The Empress continued, and I could almost picture her red swirling eyes calculating what a portal was. “Just what does this portal do?”
I didn’t want to give her all the details about it, since the Bhlat weren’t aware their own homeworld had one. “It’s a bridge between New Spero and Earth,” I partially lied. I didn’t love that I was giving her access to New Spero, but she wouldn’t know how to use it properly, if at all, so I made the gamble.
“We’ll clear it out. Does this mean you’re coming to see me?” she asked, her voice almost hopeful. I still didn’t understand her fascination with me. I guess I’d appeared in her office building and attacked, taking her and her daughter captive. No one ever made it into that secured building before Leonard and I had, and I think it still impressed her to this day. Most people would have been angry with me forever over it, but the Empress was even friendlier. The Bhlat were an interesting race.
I remembered the first time I’d seen one of them, on the abandoned station where Kareem had given me the location of the smaller shield device. They were so large and imposing, I’d been terrified of them. I had ended up killing him, but Mary, Slate, and I were a little banged up after that adventure.
I realized I hadn’t answered her yet, and she said my name again. “Yes. I’m coming to see you. We’ll be there in a while. Please expedite the portal opening. I don’t want to get there and end up in a stone coffin.”
“Very well. It will be done,” the Empress said, and the call ended.
“Slate, are you ready to go home?” I asked.
“We’re going to Earth?” he asked with a smile. “I have a favor to ask.”
“Anything for you, Slate.”
“We need to stop and get Denise first. I promised her I’d bring her if I ever went back. Now’s the time to cash it in.” Slate’s hands rested on his hips, as if he were ready for an argument.
Denise was a police officer with training and a good head on her shoulders. Not only that, she’d proven her value against the Kraski and robots outside of Terran Thirteen. Who was I to not take extra help when offered? “No problem. We’ll make the stop quickly.”
“I’m coming too,” Rivo said.
“Fine. Let’s make it a party.”
____________
I sent a message to Mary as we stood in the portal room outside Terran Five on New Spero. We were heading back to Earth. I needed to get the Bhlat’s forces to help us.
The portal table lit up, casting a glow against my face as I searched for Earth’s icon. Rivo was in the room with me, and W, our robot pilot friend, was also there. I’d asked him to come with us to perform part of my plan, and he happily accepted, still thinking I was his captain. Captain of what, I wasn’t sure. He’d been staying with Clare at her research facility, and she’d been happy to have the resourceful robot around.
Slate and Denise held hands as I tapped the icon, light covering us before we appeared inside the portal room on Earth. It was musty, but fresh dirt and rocks had been excavated from the doorway. It seemed so long ago that we’d traveled there with Leslie and Terrance on a mission to bring the hybrids back to Haven. Without that mission completed, we never would have succeeded in saving Earth’s population, and the Bhlat would still be our enemies.
Lights flashed toward us, and a few broad-faced uniformed Bhlat entered, causing Slate to reach for his pulse rifle. I set a hand on his forearm, warning him away from it. They were unarmed. They separated, making way for the Empress. She walked into the portal room and scrutinized the dusty space. I couldn’t tell if she was unimpressed or not. I agreed it didn’t look like much, but her gaze lingered on the hieroglyphs on the walls before she spoke.
Her hair was still done in long dreads, and she had a striking face, her red eyes mesmerizing as always. “Dean, how good to see you.” She didn’t step any closer, and she eyed the others with me casually.
“Come. Let’s get you out of this hole and up to my home,” she said, turning to lead us out. The Bhlat stayed still while we strode past them, following the Empress. We moved down the familiar corridor and up the stairs we’d excavated to allow streams of our people to access the blocked-off portal during our mass evacuation.
Before I knew it, we were outside in the middle of the day, the sun high in the sky. I took a breath, finding the air perfect. “What did you do? I thought your machines were killing our atmosphere.”
The Empress spoke as she walked. Her words translated into my earpiece. “We decided to keep your world as an outpost. It made no sense to waste it, since you had so much infrastructure built. Most of it was so old and decrepit, but it was… quaint.”
I’d been so busy looking to the sky, I hadn’t noticed the changes around the pyramids. Stations and structures were erected everywhere, and hundreds of Bhlat milled about, each set to a particular task. Some of their small vessels traveled up and across the clouds. It wasn’t what I’d expected.
“Where are my people?” I asked.
She waved a hand in the air. “They’re everywhere. They stay clear of us, though we’ve had a couple of altercations. They banded together at one outpost in your France and tried to overthrow our facility. We stunned them and moved them into the country. They woke up with headaches, and much less motivation to try it again. We taught them a lesson that day by not harming them. They know we’re here to stay, and that we don’t care if they are too.”
“Do you have any idea how many humans are here?” Slate asked.
“We’ve run sensors for your type, and the results show around one hundred thousand. Give or take.” The Empress was being flanked by at least ten armed guards, but they stayed far on either side, not getting in her way. I suspected she was smart enough to be wearing a shield dome. She trusted me, but that didn’t mean her advisors had to as well.
Slate let out a whistle, and Denise’s eyes were wide. We knew we hadn’t gotten everyone, but Patty’s estimates had been around ten thousand living people, not one hundred thousand. Compared to the three billion we had on New Spero, it wasn’t a lot, and with them spread around the world, with no contact with one another, there were probably hundreds of small settlements all thinking they were the last remaining groups.
We walked across the range, and I took my time to remember how special the pyramids were for humans. The Sphinx sat like a contented cat, an amazing wonder of the world. Even now, having seen countless planets, the awe of seeing mankind’s early monuments was enough to send goosebumps down my arms.
Some of the buildings were on the ground, while others floated like small space stations, surrounding the zone. We arrived at one of those hovering ones, and a remote lift arrived. The Empress stepped on it, and two guards joined her now, getting closer than they had before. We all fit with room to spare, and the elevator pulsed under us, lifting everyone to the floating structure.
Inside, we were greeted with rows of Bhlat standing at attention. A single robed figure was leading them through exercises. We walked directly down the center of the lines of soldiers, and I felt a nervous drop of sweat bead down my chest.
After a few minutes, we ended up in a large amphitheatre. The guards stayed at the doorway, and we were ushered in.
“Sit,” the Empress said, motioning to a specific row. She walked to the bottom of the room and stood behind a lectern, like a professor about to drop some knowledge on a hungry college classroom.
W sat down heavily, the seat creaking under his immense weight. Rivo looked around nervously, like she was in the middle of a spider’s web. Denise and Slate looked impassive, and I tried to emulate them.
“What do you need?” The Empress’ voice was loud, firm.
I stayed sitting, looking around. “Can we talk freely?”
“This is my personal space in Bhlat territory. You have nothing to fear. My people don’t betray their own.” Her eyes were fierce, and I hated how she called Earth her territory.
I bit my tongue and spoke. “They took Karo. You know
what he is, it seems.”
She didn’t seem surprised by the news. “Yes. Theos. How very interesting. I was looking forward to meeting him.”
“We have to get him back,” I said.
“Who took him?” she asked, and I wondered if she knew already, and if this was just part of the show.
“The Kraski. But I know Lom of Pleva was behind it,” I said. My gut was sinking. We’d had word from Leonard that the Kalentrek was gone, dug up, and the space filled back in with fresh soil. I’d had the idea to use the smaller shield device that Kareem had gifted me. For that, we needed Kraski DNA to be uploaded into it. I’d asked Denise to get the DNA from the bodies I’d shot down outside Terran Thirteen, and she’d told me the bodies were gone. Disappeared. “We have a mole somewhere on New Spero. They were able to access our ID codes and get to the surface with ease. Other things have occurred as well.”
The Empress shook her head, as if implying I’d failed somehow. “What are you going to do about it?”
“About Lom? I want to ask a boon of you.” I cleared my throat. “We need to send a ship to the Kraski colony world. That must be where they’ll end up. I need you to trade with the Volim to get one of their wormhole capable ships. W here will pilot the vessel and get there quickly.”
She nodded as if understanding my plight. “All unnecessary.”
“Why?” I asked, my heart racing.
“If they have Karo and it’s for Lom, they won’t bring him to their homeworld,” she said.
I sat forward. “Garo Alnod’s contacts say Lom is in the dark. They have no idea where he is.”
“Then it’s a good thing I have my own contacts. I know where they’re meeting.” The Empress looked doubly impressed with herself.
“But how…?” I asked.
“Dean, we may have a history with the Kraski, but do you think any good leader wouldn’t have kept contact with some of them? I know where they’re meeting Lom of Pleva, just like I’d heard they came for you on Sterona.”
“You have Kraski contacts?” I was shocked. “Why didn’t you warn us?”
“They’ve proven valuable. I reward them well, and I only heard after the fact.” She tapped a screen on the lectern, and an image appeared in the center of the room in three dimensions.
“What is this?” Slate asked.
“This is where they’re meeting.” The image zoomed in to reveal a large, clunky space station. It was circular; each section looked to be built by a different architect, pieced together over centuries. Dozens of ships were anchored to it, sticking out like tiny fingers from the edges of the station. In the backdrop was a huge moon, gray and empty from the looks of it. As the image zoomed more, I spotted glowing signs all over the place. It was like Las Vegas in space.
“Doesn’t look like a military base,” I suggested.
“This is Udoon. A station for trading, gambling, drugs, and any other seedy thing you can think of. It’s run by no race in particular, and there’s only one rule: all are welcome, without bias. It’s been a haven for smugglers and criminals for years. This is where Lom of Pleva will meet Kinca,” the Empress said.
“Who’s Kinca?” Denise asked.
“He’s the one Dean met on Sterona,” the Empress answered.
I raised a hand high in the air. “About this tall, scar on his face?”
She nodded. “The very same.”
My whole plan had been decimated in a few moments, but I now had real substantial hope for our situation. A new plan formulated, one that could actually work with fewer unknowns.
“Do we know exactly where and when they’re meeting?” I asked with a grim smile.
The Empress smiled back at me and nodded.
TWENTY-THREE
Earth. It was surreal to be back. I watched as the drones and robots worked on building the room we’d provided specifications for. I really hoped this plan worked. The construction was coming together nicely, but we still had some time to kill. A day, at least. This left me with enough time to take a trip down memory lane.
“I have to do something. I’ll be back soon,” I told Slate.
“Boss, what is it? I’ll come with you,” he said.
“Stay here and make sure this room gets done exactly as we need it. There can’t be any room for error. We need to have the upper hand on this guy.” I’d already had permission to borrow a ship from the Empress, and it was close by, waiting for me to take it for a spin.
“Sure thing. Watch yourself out there,” he said. He didn’t ask where I was going, but I suspected he knew.
“W, do you mind piloting this thing? I wouldn’t know where to begin.” The robot was standing beside me, silently watching the construction.
“I would be happy to, Captain.” W turned slowly and started toward the waiting ship. It was unlike any of ours. This one was small and boxy, not made for looks. It could haul heavy equipment with ease and had no visible weapons, which told me the Empress might trust me, but not fully. She didn’t get to live as long as she had by being imprudent.
We got inside, and I found the interior seats roomy, built for the bulk of a Bhlat. W found the pilot’s seat and sat down, me beside him. There was no viewscreen, but a console allowed us to see the outside view through live camera feeds.
The doors shut, and the console’s lights glowed against my face. “Where to?” W asked.
“Home.”
____________
The ship parked in the middle of my street. Each side landed on opposite sidewalks, taking up the entire width of the road. W took out a few light posts in the process, but it didn’t matter. They weren’t being used any longer. Nothing over here was.
I stepped out into the warm morning air. As I looked at my old house, it was as if I was in a dream. I heard birds chirping, and I closed my eyes. For a second, I was back in time, back when I was nothing more than an accountant, doing bookkeeping for local small businesses. Helping friends file taxes each year. Watching the Yankees play when I could on the flat screen in high definition. Life’s ambitions were small, frivolous, but important.
I tried to grasp hold of that version of Dean, but I couldn’t. He slipped through my hands as I opened my eyes to see my dilapidated house. Paint was peeling off the window panes, the driveway had more cracks in it than before, and the yard was a disaster, nature taking over.
“This is your home?” W asked in his monotone way.
“It was,” I answered.
W stayed put at the end of my driveway as I stepped toward my house. I walked down the long driveway that led to the back yard. My young trees were much larger now. Everything was overgrown, but I was okay with that. It wasn’t mine any longer. This house was just somewhere I’d parked for a few years in a different lifetime.
I tried the back door, but it was locked. I went to the small pile of rocks to the left of it, and fished around for the fake one on the bottom that held a copy of my keys. I could have broken in but didn’t want to desecrate my old home in such a way.
The door unlocked with ease, and I slipped into the back of my house. My entrance was small, and I saw my old runners sitting under a thin layer of dust. I stepped over them and into my kitchen. Everything was as Mary and I had left it. My fridge held magnets from different places I’d visited in my life. I almost laughed when I saw them, memories of each occurrence flooding my mind.
I kept moving, not sure what I was looking for. Closure, I told myself, but it was more than that. I needed grounding. I headed up the small flight of stairs to the bedrooms, looking to the vacant guest room. When Janine had died, I’d emptied it of her old furniture. I couldn’t bear to see it. The furniture sat in the storage facility where I’d also placed the pendant that now hung around my neck.
Next was my home office. The blinds remained open, and a plant had withered away in the corner. My old laptop was on the wooden desk, and file folders were stacked in the organized chaos that was my signature filing system. I choked back a tear as I recall
ed my old life. Emotions crashed over me as I crossed the hallway into my old bedroom.
Suddenly, I missed Mary and my baby girl with such ferocity, I thought I was going to fall. I sat on the foot of the bed, cradling my head with my hands. I had to get Karo back. I owed him far more than that. I had to stop Lom of Pleva and the Kraski from coming for me. I needed to give my family a safe place to live, one free from the constant worry of attack. Right now, that wasn’t the case.
I sat there, hoping my plan was going to work. It had to.
I wiped a hand over my face and stood up, straight-backed. The trip home had given me the fuel I needed to go on. I pictured Jules’ sleeping face and smiled. I’d be back to them soon, and I’d be so attentive, she and her mother would grow tired of seeing my mug.
I exited through the front door, leaving it unlocked. There was no one around anymore. There was nothing left to pillage, anyway.
“Everything good, Captain?” W asked, still on the sidewalk.
“Yes. We just have to make a couple more stops,” I said with one last look back at my old house.
____________
Ohio was hot. I stepped off the ship and onto my parents’ acreage. The huge garden was overgrown with weeds. This was likely the last time I was going to be in America, and I wanted a trip down memory lane. I laughed out loud, thinking of my mother telling me to pick those weeds. Some of them were as tall as I was. My mom hadn’t made it through the Event, and my dad had passed long before. I suddenly missed them like I hadn’t in years.
For the most part, the house looked as it always had, just a little more weather-worn, in need of serious maintenance. My mom had sold the place prior to the Event, taking Isabelle with her to the coast. I missed coming back to it for holidays. Somehow, visiting my mom in her condo hadn’t held the same comfort as coming back to our large farmhouse.
I walked the periphery of the property, taking a breath of fresh air. The Bhlat had done a good job restoring the atmosphere. The air was more suited to them now, but it was still safe for a human’s physiology. After I visited the house, checking out my old bedroom and the family room where I’d watched Ninja Turtles on the small TV for hours as a kid, I meandered back to the ship, where W was waiting patiently.
Old Enemy (The Survivors Book Six) Page 16