“Wait. Let’s read the message before it vanishes.” I accessed the comm, seeing it was from Shimmal. “It’s from Sarlun.”
“Go ahead,” Mary said.
“Dean and Mary, something important has transpired on New Spero, and we request your immediate return. Please travel to the nearest portal world and make the trip. I fear my communications are being monitored, so don’t respond. Get to New Spero. Your house. Three days – Sarlun.” I stared at it, rereading the note.
“That’s odd.”
“For a guy who’s been dodging me for the last six months, this is more than strange. What could possibly be occurring on New Spero that requires our attention so badly? Magnus is on Outpost. They could jump there, and he and Jules could take care of it,” I said.
“Why is Sarlun being so secretive, Dad?” Hugo asked.
“He was part of this Sect of Memories, and when he learned what happened, I think he was scared to confront me on it.” It didn’t add up to me. We’d been friends for more than twenty years. He was like an older brother or uncle to me. Without his guidance and allegiance, I doubted we would ever have started the Alliance, or had any exploration ships, least of all not Light, which Slate was currently captaining. I wasn’t sure where Slate had even gone.
“Why would Sarlun be afraid to speak with you? I though you two were close,” Hugo said.
“That’s a good question. One I hope to find the answer to.” I looked at Mary. “We can’t really delay this trip. We have to fly to Ebos. It’s imperative.”
“More than before?” Mary asked.
“Dad, what if you’re wrong and Sarlun is in danger? Or New Spero’s been attacked? Most of our friends live there. And the Institute is vulnerable.” Hugo kept working while he talked.
For curiosity’s sake, I took a seat again and checked the Crystal Map. “There’s a portal two days from here. It’s actually on the path to Ebos. Kind of.”
Mary punched in the destination, and I saw our route change. “I wish we had a portal stone like Light.”
“So do I,” I said. “What do you think?”
“It’s your mission. I’m here to accompany you. You make the call, Dean.” Mary’s expression was all business.
“You trust it’s me?” I smirked.
“Yes. If we go to New Spero and there’s nothing wrong, I’ll put a warrant out for Sarlun’s arrest,” Mary told me.
“That’s taking it a little far, isn’t it? He’s the head of the Gatekeepers, and Shimmal’s leader. Not to mention the father of one of our best friends.” I’d brought up the tension to Suma a few times, but she’d been so preoccupied with her new love interest, she’d never followed up as promised. That settled it. We were going to heed his advice. Sarlun wouldn’t do us wrong. “Change course. We go to… Uphus.”
“Uphus it is,” Mary replied. “But I want you to know that I object.”
“If you have a better idea, take the helm,” I told her. It was obvious she was upset about Sarlun, and so was I, but I couldn’t resist the chance to meet Sarlun face to face.
“No. You’re probably right.” Mary didn’t say any more.
“Any word, Hugo?” I checked on his progress.
“Nothing else. I think this might take a while.”
“You have two days. We can check on the others at New Spero as well.” I wanted to travel straight to the Institute, and find out where Slate was, and connect with Jules to see what they were up to.
“You won’t drop me at home, will you?” Hugo asked, crestfallen.
“I don’t know yet. That’ll be up to your mother.” It was her turn to make the big decisions. Judging from the daggers she was staring at me, she didn’t appreciate the comment.
Fourteen
Sarlun. He’d gone to Traro Belli eleven months ago and visited Ranul. That was a full five months before Papa had been on Traro for the first time. He’d obviously never mentioned it to her dad, or she would have heard about it.
She couldn’t imagine Sarlun helping the woman out, but the mere fact that he’d met with a prisoner named Nicosie from Bazarn Five was too much of a coincidence. He’d arrived the day after Ranul had escaped, meaning he knew what she was doing. He’d probably helped her plan it.
Jules stared out the window, trying to piece the mystery together the best she could. “Ave.”
“Yes?” Ave was working on securing footage of the Shimmal ship departing from the surface.
“Why did you let Sarlun land in the first place?”
“He’s listed as one of our main associates with the Alliance, and Shimmal has hired us to house sixteen prisoners, some on very lucrative contracts. I couldn’t turn him away. He holds an access code few visitors would.” Ave clucked her tongue and tossed a round screen to Jules. She caught it and made room so Jaessa could see it.
“That’s Sarlun,” Jules said. He walked from a building, moving with casual grace and a hint of disinterest. He climbed onto the ship, waited a moment, and sealed the entrance. “There.” She rewound it, and played it in slow motion. “He’s waiting for Ranul to board the vessel before closing the door.”
“You’re probably right,” Ave said. “But this is not proof of betrayal.”
“Ranul used an ancient rune, snuck out when you killed the shield, and walked twelve kilometers overnight to the next sector, where Sarlun was waiting for her. Let’s go.” Jules rose from her seat.
“Where?” Ave asked.
“To chat with Nicosie,” Jules responded.
“Why don’t you let us handle—”
Jules stared her down. “Ave, we’re in this together. If you want us to recover Ranul and return Traro’s credibility, you’ll help us. You wouldn’t want word spreading that it was you that freed her.”
“It was not…”
“You didn’t shut the shields off? Let her walk right past you into freedom?”
“Fine. But I’m driving.”
Jules motioned for Jaessa to join them, and they were off, rolling across the distance between the two sectors while the hot evening sun scorched the vehicle’s open roof.
The wheeled transport made quick work of the twelve kilometers, and Jules glanced to the back seat to see Jaessa dozing softly. The girl was so tired, and Jules didn’t blame her one bit. She’d seen a lot in a short amount of time.
When they parked near another two-story black building, Jules put a finger to her lips. “Let her rest.”
Ave closed the door quietly, and they entered the building Sarlun had been inside yesterday. Jules wished he was there at this moment, so she could question him. If Sarlun was the one to free Ranul, he must have had a good reason. Maybe there was more to the story.
After a few minutes, they were outside Nicosie’s cell. He was a small Molariun man, with dark blue skin and a permanent sneer. “What?”
Jules stated the fact: “You had a visitor a couple of days ago.”
“What can I say? I’m a popular guy,” he said.
“No. You’re not. File says you killed three coworkers because, and I quote, ‘They didn’t invite me for drinks.’” Ave scrolled through information on her tablet. “You served for that, then managed to destroy an entire city block on Bazarn.”
“Not just any block. The wealthiest block in all of Bazarn.” He stood proudly, chest puffed out.
“And you offer no remorse?” Jules asked.
“Those rich blokes can handle the losses. I was trying to make a point.” He walked to the barrier between them.
“Which was?”
“Don’t mess with me.”
It seemed to Jules that this man had some anger issues, but she wasn’t here to counsel him. “Tell me what you discussed.” The footage showed Sarlun present for five minutes, but their interaction hadn’t looked very excitable.
“Who?”
“You and Sarlun.”
“Who the hell is Sarlun?” Nicosie asked.
Jules was ready to strangle this man. “The visitor you
spoke with recently.”
“Oh, that guy. Not much. I thought he had the wrong cell.”
“Why would you say that?” Jules glanced at Ave, who was observing their conversation from a distance.
“Because he came here, asked me how I was doing. Had no idea that I was the Bazarn Blaster. What do you think of the moniker? Could have been better, but you know the media. Some hotshot reporter uses it, and everyone picks it up. I would have preferred… the Molariun Monster… no, the Powerful Pulverizer.”
Jules fought the urge to yell at him, but he probably would have enjoyed that. “So what did you discuss?”
“He just stood there, watching me. Said a couple irrelevant things, and walked outta here.”
Jules did just that.
“Hey, where you going?” he called after her, but she exited without giving him any more attention.
“That’s a dead end,” Ave said.
“Not really. We know that Sarlun came to visit Nicosie under false pretenses. He was here to take Ranul off Traro.” Up until this point, she’d been hoping her gut instinct was wrong about Sarlun, but this reinforced his guilt.
“What’s the next step?” Ave asked her as they returned to the surface and outside. The sun was setting, and Jules gazed at the sky.
“Sarlun, why are you working with Ranul, Death’s Maiden?” she whispered. “And how are the Brack tied up in this whole thing?”
It couldn’t be a coincidence. Jaessa’s home had been pummeled by the Brack, and she’d escaped, leading them to Udoon. But Ranul had already been here, and in prison for seventy years. That was a long time. There was far more to the story, but Jules didn’t have all the proper information.
“Thank you for helping us, Ave.” Jules smiled at the captain of the Guardians. “We’ll return her to you, and exonerate your liability in her escape.”
“I’d appreciate that, Jules Parker. You’re a remarkable woman,” Ave said. “You remind me a lot of him.”
“Who?”
“Your father.”
Jules and Jaessa returned to Outpost, delighted to be off the prison planet.
They briefed Magnus, Rivo, and Natalia in the meeting room before deciding what their next course of action was.
“I vote we travel to Shimmal, and beat the truth from this Sarlun,” Magnus said. He didn’t have the same history as the rest of them with the Shimmal leader.
“It’s not that simple,” Natalia said. “We all love Sarlun. He’s one of us. The glue that holds it together. If he’s actually against us, I’ll be crushed.”
“So will I,” Jules added. “I think we have to go to Ebos before my parents.”
“We could make that trip quite quickly,” Magnus said.
Jules’ thoughts drifted to the portal stone in her quarters. She needed some coffee. “Any luck in reaching them yet?”
“No,” Rivo told her. “Something’s definitely wrong with their communication system. I told them not to take that Cyclone.”
“When are they due at Ebos?” Nat asked.
“A little over a week.” Jules filled her cup, inhaling.
“Then we do have time to fly to Shimmal. I hate going in blind, and I feel as if we have no choice. Jules, what do Gatekeepers do?” Magnus gripped his own coffee cup, dwarfing it.
“Observe. Record. Report.”
“We require information, and we can’t obtain that by flying headfirst into Ebos, where the galaxy’s most notorious killer is waiting for this ship.”
“But she doesn’t know we’re on board,” Nat offered.
“True. Okay. Deal. Shimmal, then Ebos. But let’s move fast. I don’t want to be late.” Jules hoped it was the proper decision. She wondered if Papa would make the same judgment.
____________
Uphus. I watched the craggy landscape from above as we descended toward the portal’s location. The locals were still banging rocks together. As far as we knew, they didn’t have fire yet, and used rudimentary tools. I hoped none of them spotted our thrusters’ glow as we orbited their planet.
Mary was at peace with stopping at New Spero before continuing to Ebos, but a voice in my head was urging me forward. I couldn’t tell if it was my own common sense, or if Ovalax was in there, trying to sway my decisions.
It was a cloudy day, with fat raindrops casting against our ship. The weather matched my mood. Sarlun. If he was betraying us, I had to take it personally. It didn’t make sense.
“Lowering for the Shandra.” Mary dropped to the portal, settling the Cyclone in between two close-cropped rocks. We nestled in tightly, and I used the cloaking technology, reflecting light from our vessel. It wouldn’t stop the locals from seeing it up close, but it would be almost impossible for them to observe the Cyclone from the valleys below.
“Air is breathable,” Hugo said. I double-checked the readouts, making him grumble. “I know how to analyze the sensors, Dad.”
“This isn’t the kind of thing to risk,” I told him.
He didn’t argue as we pushed for the exit. Mary held a pulse rifle, and I took my pistol. We didn’t expect trouble, but that was usually when it showed up.
I stepped carefully onto the ground, trying to avoid a rolled ankle on the uneven surface. “Portal should be over there.” I indicated an opening in the rock wall.
Hugo stayed close to me, and I grinned, thinking how exciting this must be for my son. He’d asked for adventure, and he was finally getting it. Mary walked slowly, keeping an eye out for signs of predators. Uphus did have some sizeable ones, with claws, teeth, and almost impenetrable skin. I was hoping to avoid them.
The cave was dark, and I used my flashlight, brightening the entrance. The corridor leading to the Shandra was devoid of danger, and we found the old portal stone and table where the Theos had built it.
With a wave of my hand, the icons began glowing green, some of them etched in the cavern’s walls. I found the one matching the sphere stone at Terran Thirty, and confirmed Mary and Hugo were in the vicinity. We made the trek.
The Institute was under attack.
“Mary, get to the—” I stopped when I noticed they were our own ships above the facility and training grounds. “It’s an exercise.”
“Checking in?” a human soldier asked abruptly. He stood too close, his face in a tablet.
“That’s Dean,” the woman beside him said. “Sorry about that, sir.”
“Dean?” The man scrolled through his files.
“Parker. And his wife, Mary.” She rolled her eyes and directed us from the sphere portal that Jules and I had recovered.
“It seems we’re not as popular as we once were,” Mary whispered, clearly amused.
“That’s a good thing. These people have more on their minds than some old heroes from the Event. Half of them were probably born after it at this point.” The realization struck me, and made me feel every year of my age.
“Dad, can I go to the simulators?” Hugo asked.
“Sure, but stay close. We’ll be nearby.” The facility was busy. Soldiers marched in the fields, and others ran circles around the track. More ships flew low to the ground outside the Institute, and I heard Jules’ ex-boyfriend’s voice before I saw him.
“Tell them to fly out further. There are soldiers trying to sleep in the secondary barracks,” he ordered a uniformed Toquil. It was strange seeing one of Regnig’s people. They’d expanded after his return home to Barod, and had even sent a hundred young birds to join the Institute. I didn’t hear the Toquil’s telepathic response, but Dean seemed pleased with it.
“What are you doing here?” Dean asked, shock in his eyes.
“Nice to see you as well.” I grabbed his arm, pulling him aside. “Have you seen Sarlun?”
“Sarlun? Not since the wedding.”
“He hasn’t used this portal?” Mary asked.
“Nope. I’d have known.”
“Okay, can you check with Terran Three?”
“I’m on it.” Dean checked h
is tablet. “What’s this about?”
“We were on the way to Ebos when we received a cryptic message. Considering our system has been closed off, it was even stranger. I think Sarlun is trying to prevent me from reaching Ebos,” I told him.
Dean ran a hand through his hair. I noticed that he was taller than me now. A little wider at the shoulders too. When had he grown into an actual man? He wore the white ambassador uniform, and with Magnus and Jules away, he was the senior ranking officer at the Institute. I hoped he could handle it. “Why would he do that?”
“You tell me,” I muttered. “Any news on the escaped convict?”
“No idea. We saw the communication, but we’re up to our necks with new recruits. I don’t have time to worry about that,” he said as his tablet beeped. “Heard back. Sarlun hasn’t been to New Spero in the last four months.” Dean showed me the records.
“He wants to meet at our house. Tonight. I’m going to need your help,” I told him.
“Anything.” Dean started taking notes while I gave him my detailed outline. Mary added a few memos, and soon we gathered Hugo, boarded our own private transport, and departed for the house we’d once lived in.
I landed out back, and smiled as we exited, looking at the home. It was a couple miles from Magnus and Nat’s old house, which she still lived in. I thought of the first time we’d come here, how excited we were. Seven years had passed because of our travel through a caustic wormhole, and we’d missed so much of their lives. Their son had been named after me, and Carey, my cocker spaniel, had bonded with his new family. Maggie came to live with us, and we were lucky to have all the dogs alive, thanks to their extenders. But nothing lasts forever.
“It always feels like home when we return,” Mary said softly.
“I know.” I squinted at the fields behind the yard, and glanced at the deck where we’d held Magnus’ wake. I unlocked the house, and recalled where the Hunter had made his nest. Jules struggling with her powers and being different than the other children. Hugo trying to grow out of the huge shadows his family cast.
It was stuffy, and we toured the house, opening windows.
“Do you think he’s going to come?” Mary asked. Hugo was in his room, and we had the kitchen to ourselves.
The Colony (The Survivors Book Seventeen) Page 14
