Death to the Imperium (Imperium Cicernus) (17 page)

“I
hope last night was OK for you,” Glitz said softly, looking into Alyce’s eyes.
Somehow, he had a feeling that he had left her very satisfied.

“It
was perfect,” Alyce replied.

Glitz
smiled, and conjured up a tray of coffee and pastries, courtesy of the nanobots
that filled the air even in the forest cabin. They ate their breakfast in a
comfortable silence, and then willed on a pair of clothes each. Glitz opted for
a Vellorm jacket and plain trousers, while Alyce fabricated a comfortable black
skirt and blouse. When they had dressed, there was a knock at the cabin. It was
Rell. He smiled at them both.

“I
hope you slept soundly?”

Glitz
and Alyce both smirked, avoiding each other’s gaze with slight embarrassment.
Rell was wearing a navy suit again. “I have a gift for you. It is something
that may help you in your crusade against the Weerms.”

Alyce
frowned. “I thought you said you couldn’t help us.”

“I
said I could not build you a weapon. That is because Zierons have realised that
there are invariably more intelligent ways to protect oneself against violence.
I cannot build you a gun. But I have something for you of even greater
utility.” He beckoned them to follow him with a finger.

He
led them to another clearing in the forest, a quarter of a mile from their
cabin. There was a raised platform on the leafy soil, which seemed to be made
of a marble-like rock. Alyce gasped when she saw what was on top of the
platform. It was a ship—but a ship like she had never seen before. The central
part of the ship was reminiscent of a huge missile, and three nacelles attached
in a triangular arrangement defined the shape. The material was white, with a
strange sheen.

“This
is the
Deliverer
,” Rell said proudly. “My son, Horran, is a spaceship
developer, and the inventor of the fissionable forcefield. He produced this
ship as a prototype for the Zieron Defence Force, but it was ultimately judged
as unusable, due to the use of rare materials in its design. The hull is made
from a type of polymer—it is stronger than any metal, and will withstand almost
any attack. In addition, the ship has three layered forcefields, as well as a
full auto-repair system. It has FTL technology, of course, as well as all other
regular features. An antimatter drive generates unlimited power for the ship;
there is never any need to refuel.

“But
the really special thing about the
Deliverer
is the control system. The ship’s
computer runs on an intelligent operating system, known as Seraph. The computer
can handle all day-to-day operation, including flight, landing and defence.”

“So
you’re… giving this to us?” Glitz said.

“Yes.”
Rell smiled. “It is the least I can do. You have been very gracious guests, and
I wish for you to win in your fight against the Weerms. All of your possessions
from the
Middlemarch
have been transferred to the
Deliverer
. Of
course, you may still take your other ship back to your galaxy if you wish.”

“Well,
thanks.”

“I
think I’ll leave the
Middlemarch
here, if that’s OK with you,” Alyce
said. “I never was very fond of it.” She paused. “Aren’t you worried about
being pestered by other humans? I mean, if people find out where the
Deliverer
came from, everyone will want one. It won’t be too hard for them to work
out how to open the wormhole, I would imagine. Then you risk being inundated
with people begging for a super-ship of their own.”

Rell
nodded. “That would be a troubling thought. However, I’m afraid it will not be
possible for humans to ever visit Zieros again.” He paused, a dark look coming
into his eyes. “There is a darkness coming, something that threatens our entire
empire. The chaos has been foreseen by every soothsayer, every prophet of the
Zierons.”

“What
kind of darkness?” Alyce breathed.

“We
do not know. That is the terrible thing. We simply know that a great evil is
soon to be visited upon this part of the Universe. The Zieron Council have
agreed unanimously that our empire must be relocated. We have achieved immense
power over the millennia, but it would be foolish to risk injury.”

“Relocate?
I don’t understand.”

“The
Universe consists of two types of space—creation and uncreation. This is an
oversimplification, but close enough. The Universe is constantly expanding and
changing; old galaxies die out and become emptiness, and new galaxies are born
out of the chaos. We are simply taking control over this process. Our three
galaxies will be shifted into another part of the Universe, an empty,
creationless space called the void. We will then, I hope, be far from the reach
of the great evil.”

Alyce
shook her head, trying to comprehend the Zieron’s mind-boggling words. “So the
wormhole will no longer lead to your galaxy.”

“I
am afraid not.”

“So
when do you plan to move?”

“Today.
The effects on the inhabitants of the Zieron Empire will be minimal. Many will
not even be aware of the change. All visible constellations will stay exactly
the same. To all intents and purposes, our three galaxies will remain
unaltered. They will simply exist in a different part of space.” He smiled at
Alyce and Glitz. “If you like, you may stay to observe the galactic translation.
We can still produce a one-time wormhole for you to return to your galaxy, once
the process is over.”

Alyce
glanced and Glitz, and smiled. “We’d love to see it.”

***

Glitz
and Alyce were standing in a large underground cavern, surrounded by
red-cloaked Zierons. As Rell had pointed out, red was the designated colour for
engineers and scientists. It was these men and women of science that had developed
the process to move the three galaxies. The great darkness had been prophesied
by the Zierons nearly a century ago, and the time had finally come for the
theory to be put into practice.

The
cavern was located miles beneath the crust of the planet; Rell was unsure of
the exact measurements, but believed it to be close to the actual core.
Temperature-control devices maintained a habitable environment. The controls to
shift the planet had to be located near the centre of the globe. Zieros was,
quite literally, in the centre of the three galaxies. The calculations required
for the matter translation process mandated the physical force to originate
close to the centre of the empire.

“I
am glad you came to witness this,” Rell said. “No human will ever be able to
witness such an event again. You are both very honoured.”

Dozens
of red-cloaked figures were checking devices built into the walls. A green
island was located in the middle of the cavern, surrounded by a glassy blue
lake of pure water. The cavern itself had to be at least a mile in diameter.
Most of the engineers were working on machines at the periphery of the cave;
the island seemed to be deserted. The whole place was illuminated by an
artificial sun, which gave them the odd impression of being in daylight. Glitz
swallowed as he observed the scientists. Now that the time was at hand, he was
beginning to have second thoughts. What if something went wrong with the
process? The idea of moving three galaxies across space sounded risky. What if
the empire simply blinked out of existence? But it was too late now; the empire
would be translated in less than thirty minutes.

“Come
with me,” Rell said.

He
was dressed in a ceremonial robe, complete with a gold jewelled chain. Three
other Zierons approached, dressed in robes of various colours, and were
introduced to Glitz and Alyce. The Grand High Zieron was wearing a yellow robe
with white stripes, the Secretary was wearing a silver robe, and the Defence
Force Leader was wearing a black robe. They bowed to the four dignitaries,
which included Rell, the Keeper of the Seals.

“It
has been decided that you will be allowed to travel with us to the Wheel
Island,” Rell said. “If you so wish, of course. It is from the Wheel Island
that the process of galactic translation will be initiated.”

Glitz
and Alyce readily agreed, and were instructed to leave all electronic equipment
behind. They complied, and followed the dignitaries into a large golden boat. There
were no oarsmen, but as soon as the six people were safely seated, it began to
move of its own accord across the lake, creating small ripples on the
crystalline surface. It took them slowly to the Wheel Island, which appeared to
be covered in a kind of jungle. The boat moored in a small lagoon, and Alyce
and Glitz stepped off with the others. The jungle was eerily silent; there was
apparently no animal life.

“The
Wheel Island uses plant-based energy as a power source,” Rell explained
quietly. “The translation process is extremely delicate, and any sort of
electric device could disturb the process. Even a slight error could send our
galaxies into a collision with another physical space, or cause us to
dissemble.”

Glitz
and Alyce silently followed the men into the very centre of the jungle. The
robed Zierons walked with an almost holy reverence. A giant wooden wheel, with
jutting spokes, stood in the middle of a piece of rock. There were no wires, no
computers, no visible power source. Glitz began to wonder if the whole thing
was nothing but hokum. How could a piece of wood move three galaxies across the
Universe? After considerable chanting, the Grand High Zieron bowed to his
fellow officials, and climbed on to the wooden platform. After taking a deep
breath, and soliciting the good favour of Chance, their deity, he took hold of
the wheel…

Alyce
took hold of Glitz’s hand, and he squeezed it gently. As the wheel turned with
a low clicking sound, a white glow began to fill the island. The light seemed
to be filled with smaller sparkles, and Glitz felt a strange calm come upon
him. It got brighter and brighter, filling the jungle with warmth—and then it
faded.

“Is
it done?” the Grand High Zieron asked.

The
secretary nodded slowly. “I believe so.”

The
Defence Force Leader stroked his beard, exhaling slowly. “Then let us pray to
Chance that we are now safe from the oncoming darkness.”

The
four Zierons and the two humans returned to the main body of the cavern in the
golden boat, and left the cavern using the anti-gravity elevator. Outside, hail
was falling heavily, and the sky was dark and grey.

“A
result of the translation process!” Rell shouted, over the deafening hail.
“This was predicted by the scientists!”

Then,
quite suddenly, the hail stopped, and sunlight once again filled the sky. Now,
the entire planet looked exactly the same as before. The landscape was
identical, and the few people present in the city seemed largely unaffected by
the experience.

“Excellent,”
Rell said. “A testament to Zieron science! Excellent!” He turned to Alyce and
Glitz. “I will escort you back to the
Deliverer
. I am glad that you
could witness this.” He took Alyce’s hand and kissed it gently. “And let me
say, while there are still humans like you alive, Alyce Wickam, there is still
hope for the Imperium.”

Alyce
flushed. Rell produced a book from within the folds of his robe. It was a
black, leather-bound volume, with golden text. The title read:
THE HISTORY
OF THE ANCIENT AND NOBLE ZIERONS.

“Now,
you may never be persuaded that our society is perfect. I sometimes question
that statement myself. But I understand that you—and the rest of your
family—have been interested in our people for a long time. Hopefully this book
will give you further insight into our ways.”

Alyce
bowed her head respectfully. “Thank you.”

“Now
let us return to your ship.”

***

Glitz
and Alyce said their goodbyes to Rell, who had promised to open a one-time
wormhole near their ship, which they could use to re-enter their own galaxy.
They entered their new ship, which was still parked on the marble-like
platform. The design of the flight deck was smart without being ostentatious,
and minimal without being Spartan. The non-human design was evident straight
away; three hexagonal control screens were built into the far wall, and the
floor was a strange hexagon grid design. There was a large white sofa-like
object, which was shaped like two-thirds of a hexagon.

“Looks
like the guy who built this was fond of hexagons,” Glitz grunted.

There
were various consoles on the flight deck, all of which seemed to operate in a
way entirely different from human technology. But hopefully that wouldn’t be a
problem; Rell had mentioned that the onboard computer was capable of full
automatic operation.

“Computer,”
Alyce said. Nothing happened. She paused, trying to remember the name of the
operating system. “Seraph.”

At
the mention of the word, the computer began to speak. One of the hexagonal
control screens lit up in synchrony with the words. Seraph’s voice was male—if
such a designation could be applied to a computer. It had a calm and pleasant
tone.

to the
Deliverer
. My name is Seraph. May I take your names?>

“I’m
Captain Alyce Wickham, and this is Harlan Glitz.”