Heretic

by Philip C. Quaintrell

  “Kalian, Naydaalan…” The holographic image of ALF stood between them and the approaching figure. “I would like you to meet me, the real me.”

  Captain Fey cupped her mouth, a subconscious attempt to hide her dismay at the three dead bodies lined up in front of her. Sharon Booth, Lieutenant Peter Holmes and Ch’vork, the Nautallon’s chief engineer, were all covered in blue sheets in the medbay. Off to the side was another body, covered with a different body bag and a radioactive symbol printed on top. Whatever remained of the Paladin’s saboteur was thankfully hidden from sight, unlike Sharon’s bloody hand, which could be seen hanging off the gurney, lifeless.

  How many more casualties would there be? How many lives could she stand to lose under her command?

  Lieutenant Worth came up on her side. “Captain?”

  Fey appreciated his concern. “I was due to retire in a couple of years. I had so many plans. I was going to read and write and explore. I wonder what plans they had. We cheated death the day the Gomar attacked our people. Now it seems, death is coming for us all…” Li didn't know why she said it, and she knew she shouldn't have, not to the lieutenant. “I'm sorry, Ben.” The captain patted his arm before she even realised she had referred to him by his first name instead of rank. The death of the UDC was finally starting to settle in, it seemed. “I'm becoming pessimistic in my old age.”

  At a hundred and nineteen years old, Captain Fey was still keeping up with the youth around her, not to mention keeping the looks of a fifty-five-year-old. In human years, she was expected to live for another sixty to seventy years, but having seen so many die in the last year, Li suspected she would never see a hundred and twenty.

  “You cannot be serious?” Colonel Matthews rounded the corner in the med bay, along with Captain Holt and Commander Vale. “I highly advise more goddamn caution... Captain!”

  Fey looked over the colonel, her short blonde hair splattered with Shay blood. Her team had returned half an hour ago with three more dead bodies to add to the growing list today. Li frowned at the way Ava spoke to her superior officer, wanting to believe that she would never put up with such insubordination, but then everyone knew that Raiders were just guns with people attached to them. That profile made her think about Roland North for a moment, another weapon in the human arsenal. As usual, the captain had no idea where the bounty hunter was or what he was doing. She only knew it would be nothing good.

  “Colonel.” Holt stopped his advancement towards Fey and turned to meet Ava’s eyes. “I think your team needs to clean up and cool off, before the funeral.” Jed’s tone was that of a commanding officer, and not to be challenged.

  Colonel Matthews shot Fey a venomous glare before her gaze flickered to the bodies beyond. “Sir.” Ava stormed off with her team in tow.

  Captain Holt watched her leave before meeting up with Fey in front of the viewing room. He looked just as exhausted as she felt.

  “How’s Chief Grenko?” Li asked.

  “He’s already trying to get back to his engine. Alexsander’s a tough bastard. All of my crew are…”

  Captain Fey nodded her agreement. “Exemplary.”

  “High Charge Uthor has already requested a new party come aboard and oversee the newest repairs, as well as collect their engineer and the Shay bodies.” Jed glanced back at Commander Vale, who was talking to Lieutenant Worth. “I’m being advised not to allow any more Conclave personnel onboard,” the captain stared hard at the bodies on the other side of the screen, “and I’m seriously considering it.”

  When was she going to get this vision through to everybody?

  “There aren't two bodies inside that room, Jed, there’s three, and one of them isn't human. The Conclave lost people today too, not to mention whatever that was with the Shay, but they’re dead as well. If there’s one thing the last year has taught me, it’s that we’re all in this together. I told you that there’s something else out there, something that wants us all dead, not just humanity, but the Conclave too. There are seven hundred trillion lives inside their civilisation; they might not be human beings, but their lives matter. They have to, because if we don't start working together and trusting one another… we all lose.”

  Jed puffed out his chest. “I gather that’s not the first time you’ve had to give that speech?”

  Fey gave in to her smile before the dead grounded her again. “And I fear it won't be the last.”

  A ruckus from the bay behind them drew their attention, to where Chief Grenko was pulling away from the nurses and doctor swarming him.

  “I'm fine, I'm fine!” Grenko had one arm in a sling while the other kept him propped up with a cane. “I want to know what those trigger-happy morons have done to my engine!”

  The sight would have been amusing were it not for their morbid surroundings.

  Jed turned back to Fey. “I’ll inform Uthor that a team can come aboard, but not any Shay. The Raiders are likely to kill if they see another of their species.”

  “Fair enough. Will you return with us to the Raalak system?” If Fey couldn't unite her people with that of the Paladin, what hope did she have of building a bridge between humanity and the Conclave?

  “Well, it’s either that or stay out here and starve to death or freeze to death. The list of things that can kill you in space is horribly long…”

  “Sir?” Commander Vale said. “The Nautallon is contacting us again. They really want those alien bodies.”

  Jed chewed over his response, looking to Li instead. “Do you have any idea why they would attack us like that?”

  Captain Fey had given the matter much thought. “There have been protests all over the Conclave since our arrival. Some argue that we should be given membership, others believe we are a threat. It’s possible the Shay engineers were part of some radical group, but it seems highly out of character. The Conclave is generally a peaceful civilisation. They haven't known war or violence for thousands of years.”

  Commander Vale added, “Their behaviour was normal until that moment before they killed Ch’vork. It looked like they all experienced the same thing at once. Our initial scans also show serious trauma to their brains - they were all reduced to pulp, post-mortem.”

  “This investigation will have to continue while we’re on the move.” Jed walked over to the comm panel on the wall. “Captain to the bridge.”

  “Bridge here, Captain.”

  “Maloy, get on the horn and inform the Nautallon that they can send a new team over.” Jed glanced at Fey. “And start a dialogue with their helmsman, we’re going to the Conclave.”

  Chapter 14

  3 Months Ago…

  Li’ara wondered at what point her life would flash before her eyes. Death was moments away; the bomb ticking down the seconds remaining on her life, and what a short life it had been. At least she would enter the next world knowing she had accomplished something that mattered. Soon the explosive device she had attached to the cube’s main-lines would erupt, filling the chamber with fire and a shattering force strong enough to blow the cube away.

  But there were regrets…

  Kalian’s image filled her mind. His smell, his smile and boyish charm that mixed perfectly with his sarcastic sense of humor. He was one of few who could make Li’ara laugh deep in her belly. She would never get to see him again, never get to tell him what she should have done so many times.

  Sitting on the walkway, between the cube and the impenetrable door, Li’ara rested against the railing and ignored the pain in her hands. Banging on the strongest door in the galaxy had done nothing for her. She thought about putting an intrinium round in her head and ending it all now, on her terms, but she couldn’t. It just wasn't in her to take her own life, even at the end, and besides, the explosion would kill her just as fast.

  The cube sat at the end of the walkway and somehow Li’ara knew it was watching her. Thinking about what the cube onboard the Gommarian had done to Professor Jones, the commander shuffled further down the walkway.
If she was going to die today, it would be as a human, not some twisted monster.

  The door creaked.

  Li’ara whipped her head around and focused on the circular door. It didn't move, but there was definitely sound coming from inside of it. It was similar to when the hull of a ship would contract under the temperatures of a starspot. Li’ara slowly stood up, never taking her eyes from the door. It wasn't long before the sounds increased and the door was visibly under pressure, as the edges, where the cylindrical bolts slotted into place, started to crumple and snap. A screeching, high-pitched noise cut through everything else and offended Li’ara’s ears. Without warning, the solid rock that surrounded the door gave way and broke into chunks, falling onto the walkway.

  Li’ara tapped her earpiece. “Roland, are you there?” Her voice was barely a whisper.

  The door’s struggle ended as abruptly as it began. The moment of silence was shattered when the giant circular door was torn from its framework, bent out of shape, and cast aside, into the corridor beyond. The dust quickly settled, revealing Li’ara’s saviour, who in truth she had thought could only be Kalian or Esabelle.

  Instead, it was the silhouette of death that stood in the ruined entryway.

  Li’ara gasped and stumbled back, while her mind struggled to understand how a Gomar could be standing in front of her. The hulking black armour was partially hidden beneath rags and a dirty cloak, but it could not go unnoticed. A thousand questions should have run through Li’ara’s mind, but instead, she could only think of one thing.

  Roland’s voice broke through her shock, but he wasn't talking to her. “We need to get back up to the chamber. We have to save...”

  “Roland,” Li’ara commanded his attention, as the Gomar strode towards her. “Tell Kalian I…”

  What should have been Li’ara’s final words never left her mouth. The bomb had exploded with a deafening crack. Before the light blinded her and the explosion claimed all of her senses, the Gomar could be seen to lunge the gap between them, with his arms outstretched. What happened immediately after couldn't be put into any kind of order in Li’ara’s mind.

  The next time she opened her eyes, the setting was not as she had left it. There was no fire, no cube and no sign of any natural rock, as there had been covering the chamber. Instead, Li’ara awoke to a dark, cool room filled with pipes and cables lining damp walls. She was lying on what had perhaps once been a workstation but judging by the look of everything in the room, it hadn’t been used for some time. The only light source came from a single orb, which floated above Li’ara’s head and followed her movements.

  Hopping off the bench was more painful than it should have been. Her muscles ached and all the cuts and bruises she had accumulated during their attack on Protocorps had settled in. Alarmingly, her side-arm was missing, along with her blade. Li’ara looked around frantically, searching for them, and then scanning the room for anything she could fashion into a weapon. The image of the Gomar lunging towards her was enough to get the adrenaline pumping.

  A length of old piping caught her eye and she was tempted to pick it up, but then sense kicked in. It wouldn't matter what weapon she had to hand; there were only two people who could defeat a Gomar in combat, and neither of them was here.

  Hesitantly, and with no small amount of caution, Li’ara exited the room through the single, unlocked door, and explored the new surroundings. The corridor outside was just as dingy and damp as the room and similarly lined with pipes and cable. After reaching the end of the corridor, Li’ara became aware of a growing rumble of sound. The commander followed the sound until it took her to another room, larger this time, and filled with familiar things. There was a makeshift cot against the far wall and a small table beside it. Random pieces of food and water were stockpiled in the corner and the wall to her right was entirely covered in monitors and holographics. There was a single chair in front of them all.

  The sound of people and the thunder of footsteps brought her attention to the ceiling. It was higher than the room she awoke in, and the flat surface was broken up by three grates, which allowed for light to filter in, along with the sound of hundreds of aliens.

  It’s not the Gommarian, but I've slept in worse conditions… The male voice in her head was gentle but no less alarming.

  Li’ara swivelled on her heel, flicking her red hair out to the side. Filling the doorway was the same Gomar who had ripped the vault’s door from its hinges. The nanocelium exo-suit covered every inch of his body, concealing his face. The rags still hung off of him, though they appeared singed and blackened since the explosion.

  The sight of the killer made her step back, though in truth she had no plan or strategy. Li’ara wasn't fast enough, strong enough or smart enough to survive any kind of encounter with a being that had been alive for two hundred thousand years, fought in the bloodiest war the galaxy had ever known and could literally crush so-called indestructible objects with their mind.

  “Why am I still alive?” she finally managed. “How are you even alive?”

  Though his face remained hidden, there was no doubt in Li’ara’s mind that the Gomar before her was Sef. He had been Savrick’s personal bodyguard, along with Lilander, and had disappeared shortly before the Helion plummeted into Naveen’s surface, burying the Terran outpost. He had been thought dead, crushed by the starship along with Savrick and Lilander. Kalian had always suspected that he could have survived, but no one really entertained the idea, not even Li’ara.

  You don't live as long as I have and not pick up a few things about survival along the way.

  The mental intrusion wasn't as uncomfortable as she thought it would be, and somehow she was aware that he had spoken with a slight smile on his face. It was a new form of communication for Li’ara, but she knew that Kalian and Esabelle had spoken to each other in this form before. He had always hated it, but Li’ara found Sef’s voice to be incredibly soothing and uncharacteristically gentle.

  “I’m more of a details kind of person,” Li’ara replied dryly. “And why are you in my head?” It suddenly occurred to her that Sef might be rummaging through her thoughts.

  Sef didn't reply straight away but appeared to consider his answer as he stepped towards Li’ara, who instinctively took another step back. With one hand, the Gomar pulled the torn cloak from his armour and cast it aside.

  You fear me, Sef stated.

  “Your people have provided more than enough reason to…” Li’ara knew that she would already be dead if that was what Sef desired, but his menacing armour only worked to put her on edge.

  You don't have to fear me.

  Sef turned his hand palm-up and used his other hand to manipulate the holographic menu that projected from his fingertips. The suit responded immediately, with the plates around his neck and head shifting down. A moment later and the dark helmet had been dismantled and absorbed into the suit, revealing the Gomar within. A typical Terran face greeted the commander, with symmetrical features, a strong, smooth jaw and strikingly beautiful blue eyes, similar to Esabelle’s. He had cropped blond hair and pale skin, no doubt a result of being inside the exo-suit for so long. Li’ara took him in, his beauty undeniable, and realised she was looking upon the face of a killer, for all his handsome features, Sef was still a Gomar.

  “Don't think for a second that those pretty blues will convince me to trust you. I saw you by Savrick’s side. When he attacked the capital, you were there, you chased after us and nearly killed Kalian. You murdered everyone aboard the Helion and are just as responsible for every death when the Gommarian destroyed the capital’s atmospheric shield.” Li’ara tried circling around Sef to position herself between him and the door, but he didn't budge an inch. “On Naveen, you entered the outpost to kill us, leaving Kalian to fend off Lilander and the beast.”

  Sef sighed, but refused to move away from the door. Immortality is a long road and isn't without its regrets, Li’ara. There are deaths at my feet and I am responsible. I would never
cast that off; the lives I have taken are worth more than that. But my life had a different start than yours. I was born into war, my parents killed before I could truly know them. When Savrick saved me, I was ready to pay the Terran in kind for their short-sightedness, and he was only too happy to unleash me. The civil war lasted many years, and in all that time I never regretted taking a single life, whether it be quick or slow. I was filled with hate and the power these suits gave us was intoxicating. Finally, the Harnesses were useless to contain us and we had control, as long as we wore the suits.

  “Wait, stop.” Li’ara rubbed her head. “Can you speak normally? The whole voice in my head thing is starting to get a little weird.”

  Sef’s lips parted as if to speak, but he remained silent. I have not spoken aloud since I was a child since my parents were alive.

  “Oh. Right…” Li’ara didn't know what to say, the whole thing was very surreal. “So at what point did you regret all this?”

  It was a long time after the civil war had ended. After we discovered that a planet had been seeded, Savrick had what few of us remained brought back to the Gommarian. As you already know, it was thousands of years before we found Earth.

  “Another death toll you won't be shirking?” Li’ara really wanted to choke the life from him at that moment. Her father had been among the billions dead that day.

  Sef blinked slowly and looked away, unable to meet Li’ara’s eyes. You have been in Savrick’s presence, yes, but you never met him. He could not be questioned nor defeated. He was the most powerful among us, and he had the respect of every Gomar. He had personally rescued most of them.

  “Kalian defeated him,” Li’ara replied boldly. “A twenty-eight-year-old history lecturer from San Francisco, who had never known war and certainly had no idea of what he was capable of, brought Savrick’s reign to an end. How can you, a veteran of Terran war, stand there and say he couldn't be questioned, couldn't be defeated? There's no sob story in your very long life that can explain your cowardice. You stood by and watched him commit genocide after genocide. Because of what? Were you afraid? Kalian was afraid and he still found the courage to stand up to all of you.”