The Awakening (The Hyperscape Project Book 1)

by Donald Swan

  Argos paused for a moment, as if to collect himself. “I found something while going through Admiral Onaka’s belongings. Apparently, he had another reason for coming aboard. Something important enough that he had to be sure there were no spies on board before he revealed it. He never had the chance to tell me the real reason he came here, but I soon discovered the incredible truth. The time of prophecy is truly upon us. I didn’t believe it myself at first, but then I saw this.” An image of an I.S.A. patch identical to the one on the shoulder of Nick’s flight suit popped up on the screen. The synthetic fibers around one edge of the patch were melted and charred. The letters I.S.A. were still clearly visible. Argos’ voice continued in the background. “This is an image taken of an artifact in the Royal Archives. This artifact was placed in the archives over two thousand years ago!”

  Arya paused the display. Her eyes were wet with tears.

  Nick sat still, frozen in bewilderment, his brain seized up with a million questions as he tried to assimilate what he had just seen and heard. “What? How?” he stammered, baffled by the news. He shook his head. “That can’t be right.”

  Nick glanced at Arya’s wet eyes. “It can’t be right.”

  “There’s more,” she said sadly.

  Arya pressed the button again and the message continued playing. “I thought that there must have been some mistake, but when I saw this next image I knew there was no denying it.” Another image displayed on the screen.

  Nick’s stomach lurched, and he sat back so hard in his chair that the legs screeched against the metal flooring and almost toppled over backwards. Nick righted himself with difficulty and continued to stare at the vid display. There displayed on the screen was a two thousand year old hyperspace probe! The exact same probe the Ashok had launched into hyperspace only days before. The pattern of scratches on the side of the probe’s casing confirmed it. He recognized the gouge that had been made when his screwdriver had slipped and scratched the side of the case. It was definitely the same probe. But how the hell did it end up two thousand years in the past?

  Argos continued. “My only conclusion is that Nick must, at some point in the future, travel into the distant past. That’s how the prophecy was born. Our ancestors found the probe and the data it contained, but they had no way to decipher the exact date the events occurred. They were only able to retrieve enough data to create the story in the prophecy. Unfortunately, there’s no mention of what became of the hero in the prophecy. No one outside of the Royal Family was ever supposed to know about these artifacts. The relics were only discovered when the Royal Archives needed to be hidden due to the encroaching war. They were imaged and then moved as quickly as possible to a location off home-world for safe keeping. Arya, the hidden location of the Royal Archives is in Demented Space. It’s the perfect place to hide something. It’s off the charts, and even the Mok’tu avoid that area due to its space-time distortions.”

  Argos drew a deep breath and positioned his hands behind his back, looking even more like a commanding leader. “The coordinates for the secret vault are attached to this message. There are indications that the Dragorans have already been trying to locate it. They can’t wait to get their hands on it and stamp out any remaining embers of hope for our people. They don’t want to leave any remnants of power that may someday come back to haunt them. They want to destroy the Royal House and everything in the Royal Archives, once and for all. Get to the archives before they are lost forever. And watch your back. You’re the best hope for the future of our people. Remember, Arya…the Royal House and its power is still alive and well…within you!”

  Nick stared at the floor in deep thought for a long time. Karg and Arya sat waiting, silently watching for his reaction. When Nick finally spoke, his voice was calm and determined. “The probe may have collected important data before it…whatever the hell happened to it. I need to see that data.” Nick’s eyes glazed as his mind raced through the implications of this new discovery.

  Arya looked like she had just as many questions. She shook her head in confusion, and a little fear. “But the patch. The burnt patch. Two thousand years in the past? Nick, what does it all mean?”

  The adrenaline racing through Nick’s veins snapped him out of his deliberation. He could tell by the desperation in Arya’s voice that she was concerned for his safety. “Don’t worry, we just need to get to that probe and find out what happened. Um, what will happen. Maybe we can change the future.”

  Nick struggled not to let his own fear show. A burnt I.S.A. patch found two thousand years in the past was not a good sign. The damn prophecy was real, and it seemed to indicate an unpleasant demise for him. But he couldn’t get all mamby-pamby right now. He had to stay level-headed. It would take effort, concentration, and every wrinkle in his scientific mind to crack this puzzle and prevent his own death.

  Arya straightened visibly in an attempt to pull herself together. “Right. We’ll just have to change the future. Karg, get these coordinates to Sirok. But make it clear that I don’t want anyone else to know where we are headed, or why.” Arya handed Karg a crystal containing the data for their destination.

  “Yes, Sir!” For the first time since Arya had become Captain of the Ashok, Karg addressed her with the courtesy and respect due her. His entire demeanor changed as he slipped from being her friend into being the person she could rely on to help her save Nick’s hide. She was never more appreciative of her big lug of a friend, and never more proud.

  Karg’s eyes gleamed as he stood to leave the room. He gave her a formal salute and then hurried off down the corridor, leaving Arya staring after him, wondering what their fate would be now. And what new horrors her people might face out there. And Nick. What of Nick?

  She turned her head to look into his blue eyes. He was deep in thought, his mind clearly churning over a plan. She couldn’t help but smile. Odd as it seemed, she wondered where she would be without Nick, if he hadn’t been flung into her galaxy and pulled onto her ship.

  She reached out and placed her hand over his. He caught her forefinger beneath his thumb and squeezed gently. She stared at their two hands, so different and yet…so very similar.

  “I’ll come up with something,” he murmured. “I’m not ready to die yet.”

  Arya stifled a sob. “It’s just that…. I only just now got you back after thinking you were dead, only to discover that you are the prophecy and I might lose you, after all.”

  He turned his palm over and gently clasped her hand. “It’s not gonna happen,” he said. “I promise you that.” He gave her hand a tug so she would look up at him. “You gotta trust me on this one.”

  She reluctantly nodded.

  “I need you to stay focused. You gotta be strong.”

  She caught her lip between her teeth and nodded again. The movement sent glimmers of reflected light through her long, green hair. Nick smiled. She bit back another sob and then finally returned the smile.

  “See. It’s gonna be okay,” he promised.

  “I believe you,” she whispered.

  “Good.” He pulled away and stood up. “Because we have work to do.”

  Nick sat on his favorite crate in Bay One. He’d taken a break from working on the module to eat a sandwich and was gulping down the last bite when Karg strolled through the door.

  “Hey,” Nick called out. “I haven’t seen you all day. What have you been up to?” He moved his drink to make room on the crate for Karg.

  “Eating, cleaning my rifle, eating, a little combat training, and um…eating.” Karg sighed as he sat on the crate next to Nick. The crate creaked and groaned under his enormous weight.

  Nick glanced down. The metal container was bound to give way one of these days. “You keep eating like that, and we’ll have to reinforce the chairs in your quarters again.”

  “Can’t help it, have to keep up my strength. Rakozians are known for eating vast amounts when preparing for battle.”

  “Battle? We’re just going to fin
d a hidden library of old relics. More like an archeological dig.”

  Karg raised a boney brow. “When have we gone anywhere without ending up in a fight?”

  “Never,” Nick sighed. “Damn, just once I would like to relax. Go fishing maybe.” Nick leaned forward with his elbows on his knees and stared at the module.

  Karg glanced over and noticed the necklace hanging from Nick’s neck. “So, that’s what a Sacred Amulet looks like. I’ve never actually seen one before, just heard about them from stories.”

  “Yeah.” Nick held the amulet away from his chest as he looked down at it. “Here, take a look.” Nick pulled the necklace over his head and tried to hand it to Karg.

  Karg leaned away from Nick. “No. I…I don’t want to.” His eyes wide with fear, he motioned for Nick to take it away from him. Karg scooted his rear end over to the edge of the crate and tucked his four arms close to his body to avoid getting too close to the amulet.

  “Karg, you look like my sister Susie when I tried to hand her my pet Boa. What the hell is wrong with you? It’s just a necklace. Come on, take a look at it. The workmanship is extraordinary.” Nick turned the amulet in his fingers so Karg could see the intricate detail of the metalwork.

  “I said no!” Karg jumped up and took a step back. “Keep it away from me.” His voice crackled with fear.

  Nick laughed. “The great and mighty Karg, scared of a little necklace.”

  Karg shuddered. “They’re said to possess powerful magical qualities. Just touching one can kill you.”

  Nick paused with his mouth open for a second, amazed and a little tickled at the vision of Karg cowering from a necklace. “Who says?” Nick asked.

  “What?” Karg was too busy avoiding the amulet to even hear what Nick had asked him.

  Nick held the necklace out in front of him. “Who told you that these have magical powers?”

  Karg took another step back. “It is a story told to the young. It is a tale about a man who snuck into the Royal Palace and tried to steal the Queen’s Sacred Amulet. When he touched the amulet, he turned into a stone statue. The Palace guards found the thief’s stone body the next morning, still holding the amulet that he tried to steal. It is said his statue still decorates the Palace Hall to this day, as a warning to others.”

  Nick grinned. “Children’s fairytales? You’re scared of fairytales?”

  “The tail of some creature has nothing to do with it! I don’t even know what a fairy is. How could I be afraid of its tail?” Karg defended.

  Nick frowned. “What the hell are you…? Oh…no. It’s not….” Nick shook his head and started over. “There is no fairy and no tail. It’s all one word. Fairytales are stories told to children. Sometimes they are meant to frighten them into being good. Your amulet story just sounds like a fairytale to me.”

  Karg straightened to his full height. “I’m not scared. I…I just don’t want to take any chances, that’s all. I’d rather someone made a statue in honor of me, not out of me,” Karg said, trying his best not to look scared.

  Nick stared up at this friend. “Right. I see.” He had to fight hard to hold a straight face. A tear formed in one eye as he clamped his lips shut and tried not to laugh. The uncomfortable look on Karg’s face was just too funny. Nick didn’t think he would be able to contain his laughter much longer if Karg continued to stand there looking like a spooked kid.

  Nick placed the amulet back around his neck and patted the crate next to him. “Buddy, come on, relax. I promise not to touch you with my amulet.”

  Karg took a hesitant step toward the crate.

  “I promise,” Nick said. “Come on, sit down, we’ll chat.”

  Karg hesitated.

  “Not about the amulet. About something else,” Nick assured him.

  Karg cautiously came closer. Nick grinned and shook his head. A second later, Karg eased his bulk back onto the crate. Nick stared at his massive arms. He still had trouble getting used to something so scary being so easily spooked.

  “How did you get those scars?” Nick motioned with his chin to indicate the scars on Karg’s abdomen. “Must have been one hell of a fight.”

  Karg looked down at the scars across his abdomen then ran a finger along one of the long, raised patches of skin. “When I was a young boy, I went hunting with my father and was attacked by a Tarnac. It was a baby one. Only about eight or nine hundred pounds. It gored me with its tusks.”

  “That must have frightened your father. Did he kill it?”

  “Kill it?” Karg looked puzzled. “Why would he do that? He took me out there hunting so I could catch one. We didn’t kill it.” Karg looked completely dumbfounded by the human’s ignorance. “I jumped on top of it and wrestled it to the ground. Then I held it down while my father put a collar on it. We loaded it in our transport and took it home with us.”

  Nick squinted and cocked his head in utter confusion. “Wait. Let me get this straight. You didn’t kill it? You brought it home with you? Alive? Did you say nine hundred pounds? Tell me that was just a translator glitch.”

  “Yeah, perfect size to bring home. You wouldn’t want to take the poor thing away from its mother any younger than that. He was the best pet ever, too. Sure do miss Spot. I used to ride him around all day, holding on to the thick fur around his neck. Spent many a night sleeping out under the stars, leaned back with my head resting on Spot. Great times those were.”

  “Spot?” Nick shook his head quickly and his eyes fluttered as his brain attempted to process what he was hearing. “It was your pet? Your father let you keep it?”

  “Of course. Every boy gets to hunt his own Tarnac when he is of age. ‘Course not everyone is able to bag a Tarnac the first time out. My father was so proud that I did.”

  “You called him Spot?” Nick paused, a grin breaking over his face. “Oh, I get it now. This is another one of your jokes, isn’t it? Yeah, play a joke on Nick because he’s the new alien on the block. Do I look stupid or something?” He threw up his hands and shook his head. “Don’t answer that.”

  “Not stupid. Ignorant maybe.” Karg grinned. “And, no, it’s not a joke. I called him Spot. It’s a good Tarnac name. He had the cutest white spot on his left side, right in the middle.” Karg looked at Nick real serious like. “And you never joke about a boy and his Tarnac. It’s a sacred thing, it is.”

  Nick’s eyebrows went up as he shrugged. “Okay, cool. You had a nine hundred pound teddy bear.”

  “What’s a teddy bear?” Karg asked. “Is that what humans have for pets?”

  As Nick was explaining the concept of teddy bear to Karg, a familiar whir came from the direction of the doorway. Sirok buzzed into the hangar bay in his transportation gizmo to check the transport’s readiness. He was just in time to hear Karg roar.

  “Teddy bear! I’ll show you a teddy bear!”

  Nick jumped up and hauled ass away from Karg as the big guy lunged off the crate and reached for him. Nick was running away from Karg when he almost ran head-on into Sirok whizzing across the bay. He managed to weave around Sirok and his gizmo and scrambled out of the hangar as fast as he could.

  Sirok spun around and watched Karg slide out of the doorway in pursuit. He could hear the sound of Nick’s voice fading as he ran away down the corridor.

  “Karg! I’m sorry! It was just a joke!”

  Karg’s deep voice echoed through the bay. “I told you, never joke about a Rakozian Tarnac!”

  With the Ashok in orbit around a small rocky planet, the team prepared to head to the surface of what they had dubbed Beta-Nine, the larger, nearby twin of an unusual binary planetoid system. They were trying to divert attention away from their real target by keeping the ship at a distance.

  “I wish we could just beam down,” Nick mused.

  “Beam down? What the hetek are you talking about?” Arya queried curiously.

  “I wish you guys had matter energy devices.”

  Arya was instantly intrigued. Always eager to learn more about ad
vanced technology, she looked at him with gleaming eyes. “You’ve seen such a thing somewhere before? One of these matter energy devices? And what exactly does this device do?”

  “Well, no. Not exactly. It takes the atoms of your body and converts them into energy. Then it beams that energy to the planet’s surface, where the same energy is then transformed back into your body.”

  Karg scrunched his nose. “Do you have any idea what it would take to manipulate a beam of energy to reconstruct the atoms of your body at that distance, to that degree of precision? That’s utterly ridiculous. I think, as you have said before, someone was pulling your egg.”

  Nick looked at Karg like he was a dunce. “It’s leg. Not egg. Pulling your leg. And no one was pulling my leg. It was just a video show. Fiction about what the future would be like.”

  “Fiction? See, someone was pulling your leg.” Karg shook his head. “Where do you see these things?”

  “It’s Star….” Nick broke off and rubbed his closed eyes in frustration. It was too complicated to explain to someone who’d never seen a vid show. “Never mind, I was just making conversation.”

  “You waste any more time and I’m going to personally turn your atoms into energy,” Arya huffed. “Come on, get in the dran transport.” Arya was anxious to get to the planet and find the hidden Royal Vault. She prodded Karg’s backside with the butt of her plasma rifle in an attempt to hurry them along.

  All three stepped inside, and the door clanked shut behind them. Arya wasted no time. She hopped into the pilot’s seat and started take-off procedures. In no time, the transport sprang to life. The engines whirred softly in the background as the instrument panel lights popped on. A three dimensional holographic image of the bay appeared from a center console. The display made the transport easy to navigate in almost any environment. Arya brought the ship up off of the deck a few feet and turned it around one-hundred-and-eighty degrees.