It was a cold and ordinary day. There was no one in our block, just a couple of officers and soldiers on night watch. The mechanics and medics were on the night shift. Fen came for us, helped us pack our things, and we headed to our ship, which was to take us to Apollo. The journey itself would take about six years, so they decided to put us in sleep cribs so our bodies wouldn't age. For us, nothing would happen—like falling asleep for a couple of hours and waking up again, but already billions of kilometers from where we'd been.
To ensure everything went without incident, they sent us to the medical block for analysis. Such a procedure was standard for both the Legions and the Galts. The strange disc the Legori had given me, I put in my personal bag, not wanting to show it to Reni or Durs, and especially not to Fen. Though we didn't have many things and we hadn't done anything wrong, Fen had started treating us more harshly and roughly, as if he knew something.
"How are you after yesterday, Kyle? Everything okay?" Reni asked, looking at me as we walked side by side toward the medics. He looked tired and sleepy, as if he hadn't slept all night and had had crazy dreams.
"Yeah, everything's fine," I said, glancing at him with a weak smile, touching the holster on my belt. The pistol was with me.
"And what's that white fluid on your sleeves?" Durs asked, clearly interested in my answer.
"Blood, Durs. It's Legori blood," I said through clenched teeth.
He didn't seem surprised. If he was, he didn't show it. Despite our education and the academy courses in planetology with alien biology, there was nothing about the Legori there. It made sense—the Legori race were intelligent humanoids, even if their appearance was different. They talked, ate, and behaved almost like us.
"What did that alien want from you?" Reni asked, still looking at me.
"I don't know. He was telling me about himself when they tried to arrest him," I answered dryly, trying not to look at Reni.
The path to the medical block wasn't too long, but it felt like it was taking forever. Renod and Dursal kept bombarding me with questions. I held on as best I could. With each new question, they seemed dumber and more absurd. As we walked, I paid attention to what we were passing. Warehouses, mess halls, prisons, interrogation rooms, and blocks for different classes. But among them was something that particularly caught my attention.
The Ring.
It was huge—so huge that instead of the usual two or four opponents, it could probably hold an entire squad of twenty. But the most interesting thing was the training machines placed in its corners. They were like us—refined and elegant, beautiful and terrible. Each had a medium-sized silver blade, and on their faces, symbols changed. Symbols of Empires. Those who trained here literally chose their opponent by origin, and the machine changed to match the chosen state's symbol.
Our triangle. The green olive branch—the symbol of the Trade Confederation. The solitary vertical blade—the symbol of the Persian Great House. They say this house has the best close-combat warriors, so strong they could compete with the Emperor's personal guard.
But among the signs and symbols I'd never seen before, there was one I recognized. I recognized those bone shapes, the black spots, and the crown. It was the symbol from the disc the Legori had given me. It flickered for a couple of seconds and changed to another. I stopped for a moment, my gaze fixed on it. A shiver ran down my spine and through my whole body; my legs weakened, but I didn't show it. Whoever the captain who gave me the disc was, he was none other than the one hiding beneath that symbol.
"What's wrong, Kyle?" Durs asked, having walked a bit ahead and, turning around, noticed I was missing. Reni did the same.
"Nothing, just thought I saw something," I said quickly, snapping out of the thoughts and curiosity that had overtaken me. They looked at me with some judgment and distrust but kept walking.
Soon we arrived. The block was decorated in white with black cross symbols on the walls. The medics were dressed not in the usual white coats or uniforms, but in scarlet red, and some of them, to my surprise, wore combat helmets. Why—that remained a mystery to me.
They led us to a room for a superficial check, where they examined each of us in a matter of minutes. They gave us vaccinations and took blood samples, then put them in a machine that gave results on our condition. The readings were almost excellent, though stress and fear had taken their toll.
While they were taking our blood, I could hear shouts and the bustle of medics coming from the general ward, the hum of instruments and the beeping of life support machines. Work was in full swing, even though war had left this system and was waiting for all these people somewhere far away, sharpening its scythe so it would dull less often.
This death was in each of us. In every glance and soul, I saw it. It was waiting for them. It was looking for those who would deliver it right to them—and that was us. The blood of all these people would be on our hands. The blood of two nations would remain with us forever.
A moment after our medical check was complete, Fen summoned us to the docks, ordering us to take our remaining things and prepare for departure. We obeyed his order and, leaving the medical block, first went to our living quarters, then straight to the docks.
The way back was several times faster than the first time. Reni and Durs walked in silence, looking either at the floor or straight ahead. I did the same. Passing by the Ring again, I just gave it a farewell glance, hoping to be there someday.
Reaching our block, we gathered our things and went to Fen and our team. I had a strange feeling: something was about to happen, but I didn't know what. Lately, there had been too many secrets. Some of them I needed to unravel.
The docks were filled with ships and mechanics preparing them for departure. Many were cursing and shouting, while others sat on floating little black blocks, like chairs. Beside them, tools and tablets floated on stands. I met their gaze—they returned it.
When we approached Fen, he was talking with mechanics and pilots, giving them some instructions, after which each went where ordered. Fen heard footsteps behind him, turned to us, and greeted us with a smile. Surprisingly, he wasn't wearing his usual gray uniform, but a bright white one with three red circles on his chest. We looked at him in surprise, then exchanged glances.
Noticing this, he hastened to explain the reason for such a formal appearance.
"Greetings, officers. You're probably puzzled by my attire, but since we're flying to the capital, we should look the part," he began explaining.
While he was doing this, I noticed small wires coming out from under his sleeve and disappearing inside his clothing. They were so white and small they could have passed for threads, but I was sure they weren't. No thread reflects light like that.
Fen was hiding something from us. But what, and why?
"Load your things into the luggage container and board the ship. We're taking off in minutes," Fen commanded, and climbing the ramp into the ship, he disappeared into its shadow.
The moment he was out of sight, I spoke.
"Durs, Reni, did you see the wires on his sleeve?" I asked quietly, hoping for a positive answer.
"What? What are you talking about? What wires?" Reni asked loudly, so I had to shush him.
"Quiet, idiot. I saw wires on his arm going inside his suit," I explained.
He looked at Durs with a confused expression. Durs looked the same.
"Wiretap? You think Fen is going to turn us in? But why, and for what? He's a Legion agent himself," Durs argued, looking at the ship's entrance.
"I don't know. But since our Emperor's statement, he's not himself, acting strange, and now this formal uniform," I answered, looking at the two of them.
If Fen really intended to hand us over to Galt counterintelligence and portray himself as a hero, we were in for an unpleasant fate. The Edge wouldn't let us die peacefully—they'd torture us until one of us confessed everything we knew. But it was for situations like this that the Protocol was developed. The Edge's people, though strong and intelligent, lagged far behind our Legion.
"I don't know, Kyle, but this sounds crazy," Reni said, looking at me strangely, as if he didn't trust me, as if I had betrayed him. But it wasn't me who did that.
"I suggest we just be careful, like they taught us at the agency. Times change, not everyone can be trusted," I said, hoping for their approval.
"Kyle's right. A lot has changed. We shouldn't fall into Fen's hands, whoever he is," Durs said, looking at Reni.
Reni, torn between two options, chose the right one.
"Fine. Let's see what comes of this," Reni waved his hand and turned his back to Durs and me.
I took one last look at the docks and all the people, as well as the creatures standing there. Then I fixed my gaze on the railings. From here they looked so small—like a tiny bolt in a ship's massive hull.
And finally, I turned toward the ship.
A large, almost gigantic vessel pointed its nose at me, with the boarding ramp beneath it. Just above the nose section were the cockpits for two pilots and turrets. Just below, near the hull, were vents for expelling gases and other waste. Its shape was smooth, like a polished steel ball. That's what it was—a stretched, uneven piece of steel turned into a work of art. It seemed to me there were even engravings on it, some drawings of cities and alien nature.
Having examined it, I stepped onto the ramp and began climbing after Durs and Reni. Stopping near the top, I peered out from under the canopy and whispered a phrase:
"See you around, Chaos."
Entering the ship fully, the ramp behind me began to close, and the light in the compartment grew brighter so I could see what was happening around me. Ahead was a staircase leading up; around it lay rifles and some boxes—probably with provisions. Climbing up, I saw Dursal and Renod sitting in soft chairs built into the wall. Fen was sitting near them. Looking at his back, I quietly approached. Reni and Durs, hearing and then seeing my approach, spoke up.
"Found the entrance after all, detective? Though it's hard to miss a huge ramp in the middle of a ship," Durs said and started laughing. Reni joined in.
Fen just smiled faintly, looking over his shoulder from his elegant white uniform.
He stood up and, positioning himself between us three, spoke:
"Since everyone's here, we can depart. Pilots! Start the engines!" he shouted into the radio, then pressed two buttons on his wrist terminal.
At these words, the ship began to shake, and I had to steady myself. Fen looked at me with a smile, standing calmly.
"Don't fly often, officer?"
"No," I answered seriously.
Turning away, Fen went to the pilots. The ship was huge, and it was hard to tell exactly where he was going. He ordered us to wait for the medics, who would escort us to the sleep cribs.
They didn't keep us waiting long. In gray uniforms with red crosses on their backs, their faces covered, three people approached us. In their hands, they held tablets with reports on our health.
Then they escorted us to a small medical room containing twenty such cribs. Nitrogen emanated around them. The cold white steam made me shiver.
I looked at Durs—he was scared. Apparently, he was far from technology of this scale and probably didn't trust any of it. Reni, on the other hand, was calm and peered with interest at the structure of the capsules. They were built into the wall and, thanks to their streamlined shape, resembled bullet casings.
Durs was the first to be put in. He reluctantly lowered himself into the capsule, then closed his eyes as cold nitrogen blew over him and froze him. The medics bustled around him, measuring his vitals.
Soon, satisfied that everything was in order, Reni went next. I remember this moment well even now, after so many years. He looked at me then. In his eyes was primordial fear, like a deer surrounded by a pack of wolves. I was surprised then that Reni had such a look, not Durs.
It was etched into my memory.
Then it was my turn. I stepped into the crib and stood at attention. They took my pistol and any metal objects. The medics closed the capsule in front of me, and their faces blurred through the distorted glass. I breathed deeply, and steam from my mouth lingered on the glass. I felt an intense cold and closed my eyes.
Darkness.
Darkness met me again with open arms. It enveloped me from all sides, but above it was something else—something that consumed the darkness just as it consumed me. The feeling everyone experiences: whether performing before an audience or facing an opponent a head taller than you. The feeling older than the world itself. It appeared with the stars, which feared their own demise.
Fear.
The greatest enemy of all existence. More people have died by its hand than by any other. It was fear that made me command the Emperor to kneel and bow his head before the blade of death in those hellish days. It was fear that allowed me to avoid execution.
It is the great judge and sinner. Just like me.
I fell asleep. I was probably supposed to sink into a dream or something like that, but no matter how many times I lay in the cribs, I never remembered anything. As if everything seeped through my memory, through me myself.
I slept for five years. With me were my faithful friends—Reni and Durs. We were one whole, an inseparable trio.
One day I awoke. Blood rushed to my head as my lungs began to breathe the ship's air. I would have fallen to the floor if the medics hadn't caught me and sat me in a chair for the wounded. My vision darkened, and only occasionally did the lamp light flicker. My head throbbed wildly, and my whole body shook with cold. I tried to stand, but a young medic quickly prevented me.
"You mustn't get up after the cribs. Your body is very weak," he said through his mask.
"Where… where… am I?" I asked, teeth chattering from the cold.
"On Apollo, officer. We're in the capital," he said, probably with a smile. I couldn't see his smile through his mask, but I could feel it.
We were on Apollo. We had made it, despite all the difficulties and trials. Did Durs and Reni know?
Durs and Reni.
"And where are the other… officers? Where… are they?" I asked sharply, looking around, searching for them with my eyes, beginning to worry. The cribs, though safe and high-tech, had a mortality rate. Though less than one percent, it still existed.
"We woke them an hour ago. They're in their wards on the third floor with Commander Fen," the medic informed me.
A moment after hearing this, a question arose in my mind.
"Are we not on the Chaos?" I asked, wrapping myself in the medical blanket they'd given me.
"No, officer. We're on Apollo. Your crib was transported to Apollo's medical complex," he reported seriously and coldly, like some machine.
I was plunged into amazement and regret. I hadn't gotten to see this great colossus of a station, the capital station about which legends and myths were told. They say it was conceived when humanity was just beginning to explore other planets, and the project for its creation was approved after the colonization of Mars. Three thousand years had passed since then.
The station was enormous. So enormous that if you wanted to walk around it entirely, it would take you several years. That's why there was so much transport—up to manned ships like the Chaos, for transporting large numbers of citizens. Apollo was located on trade routes and had a huge military advantage. A fleet of different states was always based near it, and an attack on the Galts alone would mean a declaration of war on everyone. And our Empire understood this. Despite its defeats, our Emperor didn't dare attack the enemy's capital and knock the stool out from under him while his head was in the noose. In this situation, we were the ones in the noose.
Soon they gave me a couple of injections and prescribed some procedures, then sent me to the third floor to Dursal and Renod. Though I could stand by then, they wouldn't let me.
The elevator carried us very fast—so fast that sometimes I thought it would fly out or fail to brake. But it managed. It opened its doors, and before me was another corridor, but this time white, with beautiful gold ornaments, leading in different directions.
Reaching the right door, the medic who'd brought me left, letting Fen lead me inside. The commander greeted me and asked how I was feeling. In response, I just said everything was fine.
Before me, with their backs to me, stood Reni and Durs, gazing through a panoramic window. I couldn't see clearly what was there, but at the edges I could see movement and towers. Hearing noise behind them, they turned and, smiling, stepped aside so I could see what they'd been looking at.
It was a view—indescribably beautiful and breathtaking, consuming the mind. Towers, forests and parks, lakes and rivers, even cliffs. There were countless levels and parking platforms for transport flying everywhere. And somewhere down below, ancient human ships probably sailed. And it all stretched to infinity, it seemed to me. It was so beautiful that for a moment I froze and couldn't move.
"How do you like it, cripple?" Durs asked with a smile, looking at me.
"It's…" I began.
"Incredible? Yes, it is," Reni continued.
"Well then, Legion officers, welcome to Apollo!" Fen declared joyfully, himself struck by the beautiful view.
Apollo was beautiful, like paradise on earth. We stood there for about twenty more minutes.
War and peace converged in this place. Good and evil, the beautiful and the terrible.