I wasn’t going to get into that at the moment. I was tired of talking already. We’d have two months to discuss things. “I did what I had to do to save my people. Sometimes bartering and talking creates solutions that guns and death cannot.”
Yope smiled at this, baring sharp teeth. “You aren’t what I expected, Parker. Not at all.”
“I’ve heard that before,” I replied.
“So the Kraski are still alive, and hunting you. That isn’t good,” Leslie said. “We’ll put out our feelers when we’re back.”
“And we’ll use the Gatekeeper network to search for news on this,” Mary added.
“I am intrigued, though.” Yope nodded toward Leslie and Terrance. “If Lom of Pleva created the hybrids, then why do you trust these two?”
“If you were to kill someone, would I look at you and blame your parents for giving you the DNA used to pull the trigger of the gun?” I asked. He smiled again, this time letting out a smooth laugh.
“I like you, Parker. Come and talk when you have settled in. You can learn about my people, and I yours,” Admiral Yope said.
I didn’t like the way he called humans “my people.” It wasn’t the least bit accurate, but I left it for the moment.
Yope got up from his chair and exited the room, leaving us alone: a motley crew consisting of four humans, two hybrids, and a Shimmali girl.
“Slate, you’ve been quiet. What do you make of all this?” Mary asked, beating me to the question.
Slate pushed back from his chair, and his hand subconsciously went to his bandage on his head. I knew he wasn’t feeling up to par today, but I also knew he couldn’t sleep yet. “I think you’re right. The Kraski might be back, and with the resources of this Lom guy, we could be in danger. Don’t worry, boss, I’ll be at your side to protect you.”
“Hard to do that when you’re dragged off into a monster’s cavern, isn’t it?” Magnus asked.
Slate stood, walking over to the big Scandinavian man. “I seem to recall hearing you were dragged in there by the same creatures as I was.”
Magnus stood, and Mary shouted across the table, “What’s your problem with each other? Sit down and stop acting like little boys. You’re so similar, yet you feel like protecting everyone is your sole individual task.”
Magnus looked ashamed in an instant, and his puffed-up chest deflated. “Sorry, brother. I miss the family. And I hate to think there’s yet again another old enemy, creeping up from our buried past.”
Slate stuck out a fist, and Magnus bumped it. “We’ll be ready for them,” Slate said.
“That’s what I’m worried about.” Magnus headed for the door. “If anyone’s interested, I’m going to get some food.” Then, with a sparkle in his eyes, he added, “Dean, remember that golden syrup drink from Volim?”
I nodded.
“They have it,” he said.
I followed him to the dining room.
____________
Two months. Another two months away from the one place I could now call home. Mary and I had wonderful quarters, a far better set-up than we’d had on Sterona, but it still left me feeling cold. We were in the section of the ship for Keppe officers – whom, it appeared, they treated quite well. Our floor consisted of six separate quarters, and with it we had an odd robot taking care of our every need, like it was our personal caregiver. It coddled Jules as if she were the most precious creature it’d ever seen, and treated her like a delicate flower, often asking when her armor would grow in.
We were given clothing: thick, colorful robes. At first, it felt like we were being pranked, but we believed them when we saw a huge Keppe man walk by with a pink-hued robe on and a minigun in his hand.
Slate, Suma, and Magnus each had their own quarters, and Leslie and Terrance shared a unit, leaving the other unit on our floor empty. It had been a month now: halfway there.
“You guys aren’t going to like this,” Magnus said, coming into the dining room. We were all seated together, Rulo and Nick joining us this morning.
I picked up a chunk of precut fruit and let the sweet juices melt in my mouth. The Keppe had some great food. If there was one thing I’d miss about being on this ship, it was the cook’s skills in the kitchen. He was the roundest Keppe I’d seen, his body’s armor plating stretched around his immense girth. He knew his way around a kitchen, and it showed in his culinary prowess.
“Did you hear me?” Magnus asked after none of us responded.
“We just want to enjoy breakfast. What could possibly be serious enough to ruin the most important meal of the day?” I asked, placing another piece of fruit in my mouth. This one was bright orange with the consistency of a banana, but with a sharp flavor unlike anything I’d ever tasted.
“They’re making a detour.” Magnus looked pleased with himself when my two-pronged eating utensil fell to the plate.
It was Mary who spoke first. “Detour? What kind of detour?”
Magnus sat down, grabbing some crispy meat slices from the center of the round table.
“Yope said they got a distress call from some system full of a race called the Motrill. They’re basically neighbors with them, and they watch each other’s backs. One of their leaders’ sons was on a diplomatic mission to a nearby system, only he never made it there. All signs seem to indicate the ship went down while traveling through the system.”
“Then why don’t the Motrill, or whatever they’re called, send help?” I asked, angry about the delay.
“We’re closer. The Keppe are always out and about, patrolling or exploring,” Magnus said.
“What does this mean?” Mary asked.
“It means we’re heading for this system and looking for a ship.” Magnus grabbed some more meat and chewed it with a smile. “Don’t worry. I want nothing more than to get home too, guys. But this isn’t our ship, and the admiral’s been gracious this whole time. We’d still be trying to find a beat-up ship to fly to Sterona, if it wasn’t for him. And by the looks of things when we arrived, Dean would be in the Kraski’s hands, and Mary would have been a single mom in the forest, surrounded by maniacal robots.”
He had good points. My shoulders slumped slightly. “How long?”
He knew what I meant. “A week there, another week back. If we find what we’re looking for right away, it’s at least a two-week delay.” Magnus set the communicator on the table. “Anyone at home you want to talk with? Natalia has the other one.”
Slate’s eyes lit up. So far he’d been listening to our conversation, not being an active participant. I noticed he did that more and more, the larger the group we were in. When it was just the two of us, he wouldn’t stop talking. “Mag, can she get the other end to Denise?”
Magnus nodded. “Of course, bud. She’s become a friend of Nat’s, so they talk all the time.”
I knew Slate was worried Denise would have moved on. They’d only been dating a short while before we’d left, and he didn’t expect her to stick around while he was off fighting the fight on random planets. For his sake, I hoped she was still in the relationship. He needed her.
Slate pushed his plate forward and smiled at Suma. “Thanks, Mag. Let me know when.”
“Suma, what’s on your mind?” Mary asked the Shimmali girl.
“I miss my father and my friends, but I love the library here. Did you know that the Keppe trace their roots back twenty thousand years? They had what you referred to as an industrial revolution five thousand years ago, and they do almost all of their manufacturing on the three moons surrounding their home planet,” Suma said excitedly.
“That’s quite forward thinking,” Nick said. “They have some seriously advanced medical practices as well. I’m working on learning how to translate some cell regeneration processes to work on humans.”
“Nick, I think you and Clare may be the two most enthusiastic people about our new lifestyle. Clare using each alien technology piece she can, and you working to advance our health care,” I said. I was proud of the
two of them and wondered something.
“Are you and Clare ever going to tie the knot?” Slate asked while sipping his beverage, something akin to a coffee.
I laughed. “Did you learn to read my mind now, Slate?”
Nick smiled and ignored our inquiries. “I have an idea as well. I was hoping to run it by you guys.” He looked nervous, something I didn’t see from him often.
“Go for it,” I said.
“Clare and I were talking about having a board, with representatives from different interests. Health and wellness, technology – which would cover a lot of bases, from power generation to space fleet logistics – and of course, military,” Nick said, his hands moving as he spoke.
“Sounds like a good idea so far. What’s the end goal?” Mary asked.
“With the Gatekeepers’ permission, we’d like to seek our allies and other worlds, to have conversations about these specific topics. Share data,” Nick said.
“Some of this occurs already. Not all races are happy sharing their secrets, though,” Suma added to the conversation.
“It’s a good idea,” I said. “Magnus, what do you think?”
The large man cracked his knuckles. “We’ve been meaning to do more of that on the military side. But as Suma said, weapons tech is held close to the chest. Ship technology’s a good one, though, as we’ve seen some really cool things for long-term vessels just being on this Keppe ship journey.”
“Then it’s settled. Let’s make a go of it and see what Sarlun thinks when we get home,” I said, and Nick smiled: a silent thank you for the support. I thought of reminding him I held no official title and didn’t hold any substantial power, but he would have waved me off.
Jules stirred from her Keppe crib. We were thrilled to learn they had anything a new parent could want on board. The vessels housed five thousand Keppe when fully manned, and three thousand now. It was mindboggling to know that families traveled together on certain exploratory missions. Right now, it was nothing but soldiers, officers, and staff to keep it all running. There were four such ships in the party, heading back home now.
This got me thinking. “Magnus, is there any way Yope will let one of the four ships go back to their world? I mean, do they need twelve thousand Keppe on hand for a search party?”
“You do when the missing man is betrothed to your leader’s youngest daughter.”
NINE
The ship’s drive slowed, and I watched the scene unfold from the bridge of our lead vessel in the fleet. Admiral Yope sat in the captain’s chair, with the regular captain relegated to the side as first officer, and so on. They all seemed honored to have the older Yope on board and gave him nothing but deference and respect as he barked commands to them.
“Scanners on full. Check the results from the probes,” Yope said, translating into my ear.
They’d released thousands of tiny probes as we came out of hyperdrive, looking for any sign of the energy a ship of that class would output. So far, everything was coming up blank.
“We’re checking, Admiral,” a fresh-faced female officer said. Her black armored skin was a contrast to the sharp white uniforms they all wore. I was once again impressed with how advanced the Keppe were. They felt like a real crew, unlike the makeshift small crews we’d had over the past few years. I wondered what it would be like to be part of such a machine; a tiny cog in the running of a ship and exploratory vessel like this one.
The system was small; a yellow star burned hotly at the center of it all. Five planets followed their ellipse patterns around the star, each unique in size. One of the planets was known to have an atmosphere and life, though no advanced life forms were present, according to the Keppe’s databases. I wondered if there could be a portal on the world, one from the worlds hidden years ago by the Theos Collective. There was no way of knowing right now, and it bothered me.
“We’re picking up something. A tiny number of particles left by a Motrill singularity drive. They have a unique signature, and this has their prints all over it,” the first officer said from the side of the bridge.
Yope looked pleased. “Bring us in,” he said, and we raced toward the destination, using an in-system FTL jump. One second we were days away from the world; then I blinked, and the planet loomed on the viewscreen only ten thousand kilometers away. I’d read some details on the world with Mary on the in-room computer earlier in the week. It was about half the size of Earth, with four distinct regions.
“How large was this ship?” I asked, realizing I hadn’t been given that information yet. It was a need-to-know detail, and evidently, I didn’t need to know.
“Class Five Motrill Skipper. Small, made for getting places quickly and effectively, with little armaments,” a tall thick officer said off the top of his head, from my right. I stood behind Yope’s chair, trying to stay out of the way since I didn’t have a station. They’d honored me by even letting a human on the bridge.
“Not really something royalty should be racing around the galaxy in, is it?” I asked.
Yope shook his head. “We don’t know the whole story, but it seemed he didn’t have clearance from his father to make the trip.”
“Is it common to have arranged marriages?” I asked, hoping it wasn’t a slight to them.
Yope answered without emotion. “It’s not common, but we’re genetically similar and can reproduce. It’s said the two races sprouted from one long ago, though we have evolved separately in our environments.”
“When was the last time this happened?” I asked.
“Seven hundred years,” he said. I’d gotten used to understanding time was different for each of our races, depending on calendars, rotations, and all sorts of things I didn’t fully understand, but Suma stated the Yope calendar was close to ours. Eighty percent, so those seven hundred years would be somewhere in the neighborhood of five hundred and sixty Earth years.
My gut was telling me this wasn’t an abduction. I bit my tongue and stood back.
“We’re tracing the drive to the southern region.” A Keppe woman tapped a screen, and a section of the world zoomed in.
It was the tropical region I’d learned about. Something very close to palm trees rose high into the sky; thick vegetation took over, covering everything on the main viewscreen. It looked like paradise, with a green-blue ocean hugging the coasts.
“The signal stops down there,” the officer stated.
“Very well. Send the team down. Find Polvertan and bring him back to our ship. We’ll escort him home,” Yope said.
It seemed like an easy enough task, and I was getting stir crazy after our first few weeks on board. I knew Mary was going to kill me, but I’d rather help bring this Polvertan back and get on with our trip home than twiddle my thumbs while others set to the task.
“I want to join the search team that goes down,” I said, getting Yope’s attention.
“Parker, you aren’t part of our culture, nor are you a member of my service. Why should we accommodate this request?” Yope asked, looking me square in the face. His snake-like eyes followed me as I moved over to speak in front of him.
“I respect that, but you know how much I’ve been through. My outside perspective might be valuable. The sooner we get this done, the sooner we get back to your world. Then I can get my baby and wife, along with my friends, back to their homes.” I said the words forcefully, but low enough to not come over as arrogant. It seemed to work.
“Very well. I’m already annoyed at this disturbance. Polvertan hasn’t been vocal about being averse to the betrothal, but neither has he come across as supportive.” The admiral looked around me at a strong woman with a scar on her cheek. It was Rulo. “Do whatever is necessary to bring him aboard, within reason.” He paused, and when Rulo smiled, he added, “And don’t break anything this time.”
I wondered how different their version of “within reason” was from mine. I suspected they weren’t even close. “Then it’s settled. Slate and I will join your team.” I
noticed Yope’s face fall just enough to tell I’d irritated him.
____________
“Find him and let’s get home,” Mary said, and leaned in for a kiss. I bent over and picked up Jules, who was drooling on a toy.
“I’ll be back soon, little one.” I kissed the top of her warm head and set her back down. “Thanks for not being upset.”
“Why bother?” Mary asked. “In any other circumstance, I’d be going with you. Just promise me something.”
“Anything.”
“The odd time, let me go kick some ass while you stay with Jules.”
I laughed. “It’s a deal.”
Slate arrived at the room, wearing Keppe clothing. Tight black pants and a long-sleeved white shirt fit a little too snugly over his muscled body. “Slate, you look…” I didn’t finish.
“Handsome? Herculean?” he asked with a grin.
“Let’s go with the second one.” We walked down the hall and took the elevator to the lower section of the ship. Level three brought us near the hangars, where fighter ships lined the space, along with some dropships and landers. The rest of the team was waiting impatiently by one of the landers. It consisted of Rulo, the battle-hardened woman who was quick to smile. A huge Keppe man arrived, carrying a pack jammed with supplies. Anything you could think of was strapped to that bag on his back: ropes, a rifle, tarps, tents, something resembling a fishing rod, and a dozen other items of varying use.
Lastly, a thin female Keppe was there. She introduced herself as Kimtra. She was the tracker and had computer devices strapped all down her long, armored arms.
“Is this all of us?” I asked.
“What else do we need?” Rulo asked, her words translating easily. “We have our tracker. I’m here to blow things up if needed, and Hectal” – she jabbed a thumb toward the lumbering man with the supplies – “carries things.”
The Survivors: Books 1-6 Page 113
