Lance pursed his lips for a moment. “Well. Every day it’s not in our possession, it could be falling into the hands of someone who we don’t want to have it. And every day that goes past that we don’t know what it’s all about, is another day the Federation is at risk. We just don’t know how high this risk is…”
He took a deep breath. “It’s damn important,” he concluded.
Molly nodded her head once. “Okay, in that case; Sean, you up for a little excursion to Teshov?”
Sean glanced over to her and blinked. Joel smiled at him. “Oooh. You get the babysitting assignment!” he jibed, while also gloating that he was privy to the mission that was about to be handed out.
Sean glanced back at him briefly, shooting him a glare a school kid would, as if to say “just as soon as we’re out at recess, I’m gonna kick your ass!”
The General raised one eyebrow at Joel. “That boy you’ll be ‘babysitting,’” he said, turning to Sean, “is one of the most valuable and important assets the Federation has. And now it looks like he could be the key to something that the entire population of our galaxy is depending on.”
He glanced back at Joel. “This isn’t a mission to be taken lightly.”
Joel lowered his eyes, flushing a little in humility.
Sean straightened up, feeling as if he were also being chastised for having the banter with his friend. “Yes, sir. You can count on me to get the job done, sir.”
The General nodded and then turned his head to the right, toward Molly – not straining to look at her, but keeping his eyes on the table.
Molly picked up on the cue. “Okay, so Sean and Giles will do the talisman retrieval. The rest of the team will deal with the Zhyn problem.”
The General nodded. “I’m assuming you won’t need me for your Justicar meeting?” he confirmed.
Molly shook her head. “No, sir, we can handle it.” She glanced at Joel, making sure that he had her back with the diplomatic stuff.
Joel nodded his understanding. Molly and sensitive social interactions? Yep, I’m probably going to take lead on this one. He smiled. Molly smiled weakly back at him, noticing the amount of energy the thought of social engagement took from her.
Lance tapped the flat of his hand on the desk and then stood up. “Right we are, then. Let me know your departure time, and route your mission parameters through ADAM for final approval. Then keep us in the loop.”
Molly and the others stood up. “Yes, sir” she said. The others echoed her sentiment, and they each saluted.
Lance turned and casually saluted back. “Thank you, people,” he acknowledged, and then turned and headed out of the door.
ArchAngel, Hangar deck
“Fuck!”
“What? What is it?” Jasper arrived, his usual chirpy self.
Ronald looked up at him. “We’ve been bumped,” he growled, closing his holo roughly.
Jasper placed his case down on the hangar deck floor. “How come?”
Some high-ranking officer has requested The Scamp Princess for a highly classified mission. They’re leaving now… In our window. Ronald glanced around, distracted. “I’m going to go and see who this asshole is…”
Jasper was trying to catch up. “So what does this mean? Do we get to go out later?”
Ronald had already started storming across the hangar deck, and off into the restricted area. Jasper chased after him – lugging his carry case, but trying to be gentle with it.
The two humans made their way behind a series of ships and pods and across the length of the hangar, to where their ship should be.
Ronald stopped suddenly, and backed up behind a maintenance truck. “There,” he said, pointing accusingly.
Jasper looked around anxiously, checking that they weren’t being observed, before looking at where Ronald was telling him. “What? It’s just two guys…”
Ronald was frowning. “Yeah, two guys taking our ride. Who knows when we’ll get assigned another one with gate capabilities? We could be waiting months.”
Jasper could see he was seething. “Ronald, come on. Don’t you think you’re being a little ridiculous?”
Ronald shot him a glare from his crouched position. “No, I’m not. I don’t know who these guys think they are, or what’s so fucking important…”
Jasper straightened up, and then glanced back at the two figures making their way into the ship. “Hey, hang on…” He pulled up the camera on his holo and zoomed in. “That guy looks awfully familiar. I’m sure he’s an Admiral from the history of Earth…”
Ronald stood up and retreated further back behind the truck. “Show me,” he demanded. Jasper held out his holo. “I’m sure I’ve seen pictures of him on one of the walls somewhere, on the Meredith Reynolds.”
Ronald shook his head. “Doesn’t matter who he is. He just looks like some jumped up jock who’s pulling rank and stealing our ride.”
Just then, The Scamp Princess powered up and, a moment later, lifted off the deck.
Ronald, fuming, turned on his heels and stormed off the deck. No doubt on his way to tear someone a new one.
Jasper watched him go, shaking his head in dismay. He stored the image on his holo, making a mental note to check it out later.
Aboard The Scamp Princess, Hangar deck of the ArchAngel
Sean and Giles were strapped into their seats in The Scamp Princess, waiting for clearance from ArchAngel Control.
Sean glanced over at Giles. “So, those coordinates you gave me… on Teshov. Where is that?”
Giles had been distracting himself with secondary controls. Now he pulled his attention away and looked back at Sean from the Navigator’s seat. “Oh, its the village where my frenemy lives.”
Sean closed his eyes and took a breath. “So this guy is a frenemy? What makes you think he’s going to tell you where this talisman is when you ask him?”
Giles smiled. “I thought that’s why you were sent with me. Out of all the warriors on Molly’s team, you seem like the one who would be the least… squeamish… about making people talk.
Sean shook his head and turned his attention back to the panel.
The voice of the ship’s EI came online. “Admiral Royale, you are cleared for take off. Shall I do the honors, sir?”
Giles looked at him, frowning.
Sean, oblivious, smiled – pleasantly surprised at how amenable the EI was being with him. “Yes, please. Thank you, Scamp”.
“My pleasure, Admiral,” Scamp replied. “Nice to have you aboard after all these years.”
Sean grinned at the service.
“Admiral?” Giles queried.
Sean’s face dropped, and he looked immediately flustered like he had slipped up. “Oh. It’s… it’s just a joke the EIs have going,” he explained.
Giles watched him out of the corner of his eye, unconvinced.
The ship lifted gently off the deck, and quietly hovered its way over to the hangar doors. Moments later, they were careening out into space, on their way back to the Sark System.
Scamp’s voice came over the system. “Ready to engage Gate capabilities when you are, sir.”
Sean sat back in his console chair and smiled again, his slip-up forgotten. “Engage,” he told the EI.
The ship disappeared from the radar of the ArchAngel.
Aboard The Empress, In orbit of Kurilia
“Best thing to do, is listen as much as you can. Tune in while they’re talking to you. Pay attention, not just to what they’re saying, but to how they’re feeling about what they’re saying.” Arlene coached Molly as The Empress came into orbit around Kurilia.
Molly nodded her understanding. “Okay. I’ll try. It’s just… there’s a lot to focus on all at once.”
Arlene smiled sympathetically. “I know. But you can do this.” She glanced over to Joel who was sitting next to Molly. “And Joel is there to help. Lean on him. Let him do the talking so you can observe better
. After all,” she scoffed a little, “that’s normally how the Zhyn prefer to play it. Ancestors forbid a woman being in charge!” She chuckled a little, remembering her time with them on a particular sociological expedition.
Joel leaned forward, his arms on his knees. “Yeah. I’ve got this, Mollz. I can do this for you.”
Molly nodded, looking down at her hands. “You realize that the reason we’re here is to make sure that when – not if, but when – we go after that scumbag Shaa, it’ll be sanctioned by his people.” She looked up at Joel. “It’s the only way that we prevent this from causing an all-out war. Remember, we weren’t meant to have been out there in the first place. Officially, he shouldn’t have been found out.”
Joel took a deep breath and sat back in his seat, glancing in the direction of the passage to the cockpit. “Yeah, but he did. And I guess that’s also why the General has bounced this back to us to clean up.”
Molly looked glum. “Probably,” she admitted. “Anyway,” she said, getting up and shooing Joel out of the way, “it’s probably time we move. If we can drop down onto the platform again, we can save Crash some time having to park this thing.”
Joel let her get by, and then stood up himself. “Yeah, all in a day’s work,” he muttered. “Save the boy from getting a parking ticket…”
Paige sniggered.
Paige and Maya had been listening intently to Molly’s coaching session, hoping to glean something new about the realm stuff. Sitting on their knees, leaning over the backs of the chairs in front, they had been able to be involved in the conversation. Now, with Molly gone, Arlene was theirs.
Arlene smiled up at them like a pop star reluctant to get into too deep a conversation with a fan.
Molly had started making her way to the back of the ship. She was passing by Pieter and paused briefly. “Everything looking okay?” she asked.
Pieter gave her a thumbs-up. “Yeah, so far so good. I’ll keep monitoring, but there’s no hint that this is a trap. If I get anything at all, I’ll have Oz relay it to you.”
Molly patted him on the shoulder and kept walking.
Downstairs, Jack was already suited up, and Brock was deploying the frame for them to drop from. As Molly walked in, she saw Jack concealing a weapon in her vest.
“Really?” Molly asked.
Jack shrugged. “Trust but verify,” she said simply, repeating Joel’s words.
He obviously had an influence during her orientation cum indoctrination, Molly figured.
Joel headed over to Jack’s position and took a gun from the rack behind her, doing the same. Molly shook her head.
Next, Joel grabbed a combat vest and tossed it over to her. “You’re at least putting one of these on,” he told Molly definitively. Molly didn’t have the energy to argue. She had more important things to focus on. Obediently, she put the vest on, and then swung down onto the frame.
“Two minutes!” Brock announced.
The others clambered onto the frame. Molly called over to Joel. “So they said they’d have a landing party meet us at the lift?” she confirmed.
Joel nodded.
Just over a minute and a half later, the three of them dropped down onto the platform and watched their ship drift past.
Chapter 6
Capitol Building, Planet Kurilia
Flanked by armed guards, Molly, Joel, and Jack were swept through the Capitol Building.
Are you sure we’re not under arrest or something?
Yes. Certain. There is nothing in their systems or communications that hints you are anything other than honored guests.
Comforting.
Molly glanced to her left at the heavyset Zhyn marching along side her as they made their way through the enormous ornate hall towards a set of double doors. The guard looked straight ahead, ignoring her gaze, but by his side swung a blaster – not dissimilar to the ones she and her team had used on their last visit to the surface.
She glanced to her right to see Joel and Jack looking straight ahead, too. Jack’s jaw was set, but Molly could tell she was in a state of expanded awareness, watching for any hint of a threat… at which point she would likely reach for her concealed weapon. Joel was doing the same, though he was better at pretending to be relaxed.
They reached the door, and the formation of escorts came to a halt. One of the two traditionally dressed guards near the door made a show of acknowledging the convoy, and then opened the door for them to file through. The other guard remained vigilant and unmoving.
Molly followed one of the escorts into the chambers, nearly tripping as the flooring changed from marble to plush red carpet.
“Pick your feet up when you walk,” Joel whispered to her.
Molly glared at him silently, resisting the urge to slap him. The last thing she wanted to do was appear unprofessional as they entered the office of the esteemed emperor of the civilization they were trying to prevent a war with.
Good call, boss. It wouldn’t look so hot.
No kidding.
The guards seem to be waiting for something. Permission perhaps? Or a person to arrive?
A smaller Zhyn female appeared from a small corridor down one side of what appeared to be the main chamber.
“Hello,” she greeted them in Zhyn. Molly heard it in English. She looked across at Joel and Jack, and saw their surprise as their implanted chips worked for the first time. She grinned. It was a weird feeling.
Joel met her eyes with a slight glint of enthusiasm in his, before turning his attention to the lady who was addressing them.
“Greetings,” Joel started on their behalf. His expression shifted in response to his mouth and throat speaking a different language automatically.
Those chips seem to be working like a dream!
Yeah. I don’t think Joel can believe it.
“We were invited to an audience with His Highness, Emperor Kulu”, Joel told her. The guards waited patiently while the small woman moved around to her side of the desk and pulled up her screen. She poked around for a moment, and then stood up again.
“This way, please,” she said, her attention mostly on Joel.
The three followed her to the door with their entourage still in tow. The woman pushed open the doors to the enormous chamber and ushered the guests in. The guards still followed, quickly forming a semi-circle around the group as they made their way forward.
Joel led the way. Jack’s eyes scanned everything, aware of every movement and every warm body in the room. Up ahead, the emperor sat on his throne and another Zhyn, similarly dressed in traditional gowns and robes, hovered by one of the desks laid out in front of the emperor.
The emperor spoke. “Welcome. Welcome, my guests. Please, come forward.”
Joel’s confidence grew and he quickened his pace, making it more purposeful. “Good day to you, Your Highness. We are grateful to accept the invitation to an audience with you.”
“The honor is mine.” The emperor got off his throne and made his way toward the steps off the dais. “This is my trusted advisor, Justicar Beno’or.” He indicated to the man by the desk, who approached the group with his hands clasped. The justicar bowed to them.
Kulu made his way slowly down the stairs. “We have much to discuss. But am I to assume that you were amongst the humans who came onto our planet some weeks ago?”
Molly felt her insides tighten. Though he had refrained from referencing how they bombed the fuck out of their secret bases, there was no getting around the fact.
Joel had started to respond diplomatically, and by that time, the emperor was on the ground level and in front of the group. Molly spontaneously stepped forward. Joel made an automatic grab to pull her back, and her sudden movement also spooked the guards. “Your Highness, yes we were. And I’m sorry for the intrusion. We had reason to believe that the actions of a few were putting your whole world at risk.”
The emperor waved his hand, telling the guards to stand
down. He approached Molly and took her hands, looking at her carefully. Molly couldn’t tell if his expression was threatening, or if that was merely his resting face. He inspected her visage in return, as if puzzled.
“Forgive me,” he said eventually. “It’s just I’ve seen pictures of the team who visited, but you humans… you all look the same.”
Molly’s tension evaporated into a laugh. “Yes,” she agreed, “I expect we do.”
The emperor let out a sound that seemed quite involuntary. Molly recoiled a little at first, not knowing if it was anger or something else. When he made no other movement and she heard a similar sound coming from his justicar, she deduced it must be Zhyn laughter.
Molly relaxed a little, and tried to remove her hands from his grasp. He didn’t release her, though.
“But you. I recognize you, with the golden hair,” he told her. “You put your life at risk to help us, when we didn’t even know what was happening within our own military.”
She tried to pull away again, but he resisted. Then something in his eyes changed. A sadness overcame him. A sadness and a softness. “Thank you,” he said to her, looking deep into her soul.
Molly remembered Arlene’s words, and tuned into his feelings. She could see how sad he was about how someone in a trusted position in his empire had misrepresented them to the outside world. He was afraid for his people’s future. He wanted to serve them as best he could, and yet felt he was failing them as a leader. But, he was also grateful. Grateful for these strangers who had shown up to put them back on track.
Molly felt the full weight of his gratitude, and the emotional overwhelm of her own reaction. “You’re… you’re welcome,” she responded, her own voice catching in her throat.
Joel stepped forward, bringing the conversation back into the spoken realm. The emperor released Molly’s hands and allowed her to step back to a more comfortable distance. She turned to include the justicar in the conversation.
“My name is Molly Bates, and this is my team. Joel Dunham,” Joel stepped forward and offered his hand. The emperor didn’t take it, but instead looked at it curiously. Justicar Beno’or made a comment to him, presumably explaining the gesture, and the emperor bowed his head a little in response.
The Ascension Myth Box Set Page 115
