by Neal Jones
One of the soldiers spoke into his comm unit and the door behind him opened. Two more soldiers, garbed in the uniforms of the Talik'Jhor, entered the chamber. Between them was Eril Koden, and Erengaar savored the whispered gasps and murmured exclamations that rippled among Koden's fellow senators. Eril's face was bruised and swollen, and there was a deep cut above his left eye that had not been allowed to heal properly. His wrists were cuffed in front of him, and he was wearing tattered prison garb. He walked with a slight limp, and his expression was numb except for the eyes. They possessed the look of the damned, the gaze of a man who knows his fate and knows he can do nothing about it, and Erengaar was pleased that the prisoner wasn't so heavily drugged that he lost that look.
The guards led Koden to the center of the dais, and Erengaar motioned for them to step back once the prisoner was on his mark. The lord emperor gazed at the former senator for several moments, looking into his eyes to be sure that the man knew what was about to commence. The rest of the senate remained as still as stone, not daring to break the silence with even the slightest whisper. They, too, knew what was coming, and they were as anxious and as fearful as Koden. When Erengaar turned to them, the dark fury in his eyes made them tremble.
"Citizen senators, this man is one of the traitors! He has confessed to the crime of assassinating my father, and he also confessed to sabotage of the shipyards! He is a member of the Drigald, and he will now pay for his treason to the Emperium!" Erengaar turned to one of his guards and held out his hand. A disruptor was placed in it, and the lord emperor ordered Koden to kneel before him. The prisoner obeyed, but he nearly stumbled and collapsed while doing so. "Bow your head." Eril obeyed, and his tears turned the ebony of Erengaar's boots an even darker shade of night. "Eril Koden. Your confessions have been heard, and you have been declared an enemy of the empire. You have dishonored your name and your blood. Your life shall now be taken to atone for your sins."
Erengaar stood behind Koden, pressed the muzzle of the weapon against the back of his head, and pressed the trigger. The disruptor had been adjusted to its highest setting, and the blast ripped through Eril's skull like a battering ram. Flesh, blood and bone splattered the marble floor of the senate chamber, and Erengaar relished once more the stunned exclamations of the senate body. This was not the first time in the one thousand year history of the modern era of the Emperium that a traitor to the throne had been executed in this chamber, but it was the first time for this particular ruling body, and more than one of them nearly lost his breakfast.
Erengaar handed the disruptor back to his guard and then stepped away from the dais. The soldiers carried Koden's body out of the chamber, and the lord emperor turned to his senate. "Jolan Nejra is the other traitor, but he has escaped the empire! He, too, has been declared an enemy of the throne, and when he is captured, his blood shall stain this floor also!" He stabbed a finger at the mess on the dais, then raised his voice even further. "Is there any other here today who would dare to defy my name??"
Dakkahr Broen stood immediately and proclaimed, "We serve only the Lord Emperor and none else! Victory is life! Honor unto death!" He crossed his arms over his chest and bowed his head.
The ninety-eight senators rose and echoed Broen's declaration and then bowed their heads also, and Erengaar smiled coldly at the fresh surge of power that burned through his whole being. He embraced the fire, allowing it to engulf him, and promised himself anew that by the end of his reign, the Interstellar Federation of Peace would rest beneath the banner of the Jha'Drok Emperium.
( 3 )
The ER was crowded with the living and the dead. Exxar-One's morgue was larger than those on most other Federation starbases, if only because this station was at least twice the size of its fellow outposts. Yet for a battle that had been as intense and as destructive as the one that had ended three hours ago, there was not enough cooler space in the hospital's morgue for all the fatalities that now littered the treatment bays and corridors of the ER like debris in the aftermath of a hurricane.
Major Saveck weaved through the chaos that clogged the hallways and the waiting area, tuning out the cries of the wounded and the mourning, eventually making it to the PTLs. OR-5 was two decks above the ER, and the major grimaced as the headache that had begun just after his escape from the Tl'Keth now pounded viciously at the inside of his temples. The aspirin Nurse Maguire had given him wasn't acting fast enough, and he leaned against the wall as another wave of nausea threatened to bring up the contents of the ration pack that he had force fed himself twenty minutes ago.
The observation gallery outside the operating bay was empty, and Saveck gently lowered himself into a seat as he watched Rosenberg and two other surgeons hover around Gabriel. From what he could see of the bio-monitor's screen, the commodore's condition was far from stable. The major sighed as he bowed his head and then took several deep breaths. If the commodore died, the command of Exxar-One would fall to Saveck, along with the political mess that had been created by Colonel Serehl's attack. No, it was more than a mess. It was a shitstorm. That word was one that Gabriel had used during a conversation with the command staff during one of the early briefings when he'd first taken command. Another human phrase was "the shit hitting the fan", and that was one of Saveck's favorites, although he preferred the Chrisarii translation. It was much more vulgar - and more applicable to the aftermath that now was part of Kralin's responsibility to clean up.
Another wave of nausea rolled through the major's gut, and this one was too big to ignore. He got the wall panel of the trash receptacle open just in time to deposit the partially digested protein bars. He felt better, and as he wiped his mouth he walked out the gallery. He didn't need to bother Rosenberg to know that none of them were going to be finished anytime soon, and it was better to keep busy while he waited. Saveck knew he should go to the command deck, but he didn't want to face that arena and its challenges just yet. Commander Hiller had everything under control anyway, and the major wanted to be close to OR-5 when Rosenberg and his team finished.
As he returned to the bedlam of the ER, Saveck was immediately grabbed by a distraught humanoid woman.
"Where's my husband? I've been trying to get a response from these people" - she threw an arm behind her to indicate the beleaguered medical staff who were dashing about - "but they just keep telling me to go check the damn board and I have no idea what they're talking about!"
Saveck took her in hand, reassuring her that he would do everything he could, and after her there was a dozen more. It was almost an hour before Saveck had a chance to grab a bottle of water from the food processor, and he was on his way back upstairs to check on Gabriel's progress when Ambassador Zar tore into the ER and seized the nearest nurse.
"My son! Lieutenant Swanson said they'd brought Jerren in here three hours ago! Where is he?"
Saveck walked over to them as the nurse searched her pockets.
"I'm sorry, ambassador. I must have left my pad in one of the treatment bays. Give me a couple minutes, and I can check for you."
"It's all right," Saveck intervened. "I'll help her."
"Thank you, major."
Saveck already knew what had happened to Krael Zar, and his stomach churned with a fresh surge of nausea as he steeled himself for the unwelcome duty. "Ambassador, come with me."
But Taelon had already read the look in his eyes, and she stood her ground. "No. No, it can't - he can't - he ... " She fumbled for words as she choked back the lump in her throat.
"I'm sorry," Kralin replied. "According to the screen in the waiting room, he was DOA. He's in one of the treatment bays."
It was if all the sound had suddenly been shut off, as if a director somewhere had yelled "Cut!", and everyone around Taelon was leaving the set to go shoot the next scene. She was oblivious to everything and everyone around her as Saveck's words reverberated in her brain, an ugly echo, the only sound that hadn't been terminated, and she was suddenly at the entrance to the treatment bay without any
memory of Saveck leading her there.
Kralin pressed the button to open the door and then stepped back to give the ambassador space. She stood on the threshold as if nailed there, and her gaze didn't waver from the sheet-covered body on the bed. The major leaned against the opposite wall, feeling as though he was violating Zar's privacy by witnessing this scene, and when she finally took a few, hesitant steps into the room, he reached out to press the command that would close the door. But he was so startled by the gut-wrenching scream that he jerked his hand away from the panel. The mother had pulled back the sheet just enough to see her son's face. Taelon Zar, Federation ambassador, twice awarded the Zesser-Davedd Peace Initiative and knighted by Sovereign Na'Drauv of the DrayH'M Commonwealth, lost all control as she screamed and screamed with a rage and anguish that ripped through Saveck with an almost physical force. Had he not rushed forward to catch her, she would have hit her head against the edge of the bed as she fell, and he doubted that she was even aware of his presence. Her screams turned into violent, wracking sobs after her voice could no longer take the strain.
Against his will, Saveck remembered the day he had brought the ashes of Jran, Tarish, Mikel, and Larha to his parents. His mother had reacted as Taelon was now, and it had been Farak who had caught her before she collapsed to the stone floor of the garden courtyard. He had allowed her to sob and to scream for a long while before he lifted her and carried her into the house. There was no other bed here, so Kralin scooted closer to the wall and brought Taelon with him, cradling her as she continued to weep and rage into his left shoulder.
He remembered digging in the rubble, screaming with fury and then anguish as the pieces of bodies and burned flesh were eventually uncovered. Others had tried to comfort him as he was consoling the ambassador now, but he had fought them more than she had struggled against him. Only later, after he woke up in the hospital, was he told of the bruises and broken bones he'd inflicted on the four men who'd held him down so he could be sedated by a field medic.
All time was lost to the pair of survivors who huddled in treatment bay fourteen, and the cacophony of the ER echoed in the background like the dull roar of thunder from a distant storm.
( 4 )
Almost a full day had passed since the Haal'Chai attack, and according to the latest report from Garrett, the station's computer core memory and operational software wouldn't be restored for another six days at the most, four days at minimum. Saveck hadn't fully understood the details, only that it was necessary for a team from FCE to bring a new copy of the software and system upgrades in person. Military security protocols were strict in these types of situations, and if Exxar-One had been a starship, she would have put in to the nearest starbase as soon as possible. But since it was the starbase that needed a repair of this magnitude, only a team from FCE could do the job.
The Dauntless had arrived four hours ago, and Captain McKenna had immediately deployed as many of her crew as she could spare to assist in station clean-up and repair, though the crew of the DrayH'M fleet had already done most of the work. Under Lieutenant Greene's guidance they had established a temporary comm network using portable relays, and Exxar-One's crew was moving about the station with greater ease and support by utilizing the cardon fields aboard the ships. Saveck was now exiting the Dauntless' transport room four, and he was grateful to be back under normal lighting again. He hadn't realized how the dim illumination of emergency power could begin to wear on one after such long term exposure, and he made a mental note to discuss the issue with Doctor Rosenberg after his conference with McKenna. He was also pleased to use a PTL, and his trip to the bridge was comfortably short.
"She's in her ready room," Lieutenant Zamora said as Saveck stepped out of the PTL. "She's expecting you."
Saveck nodded as he walked to the captain's door and pressed the chime.
"Come in." McKenna stood and walked around her to desk to offer a hand to the major as he entered. He shook it, albeit a little reluctantly, and she motioned to the pair of chairs in front of her desk. "Would you like some tea?"
"No, thank you." He sat and placed his compad on her desk.
McKenna procured a cup of Earl Grey from the dispenser and sat back, crossing her legs, and took a sip. "You look tired, major. When was the last time you had a good sleep?"
"Three months ago."
The captain nearly choked on her tea as she suffered an involuntary chuckle. She hadn't expected such dry humor from the Chrisarii, and she reached for the napkin beside her terminal screen. "Well, yes, that's understandable." She wiped her mouth, and then her expression sobered as she continued. "Is there an update on Commodore Gabriel's condition?"
Saveck shook his head. "Doctor Rosenberg said his diagnosis is the same as it was ten hours ago. Gabriel will be awake in another day or so, possibly two. Right now, everything is stable, but he needs to remain unconscious. I think that the doctor is concerned that if he wakes him too soon, the commodore is going to insist on getting up and around before he's ready and exacerbate his injuries."
McKenna nodded, taking another sip of her tea. "He's probably right." Her commlink beeped, and she scowled at the interruption as she pressed the button. "McKenna."
"Sorry to disturb you, captain, but a Jha'Drok starcruiser has just de-cloaked on our starboard side." Zamora's rumbling tones sounded almost nonchalant, as if the enemy ship's sudden appearance was completely expected. "My bio-scans read two occupants, and we're being hailed on an open channel."
"I'll be right out." McKenna was already marching to the door and Saveck followed.
Zamora had put the image of the cruiser on the forward viewscreen, and the captain walked to her usual spot behind Voorhees' chair before giving the order to activate the holo-comm. The head and shoulders of a Jha'Drok man appeared in the air above the platform, and he smiled as he greeted McKenna.
"I am Jolan Nejra. To whom am I speaking?"
"This is Captain McKenna of the EarthCorps starship Dauntless. How can I assist you Mister Nejra?" She assumed his shirt and jacket were civilian, and there was nothing on his collar to indicate military rank of any kind.
"I don't mean to be rude, captain, but is Commodore Gabriel available?"
Saveck stepped into the comm's visual pickup field to answer. "No, senator, I'm afraid he's not. I'm Major Saveck, Exxar-One's first officer. Is there something I can do for you?"
Nejra couldn't help his startled expression. "How did you know I'm a senator?"
"You're well known to many governments outside the Emperium. Now please answer my question."
Jolan nodded. "My wife and I are requesting asylum."
( 5 )
"You want to tell me how you knew he was a senator?" McKenna and Saveck were in the PTL, on their way to the Dauntless' security office.
"I read an intelligence report on him some years ago. He's decorated member of the Order of the Sholm'Ryy, which is the highest ranking body of the Imperial Senate. Only a select few are inducted into that body, and once one has attained that rank, only the lord emperor has the power to remove him."
"I see." McKenna crossed her arms as she gazed thoughtfully at the PTL door. "And now he's here to request asylum."
"Yes," Saveck murmured. "And with everything that's happened to us in the last two months, I'm not too surprised by this."
McKenna looked at him, detecting once more the wry humor in his tone, and she smiled with equal dryness. "Yes, this does seem appropriate, doesn't it? But in all seriousness, major, how do you plan to proceed? I realize, of course, that what happens next depends on what he tells us, but he must be here to defect or else why bother with a formal request for asylum?"
"A request that I must grant under interstellar law," Saveck said, frowning with displeasure.
McKenna nodded.
Saveck considered her question for several moments, and then said, "I don't know." The rest of the ride was shared in contemplative silence.
When they arrived at the security offi
ce, Lieutenant Commander Lee stood to greet them. "They're in IR-3, and I haven't spoken to either of them. I posted a pair of guards outside the room, just in case, and I'll be watching on my monitors in here." She motioned to the bank of screens on the wall behind her.
Saveck nodded and then turned to McKenna. "Captain, if you don't mind, I'd like to speak to them alone."
For just a second, she appeared as if she was going to protest, but she thought better of it. "Okay. I'll stay out here with Lee."
When Saveck entered the interrogation room, Jolan was in mid-conversation with his wife, but they broke it off and looked up at the major. Jolan started to rise, but Saveck motioned for him to stay put as he pulled up a chair and took his place on the opposite side of the table. He nodded to Annaias before focusing his full attention on her husband.
"Senator. Tell me why you're requesting asylum."
Jolan took a few moments to decide where to begin. "For the last ten years, I have been in charge of a project that was begun by my grandfather. In a far corner of the Emperium, we have been amassing a fleet of battle carriers and support craft that was intended to be used in an invasion of Federation territories. Three days ago, I destroyed that fleet and then escaped the empire to come here. I did all of that because of a vision that I received from the Gods." Jolan hesitated a moment to gauge Saveck's reaction, but the major's expression remained neutral and guarded. "I believe that the Emperium as a whole has lost its way. The monarchy, especially, has become dark and corrupt, and the new lord emperor is probably the worst of the bloodline so far."
That last phrase did get a reaction from Saveck. "Emkai Valayne is dead?"
Jolan nodded. "He finally succumbed to the disease that he'd been fighting for the last decade or so."
"Interesting." Saveck considered this for a second and then motioned for Jolan to continue.