by G. P. Hudson
More followed suit, each supplicating themselves before the Emperor. Soon the entire crowd of prisoners knelt with head down before Emperor Kriss.
“Arise, loyal Dvorkans,” said Kris. “It is time to replace words with deeds. It is time to take the station’s Command Center.”
A roar erupted from the crowd of prisoners. They turned and charged down the corridor, away from the Taymati, toward the Command Center.
“Your worship,” said Vass. “These men are convicts. We cannot trust them.”
“Perhaps,” said Kriss. “But if there is one thing you can always count on, it is a Dvorkan’s self-interest.
Chapter 16
Emperor Kriss and the Taymati moved at a brisk yet cautious pace, on their way to the station’s Command Center. Wary of any cloaked opponents, they took the time to stop and scan ahead at regular intervals. They had lost sight of the prisoners, who had raced ahead of them, eager to secure their freedom, perhaps dishing out some vengeance in the process. Kriss wondered how many of them would die here in his name. While it was true that they had military training, the fact remained that they were woefully unarmed.
Turning a corner, Kriss realized that this was no longer the case for at least some of the prisoners. The carnage strewn across the length of the corridor spoke volumes. This time it was a mix of prisoners and prison guards, with the latter disarmed. They continued past the bodies, but moved with greater caution now, unsure of what they would face. Just because the prisoners dropped to their knees, swearing their loyalty to the Emperor, didn’t mean the Taymati would trust them even for a moment. To Vass, they still represented a threat, even more so now that they were armed.
However, the brunt of that firepower seemed focused on the prison guards for the time being. The more the Taymati advanced, the more bodies they found. As before, each time the scene mixed the dead prisoners with guards, and each time the weapons were gone.
“Your worship, we have a problem,” said Lieutenant Vass through the Emperor’s comm. The group came to a sudden stop. “You need to see this.”
“What is it?” he said, as he waded through the men to approach Vass at the front of the pack.
Vass directed him to the open door in front of them, and Kriss peered inside. He saw nothing but empty racks and shelves. “It’s a weapon locker, your worship. They emptied it.”
“You think the prisoners have them?” said Kriss.
“Yes, your worship. I do. We are no longer dealing with an angry mob. We are now dealing with an army.”
Kriss let this information sink in. If the prisoners were all armed, the Taymati didn’t pose much of a threat anymore. The prisoners were all former soldiers, and while none of them rivaled the Taymati in skill, they now had the firepower to overwhelm any resistance the Taymati could put forth.
“Perhaps we should reconsider our course of action,” said Vass.
Kriss considered his options. If the prisoners were armed, it seemed likely that they would take the Control Center. They would gain control of the station’s guns and could choose to continue the assault on the Imperial battle group. They might decide that there was more to gain by taking the Emperor hostage. If this turned out to be the case, they were back to where they started, but facing a stronger, more unpredictable opponent. If they returned to the hangar bay, they would be sitting ducks while the station’s guns were operational, and the prisoners had the numbers to take him hostage anyway. Doubling down on the original plan, however, they might have a better chance of controlling the situation before it got out of hand. “Nothing has changed. We continue to the Control Center.”
“As you wish, your worship,” said Vass.
The group resumed course, albeit with even greater caution. Drawing nearer, the body count increased. The prisoners were clearing the way, he had to give them credit. Moments later, the station stopped it’s shuddering.
“The station’s weapons have stopped firing,” said Vass over the Emperor’s comm. “The prisoners must have taken the Control Center.”
“Can we communicate with Imperial One?” said Kriss.
“No, your worship. They’re still blocking communications.”
“We better keep moving and change that.”
They encountered the first group of prisoners when they rounded a corner leading to the Control Center. Some were searching the bodies, while others stood around, brandishing powerful looking weapons. The Taymati watched them warily as they passed, but if the prisoners had any ideas, they didn’t act on them. As they entered the Control Center, Kriss noted that the armed prisoners from the hallway followed. Inside, the scene was a bloodbath. There were no survivors.
Upon seeing the Taymati, the prisoners turned to face them. More inmates filed in from behind. They were surrounded, outnumbered and outgunned. Kriss questioned his earlier resolve, wondering if their prospects hadn’t taken a turn for the worst.
“You’ve done well, loyal Dvorkans,” he said, trying to manage the situation. “As promised, every one of you will receive an Imperial pardon in return for your service to the Emperor.”
“I’m starting to think that’s not enough,” said one of the prisoners, putting the Taymati on edge.
“Shut your mouth!” said another inmate. “You don’t speak for the rest of us.”
“He’s right,” said another. “We should be paid too. The Empire will pay quite a bit to get the Emperor back safely.”
The Taymati closed ranks around the Emperor, raising their weapons. “The next man to threaten the Emperor dies!” said Vass.
“I stand with the Emperor,” said one of the prisoners. “You will have to come through me first.” The man raised his weapon and pointed it at the others.
“And me!” said another man, joining the first.
Before long, the prisoners were divided into two groups, with what seemed like two-thirds supporting Kriss, and the rest in favor of taking him hostage. He knew he had to do something. “Everyone needs to calm down. There’s no need for-”
An energy bolt interrupted Kriss, followed by bursts of insanity. He wasn’t sure which side fired first, and didn’t think it mattered. The body count was about to rise significantly. In such close quarters, there wasn’t much in the way of cover. Without any body armor, the prisoners rapidly fell on both sides.
The Taymati, for their part, were more concerned with shielding the Emperor. While actively returning fire, they absorbed enemy energy bolts with their armor. Kriss, trying in vain to join the fight, was held down to keep him out of the line of fire. His frustration increased by the second, as he watched their armor statistics drop rapidly on his visor. He tried again to stand, but his personal guards were unyielding. Then they were moving, headed back the way they came. It made sense, as there was less opposition in that direction, and the narrow entrance would create a natural bottleneck they could exploit.
When they finally made it out of the Control Center, they loosened their grip on the Emperor, allowing him to stand. Rising quickly, Kriss raised his weapon to join the fight. To his chagrin, the only thing he could see was a wall of Taymati armor. They had safely positioned him in the rear yet again, and he had to check his growing irritation. He reminded himself that he was the Emperor, not one of them. Despite his desire to join in, he had no business in a firefight. Not while there was a cohort of Taymati doing their job. Still, he kept his weapon raised, on the off chance that he got an opportunity to help.
The opportunity never came. Soon the battle was over, with the loyalist side victorious. Even so, the Taymati insisted that the prisoners drop their weapons. They hesitated at first, but after repeated assurances from Kriss that they would all receive a full pardon, they complied. The Taymati moved quickly to restore communications with Imperial One. Before long, the Imperial shuttle returned the Emperor to the safety of his battleship.
Chapter 17
“Wake her up,” said Emperor Kriss, standing over the prone body of Consul Kang.
; “Yes, your worship,” said Doctor Kith, the Emperor’s personal physician, and Imperial One’s Chief Medical Officer.
After taking Kang off the station, onto Imperial One, Kriss decided there was no need for the corrupt Doctor Seng. Doctor Kith had assured him that she knew what had been done to Consul Kang, and how to revive her safely. That was good enough for him, and Seng was thrown in the brig, along with General Tal.
Kith went to work, and soon the former Consul began to stir. The Emperor watched the process intently, keeping watch for adverse reactions. Thankfully, this doctor’s skill was unrivaled in the Empire, and Kang began to wake without incident. When her eyes finally opened, she seemed confused and distraught. Her eyes grew wide, frantically darting around the room.
“Where am I?” slurred Kang, struggling to get the words out.
“You are safe,” Doctor Kith reassured the anxious Kang. “You are on board Imperial One.”
“Imperial One? How-”
“You are also in the presence of the Emperor,” added the doctor.
The words seemed to bring her more lucidity, and Kang fixed her gaze on Kriss. “Your worship. This is a great honor.”
“Yes, well, I’ve gone to a lot of trouble to speak with you, Consul,” said Kriss, arms folded in front of his chest, face stern. “General Tal even tried to kill me, and have my ships destroyed. Can you explain why that is?”
Kang gasped, fully conscious now. “My apologies, your worship, but I do not know.”
“I find that hard to believe, Consul. General Tal went to a lot of trouble to keep you quiet. She even had you put into a coma. Why?”
“Honestly, your worship. I don’t know. All I know is after my system was attacked, Central Command debriefed me, and sent me to the penal station.”
“Alright, why don’t we start at the beginning. Tell me about these humans you encountered. And Consul, do not try and conceal anything from me. I must know everything.”
“Yes, your worship. Of course. The humans appeared in my system a short time ago. They were on some foolish quest, searching for the Antikitheri.”
The humans were looking for the Antikitheri. Interesting. Why didn’t General Dak mention that when they were brought up? thought Kriss, now wondering if the conspiracy extended to the top of Central Command. “Why do you consider that to be a foolish quest?”
Kang seemed surprised by the question. “The Antikitheri are nothing more than a legend, your worship. The humans are chasing phantoms.”
“I see. Continue. What happened next?” said Kriss, not necessarily agreeing with Kang’s viewpoint.
“I allowed them to exchange goods for credits, so they could pay to use our transit points. Then I told them to look up the scholar, Miira Kev, since she is the Empire’s foremost expert on the Antikitheri.”
“Yes, I have read some of her work. She is a brilliant scholar.”
Kang seemed momentarily confused by Kriss’s comment, but quickly regained her composure. “Meanwhile, I had grown suspicious about how they had arrived here. The Empire has not discovered any new civilizations in centuries, so where did these aliens come from? Considering how far the Empire has explored, it seemed logical that their homeworld must be much farther out. If that is the case, then it stands to reason that they possess a superior form of propulsion. I had them followed by a cloaked ship, which then verified my suspicions. The humans did indeed have a superior form of propulsion.”
“Why didn’t you inform Central Command at that moment?” said Kriss, angered by the Consul’s actions.
“Forgive me, your worship. I was weak, and thinking only of personal glory. I had been assigned to a remote system on the outskirts of the Empire. I hoped to obtain their propulsion system and be rewarded with a more prestigious assignment.”
Kriss nodded. If there is one thing you can always count on, it is a Dvorkan’s self-interest. “Continue.”
“Initially, I thought that the easiest way to obtain the secret of their technology, without drawing attention to the action, was to take their leader, Admiral Pike, into custody. The humans had traveled to Kaizon One to find the scholar, so I dispatched a strike team there to seize him.”
“A strike team? Was there really a need for such heavy handedness?” Kriss did not like where this story was going. Here they had made first contact with an alien race possessing valuable technology, and this fool had done her best to turn it into a military confrontation.
“I admit it was a miscalculation, but not in the way you think. The strike team succeeded in taking Admiral Pike into custody, but were all later found dead in an elevator in the scholar’s building.”
“The entire strike team?”
“Yes, your worship.”
Impressive, thought Kriss. These humans are turning out to be a credible threat to the Empire. “Clearly you underestimated these aliens. What happened next?”
“Knowing that they would return to my system’s space, I had a Dvorkan battle group of twelve warships ambush them on arrival. Our ships outnumbered theirs, and they did not possess any cloaking technology. It seemed simple enough to defeat them and obtain their technology.”
“I see a pattern forming here. Let me guess, your ships were defeated.”
“Unfortunately, this is true, your worship. The humans seemed to incorporate their propulsion technology into their weapon systems.”
“I don’t understand.”
“Neither do I, your worship. Not entirely. It seems that they have found a way to incorporate the transit point technology onto their ships, to travel from one point to another in an instant. When our ships attacked them, we found that their bombs were capable of the same movements. They used the electromagnetic pulse generated by a nuclear blast to disable our ships’ cloaks and proceeded to destroy all twelve Dvorkan warships. When they were finished, they vanished, and I haven’t seen them since.”
“What about the aliens who attacked your system?”
“They were a different race, your worship.”
“How do you know?”
“Their ships were very different in design and configuration.”
“The ships could belong to a different arm of their military.”
“They behaved differently, too. In all our encounters with the humans, they did not behave aggressively unless provoked. They preferred communication to combat. This race approached silently and did not respond to any of our hails. They attacked ruthlessly, destroying both our military and civilian infrastructure.”
“You did plenty to provoke the humans, Consul.”
“While that may be true, the humans had other concerns. Admiral Pike indicated that they were facing an enormous calamity back where they had come from. They thought the Antikitheri could help. I believe that when they vanished, they continued on their quest.”
“I see,” said Kriss. “And we know nothing about where this other race came from?”
“No, your worship. But, I don’t believe we have seen the last of them.”
Chapter 18
“Why did you try to kill me, General?” Kriss looked down at the now bound General Tal with contempt. He waited for an answer, but none came. Looking at the stoic Taymati surrounding Tal, he wondered if he would have to resort to torture. “General, you of all people know how painful this can become. I believe you’ve personally overseen many interrogations on the penal station. Isn’t that right? Perhaps you are looking forward to a taste of your own medicine? We can go down that road if you wish. The Taymati are exceptional interrogators.”
Tal’s face darkened momentarily. She glanced around at the Taymati soldiers as if appraising their capabilities. Turning her gaze back to the Emperor, she seemed to regain her composure. “It doesn’t matter what you do. You cannot stop what is coming.”
“Really? And what is it that’s coming?”
“The end, as far as you’re concerned. You will be replaced soon. The Empire has grown old and fat. It is time for a new order. Dvorkans wi
ll know glory once again.”
The Emperor let Tal’s comments sink in. His father had often warned him about Dvorkans like Tal. Those who had a problem with the current state of the Empire, and believed they could turn back the clock to some perceived high point in their history. These Dvorkans had an idealized view of what life was like, which had no semblance to reality. They reduced things to a simplistic interpretation and had no grasp of the complexities always at play. He taught Kriss that even though these Dvorkans were delusional, they could be dangerous. “You are referring to a coup. How many are involved?”
Tal laughed. “You have no idea. It would be amusing if it weren’t so pathetic.”
Kriss cringed. He couldn’t let the insult stand. He would lose power, and credibility if he did. But he did not relish what he was about to do. Dvorkans respected strength, especially from the Emperor. The way he saw it, Tal had given him no choice. He nodded at one of the Taymati who drew his sidearm and fired, burning a quarter-sized hole through Tal’s right foot. Tal writhed in her chair, her laughter transformed into screams.
Kriss bent down until he was eye level with Tal. “Do you want to know what I find pathetic, General? A Dvorkan traitor with a hole in her foot.” He studied her closely, saw the pain on her face, and hoped it would be enough. Rising to his full height, he continued. “Now I’d like to point out how patient and merciful I’ve been. That injury was quick and clean. It didn’t have to be. Do you understand?”
Tal had stopped screaming. She looked back at the Emperor with wide eyes. The hatred was still there but now mingled with fear, and Tal nodded her understanding.
“I’m sorry, I didn’t hear you, General.”
Her face contorted with contempt, and Kriss thought she might spit insults at him again. The Taymati raised his sidearm in response, and she thought better of it. “I understand.”
“Excellent,” said Kriss, wondering briefly what his father would have done in his shoes. Though Kriss was present most of the time, he was never party to an interrogation. In fact, Kriss had no idea if his father had ever taken part in one. Thinking about it now, he was sure that the Taymati would have handled it alone when required. Things had certainly changed since then. “Tell me about the coup. How many are involved?”