She sighed. Further away from Jamie. But how did she know? Perhaps he'd been sent there from Scylla Prime? Perhaps they were destined to meet there?
It was infuriating.
She settled herself, and did some deep breathing. She calmed, and focused on the room around her, the air quietly whistling through the filters, the quite hum of the engines, a soft purr she usually forgot about, her own breathing, the noise of her blood pulsing.
Quiet.
Calm.
She imagined a fire, in the hearth at Mac's Manor House, a real one this time, burning blue at its heart, and red, orange, and yellow flames flickering over the dark wood.
She stared into the flames, and they blurred into one, becoming white fire. She remembered the whiteness of the void, losing Jamie's hand, and objectively recalled her travel through the void. The white, bright, light.
She saw the city of 'the gods'. She'd never had a sign it was their city, she just knew it was. Vibrant. Alive. Living. Then she saw the 'god' from her vision on the dog world at the Standing Stones. The male who'd been with her, as a 'god', and she'd looked into his eyes and seen her image reflected. But this time she saw him alone.
He was surveying the city from a tower. It was empty, abandoned. Not ruined as she'd seen in other visions. Still intact, but lifeless. The hanging city she'd seen in the sky was completely dark. He turned and climbed down the circular staircase to the ground. She seemed to be floating just above him, but unseen.
There was a flash, and they were in another place. A temple of some kind? A beautiful, spiritual place, it was vast, echoing, yet filled with a sense of peace. It was full. Full of metal pillars, flat pillars standing in two circles and carved in swirling, fabulous patterns. The space was singing to her. Not the humming of other standing stones, but loud, proud, and resonant. It was a choir of melody, harmony, and balance.
The 'god' paced through the entrance pillars, and towards the centre. He paused at the central dais, and ran a hand lovingly across its surface, before striding purposefully to the end, to the 'altar', a beautifully designed, sinuous curved dais of the same metal of the other flat pillars. There he laid something down, waved a hand over it, and a force field of some kind sprang up around the object.
Anna peered over his shoulder at the object.
It was the amulet. She knew it.
Metal, the same colour as the metal of the pillars, it was gorgeously carved with the same patterns and motifs of the pillars. It was in the shape of an arc, and had a hole in the centre. A wondrously worked chain led from each corner of the arc. It glowed.
The 'god' turned and looked directly at Anna. He smiled.
The bright light returned, even as she fought against it. She opened her eyes, and was back in her room on Seasprite.
Twenty Three
"The council will see you now," said the flunkey.
Serenity nodded her thanks with a smile, and walked into the chamber. The sector eleven chamber was the same as she'd been shown for the others the Kingdom knew about. She walked straight up to the computer, and allowed herself to be scanned. Her credentials, added to the computer the night before by the Mouse Ambassador, displayed on the wall. For this meeting, she'd been appointed an ambassador at large for the sector ten council.
"Welcome ambassador," said seat one. "What can we do for the sector ten council?"
"I bring a request for you to send a delegation to sector ten to meet with us, and sectors nine and eight, on matters of mutual interest."
"Which would be?"
"Primarily piracy and addictive drugs in general, and the Brotherhood in particular."
"We have such matters well in hand."
"In comparison with sector nine, you do indeed. But perhaps not as well as you think you do. Leader Jane decided to invite you as well when it became apparent the brotherhood were trying to gain entrance to sector ten through the jump points from eleven. We are now interdicting pirates and Brotherhood infiltrators, using advanced sensors and marine boarding parties, who check every person on board for Brotherhood marks. We have detected several dozen so far, none of whom survived said detection."
"Why is that?" asked a voice.
"They commit suicide as soon as they're detected. We're still trying to figure out how to neutralize the poison they use before it kills them."
"It's nice to know you humans can't do everything after all?" joked another voice, and the chamber descended into laughter.
Serenity smiled, and waited for them to settle down again.
"You can back this with evidence?" asked seat one.
"Of course. It has already been provided to the Mouse Ambassador, whom I met with last night when I arrived."
The mouse nodded to chair one, made a show of pressing a button on her tablet, and nodded to Serenity.
"Thankyou. We understand your military have been battling the pirates and military forces of sectors nine and eight. Can we see the battles?"
Serenity reached out to the chamber's computer system, took it over for a few nanoseconds, and released it after uploading and scheduling the vids to play. The vids came on, and the chamber was silent for some time.
"Thank you again. Please explain your current relationship with the Mouse Homeworld."
"I've just come from there. The mouse world in sector ten joined the Kingdom of Hunter's Run as a full dukedom, after Queen Jane personally ended hunting on the planet, and enabled the population to start living on the surface again in complete safety. I've been acting as a go-between with the Mouse Homeworld in discussions to stop hunting on all their worlds. In the first instance by hiring out military forces, and later looking towards training Mice to be effective protection for their own worlds. Discussions have only just begun, and I'm not a diplomat."
"A delegation is already on its way to Hunter Prime," said the mouse. "We have some who wish us to join the Kingdom species wide, so the human technology becomes available for us to remove hunting of our species completely."
There were more than a few stunned faces at this revelation.
"What are you," asked seat one, "if not a diplomat?"
"I'm essentially an exploration pilot. I command three trading Cruisers, and my mission at the moment is to remap sector eight, beginning with the main trade routes, which I am legitimately trading along. I work for an organisation called the Apricot Mapping Service, and we specialize in finding unknown jump points." This caused a stir. "At the moment, our command carrier is working its way across sector ten, while waiting for diplomacy to allow us back into the Human Federation's space. We also have ships in sector nine, and three of our explorer trader ships are acting as an escort to a civilian archaeology expedition in sector eight. Once complete, they will return to trading and mapping there."
"We have heard of this expedition you speak of. We also know you requested permission for warships to be able to enter both sectors. Do you require such here?"
"Not at this time. If the mouse delegation obtains military help for their planets, we will of course seek the appropriate permissions at that time."
"And if they join your Kingdom?"
"The mouse ambassador will seek the permissions."
"You won't be replacing the ambassador with one of your own?"
"That's a question for well above my pay grade. But I can't see that we would. Why remove an effective diplomat for no valid reason? But as I said, it's a question for higher up than me."
"Does anyone have any more questions for the human ambassador?"
Silence.
"You will please vote."
Serenity was mildly surprised to see a vote with her there, and without discussion without her being there.
"The vote passes. You may inform Leader Jane we will be sending a delegation. Can we assume like the other sectors you will send a fast diplomatic ship to pick up the delegation?"
"You may. May we assume you have no problem with the ship also being a warship capable of defending herself?"
"You may."
"I will take my leave then. Someone will be in contact with you within a matter of hours to make the arrangements for travel. Thank you for your time."
Serenity bowed her head slightly towards seat one, and left.
Twenty Four
"You saw the amulet?" repeated Snark. "What did it look like?"
"A kind of plate of silvery metal in an arc," described Anna, twisting the tip of her braid around and around. "Beautifully etched in swirling patterns. With a place for the Stone. I think you wear it."
"So, we find this temple, and there it'll be?"
Snark was doubtful. Anna shook her head.
"I don't think it's that simple. I don't know where the temple was in relation to the city, or whether the city is at 'Destination' at all. But at least we know the Amulet of Truth exists."
"Or did exist," Snark responded drily.
Anna nodded, and shrugged her shoulders. Sissness came to Anna's rescue.
"I think Anna has done very well to see so clearly."
Snark humphed. Patters chimed in.
"We know what we're looking for now. It helps."
Mouse looked interested.
"I wonder what the metal is," he wondered, and put his nose to his tablet.
"I'll keep Seeing," added Anna, "I know I'll get more details, and maybe connect with how we get to the temple."
"I'm interested in the connection with the Standing Stones," pondered Sissness. "All along, they've guided our path. Perhaps the 'gods' created them in their journeys across the galaxies to mark where they'd been, in imitation of their temples, and to leave clues for others to follow."
"Or the locals created them in imitation of what the 'gods' told them?" suggested Anna.
Snark humphed again.
"It doesn't matter what or who created them, we just need to focus on the amulet."
He could see Sissness was thinking hard, and had also disappeared into her tablet, looking for information about the standing stones.
"Bloody researchers," he said under his breath.
The team were rather bored, as there'd been nothing untoward happen in the journey so far. No pirates, no strange space beasts, no Brotherhood forces. It was all going to plan.
Snark was worried. It never went to plan. It shouldn't, ever, go to plan. Something was up.
The Brotherhood had to be doing something. Fitzy and the Hunter's Run humans had sent further information about the Brotherhood's activities, but nothing specific to their quest.
Brotherhood activity had increased across sectors nine and eight, to the dismay of the councils, and attempts to infiltrate sector ten had accelerated. While there was increased activity further out in sector eight, the bears, beetles, and mediators had banded together to resist infiltration in their section of space, and had established relations with the Cat Homeworld, to cooperate in action to stop the spread of the rapture drug. They were also working with Elothera to stop her planet being affected.
The battle against the Brotherhood was now mainly social and economic, not military, although unrest was spreading from terrorist activity on many planets where the Brotherhood had established cells and sects.
Intelligence couldn't get a fix on the shadowy inner circle of the Brotherhood, who were pulling the strings of their vast network of hate, and at the top of the inner circle was Brother Prime. No-one had information about who he was, where he was, or how he managed to operate such a large and complex organisation.
Anna could see Snark was jittery. His tail was getting lots of exercise, and his grumpiness was exaggerated.
Seasprite was in constant contact with their escort ships, but as far as Anna could see, Warspite didn't seem too concerned, although he was itching for a fight. Everyone could see that, at the times when he consulted by vid.
The convoy flew on.
Twenty Five
They were well away from the Cat Homeworld now, and out towards the galaxy rim, but more towards the 'boundary' with sector nine than they'd gone last time. This was space none of them had ventured into before.
The convoy was at a jump point, preparing to go through, when a ship appeared down jumping into the system, and immediately broadcast a distress signal.
"Oldest trick in the book," Snark grumphed, and directed sensors to check the ship.
It was marginally bigger than Seasprite, was sporting obvious battle damage to its hull, and seemed to have damaged engines, as it was only moving forward slowly. The signal was a universal one for the galaxy of 'ship in distress'. Anna wondered if anything else was going to jump in next, perhaps something a bit more unfriendly.
Warspite was also thinking the same thing, and pinged Anna and Snark a marine boarding team was going to investigate, while the other ships would stay alert if anything hostile jumped through after the damaged ship.
Anna was thinking of a time when she'd been in a similar situation, and Snark had rescued her and her companions. A lump formed in her throat, as she looked at Snark. He met her gaze, and nodded.
Anna knew Snark would have liked to be involved in the boarding party, as he was getting particularly bored with the lack of excitement so far. However, Warspite, well, was Warspite, and you didn't really want to get into an argument with him.
Anna and Snark patched in to the boarding party's team coms, and vid. Anna knew Snark would like to feel as if he was there. Both were surprised to find a not-croc sporting both a Hunter uniform, and a full bird. The troops though, were all human. From the little talking going on as the shuttle crossed the distance between Havoc and the distress ship, Anna could tell the troops were all Americans.
The Colonel and his chosen platoon boarded the vessel, and was met by a sick-looking squirrel-like creature.
"Please help us."
"We're here to help, tell us what's wrong."
The not-squirrel led the troops down a corridor as it talked.
"We're ill, sir, and we don't have enough crew to operate the ship."
The Colonel was clearly suspicious, and indicated his troops should fan out, and contain and hold the various sections of the ship as they passed through. There were no other beings present, and the ship looked old, and run down.
"Where are your crew?"
"They're on the bridge. This way," the squirrel indicated.
Weapons at the ready, the troop made their way to the bridge. Two sick looking squirrels were in the command chairs, and others were huddled around them. The beings turned as the Colonel and a trooper came on to the bridge.
"Where are your crew?" the Colonel barked.
"Thank you for coming to our aid, sir."
"Where are your crew?" the Colonel repeated.
"This is all of us left."
The squirrel-being indicated the others on the bridge. Snark interjected at this point.
"Looks like they need care-units Colonel. Even if they're set up for humans, we can see what's wrong with them, and give first aid."
The Colonel repeated this as a suggestion.
"There's nothing you can do for us, sirs," said the squirrel, shrugging, and indicating the others. "Unless you have quantities of 'rapture' on board."
"'Rapture'?" asked the Colonel.
"Yes, the drug. We're all addicted."
Anna and Snark looked at the vid of the huddled squirrel beings. Pathetic, but troubling. This was the reality of the Brotherhood's trade. He hadn't seen anything like it since the purple plant plague.
The conversations with the squirrel beings indicated while the drug 'rapture' wasn't as virulent a plague as the purple plant, those who took it were easily addicted, and without it, became very ill indeed. Addicts weren't contagious, and didn't die, but couldn't function well, and resorted to criminal activities to pay the dealers, usually Brotherhood members. Those addicted often became Brotherhood members, and when this happened, found they were almost as much slaves to the sect, as to the drug dealers.
The ship was a trading ship,
which had fallen on hard times. It had been in several battles with pirates, as part of convoys of trading ships, but now, with the members of the crew addicted, the ship was unable to function properly. Most of the crew had deserted at the last station, and the captain had found it impossible to continue. Supply of the drug this far out in sector eight was sporadic, making it difficult for the crew to stay operational. The captain was willing to trade the ship for the drug, indicating how desperate the situation was for the squirrel beings.
A doc-droid from Havoc was taken across, and it took blood samples from everyone. These were analysed in the medical bay when it returned. There was none of the drug left aboard in a useable form, but the doc-droid did find some trace amounts in the crew quarters where the drug had spilled in quantities too small for retrieval in a useful amount.
Warspite emailed Jane a full report, including everything about the bloodwork, and the rapture samples. Perhaps some of the chemists could find an antidote or treatment to help addicts? While it wasn't a full out plague as the purple plant had been, the same reasoning applied. If they could stop beings becoming addicted, then the Brotherhood would lose more of its main income.
Anna was not convinced. The Brotherhood would simply manufacture another drug, and the cycle would begin again. They had to destroy the Brotherhood. But how do you destroy something which is embedded in society itself?
Sigourney Weaver took the ship under tow, and the convoy moved through the jump point to the next station. It was all they could do for the squirrel beings, much as they'd like to help them further. The squirrels were not happy either, ending up back where they'd last left.
Having seen the condition of the squirrel-beings and their plight, Anna felt the impact of the Brotherhood was more real to her again. But if the Brotherhood were destroyed, wouldn't something just as cruel take its place? Where there was greed, there was injustice, and beings were enslaved and degraded. Was freedom just an illusion? Perhaps their purpose in finding the amulet, and uniting it with the Destiny Stone to form the Talisman, could ensure freedom was once more in the ascendency, beings could have free will and control over their own destinies, while respecting and without disadvantaging others? Did the 'gods' have this power once, and see the need for it to exist, and to find someone to use it wisely and for the good of beings, not for evil? Was this too simplistic and naïve? Wouldn't there always be hard choices between bad outcomes and worse ones?
A.I. Destiny 5 Talisman of Tomorrow Page 9
