“Sire, we have another problem. Long range sensors and drones confirm that another fleet has emerged from behind the gas giant and is heading this way. It will take seventy-two hours to reach here, a full day before the Jump point is stable enough for us to use. Even using the time we have to regroup and re-arm, there is no way we can hope to stop them. It was only the Woods Gambit that saved us and even if we had enough fighters left to try it again, they would be ready for it.”
Alexander said nothing, bowing his head and closing his eyes for a moment as he digested the news. He stood that way for several seconds before raising his head and squaring his shoulders, forcing his voice to remain calm and steady.
“Janice, these must have been kept at the base as insurance against the first fleet being unable to finish us off. With their destabilising device, they knew full well they had a way to stop us from Jumping back to safety and didn’t want to risk everything in one attack. I would wager this second fleet is better trained and battle-hardened too, using the first wave to soften us up nicely. Damn, and we were so close too.” His armoured fists closed into balls as he fought against the anger that again threatened to cloud his judgement.
“I agree, Sire. Before you ask, my recommendation is we remain here until all the survivors are brought safely in and we use the time to repair damaged systems and hulls.” Admiral Frith’s stern face smiled wryly. “We still have three days, so I propose we use them wisely and prepare ourselves.”
Alexander nodded. “Agreed. I’m coming back to Dauntless now that Glorious has been secured. Once I’ve attended to a private matter, we’ll meet in your Ready-Room. Please keep me informed of any developments.”
With that, Alexander boarded the waiting shuttle and docked his suit in anticipation of the return trip. The shuttles interior layout had reconfigured itself to accommodate the most seriously injured into medical pods which monitored and stabilised their patients. Other, less seriously injured Marines and crew, sat or lay in form fitting G-couches, many being fed fluids and medical nanites intravenously.
Despite the suffering, the mood in the shuttle was a good one, and would remain so until news of the new enemy fleet became widespread. Even then, many would simply put their faith in Admiral Frith and the Emperor to perform yet another miracle. Alexander remained upright in his dock, going over events and developments again in his mind, replaying them over and over, like a song stuck on repeat. This latest news was galling; they’d come so close to turning an almost certain defeat into a victory, yet again safety was being snatched away at the last moment.
He had a bad feeling, not just about what had happened here but also what might be transpiring back in his Empire. Once safely on Dauntless, he would check whether he could repair the damaged IQA communication device. For security reasons, its matrix wasn’t recorded anywhere, meaning the automated repair systems were unable to replace or rebuild it automatically. He wanted to try and contact Christine and warn her to be on guard and was annoyed with himself for having left it until it was too late. This whole affair had a familiar smell to it. Nothing he could identify, just a sense of Déjà vu; a hint of something from the past coming back for a second attempt at killing him and his family.
Realising he was being neglectful of his duty he undocked himself and began to walk around the wounded, listening and chatting to those survivors willing or able to respond. Seeing the grateful faces of those he spoke to, and listening to their stories of bravery and sacrifice, never failed to remind him that although he might be the all-powerful Emperor, he was as much a servant of the Empire as they and would strive to do his duty until the end.
Scene 32, Uncovering the truth
“You’re what!? Not human? Oh, for heaven’s sake, Adam, why on earth did you have to go and say that? Karen exclaimed, pushing Adam away to make some space between them. “Is this some sort of sick joke you’re trying to play on me? Hmm? Why now and just as I was trying to get close to you?
Karen stared hard at Adam, daring him with her eyes to either answer or look away. He did neither, and simply began to unbutton his cuff and roll up the sleeve on his shirt, which only increased her anger towards him, partially fuelled by frustrated passion and annoyance at yet again being pushed away by someone she wanted to be close to.
Before she could react he moved quickly and reached out his right hand, grasping her left arm in a firm, yet powerful grip, bringing her close. The part of her mind not clouded by passion or anger noted that much of his strength had returned, although with the rest of her was unsure how to react. Before Karen could say anything, Adam spoke.
“Karen, watch my arm closely.”
Despite herself, the tone of command in his voice made her eyes follow his gaze down to the large metal band that encircled his left forearm. The mirror smooth surface began to gently ripple and without any sound transformed into a perfect replica of her face. Karen watched incredulously and started with shock as the simulacrum winked at her before fading back into the surface.
“How did you do that?” was all Karen could manage to say before she watched again in fascination as the armband flowed down along his arm and formed a ball in his open palm, before rapidly elongating down to the floor into a robust looking silver walking cane.
In silence, and without taking his eyes off her face, Adam leant the cane against the wall.
“Isn’t one of your sayings, “A picture paints a thousand words,” Karen?” he asked with a small, tight smile that acknowledged her shock and anger. “Nothing I could say would soften the shock of this or get you to believe anything other than I was an idiot or a madman, so this demonstration was in order.”
He caught her eyes and held them with his gaze, a look that bored deep into her own and helped her focus.
“Think, Karen. Is there anything you’ve ever seen or heard of which could do this? There was no easy way of telling you and I respect you too much to have waited until after we had become intimate before dropping this news onto you.”
In her mind, a dozen questions vied with a similar number of accusations, rendering her temporarily speechless. Taking advantage of her silence, Adam continued, relentlessly filling the silence with more information.
“I know you have had suspicions about me, Karen, what person wouldn’t have. After all, a mysterious man appears out of nowhere at the same time as a massive fireball lights up the northern hemisphere, has unique healing and regenerative powers. Speaks numerous languages and is completely naive about the simplest of things a ten-year-old child would have known.”
Still looking into Karen’s eyes, Adam willed her to try and understand why it had to be now and not later. He sensed a small change in her posture and a softening of the muscles around her eyes. His face took on the look of an embarrassed schoolboy caught looking at a young girl he desperately wanted to talk to but hadn't yet plucked up the courage to ask.
“I do care about you, Karen and I do want to…get to know you better, but I didn’t want there to be any secrets between us, which is why I waited until now to tell you. That, and I didn’t want to be carted off for imprisonment and vivisection. I had to know I could trust you with this secret.”
Adam’s eyes continued to hold hers, but he released the pressure on her arm that was stopping Karen from moving away. Almost imperceptibly, he began to guide her closer with his fingers. Encouraged that she made no move to resist, Adam brought himself close, so they were almost touching. For a moment they stood close without speaking, then Adam leant down and gently kissed Karen’s forehead, before straightening up and stepping back a pace.
“Cup of tea or something stronger?” he asked suddenly, breaking the tension.
“Tea, please,” came the automatic response before she could stop herself.
With that, Adam left Karen alone in the corridor and walked into the kitchen where she heard him fill the kettle and open a cupboard to get cups. The spell of his gaze thoroughly broken, and in the absence of any idea what to do next
, she reached out and picked up the cane resting against the wall. It was surprisingly heavy and warm to the touch, but in all other respects was solid and devoid of any buttons or controls. Karen twirled it through her fingers a few times and tapped it against the wall, each knock becoming increasingly harder, before inspecting the end for any damage or sign to show how it had been manipulated.
In the kitchen and with his back to the door, Adam smiled as he heard the cane being hit against the wall, each blow becoming increasingly louder.
“I’d be doing the same thing,” he thought to himself, just as he sensed Karen walk in and stand behind him.
“OK, Adam, the stick’s real enough and I can’t find any buttons to make it change, so how did you do it?”
After making sure the kettle was switched on, Adam turned around and faced her.
“It’s called smart-metal and will assume on command a number of pre-determined forms. In the case of this particular armband, it’s a high-end, multi-purpose survival device and therefore designed to be more versatile than usual. For example, it can also be used as a simple, non-verbal communication tool.”
He looked at her expectantly, waiting for the next question. He was reassured his assessment of how she would take the news had been correct but was concerned he might have ruined their blossoming friendship. Although pleased there was no longer a need to mislead her, a part of him regretted having the truth out in the open as it might well change how she viewed him.
“Assuming what you say is true, where are you from and what are you doing here?” she asked him, with a look that indicated she wasn’t entirely convinced this wasn’t all a hoax and in very poor taste.
Adam let out a small, ironic laugh. “I’m from a planet called Capital which is somewhere that isn't here! No, I’m not being evasive Karen,” he said quickly, seeing her about to say something to him. “ I’m lost, Karen. Perhaps more lost than anyone else in history has ever been, given that my home world could be billions of light years from here and I have no idea whatsoever where it might be located. As to why I’m here, well, it’s pure chance. I was meant to be travelling home, but a malfunction in my ship's drive system brought me here instead.”
Karen stood there waiting for him to continue but instead he turned away and poured boiling water into the cups. He looked down at the tea and wistfully stirred, waiting for the tea bags to infuse the water.
“I don’t know if I can ever get back home, Karen. I’m lost, and apart from you, I’m all alone on this world of yours. I’m scared, worried about what might happen to me if people ever found out what I am. I miss my family and home more than I ever thought possible.”
As Adam spoke those words he realised just how much he missed his parents and everything that he’d always taken for granted before. Not the adoration or the celebrity that came with his position, but the simple comfort of familiarity and the knowledge there were others that cared for him nearby.
He turned back and looked at her. “Now do you understand why I couldn’t tell you before? If we’d gone to bed and I only told you afterwards, what would you have thought of me? I couldn’t take the risk you would think badly of me, Karen. I’m sorry, but I just couldn’t. You had to know first what you were getting yourself into.”
No reply was forthcoming and Karen stood there watching him in silence, looking at his face. He turned around and fished the tea bags out of the cups, placing them on the draining board, hoping she would break the silence. He handed her a cup, which she took silently before sitting down at the kitchen table. Karen motioned him over to sit opposite her.
Karen finally broke the silence. “I’m still trying to figure out if I believe a word of this or you are just a madman that I’ve let into my life and home, Adam. A changing stick is hardly proof positive. What other proof do you have so I can be totally convinced you are telling me the truth? It better be good or you’ll be sleeping in the garage tonight before leaving here for good tomorrow, even if you did save my life.”
Adam nodded. He’d expected this and had already decided beforehand what to do.
“Fair enough. Drink up your tea, get dressed for a walk over the croft behind the hill and I’ll show you.”
Karen snorted out loud. “Hah, so you can rape and murder me before burying my body. I don’t bloody think so.”
Adam’s face took on a pained expression. “Don’t get even more annoyed with me for saying this Karen, but if I’d said nothing you would have gone to bed with me a few minutes ago so rape’s hardly a motive and as to murdering you, why did I risk my life to save you if I wanted to do you harm? Come on, does that make sense?” He raised his eyebrows and looked at her, sadly lifting his hands in a gesture of submission. “You don’t really think that, do you?”
Karen thought for a few seconds then shook her head. “No, I don’t. I apologise for saying that. Despite your funny ways you’ve done nothing to warrant my accusing you in that way.”
The silence continued for several long heartbeats before she put down her cup and stood up, a look of determination on her face now she’d made up her mind what to do.
“Why wait. Sod the tea, let’s go now before it gets too cold outside, but heaven help you if there’s nothing there.”
An hour later found them walking side by side over the peat bog that sat on a wide plateau at the back of the bungalow. It was completely hidden from the village and road by a large rocky hill which rose sharply at the back of the croft. As they walked, their conversation had been fitful, with Adam answering her questions as best he could before she lapsed into long periods of silence, digesting what he’d said and trying to find holes in his story. Try as she might to find flaws, his story was consistent and if nothing else, she now had the plot for a great science fiction story should he turn out to be a liar. His story of Galactic Empires, millennia of civilisation and thousands of worlds all seemed so far-fetched, yet strangely compelling and plausible when he spoke.
Karen was glad of the illumination provided by their two powerful torches and already had needed to ask Adam for help when her Wellington Boots became stuck in the rain-sodden ground. Suction from the peat had threatened to pull them right off her feet. When he’d come to help her and held out his arm she’d initially shied away from his touch, but berated herself for being stupid and gratefully used it to pull herself free.
This far away from the small, scattered community that sat along the road a mile behind them, the silence was almost total. All that could be heard was the wind and the gentle sound of the ever-present water as it trickled towards the many rivulets crisscrossing the plateau.
Karen shone her torch ahead, illuminating the two rocky outcrops rising up from the peat to her left and right, forming a natural depression between them that looked particularly soggy.
“How much further?” she asked, getting tired and starting to worry that she was on a wild goose chase with Adam and maybe he was delusional after all.
“We’re here, Karen. Now don’t be alarmed. My lifeboat will rise out of the ground between those two outcrops you just illuminated, so shine your torch in the middle.
Not knowing what to expect and more worried that instead of something, nothing would happen, Karen did as requested. She didn’t know if it was the cold or anticipation that suddenly made her tremble, which in turn made the torch beam waver in counterpoint to her now chattering teeth.
Nothing happened for a few moments, but then she felt the sodden ground below her feet tremble and with a loud sucking noise, an elongated tear-drop shaped object raised itself six foot from the reluctant ground, dripping water and mud. Wide-eyed, Karen watched as it gently rotated three-hundred and sixty degrees, before noticing Adam was making circular movements with his right hand which the craft seemed to be following. She watched, fascinated, as he beckoned the craft towards them and she took an involuntary step back before it stopped a few scant yards from where they were standing.
“Are you doing that with your hands, Ad
am?” she asked, enthralled by the spectacle of something so large being controlled by simple hand movements.
“Actually, no. I just thought this would make it look more impressive. I’m actually controlling it by my mind and the hand gestures are just for effect”
“There’s no need to make it any more impressive. Heavens above, I don’t know whether to be scared witless and run away or be grateful you aren’t a complete madman after all.”
With that, she made a decision and squelched right up to Adam, switching off her torch. Reaching up and putting her arms around his neck, Karen kissed him hard on the mouth. As she did so, Karen realised that this moment would probably change her life forever and in ways she couldn’t yet understand, not least because as he responded to her embrace she could finally feel the proof he felt the same way.
“About time too.”
Scene 33, Palace Bunker
Deep within the safety of the Palace Bunker, Empress Christine stood in the huge War Room with General Parmenion and several of her closest advisors. A giant, three-dimensional map of the Empire hung over a large circular table, surrounded by comfortable, padded chairs and workstations. The map was visible from every point in the room, with Empire held sectors coloured in Imperial Orange and Rebel-held ones a dirty green. For now, they ignored the chairs, preferring to stand while they waited for the Sector representatives to join them. Christine was currently far too tense and full of nervous energy to feel comfortable seated, choosing to stand and move around as this allowed her to work off a little of the nervous energy ruining her concentration.
All around them, the displays were showing dire news. Due to the light speed time delay, messages travelling between the Jump Station and the Palace were at least five hours old or more and were of past events. In the twenty-four hours after the attempt on her life, contact had been partially or totally lost with eleven Sectors, with three more reporting insurrection and attacks from unidentified fleets that had Jumped in to attack Jump Stations in key strategic locations. The majority of these Stations had already been under attack from within, as insurgents sought to take over key areas. As a result, many were unable to respond effectively against the attacking fleets. Soon afterwards, contact had been lost with many of these Stations and those in the room could only fear the worst. Before falling, many of the Jump Stations in Sectors twenty-seven through thirty-three had also reported being attacked by ships of Reptilian and Insectoid design, fighting alongside known human Empire designed ships.
Imperium: Betrayal: Book One in the Imperium Trilogy Page 31
