by J McGovern
‘It’s amazing that they left all this stuff,’ Glitz muttered, looking at the remaining cargo. ‘It must be worth at least fifty thousand credits.’
‘That’s what worries me,’ Tekka said. ‘Think about it. What could possibly warrant the abandonment of such expensive supplies?’
‘There could be some sort of danger here,’ Glitz admitted, looking around as he said it, as if expecting some monster to come lurching out of the air ducts on cue.
‘Perhaps.’ Tekka nodded. ‘Or perhaps this is a trap. On some primitive planets in the Rim, the inhabitants have a problem with a small mammal called a mouse. To deal with the mice, devices called mousetraps are used. These contraptions usually consist of a spring-loaded metal bar, along with a piece of cheese as bait. As soon as the vermin tries to take the cheese, the trap is activated and the bar snaps over the animal, breaking its neck or spinal cord.’
‘Nice,’ Glitz said.
‘But do you not see?’ Tekka said. ‘What if this ship is the mousetrap, and these provisions the cheese?’
Glitz glanced around at the abandoned supplies, as if seeing them in a new light.
‘OK,’ Glitz said, starting to feel uneasy. ‘Let’s make this our last trip. But we’ll carry as much as we possibly can. Look — pick up one of those giant crates and we’ll …’ He tailed off, staring at the walls of the ship.
‘You have gone pale,’ Tekka said.
Glitz did not reply.
‘Is something the matter?’
There was something wrong, Glitz was sure of it. His years of working for the East Galaxy Company had taught him everything there was to know about smuggling. He had discovered just about every hiding place on his old freighter. Once, on a visit to Vortan, he had picked up nearly three hundred illegal blasters in addition to his official cargo of fortified wheat and marchgrain. On that occasion, he had not only hidden the weapons in his secret compartments beneath the floor, but also in the walls behind the maintenance panels. He knew everything there was to know about hiding things on a ship. That was why he noticed that one of the wall panels had been replaced. A huge sheet of metal wall had clearly been lifted from its place, as there were metal shavings on the floor, which must have been scraped off by the movement. The wall had obviously been replaced. But why had the wall been removed? What was hidden behind there? Suddenly, there was a clang. The sound had come from behind the metal sheet.
‘I don’t like this,’ Glitz said.
Without warning, there was the sound of a laser being fired. The metal sheet, propelled by the power of the energy blast, hurtled across the room — Glitz dodged out of the way, narrowly avoiding the white-hot steel. Five men were standing in the alcove that had been covered by the metal sheet. They were wearing Marine uniforms. And they were pointing their weapons at Glitz and Tekka. Two of them were carrying assault rifles, and the other three had energy weapons.
‘Put down your weapons,’ one of the Marines carrying a rifle said.
Glitz sighed, but he wasn’t about to argue with an Imperial Marine. They both slowly dropped to the ground and placed their guns on the floor. Then they stood up slowly, holding their arms above their heads.
‘Kick them away!’
They did as the Marine said, and one of the other soldiers picked up the weapons. Glitz stared at the men, still in a state of shock. What were Imperial Marines doing on the abandoned ship? And why had they been hiding behind the wall panel? There seemed to be only one possible solution — that it had been an ambush. But why would the Imperium go to so much trouble to recapture some absconded prisoners?
‘Deactivate them!’
Glitz turned to Tekka. ‘Deactivate? What does he mean?’
To answer Glitz’s question, the three Marines carrying energy weapons pointed them directly at the three fugitives. Without even a slight hesitation, they fired their guns. Glitz, Tekka and Doland collapsed to the floor.
‘Now bring them.’
Chapter Eight
Lightworld
Volori System
Glitz awoke to the sound of dripping water. The noise of the droplets echoed and reverberated. It sounded like it was falling from a great height, before splashing against a rocky surface. He opened his eyes, and winced in pain. He had a splitting headache. He began to examine his surroundings. He was lying inside a huge cage, along with Tekka and Doland. Although it was dimly lit outside the cave, he could make out huge walls of craggy rock on every side. They were in some sort of cave. He stood up and approached the edge of the cage. With a jolt, he realised that the cave floor was almost thirty metres below them; the cage was hanging by a metal chain, suspended in the air. Light was streaming down from a hole in the rock about a mile above them.
‘Wake up,’ Glitz said, nudging Doland and Tekka. ‘Wake up, both of you.’
Doland stirred and sat up, wiping his eyes tiredly. Tekka’s eyes flitted open. Most people, on awakening, require a few seconds to adjust to their surroundings and clear their mind. Tekka, however, leapt to his feet immediately, taking in their predicament with sharp, alert eyes.
‘This is most unpleasant,’ he concluded.
‘You know this place?’ Glitz said.
Tekka nodded. ‘I have never been here before, but I believe we are inside the catacombs of Lightworld.’
Doland swallowed. ‘Lightworld? Lightworld as in the seat of the Imperial Navy?’
‘Of course,’ Tekka said, somewhat impatiently. ‘Examine the rocks on either side of our cage. Notice the purple flecks that seem to sparkle inside the grey stone. The surface of these walls appears to be made of targon, a type of rock that is only known to exist on one planet: Lightworld.’
‘I’m as interested in geology as the next guy,’ Glitz said. ‘But I’m a lot more interested in how to get out of this cage.’
‘I hardly think that will be necessary,’ Tekka said.
‘If we don’t escape they’re going to put us on trial!’ Doland said. ‘Come on, man. You’re the smart one. Think of something!’
‘Since when did you hear of common criminals being taken to Lightworld?’ Tekka said. ‘No, no. We have been brought here for a special reason. For some reason, the Navy has seen fit to bring us to this planet. And I have a distinct feeling that we will be finding out that reason very soon.’
As if on cue, there was the echoing sound of footprints as several men marched into the cave, wearing Naval uniforms. Behind them, Glitz recognised the five Marines that had been hiding on the abandoned ship. Tekka had been right; the whole thing had been a trap. For whatever reason, the Navy had set up the abandoned ship in the Upsilon system specifically to capture them. But what could the Imperium possibly want with three common criminals?
One of the men pulled a lever built into the cave wall. There was the sound of a motor whirring, and the cage began to slowly descend. When the cell finally touched the floor with a dull thump, one of the men opened the cage, pointing his gun at the captives.
‘Follow me,’ he said. ‘And don’t try anything stupid.’
Half of the men walked behind the captives, and half of them walked in front, escorting the three men out of the catacombs. Glitz wasn’t thinking about escaping right then; he was more curious than anything. The men led them along several tunnels. Finally, they reached a metal bulkhead. One of them inputted a code into the keypad, and the metal door began to rise. Glitz, Tekka and Doland were led along a metal corridor, which was illuminated by hot yellow directional lights. Finally, they reached the end of the corridor, and another bulkhead was opened.
They stepped out into a grand room. It was supported by stone pillars, and fine tapestries hung on every wall. There were golden bowls, silver statues, and what looked like a diamond-encrusted altar. The gems glistened in the bright lights. A long table stood in the centre of the room, which was made of a sort of glistening black stone. Glitz looked slowly around the room, unable to hide his surprise. He had expected to be taken into another cell, or may
be even a torture room. He hadn’t expected such grandeur.
His eyes were drawn to the men sitting at the black table. One of the men was wearing a Navy uniform with six holographic medals, and he was older than most of the others. From his distinctive shoulder board and sleeve lace, Glitz recognised him as the First Naval Lord.
The First Naval Lord smiled at the men. ‘Leave us.’
Immediately, they saluted, turned, and marched out of the room, leaving Glitz, Tekka and Doland alone with the admirals.
‘Welcome to the Admiralty Board Room,’ the First Naval Lord said. ‘My name is Admiral Maximil. I am the First Naval Lord, Commander of the Imperial Navy. Please, sit.’
***
Far across the galaxy, quite another sort of meeting was due to take place in considerably less grandiose surroundings. A tall man wearing a dark suit was sitting in the conference room of his ship, the Insurgent. The conference room was low-key and simple. It consisted of a long metal table lined with steel benches. The room was devoid of decoration. Everything was black or grey, and the only colour was provided by the man’s golden staff, which contained a bright sapphire in the hilt.
The man was sitting alone, but he knew that his friends would be arriving soon. As he sat in silence, he thought about everything that he had accomplished during his lifetime. Cheated of his birthright and cast into poverty, he had spent his entire life rebuilding his fortunes. Many years ago, he had founded the East Galaxy Company, which had become famous for interplanetary trade. Now, after selling the company for over fifty billion credits, he was finally in a position to restore his rightful place in the Universe. And he would do that by changing the Universe.
I, Ozytan, will reclaim my birthright …
Three creatures appeared in the conference room, bringing Ozytan back into reality. They were roughly humanoid in shape, except that they had snake-like skin and black eyes. The creatures also had lethal claws on their arms, feet and tail. They were called Weerms, and were creatures of not only great intelligence, but also great ferocity.
‘Hello, my friends,’ Ozytan said, smiling at his visitors. He glanced at the holographic timeprint hovering over the table. ‘Precisely on time, as usual.’
‘Unpunctuality is a human trait,’ the largest Weerm hissed.
They sat down at the conference table, facing Ozytan. The man gestured to a jug of water lying in the centre of the table, along with several cups.
‘Would you like some water?’
Without replying, the two creatures lifted up their hands. A tendril shot out from each hand, landing in the jug of water. There was a slurping sound as they began to suck up the water through their tendrils. Ozytan looked away. Although he needed the Weerms, he could still not bring himself to like them. Nearly everything about their nature repulsed him.
‘How does the plan progress?’ one of the Weerms said.
‘It progresses well,’ Ozytan said. ‘Soon we will be ready to strike at the heart of the Imperium. It will be crushed.’
The Weerms made a horrible grating sound that Ozytan interpreted as laughter. He knew that the creatures desired nothing more than the overthrow of the Imperium. They stood to gain a massive reward — the spread of their species right across the galaxy …
‘Soon, my friends,’ Ozytan said. ‘Soon …’
***
Glitz, Tekka and Doland sat down at the table in the Admiralty Board Room. Glitz glanced at the First Naval Lord. He had quite a familiar face; Glitz was sure that he had previously seen him on patriotic vidcasts on the official Imperial broadcast standard. He seemed to be stern and masculine, but there was an almost imperceptible sense of childishness, of mischievousness, bubbling beneath the surface. In Glitz’s experience, many older men in positions of authority seemed to develop such personalities; while never immature, they had an occasional tendency towards irreverence and comedy.
‘Why are we here?’ Tekka said. ‘I would appreciate it if you could be both exact and concise.’
A couple of the admirals clenched their fists, and Glitz swallowed. He admired Tekka for being brave enough to speak to the Commander of the Navy of the Imperium in such a disrespectful way, but he was worried that they would all end up being punished for Tekka’s insolence. But the First Naval Lord simply chuckled.
‘Well, I shall do my best.’ The First Naval Lord pointed to the men sitting around the table. ‘These are the finest men in the Imperial Navy. And still none of them can get us out of our current mess.’
‘Please,’ Doland said suddenly, looking panicked. ‘I don’t know why we’re here, but … whatever it is, we’re sorry! We’ll go back to Malus and serve the rest of our sentences. Just please … please don’t execute us.’
Grow a pair, Glitz thought, annoyed. Of course, he too was intimidated by being hauled in front of the First Naval Lord and the other officers. But he wasn’t prepared to lose his dignity quite so easily.
‘Execute?’ the First Naval Lord said, his shining eyes widening. ‘Oh no, that was never on the table. Oh no. We need your help.’
Doland gulped. ‘Help?’
The man nodded, placing his palms on the shiny table. ‘Let me tell you a story,’ he said. He activated a panel and a hologram projection of a planet appeared. It was a cracked grey sphere, with a fiery seam running through the centre. The cratered surface was dry and barren. ‘This is the planet Chaos. It is located in the far reaches of the Paradonian Sector, in the part of space commonly known as the Wilderlands. The planet was first discovered centuries ago by Dorian Night, the famous intergalactic explorer, but for obvious reasons it was declared unsuitable for colonisation. It is perhaps the most unfriendly planet in the Universe, inhabited by savage creatures and home to every sort of catastrophe and pestilence imaginable.’
He nodded to Admiral Blaize, who carried on the story. ‘The only life forms Dorian Night found on Chaos were vicious, primitive animals. Chemical storms rage in the heavens. Quakes are a weekly occurrence. The world has no redeeming features. There are not even any valuable minerals on the planet. So imagine our surprise when we discovered a mysterious ship in orbit around the planet.’
Tekka frowned. ‘What kind of ship?’
‘That is the interesting thing,’ the First Naval Lord said. ‘We do not know. The ship is unlike any we have ever seen.’ He activated another control, and an image of the ship became overlaid over the projection of the planet.
‘We need to find out who they are, and what they want,’ Admiral Andronica said.
‘Then send some of your ships,’ Tekka said.
The First Naval Lord smiled. ‘Would it were that simple. In fact, the scout ship that we sent was promptly destroyed. They most likely have some sort of advanced weaponry — something we have not encountered before.’
‘How do we come into all this?’ Glitz said, somehow already knowing the answer.
The First Naval Lord’s eyes twinkled. ‘You are to fly to the Wilderness and visit the planet Chaos, with the intention of discovering the purpose of the enemy ship. You will then return to Lightworld with a full report of your discoveries.’
Glitz glanced at his companions. Doland looked terrified, and Tekka was apparently lost in thought; his face was expressionless.
‘And what if we refuse?’ Tekka said finally.
‘Come now, come now,’ the First Naval Lord said. ‘You can use your imagination, surely?’
Tekka smiled coldly. ‘I have been reliably informed that I do not have an imagination. So why don’t you just tell us?’
Glitz winced. He couldn’t believe that Tekka was talking to the leader of the most powerful Navy in history as if he was an errant schoolboy that hadn’t handed in his homework. But the First Naval Lord smiled again — for some reason, he seemed to like Tekka.
‘I do so hate threats. You have to make so many of them when you’re in my position, you know. I sometimes think my only purpose in life is to threaten people. So let’s try something different. How
about a carrot instead of a stick? If you manage to find out the purpose of the mysterious ships, I will offer the three of you a full pardon.’
Tekka looked interested. He nodded slowly. ‘Why did you select us for this mission?’ he said finally.
‘A couple of my admirals thought it was unwise,’ the First Naval Lord said, ‘but I think that this unusual situation calls for a maverick solution. We are in a — potentially — very dangerous situation. When I heard about your escape from Malus, I decided to recruit you. After all, it’s a well-known fact that no one escapes from Malus. Luckily for us, you set the co-ordinates for the Upsilon System before you reset the ship’s tracking system. And we knew your ship was low on supplies. All we had to do was place the snare ship in orbit and wait for you to board.’
