The Cagliostro Chronicles II: Conflagration

by Ralph L. Angelo Jr.

  “We were boarded while we slept. It looks like by one and up to a hundred of these smoky apparitions. They took everyone on the command deck as well as all sections of the ship that were busily in use at the time. Dan and I were locked in our private lab within the engineering deck, and we were ignored or never found.”

  “Can we find our people?” the tech named Maxwell asked. He was a man of average height and weight with short cut brown hair.

  “What are we going to do?” Dr. Troiano asked.

  “We’re going to get our people back anyway we have to, Doctor. As of right now we are at war with an unknown foe. Woe be unto them for what they have done here.”

  Chapter 22

  “Battle stations. All weapons to full power and loaded positions. Magno-discs to full power. Let’s rock this town,” Mark ordered.

  All across the Cagliostro systems immediately converted to battle ready status. The shields now glowed blue within the purple clouds. Lighting all about the Cag shifted to a battle ready state, meaning only lighting necessary for battle was lit and glowing. The ship took on a menacing, angry tone, looking more like a predator itself than a vessel of science or exploration.

  Red advised, “Mark, those tachyon teleportation bursts seemed to be coming from five hundred miles within the cloud cover, or whatever this purple mess is.”

  “Dan, take us in.”

  The big Jovian nodded. “You got it, Boss.”

  The Cagliostro entered deeper within the swirling miasma of the purple void, covering the five hundred miles in less than a minute. It still seemed like an eternity to those on the command deck.

  A warning beacon began to blink on Red’s console. He immediately announced, “Something just impacted on the shields. Something that was trying to teleport in. I think they noticed us.”

  “Good. Drop the shields and prepare to raise them on my mark again.”

  Red nodded and did as he was ordered. The shields dropped about the Cagliostro. The color of the ship’s hull returned to the bright, clean white it normally appeared to be.

  Almost instantly a cloud of inky blackness appeared on the command deck, carrying with it a horrible loud thrumming sound. It began moving instantly toward Mark.

  But even faster were the ship’s containment systems. A glowing force field encased this apparition, holding it in place.

  Simultaneously the shields outside the ship sprang back into place.

  Within the command deck the inky cloud of blackness in the force field roiled and turned. After a moment pale white fists began beating against the force field as the inky darkness seemed to dissipate, seemingly drawn back into the body of the alien perpetrator within the force field.

  Within a moment all the cloudy darkness was gone, absorbed back within the body of the alien creature standing on the command deck.

  The creature sent a shiver down the spines of almost everyone assembled. It was tall and gaunt. Its skin was a bleached white. Its head was shorn of all hair and its eyes were large and luminous. It wore what amounted to jet black rags which covered its body from neck to toes. They seemed to flow and pulse about the creature with a life of their own.

  “What the hell is this thing?” Red asked.

  It turned toward him, snapping its head quickly his way. Then it cocked its head sideways and mimicked his words in a high pitched, creaking voice, “What the hell is this thing?”

  The chilling hands of an unnamed fear spread throughout the remaining command deck crew.

  Mark stood and walked up until he was facing it, only the force field and mere inches separated them. He stared it directly in its glowing black eyes.

  “Ignore its circus act. It’s just trying to rattle us.”

  The creature stood for a moment as if measuring Mark’s worth, then smiled and bowed slightly, holding the edges of its tattered rags and spreading them wide.

  “Where are my people?” Mark spat.

  The chalk white creature sneered at him repulsively, but said nothing.

  “Okay, we’ll play it your way. I’m sure there are plenty more of you out there.”

  Mark turned and walked back to Dan’s station. “Did the scanners get a read on its physiology?”

  Dan nodded grimly. “Yeah, they did. Like nothing we’ve ever seen before, but we got a read, a good solid one.”

  Mark grinned. “Good.” He turned back toward the entrapped creature. “Fill the force field with a gas that will kill this thing, and slowly. I want to see it suffer.”

  Ariel and Eddie exchanged nervous glances and then turned back toward the horrible creature within the force field cylinder.

  From above it a sickly green gas began to seep into the force field. Almost instantly its horrifying grin faded as it tried to teleport out again and again. The black wisps sprouted from its body once more and enwrapped its form, repeatedly and violently exploding off the force field to no avail.

  Slowly the tendrils of darkness withdrew into its ghostly pale body and it sank to the floor, clutching its own throat, its eyes distending from its face in pain.

  Mark waited a few seconds more until the creature was barely breathing within the tight confines of the force field, and then commanded, “Clear it, and return the atmosphere.”

  Instantly the force field cleared out and air filled the cylinder of energy holding the repugnant creature. It lay upon the floor grasping at its own throat wide eyed, staring in new found recognition of the man who now knelt down before it. Mark Johnson’s face was unreadable as he stared at the thing trapped in front of him.

  For long moments he locked eyes with it, while the creature massaged its own throat, and then Mark asked, “Where are my people?”

  Chapter 23

  The Cagliostro streaked through the void space, following the trail of a vessel that had been hidden by the purple clouds within the void.

  “Status on our quarry, Red?” Mark inquired.

  “Estimating two thousand miles out and closing fast.”

  “It wasn’t that hard to find these bums now that we know what ta look for,” Dan offered.

  In the forward left corner of the command deck stood the alien, still trapped and sneering angrily within the force field.

  “Good idea keepin’ that thing where we could see it,” Dan remarked.

  “Yes, thank you, Danny. We’re a skeleton crew right now, and I don’t need to have this thing alone in the detention levels. Best to leave it where we can keep an eye on it for the time being. Who knows? It may even get a chance to go home if its people are smart.”

  “We’re closing on the enemy vessel,” Red announced.

  “Funny how they rabbited out of there once we had their guy here.” Eddie jerked his thumb in the direction of the creature within the force field.

  “Yes, I know. We have to be careful though. We’re alone in a hostile environment right now.”

  Eddie snorted, “So what else is new?”

  Mark nodded. “Point taken, Eddie. When we get within range fire a blast of the solar cannons across its bow. I want their attention.”

  “Entering firing range now,” Eddie confirmed.

  “Fire at will, Mr. DiGenovese.”

  Eddie nodded and thumbed his firing control. Twin blasts erupted from the solar cannons, both passing within fifty feet of the ship they were pursuing.

  Almost instantly it slowed to a stop and began to turn to face the Cagliostro. The image on the view screen grew clearer the closer the Cagliostro drew.

  “Holy…” Eddie began

  “Why is it that every ship we face off against has ta be bigger than us?” Dan asked.

  The ship spun slowly ahead of them and finally faced the Cagliostro. It was perhaps twice as long as the Cagliostro with a bow that sloped forward from the bottom upward, like a boat’s. It showed hundreds of lit windows along its sides. But the most disconcerting thing about this ship was its make-up and color. It seemed to be a dark burgundy with tendrils growing all about its outer
hull. The entire ship seemed to pulse with a light from within, as if it were somehow organic matter and technology mixed together and alive.

  The crew sat silently within their stations, repulsed and intrigued somehow at the same time by what they saw.

  “We really ain’t in Kansas anymore,” Eddie muttered.

  “That things gotta have a hundred decks,” Dan blurted out.

  “It’s firing weapons,” Red shouted.

  Mark stood up and spoke in a commanding voice, “Heads up and eyes front, people. We’re in a fire fight right now, we’re not sightseeing.”

  Blasts of energy leapt from the alien ships weapons and engulfed the Cagliostro, spraying across its shields.

  “Whoa, shields are down to eighty percent on one shot,” Dan announced in surprise.

  “Eddie, return fire to their weapons systems and engines. I want that thing crippled if we can. Dan, try to pinpoint our people using their tech suits’ transponders.”

  “You got it Mark,” Dan agreed.

  “Ariel, try to make contact. If they answer tell them we want our people back and nothing more. If they don’t answer or refuse tell them we’ll make it a blood bath.”

  “You got it, Mark.”

  Twin blasts of energy arced away from the Cagliostro’s guns, this time shattering across the larger ship’s bow shields.

  “They felt that, I think,” Eddie commented.

  “Fire the star core missiles at their engines, Eddie.”

  Eddie complied without hesitation. Two missiles arced away from the Cagliostro and collided explosively with the enemy ship’s rear shields.

  “Danny, move us around to their rear, I want a clear shot at those engines.”

  Sledge nodded. “Working on it.”

  The Cagliostro vectored away quickly, then spun about, flipping end over end so its forward guns were facing the rear of the much slower turning behemoth.

  “That thing is starting to turn,” Red announced.

  “Fire at will,” Mark ordered.

  “With pleasure,” Eddie agreed.

  Star core missiles leapt from the Cagliostro’s bow, followed by intermittent bursts of the solar cannons. The enemy ship’s rear guns fired sporadically, splashing against the Cag’s forward shields, when they hit them at all. Most of their shots went wide, while Dan continued to move the smaller, more maneuverable Cagliostro about, zig zagging it back and forth behind the larger ship.

  “Updated status, Red?”

  “Shields are down to fifty percent. But theirs are down to forty.”

  Mark nodded. “Dan, keep us moving. Red, double up the forward shields if you can.”

  “You want to leave the rear unprotected?”

  “Yes, for now. We’ll rely on our armored hull for a few more moments at the back of the ship. I want to make sure our forward section is protected.”

  “You got it, Mark.”

  “No reply on any frequency, Mark. Though I am hearing a clipped form of static of some kind on one band,” Ariel advised.

  “Put it on speaker.”

  An instant later a clipped sort of clicking sound played through the command deck speakers.

  “That’s code,” Mark appraised. “Block all their communications, Ariel. They’re calling for reinforcements.”

  Ariel immediately complied, then looked at Mark once more. “How can you be sure?”

  Mark nodded toward the alien prisoner. “He’s smiling, or was at least when he heard that sound.”

  “Well he ain’t smilin’ no more is he?” Dan growled.

  The creature jammed its amorphous hands into the force field trying to break free once more, and failed yet again. It snarled at Dan as it balled its pale white hands into fists and pounded them repeatedly against the unyielding force field.

  “You ain’t getting’ out o’ there anytime soon, Nosferatu,” Dan antagonized.

  Eddie continued to fire the ship’s weaponry. Finally the shield at the rear of the mammoth ship shattered. Arcs of energy flew across the purple void like fingers of lightning thousands of miles long.

  “It’s down,” Red proclaimed.

  “Continue firing, Eddie. I want those engines out of commission.”

  Eddie DiGenovese pressed the firing control again and again, this time strictly the solar cannons. The powerful energy weapons blasted the enemy ship’s engines repeatedly until the port engine exploded spectacularly with a large eruption of debris.

  “Mark they’re trying to contact us now,” Ariel declared.

  “Yes, of course they are. That didn’t take long did it? Put them on screen.”

  The viewer showed more of the frightening looking creatures, with their bald heads and pointed ears, their glowing eyes and chalk white skin. Three of them filled the view screen, twisting slowly one way then another horrifically. Their tattered rags seemed to flow around them independently as if alive, or at least a part of them.

  Before any of them could speak, Mark commanded, “Stop with the theatrics, you don’t frighten us. I want our people back, and I want them back now. If you refuse I’ll destroy you all.”

  “You are over confident and you do not bluff well, strange skin.” The creature on the screen cocked its head to the side and slowly licked its lips as it replied. Its black forked tongue darted in and out like a serpent’s.

  “You don’t know me very well if you actually think I’m bluffing,” Mark replied.

  ‘I’ve got a fix on the tech suit transponders, Mark.’ Ariel spoke telepathically, to not just Mark but the rest of the command deck crew as well.

  ‘Good, Ari. Let’s keep that to ourselves for now. We’re going to have to send a six man boarding team over there.’

  “You creatures, release my crewmen and do it immediately. This isn’t a request. If I have to come over there and take them back it will make your lives a hell of lot more difficult.”

  The lead alien sneered. “Come and get them, strange skin.” With that, the screen went blank.

  “What was that about? He sneered at us and threatened but nothing more. Why even contact us?” Eddie asked.

  “Maybe he wanted to see how many of us they’d missed?” Dan suggested.

  “Whatever. Keep our shields up.”

  The Cagliostro rocked again violently. “They’re attacking again,” Red announced.

  “Yeah, kinda got that, Cap’n Obvious,” Dan smiled while replying.

  “Red, what’s their shield status?”

  “Rear shields are still down, Mark.”

  “Okay prepare our boarding party.”

  Eddie looked at the ship on the screen. “How are you we gonna get on that thing?”

  Mark crossed his arms over his chest and turned toward the left side corner of the command deck. “That question’s answer is standing over there with a force field wrapped around it.”

  Dan jerked his thumb at the alien encased in the force field, “That thing? How’s that gonna help us?”

  “The answer to that is coming up the maglovator in Dr. Troiano’s hands right now.”

  Troiano exited the maglovator holding the helmet they had built and used on Ariel earlier to separate and shut down the Chakix entity.

  “You think that thing’ll work on this ghoul?” Dan asked.

  Troiano tilted her head to the side noncommittally. “It should, Dan. From preliminary scans I’ve gotten off of this creature’s neural cortex we should be able to control it through the helmet.”

  “Yeah but for how long?” Eddie interjected.

  “Long enough to get us over there and get our people back,” Mark replied testily.

  “What about getting back though? Is this thing gonna be able to take sixty people back in one shot?”

  “Again,” Mark began, “we’ll have to see. I know it took groups at least once according to the vid feed. Even if it has to take three or four trips I’m fine with that. The armor suited security people can run interference in the meantime.”

  �
��How you gonna get that thing on its head?” Dan asked.

  Mark grinned. “Stasis field. I’ll drop one in place and hold it still. We’ll put the helmet on its bat eared head then release it. That should do it.”

  “Let’s do it then,” Dan agreed.

  Mark turned toward Dr. Troiano. “Are you ready, Doctor?”

  “Yes, Captain, I am,” the diminutive ship’s doctor replied, her blue eyes sparkling behind her glasses.

  The alien creature began to fidget behind the force field, seeking some form of escape.

  “Drop a stasis field in place on it now, Red.”

  The burly security chief nodded and touched a button in his virtual display. Almost instantly the ghoulish creature froze in place within the force field.

  “I’ll take that, Doctor.” As Mark walked past Troiano, he removed the helmet from her hands. He walked up to the frozen creature, then turned to face Red. “Drop the force field but be ready to instantly turn it back on, just in case.”

  “Don’t worry, Mark. I got this covered.” Red and another security man stood holding their weapons aimed at the horrific being.

  “Dropping it now, Mark,” Red announced.

  Instantly the field dropped. Mark plopped the helmet gingerly atop the alien’s head, locked a buckle under its chin, obviously repulsed by doing so, and backed away quickly.

  “Field back up,” he ordered.

  Red nodded and the force field sprang back into place.

  “Now, drop the stasis field. Let’s see if this worked or not.”

  The color of the beam radiating from the ceiling atop the alien abruptly changed from orange to a soft blue, and the creature began beating at the force field frantically. It hissed and spat, but before it could remove the helmet Troiano touched a control on a tablet she was carrying. Instantly lights across the helmet sprang to life and the creature stopped its movements.

  “How are you going to control it? The tablet?” Eddie asked.

  Troiano nodded. “Yes, everything can be done through here. It’s a simple voice command set up. At the touch of a button we can stop its movements completely, like I just did.”

  Mark reached over and took the pad from her. He touched his right sleeve and a beam from the sleeve on his blue and silver tech suit sprayed across the tablet. He handed the tablet back to the doctor a moment later. “I’ve transferred all controls to my tech suit. Anything your tablet could have done can now be done through my suit.”