Viole(n)t Skies (The Galactic Era Book 1)

by Derek Baker

  He rose from the table, strode over to us. He nodded at Chym with a wink.

  “Ambassador Chym’Buk’Tai, son of the Prime Minister Shri’Buk’Tai, a pleasure to finally make your acquaintance in person.”

  He and Chym firmly shook hands, and then he turned his attention towards me. “And you, a Mister Delvon Galihue I take it? Allow me to introduce myself: I am the Emperor Albalon the Fourth of Wendra.”

  Chapter 28

  I spat in Chym’s direction, trying to mix it with snot. “You traitor!” The guard had me in restraints instantaneously before I could object.

  “Now, now, dear boy,” the Emperor said, approaching me with a piercing look in his eye, “You have yet to hear your friend’s side of the story. Would you care to tell him, Ambassador Chym?” All the while he continued to give me the most intimidating glare, hoping to scare the shit out of me, I guessed. I was shaking and sweating, but I dared not break eye contact, only blinking when it absolutely killed.

  “I suppose, your highness, it will not matter if we tell him the truth or not. Events will proceed as planned,” Chym calmly replied.

  “True, but it would most please me to tell at least someone about this devious plan. I couldn’t forge a better one if I lived again. We have some time here, I don’t see why not.” The Emperor smiled, revealing his finely sharpened teeth. He finally turned away, walking back to the table where instead of returning to his chair he merely sat on the edge of table, giving the guard a nod.

  The guard understood this silent order, for me dragged me to the other side of the chamber, where I saw a humanoid-sized board with built-in restraints. It immediately reminded me of the medical room’s beds aboard the Wendran ship Tinzyick.

  Ohhhh shit, I sighed audibly, not this again.

  “Let me ask you something, human,” the Emperor looked at me, arms crossed, “Why do you think you were allowed to escape the Tinzyick all those months back?”

  “Allowed? I thought –”

  “Ha, don’t be so arrogant. Three people successfully escaping a Wendran mother ship, that is absolutely unheard of. You and your comrade were led by Chym’Buk’Tai –by my instructions- to believe you could escape. But I intended for this happen. Hell, I think I played it off rather well, considering I ended up executing the Tinzyick’s entire crew for their supposed ‘failure.’”

  The guard gave Albalon a disgusted look, to which the Emperor responded, “If I hear a word from you it will be the last to escape your lips.”

  “You see, Delvon, we were meant to get word back to Mars all along,” Chym said, stepping forward.

  “Why would you want that? Wouldn’t it have been in your better interests to keep Earth unaware and thus caught off guard when the planned invasion came?”

  “Sure, that was the original intent, but both I and Emperor knew that even if Earth became a Wendran colony, there was still no easy way to penetrate Mars. Yes, they would be closer and have a better vantage point, but my people have spent millennia fortifying the planet and making it utterly immune to invaders.”

  “It would take decades, if not another century, before progress could be made,” the Emperor explained. “While Mars still resists, we still have no absolute power of the galactic sector. I’d like to live to see the fruits of my labor.”

  “So you sought a way to speed up the war,” I muttered.

  “Very good, my boy,” Albalon smiled.

  “As Ambassador to Earth and fully well seeing the bountiful amounts of life that existed on your planet, I eventually realized a way to reduce death on all sides,” Chym said.

  “That’s when Chym travelled in the direction of Wendra, purposely handing himself over to the Tinzyick mother ship. Once they realized who he was, they sent him to me. And that’s when we devised a plan to end the war with the minimal amount of destruction,” said the Emperor.

  “You sure as hell caused a lot of destruction from what I could see,” I grumbled, still wondering why they were telling me of all this, assuming they’d made up their minds to torture and kill me.

  “Well certainly, dear boy, it all had to look real. My invasion fleet that I sent to Earth was much weaker than what I would have sent if I had actually intended to conquer you that very same day. Which, I should add, I’m more than capable of doing. After inflicting some damage I decided I would have the fleet retreat, so as to give you and the Martians an illusion of victory. Then it would seem only logical that you would launch a counter attack upon our planet, which is exactly where I wanted you. I wanted Earth to know we were coming so they could be here today to see their defeat.”

  “I knew it was a trap…” I shook my head in frustration.

  “Yes, a trap, you might say. Yet you know not the manner of this trap. However, I will tell you, it’s similar to the technology Chym used to render your engine useless and drag you unwillingly to me.”

  “So you wanted the entire Martian and Human fleet here so you could use some sort of super weapon? So you could leave them sitting ducks while you went in and picked them off one by one?”

  “Not entirely true, my boy. The use of this weapon comes at a price on the large scale for which I intend it. This weapon will render all ships useless, including my own that encircle the planet. That includes all defense mechanisms, communications, and so on. We will be blind and deaf until my reinforcements arrive from behind your fleet, which could be days. In that time I won’t have a clue what will be going on until it’s all over. Uncertainty is not my preference, but the reward outweighs the discomfort.”

  “Or the risk,” I added.

  “There really is no risk, actually. Either way, we will win this battle whether the weapon works or not. I have the entire Wendran armada at my disposal and can easily wipe yours out with only a fraction of it.”

  “That’s not part of the deal, Albalon, so you better hope it does work,” Chym narrowed his eyes.

  “Oh, it will,” Albalon smiled.

  A tone signaled there was someone at the door of the chamber.

  “Come in, Quansor,” Albalon ordered. The door opened and in came another fancifully dressed Wendran official. He lacked the ferocity in his manner that the Emperor possessed, but it was obvious he was an important person.

  “Your highness,” he bowed, “our reports indicate that battle proceeds as planned. The Martian and Human fighters are bombarding the fake factories and the mother ships are now beginning to engage the enemy fleet.”

  “Excellent,” the Emperor sounded more upbeat now.

  “I hate to interrupt these pleasantries, but I have one more question, if you’ll indulge me,” I said, muscles flexing against my restraints.

  “Sure, go ahead, my lad!” The Emperor exclaimed.

  I looked at Chym, “What are you getting out of all of this, man? Surely there’s something in it for you.” Chym stared back at me absent-mindedly.

  “Ha! A clever observation, assuming a deal benefits both parties!” Albalon laughed, “Why, once this battle goes as planned and Mars has no choice but to surrender their fleet, we will able to negotiate a treaty with his father, Shri’Buk’Tai. He will no doubt have to give up his government and I will then do everything in my power to place Chym in a high seat of power in either the Wendran or Martian governments. He will no doubt spend the rest of his life in luxury for his service to the Wendran Empire.”

  Chym continued his blank stare, and I spat at him again, “Fuck you, Chym. Here I was thinking you gave a damn about the dignity of our races.” He said nothing still. “Well, don’t you have anything to say for yourself!?”

  “Nothing that I would be at ease to say at the moment, Delvon,” he frowned.

  I shook my fists angrily, flailing about in the restraints, growling in fury. I must have resembled an animal to the sophisticated aliens.

  “Ready for a little fun, my boy?” The Emperor calmly raised his eyebrows at my brutish demeanor.

  “Whatever, mother fucker, torture me all you want, I
know how you get your kicks,” I shook my head in resignation, “inflicting pain and ripping out body parts right before the victim’s eyes, I know. If you’re gonna kill me, at least do it quickly, god damn it.”

  “Dear, dear Delvon, so weak-minded yet kindly hearted, no, no, my sweet boy. I’m beyond torturing you in the barbaric ways of my ancestors. That knee cap of yours, your friend Alexander’s castration, while beautifully engineered by Chym’Buk’Tai, are not the sort of things I have in store for you.”

  My mouth gaped open even more as I panted in exasperation. Castration? No wonder Alexander could never tell me what they did to him. No wonder he seemed to despise even more so than I already did.

  “Quansor, bring me that black device over there on the table,” the Emperor said, “Yes, that one.”

  It was shaped like a cube, no more than three inches in height, width, and depth.

  “Ah, I’ve been waiting for some time to use this,” Albalon laughed. “Time, what a trivial word. Past, present, future, all in one with this thing.” He twirled it around in his hand.

  “Quansor, do you remember our conversation on Eridos, when the Robhustarans sent that suicide fleet without either Chym’s or my knowledge?”

  “Vaguely, my lord.”

  “Do you remember how I… found beings so advanced that their forms had altered? How they existed trans-dimensionally?”

  “I do recall now, yes,” Quansor nodded.

  “This device, which was manufactured for me in a discreet location, gives me the ability to communicate with them.”

  Quansor’s eyes widened, a terrified expression. “No… you can’t be serious…”

  Albalon made a nonchalant facial twitch, and suddenly the guard strapped Quansor in beside me in his own restraints. He struggled as I had before.

  “Oh, I’m quite serious, Quansor. You and Mr. Galihue shall enjoy the privilege of experiencing their dimension first-hand.” He opened the box, pressing a switch of some sort inside.

  Before us, a swirl of gas appeared, developing into a vortex until it calmed and became more defined, turning into a halo after about a minute. The halo stretched out, and in the middle an image began to take shape. The image was of a galaxy, no, a cluster of galaxies, no much greater than that…

  The halo grew now to ten feet in diameter.

  “Quansor, Delvon, meet the universe – or rather – a universe,” Albalon pointed, “The one you see here is the closest to ours, and I’m certain you will both enjoy your visit.”

  He laughed maniacally like that for a few seconds, until the guard came behind our stretchers and pushed us through the portal.

  Chapter 29

  Quansor was gone and I was all by myself. My eyes were closed, but I could tell I was lying on the ground. When I finally opened my eyes, I could see a sky of grey, swirling clouds that seemed to lead to an endless abyss. I raised my head, and I found myself in the middle of an arid, dead, grey, and still crater. Boulders and rubble lay scattered around me, and then I stood up. The temperature was neither hot nor cold, but just right. I felt no physical pain, but I could feel my palms press together. It hurt when I pinched myself. This was definitely real, whatever it was.

  I ran my hand through my hair, it was soft to the touch, like it had just been washed. I looked down at myself to see I was wearing a white t-shirt and blue jeans. I took a few steps forward to measure the gravity, but it felt completely normal. Almost as if I was on Earth, but I knew that wasn’t possible. Maybe it was all part of Albalon’s torture device. Make me feel at home and then strike me when I’m most vulnerable.

  I did a turnabout to get a good look at the rest of the crater, and I noticed a path that led to the top, or what looked like it. There was too much fog to see what might be up there. I figured the longer I stayed here in the same spot would make for the worse, so I decided to start walking. If someone or something was going to attack me, I wanted to be in a better position. I’d have to make it to the top of the crater by nightfall, if there was a normal day/night cycle in this strange realm.

  I walked on and on for what seemed like five miles. I had reached half the distance to the beginning of the path, I’d judged. I noticed I didn’t feel thirsty at all, nor fatigued in any way, shape or form. I shrugged and thought nothing more of it, considered it a good thing. So I journeyed onwards.

  When I reached the path at the end of the crater, nothing had changed in terms of day or night, the same swirl of mist encircled above as it had when I first awoke. I shrugged again and began the ascent to the top of the crater.

  As I neared the top, I noticed the temperature starting go up, but still I didn’t even sweat. There was still no sign of physical exhaustion whatsoever. Perhaps I was meant to walk like this for what seemed an eternity, to eventually go insane and kill myself. I had no idea what this torture had to offer me.

  When I reached the top, I was actually taken aback. A deep, dark, rainforest awaited me, and then I looked up at the sky again. It had now gone from cloudy to a pale blue. I took a glimpse back at the crater, and saw the vortex of clouds spinning over the top of it. I decided I wouldn’t return there ever again.

  I began to hike along the path as it continued into the deep, exotic forest. There was no wildlife to be seen, but the vegetation was rampant and the trees were very tall. A slight breeze swayed some branches here and there. I was still as comfortable as ever, showing no signs of stopping. I had been walking for hours and the thought of sleeping or even napping seemed absurd.

  After a while I came upon a regular old wooden bench along the side of the road. Feeling indifferent and starting to get bored at this point, I figured I might as well sit there to see if anything would happen. I was curious if this strange world would even acknowledge my presence here.

  Upon sitting at the bench for maybe twenty minutes, one leg crossed over the other and my chin in my palm, I finally decided nothing was going to happen, so I rose to continue onward. Maybe boredom was going to be the torture after all.

  Just when I thought the boredom was starting to get to me, I came to a sign in the road: “Anitown: 15 kilometers.”

  “Hm, strange,” I said aloud. I realized it was the first I had spoken in the entire time I had been wherever this was.

  Anitown sounded less boring than this forest, so I continued my hike. I noticed the forest becoming visibly less thick, but an odd thing started to resemble in the trees.

  They slowly started to take on a more cartoonish shape, and before long they looked animated to me. I looked down at myself and noticed my own body began to assume this characteristic as well. If there was a time to start panicking, it would have been at that moment. But I swallowed my fear and just kept walking on, hoping for the best. Perhaps I had just entered a new dimension in this alternative universe.

  I realized that Anitown was the name of this settlement because it was obviously animated. Clever, clever, I thought.

  The town was empty when I arrived. I shouted a few hello’s and looked in a few building windows to see there was no life around me. The town was modeled after some old medieval settlement, I decided. I headed towards the town square to see what might await me there.

  In the distance I saw a fountain and what looked like a person sitting at the edge of it. I stopped dead in my tracks and debated on whether to approach the creature or not. It could be a being from this alternate universe, ready to torture me upon my arrival. Well, if this was torture, it would have to end at some point. So I kept walking towards it.

  It heard my footsteps when the fountain died down, and turned around abruptly to face me. I was horrified to see the creature was made to look like a human clown. So they either got lucky or they knew clowns were a great fear of mine as a child.

  “Welcome, child!” It hissed, smiling as the thick make-up on its face crinkled, in spite of or perhaps because of the funky animation.

  “Um, hello,” I stuttered.

  “What do you think of my fine establishmen
t here, my child?” His arms rose as if signifying his ownership of the place.

  I looked around at the main buildings in the town square: a church, a town hall, a school building, and a greenhouse.

  “It looks…pretty good to me, I suppose,” I replied, eyebrows on the rise.

  “Heh,” he chuckled, “I did design it to please you after all.”

  “Then why did you assume a form I wouldn’t care for?” I asked.

  His rose his hands as if surrendering, head poised back. “That’s just what I was instructed to do. I’m just following orders, child.”

  “My name is Delvon, if you care to know,” I gave him a stern look.

  “Ha! Names. Labels of any kind. So silly and useless. As if you could formulate any sounds together to attach its meaning to the essence of anything.”

  “Yet you’re using them to communicate with me,” I tilted my head sideways with sarcasm.

  “Only because that’s all you lower beings are capable of, I’m afraid,” he retorted, “you wouldn’t comprehend our form of communication. We just….know. No words, just…knowledge. Complex and abstract thinking, shared between minds.”

  “Like telekinesis?”

  “If that’s how you choose to understand it, then sure, that’ll do.”

  I stole another look at the buildings around us, then watched the fountain rise and fall again. “So why am I here, clown?”

  “To be tortured, of course,” he nodded.

  “I’ve yet to feel tortured. However I am starting to grow bored with all this. Besides, if you’re such a higher being, wouldn’t you consider torture to be…barbaric, perhaps?”

  “You assume too much about the values we beings possess, child,” he smiled. “If you’re ready for the torture, pick a building in this town square, any building! They’re all my personally designed funhouses. I think you might discover references to your own life in them, if you dare to enter.”

  “And if I don’t choose to enter?”

  “Simple: I’ll kill you. You will cease to exist across all the parallel universes.”