Chapter 12 – Traitors
Eerie rays of solar light shined from the surface of the Viridian King's personal star-ship Paratamizer, a lithe piece of artistic mechanical perfection that could travel faster than most other ships were capable. Two magically enhanced prototype pulse engines shone ceaselessly with an orange hue from the rear of the craft, as the ship's near needle-like form sliced it's way through the timeless fabric of space, leaving the Earth to shrink behind. Within the hybrid construct, Garcia floated about in zero gravity, gliding between control panels as he tended to numerous computerized life support systems. All the while the ageing monarch kept a keen eye on his ship's progress through space, as it flew unhindered on auto-pilot towards his true destination… the enormous moon orbiting structure known simply as, the Celestial Gate.
Giving a few finishing alterations to the drive calibration, Garcia's attentiveness was suddenly disturbed by an abrupt beeping noise, which resonated from the fore of the craft… Turning mid motion, he pushed himself up from the floor, gliding gracefully through the weightless environment into the bridge, where he lowered himself into a padded chair, scanning the numerous lighted control panels and switches for the source of the interruption. He sited the blinking light of the ship's deep space radar telemetry, and flicked it's accompanying switch to bring up a holographic display, which showed the ship's location in reference to other solar bodies. Quickly he noted a large object ahead, and instinctively he looked up through the bridge windows to see a giant round shape silhouetted against the moon's lunar surface… At that moment an invisible force, suddenly tugged at the vessel, numerous stasis fields closing about the craft with an iron grip.
As the ship slowed down to a stop, Garcia stared amiably at the Celestial Gate. It's enormous circular shape, resembling a giant ring, cast an eerie shadow over his own small ship, blocking out the pure, white light from the moon just beyond… After making subtle adjustments to his ship's projected course, Garcia opened up a high frequency communication-line, before speaking into it.
'This is Imperial star-ship Paratamizer, requesting docking clearance for Celestial Gate and lowering of the arrestor beam… please respond.'
There was a brief static noise over the communication line, before a holographic screen suddenly materialized before him, and the youthful looking face of a young Lieutenant appeared from the other end, a badge resembling a golden sword wrapped in thorns, pinned to the left side of his red and white uniform like a mark of rank.
'This is Gateway docking control,' replied the burly young Lieutenant, 'please transmit access codes now.'
Garcia nodded dismissively to the young man, as he fumbled about with a digital keypad. Soon enough, a green status bar had appeared on the display screen, and thousands of secretly ordered numbers were transmitted to the gate through the communication link, where the other man began checking through them quickly. Another few moments passed by, before the ship shuddered slightly and began to move once more, the arrestor beam reluctantly surrendering it's grasp on the ship's metal hull.
'Imperial star-ship Paratamizer… your access codes have been confirmed and you are clear to proceed to docking port seven. Welcome back my lord Viridian.'
As Garcia neared the Celestial Gate, he maneuvered the Paratamizer about on it's vertical axis, dodging communication antennas and arrays, slowly guiding the ship towards a vertical docking port, which extended out from the gateway's main superstructure like a jutting spine. Within a few moments, he finally stopped, and large metal clamps rose from the port, latching themselves tightly onto the hull.
As the weightlessness of Garcia's star-ship lingered, magically produced gravity began to permeate through the airlock as it's thick metal doors opened, allowing him access to the labyrinth of winding passages within the gateway… A personal, armed escort of Viridian guard awaited their important guest on the other side, standing stiffly to attention as the gravity began to take a hold upon the king, slowly pulling him down to land feet first on the floor. A graying man, Commander by his rank, stood between the enormous forms of the Viridian Guard, and gave a strict salute to the monarch, who responded in kind.
'Welcome aboard sir.' The Commander spoke formally, turning about as Garcia fell into a brisk walk with him, his guard trailing ominously behind. 'I trust your trip was uneventful.'
Garcia gave a brief shrug.
'Let's dispense with these familiarities shall we Commander Ryke, this visit is not a social visit…'
The graying man nodded curtly, keeping pace with the Viridian as he walked quickly through the orbiting station, receiving salutes from military staff which he didn't bother to acknowledge. Garcia moved swiftly, as though with a purpose.
'Then you're here regarding our latest report?… Sir?
Garcia shot the man a quick look out of the corner of his eye.
'Yes, of course I am. How could I ignore such information? If the public knew of this, I might very well see the crown stripped from my head, lest I do something about the matter now.'
'Yes sir,' the Commander replied automatically, drawing a disdainful look from the Viridian, 'I understand…'
'Humph, you don't just yet Commander Ryke, despite what you may think you know. My position as Viridian King on Earth is very tender right now. Even as we speak, there are those amongst us who wish to usurp my authority and bring chaos to the peace I've worked so hard to achieve. People like those in the League, people like the half-bloods and muggle borns who go around benefiting from what we've done… even people like the Prodigen mages.'
Next to him the Commander shuddered, giving off a rather uncouth quiver at the mention of those few hybrid witches and wizards, who's power stemmed from more than just ordinary wand magic. They alone could alter the fate of nations, it was only right that they all be eliminated, every last one of them!
'Oh yes…,' Garcia continued, ignoring the many tech crews and scientists who dodged him respectfully, trying to get out of his way. 'Alas, well still live in a world where such abominations exist. And those same forces are eating away at the foundations of humanity. It's our sacred duty, no… PRIVILEGE, to see to it that nature's mistakes are put right. That you should understand at least.'
Commander Ryke gave another modest nod as Garcia walked into an observation room, who's glass floor overlooked a giant, spacious hanger, where hundreds of small, interceptors were being repaired and maintained by a myriad of tech crews. Looking over them, one could discern the words "Telsacom Corporation", painted in large yellow letters over the sides of the small fighter craft, their long barreled Curse cannons protruding ominously. Garcia stroked his chin in reflective thought as he stared down at the military vessels, his fleet Commander standing silently next to him, as though trying to contemplate his master's mind.
'Let me tell you something Commander, your report regarding those escaping ships was unnecessary for me to realize there were problems here at the Celestial Gate. It's become common knowledge in the World Senate that Telsacom fighters have been involved in raids on interstellar trading ships. Lest I remind you that my financial ties with Telsacom corporation places me in a somewhat precarious predicament in the political arena. I hear whispers of those who point the blame at me. At ME Commander! And that, I'm afraid, will not do.'
Garcia looked over the fighters once more as they stood docked in the hanger, powerful stasis fields holding them down against the vacuole of space. He disdainfully eyed their identification markings. The other man suddenly spoke up.
'I told you earlier sir that having Telsacom written on their sides WOULD cause problems. Do you not remember?!'
Garcia turned to the man with a steel glint grinding within his eyes. Ryke knew immediately he'd not shown nearly enough respect.
'Don't presume to speak out of turn young fleet master!' he spoke scathingly to the younger man, who averted his eyes in shame. Garcia didn't bother to sully his tongue with an admonishment again. 'Though you hold the weight of my navy, your position holds little sway with me.'
Again Garcia looked over the docked ships, the dull light from the hanger lighting up his face to give him a haunting look. He ran his fingers roughly through his lochs of snow white hair.
'How many Commander?' he asked abruptly, bringing the younger man's attention back to him, 'How many ships have escaped the interceptors?'
Commander Ryke shuffled nervously behind him, scratching his arm impulsively.
'Two. A cargo vessel and a League cruiser.' He muttered in a nervous tone, Garcia nodded his head as if already knowing the answer.
'Yes, I'd imagined as much. Needless to say we wouldn't be having this conversation had all of those ships been retired indefinitely. You're not doing a spectacular job I'm afraid Mr Ryke, nor are you following my orders to the letter. I wrote to this station, with explicit orders for you to destroy whatever ships approached the gate and didn't give the pass-codes I specified. That you have failed in that endeavor is just a testament to how poor an officer you truly are! Know that I will not risk having the Senate point the blame at me just because you've revealed Telsacom's fighters are docked here… Do you have anything to say?'
Ryke looked to him slightly pale, but fumbled a bow.
'You have my sincerest apologies my Lord Viridian. Those mistakes in my judgment will not occur again.'
Garcia's face was unmoving, save for his mouth, which stretched in a curling smile as his eyes narrowed on the younger man. A long gold chain, adorned with a golden sword wrapped in thorns, rattled around his neck as he gave a brief gesture to his guards, who came up behind the man's shoulders, their enormous stun rifles casting long shadows over the officer.
'Quite right Commander, of that I can guarantee, I don't take failures lightly. Guards! Execute him!'
Ryke's eyes widened in horror.
'WHAT?! YOU CAN'T!!! PLEASE…!!!'
And he struggled in vain as the two giant Viridian guards arrested him with their immovable grip, tearing the golden sword pin from his uniform like a final insult. Desperately he pleaded for his life, but Garcia turned away from him with a dismissive hiss, listening blissfully to the man's screams as the two genetically engineered soldiers dragged him away down the long, twisting corridors. Pretty soon another lifeless corpse would be floating amidst the stars, the latest victim of Garcia's own stringent standards … He couldn't say how much he hated failure of any sort, but then, he found it difficult to describe the elation he felt at punishing fools. Afterall, imbeciles deserved to die, there was no other way but that.
Leaving the observation room, Garcia walked around a few steel lined corridors with the remains of his guard in tow, as he contemplated his position with the senate on Earth, which was tender at best… The League of Free People's was becoming an ever more threatening entity, one that he planned to have dealt with at once. And now that they had discovered Telsacom's involvement in these piratical raids, it was only a matter of time before his own financial ties with them, bribes and the like, were found. There would be no telling what effect that would have on his rule…
Afterall, the Celestial gate was designed for intergalactic travel between planetary systems, not as some "big cheese" for pirates not unlike himself to hang around, and there WOULD be hell to pay should he be found responsible for the attacks... Of course, he had reasons of his own for having commercial and civilian ships shot down, for the loss of important goods and the slaughtering of hundreds of innocent lives that were in fact quite disposable. But those reasons were his own, and the general public would never truly understand, as far greater schemes were afoot that merely fulfilling his own ambition. In fact, so long as not a single ship reached the gate in one piece, or left for that matter, the public need never know. It was indeed a pity the League had entered into this matter. Assassinations were necessary now. The League's representative in the World Senate would be an excellent start.
Deciding on a detour, Garcia neglected to visit the control bridge as he'd intended. That little matter could wait for a while. Instead he took a more obscure route, leaving his guards behind as he wandered through a cacophony a metal bound braces and structures, the gate's internal workings looking more like a steel metropolis than an orbiting gateway. Within a few minutes, he emerged out into a secluded hallway where he gazed about, and instinctively rubbed his forearm which was starting to itch… After a few steps, rounding another corner, he came upon a large steel door which he stared at momentarily before turning to a security keypad nearby, where he typed in a an access code known only to him…
The door opened obediently, and he found himself looking into a small, secluded room, where it's only light came from a dismal little window which looked out into the giant, unending void of space. Somewhere in the dark confines of the room, there was a desk, which could vaguely be seen through the dim light, it's draws filled with all manner of items both muggle and magical that he'd collected during his reign as king. A few pieces he was unsure about, their function not quite clear… others performed no action whatsoever, their sole purpose being little more than ornaments, created to adorn the simplest of homes. But this… this place, WAS his simplest home. Though it could be considered nothing more than an oversized storage room, he felt that here at least he could find time to gather his thoughts in peace.
Walking in, he guided his feet through the darkness to the opposite side of the desk, where he dropped himself into a modestly padded chair… Turning the seat about, he stared amiably out of the solitary window, his gaze taking in the vast array of stars that twinkled and shone upon his face like an ancient tapestry. It was breathtaking, to say the least… almost as if the heavens themselves were flawlessly arranged before him, displaying unto his pleasure, the utter perfection of the known galaxy, lifting his spirits. How could anything compare to such magnificence? Certainly nothing on Earth, that was for sure. But undoubtedly, Garcia could feel himself being hypnotized by such elegance. What could possibly compare to this?…
'Pretty… isn't it?' said a cool voice from the other side of the room, and Garcia nearly jumped out of his skin in shock. Catapulting from his seat, he spun around, deftly grabbing his wand out and pointing it into the darkness, looking for the source of the noise.
'Who's that?! Show yourself!' he commanded, his knuckles going white as he held onto his old willow wand.
'Now, now…' spoke the derisive voice, 'There'll be none of that business, I've only come here to talk.'
And the room lightened slightly to a magenta glow, where Garcia vaguely picked out a dark figure slowly rising from one of the shadowy corners, wearing robes of embroidered black velvet, a hood pulled down to shroud his face. Garcia felt certain it was a man, by the voice alone. But who…
'What do you want?' Garcia asked with caution, lowering his wand somewhat reluctantly, 'Who are you?!'
The figure raised a wand, and Garcia stiffened, feeling sure the man wanted to kill him, but breathed a quiet sigh of relief as the man merely conjured a chair by his side, which he lowered into, pulling his robes tight about him as he stared towards the old man, who still stood stiffly behind his desk, not quite sure what to make of the intruder. Graciously the dark man gestured for him to sit, and Garcia sat down awkwardly, feeling very much out of control of the situation.
'Who am I?!' the man asked in a knowing voice, getting himself comfortable in the conjured chair, 'Why, I'm most definitely the closest thing you have to a friend at this moment Garcia. You would do well to remember that…'
Garcia stared near thunderstruck at the man, surprised at his audacity. But something seemed familiar about him… a coldness he found difficult to describe. And then, as though answering his confusion, the man pulled back his hood, revealing a face of arrogance, a long mane of golden hair combed stylishly backward, cascading down before being tied in a ponytail. Garcia stared at him, and was immediately struck by the calculating mind that resided behind the man's ice cold eyes. He remembered.
'Lucius?' he asked, inching forwards in his seat. 'Is it really you? How the hell did you get in here?! I thought you were rotting in Azkaban!'
Lucius tilted his head to the side, a small smile curling at the corners of his mouth. He'd lost none of his charisma it appeared.
'Yes, it's me old friend, and I assure you, I am very much alive. I find it rather difficult to believe that you could lose track of me so easily. Someone in your position, being "King", and all.'
Garcia leaned back into his chair, wiping a thin slick of sweat from his forehead, before stretching his arms out over his wooden desk. His arrival was most unexpected.
'Well…' Garcia began, still trying to adjust, 'To say I've been expecting you would be a tremendous lie… Err… how can I help you then?'
Lucius breathed deeply before his eyes darted to Garcia's right arm, where he pointed suddenly. Garcia stared anxiously down at it, where it laid stretched across the desk lifelessly. He shot a look to Lucius, who stared back knowingly once more.
'You know what I speak of Garcia. You can feel it can't you? It's hotter, burning more fiercely than before. I know of this, I can feel it too…'
Garcia's mouth moved wordlessly at the man's knowledge, but he kept his arguments to himself at the stare the golden haired man gave him… Looking down, Garcia pulled his robe sleeve up to reveal a large blotch on his inner forearm. Shaped to the appearance of a skull with a serpent sticking out of its mouth, the Dark Mark seemed an integral part of his skin as it stared back at him. That haunting, eyeless stare…
Lucius followed the other man's gaze down to the mark, where he examined the anomaly for a moment before concluding with a series of affirmative hums.
'How long?' Garcia asked of a sudden, biting his lip anxiously… Lucius met his questioning stare with two frosty eyes, before turning his attention back to the mark, feverishly stroking his chin with a look of reflection cast over his face. He seemed uncertain.
'Difficult to say I'm afraid…' he spoke once more, his golden hair gleaming from the dull magenta light of the room, 'I am not one to know precise details of the Dark Lord's schemes, but if I were to estimate, then I'd say our time for waiting is almost over. Soon enough he will summon us for the final tasks necessary to cement his power over the world. And we must all hope we are as prepared for them as he is expecting…'
That last line felt something of a finality than a genuine hope, and Garcia had the distinct impression that Lucius was referring to him somehow… Spitefully, he pulled his sleeve back down, obscuring the evil blemish, and Lucius grunted in disdain.
'You'd think he would want to get this done as soon as possible.' Garcia spoke in a scornful matter, 'It's getting more and more difficult for me to keep a control of matters on Earth whilst he deals with his own agenda. I wish he would hurry up!'
There was a sudden flash of movement then, and Garcia was too slow to react as Lucius lifted him forcefully into the air by his throat, his snake headed wand shaking ominously as a levitation charm surged around it's victim in a bind. A look of utter revulsion had come over the blonde man's face, which was twisting into a sneer.
'You forget yourself Garcia!' Lucius spoke with an acid tone, his stare drilling into the old man's head… 'Secrecy has always been the Dark Lord's greatest asset, by comparison to your own out dated ways. And let me tell you now that our master is by no means obliged to tell you anything of his plans. You afterall, rank lower amongst his servants than I, if I am not mistaken. And I would imagine that the only reason he has not already killed you is because you are of considerable use to him at the present time. Much of his endeavors rely on you keeping this gateway off limits to other ships, whilst we smuggle our own through. You are already familiar with your task, so I won't bore you with the rest…'
And with a dismissive motion, Lucius threw Garcia against the metal walls of the room, before taking his seat once more as the elderly man groggily picked himself up from the floor looking shaken and confused. Lucius looked quite satisfied to have put him in his place.
'You could say Garcia,' Lucius continued, wearing a very smug grin, 'That this visit of mine is merely to check on your progress, which I hear is quite good given the circumstances. How many ships have you shot down this month?'
Garcia looked at him dumbfounded for a moment, preoccupied by a small slither of blood dripping from his forehead, before he blurted out.
'Two hundred and sixty two. Most carried civilians and cargo destined for Mars.'
Lucius nodded, casually resuming his overt calmness.
'Very good. Though Mars is far from my immediate concern, your orders were to shoot down all craft that didn't transmit our codes. I see you are following your orders exactly. For that I must congratulate you, our master will be most pleased you are serving him so well, perhaps he might even give you the honor of becoming a Deatheater someday, however unlikely that might be. Though I must remind you Garcia… you shall only live so long as you continue to serve the Dark Lord, as he looks kindly upon such good deeds. However… should this change somehow, or you tempt the Dark Lord's anger, then I assure you Old Ruler, you can consider your life forfeit!'
Garcia nodded quickly, wiping the smear of blood from his forehead, whilst feeling glad Lucius hadn't questioned him on the ships that had escaped the interceptors. Again Lucius smiled, his face a wicked picture.
'Yes, Lucius. I understand. Forgive my rudeness… but regarding that, if the Dark Lord will not divulge anything of his activities, then what of you? I don't wish to know everything of course! But… perhaps a hint from you would be helpful, so as to know my efforts here are not in vain.'
Lucius blinked in surprise, before measuring the older man in his eyes.
'Hmm…' the blonde man pondered, flexing his fingers, 'I do not see why not… you are afterall, performing a very vital part of his plans… Alright then, you know what we are about, and what ships are permitted through the gate?'
Garcia nodded affirmatively, knowing very well there were a small selection of ships he was allowed to let pass through the gate. Those who had the correct pass codes… Lucius continued.
'Then you should also know that those ships have been smuggling mechanical parts, of which we have been cannibalizing from others on Earth, some willingly, others forcibly. And from those parts, our master is… building something, so to speak. That is all you need to know, feel privileged I've told you that much!'
'Yes Lucius, of course. Thank you, it's good to know my time here at the gate is useful.'
Lucius grinned evilly, and let out a sadistic laugh.
'Yes Garcia… let us hope you remain useful. For your sake.'
Garcia tried his best to force a grin as a small beeping noise reverberated around the room. Lucius looked about himself in confusion, displaying his own ignorance of technology. Such was the stupidity of some pure blood families.
'What's that?! Where's that coming from?'
Garcia pulled up his left hand sleeve, revealing a small wristwatch, which blinked every so often with a small red light. Holding the watch near his face, he pressed a round button on it's side and spoke into it.
'What is it?!' he demanded, and drew back as a holographic image of a young lieutenant appeared before him, wearing a uniform of burnished red and white with the Viridian sigil of a sword wrapped in thorns emblazoned upon his chest.
'We've detected a solid mass on our telemetry screens Lord Viridian.' Spoke the young man through the holograph, 'Preliminary scans have indicated it's a civilian vessel, possibly a League transport. We're awaiting your orders, now that commander Ryke has seemingly… disappeared.'
Garcia looked up momentarily at Lucius, who stared back wearing that menacing grin.
'Duty calls old friend…' he said, crossing his arms together. Garcia sighed before turning back to the lieutenant, who sat awaiting a response.
'Very well, I'll attend to the matter myself.' And at that he ended the hologram, the lieutenant's face winking out in a flash of light. He looked to Lucius again. 'This is perfect… I've been waiting for a chance to get back at the League of Free Peoples.'
And at that Lucius laughed.
'They won't be free for much longer. Not when the Dark Lord rises again. And that day is close, oh so VERY close!… Anyway, I think I've taken up enough of your time. There are matters to which I too must deal with.'
Garcia cocked an eyebrow in confusion.
'But… how did you get here? Mine is the only ship docked here at the gate… unless.' And he watched as Lucius pulled from his robe pockets, a small innocuous item, to which he held in a claw like grasp.
'A Port key? You're using Port keys! Are you MAD?! One false move and that thing could send you to Limbo!'
Lucius glanced at him, before turning his attention back to the little object which he stroked in his hand, a bracelet it appeared to be, before giving a smirk. He very much seemed to know more than he was letting on.
'Yes Garcia… I'm counting on that.'
And in an instant the timed device activated, consuming Lucius in an aura of white light, before he disappeared, leaving Garcia sitting at his desk with little more than the light from the stars outside to illuminate the room… He only noticed then how cold his surroundings felt, and quickly set about warming the room up with his wand, before flicking a light switch so as to see whatever he was doing. Only then was it that he remembered the precise reason he'd come to this room in the first place, and he quickly unlocked a secret draw in his desk, which he opened tentatively, hands shaking…
Reaching in, he pulled out what appeared to be an old book, tattered and worn by years of disuse and neglect. An elegant piece, he took a minute to admire it's lavish covering of ancient leather, bound at it's corners by meticulously crafted metal shaped into vine leaves, whilst also taking in the countless precious stones that adorned it. In the center rested a small emerald plaque surrounded by golden rose petals, which displayed a name spelt in what looked like an ancient and disused language. Though Garcia knew precisely what it said… Vinareer o' Liege. The book of the wrapping vines… He couldn't describe how he felt exactly, after confiscating this very interesting piece from Dumbledore. Ever since he first heard of Harry Potter, he had become infatuated with how the Prodigen had become so powerful, so quickly.
This was the means by which the hybrid had done so, bludgeoning his powers from a once proud and highly advanced magical race. These beings, supposedly called Narcissans, had left behind four books that held magic of ghastly power, whilst the remnants of their people dwindled on the edge of extinction… or so he'd heard. Personally, he was quite happy that no more of these books existed. The Prodigen had absorbed the powers of one, that was undisputed, and the Dark Lord had absorbed two of his own, making his powers as a wizard far beyond that of even the Prodigen. No doubt that power was still rising as he sat there contemplating it, and yet, he could not quite fathom the existence of the last book, which was still unaccounted for… He shuddered to think where it would be, or rather, who might have it.
Caressing the book with a finger, Garcia felt a brief wave of giddiness come over him, at holding such incredible power. What secrets could this book possibly yield? What magic laid within? Such thoughts flowed through his mind as silent voices whispered into his ears. Whispering his name, and the glories he could have if he would but open the book, and see what was inside… Hastily he drew back, his eyes wide in fright. This book definitely held an evil about it, and he had almost succumbed to it's temptations. He must display fortitude, not weakness, so immediately he dropped the book into one of his spacious robe pockets, as he stood to leave for the command bridge. He would never let this book out of his sight, for as long as he should live. He was right to confiscate it, and kept that thought fresh in his mind as he left his study and walked purposefully down the long, winding corridors, half-heartedly accepting a variety of salutes from officers and mechanics that he passed. For the moment he figured, it was best to try to ignore the luring of the book as much as possible, but deep down he knew that he yearned for such incredible power, and wasn't certain exactly how long he could resist the temptations that Essence provided.
Taking as quick a route as possible back to the command bridge, he entered the metal clad room only to meet a burly young officer who shot up from his chair to give a formal salute.
'My lord Viridian, we have been awaiting your arrival sir.' He spoke in a respectful monotone, not daring to meet the Viridian's gaze. Garcia ignored him, preferring instead to pick out a vacant seat which he lowered himself into, keeping a watchful eye over the dozens of people manning a tremendous array of different computerized systems and holographic technical readouts, all of which controlled the many functions of the Celestial Gate.
Guiding his fingers tactfully over his arm rest, Garcia fumbled about with several keypads, before one touch of a button brought up a giant holographic display of the gate's deep space radar that extended far until the very atmosphere of Earth… Looking carefully at it, he discerned the location of the gateway, before he pressed another button on his arm rest, which pivoted the display about to locate the approaching freighter, which was closing slowly upon the gate, weighed down with whatever manner of goods or cargo. His eyes narrowed at the sight of his quarry, which he zoomed in on and matched the profile of to a well known class of transport ship, most commonly utilized by The League of Free Peoples.
'So… the League has sent you despite it's losses, how predictable.' he muttered to himself, not bothering to notice the stares from officers on the bridge.
'Lieutenant Varras!'
A young man rose from his seat nearby, saluting.
'Yes my lord!' he answered swiftly. Garcia didn't spare him a glance.
'Give me statistics on the approaching ship. I want the manufacturer, cargo, destination and access codes if you will.'
'As you wish.'
The man saluted again, before sitting himself down in front of a computer terminal, eyes flicking over a dizzying number of readouts as the gate's systems scanned the freighter. Garcia sat patiently overlooking the computer's readouts, eyeing the progress of the ship as it made it's way towards the gate. Should the information he receive about the new arrival go against it, then he would not hesitate in performing the duty assigned to him by the Dark Lord…
Small flickers of light, barely visible against the giant, black silhouette of Earth, were all that announced the presence of the large, interstellar cargo vessel, which flew on a steady course away from the planet… As the home world's powerful gravity hold began to shrink, three giant pulse engines to the rear of the ship suddenly roared to life, their magically infused energies propelling the metal bound craft quickly across space. It's cargo of civilians sitting anxiously, whilst they waited for the transport to arrive at their destination.
Passing the first line of marker buoys, which glowed red and green in a line some twenty thousand kilometers long, the League freighter flew on a steady course towards the Celestial gate, which shone like a magical beacon, and existed only to propel ships not unlike this one, across the dark, unending void of space. All the while the captain sat on the bridge, overseeing the transport's orientation to the rest of the galactic neighborhood, whilst also making brief mental notes regarding space anomalies like asteroid fields and gravity storms, which could easily trash a ship within an inch of it's life.
Captain Phillip Hades looked over to the young cadet next to him chosen to be his co-pilot, a young woman of whom he asked…
'Elena? Could you just quickly plot our trajectory towards the gate? We have to prepare the engines to compensate for the Arrestor beam when it snares us.'
Nodding, the young woman typed some figures into her computer console, bringing up a holographic map with the gateway's gigantic halo form displayed on it, a much smaller icon of their own vessel approaching it at a steady speed. Hades looked over the figures momentarily before nodding his head in satisfaction.
'Very good. Decrease power to pulse engines one and three, lower the ship's speed to two hundred kilometers per second and ease us towards the beam. The last thing we need is a jolt on a ship full of passengers.'
Quickly the bright flares from two of the three engines began to subside, the ship flying on slowly with the aid of only a single drive, before the invisible force of the gate's arrestor beam clamped down upon it, halting the metal hulk in it's tracks. Hades sat casually in his seat, happy that the trip had gone so far without incident. He hadn't seen a single pirate vessel, which his colleagues on Earth had insisted were there. It was good because now he was in reach of the gate's defensive weapons, and no ship would dare attack an unarmed civilian transport so close to a heavily guarded structure, so all would be well. Looking out the observation window, he stared at the giant ring of metal that obscured the moon's white glow, and waited patiently until a holograph came up, bearing the face of a young officer, sitting idly on the other side.
'Unidentified vessel, state your id number, destination and cargo please.'
Hades picked up a small microphone and spoke into it.
'This is the League freighter New Hope, carrying civilian entourage. Id number is zero, three, zero, two, four, one… We request lowering of the arrestor beam and clearance for immediate transport to Neptune system.'
There was a moment of static as the young officer on the other end of the line processed the information.
'League freighter New Hope, please transmit access codes across broad frequency now.'
And immediately, Hades looked down at a keypad near his computer screen, on which he typed several codes that were given to him by League headquarters, which he patched through to the gate. All that was left to do now was wait for clearance…
Meanwhile, sitting comfortably in his chair, Garcia looked over to the Lieutenant who was processing the transport ship's information. After a few brief moments the man swiveled about in his chair to face the monarch.
'My lord, the vessel is a Coram class League transport. It's carrying civilian cargo destined for Neptune system.'
Garcia's eyebrows retreated into his white hair.
'Neptune system you say? What of their pass codes?!'
Turning back over the computer screen, the Lieutenant switched through some data.
'Civilian codes my Lord. They do not match any of the combinations you had indicated.'
And at that, Garcia smiled wickedly, tapping his fingers on his seat's armrest as he stared at the floating ship, which was trapped in the gate's arrestor beam.
'Give them clearance Lieutenant,' he ordered, drawing some rather confused glances from those around him, 'Lower the beam and direct them towards the gate.'
'Shall I scramble the interceptors my lord?' the lieutenant asked curiously, not quite certain if his master meant to let the craft pass through the gate or not, 'The freighter IS within strike distance.'
Garcia didn't face him, but put up a casual arm to silence the young man, preferring instead to deliberate on his thoughts.
'No Lieutenant…' he said after a moment, scratching his chin, 'Telsacom's fighter squadrons have done more than enough for me at this stage, I don't believe it's worth the risk to utilize them again… I want missile batteries one to twenty loaded and ready for imminent launch. Let them come…'
Minutes ticked by as Captain Hades sat in his ship, awaiting the clearance to proceed to the next stage in the gate warp. Surely it couldn't take this long to verify a few codes, he thought to himself, checking his watch impatiently. He shot a look to his cadet co-pilot, who wore an expression about her face that seemed as puzzled as he was.
'Sir?' she asked, bringing him out of an apparent reverie, 'How long did you have to wait for your codes to be cleared last time?'
Hades leant back in his reclining chair and thought.
'Just a few minutes if I remember correctly. There's nothing complicated about what they're doing, they're just supposed to run the codes through a computer. Or so I heard… Maybe they've just got a glitch on their hands or something.'
Elena looked out through the ship's windows at the orbiting gateway, her gaze a suspicious one as she annoyingly tapped her long fingernails on the metal control panel before her. She shook her head in doubt.
'I don't think so…' she began hesitantly, biting her lip. 'The Celestial gate is controlled by thousands of different computerized systems. Each has it's own backup in case of power failures or any other unforeseen circumstances. It's unlikely they've got a glitch.'
Hades sat up in his chair, fixing the woman with an incredulous look.
'Since when did you become such an expert on technology? You never studied it at Hogwarts.'
Elena sat silently, not bothering to answer the question. She looked thoroughly engrossed in her thoughts, and began shaking her head as her eyes narrowed.
'Something's not right…' she said at last, and Hades blinked in disbelief of what such an inexperienced cadet was saying. He finally threw up his hands in exasperation.
'Personally, I think you're making scenarios out of nothing. I for one would be happy to wait as long as necessary for them to let us through. Heck, let's face it, it's not as though we have much of a choice!'
And then, as though answering them, a static noise came about over the intercom, and the young officer's holographic face appeared once more before the captain. Hades stared amiably at him as he awaited the reason for his ship's delay.
'League freighter New Hope,' the officer began, his voice a monotone, 'Your codes have been verified and cleared. After disengagement from the arrestor beam, proceed to checkpoint three where you will be admitted through the gate to your specified co-ordinates, Celestial Gate out.'
And in a flash the hologram disappeared, the ship lurching back into movement as the beam's iron grip on the hull began to subside. Captain Hades turned to his co-pilot wearing a triumphant grin.
'You see, nothing to worry about. It must have been a computer glitch afterall. Set course for the gate Elena, if you would be so kind.'
Elena looked to him and grunted, before she typed in new coordinates for the ship's projected course, the other two engines coming back online in a surge of energy…
'League transport is on route to gate checkpoint my lord.' Spoke Lieutenant Varras, his voice carrying over the dozens of other tech crews who typed away ceaselessly at their posts. 'Estimated time of arrival four minutes and counting.'
Garcia watched the holographic display as the League freighter continued on it's original course, passing a second series of navigational buoys. He tapped his fingers in anticipation, licking his lips for every sector of space the ship closed in upon the gate. Another tech mechanic spoke up from a different terminal.
'Armaments division report that all twenty missile batteries are armed, and ready to fire on your command my lord.'
A smile came over the Viridian's face and he steepled his hands together.
'Very good…' he said quietly, and switched the screen's display to an external camera, which focused on the League ship as it approached. Technically it was already in range, though Garcia felt it necessary to be thorough. He was not one to let such silly things as escape pods ruin his fun. Just a few more moments…
The New Hope flew on, it's crew, along with it's civilian passengers that numbered well over four hundred, traveled blissfully unaware as Garcia tracked the freighter's every move, a stark pulse of adrenalin pulsing through the old wizard as he watched, counting down the seconds.
'Varras.' He called from his chair, eyes still focused on the display screen, 'Lock weapons immediately!'
'Yes my lord!'
As New Hope made it's final approach, Captain Hades looked out upon the gate, which had grown in his window. Such a sight was awe inspiring, and he didn't need the suspicious ranting of his co-pilot to ruin this opportunity to see what was definitely one of greatest achievements of the modern day. Elena should learn to enjoy life more, afterall, he felt practically giddy at seeing the gate so close…
A sudden beeping noise broke his concentration, and he turned to his co-pilot who hastily stared down at a flashing red light on her control panel.
'What is it?' he asked, and Elena ran her eyes quickly across her computer screens, flicking several dials and switches. Her breath caught as she read.
'We have an EM signal scanning our hull sir. It's a weapon's lock!'
Hades swore aloud, and quickly grabbed the New Hope's controls, steering a course away from the gate.
'Quick, open a communication link to Earth, inform headquarters we're being locked on by the Celestial gate, they must be warned! They must NOT send any other ships here!'
'Yes sir!'
Within moments the ship yawed terribly on it's axis, turning in a violent evasive maneuver away from it's assailant, whilst it's engines burned furiously to counteract the artificial gravity of the gate. Elena spoke hurriedly into a communication link, hoping to overcome the distance to Earth.
'This is civilian freighter New Hope to League Headquarters, we are on weapons lock at the Celestial gate. Do NOT send any ships to our current co-ordinates! Repeat, do NOT send ANY ships to this local!'
Hades ground his teeth whilst Elena continued her distress call to Earth, all the while watching in horror as gigantic metal compartments on the gate's outer hull began to open, revealing enormous mechanical racks of Saber missiles that rose up and aimed threateningly towards them. Hastily he pushed the engines as hard as they could go, taking power from every system aboard the ship, not caring whether or not the devices overheated from the strain. Truth was the freighter was incapable of performing such ghastly maneuvers in space, and Hades could feel the ship's bulkheads groaning under the pressure exerted upon them. But that was a matter he could worry about later, if there WAS a later…
Garcia watched in subdued interest as the ungainly ship attempted impossible evasive actions. He suppressed the urge to laugh at the giant craft's futile attempts, and turned to his weapon coordinators who looked to him with wide eyes.
'Open fire, destroy that ship!' he said, and within moments the decks shuddered as the gate's full ordinance of Saber Missiles was unleashed. Hundreds spun and spiraled through space, before they descended upon the target like a swarm, their explosive heads detonating upon the ship's hull in a catastrophic wave of wanton destruction. A series of enormous blasts tore the midsection of the New Hope apart, breaking it into pieces as consecutive bulkheads collapsed and disintegrated upon themselves, the massive depressurization of the ship destroying it from the inside out… Garcia looked on, taking in the momentary lull as the League ship began to break up indefinitely, sections of it tearing from each other in a mixture of fire and steel, the calculated devastation wrought by the gate's "defensive" missiles, more than self evident… And then there was silence… and in the dark void of space, Garcia could almost hear the agonizing wail of hundreds of people who were silenced as one, their collective scream dissipating away like a whisper, to become little more than a soft, dim memory…
And not one life mattered to him… not one!
Eerie rays of solar light shined from the surface of the Viridian King's personal star-ship Paratamizer, a lithe piece of artistic mechanical perfection that could travel faster than most other ships were capable. Two magically enhanced prototype pulse engines shone ceaselessly with an orange hue from the rear of the craft, as the ship's near needle-like form sliced it's way through the timeless fabric of space, leaving the Earth to shrink behind. Within the hybrid construct, Garcia floated about in zero gravity, gliding between control panels as he tended to numerous computerized life support systems. All the while the ageing monarch kept a keen eye on his ship's progress through space, as it flew unhindered on auto-pilot towards his true destination… the enormous moon orbiting structure known simply as, the Celestial Gate.
Giving a few finishing alterations to the drive calibration, Garcia's attentiveness was suddenly disturbed by an abrupt beeping noise, which resonated from the fore of the craft… Turning mid motion, he pushed himself up from the floor, gliding gracefully through the weightless environment into the bridge, where he lowered himself into a padded chair, scanning the numerous lighted control panels and switches for the source of the interruption. He sited the blinking light of the ship's deep space radar telemetry, and flicked it's accompanying switch to bring up a holographic display, which showed the ship's location in reference to other solar bodies. Quickly he noted a large object ahead, and instinctively he looked up through the bridge windows to see a giant round shape silhouetted against the moon's lunar surface… At that moment an invisible force, suddenly tugged at the vessel, numerous stasis fields closing about the craft with an iron grip.
As the ship slowed down to a stop, Garcia stared amiably at the Celestial Gate. It's enormous circular shape, resembling a giant ring, cast an eerie shadow over his own small ship, blocking out the pure, white light from the moon just beyond… After making subtle adjustments to his ship's projected course, Garcia opened up a high frequency communication-line, before speaking into it.
'This is Imperial star-ship Paratamizer, requesting docking clearance for Celestial Gate and lowering of the arrestor beam… please respond.'
There was a brief static noise over the communication line, before a holographic screen suddenly materialized before him, and the youthful looking face of a young Lieutenant appeared from the other end, a badge resembling a golden sword wrapped in thorns, pinned to the left side of his red and white uniform like a mark of rank.
'This is Gateway docking control,' replied the burly young Lieutenant, 'please transmit access codes now.'
Garcia nodded dismissively to the young man, as he fumbled about with a digital keypad. Soon enough, a green status bar had appeared on the display screen, and thousands of secretly ordered numbers were transmitted to the gate through the communication link, where the other man began checking through them quickly. Another few moments passed by, before the ship shuddered slightly and began to move once more, the arrestor beam reluctantly surrendering it's grasp on the ship's metal hull.
'Imperial star-ship Paratamizer… your access codes have been confirmed and you are clear to proceed to docking port seven. Welcome back my lord Viridian.'
As Garcia neared the Celestial Gate, he maneuvered the Paratamizer about on it's vertical axis, dodging communication antennas and arrays, slowly guiding the ship towards a vertical docking port, which extended out from the gateway's main superstructure like a jutting spine. Within a few moments, he finally stopped, and large metal clamps rose from the port, latching themselves tightly onto the hull.
As the weightlessness of Garcia's star-ship lingered, magically produced gravity began to permeate through the airlock as it's thick metal doors opened, allowing him access to the labyrinth of winding passages within the gateway… A personal, armed escort of Viridian guard awaited their important guest on the other side, standing stiffly to attention as the gravity began to take a hold upon the king, slowly pulling him down to land feet first on the floor. A graying man, Commander by his rank, stood between the enormous forms of the Viridian Guard, and gave a strict salute to the monarch, who responded in kind.
'Welcome aboard sir.' The Commander spoke formally, turning about as Garcia fell into a brisk walk with him, his guard trailing ominously behind. 'I trust your trip was uneventful.'
Garcia gave a brief shrug.
'Let's dispense with these familiarities shall we Commander Ryke, this visit is not a social visit…'
The graying man nodded curtly, keeping pace with the Viridian as he walked quickly through the orbiting station, receiving salutes from military staff which he didn't bother to acknowledge. Garcia moved swiftly, as though with a purpose.
'Then you're here regarding our latest report?… Sir?
Garcia shot the man a quick look out of the corner of his eye.
'Yes, of course I am. How could I ignore such information? If the public knew of this, I might very well see the crown stripped from my head, lest I do something about the matter now.'
'Yes sir,' the Commander replied automatically, drawing a disdainful look from the Viridian, 'I understand…'
'Humph, you don't just yet Commander Ryke, despite what you may think you know. My position as Viridian King on Earth is very tender right now. Even as we speak, there are those amongst us who wish to usurp my authority and bring chaos to the peace I've worked so hard to achieve. People like those in the League, people like the half-bloods and muggle borns who go around benefiting from what we've done… even people like the Prodigen mages.'
Next to him the Commander shuddered, giving off a rather uncouth quiver at the mention of those few hybrid witches and wizards, who's power stemmed from more than just ordinary wand magic. They alone could alter the fate of nations, it was only right that they all be eliminated, every last one of them!
'Oh yes…,' Garcia continued, ignoring the many tech crews and scientists who dodged him respectfully, trying to get out of his way. 'Alas, well still live in a world where such abominations exist. And those same forces are eating away at the foundations of humanity. It's our sacred duty, no… PRIVILEGE, to see to it that nature's mistakes are put right. That you should understand at least.'
Commander Ryke gave another modest nod as Garcia walked into an observation room, who's glass floor overlooked a giant, spacious hanger, where hundreds of small, interceptors were being repaired and maintained by a myriad of tech crews. Looking over them, one could discern the words "Telsacom Corporation", painted in large yellow letters over the sides of the small fighter craft, their long barreled Curse cannons protruding ominously. Garcia stroked his chin in reflective thought as he stared down at the military vessels, his fleet Commander standing silently next to him, as though trying to contemplate his master's mind.
'Let me tell you something Commander, your report regarding those escaping ships was unnecessary for me to realize there were problems here at the Celestial Gate. It's become common knowledge in the World Senate that Telsacom fighters have been involved in raids on interstellar trading ships. Lest I remind you that my financial ties with Telsacom corporation places me in a somewhat precarious predicament in the political arena. I hear whispers of those who point the blame at me. At ME Commander! And that, I'm afraid, will not do.'
Garcia looked over the fighters once more as they stood docked in the hanger, powerful stasis fields holding them down against the vacuole of space. He disdainfully eyed their identification markings. The other man suddenly spoke up.
'I told you earlier sir that having Telsacom written on their sides WOULD cause problems. Do you not remember?!'
Garcia turned to the man with a steel glint grinding within his eyes. Ryke knew immediately he'd not shown nearly enough respect.
'Don't presume to speak out of turn young fleet master!' he spoke scathingly to the younger man, who averted his eyes in shame. Garcia didn't bother to sully his tongue with an admonishment again. 'Though you hold the weight of my navy, your position holds little sway with me.'
Again Garcia looked over the docked ships, the dull light from the hanger lighting up his face to give him a haunting look. He ran his fingers roughly through his lochs of snow white hair.
'How many Commander?' he asked abruptly, bringing the younger man's attention back to him, 'How many ships have escaped the interceptors?'
Commander Ryke shuffled nervously behind him, scratching his arm impulsively.
'Two. A cargo vessel and a League cruiser.' He muttered in a nervous tone, Garcia nodded his head as if already knowing the answer.
'Yes, I'd imagined as much. Needless to say we wouldn't be having this conversation had all of those ships been retired indefinitely. You're not doing a spectacular job I'm afraid Mr Ryke, nor are you following my orders to the letter. I wrote to this station, with explicit orders for you to destroy whatever ships approached the gate and didn't give the pass-codes I specified. That you have failed in that endeavor is just a testament to how poor an officer you truly are! Know that I will not risk having the Senate point the blame at me just because you've revealed Telsacom's fighters are docked here… Do you have anything to say?'
Ryke looked to him slightly pale, but fumbled a bow.
'You have my sincerest apologies my Lord Viridian. Those mistakes in my judgment will not occur again.'
Garcia's face was unmoving, save for his mouth, which stretched in a curling smile as his eyes narrowed on the younger man. A long gold chain, adorned with a golden sword wrapped in thorns, rattled around his neck as he gave a brief gesture to his guards, who came up behind the man's shoulders, their enormous stun rifles casting long shadows over the officer.
'Quite right Commander, of that I can guarantee, I don't take failures lightly. Guards! Execute him!'
Ryke's eyes widened in horror.
'WHAT?! YOU CAN'T!!! PLEASE…!!!'
And he struggled in vain as the two giant Viridian guards arrested him with their immovable grip, tearing the golden sword pin from his uniform like a final insult. Desperately he pleaded for his life, but Garcia turned away from him with a dismissive hiss, listening blissfully to the man's screams as the two genetically engineered soldiers dragged him away down the long, twisting corridors. Pretty soon another lifeless corpse would be floating amidst the stars, the latest victim of Garcia's own stringent standards … He couldn't say how much he hated failure of any sort, but then, he found it difficult to describe the elation he felt at punishing fools. Afterall, imbeciles deserved to die, there was no other way but that.
Leaving the observation room, Garcia walked around a few steel lined corridors with the remains of his guard in tow, as he contemplated his position with the senate on Earth, which was tender at best… The League of Free People's was becoming an ever more threatening entity, one that he planned to have dealt with at once. And now that they had discovered Telsacom's involvement in these piratical raids, it was only a matter of time before his own financial ties with them, bribes and the like, were found. There would be no telling what effect that would have on his rule…
Afterall, the Celestial gate was designed for intergalactic travel between planetary systems, not as some "big cheese" for pirates not unlike himself to hang around, and there WOULD be hell to pay should he be found responsible for the attacks... Of course, he had reasons of his own for having commercial and civilian ships shot down, for the loss of important goods and the slaughtering of hundreds of innocent lives that were in fact quite disposable. But those reasons were his own, and the general public would never truly understand, as far greater schemes were afoot that merely fulfilling his own ambition. In fact, so long as not a single ship reached the gate in one piece, or left for that matter, the public need never know. It was indeed a pity the League had entered into this matter. Assassinations were necessary now. The League's representative in the World Senate would be an excellent start.
Deciding on a detour, Garcia neglected to visit the control bridge as he'd intended. That little matter could wait for a while. Instead he took a more obscure route, leaving his guards behind as he wandered through a cacophony a metal bound braces and structures, the gate's internal workings looking more like a steel metropolis than an orbiting gateway. Within a few minutes, he emerged out into a secluded hallway where he gazed about, and instinctively rubbed his forearm which was starting to itch… After a few steps, rounding another corner, he came upon a large steel door which he stared at momentarily before turning to a security keypad nearby, where he typed in a an access code known only to him…
The door opened obediently, and he found himself looking into a small, secluded room, where it's only light came from a dismal little window which looked out into the giant, unending void of space. Somewhere in the dark confines of the room, there was a desk, which could vaguely be seen through the dim light, it's draws filled with all manner of items both muggle and magical that he'd collected during his reign as king. A few pieces he was unsure about, their function not quite clear… others performed no action whatsoever, their sole purpose being little more than ornaments, created to adorn the simplest of homes. But this… this place, WAS his simplest home. Though it could be considered nothing more than an oversized storage room, he felt that here at least he could find time to gather his thoughts in peace.
Walking in, he guided his feet through the darkness to the opposite side of the desk, where he dropped himself into a modestly padded chair… Turning the seat about, he stared amiably out of the solitary window, his gaze taking in the vast array of stars that twinkled and shone upon his face like an ancient tapestry. It was breathtaking, to say the least… almost as if the heavens themselves were flawlessly arranged before him, displaying unto his pleasure, the utter perfection of the known galaxy, lifting his spirits. How could anything compare to such magnificence? Certainly nothing on Earth, that was for sure. But undoubtedly, Garcia could feel himself being hypnotized by such elegance. What could possibly compare to this?…
'Pretty… isn't it?' said a cool voice from the other side of the room, and Garcia nearly jumped out of his skin in shock. Catapulting from his seat, he spun around, deftly grabbing his wand out and pointing it into the darkness, looking for the source of the noise.
'Who's that?! Show yourself!' he commanded, his knuckles going white as he held onto his old willow wand.
'Now, now…' spoke the derisive voice, 'There'll be none of that business, I've only come here to talk.'
And the room lightened slightly to a magenta glow, where Garcia vaguely picked out a dark figure slowly rising from one of the shadowy corners, wearing robes of embroidered black velvet, a hood pulled down to shroud his face. Garcia felt certain it was a man, by the voice alone. But who…
'What do you want?' Garcia asked with caution, lowering his wand somewhat reluctantly, 'Who are you?!'
The figure raised a wand, and Garcia stiffened, feeling sure the man wanted to kill him, but breathed a quiet sigh of relief as the man merely conjured a chair by his side, which he lowered into, pulling his robes tight about him as he stared towards the old man, who still stood stiffly behind his desk, not quite sure what to make of the intruder. Graciously the dark man gestured for him to sit, and Garcia sat down awkwardly, feeling very much out of control of the situation.
'Who am I?!' the man asked in a knowing voice, getting himself comfortable in the conjured chair, 'Why, I'm most definitely the closest thing you have to a friend at this moment Garcia. You would do well to remember that…'
Garcia stared near thunderstruck at the man, surprised at his audacity. But something seemed familiar about him… a coldness he found difficult to describe. And then, as though answering his confusion, the man pulled back his hood, revealing a face of arrogance, a long mane of golden hair combed stylishly backward, cascading down before being tied in a ponytail. Garcia stared at him, and was immediately struck by the calculating mind that resided behind the man's ice cold eyes. He remembered.
'Lucius?' he asked, inching forwards in his seat. 'Is it really you? How the hell did you get in here?! I thought you were rotting in Azkaban!'
Lucius tilted his head to the side, a small smile curling at the corners of his mouth. He'd lost none of his charisma it appeared.
'Yes, it's me old friend, and I assure you, I am very much alive. I find it rather difficult to believe that you could lose track of me so easily. Someone in your position, being "King", and all.'
Garcia leaned back into his chair, wiping a thin slick of sweat from his forehead, before stretching his arms out over his wooden desk. His arrival was most unexpected.
'Well…' Garcia began, still trying to adjust, 'To say I've been expecting you would be a tremendous lie… Err… how can I help you then?'
Lucius breathed deeply before his eyes darted to Garcia's right arm, where he pointed suddenly. Garcia stared anxiously down at it, where it laid stretched across the desk lifelessly. He shot a look to Lucius, who stared back knowingly once more.
'You know what I speak of Garcia. You can feel it can't you? It's hotter, burning more fiercely than before. I know of this, I can feel it too…'
Garcia's mouth moved wordlessly at the man's knowledge, but he kept his arguments to himself at the stare the golden haired man gave him… Looking down, Garcia pulled his robe sleeve up to reveal a large blotch on his inner forearm. Shaped to the appearance of a skull with a serpent sticking out of its mouth, the Dark Mark seemed an integral part of his skin as it stared back at him. That haunting, eyeless stare…
Lucius followed the other man's gaze down to the mark, where he examined the anomaly for a moment before concluding with a series of affirmative hums.
'How long?' Garcia asked of a sudden, biting his lip anxiously… Lucius met his questioning stare with two frosty eyes, before turning his attention back to the mark, feverishly stroking his chin with a look of reflection cast over his face. He seemed uncertain.
'Difficult to say I'm afraid…' he spoke once more, his golden hair gleaming from the dull magenta light of the room, 'I am not one to know precise details of the Dark Lord's schemes, but if I were to estimate, then I'd say our time for waiting is almost over. Soon enough he will summon us for the final tasks necessary to cement his power over the world. And we must all hope we are as prepared for them as he is expecting…'
That last line felt something of a finality than a genuine hope, and Garcia had the distinct impression that Lucius was referring to him somehow… Spitefully, he pulled his sleeve back down, obscuring the evil blemish, and Lucius grunted in disdain.
'You'd think he would want to get this done as soon as possible.' Garcia spoke in a scornful matter, 'It's getting more and more difficult for me to keep a control of matters on Earth whilst he deals with his own agenda. I wish he would hurry up!'
There was a sudden flash of movement then, and Garcia was too slow to react as Lucius lifted him forcefully into the air by his throat, his snake headed wand shaking ominously as a levitation charm surged around it's victim in a bind. A look of utter revulsion had come over the blonde man's face, which was twisting into a sneer.
'You forget yourself Garcia!' Lucius spoke with an acid tone, his stare drilling into the old man's head… 'Secrecy has always been the Dark Lord's greatest asset, by comparison to your own out dated ways. And let me tell you now that our master is by no means obliged to tell you anything of his plans. You afterall, rank lower amongst his servants than I, if I am not mistaken. And I would imagine that the only reason he has not already killed you is because you are of considerable use to him at the present time. Much of his endeavors rely on you keeping this gateway off limits to other ships, whilst we smuggle our own through. You are already familiar with your task, so I won't bore you with the rest…'
And with a dismissive motion, Lucius threw Garcia against the metal walls of the room, before taking his seat once more as the elderly man groggily picked himself up from the floor looking shaken and confused. Lucius looked quite satisfied to have put him in his place.
'You could say Garcia,' Lucius continued, wearing a very smug grin, 'That this visit of mine is merely to check on your progress, which I hear is quite good given the circumstances. How many ships have you shot down this month?'
Garcia looked at him dumbfounded for a moment, preoccupied by a small slither of blood dripping from his forehead, before he blurted out.
'Two hundred and sixty two. Most carried civilians and cargo destined for Mars.'
Lucius nodded, casually resuming his overt calmness.
'Very good. Though Mars is far from my immediate concern, your orders were to shoot down all craft that didn't transmit our codes. I see you are following your orders exactly. For that I must congratulate you, our master will be most pleased you are serving him so well, perhaps he might even give you the honor of becoming a Deatheater someday, however unlikely that might be. Though I must remind you Garcia… you shall only live so long as you continue to serve the Dark Lord, as he looks kindly upon such good deeds. However… should this change somehow, or you tempt the Dark Lord's anger, then I assure you Old Ruler, you can consider your life forfeit!'
Garcia nodded quickly, wiping the smear of blood from his forehead, whilst feeling glad Lucius hadn't questioned him on the ships that had escaped the interceptors. Again Lucius smiled, his face a wicked picture.
'Yes, Lucius. I understand. Forgive my rudeness… but regarding that, if the Dark Lord will not divulge anything of his activities, then what of you? I don't wish to know everything of course! But… perhaps a hint from you would be helpful, so as to know my efforts here are not in vain.'
Lucius blinked in surprise, before measuring the older man in his eyes.
'Hmm…' the blonde man pondered, flexing his fingers, 'I do not see why not… you are afterall, performing a very vital part of his plans… Alright then, you know what we are about, and what ships are permitted through the gate?'
Garcia nodded affirmatively, knowing very well there were a small selection of ships he was allowed to let pass through the gate. Those who had the correct pass codes… Lucius continued.
'Then you should also know that those ships have been smuggling mechanical parts, of which we have been cannibalizing from others on Earth, some willingly, others forcibly. And from those parts, our master is… building something, so to speak. That is all you need to know, feel privileged I've told you that much!'
'Yes Lucius, of course. Thank you, it's good to know my time here at the gate is useful.'
Lucius grinned evilly, and let out a sadistic laugh.
'Yes Garcia… let us hope you remain useful. For your sake.'
Garcia tried his best to force a grin as a small beeping noise reverberated around the room. Lucius looked about himself in confusion, displaying his own ignorance of technology. Such was the stupidity of some pure blood families.
'What's that?! Where's that coming from?'
Garcia pulled up his left hand sleeve, revealing a small wristwatch, which blinked every so often with a small red light. Holding the watch near his face, he pressed a round button on it's side and spoke into it.
'What is it?!' he demanded, and drew back as a holographic image of a young lieutenant appeared before him, wearing a uniform of burnished red and white with the Viridian sigil of a sword wrapped in thorns emblazoned upon his chest.
'We've detected a solid mass on our telemetry screens Lord Viridian.' Spoke the young man through the holograph, 'Preliminary scans have indicated it's a civilian vessel, possibly a League transport. We're awaiting your orders, now that commander Ryke has seemingly… disappeared.'
Garcia looked up momentarily at Lucius, who stared back wearing that menacing grin.
'Duty calls old friend…' he said, crossing his arms together. Garcia sighed before turning back to the lieutenant, who sat awaiting a response.
'Very well, I'll attend to the matter myself.' And at that he ended the hologram, the lieutenant's face winking out in a flash of light. He looked to Lucius again. 'This is perfect… I've been waiting for a chance to get back at the League of Free Peoples.'
And at that Lucius laughed.
'They won't be free for much longer. Not when the Dark Lord rises again. And that day is close, oh so VERY close!… Anyway, I think I've taken up enough of your time. There are matters to which I too must deal with.'
Garcia cocked an eyebrow in confusion.
'But… how did you get here? Mine is the only ship docked here at the gate… unless.' And he watched as Lucius pulled from his robe pockets, a small innocuous item, to which he held in a claw like grasp.
'A Port key? You're using Port keys! Are you MAD?! One false move and that thing could send you to Limbo!'
Lucius glanced at him, before turning his attention back to the little object which he stroked in his hand, a bracelet it appeared to be, before giving a smirk. He very much seemed to know more than he was letting on.
'Yes Garcia… I'm counting on that.'
And in an instant the timed device activated, consuming Lucius in an aura of white light, before he disappeared, leaving Garcia sitting at his desk with little more than the light from the stars outside to illuminate the room… He only noticed then how cold his surroundings felt, and quickly set about warming the room up with his wand, before flicking a light switch so as to see whatever he was doing. Only then was it that he remembered the precise reason he'd come to this room in the first place, and he quickly unlocked a secret draw in his desk, which he opened tentatively, hands shaking…
Reaching in, he pulled out what appeared to be an old book, tattered and worn by years of disuse and neglect. An elegant piece, he took a minute to admire it's lavish covering of ancient leather, bound at it's corners by meticulously crafted metal shaped into vine leaves, whilst also taking in the countless precious stones that adorned it. In the center rested a small emerald plaque surrounded by golden rose petals, which displayed a name spelt in what looked like an ancient and disused language. Though Garcia knew precisely what it said… Vinareer o' Liege. The book of the wrapping vines… He couldn't describe how he felt exactly, after confiscating this very interesting piece from Dumbledore. Ever since he first heard of Harry Potter, he had become infatuated with how the Prodigen had become so powerful, so quickly.
This was the means by which the hybrid had done so, bludgeoning his powers from a once proud and highly advanced magical race. These beings, supposedly called Narcissans, had left behind four books that held magic of ghastly power, whilst the remnants of their people dwindled on the edge of extinction… or so he'd heard. Personally, he was quite happy that no more of these books existed. The Prodigen had absorbed the powers of one, that was undisputed, and the Dark Lord had absorbed two of his own, making his powers as a wizard far beyond that of even the Prodigen. No doubt that power was still rising as he sat there contemplating it, and yet, he could not quite fathom the existence of the last book, which was still unaccounted for… He shuddered to think where it would be, or rather, who might have it.
Caressing the book with a finger, Garcia felt a brief wave of giddiness come over him, at holding such incredible power. What secrets could this book possibly yield? What magic laid within? Such thoughts flowed through his mind as silent voices whispered into his ears. Whispering his name, and the glories he could have if he would but open the book, and see what was inside… Hastily he drew back, his eyes wide in fright. This book definitely held an evil about it, and he had almost succumbed to it's temptations. He must display fortitude, not weakness, so immediately he dropped the book into one of his spacious robe pockets, as he stood to leave for the command bridge. He would never let this book out of his sight, for as long as he should live. He was right to confiscate it, and kept that thought fresh in his mind as he left his study and walked purposefully down the long, winding corridors, half-heartedly accepting a variety of salutes from officers and mechanics that he passed. For the moment he figured, it was best to try to ignore the luring of the book as much as possible, but deep down he knew that he yearned for such incredible power, and wasn't certain exactly how long he could resist the temptations that Essence provided.
Taking as quick a route as possible back to the command bridge, he entered the metal clad room only to meet a burly young officer who shot up from his chair to give a formal salute.
'My lord Viridian, we have been awaiting your arrival sir.' He spoke in a respectful monotone, not daring to meet the Viridian's gaze. Garcia ignored him, preferring instead to pick out a vacant seat which he lowered himself into, keeping a watchful eye over the dozens of people manning a tremendous array of different computerized systems and holographic technical readouts, all of which controlled the many functions of the Celestial Gate.
Guiding his fingers tactfully over his arm rest, Garcia fumbled about with several keypads, before one touch of a button brought up a giant holographic display of the gate's deep space radar that extended far until the very atmosphere of Earth… Looking carefully at it, he discerned the location of the gateway, before he pressed another button on his arm rest, which pivoted the display about to locate the approaching freighter, which was closing slowly upon the gate, weighed down with whatever manner of goods or cargo. His eyes narrowed at the sight of his quarry, which he zoomed in on and matched the profile of to a well known class of transport ship, most commonly utilized by The League of Free Peoples.
'So… the League has sent you despite it's losses, how predictable.' he muttered to himself, not bothering to notice the stares from officers on the bridge.
'Lieutenant Varras!'
A young man rose from his seat nearby, saluting.
'Yes my lord!' he answered swiftly. Garcia didn't spare him a glance.
'Give me statistics on the approaching ship. I want the manufacturer, cargo, destination and access codes if you will.'
'As you wish.'
The man saluted again, before sitting himself down in front of a computer terminal, eyes flicking over a dizzying number of readouts as the gate's systems scanned the freighter. Garcia sat patiently overlooking the computer's readouts, eyeing the progress of the ship as it made it's way towards the gate. Should the information he receive about the new arrival go against it, then he would not hesitate in performing the duty assigned to him by the Dark Lord…
Small flickers of light, barely visible against the giant, black silhouette of Earth, were all that announced the presence of the large, interstellar cargo vessel, which flew on a steady course away from the planet… As the home world's powerful gravity hold began to shrink, three giant pulse engines to the rear of the ship suddenly roared to life, their magically infused energies propelling the metal bound craft quickly across space. It's cargo of civilians sitting anxiously, whilst they waited for the transport to arrive at their destination.
Passing the first line of marker buoys, which glowed red and green in a line some twenty thousand kilometers long, the League freighter flew on a steady course towards the Celestial gate, which shone like a magical beacon, and existed only to propel ships not unlike this one, across the dark, unending void of space. All the while the captain sat on the bridge, overseeing the transport's orientation to the rest of the galactic neighborhood, whilst also making brief mental notes regarding space anomalies like asteroid fields and gravity storms, which could easily trash a ship within an inch of it's life.
Captain Phillip Hades looked over to the young cadet next to him chosen to be his co-pilot, a young woman of whom he asked…
'Elena? Could you just quickly plot our trajectory towards the gate? We have to prepare the engines to compensate for the Arrestor beam when it snares us.'
Nodding, the young woman typed some figures into her computer console, bringing up a holographic map with the gateway's gigantic halo form displayed on it, a much smaller icon of their own vessel approaching it at a steady speed. Hades looked over the figures momentarily before nodding his head in satisfaction.
'Very good. Decrease power to pulse engines one and three, lower the ship's speed to two hundred kilometers per second and ease us towards the beam. The last thing we need is a jolt on a ship full of passengers.'
Quickly the bright flares from two of the three engines began to subside, the ship flying on slowly with the aid of only a single drive, before the invisible force of the gate's arrestor beam clamped down upon it, halting the metal hulk in it's tracks. Hades sat casually in his seat, happy that the trip had gone so far without incident. He hadn't seen a single pirate vessel, which his colleagues on Earth had insisted were there. It was good because now he was in reach of the gate's defensive weapons, and no ship would dare attack an unarmed civilian transport so close to a heavily guarded structure, so all would be well. Looking out the observation window, he stared at the giant ring of metal that obscured the moon's white glow, and waited patiently until a holograph came up, bearing the face of a young officer, sitting idly on the other side.
'Unidentified vessel, state your id number, destination and cargo please.'
Hades picked up a small microphone and spoke into it.
'This is the League freighter New Hope, carrying civilian entourage. Id number is zero, three, zero, two, four, one… We request lowering of the arrestor beam and clearance for immediate transport to Neptune system.'
There was a moment of static as the young officer on the other end of the line processed the information.
'League freighter New Hope, please transmit access codes across broad frequency now.'
And immediately, Hades looked down at a keypad near his computer screen, on which he typed several codes that were given to him by League headquarters, which he patched through to the gate. All that was left to do now was wait for clearance…
Meanwhile, sitting comfortably in his chair, Garcia looked over to the Lieutenant who was processing the transport ship's information. After a few brief moments the man swiveled about in his chair to face the monarch.
'My lord, the vessel is a Coram class League transport. It's carrying civilian cargo destined for Neptune system.'
Garcia's eyebrows retreated into his white hair.
'Neptune system you say? What of their pass codes?!'
Turning back over the computer screen, the Lieutenant switched through some data.
'Civilian codes my Lord. They do not match any of the combinations you had indicated.'
And at that, Garcia smiled wickedly, tapping his fingers on his seat's armrest as he stared at the floating ship, which was trapped in the gate's arrestor beam.
'Give them clearance Lieutenant,' he ordered, drawing some rather confused glances from those around him, 'Lower the beam and direct them towards the gate.'
'Shall I scramble the interceptors my lord?' the lieutenant asked curiously, not quite certain if his master meant to let the craft pass through the gate or not, 'The freighter IS within strike distance.'
Garcia didn't face him, but put up a casual arm to silence the young man, preferring instead to deliberate on his thoughts.
'No Lieutenant…' he said after a moment, scratching his chin, 'Telsacom's fighter squadrons have done more than enough for me at this stage, I don't believe it's worth the risk to utilize them again… I want missile batteries one to twenty loaded and ready for imminent launch. Let them come…'
Minutes ticked by as Captain Hades sat in his ship, awaiting the clearance to proceed to the next stage in the gate warp. Surely it couldn't take this long to verify a few codes, he thought to himself, checking his watch impatiently. He shot a look to his cadet co-pilot, who wore an expression about her face that seemed as puzzled as he was.
'Sir?' she asked, bringing him out of an apparent reverie, 'How long did you have to wait for your codes to be cleared last time?'
Hades leant back in his reclining chair and thought.
'Just a few minutes if I remember correctly. There's nothing complicated about what they're doing, they're just supposed to run the codes through a computer. Or so I heard… Maybe they've just got a glitch on their hands or something.'
Elena looked out through the ship's windows at the orbiting gateway, her gaze a suspicious one as she annoyingly tapped her long fingernails on the metal control panel before her. She shook her head in doubt.
'I don't think so…' she began hesitantly, biting her lip. 'The Celestial gate is controlled by thousands of different computerized systems. Each has it's own backup in case of power failures or any other unforeseen circumstances. It's unlikely they've got a glitch.'
Hades sat up in his chair, fixing the woman with an incredulous look.
'Since when did you become such an expert on technology? You never studied it at Hogwarts.'
Elena sat silently, not bothering to answer the question. She looked thoroughly engrossed in her thoughts, and began shaking her head as her eyes narrowed.
'Something's not right…' she said at last, and Hades blinked in disbelief of what such an inexperienced cadet was saying. He finally threw up his hands in exasperation.
'Personally, I think you're making scenarios out of nothing. I for one would be happy to wait as long as necessary for them to let us through. Heck, let's face it, it's not as though we have much of a choice!'
And then, as though answering them, a static noise came about over the intercom, and the young officer's holographic face appeared once more before the captain. Hades stared amiably at him as he awaited the reason for his ship's delay.
'League freighter New Hope,' the officer began, his voice a monotone, 'Your codes have been verified and cleared. After disengagement from the arrestor beam, proceed to checkpoint three where you will be admitted through the gate to your specified co-ordinates, Celestial Gate out.'
And in a flash the hologram disappeared, the ship lurching back into movement as the beam's iron grip on the hull began to subside. Captain Hades turned to his co-pilot wearing a triumphant grin.
'You see, nothing to worry about. It must have been a computer glitch afterall. Set course for the gate Elena, if you would be so kind.'
Elena looked to him and grunted, before she typed in new coordinates for the ship's projected course, the other two engines coming back online in a surge of energy…
'League transport is on route to gate checkpoint my lord.' Spoke Lieutenant Varras, his voice carrying over the dozens of other tech crews who typed away ceaselessly at their posts. 'Estimated time of arrival four minutes and counting.'
Garcia watched the holographic display as the League freighter continued on it's original course, passing a second series of navigational buoys. He tapped his fingers in anticipation, licking his lips for every sector of space the ship closed in upon the gate. Another tech mechanic spoke up from a different terminal.
'Armaments division report that all twenty missile batteries are armed, and ready to fire on your command my lord.'
A smile came over the Viridian's face and he steepled his hands together.
'Very good…' he said quietly, and switched the screen's display to an external camera, which focused on the League ship as it approached. Technically it was already in range, though Garcia felt it necessary to be thorough. He was not one to let such silly things as escape pods ruin his fun. Just a few more moments…
The New Hope flew on, it's crew, along with it's civilian passengers that numbered well over four hundred, traveled blissfully unaware as Garcia tracked the freighter's every move, a stark pulse of adrenalin pulsing through the old wizard as he watched, counting down the seconds.
'Varras.' He called from his chair, eyes still focused on the display screen, 'Lock weapons immediately!'
'Yes my lord!'
As New Hope made it's final approach, Captain Hades looked out upon the gate, which had grown in his window. Such a sight was awe inspiring, and he didn't need the suspicious ranting of his co-pilot to ruin this opportunity to see what was definitely one of greatest achievements of the modern day. Elena should learn to enjoy life more, afterall, he felt practically giddy at seeing the gate so close…
A sudden beeping noise broke his concentration, and he turned to his co-pilot who hastily stared down at a flashing red light on her control panel.
'What is it?' he asked, and Elena ran her eyes quickly across her computer screens, flicking several dials and switches. Her breath caught as she read.
'We have an EM signal scanning our hull sir. It's a weapon's lock!'
Hades swore aloud, and quickly grabbed the New Hope's controls, steering a course away from the gate.
'Quick, open a communication link to Earth, inform headquarters we're being locked on by the Celestial gate, they must be warned! They must NOT send any other ships here!'
'Yes sir!'
Within moments the ship yawed terribly on it's axis, turning in a violent evasive maneuver away from it's assailant, whilst it's engines burned furiously to counteract the artificial gravity of the gate. Elena spoke hurriedly into a communication link, hoping to overcome the distance to Earth.
'This is civilian freighter New Hope to League Headquarters, we are on weapons lock at the Celestial gate. Do NOT send any ships to our current co-ordinates! Repeat, do NOT send ANY ships to this local!'
Hades ground his teeth whilst Elena continued her distress call to Earth, all the while watching in horror as gigantic metal compartments on the gate's outer hull began to open, revealing enormous mechanical racks of Saber missiles that rose up and aimed threateningly towards them. Hastily he pushed the engines as hard as they could go, taking power from every system aboard the ship, not caring whether or not the devices overheated from the strain. Truth was the freighter was incapable of performing such ghastly maneuvers in space, and Hades could feel the ship's bulkheads groaning under the pressure exerted upon them. But that was a matter he could worry about later, if there WAS a later…
Garcia watched in subdued interest as the ungainly ship attempted impossible evasive actions. He suppressed the urge to laugh at the giant craft's futile attempts, and turned to his weapon coordinators who looked to him with wide eyes.
'Open fire, destroy that ship!' he said, and within moments the decks shuddered as the gate's full ordinance of Saber Missiles was unleashed. Hundreds spun and spiraled through space, before they descended upon the target like a swarm, their explosive heads detonating upon the ship's hull in a catastrophic wave of wanton destruction. A series of enormous blasts tore the midsection of the New Hope apart, breaking it into pieces as consecutive bulkheads collapsed and disintegrated upon themselves, the massive depressurization of the ship destroying it from the inside out… Garcia looked on, taking in the momentary lull as the League ship began to break up indefinitely, sections of it tearing from each other in a mixture of fire and steel, the calculated devastation wrought by the gate's "defensive" missiles, more than self evident… And then there was silence… and in the dark void of space, Garcia could almost hear the agonizing wail of hundreds of people who were silenced as one, their collective scream dissipating away like a whisper, to become little more than a soft, dim memory…
And not one life mattered to him… not one!
