Sirens Journey: The Founder Saga

by Thomas Fay

  ‘Sir, I’m not sure I can be a part of this.’

  ‘Captain, what if I told you that Lars Marvik has committed acts of piracy throughout this system, that I’ve personally witnessed him murder countless civilians and that he’s the reason the Centaurians are about to be invaded?’

  Argus’s eyes narrowed.

  ‘Then I’d say we need to turn him over to the Centaurians to stand trial for the crimes he’s committed.’

  I took a deep breath. Lowering my voice, I said, ‘Michael, you’ve seen what’s coming this way. The Proxians are going to overwhelm the Centaurians. Hundreds of thousands of people will die before the Space Navy intervenes. We have a chance to gain the upper hand, to find out what their plan is but we need to get that information from Marvik.’

  Argus nodded, slowly, the reluctance evident in his body language.

  ‘Alright,’ he said.

  ‘Thank you, Captain. I’ll meet you on the command deck.’

  I left the control room. Heading back to my quarters, I opened the door. Selize was sitting on the bed. Her eyes were closed. I felt that buzzing sensation at the base of my skull that told me she was using the Centaurian telepathic link to communicate with her kind.

  Her eyes snapped open.

  ‘Everything okay?’ I asked.

  ‘My people have mobilised as best they can. But, John, we’re not ready for an invasion. We’ve only got about a hundred combat-ready fighters and a dozen capital ships. Without the Space Navy we won’t stand a chance.’

  ‘I know. We’ve got to hope that the situation on Helios and Icarus is resolved quickly so the First Fleet can redeploy in Alpha Centauri. Until that happens we’ve got to trust in the vice admiral’s tactic of protecting the inhabited planets and the Epsilon Centauri shipyards. If the Proxians split their forces and go after a number of targets, then we’ll have a chance.’

  ‘What if they don’t?’

  I looked at her but said nothing. Her eyes opened wider.

  ‘What can we do?’

  ‘We need to know exactly what their plan is. We need to get that information out of Marvik, one way or another.’

  Selize nodded. Then she winced, grabbing her stomach.

  ‘Are you okay?’

  ‘The baby’s growing quickly now.’

  ‘Centaurians really do have an accelerated gestation period. I mean, we only …’

  Selize smiled.

  ‘I know. We only met a few weeks ago.’

  ‘How long until …?’

  ‘Not long. A day, maybe two.’

  I nodded. Then I thought back to the vision on the alien planet where I had first seen our daughter.

  ‘What’s her name?’ I asked.

  Instead of replying, Selize stared at me. As I looked into her crystalline eyes, I experienced that sense of weightlessness. Then I heard her voice inside my head.

  Say hello to your daughter, John. Say hello to Sonya.

  The image of the young Centaurian appeared in my mind. It was the same one from my vision of the alien planet with the towering cliffs and green mist. The one I now recognised as our unborn daughter.

  Sonya smiled as I felt her reaching out towards me, wanting to be close to me. I realised she was becoming a part of me as much as Selize was. I marvelled once more at the telepathic bond. The sheer alienness of it was lost on me as I felt an overwhelming sense of connection to her. The image of Sonya suddenly disappeared as a jagged pain ripped through my head. Staggering forwards, I gasped for breath.

  ‘John!’ Selize cried out.

  The world swam before my eyes. Dark shapes appeared at random, blocking my vision. One of them grew larger, eclipsing my view of the cabin. I felt myself becoming weightless. I was vaguely aware of myself landing on the floor, the distant sound muffled.

  ‘John! Can you hear me?’

  I struggled to breathe; the pain in my head was so intense. I saw myself lying on the floor, through Selize’s eyes. I could sense Selize’s panic. Then I was aboard a Centaurian ship, the holographic controls shimmering before me as the Dyson Alpha star port expanded on the view screen. My mind reeled as I shared what more and more Centaurians were experiencing; I was aboard the Gemini Alpha command vessel, I was inside a Centaurian Banshee-class light fighter patrolling the shipping lanes, I was …

  ‘John!’

  I felt a sharp sting on my face. The images disappeared and the pain retreated to that now familiar dull throbbing at the base of my skull. I focused on Selize. I could see the concern etched in her beautiful face.

  ‘I’m okay,’ I managed to say.

  ‘No you’re not. Something is very wrong. I’m going to call the ship’s medic.’

  ‘No,’ I said, shaking my head slowly. ‘He won’t be able to help me but I know who can.’

  ‘Who?’

  I took a deep breath. Sitting up, I looked at Selize.

  ‘Jeni. She’s the only one who can.’

  44.

  The medical centre, located on the docking level of the Dyson Alpha star port, appeared exactly the same as the last time I had been there. Except now there was a tangible feeling of urgency. The medical staff were preparing for casualties; supplies were being stockpiled, diagnostic machines calibrated and non-critical patients discharged.

  ‘John?’ Jeni said as I walked in. I made my way towards her.

  ‘I need to speak to you,’ I said. ‘It’s urgent.’

  She looked about to argue but, seeing the look on my face, decided against it. She nodded.

  ‘Follow me.’

  We walked into one of the private consulting rooms. Closing the door, Jeni motioned for me to sit down. She took a seat behind a white metallic alloy desk.

  ‘What is it?’ she asked.

  ‘I need your help,’ I said.

  ‘Why would I help you?’

  ‘Because I know who you are.’

  Jeni’s knuckles turned white as she gripped the desk.

  ‘I don’t know what you’re talking about.’

  ‘Yes you do, Jeni. Or should I say Dr Amanda Firestone of the Cybernetic Augmentation Research Institute on Luna.’

  ‘How did you …?’

  ‘I know because I’m carrying some of your finest work. The Lazarus neural implant is based on your prototype.’

  ‘You’ve got a Lazarus implant? That explains a lot.’

  ‘Yes. And I’ve got a problem only you can help me with.’

  Jeni’s eyes narrowed.

  ‘Which is?’

  I took a deep breath. The pain was currently a dull throbbing ache at the base of my skull but I knew it could flare up at any moment.

  ‘The implant appears to be incompatible with the Centaurian telepathic bond. As my bond with Selize deepens and I begin to access the Centaurian shared consciousness, the side effects increase: headaches, dizziness, sharp stabbing pain. In short, I think the implant is killing me.’

  ‘It wouldn’t surprise me. From what I’ve seen of the Centaurian telepathic bond, not even the Lazarus implant would be able to withstand it for long.’

  ‘So you can help me?’

  Jeni looked at me intently.

  ‘Probably, although it’s been a while since I’ve worked on neural implants. The real question is—’

  ‘Why would you help me?’

  ‘Yes. Why would I possibly help someone who was the reason I had to give up everything? You’re part of the Space Navy’s command structure. You’re one of them.’

  ‘Because I can reunite you with your husband and child.’

  Jeni’s eyes began to water, the tears slowly falling down her cheeks as she stared at me. Clenching her fists, she said, ‘You’d better not be joking.’

  ‘I’m not. I’ve seen the dossier on you. You were head of the CARIL neural augmentation team. After the Arkadia incident, when your implants were used to boost a battalion of marines to the point that they all suffered catastrophic neural failure, you disappeared.’

  ‘I �
� had to leave. I couldn’t do it any more. All those people died because of my research. I told them—no, I begged them—not to use it. The technology wasn’t ready. It should never have been used in human subjects under those kinds of conditions. But did they listen? No. They took my research and boosted those marines.’

  ‘I know. I’ve seen firsthand the debilitating effects of augmentation. The Chronos project.’

  ‘Raptor pilots? Wait, was that …?’

  I clenched my fists. I would never be able to make peace with Vanessa’s fate.

  ‘Yes. Her name was Vanessa Gage.’

  ‘She … died?’

  ‘Barely thirty-two years old and she withered away to nothing. So believe me, Doctor, I’ve seen the effects of the augmentations and enhancements. I know the truth and I don’t agree with what the UEP is doing. That’s the real reason why I left the Space Navy.’

  ‘But you’re back in now.’

  ‘I am. Which means I can reunite you with your family.’

  ‘You can lift the capture order on me?’

  ‘No. But with my experience and my connections, I can bring your family here and make sure the UEP never finds you.’

  ‘Are you sure—’

  ‘Trust me. I’m that good.’

  Jeni was crying openly now, the tears running down her cheeks.

  ‘What do you need me to do?’ she finally managed to say. ‘Remove the implant?’

  I shook my head.

  ‘No. I need you to make it compatible with the Centaurian telepathic bond. I want to be able to share everything Selize does but still be able to protect the information and memories I’m carrying in my head. I need to be able to choose what I share with the Centaurians.’

  Wiping the tears from her eyes, Jeni nodded.

  ‘You really love her, don’t you?’

  ‘Yes.’

  ‘We’ll need to get a full scan of your brain and determine what exactly the telepathic connection is doing to the implant. Then we can devise a way to make the two compatible. I won’t lie to you—there is a significant risk that this won’t work or that it will kill you.’

  ‘If I don’t do anything it’ll probably kill me anyway so I really don’t have anything to lose.’

  ‘When do you want to do this?’

  ‘Now.’

  ****

  Selize and I were walking through the corridors of the Dyson Alpha star port. We smiled at each other. We laughed. Then we both looked at our daughter. She was Selize and she wasn’t. Her crystalline cat’s eyes shimmered with the reflected light of her birth stars. I saw her through Selize’s eyes just as I saw myself and Selize through Sonya’s eyes. My vision was not refracted like an insect’s. Rather, the images were superimposed on each other yet perfectly distinguishable from each other. There were others there too, multitudes of images from other Centaurians. I realised I was experiencing the Centaurian telepathic bond properly, without the interference created by my Lazarus implant.

  Selize?

  John? Are you alright? I couldn’t sense you for—

  I’m fine. Better than fine. I … it’s incredible! Is this what it’s like for you all the time?

  Yes, John. We’re finally whole. Just in time for Sonya’s birth. I’m so glad you’ll be able to experience this the way we do.

  Me too.

  As happy as I was, I realised I needed to know.

  Selize?

  Yes, John?

  Are you able to share my memories?

  Yes, but … there are still parts of you that are closed to me. I … don’t understand. How is this possible?

  I’ll explain soon. Right now we need to question Marvik. Those Proxian ships could be here any moment and we need to know what we’re up against.

  What can I do?

  Meet me on the command deck. If I can’t get the information out of Marvik, then I’m going to need you and Dayna to read him.

  John … what you’re asking is … difficult. If we read Marvik, then we’ll be sharing ourselves with him.

  Isn’t there a way you can read him without sharing yourselves?

  There is but …

  What is it?

  It’s dangerous and it could kill him.

  Selize, after everything he’s done, the people he’s killed and the situation he’s put your people in, that’s a risk I’m prepared to take.

  I know, John, but it’s not our way. I’ll need to speak to Dayna.

  I understand. I’ll see you soon.

  I opened my eyes. I was inside one of the smaller operating theatres inside the medical centre. A neural scanner and cranial laser assembly filled my vision. Jeni moved it to one side.

  ‘How do you feel?’ she asked, removing a series of neural pads from my brain.

  ‘Fine. Did it work?’

  ‘Yes. I was able to adjust the neural implant to free the parts of your mind which are affected by the Centaurian telepathic bond.’

  ‘And my memories?’

  ‘The neural implant is still blocking your memories. Well, the more important ones anyway.’

  ‘So it worked? I can access the shared bond but my implant will still protect me?’

  ‘Yes, although you’ll need to be careful with coercion fields. While your memories are protected, you’re now susceptible to mind control.’

  ‘I have a feeling the Centaurian bond should help me there. But wait … are you saying the bond is a form of mind control?’

  ‘Yes and no. Like I told you before, we don’t really understand how it works. Based on what I saw in your scans, I think I’m starting to see how the Centaurians form such a lasting attachment to their chosen partners.’

  ‘Coercion?’

  ‘Not quite. Coercion would imply making you susceptible to control, to make you do things you don’t want to.’

  ‘So what is it?’

  ‘It’s more akin to the effects of recreational narcotics but targeted towards the Centaurian. While it doesn’t change the way you feel about them, it amplifies the positive association. Significantly. Which explains the way all men seem to behave around Centaurians.’

  I laughed.

  ‘I have a feeling we’d behave like that even without the telepathic bond.’

  Jeni nodded.

  ‘You’re probably right. Centaurians all seem to have been genetically blessed. I swear I’ve never seen an unattractive one. It’s like they were all designed to look that way.’

  During my covert ops days in the Sol system I’d developed a strong sense of intuition. I just knew when I heard something, or read something, that it was significant. When Jeni mentioned the Centaurians being designed, my intuition kicked into overdrive. I knew she had just said something significant. I just didn’t know what it meant.

  I stood up.

  ‘I’ll make the call to Earth, to your husband. As soon as the Proxian situation is over, I’ll make arrangements to have him and your son brought here.’

  Jeni hugged me.

  ‘Thank you,’ she whispered in my ear. ‘You don’t know how long I’ve waited to see them again.’

  45.

  The Centaurian command deck, located on level twenty-eight, was the most fortified part of the Dyson Alpha star port. Heavily armoured guards were positioned at regular intervals, while beryllium-core doors protected secure areas, including the holding cells. Following the jail break initiated by Marvik, the number of guards had noticeably increased, as had the presence of automated sentry systems. We were standing inside holding cell 5-A, the same one Roger D had been confined to when Lars Marvik had set him up. Now the tables were turned.

  Marvik was seated on a metallic chair. His arms and legs were held in place by energy restraints. Captain Argus, Roger D and I stood in front of him.

  ‘I’m going to give you one chance, Marvik—tell us everything you know about the Proxians’ plans or we’ll ship you off to the deepest, darkest hole in Sirius.’

  The corners of Lars Marvik’s thin lips c
urled up in a smile. His grey eyes narrowed.

  ‘I guess you really are a lot smarter than you look. Judging by those ships you used to capture me, I’d say you’re also part of the Space Navy. That was an unexpected twist.’ Marvik looked directly at Roger D. ‘Did you know you had a spy on board?’

  I took a step towards Marvik before Roger D could say anything.

  ‘We know about the gateway anchors and the generators masquerading as space stations. We know the Proxians have mobilised fully,’ I said.

  I leaned closer, my hands resting on the sides of the metallic chair, my face inches from Marvik’s.

  ‘And we know about the alliance between the Proxians and the Cetians,’ I said, my voice barely above a whisper. Marvik’s reaction was immediate. His eyes opened wider and he paled visibly.

  ‘How could you …?’

  ‘You’ve seen a glimpse of the technology the Space Navy has at its disposal. Do you really think we wouldn’t find out?’

  Marvik continued to stare at me as I straightened back up. Clearly, he hadn’t expected me to know about the alliance. But would it be enough to make him talk? I knew I was taking a big risk, betting on the fact that Marvik didn’t know that the majority of the First Fleet had been delayed in the Sol system.

  ‘I don’t know how you found out but it won’t make a difference,’ he said. ‘The Proxians are coming and there’s nothing you can do to stop them.’

  ‘You’re wrong, Marvik. The invasion will fail. The First Fleet will see to that.’

  Marvik laughed. It was a cruel, mocking sound.

  ‘The First Fleet won’t leave Sol, not with Helios and Icarus on the verge of open rebellion. The few ships the Space Navy has sent won’t make a difference, not against the might of the Proxian fleet.’

  I realised my gamble had failed. Marvik knew about the First Fleet. It was time to change tactic.

  ‘What I’ve been trying to understand is what’s in it for you? What do you get from all this? Seems like you’ve taken a lot of risks and done a lot of legwork for the Proxians. What do you get in return?’

  Marvik’s smile widened.