He laughed, thinking of that conversation with Aimie Gaad. He doubted there was any way the woman would ever move to Aruto, even if they were able.
“What’s so funny?” Rene asked.
Tom glanced at Shu’s captain, noticing her green eyes sparkle as she looked at him. Her lips curled into a grin, and dimples formed on her cheeks. He averted his gaze, suddenly feeling self-conscious. He’d been spending too much time with her lately. They’d never been a real couple, but he was remembering why they’d sought comfort in each other’s arms years ago. She was full of life, and not to mention beautiful.
“Nothing. I was only thinking about retirement,” he said, half lying.
“Do Baldwins ever retire? I seem to recall Constantine working until he died, and now he’s stuck on a ship named after him.” Her face held that mischievous expression he’d seen so many times.
“This Baldwin will retire one year,” he said firmly. They were nearly at the ship, but Rene slowed, taking hold of his arm.
“And then what? Are you going to have a family?” The question caught him off guard, and he stammered a reply.
“Wha… I don’t know. Why are you asking that?”
Rene laughed, shrugging. “It’s as good a time as any. Are you?”
“I don’t know,” he answered. “We haven’t discussed it.”
“Meaning you and the doctor?”
“Yes. Aimie Gaad,” he said.
“Just don’t settle, okay, Tom?” Rene said, walking away.
Settle? “She’s a doctor and an executive with R-Emergence. I don’t think I’d call that settling,” he told her.
She glanced at him from ahead. “I didn’t say anything about her wealth or career choices.”
They arrived at the cruiser, and Tom was left flustered, unsure what in the Vastness Rene was implying.
“Admiral Thomas Baldwin, this is my mother, President Kalio Bertol,” Asha said. “And this is Captain Rene Bouchard of Shu.”
The woman stood tall, her shoulders covered with a black cloak. The Callalay woman’s ridged forehead was glistening in the sun, and when he locked gazes with her, he nearly gasped. “Jalin?”
She shook her head, smiling at him, the spitting image of the recently missing admiral. “I’m afraid not, Admiral. But Jalin Benitor is my sister.”
That explained even more. Tom wondered why he’d never been told this, and why it wasn’t listed on any of their records. “Very interesting. Asha, why didn’t you say anything?”
The president answered for her daughter. “It’s not something we wanted to advertise. You know the Concord hierarchy was under scrutiny in the Statu aftermath. Jalin thought it best to keep our relationship under wraps. But you’ve seen the resemblance, and I suppose the Booli is out of the sack. Come, we have much to discuss.”
Tom let Rene go first, his mind still reeling from their conversation and the news that Jalin, the missing admiral, was a sister to the Aruto president. How did this connect with her distrust of the Ugna? He was determined to find out.
The trip was quick, Tom remaining standing while the cruiser lifted, taking them to the city headquarters. They exited a few minutes later, Rene staying on the other side of the president and her daughter. Tom hadn’t expected something flashy, but this was a far cry from a palace. The building was peaked, in deference to the mountain crests around them. It was five stories high, with a few Callalay people walking to and from separate structures across the street. Everyone acted pleased, their chatter carrying through the peaceful morning air.
“This is my office,” the president said. “It’s not anything compared to the building you work in, Admiral, and it’s nothing like Shu’s bridge, Captain, but it’s important to us. It was one of the first structures we built in this valley, over five thousand years ago. My ancestors settled this spot, and only in the last few centuries did we really expand the small village into the capital city you see today.”
Her voice was so much like Jalin’s, but her enunciation was different. She was more poetic, where her sister was pragmatic.
“I like it,” Rene said plainly.
The president laughed, and Asha smiled beside her mother. “Good. Come, I’m sure you’d enjoy some refreshments.”
“I’d rather cut to the chase, President Bertol,” Tom said, following her into the entrance of her headquarters.
“In good time. My husband, Cori, always used to tell me I rushed things. He told me that some quiet contemplation was the key to any solution.”
Tom spotted the guards around them: from the ship’s pilot that had trailed them, to the armed workers trying to act casual this entire time. “Your husband was a well-respected man, and apparently a wise one as well.”
They entered the foyer, the ceilings squat and low. It was obvious they’d put a lot of refurbishing into the ancient structure over the centuries. Tall windows were cut into the stone exterior, allowing for natural light in what would otherwise have been a dark space.
Asha spoke in hushed tones with her mother in front of them, and Rene glanced at Tom while they followed the pair into a circular room. The floor was a step-down, with a flat surface beside the drop. It was stone, and the round bench had lush seat cushions. It made Tom think about his school growing up. They would use a room like this to show the students a projection play, one you could watch from any angle of the amphitheatre. This place could likely house a couple of hundred people, but for now, it was secure for the four of them.
“Please, help yourselves.” The president motioned to a cart with refreshments near the right side of the circle. Tom did that and poured them each a clay cup of the green liquid.
“Are these original?” he asked, indicating the glasses.
“They are. Our ancestors used this building, drank from these cups, and had their most important meetings in the Round Room. This is our custom.” The president accepted the beverage graciously and took a seat on a purple cushion; long gold tassels were sewn into the corners of the pillow. “Tell me why you used my daughter to gain access to Aruto.”
The room was extremely wide, and Tom sat on the far edge so they could face one another, Rene taking the seat beside him.
“We were sent by the Prime. Surely he made you aware of our visit?” Tom asked.
“Not that I was informed of. I did know my daughter had recently been placed upon the great Shu, and we are very grateful for the opportunity, aren’t we, Asha?” The president regarded her daughter, who sipped from the red clay cup at her left.
“That’s right. We are grateful.” The young woman seemed genuine, her smile wide.
Tom tried to delay the flurry of questions he had for the president, but found that after a couple of minutes of small talk, he couldn’t. “Why are you afraid of the Ugna?” He’d been told some information by Asha, but wanted to hear it from President Bertol’s lips.
“You should all fear them. What they can accomplish is beyond what any Founder has been able to achieve. They went from being a mystery, with a meager population, to having a force of over a million. And we let them into our fold, invited them in.” She slammed her cup down and placed her hands on her thighs. “Do you have any idea how tough it is to extinguish pests once they’re inside your walls?”
“Are you saying the Ugna are pests?” Rene asked.
The president leaned forward, her spine straight. “They’re not pests, because those are controlled by nature, by needs and actions based on survival. The Ugna have done this before, I can assure you, and they’re not planning to hide within the walls for long. They will spread out and take over before you’re able to stop them.”
“Why didn’t you tell us?” Tom asked, not liking where this conversation was heading.
“I told Jalin my theories, but she didn’t buy them.”
Rene tapped Tom on the shoulder, drawing his attention. “I’m beginning to understand why Benitor sent you here. She knew you’d uncover the truth of the matter, and it seems like
you are.” She shifted her stare to the president. “Are they behind the incidents?”
“It’s unclear. One can only assume so, given the timing,” Bertol said.
“And are you sending a force against the Concord?” Tom asked.
“I would never do that. I was about to transmit my opinions to Nolix, Leria, and Ridele, advising them of my concerns with the Ugna. If they buy in, we may be able to thwart the coming attacks from within,” she said.
Tom pictured their own partners banding together to fight Ridele, thinking the Concord had anything to do with the recent assaults within Concord space. It was unsettling, to say the least. “We need evidence.”
President Bertol stood, waving them to follow her. “I may have what we need. I have record of them working with the Assembly, using wormholes to leave outside the Border, and recently discovered a manufacturing station that might be where they’re creating this mimic fleet.”
Tom passed through the exit, his heart racing. “How did you find this?”
She glanced at him as they strode through the domed corridor, and she smiled despite the dark news. “I followed the credit trail.”
____________
“And you think this lines up?” the captain asked Reeve, standing behind her seat in her Engineering office. Doctor Nee bumped into her chair, leaning in close.
Reeve pointed to the screen, where the old star-map image sat behind the current one. “This is old data, but if we adjust the angles slightly…” She ran a finger across the screen, tilting the modern constellation layout, and they clicked together. “There we are.”
“Where are we?” her brother asked.
Reeve switched the program, bringing up the details of a long-gone race, the Ziota. “The Ziota lived thousands of years ago, and one of our ancient explorers, Exex VI, found their world, gathering their books and anything remaining within a computer system. This map was part of it. It appears that this system, the one with Planet X as the sole Class Zero-Nine world, was known as Dagrilo.
“We’re farther from Concord space than any of our present vessels have ever been.” Reeve glanced behind her to the gathered crew.
“Can we make it home?” Captain Starling asked.
Reeve was nervous but confident the drives still worked. There was something else she needed to share with them, and she cleared her throat. “Okay, this is going to sound a little strange, but here’s what I found. The Nek mods are fully operational. We can set course for Nolix, but it will take eighteen months to arrive.”
“Eighteen months!” Brax shouted. “That’s like forever with a normal star drive.”
Reeve smiled at him. “Like I said, we’re far from home.”
“If this Planet X in the Dagrilo system had Ugna living on it, how did they fly from this position to the Concord with their rudimentary engines all those years ago?” Doctor Nee asked.
“That’s the question we don’t have the answer for. They had one of the Pilia colony ships; that’s the most likely answer,” Reeve said.
“The same ship that originally brought Eve’s people to Earth?” Brax scratched the top of his head, as if it might help him think through the problem easier.
Treena crossed her arms and dropped her chin. “Let Reeve finish. We can use the new star drive to jump to Nolix. You sounded like you had another option for us.”
“A few, honestly. We can also use the Nek jump.” Reeve paused, gauging their reactions.
Ven Ittix had remained silent this whole time, and he finally spoke. “Is it safe?” he asked.
“We made it here with a jump. I’d say it’s safe. But there’s an issue,” Reeve told them.
Brax frowned at her. “What is it?”
“It looks like someone programmed this jump into my system. Someone breached Constantine’s firewall and directed us here,” Reeve said.
“Sent us to Planet X? This has to be a mistake!” Brax stood taller, his gaze drifting across the boiler room. Reeve guessed he was searching for an assailant that wasn’t there.
“It’s not.” Constantine’s AI surfaced. “I’ve run the reports you wanted, Executive Lieutenant Daak. There was a breach, as you suggested—one that was hidden very well.”
“Who would send us to this system?” Treena asked.
“I’ve been thinking about that. There are two options.” Reeve spun around in her chair, facing the entire executive team and Harry. Doctor Nee tapped his fingers on his hips impatiently. “One. They wanted us out of the way.”
“Of what?” Brax asked. “We’re going to visit a long-dead world.”
“We don’t know that.” Treena stepped forward. “Earth may be thriving. Reeve, what’s your other thought on it?”
“They sent us to find Planet X. To see proof that the Ugna were around this long ago.”
“Why?” Brax asked.
“They wanted us to see how ancient the Ugna are, and how influential. Ven, did you hear anything about this colony?” Nee followed up.
All eyes went to the tall Ugna officer, and he slowly shook his head. “It appears as though I have been kept in the dark about many things related to my people. It does not surprise me one bit, and the fact that we brought so many from outside Concord space was always a concern of mine, and of Thomas Baldwin as well.”
“But the question becomes, who breached the firewall?” Treena asked.
Constantine’s AI shrugged. “Currently, I have no manner of determining that. Whoever did this had access to advanced technology.”
“We need to make a decision: do we stay, head home, or continue toward Sol? And do we use the Nek jump or star drive?” Reeve asked, making an internal bet with herself on what the captain would answer.
“We go to Earth. And we jump there,” Starling ordered, and Reeve glanced to her brother, whose face had slightly paled at the response. He’d jumped before, and so had she, along with Ven. It was engrained in them to be dangerous, but they’d survived before. “Don’t bring us too close to Earth. Bring us deep in Sol so we can survey what we’re dealing with. I have a feeling something might be waiting for us, something big and dangerous. There’s a conspiracy going on, and Constantine has been thrust in the middle of it.”
Treena exited the boiler room, the others trailing after her until only Harry lingered at Reeve’s side. “Well, Harry. Time to lock in our destination.” She was nervous about what would transpire over the next couple of days, but she was also ready to test the new drive’s capability.
Twelve
“Today’s the day, Keen. Are you ready for this?” Prophet asked him from the shuttle’s cargo hold. Beside them sat twenty empty containers, and he’d spent the last hour removing the contents, storing the Nek inside the shuttle. He’d asked her why they needed so much of the ore, but she’d sidestepped the question with a grunt.
He was back in his admiral’s uniform, feeling out of place in the garb. He glanced toward the airlock, where they’d ejected the two bodies yesterday. It was nothing compared to what he’d done in the past, but he’d clung to his ideals then. He’d had goals and was trying to better the Concord, which meant he could be unscrupulous if necessary. “The results justify the actions,” he muttered to himself before realizing he hadn’t answered her. “I’m ready.”
The shuttle was underwhelming. It was an earlier iteration of the Nek-powered ships from Leria, and half of the vessel was taken up by the modified engines. The shuttle had no ID tags within, but it did have the First Ship logo on the side. He couldn’t go in there with an unmarked craft, pretending to speak for the Concord, if he didn’t look the part.
“Why didn’t they send someone? If their own people are there, why send me?” Lark asked the question that had been lingering in his mind all week.
“Because you’re human. They tell me it’s been centuries since they’ve spoken to their people in Sol. They didn’t have things like jumpships to go back and forth, and the trip takes too long to send regular convoys.” Prophet always had a
nswers, and for a hired hand, she seemed to know an awful lot about their benefactors. Lark wanted to have faith in her but had seen her kill in cold blood a few times in their short acquaintance. He’d built a fence around their relationship and didn’t want to get too close to the Callalay woman.
“Inside.” She pointed to the door, which was winged up and open. He obeyed, heading for the passenger seat, and a minute later, Prophet was beside him, manning the controls. The shuttle vibrated as she powered it up, his seat cushion absorbing most of the tremors. The viewscreen flicked to life, and the ship’s dash hummed as the lights flashed on.
The idea of hopping from here to Earth was suddenly terrifying. Lark was so sure they’d be torn apart, ripped to shreds and dead in the middle of nowhere. It wouldn’t matter. At least then it would be over. Seda and Luci could live out their days never knowing what happened to him, but they’d be safe and alive.
He hated the idea of them thinking he’d taken off, abandoned them forever. “You’re sure this will work?”
Prophet shrugged unapologetically.
“And if they gave us a faulty ship?” he asked.
“Then we die, Keen. Are you afraid?” she asked, her dark eyes boring into his. For the first time, he noticed she wore contacts.
“I’m… let’s get this over with.” He turned his attention to the controls and used them to open the cargo exit before Prophet guided the shuttle from the freighter’s hold. Once they passed the energy field, the doors shut again, sealing in the empty ship. He wondered who would eventually discover the empty vessel.
Prophet flew the shuttle from the vacant craft and headed in-system, using the dash console to choose a destination for the Nek jump.
“Can I see?” Lark asked, peering over her arm at the screen. It showed a series of mathematical equations he didn’t comprehend, and a 3D image of a galaxy. Prophet zoomed in, matching some equations with a blinking location, and five minutes later, she glanced at him with a grin on her face. Beads of sweat dripped from her ridged forehead as she broke the silence.
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