Descent

by Hamish Spiers

  Alia nodded and then frowned. A light on her communications board was beeping. She pressed a button and spoke. “Albatross reads. Go ahead.”

  “Alia? It’s us.”

  Alia exchanged a glance with Drackson and turned back to the communicator. “Asten?”

  “What’s going on?”

  “Long story,” Asten replied. “Turns out Deramar Ardeis is the leader of the Imraehi or something and he dumped us in the jungle.”

  There was a pause on the other end of the communicator. “Um... why?”

  Asten sighed. It was a fair question. To make a point about freedom and opportunity. To make him and Selina, by confronting them with the horrors of Imraec Tarc’s colonization, think about the crimes of their own ancestors. To gain, in a perverse and roundabout manner, some measure of sympathy or, at the very least, empathy for the Imraehi’s position. A myriad of reasons. However, right then there was no time to explain them.

  “Because he’s a jerk,” he said instead. “And there’s something else. He’s told us that something terrible’s going to happen to the United Frontier if our ships enter Imraehi space.”

  “Yeah,” Alia replied and then there was a noticeable pause on the other end. “Carla just helped us find out about it. The right people have been warned.”

  “And the right people are?”

  “The right people have been warned,” Alia repeated. “But where are you? You’ve got a communicator clearly but your signals have completely disappeared.”

  Asten frowned. “Hang on. We’ve just come out of the jungle. They should be...” He trailed off and sighed. “Bloody hell.”

  Beside him, Selina placed a hand on his arm. “What’s wrong?”

  Asten shook his head. “The tracking beacons are at the bottom of the ocean.”

  “How did that happen?” Alia asked over the communicator.

  “We’ll tell you later,” Asten said. “Look. Alia, if we can describe where we appear to be, do you think you can find us?”

  “We logged your signals on the coast just before they disappeared,” Alia said. “Are you somewhere near where you were last night?”

  “Yes!” Asten replied. “We reached the coast by following a river and we’re still only a few hundred meters south of the mouth.”

  “Hey, that rhymes,” Alia told him. “But let’s see...”

  “Drackson?”

  The Harskan nodded. “Tell him to stay put. Naima and I will pull them out of there.”

  Alia turned back to the communicator. “Asten. Listen. Drackson says...”

  On the Lantern, Eroim turned to Carla. “Captain. Your sister’s calling you.”

  Carla nodded. “Thanks, Eroim.” She flicked a switch on the side of her chair. “Alia. What’s going on now?”

  “We’ve just found Asten and Selina. We’re going to bring the Albatross into close orbit and then Drackson and Naima are going to pull them out.”

  “What about the mines and all of that?”

  “It’s Drackson,” Alia said. “He knows what he’s doing.”

  “All right then,” Carla said. “Now, what about Jiang? Have you got a fix on her?”

  “She’s on an Imraehi orbital station, Carla.”

  Carla’s features hardened. “Captured?”

  There was an audible sigh over the communicator. “We don’t know.”

  “I can bring the Lantern in,” Carla said. “That station may be packing turrets or other defenses but we’re not at war with these people.”

  “We’re only a few minutes away from it,” Alia told her. “We’ve got to be in and out of here pretty quickly.”

  For a moment, the bridge was still of the Lantern was still.

  “Alia,” Carla asked, “do you know something we don’t?”

  “Look,” her sister replied, “we’ve got some quite advanced radar equipment on this ship from our Gamma Twelve days and we’re picking up a large number of signals on the system outskirts.”

  “The task force,” Carla said.

  “The task force,” Alia repeated. “We are really cutting this fine.”

  “Have you warned Phalamki?”

  “Phalamki directly and Maia and Zak as well, just in case our word doesn’t carry enough clout. But Carla... Right now, we’ve got our own very real problems to worry about.”

  Carla was aware that everyone on the bridge was looking back her way.

  “We owe it to Jiang to make a rescue effort,” she told her sister. “She’s our friend.”

  Alia sighed. “All right. You’re right. You’re right. But... what are you going to do?”

  As the Lantern shot out of lightspeed and decelerated, it lilted to the side, yawning to port and drifting closer towards a cluster of metallic structures in high orbit over Imraec Tarc’s northern hemisphere.

  Some distance away, closer to the planet’s equator, the Albatross appeared as well.

  As it slowed, a hatch opened on the vessel and two miniscule ships drifted out of the main airlock and then lurched towards the planet, firing small propulsion thrusters and accelerating. Then, after breaking through the outermost layer of the planet’s atmosphere, they decreased speed, using forward thrusters as they descended towards the green carpeted landscape that spread beneath them and the glistening blue sea beyond.

  Selina saw them first, looking up and shielding her eyes against the glare.

  Asten followed her gaze and squinted at the sky. “Are these things supposed to be our rides? They look like the vultures are coming to finish us off.”

  They were rather birdlike, and a little draconic, and they were somewhat akin to the Federation’s battleroids as well, with multiple thrusters in different positions that allowed a precision in speed and control that was beyond the capabilities of even the smallest atmospheric ships that either Selina or Asten were familiar with.

  As the odd vehicles came closer, they leveled out just above the ground. Then they rotated backwards and came to a landing, half buried in sand, standing vertically. Two ships in miniature, squat triangular things about two and a half meters wide and three and a half meters high, with folded wings jutting from their sides. Then the front paneling of each machine opened, revealing a Harskan inside, standing up with control levers above their heads, strapped to the back of the craft by a harness.

  “You two look rather spruced up for a pair who’ve just trudged through a jungle,” Drackson remarked with a smile.

  “Ardeis left us some fresh clothes,” Selina said, indicating the box where they’d found them.

  Naima smiled from within her own contraption. “The jerk.”

  “Come on,” Drackson said. “Let’s get you back to the Albatross.”

  Selina frowned. “How?”

  “Climb in and we’ll strap you in place,” Drackson said.

  “What are those things?” Asten asked.

  “Harskan powered gliders,” his friend replied.

  Asten shook his head. “I think everyone should have one.” He nudged Selina. “You go with Drackson, honey.” He kissed her as she went. “See you soon.”

  “See you soon,” she replied.

  Asten didn’t wait to watch her strapped in, climbing into Naima’s glider instead.

  “All right, young man,” Naima told him. “Hold still.”

  Asten felt her strong arms reach round him as she locked a safety harness in place and tightened it.

  “The harness is designed for Harskans,” she said, “but I think it’ll hold you well enough.” She reached up and pulled a small lever that closed them both in darkness, save for the dim glow of some display lights above.

  “By the way,” Naima told him, “I know you trust Drackson more than me.” Before Asten could protest, she continued. “It’s fine. Believe me. I understand. You’ve known him much longer and that’s why you wanted Selina to go with him. I get it. But I was just wondering. Is there something else?”

  “Selina’s pregnant,” Asten told her. “So I’
m putting two lives in Drackson’s care.”

  “Well,” Naima said as she powered up the vehicle for launch, “I’d say that was the right thing to do.”

  There was a rumble and then the glider lurched upwards and flipped so Asten was now facing the ground - or the sea, whatever was below the glider right then. Naima’s body was also pressing against him but the harnesses took most of her weight.

  Then the whine of the glider’s engines, a sound that the construction of larger ships mostly muted, filled his ears.

  “Don’t worry, Asten!” Naima shouted. “It’s gets a lot smoother in space.”

  “Incoming vessel, this is a restricted area! Respond or you will be fired upon!”

  Eroim turned to Carla. “I think he means it, Captain.”

  Carla pressed her lips together and drew in a breath. “Put me on, Eroim. I’ll take care of him.”

  “Aye, Captain.”

  There was a brief burst of static and then Carla spoke into her communicator. “Orbital station. We request assistance.”

  “This is not a maintenance yard, incoming vessel,” came a vicious reply, almost like a snarl. “You’ve been warned already. Turn around at once. You have five seconds to comply.”

  “We can’t comply, Orbital,” Carla replied, placing the appropriate mixture of annoyance and anxiety in her tone. “Our steering rudder’s shot to pieces. It’s not responding.”

  There was a slight pause. “One moment.”

  Carla sighed. “Thank you, Orbital.”

  She waited, along with her bridge crew while the man on the other end consulted with someone. He came back on several seconds later. “Incoming vessel, we’re sending two escort fighters to tow you to a civilian refueling station.”

  “Thank you, Orbital,” Carla replied and flicked the communicator off.

  In front of her, Kailis sighed.

  Then Eroim turned around. “It didn’t work, Captain.”

  Carla curled her lip. “Maybe. But those fighters aren’t here yet and if that task force is going to arrive at any moment, then they might just forget about us for a while.”

  “Long enough to get your friend out?” Eroim asked.

  “Maybe.”

  “No. Absolutely not.”

  Lord Erama frowned. “It may be the only recourse we have left available to us. If we shut down the long range communication satellites, then we shut down the Imraehi’s capacity to send a message to whoever their agents are.”

  “There are too many satellites in the region. There’s no way of knowing whether shutting down our own would be enough to prevent a signal coming through. The Kordan ones and even the Narvashae might give these people all the range that’s needed. And what if there’s an emergency and our own people need to contact us?”

  Lord Erama sighed. “Senator -” He then noticed a light on his communicator and stopped. It was obvious that he wouldn’t win this one.

  “Never mind,” he said. “I’m sorry, Senator, but I have an urgent call.”

  He flicked the channel to another frequency before the senator could reply. “Deidre,” he said, his voice close to breaking from sudden emotion.

  “Tarj,” his wife cried out. “The Hie’shi task force is at Imraec Tarc. You have to go!”

  Lord Erama glanced at the screen in front of him, by instinct rather than will.

  Expected device total: 150

  Devices found: 127

  Devices remaining: 23

  They were so close now. He could feel it. Swallowing, he turned back to the communicator. “If that task force is at Imraec Tarc, then we’re out of time.”

  “Tarj! Listen to me!”

  “I can’t go, Deidre,” Lord Erama replied. “There are still men and women here trying to save the city and I can’t just abandon them.” He wiped a hand over his eyes and inhaled a sharp breath. For a moment, he was unable to speak. When he found his voice again, he leaned closer to the communicator. “Has there been any word on Selina and Asten?”

  Deidre closed her eyes and trembled. She clamped her hand over her mouth to stop a cry from escaping. Then, mustering her strength, she told her husband the only thing she could.

  “They’re safe and sound,” she said. “They’re on their way home.”

  Lord Erama blinked back tears and forced a smile, even though his wife could not see him.

  “Thank you, Deidre.”

  “It’s all right. Tarj...”

  “Deidre, if you’re right about the Hie’shi task force, then I have to get everyone out of here before I leave. Or at least I have to try. I love you, Deidre.”

  Deidre choked back an audible sob on the other end of the communicator. “I love you too.”

  Ending the transmission, Lord Erama sniffed and wiped away some more tears. Then, after taking a breath to calm himself, he switched on the communicator once more. “Mauritz?”

  “I read you.”

  “Emergency. Evacuate all your staff immediately.”

  “Right, sir.”

  The transmission ended and Lord Erama made one more call. “Attention. All personnel. The Hie’shi task force has reached Imraec Tarc. Evacuate at once. Repeat. Evacuate at once.”

  He then climbed to his feet and headed for the door. As he entered the corridor however, there was a deafening crash and the building shook. Bits of mortar fell everywhere and the floor buckled under him.

  He unclipped his personal communicator from his belt. “Mauritz? Send air support to the shield generator right now. It’s vulnerable.” He waited for the reply and frowned. “Mauritz?”

  At the nearby city of Sabis, a small nondescript ship rose from its landing platform and shot away. Its trajectory, flying low over the ground, brought the immediate attention of two Phalamkian patrol Kites that pursued it. The failure of the pilot to answer their calls to respond hardened the resolve of the Kite pilots and they accelerated, preparing to fire.

  The ship then came in fast over Kerali spaceport, flying over the smoking rubble and, racing toward a structure atop a rise in the land, it opened fire with a succession of blasts that seemed too powerful for a vessel of its size.

  The structure shook and as black smoke poured from its side, one of the Kite pilots hit the mysterious ship, taking out one of its stabilizers and sending it careening into the cliff face under the structure.

  And then the catastrophe happened. The sky lit up with great bolts that struck the ground, pulverizing everything they hit. In the city, masonry and steel structures shattered like glass under the bombardment and the air filled with clouds of dust until it blocked out the very sun.

  In orbit, two modified cruisers were the cause of all the devastation. They did not fire for long; Phalamkian naval vessels converged on the two ships at once and destroyed them, putting an end to their reign of destruction but the damage had been done.

  24. The Heavens Ablaze

  Admiral Seirvek’s task force came out of lightspeed almost on top of the planet and the irregular naval force and assortment of defenses that awaited them.

  “Communications,” Seirvek ordered. “Open hailing frequency. All channels.”

  There was a nod from one of his officers. “Hailing frequency established, sir.”

  “Very good.” Seirvek switched on the communicator beside his chair. “Attention. This is Admiral Seirvek of the Hie’shi Navy, acting commander of the strike force you see before you at the behest of all the member states of the United Frontier. Who here can speak for the Imraehi?”

  The bridge’s communications viewscreen came alive with the image of a middle-aged Phalamkian. No, Admiral Seirvek silently corrected himself, not a Phalamkian. This was the leader of the Imraehi.

  “I speak for the Imraehi, Hie’shi,” the man told him in clear authoritative tones. “I am Lord Ardeis.”

  “I know who you are, Lord Ardeis,” Seirvek told him, not put off in the slightest by the other’s defiant manner. “Just as I’m sure you know who I am. I remember faces an
d, even though we met only once while you were playing your part on Phalamki, I remember yours.”

  Ardeis smiled. “I’m honored.”

  Seirvek’s eyes narrowed. “I’m glad you feel so. Lord Ardeis, the Imraehi are charged with the illegal occupation of the world known as Katara. You will hereby formally renounce any claim over the world, withdraw all your people who are presently there, dismantle your garrisons, surrender your vessels and remove the mines around Imraec Tarc.”

  “You ask a lot,” Ardeis observed.

  “I ask nothing,” Seirvek corrected him. “These are not requests. Furthermore, we see you are harboring numerous criminal organizations for the purposes of obtaining their services and that of their vessels. These men and women you will hand over to us, assuming they are cooperative. If they are not, then you will make sufficient space for my task force to capture or destroy their vessels. If you comply with all my instructions, Imraec Tarc will remain under your governance and without further outside contact unless you should wish it. If not, then we will be required to gain your compliance through force. I trust you understand me.”

  There was a long pause. An uncomfortable silence settled on the bridge as everyone waited for the response of the enigmatic Imraehi leader.

  Ardeis smiled. “I understand you explicitly, Admiral Seirvek.” Then the smile faded. “Now understand me. The moment your task force came out of lightspeed, I ordered my field agents to detonate half a thousand tons of explosives in the Phalamkian city of Kerali. On detonation, another agent in a nearby city acted swiftly in the confusion to destroy Kerali’s shield generator, weakening the entire planetary shield and disabling the section immediately over the city. And the two small cruisers my remaining agents had in orbit over the planet would undoubtedly have managed to bring about substantially more damage over that whole area before the Phalamkian security forces could mount an adequate response.”

  Listening in on the Lantern, Carla clenched her teeth and took several deep breaths to calm herself. Reece had come onto the bridge too. He looked at the main communicator speakers but his gaze was unsteady and tears clouded his eyes. So this was Deramar Ardeis, the man Carla’s friends had been sent to find. Before he’d met Drackson and the others, he’d never heard the name. Yet this was a monster far worse than Jered Kareim had been.