“Stop,” she said, twitching at how loud her own voice came out. She fiddled with something on her sleeve, and when she spoke again, the translator was turned off. It was a private conversation, and she didn’t want us to be part of it.
A man at the front of the group knelt as he arrived at Suma, wrapping his four arms around the smaller alien. He squawked at her, his voice much deeper and more threatening than hers. She visibly shrank at his admonishing, and I instantly knew the sight of a daughter being disciplined by her father. A minute later, he rose, lightly pushing Suma behind him, and he stepped forward until he was only two yards from us. I saw Slate tense beside me, so I reached a hand out, setting it on his arm. “It’s okay,” I said, hearing my words translate through Suma’s father’s suit.
“It is not okay. You should not be here, hoomans.” The last word came out wrong, and it felt all the more ominous for the misnomer.
“We agree. We just want to get home,” I said, adding a hint of supplication to my voice. “Suma is an amazing child, and we can’t thank her enough for helping us get out of that city.”
“From the sounds of it, she wouldn’t have been able to get back without you two either. I suppose I owe you some gratitude,” his deep bird-like words translated.
“We really just want to get back. We don’t want to waste any of your time, sir.”
He motioned for the rest of his crew to relax, and a few of them left the room, their heavy steps echoing in the large open chamber.
“You now know of the Shandra, and I cannot allow you to leave,” he said, pausing, and Slate reached for his gun, “without being trained how to use it properly.” Slate lowered it, giving me a side glance. At least I knew he was always ready to survive. I needed a guy like that at my side.
“Come, we will take refreshment.” He turned, leading us away.
“You sure this is a good idea, boss?” Slate asked when we were a good ten yards behind Suma’s father.
“If we’re going to win a war against the Bhlat, I have a feeling we’ll need every trick in the book.”
Slate’s eyes lit up, and I could see him already beginning to calculate how we could use the Shandra to our advantage. I already had an inkling and hoped the training we received would be enough to implement it and change the tides of the inevitable war that was coming.
NINE
“Goodbye, Suma,” I said, hugging the small Shimmali girl. We’d learned a lot about their people in the short couple of hours on her world. I promised we’d be back, and she was excited to meet my mate, as she called Mary. “Thank you, Sarlun.” I stuck a hand out to Suma’s father, who, once you got to know him, was a strong and intelligent man. It made a lot of sense to have this man guarding their portal to other worlds. Shimmal was a small tropical world, with lush green trees rising hundreds of yards in the air as far as the eye could see. They lived on a fruit-like diet, and though they had an abundance of amazing technology, they elected to stay grounded and close to nature. It was a prime example of an elevated society.
Suma and Sarlun left us at the table, now having confidence we could get back home. I slid the tablet into my pack. It contained the star charts for every Shandra planet out there, and with it, we could go anywhere. There were also notes on each civilization from each planet they had on record. There were some that remained unknown, and Sarlun urged me to avoid many more. When he handed me the tablet, I swore I would.
I waved as the door closed, and Slate and I were left alone in the bright white room.
“What do you think, boss?” Slate asked.
“I think knowledge is power, and we’re a lot smarter after today. I also think I need to go back and make sure my fiancée and Magnus made it out safely.” If they or my sister were hurt based on our disappearance, I wouldn’t be able to live with myself. Sarlun assured me some beings were drawn to the stones like a Slil to a flame, which I assumed was something akin to a moth. When I’d told him about my near out-of-body experience when I first found New Spero’s portal, he just gave what could only be a knowing smile.
I tapped the table, like I’d been taught, and found the symbol we determined to be that of New Spero.
“Ready?” I asked, and Slate nodded his assent. The icon glowed as I touched it, and the room went bright once again.
When I opened my eyes, we were inside the cavern, the etched hieroglyphics glowing softly. I now found myself recognizing some of the symbols and felt the power this new tool at our disposal had.
“Quick, let’s see if we can find any signs of our friends.” I ran for the doorway, Slate following behind, his rifle at the ready. We hurried through the caves, back the way we’d come, and at the entrance, elected to go the other direction, deep into the mountainside. Cold air filled the halls, the smell of decaying meat mixing with the stale breeze.
“This way,” Slate said, taking the lead. We emerged in a large room, where the signs of a battle were evident. I saw dozens of dead animals and a lot of blood. Scraps of human clothing lay in tatters across the floor, and I knew there was no way everyone had made it out alive. The urge to cry out for Mary was strong, but I didn’t want to draw attention to the deadly animals if they were still lingering around a corner.
“Let’s go. I think they got out. Look,” he said, pointing to footprints in the pools of blood. They were heading the way out. I saw signs of those same footprints as we went back for the exit, and soon we were back outside, freezing cold air filling my lungs as I ached to scream Mary’s name.
The snow was still falling heavily, any signs of footprints long gone. We’d been away all day, at least eight hours, and when we reached the spot where the transport vessel had been sitting, there was no evidence one had ever been there.
“Damn,” I said quietly.
“Come in, Terran Five,” Slate said into his headset. He repeated it a few times, but he just got static in return. “Looks like we’re walking. You up for it?” He glanced at my injured leg.
“I think I can make it. I’m more worried about freezing to death.”
“The sooner we get moving, the sooner we’re warm.” Slate started to walk, taking my pack again.
Terran Five was only a couple of miles away, and even though the snow was piling around us, making each step a difficult one, I knew I’d find Mary at the other end, and that was enough to keep me moving at a fast pace.
____________
Mary and I sat side by side on a couch, hot coffee on the table in front of us. I felt like I’d never be warm again, even though I’d been inside for an hour already. Her arm was bandaged; otherwise, she looked no worse for wear.
Her hand slid over to me, intertwining her fingers with mine. We left the rest unspoken. We’d both thought there was a chance we’d lost the other today, and the relief was great as Slate and I showed up at the gates. They’d told us Magnus and Mary had returned with the missing people. I’d fallen to my knees as they said the words, half from the pain in my calf, half from happiness that they were all right, no thanks to me.
Magnus walked into the room, smiling wide at the sight of us on a couch. “You guys make this all seem so normal.” The hospital waiting room was cramped, and with Magnus in it, the space we had shrank in half.
“I just want to see my sister,” I said, butterflies dancing in my stomach as we waited. Mary assured me she was going to be fine. Isabelle had been bitten by one of the creatures and had lost a lot of blood, but she was in good hands.
We gabbed, me finishing my story about the Shandra while drinking coffee. An hour or so later, a nurse approached us and told me I could come in.
“Are you coming?” I asked Mary.
She shook her head. “You go alone. She needs her brother.”
I understood but still wanted her by my side. Setting my cup down, I got up on a sore leg and realized just how exhausted my body was. I’d end up in a hospital bed myself if I didn’t get some rest soon. I took tentative steps while following the nurse down the short
corridor, and after a few doors, she led me into a room with beeping machines and blinking lights. My sister lay on the bed; bags were hooked up to her, and her eyes were closed.
I went to the bedside, reaching out to grab her hand. She looked so small and pale. Someone moved in the corner of the room, and for the first time, I noticed someone was in the room with us.
“Hey, are you a doctor?” a familiar voice asked.
The day had been rough, so when I saw the man’s face, I nearly dropped to the ground. I hadn’t seen him in a long time, not since a few months after the Event.
“Dean?”
It was James.
My old friend came toward me, a questioning look on his face.
“James! What are you doing here?” I asked.
“What am I doing here? What are you doing here is the better question!” Both of our voices had risen, and I saw Isabelle stirring from her slumber. “You’re supposed to be dead.” He lowered his voice; the word dead was nearly an inaudible whisper.
I grabbed the man, hugging him fiercely. Seeing someone from my pre-Event life brought it all back, and I stood there holding James, tears flowing freely from my eyes. When we pulled apart, his eyes were red and puffy, probably a match for my own. “I’m not dead,” was all I could bring myself to say.
“Am I?” a small voice asked from the bed.
“No, Issy. You’re not dead.” I turned to her, really seeing my little sister for the first time. She looked so much older than the last time I’d seen her. Seven years was a long time. Seven years with interstellar travel, and life on a harsh colony planet, could be a lifetime.
“But… how?” she asked.
James pulled up two chairs, and we sat there, each telling our stories of how we ended up together on this night. Theirs was far longer than mine, but luckily with much less danger. Until today, when Isabelle had gone out to help a lame horse in the snowstorm.
“And you two?” I asked, looking from face to face.
James nodded. “We heard you were dead. Magnus held a ceremony for you all, one that Dalhousie wouldn’t sanction. He said she never believed you were lost. Issy and I were among the few that knew you, and the only people there that knew you before everything. From our old lives. We’d both been through a lot, just like everyone, and our connection drew us together. She saved my life, Dean.” He said the simple words, used over and over by people over the ages, but in this case, I believed him. His face was full of lines, his hair gray and receding, but there was a sparkle in his eyes that only the love of another human could provide.
“I couldn’t be happier for you two. I’ll come back later with Mary. We can go on a double date.” I laughed at how silly it sounded, but maybe something so normal would be good for all of us. “You sure you’re okay?”
Isabelle slowly nodded, her eyes sagging closed. “Dean. I’m so glad you’re here. I love you.”
“I love you too, sis.” I patted the back of her hand lightly, and her eyes fully closed.
“She needs some sleep. Coffee?” James asked, and we stood, leaving the room to its beeping machines and blinking lights.
____________
Terran Five was quite the complex. I could hardly consider it a normal city, since most of the buildings were connected via corridors and pedways. It reminded me of the alien bases and cities I’d seen. Were we heading in the same direction as those other races? They did it here because of the long cold months, where being outside for more than a minute could result in frostbite, or worse.
Our rooms were in a visitor apartment, not far from the landing pad and military base, and we were grateful for the private suite.
Light crept in through the windows, the midday sun occasionally peeking past the thick cloud cover that T-5 never seemed to get rid of. Mary was still sleeping soundly beside me, her chest rising up and down slowly in a mesmerising flow, lulling me into a semi-conscious state. I’d slept for a solid eleven hours, and I still felt like I needed more.
Mary and Magnus had left me in the transport, worried I was dying of some unknown cause, and I let them know they were right to do so. The lives of the colony people were more important at that moment. They followed the tracks into the cavern and were ambushed by a few of the creatures as they entered the room where I’d seen the blood. All in all, they killed twenty or so of the wild animals before the rest scampered away, but they got their say in, biting Mary in the arm and Magnus in the thigh.
One of the colonists had been dead on arrival, but the other three had made it back, Isabelle being the worst off. As I watched Mary sleeping, I wished I could have been there to help, but knew the resource I’d found was more important. I’d told Magnus and Mary about it, and we decided to keep it under our hats for the time being. If we passed the details on, we had no idea what kind of abuse the Shandra would suffer, or for whose cause. No, we would keep the information to ourselves, and make that decision when the time came.
“Dean?” Mary asked as she rolled over and rested her head on my chest. It was familiar and comforting.
“I’m awake. Just thinking.”
“I was dreaming that we took a vacation. I don’t know where we were, but there was a beach, and some drinks.” Her warm breath was lulling my eyes closed.
“We should go on a vacation. Or find somewhere on New Spero to relax for a while.”
“We should. Let’s talk to Magnus about helping us set it up,” Mary said before her breathing deepened again, and I decided to close my eyes. Today could wait; I needed more rest.
Sleep came, and I rolled fitfully as I dreamed of the Shandra, the star map, and the palm-sized Deltra device I still had stashed away.
TEN
“I can’t tell you how good it was to spend some time with you. With both of you,” I said, looking across the table at my sister and James. “You look great, sis.”
“I feel about a million times better. You didn’t have to stay all week, you know. James was here for me.” Isabelle glanced over at her husband. I’d learned they’d been married last year. It brought a dichotomy of feelings to me. On one hand, I was so happy they’d both found love, but on the other, I was upset I hadn’t been there for either of them, and I’d missed my little sister’s wedding.
“It’s been great to see you too.” Mary had met them each once after the Event, but both occasions had been a whirlwind of rushing, interviews, and politics. For us to be able to spend a week with them, just talking and playing games, was priceless.
It still felt strange to see everyone around us seven years older. It was as if we’d blinked and missed out on such a huge important chunk of everyone’s lives.
“Mom would love seeing us like this. She always wanted us to spend more time together. I’m sorry I was such a spoiled brat when I was younger. I don’t blame you for not coming to the coast with us. You had your own life, even though I didn’t know it back then,” Isabelle said. “I’m sorry about Janine too.” She looked sideways at Mary and gave a small smile that said, “Sorry for bringing her up.”
“Thanks. It is all pretty unbelievable.” I’d told her about Mae, and how it was really Janine, the woman I’d met those long years ago in Central Park. To Issy, that was fifteen years ago. Hearing my sister talk about our mother and father over the past few days brought up a lot of pushed-down emotions. It was easy to forget all the things and people who made you what you were when you didn’t have anyone reminding you of them.
“You guys are off?” James asked, stating the obvious. We were at the Terran Five landing pad, inside the hangar to keep the cold blowing snow off of us while we waited for the rest of our crew.
“Back to Terran One, and then we don’t know. We’ll be in touch, one way or another,” I said, spotting Slate coming through the doors and heading our way. Magnus had left the day after the mountain. He needed to get back to his family, but Slate wouldn’t leave until we did. His loyalty was to a fault, and I really appreciated it. We’d been through a lot together.
We took turns doing the hug goodbye dance, Isabelle and I locking eyes for a moment, and my heart longed to go back to those days in the country. Dad would be tinkering in the garage, and Mom’s nose would be stuck in a book, sitting at the front door, letting the sun cast its glorious rays on her for the afternoon. It made me miss them both so much.
Mary must have seen the misting of my eyes, because she kissed my cheek and led me away.
“Keep in touch, buddy,” James said, waving when I looked back.
“You know I will.” These were the people I needed to protect. They all needed protecting, and deep down, I knew we had to go on the offensive. There would be no beach vacations for Mary and me. Not until the Bhlat were dealt with.
The transport vessel that was earmarked for us sat fueled and ready to go, the doors already open. Mary would pilot it, and Slate took the back seat so he could stretch out.
Soon we were lifting off, my tablet full of downloaded images from my sister and best friend’s wedding, my heart full yet heavy at the same time.
____________
“You’re telling me there’s still no word from them?” I asked Patty. She looked like any other woman of sixty in our living room, wearing jeans and a sweater. Some things never went out of style, even on a colony planet.
“None.” She sipped her tea and leaned back on the couch.
“And you still think it’s Naidoo cutting off communication with us?” Clare asked from beside the former Earth president.
Patty nodded. “I do.”
We were in our new house’s living room, which was spacious when it was just Mary and me there, but the space was getting tight with our whole crew and extras hanging out. Magnus and Nat were there, with little Dean in tow. I was positive the kid was far better behaved than I’d been at his age.
Slate stood behind us, listening thoughtfully but not saying much. I’d grill him on his thoughts later, maybe over a Scotch in the backyard after dinner.
New World (The Survivors Book Three) Page 8
