Declaration (Forgotten Colony Book 5)

by M. R. Forbes

  “What are you...oh.”

  Lia froze, no doubt staring at the Skin’s HUD. She had never worn combat armor before and was mesmerized by the tech.

  Caleb pulled his mantle back up. So did Washington. Oni didn’t need prompting to figure out how to do it for herself.

  Caleb eyed the symbols on the HUD overlay. It was so much easier to manage the Skin now that he could read the Inahrai menus. He quickly created a subnetwork and told the others how to connect to it.

  “Oni, Wash, scan one another. Lia, you and I will do the same.” He told them how to use the Skin, and they quickly completed the task.

  Just in time too. Caleb heard the motion of an Arshugg nearing the tunnel, headed back toward the barracks.

  “You can’t be seen in the Skins. Take your clothes and head back to my cell. You have to pass yourselves off as Wash and me.”

  “I’m a little small,” Oni said. She was almost the same height as Caleb, but still a head shorter than Washington.

  “Hopefully Harai hasn’t seen Wash enough to tell the difference. You have to sell it.”

  “Sell it?” She didn’t understand the phrase.

  “Convince him. If Harai thinks we’re still in the cell, it’ll buy us a little more time.”

  “Okay,” Oni said, suddenly projecting a smaller version of Washington. “I’ll do my best.”

  “Me too,” Lia said, projecting Caleb.

  Caleb and Washington returned to the projection of the two armored soldiers as the Arshugg entered the tunnel. It slowed to let Oni and Lia on and then scuttled away.

  “This place is weird, Sarge,” Washington said, watching the Relyeh creature go.

  “Wait until you see the Relyeh city. The gravity is messed up.”

  “What does that mean?”

  “Are you familiar with M.C. Escher?”

  “Yeah. I love his stuff. Who doesn’t?”

  “It’s like that, except real.”

  “Damn. Are you kidding?”

  “I wish.”

  “I’m almost excited about going there now.”

  “You won’t be.”

  Caleb tilted his head. He heard another Arshugg coming from the other direction. “If any soldier gets off, try to scan them on the way past.”

  “Roger.”

  “Lia, Oni, can you hear me?” Caleb asked through the Skin’s comm.

  “Sergeant Caleb, is that you?” Oni said.

  “Yes. I wanted to be sure the comms are working.”

  “I hear you, Sergeant,” Lia said.

  “Good. Keep me informed if anything happens with Harai or Colonel Ae.”

  “We will.”

  “What do we do with these extra skins?” Washington asked, pulling them off his shoulder where they had been hidden by his armor projection.

  “Get rid of them somewhere they won’t be found.”

  “You know of a place like that?”

  “Not offhand, but if you see anything that looks promising…”

  “Roger.”

  The Arshugg entered the tunnel and came to a stop. The seven members of Dojo Shing, led by Corporal Novai, stepped out of the carriage. Caleb bowed his head to the corporal. Washington did the same. Novai and the others didn’t pay them any mind, hurrying past toward the armory. Caleb scanned Novai from behind as he left while Washington got one of the other soldiers, a Private named Noli.

  “Novai probably went to my cell looking for me,” Caleb said. “And he probably told Harai I wasn’t there.”

  “Which is going to bring Harai running,” Washington said.

  “Lia, this is Caleb,” Caleb said. “Dojo Shing just arrived at the armory. Harai is probably looking for me.”

  “Yes, Sergeant,” Lia replied, her voice shaky. “What should we do?”

  “Convince him you’re me for as long as you can. If that doesn’t work, kill him.”

  Ishek’s laughter rippled through his head.

  “I can’t,” Lia said.

  “It might be him or you if you can’t convince him you’re me.”

  “Yes, Sergeant. I’ll do it.”

  “Roger.”

  Caleb and Washington entered the carriage, switching their projections once they were inside. The Arshugg started moving, and Caleb noticed Washington was staring at him.

  “What is it?” he asked.

  “It’s just good to have you back, Sarge.”

  “You too, Wash.”

  “You know, when we finished the mission to pick up Valentine and her team, I thought it was going to be the end of my short career. I loved being a Vulture. It gave me the purpose I lost when my wife was killed. I figured I was going to miss the excitement and the danger.”

  “And now?” Caleb asked.

  Washington smiled. The Skin projected Noli’s smile, but Caleb didn’t need to see it to know it was there and what it looked like.

  “I think I was right. Getting stuck with the Unclaimed for the last few days was lousy. But this? I’m having the time of my life. I’m ready to be a hero again, Sarge.”

  Caleb put his fist up, and Washington bumped it with his.

  “Then let’s go be heroes.”

  Chapter 42

  “Ishek, do you know why Arluthu is imprisoned?” Caleb asked.

  They were halfway to the Relyeh city, the warmth and moisture rising as the Arshugg traveled deeper into the Citadel. Caleb hadn’t heard from Lia or Oni, but he hoped that meant their efforts to convince Harai of their identities were successful. Their link through the Intellect Skins was reaching the edge of its range, though it hadn’t been lost altogether. Whatever was happening, the two Inahri women were still alive.

  You know what I know. Look deep to understand.

  “I don’t like looking into your mind. Why don’t you just tell me.”

  Ishek enjoyed his discomfort. Enough that Caleb expected the Advocate to refuse.

  Our Lord Arluthu was unfairly persecuted by his family over his aggressive nature and his appetite for control. The Relyeh advance through the universe on a pre-ordained path given to them in a vision by Nahura the Eldest, first of the Relyeh, who created all others to fulfill this vision.

  “He didn’t want to wait as long as it would take to do that I take it?”

  Relyeh politics are complicated. They only grow more so as the dominion expands. Every Relyeh hungers for power, but most respect Nahura’s vision. He created us all. Arluthu went outside that path, and in doing so directly violated what many Relyeh see as a natural law. As you can probably imagine, the others didn’t take kindly to his actions.

  “But you’re okay with them?”

  Nahura is an ancient husk orbiting the Relyeh homeworld, over a million light years away. The Eldest has been dead for longer than Earth has existed. His vision will take millions of millennia to complete while we race against the constant expansion and evolution of the universe. The Axon are the first real threat we have encountered, but time permits more races to rise from nothing and begin their march toward superiority. It is senseless to delay because of a dead god’s decree. We hunger.

  The sentiment came through Caleb with a fit of fierce anger that raised his heart rate. It was incredible to him that a race that had been expanding throughout the universe for so long could create a member who was so impatient.

  It isn’t impatience. It’s practicality. Logical.

  “What happens when the Hunger runs out of worlds to conquer? Then what?”

  It will take many more millennia for that to happen. So many it is impossible to conceive, even for us.

  “So Arluthu’s family created this prison and brought him here? Why this planet? Why not back to his homeworld?”

  Ishek laughed.

  They didn’t bring him here. Have you still not figured out the Citadel is a starship?

  Caleb hadn’t given it much thought, but the Advocate was right. It hadn’t occurred to him.

  They imprisoned him in his ship. It seemed fitting. B
ut Arluthu convinced his jailers to turn against the edicts of Nahura. They couldn’t free Arluthu, but they helped him to escape. For ens, the Citadel drifted to conserve power, the crew slowly diminishing as they sacrificed themselves to his hunger. And then they arrived here. The world was nothing at the time. It was in its evolutionary infancy. But Arluthu had learned of the Axon and their technology, and he knew this world was close to their domain. All he had to do was wait.

  It seemed ironic to Caleb that Arluthu had been imprisoned for his impatience and wound up having to twiddle his thumbs for a few thousand years.

  The coming of the Inahri was a surprise. It didn’t take long for the inferior race to understand the Might of Arluthu when he freed them from their Axon masters.

  “And made himself their master.”

  As it should be. He feeds on the elderly, the unhealthy, and the infirm. The Kuu is nearly harmless to most of them, but it provides necessary energy to keep Lord Arluthu alive.

  “And imprisoned.”

  Yes. I know what you plan, Caleb. It will not happen the way you think. These Inahri belong to Arluthu. They worship him as they should. They believe in his divinity. Even if you free Riley Valentine, even if you escape, you can’t stand up to the Might of Arluthu. My hope is Harai will capture you and free me before he kills you.

  “We have a deal you can’t break. You wanted to bond with me. Remember?”

  I wanted to own you. I did not expect you would go to such extremes.

  “Because you thought you knew me better than you do. Even with all of my memories, you didn’t figure it out. You got what you deserved.”

  Ishek stopped speaking. Caleb felt the Advocate retreat from him. He couldn’t help but smile.

  “Enjoying the conversation?” Washington asked.

  “Not really,” Caleb replied. “Ishek is a bit of an asshole.”

  Washington laughed. “I had a cousin like that.”

  Caleb checked the Skin’s HUD. The link to Lia and Oni was dead. They had gone out of range. He could only hope the two Inahri women were still alive.

  Maybe Ishek was right. Maybe it was a fool’s errand to try to prove Arluthu’s duplicity to the Inahri soldiers. He had less than two hours.

  “Oh man,” Washington said, getting his attention.

  Caleb glanced up. They had cleared the last tunnel and entered the massive cavern housing the Relyeh city. Only it wasn’t a cavern, was it? Not exactly. The Citadel was a starship, as incredible as that seemed. A starship with a city in the center. A starship that had come to this planet to escape.

  “Small universe,” Caleb said.

  “What’s that, Sarge?” Washington asked.

  The Citadel mirrored the Deliverance in one way. The Seeker in another. Relyeh, Earther, Axon, Inahri, Intellect. Five distinct groups had converged on a random planet in the middle of the universe, all with similar histories and goals.

  He wasn’t sure what that meant, or if it meant anything at all. Even so, it sent a shiver down his spine, especially when he related it to what Ishek had said about Nahura.

  What if it wasn’t a coincidence?

  If humans were playthings to the Axon or the Relyeh, what if the Axon and the Relyeh were playthings to something older and more intelligent than either of those races could even conceive?

  “You okay, Sarge?” Washington asked.

  Caleb nodded, dropping the whole line of thought. This entire thing was making him paranoid. “Yeah. Good as I can be. Knuckle-up. We’re almost there.”

  Chapter 43

  The Arshugg slowed to a stop inside the Relyeh city. It remained that way. Motionless. The door to the carriage closed.

  A minute passed.

  Another.

  The Relyeh creature whined softly, a sound similar to Ishek’s complaining but at a deeper pitch relative to the slug’s size.

  It doesn’t want to stay here.

  Caleb didn’t care what the Arshugg wanted. It had to stay. Two Intellect Skinned Earthers emerging into a city full of Relyeh would alert Arluthu to their escape at lightspeed. That the creature was uncomfortable in the city only confirmed he had reason to be cautious.

  Caleb and Washington stayed crouched out of sight against the side of the carriage, mantles up and weapon systems ready. Caleb could already hear close movement outside, the city’s denizens coming to check on the situation.

  Ishek told him the Arshuggs almost never stopped in the city. There was little reason for them to do so. The Relyeh had no interest in the Inahri, and Arluthu was close at hand from their location—close enough they could go to him on foot. There was a slight concern the other Relyeh would report the strange occurrence to Arluthu, and there was always the possibility that Arluthu would choose to enter their minds. But it seemed more likely the Relyeh ancient would check on Ishek before he would check on a random inhabitant.

  The motionless creature was a curiosity, especially when they looked in and believed the carriage was empty.

  Something activated the door, causing it to slide open. Caleb and Washington projected the environment around them, essentially becoming invisible. The Relyeh stared into the empty space, apparently trying to discern why the Arshugg had stopped. It probably smelled them there, but it seemed puzzled by the scent, unable to discern what an Earther or an Intellect smelled like.

  The Relyeh stepped inside.

  A Docari. One of the first races conquered by the Relyeh.

  Dressed in a black robe, it was generally humanoid—bent and crooked with thick, dark flesh coated in a layer of moisture. It had a small mouth and large black eyes, and its skin stretched tight across its flat face, reminding Caleb of Van Gogh’s Scream.

  The Docari are scientists and thinkers. When the Hunger came to their planet, they never even put up a fight. Pathetic. Their minds are useful, but only barely.

  Both Caleb and Washington watched it carefully, waiting for it to look away. The scanning beam only took a second, and it was the most dangerous part of the plan. If any of the Relyeh noticed it, they would be in trouble.

  They waited—silent and motionless—until the Docari backed out of the carriage, turning to move outside.

  Caleb and Washington triggered their scans nearly simultaneously. The flash of blue light spread outside the carriage, capturing the Relyeh’s attention again. It swung around to search for the source, only to once again find an empty cabin.

  Caleb’s heart pounded while he waited for the Docari to either move back into the carriage or decide to leave. It felt like it stood there forever, its static posture testing Caleb’s patience. They didn’t have time to waste on this. Finally, it moved.

  Toward them.

  Caleb felt Washington tap on his leg. He tensed his calf muscle to reply. The Docari moved deeper into the carriage, head swiveling to examine the interior. It didn’t look directly at them, so it probably hadn’t guessed where the light had originated.

  Washington dropped his projection as he lunged torward the Docari. Its mouth opened wide, but it didn’t have time to make a sound before Wash’s hand was around its throat, a blast of energy from the Intellect Skin burning through it. Washington drove the Relyeh to the floor, putting his hand on its back to lower it more quietly. He hunched over it, projecting it as he let go of its neck and turned his head toward Caleb.

  Caleb projected it too. There was a risk in both of them wearing the same skin, but that was one risk they had to take.

  “Let’s go.”

  They rose at the same time, one Docari standing a head taller than the other. At least the height difference made them less identical. Caleb took point, stepping out into the station ahead of Washington.

  He paused there.

  The station was high above the outer surface of the cavern, on top of a broad platform that crossed the middle. Bridges crossed one another at various angles, leading into different city structures, the Relyeh on them still defying gravity. Riding across it was one thing. Standing in the middle
of it was another.

  “Escher is an understatement,” Washington said.

  Two Relyeh stood nearby. One was another Docari, the other a small, imp-like creature that hurried out of sight.

  It took Caleb a few seconds to get his bearings. Behind them, the Arshugg whined and started moving, quickly leaving them stranded. Caleb watched it for a moment, and then started toward the edge of the platform. He knew through Ishek that the gravity systems were embedded in the stone through electromagnetic fields that created thousands of pockets of variable strengths. He knew he shouldn’t fall as he passed over the side, instead rotating to stay with the crossing.

  Knowing it didn’t make it less difficult. He paused for a breath at the edge before stepping out into nothing.

  The field pulled his foot to the side of the platform, throwing him off-balance. He struggled not to appear surprised, quickly bringing his other foot to match the first. He swiveled to the side and then looked back at Washington before turning left and walking across the bridge.

  Washington didn’t hesitate behind him, making the transition more smoothly and joining Caleb, staying behind him as they walked.

  They made it across to an adjacent platform, creating a ninety-degree turn to get to the side of the second bridge. Stepping around to the bottom, they made it down the new up. Only Caleb remembered the Citadel’s gravity was already inverted, meaning the port side of the starship was above his head. Maybe. He tried not to think about it. He knew where he wanted to go. It would have to be enough.

  They passed a few other Relyeh on the way, including a pair of larger squid-faces like General Ogg. They made Caleb and Washington shift dangerously to the side of the platform so they could get through. Afraid of the strange gravity at first, Caleb adjusted quickly to the alternating directions and orientations, and from there he and Wash moved through the Relyeh city with ease.

  It took ten minutes for them to reach the structure where Valentine had been delivered. They discovered the buildings were oriented relative to the paths that split through them. So when entering a structure, up was always up and down was always down, even if the reality from outside the Citadel had them actually dangling upside-down in the starship.