Imperium: Contact

by Kabbabe, Malek

  At that moment, the day seemed to darken slightly. They looked up at the sky, to see a massive dark shape silhouetted there. No one moved, Saskill, his father and the remaining shengyet all stood there starting at the mysterious object in the sky. An instant later, Saskill's world exploded. A monstrous thunderclap seemed to coincide with a flash of that same blue-white light, followed a split second later by a shockwave that sent Saskill flying through the air and over the edge of the hill he'd been standing on.

  He tumbled down end over end, until he managed to stick out a hand and sink his claws into the dirt. He came to a halt aching all over, trying to catch his breath. Saskill looked up at the crest of the hill. He saw an enormous plume of smoke rising from the valley beyond it. Ignoring the pain in his limbs and chest, he scrambled back up as fast as he could. As he crested the top of the hill a blast of heat struck him, causing him to wince.

  The valley below him was gone. Every last bit of tree and grass had disappeared, in its place was a huge smoldering crater. The forest bordering the valley was on fire. On the far side it looked like some of the cliff face had melted. Small amounts of molten rock still oozed their way down into the valley. Even though he knew it was pointless, Saskill tried calling for his father, but all that escaped his lips was a hoarse rasping noise. He felt dizzy, the world started to spin around him and he collapsed.

  Chapter 19

  Anna felt warm, warm and comfortable. As her mind slowly drifted back to full consciousness, she noted she was lying on her back, in a soft bed by the feel of it. She slowly shifted back and forth, testing her muscles. They still worked and so did everything else. So she could feel and think, was she dead? Anna slowly opened her eyes and sat up. All she could see was a bright white light. She looked down and saw the white bed she was sitting on. Then, as her eyes adjusted, Anna made out the rest of her surroundings.

  She was in a square room, with white walls, ceiling and floor. Large glowing panels in the ceiling bathed the room in soft light. It was filled with beds identical to hers and on them lay John, Saskill, Sergeant Williams, Major Clark and the rest of the Twilight's crew. The others were still lying in their beds, eyes closed and breathing softly. Anna carefully swung her legs over the edge of her bed and gingerly stepped onto the white floor.

  A soft rustling behind her made Anna spin round, nearly losing her balance.

  “It's just me,” said Sergeant Williams.

  He was standing right behind her.

  “Damn it Sergeant,” she said taking deep breaths to slow her racing heart rate.

  “You were asleep a few seconds ago.”

  He shrugged.

  “I was faking it, I've been awake for a while now.”

  “Why?”

  “I find it's always better to have some way of surprising an adversary,” he explained.

  “Adversary, you mean me?”

  “No, I mean whoever else is on this ship with us.”

  “Ship? You mean this is the ship that was chasing us?”

  Sergeant Williams shrugged.

  “I don't know if this is the same ship, but we are on a ship and it definitely isn't one of any known human or alien design.”

  “How do you know that?”

  “Listen,” said Williams cocking an ear towards the floor.

  Anna listened, all she could hear was a soft sort of rumbling. The sound of a ship’s engine she supposed.

  “All I hear is the ship’s engine.”

  “Exactly,” said Williams.

  “No known ship engine makes that particular sound.”

  “What a minute,” Anna interrupted.

  “Are you telling me you memorized the exact sound of every ship engine ever made?”

  “Yes, although I should perhaps add that my hearing is significantly better than the human norm. So I hear the sounds in far greater detail than you.”

  “Oh right I forgot, all you Invictus Legion types are designed to be perfect soldiers,” Anna said dryly.

  Sergeant Williams smiled, it was the first time she had seen him do so. It was a drastic change from his usually stoic expression.

  “What's so funny?” She asked.

  “Don’t believe everything you see in the official new reports Commander,” he said lightly.

  “What do you mean?”

  “I mean those reports don’t cover everything.”

  Anna gave him a puzzled look.

  “Well for instance, the last mission I was on before this one. My squad was tasked with taking out an illegal arms bazaar on New California.”

  “So?”

  Andrew gave her a sheepish grin.

  “It ahh, didn’t go as planned.”

  “How so?”

  “Our intel on the place wasn’t too good. Turns out it wasn’t actually an arms bazaar, but rather a high class brothel, frequented by local politicians.”

  A grin spread over Anna’s face.

  “Go on,” she said.

  “Well, I’m not sure if you know this, but Invictus Legion assault armor has built in recorders that can capture whatever the wearer sees.”

  “Oh boy, I can see where this is going.”

  “Yes well, not only did we catch certain prominent local politicians in rather compromising positions. Admiral Constantine and several members of the Senate were also watching the live feed from our visor cams. Apparently they were in the area and the local military commander wanted to impress them.”

  Anna burst out laughing.

  A low groan made both of them turn around. Saskill was slowly sitting up in his bed.

  “Saskill!” Exclaimed Anna.

  Saskill's face split into a wide grin, followed almost immediately by a grimace of pain. His face was covered in angry red scars. The cloths he’d been wearing had been removed, he was now dressed in a plain white robe.

  “How are you feeling?” Anna asked him.

  “Terrible,” replied Saskill.

  “By all rights you should be feeling more than terrible,” said Andrew.

  “You're lucky to be alive, at best you should still be unconscious.”

  “You think whoever brought us here fixed him up?” Anna asked.

  “Had to be,” replied Andrew.

  “Even the most advanced human medical facility couldn't have done this.”

  “It seems I am missing some key information here,” Saskill interrupted.

  “Oh right, I'm sorry,” Anna apologized.

  She began recounting the events after Saskill had lost consciousness. By the time Anna had finished, the rest of the crew were awake.

  Saskill slowly got up off his bed and stood gingerly, testing his legs.

  “So what now?” He asked the room at large.

  Major Clark shook her head.

  “I don't know,” she admitted.

  “Of all the possible outcomes to our mission, I hadn’t considered this.”

  “Well they don't seem to want us dead,” remarked Graham.

  “They went to the trouble of capturing us alive and healing Saskill's wounds.”

  “Maybe they want to interrogate or study us,” supplied John.

  “That's a possibility,” agreed Anna.

  “Yes, one of many,” said Saskill.

  “Until we figure out who we’re dealing with however, this is all just speculation.”

  “Well it's pretty clear from that recording we salvaged from the Dominance that they're pissed off,” said Dolohov.

  “True, but that's about all we know,” said Major Clark.

  Everyone was silent for a moment seemingly lost in thought, then Major Clark spoke.

  “The real question is what we're going to do now?”

  “We're prisoners here,” declared Andrew.

  “Our first priority should be to escape.”

  “I'm not so sure we are Sergeant,” interjected Clark.

  “And even if that were the case, my mission was to find out who attacked the Dominance and why. I don't intend t
o leave until I have completed that task.”

  “Major, we have no idea what their plan for us might be,” protested Andrew.

  “They may interrogate or kill you and I can't allow that to happen.”

  Major Clark looked at him with a mix of amusement and weariness.

  “Sergeant,” she said softly.

  “You've seen what their ships are capable of. If I don't find some peaceful way to settle this, none of us will be safe for long. Besides, even if I wanted to escape, how would we get out of this room, let alone this ship. For all we know the rest of this ship could be filled with an atmosphere toxic to us, or no atmosphere at all.”

  Andrew clenched both his fists in frustration.

  “Yes Major,” he said in a voice of forced calm.

  “I...I just need to do something, anything besides waiting here for something to happen.”

  “I understand your frustration Sergeant,” Clark assured him.

  “But waiting is all we can do.”

  Andrew started pacing again. He didn't like this, as a matter of fact he hated it. This feeling of being trapped and helpless. The idea of inaction in the face of danger was contrary to every fiber of his being. Major Clark was right however, there was nothing he could do. This room had no door, no windows, and no discernible way in or out. Andrew brushed his had absentmindedly against one of the room’s walls. It felt warm and oddly comforting. He paused in his pacing, gently pressing his palm against it. A gentle tingling began pushing its way through his hand.

  Andrew's first instinct would have been to withdraw, but he didn't. Somehow he knew it was safe. The gentle tingling was now spreading through his right arm and across his chest to the rest of his body. It was accompanied by a subtle warmth and a vague, indefinable sense of peace. The light in the room grew brighter, so bright he couldn't see anything. Or was he even still in the room? He could no longer feel the wall against his hand.

  “Sergeant, are you all right?” A far away voice asked.

  He thought it might be Major Clark's voice.

  “Yes,” he replied vaguely.

  Another far away voice said something he couldn't make out.

  All of a sudden the feeling was gone, he found himself lying on the floor with the others standing over him. Major Clark was kneeling next to him.

  “Sergeant what happened, are you all right?” She asked anxiously.

  “I fine Major,” he replied sitting up slowly.

  “What happened?” Asked Lieutenant Graham.

  Andrew got to his feet and looked around, the room looked the same as ever.

  “I'm not sure,” he said turning to Graham.

  “I touched the wall and then, it was like I was somewhere else.”

  “Where?” Major Clark wanted to know.

  “I don't know Major, I couldn't really see anything and I felt.”

  He broke off trying to recall as best he could the feeling that had surged through him.

  “I felt safe, warm, peaceful. It's hard to explain exactly.”

  The others looked at him and then each other.

  “Why, what did you see?” He asked.

  “You just froze,” said John.

  “Just stood there with your hand against the wall.”

  Andrew looked around the room trying to find the spot where he had touched the wall.

  “It was...here,” he said slowly moving towards it.

  He reached out his hand.

  “Wait, it could be dangerous,” Anna said sharply.

  “I don't think so,” said Andrew.

  He brushed his fingertips against the wall, nothing happened. He pressed his whole palm firmly against it, still nothing.

  “Nothing,” he said aloud.

  “Are you sure it's the same spot?” Asked John.

  “Fairly.”

  “Maybe...” he began, but at that instant a voice spoke from seemingly all around them.

  “Greetings,” it said softly.

  Everyone jumped and looked around wildly. There were no visible speakers or any other device that could have made the sound. All they could see were the perfectly smooth white walls.

  “Hello,” said Major Clark tentatively.

  “Who are you?”

  “That is of little consequence at the moment,” the voice replied.

  “What do you want from us?” Major Clark asked slowly scanning the room, unsure what part of the bare wall to address.

  “It is the wishes of others that I relate to you,” the voice answered.

  “And what do these others want?” Asked Major Clark.

  “To speak with you,” the voice explained.

  “Please, this way.”

  A section of the wall to their left began to shimmer. A moment later it rippled and seemed to melt away, revealing an opening that led into a hallway. They all looked at each other, then Major Clark slowly led the way through. The hallway was made of the same white walls, floor and ceiling as the room they had just left. At the far end there was a bright outline of a door frame glowing on the wall. As they approached it, the wall inside the outline shimmered and then melted away just as the exit to the other room had done. Slowly, they walked forward. Major Clark was the first one through, she stopped so suddenly that the rest of them nearly walked into her. Andrew moved out from behind her to get a better view of the room. It was exactly the same as the one they had just left. At the far end of the room stood...When Andrew saw it, he froze too. He heard Anna's sharp intake of breath as she spotted it. At the far end of the room stood a young, human woman.

  Chapter 20

  Lieutenant Harbid turned away from the scene in front of him, feeling waves of nausea flowing through him. He hated this, despised it and himself for being a part of it. It was part of his job, his duty to the Human Empire, but that didn't make this any easier. The interrogator leaned forward, bringing his face closer to the shengyet strapped onto the interrogation table.

  “Just tell me what I want to know and the pain stops,” he said softly.

  The shengyet spat something vicious sounding in his language.

  The interrogator sighed resignedly and pushed a button on the table's control panel. The shengyet screamed and twitched. The interrogator pushed another button increasing the pain still further. Suddenly the shengyet began shaking, convulsing violently.

  “Oh damn!”

  The interrogator pushed another button and the shengyet lay still. He checked the readings on the table's monitor.

  “Sorry sir,” he said turning to Harbid.

  “He's dead, it happens sometimes with the really stubborn ones.”

  “So all this was for nothing?” Harbid bit out.

  “Sorry sir,” the man repeated.

  “Not much we can do with the really stubborn ones, but we've got plenty more to choose from.”

  “That will be all for now,” said Harbid.

  “I thought the Vice-Admiral wanted-.”

  “That will be all,” Harbid cut him off.

  Lieutenant Harbid staggered out of the room, trying valiantly not to be sick. He made it to his quarters and managed to get his face over the sink before vomiting. He turned on the tap to wash away the mess and splash cold water over his face. There was a gentle knock on his door, He dried his face with the towel hanging next to the sink.

  “Come in.”

  The door slid open to reveal Ensign Smith. She entered the room looking concerned.

  “Are you all right James?” She asked as the door slid shut behind her.

  Harbid tried to arrange his face into what he hoped was an impassive expression.

  “I'm fine Ensign.”

  She continued to look at him intently, concern still etched all over her face.

  “You're a terrible lair James,” she said softly.

  Harbid sat down weakly on his bed.

  “I don't think this job agrees with me anymore,” he said.

  She walked over to him and sat down on the bed next to
him.

  “To be honest, I don’t think it ever did.”

  “Everything about the job, or just part of it?” She asked.

  “At first, it was just that one part,” Harbid admitted.

  “But now that’s the only part I can see.”

  She placed her hand on his shoulder and gently squeezed it.

  “I know how you feel Lieutenant.”

  Harbid turned to face her.

  “Did you just call me Lieutenant?”

  “You sound a little disappointed,” she remarked.

  “I thought you'd be happy.”

  “If I'd known all it took for you to follow regulations, was for me to a have a major career crisis, it would have saved me a lot of frustration,” said Harbid with a weak smile.

  Katie smiled back at him.

  “Any time Lieutenant, any time,” she said as she got up and walked towards the door.

  Lieutenant Harbid continued to stare at it long after she had gone.

  Admiral Constantine sat in the padded leather chair in his office, his eyes half closed and breathing deeply. He was doing his best to relax, to enjoy a little peace and sanity. The last couple of days had drained him. The com panel on his desk beeped, reluctantly the Admiral opened his eyes and sat up in his chair. He hit a button on the panel and the face of Lieutenant Dashkov, his young assistant filled the view screen. The young man looked nervous, he had probably picked up on the stressed mood of the Admiral and was uneasy about disturbing the first few quite moments his superior had gotten in a long time.

  “What is it Lieutenant?” Asked Constantine.

  “I'm sorry to disturb you Admiral,” said the young man anxiously.

  “It's alright Lieutenant,” Constantine assured him.

  “Well sir, there's an incoming communication from the Imperial Intelligence agent you were waiting for,” explained Dashkov.

  Admiral Constantine felt a huge weight slide from his shoulders. So far he hadn't been able to cut through enough of the bureaucratic red tape to find out what Admiral Jones and the Emperor's Fist task force were up to. He'd sent word to one of his agents aboard the Emperor's Fist, but he had no idea if the message had gotten through in time. He'd only found out about the task force's redeployment an hour before it had departed.

  The Admiral took a deep breath.