by Jay Korza
Once that first group of children grew up and had their own offspring, the Cherta realized just how intertwined their DNA had become and knew the Unwutine would always have this fatal recessive trait to potentially pass on to their children. The Cherta left the tribe of their own accord and never returned.
The story of the lost tribe ended there. The Cherta were never seen or heard from again, by the Unwutine or any of the other indigenous tribes they eventually met with.
The Unwutine didn’t hate the Cherta; they didn’t even fully understand what had happened. If anything, the Cherta were thought of as long-lost friends who left of their own accord and against the wishes of the Unwutine.
Hugesh had to extrapolate the DNA part herself based on the story she was told. She would have to perform detailed studies to determine if it was an issue with their DNA, their genes, or something else altogether. That was time she didn’t have and so it would have to remain a mystery. But she was one step closer to finding what she ultimately needed.
~
Hugesh had traveled for the last eight months, the longest she had been away from the emperor. She missed him with every fiber of her being. What made matters worse: she was alone on her mission. The subject of her research required complete secrecy so she could not risk anyone else assisting in her endeavors.
She did enjoy learning new and wondrous things about the galaxy. She had just left a planet of beings that were very intriguing to her. They hadn’t developed space flight yet and were unaware of life existing outside of their planet. They had their suspicions and most of their society believed it was possible if not more than likely. But they didn’t have proof yet and Hugesh didn’t want to be their first contact and possibly disrupt their natural development.
The beings had three arms, two of normal placement and size, the third, small and protruding from their abdominal region. They had sacks under their eyes that pulsed in size and color to conform to their different emotional states. Hugesh didn’t have time to research their evolutionary path, but if they had come from a Nortes world, she would have guessed they evolved from some sort of marshland creature.
The beings had a single world government and were on the right track to having a truly peaceful society. They had recently developed a global computer network and luckily the concept of hacking hadn’t taken hold yet. Because of that, Hugesh was able to enter their system and look for the information she needed.
Her latest clues had led her to this planet but she had expected to find Cherta ruins and not a thriving civilization. When she went through their databases, she found information on long-lost civilizations that had lived on the planet so very long ago. The current indigenous population had long believed the ruins belonged to their ancestors, ancient forerunners whose societies didn’t stand the test of time.
Only recently had their scientists theorized that the ruins might have belonged to beings from another world. The construction methods and materials seemed to defy what should have been impossible for their ancestors to achieve.
But what the aliens didn’t have that Hugesh did was thousands of years of information from hundreds of worlds stored on a single computer system. Hugesh was able to cross-reference all of that information and extrapolate new data points that came together to show her a bigger picture.
Hugesh found that the ruins were indeed built by the Cherta. Their architectural design could not be mistaken once the computer created a 3-D model based on the remaining structures.
From there, she was able to catalog the writings found in the structures and decipher their meaning.
It took several weeks but she finally had all the information she could squeeze from the aliens’ computers. She wished with all her heart that she could go investigate the ruins for herself. She knew with her advanced technology she could find so much more than her unknowing benefactors. But she felt as though she had enough to continue on, so she left with what she had.
Unbeknownst to her, Hugesh had found the last and biggest piece to the puzzle. She was on her way to the most important discovery of her journey. It would also be her last.
Shar’tuk
Nuk’tef turned off the viewer. He didn’t care what the royal family did for their vacation and he had more important things to do. He didn’t hate the royals—he was a loyal subject to the Empire—but he also wasn’t the kind of person to follow and gush over what the young Princess Hugany did for her twentieth birthday.
Nuk’tef went back to cleaning his father’s restaurant. It had been in their family for generations. As with most Nortes’ businesses and tradecraft, it was passed on to the eldest child or first to marry. In large families, some businesses would be run completely by family members, multiple generations working together on a daily basis. It made for tightknit families and Nuk’tef was happy to be part of one of the larger families in the district.
Nuk’tef had thought of leaving the family business—most young Nortes did—but in the end, he decided to stay. He did, however, still have big dreams and wanted more for himself than to share this restaurant with his sisters. So he asked his father if he could branch out and open another restaurant with the family name. Move to a new district, make a few changes to the menu, but proudly keep the Nuk’tef family name over the front door.
At first, Nuk’tef’s father had been reluctant to let him leave, but in the end, his father came to the realization that he was more worried about missing his son than he was of the other arguments he had presented against the issue. And so with his father’s blessing, tonight would be the last night Nuk’tef would be working with his family; tomorrow he was moving to a new district and getting his own restaurant up and running.
Four months later, Nuk’tef sat at the bar in his restaurant and eagerly awaited the arrival of his father. Nuk’tef was pleased that the lunch crowd was large today; he wanted to impress his father.
Business was still slow but it was picking up. Franchised chains were a recent development in Nortes commerce, but the Nuk’tef family name was well known in their home district and some of that popularity had helped to secure the loan Nuk’tef obtained to open his doors.
Nuk’tef rushed over when he saw his father walk through the front door. “Papa!”
They embraced and his father clapped him on the back. “Son! It is so good to see you! We have missed you at home. How are you?”
“Great, Papa. I’ve missed you too. Come, let me show you around.”
His father waved him off. “I am very eager to see what you’ve built, but I’m even hungrier. Can we sit down and have lunch first? Catch up in person? Besides, the real test of your success is not what this place looks like, but how my recipes taste from your chef.”
Nuk’tef smiled. “Of course, Papa. Let’s go sit at my favorite table.”
On their way to the table, Nuk’tef pulled one of his waitresses aside and placed a starting order. “J’Hal will bring us some drinks and appetizers. Some samples from our family menu and some new creations that the chef and I have come up with together.”
“That sounds great, son.”
At the end of the meal, both men were stuffed with more food than any four Nortes should have been able to handle, let alone only two of them.
“What do you think, Papa? And please, be brutally honest.”
His father leaned back and placed his napkin on a mostly finished plate of food. “I am very proud of you, son. Everything is fantastic. Admittedly, I wouldn’t have made some of the choices you have, but I like your personal touches. In fact, I was hoping you would let me stay for a week or so to see how things are done here. Maybe get some ideas to freshen up the restaurant back home.”
Nuk’tef’s eyes lit up. “Of course, Papa! I would love to have you. And honestly, I could use the help. I have to put aside some floor management issues in order to take care of more important business items that can’t be put off right now. If you could take over the daily management and staff while you’re here, I sho
uld be able to get these other issues taken care of before you leave.”
“I like that plan. But doesn’t that technically make you my boss?” he teased.
“That’s right. And don’t forget it. I’d hate to have to make an example out of you, Papa.” They laughed together.
Two weeks later, Nuk’tef’s father was still with him. Part of it was the business that needed tending to took longer than expected. Another reason was that his father liked working again with his only son. But there was a third reason, and his father knew he had to say something before he left.
“Son, can we talk for a moment?”
“Of course we can, Papa. What’s on your mind?” Nuk’tef knew something was wrong. This was the first time his father had ever spoken to him without looking him in the eyes.
Finally their gazes met. “Son, I can’t tell you enough how impressed I am with what you’ve achieved here. But I have to ask, have you been doing anything illegal to make this happen? Drugs, gambling, weapons brokering, anything?”
Nuk’tef almost fell over at the question. “No, Papa.” It was almost a whisper. “Why would you even ask that? What makes you think I would be involved in such things?”
“I’m sorry, son. It’s just that you have achieved in very little time what usually takes a new business, especially a restaurant, a long time to achieve. And it’s not just that. Since I’ve been managing the floor, I’ve found that two of your servers are information brokers and their clients frequent the bar during lunch hours. There have also been several mercenaries and government officials doing side deals in here a couple days a week.”
Nuk’tef had to sit down now. His father realized that all of this was news to him. “You didn’t know. I’m sorry to have accused you or even thought I had to ask.”
“Are you sure about these things?”
“Son, I’ve been running a restaurant and bar for over forty years. Not to mention I was in the military intelligence service for thirty before I was medically retired and came home to take over for your grandfather. I’ve seen plenty of these dealings to know them when I see them. I’ve even been a part of several myself and helped to set up countless more.”
Nuk’tef was beside himself and he had so many questions. “Why would my place attract so many of these dealings? Am I doing something illegal by allowing them to do their business here? Should I close the restaurant and come home?”
His father sat down next to him and put his arm around his son. “You are not doing anything illegal. You should not close your doors. And as to why your place? There could be a few reasons. Information brokers like to work in pairs, separate businesses but they share information that is mutually beneficial to them.
“They also like to work a legitimate job in a customer service field so they have an open place to conduct their business that won’t attract attention. They can meet with anyone they want and pass information and it won’t ever look suspicious.
“Who knows why they picked your place to work, but they were probably the catalyst that brought their clients here to start with. Once they were here, maybe our family recipes and your new fusions were enough to keep them coming back because they really liked it here. Then, like any other customer, they told their friends and more of those type of people came here. And in no time at all, you unknowingly built a loyal customer base who just happen to be high-end scoundrels.”
“Fantastic,” Nuk’tef muttered.
~
Nuk’tef sat in his office, going over the day’s numbers and reviewing a supply order. He had an office manager to take care of these things but he liked to go over the numbers himself once in a while. It kept everyone honest.
Five years had done his business well. He embraced his accidental niche after his father pointed it out to him, and now he had a steady stream of business from his regulars who came for work and pleasure.
Nuk’tef installed state-of-the-art noise and electronics dampening equipment to give his guests the privacy they needed. He was the only business in the district that didn’t have security cameras, a nice touch that wasn’t lost on his clientele. He had implemented other features that made his restaurant unique and desirable to a wide range of patrons, not just the intelligence community.
Nuk’tef stood from his desk and stretched his tired body, grabbed his empty water glass and walked out to the bar to refill it. The restaurant was empty; his employees had long since left. He enjoyed these quiet moments to himself, often sitting at the bar with some soft music playing in the background.
Tonight the viewer above the bar was on and replayed Empress Hugany’s coronation. The Nortes people had a new leader. He only hoped she was as kind and benevolent as her father had been.
As he stepped behind the bar, something across the room caught his eye. A reflection that wasn’t supposed to be there, that had never been there before, now emanated from a corner booth.
“Hello?” Nuk’tef’s voice cracked as he verbally probed the oddity.
“Is someone there? We’re closed, you know. I could call you a ride if you need one.”
Nuk’tef’s establishment wasn’t one that attracted heavy drinkers who might pass out and be missed at closing. There were much less expensive bars down the street for those types of customers.
Tentatively, Nuk’tef took small steps over to the corner booth. “Are you okay?” He decided to change his communications approach. “Are you hurt?”
As he got closer, he was able to answer his own question when he saw the pool of blood on the ground that spilled down from the man in the booth.
“For all that is sacred.” Nuk’tef gasped. “I’ll get you help, don’t worry.”
Nuk’tef fumbled with his comm-device as he tried to get it from his pocket. A shaking hand from the dying man latched onto Nuk’tef’s and stopped him from making the call.
“D…Don’t. You will be in danger if they find out I wasn’t dead before you found me. They’ll think I told you something.”
Nuk’tef decided not to make the call for help. He knew the man couldn’t be saved at this point anyway. “If who found out? What’s going here?”
“I…don’t…want…to endanger you.”
“Look, I may not be a professional information broker like some of my service staff, but I’m also not blind to what goes on here.” Nuk’tef still had his hand on his comm-device so he pressed a couple of menu items without looking at it. “If whoever did this to you even thinks I know what’s going on, they’ll kill me. So if it comes to that, I’d like to have some leverage on my side to bargain with. The only leverage I would have is if I actually did know what was going on.”
The man looked past Nuk’tef. His gaze stopped at the frozen image on the viewer of Empress Hugany. At first he thought the man was taking his last breaths and randomly stared in that direction. Then he saw it—a glint in his eye, something more than just coincidence. The man looked fearful of the new empress.
“It has something to do with the empress, doesn’t it? You must tell me. My life may depend on it.”
“You can’t bargain with these people. They are loyal to her. It doesn’t matter what you know or how you try to use that information to protect yourself. It’s too important, too devastating to our people. Go now. Lock up your restaurant. Let one of your employees find my body in the morning. If you act like you never saw me, they may just let you live.”
“Look, we both know you have minutes, maybe only seconds to live. Stop wasting that time arguing and tell me what’s going on.”
The man took a ragged breath and exhaled a small cloud of misted blood. “The empress…is trying to find…coordinates. Wants them back. Not really who we think she is.”
As the man’s oxygen level decreased, so did the amount of sense he made. Before he could babble anything else, he stopped breathing.
“Damn the Holy.” Nuk’tef cursed.
Holding his comm-device up, he pushed the menu button to stop its audio recording fun
ction. He stood and looked around his feet before he moved away from the table. He wanted to make sure he hadn’t stepped in any blood or brushed up against anything that might transfer some form of trace evidence to himself.
Once he felt comfortable that he could move away from the table, he walked around another table and then back and forth in front of the booth twice. He wanted to try to make any residual footprints of his look like a normal walking pattern, as if he were doing basic closing tasks like resetting the tables.
He then walked over to the bar, dumped out his water, and filled his glass with some top-shelf liquor. He returned to his office, finished his work, and left out the back door.
He made a show of being casual as he walked down the street away from his establishment. He didn’t live far away and it wasn’t uncommon for him to leave his vehicle behind if he decided to have a few drinks after closing. His restaurant didn’t have any security cameras but he knew everyone else on the block did. They would all be viewed by the police tomorrow morning, and they would all show him enjoying an evening stroll home.
Nuk’tef usually didn’t go into the restaurant until the mid-lunch rush started. He went to bed expecting to get a call from his opening staff but he was still surprised when he was woken by the call. Not surprised to get the call, just surprised that he had been able to fall asleep at all.
After hearing the frantic voice of his day manager, he called a ride service and made no attempt to make himself look good before he ran outside to meet his ride. He wanted to look disheveled, upset, thrown off by the event. If he took the time to look presentable, that might raise some questions.
After arriving, he made a show of comforting his staff and asking the police whether there was anything he could do. He was quickly taken aside by two detectives and questioned for the better part of three hours. His prepared story only took fifteen minutes to tell, but they wanted him to go over it repeatedly with them. They asked seemingly thousands of other questions, most of which didn’t even seem relevant.
