by Z H Brown
“All right, there’s obviously some issue we aren’t aware of. Would one of you kind and welcoming locals care to fill us in on your problem with us?”
This was apparently all the excuse the barman was waiting for.
“Our problem,” he said, in a growling voice through clenched teeth. “Is that you Imperial bastards talk a big talk about protecting the little guy and ensuring peace and freedom for all, then, you go and leave a madman in charge of our planet for the last two years! We’ve been held hostage, with no way to call for help, because your useless Emperor withdrew the fleet from this sector to fight his war with the Goldies!”
Ansaria didn’t know what to say. She certainly hadn’t expected a story like that to explain their treatment. Before she could say anything, her A-TIG chimed.
“Administrator Joyus?”
“Yes, I’ve just finished speaking with the Governor--” At the sound of that word, all the planet natives grimaced and anger flared across their faces. “and he would like your squad to join him at his private facility in the mountains. The transportation we provided you will make the trip. Sending coordinates.”
Ansaria pulled up a map. They showed a winding road that led from Myrth into the mountains. She dismissed the map and addressed her squad.
“Looks like happy hour will have to wait, troops, we’re back on the clock. Fall out.”
The squad made their way to the door (with no small grumbling from Slog.) Before she left, Ansaria turned to address the bar patrons one last time.
“I’m not sure exactly what is going on on this planet, but I promise you, I am going to get to the bottom of this, and in the name of the Empire, I’m going to help you.”
She left the bar, with the occupant’s faces now a little less angry and a little more uncertain.
It was a quick drive through town before they reached the pathway that led into the mountains. As they parked in front of it, Ansaria checked her TIG again.
“It should take us about an hour to get there in this vehicle,” she said. “The path has some twists and turns, but otherwise it’s a pretty straight shot.”
“I’m more worried about what will happen when we get there,” said Slog over the comm. “Call me crazy, but I’m not too thrilled about driving to the secluded mountain home of the locals’ favorite psycho.”
“I’ve gotta agree with Slog on this one, Sarge,” said Alvara. “Something stinks about all of this, and I don’t like the idea of us driving in blind.”
“I understand everybody is uneasy with the situation,” replied Ansaria. “But as soldiers we have a mission to fulfill for the Empire. Besides, we seem to be the only ones on this planet capable of dealing with whatever it is that’s going on here. We have to go; for the sake of our mission and- if possible- for the people of this world.”
When no one spoke up, Ansaria took it as agreement, and she accelerated on to the beginning of the path.
A few moments later, she added, “Plus, it’s not like this is a social visit. If I don’t like what I hear, we’ll beat the slime out of him and squeeze him until we get what we need.”
The tip of Alvara’s tail flicked a couple times and she smiled at her old friend. “Now you’re speaking my language, Sarge.”
Not long after the squad began driving along the mountain path, Administrator Joyus was contacted by the Central Space Control for the second time that day: an unheard of occurrence in recent times.
“This is Joyus, Control. Go ahead.”
“Administrator, we’ve detected another craft approaching the planet. Its transponder is active, but it’s ignoring all hails.”
Another surprise visitor, though this one without the Imperial dog’s courtesy. They had no means to shoot the craft down, and Joyus didn’t want to contact the Governor again. Another interruption and he might wind up as the great protector’s next experimental subject.
“Plot its trajectory and give me a landing sight. I’ll deploy the security forces.”
“At once, sir.”
As he awaited the information, Joyus leaned back in his seat.
This is getting out of hand, he thought. Now there are two of them.
Joyus’ TIG chimed and he observed the info. The landing site was a dry basin, not too far from the settlement. He contacted Captain Ec’static.
“Captain, we have another unexpected visitor, this one ignoring our warnings. We have their landing site marked, and I want you to load up the Skybuzzers with a full complement and arrest the intruders. Afterwards, you’ll bring them to me.”
“Understood, sir!” came the captain’s brisk reply. Joyus cut the signal.
Today just gets stranger and stranger.
The Skybuzzers droned through the air, the oblong shaped VTOL crafts zipping towards their destination. Each one was filled with eight security members, all lightly armored and armed. This was their first real action since the ‘isolation’ had been imposed, and there was a mixture of nervousness and excitement for whatever they might find.
The security forces arrived before the incoming ship was in sight, and the security members took up positions throughout the basin. After their cargo was unloaded, the Skybuzzers lifted into the air again to provide air cover. Soon, they could make out the approaching ship above them as an incoming fireball.
Captain Ec’static awaited the craft in the open, flanked by two of her best agents. As the ship got closer and closer, she tightened her grip on her Handheld Repeating Beam Pistol.
When the craft reached them, the crater was buffeted by the ship’s engines. The captain wobbled on her legs in the strong wind, while behind the security agents flanking her hunched over to avoid it. Eventually, the craft landed and came to a rest, the engines whining down and the hull slowly cooling.
Ec’static studied the brown craft and the markings on the side before she keyed her voice amplifier on her TIG and addressed the ship.
“Attention, Twin Suns Mechanical and Robotics Trade craft, this is Captain Ec’static of the Myrthal Security Forces! You are trespassing on our world! Exit your ship with your hands up and prepare to be taken into custody! You have thirty seconds to comply!”
For a few moments, the ship sat silent, its occupants still refusing to reply. Then, a mechanical grinding sound filled the area. However, the captain was puzzled when she could not see a landing ramp being lowered; her TIG beeped.
“Captain, the top of the craft is opening!” said one of the Skybuzzer pilots.
After the top finished opening, a high-pitched whir erupted from it. A few seconds later, a small, two-seater craft suddenly emerged from inside the ship. The craft was sleek and blade-like, with a pair of wings near the rear. It hovered in place for a few moments, as though getting its bearings, before suddenly rocketing away into the mountains.
Captain Ec’static stood stunned. The craft was too fast for her Skybuzzers to catch, even without the surprise head start it now had. She ordered her troops to search the trade craft for clues while she contacted Joyus.
“Administrator, sir, I’m afraid I have some bad news…”
Only a third of the way into the drive, Ansaria received a ping on her TIG.
“Go ahead, Tread.”
“Sergeant, I have detected an incoming craft originating from the southwest. It appears to be on intercept trajectory.”
The southwest? That wasn’t too far from Myrth…what was going on? Had the locals’ animosity towards the Empire erupted into a need for blood? Had Joyus dispatched his forces to eliminate them, or had this mysterious (and apparently insane) Governor drawn them into the mountains to kill them out of site of the townspeople?
“Can you contact them?”
Ansaria was so focused on waiting for Tread’s response that she almost forgot she was driving.
“No response, sergeant, and the craft appears to have increased speed.”
That was bad. They needed to take cover. The bend ahead appeared to be the crest of a hill. Ansaria tur
ned the craft so that it filled the road horizontally. They would use it for cover, along with the rocks lining the edge of the road that served as a natural guardrail.
“Everyone out! Defensive formation!”
The squad sprang from the car, Ansaria and Slog putting their backs to the rock while Alvara and Tread hunkered down by the truck.
A loud whine filled the air as the ship reached its targets. On its first pass, it quickly strafed the ground, peppering the rocks with laser blasts.
As it flew overhead, the squad opened fire on it. Slog was only able to get one shot off with his shotgun, while Ansaria and Alvara were able to keep a bead on it. Tread unleashed a barrage from his Ion Rifle before calling out to Ansaria.
“Sergeant! The craft is shielded from my ion blasts! I can’t bring it down!”
“Switch up: Remote Rocket!”
The craft came to a near stop, now hovering slowly through the air to get a better bead on the troops. It fired its cannons again and the squad was forced to take cover as the area filled with searing hot laser blasts and pieces of rocky shrapnel. The front of the truck was struck and it burst into flames.
Slog popped up and unloaded with his weapon, forcing the craft to retreat for a moment. Tread then sat up and fired his own weapon after it. The craft pulled a shear stop and spun around 180°, firing its lasers and destroying the incoming rocket. It then turned back toward the pinned soldiers.
“Tread, reload and fire on my signal!”
The craft raced forward, its guns once again blazing and eating away at their cover. Ansaria signaled Tread and he fired another remote rocket. The craft turned and blew it out of the air as it had the one before.
“Open fire!” cried Ansaria.
The squad popped up and fired everything they had at the craft. At first, its shields and armor were able to withstand the barrage, but it finally crumpled and exploded at the midsection after one more rocket from Tread.
As the craft began spinning through the air and dropping into the valley bellow, the cockpit opened and the occupant ejected into the sky. A moment later, the pilot came back down, landing on the road with a loud crash.
The crater the impact had caused prevented the squad from seeing exactly what it was, until it rose out of it, hulking metal body unfazed from the sudden landing.
It was Reno; its massive body was now covered in black plates, apparently a new adaptation upgrade. The machine raised an arm and fired one of its finger beams that sliced through the remainder of the hover-truck. It climbed out of the crater and made its way towards them.
Neither Ansaria’s nor Alvara’s blasts seemed to be doing anything to the giant robot. Slog’s shotgun seemed to slow him down by the sheer force of the blasts, but nothing else was fazing him.
“Slog, grenade!” cried Ansaria as she primed her own.
The two threw their explosives. Reno caught one of them in its hand while the other bounced off its chest. A moment later, the killing machine was obscured by a pair of explosions. As Reno emerged from the smoke and fire, Tread popped up, his Zapper attachment fully charged and primed.
The electrical bolt struck Reno, and the machine seized up from the immense current. Ansaria vaulted over the remains of the truck and moved to close the distance between the two. When she was a few yards away, she stopped while Reno began to recover from the effects of the shock.
Before the machine could move, Ansaria once again summoned her telekinetic powers and directed them at Reno. The stunned mechanism was struck by an invisible force, and it was sent tumbling end over end off the cliff.
Silence filled the mountains for the first time since the craft had shown up. Now, the only sound that could be heard was the fiery wreck of the truck.
Ansaria, more tired than she could remember being in quite a while, slowly made her way back to her squad. Nobody seemed to be injured, aside from a few cuts and burns.
“All right squad, take five, then get ready to move out. We’ve still got a house call to make.”
“Sarge, do you know how many planets there are in the Empire?” asked Slog.
The team had been walking for most of the day and the sun was touching the top of the mountains.
“No, Slog, I do not know.”
“Well, let’s ask someone who does. Tread, how many worlds are in the Empire?”
“There are three-hundred and twenty-five worlds in the Empire; one-hundred and thirty-seven member worlds, one-hundred and eighty-eight colony worlds. One more member world was assimilated before we began our mission.”
“Ah, well, there you go: there are over three-hundred worlds in this glorious Empire.”
“Do you have a point, Slog?”
“What I’d just like to know is how come, in all those worlds in Imperial space, we had to land on a frigid mountain planet, run by an insane recluse in his mountain fortress?”
“I’m sure I don’t know, Slog; got any bad deeds catching up to you?”
“Worst I’ve ever been in was a bar fight. Until the whole ‘act of treason and destruction of Imperial property’ thing happened.”
“Then maybe we’re suffering now so things are easier later,” Ansaria said, suppressing a shiver in the cold wind they walked against.
“That’s awfully spiritual of you, Sarge.”
“Hey, when things are bleak…”
Ansaria, who until then had been leading the march, slowed her pace to match Alvara, who was bringing up the rear. The cold air wasn’t doing the semi-reptilian female any favors. She had quickly fallen to the rear during the trek, and had acquired an extra thermal cloak from Ansaria.
“How ya doin’, M?” the sergeant asked quietly.
“I’m not gonna lie, Sarge, I actually miss our old base. Well, the warm sunlight at least. You can keep the boredom.”
Ansaria laughed.
“Yeah, it has been a pretty thrilling adventure so far, huh? If you’d had told me last week that I’d be marching through the mountains on another world after fighting a killer robot for the third time, I’d’ve said ‘in what simulation?’”
Alvara’s laugh was cut off as Tread called out from the front, “Sergeant, destination sighted.”
They had reached another bend. When Ansaria joined Tread, she was able to see the remainder of the road laid out before them, terminating in a large facility that was comprised of a monumental cube-shaped building with three equally blocky but smaller buildings adjacent to it.
“Double time, squad; I believe our esteemed governor owes us dinner.”
The mountain road ended at a flight of steps that the squad tiredly climbed. As they reached the top, the large, black doors of the facility swung open revealing an empty atrium. A staircase lined the left-hand wall, leading to a second level above a set of doors on the far wall.
As the squad approached the next set of doors, they raised their weapons in an alert stance. After all the strangeness and hostility on this planet, they were prepared for anything. When they reached the door, a red-lensed camera activated and peered down at the squad. Ansaria stepped forward to address it.
“Governor of Myrthal, by the authority of His Majesty, Emperor Xandarius, I demand that you present yourself and explain the state of your colony.”
The camera deactivated and the next set of doors opened. Despite the smaller doors, this room was just as large as the atrium, its high ceiling dominated by a massive cone-shaped device that hung down from it. At the far end of the room was a stretch of windows that offered a beautiful panoramic view of the mountains. However, the view was slightly obscured by a pod that was set before the windows, which was attached to various pieces of equipment and monitors. A massive computer covered the wall to their left, while the right side had a row of seven two-meter tall crates stacked vertically next to each other.
As they entered, the doors behind them closed and a humming sound filled the air. The room seemed to be permeated with a blue glow. From somewhere, a deep, almost fatherly voice
filled the room.
“Ah, yes, Sergeant Ansaria. Your irritation is understandable. But welcome, we have much to discuss. I am Governor Solemn.”
“Forgive my lack of manners, governor, but I’m in no mood to deal with a voice. Where are you?”
The blue light that filled the room pulsated.
“I am here, sergeant, just in more ways than one.”
Ansaria was quickly losing her temper. She and her squad were hungry, cold, exhausted and wounded. Now, they were being toyed with by someone who either really was crazy or a jerk with a thing for riddles; probably both.
“No more games! Show yourself!”
From the back of the room, the pod hissed and rose slightly off the ground. The squad slowly approached it, and when they were close enough, the seal split and the inside of the device was revealed. Inside was an emaciated Myrthalian, wearing nothing but a body glove. Countless tubes and wires stuck into his skin, connecting him to the inside of the pod. The squad raised their weapons again.
Feeling somewhat nauseous, Ansaria cried out angrily, “I said no more games! What is going on here!?”
The blue light grew brighter, and the room began to hum and vibrate.
“What you are looking at is the last vestige of my mortal form. Over the last two years, I have worked to achieve a lifelong dream of mine: the transformation of myself from a being of matter to one of pure thought and consciousness. I am now a free-floating entity, bound to my physical body by only the thinnest lingering psychic thread.”
Ansaria looked down at the corpse-like creature in the pod, then around herself at the light that seemed to emanate from nowhere.
“So…that’s your body, but your mind is… ”
The blue light grew stronger again briefly, pulsing as the voice chuckled at the sergeant’s obvious discomfort.
“All around you.”
Suddenly afraid to breathe, as though she might somehow inhale the Myrthalian’s essence, Ansaria opened her mouth, closed it, and then tried again in a firm tone:
