Awakened Horror, page 14
He looked at me wearily. He briefly closed his eyes and on a heavy breath and his shoulders slumped.
“Tynan has detected hundreds of ships outside Gaia. He thinks it’s the entire Republic fleet.”
“Why does he want me?”
Faberson shook his head. “I can't say any more.”
Familiar metallic clicks and clacks suddenly echoed through the corridor. We looked up to see an Arachnobot visible behind a ventilation duct grate.
“Bitsy?” I exclaimed. My heart swelled with joy at the sight of my friend.
The robot jittered happily inside the duct.
“So that little critter is yours, aye?” Faberson inquired. “We’d given up on trying to catch it as it proved remarkably resistant to capture. Does it have aftermarket modifications?”
I nodded. “Oh yes, yes it does. I’ve missed you, buddy.”
Bitsy jittered again.
“Stay out of sight and find me when it’s safe!”
The Arachnobot jittered once more and then scurried out of sight. We listened to the waning sound of its footsteps and then Faberson turned to look at me.
“If you’ve had that running around the ship all this time … you’re owed more credit than I have given.”
“I didn’t tell it to do anything,” I replied, meeting Faberson’s gaze. “It’s just loyal and capable.”
Faberson furrowed his brow and pushed me forward, resuming our journey. I let the conversation lull, and we walked in silence the rest of the way. I contemplated where I’d left things before being frozen – the conversation with Tynan and his admission of experiencing guilt. Instead of the psychopath that the original Tynan had been, this clone was now human at best and sociopathic at worst. I was conscious of Zavis’s plan to have the new Empire destroy itself from the inside out – and Tynan’s guilt might just be the lever to pull to bring about that destruction.
As we entered the bridge, Faberson steered me straight to Tynan’s side, sat as usual in his captain’s chair. I felt Faberson’s firm grip as he tugged downwards, forcing me to my knees, and I found myself level with Tynan in his seated position. Tynan slowly rotated his head until he looked me in the eye.
“The traitor,” he whispered.
“Your Grace,” I replied.
A slight smile appeared on Tynan’s face.
That’s it – believe you are in control.
“The Republic didn’t take too kindly to the destruction of their fleet, it seems,” Tynan said sarcastically. “Now they’ve amassed all their forces and stationed them outside Gaia. Whilst this wouldn’t be good for me all on my lonesome, we have a bigger common enemy to fight now, don’t we?”
“Yes, Your Grace.”
“Now, I could tell them as much, but we both know it would mean fuck all coming from me. Coming from you, on the other hand …”
“I understand, Your Grace.”
“Good,” Tynan said with a nod. “Just to make sure we’re on the same page, if we are to have any chance of beating that machine, it’ll take our joint forces collectively hammering that Horror to take it down. We have the insight they need; they have firepower we need. But that union can’t happen if they shoot us out of the sky when we arrive.”
I had no desire to help Tynan avoid getting shot out of the sky, but it wasn’t just him on this ship, was it? The crew and my family, and myself, of course – we would all get shot down with him.
“Do we have an understanding?” Tynan asked.
“Yes,” I replied, with a little more venom than intended. “Your Grace.”
Tynan scowled. “Just because you add ‘Your Grace’ to the end of a sentence doesn’t mean you can speak to me however you want,” he said, slapping me up the back of the head.
“Of course, Your Grace,” I replied more neutrally.
“Attaboy. Now get over to the comms station and get ready. As soon as we exit warp, I want you sweet-talking the Republic.”
“Yes, Your Grace.”
I stood up and moved to the instructed station, then sat down and familiarized myself with the console. Time to prep my speech.
What the hell do I even say though? Yeah, hi, don’t mind my evil doppelgänger. Don’t shoot us. Please.
I glanced behind me to my left and saw Faberson sitting there.
“What’s our ETA until we exit warp?” I whispered.
Faberson looked away, pretending not to hear me.
“Come on, Faberson …” I insisted quietly. “What’s our ETA?”
“Two minutes. Now shut up.”
Fair enough. Okay, time to focus.
I had two minutes. What did I need to do? I started building a mental checklist. Open a channel. State who I am and my credentials. State what I want.
That had to be a good start, right?
Everything after that would have to be reactionary, said in response to … well, to what I say. Still, I could try to anticipate the things that might come up. Are we armed? Only rail gun and gauss cannon ammo, all other munitions expended. It’s a military vessel? Yes, but there are civilians onboard.
The telltale light changes of warp exit appeared outside the bridge windows, the colours shifting through their transitions.
“Get ready traitor,” Tynan drawled.
I looked out the window as the final light transitions occurred; violet turned to blue and then cleared to the star-studded universe, revealing Gaia in all her green glory. I felt my heart flutter as I gazed upon the world I considered home, a warmth spreading throughout my chest. But I had little time to appreciate the sight of her as I spotted the fleet positioned behind her, a chill replacing the warmth as my anxious heart skipped a beat.
“Fuck me,” Tynan breathed. “There’s got to be at least one hundred ships there – maybe even one hundred and fifty!”
I turned to the communications officer on my right. “Can you hail the fleet on all channels, please?”
The officer nodded and began tapping away at their console.
“We’re hailing them. No response yet.”
I watched their console while I waited for the indicator to show that they’d established a channel.
“They’re firing their rail guns at us!” shouted Helmsman Nerys.
The ship lurched to the right and then to the left; the crew held onto anything they could as Nerys tried to avoid the worst of the incoming bullet streams.
“Open a goddamn channel!” Tynan yelled as he clenched the armrests of his seat, his knuckles turning white from the pressure.
“We’re trying! We’re hailing them on all frequencies, but they’re not responding!” the communications officer shouted back.
“Prepare to return fire, then!”
“No!” I yelled. “If you do that, there’s no way they’ll communicate with us!”
A cascade of bullets bit into the Chupacabra’s side. Warning lights flashed across consoles all around the bridge.
“We’ve got hull breaches on decks two, three, five and seven!” Faberson shouted.
I looked at Tynan. “Don’t return fire!”
“What good will it do us if they tear us apart?” Tynan asked, his words tinged with an edge of panic.
“Just keep dodging – give them a moment to realise we aren’t returning fire and that we’re hailing them!”
“Fine!”
Another wave of bullets struck the ship, lighting up the consoles with another round of warning lights.
“More hull breaches! Decks one and six!”
The ship continued to lurch from side to side, and I kept a close eye on the console, but still our call went unanswered.
“They’ve stopped firing!” Nerys called out.
I watched the console indicators. Red. Red. Red. Green.
“Hello! Hello! This is Governor Raith of Gaia. We have civilians onboard; do not fire! I repeat: this is Governor Raith of Gaia. We have civilians onboard. Do not fire!”
There was silence on the other end of the line, and my heart pounded in my chest, hoping that there was someone receiving my message and they’d listened to what I’d said.
“Hello! Are you receiving me? This is Governor Raith of –”
“We are receiving you, Governor Raith. You are on an Empire ship, correct?” said a young male voice.
“Hi! Yes! Hi, um … yes, this is an Empire ship.”
“What the hell is going on, Raith?” said a recognisable voice.
“President Knox?” I asked.
“Yes, it’s me, Raith. Why on earth are you on an Empire ship?” the president demanded.
“That’s a long story, Madam President.”
“Well, you’d best tell it quickly, or I’m going to start shooting again.”
I heaved a heavy sigh and felt a wave of frustration wash over me at the lack of trust. I knew it didn’t look good, communicating from an Empire ship and all, but after all I’d done for the Republic, you’d think people would have a little more faith in me.
“The Empire intercepted the Stardove on its diplomatic mission to Akka. They cloned me and reconstructed Tynan Khidar’s mind by interpreting scar tissue within my brain. Tynan then destroyed the Republic fleet going to Akka’s aid.”
“Shut up!” Tynan hissed. “Don’t tell them that stuff!”
“No, you shut up!” I hissed back. “Least they shoot us down!”
I focused on my mic again – where had I been? Oh yes.
“I convinced Tynan to go to Akka’s aid, and we fought the vessel mentioned in Akka’s broadcasts but were unsuccessful in our offensive manoeuvres. We were able to rescue a few hundred civilians from Akka, though.”
There was silence on the other end of the line. Did they believe what I had said? Were they preparing for another volley of rail gun fire while we waited for an answer?
“If you travelled to Akka via the coordinates where we lost contact with the support fleet, a round trip to Akka should’ve taken you nine months but you’re three months late – how have you only just arrived here?”
I looked around the bridge, hoping someone would have an answer to that question.
Nery’s supplied the information, “Our warp systems were damaged during our asteroid-pushing manoeuvre.”
I gave an acknowledging nod and reopened the mic. “It has taken longer for us to reach you because our warp systems are damaged, Madam President.”
A deafening silence filled the bridge, the tension almost palpable. What were they thinking?
“Honestly, Raith, this doesn’t look good. Given your … past, tell me why I shouldn’t obliterate your ship where it stands?”
Sadness filled my voice as I replied, “Because you know me and we have civilians on board, Madam President.”
How much convincing did this woman need?
“You know that I, Raith, am not the same person as Tynan. Yes, the Empire needs to be disbanded, and Tynan needs to face justice for his actions, but I’m asking you to trust me when I say that this isn’t the time. There is a bigger threat out there, a threat that has destroyed Akka, and will probably head here next. We need to put aside our differences and unite to fight an enemy that threatens us all, regardless of our allegiances. Everything else can come later.”
More silence. I really wished they’d stop doing that.
“Yes, yes.” A heavy sigh sounded over the speakers. “I believe you, Raith. But only you, though – I don’t trust Tynan or the Empire, so how do you propose we work through this?”
Knox’s tone dripped with appeasement but not sincerity. Still, that was probably the most I was going to get out of her.
“Thank you, Madam President. We don’t have the luxury of formalities, so can we all verbally agree to a truce, please?”
“Yes,” Knox quickly replied.
Almost too quickly.
“Have Tynan go first,” she added.
There it is.
I looked over at my doppelgänger, a scowl on his face, presumably at the lack of the formal address he so enjoyed.
“Please, Your Grace. As you said earlier if we are to have any chance of beating the Horror, it’ll take our joint forces – we need to work together.”
“Fine.” Tynan snapped. “I, Tynan Khidar, do hereby agree to a truce.”
“Thank you, Tynan,” Knox replied, barely able to contain the smugness in her voice. “And I, Kylie Knox, President of the Republic of Humanity, also hereby agree to a truce.”
“Excellent – thank you both!” I said and felt a measure of relief. “Now, there is much that needs to be discussed, so I suggest that we each gather a delegation and head down to Gaia – think of it as neutral territory. Once we’re planet side, we can negotiate the terms of this relationship and decide how to combat the threat that hangs over us all. We’ll also offload all the civilians onboard. How does that sound?”
Another moment of silence from the other side.
“I can agree to that plan,” President Knox replied.
“As can I,” said Tynan.
“Thank you both for your cooperation! I’ll send through coordinates shortly, and we’ll meet on the surface.”
“Acknowledged. President Knox, over and out.”
I turned towards Tynan, smiling. “I think that went well.”
“It’s not over yet,” Tynan replied with a glare.
[)
To say that you could cut the air with a knife was an understatement. Two sets of chairs were arranged across from each other in one of Gaia’s many fields, with a stunning panoramic backdrop of snow-topped mountains and greenery in all directions.
Tynan was in the centre of one set of chairs, Ichirō to his right, Phobus and Lorcan to his left, and a dozen soldiers surrounding them.
President Knox and several high-ranking Republic officials were seated on the other side, protected by their own group of soldiers – equal in number to Tynan’s ensemble.
Despite my attempt to get all the civilians onto Gaia, Tynan had ensured that Amorina, Emma, and Zavis stayed on the Chupacabra to stop the Republic from destroying the only ship he had in the area.
“Thank you all for coming here today,” I said, standing in no-mans-land between the two sides. “I appreciate that a meeting like this would be strange on any given day … but these are strange times we find ourselves in … and in that context, perhaps this meeting isn’t so strange after all.”
When I wasn’t speaking, the atmosphere was heavy with tension as each side stared at the other in menacing silence. The pressure was on me to lead this negotiation calmly and constructively. With any luck, I’d be able to sweet-talk both sides into an alliance, regardless of how uneasy it may be.
“It is up to me to try and make peace between two sides that are so different because I, more than most, understand what it is like to have a past and a present that are so dissimilar to one another.” I glanced at both sides and could almost see the daggers soaring through the air.
“Cut to the chase, Raith,” Knox snapped.
“Yes!” Tynan agreed. “An action we can finally agree upon.”
Never mind that I’m trying to start things off calmly – no, they have to be all “hurry up Raith,” and “get it over with Raith.”
I inhaled deeply and reminded myself that I needed to be the guiding voice in this conversation.
“If either of you thinks this will be a quick and easy discussion, you are both sorely mistaken. If we are going to get through this discussion, it’s going to take some time. I don’t think I need to tell anyone how different each side is from the other.”
Knox glanced away – was that a hint of embarrassment I saw on her face?
“You’re right, and I apologise, Raith. The situation is obviously … tense, but we shouldn’t let that muddy the waters any further. Please continue,” President Knox said solemnly.
I nodded an acknowledgement and continued, “Under normal circumstances, the Republic would be well within its rights, and justifiably so, to detain, persecute, and punish Tynan and his loyalists for the crimes they have recently committed.”
Tynan snorted indignantly, but I ignored him and continued.
“Doing so here and now would weaken us more than can quickly be summarised, for there is a threat far greater than humanity’s internal ideological conflicts. We must either face it united or fall before it, divided.”
The president’s face was solemn as she leant forward. “You’ve talked about this threat, but so far, all we have are unsubstantiated claims. Provide us with some physical evidence, any piece of data that proves, without a doubt, that there is an imminent danger that needs to be addressed. We need proof, Raith – actionable proof!”
I sighed. “Madam President, if you could please just be patient and allow me to –”
“I don’t need to give you patience,” Knox interrupted. “I just need proof! If you can’t give me that, there’s no need to continue this charade, and I will end Tynan and his forces.”
“Earlier in space, I asked you if you trusted me. Please, trust me now. Trust me when I say that the threat out there is a threat to all of humanity.”
“I trusted you enough not to obliterate the ship you were on. To trust you now, when you’re asking me to work with a sworn enemy of the Republic, to fight a threat no one has given proof –”
“You want a description?” I snapped, tired of the mistrust. “I witnessed the Horror with my own eyes – a gargantuan machine that extended for half an astronomical unit! A machine that quickly and effortlessly shrugged off weapons of mass destruction like they were nothing more than BB pellets! A machine that caught an asteroid, split it in half and threw it back at us! Should I continue?”
Knox appeared a bit taken aback, and her stunned silence hung in the air as she raised her hands in a sheepish, apologetic gesture.
I cleared my throat loudly and inhaled deeply, calming myself down. “As I was saying before being interrupted again … Bitsy, please do the honours.”
I’d reunited with my Arachnobot on the journey down to Gaia, my companion having snuck aboard the dropship. I watched the faces of Tynan, Ichirō, and the advisors as they recognised the Arachnobot, their expressions changing into looks of disdain and resentment. Bitsy scuttled over to a hologram projector and activated it with a few precise clicks. The projection burst into life, displaying a dot – Akka – overshadowed by the monstrous form of the Horror.
