Artifact: Rise Of Mankind Book 6

by John Walker

  “Maybe but how thorough can it be?”

  Clea frowned. “You’d be surprised.”

  Gray shook his head. “The way you said that is chilling.”

  “Technology does not extend to weapons alone…and the types of torture a person can be put through may be put through…” Clea let the sentence die. “I’m quite certain most of these people would rather die.”

  “If Orion’s Light doesn’t use fear of death then what do they have left?”

  “Spiritual beliefs maybe,” Clea suggested. “Or fear of permanent maiming.”

  “Of course.” Gray turned to his lunch. “Thank you for giving me a little more reason to stop these guys. I’ll be sure to impart this type of rhetoric to the section heads when we do our ship briefing before leaving the system.”

  “Good, I think they need to know the score…and more importantly, they need to understand what happens if anyone is captured by them.”

  “What a fate that would be.”

  “And a tragedy for all of us to be sure.” Clea leaned forward. “If one of us gives them some clue about our advantages, about Durant, we may find ourselves at the wrong end of this engagement and I’m fairly certain the last thing any of us wants is for them to anticipate our tactics.”

  “We’ll ensure that doesn’t happen…at all costs.”

  ***

  Wyan woke with a start, praying he broke free from the nightmare his life became. The same cell walls greeted him, his stomach snarled from hunger and his mouth felt papery from thirst. No one had been by to speak to him or provide nourishment for days, perhaps longer. He lost track of time in the darkness which never relented.

  At least I’m able to sleep. That’s at least a blissful escape from this horror.

  The murders he witnessed shook him to the core. At first he believed he’d been conscripted as well but when they arrived on a capital ship, he was separated from the other settlers. Guards deposited him in the cell and left him there. Perhaps they were waiting for him to die but it didn’t make sense. They clearly didn’t mind shooting people. Why make him suffer?

  They want me for something. That bastard who picked me out of the crowd. He saved my life but for what? And why? This makes no sense!

  Several hours after being left, he shouted for a guard, demanded to be granted the rights of a prisoner and told where he was. Later, he demanded food and water but after being ignored, weakness overwhelmed him. There were no amenities in the room. No comforts. Just metal floors and walls. He picked a corner to relieve himself in and slept on the opposite side of the ten by ten chamber.

  I can’t believe they’re so…barbaric!

  Wyan thought hard about the star chart the bastard wanted but he couldn’t think of anything on the planet which might’ve served such a purpose. Certainly not at Dremir’s Hope. They provided much of the food to the other settlements in the area but that was the extent of their efforts. Perhaps one of the more technological buildings held on to such relics.

  But why would they? The planet had only recently been discovered and the people hadn’t been there but for a year. Who would hide anything amongst a place so newly populated? Even as he considered the question, the idea began to make sense. Who would know to look in such a place?

  The doors opened and two men stormed in, grabbing him by the arms. He tried to protest, even resist but weakness claimed his limbs and he couldn’t even stand. They dragged him out, his feet sliding on the metal plates, taking him to an elevator. There, they went up, holding him aloft.

  “Where’re you taking me? How long have I been down there? You animals haven’t given me any food or water! This is a war crime!”

  Neither of the men responded, they simply stared straight ahead.

  “What’s wrong with you? Are you mute? How can you treat a person this way! It’s incredible! I demand to speak to your leader! Now!”

  “Where do you think we’re taking you, idiot?” The man on his right muttered. “Now be silent.”

  “I refuse to be silent! This treatment is horrifying! You’ll all be brought up on charges. I demand my government be informed of my imprisonment so they can begin negotiating my release.”

  “Sounds like a topic to discuss with our leader. Now the man on the left spoke up. “If you talk again, I’m going to hit you. I doubt you can really tolerate much pain right now so I suggest you hold your tongue. I’m sure you’ll have plenty of time to chat it up with The High Lord.”

  “High Lord? You call him—”

  The blow came fast, slamming him in the gut and instantly silencing him. Pain raced through his body, gripping his limbs and making him all the weaker. He wheezed but otherwise, could not make any sound. The elevator doors opened and they dragged him out, bringing him to a larger space with furniture and, more importantly, a table full of food.

  The scent of meat made Wyan dizzy but his desire to be fed overwhelmed any illness he felt at the thought of putting something in his body. They deposited him on a chair and took two steps back, slapping their legs as they snapped to attention. A moment passed before Krilan entered from the back, sitting across from Wyan.

  “I thought I might indulge a decent meal,” Krilan launched in without preamble. “Maybe you’re hungry. Please, join me.”

  Wyan looked over the spread, his eyes widening. Meat, starches, vegetables…it looked like a holiday meal. They didn’t struggle for food at the settlement but they did carefully ration so as to never experience a shortage. A massive glass of water sat nearby and he started with that, taking it with trembling hands and downing half of it in a single go.

  “You might want to take it slow,” Krilan said. “If you consume any of this too quickly, you’ll be quite sick and if I’m not mistaken, your accommodations don’t include waste facilities. Throwing up might be…well, difficult to sleep with.”

  “Why would you force me to sleep in filth?” Wyan asked. “You are all conducting grievous crimes by treating a prisoner in such a way! And conscripting people? This is simply not done!”

  “A new way is coming,” Krilan said, cutting into his meat. He took a bite before continuing. “One far more efficient…better. I intend to fix all the wrongs our culture has perpetrated throughout the galaxy. Under my leadership, I will bring peace to us all and guide our citizens through righteousness and spiritual purity.”

  “You’re a zealot!” Wyan’s eyes went wide. “You truly believe you can tell people what to do? To run our lives? What gives you the right?”

  “Might,” Krilan replied. “As has been proven through the generations, true power lies in one’s ability to exercise violence and enforce one’s will. I have proven my strength time and again and will continue to do so until all forms of resistance fall. When I’ve conquered the known cultures of the alliance, I’ll move on to those we have yet to encounter. Adding their forces to our own, we’ll be so powerful, no one will ever threaten us again.”

  “Insanity!”

  “I’d recommend you eat before insulting me more,” Krilan said. “Or else you may regret missing this opportunity.”

  Wyan complied, trying to eat slow but his body’s needs nearly pushed him to excess. The meal tasted better than any he’d ever had and he dished himself seconds before the end. As his headache began to subside he took a deep breath and sat back. Strength returned to him albeit slowly and he felt less shaky.

  “There, now that you’ll be thinking clearly,” Krilan leaned forward, “I’d like to talk about the star chart. You stopped my interrogation with those people. I went on to raise the rest of the settlements and didn’t discover what I wanted. It seemed a likely location for the alliance to hide something but apparently, I was wrong.”

  “So what do you want from me? I don’t know anything about a star chart.”

  “Perhaps not. But you can help me find it.” Krilan’s eyes narrowed. “Think hard before you answer my next questions. I know that the alliance has taken to hiding such things in newly discov
ered worlds, places where no one would think to look. The one you came from was the seventh on my list. I no longer know of any others. Tell me where to go.”

  “Straight to the underworld!” Wyan shouted. “Are you jesting? Do you honestly believe I’d help you find another group of people to murder?”

  “I only want the star chart.”

  “Then why kill those settlers?” Wyan shook his head. “Forgive me for not believing you but this seems ridiculous. I would rather die than help you hurt others. What is this star chart to you anyway?”

  “A small thing. A path to a particular world I cannot find through any traditional means.”

  “And what’s there?”

  Krilan clenched his fist. “None of your concern. Listen, I can have you tortured. For days. I can put you back in that room with the lights on for the next week. I can do a wide variety of horrors but to be honest, I don’t have time. So what my men will do to you next is begin cutting you. We’ll start with tendons and work our way to something even more permanent. Death will not come to you for a long time so you might want to cooperate.”

  Wyan trembled. The thought made him sick to his stomach. Surely, they wouldn’t…but why not? They were animals. Monsters. They proved it already and now were more than happy to push it to the next level. Perhaps they would treat him like a side of meat and brutalize him but much as it terrified him, he could not lead them to others to hurt.

  “I won’t help you…”

  “Not as much conviction in your voice this time.” Krilan nodded. “I see. Look at it this way. If you don’t help me, I’ll find them another way. If it’s more difficult, I’ll be far more brutal. Regardless of what happens, even if I find them without you, I’ll still have my men keep you alive. They need the practice. You understand. Torture’s an art form and our medical teams are incredible. You won’t die so at least you have that to look forward to.”

  “Does this terror work on others?”

  “Yes. And it’s working on you too.” Krilan stood and circled the table, putting his hands on Wyan’s shoulders. “Just think of it. Mutilation. Permanent damage. Parts removed and haphazardly restored. When you’re released back to your people, you’ll temporarily be on community assistance. The only thing you’ll have to look forward to is when I take over.”

  “Why…why is that?”

  “Because I won’t suffer invalids to live. Finally, when I ascend to command the alliance, you’ll have your death. A peaceful execution but not before that day. And it may take a while. Just as your punishment is about to.” Krilan patted him on the bicep. “I’ll tell you what. You get settled downstairs in the chair. I’ll send some men around and let them have an hour with you. After that, if you still don’t want to talk, we’ll escalate. What do you say?”

  A tear drifted down Wyan’s cheek. His heart hammered in his chest. The threat of what Krilan suggested gnawed at his mind. The unimaginable cruelty of these people made him tremble uncontrollably. The injustice of it all made him nauseous but he could not break. Not if he wanted to protect others.

  “Please…” Wyan muttered. “Don’t do this. You know I cannot help you. Would you talk in my place?”

  “Yes,” Krilan replied. “I’m afraid I’m far more pragmatic than most, though. I recognize a situation where I cannot win and I look for another way to claim victory. Telling me what I want to know will save you, Wyan. But since you’ve wasted my time, only full cooperation will prevent you from getting a taste of our accommodations.”

  “I…can…not.”

  Krilan stepped away. “Very well.” He turned to the soldiers. “Take him to interrogation. No questions, no discussion, no description. You will conduct the torture in total silence. Clinically hurt him.” He hesitated. “And bring one of the new conscripts in. The useless one I heard about earlier. Brutalize him in front of our friend. Perhaps a little psychological trauma will nudge his stubbornness.”

  The thought of another suffering in front of him made Wyan even more frantic. He tried to stand by the men grabbed him. “Wait! You can’t harm another! I thought I was to be the one…you would torture me!”

  “Don’t worry, they’ve got plenty for you,” Krilan said. “But I find that horrible situations are much easier to take with another person. There’s a saying passed on by our Earth friends, something I learned just before I left the military. I started studying their culture, you see. Misery loves company and Wyan, you’re about to have an affair with the young man accompanying you. Take him away.”

  They dragged Wyan for the door and he screamed back at Krilan, demanding him to halt the order, begging him. As the elevator closed, his voice echoed off the metal. He implored with the guards but they maintained placid expressions, not even looking at him. The future seemed inevitable but he could not reside himself to the fact.

  He trembled, waiting for the pain to come…and the horror he’d be forced to witness.

  Chapter 3

  Lieutenant Colonel Marshall Dupont read through the briefing again, preparing a truncated version for his men. Orion’s Light proved to be real pieces of work when they faced them on Durant’s planet. Now that they were going after them directly, he knew they’d be up against heavier odds. Still, he had faith in the training of the marines aboard for any real engagement.

  Captain Atwell brought them all together to discuss their latest mission. Durant came aboard and with him, they acquired over one hundred of his rifles he’d built back on his home world. The marines were given leave to take them down to the shooting range onboard and become familiar with them. He assigned shifts to try the weapons, and allowed them to get some serious trigger time before needing them in a fight.

  Other technology came with the weapons. Defensive shields which might turn a direct hit, better cameras attached to drones and even portable gun emplacements which could be used for a serious scrape. They were better armed than ever before and prepared to take on a nasty enemy, one that Marshall wanted to take down more than even the bastards who attacked Earth.

  At least those pieces of filth took the fight to them head on. These Orion’s Light jerks hurt civilians and ran away.

  Durant immediately made himself at home in the engineering section, working with Clea and Olly to update key systems. They did this before departure, running tests and making sure they didn’t cause any serious damage. Marshall became involved only to provide security clearance otherwise, he knew he wouldn’t have even known about it.

  The technical crews went crazy when they found out about Durant joining them and they all wanted a shot at chatting him up. Apparently, they all read about the guy around the time the kielans shared historical data. His papers taught them a lot and they came away far better at their jobs having studied his schematics and breakthroughs.

  To have him in the flesh might’ve been the single best thing to happen to any of them in the last four years, providing he had time to run a few workshops or whatever they wanted. Marshall felt thankful all he had to do was keep people safe. Technology advances didn’t impact his teams all that much and they rarely completely changed the job.

  He barely finished writing up his briefing for his senior staff when the announcement came that they were leaving the system. They’d fly two hours out then jump to their first destination, the latest colony to potentially have been hit by Orion’s Light. Marshall’s men would go down in several shuttles, investigating each settlement.

  They hoped not only to find evidence of the attackers but survivors as well. Once they cleared the locations, medical relief would arrive to assist. Marshall couldn’t quite drum up optimism they would find anyone alive but he kept it to himself. If these animals had killed colonists elsewhere, they wouldn’t suddenly develop a conscience.

  The Behemoth crew needed body bags, not medics.

  Marshall left his office to give his senior officers their briefing. They’d be ready to go as soon as the ship arrived in the sector, having fired off plenty of rounds to b
e ready to use the weapons. He wished they had longer, even a few weeks but their time lines seemed to always be short. It made for a stressful work environment but at least no one had a chance to get bored.

  Or complain for that matter.

  ***

  Lieutenant Oliver Darnell brought up scans the moment they jumped into the system where the colony had gone silent. He pinged the area, searching for any ships or even technology remaining nearby. Debris with consistent make of the colony’s satellites orbited the planet. Communications arrays and defenses were devastated, all on a decaying orbit.

  He estimated the largest pieces would make landfall within ten hours.

  Olly was about to report in on this discovery when his scans indicated technology in motion through artificial thrust. He zoomed in, eyes widening at the discovery. Drones. Maybe fifteen of them, orbited the planet and as they approached, they began scanning the Behemoth. After a moment, they began an intercept course.

  “Captain, we’ve got a number of drones incoming.” Olly frowned. “ETA, less than five minutes.”

  “Hostile?” Gray asked.

  Olly performed another scan and nodded. “Yes, sir. They’re coming in weapons hot but all indications show they shouldn’t be able to penetrate our shields.”

  “We’re not taking any chances,” Gray said. “Redding, target those things and take them out. Keep your eyes open for any other little traps they might’ve left.”

  Redding tapped at her controls and the smaller turrets opened fire. The drones got off a few pot shots but were taken out quickly. Olly continued his scans.

  Clea spoke up, “if a civilian ship would’ve come here to provide aid, they would’ve been taken out by those.”

  “I imagine.” Gray sighed. “So whoever hit this place left behind a care package. Seems pretty ruthless.”

  “Consistent with the Orion’s Light,” Clea replied.

  “Bring us closer, Redding,” Captain Atwell said. “Let’s remain on alert status. Adam, inform Marshall they’ll be operational inside thirty minutes.”