Alien Courage (Rise of the Empress) (31 page)

Beside the survey ship the space shimmered and flexed
like ripples in water as a vessel
decloaked
. A space
craft unseen before in Confederate space materialised. Its angular features and
jet black colouring defied logical space craft design but with manoeuvrability
equalling that of Trigealian ships it spun a quick circle around the lifeless
survey ship. The black ship scanned every detail of the smaller ship and with
matter transfer technology far in advance of anything in the Confederacy
transferred the bodies of the crew to specimen holding cells leaving their
space suits intact aboard the survey vessel.

The black ship moved off a comfortable distance and
fired a bolt of dull silver energy which arrowed directly into the survey ship.
The little ship resisted the energy at first then absorbed it. The craft seemed
to expand in size then exploded into a billion, billion fragments. The black
ship cloaked and disappeared.

“Sir?” a young Confederate Communication’s Engineer
said out loud as he strained to see into his monitor as he worked his
instruments.

“Yes, what is it?” his Officer said walking over to
him.

“A weak signal from outer quadrant
GD0-412.
It’s gone now but its
pattern is confirmed as an emergency frequency. It didn’t transmit long enough
for cross referencing but my analysis is - it’s a MAYDAY!”

The Officer ushered the young Engineer out of his seat
and sat down. He worked the instruments and switches and listened closely to
the transmission. It was weak and garbled but the word, ‘mayday’ was faintly
discernible.

“It’s too far out for long range scans. I’ll order a
probe dispatched to the area at once. Good work,” the Officer said standing up
and patting his young Engineer on his shoulder.

A little time later a small bright flash erupted from
the side of a Confederate Battle Cruiser in the next quadrant released a
speeding probe into the area of the distress signal. The incident was logged as
unresolved at both the Communications Monitoring Centre and aboard the Battle
Cruiser. A short time later the Battle Cruiser received orders from Confederate
Space Command to alter course and follow the probe into the next quadrant. Its
mission, to make contact with a survey vessel in that area and rectify any
emergency situation found.

The Empress greeted the White Priest graciously and
led him into the visitor’s lounge and closed the door. A short distance away
the Black Priest looked on from a well hidden position.

In what the Black Priest considered sufficient time he
broke cover and shuffled up to the wall beside the visitor’s lounge. He heard
nothing and reached into his robe and took out a small device, placed it
against the wall and switched it on while looking at its tiny screen. He
immediately put the device away went to the lounge door, opened it and walked
in.

The Black Priest did not quite expect the scene he now
witnessed. The Empress’s underclothes were lying on the floor near her as she
was kneeling beside the White Priest who was writhing in agony while griping
his groin under his gown. The Empress held the Priest’s head with both hands
whispering to him. The Black Priest could not make out what was being said but
had a wonderful sensation flow through him. He moved over to lean against the
wall and watched.

A short time later the White Priest convulsed and died
with the Empress still holding his head. She let it drop to the floor with a
sickening thwack. She slowly rose to her feet, straightened her clothes and
walked over to the Black Priest.

She smiled and knelt at the Black Priest’s feet and
wrapped her arms around him, her eyes cold and calculating.

“You have done very well, Empress,” the Black Priest
said stroking her hair.

“Yes,” whispered the Empress, standing up and turning
to look at the White Priest. “It was so easy for him to obey,” she said turning
to face the Black Priest and what he saw made him feel uneasy in her presence.
He noticed a hypnotic ability in her he had not seen before and her words ’so
easy for him to obey’ made him take notice.

The Black Priest turned and went to the door. He
signalled and a small team of black robed figures rushed into the room and
quickly removed the White Priest. “His body will not be found for a few time
periods. His fasting time is due and he will not be missed. This time the body
will be beyond salvaging. The Trigeals will retaliate with some form of
intervention. The Palace will be dangerous place but the Trigeals will soon
have problems of their own,” he confided to the Empress.

The Empress picked up her underclothes and put them in
a concealed pocket in her garment, then went to a mirror on the wall and moved
her face close to it and with her fingers began combing her hair. The
reflection of her eyes caught the Black Priest’s attention. Her eyes were
crystal clear and had lost their glassy look. “Empress,” the Black Priest said
softly as he positioned himself silently behind her. “I wish the Captain of the
Guard and his closest Officers to be eliminated as soon as possible. Give me an
Imperial decree and I will see to it personally. They are a threat to your
power.”

The Empress looked in the mirror and her reflection
stared directly at the Black Priest. Her stare remained locked on him for a
long moment. “No,” she said sternly and resumed teasing out her hair.

“But Empress, It is…”

She spun around and mysteriously produced the ancient
dagger the Black Priest originally had given her and let the point rest against
his chest. “If anything happens to either the Captain or my husband you will
die very quickly. Be gone now and I will meet you before the next Imperial
Court. I will have arrangements for you to organise at that time.”

The Black Priest backed away from the dagger with
ease. This act of treason did not overly concern him; the minds of his victims
often had moments of reversion. In time she will accept his suggestions
entirely as her own. He bowed slightly and disappeared out the door. As he made
his way back to his Temple a recurring thought pervaded his thinking, the death
of both the Captain and the Emperor just became enticingly delicious but not as
much as the Empress, for her he would arrange something very special.

The Empress made her way back to her chambers. She
seemed to be floating on her feet, hormonal and physical changes in her brain
altered her perceptions, and she stopped to examine the objects in her room.
They appeared foreign and held little interest. The reoccurring and
increasingly clear image of the dying Priest in her hands fascinated her and
gave a peculiar comfort she started to enjoy.

She prepared for sleep but was not tired. She
restlessly paced her sleeping quarters and stopped to look in the mirror. Her
reflection once greatly admired held little interest; she opened her mouth and
looked at the reflection. Her tongue was thicker and there was a swelling on
the underneath. She rubbed her finger along the underside and it was tender
over a small lump. She straightened up and shook her head, her mind went blank
and she leaned closer to the mirror and poked her tongue out - the thickening
was real!

She smiled and twirled around the room spinning her
clothes; she danced and let out a shrill laugh. Suddenly she stopped, images of
her husband flooded her mind, the Captain’s voice and his bright uniform stood
out clearly. For a brief moment she felt pity but an animal cunning replaced
her pity. “One more thing I must do tonight,” she whispered to herself and got
dressed.

She made her way to the Captain’s quarters. The
passageway leading to his room was guarded by two sentries. She approached them
directly and they stood to attention and bowed. “You two leave now and report
back here in one twentieth of a time frame but do not enter this room,” she
said directly to the more senior of the two guards.

“Yes, Empress.”
The guard said nervously but added, “
but
my orders are…”

The Empress coldly took a step closer and bore her
gaze directly into the guard’s eyes. The guard opened his eyes wide and then
slowly starting closing them till they were just a slit. He swayed on his feet
and murmured something unintelligible. The other guard nervously grabbed his
companion and pulled him backwards away from the Empress. “Please Empress,
forgive him. He is new to this duty. We will leave now,” he said shaking with
fear and dragged his hypnotised companion away.

The Empress smiled and paid no further attention to
them and proceeded through the door into the Captain’s quarters. She went
directly to his bunk which was set out in strict military manner and shook it.

“Yes, what is it?” The Captain said rolling over half
asleep. Suddenly he sat bolt upright in bed and rubbed his eyes.
“Empress!”

“Captain.
If you value your life you must understand you are in
grave danger,” she whispered.

“Yes, Empress.
How…”

“You don’t have much time. Listen
don’t
talk,” she whispered and looked around in the dimly lit room. “You must go now
and find someone you can trust. There is something you must do.” The Captain
still dressed swung his feet off the bunk and listened closely. “I want you to
take the Emperor somewhere safe and keep him alive at all costs. Take him to
the moon of
Cypret
. There is a community of monks
there from the old Order. Give them this and they will hide you both until I
send a message,” she handed him a wrapped package containing a gold and gem
encrusted artefact stolen from the Order of
Cypret
thousands of years ago.

“Go now, find someone you trust and come directly back
to meet me here.”

“Yes my Empress. What ship will I use?” he said
realising he was under house arrest.

“Take your own. Your arrest is knowledge only known to
the Court at present. But tell no one. Now go!”

The Captain got up quickly but turned and put his hand
on the Empress’s arm and squeezed lightly, “thank you,” he said softly.

“Just go,” she replied.

The Captain disappeared and the Empress proceeded to
the Emperor’s private infirmary. There was one guard on duty outside the locked
door. The Empress dared to try something on this guard. She walked up directly
to the startled guard, grabbed his arm, digging her fingers into his flesh and
pulled his face close to hers. She stared into his eyes and let her mind act as
a predator. The guards eyes went out of focus and his body went limp. “Sleep,”
she ordered and the guard fell to the floor asleep. She felt the sensation of
hunger but marvelled at what she was actually capable of doing.

She quickly disabled the security monitoring devices
and gained entrance with the Imperial Code. She located the Emperor quickly. He
was in an artificial life support cylinder. She quickly looked it over and
realised to her delight it was on wheels and was portable. She hurried back to
the Captain’s quarters where he was waiting with an Officer of the Palace
Guard.

“Go now to the Emperor’s infirmary and get the
Emperor, he is in an artificial life support cylinder. Hurry and I will get
word to you when I can.”

“Yes my Empress,” the Captain said and without
hesitation left with his junior Officer.

They had no problems wheeling the Emperor via one of
the many secret passages within the Palace to the Captain’s personal hanger. He
had three Starfighters and he chose the one modified for personnel transport.
In a very short period of time he logged out of Ennack’s planetary security and
engaged in a tactical deception route towards the moon of
Cypret
.

The Empress watched as his ship disappeared into the
night sky and returned to the Captain’s quarters. The two Guards were waiting
as ordered unaware the Captain wasn’t in his bunk.

“Both of you come here,” the Empress ordered and both
guards moved closer. The Empress adopted her predator mind set on the guards
but only one actually went to sleep when told. The other just stared at her.
She bent down and took the blaster off the one asleep and set it to the narrow
band, short range kill setting. She stepped back aiming at the standing guard’s
head and fired, blowing it off. Blood erupted from the falling body and
splashed everywhere. She calmly aimed at the sleeping guard and fired at point
blank range into his chest. Again she felt the sensation of hunger and a
tingling in her mouth.