Alien Courage (Rise of the Empress) (19 page)

“No Sire, I will wait for your contact,” Torquay
replied calmly.

“Good, follow me.”

They made their way through the ship after the Emperor
spoke to his Captain on the ship’s intercom and they waited at the docking bay.
A Starfighter had broken formation and entered the space dock and moved slowly
through the holding bay. A tractor beam glowed light blue as it magnetically
locked onto the ship’s hull. The automatic systems initiated and soon a loud
metallic ’clunk’ reverberated through Traveller.

A small round hatch flipped open and the Emperor
looked into a tunnel and saw directly into the Starfighter. Looking back at
Torquay he motioned toward the opening. Torquay grimaced and crawled through
into the Starfighter. Once inside he looked back and saw the Emperor looking
down the tunnel at him. The Emperor had an almost sad look on his face and
Torquay saw something else, an uncertainty he had never seen in the Emperor
before, Torquay saw something black in his future. The Emperor forced a smile
and closed the hatch.

In a well practiced manoeuvre the Starfighter was
released and both ships cloaked immediately followed by the other escorts.
Traveller and her three escorts flew at maximum speed until the cloaking began
to overheat the engines and drive systems. They
decloaked
quite some distance away from Torquay whose ship sped toward Irrimus space.

The Captain of Traveller checked his instruments and
scans against recent sector images. “No detected observation Sir.”

“Good, take us home Captain.

“Aye Sir.”

The sparkle of a distant star shimmered and dimmed,
then resumed its sparkle. A ship of neither Confederate nor Trigealian origins
uncloaked and moved off after being undetected by the Imperial vessels, its
data logs recording every ship movement in this sector of the galaxy.

The Emperor returned to Ennack unannounced and called for
the Captain of the Guard. “It’s good to see you Captain,” the Emperor said
greeting him in his communication’s room.

The Captain saluted him. “Welcome back Sir.”

“How goes it with your controlled conflict with Volen,
Captain.”

“A few skirmishes Sir, but mainly a lot of sabre
rattling. I don’t think they have the stomach for any sort of sustained
offensive,” the Captain said.

“That’s good. I gather you have the Palace Fleet
mobilised?”

“Not entirely sir. There are two squadrons of
Starfighters on training and three assault ground divisions refitting plus
Logistics command is with Engineering seeing to the repair of satellite station
twelve and worker moon two after meteor shower damage.” The Captain said.

“Quietly mobilise them all, tell them it’s a training
exercise. I want our Palace forces on full alert without advertising the fact.
Space Command must not know directly. Do I make myself clear Captain,” the
Emperor said with certainty.

“Yes Sir,” the Captain replied with suppressed
enthusiasm. He lived for such orders. “Do you have an enemy in mind Sir?”

“All I can tell you at this time Captain is I fear an
uprising against the Trigeal administration soon. There has been a build up of
android armies and Space Fleets programmed for immunity against Trigeal scans
and some of the Houses may use the confusion to initiate agendas of their own.
Ennack may well come under attack, principally the Palace. With the Palace in
confusion border disputes will escalate dramatically.

“I see Sir, have any of the Houses or their non House
allies developed planetary or major destruction capabilities?” The Captain
asked, knowing that sort of technology is outlawed by the Trigeals but with
this new threat it may have been developed.

 As far as planetary destruction capability, no
one knows for sure, I doubt it but if someone succeeds to launch an offensive
and gets a foothold or thoroughly confuses Ennack’s ability to maintain order -
the Trigeals won’t hesitate to
intervene
this planet.
” The Emperor explained with a serious face.

“You will need an escape plan Sir. You and the Empress
must have a rally point of safety, somewhere where I can find you. Where will
that be Sir?” asked the Captain.

“Good point Captain,” the Emperor said relieved to
have a good Officer. He went to a large monitor and brought up a detailed space
chart. He carefully studied the more remote regions. “Ah...This is a good
planet,” he said pointing his finger, Zion. It’s an Irrimus planet and has no
military bases except
an
rudimentary android run
planetary defensive system and outpost. I believe the planet has a natural
defence in that electronics operate erratically and are unreliable. There is
only one specific area available for high technology, easy to cloak and shield
a ship there if needed. “I would like you to secretly send my ship Traveller to
that android base immediately. Use high security and secrecy protocols with
Irrimus Intelligence. To use Traveller in a conflict will attract too much
attention and present a tempting target for propaganda purposes Also if the
ship remains on Ennack during a military emergency, she’ll be a targeted prise
anyway. I should be able to make my way to Traveller if the situation here deteriorates
and use her as a mobile command base.”

“I’ll see to it immediately Sir, the Captain replied.
“Oh Sir, I feel I need to inform you the Empress has been quite stressed lately
I’m afraid and that Black Priest keeps showing up. Her health suffered but she
seems fine now.”

The door opened and a startled Captain stared as the
Empress entered the room glowing in her radiant beauty. She danced up to her
husband and wrapped her arms around him. Her hug was long and intimate and the
Captain backed quietly out of the room.

“I have missed you my husband,” she said softly and
nestled her body tightly against him. He melted in her embrace and his arms
embraced her. The response she gave to his touch made him forget everything
else. Her faint exotic perfume heightened his senses and she felt his response
to her touch. He looked into her deep emerald eyes and raised his hand to
gently let his fingers touch the softness of her cheek, a smile played at the
corner of his mouth. She giggled and ran her fingers through his hair and
pulled his head down and kissed him passionately.

A cheeky smile played across her lips and she grabbed
his hand and they both ran through the door and down the corridor to her
personal chambers. Like young lovers they threw their clothes around the room
and scrambled onto the bed. The Emperor’s tension from the last time frame was
replaced by intense desire. He embraced her almost frantically and coupled
quickly. An immense feeling of satisfaction flowed through him and he held his Empress
tenderly enjoying her.

The Empress’s eyes suddenly opened widely and went
glassy staring at the ceiling. The celapod’s sperm detected the intrusion and a
small number became free and imbedded into the Emperor. They burrowed their way
into his flesh seeking out nerve channels and infected them with a virulent
neurotoxin.

The Emperor suddenly released his embrace. “I’m so
sorry my dear. I’m just too tired I think
,
it’s been a
stressful time. Please forgive me,” he said now sitting on the edge of the bed
with a burning sensation in his crotch.

“Of course,” replied the Empress lying on her back
staring at the ceiling.

The Emperor rushed out of the room and straight into
the shower, his discomfort getting worse. He took a shower and slowly the burning
sensation subsided, and then vanished. His mind was in confusion as to what had
happened. This was the first experience of this type for him and he was
somewhat embarrassed and walked back into the bedroom. The Empress was sitting
on the edge of the bed naked and staring into the room not really looking at
anything.

“Oh, my dear, I am so sorry,” the Emperor said sitting
beside her and putting his arm around her shoulders. His touch caused the
Empress to flinch and spin her head toward him. He reeled back with shock as
her glassy eyes suddenly focused on him with a piercing look. “Are you alright
my dear?” he said now quite concerned.

She blinked her eyes a number of times and then looked
into his eyes. “I need a shower and something to eat.
How about
you, hungry?”
She said as though nothing had happened.

The Emperor shook his head in amazement and stood up
looking at her beautiful body. A tingle ran through his crotch and lower
stomach. “Yes… yes indeed, something to eat and a chance to talk. I’ll arrange
some food. Anything you would like?”

The Empress stood up quickly and walked out of the
room into the shower without answering the Emperor who stood with deep concern
etched into his face. He got dressed quickly, the twitching in the base of his
stomach now giving him a warm feeling.  He walked out of the room and into
the corridor and headed towards the maid’s station to order an early dinner
when a hot flush ran through his body, followed by another. He gripped the
doorway of the maid’s station with both hands and gasped, he found it hard to
breathe. The neurotoxin was spreading rapidly in his body and had now reached
his brain. With great effort he exhaled the air from his lungs as his nervous
system shut down completely; falling heavily he hit the floor with a solid
impact. He died watching two android feet rushing toward him.

A loud siren sounded in the Palace. All entry and exit
points were sealed and all communications ceased except internal security.
Security soldiers ran through corridors and swept into all rooms, even private
and secure areas. Dignitaries were ushered into holding areas. The Palace
physician was rushed to the Emperor and artificial life support was attached
quickly to the Emperor’s body. His blood was oxygenated and his lungs were
working via respirators. There was no analytical response but his body signs
indicated his organs were now functioning. Brain pattern stimulation was
administered and only rudimentary responses resulted.

Under very heavy guard he was taken to a secure
infirmary for the Imperial family. His body functions were artificially
maintained while many diagnostics were run to determine the cause. The
neurotoxin by this time had dissipated completely and could not be detected.
The Emperor’s body was now totally dependent upon artificial life support
systems.

“What has happened?” the Empress screamed at the
physician.

“My Lady, we are not sure. Something shut his nervous
system down,” he answered.

She became hysterical and tried to fight her way through
the security and medical personnel. She was restrained under the strict orders
of the physician.

“My
lady please… please don’t
do this. We don’t know the cause and you may be at risk to be close to him.
Please let me do my job,” he pleaded.

The Captain of the Guard rushed in, he had been at the
Emperor’s private space dock seeing that Traveller got away safely. He gripped
the Empress by the shoulders and pulled her away from the security guards
blocking her way to the Emperor. She turned and he saw her eyes swollen, full
of tears. She flung herself to his chest and wept. He held her tightly and
walked her out into the hallway.

Chairs were brought to them by security staff that
moved off to a respectable distance but kept a vigilant watch on them. Few
words were spoken while the Empress went through periods of sobbing and looking
at the floor. The head physician came out and had to talk to her.

“My Lady, I’m sorry to disturb you but I must know the
Emperor’s last movements. What occurred to him when he was with you? Did he say
or do anything unusual, eat anything or have contact with anything out of the
ordinary?” He asked, both the physician and the Captain knowing the value of
her information, looked at her intently.

“My Lady…
please
…”

“I don’t know,” she said weakly. He just had a shower
and I was waiting for him. He decided he was hungry and went to order a meal.”
She replied weakly.

The physician called out to his staff and he ordered
them to the shower the Emperor had used. “Scan everything in the shower, room
and outer areas. I want samples of everything.” The men rushed off carrying
bags of equipment.