Among The Ether: The Invasion of Issa

by C. R. Allan

  “Where is this place? Where have you taken us?” Said Atta, remaining assertive in his tone.

  “If you insist. Show him where we are and make sure the others have a view as well.” Said Ettimis

  “Yes President.” Said Oret, as he walked over the wall and pull one of several levers.

  Observing intently, Ettimis seemed to be enjoying himself as he watched the guards turn the five men around to face the wall behind them. The sound of gears screeched and wined as a large section of the floor began to move upward. The rumble of machinery vibrated the floor of the hanger as it began to force the structure to ascend. A large intricate collection of cogs above rotated, causing the ceiling to part at the centre and fold into the sides of the roof as the lift approached the top. The men watched in silent wonder, as the lift came to a full stop with the city of Avus displayed in front them.

  The sounds of the city filled the air, as trains flew by on tracks above the men, spilling out large clouds of steam as they passed by. The smell of grease and metal from railway tracks permeated the surrounding environment as the prisoners remained stunned in amazement at the sight of large ships taking off and arriving from the star filled sky above in the distance. The full grandeur of the city of Avus, with all its lights and glory could be seen stretching out into the darkness of space. Issa’s blue star could be seen rising over the planet's horizon far below, displaying the planet in a way not seen by any of its inhabitants.

  Recognize anything?” Said Ettimis.

  The five men sat complete silence as they stared at Issa through thick faded glass, the only thing separating them and the vacuum of space. Completely overcome by both fear and confusion, Atta did not notice one of the guards approaching him. As he the other men remained dazed, still processing the realisation they were off world. Feeling the guard tip his chair back from behind, Atta began to struggle as he was dragged to a small door imbedded in one of the large metal ribs that held up glass the partitions. After winding a series of gears and pulling a level next the door, the guard quickly walked away, leaving Atta alone in front of the door. The cogs on the door slowly rotated, as the sound of the locking mechanism inside tumbled and echoed before coming to a sudden stop, leaving only a soft orange light flashing in silence above its frame.

  “You can’t do this.” Screamed Atta, as he violently struggled in his chair, realizing there was nothing on the other side of the door except the cold emptiness of space.

  Staying completely silent, the other men watched in fear as the light on the door continued to flash its warning. Oret looked to Ettimis with both fear and disgust, as Ettimis simply stared with complete apathy at the men. A torrent of wind came rushing by as the airlock door spang open, leaving the captive men to gasp and struggle for breath in the rapidly moving current of air. After staying open for only few seconds, the gears on the door quickly began to spin forcing the door shut. Leaving Atta forever trapped on the other side, drifting into the ether.

  The flashing light above the door faded to a stale green as the surrounding air became still again allowing the sounds of steam engines and rumbling machinery to return. The men watched as Atta fading into the distance towards their planet, highlighting the extreme reality of the situation the remaining men now found themselves in.

  “Hear me, citizens of Issa, I will only ask this one time, before my patients wanes... And we all now understand what happens when I don’t find what I'm looking for. Where is the aillinium.” Said Ettimis. the faces of the remaining four captives ghost white as Ettimis’s cold words were translated into words the men could understand, each hearing the device speak a different language of Issa.

  Following Ettimis’s statement, Oret pulled a small brass orb from his waist coat. Holding the sphere in his hand, he pressed in the top of the device causing it to twist and unfold into a half sphere, as lights projected from the device formed into holographic images. Moving from one end of the seated men to the other, Oret paced back and forth repeatedly as the holograms shifted between various forms of aillinium. Images of the chemical structure of aillinium, faded to microscopic images of crystals. Then to images of the material in its raw form, looking no different than common sand. Finally, the images projected by the device moved to a more refined form aillinium, a fine purple powder, closely resembling sugar.

  “Times up.” Said Ettimis, his voice projected through the translation device.

  Again, approaching the seated men, the guard grabbed another chair and dragged it screeching across the hard ground towards the airlock. With the man seated in the chair begging and pleading for mercy along the way. Winding the mechanism of the door before pulling the lever, the guard repeated the process of preparing the door to open before again walking away. A deafeningly loud torrent of air rushed by, and in an instant the second man joined Atta, descending towards Issa through the vacuum of space. Oret again paced in front of the men showing the holographic images. Again, not one of the men responded. With a deep expression of anger evident on his face, Ettimis gave a slow nod, signalling to the guard to prepare another man to be executed.

  “Wait!” yelled a stocky man, his words instantly being translated for his captors. “Wait, there is a military installation built into the mountains near a small town in the northern region... There is a material buried there. I think it could be the one you are looking for... But, it’s a toxic by-product of mining... I don’t understand why you would want it.” Continued the man, with a confused look on his face.

  “Thank you for your concern... Now show me where it is!” Said Ettimis, as he grabbed the hologram generator from Oret, quickly changing the imagine to a map of Issa as he aggressively approached the man.

  Gesturing towards the man's bonds, Ettimis signalled the guard to cut the rope allowing the man's hands to freely move. Pointing towards a northern region of Issa on the hologram, the man quickly withdrew his hand as the image began zooming in at the site the man pointed. Seeing the searing look in Ettimis’s eyes, the man again pointed at the hologram of Issa, causing it to continue to magnify further every time the man touched an area. Detailed images of topography and cities began to appear as the map continued further towards the surface. Locations of the invader's ships and troops appeared on the image, highlighted in greens and yellows as inhabitants of Issa could be seen highlighted in red. The man stopped manipulating the hologram once it arrived above a small northern town surrounded by forests and mountains. Revealing devastating images of ruined buildings and fires burning out of control through the small town. The placement of a large ship, like the ones leaving the ring could be seen just outside the southern boundary of the village. As smaller airships, highlighted in green, moved between the larger vessel and the town, dropping off more troops highlighted in yellow.

  “If I tell you where it is you must let us go... you have to stop the attacks and needless killings.” Said the man, with hesitation in his tone, as he lowered his hand and placed it on his knee.

  “What is your name, Issonian? I do admire someone with a little resolve.” Said Ettimis, as he leaned forward.

  “Pr, Pr, Prat.” Said the man. The fear evident in his voice.

  “Well Prat of Issa, I do promise to let all of you go back to your planet and we will leave. That is, if you tell me what I need to know before I lose my patience.” Said Ettimis, his voice rising in anger as he continued to speak.

  Prat raised his hand to the hologram again, pointing to an area several miles north east of the town deep in the rugged terrain of the mountains. The hologram continued to zoom as Prat held his outstretched finger. The image quickly exposing an opening in the ground surrounded by several military vehicles and personnel.

  “Good, you did good Prat. Now as promised, let them go.” Said Ettimis as he began to walk away.

  Oret quickly followed Ettimis, with the sounds of the men screaming echoing from behind. Amongst the screams and shouts, the sounds of the mechanism of the door could be heard, followed by a gust o
f air. Then silence, with neither Oret nor Ettimis looking back.

  “President...” Said Oret, followed by a pause.

  “Well, what is it Oret.” Said Ettimis, as he stopped and looked directly at Oret.

  “President, the region that Prat... That the man from Issa, pointed out. Well, the union ship is believed to have possibly survived re-entry and may have crashed in those mountains.”

  “The Union ship survived Re-entry? You believe, Oret... and is in the one area we now know may hold aillinium? And you are telling me this now?” Said Ettimis. The irritation in his voice overwhelmingly evident.

  “Yes President. I was in the process of redirecting some troops from the area to check for the ship and possible survivors... when you ordered me to retrieve those men.” Continued Oret.

  “Fix your mistake Vice President. Find that ship and destroy it. Ensure any evidence of survivors is destroyed. And get me my aillinium or it will be you drifting into space next. Oret,” said Ettimis as he turned and walked away.

  “Redirect nearby troops to the following locations, I will be accompanying this vessel to the surface. This our top priority. We must secure this storage site, and search and destroy the union ship.” Said Oret, sitting in the centre chair on the bridge of a large ship preparing to head to the surface.

  The location Prat point appeared as a large holographic image in the centre of the room, as Oret placed the sphere into the console in front of him. Throughout the bridge of the ship, communication staff began to work the mechanisms at their stations, activating their radios and relaying the orders.

  IX

  The door at the top of the stairs shattered into thousands of pieces, sending fragments of wood down the stairway. The pressure from the blast rushed by Jacob, carrying fragments of wood and debris as it threw him off balance and knocked him to the hard floor. Sounds of shouting and gun fire filled the room as Jacob stumbled forward in the dark, towards the flipped over table. Guided by the flashes of rifles, he sat down beside Darren, who leaned over the top of the table while periodically firing towards the top of the stairs. After several seconds of chaotic exchange of gunfire, the room became deafening silence; Until pierced by the clanking sound of metal bouncing down the wooden stairwell, periodically striking the hard stone wall. A blinding flash and ear shattering bang exploded through basement, quickly filling the small room with dense smoke.

  With nowhere to go, sounds of coughing and gaging could be heard all around as Jacob struggled for air in the thick noxious cloud. Covering his mouth with hit sweater, Jacob looked over the table towards the staircase, as he heard Orm call out an incomprehensible roar between coughs, as he blindly fired his weapons up the stairwell. Feeling the rush of someone move by him, Jacob stared through the darkness trying to identify the faint silhouettes that danced in the dense smoke, vaguely illuminated by the flashes of weapons. Seeing Orm and Dawn moving up the stairs, Darren quickly followed to the floor above to help push back the invaders advances. Leaving Jacob and the others alone in basement. Seconds passed by as minutes with the smoke quickly dissipating, as Jacob waited in the darkness hearing only the sounds of foots steps and shooting from above. With his thoughts moving to Tom and Maggie, Jacob turned and peered through the thick black void hearing nothing but the commotion upstairs and the sound of his own breathing. Overcome by a sudden feeling of uneasiness, he began to back up slowly and make is way towards the stairs.

  Dawn suddenly appeared in the doorway at the top of the stairs with a flashlight she had taken form an invader. Startled, Jacob looked straight up at the beam of light as he froze. Unsure if it was a soldier or one of the others, before a sense of relief came over him as Dawn spoke.

  “All clear up here guys. Jacob, Tom, Maggie, let's get moving.” Said Dawn before she moved out of sight again.

  “Tom? Maggie?” Said Jacob with hesitation, as he cautiously moved back into the dark space to find them.

  The sounds of a struggle somewhere in front of him caused Jacob to stop in his tracks, afraid of what may be in the darkness with him. The fighting slowed to faint rustle then to sounds of a sharp object repeatedly piercing flesh. Now filled with a sense of dread, he again began backing towards the stairs. Feeling the vibration of something large hitting the ground in front of him, Jacob turned around to quicken his pace only to feel his feet slip out from under him, causing him to fall to the floor. Placing his hands on the floor to push himself up, he felt a warm pool of liquid in front of him as he came to the realization he was kneeling in a pool of blood. Feeling around in front of him, Jacob found Tom lying on the ground motionless. The metallic smell of blood rose in the air, as Jacob became acutely aware that someone was in the basement with him and had killed Tom and Maggie. Quickly pushing himself to his feet to make a run for the stairs, Jacob began to form the words to call for help when he felt something hit him hard in the chest. Swept off his feet by the powerful blow, he flew back hitting his head hard on the concrete floor, momentarily causing him to black out. Coming to with his head throbbing, Jacob laid on the floor in disorientation, as he pressed his hand against the large lump on the back of his head. Unsure if he was awake or dreaming, Jacob laid on the floor in pain. Unable to move, he looked around the room, an empty void of complete darkness, except for the dull red pool he was lying in and Tom and Maggie’s bodies on the floor beside him, somehow perfectly visible.

  “Jacob, wake up.” Called a voice Jacob was sure was Alex.

  “Alex!” Said Jacob instinctually, as he saw shadows moving in the dark.

  Trying to force himself to move, Jacob found himself completely paralysed as strange hooded figures moved amongst the distant edges of the void. Unsure what he was seeing, he strained against the darkness, as the figures faded in out of sight.

  “Alex, is that you?” Said Jacob, his voice met with complete silence.

  Waiting to hear his brother again, Jacob stared at the distant figures unsure if they were real or tricks of the mind. As he strained against the darkness to make sense of what he was seeing, he noticed something approaching from the distorted edges of the void. Again, trying to force himself to move, he found it impossible. Only able to watch as the figure approached, he saw it’s bright-red body armour becoming vividly clear, as if it were the only thing that existed in that dark space. Filled with fear, Jacob could feel his heart pounding, as he realized the figure was wearing the same brass-rimmed glasses and respirator as the other invaders he had seen prior. Standing right over Jacob, the soldier came to a complete stop as it stared down at Jacob and drew a long-curved knife from a sheath at its side. Unable to resist, Jacob closed his eyes waiting to feel the blade come down on him, bringing him the same fate that met Tom and Maggie.

  “Get up Jacob!” Screamed Alex’s voice, as Jacob exploded to is feet with a burst of adrenaline.

  Feeling the blade effortlessly pass through his shoulder as he rose, Jacob narrowly missed the blow meant to kill him. Quickly rising, he smashed hard against the soldier in front of him, catching the invader off guard in the darkness and causing them to stumble backwards.

  “Get down Jacob!” Darren yelled from across the room.

  Spinning around, Jacob threw himself to the floor as the bright flash of a rifle discharging briefly lit the room, exposing the red-suits position in the dark for a moment. Darren fired a second shot, hitting the red-suit, as Dawn joined in from the top of the stairs, delivering a lethal head shot to the invader. The room lit up in an intense brightness, as Orm descended the staircase holding a flashlight. While slowly standing, Jacob cautiously looked around at the massacre noticing Tom and Maggie laying on the ground next to each other. Looking down, he could see the deceased soldier in their red body armour lying motionless on the floor at his feet. Curious, Jacob knelt beside the invader and cautiously removed their helmet and face mask. Standing up quickly and stepping back he stared down at the face of boy, who appeared only a few years older than himself.

  “Look at him... they a
re the same as us.” Said Jacob, noticing Darren and Orm now standing at either side of him.

  “But they are not us,” Said Orm in a sombre tone as he knelt and began searching the body for useful gear and weapons.

  “Don't get too sentimental. Remember Jacob, they attacked us, they are here to kill us,” Said Darren as he bent down and removed a pistol and holster from the red-suits chest.

  “They killed my mother, took my brother and destroyed everything I have ever known. How could I forget?” said Jacob. The sadness and anger evident in his voice as he knelt beside Darren and picked up the large knife the soldier cut him with.

  “Your hurt,” said Darren, noticing the blood soaking through Jacobs shirt in the bright flashlight light.

  Hearing Darren, Orm came over to Jacob to evaluate his shoulder wound. Grimacing painfully, Jacob gently removed his sweater with Orms help, to better expose the wound. Fresh blood began flowing from the deep wound and trailing down Jacobs arms, dripping onto the already blood-stained floor. Taking some cloth from his bag, Orm handed it to Darren for him to press it tightly against Jacobs wound and control the bleeding.

  “Gonna need to sew this up kid, it’s to the bone.” Said Orm, taking a needle and some thread like material from his bag. “Sorry, but this will hurt kid. Bite down on this,” continued Orm as he handed Jacob a rolled piece of cloth to place in his mouth.

  Removing Darren's hand and the blood-soaked cloth, Orm began to stitch the wound. Silently bearing down on the cloth, Jacob looking away as he fought back the swelling tears. Finishing closing the wound, Orm covered the area with some cloth, tying it tightly around the wound.

  “Try to take it easy kid, I’m running out of medical supplies.” Said Orm with a laugh, as he packed up his first aid kit.