As I walked past the defensive walls, I was expressing a look of depression that instantly told anyone that looked at me that I had failed in my desperate attempt to save Nova that had caused me to run into the enemy stronghold all by myself while I was in a blind rage.
The camp was full of terrans that were moving boxes of supplies around the camp as if they were ready to leave this world and act as if nothing had happened. To my left, I saw a tent that was massive and made from a dark blue fabric.
I made my way to the tent that was on my left, where I was able to hear Trent arguing with the female leader of Nova's former team.
"We need to hurry and save Danny and Nova as quickly as we can. As members of the Healer Caste, they are both worth at least fifty warriors a piece easily" I heard Trent state in a tone that told that he would have done everything that was within his power to save me if he could.
"I do understand what you mean, but I have been given the orders to begin preparing my strike force to return to the research world where the special item was meant to go as soon as we acquire it at all costs". I heard her say in response to what Trent said.
While I was very moved by how far Trent was clearly willing to go for me the thought of how little that the leader of Nova's team was willing to do for the love of my life filled me with rage. I rushed inside of the tent, not caring about regulation as I rushed in.
I grabbed the female leader of Nova's team and threw her across the tent. The throw tossed her into a light fixture that was only three behind her.
"How dare you think that my wife is worth saving over just rushing to the planet where this black mineral was to be studied. Are you so heartless that you believe that the life of my wife is not worth the lives of a few maggots of The Warrior Caste. They only exist to serve as the foot soldiers of the higher-ranking castes." I said as I stood over her body and pointed at the warriors that were inside the tent in while I was still in blind rage.
The warriors around me did not move as I was exclaiming my opinion which came as a surprise to me, but at this moment I was filled with such rage I felt as though I could take down an entire Dimetra pack by myself.
"Danny, calm down. I know that you are upset, but this is not the time to do anything that you might do in the next few moments." Trent said as I noticed that he was putting my left arm into a lock that would make it almost impossible for me to move that arm. Then, on my other arm, I saw William place it into the same lock.
"Trent, you need to be able to control your subordinates more intensely. That is why I have inserted a small explosive canister of Z-9 into the back of the necks of all their necks. I control them with fear. If you were to do that, your healer would act like a filthy member of the Demetra race." The female leader of Nova's team said as she rose up and backhanded me.
"I may want to follow the rules of The Terran Collective, but that does not mean that I will be such a dictator of all the actions that they take. I prefer to allow them to maintain their free will." Trent said in response to her statement as he let go of my arm.
As he let go, so did William. When I was free to move again, I rose to my feet and bowed to Trent out of respect since I was no longer guided by blind rage and reason had returned to me once again.
"Well, since you have returned, what is the current state of my healer?" she asked me in a tone of someone that did not care what I was going to tell her; as if the woman had already made up her mind about the state of Nova.
I began to cry as I spoke. "Nova is dead. She was turned into an undead vampire. The leader of the mercenary group killed her for me because she had me in a trance, and I was unable to put her out of her misery."
"Good, if she is dead, then I can leave this world and continue my mission. The mission takes priority over any induvial." She said as she started to pack up some of the things that were inside the tent.
"That person that you were talking about was my wife. Was it not?" I asked her as I put my right hand into a fist, trying not to give into the rage that was now enveloping me as she spoke.
"Yes, it was." She said as she looked at me. "She may be someone of great importance to you, but she will be remembered as a female Terran healer who had fallen under the influence of a vampire.
Because of her being turned into a vampire, the man who married her and the people in both of their bloodlines will be removed from the records. Their lives will never be the same anymore because they will live as members of the casteless and treated like the plague that they now are to The Terran Collective." She said as she laughed at me. "If you do not believe me, ask Trent about Article 37.2 of The Terran Unity Treaty of 185 A.P."
As she walked out of the tent, I turned to Trent before anything, knowing that I would want to be told all the details of Article 37.2.
"Why don't we make our back into our ship so that I can tell all of you about Article 37.2 and what this will mean for the future of our team." Trent, as he started to leave the tent, and I followed behind him, wondering what was in store for me now that my loved one was no longer alive.
When I entered the ship, I saw that Saul was repairing the main terminal where the navigation computer was located, which kept blinking on and off as he was working from underneath the terminal.
"Sid I am sure that whatever that you are doing is of great importance to the completion of our mission so I will not be requesting that you join us in this conversation, but please make sure that you are at least listening to what I am going to tell everyone since this will also affect you." Trent said as he sat down in one of the chairs around the central table on the ship.
I set down and waited for his response to the fact that this article was going to take effect, and as a result I would possibly be losing everything that I had tried to build over the last four years.
As soon as I sat down, I saw that raven and William set down beside me in anticipation of what Trent was going to say.
"This meeting is to discuss what will happen to Danny because he has a wife that is turned into an undead vampire. This will affect us as a group since this will only be bad for us as a strike force.
Now, because of the fact that Danny's wife was turned into a turned vampire article, 37.2 of The Terran Unity Treaty states that all of those related to the turned one will become a member of the casteless
The reason that this article was made was because of all the vampires that were making their way in the major Terran worlds. When this article became active the it was enforced that as a method of controlling the humans that became turned, they and all their loved one's family members became casteless just in case they were infected as well." Trent said to everyone on the ship.
"Wait, are you telling me that my life as a healer under the house of Lupus is now over. This is just great! I lose both the love of my life and the life that I was building for us in the same moment.
"Yes, unfortunately, you are to become a member of the casteless. I will need both of your weapons and your armor as well." Trent said as he stood up.
I gave him all the things that he had requested of me, and as I did, William stood up and began to speak.
"Well, if Danny is going to be leaving our group, I have a feeling that I will have to follow in his fate and become a casteless."
"William, do you understand what that means? If you choose to join him in this new journey, then you will lose all rank and power that you have built over the last few years." Trent said as I heard a ship that was flying outside of the ship above us.
I walked outside of the ship. I saw a ship that I could clearly tell that it was not of Terran design.
Then, out of the ship, I saw the same female Vordonian that I had saved her from her planet's destruction.
"I have come here to offer Danny an opportunity to join us in the celebration of the peace that has been finalized between our two races." She said as she walked down the ramp of her vessel.
"Well, he is no longer a member of The Terran Collective, and all his accomplishments will be rewritten and I as the specialist of his team will receive all of the things that he accomplished as my own achievements as is stated in article 37.5 of The Terran Unity Treaty of 185 A.P."
"Are you telling me that the one Terran that was able to achieve the impossible in the three hundred years that our races have been at war will have his achievements be recognized by his own people?" she asked out of surprise at what she had just heard, leaving Trent's lips.
"I can not allow any of our laws to be broken without enforcing the correct method of punishment." Trent said as she approached him.
"Why exactly is he being punished?" I heard he ask in a tone that made it clear to me that she was confused.
Then Trent explained everything that had happened to me in this world so that she would be able to understand.
"Well then, if you are going to enforce this law, then I will take both Danny and Willaim to the new Vordonian planet that Danny has had influenced the settling of it. on this world I will offer them a new life on this world. "
"If this is what you wish to do, I will not get into it. To us, they are both dead anyway." Trent said as he started to walk towards his ship since William and I were no longer wearing our gear.
"Then let us go to the world of New Vordon where your race will not be able to control the lives that you live." She said as she made her way to the vessel that she had arrived onto the world in.
Wiliam and I followed her to the ship since we both knew that both of our lives as members of The Terran Collective are over.
The ship very quickly left the planet and went into hyperspace.
"Why did you leave the group to join me in this new way of life?" I asked him as I set down in one of the chairs of the ship.
"If you must know the respect that I have for you has grown since your battle on the Vordonian side of The Three-Way Divide. Also, whenever we were in the ruins of The Ancient Osdronian Dynasty, the ai told that I would hold your fate in my hands one day. I believe that this was that moment that it spoke of."