by Adair Hart
“Not quite. It was a portal through another dimension. The Torvatta is capable of creating these portals and is unique in that regard,” said Evaran.
Dr. Snowden sighed. “I suppose that’s something that requires more time to understand.”
Evaran smiled. “You are an inquisitive being. I am glad to see this event has not dampened that.”
The ship broke cloud cover on the planet and descended toward the outline of a forest. It landed on a patch of orange-colored grass. The soft impact caused the krall to walk over to the window. Her skin turned light orange as her eyes widened.
Dr. Snowden looked out. The ship was sitting at the edge of a forest of unusual-looking trees. He shook his head. “I’m honestly not surprised that we time traveled and jumped all those light-years, given everything I’ve seen so far.” He exhaled sharply. “My first alien planet.” Emily walked beside him and grabbed his arm.
“In this time period, the Grimlyn Empire has already fallen. This planet was one of the few that still had kralls on it. She will be able to live out her life without fear of being captured for service.”
Evaran stood up and walked over to the ramp leading to the back of the ship. He clapped his hands, and the krall walked over to him. Dr. Snowden and Emily followed her. They walked down the side ramp to the entrance. Evaran walked down the angled entrance ramp leading outside.
The krall walked down the ramp toward Evaran, pausing to look back. Dr. Snowden wondered if she was thinking why they were not coming. She looked forward and walked down the ramp toward Evaran. Dr. Snowden and Emily walked over to the edge of the ramp to watch them leave. Emily grabbed his arm. When he looked at her, he saw her eyes were misting. She was as attached to her as he was.
The krall stopped again and looked back directly at Emily. Her eyes softened as she looked at Evaran, who nodded. She turned around and walked up to Emily. Emily wrapped her arms around the krall’s neck. Her tears flowed freely, dropping onto the krall’s big paws. The krall reacted by nuzzling the side of her head. After a few moments of Emily sniffling, she stood back and smiled, wiping the tears from her eyes.
The krall turned and walked over to Dr. Snowden. She looked at him as if expecting a hug as well. The look stirred something in him. She had saved his life, and his pent-up emotions burst forth. He bent forward and hugged her. She nuzzled the side of his head as tears flowed down his face. He didn’t like crying, but he’d done it more in the last day than he had all his life. He was losing a good friend. She had survived, as he did, against all odds. After a few moments, he stood back and wiped the tears off his face. She looked at them both, then turned and walked back down the ramp toward Evaran. Dr. Snowden sighed as he watched them walk down the ramp and out of sight.
After Evaran and the krall had left, Dr. Snowden and Emily rushed to the front of the ship. Evaran and the krall walked a bit away from the front of the ship. They watched as Evaran put his fist on his chest and then moved his arm out, pointing forward. Evaran opened his hand as the krall fixed her gaze on his hand. She then pointed her head down. Evaran put a hand on each side of her head and placed his forehead in contact with hers.
“What’s he doing?” asked Emily.
“Saying good-bye,” said Dr. Snowden with narrowed eyes and a cracked voice.
The krall stood back up and looked at the ship as if able to see Dr. Snowden and Emily through the window. She then turned and ran off into the nearby forest. Evaran turned to look at the front of the ship before he walked back. After a few moments, he walked up the ramp and into the command area.
“She said to say good-bye and good travels and hoped you get better,” said Evaran.
“Get better?” said Dr. Snowden, looking at his hands and arms.
“She could smell the nanobots on you. They produce a certain smell via your sweat,” said Evaran. He tapped at his ARI. “V, take us to these coordinates.”
“Acknowledged.”
The ship took off and headed toward the sky. After a few moments, they were back in space. V pulled up the galactic map and swiped at the controls, causing a new galactic map to appear. V pressed on a region, causing the map to zoom in. The map then focused on a solar system.
Dr. Snowden recognized the solar system as home. He watched as the outside shimmered like before. He then saw the same gold beam as before shoot out. The circular portal appeared, and they went through. He knew there would be points of light appearing and disappearing on the walls inside the tunnel, so he focused on them as the ship traveled through the tunnel. He couldn’t make anything out of the points of light since they appeared and disappeared rapidly. The ship exited the tunnel above Earth.
Evaran glanced off to the side and tapped at his ARI. “V, stealth mode.”
“Acknowledged. Torvatta stealth mode engaged,” said V.
A smaller screen off to the right of the large screen showed the Torvatta go from a textured view to a wire outline. Underneath it were some statistics.
Dr. Snowden scrutinized the display as the Torvatta descended. The Torvatta was powerful. It could go through space and time, cloak, and who knows what else. It also had dimensional rooms. It was clear to him that Evaran with the Torvatta and V possessed immense power, yet he didn’t believe Evaran was corrupt. That could just be him projecting the notion of power causing corruption. Maybe that was a human notion and not a universal one.
The Torvatta descended to a dark patch of highway I-70. Dr. Snowden could make out the outline of a car on the side of the road. The Torvatta landed off to the side of the car.
“We are now on Earth by your car, one hour after your abduction. It is time to go,” said Evaran.
They followed Evaran off the bridge and down the side ramp to the entrance. They then walked down the ramp leading outside. Dr. Snowden recognized his car sitting quietly on the side of the road. He checked to make sure his car keys were still in his front pocket. They walked over to the car, and he unlocked the passenger’s front door. “Well, that’s my car all right.”
Evaran walked around the car. When he was on the other side, he bent over. Dr. Snowden heard a clinking sound, but when Evaran stood up, he saw nothing out of the ordinary. Evaran walked back around the car. “Your life is now free to continue as it was. I will stop by, let us say, in three months, on May 5, 2012, at 6:00 p.m. I want to make sure you both are doing okay, and I should have enough information to extract the nanobots should you so desire.”
Dr. Snowden nodded. “We’ll definitely be looking forward to seeing you again.”
“Remember what I said about keeping this to yourselves,” said Evaran as he extended his hand to Dr. Snowden.
Dr. Snowden shook Evaran’s hand and then pulled him into a hug. He felt Emily hug both of them. He was going to miss Evaran. This abduction was one of the roughest moments of his life, and Evaran had stood with him. He had been fair to them, more than was required. He was one of those people who just stuck out, not because of what they wore or what they said, but what they did. Dr. Snowden stepped back, wiping his drenched eyes. Emily grabbed his right arm and wiped her eyes.
Dr. Snowden’s perspective on life, and reality in general, had changed in his time with Evaran. He learned that he shouldn’t dismiss things based on his misunderstanding of a situation. He learned that Emily was not a little girl wanting airplane rides anymore; she was a strong young woman. He learned that first impressions were not always absolute, like with Jay and Sanjay. Perhaps the biggest change was his realization that it was okay to show emotions like he had with Kazryn. He shook his head and exhaled through his nose.
“Oh, you may want this. I will need it back when I return,” said Evaran as he handed a disk to Dr. Snowden.
“What is it?” asked Dr. Snowden.
“The logs the Krotovore kept on you. It does not contain any technical or engineering details, just their observations and a bit of their history. I replicated a disk that your computer will understand and transferred the information ove
r to it. It will read like a set of log entries, and if anyone were to read it, they would think it was a work of fiction,” said Evaran.
Dr. Snowden’s eyes lit up, and his lips parted.
“I am still unclear as to why they selected you four, but will sift through the data on my ship later and see what I can find. If I find something, then I will let you know. You two will be fine. When I come back, dinner is on you,” said Evaran with a half smile.
“You got it,” said Dr. Snowden with a cracked voice.
Evaran nodded. “Everything is as it should be.” He walked back to his ship, pausing at the ramp to look back.
Dr. Snowden saw Evaran wave, turn around, and walk up the ramp while looking at something in his hand.
Jay’s eyes burst open as he sat up on a slab. His breathing was ragged as he slid his legs off the side. He ran his hands over the bag covering his severed arm and swiveled his head as a robot entered the room.
“You are awake. How are you feeling?” said the robot.
Jay jumped off the slab and licked his lips. “Who the fuck are you, and where the hell am I?”
The robot tilted its head at Jay. “I am V, or Blue Ball as you have designated, in full-body mode.”
Jay sighed. “Blue Ball! Damn, glad to see you, man.” He looked around. “What’s going on?”
“You passed out after you lost your arm. Evaran found a Krotovore gel that is regenerating your arm. In a month, it will be fully regenerated,” said V.
Jay wiggled his arm stump around. “It doesn’t hurt.” He looked up at V. “So it looks like we got off the ship. What happened with the others?”
V walked over to one of the replicators on the side of the room and picked up a container of water. V took the container over to Jay and handed it to him. “Dr. Snowden and Emily are back on Earth. Evaran saved Jerzan and one of his mercenaries. They are in a Bilaxian prison, which is where we are now. Evaran wanted to talk to you before heading in to see Jerzan.”
Jay nodded and then took a sip of water.
After a few moments, Evaran walked into the room. “Jay, you look well.”
Jay exhaled. “Yeah. Doin’ all right, I guess. Heard you got Doc and Emily back safely and saved some of those merc assholes.”
Evaran half grinned. “Dr. Snowden and Emily will be glad to see you when you get back to Earth. As for Jerzan, I am about to visit him and Jahl. I wanted to show you something before I go. Also, if you have any questions, feel free to ask them.” Evaran walked toward the medical lab entrance, with Jay in tow.
Jay scratched his head. “What’s the date?”
Evaran half turned his head as they exited the medical room. “March 16, 2013, two weeks past the events of the Krotovore ship. I made several stops while you were unconscious and then traveled to this point in space and time. From my perspective, it has only been a day since the Krotovore ship. ”
Jay sighed. “More of that time-travel crap. Not sure I fully understand all that.”
Evaran half smiled. “You do not need to. Come.” He stopped outside a door that was two doors to the left of the entrance ramp.
Jay looked around. “So this is your ship.”
“It is. V will be your guide for the month you are here. He can give you a tour of it. Step into this room, and I will show you something I believe you may enjoy.”
Jay stepped into the room. He squinted as he looked around. The room was large and had a white floor and walls. “What the hell is this?”
Evaran and V walked into the room. Evaran gestured to the back of the room. “It is my holo room. You can recreate anything you can imagine in here, within reason.”
Jay jerked his head back. “Anything? Not following.”
Evaran looked up at an angle. “Computer, run program Jay Home One.”
The white walls shimmered as the room changed into a replica of the street Jay’s house was on. Jay stumbled back. “What the fuck!”
“We are still in the room. These are just solid holograms.”
Jay reached down to touch the street. His eyes widened.
“V will help you learn how to use it. V is interested in learning more about Earth culture, so this will be good. Any other questions before I head out?”
Jay smirked. “Can it create living things?”
Evaran nodded. “It creates an approximation.”
Jay’s smile widened as he pointed at Evaran. “Ahh, man, you know what I’m talking about.”
Evaran half smiled. “I do. V, make sure the room’s busy signal is set appropriately. I will be back soon. We can have dinner, or if you wish to discuss more things, we can.”
Jay slapped V on the back. “I think me and Blue Ball will be okay. When you see Jerzan, slap the shit out of him for me.”
Evaran nodded and walked out of the room.
Evaran exited the Torvatta, where two Bilaxian guards awaited him. They nodded at him and took him into a large building built inside an asteroid. After twenty minutes of various checkpoints, they arrived at a dimly lit hallway with doors on each side. They walked to the second door on the left. One of the guards pressed a button on the wall console outside the door.
“Hey! Assholes! You have a visitor,” said the guard.
“What?” said Jerzan.
“A visitor.”
“Who is it?”
“Evaran.”
The sound of thumping and dropped metal rang out. The guard pressed another button, and the door slid open. The guard faced Evaran. “You have twenty minutes. Do I need to get a body bag?”
Evaran wrinkled his eyebrows. “No, I am not here to harm them. Just to talk.”
The guards laughed. “Well, they ain’t gonna survive here for long. If it ain’t you, it’ll be someone else.”
Evaran nodded. “Noted.” He walked into the room. Jerzan and Jahl had their backs pressed against the other side of the room.
“You come to finish the job?” asked Jerzan.
The door slid closed. Evaran raised a hand toward them. “I am not here to harm you. I just have a few things to say. Please sit.” He gestured toward the tattered beds on each side of the room. Jahl looked at Jerzan, then sat on his bed.
Jerzan exhaled sharply, then sat on his bed. “So what the fuck you want?”
Evaran walked to the center of the room. “First, the people of Neoparene have forgiven you.”
Jerzan laughed. “What? We kick their ass, and they forgive us? Their weakness is irritating.”
Evaran nodded. “They were initially planning on giving you Teelah Crotoris. I talked them out of it.”
Jahl scrunched up his face. “What’s that?”
“A disease. It forms an exoskeleton and takes forty years or so to form. The remaining years after that are excruciatingly painful from what they said,” said Evaran.
Jerzan and Jahl grimaced.
“My second topic deals with the impact of what you did. Your massacre on the planet has caused the Bilaxian Empire to elevate Neoparene to a member planet due to knowledge pollution. They went from a simple society to one with access to advanced tech. That usually does not turn out well. I disagree with the Bilaxians on this,” said Evaran.
“Well, good for them, I guess. Sounds like we helped them. What does that have to do with us?” asked Jerzan.
Evaran looked down at the ground for a moment, then glanced back up at them. “I have traveled up and down the timeline in this area for a while now. My first visit two thousand years or so in the future was a while ago. The Neoparene and Dalrun were the dominant powers in this region. They had a rivalry but got along for the most part. The Bilaxian Empire had fallen, and the Neoparene, with their advanced intellect, took their place.”
Jerzan shook his head. “Time travel. I swear. Galkett actually believes you can.”
Evaran furrowed his eyebrows. “That is because he does his research. Now, I went back to the future to check if the Bilaxian embrace of Neoparene had any impact. My second visit showed only
one dominant power, and it was the Neoparene. The Dalrun Empire was broken and scattered. Apparently the Neoparene advanced much faster technologically, which gave them an edge. They also were aware of what was out there, and built technology to prevent what you did from ever happening to them again.”
Jahl smirked. “So you think we’re guilty.”
“Partially. I am guilty as well. I showed the Neoparene better farming techniques. This led to them being detected by your crew. If I had not helped them, you would not have detected them, as they would have hidden from you instead of thinking you were another person from the stars out to help them. I did not know you were going to pass over the planet and do what you did, but it is done,” said Evaran.
“Well, what do you want us to do about it?” asked Jerzan.
“Nothing. I wanted you to know what the consequences of your actions were. That’s all I have to say,” said Evaran. He turned and walked back to the cell door.
Jerzan licked his lips and stood up. “Wait! If you can time travel, maybe you could take us back to our younger selves, and we could change all that.”
Evaran shook his head. “That is not how it works. It is already woven into my past.” He walked over to the cell door and pressed a button on the wall console. He half turned his head back around. “I took the liberty of visiting this prison twenty years in the future to check on your status.”
The door slid open. Evaran walked out and turned to face them. “There was nothing to get a status on.” The door slid shut.
I hope you enjoyed the first book in my new series! There will be many more to come. If you enjoyed the book, and have the time and inclination, a review would go a long way in helping out this new indie author. If you do submit a review, I’ll put in a word to Evaran to rescue you if you ever get abducted by aliens. Want to be notified about new book releases? If so, you can sign up below.
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