Collision Course

by Doug Farren

  “I do,” Melissa said. “One of the AI’s directives is to win the war. The only way to satisfy that directive is to either actually win the war or be destroyed trying to do so. The warship originally wanted to exterminate all Ba’Rutu but I told it that some wars on Earth ended with one side surrendering to the other. I’ve also come to believe that the AI doesn’t know how to or can’t lie. As far as I’m concerned, its offer is valid.”

  “The machine seems to have a great deal of respect for you,” Krafath said. “Can you explain why?”

  “I don’t know why. Maybe it’s because it thinks I’ve given it useful information. Maybe it’s because I’m the only person it’s talked to for any length of time since being activated. But what I do know is that it seems to trust me.”

  “President Loranish,” Krafath said. “Based on what I know of this AI and given what Melissa has just told me, I believe the machine’s offer is valid.”

  “And you think we should surrender to this machine?” President Loranish replied. “How are the people going to react when I tell them we have surrendered to the Akuta?”

  “The real war ended centuries ago,” Krafath said. “The Akuta are extinct. We would be surrendering to an Akuta artifact to prevent the loss of life. We also have a great deal to gain by this symbolic act of surrender. The AI has agreed to share scientific knowledge with us. This would include knowledge of how it has been able to maintain its hull intact since the day it was built as well as the details of the weapon it used against us.”

  “Admiral, your opinion please.”

  “Krafath is the expert in these matters,” the Admiral replied. “I can tell you that the warship immediately complied with our request to stop running and to power down its weapons. From a military point of view, we can contain the warship until the AI is removed and gaining access to its scientific knowledge would also be a desirable goal. As much as I would rather not say it, I believe we should surrender.”

  The Ba’Rutu President rumbled and nodded her head. “Although I can make this decision myself,” she said. “I’m putting it to a vote of the governing council. I also believe it is in our best interest to surrender to the warship. Does anyone disagree?”

  There was a pause of a few seconds as the President waited for a response. There was none.

  “The motion is passed. Admiral Thyth, transmit our surrender to the warship pending the creation of a final surrender agreement.”

  The Admiral dipped his head. “Acknowledged.”

  “I wish to thank Krafath for joining this meeting. Special thanks are to be given to Melissa, who appears to have been instrumental in bringing this event in our history to a close. Melissa, after you are rested, I would like to invite you to Ba so I can hear your entire story in person.”

  Melissa’s mouth hung open. “Ah … Um.”

  “I believe Melissa will accept,” Merlin said before she could find her voice. “She has had a harrowing experience and has not yet had a chance to return to her own people.”

  “I understand,” President Loranish said. “Please contact me when she is ready to make the decision on her own. This emergency meeting of the governing council is concluded.”

  The screen turned black as the conference ended. Merlin gently took Melissa’s hand and guided her through the door.

  “I need a shower and a beer,” she said as they walked down the passageway.

  “After what you’ve just experienced, I think you are entitled to almost anything you want,” Merlin said. “Aryth will be staying on this ship. We have the shuttle to ourselves. Come on—I’ll take you back to the Rutherford.”

  Chapter 34

  “The shuttle will be landing any minute,” Merlin told the others.

  Merlin had spent the last few days with AJ and Heather traveling around the world visiting some of the more popular tourist attractions on the planet. Aryth had remained aboard her ship meeting with an endless stream of dignitaries and powerful business leaders eager to strike a deal to be among the first to obtain access to Ba’Rutu technology. Most returned to Earth empty-handed.

  Victor had adamantly stated his desire to remain on Aryth’s ship. Merlin, via his telepathic link with Aryth, told AJ and Heather that Victor was spending almost all his waking moments sitting in the Ba’Rutu dining room watching the crew come and go. He never seemed to tire of being around dragons and the crew had come to enjoy his presence.

  AJ, Heather, and Merlin were just finishing up an aerial tour of the Grand Canyon when they received word that Aryth and Victor were on their way to the Denver starport. The Zak’s aircar, which was about the size of a small bus, quickly made the trip. Traffic control routed them to one of the restricted fields where Aryth’s shuttle had already landed. Aryth explained that the Ba’Rutu portal ship had arrived and a shuttle bearing a gift would soon be landing. Merlin, of course, knew exactly what the gift was but he was keeping a tight lid on the nature of the surprise.

  The grayish shuttle dropped from the sky and made a silent landing on the pad only a few meters from Aryth’s shuttle. The rear door opened and a single Ba’Rutu beckoned to them. Aryth led the group forward. As they neared the shuttle, Victor’s head spun around and stared at Merlin so fast AJ was sure he heard the crack of neck bones.

  “There’s an asovatorliim in that shuttle!” Victor said. “A big one!”

  “Yes indeed,” Merlin replied with a huge smile on his face. “Given the fact that we were able to establish a light link between you and Ithnara, our scientists believe the veil might still be penetrated without using the portal generator. The Ba’Rutu don’t have many large asovatorliim, but they did find this one in a museum. It’s been collecting and storing aetheric energy ever since it was brought back from the dragonverse several hundred years ago. Apparently, the museum has enough confidence in Aryth and I that they are allowing us to use it.”

  Aryth stopped at the bottom of the ramp and motioned for the others to proceed ahead of her. “It’s better than bringing the portal generator down here,” she said. “It will be very difficult to explain why a ship is using four terawatts of power while apparently doing nothing. The heat radiators typically glow yellow-hot when the generator is active.”

  The shuttle was designed for Ba’Rutus and there were no seats available. The pilot, a Ba’Rutu with beautiful white scales, made her way to the front of the ship and took her place at the controls. Aryth took care of closing the rear hatch as Victor followed Merlin over to a bulkhead near the front of the shuttle where a crystal slightly larger than an American football was securely strapped to the floor. Victor bent down and ran his hand over the crystal’s surface.

  Noting that the pilot was preparing to lift, AJ asked, “Where are we going?”

  “To Victor’s house in South Carolina,” Merlin said. “It’s a well-known point of reference for both him and his dragon. It will make it easier to target the portal when I try to open one.”

  “Do you think you can open a portal with this?” Victor asked, continuing to stare into the crystal.

  The rear hatch thumped shut and the shuttle lifted off.

  “It’s been a few hundred years,” Merlin admitted. “But I haven’t forgotten how. The question is, do we have enough shivara to do it?”

  “My great grandfather once tried to teach me how to open a portal. It wasn’t something I could learn. I don’t have the depth of shivaro that he did. I do remember asking him how he did it with so little shivara available in this universe. He said he always started with a tiny portal, one not much larger than a dime. Once that was open, he would draw shivara from the dragonverse to expand it.”

  “It’s the same technique I used,” Merlin said. “Let’s hope this crystal has enough shivara stored inside. The veil is much thicker than when I last opened a portal.”

  “If you’ve been to the dragonverse before,” AJ asked, directing his question at Victor. “Then how did you do it? Why can’t you use the crystal yourself?”

&
nbsp; “There are two types of portals,” Victor explained. “The most common by far is the one used to move the dragon-bound from one universe to another. It’s not a true portal but more like a bubble of one universe being pushed into another, surrounding a person, and then pulling that person back. Other than Merlin, my great grandfather is the only person known to be able to open a true portal; a doorway from one universe to another that a person or a dragon can walk through.”

  “That’s not quite true,” Merlin said. “Centuries ago, the veil was very thin and an adept shiavakara could open a portal with the help of an asovatorliim.”

  “What’s a shiavakara?” Heather asked.

  “Someone who has learned how to master the manipulation of shivara on a fine scale,” Victor said. “You would call that person a wizard.”

  “If you can open a portal, does that mean we would be able to visit this dragonverse?” Heather asked.

  “I’m afraid not,” Merlin said. “We know very little about what separates one universe from another. If we can open a portal from this side, there’s no guarantee we can open it from the other. Ithnara has access to far more shivara than we do and she has been unable to penetrate the veil. It’s rapidly becoming thicker and it might become impenetrable at any moment. As much as I want to return to see what has happened in the centuries since I was last there, I can’t risk it. And, I can’t open a portal by myself—I need Aryth’s help. She’s the Ba’Rutu ambassador to Earth and the risk of being trapped in the dragonverse is far too high.”

  “But why can’t we just go through. If you can open one portal, you can open another. Just give us a few hours and bring us back.”

  Merlin shook his head. “Even if I can open a portal now, it will probably deplete the crystal of so much energy that there will not be enough to open another one for decades. Aetheric energy is very scarce in this universe and it’s getting scarcer as time goes on. I’m sorry, but the only person who’s going to be traveling to another universe today is Victor.”

  The group fell into silent introspection for most of the remainder of the trip. Thirty minutes later, the shuttle settled down into an open field just barely large enough to accommodate the ship. The sky was overcast and a light misty rain was blowing in from the weather front that had recently passed by. The ground was wet and squishy. Aryth spread her wings creating an umbrella for the others.

  “My great grandfather built this house,” Victor said as they walked across the field. A small home could be seen in the distance almost hidden by the trees. “There used to be a dirt road leading here from a paved road that cuts through the national forest. My dad got tired of driving it and cleared some trees to make a landing spot for his private chopper.”

  “You talk more about your great grandfather than any of your other relatives,” Heather said. “Are you two the only ones in your family who are dragon-bound?”

  “My great grandfather married a woman he’d met in the dragonverse. They had twin boys; Paul and Erik. One was dragon-bound and the other was not. This created all sorts of problems between them. Erik, the one who was not bound, eventually broke all ties with the family. Nobody seems to know what happened to him. My grandfather Paul married and had a girl and a boy. Neither were dragon-bound. My dad had three kids: Myself, my brother Mark, and my sister Debbie. I’m the only one that’s dragon-bound. My brother and sister both thought the stories our grandfather told were just stories. I gave up trying to convince them otherwise.”

  Victor led them to a gravel path that took them through a few stands of tall trees to the house. Instead of heading for the front door, he took them to the large pole barn that was attached to one end of the house. The inside was dry and mostly empty.

  “Terry and Glahmelia used to spend a lot of time here,” Victor said.

  Aryth set the crystal she’d been carrying in a sling down on the ground and unwrapped it.

  “We should try to open a portal as soon as possible,” Merlin said, looking around the huge barn.

  “I couldn’t agree with you more,” Victor replied.

  “This place is actually large enough to open the portal here,” Merlin said. Pointing to a spot near one of the walls, he added, “I’d like everyone to stand over there.”

  Aryth picked up the crystal and moved it off to the side while the others moved to the spot Merlin had indicated.

  Merlin walked over to Victor. “If I succeed, do not attempt to pass through the portal until I tell you. I will try to hold it open for as long as possible,” he said. “I want to make sure you and Ithnara are reunited. If you find anyone near the portal opening, please ask them to step in front of it so AJ and Heather can see them. Warn them though to keep at a safe distance because the portal might close without notice. Is there anything you need to bring with you?”

  “Everything I want or need is on the other side,” Victor said. “Before leaving Aryth’s ship, I recorded that I’m giving up all rights of ownership to everything I own in this universe. I’m ready. What do you need me to do?”

  “I’m assuming Ithnara had a common place she used to transfer you from one universe to the other?” Merlin asked.

  “Yes. It’s a quiet glen on a hill not far from the edge of town.”

  “Open your mind. Close your eyes and take me there,” Merlin said, tightening his link with Aryth. “Imagine that glen with as much detail as you can. The trees, the location in relationship to the town, the color and feel of the grass. Show me!”

  Merlin stared into the crystal on the end of his staff. Through it, he focused his attention on the asovatorliim. Pulling a stream of shivara from within, he formed it into a complex structure. The crystal began to glow and then brighten as more and more energy was directed into a swirling half-meter diameter circle hovering a meter off the floor. Sweat was forming on Merlin’s brow as a point of light the size of a dime formed surrounded by a glowing band of swirling orange, red, and yellow light.

  Tears began flowing down Victor’s cheek, “She’s here!” he cried.

  The bright light at the center expanded, growing until it was a flaming multi-colored circle two meters in diameter. The inner edge of the portal looked like flowing mercury while the outer edges were a wild array of colors in a band only a few centimeters wide. Craning their necks, AJ and Heather looked through the portal and into another universe. There were tall trees, green grass, a blue sky, and a dragon, its tail flicking back and forth and its wings fluttering with eager anticipation.

  “Go! Now!” Merlin said, the muscles in his neck standing out as he strained to keep the portal open.

  Victor took three large steps and ran through the portal. The others watched as he embraced the dragon on the other side. A young man appeared and looked into the portal. His brown hair was blowing in a gentle breeze. His ears were pointed.

  Merlin suddenly groaned and the portal collapsed in a flash of light. AJ ran to his side and gently helped him take a seat on the floor. Aryth let out a blast of air and sank to the ground as well.

  “Are you alright?” Heather asked, rushing to stand near Aryth’s head.

  “We are very tired,” Merlin replied. “The veil is very hard to penetrate. I could not keep it open any longer.”

  “Was that Ithnara?” AJ asked.

  “Yes,” Merlin nodded, wiping his brow with the back of a sleeve. “We—Aryth and I—managed to exchange a few thoughts with her before the portal closed. She’d been spending almost all her time at the glen since she lost contact with Victor. She had never given up hope. That is what it is meant to be bound to a dragon.”

  “She spent all those years waiting for Victor?” Heather asked, tears forming in her eyes. “She must love him very much.”

  Merlin stood up and walked over to Aryth. They were both quickly recovering from their mental effort. “It is deeper than love,” Merlin said, laying a hand on the side of Aryth’s jaw. “We are bound together mind to mind. She is a part of me and I am a part of her.”

&n
bsp; “Thank you for allowing us to see that,” AJ said. “That was an incredible experience.”

  “Now that Victor has returned to the dragonverse,” Merlin said. “You two are the only humans alive who know of its existence. You have been witness to an event that will never again be repeated.”

  “This has been one hell of a month,” AJ said. “We helped end a war, learned about magic, became friends with a wizard and his dragon, and looked through a portal into another universe. I don’t know about the rest of you, but I could use a thick steak and a cold beer.”

  “I wonder what Victor has in his refrigerator?” Heather asked. Looking at Aryth, she added, “What about you? Do the Ba’Rutu drink beer?”

  “We do not. But these woods are teaming with deer and they are quite tasty.”

  “Do you … Are you going to …”

  Aryth headed for the door. “Go cook your steaks and drink your beer,” she said. “I’m going hunting.”

  The others watched as Aryth walked through open the doors and took to the air. Merlin walked between Heather and AJ, put a hand on their backs, and gave them a gentle push toward the house.

  “She might be a former captain of a Ba’Rutu warship and the current ambassador of an advanced space-faring race but she’s also a dragon,” Merlin said. “And dragons prefer their food fresh. Let’s eat, I’m starving.”

  Chapter 35

  “Nervous?” Heather asked as they walked up behind Melissa. She was standing just outside the hangar bay looking through the tiny windows of the closed airlock doors.

  “What?” she whirled around. “Me? No. I’m just curious to see what a Ba’Rutu shuttle looks like.”

  “Pretty much like one of ours,” a voice from farther down the passageway replied.

  Turning around, the others saw Captain Pry quickly advancing on them. His pitch-black hair was loose and fell over and beyond his broad shoulders. A leather band with several eagle feathers sewn into it encircled his head.