We stayed there, chatting among ourselves for a few hours. The whole time, I was pressing away the desire to head home to my family faster.
____________
Our arrival at Haven was expected. The messenger the Supreme had sent a few days prior to our departure was present, and I knew Terrance and Leslie would be at the landing pad outside the capital city, awaiting us.
W lowered us to the ground and landed with a soft touch while Slate opened the bottom of the WASP, letting warm air blow up and into the cargo hold. I ran, greeting my hybrid friends.
“Have you heard from Mary? Is everyone okay?” I asked.
“Yes, they’re fine, Dean. Worried about you, but fine. We haven’t been able to use the portals, but you knew that already. Where’s Magnus? Did you really travel to another dimension and return?” Terrance’s questions came out in a flurry.
“Magnus, Nat, and the kids are coming when the rest of the crew is safely on their way. Mag feels partially responsible for their predicament, and as their captain, there was no way he’d leave before making sure everyone got out,” I told them. “And yes, we did end up being sucked through a dimensional rift, but we made it back.”
Slate puffed out his chest a little. “Was there ever a doubt?” he asked with false bravado. The truth was, there was a time period that we didn’t expect to ever leave. It had been like living a nightmare.
“As much as I want to fill you guys in, I have to make it home. Since I have the portal modifier from J-NAK, I’ll bring you home first, Suma. Can you give us a ride to the portal?” I looked for a nearby lander.
“Dean, if you don’t mind, I’ll stay here until you return. I know my father, and he’s going to want a meeting, and soon. I’ll go home then,” Suma said.
“Sure.” I put an arm around her shoulders, pulling her in. “Thanks for being you, Suma. Once again, we couldn’t have done it without you.”
“I’m happy to help. Thanks for helping us home,” she said.
“Slate? Keep an eye on her, if you don’t mind staying.” I turned and had nearly forgotten that Karo and Ableen were with us. I introduced her to Leslie and Terrance, and they promised to get the Theos woman settled into her own place for the night. Ableen agreed, as long as Karo was staying put. With everything settled, I hopped into the lander with Terrance, and we headed toward Haven’s portal room.
“Terrance, I know I ask a lot of you guys, and you can always say no to anything, but is there any way you can make sure Suma, Slate, and Karo are ready to meet Mary and me here in twelve…make it twenty-four hours? We’ll make the trip to Shimmal then.”
Terrance didn’t hesitate. “You never ask more than you need to. It’ll be done. Also, what are we doing with Sergo? The messenger asked us to send him to Volim with them, under their control. I guess the Supreme isn’t very happy with him.”
I thought about it this, wondering if I should cut the Padlog some slack. The Relocator did save our lives and take us home, but if he hadn’t demanded it in the first place, it never would have been his for me to barter back.
“Send him to Volim. He was stealing from the Inlor, and they think he’s dead. It wouldn’t be good for our Alliance if they found out we were harboring a fugitive of theirs,” I said.
Terrance nodded, and soon we were lowering to the grounds outside the portal.
“I’ll see you in a day,” Terrance said, smiling at me. “I’m glad to see you. Go visit your family, you deserve it.”
“I will. Talk soon.” I hopped out with nothing but my white jumpsuit on and my pack slung over my shoulder. The lander lifted away, leaving me alone on the arrival pad in the hot summer-like air.
At this point, I wasn’t even sure how long I’d been gone from home. A couple of months at least, maybe three or four. The days were a blur as I thought of them, but I felt every second of the trip as I trod into the portal corridors, heading for the room.
I pulled out the device from the robot J-NAK as I entered the portal, the lights on the walls glowing brightly, and the stone activating as I approached. The table lit up, and I placed the tablet-sized unit on top of the symbols, turning it on. If I chose the icon for New Spero and didn’t use the device, I might end up at any random portal stone in the universe.
I connected them and chose the icons on both the tablet and the table before pressing the symbol with a shaky hand.
The portal stone blinked before it shone white, and I’d never seen it do anything quite like that. I looked around, worried I’d been sent either nowhere or somewhere wrong, but found myself in the familiar portal room outside Terran Five on New Spero. Relief flooded me, and I couldn’t stop my legs from running now.
Mary wouldn’t know when I was coming, but I wasn’t surprised to find a lander outside the mountain corridors, waiting for me. Two New Spero guards were stationed inside it, each of them surprised to find me in front of them.
“Mr. Parker. Welcome home!” a young dark-haired man with a wispy mustache said.
“We’re honored to take you wherever you need to go,” the woman said, her uniform crisp and so clean it appeared like she’d changed into it a minute ago.
“Home. Take me home.”
____________
The sun was setting as the lander lifted from my acreage. I heard Jules before I saw her or Mary’s shadowy forms walking toward me from the porch. “Papa! Papa!” Jules was yelling, and I ran for them, arms outstretched.
I picked up my daughter, and my heart was pounding in my chest as I held her close, her small cheek pressed to my newly grown-in beard. “Jules, my angel. I’m home.”
Mary’s arm pulled me close, our daughter squished between us. “I knew you’d make it.” She kissed me firmly, using her hand at my neck to make sure I couldn’t break free.
“Papa, what bring me?” Jules asked, and I lifted her above my head and laughed.
“I brought you… me,” I told her.
“Papa’s silly,” Jules said with confidence.
“I won’t deny that.” I turned my attention to Mary, who’d been watching Jules’ and my interaction with interest. “Are you ever a sight for sore eyes.”
“You’ve seen better days.” Her eyes twinkled in the red dusk. “Come on in. I forgot to tell Maggie you were here.”
The cocker spaniel was inside the front door, barking like she was about to explode. Mary opened the door and the cocker catapulted, jumping all over me, licking my face as I bent over to pet the girl.
“What happened out there?” Mary asked.
I thought about the crazy series of events and dropped my pack on the porch. “Let’s go inside. You’re going to want a glass of wine with this story.” I scooped Jules up, and the whole family went into the house together. I glanced out at the front yard and smiled as I shut the door, sealing us in for the night.
The End of New Alliance
The Survivors Book Seven
Continue the adventure with The GateKeepers
About the Author
Nathan Hystad writes science fiction and horror novels.
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The Earth Fleet has known of the Watchers for years, unwilling to share the knowledge with humanity. Now it might be too late.
Hidden away from the Fleet, one man is creating a new colony ship destined for the other side of the Rift, but he’s missing a few pieces.
Three other people have varied paths to get there. Ace goes from the streets of Earth to the Fleet training facility on the moon. Flint, an ex-Fleet pilot, must decide if a job is worth his life, and Wren, imprisoned for a secret project years ago, is given hope as an unlikely ally whispers words of escape in her ear.
Their journeys lead to Councilman Jarden Fairbanks, who knows of the impending invasion, and h
as prepared. All they can do is wait for the Rift to open once again, and see what’s on the other side.
Rift joins an ensemble cast facing immeasurable obstacles. If you enjoy space battles, prison breaks, androids, and aliens, buried under a shroud of mystery, this book is for you. Try it today!
RIFT
The portals are failing, the Theos inside mysteriously vanishing. Help is on the way.
As Dean Parker takes a moment to celebrate the successful rescue of Magnus and Natalia, he’s reluctantly forced back into the field, the goal: save the dozen Gatekeepers trapped beyond the failing portals.
Karo and Ableen align with Dean and his family, but when an unexpected twist sabotages the mission, their lives might be the cost of returning home.
Don’t miss this epic eighth volume of the Survivors, as Dean and crew are forced to make decisions that accompany unforeseen consequences.
The Gatekeepers
New Alliance Page 23
