Jump Starting the Universe Book Bundle

by John David Buchanan

  “It was brilliant,” interjected Nita. “Tugurro was cross-eyed over that piece of Toast and agreed to Mark’s stipulations without so much as batting an eyelash.

  “Does he have eyelashes?” asked Mark.

  “You know what I mean,” responded Nita, nudging Mark’s arm.

  “We had no idea Balchek Verdini would get involved and want to build a hundred restaurants,” said Mark. “It was all luck. So, Elia, tell us about what you do,” he said, trying to redirect the conversation.

  They had a leisurely dinner as they talked about work and school and what they liked to do in their spare time. Elia loved to sing, so when she found out Mark played an instrument the conversation took a turn to music. Denton asked questions, but rarely offered any information and no one felt comfortable asking him what had happened the day he and his father disappeared.

  That conversation would be private, between Denton and Nita and their dad. Mark thought at some point Nita would tell him what happened, unless it was confidential.

  Just as they were finishing and ready to leave the café, Nita told Denton she had a question for him. “What is the name of that pale red planet visible on the northern horizon this evening?” she asked.

  “Red planet on the northern horizon just before sundown - that’s Questian,” said Denton.

  “Are you sure?” asked Mark.

  “Pretty sure. Never been there though, and I can’t say I’m in a hurry to go.”

  “Why?” asked Mark.

  “Belkies. They’re all over the plains. They’re big, fast, and dangerous. What’s your interest in Questian anyway?”

  “Mark had a strong premonition his brother Blackie and his friends went there after jumping off Arton’s fighter,” interjected Nita.

  “By the way Mark, Dad said there’s room for you at Bert’s place if you’d like to stay there,” said Denton.

  “Thanks, but I’ve already re-booked my room at the Kerdinvah. The hotel is reasonably comfortable and they have a sizable workout room I can use in the mornings.”

  “I may join you if you don’t mind,” said Denton.

  Nita quickly glanced at Denton, but didn’t say anything.

  “No, I don’t mind at all. I’ll probably start around eight.”

  The next morning Mark was in the workout room at 7:45 and was practicing some spin moves to loosen up using a fighting stick he picked from a rack near the door. Feinting a lunge, he retreated several steps and spun, bringing the stick whirling around his head. It clashed to a stop halfway round. Denton was standing behind him and had blocked his move with another fighting stick.

  “I didn’t hear you come in,” said Mark.

  “That could be a problem don’t you think? replied Denton as he quickly slid his stick away from Mark’s and thrust it at his abdomen.

  Mark sidestepped the thrust, continued around and made his own thrust at Denton’s chest. Denton parried the thrust and brought the butt end of the fighting stick at Mark’s midsection. Mark parried with the butt of his stick and brought the upper end down toward Denton’s head. Denton grabbed his stick with both hands and blocked Mark’s slice just in time.

  The door opened and Nita walked in and sat on a bench near the left wall; they had been sparring for fifteen minutes.

  “Morning sis,” offered Denton as he whirled his stick and aimed for Mark’s head.

  Mark ducked, put his stick on the floor and whipped his legs, catching Denton’s ankles and bringing him crashing to the mat. Mark rolled to his feet to find Denton had recovered with a similar roll and was already upright and at the ready. The two of them stood motionless for a brief moment, then circled and engaged again and again. They had now been sparring hard for twenty minutes and were both drenched in sweat.

  After another fierce exchange, Mark and Denton retreated and circled each other. It was only then they noticed Arton had also slipped into the workout room and was standing near the door with his arms crossed in front of him, watching the two exchange blows. Denton clipped Mark’s leg and sent him to the mat, but Mark recovered before he could press the advantage.

  “Can I help you with something Arton?” said Denton as he wiped the sweat from his forehead, not taking his eyes off Mark.

  “I have a message for Mark,” said Arton. “When you’ve finished putting Denton through his paces, Sly would like to have a word at brunch, if you have time.”

  Denton looked shocked. The Head of the Centorian Council knew Mark and was inviting him to lunch.

  “Sly is here? asked Mark in a shocked voice as he kept his eyes fixed on Denton.

  “Yes,” replied Arton.

  “What’s he doing here?”

  “He gets to come and go whenever he wants Mark. Sly is not in the habit of telling me what he does or why he does things. In fact, he’s not in the habit of telling anyone anything. Sly is Head of the Centorian Council, you knew that, didn’t you?”

  “No Arton, I didn’t. There is apparently a lot I don’t know about Sly.”

  “Don’t feel special, that could be said of all of us. Regardless, he asked if you could join him.”

  “Is Venessa with him?”

  “Who is Venessa?” asked Arton.

  “His wife Venessa; I take it she’s not here.”

  “I’m not sure who is traveling with him. Like I said, Sly is a private person, although it seems you are somehow more familiar with him than most of us. If you are through 'practicing' I’m headed that way and I can pop in and tell him yea or nay – which is it.”

  “Tell him I’ll be right there, and thanks Arton.”

  Mark looked at Denton and motioned to the rack in the corner, “We’ll have to finish this another time. Nita, I’m going upstairs to clean up. Maybe we can meet up later?

  Denton leaned over and put his fighting stick in the rack. When he released it, Mark tossed his several feet in the air. It hit the open slot and slid into place.

  “Sure, said Nita. I’ll be wandering around Main Street doing some shopping.”

  “Great.” Mark nodded to Denton and left the room.

  As soon as he was out of the room and down the hallway Nita turned on Denton. Biting the heads off nails would have made her less angry. “You want to tell me what that was all about,” she said.

  “Just trying to figure out what kind of bloke you’re hanging around with; what he’s made of.”

  “Let’s get something straight. When you and Dad disappeared, I had to take care of myself. I got a lot of help from Uncle Jimm, but it was mostly on me because he couldn’t be around all the time. Having you and Dad back is a dream come true, but you don’t get to charge in here playing big brother trying to protect his little sister.”

  “But I am your big brother.”

  Nita was shocked and speechless. She hadn’t thought of what he might be feeling or need; that he might regret not having been there when she needed him. It’s not all about me, she thought. Stepping forward, she grabbed him into a tight hug. “I’m sorry.”

  “Me too,” said Denton quickly. “I shouldn’t have acted so fast. How about a redo, and I’ll tell dad to go slow?”

  “That would be great.”

  Denton knew from the softness of her words there would be no hard feelings. He rubbed his hip where he hit the floor and winced. “He’s a pretty good fighter.”

  “Better than I realized,” said Nita. “Mark once asked me if I would help him train, but now I wonder why. It doesn’t seem like he needs much help.”

  “Where did he learn to fight like that? I’m pretty good, a little rusty maybe, but he held his own.”

  “He said his brother Blackie taught him. We were in a hardware store in Lindonika when I saw his brother intervene in an argument – three thugs were going to skewer the young clerk because they could. I saw Blackie toss Mark a machete with one hand then spin and strike with another one, stopping his blade a sixteenth of an inch from a man’s head.”

  “Denton, those three men were ha
rdened criminals, but when Mark’s brother told them what he would do to them if they didn’t leave, they were frightened. I saw it in their eyes when they put away their knives and backed out of the store.”

  “Can’t wait to meet him,” said Denton. “So, Mark knows Sly and his family; full of surprises isn’t he.”

  “Mark told me how they met. Sly rescued them from a broad plain on Alphus Nebulum before a meteor shower obliterated the entire area. Turns out, Mark had met Sly previously. He couldn’t tell me all the details – something about attorneys, and intergalactic trade agreements and licenses for importing biologicals. He was pretty vague.”

  “I think that’s the way Sly likes it, based on Arton’s comment.”

  “I met him once, on Gavalkia.”

  “You did? What were you doing on Gavalkia. That’s a dangerous place.”

  “How about you get cleaned up,” Nita said, pinching her nose closed. “We’ll go have coffee and I’ll tell you all about one of the most elegant sword movements I’ve ever seen.”

  Mark poked his head into the workout room on his way out. “I’ll catch up with you later.”

  “Mark, before you go I’d like to say I’m sorry, I came on a little strong,” offered Denton.

  “Oh, I knew what you were doing,” said Mark. “Some strange guy snooping around your sister - if you hadn’t been here this morning I’d have thought something was wrong with you.”

  “So, we’re good?” asked Denton.

  Mark looked at Nita who nodded. “Yeah, we’re good,” said Mark. “That doesn’t mean we have to quit sparring, does it?”

  “No, it doesn’t mean that at all.”

  “Great. Well, I’d better go. I’m starving, and Sly is expecting me.”

  He left the hotel and walked hurriedly down the street and to the café. As he entered the foyer he saw Sly across the room. There was a man sitting at his table, and when he finished what he was saying, the man abruptly stood and left as Mark approached.

  “Mark it’s good to see you,” said Sly with a grin on his face and he stood and shook Mark’s hand. “I hear you took Denton down pretty hard this morning.”

  Mark had a sheepish expression on his face. “News travels fast.”

  “Arton couldn’t wait to describe it,” replied Sly. “Nothing against Denton, they get along great. He was taken by how well you made that spin move. I didn’t know you were trained in sword fighting techniques.”

  “Blackie and I have trained a little.”

  “More than a little from what I’ve heard. Let’s move to that table and order. I’m sure you are starving.”

  Both of them started around the table to the side opposite the door. Sly got there first and grabbed a chair. Mark smiled and took the seat opposite him thinking, if you’re not safe with Sly watching the door then you’re not going to be safe no matter where you sit. The waiter took their order and the conversation began. Sly wanted to know everything that had happened to them since leaving Gavalkia and he was keen on the details of their trip to Numeria.

  Mark described how the Joe, Guzzle and Dex found out where they would be staying from the Lactropodectopoi. “It was a little tense at first; especially when Blackie threatened to spank Dex with his own sword.”

  “You’re joking,” replied Sly.

  “No, I’m not joking. Fortunately, Nita intervened before things got out of hand and suggested we try teaming up. It didn’t take long for us to realize we could be more effective working together, especially after Guzzle showed us how he was going to get in the warehouse door. That was the most bizarre thing I’ve ever witnessed. And, I think they were equally impressed when Joules conducted a little demonstration of her ability. So, we decided to team up and break in the warehouse together.”

  “Not many people would have tried that,” said Sly when Mark finished telling him the other details of their plan to assault the warehouse, and how it worked out.

  “Blackie and I lost a friend one time,” said Mark, “they were kidnapped from the school parking lot. I remember how it haunted Blackie, how the feeling of being unable to help almost swallowed him up. I can’t imagine what it was like for Nita when her dad and brother were taken, and you have no idea the shock she felt when she found out they weren’t dead. When we heard that, we decided right then to help Nita. That’s the reason Blackie trained at the military base. He spent a lot of time honing his skills in case he ever needed to help someone. That’s the reason he trained with me. But we never dreamed we would someday use those skills the way we did on Numeria.”

  “I can honestly say no one knows. You prepare and then you wait,” replied Sly thoughtfully.

  “I’ve been told you’re not the waiting-kind-of-guy.” Mark had a grin on his face.

  “You might not believe this, but I once heard that from a guy who didn’t realize he was talking to me. I think he meant it in the nicest way possible.”

  Sly let out a laugh like a bark prompting several men at a table across the room looked over at him. They had never heard him laugh before. “Can’t believe that’s Sly,” said one of them softly.

  Sly whispered to Mark, “I don’t usually get over here unless something has gone bad. Last time I was here, some fool giants had tried to excavate the rock on the eastern cliffs outside Umbreathe. What were they thinking? What a mess! Donnally and Arton sent what was left of them home with a sizable body count, and rigged their ship to explode after they disembarked at their home planet.”

  “The Korganraim Giants are a bloody menace. Anyway, people here don’t get to see much of my lighter side. I think Venessa and the boys and I should come here for a vacation and mingle for a while.”

  “You might spoil the legend,” said Mark

  Sly’s looked at Mark with a mischievous grin on his face. “Or make it better.”

  Sly asked about the events that led to him being separated from his brother and the others. Mark described how the crew had determined there was something about the Nomad that allowed the Numerians to track Arton’s stealth fighter. “Rather than let them jettison the car, Amelia suggested they use the Jump Starter to get the Nomad off the ship.”

  “And you decided to stay onboard?”

  “I did. Do you suppose Paxim might have seen where they went?”

  Sly thought for a moment before answering. “They jumped four days ago. That’s asking a lot, even from a Jantoid like Paxim. But if they are still in the Epsicron system, and they continue to use the Jump Starter, he might be able to recognize their particle stream and track them. But Mark, if they are still with Anonoi, he may be shifting them, and I don’t know of anyone who can track the movements of a Desredeedese Shade. Their method of time and space shifting is unknown as far as we are aware of, and will probably remain untraceable.”

  Sly could see the disappointment written across Mark’s face. “I’ll ask Paxim if he would turn his attention to it. We might get lucky.”

  “He could start with watching Questian. I can’t explain why, but I have an overwhelming feeling that’s where they are. They’re either there, or they’ve recently been there.”

  Their discussions continued throughout brunch and included a lengthy talk about Sly’s guitar hobby. When he glanced at his watch, Sly realized he was five minutes late for his next meeting.

  “I’ll be in touch if I hear anything from Paxim,” said Sly. “Oh, and one other thing, Denton has a nasty habit of dropping the butt of his stick ever so slightly before going high. Try to break him of that habit if you can.” Sly winked, shook Mark’s hand again and walked down the sidewalk.

  Mark watched him for a moment. Sly’s feet hit the ground so softly it was like he was walking on a cushion of air, and the length of every step appeared to be perfectly measured. Not only was his gait smooth, but the distance between his feet seemed to be the same with each step. Perfectly balanced, he thought as Sly turned at the next street and disappeared from view. Mark walked up the street toward a row of shops trying
to imitate Sly’s perfectly efficient gait. It was harder than it looked.

  From behind him, he Nita called out, “Hey Mark, I’m in here.”

  Mark turned and smiled and walked back to the shop door.

  “Do your feet hurt? asked Nita as he approached.

  “No.” Mark turned red in the face. “I’m trying to walk with more balance, but apparently, it looks like I’m walking barefoot on grass burs.”

  “It does actually. But balance is important, keep at it,” she giggled and she finished, then stifled another giggle.

  CHAPTER FOUR

  HAZARDS OF HORSH GORBREY

  Desredeedese Shades have the ability to bend time and space, and Anonoi had consented to use his ability to help Joules and her friends find their way to Centoria. He had little choice in the matter since Joules was determined go with her friends to help them and Anonoi had taken an oath to watch after her safety.

  But after the last jump, he went missing. When he joined them again he offered little explanation as to what might have happened and suggested they leave quickly. He didn’t say why, but the sense of urgency in his communication stifled any notion of asking him where he had been, and why the big hurry.

  They climbed into the Nomad and as soon as the last door was shut, both Amelia and Joules buried their faces in their hands. Neither of them liked watching the sporadic movements and twitching that accompanied a time and space shift.

  Just before Anonoi began to thicken a tremendous clap of thunder shook the landscape and jostled the Nomad from side to side. In the distance, water vapor in the air began to coalesce into a silvery string that rose into the sky. It looked like a telescoping antenna made of polished silver was being pulled upward from the ground.

  To their left, a cloud of gray dust rose in the air where a rock slide tumbled down the side of a huge cliff. It was not far away, and they all felt the clap of thunder deep in their chests. It reverberated momentarily, shaking them down to their bones.

  “What was that,” yelled Wayne.

  “He’s gone, Anonoi is gone,” said Blackie, who jumped out of the Nomad hoping to find him hovering over the top of the car. Looking up at the sky, he stood there in silence.