“Kind of looks like you, Magnus.” Slate broke the tension with a joke, and nudged Magnus in the arm with a fist.
“Me? If I didn’t know better, this could be your long-lost twin,” Magnus joked.
Since it was willing to accept my request, I thought about the ace up our sleeve. Eccentric Collector types always liked a good bargain. It might be the only way to escape out of here alive, and with the Theos. It was worth a try. “Interesting.” I pretended, of course, that it wasn’t all that interesting. “How about you show us your Yuver?” I said.
The golem turned slowly, and I knew I had it in my grasp. The voice carried in its echo from the walls. “A Yuver, you say? I’m afraid I do not have one of these.”
“Oh, really? That’s because they’ve been dead for some time,” I lied. Truth was, I had no idea where they were from or if they were still around. The one we’d found had been on that asteroid for a very long time, by our estimation.
“Yes, a Yuver.” The name sounded strange out of the Collector.
“You know,” I casually said, “the Theos are thriving. We had a ship full of them following us a week ago. I’m expecting they’ll be sucked through to this side of the Cloud any day now.”
Karo frowned at me, not quite picking up my motives. The golem stepped toward me. “Is that so?”
“That’s correct. But, you see, my friend here has his heart set on getting a new wife.” I lifted a hand up to stop Karo from interrupting, because he was clearly on the verge of cutting in.
“I understand being lonely,” the voice said.
“Karo here is… how do I say this delicately? He’s an extremely undesirable mate. Perhaps someone out of the game a few thousand years will find him fetching.” I grinned at Karo, who was shooting daggers at me.
Slate chuckled but didn’t say anything.
The voice got louder. “I do not give away my collectibles.”
“I wasn’t expecting you to. Like any great collector, you must be willing to trade up for a specimen? Surely a barter for something you don’t possess would be of interest to you.” I played up to its ego, which had to be huge for all its elaborate displays. I didn’t forget the fact that it had called itself a god when we first met.
“What do you propose? As I said, I already have each of your…”
“A Yuver. I have a Yuver,” I said plainly.
The golem started to shake: slow vibrations at first, then jerky motions. “And a ship of Theos is arriving soon?”
“Yes. The outside galaxy is teeming with them. Infested, really.” I knew I was pushing Karo’s buttons, but I had to be convincing that the Collector was receiving the better end of the deal.
“And you have a Yuver?” it asked.
“That’s correct. What do you say to a bargain?” I asked, extending my hand. The golem’s head didn’t move, but the arm extended in a mirror action of mine, and I took the lumpy rounded hand and shook it. It seemed confused by the whole ordeal, but it was hard to tell, since the head held no face.
“We have a deal. I never much cared for the Theos. As you said, they’re little better than an infestation.” The golem turned, and I grabbed Karo’s arm, holding him back from attacking the strange figure.
“Don’t. It’s only reacting to what I said about the Theos. He can’t have her any longer,” I said, pulling him close to whisper privately.
A few minutes later, we were once again at the top level where we’d arrived, and we stood in front of the display case where the Theos woman was suspended.
“Where is the Yuver?” it asked.
I walked away from the rest of the group and pulled out the portal gate device I’d gotten from the Traders and activated it. The yellow doorway opened, which meant W was directly above us in the Kraski ship. “Slate, Magnus, can you give me a hand?” I asked.
We walked through the energy doorway and onto our ship. Suma and Karo hung back, and I had the urge to shout at them to join us so we could escape. But there was no way I could leave without freeing the trapped Theos. Karo would finally have another of his kind around.
“What’s the play?” Slate asked once we were in our own cargo bay. I glanced through the doorway, seeing the golem stare toward us with interest.
“The play? We trade this for her.” I kicked the box where the Yuver sat inside, cryogenically frozen by some unknown technology.
“Is that fair to the Yuver?” Magnus asked.
“Look, it’s not ideal, but what were we even going to do with it? We can’t even be sure it’s alive, and we sure as hell don’t know where it comes from. It’s all we have,” I urged, and they nodded.
“Like you said, we don’t have much of a choice. If we didn’t stumble upon this Yuver, it would have been on the asteroid forever, or at least until a slug broke in and ate it. At least we’re giving it a chance someone will release it one day,” Slate said, convincing himself more than anything.
Magnus grabbed a handhold, and Slate and I each took another. We dragged it through the portal door, into the Collector’s ship.
“There it is. One Yuver.” I pointed to the window, where its face was visible.
The golem shook again, which I now took as a sure sign of excitement. I peered around, trying to find cameras. Where was the real Collector located?
“Very good. Yes, very good indeed. A deal’s a deal. Take your mate, oh hideous one,” the voice said, and the female Theos’ display case opened with a hiss, the green energy around her vanishing. Karo caught the woman in his arms.
“Take her through the portal,” I said quickly, and Karo didn’t hesitate. He was gone in a flash.
“How did you do that?” the Collector asked, obviously meaning the doorway portal.
“I’m also a god,” I lied. Maybe if I got it on an even playing field, the Collector would reveal more secrets.
“But you are human,” it said. “Maybe something a little more?” The head moved, like it was sniffing the air.
“This is merely a vessel, like your golem here,” I said. “Where are you hiding?”
The golem shook again. “I am not hiding.” It fell to the ground, and Slate raised his gun as the entire ship trembled.
“I think it’s time to go, boss,” Slate said, backing away.
Something lifted through the floor; it was red, misty. A blob of energy. “See me for all my glory. What is it you look like? Bare yourself to me so I can decide if I should keep you for my collection.” The voice emerged from all around the room.
It was moving closer, and I shoved Suma behind me. “Get on the ship!” I yelled as the Collector’s display cases rattled.
“Do not leave! I do not permit it!” The red wraith pulsed in anger, and I followed the others through the portal, tripping as I entered our Kraski ship’s cargo bay. The portal control flew from my hand, bouncing along the floor.
“Grab it! Shut the portal!”
Suma was already running for the bridge, and Slate grabbed for the control, trying to figure out how to use it. I rolled over, stumbling backwards as the Collector raced toward me in its wraith form.
“Shut it!” I yelled, and the yellow doorway vanished just before the red wraith entered. I lay on the ground, the air from my lungs pushing out in great uneven gasps. “Thanks, Slate.”
“I didn’t do anything!” he said, gaze transfixed at the controls.
Suma returned from the bridge, smiling. “I told W to fly away. I remembered the portal was only good for short distances, so he blasted us off the surface.”
“Good thinking, Suma! That was a close call. We didn’t expect that.” I got up, looking around for Karo. He was nowhere in sight.
“We didn’t solve our problems,” Magnus said. “We’re still stuck here.”
“No. I guess there’s no portal stone here.” I walked away, heading toward the bunks.
Karo was inside, leaning over a bed, where he’d covered the nude Theos woman. He tilted out of the way, smiling widely. “Everyon
e, meet Ableen.”
She sat up, holding the covers to her chest. Her eyes were sparkling, jumping back and forth between us, trying to decipher what was happening.
“It’s okay. You’re safe now. Let’s get you to Fortune and find you some clothes and food. Wait until you try pizza,” Karo said, and we ushered ourselves out of the room, leaving him to comfort the only other Theos alive.
Twenty-Three
We were on Magnus’ ship a short way from the planet, sitting in his office, off the elaborate bridge filled with Keppe crew. Magnus was typing on a screen on his desk, and the words appeared on a digital whiteboard.
We still don’t have a way to leave this godforsaken dimension!
He deleted the words after glancing at my admonishing look and started again.
“We’re no farther along.” Magnus rested his face in his hands and let out a deep sigh.
“We found a Theos! I’d say that’s a win.” This from Suma, from her chair beside mine.
“You’re lucky you got out of there. What are we going to do about this Collector?” Natalia asked. It was just the four of us. Rulo was planetside with her partner, and Slate was sleeping when I checked on him. I thought it would do my buddy good to rest.
Karo was getting Ableen caught up on the history and current status of the Theos. She’d been taken from their home world three thousand years ago. I didn’t think she looked a day over thirty, personally. But you could never tell in a universe of ancient races and energy-induced cryogenic freezing by maniacal red wraiths.
Karo was worried how she would respond, so he was trying to ease her into it. I wasn’t sure what that entailed: Here’s some pizza. Also, our race is long dead after a battle with the Iskios, and I was left behind to guard the Theos history, awaiting someone to arrive, who happened to show up as our nemesis was destroying solar systems with a powerful vortex fueled by their souls and piloted by the very same Recaster’s possessed wife.
“What are the plans for the Collector?” I repeated. “Nothing. I’m not going back there.”
“We could figure out a way to kill him, maybe? Release the trapped people?” Suma suggested.
“I don’t know if we can…”
The door buzzed, and Magnus told them to enter.
“Sir, you wanted to know if anything occurred from that region you came from earlier?” the Keppe woman who entered asked, and Magnus’ desk translator relayed it into English for us.
“Yes, what do you have?” Magnus asked.
“A ship left.”
“A ship?” Nat was at the wall, keying something into a console.
“Yes, I’ve patched it through.” The Keppe pointed to the whiteboard, and the video began to play. It was an aerial satellite shot from above. The red clay mountain erupted as a long vessel tore from the earth. It rose straight up, appearing larger every second in the center of the screen. The Collector’s ship was slick, smooth, and long like a pencil.
“There go twelve thousand of his specimens,” I said as we watched the vessel propel forward slowly, beyond the atmosphere.
The Keppe officer spoke again. “It’s moving away from us and the planet.”
Nat changed the camera angle to one from Fortune, and she zoomed to show the thin cylindrical ship rotating before a bright powerful thruster kicked in, and the Collector vanished.
“One less thing to think about,” I said, and Nat shut the screen off.
The Keppe officer left with a bewildered look on her face, and the door shut, leaving the four of us to ponder what had just happened.
“These people on the planet below have been here for so long. If there was a way to leave, don’t you think one of them would have figured out a way?” Magnus was getting frustrated, and I didn’t blame him. It was hard not to be upset while thinking about our predicament. Mary would be worried sick about me, about all of us. There had to be a way.
“I wonder what happened to Sergo,” Suma said out of the blue.
“Sergo? You mean that insect guy from Volim? If I ever see that Padlog again, I’ll hit him with a flyswatter,” Magnus said.
I laughed and decided to fill them in on our encounter with the runaway thief on the day of the Gatekeepers’ graduation. “He’d stolen some Inlorian bars from the Inlor mine, and thought he could use my Relocator to sneak out of there, grabbing millions of credits’ worth of the sought-after metal.”
“What a scammer, using your device to steal from people,” Natalia said. “It’s probably a good thing he couldn’t jump to Volim. You got to make a new alliance with the Inlor. Also, belated congratulations on joining the Gatekeepers, Suma,” she said with a caring smile.
I felt so far removed from the Gatekeepers and the progress with the Alliance now that we were trapped here, so driven the last couple of months to find Magnus. Now that we were here, there was nowhere to go. Something niggled at my brain about what Nat had said. “Natalia, say that again?”
“Congrats, Suma,” she said.
“No. The part about jumping to Volim.” My mind raced, and my eyes sprang open.
“Dean, are you okay…” Natalia started.
“The Relocator! I have it with me. What if it’s not really broken? What if we can use it to travel back to the last location Sergo had embedded into it?” I was off my seat, raw energy coursing through my body.
“What if it doesn’t? What if it’s broken? What if it does work, and it tries to send you to Volim or wherever he had programmed, and it doesn’t recognize it over on this side of the dimension, and you arrive into deep space with nothing but an EVA and a tank of oxygen?” Magnus was always so articulate and supportive.
“Now that you’ve managed to remind me of my biggest fear…” I ran a hand through my hair and paced the room. “Seriously, this might work. Suma, meet me in the engineering office again, and let’s see if we can make this Relocator function again.”
I ran out of the room before anyone could argue, and for the first time since arriving, I felt real hope flood in my chest.
____________
Suma set the Relocator on the table. “I don’t know what to tell you, Dean. It won’t activate.”
I picked it up and flipped it around my palm. Kareem had gifted this to me so long ago, and I’d used it to sneak out of some really dicey situations. I’d been so sure we could figure this out, but Suma’s abilities could only be stretched so far.
“I know. Thanks for spending the last week on it.” I spun in my chair in the office that connected us to Fortune’s engineering room.
Magnus appeared at the door and gave me a dour expression. “You two are still in here. God, Dean. When are you going to give up on that Relocator?”
“I’m not. Did you acquire that contact for me?” I could tell from his face that he had.
“Sure I did. I don’t think it’s going to do you any good. If Suma says it’s dead, then it’s dead, right?” Magnus nodded to Suma, who shook her head.
“Not necessarily. The power core is shot, but I don’t know how Kareem or the Deltra managed to make it. It’s unlike anything I, or your chief engineer, have ever seen. If we could find another power source, we might make a go of it, but…”
“But what?” I prompted.
“But I’ve tried at least three other cores, adapting them to fit, and nothing has worked.” Suma pushed away from the table and let out a classic Shimmali squawk. I knew she was missing home and her father. Sarlun was going to have some words with me when we got home. I closed my eyes and amended the thought. If we got home.
“W,” I said into my earpiece. “Are you at the ship?”
“Of course, Captain. Where else would I be?” Dubs answered.
“Good. We’ll be there in a few minutes.”
“And where are we going?”
“To the surface of the planet. We have a meeting with a Deltra.” I grinned, and Magnus passed me a tablet with the woman’s location on it. “I never thought we’d be meeting more Deltra, did you
?”
“Nope. These ones don’t even know about their captivity by the Kraski, or the subsequent betrayal. It might be best if you don’t bring it up,” he said.
“Thanks again. I’ll see you when we get back. Hopefully with some good news.” I clapped Magnus on his shoulder with a palm, picked up the Relocator, and left the room.
Suma was already out the door, and I walked with her toward our quarters. “I need to grab something,” I said. I had an urge to take my pack with me. There were times I felt this nudge, as if the universe was trying to guide me. I thought to what Regnig had called me while we were under Bazarn Five: Recaster. I was there to change things up, to right wrongs, or maybe wrong rights; it wasn’t so much about good versus evil, or anything like that, but more about equilibrium.
The intuition, as Mary called it, had proven useful on many occasions, and I wasn’t about to ignore it now. I cut into my quarters, grabbed my small pack, slung it over my shoulder, and carried on until we arrived at the hangar where W awaited our arrival.
“Should we bring back Slate?” Suma asked.
“He’s already here,” a voice shouted across the half-empty hangar. “Thought you could get rid of me so easily, did you?”
“Had enough working out with the Keppe?” I asked him. He had obviously just left the gym because he was drenched in sweat and had a towel draped over his head. “Do us a favor? Shower before we land.”
Slate rolled his eyes, and we hopped into the ship before W lifted us out of Fortune and headed for the surface, this time smack-dab in the center of the largest metropolis on the planet. There were nearly a billion various people on the world, and judging by the immense sprawl of the city, fifty million of them lived here. The directions Magnus gave me took us between two skyscrapers, each at least a hundred stories tall, and narrow. The landing pad flanked by the buildings was almost full, and we had to squeeze between two unfamiliar vessels.
“I’ll wait here, Captain,” W said.
When we exited the ship, I was instantly amazed at how fresh the air was. With all of the combined technologies of the different alien life on the world, it appeared as though they’d found a way to prevent emissions. It was the freshest air I’d ever inhaled in the middle of a city.
New Alliance Page 20
