“What an amazing spectacle!”

  ***

  If there was one thing the slow form of space travel gave you, it was time.

  As we hurtled through space, there were no fields to plough, no soldiers to avoid, and no regimes to overthrow. I’d find myself staring out the window of my quarters, watching the edge of the light cone fade into the perpetual darkness of space, overwhelmed and in awe of its vast, majestic beauty.

  The skeleton crew, and the equally sparse facilities, provided minimal stimulation. Within the minimalist quarters, an inexhaustive collection of media, encompassing everything from nature documentaries to semi-recent blockbusters, was intended to be the solution to boredom.

  With all of this in mind, I was highly grateful for Amorina’s presence because I could only mindlessly watch so much media.

  Instead, when Amorina wasn’t having time to herself, we would converse about life, the universe, and everything, and when we weren’t talking, we would have sex … lots of sex.

  We would get lost in each other. Hours felt like minutes as we embraced one another, entwining mind, body, and soul. Each engagement allowed us to live out many lives. We became explorers, traversing wild and untamed lands, seeking pleasurable treasure; and we were dancers, leading and following, lost in the rhythm, slaves to the beat and its inevitable climax.

  I closed my eyes and gave my head a shake, breaking away from the outside view. It was strange how the blue spectacle could capture and hold your attention whilst the world around you passed by. I turned my gaze instead to Amorina lying beside me.

  The quarters lighting was off presently, so the only illumination came from outside, bathing the room in a dim, eerie light. In the darkness, it gave form to her body, barely visible like a sleeping ghost. She was resting on her side, her head rested upon her left arm and her hair tucked underneath it.

  My eyes followed the highlighted edge of her body; travelling from her head up to the peak of her shoulder, before dropping down to the valley of her waist, only to rise up and over the rolling curve of her buttocks, dropping once more and following along her legs, which disappeared beneath the sheets.

  As I watched, she shifted in her sleep, pulling the sheets up a little higher, adjusting her weight before settling down again. She uttered a faint mumble, and then her normal rhythmic breathing resumed. I wondered what thoughts were flickering through her mind, what dreamscapes her subconscious was exploring. Were they happy, or were they dreary? Were they bright, or were they dark? I hoped, of course, for the former scenarios, but I knew she’d experienced trauma these past days and knew how that could affect a person.

  My dreams were still devoid and empty, with few long-term memories from which to construct elaborate places for my mind to inhabit in its sleep. The ember of Tynan still burned within, dragging me back to his dark beach, which, night after night, terrorised me with a horrifying thought: if Amorina weren’t with me, I’d be alone, floating endlessly in the sea and in space – dark, cold, and lonely.

  But I knew how to shine a light on the darkness. I would focus on my dream of living the good life: Amorina and I on a farm of our own, starting a family and working the land. We wouldn’t have to worry about the rest of the universe – only each other and our children. That was the dream.

  ***

  The dropship hurtling through Terranova’s atmosphere was a whole new experience for me. Every other planetary ascent and descent I’d experienced had been spent in cryosleep. This time I witnessed the terrifying beauty of atmospheric entry first-hand.

  When the dropship had entered the atmosphere, a pale orange plasma had appeared around the outside of the ships’ magnetic shielding, transforming into a dark red plasma as the descent progressed. The deceleration applied four g-forces to myself and the other occupants, which pressed me into my seat and made breathing difficult. As the ship passed into the troposphere, the in-atmosphere engines engaged, bringing the dropship under controlled flight.

  “Another first for you, Raith. What did you think?” asked the pilot.

  “Amazing! But also terrifying!”

  “I know what you mean! The feeling never changes, even after hundreds of drops!”

  I unbuckled myself from the seat, walking over to the back of the cabin and pulling the conversion device from its storage.

  “We’ll be touching down in a minute.”

  “Thanks, mate.”

  As I switched the device on, I could feel the dropship decelerating, swinging around as its landing spot was picked before touching down with a thud. Now that we were on the ground, the hatch between the cockpit and the cargo bay opened, so I picked up the device and walked through. The rear cargo door was already opening, allowing fresh air and new light to stream into the ship. I inhaled, enjoying the new smells this alien air offered me. Adjusting to the light, I could see a welcome party of Empire officers waiting outside.

  “Welcome, Your Grace, to Terranova. I am Commander Val.”

  “Thank you, Commander, for your welcome. It is good to be here.”

  “Yes, it’s been a long time, hasn’t it? I remember my father regaling tales of seeing you here as a child, having accompanied your father on one of his visits.”

  “Yes, it has been such a long time, so long in fact that I hardly remember coming here. Allow me a few minutes to take it all in.”

  “Of course, Your Grace.”

  I turned my back to the welcoming party, activating the conversion device. Immediately, its loud hum filled the air as it’d done previously.

  “If I may inquire, Your Grace, what are you doing?”

  “The device I hold is scanning the planet for conflicting ideals and dissidence. Let it do its work.”

  As the device hummed in my hands, I took in the beautiful Terranova landscape: rolling hills were covered in a sea of purple grass, broken up by the odd blue leafed trees. Nestled in the valleys were pools of crystal clear water, several of which had people swimming in them, nude and carefree. True to its reputation, Terranova was a pleasure world, evidenced by a large orgy taking place in the distance. Dotted around the landscape, smaller groups and pairings could also be seen copulating. In a different life, I might’ve been captivated by such sights and rushed off to join in, but I knew the truth of this world: many of the workers here were the victims of Soul Harvests, plucked from their worlds.

  The device was ready now, its hum dropping swiftly, shifting down into a bass rumble. It cycled up and down, again and again, getting deeper and deeper, until its wave of energy burst forth, rushing out across the planet’s surface. In the sky above, numerous dropships appeared, carrying Republic troops who would assist in the planets’ transition and rehabilitation.

  ***

  As the frigate dropped out of warp, it struck me how one and a half years is quite a long time to spend travelling through space.

  After Terranova’s conversion, we’d made the short hop to Astarte, which had also been converted cleanly. From there, it was another six months to Machina Station. During the journey, Amorina had begun to feel ill in the mornings. Once we’d converted the station, we sought a doctor who confirmed our suspicions – we were expecting a child. Against the doctor’s advice, we decided to keep Amorina out of cryosleep, and the doctor subsequently chose to accompany us for the continuation of our journey. Our daughter, Emma, was born on the way to Ares, becoming the first human born during warp travel. Gazing out the bridge windows, I looked down upon Ares – our final stop before we would finally be home.

  “Captain … I’m picking up three frigates. They’ve just appeared from the other side of Ares, and they’re heading towards us.”

  “Increase shield power to one hundred percent and try to open a communications channel.”

  As the pilot configured the shields, I turned to the Captain.

  “Can we withstand an attack from three frigates?”

  “Not for long, but we just need to survive long enough for the Republic ships to get here.”

  “Captain, I’ve established a communication channel.”

  “The frigates three, this is Captain Mackenzie of the Empire Frigate Stormfalcon. Identify yourselves.”

  “Drop the pretence, Captain, the jig is up!” came the reply from a gruff and grizzled voice.

  “There is no pretence here. I am carrying the emperor on board. So I repeat, this is Captain Mackenzie of the Empire Frigate Stormfalcon, identify yourselves.”

  “Listen, you fucking twat, I know what’s been happening! The Emperor is a traitor to his Empire, and you lot have been going from world to world changing everybody. We will not be lambs to the slaughter like those other worlds. You want to change us? You’ll have to do it to our dead bodies!”

  The captain made a hand gesture to the pilot, who in turn pressed a button on the console.

  “We’re muted, Captain.”

  “How do you want to play this, Raith?”

  “Let’s try a little honesty. I suspect if we keep playing ignorant, we’ll just aggravate them.”

  “Very well. Make us live, please.”

  The pilot pressed the console button again and then gave a thumbs up.

  “Hi there … this is Raith speaking, formally known as Tynan Khidar.”

  “You fucking wanker! Do you know what you’ve done? How much work you’ve destroyed?”

  “I don’t see it as destruction, but rather transformation and rebirth.”

  “Of course you bloody well do … goddamn traitor!”

  “May I know who I’m speaking with?”

  “General Harry Jake is who’s speaking! And I will have you know that I gave my life in service to the Empire. I served under your father, and subsequently under you, and helped build the Empire into what it was … until you started tearing it down. But I will not let you tear it down any further!”

  “Captain, they’ve killed the channel … and they’ve fired missiles!”

  “Fire countermeasures.”

  Watching closely, I spotted dozens of bullets streaking away from us, glinting as they reflected light from the system's star.

  “Rail guns?” I asked.

  “Yep!”

  Ahead, I watched the bullets collide with the missiles, breaking chunks off its surface and altering their course. The missiles passed us by harmlessly, wobbling and twisting in an uncontrolled trajectory.

  “Captain, they’re changing tactic – they’ve deployed their rail guns.”

  “Prepare for evasive manoeuvres!”

  Suddenly, out of the corner of my eye, a large object appeared, catching the star's light as it shot across my field of view. The projectile punched through the middle of the leftmost frigate, tearing it in half.

  “Ah!” the captain exclaimed. “The cavalry has arrived!”

  I looked out the window to see a Republic Cruiser and two accompanying frigates.

  “You’re lucky your friends showed up, Raith! Just know this fight isn’t over!”

  The short message from the General filled the bridge as his two remaining ships quickly rotated and began accelerating away.

  “Intrepid is charging its Gauss Cannon again! We’ll get them!”

  “Can you open a channel to the Intrepid, please?”

  “Sure thing,” said the pilot, giving me a thumbs-up.

  “Intrepid, this is Raith on the Stormfalcon.”

  “Howdy, Raith. How you doin’?”

  “I am doing very well, thanks to you! A quick request though – please don’t shoot down those frigates.”

  “Can do, but they’ll return and be problematic when they do … so may I ask why?”

  “Maybe they will be back, and maybe they will be a problem … but maybe they’ll also remember the mercy they were shown.”

  “Very well then, if you’re sure, sir.”

  “Thank you! We’ll be commencing planetfall shortly.”

  “Acknowledged. Good luck to you. Intrepid out.”

  In the distance, I watched both frigates blip away as they warped off to an unknown destination.

  “Won’t they be a problem at some point?” the captain asked.

  “Possibly, but we will tackle it if it becomes a problem. For now, we’ve got a job to do.”

  ***

  The dropship docked back with the frigate, another conversion successfully behind me. As its hanger door opened, Amorina was standing there waiting for me, gently cradling Emma in her arms.

  “Hey you,” she said with a smile. “Mission go well?”

  “Yes, it seemed the General had tried to gather support, but most of the soldiers believed the emperor incorruptible. So we were welcomed on arrival and converted them easily.”

  “I’m glad to hear it. Does that mean we can go home now?”

  “Yes … yes, it does!”

  “I can’t wait to see Mum and your parents and have them meet Emma.”

  “Eight months will pass before you know it, and we won’t have to leave home again.”

  “That’s the bit I’m looking forward to most … I think I’ve just about had enough of space travel.”

  “I know, me too.”

  Chapter 15

  An Evil … Forgotten?

  2152, Common Era – Planet Gaia, Outer Rim, Republic of Humanity

  The arrival of a stranger was hardly ever a good thing, particularly on Gaia. When ships fell from the sky, it was the arrival of either the Empire or pirates. As our dropship descended, I could only imagine the fear that was beginning to stir in the people below. Then I imagined confusion entering their thoughts as they recognised an Empire dropship dropping from the sky. And if it was a Soul Harvest, it was happening a year too early and with a few dozen ships too few.

  “Could you land us in the town centre, please?”

  The pilot glanced out the window.

  “It’ll be a bit tight, but I should be able to make it happen!”

  The ship slowed down, circled as it got closer to its landing site. I looked out the cockpit window and saw my parents and Amorina’s mother present in the crowd below. Butterflies flurried in my stomach as I thought about being with them again. I listened to the hum of the engines and the way their sound changed as the ship landed: growing louder as it decelerated the vessel, controlling its descent to touchdown; softening as the engines cycled down once landfall had been made.

  “Are you ready?” I asked, turning to Amorina.

  “I’m so ready!”

  I opened the hatch to the cargo bay, and we both inhaled the rush of air flowing in through the open rear cargo door.

  “Fuck me, that smells so good!” Amorina explained.

  “It smells like home!”

  “Yes, it does. Shall we set foot on our home soil?”

  “Absolutely!”

  “Well, after you …”

  I walked through the hatch, across the length of the cargo bay and then out into the open. Transitioning from the dark interior of the dropship to the bright streets of Gaia overwhelmed my eyes, and for a few moments, I was blind. My ears were met with almost complete silence. At first, I could hear only the shuffling of feet – people moving around to try and get a better view of the new arrival. As human-shaped blobs began to register with my eyes, whispers started to trickle into my ears. My surroundings became more apparent as clothing and faces became distinguishable.

  “Raith?” a quiet and familiar voice spoke above the whispers.

  I turned towards the sound, scanning the faces for the face I knew to be there.

  “Raith? Is it really you?”

  There I saw her, my mother. I smiled, and moments later, I watched her face break out into a huge grin as well.

  “Oh, Raith! It is you! It is you!” she squealed, running forward to embrace me.

  As I held her in my arms, I looked back out at the crowd and spotted my father. A small smile crept onto his face, and he began to walk towards me. As if sensing his presence, my mother let go of me and stepped back, allowing my father through.

  “Son … how are you?” he said quietly.

  “I picked a wolf … and I came home.”

  The smile on my father’s face grew, and his eyes moistened.

  “I’m thrilled to hear that.”

  He stepped forward at last and embraced me.

  “Raith?” another voice called out.

  My father let me go, and I turned to find Amorina’s mother coming towards me. Her face was scarred and bent, a painful reminder of the sacrifice she’d provided to get me off-world.

  “Raith … did you find her? Did you save Amorina?”

  “Hi, Anne. Yes, I did. She’s on the ship.”

  Anne nodded and turned towards the ship, where Amorina was just emerging from the darkness. Anne started to rush forwards and then stopped, having spotted the bundle in Amorina’s arms.

  “Mother, Father … Anne, I’d like you to meet Emma … your granddaughter.”

  Both Mother and Anne simultaneously let out high pitched squeaks and then rushed forward to greet Amorina and swoon over the baby in her arms.

  I turned to look back at my father.

  “You didn’t come home alone then,” he said.

  “No. I came back with so much more. An understanding of who I was, who I am, and who I want to be. As it turned out, this wasn’t my first family, but I wasn’t a good father or a good man beforehand. I intend to do better this time and right the wrongs of the past, so there’s a few people on ice in the ship that I’m keen for you to get to know as well.”

  “I look forward to it … over a celebratory dinner, perhaps?”

  “That sounds wonderful!”

  “Great! Come on, let’s get started – the ladies will be distracted for a while, methinks.”

  “Definitely! But I have one thing to do first.”

  I turned towards the ship and made a hand gesture to come closer. The pilot appeared from within the ship, carrying the

  conversion device. As he handed it over, primed and ready, I rested my thumbs on the triggers.

  “What is that?”