Orion's Gate

by Sabine Priestley

  The upper level was quiet, only tables and various seating arrangements. Half of the floor was cordoned off as private offices, each having a glass wall that overlooked the venue.

  They stood on the far side of the offices, and Armond was about to turn when a man inside caught his eye. A bald man. Large and well-built. He had a scar on the side of his face and a tattoo above it, on his head. He fit the description of the outlander that had tangled with Marco.

  Vin followed his gaze. “He’s hot.”

  Armond sent a pulse of pleasure across their bond. “He’ll never do that for you.”

  She flashed him a wicked smile and her left nipple. “Damn straight.”

  Completely his opposite, she was perfect for him.

  He turned back to find the outlander watching them. The fact he’d seen Vin’s breast made him both angry and proud. The man would never touch his woman.

  The outlander smirked and gave a nod of appreciation. Behind him in the office, an interior door opened. Three people exited a room. Framed by the doorway was something he’d never expected to see again. It was a monolith, just like the one that had been stolen from the Portal Masters on Sandaria and ultimately stored on Earth when the Cavacent Clan fled the crumbling empire.

  His recognition must have showed, as the outlander’s expression was now one of intense interest.

  The implications were staggering.

  “Armond, I saw that before,” Vin said. “When you healed me. During your initiation.”

  When the Portal Masters died. She squeezed his hand.

  “I doubt it’s the same one.” Unless the temporal anomaly had completely change the timeline. “I think I figured out how this region exists in two galaxies at once.” He pulled his attention back to Vin.

  “Where’s it come from?” she asked.

  “We don’t know. An alien communicated through it with a fellow Earth Protector and his mate. Their guess was that the society was far advanced from ours. It is a mystery for another day, but worth noting.” Armond took her arm and steered her back toward the elevator. “Come on. Let’s keep searching.”

  There was nothing unusual on the third floor. Another bar, a dance area.

  Behind them, the outlander and three others descended to the ground level. The bald one watched him intensely.

  A moment later, the volume increased from below, and cheers went up from a growing crowd. “Looks like we may have found our mark.”

  They headed for the lift. The venue may look like a dump on the outside, but they’d spared no expense on the interior.

  Vin stood with her face pressed against his back. “I feel like I'm going to fall off the edge.”

  “We’re almost down.”

  The doors slid open, and they faced the stage. Sitting on a stone pillar behind and to the right of a slender woman wearing a full-body jumpsuit, was a box very much like the others. There appeared to be some sort of contest going on, and that box was the prize to be awarded at the end of the night.

  “We could always enter. Maybe get lucky?” Vin grinned. They both knew that wasn’t going to happen.

  “All we have to do is get our hands on it and port out.” Armond said. “Marty, you there?”

  “Of course. Anxiously awaiting your orders with rapt attention and pleasure.”

  Armond rolled his eyes. It had been about the extent of emotional display he allowed before. Now he had a much greater and far more satisfying realm from which to draw. "Can I just speak the numbers?"

  "Negative. You must enter them on your com."

  Senseless, but typical for the game show. “How long will it take you to activate the portal once I give the signal?”

  “Nearly instantaneous, as I said before.”

  “You have a way of being somewhat misleading,” Vin said.

  “Surely you jest.”

  Armond caught sight of the outlander on the far side of the stage. “We’ve got company.” Standing next to him were Ax and his new partner, Kayana, her red skin giving her a decidedly devilish appearance; but that may not have relevance in this galaxy.

  “Shit,” Vin said. “Should we make a run for it? Catch them off guard before the crowd gets too thick?”

  The outlander handed them something, all the while looking straight at Armond.

  “Let’s see how close we can get to the stairs before we make our move.” For the first time since meeting her, he feared her ample size might slow her down.

  Everyone’s attention was on that box and the speaker going on about its contents.

  “They’re moving,” Vin said. “Run.” She bolted at a speed that seemed impossible.

  It took Armond a full second to process and follow after her.

  Both teams were shoving their way through the crowd and onto the stage.

  The outlander stood with his arms crossed and a smile plastered across his face.

  Vin made it first and grabbed the box, but it wasn’t budging. She leaned back and yelled for Armond.

  He lunged forward, and four sets of hands collided on the pillar.

  Ax smiled. “Orion says hello.” He opened his palm on the box, and everything blinked out.

  They were in a portal. A longer than usual portal. But not long enough. The next instant, they stood in the galley of No Commitments.

  Zara had just landed on top of Marco, both of them piled on the remains of the shattered dining table.

  “WhooHoo! What a fucking ride that was!” Marco cupped Zara’s face with both hands and planted a kiss on her lips.

  Zara’s shock was obvious as she pushed herself up to sitting.

  “Sorry, darling.” He gripped her upper arms. “I almost died just now. Kind of glad to be here.”

  Zara scrambled to her feet. “Are you ok?”

  “Oh, baby you have no idea. I was running for my life back there, then you just popped right in front of me.” He rolled over and stood facing Armond and Vin. “Dude, what happened? And who’s this?”

  Armond shook his head, disoriented. He hadn’t been sure how this would play out. If it would play out. Even after meeting Vin, Marco and Zara’s tale had seemed far-fetched. No denying it now. He had no memory of this next interaction, only that which Marco had told him. The part he remembered, they wouldn’t be here for, having already left. In theory. Fascinating.

  Marco gave them a puzzled look and turned back to Zara. “I just kissed you, right? I’m not hallucinating this?”

  “Yes, you just kissed me. When that thing beeped, Armond touched it and disappeared. Scared me half to death.”

  Marco shot him a furious look. “You left her? Where the hell did you go?”

  “It appears the question isn’t where, but when.” He wondered how much parallel there would be between his interaction with Marco and Zara now, and that which had occurred three months ago. Three months for him. Not for them.

  Vin held fast to his arm. “I take it these are the friends you mentioned? From your past?”

  Armond nodded. “My past, their present.”

  “Armond, when did you change your clothes, and who is this?” Marco motioned to Vin.

  Vin squeezed his arm. “I can’t understand a word he says.”

  “The translators must need bidirectional feedback. He’s speaking my native language.”

  “Sounds better on you.”

  He smiled at her. Marco and Zara had both said his behavior had been different. He still wasn’t used to the fact that he could spontaneously smile. It had to be extremely odd for them.

  “What the hells is going on here?” Marco stared at him, then looked at Zara. He kissed her again.

  Zara gave in momentarily, then shoved him back. “What do you think you’re doing?”

  Of course, in this timeline, they weren’t bonded yet; and Ru hadn’t transformed.

  “Reality Check,” Marco said. “I figure I must be hallucinating. None of this makes any sense.”

  “Did we make it?” Ru’s familiar voice ema
nated from Marco’s pocket.

  “Dude, almost forgot you.” Marco withdrew the com.

  “You made it,” Zara said smiling. “But we’ve got a little situation here.”

  “A situation indeed,” Armond said. “Where are we?” He knew, of course.

  “Don’t you think we should get out of here before chatting?” Zara asked. “You know, outlanders and all.”

  Armond smiled again, drawing another perplexed look from Marco.

  “You’re really enjoying this, aren’t you?” Vin asked.

  “Tremendously.” The problem was, he wasn’t sure of the protocol. Should he go along with some facsimile of what he knew had transpired before? He knew some pretty key elements regarding their lives. Like the fact that they were now psi-mates, for one. But what if that changed something? What if the revelation caused Zara, or more likely Marco, to alter their future? The future he had just come from. No. Best not to disturb that. He’d follow what Marco and Zara had said.

  Marco turned to go to the bridge, but paused. “Do you know what ship you’re on?”

  “This is the No Commitments.” For now. “She’s a Delta class transport. One of twenty-three currently owned and operated by the Cavacent Clan, the head of which is Lord Rucon Cavacent, who was responsible for naming the vessel that is primarily yours.”

  Regardless of the time loop, he did have to convince Marco he was Armond.

  “And what’s our current passcode?”

  Armond nearly responded with the code from three months ago, but that’s not what he would have done if he hadn’t known. “Snow White.” The pass from his now.

  Marco scratched his jaw. “What’s the date? Earth date, relative.”

  This one he knew. Weird day, for sure. “March 19, 2018.”

  “Dude, that’s three months from now.”

  Yes it was. “It appears we have arrived from the future. Perhaps a distortion encountered during our jump.” They’d told him he’d said something like that.

  Apparently satisfied, Marco left for the bridge.

  “Come,” Zara said. “Have a seat.” She pointed to the table, and set about making a pot of tea.

  They chatted until Marco returned and wrapped up quickly. He could only hope they hadn’t changed anything.

  “What if we just stay?” Vin asked.

  “I considered it. But that’s not the way it played out before. I don’t want to change anything. Or do anything different.”

  “Makes sense. Strange as all this is.”

  “One way other another, we have to win this race.”

  “Yes, but we’re going back empty-handed.”

  Armond retrieved his com and paused before entering the code. 1618. Was the sequence coincidence or intentional? Perhaps it was one of the subplots that was going to run through the season. A hidden thread to be discovered sooner or later. He entered the digits.

  The familiar pull of a portal enveloped them, along with an unexpected aroma of cinnamon. A moment later, they stood in space.

  Vin latched onto his arm and looked around wildly. “We seem to be missing a ship. And why am I suddenly so turned on?”

  It was warm as Armond breathed in a lungful. “We have air.”

  His mate was right. Their psi was pulsating with sexual tension.

  “Smells like bloorana,” Vin said.

  “I know it as cinnamon.” They stood on an invisible platform, and a stunning nebula lay before them. “It’s beautiful,” Vin said. “I seriously want you inside me right now.”

  Before Armond could reply, an omnidirectional voice spoke.

  “I hoped you would appreciate the view.” Spoken in a deep male timbre.

  “Orion?” Armond asked.

  “Correct.”

  Vin’s curiosity pinged. “Care to fill me in?” Her amusement rippled across their bond, along with a mental image of him pounding into her.

  “When the reign of Portal Masters fell in the Sandarian Empire, Orion communicated with Balastar and Kit through a monolith like the one we saw on Setara Blue. He called it the Gateway Keeper. His energy has an amplifying effect on our bond.”

  Vin shot a burst of pleasure at him. “I’ll say.”

  “Behave.” He stroked her cheek. “Orion assisted us in securing a place to keep the device safe. What are we doing here, Orion?”

  “Your psi signature was detected when you used the portal. It was an anomaly. The only humanoids allowed to use this inter-galactic portal are of the outlanders, and they do not possess your form of psi. Is everything stable on Earth? With the Gateway Keeper?”

  “As far as I know, it is where we left it.”

  “That is well.”

  “Are you responsible for the time distortion?”

  “Yes. It was necessary in order for us to have a discussion. The outlander Varian assisted me.” Orion’s foreign psi buzzed through him. And Vin too, judging by her response. It felt good.

  “You are newly-bonded?” Orion asked.

  “We are,” Armond said.

  The entity had been mesmerized with Balastar and Kit’s bond as well. Was it because of the pleasure inherent in such a tie?

  “This is my mate, Vin.” Armond looped his fingers through hers.

  “Greetings, Vin.”

  “Hello.” She waved a hand, but there was no object to focus upon.

  “Orion,” Armond continued, fascinated. “Are you also responsible for the outlander territories existing in both galaxies?”

  “Not me personally, but one of my kind is. As with myself in your galaxy, that entity plays in this space. They are aware of my involvement in your home star system, and notified me of your presence here. It is fortunate, because you would have remained terminated otherwise.”

  “Remained terminated?” Vin said.

  “Because Armond was not cleared by the outlanders, he was terminated during the attempt to use a portal back to your Galaxy Riders ship. Hence my need to create the temporal distortion.”

  That was going to take some time to process. “Why the No Commitments?”

  “That was an error on my part. Having the outlanders exist in dual space presents certain complications with portal theory.”

  Advanced tech, but not infallible. “Will you allow us to travel between these galaxies like the outlanders?”

  There was a puff of air, and the smell of cinnamon increased. Their psi buzzed with sensual energy.

  “There’s an interesting play of emotion going on with Orion.” Vin spoke over their bond. “He’s talking to someone else.”

  “What are they saying?”

  “Can’t tell exactly. An argument, but good-natured.”

  “The entity that has precedence in the dual existence of outlander territory will allow such travel, but you must win the Octiron race first. She is what you would call, a fan.”

  “And if we lose?” Vin's fear was strong across their bond.

  “I will see Armond is safely returned to his galaxy, but you, Vin, will remain in yours.”

  “That is not happening.” Vin’s voice belied her anxiety.

  “My apologies,” Orion said. “I was only notified of Armond’s presence in the first place out of courtesy. I can make no demands in this situation. But, due to my relationship with the Cavacent Clan whom Armond works for, I will ensure his safety.”

  “In that case,” Armond said, “we need to return.”

  “Certainly,” Orion said. “Please send my greetings to Lord Cavacent, and of course Balastar and Kit. Tell them I will visit soon. And now, I will return you to your original destination. Is that your wish?”

  “Yes.”

  “Farewell, Armond and Vin.”

  A moment later, they were back on the bridge of Galaxy Riders.

  Vin took Armond’s hand. She needed his touch. Needed to know he was here. The thought of being separated from him had a vice grip on her heart, and had totally messed with the sexual buzz they’d had going.

  “Welcome
home,” Marty said. He wore a strange get-up of pointy leather shoes, a thin brimmed hat, and puffed on a long, skinny inhaler. “You do not appear to have the box. Am I to assume you failed?” He blew an odorless cloud in their faces.

  The lights on the infernal vidbots lit up like Trinanthian spark-bugs in summer.

  “A temporary setback,” Armond said.

  “They cheated,” Vin said, exaggerating her displeasure for the feed. “The alien entity helped them. What’s next, Marty. We need to get moving.”

  “Your next destination is a most impressive anomaly.” Marty flicked his hand, and a hologram appeared.

  “What is that?” She panned out and did a 360-degree rotation. Confused, she superimposed a scale along the vertical and horizontal. “Sweet mother. It’s enormous.”

  What looked like a mountain rose slightly over a mile high: 1.005 miles to be exact. She did a quick scan; the closest star system wasn’t too far at just under .7 light years.

  Nothing on the surface of the object appeared to be man-made. No indication of engines, lights, or anything to hint of sentience. “Marty, any readings? Is it an asteroid?”

  “I can locate no sensors within range of the object. Visual analysis provides no clues as to its composition. We need to get closer.”

  “How long will it take?”

  “Just over twenty-seven hours.”

  “Get us moving.”

  Armond waited for the confirmation, then led her to the bedroom. The sensations pouring into her were a heady mix of love and lust. Need and aggressive desire matched by her own. There was no need for words, and they discarded their clothes and physically calmed the turmoil within. The man may be inexperienced, but he made her body sing. They couldn’t be separated. She wouldn’t allow it. She’d spend the rest of her life hunting for him if she had to, because there wasn’t another being in the universe that could take his place.

  Nearly twenty hours and multiple orgasms later, they were curled up on the couch in front of the VR fireplace. “I have a feeling this may be it.” Vin said, sipping a deep, rich red wine.

  “I sense it as well. We’re not going to be alone on, or in, that mountain. Space Mountain.”

  “Space Mountain?” Vin asked.

  “There’s an amusement park on Earth. It’s a thrill ride. A cart attached to metal rails that travels relatively fast for terrestrials. They call it Space Mountain.”