Chapter 5

Chapter Five
The ship was small and plain, and would not be noteworthy in a group of three, save the darkness of the plates that comprised its hull, which, if one concentrated upon, slowly, almost unperceptively, changed hue with its surroundings. For its occupants, “Night‘s-Heart” was close to the perfect vessel. Aboard, an important conversation was reaching is inevitable conclusion.

The room was dark, only the flickering lights of pict feeds and binary decoders filled the room. One such pict feed was maximized in the centre of the room. It showed what everybody was hearing, but nobody was seeing. An Astarte’s. 
He knew this immediately, for he had worked with them for many years before. 
The sound of footfall alerted him to another presence, until he realized it was just his companion. She drew herself up beside him and simply pressed a few buttons on his chair and another pict feed became maximized on the screen. It was inside a hab-dome. A group of men were crowding around a smooth metal object. But it was no normal metal object. He stiffened, he knew what this was. 
"Megan" 
"Yes?" 
"It is time we reveal ourselves. We cannot hide here any longer" 
"And the false planetary governors?" 
"Dispose of them" 
"Yes Lord Inquisitor Samuel"

"Idon’tcareIwantitstopped !” screamed Hengist, as an embarrassed Horsa desperately tried to wrestle is deranged brother away from public gaze.
"What is that ship?” demanded Horsa, and what do you mean it has an “over-ride” to our security protocols, “not even I have one of those !”
“Begging your pardon my Lord Governor, but there is nothing we can do !”
“Nothing, blow it to bits, atomise it, laser it, just destroy the damn thing !”
“Afraid I can’t my Lord, it has control of all our weapons, here and the Planetary Defence !”
“How ?”
“Not sure my Lord but, hang-on, sorry my Lord, urgent incoming !”
“Put it on screen”, screamed Hengist, “NOW”
“Sorry“, said the PDF Captain, “but it’s on a need to know basis, and as of now, you 2 wastes of space no longer need to know jack shit”.
And with flashes from his Squads Hellgun’s, possibly a few more than necessary, two of the least competent, and least popular rulers of Zalthar, were discharged of their responsibilities‘.
"Prepare Dock ONE for, for our Lord Samuel and one other!” screamed Captain
Barceló of the PDF, “I want an Honour Guard in full Ceremonial there in 6,not 7, or 6 and a half, and I will personally see to it, any man jack one of you who’s late, will be scrubbing the outside of a strike cruiser in zero grav with a tooth-brush, until your arms fall off ! You here me ! We have a real Lord to welcome to Zalthar !”
“And boy, can he pick his moment 1“ thought Barceló
"Lieutenant Anatone, ensure the Crystal Chamber is prepared, get the windows open and some air in, it stinks of old-men, and get rid of that ridiculous stool !”
Captain Barceló then stepped away from the crowds, all running for fear of ending up cleaning strike cruisers, for they had all seen the pict feeds in training. Surreptitiously, he lifted a narrow band coms scrambler up to his mouth, barely whispering the following,
“My Lord, I have made sure myself and the others, are at the Crystal Chamber within one and one-half a cycle, it is an unfortunate delay I appreciate my Lord, but as I am sure you will appreciate, I had to spread them far and wide with those two . . .” he chose his next words carefully “….individuals in charge . 
Yes my Lord, I understand Lord, no, I can safely say that neither of them will be missed ! They were, as ever, and extremely good choice my Lord.” 
He paused,…
“And m… .. . . my Lord, I know you favour silence to sentiment, but, if you will indulge me on this occasion’ I did take one final liberty…. .”
Barceló prayed his years of service and the understanding of his Lordship had not betrayed him into over familiarity. .
“Just before their first purge on, shall we say, .. . “easy-living“, I managed to save, or rather a very good and loyal friend managed to save on your behalf. “ 
Barceló took a brief glance about, then at the pict-reader, a useful addition to the back of his cybernetic left hand, 
“Mount Necros, or rather that small series of terraces to the lower Southern slopes. ’Faith’ is the City at its heart, surrounding it are the only parts folk are not too “uneasy” to cultivate.
I could scarcely believe it also is of the ”Grand Cycle 100600600“, aged in a Lorelei Crystals, at a constant 4-5 degrees for over 21 cycles. So as I said, one final liberty, 2 warm glasses, and half a cycle for your good selves to breathe, before the rest of us join you. Thank you my Lord, it was no trouble at all I assure you. 

And lastly, if I may voice the sentiments of us all,
Welcome my Lord , its damn fine to have you Home !”