by Joe Crouch
“Was that your leader?” Taris asked, rising from her seat and standing tall above Remulus who remained seated.
“I do not think so,” she replied, turning in her chair, “We couldn’t get a clear view of his body so I didn’t see what he was wearing, but judging from the lack of headwear I would assume it was an equivalent of your admiral.”
“What was that phrase you said over the transmitter?” Sean questioned, stepping around the crew of engineers which rushed on the bridge with trays of tools to fix the malfunctioning computers.
“Ave, Imperator, morituri te salutant?” she replied, “It means ‘Hail, Emperor, those who are about to die salute you, did your translator not do its proper job?”
“I guess not,” Sean shrugged, “Bit of a strange saying, don’t cha think?”
“It’s a mark of respect,” she admitted, “We are telling our aggressors we are defeated and wish to surrender, it is customary among our people, I assume your crew wanted to live so it was the easiest route to achieving that.” Sean was unsure if a guest should have been deciding the fate of the ship, but he had to admit he was happy to have her aboard.
Leaving her alone, he returned to his terminal to continue watching their battle map populate with foreign signatures, they were still a fair distance from the system’s star, but the outer edge of their stealth field seemed to be heavily defended.
Within the hour a fleet of vessels pulled in alongside them, their aesthetics left much to be desired. The largest of the ships, which scanners showed as having a vast array of weaponry at its disposal, had a relatively flat profile, it’s backend bulged out into ovoid as it’s tip was fashioned into a spearhead. Their dull, grey, metallic surface was decorated with murals which were spread across the ship, designed and painted on by the captains and crew to depict their ship’s history. Veterum shared a close bond with war and exploration, Remulus once told Sean that everything on their world had a storied history which never went to waste as they traded tales of their exploits as barter.
With a low gravimetric disturbance that rippled through the ship the Mar’Ell begun to follow the heavily armed Veterum escort through the system. As they moved further into the belly of the beast their sensors went wild with information as the true extent of the Veterum defensive network became apparent. Huge towers were scattered along every possible route towards their home world, Sean watched as they each turned and locked onto their ship as they passed and if they stepped out of line the cruiser would become nothing but slag. Vessels circled them as if they were sharks smelling blood in the water, the atmosphere aboard the Mar’Ell was tense as they trucked towards their designated world, unsure what awaited them.
Flipping his scanners over to display planetary information, Sean watched as all available information was compiled for him. “Whoa,” he gasped, “Look at these, Tar, it’s incredible.” Per his readings, six out of the seven planets were heavily industrialised to the point where land was a premium and a luxury only the super-wealthy could afford.
Travel to the capital didn’t take long, along the route they passed hulking stations that sat in orbit, they passed the light traffic which snaked out from the planets and stations with priority. He looked on in wonder at the massive structures, their form was so similar to the design briefs back on Earth, function over fashion he thought.
Pulling up into an orbital pattern over Caladrius, the crew were instructed to follow an escort shuttle down to the surface where they would be met by select dignitaries. Fez chose his regular team to accompany him as they made their way to the shuttle bay and onto one of the vessels. “It’s really happening, huh,” Sean said, locking his harness into place as he watched Remulus out the corner of his eye, her nerves were obvious as she sat there, shaking as if a leaf in the breeze.
“It sure is,” Taris beamed, excited about exploring an alien world, even to her, “I can’t wait to see how different their culture is from ours or Humans, it’s the best part about seeing a new planet, you excited, Remulus?” The Veterum looked up with an empty stare, her lips were chapped and she looked as if she was about to vomit.
“Don’t be too intimated, our customs are a little more… imperial than most,” she admitted. Shrugging, Sean sat back in his seat as the captain called out for everyone to get ready, and within moments the familiar sounds and rushing of the gut let him know they had lifted off the deck, with one final push they excited the protective shielding and were out in the abyss.
Within moments a ship came to a halt above their nose, it’s dull, grey surface and low, rugged profile was like the other vessels they had witnessed thus far. They sat, staring at the two large engines affixed to the rear of the shuttle as they began to glow a faint blue, as Fez was about to speak the ship accelerated away at unimaginable speeds. At full power, the captain tried to keep up with the blue trails which streaked out the rear of the Veterum ship, they left a visible path where the shuttle had been making it easier to follow.
Craning his head around the corner, Sean looked down at the planet they were visiting, its vast, marble blue oceans were separated by three massive continents each with their own distinct biosphere, arid, tundra, and grasslands seemed to be the three that prevailed. As they darted between the packed defensive lines that circled the planet the speedy shuttle dipped at a ninety-degree angle down towards the planet. Fez quickly readjusted his flight to try and match the incredible speeds the basic looking craft managed but it was no use, they were metaphorically in the other pilot’s dust as the best they could manage was to follow the thin blue dissipating lines it left in its wake.
Crossing the atmospheric boundary was the worst part of space travel for Sean, he gripped tightly to the two armrests either side of him as they began to shake violently. He heard the grav-plating working overtime to keep things stable but they were powerless to mitigate the minute fluctuations that had them bouncing around in their seat. Luckily, it was all over as quickly as it had begun as they punched out through the eerily high cloud cover to get a proper look at the world below.
They arced over grassy knolls and mountains, only to see how little greenery was actually left. Much of the surface was covered in factories, housing, roads, it seemed all but a few percent of the planet had been industrialised, a fact which became apparent as they crested over a mountain range’s apex to see nothing but dark grey buildings and machines which towered high into the sky. They had a cylindrical shape, a vast machine moved up the inside of the tubing as large clouds of gas vented out as it reached the top. It paused for a moment and as fast as it had risen it slammed back down into the ground with only what he could imagine was a thunderous clap. The rhythm and scale of the machines mesmerised him, such a technological feat seemed impossible, although he had no idea what they did, a fact that Remulus noticed.
“They mine the crust for minerals, gases, gems, anything we can get out from there, as the tip crashes to the earth below it smashes everything, but before it comes back the material gets quickly vacuumed up into an inner chamber and deposited as it rises for another strike,” she said, smiling that the foreigners were impressed with her species engineering.
“Incredible,” Taris gawped, “Do they move?”
“They do,” Remulus replied, “If we returned to a higher altitude you would no doubt see the scarring in the forms of massive potholes that these machines produce, once an area has been cleaned of minerals a new settlement is often constructed in the crater to conserve space.”
Soaring towards the city, a thin, red haze seemed to pollute the air as they draw closer. Vehicles dart between tall buildings as people on the surface went about their daily lives, unaware that the first aliens to visit in hundreds, if not thousands of years were right above them. The city seemed to be constructed out of the most uninteresting materials imaginable, to Sean it looked as if every building had been constructed from concrete and left as it was, he felt an air of despair that hung over the depressed city. “How’s the attitude of
people down there,” he asked, nodding towards the vast, towering metropolis which they skated above.
“We as a people aren’t drawn by the physical appearance of something, or someone, beauty is a foreign concept to us, while you have said you find the Ioution vessels attractive when we see it we see unnecessary wasted space on aesthetics over combat effectiveness.” Trying his hardest to grasp the concept, his Human mind would never be able to tear away from almost all his first impressions being based on aesthetic choices by the designers or person.
Coming to a halt, the Veterum shuttle hovered in place as its thrusters pointed down. They sat above a busy spaceport, a horde of vehicles buzzed about each vying for a place to land or leave. Granted special permissions, they lowered themselves down towards a landing pad, and with a dull thud the landing struts touched down, providing them support. Excitedly, the crew unfastened their harnesses and straightened their hair. Nervously, Sean looked back at the crew and pressed the ramps release. With a hiss, the atmosphere aboard escaped as the ramp lowered.
Stepping out into the alien atmosphere for the first time, he took in a long, drawn breath to get a sense of the world’s unique smell, and to his surprise, a sweet smell of pine wafted through the air. He looked back at the crew, he watched as Fez helped Zarid down the steps from their vessel followed by Taris and Remulus. Turning, he saw three officious looking Veterum approach their landing spot, their purple robes were inlaid with gold threads with tribal-looking designs that spread out across both shoulders. As Sean locked eyes with them they froze, their mouths were agape as they slowly shuffled towards him with starry eyes.
“You’re here…” the eldest of the trio spoke with a deep, experienced voice, “You’re really here…”
Chapter 15
Confused, the team glanced at each other as the elder Veterum took one of Sean’s hands and stared deeply into his palms. The two younger looking officials stood back, watching with a careful eye as the elder drew imaginary lines across the skin of the confused Human. Looking back at his teammates, Sean shrugged as the man stepped away from him, visibly trembling as he began to speak once more.
“I cannot believe it,” the elder said in awe, his voice inconsistent and unsteady, “We must take him to the priests and have my theories confirmed, he cannot be allowed to wander around the planet with the uproar this discovery will cause.” Sceptical, the two officials stepped forwards and led the obviously deranged man away and waved for the team to follow.
“Wait,” Sean said, standing firm, “I’m not going anywhere until you explain what this man meant, has he escaped from a mental asylum or is there something more to this?” With shifty eyes, they looked around before stopping, allowing the man his freedom.
“To some,” the young official began in a monotone voice, “Someone of your features and… complexion has been prophesied to come and rescue us from our mediocrity, our once great empire is nothing more than a faint ember where we used to burn brightly among the stars.” Ignoring the snickering which Taris tried to hide, Sean stepped forwards and looked the star struck elder in the eyes.
“I’m no one, a nobody, this person,” he said, pointing back to Fez, “Is my captain, he is the one with the real potential to be your saviour, not a lowlife like me.”
“While that may be so,” the final young women said as she stepped forwards, “I am far more curious about the Veterum that accompanies you, it is only as a courtesy we do not end her existence where she stands for bringing you to this world.” Recoiling, Remulus took a step back as she tried to compose herself, they knew coming to Caladrius carried its own set of risks, but none of them had any intentions of allowing anyone to be harmed. After a few brief moments of silence, the three officials conceded and instructed the group to follow.
They moved across the technologically advanced spaceport, the air distorted at the sheer traffic of shuttles that came and went. Every direction he looked bipedal bots stiffly shuffled about carrying out menial tasks. Smaller bots of various shapes and sizes raced and rolled around their feet as they blew away a build-up of muck and particles from the walkways and landing pads, larger bots waddled from side-to-side as they carried large crates of what appeared to be parts for the fleet of ships which sat stationary on many of the landing spots. The red haze which hung above the city wasn’t apparent at ground level but looking up he noticed that the thin cloud cover did have an odd tint of colour to it.
“Please, in here,” one of the Veterum motioned towards a bulky metallic door which sat at the base of a gargantuan, opulent structure that looked more like a palace constructed from white marble than the usual rickety buildings they found at spaceports. With a loud whining the door split in two and bent backwards to reveal a dark hallway, but within moments the walls begin to glow a bright white illuminating the way. Running his hand along the outside of the building, its rubbery, scaled surface became apparent, with a raised eyebrow to Remulus she explained the foreign material.
“It’s a composite,” she said, feeling its textured surface with her eyes closed and a wide smile on her face, “It can be moulded to have any properties we require whether it is conductivity or strength, it’s a truly marvellous material.” While interesting, Sean’s attention turned to the legion of soldiers which marched in rhythm, their timed footsteps reminded him of his time in the Terran fleet. Their loose, red, free-flowing garbs hung down just past their waists, the rippled material rustled in the light breeze which blew across the shuttle port. They each held a long spear-like weapon close to their side, its tip burnt a bright blue as waves of energy rolled along its surface and sparked off the excess energy in what looked like controlled miniature lightning bolts.
“Hasta,” Remulus smiled while stood beside the gawping Human, “It’s the typical ground weapon of our basic infinity, we do have conventional firearms as your race does but we fight for honour, thus prefer to advance upon our enemy face-to-face with shock tactics.”
“So this is what you use these for,” Sean said, raising his arm to show off the device still firmly wrapped around his forearm. With a nod from Remulus, they were ushered into the vast hallway. The mechanical creaking that came from the droids which ambled about echoed around the tall and wide corridors. Everything about the structure screamed indulgence, from the polished stone-looking composite that made up everything to the brightly glowing walls that lit their way.
The team passed groups of working locals, who were dressed neatly in their extravagant robes, they stopped what they were doing and watched on with wide-eyed curiosity, measuring every movement the misfit group of aliens made through their precious building. The welcome wasn’t exactly what Sean had expected from such an advanced race, but Remulus had warned that their customs were… different, it’d be a shame if they were isolationist after everything that happened he thought. Antique pieces of armour and weaponry sat in protected display cases with inscriptions carved across the transparent, glass-like material which encased them. The Arabic looking language was indecipherable to him so instead he inspected the battle worn helmet which stood proudly, quite obviously worn by someone important.
“Worn by Imperator Caelus in the battle for Rhomium-IV,” Remulus spoke up, bending over to get a closer look at the artefact, “It’s over a thousand years’ old now, the battle was crucial in our push back against the Xuron tide.”
“A thousand years?” Sean said, surprised, “How long have you and the Xuron been fighting then?”
“A lot longer than that, I’m afraid,” she admitted, straightening her back, “Our history can wait, let us go into the meeting chambers.” Pushing open the two decorated, large wooden doors, the officials stepped through, waving for the team to take seats while they waited. Pulling out one of the many chairs which were lined up alongside the long, dark table he sat down and admired the delicate inlay art which ran along the edge. Scattered about were goblets and artificial candles which glowed brightly as their replicated flames blustered about in th
e mock breeze. The entire room felt like a castle from medieval times to Sean as large stones made up the walls with dark wood furniture set neatly about the rectangular room.
Sitting across from them, the group of officials kept a quizzical eye on him as he played with the different instruments that sat neatly in front of him. “Who do you think we’re going to meet?” he asked, leaning over to Taris.
“I’m not sure,” she admitted, rocking back and forth on her chair, “An ambassador? I hear all you types keep in contact with each other trading secret and the such, it’s quite sad really.”
“Pssh,” Sean scoffed, “I’m almost certain the galaxy despises the Human’s and sees us as another benefit leach, only once has an ambassador from another race directly contacted me and even then, it was to ask about the Ioutions.”
“Aww, poor ‘lil Human left out alone in the dark expanse,” Taris pretended to cry mockingly, “I bet it’s the Impera-thingy Remulus was on about.”
“Imperator,” Sean scolded her, “They’ve been gracious enough to not obliterate us, the least you can do is show some respect. But yes, I imagine it would be him or her who greets us, this seems like a pretty big deal to them.”
“Especially to them,” she said, nodding her head sideways to the trio which sat opposite, “Why on Earth do they think you’re some chosen one? Who knows, maybe you are, it’ll be another world added to your list of worlds you cannot visit anymore because of your notoriety.”
“It’s a sad state when that list includes my home world,” he sighed, “It’s probably nothing, the Veterum and I look alike, their scriptures probably prophesies about one of their own and not some backwater thug like me.” The rumble of shuttles overhead was a constant distraction as they sat waiting for something to happen. Getting out from his seat, Sean strolled around the room to get a closer look at the abstract art which adorned the walls, almost every piece depicted a battle of some description with battalions lined up in neat rows facing off against insurmountable odds. A lot could be learnt about a society by delving deeper into their art and literature, their mindset at the time it was made was obvious to him, even as a novice.
