PROLOGUE
The blackened sky erupted with lightning, dark storm clouds looming over the craggy mountain tops. Thunder rolled across the valley encircled by bleak hill tops. In the centre, a bleak plane howled with the chilling wind, biting to the core of the small group of humanoids huddled in hovels and remains of an alien structure in bad need of repair. Dark vines intertwined their way through fissures in the concrete walls allowing the elements to enter.
Inside, a large room with an earthen floor was lit by a large fire in the middle. Scruffy, clad in animal hides, the humanoids huddled together silently around the fire. Roasting on the fire was the remains of an indigenous reptile that emitted a pungent odour. The rations they had found in another room had run out long ago, this was all they had now.
When the food first ran out, they waited for more to be brought, hoping that the Pale Ones would return. The Pale Ones would bring them food everyday, in fact, had brought them food for every day of their lives that they could remember. Until one day they disappeared. The Pale Ones never returned. They searched everywhere inside the structure for more of the little blue boxes they had been eating from, but there were no more. Hunger eventually drove them outside and some of the older ones set off in search of food.
Days went by and there was no word, just the howl of the wind for company. They began to grow weak and listless. Finally their brethren returned carrying the bodies of some large scaly creatures. Some of the little ones had become sick when first eating the meat, the ones with pointed ears. The ones with the ridges across their brow feasted on the flesh and became strong. The smooth faced ones learned to roast the flesh first in the fire, and then it became edible. Even still, some of the little ones did not survive and this brought great distress to the rest as they lay dieing. No words were spoken, but they all felt the pain of death.
Life went on, in this place, the only place they had ever known, their only home. The wind and rain soon began to tear it down around them. The smooth faced ones devised ways of keeping the elements out, and the warmth in. The ridge headed ones hunted for food everyday. The pointed ears ones attempted to decipher the purpose of the strange items and machinery discovered elsewhere within the structure. At the end of the day, they would all gather back in this room, huddle around the fire, eat, and then sleep. One of the smooth faced ones picked out the lizard remains from the fire and wrapped it up in a green leafy parchment. They had discovered that the large green leaves of the taller trees kept the meat edible for a few more days before it rotted.
The wind began to pick up outside ever so louder. The pointed ear ones noticed it first, the pitch of the wind was different somehow, a steady whine that gradually ascended into a roar. The ground trembled with a dull thud as the sound of an impact on the ground came distinctively from outside. One of the ridgeheads scrambled up the outer wall to peer through a crack near the ceiling. Turning back to his brethren, he looked to one of the pointy eared ones. No words were spoken, but seconds later the ridgehead nodded, and they all moved as one taking up positions around and behind the door. The little ones took cover beneath their bedding.
The sound of several footsteps became audible crunching on gravel beyond the door and the door handle began to move.
A voice from outside said, "I'm reading life signs in here".
As the door opened, the young ridghead poised to leap upon the intruder. In the doorway stood a giant, taller than any humanoid they had ever seen before. Taller even than the Pale Ones, which these creatures were certainly not. One of the little ones cried out in fear and mayhem ensued. The older ones rushed at the giants, flinging dirt and dust up into the air. The little ones cowered in fear and panic. Beams of orange light accompanied by a high pitched sound lanced out from something in the hands of the giants, and one by one, they fell to the ground. Shaking in fright, one of the little ones watched on in horror as one of the giants moved closer to where she was hiding. It was holding some device in one hand that had flashing lights and made a whirring sound. Large hands on long outstretched arms reached down to grab her. She screamed.
In the captain's quarter's of the USS Australia, TraceyG awoke with a start and sat upright, beads of sweat glistening on her temple. She surveyed her quarters, but only four walls and a star field through the portal stared back at her. The intercom chimed on her bedside table.
?TraceyG here?.
The image of the ship?s Medical Officer appeared on the comm. Screen.
?Captain, are you ok, the computer reports your respiration and heart rate are way above normal levels.?
?I?ll be fine.? She rubbed her temples.
?Another nightmare? Same as before again?? asked the Chief Medical Officer.
?Yes, the same one. I?ll be fine, really, TraceyG out.?
She rose from the bed and stepped across her quarters to the bathroom. Operating the water faucet she leaned over to splash water on her face. Resting her elbows momentarily on the surface of the water reclamation chute, she looked down and paused for a moment to collect her thoughts. When she stood up, there was a figure standing behind her, the reflection in the mirror clear and present. Her eyes widened, as the recognized the face that stared back at her. Not quite the same, the Klingon ridges and darker complexion were different, and the eyes a different colour. Nevertheless, the features were sufficiently similar that she recognized them as almost being her own. She whirled around to face the intruder.
?Who are you? How did you get in here?? she asked.
The Klingon woman stood in full battle dress staring back at her, studying her. Seconds later, with a blood curdling warcry, her assailant brandished a bat?leth from behind her back and in the confines of the small cubicle, still managed to heft it up into the air and thrust forward. The tip of the weapon pierced TraceyG?s stomach, plunging through her abdomen. The blade slick with blood protruded momentarily before her back before the wielder of the weapon withdrew it with a sickening, sucking sound of emaciated internal organs. TraceyG opened her mouth to scream, but nothing came out.
In the captain's quarter's of the USS Australia, TraceyG awoke with a start and sat upright, beads of sweat glistening on her temple. Clutching at her abdomen, she felt for the wound that she thought had just killed her. The intercom chimed on her bedside table.
To be continued?.
Topic: The Empress of the Empire (Read 10957 times)