‘You think it’s a bit excessive?’ Maelgwn threw his arms wide as he stepped backwards and was startled when he collided with someone.
‘Watch out!’ Aquilla turned to reprimand the clumsy fool who’d nearly caused her to drop her precious cargo. ‘This is a very … rare … stone …’ Her anger faded along with her ability to speak, as she registered the face of her deceased lover. Of course, she knew immediately that this could not be him — the man before her was very obviously Homo sapiens — but the resemblance made her jaw drop.
‘My sincerest apologies.’ Maelgwn backed away to collide with another passerby. He apologised again and kept moving.
Uriah was breathing a quiet sigh of relief in the wake of the near miss, as he had told Cornelin that he would do his best to make sure the Dragon and Aquilla did not meet.
‘Uriah.’ Aquilla postponed his escape. ‘Who was that?’
‘Ask your uncle, or the Lord Gibal,’ he suggested, ducking away before he caused himself any grief.
‘I was asking you!’ she called after him, sounding a little annoyed.
Uriah ignored Aquilla to catch up to his charge. ‘I know it’s not my place to lecture you on diplomacy, En Dragon, but that was a little bit rude, don’t you think?’
That was the trouble, Maelgwn wasn’t thinking; the sudden chance meeting had thrown him completely. He needed more time to build up his defences, that much was obvious, for a clear image of Aquilla’s face had formed in his mind and was already urging him toward further investigation.
‘Desperate circumstances call for desperate measures,’ Maelgwn advised.
Uriah didn’t understand the Dragon’s reasons, but he agreed wholeheartedly nonetheless.
‘You must keep me away from that woman at all costs.’ Maelgwn made Uriah swear he would do his best.
‘If that is your wish.’ Uriah couldn’t believe his luck. With the Dragon’s cooperation his vow to Cornelin would be much easier to keep.
The only approach to Gibal’s lab was down a long corridor, with guarded doors at each end. There was no transporter plate inside this top security area, nor, as Gibal had explained earlier, was there any PK teleportation access.
Uriah was permitted to escort his charge to the inner doors, where a short muscle-bound guard stood at his post.
As Maelgwn looked over the first Delphinus warrior he had encountered, he noted there was something very familiar about the stance of this fellow. ‘Oh no!’ Maelgwn smiled as he drew nearer the guard, for the soul before him was none other than Calin Brockwell. His silvery-white hair made him appear more like Brian Alexander, who was Calin’s twentieth century incarnation and Tory’s brother. ‘Let me guess,’ he put to Uriah. ‘Aquilla’s brother.’
Uriah winked as he gave a nod. ‘The bravest warrior on the planet, and another very good reason to steer clear of Aquilla. Zerrah!’ Uriah called the guard by name and waved to him as they approached.
‘This is highly unusual, Uriah.’ Zerrah moved to confront the intruders. He ignored Maelgwn completely and directed his queries to the soul more familiar to him.
‘I am delivering the Dragon to the Lord Gibal, as requested,’ Uriah advised.
‘So … you are the one the Lord Gibal feels can protect him better than I?’ Zerrah was most perturbed until he raised his eyes to look Maelgwn in the face. ‘Durak,’ he gasped, stunned into backing up a few paces, whereupon he shook his head to get a grip on the situation. ‘But of course that can’t be?’
Maelgwn maintained the same delighted smile. ‘I assure you, Zerrah, you are also very familiar to me.’
Zerrah gave a vague nod, obviously disturbed by this unexpected development. He looked back to Uriah, feeling more comfortable conversing with him. ‘Has my sister met —’ He pointed to the Homo sapiens.
‘You could say they’ve bumped into each other,’ Uriah explained. ‘We were in a bit of rush, unfortunately, so I didn’t really get the chance to introduce them.’
‘That’s good.’ Zerrah patted the younger man on the shoulder before turning to the Dragon to explain himself. ‘What I mean to say is, I don’t think my sister would take to you very kindly.’
‘Why so?’ Maelgwn couldn’t resist exposing the warrior’s lie. ‘Wasn’t your sister married to this Durak fellow?’
Zerrah nearly jumped out of his skin. ‘Absolutely not! Whatever gave you that idea?’
‘Yes.’ Uriah was just as shocked by the Dragon’s statement. ‘What indeed?’
Maelgwn raised both brows to call Zerrah’s bluff. ‘That is what the Lord Gibal told me.’
‘Oh.’ Zerrah didn’t feel he could really contest his Lord’s word. Still, if he couldn’t trick the Dragon into steering clear of his sister, he’d just intimidate him into it. ‘Well then, monkey man, let me put it this way … go anywhere near my sister and I shall not take to you very kindly. As head of security here, I have eyes and ears everywhere —’
‘Zerrah, it is the Dragon’s wish to avoid Aquilla,’ Uriah advised so that Zerrah might dispense with the unpleasantness, but instead Zerrah took offence.
‘And why is that?’ He confronted Maelgwn again. ‘She is the most sought-after woman in the city!’
Maelgwn just couldn’t wipe the smile off his face. Zerrah was so like Brockwell that he couldn’t help but be pleased to see him again. ‘It is because she is the most beautiful woman in the city that I wish to keep my distance,’ Maelgwn appeased the proud brother, ‘for I am a happily married man.’
‘Excellent!’ Zerrah backed off at once and motioned the Dragon to proceed. ‘Then I shall not detain you any longer.’
‘Most appreciated.’ Maelgwn turned to his squire to bid him good day. ‘I could be here awhile, so feel free to be about whatever it is you normally do.’
‘That would be nothing,’ Zerrah scoffed, as he returned to his post.
‘That I shall.’ Uriah ignored the guard. ‘If you require me for any reason —’
‘I’ll holler.’ Maelgwn gave him a final wave. ‘Many thanks for the tour.’
The large dark door at the end of the hallway vanished upon Maelgwn’s approach, granting him entry into the most restricted area in the city.
Gibal’s laboratory was the biggest single room Maelgwn had ever seen, even larger than Marduk’s Star Chamber. In fact, it appeared so immense that Maelgwn could only assume that he was beneath the city. The location of the Lord’s lab was something Uriah had failed to comment on and, as they taken the teleporter here, Maelgwn realised he was still oblivious as to where it was located in the technological complex.
Where Maelgwn entered there was row upon row of identical, tall, rectangular-shaped machines — although the machines on his left differed slightly in appearance to those on his right. Maelgwn’s implanted data advised that the machines that towered over him to the left were generators, which were powering the equally tall processors to his right.
Where the rows of machinery came to an end there was a huge area that was rather reminiscent of an amphitheatre. Inside this great space many different inventions were in progress and these were being tended to by numerous artificial arms that sprouted from several small airborne platforms — each of the artificial arms ended in a different tool in place of a hand. Gibal hovered high above all this activity on his own floating platform, controlling all that took place below.
As the Lord appeared rather tied up at present, Maelgwn decided to wait until Gibal addressed him. Gibal was obviously aware that he had company; it could only have been he who had admitted Maelgwn.
Beyond Gibal’s enormous work space, up near the ceiling at the far end of the lab, was what appeared to be another operations room. Maelgwn failed to see what this large observation chamber would be used for and headed around all the works in progress to investigate.
Uriah made a move to return to his duties, when the first set of entrance doors at the far end of the passage opened and Aquilla entered the long corridor.
Upon sp
ying Uriah, Aquilla briskly made her way down to the main lab door to question the young official about this morning’s chance encounter.
‘O-oh.’ Uriah did an about-face and headed back to Zerrah, seeking protection. ‘She’s going to question me about the Dragon,’ he advised in a panic.
‘I shall handle my sister,’ Zerrah informed. ‘When she reaches us, take your leave.’
‘Good plan,’ Uriah agreed, most relieved.
‘Just the man I want to see,’ Aquilla stated upon approach.
‘Uriah was just leaving …’ Zerrah cued him, whereby Uriah gave a slight bow to them both and headed back down the corridor as fast as his legs could walk.
‘Now hold on!’ Aquilla moved to go after her uncle’s assistant.
‘The man you seek is inside the lab with the Lord Gibal.’ Zerrah regained his sister’s full attention with the comment. ‘He is known only as the Dragon, and is to be Gibal’s constant bodyguard.’
‘Gibal has admitted him into the lab?’ Aquilla could not help but grin — the Dragon would be forced to keep her company a good deal of the time.
‘I know what you are thinking, Aquilla,’ Zerrah cautioned her.
‘I seriously doubt that,’ she advised.
‘This monkey man is not Durak.’ Zerrah voiced his belief.
Aquilla shrugged this off as an insignificant detail.
‘The Dragon is also a happily married man,’ Zerrah added.
‘How do you know?’ Aquilla’s good mood departed abruptly.
Zerrah smiled, having thwarted any seduction plans that his sister may have been hatching. ‘Because he told me so.’
Aquilla was furious, as she smelt a conspiracy. She would have placed both her hands on her hips, but one was still nursing her precious stone. ‘And how, may I ask, did you get onto the subject of his marital status?’
‘Just polite conversation,’ Zerrah advised in a smug fashion.
‘You had a polite conversation with the man who just walked into the position of trust with Lord Gibal that you’ve always aspired to?’ Aquilla made it plain she didn’t buy his story. ‘Thanks for nothing.’
Aquilla had a particular hurt tone to her voice, one that never failed to make Zerrah feel he was letting her down. But as he knew he was acting in his sister’s best interests, he refrained from apologising. ‘You’re welcome,’ he told her outright, before mumbling to himself: ‘The very idea is completely disgusting.’
‘Racist!’ Aquilla accused, having caught the comment.
‘I wasn’t referring to sexual relations with another human breed so much as the horrendous consequences it can have on any offspring that might be produced as a result,’ Zerrah informed her harshly, for he knew Aquilla couldn’t be thinking straight if she was already entertaining the idea of an affair with the familiar-looking foreigner.
Aquilla was quite affronted by his argument. ‘That is hardly an issue that concerns me.’ She backed up and turned abruptly to head into the lab.
‘I’m sorry, that was a thoughtless remark, Aquilla,’ Zerrah said before she entered. ‘I know this could be tough on you, so if you need me —’
As the door vanished Aquilla stepped beyond it. ‘You said it yourself, Zerrah, he is not Durak. End of story.’
The metal barricade reappeared, closing her off from Zerrah and any further comment he may have had.
Halfway around the lab amphitheatre Maelgwn was confronted by a huge device that looked rather like some sort of gigantic gun. It was mounted on a huge rotating platform, and unlike the other inventions in progress, Gibal did not have any automated hands working on this one.
That is one of Aquilla’s projects. Gibal startled Maelgwn with the information, having descended in his control chair to take up a position right behind him.
‘It looks very impressive,’ Maelgwn replied. ‘Can I ask what it is?’
‘It’s a wormhole stabiliser,’ Aquilla advised. ‘Or at least, it will be, if I ever get it working.’
As Maelgwn turned to view her properly for the first time, Aquilla took his breath away.
Besides having the distinguishing features of her race, this woman was Tory, although she was of slighter build. Her long, straight hair was even fairer than his wife’s had been and Aquilla wore her great mass of hair piled up in a ponytail that sprouted from just behind the blowhole in her crown. As with her brother, Aquilla’s head was shaved smooth from each temple into a V-shape at her crown. She was attired in the same kind of suit as Maelgwn, only Aquilla’s attire was the same pale blue colour as her eyes.
‘Is that what your precious stone is for?’ Maelgwn decided to sidestep discussing their embarrassing collision this morning.
Aquilla shook her head as she approached to show him the jewel he had nearly destroyed. ‘I am hoping that the chaotic symmetry of this crystal will help me with a little energy problem I’ve been having with one of my other projects. The atoms of this crystalline substance violate a fundamental theorem of crystallography, as they have an impossible five-fold symmetry.’
Upon viewing the pentagonal stone, Maelgwn was struck by an extraordinary feeling of recognition. A memory of Tory that was not from his lifetime in Gwynedd presented itself in his mind, and the image was so strong that it blurred his sight for a moment.
You got it working, she said, gazing proudly at him. You solved the power problem, didn’t you?
Maelgwn wasn’t too sure what the memory represented as it faded and he was left standing in the present. ‘Quasi-crystal,’ he mumbled, before he even realised that he had.
‘Yes, that’s right.’ Aquilla was stunned. ‘How did you know?’
Maelgwn only shrugged in response, for in truth he wasn’t too sure himself.
‘The problem I am having with the negative quantum field of the stabiliser is another story.’ Aquilla referred Maelgwn back to the huge gun-like invention. ‘But if I can solve the conundrum it would enable us to create our own wormholes to whatever destination in the universe we choose.’
Maelgwn seemed confused by her words. ‘But didn’t I travel through a wormhole to get here?’
That wormhole has existed for eons, Gibal intervened to explain. Aquilla is talking about creating temporary wormholes so that we are no longer limited to only travelling to star systems that enter and exit at existing wormholes.
As Maelgwn nodded his understanding, Aquilla continued the discussion. ‘At the moment, I can’t get the anti-gravity field intense enough to stop the throat of the wormhole collapsing.’ She appeared baffled but unfazed.
‘Well,’ Maelgwn wound up their conversation, as the Lord Gibal was watching him very closely, ‘I wish you every success.’
‘Aquilla.’ She introduced herself as it was apparent that nobody else was going to do it.
‘Forgive me.’ Maelgwn realised he was being rude, again.
This is the Dragon, Gibal cut in, and he will be guarding me until such time as a certain commission has been completed.
‘If this your first visit to Mazua, you must allow me to show you some of the sights.’
Mazua meant ‘deep-water vessel’ and was the name of Gibal’s underwater city here on Lura.
Maelgwn wasn’t too sure how to respond to Aquilla’s kind invitation, but Gibal spoke up before he was given the chance to accept or decline.
Uriah will take care of any inquiries the Dragon may have, and he shall have very little recreation time while he is here.
As Aquilla appeared rather disappointed by the information, Maelgwn added, ‘It was very nice of you to offer in any case.’
Now, Dragon … Gibal demanded his bodyguard’s attention. You were interested in my control deck. He motioned to the large observation chamber near the ceiling at the far end of the lab, and steered his floating operations chair in that direction to lead the Dragon away from his assistant.
‘I was wondering after its purpose.’ Maelgwn followed Gibal to the stairway that led up to the control deck, and gav
e Aquilla a wave as he left her work area.
‘I’ll be seeing you.’ Aquilla called, and turned her attention to her project.
In Maelgwn’s view, Aquilla didn’t seem half as bemused by his presence as everyone who knew her had expected her to be. Maybe this assignment wouldn’t be as difficult as he’d first imagined.
‘You referred to this chamber as a control deck,’ Maelgwn said as he scaled the stairs. ‘But a control deck to what?’
Gibal’s seat floated right beside the Dragon as he answered his queries. Why, to this ship, of course.
The claim stopped Maelgwn in his tracks. ‘Are you saying the whole of Mazua is a transporter?’ Well, that certainly explained the significance of the city’s name.
I am, Gibal confirmed with a grin, amused by Maelgwn’s astonishment. But, as the control centre is not in use at present, I thought it might serve as a good office for you.
As the arched inset in the wall at the top of the stairs vanished to grant them entry, the Lord Gibal manoeuvred his hovering seat to follow the Dragon inside.
The control centre was massive, although Gibal assured him that only one particular section would be of interest to the Dragon at this stage, and that was the surveillance desk. The screens here permitted views of the docking bay and entrance doors to Gibal’s area, as well as of the operations centres for the dome, climate, security, power and communications for Mazua. The surveillance desk was positioned in front of the huge windows that overlooked Gibal’s lab.
‘This set-up should suit my purposes very well,’ Maelgwn agreed.
Then I shall return to my duties, and allow you to get on with yours, Gibal said, turning his seat around and taking his leave.
As Maelgwn got comfortable in the surveillance hot seat, he couldn’t help but note the view of Aquilla’s work area. ‘What a wonderful aspect, indeed.’
One full day and night on Lura was the equivalent of 28 hours on Gaia, but the daylight hours far exceeded the night at this time of year. As King of Gwynedd, Maelgwn had always said there were never enough hours in the day, but here on Lura that was not a problem. Everyone worked longer hours, but they also had more leisure time too.
Chronicle of Ages Page 22
