At last, they contacted the smooth surface of the pad, waiting for the engines to spool down. Norris stood as Rantara keyed in the hatch command.
“Are you ready for this?” he asked softly.
“Let’s go,” she said and Norris smiled at the calm in her voice; it would take much more than a trip across half the galaxy to unsettle Onallin Rantara.
The hatchway pivoted downward to make a narrow ramp and the cold hit them immediately. Norris tilted his head against the wind as he stepped slowly onto the pad.
“Hang back for a second,” he said suddenly; “they’re suspicious of any ship they haven’t seen before, and this one is going to be right at the top of that list. If they see a really tall, hard-ass alien girl jump out at them…”
She nodded and stood silent, keeping out of sight while Norris waited for the landing officer to walk from the elevator portal. At once, Norris felt a jolt of uneasiness when he recognized none of them. Phillips, the landing officer Norris had known for years had been replaced, it would seem. The new official, showing the uniform of a Colonial Customs agent, spoke first.
“Please remain where you are, sir,” he said, “the administrator is on her way now.”
Norris stopped, smiling involuntarily at the sight and sound of the first human he’d seen since his big 690 shuttle lifted into a wintry overcast many months before.
“I apologize for landing without a commerce permit or flight plan, but we’ve come in from…”
His words were cut short when a figure, walking slowly at first, rushed toward him, nearly at a run.
“My god! Darrien?”
He grinned as Izabel Vieira pushed past the Customs official to envelop Norris in a very tight hug.
“I can’t believe this! They told us you died out there.”
“Sorry for the confusion, but I was only lost. It’s good to see you, Izabel.”
“Where the hell have you been?”
“Long story; I’ll fill you in on the details in a few minutes.”
She noticed the sleek, black scout ship.
“What is this?”
“I borrowed it from some new friends, and…”
“Darrien, where’s your shuttle?”
“I had a little accident.”
“Were you hurt? The survey teams reported you overdue, but we never knew where you went, and…”
Norris waited nervously, hoping a guard wouldn’t look inside and force his hand until he was ready.
“Izabel, you have to listen to me, okay? A lot has happened since I left. This is going to seem very strange, but…”
Her expression hardened.
“I don’t understand.”
He nodded toward the open hatch.
“I’m not alone.”
“Okay,” she replied, “but…”
Norris looked at the guards.
“Do we need all these policemen?”
Izabel turned to the official.
“Thank you, Gregory; you and your men are released.”
The official held up a hand in protest, but she cut him off.
“I can take it from here!”
The Customs man shook his head and turned to go, motioning the guards to follow. Norris waited until they disappeared into an access portal.
“Before we go inside, I need to show you something.”
“All right,” she said, but the worry was plain in her tone.
“This is not a normal introduction, Izabel; my companion isn’t from here.”
“Where’s he from?” she asked, looking past Norris’ shoulder toward the ship.
“He is a she, and part of the reason I’ve been gone for so long. This is going to be a little weird, but I need you to stick with me and don’t lose your mind, okay?”
“You’re scaring me, Darrien, what’s this all about?”
“Don’t be scared. It will be a bit of a shock, but you don’t have to be afraid, all right?”
Izabel nodded nervously as Norris motioned for Rantara and she stepped slowly onto the pad. She moved effortlessly the way she always did, almost gliding across the frozen surface of the landing pad. As Rantara drew near, Izabel stepped instinctively toward Norris. He held out a hand and turned.
“Izabel, this is Onallin Rantara; her people are the Khorra Nu and she comes from a planet called Belex, a very long way from here. Onallin, this is Izabel Vieira; she is an old friend and colleague when I lived here before.”
“Hello, Izabel,” Rantara said in perfect English, offering her hand as Norris instructed when they prepared to leave Fells Moll.
Izabel took it, but she couldn’t speak. At once, she was drawn to the strange, amber eyes and a face, shining in metallic swaths of silver and bronze.
“How do you do?” Izabel replied automatically, looking at once to Norris in stunned confusion.
“My shuttle was taken across a huge distance by an accident inside the Bertrand Plexus thread; that’s why I never made it to the Copernican Maze. I became stranded in Khorran space when my shuttle crashed. I was taken prisoner by some soldiers, but later, Onallin helped me survive and escape.”
Izabel felt numb.
“I’ll explain it all,” Norris continued, “but she came home with me to help stop something terrible from happening.”
“Something terrible?” Izabel mumbled as the fear and anxiety took her over.
“There is another civilization, even farther from here, and they are determined to destroy us. I was told about this during my time away, and all of humanity is in danger, Izabel. Onallin and I were sent to warn the Terran Congress and ask them for help to defeat this threat.”
Izabel’s eyes darted nervously from Norris to Rantara and back as the confusion swept over her. Nothing made sense and she reached for his arm in reflex.
“Please tell me what’s going on here, Darrien. Is this some kind of joke?”
“This is real, Izabel; it’s not a joke.”
The wind swirled again, stabbing at them in cold bursts.
“I can explain, but I’d rather not freeze to death on a landing pad.”
She couldn’t move.
“Izabel?” he said again. “It’s really cold out here.”
After a moment, she recovered and motioned them toward the portal. Off the stairway below, Izabel showed them quickly into an empty office once used by navigation crews in the days when telemetry input was a team effort. She closed the door and folded her arms as the frustration began to mount.
“I don’t know what’s going on here, Darrien, but I need you to explain this! Everyone thought you were dead, but you show up again, right out of the blue with this…”
“Khorran,” Rantara said softly, judging Izabel’s growing agitation.
“I’m sorry; I didn’t mean to insult you.”
Rantara smiled and held up a hand.
“You don’t have to apologize; when Darrien was sent to us after his accident, he was the first and only human we had ever seen; it was a very strange experience for me, too.”
Rantara’s words seemed to ease Izabel for the moment, but Norris’ expression was unchanged.
“I know how this must seem Izabel, but we don’t have much time. I need you to call the Governor’s office on Tanus and arrange a meeting with him.”
“Darrien!”
“Just call him; I’ll tell you everything that’s happened to me, but we have to see him immediately. Use your influence with the Trade Minister if you have to, but get us a meeting. This is life and death, Izabel, do you understand?”
The confusion and fear pulled at her, but she nodded and opened a comm link to her assistant. It took a while, but the arrangements were made; they would be received in three days’ time at the capitol on Tanus. She looked at him again, somehow calmed from the near panic she felt only moments before.
“It’s arranged, but I have to call back and explain this to her.”
“Her?”
“You probably didn’t know, but Ma
nsoor Cleaves is gone; we have a new Governor now.”
Norris smiled and nodded.
“Good! That idiot was useless from day-one. Who got his seat?”
“Do you remember the news stories about a lawyer who took on and busted the Wild Horse Syndicate?”
Norris nodded.
“Yeah, I remember; an ass-kicker, born and raised on Earth—Argentina, I think—but she’s spent most of her life in the Colonies. I don’t recall her name, though.”
“Huan Li.”
“That’s her. She got herself elected Governor?”
“In a landslide.”
“She’ll do better than Cleaves ever did; good for her!”
Izabel leaned against an empty desk.
“I’m ready for that explanation, Darrien.”
Norris eyed a chair in the corner.
“Before I begin, we need to keep this under wraps for the moment, Izabel; don’t tell anyone else but the Governor until things are settled. I know what I’m asking of you, but trust me and stay silent for the time being.”
Izabel’s frustration was growing.
“I will, but this is all a little overwhelming, Darrien. Just seeing you again and your friend…”
“I know, and I am very sorry for throwing all this at you in one blast, but I don’t have any choice, Izabel; we need to keep this quiet and get to Tanus as fast as possible.”
She looked again at Rantara.
“Are you here to introduce your people—a diplomatic official?”
Rantara waited for a moment, unsure if she should answer. Norris nodded for her to reply.
“Not precisely. I came here to help Darrien brief your government, but I’m not a diplomat.”
Izabel shook her head.
“I don’t mean to pry, but how is it you speak our language so well?”
Norris held up a hand.
“You might want to have a seat and get comfortable; this is going to be a very strange tale.”
WHEN IZABEL’S ASSISTANT called her with the flight plan approval an hour later, it was time to go. She sat in silence, still struggling with all she’d heard. From Norris’ first terrifying moments on Karroba to the hell of life inside Bera Nima, Izabel listened in near disbelief. The escape and flight from Kalarive; the Transceptor and what they found on Esharam, all of it left her numb. But as the minutes passed, she understood Norris’ description had not been contrived to tease or fool her. Only two meters from her stood clear and unavoidable truth in the stunning yellow eyes of an alien from billions of kilometers distant. At last, she walked slowly along the table, chewing on a thumbnail and playing through in her mind those things that would have to be done. Norris looked and saw she understood.
“It’s going to be difficult to keep this under cover, Darrien. I’ve never seen anything like that ship; if the security detachment starts asking questions about it…”
“It won’t matter, once we make it in to see the Governor. Before anyone can get riled up about it, we’ll be long-gone. Just buy me some time until then, all right?”
“How am I supposed to do that?”
“Make up a bullshit story—tell them I’ve been on some classified mission for the Colonial Navy and you don’t know any more than that.”
She began to pace again.
“This is crazy! Even if what you’ve told me is true, you’re going to walk into the Governor’s office with the first extraterrestrial since they discovered the Sansesh and the Pollaba, but she’s…this is one of the most important events in history, Darrien!”
Rantara held up a hand.
“I’ll try not to frighten anyone.”
Izabel closed her eyes, suddenly aware of her tone.
“I’m sorry Miss Rantara, I know you’re Darrien’s friend, but this is all so sudden and overwhelming…”
Rantara walked close, towering over Izabel where she sat nervously at a vacant table.
“We are much more than friends, Izabel. Darrien is my Choice Mate and more important me than all others; I would do anything to help him protect his people.”
“Your Choice Mate?”
Norris leaned close and said, “Onallin is what we would call my fiancé, Izabel.”
His words stopped her cold.
“Wait a minute; you’re…engaged?”
“Yes, we are. I’ll fill you in on the rest of that story, I promise, but right now, we have to get to Tanus.”
“Okay,” she replied at last. “Can I tell Rachel, at least? She needs to know you’re home again—that you’re all right.”
Norris smiled.
“Is she in the bays? I’d like to see her before we head out.”
Izabel shook her head.
“Rachel went back to Earth almost six months ago, Darrien. She took your position after they finally declared you lost, but the R&D people asked her to help them with their new delivery system design, and they needed her there.”
Norris frowned and said, “Did you say six months?”
“Yes.”
“How long has it been since I left for the Maze?”
“Don’t you know?”
“It doesn’t work that way, Izabel; time and space are not constant, and both can be manipulated.”
“What does that mean?”
“Just tell me how long it’s been since you sent me out to fix that broken Chalmers.”
She looked down while she made the calculation.
“Just over a year and a half—twenty months, to be exact.”
Her words pounded at him, cold and without regard. Fighting against a sudden sensation of despair, he sat quickly, looking at Rantara with the face of a confused child.
She knelt immediately and put her hand gently against his cheek.
“Haleth told us this could happen, Darrien. The Trap slowed your timeline and there’s nothing we can do to change that. It couldn’t be avoided, but we still have to complete the mission. The Hyperthreads are direct; they will get us back to Fells Moll in a few days, don’t worry.”
Izabel’s confusion returned.
“Fells Moll?” she asked feebly. “Who is Haleth?”
Norris tried to recover.
“I’ll explain later.”
“He’s part of this trouble you’re in?”
Rantara spoke before Norris could react.
“We’re all in trouble, Izabel.”
Norris thought again of Rachel, trying his best to hide the dulling sensation of disappointment.
“Where did they send her?”
“Rachel?”
“Yes.”
“They brought her back to corporate—Rachel’s in Chicago. She and Justine Ozawa found a nice apartment up in Evanston, near the Northwestern campus; she teaches incoming freshmen part time and…”
“Justine went with her?”
Izabel suddenly realized what Norris could not have known.
“They’re married now, Darrien.”
At once, he felt the effect of his disconnect as never before.
“I have a lot of catching up to do, obviously.”
“They missed you terribly—we all did.”
“Just tell her I made it back and I’m safe, but no more than that, okay? Whatever you do, say nothing about Onallin or why she’s with me; there will be time for that later.”
“I won’t say anything else.”
Norris looked away.
“How bad did it hit her, when they told her I was dead?”
“Rachel never believed you were dead, not for a moment. She drove the Navy and the Colonial Affairs people insane, demanding patrols throughout the Bertrand Corridor every week until they finally declared you lost and refused to continue. After a while, she hired an out-of-work survey crew from the inner worlds to search a huge grid, square by square, planet by planet. It cost her nearly all her savings, but it didn’t matter and she wouldn’t quit. Rachel won’t be surprised to hear you’re still alive, Darrien—delighted, but not surprised. I think she and J
ustine were planning another search expedition, so it’s going to be amazing when she hears about this.”
“When you speak with her…”
“I know what to say, don’t worry. Oh, there’s one more thing.”
“Yes?”
“After she got back to Earth, Rachel went to see your parents; I think it helped them to know somebody else believed you were still alive.”
“They’re home again?”
“Your mom hated being off-Earth and your dad’s retirement made it possible to repatriate; they’re in Australia now. I’ll get the address when I speak with Rachel.”
Norris smiled.
“They loved it down there. My dad always talked about moving after they retired.”
“Rachel said they’re in Perth, near to where your aunt and uncle live?”
Norris felt again the weight of the moment, so distant from his family and alone. Rantara saw it.
“There will be time, Darrien. When we finish ending this nightmare, we’ll go to them.”
He smiled up at her.
“It’ll be your turn to face the interrogators!”
Izabel stood near Norris, watching him closely.
“You don’t know how wonderful this is. I thought I’d never see you again, but you’re here, alive and safe. Please don’t get yourself killed on this big mission of yours, okay?”
“I’ll do my best.”
It began to ease—the ache inside that reminded him how far he’d gone from his home. They had never been close, but seeing Izabel again felt like reaching the safety of a buoy in a raging sea.
“How much money did it cost you when I didn’t show up at that survey site?”
Izabel laughed, suddenly released from her own doubts and torment.
“It was a blessing, actually. The crew had to pack up and abandon the site, but we found out later the deposits they were sitting on were only surface-deep after all. Shen Ming sunk a huge amount of money into their own survey after our crews left, but they never realized a profit from it. The only thing we lost was an old air truck.”
Echoes of Esharam Page 26