by Mara Amberly
“Unless we choose to stay,” Harry said.
“Bear in mind, if we can’t stop the Event, people won’t be living on the planet afterwards as before. They’ll be travelling through the portal or they’ll be at the mercy of life-threatening time distortions. I can tell you the only safe place directly before and during the Event is in the shielded area of the city – Zones 1-3.”
“How could they do that to our people?” Janice asked.
Tom shook his head. “I wish I had an answer for you.”
Eric found it hard to wrap his head around it as well, and yet he knew it was true. He’d seen the proof and he had been there that day when the details were revealed in a secret council. Viktor had brought him along; he was glad now that his mentor had the foresight to do that.
“You know now what they’re capable of and you know what’s going to happen to time and space, especially close to Valtera. They can’t save everyone. There are too many people.”
“Oh my God,” Oron replied, only then fully understanding the scope of the situation. A lot of people on the planet would never have the chance to go through the portal. They would be sacrificed for the sake of the chosen.
“Maybe we should just concentrate on helping you and hold off on contacting our families,” Harry said. “We already know they’ll probably refuse to leave. They’re in the military and they’re not just going to walk away because we ask them to.”
“I need your word,” Janice said, “that no matter what – even if something happens to us – you’ll warn our families ahead of time. I know they have to decide for themselves, but I can’t leave them unaware.”
“You have my word,” Eric promised.
“I want to help my wife, but perhaps in helping our world, she’ll be helped by default. We can’t let this happen if we have a chance to change it,” Oron replied.
“We can travel back in time if we have to,” Eric replied. “We’ll just have to make sure we still have that option open to us. Settle in Relsar’o and wait until I send word. Make sure you’re relatively close to the High Command offices. That will also put you within the shielded area. The fact it’s shielded in the future means it should be safer before the Event too. I’m going to give you all communication devices. I might be able to do something about your access level too. This is a former military vessel and I still have computer access.”
“It sounds like we’re going to break a slew of laws,” Juliane said with a tone of excitement.
“You’d better believe it,” he said. “Don’t let the Valteran military get their hands on you. I haven’t bargained on a jailbreak.”
Tom sighed, but he didn’t say anything to contradict the fact.
“I’m happy you already have the idea in mind, just in case,” Juliane admitted.
Tom studied the diverse group on the ship. “I feel like if we reached the right people at the top, maybe we could convince them to take a saner course of action. However, if they had enough control, you would expect them to have already put a stop to this. How sure are we that this is going to happen in the new and current timeline?”
“I haven’t done anything yet that would change it because I’ve mainly been on Earth, so unless anyone else has interceded, it would be the same,” Eric replied.
Tom nodded. “I see. The High Councillor would have the final say over what happens.”
“Yes he would,” Eric agreed.
He had no intention of harming the High Councillor, but he had to make sure the portal couldn’t merely be repaired. He had to ensure the sabotage was final and irreparable. There must be no coming back to the same misguided place in the future.
“I’m an Engineer more than a scientist. Please tell me,” Eric said, “what skills do you bring to the table? We don’t have any experts in say… particle physics, do we?”
Oron shook his head. “I’m a decent fighter, better with weapons than fists, and I’m good with computer systems, but you’re going to have to look to somebody else for that kind of knowledge.”
Eric nodded. “It’s still good to know you’re a man who can look after himself and break into computers here and there,” he said, remembering what Oron had told him earlier.
Janice grinned at that. “Once upon a time I was a chemist. Not a dispenser of medication; I mean an analytical chemist. I can’t help much with physics.”
“Very good,” Eric said, considering what she could do.
Cora chimed in. “I told you a while ago I was good at mathematics and I meant it.”
Eric hadn’t forgotten, but it was easy to overlook her abilities in light of the fact she hadn’t yet learned to read and write well. Still, knowledge of numbers could serve them well in the mission ahead.
“Thank you, Cora. We might need that to help us find our way in.”
“I thought you were going to arrange that?” Juliane asked.
“I can generate official passes, but it’s not the only hurdle we’ll face. We’ll need the codes for the research labs, and you can guess which ones will be the most protected of all.”
“Indeed I can,” Oron replied with a sigh.
“I’m a sculptor as you know,” Juliane said, “but prior to that I worked with the media. They’re particularly wary of anti-government stories and propaganda, but if you want the word spread, I still have contacts on Valtera. I can make sure the truth gets out.”
Eric smiled. “You’re a dangerous one, aren’t you?”
“I certainly do my best,” she replied with a chuckle.
“You know about me,” Tom said. “I’m a Master Engineer and former Gunner on the VMS Leebrook.”
Eric’s expression turned thoughtful at that. It was the kind of role where he’d have been called on to fire on the base, should he have been on board the ship.
“I feel that with your skillset, you’d be best coming with me,” Eric explained.
He could sense immediate hesitation from Tom.
“I’m sorry. I have to go after my son, but after that, I would.”
“That’s fair,” Eric replied.
He noticed Cora gave him a confused look but he wasn’t going to backtrack on it. Of course, Tom wanted to get his child to safety.
“Okay, that leaves you, Harry,” he said.
“I studied physics at school, but I’m not sure that would be enough,” he said.
“What have you been doing the last few years?” Eric asked.
“School, and then in the time since the attack on the base I’ve been… I don’t know. Trying to get a message through to my mother and playing a lot of games. It was driving me mad with worry and I needed an escape, I guess.”
Eric nodded. “Do you have a father or siblings on Earth?”
Harry shook his head. “No, it was just me and my mother there.”
“What about before it happened – the attack on the base?”
“I was studying galactic history, but I put it on hold.”
Eric hadn’t realised how lost Harry seemed until that moment.
“We’ll get this figured out,” he promised. “Until then, I’ll need your help as well. You’re the closest we’ve got to a physicist.”
Out of the corner of his eye, Eric saw Cora cross herself. Somehow that wasn’t encouraging.
“It’s late, and Cora and I haven’t eaten for a lot of hours. I’d suggest we get some rest as we make the journey. I’ll sleep in the cockpit,” he said.
He knew they’d need all the rest they could get in order to have their wits about them when the time came. It was still a long way to Valtera.
Chapter 18
June 2133 – Aboard the Equinox, En Route to Valtera
Eric slept fitfully as the Equinox crossed the vast expanse of space. The alarm was set to wake him before they reached Valteran space because he didn’t want to be too close when they moved ahead in time. His dreams were filled with images of the past and fears of the future. Images of his old mentor, Viktor, flashed into his mind. E
ric knew he was alive in the time they were travelling to, before trouble that had put him in the Equinox and threatened an unwary universe.
Eric wanted to save him, but he knew he couldn’t warn him, even though his old Mentor had been the one to help him escape and encouraged him to take the ship. Alerting Viktor would change the timeline, and he couldn’t afford to let that happen. Eric turned in his seat, leaning against the cool fabric and pulling the blanket tighter around himself. He was cold – the whole ship was, though he was only half-aware of it.
His mind turned to the wave that had struck his ship, which had been thrown out into space by the Event. He hadn’t seen it coming, but now in his mind’s eye, it was enormous and devastating. A blast tore through civilisation on the planet, leaving only a single city shielded and protected from damaged time. Directly above it, meeting the top of the city’s shield and the rooftop of the tallest tower was a circular, glowing disc even larger than the city below. It rippled a brilliant gold, the colour vivid against the darkness of space. It was a beautiful and terrible sight, and at the top of the tallest tower, he saw his people filing into it, disappearing into what felt to him like an abyss.
“No,” he groaned in his sleep. “No, it’s not what you think. Don’t do it. Don’t go,” but they didn’t listen. They couldn’t hear him; he was so far away.
He woke from the dream with a start and looked around the cockpit with shock. Everything was alright. They were still a few hours out and the stars were distant specks in space. There was nothing on the sensors to worry about. His thoughts turned back to the dream and he wondered how accurate it was. Was it the invention of a worried mind or could it be something more? Could his own people be reaching out to him in the dream to tell him they were fools?
No, he decided. Sometimes a dream was just that; a dream, but it made him realise one thing. He had to try and save Viktor, just not at the cost of everything else.
Eric released a deep breath and smiled. They had hope, and while his crew weren’t exactly experts in their fields – for the most part, they understood the risks and what was at stake. He had particular faith in Cora because she’d shown him what she was made of. All they could do was prepare and keep their wits about them, and maybe things would go in their favour.
The cockpit alarm sounded, which he’d set the night before. As he fumbled for the button to switch it off, he noticed Cora sitting in the co-pilot’s seat watching the view screen, staring off into space.
“How long have you been there?” Eric asked.
He was comfortable enough with Cora now that he wasn’t disturbed by the thought of her watching him sleep.
“About half an hour,” she said. “You looked tired last night and I didn’t want to disturb your rest. I just wanted to take a good look at the sensors and see how close we were to your home-world.”
“I have alerts set to wake me if there’s anything worrying,” he said, “but it doesn’t hurt to look at it every so often to be sure. It looks like we’re getting close to the border,” he said. “Just think, life there is just how it was before all this happened. There are probably temporal distortions forming already in places. I need to take us far enough ahead to influence events but the closer we get, the greater the risk. By the time it happens, time will be falling apart.”
“Just do what you have to and we’ll figure out the rest. What else is there to do?” she asked him.
Cora looked a lot calmer than Eric felt, and perhaps that’s what he needed right now. It made him realise she had faith in him, as did the others. He didn’t think he was ever that great a commander, but he was a fearsome engineer.
“I’ll have a think about that,” he said. “I’ll take us through the rift and get us where we’re going.”
It only took a few minutes to create the rift in space-time, as he’d plotted out the coordinates the night before. He heard distant footsteps running in the ship as they punched through and he targeted the rift behind them with a pulse to knit the fabric of space-time back together.
“Oh my goodness, is that it? Are we through?” Janice asked as she stood at the entrance to the cockpit. “I saw it out the window. There was a flash and I don’t even know how to describe it.”
“We’re through,” Eric told her. “It’s a lot smoother when you’re on a ship.”
That reminded him of his TSAI 40, which in turn reminded him of the Holographic Matrix Projector he could’ve used for masking his appearance. It would’ve been incredibly useful for the task ahead. He still suspected that given time enough and spare parts he could fix it, but he wasn’t treating it as a priority.
1.5 years had passed for the outside world since he’d woken up. December 2134 – a year before the Event. He hoped it would be late enough to do some good and avoid the worst of the distortions. Unfortunately, that meant Tom and Juliane’s son had spent longer without his parents, but Eric was reluctant to take too many chances when space-time was so fragile.
“We’ll be there in around three-quarters of an hour. Please tell everyone to get ready.”
He could’ve used the comms, but most of the others were likely still asleep.
“I’ll do that,” Cora promised.
“Janice, can I speak with you for a minute?” Eric asked.
“Yes, of course,” she said.
“If I get you the supplies, would you be able to make some things for me? I want something that could knock out a small number of people at a time or a large room full. Perhaps something similar to smoke grenades as well? I’d also like a compound that would erode mechanical or electrical components.”
“That’s actually fairly easy. There are enough anaesthetics out there that I wouldn’t need to manufacture one. I’d just need to source it. The others should be achievable given a bit of time.”
“What about explosives?” he asked.
“I’m not making explosives for you,” she replied. “I understand the stakes, but the risks are too great – both in sourcing the materials and because I wouldn’t know what I was doing. I could blow myself up trying to make them.”
Eric nodded grimly. “That’s alright. I would appreciate anything you could make me that will be of use. Will you give me a list of what you’ll need?”
“How long do I have before we get there?” Janice asked.
“Not long,” Eric replied.
“I’d better hurry then.”
He’d already decided to find a neutral location to ship the items to, and then he’d give her the address. It was the safest way.
As Juliane packed up the few possessions she’d brought along, Cora gave the door a tap. It was metal and made a hollow ring that caused Juliane to turn her way.
“Cora,” she said, beckoning to the young woman. “What’s on your mind?”
She noticed Tom wasn’t in the room, so it would give them a small degree of privacy to talk.
“I went back in time a while ago and I saw you there.”
Juliane shook her head slightly, as though she didn’t quite understand.
“Was it the other me? Tom told me the timeline had changed.”
“No, it was after that,” Cora said. “You gave me a code and told me I’d need it to rescue your son.”
“Oh my goodness,” she said.
Cora had Juliane’s full attention as a result of those few words.
“You told me I would need the code to get in, but I’m planning to go along with Eric. It’s 1124 in case you need it.”
“That’s very strange,” Juliane said. “It’s possible you could find him instead then. I’m glad you have it, just in case.”
Cora nodded. “Do you have a picture of him? It might help me recognise him.”
“I sent Eric through his profile,” she said.
Juliane took a moment at the computer and brought up his picture and details. He could’ve been a boy in the time period she’d come from and not the distant future. He didn’t look that different.
“What
’s his name?” Cora asked.
Her question seemed to confuse Juliane when she had his details on the screen.
“Damien,” she said. “Damien Martin Woods.”
“Thank you,” Cora told her. “May God return him safely to you and aid us in our journey.”
Juliane nodded and stared after Cora as she departed the room. The code raised a lot of questions, but not all of them were about her son.
The ship set down in a chasm beyond the outskirts of the city, some of which had been converted into a dumping ground for defunct civilian spacecraft. They were in the landing area, but the junkyard wasn’t far away. A man walked out to greet the ship, a tablet computer in hand as Eric powered down the engines.
There was no exit near the front of the ship, though there were cargo bay doors. Tom and Juliane were the first to exit through the hatch, followed by Cora, Harry, Oron and Janice. The ground was dusty and red, and the air held a faint smell of fuel and grease.
Eric caught up a few minutes later, taking note that everyone was present. He would’ve loved to have left a pilot on board, but as far as he was aware, no one else could fly the ship and there were few people he would entrust with it.
“This doesn’t look all that different from Earth,” Cora said, glancing Eric’s way.
He touched his finger to his lips then gave his head a small shake.
He wouldn’t have come here if he didn’t trust the junkyard owner, but there was trust and then there was trusting someone with too much information. Aside from the military and public docks, there were few places you could land a ship of the Equinox’s size without it seeming out of the ordinary. This was one of them, and Eric knew people had occasionally slipped out of Valtera this way. He hadn’t turned Thuris in because he was a friend and you never knew when something like this might come in handy.
“Eric,” he said, holding his tablet computer with his left hand while he shook Eric’s hand with the right. “It’s been a long time, friend. Preparations are in place, just as we arranged.”
