by Selby, Caleb
“Who’s that?” the Sentinel challenged. “Show yourself now!”
Darion looked up and was surprised to see the same homeless looking vagabond he had spoken with minutes earlier appear from behind another tree and limp toward them.
“Its just me,” the man said. “You wouldn’t happen to have a stick on you would you?” he asked the Sentinel. “Its such a cold night and I thought you...”
“Get out of here!” the Sentinel barked.
The grubby man shook his head. “Now there’s no need to get upset young man. I just wanted to know if you had a stick. If no, that’s fine. They’re no good for you anyhow.”
“Well I don’t! Now get lost before I start target practicing with your ears!” he snapped and raised his gun menacingly.
But the moment the Sentinel lifted the gun from Darion’s head, the homeless man produced a weapon of his own from beneath a layer of his filthy clothing and without warning fired three rapid shots into the Sentinel. Darion closed his eyes in near agony with each shot, as they were by far the brightest things he had ever seen. When he could open them again he looked and noticed the Sentinel dead beside him. He then glanced up at his unlikely savior just as he was removing a fake beard and several textured strips of rubber from his face.
“Kebbs!” shouted Darion in relief and bewilderment. “What are you doing here?”
“I thought you’d be needing some help tonight,” Kebbs answered and lowered a hand to Darion. “From the looks of things, I was right.”
Darion took his hand and stood to his feet. After he brushed himself off he looked around and noticed additional Sentinels arriving across the street. “We’re not safe here,” he said and nodded toward a thick hedge several yards behind.
Both men retreated into the hedge and cowered down beneath the thick branches and leaves. They had barely taken cover within when an emergency response shuttle sounded out overhead and came to a steady hover above the building, sirens blaring, and lights flashing.
“They don’t see us,” Kebbs commented. “We should be safe for now.”
“Good,” said Darion looking at Kebbs intently. “Because I want to know what in the world is going on and why I am in the middle of it all?”
Kebbs chuckled, well aware that Darion’s recent experiences must have been trying.
“This isn’t funny!” Darion snapped. “This is my life we’re dealing with here. Now what is going on?”
Kebbs peeked out of their hiding place once more before nodding and looking back at Darion. His expression told of a dilemma just trying to find the right place to start what must have been a very, very long story. He gave up the struggle and picked a spot.
“I got in some trouble Darion,” he began and then wished he had started somewhere else. “After your brother...after he died I got pretty messed up. I did some stupid stuff trying to forget my problems and I eventually got locked up as you know.”
Darion looked on without expression or comment as Kebbs continued.
“About six months ago I was allowed entry into an early release program that hooks up minor offenders with sponsors to help reintegrate us into society with some level of stability. My sponsor was this really terrific man named Professor Jabel. I honestly can say he has been the closest thing I have ever had to a father Darion. He helped get me a job, find my own place and teach me respect and the value of hard work. I really owe a lot to him.”
“So you’re living happily ever after,” retorted Darion. “I don’t care! What does this have to do with me?”
“Jabel headed up the Clear Skies Project,” Kebbs said, regaining Darion’s attention. “He knows about things that you and I have never heard of. He has insight into the forces around us and how to deal with them. He is a very special person and chose to sponsor me because I knew you.” Kebbs paused. “He wants you.”
“Because you knew me?” exclaimed Darion. “I don’t get it. Why mess with you when he could have contacted me directly?”
Kebbs shrugged. “He wanted to use me as an intermediary between you and him that would not draw suspicion.”
“For what?” asked Darion.
Kebbs smiled. “Originally he wanted your help get something called the Origin Codex.”
“The Origin Codex?” exclaimed Darion.
“Yes! Have you heard of it?”
“Only in passing. But you said that was the original goal? What is it now?”
Kebbs reluctantly nodded. “Our priorities have now shifted to a more immediate concern, repairing Clear Skies. We were too late to divert the loss of your army but if we act fast, we should be able to destroy the Krohn fleet heading here now. Maybe not before it lands troops, but perhaps in time to help Admiral Fedrin reclaim our world when he comes back.”
“And you know how to do all this?” asked Darion skeptically.
“Not a clue,” answered Kebbs with a shake of his head. “But Jabel does. And we are going to meet him as soon as we rescue my cousin.”
“Your cousin?” asked Darion.
“Reesa,” answered Kebbs.
“She’s your cousin?” exclaimed Darion shaking his head. “Is there anything else you want to tell me? Like are you really a Branci with two pairs of arms tied behind your back? Have I been in a dream machine for the last week? Come on! This is ridiculous!”
Kebbs chuckled. “I know that a lot of weird things have happened to you and I’m sorry. We had planned on easing you into a lot of this but unfortunately the enemy’s timetable was not our own. But we don’t have time to dwell on this. We need to get Reesa out. They’ll kill her if we don’t.”
“Do you know where she is?” asked Darion.
“I do,” answered Kebbs. “I was watching you two at dinner last night and I tracked them with her after they left.”
“And?”
“They took her to your old office suite of all places,” said Kebbs. “I don’t know how we are going to get her out of there.”
“I may have an idea,” said Darion.
Kebbs looked up in surprise.
“Armid thinks I have this Origin Codex thing,” explained Darion.
“Why does he think that?” exclaimed Kebbs.
Darion shrugged. “I spotted the word drawn on a piece of paper left behind by Reesa. I gambled that Armid knew what it was and sure enough, he seemed willing to trade Reesa for it.”
“What do you propose?”
Darion shrugged. “An insane idea that probably won’t work.”
“Which is?”
“Divide and conquer,” answered Darion. “I will contact Armid and tell him that I want to trade the Codex for Reesa and bring him on a wild goose chase through the city to find it. While I am doing this, you make a play to rescue her, which should be easier with half of his Sentinels chasing me added to the fact that they don’t know you exist as a threat. Their guard will be down and hopefully you can rescue her safely.”
“Hopefully?”
“Its all I got,” said Darion with a shrug. “And unless you have something better, we need to move on this fast. The Krohns are on their way and once they get here, rescuing her will be impossible.”
Kebbs reluctantly nodded. “Seems like the best plan we have at the moment. But before we start, I have one question for you.”
Darion looked up. “What’s that?”
“Why are you doing this for someone you hardly even know? Why are you risking yourself for someone who up to last night was putting on a charade for you?”
Darion smiled and then shrugged. “Two reasons I guess. One, I feel it’s the right thing to do. I’ve been living for myself for a long time now and look where it’s gotten me. You and Reesa seem to know something about how to fix what’s going on and I want to be a part of it.”
“And the second?”
“Reesa is really cute,” said Darion as he tapped several buttons on his link.
Kebbs rolled his eyes.
“I’ve been waiting for your call,” said Armid over Darion’
s link. “Are you ready to deal?”
“Depends,” said Darion. “Are you guys going to blow up another building you think I’m in?”
“I’m sure I don’t know what you are talking about,” sneered Armid.
“Yeah sure,” retorted Darion. “Ok. Here is how this is going to work. I’m going to give you the Codex and in return you are going to let Reesa go.”
“Sounds fair,” said Armid. “Where do you want to make the switch?”
“We’ll meet tomorrow morning in the Kespa town square,” answered Darion.
“Why not tonight?” asked Armid. “You really want Reesa to suffer through another night here with me?”
“Not really but I need to get the Codex before I can deal,” said Darion. “Tomorrow morning is the first chance I’ll have to get it from where I’ve hidden it.”
“And I suppose you want to confirm Reesa is fine?” Armid asked.
“That was my next question,” said Darion confidently.
A quiet moment followed before Reesa’s voice sounded over the link. “Don’t do it Darion! Don’t give him the Codex!”
“That’s enough!” shouted Armid as he once again came on the line. “You happy General?”
“Very,” answered Darion. “Now you just keep her healthy until tomorrow morning and we’ll both get what we want. Deal?”
“Deal,” answered Armid and cut the link.
“Here goes nothing,” said Darion turning back to Kebbs.
“Where will we meet up?” asked Kebbs.
Darion shrugged. “I haven’t gotten that far.”
“Do you still have the paper you picked up with Origin Codex written on it?”
Darion reached into his pocket and retrieved the small folded note and handed it to Kebbs. Kebbs took it and examined it carefully, using the light from the backlit link pad to see it. “There it is,” he said waving the note. “She did it!”
“Did what?” asked Darion leaning in to see the note better.
“She hacked your mainframe and found out where the actual Codex is hidden. See these small numbers written in each corner?” he said, pointing at the note. “It’s the address where it’s stored, I’m almost sure of it.”
Darion shook his head, remembering Reesa frantically working at her station when nothing seemed to be going on.
“Lets meet there tomorrow afternoon,” added Kebbs. “Make sure you’re not followed.”
Darion suddenly ripped his link off his hand, taking with it a small amount of skin. He grimaced for a moment and then held it up. “I’ll be there,” he said confidently. “They’ll be too busy chasing this all over the city.”
Kebbs smiled and after wishing Darion luck, he redressed himself as the homeless man and slowly walked back out into the night in the direction of Darion’s old office.
After he had gone, Darion crept out of the thicket and keeping to the shadows, made his way to a public transport platform. He had just reached it when the local pod pulled up.
“Everything ok there?” an elderly pod operator asked as Darion stepped aboard. “You look rough.”
Darion didn’t answer. He looked around the sparsely occupied pod before quickly walking to the last row of seats. After sitting down, he withdrew his torn off tele-link from his pocket and shoved it underneath a seat cushion and switched it on, allowing it to be tracked over the cortex.
He then sat back in a daze, trying to catch his breath all the while watching the opened door. He couldn’t tell if he was followed or not, but he kept his hand in his pocket holding his last piece of security on the planet. It was a matter of great relief when the door finally sealed and the pod began to coast away from the platform.
The pod’s single thrust engine was just coming on when Darion peeked out the window and watched in awe at his burning apartment building as it silhouetted itself against the blackness of night. Emergency personal were being lowered down from the small ship above, while several others already on the ground were trying to access the nearest water supply in order to combat the blaze.
He was just about to breathe a sigh of relief when out of nowhere, a Sentinel jumped onto the platform and came face to face with Darion. Darion looked at the Sentinel for just a moment before offering a large smile and pleasant wave. He knew that he couldn’t be touched as long as they all thought he was their way of getting the Codex. He knew that rouse wouldn’t last forever but he took comfort that it would work for the evening. He was terribly tired and needed some rest.
“Sorry back there,” the pod operator called out to the Sentinel over a small speaker. “I got a schedule to keep. The number seven will back around in about twenty minutes or so.”
The Sentinel stood still and watched as the pod picked up speed and headed down the tube.
***
The Defiant slowly approached the outskirts of the vast asteroid field. Rocks, ranging in size from pebbles to the size of small cities, tumbled and turned as they trembled in the gravity field exerted by the distant Guardian star.
“Scanner results still coming back empty,” Hoirs, the Defiant’s First Lieutenant, quietly said again to Commander Drezden who was peering intently over his shoulder.
“Keep scanning,” Drezden said and patted Hoirs on the shoulder. “Just a few more sweeps and we’ll head back to the fleet.”
Hoirs rested his chin in one hand as he looked blankly at his scanning screen. The pulses of scanner waves pushed back and forth through the rocks in search of the mysterious signal’s source. Still nothing. Maybe the Iovara had just caught a random spook wave? It was possible. Stranger things had happened in the vast expanses of space than source-less radio signals.
He was just about to start another triangulation sweep when a shape suddenly appeared on one of his screens. It was too uniform to be a typical asteroid, but the lines were not well defined enough to accurately say for sure what it was. He blinked his eyes several times and looked again. Still unable to identify it, he sat up and focused the scan in the vicinity of the object.
“Commander!” he shouted out. “I think you need to see this!”
Before Hoirs could finish his sentence, Drezden was once again hovering above his shoulder looking down at the screen.
“What do you make of that?” said Hoirs, pointing to the irregular shape nestled snuggly behind one of the larger asteroids.
Drezden stroked his chin as he studied the shape Hoirs had identified. “Can we get a better look at it?”
“It will be hard operating the scanner in this field,” Hoirs said as he tried to fine tune the sweep, only to lose the image. “To clean up the picture we’ll need to get through some of this interference so we can raise the frequency.”
Drezden continued to stroke his chin as he contemplated what his Lieutenant had told him. “How far in do you think we’ll need to go?”
Hoirs shook his head. “It’s hard to say for certain, but I wouldn’t think too far. Really all we should need to do is get to one side of that big rock there to get a clean reading,” he finished, pointing to the screen.
“All right then,” said Drezden, exhaling deeply and looking around at his bridge staff. “Buckle up everyone! This might get a little bumpy!” he announced before occupying his own chair and securing his harness.
“Shields set to maximum, Sir!” the tactical officer reassured Drezden.
Drezden nodded. “Take us in Lieutenant, nice and slow. Maintain ship radio silence and keep down all internal sounds. If that is an enemy, I don’t want to give it any warning of our presence.”
“Aye, Sir!” said Hoirs as he began to plot the tricky course through the asteroids ahead.
“I want the crew to be on silent battle stations,” Drezden said to his tactical officer. “And keep those shields burning at maximum and man all secondary turrets. If any of those asteroids get too close, I want them blasted out of my space.”
“Got it!” replied the officer.
With battle stations manned and nerves
on edge, the Defiant slowly entered a narrow channel within the asteroid field. Large asteroids, lumbering through space like drunken giants constantly threatened to fall into their course. But the plotted course was good and most stayed just out of the way. Just the same, the cannon gunners eyed them cautiously, hoping against hope they wouldn’t fall into the Defiant’s flight path.
Hoirs watched the irregular shape on his screen intently as the Defiant pushed deeper and deeper into the field, ready at any movement to make a drastic course correction.
After several tense minutes had elapsed, Drezden removed his harness and walked up behind Hoirs and looked down at the screen. “What do you think?” he asked after studying the forms for a moment.
“I can’t say,” remarked Hoirs. “Some of the lines are definitely becoming more defined but exactly what it is, I just don’t know. It’s possible that it’s just an asteroid with a natural radio resonance and we are going through a lot of trouble for nothing. But still...”
“Keep on it Lieutenant,” Drezden said cutting him off as he walked toward the front of the room and looked out the large main window.
Massive asteroids, just ahead of their flight path, tumbled out of the way as the vessel continually forged ahead. Drezden’s searching eyes scanned the field ahead of them, soaking in every detail. A sudden movement to his right caught Drezden’s attention. An asteroid, twice as large as the Iovara was tearing toward his ship with tremendous velocity! Before he could utter a command, a lone cannon blast shot forth from the ship’s forward facing turret. The blast struck the asteroid dead on, blowing a portion of it off but not enough. Another round shot at it, taking off yet another chunk but leaving the bulk intact.
“Hoirs!” yelled Drezden. “Intensify forward fire power! There’s a big one coming up off the upper starboard side!”
Before Drezden had finished speaking, a dozen other rounds fired, pulverizing the behemoth into scattered debris and dust. Weakened as it was, the Defiant still shook violently as she absorbed the subsequent wave of careening rock fragments and molten debris from the destroyed giant.
“Report?” barked Drezden as he held onto a nearby railing.
“We’re ok, Sir!” answered Hoirs. “Just took some friction along the starboard shielding grid and...what in the world?”
