Blood for the Empress: Part One of the Empress Trilogy

by Lon Varnadore

  She witnessed these scenes again and again, in various corners of her empire and beyond. The Centarui system gone, the three stars destroyed by the ring of fire. Sol, the birthplace of humans, destroyed in a flash before her eyes.

  Katerina pulled herself from the vision, landing on the stone floor, cold and sweating. She panted as the last of the images receded from her mind. She retched blood and wine until she was dry heaving. Ryna stared at her, finally asking in a shaky voice, "Katerina, are... are you well?"

  Katerina wiped a spot of blood vomit from her lips, stood, and took a long deep breath. "You and I are going to save the galaxy."

  "How?"

  "With this," she said, waving towards the machine.

  "How?"

  "It will help me find your sister."

  "And with her, you'll save the galaxy?"

  Katerina smiled. "Yes, my little Ryna. With you and her we'll save the galaxy."

  Twelve

  Kesh looked at Lyra, the girl from the pod. She was eating, well, inhaling food was a better term. She looked like she hadn't eaten in days. "How long were you in the pod?"

  "What is today?"

  Kesh thought for a moment, converting a few things. "Wednesday, the 10th."

  "What month?"

  "August."

  "Three weeks," Lyra said with a smile. She then grabbed another sandwich from the platter before Jonica could finish putting it down.

  "At least you are eating, that's good," Jonica said with a smile.

  "Why?" Lyra asked.

  "My contacts said if you didn't, you'd be in trouble," Jonica stared daggers at Kesh as he tried to get an apple from the platter. "None for you."

  "Why? Thought I was helping you?" Kesh asked, pulling his hand back.

  "You brought that thing on my ship." Jonica's words were punctuated by another scream from Blue in the cargo hold.

  "You said you needed my help. Blue and I are a package deal."

  "Whatever," Jonica said with a roll of her eyes. "As soon as Lyra is in the hands of my friends, you can head back home."

  Kesh looked away. "Can't really go home. You helped see to that," he said, looking at Meph.

  Jonica tilted her head towards the psi-cat. What did you do?

  I was under your orders to bring help so you could take Lyra's pod, Meph said.

  Wait! Kesh shouted through the link, causing Meph and Jonica to snap their heads towards him, you had me come along as a distraction? What in the Pit is wrong with you?

  It couldn't be helped, Jonica said. It was a last minute idea. I am sorry, as is Meph.

  Speak for yourself, human.

  Kesh glared at Meph, I should feed you to Blue.

  Jonica slapped Kesh on the shoulder. "Try it and see what happens."

  Lyra looked them all with a quizzically look. "What is going on?"

  Kesh looked at her and smirked. "Oh, nothing."

  She blinked for a moment. "Oh, you three have a mind-link." She then went back to eating her sandwich.

  Kesh, Jonica, and Meph looked at each other for a moment, stunned. Kesh broke the silence. "How did you—"

  "I felt a strange buzz in my head while you three were looking at each other. Figured it out. My mom would do things like that with my dad and older sister."

  "You are psionic?" Jonica asked.

  "What is that?" Lyra asked.

  "You can touch people's minds? Send your thoughts?" Jonica asked.

  No, she cannot, Kesh heard through the mind-link. She cannot hear us. For now.

  Jonica looked at Meph. Could she develop it?

  If she had training. Perhaps. Meph then gave a mental shrug.

  "Wonderful," Joncia said. She turned to Lyra. "At least now, we know why the Bloody Bitch wants you."

  "Why?" Lyra asked, looking at Jonica with a fearful look. "Did I do something wrong?"

  "No, it's your blood. If she gets ahold of it, she could use it."

  "Wait. How?" Kesh asked. "How do you know so much?"

  "I have friends in the Empire whose loyalty is... fungible."

  "Alright," Kesh said. "Even if she does get her hands on Lyra's blood, how could she use her powers?"

  "There is a machine she uses," Jonica said.

  "This sounds like science fiction."

  Meph leapt onto the table and looked at Kesh. My race knows a little more than Jonica. The Bloody Bitch has something that can use those psionically gifted like Lyra and allow those who don't have the gift to use it. And, the Bitch does have some talent, and that is why she is more dangerous.

  "Why?" Kesh asked, looking at Meph.

  "She thinks that there is some great evil coming," Lyra said matter-of-factly that chilled Kesh.

  "How do you—"

  "She was touched by the Bitch herself," Jonica said. "Lyra probably gleaned it from her."

  "This is entirely too complicated," Kesh said.

  "Well then, once we get to Europa, you can leave."

  Kesh stared at Jonica. "Maybe Blue and I will."

  Jonica rolled her eyes, turned and walked off. "We'll be coming out of jump soon. Get ready."

  Kesh went to check on Blue. What a weird woman.

  "I heard that!" Jonica shouted.

  "Good!" Kesh shouted back before dropping to the cargo hold.

  The Runner thrummed as it entered the atmo of Europa. Jonica twisted the ship around the various sensor relays, threading through the thin spaces and gaps between the various spires of frozen ice plumes like a needle. Kesh realized what Meph was doing with his position on her lap. "He's helping her steer."

  "What?" Lyra asked, not looking at him.

  "Meph. He's helping her move the Runner around the various points."

  "I thought he just liked sitting on Jonica's lap," Lyra said.

  "Nope," Jonica said as the Runner settled into a cleft in a large mountain range. "Meph hates to be anywhere near people."

  Not true. I do not mind you Jonica. The male stinks of his lizard too much is why I hate him.

  Kesh cocked an eye at the cat. "I could feed you to him, you know."

  Blue let out a small joyful noise as if the beast knew they were talking about him from the cargo hold.

  "Not happening," Jonica said. She held up her plasma pistol and waved it in front of Kesh's face. "Over my dead body."

  Kesh held his hands up. "It's a joke!"

  "Why exactly did you bring that beast on board?" Jonica asked, still holding the plasma pistol in Kesh's face.

  "One, put that away before you hurt someone. Two, where Blue goes, I go."

  "You didn't have to come."

  Kesh cocked an eyebrow, "I didn't? You owe me. And, I don't have a home, thanks to that cat."

  "So, you keep saying."

  He is right, Meph said.

  Jonica shifted her head and lowered the weapon. "You didn't have to announce it to him."

  Meph padded over to Lyra and rubbed his face against her bare ankle. She smiled and picked him up like a rag doll. She kissed him and started to scratch at him behind the ears.

  "Anyway," Jonica said, rolling her eyes at Meph. "We are going to be here for a bit. You and Lyra stay on the ship."

  "No can do," Kesh said, turning and heading for the cargo hold.

  "I'm the captain, what I say goes."

  "Fine," Kesh said, stopping in his tracks. "But Blue's going to make an even bigger mess than he has already in that little room. Plus, he'll be close to eating me, and he likes me." He turned away from them and added, "Most of the time."

  Jonica stopped. She gave the passageway to the cargo hold a sickened look when Blue chose that moment to let out a screeching cry. "Fine." She said quickly. "But, stay close."

  "Aye, aye Captain," Kesh said with a derisive smile and mock salute. He turned and walked to the ladder that led to the hold. He grabbed the sides and slid down the ladder. When he landed with a thump, Blue let out screech after screech from the room. Kesh grimaced when he saw that the door was bulgi
ng outward a bit. He was sure that the door's interior was covered in scratches.

  He walked to the door, it rattled harder and harder. "Blue, easy does it boy. It's me. Calm down." Kesh placed his hand on the door, hearing the scytheclaw sniff at his hand through the door. "I'm going to open it now, gotta calm down." There was an answering click-click-click. Kesh opened the door and was bowled over by the large beast as it slammed open the door. Blue walked over to where Kesh had landed, twisting his head this way and that and sniffed Kesh for a long moment.

  Sensing he had a chance to calm the lizard, he reached out to touch the muzzle. For a second, he saw Blue's eyes widen and a growl came from the scytheclaw’s throat. Blue then pushed his head into Kesh's hand, and Kesh let out a breath and felt his body unclench.

  Kesh heard Jonica land behind Blue. He grabbed Blue's reins as the lizard turned and let out a growl. She had a rifle strapped to her back. "Going out?"

  "Someone needs to make contact with my friends," she said as she went to what looked like another room of the cargo hold. She yanked it open to reveal a small hover cycle. She pulled it out, flicked a few switches, and it came to life before she dropped it to the deck. It was hovering before it touched the metal plating. Blue hissed at the thing.

  "Doesn't like tech much?" Jonica asked, palming the hatch to open onto a cold icy surface. She pulled the jacket's hood up and settled onto the bike.

  "You could say that," Kesh said. "Never was much for tech myself. Hence I used Blue instead of—"

  "Don't care," she said as she arranged herself on the hovering bike. "Remember, don't get far from the ship."

  Meph poked his head out from under Jonica's hood. And clean up the room, human. The smell is noxious.

  "Smells like home," Kesh said with a grin.

  "As the cat said," Jonica said. "Before I get back. Please." She twisted a handle, and she was off in a high-pitched whine.

  Thirteen

  Kesh had kept control of Blue's reins. He was glad he did, since the scytheclaw let out a scream and tried to chase after Jonica. Blue glared back at Kesh when he jerked back on the reigns. Blue's ridge and arm feathers fluffed up in annoyance. "Ignore her Blue. You need to stretch your legs, and I need to get off this damn ship." He flexed his right hand a few times. "And I need another shot soon." The need for another shot already worried him.

  Blue hissed and moved forward before Kesh was ready. He tried to pull back, but slipped in dung on the deck. He slammed his back into the deck plate and dung splattered his jacket.

  He heard a giggle come from the ladder. He looked up to see Lyra laughing at him from the top of the ladder. She started to come down the ladder. "You're funny."

  "Thanks, I think," Kesh said while he pushed himself up. Blue looked at him and twisted his head back and forth as though he was waiting for Kesh to get on to ride. The scytheclaw's thick kill-claw tapped on the deck plate insistently.

  "And where do you think you are going?" Kesh asked as Lyra walked to the open hatch.

  "I'm going to walk around a bit. I've been stuck in a pod for three weeks, Kesh. I need to stretch my legs too."

  "Fine, but at least stay close."

  "Of course," she said, rolling her eyes.

  Gotta love kids, Kesh thought with a sigh. Kesh went to his quarters for a new shirt and scrape off the dung from his jacket. The smell disappeared, and there wasn't a stain thanks to whatever chemicals used on the fabric allowed the jacket to be cleaned easily. The shirt was a different story.

  He followed Lyra outside. She shivered a little, and then turned when Blue let out a scream and leapt out. The scytheclaw dropped and rubbed his head and rolled in the snow and ice for few moments. Kesh watched with a smirk.

  "What is he doing?"

  "He's using the ice and snow to sooth an itch. He usually has me do it, but I guess you don't need me, huh?" He settled down next to Blue, and the lizard's head popped up and let Kesh scratch the top of his head. There was a strange purr that came from the scytheclaw. Blue and then Kesh turned to see Lyra looking over a small chasm close to the ship.

  "Careful."

  "I am," Lyra said, looking back and put her hands on her hips. "I've never seen snow before. My planet was mostly city."

  "All of it?"

  "There were parks and the forbidden continent."

  "What was there?" Kesh asked, moving closer with Blue.

  "Desert, I think," she turned and jumped back from Blue. A foot slipped, and she started to tumble over the side.

  Kesh's hand shot out to grab Lyra. "Careful, little one." Kesh helped her away from the small chasm. "You want to get out of here and see the wider planet?"

  She gave him a beaming smile. "I'd love to, but Jonica said I have to stay on the ship."

  "We'll only be gone a little bit. Besides, Blue needs to stretch his legs a little. The ship is a bit cramped for a scytheclaw.”

  "Isn't it too cold for him?"

  "Blue's tough. He's also not like the red or yellow ridgeback scytheclaw. Blue ones were bred to be hardy. And besides, his feathers ain't only for show."

  Lyra moved her hand out to touch them, but stopped and Blue quirked his head to the side to look at her.

  "It's ok, Blue won't bite." Kesh said with a smirk.

  Lyra reached up and Blue pressed his muzzle into her hand. The joy of petting a syctheclaw made her light up like an arc reactor.

  "Want to go for a ride?" Kesh asked.

  She beamed at him. He gave her a wink and helped her up into the saddle. Blue helped as well, kneeling down to help Kesh get her and then himself on his back. "Giddy up," Kesh said.

  "He doesn't actually—"

  The rest of her response was lost in the scream as Blue bolted from the underside of the ship into the field of ice. He lost his footing once, then started to acclimate to the ice and Kesh felt Blue's stride grow less rigid and more relaxed. The pace increased, but Kesh didn't want him exhausting himself. With a squeeze of his legs and a touch of heel, Blue slowed to a trot.

  He had been on planets that had snow, but nothing like Europa. It was a planet of ice. And from what he'd heard, it was only the surface. Under the thick miles of ice, there was a vast ocean. One that had given rise to the Europans. The strange squid-faced creatures he had seen twice in his entire existence, both times from afar.

  His thoughts were interrupted when Blue let out a screech and stopped. He looked around and then saw the ice starting to break.

  Blue shot forward, his taloned feet keeping ahead of the ice cracking by inches.

  "What's going—"

  "Something coming up from below," Lyra shouted. "Go left."

  Without questioning it, Kesh jerked Blue's reins, pulling the beast towards that direction. He growled, trying to jerk his head the other way, then reluctantly followed.

  The moment his talons dug in and broke left, the ice to his right disappeared into a sudden void. Kesh and Lyra looked on as a geyser of heated water shot up into the sky. Blue kept fleeing which Kesh was thankful for as blocks of ice started to rain down on the three of them as Blue ran. One struck close to Blue's left. The scytheclaw shrieked and jumped away from the ice block. When he landed heavily on the ice, Kesh's stomach dropped as the sound of cracking ice came from under them. Blue tried to scramble up the increasing crater that they fell through. The ice gave way faster than Kesh expected, and they dropped. Kesh grabbed Lyra and jumped for the edge. He looked back to see Blue, his burden lifted, was able to climb up out of the chasm. Kesh and Lyra took a few more moments to get free of the chasm. All three of them were on their backs, gasping for breath when they pulled themselves to the surface.

  "Are you okay?" Kesh asked.

  "Yes," Lyra said.

  Kesh looked at Blue and then Lyra, "That is good." He turned back to Blue, "You alright, buddy?"

  The scytheclaw let out a weak chirping growl. A large lizard eye looked at Kesh, Blue's chest and flanks shook from the sudden effort. Blue then let out a hiss and
rolled to his side to get up. His head shot to the ridge off to the group’s right. Kesh started to get up and help Lyra do the same when they looked in the direction Blue was looking.

  There was a loud bellowing moan that came from the ridge. Kesh turned at the sound. He stifled a curse when he saw the green parkas of the Federation, their four-footed yaks charging down the rigid. Lyra turned to him in a panic. "They're going to get us!" Kesh and Lyra scrambled up from the ground towards Blue.

  "No, they won't. Blue won't let them."

  Blue looked at Kesh.

  "Right boy?"

  Blue let out a clicking growl. He settled down for the two get on his back, turned, kicked up snow and ice to start running. Blue churned his thighs and tore into the icy ground. The bellowing grew distant for a moment, and Kesh was sure that they were going to get away from the pursuing Greenies.

  As they crested the next rise, his hopes dried up like water in the Martian badlands as a bellowing roar rose up from ahead as another contingent stormed towards them, some on yaks, some on smaller and swifter mounts he had never seen before. He jerked his slugthrower from his belt and fired off a shot in the ice. It caused those charging on yaks to scatter. Still, the five on the two-legged mounts didn't stop. It also caused another cracking of ice to radiate in all directions. That gave the Greenies pause.

  Blue wanted to charge in. Kesh could feel it.

  "Blue wants to feed," Lyra said.

  "I know, Lyra," Kesh said. He thought they had one chance. He leaned down and whispered, "Run now, food later."

  Blue's jaw clicked a dozen times, charging straight for the yaks and their riders.

  "Dammit, Hold on," Kesh said, wrapping the reins around his wrist. "Very tightly to me."

  Lyra grabbed him very hard, making him grunt. This is crazy. He booted Blue's flank hard, taking the extra bit of the reigns to swap at Blue's sides to increase the scytheclaw’s speed. The roaring shriek of Blue had the desired effect.

  Whatever the strange mounts were, they looked like two-legged llamas, bleated and snorted, pushing away from Blue's screaming and away from the charging scytheclaw. The Greenies tried to handle their mounts, sawing at the reigns to stop them. One of the Greenies, a puckered white scar along his face, lunged for Lyra as Blue bolted through the scattering Greenies. His hand wrapped around Lyra's arm, a burnished bronze claw hand.