Rogue Stars

by C Gockel et al.

  Caelyn did not reply.

  The major seemed to mull over a few things and finally waved a hand in the air as if to give up on the argument. “Fine. I can use another spanner anyway.” He activated his com band again. “Kett, have Lieutenant Palas prepare to take Tov Pald’s ship with us. He’ll need to find a few crew members familiar with that class.”

  “Thank you, Major,” Caelyn said.

  “Take no risks,” Terwood warned him. “I am not going to spend the next six months explaining to Delphi how I lost one of their own. Understood?”

  “Quite. I’m sure Lieutenant Palas is reasonably capable.” Caelyn removed himself from Terwood’s presence before the major could change his mind. He stopped by the Kimura’s med station to make sure that the sleeve protecting his injury would stand up to a longer delay and then headed for Tov Pald’s vessel.

  The rebel ship stood in readiness of departure by the time he arrived there, with a new crew busy with preparations for launch. The Delphian pilot, Palas, greeted Caelyn a little friendlier than the three others but Caelyn was used to that. Most outsiders viewed the aloof Delphians with disdain and, mainly because of unfounded rumors about their mental aptitudes, also with suspicion. The ship easily accommodated a crew of eleven but today they would only need the pilots, an engineer and the gunners. The engineer would also serve as com officer.

  Caelyn nodded to the Human, wondering if he risked another message to Shan Quine on Targon. But there was little to say, other than to wish that the Shantir himself was here to accompany him.

  “Did you want a packet, sir?” the engineer said. “We’ll have com silence once we take the first jump to Csonne.”

  “No, thank you,” Caelyn said. “I’ll take one of the crew quarters. Please let me know when we approach the keyhole. I’ll be assisting with the jump, uh, Airman…?”

  The Human gave him a friendly smile. “Liron Deve,” he said.

  11

  Seth had hoped to survey Csonne a little before landing the Dutchman. The planet itself, as inhospitable as most, offered little but an opportunity for private research ventures to study well outside the radiation pollution that came with more populated regions. The binary star system and nearby keyhole made it an ideal place for developments in magnetic fields and research of dipole radiation on a grand scale.

  The lush forests to the south teemed with wildlife so aggressive that no one bothered to even explore there any longer. In contrast, the slightly safer northern regions varied from vast tracts of treeless grasslands to gaseous moors no one ought to traverse on foot. The agencies clustered around a reliable source of water on a plateau rising above the swamps, companionably sharing their resources if not their research, to form a town they called Suncion.

  This side of the planet had called it a night and the colony cluster stood out among the moors like a glimpse of stars in a cloudy sky. Khoe ran their real-vid scanners over the marshy flats to pick out ghostly flares of swamp gas, delighted when the bogs resembled a story she had recently found in the ship’s library. Seth found himself drawn into her exploration when he tried to pick out the monsters said to roam these moors but he saw nothing.

  Before they were able to take more than a cursory look at the colony itself, Seth answered a message from the surface demanding to know his reasons for approaching the coordinates Khoe had stolen from Tov Pald. It was not the usual welcome on a planet that rarely saw outsiders and where all visitors presented a most welcome distraction.

  “Supply delivery,” Seth told them, resisting an urge to point out that nothing in this solar system was anyone’s personal fiefdom. He reminded himself that the Commonwealth, too, had competitors on worlds that chose not to join the Union. Unfortunately, rebel groups like the Shri-Lan took advantage of those without a military to guard their resources. “For Doctor Tague at the Adrierra lab.”

  Khoe perched tensely on the arm of the copilot bench, worried like Seth that, somehow, Tov Pald had eluded Air Command and changed his mind about Seth’s trustworthiness. Men like that had no tolerance for those who fled combat.

  “Tague, eh?” came the reply. “He’s awfully popular lately. Stand by.”

  Moments later another voice, Human this time, cut into the transmission. “What cargo?”

  “One shiny disk, sent by Tov Pald,” Seth replied. “Want me to open it and tell you what’s in it?”

  There was a brief silence. “You got clearance. Land at the front of the north end compound.”

  Seth circled overhead, quickly mapping the network of domed modules scatted on the plateau. Short, covered walkways connected some of the units while others abutted without conduits. He was not surprised to find the doctor’s compound a distance from the main cluster of the colony. An Explorer class spacefaring station had been put down beside it, outfitted with massive sensor arrays.

  “That’s unexpected,” he said when they saw several private cruisers near their destination. “What’s everyone doing all the way out here? How many of those disks are they gathering up?”

  “Busy place,” Khoe agreed. “Are those rebel ships?”

  “Pretty sure the cruisers are,” he said. “Nobody else’s ship is that unmarked. Even the Dutchman shows as registered to a trade company. Currently, anyway. I sell it a lot.”

  “There are a lot of them down there.”

  He patted her knee. “We’ll get along, don’t worry.”

  She gazed at him, worried. “You keep saying that. And then people get killed. You don’t have to keep downplaying the trouble I’ve gotten you into.”

  “Am I complaining?”

  She started to say something but then turned her attention back to the sensors. “Just be careful,” she said briskly. “I wonder why there are so many of them here.”

  “Probably heard about Air Command finding out about Belene. They’ll have beefed up security. Likely been tracking us since we dropped into real-space.” He landed the Dutchman as far from the other planes as he could without appearing overly cautious. The ship was still settling into standby mode when several people walked toward them, clearly armed although not especially battle-ready.

  Seth slipped into his jacket and headed for the exit, the disk securely cradled in his arm. “I didn’t expect this many guns. But the plan is the same. Find your trigger entity. Get into their files, download anything you can to the Dutchman. With luck, we’ll be out of here pretty quick. With even more luck, the Delphians will figure out how to get you out of my head and your friend back into subspace.”

  “Are you trying to get rid of me, Kada?”

  “Yeah.” He smiled but her quip hadn’t really sounded very funny to him. Neither of them had brought up what would happen if they found the answer to their problem, if one was to be found. Released from him, would she simply slip away? Would she cease to exist? He stayed awake last night after she had withdrawn, mulling over some fantastic scheme of asking the Delphians to try to transfer her to some sort of android, perhaps. Machines like that were in use on some worlds and, with a sufficiently shielded thorium reservoir, she could learn to operate it. Given her thirst for adventure, she would enjoy having a body that didn’t require someone else to move around real-space. But then he thought about the smell of her hair, the taste of her skin and the sensation of pure pleasure inside his head that could never be replaced by someone not living within himself. She had become part of him in just a few short days.

  “What?” She peered into his face, puzzled by his expression.

  Seth gazed at her for a moment before realizing that this was neither the time nor the place to ask her what she thought about leaving him. Perhaps that moment had already passed. He shook his head and winked at her as he opened the Dutchman’s door. “Here we go. Act normal.”

  A Human stepped forward as soon as the ramp touched the ground. She pointed to Seth’s thigh. “You can leave the weapons on your ship or turn them over to us. You won’t need them here.”

  “Getting along,
are you?” Khoe said.

  Seth sighed and put both of his guns into a bin inside the cargo bay. “Not here to shoot anyone, darling,” he said to the rebel.

  She gestured toward an arched doorway leading into the largest of the modules. “That way.” When Seth stepped past her she moved back, her eyes fixed on the disk as if it contained some sort of plague. The two Feydans with her did the same.

  “Any chance of dinner?” he said conversationally as they walked toward the building. Clouds of what looked like large moths swarmed around the spotlights stabbing into the night. When they came closer he realized that these were winged animals, moving too quickly to identify. “Been a long trip. I’m right out of supplies.”

  “Learn to ration,” she replied, oblivious to his charms. They were startled by the sound of a gun, followed by harsh laughter. “Don’t wander out here by yourself. You’ll lose a leg.”

  Seth glanced around as if looking for the hunters, counting at least a dozen armed rebels or their hired mercenaries loitering within sight. “So what’s going on way out here?” he tried. “Other than lizard stalking.”

  “I’ll let Tague explain that to you, if he finds it necessary.”

  “I don’t think she likes you,” Khoe observed.

  I think you’re right.

  “More for me.”

  He stifled a grin.

  “I can feel them!” Khoe said suddenly. “Others of my kind. They’re here.”

  Inside there?

  “Yes!”

  Seth loitered by the station’s entrance before pressing his hand to the key panel. A quick look around revealed that the doors here were fortified and possibly even sealed. Whether to keep contaminants from leaking out or intruders from entering was unclear.

  Only moments passed before one of the doors opened for a slender young man in a lab apron. Human, he wore his blond hair in curling ringlets around a delicate face. Like many who spent too much time on inhospitable planets, his skin was ghostly pale. He smiled at Seth in greeting. “Welcome. I am Avi Tashad. I work with Doctor Tague. May I?” He reached for the disk in Seth’s hands.

  “I was to deliver it personally to Tague,” Seth objected.

  “You will meet him shortly. Please.” The youth continued to hold out his hands.

  Reluctantly, Seth gave him the disk. Tashad inspected the display panel on its surface and entered something with a few taps. Khoe had tampered with the code to show that the disk was working as intended but neither knew what these people would be looking for. Whatever she had done passed the young man’s scrutiny.

  “Follow me. It is late but I will arrange accommodations for you. The doctor insists that we observe communal rest periods here. Our work shifts are long.”

  “No need,” Seth said when they entered a short conduit to an adjoining module. “I’m comfortable on my ship.”

  “But you’ll take a meal with us. We get few visitors.” He laughed pleasantly. “Of the sort we appreciate, I mean. Those are some coarse characters out there.”

  “Why are they here?”

  “I’m sorry… um, what is your name?”

  “Sethran Kada.”

  “We have very strict directives regarding information, Mister Kada. I can’t tell you much but those… guards were sent to make sure this facility is protected from… outsiders.”

  “Air Command, you mean?”

  “Outsiders,” he repeated and led Seth into a comfortably furnished room. Colorful blankets and cushions softened the stark design of the air-filled chairs and lounges. Someone had painted a marvelous landscape on a wall to enliven the otherwise drab panels. “Please, sit. Would you like something to eat? Drink?”

  “Some tea would be nice,” Seth said but remained standing. “Not too sweet.”

  The youth smiled shyly. “That is how I like it also, Mister Kada.”

  “All right,” Khoe said. “I think I can tap into their grid. The network is shielded and the encryptions are a challenge. But I’m sure it can be done. The light by the door’s going to respond.”

  Seth put his hand on the boy’s shoulder to turn him slightly. “Call me Seth,” he suggested softly. “No need to be formal. Did you paint that landscape? It reminds me of Zera.”

  “You’ve been to Zera?”

  Khoe watched Tashad’s cheeks blush softly pink. “He’ll be knocking on your door later tonight,” she predicted.

  By then I hope to be far away from this place. Are you in?

  “Give me some time. You’re so impatient.” She faded from view to give her full concentration to breaching the system.

  Seth eyed the disk in Tashad’s hands. “I hope that thing isn’t leaking radiation,” he said. “Maybe you should put it down.”

  Tashad looked up at Seth, eyes wide. “Um… yes. I mean, it’s quite safe. The frequencies are keeping the particles inert. The shielding is a safety measure.”

  “Frequency?” Seth took the disk from his unresisting fingers. “What happens when you delete the frequency?”

  “Mister… Seth, I mean. I should take this downstairs now.”

  “What about my tea?” Seth smiled warmly. “I’d love to hear about your work if you join me for a cup.”

  “You’re having far too much fun,” Khoe said.

  If he doesn’t start swooning on his own I’ll have to disable him a little more painfully than with my irresistibly good looks. We can’t lose sight of that disk. How are you progressing?

  “Blocked at every turn but I’ve not been caught yet.”

  Don’t say ‘yet’. Hurry up.

  Both men turned when the door opened to admit a Human whose lab coat, evenly creased, looked like it had just come out of its package. “Hello,” he said. “You got here quickly.”

  Tashad, still blushing furiously, grabbed the disk from Seth and scooted around the new arrival to leave the room.

  Damn, I almost had a date.

  “I will assume you’re Sethran Kada?” The man in the lab coat held his hand out in a quaint gesture of greeting, then withdrew it again to nervously wipe his lips. His skin seemed pasty, as if a thumb pressed to his cheek might leave a permanent dent.

  “I am. You received word from Tov Pald?”

  “Indeed. I had not expected you for a few more days. We’re… we’re not ready for you just yet. My name is Reylan Tague.”

  “He spoke well of you,” Seth lied, and then lied some more. “I am a Level Three spanner and was able to get here fast. No doubt that is why he recommended me?”

  “He did not mention that, but such talent is certainly of value. And vitally necessary for our work, isn’t it? Tov Pald extolled your virtues as a field agent of some reputation among the Shri-Lan.”

  “I try to serve the cause,” Seth said modestly.

  “Actually, I expected him to accompany you back here. We must be careful to whom we reveal our location. And guard against too much traffic, of course. I’ve not heard anything from him since that last message.”

  “Mapping is complete,” Khoe said. “There are just eight people inside this segment itself, but there seems to be a shielded space down below. What’s odd is there are about fifty people on that Explorer parked outside.”

  That ship is designed to function as a self-contained lab when on the ground. Maybe they’re using it for extra workspace. Or for radiation containment.

  “Did Tov Pald explain the nature of our work here?” Tague continued, oblivious to their silent exchange.

  “Not in detail. You’ve found a way to enhance mental capacities with some sort of subspace energy?”

  Tague’s smile was little more than an uneasy tic. “That Caspian doesn’t waste words but, yes, that is basically the summary of the project. I’d originally examined the particles as a possible power source. But for our more immediate needs, using these entities in our struggles against our Union overlords is far more valuable.”

  “Absolutely!” Seth said with enthusiasm. I’m guessing he hasn’t actual
ly met his Shri-Lan overlords yet, he sent to Khoe.

  “And the Brothers seem to agree, too. They’ve been showering me with anything I need to move the project forward.” He waved a hand toward the exit. “A bit too much. They’ve sent far more security than I need out here. I think we’ve got five cruisers here now. Before they arrived we didn’t even lock our doors at night. There are only the lizards to worry about. I’m afraid some of our neighbors are whispering among themselves.”

  “Security is a necessary evil,” Seth said thoughtfully. He nodded toward the door through which his disk had disappeared. “Collecting these things must be tedious. And expensive.”

  The doctor’s face brightened. “I think we’re done with that. One of the entities turned out to be very special. We call it the Alpha entity. It’s unique among the other samples we’ve collected. It exerts a force that excites the other subspace particles to create complex structures that can, under the right conditions, maintain that structure in real-space. The Alpha draws others near, like a magnet. As long as we have it, others will follow. So now I believe that, instead of bringing the particles out here to expose them to our people, we will enter subspace and meet them there.”

  “And you’re looking for suitable carriers to create these Dyads?”

  “Dyads?” The doctor’s high forehead furrowed. “Dyads. I like that. A very apt descriptor. You are, indeed, resourceful. Yes, we are looking to find ways to create more… Dyads. We’ve completed the testing stages and have achieved several wonderfully successful fusions. Flawless! We’re nearly ready to move ahead with actual agents loyal to the cause that can be deployed by the Shri-Lan as needed. I hope you will join the team. Obviously, Tov Pald thinks you’re suited for this.”

  “Honestly, I’d like a little more information. How do you get rid of these things again?”

  Tague looked perplexed. “We could well be looking at the next evolutionary rung in your particular ladder. You Centauri seem to be the most suited for this… composite. These are not hats you can simply remove.”