by Peter Kenson
“Interceptors will be on target in thirty seconds. Sir… sir, she’s breaking off the attack. The frigate has stopped missile launch and is leaving orbit.”
“Well get after her. And tell those patrol ships not to lose the bloody thing this time.”
The communicator fell silent and General Marcel glared at it in annoyance. He was reaching out a hand to give it a tap when it suddenly burst back into life.
“Sir she’s… vanished! One second she was there and then she just disappeared. There’s no trace of her on any of our screens. She’s gone.”
“How is that possible?” the general yelled furiously. “Did we get her electronic signature while she was here?
“Yes sir. We did a full scan while the attack was in progress but, as I say, it doesn’t match anything in our database.”
“Well send it off to the Imperial Navy. Priority traffic. Maybe they’ll be able to make something of it.”
He hesitated for a second before asking the next question. “What’s the status of the dome?”
“The dome is breached, sir. The frigate launched one more missile after the breach occurred and then broke off the attack. ETA for the medevac teams is fifteen minutes.”
“Dammit all to hell. Put me through to the president and get those patrol ship commanders down on the surface. I want to see them in my office this morning.”
***
The small boy peered at the departing patrol, round the corner of the garden wall. As the last of the troop carriers vanished from sight, he sprinted across the road and into the field of corn. It was nearly time for harvesting and the heads of corn waved high in the air above him as he weaved his way between the stalks. Occasionally he came across gaps in the corn that allowed the workers access, but there was nobody working the field today and he just kept going.
This field was the last plot of flat land in the valley before the hills rose up. He paused at the edge of the field to make sure there was no-one in sight, and then began to climb. Even on the hillside he made use of every available scrap of cover, dodging behind stunted trees and rocky outcrops as he made his way to the top. Just before the summit, he dropped to his belly as he had been taught, and crawled the last few feet so that only his head broke the skyline.
He looked over the ridge at the valley beyond. It was completely deserted. He gave a last look back at his own village where people were starting to come out from their houses, now that the patrol had gone. In the distance, he could just make out the dust cloud raised by the troop carriers as they headed towards the next village. He rolled over the top of the ridge and several paces down the far side before getting to his feet again and resuming his run.
He moved faster going down the hillside now, confident that he was not being observed and angled his run towards a small stream, tumbling down the slope opposite him. Almost at the bottom, the stream encountered a ridge of harder rock and shot out in a small waterfall down to a pool below. He had often used the pool to go swimming with his friends but today he ignored the invitingly cool water and crept around the edge towards the fall. He thrust an arm through the sheet of water and felt for the gap in the rock that he knew was there. Inside the gap was the end of a piece of steel cable. He grasped the cable and pulled. It moved quite easily and then slid back into its original position. He pulled it again, and then again a third time.
Satisfied he let go of the cable and started to climb the hill, this time following the line of the stream. After climbing for five minutes, he reached a flattish piece of land and sat down with his back to a large rock. He held his arm out to let his sleeve dry and sat like that for several minutes until he was nearly dozing off in the warm sun. Suddenly he jumped, startled as another small boy appeared in front of him with a wooden replica laser pistol in his hand.
“Zzip. You’re dead Robbo.”
“I am not,” Robbo replied hotly. “I heard you trying to sneak up on me.”
“No you didn’t. You jumped. I saw you.”
“And anyway, I’ve got my battle armour on. That little laser pistol wouldn’t have scratched it. So you’re the one in trouble now, Dee,” he said getting to his feet.
The two friends glared at each other. They were both of a similar age and size but the one called Dee was wearing a cut down version of the thought shielding helmet and carrying a second one under his arm.
“Are you going to give me that thing?” Robbo said. “Or are we just going to stand out here jawing in the sun?”
“I don’t get a chance to be out in the sun much anymore,” Dee said wistfully as he handed over the helmet. “Not with all these extra patrols. Anyway why are you here? You’re not supposed to be here today.”
“I’ve got an urgent message for Queen Rachel.”
“What is it?”
“I can’t tell you. It’s too important for you. I have to deliver it personally to either Queen Rachel or Chaqi.”
Robbo fell over backwards as Dee charged at him, butting him in the stomach with his helmet. They wrestled on the ground, with neither boy gaining an advantage until there was a loud whisper from the top of the rock above them.
“What the hell do you boys think you’re doing? I’m not holding this bloody gate open forever.”
Sheepishly they got to their feet. “Sorry Mack.” They trotted after the gatekeeper across the hillside to a large rock that seemed to have an unnaturally large crack in it. They eased themselves through the crack and then waited as Mack sealed it behind them. He led them down a sloping tunnel that turned and twisted until they reached a closed hatchway that crackled with an energy field. Mack touched a panel in the wall to enter a code and the energy field vanished. He opened the hatch and ushered them through before entering another code on the far side to reset the field.
“Okay, you can take the helmets off now. So why are you here, young Robbo?”
“I have an urgent message for Queen Rachel,” Robbo repeated. “I have to deliver it personally to either Queen Rachel herself or to Chaqi.”
Mack nodded. “Well they’re together at the moment anyway. The queen is in the meeting room on level three with Chaqi and Anise. Dee will show you where it is. And no fighting on the way,” he called after them.
Dee led the way through a warren of passageways and open spaces, occasionally waving a cheery greeting to someone as they passed. They stopped outside a door on the third level down.
“This is it. Do you want me to wait and show you the way back? So you don’t get lost.”
Robbo punched his friend lightly on the shoulder. “I think I can find my own way back, thank you.”
He knocked on the door and waited for the command to enter. Inside the room, Chaqi looked up in surprise.
“Robbo! What brings you here?”
“I have an urgent message for Queen Rachel,” he repeated again.
“I am Rachel,” she said, getting up from the table.
“I’m sorry, your Majesty.” Robbo stumbled as he tried to copy a bow that he had seen somebody do once.
“That’s all right, Robbo is it?” Rachel smiled at him. “Now what is this message you have for me?”
“It’s from Sorinto, your Majesty. The main dome has been attacked by a warship from space. They fired missiles and the dome has been breached. There is no word on casualties yet but they’ve started to evacuate the dome. That’s all of it, your Majesty.”
Rachel’s face went white and she sat down heavily in her chair. Anise rushed to kneel beside her and take her hand. Chaqi looked at them with a worried expression before turning back to Robbo.
“Are you sure that’s all there is, Robbo?”
“That’s it, Chaqi. Word for word. That’s all they told me to say. Honest.”
“I believe you,” Chaqi said, rubbing the top of Robbo’s head. “It’s okay, we’re not going to shoot the messenger just because the message was bad news.”
Robbo looked puzzled and relieved
in equal measure.
“You’ve done well. Now go and get yourself a bite to eat. We have a lot of things to talk about here.”
***
News of the attack on Sorinto spread around the empire like wildfire. The initial shock quickly changed to horror as more details of the atrocity emerged. The first medevac teams to enter the dome, were unprepared for the scale of death that they found. Men, women and children alike were lying in the streets, killed as they rushed towards the airlocks at the edge of the dome. They did find some survivors who they started to evacuate but when the medevac personnel began to die alongside the Ystrad, it became clear that it was not the planetary atmosphere that was the problem.
After an urgent call to the president, General Marcel ordered the airlocks to be sealed and deployed a ring of troops around the perimeter to control access. The second wave of medevac personnel went in with full biohazard protection but by that time, there were few survivors left to rescue. They had a few successes. Some of the strategic buildings were environmentally sealed and there were workers trapped inside. Temporary airlocks were set up at the entrances and spare biohazard suits were sent in to bring the people out.
Everyone taken from the dome was placed in isolation but the survival rate of those who had not been in one of the sealed environments, was poor. The few dozen Ystrad who had escaped before the dome was breached, were also isolated as a precautionary measure but they were the lucky ones. Whatever caused the contagion, had happened after the breach had occurred. Engineers, working clumsily in full biohazard suits, clambered over the surface of the dome to put a temporary patch in place over the breach and keep whatever it was inside.
New howls of protest and calls for action were arising hourly as the empire united in its condemnation of the attack. The government of Sorinto was outraged that the attack took place on their planet and instructed their ambassador at the Imperial Court to raise the matter directly with the Emperor. Against all the odds, Chancellor Mahagama was one of the few Ystrad to survive the massacre and loudly demanded action from the Imperial Government. Apart from Lord Dhamina who was away supervising the trials of the battle cruiser, none of the other council members survived.
Star Fleet Command quickly identified the mystery ship as the one detected by Swordfish in Belsian space a few days earlier and named by Lt. Freihaft as the Destructor. This caused another storm of protest with the Belsian ambassador furiously denying any knowledge of, or involvement in the attack. Despite his protests of innocence, he was detained by security agents on his way to the spaceport and held for questioning. The electronic signature of the Destructor was issued to all ships and the entire Imperial Navy was put on alert to locate the frigate.
On Belsia itself, Bargas rubbed his hands with delight as the news stories rolled in. He did, however, look a little more concerned at the reports of deaths among the Sorinto medevac teams.
“I didn’t think that was supposed to happen,” he said nervously to envoy Trast.
“They must have been careless handling the dead bodies,” Trast replied. “As Professor Berkovis explained, the original virus is airborne but it can trigger multiple secondary reactions in the target. It is definitely advisable not to handle the bodies for at least 24 hours after death.”
“Ah yes. You’d better make a note of that, General Nassad. Issue a standing order to all our troops on Ystradis.”
“Yes sir.”
“Where is Professor Berkovis, by the way?”
“He is on his way back to Vostov. He is needed there to oversee the production of the quantity of virus that will be required for the main attack. His assistant, however, has remained here to resolve any technical issues and to co-operate with the mission.”
Gloria had in fact proved quite amenable to co-operating with the mission and he felt a small stirring of pleasure at the prospect of renewing that co-operation a little later. He pushed that thought to the back of his mind and sat for a while longer, feeding the president’s ego as the first casualty reports started to come in.
“So her chancellor survived but most of the council did not,” Bargas commented. “I’m surprised there’s no mention of the bitch herself. Surely that would be headline news.”
“They probably haven’t recovered all the bodies yet. Particularly if they are now being more careful in handling them.”
“You’re probably right,” he replied peevishly. “But if they’ve recovered the council members, I’d have thought she’d be with them.”
“It’s early days yet, Mr President,” Trast said encouragingly. “I’m sure they’ll find her soon.”
Unfortunately, that particular prophecy was fulfilled very quickly but not in the way they hoped. One of General Nassad’s aides came hurrying over to whisper in his ear.
“Shit! Sorry sir, but the sniffers are all reporting a major surge in telepathic activity.”
“What, all of them?”
“Yes sir. It’s that Ystradian queen. She’s broadcasting to all her people that she was not in the dome when it was attacked and that she is alive and well.”
“Did she say where she was?” Trast enquired hopefully.
“No, not specifically. But the sniffers are all agreed that the broadcast originated on Ystradis.”
***
Rachel had insisted on learning the full details of the attack for herself, even though it meant leaving the security of the shielded tunnels to make contact. She wept as Mahagama described the chaotic scenes on Sorinto.
“It was some sort of biological attack,” he said. “157 people got out before the dome was breached and they’re all fine. Once the dome was breached, the warship fired one more missile through the hole in the dome. From the few witness reports I’ve been able to gather, it exploded in the dome’s atmosphere, not on the surface. People still tried to flee the dome after the breach and survival rates among these groups are between 50% and 70%, depending on how quickly they got out. Survival rates among those who stayed are less than 2%.”
“Are you telling me that 40,000 of my people are dead in this one attack, killed by a single warship?”
“I don’t have a final count yet. They’ve set up temporary isolation wards everywhere and it’s very difficult to get accurate information.”
“Gilka and Hari?” she asked tearfully, remembering little Moas playing in the garden below her balcony.
“I’m sorry, my dear. They didn’t make it. On a positive note, there were 408 people in environmentally controlled buildings who have been safely evacuated. In addition, there were over 300 people working in the secondary dome that was not affected by the attack. I’m still trying to get an accurate headcount there. And we have 220 of our young people who had volunteered for space training and were away at the Sorinto Defence Academy.”
“So few! Look after them for me, my lord. I will get back there as soon as I can arrange transport.”
“Take care of yourself, your Majesty. The news that you are safe has lifted their spirits for a while but the next few days and weeks will be hard.”
Rachel broke the contact and opened her eyes to focus on the group of fighters surrounding her. Chaqi had rounded up every resistance fighter he could find at short notice and brought them all with him to protect their queen. All of them except Rachel were wearing their thought shielding helmets. Chaqi held one out for her.
“Please put this on now, your Majesty. We have to go. Flitters have already lifted off from their main base and are heading in this direction. We don’t know if others have been diverted from elsewhere.”
“I have one more message to send, Chaqi. I will only be a moment.”
“But…”
“Chaqi,” she interrupted. “I must do this. I promise I will be quick.”
He bowed his head in acknowledgement and sent four more men up the hillside to watch the airspace in all directions.
“Jeren,” she sent the thought out and instantly he was t
here.
“I’m here, my love. Is it safe for you to talk?”
“Only for a second. You have heard the news?”
“Yes. I’m so sorry, for your people and for you.”
“Oh Jeren. I wish I could feel your arms around me right now.”
“I am coming to you, my darling. I don’t know how we’re going to do it but Lord David will not refuse me this time.”
“But you’re needed in Marmoros.”
“No I’m not. We met Deribe in battle two days ago. She escaped but her entire force was destroyed. Marmoros is safe for a while and mother can look after it for me. You need me more than it does.”
Rachel’s reply was interrupted as Chaqi pulled urgently at her sleeve.
“I must go, my love.”
“I love you, Rachel. Take care of yourself until I get there and then, I promise, I will never leave your side again.”
She quickly put the helmet on and the fighters formed up around her as they headed towards the nearest tunnel. At the entrance she paused to look round at the surface of her beloved planet and then whispered fiercely to Chaqi.
“Summon the other Resistance leaders. The Belsi will pay dearly for this attack.”
***
“Jeren, you have no idea what you’re asking for.”
“On the contrary, David, I know exactly what I’m asking for. I know it’s illegal, according to this Emperor of yours. I also know it isn’t impossible. And I want you to make it happen for me.”
“And what will you do if I take you to her?”
“I can give her my support, simply by being there. Oh, I know she has people around her to give her advice but that’s not the same thing. Look at yourself. You give advice to me and to mother and we are grateful for it. But you give mother something more than just advice and she responds to it. Her eyes light up and she is more… alive, when you’re in the room. You must have seen it.”
David looked at the young king in confusion. Not normally at a loss for words, he struggled to frame a reply.
“I… I couldn’t. I mean, I was on a mission. I never meant…”
“You were on a mission,” Jeren went on relentlessly. “But you’re not now. So why are you still here, David? Why?”
