Among The Ether: The Invasion of Issa

by C. R. Allan

  Muffled voices and crackles among static could be heard as the soldier talked over a radio from around the corner of the street, and out of view. After a brief period of silence, the soldier returned rapidly approaching the store. While raising his weapon the he entered the building through the hole in the wall, where the door once stood. Jacob watched as the soldier moved to the corner furthest from him before walking along the front of the store, pausing briefly at the opening of every aisle to shine his flashlight towards the back of the store. The movements of the soldier’s light shed light throughout the store, allowing Jacob to see a door at the back of the store, open and hanging on its hinges. As silently as possible, Jacob darted from one aisle end to another moving only in the shadows. Getting as close to the door as he could while remaining in the dark, Jacob stopped with twenty feet of an open area now between him and his escape. The soldier began moving up an aisle at the far end of the store from Jacob, the shelving concealing his view from Jacobs position. Seizing the opportunity Jacob made a run for the open door, while trying to move as quickly and silently as possible.

  A loud bang reverberated throughout the small store, as Jacob accidentally kicked a piece of metal debris. Afraid to look back, he quickened his pace as he darted through the dim light towards the door. Pausing briefly to try to close the door, Jacob could see the soldier quickly moving through the store towards him. Talking on his radio as he made his approach, Jacob was sure the soldier was calling to alert others of his position. Unable to move the heavy metal door, twisted on its hinge, Jacob turned and ran up the dark stairwell. Footsteps of more than a single soldier could be heard in chase behind him echoing through the hollow cement column. Running out of breath as he climbed the stairs, he tried to open every door he came across. Loosing count of how many flights of stairs he had passed; Jacob came to the top of the stairwell and the last door offering any means of escape. Bursting through the unlocked door, he found himself on a hot brightly lit gravel roof, as the door closing loudly behind him. With sweat dripping down his face Jacob at once felt the effects of the intense blue star now high above the barren roof top. Attempting to escape the extreme heat, Jacob tried to go back through the door he came, only to find it locked from the inside. Withdrawing his hand from the searing heat of the metal door, Jacob found himself trapped.

  The roof offered no shelter and no safety. With soldiers surely not far behind him Jacob ran to the edge and started making his way around the half wall perimeter of the building's roof. Circling his way around for any means of escape, he eventually came to a stop and stared across the rubble of the town he once called home. Feeling his skin burning around his neck, Jacob untied his sweater from his waist and draped it over his head to shield himself. With the sun to his back, Jacob looked out from the roof top of the six-story building. Alone on the rooftop, a feeling of defeat came over him as he listened to the sound of gun fire echoing throughout the air.

  Among the buildings in the distance, Jacob could see large aircraft with a rough patchwork exterior of tarnished sheet metal and rivets, kept aloft by two large horizontal propellers at either side. As Jacob watched he could not help thinking how the air-ship reminded him of a bee flying from flower to flower collecting nectar, as the rotor-craft moved from building to building, hovering briefly above their rooftops as lines of people were herded into the ship. Trapped and helpless, Jacob slouched to the ground in the blistering heat with his back against the wall. Watching the ships in the distance move between buildings collecting their harvests, he wondered how such crude looking ships could have come from the stars and if Alex could be among them. Unable to move from the heat and exhaustion, Jacob played visions of his mother's last breath and his brothers’ abduction over in his mind before drifting into unconsciousness.

  Partially opening his eyes to the sound of the door to the roof slamming, Jacob sat motionless as three soldiers rushed across the roof at him with their rifles at the ready. Jacob, dehydrated and extremely fatigued drifted in and out of consciousness, remaining helpless to resist the advancing soldiers. Moving both fast and slow simultaneously, Jacob watched in a disorientated haze as the soldiers bounced and blurred across the roof, before coming to a stop a short distance in front of him. The soldier in the centre handed his weapon to another as he reached down to grab Jacob by the arm. Feeling the tight grip of his chaser clamp down on him, Jacob weakly tried to resist with little affect before giving in and excepting his fate. Now with a soldier at each side pulling him up, Jacob felt himself rising off the ground before falling back down, as a loud bang tore through the air. Hitting the floor hard, he felt a warm splash across his face as one the soldiers fell beside him, leaving Jacob to stare directly into the man's lifeless eyes encircled with brass, brightly reflecting in the suns light. The other two soldiers quickly turned around, as the air filled with the sounds of gun fire. Too weak to move, Jacob stared off into the distant sky trying to avoid the still gaze of the deceased soldier. Succumbing to the heat, he drifted into a deep dehydration induced unconsciousness. The last image he saw on that roof top was something burning up as it streaked across the distant sky.

  VII

  Jacob awoke lying down on a dusty sofa in a room lit by candlelight. Noticing people standing around a large table across the room looking at scattered papers, Jacob listened as they talked in low voices. Sitting up, he still felt disorientated from the prior ordeal. The room was small with walls of stone, although it was hard for Jacob to see much in the low light. Evenly spaced wood beams ran across the roof above him and down the walls, as the musty smell usually found in basements filled the air. Feeling his sore arm, Jacob noticed his wounds had been bandaged and an intravenous line had been inserted into his hand just below a cloth wrap. Following the tubing to a bag hanging from a hat rack behind him, he could see an elderly couple holding hands while sitting on an old wooden bench against the wall behind the sofa. Reminded of his grandparents by the couple, Jacob watched them sleep for a moment. Comforted by the rhythmic sounds of their breathing as he watched their chests rise and fall.

  “Your awake,” said a familiar voice.

  Across the room, Jacob could see Darren standing around a table with two other people, looking at some papers in his hands. For a moment Jacob did not respond, unsure if he was happy to see Darren or angry that his old neighbour left them in the apartment before it collapsed. Before his mother died and Alex was taken. Putting the stack of papers on the table, Darren made his way across the room towards Jacob, sitting on wooden coffee table in front of the sofa.

  “Were you with anyone Jacob?” Said Darren, after a brief pause.

  Jacob looked down, fighting back the urge to cry, when he felt Darren put his hand on his shoulder. Unable to hold back his emotions, Jacob burst into tears as Darren pulled Jacob tight against him.

  “I watched mom die when the building collapsed, then they took Alex.” Said Jacob. Offloading his feelings through the tears.

  Several seconds past before Jacob pulled away and composed himself, noticing others in the room now looking at him with sombre looks. The pain and loss they had each experienced in the last few days evident among them.

  “What are they? What do they want? Lucia said you knew, before everything happened...” Said Jacob, his words trailing off as he realized Lucia was probably dead as well.

  “I don’t know... We don’t know what they want, or why they are here,” said Darren.

  “I saw their ship, the night before the invasion, it looks like a ring or something,” Said Jacob.

  “Stay here, let me show you something,” said Darren, while standing up and walking to the table to grab some papers.

  Jacob stood up quickly as Darren walked back towards him, losing his balance, and falling back onto the sofa, as wave of light headedness overtook him.

  “Wow kid, you better take’er easy. We found you near death on that rooftop,” said a large bearded man as he made his way over from the table.

  “
Jacob, this is Orm a friend of mine, and over there is Dawn.” Said Darren as he gestured over to a woman still intently focused on the papers on the table.

  Briefly looking up and over from her work at the table. Dawn looked at Jacob and gave him a quick nod before returning to her task.

  “You’ll warm up to her,” said Orm, as he held out his large hand for Jacob to shake. “Either way, pleased to finally meet ya kid. You have been out for over a day; wasn’t sure you were gonna make it for a while there,” Orm continued while firmly shaking Jacobs hand.

  “Nice to meet you too,” said Jake.

  “Better get that out,” said Orm, as he turned Jacobs, seemingly tiny hand over to better see the IV.

  “I will let you take care of that. Meet you guys at the table,” said Darren as he walked back across the room.

  “He never did have a stomach for this,” said Orm, followed by a chuckle. “This will take a second. You can turn away if needles and such make ya queasy.”

  Sitting on the table in front of Jacob, Orm took off his small backpack and placed it beside him before pulling a small first aid bag from the sack. Turning around as Orm began to clean the area and remove the IV, Jacob again focused on the couple still sleeping behind him for comfort.

  “Ah, I forgot to introduce you to our hosts. Back there is Tom and Maggie, they own this place and were kind enough to offer us refuge. Poor fellers have been up for days, good to see they are finally getting some rest.” Said Orm, as he finished taking out the IV and put a small bandage over the site.

  “Is it done?” Asked Jacob, as he cautiously turned around.

  “Yeah, all good kid,” said Orm with another low chuckle. “C’mon Darren wants to show ya something.” Orm continued, as he tapped Jacob on the leg before standing and making his way to the table.

  Slowly standing up to ensure he had his footing, Jacob stood paused for a moment before he felt confident enough to make the walk over to the table. Standing beside Orm and Darren, Jacob looked at the scattered maps and photographs laying over the tabletop. Darren nudged Jacob on the arm, before handing him a picture of the ring orbiting Issa. Staring at the photo in amazement for a moment, Jacob focused on the close-up image of the strange ring. Finding Teros in the distance background of the photo, he observed in amazement at the scale of the object. Even in the highly magnified grainy picture, the buildings and city lights lining the inner surface of the ring were evident.

  “That photo was taken at the observatory outside of town the night before the invasion” Said Darren.

  “Is that their... Is that them?” Asked Jacob.

  “We believe so kid,” said Orm, as he handed Jacob more photos of the ring.

  “It’s like they have a whole city built in that thing,” said Jacob.

  “Yeah, it's pretty wild,” said Darren, in a low voice.

  “Why are they taking people?” Asked Jacob, as he continued to look through photos.

  “Can’t say for sure, but they only seem take the young and healthy,” said Darren.

  “What do they do with the others?”

  “I think you already know the answer to that,” said Dawn, joining into the conversation as she looked up from the maps she was drawing on.

  Dawn stared across the table at Jacob for a moment while tapping her pencil on the table, with a look that cut right through him as if she were analysing his very soul. Uncomfortable, Jacob began to look down at the table and move some of the pictures around. As if he was looking for a specific one. Laughter suddenly started filling the awkward silence, as Dawn, Orm and Darren all busted out and started chucking at once.

  “I’m just messing with you kid,” said Dawn, as she reached over the table to shake Jacobs hand.

  Looking up from the table towards a now smiling face, Jacob felt the tention ease as he took Dawns hand. Feeling a warm blush across his face, Jacob was a little embarrassed at the situation as he felt Orms hand on his shoulder.

  “Told ya you would warm up to her,” said Orm, as he gave Jacobs shoulder a comforting squeeze.

  “Okay guys, now that we are all acquainted, we really need to get moving. Should be dark enough by now, and if we make good time, we can be out of the city by sunrise,” said Darren.

  “Where are we going?” Said Jacab.

  “Dawn has spent a lot of time in these mountains Kid, says she’s seen a military base built into the hills north of here. If we can make it there, we should be safe.” Said Orm.

  “Yeah... I just hope it’s still there, so we can get help and get back in this fight. You know join the resistance or something like that,” said Darren.

  “Alright, enough of that talk, someone needs to go and wake Tom and Maggie.” Said Dawn as she laid a large map of the city and surrounding area over the table.

  Tracing out a path through the city, Dawn showed Jacob the plan to make it to the river and follow it up into the mountains towards the base, marked by a pencilled in ‘X’ deep in the forest.

  “There is a small mining operation here nobody in town knows about. Its military, I remember seeing it last summer when I was out hiking... Couldn’t get close thought.” Said Dawn.

  Jacob looked at the map. The path Dawn traced had to be at least twenty to thirty miles over rugged terrain. Everyone became silent as footsteps echoed loudly on the wooden floor above them. Placing his hand across his lips, Orm looked right at Jacob before moving to kneel behind some old boxes close to the bottom of the staircase. Jacob watched Orm as he took the old hunting rifle slung across his back and placed it firm against his shoulder, with the barrel resting on the boxes and pointed towards a door at the top of the stairs. Grabbing Jacob by the arm, Darren led him back towards the sofa where Tom and Maggie now stood. The fear evident in the look they gave Jacob. Turning to watch Darren move across the room towards the table, Jacob noticed Dawn taking the cover off the candle on the table and blowing it out. A darkness instantly enveloped the small room as Jacob felt his heart pounding while waiting for his eyes to adjust. The footsteps stopped near the door leading downstairs. For a moment that felt like an eternity, Jacob could only hear his own breathing before the faint sound of voices crackled over a radio. A feeling of dread overtook Jacob as he waited in fearful anticipation. The sounds of voices giving way to violent thumping that broke through the darkness from beyond the door.

  VIII

  The light from Issa filtered through the thick glass windows that sat on top of a wall of tarnished metal and faded concrete, extending beyond the ceiling. Steam hissed periodically from the piping along the walls of the large dimly lit room, where five men taken from Issa sat tied to their chairs. The muffled sound of rotating gears and distant steam engines filled the background of the large hanger used to stage atmospheric entry ships. Vice president Oret sat in a chair several feet in front of the men. Two men dressed in formal attire of fine wool suits, stood at either side of him holding rifles over their shoulders. The low drone of machines in the distance offered an almost calming meditation, as Oret sat deep in thought, staring across at the men taken from the surface. Believed to be the leaders of the most dominate nations on Issa, all the men had been taken at the request of the President. Watching as the men sat sedated and slumped over, Oret could not help but feel compassion for them, as he waited for Ettimis to arrive.

  “President.” Said Oret, standing up from his chair, as Ettimis walked into the hanger from a nearby door.

  “Sit down Oret. So, these are the leaders of Issa. Well, let us wake them up and get to business.” Said Ettimis, with a tone of pleasure in his voice.

  Picking up a nearby water hose, one of the guards approached the bound men and began spraying them with high pressure water. The men coughed and gasped, unable to get air as water pushed their chairs back, nearly knocking them over before they came to a stop against the wall behind them.

  “Alright, enough.” Said Ettimis, after several seconds.

  Reaching into his vest pocket as the men gasped
and began to catch their breath, Ettimis pulled out a small brass object, that looked much like pocket watch. Holding the small disk with its chain wrapped around his hand, Ettimis open the device, revealing a highly intricate network of fine clock work inside. Pulling a small glass vial of purple sand from the same pocket, Ettimis poured a few grains into the device then began to wind the gears until they released an audible click. The mechanism in the device began to move and spin in a complex arrangement. As the small machine folded out and expanded, leaving itself freely spinning in a fine mist of pink vapour. Letting go of the device as its chain dangled below, Ettimis pushed at the air next to the machine, causing it to move and remain self-suspended between Ettimis and the five captive men. Looks of both fear and amazement stretched across the men's faces, as they stared in wonder at the freely floating device, before the silence was broken by the sound of one of the men speaking.

  “I am High Minister Atta, of the central region. I demand to know who you are and why you attacked my people without provocation,” said Atta, commanding authority as he spoke. “Further, I demand to be released at once, along with a cessation of all further hostilities.” Atta continued. The devices colours brightened as Atta spoke and dimed again when the words were repeated in the galactic common language.

  “High Minister Atta was it? I am Ettimis, President of this structure, of the Inter-planetary Trading Company.” Said Ettimis, as he approached Atta. “Bold words for someone in your position, yet I do admire your tenacity... I am here for only one reason, to extract resources from your world, and that is why I have asked you all here.” Continued Ettimis. The device again grew brighter as it captured Ettimis words and dimed as it spoke them out again in a language Atta could understand.