The Jump Point

by Anthony James

  "But is that wise, Garavenah?" asked Mahra. "If the Sirona are so interested in him, isn't he just going to draw their attention here?"

  "Who am I to question the wisdom of the CoCee, Mahra? I guess they know what they're doing. He won't be operating without appropriate supervision. Most people involved in the project were already well and truly his to start with. It suits the CoCee purposes better if he remains in control. Don't ask me why we have to put up with him in the meantime. I guess they want us to keep an eye on him as well. He's a bright boy by all accounts," she said with a sigh, rubbing the back of her neck. "As if we don't have enough to contend with."

  ֍

  As soon as the biolab side of things had been well established, four trainees were selected to have the material inserted. The implants were made, and within two days, the first batch of subjects had healed well enough to recommence their training. She took the first two up as soon as she could.

  Outside Belshore space, she felt the adrenaline coursing as she prepared to palm the drive. Chutzpah rode with her, and she could feel him sensing her tension, for he fidgeted on her shoulder and jumped from left to right.

  "Chutz, sit still would you?" she snapped, but it did no good.

  Mahra hesitated for a moment. So much was dependent on what she was about to do. If this worked, then they were on their way, but if it didn't ....

  Quickly she reached forward and hit the drive. She watched the two pilot's faces intently as the transition occurred.

  Their reaction was immediate.

  "Yes!" she breathed. Her missing key had been found. The pattern was complete.

  She wasted no time getting the ship back to Belshore and informing the others. Timon was as ecstatic as she was.

  "Mahra, you're sure?" he asked her.

  "Absolutely no doubt, Timon. We've now got more like me. If we can get enough pilots ready and familiar with the transition into jump space, then we'll be on an even footing. Perhaps. I've still got to test it with a few more, but I can feel it's right."

  "Mahra, that's wonderful. Sure, I'm itching to get out of this place. I don't care what it takes."

  Mahra found increasingly more of her time monopolised by the needs of the program. First, she had to nurse the new pilots through the transitional phase where their perceptions were interfered with, and then, once they had become used to it, proceed with their training. Her days began to be taken up by the training sessions and Timon filled her nights. They saw very little of either Valdor Carr or Jayeer Sind. Both were more than fully occupied with their own assignments.

  Carr was trouble to begin with. Barely a day went past without a sneering complaint or cynical comment. More than once Garavenah was forced to step in to forestall imminent violence as one or other took exception to his superior attitude. It took him several weeks to get used to the absence of the sort of conditions he had on New Helvetica and the ready touch of power that lay within his grasp. Even though his attitude eased, he still made it plain that he'd be nobody's servant but his own and he worked to the CoCee desires reluctantly at best.

  Timon was little better. As the days and weeks progressed, he complained of feeling more and more like a superseded part and his temper deteriorated with it. He and Mahra still spent a deal of their time together but he was becoming snappy and irritable, even with her.

  Mahra did all she could to calm him, but her own successes with the new pilots made it difficult for her to relate to his frustration. He begged her to allow him to come along on some of her training jumps, but orders would not permit it.

  One afternoon, he burst into Mahra's quarters, out of breath.

  "Come on. She's back," he said excitedly as Mahra sat on her bed looking at him blankly. She had no idea what he was talking about.

  "Who's back Timon? What's the hurry?”

  "Come on. Don't just sit there. It's The Dark Falcon. She's back!"

  The change in him was undeniable. She wanted to share in his excitement, in what was obviously a great moment for him, so she quickly strapped on her blade, called to Chutzpah, and made her way down the corridor after his rapidly retreating form.

  They caught a trans to the port and, all the way, Timon could barely contain his excitement. He was like a small boy all over again. The roads were relatively clear and they made good time to the port. As soon as they were there, he could hardly restrain himself long enough to pay the driver, before leaping out and striding off toward the docking bays.

  She finally caught up with him standing open-mouthed before a sleek silver ship. The lines were the same, but the colour was all wrong. There didn't seem to be any mark on the outer hull and there, in old style script upon the nose sat a name; The Pilgrim.

  Pellis slowly shook his head from side to side. Mahra could feel his stunned disbelief and she reached for his hand.

  "Oh, what have they done to her, Mahra? What have they done?"

  Gently she led him to the ship and the open hatchway. She had to guide him up inside as he traced a finger over the shining surface.

  Once inside, there was no doubt. It was The Dark Falcon right enough. The familiar passageway led off toward familiar doorways. Pellis slowly walked forward to the bridge still shaking his head. Sind was there already, glued to his rapidly scrolling screens.

  "Well, Timon, what do you think? I would say as good as new. Better in some ways," he said, barely looking up from the displays.

  "Jay, how could you? Look what they've done to her!"

  "Oh certainly, a few cosmetic changes, but that was inevitable. There are a few interesting additions though. Timon, come and look at this."

  "Aughh!" was the only response as Pellis turned, slapped his forehead, and strode off the bridge and down the corridor.

  "Timon!" Mahra called after him, but it was too late. He had gone.

  "Oh, don't worry about him, Mahra. He'll get over it. But seeing as you're here. There are a couple of enhancements they've made to the weaponry that might interest you. I'd take the trouble to go and familiarise yourself with the pod if I were you. From what I understand, we have only a couple of days before we have to leave."

  "Why, Jayeer? What do you know that I don't?"

  "Nothing really. Just that we're leaving, Mahra. We have something to do and plans have already been set in place. It requires us to be elsewhere. I have only a few more checks to make and then I'll join you for a kahveh and we can talk about it. I suggest you go and have a quick scan of the pod while I finish up here. Maybe by then, Timon might have come to his senses and we can all discuss it together."

  Mahra did as Jayeer suggested and made her way up to the pod. Most of The Dark Falcon seemed pretty much as she remembered it, but Jayeer was right. There were changes in the battle pod. Somehow, she could tell the weaponry was different without having to test it. The most obvious thing was the headset. The familiar arrangement was gone. In its place were a simple throat mike and ear-piece. Whatever they had installed here would require practice. Looking at it, she knew without doubt where she'd be spending her time for the next couple of days.

  By the time she was finished playing with the new apparatus and had returned to the rec to join Jayeer, Pellis was already in place. He sat with a mug of kahveh in front of him, head buried in his hands.

  "Look Timon, I know how you feel, but what do you expect?" she said. "What are we going to do, wander up to whoever in a ship that was supposed to have been blasted into nothingness as if nothing had happened? It would do our cause a lot of good, wouldn't it?"

  "Yes, I know, I know, but can't you understand the way I feel?"

  She could, but she wasn't going to pander to his self-pity by agreeing. She patted him on the shoulder and took a seat. They both lapsed into silence and waited for Sind to appear.

  Finally, Jayeer emerged and took his time preparing a fresh brew before sitting at the table to join them.

  "So, my friends. Like old times, isn't it?"

  Pellis merely humphed in reply.
With the mood Timon was in, Mahra also found it difficult to be as cheery as Sind seemed to be and seemed to expect them to be.

  "Well, we have new orders," said Jayeer. "As you both know, I've been involved in the refit of a number of ships. Most have been warrior class or better, and most are fairly well armed. I myself have been surprised by the level of some of the things those ships are carrying. More than enough of a match for our alien brethren I would hope. But that remains to be seen. The CoCee has spared nothing on this one. And now, I think we're finally ready. With your work Mahra, and with the rather reluctant assistance of our friend Carr, we now have probably enough trained and equipped personnel to crew those ships. Even if we don't, there are enough people versed in what is needed to continue the work."

  "So, what are you telling us, Jayeer?" asked Mahra. "That we've become dispensable?"

  "Perhaps I should explain," said a new voice from the doorway. "No, remain seated. Mez Kaitan, I'm sorry we've had no time for formal introductions. These two know me already. You can call me, Aegis."

  The tall, white-haired man helped himself to a kahveh before joining them at the table.

  "What Mezzer Sind is telling you, is that we are now ready to put some plans into effect. This is where you three come in. We are confident that with the right situation, we just might have the ability to determine the exact location of the Sirona homeworld. That is dependent however, on your skills, Mez Kaitan. As you have no doubt been hearing, since Mezzer Carr's disappearance from New Helvetian public life, there has been a marked increase of interest in the area by our friends the Sirona. They are starting to visit more and more frequently. We have let them do so unmolested up to this point, but now we believe we are ready."

  "But ready for what?" asked Mahra.

  "What we want you to do, is to wait for the appearance of one of their ships and track it to its origin. Do you think that's possible?"

  Mahra nodded her head hesitantly. "I think so," she said.

  "If you think you can do it, then we believe you probably can. Once you have that location, then, and only then, will we be in a position to act. The task fell rather naturally to you three as most of our newer crew were reasonably inexperienced. We've been able to muster some simulations of the process since all this began, but not enough to trust straight away. I wouldn't suggest the operation is without its risks, but we're expectant that you'll succeed. So, no, you have not become dispensable, Mez Kaitan. We need you now, more than ever."

  Mahra studied the man, and he watched her in return.

  "But what use would that be?" she asked. "What good would it do us knowing where their homeworld is?"

  Aegis nodded. "I know it might not seem like much, but we're going to prepare a little surprise for the Sirona. You'll be informed of the details as soon as we have some other things in place. I'm not in a position to tell you any more at this point, but the information will be passed on to you at the proper time."

  Mahra looked over at Timon, who simply raised an eyebrow.

  "One last thing," said Aegis. "We want you to know how much we appreciate the work you've been doing here. Without you, so much of what was about to take place would not have been possible."

  Mahra could hear the sincerity in the man's voice, and a warm flush grew in her cheeks. Timon glanced over at her and gave her a slight smile, which only made matters worse.

  "So, Mez Kaitan, do you think you're ready to put the first step of our plan into operation.

  Mahra looked at him steadily. "Nothing would give me greater pleasure," she said.

  Aegis returned her gaze. "Good," he said. "I was hoping you'd say that."

  With that last note Aegis nodded to each in turn then stood and left. The three were left looking at each other across their mugs of kahveh. For the first time in a long time, Timon Pellis had a wide grin upon his face.

  Mahra felt a touch of trepidation mixed with excitement. Now that the prospect of facing the Sirona had finally arrived the fear was starting to work inside her, but she knew how much this meant. Despite her unease, she looked at Timon, and she couldn't help grinning back.

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  Their instructions came through to them two days after their meeting with Aegis on board The Pilgrim. They sat together in the rec and discussed it. There was a lot that could go wrong, but they decided that the CoCee plan had the all the marks of one that was likely to succeed. It was simple. A lot depended upon Mahra's ability to track navigational references in jump, but she was fairly confident she could do it. In a way, she knew she had to.

  For the next few days the three were stationed aboard The Pilgrim, well enough away from Belshore to avoid detection, but close enough that they might make a run for it if they got into trouble. What they were doing in that less than populated sector of space was getting practice. The new weapons tracking system didn't take much for Mahra to get used to. It employed the same principles; there was just less equipment to surround her. The real reason for the practice had nothing really to do with the weapons system. it was to gain a deeper familiarity and understanding of jump space and the mechanisms of getting in and out of it quickly. That was fundamental to what they had to do and a key part of the CoCee plan.

  The closeness that had developed over the last few weeks between Mahra and Pellis helped them co-ordinate their movements, because somehow, they almost seemed to be able to second-guess what the other was thinking. Mahra wondered if finally, she was getting close enough to someone to develop a rapport, but she kept the speculation to a minimum. Whatever the reason, it kept the need for spoken communication to a minimum and made the interaction between pilot and navigator much smoother. Of course, they had taken the opportunity for smaller practice jumps during the brief time after they took delivery of The Pilgrim, but it was not quite the same as really getting in touch with jump space.

  Mahra had benefited from the several jump experience simulations with the trainees in the weeks before that, so she was a little more at home with it than Timon. Her initial input had been vital to the creation of those simulations and she helped to populate them with as much as she could remember. She reminded herself to update that information when she had a chance, as her familiarity with that place beyond jump grew. Everything she could add would help the new trainees understand the mechanisms of what they were planning to do.

  Finally, they felt they were ready. The CoCee had had a number of elements of their plan to put in place and they hadn't been idle during the time while Mahra and the others were stationed away from the surface. The crews were ready, and one by one the CoCee had upgraded a vast number of the combined fleet's ships. As soon as they received confirmation, The Pilgrim laid in a new course, to the space around New Helvetica.

  A few days later, they reached their destination — one of the orbital security stations that circled the perimeter of New Helvetian space. Their orders were to wait there, doing nothing until the right opportunity arose. For a time, there was little to do but watch and feign patience.

  Timon eased The Pilgrim into a stationary parking position lying in the platform's shadow. The orbital station was large enough and the ship small enough that there was enough protection to keep them out of sight of curious eyes. The orders required them to maintain complete silence during their vigil. They were left to simply monitor the activities taking place in the region below them and keep an eye on the emptiness beyond.

  At long last, the hours and days of patient waiting were rewarded.

  Mahra felt it first, the slight rippling of her senses and the overlay of patterns that alerted her to a ship emerging from jump somewhere close to them. Chutzpah sensed it too, because he chittered in her ear. She paid careful attention to the convergence of patterns, seeing if she could pinpoint the exact spot where the ship would appear. As soon as she had no doubt at all, she relayed the information over the com.

  "Timon, Jayeer, ship coming. About sixty degrees and up."

  A moment more and
she was proved right. There was a slight shimmering in the region she had pointed out and that was followed by the appearance of the large silver ovoid of a Sirona ship. As it had before, the huge silver shape appeared to coalesce out of the empty blackness. There was no other way to describe it. Mahra felt the bottom drop out of her stomach. She felt cold within, and for a moment, those nightmare images chased through her mind again. Pellis's voice snapped her back immediately.

  "Well done, Mahra. Now keep whatever it is you keep open. Tell us if there's the slightest sign that it's going to move."

  Mahra knew she couldn't afford to let her memories and emotions get in the way. She had waited too long for this.

  "Understood," she responded calmly, feeling nothing of the sort.

  The hours wore on and the cold feeling in the pit of Mahra's stomach gradually eased. She found herself grinding her teeth as she watched the Sirona ship. Why didn't they do anything? They still didn't have any idea how the Sirona managed to get from place to place, so the ship's inhabitants could have been anywhere at that moment. Perhaps that was another thing that would cease to be a mystery within time, just as the Sirona drives had. She watched the ship, willing something to happen.

  More time passed and Mahra caught herself drifting, running her mind over all the things that had happened over the past few weeks. It was strange how fate had conspired to bring her full circle, back to the teachings of the Old One. Just for a moment, Aleyin's face appeared in her mind, and she felt a touch of sadness. She wondered what had happened to him. In many ways, it was as much because of him as well as the Old One that she was where she was today.