For the Kulsat, the difference between five or six years as a Risen and the immortality of the Grace was a goal that would be hard to ignore.
“You said there were two aspects.”
“The second thought is more speculative in nature,” Fairamai said. “We hypothesize that the advanced technology gives the Grace the ability to remain conscious outside light. That is the only explanation we can think of for how they were able to create the star beacons. Of course, the last Xtôti disappeared from the galaxy nearly a thousand years ago, and when they were among us, they did not share their secrets. Many in the Collection of Worlds have tried to discover this technology, but so far, we have not advanced our knowledge very much since the time of the Grace. The war with the Kulsat has taken its toll on our societies and resources. If the Kulsat gain the technology, they will control the star beacons, and thus, control us.”
Justine said, “In the message Ah Tabai left for my friend Alex, he indicated the Kulsat believe this technology was hidden on an un-Emerged world. Is there any validity to that?”
“Since the Collection of Worlds adheres to the Grace’s galactic laws, we have not explored this surmise. So far, the few worlds that have Emerged before the Kulsat destroyed them have not yielded the lost secret.”
Bringing the conversation back around, Justine asked, “If the Collection of Worlds grants Emerged status to Sol System, that means you will offer us protection from the Kulsat?”
“We cannot guarantee the safety of any system,” Fairamai said. “Indeed, in the last century alone, we have seen the cultures of more than a hundred Emerged systems destroyed by the Kulsat armada. However, we will all offer what assistance we are able to, in order to shore up your defenses. There are ways to limit travel through your star beacon. It is a difficult process, and requires the combined effort of many Aetherbeings to accomplish this.”
A chime sounded from somewhere in the wall, and Fairamai said, “Naila has secured the Kulsat shuttle. He will put us into Aethersleep soon. When we awaken, we will be in Gliesan space.”
“One more question,” Justine said. “Just because we’ve achieved what you call Aetherflight, that doesn’t mean the Collection will consider us Emerged, does it?”
“For Gliese, it was years from the first discovery of Aetherock before we were able to travel outside light.”
Justine cursed to herself. The Kulsat were probably already looking for Sol System. Earth didn’t have years to play catch-up.
Before she could form any other thoughts, she felt herself transforming into the photonic state as Naila induced Aethersleep in her.
29
Cerro Azul :
Guatemala :
Michael immediately rushed over to Yaxche and Patli, intending to push them out of the line of fire. Humberto pulled out his pistol, dropping to a crouch as he did so, and scanned the wooded area for their assailants.
“I said, don’t move!” the gunman yelled out in English.
Michael froze and looked in the direction the voice had come from. He couldn’t see anything. Glancing at Humberto, Michael said, “They have us surrounded.”
“Put your weapons on the ground, step back, and put your hands on your heads.” A moment later, the assailant added, “I don’t want to have to kill any of you, but I will.”
With a low growl, Humberto complied. Only once the four of them put their hands on their heads did two people, a man and a woman, step out from behind the bushes. With a measure of alarm, Michael recognized the tourist couple from the day before. They’d followed them all this way. Who were they?
He hadn’t paid them much attention at the village, but now he got a good look at them. They were both of Spanish heritage, and both were tall and thin. The man’s black hair was cut short, while the woman had her long hair tied back in a ponytail. Neither of them wore smiles, and their eyes radiated anger. There was something familiar about the man.
Both held high-powered rifles. The man aimed at Humberto, while the woman slowly slung her weapon at the rest of them one at a time.
“Who are you?” Humberto asked. When the two didn’t reply, he continued, “Can I check on my friends?”
The man gave a slight shake of his head and spoke English with a heavy Spanish accent. “I am an excellent marksman. I did not shoot them in any vital areas. Shoulder and leg. Both will live. If you do not do precisely as I say, however, then I will ensure they do not survive.”
Careful not to let his aim waver in the slightest from his target, the man walked toward Humberto. Only when he was right in front of the Cruzado did he stop. Without glancing behind him to make sure his partner had him covered, the man slung his rifle over his shoulder. Standing tall, keeping his eyes fixed on Humberto, he reached out and grabbed the holoslate, which the Cruzado had slipped into a belt pouch.
He flicked it on with a swipe of his finger and looked at the readout. “It is fortunate for you that you did not have time to send your message; otherwise, we might have had to take more extreme measures.”
“Who are you?” Humberto asked again.
Continuing to examine the holoslate, flipping through the screens to read the history, the man said, “What is this map of? Why is that area so important to you? Why do you wish to excavate there?”
A wave of relief went through Michael. If these were Ruiz’s people, then his organization had no idea what he was doing in Honduras and Guatemala. The attempt to kidnap him and Yaxche was nothing more than a fishing expedition. Under no circumstances could he let them know his true mission.
“It’s a jade deposit,” Michael said.
The woman narrowed her eyes. “Jade?” She let out a laugh of disbelief.
“I used to work for a Canadian resources company,” Michael said. “A mineral satellite that ran over the area several years ago indicated there might be a deposit there. It was too small for my company—it wouldn’t have been worth it for a big company like that to lease the rights. It might be valuable for a smaller operation, though. If I can find it, I can sell the information for a ten-percent finder’s fee. At my age, I have to think about my retirement.”
The man and woman didn’t look convinced, and Michael added, “I asked my friends to help me find the deposit.”
“If we’ve mistaken you for someone else, I’m afraid we’re going to have to kill you all.” The man smiled conspiratorially. “After all, we do not need witnesses.” He raised his rifle to Humberto again.
“No, wait!” Michael said, holding out his hand.
“Why?” the man asked, lifting one eyebrow. “Do you have a different story to tell me, Mr. Sanderson?”
Michael gaped. How did he know his name?
The man nodded, and his smile widened. “Yes, we know all about you. Your government’s attempt at misinformation might fool the newsvids, but not us.”
“What do you want?”
“Do you remember Señor Oscar Ruiz? He offered you his hospitality and protection, and in return, you led the police to his plantation, ruined his name, and stole the knowledge possessed by Señor Yaxche for your own purposes.”
Michael glanced at Humberto, and then back. “You work for him?”
“Work for him?” the man said, looking offended by the suggestion.
Humberto narrowed his eyes. “He is your father. You must be Alondo and Nadia. I see the resemblance now.”
“And so,” Alondo said, finally, “now that we all know who everyone is, let us try this again.”
“What do you want with us?” Michael asked.
Nadia spoke. “Once, you came to Honduras and stole from our nation. You took knowledge from us, and you and your country prospered. Now, you are back, and I think you are here to steal more. This time, you will steal it for us. We will carve out our own legacy.”
“I’m not here to steal anything.”
With a sneer, Nadia said, “You are looking for information, as you did before. Do you deny this?”
Michael couldn�
��t, not without giving away the lie—he was too physically exhausted from the march and too emotionally wrought from the violence to be a convincing actor.
Alondo said, “You will explain what you are doing, illegally crossing the border to Honduras, and what is really buried in this mountain range. I promise you, I have more bullets than you have friends.”
Expecting that Alondo and Nadia would think he was still lying and kill him anyway, Michael said in a flat voice, “Based on a folk tale, we believe an alien creature was buried somewhere in those mountains over a thousand years ago.”
“An alien, you say?” Alondo grinned. “That is quite the story. Let’s investigate this fairy tale, shall we? I will make the arrangements.”
∞
Alondo permitted Humberto and Michael to tend to Diego and Migel, and they did their best to bind the men’s wounds. The two carried the injured men closer to the stones one at a time, where there was more shade. After asking if it was all right with Alondo and Nadia, they left the two men with a few canteens of water.
“I will send someone back to fetch them,” Alondo said, and instructed his remaining prisoners to march north overland to the small village Humberto had spotted on his map earlier.
As it turned out, Alondo Ruiz and his sister were not without resources. Along the way, once he received a decent satellite signal, Alondo made several calls on his commlink. He didn’t attempt to hide his conversations from his prisoners.
He contacted a mining operation they partly owned, and ordered them to start the paperwork to excavate the area.
Sensing Michael’s confusion, Alondo laughed. “What, did you think you were just going to walk into a national park with a few shovels and start digging? The police would be on you before you broke a sweat. No, for appearances’ sake, it will all be legal. The CEO knows how to grease certain Guatemalan officials to get the permits quickly. Fear not, we will begin surveying by this time tomorrow. Once you’ve found the location for us, we will excavate.”
After three more grueling hours of marching, they arrived at the village and were greeted by two armed men driving a two-ton cargo truck. The captives were herded into the canopied bed. Michael sat on the floor, welcoming the relief from his blistered and burning feet. Both Patli and Yaxche looked worse for wear. Humberto was more angry than exhausted, but he kept his head down.
The siblings rode up front with the driver, and the other armed man sat in the back with the prisoners, his rifle at the ready.
They drove north for half an hour, and stopped when they reached an isolated farmhouse.
Michael and the others got out of the truck. Alondo led them to a barn and motioned for them to go inside. There were several stalls with straw on the ground. The doors were chained and bolted, and the one window in the loft was sealed shut. There weren’t any animals in the barn, but there were a few barrels filled with what Michael hoped was drinkable water.
Alondo looked outside and waved his hand. Another man entered, holding a large cooking pot. Placing it on the floor, he removed the cover to reveal a corn, bean, and rice mix. It didn’t look particularly appetizing, but it had been a long time since they had eaten last, and Michael was ravenous. There didn’t seem to be any cutlery, as if Alondo expected them to eat with their hands.
He said, “My father believed in treating his guests with courtesy.” He glared at Michael. “You, however, are not guests. I trust you will not have a comfortable stay.”
30
Gliese Outpost :
Gliesan System :
Justine came out of the photonic state—Aethersleep—immediately. There was no delay between the intangible and physical states of being that she’d experienced on her last journey. While some people experienced momentary disorientation when waking up from normal sleep, Justine had always been one of those people who were instantly alert. This process was no different.
She opened her eyes and looked around the passenger compartment. Fairamai took a few moments to open her eyes. The Gliesan made a quick ruffling movement with her head, as if to shake off the effects of the Aethersleep, and then she looked at Justine.
“We are here,” she said. “Home.”
Pushing her sight out, Justine quickly sensed that she was in a new solar system, one with a red dwarf star at its center. There were several small planets orbiting close to the star, and four larger bodies outside those. A number of tiny planets that would most likely be considered dwarf planets orbited the outer edge of the system. From what she could sense, there weren’t any gas giants in Gliese.
“I would love to be able to visit your home world,” Justine said to her, wondering which one of the four planets in the habitable zone was their prime.
“Even if it were permitted, you would not be able to survive for more than a few days.”
“Oh?” Justine asked. “How come?”
Fairamai got up from her hammock, and it melted back into the wall. “Our physiology has been altered by the Aether process. The gravity of a planet, or even a moon, puts an incredible pressure on our cells. It interferes with the Aether, and dampens its ability to sustain us. Our internal systems begin to shut down.”
“Alex, the first of us to be changed by the Kinemet, lived several years on our moon before his health deteriorated,” Justine said.
“As you said before, he is not fully transformed. He might even be able to survive several months on the surface of a planet. We are beings of light, Justine. We are no longer true members of our own species.”
There was one question that Justine hadn’t asked yet, and she realized it was because it was something she wasn’t certain she wanted to know. Kinemet was a miracle element, and would give any world the ability to venture beyond the borders of its solar system. For those who successfully underwent the Kinemetic change, and were forever altered, there were numerous benefits: the ability to pilot ships between the stars, electropathic control, and enhanced memory. It was a dream-come-true on many levels.
The change came with some serious disadvantages. There were many dangers involved with utilizing the Kinemetic power itself, but it was the secondary effects that would give potential candidates pause. Never being able to set foot on her home planet again without risking death was a significant downside. If Justine had had a choice in her conversion, and had known about this drawback, she would’ve had a very tough decision to make. It was a big enough issue that it would deter many from going down the path to becoming an interstellar pilot.
The Kinemetic change altered a person at the cellular level. What other side effects would this change produce?
Hesitant to ask the question, Justine nevertheless spoke it. “Whatever you want to call us—Risen, Kinemats, Aetherbeings—we can’t have children, can we?”
“Not once we are altered,” Fairamai said, as if that were a well-known fact.
The confirmation was like a punch in the stomach to Justine. Though she’d made the decision not to have a child of her own long ago, the option had always been there if she ever changed her mind. Now, there was no hope. Klaus had taken away a great deal more than anyone thought when he’d forced Justine into the change.
The anger surged in her, but she had no place to direct it. Klaus hadn’t survived Lucis Observatory, but if he had, she would track him down and make him wish he hadn’t.
Fairamai led her back to the bridge, and by the time they arrived, Justine had managed to regain control of her emotions.
The display on the main console panel showed dozens of Gliesan patrol ships in the vicinity around the star beacon. A distance away, there were a number of larger ships that looked like they were military cruisers of some kind—she could sense a variation of weaponized Kinemet on board them. Considering the ongoing war with the Kulsat, Justine assumed that if an enemy ship were to travel to their system, they would quickly be engaged in battle.
Naila said, “I have transmitted our report to Commander Analock. We will be escorted to Skanse Aerie—our
outmost station.” Glancing over his shoulder at Justine, he added, “The Commander is not pleased that we brought the Kulsat shuttle with us … or that I offered them asylum.”
Setting her jaw, Justine asked, “What did he have to say about me?”
“With Ah Tabai and Aliah breaking protocol—and galactic law—and with my decision to spare the enemy, his response to your presence was … not repeatable. He has, however, dispatched a courier ship to Gliese Prime for further instruction.”
Justine felt acutely guilty at the mention of the ‘enemy’, remembering Fairamai’s warning about how unstable the conversion to and from Aetherspace was for normal beings. “The Kulsat,” she said. “Did they all make it?”
“There is one less life form registering on our monitors,” Naila said.
Gritting her teeth at the news, Justine was silently thankful that her ignorance had not cost any of her passengers on the Ultio their lives.
As Naila plugged in the course to the station, Fairamai stroked her long, taloned finger on the control panel on her side of the bridge. A workstation of sorts emerged from the wall on one side of the bridge and a contoured chair rose up and floated above the floor. The Gliesan motioned for Justine to take a seat.
“Skanse Aerie is approximately two-hundred-thousand kilometers away—too short a distance for quantum travel. We’ll have to use normal space engines. It will be at least forty minutes before we arrive. Perhaps you would like to access some background material on our history before you meet a representative from the Collection of Worlds and present your case. It would be best if you were as informed as possible.”
“Thank you, Fairamai,” Justine said, and settled herself into the floating chair. When she’d been standing up, the display screen had looked like a two-dimensional representation; once she sat down, the image before her expanded into a volumetric holograph. Haptic technology had just started to become popular on Earth, and Justine extended her hand to manipulate the image in front of her.
Worlds Away (The Interstellar Age Book 3) Page 20