Baldwin's Legacy: The Complete Series

by Hystad, Nathan

  “No. As I said, they are outwardly physically similar to you, and even to the Tekol. But on the inside, things are different.” Yunrio entered the room, the depressed door handle springing up loudly.

  Treena felt uneasy in this space. Something about the entire thing was setting off alarm bells in her head. She followed the Seeli inside, Nee joining her. The others remained outside, and she peered over to see Conner continue on, his gun in his grip.

  The man was old, skinny, and she nearly fell over when his eyes darted open, bouncing around as he tried to understand what he was seeing.

  “Calm yourself, Caalizan. It’s me, Yunrio of the Seeli,” Yunrio said, patting his chest.

  “Yunrio. What… how did you find me?” Caalizan sat up, staring at the Kwant doctor and then at Treena.

  “We’re here to help,” Treena said.

  The man shook his head. “You cannot help. It’s too late. She’s gone.”

  “Where is she?” Yunrio asked, his jaw tense.

  “We sent her to the station with one of the Guardians. Our finest.”

  Treena sighed. “The station was destroyed.”

  Caalizan’s already ashen face paled even more. “Then we are finished.”

  “Come. Tell us your story.” Yunrio urged the man from the bed, and he nodded, gripping the Seeli man’s hand for support. He walked on unsteady legs toward the other room, and Treena only now saw more people around the space. It was some kind of a medical triage station, with desks centering the circular floor.

  “We’re doomed after so many years of expenses and sacrifice.”

  Yunrio glared at him, and it was clear the Seeli man was waiting for something. “Why did you let her leave? Could you not have hidden her?”

  “They knew. The entire time,” Caalizan told them.

  “And just who were these invaders?” Reeve asked, stepping closer to the fragile old man. His hair was thin and white, his lips crusty.

  “You don’t know? Truly?” he croaked.

  “How could we?” Treena asked.

  “They are one of the others. One of our cousins, originated from the first five colony ships to leave Celevon,” he said.

  “You have to be kidding me.” Treena was feeling out of touch with a story more complicated than the pages they were being shown.

  “Unfortunately not. They’ve been out of our radar for a long time, but we’ve encountered them in the far reaches of space once or twice.” Caalizan blinked, looking to Treena.

  “Why were you ever past the Border?” Treena asked. “You know as well as anyone that any Concord partners aren’t permitted to leave our space without consent from the Prime themselves.”

  “Indeed… but we’re a curious race. We’re not content to sit here while there’s so much to explore out there,” he told them. “Not to mention we’re dying off and were desperate for answers.”

  “And where did you venture to?” Reeve’s hands found her hips, and she frowned at the man. She was digging, and Treena thought she knew what to expect.

  Any bravado fled the Minon scientist’s shoulders, and he slumped. “The Danzuno system. It was a rumor at first. A crashed ship.”

  “You found the colony vessel?” Yunrio asked quietly.

  Caalizan nodded slowly, his hands shaking slightly. “Yes.”

  “Why didn’t you tell us?” Yunrio shouted. “There must be information there that can help the Seeli.”

  “We found her. She was the only one alive, and the others had expired… a long time ago. It was a miracle,” Caalizan told them.

  Something exploded outside, shaking the building. “We have to investigate,” Treena said. “The locals might think we’re here to finish what the invaders started.”

  “Commander Starling is right,” Conner said, speaking for the first time. Treena had watched him from the corner of her eye as he’d surveyed the room, and when he returned, he clipped his PL-30 to his hip. Commander Shu was at the computer near the admittance desk, and Reeve shook her head.

  “Not going to work,” she said.

  The young Callalay commander removed a pouch from his suit, setting the contents on the desktop. A tablet powered to life, and he jammed a device into the side of the console. “We’ve uncovered a way to retrieve data from fried systems like this. All we have to do is…” He stuck his tongue out as he moved through the menus on the tablet. Treena saw the hint of success on his face, and Reeve plopped into the seat beside him.

  “That’s refreshing. When did this come onto the market?” she asked Kan Shu.

  “It hasn’t.”

  Reeve stared at the screen. “Why not?”

  “Because it’s my invention,” Shu said, surprising the crew of Constantine.

  Treena stepped behind him, trying to see the data on the tablet. “What are we looking at?”

  He moved through the information, scrolling over unimportant details. Conner Douglas tapped a finger on his chin and turned to the old man. “Hey, Caalizan. How do we gain access to your military files?”

  “We don’t have a separate…”

  “Then government access. How do we find it from here?” Conner asked, obviously onto something.

  “It’ll be easier if I show you.” Caalizan reached for the tablet, and Shu passed the glowing screen over to the Minon man. “All I have to do is register here, use my passcode… and….” The screen flashed, and they were in. “What are you searching for?”

  Conner smiled. “We don’t know much about these guys, other than the fact they came meaning business. But there’s something every enemy beyond the Border that we’ve ever met wants.”

  “Entrance to the Concord?” Nee asked.

  “Nope. Money. Supplies. Anything of value. If they took this girl… or ‘asset,’ as you want to call her, then they deem her valuable. I mean, if they’re related to you guys, from another of the colony vessels, they might be experiencing the same genetic failings as well.” Conner used the tablet, and Treena finally understood.

  “Then they wanted her for the same reasons as the Minon did,” Nee said.

  “Maybe. Let’s see.” Conner continued tapping away.

  “Their communications. Did they send something? A ransom note?” Treena asked her ex-classmate.

  It took a few minutes, but eventually, he joyfully shouted, “Found it!” He spun the tablet around to show them. A simple message was spelled out in Standard.

  Have the asset. Captors want a trade. Her for Keen. Please confirm.

  Seven

  The sheer number of Ugna ships that had arrived was astounding. There were over forty warships, the same kind that had come with Constantine to fight the Statu, but the Elders hadn’t told them about the other various spacecrafts.

  One of the crafts was huge, carrying a hundred thousand of the Ugna. Tom tried to wrap his head around how so many of the race were out there, but couldn’t.

  “Ven, where were they all hiding?” he asked his Ugna crew member.

  “Captain, I’m unable to tell. Elder Fayle has rebuked my attempts at inquiry. I have to assume they had multiple secret villages among all of our Concord partners’ worlds,” Ven said.

  “But that doesn’t account for the ships, Ven. How is this possible? The sheer size of their operation leads me to think they’ve been deceitful,” Tom said, squinting as he assessed Ven. Was his chief of crew really on the Concord’s side, or was he loyal to the Ugna and Elder Fayle?

  “What are you suggesting?”

  Tom weighed his options, and decided to just say it. The man’s reaction would tell him a lot. “That they’ve been hiding outside of Concord space.”

  Ven’s face remained calm, and he tilted his head to the side, nodding ever so slightly. “I think that is the most likely assumption we can make.”

  “And that’s illegal. They’ve already broken Concord law before they were even welcomed into the fold. I have to speak with the Prime on this.” Tom wasn’t looking forward to the conversation.


  Ven began to rise from his seat in Tom’s office but was ushered to sit. “I’d like you to stay, Ven.”

  “Yes, sir.” He acted surprised but didn’t say anything more about it; he only moved his chair beside Tom’s as he attempted communication with Nolix. The relay system was strong along this quadrant of Concord space, and Tom was connected with the Prime’s assistant within minutes. He asked to speak with Xune, and the man smiled, saying he was busy.

  “That’s unacceptable. We have something important going on here, so wake Xune, or interrupt his meetings, or take him away from his dinner with family.” Tom frowned at the screen, but the man only kept smiling.

  “I’ll see what I can do. Hold plea…”

  “Don’t…” The screen flashed blue. Tom glanced at Ven, who sat rigid in his seat. While they had a moment, he decided to talk to the executive lieutenant. “Ven, how has it been lately?”

  “How do you mean, sir?”

  “With your people around. Do you like seeing Fayle all the time?” Tom asked, his brow softening.

  “I have mixed feelings. I thought I did, but there’s something...off about her of late.” He shifted in his chair.

  “I noticed you were behaving a little differently the other day. Do you want to discuss it?” he asked.

  Ven looked away, breaking his stare, and peered at the viewscreen. Tom did too, seeing the blockade of protesters out there, their numbers growing by the hour.

  “I’d prefer not to, sir,” Ven answered.

  “Fine. I’m always here if you need…” The screen flashed again, and the blank blue was replaced by Prime Xune’s face. He appeared to be half-asleep, and Tom cringed.

  “I apologize for the late wake-up call, sir,” Tom told him.

  “Don’t worry about that. What’s so imperative?” the Prime asked.

  Tom told him about the protesting members of the Concord and brought up Doctor Aimie Gaad, who seemed to have taken on the role of the dissenters’ leader.

  “We expected a little resistance, but nothing at this kind of level,” Xune told them. His image looked toward Ven. “And what do your people think about this?”

  Ven didn’t reply instantly, as if surprised to have been noticed. “Elder Fayle requests that we escort them to the surface as per your orders, sir.”

  “And, Baldwin, what are your thoughts?” Prime Xune stifled a yawn.

  “I haven’t told you the best part. The entire Ugna race is here.”

  “What do you mean… all of them? We were informed that only a small group would be arriving for the first visit,” Xune said.

  “That’s why I’m contacting you. I have a group of protestors, as well as a veritable fleet out here. This place could go up in smoke at any minute,” Tom said.

  “Baldwin, what do you suggest we do?”

  Tom shrugged. “Do you really want my opinion?”

  “I do.”

  “I think the Ugna have been keeping secrets from us. Elder Fayle has been acting strange since we departed for Driun F49, and now this? They had to have been holding planets outside of Concord space to pull this off. I suggest we interview them, make them share their flight paths with us,” Tom said.

  Xune shook his head. “Thomas, you know we can’t do that. The Ugna saved our skins with the Statu, and have been loyal to their word. With the exception of being overly excited about their new colony home, they’ve done nothing wrong.”

  “But the fact remains…”

  “Stop right there, Baldwin. You will meet with this Doctor Aimie Gaad and Elder Fayle. Let them express their concerns, and tell them the operation has full support of the Prime and admirals. I’ll even meet with the doctor personally in a couple of weeks if they want to head to Nolix. Will you pass that on?” Prime Xune asked.

  Tom sighed but nodded. “Loud and clear.”

  “Then bring them to the surface. I want you to be present with Fayle as she steps onto Driun F49 for the first time. You too, Executive Lieutenant Ven.” Xune smiled, looking more awake than a few minutes ago.

  “I suppose there’s no changing your mind?” Tom asked, giving it one last effort. His gut was churning over this, and he hated to ignore it.

  “Not this one, Baldwin. I do appreciate your candor and anticipate working closely with you in the future.” He peered to Ven one more time, and the screen went blank.

  “Dammit!” Tom slapped a palm on the desktop.

  “I know you have concerns, Captain, but I don’t think Elder Fayle has ill will toward you or the Concord,” Ven said.

  To his own surprise, this eased Tom’s mind a little. “Thanks, Ven. I guess we go tell Elder Fayle the news. Can you head to the bridge and set up the meeting with the doctor?” Tom asked, and Ven rose, stalking from the office.

  The door slid closed, and Tom leaned back in his chair, watching the demonstrators through the viewscreen on his wall. What did they even hope to accomplish? Tom wondered if they were right, and part of him said Doctor Aimie was correct in her concerns.

  But he wasn’t here to change the Prime’s orders. He would obey them like a good soldier. He wondered what Constantine would have done in this situation, had he encountered it fifty years earlier.

  ____________

  Tom, Ven, and Elder Fayle moved in the shuttle toward the R-emergence luxury cruiser. Fayle had suggested they meet with Doctor Gaad on her own ship, so she would be put at ease. Tom usually preferred the comfort of his own meeting rooms, or at least neutral ground. Heading to hostile territory to deliver bad news was never a great idea.

  The trip was short, and soon they were boarded inside the R-emergence vessel’s hangar. The transport’s hinged doors hissed upward, and Tom wasn’t surprised to see an armed guard meeting them.

  He was large, bigger than Brax, who Tom had told to stay on board Constantine as the highest-ranking officer. The chief of security hadn’t liked that one bit, but the longer Tom was involved in this mess, the sooner he wanted to be done with Fayle and the Ugna so he could return to pick up Commander Starling and the other crew members. There had been no messages from them since Rene Bouchard had arrived near Minon, and hoped they were doing well.

  “Follow me.” The big Tekol turned on a black-booted heel and clipped his way through the hangar into the corridor beyond. A few people pressed to the walls as they passed, staring with interest, but no one spoke to them directly.

  They were led to a room off the bridge, and Tom grinned as he saw the opulence before him. Everything inside was decadent, from the art adorning the meeting room to the heavy, dark wooden table. The projection of a crackling fireplace hearth glowed amber at the far side of the space, and the lights were dim. This was not what he’d been expecting.

  “Business is doing well, I see,” Tom told the woman sitting at the end of the table. She glanced up, standing to greet them. She was even more impressive in person. Her eyes sparkled as her gaze met his, and she rose, putting aside the tablet in her hands.

  “Captain Thomas Baldwin. It’s a pleasure to meet you,” she said.

  “Likewise,” he told her, even though it was anything but. She was putting his entire mission on hold, and the whole protest was a waste of resources.

  “Have a seat,” she said. The guard came to sit beside her, and Tom guessed he wasn’t only a bulky armed man, but a member of her team. His face was unreadable as he watched them, and Doctor Gaad motioned for them to have a seat.

  “This is Elder Fayle, as you’ve probably already guessed, and my executive lieutenant, Ven Ittix.” Tom nodded to the pair of Ugna near him, and the doctor only absently acknowledged them.

  She didn’t speak until their group were seated, and when she did, her voice was deep, but crisp and focused. “I’ve been on the Association Against Child Abduction for twenty years, with five as Head Chair, and can you guess what I’ve learned in that time?”

  Aimie was staring at Fayle, and Tom leaned away, not wanting to be caught in the crossfire.

  “
What is that?” Fayle asked. She was in her black cloak today, her red eyes darker in the ambient lighting. The fireplace projection popped and hissed behind them, the sound effects extremely realistic. Tom could almost feel the heat emanating off it.

  “I’ve learned that the Ugna have taken over five thousand children from our Concord partners’ worlds, including just shy of four thousand from the Founders alone. In the last ten years,” Aimie said. “Furthermore, they’ve isolated these children, pumped them full of drugs, and made them perform unspeakable acts.” She peered at Ven for an instant, her face growing softer, more caring.

  “We are helping these children. That is what you do not seem to comprehend, Doctor.” Elder Fayle’s voice was hard and low. “I assume, since you love research so much, that you’re fully aware of what happens to a child that is not treated?”

  “That’s not why we’re here!” their host shouted. “When will it end? We’ve been catering to some fictional religion involving substance abuse for too long, and now that they tell us they have two million people and want to be recognized as a race and demand a home, we do it? We bend our knee and hand over a planet to these monsters?”

  Elder Fayle appeared ready to tear this woman’s head from her shoulders, and Tom suspected she could with nothing but her mind. He raised a finger, intercepting the coming retort. He leaned toward the doctor and whispered a question: “When did you lose someone?”

  It was a simple query, the only one that made any sense to him. Tom had seen passionate people in his life, and had been one at times, and the factor that would drive her to this level of commitment was close to her heart.

  Her entire mood changed, shifting into a much younger woman. She slumped in her seat, tears welling in her beautiful eyes. Tom wanted to reach over and wipe them from her cheeks but stayed in his seat.

  “I was only five years old. I loved my brother. He was three years older, always causing trouble with my parents, but he’d do anything for me. They took him in the middle of the night,” she said, her voice hardly audible over the fireplace. None of them spoke, letting her tell the tale, though Tom noted how Fayle moved uncomfortably in her chair. “He’d been having dreams… he saw lights, bright spots that continued when he woke. They’d eventually disappear, but each night, they’d return. I used to hear him shouting out, and things started to break around the house. Mirrors, floorboards, my tablet.