The Pathfinder Trilogy

by Todd Stockert

  Adam shrugged. “That kind of thing is an internal problem that your people should handle themselves.”

  “Kra, you should know that you were more effective with your messaging than you thought you might be,” pointed out Kaufield. “Telemetry from the Pathfinder indicates that the Yakiir warships in that solar system started transiting out of there almost immediately after your first message. Apparently, word leaked through the grapevine somehow and the ships in that solar system were expecting the Kuth to face some sort of major… challenge. When it became blatantly obvious they couldn’t even handle one enemy ship, everyone bolted.”

  “I am relieved that they decided not to fight,” agreed Wonin with a relieved sigh. “The Wasteland has run red with the blood of the dead for far too long already. It is a great gift that you have bestowed upon us… a chance to make things right in our lifetime. We could not have received a better blessing.”

  “There are still Kuth ships and undercover operatives lurking in the Wasteland,” Kaufield noted bluntly. “None of them have been able to escape to the Proteus galaxy, because Noah’s people have followed through with their promise to screen them out. So I suggest everyone, even the soldiers and ships, come here for a while and spend some time getting to know a quieter life on one of this galaxy’s many habitable planets.” His smile hardened and then disappeared. “Since the central solar system, along with the ‘bridge’ that connected our universe with theirs, was the source of most of the resources, I don’t expect them to last very long. They will eventually scatter and leave the area in search of a new home. If they can even manage to survive in an area that offers them nothing useful right now… they’re used to having supplies readily available.”

  “If they try to colonize the perimeter, we will eventually find them,” Snee Vasten promised.

  Kaufield shook his head in response. “I don’t believe they will stick around for long. There’s nothing left for them in that spiral arm now except enemies… they’ll have to move quickly before their food and fuel run out. The terrible living conditions that they presented you with over the centuries have now become their problem. They will have to flee and try to find sanctuary somewhere you won’t look… not an easy task.”

  “What about the singularity?” asked Kra Wonin.

  “Eventually, it will consume that entire solar system,” Adam informed him. “The remaining planets, moons – even the remnants of the collapsed star will eventually vanish into its event horizon. As it grows more powerful, more and more of the residual dust and gas obscuring much of the Wasteland will be drawn toward its increasing gravitational pull. It’s a natural, efficient way to slowly but steadily rid your space of most of the nebulae. It will eventually present a significant navigational hazard, but you’ll have no problems as long as your ships steer clear of it.”

  “What about us?” asked Janney Stox. “What planet will we end up on?”

  Adam pointed a stern figure at the Crasel trio. “That is what we are going to figure out next,” he concluded. “Together. I’ve got an outing planned for tomorrow, so go eat something and get some rest tonight.”

  “You don’t need to tell me twice,” grinned Cren Hollis, rising to his feet. Arte Kasik mirrored his movements, and both men smiled at Adam. “This isn’t goodbye,” the big man declared firmly. “We’re blood brothers now, having served together in battle. Blood brothers never say goodbye.”

  “I wouldn’t hear of it, my friend,” nodded Adam respectfully. “Don’t worry. Wherever you three end up settling, I will be able to find you and visit on a regular basis.”

  “Just remember to call on us if you ever get yourself into another fight!” growled Arte Kasik, grinning through his facial scar. “If you’re in danger, then we’re in danger. Where you fight, we fight.”

  “I’ll remember that,” said Adam with a warm smile. “For now, feel free to try life without weapons for a while. You might learn to like it.”

  “Doubtful,” growled Hollis, slapping Janney Stox on the back with a loud laugh.

  Together, the three huge men moved out into the corridor and were suddenly gone.

  I miss you already, my friends, Adam thought silently to himself.

  *

  Part of Thomas’ planned upgrades to the implant technology involved new pieces of hardware. Thus Adam remained behind in the conference room after the meeting concluded so that he could have some private time to himself. Taking out a portable reader, he pulled up the three dimensional specifications for quite a few new components that Thomas and Glen had designed in his absence and left stored on the device for him to have a look at. Some of the technology had come from Noah’s people, a science Adam understood very little about. So he found himself cussing under his breath on several occasions, trying to dissect the schematics and determine whether or not each new device would function safely and reliably once it became part of the real world. After a half hour or so of frustrated reading that got him basically nowhere, he strongly considered following his own advice to eat and rest.

  Rubbing his fatigued eyes, he set the electronic reader on the table surface and reached for the pot of coffee. For a moment, he closed his eyes and leaned back in his chair, resting his vision. When he finally opened them long enough to take a sip from the warm mug, he was startled to see the mysterious old man, David, seated across from him. The normally unreadable stranger wore a huge, satisfied smile on his face.

  “How are you doing son?” the elderly man asked him curiously. “Since your little network of mental links is down, I thought I’d drop by so we could have one last private conversation.”

  Adam groaned audibly, shaking his head. “What could you possibly want?” he stated very bluntly, his mood transformed and carrying a sarcastic edge. “Unless, of course, you happen be an expert on the development of electronic components for intergalactic transceiver technology. I could really use the help.”

  Chuckling with obvious amusement, David pointed the end of his cane at Adam. “You still have your sense of humor, even after everything you’ve been through. It’s a bit too cynical for my taste, but infinitely preferable to not having one at all.” He leaned forward, the wrinkles on his face tightening as he continued to beam proudly. “I think you did a wonderful job with the Kuth situation. You were the expert on the ground with the firsthand experience needed to make the tough calls, and when the time came you made them without hesitation. Granted, you had the assistance of all those electronic gadgets you regularly work with, but the end result was a positive one and I have to say that I continue to be pleased to know you.”

  “Is that why you stopped by?”

  The mysterious, pulsing soft white aura Adam had noticed during his previous visit still surrounded David, even as the old man waved his age-spotted hands in puzzlement. “What? Is it a crime on this planet to show up and say ‘thank you’ or something?”

  Adam took the silver pocket watch out of his pocket and snapped it open. “I appreciate the kind words, actually,” he replied, his tone turning serious for the first time during the short conversation. “And I do have some questions of my own for you, actually. For instance, why did you suggest, via the solar system inscribed on the inside of this watch casing, that we keep the Kuth planets in the same galaxy as the Wasteland?” he wondered inquisitively. “We may have moved the Caucus’ planets from a solar system in the fourth spiral arm to another, basically at your behest, but I’m still wondering why.”

  “You don’t approve of that decision? Why not, Adam Roh?”

  “To be quite frank, I wanted to banish them to some far corner of this universe, guaranteeing that no one else would ever have to deal with them again.” He shook his head with obvious annoyance. “Basically I don’t want my descendants to have to go through what I went through to stop them if they reorganize and find a way to make trouble again at some point.” He threw up his hands. “We’ve proven it’s possible to come a very long way in search of something if you’re prope
rly motivated. The Kuth are probably angrier than hell at us right now.”

  David studied Adam’s expression carefully, still mildly amused. “That is precisely why they should stay close by – somewhere that allows your friends in the Proteus galaxy to keep an eye on them. Doesn’t that make sense, young man?” He rested his hands gently on the table. “If you simply tossed them very far away, you’re not really guaranteeing that no one else has to deal with them again. You’ll have to trust me on that. If you did so, then they become someone else’s problem and there is no way to check in on them from time to time. You should recognize by now that there is other life in this universe, much of it vulnerable to aggressive species like the Kuth. So your initial instinct might have saved humans in the Wasteland only to inadvertently harm other living things by relocating the Caucus and its members to a distant, unexplored star.”

  Adam gestured toward the coffee pot and the half empty pastry tray. “Please, feel free to help yourself to anything on the table.”

  “Your manners are much appreciated, considering that I dropped in on you unexpectedly,” noted David with a wry smile. “However, I don’t drink coffee in the afternoons any longer… the caffeine keeps me up nights.”

  “So you do drink,” pointed out Adam with interest, eyes narrowing slightly. “And you sleep too.”

  Laughing uproariously for a long moment, David gradually settled down a bit and recovered his traditional composure. “Pump me for all the information you want, boy,” he challenged. “You knew little after our last encounter, and you won’t know much more after this one.” Again he poked the end of his cane in Adam’s general direction. “One more thing… that speed hopping through Point-to-Point that your starship does is truly amazing,” he commented idly. “I’ve had a lot of fun watching your Captain Kaufield do that. But I feel obligated to point out that this very same capability would have allowed you to avoid damaging and destroying most of those ships in your initial encounter with the Caucus during your final battle. Why did your Captain delay using it?”

  “Shouldn’t you already know?” After everything he had been through, Adam was growing frustrated with the enigmatic David, finding it tougher and tougher to offer polite responses to questions he seemed already to know the answers to. “Why don’t you tell me why we chose to do what we did?”

  “Okay,” countered David agreeably. “I believe your Captain wanted to scare the tar out of the commanders of those Kuth and Yakiir warships… to force them to really think before they tried to engage you. In combination with Kra Wonin’s coded messages, this allowed you to encourage them to hang back or – in most cases – transit completely away from the battlefield. You snuffed out a lot of Kuth lives in order to save human lives. Considering all that the Caucus has done and tried to do right up until your final battle with Dor, I don’t think you felt that you owed them any considerations.”

  “That would be as accurate an assessment as any,” nodded Adam in agreement. “Thomas’ maps of the fleet positions were old, based on his initial reconnaissance mission. So, upon the Pathfinder’s arrival, we also needed time to repopulate our maps with enemy ship positions. Hopping all over the place right after we emerged from the initial transit would have slowed that process considerably.”

  “Still, your actions were a bit brutal.”

  “Right now the Kuth respect strength. The only real surprise was the appearance of those stealth ships. We had no idea that the Caucus, or more specifically one of its leaders, would care that much about vengeance. And with all due respect, sir, I did not for one second feel that I owed Nal Raf le Dor any considerations either. That’s why we blew her entire crew of trained operatives to kingdom come. After all, their stated, sole purpose in remaining behind while everyone else of importance left was to destroy even more innocent lives.”

  “Have you grown used to killing? Do you like the experience?”

  “No,” Adam snapped instantly. “And I hope I never have to kill again.” He frowned deeply and studied the other thoroughly. “That’s kind of a dumb question and I don’t understand why you would even ask it.” He sat there, fuming internally, until a thought occurred suddenly to him. “Have you ever killed anyone?”

  “Yes, I used to be quite the aggressor in my younger days,” admitted David with a suddenly distant expression that silently reflected a great deal of emotional pain. “But I haven’t taken a life lately, not for a very long, long time. One might say that killing life forms taught me how not to kill.” He paused for a few seconds, weighing his words carefully. “Does it bother you to know that I am not perfect? Do you regret having to listen to my counsel on this matter?”

  “No,” Adam told him gently. “I think I would have distrusted you more if you were perfect.” He studied the wrinkled face across from him with interest. “You must still run into all kinds of aggressive species if you travel as far as I think you must. How do you handle them these days?”

  David laughed delightedly. “Let’s just say I found someone who is much more diplomatic than I am, someone who I can send as my ambassador when the need arises. That has proven to work much better for me.”

  “In a way, I functioned as your ambassador on this particular mission.”

  “Yes you did. That is why I tried hard to steer you in the correct direction.” David rose suddenly to his feet. “But I digress, and really should be on my way.”

  Adam pushed the watch across the table. “You should have this back,” he replied firmly. “It’s yours.”

  “Keep it,” David decided with a compassionate, gentle smile. “It brings good luck.”

  “I wouldn’t feel right about that…” Adam hesitated, unsure as to specifically why he was so reluctant.

  “Keep it!” the old man rumbled, much more insistently this time. “You gave those people a positive symbol to look up to when you left that singularity burning brightly in their space… it’s a lantern in their darkness. I believe that you should have something too, to remind you of how much of yourself that you gave to these people. Years from now, when you feel badly about how things in your tiny little life are going, look at it. Just take out the watch and hold it for a bit and remember that you voluntarily sacrificed time out of your life along with a large part of your emotional self so that others could be free.” He harrumphed loudly. “And I wasn’t kidding son, it really is time for me to move on.”

  “Where will you go?”

  “Somewhere interesting,” the elderly man cackled eagerly, pointing toward the sky. “Whenever your mind grapples with the tunnel vision of your everyday problems or you start to believe too much in your species’ own greatness, just remember, for a moment, everything that you have definitely proven to be out there,” he suggested with a grin. “The universe map that your Proteus friends gave you is only the tip of the proverbial iceberg, my boy. The omniverse that surrounds us, that surrounds all of us is truly boundless… it literally has no end. Your species will one day be long gone and there will still be territory out there that may never be explored.”

  “That doesn’t stop us from trying,” said Adam in response. “That’s why I believe we’re better than most.”

  “You did well, Adam Roh. You and your friends did really well. When you’re ready to take the next step in your evolution, I will return.”

  And then, just like that, the old man was gone.

  PROJECT WASTELAND

  Pathfinder Series: Book Two

  Chapter XX: The Hardest Part…

  On a dead moon somewhere in the fourth spiral arm of the PGC-2014206 galactic cluster…

  Adam Roh made his way cautiously through the low gravity environment, stepping through smaller craters to avoid the much larger ones. Since his defensive shielding only provided several minutes worth of oxygen, he was wearing a standard Pathfinder space suit obtained from one of the storage lockers in the Science Lab at Tranquility base. Since they had never expected the starship to emerge from the Wasteland intact, its co
ntents had been stripped down in advance of her final mission and everything of value removed. The fact that he was walking across the surface of a moon seemed more than a little ironic to him… this was exactly what President Kaufield was doing, ten years ago, when the war on Earth began.

  Adam badly wanted to bring his Crasel friends along with him, but there seemed to be no easy way to do that. The Wasteland soldiers were quite simply too large and muscular to fit into a standard size space suit. Even he was wearing the largest size available, and every time he took another step forward the tightening in his crotch made its newest argument that the suit didn’t quite fit him either. Certainly there were larger versions on the Ali Rinai that would fit them, but the stolen Yakiir war cruiser was parked in orbit of Tranquility and there were so many other things happening all at once that he simply hadn’t wanted to waste the time that would be needed to send someone into orbit long enough to claim them.

  Locate the people you’ve set out to find, Thomas insisted firmly. Once you’re there, we’ll use your implant as a beacon and set up a Person-to-Point transit portal. Your friends can come right to you.

  This side of the moon still looked like a typical satellite orbiting a normal planet. Except that the planet was no longer out there – it had burned up completely during the star’s quashing a long time ago. Fortunately its death had shielded the moon from the brunt of the dying star’s output, even though the moon itself was pushed much farther out into orbit around the now collapsed star. The opposite hemisphere had been burned almost beyond recognition in the process. While this side still maintained the general appearance of an average moon, the other looked like terrain straight out of hell itself.

  Glancing up, he could see a dull orange spot in the heavens above, holding position in the center of a series of never ending purplish dust clouds. Centuries ago, that spot had been a young, stable star in the prime of its life. Now, the little remaining energy emanating from its collapsed photosphere lit up parts of the surrounding nebula. The star’s remains and this moon were primarily all that was left of what Dr. Markham claimed had once been a rather crowded solar system. There was also a thin asteroid belt, a few stray tiny moons here and there, along with varying sized fragments of what had once been large planets. Nothing was left of the gas giants except the never ending clouds of constantly drifting dust.