The room’s occupants were dumbstruck at the news and skeptical the Giants would be so bold. Their initial reaction quickly gave way to disbelief then outrage. One participant went so far as to suggest the Giants must be suicidal.
“There’s something not right about this,” said Donnally, when the fervor settled down. “The Giants are aware they’re no match for us. Their antiquated fleet would be obliterated if they tried an assault here. This must be some kind of demented joke.”
“I’m afraid it’s not a joke. One of our informants passed us information indicating the Korganraim National Assembly voted to declare war on Centoria, and they are moving fast to set their plans in motion. We don’t have all the details, but suffice it to say they believe they can lure our dedicated defenses away from Centoria, then attack when they believe we are weak.”
“Obviously, I don’t know the details, but that’s an absurd plan,” offered Donnally. “When have we ever reduced our dedicated defenses?”
“I agree with Donnally,” added Bert. “We must not be privy to something else at play, because that plan is a suicide mission. Our new gunships can detect incoming translocations and identify the type of ship involved before it materializes. Any hostile would be destroyed before it could establish a firing protocol. Do we know any of the players involved?”
“We’ve been informed that Lor Guldr was appointed Chairman of the Korganraim Battle Council,” replied Sly. “That’s no surprise, given his reputation. What is surprising is their Assembly appointed Erg Balor to the position of Vice Chairman; he isn’t a good fit with Guldr. In fact, he’s the complete opposite of Lor Guldr. Donnally, you’ve met Erg. The cool-headed security officer on the Korganraim mining ship you and Arton confronted on the eastern ridges, that was Erg.”
“What’s our plan, Sly,” asked Bert. “The giants won’t hesitate, even if their plan isn’t a good idea. Sending a mining ship to desecrate the Angel’s Rocks proves that.”
“All of our dedicated defense personnel have been notified of an imminent threat, and away ships have been alerted. In the event things get ugly they may be recalled. I agree with Donnally and Bert, there must be more to the story, but for now that’s all we have.”
“Elia, your squadron is responsible for the southwest quadrant. Bert has already notified the other squad leaders of their responsibilities. See him after our meeting and he can bring you up to speed. Before we move on let me reiterate, so everyone is clear, this issue was brought to our attention only a short time ago, and we consider it a real and imminent threat until we prove otherwise.”
As Sly finished, someone knocked on the conference room door. Donnally went over, unlocked it, and slipped into the hallway. When he returned he had two pages of folded paper stapled together at the top. As he walked back to the table, he opened and read the papers. “You’re going to want to read this immediately,” he said to Sly as he handed the papers to him.
Sly took the papers. It was a brief report from one of their gunships in the Sote-kiliet. After he finished reading he began a discussion. “Very early this morning, a friend of mine alerted me to certain events happening in the Sote-kiliet. Coincidentally, this morning Donnally asked the captain of one of our gunships in the Sote-kiliet to check out several odd astrophysical and terrestrial disturbances reported from that same sector, and specifically on Mortia.”
“This report is from our gunship in that sector. The captain of the ship indicated they translocated to Mortia, but when they got there, the planet was gone. They checked their instruments, conducted a test translocation, and returned to the same coordinates, but Mortia is no longer there.”
“An entire planet is missing?” asked Denton sarcastically, as if someone were playing a bad trick on them.
“I would have had the same reaction,” replied Sly, “if Paxim, a Jantoid I consider a close friend, hadn’t described to me the impending destruction of another planet in that same sector. The report says our gunship recovered several small craft that escaped the planet before it disappeared. All the passengers’ stories agree, Mortia was concussed by an intense sound wave that caused widespread destruction.”
“Then, the planet and everything on it was broken into chunks that became pulverized as they were sucked through some kind of portal. One witness reported seeing ships come through the portal, but his description doesn’t fit any ship we’ve ever encountered. Arton, you have a question?”
“Does the report indicate who the survivors are? My sister’s brother, Stuart Devlon was assigned to a temporary position with Bordcon on Mortia. Early this morning, he called my sister Marie and told her he witnessed those exact conditions. Stuart advised her to call off their vacation and come to Centoria immediately.”
Sly reached across the table and handed the report to Arton. “The second page lists the craft recovered and their occupants,” he said.
Not bothering to read the report, Arton turned to the second page. The seventh entry indicated the gunship had recovered a small, short-range cruiser, deep in space, way beyond the limits specified in the ship’s manual. All the occupants survived including Captain Stuart Devlon, and passengers Jay Millser, Donna Kimble, and Gladys Whittsner.
Arton stared at the page. All those people on Mortia; all of them gone but a few whose names that fit on one sheet of paper. “Is this it?” Is this the whole list of everyone that survived?”
“We’re hopeful others realized what was happening and made it to long range ships that escaped. Our gunship wouldn’t have any way of knowing about them; how many there were, where they went, or if they survived,” replied Sly. “Those are questions we can’t answer right now and it will be some time before a complete survivor list can be assembled.
“Marie arrives later this evening. She’ll be relieved to know Stuart is okay.”
“Donnally, send a recall to all of our Alpha Class gunships and support ships,” said Sly. “I want them all prepared to return at a moment’s notice until we figure out how to proceed. That’s all I have for tonight. Once the survivors are questioned we’ll have more information and we can work on a plan of action.”
“So far, whatever is happening is limited to one area of Sote-kiliet, but we can’t assume it won’t head this direction. Now, enjoy the rest of your evening and when you have a moment, give these matters some deep thought. We need every idea on deck for consideration. Have a good evening.”
Everyone at the table stood and after some brief exchanges began to exit the conference room. Before Mark and Nita reached the door Sly called out.
“Mark, could I have a quick word with you?”
“Sure,” replied Mark. Turning to Nita he said,” I’ll catch up with you outside then.”
“Can I help you with something?” asked Mark as he approached Sly and Venessa.
“You’re probably wondering why I invited you to this meeting.”
“I was, but if this is about Denton, I’m already working on that flaw in his high attack. His midsection is probably sore today.”
“Good,” said Sly, “but this is not about Denton. I wanted you to hear what is going on out there, before I talked to you privately. You can keep this to yourself or share it with the others, that’s your call.”
“Okay.” Mark had no idea what Sly was talking about, but several ideas flooded his mind all at once, vying for a position in front, the one that gets the most attention. “So, what is this about?”
“Before they departed, the Captain of our gunship in the Sote-kiliet informed me they detected a signal from an unshielded energy source on a nearby planet in the sub-sector near Mortia’s coordinates. Thinking it might have been a distressed ship, the captain instructed his navigator to lay-in a course to the signal’s origin. But before they arrived, the signal disappeared. Fearing the worst, Captain Johann continued, thinking there might be still be survivors.”
“When they arrived, the small planet Puerlon was still intact. Whatever is happening to the other planets i
n that sector hadn’t affected it. The Captain said his sensors hadn’t detected the use of a translocation drive as they approached, and they didn’t detect a particle stream leaving the planet, which leads me to this conclusion. I think that signal may have been from Wayne’s Nomad, but I can’t explain why our best detectors couldn’t track it.”
“Oh boy,” was all Mark could say for a moment, then, when he collected his thoughts, he continued. “When we boarded Arton’s fighter on Numeria, Blackie snuck someone onboard, and managed to hide them in the Nomad undetected. When Amelia used the Jump Starter to get the Nomad off Arton’s ship, they all jumped, including the stowaway.”
“That doesn’t explain how the signal disappeared and was untraceable,” pressed Sly.
“Well… it does, actually,” said Mark. “Our stowaway was a Desredeedese Shade.” He stopped for a moment to let Sly grasp the full impact of what he had said.
“A Desredeedese Shade,” Sly said in amazement. “You were traveling with a Desredeedese Shade.”
“Well, we didn’t have a choice. Black market transportation is scary business, and when we decided to help Nita bust her dad and Denton out of the warehouse instead of going back to Gafcon-49, we couldn’t use the Jump Starter because we still don’t know how to program the blasted thing.”
Mark hesitated for a moment then continued, “We’re sure he was sent to keep an eye on Joules and help keep her safe. As you are aware, Shades can shift time and space at will, and their movements are virtually untraceable. So, Joules insisted he help us find the Zin Char’s warehouse, or we would use black market transportation. That’s how we got to Numeria, Anonoi took us there”
“I assumed as soon as they left Arton’s fighter and completed the jump, they would come to Centoria. But if they landed in the Sote-kilet, that explains why they haven’t shown up. Things aren’t as straightforward as I had hoped they would be. One wrong jump, one wrong shift to the wrong planet, and they could disappear through one of those black tears and be gone forever.”
“As of this morning they were still out there,” replied Sly. “I want to believe they’re okay. In fact, they are in better shape with the Shade helping them then without him.”
“How so?
“If they use the Jump Starter their movements are completely random. They could land on a planet that’s disappearing and might not have time to leave. If what you say is accurate, and the Shade is looking out for Joules’ safety, then he’s probably doing reconnaissance before he moves them. That’s what I would do. I’d inspect the candidates first, and move second.”
“The tricky part would be avoiding being on a planet too long if it’s begun to disappear, said Sly. “If they find themselves in that situation, and I’m correct about the Shade leaving them to do reconnaissance, they might have to jump and take their chances if he’s not back in time to move them.”
“I’m sure that’s what they will do, but I hope they don’t have to. Thanks for telling me about this Sly.” Mark walked to the door of the conference room and before he knew it he was outside and being hailed by Nita.”
“Want to meet up with Denton and Elia?”
“Sure,” replied Mark. “While we walk, I’ll share some news.
They were supposed to meet Denton and Elia for a light dinner in uptown. Mark told Nita about his discussion with Sly. All the time he was thinking, “the contraption that saved our lives twice could now kill my brother and best friends.”
“They’re smart Mark, very smart. They’ll figure out a way to escape the Sote-kiliet and make it here, to Centoria.”
Mark forced himself to smile at Nita as he opened the restaurant door for her. As she trailed the hostess he followed her across the room to Denton’s table. Soft music playing in the background didn’t prevent them from discussing the council meeting, but Mark was barely conscious of the conversation. The waiter delivered menus; Mark didn’t remember anything he said about the specials. Elia ordered appetizers while Denton and Nita fought over who would be responsible for the bill. As the others perused their menus and discussed the entrees, Mark’s thoughts were elsewhere. The last thing on his mind at that moment was food. He wasn’t hungry.
CHAPTER EIGHT
BLUE GENOCIDE
Joules woke before the others and realized Anonoi hadn’t returned yet; they had been sleeping for several hours. After stretching, she opened the car door softly so she wouldn’t disturb them. Once outside, she pulled on the handle and pressed the door against its frame. It closed perfectly, and when she eased the handle in not a sound was made. Wayne did a great job on this restoration, she thought, I’ve been in new transports that weren’t this tight.
She walked in front of the Nomad and stood there, staring up at the sky. She wasn’t sure what she wanted to see, but she knew what she didn’t want to see. She didn’t want to see a gigantic black rip the sky from horizon to horizon. Joules lowered her eyes and swept the land stretching out before her. It was nice; not unlike Gafcon-49 where she grew up.
Thinking about her mom and dad, she wondered if they were safe. Her dad could take care of himself, she knew that. But, being on the wrong side of the Shumbrans made her uneasy. She was somewhat consoled by the fact she and her father had the same gift. They could channel energy, and based on their discussions after the Shumbran attack at the museum, her father was quite good at it.
I need to practice control, she thought, I can’t automatically flare up every time there is a confrontation or problem. I need to be more discreet; maybe have a little more constraint.
Joules was so preoccupied with her thoughts she wasn’t aware of it coming toward her. Lost in thought about home, and their current predicament, she wondered if they would ever see Mark and Nita again. We will. Blackie promised Mark he would find him. We’ll see both of them again.
When it was ten meters away she felt something odd. A rush of energy prickled across her skin, and she caught a slight movement in her peripheral vision. Joules turned to her left, and in the fraction of time it took to make that move her hands became engulfed by raging balls of white light that hissed loudly. Whatever it was, it stopped advancing.
It wasn’t a corporeal body. Joules wasn’t sure what it was. The space where it stood seemed to shift and bend as its translucent edges billowed in and out like a piece of cellophane moving in a gentle breeze. She couldn’t see through it, but she couldn’t see it either. It was like someone had partially erased the space it occupied, and a vacuum filled in where it stood.
To position herself between it and the Nomad she moved slowly to her left. As she moved she began to glow intensely and flickers of hot white light burst out, forming a gyrating shield encompassing her completely. A tubular beam of light three meters long shot from her hand and hung in the air making spitting sounds as it incinerated every bit of moisture and dust in touched.
Joules advanced the beam to five meters. She didn’t intend to strike, but she wanted to make sure whatever it was knew she wasn’t backing down. The billowing mass began to change. The edges shifted, becoming more distinct and the form of a humanoid body began to emerge where the shifting, billowy vacuum had been. When the form was complete, a whispery sound like a man’s tenor voice drifted toward her.
“I am Sheal,” it said. “Come, we must speak.”
“What are you?” asked Joules, who had become more uneasy. The translucent humanoid form still had edges that looked watery; constantly shifting and shimmering as she watched.
“Come, we must speak,” it said, and motioned for Joules to come near. “I will not harm you.”
Sure, ‘cause if you were going to harm me, you’d tell me, she thought.
“Remain as you are, inside your shield, but come, we must speak. I will not harm you.”
The more you say that the more unsure I am, thought Joules as she glanced at the Nomad. None of the others were stirring. The light beams surrounding her intensified as she stepped forward. It motioned again for her to come.
Joules retracted the beam of light hoping it wouldn’t be threatened, and she took another step forward, then another until she was only two feet away.
Behind her, a rustling noise came from inside the car followed by the sound of a door latch opening hard. The door swung open and Blackie yelled,” Joules get back.”
As he stepped from the car the humanoid shape resumed its billowy appearance, and then expanded suddenly to engulfed Joules. In a split second, before any of them could react, she vanished into the billowing vacuum.
“Wayne, Amelia, help.” Blackie ran at the billowing shape, but as he approached, it moved away out of his reach.
“Amelia, what is that?” asked Wayne, as he and Nita slipped out of the car to join Blackie.
“I don’t know. Blackie, don’t touch it! Where is Joules?”
“She’s inside that thing,” said Blackie. It retreated again when he took a step forward.
“It doesn’t want to be touched,” said Wayne.
“Forget that,” spat Blackie, “that thing swallowed Joules.” A nauseating feeling crept over him like a snake swallowing its hapless victim. It was the same feeling he felt when he and his brother’s friend disappeared from their junior high school parking lot and there was nothing he could do to help her. That feeling of helplessness is what drove him to study self-defense at the base; but he had gone way, way beyond self-defense. Blackie’s head swirled momentarily, like he was on the brink of passing out. I won’t stand here and do nothing, he thought, and the light-headedness passed.
Blackie ran to the Nomad and opened the hatch. Where is it, where? He rustled around until he found what he was looking for, then he walked back toward Wayne and Nita brandishing a long tire iron. Wayne grabbed his arm, but Blackie threw him off easily and stepped toward the billowing vacuum again. “You either let her go or I’m coming in after her. You’ve got five seconds.”
But before he could count to three the sound of Joules’ voice drifted in the air. “Blackie, I’m okay. I won’t be long.”
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