Idza agreed with me for the most part. After the Echelon had cleared orbit we continued our discussion. She was interested in why I didn’t think King and Erebos would be back anytime soon.
“Al and I just make a great team. He activated their autopilot and their self-destruct while I deactivated their weapon systems. Then I decided to take a detour into their star charts and did a little scrambling. When they get back to human space they’re in for a shock when they realize Dawn isn’t listed where it’s supposed to be.”
I gave her a thumbs up and a smile.
Idza looked pleased by that and then ordered me to the hospital for treatment. She didn’t like the way I looked with my body bruised and beaten. I didn’t feel all that well either. There was a good chance I had some internal damage from Jason hammering his cybernetic fist into me. After washing up with empyreus, using as little as I could manage, I slept for a few hours. When I awoke I felt amazing and my bionic eye finally started to work again. Idza was waiting for me and together we walked outside of the village to help in the cleanup, collecting the dead and unconscious.
“Can you find another source for the empyreus crystals and build a new processor?” I asked her during our walk.
“The . . . crystals grown in the mountain . . . only grow there.”
She told me based on the amount of empyreus left in the lake, if used sparingly it would last them another seven to ten Earth years. If they planned to excavate the rocks and boulders from the cave’s floor, as well as build a new processing facility, it would take them roughly half a century. No one really knew what would happen when the empyreus ran out. It made the Dawnians strong, focused, and peaceful. Their way of life was as melodious as the music they sang. Empyreus helped them realize their true potential, but I couldn’t help but wonder if they had already reached that potential, and because of it they didn’t know where else to go or how else to evolve. They forgot what it was like to live for something, to fight for something. There wasn’t a care in the world until humanity entered their lives. When Erebos and King invaded, the Dawnians were ill prepared for it.
How would all of this change in the next few years? Would it be like an addict detoxing off drugs? Or would they start to realize the wonders and terrors that still eluded them in space?
Flux, I was exhausted. I couldn’t help but replay the last few days over in my head, the fight between Chorta and me, the battle between human and Dawnian . . . and Jason.
Stars above, Jason.
He protected me, saved my life years ago, and he paid the ultimate price. Now he was trapped in a grotesque form of himself, bonded with various metals and bionics. Although a part of me was convinced the cyborg wasn’t Jason anymore, I knew somewhere deep inside he fought to survive. At least in his own way, his soul still lived.
I made sure to collect the bodies of all the humans who were either knocked unconscious or dead. For the deceased, I dug out their graves myself, wanting to give them a proper human burial. This was never meant to be a battle between Earthling and Dawnian. I didn’t think of myself as some kind of defector. I liked to think that I acted in the best interest of everyone involved. I wanted to believe that I did what was right, not only for the Dawnians, but for the better side of humanity.
When it came to the humans that were still alive, Idza brought me to the Authority who had their own plans. They sang their song to me, letting Idza translate.
“Humans will remain with us . . . they wanted our planet . . . wanted us. We wish to understand . . . we want them to understand.”
They put their foot down and I wasn’t getting much of a choice in the matter. In a way it made sense. These humans, assuming they cooperated, could learn a lot from these creatures. Maybe they could even grow to befriend them, to see the lives they almost destroyed. I couldn’t help but wonder at times whether they even realized what they were doing from the beginning. Did they know the endgame or were they following orders blindly?
“If they remain here, will you give me your word, your vow that no harm will come to them? Will they be treated well?”
I waited for the translation to go through. They nodded and sang back to us.
“Yes . . . our intention is to learn from each other . . . over time . . . if they do not prove violent, they will be free to walk among us.”
Well, that was that I suppose. I bowed to them, but they weren’t finished. More singing rang out among the tent. I looked to Idza for the translation, but she hesitated to say it. Her face grew somber.
“They . . . request you honor your promise . . . you will leave the planet.”
Ouch. That felt like a figurative sucker punch to my stomach. They must have seen the wince I made when they said that. They sang again, this time it was a little softer.
“We are very grateful . . . you saved us . . . we do not deny it. You must also realize you have some fault in what happened. Many of us will honor you . . . some of us will not forgive you for deaths of loved ones . . . the destruction of sorania machine. You said you would leave if you saved us . . . all we ask is you honor your words.”
There was no argument against what was said. I did tell them I would leave. After all that happened it shouldn’t have been surprising to me that I was a reminder of what they had, how peacefully they lived until I arrived. In a few years when the empyreus runs out, they’ll remember what and who caused it, but I wasn’t ready to leave just yet.
“I will honor my promise and leave you, but only after I am allowed to stand with you during the burning of the fallen. I wish to see Laraar one last time before his life force is released from his body.”
The three of them looked at each other, deciding whether they would allow it. I watched a small tear form in Idza’s eyes. The Authority accepted my request provided that I would leave shortly after. I agreed.
The Belle’s repairs finished within a couple of days. Al, of course, was reinstalled into it. His mainframe had fused with the Dawnian technology, but they were willing to sacrifice some of their components. At first they wanted to keep him as well as the human soldiers, but I refused it. I made a promise to Greg Smithson that I would keep Al safe, and since my father was one of the engineers that designed Al, I would never let him out of my sight as long as I could help it. With Al integrated into my ship, I felt like I had a little piece of my family with me every day.
I gathered together with the Dawnians one last time as they set fire to their fallen. So many of them died, some of whom I never had the pleasure to meet. Horku and Grimal were among the fallen, now burning in the fire. Their life force would soon be reunited with Grent’s. I held Idza’s hand during the ceremony. My eyes burned with tears as we watched Laraar’s body burn to ash. The Dawnians sent their people off with a soft, yet powerful dirge, which didn’t make it any easier for me to contain my emotions. I would never forget the bond that Laraar and I created and I would miss him terribly. Idza told me that he would stand among the honored fallen of his people. If it wasn’t for him, I would have never had the chance to blow the mountain or send away Erebos and King. He not only fought for this world, but I felt like he fought for me.
Afterwards it was time for me to depart and Idza accompanied me to the Belle. I didn’t even get a chance to talk to the human soldiers. I hoped that everything would work out for them, and maybe one day in the future I could come back here and see the progress that was made. Even though I would miss this place, the thought of being back in space gave me goose bumps. It’s where I belonged. I looked at my ship, assessing the damage to the hull and took notice of my starboard wing, more specifically a section of paint that was scraped off. That wasn’t there before. It made me smile.
Laraar and his piloting skills, I thought. At least I knew with the paint missing, I would always be reminded of him. I would never fix it.
"Will you be able to make it home?" Idza asked me.
I tried to calculate the amount of fuel I had left. With over half of my cells sacrificed t
here was a good chance I wouldn’t make it. For whatever reason that didn’t scare me. I had my ship, I had Al, and the people of this planet were safe for now. I told this to Idza and she produced a small canister from a pouch hanging on her waste.
"Empyreus? No I can't. You should save what you have left."
"Daniel, you still try and hold blame . . . Had you not destroyed the mountain, the humans may have taken all our lives. You say you did us wrong, but I say you did us right. Forget the others . . . believe me. Take this and go home. I insist."
She held it out to me, her eyes pleading. I felt like I would be insulting her if I didn't take it, so I did and thanked her. The two of us stood across from each other and time seemed to stand still. I could only hope that everything I did here wasn't in vain. The honor and sacrifice of Laraar and countless other Dawnians depended on humanity staying away, at least for now. I hoped that at some point I could share everything I learned and experienced here. I worried about what would happen if this planet fell into the wrong hands, but for every wrong there is a right. I firmly believed that one day there could be peace between our two races. I told this to the Authority and Idza before leaving.
"I keep a mission log on my ship and I'll make sure the time I spend traveling back to my sector of space will recount everything I experienced here. My people have similar authorities like yours and I hope to one day present them with the log and bring good people here, people who will work and learn from you, just like I have."
I walked toward Idza, opened my arms, and put them around her, pulling her into a tight embrace. At first she kept still, but then I felt her hug me back. We stayed that way for a while. When we let go my eyes were misty and I felt tears building up.
"I'll miss you Idza."
"Your presence has been an added piece to my life force. It will not be the same."
Every minute that passed was just putting off the inevitable and if I didn't step onboard the Belle right then, I might have just stayed despite the order of the Authority. But believe it or not, with all the trouble waiting for me I was ready to face it. My feet touched onto the metal floor of the cargo bay and I turned to wave to Idza as I pulled up the latch. The first tear didn't fall until the door shut, separating us, but after the first came more and I broke down as I walked to the bridge. When I finally sat down, I couldn't help but smile at the second rate controls and cracked display screens. The ship was a hunk of junk, but she was my hunk of junk and she had carried me safely from one end of the galaxy to another.
"Captain," Al said. I was happy to hear his voice again. For a time I was worried they wouldn’t be able to reintegrate his system with the ship. He may not be sentient, but after the years I worked with him, I honestly considered him a friend and confidant. I wouldn't tell him that though. It would drive up his ego too much. "Based on your apparent emotional state I feel obligated to ask if you are okay."
I laughed at him. The statement was so serious yet I knew that was his way of showing concern for me.
"I'm okay Al, thanks. Let's activate the reactors and get out of here."
The Belle buzzed with energy and lifted off the ground. I stared out of my window at the wonder that was Dawn; beautiful trees, blue colored grass, golden sun, and, most of all, the village in the distance where the people were busy repairing their buildings, their homes, and their way of life. I turned the axis of my ship slightly to see Idza standing below watching the ship take off into the sky. I knew she couldn’t see me, but I saw her and I kept the ship hovering there for a moment before finally punching the execute button. The ship turned and took off quickly through the clouds and up into the atmosphere. I leaned back in my chair and took a deep breath. I tried to focus on the hum and rhythm of the ship’s engines, which normally acted as an agent to calm me down, but for once they had little effect on me.
“Captain,” Al said, startling me awake. “I must inform you that we do not have sufficient fuel to return home.”
Without responding I stood up and left the bridge, walked down two floors to the engine room, and used a small amount of the empyreus on my engine cores. The two large engines hummed appreciatively and power levels spiked to maximum. Even after I witnessed the power of empyreus multiple times, it still bewildered me. When I returned to the bridge, Al actually sounded excited.
“Captain, correction of previous statement: at maximum slingspace velocity the ship will reach human space in 5 days, 2 hours and 17 minutes!”
My eyebrows shot up at Al’s time estimate, which was half as long as it took to get here.
“Well, let’s not be in too much of a hurry,” I said. “Although it would be fun if we beat the Echelon back.”
I laughed, though it felt strangely hollow. I looked out into the vast, endless reaches of space hoping to feel relieved, but I couldn’t help wondering about the Dawnians I left behind and how they would adapt to a new lifestyle. Surely Raymond Erebos, Sarah King, and Cessa would be keeping an eye out for me for all the wrong I did them. So much happened in the last few weeks and I wasn’t sure who I was anymore. I killed. I destroyed the energy source the Dawnians relied on and you can’t just move on from things like that. I had a feeling the trip home was going to bring a new set of nightmares.
Still, there was one thing I was absolutely sure of. I was Captain Daniel Quinn of the Kestrel Belle. Nothing and no one would ever change that.
“Orders, Captain?”
“Take us back to humanity’s little corner of the galaxy Al,” I said. “Let’s take it slow and steady. I think we’ve caused enough trouble . . . at least for now.”
Coming soon!
Keep reading for a special preview of:
Antagonize
From the Logs of Daniel Quinn
ONE
There’s something to consider when you’re traveling between alien planets —they have no idea how to cook a human meal. I sat in a bistro created by the Karthans to facilitate comfort for smugglers and travelers who delivered to their planet, and all the while I stared down at the plate of ‘food’ using my fork to poke at the grey looking pasta.
A distraction in the form of a young alien joined me at my table, his small mouth turned in a wide grin. His skin was pale blue and there were no ears on the sides of his head. Instead a pair of antennae protruded from his thick, blue hair. I knew he wasn’t a Karthan because they never showed themselves to you above the surface of their planet. They used service bots and droids to play host to visitors. Rumors suggested that Karthans were short beings, half my size, and large around the midsection. I also heard the under city of planet Karth was a thriving utopia, but since they never allowed any aliens access, none of the rumors ever changed to facts.
“Rotu nah-oh,” he said to me in a high pitch voice. “Nah-oh ja Daniel Quinn!”
I recognized the language . . . He was a Restra from the planet Tristain. I never traveled there personally, but I spent the past year familiarizing myself with all aliens and languages in my ship’s database. Twice in my mind I played his words over so I could translate them.
I know you, you are Daniel Quinn!
Confusion would be an understatement. I figured Karth to be the perfect planet to visit. From outer space it appeared desolate and floated within toxic nebulae, making you wonder how the damn thing was habitable. I arrived less than a day ago, transporting chemicals and weapons to their dock, and now I sat waiting for payment. Smuggling jobs were the only kind I accepted. When you use the Starcade to apply for jobs, you risk taking something more extreme, such as sending a message to the buyer’s enemy or outright killing someone.
Somehow in my short time here, this Restra found me. Alarms in my head rang out, warning me that potential danger could lie ahead. The Restra just stood there with the goofy grin on his face, and tapped two of his four fingers on a computer tablet of some kind.
I did my best to appear hospitable to the young being, but under the table I cocked back the hammer of my revolver.
&
nbsp; “Ih na, buu Ihn rinya ri tis karta-oh,” I said. I am, but I’m confused why that excites you.
“Oh ja rikrik?” Are you kidding? The more he spoke my mind translated his Restran words almost in real time, becoming less and less difficult to understand him. “You’re a hero! Is it true that you went to an uncharted planet and saved the lives of the natives?”
I nearly fell out of my chair when he described my time on the planet Dawn. How the hell could he possibly know this, unless he was working with one of the enemies I made on the planet? I slowly gripped the handle of my gun, wrapping my finger against the trigger.
“Who the hell are you and how do you know about this?” My voice broke slightly.
Tress’s excitement faltered as he registered my confused, frustrated expression.
Don’t dwell on the past. Just worry about the present, I thought to myself. I breathed deep and exhaled slowly in an attempt to relax.
“You know about me and you’ve met me, but you still haven’t told me what you’re doing here or how you found me in the first place.”
“I can answer that for you, Captain,” a voice said from the entrance. Turning, I found a stocky man gripping the door frame. His forehead glistened and his chest heaved.
Although there were accommodations for humans, the chances of two of us being on Karth at the same time were slim. The man stepped over to my table, favoring his left foot as he did so. My stomach churned like a raging tornado and I felt cornered. I blinked hard, disguising it by rubbing my eyes. When I opened them again my right eye—a bionic one that replaced my biological eye after a skirmish against Sarah King—displayed a series of scans and readings of my surroundings, including the human and Restra. From the outside, the eye appeared real unless I shifted my vision to night or thermal imaging, so they didn’t know I was scanning them. The human’s pulse was racing; his heartbeat dangerously high, but he didn’t carry any luggage or even identification. All he had was his clothes. His clean shave and combed hair made his appearance this far out in the galaxy odd. And when I looked at the Restra, a faint energy signature emanated from behind him. A weapon?
Energize (From the Logs of Daniel Quinn Book 1) Page 23