I’ll do some tests on it, see what I can see. Perhaps I’ll have something to tell you next week. Regnig placed the vial away, passing her a small bandage before leaving the bizarre room. Now how about we discuss your school and have a cup of tea?
“That sounds good to me,” Jules said, pressing the sticky bandage on her arm.
____________
“This is Menocury L05.” Suma tapped her console, bringing the colorful planet’s 3D image to the front of the auditorium. “The people, the Nirzu, are being evacuated.” The image changed to show a bipedal being. It appeared quite human to Jules, but she knew that not all physical attribute discrepancies were seen on the surface. Even from the 3D image, Jules saw they were dark green, their faces framed by a ridge, their heads bald.
“Why are they being evacuated?” Rumi asked from the rear of the auditorium. He always sat at the back of the class but never went a lecture without needing to shout from his distant position.
Suma’s snout twitched as she heard the question. “I’m getting to that, Rumi. Menocury’s star is dying, it has been for centuries, but the Nirzu were able to adapt to their temperature changes until now.”
Images of the world showed snow and ice in parts, and barren dying landscape in others. Suma kept skipping through them, faster than Jules could keep up.
“They’ve reached their end point, and when the Gatekeepers learned of their plight, they advised the Alliance, who’ve sanctioned a transport of the entire race. It’s a huge endeavor, one that’s already begun,” Suma said. She clicked some footage to life, and the class watched as colony ships moved away from the surface, each holding what Jules thought to be at least twenty thousand of the Nirzu.
“Where are they going?” This from Rumi again.
Suma appeared ready to reprimand the Padlog boy, but stopped. “The Gatekeepers have cataloged over fifteen worlds, compatible with the Nirzu biology, that are also currently uninhabited by intellectual beings.”
Jules always hated the terms, because as far as she was concerned, the local animals that lived on these empty worlds had every right to own the places, even more so than some invading race of people. But she kept that to herself, since no one would agree with her.
Jules scanned the amphitheater, seeing Slate leaning against the exit. He watched with mild interest, and Jules grinned. He was her favorite uncle, even though he wasn’t really her uncle.
Suma continued. “We’ll be sending some of you to the planet to assist with the final evac to IIlyria.”
The Shimmali professor tapped the console again, changing the view to a new planet in space. It was beautiful, and Jules nearly stood up, staring at the colors from orbit. The world had masses of bright green land below, and aquamarine water even from this distance.
“How long before their colony ships land on the surface?” Jules asked before thinking. She tried to recall if Illyria held a portal on it, but she didn’t recognize the name, nor did she know Menocury L05 from the crystal map. That would have made things a lot easier.
Suma smiled at her question, answering it kindly. “Good question, Jules. The first evacuated ship departed over one hundred and forty days ago, and is scheduled to arrive in another twenty-five days.”
Not too bad. Under half a year to arrive at their new home. Jules had heard that the colony ships weren’t too bad to traverse space in, so long as there were enough supplies. She bet the Nirzu were ready to embark on a fresh planet and begin settling in.
Jules noticed Dean at the edge of the auditorium, watching Suma thoughtfully. He was sitting beside Barl, Karo and Ableen’s son, named after Karo’s father. Barl appeared distracted, but he always did. Karo was so serious, and so were two of the quadruplets, but Barl was mischievous, a bad influence on Dean.
“What preliminary construction has occurred?” Dean asked quietly, but Suma heard the boy and nodded attentively.
“Another great query, Dean.” The footage zoomed as a recording drone lowered through the atmosphere before drifting through some heavy cloud cover. The moment it broke through the wispy white barrier, Jules thought she could make out the beginnings of a city. As it lowered, her suspicions were confirmed.
Drones and robotic construction machines buzzed around the surface, erecting buildings, creating sidewalks and roadways. A lot of the material was black; the same construction material her father and Dean’s father, Magnus, had traded for the Kold prisoners. Jules almost felt sad for the now-imprisoned Kold. She’d helped capture them and had participated in the exchange, but Papa had told her it was for the best.
If the Kold were released, they’d seek retribution. Papa said that he had enough vengeance-seekers to last him a lifetime, but she didn’t quite know who he was referring to. Jules had a feeling there was a lot more about her parents’ life before her that she hadn’t been told. Of course she’d heard the stories about their part in the Event, but those were distant tales to her.
She saw the way Slate looked at her family, though, and the affection Magnus and Natalia held for them all, and it reiterated the bond they all shared from that time. There was nothing that could keep their tight-knit group apart, and Jules was happy for it. She loved them all very much.
Jules snapped out of her internal dialogue, noticing Suma was wrapping up the discussion. “…will be coming with us as Gatekeepers’ Academy representatives. This is a great opportunity for some of you to take your training to the next level.”
Jules’ heart threatened to explode at the exciting revelation. Which students were going to Menocury L05? Before she could ask out loud, Slate stepped forward, his arms crossed. His eyes were crinkled at the corners, a slight smile spreading on his face. She thought he might have met her gaze and looked away quickly, as if she’d been caught giving something away.
“Some of you in this very room will be joining my team to assist the final sweep, ensuring that no Nirzu is left behind. Some of them have elected to stay, but their government has made it clear that that’s not to be allowed under any circumstance. The Alliance respects this, so we’ll do our best to accommodate,” her Uncle Zeke said.
Dean stuck his hand up. “Who gets to go?”
He stole the question they were all thinking. Jules peered around, seeing some of the students shrinking in their seats, averting their eyes from the front of the auditorium so they wouldn’t be chosen.
“This isn’t like schoolyard gym class. I won’t be picking at this moment. We have our list, and we’ll inform everyone by tomorrow. We still need to have permissions from some of your guardians.” This time, Jules was sure Slate made eye contact. Did this mean he’d asked her parents, and they were trying to keep her from going on the excursion? That would be just like Papa, wanting to keep her safe, which left her out of the fun.
He could be such a hypocrite, telling her how dangerous the universe was, and the next day sticking his own neck out to help someone. She knew her mom felt the same way, even if she wouldn’t admit it. It was so frustrating. Tears threatened to form, and Jules steeled her nerves against them. She wasn’t going to cry at a moment like this. She was too old for that.
Suma stood beside Slate, shutting the 3D image off. “Thank you for your time. Please break for an extended lunch if you weren’t scheduled for it yet, and resume your regularly-scheduled classes this afternoon.”
The lights increased in brightness, and Suma and Slate were chatting, but as the students all rose, Jules lost sight of them. She needed to discuss the excursion. Jules knew she could help out. If she knew what she was searching for, she’d be able to track the Nirzu, like she’d tracked the Kold as she and her father swept over Earth.
The press of students forced their way from the room, and Jules noticed Dean stopping near Slate and Suma, likely wanting to ask them the same thing she did. Were they on the list?
Jules waited near the edge of the steps for the kids to all evacuate, and Uncle Zeke spotted her. He raised his hands in front of him. “Jules, it’s not my call.”
/>
Her heart fluttered. “Does this mean I’m not going?”
Suma’s gaze dropped to the floor.
“Why? I’m one of the best students at the Academy.” Jules glanced around, making sure they were alone in the auditorium before continuing.
“We know, but we asked your parents, and they thought…” Slate started, but Jules couldn’t wait for him to finish.
“They thought what? That I wasn’t ready for this? Is that it? That I’m too young, or that I’ll put myself in danger with my abilities?” She was so angry with them.
Slate came over, crouching so they were eye to eye. “Jules, have you been struggling with your gifts?” His voice was reassuring by questioning.
She glanced from Dean to Suma to her Uncle Zeke, and all eyes were on her. “No. I’ve been fine,” she said.
“We heard about the girl choking after hand-to-hand. You really helped her,” Suma said.
“She was going to die,” Jules said softly.
“Can you keep it under control?” Slate asked firmly. Straight to the point. She normally loved that about her uncle.
“I can,” she lied. He was right. She was struggling to keep it barricaded at times. Some days, she woke to her powers fully activated. Just last week she’d been floating in her room, glowing bright green. She hadn’t told her parents; it would only make them worry.
“I think you’d be a great addition to the team, Jules. If you can convince your mom and dad to let you join us, then you’re welcome to come,” Suma told her, and a glimmer of hope trembled through Jules.
“What about me?” Dean asked.
“Of course you’re going, Dean. Don’t be a dummy,” Jules told the older boy, who didn’t appear to believe her. Jules waited for their instructors to confirm what she already knew.
“Dean, she’s right. You’re one of our first picks, and your parents have approved the mission,” Slate told the boy, and Dean pumped a first in the air.
“Yes!” He glanced at Jules and attempted to rein in his enthusiasm. “Sorry, Ju.”
She waved in a dismissive gesture. “No worries. I’m going to talk to my parents. There’s no way I’m letting you go without me.”
____________
It had been two days since we’d been hijacked in France, but the robbery remained fresh in my mind.
“Should we head home first or meet her on the Horizon?” Mary asked me.
I glanced around the dusty Pyramids, soaking in the subtle differences since the Empress and her team had absconded their posts. They’d left the palace and a few other structures, but their dropships and posted warriors were noticeably absent. It felt strange, almost hollow.
“Dad, are you going to stop those people?” Hugo asked. He was looking around, as if keeping an eye out for another attack. He didn’t remember the Kold attack, when his Nanny-bot had shoved him in the panic room under our old apartment building on Haven. He’d only been three at the time, and since then, he hadn’t had to endure any scary threats. Until two days ago.
He was like a different kid now, more concerned about his surroundings than his video games. I hated to admit it, but I preferred him this way, as long as he was safe.
“We’re going to do our best,” I told him.
“We are? You can bring me, right, Dad?” Hugo asked.
“I don’t think so, kiddo,” I told him, and his expression changed.
“But you always take Jules on missions. Why can’t I go?” he asked.
Mary took this one, thankfully. “Because your sister is older, and she’s been trained for years at the Academy. When you’ve been trained for years, maybe you can help your parents out the odd time.”
“I didn’t think you were into all this stuff, Hugo,” I said, and he stared at me.
“Maybe I changed my mind,” he said, crossing his arms.
“Good for you. But your mother’s right. You aren’t ready to help on this one,” I told him, leading them through the entrance to Giza.
“You didn’t answer me, Dean,” Mary said.
“Let’s go to the Horizon. That’s where we told Jules we’d be,” I said, fighting the urge to be with our girl. I knew she’d been struggling with something lately, but she wasn’t talking to me about it. Mary thought it was girl stuff. She was thirteen, and a lot of things were going on at that age, not to mention the added pressure of having Iskios powers and being an advanced student at the Gatekeepers’ Academy.
Sarlun had done an evaluation, and he suspected she could be a full-fledged Keeper within two years. Thinking back to her being my baby girl, it was hard to imagine, but I needed to let her wings flap so she could fly. She was going to be ready for it far earlier than Mary and I were.
“I want to see Jules,” Hugo said, kicking a loose rock forward. It bounced down the stairs.
“She wants to see you too,” I told him.
“Dad, are you going to be careful?” Hugo asked me.
“With what?”
“With the train robbers,” he said.
“I’m going to be very cautious.”
“Good. I’m not ready to be the man of the house yet,” Hugo said, making Mary choke out a laugh.
She turned to Hugo and set her hands on his shoulders. “Where did you hear that?”
He shrugged. “I don’t know.”
“You don’t have to worry about that, kiddo. Your old man isn’t going anywhere for a long time,” I said, remembering the older version of myself visiting through the portals. I was nowhere near that old yet, so I had every assurance I was going to be alive for years yet. Hopefully, much longer.
Mary didn’t look at the visits from myself quite the same. She told me that in a universe where I’d sent a powerful entity through a dimensional shifter, and an uber-bad guy forward in time, anything was possible. Unfortunately, I had to agree with her. Maybe those interactions were in my imagination or a projection sent to me from another medium. Only time would tell.
We plodded our way to the portal room, and the walls lit up as we entered, reminding me of my daughter’s eyes. A minute later, we were stepping through the doors on the Horizon, the huge guards previously stationed at Bazarn greeting us.
Seeing them made me think about Rivo Alnod, and I wondered how she was doing. After five years of running Alnod Industries, I’d heard she’d brought the company to paramount levels of success. We hadn’t visited her for over a year, and I knew it was overdue. She was always so busy, and so were we, especially as Earth was expanding once again and Haven was being rebuilt.
Hugo usually ran away from us at this point, heading for the elevator ahead of his parents. Today, he hung close, and it was obvious our interaction with the Restorers had shaken him. I set a hand on his shoulder, silently reassuring him as we walked.
We chatted about trivial things as we wound our way through the familiar ship, making our way to the suite Magnus insisted on leaving empty for us. We stopped at his suite first, knowing he wouldn’t be around. I tapped the console, ringing the bell while Mary took Hugo inside our unit.
The door opened, and Patty stood there, smiling at me. “Uncle Dean!” She hugged me but quickly let go as Maggie barked and jumped up to greet me. I crouched low and stroked her head.
“Hey, Patty. Thanks again for watching her,” I said, seeing Charlie and finally Carey trotting toward us. Seeing my old friend melted my heart, and I stayed crouched, waiting for him to arrive. Magnus injected him with a preserving nano-concoction once a year, but you could only postpone the inevitable so long. He was slow but still looking good.
“No problem, Uncle Dean. Is Jules here yet?” she asked, and I shook my head.
“Not yet.” I turned my attention to the dogs and petted Carey, then Charlie. Carey came over, rolling onto his back after twisting and rubbing as only a cocker spaniel could do. His ears flopped around as he stretched out on the ground. “You’re a good boy, Carey. You too, Charlie.” Maggie had already run past me, heading toward our suite,
where she sat waiting to be let in.
“Can you tell her to come see me when she’s in?” Patty asked.
“Sure, Patty. Thanks again.” I stood, my knees cracking slightly. Carey wasn’t the only one getting older.
Patty grinned, and I hoped she wasn’t getting into too much trouble on the ship. Her brother was gone, living on campus at Haven, and her old best friend was rarely around. She must have been lonely.
I headed over to our suite, and Mary was in the entrance, her expression grave.
“What is it?” I asked, worried something terrible had happened.
“Nothing serious, but I forgot where the Horizon was heading,” she said. “It looks like they’ve disembarked at Menocury L05 to help the Gatekeepers arrive sooner.”
She led me to the living room and showed me the video feeds of the planet in the distance. She zoomed it in, seeing a fleet of colony ships in orbit.
“Quite the endeavor, moving an entire world’s population, isn’t it? I’m glad we sat this one out,” I told her. “What are you so upset about?”
“Dean, don’t you remember? The Academy asked us for permission to allow Jules to join the Gatekeepers’ team, and we declined,” she said, and if that didn’t jar my memory, she continued: “Jules will be here any time, and they’ll have told her she can’t go. She’s going to be devastated.”
A door hissed shut down the hallway, and I heard my daughter’s aggressive footsteps coming our way. I swallowed hard. “It sounds like she knows already.”
“This is a touchy one, Dean. Do you want me to handle it?” Mary asked, and I shook my head.
“No. I was the one who convinced you it was a bad idea. I’ll do it,” I said, dreading the interaction.
“Jules, is that you?” Hugo yelled, running to her room ahead of me. It was locked, and he banged on it. “Jules, it’s me… Hugo!”
“Don’t let Papa in, okay?” her voice said through the door, and it slid open. I leaned against the hallway wall, my arms crossed. Hugo entered, and she shut the door, her eyes red and puffy.
Old World (The Survivors Book Eleven) Page 3