The Agathon Book 3: Sword Of Stars

by Colin Weldon

  The calm before the storm.

  Had it been hours? Days? she thought to herself.

  If so, she felt no fatigue. She tried to open her mind, but he was blocking it. There was a vague sense of satisfaction. Had she heard a female voice somewhere in the distance? Perhaps not. She looked back at the courtyard below her, and then back out to the ocean. The Black was watching her. Waiting. She sensed that its attention was not on her right now. That it was somewhere else. Doing something with her body.

  She gripped her fists together and took a breath. She moved along the stone walkway and down the steps that led to the courtyard below. At its centre, lay a water fountain surrounded by a circular area of lush green grass she had planted there when she was younger. She listened to the soft sound of the water as it trickled down it’s curved stone bowl into the pond beneath. She stepped onto the grass and moved towards the fountain. She placed her hand in the water bowl and wiggled her fingers. It felt real. She closed her eyes and listened to the silence while trying to clear her mind. The undercurrent of panic and anger was hard to push away as she tried to think of what to do next.

  “Carrie,” came a soft female voice from behind her.

  She opened her eyes and turned with a jolt. Her mouth dropped open and her body went numb as a cold chill ran the length of her spine. Her eyes widened and she held her breath. The woman was dressed in a breather suit, minus the face mask and helmet. The old colonial markings on her arms that Carrie had seen in her dreams were exactly as she remembered them. She was beautiful. She had short, cropped brown hair, and a face she would never forget. The woman stared at her and smiled. Carrie had no words. The woman from her dreams, who she had seen killed repeatedly, was now standing in front of her. Her mother, Jennifer.

  “If you don’t breathe soon, you’ll pass out,” Jennifer said taking a step towards her.

  Carrie took a step back. Her back touched the rounded stone basin stopping her in her tracks. She looked up suddenly and gritted her teeth.

  “It’s not going to work, Tyrell, you can’t get me in here. You think I’m stupid?” Carrie cried out into the night.

  “It’s not The Black, Carrie,” replied Jennifer, “if it were, don’t you think it would attack? Just take it easy,” she said gently raising up her hands.

  Carrie looked back at the image of her mother.

  “Bullshit, this is a sick game to get me out of here, well you can fuck right off. You’ll never get me,” Carrie replied.

  Jennifer took a step back and moved to Carrie’s right. There was a small bench that Carrie had placed next to the fountain. She brushed the seat and slowly sat down.

  “I don’t remember you being this paranoid, you were always such a trusting baby,” Jennifer said.

  Carrie remained still. She looked at the vision of her mother and tried to stop her hands from shaking.

  “I don’t want you to leave your fortress, Carrie, far from it. You need to stay in here. You need to fight,” Jennifer replied.

  Carrie, unmoving, tried to think of what to say, but nothing would come out.

  “Okay, you stay there and I’ll just talk. How about that?” Jennifer said.

  Carrie watched the woman carefully. If it was indeed The Black screwing with her, it surely would have attacked by now. Or perhaps she was somehow shielded from its influence while still inside her mental fortress. Either way she kept her distance and readied herself for a sudden lunge.

  “You’ve turned into a beautiful young woman, you know that? Although I can’t say I’m surprised, I mean your mother is of course a specimen of perfection herself,” said Jennifer smiling and running her hand the length of her body.

  Seeing Carrie’s unamused response, Jennifer dropped her smile and took a breath. An odd thing for an apparition or illusion to do, but she did it anyway.

  “I’ve missed you, Dice,” Jennifer suddenly said, “I’m sorry I left you so young. It was stupid to go so far into that cave without proper back-up. I should never have gone near that liquid. Not without proper quarantine protocols in place. It was bad science and bad judgement and you paid the price, you and your father. How is the grumpy old bastard anyway? I bet he still leaves his socks all over the bedroom floor. That used to drive me mad, you know?”

  “What are you?” Carrie said suddenly seeing no use in remaining silent.

  Jennifer looked at Carrie.

  “It took me, Carrie, killed my body, but I remained somehow a part of it. Call me a memory if you like, but it’s more than that. It’s like an imprint of the consciousness of those that it tried to bond with. I can’t explain it,” Jennifer said.

  “You mean you’re still alive?” Carrie said shocked.

  “Not exactly, no, maybe, I don’t know. I know that I can communicate with you. I know who I was. I know that I am not alone in here. There are others, Carrie. Millions of others. Like us,” Jennifer said.

  “Why haven’t I ever felt your presence?” Carrie replied still pressing her back up against the fountain.

  “Felt? I don’t know, it was impossible for me to exist anywhere else,” Jennifer replied.

  “What happened to me? Where did this power come from?” Carrie said wondering if this thing claiming to be her mother might actually have answers.

  Jennifer put her hands up suddenly.

  “Don’t look at me, I am as human, or rather was as human, as the next person. It must be something to do with a particle mutation while I was pregnant with you. When our transport was on the way to Mars, the ship was hit by an Ion storm. The shields of the ship went offline for thirty minutes. We all had to be inoculated after the incident. Something must have happened to you during the storm. I thought I was going to lose you at one stage and there was no evidence that you were in any way different when you were born,” Jennifer said.

  Carrie relaxed her body and looked at the ground.

  “Great,” she said.

  “I’m sorry, Carrie, it’s my fault. All of this. I should have stayed on Earth,” Jennifer said.

  “There is no Earth,” Carrie said looking up at her and seeing something in her mother’s eyes that suddenly melted her heart.

  It was an earnest look. A loving look. Carrie could not hold it in any more. Tears began forming in her eyes.

  “Mom?” she finally asked her.

  “Yes, Dice, it’s me, or what’s left of me. I don’t know how much time I have in this form before I am pulled away, but whatever is left of me is now a part of you. You must fight this. You are not alone. You’ve never been alone,” Jennifer said.

  A knot began to form in Carrie’s stomach as she looked at her mother. It was difficult to fight the swath of emotion that was bursting to get out. For whatever reason, it was anger that rose to the surface first.

  “You should have been more careful,” Carrie said suddenly becoming aware of how much she was shaking.

  Jennifer tightened her lips and looked at her.

  “You’re right. You can be as angry as you like, Carrie. You’re entitled to that, but right now, I need you to listen to me. I need you to bury those feelings and focus. We don’t have time to have this conversation,” Jennifer said suddenly getting to her feet, “This thing has you. You are alive, Carrie, but the bond isn’t stable. It doesn’t know it yet, but you are stronger than it is. It’s going to use your body, your abilities, to do terrible things. It’s going to destroy The Agathon, your father, your friends, and all that’s left. The one you call Jack, is deadlier than you can imagine. His species created the Targlagdu to kill off planets over a million years ago. I’ve seen it all, Carrie. The ones you call the Signal Makers are a powerful race of beings that fought against them. The two races have been at war for millennia. The Signal Makers have been systematically destroying worlds throughout the ages to halt the progress of the Targlagdu machines throughout the galaxy. Most of the
habitable worlds in the outer rim are gone. There was an eventual truce formed with an agreement that the two races would leave this galaxy and inhabit another using a form of trans-dimensional travel that would enable them to jump from one galaxy to the next. The Signal Makers are going to destroy this galaxy. They deem it the only way to finally destroy the Targlagdu threat once and for all. They’ve built a machine Carrie, a machine that’s going to end it all. They’re targeting every star, every system.”

  Jennifer paused and glared at Carrie, who was trying her best to process all this information. She felt sick. She wondered if vomiting in her own mind would still smell the same. She turned, took a step away from her mother and sat down on the grey stone bench. She looked up at the towering walls surrounding her, trapping her inside her own mind.

  “What am I supposed to do? This thing has taken over my body, my mind is crumbling. I should have seen it. I sensed it, but I never thought it would make a move on me. I thought it was helping me somehow. I’m such a fool,” Carrie said.

  “I’m the fool, Carrie, it killed me, took me from you, but it’s got a weakness,” Jennifer said.

  “What?” Carrie replied.

  “You. You’re stronger than you think, Carrie. It can’t get in here. You can beat this. I can help you, but it’s not going to be easy,” Jennifer said.

  Carrie looked up at the dark night sky and then back at her mother.

  “I’ll try,” she said.

  THE SIENNA CLARK

  Aron looked at Vishal’s face as India applied pressure to the large swollen lump on his forehead.

  “So, what happened?” Aron said folding his arms and leaning against the locker in Vishal’s room.

  “It’s nothing, forget about it,” Vishal said squinting.

  “Hold still, will you?” India replied.

  Aron glared at Vishal, giving the man little choice in the matter.

  “Look, it’s going to happen. Some of these guys want to air lock me no matter what. I would prefer to keep the person in question anonymous. It’s not their fault,” Vishal said.

  “There, all fixed, you’ll have a shiner but nothing that won’t heal,” India said.

  “I can’t have people attacking you. We have bigger things to worry about than the safety of our own from reprisals,” Aron said.

  “Can you blame them?” Vishal said.

  Aron thought about it for a moment. He mind drifted back to the pods that had imprisoned so many. The nightmare power plant that Vishal had created at the behest of Arturo Verge. Farming people as energy sources for their dying space stations. He thought of Maya’s sleeping face inside the cold glass. He had wanted to kill Vishal, but there had been too much death. Besides, Vishal had helped him. They were an endangered species. There was no more room for killing.

  “Get some rest, doctor. I’ll handle this, but I want to know if this happens again. If you are being threatened or if anyone even looks at you the wrong way, you better tell me, understood?” Aron said.

  Vishal nodded. Aron turned and nodded to India to exit the room. The pair left Vishal resting on his bed and stepped out into the hallway. Aron looked up and down the hall.

  “Well?” Aron said.

  “Well what?” India replied, “he got clocked.”

  Aron frowned and leaned against the smooth wall.

  “I don’t like it,” Aron said.

  “What don’t you like?” India replied.

  “We’ve got no system of self-governance here. We’re being watched and tensions are spilling over. That’s not just someone taking a pot shot, India, that’s a symptom of something else,” Aron said.

  “For God sake, Aron, the man ran a horror show out of his lab for years. He’s not exactly winning any popularity contests and you’ve given him a respectable position caring for the very people he did so much harm to. What about the families of those that didn’t make it? Those that died in his power plant tube things. There’s anger, fear, bitterness. It’s gonna blow up at some stage. Not everyone is as forgiving as you,” India said.

  “What was I supposed to do? Lock him up?” Aron said.

  “I dunno, maybe.”

  “He was also instrumental in bringing us the freedom we now have,” Aron said.

  “You did that,” India said forcefully.

  Aron shook his head.

  “You know, part of me wants to go back.” India said.

  “Oh yeah?”

  “Yeah, at least Arturo was an enemy we understood. Simpler times,” India said.

  Aron smiled thinking back to the control room with the alien life forms appearing from thin air.

  “I hear that,” Aron said.

  Aron began walking down the alien hallway towards the communal area. India followed.

  “I feel useless, you know that?” Aron said.

  “These people don’t think so.”

  “I want you to start spreading the word that any more attacks on Vishal will be met by my fist.”

  “Well, that’s straight to the point,” India chuckled.

  “I don’t have time to police, India, or better yet, your fist!” he said smiling to her.

  “Well, your right hook sucks, sir, no disrespect,” India said, “so, you gonna tell me what’s going on with Carrie?’

  Aron stopped as they approached the opening into the common area. There was a bustle to it. Children played and colonists chatted and went about their day on the alien ship as best they could. Some looked over at Aron, giving him a gentle bow of their heads. He hated it when they did that, but he acknowledged and raised his hand smiling at them. They were grateful for what he had done. He was their hero. Their saviour, and now their leader, and if there was one thing Aron did not do well, it was politics. Before meeting Jack and his alien friends, he had been embroiled in the New Council discussion trying to form some sense of small governance within the colony. There were those that were virulently opposed to a single leader insisting on a more unified and democratic approach by forming a council of five. The bickering had begun early. He thought about Maya and decided it was best to go back and check on her. He looked at India.

  “Look, India, she’s been good to Maya. She can sense her. I’m trying to break through to her and I can’t do that without Carrie,” Aron said.

  India looked out at the colonists.

  “Well, you want my advice? Good things don’t come to pass too often and I can’t remember the last time you had something good. Try to find a shred of happiness in this cluster fucking mess we’ve found ourselves in. Even if it’s just for a day. I’ve seen how she looks at you and if you don’t let that in, then you’re a bigger fool than I already think you are. Sir,” she said.

  Aron knew that behind her words there was hurt. He adored India. He needed her. He smiled and placed his hand on her shoulder.

  “I never thanked you,” Aron said.

  “For what?” India replied.

  At that moment, Carrie entered the common area from an adjacent hallway and began making her way through the colonists towards Aron. He stopped and watched her as she approached.

  “Never mind,” Aron said letting go of India’s shoulder.

  Aron watched Carrie and she walked towards him. He opened his mouth to speak as Carrie’s gaze moved past his eyes and she walked straight past the pair without saying a word, brushing Aron’s shoulder as she went.

  “Carrie?” Aron said slightly confused.

  Carrie ignored him and moved steadily away from the pair down another hallway, disappearing from sight. Aron looked at India.

  “Okay, that was odd,” India said, “what did you do to piss her off?”

  Aron frowned and placed his hands on his hips.

  “Nothing? I don’t think,” Aron said racking his brain.

  “Well, you did something because th
at, sir, was what we women call the cold shoulder,” India said.

  Aron shook his head and sighed.

  “I better check on Maya, you want to come?” Aron said still trying to figure out the strange encounter.

  “Nah, I better check on Ollie, God knows what trouble he’s getting into,” India said slapping Aron on the shoulder.

  Aron smiled and slapped her on the arm. India mock saluted him and walked away. Aron turned once more and looked down the corridor that Carrie had just walked down. He thought about it for a moment and then decided to follow her.

  ***

  It had her contained. Deep in the recesses of its commandeered mind. Its black fluidity now flowing through her veins, binding to her cells, feeding off the energy of her body. It wanted to test her abilities. It wanted to see if it could replicate them at will. It would soon no longer need the others. Those that had abandoned it. It could feel her inside, small, but powerful. She was resisting, but it would prevail. It had to survive. Too long, it had waited in isolation. It could see her fortress. An impressive mental barrier. It would break it. It was only a matter of time. It walked down the corridor towards the transport pod. It was headed for the main hangar bay of the ship. It needed to stretch its new legs and it was the largest area of the ship in which to do so.

  “Carrie?” came a voice suddenly from behind.

  It stopped, turned, and saw Aron Elstone coming up towards it. It quickly tried to access any memories stored in Carrie’s unprotected cortex. Some things were easy to find, she had not had time to protect all her thoughts. There were floating items that it could still see.

  “Yes, Aron?” The Black replied in Carrie’s voice.

  Aron caught up to her and stopped.

  “Everything alright?” Aron said.

  “Everything is fine, Aron, why do you ask?” The Black replied.

  “You walked straight past me back there. Look, I’m sorry if I overstepped the mark in my room earlier. We’re all feeling a little lost right now,” Aron said.