by Sam Coulson
The bartender with the nose ring snorted, but nodded in assent.
“There we are!” Cwaylyn’s face lit up with a smile. “We’ll have to catch up later then Loid, you too kid. Whatever your name was. Enjoy the Matron! Hah!”
With that, Cwaylyn turned back to make his way to the bar, and Loid and I turned to follow the young Celestrial to meet the Matron.
Chapter 21.
I entered the cockpit. The damage from the battle was evident. Warning lights flashed, there were cracks on one of the displays, a plate of food was scattered on the floor. My cadre followed me as we continued to the galley, again, empty. Nobody hiding in the shadows, empty sleeping pods, nothing. Nobody.
Tren caught my attention with a low growl, pointing to a hatch that led to the cargo hold. He was about to enter but I gestured him to stand aside. He did so without question. I slowly opened the hatch and leaned forward, increasing the audio sensitivity on my suit. Breathing. The crew was there. I opened the hatch completely without a sound, and slowly lowered myself into the cargo hold.
There were three of them. Human men. They were huddled in the far side of the cargo bay, staying in the shadows. I enhanced my visor, darkness would not hide them from me. These humans—this ship—this was my redemption. I drew my blade and stepped toward the nearest of my prey. A human holding a lead pipe.
I stepped forward and faked to my right. Fooled, he moved to his right to avoid me, and in that moment, I struck. He screamed as my blade was bathed in his blood.
I turned to the others. They were frightened. They knew their death had come. I had come.
Redemption.
Loid and I followed our guide as we left the bar and walked quietly through the dimly lit and twisting paths in the rear of the Par’eth dome. This was clearly the heart of the “pleasure house.” Though most of the beds were covered with domed privacy shields, a few were still uncovered. Nearby a variety of humanoids dressed in form fitting, gossamer robes. Waiting for clients I assumed. As we passed by a small group, I was momentarily surprised to see that there were equal numbers male and females in the group.
Not far ahead, a dome slid open. A grey-haired woman was finishing buttoning up her coat to leave, behind her I saw a muscular Celestrial man and a female Noonan with a voluptuous body and soft golden hair still lying on the bed. Apparently they were hiding more than pale skin beneath those robes. I paused, momentarily stunned.
“The Par’eth is devoted to catering to all appetites,” our guide said quietly as we passed. “No matter how voracious or unusual they may be.”
“Apparently,” Loid whispered as he nudged me forward.
We continued down the path toward the rear of the dome. Ahead was another privacy dome, this one much larger. Two armed guards stood out front. As we approached, our guide gave a curt nod, and the guards parted. A section of the privacy dome faded into mist and our guide gestured to us to enter.
As I passed through I realized that what I had thought were glass domes were actually some kind of soundproof force-field with a murky sheen. I wondered at the possibility of using a shield like that to visually cloak a ship from view, sure, the electronic systems would still be visible on a scan, but visually-
Loid’s elbow in my gut interrupted my train of thought.
I glanced over to see that he was bowing low, I fumblingly did the same. After a moment, I slowly raised my head to see the Matron watching us. She was wearing the same sheer robes as the consorts I had seen out in the Par’eth, though hers was more ornate with intricate designs, symbols and glyphs sewn into the lapels. She was a broad woman, but she carried her weight lightly and with an undeniable air of grace and authority. She wore a circlet decorated with sparkling luminous gems across her forehead and a thin blue veil.
“Guards, thank you. You may leave us,” I read the ComBand’s translation as she spoke.
The Matron regarded us silently as the guards left and the force field made a whispering sound as it sealed shut behind them.
“Loid,” her eyes smiled as she spoke in crisp, clear Common. “It’s good to see you old friend.’
“And you too Matron,” Loid stepped forward to meet her embrace.
I looked away, awkwardly.
“It’s been too long,” she said. “I hope you are okay? Lati just told me about the Noonan girl, I’m not sure how she was able to smuggle a laser into the Par’eth.”
“Oh we’re fine,” Loid answered, waving away her concern. “It looked like it was made of some composite plastic, you may want to adjust your sensors to scan for ammunition energy signatures rather than just weapon components.”
“They already do,” she answered.
“Oh, well,” Loid paused. “Then that’s—”
“Troubling,” she finished. “I already ordered a full review of our security protocols. And your companion, I’m sorry for the delayed introduction, it has been a long time since I have seen my good friend here. I am Matron of this Par’eth. A friend of Loid’s is a friend to this house.”
“Thank you ma’am, er madam,” I fumbled, beneath her veil I saw her eyes had streaks of blue along with amber and gold.
“This is Elicio,” Loid cut in, saving me from my momentary embarrassment. “And we need your help.”
“Something tells me this isn’t just about an angry little Noonan and a dead merchant,” she sighed as she sat down. “Please, have a seat.”
Loid and I lowered ourselves onto two seating pillows that were laid out in front of her large and ornate throne-like seat.
“You know that I will help you as I can, what do you ask of me?”
Loid and I exchanged glances, and he began telling her the story about the colony, and the duel between the Draugari and the Celestrial ships. Loid outlined the events from the last several days, though he left out several details, such as Ju-lin’s name and the contract out on her life, and the cave. Loid trusted her, but only so far.
“So what is it you are asking of me?” she paused. “I do not who killed this Noonan, what was the name? Joof? You say it wasn’t you, and I believe you. I can see if any of my people know who did, and who is following you. Regarding identifying who bought the message drone, I can probably find out, but that may take some time, a day perhaps.”
“That would be a start,” Loid answered.
“Though the real question,” she continued, and looked at me. “The question you haven’t asked, what is it?”
Loid shifted in his seat.
“Eti, I know you too well for this. I know you won’t tell me everything, and that’s fine. I would be doing the same in your situation. But this messenger drone and whoever killed this poor Noonan are just leads. You’re grasping at straws. Anyone could have killed the trader. According to my logs she owed money all over the system and was known to supply pirates. She even owed the Par’eth a goodly amount. And anyone could have bought the drone and cracked the encryption. You know how business is around here, the drone and the data could have been sold and resold at least a dozen times after the Noonan had it. What else do you know? What is it you are really looking for?”
“The Celestrial ships that attacked the colony,” I swallowed hard. “They had silver stars on their wings.”
“Stars?”
“Four points,” I answered, holding up my hands to make the shape. “Symmetrical.”
“I’d never seen that kind of marking on a ship,” Loid said. “We want to know whose marking it is.”
She leaned back in her seat a moment. She was so still I wasn’t sure if she was breathing.
“If you don’t know then we’ll follow the other leads, any information you can find by tomorrow morning on the drone or the Noonan’s killer,” Loid continued. “But we probably won’t stay in-system very long.”
“The symbol is called the Vasudeva, it represents a star, a lost star,” the Matron said slowly, quietly. “There is an old legend, a very, very old legend, about the star system Vasudeva.”
&
nbsp; “Never heard of it,” Loid said. “I thought I knew them all.”
“When my people first set out from our home world, Vasudeva was one of the first star systems we found. It was home to fifteen worlds, six of them habitable. We settled there and thrived. The stories say that there were over fifteen billion of my people living in peace around Vasudeva.”
“Why have I never heard of it?” Loid asked.
“It is one story our people do not tend to share,” the Matron replied flatly. “The stories tell of something that came out of the black in those times. Ships started disappearing, thriving new colonies started to suddenly go silent. It happened over and over again. Our people call it the Thar’esh.”
“Thar’esh,” I interrupted. “Isn’t that the creature that took bites out of children’s souls?”
“The myth of the void souls, yes,” the Matron nodded gravely.
“I love folklore,” Loid said. “And I know well enough that the old legends all grew from some seed of truth. The story about void souls is hollow enough, but disappearing colonies and ships: there has to be some truth in that. What was the Thar’esh? A disease? An alien? The Draugari maybe?”
“We do not know for certain,” the Matron answered. “Some of the stories of the Thar’esh include descriptions of blades flying through the dark of space. Because of the blades, many believe that they are about a feud we once had with the Draugari, but not all are convinced.”
“Why?” I asked.
“Because of Vasudeva,” she answered. “The stories say that Thar’esh pushed in, erasing ships and colonies. With every Celestrial the Thar’esh killed, they grew stronger, always moving toward Vasudeva. Our greatest generals and strongest ships couldn’t stop them. The Thar’esh always knew just where to strike. When the Thar’esh finally came to the world, the leader of Vasudeva, the serving Emperor’s granddaughter, a Celestrial scientist named Navali, tried to defend her worlds but failed. The Thar’esh attacked, and the star, Vasudeva, blinked out of existence. Fifteen billion souls. Gone. They say that the darkness of the Thar’esh consumed the star, and with it all of her worlds.”
“What happened to the Thar’esh?” I asked.
“After that? Nothing. The stories say that after consuming the system and all of her souls, the hunger of the Thar’esh was finally satisfied and they killed no more.”
“What was the Thar’esh?” Loid pressed. “An alien? An astronomical anomaly?”
“Mysteries,” she shrugged.
“The Celestrial Empire has starships and records. They had to have the flux point coordinates for Vasudeva. You’re telling me nobody ever went looking to see what had happened?” Loid asked.
“We have the flux point coordinates, but there no longer is a flux point,” the Matron answered. “They say the Thar’esh swallowed it as well.”
Loid pondered a moment, “So Vasudeva went supernova, destroying the system, and destabilizing the flux point?”
“Yes and no,” she answered. “There is nothing burning where Vasudeva once was. No black hole. No anomalies. There was no nova. The star was replaced with black. Though if you look out in the sky you can still see where she burned. It will be a few more hundred years before her last light reaches us and fades. But without an active flux point, we cannot find out more. Vasudeva was the home to our archives and records. So much was lost.”
Loid and I were silent for a moment, absorbing her words.
“So,” I said after a moment of silence. “The ships with the star, with Vasudeva on their wing, who are they?”
“They are the Collegiate,” she answered. “You know that the Celestrials must go to the academy and study for at least twenty years? Well, the Collegiate is comprised of those who attended forty or more. It’s a selective group.”
“A Celestrian secret society?” Loid asked. “Haven’t heard of that before.”
“I suppose that’s the point of a secret society isn’t it? But it’s nothing like your Earthborn mafias or some Domari pirate gang,” she continued. “It’s more of a brother and sisterhood. The markings on the ships you saw were removable. When a member of the Collegiate is called upon, they act in secret. They would have removed all other markings from their ships except the Vasudeva.”
“So someone called the Collegiate to go attack the colony?” I asked. “But why?”
“It all goes back to Vasudeva itself,” she answered. “The Collegiate are historians. They don’t just study the old stories, they are like your friend Loid here. They believe that the old stories hold the deepest truths, both factually and metaphorically. They believe there is truth behind the stories of Vasudeva and the Thar’esh “
“If they were historians, why did they attack?” I asked. “Shouldn’t an historian be someone who tries to preserve and record history, rather than vaporizing things?”
“That is the Earthborn way of thinking,” she answered. “Your lives are shorter and you do not look as far down the road as my people do. We have many histories that we have chosen to forget. My father lived for one hundred and forty four years. In that time he saw many things. Some things he remembered and cherished, other things he chose to forget. Like a starship, our direction forward as a people is determined by the forces behind us that have propelled us on our way. When a pilot wants to change directions in space, she does not only turn her head. She must alter the thrust that pushes her to truly change direction.”
“But these Collegiate chose not to forget?” I asked. “And then they attacked the colony for no reason?”
“If they, indeed, attacked the colony, then there was a reason.”
“I don’t know if I buy all of this. If they are so secret, how do you know of them?” Loid asked.
“It is my business to know everything,” she answered. “We can leave it at that.”
Loid paused, his mouth shifted as he bit his cheek absently. He didn’t seem satisfied with her answer. “So then, these Collegiate folks get their hands on the messenger drone, and decide they need to go burn down the colony within hours. I still don’t get it. Celestrials don’t ever rush off without planning. We still don’t know why they did it.”
“What if they had planned it in advance?” I asked.
“What?” the Matron turned to me, her large eyes narrow and severe.
“You mean they were watching for whatever was in the message drone?” Loid asked.
“Something like that, maybe,” I answered. “I don’t know. You just said they don’t do anything without planning, so it makes sense that they may have been executing some contingency plan.”
“To burn down your colony?” Loid pressed.
“Well, no, maybe not,” I answered. “It’s just a thought.”
“Not a bad one either,” Loid added as he considered. “But it still doesn’t add up. If they were following a protocol, you can be sure they will come again, this time with proper planning. And if that’s the case, then those colonists don’t stand a chance.”
I shivered at the thought of the Downs being incinerated.
“What brought you into this?” the Matron leveled her gaze at Loid.
“What do you mean?” He asked. “I told you, I was hired to help track down the Celestrial ships, so that’s what I’m doing. Can you help us or not?”
“I can’t help,” the Matron paused. “Not today at least.”
“Not today?” Loid asked. “Tomorrow then?”
Once again the Matron was quiet and still. After several minutes of silence she tilted her head to the side.
“Yes,” she said at last. “I will find out what I can and meet you tomorrow at dusk. Though not here. Meet me at hangar bay XG-9. It will afford us more privacy.”
“More privacy than this?” Loid raised an eyebrow gesturing to the force field surrounding us.
“Here nobody knows what we say, but everyone watches the comings and goings. They know that we talk,” she answered. “If I ask questions, I will be watched. I have no doubt that
word is getting around that you had something to do with the death of the Noonan merchant. The Collegiate got the drone from her, yes? As soon as the Collegiate knows that there is a connection between you and the Noonan, they will be watching you. I cannot afford that.”
“I understand,” Loid answered. “I am grateful for your help.”
“Yes, well, consider it another payment on clearing the debt I owe you,” she answered solemnly. “I will have Lati retrieve your weapons and show you the back way out. Lay low until tomorrow, and meet me at landing pad XG-9.”
“Thank you Matron,” I said, bowing low as I got up.
“Oh, and Loid,” she called as Lati entered to lead us out. “Bring your other companion as well, the girl you mentioned. I should like to meet her as well if I could.”
Loid agreed, and we parted.
Chapter 22.
I was on the flight deck when Tren approached.
“We have finished with the others, Lor’ten,” he said. “Thank you for sharing the glory of the kill.”
“The clan must share glory as we share pain,” I responded.
Tren repeated the oath back to me and nodded.
“We are almost finished with repairs,” he continued. “Soon we will return to the clan with our prize.”
“Yes, the prize,” I responded looking around the cabin of our newly won Carrack. “The Chieftain will honor us.”
“The Clan will honor us,” Tren answered.
“Yes,” I said. “And we will continue to fly. We will continue to fight. We will continue to kill. We will gain honor.”
“And soon,” Tren nodded greedily. “Soon we will win the honor to breed.”
A surge of desire boiled my blood as I licked my lips hungrily.
“Soon,” Tren repeated.
“But today,” I said as I rose. “Today we will celebrate our victory, and drink the blood of our slain enemies. Today we will take our trophies with honor.”
“Well said Lor’ten, well said.”