Ex Nihilo - Abyssal Prophecy

Chapter 4

Metal boots clanged down the empty corridor. Kain followed his father in silence. He could tell his father was in a mood for vengeance. Gabriel’s skin was flushed red with anger, his chest was puffed out, and he was breathing heavily. With the main lift shaft closed for repairs, the two men were forced to walk farther to the auxiliary lift. It was almost a thirty-minute walk that only seemed to exasperate Gabriel’s anger.

            Kain didn’t want to provoke his father. He had learned the consequences of speaking to his father in these moments. A faint grinding noise came from the approaching lift.

            “You will find that traitor who made that broadcast and bring him to me,” Gabriel demanded.

            “How do you know it’s a he?”

             “We both know exactly who is responsible.”

“Captain I have no clue what you mean,” Kain stammered.

            “It was Matthew! I have been too lenient and merciful to that useless child. You will find the evidence and you will be the one that executes him in front of the whole ship,” Gabriel demanded.

            The lift doors whisked open and the men boarded. Kain knew he had to be delicate with his response.

            “Bridge,” Gabriel ordered. The lift began to move with the shriek of metal on metal.

            “With all due respect, Captain, I don’t think Matthew is capable of hacking anything. His talents are more towards nurturing,” Kain explained. “What if there is no evidence, or the evidence proves Matthew didn’t do it?”

“You will find the evidence, and if it doesn’t exist, you will fabricate it. Matthew dies now.”

Gabriel’s  calm and emotionless voice sent chills up Kain’s spine.

            “You can’t be serious, Captain! He’s my brother and your son!”

            “Like his blasphemous sister, an example must be made. It is time to cull our enemies into submission whether they be of our blood or not.”

            Kain stared ahead, unable to form words. Anxiety raced through him. He worried that when the time came, he would not be able to go through with the order. But, what he feared more was that he would.

 The lift stopped on the officer level and the doors whisked open. Standing in front of the two men was Matthew, wearing his usual green tunic, his semi-long brown hair still in a tangled mess from earlier. His bright brown eyes greeted his brother. Compared to his brother and father, he was very small in stature. Skinny and just over six-feet, compared to their almost seven-foot height. Animosity didn’t faze him. His life had acclimatized him to it.

“Captain.” Matthew acknowledged, being civil. He walked over and stood next to his brother. “So, how did the meeting go? How many people are we killing this week?”

Kain tried to silence his youngest brother with a glance.

“I am sure you’re well aware we’re going to be culling no one,” Gabriel jabbed. “It looks like your bleeding heart is going to put this entire ship in danger again.” Gabriel stared furiously  at his youngest son. “When will you be satisfied?”

“What are you talking about?” Matthew’s dumbfounded expression was either the best acting Kain had ever seen, or he was guilty and planning a revolution.

“Where are you going, Matthew?” Gabriel snarled.

“I...uh, got invited by Nemesis to the Original Sins for a celebration,” Matthew stuttered.

“Command deck and then the lowest ward,” Gabriel ordered. The doors whisked shut and the grinding metal filled the room again. “Emergency halt.” Everything shuddered to a halt. Before Mathew could do anything, his father was upon him.

Gabriel flung his eldest son to the ground before he could react, and with one hand, grabbed his youngest son by the throat. He slammed Matthew against the wall of the lift and squeezed.

Gasping and choking, Matthew couldn’t cry for help.

Disorientated from the blow, Kain shook it off and stood back up to see the situation.

            “You f*****g traitor. I know it was you. You will not be satisfied until I am dead and this ship is yours.”

            “Father, please,” Kain begged.

Choking, Matthew tried to answer but couldn’t muster a word. He clawed at his father’s arm, but he wasn’t strong enough. All he could do was glare hatefully into his father’s eyes. Soon, his eyes began rolling back.

“You are going to meet with your sister who opposed me. You two are in this together and you will die together,” Gabriel declared. “I will find the evidence!”

Kain felt divided. Defending Matthew would mean siding with him. He knew he had to stand with his father right now, and there was only one thing he could think of. He moved into his father’s peripheral vision.

            “Captain, if you kill him now, you’ll deny the Alcatraz crew from discovering the truth. The people must see the evidence and witness justice in action.” In his mind, this was the only move Kain could make. He feared his father wouldn’t listen, but then he saw his grip loosen.

Falling to the ground, Matthew gasped for air amidst his hacking coughs. He was barely conscious and disorientated. “Lift resume,” Gabriel commanded.

The grinding metal throbbed in Matthew's head, and the lift had come to a stop before he could even stand up. The door whisked open, and the sound of thudding boots echoed in the lift. He clawed at the wall for support, trying to stand up. Only the faint sound of his father’s words brought him back to focus.

“Send your sister my regards, and inform her that I know the truth. You’ll both pay the devil his due,” Gabriel proclaimed.

Kain lingered and looked at his brother with sympathy before following his father.

Gabriel marched onto to the bridge. This was where he felt most comfortable. Taking a deep breath, he admired his eldest daughter Celeris working hard to pilot the Alcatraz. His other son Joshua was busy managing repairs from his engineering station.

            “Captain on deck,” the two guards at the door said in unison. Despite the rust and deterioration of their powered armour suits, they were almost nine feet tall and intimidated anyone who dared to step onto the bridge.

Everyone stood at attention and saluted the captain. With a wave of one hand, he set people back to work.

            The two men marched towards their seats and took their positions. Pulling up a tactical hologram, Gabriel moved through displays, assessing the status of his ship. Repairs had just been completed, sealing the Lower Ward's former rupture with sturdy metal bulkheads. Without issuing any orders, he entered the command override codes to readjust headings.

“Captain, we’re back on course to the research outpost you ordered us away from yesterday,” Celeris reported.

“It’s out of my hands, Lieutenant Celeris. Our enemies discovered the legacy files of our ancestors and demanded we go there in search of supplies to avoid a cull,” Gabriel informed her.

“Sir, but the dangers of raiders...” Celeris protested, spinning her chair to face her father.

Her diminutive frame looked tiny in the large pilot’s chair. Her long, blonde hair cascade down over the shoulders of her steel combat armour. Strapped next to her in the chair was a very large automatic gauss rifle with a full clip of ninety-nine flashing on the indicator. Her dark blue eyes glowed with anger. She didn't doubt her ability to fly the beast of a starship that was the Alcatraz. She feared that firing the twin orbital cannons salvaged from an old space station would tear the ship apart.

“Chief Joshua, I want you to do weapons checks on our cannons. We can’t have them tearing this ship apart if we need them,” Gabriel ordered. “Make sure we have redundancy systems working to ensure all primary power can be directed to our engines, weapons, or shields.”

            “Aye, Captain.”  Joshua’s  frame was massive, almost too big for his body, but his size was smaller than that of his father or brother Kain. His red armour showed his rank of Chief, and a multitude of scars on his face showed the number of times he had been wounded defending the ship. His turning was slow and clumsy, but he pulled up the required systems and began the work.

Sitting in the chair next to the captain, it was in moments like this Kain could admire his father. He was cunning, ruthless, and always prepared for the worst. He watched his father stand back up and turn to look down at him.

“You have the bridge, First Officer,” Gabriel stated. “Alert me only if some new crisis arises, and, if not, let me know when we’re approaching the old system.”

“Where are you going?” Kain asked.

“To relieve some stress with my women,” Gabriel said nonchalantly. He marched towards the door and disappeared. No one on the bridge said anything. No one wanted to anger their captain. He took his position in the captain’s chair, but he struggled to block out the memories flooding his mind.

Ten years ago, Concordia was tried for blasphemy and treason. He was forced to watch his father have his sister first flayed in public, then drawn, hung until half dead, and finally tied to the stake and burned alive. The echoes of Concordia’s screams of pain were a foreboding memory. It was now his job to prove Matthew’s guilt or innocence, and he feared learning that truth. Tapping in orders, he sent his spy network to work.