“What, what is it?” Kiel demanded.
Ioka didn’t respond, but Kiel and the others came to her side to assess the situation.
They had traveled near the event horizon only a moment, but not as planned. The view of the stars surrounding them assured them that they had returned to the territory around Kai-rek.
Meanwhile, Ioka struggled to regain her composure. Perhaps her growing fears were unfounded. Perhaps they had turned back before they passed too close to the event horizon where time and space became distorted.
"Do we try that again?" she asked, unsure what to do.
"Can you determine what caused the fluctuation in the density engine energy output?" Kiel asked, suppressing his own uncertainty.
"I'm not sure," Ioka replied, her voice cracking. "I may have to go to the engine room to investigate. I don't know–one of the sensor connections to my monitor might have been the problem. We may not even have crossed into the time-influenced area around the event horizon. If a malfunction occurred, the readings might have been false."
"It doesn't look like we went anywhere," Lierva observed. "That's Tileden there–and Yestaval–we're in our own solar system." Lierva avoided mentioning the real concern, that they had not re-emerged into real space at the same time they had left it.
A strange vibration shook the ship again.
Alessia said nothing, but she had the feeling that some lingering sub-atomic energy had escaped the black hole behind them, released by the attractive forces of the density engine, or else an anti-pair remnant of the engine's energy that had headed towards and been absorbed by the black hole. The anti-particle ripple passed through the ship but sent a chill to her heart.
Something very, very wrong was happening. And they all knew it.
* * * * *
A few hours passed as the crew followed Ioka in an attempt to determine what had caused the malfunction in the density engines. After a hundred energy tests, Kiel decided optimistically that the anomaly had been caused by a rare energy surge, caused by a small course miscalculation that drew the cosmic string singularity into too close proximity to that of the black hole. With the course readjusted, they could try again.
Then a message from the bridge interrupted Kiel's final checks and manual alterations.
"I'm reading massive gravity waves coming from coordinates je-1, ila-8, di-4–most likely point of origin from Valeria.” Derstan said in a panic, his voice suddenly thick.
“Can you–”
“Oh my God!" Derstan exclaimed. "It is Valeria–she's about to supernova!"
"Take us to Seynorynael–now!" Kiel shouted into the communicator.
"The string engine isn't responding, Kiel!" Broah screamed, helplessly trying every single one of the controls.
"Then engage the tachiyon engine!” Kiel ordered. “Warp us, but for God’s sake get us there!"
They initiated the drives without hesitating. Selesta's engines condensed space and time, ripping a centipede hole into the fabric of space-time and sending them through to the Valerian system before even a second of forward time had elapsed. But every member of Hinev's explorers knew it was already too late. They could not return to the past through the centipede holes; only the string engine had permitted them to control the centipede hole gates and evade Marankeil's time check monitors.
Their mistake was beyond monumental, beyond hope of correction or redemption. In their haste, they had passed too near the event horizon.
Almost seventeen thousand years had passed in a moment in Kai-rek's embrace.
* * * * *
As Selesta approached the Valerian system, the explorers picked up the signals of a thousand ships passing them by, fleeing the system. Their transmissions of warning to any ships heading to the Empire's home world gave the impression that the ships had launched in a hurry, as though the planet had been caught unprepared for the impending catastrophe. But the explorers did not stop to make contact or confirm the identity of the starships. They continued to speed towards Seynorynael, oblivious to the warnings, until they came within sight of the small bluish-white orb. The nighttime view faced them, a crescent of light glimmering beyond the horizon in the left side of the viewport.
A swath of clouds danced across the darkened seas and ice caps. The blinking lights of artificial satellites and the abandoned space stations flashed red and green beams into space. Seynorynael looked so fragile to them, so vulnerable and forlorn alone out there in the void, a small jewel in enveloping space. The view of the dark side of the planet seemed to portend its impending doom. Twilight had fallen for the last time, and they would never again behold the bright day on their home world.
The small group of Seynorynaelians on the bridge of Selesta watched the ring of light blast from Valeria, expanding towards them, eating all of space as it approached, swallowing the three inner planets of the system without a sound. The shockwave's destructive energy began to fade as it neared the tiny sphere of rock and the two planetoids in their timeless orbit around the fourth planet.
It did not spare Seynorynael. Alessia, Kiel, and the others stood in mute horror facing the blinding light no human eyes could withstand, as their beloved home world was engulfed by the wave of radiation. Ishkur and Nanshe vanished; Seynorynael lasted a moment longer. The shock wave then began to taper off, and a mild blast of the radiation buffeted Selesta, but her shields held fast against it.
The explorers could not take their eyes from the now empty wash of light where Seynorynael had been a few precious moments before. Her beautiful vast blue seas were no more. The great reflecting ice caps north of the weather-safe ring that had heralded the welcoming sight of home were gone, finally absorbed by the light that had been the source of their splendor.
Alessia thought of her childhood home of Lake Firien. Her mind refused to accept that its beauty was gone. The lyra tree forest that bordered the lake and the ice-capped mountains that rose beyond the shimmering sea of trees filled her mind with false scents and sensations; she felt again the cool spring breezes that brought the first hint of the ripening sherin fruit to her home on the shore. Her mother, singing in their dwelling, her father, running down the beach with her on his shoulders. She heard the mournful cry of the Ceiras birds wheeling above Firien that made her heart ache to fly with them over the waters.
She would not believe that it was gone.
The explorers did not cry. In the depths of their souls they felt the terror and loneliness and emotions they had never known rising with uncontrollable force.
There was permanent and stable in the changing universe; they were beyond solace and beyond help–they were alone. The universe with its great emptiness had surrounded them, and there was nowhere they might hide. For as long as eternity would last, they were left to its care, to writhe under its unfeeling glare, to find no peace, to wander, to search for the unquestioning security they would never know again.
All they had known and all they had been had gone and left nothing. And the universe didn’t care.
"I don’t feel the Elders anymore," Broah said finally; they did not know how long they had stood in silence.
The others extended their thoughts beyond the ship, now heightened by their bereavement. Alessia realized she was right–the ancient minds that had long surrounded the planet and this section of space had vanished. There was a great calm in the air–and the solar system seemed callously unaware that billions of beings had just perished.
That pain was only beginning to hit them, but their minds continued to struggle against it, to refuse the reality of it.
The group began to move away from the observation window. Kellar went to peruse the transmissions they had received for any information as to what had happened. He suppressed the urge to dissolve his entity into energy and leave the ship, to beg the light to take him with all that he had loved. But he turned instead
to the communications console, taking over for Derstan, and steeled his guts for the work they had to do. The Elders were not here anymore, but that did not mean they hadn't known the end was coming, that they had been caught unaware.
His voice interrupted the others a moment later. "The Grand Fleet sent signals across this area warning the merchant ships to turn back," he said in a stoical tone of voice, reading the transmissions. "The warning explains that the supernova came nearly a thousand years earlier than calculated. They don't know why the estimations were off. But apparently by the time they realized what was happening, they had only a few hours to prepare for the end.
"The Grand Fleet claims they sent a signal across the planet to try to get people to evacuate." Kellar continued. "They report that many people refused to leave. They felt they would not be welcomed on other worlds if the Empire was gone and the Grand Fleet scattered, prey to the opposing sovereignty factions on the Empire worlds."
"But they must have taken the millions with them who were willing to leave." Kiel tried to convince himself. "Perhaps we can rendezvous with the survivors and help take them to another planet. And what about the Grand Flagship? Can we catch it to get a full report?" Kiel asked, and Kellar nodded. Selesta's engines engaged, drawing them away from Valeria for the last time. Alessia and Lierva stood side by side, watching the star fade. The entire scene still seemed surreal.
Time passed uncounted, and the explorers sensed that life was near.
"Grand Fleet within two million space units." Kilran said, reading the console and sending an image forward to the viewport imager holo-field.
The presence of human beings drew Alessia from her stupor. She was already sensing emotions and thoughts from minds not too far away, but the number was startlingly low. She could feel the vague thought signals–this was not the rich overwhelming assortment that a full planet of inhabitants might provide. A sick sensation welled in the pit of her stomach, and she shuddered.
The Grand Fleet, the Martial Force, had fled. Leaving the people behind. There had been room to evacuate the entire planet's population, but they had rushed to save themselves, fearing the passing of every moment.
"There's a small flotilla of ships following," Kilran added. "We passed them on our approach."
"Try hailing them," Kiel said.
"We're receiving more signals from them in that direction," Kellar interjected. He activated the communications console, and the explorers stilled to listen. Private vessels and merchant ships alike, and a thousand small cargo ships hurled accusations directed at the Grand Fleet. How could they have left the planet without evacuating the entire population?
Celekar sank to his knees, wrapping his elbows around his head in an attempt to drown out the truth. Mindra stifled a sob that had escaped, a small mournful cry like a wounded animal. Vala stood frozen, her eyes glistening. Derstan's expression was hard, his brow furrowed; horror as great as though someone had torn his heart out and shown it to him, still beating, struck him. Even Kellar began to falter, his eyes glazing over in a state of catatonic denial.
"Someone hail them and ask the survivors if they will join us," Kiel repeated in a voice that tried to be assertive and failed.
Alessia and Lierva moved to the communications console, and Alessia laid a reassuring arm on Kellar's shoulder. He looked up at them, and seeing their concern, gave a slight nod.
"Message to all Seynorynaelian survivors. Starship Selesta extends a welcome to all those who wish to join us. Those of you who would accept our offer are free to remain on the ship as long as you wish, or until we have arrived at an acceptable planet for disembarkation. Please respond if you are willing to accept." He repeated the message twice as the explorers waited for acknowledgment.
The Grand Fleet, as if afraid of the Selesta's reaction to its cowardice, entered the mouth of the neighboring centipede hole, fleeing the Selesta's signals for unknown destinations. The explorers did not particularly care where they went. News would eventually reach the Empire of Seynorynael's demise, and they doubted the Grand Fleet would be welcome anywhere. They would have been safer to remain under Selesta's protection. But they had not realized that the explorers would protect them. They thought only of what they might do if the situation were reversed, and so they fled from their visions of the punishments that justice demanded.
A signal flashed in the holo-monitor, and Kilran patched the visual communication through.
"Are you truly the Silerista?" A man in a strange green uniform asked hesitantly. There was no doubt he was Seynorynaelian, but the language he spoke hardly sounded like the one they knew. Kiel reached his thoughts to the nearby vessel, trying at least to glimpse some of the modern constructions of their native tongue. But it was a simple and direct speech, one they understood, now.
"Yes, this is Syler–Silerista." Kiel stepped forward in the projection sphere. The man registered the sight of the strangely clad explorer, and his eyes widened.
"You have returned," he breathed. "I never thought it would happen in my lifetime. Many said you were lost in ancient times. Some say you never existed at all, but the council records show your departure, and they cannot be refuted." The man shook his head in wonder and stared openly as the other explorers came into the projection sphere.
"How long ago was our last departure?"
"Nearly seventeen thousand years ago," the man responded automatically, still trying to convince himself that he was not hallucinating. He eyed their uniforms, the ancient garb of the explorers, and shrugged. "But the Council assumed you had perished in the black hole Krek when you didn’t return." His face was suddenly transformed by grief and regret. "What a pity that you have returned at such a time, in our people's darkest hour! And the Grand Fleet–they left us helpless," he said with sudden venom.
"I am Ordeg, a trader. I waited in the capital of Ralsin after they sent the message. I took as many as my small Trader's vessel would hold. We had to close the doors. I'll never forget the sight–thousands of desperate people pressing against each other to secure a spot on one of the escaping ships. We were listening to your communication." He explained. "The Grand Fleet lied! No one wanted to stay! The masses rocking my ship almost kept us from taking off. But I couldn't do any more for them," Ordeg protested, shaking his head with guilt.
Kiel sensed that he struggled with his own conscience, but in truth, he could have done no more. The scene Ordeg had witnessed would no doubt haunt the man the rest of his days, as the image of Seynorynael's last moments remained behind Kiel's eyes, burned forever into his memory.
"Don’t torment yourself. You did all you could. You’re a good man, Ordeg." Kiel's unwavering eyes looked directly into the man's gaze. In that moment, Ordeg seemed subdued, and he blinked, feeling the picture blissfully dulled in his mind. "Will you join us on Silerista?" Kiel asked again.
"We will gladly." Ordeg answered with a nod. "My ship can’t support so many and would take many years to reach the next Sinanailian Empire world with our present fuel supply. We cannot accelerate to a relativistic rate of sub-light speed, or risk our capacity to alter our course direction."
"Then follow the location beams to our Great Bay. There should be plenty of room for a number of trading ships. We will see to your comfort and plan our course after all who will join us have arrived." Kiel smiled, hoping others were monitoring the transmission and would feel secure in the aid of Hinev's explorers; more than likely, the last thing the survivors were worrying about was the identity of their saviors.
"My thanks to you. May you flourish as the sacred lyra," Ordeg intoned the most formal of parting blessings.
Chapter Sixteen
Take it easy, there, Jir-end! Celekar jumped back, glaring hotly at the lanky explorer who piloted the small trading shuttle into the Great Bay, following Celekar’s signals to take it to the other side.
; I am trying my best, Jir-end replied.
Just take it to the other side, will you? Celekar thought. The four of them, Jir-end and Celekar, Lierva and Alessia were trying to guide in the trading vessels that had agreed to join Selesta until the great ship could bring those that wanted to return to the Empire worlds to a reasonable planetary spaceport and the more cautious refugees to another new home.
Of the more than a thousand ships that escaped Seynorynael, most had been filled to capacity, and these willingly accepted Kiel's offer. The ones that had fled from the supernova without picking up many extra passengers continued on their way, ignoring the Selesta's transmissions.
Alessia and Lierva followed the last of the merchant vessels which Jir-end had gone out to maneuver into the Selesta's Great Bay; they glided to a smooth landing on the empty, near side reserved for Valerian fighters. Alessia glanced around at the assortment of spaceships gathered in the great hold as Lierva dismounted from her plane behind her.
Is that everyone? They heard Kiel’s mind call from the other side of the hold, where he and the other explorers had begun to welcome the refugees; Alessia could see Broah motioning them to hurry over.
It better be, Celekar replied, already on his way, or else Jir-end here is liable to kill me with this thing.
By the time he, Lierva, and Alessia reached the far side of the Great Bay, the passengers had begun to emerge and cast wondering gazes around the hold.
Could this be Silerista? their faces seemed to say, regarding their new environment in a state of delight. A ship of the miraculous and mythical had saved them when all hope was thought lost.
Alessia now noticed Kiel and Talden talking to a richly dressed Kayrian, though he no longer resembled the kind of Kayrian they remembered, owing to the evolution of the species; many of the merchants who had taken pity on the Seynorynaelian peoples and rescued them from the planet were from other Empire worlds. The worlds of the conquered, and yet they had saved the last few people of Seynorynael. She felt the irony acutely, couldn’t help but wonder–would those Seynorynaelians have done the same for their rescuers if one of the Empire worlds had been destroyed?
Star Gods: Book Four of Seeds of a Fallen Empire Page 32
