by Ian Woodhead
“It made no sense when we first left the weave and it still makes no sense. Is your ship really so unstoppable?” The thousands of Imperial defence drones stationed close to the two outer planets flew on an intercept course towards the ship once it had emerged into real space. They had locked on and fired, and yet every missile had strayed off course.
The four warships that tried to bring them down were now trapped in the gravity well of this system’s only gas giant, and before the Gizanti had asked Philip to activate the sleep-pods, the large alien had disabled the planet’s twelve weapon’s platforms. He had casually remarked that it was not really necessary as they were utterly ineffective against the Battle Sister’s shielding. The Chaplain detected just a touch of pride when he had announced that.
“The warships have escaped the gas giant and the defence drones are now fully restored.”
He looked at the Gizanti, worried. “I have not expected that. Will they be a threat?”
“The others are stirring, Philip. It is time.”
Cladinus left the Chaplin wanting to hit the big orange alien for deliberately not answering his question yet again. He bit his bottom lip and followed him over to the sleep-pods, stopping in-between their two new arrivals. Neither of them had woken before placing them into the pods, and even though Cladinus had told them all not to worry, he still couldn’t help but wonder how they were to complete their mission if neither of them opened their eyes.
Cole groaned before he slowly sat up. He pulled out the drips then looked straight at the Chaplain. “Are they okay?” The squad leader climbed out of the pod, wrapped a blanket around his body, then staggered over. Cladinus rushed to the man and grabbed his shoulders.
“Do not excite your body, Danny,” said the alien. “The drugs in your system have yet to take effect.”
“I don’t care about any of that, you damned fool!” he shouted. “Tell me they are going to wake up. Tell me that we still have a chance.”
“Do you not know the answer to that question?” replied the Gizanti. He then gazed across at the Chaplain. “Could you please inform your excitable human friend what occurred once we entered this star system?”
“We emerged from the weave close to the outer planets and…”
“That’s not possible!” said Cole. “No ship can enter real space in that region; it is too heavily guarded.”
Cladinus managed to sit the human down. He then placed his hands on Cole’s shoulders. “It was necessary.”
“The drones fired and yet every missile missed the ship,” continued Philip. “It is not possible to leave the weave so close to the home-world, Sergeant Cole. The God-Emperor does not permit it.” The Chaplain remembered Cole and the three men discussing how both the girl and the little alien had saved them. Davis and Livingston went to great lengths describing how the girl was able to stop all those energy blasts with the power of her mind. “Cladinus, are you saying that the girl saved the ship, even though she was in the sleep-pod?”
The alien nodded. “It was necessary,” he repeated.
Cladinus walked over to the sleep-pod holding the girl. Cole ran over and stood beside the Gizanti; the man beamed with happiness. Philip saw why. She sat up and looked around the room, only stopping when she saw the little alien staring back at her. Their gazes met and the alien grinned.
“We have little time left,” said Cladinus, helping the girl out of the sleep-pod. “It will not be long before the altered mechs reach this system. When that time approaches, it would be optimum for us to have completed the impeachment.”
So that was why he felt the need to tell him about the restoration of the system’s defences. “What happens if the mechs arrive before we finish?”
Cladinus handed the girl a small capsule and glass of liquid. Once she had taken it, he moved to the little alien. “When the mechs reach this star system, their only goal is to destroy this planet utterly, for it will be the only location in the Galactic Expanse where your species still lives.” Cladinus gave the little alien another capsule. “The pods growing inside all those millions of incubators are now mature. Very soon, the aggressors will begin displacing the pods to every planet, moon, orbital, and spacecraft within the galactic expanse. They only have one purpose and that is to eradicate human tissue.”
The Chaplain paled as the enormity of their dreadful plight began to sink in.
“Do you wish to continue conversing, Chaplain? I am sure that there are many more fascinating discussions we can have before the pod designated to the Battle Sister appears among us.”
***
The Chaplain pressed his body hard against the palace wall, trying to stop the uncontrollable shakes from showing. Not that any of the others were watching him. They were all suffering from displacement sickness, with the exception of the two aliens. Both Cladinus and Walish Din looked fine. Cole had mentioned that it wasn’t as bad as the last time. He dreaded to think what that could have been like.
Two marines rushed back and crouched behind Cole. Davis pointed north and reported his findings to the sergeant. Philip did not hear a single word of the conversation nor did he wish to. Just the fact that he was here, again, scared him witless without needing to know what the squad leader was planning.
So far, they had encountered very little resistance, but that situation would soon alter once they had reached the inner palace. He watched the three soldiers stand up and run back the way they came.
“What’s going on now?” he asked Cole.
The young sergeant came up and patted him on the shoulder. “Don’t worry about that. I’ve sent them to cover our exits.” He crouched beside the Chaplain. “Now,” he said, smiling. “We’ve hit a bit of a problem. You see, nobody knows the exact location of the God-Emperor’s chamber.”
“No, of course not. The way to the chamber is changed on a regular basis.” Philip had not stopped reliving his vision once most of the nausea had left him. This place was nothing like the palace that he and the other guards defended from the altered Gizanti. It just did not make any sense.
“The Index could help us, Chaplain. She will be able to plot us a route straight to the God-Emperor’s hidden chamber.”
“Yes, but the key was lost.”
Cladinus pushed a hand under one of his armoured plates. He grunted then pulled out Philip’s crystal key.
“I don’t believe it,” he said once the Gizanti had dropped it into the palm of his hand. “Where did you find it?”
“We can talk about that later,” hissed Cole. “Right now, you need to lead us to your –”
Three blaster charges slammed into the wall opposite, sending shards of stone out in all directions. The Gizanti managed to cover the cowering humans with his bulk. Cladinus fired back, his human weapon looking so small in the giant alien’s hand. The Chaplain pushed through the alien’s thick body and joined both the girl and Cole.
“Where are they?” he asked. “I can’t see anyone.” The Chaplain raised his gun, only for Cole to gently lower his arm.
“They don’t matter. Focus on where we are, Chaplain. I need you to take us to your quarters. Can you do that?”
The Chaplain shook his head. “No. We could be on any level, in any area of this complex. Do not look so concerned, Cole. Any terminal will suffice.” He slung the weapon over his back. “Come on, follow me. The public terminals are generally in the numerous Halls of Shadows. There is one of those on every level. They are not hard to locate.”
He moved past Walish Din and hurried along the narrow stone corridor until the Chaplain reached the first corner. The shakes had left him now. He put that down to feeling that finally he had something to contribute, even if he had been relegated to the position of a lowly tour guide. It did not fit that a man of his position should be sneaking like some thief from the lower orders. He was a man of position, of respect. Someone to be feared.
There was an arched doorway at the end of this corridor. It looked a little too ornate to lead to some cupboard. He smil
ed to himself. Could he be so lucky to find this level’s Hall of Shadows so easily?
He saw the door begin to open. The Gizanti grabbed him and dragged the man back into the shadows. The low recharge whine coming from their SS80 assault pistols covered the sound of running feet coming towards them.
“Stay down!” hissed Cole.
They were preparing to gun down whoever passed them!
He pushed the alien’s huge hand off him and moved into their path.
“Get back here, you idiot,” hissed the girl.
Four young men almost ran into him. “Stop!” he growled. It did not surprise Philip to find that he had just bumped into the soldiers that he had seen in his vision. “Do you know who I am?”
The sergeant at arms nodded. “Yeah, I do.” He raised his weapon. “You’re one of the arch traitors.”
“Incorrect. I am Philip Diocolis, Prime Chaplain of the Third Imperial Order. Those commands you received were a fabrication, a falsehood sent from the very abominations which you and your brave soldiers are about to face.” The Chaplain clicked his fingers twice. “You are to escort myself and my associates to God-Emperor’s revered Inner Sanctum.” He pulled out the Index. “I have crucial news which could very well stop our glorious Empire from being crushed by the deviants which seek to destroy us.”
He could see the indecision fighting across the poor man’s features. The Chaplain just hoped that the urge to obey would win through. If not, then these men would not be able to repeat what they had just witnessed. Philip’s associates would see to that.
The Chaplain leaned forward until he was an inch away from the sergeant at arms. “You once told me that you wanted to live to return to your beautiful wife, Sergeant.”
The man hurriedly stepped away. “You cannot know that!”
Philip smiled benevolently. “Do you believe in prophecy?”
“The God-Emperor wills that we do, for it is the visions which protect us.”
“I have seen the prophecies,” he said, “and in one I saw you and your troops die a needless death. In that vision, the Empire and every human in the Galactic Expanse died. Do you wish for that to happen?” Philip turned and gestured the others to show themselves. As soon as they saw the sight of the huge Gizanti warrior, they all raised their weapons. The Chaplain stood in front of the nearest guard. He placed his hand over the barrel and pushed it down. “Do not fear, Trooper Delaney. These soldiers perform the will of the God-Emperor too.”
For several seconds, nobody spoke. The Chaplain prayed that his associates would keep their heads. He also prayed that the palace guards would heed his message. If any of them began to fire, it would be a bloodbath.
Somewhere within the palace walls, the sound of boosters racing down the stone floors really he’d him. If he didn’t do something right now, then the addition of more palace guards certainly would be the end of all of them. The Chaplain took one step forward and opened his mouth just as the wall a few inches above their heads literally melted.
“The invaders have already breached the palace!” cried Cole.
The Chaplain shook his head in disbelief. “How can that be?”
“It is probable that they were here before we arrived,” replied Cladinus.
Two more blasts turned more of the wall area into molten slag. Philip threw himself at Trooper Delaney just as another blast blew out the door. “That is your enemy, Sergeant! Now do as you’re ordered and take us to the inner sanctum!”
The man nodded once before scrambling to hides feet. “This way,” he gasped, taking the lead.
Philip stayed with the sergeant at arms as they ran through the palace. They found no other humans as they ran from room to room, an observation that the Chaplain could not believe. Had they really evacuated the whole palace? If so, then the God-Emperor must truly believe team visions. The Chaplain was not sure whether he thought this was a good or bad thing.
“Did you really see me in a vision?”
“Yes,” he replied. “You died an honourable death.”
The sergeant at arms stopped. He suddenly turned and grabbed the Chaplain. “My life means nothing, but will you see that my wife is cared for?”
“I swear on my robe.” The Chaplain gently removed the man’s arms. He scanned the area and realised that they had reached the entrance to the sanctum. It was just like his vision. He looked at the expectant faces around him and realised that apart from the initial firing the moment they encountered the palace guard’s, the aliens had not attacked again. Were the events from his vision being replayed? Had the alien’s found an alternate route inside. “We need to move!” he shouted. “The invaders could already be inside!”
The Chaplain rushed over to the large double doors and pushed then open. He entered, trying not to look at the horrendous depictions of torture that were displayed on the walls. The Chaplain unholstered his weapon. He turned to face the wall. They hadn’t come through yet, meaning they must still be in the tunnel.
Cladinus hurried up to him. He snatched the gun out of his hands then held onto his arm while all the others filed past them. “You have done well, Chaplain. Do not destroy the scheme by acting rash.”
“What is going on here?” he cried.
The large alien pulled him out of the sanctum just as he heard the invaders breaking through that wall. “We have to stop them!”
Cladinus ignored his plea and just dragged the Chaplain through the hall. “Come, witness the dawn of a new age.” The Gizanti dropped the man beside the sergeant at arms before taking up position a few metres behind Cole.
Apart from the ancient three sleep-pods in the middle of this magnificent room, everything else differed from the room he saw in his vision. The Chaplain could not understand the reason for the changes. Cole, Walish Din, and the girl looked to be in a trance as they walked over to the sleep-pods. They all gripped the sides and proceeded to climb inside.
This could not be right! Where was the God-Emperor? The central pillar then began to shimmer. Flecks of silver lifted from the surface and floated through the air. The silver continued to detach until all that was left was a clear cylinder full of a yellow fluid. A body moved within the fluid, but even the Chaplain could see that it was not the God-Emperor. The figure’s eyes snapped open. They darted across each human and alien until they found the Chaplain. The figure’s mouth opened impossibly wide before an ear-piercing scream filled the air.
The Chaplain dropped to the floor. “High Priestess. Please forgive me. I have sinned. Show mercy, show mercy.”
He too shrieked when that central pillar exploded, covering the people in front of it with viscous liquid and thousands of crystal shards. The Chaplain slowly got to his feet, unable to take his eyes off the shivering, naked body lying at their feet.
The High Priestess managed to raise her head. She glared at the Gizanti warrior. “Foul alien filth,” she hissed.
Cladinus simply looked over towards the main entrance. “Finish it,” he commanded.
The Chaplain spun around. The three marines were framed in the doorway, all armed with the alien staff weapons.
Magnus took aim and fired. His blast turned the real ruler of the Terran Empire into crimson mush.
“What have I done?”
“You have helped to save your species from extinction,” replied Cladinus. He then removed a cuboid object, walked up to the sleep-pods, and pushed it into the central base before turning back around. “Philip. I hope that one day you will forgive me and understand why this is necessary. Your species cannot be allowed to control so much power ever again.”
Before any of them could react, the Gizanti grabbed the sides of the girl’s head with his huge hands and savagely twisted. The alien then climbed into the waiting sleep-pod along with Cole and Walish Din.
The Chaplain managed to raise his gun, but before he could release a single blast, a yellow haze appeared around the three sleep-pods and enclosed the device and its occupants. The haze then solidified,
creating an impenetrable shield.
Chapter Sixteen
Cole Aspect
Once the connections were bonded and the three joined as one, he silently raged at the alien’s duplicity, at diverting the true path to fit their design. Cole saw the Gizanti purposely using the girl to divert the drones so the Battle Sister could assess and duplicate her talent before inserting it into him. The alien would not have been able to enter the pod otherwise. He saw him give the three marines alternate commands as well as displacing the staff weapons to the surface. The Walish Din Aspect gave council and they both listened to the Cladinus Aspect explain his reasoning. His rage began displeasure until it settled down to grudging acceptance. What was done was done. The three had an eternity to further discuss the deception. Right now, the present needed rectifying.
Eight million pods had already left the incubators. The Cole Aspect nullified those before stopping any further displacement. He then returned the pods to their respective owners and began the reverse engineering process. It would take many weeks for the humans to be whole again. This pleased the Cole Aspect, for once they awoke, the many millions of humans upon those two planets would find themselves in paradise.
Walish Din Aspect
It took valuable time to find a compromise between the human and the Gizanti, in which many more of his people woke up on the plains of Gopin. He could not help those, but the Walish Din Aspect would not allow any more to suffer. He dismantled the energy matrix around his planet and removed the one around the blue aliens’ home at the same time. Every staff weapon in existence vanished. He also ensured every Terran hand weapon disappeared. From this moment on, every sentient species in the Galactic Expanse would not need to kill again.
Cladinus Aspect
His species had suffered too much. With the help of the device he inserted into the base on this machine, he removed the shackles placed on his people and wiped their memories so none would carry the burden of the evil they administered whilst under the control of the invaders. He then turned his attention to the thousands of military Terran Mechs still heading towards the Imperial home planet. He could just as easily nullified every machine, but the Cladinus Aspect thought otherwise. Only half were changed back.