by J McGovern
‘Space, are you OK?’ Alyce said, rushing to Glitz.
Glitz grinned. ‘Just Glitz will do.’
Alyce smiled, relieved that he was unharmed. Those claws looked lethal. She peered at the stinking carcass, and realised that the skeleton they had found outside was probably from one of the creatures. The First Naval Lord might have given her a warning that such things existed on Chaos — he had given them the impression that the only predators were low and primitive creatures. But this creature had a large skull with a pronounced brow, which suggested a developed brain. And its eyes had contained a wicked hint of malevolence …
‘Ah, hello there.’
Alyce raised her blaster again. A man was approaching the cave. He was dressed in a grey robe, and he was carrying a golden staff, which had a sapphire in the handle.
‘Name yourself,’ Alyce said, shocked to see another human.
‘My name is Ozytan,’ the man said, smiling. ‘We have lots to discuss.’
Chapter Twelve
The man called Ozytan had landed his ship on the planet during the chemical storm. It was parked near the cave, right next to a thin stream of lava. The man had to be at least fifty — possibly older. But his eyes had a twinkle of extreme youthfulness. His grey robe was simple and nondescript, but the man had an aura of great power.
Ozytan gestured to his ship. ‘Won’t you come in?’
‘How do we know we can trust you?’ Glitz said.
The man smiled, lifted up his staff, and brandished it towards a faraway mountain. A stream of light poured out of the sapphire, and struck the face of the rock. The mountain was demolished, reduced to dust in an instant. Glitz and Alyce stared at the destruction. It was clear that they weren’t being given a choice. Ozytan led the way into his craft. It was a handsome ship, but rather plain. The hull had a dark matte finish, and there were no decorations or symbols. It was clearly the ship that they had been searching for.
The interior of the ship was equally unexceptional. The walls were black and the ship was illuminated by bright lights. Ozytan led them through the ship, which was apparently empty. They turned a corner, and Glitz yelled in surprise. Standing outside a metal door were two terrible creatures, the same kind that had attacked him inside the cave.
‘Do not be alarmed,’ Ozytan said. ‘This is Regorn and Ragarn. They are my servants.’
‘You’re keeping those … things as servants?’ Glitz said, in disbelief.
Alyce looked similarly shocked. ‘One of them nearly killed Glitz.’
The man smiled. ‘Please, be at peace. I will explain everything shortly.’
The creatures stepped aside to allow them to enter the room; Glitz looked uneasily into one of the creature’s black eyes as they passed them. It was a small conference room, with a long metal table. The room was as bare as the other parts of the ship, and the benches were made of grey steel. Ozytan gestured for them to take a seat, and sat down at the head of the table. Glitz and Alyce sat down next to each other at the other end of the table. After a few minutes, two more Weerms entered, dragging Doland and Tekka with them. They dropped the men onto the floor of the conference room, and then left.
‘Wh — what’s going on?’ Doland said.
‘I instructed my creatures to bring you here, my friends,’ Ozytan said, smiling. ‘Please, sit.’
Doland and Tekka’s clothes were ripped, but they were clearly unharmed. The creatures had been careful. They sat down, warily, and Tekka glanced from Glitz and Alyce to the strange man at the head of the table.
‘Now,’ the man went on, ‘My name is Ozytan. I want to tell you all about the planet Chaos. You are — I assume — on a mission for the Imperium?’
Alyce shook her head. ‘No, of course not. We’re Proteists. We were exploring the Sector when we stumbled across this place.’
Ozytan laughed. ‘A most original cover story, but I’m afraid the ZK-99 blasters are a giveaway. Also, I know who you are, Captain Wickham. I have managed to access some of the Imperium’s military records; blackmail can be a most useful tool.’ He frowned at Glitz, shaking his head. ‘Using non-military personnel for official missions … well, well. The Senate has really become desperate. Now, what are your names?’
The others reluctantly introduced themselves. Then Alyce turned to face the man. ‘And who are you?’
‘I’ve told you. My name is Ozytan.’ He smiled. ‘I think you must have seen my brother on public vidcasts. His name is Emperor Ferdinand.’
Alyce was shocked by this revelation, but it explained why the man looked so familiar. He had Ferdinand’s bone structure — the same rounded jaw and hooked nose. The eyes were also similar, although Ozytan’s eyes had an intense edge that almost seemed to suggest a touch of mania.
Ozytan’s eyes narrowed. ‘You see, I am the eldest son of Emperor Quintill, the previous ruler of the Imperium. The rulership of the empire should have been my birthright. But my rightful throne was cruelly snatched away from me when the Senate refused to name me as my father’s successor.’
Alyce knew that the Senate had complete authority to decide who would rule the Imperium. They tended to choose members of the same royal line, but public knowledge of the Imperial family was very scarce. Back in the days when Monarchism was the official religion of the Imperium, people had taken much more interest in the Imperial lineage. Now the office of the Emperor was simply a relic of a past age, albeit one that the Senate could not quite summon enough courage to abolish absolutely.
‘What happened?’ Alyce said, unable to conceal her curiosity.
‘The Senate disapproved of my character and plans for the future of the Imperium,’ Ozytan replied bitterly. ‘You see, I had some rather revolutionary ideas. To my mind, the history of the Imperium is one of unchecked power and brutal domination. I had it in my head to reform the Imperium — to implement a totally new way of governing. I wanted the Imperium to become a true parliamentary democracy, freed from the shackles of tyranny.’ He tapped his staff softly on the ground. ‘But the Senate discovered my plans, and were frightened for the future of the Imperium. The Senate usually select the heir with the strongest blood claim, providing they can be sure of his weak co-operation, but can deviate from the line of succession with impunity. So they barred my ascension to the throne. My brother Ferdinand, a weak-spirited, easily-controlled man, was selected as the new Emperor. And I was left with nothing.’ Ozytan paused again, staring severely into the sapphire on his staff.’
Alyce frowned. She was moved by Ozytan’s story, but she was a little confused. ‘Why are you telling us all of this?’
‘Because I have a plan to reclaim my birthright,’ Ozytan said, smiling for the first time. ‘When I was seventeen years of age, I was in an utterly hopeless state. I did not want to take any money from the Senate — not after what they had done to me. Creditless and powerless, I spent years in a state of idleness. All those wasted years … I roamed the galaxy like a cosmic vagrant, watching the Imperium become even more powerful and destructive.
‘Then, around ten years ago, I took a hallucinogenic drug called Morpheus, which is banned across the galaxy due to severe neurological side effects. But, far from destroying my mind, the drug gave me a wondrous vision. Oh, the vision! I saw a future of kindness and prosperity, a galaxy under the umbrella of a utopian rule, shielded from dictating rain. I saw the Imperium transformed into a democratic peacekeeping organisation, committed to dispensing wisdom and justice. All inequality had been stamped out; every worker was paid fairly, and no one went hungry.’ Ozytan’s eyes became even more wide. It was if a tiny flame had been lit behind each pupil. ‘What was more — I saw the means of achieving that vision. Morpheus showed me how the utopian future could be attained; it gave me a plan.’
Tekka, Glitz, Doland and Alyce watched silently as Ozytan carried on speaking.
‘I already knew of a planet called Chaos, a planet of terrible natural events and fierce predators. But I finally understood the potential of the world. It w
as to become the foundation of a brand new species.’ Ozytan grinned. ‘Imagine a life form born into chaos. From its first waking breath, this creature is hounded on every side by chemical storms and vicious animals. Every second of its life is a bitter fight for survival, acted out on the stage of an unforgiving, uncaring world.’
‘Such a creature would be terrible,’ Tekka said.
‘Precisely,’ Ozytan said. ‘Humans, while having the potential for goodness, have evolved many undesirable traits on a planet as nourishing as Homeworld — or wherever else the humans came into being. Imagine what kind of animal would be produced by millions of years of evolution on a world such as Chaos.’
Tekka was imagining it — and it was almost too terrible to consider.
‘But producing such an organism would take millions of years, and there would be the risk of the creature becoming extinct before it reached a sufficient level of ruthlessness. Right?’ Ozytan tapped his stick excitedly as his voice rose in fervour. ‘Wrong! I have managed to evolve such a creature in a matter of weeks!’
‘It is not possible,’ Tekka said.
‘On the contrary, it is perfectly possible. You see, after seeing my wondrous vision, I started up a corporation called the East Galaxy Company — perhaps you have heard of it.’ Glitz raised his eyebrows. He had worked for that company for years, but had never found out who owned it. ‘I sold my shares in the company two years ago for fifty billion credits, and used the funds to develop a chrono-disrupter.’
‘Ah,’ Tekka said.
‘A chrono-what?’ Doland said.
‘The device was designed to seal this planet within a time bubble — accelerating the march of time within the isolation field. In short, it would allow millions of years to take place inside the bubble, when only a few days have passed outside it.’
Tekka turned to Glitz. ‘Remember when we landed on the planet? There was a heavy disturbance on our chronometer. That must have been the time field.’
Ozytan nodded. ‘Of course, the acceleration process has finished, so we are currently existing at normal time.’ He smiled, as if admiring his own cleverness. ‘One thing was clear to me after experiencing my vision. I knew that the Imperium could only be taken down by a creature of utter depravity. I had to evolve an animal with no compassion, no kindness, and no emotions except anger and hatred. And I have succeeded.’ He thrust his staff out towards the door. ‘Behold — the Weerms!’
On cue, the two creatures that had been guarding the conference room stepped inside it. They were the same type of creature that had attacked Glitz in the cave. They were human shaped, but with snake-like skin, under which powerful muscles rippled. They had vicious claws attached to every limb, as well as a barbed tail. Their teeth were like jagged pieces of painted glass.
‘My Weerms …’ Ozytan said, with the pride of a father showing off the accomplishments of his sons. ‘Living proof that — given a hostile enough environment — evil is a desirable evolutionary characteristic.’
Alyce and the three men were speechless in the face of the creatures. After hearing Ozytan’s story, they all felt a sense of horror. To create such a creature … it was madness.
‘What source material did you use?’ Tekka said quietly, somehow already guessing the answer. ‘From which animal did you evolve these creatures?’
Ozytan stood up to his full height, basking in the glory of his creation. ‘From us, of course. The Weerms are the evolutionary descendants of a hundred thousand slaves that were bought from the Crystal Mines of Ziridian. They are the distillation of every malevolent impulse that exists in the human brain, stripped of all goodness.’
Alyce stared at the two Weerms, feeling a sickness well up in her stomach. So they used to be human …
Doland pulled out one of the diamonds from his pocket, and showed it to Ozytan. ‘I found this buried in the dust. I suppose you had something to do with this, too?’
Ozytan smiled, glancing at the glinting object. ‘Of course. I used various scientific methods to encourage the formation of precious stones during the millions of accelerated years. When I harvested the Weerms, I also mined a huge quantity of diamonds, rubies, sapphires and emeralds — the stones will help to fund my military campaign against the Imperium.’ He nodded at Doland. ‘You can keep whatever you found. They are simply the table-droppings of what I have already collected.’
Doland tucked the stone inside his pocket, hoping that Oyztan wouldn’t change his mind. Glitz was horrified by Ozytan’s actions, but a part of him felt that it wasn’t anything to do with him. He had always kept out of politics, and since his dismissal from the army he had had nothing to do with the military — not until he was coerced into going along on the current mission. The Weerms were clearly dreadful beings, but that only made him want to get away from them as quickly as possible. But before he left the planet he wanted to find some precious stones of his own …
Tekka pulled out a ruby, and held it under the light. ‘Surely the chrono-disrupter had a certain destabilising effect on the planet’s molecules? Of course, the vibrations would cause little problem within the isolated field, but how did you manage to remove the Weerms and the precious stones from the planet?’
‘Ah, that was a significant problem,’ Ozytan said, smiling. ‘And I must say that it is a pleasure to speak to someone with a scientific turn of mind. I got around the problem by using a ship fitted with a second chrono-disrupter — the effect was to remove the vibrations by oscillating on a reverse frequency.’
Tekka nodded, feeling some admiration towards Ozytan. He might have committed acts of unspeakable atrocity, but he was also clearly a genius.
Alyce looked with disgust at Ozytan. She certainly didn’t have any admiration for the man. ‘Why are you telling us all of this?’
‘Simple. I want you to report everything to the Senate.’ Ozytan beamed; he could tell that his words had surprised them. ‘Yes, indeed. At first, when the acceleration was in process, I went to great lengths to ensure that the procedure was not interrupted — including destroying any ships that came near.’
Doland looked puzzled. Was Ozytan really going to let them go after telling them all of his plans? Why would he want the Grand Senate to know about his scheme? Surely it was some sort of trap.
‘I want you to tell them all about my plan, and I want them to realise that the inexorable march of the Weerms cannot be prevented. They do not injure, or tire, or feel. They are unstoppable, and I want my brother — along with the rest of the Senate — to know that control of the Imperium will shortly be taken from them.’
Alyce exchanged a glance with Glitz. Ozytan pointed to the door. ‘What are you waiting for? Off you go. Tell the Senate everything you have seen here.’
Frowning, Tekka stood up, and the others followed. Edging carefully past the terrible Weerms, they left the conference room, and stepped off the ship back into the chaotic dust.
‘Well, looks like we know where we’re going next,’ Alyce said. ‘Let’s go back to Lightworld.’
They returned to the ship — despite Glitz and Doland’s protestations that they should look for more precious stones — and Alyce programmed in their return flight path. The Wreck lifted back into the air. As they broke out of the atmosphere of Chaos, there was another disturbance on the chronometer.
Doland felt something warm in his pocket. He stuck in his hand, and realised with dismay that his precious stones had turned to dust, and so had Tekka’s.
‘It was to be expected,’ Tekka said. ‘The artificial time field is too destabilising; objects cannot be taken off the planet without prior stabilisation. Weren’t you listening to Ozytan?’
Tekka scowled, feeling cheated. He would have been able to buy so much with those jewels … He returned to his bunk, closed his eyes, and tried to sleep. Alyce stayed on the flight deck, staring out at the stars, and thinking about the dreadful Weerms.
Chapter Thirteen
Lightworld
Volori Sy
stem
The arrival of their ship to Lightworld caused some consternation. When they approached the strange planet, the protection forces on Lightworld went into full alert, ready to shoot down the bizarre ship. It didn’t look like a threat, but it was a historic tactic to hide powerful weaponry in a seemingly innocuous ship, allowing it to get near to its target without raising alarm. The First Naval Lord himself was notified that an unidentified ship was in the vicinity of the planet, and asked for permission to destroy it.
But, at that moment, Alyce finally managed to make a successful communication with the planet. The communicator on the Wreck had been malfunctioning, and they had not been able to contact Lightworld or respond to their commands to identify themselves.
‘Do not fire!’ Alyce said urgently. ‘I repeat: do not fire! This is Captain Alyce Wickham, serving under the direct orders of the First Naval Lord. Do not fire!’
There was a pause, and Alyce held her breath. The men were clenching their fists, sweating. If they didn’t believe her identity …