Chapter 16
Thorn was directed to the heart of the city where his meeting would take place; the part of the city that displayed some opulence. The walkways were lined with Crystalline marble that glittered in the sun. The liquid Platinum lamps lit the shop fronts at night, constantly flowing up and down their form. There were no market traders on these streets. No food stalls selling processed meat made into edible shapes. A constant vigil was kept by Crystal cameras that would just as much cut you down with a laser beam than let you break any of the rules that had been formed by the shop owners.
The sound of a harp played as the shop door opened signifying the arrival of a customer. A tall, scrawny being appeared. A little taller than Thorn, but with a physical weakness that was immediately apparent. The Alshunians were of a similar shape to humans, but with features that resembled a combination of creatures from Earth. Ears of a dog, eyes of a cat, tongue of a snake, nose of a badger. A living collage. He greeted Thorn with his hand extended.
"Trurn Bishop?"
Thorn took his claw like hand with a smile acknowledging the name.
"That's right! You must be Plion."
Plion was a local. He was the son of wealthy parents who lived at the heart of the city, close by, among the elite of the Alshun world. A life that he had shunned from an early age to set up his business, which ironically had now made him wealthy.
There was a pause as Plion looked Thorn up and down. His yellow eyes scanning the whole of Thorn's body.
"Forgive me. We don't get many Earthers out this far. Please, follow me."
Thorn followed the Alshunian through the doorway to the right. Something was odd about the flowing robes he wore. The ends of the robes were floating about two inches from the floor, but Thorn couldn't see what was holding them up.
"Would you like a drink? I'm afraid I don't have any Earther drinks. The nearest I have is something called Armuk. It's a spirit that is mixed with water."
"That will be fine."
The room they were in was bathed in sheets of lavishly coloured cloths laid out on tables and hanging from specially built racks along three walls.
"Please, take a seat. Enjoy my hospitality before the business begins." Plion clapped his hands and two scantily clad Alshun women came into the room carrying trays of food which they laid out before them. The pearlescent scaly skin of the two females glowed in the sunlight that streamed through the large glass roof.
"I have delicacies from all over this System. I'm sure you would have come across some of them before. If not then you are in for a treat my friend."
Thorn looked at the selection of meats and breads and fruits laid out on the plates and savoured the mixture of sweet and spicy aromas that delicately played on his senses. Picking a few he devoured them instantly. He nodded with a smile.
"You are right. This is a treat. I have never tasted anything as sweet and succulent as these meats. Your chef serves you well." He continued eating, savouring each mouthful. Though he was fed well during his exile, his taste buds had never come into contact with anything like the sensations he was enjoying now. The food just melted on contact with his tongue and left an imprint of what could be described as the culinary version of Heaven.
Plion couldn't hold back any longer.
"I have to ask," he said. "Your coat. I've never seen a material like it before. Where does it come from?"
Thorn finished the fruit that was in his mouth before answering.
"I'm not sure. It was given to me as a leaving gift."
Plion got up from his chair and ran his hands over the coat.
"It feels soft and very light, but I get the feeling it is very strong. Maybe strong enough as a protective barrier. Something someone who sees a lot of trouble would wear." His face suddenly dropped and he pulled his hands away. Moving back to his chair the tone in his voice changed.
"Who are you? You haven't come for clothing. You are no businessman. Why are you here?"
The fruit dropped from Thorn's hand onto the plate.
"You are right. I have come here for another reason. I understand you enlisted the services of a human named Ifor a while back. I wish to do the same and need to know how to contact him."
"I don't know what you are talking about."
Three hefty Alshunians came in the door behind Thorn. Despite their size they made no sound as they entered the room. Thorn was immediately aware of them. Not showing that he knew of their presence, he continued.
"My sources tell me..."
"Your sources are wrong. Now will you kindly leave or I'll have my colleagues escort you out of the building."
The three huge figures moved towards Thorn. Instantly they stopped, unable to move, confusion on their faces, the part of their brain that controls movement paralysed.
"I can assure you my sources are not wrong."
"What's the matter with you three? Get rid of him now!"
"They won't be moving for a while. Not until you tell me what I want to know."
"What have you done to them? Who are you? Are you a TechPsycher? No, you don't have a headband. Unless you're a new breed that has no need for headbands."
"I'm not a TechPsycher. I just want to know how to contact Ifor."
Plion slumped into his chair shaking.
"I don't know how to contact him directly. He contacted me. He's not the sort of person you walk up to in the street and ask to do a job for you. I just kept asking about him in the bars on Jornaer and Hellion the main space dock and eventually two of his crew turned up and arranged a meeting."
Thorn got up from his chair and walked behind the three hulks. Suddenly they lurched forward as if an invisible wall had been removed.
"Thank you for your assistance. I'll see myself out."
As he turned and walked through the doorway one of the big men pulled his gun and fired. The red laser bolt seared through the air to within two inches of Thorn's head and stopped dead. Thorn stopped and turned to face the three inch long red strip of light hanging in the air. The gunman gasped as his gun was gradually forced towards him and jammed in his open mouth.
"All it would take is one little thought and you would have a big hole in your head. Now I suggest you don't try that again and don't follow me."
Thorn moved his head to the side and the laser bolt flew passed and left a burnt hole in the wall. The gun dropped out from the gunman's mouth and he dropped to his knees trembling. The other two backed away. Thorn walked towards Plion who sank further into his seat. Stopping at the table he picked up some meat.
"You'll have to give me your recipe some time." He gave a little smile and left the shop.
Chapter 17
The craft glided down onto the landing platform with its lights flashing. The journey had taken Conrad Preest nearly three weeks which was one reason he never made it that often, but the visit was prompted by a concerned Insha.
The greeting party guided Conrad to the room where the leader of the Warrior caste waited. Conrad was in awe of the surrounding architecture on route. He had studied pictures and models back on Earth ever since he had first visited Vulzeon, but nothing could replace the feeling of seeing it in the flesh. The soft edges and lines that made up a myriad of shapes that were the decoration on each building continued on inside and pleased the eye so much that it mesmerised Preest as he walked by.
Both Insha and Preest greeted each other with the ceremonial hand gestures of the Warrior caste. Conrad prepared his mind as much as he could for the ensuing conversation. Many times before he had held talks through the use of his headband, but each time it didn't get any easier.
'Greetings Conrad Preest. Welcome to our world once again. I wish it was under different circumstances.'
Insha was an imposing figure. The size of his artificial body was to portrait power and standing within the Warrior caste and allowed him to dress modestly for the visit of his guest. He wore a plain beige, knee length, sleeveless shirt with a thin collar around his long n
eck.
He was waiting in a large, opulent room decorated with fine art paintings and statues that depicted great battles throughout the galaxy. Conquered races that Preest had never seen before.
'Thank you for the hospitality and the opportunity to see your world again.' Conrad struggled to form the words in Insha's language.
Insha guided him to a chair and sat beside him.
'We have had some very disturbing reports from our scouts. While out searching for the renegades of our home world we have come across news of a Natural that we thought you had rid us of. Thorn, it seems, has been alive and well for the last thirty years and been training with one of our renegades. Now by the unsurprised look on your face you know of this already'
Preest nodded with a weak smile. ‘I have only recently found out myself. However, on the journey here I had word that he had been found and we are keeping a close eye on him.’
'This man Thorn could be dangerous to you...to us if he has reached his full potential during his training.'
'I'm sure that's not the case. You have been trying yourself for a lot longer and no one has come close to what you think can be achieved.'
Insha paused a moment. 'I hope you are right. However it would be wise to eliminate this man to be sure. To help you we have a selection of mind weapons that we have developed over the years. These will kill or incapacitate depending on how strong your foes mind is. I have arranged for some training on their use for you and shipments are being loaded onto your ship as we speak. We have also made enhancements to the neural bands and the data will be uploaded to your ship before you leave.'
'Very good. I will have him taken care of immediately. How is our last delivery of Naturals? Are they performing as you had hoped?'
'It is too soon to tell. We have some experiments to perform before we can decide whether to continue with their physical enhancements. Previous shipments that are serving our needs in a number of galaxies at the moment have impressed, though still nowhere near the full capacities of their brains.'
The two locked in conversation for another hour before Preest and a few of his officers were taken through the intricacies of the weapons. It was a full three hours later before he was sat in his luxurious quarters on his ship heading back to Earth. He summoned his Commander in Chief. A thick set man with short, dark hair and bushy moustache that was braided at the ends.
"I want you to contact our man in the field and tell him to stick with Thorn. We need to know how many of the other bastards are still alive before we terminate him."
It was just by chance that Preest had found out about Thorn. An insignificant report of a disturbance on one of the minor space ports was brought to his attention by one of his officers who thought he recognised Thorn in the surveillance footage. It felt like an old enemy had risen from the grave. Although it couldn't have been worse news at least he was prepared for the meeting with Insha and a mask of control of the situation could be worn.
"And the weapons? What do we do with them?"
"We have a couple of facilities full of Naturals that we can test them on. Your men will need the practice. Get a team together when we are back on Earth and prepare them to get rid of Thorn for good."
Chapter 18
Jornaer was just two days travel from the edge of the Helix System. It glowed from the red sun's light that bounced off of the thick atmosphere that enveloped the planet. A number of space ports were dotted around the planet providing access to various cities. The TechPsychers hadn't reached this far yet and so the planet was a haven for anyone and anything that wanted to get away from them.
The Jornaerns themselves were of humanoid form with a Neanderthal appearance and both males and females stood at around six feet five tall. The planet had been arranged into seven cities divided by large wastelands. The idea was to provide a completely different way of life to one another giving inhabitants the option to change their lifestyle whenever they wanted.
The Shafian glided into the nearest space dock and the clamps secured it to the station. The crew went about their tasks leaving Enyar and his first mate to fill out all of the required data fields on the station masters computer for their stay.
"Wow! That's a big ship you've got there. Looks as though it's seen better times though. I hope it's not going to break away leaving half of it in our clamps." The station master gave a wry smile and the two helpers behind him giggled like little school girls.
"Don't you worry about that. She's as solid as this planet." Enyar finished tapping in his details and paid the docking fee. "When's the next shuttle due to leave?"
"Whenever you are ready. We have a few still in dock. Why don't you stay a while? We have plenty of bars and gambling dens. We're not bound by laws up here. Pretty much anything goes. No matter how depraved."
The station master gave a slow wink as he said this. His sparkling cloak glittered in the intense lights that shone down from above. One thing Jornaer was known for was the brightness across the planet. So much so that visitors had to wear special glasses to protect their eyes. The internal lighting reflected this as the pupils in the Jornaerns eyes were very narrow.
Enyar raised his eyebrows behind his glasses.
"That won't be necessary, thank you. We won't be staying long. We're here to drop somebody off and then we'll be on our way."
"Pity! I know someone who could do things to you that would blow your mind. And she does like a Pertruan. She knows where your Visiv gland is and you know what that would mean." The station master smiled as he saw the look of embarrassment on Enyar's face.
Enyar turned and quickly made his way back to the ship to the distant laughter of the three Jornaerns.
"What's the plan?" Saul was sitting next to Tianu on the observation deck as Thorn entered.
"What do you mean?"
"What do you want us to do when we get on to the planet?"
Thorn shook his head.
"No, you're both staying here. I've arranged with Enyar to find out where the inhabitants of Prius 3 went and to drop you off there."
"But we owe you and if you're going to search for a needle in a haystack, it's better to have three people searching rather than one."
Thorn couldn’t argue with that. It was true that his task ahead was going to be difficult considering the size of the planet. He paused.
"OK. You can help, but as soon as we have found him I want you to go with Enyar to find your new home."
Both Saul and Tianu sat bolt upright with big smiles on their faces.
"We'll have him found in no time, you'll see."
"I hope you're right. The sooner we do the sooner we can find the others. OK, the first thing we need to do is find us some place to stay. We'll check with the station master here. Then this station is as good a place to start. There are plenty of bars around here that's likely to attract people who would have heard of Ifor. We need to put it about that we need his services."
"What do we do if someone who knows Ifor makes contact with us?" Tianu could hardly contain his excitement.
"Nothing. Just let them know you're working for someone who wants a meet. Are you able to sense when someone is lying?"
Both of them nodded.
"Good, then if you feel you have a genuine contact give them these." Thorn handed over two small devices. The two young men looked at them quizzically, turning them round in their hands trying to figure out what they were. "They are psychic communicators," Thorn said in reply to the unanswered question. He pointed to a small button on one side of the device. "You press this to activate it and talk into it like you would any other communicator. However, this is tuned to a frequency that I can pick up with my mind and transfer my answers to the users mind."
Saul and Tianu nodded their understanding.
Heavy footsteps announced the arrival of Enyar and his first officer. An unfamiliar look shaped his face that Thorn couldn't tell if it was disgust or embarrassment.
"The sooner I'm away from this place
the better as far as I'm concerned. The whole feel of the place makes me uneasy."
"There's been a small change in our plans. Saul and Tianu will stay with me and help me look for Ifor. When he is found and you return they will join you and continue with the original plan."
"OK. How soon can I go?"
"Let us find somewhere to stay first. I'm going to check with the station master for a place in Chaulk as it's our first stop. You two wait here while I'm gone. We'll start looking when I get back."
Thorn had left his firearms on the ship. He didn't want to aggravate anyone while he was here. While learning the customs of the planet he discovered that carrying a weapon was preferable, though diffusing a situation was as good a weapon as any that he had in his armour.
The station was just like any other that he had ever visited. A vast central hub that all docking ports led to. Lining this hub were bars and eateries going up four levels. The floors above this were quarters for resting and sleeping for the ten thousand or so inhabitants of the station or for the travellers that never visited the world below.
The eye protectors he used covered his eye sockets completely and prevented anyone from seeing his eyes. This also prevented him from seeing out, but in situations such as this he much preferred to see with his mind. He had developed a much clearer picture of his surroundings when his vision was impaired in some way. Although this did drain him to the degree that he could only last a day before having to completely rest for two or three days afterwards.
He found the station master from the directions Enyar had given him.
"Well, well, well. If I'm not mistaken, you my friend are from Earth," said the station master in a raised voice. "It's a rare occasion when we see one of your kind. And from my scanners I see you are unarmed. You are either very foolish or very brave."
Thorn raised his head pretending to look up at him. He could see around him that there were now onlookers alerted by the station masters voice. He replied in a calm, quiet voice.
Reformation - Part 1:Psychic Knights Page 7