“What happened? Did you break up?” Logan asked.
“There was nothing to break up,” Gunner replied with an odd look.
“Yeah right. You like her…mate?” Ayla asked.
“Yeah, she is awesome. But she belongs here. This ship is her life,” he turned and looked out of the observation window.
“It is time,” a voice said from behind them. They all stood, cleaned off the table just as they had done for weeks, grabbed their luggage, and followed the guide ready to take the short ride on the Bru down to the capital city of Auslet.
“We’re going to the capital city of an alien planet. How weird is that?” Gunner asked still trying to take it all in.
“Seeing your sister that was kidnapped and taken to outer space for the first time in twenty years…how strange is that?” Logan replied one-upping his friend.
The metal door slid open and they walked down a narrow passage and through a second opening. They entered a sitting area of a new transport with four rows five seats long. The seats were covered by a blue material that contoured to Logan’s body as he sat. On both sides, a pair of ten-foot by eight-foot panels of glass on the exterior walls allowed for viewing.
“I guess this is their version of a glass-bottom boat tour,” Logan said. He looked up as Honoré’s Stur Craft was passing to the port side heading toward Econ. One by one his crew followed.
“What do you think of him…Honoré?” Logan asked watching the small fleet pass.
“Just a worthless smuggler. Don’t trust him,” replied a uniformed woman who had led them to the Bru.
“Smuggler seems kind of harsh,” Gunner said.
“Charity wasn’t the reason he picked you up. He was paid…and paid well,” she replied then turned away.
The comments didn’t bother Logan. Honoré had gotten them to the transport safely and he was thankful for that. If he found that Sonia was there and alive and well, he would be grateful to Honoré for his role in getting her to safety. The animus displayed by the Viennin woman seemed to be on a personal level and was not in line with those he had met and interacted with. She was beautiful and, like most of the people from Viennin, tall. He assumed that she and Honoré were intimately involved at one time and her comments were based upon a negative end to that association. Regardless, her comment lingered in his mind.
Ayla grabbed Logan’s hand and smiled at him, “You a bit nervous about seeing your sister?”
“A little anxious. I just don’t know what to expect. Is she healthy? What kind of condition is she in considering the things she has experienced? Either way, good or bad, it will just have to be dealt with. She will be well cared for,” he placed his hand on top of hers.
“Do you really think they will bring us back?” she asked expressing a bit of doubt.
“It will be hard to be ‘ambassadors’ if they don’t.”
The transport was docked on the port side of the Tuega facing Econ. The atmosphere radiated gold as the Sun seemed to hit it perfectly. The many hues of the large bodies of water and tropical areas of the continent were accentuated and breathtaking. Ayla found herself in awe and very much interested in the topography of the alien planet. Much like earth, she could see mountain ranges, islands of various shapes, stretches of what looked like barren land, and huge rivers that cut through the visible continents.
Thoughts of the great explorers and archaeologist that had inspired her to the life she was leading welled up the sense of adventure and the need to experience the new planet. Ayla, for a moment, forgot about war, death, and the imminent threat to her home planet. For a second, none of that mattered. There was a childlike excitement fueled by the many possibilities.
To the south of Viennin was what appeared to be the largest reef system she had ever seen. It dwarfed the Great Barrier Reef in Australia, which was roughly the size of Japan. This was two to three times the size, “Would you like to dive on that?” she asked Logan.
“I wouldn’t know where to start. It is huge. My initial thoughts are of the currents, types of marine craft they use and navigation systems. I wonder how much like Earth this place is…plate tectonics, seasonal changes, hurricanes, jet stream. My mind is flooded with questions right now. I can’t imagine what your scientific mind is thinking of,” Logan said.
Within minutes the bold blue and turquoise oceans passed beneath them and they were hovering over a landmass. A sudden series of clicks that sounded like the release of a hundred powerful electromagnets revealed their departure. The transport broke its seal with the Tuega and seemed to freefall for a second before lunging forward toward the unknown continent.
The Bru accelerated as it entered the atmosphere and effortlessly coasted down and leveled off several hundred feet above the surface moving so quickly that it was nearly impossible to get a good look at the landscape. The three wanted to tell the pilot to slow down so that they could take it all in, but there were more important matters than sightseeing. Despite their speed, large cities could be seen on the horizon. The small pockets of population that passed beneath them were a blur. After several minutes, the transport slowed down, banked to the port and dropped down off a cliff over a large raging river. The sudden move surprised the three Earth people causing them to instinctively grab the armrests for security while the flight crew seemed to hardly notice. When the freefall bottomed out several feet over a raging river the three shared a look of relief and a brief laugh.
The Bru cruised over the raging rapids for miles traversing the course of the river. Odd structures sparsely lined the waterway from the initial entry point and seemed to be increasing in density suggesting that they were nearing a large area of population. The Bru slowed down and made a one-hundred and eighty-degree turn and dropped once again. In front of them was a large waterfall that seemed three hundred feet or more in height and a thousand feet wide. They pulled up their phones thinking it was a photo opportunity, then were surprised when the Bru began to fly toward the wall of water. The three shared a look of bewilderment.
The transport pushed through the thick curtain of falling water, where a large underground hanger carved out of the stone beneath the river was revealed. The craft entered slowly then hovered over a square with a symbol that looked like a triangle, then descended onto the solid surface. To their right several doors silently slid opened and the exit ramp moved into position and stopped with a loud sound of metal slapping metal. The guide stood and invited them to exit the craft.
Logan was the first to the doorway expecting to see his sister waiting for him in the hanger. He stuck his head out of the opening and panned the immediate area of the large underground military facility and saw no glimpse of anyone looking remotely familiar. A group of what he assumed were important Viennians had gathered and awaited their exit of the craft. Each wore a grey uniform with trim that varied from a pinkish color to red, blue, and purple according to their responsibilities. The majority were tall with brilliant red-green and blue eyes. Logan was concerned as there was no sign of Sonia. Twenty years had passed and he wondered if she was in front of him and he was simply overlooking her. After a second and third pass, he failed to hide the disappointment.
As they exited, Logan noticed Honoré’s transport to their left. He was standing in front of it engaged in an animated discussion with a woman with long dark hair. She seemed to be about his age and was shorter than most of the beings in the hanger. Of all the people he had met or engaged since leaving, she looked the most like them…of Earth. Logan wondered if she was another freed slave. But, judging by her mannerism, she was not holding her tongue with him and was passionate about whatever it was they were discussing. He considered walking over and rescuing the young Econian from the tongue lashing he seemed to be receiving but declined to do so.
As he stepped off the bottom of the ramp, a distinguished looking man with a full head of white hair approached. His uniform was unlike the others and was solid white. He had one red-green and one red-blue eye, a neatly
trimmed beard, and a pleasant and inviting smile. The man approached, “I believe it is customary on Earth to shake hands…yes?”
Logan reached out and took his hand and replied, “Yes, sir…it is unless you are hip. Then you just fist-bump,” he balled up his fist and waited for the man to do the same. They lightly bumped knuckles, “just like that.”
“I am Artemidorus Eirar. I am the Director of an agency we call SINSTER,” he replied with a genuine smile.
“The magic pen…you did that? SINSTER? Wait…what is the proper pronunciation of your name again?” Logan asked as Ayla came up to his side.
“Ms. Brown,” he said acknowledging her, “please, just call me Art. No need for formalities. Yes, SINSTER,” he replied looking back at Logan. “Let’s just say it is our job to help keep the people of this nation, your planet and others like it safe from those who don’t have the best intentions.”
Gunner approached and shook Art’s hand, “Underground secret hanger…with a waterfall covered entry. Nicely done. You guys know how to awaken a man’s sense of adventure.”
“Fighting to stay alive wasn’t enough?” Logan asked.
“I know all of this is a shock to you, but you will have some time to take it all in,” Art noted.
“I don’t mean to be rude, but where is my sister? I would like to see her if you don’t mind,” Logan said abruptly.
“We had her. She left not long after you boarded the transport and were heading this way,” Art said.
“She…left or escaped? Was she a prisoner here?” Gunner asked.
“No, not at all,” Art turned and gestured for them to follow him. “If you will follow me, we can discuss such matters. It is better that we do so in a more secure location. But first, if you don’t mind…for security reasons.”
Logan and Gunner looked suspiciously at each other, “Wait! One of the reasons I came here was because we were told that my sister was here. I was supposed to get her. So, she really isn’t here?” Logan asked with a bit of concern.
Art paused, “She was here and she will be here again…”
“What does that mean?” Logan asked becoming irritated.
“Right now, we need to discuss the other reasons why you are here. Like, the threat your planet faces,” Art replied.
A female agent walked up to them holding a cylindrical device one inch in circumference and three inches long. A round lens was fixed atop the upper section. She held it up to Logan’s left eye and looked down at him smiling, “Don’t blink.” A bright flash briefly illuminated the iris and pupil flooding the retina with blinding light. Receptively, Logan turned his head and blinked. She smiled, thanked him, and then repeated the process with Ayla and Gunner. It took a minute for the spots in their vision to dissipate.
“You experimenting with us?” Gunner asked in response.
“Plenty of Earth people out there. We don’t need to experiment with you. A lot can be learned simply by looking in the eye. The status of your health, origins, and it is uniquely yours. This is for security purposes. We will establish a level of clearance for you and put you into the system so that you can move around freely. You know…so that we can eyedentify you.”
Gunner gave a nod to her comment then leaned over to Logan, “‘…was here and will be here again?’ Kind of an odd statement. Don’t let your guard down. He said our weapons wouldn’t work back on the Tuega…you think that was a bluff?”
Logan seemed to be in deep thought and simply replied, “I don’t know. I’m hesitant to believe anything at this point. Everyone wants something it seems. She should have been here, but she doesn’t appear to be. Was that a lie to get me here?” Logan said. “If so, why me…why us? There’s so many far more qualified to be here than me. As far as our weapons, we are outnumbered regardless,” Logan said nodding toward the armed troops in the hanger.
“Yeah, a lot of people on Earth have engaged in hand to hand combat with aliens that are trying to kill everyone in the universe. Plenty of them to choose from. No reason to pick you,” he said jokingly.
Art led them to an arched tunnel about twenty feet at its apex that was cut into the mountain. The rock surface was left a natural color that looked like granite and had no synthetic finish. It glistened like glass as the lights radiated off of it. To his left, a disturbance caught him just before entering the tunnel. It was Honoré and the woman he had been engaged in conversation with were approaching. He stopped and waited for them to catch up.
“Logan, this is Sachi.” He extended his hand to shake hers and she stared inquisitively at him. “That is a gesture of goodwill from Earth people,” Honoré noted. He demonstrated by shaking his hand.
Sachi gave a nod and took Logan’s hand then shook it, “That is a strange way to greet,” she noted looking down with a wrinkled brow.
“The Tisht sent some Roo’kall to take my Faoer…father. Sachi was going over to talk to him when she sensed that something didn’t seem right. She decided to hide out and watch for a few minutes before approaching Dag’s Erim. She could hear something going on and it sounded like he was fighting someone…things were being broken. After a few minutes, some Roo’kall drug him out of his Erim. A transport appeared and they took him. She never saw anyone go into the Erim but watched as they drug him out. They tore the Erim up looking for something.
“Not long after that, hours, according to Sachi, some of these Roo’kall just appeared in her home. They seemed to just walk out of the air and were there. She was able to hide and get away…they never saw her. It was unnerving how they were able to just appear like that. You need to be conscious of the possibility of them showing up anywhere at any time,” he warned.
“What do you think they want with your father?” Logan asked.
“To get at me…for what happened at the Erim of Tilhar and on Earth. They left a message for me to come and get him. I will return to Capetes tonight and see what I can learn. Then I will set out to track them down. Have a good visit here. But don’t linger too long. This place may become a war zone if they should attack. Your people will need the information you will bring to them…although I am not sure of the good it will do them,” Honoré said before turning and walking away.
Logan caught back up with Ayla and told her of his discussion with Honoré. They followed the group into a large room on the left that had been cut out of the mountain. The ceiling seemed excessively high and was illuminated by thirty bright lights that were as painful to look at as the sun. The walls were lined with metal panels, electronic devices, and large monitors. As Art walked to the center of the room, a large irregularly shaped stone table rose out of the floor and stopped at the height of his waist. Art waved his hand before Logan could make a second attempt to ask about his sister. A three-dimensional image of a planet appeared over the table and hovered. Logan found the colors to be flat and less impressive than other planets and wasn’t sure if it was due to the quality of the hologram or if the planet was as depressing as it appeared.
“This is Isfahan. The entire planet is ruled by a group of beings known as Tisht. I believe that you are familiar with them.” On the side, a hologram of one of the Tisht appeared. Right away, they recognized the creature. “This may be what you encountered on Earth?”
“Yes—” all three said simultaneously.
“Honoré told us all about them and the Code,” Logan said.
The hologram of the planet flattened and took on the likeness of a map. Sections of the map quickly disappeared as the center section grew larger and expanded. The image focused on a city and the map continued to zoom in on it. From the map, buildings and odd structures rose up several feet. The city of Onsan came alive with airborne vessels traveling in all directions flying at different heights. They could hear the sounds of the city as the Tisht moved about their business. In front of Ayla, a small single-engine vessel flew erratically. She could see the vessel’s pilot feverishly working to correct the stray craft. It lost power and fell from the sky. As it des
cended from the atmosphere, a second much larger vessel on a lower level traveling in a different direction, smashed into it. The sound of the impact made Ayla recoil. She watched in horror as the small craft was crushed and the pilot was ejected into the air where it fell, what she estimated was a hundred feet, and was killed upon impact. The tangled mass of metal that was once the single-engine transport crashed to the surface near the body and exploded. Ayla reached down and could feel the heat of the flames. She pulled her hand up to the traffic and felt a disturbance in the air from the traveling vessels. After a closer look, the creature was recognizable and she recalled the attack on the outskirts of Tulum. She didn’t let the memories get to her.
“How is this possible?” Ayla asked as she walked around the table observing the living hologram from all directions, “this is amazing.”
“This is the city of Onsan, the capital city of the Tisht.” Art waved his hand and the image zoomed in closer moving between countless buildings before settling on a structure with three sections that were connected by a large breezeway three-quarters of the way up. The three towers seemed like they should have stood upright but were leaning in and supporting each other.
“The building looks like it was bombed. Did your people do this?” Gunner asked.
“No, this appears to be the handy work of either Ms. Sonia or someone that is with them,” Art replied with a raised brow.
Logan’s attention piqued. For the first time, he was confident that Sonia was there at one time. He turned to Art for more information, “Sonia? Are you sure? How?”
“During captivity, your sister was forced to take part in, let’s just call it, a breeding program. It appears that she gave birth to a son, who was taken from her right out of the womb. This son was to be raised and sold as a slave. But that didn’t work out as planned—”
“He died and she somehow went back for revenge?” Logan asked pushing the story along.
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