The darkness of space held his wonder for many long hours as he drifted ever towards his destination; cold, quiet, and dead, just how he liked it. All engines and communication equipment in the tiny pod were off, ushering in a silence that would drive almost anyone mad. However, he was familiar with this silence and cherished it like an old friend. He desired that the light from the stars would disappear so that he may be plunged into the consuming darkness he so loved. But the happiness of darkness and silence would have to wait until another day. There was simply too much to do first.
The ship was small enough to pass undetected underneath the Spung Killcruiser, floating nearby like yet another piece of junk drifting around in the dead of space. He didn't need to bring any weapons with him when he went on board. The knowledge contained in his memory was a more powerful weapon than any Spung might possess. He didn't have to worry about running into any of the crewmembers; he had studied the schematics of the air and garbage ducts until he could see them in his mind. Lightly he would glide through tunnel after tunnel, his uncanny sense of direction leading him where he needed to be.
He made contact with the ship and crawled in through an unmonitored chute, and an hour later he dropped down out of the air ducts, landing softly and cat-like in front of the bridge door. The two guards were easy enough to kill, dead before they even noticed the intruder. He was still, and listened in on the debate held behind the closed door for a few moments: five Spung generals were crowded around their leader, Warlord Shank. He didn't care what they were discussing. He only cared that Warlord Shank was in that room. Licking his lips, a shiver ran through his body. The thought of revenge gave a nice, tingly feeling that traveled down the spine before leaving at the toes.
The doors hissed open. The six Spung turned around to see a figure in the doorway clothed in black from head to foot. He was almost six feet tall, pale and grinning widely enough to reveal all his teeth. They could just barely see his eyes, small pinpricks of light underneath a dark hood.
"What are you doing here?" Warlord Geoph demanded, stepping away from Shank. All five Spung hissed and glared at the newcomer, who simply hissed a high, unnatural laugh.
The generals were ready to draw their weapons and attack, but at that moment:
"Stop!" ordered Warlord Shank. He stood from his chair and stepped forward. "Leave us."
The other Spung stared at him, certain he was mad. He glared at Geoph.
"Now!" his voice resounded through the room and the other Spung crawled in their skin. They didn't want to leave their emperor with this intruder, but they didn't want to disobey an order. Their heads hung low and glaring at the intruder, they filed out of the room.
The doors hissed shut behind them, leaving the man alone with Shank. The room was quiet, steely sounds of machines filling the silence as the two of them stared each other down. The stranger spoke first.
"You know who I am," said the stranger. His voice was low and steady, almost practiced. Shank could feel the madness under the words, fighting to break free but kept at bay by its master.
"Yes," he said without blinking or breaking eye contact. "Warlord Shank knows all about you. I visited the project several times."
A mad giggle came from the intruder, his head rolling about like an animal's. "The project. I am the project, Shank." He said the emperor's voice like it was something unpalatable.
"What do you want?" Shank spat, getting straight to the point.
The intruder stepped forward, face-to-face with Shank with only three long strides. "I want the Andromedan."
Shank gave him an annoyed glare. "I don't have the Andromedan."
An angry hiss came from him before he spoke. "Lies ..."
"Warlord Shank is not a liar!" he announced proudly.
His eyes twitched. "Fine. I'll strike a deal with you. You tell me everything I need to know about him, and all I'll do is kill you."
The room was full of silence again. At any other opponent, Shank would have laughed, sure of his superiority. However, things were turned around now, and he was the weaker one. Shank wasn't even sure if he could outsmart him, let alone defeat him in combat. He stepped back and sat down in his chair, his chin on his hand as he contemplated. The cloaked man leaned over the Spung emperor as he awaited his information. Staring up into those cold emotionless eyes, Shank knew he had no other choice.
"He is on another starship called the 'Christa'. We've been trailing them for some time. I'm sure you heard us while you were standing out there. We were just discussing what to do about it."
He began to circle Shank's chair. "Do the other men know the true purpose?"
Shank shook his head. "No."
"Good. Wouldn't want to kill anyone else. There's too much to do already."
"What are you planning to do with him?" Shank asked.
He came up to Shank's side and placed his face very close to the Spung's. "You never cared about our well being. Why should you start now?" His eyes roved over the Spung man's face some more before he said: "Or is he really that important to you? To the cause?"
"You know as well as I do ... that the plan is not in my control," Shank reminded him.
"Oh, that's right," he whispered. "You're nothing but a puppet. Just following orders. From the one who is truly in power."
Shank hissed at the indignity.
He pulled away from Shank and paced the room. "He's on the 'Christa', is he? What else can you tell me about this ship."
"It is commanded by an Earther by the name of Seth Goddard. The vessel is powerful, but I'm not sure they know how to use the ships weapons. It's mostly just a bunch of kids otherwise."
"Just a bunch of kids that you haven't been able to defeat. Tell me, how many times has he slipped through your fingers? Quite a few heads must have rolled when your great leader heard about the failure you are at hunting defenseless children down."
Shank bellowed out a laugh. "That just goes to prove how little you know of the shadow emperor. Tell me, when you find out who it is, what do you plan to do? An assassination? That's your revenge? Pitiful."
"What I have in mind for the true emperor," he said as his voice became deeper, "is much greater. But you will never know." His hand moved under his great cloak and Shank heard the metallic sound of a blade.
"I may not know," said Shank. "But the emperor does."
The last thing Shank saw was a swift moment as the cloak passed before his eyes and his vision went dark. Far away a scream cried out, "Father, father!" while handmaidens tried to calm the child. The stranger disappeared into the long dark of the Killcruiser and was never found; only the peacefully dead body of the mighty Spung emperor, Warlord Shank.