by Frank Carey
The Xinqi hovered in front of a hole big enough for Protector to pass through. "Lights, Captain."
"Aye, sir," Tamm whispered while leaning over and flipping a switch. The area beyond the opening lit up as four bow-mounted floodlights powered up. "What the hell happened, sirs?"
Harm squinted as he looked out the forward windows. "OK, we're missing three decks and the outer hull. Note the conical shape to the missing parts. What's that back there?"
Royce examined the back wall with his ever-present pair of minibinoculars. "It looks like a jungle gym. Hmmmmm. There's a shard of blue glass sticking out from it."
Harm took the binoculars and used them to examine the device. "That moron. He used a biocrystal to bridge the universes. He must not have gotten my notes on the access codes."
"Access codes?"
"Bad name for a cool thing. I've created devices which can use these codes to jack our FTL drives to transverse the gap between universes. With a little work, we can even build semipermanent gates, at least between the Alue and League universes. Atmar tried using the designs I created for the biocrystal-powered ship. He probably ignored the section of my notes where I explained that design failed."
"Lovely. Anything more on those Logash life signs?"
Harm checked the scanner readout. “The life signs are coming from port side, middle deck.”
Royce looked and saw a large collection of equipment at the location Harm described. "In there? Great. It looks like your lab when you get bored. Tamm, Can we tether up to what's left of the deck in front of that pile?"
"Aye, sir."
"Then make it so. Team, prepare for a walk."
###
Harm and Royce stood on what was left of the deck with Team Eight taking defensive positions around them. "Harm, are you sure it's here?"
"Ten meters in this direction," he replied while pointing to the largest concentration of equipment.
"It's never easy. Tamm, Letain, with us,” Royce said. “The rest of you hang back in defensive positions. I hate surprises."
"You do? What about that party Losi threw for your birthday."
"I love your sister; I hate surprises."
"Noted," Harm replied. He walked over and grabbed what looked like an instrument rack. It rolled easily when he tugged on it. "At least he kept the wheels on the racks."
By the time the Algonquin arrived, they had found the source of the readings. It was a very large escape pod. Harm ran his scanner over it. "This is it. There's faint life signs coming from inside. They match those of the Logash from the Minerva. Shit, power fluctuations. Tamm, this is Harm, dock in front of the shuttle, and lower the rear door. Standby for immediate dustoff. Everyone, look for something marked 'RESCUE.'"
"Got it," Teggar said. "I don't know what it says, but it looks like it should say 'RESCUE.'"
"Great. Royce, can your people..."
All six Marines reached down and picked up the pod.
"Of course you can. Get her back to the Algonquin, stat!"
Once the team was inside, Harm closed the rear hatch and repressurized the bay.
"Doc! Get inside and power-up that fancy medbed," Royce ordered as everyone deactivated their spacesuits.
"Aye, sir," she yelled as she slid into the adjoining living area.
"Team, we don't know what's inside, so assume defensive positions around the pod while I..." Royce said as he reached down to release the lid.
"Royce! You're wearing a battle suit. Let me," Harm said as he stripped off his suit and knelt next to the pod.
Royce first looked down, then at his people standing around the pod, all wearing formidable battle spacesuits. "Right. Do it."
Harm pressed the switch and waited while the top of the pod opened. Inside was a tall, female Logash. Her eyes darted around in fear as she took in Team Eight.
"Computer, initiate universal translator program 'Logash One.'"
"Working."
Harm reached down and took the frightened woman's hand. He noticed her chest crystal was flashing rapidly, a sign of distress. "Hey, calm down. We mean you no harm. My name is Harmon. What's yours?"
"Kayla. You speak my language?"
"Yes. I recently met people from your planet, and they graciously taught me their language."
She looked up at Royce and flinched. "And who is this?"
"General Royce Aymar, leader of Elf Marine Expeditionary Force Team Eight, at your service, ma'am."
"General, I'm ready when you are," Doc said as she slid into sight. Kayla just stared, unable to move.
"Kayla, this is my friend, Dr. Nerst. She is an Alturan and is going to pick you up and take you to our medical facilities where you'll get checked out. Trust me, you are in good hands..."
"Tentacles," Doc reminded him while holding up a pair and waving them.
"You are in good tentacles with her, OK?"
Kayla nodded, so Doc picked her up and whisked her forward to the waiting medbed.
"This is getting stranger and stranger," Royce said. "This pod doesn't have FTL capability. How the hell did it get here?"
Harm knelt down and ran the scanner over its interior. "It’s over two million years old. Plenty of time for it to drift here from the Logash homeworld. That's odd..." He reached inside and retrieved a rectangular package about the size of a League trade paperback book.
"What is it?"
"It's a hard drive." He walked over to a terminal and laid the drive under the counter's built-in scanner.
"Shit," Harm said as he read the data. "This is the pod's log. I'm running it through the UT."
"What's it say?"
"That a number of nasty-ass lies have been told. I need to talk to our guest. I think she has some 'splaining to do."
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
Kayla sat in the lounge watching an old sci-fi movie from Harm’s collection while Team Eight watched from the galley. "Hey, Kayla, would you like some tea?" Harm asked as he sat down across from her.
"Is it safe?"
"Not only is it safe, Agendor loves it. He says it reminds him of home."
Her eyes shot over to stare at him. "Agendor lives? How?"
"Thanks to your planet's new-fangled faster-than-light drive, Agendor, Rutile, and the rest of his family unit are alive and well. Kayla, why did the Logash attack the Alue?"
"We didn't attack the Alue! They attacked us!"
"Right. That's why your pod's log shows you ordered Delna to open the bridge so that you could send in an invasion force. Why is that?"
"How dare you doubt me? I am Queen Kayla of the Logash..."
"Wow! And I'm Prince Lucien Irithyl of Ventos Prime. The big elf over there is General Royce Aymar, Bondmate to Queen Losira of Ventos Prime, my sister. I can throw in a few princes and princesses and have a full house. Why did you attack the Alue?"
"You're a prince? Really?"
"Really. Now, quit stalling and start talking."
"It was supposed to be a raiding party. Unbeknown to us, they were planning an invasion. We opened the gate, sent in a ship. It came back, but was followed by a fleet."
"What did you steal?"
"Alue. We needed them to drive our generation two FTL drives. With them in control, we could finally reach the stars in less than a lifetime."
Harm rubbed his face. "By kidnapping and enslaving a sapient race? My God..."
"Harm, give it a rest. She's tired. Remember, she's been in that pod for a long time," Royce said.
Kayla looked around. "How long?"
Harm looked at Royce who shrugged back. "She'll have to be told eventually."
"Told what? Tell me, I command it!"
"Well, since you ask so nicely," Harm said while sarcasm pooled at his feet. "You and the crew of the Minerva were in hypersleep for about two million years, give or take a century."
Kayla promptly fainted.
"Get out of my way, sirs," Doc said as she slid over to tend to the unconscious Logash. "Harmon, your bedside manner
sucks."
"So I have been told. Royce, I suggest you apprise Ange of our situation."
"What are you going to do, Harmon?"
"Make a call. I want to see if our other Logash friends are complicit in this."
"Is that wise?"
"Not if I'm the one doing the asking. Computer, Priority One message to Queen Losira. Authorization Lucien ceti alpha five."
A moment passed as the computer linked Harmon with the queen. "Go for Losira."
"It's Lucien. Are you alone?"
"Yes. What the hell's going on?"
He explained.
"Blast and damn. Do you think Agendor and his family know?"
"I'm pretty good at reading people--most smugglers, at least the ones still alive, are. I would say no. I think they're caught in the middle of this shit storm like the rest of us. Losi, Royce thinks it would be imprudent if I started asking pointed questions of our friends, and I agree with him. Do you think you might use your diplomatic skills to break the news about their queen to them?"
"Oh my gods! My little brother wants his sister's help. I think I’ll swoon."
Harm looked at Royce and got an eye roll in return. "Losi..."
"Yes, fool, I will talk to Agendor. When are you going to be back?"
"If I leave now, at max speed I can be back at the Cube in eight hours. Agendor can call if he wants to talk to his queen."
"Copy that. See you in eight hours. Irithyl out."
"Harmon, you made your sister proud and happy. Damn, my little brother-in-law is growing up!"
Team Eight choked back snickering.
"Laugh it up, General. Someday I may be king. Imagine the mess you'll have to clean up then."
"You would make a great king," Doc said.
"Thank you. Doc, how is she?"
"Asleep. I put her in one of the cabins to sleep off the sedative I gave her. She should be awake by the time you get back to the Cube. I put a monitor cuff on her and tied it into the medbed."
"Good. Anybody need a lift?"
"We need to get back to work. Have a safe trip," Royce said before sealing up his suit and following his people through the airlock. A few minutes later, The Algonquin was heading back to the Cube with its VIP passenger quietly sleeping while Harm napped at the controls.
###
Kayla awoke to the smell of tea and scones. She looked and saw Harm kneeling in front of her with a tray of food. "Good morning, Your Highness. Hungry?"
She took a scone and nibbled on it, then stopped and took a huge bite. "This is wonderful. What is it?"
"A League-famous Harmon Aymar scone. My wife loves them. How are you feeling?"
"I am well, considering how long I was in hypersleep. Two million years. How is that possible?"
"Your people make really good power supplies. Our engineers are having a field day with the Minerva, with Rutile's help, of course."
"Only seven of us remain. What have we done?"
"First, there may be others. I talked to some of my friends, and they've mounted a search of League space for pods like yours."
"Friends?"
"Smugglers. I have a sordid past."
"A smuggler prince. How unique."
"I try. As for your population problem, there are the neoLogash."
"The what?"
He gave a brief explanation about the neos, including his grandchildren. She sat and listened in shocked silence. "Are you OK?" he asked when she didn't say anything.
"They are like us?"
"They all have the DNA of their parents, but the Logash DNA is dominant. My grandkids are more like you than me. In fact, I think Agendor and his family have a thing for Ashley, my granddaughter."
Without warning, Kayla jumped up and hugged the tall elf as tears poured from her glowing blue eyes. "Thank you. You have given the Logash race hope."
"Don't thank me. If you want to thank someone, thank Chasm, my son-in-law. If anyone was responsible for the elves of Crystal meeting up with the League, it was him."
"Son-in-law?"
"Yes, he's bond-mate to my daughter, Shenda. Many League people, including elves, practice monogamy--two people in an exclusive relationship."
"You have a bond-mate?"
"Yes, her name is Marta, and she's a General in the Elf Marine Expeditionary Force."
"And the two of you are in an...exclusive relationship?"
"Yep and have been for over thirty years."
"The mind boggles. Before the...disaster, I was the alpha for a family unit of thirty-two."
"Dinners must have been fun," Harm said.
She smiled. "And you are sure your relationship with Marta is exclusive?"
"I love her with both my hearts and all my soul. Being with anyone else is as impossible as the sun setting in the east."
"On Homeworld it did, but that is beside the point," she said, sitting down.
"I assume you just tested me. Did I pass or fail?" Harm asked.
"How could you possibly know that?"
"Third Rule of Smuggling--read people. I messed that one up once and died for my troubles. Before you ask, it's a long story."
"How many of these rules are there?"
"As many as I need." Harm was interrupted when a chime sounded. "We've arrived."
"Arrived? Where?"
He pointed out the forward windscreen. The Cube came into view as she watched. She stood up and slowly made her way to the cockpit. He pointed to the copilot's seat. Taking a seat, she continued to stare at the station. "How big is it?"
"Currently, it is about a mile on a side. It grows and shrinks as needed."
"You live there?"
"When I'm working. My true home is on Ventos Prime. A lot of the stuff I do is best done in space."
"What do you do?"
He stared out the window for a moment before answering. "I fix things. Strap in, we're about to dock." He thumbed the mic switch. "Cube Flight, this is Ventos Two on final. I have a priority passenger. Request bay assignment."
"Ventos Two, be advised, your designation is now Logash One. You have clearance for landing in Bay Zero-One, over."
"Your fame precedes you, Your Highness. Copy designation change. ETA two minutes. Logash One out."
"I don't understand," she asked, perplexed.
"When I'm aboard this ship, its designation is Ventos Two due to me being Prince Lucien. You, being the queen of the Logash, have priority, so the ship's designation changes to Logash One when you're aboard."
"How very odd."
"You get used to it," he said as he guided the ship into the station.
###
Harm opened the hatch and walked down the ramp, stopping at the bottom and stepping aside as the queen of all Logash followed him out. When she reached the bottom of the ramp, Harm escorted her to a group of waiting Logash and League dignitaries as a bosun of the League Space Navy piped her aboard. As she approached, every Logash in the landing bay went down on one knee. Agendor's been a busy boy, Harm thought to himself. He gave Kayla a bow before stepping away from the worshiping crowd.
"My, my, elf. The things you find," Ruby said as Ciara led Kayla away along with a gaggle of now-ambulatory Logash.
"Ruby! From the sound of your voice, I would say you've read the report I filed."
"Yes, and so did everyone else, which is why I was told not to show my pretty face at this shindig."
Harm's face went dark. "Told by whom?"
"Ciara, Losira, several others. And it wasn't just me. All the Alue were told to keep away. Harm, you look upset."
"I'm gone a couple of days and this place goes to shit."
"I don't understand?"
"I'm sorry, it may mean nothing except that the higher-ups are being over-cautious."
"Or?"
"Or, you and the other Alue are being treated as a threat, or worse, an asset."
She squinted at him. "Like Chasm was to the elves of Crystal."
He nodded. "I need to talk to my s
ister. Look, just let it go for now and let me see if there really is a problem." He turned to leave, but Ruby stopped him.
"Don't take this path, elf. I don't know if I can save you this time."
"What path? What the hell are you talking about?"
She closed her eyes as her knees buckled. He caught her and held her while trying to find his commlink. Her eyes fluttered open, "What... What happened to me?"
"He walked her over to a bench and sat her down. “ You said something about me not taking a path and not being able to save me."
"I did? I don't remember any of that. Elf, what the hell is going on?"
"Beats me. I smuggle things; I don't read the future. Maybe you should let one of the docs check you over."
"Docs? Don't you mean Dr. Losira, your sister?"
"Yeah, of course I meant Losira."
"Harmon, you need sleep."
"So I have been told. Do Alue sleep?"
"During the day, we hang upside down in closets with the bodies of our victims providing warmth."
"Funny. You've been talking to Clint again, haven't you? That man's preoccupation with vampires is legendary."
"Yes, and you still need to get some sleep. Why don't you take a nap? I'll keep you posted, but I don't think anything is going to happen.
"You're right. Sleep will help. You will call me if anything happens."
"I promise."
Harm walked out of the bay and headed to his quarters for a quick nap.
CHAPTER NINETEEN
Harm lay down in his bed. Exhausted, he fell asleep the moment his head hit the pillow.
Around him were the ruins of Castle Atlantea where Losira and Royce lived and the seat of power for the Ventosian Royal family. Once a towering construction of adamantine steel, crystal, and stone, it now lay in ruin. Shocked, Harm called out for help, but no one answered. He looked around and saw the capital city was a smoking ruin.
"Lucien, why did you do this?"
Harm turned toward the sound of the voice and saw Losira staring at him, a hole through her chest where her hearts normally would be. Lying about her feet were the bodies of Royce, Ciara, and his family.
"I did this? Losi, how? How did I do this?"
"By not being who you are. Harmon did this. Atmar did this. You did this."
He closed his eyes and screamed as waves of pain wracked his body. "Harmon! Snap out of it." He opened his eyes and saw Xura. She was shaking him. "You're having a dream! Snap out of it!"
