Zoo

Chapter 1

ONE

The ship hung in a perpetual orbit, slowly circling the gas giant beneath it. Flashes of light from planetary storms crackled across the ionosphere. Far off, a dying star lit the ship’s metallic hull, its beacon casting its stark light across the ancient solar system. Inside the vessel in a low-slung room, six figures sat. The room offered no windows. No vista or daylight to distract any of them. Dust motes floated in the air as the light gently pulsed, reflecting off the shiny alloy of the figures’ suits. They were all humanoid. All male. Their pathetic, withered bodies were ridiculously emaciated, titanium shells encasing them. The metal pinched their skin, holding them firmly in place, their limbs powered by the suits. The suits, in turn, were powered by a neural link from their engorged brains. Brains that bulged against their paper-thin skulls, dark veins crisscrossing their mottled skin. They were effectively cyborgs. Machines with a humanoid core. The lights in the confined space lit the tops of their faces, obscuring features that were flat and nondescript. The figure at the head of the table gestured with a metal hand, a metallic whirr echoing off the walls. “We don’t have much time. We know what has been finalised. This chairing is just to clarify a few points.” His mouth remained shut, their communication on another level.

After an hour the humanoid at the head of the table spoke again. “The war is all but won. Just two systems remain where the rebels are holed-up. We will hunt them down and make martyrs of them all. Barajan, their leader, will have a very public execution. It will send a message to all.”

“Agreed,” a collective voice said in unison.

“Can trade recommence?” another voice said.

“Certainly. We will send out a pulse-message to all systems. It will take time for normality to return. We must recoup the costs of this skirmish.”

“How are preparations for the attraction?” another figure asked.

“On course. We have identified a thousand potential systems to plunder. Terraforming is underway. Once complete we can send them out. We hope to have the attraction up and running in one moon cycle.”

“Do we have a name?”

“Not yet. We will put our more creative thinkers on this task. They have been busy, finding outposts for us to scout. They tell me that we’ll have a very diverse attraction that will draw visitors from far and wide. This venture will be a sure-fire way to replenish our funds. I will be in touch. Safe travels back to your stations.”