The Rylerran Gateway

by Mark Ian Kendrick

  Their cells were side-by-side. Naylon hadn’t had an opportunity to say anything to Tann about their predicament. He yelled it instead, “Don’t agit, Tann. I’ll think of something.”

  He didn’t hear a reply.

  With their Terran prisoners now onboard, the Mu’Anelko’s sublight engines were energized. Second Tier Engineer Ba’Tekta activated the conduit detection system and chose the closest one less than one AU from the planet’s orbit. He touched the surface of the screen in front of him, sliding a finger against the dark glass. The display connected their coordinates with the entrance, locking them in to the nav computer. The ship slowly altered its vector until it was aimed directly at its mouth.

  The Mu’Anelko’s destination was this star’s sister known as Jop’Kav. Once the conduit opening was reached, it would be a matter of a few hours before they arrived back to their base on the waterworld in that system. A world the Telkans had settled only seventeen revolutions previous. A much prized world because of its planetary ocean and abundant life, it was one of four jewels of the Ascendency. The warm waters culled genetic memories of the Telkan past when they too slid through waters such as those. For that reason alone, it was well known as a choice duty station.

  Leader Sa’Par and Ranger An’Arka stood in front of the viewscreen at the science station on the bridge of the Mu’Anelko. The screen was split in two. An infrared image of the two holding cells where their prisoners were being kept for the time being was displayed. Naylon was just sitting on the bunk. Tann was feeling every inch of the walls, looking for something. An’Arka emitted a chuckle. He knew the Terran’s search for a way out would be fruitless.

  “The taller one is called Naylon. The other is called Tann,” An’Arka told Sa’Par.

  “They are the ones who helped you escape?”

  “They are.”

  “Curious.”

  “Indeed. As I reported before, their clothing is not the same as the others. I conclude they are not military. They may be colonists.”

  Sa’Par’s nose moved from side to side, the Telkan way of indicating a negative. “Our scans of M’jas’la have indicated no Terrans have ever colonized the planet. I’m not certain how they could have arrived here without our knowledge.” He hesitated. “Terrans have strayed this far from their space,” he added, musing. “We will have to double patrols of this planet and request a speed up of colonization.”

  “It may be a rogue scout ship looking for intelligence. It has happened before. Certainly not this far from their known territory. Perhaps they’re on their way to Q’emt’la and just stopped here briefly. After all M’jas’la isn’t as well occupied by our people as is Q’emt’la.”

  Leader Sa’Par was privy to intelligence his Second Tier Ranger was not. The closest Terran outpost was twenty-five light years from this system. None of the mapped warp conduits ran between this system and any in Terran space. In fact, there were only three known conduits that terminated into Terran occupied space. Was it possible the Terrans had some sort of new stealth technology they were as yet unaware of? Was it possible a warp conduit somehow terminated into this system that was as yet undetected? Discovering how the Terrans had managed to get here was paramount. Questioning their prisoners would be the first order of business once they arrived.

  Naylon kept himself occupied in the almost-pitch-dark cell by doing pushups and sit-ups. Lots of them. He did twenty, rested, then twenty more, then rested even longer. After a short while, he did some more. Tann occupied himself by masturbating. Twice. He felt considerably better afterward. Now, all alone in the dark with nothing else do, there wasn’t much else to occupy his time except to sleep.

  Meals were marked by a short time when the lights were raised. Two guards brought each of them a tray with lots of unidentifiable vegetables and some sort of gelatinous mass in a bowl, along with eating utensils. Naylon figured the gelatinous mass might be the equivalent of a protein product. It smelled delicious. At least they weren’t being mistreated, he noticed. After the first meal, Naylon simply put his tray on the floor, not having any idea when his jailers might be back to collect it. They returned what seemed like a half hour later. The guard took his tray then pointed to one of the walls of the cell. He handed Naylon a small vial of orange liquid. The guard left, with Naylon staring at the vial then the wall, not sure what to make of what he had in his hand. As the lights dimmed again, a small section of the previously plain wall illuminated. It was a built-in display screen. A bald shirtless Terran male, or what Naylon thought was one, was pantomiming to open the tube, pour the liquid into his mouth, swish it around, then spit it into the sink. Naylon opened the tube and briefly took a whiff. It smelled vaguely like bananas. He hesitated, then realized that without a toothbrush, this may be the only way for him to freshen his mouth. The vid ended and the wall went black. Naylon tossed back the liquid and swished. Instantly, his mouth was awash in several flavors. Bananas, blackberries, then something completely unidentifiable but vaguely like cinnamon. He spit the liquid down the sink, then sat the empty vial next to it. He was being sequestered, but not mistreated. It made no sense. He was sure he was considered a prisoner of war. Why was he being treated so well, he wondered, though assuredly thankful.

  At least one sleep period passed. Naylon hadn’t heard any screams or odd noises, so had to trust Tann was okay and wasn’t being mistreated either. Finally, the lights rose and stayed on, but no one arrived to open the doors. Several times he heard footsteps on the other side of the door when he placed his ear against it. He figured they had been in flight, but to where?

  Hours later the door unceremoniously slid opened. The same two guards, along with An’Arka stood there. Tann was with them already.

  Naylon was motioned to exit the cell. The cell had been rather warm and he had been shirtless for quite some time. He took it from the bed and donned it quickly, following them. Tann wasn’t being restrained, nor was he. Apparently, the guards, all being much larger than them were enough to assure they would comply.

  “Are you okay?” Naylon asked him.

  Tann gulped and nodded. “What are they going to do with us?”

  “Can’t hurt to ask,” he told Tann. Then to An’Arka, “An’Arka, where are you taking us?”

  An’Arka didn’t answer right away. He appeared to be listening to something they couldn’t hear. Presently, though he answered Naylon. “You are on Q’emt’la. You will be taken to Minister Ne’Uanju for questioning.”

  “What is Q’emt’la?”

  “A Held World of the Ascendency.”

  “Which is where?”

  An’Arka’s standing orders were to simply shuttle his prisoners to the interrogation chamber and return to his ship. Nonetheless, he knew it wouldn’t hurt to show them who was in charge. “Q’emt’la orbits the sister star.”

  Naylon wasn’t sure what a sister star was, then almost immediately realized that based on the amount of time they had spent in the cells, they couldn’t be too terribly far from Rylerra. “Is this the waterworld that circles the yellow star near where we were taken prisoner?”

  “Our Held World,” was An’Arka’s simply reply.

  Naylon turned to Tann. “I think we’re back on Andakar.”

  Tann fully comprehended what was going on now. “Yeah,” he agreed sadly. “But it’s not our Andakar.”

  Naylon noticed that no matter where they had been taken on the ship it was well lit. All of the corridors had brightly colored walls. The ship was considerably larger than the Terran one, too. The only thing that was odd was the strange sour odor in the air now, totally unlike the one they had smelled previously. Perhaps it was the Telkans. Could their atmospheric controls not scrub their body odor out? Maybe they didn’t want that to happen. Perhaps they communicated by odor.

  A dock had been attached to the airlock where they were being led. It had rows of windows along the sides and ceiling, letting in the sunlight. As they were being led through it, both of them were able to o
bserve their surroundings. They had landed on a pad in an evident spaceport near a shoreline. To their right was a mountain range. Something about the mountains looked familiar, but Naylon hadn’t focused his attention on it just yet. Nearby was a skyline of several tall buildings, all highly ornamented and shining in the sun with brilliant colors. Everywhere they looked it seemed even the simplest item was highly ornamented with what looked like writing or designs. That included the uniforms the aliens wore outside the docking corridor.

  A tall piece of unidentifiable equipment blocked Naylon’s view of the mountains briefly. As they passed it, he looked again.

  “Tann, does that peak over there look familiar?”

  “That’s Ytok Peak in the Patoria Mountains. This is Andakar!”

  “Like you said though, it’s not our Andakar.”

  The dock connected them with a windowless shuttle. From there, only An’Arka led them to it where they were instructed to stand with their backs against flat metal panels. Almost immediately after stepping up on them Naylon noted his feet appeared to be stuck to the surface. As soon as he put his hands to his sides his back seemed to be attracted to the panel too and he could no longer move. Tann was stuck steadfast as well. Localized high gravity fields, Naylon thought. Thunder, these beings are seriously advanced! The shuttle ride was short. As soon as the side door opened, the panel’s gravity fields were deactivated. Both of them were finally able to move freely.

  Two Telkans who appeared to be in non-military clothing approached and spoke to An’Arka briefly. Naylon noted both wore bright yellow flowing robes adorned with embroidered designs and what appeared to be the ornamental writing he’d seen all over the ship that brought them here. Naylon and Tann merely observed the interaction. An’Arka continued with the two new aliens, speaking to them in their language at intervals along the way. They continued to be led down several plush corridors in the building where they had been taken.

  Eventually they came to a wide ramp. They passed by only two other Telkans along the way, both of who stopped and stared at them as they passed. The second time it happened Naylon stared back. He could discern no emotion on its face. Eventually, they were led into a semi-circular corridor with several closed doors along the walls. To the right were double doors. An’Arka waved his hand in front of a sensor and the doors slid open. The other two Telkans behind them stayed there. An’Arka motioned for Naylon and Tann to go ahead of him. They emerged into a spacious room with noticeable adornments on the walls. Art. Lots of it. In two corners were plants, too. The room looked like the den of a home rather than something found on a military base, if this were indeed a military base.

  Behind a desk at the far end of the room sat a large imposing Telkan. Naylon knew right away they had been sent to see someone in authority. Perhaps the minister An’Arka spoke of earlier. This one was wearing a sleeveless shirt that appeared to have no obvious zippers, catches or buttons along the front. He observed the band around the Telkan’s bare upper arm. It had three bright gold medals on it, arranged in a triangle. He decided it was a rank insignia.

  “Minister Ne’Uanju,” An’Arka told Naylon.

  The minister spoke to An’Arka for a moment.

  “He told me you are prisoners of the Telkan Ascendency.”

  “No kidding,” Tann said.

  Naylon looked at Tann briefly then back to An’Arka. “Tell him we are not Terrans.”

  There was a brief exchange between the two Telkans. Ne’Uanju pressed an icon on the flat display in front of him. He spoke, then a computerized voice translated for him into Empire Spanish.

  “You are Terran, yet you say you are not. Why do you even attempt to deceive me with that ridiculous statement?”

  Naylon hoped the translator worked both ways. “What I meant to say, sir, is we were not with the group of Terran’s on the planet where we were taken prisoner. We weren’t supposed to be there at all. We are not your enemies. They are.”

  There was another brief exchange between An’Arka and Ne’Uanju. Ne’Uanju spoke directly to Naylon.

  “M’jas’la is a Telkan Held World. How did you get there?”

  “M’jas’la?” Tann asked Naylon.

  “My people call it Rylerra,” Naylon told the minister.

  More words between Ne’Uanju and An’Arka.

  “Repeat that name,” An’Arka told Naylon.

  “Ry-ler-ra,” Naylon said slowly.

  Ne’Uanju spoke to his desktop computer, looking for that word in the database. There was no result to his inquiry.

  “You are lying,” Ne’Uanju told him.

  “No, your database doesn’t have that name in it because we’re not from your universe. We don’t belong here. We arrived on… M’jas’la accidentally through some sort of-of dimensional tunnel. It’s in a cavern on that planet. We took refuge there and went through it, not knowing we would end up… here.”

  It took a moment for An’Arka to process what Naylon had said. Once he understood what Naylon was describing he chuckled noticeably. Naylon heard it as a wheezing sound.

  But Ne’Uanju was immediately keenly interested. “The gateway?” he said aloud.

  “Sir?” An’Arka asked.

  “From the Time Before.”

  An’Arka was quite familiar with the Time Before story. It was the nearly universal tale told to Telkan children about their culture. More legend than history, it nonetheless told of the Great Loss.

  Two thousand years ago, their people had achieved space travel only to encounter a deadly alien race shortly thereafter. The race’s name had long ago been lost. One version of the legend held they were called the K’ell. There was very little actually known about them except that they had superior weapons and technology, and were uninterested in not much more than hunting alien races. At the hands of the K’ell, many people had died and much knowledge about their very own history had been lost. That was because the K’ell had been very effective in their dealing with Telkans they had come across: they simply wiped them out and destroyed their technology. Slowly but surely, the K’ell drew ever closer to the Telkan homeworld until a last stand was made by a group of exploration ships that hadn’t yet been destroyed. A classic Trojan horse gift had been given to the K’ell in an attempt to appease them. The gift of a biological weapon. As far as the Telkan people knew their weapon must have done exactly what they intended since within months not a single K’ell was ever seen again.

  The Telkans had been successful in preventing the annihilation of their species. That was the fortunate part. The unfortunate legacy was much more devastating. The last stand had come too late. Their struggle against the K’ell had done irreparable damage to their civilization. Their interplanetary economy had been shattered, preventing much more than trying to survive. A nine hundred year Dark Age befell Telkan civilization. It took another three hundred years for the Telkan race to re-emerge from their homeworld star system once space flight was rediscovered. From that point in their history, they once again followed their natural biological tendency, which was to explore and gather knowledge.

  Three of their outlying worlds, each with small populations, were found and brought back into the collective fold. Hundreds of years later, the Terran Empire confronted them. By that time, the Telkans had colonized dozens of worlds spanning fifty light years in every direction, and had unified their long-separated cultures into a single huge collective called the Telkan Ascendency. Until encountering the Terrans, they had never come across any alien spacefaring culture although they had come across the devastated K’ell homeworld, which they immediately judged off-limits to any Telkan.

  The gateway was one story in the overall ancient Time Before legend. In the story, B’rint, the sole survivor of a scientific team on one of the first expeditions to a now unknown double-star system, told a bizarre tale of a mysterious cavern. Within the cavern lay an inexplicable stone with a tunnel in it. The tunnel led to another dimension which one could cross over to and then return from.
With so many double and triple star systems near the Telkan homeworld, no one could be sure if the story had merit since no trace of a so-called gateway had ever been discovered. No one knew how the gateway had gotten there, but it was said the exploration team had discovered how it worked quite by accident. Most of the details were lost, but some remained. The gateway was in a cavern on a temperate world. The tunnel to the gateway went deep into a mountain. At the other end of the gateway was a world very much like the one they came from. Unfortunately, shortly after that discovery, the K’ell had discovered the expedition and killed almost everyone. The legend didn’t detail whether the K’ell had ever found the cavern or not. Most likely, they didn’t though because of their tendency to simply wipe out Telkan settlements or outposts.

  As far as Ne’Uanju was concerned, the collected stories of the Time Before were either totally fabricated, had been greatly embellished or were nothing like what had actually occurred during that awful time. But one thing he was sure of: it was impossible this Terran had ever heard the legend. Which meant he knew of a real gateway.

  Ne’Uanju motioned for An’Arka to come near. “Do you know of the story about the gateway in the Time Before?”

  “My clan hails from Haj’ret’sa, Minister Ne’Uanju. Our tradition doesn’t tell of a gateway.”

  The Minister gave An’Arka a mini-summary, emphasizing the double-star system setting and the temperate world where it was located.