It was time to go. If they were lucky, they’d be far away before Earth Fleet realized there’d been an escape.
***
With a bit of luck and lots of bluffing, combined with a dose of Julia’s power, the stolen evac ship made its way through interstellar space. Sully called in some favors, and they were able to trade in the conspicuous but valuable medical vessel for something more low profile, an old ‘cutter’ style ship they christened Nirvana. Sully claimed the difference in cash, and he took most of the escaped cons off to start a new life, Rita in tow.
Coraolis liked their new ship, even if it was what Sully called a classic. It had a sleek shape for cutting through a system’s atmosphere as easily as it did the void. It had plenty of bunks in private rooms and an engine room that was a mystery to them. They just had to cross their fingers and hope nothing went wrong before they got to their destination.
At last, they arrived at a wormhole and found a mothership willing to take them through to Ian’s World. Jack hoped their information was correct and the device had been brought there for study, not to be taken apart.
When they left the mothership and made their way to the planet, he realized their problems were much bigger than they’d hoped. Ian’s World was there, and the dragons still nested between the binary stars, but a new addition in the form of an E.F.S. blockade stood between them and their goal.
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
“This is a problem,” Jack said.
Dante agreed. Everyone was gathered in the cramped cockpit. Barbara tried to plot a course that wouldn’t draw any more scrutiny than they were already under.
“If we hang around long, they’re going to get suspicious,” Barbara said. “I’m not sure what to do, honestly. Should we leave? We could come back with a better plan.”
“No,” Dante said. “We need to see this through. Jack, use your illusions to keep them from noticing Nirvana. Barbara, take us to the station.”
“That’s a tall order. What are you going to do?” Jack asked.
“I’m going to ask for help,” Dante said.
Nirvana was a Yeti-built ship, which meant the temperature ran cold, and everything was built a little large. It was also made of a pure material Coraolis couldn’t identify, but he agreed with Dante it might be organic. One thing they knew was the hull posed no barrier to a Mystic entering the Astral Plane. They only needed a comfortable place for their bodies.
Dante went to his cabin and settled into position on his bed. He slid out of his body and away from Nirvana. The twin stars at the center of the system drew him in. He passed between diamond-like objects that represented the blockade in the physical world. The Astral Plane was quiet with no sign of other Mystics at work.
The dragons met him as he passed between Ian’s World and its oversized moon, creating a wall of dragons between him and his goal. Dante drew up short and waited for them to acknowledge him. He had thought he was familiar with dragons, after bonding with one of them for so long. He was wrong. He’d forgotten how immense they were. He’d also downplayed the torrent of emotional input that came with their communication.
We know you. What do you want? the largest of the dragons asked. He radiated age and wisdom, and the other dragons held themselves in submission to the elder. Dante felt the press of his own dragon’s desire to bask in the elder’s presence.
“We need help,” Dante said. “I need you to make the people here see what they’re doing is wrong.”
The dragon’s head swung toward the blockade. Emotions poured off it in waves. Distrust of the human presence was high on that list but also much concern.
He regarded Dante. They are waiting, the dragon said.
“They’ll shoot us if they see us. We need them to stand down. They’re part of a greater problem. Humans need to change for their own good. We intend to help do that,” Dante said. “Please.”
Did you tell them this? the dragon asked.
“Of course not,” Dante said. “If they could be told, I wouldn’t be here. I can’t change their minds. We need to change their hearts, make them understand what they’re doing.”
I know what you refer to. We will not do it.
The dragon turned and flew back toward the nest. When Dante tried to follow, the other dragons closed ranks, blocking his way.
We will not make other humans into puppets. The one that spoke lashed her tail, her voice indignant. We will not force a change in humans. You are young. You must learn for yourselves.
Another bowed his head. You cannot win by making all other sentients have the same feelings as you, or as us.
You wish to remove free will from sentient people. We will not do this, the third added.
“But you did it before,” Dante argued. “If it’s wrong now, why did you do it then?”
This is different. There is no threat here.
The dragons turned their backs on him in one smooth, synchronized motion, then flew away. They caught up with the ancient one then vanished into the shelter of the twin stars. Dante stared long after they disappeared but knew they wouldn’t return. He was sure they wouldn’t take it well if he followed. He had to give up, so he returned to his body.
“You’re on board for this, aren’t you, buddy?” he asked out loud, but his dragon had gone silent.
***
Julia sat facing Jack on his bed. Both were cross-legged, hands on their knees. The difference was that Jack’s head was bowed, his eyes closed. She could see the bags take shape under his eyes as she waited.
She took his hands and sent him energy. His skin felt too warm, and his palms were damp. He roused enough to shake his head.
“This is just the first step. You’ll need your strength,” he said.
“I need you to be safe,” she said. She ruffled his hair. “Stop sometime before you collapse, okay?”
“When we’re clear,” he said. “Barb’s going to cut the power once we’re fully past the blockade. Once she does that, we’ll be just another meteor to these guys. I can hold out until then.”
She didn’t like it, but there was nothing about this mission that felt safe. Jack was risking himself, just like everyone else on Nirvana. His part took a bigger toll than she liked, that was all. She had to trust he knew his own limits.
“I’ll be back to check on you,” she promised. She put a bottle of water on the bed in front of him. They didn’t have the electrolytes drink, but water would work in a pinch. “Drink all of that when you’re done.”
“Yes, mother. Now let me concentrate.” Jack smiled without opening his eyes. It made him look endearingly young, like an exhausted boy who needed to be tucked into bed.
She left him, closing the door behind her. Dante was heading up the corridor, so she stopped and waited. He was without his usual swagger, and there was no sign of his trademark smirk. Someone had taken the air out of his balloon.
“Any luck?” she asked.
“They won’t do it,” he replied. “They said we’d be taking away sentient beings’ free will, and they won’t go along with it.”
“That’s not true. They’ll be able to think for themselves,” she argued. “We’re giving them a conscience, not reprogramming their brains.”
“I know, but the dragons don’t see it that way.” Dante looked tired, his voice low and rough.
“The device will still work, won’t it?” she asked.
She watched him frown. New lines had formed between his eyebrows, and the old ones were deeper. Dante was a different man than the one she’d met on Side Liner. He was also harder to read.
“I think so,” he said at last. “From what I understand, it just needs the nest’s presence. The dragons don’t have to help.”
“Then we just have to hope Jack can keep us hidden long enough,” she said. “He’s getting worn out already.”
Dante nodded. “Let’s get Cor and Barb up to speed, shall we?”
***
Barbara was prepping the ship to become a
space rock. Nirvana would reach the station in four hours, assuming they weren’t detected. They had more than enough air to last that long. While it might get cold, they wouldn’t freeze.
The Mystics met in the galley, but Barbara couldn’t leave the pilot’s seat, so she listened via communicator. Dante repeated what the dragons had said and watched his friends absorb the information. When he was done, they sat and stared at each other.
Jack propped his head up with his hands, elbows on the table. He looked concerned, or maybe he was simply exhausted. Dante didn’t want to push him, so he waited. If Jack didn’t get something, he would ask rather than guess. Dante liked that about him.
“So…you’re saying…we’re on our own?” Jack said.
“Well, yes,” Dante said.
“But we can move forward?” Coraolis asked. “I understand they have reservations, but they live a world away from us. It’s easy to sit in judgment when they aren’t personally involved.”
“I still don’t see the difference between then and now,” Julia said.
“Buyer’s remorse,” Jack muttered.
“What is that?” Dante asked.
“Buyer’s remorse? They made a deal with us, and they don’t like where it went. Except we do. It was effective, right? Look at what we had on Geneva. Can you imagine what Earth could become with that kind of unity?”
“I can,” Dante agreed. “I just wonder.”
“What do you wonder?” Julia was curious.
Dante just shook his head. “It’s not important, I guess. Full speed ahead, right?”
They answered him with smiles and nods; Jack gave him a hell yeah, and Dante knew there was no going back. Jack was right. The dragons didn’t understand humanity or how much good could be done with this single act. Dante still had free will, as did his friends. This wasn’t the moral problem the dragons made it out to be.
He spent the hours of silent travel in his bunk, wrapped in every blanket and stitch of clothing he could find. He tried to meditate, but he couldn’t achieve the right mindset. His mind resembled a whirlpool more than a stream of thought; he couldn’t clear it, and he couldn’t settle on an answer.
Dante kept returning to what the dragons said and trying to refute it for himself. McNuggen was a changed person, but that was because all her baggage had been taken away. She made her own choices. Her decisions were based on facts. Yes, she was influenced by her feelings. All humans were, but she wasn’t on anyone’s puppet strings.
He couldn’t deny she wasn’t making the same decisions she had before. Her feelings and emotions were different. But was that so bad? Was it terrible she was making decisions out of love, not based on cold facts mixed with old prejudices? Or was the terrible thing not being given a choice?
Going beyond that, the Mystics seldom disagreed now. Barbara was the same way; she had the same feelings, the same universal love. Harmony was a lovely thing, but what if they were losing diversity and independent thought at the same time? Would humanity be humanity if the divisions between them disappeared?
Worst of all, he suspected that the dragons were right. Using the machine would wipe out free will. The affected sentients would still be able to think. They would reason, but that reason would be tempered by powerful emotion. As long as those emotions were determined by someone else, no one would be able to claim that they made their own decisions.
He frowned and raked his hands through his hair. There had to be an answer. He just couldn’t see it yet.
***
Everyone but Jack crowded into the cockpit, watching the rapidly growing space station through the viewscreen. Barbara fired up the engine and maneuvered them toward the airlock. Jack gave everything he had to hide Nirvana up to the last minute. There would be nowhere to hide once they docked.
Dante led Coraolis and Julia to the airlock for when the seal was in place. Upon getting the green light, they opened their end of the lock, then Coraolis did something to force the station’s door to open. The doors closed behind them as they headed into the corridors.
No one had noticed their approach, and the alarm hadn’t been raised yet, when they encountered their first opponent. A young man stepped into the corridor in front of them. He recoiled when he saw the Mystics and opened his mouth to yell. Julia darted forward to touch his forehead, murmuring something soothing. The man smiled, curled up on the floor, and began snoring.
They moved on, Coraolis in the lead. Dante trailed a bit behind. When they reached an intersection, Coraolis paused, consulted an invisible compass in his head, then chose a direction. If they ran into someone, Julia dealt with them. Dante watched their backs and stayed alert.
Five minutes after their arrival, a claxon sounded.
“Intruders on station! Repeat, intruders have entered the station!” a voice shouted. He sounded young to Dante, not to mention out of his depth.
They waited, but the young voice didn’t have any further instructions for the masses. It was too bad, it would have told him what to expect. Hopefully they wouldn’t figure out what the Mystics were after until they already had it.
They found the satellite in a hangar on the opposite side of the station from Nirvana. Dante’s first thought was that it was a good size for a house. His second thought was to wonder how they’d managed to fit it in the hangar without damaging it. It was all but wedged in place, with the top of the dish scraping the ceiling. It was a lucky thing they didn’t need to take it anywhere.
Workstations surrounded the device. Cables connected computers to the satellite, but their screens were dark. A few desks were lined to one side, cluttered by paperwork and other evidence of a busy workplace, yet no sign of the workers was evident. They must have been on a sleep cycle, unaware their lives were about to change. They’d wake up the next day to a kinder, more giving universe. They wouldn’t have a choice.
“Finally,” Coraolis said. “Let’s find the on switch.”
They hurried across the hangar, looking over their shoulders as they went. Security hadn’t found them, but it was just a matter of time.
“Wait,” Dante said.
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
“Wait for what?” Julia asked.
Dante had been lagging for a while. Now, he’d stopped to stare at the satellite. When he turned his attention on her, she was struck by how upset he looked.
“What is it?” she asked.
“We can’t do this,” he said. “The dragons were right. This is wrong.”
“No, it isn’t. You and I still have our free will. We make our own decisions. No one took that from us,” she said. “This is the best way to help everyone.”
“I don’t agree.” Dante squared his shoulders. “I can’t go along with this.”
“It’s fine if you want to sit this out, but it’s still happening. We all agreed to it,” she reminded him. “It’s too late to change your mind.”
“No. I can’t let you do it.”
“It isn’t up to you.”
“I’m sorry, Julia.”
He pulled from her grip and placed his hand on her forehead before she could pull away. The floor went out from under her and she fell, but something caught her before she struck to the floor. She was bathed in fire. It didn’t burn, but she couldn’t move.
Coraolis shouted, his voice taken by the flames in her ears. He ran to her, but Dante stepped between them. Cor fell, cocooned by the same blue flame.
“I can’t let this happen,” Dante shouted. His voice rang clearly, not muffled by the flames of his power. “We’re better off turning ourselves in.”
She tried to respond, to ask why he would betray them like this, but her lips couldn’t move. Her lungs were empty. They didn’t ache. She didn’t need the air, yet she was falling into a haze. Dante turned his back and reached for the control pad beside the door.
No! She wouldn’t allow him to decide their future like this. She wouldn’t let him rob the universe of true peace. She couldn’t be separated from he
r dragon; it was like living with only half her soul intact. It would break her to go through that again.
Physically she couldn’t so much as blink, yet she could still sense her dragon’s presence. She called it, asking for strength. If she was captured, they’d be separated again. She would never see her friends. She might never see daylight again after this escape. Most importantly, if they went down now, they might never get a chance to cleanse the universe.
It started with heat wrapping around her heart and sending tendrils to her extremities. A pins and needles sensation overcame her as her dragon’s strength filled her from toes to crown. She burned with a power that far outmatched the heatless flames that held her.
She curled her fingers against her palm, fighting for every centimeter of movement. White hot power collected in her palm. She held on as for as long as she could, then released. Her hand opened, and the force of her will punched a hole in the flames. The barrier disintegrated, dumping her on the floor, and she flung her will at Coraolis’s prison.
His cocoon broke like an egg, spilling him to the deck. She sprang to her feet and threw herself at Dante to get him away from the door.
“Julia,” he said. “Please, listen to me. I don’t want to fight you!”
She shut him out. She didn’t want to hear another word. She closed the distance between them, grabbed his wrist, and pivoted. Dante’s body tumbled over her shoulder and hit the floor. She followed him down to press her hand to his forehead. His eyes rolled back, and he went limp.
She wrapped him in a web of power similar to what he’d done to her. It would hold him in a deep slumber until he awoke and figured out how to break it. She had to hope it would give them enough time.
“I’m sorry too,” she told him. It was a shame he’d turned against them. He’d understand when this was over.
“Are you coming?” Coraolis asked. “I think I found the switch.”
Dragon Invasion Page 20
