The Fallen

by Paul B Spence

  "I wish we'd had some of this back at Dawn," said Torenth.

  The Arcadia was working its way slowly toward the Garm-class battle station in orbit around Steinway. There were three different MI's directing traffic, and ships with heavy loads of wounded were being given precedence.

  "We didn't have time to transfer more of the defenses over," Mandor replied. "I doubt we would have moved it anyway. Steinway cannot be lost."

  "You make it sound like Dawn doesn't matter," Torenth said bitterly.

  "It doesn't, really. From a tactical standpoint, I mean." Mandor waved his hand at the factories visible on the screens. "As long as we have this, we can fight back. The Federation has hurt us, but it hasn't broken us, by any means, and Dawn will recover. The Rhyrhans are already sending aid, and I've heard that even the Homndruu Loacree Empire has offered aid, strange as that is. We may be on the verge of a whole new era of cooperation."

  "Admiral?" the lieutenant from communications called. "There is a call for you from Admiral Macklin, sir."

  "I'll take it at my station, Mr. Christian."

  Mandor settled into his acceleration couch and activated his air screen.

  "Shadovsky!" Admiral Macklin said in greeting. "We sure as hell didn't expect to see the Arcadia come gliding in so soon, but we're damned glad to. What was the situation at Dawn when you left?"

  "Recovering, Joseph. Thank god for the Rhyrhans."

  "Indeed," Macklin agreed. "Don't forget to add a little thanks to yourself while you're at it. Without you, we might not have had the Rhyrhans in the Concord."

  "They would have helped us anyway. You know how they feel about the indiscriminate bombing of civilians. Oh, those two Federation ships that defected are headed here now. I gave them codes for the outer defenses, but not the inner, just in case we have any problems."

  "Good. They'll probably arrive around the time the rest of our Fleet does. Was there any sign that the Federation Fleet is planning to attack again?"

  "No," Mandor replied with a trace of dark humor. "I think we bloodied their noses too badly. The Rhyrhan have scouts all along the Federation Frontier; we'll know if there's trouble."

  "Hmm. I've got a senior policy meeting planned for the day after the rest of the Fleet arrives. I'd like you to be there. Not much of our government made it off Dawn, and we haven't been able to make contact with any on the surface. Given that the capitol was hit, I've issued a declaration of martial law, as the senior admiral."

  "I concur," said Mandor. "I think we should act as we see fit until we can restore our proper government."

  "Good," said Macklin, relaxing. "I was worried about what you'd think of it."

  "I don't see that we have any choice. We need order. Morale is bad enough as it is. We need to keep people thinking of Dawn not as lost, but awaiting rebuilding."

  "I'd like you to start thinking of ways we can strike back at the Federation while waiting for our Fleet to be rebuilt."

  "I'm sure I can offer a few suggestions."

  Lyra shook her head. "Like I said, I'm not from this universe. I don't know your history."

  "I'm not sure I understand all of that," Bauval said quietly, "but I find it quite fascinating. I'd bet Dr. Kainoa would love to meet you."

  Lyra smiled. "I am deferring to Tebrey's judgment when it comes to telling any of you the truth," she said. "It is not our standard policy to reveal ourselves." She could well imagine how the rest of the Circle was going to react when they heard about this. Half of them still wanted Tebrey dead. The other half, with the exception of Leander, didn't care what happened to him.

  Tebrey, Hunter, his impossibly cute wife Ana – who reminded Lyra of her daughter Kiffa – and their friends Dr. Bauval, Dr. Mason, Tonya Harris and Ghost, were having a quiet discussion in the secure room near the bridge. Lyra was surprised by how much Tebrey's friends knew of the enemy, given his own relative ignorance. His friends had gained interesting new information sources in the months that Tebrey had been gone, and Tonya had actually met Deegan.

  They had not wasted their time.

  "I guess that answers some of the questions that Leander had about my genetic makeup," Tebrey said. "I wish I'd known my father was back. Come to think of it, I wish I knew where he was. I hate to think that he might have died in the fighting at Dawn."

  "I doubt it," replied Mason. "I'm not sure he can die. Is that even possible?"

  "All things die," said Lyra. "Although, if he really is what I think he is, he may have found a way to cheat death, in a way. He is certainly very powerful. It has been a long time since there was a fight like that on Aurora. He wounded many Mo'Ceri and members of the Circle. Many of them are terrified he'll return. We all thought it odd that he made no real attempt to kill, although we are glad of it. He was like a cat playing with his food."

  I resent that, Hunter thought. I never play with my food.

  Not anymore, Tebrey added.

  Lyra smiled at the exchange.

  "He's like that," said Ana. "Quixotic."

  Mason snorted. "He's a royal pain in the ass."

  "Mason...," Bauval started.

  "What? You agree with me, even if you won't say it. The man is scary and lives by his own rules, whatever the hell those are. He carries out his own agenda, and to hell with the rest of us. Ask Mandor about when they met."

  "He helped out at the Battle of Dawn," Ana said. "Admiral Shadovsky told me that the Federation command ship was disrupted in the middle of the battle, and then it exploded. That saved many lives. He said it could only have been from an attack from within. That means either Drake helped, or they were attacked by a Theta."

  "Not much difference between them, if you ask me," Mason muttered.

  "What are you going to do now, Lyra?" asked Bauval, ignoring Mason's cynicism.

  "I'm waiting for things to settle down at home. I'd not be very welcome there right now. I also promised Tebrey that I'd begin to teach him some of the ways to awaken his potential. I can't stay to properly train him, but I can point him in the right direction."

  "I'd appreciate that," Tebrey said. "I'd like to be able to apport. The potential tactical advantages are staggering. I can't even begin to think of all the ways that could be useful."

  "That's certainly something you can learn to do," said Lyra. "You have the potential; all you need to do is awaken it. Traveling through apports with others will help."

  Is it something I can learn, too? Hunter asked.

  "Possibly," Lyra replied. "You should have the same potential as your brother."

  Tebrey chuckled. Lyra seemed quite taken by the moniker of Catbrother for him. He was comforted by the idea that Hunter could gain the same powers. Tebrey knew that the great cat would always be there for him, just as Tebrey would be for him.

  Tonya had remained quiet through most of the discussion, watching Tebrey and Ana together.

  "I should have known," Mandor said as he entered the bridge.

  The klaxon from the intruder alert was still blaring, and marines were spreading out to cover the two figures that had appeared on the bridge without warning.

  "Is there a problem?" said Daeren Drake. His voice had an edge that had not been there before. He held a naked blade in his right hand. There was something wrong about the blade. Mandor's eyes couldn't quite focus on it, and the hair on the back of his neck was standing up.

  He's pissed about something, Mandor thought. He waved to the watch officer to kill the alert and told the marines to stand down. Mandor studied the young man with Drake curiously. He seemed to be upset, but not about what was happening on the bridge. He was smeared with soot, and his clothes looked oddly archaic. He smelled like he hadn't bathed in a week.

  "Drake," said Mandor in greeting. "I'm sorry if our security protocols are bothersome, but I think you understand why we have them in place."

  Drake nodded jerkily, sheathing his sword. "Whatever. I need to speak with you in private."

  "Come this way," Mandor said wit
hout hesitation. He didn't want that smoldering anger directed at him or the ship. He led the way to his private office.

  Drake and his companion followed.

  Mandor activated the security as soon as the door was closed. "What's this all about?"

  "I feel I owe you an apology for not continuing to fight in the battle at Dawn. I was unexpectedly called away. I'm afraid that something terrible has happened to a place I had grown to love."

  "Yeah," said Mandor. "That seems to be going around. Still, you took out the Agamemnon. That helped a lot."

  Drake acknowledged the truth of that with a nod. "I was informed by one of the dark things on the ship that something was happening in another Realm, a place I care for. The enemy seems to have planned it to coincide with the attack against you. They are better organized than I had thought. I was barely able to save my friend here from death. Sadly, I was not able to locate another I sought."

  "I'm sorry for your loss, but what has this to do with me or the Concord?"

  "I'd like you to watch over this one for me."

  "We're in the middle of a war, Drake. This isn't a nursery. We have enough refugees to deal with."

  "I understand that," Drake said patiently. "This also happens to be the safest place I know of for him. Feel free to enlist him in your cause. He could use the training, and I would be very grateful if you did this for me. I may even be able to provide a few improvements for your military. I have been to places where the technology is more advanced than here."

  "You need to get around more, if this is the safest place you know of," Mandor muttered. He was thinking about the ramifications for the Concord if Drake were to supply them with better technology. They already had an edge on the Federation; even a small improvement could tip the balance. "All right, you have a deal. I suppose introductions are in order."

  "Indeed," said Drake. "This is Geoffrey Meeks." He indicated the young man. "He does not speak your language."

  "That will not be much of a problem. What does he speak?"

  "English, circa early twenty-first century Earth, North American continent."

  Mandor raised a pale eyebrow at that. "I take it, then, that he isn't from around here?"

  "In a manner of speaking, no."

  "Is he friend of Lyra?"

  "Who?"

  "Never mind," Mandor said, switching to English. "What happened?"

  "Nuclear and biological war, global. His Earth has been wrecked."

  Mandor choked back a curse. "Biological? Has he been exposed to a contagion?"

  "No. He's clean. I made sure he was free of anything. You have nothing to fear."

  "Ah, good. Scared me, there. You said I could enlist him, eh? Does he have any useful skills?"

  "Not in the way that I sense you mean. Geoffrey has had some advanced combat training that could prove useful, I suppose. He's intelligent and resourceful. I think you will find him willing to do anything to keep his mind occupied and not dwelling on the loss of his family and loved ones."

  "I can't guarantee his safety, you know that. Don't blame me if he is killed. As I said, we're in the middle of a war."

  "Nothing is certain in life. He has a chance here; he had none at home."

  Mandor nodded and then called in an ensign to take the young man to Medical for a checkup and immunizations. After they had left, he leaned back and studied Drake's impassive face. "I wish there was some way to thank you more for what you did to the Agamemnon during the battle."

  Drake shrugged. "It was little enough. Take care of Geoffrey for me, we'll be even in that regard, and I'll make sure you get interesting new toys periodically for his upkeep. I am sorry that you lost your planet."

  "It's only damaged, not lost. Just to be clear, Geoffrey isn't your son, is he?"

  Drake smiled. "No. Just a longtime friend."

  "No offense, but good. Speaking of which, Tebrey is back with us."

  "What?" Drake sat up straighter in his chair. "When did he arrive?"

  "During the battle," Mandor replied. "He's still aboard."

  "I would very much like to see him."

  "I'm sure. Would you like me to notify him of your arrival?"

  "No, I would rather surprise him."

  "I'm sure Ana has told him about you at this point."

  "That is her prerogative. He will still not be expecting me at this time."

  Mandor consulted his display. "I'll take you to him."

  Chapter Seventy-Six

  Tebrey stood and stared in shock when they walked in.

  Confusion warred with suspicion. His father didn't look a day older than he had the last time Tebrey had seen him, as a small child. He knew that the enemy could take many forms, but surely they couldn't replicate that same feeling he'd always had from his father, that odd sense of comfort and protection.

  "Well, son? Say something," Drake said.

  "Where the hell have you been for the last twenty years?" Tebrey demanded. There were so many questions; he didn't know where to start.

  "Traveling," Drake said without apology. "I thought you had died with your mother. How could I have known differently? Surely you remember that I would have done anything for you, had I known."

  Tebrey remembered the kind man who had awed him as a small child. The magic tricks, the strange gifts and toys. They made more sense now. He looked at the man across the room from him and saw there the same twinkle he'd seen in those eyes when he was young.

  Tebrey shook his head to clear away the memories.

  "Many things have happened since then. There's been a lot of pain to smother those memories. You were a distant happiness tied too closely to Mother for me to want to remember."

  "I understand," Drake said softly. "I loved her very much, you know. I may have let the pain of her loss cloud my mind. I avoided looking too closely into what had happened. Maybe if I had, I would have found you, and saved you some measure of pain."

  "I have no regrets," said Tebrey.

  Hunter chuffed from his place next to Ana.

  "Sorry. I've failed to introduce you to Hunter," Tebrey said.

  "Is he your pet?" asked Drake.

  Hunter growled.

  Tebrey laughed. "No, he's my brother, in a very real sense."

  "I think I would have remembered that," said Drake.

  "He was bioengineered from Tebrey's DNA," Mandor said from where he stood by the door. He was hoping that was a strange joke by Drake, but one never knew with him. He'd been curious about how Tebrey would react to the man.

  "I'm not sure I approve," Drake said, frowning.

  Hunter stood and stretched, unsheathing his gleaming claws as he did so.

  Drake merely raised an eyebrow.

  "He's telling you to do something about it if you don't like it," said Tebrey. "Hunter and I have been a team for a little over a year and a half now."

  "How does that work?" Drake asked, coming closer for the first time.

  Tebrey saw that he and his father were of a similar height and build, although Tebrey himself was slightly heavier and shorter. His father also looked younger than him, which annoyed him for some reason; it wasn't as if Tebrey looked old.

  "We're mindlinked," said Tebrey. "We hear each other's thoughts."

  "Interesting," Drake said. "I wasn't aware that you could do that."

  "Can't you?" Tebrey asked, surprised.

  "Only if I wish to," said Drake. Can you hear me? he thought.

  Loudly, Hunter replied. You don't have to yell. I'm not deaf.

  Drake laughed. "How fascinating."

  "Did you really fight at Dawn?" Ana asked shyly.

  "I did," Drake said, turning to her with a smile. "Sadly, I didn't do enough. May I add that it is lovely to see you again, my dear. I trust you are feeling well?"

  "Yes," she answered, blushing and glancing at Tebrey. "Shall I tell him?"

  Tebrey sighed. Whether he liked it or not, the man was definitely his father. "Go ahead," he said.

 
"I'm going to have a baby," Ana said with a smile.

  Drake's eyes lit up. "Really? That is marvelous news. I thought you had a glow about you. I'd attributed it to the return of your husband. When is she due?"

  "No one told you the baby is a girl," Tebrey said, suspicion in his voice.

  Drake frowned at him. "It's obvious enough if you listen."

  "She's due in December," Ana said smugly. She was quite proud of the small life she was carrying.

  "She's our little miracle," said Tebrey.

  "I think you'll find that minor matters of species will not affect your fertility," Drake said. "Your mother was human, after all."

  "And what are you, exactly?" Tebrey asked.

  "Nothing that you have a name for," he replied. "Mandor told me as we walked here that you had a new friend. I'd very much like to meet her."

  "I'm sure. You tore up some of her people badly enough."

  "I was looking for you, and the man I met there was rude. The others simply got in the way."

  "He sounds like you," Ana said.

  "Don't encourage him," said Mandor.

  Ana wasn't sure if the admiral meant Tebrey or Drake.

  "Lyra is next door with Bauval and Mason," Tebrey said. "I believe you've already met them?"

  "I have," Drake replied. "Very nice people. Lyra, did you say?"

  "Yes. I'm curious as to what she'll make of you."

  "I still can't bring myself to trust him," Tebrey said later that night when he was alone, except for Hunter, with Ana. "He abandoned me as a child."

  "He's explained that, Hrothgar. He thought you were dead," Ana replied.

  "Well, then he needs to explain it again!" Tebrey said angrily. Hunter raised his head from his pallet by the door and gave him a concerned look. "I have hated the man for most of my life!"