Silent Spring: A Space Opera

Plotting for a Fellow's Demise

The reddish flow of hyperspace shimmered all over the Silent Spring and the four frigates that accompanied it, streaming like a river of pure chaotic dimensional energy of that other place. All over the dark realms of hyperspace, daemons and other indescribable horrors crawled like seafloor creatures all over an ocean vent,  their malevolent eyes and fiery tongues bared towards the token fleet that passed by. Here in this hellish realm, every metaphor gained a literal meaning, and daemons are borne from the emotions of the soul bearing races of the galaxy. This utterly terrifying and terribly powerful beings had no hold over real-space, however. Nor could they lay a finger on the small Tereson fleet that passed by as if this was another trip in the park; these ships were protected by a "bubble"of reality wrapped around them like a weaver's cloth. The moment these murderous soul creatures attempted to assault these vessels, they would fizzle their out, their energies dissipated by the void of space that encapsulated the Tereson ships. 

Within the bridge of the Silent Spring, Erekar Daukha stood beside the Captain of the whole ship, Solya Kalao. This man, Erekarh thought as he looked towards Kalao sitting down on his command chair like a king, is not a very bright fellow. One might say that it is quite disrespectful to the captain, but there was merit to this contempt. After all, Kalao was little more than a captain for getting a ship from one point to another and back. He was of little use to the frontline, as demonstrated by the fact that he lost every one of the three ships he ever commanded in the war against the Jiemeni, but it can be argued that he had the luck of the devil. Once he managed to bail a mere three seconds before his destroyer went up in flames from an antimatter shell, and twice did he managed to evacuate mere seconds before the ship he was commanding exploded from critical system failures and damage. However, X.O. Erekarh Dauka was about to end the captain's streak of luck.

Kalao abruptly stood up, and yawned. In front of the bridge crewmen, no less. "It seems that everything is in order.", the captain nonchalantly remarked as he tapped his lips in a sleepy fashion. "I will be taking my leave. Dauka and Therezan,", he said as he also referred to the informations officer. "Wake me up when we get to the next stop.", he said as he yawned one more time. He soon disappeared behind the automatic doorway, and had gone to his private quarters to sleep another good night's sleep.

"Therezan.", Erekarh motioned with his index finger to the informations officer, who was soon near him to converse. 

Therezan was, unlike the captain and the X.O., was not a Tereson. She was a Shiraka, one  of the many conquered species within the Hegemony. The Shiraka were an aquatic race, their appearance resembling a cross between a man and a fish, though none of Therezan's piscine features were visible at all at this moment, as she, like all other Shiraka that walked outside their natural watery environment, wore an enviro suit. It was almost possible for others to mistake her as a masked Tereson were it not for the obviously webbed feet. Like any other member of the Shiraka species, or that of any conquered race in general, Therezan had little reason to pay lip service to the Hegemony and serve in its navy  other than the fact that a non-Tereson that completes 10 years of service in the military gains citizenship, though it only comes with protections from arbitrary punishment and better work opportunities. Ah. So much for 10 years of being relegated as cannon fodder for most, yes. Therezan was a lucky one, for her intelligence and quick thinking was noted by the Naval Academy, and was placed as an informations officer on a prison's ship bridge. It was a step-up from being a faceless soldier that was thrown to the meat grinder everyday though, and this was certainly much safer.

"Yes, X.O.?", Therezan inquired as she came close. Erekarh leaned over towards the shorer  Shiraka, and whispered something to her. She would nod.

"Meet me in the stasis crypts in five minutes.", Erekarh whispered as a demon fizzled out near the ship due to contact with the reality bubble of the Silent Spring. "We have something to discuss."

"Alright, sir.", she replied as she saluted. 

Erekarh soon left through the left automatic door to the bridge, while Therezan left through the right door. Then, the crewmen in the bridge continued in their work, monitoring the systems of the Silent Spring. Fortunately, Shada Mabal, the Tereson monitoring the security cameras of the prison ship has already been swayed...

Five minutes later

Therezan entered the stasis crypt, the grey door closing behind her with a smoking whoosh. The stasis pods were all there in that dark hallway, their occupants sleeping in a state of suspended animation within the frost of the machines that acted like their tombs that ushered them to a life of servitude. There were a thousand of them, all lined up in lines of 50 that packed them closely together in order to conserve space. 

Therezan cautiously peeked into one of the pods, wiping the frost from the glass pane that was directly above the occupant's face. Upon closer inspection, it was revealed that this man was a Tereson, who seemed to be dressed in the very clothes he wore upon his arrest. He wore a well-tailored black suit, and by the looks of it, he seemed either to be of the educated elite of the Hegemony or a d**g trader that apparently made quite a fortune from such a lucrative trade.

"Therezan.", a Tereson called out from behind a larger pod. "You are here, at last."

"X.O. Dauka. What was it you called me for?", Therezan asked as she stepped closer towards the black furred catman. "I can almost guess what-"

"Ms. Therezan, is it true that the Hegemony enslaved your whole clan, except for you?", Erekarh asked out of nowhere as he tapped a few things on a handheld electronic tablet. "The entire Sarkuz clan, yes?"

"What does it have to do with anything?", Therezan asked with a faked laugh. "Eh heh, why does it concern you-"

"I intend to stage a mutiny and take over this prison ship in the name of the Laxiom Dynasty, Therezan. I have found out that a prince of royal blood has been entombed in one of the stasis pods, and I intend to free him.", Erekarh said suddenly as he placed a hand on the glass of a stasis pod. "Some of the crewmen have agreed to aid me in this venture. I know that you have more reason to hate the Hegemony and the aristocracy than most. So, will you aid me in this, Therezan Sarkuz?"

"But... how...?", the Shiraka wondered at the Tereson. "Even if you take over this ship, the escort frigates around us will blow our happy troupe to hell!"

"Everything is going according to the plan.", Erekarh smiled as he held up a runed object in his hand. "We have friends that will help us deal with those little frigates."

"That's... a Jotorun transponder...", Therezan gasped quietly as she marvelled at the device. Such machines were a rare breed in the galaxy outside the Undying Light worldship of the Joto Undivided, and even then, such things were often little more than pretty relics for Tereson aristocrats to look at as part of their private household collections, as no one in the Hegemony was quite sure how they work. That is, until someone found one in the black market, and with the aid of another someone, deciphered the transponder and its capabilities.

"How does it work?", Therezan immediately asked, curious.

"In time, you will know.", Erekarh curtly replied as he put it back in his pocket. "So, can I count on your support?"

"You are always so cryptic, ugh...", Therezan trailed off before she replied again. "Uh... yes! Yes you can!"

"Good.", he replied as he patted her hooded head. "That is quite the spirit, Therezan."

"Ehhhhh...", she muttered. "Who are these friends, by the way?"

"Jotorun raiders, obvio-"

"Huh? Wouldn't we all die?"

"Just quite asking questions, you exhaust me. I wouldn't call on them if this ship was going to be a target as well. They only said they will deal with the frigates and loot them, but as for the mutiny itself, we will be on our own... and for that, that is where I need you."

"Uhm... for what?"

"I do not expect that we can win this on our own.", Erekarh said as he looked around. "We need the aid of those incarcerated in the converted crews' quarters. They are more likely to listen to you, as you a Shiraka. They won't trust a Tereson like me."

"If the Jiemeni grabs me and ends up eating me, I am blaming you.", Therezan pouted as she weighed her options. "Okay, fine. What about the guards?"

"The ones in the shift that you will be sent in are our co-mutineers.", Erekarh replied. "Everything has been taken care of. I will be opening their cells from the secondary console, but that is after you talk with them, of course.", he said brightly as he held Therezan's hand. "The rest rests on you."

"Okay, whatever.", Therezan said with an exasperated tone as they both left the stasis crypts. They seemed to be all alone in the corridor leading back to the bridge...

Twenty light years away 

Hidden within a gas giant's atmosphere, a small flotilla of Jotorun warships lay in wait like snakes watching for their prey to come near. These mighty ships clad in vantablack armor were a terror of the stars, the red strike of their powerful graviton torpedoes heralding the coming of death itself upon many unfortunate souls. Whenever a Tereson merchant ship saw the streaks of positron beams slamming unto its escorts, its captain can only pray that the Jotorun will only take spoils, and not their lives as well. Most of the time, the prayers reach the gods, but sometimes, they only get as far as the borders of time and space, and never come. These raiders had a reputation for being unpredictable, capricious, and deadly, their lightning strikes leaving only empty and defenceless cargo ships in their wake. At the head of this raiding fleet was the Resurrection Class cruiser Resurgence, which was flanked by 6 Crusader Class Frigates. 

Heading this fleet was the Corsair Lord of the Soulfire Brigade (the name of this particular group), Kivutzo Hayaji. His name was well known amongst the princes of the Jotorun and their council of lords, and the Tereson and Jiemeni ships that had to take the perilous path through this sector of space due to hyperspace storms [1] can only hope that this pirate lord happened to be busy elsewhere. As this went on, Kivutzo sat on his chair like a drunk, with legs resting on the left armrest. It was quite natural, yes.

"Who is this that seeks my aid, eh?", he mused as he read the message sent to him by a certain Dauka. "Hmmm, just the escorts... hmmmm.... alright. Seems we are back in business.", he said as he stood up from his chair. Now standing with a dignified pose, he gave an order to the entire fleet, pointing with intensity at the space directly ahead of them.

"Proceed to the D78 System, and wait for our guests by cloaking our ships.", Kivutzo ordered as the vessels of the Soulfire Brigade aligned towards a singular direction. And then, windows in hyperspace opened, and the Jotorun flotilla disappeared in a flash of purple.

Within the bridge of the Resurgence, one of Kivutzo's aides came near him, and whispered.

"If I may, my liege. How do we know that this... prince is for real?"

"Hmmm?", Kivutzo turned to turn face the aide. "Well, it frankly matters very little if he is a fake. But if he is true... then perhaps the galaxy will change for the better."

"My liege?"

Kivutzo sighed. "The intellectuals and educated elite of the Hegemony were very well aware that the so called Supreme Chancellor was no more than a puppet. However, few, if any, of these enlightened individuals dared go against the aristocracy that reigned above them; they had no support and certainly cannot topple the shadow council that ruled the Hegemony in truth without significant military power. This power was something they did not have. However, should a prince of royal blood unite the Tereson people and reinstate the royal dynasty, perhaps the alliance between the fallen Jotorun Republic and the Tereson Kingdom would be honored. The Liaxom kings were always men of honor, and it is sad to see that a fake democracy has taken its place."

"So... you hope that we would no longer have to do raids?"

"Yes.", Kivutzo soberly said. 

"I hope so."