Twenty minutes later, and a quick trip through two more energy doorways, Suma and I entered a private chamber. Once again, I was amazed at how different it was from the rest of the trash-covered world. What we found was a collection that would make Sarlun jealous. On Shimmal, Mary and I had the pleasure of seeing his antiquities from around the universe. Items that had belonged to long-dead races lined his shelves, and that was where we’d first encountered the shadow that we were tricked to think was a Theos. Were we ever wrong.
“Dean?” Suma got my attention. I’d been staring toward the edge of the room with a blank look over my face.
“Yes. What do we have here, Broker?” Rulo had expressed concern in not bringing either her or Slate along for this final bargain, but I didn’t think it was necessary. These Traders were strange, but I didn’t particularly think Broker was dangerous. If she was, and she suspected I had more Inlorian bars on me, we’d probably all be dead already. It wasn’t a good way to keep up a reputation with future business partners.
“We have things from your wildest imagination. I don’t let just anyone in here, I’ll have you know,” she said, and I’d bet she was telling the truth. Broker grasped the blue metal bar, and her gaze kept drifting to it.
The walls were covered in hooks; devices of all sizes and natures hung behind energy barriers. They were all labeled in a language I couldn’t read. Suma was already walking along the perimeter of the room, stopping every now and then to take a closer look at something before moving on.
In the middle of the floor, five floating tables held more product under containment fields. This was the real showcase. I walked over to it, seeing a bunch of unfamiliar contraptions. “What do they do?” I asked.
“What do you need?” Broker countered, and she had a good point. I wasn’t exactly sure what I was looking for, but it would help to consider what we might end up needing.
Thinking of Fontem’s time-travel apparatus, I decided to ask, “Time travel?”
She looked me in the eyes and let out a shrill laugh. “If I knew I was dealing with a crazy person, I would have asked more for the ship. There are a lot of things in existence, but time travel is not one of them. Unless it’s naturally occurring in space, which we have no way of harnessing at this point.”
“How about cloaking?” Clare had made some serious contributions to hiding our ships and people, but some of the material was quite cumbersome.
“That we have.” Broker led us to the far corner and pointed at the shelf. “These are cloaking devices. The large one can be adapted onto your ship, but will only work for a limited time before needing to be charged. The same goes for the hand-held.” There were four of the more compact ones.
“How long to fit the ship with it?” I asked.
“Not long,” she answered.
“Get started,” I said, taking a leader’s tone. I was a wealthy tycoon on a shopping spree, and I wanted her to feel the pressure.
She hesitated before waving a yellow energy doorway open. Two male Traders entered, listening to her whispered orders, and they left moments later with the cloaking drive in hand. “It will be done.” Broker tapped some notes on a tablet, and I pointed to the portable cloaking units.
“Let’s take two of those too,” I added, and soon we had a small pile of tools in a hovering cart.
Broker was about to leave the room when I pointed to the doorway she’d created. “I want one of those too. The gateway magic.”
“You don’t have enough credits.” She was quick to assume.
“Source me one of those, show us how it works, and I’ll pay,” I said with an arrogant tone. She needed to think she was dealing with someone who wasn’t a pushover.
“It’ll be another two Inlorian bars.” I saw a sparkle in her rheumy eyes.
“For all of this,” I motioned to the cart, “the food, and the gateway maker, you’ll get three bars.” I stuck my hand out, and she eyed it suspiciously.
She shook my hand, setting the tablet down. “Deal.”
Thirteen
Two months. It was going to be another two months before we even made it to the system where Magnus had been lost. W was piloting the Kraski ship, and we’d been gone from the Traders’ world for half a day.
Rulo, Slate, and Suma were sleeping, and I found Karo in the kitchen. It was far different from the ones we’d modified in our new ship designs; these weren’t made to suit human needs. They didn’t suit Theos needs either, apparently, because Karo was struggling inside it.
“Nothing makes sense in here, Dean,” he said as he rummaged through the cupboards.
I sat in a chair by the table, staying out of his way. “What are you trying to make?”
His hair was pulled into a ponytail, like he always did when he was cooking food. On New Spero, Karo would cook Mary and me dinner once or twice a week, and we later learned he’d been taking cooking lessons from a celebrity chef from before the Event. The man had run a food empire, and it was humbling to know he now took time to teach an obviously alien man to prepare delectable meals.
“Not pizza, if that’s what you’re thinking.” Karo laughed, but I saw dough on the counter in front of him.
“I’ll have a slice of that not-pizza when it’s done,” I said, and he laughed again. “It’s good to see you like this. I know you’ve been having a hard time looking for your place in this new universe, Karo. You know we’re all here for you.”
“I know, Dean. Somehow being on board a ship, heading on a rescue mission, my own self-pity feels far down the list of real problems. Fortune has over five hundred souls on it that need help. Magnus and Natalia are also some of my closest friends.” Karo had spent a long time living with them.
“You miss them, don’t you?”
“I do. Three years is a long time, even though I haven’t known everyone long. Those children were little miracles. I wished I could have seen them grow up.” Karo was kneading the dough and staring at the wall.
“We’re going to find them, Karo. We never leave anyone behind.” I meant every word of it.
“I know. I’m grateful to be part of your team, Dean. We’ve come a long way, haven’t we?” he asked, his smile returning.
“We have. I don’t know what the future holds, but I see happy times ahead, contradictory to what we’ve been feeling about losing Magnus,” I said. I still hadn’t told the others about Kimtra’s warning, but I would, soon. They deserved the truth.
“I hope you’re right, friend. I truly do.” Karo kept kneading his dough, and we chatted for another hour while the food cooked in the complicated oven.
By the time it was all done, the others were up, rested after a busy couple of days, and we shared a meal together around the table. It was the best way we could kick off the two-month journey through space.
We were in our plain gray jumpsuits, and Slate’s already had a big red stain on it, which he tried to wipe clean. “Karo, I know you have a pizza obsession, but I’m not sure the supplies we got from the Traders were quite on par. Just what was that tomato substitute? It tasted like dirt.”
Rulo threw another napkin at Slate. “Don’t ask what kind of animal the cheese came from.”
This got a laugh from Karo and me, and a grimace from Slate, who pushed his plate away with half a slice sitting on it. “I won’t, thanks.”
It was time to fill them all in while they were rested and fed. My hand shook slightly as I built up my nerve. “Guys, I have to tell you something.”
“What is it, Dean?” Suma asked. She was sitting across from me, and I could tell she was picking up my uneasiness.
“Kimtra gave me some news. Information the Keppe didn’t want to share with us, for some reason.” Rulo stared at me as I spoke. As much as she was part of our team, I was apprehensive to make her choose between us and her people.
“What is it?” Slate asked.
“This system Magnus and Nat disappeared in… a few other races have found the same place and never m
ade it home,” I said.
“What does that mean? Why wouldn’t they tell us that?” Suma was looking at Rulo.
Rulo lifted her hands in supplication. “Don’t ask me. I’m a warrior. No one tells me their plans.”
Karo was in the midst of eating, and he finished chewing before speaking. “I don’t think it’s as big a deal as we’re making this out to be. So what if others have gone missing before Magnus? Does it change anything?”
I pondered this as Slate answered, “I guess not. Even if they’d told us, we’d be going to save Magnus regardless, right?”
“You’re right. I keep thinking there was a reason Crul wanted to keep this from us, but I can’t put my finger on it. Time will tell.” I peeked over at Rulo, who was avoiding my attention.
“Suma, what else have you found out about a system with no star, but orbiting worlds?” Karo asked her.
Suma shrugged. “Not a lot. It’s happened before, far away. Not a sun, but a whole planet disappeared. One day it was there, the next it was gone. No one knows why.”
“When was this?” I asked.
“Nearly a millennium ago, I think. If you search hard enough, almost everything has occurred in nature,” she said.
A planet disappearing had me wondering something. “What do we know that could move a planet?”
Suma sat up straight in her chair. “Dean, what about the Shifter?”
“Yes. The Shifter could do it. Remember what Garo Alnod said? It was supposed to be a tool that could potentially move an entire planet into another dimension. Let’s say a star was going to die, or go supernova. The Shifter could transport an entire race somewhere safer,” I said in a rush.
“Potentially safer. That was the problem with the Shifter, right? You didn’t control what the alternate dimension contained. You could end up anywhere… or any time.” Slate had the gist of it.
“Dean, there’s something else that can cause a world to vanish.” Karo’s voice was quiet, ominous.
“The Iskios,” I whispered, recalling only too clearly the bright green vortex used to suck entire moons, planets, and stars into its singularity, Mary’s body a puppet to the ancient evil bastards.
“Do you think…” Suma started, but I shook my head.
“No. I really don’t see how they could be back. If there was a thousand-kilometer-wide vortex eating up solar systems again, we’d hear about it. Garo claimed there had only been one Shifter, the one Lom of Pleva started a war for on Bazarn Five. If it was worth that much to one man, I imagine someone could have built another like it,” I said.
“Who created it?” Suma asked the question I wished I’d asked of Garo when I had the chance.
“I don’t know. But Lom’s gone, and Garo wanted nothing to do with another Shifter, so we’re at square one.” It felt great talking this through with the team. It was like old times. Four different races, sitting around eating a food resembling pizza, and trying to determine what could possibly cause a star to be wiped out without collateral damage to the immediate region of space.
“Any other theories?” Karo asked.
Suma tapped her chin. Slate was once again pecking away at the pizza he’d discarded only a few minutes ago. “Maybe it’s not so bad. If you’re hungry enough,” he told Karo, who clapped him on the shoulder for the semi-compliment.
“The good news is, we have two months to think about it.” I got up and headed for the kitchen door. “If anyone needs me, I’ll be sleeping. So please… don’t need me.”
“Goodnight, Dean,” they chorused, bringing a smile to my face. I plodded down the hall toward the room with two bunks and took the unused one. I could hear the others gabbing from here, and I contemplated closing the door before deciding to let their happy conversation lull me to sleep.
I pictured Jules, her green eyes watching me with interest, her curly chestnut hair falling in her face as she played with Maggie. I missed my family, and it had only been a few days. We’d become such a close-knit group that it was hard being separated from them. Two more months, and then what? How long before we could all go home again? I hated doing this to Mary, and lying in the bed, staring at the plain white ceiling and walls, I silently swore to my wife that I would never do something like this again.
If only I could believe my own promise.
____________
“Captain, would you mind coming to the bridge when you have a free moment?” W called through the ship’s speakers.
I was with Slate in the cargo hold, working out like the old days. If there was one thing being on a long cruise was good for, it was having time to exercise. The cardio and fighting training took all our minds off the otherwise boring and monotonous trip. The daily routine was uninspired. Suma read a lot, researching anything that might help. I was learning about Keppe exploration ships from Rulo, who had been on four two-year ventures in her life, and Slate was teaching Karo how to fight.
“Dean, I don’t want to hurt you,” Karo said, looming over me. His seven-foot-tall frame and broad shoulders made him an imposing opponent, but there were a few tricks I’d learned over the years that gave me the upper hand, or at least I hoped that was the case.
“Go!” Slate said, commanding us to start.
Karo stepped to the side, which caught me off-guard, since I’d been expecting him to lunge forward in a quick attack. That was what he’d been doing in his practice with Slate, so he was already using his intuition to best me. He was strong; the Theos weren’t built to be weak creatures. His arms were twice the size of mine, his legs powerful, but I didn’t care. I had the experience, and hundreds of hours of training with Mary, Natalia, Magnus, and Slate, all of whom could kick my butt at one point. I wasn’t ashamed to admit that.
As his right foot set to the floor, I darted in, ducking under a swinging punch. I rammed into his hard chest with my shoulder and pushed him backwards, but not off-balance like I’d hoped. His other hand caught my ribs with an uppercut, and I was thankful for the padding we wore. It felt like a boulder dropping onto my chest.
He tried again, but I rolled away, kicking out to catch in front of his leg. He was already moving toward me, and this time, he couldn’t stop his momentum. As he stumbled forward, I pushed him to the floor, only he didn’t land on his front like I expected. He quickly rotated, landing on his shoulders, and as I sprang at him, his fist caught me in the jaw, sending me sprawling overtop of him.
Karo was trying to get to his knees to come after me when Dubs’ voice carried over the speakers again. “Captain, please come to the bridge. This is urgent.” The android wouldn’t say that if it wasn’t important, and I was happy for the interruption. Karo was looming over me, his fist cocked back, and my arms were in front of my face in a defensive posture.
“Saved by the bell,” I said.
“Don’t think I didn’t hear you bet Rulo you would best me, Dean.” Karo stuck a hand out and helped me to my feet.
“Jeeze. Did you have to hit me so hard?” I asked, rubbing my ribs. They’d be okay; maybe a little bruised.
“Slate thought it would be good to teach you a lesson,” Karo said with a laugh.
I glared at Slate. “Is that so, Zeke Campbell?” I used his full name in a tone only Mary could usually pull off.
“Yeah, boss. I had to remind you that I’m the best fight instructor ever. I taught a newbie to beat you in a week. Admit it.”
I laughed too, wincing at the effect on my chest. “Fine. But face it, Karo is twice my size.”
Rulo was beside me, holding her hand out. “A bet’s a bet,” she said.
“I’m good for it,” I said. “Send the bill to New Spero.”
I undid the straps on the padding and threw the top to Slate, who caught it deftly. I had to see what W was all worked up about. I jogged to the bridge, passing Suma in the kitchen, where she leaned over a tablet, scrolling through data.
“What is it, Dubs?” I asked, coming to stand behind his pilot’s seat.
“I�
�ve picked up an odd reading on the sensors and would like to investigate it,” he said.
I looked out the viewscreen at the wide-open space beyond. Countless stars twinkled in the distance, light years away. If we were near the edge of the known universe, why could we still see so much out here? It was unnerving.
“What kind of reading?” I sat on the seat beside his and tapped the console to life, zooming in on the radar image. Nothing showed abnormal to me.
“It was faint, but definitely there a few minutes ago. I locked the coordinates, and we could be there in two hours.” W was still looking straight forward at his controls, but my screen zoomed on a location not far from what could only be a cluster of asteroids.
“I’m not sure I love the idea of heading into an asteroid field,” I told him. “Are you sure the sensors weren’t picking up trace amounts of a metal used in interstellar space ships? Asteroids have been mined for materials for thousands of years, according to Suma.”
“You could be right.” The console blinked, and a familiar chime rang out. “We’ve received a transmission.”
“From who?” There was no one nearby: no ships, no worlds, nothing but the asteroid field.
“That is unclear.” He opened it, but instead of a verbal message, confusing images scrolled across the viewscreen. They appeared mathematical in nature; formulas, maybe.
“Suma!” I shouted behind me before tapping into the ship’s speaker system. “Everyone to the bridge. We’ve encountered someone.”
The last thing I wanted was to be venturing off on side missions on our trip to find Magnus, but we were so close. Only two hours. What if they needed our help? The chances of another vessel traveling through this system on this course soon were slim to none. We were the only ones that could help them.
Suma was the first one on the bridge, and my chair shifted as she gripped the top of it. “What am I looking at?”
The others piled behind us, crowding the compact space. “Dubs, any chance you can read this?” I asked.
“I think I might be able to. I have deactivated some of my programming in order to be more efficient. I am, after all, a few thousand years old.” He said it without self-pity. We’d found him in the closet of a derelict ship of some alien relic hunters who’d ended up stuck on Larsk, until his battery drained and they’d all died.
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