“Your friend seems a little untrusting, Cuukzen.”
Mistuuk looked up at me. “He’s okay. You just need to get to know him. It’s Kayasa who’s untrusting, Emvel. Right, Kayasa?” he said, looking over at the Vrae on the other end of the table.
“Right, Cuukzen,” she responded.
“Now we got the who’s-who out of the way, let’s move on with the plan so we can get home. What do we do after we get out of the water?” I asked.
Emvel put up his hands. “That’s it. The Xty contact will lead you to the chamber with three Trandeshion tubes. You will want the center tube to get to the Vrae moon.”
“Wait.” Now I was confused. “Yren said it was in a large chamber with one hundred tubes and it was the transporter with a certain symbol over it that we need to use.”
Emvel’s brow furrowed for a moment.
“That chamber is the hardest to get to. I really wish she would stay out of these matters,” he finished that last statement under his breath.
“Okay, then. When do we leave?” I asked.
“Now. Time is short. I will take you up to the galony to begin your journey home.”
∞∞∞
We headed back up the underground path to the stables where we had arrived to Emvel Hollow.
It sounded creepy just thinking of that egotistical name, let alone saying it.
Anyways, we had just got on our mounts when Yren ran from the open passage to the waterfalls edge.
“Rels!” she shouted.
She came up to me.
Emvel was not pleased and lashed out at her. “Haven’t I told you to return to your duties? What are you doing here?” His tone was harsh.
She reached out and took both my hands. “Good luck to you and your friends on your journey, Rels Sentel. Until we met again. Ma’tak Tuulow Ka.”
It was a kind gesture, but her real reason to see us off rested in the palm of my hand.
She had given me the telyrum I had asked for in a vial.
“Yren, you didn’t answer me,” Emvel seethed while approaching her.
“Emvel.” My raised voice was clear, causing him to stop his advance. “She has come to see us off, nothing more. You are fortunate to have such a loyal and hardworking cohort such as her. We appreciate your generosity and hospitality.”
He half-hearted smiled at me and glared back to her. “Go, Yren. I will speak to you later.”
Yren nodded and left the covered alcove.
“You must go now. Kulee will be waiting for your arrival.”
“Thank you.” I gestured with my hand out. The empty one.
He just nodded and walked away, still agitated by Yren’s appearance, no doubt.
“What’s wrong with him, Rels?” Mistuuk asked.
“He likes power, my friend.”
“Power, Rels?”
“Yes; and what do men with power always want?”
“More power,” Kayasa chimed in.
She was right.
I got the same feeling for Emvel that Mistuuk had with our first contact back in the market.
It was just a sense, but something wasn’t right about him.
Either way, we were going to find out if his plan would get us home.
DATA CELL 42
“Commander on the bridge,” Kansec called out to the crew as Parejas entered from the starboard lift.
“Carry on,” Parejas answered as he made his way to the command chair. “What’s the situation, LT?”
Lieutenant Commander Kansec pulled up the holo-screen high above the bridge floor.
It came to life with displayed information.
“Sir, we’ve pulled the cargo ship from Earth out of hyperspace in sector eighty-two and we are ahead of the ore jump-unit that will be here within the hour.”
“Good. Destroy it when it comes out of hyperspace.”
Kansec turned around from his station to look up at the commander. “Sir, I thought the Balas Mining Company wanted it back?”
“They can de-credit me. I want no chances of this cargo getting back to whomever sent for it. For all we know, it could be a trap. We’ll also destroy the cargo ship once we’ve looked at whatever someone went through great lengths to obtain without alerting any of us to its contents.”
“Aye, sir,” Kansec replied.
“Launch the sentry units, Kansec. Let’s open her up and see what she has in store,” Shenta ordered as he prepared to watch the units enter the cargo hold of the cargo ship.
∞∞∞
A docking ship maneuvered out of the Orion’s Rage hangar bay on its way to the cargo vessel…and whatever it was transporting.
It approached the port side near a bulkhead door and, adhering itself to the side, locked on.
The docking ship’s door opened, as did the vessel from Earth.
Out of the docking ship came four sentry units.
These units were all cyborg drones and looked like someone everyone knew: Assemblywoman Qurinden.
They did not have Human bodies or skin, as she did. All their parts were machine; but the head, the head was an exact match.
Their singular red eyes swiveled, scanning the interior of the cargo hold. It was empty, save three militaristic containers.
The sentry units advanced forward with plasma weapons drawn.
All sensors and scans were in real-time being recorded and viewed back at command.
∞∞∞
Commander Parejas sat in his command chair observing three holo-image feeds to his front from the sentry units onboard the vessel.
The three visual images were of different wavelengths. The first was an insta-sight visual image of what was going on. The other two included one in the infrared spectrum and the other was recorded in ultraviolet.
The commander brought up a fourth holo-image of data that was being transmitted. This information was of various readings within the ship from the scans.
Parejas could see the sentries approach the gray military containers.
The readings in each of the holo-images hovering above the bridge crew flashed.
[Clear].
These containers represented no known danger.
One of the sentries unlocked the container and wrenched off the lid to the first one.
Parejas saw Human Earth artifacts. Each was disorganized as if they had been thrown in with haste.
The second container lid came off.
In it was a one-meter long case.
The sentry unit took it out and placed it on top of the third and last container.
It began to unlatch the two twist clamps.
The case lid was opened.
Parejas sat up in his seat, waiting to get a glimpse of the curious content, for this one was shielded from all three of the sentries’ scans.
Someone did not want anyone seeing into this item.
As the case was opened, an empty cylinder outline appeared in a foam cut-out of whatever was in there before.
Whatever it was, it had been moved.
The sentry set it aside, then proceeded to open the third and final case.
It held documents and books.
Nothing more than ordinary historical items here.
“All scans are clear, sir. No other shielded items,” Kansec announced.
Parejas sat there with his hand to his chin. He thought about what this all meant. “Have the sentries check the system logs. See if there is anything there.”
“Will do.”
Parejas turned to the ensign opposite Kansec. “Ensign, pull the latest sweep of the sector from the Deus Antennas.”
“Aye, sir.”
Parejas sat still, one hand under his chin and the other hand tapping his armrest as he contemplated the situation at hand.
Such mystery and secrecy…for some books and artifacts?
It wasn’t long before Kansec got back to him.
“Sir, pulling up the time logs.”
A list of times emerged in the air from the s
ystem log of the cargo ship.
Parejas’ hands left his chin as he stood up from his chair. “Kansec. Notice anything with the time stamps of the ships journey in the last few days?”
Kansec looked over the log. “No.”
“Look at when we pulled the ship out of hyperspace. What does the log show?”
Kansec looked it over. “It shows the time the ship left hyperspace and a time for when the ship came to a full stop and the engines shut down.”
“Correct,” Parejas acknowledged. “You see, Kansec, the system log will record every instance of travel whether it slows, accelerates, and jumps in or out of hyperspace.”
“I’m not following, sir.”
Parejas reached out with his hand and pulled the holo-image closer and zoomed in. “Notice anything with the times two days ago…around zero four hundred?”
Kansec looked again. “Yes. It says fifteen hundred and seventeen hundred hours.”
“Correct. It should say sixteen hundred hours, not zero four hundred.”
Kansec turned to the commander in awe. “Someone changed it.”
“Yes. Someone changed it two days ago and put the wrong time of day,” Parejas concurred. “Send an urgent communique to the marshals. I want them to reinvestigate the Balas Mining Company again. Somebody tipped someone off that we were there asking questions. They got a head start and came this way for their cargo.”
“Sending now, sir.”
“Anything from the antennas, ensign?”
“It’s coming in now, commander. It was flagged as an unknown event two days ago.”
“Let me see it,” Parejas asked.
The ensign moved it overhead with a wave of his hand from his console.
The event captured by the antennas showed, [Unknown.] The event lasted two seconds near the cargo ship’s location and was not categorized from the list of interstellar anomalies.
“What are you thinking, sir?”
“Something occurred there at that point with this cargo ship; but what?”
“I’ll send the data for scrubbing. There may be residue the antenna didn’t recognize.”
“Good. Send it through.”
All their attention was drawn to the lift on the bridge.
Exiting off was Keeper Renske.
Parejas acknowledged her first, “Keeper.”
“Commander, you called me?”
“Yes. Please come up to the deck.”
She walked over near the front consoles that were below the command chair.
Parejas clasped his hands together and leaned forward. “We have the cargo ship from Earth.”
She beamed. “Is there any history onboard? Any artifacts from Earth’s past?” She could hardly contain her excitement.
“They do love their history don’t they,” Parejas said to no one.
“I’m sorry, sir,” Laurenell said. “What was that?”
Parejas smiled. “Nothing. Just something an old friend told me once,” Parejas said as he stood and walked down the steps to the deck below. “How well do you know the High Keeper?”
“I know him as well as you do, I guess.”
Parejas walked around, moving towards the forward viewing deck on the bridge, away from the others.
Laurenell followed.
“Was he fascinated with the Gashnee history that was tied with ours?”
She thought for a moment. “I know he would teach on the Annals regarding our first contact with them and how they helped us escape the Kryth invasion, but no more than the lectures as far as I know.”
He placed his hands behind his back and dropped his voice so only Laurenell could hear him. “Your father had a friend who was close to him. What was his name again?”
“Vice Keeper Kileron.”
Parejas stopped in front of the viewing window and looked out over the bow of the great ship.
“He trusted Kileron?”
“Yes.”
Parejas turned. “I need a favor.”
“Anything.”
“This needs to stay between you, me, and Kileron.”
“What is it, commander?”
“I need to know how much High Keeper Brentice admired the Gashnee and if it goes beyond teaching the Annals of our history with them.”
“Admiration to what extent, commander?”
“Assemblywoman Qurinden’s extent of admiration.”
“I see.”
“Send a secure message with my signature asking if he can recollect anything regarding what Brentice thinks about the Gashnee.”
“I can do that.”
Just then, Kansec called out, “Commander, we have an emergency recording received over the hypertrans network from Earth. It’s from Director Bowlan. It was sent over an hour ago.”
“Excuse me, Keeper. I need to take this.”
“I understand and will get on that message.”
Without turning, he responded, “Thank you, Laurenell.”
He left her side and returned to his command chair atop the steps. “Play it, Kansec.”
The holo-image appeared.
It showed Director Bowlan in front of a hover-unit standing in a field. He could see Madilay standing next to her.
Their demeanor was tense.
“Commander Parejas, we have found a Kryth device on Earth. There are some Kryth markings on it and it looks to have just been placed.”
There was a sound in the background of the recording that caught the two women’s attentions as they took their view from the recorder, looking to their fronts.
Shawna returned to the message.
Her breathing became more sporadic.
“I…I am going to send an emergency broadcast to the team here. I just wanted to alert you first. It might be older than I think; but, with the captain’s death and the pirates nearby, I’m being cautious. I want to tell you—"
Madilay could be heard screaming.
Shawna yelled out for her, “Madilay! They’re coming! No…no…”
The transmission ended.
Parejas didn’t hesitate. “Kansec, retrieve the sentries from that ship. Once cleared, destroy it.” He turned to the ensign. “Ensign. Set course for Earth. Prepare to enter hyperspace on my command.”
Data Cell 43
The inside hold of the Diligence was shadowed and silent.
A steady hum of machinery could be heard while red alarm lighting bathed the inner walls and deck.
Down the centerline of the drop room ran a two-hundred-meter closed bomb bay hatch that was ten meters wide.
Above, running the same length, was a descended shaft. Around the base was a yellow and black warning strip that read: Stay Clear-Drop Field Main Vent.
On either side of the center deck hatch were soldiers seated in form-fitting reclined chairs. The chairs were lined in rows, ten deep, on either side of the long recess in the center hull plate.
Most of the seats were empty on the starboard side of the ship except the ones Kason’s thirty Reavers sat in.
Opposite the Reavers, on the other side of the bay hatch, were a hundred of Captain Nevlen Bossarios’ Troopers.
All the teams sat silent in their own thoughts, or slept, readying for the command to begin the rescue mission of Jens Dryden.
∞∞∞
A blip of light appeared.
The inside visor came to life out of darkness with refined flowing colored data.
A voice resounded inside Kason Bender’s helmet.
[Captain Bender, we are preparing entry into the Vakesh System now. Thirty minutes to planetside. How copy, over?]
“Copy, Diligence command. Thanks for the wakeup call,” Kason responded.
The Reaver captain did not move in his chair.
He could see the ceiling of the hold and the vent shaft to his front.
He took in a deep breath.
Just then, a name and an image appeared in his visor’s upper right corner. A voice drifted in.
“Hard to get
out of these molded seats, right?”
Kason chuckled. “I think I’m going to get one of these things for my place. Good morning, Maddox.”
“Morning.”
“Yeah, good morning, boss,” Ramek’s voice joined the conversation. “Why didn’t they have these chairs on the practice drop?” he inquired.
“Because if they did, Ramek, you wouldn’t have got your big butt out of them,” Kason remarked.
“It’s not that I can’t. I just don’t want to,” the large Reaver said.
“Kercy,” Kason requested. “I’ll leave you in charge of getting Ramek up and out of bed.”
“I’m on it, boss,” she responded.
The morale of the team was high as each woke up.
Kason was first out of his chair.
Upon setting his armored boots on the deck, his seat folded onto itself and lowered into the floor.
A deck plate sealed, as if the chair had never existed.
As each team member removed themselves from their body molded seats, each chair followed suit from Kason’s and vanished into the deck.
This made for a clean staging area for the troops before their drop.
On the other side of the drop platform, Nevlen’s Troopers were also removing themselves from their sleep.
Kason’s men were retrieving their main weapons from the armory that was lined against the hull’s rear wall.
Kason could see the Troopers doing the same on the other side.
It was time to communicate with his counterpart.
His visual movement of names in his visor list brought up the one he wanted to communicate with. “Captain Bossarios, let’s give the men fifteen minutes before first formation.”
The response came in over his comms from Nevlen. “Copy that, Reaver Lead. Fifteen minutes. Prepping now.”
The Reaver nodded to his counterpart on the other side before turning his own attention back to his men. “Let’s double check weapons and re-loaders. Count the charges and call them out. Carry what you want, but make it light. We will be moving fast. In and out.”
The ‘light’ comment was for Ramek, who was hefting his new prized possession. “You going to carry that beast of a weapon, Ramek?” Kason said looking at the ancient metal contraption the large Reaver was holding.
Annals of the Keepers - Rage Page 27
