The Agathon: Reign of Arturo

by Colin Weldon

  Barrington smiled and tapped the comm channel on his chair.

  “Barrington to shuttle bay three,” he said.

  “Bay three here, go ahead,” said a female voice.

  “Clear all personnel from the hangar and seal the inner bulkheads. I am going to flood the shuttle bay,” Barrington said.

  “Eh ... yes, sir,” came the hesitant response.

  Barrington closed the channel and looked at Kevin Ferrate behind him.

  “Let me know when the bay is cleared and open the outer doors,” Barrington said.

  Ferrate looked at him and nodded.

  “Understood,” he responded in an instant.

  Barrington was impressed with how well the crew responded under pressure. He had chosen his people well.

  “Distance to shuttle?” he asked Boyett again.

  “Six hundred meters,” she responded.

  Barrington ran through the math in his head. It was going to be tricky. Shuttle bay three was located on the port side of the vessel, so he would have to make sure that the ship turned at just the right moment.

  “Distance from the creature?” he asked Boyett again.

  “Holding now at two hundred meters,” she said keeping her eyes locked on the flight controls.

  “Engine room to bridge,” came Tosh’s voice suddenly.

  “Go,” said Barrington.

  “John, we’ve got red line pressure on deck eight, if we go any deeper, I think the seals are going to give. We could have a problem,” Tosh said.

  “Distance to shuttle?” Barrington asked Boyett.

  “Three hundred meters,” she responded.

  “Not much further, Tosh, just keep my ship together a little longer, bridge out,” Barrington said, “Kevin, open the outer doors and flood shuttle bay three.”

  “Yes, sir, opening outer doors now,” he replied.

  “Boyett, fire port thrusters in sixty meters and cut propulsion, I want you to line up the ship and capture the shuttle. Kevin, as soon as it’s in the bay, shut those doors. Charly, you’ll only have a few seconds to fire main engines once we grab it, before we get hit by that thing out there. Got that?” he said to both his crew members, who were tense, but focused.

  “Just a walk in the park,” Boyett replied looking at the captain briefly and smiling.

  “Bridge, engine room. We’ve lost containment on deck eight. We’re taking on water,” said Tosh’s voice suddenly.

  There was a sudden lurch that threw the bridge crew off balance for a moment. Barrington grabbed onto the chair to try and right himself. A klaxon sounded on the bridge and a computerised female voice began speaking over the comm.

  Hull breech deck eight. Hull compromised.

  “Turn that damn alarm off!” Barrington shouted.

  “Done,” Ferrate said.

  “Five meters, Captain,” Boyett said.

  “Close enough, cut engines and fire starboard thrusters. You’ve got it from here, Charly, begin your turn,” Barrington said.

  Boyett tensed up and began turning the ship. Barrington took a moment to look at the scanners and saw that the creature was nearly on top of the ship. Only fifty meters.

  “Hold on, David, this may be a little bumpy,” he said to Chavel who was still on the comm.

  There was no response. Barrington figured that the water level in the shuttle was probably over his head by now and that he was slowly beginning to drown.

  “Almost,” said Boyett to herself, as she slid the ship sideways towards the sinking shuttle craft.

  Barrington looked at the scanner. The creature was ten meters away.

  “Brace for impact!” he said to his bridge crew.

  “Got him!” Boyett shouted from the flight chair.

  “Fire the engines!” Barrington shouted.

  There was a sudden crash tossing the captain out of his chair. The creature had hit the ship full on. The klaxons began to sound again and the lights on the bridge turned red. Barrington got to his feet.

  “Seal the shuttle bay doors, Charly, get us the hell out of here!” Barrington said through the noise of the alarms.

  The ship lurched forward and headed back towards the surface.

  “Damage report,” said Barrington to Ferrate.

  “Deck eight is flooding, sir, but there does not appear to be any other structural breeches on the outer hull.

  “Where is the creature?” Barrington asked.

  “Eighty meters to the aft, sir, it’s following, but we are staying ahead of it,” Ferrate said.

  Barrington got back into the captain’s chair.

  “Charly, full thrusters all the way to the surface, break through and don’t stop. Take us all the way to orbit,” he said.

  “Yes, sir,” she responded as she applied full power.

  “Time to make a run for it,” Barrington said.

  19

  The Kandinsky

  Arturo was furious. He glared at Escat across the table. Allowing Elstone to escape so stupidly was more than unacceptable. It was embarrassing. If Escat had not been able to escape being tied to the chair, they might have been in that room for hours. Elstone had given him a concussion and his head throbbed. The little fuck. He was currently in the process of thinking about how to properly discipline the rogue member of Red Tribe. They were at least twelve hours behind the ship which gave him ample time to think of a suitable punishment. He was thinking about something involving the slow removal of his limbs, when a very nervous Escat interrupted his chain of thought.

  “We have not been able to re-establish the connection with The Agathon, Chancellor,” Escat said.

  Arturo had to resist the urge to leap across the table and rip his throat out. He remained in his seat and stared at the general.

  “Where is he going?” Arturo said through his teeth.

  “By the looks of things, back to the colony,” replied Escat shifting in his seat.

  Arturo thought about the colonists and how willing they would be to help their golden child. They had betrayed him. They had all betrayed him. They did not want to join him in paradise. And so they would not. They were thankless, ungrateful, traitors.

  Kill them now, you idiot!

  The voice in his head was alive and more powerful than ever. He could not subdue it. He believed it. He wanted it now. He wanted to be led by it.

  “Open a communication channel to Earth One,” Arturo said to Escat, still holding his gaze firmly.

  “Of course,” Escat replied by turning on the main computer console on his desk and typing in some commands.

  It chirped as the two waited patiently for the connection to be made.

  After several tense minutes the channel connected and Florence answered.

  “Yes, Chancellor, this is Florence here, how can I be of assistance?” she asked.

  Arturo sat back in his chair and stroked the side of his face.

  “Florence, has The Unity returned to dock yet?” he asked calmly.

  “No, Chancellor, I was not expecting them back. Is everything alright?” she replied.

  Arturo frowned. There was something in her voice.

  “Everything is fine, Florence. What is the status of the power station?” he asked her.

  “Power is continuing to fall, Chancellor. Doctor Vishal is working on the problem, but has not yet found a solution to the drop off,” Florence said.

  Arturo leaned forward in his chair. There was definitely something odd about her voice.

  “How are you, Florence?” he asked her.

  The question lingered in the air for several seconds before she responded.

  “I am fine, Chancellor, thank you for asking,” she replied sounding tense.

  Arturo wanted her off balance. In all the years he had known her, he had never asked that question.

  “That’s good, Florence. Your well-being is of the utmost importance to me. I want you well. I always want you well,” Arturo said.

  He looked at Escat who was looki
ng increasingly perplexed. There was another pause in the room. Arturo looked at the computer as if Florence was standing in the room next to them.

  “Florence?” he said to her.

  “Yes, Chancellor?” she replied.

  “We are en route back to the station and should be with you in under twelve hours. I want you to place an extra contingent at the entrance to the forbidden zone. I would also like you to contact The Kandinsky the moment The Unity docks, which should be within the next hour, is that clear?” he said to her calmly.

  “Very clear, Chancellor,” she replied.

  “I want you to have the guard place Aron Elstone into custody the moment he steps off that ship, is that clear?” Arturo said.

  “Very clear, Chancellor,” she replied.

  Arturo frowned at the computer screen.

  “You have done well, have you not, Florence? I have treated you well over these years, have I not? You are happy, aren’t you?” he said.

  There was a long pause on the comm channel.

  “Very well, Chancellor. I am indeed quite happy. You have given me my life,” she replied.

  Arturo suddenly stood up and leaned across the desk and placed his lips close to the screen.

  “And you shall be repaid for your loyalty. You will join us in paradise. Do you understand me, Florence?” he said quietly into the computer.

  “I understand, Chancellor, you have my thanks,” she replied.

  Arturo looked at the screen.

  The lying bitch! She knows. She’s in on it. They want to make a fool of you. Cut her heart out with a blunt knife and eat it raw!

  “I’ll see you really soon, Florence. Arturo out,” he said, cutting the comm channel.

  Arturo sat back in his chair and looked at Escat.

  “They want us dead, General. They want to kill us,” he said to Escat who was looking worried.

  “Yes, Chancellor,” he replied.

  “Prepare the pulse cannons. I think it is time we rid ourselves of the baggage we’ve been hauling for all these years,” Arturo said.

  “Chancellor?” Escat responded.

  “We are the masters of our fate. The captains of our souls,” Arturo said.

  Escat looked confused.

  “This ship will carry us to the new frontier. There are traitors in our midst, General. We will rid ourselves of that flotsam of metal and flesh. But not before I see Elstone drown in his own blood. Earth was destroyed so that we could start again without the excess human waste and inadequacies and now we must do the same. We destroy our own, so that we can begin anew. This time with only the best of us, so that we may reach paradise cleansed of weakness,” he said.

  Escat’s mouth opened at what Arturo was suggesting.

  “We will fire those cannons upon the hearts of all those traitors. We are going to destroy Earth One and when we meet our brothers on The Agathon, we will open a new chapter for the human race. A pure chapter, without the residue of the old,” Arturo said smiling at Escat.

  And then I will destroy you, General. And every other living soul on board these ships. Then I will be pure.

  Earth One

  Florence looked at the blank screen and tried to steady her nerves. Arturo was going to kill her. Of that she was sure. She knew that it had been an inevitability, but hearing his soft voice threaten her life in such a psychopathic way had weakened her knees. She walked over to Arturo’s desk and sat down pouring herself a drink of cold water. She looked out of the window at the approaching ship, The Unity. It was only ten minutes or so from docking. There had been radio silence from the ship since it jumped out of sub light near the space stations, but Florence had just thought that the old ship’s communications were out. It was not all that uncommon these days, with most systems beginning to fail. She watched as the ship approached and thought about what options she really had left. She took a breath and placed the glass gently on the table, still looking out at The Unity. She looked at her old fingers and began to feel her medication wearing off. Rumblings of pain began in her back. It was time for a trip to her quarters. And then on to the docking port. She had been alone in the office when Arturo had called in. There had been no guards present. Perhaps it was not too late for them all. Then again, perhaps it was. She rose from the chair and made her way quickly to the door.

  After a quick stop-off at her quarters and thirty milligrams of morphine later, she walked steadily into the docking bay. She quietly ordered a member of the Colonial Guard to lock down the docking clamps on the ship preventing it from leaving and also preventing it from opening the airlock into the space station. She told the guard it was a safety precaution, that there was sensitive data on board about The Agathon and that the chancellor wished her to retrieve it before the crew disembarked. The guard followed her orders and locked down the clamps on the vessel.

  Florence thought about what would happen if she stepped on board. If Arturo really was after Elstone now, there must have been a reason. If so, why had Elstone come back? Then it hit her.

  He knows, she thought.

  She looked around at the faces of the docking bay workers. It was highly unusual for anyone to lock down an incoming tribal ship and there were curious gazes all around. She reached up to the airlock release and opened the rolling door. Aron Elstone stood calmly before her with his hands behind his back.

  “Hello, Florence,” he said smiling.

  Florence looked to his right and saw India Walder standing behind his shoulder. It looked like she was holding something behind her back. She was frowning at Florence and darting her eyes between the Colonial Guards beside her and the workers who were now gathering in groups to see what was going on.

  Florence looked around at her guards and waved them off.

  “I am going to inspect the ship, please wait here,” she said looking back at Elstone, “if that is acceptable to you, of course, Mr Elstone?”

  She looked at Aron and raised her eyebrows. She saw confusion in his eyes, but he nodded slowly, stepping back inside the ship. Florence took a breath and stepped up the gangway to meet him. She heard the cocking of pulse rifles behind her as the guards tensed up waiting for something to happen when she reached Elstone. Instead, India and Aron stepped back and allowed Florence to pass. She looked back at the guards.

  “Seal the airlock and let nobody pass without my direct authorisation, is that clear?” she said.

  The guards nodded their black helmets and sealed the airlock behind her. She stood close to Aron and India now. They looked tense. India was definitely concealing something behind her back.

  “So,” Florence said to Aron.

  “So,” Aron responded.

  “Did you speak to them?” Florence asked quietly.

  She softened her tone as much as possible to try and defuse the tension. Aron looked at India. Florence noticed how they looked at each other. There was an unspeakable bond. A trust and respect that burst from their eyes. She had never had such a bond. Only between a master and his slave. She imagined what it must be like. To have someone care for your life and be willing to protect and die for it. She waited for Aron to answer.

  “I need to see inside the forbidden zone,” Aron said suddenly.

  India looked at him. Florence stood silently and thought about where this was headed. She was not strong enough to oppose Arturo. She could barely stand up these days. Her death was approaching. There was no way to stop it now.

  “He told you,” Florence said.

  “Is she alive?” Aron replied.

  Florence heard a tremble in his voice, but he showed no emotion.

  “Yes,” Florence said, “but not for long. The power systems are failing and all life support will terminate for all subjects in a matter of weeks.”

  “All subjects? What the fuck is going on down there?” India said looking confused.

  Florence turned away from the pair and moved past them into the ship. She wanted to get away from the airlock. There was no way, of course, t
hat anyone could have heard her, but it was a subconscious decision. Aron and India followed her carefully.

  “Arturo will kill us all,” Florence said turning back and lowering her voice, “he’s gone mad. He talks to himself when he is alone. He’s a possessed man. We don’t stand a chance against the Colonial Guard let alone The Kandinsky. Even if I show you what is down there in the forbidden zone, there is nothing you or I can do about it. Look at me. Look at what he has done. Look at what I have become.”

  Florence began to feel the semblance of an emotion boiling up from her stomach. She had not felt anything for so long that it frightened her. It began to grow as it pulsed through her body, making her eyes well up. Her legs began to shake as she lost her balance and suddenly collapsed onto her knees weeping. She exploded into a flood of uncontrollable tears. She put her hands up to her face trying to contain it, but it was no use. Her mind had decided to let go and there was nothing she could do about it. She felt a hand on her shoulder and looked up through a blurry haze of water. Aron was crouched next to her. The soft touch of his hand was like nothing she had ever felt. For the first time in her life, it was one of concern from one human being to another. She did not know how to react to this, so she simply placed her withered hand on his.

  “I’ll take you to her,” Florence said to him, “but he’ll kill us all.”

  Aron looked at her and smiled, linking his arm around her shoulder and pulling her slowly off the ground. He looked her in the eyes.

  “Florence, you let me worry about the dying, just get us into the forbidden zone and we’ll take it from there. In the meantime, we have to prepare ourselves, we don’t have much time. Come with me to the engine room. We need to talk to Oliver,” Aron said.

  Florence dried her eyes and stood up slowly with Aron and India’s help. Aron left his arm around hers and guided her through the corridors. Suddenly Florence did not feel so bad about dying. She had felt something real for the first time in her life. And it felt good.

  20

  The Void

  They had been walking for what seemed like hours. Carrie followed up the rear as the alien led them through a maze of corridors and doorways. They finished in a small room with curved walls and a raised circular white floor in its centre. It seemed to be lit from underneath, giving it a soft glow. The walls were smooth, covered in a range of raised carvings and shapes that changed every few seconds. It looked like data was being projected onto their surface from a computer of some kind, inside the wall’s interior. The alien approached the wall and placed its hand on it. The surface under the palm of the alien’s hand immediately lit up and surrounded it with data. It moved its hand as if entering in commands into a computer console. Carrie looked at Tyrell who had not said a word since they had begun walking. There were no other life forms, that Carrie could see anyway. She had opened her mind up and had sensed the presence of other minds close to her, but she could not make out what those minds were thinking or where they were located. At one point, she thought she felt something move past her shoulder. She had turned, but seen nothing. She guessed that these aliens had some sort of cloaking technology and were choosing to remain hidden from view. Tyrell knew they were there. He would occasionally turn to look at something. She even saw him smile at one point.