His mind cast back to Commander Hawkins. He implied that the Fathom would allow them to escape at a pinch, but would not explain how. Kalian could see how they had escaped he just couldn’t understand it. The fuel cells must have already been charged with the Solarcite, ready to cut into subspace at a moment’s notice.
But how?
Once charged there was no way to safely store the ionised Solarcite. If the engines could hold onto the Solarcite without tearing through subspace there would be no need to travel to a star every time. The ship could be fuelled up once to maximum yield and then use the Solar Drive whenever they wanted. Had this been invented centuries ago, The Paladin might have made it back home.
With no answer, he pressed her, “How is this technology possible?” He wiped away the tears from his face and noticed he was covered in sweat. Li’ara stopped whatever she was doing with the monitor, though Kalian guessed it was just a distraction. She looked at him like he was a petulant child that wouldn’t do as he was told.
“How do you think?” she retorted, “We invented it. Since its discovery, we finally improved on the Solar Drive. Whatever the Laronians had, we made it better.”
Again, everything came back to the downed ship on Charon. It was an impressive feat, though Li’ara’s mood took the edge off it, and she still wasn’t able to look him in the eye. He had to give her that, they had both lost their species and their home, but he sensed she had lost something else, maybe someone else.
She made for the cockpit door, stopping at the entrance. Kalian swivelled his chair to track her movements; her eyes finally found his. Her features softened for a moment almost apologetically.
“3.26 light years... that’s a parsec. Don’t touch anything.” Her face steeled again as she walked away from him.
He heard the door slide shut on the armoury. She needed time, who knew how much time was required to deal with something like this; lost in space with no engine or home to return to. But Kalian figured all they had was time now, at least until the life support ran out.
He stayed in the cockpit after Li’ara left; he couldn’t see the point of going anywhere else in the ship anyway. He let his mind wander as exhaustion crept in. He thought of places on Earth he had never even got to see, let alone Mars or Century. He had always wanted to stay in the Everest hotel. It haloed the peak of Mount Everest with what he had heard was the best views on Earth. Or even to walk through the red forests of Mars and breathe in an air that wasn’t of Earth. He had a sad thought that he would spend the rest of his life regretting the things he hadn’t done.
Eventually, sleep won out as he rested his head on the seat. His last thought had been something simple like wishing he had taken one last shower.
He bolted forward in his chair, hitting his knee on the console as he did. A different alarm was flashing blue and red. The frequency was hard to listen to. Kalian rubbed one of his eyes while looking around for Li’ara. He wasn’t sure how long he had been asleep but he would have been happy with some more.
The central projector emitted a new hologram in shades of yellow. He had no idea what he was looking at, some kind of graph that clearly wanted him to see a spike in the even gradient. The levels of something had obviously changed but he had no idea what. Were they about to run out of oxygen?
His answer came in an unexpected form. The stars to port were instantly eclipsed as a flash of light preceded the Valoran. It must have been thousands of kilometres away as Kalian could see the whole ship end to end. The arcing spikes that protruded from the back end were glittering in shades of purple like great amethysts. It didn’t appear to have taken any damage from the fight, Kalian wondered if the invaders had even attacked them. Thinking about it, it was no great surprise they had survived the supernova. The Valoran’s engine was obviously similar to the Fathom’s in that it could store charged Solarcite or Intrinium in their case.
Li’ara appeared soon after with a sense of urgency about her. Seeing the Valoran she relaxed somewhat and fell into the pilot’s chair. Kalian couldn’t help but notice the lack of armour. She was only wearing the flat black undersuit that clung to her body like a second skin. She still had her weapon strapped to her thigh though, with the chunky boots that normally went with her armour.
Like a concert pianist, her hands danced across the console, shutting off the alarm while bringing up sensor readouts. Yellow holographic images popped up showing the state of the engine and the depleted stores of Solarcite.
“We’ve got nothing,” Li’ara said.
Her hair was still a little matted from the heat on the rocket and her eyes looked sore and red. Kalian suspected she had stopped crying a while ago but couldn’t get rid of the blotches under her eyes. Seeing Kalian’s inspection of her face, Li’ara turned away as if some new readout was important.
“I’m sure Telarrek can get us aboard.”
It felt tense between them. Neither one knew what to say or talk about. In many ways, they were complete strangers. But the last twenty-four hours had put them through hell together.
He wanted to reach out again and reassure her everything was would be alright, that they would get through this.
“How do you get over something like this?” He hadn’t really meant to say it out loud, but he was still too exhausted to keep it all together.
Li’ara looked up across the viewport but didn’t make eye contact. The Valoran was beginning to block out the entirety of space as it slowly approached them. “We push on.”
Kalian could hear the soldier in her again.
“And we destroy those bastards.”
The plan seemed simple the way she put it, and Kalian didn’t have the energy to hypothesise the complexities of it. He just agreed.
The next twenty minutes took their minds off it as the Valoran sent help. A fat looking ship that reminded Kalian of a beetle approached the ship. There was no communiqué between them as the fat ship turned around in front of the viewport. Four large panels extended at the corners like the wings on a beetle as it attached five cables to the Fathom’s hull.
“There goes the paint job,” Li’ara said dryly.
She was starting to sound like Li’ara again. Kalian wondered if she had buried her feelings and replaced them with the driving force of obliterating their new enemy.
The cockpit shook as the cables began to retract, pulling them into the beetle’s grasp. The four wings closed around the Fathom and cast shadows into the cockpit. Li’ara silenced the alarms before they could begin.
It wasn’t long before the Fathom was sitting in the Valoran’s hangar again. Li’ara had activated the landing struts before the beetle ship put them down. An escort of six Novaarians was waiting outside the main hatch. They followed the same path as before back to the Translift and up to the command bridge. Telarrek was waiting for them. The bridge had the same hum of activity with the crew constantly interacting with their hard-light projections and consoles. The fact that they could actually touch and feel their holograms was evidence of their advancement. Humans had never been able to invent such technology; the sad thought crept into his mind that now they never would. Human history had come to an end.
Before even speaking, Telarrek unexpectedly dropped to one knee in front of them. Kalian couldn’t help but be fascinated by the double-jointed nature of their legs. Even more to his surprise, the entire bridge crew stopped what they were doing and copied Telarrek’s bow. Even the armed escort dropped to one knee.
Kalian turned to Li’ara but her jaw clenched in reaction. She was focusing on holding it all in. Telarrek resumed his towering height and folded his upper arms so his fists rested against where the human heart would be.
“We mourn for your kind...” He dipped his head as he said so.
Seeing that Li’ara wasn’t going to react, Kalian responded. “Thank you, Telarrek.” He looked around to see that the crew had all stood as well but had not resumed their stations. “And thank you for trying to help.”
&n
bsp; Li’ara’s knuckles had gone white from clenching them so tightly. He wasn’t sure what to do next, Li’ara looked like she might explode any minute if they continued to talk about recent events.
“What happens now?” Kalian asked just as he noticed the pure darkness beyond the giant viewport. They were already in subspace. “Where are we going?”
Telarrek turned to walk back to his central podium that was currently grounded in the floor. This had clearly sent a message to the crew as they all resumed previous duties.
“We are continuing on our original heading for the Conclave. It will take just under seven of your solar days.” Telarrek was watching Li’ara while he spoke. He was no doubt watching for any kind of reaction.
Kalian couldn’t blame him; the last time they had this conversation Li’ara had not reacted very well. This time, however, she said nothing. To the others, it might have looked like defeat, but Kalian knew there was a determination in those eyes.
“Quarters have already been prepared for you, food as well.” Telarrek took his position within the podiums circumference.
Li’ara stepped forward closing the gap between them. Kalian noticed the armed escort step with her.
“We’ve already discussed this, the Fathom will be fine,” she said.
Telarrek raised his head an inch. “I’m afraid that will not be possible.”
Kalian felt his heart thunder in his chest as Li’ara’s hand slipped down towards her gun.
Telarrek continued as if she hadn’t made the move, “Your ship took heavy damage in the supernova, and my engineers tell me your Solar Drive is in need of repair. You must stay in the quarters provided while my technicians work on your ship.”
“That ship is UDC property,” Li’ara faltered for a moment at the sound of her own words. There was no UDC anymore. “It’s my ship. I don’t want your technicians crawling all over it!”
All six escorts had their golden eyes fixed on the hand near her gun.
“I assure you, Lieutenant Commander, your ship is being well looked after.”
Was that what Li’ara was so worried about, UDC secrets being discovered? Kalian suspected it was more to do with familiar surroundings, not to mention the armoury.
Seeing that this did not satisfy her Telarrek added, “You are welcome to oversee the repairs personally if you wish.”
Li’ara took a breath. Kalian hoped she was seeing reason.
“That will be fine.” Telarrek bowed his head and disappeared above them as his podium rose above the bridge.
Kalian almost jumped at the sight of Ilyseal next to him. When had she arrived?
“I will take you to your quarters.” Her voice was as soft as ever, though Kalian still found it hard to place that voice over the fierce look of her kind.
Ten minutes later Kalian found himself looking up a vertical walkway at a door high above. He looked at Li’ara and Ilyseal for confirmation; they definitely had to go up there.
“Explain how this works again,” he asked.
“You simply step into the wall and gravity will alter around you. It may be disorientating at first but you will quickly adapt, I am sure.”
Kalian wasn’t convinced. He still remembered flying through the tungsten filament and into the cabin. Gravity had shifted on him then too as he went from falling forwards to falling down. The disorientation had been painful.
Li’ara let out an audible sigh and stepped into the wall without delay. As she became horizontal her arms flapped for a second before she orientated herself to the new ground. She turned to Kalian.
“It’s easy, just step on and let yourself go. Gravity will do the rest.”
What was more mind-bending was the drop of her hair. He naturally expected the copper ringlets to gravitate towards his floor but, instead, they were just as horizontal as Li’ara.
When she was halfway up he decided to follow. Doing just as she said, he stepped out and let himself go slightly limp. Without his foot touching the wall though he felt only one pull of gravity as he fell on his back. He quickly got up before Li’ara turned around at the sound of his yelp. He waved her on as he made attempt number two. Much to his relief, gravity rotated around him giving him a new look to his surroundings. It was quite possibly the strangest sensation he had ever felt. Then he remembered the outer-body experience he had in the Valoran’s medical bay and changed his mind. Focusing back on the task at hand he continued his vertical walk with Ilyseal behind.
The first quarters they were shown to were Li’ara’s. It was bigger than the Fathom. It had a long window that ran from one end to the other, though Kalian doubted it was glass. It was furnished beautifully with a large double bed at one end and a comfortable living space in the middle. There were two circular doors on the left that Ilyseal showed them were a bathroom and the other a walk in wardrobe. Kalian recognised the style of some of the clothes but others were more alien in design. The whole thing was very human. Had these rooms been built specifically for them? Li’ara insisted on seeing where Kalian was staying. His room was only one along and identical in appearance.
“I’m going to grab six hours sleep,” said Li’ara. “Then I want to see the Fathom.” Ilyseal bowed her head in acceptance and promised to return at the allotted hour. “You should rest as well, Kalian. Do you want me to wake you when Ilyseal returns?”
He thought about it for a moment. “No I’m gonna get some sleep, come see me after though. Let me know what they’re doing to it.” Before he reached his door he remembered the Datapad he’d left on the ship. “Could you bring back my Datapad for me? I think it’s gonna be a long week.”
She nodded before disappearing into her new quarters.
He placed his hand over the dome next to his door. He felt a wave of heat flow through his hand before the oval door slid apart. He wasn’t really sure what he was going to do, he felt tired but the nap in the cockpit had been enough for now. He gravitated towards the extensive window, taking in the view. A large portion of it was obscured by the arc of one of the ship’s giant blades. Up close he could see the glittering surface resembled a more crystalline structure like a fused blade of diamond. He wondered what the point of the blades was. They reminded him of ancient scimitars that created a protective perimeter around the bulk of the ship.
He reached out to the apparent glass with tentative fingers. The window rippled like drops of water in a pond. It was the same as the hangar’s force field. He slid down the wall, sitting on the floor with his knees up. How had this happened? How was he, a history lecturer one of the few survivors of his entire species? Why was he here in this very room instead of dying with everyone else on Earth? He felt a tear roll down his face tickling his cheek. His whole life had been turned upside down and he had no idea why. Was this survivor’s guilt? He had heard of it but never had cause to experience it, thankfully.
He lifted his head out of his hands as his jacket floated past him. That wasn’t the only thing floating either. The bed had risen off the floor with the pillows and blanket meshing into a floating ball. Ornaments from around the room slid from their positions knocking into one another. The tear on his cheek pulled away to float in front of his face like a raindrop frozen in time. Since he was still firmly rooted to the floor he knew the internal gravity was still functioning.
He never got used to this. It usually happened while he was asleep but the strongest effects he ever had were always tied to his emotions. Too angry, sad or even happy and this just happened. Apart from that time when he panicked in The Hub and affected the electronics in half the building. He supposed though that the last twenty-four hours had been pretty emotional.
He started to get angry at the situation; he was tired of not having any answers. He would get answers. Everything shot outwards away from him like he was the epicentre of some explosion. He stood up, a man with a purpose. He walked to the main door, subconsciously reaching out for his jacket on the floor. To his amazement, it flew straight into his open palm. He
examined the jacket as if it had been a magic trick. Did he want that to happen, did he make that happen? Had he actually controlled that? More questions without answers. A flicker at the window caught his attention. The stars were suddenly visible again, indicating their emergence into real space again.
The door parted for him as he made to leave. There was only one person he could think of who had any kind of answers, Telarrek. His courage faltered somewhat when he arrived at the vertical walkway. This time he had to drop down. The path sloped down so he didn’t actually need to jump over the edge, just simply keep walking and let gravity change around him. He found going down was actually easier than going up, the disorientation was minimal. He passed two other Novaarians on his way down, each one bowing their heads to him. Several flying bikes flew overhead on his journey back to the Translift like hummingbirds overhead. He got looks from everyone that happened by him, no one stopped him though. Telarrek was telling the truth about not being a prisoner then.
His next problem was the Translift itself. The domed access panel would not respond to his handprint. Every time he tried, the dome sent a cold wave through his hand in response. He turned sharply as a life-size hologram of Ilyseal appeared next to the Translift. It shimmered as she moved her head to look down at him.
“Do you require assistance, Kalian?” she asked.
“I want to see Telarrek, I have so many questions and I need answers, Ilyseal.” He hoped she would hear the determination in his voice; he couldn’t wait until they reached the Conclave.
“I am afraid Charge Telarrek is indisposed at the moment.”
“That’s not good enough! I want to see him now.”
Several Novaarians walking by turned to see what the commotion was but Kalian ignored them. He would have his answers.
“I am afraid it would be impossible to speak with him right now.” Her voice remained even and annoyingly calm.
“This isn’t right, Ilyseal! I deserve answers now. After everything that’s happened today...” He couldn’t form the words to describe the hell both Li’ara and he had been through.
The Terran Cycle Boxset Page 17
