by Thomas Fay
Izikiel scrambled to come up with a plausible explanation for their need to leave the planet. He decided on the truth. A part of it, at least.
‘We have heard rumours that the Void Lords have returned to Vesta.’
‘Yes. They have,’ commander Kazel said. ‘But how could you possibly know that?’
‘I…,’ Izikiel stammered as he realised that he’d revealed too much.
Commander Kazel’s voice dropped to a chill whisper.
‘I know what you are, disciple.’
As Izikiel watched in horror, the man’s steel grey eyes darkened until they were like two lumps of coal. Staring into those eyes, Izikiel felt himself being pulled into a dark and empty space. Commander Kazel opened his mouth. Izikiel saw rows of jagged teeth coming towards him. He screamed in silence as the world around him disappeared to be replaced by infinite darkness.
THIRTY TWO
Frozen, unable to move, Izikiel could only watch as the form of commander Kazel changed. His skin became pitch black as his eyes glowed with an unnatural red ambience. Some unseen force prevented him from reacting, from turning away. His heartbeat had slowed. He struggled to breath. Darkness closed in around him as the light slowly faded from his eyes. He knew with certainty that he was close to death.
‘Get away from him!’ Te’Anne shouted as she fired her weapons in rapid succession.
The void spawn, which now stood in the place of commander Kazel, fell back a step as it released its hold on Izikiel. He dropped to his knees as the creature of the Void turned its attention to his friends. Leaping impossibly high into the air, it landed behind Xavier and Te’Anne. They attempted to bring their weapons to bear but it lashed out with its black arms knocking them over. As the creature opened its jaws to finish them off, Jonas’ voice resounded in a crisp command.
‘Concentrated fire pattern. Now!’
The security forces’ double barrelled weapons threw out a dense barrage of energy bolts. The air sizzled from the sheer savagery of the weapons as the void spawn’s skin was punctured in a hundred different places. Slowly, the combined firepower of the security forces brought the creature to its knees. Its oily black skin was marred by countless energy burns. Just as Izikiel thought that it would fall, a dark veil materialised around it. The blazing bolts of energy dissipated into the darkness without the slightest effect. As the security forces continued to fire, the void spawn threw back its head and laughed. It was a twisted and sickening sound.
‘Fools, your weapons cannot harm me. Now taste the power of the Void!’
Bringing its arms together with a sudden movement it sent the dark veil outwards from its body. Such was its force, that it knocked the security officers off their feet, sending them flying into the surrounding buildings. Several of them landed hard at awkward angles. The dark creature launched into those that managed to struggle to their feet. Izikiel watched in horror as pieces of grey uniformed security officers went flying through the air. As Xavier staggered to his feet, the dark creature grabbed him by the throat. Lifting him clear off the ground, its red eyes stared into his as it opened its mouth further than any human could.
‘Let him go,’ Izikiel said.
Struggling to his feet, he faced the void spawn. The feelings of cold and emptiness were like a weight crushing down on him. But he fought through it. He owed these people his life. And he was the only who could stop this creature of the Void.
‘I’m the one you’re after. Let the others go.’
Releasing its hold on Xavier, who promptly collapsed to the ground, the creature faced him. Its eyes glowed brighter as it moved towards him at frightening speed. But Izikiel was ready. Opening his mind to the Eternal Flame, he channelled its power. Fear and desperation allowed him to ignore the usual pain associated with the heat of making contact. He unleashed its power like never before as he spoke the most powerful word he knew.
‘Aduro’
Sheets of blue flame erupted from his hands engulfing the void spawn. The creature screeched in pain as its oily black skin caught fire and began to melt. Dropping to the ground, it continued to writhe in agony as Izikiel channelled the raw power of the interstellar deity. Finally, the black shape stopped moving. Releasing his hold on the Eternal Flame, Izikiel collapsed to the street. The last thing he remembered was Te’Anne getting to her feet and calling out his name. Then a wave of darkness crashed over him. Unlike the cold and emptiness of the Void, this was a soothing nothingness into which he drifted without fear.
THIRTY THREE
Izikiel opened his eyes. Darkness surrounded him, punctuated by the distant light of countless stars. Looking around, he realised that he was no longer inside the star port. The planet Vesta rotated slowly beneath his feet as he floated on the solar currents high in orbit. From his vantage point, he could clearly make out the glowing dome that was the New Babylon star port. Surrounding it in every direction was what appeared to be a sea of liquid metal. Izikiel now knew it to be the solar fields which drew upon the energy of the twin suns to power the dome.
The twin suns were directly above him. Poised between them was the fiery presence of the Eternal Flame. Willing himself towards it, Izikiel watched as the tendril of molten plasma unfurled. Just as he was about to reach out, the tendril stopped. Izikiel looked at it in surprise. Never before had it held back from him. That primeval survival instinct deep within him began to take over as he sensed that something was wrong.
Forcing the rational part of his mind to take over, he reassured himself that there was nothing to be afraid of. Yet the feeling persisted as the flaming tendril remained perfectly still. Izikiel formed a thought and directed it at the molten plasma before him.
(’Why have you brought me here?’) he asked.
The flaming tendril pulsed steadily as its brightness intensified.
(’You must leave, Izikiel. The Void Lords are coming,’) that strange, hollow voice replied directly into his mind.
(’I know. Da’Amo sacrificed himself to allow me to escape. He -’)
(’Look behind you.’)
Izikiel felt that sense of dread return as he slowly turned around. What he saw made his eyes widen as every instinct in his body screamed for him to escape.
Three Void Lord citadels were heading directly for the planet Vesta. Dark plumes of anti-matter streaked out behind them as they travelled through space at frightening speed. Izikiel felt paralysed as he watched the three citadels getting closer.
(‘Go, Izikiel. There is no time. You must escape.’)
(’I can’t. They are too powerful. We will never...’) Izikiel faltered, unable to look away from the ever expanding dark fortresses.
(’No. They are not. There is a balance in this Universe which must be restored. But you are not ready. Soon you will be.’) (’I cannot fight them. Surely there must be someone else who can?’)
When the voice did not reply, Izikiel turned away from the three citadels and looked at the flaming tendril. It pulsed with an inner energy as it hung suspended in front of him. Finally, the voice answered.
(’There are no disciples left. You are the last one.’)
THIRTY FOUR
The darkness of space receded. Izikiel opened his eyes. Sitting up, he realised that he was inside one of the star port buildings. The dark grey colour of the ceiling was matched by the floor. There were several pieces of oddly shaped furniture and electronic equipment in the room. Te’Anne and Xavier stood next to a small window looking out onto the street. Seeing that he was awake, they rushed over.
‘Izikiel, thank Serafine you’re alright,’ Te’Anne said, hugging him.
‘I’m fine, don’t worry,’ Izikiel responded with a smile as he put his arms around her. He could feel the darkness of the Void Lord citadels receding as he held her close.
‘You had us worried for a while there. After the fighting out in the street you lost consciousness. We tried everything to revive you but couldn’t reach you,’ Xavier said. ‘Glad to see you found your way back.’
Releasing Te’Anne, Izikiel looked around the interior of the building.
‘Where are we?’
‘This is a security safe house,’ Jonas explained as he walked into the room. He was still dressed in his composite grey armour but had removed his helmet. ‘We use it to detain people of interest and to launch covert operations. We’ll be safe here.’
‘Thank you, Jonas.’
‘No problem. Now, does anyone care to explain to me what exactly happened out there? I’ve known commander Kazel for years. He was a hard man but I never suspected that he was...,’ Jonas’ voice trailed off.
Izikiel looked at Te’Anne who nodded her head. Turning towards Jonas, he finished his sentence.
‘A void spawn?’
‘Yes. I knew what he was as soon as his skin began to change.’
‘How?’ Izikiel asked, surprised at Jonas’ knowledge of the creatures of the Void.
‘My father used to tell us stories when I was growing up. I always thought that they were just something that he made up, you know, to frighten us. I guess my old man knew more than he let on. Seeing that creature up close though, changing the way it did was -’
‘I know. I had no idea that they could disguise themselves in that way,’ Izikiel said as he recalled the encounter in the street. Then he remembered the void spawn’s vicious attack on the security officers.
‘What about your men?’
The young captain’s eyes clouded over for a moment as his hands gripped the top of a nearby chair. Izikiel could see his knuckles turning white. After a moment, he replied, ‘Only a few survived and most of those that did were critically wounded. They have been taken to the military transport for immediate evacuation.’
‘I’m sorry,’ Izikiel said, sharing in the captain’s grief. ‘Will you go with them?’
‘No,’ Jonas replied firmly. Looking at Te’Anne and Xavier, he added, ‘I will go with you. I have a score to settle with those things. Besides, you could use my help.’
‘Thank you, Jonas. We’ve got to hurry though. We still need to find a pilot and...’ Izikiel’s voice trailed off as he looked around the room. There was no sign of the little girl. Thinking back, the last time he remembered seeing her was before the security forces had appeared.
‘Where is she?’ he asked, looking at Xavier.
The big scavenger shook his head.
‘I don’t know. We searched the street but found no trace of her.’
‘We need to find her.’
‘That could be difficult. Three gigantic objects have been detected in space heading directly for the star port,’ Jonas said. ‘People have started to panic as they rush for the few remaining ships. It’s chaos out there.’
‘Nevertheless, we need to try,’ Izikiel said.
‘Any idea where she could be?’ Te’Anne asked.
A sudden thought struck Izikiel. Thinking back to before their encounter with the security forces, he recalled the man in the black shawl. Somehow he knew that if he found him, he’d find the little girl. Izikiel described the man to the star port security captain.
‘Sounds like one of the independent freighter captains. Dangerous types, heavily armed and utterly ruthless,’ Jonas said. ‘You’re sure your friend is with him?’
‘Yes’
‘Alright, our best chance is still The Sargon. Are you armed?’
Xavier and Te’Anne shot Izikiel a quick look before Xavier replied, ‘Yes. We could use a few spare power cells though.’
‘I’ve got something else you might be interested in.’
‘What’s that?’
Jonas pressed a hidden control on the grey composite wall. It hissed with a faint release of compressed air as a section of the wall slid forward. It revealed an opaque capsule, large enough to fit two people. Activating another control, Jonas stepped back as the capsule split down the middle and the two sides peeled apart. Inside was a suit of grey composite body armour identical to the one Jonas was wearing.
Xavier’s eyes widened in surprise, as he asked, ‘Is that...?’
‘Yes, my friend. I have kept it safe for you,’ Jonas replied with a smile. Then he cast his eye critically over Xavier. ‘I hope you haven’t put on too much weight.’
Xavier ignored the comment as he took the pieces of armour out of the storage capsule. He snapped on the leg and chest pieces with practiced precision. Once he had his arms encased in the composite material, he turned towards them. The tattoos on his face and neck flickered intermittently with a silver ambience. Izikiel guessed that he was somehow interfacing with the armour. Then the light solidified and it pulsed with a steady glow.
‘Now this is more like it,’ Xavier said with a smile as he placed the composite helmet on his head. Snapping the dark visor down, he grabbed his weapon and moved towards the door. As they stood up, Izikiel silently asked the Eternal Flame to watch over the little girl. He still could not remember who she was or how he knew her but there was one thing he knew with growing certainty. The little girl was a very important part of what was happening. He had to find her.
THIRTY FIVE
The moment they stepped out into the street, Izikiel’s senses were overwhelmed by the sight and sound of hundreds of people rushing past him. Mixed in amongst the brown and black garments of the New Babylon citizens were the occasional flashes of dark grey denoting the star port security officers. Some people clutched small children in their arms, while others carried containers filled with their possessions. One man ran so close to him that he almost knocked Izikiel over.
Looking up, Izikiel realised that they were standing underneath the space platform. The gigantic metal structure towered above them reaching up towards the shimmering force field dome above. Izikiel could just make out glass elevators filled with people travelling within the platform’s four legs. The distant rumble of another space ship taking off acted only to increase the panic in the people on the street. Some began to push and shove to reach the base of the platform. Angry shouts soon broke out and several grey uniformed security officers were forced to discharge their weapons into the air to keep people moving.
‘C’mon. Stay close and keep your weapons at the ready. This could get completely out of control at any moment,’ Jonas said as he hefted his double barrelled energy weapon.
‘And you call this under control?’ Te’Anne asked.
Jonas grinned at her as he lowered his dark visor and moved out into the street with Xavier beside him. Te’Anne followed close behind with Izikiel next to her. They made their way into the throng of people. A sea of faces and bodies surrounded Izikiel in every direction. He tried to avoid running into them. Several times someone pushed into his back or jostled him from the side. Running towards the western corner of the space platform, they approached a low lying grey building. It looked exactly the same as the others except for a small sign above its front entrance: The Sargon.
Moving inside the building, Izikiel breathed easier as they left the frantic scene of the street behind. Inside The Sargon, several booths and low lying seats lined the walls. A bluish tinge to the lighting created the illusion that the booths where floating above the floor. The centre was occupied by what could only be a bar, with several less than sober people sitting near its oval counter. A heavy set man moved around the inside pouring drinks. He cast them a smouldering look as they entered and reached underneath the counter with his right arm.
‘Don’t,’ Jonas said in a level voice.
To emphasise his point, he aimed his weapon directly at the large bartender. The man’s bloodshot brown eyes opened wider as sweat beads formed on his forehead and travelled down his face. His mouth opened to reveal several chipped teeth as he raised his hands in a defensive gesture.
‘There’ll be no need for that weapon, officer. I was just making sure that you were reputable customers if you take my meaning.’
‘We’re looking for an independent freighter captain who wears a black shawl,’ Jonas said.
/> ‘Black shawl you say? Hmmm,’ the bartender said, drumming his fat fingers on his cheek. ‘You must mean Vorn.’
‘And do you know where we can find him?’
‘That depends.’
‘Depends on what?’
‘On what’s in it for me. These are very uncertain times after all. A man needs to look after his own interests.’
‘Of course,’ Jonas said.
He stepped up to the bar. Motioning the bartender closer, he holstered his weapon and lifted up his visor. As the man leaned in towards him, Jonas pulled him forward slamming the man’s head down into the counter. Several glasses shattered as they fell off the counter and the drunken patrons looked up in surprise.
‘Now, I’m going to repeat my question only once. Where can I find Vorn?’
‘Alright, alright! He’s here. Upstairs, private room. Now let me go!’ the fleshy bartender squirmed trying to free himself from Jonas’ grip.
Releasing him, Jonas motioned them up a flight of stairs. As they walked through a shimmering curtain made of small, highly reflective beads, they found themselves in the private room. It was round with a continuous couch running along its edge, upholstered in a thick, white fabric. The centre had a small pool of water with several bottles of unknown contents floating in them.
Izikiel’s gaze was drawn to the three occupants of the room.
The little girl sat opposite the man in the black shawl who seemed unphased by their presence. Seated next to him was a red haired woman with large blue eyes and a very shapely nose and cheeks. The beauty of her facial features was only matched by the flawless shape of her body which was clad in a dense, black material. As Izikiel stared at her, a slow smile crept across her face. Then she winked at him.
THIRTY SIX
Izikiel found himself drawn in by the unknown woman’s beauty. There was something mesmerizing about her that prevented him from looking away. Staring at her incredible blue eyes, he experienced a strange sense of weightlessness. It was almost as if he had established contact with the Eternal Flame. The sensation evaporated when he felt Te’Anne’s elbow in his ribs. Coughing slightly, he turned his attention to the little girl.
