I Am Avhor

Prologue Joachim’s mind was racing as several thought processes, each pursuing their own path, sought dominance. It was the kind of twirl of unfettered ideas that only besets one’s mind during sleep or, in this case, battle for sleep. Normally, he slept just fine through the artificial night, or day’s end as some on the ship called it. But this night, the rest he needed seemed out of reach. In bed, his cover sheet was twisted by the persistent motion of his body as he instinctively tried to find the position that would enable his sleep to resume. The sheet lay on his side, serving almost as a flattened pillow for his body when he tilted to one side. At the moment, his leg covered the sheet that was supposed to cover his body. Without the sheet, he was cold and half-awake. Might as well just roll out of bed and get some answers. He stood up, wearing only his UCE-issued sleep T-shirt and shorts, swiped his fingers across his eyes, and looked out his oval bedroom window. Stars separated by empty space catapulted corpuscles of light onto his face. If the stars were looking at him, they would have seen concern amid the grogginess. Out the window, Joachim could also see three other UCE ships swimming through space alongside his, in perfect formation, like men marching in a military parade. Admiral Joachim Li had been traveling through space now for over three years. With the authority vested in him by the United Countries of Earth, now 250 light-years distant, he was the commander of a flotilla comprised of more than two dozen ships of various sizes and classes. Each ship had a purpose, a unique function. He was on the main and largest vessel, the UCE Explorer, flagship class. One of the smaller ships in the fleet, the UCE Kennedy, suitable for bringing a landing party to a passing planet, was currently absent from the family, having landed on NP1209, a planetary designation recently given by Li’s crew. The ship, commanded by Captain Jim Johnson, had been given three days to explore the surface and report back. The admiral thought of this as a routine mission. Johnson, who was a senior member of his staff and a friend, had led these expeditions many times before, and he’d always returned according to schedule. But this time, he had departed nearly five days ago with his crew of three, and therein lay the source of Joachim’s unrest. On the bridge early yesterday, First Officer Alex Rodanko had informed Li that Johnson and his party of three hadn’t returned yet. “When was our last communication with the Kennedy?” Li had asked, not yet worried. “Two days ago, sir,” the bridge comm officer, Hank Hernandez, had responded. “Would you like to see the transcripts of the conversation?” “Yes, please post to my screen.” Joachim had read through the transcript but found nothing unusual. It was just a brief conversation on some flora observations between the landing party’s naturalist, Mike Bearborn, and the environmental cataloging ship, the UCE Roosevelt. From the looks of this, everything seemed routine. “Lieutenant Hernandez, please call Captain Johnson for an update and ask when we should expect them. Let me know as soon as you hear, and make it clear that I am less than pleased that they extended their stay without first clearing it with me. I will be in armaments training.” The Explorer had all of UCE’s latest warfare technology, though on this mission it had not encountered any threats necessary to test its weapons arsenal. Nevertheless, Li and all aboard the ship were committed to regular armaments training. Though not as maneuverable as some of the smaller ships and shuttles in the flotilla, the expansive Explorer had more firepower than all the other ships combined. Based on the aircraft carrier analog, it alone could hold over one hundred fighter and transport ships and had a large bay for maintenance and repair. Its photon and lepton guns could generate a flash blast big enough to put a fifty-foot hole into an enemy ship or a cavity of a similar size into a planet’s surface. Alternatively, the guns could slice into an enemy vehicle, like a knife cutting through a stick of butter, with a steady, slowly angled beam. The ship’s mission was one of peaceful exploration, but it featured UCE’s latest firepower technology just in case. Walking down the corridor after finishing his armaments session, Admiral Li answered a page from the bridge. “Admiral, Lieutenant Hernandez just informed me that Johnson is not responding, and neither is any of his crew,” Rodanko had reported. “I don’t like it, Alex. What do you make of it?” “Admiral, something is wrong. I suggest we send another landing party to investigate.” “Agreed. Send five of your best men. Give Ensign Lowell the lead. When will they reach NP1209? How long before we hear back from them?” “The earliest possible report would not be before tomorrow morning, Admiral.” “Okay, I want to hear their report first thing in the morning. Also, add two fighters to the landing party, just in case,” he’d concluded. Now, Li crossed his bedroom and went to the washroom. After a quick wash and a mirror check, he dressed in his uniform, picked up his communicator, and called the bridge. The head night shift officer was Ryan Nolidge. “Good morning, Commander Nolidge,” Li started. “Have we heard anything back from NP1209?” “Not yet, sir. Ensign Lowell and crew have been on the planet’s surface for about an hour.” “Good, Commander. I’m coming down to the bridge. I want to talk to Lowell.” When it came in, Lowell’s report hit Li hard. “Admiral, we found Captain Johnson’s Kennedy, but there is no sign of Johnson or his crew. Sensors do not indicate any life-forms in the area. Some of the avionics panels are missing. Looks like they were intentionally removed.” Lowell waited for a response from Li but none came. “Admiral, we are still investigating, but it looks like they were captured.” *** The clear, blue sky reinforced the already positive feelings of the crowd as they gathered for the annual Court Swordplay event. It was the perfect day for the continuation of a long-standing Markane Court tradition started many generations earlier during the Turmak Dynasty. Members of the King’s Court, mostly those related to contestants but also the top members of the king’s staff, were moving around the stadium, selecting their seats according to status and hierarchy. Everyone sought good seats for viewing and cheering their favorite team but also weighed proximity to the king. This event was different and more exciting to the crowd than usual, as the competitors here weren’t professionals but the adolescent sons of prominent court members. Markane was the largest city on the single-continent planet of Vacaron, the hub of a nation and its capital. The city was split in two by a river. On the west side of the river, Markane was a fortress city, whose high stone walls separated the government from its people. King Harad, his staff, and all government workers worked and lived within its walls, protected and apart from the governed. On the east side of the river was the commercial center of Vacaron, connected to the fortress via a road bridge high above the wide and wild Markane River.