by Jason Kent
In her life previous life with EMTEC, her job had been to ensure the equipment provided to the Stellar Union Marines functioned as promised. This was a particular daunting task since Merrick's platoon continually found new and innovative ways to break anything they got their hands on. The electronic and communications gear, Kate's specialty, were especially prone to malfunction under the constant abuse encountered in combat conditions. She'd enjoyed the work and would never have guessed her life would take such an abrupt turn when she boarded Javin's ironclad alongside Merrick.
Kate turned her face toward the breeze blowing in between the pillars of the Atrium's rotunda. It was summer here on Aurora Five and the temperature was mild. The archivists were able to leave the big copper-covered doors around the north and south sides of the rotunda open for months at a time. The wind blew her long blonde hair over her bare shoulders. She closed her eyes as the cool air caressed her skin. Nemus sensed Kate was nearby. She felt the big tree touch her mind, sharing in the experience. As Nemus sampled the sensations of the summer breeze brushing Kate's body and hair, Nemus returned the favor. Kate shivered as her perception shifted to his point of view. She closed her eyes and was engulfed by the feeling of the same wind blowing through tree limbs, large and small. Leaves rustled and branches creaked all around her. Swaying slightly, rooted to the Atrium's stone floor, Kate held her arms above her head, fingers splayed apart. The breeze wrapped itself around her physical body as well as within her mind. Joy radiated from Nemus as he reveled in the simple pleasure of the shared moment. Kate smiled.
The gonging of the Mainspring Clock announcing the quarter hour brought Kate out of her reverie. She lowered her arms and walked around the fountain. The water flowed from the copper statue of a tree spreading its limbs over the clear pool. She stepped through one of the open doors on the south side of the rotunda. Standing in the warm afternoon sun, Kate shielded her eyes with a hand. She gazed toward the hill where they'd planted the seed Knowl had given her right before their perilous escape from the Tallinn fortress on Aesti. Nemus stood there now, his branches waving in the wind as if the all-knowing being were greeting her.
Although not nearly as large as Knowl had been when he'd been destroyed, Nemus was impressive. He could easily have passed for a two hundred year old oak back on Earth despite being less than six months old. Already, his limbs were as thick as Merrick's chest and spread over a good portion of the hill. His roots spread out from his large trunk and sank deep into the rich soil found in such abundance on this part of the planet. Nemus' rapid growth had the archivists who specialized in biology stumped. None of them had ever seen anything like it before. Then again, none of them had been around to see Knowl's growth spurts when he'd sprung from a seed thousands of years earlier.
Flashes of Knowl's last moments came to Kate's mind. She shook her head. She did not want to dwell on the image of the great tree bursting into flames again. Knowl's long life had ended due to the actions of Kate and her friends. The fact that Knowl desperately wanted to end his enslavement to the Tallinn did not make Kate feel any better about her role in the death of the ancient being. Nemus brushed her mind again. Despite their actions concerning his parent, Nemus harbored no ill will toward her or the others.
Knowl is at peace.
She smiled as Nemus' voice drifted across her mind. She stared across the blooming meadow and wiped a tear from the corner of her eye. "Thanks, Nemus," Kate whispered.
Anytime.
Kate leaned against a pillar. She closed her eyes and tilted her head to face the warm rays of the sun. After a moment, she heard soft footsteps on the tile floor of the rotunda. She grinned and held her breath as she listened to the sound. Only one person she knew walked with such deliberate care in combat boots; Merrick had come looking for her.
The thought warmed Kate's heart. Before their adventure on the ironclad and her meeting with the Watcher, Jonte, Kate hadn't been involved with anyone. Her EMTEC contract kept her away from home aboard New Seattle orbiting Earth for months at a time. Working with the SUMC had been interesting, but severely limited her dating choices. There were a few other contractors aboard their Fleet cruiser, but no one Kate had been interested in. As for the Marines all around her, EMTEC discouraged 'creating intimate relationships outside of your professional duties.' Luckily for Kate, Knowl had other ideas for her. Thrown together in the crucible of combat and then the journey to find the big tree, Kate had found the person she'd been looking for all her life. Merrick.
Despite his years of combat and countless missions as a SUMC sniper, Master Sergeant Kelly Merrick was perhaps the gentlest person Kate had ever met. And, to Kate's great delight, the marine was as attracted to her as she was to him. Life seemed to have a way of working out after all. Or, Kate wondered, was there more involved in their meeting than it seemed?
Was Kate and Merrick's mission together one more of Knowl's schemes designed to bring the two of them together? The ancient tree had led her to Javin aboard the ironclad and transformed Kate into a Watcher, glowing eyes and all. Georges and Sparrow had 'stumbled' upon Kate's shuttle seconds before Javin's ship was destroyed. Since then, Georges' leadership had proven critical to their survival. And Sparrow, well, where would they be without their Link Sprite? How many of these 'chance' meetings had Knowl foreseen? How many of them had actually been orchestrated by him? Nemus, despite being pressed about the topic, was unusually mum.
Kate lazily turned so her shoulder was still leaning against the pillar and looked back into the atrium. Merrick was standing near the clock face. His eyes swept over the tool kit and cleaning supplies she'd left scattered on the floor. He caught sight of Kate and started toward her.
"Break time?" Merrick asked. His eyes flicked to the gleaming latticework of the clock and he raised his eyebrows. "Or are you finished?"
"Depends on if you're offering to help," Kate teased. She pushed off from the pillar and strode across the tile, her boot heels clicking loudly where Merrick's footfalls made barely a whisper.
"I live but to serve," Merrick said sincerely and dipped his head to Kate. "Whatever the lady desires."
"Well, I could use some help putting this junk away." Kate gestured at her gear laying haphazardly around the clock.
Merrick knelt near the tool kit, straightened a few of the tools, and snapped the lid closed. Next, he busied himself by gathering up the dirty rags and collecting the bottles of cleaning supplies.
Kate bent over to snag a towel which fell out of the bundle in Merrick's arms. Suddenly, images from Nemus filled her head. Kate gasped and stumbled forward. She reached for Merrick but missed his arm. Fortunately for Kate, he saw she was in trouble.
Merrick let go of the tool kit and flung the rags aside. The tool box smashed against the tile floor, spilling tools everywhere. Merrick ignored the new mess and had his strong arms wrapped around Kate before the last of the towels fluttered to the ground.
Kate gratefully leaned into Merrick's hold and closed her eyes. She'd found the best thing to do when Nemus wanted to show her something was to simply give in to the experience. If Merrick was there to hold her, all the better.
"Tell me," Merrick whispered, his breath brushing softly against her ear.
Visions of swirling darkness filled Kate's vision. She didn't know what to tell Merrick because she was not sure what she was seeing yet. She focused her mind on the patterns Nemus was sharing with her, trying to discover some sort of meaning in them. A chill crept down Kate's spine when she heard Nemus keening in the background. Along with the mournful sound, he felt the big tree's limbs shudder. Unlike the swaying caused by the summer breeze she'd shared with Nemus just a few minutes ago, this movement was a visceral reaction to what he was seeing; the dark images he could not help but share with Kate.
Kate shivered sympathetically with Nemus. The vision was filled with swirling blackness and accompanied by a bone-chilling cold which made the feeling of the sun's warm rays on her face seem like a distant mem
ory.
"Kate..." Merrick prompted, a tightness creeping into his voice.
"It's Nemus," Kate tried to explain. "He's having a reaction to a vision..." Kate rubbed her arms. Goose bumps rose across her bare skin. She shook her head. "I don't understand..."
"Just hold on," Merrick said. He pulled Kate close and wrapped his arms tightly around her.
Kate buried her face in the sniper's chest and sobbed, "Its cold...so cold..." She felt Merrick rubbing his hands up and down her back, trying to get her circulation moving more vigorously to fight the chill. Kate was now shivering violently from the ice that seemed to have formed in the very marrow of her bones. A new feeling came from Nemus in waves which washed over Kate's soul.
"He's...scared," Kate managed to say even as her teeth began to chatter uncontrollably. She reached out to Nemus despite her own discomfort and opened herself even more to the young being. The tree jumped at the mental lifeline, unwittingly dragging his would-be savior down into the depths of his vision...
...black ships sailed through the cold, empty void of space. There were no stars to be seen outside for the ships traveled between the endless nothingness stretching out between the galaxies. One ship was nearly ten times larger than the thousands of others. The monster led the way at the forefront of the dark fleet.
Supreme Commander Calno gazed at the projection hanging in the air at the front of the bridge aboard his super dreadnaught. There, a swirling disc formed by billions and billions of stars turned majestically.
"It will not be long now," First Adjutant Lukas declared as they gazed upon Galaxy 3456M.
Calno grunted in reply. He was ready for this long journey to end. Even cruising at their fastest speeds within warp spheres, the trip had already taken a dozen cycles. And they still had many cycles to go. The big Ater narrowed his eyes at his target and snapped his teeth together in frustration. He would have his revenge, no matter the cost.
Lukas flinched at the fierce sound. The Ater's jaws were powerful and often used to end the life of their enemies in combat. Calno was big, even for an Ater, so the sound of his snout clamping shut was especially menacing. Lukas had seen his commander's teeth in action many times, often merely to relieve his boredom during the long voyage. He slid his eyes toward his Supreme Commander, wondering what Calno was thinking.
Calno chittered as he gained controlled of his temper. He was anxious to begin the conquest of this area of space. Losing his composure in front of his subordinates would not help the engines get his battle group there any faster. The Ater ran a massive hand over the gleaming ridges circling his head. His black claws clicked against the skull folds and the sound echoed across the suddenly silent bridge. He noted the lower level crew members were casting glances at him. Calno fingered one of the sharp, boney points and a wicked smile formed on his snout. They feared him. They feared the pain he could inflict upon their miserable lives. This was good.
"You are right, Lukas," Calno finally growled and added a clack of his teeth for emphasis. "Our fleet will sweep across this galaxy, spilling the blood of all we find!" Calno chittered again and rolled his huge head around on his corded shoulders. Joints cracked and muscles bulged. He had the urge to slash...to kill...
Lukas could not help but catch the bloodlust emanating from his commander. He repeated the eerie chitter with his teeth and added a deep growl from his throat almost involuntarily.
"This galaxy will be ours!" Calno declared with a deep growl. He looked hungrily at the projection again. "Along with the power of the Acerbus!"
"Once we have the power of the Dark Orb, the entire universe will fall before the unstoppable Ater!" Lukas added, his eyes gleaming from the light of the hologram.
"Those who dared to steal it from us will discover the true meaning of torment," Calno growled, raking his claws along the scarred arms of his chair, "And of suffering."
Lukas was breathing hard now. He curled his clawed hands so tightly, blood began to pour from fresh cuts in his palms.
Calno brushed the controls on his command chair. He looked at his second-in-command and gave a tooth-filled grin. "We must stay in fighting form, Adjutant."
The floor in the middle of the command center split open and an Ater prisoner rose up on a platform. Calno did not know what petty crime this crewman had committed and he didn't care. What did matter was his entertainment. He stroked another portion of his console and the chains at the prisoner's wrists and ankles fell away, clattering onto the black metal deck.
Lukas was already circling his prey. The prisoner eyed the Adjutant warily and snapped his jaws. He had figured out what was expected of him and crouched into a combat stance. The bridge crew stood up to form a circle around the pair, their stations temporarily forgotten as the prospect of a fight loomed. They chittered and howled with bloodlust as the two big Ater prepared for the life and death battle. Lukas screamed a battle cry and launched himself across the deck. The attack was unstoppable.
Calno chittered as he watched, excited as much by the break in the monotony of the journey as the sight and smell of the blood flowing over his command deck. As Lukas' powerful jaws closed on the prisoner's neck, Calno found his thoughts turning back to the Acerbus, the Dark Orb. His lips curled back in a snarl at the thought of finally reclaiming the ultimate source of the Ater's power. Lukas was right; with the Acerbus in his hands, no one would be able to stop him. He would deliver death upon countless worlds...
Kate gave a final shudder as Nemus left her mind. It took a moment to remember where she was. She felt Merrick's arms wrap around her and took a deep breath. The pleasant smell of Merrick filled her nostrils. Kate looked up into his gray eyes. Concern etched the sniper's face.
"All done?" Merrick asked.
"Yes," Kate replied and took another ragged breath. She sighed, laid her head against Merrick's chest, and turned so she could look out toward Nemus. The tree was swaying more than one would expect in the light breeze. He was still agitated from the vision.
"What happened?" Merrick asked as he followed Kate's line of sight. "What did he see?"
Kate thought about the vision for a moment before she realized why Nemus was so disturbed by it. "I think it was his first insight into the future," Kate said softly. She covered her mouth with her hand and turned her glowing eyes to Merrick's. "He's never seen anything but the present and the past before today!"
Merrick looked from Nemus with his branches swaying out over the hilltop then back to Kate. He scrunched his features in concern. "Was it that bad?"
Kate thought of the alien fleet coming straight toward their home. She nodded.
"Apparently we can expect a visit from some pretty nasty aliens called the Ater. They want something called the Acerbus or Dark Orb. And they seem willing to kill anyone who gets in their way."
"How far into the future are we talking? Days, weeks, years?"
Kate reached out her mind to Nemus. She wanted to see what he thought.
Later...please...
Kate got the message and pulled her thoughts back. "He needs some time to digest everything." She replayed the vision in her head. "It seemed to be years...cycles away. I don't know for sure though."
Merrick nodded. "Are you okay, at least?"
Kate ran a hand through her hair. "Yeah, I'm fine." She reluctantly stepped out of Merrick's embrace. Kate bent down to start picking up the scattered tools and bottles of solvent and oil. Her head swam and she grabbed onto Merrick again. "Whoa!"
"Take a minute," Merrick advised as he helped her sit on the stone bench encircling the fountain.
Kate didn't argue with him. As she rested her head in her hands, she wondered what could possibly draw the Ater across such a gulf of empty space. She looked up to find Merrick cleaning up the spilled tools. He noticed her staring at him stopped, waiting for Kate to speak first. "We need to know what the Ater are after."
"Then what?" Merrick asked. He stood up and turned to face Nemus. "We don't know how long we have unti
l they arrive."
Kate recalled the image of the thousands of warships. She took a deep breath.
"We fight."
Chapter 7
Into the Stacks
"T he Acerbus does not exist," Tarun stated flatly.
Kate looked at Merrick and Tivon. "But Nemus' vision..." She looked around the table at the others. Kate had called her friends and several of the archivists together to find out as much information as possible and form a plan for dealing with the coming threat.
"The Acerbus, or Dark Orb as you say it was also referred to in your shared vision, does not exist in the Archives," Tarun corrected. The leader of the archivists leaned back in his chair, as if the comment answered everyone's questions.
"How can that be?" Kate asked.
"Perhaps this is the first Nemus has heard of it," Tivon speculated. She looked into Kate's luminescent eyes. "You say this was a vision from the future, after all."
"But the Ater commander referred to someone stealing the Acerbus from them," Kate remarked. "I got the impression it was someone in our galaxy..." Kate's voice trailed off as she thought back to her time aboard Javin's ironclad. She wondered if she had, in fact, seen the Acerbus.
"It is possible Knowl and now Nemus 'see', as it were, only certain events," Tarun lectured. "Although the great tree's sight appears on the surface to be nearly limitless, I would hypothesize their reach is, in fact, bounded by some, as of yet undetermined, distance."
"We haven't even met all of the intelligent beings I have seen during my communion," Tivon said. "As far as I and the other archivists can determine, we have information stretching across half the galaxy..." The tiny archivist's eyes narrowed as she turned to Kate. "But..."
