by Craig Gaydas
Satou stroked his chin tentacles, deep in thought. Kedge scratched his head and focused his monocled eye on me. Lianne slipped back in her chair with a confused look on her face. Frustrated, I clenched my fists. If anyone should understand what I was saying it should have been the people around me.
“Look,” I directed them to the map, specifically at a caption hovering over the country of Mauritania.
This location houses a time hole unlike any I have ever encountered before. Preliminary tests concluded it does not lead to the past as originally thought. Science Officer Jharg passed through the hole completely with no adverse effects. The logical conclusion is that this is a receiver. We are standing in someone's past. This is a remarkable find. Someday, someone from the future may pass through this hole. How far in the future remains to be seen. Also, obviously this brings up concerns regarding any intentions this futuristic traveler may bring with them. Further studies must be conducted.–KELL
“That's an amazing find, Nathan,” Kedge said. “Good job!”
“The Richat Structure,” I muttered. “That's why Kell did what he did.”
“What?” Lianne blinked at me.
Startled, I shook my head and realized my words had been uttered out loud. “Oh, sorry. I was remembering the riddle I had to solve to unlock the map. It involved the Richat Structure and now I know why.”
“But what does all of it mean?” Lianne pressed.
I couldn't answer her question. Before I could admit as much, Kedge spoke up.
“It means Calypso lied to me when he recruited me,” he said solemnly. “He only desired the power of the Lumagom, and my men.” Kedge rubbed his chin. “I think I may know what Corvus is planning.”
“Well, don't keep us all in suspense,” I quipped.
“The only logical conclusion is he is using the time hole to bring technology from the future into the past. The Dominion Curse was only a sampling of that technology.”
We were jarred in our seats as Satou guided the shuttle out of the bay. He activated the auto pilot and turned toward us. “Why do this?” he asked. “It doesn't sound very logical to destroy your own planet's past.”
Kedge shrugged. “It must have something to do with the future. Unfortunately, without knowledge of the future, it may be difficult to determine their motives.”
“Well whatever it is, it can't be good.” I fumbled with my harness which took several tries to get hooked. “We have to complete our mission but we also need to go to the Richat Structure and stop Corvus.”
“Well, since we can't be in two places at one time I will notify Embeth and see what he can do,” Lianne offered. “Perhaps he can dispatch some of the Defense Fleet to that location.”
Lianne hurried to the back of the shuttle and accessed the communication panel. Satou returned his attention to the shuttle's guidance system and guided the craft around an incoming asteroid.
“We should be landing in New York shortly,” he stated. “In the meantime prepare yourselves.”
As everyone double-checked their weapons, the shuttle's cloaking technology covered our landing in the East River. The scanners reported a lack of boats in the area and we unhooked ourselves and prepared. Satou retrieved a large metal canister from the cabinet and strapped it to his back. A one inch diameter hose was attached to it which he fastened to his wrist.
“What is that?” I asked.
Satou tightened the strap and met my gaze. “This is an airborne version of the cure. All I need to do is spray this toward the victim and, if it works as intended, the antidote should enter through the sinuses and take effect.”
“Are there any side effects?”
Satou shook his head. “No side effects, but the cure is only effective if the subject inhales it. It will still take about a minute for it to work.”
“Which means we will need to disable them,” Kedge acknowledged. He slid his staff into its sling and looked at me with a grim expression. “That means there is a chance some may need to be killed if the cure does not work in that timeframe.”
Lianne burst into the cabin. “Embeth agreed to send a force to the Richat Structure. He still suffers from his wounds but Daranan will take the lead. He should be a reliable—,” her voice trailed off and her smile faded when she saw our faces. “What's wrong?”
“Nothing,” Kedge replied. “Just addressing a bit of unpleasantness.”
Satou stood up and his face hardened. “Nathan, I have to ask you to stay here.”
“What?” I asked incredulously. To say I was disappointed would have been an understatement.
Satou raised his hand to stop my protest. “Kedge is right, we may have to kill people in there.”
A tense moment of silence passed between us. I attempted several times to respond but the words escaped me. He is right. I refused to admit it out loud, but my brain knew otherwise. I slumped into a nearby chair and dropped my face in my hands.
A hand fell on my shoulder. I looked up to see Kedge scrutinizing me with his bionic eye.
“If I was in your position I would feel the same way,” he said. Sorrow crossed his face and I thought I spied a tear in his good eye but it could have been my imagination. “We will handle this and I'll do everything I can to make sure the casualties are minimal.” He turned toward the exit but stopped with his head down. “Humans were my people too…at one time.” Before I could say anything he exited the shuttle.
Satou grabbed a neutralizer and followed him out the door. Lianne tossed me a look of regret before she walked out as well. I watched the communication panel while the airlock disengaged outside. A feeling of uselessness filled me. A lot of good I will do in here. I moved to the pilot's chair and fingered some of the buttons and knobs that dominated the control panel. I removed my hand when I realized I might accidentally hit the wrong button and launch the shuttle into the side of the United Nations.
“Please God, let everything be alright.”
Solomon Corvus
The time hole shimmered. To an untrained eye it was nothing more than heat rising from the sun-scorched desert. Occasionally, desert nomads would wander past the location seeing nothing more than strangers staring into empty space. They wisely chose to put a lot of distance between them. Solomon Corvus was no desert nomad nor was he some stranger who had wandered into the desert. He felt the power of the portal. He saw a portcullis, draped in bluish energy. As he watched, the color of the door became darker than usual and shapes formed in the background. Someone, or something, was ready to step through.
Calypso and Natronix exchanged nervous glances, expecting the worst. They hadn't travelled through the time hole and weren't sure what would come through. Not Calypso. He had been waiting patiently for visitors.
“What is it?” Calypso asked.
Corvus chuckled when two of the Lumagom guards raised their weapons and trained them on the portal. They put on a brave face, but couldn't hide the fear in their eyes.
Corvus smiled warmly. “Reinforcements.”
Calypso visibly relaxed. “It's about time. The untapped potential of your technology will be useful against the Consortium.”
Untapped potential. Calypso said the most amusing things sometimes, Corvus thought. He bit his tongue and continued to stare at the portal. The darkened swirls formed small blobs before splitting into one large blob soon followed by another, much smaller one. Eventually the mists came into focus and the blobs took shape. One male, one animal. They exited the portal and Corvus' smile widened when he recognized them.
“Sam Wells!” Corvus beamed. “You are a most welcome sight.”
The male, a human in his fifties, was completely bald with thick rimmed glasses and a six inch brown goatee, mottled with gray. Thick, golden hoop earrings dangled from each ear and he clutched a large black case in one hand. The animal next to him was a wolf as white as snow. He fixed his pale blue eyes on them and growled.
Corvus cocked his head. “And you too I guess?”
&n
bsp; “What the hell is this?” Natronix growled. “A man and his dog are our weapons against the Consortium?”
“If you are referring to Claw, then I must clarify that he is actually a wolf, not a dog.” Sam frowned and reached down to stroke the animal's fur. The animal closed its eyes and let out a soft purr, almost like a cat. Natronix curled his lip.
“Dog…wolf, it makes no difference. We need an army, not animals,” he grumbled.
Sam glanced at Corvus and ceased petting the wolf. “I would have thought you would have one by now. You seem to be slacking.”
Corvus laughed and looked around. Ten Lumagom soldiers had escorted them to the Richat Structure. Most of them circled the portal with weapons raised, unsure of Sam and his pet. He rubbed his temple and knew that if so commanded, Sam's wolf would tear them to pieces before they could even fire a shot.
“This is just a contingent. The rest are up there.” He raised a single finger toward the sky.
Sam looked up and scanned the skies. “The only thing I see there are clouds. What exactly do we have 'up there'?”
“Four Scarlet Moon warships, seven Lumagom battle cruisers and one science vessel Calypso managed to steal from the Consortium,” Corvus replied.
“We would have also had one Explorer's League vessel if you hadn't abandoned it,” Natronix grumbled.
Corvus ignored him. “We have a mix of roughly two hundred soldiers, science officers, and medical staff.”
Sam scowled. “Not nearly enough to achieve our goal.”
“That's why I need your assistance.” Corvus nodded toward the case.
Sam shrugged and dropped the case. The soldiers took a defensive step backward. They focused their weapons on Sam with an air of uncertainty. He stepped away from the case and Corvus moved in to inspect his new gift.
“So this is the Richat Structure,” Sam commented as he surveyed the desolate landscape around them. Countless desert hills and valleys surrounded them. They were a staple of the barren wasteland which comprised this particular section of Mauritania.
“Lovely, isn't it?” Corvus grunted.
Sam's eyes fell on the rifles that were pointed at him. “If you plan on using those, I suggest you get it over with.”
Claw growled and the soldiers seemed unsure of the situation. They looked toward Calypso for guidance but before he could issue an order something growled behind them. They spun their weapons toward the sound. From behind a nearby acacia bush an African lion emerged. Its golden mane was caked with dried mud from recent rains. It swayed gently from the dry desert wind. When it turned its hungry eyes spotted their group. To him their group must have appeared like a buffet.
“Wait!” Sam's voice interrupted the soldiers before they could fire on the animal. He pushed his way past Calypso and Natronix.
Corvus looked up from the case and smiled. He knew Sam enjoyed “showing off” for an audience. It was one of his quirks for as long as they have known each other. The wolf trailed behind Sam with its head low to the ground and growled. It was his low, guttural growl that caused goose bumps to break out on Corvus' arms. He didn't know much about the animal but he did know Sam's skills. Their group was about to be treated to a show.
The lion's haunches tightened when Sam approached and he appeared poised to strike. Sam stopped and let his companion move past him. The lion showed no fear toward Sam, but paused when the wolf approached. The lion, although not afraid, sniffed the air in confusion at the site of the animal. Claw stopped about fifteen yards from the lion. He raised his muzzle toward the lion. His eyes, pale orbs of white totally devoid of fear, fixed on his quarry. Satisfied that the wolf was his enemy, the lion leapt.
It happened so fast that Corvus was still processing the event minutes after it ended. The lion stretched in mid-air, its paws—bigger than a grown man's hands—were extended and ready to strike. Then it happened. One moment the lion was there, the next moment it wasn't. There was fire, an explosion and the lion was simply gone. The only thing remaining was blood, a few clumps of fur and entrails which covered most of Claw's face and upper torso. Toward the rear of the wolf there was an open hatch and an empty metal enclosure. Smoke poured from the cavity and tiny flames licked the edges of the wolf's fur before burning out.
“What the hell just happened?” Natronix asked, his mouth agape.
The metal enclosure receded inside the animal and the hatch closed, covering the hole with fur. Sam approached the animal and crouched down and brushed away some of the burnt fur.
“Damn, I'm going to have to get that fixed now,” he groaned. “He fired when the lion was too close.”
Corvus bellowed laughter and clapped Sam on the back. “That is ingenious! Your experiments have improved since the last time we met.”
Sam waved him off and continued to work on the wolf. Calypso approached the pair cautiously and gestured toward Claw. “What the hell is that thing?”
Sam looked away from his fur repair duties and smiled. “I guess I should have been more specific upon introduction. This is a Cybernetic Land Assault Weapon, Claw for short. This here is the Arctic Wolf model.”
Claw looked up and chuffed. Calypso seemed entranced by the weapon. He crouched down and placed his hand on the wolf's head. The animal accepted it without resistance.
“My god,” he gasped. “It's so realistic.”
Sam's smile faded. “Of course it is, I designed it that way.”
“Sam is our best weapons engineer,” Corvus beamed. “He will help design weapons to use in the upcoming battle.”
“I'm sorry,” Natronix interrupted with a scowl “But how are animals going to help us defeat the Consortium?”
Before Corvus could answer his communicator chirped. He unclipped it from his belt and barked into it. “This better be important!”
“It is,” Shai's voice growled from the other end. “There is a shuttle on the way toward New York.”
Corvus narrowed his eyes and glanced at Calypso. “Oh really?”
“They must have found a cure for your little plague,” Calypso offered. “I bet they are on their way to the U.N. to administer it.”
“According to my sources, the Cartographer is aboard,” Shai said.
Corvus dropped the communicator to his side and his lips tightened. “We now have our chance.” He turned to Calypso.
Calypso nodded, grabbed Natronix and headed toward their shuttle.
“Wait, that's not all,” Shai said. “Meta has dispatched a force heading your way. It seems they mean to intercept you, but since they only sent one ship it appears they want to maintain discretion.”
“So, they have a Cartographer?” Sam asked.
Corvus nodded. He turned toward the departing figures of Calypso and Natronix. “Wait!” he called. They stopped and turned. “I need you to take Sam with you.”
“Me?” Sam asked incredulously. “I still have work to do if you expect more prototypes.”
“I need you to go with them Sam,” Corvus whispered. “I need someone with them I can trust.”
Sam wasn't pleased by the news. “You don't trust these guys? I thought they were our allies.”
“They are, but they don't know what you and I know.” Corvus grabbed his elbow and held him close, lowering his voice even more. “They cannot make the decisions that will be necessary soon.”
“Because they don't know what we know,” Sam repeated.
“Exactly.”
“What about Claw?” Sam looked concerned.
“I will keep him here with me, along with a few soldiers to guard the Richat Structure.”
Sam approached Calypso. “Guess I am tagging along for the ride.”
He narrowed his eyes. “We don't need a chaperone, Corvus.”
“I am not sending him as a chaperone,” Corvus explained. “I'm sending him as insurance.”
“Whatever,” Calypso muttered before leading Sam to the shuttle.
Corvus watched the shuttle rise into the sky and disa
ppear among the glare of the bright desert sun. He looked at Claw who seemed to study him with cold, calculating precision. “You will come in quite handy, Claw,” he whispered to the wolf. Corvus was well aware of Sam's talents. His weapons would prove useful in the battles ahead.
Quite handy indeed.
Kedge
“Can you hear me, Nathan?” Satou slapped the side of the headset. “Damn it!”
Kedge watched while he fumbled with the headset. Lianne had explained to him that the Explorer's League technology grew more antiquated every day despite the Consortium funding the League since its inception. Financing for new technology had been reduced drastically over the years. Calypso repeatedly complained about it, but his pleas fell on deaf ears. The refurbished equipment neared the end of its life cycle, but the crew had to make do with what they had.
“Bureaucratic shenanigans,” Kedge grumbled. “You would think your High Prince would care more about the group that brings new worlds into their ranks.”
Lianne took her headset off and frowned. “What do you know about caring? Have you ever cared about anything in all your years of leading the Lumagom against us, slaughtering millions of innocents?”
His jaw tightened. Her words stung with truth. It seemed no matter what he did he would never be able to wash his hands of the past. No matter what he intended to correct a lot of the wrongs of his predecessor.
“I have cared, woman, more than you know,” he spat the word through clenched teeth.
“Stop it, both of you.” Satou banged the headset against his thigh and reattached it to his head. “Nathan, are you there? Can you hear me?”
Lianne focused her attention on Satou, which turned out to be a good thing. Kedge felt a familiar pain radiating from his chest. It was like a dagger poking at his lungs. It radiated outward and gradually got worse. He had to resist the urge to reach for his chest. Not now damn it. With a grimace he bit back the pain.
