And here's the second part. Another old bit but something else incase anybody is interested. Also if anyone is interested DRAGON AGE! Again, this is another long one as it's for a proposed novel I've been slacking on for a long time. Enjoy :)
Chapter 2
Manticore
Saritha awoke for a brief moment to unfamiliar surroundings, the soft beep of a life support machine, the dripping of a tap, pattering feet. “The Kortai is our last hope,” she whispered to the empty room.
*
“Jump to light speed, Karl, now or we all get blown to hell!” a young woman shouted from her chair, mashing buttons at a console and looking at the radar screens in front of her.
“I’m trying to get the damn thing going,” Karl shouted back, a gruff looking man in his early thirties, “I think they hit the damn post light engine after we passed that last asteroid.” The ship rocked around as they were hit again by laser fire, from their adversary.
“Julia, can you do anything?” the young woman shouted again, touching even more buttons, sending the ship arcing away from an oncoming fighter. The hunted spacecraft, weaving between a pair of giant rocks in the ocean of stars, was badly damaged. Although the vessel was small and speedy, they were under attack and weren’t faring so well. Even smaller, one man fighters, sped around them, firing from insane angles, landing hits upon the deflector shield, slowly draining it’s power. A small fighter crashed into the port side asteroid, setting off a chain explosion, destroying the huge meteors, ravaging the vessels flying within their vicinity.
Further back in the cramped confines of the ship, a tall, blonde girl was picking herself up off the floor, chestnut overalls and face covered in grime and looking quite a mess. She was tinkering with a panel filled with wires, sparks flying everywhere. “Just one more minute!” Julia yelled back.
“You said that five minutes ago, damn you!” Karl roared from his console, “We can’t hold up much longer.” Another blast rocked the ship, sending Julia flying to the floor once again.
“Listen Julie, we can’t take much more. Just jump anywhere. We can always get to Kantara later, but not if we’re dead.” The woman piloting the ship was getting drastic, flying the ship through a group of oncoming fighters and upward to the surface of an asteroid. Craters and ravines littered the giant rock and picking one at random, she threw the ship down into one. She span the ship wildly into a valley, bumping a fighter into the canyon wall. The explosion shook the valley, knocking boulders loose, starting a rockslide in their wake. “Julia! I can’t keep this up much longer!”
“Almost done,” Julia yelled over the sound of laser fire in the distance. Grabbing two wires, she twisted the split ends together, creating yet more sparks. “Just two more minutes.”
The ship rocked again, and a panel behind Karl exploded in a plume of smoke. “Shields down! God damn it we’re screwed!” He jumped to his feet and started batting his jacket on the fire, “Julia, I’m sorry I forgot your birthday. And darling, I’m sorry I forgot our anniversary…again. If we get out of this I promise to do all the cooking and laundry for the rest of our lives. I promise to spend the rest of my days, to do nought but give you pleasure.”
“We’re about to die and all you can do is think about food and sex. I’d rather you stop whining right now, but I’ll take whatever I can get. Now shut up while I try to navigate these exceedingly treacherous passes!” The pilot screamed at Karl, all the while swinging the ship into dangerous bends and impossible overlapping ravines, trying to shake the much smaller fighters behind. All over the asteroid, small ships flew about, attempting to destroy the elusive prey.
Julia scrabbled to her feet again, and almost fell into Karl, who was just putting the fire out with an extinguisher, spraying white smoke everywhere. Plunging her hand back into the wires, she grabbed two more split ends and with her other hand grabbed a third. Twisting the three together as hard as she could resulted in a single spark. She looked at the panel, bewildered, before issuing a hard kick. “Work Damn You!” she screamed and the panel exploded, sending Julia flying into the wall behind.
“Julia!” shouted Karl, to his floored sister, as his console lit up and a few resounding beeps emanated from the panel she had been mending. He rushed from her side and slid into the chair, looking at the screens. “Weapons online, shields are back up, the hyperdrive’s on! Where to?” Karl yelled to the cockpit.
“Anywhere,” the pilot yelled, pulling the ship up and out of the ravine and away from the asteroid, “Just get us the hell out of here!”
Karl started punching in keys on the hyperdrive console, and the ship buzzed into life. All around the enemy were firing upon the ship, as they tried to make their escape. A loud whirring sound came from the panel Julia had been fixing and the ship shot through a violet hole in the black, away from the pursuing vessels.
*
“Where in the Holy Emperor’s name did they go!” roared Admiral Fazon, charging across the bridge of the OSS Reaper, throwing any soldier stupid enough to get in his way to the floor, his one good eye blazing with a fire deep within, ripping their way across the faces of the subordinates rallying around their master.
“They appear to have jumped to post light, sir,” a navigational personnel answered.
“I can see that, you blithering imbecile. Where have they gone?” the admiral roared, striking the man across the face with the back of his large, gloved fist.
“I am afraid I don’t know, sir,” the soldier answered timidly, holding his hand to his check, already turning purple “It would appear they do not know either, sir. A blind jump. I could try tracking them by their trail, sir?”
“Put it this way, soldier, if you don’t, I will make it my personal mission to make your short life as immeasurably painful as possible, and your family’s lives immeasurably hard, and any friends of yours who happen to see me, will be struck down where I see them. Do we understand each other?” Fazon looked into the young man’s face, fear oozing from him like sweat.
“P,p,p,p,perfectly, my Lord Fazon.”
“You will all die if they are not found,” Said Admiral Fazon, stalking to the window, and gazed out upon the scene of destruction, his blind eye staring unfalteringly, “This I swear in the name of the Emperor.” His troops ran to their stations in a panic, bumping into one another in their rush to do his bidding. The decimated remains of one of his battle cruisers, wallowed toward the asteroid field, exploding across the fractured hull. “You shall pay Kantaran brats. I will break you all in two, then enslave your miserable planet.”
*
“Julia,” Karl said softly to his sister as she started coming around on the floor where she had fallen, “Are you okay?”
Julia shook her head from side to side, then rubbed her eyes with her be-gloved hands. “Where are we? Have they got us? Are we dead?” she sounded even younger than she actually was, only sixteen and caught up in a huge mess with the crew of her ship. Not her ship precisely, but she was the navigator of the Shark, a Kantaran vessel on the run from the Operon.
“No, sis,” Karl smiled sweetly, “Charmai’s piloting and your engineering got us through it. We’re still post light, I figure we should put some distance between us before we drop out. Wasn’t it fun though!”
“You can’t call almost getting us all killed fun, you Melar crazed, junkie fool!” the pilot sneered at Karl, coming down the main chamber of the Shark. Her dark, earthy skin and her curly, black hair glistened with sweat, from the fear of capture, the effort of escape.
“C’mon Charmai, honey,” Karl laughed, “You can’t expect me to just do nothing when that faggot Fazon called you a banged up slut, now can you.”
“Well next time, wait until I’m actually at the wheel before you take pop shots at an Operon battle cruiser. Do you even consider what they’d do to us if we were caught? I’d be a banged up whore then. So would you. You better go make some dinner and do the dirty laundry, before I kick your ass from here to the Emperor’s private quarters!” Charmai didn’t look like she was kidding.
“Whoa there!” Karl protested, “That was panic talking. I thought we were gonna die! You can’t expect me to..”
“No Karl, I don’t expect you to keep your promise. After all you are a man…barely,” she gave Karl a knowing look, with a raised eyebrow, “Now get to the canteen and make us some grub, seeing as you nearly got us killed!”
“But…”
“I agree with Charmai, Karl. I could do with some food after the shock I’ve just had,” Julie batted her eyelids at him. Karl looked at the two women, “Please.”
“Oh…alright. But only because you said please,” Karl grumbled.
“You’ll do it or you’ll have to piss sitting down for a month,” Charmai put in, not a hint of jokiness in her voice.
Karl stood up and walked off to the crew quarters, further in the back of the ship, all the while mumbling something about ‘never working with damn women again’ and ‘that damn time of the month’. “Are you okay now, Julie?” Charmai asked, putting a hand to her forehead.
“Well I’ve felt better, but then again, I ain’t ever taken a twenty thousand volt shock to the chest before,” Julia giggled, then began to laugh quite raucously, “I suppose under the circumstances, I feel wonderful.” She got to her feet, with some help from Charmai, and wandered to the navigation console. “Whoa! Where the hell did we jump, we better drop soon. I think we left our galaxy.”
“What?” Charmai exclaimed, looking over Julia’s shoulder. According to the hyperdrive console they had travelled two thousand light years, and were moving further every second. “What the hell happened? What did you do to the post light engine back there?”
“I just bypassed a few systems. I think,” Julia began to suck her finger, looking from the console, to the panel she had repaired and back again, “Whatever I did, we should drop out of post light speed. If we’ve left the Chimaera Galaxy, we could end up pretty far from home. If the light drive doesn’t do what its doing now once we repair the ship, it could take us years to get home.”
“Permission to drop granted.”
“Aye aye, Captain.”
“Don’t call me that,” Charmai told Julia, who started giggling. She began punching in keys on the console and the ship rocked slightly as they dropped out of post light speed. The two women looked across the monitors of the console. “Where the hell are we?” Charmai exclaimed, eyes running across the screens and controls before her, “And why are there Operon cruisers orbiting that planet?”
“It seems to be that we’re in the Manticore Galaxy,” Julia said. Charmai, who looked more than a little puzzled, urged her on, “Newly discovered galaxy, found about three years ago. That planet is Terra, only human planet found so far. Apparently there is more than one sentient species there. Don’t you watch the news?” Julia looked to Charmai, who just shrugged.
“I never do. It’s all Operon lies and propaganda,” the older woman protested.
“True, but occasionally there is a gem or two worth hearing about,” Julia spoke while fiddling with the controls some more. “Her we are, Terra. Some guy, called Garelmar, discovered this place. Said it was full of psychics. Can you imagine, psychics. They’re extinct almost everywhere. We could sure use one on this bag of bolts.”
“That’ll be why the Operon are here then, ‘Come join our free republic. We’ll protect you from all your enemies and make your lands rich and fertile.’ Please! We should head somewhere else for repairs.”
“Weren’t you listening,” Julia asked, “This is the ‘only’ planet anyone has found in this galaxy with any sentient life. It’s the only place that could possibly repair the ship. And I mean possibly. They haven’t even developed any planetary defences by the looks of things.”
“Can’t we do it ourselves?” Charmai asked, already knowing the answer.
“No way. Couldn’t do it even if we had the supplies,” admitted Julia glumly, scanning the planet, “Most of the systems are fried and I need to look over the engine to find out if we can get back to Chimaera once it’s been repaired.”
“How long should it take?”
“Day? Two tops. That’s if we can get a few mechanics down there. Otherwise…a week, maybe ten days. I haven’t seen the full extent of the damage yet.”
“Well you sort out a suitable place to land and I’ll go check on Karl.”
“Sure thing, boss.”
Charmai left the console and the golden haired beauty to her musing and considerations, heading back to the crew’s quarter and the canteen. The Kortai Shark wasn’t a huge ship, but she owned it. More than five years at the pilot school in Farellia, on the planet of Kantara, and six more smuggling for an inter-stellar drug baron and she finally had her own ship and a legitimate business. Sure she stole from the Operon Empire, but those at war with the Operon considered it a job. The Shark was given to her by that drug baron, a shekk by the name of Dyrell Kynspor, for excellent service. He told her to keep flying as well as she did for him and the empire would be brought to it’s knees.
She’d been raised on a non empire planet by a father who hated the Operon for taking away his wife and two sons. When she was fifteen, he died on an attack upon an Operon outpost near her hometown, Palmera. Ever since she had been piloting and helping to liberate people from the Operon, hoping to avenge her father’s death by freeing Kantara. Now she was twenty eight and still no nearer her goal, perhaps even further from it than ever. No matter how much she stole, how many people they freed from the clutches of the Operon, new planets fell beneath the Emperor’s hand, increasing his hold on the three galaxies, four now that they were expanding into the newly discovered ‘Manticore’.
She entered the kitchen and there stood Karl, her life partner. Karl Ander was a pilot at her school, a few years above her, and they had met on a field exercise. After they both crash landed and spent more than a week making there way home, they grew to depend on each other and became ‘good friends.’ When he joined the Kantaran rebels at the end of his schooling, Karl promised to meet her after she graduated. Graduation came, but Karl didn’t and she got a job with Dyrell on the planet Llalamar, as a courier. After a few years, she was told what he did and was promoted to his pilot. Four years later, when she got the Shark, she returned to Kantara, only to be attacked by an Operon cruiser. Two of her four crew died in the firefight, and she was trying to escape when rebel ships attacked the Operon. Karl led the fighters and once they all escaped, she joined the rebels and Karl promised never to leave her side.
She couldn’t remember why she even considered having him back, but they proved to be the perfect team. Later, when Kantara was overrun, he insisted they rescue his kid sister, Julia, from his home. On their escape, Julia proved herself as an excellent mechanic, and a damn good job too as the rest of the crew were killed when some power conduits exploded. That was two years ago, and they’d been on the run ever since. Making small raids on the Operon ships and trying to help any who resisted. Now, Charmai and her crew were trying to find the rebels who had fled Kantara, with no luck.
It seemed like an age ago, and they had all changed. Julia was now taller than Karl, making him the shortest on the Shark. His face had become a little scarred, but he now wore a beard to cover the majority of it, but she still loved him. Even at thirty two, his black hair was showing grey, and his muscular strength wasn’t exactly that of Mr. Universe. But he was so stubborn and funny, and though she hated to admit it, reliable, she wondered what she’d do without him.
“How’s the food coming along, Karl.”
“Oh, so she shows her face,” He said sarcastically, “First she abuses me, then treats me like a slave, then abuses me again…fine darling. Should be ready in a few minutes.” He smiled a warm, open smile, “So, where are we, I felt us drop from post?”
“Bit of a problem there,” Charmai winced, “We’re in a different galaxy. Julie thinks she’s done something to the post light drive. We’re going to have to land on a planet for repairs. Full of sentients, and psychics apparently.”
“Sounds nice. What about the OP?” he asked sardonically.
“Another problem there. Seems they’re making a hostile take-over of the planet, and we can’t land anywhere else because there’s no more sentient life in this galaxy, or so some crackpot says.”
“Oh great. I’m sorry I asked.”
The intercom crackled into life and Julia began speaking, “This an announcement on flight one-o-one to Terra. We shall be landing at Candor in Mysidia in approximately thirty two minutes. Repairs will take two days, thanks to the lovely people at the Candori Gateway to the Beyond. Thank you for travelling with the Kortai Shark.”
“Well, looks like we’re going to see some people,” Charmai winked, “I’d better go freshen up. Can’t have the captain seen like this.”
*
The medical wing of the ST, enveloped in the darkness of early dusk, was deserted and still. Not a single sound penetrated the blank, white halls. Like a maze of disinfected corridors, solemnly waiting to encapsulate disease in a deathly grip and dispel all infection from the student populace of the college. Well past the end of the day, all doors were locked, not only keeping intruders out, but patients in. The infirmaries lay to the west side of the college, close to the forests, so the bed ridden could be granted bird song, in the late morning hours. This night however, the sanctity of the infirm, was to be broken.
“Look, Egar,” Mera yelled at the red headed shroud in the darkness, fury flying, like shuriken, from her tongue, “I’m grateful you came along, but if all you can do is moan about getting caught and spending the night in jail, I’m leaving you here. We’re going to find Sari and you could at least try enjoying yourself.” The pair were dressed entirely in black, skulking across the least secure area around the college, the forest on the west side of the grounds. An owl watched the display from on high, before leaping into flight, worrying all manner of forest vermin as it flew, like a spectre, across the canopies above.
“I’m not moaning,” Egar complained, putting on the face of a child about to throw a major temper tantrum, “I’m just saying, if we’re caught we won’t see Sari for a few days.”
“Do you wanna see her or not,” Mera said, stopping and turning to Egar, who almost walked clean into her, while planting balled fists on her hips.
“Course I do,” Egar shrugged, trying to avoid Mera’s scowl burning a hole in his face, “It’s just…”
“Good. Well if you shut up and help, we’ll get there a lot quicker. Now, pass me the wire cutters.”
Grudgingly, Egar reached under his cowl, and produced a pair of wire cutters, small enough to fit in the palm of a hand. “Surely this is classed as vandalism? Or wanton destruction? Are you sure we aren’t breaking the law?”
“Oh live a little, ya wimp,” Mera barked, “Honestly, you’d think you’d never broken into somewhere before.” The two criminals, made their way through the trees again, disturbing a small grey fox, that decided the owl fluttering overhead, was a bit of a bother to try and catch.
Egar looked around nervously from beneath his hood, staring at all the pairs of eyes watching him from everywhere in the darkness. “Are you sure these woods are safe?” he asked Mera nervously.
“I never said the woods were safe. Why? Scared?” Inclined Mera, giving him a sly wink, “Don’t worry, I’ll protect you from any big, nasty shrews that try to get you.” She laughed aloud at herself, scaring away a blue, nut squirrel from the branches overhead, into the waiting clutches of the owl.
They broke into a run, crouched slightly, and became near invisible, if not totally silent. The pair ran for the best part of fifteen minutes, Egar falling to his face more than once, which made Mera kick him a few times in annoyance, before finally nearing the edge of the forest and the start of the ST compound. They stopped, crouched beside a tree, watching the walls for security guards, listening for any possible assailants that would keep them from their crime’s bounty. With none in sight, Mera ran to the fence, which was more there to keep animals away than intruders, and began clipping away the links in the fence.
“Mera!” Egar whispered to her, as loudly as he could, waving frantically to the man walking around the corner, towards where she knelt. Seeing the guard, she rolled flat to the ground, and began crawling away from the fence, closer to the encapsulating bleakness of the wood. The guard whistled nonchalantly to himself, as he slowly strode around the bend and along the edge of the building, occasionally stopping to flash his torch across the face of the wood, narrowly missing Egar’s face twice. After a brief moment, stretching and scratching his unmentionables, for a little too long in Mera’s opinion, the guard carried on his route, out of sight of the fence. Mera lay still for a few moments, looking back to Egar for confirmation of their safety, before crawling back to the fence and snipping the last few links away. She grasped the large circle of wire she had clipped away, leaning it beside the fence, then clambered through the hole, checking the other side for activity, before waving for Egar to follow.
Sweet smells of medicinal substances drifted around the cold interior of Saritha’s room, in the medical facility of the ST. A low, quiet beep sounded every few seconds, from the machines she was hooked up to, and occasionally she would snort, while rolling around fitfully, in her sleep. The door creaked open and Mera peered around the edge, before rushing off again. Something, made of glass, smashed in the distance, then footsteps came running to the door. “We should be quiet, in case that bitch nurse comes back,” Mera spoke quietly to Egar, as the pair brought a chair into the room each, and sat beside their friend. “Honestly, you’d think people would have the decency to sleep when you’re trying to break into somewhere.” She looked at Saritha, lying upon the bed, breathing slowly and deeply, setting the chair beside her bed. “So what actually happened? I heard she went nuts and started screaming in the middle of a lecture.”
“It wasn’t that so much,” Egar said, looking at Saritha’s pale face, “She sorta drifted off when we were in a lecture with that weird doctor guy. I prodded her, but she didn’t respond. When I asked if she was okay, she screamed and started saying something about ‘them killing us all’.” He looked awful, like he’d been worrying about her most of the day. His hair was quite messy and stuck upon his pale skin in places.
“I got quite worried when she didn’t meet me by the fountain at eleven,” Mera whispered, “Then I heard some of the popular girls, they were saying Sari’s a nutter. It was Jarra Maelbare and Fay Effanni. I suppose I shouldn’t have hit Jarra, not seeing as what’s happened. It wasn’t her fault.” She burst into tears and Egar grabbed her and held her while his friend cried into his shirt. They sat together like that for a long time, holding each other in sorrow for their friend.
“She’ll be alright Mera,” Egar reassured her, “She always bounces back.” He brushed a trembling hand through her shoulder length, jade hair and rubbed her back softly. “Like when she got caught in the energy cooler at the Gateway, or when she jumped into that gang of speeder bike freaks and beat up three guys. We just have to give her a little longer.” Mera cried herself to sleep in the arms of Egar and he waited, stroking her hair and holding her close, until his eyes could stay open no longer, and he drifted off.
*
A lone ship, not very big, a small transport possibly, descended into the atmosphere of Terra. Saritha watched from the clouds, gaze transfixed on the vessel as it fell towards the spaceport of Candor. She walked down an invisible staircase, following the ship to the ground. Leaping down, Saritha looked across the vessel, taking it in. She had seen it before. Where had she seen it? They came to the ground, in the spaceport’s west side, above a cloud of steam, landing gears easing weight on the hard surface. “The Kortai Shark,” Saritha said to herself. “The Kortai Shark?” She tried to get her mind around the words. “The…Kortai…Shark. The…
*
…Kortai Shark,” Saritha said as she sat up, straight in her bed, looking at the wall perpendicular to herself. She looked around the room in a panic, wires in her arms, wearing a white shift, ‘Where am I?’ The life support machines, the heart monitors, two people sat together beside the bed. Mera and Egar? “What happened to me?”
Mera’s eyes opened and she looked at her friend through groggy eyes. “Sari? You’re awake,” Mera said excitedly, “We’ve been waiting with you all night.”
“Where am I…I mean we. Where are we?”
“Don’t you remember? You went nuts in a lecture,” Mera peered at her friend cautiously, “Started screaming and passed out. Right next to Egar. He’s been scared out of his skin for you.”
Saritha looked at the sleeping Egar, sitting on the chair, with his head hanging at a funny angle. “I think I remember. Doctor Auberg?” she puzzled about her thoughts, trying to recall what had happened in the engineering lesson. Thought skittered through her mind, brushing her memory, yet not for long enough to be brought to the surface, “I remember the hologram. He showed us some of the Operon ships. They…they…”
*
Burning fire, destroying Terra, ravaging the land, killing, maiming all upon the surface. “Give it to us.” A voice roared across the fields of death. “Give it NOW!” The ships descended upon the world, bringing the merciless wrath of torture with it. Slavery, depravity, pestilence. War. Soldiers in red, blood. Soldiers, taking all. Pillaging, raping, spreading their disease to the pure. Taking from the kind, butchering the light.
*
Saritha grasped her head, seemingly in pain, face wracked by an unseen agony, burning the flesh from her bones. “Get out of my head!” she screamed, waking the sleeping Egar with a start, Mera flinging herself back and away in disbelief and shock, fell from her chair, landing on the ground in a heap.
“Sari! Sari can you hear me?” Egar shouted, grabbing and gently shaking her from the nightmare vision. Her eyes swung upon Egar, disillusioned, wide with fear. “Sari, are you alright?”
She panted heavily, closing her eyes. “What is happening to me?” she sobbed into her hands, “Am I going crazy?” She looked into Egar’s face, her bright, emerald eyes full of tears, “What is going on?”
“I don’t know Sari,” Egar owned up, “I honestly don’t know. Why do you keep…keep doing that. What is going on in your head?” He looked at her, his eyes looking far less stern than his face.
“Don’t ask her such a stupid question Egar, you fool,” Mera leapt to her feet and stood between Egar and Sari, “She doesn’t know what’s happening, or weren’t you listening?” She pushed Egar down into his chair, rounding on Sari, “Are you okay? No, don’t speak. Would you like a drink of water? I’m sure that’ll clear your head,” Mera turned to Egar, “Go get Sari a drink, I’ll stay with her.” Egar stared at Mera for a moment, his eyes showing a flaming anger. “Please Egar.” His eyes changed a little, surprise?
“Okay,” he said quietly, subserviently.
“Thank you, Egar,” Mera acceded.
Egar turned and left the room, not sparing a glance for the two girls. Once the door closed, Mera got on the bed with Saritha, and held her in her arms, the pair sharing a loving embrace. “I’m scared Mera.”
“Me too Sari. Me too.”
Saritha sipped at the cool water, easing the liquid down her throat, soothing her dry mouth. The girls sat together on the bed, with Egar relaxing on the chairs he had only an hour before been sleeping upon. A skeleton staff had started to enter the ST, preparing the college for another day. Confusion had erupted when a nurse appeared to check on Saritha, several minutes previous.
“How did you get in here. And what are you doing on Miss Bellion’s bed?”
“We’ve been here all night, miss. We fell asleep waiting for Sari to wake up,” Mera lied excellently, after the amount of trouble she had got into, she needed to.
“You let us come in,” Egar bluffed emphatically, “before you shut up for the evening. I’m surprised you don’t recall.”
The nurse looked at the pair, a worried look creasing her smooth forehead, “Well, why are…”
“Sari’s feeling much better now,” said Mera, wrapping an arm around her friend’s shoulder.
“Yes. I asked Mera to sit with me awhile,” Saritha put in, grabbing Mera in much the same fashion, “Could I have my clothes back soon. I’d like to get some food.”
“Well….I’ll just have check with the matron. I’ll have some porridge sent round,” the nurse waddled out of the door, and the rooms occupants burst into laughter, falling about with the ease with which they’d conned the nurse.
“Are you feeling better now? Do you know what was wrong?” Mera asked, a little nervous her friend would lapse into another fit.
“Remember,” Saritha said quaintly, “I told you I’ve been having…dreams?” The pair nodded, “I had one in the lecture, when I saw the ship on the holo projector.”
“But you were awake. I was sat right with you,” Egar acclaimed.
“I know, but it clouded over me. It was like a vision.” Saritha brushed a hand across her face, “The Operon are here to destroy us.”
“How do you know that? We don’t even know what they’ve come for,” Mera looked around the room, “Well they ain’t come for us yet so we might get lucky.”
“I’ve had more dreams though. I think we’re in real danger.”
“But why do you think that?” Egar asked, “What do you see?”
“I don’t want to…don’t know if I can…it’s not good. It feels as if…as if I’ve been on the ships. Feels like…”
“Feels like you can hear the thoughts of the passengers. Can feel what they want, what they need. You feel as if you are standing upon the bridges’ of the ships all at once and are at one with their intent. Is that what you feel?”
“Doctor Auberg?” Saritha exclaimed, disparately staring at the black clad man in the doorway, “What are you doing here? How do you? How can you?”
“I know what you see,” he spoke softly, his voice caressing her ears, “Don’t you understand yet? Don’t you feel it?”
“What are you talking about, you quack?” Mera shouted, squaring up to him, “How did you get in here?”
“Well I didn’t break in, did I, Mera Rendar?”
Mera looked at Auberg, “How did you…”
“Know your name? Know that you and master Sandrelous broke into the college?” he stared Mera down, as she backed away, falling onto the chair next to Egar. “Don’t worry, no one knows of your crime…”
“I told you we were breaking the law,” Egar scolded.
“…and I shan’t tell.” He walked into the room and stood beside the bed, “Now, are you feeling better, Saritha?” Auberg felt a hand against her forehead.
She grabbed his hand from her. “How do you know this? How can you? Tell me.”
“Much better,” Auberg said, “If a little defiant. You should already know,” He turned away, walking to the door and closing it, “You, Saritha, are a psychic.”
Thursday, 12 November 2009
Monday, 5 October 2009
ring of blue ice - chapter 1
know this is quite long but it's something i've been working on for years and it's what i'm very proud of. general background is i started working on a fantasy novel and have work done based around that, but this is some sci-fi, basically the same planet, places and general families, but set further in the future, not too far from where we are. hope it's enjoyed, if it is i'll stick some more up :)
Chapter 1
Awakening
Stars glittering throughout the infinite nothingness of space, burning holes in the eternal night. Life drifts by unaware of the forces at work, playing with the lives of the mortal, shaping the destinies of man. Civilizations rise and fall, suns are born and die, but life goes on, tentatively waiting out its destiny in the endless reaches of time, never sure when and where it shall play its part.
*
Space is still, all but for a shimmering line upon it’s surface, a violet cloud upon a sheen of lifeless black. As if by some form of magic, an opening appears, revealing darkness in the distance, and through the hole a ship speeds through, towards a small planet. The hole closes once more, leaving no trace of ever being in its wake. The ship, a huge vessel, a construct of man, a traveller from far away worlds, proceeds to the shining orb. Terra, a world with a long history of conflict and destruction, now united. One world, one people. All creeds and races as one. A true example to the rest of sentiency. But it has been done before. Not just one planet but many. A vast galactic empire, free from war and hate. Free from strife and struggling together as one. Terra is for the first time to see just how free the Operon empire will make them.
*
Saritha jerked awake in a cold sweat, black hair plastered to her soaked chest, back and shoulders, breathing hard and looking around herself scared and confused. “Only a dream,” she whispered to herself, closing her eyes in relief. Flipping back the damp sheets of her bed, she swung her legs out of bed and searched for her slippers in the darkness with her feet. The moonlight reflected against her pale, milky skin, mirroring it’s radiance in her dazed beauty. Fitting her toes in the light slippers, she got to her feet and moved toward her bathroom doorway. Her room wasn’t especially large, black with only a few pieces of furniture. Bed, bookcase, a wardrobe fitted in the wall and a desk with her personal computer set atop. She enjoyed simplicity, even if her friends thought her a fool for it. Reading is for idiots, they would say to her, even though to appreciate a book you would need to be more than idiotic. “Lights,” she yawned, as she reached the door, at which moment the door opened and lights came on, revealing the mass of clothes strewn across her floor and the en-suite she had argued with her mother long hours for.
She turned the taps of the bath, and water sloshed into the tub, as she turned to look in the mirror. Saritha looked weary. For weeks, since her seventeenth name day, she had been experiencing the most strange, and vivid dreams. Now she had seen one of Terra from the beyond, and a ship of the stars approaching from a…a gate in the stars. In all her time studying the beyond and ships, she had never heard of or seen such a phenomena. Holes in space? Maybe she was losing her mind. Opening her green eyes further, she moved closer to the mirror and looked further into the deep emeralds…
*
A hole opened in space, a violet cloud upon a sheen of lifeless black, and several ships of varying sizes passed through and on toward Terra. Many people upon those ships, thousands, emissaries from another world, coming to join the Terran people, coming to take the Terran people away. Saritha knew this like she knew the sky was blue and grass green. She knew because she was upon those ships, part of the ships, speeding through space like a wolf hunting it’s prey, in stark moonlight. They would destroy Terra and take her away…
*
Saritha ripped her head away from the mirror, even more wide eyed, staring to the floor and the water overflowing from the bath. The cascading waterfall and shallow lake on her bathroom floor. “The god’s be damned. I must be going insane.” She turned off the taps and pressed the release pedal beneath the sink. The water began flowing through the plug hole, to the cleaners and recycler, slowly emptying the bath of water, now just receding from the rim. She pulled off her sweat soaked nightdress and threw it to the pile of laundry in the corner of the pale blue room. She dropped several towels on the floor, to soak up the spillage, before relieving herself at the lavatory. She stepped across the wet towels, damp sloshes sounding beneath her feet, and lifted the release pedal, stopping the water flow out of the bath.
Testing the heat with her fingers a little, she plunged her hand into pool and closed her eyes. She played with the water, creating a whirling, torrent in the middle, before removing her hand, and drizzling some lavender soaking oils into the fluid cyclone. Removing her slippers, she played her toes across the waters surface, before stepping in and sliding her naked form down into the tub. As the water spread across her body, the aches not relieved from her restless sleep plunged away, aches from a late night spent amidst other sweating bodies. Saritha sank beneath the hot, clear waters of the bath, and let herself drift.
*
“So, this is Terra.” a voice came, from the silhouette by the window, “Have you found anywhere suitable to land?” The man gazed across the face of Terra, scanning the surface for anything of interest. He stood upon the bridge of a large space vessel, in orbit of the planet. The ship of an alien race, looked old, of an archaic design, when compared to the other ships in its presence. More blocky, and cubic, than the sleek, streamlined vessels around her, she seemed likely to fall apart.
“We have hailed several of their settlements,” a shorter man said to his commanding officer, the slightly nervous looking man, seemed to sweat a lot and involuntarily moved away whenever the taller man moved, as if afraid of being struck. “They are all asking for the specifications of our ship. Most don’t seem to have large enough spaceports.”
“Well keep looking anyway. We have an obligation to get to the surface and if that means sending a smaller vessel down so be it,” the officer looked at his subordinate, “And carry on the search for their planetary defences. I don’t care what that damn boffin said, they must have some kind of defences. I want to know, immediately, of any change in the situation.” The commander began walking toward the rear side of the bridge, an elegant stride, like royalty.
“As you command, General.”
*
“Saritha!” a voice called from further into the house, “Breakfast’s ready.”
“I’m just finishing in the bath, mother,” she called back, before groaning and dragging herself from the loving embrace of her bath. She pressed the release pedal once more and grabbed a towel from the rail, wrapping the pink cloth around her back and tying the ends beside her left breast. Humming a tune to herself she wandered to her room and fell on her bed, grabbing a brush from the desk. Running the fine teeth through her thick, silky hair. Another day at the college of star ship and space travel studies. Saritha was in her final year of learning the ins and outs of the beyond and its manipulation. She excelled in her studies, a very able pupil, but was growing weary of all the theory. She longed for escape in her own ship, to explore the reaches of the galaxy. To visit the ‘Rings of Damasc’s third moon’, to duck and weave along the asteroid sea, to trek the deserts of Hamar IV, but it would be years before she ever got away from this place. She barely had enough money for a flight to one of Terra’s moons, let alone a star ship of her own, and that was before she’d used it to book a club for her band’s opening night.
Finished with her hair she dropped the towel and rummaged through her wardrobe for a fresh set of clothes. A slightly baggy pair of black pants and a bellybutton exposing, pink top today, she decided. Maybe I should wear a jacket too? She pondered the thought before her mother shouted again. “I’m coming damn you!” Saritha yelled. That woman has no patience,” she mused as she grabbed the jacket, featuring her favourite speed metal band, and walked out to the hall. Wide, decked in sky blue walls and carpeting only a shade darker, she headed to the kitchen and her waiting mother.
Leigh Bellion, Saritha’s only living relative, beside her grandmother, was a beautiful woman, hardly touched by age, with perfectly chiselled features and a thin set of rosy lips. Silvery, black hair, tied back from her face in a tail, rolled down her back, close to her slender waist. She had always been very slim, with a small bosom, and dark, penetrating, obsidian eyes, studied the data screen on the table, watching the morning’s news. She sat in the dining room, eating her breakfast slowly, taking in the events she viewed with placid, solemnity. “Its on the sideboard,” she said without looking up, as her daughter came to the doorway. Saritha loped over to the kitchen, past the dining room, and on the left. The large room, full of cupboards, a fridge and the new instant cooking device, cost a small fortune, all in tones of the same sky blue used throughout the halls. On the side was a plate of poached gwar eggs and wild mushrooms. Saritha opened a cupboard and took a large bun, and a knife from the cutlery drawer. Taking the plate she slowly walked into the dining room and waited for her mother’s lecture to come.
Saritha sat down, opposite her Leigh in almost total quiet, the only noises, the low voices emanating from the data screen and the knife occasionally clicking on her mother’s plate. “In late again last night, I see,” Leigh said, eyes still on the data screen.
“Yes, mother,” Saritha replied in sullen tones. Not even trying to win the argument which would surely come, she sliced into the bun and began to butter it.
“With Mera again, I take it?” Again with the rhetorical questions. Now would come the ‘she’s a bad influence’ speech.
“Yes. We went to a concert. I told you last week.”
“Oh, last week. And why didn’t you remind me?” Leigh looked up at Saritha with those penetrating eyes, “Its a good job I don’t worry anymore, but when you wind up dead or raped, don’t blame me.”
“I won’t, mother.” Keep calm. I am serenity personified. She layered an egg and some of the smaller mushrooms onto the bun.
“You know that Mera is a bad influence. You could have at least called to say you’d be home late. Your dinner had to be thrown out again,” Leigh’s eyes went back to the data screen, “You know I hate wasting food.”
“And I presume you never wasted food and never came home late and never had any fun, because you’re perfect,” Saritha intoned sarcastically, taking a bite from the sandwich and looking down at the plate.
“Very funny, madam, but you forget I pay for the food when you squander your cash on crap and those fool projects of yours.”
“My band is not a ‘fool project’ and its my money. I earned it!” So much for serenity.
“And do I not earn my money. Should I just waste my money and let us starve? You could at least call home sometimes!”
“I am sick of this! You can stuff your food,” throwing down the rest of the food on the plate, “I’ll stay with Mera at her place for a while.” Saritha turned from the table and stormed off to the front door. Grabbing her bag she shouted, “And you can apologise to me for a change next time.” With that she opened the door, rushing out down the street to the bus stop.
*
Leigh sat at the table still staring at the data screen. Bloody child. I wish she would learn some respect. Worrying me senseless and staying out all night. If only her father were still here to… no. He’d be no use. Stupid lay-about. She sighed. Flicking the data screen off, Leigh rose and took the leftover breakfast and walked into the kitchen. Well she’ll be back in a few days and she’ll need money and Baka knows what else. Leigh dropped the food in the disposal, and the plate in the dishwasher, turned to get her keys from the table, and set off to work. I can’t wait till she comes home.
*
The college of star ship and space travel studies, or the three ST as it was known to pupils, was built over an area of more than two kilometres square, having both above ground and below ground sections. Above ground, buildings sprawled across the land, in both strange and perfectly formed geometric shapes, the oldest of which only fifty or so years, when space travel had become the norm, while the below ground facilities, built around a rocket launch pad were the oldest buildings of the college, made before the declaration of world peace, over four hundred years ago. A vast forest to the east buzzed with life, both exotic birds and rodents, as well as pupils of the ST. To the north of the complex, the starship docking bay, a large grey, metal building with a retractable roof. A flurry of activity this early in the morning, students making their way on excursions and college trips to the three moons of Terra, and several inbound cargo ships, bringing the day’s supplies. In the south, the great man made reservoir of Tillia, built by the great King when the world war began, more than four hundred years past, when supplies became in short demand and constant threat of death was upon the people of Terra.
Toward the western edges, the capital city of Mysidia, Candor, stretched further than the eye could see, a sprawling metropolis of life. Huge tower blocks at the centre, marking the big businesses and the High seat of Mysidia, where the high council meet. Further out are the smaller building of the main city, where most of the business is done and also where the spaceport is located, a kilometre of docking bays and building, a starship development area and the launch pad for the orbital satellites. In the third area of the city, dwell the people. Huge areas of residential space and apartment buildings, spread across the face of where Candor had stood for thousands of years, the jewel of Mysidian craftsmanship. It is here Saritha lives, on the east edge of the city, equally close to the business district and the three ST. And it is the ST her hover bus is speeding toward, her home for the past five years, being taught the finer points of mechanics, engineering, piloting and manufactory and design of ships.
She loved the work, but coming to the end of her time was a long haul. The time now dragged endlessly, and her social life was making it hard to keep up with studies and spend time with Mera Rendar, her best friend for longer than she could remember. Saritha watched the passing homes as the bus sped by, wishing she could get off thus damn planet to somewhere nice. Only three days till the spring holiday, she thought. Me and Mera should go away for a while. Somewhere nice and hot.
“Hey girl,” the driver shouted, “Stop daydreamin’. We at the school now young pup.” Saritha looked up to the driver, staring at her. The tall, wide black man’s braided hair spilled across his grey uniform, obscuring his badge from the official guild of professional drivers. “Well girl. You gonna sit there all day?”
She stood nonchalantly, and swaggered past, giving an evil stare to him all the way to the steps off of the bus. Turning to walk down to the pavement in front off the ST. There the college symbol, made in a statue of bronze, halfway up the crescent stairs, the college founder. Lord Areth Brinmar, the first man to travel at a speed exceeding that of light. A true inspiration, made you want to be the first to do something of such grand importance, but now there was nothing of importance to do. No war, nothing that hasn’t been done before, equal rights instilled in society with perfect harmony, the only thing worthy of attention now was the band. And that wasn’t exactly going as planned, but with the Club Aox booked for tonight, everything was fitting into place. Finally life was making a little sense.
Traipsing up the stairs, almost drunkenly, Saritha looked through her bag for her daily planner, not looking where she trod. “Hey Sari,” screamed a voice, as a young woman jumped out from behind the statue of Areth. Saritha just kept walking past, not noticing anything other than her bag.
“Sari?” the girl asked putting a hand on Saritha’s shoulder. Saritha swung about face, tripping over her own feet and landing on the steps, bottom first. She stared up at the other girl, taking a moment to recognise her in the early morning light.
“Hi Mera. Sorry, I was miles away.”
“You’re telling me,” Mera laughed. Her light jade hair, waving as her head rocked, filtering light through to her thin rosy face, “You look like you’ve been up all night. Did you even go to bed?”
“Yeah. I had another of those dreams. A ship flew through a hole in space,” Saritha said, almost trembling, “It was strange. I’ve never seen a ship like it before. It was immense, bigger than the ST maybe.”
“You’re sure having some strange dreams lately,” Mera sounded a little troubled, “First that attack on Terra, now a strange ship. It’s just a little weird, what with that new vessel landing in the city.”
“A new ship? When did it land? Where’s it from?”
“Landed last night. About three in the mornin’. From another part of the galaxy, somewhere called the Operon Empire. Meant to be a federation of planets. According to the news today, it spans four galaxies. The crew of the ship has gone to see the High Council.”
Saritha’s eyes lit up. People from another galaxy. The ships must be amazing, so fast. “We’ve gotta see that ship!” she shouted at Mera, “When do you get off. I finish in two hours.” The idea of visiting another galaxy was too much.
“You’re a little ahead of yourself now,” Mera exclaimed, “There are a few ships in the spaceport. They’re from the empire too. Or so the news said”
A bell rang in the distance, the lesson call. The girls looked around to the distraction. “Well I’ll see you in two hours by the fountain. I’ve got to get to my physics lecture,” moaned Mera, “I just wish old goat face Herman wasn’t so boring. He could talk the hind legs off a donkey.” She continued to mumble and complain to herself as she walked away to the main entrance.
Saritha looked to the statue. Areth Brinmar. The first man to reach the outer most reaches of the galaxy, the first man to travel at plus light speed. Saritha Bellion, first woman to travel to another galaxy. “Sari! Are you coming, or do you think I’m talking to myself for fun,” Mera was standing at the ST main entrance, hands on hips, with a scowl like her mother. “I’m comin’,” Saritha called, taking one last look at Areth, before dawdling over to her waiting friend.
*
“So Sari, did you see Bastion play last night. Heard they were a riot.” Egar Sandrelous, Saritha’s lab partner for the past two years wasn’t much to look at. Even though he had once been a handsome lad, years spent experimenting in the various sciences, and some huge disasters had marked him. His wiry, ginger hair sat his head like a dishevelled mop, and pocks marked the left side of his face from a small mishap in a micro biology experiment before he transferred to the ST. He had kind eyes though. A rich and deep blue, and what he had lost in good looks, he more than made up for in personality and sense of humour. An avid music lover, they had spent a lot of time together at concerts in the past few years, and even though neither were romantically attached, they were too much like brother and sister for anything to have happened.
“You would not believe me if I told you. We got to the front of the stage and Mera threw her bra at Billy. Landed on one of his cymbals. They played for three straight hours with no interval. They rocked out of this world. I’m sorry you had to work late, you would have loved it.”
The engineering labs, held some of the bigger classes, almost forty students in the smallest and over sixty in the largest. Saritha’s was somewhere in the middle with forty seven. All the labs were virtually the same. Desks built for two, big enough to take pieces of engines on to meddle around with. Row upon row of desks, Four columns and six rows, with the huge desk for the pair of teachers at the front. This lab had a row of windows on the right, looking out to the fountain in the quad, a square courtyard. The lecturers at the front waited impatiently for the guest speaker, while drinking some form of morning stimulant juice. Today they were being visited by an expert in starship design and manufacture, Dr. Lans Auberg. A pioneer in the field, he was a member of the High Council, before retiring to work on the second moon of Terra, Argo. Dr. Auberg was to lecture the class on starship modifications and various uses for certain classes of ships, but Saritha had a different plan in mind.
“Egar,” Saritha pined, “Have you heard about the empire ships come to Candor?”
“Who hasn’t. It was all over the news this morning. Why do you ask?”
Damn mother. If she weren’t so stuck up I’d have seen at least a little about the damn thing. “Oh, it’s just that this Doctor used to be on the High Council, so maybe we could, y’know, extract some information.”
“You mean pump him full of questions and harass him until he has to tell us something,” a wily grin spread across Egar’s face, “Sounds fun! Hey, Rod!”
As Egar began to tell some of the other students to pass word along to help with the interrogation, Saritha looked out of the window she sat beside, gazing up into the bright, cloudless, blue sky. Two ships traced across her vision, heading down toward Candor, two ships she had never seen the likes of before. More of the empire ships, no doubt. If only I could get a look at one of them.
“If I may have your attention please,” lecturer Unas, a fuzzy faced, wrinkly man, called over the voices of chatting people, “I am pleased to announce our guest speaker is here. Can you all give a warm welcome, to the eminent Doctor, Mr. Lans Auberg.”
A flurry of clapping began, Saritha started half-heartedly, and then he entered, not a handsome man, more beautiful. Long, dark hair, dark eyes, but the most pale skin, wearing a black coat, of some kind of leather, reaching his boots, black trousers and shirt, black gloves. He almost glided into the room, exuding an air of utmost confidence and grace. His form commanded respect. The clapping subsided a little, as if all were stunned by his appearance, but then rising again to a resounding noise the lecturer had to shout above all to make everyone stop. The entrance of the man was perfectly simple, yet seemed such a grand gesture. He stood at the dead centre of the front of the room, completely still, completely quiet, not sweating a drop. The silence went on for what seemed forever. Birds could be heard in the distance, machinery in one of the other labs buzzed away, but in lab sixteen none spoke or made a sound, all eyes on the man in black.
“Some of you may have heard of me before,” the doctor said, not quietly, all could clearly hear him, but not that loudly either, “I am, as your teacher has pointed out, Dr Lars Auberg,” he pronounced Auberg very strangely, an accent Saritha was unfamiliar with, “I am a designer of vehicles to traverse the beyond, space as it has been recently dubbed. We are all students of engineering, as you must understand, we are always learning new things. Most recently I have been troubled by our work. I have seen starships from all classes, but one. One a peaceful world has no need of.”
All were quiet and looking toward the doctor. “Do we have a holographic projector in this lab, Mr. Unas,” Auberg looked to the lecturers, who looked puzzled.
“We do, in the next room, but I fail to see what this has to do with the lecture? I don’t recall the need for this in the meeting we shared.”
“Under recent circumstances I believe it is required.” Now if I had been this calm with mother, I wouldn’t have had to storm out this morning, Saritha thought to herself. As the two lecturers went into the next room, Auberg turned to the class. “I presume you all know of these ships from the Operon?”
Saritha and Egar swung around to look at each other. “How does he know? We were going to question him,” Saritha whispered.
“Question me indeed, Saritha Bellion.” Auberg was looking straight at her. ‘How does he know my name?’
All the eye’s of the class were now on her. Accusing stares, burning into her. What had she done? Just then the lecturers returned to the room. “It is ready. Do you have a disc containing your data?” Unas asked while the assistant left the room. Auberg nodded. “Then it is just through there. The students know the way. I’ll return to relieve you in an hour.” With that Unas left the room, following his assistant.
“If you would all follow me to the holo room,” Auberg left the room and headed to the holographic projector. Everyone got to their feet and followed, leaving their bags behind.
“Do you know him?” Egar asked, looking a little confused, “Why didn’t you tell me earlier? I thought it would be difficult to get some info out of him.”
“I honestly don’t know him,” Saritha pleaded, “He must have read a class report or something.”
“I suppose, but how did he hear us talking? He was all the way at the front of the room.” They started to follow the milling crowd to the holo room. “He must have supersonic hearing or something.”
“I don’t know about that, but I don’t really trust him. Did you notice the way he came in, it was so…. So odd.”
“How do you mean odd? He just came in and stood there.”
“You mean you didn’t see it? The way he came in was just perfect, as though he’d done it a thousand times. Maybe I’m just being stupid,” she groaned sadly, “What with the dreams and lack of sleep, I’m just not sure what to do anymore.”
“Don’t worry,” Egar reassured her, “You’re probably just still feeling tired. Just get an early night tonight. You’ll be fine.”
*
The holo room was a large, semi-circular room, dipping down from the top, ringed with rows of seats, down to a holographic projector, a device just over waist high, in a conical shape with an elongated flat top. Used normally to show the insides of various space vessels, where engine parts would go and the like, it now emanated a transparent blue light straight up to the ceiling. Dr. Auberg was waiting, next to the projector, for the students to take their seats. Saritha and Egar sat further toward the back, away from the gaze of the doctor. When everyone was seated, the doctor started fiddling with a control panel on the side of the projector. A tray slid, seemingly, from a none existent port and the doctor placed a small, thin disc in. The tray shot back in and the blue light flickered before stabilising again, with several lights on the control panel flashing up.
“Now as I said before, ships from the Operon Empire have come to our world and ambassadors are as we speak meeting with the High Council. I was supposed to be here to talk to you all about fusion reactors and plus light hyperdrives, seeing as your group has the best engineering grades in the college, but due to unforeseen events, I must change the subject. The Operon are a federation spanning several galaxies. They have a fleet far surpassing ours and they have known war like no other world we have encountered, including our own bitter history. Any questions so far?” He looked around the room, scanning faces, searching everyone.
‘Why is he telling us this? Its not like we’re going to war,’ Saritha thought to herself. While scanning the other half of the room, Auberg turned to look straight at Saritha. She looked back startled. “No. Well, I’ll tell you why I am telling you all this. From my sources in the council, I have learned the Operon wish for us to join their empire. We still know little about them and I have been asked to look at their ships to derive an intent from them. As far as I can tell they are transport ships, but I would like your opinions.”
“Why us? We’re just students,” called a voice from the right.
“Surely some of your fellow engineers on Argo would be better?” Another interrupted.
“Most of my fellows are working on other projects and I had to come here to speak with you today. What better way to find just how clever Mysidia’s best are?” Auberg grinned and flicked one of the switches on the projector. The light flickered around a little, before breaking apart to show an image of a star ship. The vessel was huge made up of many areas of a cubic design fitted together to form something like the body of an animal. Two small wings on the sides and what looked like cannons all over the hull in different places, but all very symmetrical. “This is one of the Operon vessels. As you can see, she is rather big, a quarter of a kilometre in length and about half that in width.” Awed faces looked upon the vessel. Saritha and Egar were bedazzled. “This is the smallest of their ships, the only one they could land on the planet, Candor having the largest spaceport. Auberg flicked the switch again and another vessel flashed into view, this time much larger, and more rounded, looking a little like a fat whale without a tail. There were still cannons, but so small they were barely visible. “This is one of the larger ships and in my opinion is that it is a mass transport, capable of carrying perhaps two hundred thousand or so people. At this time the council are calling a session with the other nations to decide what course of action to take, but will not adjourn till tomorrow.”
Saritha looked at the vessel, her head pulsing. Thoughts became muddled. She became less aware of her surroundings and soon just sat…
*
…alone. The vastness of space around her, encompassing her completely, as she looked on at the huge empire ship in orbit, with several others, around Terra. Light of many colours fired down from the starships, at the planet’s surface, destroying everything in sight, decimating the land. Small ships flew from the Terra’s surface, trying to escape the wanton destruction, but more ships flew from the bigger vessels and attacked the escapees. Terra screamed, tears in her eyes, noise in her mind, blood pulsing through her head, racing to get out. Unable to concentrate she cried louder, piercing the silence of space, ripping open…
*
…the classroom’s calm with an eruption of high pitched wailing. “Saritha! Saritha are you okay?” Egar held her shoulders, her eyes transfixed on the image of the starship in the centre of the room.
“They bring our doom. They’ll kill us all!”
Chapter 1
Awakening
Stars glittering throughout the infinite nothingness of space, burning holes in the eternal night. Life drifts by unaware of the forces at work, playing with the lives of the mortal, shaping the destinies of man. Civilizations rise and fall, suns are born and die, but life goes on, tentatively waiting out its destiny in the endless reaches of time, never sure when and where it shall play its part.
*
Space is still, all but for a shimmering line upon it’s surface, a violet cloud upon a sheen of lifeless black. As if by some form of magic, an opening appears, revealing darkness in the distance, and through the hole a ship speeds through, towards a small planet. The hole closes once more, leaving no trace of ever being in its wake. The ship, a huge vessel, a construct of man, a traveller from far away worlds, proceeds to the shining orb. Terra, a world with a long history of conflict and destruction, now united. One world, one people. All creeds and races as one. A true example to the rest of sentiency. But it has been done before. Not just one planet but many. A vast galactic empire, free from war and hate. Free from strife and struggling together as one. Terra is for the first time to see just how free the Operon empire will make them.
*
Saritha jerked awake in a cold sweat, black hair plastered to her soaked chest, back and shoulders, breathing hard and looking around herself scared and confused. “Only a dream,” she whispered to herself, closing her eyes in relief. Flipping back the damp sheets of her bed, she swung her legs out of bed and searched for her slippers in the darkness with her feet. The moonlight reflected against her pale, milky skin, mirroring it’s radiance in her dazed beauty. Fitting her toes in the light slippers, she got to her feet and moved toward her bathroom doorway. Her room wasn’t especially large, black with only a few pieces of furniture. Bed, bookcase, a wardrobe fitted in the wall and a desk with her personal computer set atop. She enjoyed simplicity, even if her friends thought her a fool for it. Reading is for idiots, they would say to her, even though to appreciate a book you would need to be more than idiotic. “Lights,” she yawned, as she reached the door, at which moment the door opened and lights came on, revealing the mass of clothes strewn across her floor and the en-suite she had argued with her mother long hours for.
She turned the taps of the bath, and water sloshed into the tub, as she turned to look in the mirror. Saritha looked weary. For weeks, since her seventeenth name day, she had been experiencing the most strange, and vivid dreams. Now she had seen one of Terra from the beyond, and a ship of the stars approaching from a…a gate in the stars. In all her time studying the beyond and ships, she had never heard of or seen such a phenomena. Holes in space? Maybe she was losing her mind. Opening her green eyes further, she moved closer to the mirror and looked further into the deep emeralds…
*
A hole opened in space, a violet cloud upon a sheen of lifeless black, and several ships of varying sizes passed through and on toward Terra. Many people upon those ships, thousands, emissaries from another world, coming to join the Terran people, coming to take the Terran people away. Saritha knew this like she knew the sky was blue and grass green. She knew because she was upon those ships, part of the ships, speeding through space like a wolf hunting it’s prey, in stark moonlight. They would destroy Terra and take her away…
*
Saritha ripped her head away from the mirror, even more wide eyed, staring to the floor and the water overflowing from the bath. The cascading waterfall and shallow lake on her bathroom floor. “The god’s be damned. I must be going insane.” She turned off the taps and pressed the release pedal beneath the sink. The water began flowing through the plug hole, to the cleaners and recycler, slowly emptying the bath of water, now just receding from the rim. She pulled off her sweat soaked nightdress and threw it to the pile of laundry in the corner of the pale blue room. She dropped several towels on the floor, to soak up the spillage, before relieving herself at the lavatory. She stepped across the wet towels, damp sloshes sounding beneath her feet, and lifted the release pedal, stopping the water flow out of the bath.
Testing the heat with her fingers a little, she plunged her hand into pool and closed her eyes. She played with the water, creating a whirling, torrent in the middle, before removing her hand, and drizzling some lavender soaking oils into the fluid cyclone. Removing her slippers, she played her toes across the waters surface, before stepping in and sliding her naked form down into the tub. As the water spread across her body, the aches not relieved from her restless sleep plunged away, aches from a late night spent amidst other sweating bodies. Saritha sank beneath the hot, clear waters of the bath, and let herself drift.
*
“So, this is Terra.” a voice came, from the silhouette by the window, “Have you found anywhere suitable to land?” The man gazed across the face of Terra, scanning the surface for anything of interest. He stood upon the bridge of a large space vessel, in orbit of the planet. The ship of an alien race, looked old, of an archaic design, when compared to the other ships in its presence. More blocky, and cubic, than the sleek, streamlined vessels around her, she seemed likely to fall apart.
“We have hailed several of their settlements,” a shorter man said to his commanding officer, the slightly nervous looking man, seemed to sweat a lot and involuntarily moved away whenever the taller man moved, as if afraid of being struck. “They are all asking for the specifications of our ship. Most don’t seem to have large enough spaceports.”
“Well keep looking anyway. We have an obligation to get to the surface and if that means sending a smaller vessel down so be it,” the officer looked at his subordinate, “And carry on the search for their planetary defences. I don’t care what that damn boffin said, they must have some kind of defences. I want to know, immediately, of any change in the situation.” The commander began walking toward the rear side of the bridge, an elegant stride, like royalty.
“As you command, General.”
*
“Saritha!” a voice called from further into the house, “Breakfast’s ready.”
“I’m just finishing in the bath, mother,” she called back, before groaning and dragging herself from the loving embrace of her bath. She pressed the release pedal once more and grabbed a towel from the rail, wrapping the pink cloth around her back and tying the ends beside her left breast. Humming a tune to herself she wandered to her room and fell on her bed, grabbing a brush from the desk. Running the fine teeth through her thick, silky hair. Another day at the college of star ship and space travel studies. Saritha was in her final year of learning the ins and outs of the beyond and its manipulation. She excelled in her studies, a very able pupil, but was growing weary of all the theory. She longed for escape in her own ship, to explore the reaches of the galaxy. To visit the ‘Rings of Damasc’s third moon’, to duck and weave along the asteroid sea, to trek the deserts of Hamar IV, but it would be years before she ever got away from this place. She barely had enough money for a flight to one of Terra’s moons, let alone a star ship of her own, and that was before she’d used it to book a club for her band’s opening night.
Finished with her hair she dropped the towel and rummaged through her wardrobe for a fresh set of clothes. A slightly baggy pair of black pants and a bellybutton exposing, pink top today, she decided. Maybe I should wear a jacket too? She pondered the thought before her mother shouted again. “I’m coming damn you!” Saritha yelled. That woman has no patience,” she mused as she grabbed the jacket, featuring her favourite speed metal band, and walked out to the hall. Wide, decked in sky blue walls and carpeting only a shade darker, she headed to the kitchen and her waiting mother.
Leigh Bellion, Saritha’s only living relative, beside her grandmother, was a beautiful woman, hardly touched by age, with perfectly chiselled features and a thin set of rosy lips. Silvery, black hair, tied back from her face in a tail, rolled down her back, close to her slender waist. She had always been very slim, with a small bosom, and dark, penetrating, obsidian eyes, studied the data screen on the table, watching the morning’s news. She sat in the dining room, eating her breakfast slowly, taking in the events she viewed with placid, solemnity. “Its on the sideboard,” she said without looking up, as her daughter came to the doorway. Saritha loped over to the kitchen, past the dining room, and on the left. The large room, full of cupboards, a fridge and the new instant cooking device, cost a small fortune, all in tones of the same sky blue used throughout the halls. On the side was a plate of poached gwar eggs and wild mushrooms. Saritha opened a cupboard and took a large bun, and a knife from the cutlery drawer. Taking the plate she slowly walked into the dining room and waited for her mother’s lecture to come.
Saritha sat down, opposite her Leigh in almost total quiet, the only noises, the low voices emanating from the data screen and the knife occasionally clicking on her mother’s plate. “In late again last night, I see,” Leigh said, eyes still on the data screen.
“Yes, mother,” Saritha replied in sullen tones. Not even trying to win the argument which would surely come, she sliced into the bun and began to butter it.
“With Mera again, I take it?” Again with the rhetorical questions. Now would come the ‘she’s a bad influence’ speech.
“Yes. We went to a concert. I told you last week.”
“Oh, last week. And why didn’t you remind me?” Leigh looked up at Saritha with those penetrating eyes, “Its a good job I don’t worry anymore, but when you wind up dead or raped, don’t blame me.”
“I won’t, mother.” Keep calm. I am serenity personified. She layered an egg and some of the smaller mushrooms onto the bun.
“You know that Mera is a bad influence. You could have at least called to say you’d be home late. Your dinner had to be thrown out again,” Leigh’s eyes went back to the data screen, “You know I hate wasting food.”
“And I presume you never wasted food and never came home late and never had any fun, because you’re perfect,” Saritha intoned sarcastically, taking a bite from the sandwich and looking down at the plate.
“Very funny, madam, but you forget I pay for the food when you squander your cash on crap and those fool projects of yours.”
“My band is not a ‘fool project’ and its my money. I earned it!” So much for serenity.
“And do I not earn my money. Should I just waste my money and let us starve? You could at least call home sometimes!”
“I am sick of this! You can stuff your food,” throwing down the rest of the food on the plate, “I’ll stay with Mera at her place for a while.” Saritha turned from the table and stormed off to the front door. Grabbing her bag she shouted, “And you can apologise to me for a change next time.” With that she opened the door, rushing out down the street to the bus stop.
*
Leigh sat at the table still staring at the data screen. Bloody child. I wish she would learn some respect. Worrying me senseless and staying out all night. If only her father were still here to… no. He’d be no use. Stupid lay-about. She sighed. Flicking the data screen off, Leigh rose and took the leftover breakfast and walked into the kitchen. Well she’ll be back in a few days and she’ll need money and Baka knows what else. Leigh dropped the food in the disposal, and the plate in the dishwasher, turned to get her keys from the table, and set off to work. I can’t wait till she comes home.
*
The college of star ship and space travel studies, or the three ST as it was known to pupils, was built over an area of more than two kilometres square, having both above ground and below ground sections. Above ground, buildings sprawled across the land, in both strange and perfectly formed geometric shapes, the oldest of which only fifty or so years, when space travel had become the norm, while the below ground facilities, built around a rocket launch pad were the oldest buildings of the college, made before the declaration of world peace, over four hundred years ago. A vast forest to the east buzzed with life, both exotic birds and rodents, as well as pupils of the ST. To the north of the complex, the starship docking bay, a large grey, metal building with a retractable roof. A flurry of activity this early in the morning, students making their way on excursions and college trips to the three moons of Terra, and several inbound cargo ships, bringing the day’s supplies. In the south, the great man made reservoir of Tillia, built by the great King when the world war began, more than four hundred years past, when supplies became in short demand and constant threat of death was upon the people of Terra.
Toward the western edges, the capital city of Mysidia, Candor, stretched further than the eye could see, a sprawling metropolis of life. Huge tower blocks at the centre, marking the big businesses and the High seat of Mysidia, where the high council meet. Further out are the smaller building of the main city, where most of the business is done and also where the spaceport is located, a kilometre of docking bays and building, a starship development area and the launch pad for the orbital satellites. In the third area of the city, dwell the people. Huge areas of residential space and apartment buildings, spread across the face of where Candor had stood for thousands of years, the jewel of Mysidian craftsmanship. It is here Saritha lives, on the east edge of the city, equally close to the business district and the three ST. And it is the ST her hover bus is speeding toward, her home for the past five years, being taught the finer points of mechanics, engineering, piloting and manufactory and design of ships.
She loved the work, but coming to the end of her time was a long haul. The time now dragged endlessly, and her social life was making it hard to keep up with studies and spend time with Mera Rendar, her best friend for longer than she could remember. Saritha watched the passing homes as the bus sped by, wishing she could get off thus damn planet to somewhere nice. Only three days till the spring holiday, she thought. Me and Mera should go away for a while. Somewhere nice and hot.
“Hey girl,” the driver shouted, “Stop daydreamin’. We at the school now young pup.” Saritha looked up to the driver, staring at her. The tall, wide black man’s braided hair spilled across his grey uniform, obscuring his badge from the official guild of professional drivers. “Well girl. You gonna sit there all day?”
She stood nonchalantly, and swaggered past, giving an evil stare to him all the way to the steps off of the bus. Turning to walk down to the pavement in front off the ST. There the college symbol, made in a statue of bronze, halfway up the crescent stairs, the college founder. Lord Areth Brinmar, the first man to travel at a speed exceeding that of light. A true inspiration, made you want to be the first to do something of such grand importance, but now there was nothing of importance to do. No war, nothing that hasn’t been done before, equal rights instilled in society with perfect harmony, the only thing worthy of attention now was the band. And that wasn’t exactly going as planned, but with the Club Aox booked for tonight, everything was fitting into place. Finally life was making a little sense.
Traipsing up the stairs, almost drunkenly, Saritha looked through her bag for her daily planner, not looking where she trod. “Hey Sari,” screamed a voice, as a young woman jumped out from behind the statue of Areth. Saritha just kept walking past, not noticing anything other than her bag.
“Sari?” the girl asked putting a hand on Saritha’s shoulder. Saritha swung about face, tripping over her own feet and landing on the steps, bottom first. She stared up at the other girl, taking a moment to recognise her in the early morning light.
“Hi Mera. Sorry, I was miles away.”
“You’re telling me,” Mera laughed. Her light jade hair, waving as her head rocked, filtering light through to her thin rosy face, “You look like you’ve been up all night. Did you even go to bed?”
“Yeah. I had another of those dreams. A ship flew through a hole in space,” Saritha said, almost trembling, “It was strange. I’ve never seen a ship like it before. It was immense, bigger than the ST maybe.”
“You’re sure having some strange dreams lately,” Mera sounded a little troubled, “First that attack on Terra, now a strange ship. It’s just a little weird, what with that new vessel landing in the city.”
“A new ship? When did it land? Where’s it from?”
“Landed last night. About three in the mornin’. From another part of the galaxy, somewhere called the Operon Empire. Meant to be a federation of planets. According to the news today, it spans four galaxies. The crew of the ship has gone to see the High Council.”
Saritha’s eyes lit up. People from another galaxy. The ships must be amazing, so fast. “We’ve gotta see that ship!” she shouted at Mera, “When do you get off. I finish in two hours.” The idea of visiting another galaxy was too much.
“You’re a little ahead of yourself now,” Mera exclaimed, “There are a few ships in the spaceport. They’re from the empire too. Or so the news said”
A bell rang in the distance, the lesson call. The girls looked around to the distraction. “Well I’ll see you in two hours by the fountain. I’ve got to get to my physics lecture,” moaned Mera, “I just wish old goat face Herman wasn’t so boring. He could talk the hind legs off a donkey.” She continued to mumble and complain to herself as she walked away to the main entrance.
Saritha looked to the statue. Areth Brinmar. The first man to reach the outer most reaches of the galaxy, the first man to travel at plus light speed. Saritha Bellion, first woman to travel to another galaxy. “Sari! Are you coming, or do you think I’m talking to myself for fun,” Mera was standing at the ST main entrance, hands on hips, with a scowl like her mother. “I’m comin’,” Saritha called, taking one last look at Areth, before dawdling over to her waiting friend.
*
“So Sari, did you see Bastion play last night. Heard they were a riot.” Egar Sandrelous, Saritha’s lab partner for the past two years wasn’t much to look at. Even though he had once been a handsome lad, years spent experimenting in the various sciences, and some huge disasters had marked him. His wiry, ginger hair sat his head like a dishevelled mop, and pocks marked the left side of his face from a small mishap in a micro biology experiment before he transferred to the ST. He had kind eyes though. A rich and deep blue, and what he had lost in good looks, he more than made up for in personality and sense of humour. An avid music lover, they had spent a lot of time together at concerts in the past few years, and even though neither were romantically attached, they were too much like brother and sister for anything to have happened.
“You would not believe me if I told you. We got to the front of the stage and Mera threw her bra at Billy. Landed on one of his cymbals. They played for three straight hours with no interval. They rocked out of this world. I’m sorry you had to work late, you would have loved it.”
The engineering labs, held some of the bigger classes, almost forty students in the smallest and over sixty in the largest. Saritha’s was somewhere in the middle with forty seven. All the labs were virtually the same. Desks built for two, big enough to take pieces of engines on to meddle around with. Row upon row of desks, Four columns and six rows, with the huge desk for the pair of teachers at the front. This lab had a row of windows on the right, looking out to the fountain in the quad, a square courtyard. The lecturers at the front waited impatiently for the guest speaker, while drinking some form of morning stimulant juice. Today they were being visited by an expert in starship design and manufacture, Dr. Lans Auberg. A pioneer in the field, he was a member of the High Council, before retiring to work on the second moon of Terra, Argo. Dr. Auberg was to lecture the class on starship modifications and various uses for certain classes of ships, but Saritha had a different plan in mind.
“Egar,” Saritha pined, “Have you heard about the empire ships come to Candor?”
“Who hasn’t. It was all over the news this morning. Why do you ask?”
Damn mother. If she weren’t so stuck up I’d have seen at least a little about the damn thing. “Oh, it’s just that this Doctor used to be on the High Council, so maybe we could, y’know, extract some information.”
“You mean pump him full of questions and harass him until he has to tell us something,” a wily grin spread across Egar’s face, “Sounds fun! Hey, Rod!”
As Egar began to tell some of the other students to pass word along to help with the interrogation, Saritha looked out of the window she sat beside, gazing up into the bright, cloudless, blue sky. Two ships traced across her vision, heading down toward Candor, two ships she had never seen the likes of before. More of the empire ships, no doubt. If only I could get a look at one of them.
“If I may have your attention please,” lecturer Unas, a fuzzy faced, wrinkly man, called over the voices of chatting people, “I am pleased to announce our guest speaker is here. Can you all give a warm welcome, to the eminent Doctor, Mr. Lans Auberg.”
A flurry of clapping began, Saritha started half-heartedly, and then he entered, not a handsome man, more beautiful. Long, dark hair, dark eyes, but the most pale skin, wearing a black coat, of some kind of leather, reaching his boots, black trousers and shirt, black gloves. He almost glided into the room, exuding an air of utmost confidence and grace. His form commanded respect. The clapping subsided a little, as if all were stunned by his appearance, but then rising again to a resounding noise the lecturer had to shout above all to make everyone stop. The entrance of the man was perfectly simple, yet seemed such a grand gesture. He stood at the dead centre of the front of the room, completely still, completely quiet, not sweating a drop. The silence went on for what seemed forever. Birds could be heard in the distance, machinery in one of the other labs buzzed away, but in lab sixteen none spoke or made a sound, all eyes on the man in black.
“Some of you may have heard of me before,” the doctor said, not quietly, all could clearly hear him, but not that loudly either, “I am, as your teacher has pointed out, Dr Lars Auberg,” he pronounced Auberg very strangely, an accent Saritha was unfamiliar with, “I am a designer of vehicles to traverse the beyond, space as it has been recently dubbed. We are all students of engineering, as you must understand, we are always learning new things. Most recently I have been troubled by our work. I have seen starships from all classes, but one. One a peaceful world has no need of.”
All were quiet and looking toward the doctor. “Do we have a holographic projector in this lab, Mr. Unas,” Auberg looked to the lecturers, who looked puzzled.
“We do, in the next room, but I fail to see what this has to do with the lecture? I don’t recall the need for this in the meeting we shared.”
“Under recent circumstances I believe it is required.” Now if I had been this calm with mother, I wouldn’t have had to storm out this morning, Saritha thought to herself. As the two lecturers went into the next room, Auberg turned to the class. “I presume you all know of these ships from the Operon?”
Saritha and Egar swung around to look at each other. “How does he know? We were going to question him,” Saritha whispered.
“Question me indeed, Saritha Bellion.” Auberg was looking straight at her. ‘How does he know my name?’
All the eye’s of the class were now on her. Accusing stares, burning into her. What had she done? Just then the lecturers returned to the room. “It is ready. Do you have a disc containing your data?” Unas asked while the assistant left the room. Auberg nodded. “Then it is just through there. The students know the way. I’ll return to relieve you in an hour.” With that Unas left the room, following his assistant.
“If you would all follow me to the holo room,” Auberg left the room and headed to the holographic projector. Everyone got to their feet and followed, leaving their bags behind.
“Do you know him?” Egar asked, looking a little confused, “Why didn’t you tell me earlier? I thought it would be difficult to get some info out of him.”
“I honestly don’t know him,” Saritha pleaded, “He must have read a class report or something.”
“I suppose, but how did he hear us talking? He was all the way at the front of the room.” They started to follow the milling crowd to the holo room. “He must have supersonic hearing or something.”
“I don’t know about that, but I don’t really trust him. Did you notice the way he came in, it was so…. So odd.”
“How do you mean odd? He just came in and stood there.”
“You mean you didn’t see it? The way he came in was just perfect, as though he’d done it a thousand times. Maybe I’m just being stupid,” she groaned sadly, “What with the dreams and lack of sleep, I’m just not sure what to do anymore.”
“Don’t worry,” Egar reassured her, “You’re probably just still feeling tired. Just get an early night tonight. You’ll be fine.”
*
The holo room was a large, semi-circular room, dipping down from the top, ringed with rows of seats, down to a holographic projector, a device just over waist high, in a conical shape with an elongated flat top. Used normally to show the insides of various space vessels, where engine parts would go and the like, it now emanated a transparent blue light straight up to the ceiling. Dr. Auberg was waiting, next to the projector, for the students to take their seats. Saritha and Egar sat further toward the back, away from the gaze of the doctor. When everyone was seated, the doctor started fiddling with a control panel on the side of the projector. A tray slid, seemingly, from a none existent port and the doctor placed a small, thin disc in. The tray shot back in and the blue light flickered before stabilising again, with several lights on the control panel flashing up.
“Now as I said before, ships from the Operon Empire have come to our world and ambassadors are as we speak meeting with the High Council. I was supposed to be here to talk to you all about fusion reactors and plus light hyperdrives, seeing as your group has the best engineering grades in the college, but due to unforeseen events, I must change the subject. The Operon are a federation spanning several galaxies. They have a fleet far surpassing ours and they have known war like no other world we have encountered, including our own bitter history. Any questions so far?” He looked around the room, scanning faces, searching everyone.
‘Why is he telling us this? Its not like we’re going to war,’ Saritha thought to herself. While scanning the other half of the room, Auberg turned to look straight at Saritha. She looked back startled. “No. Well, I’ll tell you why I am telling you all this. From my sources in the council, I have learned the Operon wish for us to join their empire. We still know little about them and I have been asked to look at their ships to derive an intent from them. As far as I can tell they are transport ships, but I would like your opinions.”
“Why us? We’re just students,” called a voice from the right.
“Surely some of your fellow engineers on Argo would be better?” Another interrupted.
“Most of my fellows are working on other projects and I had to come here to speak with you today. What better way to find just how clever Mysidia’s best are?” Auberg grinned and flicked one of the switches on the projector. The light flickered around a little, before breaking apart to show an image of a star ship. The vessel was huge made up of many areas of a cubic design fitted together to form something like the body of an animal. Two small wings on the sides and what looked like cannons all over the hull in different places, but all very symmetrical. “This is one of the Operon vessels. As you can see, she is rather big, a quarter of a kilometre in length and about half that in width.” Awed faces looked upon the vessel. Saritha and Egar were bedazzled. “This is the smallest of their ships, the only one they could land on the planet, Candor having the largest spaceport. Auberg flicked the switch again and another vessel flashed into view, this time much larger, and more rounded, looking a little like a fat whale without a tail. There were still cannons, but so small they were barely visible. “This is one of the larger ships and in my opinion is that it is a mass transport, capable of carrying perhaps two hundred thousand or so people. At this time the council are calling a session with the other nations to decide what course of action to take, but will not adjourn till tomorrow.”
Saritha looked at the vessel, her head pulsing. Thoughts became muddled. She became less aware of her surroundings and soon just sat…
*
…alone. The vastness of space around her, encompassing her completely, as she looked on at the huge empire ship in orbit, with several others, around Terra. Light of many colours fired down from the starships, at the planet’s surface, destroying everything in sight, decimating the land. Small ships flew from the Terra’s surface, trying to escape the wanton destruction, but more ships flew from the bigger vessels and attacked the escapees. Terra screamed, tears in her eyes, noise in her mind, blood pulsing through her head, racing to get out. Unable to concentrate she cried louder, piercing the silence of space, ripping open…
*
…the classroom’s calm with an eruption of high pitched wailing. “Saritha! Saritha are you okay?” Egar held her shoulders, her eyes transfixed on the image of the starship in the centre of the room.
“They bring our doom. They’ll kill us all!”
first post
right, never done this shizz before but here goes. blog going on about work and stuff so win win. hope it's ueful or interesting or anything. really stoked about this project we're on and have been thinking background and stuff. going to make it as good as i possibly can and want to be this happy about it six weeks down the line when we hand in. was hoping i can add story and stuff in here, but guess i need to make it as one post so one will be coming up after this. part of the sci-fi i've been on for a while. hope y'all enjoy it. comments welcome, i take criticism well, despite how i seem :D
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