“I don’t lead it. I manage the board.” Mary was humble as usual.
“Medo has a point, honey,” I said. “Maybe you were intended to build this Alliance.”
“And you, the Recaster, were designed to save our people,” Mary joked.
Ashtom spun his head back to face us, his big sideways eyes going wider. “Recaster?”
His attentiveness was unsettling. “It’s nothing.”
“Nothing?” Hugo asked. “Dad, you’ve changed the universe. Because of you, Earth was saved, and the portals are working, and…”
“I can’t take the credit for everything,” I said. “Besides, it’s only a word Regnig uses. It’s not important.”
Ashtom flashed a grin, and my vision blurred.
Two images appeared sequentially.
The first had Ashtom choking me in my sleep, blood dripping from his lips.
The second had me standing over Ashtom, pulse pistol in my grip and hundreds of soldiers gathered around us, trilling their voice boxes.
“Dean?” Mary nudged my shoulder, and I shuddered from the blinding pain.
“I’m fine,” I lied. My skull felt like it was in a vise.
It was obvious Mary knew I wasn’t okay, but she kept quiet as we entered a garage underneath the tower.
“Please join us on the rooftop. You can see Rylan in all her glory,” Medo said.
Hugo went ahead, exiting the vehicle, and Mary held me back. “Dean, did it happen again?”
The green driver was still up front, but I spoke freely. “I think we should leave.”
“Leave? We just landed. I have two days penciled in for this visit. And the technology they’re giving us could be revolutionary.”
“Mary, I saw…”
The driver shifted, his head turning enough for me to stop talking.
“Later,” I finished.
Representative Ashtom seemed normal, chatting with Hugo near an elevator, Medo at his side.
It was time to learn if Ovalax’s visions always came true or not.
____________
Jules had been to Udoon’s surface before, but not for years. The locals were a different bunch, walking on four legs, their bellies dragging on the ground. Mist sprang from tubes mounted to their faces, assisting their breathing.
Their guide was particularly quiet, and Jules was glad for it. They entered the main hangar for the ferry terminal to Udoon Station, and Jules gawked at the sight.
Inside were hundreds of ships. She’d never seen so many odd models in her life. “All of these people are on the Station?”
“Seems so,” Magnus said. “What a bunch of junkers.”
He was right. Most of the vessels were unlikely to pass a single safety inspection, but here they were. Visiting Udoon for the chance at gambling and trade. Heads poked out from a few of the powered-off spacecraft, eying Jules and Magnus with suspicion.
Someone shouted a garbled warning at them from a ramp, and sealed their exit up a second later.
“I don’t think they’re happy to see us,” Magnus told Jules. He was imposing in his Alliance captain’s uniform, and Jules looked like his aide, her brown curly hair and green eyes making her seem barely more than a kid herself. Little did they know, she’d recently saved their friends on the station from an imminent death.
“Which one is Peters’?” Jules checked the tablet, finding it listed at stall number thirty-three. They browsed the hangar and found his transport where it was supposed to be. It was an old Molariun hauling unit, with patches and obvious modifications to the hull. The thrusters were after-market add-ons, which were unpredictable at times.
Magnus stepped up to the hatch. “Let’s see if he was screwing with us.” He tried the code, but it didn’t work. An error message sounded. “I’ll kill him.” He attempted entrance again with the same results.
Jules raised an eyebrow. “Mind if I give it a try?”
He started to pass her the tablet, but she shook her head. Instead of using the keypad, she punched a hole into the hull, and tore the door clean off without so much as a hair falling out of place. She tossed it to the ground, making Magnus laugh.
“I guess that works too.” He went in, gun raised, but they found it empty.
It smelled stuffy, and there were various swaths of cloth on the floor. “Not much for keeping things tidy,” Jules said distastefully. “They were making their own Alliance uniforms. Decent work.” She held up a uniform jacket, appreciating the detail. She tossed it back, and continued down the corridor.
Magnus almost hit his head on an archway, and Jules reminded him that this was built for Rivo’s people. He was a giant compared to the smaller, blue-skinned race.
More garbage was strewn around, and Jules noticed how messy the crew quarters were. There were beds for twenty on board, all in various stages of disarray.
“How do you find this many slobs in one place?” Jules said.
Magnus stopped and regarded the quarters thoughtfully. “Something’s wrong.”
Jules removed her barrier, letting the Deity powers encompass her.
“Relax, Jules. Not like that.” Magnus went into the room and opened a drawer. It was empty. The contents were scattered on the floor. “They aren’t pigs. Their ship’s been ransacked.”
Now it made sense. The bed sheets everywhere, the personal effects sitting in chaotic piles. “What were they after?”
“Could be several reasons,” Magnus said. “Spacecraft are probably broken into quite often in this hangar. Did you see the clientele?”
“What’s the other?” Jules led Magnus to the bridge, where more damage and signs of probing were present.
“The woman that recruited Peters hired another to break into his ship. To cover her tracks.” Magnus was at the primary computer system, and nothing happened when he attempted to turn the screen on. He crouched, searching under the desk. “Wires are cut.”
“We need the information. Someone set up this whole thing to secure Outpost. They won’t stop just because Peters failed,” Jules said.
“Do you think she knows about Jaessa?”
Jules nodded. “It was the only way for them to assume an Alliance warship would be here.” She was trying her best to piece together the clues.
“And the gemstones?”
“I believe Drav and Leshi. They were enticed by this mystery woman’s lies. They’re innocent.” Jules thought about the section of a portal stone. Maybe there was more to it than even Peters was aware of.
Magnus’ brow furrowed. “I guess we’ll have to put in a requisition with a local tech crew to fix this console. Hopefully, we’ll find information stored on the system.”
Jules smiled at him. “That won’t be necessary.” She kneeled at the desk and reached for the torn wires. There were five in total, swathed by insulated coverings. She controlled them, causing them to wrap over one another, the casing melting together at her touch. “Try it again.”
She heard the whine of the computer running.
“That was unexpected,” Magnus said. “You’re learning more tricks.”
Jules stood and pressed her hands together. “It’s strange. Now that I have them back, they seem stronger. But also, I understand them more. Especially when I’m faced with a challenge, like those wires. If you asked me ten minutes ago if I could do that, I’d have told you no.”
“Interesting. You’ll have to test them.” Magnus accessed Peters’ files, and they pulled up two seats.
Jules thought about Magnus’ suggestion that she try to do more with her powers, but she was scared what that might mean. She was already capable of things beyond the scope of humanity. Floating in space and surviving megatons of explosives would be enough for most people.
“Anything?” Jules asked impatiently. She wanted to be off this planet and return to Outpost as soon as possible. Jaessa was waiting for an escort home, and once their warship’s wormhole generator had the proper destination programmed into it, they could make the jump.
/> “Not yet.” Magnus perused the files quickly, and Jules remembered that he’d done this kind of clandestine work for the renegade group in Magnus’ real timeline. He was proficient in espionage, making him more of an asset on this kind of mission. “There it is.” He poked the screen with a finger.
“What is it?” Jules couldn’t tell. It was a regular shipping manifest.
“Bingo. Every few words are highlighted.”
Jules grinned as she understood what he meant. “Return the ship to me at…” There were spatial coordinates embedded into a part number, and Magnus jotted it down.
“Peters said he was unable to communicate with her. She expected him to succeed, so she might be awaiting her delivery,” Magnus said.
“Are you thinking what I am?” Jules asked.
“We fulfill Peters’ end of the bargain. Bring Outpost to his contact?” Magnus stuck a data transfer stick into the console, and downloaded the entire contents of the network. The light on it blinked rapidly, telling them it was processing.
“That’s the plan. Where is this?” Jules used her tablet, and searched the location. She angled the screen to Magnus.
Magnus took the tablet and stared at it. “That doesn’t make any sense.”
“No. It doesn’t. We have to warn Papa,” she said. Jules had seen the planet’s 3D rendered image dozens of times since Ovalax had told Papa about Ebos.
Something didn’t add up. The woman trying to steal Outpost was waiting for the warship on the same planet her parents were currently flying to.
Ten
After my initial gut reaction and visions of Representative Ashtom, I felt fine. My headache was gone, and so was my lingering doubt that I could trust them. From what I could tell, the Takmas were honorable people, with good intentions. I really needed to prove the visions wrong so I could move on with my life. After the premonition of Mary’s death, I wanted so badly to not believe everything I was shown.
“Ovalax is messing with you, Dean. He’s in your head, and he’s manipulating you. I imagine a being that ancient won’t give up trying to survive. He’s evil.” Mary cradled my hands, facing me in our quarters. I was worried about her dying.
The solution was to keep her away from any Alliance warships. It sounded simple.
She squinted. “Why are you watching me like that?”
“Nothing. I love you.” I kissed her, and heard Hugo groan when he entered the room.
“Can’t you guys cut out that mushy stuff? I thought you’d eventually stop it,” he told us.
“Hugo, I will never stop bothering your mother.”
“And I’m okay with that,” Mary whispered.
“Gross.”
“You chose to come with us,” I reminded Hugo. “It’s part of the punishment.”
“If I’d have known, I wouldn’t have snuck on.” He grinned, and I doubted that very much. It was obvious Hugo was enjoying himself. The quarters the Takmas gave us were large, reserved for visiting dignitaries.
“And don’t get used to this kind of accommodations when you’re a Gatekeeper,” Mary told her son. “It’s typically tents, and living off the land.”
“I don’t mind that,” Hugo said.
“You would if there were transparent floating monsters drawn to any light sources.” I cringed, recalling our earlier missions. Slate woke that night, screaming like a baby when one came into our tent. Turned out they were harmless, but I didn’t tell Hugo that.
“Hugo, let me fix your collar.” Mary adjusted it while he made a face in irritation.
He tugged at the tight button. “What are we doing anyway?”
“The Representatives are hosting a dinner, and handing over the tools we agreed to trade for,” I said.
The doors opened without anyone knocking first, and a green being similar to the driver entered. He motioned to the hallway.
“Thank you,” I told him. “My name’s Dean. If I know what language you speak, I can use the translator.”
He pointed to his mouth and shook his head.
“He doesn’t speak,” Hugo said.
“Is that so?” I asked, and he nodded.
“We don’t want to be late.” Mary took charge, and after five minutes of touring the residential wing of the building and utilizing a slow elevator, we were on the top floor. Strange music wafted from the room beyond, and the moment the doors opened, I was awestruck with the view. You could see most of Rylan’s capital from here. Several large spaceships descended in the distance, landing a few kilometers away.
“What are those?” I asked Mary, but she was already off, talking with Representative Medo. Her eyes reflected light from glowing statues within the room.
“They’re cool,” Hugo said, running a hand above one of them. They depicted creatures I’d never seen. They reminded me of dinosaurs, with lengthy tails and wide torsos.
“What do you think of our forebears?” Representative Ashtom asked.
I almost choked in shock. “You descended from them?”
“That’s correct. Seven hundred million years later, and here we are. There are days I wish I had their strength.” He patted a thick thigh on a nearby statue. “They were soldiers in their own right.”
“It’s impressive that you honor them,” I said.
“We have to know where we came from, to see our futures,” he whispered. The words felt oddly prophetic, and I thought again about the two images of Ashtom.
“It’s impossible to tell the future.”
“Very true. Hugo, do you seek to follow in your father’s footsteps?”
Hugo looked thrilled to be included in the conversation. I glanced around the room, finding about forty of the Takmas people. Many held fancy glassware with dark purple liquid inside, talking amongst themselves in compact groups, reminding me of a normal party.
“I want to be just like my dad,” Hugo told him.
“He’s a good role model to have.” Ashtom was at ease for our second encounter. I wondered what it was about the word Recaster that had altered his demeanor.
A giant table centered the space, with tasteful decorations scattered around the dinnerware.
“I’ve been so rude. Would you care for a drink?” Ashtom asked.
“Sure.”
“Me too,” Hugo said.
Ashtom raised a hand, and another green being appeared from behind a door. It held a tray with four glasses on it. I accepted one from the server with a gracious smile, and sniffed it. “Anything in here a child shouldn’t have?”
“Why would there be?” He sipped his own drink, and I shrugged, passing one to Hugo. He looked excited to be joining the adults.
“Why are you lingering?” Ashtom asked the server.
His broccoli-like ears flinched, and the man limped away, chin down.
“Who are they?” I asked, trying to sound nonchalant.
“Them? Nobody. We give them purpose. Without us, they would be dead.” Ashtom’s expression told me that was the end of this topic of discussion. “Come; let me introduce you to the others of our circle.”
The next two hours were interesting. We ate, and drank the steeped purple beverage, and I enjoyed most of the evening. But the servers were bothering me. They didn’t speak. Their eyes were downcast, their postures slouched.
Finally, I found Mary alone, and asked her about it.
“I noticed that. I checked with Medo as well, and she said they were in the circle. Apparently, the Takmas saved them on their planet years ago, and have been caring for them ever since. The story wasn’t clear. Nearly twelve generations of the Storel have been born on Rylan,” she said.
“It’s unsettling,” I said softly.
“Dean, it’s not our place. We’re here as guests, and you have to focus. We’re receiving what we came for; then it’s time for Ebos. Understood?” She stared me in the eyes until I agreed.
The gathered party attendees turned their attention to the front of the room, where Representative Ashtom motioned
for Mary and me. I spotted Hugo talking with a younger Takmas soldier near our table.
“If it pleases everyone, it is now time to fulfill our end of the bargain. The Alliance has been a great addition to our circle, with Mary Parker at the helm.” Mary approached him, smiling at the crowd of people. “The payment for our exchange will fund our defenses and our next phase of technology, which will allow expansion beyond our galaxy.”
I listened carefully, wondering what he meant by that.
“Mrs. Parker, here is the Traveler.” He passed my wife a round tablet, and demonstrated how to turn it on. “This is linked to one of the five hundred units we’ve loaded onto your ship. The surveyed planet is seven hundred light years away. We can send the Travelers extreme distances using our proprietary propulsion boosts. The amount of fuel is minimal, as they weigh seven ounces.”
The image from the tablet shot out from a projector mounted on the ceiling. The lights dimmed, and we watched as the Traveler scoured a green landscape. There was life. Water. Below, I noticed lengthy thin creatures galloping through a field.
“Remarkable,” I whispered, then found my voice. “Is this in the Crystal Map?”
Ashtom shook his head. “Your Crystal Map is shortsighted, Mr. Parker. For every single planet you have a portal to, there are a hundred without the Shandra link. You will be able to discover far more than your current scope. The Gatekeepers need this technology.”
“Then it’s a good thing we paid a thousand Inlorian bars,” I replied with a hint of sarcasm.
“The network is connected to our systems on Rylan. If there is a breach of our trust, I’m afraid we’ll have to disconnect your Travelers.” Medo spoke up. I’d offended her.
“He didn’t mean anything by it. Thank you for the gracious gift, and for hosting us. It’s been a wonderful experience,” Mary said, ever the diplomat.
“We’ve also enjoyed the company.” Ashtom motioned to a Storel server, and out came ten of them, each equipped with another beverage. The glasses resembled test tubes filled with a pale bubbly substance. “To our partnership.”
We all had one, but I noticed they didn’t offer it to Hugo. I raised it, locked eyes with Mary, and swallowed.
The Colony (The Survivors Book Seventeen) Page 10
