Just outside the debris field of the destroyed space station near Bezmore Six...

  Vang was surprised that he was still alive. The tentacle coming for him had merely swept Vang off his feet, knocking him flat on his back and the air temporarily gone form his lungs. He lay there gasping for breath and watching the intruder enter the bridge. It stopped a few feet from where Vang lay.

  He peered up at the towering thing above him, and Vang struggled to put a description to the being. It wasn’t quite anything he’d seen before. He’d had plenty encounters with the many races of the fazha in Ethia, but this creature was strange even beyond them.

  The vapory eight foot being was more shadow than substance. It shifted, changed, and shimmered like it might be a mirage rather than a creature of flesh and blood. It did not have an obvious form, but it was pole thin and did appear to have a vaguely humanoid shape beneath a cloak of absolute black. The light on the bridge did not bring the being into any closer definition. If anything the shadow parts seemed to swallow the light like it wasn’t even there. Much like the ghost ship had done to the weapon’s fire of the Maxem.

  The creature did have a face. Vang could make out that much from the shifting ghostly presence. The face had a thin veil of shadow across it, but he could clearly make out protruding mandibles where a mouth should have been. By far the most unsettling, though, were a set of cold violet eyes that peered so intently at Vang that it sent shivers through the Admiral, not an easy thing to do to a man with the Coercion Dome-ni.

  It glided more than walked as it came even a little closer until it now stood directly over Vang. And for a good long while, it just stood there, peering down at him from behind its veil of shimmery darkness. Not a word was spoken. Nor sound made. But Vang could feel a deep coldness emanating from the shadow, which seemed to be wrapping itself around him, and bit by bit plunging him into bitter coldness that soon made Vang’s teeth start to chatter.

  “You are leader,” the shadow finally spoke. It’s voice barely more than a whisper, and yet, it had a sharp edge that pierced his ears with such intensity that it made Vang want to cringe away.

  The Admiral pushed himself up on to his elbows and tried to look more dignified, but there was only so much one could do sprawled on the deck of the ship at the foot of an enemy. “I am Supreme Commander of the Zahnian Legion.”

  “You lead warriors, but you do not lead this place.”

  How did this creature know that? For all this being knew the Supreme Commander was the leader of the galaxy he was invading. It also did not bode well that the being had singled Vang out immediately. It obviously knew more about Ethia than Vang knew about this enemy. Had the invader gotten information out of the Xlero crew?

  “You mean the Empire? No, I am a protector of the Empire, not its leader.”

  “Take me to leader,” the being said in its rasping voice.

  It sent an involuntary shiver down Vang’s spine. He also did not like where this conversation was going, and he had no intention of letting this creature any where near his Emperor.

  “Why do you want to speak to our leader? Why are you in our Empire?” Vang decided to press for answers of his own. Maybe he could get an idea of what this creature wanted and how much of a threat it posed.

  The shadow seemed to think on it for a moment and the coldness pressed upon Vang more and his body started to quake like he’s been suddenly plunged into a lake of ice water.

  “We need the leader,” was the being’s response.

  After a long moment of shivering, the cold seemed to recede just a bit. At least enough for Vang to stop the violent quaking.

  “I am the protector of the leader of the Empire too,” he said through chattering teeth. “I will not tell you where he is unless you tell me what you want with him.”

  The being hissed like he didn’t like that answer, and then spoke. “We can take it, if you do not say, but it is… harder.”

  Vang stomach twisted at the way the being said the last word. He got the distinct impression that it would not be pleasant whatever the being did next, but it only made his determination to protect his Emperor even stronger.

  “Do your worst then,” Vang seethed at the creature.

  The coldness came back. This time it seemed like he was being hit with a great avalanche. It was immediate, strong, and all-consuming. He had never experienced anything so raw and fierce. The cold burned. All of his body felt like it was on fire with the cold. His body quaked violently and the promise of black oblivion threatened to over take him entirely.

  It was then that he felt it. Something that snaked around his throat. Vang focused his blurred vision to see that the shadow’s mandibles were now open and a long black tentacle was protruding from it’s mouth. That thin and slick arm, reaching across the space between them to take a firm purchase around Vang’s neck. Where the tentacle touched, Vang felt a coldness that seared and scorched. The thin ropey limb began a slow climb up his chin, across his lip, and right up his right nostril.

  Vang tried to fight it, but he was immobilized. He simply could not move beyond his violent shaking. The shadowy rope continued its journey up his nasal passage where it pierced his brain. Vang screamed.

  Tides of pain rippled through him as the shadow invaded. His brain felt on fire as the cold spread through his head. The invasion was like an unwanted disease spreading and growing in his mind. It raked across his mentalscape, and left him feeling vulnerable and violated. It was far more terrible than the horrendous pain he was in.

  In fact, Vang knew on some level that he should not be able to tolerate this level of agony, that he should have passed out from self-preservation, but the creature would not let him. Vang did not know how he knew this as a truth, but it was. He also knew a few other things as if they were now absolutes.

  This creature had come a long way for what it wanted and was not going to leave until it got it. This creature was just one of many. Many that were on the ship they used to come to the Empire, and many in where they had come from, and would send more to to get what they wanted if needed. And for some reason, these creatures thought the leader of the Empire could get them what they wanted. But the reason did not present itself to Vang in the knowing that he was given.

  After what seemed like a universe of eternities had passed, the creature pulled itself from Vang. The sliver of shadow retreated from his brain, slipped down his nasal passage, and snaked back to its owner. Vang was left without even the strength to shiver. All he could do was lie there and stare daggers at his attacker.

  “You wish to kill us?” the shadow asked in an inflection that implied he was confused.

  That only infuriated Vang more. This bastard had invaded his Empire, attacked his people, slaughtered the bridge crew and Captain Leonid in a second’s effort, and just forcibly extracted information from Vang’s mind. And it had the nerve to be confused? All Vang could manage was a low hissing, “yes.”

  A strange sound came from the being. It sounded like a bark or maybe a grunt. It repeated several times, and Vang realized the creature was laughing.

  “Not possible. You lack proper understanding. You are great warrior. I have seen in your mind, but you cannot kill what you do not understand.”

  The creature was silent for a long moment. It then glided closer to Vang. It bent over until it was so close that Vang could make out more of the face. It was long and narrow with skin a sickly dark puce, but that was all that he was able to register, because the violet eyes consumed his attention. Those two deep pools that were perfectly round and like holes boring directly into a soulless being. They blazed with cold intent and unspoken menace.

  “You are fortunate. We need messenger. You give Emperor message. You tell him to come to us. He comes, or we destroy. There many in this Ethia that can be consumed as we wait.”

  An involuntary shiver rippled through Vang, but he wasn’t going to cower, even if he knew that he could not defeat this creature. “What even makes you think the Emperor has what you want?”

  “He does, it is foretold by sheema.”

  Vang was confused by the name. He had not heard it before. “I do not know what this sheema is.”

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  “Our sheema say and we come.” The shadow then pulled back. “You come.”

  Vang wondered what that last statement meant, but then he felt his body move. It slowly rose from the floor and hovered a few feet from the deck of the ship. What was more surprising was the shadow did not touch him. It dawned on Vang as he floated out the bridge and into the corridor that the creature must be using its mind to do so, much like those with the Telekinetic Dome-ni could move objects. But Vang had never heard of any but Ethians having such abilities. Certainly, no fazha was ever born with a Dome-ni.

  The being soundlessly glided through the corridors of the Maxem. Occasionally, they would pass dead bodies of the crew. Once, two brave Legionaries stormed the shadow to kill it, but with almost no effort, the being lashed out with several of its ghostly tendrils. Just one strike with each tendril at exactly the same time had ended the gallant attempt.

  One Zahnian’s skull was pierced and his weapon fell uselessly to the deck with a clatter. The other Zahnian was stabbed through the chest. He screamed, convulsed for a moment, and joined his partner in a lifeless heap. Vang could only watch and feel sorrow for their loss and anger that it had happened. They didn’t even have a chance to defend themselves.

  It wasn’t long before the being stopped in front of a bank of life pods. The creature must have mentally pressed the button for one of the hatches, because the one to the far left opened wide. Vang’s body then floated past the being and into the life pod. He was gently set into the seat in the four seat craft. The pressure of his body activated the harness and it automatically strapped him securely to the seat.

  By this time, Vang had been able to gather a little of his strength. Certainly not enough to make any big movements, but he could at least speak and move his arm just a little.

  “I don’t know what you want from my Emperor, and I don’t care. Just know that I will find a way to kill you and every other one of your kind that crosses into my Empire. That is a promise.” Vang said with a sneer, and while he talked, the Admiral reached for the button that closed the life pod door. The door slid shut, and then he immediately hit the eject control without shutting the hatch to the Maxem.

  Two things happened at once. The pod detached from Maxem with a powerful thrust that put a twenty foot gap between it and the battle cruiser in less than a second. The other thing that happened was now the Maxem was opened to hard vacuum.

  Vang watched through the port hole in the life pod’s door as the being was sucked right out into space. It was strange to see the shadowy presence flailing about. It moved and shimmered faster like it was desperate, and perhaps it was. Vang hoped it was. It felt good to be able to strike back against this seemly invincible foe.

  The life pod was in autopilot, so was moving away from the Maxem and the flailing creature at a rapid pace. Vang could see the damage done to the battle cruiser. There were large gashes in the side of the ship like some gigantic claw had reached out and raked across half of this side of the Maxem. He also saw a handful of the life pods detach, so at least some of his people were able to get off the ship. Though so far, his pod was the furthest away from the Maxem.

  Why was it taking so long for his people to get off the ship? And why only a few? He counted. There were less than two dozen, at least on this side. He watched the shadow being as it was now thrusting out four different tentacles from it’s mouth like it was trying to grab a hold of something, but it was too far from the Maxem and there was nothing solid near the creature to grab a hold of. That made Vang smile.

  And then something strange happened. The being started to pulse a bright violet. It was a slow pulse at first, and then rapidly built until it was like a bomb about to go off. And it did. The violet pulsing shadow being exploded. And it radiated out, engulfing part of the Maxem and reaching for Vang’s life pod. He braced himself, but there was nowhere to go and the blast too fast. A shock wave slammed into the pod.

  Everything went topsy turvy as the pod rolled and shimmied. Alarms blared. Objects that had been strapped down were now free and flying. All Vang could do was hold onto to the edge of his seat and be grateful that his harness seemed to be holding. His body was pelted by the flying objects, but it was the incoming med-kit that smacked him in the head. White light exploded in his vision, and that was the last he remembered.

  ***

  The memory finished and Vang could only lay there, trying to process it. Now that his memory had come back, the things he’d been thinking and feeling over the process of finding the ghost ship, the attack, and his short time in the life pad rushed to him like they had never left. But they had. For a brief time, he’d forgotten the horrible defeat that they had suffered by at the hands of this new enemy and what it meant.

  Worse was that Vang did not have the slightest idea of how they could keep this incursion from getting worse, which the being said would happen if the Emperor did not respond to its request to meet. The being did not say what his people wanted with the Emperor, but just by their actions alone, Vang knew it could not be good. And while Vang’s first instinct was to keep these beings from getting anywhere near the Emperor, he knew he had to inform his superior of this development immediately.

  Since the memory had started to play across the terminal via the halo, Caretaker Kessler and Crewman Gynoor had not said a word. From time to time, he had heard gasps from one or the other during the unfolding, but no words had been spoken. It had been at least a full minute since the memory had ended, and still the two men remained silent. Vang could only image what was running through their heads, and his normal reaction to curb fear quickly was slow to come, because in that moment, Vang was having trouble coming to terms with his own unease.

  He took a moment to take all that fear, ball it up and push it as far from him as he could. He’d deal with it later. Now required quick and decisive action.

  “Crewman Gynoor thank you for your services,” Vang said in a clipped tone, “you are dismissed, but before you go, I must warn you not to say a word to anyone about what you just witnessed, at least for now. The last thing we need is to have panic spreading among the soldiers. Fear can kill a battle before it is even begun. I assure you there will be a plan in place to address these invaders in short order. Until then, your discretion is appreciated.”

  “Yes sir, Admiral,” the Crewman said.

  Vang imaged him giving a salute with a fist to the heart, and then he heard heavy boot falls as the man quickly exited the room. That left one other to address.

  “Caretaker, I need you to inform Captain-Major Wexlen immediately of this new discovery, in fact, I want you to make sure he gets a copy of this recording. I also want you to send a copy of it to the Emperor.”

  “Of course, Admiral. Should I send it to the Fleets Admirals as well?”

  “No, hold off until I have spoken to the Emperor. I want to see how he wants to deal with this.”

  “Certainly,” the Caretaker responded.

  “And I need my unity ring.” Vang held out a hand toward where he thought the other man was standing based off the direction of his voice, and once he again he felt frustration at his ongoing injury. “Set it up so I can call the Emperor directly, then please leave to take care of the tasks I have given you. I also want to press upon you the need for this recording and information to remain under wraps while we figure out our next steps.”

  “Yes, sir,” the Caretaker said with a slightly irritant tone.

  Vang knew the man had been in service of the Legion for quite some time. He would know well the concept of keeping things quiet, but it had to be said. This information given to the wrong people at the wrong time, could cause serious problems.

  “Let me get this off you first, sir.” Kessler went to the head of Vang’s bed, gently pulled the halo from the Admiral’s crown, and then seemed to be moving things nearby. “I have the data disc and will leave now to report to the Captain. Do you need anything before I leave?”

  “No,” was Vang’s response and dismissal.

  Another pair of boots slapped across the floor, and then Vang was alone. His mind wandered back to the recovered memories. The attack that seemed to come from nowhere. The strange being that could kill almost faster than a blink. And the terrible fear Vang had felt as he was sure he would die along with the crew of the Maxem.

  A beeping sound brought the Admiral out of his terrifying reverie. Even though he couldn’t see, he knew the tone well. Someone was calling on his unity ring. Vang also knew the ring well enough to feel for and press the call acceptance button.

  “Hello?” He asked since he could not read the identifier to know who was calling.

  “Admiral, I have an urgent update that I didn’t think could wait,” the voice of Captain–Major Wexlen sounded form the ring.

  “Did Kessler show you the video of my memory already?” Vang questioned. He knew he’d zoned out there for a minute, but he didn’t think he had lost that much time.

  “What? No, he just came onto the bridge. This is something else. You put out the word about the ghost ship to all Legion and Vanguard personnel. Well, I just heard from a Vanguard patrol that they picked up the ghost ship signature not even an hour ago.”

  That got Vang’s attention. “Where was this?”

  “Just outside the Sora system.”

  It felt like Vang’s blood had frozen in an instant. Was it a coincidence that the Heir happened to be on one of the planets there? No. They knew. They had to, and maybe they had gotten it from Vang’s own brain. He remembered that mental probe. There was no telling what they had gleaned from him. Certainly, his mission to retrieve Prince Adar back to the Empire, and then escorting him to the Protectorate world was still fresh on his mind.

  You give Emperor message. You tell him to come to us. He comes, or we destroy. There many in this Ethia that can be consumed as we wait.

  And naturally, the one person that the Emperor had just spent a great deal of time and resources to recover would be a prefect place to start. The Emperor might ignore a few small settlements being destroyed, but he would never ignore a threat to his Heir.

  “Captain, I need you to get a hold of that Vanguard patrol. Tell them to attack.”

  “But sir, I thought––”

  “Just follow orders!” Vang shouted much louder than he meant to. He took a moment to gather himself. Yes, he wanted more people there to counter attack, but he needed to slow these invaders down before they could reach Sora X and the Heir. “And then I need you to alert the head of the College of what’s going on, and King Rainus too. I understand he’s on Sora X now.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  “And Captain, I need you to tell them to move the Heir. Get him off Sora and take him to Vega Prime. There’s a whole fleet of ships there.”

  The Captain muttered a curse. “He’s on Sora X?”

  “Yes, apparently it’s been big news. You haven’t heard?”

  The Captain snorted. “When? I’ve been too busy, sir. But I will contact them and tell them to move the Heir immediately.”

  “Good. Scramble whatever help you can for the Vanguard patrol. Once you’ve done all that, look at the memory Kessler has for you, then come see me so we can talk next steps.

  “Yes, sir.”

  The ring beeped again to let Vang know the Captain had ended the call. The Admiral sat there for a long minute. How was he going to tell the Emperor, and more importantly, what would he do? If the threat was against ordinary Ethians, Vang would have not been so troubled about the answer to that question, but it had been a proven fact, the Emperor didn’t think too clearly where his youngest was concerned.

  Vang mulled over things for a long time before he was able to place the call to his superior, and even when he did, the Admiral felt a distinct unease about the future of the Empire.