"I really just thought she was going to beat them up and throw them off the ship. I guess I should have known better."
"Yeah, but it wasn't like you had a choice," Nancy said. "What Girscha planned was just as bad, or worse."
"I know that. I just don't know what we're going to do now."
"Find someplace quiet to dump the bodies, I guess."
Rachael laughed shakily. "Looks like Girscha gets to leave with us after all."
"That's not really all that funny."
"No, it isn't, is it?"
Θ
"How are you feeling, Commander?"
Tebrey's return to consciousness was abrupt – he'd been dreaming about the thing in the tunnels under the ruined base. The Other was still alive. It was in pain, and angry. It wanted him. He could feel its hunger. It was only a matter of time before it learned what it could do, and apported away from the base.
"Captain," he said with a nod. He tried to sit up, only then seeing the bulky medical nanotech package on the stump of his right arm. They'd had to remove more of his arm than he had hoped. It couldn't be helped. He'd barely been able to finish cutting and apply the sticky patch before he'd passed out. He was lucky the thing hadn't been able to figure out how to open the airlock, or he'd be dead.
"Do I even want to know what happened down there?" asked Captain Maxwell.
"I doubt it. Are we still in orbit?"
"No, I moved us out of the system to avoid those flares. I didn't want to head back to the Concord till I'd heard your report."
"We need to go back."
"To the Concord?"
"To the base." Tebrey hated himself for saying it. He didn't want to go anywhere near the base, but they needed to end to this.
"Commander, you're in no condition to continue the mission, whatever it was."
"No, Captain. The mission is over. We need to go back and antimatter bomb that rock."
"That is a bit overkill, isn't it, Commander?"
"Captain, I want you to use everything we've got. Take that rock apart and then rake the rubble with neutron cannon. Then maybe I'll be able to sleep at night."
Θ
Geoffrey settled into the chair the admiral indicated, and tried not to feel intimidated.
"I'm still not sure why you want me on Tebrey's team, Admiral. Isn't that up to him?"
"Yes and no," Shadovsky said, smiling. "Drake brought you here. That suggests to me that he did so for a reason."
"All he told me was that it was to be safe."
"Safe from what?" Deegan asked.
"There'd been a war," said Geoffrey. "Nukes, bioweapons, the works. I was only there for the first week, and it was worse than anything I've ever imagined. Drake found me trying to survive in the wilderness and brought me here."
"I take it you knew him before that."
"What? Yeah, we've known each for a few years now. Been through some weird shit together."
"What year was it when you left home?" asked Deegan.
"2017. Why?" Geoffrey couldn't see what that had to do with anything.
"Just curious. The admiral said you've been in contact with Drake. Where is he now?"
"We have another friend who lived in the same place... universe – whatever – as I did. Drake is looking for him. Things have gotten bad there. Nuclear winter. Stuff like that.."
"Is he a child of Drake's?" Shadovsky asked.
"Jason?" Geoffrey almost choked. "No! I mean, I don't think so. No. I'm sure he isn't. Drake would have said something."
"Sorry to keep asking you so many questions about him. It may seem strange to you, but we don't know that much about Drake."
"Not as strange as it may once have. I didn't even know he had kids," Geoffrey replied. "I'm really curious about meeting Tebrey."
"Kids? You know about other children of his?" Shadovsky asked. "Here?"
"No," Geoffrey reassured him quickly. He hadn't intended to say anything about the other children Drake had mentioned. "Drake told me Tebrey was his son. When I was surprised, he told me he had lots of children. He didn't explain."
"Hmm." Shadovsky seemed content to think about that for a few minutes. He got up and paced around the room.
"How are you adapting to everything here?" Deegan asked Geoffrey while they waited. "Must be a bit of a shock."
Geoffrey shrugged. "I traveled with Drake for a couple of years, subjective time. I saw some really strange places then. Some were so beautiful my heart still aches for them; others were so frightening I still have nightmares sometimes. This is… relatively normal. I think I could grow to like it here."
"You're lucky to be in the Concord. I've seen parts of the Federation. Things aren't as nice there," said Deegan.
"I read in the files that Tebrey grew up in the Federation. It didn't seem that bad."
"So I've heard. It's gone downhill since then, I think."
"You haven't met him?"
"No, I'm curious about him as well. I understand his mother was human, or what passes for it here."
"What does that mean?" Geoffrey asked. "Should I be worried?"
Deegan laughed. "People here are sort of... idealized, don't you think? Everyone healthy and fit?"
"They have some rather advanced technology."
"That's my point. They've eliminated genetic diseases and deformities. At least within the Concord, everyone has a chance to reach their full potential. Were you as physically fit back in your own Earth?"
"Not even close," Geoffrey said with a grin. "I played too many computer games and ate too much pizza for that." Geoffrey wasn't narcissistic, but he was pleased with the shape he was in now. His body was sculpted and looked great.
"What is Drake like? As a person?" asked Deegan.
"Good question," Geoffrey replied. "He's changed since I last spent time with him. He's more remote now, a little colder. I didn't get to spend much time with him when he came and rescued me."
"And before?"
"Crazy," Geoffrey said without hesitation. "Absolutely bug-nuts. Also as loyal as anyone I've ever known. He could be incredibly kind and unspeakably cruel. Drake was... mercurial. He never stopped moving, never stopped thinking. I've seen him outthink brilliant generals and outfight men with thousands of years of battle experience."
"So you met others of his kind?" Shadovsky interjected as he came back and sat down.
"Yeah, lots of them. Why?"
Deegan and Shadovsky exchanged an enigmatic glance.
"What?"
"We were kind of hoping that he was one of a kind," Shadovsky said.
"Oh, well, he is that," said Geoffrey. "I met people he was related to, but he seemed like an outsider. He was different, even then."
"How was he different?" Deegan asked.
"He was more powerful. Stronger. More skilled. I think he's a lot older than most of them. He could outfight anyone, and he's a powerful sorcerer."
"Excuse me?"
"Well, that's what they called it," Geoffrey explained. "Drake told me once it wasn't actually magic. Something about technology without instrumentality, or something like that. His people are ancient. They have technology that makes all this look like stone knives and bear skins – no offense."
"None taken," said Shadovsky. "Did he ever mention to you anything about his people being the first people? Or anything similar to that?"
"Sure," Geoffrey said. "He told me about it when we first went to his home. His people were the first to evolve, anywhere. He said there was a terrible war, all but forgotten now, so long ago that most universes didn't even exist yet."
"That would fit," Deegan said. "We suspected that he was a First One. The only thing that worries me is you saying there were lots of his people still around. We – the Aurorans – believed they were all but extinct."
"How many is lots?" Shadovsky asked.
Geoffrey shrugged helplessly. "Sorry. I never heard an exact number, if they even know. I saw hundreds. I got the impression that there we
re at least thousands. Although not that many that are considered pure of blood. Drake was a prince, but I don't think there are many royals left."
"A prince implies a kingdom," Shadovsky said.
"Empire, as I understand it," Geoffrey replied.
"Ruling over what?" asked Deegan.
"Everything. Everywhere."
Θ
"What is it you could have to say to me that I could possibly be interested in hearing?" Rachael demanded as Harris entered the cargo hold.
Nancy had cleaned up the blood as best she could, but there was a lingering rotting meat and shit smell in the hold. Rachael was sure that some of that was her imagination. The bodies of Girscha and his men were safely locked in a freezer container and sitting in a voided airlock, waiting to be ejected when they left the salvage yards.
"My, aren't we testy," Harris replied. "You're not a morning person, are you? Have you tried coffee? Caffeinated beverages are good for that sort of thing, I hear."
"Fuck you," Rachael replied with feeling.
Harris just smirked. "That could be good, too."
"Was there a reason you got me out of bed?" asked Rachael.
"Actually, yes. I've been going through the manifest of the cargo Girscha wanted you to carry. There are some discrepancies."
"I wouldn't have thought otherwise. It's probably just contraband, porn or drugs or something like that."
"I don't think so," said Harris. "Take a look at this." She handed Rachael a display board.
"What am I supposed to be looking at?" Rachael asked as she scrolled through the manifest. "Looks normal to me."
"Look at the declared weight of the cargo," Harris pointed out. "It lists the cargo as three hundred kilograms, but it's closer to four hundred fifty kilograms."
"So? He probably just didn't want to be charged by weight."
"Would you have?"
"Would I have, what?" Rachael asked, exasperated.
"Would you have charged him any more if he'd declared the weight as four hundred fifty kilograms? I mean, he was chartering the whole ship, right? What difference would a hundred fifty kilos make?"
"Hmm, I see what you mean." Rachael shrugged. "Maybe if you hadn't killed him, we'd be able to ask."
Harris glared at Rachael and shook her head. "What's done is done. What I want to know is, what was he hiding in here?" She placed her hand over the stack of containers.
"It's probably something that we're going to be sorry we looked at, you know."
Harris just raised her eyebrows.
"Okay, let's pop them open and see."
Most of the containers were filled with exactly the sort of crap that Rachael had expected: porn and drugs. The container on the bottom of the stack was different.
"What the hell is that?" Rachael asked.
"I'm not sure," said Harris.
The metal container was a meter long and thirty centimeters high and wide. The interior of the case was contoured foam. The foam held a peculiar device with lots of knobs and datajack ports. It was like nothing Rachael had ever seen before.
"Is there a manual or anything?" Rachael asked. "Is it a weapon?"
Harris lifted the foam, but didn't see anything other than the device itself. "I don't know what it is. It's not Federation or Concord tech, though, I can tell you that."
"How can you tell?"
Harris lightly tapped the datajacks on the device. "Why bother with datajacks? Everything in the Federation and the Concord uses wireless technology. This is too primitive."
"Then who?"
"Maybe the Wolf Empire. Or it could be an antique, I suppose."
"It looks brand new to me," Rachael said. She wondered what it was worth. Without knowing what it was, she couldn't even guess.
"Wait a second," said Harris. She began looking through the cases of porn.
"What are you looking for?" Rachael asked.
"This," Harris replied, holding a datacube with a small wolf's head on it. "I saw this earlier and didn't think anything of it, but if this is Empire technology..."
"Then the manual would be marked with a wolf's-head emblem," Rachael finished. "Very clever, if that is anything but porn."
"Only one way to find out. Do you have a reader in your quarters?'
"Why my quarters?" Rachael asked.
"Just in case it is porn." She laughed at Rachael's expression. "The passenger cabin you gave me doesn't have a reader." Harris was already up and almost to the door of the cargo bay. "Coming?" she asked.
Rachael sighed and pushed herself to her feet. It was going to be a long trip to Steinway.
Chapter Thirteen
"Do you have any idea how absurd that sounds?" Admiral Shadovsky asked. "How could anyone think they could rule an empire that large. The man is arrogant, but damn."
Geoffrey blushed. "I'm just repeating what I was told. His people think they rule over all of existence. They kind of do, from what I've seen. They certainly have the power to."
"The Firsters of legend were said to rule over all," Deegan added.
"Drake never thought like that," Geoffrey said. "Just some of his family."
Shadovsky gave him a quelling look. "You think Drake is one of these progenitors, Deegan?"
"I think he is of the same species, yes. Time doesn't always move the same way in all places, Admiral. Not even here."
"I'll grant you he has access to some seriously advanced technology, but... His civilization would be what, a billion years old?" Shadovsky shook his head. "It doesn't really matter right now. Do you know when he'll be back?"
"I'm sorry, sir. I don't know. Drake comes and goes by his own schedule."
"Maybe we should focus on why you wanted me in on this," Deegan interrupted.
Geoffrey was never so grateful to anyone for changing the subject.
"Okay," Shadovsky said. "Down to business. Our operatives have picked up chatter about something called Jotnar. Some new kind of mischief dreamt up by the Wolf Empire. Add this to something called the Engine, not to mention the Empire being a hotbed for Theta activity, and the Empire is starting to get on my nerves. We can't really deal with them the way I'd like, because our forces are too spread out fighting the Federation."
"So what would like me to do?" asked Deegan. "I can't fight a war for you, even if I wanted to – which, honestly, I don't."
"I'm not asking you to. I want you to rendezvous with the Vigilant. Tebrey should be back aboard by now. Hopefully he'll have some good news for us. I want the Vigilant to make haste to Delta Pavonus. We lost contact with the CSS Sycamore. Tell him Lt. Commander Harris and Ghost were aboard. He'll be investigating Jotnar after that. I'd like you along in case they find something they can't deal with."
"I assume it you want me to take Geoffrey there?" Deegan said.
"Try not to get him killed," Shadovsky said with a smile.
Deegan shrugged as if to suggest it wasn't his problem.
Geoffrey didn't know what to say to that.
Θ
The entity bowed his head. He felt different. He couldn't be certain that he had been a man, but it felt true. The madness was passing, and with it his rage. He still didn't understand what it was about the man Tebrey that was so different. Why did he remember that name, when he couldn't even remember his own?
Master?
If I am to join you, he thought, it won't be as your master.
I did not wish to offend.
I'm not sure you could if you tried, he replied. I am different. I know that. I just don't know why.
You will join us?
Yes, but if we are going to try to overthrow their power, I need to get off this planet. I need to return to the Empire and try to learn what I was, how this happened.
We understand, the leader of the Lorvan trio thought. I am Caedmon. I have accepted that I will die in torment before revealing my brothers. I extend this to you. I will never reveal you.
Caedmon, he replied. How is it that you have remained a
secret? How have the Masters not ripped the information from your minds?
We don't know. The Masters have never tried to read our minds.
He tried, and was amazed to find that he could not. Caedmon's mind was shielded.
I can't read your mind.
Master?
I just tried. You are too powerful.
He sensed that a conversation passed quickly between the three, a conversation that he couldn't understand. It wasn't just the language, it was the speed of their thoughts.
We will help you get to the Empire, if you will help us against the Masters.
I don't know what I can do.
The one named Tebrey, who is often in your thoughts – we know that he has slain several of the Masters. If he would help us...
I doubt he'd want to see me again. I almost died last time. He'll probably finish the job if he gets another chance.
Try? Caedmon asked. We will go with you. We must have help. We don't even have weapons that can hurt the Masters.
I will try, but first we need to get out of here without the Masters finding out. I... Damn, I wish I could remember who I was before.
We have called you Dougal, the Dark Stranger, since you arrived.
Dougal? I suppose it will have to do.
They are coming, came an urgent thought-whisper.
Come with us, Caedmon said. We will make good on our promise, and you will on yours.
Θ
Drake accompanied Tom and Mary to the CDC building. Snow was falling by the time they forced the doors open and entered. He placed a small sentinel device by the door and followed the flickering light of their candles. The building felt like a tomb.
He didn't like it, and he suspected that he was going to like what they found even less. The premonition was like a trickle of cold water down his back, setting him on edge. There was nothing there that he was afraid of – there were few things anywhere with that distinction – but there was definitely something waiting for him that he didn't want to know. He suspected it had something to do with the nature of the feral virus. He'd seen something similar, long ago. He wasn't ready to acknowledge the similarities just yet.
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