Masters of Fate

by A. K. DuBoff

  “Makes you appreciate what a thin line we walk to keep society from falling apart, huh?” Kaiden replied.

  I shook my head. “Yeah, no wonder they minimize resets on the Capital.”

  “Oh, stars, yes!” Lisa said. “It’s a wonder there aren’t more mishaps. I mean, I have no recollection whatsoever about the universal reset. I wouldn’t even believe it, except the rest of data Toran has presented lines up.”

  “Not to mention the potential for tampering,” Toran said.

  Lisa nodded gravely. “That’s true. We’ve already seen what happens when the reset interface is highjacked. The aliens essentially hacked the crystalline network to modify planets however they saw fit. At least, that’s our working hypothesis.”

  “Speaking of them,” I began, leaning forward, “if the matter-rearranging is done through these 11D Duzies—which I’m guessing are completely invisible, then how can we see the dark cloud coming from the alien ships that dissolves anything in its path?”

  Lisa nodded. “That’s not the same. My guess is that the dark cloud might be some sort of 6D nanotech.”

  “And how are we supposed to disable it so we don’t instantly die?” Kaiden asked.

  “Easiest thing would be to work from a higher dimensional plane. Couldn’t touch you that way,” she stated.

  “Ah, yes, of course.” I caught myself and I sighed. “And there it is. My judgment for what constitutes a reasonable answer is officially broken.”

  14

  “I have no idea what to do,” I admitted to my friends as soon as we ended the holoconference with Lisa.

  “The problem is we don’t have enough information.” Toran propped his elbows on tabletop and leaned forward.

  “How are we supposed to get information?” Kaiden asked. “We can’t even see the Saps from our normal reality.”

  “Like Lisa said, we just need to be on a higher plane,” Maris replied. “Don’t you see? We can travel through 7D and pop in at the correct corresponding places in 6D. Aaand, we happen to have a guide who’s native to 7D and can show us the ropes.”

  As much as I appreciated Hoofy’s willingness to help, I wasn’t confident we should place so much faith in our new friend. Aside from the fact that he was, well, a unicorn—a creature I’d been taught growing up wasn’t real—Hoofy had gotten himself lost and trapped. I figured it warranted a bit of skepticism when it came to following a guide with that kind of track record.

  Unfortunately, Hoofy’s telepathy was a step faster than my brain’s connection to my mouth. “I would gladly guide you.”

  “That’s a generous offer, but is it smart for us to go back to that place, knowing what we know now?” Kaiden asked, to my relief.

  “Yeah, we were lucky to get out of there the first time,” I said. “The moment the Saps start looking for us, we’ll be at a huge disadvantage.”

  Kaiden nodded. “Lots of exposure, both while we’re landing and wandering around.”

  Maris rolled her eyes. “No, don’t you see? We don’t have to take a shuttle back to that planet at all. We have the viewing-sphere here on the Evangiel. We can use that as our access point.”

  Toran’s eyebrows drew together in thought. “That would be an interesting approach. Since distance and time don’t follow the same rules we’re used to in this plane, I suppose it might actually be feasible for us to get there from here.”

  I eyed him skeptically. “Are you talking about walking back to that planet?”

  “In 7D,” Maris interjected.

  “Yeah, but we’re more than a four-hour ship ride from there in normal space,” I objected. “Even with the differences in transit, is that reasonable?”

  “Not to mention, I thought when we perceived the higher planes, we were also here—we don’t actually ‘go’ anywhere,” Kaiden said.

  “That’s not exactly true,” Toran replied. “When we access the higher dimensions, we also theoretically gain the ability to act upon and take shortcuts across the lower planes. As such, I believe we can alter the degree to which we are seen in the lower planes, in the same manner we can’t see Hoofy in our spacetime unless he wants to be seen.”

  Maris grinned. “I knew you’d come around to the nickname.”

  “I am simply using it as a matter of convenience,” Toran replied. “That’s hardly the issue at present.”

  I raised an eyebrow. “Yeah, more importantly, you’re still glossing over the part where we walk across the star system in 7D.”

  Maris sighed. “That’s not what I said.”

  Kaiden pursed his lips. “Now that I think about it, if we did a fly-by…”

  I didn’t like the sound of that. “Please tell me you don’t mean what I think you mean.”

  “If you think I meant have the Evangiel swing by the planet at near orbit distance to drop us off, then yes.”

  “That’s a terrible idea,” I said. “We’ll be stranded until they can loop around to grab us.”

  “No, remember, the time passage isn’t the same in higher dimensions,” Maris said. “When we transitioned before, it was like no time had passed at all in this plane.”

  “So, you’re saying the Evangiel will fly in close, we use the viewing-sphere to transition to 7D, do our thing, get back to the viewing-sphere, all before the Evangiel leaves range?” I asked.

  Maris nodded. “Easy.”

  “No, not easy. It’s nuts.” That was without even taking into consideration the part of Hoofy needing to successfully navigate for us.

  “It actually might work,” Toran said.

  I stared at him. “You can’t be serious.” I was used to being the one to come up with crazy ideas. What did it mean that I was now the most rational person sitting in the room? Either I was missing something, or fear and desperation had caused my teammates to lose their minds.

  “We do have unique skills, Elle,” Kaiden said. “Shouldn’t we use those to our advantage?”

  “Yes, but…” I trailed off, not knowing what I could say that would make a compelling argument against the insane plan they were hatching. Truth be told, the more I thought about it, the more brilliant it was starting to sound.

  We knew our fleet was no match for the Saps, and the four of us couldn’t take on an entire civilization using our weapons. To win the fight, we needed to think outside the box—and operating from a different dimensional plane was definitely unconventional. If we could learn about the right weakness and make a targeted strike from a higher plane, no Hegemony ships or soldiers would come to harm and we’d be relatively safe ourselves.

  “All right,” I continued after a pause. “Maybe you are on to something.”

  Maris smirked. “Told you.”

  I took a deep breath. “One big concern does come to mind—”

  “Only one?” Kaiden interjected with a smile.

  I smiled back. “Just trying to keep things reasonable. But, Toran, didn’t you say we can theoretically alter our presence? I mean, the Saps are native to 6D. Even if we can access 8D or above, does that really give us the ability to make it so they don’t know we’re there?”

  “You have done this before, when you were in the dimension where we met,” Hoofy said in our minds. “I believe this strategy is your best chance.”

  “That’s all the confirmation I need,” Maris said.

  I took a slow breath. “I think we should take some time to process all of this and get some rest. I don’t trust myself to make smart decisions right now.”

  “Yeah, I know what you mean,” Kaiden agreed. “Why don’t we meet up in… six hours?”

  “Very well.” Toran inclined his head.

  Maris tossed her hands in the air. “Fine. But I think we should do something before the Saps decide to send another ship in our direction.”

  “I’m certain they would have done that already if they had a means of engaging us at this location on our plane,” Kaiden said.

  “
Still, I’ll advise Colren to keep the ship in motion,” Toran murmured. “Anything we can do to make ourselves a more difficult target.”

  “No argument here.” I headed for the door.

  “See you in a few,” Kaiden said to the others, following me.

  I took a brisk pace down the corridor to my quarters with Kaiden close behind. I palmed open the door, and he slipped inside behind me before the others had emerged from the lounge.

  “Inviting yourself over, I see.” I smiled up at him.

  “I believe it was an unspoken invitation.”

  “Perhaps.” I placed a hand on his chest. “All sense of logic and reason has gone out the window, hasn’t it?”

  He laughed. “Yeah, I can’t believe that plan is actually sounding like a good idea.”

  “I know, right? I thought all of you had lost it, but then…”

  Kaiden placed his hands gently on my upper arms. “This is way too much for any one of us to comprehend on our own. I don’t think we have a choice other than to trust our instincts.”

  “And your gut says we should follow a unicorn through a higher dimensional plane to somehow trap some hyperdimensional baddies bent on galactic domination?”

  “I was actually thinking about how we skipped dinner, but maybe I was misinterpreting the sensation.”

  I rolled my eyes and shuffled toward the bed, drawing him with me. “You’re impossible.”

  “You love my humor. I can tell.”

  That wasn’t the only thing I liked about him. The more time we spent together and more we experienced, I found myself increasingly drawn to him. More than lust and attraction, there was a level of familiar comfort, similar to what I’d shared with my longtime friends. I felt safe with him, like the dangers in rest of the universe didn’t matter so long as he was nearby.

  As he traced his fingers down the side of my arm, I wanted to tell him those things. Except, I couldn’t form the words. I wanted to show him.

  “Now, where were we before?” I cupped the side of his face in my hand and kissed him.

  He eagerly kissed me back.

  We lay back on my bed, and I allowed myself to forget about our mission. Our higher dimensional selves may have no use for our corporeal bodies, but I certainly liked how he made mine feel.

  There was no denying the ache of desire, yet I held back. Knowing a universal reset was coming, I hated to think that I might forget our time together. We’d already shared so many firsts, but such a big one for my lifetime… I wasn’t ready. Not yet.

  I inched back from him, not wanting to be too much of a tease.

  Kaiden sighed when he sensed me pulled away. “Yeah, I know.”

  “I’m sorry, I—”

  “Elle,” he brushed my hair from my eyes, “there’s nothing to apologize for.”

  Stars, he was so understanding it made me want him even more. “It’s not that I don’t want to.”

  “We agreed to wait, so we’ll wait.”

  “And you’re okay with that?”

  He chuckled. “I think you’re trying to entrap me.”

  “No.”

  “Come on, you know there’s no good answer to that question.”

  I propped an arm under my head as I pivoted to face him. “I warned you I’m terrible at this relationship stuff.”

  He placed a hand on my thigh, biting his lower lip as he avoided my direct gaze. “This is always the tricky part, when the emotional and physical aren’t quite in sync.” He finally looked me in the eyes. “I like you a lot, Elle—from your personality and wit…” his gaze drifted downward, “…to you being absolutely stunning. And, frankly, I’d say we shouldn’t be contemplating a relationship if there wasn’t mutual desire—which is obviously not an issue. But the difference between straight-up lust and the makings of a proper partnership is that I know being fully with you will be worth the wait, however long that is.”

  My shipsuit seemed impossibly tight and warm. “I think I need a cold shower.”

  Kaiden laughed. “I really didn’t mean that as a turn-on.”

  “Respecting boundaries is sexy. Don’t you ever forget it.”

  He smiled. “I’ll always strive to respect you.”

  I shook my head, grinned. “Now I think you’re using my words against me to get yourself laid right now.”

  “Hey, you opened the door.” He smirked, but then promptly sat up. “Seriously, though, we don’t need to rush into anything. We’ll know when the time is right.”

  I nodded and sat up next to him. “Like when the fate of the universe isn’t hanging over our heads.”

  “I dunno… that seems like exactly the right time.”

  “Fair point.”

  “But not tonight.” He patted my knee. “I can’t make a speech about self-control and then cave.”

  “You’re so principled.”

  “Well, stubborn, at least.”

  I smiled. “I appreciate your dedication to proving a point.”

  “The pleasure of your company does make it worthwhile.”

  “Such a charmer when you want to be.” I shook my head.

  “Only for you.” His hand found mine.

  I swirled my fingertips around his open palm. “I can’t help but wonder what things are going to be like when this is over.”

  “What part?”

  “What our lives will look like afterward, once we’ve won.”

  Kaiden didn’t reply at first.

  “What are you thinking about?” I prompted.

  “I…” He sighed. “All right, I’ll just come out and say it. I know we’ve been focusing on the Saps and this seemingly impossible task that was placed before us, but I never thought this experience would also mean meeting you. And even when the battles are over, I don’t want that to mean I never see you again.”

  I scooted closer to him. “I don’t, either.”

  “But with a universal reset as part of the endgame…”

  “We remembered the other previous-futures eventually. I have to believe we will again.”

  He didn’t seem entirely assured, but he nodded. “Once we do, I have no idea how it’ll work—literally living on different planets.”

  “Yeah.” I hadn’t wanted to confront that reality, but it had crept into the back of my mind in the quiet moments over the past several days. I knew that us being together meant that one of us would need to give up our home. Since Kaiden was only on an internship, my initial reaction had been that he should come to me. However, thinking through it, I realized that I no longer felt the ties to Erusan I did before this experience. The time away had changed me, and I wasn’t sure I wanted to go back.

  “I guess that’s jumping ahead a bit much, isn’t it?”

  I laced my fingers through his. “To the contrary, it’s nice to know we’re on the same page.”

  He brightened. “Okay, good.”

  I leaned over and kissed him, slow and deep. “We should probably get some sleep.”

  Kaiden stood up. “As much as I’d like to stay, I don’t think sharing a bed would be particularly restful for either of us at the moment.”

  “On this occasion, I have to agree.” I rose to see him out.

  “I’ll see you soon.” He gave me a light parting kiss.

  My heart fluttered as I showed him out the door. Despite the war, something good had come out of the recent drama, and I intended to hold onto my new future.

  15

  Five hours in bed never felt like a proper night’s rest. As I entered the lounge, I tried to shake off the remaining grogginess that my shower hadn’t cured.

  I hadn’t been able to get to sleep straight away after my conversation with Kaiden. My mind had kept drifting back to Erusan and my uncertain life path—knowing that I wanted Kaiden to be a part of it but being overwhelmed by thoughts of the logistics. I’d reprimanded myself for losing focus on the mission, in the way I’d promised myself I wou
ldn’t, which had then only stressed me out more. Ultimately, I’d thought through the key events that had happened since I’d been extracted from my world, and I reminded myself that there didn’t need to be a clear distinction between my life before and my present. Everything we were doing was to fight for our future, and I shouldn’t feel guilty about looking forward to what was to come after the final battles. If anything, that made me more committed.

  “Good morning!” Maris greeted in far too cheery a voice for the hour.

  I massaged my temples. “I don’t suppose I could get one of those pick-me-ups of yours?”

  “Of course.” She smiled.

  A shimmering, green wave washed over me, as I felt instantly energized as it passed. Unfortunately, the effects of the spells didn’t last for as long as real rest, but it was marvelous at first. By the time it started to fade, I hoped I wouldn’t remember I’d been so tired in the first place.

  “You’re getting good at these spells,” I told her.

  She beamed. “Not all that different from bartending in some ways—just tonics of a more magical variety.”

  “I can tell you must have been great at your job. How did you get into that line of work, anyway?”

  Her smile faded. “Fairly easy money for someone with not a lot of other prospects.”

  I tilted my head. “What do you mean?”

  She hesitated. “I was on my own since I was pretty young. My mom remarried this asshole when I was fourteen, and after three years I was sick of wondering if that would be the day he’d do more than just look at me.” She took an unsteady breath. “So, I left at seventeen. I had to get used to taking care of myself fast. Realized I was good at putting on a smile, and looks helped. I’m not proud of using those assets, but I did what I needed to, you know? At least waitressing and bartending were on my terms, not him undressing me with his eyes every time I walked in the room.”

  My chest constricted. “Sorry, Maris. That sounds awful.”

  She shrugged it off, but I could see the distress was still deep inside. Living in that kind of environment changed a person in an enduring way. “A lot of people deal with much worse. I was able to get out before it got bad, and many aren’t that fortunate.”