The Beginning of the End (Universe in Flames Book 4) by Christian Kallias Page A

him.
    “Hello, Adonis, please take a seat.”
    “Thank you, Ally.”
    “So, I’ve read your report. I must say I did not see that coming. So now on top of Argos and his Zarlack army, we can expect the Furies to come knocking on our doorstep. This is a nightmare.”
    Saroudis stayed silent, not sure how to answer, not even sure there was anything he could say under the circumstances.
    “And this is thanks to your protégé Chase. He outdid himself this time.”
    “With all due respect, I don’t think that’s fair.”
    “Fair? That’s what we get from trusting a Fury I guess.”
    “I’m not sure I like where this conversation is heading, Admiral.”
    “So you don’t think he was in on it all along?”
    “In on it? Of course not! Chase is an Earth Alliance officer. He fights on our side. There was no way he could have anticipated what has unfolded. Argos manipulated him from the very start.”
    “You don’t have to protect him, Adonis. Not anymore. I think it’s time we discuss his upcoming court martial and discuss imprisonment and perhaps even execution . . .”
    “You can’t be serious? He saved the Destiny battle group and Earth, twice over.”
    “How long are you gonna use this excuse to justify this insubordinate, hothead excuse for an officer.”
    Saroudis’ blood boiled. “I don’t believe what I’m hearing. The lieutenant commander is the only reason we’re still breathing; we owe him our lives.”
    “I disagree. We would have prevailed with or without him. In fact, I now suspect he could very well be in league with his brother and might have manipulated you from the start. Think about it, Commodore. He was at the right place at the right time at every turn. He gained our trust, but who is to say this wasn’t orchestrated from the start?”
    “Admiral, Chase has served under my command for years. I know the man.”
    “Then perhaps Argos brainwashed him to do his bidding. He did that with Commander Kepler, after all. Perhaps he took control of the Lieutenant Commander as well at one point.”
    “I’m sorry, this is ludicrous. Chase was put in the most horrible position. We asked him to kill the love of his life to win the war, and he did it.”
    “She was a clone. Perhaps he knew that.”
    Saroudis felt a brooding headache building up.
    “No, this is nuts. What the hell is this with you, and this personal vendetta you seem to have against the lieutenant commander? What did he ever do to you? You know what? Don’t answer that. But I want you to listen to me closely now. I’ve noticed a strange shift in your attitude lately and I’m really worried about you. I don’t recognize the woman I have admired all these years. But you need to understand one thing. Yes, the Furies are back, and soon they’ll become the most daunting enemy we have ever faced. To have a shadow of a chance of survival, we’ll need Lieutenant Commander Athanatos on our side.”
    The admiral tapped her fingers on her wooden desk.
    “I see. So am I supposed to just let all of this go.”
    “All of what, Admiral?”
    “The lieutenant commander assaulted some of my officers and put them out of commission, then he stole one of our ships, which he since lost. To make things worse, many of our officers followed him, stealing quadrinium from your ship in a clear act of mutiny. Then they helped him help Argos obtain a stone required to power a machine that actually freed the Furies from another dimension where the Olympians had locked them up during the last war. To top it all , an Olympian was voluntary sacrificed to make the machine work. Did I miss anything?”
    Saroudis knew that from the outside it did look very bad.
    “No you didn’t. Aphroditis isn’t sacrificed per se. She’s just locked in the machine at the moment.”
    She shot him a seriously grave look.
    “Alright, Admiral, I agree this sounds bad, but it’s done now. I need my officers to prepare to repel the enemy when the time comes.”
    “And