Harbinger: Farpointe Initiative Book Three

by Aaron Hubble

  Yes, he would be a storm as well. A storm that would meet the resistance head on and crush them.

  CHAPTER SIXTY-FOUR

  Aereas - Toyeb Island, three hundred and fifty miles from the Aerean continent coast

  The sky glowed orange and red as it sank into the ocean. Calier stood on the sandy beach of his new island home and looked to the west, across the waves and water which seemed to have no end. Somewhere beyond he knew Gadol City stood on the tip of the continent. He couldn’t see it; the curve of the horizon hid his home city from his view, but he knew it was there, occupied by men and women who didn’t love it the way he did. He longed to walk its streets and go to work at the university. Even if it happened, everything would be different.

  Three months ago when the bombs rained from the sky, change had been the only constant in his life, and he was tired of the upheaval. There was nothing concrete, nothing solid to anchor himself to anymore.

  Other than the change, that is. He sighed.

  “What are you thinking, Ab’ba?” Berit said leaning on his arm.

  Tearing his eyes away from the sunset, Calier smiled at Berit. She was too thin and pale, but she was standing beside him, alive and well. That was something to be thankful for, something to anchor himself to.

  “Pastries,” he replied.

  “Luvare’s, just across from the university campus, right?”

  He nodded, looking back over the water. “I could smell it from my office window. I blame them for the weight I gained when I wasn’t out on a dig.”

  She laughed softly, a glorious sound to Calier’s ears. There was silence for a moment before Berit went on. “How many more trips do they need to make before all the survivors are here on the island?”

  “The last update I heard was that they were on their way back with the last load.”

  “Do you know how many people got out of Alam?”

  Calier grimaced. “It could have been worse, but it’s still not good. The number I heard was 5,000 people had made it out of Alam, 10,000 did not.”

  Berit gasped beside him and uttered a soft prayer for all those who’d perished in the surprise attack on the city. “What do we do now?”

  He shrugged and smiled at her. “You’re asking the wrong guy. I’m leaving all the military decisions up to those who are much better qualified to make them. The only thing I’m concerned about is seeing you get better.” His eyes moved to her small, round abdomen and then back to her eyes. “Speaking of that, how are you feeling…with everything?”

  She touched her stomach and hesitated. Calier watched her bite her lower lip as she struggled for the right words. “Physically I’m still weak. It’s only been two days since you thawed me out.”

  “That’s not what I was talking about.”

  Berit looked down and kicked at a rock. “I know.” She succeeded in dislodging it and then toed it into the water where the waves rolled it over several times. “I’m angry,” she finally said, her voice level. “I’m angry it was forced on me. I’m angry it’s still being forced on other women.” Her voice faltered and emotion began to overtake her. “I’m angry it’s part human and not Winnet’s baby. It should be Winnet’s.” Her shoulders shook as Calier pulled her into an embrace. “It should be.” She said into his chest.

  After several minutes with only the sound of the waves and Berit’s soft crying, she pushed away from Calier and wiped the tears away with the back of her hand.

  “What will you do with the baby?” Calier asked.

  She shook her head and dried one last tear. “I don’t know. My emotions are all in a jumble. The question I keep asking myself is could I love a baby carrying the DNA of the people who’ve ruined everything for us? Could I show the same tenderness to a child forced on me that I would to a child conceived in love?” She stared at the waves for a moment. “Then I feel horrible because this child has done nothing to me, it’s not its fault. It’s a victim too.”

  Calier felt the struggle as well. “From what we’ve gathered from Cullen, all the babies were set to be terminated, never meant to be born. So, the child you carry is special in more ways than one. It’s a refugee, a sojourner, just like you.”

  Another tear slid down her cheek and she wiped it away as a sad smile played across her lips. She leaned into him. “I need my mom.”

  The rumble of aircraft engines reached his ears and he saw two dark shapes speeding in their direction. “Well, I think you’re going to get your wish;” Calier said. “It looks like they’ve arrived.”

  As Berit looked into Calier’s eyes, he smiled, squeezed her hand, and nodded. Berit smiled back, releasing his hand and hurrying down the shore toward the open field the aircraft had been using as a landing spot. He wanted to follow her, but she needed time with her mother to reconnect and rejoice in the reunion. A feeling of great gratitude flowed through him knowing Issae had survived the destruction of Alam. How cruel would it have been for Berit to escape the humans only to have her mother ripped from her just as she returned.

  The sound of pebbles rolling down the embankment and onto the beach interrupted his ruminations. He turned, surprised to see the human commander pushing his way through the tall beach grass. Judging by the look on his face, Calier could tell that the human was surprised to see him as well. The man paused and then continued picking he way down the embankment until he stood beside Calier, several feet of space separating them. Unconsciously, Calier stiffened. He knew this man wasn’t the one who’d launched the bombs into his city, but he came from the same place as those who did. He and his men deserved his gratitude for the help they’d provided, but Calier wasn’t there yet. Trust was a hard thing to build between strangers when the barrier of light years and unknown agendas separated them.

  Uncomfortable silence hung between them until Calier could bear it no more and turned to walk up the beach. A hand settled on his shoulder, making Calier halt. With a sigh he turned back toward the man who held a translator device in his hand, offering it to Calier. With resignation, he took the proffered piece, fitted it into is ear, and waited for the human to make the first move.

  “You’re the professor I’ve heard about, right?”

  Calier grunted. “I was a professor until your kind took it all away.”

  The man nodded and looked out over the waves. “That wasn’t us. We’re a completely—”

  “Yeah, yeah,” Calier waved him off. “I’ve heard about the two different groups, but the fact remains we have no idea why you’re here. We know why they’re here, but why are you here?”

  The man’s eyes bored into Calier. He understood this was a man used to being listened to, and he was struggling to control the urge to physically make himself heard. He spoke slowly and softly when his words came again. “First, my apologies for what some of my race have done to you and your people. I know anything I say will ring hollow and insincere to you. We’re here to show you we’re your friends and allies against the Continental Peace Federation.”

  “Why would we want your help?”

  “Why wouldn’t you?” the man countered. “Professor, I’m a frank man who likes to get right to the point. The truth is you need us and we need you. If we hadn’t shown up today, there would be nothing left of your resistance effort. The CPF would have crushed you and ground your bones into the soil. Without us, your women remain science experiments and the rest of you are dead or slaves, worked to death in a mine or a field. How do I know that? Because that’s what they did on Earth and that’s what I’ve fought against for five years.” Although the man’s voice remained level, Calier could feel its intensity and he began to reevaluate the snap judgment he’d made about this man.

  “Second,” the human continued. “Without you, we know nothing about this world. Your knowledge gives us an advantage the CPF doesn’t have. And,” he hesitated and then went on. “We need the same thing the CPF does, what all humans need. We need the cure that only comes from your people.”

  “There it
is,” Calier retorted sarcastically.

  “Yeah, there it is, but at least I’m honest about it, unlike the CPF. We won’t take it from you without your permission. You have our help. I pledge you my help because a universe without the CPF in it is a better place. I’m in whether you give me the cure or not. That’s my promise to you. So, we can either join forces, link hands, and become allies for the betterment of both our planets, or we can go our separate ways and most likely watch the demise of both of them. The choice is up to you and your people.”

  The man began to walk away, the prints of his boots filling with water as the waves washed over them. Calier watched him and saw the truth in the man’s words. There really was no other choice for either of them. He called out over the ocean breeze.

  “Calier. That’s my name.”

  The human turned and regarded him for a moment. “Bobby. Nice to meet you, Calier.”

  Calier nodded to him and watched the human resume his march up the beach. He supposed he would need to stop thinking of him as “the human” now that he had a name. A sigh escaped his lips. What had his father always said?

  Never name a stray; you’ll just get attached to it.

  ****

  Climbing off the beach, Bobby’s mind was running through the scenarios in his head. The CPF wouldn’t stay idle for long. They’d be on the hunt soon enough. Even though Saxena and his crew had taken out several Valkyries and a couple Helix fighters, Bobby knew there were still a lot more out there. More than the Harbinger and two Valkyries could handle. They were significantly outnumbered. The goal would be a guerrilla campaign until the second ship arrived with 25,000 R3 troops. That would even the playing field, and then they could go on the offensive. Unfortunately, that was six months away. A lot could happen in six months’ time.

  Before him stood a complex of buildings. He’d been told this had been a mining facility when the planet used to burn fossil fuels. Now it had been turned into an astronomical observatory complete with high power telescope. The three astronomers who occupied this facility were surprised, to say the least, when three aircraft touched down two days ago and began unloading 5,000 hungry and weary passengers. Cut off from what was happening on the main continent, they finally had answers to the questions that had plagued them for three months. The last communication they’d received from the mainland had told them to stay where they were and wait for further instructions, which never came.

  There was enough room for the Alam refugees in the abandoned mine and above ground buildings, but food was going to be an issue. It was something they needed to work out. To keep them safe, Bobby knew the three ships and whatever fighting forces were left would need to leave the island and go back to the mainland to distract the CPF.

  Six month of running and fighting, he thought. It would be just like the old days of the R3 when he’d first joined before they’d started winning some fights. He didn’t care what they said, the old days were definitely not as good as the present. They just needed to stay alive until then.

  The rumble of the Harbinger’s engines reverberated around him, and he shielded his eyes from the sun as he watched the ship carve a path across the blue sky and descend into the field, followed by the two much smaller Valkyries. Bobby stopped and watched the crowd gather around the ships. He observed the joyous reunions as family members embraced and moved off toward the complex. They were remarkably like humans. Physically, there were almost no differences other than the eyes and hair, and socially, their society was set up a lot like his own. From what he knew, they’d been able to achieve peace on their planet, something he hoped they’d be able to reinstate soon. It made him wonder where they came from, humans and Am’Segid. Did they have a common ancestor? A common…creator?

  The crowd around the ships thinned as Bobby resumed his walk across the field. From one of the Valkyries he saw a woman emerge. He’d heard there was a human woman piloting the ship, but he hadn’t had the opportunity to meet her or talk with her through the chaos of the airlift and evacuation. This would be a good opportunity to finally meet the mystery woman. Her back was turned to him as she inspected a landing strut when he closed within talking distance.

  He coughed and the woman turned around. His breath caught in his throat. The face looking back at him was the face of someone who was dead. Dead a long time ago. The hair was much shorter, but the face was unmistakably Evie Kreg, his friend and former employer.

  “How…,” he stuttered.

  Evie’s face lit up in recognition and she threw herself into Bobby’s stunned arms. “Bobby!”

  He wrapped her in a hug and then pushed back from her. “I saw you…lying in the road. You were…I was sure you were dead.”

  The familiar smile spread across her face. “The reports of my death were highly exaggerated,” she said, laughing.

  “No really, how did you get here?” Bobby managed to get out.

  She shook her head. “I don’t know all the details, but they turned me into some sort of pilot-cyborg thing.” Her face darkened. “I was part of the invasion force, plugged into a Valkyrie and helping run missions. I don’t have memories of that time, but whatever they did to me, it saved me and made me into something else. When I did wake up, I was here and I’d lost my legs.”

  He looked down as she hiked up her pant leg. “Cybernetic limbs complements of our Am’Segid friends. They’re really pretty great.”

  “Oh man, Evie.”

  “There’s stuff in my head too. We don’t know how that will affect me in the long run. So far, I’ve been okay. Just some occasional headaches.” She shrugged.

  Bobby grinned and wrapped her in another hug. “What about Lucas? I saw him bleeding on the road too.”

  A look of pain settled over Evie’s face. “He survived, sort of.” She looked up into Bobby’s eyes. “He’s here, Bobby, on this planet, but he’s not the Lucas we remember. He’s one of them, one of the CPF and he’s the one who’s responsible for the death of all the people of Alam.”

  His mind spun with the onslaught of new information. No way Lucas joined up with the CPF. He hated them because of what they’d done to Samantha.

  Evie could see the questions. “I know, it’s a lot to take in.” She slipped her slender arm through his and tugged him toward the complex of buildings. “Come on, big fella, I’m starving. We can catch up over a meal. I want to know everything Robert Hughes has been up to since that night.”

  Bobby smiled and let Evie guide him toward the buildings. It wasn’t all good news, but he had one of his oldest and dearest friends back. In Bobby’s experience there were few days in life filled with nothing but good reports. You had to take the good with the bad and hold onto the positives. That’s what kept you going, what gave you a purpose. Receiving a friend back from the dead? Yeah, that was something to hold onto, it was a major positive. However this war turned out, he was grateful Evie would fight by his side.

  Yeah, a definite positive.

  CHAPTER SIXTY-FIVE

  Earth - Eastern United African Republics, CPF research facility

  Epilogue

  Governor Idi Kalu aimed the flashlight at the access panel. After keying in the seven-digit code, the heavy steel door slid into the wall. There was only black before him as the facility allowed for no outside light. He’d only been here once, but he’d memorized the layout in case of just such a situation.

  Turning to the right, he threw the heavy switch and heard the generator buried deep under the floor roar to life. After several seconds, he flipped several smaller switches and the overhead lights began to glow faintly.

  “What’s in here, Kalu?” growled Campbell.

  Kalu strode forward into the ever increasing light. “Our ticket off Earth.”

  The lights reflected off the gleaming metal hull of a ship of the same design as the Unity 2, but half the size.

  “Another ship?” Olivia wondered, her French accent echoing through the open cavern.

  Kalu nodded as he c
ontinued walking forward. “I thought it best to have a back up plan in case we ever needed to make a hasty retreat. It was the first warp ship we built. A prototype I had fitted and stored away for just this purpose.”

  “Where are we going?” Claudia asked.

  “Our mission remains the same. We continue on to HP-397 and install ourselves as its new leaders,” Kalu stated as he gave instructions to the pilot and the men who’d conveyed them from Antarctica to this underground facility beneath the African savanna.

  “Hold on, Kalu,” Campbell balked. “Why should we keep following you? You let our first ship be taken by R3 and before that you’ve presided over the decline of the CPF. Everyday more and more of our land and cities fall to the resistance. I don’t think you’ve shown yourself worthy of calling the shots anymore. So, I ask again. Why should we follow you? I think it’s time for new leadership.”

  Idi Kalu drew the sidearm from the holster of the soldier standing next to him. He pointed the weapon at Campbell. “Because, my dear Governor Campbell, I hold the keys.” The report of the pistol bounced off the stone-walled cavern. Olivia screamed and Claudia gasped. Campbell slumped to the floor, a blood stain spreading across the chest of the white collared shirt he wore under his suit jacket.

  “What have you done?” Yǎ Dé Zhōu shouted.

  “Eliminating a distraction. Dissidents will not be tolerated in our ranks. We must be united as one if we are going to be the saviors of the human race. Is there anyone else who would like to question my leadership?” Kalu asked levelly, still holding the pistol. Silence hung heavy in the hangar. “Very good. Now, if you will follow me into the ship, we’ll be on our way.”

  Kalu handed the pistol back to the stunned soldier and climbed the steps into the ship. It would have been easy to let the events of the past few days distract him from the mission, but the trials had only strengthened his resolve. Eliminating Campbell was necessary. Unfortunate, but necessary. The mission was too important. He needed to cement his name as humanity’s savior, and a chattering magpie would only divert attention.