way the ship cast its shadow across the stars. I'd been the executioner aboard that vessel. The thought twisted something inside my chest.

Mira looked at me, searching my face. "Kael, we have to do something."

I nodded once. "I'm going aboard."

"What? No."

"I need to know why they're here. What they want. And if they came all this way, it's not just for me." I stood up and strapped on my old utility belt, the one with the plasma blades I swore I'd never use again.

"You're walking into a trap," Mira said.

"Probably."

"Then let me come with you."

I looked at her, saw the fire in her eyes—the same one that had kept me sane for the past few months. "No. If this goes bad, I need someone out here who can get that data to the resistance. You have the codes. You know where to go."

Her lips parted, but she didn't argue. Just nodded once, stiffly.

As I stepped into the airlock, I felt like I was walking into the past—into a nightmare I thought I'd left behind in the void. The docking clamps hissed, and the pressure equalized with a metallic groan. The door slid open.

A figure stood at the far end of the corridor.

"Kael Riven," Voss said. His voice was exactly as I remembered—deep, dry, and devoid of anything resembling warmth.

"Commander," I replied coolly.

"You've aged."

"You haven't changed."

We walked in silence through the steel halls. I noticed the familiar red lights pulsing above, the same ones that once guided me through missions that cost thousands of lives. I felt every footstep like a ghost retracing its death.

"Why are you here?" I asked.

Voss led me into the old command center. It looked nearly untouched. Even the control panels still bore the burn marks from our last battle.

"You left a void, Kael. One we couldn't fill."

"I left because we were wrong."

He turned sharply. "You don't get to call it wrong. You only ever saw one piece of the puzzle."

"Is that what you tell yourself at night?" I stepped closer. "That we weren't monsters?"

"We're not monsters," he said, too calmly. "We're architects of peace. You ran before the design was finished."

That word—peace—sounded like poison in his mouth.

"Then why am I here?" I asked. "Why pull me in now?"

Voss stared at me for a moment before turning to a screen. He tapped a few keys, and a projection came up. A planet—small, icy, and isolated. The name blinked across the top: Velmara-9.

"We've found something," he said. "Something the old empire buried long ago. And we need your neural imprint to access it."

I frowned. "Why would they lock it with my imprint?"

"Because it was your project, Kael. You designed the system. You just don't remember."

I stepped back. My stomach turned.

"I don't believe you."

"Then stay long enough, and the truth will catch up to you."

Before I could speak, an explosion rocked the ship.

Mira.

I reached for my comm. "Mira, status!"

Static.

I ran.

Down the corridor, past stunned soldiers and flaming conduits. The docking bay was chaos—Mira's voice finally came through, crackled and distorted.

"Kael—I couldn't wait. They were trying to lock out the systems. I had to hit the engines. Get out now!"

"I'm coming back!" I yelled.

"You better," she said, before the line went dead again.

I leapt into the bay, slammed the controls on the launch pad, and jumped aboard our ship just as Mira took it out of the tractor field's range. We sped away, fire trailing behind us.

I collapsed into the co-pilot seat. Mira looked at me, bruised but alive.

"Still think I should've stayed behind?" she said, grinning.

I stared at her, heartbeat racing, the image of Velmara-9 burned into my mind.

"No," I said softly. "I think I would've died without you."