“Don’t you get lonely, not talking to anyone? Seems like you could use a friend. I could try to be your friend.”
Nothing.
Eliska waited again and grew increasingly convinced of the futility of staying even a minute longer. The harker wasn’t going to talk. She stood up, dusted off her bottom and straightened her clothes. Then she cast one last look at Saeliko and turned to leave.
“I was born there, you know.”
Eliska froze in her tracks.
“Almost died there, too.”
She turned. Saeliko was still fixated on the drone images of the city. Eliska didn’t know which city it was, but guessed it was somewhere in the Concord of Mael. Saeliko was Maelian after all. Eliska resumed her position on the floor, cross-legged and facing Saeliko.
“How did you almost die?”
“Punishment.”
“I don’t understand.”
“In the Temple of the Pedagogues. It’s that big building right there.” She pointed to the display. “Another disciple was being punished because she didn’t take care of her weapon properly. The pedagogues were starving her. They kept her in a cage hanging from a tree and slowly watched her grow skinnier and skinnier. Her name was Maki, and she was my friend. So, after three days, I stole some moosha fruit and gave it to her. They caught me and almost beat me to death.”
“I’m sorry.”
Saeliko shrugged. “I learned my lesson.”
“What was the lesson?”
“Saffisheen shouldn’t have friends.”
“That’s not how I would’ve interpreted that lesson.”
“You’re not Saffisheen.”
“What happened to Maki?”
“Don’t know, if I’m honest. She survived the punishment, if that’s what you’re asking. A lot of other girls didn’t. We grew up, finished our training and went our separate ways. I never saw her again.”
“What about after your training. Did you have any other friends?”
Saeliko thought about this for a while, eyes still pinned to the screen. Her hand came up to cup her chin as she pondered the question. After an uncomfortably long pause, Saeliko said, “There was a doctor on the Epoch named Lofi. She was a good doctor and a good person. The more I think about it, the more I believe she was the best of us. I would like to think that Lofi was my friend.”
“You miss her.”
“Yes, I miss her.”
“I’m sure she misses you, too.”
“She’s dead. Someone shot her in the stomach.”
“Oh. I’m sorry.”
At long last, Saeliko tore her gaze from the display and cast it on Eliska, who immediately felt like a bacteria sample under a high-powered microscope. The doctor was critically aware of just how far apart the two of them were. She had lived the majority of her own life in relative comfort, studying books and journals in climate-controlled institutions of learning. The most grueling physical exertion she had experienced was her single year playing recreational speedball. Her most violent injury had been a sprained ankle. She had bumbled through a few relationships with men of good standing, but she had never pushed the bonds of human relationships to the boundaries between life and death.
The woman in front of her was probably seven or eight years younger but had no doubt seen horrors beyond description and experienced entire ranges of emotion that were outside the scope of normality. Eliska could see it in the intensity of her eyes and the certainty of her movements. Dr. Vonell had described her as a thug, but in this case, and a few others that Eliska could think of, the Chief of Medical Research for the Southern Quadrant was only seeing half the evidence. Saeliko wasn’t a thug. She was something else entirely.
And she was also intimidating. Eliska lowered her eyes to the floor.
“Why are you here?”
“I’m, well, I’ve been sent to help you understand the implications of, ahh, your actions, and . . .”
“No, I mean, why you?”
Eliska looked up again and reestablished eye contact. “Oh, well, I’m not so sure of that myself, but I expect it’s because I’m a . . .”
“. . . woman,” Saeliko finished.
“Yes, I suppose that’s it.”
“They realized I wasn’t talking to the men, so they thought I’d open up to a woman in an authority position.”
“Uh huh.”
“Is that what you are? Are you important here?” She gestured toward the door, indicating that she was talking about the facility. “Wherever this is,” she added.
“I’m a bit important, I guess. I’m a doctor, like your friend, Lofi.” As soon as she said that, she regretted it.
Saeliko smiled without mirth and said, “You are nothing like Lofi.”
“I’m sorry.”
“Stop saying sorry all the time. It’s annoying.”
“Right. Okay. Saeliko, I’m here to . . .”
“What is this place?”
“Pardon?”
“It was a simple question.”
“But I’m not sure . . .”
“Why do you want to be my friend?”
“Because I want to help you.”
“Why do you want to help me?”
“It’s complicated.”
“No, it’s a simple question.”
“I think we should start by . . .”
“Stand up, Eliska.” Saeliko smoothly lifted herself to her feet and motioned for Eliska to do the same.
“Okay.”
“Come closer.”
“Umm, all right.” Eliska got within a few inches of the force field. Her counterpart did the same. Saeliko was a good ten centimeters taller, so Eliska had to look up.
“Look at my eyes, not my tattoos.”
“I’m, ah. Wait. What are we doing here?”
“You want to be my friend. You are here to help me. Stop saying these things. I make you uncomfortable and you don’t want to be here. Someone ordered you to come to this room and talk to me, so at best, this is a burdensome task you have to carry out before you can get back to your life. Now, Eliska, I would in fact like to have a conversation with you, but I am confused, pissed off and tired, so I only want to proceed if you can dispense with the steady stream of lies flowing out of your mouth.”
At first, Eliska didn’t know how to respond. Initially, she felt embarrassed and very small. Then she started to get angry. She thought about building up the courage to rebuke this woman and put her in her place. Finally, she recognized the truth.
“Fine.”
“You don’t want to be here.”
“I don’t want to be here.”
“You’re not my friend.”
“No, I’m not.”
“Someone higher up the food chain ordered you to be here. That’s why you’re here.”
“Yes.”
“You’re a woman, but you’re small and scared and peevish, and you don’t like conflict.”
Eliska sighed and considered presenting counter-evidence, but then thought better of it. “Fine. Yes.”
“But you’re not stupid.”
“No, I’m not stupid.”
“And you can provide me with some much-needed clarity.”
“Yes, I can.”
“Well, thank the Five for that. Sit back down.” Saeliko waited until the doctor did as she was told. Then she did the same and continued. “I am going to ask you some questions. You will tell me the truth, or you can piss off and I’ll take my chances with the next cockwomble they send. Do you understand me?”
“Okay.”
“Am I dead?”
“What?”
“It’s another simple question. When I woke up, I thought I was dead. Kettle told me I am alive, but I haven’t made up my mind.”
“You think you’re dead?”
“It’s a distinct possibility. Knives in the chest are fairly fatal where I come from.”
“No.”
“No, what?”
“No, you’r
e not dead. You were badly wounded and unconscious when Radovan brought you to this planet, but you were – and are – very much alive. We have excellent medical technology. We fixed you up.”
“How does the magic work in this world?”
“The magic?”
“You remind me of Kettle. Bloody parrot, repeating everything I say. The magic, Eliska. These images on the wall. The light shield that broke my foot when I tried to kick Commander Saris. The lightning guns. This invisible wall between us. The gadgets you use to put bones back together and heal wounds. How do you people harness the magic?”
Eliska smiled. It was her first genuine smile of the day. “Saeliko, I can help you. I really can. I will help you. I’m going to tell you some things that will be difficult for you to understand, not because you lack the intelligence – I believe that you’re a very smart woman – but because there are many technologies in this world that have not been invented in your world. There is no magic, but it is completely understandable why you would perceive it thusly.”
“Are the Five and Twenty-four here?”
“The Five and . . . You mean gods?”
“Goddesses.”
“Right. No. Well, I shouldn’t say no outright. There are some people in this facility who believe that one or more gods or goddesses exist, but no evidence has ever been discovered to support the claim.”
“Only some people believe? Do the others get in trouble for not believing?”
“No. We have no religious persecution.”
“And no one gets in trouble for believing.”
“You’re allowed to believe whatever you want, within reason.”
“Why are they showing me moving pictures of Mael?” she asked, changing subjects and pointing to the display on the wall. “Is it a form of torture? Are they trying to tease me with it?”
“The moving pictures are called videos, and I can honestly say I don’t know why they’re showing you videos of Mael. Maybe they thought it would calm you down. Make you a little more peaceful and contemplative. You know, you’ve been less than cooperative so far.”
“Someone stripped me naked, dressed me up and tied me to a table. I wasn’t in the mood to be cooperative.”
“I’m just saying, in the past few days you’ve had a knife stuck in your chest, you’ve broken some bones in your foot trying to kick a military commander in the face, and you you’ve been knocked out twice. Maybe your predilection for violent behavior isn’t producing ideal outcomes. Maybe you should rethink your strategy.”
“Thanks so much. That’s great advice.”
“We’re no strangers to sarcasm here on this planet.”
“Glad to hear it.”
“Even the elevators are sarcastic.”
“I don’t know what that is.”
“Never mind. Let’s get back to it. I figure we’ve got about forty-five minutes before the clerk comes and takes me out of here, so I’ll try to explain as much as I can to you in that time, and you stop me whenever you have questions. Deal?”
“Not quite.”
“Why not?”
“I’d like to amend your deal.”
“How?”
“Life is about reciprocity. You get what you put in. I wouldn’t feel right accepting your help without giving back.”
“Oh, you don’t have to do anything for me.”
“Actually, I think you might need me more than I need you.”
“Okay, what exactly are you going to do for me?”
“I’m going to help you grow a spine. You’re a woman; you should bloody well act like it.”
1.5 KETTLE
The trip from MOAC to the exit gate took less than an hour. Kettle rode in one of the twelve passenger seats, but he was close enough to the cockpit that he could see the pilot and co-pilot managing the Kye-shiv’s navigation and flight controls. In front of the craft, he could also see Dremmos. Well, to be more precise, he could see blue sky and fluffy clouds beneath them. Not as exciting as he had hoped.
Dallas, Soup and Haley were beside him. Across the rounded engine cowling in the center of the vessel, he saw Radovan sitting and chatting with Dr. Svos Mallik. Three men dressed in military garb and carrying weapons were on the other side of Malik. Kettle hadn’t been given an explanation for their presence, but he assumed that they were along for the ride just in case Radovan and the four Earthlings made trouble.
Prior to the flight, Radovan had informed them that QM Brennov, Commander Saris, Dr. Eliska Tannishoy and Saeliko would be following on a second flight a few hours later. Dr. Tannishoy had evidently made progress in bringing Saeliko’s mood down from clobber-everything-that-moves to a more tolerable pissed-off-at-everyone-but-responsive-to-suggestions. That said, Kettle imagined Saeliko being escorted to the second Kye-shiv like Hannibal Lecter in full restraints and bite prevention mask.
“Gate contact in two minutes,” the pilot called out.
The engine noise suddenly disappeared, which nearly sent Kettle into cardiac arrest. The Boeing crash into the Sollian Sea was still fresh enough in his brain to recall the feelings of panic and fear with vivid clarity. He didn’t have to look over at Haley and the two Marines to know they were feeling the same.
Then he heard, and felt, the soft thrumming coming from the center of the craft. “Stealth engine,” Radovan called out from the other side. “The pilot shut off the external engines.”
“Why?”
“MOAC is near the pole. There are no people inhabiting the area, so we can be as loud as we want. VGCP Sixteen, on the other hand, is a different case.”
“Are we going to pop out over top a city or something.”
“Nothing like that. All the gates are in relatively remote areas, but Sixteen is special. It pays to take extra precautions.”
“I don’t understand,” Kettle said. “What’s special about Sixteen?”
“Umm, perhaps I can answer that with greater precision than Mr. Mozik,” Dr. Mallik said. Even Radovan was surprised at the comment and raised his eyebrows to show it. “No offense, of course, but you were stuck on Eleven for nearly thirty years. My, ahhh, understanding of the situation on Sixteen is more, shall we say, current.”
Radovan leaned back in his chair and used his hand to gesture toward us while keeping his eyes on Mallik, as if to say Go ahead. Be my guest.
“Do you want to see it?” Mallik asked the Earthlings and grinned. After they all nodded, he called out in a loud voice. “Major Juskins?”
“Yes, sir,” the pilot answered.
“Give us visuals, if you would.”
“Aye, sir.”
The space between the cockpit and the passenger hold turned into a solid wall in the blink of an eye, which caused the pilot and co-pilot to disappear from view. A second later, the wall blazed to life in stunning high definition, rendering a live feed of the view in front of the Kye-shiv.
“Wow!” Kettle said.
“Thirty seconds to gate contact,” said the pilot. His voice was unemotional, as if he had jumped from one universe to another hundreds of times before. Perhaps he had.
“I can’t see it,” Haley said. “Where is it?”
“Oh, you won’t be able to see it,” the doctor stated. “Totally invisible to the human eye. Just keep watching the screen. This is really going to blow your minds.”
Everyone in the hold stared at the display and waited. In front of them, blue skies stretched on toward a horizon shared by endless cloud cover. The sun was somewhere behind and above them, though not far enough behind to allow them to see the Kye-shiv’s shadow on the clouds.
And then, without the slightest inkling of a hint of a warning, everything changed. The clouds vanished, providing them with an unhindered view of an ocean beneath them and a coastline approaching. The lighting was completely different as well. The sun was off to their right now, and low in the sky. It was unclear whether it was rising or setting.
It was as if someone had flicked a switch. There hadn’
t been a jolt or bounce. No groaning sounds from the Kye-shiv’s frame. Not even a tingling sensation in the stomach to indicate that they were no longer in the same universe. One moment, they had been on Dremmos, the next they were not.
“Zero bogeys, radar’s clean,” the pilot told them. “Welcome to Planet Okin, ladies and gentlemen. ETA at ARCOB, three hours and seven minutes.”
Soup was the first to ask. “What’s ARCOB?”
“The Aldreas Rodello Contingency Operations Base.”
“Contingency Operations?” Kettle inquired.
“That’s Zodo-speak for military.”
“Who is Aldreas Rodello?” Haley asked.
“Not is,” Dr. Mallik corrected. “Was. He died. They named the base after him.”
“How did he die?”
“No idea. Probably doing something glorious for Zodo Corp.”
The pilot re-started the two big external engines and shut the stealth engine down again, presumably because there were no ‘bogies’ in range. For some reason, Kettle found it more reassuring to hear the powerful racket they created.
The coastline was more visible now, and he could make out features on the landscape. Inland, he could see blunted, craggy mountains scattered across densely forested terrain. It looked like certain sections of the Appalachians.
“Hey, Dr. Mallik,” Dallas piped up. “Why does a corporation need military bases?” It was a good question, Kettle realized. Earlier, back at MOAC, Radovan had provided a brief rundown of the evolution of VGCP One’s interplanetary business interests. Zodo was the largest VGCP One corporation operating off-world, but it wasn’t the only one, and collectively, they worked to collect resources and take them back to their home world. VGCP One was overpopulated, over-polluted and plagued by abnormal weather patterns and cyclical crop failures. They needed help.
That had been their original purpose. After VGCP One closed its gates, things had changed. The corporations were in search of a new raison d’être.
“For the most part, it doesn’t,” Mallik answered. “Most of Zodo’s facilities around the seventeen planets are similar to MOAC. They have a security presence but it’s primarily precautionary. The particular dynamics here on Okin, on the other hand, demand a more aggressive approach.”
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