by Reg Franklin
---
Jennifer moved quietly, levitating herself an inch above the deck. Stealth was her friend. And as much as she hated having to be the weapon of death for a species, she also knew she had no choice. From what Zath had said, the Vandleifdulus would not stop their murderous crusade until only they were left.
There was one up ahead. She could easily hear the familiar screaming, along with pounding on the bulkheads, most likely trying to break into a room to slaughter everyone inside. She tried to parse out the screaming into syllables, possibly words. The Prelt had said that their language was derived from the Prelt’s own, maybe Lami could help translate it.
“PHNGLUI-LAVNABREN-GRASFTH-AGN-WGAL!”
Right. Jennifer sighed internally. Here we go.
She propelled herself around the corner, cancelling her levitation, locking her eyes on the pale soldier, sending her probe like a bullet into the alien’s head. It dropped and began its death rattle.
She didn’t realize that the Vandle didn’t have to continuously scream, that they could be stealthy killers until the bony hands grabbed around her throat from behind, cutting off her air. Then the unholy shrieking began.
“LAVNABREN-KROO-LCU-ERTA-CDUW-” was as far as it got before Jennifer was able to loose another ‘mind bullet’ as she began to think of them. The hands clenched harder, dragging Jennifer to the deck as the alien fell. After an agonizing moment, the hands loosened enough for Jennifer to get away, gasping for air.
Okay, two down. When she recovered enough, she opened her mind, seeking the remainder. They were coming fast, three more of them, pincering her location. Damn, damn, damn….
Jennifer tried to lock onto all three of them, send a trio of mind-melting blasts. She felt one Vandle collapse, but the other two were still coming. Great. Now I have to practice multiple attacks. The Vandle charged her from opposite ends, shrieking. “HTHA-CTHOO-LAVNABREN-VANDLEIFDULUS-GADRHA!”
Rather than just send more mind bullets, Jennifer grabbed one telekinetically, throwing it backwards, then blasting the other one’s mind. She tightened her grip on the fallen one, approaching it gingerly, rubbing her neck where the second one grabbed her. It was thrashing on the floor, fighting her mental grip. The dual-colored eyes stared at her balefully, and it shrieked again.
“BARA-STR’A-DK-SALK’ART!”
Wait, what? Jennifer started. The name of the ancient enemy of the Prelt had stood out, but did she just hear Stragdoc in that mass of syllables? “ What did you just say?” Jennifer breathed. She knew it didn’t understand her, but why was his name in that garbled mass of Lovecraftian syllables?
Knowing the inevitable result, Jennifer drove her mental probe into the alien, ignoring its shriek and seizure, she dug in her limited time, trying to find some hint, some clue.
But then the creature was dead, and she still had no answers.
19.
Callixta stood aboard the bridge of the new vessel, hands clasped behind her back as she admired the clean, functional lines of the Talon-class battleship. Essentially a scaled-down version of the Alphite flagship, the Talons might have lost some of the devastating firepower and all of the shuttles of the bigger vessel, but it more than compensated for that with speed.
“Your highness? Does it meet your expectations?” Simms, once chief engineer of the Red Talon now chief architect of the fleet, asked from behind her.
“Exceeds them. You should be proud, Simms.” She turned to face him, smiling widely. Simms boyish looks had been marred in the Battle of the Talon, the lower half of his face bathed in radioactive fire. He’d naturally survived, but the mass of scarred tissue tended to frighten most. His return smile stretched the damaged skin horribly. There was a reason he remained at the shipyards, seldom returning to Numenor unless his liege summoned him.
“Thank you, majesty. The first prototype of the new Umbra-class vessels should be ready for test flights soon.” While the Talons would form the backbone of the Imperial fleet, Stragdoc and Simms had jointly designed the Umbras to be its new muscle, broad warships built to resemble Earth’s manta rays.
“Has this vessel been named yet?” Callixta toured the command stations, fingers travelling gently over various controls.
Simms checked his notes. “No, madam Empress.”
“My husband has the Red Talon, it is only proper that I have a ship of my own to command in his...absence.” A sly smile played around Callixta’s lips. “After all, the Red Talon will be needed to lead the defense of Numenor under Admiral Dalth’s leadership…”
“Empress, are you planning on taking a more direct role in military affairs?” Praxus, silent until now, spoke up. “That seems unwise, if only because the Emperor’s still recovering and-”
“Precisely. My love is in no shape to lead our forces, so it must fall to me.” Callixta snapped. “You are here to-”
“Advise you, Empress.” Praxus quietly interjected. “And protect you.”
Callixta’s features softened. “Of course, forgive me. I am under a lot of strain as of late.”
Praxus bowed. “Of course, my Empress.”
Simms coughed lightly. “Ahem, so will you be using this vessel as your personal flagship then, m’lady?”
Callixta nodded curtly. “Yes. Effective immediately if there is a crew ready.”
Simms chuckled. “Never fear Empress, we have an abundance of crewmen compared to the number of ships we actually have.” He tapped on his tablet briefly, listing the ship under her command and requesting a crew complement. “As for the name of your flagship, highness?”
Callixta thought for a few moments. “When we take this ship into battle with our enemies, it shall leave a bloody trail of them, as they sacrifice themselves to fight the will of the Empire.” She looked at Simms and Praxus. “Christen her as the Hecatomb.”
---
Within a day, the Hecatomb left the orbiting shipyards with a pair of Talon escorts, the sister ships Arkham and Miskatonic, and a carrier named Akallabeth, filled with enough combat shuttles to conquer a small moon. Other Talons departed to the edges of the system, ready to die in Numenor’s defense.
Before the Hecatomb’s departure, a large isolation chamber was brought on board and placed in the Empress’s quarters. It was of unfamiliar make, both filled with super-oxygenated fluid, and a separate oxygen supply. The crew delivering it were carefully watched to ensure the device was handled gently, more than one swearing that the chamber was occupied.
Inside the chamber, the Emperor floated, an oxygen mask strapped to his face. So far, he’d had no luck breaking free of the mental cage the Lavnabren had imprisoned him within. For now, he plotted and fumed.
On the bridge, Captain Zulphais Vaathek turned to the Empress. “Departure successful, Highness. Our flight is at your command.”
On the newly installed command throne, Callixta smiled. “This is just a shakedown voyage, Captain. We’ll take a tour of the system, ensure the defensive perimeter is secure. After that, if all goes well, we return to Numenor. I do have other duties after all.”
“Of course, Highness.” Captain Vaathek nodded, returning her attention to the rest of the crew.
“And if things do not go well, Empress?” Praxus murmured next to her.
Her smile became feral. It was answer enough.
---
In orbit around Earth, the battle was over. Surprisingly, there had been few casualties on the defenders’ side, only one ship lost. The Vandle forces had been sent reeling, although many of their ships had attacked Earth itself. Kelly Young ordered their trajectories plotted, the ships’ occupants to be exterminated without mercy out of the valid concern not only that a single Vandle soldier could devastate a civilian population, but the aliens’ ability to reproduce asexually could cause humanity untold future problems.
“No, you cannot attempt to capture one of them alive!” Kelly barked into a communicator aboard his shuttle bound for Vienna, Zath sitting awkwardly beside him. “Nor do I car
e what Councilman Carter of the Eurozone says, I am countermanding those orders! Kill them on sight!” He listened a moment, his face becoming a mask of rage. “And you can tell Councilman Torigawa that I also don’t give a damn that I am superseding the Council’s authority! You know what, I’ll tell both of them myself, we’re on final approach. Yes, we, I have an important guest. Now prepare the landing pad!” Kelly snapped the communicator shut as the pilot neared the Global Council building.
+Forgive my presumptions, but it seems your planetary alliance is not precisely allied?+ Zath remarked.
Kelly sighed, slumping in his seat. “I think you’re right. I also think that they’re panicked. For centuries, we’ve never encountered another sentient form of life, now we’ve met one, and it wants us dead. That sort of thing messes with your outlook.”
+Ah, but we do not wish that upon you. Nor will the other races of our forming alliance. Well, perhaps the Relex, I am given to believe they had a poor experience on your world once, and they hold grudges a long time.+
“Terrific. Great. Wonderful.” Kelly massaged his temples.
+But that is a tomorrow problem. Today you and I must convince your people to help us fight the Lavnabren and her childer. And I am sure under the threat of extermination by the Vandleifdulus, the Relex may be willing to, as you say, forgive and forget.+
Kelly had to chuckle at that. The shuttle landed and he and the Prelt stood to exit. “I should warn you, Zath, the people might be frightened by your appearance initially.”
+I understand.+ He gave one of those coughing laughs. +And I shall try not to find your people that repellent either.+
Kelly paused. Looked at the bright-eyed alien. “Smart-ass.” He grumbled before settling into his more diplomatic mien, and led the way from the ship.
---
Kelly was not mistaken about the general reaction, gasps and murmurs erupted from the crowd as Zath emerged. Kelly waved off the barrage of questions and escorted the Prelt inside, merely commenting that he would explain in General Council about Zath, the Prelt, and the invaders, he’d rather not explain twice.
So in front of the Global Council, the press, and a worldwide audience, Kelly set the stage for Zath to retell his tale. He began by presenting an affidavit recorded by Admiral St George about the initial encounter on the planetoid. He then introduced Zath as “Ambassador of the honorable Prelt race”, and invited him to speak. Zath spoke at length of the threat and their own tragic part in it. Kelly then retook the podium.
“There you have it, we stand at the brink of annihilation at the hands of an insane species that craves to wipe the entire galaxy clean. And although the first battle here at Earth has been won, mark my words, they will return. The Ambassador here has informed me that they are gathering other species as allies to wipe the living cancer that is the Vandleifdulus from the galaxy. Co-existence with these creatures is impossible, they live only to kill. As senior Councilman, I hereby request...no, demand, that we accept the offer of the Prelt, join their forming alliance, and defend the right to live that belongs to sentients across our galaxy! We stand on a precipice of annihilation, and our strongest chance for survival lies in mutual defense of all our worlds, and strong offense against this self-titled ‘Queen of the Void’, to send her hurtling into the oblivion that she craves!”
As Kelly finished, members of the Council glanced at each other. Councilman Randolph Carter spoke first. “Councilman Young, while I appreciate the strength of your words, first you shall explain the countermanding of my orders to capture as many of these Vandle as is possible.”
Kelly was flabbergasted. “A-are you mad? Did you not listen to a word the Ambassador or the Admiral said to you today? These things can reproduce asexually at an exponential rate! Their blood is the most potent carcinogen ever discovered, a man lays in what I am sure will be permanent stasis due to encountering it! They must be exterminated!”
Councilwoman Bethany Reeve of Australasia now spoke. “Yes, and we have additional information you lack. Just before our world came under attack, we received a distress call from Centauri Base. Confirmation came from the Admiral just before you arrived that these Vandle were responsible. He also advocates for committing genocide against these beings.” Her expression hardened. “And while we sympathize with the Ambassador, and shall consider his speech as an apology of sorts, the fact remains that the Prelt are the root cause of this conflict. I’m sorry, Ambassador Zath, but we have a saying among our people: this is your mess, you clean it up.”
Chi Torigawa, of the North Asiatic Bloc, was next. “We are recalling the John Alex, as well as any exploratory ships, and will focus on the defense of our own world. We cannot at this time lend support to any sort of alliance.”
“ARE YOU ALL INSANE?!” Kelly all but screamed. “You are condemning Earth to an eternity of war against these things, and they already outnumber us!”
“You will restrain yourself or face censure from this body, Councilman Young.” Carter warned.
“I see no reason for further discussion of this issue. Your...demand...is refused, and again we do welcome the Ambassador to stay among us as long as he desires, but we are now adjourned.”
Kelly stood there, jaw hanging almost to his knees in horror and disbelief.
20.
“What in all the names of hell was that?!”
Kelly ignored the secretary as he threw the door open, and marched into Randolph Carter’s office. The unctuous Brit stared back at him over the edge of a pair of reading glasses.
“And what, exactly, are you referring to, Mr. Young?” Carter set down the battle reports he was reviewing. “Our allowing the alien to remain, or our refusal to subject this world to an interplanetary war?”
“You know goddamn well what I’m talking about, Carter.” Kelly put both his hands on the other Councilman’s desk, leaning over it. “We’re already at war! And we need allies!”
“Perhaps we are, and perhaps we do. However, most of the Council, myself included, believes that a diplomatic solution is viable.” Carter fiddled with a pen on his desk. “For all we know, the Admiral accidentally violated their territory, and the attack today was in retaliation for it. These...Prelt...could be hoping to conquer us by using us against their own folly. To be honest, I am amazed that you of all people buy into this story of the Ambassador’s so easily.”
“We. Are. Going. To. Die.” Kelly bit out through clenched teeth.
“I doubt that very much. The matter has been decided unanimously, time to move on.” Carter reached for the reports again, a clear dismissal. He never reached them as Kelly grabbed him by the shirt front, hauling the astonished politician over his desk, and slamming him into the wall.
“If I wasn’t aware that the Vandle have no interest in money or servants, I’d swear they paid the lot of you off.” Kelly snarled.
“Security!” The older man shouted. Then, to Kelly, “I will have you censured, ejected from the Council for daring to lay hands on another member!”
“You might not live long enough to file a motion if the Vandle return!” Kelly did release the other Councilman’s shirt. He stalked to the door.
“Where do you think you’re going?” Carter demanded. “Your private battleship? I’ve already ordered the captain and crew be relieved and confined to quarters.”
“Really?” Kelly turned back to Carter, murder in his eyes, but a smile on his lips.
“I knew you’d make a scene, and your crew is not to be trusted as they’ve been exposed to that alien you brought here.” Carter stood straight, trying to regain some measure of authority.
Kelly brought out his communicator. “Captain Harte? Situation?”
“Clean-up of the surviving enemy vessels continues, Councilman.” The German accented voice came back.
“Were you ordered to be relieved?”
“Yes, sir. However the relief crew that arrived agreed with your assessment of things, and according to them, so does much of the def
ense force. They have taken stations alongside us as we establish a defensive line for the time being.”
“Treason!” Carter spat.
“Common sense.” Kelly corrected, putting away his communicator. “Before I came here, I checked with some opinion polls the media were conducting. The vast majority of the population doesn’t agree with you. In fact, seventy-two percent of the population believes that we will be destroyed unless we stand with the Prelt and their allies, and thirty-five percent are unsure what to think. The military is convinced from today’s battle that diplomacy is impossible. Shock and outrage are what the people are feeling after they were attacked and their government basically wants to apologize to our attackers.” Kelly shook his head. “You made a decision affecting billions of people, and didn’t even check with the will of those people before you did it. Hell, I know I’m arrogant and can go off half-cocked sometimes, matter of fact I did just that not too long ago, but the stunt you pulled today takes it to a whole new level.”