Izikiel

by Thomas Fay

  ‘Get us around them!’ Vorn ordered.

  The scene on the forward view screen changed as their ship veered to the right. Those onboard watched with a sense of growing unease as one of the citadels changed course to block their escape.

  ‘Damn it! Get the quantum-helix drive ready. We’re going to have to make a break for it as soon as we’re clear. This is going to be close.’

  As they veered the other way, the dark citadel again mirrored their movements. It was so close now that it blocked out everything around it.

  ‘This isn’t working. Cassandra, get the quantum-helix drive up now!’

  At that moment, Izikiel reached out to the Eternal Flame. The golden tentacle of molten plasma entwined around him as its burning touch exploded within him. The Void Lord citadel expanded in his mind. He could see every angle, every curve of its dense black surface. He could feel the dark creatures moving within, sense the cold and emptiness radiating from them. Somehow, it drew him closer. The central spire expanded before him. Looking inside through a vast archway, he realised that a pair of glowing red eyes were staring back at him. Fear gripped him as he attempted to move away. But some force beyond his control kept him locked in place.

  (‘Disciple,’) a chill whisper echoed in his mind.

  Izikiel realised that he could just make out the faintest hint of a silhouette in the archway. It appeared impossibly tall and thin.

  (‘Who are you?’) he asked.

  (‘I am Caligo Dominus. And you are Izikiel, disciple of the Eternal Flame,’) the voice replied.

  (‘How do you know who I am?’)

  (‘I know because I am one with the Void. You see Izikiel, we are not that different. We each serve our master.’) (‘No, I am nothing like you!’) Izikiel replied as he attempted to pull away.

  (‘Do you really think that your beloved deity can save you from the power of the Void? You have no idea what you are dealing with. This planet is finally ours and soon the rest of the human colony worlds will fall before the darkness of the Void.’) Izikiel felt the eyes bore into him as panic gripped his insides. He could feel himself being drawn inside the citadel, down into the darkness of the Void. No! They are the reason for all the suffering and death. I will not allow them to get the better of me. I am stronger that this!

  Expanding his will, he broke free of the Void Lord’s hold on him. He could feel the dark creature recoil backwards as he looked at the Valiant Crusader. The citadel was almost on top of it. If he didn’t do something now, it would all be over.

  Focusing the power of the Eternal Flame within him, he extended his arm out. Pointing it directly at the approaching citadel, he shouted into the darkness of space.

  (‘Aduro’) An incredible wave of heat erupted from his outstretched arm. Striking the citadel, it burned through the dark veil shredding it to pieces. Striking the underlying rock and black material, it pushed the citadel off course. Its anti-matter propulsion system disrupted, it began to careen out of control. Izikiel heard the Void Lord scream in agony. It was an unbearable sound.

  Izikiel released his hold on the golden tentacle of plasma. Just as he felt himself returning to his corporeal body, he heard the now familiar voice inside his head.

  (‘Do you see what you are capable of? Join with me, Izikiel. Together we can defeat them.’) An image of Da’Amo’s burnt and disfigured body flashed into Izikiel’s mind as he formed his response. He had no intention of sharing that fate.

  (‘I’m not ready.’)

  (‘When, Izikiel. When will you be ready?’) the hollow voice persisted in his mind.

  (‘Soon,’) Izikiel lied.

  (‘I will be waiting.’)

  Looking around the control room, Izikiel saw the stunned faces of those around him. Even Cassandra had lost her usual smile as her blue eyes stared at him intently.

  ‘I think it’s about time somebody told us what’s going on here,’ Vorn said. ‘Who are you people? How did you do that?’

  ‘He is a disciple of the Eternal Flame,’ Cassandra said, with a note of certainty.

  ‘A disciple?’ Vorn’s voice trailed off as his eyes widened. Bowing his head, he said in a hushed tone, ‘We are honoured by your presence.’

  ‘There is no need for that. I’m not worthy of anyone’s respect,’ Izikiel replied. In his mind he could still see the void spawn as they overran the space platform far below them. No, I am not worthy.

  ‘Sorry to interrupt but that wasn’t there a moment ago,’ Jonas said.

  They all turned to look at the forward view screen. Another one of the citadels had changed course and was bearing down on them.

  ‘Cassandra?’ Vorn asked.

  ‘The quantum-helix drive is ready,’ Cassandra replied.

  ‘Good. Everyone sit down and strap in.’

  As Izikiel took the closest seat next to him he could still feel the lingering touch of the Eternal Flame. The power he had unleashed to divert the Void Lord citadel had been truly phenomenal. He was beginning to understand Da’Amo’s sacrifice. But despite his actions in the star port and the guilt that he felt, he knew that he could not bring himself to be burned by the touch of the Eternal Flame. Not yet.

  ‘Personal shields on. Countdown to quantum-helix activation, five, four...’

  Vorn’s voice filled the cabin as a shimmering force field encased his acceleration couch. The shield effectively prevented him from moving while at the same time negating the tremendous forces of the quantum-helix drive.

  ‘...three, two...’

  Izikiel cast his mind out beyond the confines of the personal shield. Hovering above the Valiant Crusader, he watched the three Void Lord citadels. He could see the one bearing down on them. Its opaque black surfaces absorbed the light from the twin suns. A chill passed through him as he remembered the touch of the Void Lord’s mind. Turning away, he looked down at the surface of the planet.

  The citadel he had knocked off course was spinning wildly as it headed directly for the star port. Its anti-matter propulsion system disrupted, it was falling at an incredible rate. Passing through the dome, it punctured the force field which slowly dissipated across large sections. Izikiel could see the trapped air within escaping.

  Landing sideways, the citadel came down hard, narrowly missing the space platform. Dust and debris went spewing high into the air as the remainder of the fractured force field disintegrated from the impact. Izikiel silently asked the Eternal Flame to watch over all those that had perished.

  ‘...one!’

  The entire ship vibrated as Vorn activated the quantum-helix drive. For an instant nothing happened. Then the Valiant Crusader shot forward at incredible speed, forcing all of its occupants back into their acceleration couches where they blacked out one by one under the extreme acceleration.

  FORTY

  Looking away from his reflection in the pane of glass, he turned towards the large room. There were several pieces of newspaper scattered on a low lying table. A lamp cast a soft, warm glow across the room creating more shadows than light. Two small green lights glowed on the electronic equipment. Nothing moved. There was no sign of life in the house.

  Turning around, he walked into the kitchen. It had a long wooden table covered in various cooking utensils. A soft hum emerged from the refrigerator in the corner. Pulling on its burnished steel handle, he opened it. Light spilled out into the darkened room. Inside, it was filled with all manner of food. Several glass bottles were positioned on the inside of the door.

  Closing the door, he moved through the room until he reached a staircase. Placing his foot on it he grimaced as a creaking sound resounded throughout the house. He listened for a moment to see if anything happened. Hearing nothing, he made his way quickly up the stairs. Reaching the first floor of the house, he became aware of music coming from one of the rooms.

  Walking down a darkened corridor, he could see light spilling out from underneath a door at the end. The music grew louder as he approached the door. Placing his ear ne
xt to it, he listened. Apart from the sound of the music, he couldn’t hear anything else. Taking a deep breath, he turned the handle.

  The door swung inward. Stepping through, he found himself in a well lit room with a large window directly in front of him. A bed dominated the centre of the room while the walls were lined with shelves filled with books. But that was not what drew his attention.

  Staring at him was a young woman. She wore a faded purple top over blue pants. She seemed more annoyed than surprised as she asked, ‘What are you doing in here?’

  PART III – ALLIANCE

  FORTY ONE

  The Valiant Crusader decelerated smoothly at a distance of one million kilometres from the planet Aurora. One by one, the personal shields peeled back and their occupants slowly stood up. Izikiel experienced a moment of disorientation as the world spun beneath his feet. Holding out his arms, he attempted to balance himself.

  ‘Easy. It takes a few moments for the body to readjust after quantum-helix acceleration,’ Vorn explained as he gripped Izikiel by the shoulder.

  Izikiel nodded as he felt his legs stabilise beneath him.

  ‘I’m alright.’

  ‘Glad to hear it. We certainly wouldn’t want to lose someone as valuable as you.’

  ‘I told you, I’m not what you think I am,’ Izikiel said.

  ‘Whatever you say,’ Vorn said. Turning, he addressed the others. ‘Feel free to move around the ship. We’re going to travel the rest of the way under normal propulsion so the ship’s inertial dampeners will protect you.’

  ‘How long until we reach Aurora?’ a slightly dazed Te’Anne asked.

  ‘About three days.’

  Xavier and Jonas left the confined cabin. Te’Anne followed soon after. Izikiel walked over to where the little girl lay on the acceleration couch. Looking down at her, he was surprised when she smiled at him. He noticed that her eyes were much clearer than before. She stretched out her small arms towards him. Picking her up, he placed her gently on the floor. The moment her feet touched the cold metal of the ship’s floor she grinned and ran out of the main cabin.

  Turning to follow her, Izikiel’s gaze fell upon Cassandra. Her sparkling blue eyes betrayed an intense interest in him. Feeling intimidated by her beauty, Izikiel excused himself and left the cabin. Walking along the narrow corridor, he soon reached the main habitable compartment of the ship. Xavier and Jonas were helping themselves to the ship’s food stores, while Te’Anne sat on the blue centre couch. There was no sign of the little girl. Izikiel sat down next to Te’Anne.

  ‘You ok?’ he asked.

  She turned to look at him, her green eyes betraying the faintest hint of tears.

  ‘I can’t believe that New Babylon is gone. It was hard enough losing my parents when I was young. But to know with certainty that everyone I ever knew there is dead...’ her voice trailed off as she started to cry.

  Izikiel reached out and put his arms around her. Rocking her gently, he tried to reassure her.

  ‘I don’t know how and I don’t know when but I promise you that if it is at all within my power, I will restore New Babylon,’ Izikiel said.

  Te’Anne sniffed and wiped the tears from her eyes.

  ‘I know you will,’ she said, her hand caressing his face. Looking over his shoulder, she caught sight of Xavier and Jonas loading up plates with food from the ship’s stores. A smile crept across her face. Then she began to laugh.

  ‘How can you two possibly think of food at a time like this?’ she asked.

  ‘What? We’re men, we can’t function on empty stomachs,’ Jonas replied as he wolfed down a succulent piece of meat.

  ‘Te’Anne are you alright?’ Xavier asked.

  ‘I’ll be ok. It all just sort of hit me at once.’

  ‘I know what you mean.’

  ‘We can never go, back can we?’

  Xavier looked around the compartment. Letting out a slow breath, he finally answered.

  ‘No. That part of our lives is over. Everything we had, everything we were is gone.’

  ‘Well, not everything,’ Jonas said as he slapped Xavier on the shoulder. ‘You still have me.’

  ‘Oh, great. Now I feel a whole lot better,’ Xavier replied.

  The three of them burst into laughter as Izikiel felt a strange sensation impinging on his perception. It felt like a soft breeze blowing against the back of his neck. Turning around, he saw Cassandra standing in the doorway.

  ‘I heard the laughter and thought that I should join in,’ she said.

  Her eyes passed over each of them in turn.

  ‘What’s so funny?’ she asked.

  Xavier and the other two stopped laughing. Te’Anne watched Cassandra with a cold detachment. Xavier and Jonas looked at her then back at each other. Then they burst out laughing again.

  ‘Don’t mind these two. They’ve been carrying on like this ever since they were little boys,’ Te’Anne explained. ‘Clearly neither has grown up.’

  ‘I can see that,’ Cassandra said. Turning her head, she looked directly at Izikiel. ‘What about you, disciple?’

  ‘Would everyone please stop calling me that?’ Izikiel insisted.

  The others stopped laughing. As one they all turned to look at him. A strange, uneasy silence descended over the compartment. Finally, Cassandra spoke.

  ‘That is what you are. Why would you deny your true nature?’

  ‘Because I never asked for this, any of this. I don’t know where I am or how I got here. This is not my life. It’s like a bad dream that I can’t wake up from. Worse even. A nightmare, in which I am responsible for the deaths of thousands of people,’ Izikiel replied.

  ‘What happened to New Babylon was not your fault. The Void Lords are powerful yet you still managed to save us. For that I am grateful, disciple.’

  ‘Stop calling me that!’ Izikiel shouted, rising to his feet.

  Everyone around him fell back a step. Cassandra’s blue eyes flashed dangerously for a moment as she lifted her hands away from her sides.

  ‘Be careful, disciple. We are the only friends you have right now.’

  Izikiel took a deep breath. Letting it out slowly, he said, ‘I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to snap like that. All this is just…overwhelming.’

  He slumped back down onto the couch.

  ‘Are you alright?’ Te’Anne asked.

  Lifting his head up, he saw the concerned faces of his companions looking back at him. How could they ever understand how I really feel? They can’t. But that’s not their fault. I must deal with my own problems. They have suffered enough.

  ‘I’ll be ok. I just need time.’

  ‘I understand,’ Te’Anne said.

  ‘Now that we’ve got that cleared up, who’s ready for...?’ Jonas began but was interrupted by the arrival of Vorn.

  The ship’s captain walked into the compartment. He had a strange look on his face.

  ‘What is it?’ Cassandra asked.

  ‘I performed a long range scan of the planet Aurora. It came back with nothing,’ Vorn replied in a hushed voice.

  ‘That’s not unusual. We’re still a long way off and there will -’

  ‘No, you misunderstand. The scan came back completely negative. No sign of any energy signatures on the planet’s surface. No life signs either. The planet is completely dead.’

  FORTY TWO

  Aurora had grown steadily larger as the Valiant Crusader approached from the day side. Its pale blue and white colours now filled the forward view screen as the ship prepared to enter the planet’s atmosphere. Twin moons circled the planet in a roughly elliptical orbit as the distant sun cast its pale yellow light across the planet’s surface.

  ‘Are you getting any readings?’ Te’Anne asked.

  ‘Still nothing,’ Vorn replied, shaking his head.

  Izikiel stared at the ever expanding planet. He knew the sensors had to be wrong. There had to be something there. He could feel it.

  ‘Can you try anything else?’
Izikiel asked.

  ‘We’ve tried everything. I’m sorry, there’s just nothing left on Aurora.’

  At that moment, the little girl appeared in the cabin. Walking towards the instrument panel at the front, she reached out with her hand.

  ‘Hey, stop that!’ Jonas called out as he moved forward and grabbed her wrist.

  ‘It’s ok. Let her go,’ Izikiel said.

  Jonas let go of the silent one. Looking at Izikiel, she smiled. Then she turned towards the instrument panel and pressed a series of switches. Her actions were still not fluid. It was as if something where slowing her down. After a moment, she stopped and looked up at the view screen.

  ‘What the...I’m getting something. It’s very faint,’ Vorn said as he double checked a display unit in front of him. Turning to his co-pilot, he said, ‘Cassandra can you focus the forward arrays on that signal?’

  Cassandra nodded as her fingers activated a series of controls on the instrument panel in front of her. A faint crackling sound resonated throughout the cabin. Cassandra flicked another switch and the sound became clearer.

  ‘...this is the...Authority of Aurora...you are...to proceed to an available...and await clearance to...’

  ‘Sounds like an automated message for ships in orbit,’ Vorn said. ‘It doesn’t mean anyone is actually down there.’

  ‘How would it stay powered?’ Izikiel asked.

  ‘Star port components are amongst the most durable constructions on the inhabited planets. The communication arrays in particular would be more than capable of surviving a significant amount of damage or degradation,’ Vorn explained. ‘Still sure you want to land?’

  ‘Yes,’ Izikiel replied.

  He still had no idea why the planet Aurora was important but he knew with a growing certainty that there was something there he was meant to find.

  ‘Alright. Cassandra, prepare the ship for landing. The rest of you better strap in. I’m reading some pretty intense storm activity in the upper atmosphere. This could get rough.’