by C H Gideon
“You use it like the Muultu do?”
“Our systems are more advanced and can process it more effectively, but yes, similar to the machines that they use to hold the toxic environment at bay,” Xyxl answered.
“So, if we were to get some and—”
“L’Eliana is reporting that local troops are mobilizing in town, setting up a protective perimeter around the royal compound and other high-priority sites,” Geroux announced over the comm, distracting Reynolds from his questioning. “Looks like martial law has been established. It also appears that we’re taking the blame for everything.”
“Of course we are,” Jiya grumbled.
“Well, we are destroying their only source of planetary defense,” Reynolds argued.
“Incorrect,” Tactical shot back. “We have destroyed their only source of planetary defense. All of their cruisers are toast.”
“I’m sure that news will be received well by the emperor,” Reynolds griped.
“Fuck him,” Tactical said. “What are the odds that his sister is involved in the cult and he isn’t?”
Reynolds shrugged. “Who knows, but it looks like we’re going to find out.”
“You sure you want to go down there in the middle of all this chaos?” Maddox asked. “Why not just have the rest of the crew return to the Reynolds and wait it out? See what kind of message these people send us?”
“What does that get us?” Reynolds countered.
“It keeps our people alive, and it keeps those who’ve already died once on this trip from doing it again,” he told him.
“He makes a compelling argument,” XO said.
“He does, but that doesn’t help us here,” Reynolds replied. “We can’t just abandon the planet to Phraim-‘Eh and his cultists. They’ve attacked the city for a reason. I think we’re obligated to find out why.”
“Even if the emperor is in on it?” Tactical asked.
“Especially if he’s in on it,” Reynolds shot back. “WWBAD?”
“Say what?” Jiya asked, a single eyebrow raised.
“What would Bethany Anne do?” XO translated with a chuckle.
“She would probably drop down there on her own and proceed to kick everyone’s ass who even looked as if they might be involved with Phraim-‘Eh or his people,” Reynolds stated unequivocally.
“She’s got a thing for Justice, our Queen, that’s for sure,” Tactical muttered.
“We can’t leave the Muultu trapped in the cult’s web,” Reynolds explained.
“I agree, but I thought your—our—mission was to hunt down and kill Kurtherians,” Maddox questioned.
“These cultists are the philosophical descendants of the Kurtherians,” Reynolds explained, telling him what Xyxl had revealed. “They are just as pervasive and deadly, if not more so, than the original Kurtherians. They have mimicked the Federation’s efforts to expand and advance their organization, only they have chosen to do so at the cost of the free will and safety of the races they come across. We cannot allow it to continue, even if it means we place ourselves at risk once again.”
The general raised his hands in surrender. “Looking for clarity, Captain, not a fight.”
Reynolds nodded. He knew Maddox was playing Devil’s advocate, and that was his role on the crew. The general was looking at all the options before them and working to steer Reynolds in the right direction by providing a counterpoint to his decisions.
Reynolds hated it, but he understood the man’s tactics.
“So, you want us to prepare a crew to go dirtside?” Jiya asked.
The AI nodded. “Keep our people cloaked and outside of the city. We’ll rendezvous with them once we’re prepared, which should be shortly.”
Reynolds turned to Xyxl.
“You’ll come with us,” he told the alien. “I presume you have some way to stay in contact with your crew once they retrieve the ships and reestablish connections besides the tether?”
Xyxl nodded.
“One that can’t be hacked, preferably,” Tactical added.
The alien grinned. “Yes, our private communications do not rely on the same system or transmit on the same frequency. If nothing else, this method of communication is secure.”
“Good,” Reynolds said. “I’m thinking we might need another ship or two at our back, given the condition of the Reynolds. Speaking of which…” The AI gestured to Comm. “Get Takal working on increasing the shield output, and have him oversee the remainder of the repairs. And see if he’s figured out anything out about the radiation shielding while you’re at it. We’ve been here much longer than expected already, and with our shields decayed, we can’t risk adding radiation seep to the list of challenges on our plate.”
“On it,” Comm replied.
Reynolds turned to Xyxl. “Have your people contact Takal once they get situated. While the coding is different between our two ships, which means we can’t simply transfer our hack defense to your systems, Takal knows enough to help your people get a handle on it.”
“I will,” the alien replied.
“Come on, Jiya,” Reynolds said, waving his first officer on. “Let’s get down there and see if we can clear all this up before it gets out of hand.”
“Before?” Tactical questioned.
Reynolds shrugged. “Relatively speaking, of course.”
Jiya chuckled and left the bridge, making her way to the Pod bay. Reynolds followed, and Xyxl floating along with them.
“This should be fun,” Jiya commented. “Should we gather some troops?”
“Might be good to have a few on standby in case we need the cavalry to ride in, but if we show up with an army, it will make us look as if we’re organizing a coup,” Reynolds answered.
“If the emperor is involved, maybe that’s a good thing,” she fired back.
“We’ll know soon enough if he is or not,” Reynolds said. “Until then, we don’t want to stir up any more shit than necessary.”
“Yeah,” Jiya muttered. “I think we’ve got more than enough shit to go around already, including the emperor’s sister. As in, when are we going to give her back?”
Chapter Fifteen
On the planet, Reynolds decided to keep the risk to his people to a minimum, keeping them separated for the time being. He, Jiya, and Xyxl approached the emperor’s secure location, intel from L’Eliana helping them find him. Asya, Ka’nak, Geroux, San Roche, and the other Gulg, along with the captive Aht Gow, remained in the cloaked Pod a short distance away in case they were needed. L’Eliana kept station alone in her Pod on the opposite side of Ulf, having settled in near the devium processing plant.
Reynolds and the others were met by a cadre of soldiers as soon as they made their presence known.
“Halt,” one of the guards shouted, and a dozen weapons were pointed in their direction.
“Still think this was a good idea?” Jiya asked.
Reynolds shrugged. “If we’re going to find out who’s doing what and free these people from Phraim-‘Eh, we’ve got to face the music.”
Jiya grunted and raised her hands in surrender. “If by music you mean the firing squad, I’d rather not.”
“We’re unarmed,” Reynolds announced. “We’ve come to speak to Emperor Krol Gow.”
The soldiers approached, keeping them at gunpoint, and searched them. When they came to Xyxl, however, they had no idea how to proceed. They poked and prodded and scanned the alien as best they could, but they had no idea what they were looking for.
They gave in once they determined the creature didn’t have any apparent weapons on his transparent frame, and then the soldiers bound their hands behind their backs and led the group into the building under continued guard.
They were ushered through a labyrinth of hallways until finally they descended a nondescript flight of stairs to a small chamber. The emperor and his council—all but Aht Gow, of course—sat huddled inside the sparsely furnished room, far from the comfort they were accustomed to. Th
ere was nothing but their seats.
The emperor leapt out his chair, scowling.
“You dare come back here after all you’ve done?” he screamed, cheeks flaring red with his anger. He stopped and stared at Xyxl, who, even in his humanoid shape, looked to be made of energy. “And who is that?”
Reynold went to raise his hands, only to remember they were secured by metal cuffs. He bit back a chuckle at the primitive restraints.
As if these things could really restrain me.
“Would we return and offer ourselves up so easily if we’d had anything to do with all this?” the AI asked, trying to reassure the emperor and ignoring the question about the Gulg.
“I have no idea what people such as you might do,” he shot back.
“We are not your enemies,” Jiya explained calmly. “Those people we told you about, the Cult of Phraim-‘Eh, are responsible for what has happened here. They took over your ships and they struck at your installations.”
“How is that even possible?” Krol Gow asked.
“We can explain it, but I’d rather not in front of your council,” Reynolds stated matter of factly.
The male spun on his people, still furious, meeting the eyes of each before turning back to Reynolds.
“You challenge my council’s loyalty?” Krol Gow growled.
“Only because I have information that makes me unsure who owns their loyalty,” Reynolds replied.
The emperor stood stoically, saying nothing, arms crossed over his chest, breathing heavily.
“If it helps, our mission, the one we discussed, was a success,” Reynolds added after a moment, speaking low to avoid everyone else hearing. The AI positioned himself so only the emperor could see his eyes and cast a furtive glance to Xyxl to make his point clear.
Krol Gow’s expression darkened, then Reynolds saw realization there. He took another moment to contemplate before waving his council out of the room.
“Retreat to the hall for now, please,” he said. “I would speak with our visitors alone.”
Reynolds stared at the council as they were kicked out. To his surprise, none seemed overly fraught about it. They weren’t happy, but none of them hesitated or found a reason to argue. They went quietly and without complaint.
Once they were gone from the room, and the guards had positioned themselves at the edges of the chamber, Krol Gow moved close so that only Reynolds, Jiya, and Xyxl could hear him. He eyed the alien.
“So, you are the beings who have kept us from the devium on Mu?”
There was both awe and anger in his eyes.
Reynolds was glad to see courage there, too.
Xyxl sighed. “It was not our intention to harm your planet or its people,” the Gulg started. “Reynolds spoke to me about the devium ore, and while I understood your use of it, I did not understand your need. I was focused solely on my mission to rid the galaxy of the Cult of Phraim-‘Eh and did not consider the negative impact of our actions as we defended our outpost on MU-2693. For that, I apologize, and we will, of course, allow you to return to your mining operations on MU-2693 without further issue.”
Krol Gow stiffened, surprise replacing his fury. A second later, however, a flush returned to his cheeks, and he huffed.
“This cult you speak of has no place upon Muultar,” he argued. “I have been offered no credible evidence of their existence, yet you have struck down several of my mining ships and cost many people their lives. That I can say for certain.”
“The cult is real,” Reynolds told him, “and they are here.”
“My council has looked into it,” he countered. “My sister investigated the issue herself and found nothing of this cult you speak of.”
“Your sister is involved with them,” Jiya said. “Of course, that’s what she told you.”
“What?” Krol Gow shouted, glancing around as if he expected to see Aht Gow standing there. “How dare you question—”
“That was why we wanted you to have your council leave the room,” Reynolds explained. “She’s admitted her involvement to my people. She’s part of the cult we’re warning you about.”
“You know where she is?” the emperor snarled. He looked ready to wave his guards over to beat the answer out of them. “You must tell me now!”
“She’s safe,” Reynolds told him, wanting desperately to break his bindings and use his hands to urge the emperor to calm down, but he resisted. “We will return her unharmed, but you have to listen to us first, Emperor.”
“You hold my sister hostage and expect me to kowtow to your demands?”
“Look,” Jiya nearly shouted. “We don’t have any damn demands. The only reason we’re here is that the cult is a danger to you and your people. They are a danger to us! They don’t give a damn about what happens to Ulf or Muultar or even your sister,” she argued. “All they care about is creating soldiers for their war; cannon fodder for the mill. If Muultar gets destroyed in the process, so be it. This place means nothing to them.”
Emperor Krol Gow started to pace in a tight circle. His soldiers inched closer, weapons at the ready, sensing his discomfort.
Reynolds hoped he could reason with the emperor and not be forced to do something rash that would cause more harm than good.
“Remember when you promised you’d give me anything in exchange for your getting to return to Mu to mine your devium?” the AI asked.
Krol Gow stumbled to a halt and spun to glare at Reynolds. “I don’t know if you are a fool or liquid courage runs in your veins, but you tread upon dangerous ground asking for anything when you hold my sister captive.”
“All I ask is that you listen to us with an open mind,” Reynolds went on. “Nothing more.”
The emperor took a moment to contemplate what Reynolds was asking of him.
“And you will return my sister unharmed?”
Reynolds nodded. “I have no intention of hurting her or keeping her hostage,” he said. “You can have her, but I need your assurance first that you will listen to us and take what we have to say seriously.”
“I could have you killed where you stand,” the emperor threatened.
“You most certainly can,” the AI answered, playing the role of helpless victim to sway the emperor into listening. “There is nothing we can do to stop you.”
Jiya swallowed hard at hearing that.
The emperor stared the three of them down for several long moments, saying nothing. Reynolds could see the uncertainty in the man’s eyes. He doubted the emperor had ever been so directly challenged in his life, and he didn’t know how to respond.
Reynolds pushed the subservient act further.
“I will have your sister delivered to you, and we will remain under arrest as you discuss it with her,” Reynolds told him. “Should you not believe us after that, you can execute us and we will not fight it.”
“Uh, thanks,” Jiya grumbled. “Do I get a say in this?”
Reynolds ignored her.
“You place me in a difficult situation, Reynolds,” Krol Gow said, shaking his head.
“You and me both,” Jiya mumbled.
“I know that, Emperor,” the AI agreed. “I promised you we would resolve your mining problem on MU-2693, and we have. I am a being of my word. And now I promise that your people are in danger from another source, the cult. My crew and I, and the Gulg, wish to help rid you of that problem as well.”
“What could these people, these cultists, possibly want from Muultar?” the emperor asked. “Why would you think my people would give in to such foolish propaganda that they would turn on their ruler and their fellow citizens?”
“The cult knows that Muultar will die without the devium,” Reynolds stated. “What better reason to rebel against a leader who has not informed them of their impending demise?”
Krol Gow’s eyes went wide, and he gasped.
“Who else knew about that?” Jiya asked.
The emperor didn’t want to answer. It took him several long moments b
efore he finally admitted, “Only the council and…Aht Gow.”
Jiya raised an eyebrow as if saying, “I told you so.”
Reynolds went on, “Your sister has told the cult everything she knows, Emperor. They are using that information to sway your people and build the foundation of revolt among your citizens. They attacked your city with your own ships to bring them to their side.”
“But they struck only royal installations,” Krol Gow argued. “Why would people fear that since we informed them of such?”
Jiya couldn’t help but chuckle. “You mean, the government told them that only government installations were attacked? The same government that has kept their coming doom from them?”
The emperor covered his mouth and stared at the first officer. Reynolds could see realization creeping into his eyes and decided it was time to push harder.
“They were likely trying to kill you, Emperor—you and your council. That was why they attacked your installations,” Reynolds continued. “Who would sit upon the throne were you to die?”
“My…sister,” Krol Gow managed to choke out. “Aht Gow would become empress.”
He stood stiff as a board, reining in his panicked breaths at the thought.
“Wouldn’t that make things easier?” Jiya commented sarcastically.
“And she wasn’t with you when the attack happened, was she?” Reynolds pushed.
“No, but you have her,” he fired back. “You could have captured her before then.”
Reynolds nodded in agreement with the emperor’s logic. “She could have been, and technically she was. However, we did not take her from your compound. She left on her own, slipping past your gate guards, and covered herself in loose garb that hid her identity. She then traveled to an estate on the other side of Ulf.”
“You can check with your soldiers at the gate, and we can show you the home she visited,” Jiya added.
“Do you remember seeing her after we were escorted to the guest quarters?” Reynolds asked.
“Yes! She was with me until I went to—” The emperor paused, remembering. “Until I left to show you the devium-processing plant.” He drew a sharp breath. “She was not here when I returned.”
