Ex Nihilo - Abyssal Prophecy

Chapter 26

A loud series of bangs on the door roused Kain from sleep. His mind reached out for the time and discovered he’d only been asleep for six hours. His muscles still ached when he stood up and picked up his clothes to put them back on for duty.

            “I let you sleep in. Come on. We have an important meeting to attend to.” Gabriel motioned for his son to follow when Kain opened the door.He dreaded the conversation he needed to have with his father and glanced around to see the bridge door was almost repaired and the workers heading toward the main lift.

            “Sorry, Captain, had trouble sleeping last night. I did manage to get some information from my intelligence network,” Kain whispered. “There was a suspicious bit of activity in the Upper Wards last night. A strange and unexpected meeting between Lord Whelsey and Lord Drumpf, but I am waiting on further details. I will upload the information to your neural implant.”

            The data poured into Gabriel's mind  but there wasn’t evidence of anything treacherous or illegal.

            “Good work, Kain. I expect you to keep digging. Tell me what you’ve uncovered about the Lower Wards. I am sure any conspiracy will have its roots there.” Gabriel activated the lift to descend to the meeting hall.

“Nothing definitive yet Captain. My informant has only heard vague whispered rumors. Nothing that could be construed as evidence, but these rumors put Lady Clotho at the center.” Kain reported. Summoning ever drop of willpower he possessed he hoped his father wouldn’t see through the lie. He had to fight the urge to even look to see if his father noticed fearing that could tip his hand.

            The lift descended grinding metal on metal. Gabriel had always suspected Lady Clotho, but she had never been sloppy like this. He knew the old woman was far too clever to be in this alone, and she didn’t tend to make mistakes. He suspected there was a machination at work that his son hadn’t seen yet. Working together, he and his son would unravel the scheme. Of that, he was certain.

            “Any information on the Core Ward?” he asked.

            “Of course, Captain. Lord Hephaestus and the alien Vulcan have been too focused on their work to be involved in anything. My informants did record a scrambled transmission from Lord Galen’s private lab. That transmission ended at Lord Drumpf’s tower, but we’ve been unable to descramble the transmission so far. There is something even more troubling. My informant saw Lady Marimba give an unidentifiable piece of tech to Commander Lance. The good news is Lady Freya seems to be uninvolved so far, but I have ordered new agents to be placed in all three clans to be safe.”

            The lift came to a halt and the doors retracted. In front of the great hall, the lords and ladies stood waiting for their captain. Kain noticed that Captain Void and Matthew were there, as well, and he worried about what that meant. He was afraid that asking a question would reveal too much to his father, but he couldn’t contain his anxiety.

            “What are Captain Void and Matthew doing here?” he asked.

            “I don’t know why your brother is here, but I requested Captain Void’s presence myself. It will help to have him explain his part of the agreement for the council. Remember, son, the greatest lesson of our family is to always appear to be democratic, but rule with an iron fist. Never doubt these lords and ladies will devour you whole if given half a chance. Even your sister isn’t to be trusted anymore.”

            Father and son marched towards the crowd waiting for them, past them, and into the room. Kain noticed his brother Matthew looked the worse for wear, and so did his sister. It looked like a night of heavy drinking at first glance, but he didn’t have time to linger and inquire.

Gabriel took his seat on the throne. Behind him, the lords and ladies took their seats. Only Lord Hephaestus was absent.

            “I hereby call this meeting to a start. Let me first tell you, lords and ladies, that Captain Void and I have come to an agreement,” Gabriel proclaimed.

A great turmoil erupted around the table

“Silence! Captain Void, I requested you here to inform this council of the agreement and what you are contributing. I am curious to know why you brought my youngest son with you to this meeting. Please tell me why.”

            Magnus Void strode across the room. Taking a position in between the table and the raised throne, he looked up at Captain Soloman. He bowed to show respect and then turned to bow to the lords and ladies of the council. He let silence overtake the room but kept his eyes locked on Gabriel.    “Captain Soloman, I invited Matthew here because he is the essential ingredient in our agreement and in the task I will now explain.” Magnus could see that Gabriel didn’t like hearing his youngest was essential, and he was fully aware of the message the Captain was conveying. Seeing the captain on the throne told Magnus to tread with caution. He turned to look at the lords and ladies.

            “We have come to an agreement that will benefit all of you, but especially your ship. My crew and I have visited this outpost and can confirm that it is more or less intact, and the resources are all yours.”

A great commotion of celebration arose around the table. Magnus watched them while he sank his hooks in deep. “With the help of my crew and your troops, we can overcome the defenses, and almost everything will be yours for the taking.”

            The words unsettled Lord Drumpf, who stood up in challenge.

            “What exactly do you receive for this?” he asked.

            “That is not my place to say, Lord Drumpf.” Magnus countered. “I can inform this council and your glorious Captain Soloman that Lord Hephaestus and my chief engineer Vulcan have managed to integrate the faster-than-light drive into your ship. It is ready for testing, and my chief has proposed one. It would be less than a minute’s jump to the outpost and there would be almost no risk to the Alcatraz. This small jump would allow Lord Hephaestus and Vulcan to fine-tune the FTL drive to perfection. There is very little risk of danger in this.”

            “That is good news, indeed.” Gabriel gave Lord Drumpf a disapproving glare. “Captain Void has lived up to every word he has given so far, unlike some of you lords and ladies. I will not have you question our ally on the eve of a great victory for our people. There is one small room on this outpost that Captain Void has requested. He has agreed to share any secrets discovered there with me, and that is good enough. You have no say in this.” He slammed his hand down on the throne. “This is the power and authority of the Captain of the Alcatraz by the laws inscribed upon this very throne. Do any of you dare challenge me?”

            Silence was the only answer in the room. Lord Drumpf slumped back in his chair, his face red and his hands twitching. From the throne, Gabriel glared down on the lords and ladies, intending to force them into submission. He let the silence linger and become uncomfortable. None of the lords or ladies dared to stand up and challenge him.

            “It is clear to me you’ve made up your mind, Captain, and so I only have one question.” Nemesis stood up. Everyone looked at her, and her father glared down from his throne. “What is it you need from us to succeed in this operation?”

             Gabriel was at a loss for words. He had expected his daughter to be defiant, as usual. He couldn’t help but smile at this unexpected turn of events.

            “Well, Lady Nemesis, with your support, and that of the lords and ladies at this table, we will certainly succeed. Assemble your best troops and head down to the docking bay. I will have Lord Hephaestus prepare the old mining shuttles. We will use them to ferry our troops to the outpost. Captain Void, can your ship be of service in this task?”

            “My ship can hold at least a few hundred of your troops, and I would advise you and your team, along with Matthew, use it. I couldn’t imagine the loss to this crew if one of those old ships were destroyed with you and your family on it.” The most important thing to Magnus was keeping Matthew safe, but he still needed Captain Soloman. He knew this was a moment ripe for any enemies to strike. With one simple move, he now blocked the easiest way to attack.

            “Your offer is graciously accepted, Captain Void. This meeting is now adjourned.” Gabriel stood up and marched down the steps towards Magnus. “Come with me to the bridge. We shall set into motion what we have planned and take this tide at its fullest. There can be no hesitation now or we will fail.”

            Gabriel led his entourage to the lift. Following close behind, Magnus looked back to see the two brothers trailing. Kain had one arm around his little brother, and he was laughing with him over something.

            “So, how much did you drink last night?” Kain asked.

            “Too much, apparently.” Matthew rubbed his sore head.

            “Tell me, are you really behind this plan? I mean, this sounds dangerous, and I am not sure I trust this Captain Void,” Kain whispered. “Do you really want to come with us on this mission?”

            Matthew was silent. He knew there was truth in his brother’s words, but other voices were echoing in his mind. Lady Clotho, Magnus Void, and even his own father were telling him something different. There was one thing he felt in every fibre of his being. He had to go on this mission no matter what the consequences. This wasn’t about trusting anyone else, but about trusting himself.

            “I trust you and Nemesis. I am sure you’ll keep me safe from harm like during the hull breach. You’re the one person I know I can count on,” Matthew stated.

            Kain refused to shed a tear though he felt a deluge of emotion threaten to break from his eyes. He knew his brother looked up to him, but he never knew he trusted him that much. In his mind, he had let Matthew down so many times before and should have started standing up to their father much sooner. There wasn’t a hint of anger in his brother’s eyes, and that inspired him and caused him pain. Kain pushed Matthew playfully to move faster as he entered the lift.