New Horizon (The Survivors Book Nine)

by Nathan Hystad

  “I will be, sweetie,” I told her.

  “Good,” she said, smiling an infectious grin at me. I couldn’t help but mirror her joy, and I hugged her close.

  “I needed that,” I told her, and she squealed, shaking out of my grip as the ship touched down.

  “Regnig!” Jules said, running out the ship’s exit toward the wooden entrance to Regnig’s secret library.

  I hated dropping by unannounced, but I didn’t have a way of reaching him otherwise. I’d suggest we find a way to communicate better. I was sure Fontem’s collection would have some sort of tool for that purpose.

  “Can you come for us in one day’s time?” Mary asked the pilot, and he said he would be there.

  Jules was already knocking on the door, and Maggie was barking at the noise.

  “I hope he wasn’t sleeping,” I said with a laugh, and the door flung open to reveal our tiny feathered friend.

  What’s all the fuss about? he asked, his thoughts pressing into our minds. His expression softened when he saw who was standing there, and he hopped in shock as Jules ran to him, wrapping her arms around his small body in a hug.

  “Regnig, how are you?” she asked, sounding so grown up.

  I’m fine. Stop squeezing so hard. Regnig was set to the ground gingerly, and he straightened his vest out in the middle of his chest. Dean and Mary. What a pleasant surprise. Won’t you come in? He paused. Can you make that dog pee before she enters? She went on a five-thousand-year-old map from Gnattes Nine last time, and it’ll never be the same.

  I stayed behind, making Maggie go, and entered the library, shutting the door after us. It smelled familiar, a cozy, happy place to visit. It was as cluttered yet organized as ever, and at least twenty books were flopped open around the main living area, each with a distinct purpose, I was sure.

  “Sorry for dropping by like this. We were in the neighborhood,” I told him, and he motioned for us to have a seat.

  Tea? he asked.

  “Sure, thank you,” Mary said, and Regnig disappeared for five minutes, Jules tagging along near him. I heard her talking to the bird man, and Maggie wandered around the shelving, sniffing everything in sight. She loved any place new, and I expected the dog would be happy to smell each book if given the opportunity.

  Regnig entered carrying a tray, and Jules had the empty cups in her grip.

  It’s convenient timing. Regnig glanced at me with his one large eye.

  “How so?” I asked.

  I found some information on the Kold you requested. I’ve taken every inscription I gathered from the library and compiled it into an electronic version for you. I know you prefer that over a hand-written document, Regnig said through my mind.

  “Do you know where their home planet is?” Mary asked, her voice hopeful.

  I’m afraid they don’t have one.

  “How can they not have one? They must be from somewhere,” I said, confused.

  They’re nomads. A race for hire, by the sounds of things. Regnig took a sip of his tea from his beak, his tiny tongue flicking out.

  “Mercenaries. Dean, they’ve been hired to ruin the Gatekeepers’ Academy. That’s why one of them was there with Lom of Pleva’s men at Garo’s,” Mary explained.

  This is very plausible. They are expensive, from all accounts I’ve seen. Rarely do they emerge, because it isn’t often someone can meet their criteria for a job or have the excessive amount of funding needed to hire them. Regnig glanced over at Jules, who was listening quietly from her seat. She sipped her tea with loud slurps but held the cup like a lady. This wasn’t her first tea party, and she was on her best behavior. What’s this you said about Garo Alnod?

  “Garo’s been attacked. He thinks it was Lom’s people. He’s also not going to be around long, for all intents and purposes,” Mary told Regnig, who nodded at the news.

  So he told you. The public has no idea, but I’ve met with him a handful of times. He’s set in contingencies to ensure the library goes on at his eventual passing. Regnig stopped and tapped a claw to the edge of his seat. Garo’s been a good friend. I hope he passes quietly. I fear I may not be long behind him.

  “Are you sick?” I asked.

  No. But as a people, we don’t often make it this long. I wouldn’t be surprised if I expired any day now.

  I hated to hear this. First I’d watched as Kareem had passed on Haven in the portal room, and now Garo was on his way out. Hearing Regnig talk about his own mortality was too much. “You’ll have a lot of years left. You look…” I searched for the word to describe the tiny birdman. “You look great.”

  Jules watched with interest but didn’t say a word. Her eyes were glowing green as she slurped her tea, and I wondered what she made of all this. Did she understand the subject matter?

  I’m not sure. I’ve lived a good life. A solitary one until recently, but it’s been rewarding. I’m grateful to have done this work and to have met a Recaster near the end. Regnig lifted his beak up, as if he were sniffing something.

  “Stop it. You’re going to make me all emotional, Regnig,” I told him.

  How is Rivo Alnod taking all of this? Also, were you not supposed to be aboard a starship?

  We’d invited Regnig to come along, but he’d declined, saying he couldn’t be away from the library for that long.

  “We have a Shandra portal on board,” Mary explained.

  A portal? On the starship? That’s incredible!

  “We thought so too. They saved it from a world under duress of a supernova and installed it into the middle of Horizon,” I said.

  That’s miraculous. I must come with you to see this. Would that be acceptable?

  “You’re more than welcome to return to the starship with us. Everyone would love to see you,” Mary told him.

  We will see about that. I’m not sure I’m up to the task at the moment. What is your current mission? Regnig set his teacup on a dusty end table.

  I talked him through our trip to the Tri-System Station, and our meeting with Zoober, playing along as Ghost mercenaries, and our adventure out to the old battlefield. He ran off when I mentioned the Maev and passed a book to me.

  They finally did it? They put themselves into the machines?

  I flipped through the pages, seeing images of the Maev people and their home world. They were the color of rust with round midsections, with thick tufts of hair sprouting from their bodies. “They don’t quite appear like what we’d expect from a superior intelligent race, do they?” I asked.

  Are you so quick to judge a book by its cover? What of me? Regnig asked.

  “That’s not what I meant… I thought…” Mary set a hand on my forearm, forcing me to stop my rambling.

  I kept talking about the rest of the mission, leaving out Sergo’s role to save time.

  “And now we’re heading to the Rutelium world in search for answers about what they did to the globe-sized world hiding on the other end of the portal sticks you have with you,” I told Regnig, and he sat up straighter.

  This is a big win. I’ve been visiting Fontem’s collection with less frequency, but I always stop and see the planet, advising them we’re working on a solution. I know it’s silly, that they’re frozen in time and shrunken, but it appeases my conscience. Regnig poured himself another tea, offering the pot to us. Jules accepted more, and she held the cup in two small hands.

  “Regnig,” she said, pursing her lips in thought.

  Yes, small one?

  “We can help them,” she said.

  He nodded his agreement. I think so too, child. I think so too.

  Regnig didn’t know all the details about Jules, but I knew he had his suspicions. Jules, are the portal stones still green like your eyes?

  She beamed. “Yes.”

  Good. Good. Dean and Mary, would you like to retrieve the globe now or wait until we dine and rest?

  “I’d say we can afford to wait a night,” Mary said, and there was our answer. We knew we needed to make a pit st
op on Haven before going to the Horizon, but there was no way the Kold could use Garo’s shield information against us in only two days. They didn’t have access to the portals.

  Then it’s settled. We’ll eat, and you can tell me all about this starship of yours. Regnig hopped off his seat and waddled out of the room. I could still hear his thoughts as he left through a corridor. A portal on a space vessel. What will they think of next?

  Seventeen

  Maggie barked as soon as we walked through the energy barrier leading us to Fontem’s collection.

  “Maggie, it’s okay,” I said, doing nothing to stop the dog from growling and yelping toward the creature in the room with us.

  I’d forgotten about Bool, the monkey-like animal that had made a home on the ship in the middle of space. The portal on the tropical world had led the beast there, and evidently, he came and went as he pleased.

  “This must be Bool?” Mary asked. I crouched by Maggie as Mary coaxed the startled creature toward her.

  Jules stood by her mother’s leg and held tight, eyes wide at the strange animal sharing the space with us.

  Bool. Stop playing the jester and come greet our visitors. Regnig’s thoughts had the desired effect, and the four-legged monkey tentatively crossed the room. Its big eyes took up half its undersized head, and it blinked curiously as it reached out toward Maggie. The cocker spaniel didn’t like it, but she only let out a low growl instead of barking or snapping at the fingers.

  “Bool, this is Maggie. Maggie, Bool.” I introduced them. Once everyone was playing nice, we walked around the collection. It was the first time Jules had stepped foot here, and she didn’t leave her mom’s side.

  “There’s so many things here. Have you documented each one yet?” Mary ran a hand over a small square black box, and Regnig rushed to her.

  You don’t want to touch that. It’s… dangerous. He didn’t expand on it, and Mary snatched her hand away like she’d been bitten.

  “How about a warning first?” Mary said.

  Assume everything inside here is riddled with danger. Then we’ll all stay safe.

  “What about the monkey?” Mary asked. “Doesn’t he put his paws all over everything?”

  “Technically, I think they’re hands,” I said, receiving a glare from my wife for my trouble.

  Bool has been trained to not touch. He learned the hard way.

  Bool nodded and echoed high-pitched noises, like he was laughing.

  “There it is,” I said, pointing at the globe on the shelf. It had a glowing barrier around it.

  “Papa! That’s them,” Jules said, finally breaking away from Mary’s side. She stretched her hand toward it, and Regnig stepped between her and the object.

  If we’re to transport it, we’ll use something a little more protective. Regnig motioned to the side of the room, where a stack of empty crates stood along the wall. Please, Dean, take one of these. They’re lighter than they appear.

  I picked a box up, similar to solid iron and black as midnight. It weighed no more than a few ounces.

  We’ll use a Stabilizer, and the planet will stay at the center of the package the entire time. Regnig searched the shelves, and a few minutes later, he returned with the device of choice. He dropped it into the box, and it began to blink. Place the globe inside, please, Dean.

  I lifted the tiny planet, carefully moving it across the room. It was almost impossible to believe this was a legitimate world. Were they still alive on the surface? So much time had passed. I set it into the box and felt the buoyant nature of the small device Regnig had used. The globe hovered in the exact center of the container and stayed there.

  Regnig shook the box, jostling it from side to side, startling me. The planet stayed in the middle, not moving an inch.

  “Neat trick,” Mary said.

  A thought crossed my mind, and I wanted to check with Regnig before we left Fontem’s collection again. “We have communicators, but very few work between more than five light years, at least not in real time. Is there anything here we can use to communicate with? Preferably over vast spaces.”

  The small man stood still, and I could almost hear his thoughts combing over the cataloged items lining the shelving.

  He had nothing so advanced, but there is something that you might be interested in. His tiny foot kicked a stool across the room, and he scuttled up the steps, reaching for a white object near the top. He brought it over and separated the pieces. There were six in total, each with a different-color frame.

  “What are these?” I asked, flipping the top object in my hand. It was the size of a tablet, and I noticed a button on the bottom. I pressed it, and a stylus clicked out.

  You write on one, the others see it. Or you can send a message privately to a single unit. See? Regnig grabbed the green one, and they all displayed the message. He took the pen and scrawled something across the screen. I watched as the drawing appeared on my tablet. It looked like a cartoon version of Bool.

  “What do you think, Mary? This could do the trick in a pinch,” I said.

  Mary took one and started drawing on it. The stick figure appeared on the screens, and a name appeared below it. Dean Parker. Mary laughed, and Regnig showed her how to erase it with the quick press of a button.

  Jules held one, and she stuck her tongue out as she drew an image. At first, I wasn’t sure what she was drawing, but then it came clear. Four angled lines, finished off with a horizontal oval running overtop.

  What’s the relevance? Regnig asked.

  “Jules, why do you keep drawing this?” Mary asked, crouching beside her.

  “Papa said we can help them, and I want to go and make them better,” Jules said.

  Dean, I think she may be sensing something about this world. I take it this is a Crystal Map symbol?

  “It is, but we haven’t been able to track it yet. And we’re not going to make a trip like that until we know more,” I said.

  “Maybe we can ask the Gatekeepers to go investigate it for us? They could run their scans, drones, and tests, and find out what’s happening,” Mary suggested.

  Bool, bored from the looks of it, left the room, and Maggie finally let herself relax. “That’s a great idea. Is that okay, Jules? We can ask Weemsa and Loo-six to investigate first, and then we can help.” I hated promising something like that, but I was curious to learn what had grabbed such a firm hold of my daughter’s attention. She used to draw things like puppies and unicorns, but now it was always the same thing: this symbol.

  Will these work for you? Regnig asked.

  “They will. We’ll leave one with you at the library so we can stay in touch,” I told him, and he nodded excitedly.

  That would be ideal. I can ask you more questions for the book I’m compiling on your life.

  “You’re still working on that?” I asked.

  Of course. It’s not often we have a Recaster changing the universe with every passing movement. Regnig turned around and stepped through the barrier, sending him straight to the library, far away from our position on this hidden ship.

  “I’m worried about her,” Mary said quietly. She didn’t have to tell me she was talking about Jules.

  “So am I, but we’ll get to the bottom of it. Soon,” I said.

  We headed out, Maggie only too happy to be leaving the room that had Bool’s odor throughout it. Jules held one of the devices and was actively doodling on it. I took the rest, and soon we were all squared away, safe in Regnig’s library with the globe world.

  “Did you ever learn what this place is called?” I asked Regnig, and he shook his head.

  Jules raised her hand, as if she was in the classroom on our starship. “Papa, I know. They’re called Scary-eels.”

  ____________

  “Where did she get this from?” I asked Mary. Jules was tucked away in her bed aboard the Horizon, and she’d been unable to explain how she knew anything about them.

  “She’s a kid. She might have made it up. She has quit
e the imagination, kind of like you. And you’ve been reading to her every night, fanciful stories about space princesses and all that. Jules probably picked up on that and improvised,” Mary said from her side of the bed.

  “I don’t know. Scary-eels. It doesn’t quite feel right. But she’s close, I know it.” I sat up, shoving the blankets away from me.

  “Dean, it’s late. Get some sleep. We’ll investigate tomorrow,” Mary said, and she rolled over, tapping her light off. I shut mine off too and stared at the ceiling until I heard my wife’s breathing slow. When I knew she was asleep, I slid out of bed, my feet landing softly on the carpet.

  I walked by Jules’ room and peeked in the door. She slept soundly, and Maggie lifted her head for a moment. Seeing it was only me, she dropped it with a huff and went back to sleep.

  I threw a robe on from the hanger of my bathroom door and found my slippers. If I was going to move around in the middle of the night, I might as well do it in comfort.

  The door slid open as I tapped the console adjacent to it, and I stepped into the foyer of the officers’ suites, quickly moving through. I’d nearly forgotten the ship ran on a twenty-four-hour clock. I was receiving a few odd remarks as I continued through the corridors with purpose, almost everyone glancing down to see my white-slipper-covered feet.

  I eventually made it to Engineering and buzzed the door. An exhausted man answered, ushering me inside.

  “Dean Parker, as I live and breathe.” He jutted his hand out, shaking mine intensely. “Clare told me you were friends, but I almost didn’t believe her.”

  He finally let go of my hand and I smiled at him. “Hello. What’s your name?”

  “Ensign Howard Desota,” the man said. He was younger than I’d originally pegged him, maybe thirty-five years old. He sported a beard, and gray hairs were speckled around it; a vision of what was to come. “What can I do for you?”

  I felt so out of place in my robe and slippers, and glanced around. “You don’t have a spare uniform or something I can wear, do you?”

  He smiled, pointing to the side of the room. “Sure we do. What size?”