The Survivors (Book 12): New Discovery

by Hystad, Nathan

  “Let me worry about that!”

  Canni’s face was twisted in a frown as one of his hands gripped the inside wall. “Jules, what’s happening?” he asked through gritted teeth. His dark armored skin glistened from the rain, and the ship bucked to the side as he entered.

  “Dean, go!” Jules grabbed at Canni, pulling him in, and she tripped over his bulky legs as Dean accelerated from the ground. Jules felt gravity take over as she fell from the hatch toward the mud below.

  Jules used her powers, preventing herself from crashing into the dirt, and settled to her feet as rain washed off the sphere around her. The Harvesters were close enough to attack now, and she felt a familiar rage course through her. No one was going to hurt her friends – her family.

  She rose from the ground, floating in front of the viewscreen, where Dean would be behind the controls. The Harvesters were intimidating: boxy, with dark purple energy flashing around their hulls. They slowed, hovering about the newly-discovered alien craft, and Jules sensed they were about to attack. She wasn’t going to wait for the imminent assault. She waved Dean away, without a glance toward the viewscreen behind her.

  Jules breathed deeply, the ancient energy inside her enveloping her throat, pumping in her veins. She stretched a hand out, sending thick green flickering tendrils at the lead enemy, lashing it to the valley below. It crashed with a loud smack in the sludge, and the other two Harvesters moved to land behind it.

  Jules didn’t hesitate. She flew down the slope, hovering near the front of the Harvester, and spread her hands wide. The head of the vessel tore apart, purple blasts emanating all around the defeated craft. A figure stood inside the ship, the front of the enemy craft split in two and tossed twenty yards to either side of her.

  “Jules, enough!” the figure called, and she blinked, trying to see who could possibly be within it that knew her.

  The rage subsided as she recognized the man: his short dark hair, his thick beard, those kind eyes that softened every time they stared at her.

  “Papa,” she whispered, settling to the ground.

  Two

  My daughter was a piece of work. I never should have suggested throwing the extra level of difficulty into Jules and Dean’s final exam mission, and I’d paid the price. Now I owed Sergo twenty credits and the Deeli of Bazarn Five a new ship.

  “Dad, I still don’t understand why you did that,” Jules said, and I stopped pacing the room aboard Horizon. Mary and Hugo had remained on Haven while the students were taking their finals, and I was glad Mary hadn’t witnessed our daughter’s destructive power. She’d been remarkable out there, defending her friends like that. It had also been terrifying to push the limits of the final. I could have been killed.

  “We predicted you were going to have too easy a time with the usual mission parameters, so we added in an additional layer, where you’d need to come to the aid of your fellow students. It was a sound plan at the time,” I told her, even though my words weren’t reassuring.

  “Okay, I get that, but Harvesters? You didn’t need to make me think someone was going to eat us,” she said, and I caught no hidden amusement at our choice of enemies.

  “I know, honey bear, but…”

  “Papa, don’t you think I’m a little old to be called that? I’m practically a woman.” Jules averted her gaze, and I laughed internally at the fact that she called me by that name after all these years. I hoped she never stopped.

  “Okay, deal. But I don’t care how easily you tore the front of a spaceship off; you’ll always be my little girl.” I turned to glance down our hallway when a chime sounded, and I told the computer to let the visitor in.

  Slate entered the hall with Dean in tow. The boy had deep lines under his eyes, and I noticed the way Jules sat up straighter as the kid walked in. I’d known how she felt about Magnus and Nat’s son for a few years now, but hadn’t said a peep. It would play out as it was intended to; I just hoped her heart wasn’t broken in the process.

  “I wanted to come and apologize for allowing this to happen,” Slate said. “It’s my last year teaching at the Academy, and I’d really appreciate it if we could keep this indiscretion quiet for the sake of my memory there.”

  Slate wasn’t one for secrets, but we nodded along. “What about the other kids?” I asked, and he laughed.

  “They thought it was awesome, and I promised them a passing grade, even though we interfered with their completion of the task. They were keen on the deal, since Canni didn’t think his legs could have made it the entire way up that knoll,” Slate said.

  “How about we grab a beer and let these two talk?” I asked, winking at Jules so the others couldn’t see.

  She mouthed the words “thank you,” and Slate followed me to the kitchen. I glanced over to see Dean sit beside Jules, their voices hushed as they spoke.

  “That was dangerous. If I’m going to be the captain of Light, I need to make better decisions,” I said, passing a beer to Slate.

  “If I’m going to be your commander, I need to stop you from making bad choices too.” Slate grinned and clinked his bottle to mine, taking a sip.

  “Deal.” I settled on the stool at the island, and Slate remained standing across from me.

  “Can you believe we’re going to be boarding Light in a month? Seems like it was only yesterday we surprised you with that party on the bridge.”

  “You’re not kidding. It’s been a great year, but I’m ready to leave our condo on Haven. With Hugo going to the Academy next semester, and Mary scaling back her hours with the Alliance of Worlds, I feel like we can really do this. I miss it,” I admitted to my best friend.

  “You and me both. Don’t get me wrong. I loved working with Magnus on this ship, and then teaching at the Academy, but after a while, I started to itch for adventure,” he told me.

  “I hear you. Attending the odd board meeting on Haven, or the site planning on New Spero, leaves nothing but a pit of boredom in my old veins, Slate. I need space. I need the stars and planets and encounters, and the thrill of adventure. I was an accountant, living a boring life, and everything turned upside down. I spent so many years wishing for a quieter existence after that, and honestly, I was wrong the entire time.” I took a sip of my beer and glanced to the living room again, seeing the top of Jules’ head. “She feels the same way as I do, perhaps even more so. If she can hone her abilities, she’ll be unstoppable.”

  Slate nodded, his expression going serious. “I know we’re talking about Light like it’s going to be all fun and games, but the universe is a dangerous place. Are you sure we want to escort Brik to his people as our first task?”

  This was surprising. Slate had always seemed to be okay with the idea of returning the Sterona man home to his people. “We owe it to ourselves to see this through. It was always you and me, buddy. Remember the portals on New Spero? We found Suma that day. It was fate, and once again, it brought us together for another quest.”

  “Okay, that’s all great with me. We’re still bringing the kid with us?” he asked, looking over at me as he took another drink.

  “We are. Should we not?” I asked.

  “If he’s like Jules, do you think it’s safe?”

  This was a sticking point with many of us, and I tried to give the boy the benefit of the doubt. “According to Regnig, there was a man – O’ri of the Stor – and the description of him was similar to what we see in my daughter. But by all definitions, the youth we found on the Collector’s ship wasn’t an intimidating man. We can’t assume that he’s the same person.”

  “Then why haven’t we let him out of the time freeze yet?” Slate asked.

  I hadn’t said much about it to the others, because I didn’t like the implications that anyone with Jules’ ability was dangerous, even though she’d just shown us how powerful she could be when motivated. “Because she doesn’t want to.”

  “Jules?”

  “That’s right. She and Regnig talk about it endlessly, debating the op
tions, and they’ve chosen to let him remain frozen for now, until they learn more about her and the ancient powers,” I said. It was all connected to the stones, the crystal portals, and oddly enough, they were linked to the crude circular portals of the Nirzu of the valley on Menocury L05 as well. I wished I knew more about the history of her powers, because as it stood, they weren’t related to the Iskios, as we’d been speculating.

  The Theos had been remiss to place the bodies of their enemies on a planet infused with the portal stone crystals, and they’d soaked in the lingering energy of Jules’ ancestors. We were hypothesizing that the same energy had filled Mary while pregnant and possessed by the Iskios, and it resulted in our daughter being given this extraordinary gift. I was done trying to hide it from everyone, and since she was no longer able to keep her eyes from glowing, it was just as well.

  Slate smiled again, the corners of his eyes crinkling. When had we aged this much? To me, Slate was always going to be that man in his twenties, sent to join our mission by General Heart when Leslie and Terrance ran away from their captivity in New Mexico all that time ago. “Fair enough. Dean, I’m going to miss teaching, but this is going to be legendary. Captain Dean Parker, teaming up with Commander Zeke Campbell.”

  “I thought you hated your name.”

  He shrugged. “Loweck likes it, so that makes me not loathe it quite so much.”

  “You won’t mind if I keep calling you Slate, will you?”

  “As long as you don’t call me late for dinner. Speaking of, Magnus and Natalia are waiting for us,” he told me, and I’d almost forgotten we had plans with them.

  “Come on, kids. Time to go over to Dean’s,” I called, and finished my beer. “And Commander Zeke.” I stood by my old friend and set a hand on his shoulder. “This is going to be a great experience for us all.”

  Slate grinned widely, nodding along. “I still can’t believe you agreed to let Sergo join the crew.”

  “He’s come through when he’s needed to, and that’s good enough for me.” I led Slate down my suite’s hall, toward the exit, and heard the kids trailing behind us at a safe distance.

  Maggie was already at the door, nose touching it in anticipation. “How does she always know?” Slate asked, and I shook my head.

  “Food detection is her superpower.”

  A few minutes later, we were settled in to Magnus’ suite, filling the table with bodies. Natalia hugged me, then Jules, and I could tell by the look in her eyes that rumors had already reached her about what had happened earlier in the day. Luckily, she didn’t bring it up, and Slate appeared happy about that.

  Patty grabbed Jules’ hand and tugged her away from the gathered group, toward her room, and Dean took a seat beside his father. Magnus was acting worried about something, and I told myself to ask him about it later.

  The doors opened at the end of the hall, and I heard the best sound in the galaxy. “Hello, everyone.” I turned to see Mary stalking toward me, and she pulled me into a hug. I kissed her, admiring her new haircut. She’d cut it shorter, and it swept to her left shoulder, slightly higher on her right side in the common asymmetrical style all the younger people on Haven were doing these days.

  “Looks great,” I whispered in her ear, and her eyes sparkled in reply. “Where’s Hugo?”

  “With Karo and Ableen. The new students are doing an optional tour tomorrow, and he asked if he could stay with Uncle Karo.” Mary took a seat beside Nat, and I went beside her.

  “The boy must be excited,” Magnus said from the head of the table. He wasn’t in uniform, which was a rare sight these days.

  “Hugo’s more excited about seeing spaceships and playing with guns than learning anything,” Mary told them, and Magnus boomed a laugh out.

  “Sounds like Slate,” Magnus said, and Slate plopped into a chair beside Dean and across from me.

  “Saved your old hide more times than I’d care to bring up,” Slate said, taking the comment from his former captain with grace.

  “I can’t deny that. Dean, I heard you passed today,” Magnus told his son.

  “You’re looking at one of the newest Gatekeepers,” Slate said proudly.

  “It was mostly Jules,” Dean said quietly.

  Magnus leaned in and glanced toward Patty’s room, where my daughter was tucked away, likely hearing the latest boy gossip from Horizon. “Son, you’re one of the most capable men I know, and you have the entire universe at your disposal. One day, you’ll be the captain of a ship like this, and you’re going to need people around you that elevate you, that help you succeed. A rising tide lifts all boats, and without people like Dean, Mary, and Slate, and” – he cleared his throat – “your mother, I’d be stuck on Earth trying to hide from the Deltra.”

  Dean appeared to take in the wise commentary, and he sat straighter in his chair. “Thanks, Dad. I appreciate it.”

  “Any time, son. Where’s the food?” Magnus peered over his shoulder, where the NannyBot rolled toward us with trays of steaming hot dinner.

  ____________

  “And we need to follow up on the threat. That’s why I’d like you to take Dean and Patty with you on Light for a while,” Magnus said. The four of us were in their living room, the kids gone to bed an hour ago. Even Slate had dismissed himself, saying Loweck was expecting him at the Academy for the tours tomorrow.

  “And these guys, are they legit?” I asked. This was the first anyone had mentioned the Arnap to me.

  “We’ve been hearing a few things about them at the Alliance headquarters, but never more than a passing rumor,” Mary said.

  “And what, there’s a chance they’ve committed genocide of an entire planet?” I asked.

  “That’s the speculation, but with no one alive to tell the tale, we can’t be certain. The inhabitants weren’t space traveling, but they were close. Some nearby races were keeping tabs on them, kind of like Earth before the Event,” Magnus said.

  “And what? You two are going to rush in there and stick your necks out?” I asked.

  Mary slapped me on the arm. “Dean, I’m positive they’re going to be cautious and investigate things before doing anything.”

  Natalia laughed. “Actually, he was right. But maybe Mary’s approach is better.”

  I could tell they were messing with me, but something about this strange mission didn’t sit well. “Are you sure you want Dean with us on Light?” I knew someone that would be thrilled with the news, and it wasn’t Patty.

  “Is that a problem?” Magnus puffed on a cigar, the smoke drifting to the ventilator overhead.

  “Not at all. But he’s about to graduate, and Sarlun has set tasks for the newly admitted Gatekeepers. I don’t want to dictate…” I stopped as Magnus raised a hand.

  “You know as well as I do that Sarlun will be fine with anything we suggest. The ship needs Gatekeepers, and you’re going to have a bunch at your disposal. The first-years need to be led by an established duo,” he said.

  “Exactly, that’s why I was thinking…”

  “Dean, we’re the duo he’s implying,” Mary said, and I realized how daft I was being.

  “That makes sense.” Mary and I, along with Slate, had become the first humans in Gatekeeper history.

  I relaxed, thinking he was onto something. If we could keep Dean and Jules together on Light, I would be able to keep a father’s protective eye over her for the near future. That made me feel a lot better about her venturing into this new profession. “Could you imagine if we’d had to graduate from the Academy before they let us do anything?”

  Mary laughed. “We’d never have made it. I think our ignorance was the only thing that kept us alive at times.”

  I didn’t mention the ice world where we’d first discovered the clue we thought was going to lead us to the Theos all those years ago. That had been on one of our first missions. Sarlun’s words still echoed in my mind from our wedding night. “Dean and Mary, will you join our ranks as Gatekeepers? My daughter was right about yo
u. You are special.”

  And now, all these years later, we had a daughter of our own, and she was about to be recruited. It didn’t seem possible, but as I looked at our small group, I could see we were no longer the same four people we’d been during the Event. Time had a funny way of sneaking up on you.

  “So you’ll watch over the kids for us?” Natalia asked.

  “Sorry for being so circumspect over the topic. We’d be happy to have them with us on Light.” I leaned over, petting Carey, who was nestled at my feet. Another modern miracle. The life extenders were still working, but I didn’t think the old boy had many years left in the tank. It was evident with each groan as he stood, with his lack of appetite, and the sheen of his once-shiny coat now going dull.

  I loved that dog all the same, and I left my hand on his back as he snored quietly. Maggie rolled over, and Charlie jumped up onto the couch between Nat and Magnus. “Do you think you’ll ever use the extenders?” I asked the pair across from me.

  Magnus set his cigar down and peered at his wife. “I’m on the fence. We’ve discussed it, but are we meant to live longer?”

  I shrugged. “I mean, we were already on that path with Earth’s modern medicine. I have a feeling humans would have been living a lot longer within a few decades, had we not been introduced to alien races.”

  “Does that mean you’re considering them?” Nat asked. “Or that you’re taking them?”

  “I haven’t given them much thought,” I admitted. I turned to Mary. “How about you?”

  She was always going to be beautiful, and I loved her new hairstyle, but we weren’t spring chickens any longer, and the stress of our lives over the last twenty years did occasionally show through.

  “I’ve thought about it,” she told us, and I squinted at her.

  “Really?”

  “Who hasn’t? And I’m sure we discussed this before.”