Bentley sighed loudly. “Yes. One of my boots isn’t completely strapped on, but if you think you can handle that, we’re fine.”
The door opened, and Jelly Bean stepped inside. She nodded to Bentley and Svend. “Good morning. A request has been made that you wake up.”
Bentley gestured to her open eyes. “Don’t worry. We’re way ahead of you.”
Jelly Bean smiled. “So I see. Our landing on the unnamed rocky mass with coordinates QX849-LF is imminent, so I’d encourage you both to make your way to the bridge. All members of the crew except myself will be leaving the ship to search for Legba, and since among our crew members, you two have by far the most intimate knowledge of this unnamed non-planet—”
Bentley nodded. “Don’t worry. We’ll be up in a sec.”
Svend forced a smile. “Yep. See you soon.”
Jelly Bean bowed lightly. “Excellent. I’ll tell the others that they should expect you momentarily.” She left the room, and the door closed behind her.
Svend stood. He looked at Bentley uneasily. “Well. Let’s go. Wouldn’t want to keep Legba waiting.”
He strode towards the door, which opened before him. He stepped through the door, but paused. He looked over his shoulder, and saw Bentley hurriedly strapping on her right boot.
She looked up at him. “Almost got it.”
He rubbed the back of his neck. “Do you, uh, do you need a hand?”
+++
QX849-LF, Dead Rock, Deep Space
Bentley walked along a narrow, twisting path, which threaded its way between masses of small, thorny trees. Many of the trees seemed as if they had died long ago, and the branches of the ones closest to the path’s edge pressed in close to Bentley, almost grazing her shoulders as she passed them. She held the sword before her, approaching an offshoot of the path that led in a different direction through the thick forest. She closed her eyes, focusing on the light vibrations that emanated from the glowing sword. After a moment, she opened her eyes, and turned onto the offshoot, walking deeper into the forest.
Most of the crew followed behind her, all in single file due to the narrowness of the path. Each one carried a light, so that they could see as they made their way through the dark forest. Svend was right behind Bentley, followed by Shango, Olofi, and Loco, with Jade bringing up the rear.
Olofi pointed his light towards the trees as he passed them, a look of confusion on his face. “Strange that there should be trees here, even though there isn’t a star close enough to provide them with light. Or an atmosphere to provide them with rain. Perhaps as a hobby, Legba has taken on some next-level gardening challenges…”
Loco weaved slowly through the trees, his large frame barely avoiding the multitude of protruding thorns. He let out a breath of exhaustion. “Can’t we just burn this garbage forest to the ground? I’m getting a bit fed up with having to twist myself into a pretzel every five seconds to avoid bumping into these prickly bozos.”
Jade gave him a quizzical look. “Don’t we need to follow the path, to find Legba?”
Loco ducked down to avoid a low branch. “Nah. I’m pretty sure we’re just following the sword. And it might be a bit easier on the sword if we didn’t have to weave our way through this crappy excuse for an abandoned hedge maze. If we just had an open field of ash, I’m sure the sword could figure out a nice, straight line that would get us right to Legba’s place. And after twenty minutes of this, I can’t tell you how much I like straight lines.”
Jade frowned. “I don’t think it’s considered proper etiquette to burn down a patch of someone’s property when you visit. Doesn’t exactly make the best first impression.”
Loco tilted his head back and forth. “I wouldn’t call us guests, exactly. And if this thicket of spikes is Legba’s idea of a welcome mat, I’d hate to see how he decorates his guest bedroom. It’s probably just a deep pit, with a single spike for you to use as a pillow.”
Shango turned his head back towards Jade. “I hate to say it, but I think Loco might be right.”
Loco pumped his fists. “Damn right!” He took off his backpack and began to rummage through it. “I know I left my portable fireblaster in here somewhere…”
Shango raised a hand. “No. Not about burning down this forest. Especially not while we’re in the middle of it.”
Loco closed his pack and returned it to his back. “Well, you’re no fun…”
Shango continued walking. “I meant that he was right about us not being guests. We don’t know whether or not Legba is expecting us. He might not even be here. We’re just making a guess that he returned here after leaving the Orion Sector, a guess that isn’t really grounded in any sort of actual evidence.”
Olofi twisted his mouth. “Well, where else would he go?”
Shango shrugged. “I don’t know. Literally anywhere else in the universe, if he wanted to.”
Olofi glanced at a patch of gnarled, dead trees on his left. “Yeah. I can see why literally anywhere else in the universe might be appealing…”
Shango looked warily through the trees. “My bigger concern, though, is that even if Legba isn’t expecting us, he might be expecting other people.”
Loco grinned. “You think maybe we arrived the exact same day that Legba’s in-laws are coming for the long weekend? You worried someone’s gonna need to sleep on the couch?”
Shango sighed. “I was thinking something more along the lines of trespassers. Or even people who bear Legba ill will. People who have come here for the singular purpose of causing him harm. And I can think of a few people who’d have an interest in that course of action.”
Shango surveyed the thick forest that surrounded them. “This would be an excellent place for booby traps. Low visibility. Few routes of escape. And an area so desolate and remote that if someone were to become ensnared, their cries for help would certainly go unheard, and unanswered.”
Bentley glanced over her shoulder. “Don’t worry. We’re fine. Svend and I came this exact way, and we were never in danger. Right?”
She looked back to Svend for support. He met her eyes cautiously, clearly still uncomfortable after their conversation in Bentley’s quarters. “Yes. That— That’s right.”
Bentley turned back towards Shango. “See? Legba didn’t set up any trip wires, or quicksand, or high-tech gizmos to wrap us up in wire and pin us to the ground, so that we’d get devoured by space wolves or whatever.”
Jade spun her head back and forth, in a panic. “Wait! Are there space wolves? I hate wolves! And I barely even like space...”
Bentley sighed. “No, Jade. There are no space wolves here, no space foxes, not even a space squirrel with a bad temper. I guess there was a ferret, but he was fine. And look, this path doesn’t just keep on being a prickly nightmare forever.” She gestured ahead. The path started to grow wider and began to straighten out. “My point is, Legba, he’s harmless. He isn’t trying to trap us, or kill us. He just wants to help us.”
Shango crossed his arms. “I wouldn’t be so sure of that. Yes, he did help you to further your skills with the sword—“
Olofi raised a finger. “And he also helped all of us avoid getting killed by Amroth.”
Shango twisted his lips. “Well, sure. But we don’t know why, exactly, he started to train you, why he wanted to impart that knowledge. If Legba’s helping someone else, it’s very likely that he’s also helping himself.”
Bentley snorted. “That sounds pretty cynical, don’t you think?”
Shango shrugged. “Cynicism is not a guarantor of falsity. And one good deed is not evidence of sainthood. I think that your heart is in the right place, but you must admit, you haven’t known Legba for very long. I, however, have, and based on the evidence I’ve seen, his primary loyalty is to himself. Even if he is here, I wouldn’t be surprised if he decided against opening his door to us, if he determined that it would be too much of an inconvenience.”
Bentley smiled. “Well, I wouldn’t worry about that. Hi
s cave doesn’t even have a door, so you’re in the clear on that one.”
Although the path was by now completely straight and familiar, Bentley continued to follow the sword until she reached the very edge of the forest. As Bentley stepped past the tree line, the sword started vibrating even more intensely, directing her to a familiar rocky hill. An alcove cut into the base of the hill, and delicate wisps of smoke escaped through the alcove, rising towards the sky.
Bentley let the sword fall to her side, and her shoulders dropped in relaxation. “We’re here.”
She turned back to Svend, smiling. He returned a tight, pained smile.
Bentley sighed and walked towards the cave. She quickened her pace, and the rest of the crew followed suit. Soon they were at the cavern’s entrance, and they could see a warm orange glow that issued from inside, casting a soft light that danced across the interior walls of the cavern.
Loco elbowed Shango in the ribs. “So, what do you think? Are we looking at an elaborately booby-trapped cave that will crush us as soon as we set foot inside? Or is that orange glow the tip of a huge, hill-sized flamethrower, that’ll burn us to cinders the second we get too close? Or maybe it’s just a bunch of space wolves, hanging out around a campfire, howling stories to each other, hoping that a bunch of morons will waltz in so that they can devour the intruders alive?”
Jade gave Loco a light punch on the shoulder. “Hey! Could people please stop joking about space wolves? It’s not— I don’t like it…”
Loco gave Jade a light shove. “Oh, lighten up, Jade. For what it’s worth, I think you’d look absolutely gorgeous in the stomach of a space wolf. You might like it more than you’d think.”
Bentley shook her head. “Loco, would you please do me a favor and shut up? I didn’t come here to talk about space wolves.”
Jade crossed her arms. “Although you were the one who brought them up.”
Bentley sighed. “Well… sure. I’m just saying: I didn’t come here to talk about space wolves. I came here to get Legba. Let’s go.”
Bentley stepped through the entrance to the cave and passed through the short, winding tunnel. Before she could see the fire, she could hear the wood snapping within it, and feel its heat bouncing off of the cave walls.
She turned around the last corner and saw a familiar face. Sitting at the edge of the fire was Legba, his legs crossed, his eyes closed. Bentley smiled as she approached him.
Without opening his eyes, Legba turned his face towards her. “Let me guess… You missed me.”
CHAPTER THREE
Dracon Station, Dracon System, Klaunox Sector
Vox straightened her back, trying to get comfortable, even though she knew this was almost certainly impossible. She sat on a hard, barely padded seat in a sparse waiting room, her left arm cradled in a sling. She stared past the reception desk at the plush chair the receptionist sat in, even though this only served to intensify the pain she felt in her back. I was expecting to spend most of today in an uncomfortable seat, Vox thought to herself. But the seat I was envisioning was in a shuttle, which would take me to a Dacca pleasure zone, and a week of well-deserved rehabilitation and relaxation. Not back to work.
A door to the right of the reception desk opened, and a small, thin man rushed through it, towards Vox. Even though he was walking straight towards her, he barely looked at her, seemingly distracted by some sort of retinal projections that Vox wasn’t privy to.
He glanced at her for half a second before returning his focus to the projections. “Voxil Spreken?”
Vox leapt to her feet and extended her right hand. “Yes. Hi. I go by Vox.”
It was difficult to tell whether the man hadn’t seen her hand, or whether he was just ignoring it, but rather than shake Vox’s hand, he instead made a quick turn and walked briskly back to the doorway he had just walked through. “This way. And do try to keep up.”
Vox followed him through the doorway, which slid shut behind her. She tried to stay in step with him, despite the fact that he was walking at a speed better suited for moderate intensity cardio than a work environment. They walked down a narrow, brightly lit hallway, which was completely empty except for the two of them, passing closed doorway after closed doorway. There were no windows, no signs of what went on beyond those doors, and no signs of life.
Vox cleared her throat. “So, I, I was a bit confused by the message I received this morning. I didn’t think I’d be reporting back to work for… for some time…”
The thin man didn’t turn towards her, keeping his eyes ahead as he continued to rush down the hallway. “Well, you’re still on active duty. And my understanding is that you were discharged from medical supervision…” His eyes shot upwards briefly. “On the 7th. Correct?”
Vox nodded. “Yes, that’s true. I was one of the few survivors of the mission in the Orion Sector. Generally I serve on the Geburah, but luckily for me, there was a general comms meeting farther back in the fleet. I still came out of there with this.”
She gestured to her sling.
Since he wasn’t looking at her, the man didn’t follow her gesture, but he nodded absently anyway. “Right. Based on your medical files, it seems like you’ve recovered sufficiently to return to your post.”
Vox hesitated. “I mean… physically, I’m fine… But is it…. possible to return to my post?”
The thin man sighed, and nodded impatiently. “Yes. We haven’t assigned anyone to take your place, or transferred you to another position. Your job is still your job. Seems fairly straightforward.”
Vox twisted her mouth. “Right. Okay. But I guess what I was angling at was, you know, does my post still exist? As I’m sure your files indicate, I did communications work for Amroth, on the Geburah. And from what I understand, the Geburah itself no longer exists.”
The thin man shrugged. “A replacement vessel is almost complete. No one around here is too sentimental about physical artifacts.”
Vox nodded. “Sure. Okay. But I reported to Amroth. And didn’t he… uh… you know…”
The thin man stopped before one of the doors and waved his hand over an illuminated red panel to the right of the doorway. “You’ll report to someone else for the time being.”
The panel’s color shifted from red to a bright green, and the door slid open. The thin man rushed through it, and Vox followed. The room was large and dimly lit, but it looked like an advanced research facility. The walls were covered with elaborate panels of technical instruments, connected to a dizzying array of pressurized tanks and various kinds of equipment that Vox had never seen before, even after her last couple weeks spent exclusively in medical facilities. Technicians scurried around the walls in silence, their eyes on the instruments, deeply focused.
In the center of the room, there was a large pod, connected by various tubes to the equipment that lined the walls. The pod was laid out horizontally across the floor, its top covered with a rounded pane of transparent material. A large figure stood over the pod, gazing down at it. The thin man changed his gait, walking towards the figure much more slowly than he’d been walking in the hallway, his eyes cast downwards, towards the floor. Vox immediately slowed as well, following him as he moved towards the figure.
She could not see the figure’s face, but the closer she got to him, the more she felt a vague feeling of dread. It reminded her of the way she had felt the first time she had ventured to the very edge of a cliff. The sight of the world falling away before her eyes, the visceral feeling of her entire body screaming at her, Stop. Turn around. You should not be here. This is dangerous.
As Vox got closer to the pod, she happened to look through the transparent pane, which ran the length of the pod, and she saw what was inside. There was a naked body, stretched the length of the pod. The body lay on its back, as if it were sleeping. A naked body… with Amroth’s face.
She started to feel dizzy. She was still on painkillers to manage the discomfort from her arm, but she was certain that hallucinations w
ere not one of the side effects. She was definitely staring at Amroth’s face, exactly as she remembered it from innumerable interactions aboard the Geburah.
Actually, this face wasn’t exactly as she remembered. With his eyes closed, this person had an expression of pure calm that she had never seen on Amroth’s face. She also noticed that the skin on this face was uncharacteristically, bizarrely smooth. There were no creases on this person’s forehead, none of the creases that Vox had seen many times while working with Amroth. The skin around the edges of the eyes, the cheeks, the chin, all of this skin was completely unmarked, all completely unblemished. The skin was as fresh and new as that of a newborn baby.
In fact, the entire body looked that way. Every part of the body before her looked so smooth that it might as well have been a prop, a mannequin fresh off the assembly line. Except this body wouldn’t even be a convincing prop, because it was too smooth, too new. The body had the size of a full-grown man, but it had the unsettling appearance of a full-grown man who had been born yesterday.
She had heard rumors that Amroth had returned, somehow, from the Orion Sector, not as a pile of ashes that had been dutifully scooped off of the battlefield and into an urn, but alive and unscathed. She had not believed these rumors for a second. She had seen the violent destruction unleashed by the Bentley girl and her sword, the LaPlacian battleships shattering in the sky into a storm of fragments, as though they were made of glass rather than the strongest flight-capable alloys. There was no way Amroth had survived that. It was impossible. The rumors reminded her of the deluded ravings of religious fanatics, fools who believed against reason that a man could die, have his body mutilated and destroyed, and yet be born again.
The thin man stood before the figure who loomed over the pod. He straightened his back and bowed slightly. “Your Eminence. I present Voxil Spreken, comms lead of the Geburah.”
The figure turned towards her and looked her over, from head to toe. She could feel herself start to tremble, and it took all of her will power to simply stand there and not run for the door. She looked up at his face for the first time and saw his lips curl into a grin, revealing a pair of canine teeth that were longer and sharper than she’d expected.
Legba Page 3
