The Empire

by John Dizon

  They headed out to the street, and Von was concerned over the fact that Stuttgart and his men had disappeared. He remained vigilant as they headed back towards the space center, and was ready for action as a man came toward them.

  "Excuse me, friends," a hunchbacked settler came toward them. Alanis and Eleos were filled with pity at the sight of his ears, which hung from the side of his head like large peppers.

  "How can I help you?" Von demanded.

  "The man in the tavern," he said, holding up two huge foil-wrapped bars. "He said you were looking for chocolate."

  ~+~

  Captain Misch sat on the bridge of the Deltan cruiser perusing the reconnaissance updates when he was interrupted by two of his officers. Lieutenant Xamon and Yeoman Chon approached him somewhat hesitantly as he awaited word on their progress in breaking the will of their prisoner.

  "Well?" Misch eyed them warily.

  "We checked the prisoner's cell as you suggested. We bound and blindfolded her before conducting a search of her cell," Chon said nervously.

  "And what of her encounter with the tiltons?"

  "She ate them," Xamon said weakly.

  "What?"

  "She pulled off their heads and legs and ate them," Xamon cleared his throat.

  Misch stared murderously at the two of them for a long moment. All of a sudden he could no longer control himself and started laughing. The officers beheld him in wonder before they slowly began to chuckle with him.

  "Well, I must say she certainly is something," Misch wiped his eyes. "All right, I suppose we'll have to change tactics. See to it that she gets a good meal."

  "What do you suggest, sir?" Chon asked timidly.

  "Excuse me?"

  "You heard the question," his chief medical officer Dr. Seuss came on deck. "The galley is almost bare. The chief steward has repeatedly told you our supplies were low. I suppose you didn't get the point when we were served stew for three days in a row. If you don't send out a recon unit to bring back provisions, we'll all be eating tiltons in a couple of days."

  "I've been trying to tell him but he won't listen," Xamon was emboldened.

  "Well, if you and I are agreeing on something, there's definitely trouble in paradise," Seuss was sarcastic. It irked him to have to continually contend with Xamon for the captain's attention.

  "It shouldn't be overly difficult for a Deltan star cruiser carrying a platoon of trained commandos to bring back food on an unscheduled stopover," Misch maintained his haughty veneer. "Send out a forage detail at the earliest opportunity."

  "I thought we were trying to avoid detection by any military vessels in our immediate vicinity," Seuss was piqued. "I assume that ranges from starships to star fighters and shuttlecrafts. It gets pretty hard when we're also hiding out from Planet Patrol and the local militia. That doesn't give your battle-hardened commandos a lot of latitude in going out and conquering all in their path."

  "Have we no imagination left to us?" Misch squinted. "Dress them up in technician uniforms. They don't have to advertise who they are to come back with a few crates of provisions."

  "Let me use my imagination, Myles," Seuss was the only one who dared addressing Misch by his given name. "I'll imagine a dozen green-skinned behemoths going down to a space colony, armed to the teeth. I can just see them walking into a settlement with no credits and commandeering all the food they can eat. After that, I envision them coming back to the local space center and flying back to the Deltan star cruiser docked in orbit waiting for them. Beyond that, I can just see all those settlers imagining that the whole thing was a figment of their imagination. Like it never happened."

  "Why is it that I can't get anyone in this crew to follow simple instructions?" Misch demanded. "I ask that the prisoner be convinced to make a statement on video requesting her ransom. I ask that we send out a scouting party to replenish our storerooms. I ask that we steer clear of military ships to avoid compromising our mission. I fail to see where I have asked anyone to split the atom with their bare hands."

  "Let's take this back to the very beginning," Seuss insisted. "You asked us to volunteer for this secret mission. You said we would be targeting a high-profile person of interest in a matter of global security. You said it would be a couple of weeks before our goal was achieved and the mission accomplished. You didn't say anything about us kidnapping a world leader's daughter in a covert operation that put our very lives at risk. Or about us eluding the combined forces of the entire solar system for a whole month with no end in sight."

  "I've received word from the Deltan Intelligence Agency that they are holding a top secret conference with the Scorpions in the next couple of days," Misch revealed. "Once they come to an agreement on how they intend to proceed against the Federation, they will send word as to how we will dispose of the girl."

  "Dispose? You don't mean…"

  "I don't mean there's any room for discussion!" Misch snapped. "Xamon, prepare a landing party to seek out provisions at the next colony along our course. Chon, inform the chief steward that we are expecting him to use the last and best of our food supply to prepare a banquet for this evening. Seuss, I want you to tend to the girl and inform her we are expecting her presence in my quarters this evening."

  "Your quarters?"

  "Guess who's coming to dinner?" Misch grinned.

  ~+~

  It was Von's turn at the command console as The Avenger soared through the skies above the colony and returned to outer space. Things had become somewhat relaxed as Alanis and Eleos munched on chocolate while playing checkers. Zane had a hammock hooked up in a far corner on deck and was able to relax after smoking a spliff of Neptunian weed. Von was contemplating the beauty of space, its mysteries never failing to have a calming effect on his soul.

  Only the sight of a foreign vessel in the distance caused him consternation. He called Zane over and together they studied the ship on their scanners.

  "It's a star cruiser, that's for sure. Doesn't look like Starfleet."

  "Betans have those dumb-looking chimeras on their crests," Zane pointed out. "The Cetans have the Scorpion. Deltans have a red star. That's a private ship."

  "Who the hell can afford a star cruiser?" Von wondered. "I say we close in and get a better look. It might be connected to the people we're looking for. If it is, we can drop these two off and come back out here."

  "Well, let's be careful. We don't want them coming at us. We haven't been in a scrap in this thing for over four years."

  "May be closer to five," Von murmured as he set the warship in motion. "Let's go have a look. They're over thirty miles out, we're certainly not violating their space."

  The partners watched their scanners intently as their ship cruised ever so slowly in the direction of the cruiser. Suddenly they were both alarmed as their radar devices picked up on a fluctuation on their monitors.

  "Dammit!" Von hissed. "They're training their guns on us!"

  "I'm sending a distress signal," Zane said frantically. "Get this thing turned around!"

  Von began tapping codes into the console as quickly as he could, and the ship slowly turned back in the direction of the space colony. Only red lights began flashing on the monitor, and almost at once the ship was rocked by a violent explosion. Slowly the interior of the vessel was immersed in darkness before their emergency solar lights switched on.

  "They must've hit us with a graphite torpedo," Von was punching buttons and flicking switches to no avail. "We're gonna get boarded."

  "What's happening?" Alanis asked, trembling as Eleos huddled under her arm.

  "All right," Von said, pulling xasers out of the weapons compartment and setting them on a table. "Zane, take them to the stow and stay there. I'll hold them off as long as I can. The three of you remain there as long as possible. Probably they'll tow the ship somewhere. If you stay quiet you may get a chance to escape."

  "You're not going down without me," Zane disagreed. "And we can't leave them alone. If they're found th
ey'll be sold into slavery. I say we give ourselves up and wait for an opportunity. We've been in worse spots."

  "Okay, let's do it," Von exhaled, putting the weapons away. He and Zane both stuck xaser pistols in their belts but knew they'd be found.

  It seemed like an eternity before a heavy clanking of metal shook the ship once more. They heard the screeching of gears as the boarding ship's wrenching device opened the emergency door and interlocked the entrance portal. At length they heard the sound of boots crossing the portal and voices once the invaders pulled off their breath masks.

  "Whatever you think you're doing, you're breaking interplanetary law," Von admonished them as they entered the chamber brandishing xaser rifles. "These people are refugees. They survived an illegal attack by Cetan raiders. They are Betan citizens who are being taken to a Betan military base. You're preventing them from seeking aid as is their right under interplanetary treaty."

  "Is that so?" Crom Stuttgart walked up to him. "I don't give a damn about them or their rights. Give me those ID sticks and you'll be on your way."

  "ID sticks?"

  "The ones you mentioned at the settlement. Don't mess with me."

  "I was just talking. I don't have jack."

  "If you didn't have them you wouldn't have mentioned them."

  "They're not on board. I know someone who has some."

  "Good. Then you contact them and we'll trade. You for the sticks."

  "It doesn't work like that."

  "You better hope it does. All right, move. Follow my men."

  The pirates directed Alanis and Eleos to the portal linking the two ships as Von and Zane were prodded into the position. The men found the xasers just as Von expected. The operatives were then guided toward the portal to face whatever fate awaited them.

  They were forced through the portal into the star cruiser where a group of armed men awaited them on a loading dock. Alanis and Eleos were ushered aside as Stuttgart shoved them towards a man surrounded by four riflemen. The man wore a black uniform and cape along with patent leather gloves and boots that reached to his elbows and knees. His face was a ghostly white, his eye sockets and lips black as coal.

  "I hear you people have access to some valuable merchandise. Perhaps you'd be willing to trade them in exchange for your lives."

  "Who the hell are you?" Von asked.

  "They call me Captain Necromicon. You are Von Kappa, correct?"

  "I suppose the big guy passed that along," Von jerked his head at Stuttgart.

  "So do we have a deal?"

  "I already told him I need to contact the people holding them for me."

  "I've got a better idea. I can sell those two as slaves and get twice as many credits. Crom, put those two on bottle rockets. Take the woman and child to the brig."

  "Hey, wait a second!" Von protested as his and Zane's wrists were bound behind their backs. "You have no idea what those sticks are worth!"

  "Better a fast nickel than a slow dime," Necromicon grinned as two ejection tubes were brought into the room by his men.

  "Nickels don't pay for the kind of fuel this thing burns," Von struggled as they prepared to load him into the ejection tube. "I'll get you more dimes than you can spend."

  "You don't have a clue, my friend," Necromicon giggled. "I've got some pretty expensive tastes. You know, an able-bodied woman goes for half a million credits on some Deltan colonies. A young boy goes for about the same rate. Provided they don't have any diseases or mental illnesses."

  "They wouldn't get a lot for you, you crazy son of a bitch!" Von hissed.

  "Now, that's not nice," Necromicon frowned. "I was trying to make this as painless as possible. Now I'm thinking I'll let them kick your ass before we load you in."

  "All right, Stuttgart, enough is enough," Von turned to him. "I told you that they won't pay the credits without the passcode. You may be able to jack him, but if you jack me you won't collect a cent."

  "What?" Stuttgart stepped forth. "Captain, request permission to personally beat his face to a pulp."

  "Hold on, hold on," Necromicon held up a finger. "If you bust his hole I won't be able to understand anything else he says. Tell me, Kappa, how many credits were we discussing here?"

  "Seven hundred million credits," Von said fervently. "Payable on demand."

  "Wow," Necromicon raised his eyebrows. "That's a lot of credits."

  "He's lying," Stuttgart snarled. "Look at that piece of crap he's flying. Who in hell would bring him into a seven hundred million credit deal?"

  "I've got a contract with the Federation's GIA," Von jerked away from a restraining hand on his arm. "There's a rogue Deltan star cruiser that kidnapped a politician's daughter. If I can locate the ship and get the coordinates to Starfleet, it's worth that much to them."

  "He never mentioned it," Stuttgart insisted. "He's a lying dog."

  "Why do you think I sailed towards your cruiser in my vintage ride?" Von pressed. "I knew you could've blew us to stardust, but it was worth the risk."

  "He's just stupid, that's fairly obvious," Stuttgart retorted.

  "Men, take our guests down to steerage and find them some space in the storage bays," Necromicon decided. "Take care not to wander around, the penalties could be severe. Especially for you, my dear. I can assure you that you're the only woman aboard this ship among all these lonely boys."

  "I'll be watching over my son," Alanis assured him.

  "Good. And that one will be watching over you. Kappa, you will join us for dinner in my quarters this evening. I expect to hear a full report on how someone like you got hooked up with the GIA, and how all this got started in the first place."

  "That should give you enough time to get your bullshit story together," Stuttgart growled.

  "Then yours should only take you half the time, since I only told you half the story."

  Stuttgart had to be restrained as Von and Zane were unshackled, then escorted to the lower levels along with Alanis and Eleos.

  Just as Stuttgart suggested, it would give him just enough time to figure out what to do next.

  CHAPTER THREE

  E verything Is Food.

  The Dark Knight commandos stealthily closed in on the food storage warehouse less than a kilometer from the smoldering ruins of the Betan settlement. They had destroyed the residential sector but found it abandoned. Upon coming across a straggler they learned that the Believers had taken refuge in the warehouse outside of town. They formed a cordon around the perimeter and were certain that the farmers had no means of escape.

  They radioed back and forth, making sure that everyone was in position before making their move. They covered one another as the squad approached the cavernous warehouse, a four-man fire team on each side. They waited until each team was pressed alongside the structure before the team leads used their xasers to burn holes in the aluminum walls. They exchanged signals before kicking their way through and spreading out inside the darkened storehouse.

  "This place is surrounded!" a Knight yelled out. "Give yourselves up and come out slowly with your hands behind your heads!"

  The Knights held their weapons at the ready but were met by silence.

  "Sir," another Knight called out. "Our sensors picked up a community of over a hundred people. Surely they are not here."

  "Well, where in Hades are they?" the lieutenant came out into the open.

  "I suppose you'll figure it out when you get there, you dirty bastard."

  The Knights stared in astonishment in the direction of the voice echoing from the upper level walkway. They aimed their weapons in that direction but were ambushed from behind as a flurry of xaser blasts darted from the opposite area of the loft. They screamed and whirled but were unable to dodge the hail of energy bolts that seared through flesh and bone like butter. Within seconds there was nothing but a pile of charred bodies strewn about the warehouse floor.

  "Nice shooting."

  "Hell, they were nothing but sitting ducks."

  The t
wo riflemen came down the metal staircase from the walkway, their weapons at the ready as they surveyed the carnage for signs of life. Nothing but the sweet stench of burning flesh met them as they walked about the killing ground.

  "You gonna go back and tell the others?" asked Damian.

  "Yeah, in a minute," Michael knelt beside one of the corpses, ripping a piece of flesh off its face.

  "Hold on, soldier. What in hell are you doing?"

  "You know what this is," Michael turned vehemently toward him. "Those Cetan bastards put some kind of chemical in our brains. You know this is some kind of experiment. The whole platoon's going crazy. That Captain Drachna's using us. He knew what would happen when he sent us in here."

  "You can't do this, Michael. You can't give in."

  "You can't handle it any better than I can. It's a terrible itch inside your stomach, inside your soul. We're the only ones here. Maybe you can take it. I can't. Turn your damned back if you must."

  "Dammit, Michael," he hissed.

  At once they drew their xaser blades and began savaging the corpses of the Dark Knights.

  ~+~

  The Supreme Leader of the Scorpion Empire had been called away from a banquet prepared in honor of the interplanetary diplomatic corps at the Imperial City. Vernu Hyte was highly agitated but maintained his composure as he was escorted by Imperial Guardsmen to a chamber deep within the bowels of the Solar Embassy. Within a dark chapel dedicated to the worship of the Satanic Majesties stood Qom Diabolus.

  "What in hell is this?" Hyte demanded as his fingers raced across the face of his handheld PC. "Don't tell me your elite units have fumbled another assignment."

  "It appears that your rogue starship has struck again," the Imperial Star Marshal stared down at Vernu, who stood nearly two meters tall. "Your runaway starship captain has committed yet another act of insurgency against the Empire. Do you feel it may be time to make an interplanetary announcement and raise a multi-national force to hunt down this mad dog?"

  "And admit we've lost control of one of the most powerful ships in our fleet?" Vernu demanded. "What does that say about our national security, about the strength and dominance of our Empire? It'll create a ripple effect that might foment a wide-scale rebellion. Our military leaders are still recovering from the blood purge you and your people conducted. How many do you think would jump at the chance to hijack a starship and start their own mercenary army? We've made the entire solar system believe that we are the strongest military power in the universe. Think of what we stand to lose if people start thinking it isn't so."