Rogerto’s inquiry of what the Telkans asked Naylon lasted only ten minutes. Naylon made sure Rogerto didn’t get any information that might be helpful. He certainly didn’t divulge anything about the gateway issue that Ne’Uanju was so adamant about.
The men dispersed, leaving Tann and Naylon alone.
“What did you tell them?” Naylon whispered.
“Don’t agit. I didn’t tell them anything about how we really got here. As far as they know we were shot down over some planet while we were on our way to one of their outlying worlds.”
“But you don’t know the names of any of their worlds.”
“It didn’t matter. I told them I was asleep when the shooting started and I didn’t know where we were at the time.”
Fério Atore mentally went over the detailed description of the engine Tann had described. The very concept of bypassing naturally occurring spacetime conduits and warping through space wherever one wanted was incredibly intriguing. Of course, that idea had been around for a very long time. Unfortunately, a power supply such as what the young one had described to run a warp engine had never been developed. The unfathomable distances between stars never made such a technology a reality. Fério would know. He had been working on engines systems for a very long time. At first, he was sure the boy had simply made up such a bizarre concept as ‘wedges’ to deflect their attention from their real reason for being held prisoner. His suspicions about the two were mounting. That suspicion was on hold right now as he determined if Tann might actually be right. It might very well be possible to use a plasma-fusion engine to make at least a small portion of spacetime move around a ship. The monetary and energy cost would be enormous, as Rogerto had astutely determined, but who would care? The strategic advantage such a discovery would provide to Terran forces would be enormous!
Perhaps the boy was a genius. Perhaps they had been testing one of their engines when they got caught. If that were so, it might mean the technology was now in Telkan hands. Fério stopped his train of thought before he let his worst-case fears cascade out of control. There was much he didn’t know about what was going on in the Empire right now. They had been held for so long much could have changed.
During the middle of their midday meal, the doors of the main holding chamber doors slid open. Two Telkan guards stepped in and the doors shut. Again, they were in full military uniform and held weapons. They merely stood, watching the men as they finished eating. Rogerto pushed his empty plate aside, dusted his hands off, then approached the guards. He stood in front of them with his arms crossed. “Well, what is it this time?”
The guards said nothing in return. After all, they didn’t speak Empire Spanish.
The doors slid open again. It was An’Arka. “Naylon. Tann. You will come with me.”
Naylon stood up, as did Tann from the table. They looked at each other. Rogerto stepped aside and looked at them as well. “Special treatment?” he asked.
Naylon answered Rogerto before he approached An’Arka. “I seriously doubt it. I’m sure my pack of lies didn’t take.”
“They’ve become frustrated with you more quickly than I expected,” Rogerto said in return.
Both Naylon and Tann were led down the corridor. Tann turned to see the rest of the men staring at them before the doors slid shut.
Instead of being led to Minister Ne’Uanju, they were taken down a different corridor, then to a small room where another Telkan guard was standing against the far wall. The only thing in the room other than the guard was a table with a pile of clothing and gear on it. An overhead light illuminated everything. Immediately Naylon recognized his pack then one of his boots.
An’Arka was still standing behind them. “Your belongings.”
Naylon didn’t hesitate. This was too good to be true. He pulled on the zipper of the outfit he was wearing. “Hurry up, Tann. We’re getting out of here,” he said in Lingua.
“What?”
“We’re going back to Rylerra. Change as quickly as you can.”
“How do you know?”
“Trust me,” Naylon said.
Both of them were out of the thin prisoner uniforms within seconds. Tann dug through the clothing to find his things. Everything was there, including the belongings from their packs. Within minutes they were both fully clothed and sitting on the floor putting on their boots. Naylon couldn’t believe the luck. The minister actually believed him! Somehow the gateway was more important than keeping them prisoner. But he couldn’t figure out why. Then it struck him. The aliens in the cavern in their universe were Telkans. Maybe Ne’Uanju knew about them. Perhaps he knew they had gone through the tunnel or gateway, as he called it. Were the Telkans back on Rylerra looking for them? Is that why they happened to be there? Was their culture so old or continuous that they kept records of their missing companions or relatives? He knew the mummified Telkans in the cavern had been there for an extremely long time. Perhaps centuries. He knew next to nothing about this civilization, so could only speculate that the minister needed to retrieve them. Regardless of the reason, they were being released! It meant they had a fighting chance to get back to Rylerra and ultimately to their universe.
Naylon stood when he was finished, adjusted his shirt, then unzipped one of the compartments of the pack. There lay the disk-shaped object that brought them to this universe. Since it was still there, Naylon realized one very important thing. Ne’Uanju may have known there were ancient dead Telkans in the cavern, but he had no idea how to get to them or what the objects were used for. So far, his luck was holding out. He immediately took Tann’s pack and looked for the disc in there, too. It was there as well. Naylon could only smile at their profound good luck.
Chapter 34
Navar and Urret hurriedly re-boarded the ship while the captain and Selaye continued to watch the scanner on the bridge. Whoever they were tracking was headed directly toward them. The captain called Lieutenant Navar onto the bridge.
“This is impossible, sir. Our scans showed nothing just a few minutes ago,” Navar told him.
“They might have been picked up by the Telkans and taken out of scanner range, then dropped back off. They’re headed this way and show no sign of detecting us. Otherwise, they surely wouldn’t still be steadily coming in this direction. Have Urret and Agrida wait for them. Use the stealth shields. Stun them only. I do not want them dead.”
Navar was greatly pleased at this turn of events. “Yes, sir.” He turned and left the bridge. Urret and Agrida were waiting in the corridor and grinned once they got their orders. They quickly gathered together the equipment they needed and left the ship.
The captain then ordered Commander Selaye to take the ship a kilometer to the south at the lowest possible altitude so as not to be seen. He wanted to make sure they were nowhere nearby in case the Telkans also decided to return, too.
Urret and Agrida found a spot some distance from the ship before it took off. They stopped and took a bearing on the two approaching targets. They set up the stealth shields again and waited for their quarry to come into view. They looked at each other with great surprise when Darreth and Rehl came out from the vegetation into the open. These Terrans were definitely not their former ‘guests’! It wasn’t their place to ponder what was going on, yet Agrida did just that. Where were all these Terrans coming from? He was sure they were light years behind enemy lines and far from any other Terrans. Urret tapped on Agrida’s shoulder then aimed his weapon. Agrida nodded an okay and aimed his as well. Darreth and Rehl had no idea they had been hit. They were on the ground and passed out within fifteen microseconds of each other.
Agrida disabled the stealth shield, then placed the generators into their bag and zipped it up. He carried it over to the two unconscious Terrans. He looked over at Urret, who was scanning the immediate area. No Terran or Telkan life signs or energy signatures of any kind were nearby. Good, they were totally alone now.
“Captain, Agrida here. All clear. Our guests are asleep. But g
et this. They’re not Naylon and Tann. I say again. They’re not Naylon and Tann.”
Captain Pacudas, Commander Selaye and Lieutenant Navar were standing together on the bridge, looking at the readout, which was being relayed from Urret’s scanner, and heard Agrida’s report. All three of them looked at each other in astonishment.
Doctor Renarde had Darreth and Rehl strapped to the med tables in the infirmary. The observation room next door was crowded with men as they discussed what might be happening on this out-of-the-way planet. Darreth and Rehl’s effects had been pulled from their packs. Everything was on top of a table. Their weapons had been removed. Commander Selaye casually looked at one of the discs and observed its iridescent color. All of the Terrans they had come across so far had one. It was impossible to discern their use, yet they had already determined the objects emitted no energy of any kind. They were essentially inert. Maybe they signified their clan or family. That’s all he could guess as he dropped it to the table. He had decided the scanning equipment didn’t appear to be all that sophisticated. When energized, one of the screens displayed a menu of choices. Pacudas, standing next to his commander, scrutinized the words. He recognized none of them.
“I assume this is the same language?” the captain asked Selaye.
Selaye looked out to the corridor at Urret. “Where’s Ocio?”
“She’s behind me. Why?”
“Have her come in here.”
Daníl came in. Selaye had her look at the words on the screen. It was just her luck she had a relative who had married an Anglan years ago. She had been briefly fascinated with her in-law’s first language and had spent a few hours learning a few phrases just for fun. This, on the other hand, was nothing but seriousness and she wasn’t at all happy to be considered an expert. “Sir, I don’t know this language. Like I said before, I only know a few words. This looks the same so I’ll say yes. Will that be all, sir?”
“For now,” the captain interjected, noting her tone.
Renarde’s voice came over the speaker that connected the observation room to the infirmary. “Captain.”
Pacudas looked up through the observation room window to see Renarde pointing to Darreth. He was moving his head from side to side.
“Ah, we’ll find out right away,” the captain told everyone in the room. The men and one woman moved out of the observation room and made way for the captain to get into the infirmary.
“Un-strap him,” Pacudas said to the doctor.
The doctor and Urret went to each side of Darreth and untied his arms and legs. Darreth groaned then shook his head again as he opened his eyes. Immediately, he could tell he was in a sickbay of some sort.
“Who are you,” Pacudas asked him.
“Huh?” Darreth responded. Maybe I didn’t hear the question right, he thought. “What did you say?” He swung his legs over the side of the table as he sat up. It was immediately obvious this was a highly sophisticated ship. “Who are you people?” he asked.
Pacudas stepped forward. “Lingua?” he asked. At this point, he knew the word to use.
Darreth saw that Rehl was either passed out or dead on the other table. The look of alarm on his face was evident to everyone. “What the hell did you do to him! If he’s dead, you’ll pay. I swear you’ll pay!”
The doctor was at the ready. He touched the cylinder to Darreth’s neck before he knew it. It took a few seconds for the sedative to kick in. Doctor Renarde pointed to Urret who stepped behind Darreth. They both caught him as he fell backward onto the table.
Several hours later Darreth woke up. The only people in the room this time were Rehl who was already awake, and the doctor.
“Good, you’re back with us. The captain will see you both,” the doctor said.
“What the hell did you do to me?” Darreth said angrily as he sat up. He closed his mouth as soon as he said it. He was acutely aware he wasn’t speaking Lingua.
“We’re speaking something called Empire Spanish,” Rehl told him.
“What?”
“Banned tech,” Rehl offered.
“Huh?” Darreth shook his head. It was the most bizarre feeling knowing he was speaking a language he had no memory of learning.
“The doctor over there told me they used an RNA injection on us so we could speak their language.”
“What the fruck for?”
“Because these people don’t speak Lingua.”
Rehl’s explanation was cut short when Captain Pacudas entered the room. Darreth noted the man’s uniform right away.
“More Terrans on the Telkan side. This is very interesting. Who are you men?” the captain said to Darreth.
“Who are you?” Darreth demanded.
“I am the captain of this vessel. My name is Pacudas. But I will ask the questions. If you don’t answer me you will be dealt with accordingly.”
The doctor looked up at the captain. That was rather harsh, Renarde thought. He, too, was fully aware the men had committed no crime other than perhaps not knowing the Empire’s language. And that wasn’t a crime as far as he knew. So far, even the other two Terrans they had discovered couldn’t be considered collaborators either. So, that crime didn’t fit either.
“My name’s Darreth.”
Rehl held up a hand and half-heartedly waved at the captain. “Rehl.”
“Darreth and Rehl. Where are your companions?”
“We’re alone.”
“I think not. Naylon and Tann won’t get far.”
Darreth’s instant noticeable reaction was exactly what Pacudas was hoping for.
“So, you do know them. Where are they?”
Darreth looked at Rehl. It was obvious the captain knew them and had contact with them. ‘They won’t get far’ meant they were alive! But why did these men even know about them in the first place? Had they been captured and later escaped? As concerned with their safety as he was, Darreth calmed himself. What mattered most was they were alive. “We’re here to find them. They got lost from our party.” He didn’t know how much to give away, but his concern was overwhelming.
“Four Terrans on this stinking Telkan world and no ship. I want to know how you got here. I also want to know where your friends are. In fact, I want to know why you’re working with the Telkans.”
“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” Darreth told him.
At that moment Tasker Vas walked by the open doorway.
“Holy fruck!” Darreth was sitting on the med table. He slid off and unconsciously backed into it. He didn’t get far since it was firmly bolted to the deck plating.
The captain was momentarily taken aback at Darreth’s reaction. Rehl reacted the same way, instinctively reaching for a now non-existent pistol that should have been at his hip.
Tasker Vas simply continued on his way without even looking into the room.
“What was that?” Rehl asked.
The doctor was closest to him. “Tasker Vas,” he said flatly.
The blank look on both Rehl’s and Darreth’s face told the captain everything he needed to know now. Clearly, all of these men were not from Empire-held space. Otherwise they would be well aware what a Tasker was.
Darreth and Rehl were both given a meal and water. The doctor insisted. He then asked the captain for a private audience in his ready room.
“Captain. These men have violated no Empire laws. The only question we have is why they’re behind enemy lines.”
“There’s something very odd about this little band of Terrans. I intend to get to the bottom of it.”
“But sir, we’re already days late getting to our objective. How are we going to explain it to…”
The captain cut him off. “Doctor, I will ask you to not question my orders.”
“Of course not, sir. I’m merely pointing out we’ve already lost the two men we found earlier and are behind looking for a way out of here. The longer we stay put the more likely we’ll be detected by the Telkans. Do we want to risk that?”
The captain leaned back in his chair. The doctor had a point, but there was important intelligence here that might change the course of the war as far as he was concerned.
“Doctor, I certainly do not have to answer to you.”
“No sir. You do not.”
Regardless, Pacudas explained himself. After all, his doctor wasn’t being insubordinate, just concerned. “Clearly these men are somehow outside the influence of the Empire and under some sort of influence of the Ascendency.”
The doctor realized he had the captain’s confidence back. He sat in front of the man’s desk. “Yes, clearly something is going on here that has no precedent I’m aware of.”
“Exactly. I have every intention of completing our mission. But there’s important intelligence to gather here. I’ve been doing some thinking. I believe the Telkans here have embarked on some sort of breeding experiment to create agents loyal to Ascendency interests. We very well may have stumbled on it.”
Despite the lack of clear-cut evidence for that conclusion, the doctor couldn’t exactly dispute the captain’s speculation. Perhaps the Telkans had attempted to breed Terrans. Maybe that’s the reason for the tech he had found buried in three of them. Or perhaps it was for control purposes. The explanation Naylon had given them could have been a ruse useful to deflect their attention away from the real reason they were on this planet.
Pacudas continued. “The other men. Darreth and Rehl. Perhaps they were sent to find Naylon and Tann. It is entirely possible the first two escaped the breeding colony and are fugitives. I intend to find out. Bring them in here.”
The Rylerran Gateway Page 33
