Death to the Imperium (Imperium Cicernus) Read Online Free

he had been caught, he couldn’t deny that it made a good story. “I
was carrying an official load of turmeric and moonspice, as well as a few kilos
of black market tobacco that I picked up from a guy on Zita-4. I was taking the
leaf to Paradise to sell. When I was boarded by Imperial troops, I figured it
was nothing to worry about. I’d been boarded before, but they hadn’t found
anything. But it turns out the leaf wasn’t just duty-free—it was stolen. Even
worse, the stupid bastard had robbed an Interstellar Courier to get it.”
    “So
they found the stuff?”
    Glitz
nodded. “They went all out. Practically took the ship apart. I got five years,
but the other guy was executed.”
    Doland
breathed out slowly. “You were lucky then, in a way.”
    “Lucky?”
Glitz poked his finger into Doland’s chest. “I’m stuck on a prison planet for
five years with nobody for company but you and that guy—” Glitz pointed to Tekka,
who was standing nearby. “—and he doesn’t even like me.”
    “Don’t
be too heartbroken,” Tekka said. “I don’t like anyone.”
    “Yeah,
well…” Doland lowered his voice. “We still have our plan…”
    Glitz
glanced around at the forbidding planet, at the rocks and strange-looking birds
wheeling through the sky. Now that he was actually there, Tekka’s plan didn’t
seem quite so likely. He knew that no one had ever escaped from Malus before.
    The
prisoners walked, handcuffed, towards the main prison, with uniformed guards
marching in front of and behind them. The air was filled with noxious smoke,
and the ground was covered in black dust—the prisoners’ feet kicked up dirt
clouds that blackened their convict uniforms.
    Eventually,
they reached the main prison. It was a large silver dome that was composed of triangular
shapes arranged in a tessellated pattern. Glitz entered with the other
prisoners, flanked by Doland and Tekka. He wanted to make sure that he stayed
close to Tekka over the next few weeks; the man was his only chance of getting
off the stinking rock.
    “My
name is Mr. Quex,” a bald man said, stepping in front of the prisoners. He was
carrying a large black staff with a tapered handle. Although it was black, it
looked suspiciously like a shocker. “I’m the officer in charge of this prison.
Let me be very clear. I don’t tolerate bad behaviour. If any one of you jokers
steps out of line, they’ll be treated with the greatest serevity.”
    “You
mean ‘severity’, right?” one of the prisoners said. He was a thin man with a
permanent grin.
    The
officer’s face reddened, and he stepped over to the man, his pig-like eyes
bulging from his head. “Silence!” he said.
    “That’s
better,” the prisoner said. “Maybe you should just stick to two-syllable words
in future.”
    The
prisoners laughed, and Mr. Quex looked like he was about to explode. He touched
the man with the end of his staff, who felt an excruciating pain surge through
his limbs. The prisoner cried out in agony, and Mr. Quex withdrew the staff.
The pain ceased.
    “Let
that be a lesson to you all,” Mr. Quex said. “Like I said, I don’t tolerate insol…
insolence.”
    All
of the prisoners were weary and ill-tempered; they had last slept nearly twelve
hours ago, and they were all ready to go to bed.
    “You
will be sent to your cells in alphabetical order,” the prison officer said. “As
soon as I read your name, two of the prison guards will escort you to your cell.”
He brought up a list on his tablet. “Alph, Tonek.”
    Tonek
Alph, a tough-looking man virtually covered in tattoos, stepped forward. Two
even tougher-looking prison guards escorted him out towards his cell.
    “Bane,
Rog.”
    Rog
Bane was next to be taken to his cell, followed by Bergson, Cap, Christoph,
Doland, Edgewood, Fhali and Haaj.
    “Glitz,
Harlan.”
    Glitz
strolled forwards and peered at the two guards. “You sure these guys know where
they’re going?”
    Mr.
Quex showed his teeth.