Death to the Imperium (Imperium Cicernus) by James McGovern Page B

grey sphere, with a fiery seam running through the centre. The
cratered surface was dry and barren. “This is the planet Chaos. It is located
in the far reaches of the Paradonian Sector, in the part of space commonly
known as the Badlands. The planet was first discovered centuries ago by Dorian
Night, the famous intergalactic explorer, but for obvious reasons it was
declared unsuitable for colonisation. It is perhaps the most unfriendly planet
in the Universe, inhabited by savage creatures and home to every sort of
catastrophe and pestilence imaginable.”
    He
nodded to Admiral Blaize, who carried on the story. “The only life forms Dorian
Night found on Chaos were vicious, primitive animals. Chemical storms rage in
the heavens. Quakes are a weekly occurrence. The world has no redeeming
features. There are not even any valuable minerals on the planet. So imagine
our surprise when we discovered a mysterious ship in orbit around the planet.”
    Tekka
frowned. “What kind of ship?”
    “That
is the interesting thing,” the First Naval Lord said. “We do not know. The ship
is unlike any we have ever seen.” He activated another control, and an image of
the ship became overlaid over the projection of the planet.
    “We
need to find out who they are, and what they want,” Admiral Andronica said.
    “Then
send some of your ships,” Tekka said.
    The
First Naval Lord smiled. “Would it were that simple. In fact, the scout ship
that we sent was promptly destroyed. They most likely have some sort of
advanced weaponry—something we have not encountered before.”
    “How
do we come into all this?” Glitz said, somehow already knowing the answer.
    The
First Naval Lord’s eyes twinkled. “You are to fly to the Badlands and visit the
planet Chaos, with the intention of discovering the purpose of the enemy ship.
You will then return to Lightworld with a full report of your discoveries.”
    Glitz
glanced at his companions. Doland looked terrified, and Tekka was apparently
lost in thought; his face was expressionless.
    “And
what if we refuse?” Tekka said finally.
    “Come
now, come now,” the First Naval Lord said. “You can use your imagination,
surely?”
    Tekka
smiled coldly. “I have been reliably informed that I do not have an
imagination. So why don’t you just tell us?”
    Glitz
winced. He couldn’t believe that Tekka was talking to the leader of the most
powerful Navy in history as if he was an errant schoolboy that hadn’t handed in
his homework. But the First Naval Lord smiled again—for some reason, he seemed
to like Tekka.
    “I
do so hate threats. You have to make so many of them when you’re in my position,
you know. I sometimes think my only purpose in life is to threaten people. So
let’s try something different. How about a carrot instead of a stick? If you manage
to find out the purpose of the mysterious ships, I will offer the three of you
a full pardon.”
    Tekka
looked interested. He nodded slowly. “Why did you select us for this mission?”
he said finally.
    “A
couple of my admirals thought it was unwise,” the First Naval Lord said, “but I
think that this unusual situation calls for a maverick solution. We are in a—potentially—very
dangerous situation. When I heard about your escape from Malus, I decided to
recruit you. After all, it’s a well-known fact that no one escapes from Malus. Luckily
for us, you set the co-ordinates for the Upsilon System before you reset the
ship’s tracking system. And we knew your ship was low on supplies. All we had
to do was place the snare ship in orbit and wait for you to board.”
    “Neat,”
Glitz said, with a touch of sarcasm. Nevertheless, he had to admit that he was
impressed.
    The
First Naval Lord smiled. “You have proven yourselves to be cunning,
intelligent, resourceful—”
    “And
expendable?” Tekka said.
    The
First Naval Lord paused. Then he nodded. “Yes. I won’t try to deceive you. If
the three of you died I would hardly lose