Destination Alara

by S. Y. Thompson

  She shook her head. "No. They don't work like that." Her voice was low and Paul had to lean down to hear. Van fervently believed what she told him; she had to. Just the thought of Cade's death made her want to throw up.

  "You've seen these things before?"

  "Yes."

  "Then tell me," he asked, a note of desperation in his voice. "What are they after?"

  "I don't know. But if they didn't tear her apart, just carried her away like you said, then something else is going on. I'll be back as soon as I can."

  Van saw the jump ship beginning its descent and had no more time to explain. Instead, she climbed aboard as soon as the hatch opened and left Paul with a look that promised more later. How could she explain that these beasts didn't kidnap people? The Phantoms ripped humanoids apart and ate the raw, bleeding flesh. Why then, would they take Cade? Someone else had to be controlling their actions. Her biggest questions were, who could that be and how? How could they communicate with or control a beast that had no known spoken language?

  An hour later, she sat at Admiral Meryan's computer terminal no closer to leading the rescue team than she had been on the planet.

  "No, you're not listening to me. I need to speak with a member of Coalition Headquarters concerning Admiral Cade Meryan."

  So far, Van had talked with one lackey after another and was getting the usual political shuffle. She didn't have time for this. She saw Cade's patient midnight gaze in her mind and tried to draw strength from it. After staring at a blank vid-link for another ten seconds, she decided she'd had enough. No one could say she hadn't tried. Van had just pushed back from the desk and stood when a female voice came over the link.

  "This is Rear Admiral Saral Barab of the Coalition Fleet Liaison Office. Identify yourself, please."

  Coalition Liaison? Another pencil pusher?

  Van sighed heavily, barely containing her frustration and sat back down. "This is Captain Vanessa Swann aboard the Gauntlet. I'm trying to reach someone in Fleet Headquarters on an urgent matter involving Admiral Meryan."

  "You may speak with me."

  Of all the arrogant..."Look, Rear Admiral, no offense but I think I need to speak with someone with a little more rank to advise them of ongoing rescue operations."

  "Rescue?" Her inflection changed radically. Before the rear admiral was politely bored, now she was just short of frantic. "Please, if something's happened to Cade you must tell me. She's my cousin."

  Great, Van thought, slapping herself mentally. How could she have missed the resemblance? The same dark eyes and basic facial structure? Even though this woman had the expected blue skin and ears of an Alaran, otherwise she could be Cade's twin. "My apologies, Admiral."

  "Just tell me what happened."

  "I don't know how much you know about why we're here, but we were just closing in on our objective when Admiral Meryan's team was attacked."

  "Attacked? By whom?" Her stormy black eyes were dangerous.

  Van swallowed hard. "Phantoms."

  "Excuse me?"

  "That's all I know to call them," she said, pushing the memories away. "No one has ever seen one up close before, just brief glimpses, but I recognize their handiwork."

  Briefly, she outlined the attack to the rear admiral and gave a description of the creatures. She explained the way Jacobs died and the appearance of the wounds.

  "And you've seen this before?"

  "Yes ma'am. Eight years ago my team was wiped out one by one on Tokar by these same creatures, those that the Gothoans didn't kill."

  Barab's face was set like stone. "I don't recall mention of any creatures like this in any military reports, Captain. Are you saying you've withheld vital strategic information?"

  She felt anger beginning to stir. "No, of course not. We never really saw them up close. It's hard to report something if you can't describe it. Look, I think we're getting off track here."

  "Yes, we are. Where were you when all this was happening?"

  "What?"

  "Cade mentioned you when I spoke with her earlier. She trusted you. I thought you would keep her safe."

  That was news.

  "I was following orders, Admiral. I was leading the second team and was too far away to do anything. It was over before we got there."

  Emotions were running high and both of them were breathing hard, but the admiral recovered first. "I'm sorry, Captain. I'm sure you did the best you could. I'm just very worried."

  "So am I," Van surprised herself by admitting. "But I'm going to do everything I can to get her back safely."

  "Thank you." Saral released a breath. "When are you heading out?"

  "Just as soon as we end this transmission."

  "I won't keep you then. Oh, and Captain, be careful. These Phantoms sound dangerous."

  "Scary dangerous," Van confirmed, not really seeing the woman on the screen. "They're huge and they're quick. Killing machines that show no mercy."

  "And yet you say they took Cade. They didn't kill her. Why?"

  "That's what I intend to find out. I'll contact you as soon as I have her. Swann out."

  She realized she'd essentially hung up on a member of the royal family after she left Meryan's office. Van had other things to worry about and didn't give it a second thought. Four squads of heavily armed reinforcements were waiting for her in the loading bay and it would take two shuttles to get them all down, but the troop count was more for show than anything. The crew needed to know they were doing everything to get the admiral back. Van couldn't take that many people into the mountains searching for her. They'd be better off with a heavy perimeter and a core of handpicked soldiers to sneak in and find Meryan.

  Thirty minutes later, she was on Tokar and both executive officers agreed with her decision.

  "It's easier to hide a handful of people than a whole regiment," Bosk eloquently pointed out.

  Argante nodded. "I agree, but I'm coming along."

  "No, you're not." There was no room for compromise in her tone. "I heard what happened and I can't risk someone who might freeze up under stress."

  "That thing just caught me by surprise," the security chief argued. "It won't happen again."

  "I'm sorry, but you'll stay here and coordinate the perimeter defenses. If we need you we'll call."

  Argante's face darkened, but he closed his mouth. Van just hoped he wouldn't do something foolhardy and put everyone in jeopardy later by trying to prove his loyalty. She didn't really know the man, but there wasn't any time to babysit him. Either Argante would follow orders or he wouldn't. Honestly, she hoped she could trust the lieutenant. A loose cannon or unknown element during any type of operation could result in the loss of life.

  "Please, Captain. I really want to come with you."

  "I know you do, and I find that...bizarre," Van remarked, thinking of the hardships they would endure and the possibility of failure. "Commander Bosk, I'd like for you to stay as well."

  "Now just a damned minute..."

  Van interrupted before he could really get going. "I'm sure Admiral Meryan would be touched that so many people want to come to her aid, but I have my reasons. Commander," Van swallowed hard, hesitant to speak the words aloud. "In the unlikely event we fail to retrieve her, you will become Gauntlet's acting captain. Protocol is very clear on this. You cannot come with us."

  Bosk frowned heavily and his lips compressed into a thin, hard line. Van thought he might be ready to argue, but he replied by saying simply, "Understood."

  "You can't be serious," Argante said to his superior. "How can you sit by while someone we hardly know goes after our commanding officer?"

  "Watch your tone, Lieutenant," Commander Bosk snapped. "I don't like it anymore than you do, but she's right. Besides, the fact that she is unbiased gives them that much more of a chance at succeeding."

  Unbiased, Van considered. Her stomach was roiling in worry for Cade. She pushed unpleasant thoughts away and turned back toward her team.

  "Let's go."<
br />
  Chapter Five

  CADE SHIVERED AND clasped her arms tighter around her chest. The bitter cold on Tokar's surface was hard enough to deal with in full cold weather gear, but this deliberate exposure felt like torture. Unconscious after the blizzard-colored creatures attacked, Cade awakened minus her fur-lined parka inside a bitterly cold chamber. She guessed exposing her to the frigid temperatures was a deliberate maneuver. Someone was fully aware of how the cold affected the unique physiology of a half Alaran. Pain seared through her midsection and she vaguely remembered the attack by something enormous, white, and hairy.

  Lying huddled in the corner of a darkened room, Cade only registered the freezing temperature of the cement floor and the alu-metal walls where they formed a corner. She struggled against the sleep tugging at her willpower, urging her to give over to torpor.

  "No," she whispered desperately. "I won't give in."

  "That's where you're wrong, Princess Meryan."

  Cade fought to open her eyes and her vision swam. The lights were on and when her sight finally cleared, she thought she imagined the being standing directly in front. The specific gender was indistinguishable considering the individual wore a long black cloak. Complete with a deep hood and sleeves that came down past the hands, Cade couldn't see any features. The voice sounded digitally altered, routed through an electronic synthesizer. Lighting in the room had increased substantially and she thought she should be able to see a face. She couldn't. Where the features should be, under the cowl, Cade was sure she saw what appeared to be the shimmering surface of a pond.

  Either the temperature combined with her injuries was affecting her more than she first surmised, or this person had deliberately masked their identity with some type of hologram. Such a thing was necessary only if they planned to keep her alive. Despite the current situation, Cade felt a glimmer of optimism.

  "Whoever you are, you have committed an act of war against the Royal House of Alara and the Earth Coalition Charter. I recommend you release me at once." She tried to make her voice as strong as possible, but feared that her teeth chattered too loudly for her words to be clear.

  "You, my dear, are in no position to make demands or issue ultimatums. I give you my word that if you do exactly as I say, you won't be harmed."

  Somehow, she found that unlikely.

  "Look, if you have some kind of grievance you should have petitioned a forum with the Senate. I'm sure they can help you settle any disputes..."

  "Save it," the kidnapper snarled and the synthesizer squelched.

  The device experienced a momentary loss of signal, Cade assumed from being far underground, and she was convinced the person was male. He turned toward the exit to her cell and nodded. Half a second later, two soldiers entered the room and headed straight toward her. They wore black body armor encasing them from head to foot. Equally dark helmets with full-face visors completely obscured their features, though she couldn't find any insignia that might indicate a planetary loyalty. Menace rolled off these newcomers and she expected them to show no quarter.

  The soldiers seized her by the upper arms and dragged Cade to her feet. She gasped and bent forward to keep from reopening her wounds, but sensed they were already closed and didn't appear to be life threatening. The arctic chill was another matter. Strength sapped by the numbing temperatures, she sagged and would have fallen had the two not held her upright.

  "Bring her."

  Cade allowed the troopers to bear her weight to conserve energy, but she attempted to memorize everything she saw. They were definitely inside the planet. Stalactites speared down from the low ceiling, threatening to lose their grip and impale her on the spot. In other places, towering walls of rock and alien minerals reached so high overhead that they disappeared into inky oblivion. Narrow, damp corridors blasted through solid rock made her feel almost claustrophobic. Heat generated by artificial means warred with the natural environment, causing mist to rise like revenants from the rocky floors and scent the surroundings with the tang of mildew. Though heating devices were clearly present, they did little to alleviate conditions and seemed to make things more eerie than strictly necessary.

  Overall, Cade preferred the biting elements on the surface.

  Light from another doorway loomed near and she held her breath, wondering what new tortures awaited. When she finally saw the room she blinked, sure her Alaran physiology had cracked due to the harsh environment.

  It was her office at Coalition Headquarters on Psmanth, Andromeda's fourth planet. Someone had recreated every aspect of her workspace down to the last detail. Sunlight glinted from gallium buildings and large panes of flerovium crystal. From her twenty-story office window, she experienced the sensation of looking down on the city of Yurt. Yet the star's light cast no warmth, advising Cade of the deception.

  More projections.

  "What is this?"

  "A stage. Please, have a seat."

  Her captor waved Cade toward a well-appointed gallium desk. The metal was abundant in this sector of space and useful in creating structures impossible to destroy in the strongest natural disaster.

  Cade gratefully slid into the office chair. She closed her eyes briefly, for an instant taking refuge in the familiar. Like the projection on the wall, it was an illusion, but her courage wasn't. She opened her eyes, straightened her spine, and pinned him with her fiercest glare.

  "What do you want?"

  The hooded figure shrugged and walked over to stand in front of the desk. His henchmen melted away to the corners as in a well-rehearsed script. She realized no one had even offered to harm her, touching her only for support. Cade gained confidence from that fact.

  "So, what should I call you?"

  He froze in reaching for the desk surface and Cade thought she'd surprised him.

  "Call me...Nemo."

  She chuckled and sat back, folding her arms again. Cade was still dangerously cold, but moving around had helped her circulation.

  "You want me to call you Nemo, a name that literally means ‘nothing'?"

  "Have a care, Princess. You're in no position to taunt me."

  One of his men reached for the blast pistol on his thigh, but Cade refused to show any fear. "Then shoot me, already. You're going to kill me anyway so stop playing games."

  "Actually, you're wrong. We're not going to kill you because that's not what the client wants. All you have to do is make a small recording."

  It was too easy. The proposition was so startling that she completely overlooked the mention of a client and focused on the details. What possible recording was so important that these people were willing to risk an attack by the Coalition Fleet? Whatever it was, it didn't bode well for Cade.

  "Just like that?"

  "That's all."

  "What am I supposed to say?"

  Nemo reached forward and touched a red button recessed into the metal desk surface. A computer interfaced monitor slid up and locked into place in front of her. Cade saw a small light come on near the top left corner, indicating that the device was working.

  "You are going to renounce the throne of Alara."

  "You can't be serious," she growled automatically, outraged by the idea.

  "I'm very serious. Here is the script from which you will read." Nemo placed a small data interface screen in front of her, out of sight of the built in camera. "It says that you pre-recorded this message from your office to be delivered while you're on mission. That is, of course, so no one can talk you out of your decision."

  "And why would I want to renounce my birthright?"

  "You Meryans are all the same. Looking down from your ivory tower on the rest of the world," he indicated the artificial window. "Well, you're going to be the more grounded of your ilk. You're going to show the galaxies that you prefer your life as a simple military commander."

  "You still haven't answered my question. Why?"

  "Because that's what my client wants and I intend to deliver." His voice rose angril
y and he added, "Personally, I think humiliation is too good for you. You're nothing but a mutant half-breed from a line of sludge crawling Humans and unworthy Alaran females who call themselves Queen."

  "How dare you? Just from what you say and the cowardly way you conceal your face I'd say you're Gothoan. How can someone from a bloodthirsty race of humanoids question my mother's worthiness?"

  "She is a woman," Nemo said sharply, the disgust in his voice clear, "fit for nothing but child rearing and domestic chores. It takes a man to lead."

  Astonished by his statement, Cade felt her ire evaporate, replaced by contempt. "Get over your ego, Nemo. It's been hundreds of years since anyone thought that way."

  "Your kind, perhaps, but then what can a more enlightened species expect from such a mongrel heritage? However, all of that is about to change. This is just the first step."

  "Oh, I understand now," Cade taunted, attempting to goad Nemo into making a mistake. Even if he did she wasn't sure how she would get past the guards, but she had to start somewhere. "Even if I do what you want, you have no intention of letting me go. Otherwise you wouldn't tell me any part of your plans."

  "I'll keep my word to my client, you can be sure of that." He sounded calmer now and she wondered if she'd missed her opportunity. "You won't die, but I never bargained to release you. As I said, this is only the first step. When I'm finished, all of the planets of the Triangulum and Andromeda Galaxies and every world in between will be ruled by Gothos."

  "How does your client feel about that?"

  "What they don't know won't hurt them."

  Cade realized Nemo hadn't a clue who was calling the shots. Obviously, he cared only for the money and how he could turn the situation to his own advantage.

  "It won't do any good." Her voice was strong and sure with her convictions. "If by some attack of utter insanity I agreed to your terms, my mother is the High Queen. I have no power. Besides, anyone who knows me knows that I would never do such a thing, even if you tortured me."