Phoenix Rising: The Covenant (Phoenix Rising Infinitology Book 1)

by Angela Timms

  The details are a little sketchy but apparently on one of these trips he met with one of the Neatkatraskis. These are small creatures that turn up a lot in folklore on some planets. The one in question had a totally unpronounceable name, as most of them do.

  This altered the Tavern in many ways as she was a scientist in her own right and she added the ability to travel back and forwards in time as well. She controlled this completely and kept the secret about how it worked.

  One of these Taverns is on Earth by her request. It was long forgotten. Long story but basically after the scientist who created it died suddenly it was put out on active missions without his guidance. He hadn’t really written up good notes so there were a lot of teething problems. Unfortunately one of its controllers had an agenda and tried to sell off some of the technology while he was on Earth. The deal went bad for him and he was killed. He’d already killed the other controller. The technology was lost but it was pretty much useless without the Tavern and as he hadn’t told the murderers the location they ended up with an interesting piece of space technology they could not use.

  There is only one active tavern, the rest are just shells and the active unit was left on Earth. It hadn’t been opened for business for information gathering as Earth wasn’t a planet that had any need. So it lay abandoned for years. It had never been intended to be an information gathering device there; it was on a farm in Wales. I’ve looked through the records, there seems to be no reason for this from our point of view. This was at Widget’s request as there is a gateway on the farm to where there are similar creatures on Earth and she used it to visit her family and friends. She wasn’t on the Tavern when it was abandoned there so it was forgotten and sold with the farm when that was sold.

  The owner of the farm was what is known as a role-player and a writer. Basically the earth people dress up in costumes and solve problems and pretend they are in off world situations. A bit like our training missions. Anyway, the Tavern was on stealth mode so it just looked like a barn. For some reason she saw it as a Tavern and while a friend as staying they turned it into one. She found the ornaments and recreated it as it once was.

  I can only guess that it was the power of the creatures that lived the other side of the gateway that made her think that it was a good idea. It is quite a lovely story really. She and her husband organized one of their gatherings and the story they were playing out was close to reality. The technology they put together was able to be used by the Gate Folk to actually make the Tavern work again. The story they wrote pretty much reflected the truth and the people there made it work.

  Once the Tavern could move again Widget was able to summon it one night when it was empty of people to pick her up. She then returned with it. Her power to work on the human mind meant that she was able to convince the role-players that she was a puppet which was the character of the creature that owned the Tavern. As role-players can have what they call props this meant that she could freely be in their house or in the Tavern and was taken into the Tavern when they were roleplaying. It also made it easy when she had to reveal her hand to talk to the owners. Although I imagine this was a bit of a shock for them or I should say her as by then the husband had left.

  There was a slight hiccup in all of it as the divorce and the owner’s time away meant that the place lay dormant for a year or so. The house was rented out but Widget’s people kept it untouched so that when the owner returned it could start working again in time for it to be needed now.

  The story they put together was that the Tavern had been bought and started up as a pub by people who didn’t know it had the capability to move between planets. It was running out of power and had a default setting to move to a safe planet so the unsuspecting customers were moved to another planet. There was the twist that there had been a murder in the

  Shell they had moved to so that gave the opportunity for parts of the story to be introduced. That the writers used the Followers and the murder is quite remarkable and that they had to go and find the controls for the Tavern again quite a useful happenstance for the Gate Folk. Of course they made sure that all the bits and pieces that the writers put together were the ones they wanted and the control box they created to be found in the game actually had the small components in it necessary for the Tavern to work. Any plastic toys that the role-players put together were replaced by actual working components once they were in place. So rather than a Tavern as its stealth mode it has a roleplaying Tavern and as this is only used for games and storage the real tavern can swap with it when it is needed for transport. We have since made contact with the owners and we are able to use it for covert missions to Earth. Diplomatic channels have been opened and the current threat of incursion has meant that a team has been sent here to liaise with us.”

  The group from Earth sat down but as they had chosen one of the tables where they could discuss without hearing anyone else or being heard they were not able to hear what was being said so they went back to eating their food.

  Rennon looked up. “Kyla, you are quiet.”

  Kyla looked up. “Sorry, was I? I have a lot on my mind, don’t worry, I’m fine. Interesting story.”

  Kel went to put his arm around her and she moved away. “What. I..”

  Kyla looked surprised. “The mission is over, you aren’t my husband now.” Kel opened his mouth then shut it again then muttered. “I’m sorry, was that just for the mission?”

  Someone over the other side of the room dropped a tray and just about everyone jumped. Guns were pulled from holsters and scientists and ancillary staff jumped under tables. The poor woman who had dropped the tray looked mortified. She put her hands up slowly and backed away from the tray as the guns were put back in holsters and the room calmed down as she hurried to tidy up the mess.

  Rennon checked his mission log. “The mission briefings and work schedules have just come in. Oh boy, I’ve a stack of paperwork waiting for me back in the Lab, the Commander wants a briefing tomorrow morning. How about you?”

  Kel rummaged around in a belt pouch and finally pulled out his communicator. “I’ve got weapons training with the rookies this afternoon. Not so bad. How about you Kyla?”

  Kyla looked down. “I’m not officially on the team.”

  Kel looked up from pressing different buttons. “You know I have no idea how this works. Look, you could change that, tell him you are staying.”

  Kyla looked surprised. “I don’t know if I am.”

  Rennon put his cutlery on his tray. “That’s me done. I’d better get back to the Lab. Look Kyla; we all want and need you here. You can do so much for your people by helping us to keep one step ahead of the Followers. Think about it, it is your choice of course but I hope you decide to stay.” Kel mumbled. “I hope so too. Look Kyla can we talk?”

  Kyla smiled. “We are talking.”

  Kel sat up straight and the nerve in his neck was pulsing. “I mean can we talk alone.”

  Kyla’s smile fell from her face. “Of course my friend, I’m happy to talk to you. Shall we take a walk to the Pavilion?”

  The Pavilion was a huge glass observation dome which was often used for relaxation. Music played all day which was either set on random pieces of music which helped to add to the ambience or a visitor could choose their own music.

  The room was fairly dark, lit only by subdued coloured lighting from around the room and from the ornamental fish pond at its center. The fish pond was twenty foot by ten foot and the water gently rippled, moved by the fountain and waterfall. Water cascaded adding its gentle tinkling tones to the ambience of the room. Coloured lights had also been embedded in the waterfall and under the fountain giving the room a very mystical feel.

  Sofas were scattered around the room in strategic places so that anyone sitting on one sofa could not hear what was being said on another. The cameras in the room were facing the door; anything that happened in the room was not under surveillance.

  The door was open which meant free acce
ss. If anyone really wanted to they could type in their code, close the doors and have some private time for contemplation. Kel stepped aside and let Kyla walk in first. She wandered in and looked around the room, it was empty. Kel stepped inside and typed in his code, the doors shut and locked. Kyla jumped slightly and looked nervous.

  They walked together to the nearest sofa and both sat down. Kyla looked around the room. “You wanted to talk?”

  Kel muttered, mumbled but didn’t say anything coherent. Then he took a deep breath, held it and let it out slowly. “On that last mission, was it just the cover story? I mean did you only act the way you did because you wanted to maintain our cover?”

  Kyla looked awkward. “It was a very sensitive mission. We all acted how we had to and it was a success. What do you mean?”

  Kel looked frustrated. “I mean the way you were with me, was it just an act?”

  Kyla smiled and he visibly relaxed. “If I had been your wife that was how I would have acted in public.”

  Kel looked deflated and his whole body seemed to slump as if something had been taken away from him. “So it was just an act?”

  “It was an easy role to play and I enjoyed it very much. I trust that you didn’t find it too onerous either.”

  “Eh?”

  “Too difficult?”

  “Oh, no, I enjoyed it.”

  “You didn’t think that there was anything else going on did you?” Kyla’s eyes bore deep into his.

  Kel’s expression hardened and the smile that had crept onto his face fell away. “Of course I didn’t. Well, I have my answer now don’t I? Perhaps we had better leave this place.”

  Kyla looked around at the stars through the glass dome. “Oh I don’t know, I quite like it here, could we spend just a little time?”

  Kel was looking away from her and he shifted awkwardly in his seat. “Sure, why not?”

  Both of their communicators went off, making the low buzzing sound that heralded a new message. Both communicators were showing the words. “Report to Rennon’s Laboratory, IMMEDIATELY.”

  They ran most of the way and arrived slightly out of breath. The doors opened wide as they arrived and the entered to see the Commander and Rennon looking down at a small machine that was humming away on the desk.

  Rennon looked up as they came in. “Hello there, you are not going to believe this.”

  Kel looked around the Lab. It was small and crammed with bottles, pieces of equipment and terminals, all neatly stacked on shelves around the room. Rennon was standing by a table which had a black metal box on it. The box itself looked reasonably innocuous but by the way that the Commander was walking around it and Rennon was staring at it they knew it was somehow important.

  The Commander smiled and sat on one of the lab stools. “This box was recovered on an off base mission about a week ago when one of our groups managed to take over a Follower’s vessel and recovered their equipment. This is the first time we have managed to get anything like this. We have also retrieved a lot of information which makes matters a lot clearer. It seems the information we have already merely scratches the surface. We had thought that the Followers were a religious group who sprang from Fallow Earth. That is indeed quite possibly true. But there is an outside element to them as well. We have found connections to the Tresat. At the moment the connections are vague but it’s a break, giving us a direction to look in. We know nothing about this race other than its name and that they were fundamental in presenting Earth as a closed galaxy.

  You may have seen a group of visitors from Earth who arrived this morning. We brought them here to share this information.

  In truth we are not completely sure what we will achieve but it is hoped that by sending a mission to Earth we may be able to visit one of the places that is known to be “of the gods” and that the information there may not be as corrupted and influenced by the passing years as it is in our galaxies.

  The haste of calling you here is that I have the go ahead for the launch of missions to Earth. You have a “go” for tomorrow when you will be leaving on a joint mission with our guests from Earth.

  It is a reconnaissance mission and we are not expecting much resistance unless the Followers have already infiltrated the planet.

  The places of the gods you will be visiting are now tourist attractions. Access is free to all for a fee so we will make the most of this. You will be given side arms in keeping with the world you are visiting although owning these and possessing them in a public place is against the laws of the country you will be visiting. Information about the world you will be visiting will be made available to you and I hope that you will take the time that you have to take a look at it.”

  8

  The Commander sat in his room at his desk which was covered with personnel files. There was a knock on the door and he looked up and closed the file he had been looking at. His voice was steady and official. “Enter.”

  Kyla stepped inside and shut the door behind her. She walked over to his desk as he smiled encouragingly.

  He moved the file to the side of his desk and put his pen back in its place on the old fashioned ink well. “Thank you for coming. Please, sit down. As you know you have been with us for more than three months. There are of course rules and protocols that we must adhere to and one of them is that three months is the limit that a non-member can remain here. I have spoken to you about it before and although it has not been necessary for you to decide before, it is now. We are tightening up security as we do believe there could be infiltration. It is part of Article 27 that all personnel on base must be members when we raise our security status to Code Red. That is going to happen this afternoon. I trust you have had sufficient time to make up your mind? You must understand this is purely protocol and no reflection on your work with us or your position within the team. Off the record I have seen you as an active team member for a long time. We must however adhere to the protocols so I must officially ask you.”

  Kyla cleared her throat and shifted somewhat uncomfortably in her chair. “I thank you. I have been very happy here for the past few months and I feel that what you are doing is a valuable contribution to the war against the Followers. I would like to stay and I accept your invitation. You are right, I have given it a great deal of consideration and I have done much soul searching.”

  “I am glad you have accepted. You have already been assigned most of the benefits afforded to staff members so little will change. There is one matter we must speak about though. I have received a directive from my senior officers that you are to be made available to work on secondment with Lord Joniel, now Prince Anathorn’s right hand man. They have given the go ahead for this to be accepted. I would hear your thoughts on this matter. I trust you know Lord Joniel’s history and are able to make this decision from a position of being well informed. I have read up on him myself and I would like to offer you the opportunity to refuse if you feel that you would be uncomfortable working with him. I understand that his occupation may well be contrary in ethics to your own calling.”

  Kyla smiled slightly. “I am very well informed about Lord Joniel’s history and I would willingly assist him. Please convey my willingness to be seconded to his private staff.”

  The Commander smiled. “Very good, I am pleased to hear that. I have found Lord Joniel to be trustworthy in our dealings with him and our new found alliance with Prince Anathorn is proving to be mutually beneficial. Now, as to your first official mission with us I would like you to join with the others on the mission to Earth. I had to have your decision before this mission. Obviously it is a sensitive one and as you are a Non-Terra according to protocol you must be a member of this base. This automatically grants you the rights and permissions necessary. This is going to be a difficult mission as we do not know what you are going to be facing. Although we are proceeding with the co-operation of the British Government we feel that their ability to assist should there be a live fire situation would be severely limited. As a membe
r of the team I can command you but I would prefer to ask you. I realize it is a long way from the planets you are used to.”

  Kyla stood to attention. “Sir, as a member of this team I accept all rank and command. I will happily take your orders. I have been reading up a little on Earth since our visitors arrived, it looks like an interesting place, not too dissimilar to some of our own planets.”

  The Commander opened a red folder on his desk. “That is one of the reasons why we feel it is important to send an expedition there. We believe that some of the religions and races common in our galaxy may have originated on Earth before it became a closed planet. At the very least they may have developed independently from outside influence. That could give us the opportunity to perhaps find out where the Followers came from. Information is confused here and much speculation and personal text has been added to the pure gospel that they may once have adhered to. It is hoped that we may find the original text and be able to use this to break their control and at least throw doubt in the minds of their loyal worshipers. If we find anything that would support their cause your orders are to destroy it before they can get their hands on it.

  Also, amongst the information we retrieved there were also notes relating to the Noble DNA. It seems that it is also present on Earth. It is something we feel is important to investigate as the mythology that seems to go with it involves leadership. Prince Anathorn believes that it may aid him in proving his right to rule. It seems that you may find more answers on Earth and there may be artefacts there like the ones here which you will be able to activate. This may not be relevant to this mission but if we give assistance now it is possible that we may be able to look for artefacts amongst items they may not recognise as the same on Earth.