by Trevor Gregg
“Oh dear! What do we do now?” Benjam cried out.
“Just do what they say, everyone. Just do what they say,” she commanded.
The ship touched down and moments later a squad of marines, in full exo-suit combat armor, bearing wicked looking assault rifles, stormed the bridge.
“Down! Down! Everybody on the deck, now!” the leader of the squad screamed, brandishing the business end of his rifle.
Alis complied, ears going flat, words of defiance left unsaid on her lips.
3
Evil Yiu
Alis had been held in this tiny room for what felt like hours and was beginning to feel a little claustrophobic. The room was six by six, featureless but for a table and two chairs opposing each other, all bolted down. A small bubble dome on the side wall hid recording devices, she knew. This had to be an interrogation cell.
“Hello?” Alis spoke tentatively. “Anyone there? Could a girl get some water, please?”
She listened and waited, but still nothing. More time bore on, and just when she felt like she was going to start banging on walls and screaming, the door clicked open. A uniformed saurian woman, young age evident by her deep blue skin, stood in the doorway bearing a tablet and a bottle of water.
“Please be seated. I am Commander Yiu and I will be conducting your interview,” the saurian woman said brusquely, motioning to the table.
Alis gratefully accepted the water bottle and took her seat, cracking it open and taking a huge gulp.
“What’s going on here, where are my friends?” she asked the saurian.
Ignoring her, the woman raised her tablet and began to page through images of her companions.
“Yes, an interesting lot, you all are,” Yiu indicated, without a trace of emotion. “In fact, I was just speaking to your friend Kyren.”
“Where is he? Why are we being held like this?” she snarled.
“We’re not here to discuss that, we’re here to discuss you, Alis,” Commander Yiu deflected.
“The charges against you and your companions are theft of Consortium property, illegal use of Consortium weaponry, and interference in a Consortium battle zone. How do you answer?” Commander Yiu growled.
“What!? We saved your asses out there!” she retorted with exasperation.
“Where did you obtain the Ashari?” Yiu asked bluntly, ignoring Alis’ retort.
“Um, we found her. Finders keepers and all that,” she growled, ears going back.
Yiu stood and placed her hands on the table, leaning down toward Alis. “We can do this the easy way, or the hard way, the choice is yours.”
“Oooh, I’m scared. I know how the Consortium works. I’ve got rights!” she retorted defiantly.
Releasing the table and straightening, Yiu replied, “Your rights are currently suspended. You are active combatants, so we can keep you and your friends on ice as long as we like.”
“Active combatant? What war are you fighting? The Millennium War ended hundreds of years ago,” she asked.
“Funny, don’t act like you don’t know what is going on. You’re a Crevak agent. I know it, don’t deny it, dammit. What I want to know is where you got the ship,” Yiu punctuated her demand with a fist slammed on the table.
Alis flinched and realized she could be in real trouble. If the war really had resumed, then they could hold her and her companions indefinitely. They would all be screwed if she couldn’t help them. She hated having to do this, but she knew it was the only way.
“Where I got the ship is irrelevant. You’ll need to speak to my handler, Commander Rochelle, veraxis ID number 85273, if you wish to discuss anything further,” Alis said, clamping her mouth shut.
Yiu looked stunned, like a dog who just had its toy taken away. Snatching her tablet, she darted an angry glance at Alis as she turned and exited the room, slamming the door.
4
Mother?
The marines had streamed in and roughly taken him to the floor. He was bound in flexi-cuffs and then hauled unceremoniously to his feet. He watched as Alis and Elarra both received the same treatment. However, the marines seemed unsure of how to process Benjam, so they brandished their weapons and screamed at him to follow their orders exactly or be terminated.
“Oh dear, yes, I’ll do as you say,” Benjam squeaked, tentacles raised high in the air.
Bags were placed over their heads, and a blindfold tied around Benjam’s face, as they were hustled off the Ashari and into the Starhammer’s bowels. Kyren cursed the bag over his head. Had he been able to see, he could have retraced their route to the Ashari. Instead, he was completely lost and at the mercy of the Consortium. He didn’t despair, but he had to admit he was quite terrified. His interaction with the Consortium this time around was playing out differently than it had when they had been aboard the Guardian.
After many minutes of walking and several elevator rides later, the marines directed them to halt. Kyren could hear doors opening, then he was hustled into another room. The bag was withdrawn from his head and he blinked and squinted as his eyes adjusted to the glaring lights.
A marine removed his cuffs and stepped out, the door slamming with an intimidating clank. He turned and noted the bare, tiny room. The walls were a stark white and there were chairs and a table bolted to the floor. A camera dome on the side wall revealed he was being monitored.
Turning back to the door, he tried the handle but it was locked. Slamming his fist against the door, he cried “Hey, what the hell!? Let me out!”
Mentally shrugging, he sat down and began to wait. Surely someone will be here soon to explain what the hell is going on, he thought. But time wore on and Kyren’s patience began to wane. He began to pound on the door and yell, to no avail. The door did not open, and there was no response from the other side.
Frustrated, he sat down heavily in one of the chairs. With a click the door opened and he jumped up.
“Please, sit down,” a young saurian woman in a sharply pressed uniform said brusquely, motioning to him.
“I am Commander Yiu, of the Consortium Special Intelligence Services. I am here to discuss with you the matter of the Ashari,” she began.
“Okay, what about it?” he responded defensively, noting her uniform was markedly different from the crew and marines.
“First, who are you?” she said impassively.
“My name’s Kyren.”
“Where did you get the Ashari?” was Yiu’s next question.
“Um, where are my friends? I think I should be allowed to see them before I answer any questions,” he replied defiantly.
Yiu reacted with a speed that astounded him. One second he was sitting, the next he was lying flat on his back on the table, Yiu towering over him, her hand on his throat.
“I lost my husband three days ago to a Crevak bomb, you scum. You’ve sold out your race, sold out the Consortium. The best thing you can do, the only thing you can do to save your sorry ass is to cooperate. Don’t, and there’s a special cell for you even smaller than this one, where you’ll be forgotten for as long as the war continues,” she growled at him, her tightening hand mere fractions from cutting off his breathing.
“War?” he gasped.
“Don’t play the fool. I know you’re a Crevak agent, so don’t try to deny it. Start answering my questions, or you’re gone. Understand?” she said as she released her grip on his throat.
He quickly scrambled back into his chair and glowered darkly at her, fighting back his urge to retort.
“Now, again, where did you get the Ashari?”
“We found her,” he replied quickly.
“Where?”
“I don’t remember,” he said, but quickly backpedaled. “I mean, I don’t remember the system name, but I know it was in Crevak territory.”
Yiu began to tap in commands on the tablet she had been holding, quickly returning her attention to him.
“See, now isn’t this better? Cooperation is your only tactic here, Kyren. I’m gl
ad you realize that,” she said in an even tone.
“Now, let’s discuss your companions,” she commanded.
Kyren spent the next few minutes answering her questions, carefully avoiding discussing the Oracle’s abilities and their encounter with Tharox. Her tablet let out a chime and she stood up abruptly.
“We will speak again,” Yiu said, turning and knocking heavily on the door. She was let out and it resealed with a clunk.
Kyren wasn’t sure how long he had been waiting, but it had to have been several hours or more. His patience was wearing thin and he was beginning to feel the first tinges of fear. What if they put him in a cell and forgot about him, like Yiu said?
The door clicked open, breaking him out of his brooding thoughts. He looked up, expecting to see the glowering Yiu, but instead his gaze was met by a blue haired rillian woman, dressed in the same uniform as Yiu.
“Kyren, yes? Come with me,” the rillian said, her cat ears twitching and alert.
“What? Where? And who are you?” he asked, suddenly not so sure he wanted to leave the interrogation room.
“Don’t worry,” she said, stepping back through the door. “You’re free, for now at least. Yiu might have her way in the end, but for now you’re under my protection.”
Kyren followed. Waiting in the hall was Alis, Elarra, and Benjam.
“Kyren,” Alis said, stepping forward and hugging him. He returned the embrace, her body warm against his.
“So what the hell is going on? Who are you,” he said, turning toward the rillian woman.
She chuckled, “Sorry, I guess I really should introduce myself. I’m Commander Geri Rochelle, Consortium Special Intelligence Services.”
Then it hit him, the answer to the nagging feeling of familiarity he had when he looked at her. He looked from one to the other, the relation obvious now. This was Alis’ mother.
5
Geri
“Hi, nice to meet you, Alis’ mom,” Kyren said grinning and extending his hand.
She shook it firmly and returned the smile. Then her face darkened.
“We should get out of here while we still can. Yiu is likely trying to override me right now. I don’t think Captain Ardoss will budge but let’s not stick around to find out,” Geri urged.
“What about the Ashari?” Alis asked, trepidation in her voice.
“Sorry honey, but you’re ship is lost. The Consortium has her now, nothing we can do about it,” she soothed.
“Shit,” was all Alis said.
Kyren realized they had lost the Ashari and felt a smoldering anger. They had saved the Consortium, not just from the pirates, but from Tharox’s threat. But if Benjam was correct in his theory, then none of it actually happened. They should at least be grateful about the pirate encounter, shouldn’t they? We saved their bacon, after all, he thought.
“So what exactly is going on? Why is this Yiu lady all over us? I assume the rest of you all got leaned on like I did?” Kyren asked.
“Oh yes, she was terribly unpleasant. She threatened to start ripping off tentacles as fast as they grow back unless I talked,” Benjam whined.
“Yes, her tactics were indeed harsh, ” Elarra confirmed.
“Seems like she’s got a vendetta against the Crevak and thinks we’re spies,” Kyren explained, following Geri as she led them toward the hangar bay.
“I’ll explain more when we’re safely aboard my shuttle. I don’t want to risk being overheard,” she said with finality before dropping into silence.
They reached the hangar bay where Geri had parked her shuttle without incident. Kyren expected the marines to return at any moment, pop around the corner and apprehend them again. But they boarded her shuttle uneventfully. Geri sat down at the pilot’s console, Alis to the seat next to her, the others filed into the rows of seats directly behind.
Geri began the warm up sequence on the shuttle’s engines and turned to face them. “This’ll be the short version, so listen close. The Crevak have reignited the war. They’ve been wiping the floor with us. And they’ve got spies among our ranks, as Yiu claims. Either they have agents within High Command or have compromised our communication encryption. Or both. SIS could be compromised, too. So I don’t know who I can trust.”
“You can trust us, mom,” Alis said reassuringly.
“Yes, I’m sure I can,” she smiled as she affectionately rubbed Alis’ shoulder.
“Yeah, we can be trusted, we took out Tharox after all!” Benjam boasted.
Geri looked puzzled, “I’m sorry, what?”
“Never mind that,” Kyren said, hoping Benjam wouldn’t elaborate. They would sound crazy, and Kyren absolutely did not want to look crazy in front of Alis’ mother.
“Okay, then let’s get out of here,” she said, turning back to the piloting console.
Geri opened a comm channel with the ship’s traffic control and requested permission to depart.
“Negative, departure not permitted,” the voice crackled over the speaker. “Power down and exit your craft. Captain Ardoss’ orders.”
“No!” was all Kyren could manage.
“Punch it, mom!” Alis cried.
Instead, Geri powered down the shuttle.
“Everyone please listen. The Starhammer is compromised. The ambush proves she’s got a spy, or spies aboard. I want you to do as they say. I’ll do my best to get you out of this but if you don’t cooperate it’ll be far more complicated,” Geri instructed.
Alis looked as if she’d been kicked in the gut by a mule. He knew she must’ve felt betrayed, but he just felt frustrated. Geri got up and walked to the shuttle’s door and tapped the control panel. The door slid back to reveal a line of marines, fully armed but this time wearing simple body armor, instead of the armored exo-suits they had sported when they boarded the Ashari.
Standing in the center of the line was Yiu and a man who Kyren could only assume was Captain Ardoss. Yiu had a smug look on her face. The Captain’s wrinkly face, framed by large mutton chops, was an impassive mask.
“I’m afraid I can’t let you leave, Commander Rochelle. We need to resolve this before we can let your daughter and her companions go,” the Captain spoke in a deep baritone.
“Kyren!” Elarra said shakily, grabbing hold of Kyren’s arm.
Her eyes had gone completely white and she began to collapse. He had to grab her to keep her upright. A few seconds passed and her eyes returned to normal. Elarra had just had another vision.
6
Self Destruct
Elarra had been afraid before, but the visions she was having now terrified her. The visikaji, the first vision she had ever had, her so-called death-vision, had also terrified her for sure. But she had been an actual child of eleven when she’d had it. The visions she was having since her death and subsequent resurrection were just as terrifying. And she had no idea what they meant.
That was the worst part, the uncertainty. She’d had a long life to contemplate her prior visions, all of them leading up to the defeat of Tharox. Elarra had known they would triumph, and she had even accepted her fate, grim as it had been. But these visions were different, somehow. She couldn’t quantify it, not yet. Something had changed, though.
As she faded back to reality, she caught the tail end of the Captain and Geri exchanging some heated words. Yiu just stood by glaring.
After some debate, Geri turned and said to Alis, “Please honey, just do as they say. We’ll straighten this out real quick. Once we reach Regalis and rejoin the forty-seventh fleet we can get an Arbitrator involved.”
“But… wait!” Alis cried desperately.
After taking them into custody and binding them again, Yiu and the marines led them to a row of small holding cells that contained nothing more than a steel commode and a cot bolted to the floor.
Yiu shoved her into one of the cells and said under her breath, “filthy abomination!”
The door slammed behind her and latched with an ominous clunk, dread filling her h
eart. She was alone with her visions now. It didn’t take long for them to return, either.
As it had been in her previous vision, she ran down a city street, pushing against a crowd of people scrambling the opposite way. Fighting her way to a parked car, she climbed up onto its’ roof. Several streets over, a rocket launched skyward. It looked strange somehow, almost organic. From all over the city, more strange organic rockets lofted into the sky. The sound was deafening, even blocks away.
Smoke and burnt fuel billowed over the crowd and she began to choke and cough. Through the billowing clouds of smoke, silhouetted against the horizon, a giant robot battled some kind of massive six-legged alien beast. It had a segmented torso and each leg ended in a three-clawed hand. The head was broad and flattened, the face pugnacious. The wide mouth was filled with many teeth.
The crowd began to shriek and panic. Elarra watched as a wave of creatures, miniature versions of the great beast on the horizon, surged into the crowd. They ripped and tore, flesh and blood slicking the street as they bit and slashed with their claws. Then they creatures began carrying their victims away, destined for the rockets, she knew somehow. Destined to fuel the launch.
The vision ended. She was once again lying on her back on the incredibly uncomfortable cot. She knew one thing from that vision, though. The giant creature, somehow she knew what it was called. Kirugi. And that it would spell doom for the galaxy if it wasn’t stopped.
But what was it? What the hell was a Kirugi? She knew only one place that she might get the answers she needed. Duniya, the world that had been adopted by the liadi council as the seat of their power. She could consult the Elder Council, they should be able to provide guidance. She still thought of Duniya as her home, even though she had lived more years away than not.