Invaders From Outside

Ordinator Swel’Starr’s low calorie breakfast was interrupted by a ministerial messenger. Swel’Starr had been appointed to investigate the sudden death of several lower-sector citizens. He stole a last sip of his cup of fresh river water, left his office and hopped into a carriage where two of his deputies awaited.

In less than seven minutes, the carriage was crossing the Holy River Kwen into the lower-sector.

The vermillion cloaks of the ordinator and his deputies flapped as they finally climbed down and stepped on the pavement.

“What’s your name, watchman?” He asked the young lad that awaited him next to the bodies.

“Aleks’Dann, Lord Ordinator.” the watchman replied, opening his ash-coloured city watch cloak as decorum demanded.

“I can see two dead citizens here. Any others?”

“Yes, Lord Ordinator. A total of nine citizens have been killed.”

“Killed? The report says the bodies are unspoiled by injuries. Why do you suspect ill intention behind their deaths?”

“Some citizens spotted a flying machine in the sky, Lord Ordinator. Invaders have been seen walking upriver, on the hills. We’ve heard they possess… powers. Deadly powers. They must be behind these deaths.”

Many questions rushed to the forefront of Swel’Starr’s thoughts. It was his duty to ask them all.

“Powers? What do you mean by powers? Who are your informants on the subject? And how was this not reported to us immediately?”

The watchmen looked down, his face assaulted by embarrassment.

“My informants are… cave-dwellers, Lord Ordinator.”

The three-second silence that followed his statement, made watchman Aleks feel like he was shrinking to the size of an insect.

“I now see how this wasn’t reported. There’s nothing to report. Cave-dwellers are mad, watchman. I’m afraid we must start the investigation from scra—”

Swel’Starr was interrupted by the audible gasps of his deputies. The watchman, his face suddenly imprinted with terror, pointed upwards to the sky over the hills.

What the Ordinator saw when he turned almost shocked the twin-tip hat from his head.

A machine glided seamlessly over the hills, near the source of the Holy River Kwen, in circles. Even in the distance, the machine was so big the ordinator could distinguish its shape and colours clearly.

“Impossible!” Swel’Starr said as he lifted his hands in a feeble attempt to protect himself from the sight of the otherworldly invaders.

People around him started screaming and running. The watchman stepped back unable to utter any words, frozen to the point he couldn’t even unsheathe his sword.

Swel’Starr felt something stirring within him. His chest felt like bursting and the air was refusing to make its way inside his lungs

The invaders were somehow killing him!

The ordinator dropped in a coughing fit in front of the watchman. Seconds later, the ordinator was a corpse.

Aleks started crying as people trampled over each other in an attempt to find safety. He knew there was none to be found. Against beings of such power, capable of constructing flying machines and taking life at a distance, there was no possible shelter.

Only one option remained. Only one chance of survival existed.

“Praise them! Praise the new lords of the holy river Kwen!”

The watchman dropped to his knees and prayed to the invaders. He prayed and begged for his city’s life.

The rest of the citizenry joined him.

Both Lower-sector and Upper-sector joined in devotion, they united as one as they appealed to their new mighty gods.

*****

A few hours before, Lieutenant Johnson followed the river down to the metropolis with his eyes. What a beautiful city, he thought as he wiped his nose with a tissue, nothing beats Santa Fe, of course, but man ain’t that pretty.

His thoughts were interrupted by another sneeze. He wished he felt better. He loved how his job took him to so many different places, but it’s hard to enjoy travelling with a cold. He wiped his nose again.

“Johnson, I’ll need you to escort me back to the crystal caves. One of the technicians forgot his mask there. Hopefully, we can recover it and sanitize the area before it’s too late. Over.” said Dr. Keita through the radio.

He could barely hear her over the thunderous roar of the water.

“Are we going to go all the way down to the caves for a mask?. Over.”

“Yes, Johnson, we wouldn’t want to insert any extraneous pathogens into the planet’s biosphere. Who knows the damage they may cause. Over.”

“Extraneous pathogens.... Roger that. Out.”

He took his rifle from the floor and swung it back, sliding his left shoulder between the straps. Then he grabbed his mask from the floor, put it on, tossed the used tissue into the river and walked back to the ship.

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