Once they couldn’t see, we led them to the portal room. The last few days’ events raced through my mind. Mary’s last words to me rang in my ears, and I almost stopped right there. We were close to the end, I knew it. I just didn’t know what the end meant. The end of the conflict, or the end of us?
Soon we were standing behind the table in the center of the room, and I found Earth’s symbol with a shaky hand.
“Dean?” Leonard asked, breaking me from my daze.
Instead of answering him, I just tapped the icon, and light enveloped the four of us.
____________
The trip to the surface took a while, since we had to rise through the thick earth in pairs. This time, I kept my eyes closed the whole time, our counterparts not having to think about it with theirs covered. The child whimpered in my arms, but I ignored her. Their comfort meant nothing to me. All I could think about was getting up to the invading Bhlat ship where Mary was.
Once we made it outside, I nearly doubled over. Last time we’d left, the Bhlat mining machines had been lowering. Now the sky was covered in clouds, the atmosphere thin and breaking up.
The huge mining vessels didn’t seem active, so maybe the Bhlat were here to barter. Looking around, I knew it was too late to salvage our world. My stomach sank, and my already morose mood took on an all-time low.
I’d lost the woman I loved and a planet in the same day.
Leonard looked around in wide-eyed wonder, his face having gone pale the instant he’d stepped outside.
With no other option, I took out my communicator. “This is Dean Parker. I have your Empress. Send a ship to me, and we end this now.” I was done messing around.
A Bhlat voice spoke through the communicator, and the Empress translated for me.
“They have dispatched a ship and are willing to parley peacefully.” Her voice was firm, even though her hands were tied and her eyes covered.
“Peacefully? Look at this!” I yelled, ripping the cloth from around her head. She stared upward with bright red eyes. The sky crackled, wind angrily blowing dust around the pyramids.
“I’m sorry,” she said, voice smaller than I’d heard it yet.
“For what? For taking our water to expand your fleet, so you can do this to another world?” I was shouting now, tears flowing down my dusty face.
She looked down, abashed. “I heard you were barbarians. No better than a Tarkan from the outer reaches. When I gave my support, I thought we were doing the universe a favor. You killed the Kraski and most of the Deltra,” she said, as if this were a good enough reason for what her people had done.
“They tried to kill us first. The damn Kraski were on the run from you! It all starts with you! You’re a discredit to the universe, and the Theos would be ashamed.” I wasn’t sure why I said their ancient race’s name, but it seemed to strike a chord.
Her tense posture loosened. “You’re probably right. But all my family has done is solidify our standing in the pecking order. It’s kill or be killed.”
“I understand that more than you know.” And I did.
Minutes ticked by in silence before a boxy ship lowered from above, blue thrusters pointing at the earth as it flew down before stopping a couple hundred yards from our position. The Empress was holding the girl now, and I pointed my rifle at them.
“Leonard, take the girl,” I said firmly. He hesitated. “Take the damn girl!” He rushed over and set a hand on her small shoulder. “Get your pistol out.”
He looked back at me, a grim expression on his chubby face. I hated to force his hand on this, but he wanted to be in the middle of it, so this was it.
A large Bhlat warrior stepped out, oversized gun in hand. He wore an EVA suit, the air probably nearly unbreathable for them as well. I could feel the thin air making my head light. Mix in the lack of sleep, and I worried I wouldn’t be on two feet for long.
He motioned for us to come closer, and we walked toward him, the Bhlat woman and child between us and the ship.
The Empress said a few words in Bhlat and he nodded, lowering the gun. We entered the ship, but my finger didn’t leave the trigger for a second.
We entered the rough-looking fifty-foot ship through a side ramp, and I got stared down by a few hulking armored soldiers, each kneeling as the Empress stepped on board. It looked to be a drop ship of some sort, and I wondered how many of these they usually used on an invasion. Or did they just steal the resources from space, defending the miners when needed? It was dimly lit, and we stayed in the bay, weapons and cold metal seats with belts lining the walls.
No one spoke until we’d been inside for five minutes or so.
“Dean Parker, we can still make our deal.” The Empress turned her head and spoke softly into my ear.
“Mary,” was all I said back.
“If this was your mate, then I’m truly sorry. I lost a mate once, far too young. Linna there is all I have left of him.” She nodded to the little one, scared to death under Leonard’s light grip.
“What do you know of the Gatekeepers?” I asked before thinking.
She stiffened. “Why do you use that name?”
“Answer the question.”
“The Theos left us. Yes, we once walked worlds with them. It is said that the first Bhlat were found by them on a distant planet. One day they left, and rumors said they were seen on countless worlds sporadically over the next century or so. We never knew what they were doing, but the name Gatekeeper made it back to us eventually. That you ask me about it now is of extreme interest to me.”
“Why?”
“Because you speak of things long lost and forbidden to our people. That you do so at such a tumultuous time for your people brings great importance to the portent it bears.”
“For someone who hasn’t met a human before today, you sure have a way with our words.” This from Leonard. His voice was light, his hand still shaking, but not nearly as much as it had been. His gaze lifted from us to the large guards across from us.
“I can share thousands of languages with you if you so desire. It is but a simple procedure, mastered centuries ago by our scientists,” the Empress said, and I wasn’t sure if she was trying to impress us or distract us.
“Enough about that. That’s all you know about the Gatekeepers?” I asked, anger still thick on my tongue.
“Yes. I have no reason to deceive you.”
“Why is it forbidden to speak of the Theos?” I asked, curious, recalling the Bhlat on the street, worried they would be overheard using the name.
“The Theos abandoned the universe. Many beings out there think they are gods, that they created all.”
“And you? What do you believe?” I asked.
She looked at me sidelong from her spot to my left, where I still aimed my gun at her. “I believe they were a wise race, far beyond our scope of understanding. They grew bored and left us all behind. The universe is a large place, one where they may still be hiding.”
“Maybe they aren’t hiding, just living their lives out in peace,” I said.
“Peace. That is such a powerful world, but rarely one anyone takes at face value.”
“Will we make this deal?” I asked, trying to read her expression. Her deep red eyes danced while staying still.
“We will.”
“Will you keep doing this to other worlds?”
“We will.”
“Why?” I asked, my lips sticking together as I moved my mouth.
“My world’s water is contaminated. We are many, billions upon billions, and water becomes the most important resource in the universe.”
I thought back to exiting the forest on the way to the Bhlat city, and how life crept away from the snaking river we’d passed.
“What about the metals?” I asked, knowing they weren’t just mining water on Earth.
“If we’re taking water, why not take every resource we can? It would be foolish.”
Kareem’s face floated to the forefront of my mind. Chang
e the universe.
“Empress, what if I had a solution to your resource problem? What if I offered you coordinates to places out there that you could colonize with fresh water, and metals unheard of? Would you be willing to stop invading? Stop killing innocents for your own sake? Would you work with me, and change…” I cut myself off, not wanting to make it too cheesy. “Change the future?”
Her red eyes twitched, and a wet line streamed down her cheek. She glanced to her daughter, who looked back with wide eyes at her mother. “I would.”
If she was acting, I was buying it, but I had to proceed with caution. The ship jostled and landed, presumably inside the Bhlat ship where my friends were being kept. Mary. I had to end this all and see her one more time. I felt like screaming in anguish for my lost love. It was my fault. If only I’d brought her with me to get the Empress, none of this would have happened. She’d still be at my side. I was so selfish, and I’d never live it down.
The doors whistled open, jarring me from my own thoughts. We started to walk forward; the Empress turned to me and said, “Dean Parker, we will give in to your terms. Let me speak with Blel, and you will be allowed to leave with your…” She cut herself off, remembering my mate. “You will be allowed to leave and evacuate your planet.”
The guards went first, and when no one was looking, I slipped the Relocator out and saved our current location into it. A quick escape might be necessary, and I wasn’t taking any chances.
Leonard went in front of me, still holding the little Bhlat girl near him. We exited the ship, and the Empress called out in her native language as a large group of Bhlat warriors lined the immense open hangar we’d landed in.
The ship must have been huge, because there were at least twenty drop ships inside the hangar, and a full hundred or so warriors stood there, suited up and ready for battle. I felt like a fool wearing an oversized Bhlat servant’s robe, but at the end of the day, I didn’t really care what they thought of me. I only wanted to get my friends and leave.
The group of Bhlat separated, making a path for us to walk out of the large room. The hair on the back of my neck rose as I moved forward, leaving dozens of armed soldiers at my back. I waited for the feeling of a pulse blast ripping through me, but it didn’t come.
We exited through a cold metal slab of a door, the two guards from the ship still leading the way. I wanted to look around, to see the inside of a great warship from one of the universe’s most deadly races, but I kept my eyes forward, watching the back of the Empress’ head as we passed groups of gawking Bhlat. Here we found Bhlat in normal uniforms, men only slightly taller than humans, and women of all sizes. A ship this size wasn’t housed by warriors and guns alone.
“Where’s Blel?” I asked the Empress, who shrugged.
“They’re taking us to him now,” she said, her posture stronger and straighter than it had been since we’d first met.
We moved slowly down a couple of wide hallways. Some people shouted out to the Empress; others kneeled when whispers about who she was reached their ears. We kept moving, the Empress stoic and unresponsive to her people as we went.
My grip was tight on the pulse rifle, anxious sweat making my palm slick. I was almost there; I only needed to hold on for a little while longer. Long enough to make the deal and start moving our people.
TWENTY-SEVEN
The walk felt like an hour, but after a few more minutes, we were brought to an elevator. I didn’t like the idea of entering the cramped space with the guards.
“Where does this lead? To Blel?” I asked.
The Empress asked something in Bhlat, and the guard grunted and nodded. “Yes, to the bridge.”
“Then the four of us go alone,” I said.
She relayed it, and one of the guards looked ready to pull a weapon. I tightened my grasp on the Empress, and she said something to them in a calming voice. He stepped back and let us enter the lift alone.
Unlike the elevator back at her palace, this one functioned like a normal one, and once inside, we lifted quickly. When the doors opened, I was ready for the fight of my life, but didn’t need to be as we were greeted by two tall thin Bhlat in dark gray uniforms.
The first one spoke, her words coming through a translator. “Welcome, Dean Parker. Your Majesty.” She bowed, and the other followed suit. “This way.” They turned and walked toward the main bridge.
It was immense, at least ten times the size of our small ships’ bridges. I spotted around twelve Bhlat officers on board. The lights were bright but not severe, and the space was spotless and shiny. This Blel was obviously a man of cleanliness and order. Almost familiar sounds emanated from the computers, once again reminding me that our races might not be as different as we seemed on the surface. I could use that.
“Mr. Parker,” a thick accented voice said in English. The man rose from what could only be his captain’s seat, front and center to the thirty-foot viewscreen at the far end of the bridge. He turned, and I expected to see an eight-foot-tall behemoth of a Bhlat warrior. Instead, I was greeted with a shrivelled, ancient-looking creature, shorter than myself and hunched at the back. He was bald, save for a tuft of hair that stuck out to one side from the top of his head. His eyes were black and beady; from this distance, I couldn’t make out any of the swirling visage the other Bhlat had. Blel wasn’t a young man. He breathed heavily, and gray hairs fluttered by his three nostrils as he did so.
“Blel,” I said through clenched teeth.
“Let her go and we can talk,” he said, his garbled words still translating.
I shook my head. “We talk, your forces back down, you give me my friends, and then we leave.” I almost said “show me her body,” but refrained.
“What do you hope to achieve here, Mr. Parker?” I hated the way he was saying my name, almost spitting it out through his dull, yellowed teeth.
“I hope to make the deal and get the hell out of here, that’s what.” He was giving me a bad vibe, and I felt the Empress stiffen as we had our back and forth.
“Is that so? Why should we let you live? Humans are a scourge to the universe.”
“And the Bhlat aren’t? I’ve seen the carnage in your wake.”
“Is it so unlike your own, Mr. Parker?” His accent was heavy, but his words slapped me in the face regardless. “We started the destruction of the Kraskis, who were no stranger to death and slavery. Then you single-handedly destroyed them along with the Deltra, and most of their abominations while you were at it.” His word for the hybrids set my blood boiling, but I let him continue. “We make quite the team, Dean. Maybe you should stay on my ship, and we can work together.”
“Can we cut the crap and make the deal?” When he didn’t reply, I kept talking. “You can have your Empress here, her kid, and Earth. I want my people back, and for you to vacate the area for ten Earth days while we evacuate. Then it’s all yours.”
He seemed to consider this, and a tall Bhlat leaned in to whisper something in their native tongue.
“No deal,” he said. “You ended a whole outpost of ours. Women, children, all gone in an instant. This is unforgivable.”
My pulse rifle lifted in the air, and I fought back the instinct to fire at the old unarmed Bhlat leader. “What do you mean, no deal?”
“Blel, this isn’t your decision!” the Empress yelled in English for my benefit before shouting other words in her language to him.
“You sit in your palace as your mother did before you, barking orders and rewarding us for killing worlds, and now you have a heart?” His voice was loud and gravelly. “You don’t get to decide any longer. I’m taking charge.”
I kept my gun up and glanced to Leonard, who was sweating profusely down his brow. The officers on the bridge looked torn, deep colorful swirling eyes looking to each other for an answer on what they should do. Who did they side with?
“How dare you think to speak to me like this, Blel? I’m your Empress, and you will address me as such.” The Empress started to walk fo
rward toward him, but I held her back. If this was going to get ugly, I needed a hostage. That would only work if the crew sided with her.
A noise carried from his small mouth, and at first, I thought it might be a cough, but quickly realized it was him laughing. “Empress, I care as much about what happens to you as I do this one’s mate, Mary.”
He said the sentence, and I stood there blankly, body exhausted from the last couple of days, my mind taking a minute to catch up to the translation.
“Stand down, crew! Blel, you’re now relieved of your duty to the Empirical Core, and are hereby declared a traitor, and you will die like one.” This time, I did let her loose, while Mary’s name still echoed in my head. She moved to him, her hand raised, red power glowing from her palm.
I spotted at least three armed crew coming from the edges of the room, and knew one of them would fire at her before she killed Blel.
“Stop!” I yelled, pulling my tablet from the small pack strapped to my chest. It sat beside my small Kalentrek, which would decimate the bridge and the ship’s crew at a touch. It was a last resort, but one I’d be willing to use to save my friends.
Maybe Blel was right: we weren’t so different. I left the Relocator and mini-Shield inside and flipped to the image of the powerful device sitting in the ceiling back in the palace. “Let’s just say I brought more collateral.” I held the tablet up for Blel and the others to see. “This is the same device I used on your outpost, and it’s sitting in your capital on your homeworld now. I have a switch to activate it, and a friend on the outside has one too. If you don’t leave in fifteen minutes…” I let the bluff linger without finishing it.
Some of the crew looked around nervously, clearly having family back at the capital city.
“What’s it going to be, Blel?” I asked.
The Empress was still standing between us, and she was clearly ready to do some nasty business to her turncoat military leader.
The Survivors: Books 1-6 Page 62
