by G. P. Hudson
“They won’t listen,” Tal shrieked.
“Try,” said Vass, applying more pressure, inducing more of her anguished cries.
“Stop! Please stop! I will try,” said Tal.
Vass nodded. “Proceed. Try anything clever, and you will experience more pain than you thought possible.”
Tal nodded and was allowed to open a comm with the station’s Command Center. “This is General Tal. Cease your attack. Stand down that is an order.”
Quiet followed, and then a voice responded. “I’m afraid I cannot follow that order, General, as it countermands your previous orders.”
Vass raised Tal’s now bloodied stump, indicating that he would resume his torture.
“I am aware of that,” Tal said quickly. “The situation has changed. Now stand down immediately.”
“I can’t do that, General,” said the voice, and the comm was disconnected.
The station shook anew, this time with more force.
“The battle group is returning fire,” said Vass. “They will target the station’s weapon systems. It will take time to disable them. Once we get to the hangar bay, we will have to wait until it is safe enough to depart.”
“Unacceptable,” said Kriss.
“With respect, your worship, if we try and leave, the station will shoot us down the moment we leave the hangar bay.”
“That’s not what I meant, Lieutenant. This development leaves us with only one option. We must take the Command Center.”
Chapter 14
“Your worship, we are your personal guard,” said Lieutenant Vass. “Our job is to protect you. We cannot do that and take the Command Center.”
“You are also Taymati. Elite Dvorkan soldiers. How many ships will we lose if we simply sit around and wait for the battle to end? How many Taymati will lose their lives as a result?”
“All Taymati accept death, your worship. It is our way of life.”
“Yes, I am aware of that, but I don’t accept their deaths. Not when we can do something about it.”
“But if we leave you to storm the Command Center you will be vulnerable. Our first duty is your protection.”
“I understand,” said Kriss, as a wave of adrenaline surged through his body. “That is why I am coming with you.”
“Coming with us? Into combat?”
“Why not? I’ve been trained by the Taymati since I was a child.”
“Forgive me for saying so, your worship, but training and actual combat are two very different things.”
“Do you think I’ll freeze?” Run away screaming?”
“No, your worship. I did not say that.”
“No, but you thought it. It’s alright, Lieutenant. My Taymati instructors often told me that one never knows how they will react in a combat situation for the first time. Don’t worry. I’m tougher than I look. We are taking the Command Center, and I am coming along. That is an Imperial command.”
“Yes, your worship.” Vass looked over at the men securing General Tal. “You,” he said, pointing at one. “Remove your armor and give it to the Emperor.”
“Yes, Sir,” said the man. Without hesitation, he tapped the controls on his arm, and his powered armor split open, allowing him to step out.
“You need armor, your worship,” said Vass. “These men will remain behind and guard the prisoners.”
Kriss eyed the vacant suit of armor for a moment before stepping inside. Tapping the controls on his arm, the suit closed around him, sealing him in. A smile spread across his face, and he felt practically giddy at the sensation. The boots fit, he thought. “Lead the way, Lieutenant. You have command.”
“Yes, your worship. Thank you. Our first priority is still your protection. As such, I would ask that you remain at the rear.”
“Of course, Lieutenant.”
Kriss put on his helmet and was handed a vicious looking assault weapon. He looked over the arsenal that came with the battle armor and had to suppress another wave of excitement. Ever since he understood that he would eventually become Emperor, he had let go of any childish ideas of becoming a Taymati. But now he realized that the childhood dream had remained, and he was about to live it.
Vass was not taking chances, however, and assigned four Taymati to babysit him. He also made sure that Kriss held his position way at the back of the pack. In fact, the way things were shaping up, Kriss doubted he would see any combat at all. A little disappointed, he couldn’t blame Vass for it. He knew that he had put the Lieutenant in a challenging position. If anything happened to the Emperor, the Lieutenant would take the blame. Kriss made a mental note to ensure Vass received a promotion when they finally got off this station.
The Taymati stalked through the station’s corridors, meeting little resistance along the way. They easily subdued the few guards they encountered, and Kriss began to wonder how many of them were part of this conspiracy. And what precisely this conspiracy was? The beginnings of a coup? Were the same people responsible for his father’s murder? He did not doubt it now. His father was murdered, and he was going to find out why.
He wished he had more time to question General Tal, but events had moved too quickly, leaving little time for an interrogation. General Tal would provide answers, though. He would find out exactly how many were involved in this conspiracy, and those responsible would pay for their crimes. He would make his ancestors proud, and root out all the traitors.
As they progressed through the station, they scanned continuously for anomalies. Just as the Taymati were all cloaked, there was no reason to think the prison guards would not be as well. While it was difficult to see a cloaked guard if you didn’t know the cloaking frequency, a scanner could spot anomalies which indicated that a cloaking field was being used up ahead. As the command came down the line to stop, it became apparent that the scanner had found just that.
Lieutenant Vass’s silent orders were displayed on the visor of each Taymati’s helmet, calling for an anti-personnel energy grenade strike. A Taymati grenadier rushed to the front of the line, shouldering a heavy, automatic launcher. The grenadier rapidly fired several rounds down the length of the corridor. Between the eruptions, screams could be heard at the other end of the passage. After several sustained energy blasts, Vass ordered an end to the strike, and they advanced.
Uncloaked bodies now littered the corridor, and Kriss wondered again how many of the dead were part of the conspiracy. Unfortunately, there was no way to know. While he understood it couldn’t be prevented, he regretted that some of the dead may well have been loyal Dvorkans in the wrong place at the wrong time. It seemed incomprehensible that everyone on this station was a traitor. He didn’t think it possible that a conspiracy could grow that large without being noticed. Or, maybe his father had noticed, and that was what got him killed?
They continued to advance on the Control Center until there was another order to stop. At first, Kriss assumed they had discovered another anomaly. Then he heard it. The sound of a charging herd. Something substantial was coming for them, and every Taymati raised their weapon. Staring down the barrel of his own, Kriss clenched his teeth as the stampede came closer. Then it came into view. It wasn’t the prison guards. It was the prisoners, and from what he could see it might have been all of them.
Chapter 15
The Taymati quickly formed a firing line, ready to gun down anyone who got too close. They disabled their cloaks, giving the prisoners a clear understanding of what they were up against. If they had more room, they might have chosen to remain cloaked and just stepped aside. But this corridor was far too narrow for that, and the group would be overwhelmed by the stampede.
As recognition set in, the prisoners slowed their advance. Being a military penal station, these prisoners would predominantly be former soldiers and would know the lethal expertise of the Taymati.
“Stop right there, or we will fire,” shouted Lieutenant Vass. “This is your only warning.”
“You can’t kill all of us!” came th
e reply, but the crowd slowed to a stop.
“We can kill enough. Turn around, go back the way you came, and you will not be harmed. We have no quarrel with you.”
Emperor Kriss found it interesting. Lieutenant Vass had enough restraint to not only refrain from firing into the mass of prisoners but to also indicate that he did not wish them harm.
“What is the Taymati doing on this station anyway? You’re supposed to be protecting the Emperor,” said a voice in the crowd.
“They are,” said Kriss.
“Your worship, no!” said the Taymati next to him.
“It’s alright, I am the Emperor,” Kriss shouted. “These Taymati are protecting me.”
The crowd murmured excitedly, and Kriss briefly wondered if he had made a mistake. He would make a great hostage after all.
“I need your help,” he continued. “An attempt has been made on my life, and those running this station have fired on my ships.”
“Why should we help you?” said one of the prisoners. “We are prisoners of the Empire.”
“You all know the skill of the Taymati. They would kill scores of you before you came close to doing the same to us. I don’t want that. Now I understand that the prospect of going back to your cells is not appealing, and we can’t make you do that without a bloodbath. So, I propose another option. Help us.”
“Why should we? We each swore an oath to protect the Empire, and they jailed us for our troubles.”
“Let’s not pretend that you were all wrongfully accused. You committed crimes and ended up here. That much is clear. I can’t change what you’ve done, but I can give you a second chance. Every Dvorkan who proves their loyalty, and helps us take the Command Center, will receive an Imperial pardon and be set free.
“Why should we believe you? You’re wearing a Taymati uniform. How do we even know you are really the Emperor?”
Kriss took off his helmet, to the increasing distress of his personal guard. “Do you believe me now?”
A pulse moved through the crowd.
“Drop your weapons!” said a voice from behind.
Kriss whipped around to see a cadre of prison guards pointing their weapons at them. If Lieutenant Vass was worried about him freezing, he proved him wrong in that moment. He let loose a barrage of energy bolts without hesitation. The Taymati alongside him joined in. The prison guards were returning fire. Several Taymati were now rushing to get in front of Kriss, to push him back out of the front line. A fierce battle followed, and the corridor blazed with the brilliant light of the energy bolts.
The prison guards may have had the element of surprise, but they lacked the skill and sheer motivation of the Taymati. Trained as he had been in combat tactics, Kriss did what he could to contribute, but the Taymati surpassed even his expectations. They moved in on the prison guards like wolves taking down a helpless fawn. It was simply no contest. The Taymati were fearless. As they closed the gap, the guards panicked and broke ranks, which merely hastened their demise. A slaughter followed as the Taymati cut each guard down.
Kriss had been so caught up in the firefight that he’d almost forgotten the prisoners behind him. Turning he noted that the Taymati had not forgotten, and several still had weapons trained in their direction. The prisoners for their part seemed to enjoy the show. Clearly, watching a group of prison guards get slaughtered was prime-time entertainment.
“The officers in the Command Center are traitors,” Kriss said to the prisoners. “If you prove your loyalty to the Empire, to me, I will return the favor and set you free.”
“How do we know we can believe you? You could simply lock us all up again,” said a prisoner.
“You can believe me because I am the Emperor. I am your Emperor. Whatever you may have done, you were once loyal Dvorkans. You can be that again. Your past no longer matters. All that matters is what you choose in this instant. You can choose to begin again.”
A prisoner at the front of the crowd dropped to one knee, bowing his head. “I will fight for you, your worship.”
The crowd grew silent, and another man dropped to a knee. “I too will fight for you, your worship.”
More followed suit, each supplicating themselves before the Emperor. Soon the entire crowd of prisoners knelt with head down before Emperor Kriss.
“Arise, loyal Dvorkans,” said Kris. “It is time to replace words with deeds. It is time to take the station’s Command Center.”
A roar erupted from the crowd of prisoners. They turned and charged down the corridor, away from the Taymati, toward the Command Center.
“Your worship,” said Vass. “These men are convicts. We cannot trust them.”
“Perhaps,” said Kriss. “But if there is one thing you can always count on, it is a Dvorkan’s self-interest.
Chapter 16
Emperor Kriss and the Taymati moved at a brisk yet cautious pace, on their way to the station’s Command Center. Wary of any cloaked opponents, they took the time to stop and scan ahead at regular intervals. They had lost sight of the prisoners, who had raced ahead of them, eager to secure their freedom, perhaps dishing out some vengeance in the process. Kriss wondered how many of them would die here in his name. While it was true that they had military training, the fact remained that they were woefully unarmed.
Turning a corner, Kriss realized that this was no longer the case for at least some of the prisoners. The carnage strewn across the length of the corridor spoke volumes. This time it was a mix of prisoners and prison guards, with the latter disarmed. They continued past the bodies, but moved with greater caution now, unsure of what they would face. Just because the prisoners dropped to their knees, swearing their loyalty to the Emperor, didn’t mean the Taymati would trust them even for a moment. To Vass, they still represented a threat, even more so now that they were armed.
However, the brunt of that firepower seemed focused on the prison guards for the time being. The more the Taymati advanced, the more bodies they found. As before, each time the scene mixed the dead prisoners with guards, and each time the weapons were gone.
“Your worship, we have a problem,” said Lieutenant Vass through the Emperor’s comm. The group came to a sudden stop. “You need to see this.”
“What is it?” he said, as he waded through the men to approach Vass at the front of the pack.
Vass directed him to the open door in front of them, and Kriss peered inside. He saw nothing but empty racks and shelves. “It’s a weapon locker, your worship. They emptied it.”
“You think the prisoners have them?” said Kriss.
“Yes, your worship. I do. We are no longer dealing with an angry mob. We are now dealing with an army.”
Kriss let this information sink in. If the prisoners were all armed, the Taymati didn’t pose much of a threat anymore. The prisoners were all former soldiers, and while none of them rivaled the Taymati in skill, they now had the firepower to overwhelm any resistance the Taymati could put forth.
“Perhaps we should reconsider our course of action,” said Vass.
Kriss considered his options. If the prisoners were armed, it seemed likely that they would take the Control Center. They would gain control of the station’s guns and could choose to continue the assault on the Imperial battle group. They might decide that there was more to gain by taking the Emperor hostage. If this turned out to be the case, they were back to where they started, but facing a stronger, more unpredictable opponent. If they returned to the hangar bay, they would be sitting ducks while the station’s guns were operational, and the prisoners had the numbers to take him hostage anyway. Doubling down on the original plan, however, they might have a better chance of controlling the situation before it got out of hand. “Nothing has changed. We continue to the Control Center.”
“As you wish, your worship,” said Vass.
The group resumed course, albeit with even greater caution. Drawing nearer, the body count increased. The prisoners were clearing the way, he had to give them credit. Moments
later, the station stopped it’s shuddering.
“The station’s weapons have stopped firing,” said Vass over the Emperor’s comm. “The prisoners must have taken the Control Center.”
“Can we communicate with Imperial One?” said Kriss.
“No, your worship. They’re still blocking communications.”
“We better keep moving and change that.”
They encountered the first group of prisoners when they rounded a corner leading to the Control Center. Some were searching the bodies, while others stood around, brandishing powerful looking weapons. The Taymati watched them warily as they passed, but if the prisoners had any ideas, they didn’t act on them. As they entered the Control Center, Kriss noted that the armed prisoners from the hallway followed. Inside, the scene was a bloodbath. There were no survivors.
Upon seeing the Taymati, the prisoners turned to face them. More inmates filed in from behind. They were surrounded, outnumbered and outgunned. Kriss questioned his earlier resolve, wondering if their prospects hadn’t taken a turn for the worst.
“You’ve done well, loyal Dvorkans,” he said, trying to manage the situation. “As promised, every one of you will receive an Imperial pardon in return for your service to the Emperor.”
“I’m starting to think that’s not enough,” said one of the prisoners, putting the Taymati on edge.
“Shut your mouth!” said another inmate. “You don’t speak for the rest of us.”
“He’s right,” said another. “We should be paid too. The Empire will pay quite a bit to get the Emperor back safely.”
The Taymati closed ranks around the Emperor, raising their weapons. “The next man to threaten the Emperor dies!” said Vass.
“I stand with the Emperor,” said one of the prisoners. “You will have to come through me first.” The man raised his weapon and pointed it at the others.
“And me!” said another man, joining the first.
