by J McGovern
Twenty high-ranking Naval officers were sitting at a long table, which was made of sparkling black stone. They were the members of the Admiralty Board, the body of officers that led the Imperial Navy, in times of both war and peace. The Board Room had been designed by Sir Delphon Bruneletti, the applauded architect that had also designed the Great Lunar Planetarium and the Jaxiaten Gallery. The room was held up by rows of white stone pillars, and the walls were hung with fine tapestries. Presiding over the Board, at the head of the table, was the First Naval Lord, the commander of the entire Navy. The First Naval Lord had called an emergency meeting of the Board to discuss the situation regarding the hostile ship in the Wilderness.
‘The situation is becoming ridiculous,’ Admiral Blaize said, clenching his fists. He was a tall man with a sharp crew cut and a strong jaw. ‘We cannot simply continue to ignore the mounting evidence of illegal actions carried out by this antagonistic power. We need to show a firm hand, and wipe out the enemy fleet.’
The First Naval Lord sighed. ‘I wish it was that simple.’ He was a man of around sixty, white-haired and gaunt. But his eyes sparkled with a fierce intelligence.
‘As I’m sure you are aware,’ Admiral Tryssan said, ‘we sent a single ship to the Paradonian Sector to assess the situation after hearing word of a mysterious ship in the vicinity of Chaos. The ship was destroyed.’
‘I know that,’ Admiral Blaize said. ‘My friend Captain Blane was killed. But are you telling me that the mighty Imperium cannot deal with some upstart insurgents?’
‘We cannot risk any more men until we understand the full nature of their weapons. After all, the security of an uninhabited backwater planet is hardly our top priority.’ The First Naval Lord placed his fingers together. ‘We do not even know if the enemy is human. We have always been aware of the risk that an unfriendly alien species would locate us.’
A defining characteristic of the Imperium was xenophobia. Aliens were treated as inferior beings, and were denied the rights given even to humans of the lowest class. There were hundreds of alien species living on planets in the Imperium, but they were kept firmly under the thumb. According to the official dogma of the Imperium, which made its way into nearly every school textbook, aliens were lesser beings, incapable of true understanding or empathy.
There were ancient myths about other alien races that supposedly visited the human race before the age of the Imperium. Some of these races were hostile, seeking to dominate the humans. Others were more benevolent. One legend told of an alien species called the Zierons, a peaceful race with an almost godlike intellect. As the story went, the Zierons visited the humans bearing many gifts, including the Dragonfire tree, a valuable source of protein that can grow in virtually any type of soil. But their most treasured gift had come in the form of a piece of technology — the phase drive. The phase drive allowed human ships to travel faster than light.
Of course, there was no substantial evidence for this myth, and most serious people regarded it as a story for children. Several other stories existed which sought to explain the invention of the phase drive, including the idea that humanity stole it from an alien civilisation. However, the only official explanation for the origin of technology was that it was developed by a physicist named Professor Val Sazer — and the Imperium strongly discouraged the unofficial myths. If there had ever been proof of another theory, it had been lost in the mists of forgotten history. But however the technology came into being, the effects on humanity were clear. The phase drive had been the catalyst for human expansion. It had united human ambition and greed with the ability to conquer the stars. They used the phase drive to colonise thousands of planets, building an Imperium that stretched right across the galaxy.
‘Indeed, the ship does not match any record in our databanks,’ Admiral Brown said, moving his fingers over the black table, the surface of which was a giant touchscreen computer. He pressed a button, and a holographic projection of the enemy ship appeared over the table, moving in a slow rotation. The ship was black and functional, and of a blocky, unusual design.
‘It is a strange ship,’ Admiral Trenna said.
‘Puzzling, isn’t it?’ the First Naval Lord said.
Admiral Lake exhaled slowly. ‘It seems we are in a no-win situation. We can either do nothing, and risk the build-up of hostile forces, or send more ships to the area and risk their destruction.’
The First Naval Lord smiled. ‘There may be a third option.’
All members of the Admiralty Board turned eagerly to face the First Naval Lord. He had been in charge of the Imperial Navy for over twenty years, and not a single member of the Board doubted his judgment. He had proven himself to be a wise and careful leader, and while some of the Board disliked his authoritarian mode of governance, it was impossible for them to call his intelligence into question.
‘My idea is somewhat risky,’ the First Naval Lord admitted. ‘What is more, it contravenes Imperial law. If we agree to go ahead with it, we will have to obtain permission from the Senate.’
Admiral Blaize was intrigued, although he disliked the idea of calling the Senate. The Imperium was, in essence, an autocracy, but the Emperor himself had no real power. Just like the historic Magna Carta spoken of in ancient, spurious documents, the Galactic Charter, which was signed over a thousand years ago, had made the Emperor of the Imperium subject to his Senate. The idea was to make the Emperor more accountable, and in this purpose the Galactic Charter had succeeded. But the despotism of the Emperor had simply been replaced by the dictatorship of the Senate; it was worse, in a way, because the Senate did not have to worry about rival heirs or pretenders to the throne.
The First Naval Lord clasped his fingertips together. ‘We have already accepted two basic propositions. The first is that we have a potentially serious enemy in the form of the ship orbiting Chaos. They possibly have some kind of unusual weapon — something we have not heretofore seen. The second proposition is that it would be foolish to send more men to their doom. But there might be another way to find out what the ships are up to without risking more than a single ship.’
Admiral Blaize frowned. ‘One ship?’
‘Please, let me finish.’ He paused. ‘We need someone to visit Chaos who can be discreet. Someone who can slip behind their defences without being seen, and find out the truth about what is going on.’ The First Naval Lord activated a control on the table, and a holographic projection of three faces appeared. ‘These people are convicts, who recently escaped from a penal world. My intention is to send these three people to the planet. You see, escape from penal worlds is supposed to be impossible — it has never been done before. If these men can escape from Malus, maybe they can get close enough to Chaos to find out what is going on.’
There were a few cautious nods of agreement as they stared at the floating faces of Harlan Glitz, Hans Tekka and Raja Doland …
Chapter Six
Mazaroth
Upsilon System
‘So tell me why we’re here again,’ Doland said, staring grimly at the monitor. The Upsilon System was around the size of Homeworld’s solar system, and four out of the nine planets were habitable. The most well-known of the planets was Red Spark, which was famous for hosting the yearly Spark Cup, a prestigious starship racing tournament. But their ship was currently in orbit around a bleak looking world called Mazaroth, which seemed to be nothing but a ball of desert.
‘This was where I was born,’ Tekka said simply.
‘Yeah,’ Doland said, starting to become irritated. ‘That’s what you said before. But we’ve been travelling for four days, and I think you owe us a proper explanation.’
‘Let me be clear,’ Tekka said coldly. ‘Although I acknowledge your role in our escape plan, the attempt would in all probability have been successful with two different prisoners. I formulated the plan in every detail, so perhaps you should show some gratitude.’
Doland tried to think of a response, but he knew Tekka was right. And he was
grateful. He just didn’t appreciate being dragged halfway across the galaxy without a reason.
‘Let us land,’ Tekka said.
Glitz couldn’t help feeling uneasy about their journey to Mazaroth, but Tekka had insisted that it was vital if they were to remain undetected by the Imperium. They landed in a discreet location and stepped out of the ship. The planet looked even more dismal up close. The sand, stirred by a thin wind, seemed to stretch on to infinity. The Upsilonian sun was hot and bright; the temperature had to be at least ninety degrees. The three men were wearing Imperial prison guard uniforms that they had found in the storage bay of the ship, having gleefully thrown their old prison clothes out of the airlock. Glitz zipped down the neck of his uniform, trying to let the air circulate more freely. He had only been on the planet for a few minutes, but he was already starting to overheat. They couldn’t make out any landmarks of any kind — or even any buildings. There was nothing but sand.
‘This way,’ Tekka said, pointing.
‘How can you be so sure?’ Doland said tiredly. ‘It all looks the same.’
Tekka tapped his head. ‘Neurochip, remember. I always know which direction is north. Do try to keep up.’
Doland scowled and trudged along the hot sand. After about twenty minutes of trekking across the dunes, the ground took a sharp dip, and for the first time some buildings became visible, although they were almost camouflaged. It was like a tiny city where the buildings were made entirely from sand.
‘This is where I was born,’ Tekka said. ‘It is called the Elder Village. The Younger Village is a few miles east.’
‘You grew up here?’ Glitz said, staring from their high vantage point down into the village. The sections of the city were linked by dusty roadways, and he could see a few people dressed in rags traversing the streets. It looked like a deeply impoverished area — not at all where you would expect a genius like Tekka to have been raised. Certainly, it was unlikely to have any level of autonomy … and it probably also had a large alien population.
Tekka nodded, and led them onwards. After a few steps, they found their way onto a crumbling path that led them directly into the village. A few villagers stared at them when they entered, presumably thinking them to be genuine Imperial guards.
‘Do your parents still live here?’ Doland said.
Tekka winced, as if the word ‘parents’ was painful to him. ‘No more questions, please.’
Glitz stopped walking, and folded his arms. ‘Tekka,’ he said. ‘I’ve followed you this far, but enough is enough. Tell us why we’re here.’
‘Very well. I would have told you sooner, but I was afraid you would not come if you knew.’ Tekka sat down on the dusty path, in front of two egg-shaped houses. The other two men joined him. ‘There is a man in this village named Shaitana. He was a friend of my father’s. He is a specialist in DNA transmogrification.’
‘Trans-what?’ Doland said.
‘Transmogrification. It essentially means altering DNA. I have brought you here so we can all have our DNA altered.’
Doland turned pale. ‘What are you talking about? You’re not touching my DNA!’
‘Listen,’ Tekka said. ‘If you remember, the authorities took a DNA sample from each of us after our trials and before we were sent to Malus. Now, we are free, technically speaking. But what will happen when they find us? If we change our names, or even our appearances, a simple DNA test will be enough to verify our identities if we are recaptured.’
Glitz breathed out. He hadn’t even thought about that.
‘However, there is a solution,’ Tekka said. ‘Shaitana developed a machine which … modifies the genetic code. Thus, DNA analysis would identify us as not ourselves.’
‘Clever,’ Glitz mused. ‘It sounds painful.’
‘Listen,’ Doland said, who looked terrified. ‘You’re not going near me with a … trans-whatever it is.’
‘It is essential that the three of us undergo the process,’ Tekka replied. ‘It will cause us no harm. There will be no visible difference in our appearance or behaviour — the change will be purely superficial.’
Doland fell silent for a moment, staring at his fingers as if deep in thought. Then, without warning, he jumped to his feet and began to run back up the sandy path. Glitz clambered up and ran after him. Doland was a fast runner, and Glitz quickly got out of breath. For a minute, Glitz was worried that he would get away. But then Doland tripped and fell forwards into the sand.
Glitz increased his speed, running as fast as he could, and leapt on top of Doland.
‘Get off me!’ Doland shouted.
‘Just calm down!’ Glitz said, restraining Doland against the sand. The man struggled for a while, but to no avail, because Glitz was much stronger.
‘Now, I’m going to let you go,’ Glitz said. ‘But no running away. The three of us need to talk.’
He relaxed his grip on Doland, almost expecting the man to make a run for it again. But Doland was clearly too exhausted. He spat sand out of his mouth and wiped his sweaty white hair back from his forehead.
‘It seems we have a coward in our midst,’ Tekka said coldly, once he had taken a leisurely stroll back to his companions.
Doland swore at Tekka, but deep down he wondered if the man was right. He had certainly never been a particularly brave man. He had gotten through life by being charming and charismatic. For the last ten years of his life, he had worked as a salesman for the Nexus Technology Corporation, which was based on Opus. The company was notorious for selling low quality products, but the quality of its sales force meant it remained in profit every year. Before his prosecution for voting fraud, Doland had been one of the most successful salespersons in the company. He had started off as the worst employee, but had quickly absorbed the techniques of more experienced salespeople to get his own pitch perfected. The sales techniques he learned didn’t just work when it came to door-to-door sales. He had gotten his first date with his now-wife after trying out a version of his sales pitch that had been converted to a chat-up conversation. In truth, Doland was neither charming nor charismatic. It was all an act, but a good act.
‘Look,’ Glitz said. ‘I know why you’re scared. I’m scared too. But Tekka’s right. We need to go through with this.’
‘I refuse,’ Doland replied.
Tekka frowned. He had always found it amazing that other humans acted so irrationally. He had never quite understood the illogical turn of mind possessed by so many people. In fact, Tekka had always been more comfortable in the company of computers than of people, for much the same reason.
‘If you leave this planet now,’ Tekka said, ‘what kind of future do you think you will have? Breaking out of a prison is a Category A offence. Unless you undergo this procedure, the Imperium will hunt you down and probably — once your DNA is verified — kill you.’
Doland swallowed, and Glitz felt a small shiver ripple through his body. Tekka’s smooth, icy voice could be frightening.
‘All right,’ Doland said quietly. ‘So where does this Shaitana live?’
They followed as Tekka led them back down into the Elder Village. They walked along the sandy path, their shoes creating trails in the dust. They passed several houses of different shapes but all made of the same sand-coloured material, and eventually reached a dwelling that was even more ramshackle than the other buildings.
‘A scientist lives here?’ Glitz said, with disbelief.
‘I hope so. It has been a long time.’ The entrance to the tiny house was a hole covered by an ill-fitting board. ‘Now to enter the code.’
Tekka tapped several times on the door, leaving pauses of various lengths between the beats. When he had finished, there was a low grinding sound, like a rock being pushed over a rough surface.
‘We’re in,’ Tekka said. He pulled away the ill-fitting board and pointed into the house. Just beyond the threshold, a slab had been moved away, revealing a gaping hole. ‘After me, I think.’
Without waiting
, Tekka jumped into the hole.
Glitz peered through the door of the house and down into the chasm. He could see nothing but blackness. ‘Tekka?’ he called.
‘I’m fine,’ came Tekka’s voice. ‘Come on.’
Glitz shrugged, and jumped into the hole after Tekka. After his companions had both disappeared into the black hole, Doland wrung his hands. If he was going to escape, this was his chance. He could run back to the ship, find some way of accessing the ship’s computer, and get off this planet before they could stop him. But he kept thinking about Tekka’s words of warning. ‘The Imperium will hunt you down …’ Doland braced himself, and jumped.
Doland felt himself sliding down a kind of chute; it was completely dark, but he could feel a smooth surface beneath him as he whizzed along; air rushed past his face. Then he could see light. The tunnel came to an abrupt end and he was thrown onto a pile of rubbery material, which was presumably meant to provide a cushioned landing.
‘You all right?’ Glitz said.