by Richard Fox
“You can get back control?” Carson asked.
Greer and Lincoln tapped at their control panels and received angry beeps from the speakers.
“Not right now,” Greer said.
“They said we’re to land for ‘processing’.” Carson crossed her arms. “Which means we should meet some sort of official. First contact protocols call for determining an alien culture’s hierarchy, then negotiate from there.”
The Valiant angled down towards the planet and accelerated forwards.
“Protocol doesn’t encourage putting the ship or crew in danger,” West said.
“They saw right through our stealth systems and could’ve blown us to pieces,” Carson said. “We’d be in a good deal more danger if we try and break loose. Let’s see how this plays out. Greer, Lincoln, figure out some way to dump that parking boot on us and have course set back to Terra Nova should the immediate need arise.”
“That kind of defeats the purpose of why we came out here in the first place.”
“Roger that,” Greer said, punching the data into Valiant’s computer.
Carson turned to West. “Shall we get dressed for the party?”
Chapter 15
As the lift chimed, slowing and settling into position at the indicated level, Marie ran through her list of questions again, hoping the whole pizza she held would be enough to encourage Gragar to be more helpful. The doors opened, revealing a long corridor. Marie stepped from the lift and stopped short at the sight of Knight waiting outside the prisoner’s door.
He held out his hands to the side. “Look, I’m sorry, I—”
“Mr. Knight. What are you doing here?”
“I thought I could help. I know my methods aren’t orthodox, but they work, and they’re proven techniques, especially when you’re looking for truth.”
Marie stepped around him, lifting the pizza box over his head. “I believe he was telling the truth.”
Knight took a long whiff as she passed. “Pepperoni, huh? Well, it’s not a T-bone, but it’s something.”
“He likes it.”
“Wait, he likes it? How do you know that?”
“I gave him some yesterday,” Marie explained.
“You fed him?”
“Yes,” Marie said, stopping in front of the door. “I fed him. A fact I’m hoping he’ll remember while we’re talking today.”
“Vous obtenez plus de mouches avec du miel,” Knight said.
Marie paused. “Your French is merde.”
“Can’t speak it unless you’re a snob about it, savvy,” Knight winked.
She shook her head, then nodded at the guard. It was a different solider today. He turned and entered a code on the wall panel. The lock clicked, and he pulled the door open and stepped out of the way.
“He’s not to enter,” Marie said, motioning to Knight.
“Yes, ma’am,” the soldier said.
“Good cop needs a bad cop,” Knight said.
Marie ignored him.
Inside, Gragar still sat behind the table, hands in his lap. The empty tray now pushed to the side, the only thing remaining were a few stems of broccoli. He looked up at her, his nostrils flaring as she neared.
“Didn’t like the broccoli, huh?” Marie asked.
“Is garbage,” Gragar said.
Marie chuckled. “Yeah, it’s kind of an acquired taste for some people.” She set the box down and opened the lid, revealing the whole pepperoni pizza inside. “I figured thi—”
In a flash of motion, Gragar leapt from his chair, grabbing Marie from behind. She screamed but cut it short as he pressed something sharp against her neck. The door snapped open. The guard stood in the corridor, hand on his holstered pistol, eyes wide with fear.
“Get back!” Gragar yelled, grabbing the pizza box and throwing it into the hallway. The guard jumped out of the way and it smacked against the wall, opening and spilling pizza slices everywhere. He picked up the translation box and clenched it in the fist holding Marie fast.
“Gragar wants ship,” the Ultari shouted, pulling Marie out into the hallway. “Gragar will be free.”
“Don’t shoot,” Marie stammered, her fingers wrapping around Gragar’s thick arms.
The Ultari stepped through the door, keeping Marie between him and the guard. “You will free Gragar.”
The guard backed away, keeping his hand on his pistol. “I can’t let you do that,” he said, voice trembling. “Put the weapon down. I’ve hit the alarm; this place will be crawling with soldiers any second now.”
“Gragar, please,” Marie pleaded. “It doesn’t have to be like this. We’re not looking for enemies here.”
“The clan does not allow the weak to survive. I will return with honor or die.”
“Stop,” the guard said, keeping two meters between them as they moved through the corridor.
Knight kept pace behind the guard while leaning heavily on his cane. He leaned around to make eye contact with Marie. “It’s going to be okay.”
“Shut up!” the guard shouted, half turning.
“Easy, Gaul,” Knight said, calling Marie by her old pilot call sign. He worked the grip of his cane from side to side. “It’s going to be fine. Just everyone relax and don’t do anything stupid. Se déplacer vers la gauche.”
Marie frowned, eyeing Knight, trying to decide if she’d heard him correctly. Knight nodded again.
“Gragar will have ship!” the Ultari shouted, pushing Marie forward. “Gragar will kill this human!”
“Please,” Marie repeated. “Gragar, it doesn’t have to be this way.”
“Get on floor!” Gragar shouted, motioning with his free hand. He tightened his arm around Marie’s neck and she gasped for air. “Give me weapon!”
“Okay,” the guard said, slowly reaching for his pistol. “I’m going to put it down.”
Gragar loosened his hold enough for Marie to breathe. “No tricks.”
Slowly, using only the tips of his fingers, the guard pulled the pistol from its holster. “No tricks.” He set it down carefully and stepped away.
“On the floor!”
The man lowered himself to the floor, spreading his arms out above his head.
Gragar pointed at Knight. “You too!”
“Hey,” Knight said. “I’m a crusty old man. What am I going to do?”
The lift chimed at the end of the corridor. The doors opened and Hale stepped out. “Johnson, what in the— Marie!”
“Ken!” Marie shouted.
“Stay back!” the Ultari growled. “Gragar kill human.”
Hale stepped forward, hands palms out in front of him. “Let’s all just take a step back here and calm down. We can figure this out. Marie, are you all right?”
Marie nodded but felt Gragar’s grasp tighten around her throat. Her gaze flicked from Hale to Knight, who nodded slightly.
Hale stopped beside Knight, hands still up. “Listen, Gragar, we aren’t here to hurt you, I promise you. We just want to talk.”
“No more talk. Gragar goes now.”
“I don’t want you to do something that we’d all regret. Now if you can just let her go, we can—”
“Not let go! The clan will take me back!”
Marie saw Knight’s hand move under the blanket, his eyes locked on Gragar’s.
“Ultari destroy—”
“Déplacer!” Knight shouted.
In one move, Marie threw her body down and to the left, pushing up on Gragar’s arm. The sudden movement cut the Ultari off guard and he let out a cry of surprise as Marie dropped from his grasp.
The cry was cut short as Knight raised his cane tip off the ground and aimed it at the alien’s head. There was a gun shot and Marie felt a searing pain tear through her shoulder. She screamed, covering her shoulder as she hit the floor. She rolled away from the Ultari and heard a body hit the floor.
Gragar lay face down, a wet hole the size of a palm in his back and a pool of maroon blood spreading around him.
/> “Marie!” Hale moved past Knight, kneeling Marie’s side.
“I’m fine,” Marie told him through gritted teeth. She pulled her fingers away from her shoulder, warm with blood.
“What the hell were you thinking?” Hale shouted at Knight. “You could’ve killed her.”
“I was saving her life,” Knight said, tossing his cane aside and walking toward Marie with ease.
Marie turned, grimacing. “Is he…”
Knight kicked the alien. “Looks like I hit him in a major artery. Oops.”
“Goddamn it,” Hale said, helping Marie to her feet. “You didn’t need to kill him. There goes all our inside knowledge of the galaxy.”
“Well, I wasn’t trying to kill him,” Knight kicked the body again. “These Ultari are built a bit differently than us.”
“This part of your grand interrogation methods?” Marie dabbed at the bullet wound on her shoulder. The round had split her skin but managed little more than a flesh wound.
“You would’ve rather I let him kill you? Eventually, he would’ve figured out that we didn’t have another ship for him and I doubt he would’ve let you go with an ‘aww shucks’.”
“You never needed that cane…” Hale said.
“Sometimes these old bones creek when the weather gets cold,” Knight said. “Had to sell that I needed it to you all. None of you can act to save your lives.”
“You’re under arrest until I can figure out what to do with you,” Hale said. “Hand over your other weapons.”
Knight stared at Hale for a long moment, jaw muscles flexing. Finally, he removed a fighting knife from a sheath strapped to his ankle. He spun the knife around in his grip and handed it hilt first to Hale. The blade had a faded inscription: CRY HAVOC.
“I have a sentimental attachment to that,” Knight said.
“Corporal Johnson,” Hale said. “Take Mr. Knight into custody and escort him to his residence. You’re to remain there until relieved, understood?”
“Yes, sir.” Johnson stepped behind Knight and grabbed him by the wrist and shoulder, then led him away.
“We need to get you to the infirmary,” Hale said, turning to inspect his wife’s wound as the lift doors closed.
The blood had stopped seeping through her fingers, but the pain still pulsed. “I think it looks worse that it is.”
“Come on.”
Hale led her to the lift, pressed the call button, and waited for it to return. He looked back over her shoulder. “Did you really bring him pizza?”
Marie grimaced as pain radiated out from her shoulder. She looked back at the Ultari’s body.
“It’s not like I put pineapple on it.”
Chapter 16
“NG-2F, reporting,” a Netherguard said, snapping to attention. It tapped the butt of its disrupter halberd on the metal deck.
Jared looked up from the middle of the procedural growth tank’s display screens. “At ease.”
The Netherguard spread its feet, tilting its halberd forward. Two blue stripes had been painted onto the chest of the soldier’s slate-grey armor, identifying it as a field sergeant. Its mental processes slightly more enhanced than the rest of its brothers. It held its helmet under the crook of his free arm, faceplate folded up.
Implanting the Netherguard with human military customs and courtesies had been unavoidable. The care programming from the older doughboy models took too long to adjust. The Prince, by far the most militant of the Triumvirate, had seethed while watching the Netherguard march to human specifications, but hadn’t insisted on any changes. Yet.
Jared finished reviewing the daily report, then moved around the tank to address the new arrival. “Report.”
“Emperor Kyrios requests your presences on the Command Deck, Battle Commander.”
Of course, he does, Jared thought, wiping his hands with a rag. “Thank you, 2F. You may report back to your station.”
The soldier snapped back to attention, clicking its heels together. “By your will, Battle Commander.”
It turned and left Jared alone with the growth tank. He considered the bodies inside for a long moment, wishing nothing more than to pull the plug of the whole damn thing. Flash growing Ultari bodies was difficult enough; incorporating the many aesthetic changes the Triumvirate insisted on made it even more challenging. Golden skin was a rare mutation in the Ultari genome, and forming the face to match grainy pics was a chore.
But there was no choice. He had to obey. He hadn’t been able to locate Sarah and Mary since they’d arrived at the Ultari Fortress. Kyrios and the Arch Duke had hidden the stasis containers well.
The thought of his wife being held in that damn pod forever turned Jared’s stomach, more than once bringing the man to his knees with regret and anguish. He should’ve killed them when he had the chance, should have never allowed the damn Triumvirate to return to Terra Nova, should have never freed them from their prison. This was his entire fault. The blood of every human, Ultari, and whatever else lived in this galaxy would be on his hands. All that suffering would trace back to his weakness.
He sealed the restricted alcove and gave the instructions for his armor to be attached. Panels retracted from the walls and ceiling and skinny waldo arms extended, each holding a segment of armor. The process took just under a minute and as the helmet came down, thoughts of smashing through the cloning tanks with his armored gauntlet flashed through his mind.
Jared stepped into the Command Center, now fully powered and operational. Teams of Ultari technicians operated the hundreds of stations on every level. Ultari captains stood in an unorganized group to one side of the lowered command deck, all keeping wary eyes on the Netherguard stationed strategically around the room. An entire company had been assigned to sentry duty here, with other companies patrolling the rest of the fortress.
The Emperor stood in center of the command deck, speaking to the holo-image of an Ultari captain. “…and you will submit to my rule, Captain. The Ultari Empire will no longer be relegated to piracy and simple trading. That is beneath us.”
The captain canted his head to the side. The life-size projection flicked orange-white, the alien’s audio slightly distorted. “You’re extremely convincing, but just because you say you are the Emperor, Ancestors bless him, that doesn’t mean that you are. Just because some of the clans support your claim doesn’t mean the rest of us will follow in their footsteps. The Ultari have played this game before.”
Kailani, in her black and red garb, stepped forward. “Tral, he speaks the truth. The Triumvirate survived their exile.”
“Survived,” the captain said, sneering. “I see nothing more than a machine. You are a fool for believing his lies, Kailani. Were it not for you, I would destroy this imposter right here and now. If Kyrios’s consciousness did, in fact, survive and is now contained in that…thing, he is no different from the Abomination. He is no longer a true Ultari.”
“I believe him, Tral,” Kailani said. “We have seen the reports from Negev. Captain Devril returned just three days ago and confirmed the Emperor’s account of the story. They crushed the Regulos in space. Saw the Emperor’s prison.”
“Devril?” Tral looked away for a moment, then said, “I have seen no such evidence.”
Using the armor’s connection to the station’s systems, Jared found the relevant files and forwarded them on. A second later, Tral looked away again as someone reported the data transmission. “What is this?”
“Your evidence,” Jared said.
Kyrios turned. “My herald has arrived.”
Jared bowed his head. “Master.” He stepped past Kyrios and addressed the Ultari captain. “You can witness the Triumvirate’s glorious return with your own eyes. See the power and majesty. The True Ultari Empire will raise again. You can either walk with us or be crushed under our boots. You and your people have lived under the lies and false promises of the Abomination for too long. The galaxy will burn, and the Ultari will arise from the ashes.”
Tral stood silent for several moments, either watching the video feeds from Negev or contemplating Jared’s words, or both. Captain Devril, one of the only surviving captains from the Negev expeditionary fleet, had returned with the news that indeed the Triumvirate had escaped and verified the Regulos’ involvement. His report had swayed most of the reluctant few that had remaining unconvinced.
“And what could the old emperor do?” Tral asked. “The Regulos command a massive fleet. We’ve managed little more than raids against their trade worlds since the coup. No other race comes close to matching its power, much less having the ability to defeat it.”
The Emperor’s words appeared on Jared’s HUD. “Nothing will be able to stand against the power of the united Ultari. We will crush the Abomination and wipe its memory from existence. You have arrived at a most opportune time, Captain.” Jared’s blood ran cold as he read the next words. “Our preparations for our initial attack are complete and our armies are ready. We will add your vessels and crews to the might of our armada and send a message across the galaxy with one blow. You need only submit to the one True Emperor, beg forgiveness, and witness the coming glory of the Ultari.”
At the side of the command deck, the other Ultari captains were murmuring their assent. Jared could practically feel their excitement build as he spoke.
“Glory to the Emperor!” one of the captains shouted.
“Glory to the Emperor!” echoed another.
Soon the entire group was chanting, fists raised high. As the intensity of their chorus grew, the remaining Ultari crew throughout the command center joined in, and soon the entire chamber was reverberating with their voices.
Jared could hear what the holo-image of the Ultari captain said, but the alien nodded and Jared knew what had just happened. The Ultari were now of singular purpose, and that purpose was the Emperor’s will.
Chapter 17
Diasore Station wasn’t just a spaceport, it was an entire city. A city that stretched from horizon to horizon in the biggest metropolitan area Carson had ever seen. Skyscrapers, three times the size of the largest buildings ever to grace Earth’s skyline, dominated the landscape. Smaller ones, these still hundreds of stories tall, rose from the city every few blocks.