Shadow Stars (Universe on Fire Book 2)

by Ivan Kal

  “Uh, well, you already know my name. These are my subordinates Erika Hansen and Imari Okoye.” Kane nodded at the two, who looked torn between thinking that Kane and the newcomer were insane and a cold horror if they were not.

  Oxylus nodded at them and then turned back to look at Kane. “Now that the pleasantries are out of the way, I think that we may turn to the reason why I am here.”

  Kane swallowed hard and spoke before the man could. “I don’t know anything more about the portal than I did the last time.”

  Oxylus frowned for a moment, and then his eyes cleared as he seemed to remember something. “Oh, the breach? No I am not here because of that. I’ve already visited this portal of yours between the universes, and I’ve figured out why it didn’t completely smash your two realities together.”

  “Uh, could you tell me why?” Kane asked.

  “Because the groundwork had already been done on the other side before you attempted to push through,” Oxylus said.

  Kane debated asking more questions, but he didn’t want to push his luck. “Why are you here, then?”

  “Well,” the man started, “I actually need your help.”

  “My help?” Kane asked, surprised.

  “I mean humanity in general. I would’ve gone directly to Earth and asked, but I pissed off someone recently and I wouldn’t put it beneath them to put someone on Earth to wait for me…” Oxylus shook his head. “They are real pricks, let me tell you, arrogant, and I have no time to deal with them.”

  “Uh…right.” Kane nodded as if understanding what the being was talking about. “So what can we do for you?”

  “I am looking for someone—two someones actually, but that is unimportant. These two, they are old, powerful, but they do not belong in our type of universes. They are…unable to cross over fully. But they need something which they can find only here. In order to get it, they usually start by infecting beings on this side, a single race. After putting a piece of themselves into them, they then guide and shape their development. The easiest way for me to find them is to find their client race. I need your help with that.”

  “You can’t find them by yourself?”

  “The two are masking themselves from me; I can feel the presence of the two in this universe. I can tell that they have minions here, but I can’t see them. I just know that they are in this area of space.”

  “I don’t see how we can help you find them. There are thousands of races here,” Kane said.

  “These client races usually create a lot of chaos, as the two need them to take lives. So a race which starts wars often, which doesn’t interact with others if it can help it, probably xenophobic. Probably a race that is more advanced than the others. I’ve looked for races which are adequately advanced, but the only ones here which fit such criteria are the Zhal and Qash’vo’tar—and it is not them. I would’ve felt it. The interference and guidance from the two would probably be a recent thing, as I am certain that the two could not have come here very long ago.”

  Kane thought about everything that Oxylus said. It didn’t really help much; he didn’t have much knowledge about other races. But then he had an idea, one he would only need to know one thing for in order for it to be possible. “You said that this interference from these beings would be a recent thing?”

  “Yes,” Oxylus answered.

  “How long is recent for you?” Kane asked. He was certain that the man was old, far older than he looked. If his measuring of time was different…

  “Ah, right. I really need to keep more track at the mortal level. A few thousand years? I haven’t paid that much attention to the passage of time, but it would not be more than that. Chaos and Order couldn’t have been here before then.”

  Kane nodded, thinking how old someone had to be for something that happened several thousand years ago to seem recent. Then he froze as something that Oxylus had said registered. “I think,” Kane said slowly, “that I might know who you are looking for.”

  “Really? I did not expect results so soon. A few hundreds of years, perhaps.” He narrowed his eyes at Kane. “But you…I see that you think that you know something. Tell me?”

  It was not a request, but Kane had no intention of disobeying. “I’ve heard someone say that exact thing before, Chaos and Order.”

  “You have? Where are they?” the man asked, a glint in his eyes. There was something there which was beyond his understanding, but Kane recognized thrill, desire. He shivered at that.

  “It was from a being of a race called the Val’ayash. They had been a part of a large empire thousands of years ago. Until they rebelled, one of their faction rose to prominence: a religious sect which preached that they were the chosen people, and that it was their job to bring all other races into the embrace of the ultimate creator, Chaos and Order. They slaughtered everything in their path in the pursuit of ferrying the souls of the dead into the true life. They were eventually defeated, and believed to be all dead. But we’ve encountered them a few years ago. They spoke of something they called the return.”

  The glint in Oxylus’s eyes increased. “Yes, that sounds just like what they would do. Where can I find them?”

  “I don’t know,” Kane admitted. “Everyone thinks that they are dead. We don’t know anything about where their territory is aside from that the most likely place is in the neutral zone. We don’t even know how many of them there are.”

  The man grimaced. “Well, I knew that it was too good to be true… Anyway, I would appreciate it if you could find out where they are. Chaos and Order can only be in one place, probably a well-defended system, and most likely the home system of this race.”

  “We are already looking for them, so that’s not a problem,” Kane said. He didn’t know about some of the things that he had learned, about beings from other universes controlling the Val’ayash, but he knew that he did not want to have Oxylus as an enemy.

  “Good. I will be checking in from time to time; I have other agents looking. They will have a much easier time of it now that I know the name of the race I am looking for. Thank you for that.”

  Oxylus turned getting ready to leave, but Kane spoke out. “Wait!”

  The man turned and raised an eyebrow at him. “I… If we are going to be doing this for you, maybe you could do something for us in return?” Kane said quickly, almost regretting speaking. He just couldn’t help himself. Earth needed help, and if this man used to be human, even if he had been from another version of humanity in another universe, he might be willing to help.

  “I guess that payment of some kind is not an unreasonable request. But be very careful about what you ask,” Oxylus warned. “I do not interfere in mortal affairs much, and I will not smite down your enemies for you. If you are to survive and grow, you need to struggle, to climb over obstacles by yourself. Otherwise you are just weaklings hiding in someone else's shadow.”

  Kane felt embarrassed for a moment. He had wanted to ask for help against the Zhal and the Qash’vo’tar, but he understood what the man was saying. Humanity had to triumph on its own. He quickly thought about what he could ask for instead—and then he had it. “We are currently in pursuit of a piece of Val’ayash technology. This could give us insight in to them, might even help us find them. But in order to acquire this piece of technology we need to offer something of great value to the person that has it. We were told that a suitable gift would be unique technology or information not known to others. Do you have anything which would fit these criteria?”

  The man tilted his head in thought. “Huh, I was sure you were going to ask for something else,” he said, as if surprised in a good way. “Yes.” He nodded. “I think that I can help with that. A moment.” Then a large white line split the air next to him and space opened up. Kane stared into the tear in space, his mind not exactly comprehending what he was seeing. It looked kind of like the portal to Ethorria, only smaller. The man stepped through, and then a few moments later came back out carrying a small gray c
ube. “Here. I don’t believe that people here have figured this out yet, or at least they haven’t around these parts. Your scans should tell you enough that you can learn how to make it on your own,” he said as he threw it in Kane’s direction.

  Kane caught it, and nearly dropped it as it was far heavier than it looked; if he hadn’t been wearing his CES suit, it would’ve fallen out of his hands for sure. “What is it?” Kane asked.

  “Compressed matter,” the man said as if it were no big deal. “Now then, it is time for me to go.”

  “Can I ask you a question?” Kane asked before the man could step through the tear in space.

  “A gift and a question?” Oxylus smiled. “I am in a good mood, so you may ask. But only one—make sure that it counts.”

  Kane asked the one thing which had been on his mind ever since the last time he met Oxylus. “Can you use magic?”

  Oxylus didn’t respond immediately, but then he put both of his hands palm up in front of him. A blue orb of shining energy appeared above his left palm, and one of red on his right. “There are two types of matter-based universes,” Oxylus said. “We call them magic-based universes and non-magic-based universes. These universes are both governed by similar laws; the broad strokes are the same, but the details can at times differ depending on the cluster of universes you are in. Now,” he said, and raised the blue orb. “A non-magic universe like yours usually has a certain set of laws. The laws of a universe can never be broken, but they can be bent. In a non-magic universe it means that bending those laws is harder; it requires more energy and will. It does not mean that bending reality is impossible, however, only more difficult.”

  He then raised the red orb. “In a magic-based universe, bending reality is much easier and it requires far less energy and will. Every being born in a matter-based universe is a part of the fabric of reality which makes up everything that you see around you. But every being also has something else deep within them—call it whatever you want, a soul, a spark, spirit, it does not matter. It exists, and it allows you to exert your will on the fabric of reality around you. How easy it is for you to bend reality to your will depends on how developed your spark is, of course.”

  He paused, and then brought both of his hands close together. The two orbs touched at a single point, and then blue energy entered the red orb and vice versa. Soon there were two orbs with a mix of red and blue energy. “This is your universe and one on the other side of your portal. By breaking through, you have altered the laws of your universe; they have merged with those of the other universe. It means that it is now easier to manipulate reality here, but it also means that it is harder to do so on the other side. The beings there are more practiced and developed in bending reality, of course, and so while they might notice a change, it will not be something which will have a lasting impact on them.

  “I was not born in a magic-based universe myself, but one rather like how this one used to be. I developed my spark until I became so powerful that I could bend reality to my will regardless. So in a way: yes and no. I do not have magic as you understand it. What you are using is a crutch, a pale imitation of what I am doing. When I use my power, I know exactly what I am doing. You and the beings on the other side of your portal are using patterns which tell reality what you want to happen. You don’t really do much to exert your control over it.”

  Kane’s mind was spinning from all the information that Oxylus just revealed to him. He wanted to ask more questions, but he knew that the man in front of him was not someone who cared for being disobeyed. Kane had been granted his one question, and he had gotten far more in return than he had hoped for.

  “I’ll be in touch,” Oxylus said and then stepped through his portal, which disappeared behind him.

  “Who the hell was that?” Kane heard Erika ask in a whisper.

  Just then he remembered that the two of them were with him, and he turned around, seeing people starting to come into the alley. “Come on, we need to get back to the ship. I’ll explain there.” Kane glanced at the unimpressive-looking cube in the palm of his hand, and then he started walking.

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  Aiko looked at Kane, her partner in more ways than one, and she tried to truly comprehend his words. The last time he had met the strange figure there had been no evidence other than Kane’s word and the strange circumstances around his kidnapping. She had believed him, of course, and their supervisors on Earth had taken into account what he had told them—he had earned that much trust at least. But she could tell that they hadn’t really understood what Kane had tried to tell them: that they were dealing with a being who was beyond anything that they had ever thought possible.

  Now, they had proof—two witnesses as well as something else. In the middle of the table, surrounded by her top officers, sat a cube.

  “What can you tell me about that?” Aiko asked Chief Randor, the head of her magi-tech department.

  The short burly man’s eyes were wide with wonder. “That thing is…it is a game changer. I would call it magic, except that I am certain that it isn’t.”

  “This metal thing is that impressive?” Specialist O’nga asked skeptically.

  “Oh, yes… The composition of this cube is metal, similar to kotarium in characteristics, but it holds the mass of something that should belong to something at least fifty times larger,” Chief Randor explained.

  Aiko looked the chief in the eyes. “What did you mean when you said that this thing is a game changer?”

  “Captain, if we could reproduce this, discover the method of how to create this compressed matter, it…it is what we have been looking for to help us against the more advanced races.”

  “You think that that small cube can help us against the Qash’vo’tar and the Zhal?” Jasmine asked.

  “Oh, yes. If we could build ship hulls made out of that stuff? They would be at least ten times harder to harm—no, more than that. It would take an incredible amount of force just to dent this stuff. We need to get this to Sol,” Chief Randor said.

  Aiko could feel herself get excited at the prospect, but she knew that they had another mission to complete. “We need to send a message first, arrange for another ship to act as decoy. We still don’t want the Zhal and Qash’vo’tar knowing. And we have a mission to complete; unbreakable hulls are wonderful, but FTL comms are as well.”

  Chief Randor nodded. “If we could get both, then yes, it would really change our situation.”

  “So, you think that this is enough to get us into this auction?” Aiko asked.

  “If Chief is so enamored with it, then I have no doubt,” Kane answered. Then, after a short pause, he spoke again. “Only, I don’t think that we should give it away.”

  Aiko nodded. She had been thinking the same thing. If this compressed matter was so powerful it would be foolish to let it fall into hands of another. “Then we still have a problem. We need a gift that will get us into the auction.”

  Kane sighed. “The only thing that we have to trade that’s worth enough is magi-tech.”

  “Which we can’t trade,” Jasmine said.

  “Can’t we?” Kane asked. “Our orders are to keep magi-tech a secret for as long as possible, but our superiors back home know that it is only a matter of time before it is exposed. Hell, they already know that we have weird scripts engraved on our machines, they just haven’t put it all together. Our orders here give us a lot of leeway to act in our best judgment. And bringing back technology which no one in this universe has alongside FTL comms? I think that that is worth the sacrifice.”

  “What do you have in mind?” Aiko asked.

  Kane turned to Chief Randor. “Can you set up a small magi-tech device, a small power cell with a spellscript for invisibility, like what our suits have? Let’s say that it cloaks everything in a meter’s radius around it.”

  “Sure, no problem.”

  “You want to give them scripts?” Jasmine asked incredulous.

  “A single device, with
a simple script which won’t be of much threat to us. Yes, they will get spellscripts for energy conversion and invisibility, but nothing else. They might try and experiment with the symbols they have, but trying to make spellscripts blindly will not be easy,” Kane said.

  O’nga turned to look at him. “Spellscript is a series of patterns. Once they know some, it will be easy for them to extrapolate the others. They follow a logical path.”

  Kane nodded, agreeing. “But they still won’t have finished spellscripts, and they won’t know which pattern causes what reaction. They will need to test, and even then their scripts will never be as good as ours, which have been refined on Ethorria over thousands of years.”

  They all turned to look at Aiko, and she took a deep breath. She glanced to the unimpressive-looking cube in the center of her table and then back to Kane. “I agree. Spellscripts will always be our advantage, but as long as we keep them a secret, others will be looking to discover what our secret tech is. Earth doesn’t care if magi-tech comes out—we know that it is inevitable—what we want is to have enough power to keep ourselves safe once that happens. And this compressed matter and the FTL comms are more important than that secret.”

  The rest of her officers nodded, and Aiko sighed. She had just made a decision that would change the state of the galaxy.

  ***

  It took them five months real time to get to Illos, during which they had studied the data Jaquil had provided on the planet and its syndicates. The entire planet was run by them, so while most called it a lawless planet, that was not entirely true. The syndicates enforced their laws. There were several cities on the planet, but the one that interested them was called Ahatos. They studied up on the etiquette and the way that things worked on Illos, and once they arrived they were ready.

  Once inside the system, Prometheus was challenged by a large station in orbit of the planet. They told the station that they were there to speak with Norvi Rett, and sent the introduction message from Jaquil alongside that response. A few minutes later they had been given a priority queue and told to dock with the station.