Magnitude: A Space Opera Adventure (Blackstar Command Book 2)

by A. C. Hadfield

  “It is,” Marella agreed. “It’s truly amazing.”

  Cenoc’s chamber was just as Kai had seen in his last vision. Only he was mistaken about it being made of ice. Like the rest of the citadel, it was a crystalline material, but clear and without any hue. There were two slabs, as before, but devoid of his father or the other man he’d seen, which presumably was Cenoc.

  “Okay,” Brenna said as she walked around the slabs. “We’re here. Now what?”

  The room was just large enough to accommodate them around the slabs. A secondary door on the east wall made from a material that Kai didn’t recognize opened up. A man entered wearing a plain, formfitting robe and sturdy boots.

  His head was covered in short-cropped blond hair infused by streaks of white.

  “Welcome,” he said, opening his arms wide. “It would be considered a cliché to say that we were expecting you, but we were. And we have business to attend to. I know why you’re here, and you will have your answers. But first, come with me through to the communal area. I have refreshments prepared for you.”

  “Cenoc, I’m here for my father. Where is he?” Kai asked. “I saw him in my vision. Is he alive and well?”

  “He is, Kai. You’ll meet with him soon, I promise.”

  With that, he turned his back and entered the doorway.

  Kai led the others after him into a much larger, secondary room.

  This one appeared to have walls made from a coral-like material. Pale white in places and pastel colors in others, it seemed as this too had grown naturally. It featured a domed ceiling and stone floors that were covered with ornately made rugs of reds and purples. On their surface was myriad scenes embroidered in gold and silver thread. It felt like some kind of sacrilege to walk on them, but Cenoc gestured for them to follow.

  He came to a large table carved from crystal. Bench seats ran along both sides of its length. On its surface lay a veritable feast of food and various liquids in transparent jugs.

  “Please,” Cenoc said, gesturing to the seats. “Come and sit; enjoy the food. We have a tight schedule, and you’ll need the fuel. Oh, and you won’t need your suits here. You’re free to remove your helmets. Trust me, the air in here is safe. I’m half-human, half-Tasarel myself and have been here… well, for a long time with no ill effects.”

  His smile was sincere and genuine. And despite his appearance putting him in the middle-aged bracket, Kai could tell he was far older. Kai decided to trust him, as he felt no sense of trickery, and took off his helmet.

  A few moments later, the rest joined him, and they all took a seat at the table.

  Cenoc, seated at the head, nodded for them to partake of the food and beverage.

  It was clear they were all dying to ask this man questions. Kai felt it like a pent-up energy, but there was something about this overseer that elicited calmness and patience. They ate and drank in almost complete silence for ten minutes or more when Kai felt that he needed to move things on.

  After all, it was the overseer who had suggested they had a tight schedule.

  “Cenoc,” Kai began, “I really think we’d like to see my father now and ask our questions. We’ve been patient and have done as you have suggested, but like you said, there is much to discuss.”

  The overseer stood up from the table and bowed halfway toward Kai. “You’re right, of course. But don’t worry, I’m well aware of the passing of time. I’ll fetch your father; he’s currently recovering, but the time is right.”

  With that, he left the table and headed toward the rear of the room and disappeared through another door. It was just a few minutes later when he returned and was followed by another man.

  The two approached the table and into the light. Everyone stopped eating and chatting and turned their attention to them.

  Kai’s chest tightened as he recognized his father.

  “Hello, son,” Kai’s father said.

  Chapter 27

  ALL WORDS STUCK in Kai’s throat. He was paralyzed for a moment as he stared at his father. He looked so different now. Thinner, his face considerably gaunt. His eyes held a shadow that suggested many dark days. For the first time in Kai’s life, he looked at his father and saw an old man. The sudden realization shocked him. How could Kendal Locke, war hero and living legend, be old and frail?

  “Well, are you not going to say something?” Kendal said, raising his eyebrows as the wrinkles on his forehead creased. He looked at Kai and then around to the others. His expression changed when he saw Marella, an expression that Kai couldn’t quite place. It was either shame or perhaps fear.

  Bandar broke the tense silence. He strode forward and grabbed Kendal in a bear hug. “Good to see you again, old man.” He patted a heavy hand on Kendal’s back, making him cough.

  “Easy now, boy. I’m still in recovery. But it’s good to see you again. We’ve got so much to catch up on. I can’t quite believe you’re all here. And, Brenna… my love!”

  Bandar released Kendal from the hug and stood aside as their parents reunited.

  Kai’s mother took his father’s face into her hands and kissed him gently on the lips. “You silly old bastard. We all thought you were dead for so long. And here you were, having adventures in alien lands like some kind of teenager.”

  She wiped the tears from her eyes and her nervous laugh hid her sobs of joy and no doubt relief. Kai felt himself welling up, but he pushed it down and crushed the emotion away. He didn’t want to appear weak. He was not the boy his father had last known.

  “And it’s good to see you too, babe,” Kendal said, sneaking another kiss. “I’m so sorry for everything. It must have been hell not knowing. But I couldn’t risk any communications. Not even the Coalition. There are people there not trustworthy. I wasn’t even sure if I could get the artifact in the right hands, but it’s clear that all went well, I hope?”

  “Yeah, we know. General Amelia defected recently. And despite some dicey moments, we’re all here in one piece, so I guess your bread-crumb trail did its job. Although we would have preferred some clearer information.”

  “I know… I’ve spent years and months trying to find a way back. I’ve been lost for so long.”

  He looked away then to hide the haunted shadow that crossed his face. Kai caught it just in time, and even from his body language, Kai could tell his father had suffered. He had a slight tremble throughout his limbs. Even the way he carried himself seemed as if he were carrying a great weight on his shoulders.

  Kai glanced over to Cenoc, who stood there watching with a neutral expression of eternal patience. Marella had tears in her eyes and she fidgeted from one foot to the other as she stared at her hands.

  “Wow, we do have a lot to catch up on,” Kendal said with a deep sigh as he looked around the group again until his attention fell on Kai and then Senaya.

  “I don’t think I’ve had the pleasure,” he said, holding his hand out to Senaya. She shook it and nodded politely and introduced herself.

  “I’m Senaya, Kai’s friend. You’ve caused a lot of trouble,” she added, surprising everyone with her hard tone of voice. “I hope you realize the sacrifices your son has made to get here.”

  Kendal let her hand go and dropped his to his sides. “I know full well the cost of my actions, my dear.” And then to Kai, “I’m truly sorry for everything, but I’ve only ever done what I thought was best.”

  Before Kai could respond, Marella couldn’t hold her silence any longer.

  She yelled at him, “What you thought was best? Like leaving me behind on Oberus? Abandoning me? After all you did for me, you just left me there to fend for myself. Why, Kendal? Why did you do it?”

  Kai’s father ambled toward her, his arms out, beseeching. “You trusted me then; I’m asking you to trust me now. It was for the best. I needed to make sure Kai had someone to lead him to the Blackstar, and you were the best candidate. I knew you would survive. You are a born survivor.”

  Marella turned away from him and wiped her
tears as her shoulders rocked with a sob, but she quickly got a grip on herself with a couple of deep breaths. She turned back to face him. “I loved you like a father,” she added softly. “You were the only safe, stable thing in my life, and you just left me.”

  “You weren’t the only one,” Kai finally said, unable to hold his tongue any longer. Although he sympathized with Marella’s situation, he himself had also been abandoned and left to fend for himself. “And I grew up thinking I knew who my parents were. I thought I knew who I was… but that was all a lie.”

  Kendal held up his hands. “I get it, you’re all angry with me, and you have every right to be. From the outside, my actions seem appalling, but believe me when I tell you that none of the decisions I made were easy. I had to choose my family or the potential destruction of the galaxy.”

  “Listen,” Kai’s mother said, gesturing for everyone to calm down. “It’s natural that we’re all emotional. There’s so much to deal with, but we can’t dog pile here. I suggest we all take a minute and approach this logically. We need answers, but throwing accusations around isn’t going to achieve anything.”

  Cenoc broke his silence and moved to Kendal’s side. Addressing the group, he suggested, “Why don’t we all take a seat and let me explain things from a Navigator point of view. We’re the ones to blame here. Kendal was thrown into this by us. There’s a story here and it will explain things, if you will allow me?”

  “I think that would be for the best,” Kai said, preferring to have an intermediary bring everyone up to speed. He wasn’t sure yet how he felt about his father. There were too many emotions colliding inside: feelings of abandonment, blame, relief, and myriad more all bubbling to the surface.

  Given that Cenoc had earlier suggested they didn’t have much time, Kai didn’t want to spend that time dredging up family issues. That would get them nowhere. And besides, now that they were reunited, there would be plenty of opportunity to rake over the coals.

  The group returned to the table and nervously picked at food and sipped from the goblets. Cenoc stood at the head of the table and with an incline of his head began, first by addressing Kai directly.

  “Kai Locke, your father was selected by our queen of the time to help seed the future of our species and ensure the safety of the galaxy.”

  “Yeah, I read that,” Kai added. “But what does that actually mean? What am I? And why can’t I access the information in my head?”

  “You will in good time. It’s not safe for you to receive the cache of your legacy in a single moment. Your biological mother, Queen Emeralissi, was dying. She had reigned for over three thousand years and was beginning to enter her final form. Which meant we needed an heir. A king in your case. The terminology I’m using is not entirely accurate, but in your current form, you couldn’t possibly understand the full meaning. Even I, as the overseer, have to use these abstract terms to refer to things beyond normal comprehension.”

  Senaya gave Kai a wide-eyed look and raised an eyebrow. Then to Cenoc, she said, “So you’re saying Kai is the ruler of the Navigators, the head guy?”

  “Not quite,” Cenoc said. “It’s more complicated than that, but for the purposes of this conversation, you could think of that position as being a focal point for the Navigators’ energies. Without a focal point, that energy would dissipate, and the Veil would fall.”

  Kai saw his mother and father inch closer together at the table. They were sitting opposite him and it warmed him to see them together again. Turning his attention back to Cenoc, he asked, “So let’s get to the crux of it: what exactly is the Veil, and what’s this Darkarahn entity I see in my visions?”

  Cenoc’s expression darkened and his body stiffened at the mention of the name.

  “There’s little to explain about Darkarahn, beyond its evil is beyond scale. It’s as ancient as the oldest Navigator and has destroyed countless galaxies in its unquenchable thirst for destruction. The earliest overseers have written books suggesting that it’s part of a balance of life and death in our universe. That without the Darkarahn, we wouldn’t have the Navigators. Without evil, there is no good, and without darkness, there is no light. However, the Navigators saw a way to create a status quo. That’s where the Veil comes in.”

  Kai’s father faced him and added, “This is why I couldn’t risk communicating what I know. The Veil is under attack, and I couldn’t trust the Coalition to take that threat seriously when they saw the potential of Navigator technology. Power corrupts, son; I’m sure you’ve seen that in your life. Imagine that on an infinite scale.”

  Kai had indeed seen his fair share of corruption over the years.

  “I guess you’re right, Dad, on that front at least. But where do I fit in with this Veil stuff? I had a vision that it’s getting weaker. We destroyed the Koldax outpost, has that not changed anything? And also, while I’m at it, what happened there? How were you fighting with the Patari? Those savages captured Mother and were going to sacrifice her to giant birds. Not exactly ally material.”

  Bandar pulled a cigar from his pocket but didn’t light it. Instead, he used it as a pointer while he leaned over the table. “That’s what I’d like to know. We fought the Koldax. They’re not easy to defeat. What happened back at the outpost? What was the crystal you left behind?”

  Kai realized he was still holding the crystal within the jacket. He placed it on the table and unfurled it.

  Kendal looked at Kai directly. “It was my way of reaching out to you. It’s a sending stone. Its power is rooted here. Where it’s taken, it will still have a connection to the citadel.”

  “So a communication device?” Senaya said. “Like a portal of some kind?”

  “Exactly that,” Cenoc said. “But its latent power can also be used. The plan was for Kendal to use it to disrupt the force field generators that were dampening the Navigators’ power. But the machines had already circumvented it.” The overseer narrowed his eyes. “How did you destroy the outpost?”

  Senaya spoke up, now eager to show her skills. “I hacked a Koldax machine in a previous battle and used that to manipulate the network. We basically switched off the power conduits and then reversed them to blow it up.” She shrugged as though it were nothing.

  Kendal smiled an approving smile, and some of his old charm returned. “Very impressive. I’m glad my son has had you by his side. You clearly have some considerable skill.”

  “She’s incredible,” Bandar said. “Saved our asses a number of times. I’ve seen the girl fix almost anything. She’s a natural.”

  A reddish hue blushed on Senaya’s cheeks and she looked away.

  “But it was all of us that got us here,” Kai said. “Marella included.”

  The Lantesian gave him a nod of acceptance.

  Cenoc continued, clearly eager to waste as little time as possible.

  “So,” he began, “you were born to take your place among the Navigators and complete the circuit. For the Veil to hold and keep Darkarahn at bay, the citadel requires the spirits of twelve Navigators. Your mother, Kai, the queen, has taken her place as the eleventh. As her power was receding due to her transformation, she needed to pass it on. That’s why you were born. Without you, the Veil will fall and, well… all there will be after that is darkness.”

  “So, what, I just get in the coffin and all’s well?” Kai asked. “Because if that’s what it takes, then I see no other choice.”

  “Sadly it’s not as simple as that,” Kendal said. “It’s why I sent the artifact and the Blackstar to you. I was going to join you, but then the Koldax attacked, and things got out of control.”

  “By out of control,” Cenoc said, “your father means he was brutally murdered and left for dead along with the Patari. If it wasn’t for the power of the dormant Navigators, he would have perished eternally.”

  Senaya whistled and shook her head.

  “We owe you our thanks,” Brenna said, hugging Kendal. “But what do we do now?”

  “You take
the fight to Darkarahn’s minions,” Cenoc said. “Now that you’re reunited, you must travel to Coalition space and defeat the Koldax. We can’t risk any more Navigator power going beyond the Veil. The artifact you have, Kai Locke, is the only key to travel to and from the two sides of the galaxy. But somehow, the Koldax have found a way to piggyback on that and are now, as we speak, planning to destroy Capsis Prime and rend a tear in the Veil. Thus freeing Darkarahn.”

  “Why Capsis Prime?” Marella said. “Sure, it’s the Coalition capital, but that’s an arbitrary thing. What’s so special about it?”

  Cenoc inclined his head, indicating it was a good question, and answered, “The various worlds in Coalition and Host space all make up a network of power. Capsis Prime is the central node. If that falls, the Veil will be torn forever, regardless of what the Navigators can do. You must stop the Koldax at all costs.”

  “And we’re expected to defeat them by ourselves?” Kai said. “With all the power of the Navigators, and all the hopes just rest on us and a couple of ships?”

  Kendal nodded as Kai was talking. “We’ve thought of that,” he said. “When Cenoc brought me back and tended to my wounds, my task was to draw an alliance with a friendly force.”

  “Who, the Patari?” Brenna asked. “Because they’re no friends of ours.”

  “No, not them,” Kendal replied. “And they’re not all like that. The home-worlders are sadly insular, but other Patari traveled out to other systems and created their own outlook on the Navigators. Our allies are a race called the Sumahn.”

  “I know them,” Kai said. “The tentacle space-faring creatures?”

  Cenoc nodded. “They’re mercurial creatures for sure, but Kendal had made a connection with one of them in his first journey across. It’s why he stayed. We’ve tried to communicate with them but without luck. For some reason, they chose your father and he has brokered an alliance with them. They’ll be joining you when you arrive in Capsis Prime.”

  Kai leaned back in his chair and let out a long breath. “This is a lot to take in,” he said. “And what if we do manage to stop them, what happens next? What do I do next?”