by Joe Crouch
“With how I feel I probably would be better off in one,” he rubbed his forehead once more, trying to clear the cobwebs from his mind, “So, what’s up?” The two Veterum glanced at each other and back to Taris.
“We’ve been summoned by the Imperator; he wishes to have an ‘audience’ with us.”
“Oh God…” he sighed, “Can’t this just be over with?”
“You would be wise to not reject his Emperor’s summons,” the Veterum female snapped.
“Alright, calm down,” Sean said, holding his hands up, “I’m gonna go, don’t worry.” With that, the two Veterum disappeared into the shuttle. “Where’s everyone else?”
“On the surface,” Taris yawned, stretching her limbs outwards, “We’re the last two to arrive.”
“Grrreat… Just great.” Defeated, he motioned for Taris to board first, he followed closely behind. Inside, the personal shuttles were more cramped than he imagined by their exterior size. Two small rows of seats lined the walls with storage under the deck plating. The Veterum pilots worked about in the cockpit as Sean and Taris took their seats and strapped in. After a short wait, the door closed with a thump. The entire ship began to rumble and vibrate violently as power was pushed to the engines, Sean grabbed onto his armrests and focussed on a single point in front of him.
“Not like Ioution ships, huh?” Taris laughed.
“Not quite,” he sighed as his cheeks wobbled. Before long they lifted off from the landing pad, slowly rotated in place and shot out from the cruiser at an impressive speed. The noise aboard was borderline unbearable; everything shook and rattled as they flew towards the planet’s atmosphere. “What do you think he wants?”
“What who wants?”
“The Imperator,”
“Oh, right, yeah – I dunno. It can’t be too much to ask for a big celebration of what we’ve done for them, can it?”
“Pfft,” scoffed Sean, “More likely we grabbed the wrong piece and we’re about to be executed.”
“Stop focussing on the negatives.”
“I quite like my head, though…” he said. As Taris was about to answer they slammed into Caladrius’ outer atmosphere. Flames licked past the windows as they were relentlessly thrown about in their seats. He had become so blasé to atmospheric re-entry at this point that it hardly bothered him, he sat quietly and waited for it all to be over. It didn’t take them long to break through the high cloud cover and snake out over the mountainous terrain. The heavy industry and the towering buildings of the city were obvious from afar. Sean watched the atmospheric recyclers pump gases into the air to stabilise the planet’s otherwise runaway greenhouse effect.
“We’re coming in for landing,” one of the Veterum pilots shouted back. They circled the pristine military landing pad for a few moments before they came to a halt in mid-air and descended, touching down with a dull thud. The crew unharnessed themselves and moved towards the exit door which was pressuring the cabin to match the outside.
Eventually, though, it opened and formed an exit ramp to the imposing royal facility. As he stepped out, he noticed the vast legions of soldiers lined up at the bottom of the pad. Cautiously, he moved forwards and tried to hide the fear which overwhelmed him. The legions snapped to attention and broke apart to form a guard of honour for the pair. Veterum weapons sparked over their heads as they walked through the surprising welcome. A lone figure waited for them at the end – It was Vespasian, dressed in a dark purple gown that flowed in the gentle breeze which whipped across the surface.
“Welcome back to Caladrius mighty warriors,” Vespasian beamed as he held out a hand which Sean met.
“Thanks,” he said nonchalantly.
“Please, follow me, I have a surprise to show you.” With a shrug, the pair followed the Imperator and his personal guard through the tight, well-crafted stone hallways of the facility. They came to a room with a large gathering of people that waited outside.
“Sean,” yelled Zarid from within the crowd, “Over here,” he jumped up and down waving his hand to get the Human’s attention. They weaved through the densely packed crowd towards the Fre, but stood beside him was Remulus, dressed in a tight-fitting suit with a freshly printed medal pinned to her chest.
Sean swallowed his pride and spoke up, “Congratulations on the commendation, I’m sure you’re very proud.”
Remulus’ eyes were full of sorrow and regret as she turned to him, “… Thank you…” she sighed. Sean was taken aback by the strong emotion that wafted off from her, he saw her as cold, distant, but now she seemed to show some genuine regret. His thoughts were interrupted as the crowd went silent and the Imperator spoke.
“Today, we are only able to gather for this special occasion because of the kindness of strangers, if it wasn’t for our new friends from the Ioution and Terran Empires this wouldn’t be possible.” A gentle ripple of applause came from those assembled, “I would like to personally thank Captain Nathan and Admiral Sha’mi for committing such invaluable resources to the reacquisition of a vital weapon of war. I would also like to thank the crew of the Mar’Ell, Sean, Taris, Zarid, and one of our very own, Remulus. I’m deeply saddened to hear of the passing of Feghouli, captain of the Mar’Ell, he, and many others sacrificed their lives for this very moment, and all future moments we, and others, can now potentially have because of this.”
The Imperator waved to a scientist that stood off to the side, he pressed a set of commands on a panel and the wall snapped to become transparent. Inside, a Xuron drone snarled and hissed, it was chained up to the wall with a cylindrical device the size of a table pointed directly at it. With another nod from the Imperator, the scientist flicked another switch. A deep, purple light refracted through the thick window/wall as the device roared into life. Pulses of energy flowed through its chambers towards a single point at the front that looked like nothing more than an antenna. But within an instant, it exploded into life and fired a blinding beam towards the alien. It impacted it centrally, the creature cried out in pain, its blood-curdling screech reverberated around the wide-open hall they stood in. A few seconds later, though, the noise stopped. There was nothing left, the Xuron had been obliterated, the shackles dropped down and clanged onto the stone wall. The gathered audience roared into a rapturous applause at the weapon’s demonstration.
“This is what we fought for,” the Imperator shouted over the deafening noise of the crowd, “Now we, and our newly found allies, have an efficient and effective way of annihilating the threat we all face. It is far from perfect still, but work has begun on a larger scale prototype.”
“I feel like we’ve come full circle,” Sean whispered to Taris, who gave him a questioning look, “Never mind.” From out of another door, a scientist dragged a second Xuron out by the throat, holding in safely away with a pole like they were at a zoo.
“I don’t want to stay for another demonstration,” Taris whispered, “Let’s get out of here.” Sean nodded in agreement, but he had one final thing to say.
“Remulus,” he begun, “I’m still angry, I may be angry at you until the day I die, who knows, but I would still like to pass on the invitation to come back with us to the Alexandria, I’m sure the President would love to have a Veterum aboard for diplomatic reasons.” Remulus shifted on the spot awkwardly before answering.
“Thank you, Sean, you and your crew have done so much for me and my people,” she sighed, “But I feel my place is here alongside my kin, don’t take this as a never, though, but for now I would like to experience Caladrius a little more after my long slumber.” With only a nod, he shook her hand and turned to walk away.
“You coming, Zarid?”
“You bet your horses I’m coming,” he smiled. With a laugh, the trio walked away and through the facility until they found themselves back at the busy shuttle port. Captain Nathan leant against a wall enjoying a cigarette, he closed his eyes as he inhaled the thick smoke around him.
“I didn’t know captains were allowed to
smoke,” Sean coughed, Nathan jumped up and threw the stick away to one side.
“Yeah… We’re not,” Nathan smiled, “Had enough of the torture? Me too.”
“Something like that,” he nodded, “Permission to come aboard?”
“You and your friends, right?”
“Yep, this is Zarid, he’s a Fre, and Taris you probably already know.”
“The more the merrier,” Nathan replied, “Come on, let’s get to a shuttle and get back, we won’t be going anywhere for a little while, though, we have some subsystems that need repairs after the beating we took.” With that, they boarded a nearby Terran shuttle and wasted little time in climbing high into the atmosphere and out into the vastness of space. Sean leant his head against a window and stared off into the distance, looking directly at the nearby Sun, its powerful rays lessened by a special tint on the fake glass. They came up on their carrier, its scale was truly magnificent as it towered over the puny shuttle.
“This has to easily be the largest ship in the fleet,” Sean said in awe.
Nathan turned with a prideful grin, “She’s a beaut’, isn’t she?” Sean didn’t respond, he was enamoured with the intricate detailing that ran along the thick hull plating. With a deceleration burn, the shuttle slowly drifted into one of the free landing spots along the outside of the vast structure. They touched down and were rocked in their seats as clamps gripped onto the outside of the vessel. Captain Nathan shot up and looked back at Sean, “Ready? There are a lot of people aboard who worship the ground you walk on.”
“Sure, go ahead.” With that, the captain yanked the large handle up with a heavy clank and pushed the door open. A deckhand ran over with a set of stairs on wheels and lined them up so they could leave.
The pungent smell of the Human ship rushed into the shuttle, oil, sweat, cleaning solution, all smells he missed, he took a long, deep sniff and let out the breath with a calming smile. “I’m finally home,” he said as he pushed himself up out the chair. He descended the steep stairs which were more like a ladder and stood for the first time in a while on a Terran vessel. The crew stopped in their tracks and froze, staring right at the pseudo-celebrity. Sean gave them a quick wave and they went back to their business, chatting amongst themselves at the high-profile presence.
“All these people know and recognise you?” Zarid asked.
“Sadly, yeah,” replied Sean, “Although I’d like to take the opportunity to have a few drinks in the canteen later with ‘em all.”
“Please, make yourselves at home,” Nathan said, “We are setting up quarters for you now on deck eight, go there, explore the ship, meet the people, you’re free to do as you please.”
“Your hospitality is most appreciated, captain,” Taris bowed politely.
“No need to be so formal, miss, Nathan will do.”
“Well then, Nathan, thank you, hopefully, we see you again later.”
“Hopefully,” the captain smiled as he turned and walked away from the crew, getting back to his duties. Sean wasted no time in following suit and leading the others through the ship. Terran vessels were designed all with the same philosophy, they’re easy to navigate and even easier to jump decks as quickly as possible. As they headed for the mess hall he was stopped at every corner and asked to sign something, a picture, a worn overall, a personal tablet, he was used to it from his time on Earth after the first attack, so it wasn’t a bother.
The three sat down and were waited on by a well-dressed, well-groomed male that bent to their every wish and delight. Sean looked at the condensation rolling down his ice-cold glass of beer, the first drink he had even seen in months, his mouth salivated at the sheer thought of its refreshing qualities. A large hunk of steak with all the trimmings sat in front of him also, crying out for him to dig in, and who was he to disobey? Juices ran from the meat as he sliced into its tender body, it discoloured the large dollop of mashed potatoes as he dipped it in and guided it into his mouth. His eyes rolled back in elation as his taste buds fired off at the delicate taste he longed for.
A crackle came from the overhead tannoy system followed by a dull, low-pitched noise that indicated a ship-wide announcement. “Would Ambassador Sean Maguire report to the bridge.” He looked down at his meal, back up to Taris, down again to his meal and dropped his utensils with a loud clang.
“Welp, just as I was enjoying myself,” he scoffed. He got up from the table and forced himself away from his delicious meal. Jumping into an elevator his mind raced at the possibilities of why he was summoned, it’s nothing he thought, probably just a warning that we’re heading back to Earth.
The bridge doors snapped open, Captain Nathan walked over with a serious look on his face and greeted him, “Sean, we’ve had a… odd, transmission request for you, we’re not totally sure who it is, but they’ve asked to speak to you, and you only.”
“O…K…” Sean raised an eyebrow, “Where should I sit?” Nathan pointed him to a chair in front of a large terminal, Sean spun it around and slumped back into it. A blue light flashed on the console letting him know he had an incoming comms request, with a shrug he pressed lightly down on it until a completely black screen flashed up.
“Sean here.”
“Help me S-s-sean, I need help,” the male voice hissed. Sean turned and faced the captain who leant down, intrigued.
“Who is this? How do you have access to this protected channel?”
“Help me!” the voice shouted angrily, “You can’t let me down…”
Sean raised an eyebrow and spun in his seat. “Alright, which one of you is messing with me?” he asked, looking around at the crew.
“No one is playing with you, S-s-Sean,” the man said in a deep, raspy voice, “Do you not recognise an old friend?” Sean sat up, his mind went over everything he heard, an old friend? Who?
“Can’t say I do,” he replied, “Maybe if you reveal yourself things might be a little clearer.”
The man’s laugh was wheezy, “Anything for you…” Another light flashed beside him, it was an incoming video call. He pressed it lightly and watched the screen as it attempted to connect. With a buzz, the clear image flashed into life. Sean’s heart dropped as his mouth opened wide.
“Fez…” he whispered. Stood on screen was his former captain. His face had been corrupted, black veins ran underneath his skin away from his deep, yellow eyes. His skin was crusted and cracked as if it were drying out and scales began to form along his forehead.
“The very same,” Fez grinned, “How nice to see you again.”
“What happened to you? Where are you? I’ll come and get you.”
“That scratch was more than a death sentence for me, S-s-sean, it was a chance at rebirth, a chance to see things from a… different perspective,” he cackled.
“But… why? … How?” asked Sean, perplexed, “I watched you die.”
“You saw nothing!” Fez snapped. He covered his mouth and coughed up a black mucus that stuck to his hand. “With the Mar’Ell and its crew gone, what did I have left?”
“You had us Fez, US.”
“You!?” he laughed, “Where will you get me? I’m exactly where I want to be.” Sean had nothing to say, he just watched on as the shell of a man he used to know spoke to him. “Speechless?” Fez asked, “Not the first time I suppose, you were always a little slow on the uptake.”
“We can rebuild the Mar’Ell, clone her crew, you can be in command again! Fez! Why…?” They went silent, the corrupted captain watched his old friends sorrow with a wide grin.
“My call wasn’t just to gloat, Sean, there’s something I have to show you.” The captain stepped aside from his camera. Behind him, a large staging area was painted brown with the legions of Xuron soldiers that marched towards massive transport ships that waited idly. Other ships, presumably full of drones, roared into the sky with a deep green flame burning brightly from their rear exhausts. The sky was filled with an armada of battle-ready vessels each darting about towards their st
aging zones. The view flickered to space above the planet. Hundreds, if not thousands of ships waited in orbit. Smaller vessels swarmed towards them at speed and docked. Once more, the view flickered back to the ground forces that waited eagerly.
“There must be…” Sean began.
“Hundreds-of-thousands, millions, give or take,” they heard Fez’s voice from off camera. The sky was littered with the sight of Xuron vessels screaming towards the red sky. “It’s an invasion force, Sean,” he cackled loudly. There was another moment of silence before his face slowly reappeared in the camera’s view. A wry smile slowly grew on Fez’s face before he opened his mouth, “Expect us.”
--- Transmission End ---
Author’s Notes
A cliff hanger! Send your death threats to @joecrouchbook on Twitter, I’ll make sure to read every one I get. On a more serious note, the ending sets up the third book, a book which will change the galaxy for ever, and that book IS coming, so don’t threat, with a good estimate I would say it will be out around the end of April 2017, but don’t quote me.
Again, I want to thank everyone who took the time to read this and spent their well-earned money on it. I know the choice on Kindle is overwhelming at times so it means a lot you chose to invest your time and money into this book and series, so thank you.
What did we achieve in this book? A new race of militaristic aliens was introduced and is set to become, once again, a big player within the galactic community. The origins of the Xuron were revealed with a hint towards the Veterum playing some part in Human history. A couple of mainstay characters were introduced, as well as a few killed or… changed. They now have a new, albeit controversial, weapon to fight the Xuron tide. And much more.
The next book will be the end of the ‘Origins’ trilogy but most likely not the end of the Terranus universe as a whole. There’s a lot of backstory to aliens, places, and people I would love to explore a bit more and expand upon, my personal wiki of notes is approaching 100 pages long! So I have a lot of ramblings to draw from.
