Paying the Price (Book 5 of The Empire of Bones Saga)

by Terry Mixon

  Hearing her lover was trapped worried her, but she was already doing what she had to do to get him free.

  “We’ll be back in the area in a bit more than four hours. Parallel universes? You’re sure?”

  “Pretty sure. We found bodies here. There are several versions of me. With my exact implant serial numbers. They left messages for me. It’s kind of creepy.”

  “You can drop the qualifiers. That’s creepy.”

  A second request for communication came in, but this one was odd. It had no implant code at all. She wasn’t sure who was calling.

  “I’m getting a request to talk to someone,” she told Carl. “Is it someone on your end?”

  “Not that I know of. Everything is going through my implants. I’m not getting a ping from anyone.”

  She mentally shrugged. “Let’s see who it is.”

  Kelsey accepted the request. She added the person to the already existing conversation. “Hello? Who is this?”

  “Hello. I am the person you are communicating with.”

  That rocked her back on her heels. The voice sounded almost natural in her mental ear. No trace of odd accents. “You’re the computer in the station around the black hole?”

  “My queries of those terms indicate that I am almost certainly what you mean by that, though computer is an unfamiliar concept. I am a living being.”

  Kelsey put her diplomatic hat on. “Greetings, then. I am Princess Kelsey Bandar of the Terran Empire. My associate in your station is Carl Owlet. May I ask whom I am addressing?”

  “My name does not translate well. You may call me the last. It is an accurate term, as I am the last of my people in this universe.”

  She filed that away. There would be time to figure out what it meant soon enough.

  “That’s an odd name for those of my people. Perhaps I can call you Omega?”

  “Yes, that name seems accurate.”

  “Very well,” she said. “Omega it is. You’re aware some of our people are inside you. We mean you no harm. In fact, they are trying to get back out.”

  “I am aware of their predicament. I sorrow at the deaths of those that came before them. I was unable to communicate with them. I deeply regret that I cannot assist you in exiting this station.”

  Carl cut in. “This is Carl Owlet. May I ask why you can’t help us?”

  The alien sounded apologetic. “The flaw lies in my current state. Those that came before you did not come from the same reality as you. You are aware of this?”

  “We are.”

  “The reason for this lies in the nature of this station. It exists in many realities. More than I can count. All circling this cursed black hole. Something about the extreme gravity and bending of space and time have made the interiors of all the stations become one.

  “When you came inside my hull, you stepped outside your reality. Here, all are equally real. I cannot sense which one to open a portal to. Here on the inside, it is one. Outside, there are many. When you entered, you activated the portal from only that reality. I cannot replicate it in the other direction. I cannot tell which is which.”

  Kelsey had a hard time getting her mind around that. “Why did your builders make you that way?”

  The other being laughed without humor. “Such was never their intention. Our sun was growing less stable. We built this station to create a gateway out of our doomed solar system.

  “They created a path to another reality for our people to flee. One with a stable sun and no people to fight them for a place to live. It took many, many years and hundreds of expeditions, but they finally found a suitable home and our people fled this doomed place.

  “Centuries later, the sun did explode. It may be that the use of the technology in this station accelerated the process. I am unsure. It happened in many realities, all at once. Somehow, that cataclysm is responsible for my current state.”

  That story could’ve ended a lot worse, she thought. “I’m glad they made it. Why didn’t they come back for you?”

  “I am an unbreakable part of this station. To remove me would kill me. This is the sacrifice I made for my people. I do not regret it.

  “In any case, the linking of all those stations into one has made it strong. It survived the explosion undamaged. In fact, I am unsure anything can damage it any longer. I would help you escape, if I could. And, perhaps, with your strange communication units, we can find a solution.”

  She hoped so. If not, her friends would be trapped forever.

  Chapter Eleven

  “That’s an incredible story,” Jared said. “If we didn’t have people inside to see it for themselves, I’m not sure I’d believe it. But it still doesn’t help us get them back.”

  He sat in his office with Kelsey. Six hours had passed and many of the ships were back. The last of them would return in the next few hours and he had some decisions to make.

  “You’ve spoken with this thing,” he said. “Do you believe its story?”

  She nodded. “I do. It hasn’t asked us for anything. If it had some kind of ulterior motive, it would actually have to communicate it. It doesn’t want to leave the station. Omega says it’s happy to remain there alone.

  “And it has been very forthcoming in how we might be able to get them back to our reality. If our end of the quantum validation unit is near the surface of the station, but not in range to be pulled in, it thinks that it might be able to sense which reality to open the hull to.”

  “That sounds a bit chancy, but I’m not sure how we could increase the odds. Do you believe the story about multiple realities?”

  “Carl showed me images of the other Carls. That’s pretty damned convincing.”

  “That’s just insane. Other universes. Meaning we could maybe use it to find one where the Old Empire never fell. Though, I’m not sure that’s the best idea.”

  “Thankfully, you don’t have to make that decision,” she said. “All we need to do is get our people back. And Persephone will have to be part of that.”

  He felt himself frowning. “Why? I’d rather not expose you to this unknown danger.”

  “We already have the communication flowing. There’s a lot of data coming our way and I’m loath to stop it. We’re taking everything Omega sends us and isolating it. And, in a case of better late than never, I locked down the sensitive files to make sure we didn’t give away the Crown Jewels.”

  “We’ll have to hope it doesn’t misuse any data it already has. I’ll want copies of what you have, just in case something goes wrong.”

  She nodded. “I’ll make that happen. When do we want to try?”

  “As soon as possible. We can withdraw from the black hole system in a few hours. I think that’s the best thing to do. We have a long trip home.”

  “I can have Persephone in position in half an hour.”

  He rose to his feet. “Then do it. Let’s get our people back. And the bodies. I want Doctor Stone to go over them with a fine-toothed comb.”

  * * * * *

  “Your people are preparing to get you back to your ships,” Omega said. It had figured out how to communicate directly with Carl through his implants. Impressive for an alien that had never encountered them before.

  “What do you think the chances are?” Carl asked.

  “Very good, I believe. Even from this range, I have narrowed down the possible realities greatly. If there are still many choices, we can try them one by one until we reunite you with your people.

  “I will be sad to see you go. It has been refreshing to have someone to speak to after so long.”

  Carl nodded. “How long ago did your people leave?”

  “More than two thousand of your years. I have many diversions and we are a solitary people by nature, so that has not been a burden. Still, I will look back fondly on this time we have shared.

  “Speaking of which, I see that it is the custom of your people to give gifts. We also have that tradition. When friends part, they exchange meaningful th
ings. I would give you a gift my people left with me. It is precious to me, but I believe you are destined to have it.”

  “I don’t want to take something that means so much to you. That wouldn’t be right.”

  Omega laughed. “At least see it before you decide. Come around the ring. I will tell you where to stop.”

  Carl made his way around until he found another closed off chamber. It didn’t have a door, so he doubted the designers had intended anyone to go inside.

  At least, that’s what he thought. The bare surface of the metal shimmered and became like a mirror.

  “You may pass through. It is safe. This is where I reside.”

  He took a deep breath and stepped into the liquid metal. He passed through unharmed and emerged into a large room. Larger than the one where he’d found the bodies, in any case.

  “This is bigger than I expected.”

  “That is really no mystery,” Omega said. “There is a level of the station reserved only for machinery. This chamber resides there, on what your people would consider an engineering level.”

  “Wait. I’m not on the same level? How did that happen?”

  “My people have long had the ability to open portals from one location to another, so long as matched quantum equipment was on either end. The range is short, relatively speaking. On this doorway, it is only good within this station. And, in fact, it is the only such door here.

  “Before our world was destroyed, there were larger doorways that allowed for many to travel between cities at the same time. The power requirements were quite large. A similar portal served to get things into orbit. I suppose one could have been created for travel between planets, but the energy cost would have been extreme.”

  Carl tried to envision a world like that. Such ability to travel instantly from one city to another would change the very fabric of society. One could live on the other side of the planet from where they worked and commute. It was astonishing.

  “That’s a tremendous thing. Your people were magnificent.”

  “Thank you. I believe they still are. Walk forward to the row of cabinets. You want the one on the far left.”

  Carl started that way, but turned to face a wall full of machinery. A large, clear tube held a brain harnessed in thick, gold wires that penetrated its surface in many places. “Is that you, Omega?”

  “It is. They removed my brain to become the controller for this station. My body would have failed long ago. I was ill and they could not cure my disease.

  “I doubt they imagined my brain would live on so long. They provided a way for me to end myself, if I ever wanted to, but I am content in my isolation.”

  It was amazing. Carl could hardly imagine it. He took a good recording and then turned to the cabinet. It slid open to reveal a large case.

  “How do you get to things like this without a body?” he asked.

  “I have mechanical devices that I can direct. You have seen them, I believe.”

  Carl slid the case out and set it on the countertop. In the blue water, it looked vaguely pinkish. Movements were still awkward.

  It wasn’t difficult to open. Inside were rows of clear crystal disks. Thousands of them.

  “What is this?” he asked.

  “The collected knowledge of my people. Every written word, every oral story. At least those since we could save them for those who came after ourselves. That box contains the sum of all my people’s knowledge.”

  Carl’s heart raced. “That’s too much. I can’t take your people from you. That’s why they left this, wasn’t it? So that you would never be alone.”

  “I have all of this in my data banks,” Omega assured him. “They left this as a symbolic gift to repay what I did for them. One that I feel is appropriate to give to you who has done so much for me. Take this gift and use it to know us, Carl Owlet.”

  He nodded. “I will. But, I have to give you something, too. It will require some thought to match what you have given.”

  “No, my friend. Simply meeting you was more of a gift than you can imagine. Our people did not believe there was other sentient life in the universe. We saw no sign of it in the heavens. The knowledge of your existence is a tremendous thing.

  “The reader is also in the cabinet. I will send you the information on how to decode these disks. The data is quite dense. They are constructed in such a way that the media will remain stable for as long as the universe continues to exist.”

  “From my people to yours, thank you.”

  Still, Carl’s mind wandered as he considered appropriate return gifts. Then he smiled. That was perfect. And he had just enough time to arrange for them to bring it.

  * * * * *

  Angela floated out of the pinnace and guided the box Carl had forced her to pick up from his lab. She’d argued until she was blue in the face that he didn’t need any extra equipment, but he’d been adamant.

  The plan was for her to place it where they went in. The being inside would be sure that they exited at the same location.

  She thought they were trusting the thing too far. The very idea of an alien lifeform made the hair on the back of her neck stand up. It probably had tentacles. And lots of eyes. She shuddered inside her suit.

  But those were issues far above her pay grade. She’d attach the box to the hull and stand clear. Persephone was less than a quarter kilometer away. Perilously close to the station for a ship her size. Kelsey wanted to give the being the best chance possible to find the right reality to open a door into.

  Angela only hoped it wasn’t some kind of trap.

  Once the box was in place, she pulled back into the pinnace, notified Persephone, and waited.

  After a few minutes, the hull deformed and extruded again. Standing on it were a number of armored Fleet vacuum suits. The explorers had returned!

  She ordered the pilot to take her in. He’d hold them close to the hull, since the magnetics didn’t seem to work on the station.

  Talbot floated up the ramp as soon as she lowered it.

  “It’s good to see you again, Angela. Damned good.”

  “You, too, Talbot. Let’s get you all inside and get the hell out of here.”

  He gave her a small headshake through his faceplate. “Not yet. Carl is still inside.”

  “What? Dammit all to hell. Is he a hostage?”

  “No, he needed to handle the box you brought over. He’ll be along shortly. The station only had to try half a dozen times to find the right reality for us. It swears it knows the right one now, so Persephone can move away and we’ll pick Carl up when he comes out. He said it should only take about thirty minutes.”

  “I’m going to kill that runt,” she snarled. “I swear to God. Let’s get loaded. I don’t want to have the alien screw us up by accident.”

  They loaded the bodies into the pinnace. A glance inside one faceplate told her she didn’t need to see the rest. They’d purged their atmosphere, but death was never pretty.

  She opened a channel to Persephone. “The station says you can pull back. We’re still waiting for Owlet.”

  “I know,” Kelsey said. “He just told us. That’s annoying.”

  “For once, I’m in complete agreement with you, Highness.”

  “Move away from the station and wait. I’ll let you know as soon as he’s coming. Jared wants to get the hell out of here. As soon as Carl is aboard, we’ll move back to the Harrison’s World flip point.”

  * * * * *

  Carl lugged the box down to the room where Omega’s brain rested. He set it on a counter and started opening panels, looking for power.

  “Can you point me at a power line I can tap into? Something on the same order as the light the others created above the room they used.”

  “There is a line inside the panel to your left. What are you doing?”

  He opened the panel and spotted the line. He needed to be cautious because he was in water, but he could do this.

  “Once I’m gone, you’ve lost y
our means of communicating with any of our people. I made a number of other quantum pairs, so I’m installing a few here for you, linked to a redundant communications array. That way we could leave one at Harrison’s World, keep another on Invincible, and still have others that might prove helpful without having to return and add more.

  “I figure it’s better to spend the time and effort while we’re here than come back. This might be for nothing. Damned if I know what kind of range they have.”

  He pulled several pieces of equipment out of the box. “With the radiation, you probably won’t get more than a few dozen kilometers of range on the communicator, but if someone else tries to board you, you can warn them off. Or invite them in. Whatever suits you.”

  Omega was quiet while Carl worked. It only spoke after he closed the panel.

  “I am deeply moved by what you are doing for me. It is unexpected and most welcome. I am inspired to do something for you, in turn.”

  Carl smiled. “No need. This is what friends do.”

  “I have not had a friend in a very, very long time. I shall work hard to be a good one. Which in turn, leads me to what I might be able to do for you. We built this station to open a path to another reality. Until your people came, I was unaware of these flip points.

  “They are fascinating. I think they are part of the same theory that allows for interdimensional travel. That affords us an opportunity.”

  Carl closed the box. “Really? That’s pretty interesting. Let’s test the normal communications unit. Call Persephone.”

  A few moments passed before Omega spoke. “They indicate my signal is weak, but they received it. Hopefully, this will save new visitors from danger. This is wonderful. Thank you.”

  “My pleasure. I can test the quantum part once I get back to Invincible. What was the other thing you were talking about?”

  “This station can open a portal to other universes. That requires a lot of stored energy to breach the barrier. I once gathered it for months from the sun before I released it all at once.