Across the Galactic Pond - Box Set: The Complete FAR BEYOND Space Opera Series

by Kallias, Christian

  With newfound respect for Kevin, and upon learning someone else has conquered all her estates on Omicronia, Lacuna attempts to offer her services to Kevin, if only to repay him for sparing her life the way he did. Upon rejoining with the Osiris, she learns of the princess’ villainous act of trading Kevin for her sister’s life.

  Lacuna enlists Boomer, and with the help of Ziron, who provides them with less advanced smart suits, they head into Kregan space to rescue Kevin. Unfortunately, Kevin has been mutated into a tech-sorcerer killing machine by his pirate captors, his body modified by implants to simulate magic, his mind invaded, and his motor functions controlled by a vile AI named Orion 8-3-9-6.

  Unwillingly controlled by the AI, Kevin kills innocents and even helps assassinate Xonax’s father. Xonax then takes his father’s place as the new Emperor of the Kregan Empire. But he is wounded in the attempt and in critical condition when Kevin’s friends show up to try to rescue him from both the pirates and the AI controlling his body.

  An epic battle ensues, and Kevin must fight inside a matrix construct within 8-3-9-6’s main memory while his body is relentlessly trying to kill everyone he holds dear. Kevin is quickly out-gunned as the AI adapts to his fighting techniques borrowed from his time spent with comic books, anime, and movies. 8-3-9-6 progresses faster than Kevin can figure out new tactics. When all hope seems lost, Myrianna, the tech-sorceress who trained Kevin (before the implanted AI overrode his will and body), encourages him. Kevin finally defeats 8-3-9-6 and recovers control over his body.

  Kevin reunites with his friends, and they all leave Kregan space after having recovered Kalliopy’s sister in the process. Kalliopy is ashamed of her decision to deliver Kevin to the enemy, but Kevin, who also has a sister, can relate to Kalliopy’s difficult choice and forgives the princess. She tries to give him the kiss she owed him for so long, but Kevin simulates a sneeze and excuses himself. Instead, he has developed feelings for Lacuna, the badass, yet morally ambiguous girl who risked her life to rescue him.

  Kevin visits Lacuna, and they kiss. She invites him into her quarters aboard the Osiris, and when they’re about to get passionate with each other, Kevin starts losing control of his motor functions again. 8-3-9-6 has returned. A small part of the AI’s code has survived, and he’s reconstructing himself inside Kevin’s mind.

  When Kevin’s friends propose to help disable the AI, 8-3-9-6 warns them that if they attempt anything, he will make sure that Kevin dies in the process. When the AI mentions only its master (0-0-1) can truly deactivate him, Kevin asks his friends to put him in suspended animation and set a course toward the planet where he was turned into a powerful tech-sorcerer, hoping that Myrianna will be able to disable the AI once and for all.

  Meanwhile, Xonax survives his surgery, albeit disfigured and with half of his face replaced by cybernetic parts, and now sits on the throne of the Kregan Empire. With a vengeance and hatred searing inside his heart, he orders the construction of an invasion fleet to take over the world he considers the biggest threat to his future: Earth.

  And now the conclusion of the Far Beyond saga.

  1

  Lacuna punched the wall.

  “Easy,” said Ziron. “What’s gotten into you?”

  “Do you really have to ask?” she said. “I can’t believe that after all we’ve been through to get Kevin back, it was all for nothing. And he’s the one paying the price, again.”

  “I know, it’s unfair, and it’s in moments like these that I wish we hadn’t enlisted his help in the first place.”

  “Wouldn’t Arcadia have fallen?”

  “Perhaps, but he’d be safe with his family right now.”

  “Until the Kregan decided to expand.”

  “And then without you, without us, what could he do to protect those he loves?”

  “I suppose when you put it that way.”

  “Look, Ziron, in my experience, very little can be gained obsessing about the past. It can’t be changed, and one can’t know how things would have turned out.”

  “Then why did you punch the wall?”

  “Because I’m mad, that’s why. I wish there were something I could do now to help Kevin. Instead, we’re basing our entire plan on Kevin saving himself. Doesn’t sound fair, you know?”

  “I know. But he won’t be alone in this task. We’ll be there, and we’ll make sure he gets back control of his body.”

  “Yeah, we will, if only because I don’t know what I would do if we fail.”

  “Which of us should tell Boomer what happened?”

  “I’ll take care of it.”

  Ziron nodded.

  * * *

  Lacuna paused in front of Kevin and Boomer’s quarters. Her heart pounded in her chest, and her hands were moist.

  How was she to tell Boomer that Kevin was again in mortal danger? She wiped away forming tears threatening to spill down her face and took a deep breath before entering the room.

  Boomer was snoring on the lower bunk bed, and she sat next to him. He started whimpering in his sleep and became very agitated. His nose was twitching, and he was moving all four paws as if running for his life.

  Poor thing is having a nightmare, thought Lacuna.

  The thought made her even more anxious about letting him know what had just happened to Kevin. They had been separated for a long time while the AI despot was controlling Kevin, and now this nightmare was starting all over again.

  Lacuna and Boomer had formed a stronger bond during that period, where they had teamed up to rescue Kevin, bringing them closer.

  She tentatively caressed his fur, and she felt his rapid heartbeat just before he barked himself awake and jumped to his feet. Upon seeing Lacuna, he was scared a second time.

  “I’m sorry,” said Lacuna, “didn’t mean to startle you.”

  Boomer was panting. But he slowly calmed himself.

  “It’s not you, though I obviously didn’t expect to see you there.”

  “What is it, then?”

  “Just had this horrible nightmare…”

  “Wanna talk about it?”

  Boomer nodded. “I was on that big ship and being pursued by one of those giant alien bugs. I thought I’d never get rid of it. But, eventually, I reached an impasse. I turned around and morphed into a dragon. Obviously, in this dream, I had a smart armor, and the fight was brutal, but something happened, and in the middle of it the smart armor shorted out, and I turned back into a beagle. The last thing I remember is running like crazy, without turning back, hearing the bug gaining on me.”

  “Well, fortunately, it was only a nightmare.”

  “Yeah, except it felt so real, you know? I’m sure you had dreams like that too.”

  “I have. They can be quite disconcerting.”

  “Yes, this one really felt like a foe from the past came back and put my life in jeopardy. For some reason, I could sense Kevin in the dream even though he wasn’t there, and I felt that we were both in danger.”

  That last comment made Lacuna swallow hard. Listening to Boomer describe the emotions he felt in the dream really felt like his dream might have been a premonition. And even though she tried not to show it, tears escaped her eyes without her control.

  Boomer barked. “Why are you crying? What’s going on? Where’s Kevin?”

  “Look, there’s been a problem.”

  Boomer’s eye grew wide. “What is it?”

  “We had to put Kevin in suspended animation.”

  Boomer growled. “Why? And why the hell didn’t any of you wake me up!?”

  “I’m sorry, there wasn’t time.”

  “What happened?”

  “The AI returned, and Kevin lost some of his motor functions again. He requested that we put him in suspended animation until we reach the planet where he was turned into a tech sorcerer.”

  “Please tell me this is a dream within a dream; pinch me.”

  “It’s not, Boomer.”

  Boomer barked and growled.

&nb
sp; “Okay, okay,” said Lacuna before pinching the beagle.

  He yelped. “Dammit, I felt that.”

  2

  “Why aren’t we going back to Arcadia Prime?” asked Kalliopy.

  “A situation has arisen, and we need to help Kevin,” said Ziron.

  “And you made that choice without asking me?”

  “Look, you and your sister are safe, and Arcadian ships are still within beaming distance as well.”

  “That’s not a good reason to make that decision on your own. There is a chain of command, and you have to run these things by me.”

  “I get that, but seeing that Kevin saved your sister’s life, I would assume you’d be okay with us making a short detour to help free him of the AI that has control over his body.”

  “I feel for Kevin, and I’m grateful, but we entered Kregan space and grabbed my sister, and the Kregan will certainly retaliate. We need every ship back on the home world to defend our territory.”

  “Please, your majesty, we can’t abandon Kevin in his hour of need.”

  Kalliopy shot daggers toward Ziron.

  “Isn’t Kevin in suspended animation?”

  “Yes, but—”

  “There’s no but,” interrupted Kalliopy. “As long as he’s in suspended animation, it’s no longer a time-sensitive problem while the defense of Arcadia Prime is.”

  “Then, with all due respect, have Admiral Corso meet with us, and you and your sister can disembark, and let us be on our way after that.”

  “I’m sorry, Ziron, but I don’t agree, we have to return home, and we need every ship, including the Osiris.”

  Ziron hissed. “No. I’m sorry, we’re not doing this to Kevin, again!”

  “I beg your pardon? You will do as I say.”

  Ziron could feel his heartbeat go faster than it ever did. But he stood his ground, he owed Kevin that much.

  “The answer is still no.”

  “You’ve just thrown your career away,” said Kalliopy as she stormed out of the bridge.

  * * *

  “Can you tell me how the hell you could let this happen to Kevin?” Boomer’s voice held an accusing tone.

  “I didn’t do anything. What happened to him is not my fault,” said Ziron.

  “Yeah, well, I still hold you personally responsible! You’re the so-called genius of the group, and you should have known. You should have made sure Kevin was free of that awful thing inside his brain.”

  “Boomer,” said Lacuna, “it’s not Ziron’s fault.”

  “You stay out of it, please,” shouted Boomer. “Everything is Ziron’s fault!…for all our problems ever since Kevin helped that alien on the lake near our house and everything that followed. It’s his entire fault! We were happy at home. Sure, it was sometimes boring, but we were happy, and we were safe. Ever since we met you, we’ve been running for our lives, dodging one danger greater than the last one, and for what?”

  Boomer couldn’t hold his tears.

  Ziron, on his floating cushion, approached and timidly extended his paw to pet Boomer, but the beagle started growling.

  “Keep going and you’ll lose that leg.”

  Ziron backed off, startled.

  “I’m sorry. And you’re right. It’s all my fault. I shouldn’t have asked the two of you to help me with what was clearly an internal Arcadian problem, but you should know that if I hadn’t, you both could have been killed back on Earth when the Kregan sent their assassins.”

  “Yeah, or so you say.”

  “Look, I don’t know how to tell you this, but you have to believe me, at least for this one thing. I never intended to put you in harm’s way. When we learned the Kregan dispatched the assassin, I couldn’t just let them kill you.”

  “If I may,” said Lacuna.

  “I thought I asked you to stay out of it,” said Boomer, his entire body tense with anger.

  “Look, Boomer. I’m just as pissed as you are right now with the situation. But Ziron is correct. The old me, the one that tricked and tazed you on Omicronia, would not have hesitated to let the both of you be killed. He helped strangers, and at the very least, you should see he cared enough to help the two of you.”

  “Unless he was the one who sent that dying alien in the first place,” barked Boomer.

  Lacuna shook her head. “You’re hurt, you’re scared, and you’re angry. I get it; I feel all these things and then some, so I’ll credit that last comment on account of those feelings. Unless,” she said before turning to Ziron.

  “I had nothing to do with how the first contact happened between Arcadia and Earth. I only learned of Kevin when the ship I designed, the Thalamos, sent its logs before being destroyed in the battle around Arcadia Prime. I give you my word.”

  “And I choose not to believe you,” said Boomer.

  “Then maybe,” said Mira over the speakers before materializing in her holographic form, “you’ll trust me. Ziron is telling the truth. He had no knowledge of Kevin until he merged his mind with my systems aboard the Thalamos.”

  Ziron’s eyes watered. “Boomer…you’re not the only one affected by Kevin’s predicament. If anything, believe that. He’s my friend, too. And I think we should focus on finding a way to help him instead of assigning blame. But if it helps you feel better, then fine, it’s all my fault, and once we get him back, you can kick my ass or eat my leg, or whatever punishment you deem reasonable.”

  That last sentence seemed to do the trick, and Boomer calmed down, even if just a tad.

  “Okay,” conceded Boomer. “I don’t have to like it, but the fact of the matter is my best friend is again in trouble and needs our help. So what are we going to do about it?”

  Before Ziron could open his mouth, Mira vanished into thin air, and a red light flooded the entire bridge as the ship exited hyperspace.

  3

  “What the hell just happened?” asked Lacuna. “Why did we jump out of hyperspace?”

  Ziron brought up a holo-interface and tried to interact with the ship’s control, only for the holo-interface to flash red as a result.

  “This isn’t happening!” he exclaimed.

  “What isn’t happening?” barked Boomer.

  “I’ve lost control of the Osiris.”

  “What?” said Lacuna and Boomer in unison.

  “I can’t control anything on the ship. Mira? Mira, do you hear me?”

  But there was no response.

  The ship turned around and entered a new set of coordinates into the jump engines.

  “No, no, no, no, no!” exclaimed Ziron.

  “What’s going on?” asked Boomer.

  “The ship is returning to Arcadia Prime.”

  “You gotta be shitting me?!” said Lacuna. “Don’t let it.”

  Pearls of sweat appeared on Ziron’s paws. “I’m trying, but it won’t accept my command cod—”

  “What is it?” asked Lacuna.

  “It’s the recall sub-routine. It’s been activated.”

  “What’s a recall sub-thingy?” asked Boomer.

  “It’s another of my inventions I wish I never created. It gives the person in charge of the Arcadian fleet the ability to recall any ship. It was created in case the crew of a ship is incapacitated or lost so that the ships can return to Arcadian safe space. To give the crew help if they need or at the very least to prevent the enemy in accessing our technology.”

  “Yeah, you should stop inventing crap like that!” barked Boomer.

  “Hey!” shouted Lacuna. “Enough with the blame, it won’t help us get out of this predicament. Ziron, who has control over the recall?”

  “Fleet Admiral Corso, and…”

  “The bitch,” said Lacuna and Boomer almost at the same time.

  “I’m not sure how comfortable I am calling her that, but yeah…”

  “Please tell me she’s still on board?”

  Ziron entered multiple commands on his console.

  “Dammit, I should have known. And, no, she�
�s not.”

  “How is that even possible?”

  “I guess she must have contacted the admiral which in turn activated the emergency transport to beam out procedures the moment we jumped out of hyperspace.”

  “We can’t let the ship turn around,” barked Boomer. “Kevin needs us to get him back to that planet so he can finally remove that AI from his brain.”

  “And you don’t think I know that?” said Ziron.

  “It’s one of your inventions, clearly you can hack your own work!”

  Ziron sighed. “What do you think I’ve been doing for the past twenty minutes exactly? Licking my paws?”

  “Well, whatever you’re doing, it’s not working.”

  “That’s because I know how to create secure technology; that’s why the Arcadian Confederates trust me to do these things.”

  “Fine, you designed it, so you fix this mess!”

  Lacuna approached Boomer. “Look, I’m sure Ziron is doing whatever is possible to bypass this recall device of his. Perhaps if we let him work instead of grilling him about it, he could focus on finding a solution.”

  Boomer let out a shrill bark. “Now you’re taking up his defense; you’re a sucky friend.”

  “Hey! That’s uncalled for.”

  “If I may,” interjected Ziron. “I would appreciate some silence, I won’t lie. This particular tech is efficient because of the way I designed it. There is only a subspace reception chip on this side of the ship, and the order comes from Arcadia. So I would need to hack the Arcadian mainframe via subspace.”

  “So, what?” said Boomer. “Just do that.”

  “It’s not that simple. It’s a highly secure system that is shielded from receiving subspace commands. It can send the recall signal, but it can’t receive a cancel code.”

  “In English, please.”

  “What Ziron is trying to say,” said Lacuna, “is that he needs to be physically there to hack the controls. Right?”