Among The Ether: The Invasion of Issa

by C. R. Allan

  “This one is different than the others I’ve seen,” said Jacob, looking down at the soldier in red armour, while he played with the knife.

  “Yeah, the day we found you on the roof the other ones left in their airships with all the people they've taken. That’s when these red-suit ones started showing up,” said Darren, as he removed the belt and knife sheath from the soldier and handed it to Jacob.

  “These ones don’t seem interested in taking anyone either, kid.” Said Orm, gesturing over to Tom and Maggie, as he threw his pack across his back and headed for the stairs.

  “We need to get moving. More of them will be on their way,” said Dawn, who had been watching from the top of the stairs. “Here, it’s getting cold out there,” continued Dawn, tossing one of Tom’s old winter coats down to Jacob.

  Following Orm and Darren up the stairs, Jacob began to painfully put the coat on as he felt the cold air moving through the open door of the house. Pausing briefly at the top of the stairs, he looked down into the darkness of the basement, hoping to hear Alex call out to him again. Feeling a hand on his shoulder, Jacob noticed Dawn standing beside him looking down into the dark with him for a few moments. Gently pulling on his arm, as if to say there is nothing down there, Dawn left to catch up with the others, with Jacob following close behind.

  X

  The trees bowed and creaked, as they stressed against the strong wind picking up from the north east. The light from the two moons high above barely able to diffuse through the increasing cloud cover that cast a vale of darkness over the landscape. Standing high above the ground on the cold and twisted remains of their ship, Jin stared off at the distant silhouettes of trees barely visible as they danced in the fading light. The increasingly cold winds began to carry a flurry of fast-moving snow and ice forcing Jin to retreat to the safety of what remained of the ship. Opening the hatch into the hull, Jin took one last look out across ground he recently buried the deceased members of the crew, before climbing down into the ship.

  Closing the hatch above him, Jin pulled a lever turning on some dim orange lights along the wall, before declining through the narrow shaft. Arriving at the open interior hatch below, he noticed the ladder he used to climb up had broken off, forcing him to plan out the eight-foot drop to the floor of below. Holding onto the rim on the hatch, Jin groaned as he slowly lowered himself through the opening as far as he could before dropping the remaining distance. Slamming hard onto what was meant to be the roof of the habitat ring, he grimaced in pain as loud echoes bounced through the vessel. Following the tarnished piping around the curvature of the ship, he carefully navigated along the roof to the other side of the ring.

  “It's colder than the ether out there... Looks like a storm is coming in,” Said Jin, dropping down from above and sitting down next to Reliq.

  With the latches snaping loudly apart, Jin opened a silver hard shelled case next to Reliq. Removing a small vial of clear blue fluid from the case, he proceeded to screw the vial onto a crude, intimidatingly large needle. Although this wasn’t the first injecting since the crash, Reliq observed in anticipation as she prepared for Jin to administer the medication

  “This should be the last dose. That was a nasty break,” said Jin, as he pressed the needle into Reliqs bruised and purple outer thigh. “Should be healed enough to start walking on it tomorrow,” continued Jin, placing a bandage over the site where a fractured bone broke through the skin only days prior.

  “Bet you sure miss the rapid healing pods back on Tyde.” Said Jin, snapping the medical case shut.

  “Nah, how else would I ensure my ships doctor can still perform without all the fancy equipment,” Said Reliq with a chuckle that forced her to grab her ribs and withdraw in pain.

  “Take it easy captain, the medication may have expedited your healing, but it will hurt for a while. Now get some rest, I am going to see if I can get some of the main systems back up.” Said Jin as he climbed up onto a nearby desk and jumped up into a tube above, leading into the command module at the centre of the habitat ring.

  Starting to feel the pain-relieving effects of the medication, Reliq fell into a deep dreamless sleep before being suddenly awoken by the sound of ice and hard snow beating against the hull of the ship. Groggy and unsure how much time had passed, Reliq stared at the soft day light spilling in through the exterior windows of the vessel. In the dim light of the interior of the ship, Reliq removed her bandage trying to examine the wound on her leg. Finding little evidence of any wound, Reliq used the workstation next to her to try to pull herself to her feet. Groaning in pain as she put weight on her once broken leg, she quickly returned to the floor to regroup. Watching her breath crystallize in the frigid air, she took several deep breaths before pulling herself to her feet. With pain shooting up her leg, Reliq stood for as long as she could tolerate before loudly collapsing back to the floor.

  “Your awake,” said Jin, looking down from the command module.

  “Yeah, how long was I out?” said Reliq, as she watched Jin descending the tube toward her.

  “Not long captain. I believe you’ve been asleep for just over one rotation of this world this time.”

  “Oh, is that it? What's our status?” Said Reliq, as she sat up.

  “I have managed to get most the major command module systems up by cannibalizing components from the habitat ring. But we have some issues.”

  “What is it Doc?”

  “It’s better if I show you captain. Can you walk?”

  “I will manage,” said Relic, as she willed herself painfully to her feet, before climbing up to the ladder.

  Once in the module, Reliq sat at the command station, pausing for a moment as she looked at the empty chairs around her. Standing in front of her, Jin put a hologram sphere into a pedestal beside him. Clicking and whining as it unfolded, the sphere projected a flickering three-dimensional image of blue light. Unable to make out the distorted hologram, he pulled a pouch of small tools from the breast pocket inside his coat and began tinkering with the mechanics of the sphere.

  “That should do it,” said Jin, as he made one final adjustment.

  The intricate gears and mechanisms in the sphere moved rapidly as they freely expanded outward. Trailing a fine pink mist in their wake, the cogs accelerated and rotated around the pivotal point of the sphere until they were all but invisible. Becoming increasingly clearer, the blue mess of distorted light above the orb focused and concentrated in a sharp topographical map of the area surrounding the crashed ship.

  “What am I looking at?” Asked Reliq, leaning towards the hologram.

  “I intercepted some maps, and communications from Company radio signals. Seems they figured out roughly where we crashed,” said Jin.

  “That's a problem Jin. Won't be long before they come to finish the job.”

  “Exactly what though Captain. So, I cut all nonessential systems, including the steam engine, to hide us from their thermal scanners. It bought us some time for repairs, but...”

  “But we’re trapped now. Right?” Responded Reliq.

  “Right captain. Although I have managed to get the command module operational enough to take off, the Company would be here before the engines even warm up.” Said Jin before a brief pause. “Also, we lost most our aillinium on re-entry shielding. However, I may have found a solution for that problem.” Continued Jin.

  Placing both hands over the hologram, Jin moved the hologram. Detailed images of trees and mountain contours rapidly sped by before coming to a stop over a large fenced off area, several miles northwest of their position. Magnifying the image more, details of military vehicles and guard towers surrounding a large opening in the ground became clear.

  “What is that? A mine?” Said Reliq, as she studied the image.

  “Close... turns out these Issonians may not be as primitive as we thought.” Said Jin. “This area north east of here is a heavily guarded Issonian military installation. It’s where those Company troops are heading.” Co
ntinued Jin, as he zoomed the map out showing the Company troops quickly advancing towards the installation.

  “What are you getting at Jin?” Said Reliq.

  “From what I have pieced together from intercepted Company and Issonian radio signals, there is aillinium down there, literally tons of it.” Continued Jin.

  “That doesn’t make any sense. The people of Issa are hundreds of years away from being able to use refined aillinium.” Said Reliq.

  “From what I gather Captain, they don’t know what it is. They store in down there as chemical waste to protect the public. They believe it's a useless and hazardous by-product of their mineral extraction methods.” Said Jin, with a tone of excitement.

  “Well, this situation just got a whole lot more complicated. I need the command module warmed up and ready to take off as soon as possible,” said Reliq. “The Judicators need to be made aware of this. There is no telling what the company could do with that much aillinium.” Said Reliq, with urgency in her voice.

  Standing up, Reliq staggered briefly as she put weight on her injured leg. Limping to the back of the module, Reliq used a handle to spin a series of gears to open the door into the engine room. With Jin following behind, she manoeuvred the levers and buttons on the large brass and iron steam engine to prepare it for start-up. Groaning to lift a heavy bag of black engine sand, Jin came up beside Reliq, pouring the power into a large basin at the bottom of the engine. The sound of the starter clicked rapidly causing a spark to ignite the back sand, instantly causing it to glow orange then white. With a torrent of heat flowing from the intake, Reliq pulled a large lever causing the furnace door to slam shut, holding the heat inside the engine, and causing it to loudly roar to life.

  “I need you to divert power to the radio transmitter. I need to get a message to the Avus ring.” Said Reliq loudly, as she inspected the pressure gauges on the engine.

  “Captain?” Responded Jin, with hesitation.

  “I don’t have much time to explain, but the Union has people on that ring,” said Reliq as she made her way back to the bridge. “Avus will be over head soon. Can you get enough power to send the transmission?” Continued Reliq, looking back at Jin while sitting in her seat.

  “Yes Captain, I will make sure it happens,” said Jin, as he walked over to the mess of wires on the wall and began rearranging their terminal ends on a switchboard.

  Seeing Jin gesture that the radio was ready, Reliq put on a set of heavy bronze headphones. Tapping a large microphone in front of her, Reliq quickly relayed a coded message to the ring, as it passed by high above them. Putting down the headphones, she walked over to the window and watched the snow rapidly fly, while listening to the engine hum in the other room as the ship trembled and shuttered against the heavy winds outside.

  Noticing Jin come up beside her, Reliq could feel the uncertainty and confusion emanating from him as she began to speak. “All we can do now is wait,” Said Reliq as she continued to stare out at the winter storm.

  XI

  A strong wind ripped through the trees, throwing shards of ice and snow against Jacobs raw and exposed skin. The sun slowly began rising over the mountains exposing the town far down in the valley below. Shivering against the cold, Jacob sat on the barren cliffside with his back against a large tree, feeling it sway as he longed for the day to bring some warmth. The night had been long and cold after the group had been forced to find shelter against the coming storm. The town they fled now looked so peaceful far below in the valley. As a fresh blanket of snow now covered the entire landscape, making the once fire ravaged town appear still and silent against the icy backdrop.

  Haunted by the memories of the night before, Jacob sat waiting in the cold, dark, silence, waiting for the wind to fade and the coming of day. After leaving the basement, Jacob and the others had made a run for the mountains. Remembering the fear and anxiety he felt as they made their way through the abandoned streets as the intense artic air started to roll in. Sudden changes in weather extremes were quite common to Jacob, especially in the late autumn months, and most of the time Jacob enjoyed these seasonal storms. However, that was the distant past of a different world. A world when Jacob had the safety and warmth of his house and family. Now in those cold and abandoned streets Jacob and the others tried to fight against the growing storm. They moved quickly through the dark, pushed forward by the sound of footsteps close behind and the constant fear that their enemy lie waiting to attack around every building and street corner. As if they were being herded as the group pushed on, heading towards the river and out of town. Looking back, he remembered the streets always remained still and empty, there was never anyone waiting around the corner. As the bridge came into view the pace quickened with excitement. They had to made it to safety, to the mountains on the other side.

  The sound of the water raging against the rocks below filled the air as Jacob and others approached the bridge. They waited before crossing for what seemed like hours, Jacob could remember the feeling he had, there was something not right. Why would the red-suits let them escape? Jacob thought to himself as he looked out towards the darkness on the other side of the bridge. The bridge was open and exposed they would be easy targets, even in the dark. The fear of what waited for them when they crossed was becoming as unbearable to Jacob as the cold before Dawn gave the order to cross.

  They almost made it to the other side, Jacob remembered the brief period of relief he felt as the far side drew near. But it was a trap. There was no warning, before the red-suits started shooting from both sides of the bridge. Everything after that became so hectic and blurred. Darren was shouting over the sounds of the gunfire and the raging current below. The sound of bullets hissing by and hitting the metal parts of the bridge, seemed be getting closer and coming from every angle. Frozen with fear, Jacob felt someone grab his arm and yell for him to jump. The water was cold and the current fast as Jacob fought to stay above the surface, before being pulled to the shore downstream. He remembered the bridge; it was barely visible in the distance, just before he followed the others into the safety of the dense trees. It was not until they had been traveling for a while that Jacob realized Darren wasn't with them, that no one had seen him make it off the bridge.

  “We need to keep moving... Or this cold will kill us before the red-suits,” said Dawn, placing a hand on Jacobs shoulder.

  “They took everything... everyone I knew is dead or gone. Darren was the last person I knew from before...” Responded Jacob, without looking at Dawn.

  “I would like to tell you it gets easier Jacob... or things will get better. But I don’t know. I don’t know if things will get better. What I do know though is we will die if we don’t keep moving and our only chance is over these mountains.” Said Dawn.

  “What’s the point...” Jacob replied, as he wrapped a thin wool blanket, Orm had taken from the house, tightly around himself.

  “What's the point? The point is kid, we are here, and many others are not so lucky. The point is Darren died on that bridge so we can live... The point is there are many others taken that we may be able to help. So as Dawn said, it might not get easier, but our only chance is over these hills and we need to get moving... So kid, it’s time to stop thinking about what they’ve taken and start thinking what you are going to about it.” Said Orm as he approached, holding out his hand to help Jacob to his feet.

  The terrain became increasingly difficult to transverse as Jacob followed Dawn and Orm deeper into the wilderness, periodically looking behind in hopes Darren would somehow be there. Falling further and further behind as they trekked up the mountain, Jacob found it increasingly hard to keep up as they climbed hills for what seemed like hours. The wind faded taking the intense cold with it as the sun periodically breached the clouds, offering some warmth and comfort. The snow began to slowly fall around them, as Jacob looked towards the overcast sky trying to guess the time of day. His stomach began to gurgle and churn as periods of nausea came over him intermittently
, forcing Jacob to slow even more in an attempt to resist the urge to be sick.

  Noticing Jacob was falling behind, Orm had stopped as Dawn continued up the steep terrain. “Are you okay Jacob? You really don't look well.”

  Jacob responded, “I'm fine…,” in a faint voice with sweat pouring down his face.

  “You have a fever, I think we need to stop pretty quick here,” said Orm placing a hand on Jacobs forehead before handing him a water bottle.

  Running up ahead to quickly catch up with Dawn, Orm could see Jacob mindlessly trudging along as he looked back, as if Jacob were unaware, he was even moving.

  “The kid seems is pretty sick, we may need to stop for the night.” Said Orm as he caught up with Dawn.

  “I’m fine...” said Jacob as he caught up looking very pale. “We don't have time to stop...” he continued as he kept walking ahead past Orm and Dawn.

  “There is an old abandoned cabin I know of about an hour ahead, we can rest there for the night.” Said Dawn with concern on her face, as she watched Jacob walk by.

  After the brief pause, Orm and Dawn caught up with Jacob. The group continued walking along in single file with Dawn leading the way as she cut a path through the thick brush. Feeling increasingly ill, the march through the wood felt like an eternity to Jacob as the chills became more frequent. The pain of moving up the hills eventually faded, replaced by malaise as he felt like a mindless drone forever moving forward. The pain from the wound on his shoulder had increased fallowing the plunge in the river. However, he said nothing of his discomfort or condition to the others. Trudging on, the pain reached a point of being completely unbearable. Yet, in those moments, as he shivered in the cold while fighting the discomfort and nausea, he forced himself to continue. He believed on some level he deserved it for being alive while others where not.

  The sun eventually dipped far beyond the mountains making it next to impossible to continue moving. Leading the group through the wilderness in almost complete darkness, Dawn pushed forward to the top of a steep hill. Arriving slightly after, Jacob and Orm stood with the precipice behind them looking out into a small clearing, barely visible in the fading twilight. The silhouette of a small weathered hunting cabin stood at the far end of the clearing, offering a place of refuge against the increasingly frigid air. Without saying a word, the others fallowed Dawn as she led them towards their place of rest for the night. Collapsing on an old bed lined with animal furs, Jacob curled while wrapping the blankets tightly around him as he shivered violently against the cold. Falling in out of dreamless sleep, Jacob remembered feeling the warmth of a fire and Orm bringing him some warm stalk to drink late in the night.