Center Worlds - Spark

“Lord Camelin, the Lady Lya Desinlo did not survive the crash. Do you wish us to recover the body?” Came the report from the distant teams that had found the wreckage of the cargo flitter crashed against the hillside.

“Yes, bring her home, and have her prepared for her journey to the Gates of Pangea. She deserves at least that.” Ryo replied with a catch in his voice. He flicked the channel.

“Kalen, what do we know?”

“My Lord and Commander, I will take full responsibility for this tragedy, as it occurred while your family was under my protection. The Ship was too far distant to prevent Lady Desinlo’s ship from impacting the hillside. Had I been a bit faster, she may have-” Kalen paused, and Ryo could well imagine the other man gathering himself before continuing. “We have the assassins under shield now, they have been stripped and searched, we have five of them, one managed to suicide before we could stop him. They do not wish to talk to us, my Lord. I can identify them as being from Clan Kerilac though, they all have the Kerilac battle mark on them.”

“Captain Kalen, I will not hold you responsible, you are one of my most loyal officers,” Ryo told him.

“Commander, you must not trust anybody anymore. These men infiltrated the Clan, and got into a position of such high trust that they were in your home. Killed six security guards and took their flitter. They knew the flight plan for your family, murdered Lady Lya, and possibly caused the death of young Lady Aya as well.” Kalen almost snarled into the comm.

“I know, Viktor. I feel the loss the most of anybody. Once we are finished here, I will see these men, and we will find out why they did this, and what is so important that they are willing to risk causing a civil war for.”

Kalen turned off the comm and turned to his troops who were standing with weapons drawn against the five burly Hablis who had dared to attack the heart of a Clanworld. “Secure them, not too comfortably though. The Commander will speak to them directly, and I want no incidents.”

“We will say nothing to you, Clan Camelin. You are traitors to the Confederacy and to the Clans. You lie with Desinlo and raise bastard children with them.” One of the soldiers snarled.

Ryo looked at the five men, all stripped down to just shorts, securely chained against escape or self-harm, and yet still so defiant.

He leaned forward. “All I need to know is who sent you? Hablis such as yourselves have no way of doing this on your own. You had help, from whom?”

Another of the soldiers smiled. “Clansman Michelab arranged for this action, Clansman Camelin. He said it was fitting for a traitor to lose his family before he loses his world.”

Ryo nodded and stood. “Hull them, all of them.”

An audible gasp was the next thing he heard. “Commander, that has not been done in over a hundred cycles,” Kalen said.

Ryo looked at his XO, and Kalen saw the fire burn in his Commander’s eyes. “I have no mercy for this, Kalen. These men killed in cold blood, let them feel the fires of the Vortex firsthand. Hull them. We travel to Clanworld Michelab this eve. This ends tonight one way or another.”

The five men, clad in emergency pressure suits with their arms bound tightly to their waists, were all secured against the outer hull of the TGX-2, just inboard of the main drive pod. The radios were all turned off, and all controls that would be accessible were disabled, so all the men could do was shout and scream into the helmets, totally isolated by the deep vacuum of high orbit. Once the job of securing them had been done, the TGX crew withdrew into the ship’s airlocks, and the men were left outside for some meaningless time. Their thoughts trapped them in the suits, listening to the air circulate, knowing that the suits had about a day’s worth of air. A surge brought them out of their reverie, and they began to shout again as they saw a bright corona of light coming towards them as the massive battleship leaped into the miasma of Vortex flight.

The TGX-2 hung overhead as Ryo flew down towards Clanworld Michelab in a shuttle, escorted by a full wing of armed fighters. The procession was tracked by the weapons from the TGX, which was on battle alert, prepared to fire upon anything that targeted or attacked this small flotilla.

The shuttle touched down, and Ryo stepped out, to be greeted by seven Michelab guards, weapons drawn but not aimed directly at him.

“Your Clan is not welcome on this world, Lord Camelin, why are you here?” Came the challenge.

Six of the guards crumpled instantly as weapons fire mowed them down. Ryo walked towards the one remaining standing and firmly took the firearm from his shocked and limp fingers.

“I do not have patience for pandering, or sycophants. Take me to your Clan leader before I reduce this world to a charred cinder.”

Within minutes they were walking towards the First House of Michelab, where although it was the middle of the night, the building was ablaze with light at this unexpected and dangerous visitor.

Ryo was surprised as he entered the main hall to see not Myo Michelab, but the former Captain Kerilac.

“Where is Clansman Michelab?” Ryo said as he walked up to the table where Kerilac sat, flanked by armed guards, who had their weapons squarely aimed at Ryo’s midsection.

“I am the Clansman for Michelab now, my predecessor has voyaged to Pangea. A terrible accident he suffered, truly terrible. Why are you here?” Kerilac replied.

“Then I will hold you responsible for the attack upon my world this day, Kerilac. Good people died today because you continue to fight a war a thousand cycles dead.” Ryo stated, resting his hands flatly on the table.

“What, pray to the Gods, will you do, Lord Camelin?” Kerilac said smugly. “One word from me, and you will be gunned down, ending the line of Clan Camelin in one move.”

Ryo leaned a bit closer. “One word from me, Clansman Kerilac, and this world is reduced to a broken glass sphere, glowing with radiation for ten thousand cycles.”

Kerilac guffawed. “Even the full power of your TGX battlecruiser could not do that damage to this world before the rest of the Confederacy turned on you, Camelin. I call your bluff...” He paused as one of the guards leaned down and whispered in his ear.

“Your man is most likely informing you that there are now four TGX cruisers in orbit. Three others have just dropped into high orbit, and they are taking up equidistant positions. You are right that my one ship could not easily glass this planet. Four, on the other hand, can reduce it to shiny cinders in a matter of moments.” Ryo said, standing up again.

“I can still kill you, and end the reign of Camelin, to ensure that the other clans will stop Desinlo from spreading through the Confederacy,” Kerilac said, his confidence shaken, but his plans still somewhat in place.

“You do not have the strength in numbers to bring down Clan Camelin. I have allies with seven of the twelve Clans, none of which are amused by what you did this day in my world. The smart thing to do would be to put down the weapons and start negotiating before I lose what little patience I have left.” Ryo stated.

“You want me to negotiate? For what?” Kerilac said, then got to his feet. “I will negotiate only this. You leave here, unharmed, and do not return. Otherwise, I will ensure blood will be spilled, Lord Camelin.”

Ryo folded his arms and looked squarely at Kerilac. “You do not even begin to understand what it is you face, Kerilac. It is not just me that you have impacted this day, you have brought the entire Confederacy to the brink of civil war, and the other Clans don’t want to fight your war. I also told you this in the Great Hall, some time ago, No More.”

An explosion ripped through the room as Ryo said these words, and the ceiling dissolved into a swirl of broken glass and plasteel, swirling up into the night sky that was suddenly fully lit up. As Ryo stood, surrounded by a cone of golden light, the room seemed to dissolve, until Kerilac and his guards were left standing in the remains of the house as it was torn apart and fine dust and debris scattered all over the grounds.

Kerilac signaled the guards and they fired at Ryo, but the bullets were deflected by the cone of energy, then the weapons themselves were pulled free of the guard’s hands to join the swirling mass of debris still flying through the air.

Just as suddenly as the noise began, it stopped, and the debris settled down in a cloud of fine dust. Kerilac looked at Ryo as he stood there, still in the cone of golden light, then became aware of the sound of booted feet walking, and turned to see Lord Emperor Tyo Masilec, along with the assembled Clan leaders walking towards them with a full Palace Security detachment to back them up.

“Lord Emperor,” Ryo said, bowing slightly.

“Lord Camelin.” Tyo replied, also making a perfunctory bow. “My fellow Clansmen, you have witnessed, have you a decision?”

The clansmen all huddled together, then one stepped forward. “Aye, Lord Emperor, we have. Upon review of the actions taken today, we agree to strip Clan Michelab of lands and powers through the Grand Council. Travel will be restricted to approved routes only and all members of the Clan shall be returned to homeworlds for a period of one Grand Cycle.”

“You can’t do this!” Kerilac shouted. “I am Clan Leader of Michelab, I have a say, and I will be heard!”

“Then speak, Lord Kerilac, of Clan Michelab, by all means. Say what you need to.” Tyo said.

“What I ordered was just. Clan Desinlo, and through their actions, Clan Camelin have betrayed the Confederacy. Desinlo took over the government in a bloody coup and ruled the Confederacy for hundreds of cycles. They ordered the killing of my entire planet. Camelin now harbours these criminals and they need to pay for their crimes. Desinlo and Camelin must now pay for those crimes, in every way possible. It is the law!”

“Not my law, Clansman Kerilac.” Tyo replied calmly. “Confederacy law states that once the Grand Council has voted on an action, that matter is closed and will not be opened again. You are now committing treason yourself for violating our law. You will remain here, the Clanworld will be isolated, and Kerilac can figure out how to explain to the billion and a half citizens of Clan Michelab why they can no longer trade or get goods with the rest of the Confederacy, or even with their colony worlds. I think you will find that the wisdom of the Michelab crowds will give you summary guidance.”

Tyo turned and walked back towards the waiting shuttle, along with the other Clan Leaders who also turned their backs on the now impotent Kerilac who stood there in the remains of the house, fuming angry.

“Tell me, Commander Camelin. What happened to the team I sent to deal with the traitorous bitch Desinlo?”

“I had them hulled on the trip here. Would you care to join them?” Ryo replied, stone-faced.

Kerilac staggered back and fell to his knees.

“Camelin!” He shouted, Ryo turned to him.

“I will not rest until I have your head, traitor. Your days are numbered, Lord Camelin.”

“Then, Clansman Kerilac, we are at war. The next time I step foot upon this world, you will swear fealty to me.” Ryo turned and walked away, the golden cone of light protecting him until he was at the shuttle which he boarded.

The shuttle lifted and quickly exceeded velocity as it flew towards the orbiting battlecruisers. As it passed the outer hull of the TGX-2, Ryo spared a glance at the space where the five men had been secured. Nothing remained now except the cargo mounts. Their bodies had been eroded by the trip through the vortex. From the inside out as the exotic particles ate their way through the living tissues and dissolved them into nothingness.

The shuttle docked and Ryo made his way to the bridge of his ship. Kalen was waiting for him.

“Good news, Commander. Aya has been stabilized and the doctors feel there will be no permanent damage. The bullet grazed her but did not break any synapses.”

Ryo nodded, a touch of relief amid a day of disaster was a glimmer of hope.

“Get us underway, we have a funeral to proceed with, and a Clanworld to honour.”