by Larkin, Matt
Caleb chewed his thumb, considering what she’d said. The Expanse of Nod was massive, unknown, and forbidden to humanity by Angel proclamation. It was also rather near the Pegasus Dwarf, which could mean Gehenna. With the Ark gone, he’d like to think no one would pay attention to that world anymore. Because if they did, if they learned about his cybernetic experiments on the Gibborim, he’d have unfortunate questions to answer.
But sadly, whatever Ms. Jordan had done to the atmosphere had made Gehenna a point of interest for researchers. Laban Worlds was beside itself that she had terraformed the planet in hours. From what Sarah told him, it was all she could do to keep Laban from trying to claim the whole damn world.
In a way, he was probably lucky Jordan’s bodyguard had killed most of the Gibborim. Less chance of anyone finding them out. Still, it was damn inconvenient. If this Knight had remained with the Gibborim, he would have been a major asset. And Sarah had failed to even kill the traitor.
“Do you know what he wants in the Expanse?” he asked.
Rebekah stirred behind him and her clothes rustled as she slipped them on. She knew he was trying to control himself again. She always seemed to know what he wanted. When to tempt him, when to back off. How could he fire such an attentive employee?
“Everyone was pretty tight-lipped, but I managed to pry some information loose,” she said. Oh, he could just imagine her prying technique. “Mathison seems to think there is a lost Angel outpost somewhere in the Expanse.”
“What?” An Angel outpost? Angels had left plenty of relics to humankind, most notably the Shekhinah. Damn computer ran the whole Mizraim Empire. But no one had ever found an Angel outpost or ship, at least not until Jordan turned up the Ark. All humanity had was what was left to it—and a handful of relics hunted down by Angelologists like Jordan. If Mathison found an outpost, if it had tech on par with the Ark … Well, Caleb’s chances at becoming Chairman would evaporate like ionized gas.
“Get me Apollo,” he said, his throat suddenly dry.
He hated dealing with the eccentric scientist, but the man was his expert on lost and forbidden technology. He alone might be able to prepare Caleb for what Mathison might find. Caleb slipped his shirt back on, buttoning it neatly. He could never afford to appear sloppy before Apollo.
Rebekah stepped out. She’d left her panties lying on the rug, he noted. He chewed his thumb, trying not to look at them. Damn her.
A few minutes later Apollo flashed on his Mazzaroth screen. “Speak,” Apollo said, his voice sounding hollow.
“Jonas Mathison has taken a cruiser into the Expanse of Nod. He thinks he can find a lost Angel outpost there. Is it possible?”
Apollo sat in shadows, most of his face hidden, as usual. Now he leaned forward, his dark brown eyes flashing. Caleb’s own eyes were cybernetic implants specially designed by Apollo. Caleb had often wondered whether Apollo had cybernetics of his own. “Anything is possible. I must look into this turn of events.”
“Do you know something about the Expanse?”
Apollo’s face remained expressionless, and the Mazzaroth flashed off.
Well damn.
CHAPTER FIFTY-SEVEN
I first met the Seekers while I was at New Rome University. One of them came to consult me on my knowledge of the Days of Glory. I didn’t actually begin working with the group until after I lost my teaching position, though. At that time, they approached me again, all but begging me to share any information I uncovered about the location of Eden. By then, I began to think their quest might actually be possible.
New Rome was without doubt the most beautiful planet in the Mizraim Empire. Less so, perhaps, knowing he was going there for a court martial, but from orbit David could still admire the brilliant blue seas and emerald forests covering much of the land.
Even from space he could see the Pinnacle, a tower stretching above the clouds. It was a massive spire topped by a giant disc. The Pinnacle featured restaurants, bars, massage parlors, and every luxury known to man. He’d taken Rachel there on a date, once. Part of him wished she was here now, but it would put her in danger. He’d had no choice but to leave her behind, to trust she was in good hands with Leah and Phoebe. And Knight.
The enigmatic mercenary worried David. The man was an assassin, and if he had any morals or sense of honor, David hadn’t seen them yet. Except—Knight was loyal to Rachel. Intensely so, it seemed. He hoped it would be enough.
The Tabernacle, a mobile station shaped like a sphere, was currently in orbit above the planet. The Logos slowed as it drew near, the Tabernacle taking over navigation as it pulled them in for docking. Aboard the Tabernacle the Sanhedrin—the twenty-three Imperators who oversaw the Empire—met. Of course, they were agents of the real power behind the Empire, the Shekhinah, a sentient computer left behind by the Angels. It had ruled on their behalf, and when they left, it used the Sentinels to form the Mizraim Empire.
Now, of course, he knew the Angels hadn’t left at all, but frozen themselves within the Ark. A revelation that challenged all he thought he knew. If they had not fled to the depths of space, or beyond to heaven itself, why had they left mankind? Did they plan to return in time? Perhaps they wanted to see how humanity would fare in their absence. Perhaps they were waiting for humans to revive them. If so, was it not their duty to awaken the Angels? Rachel surely would not see it so. She had so convinced herself the Angels were tyrants, she blinded herself to all they had done for mankind.
The docking light flared on the bridge, telling him they had locked into the Tabernacle.
David swallowed. Well, this was what he’d come for. He’d given his word he’d turn himself in for his mutiny, and now here he was. Afraid to step off his ship and face it. Still, best face the future rather than stand trembling before it like a wee lad.
“Lieutenant Blaise, you have command.”
“Sir,” Mahlah said, and saluted him.
He returned the gesture and headed for the airlock. The lift ride felt longer than any in his life. He trod down the hall, trying to keep his pace steady. Confident. Head high. He’d acted within the law, he’d done the right thing. Whatever came, he’d face it with honor.
He buzzed the airlock and it whooshed open. Inside, through the smart glass, he could see four Sentinels, standing at attention. The outer door opened, releasing the seal to the Tabernacle.
“Sir,” one of the Sentinels said. “I’m here to take you into custody.”
“I’m to report to the Sanhedrin,” David said. He supposed he should have expected the guard, but this was a bit much.
“Sir, we are ordered to escort you to the brig until further notice. I must ask you surrender your sidearm.”
Bloody void.
David tapped the holster on his leg and his pulse pistol released. He handed it to the Sentinel, then the four men fell in step around him, escorting him down the hall. His heart beat through his temples. This was not a good start. Waller had been here before him, and these men already saw him as a traitor. If the Sanhedrin were aligned against him as well, his fate would not be a pretty thing.
The Tabernacle was massive, almost ten kilometers across. Lifts shot them from the airlock toward the brig on the lower decks. The lifts here could travel both horizontally and vertically, and, encased in smart glass, it gave him a view of the inner station. At its heart, around a massive central sphere, lay the Sanhedrin chamber. Within that, the Shekhinah itself. The one source that might not be swayed by Waller’s impassioned cries of mutiny, and David’s best shot at impartiality.
A thousand walkways connected the offices, barracks, and facilities of the station. The lift zipped past them all, too fast for him to make out individual faces.
His psionic nerves felt on edge, as if trying to reveal something he was missing. The more he concentrated, the more his head throbbed like a bloody pulse cannon.
When the lift lined up with the brig—a giant opaque sphere—it lowered itself slowly. A descent into hell. The doors swoosh
ed open and the Sentinels escorted him toward a cell.
From the corner of his eye, he spotted movement. It froze the moment he looked at it, but he’d seen the outline in the shadows. Was that a Gog? Here on the Tabernacle? They were one of the Races of Man, engineered by Angels to be part of their secret police, the Gogmagog. The Gog had chameleon-like skin that rendered them nearly invisible when they wanted to be.
Officially, the Gogmagog were dissolved after the Vanishing. The Sentinels didn’t work with them, didn’t trust the spies who always seemed to be everywhere and nowhere at once. And for good reason—the two Races were hated and feared throughout the universe.
Unofficially, he’d heard reports that Gog and Magog still worked together, sometimes serving Redeemers or fringe groups as spies, trackers, or even assassins.
And they were here. He was sure of it. What the void were the Sanhedrin thinking, allowing these creatures onto the Tabernacle?
The lead Sentinel buzzed his cell, and the smart glass opened. David stepped inside and sat down on the mat.
“Did they tell you when the court martial will be?” he asked.
“No sir.”
He nodded. Aye, then. Perhaps they made him wait to intimidate him. Perhaps they were weighing evidence.
Either way, he could do nothing from inside the cell.
Nothing except try to use his psionics. He shut his eyes and reached out with his mind. His main Psych gift was ESP, especially navigating the Conduit. Nevertheless, perhaps he could gain some prescient insight into his situation. He had nothing left to lose.
CHAPTER FIFTY-EIGHT
I have yet to decide what to do with the frozen Angels. A small part of me wants to destroy the creatures, but I cannot give in to such spite, or I risk becoming as bad as they were. I always knew the secrets of the Ark could change humanity, but now I know it is alive, with a memory, and I dream of finding Eden. I pray returning mankind to their homeworld will begin to break the chains the Angels placed on us. And so I hope Thomas can help me. The Seekers are a small group, but they are diverse, with wide reach. They’ve collected data on every possible location of Eden based on every record we have. I can only hope such things will narrow my search, making it easier to navigate the Ark’s memories. Without it, I fear I could search for months before finding it.
The shuttle ride back to the Ark had been quiet. Knight didn’t mind quiet, but every few minutes, Phoebe cast an angry glance his way.
He didn’t know what else to say. She hated him, now. And he wasn’t even sure why. He’d thought they were becoming friends. He supposed it would be best if he didn’t mention any of this again. Maybe, after a few sparring matches, things would go back to how they were.
Phoebe docked the shuttle in the hangar, then thrust Thomas’ data chip at Knight. “Take the damn thing. Feel free to plug it into your ass.” She took off the moment she left the shuttle.
Knight sighed. Whatever was going on with the girl was not his problem. He had to worry about Rachel right now.
When he got up there, Rachel had someone on a Mazzaroth channel. He had dark hair and a dark complexion, with the face of a man perhaps in his late thirties.
“I can make you a very rich woman,” the man said. “That was our arrangement, after all. You give me your findings, I pay you. That’s how one does business, Ms. Jordan, is it not?”
Rachel paced around the bridge, glancing at Knight, then turned back to the screen. “It’s not what I expected …”
“We had a deal. You are to turn the Ark over to Quasar Industries immediately.”
At last she paused her pacing and spun on him. “No. I’m not handing this ship over. It’s too big for one company to hold, it’s too important. Sorry, but I can’t trust you to do the right thing with the Ark.”
This must be Galizur on the screen, her QI contact. The man who hired her to find this thing, funded the whole trip, maybe. And now she wasn’t holding up her end of the bargain. Bad business, indeed.
The man on the screen shook his head slowly, his eyes narrowing. “The right thing? Since when did morality enter into our business arrangement, Ms. Jordan? You can’t trust a single company with the Ark? Instead you would have us trust a single person? You presume to appoint yourself sole guardian of this relic. You think you are somehow more qualified, more justified, in holding this ship than the rest of humanity. Your arrogance has run away with you.”
“He’s got a point,” Knight whispered, just loud enough for Rachel to hear.
She shot him a glare before turning back to the screen. So now both women were mad at him. Fine. So be it.
“Sorry,” Rachel said. “I need more time … I can’t just hand it over.”
“Ms. Jordan—”
“Sorry. Mazzaroth off.”
That was going to turn ugly. Knight handed her the data chip, then folded his arms. “Your friend was killed.”
Rachel’s mouth hung open as she took the chip. “Wha … Thomas? How?”
“Shiza Security ambushed us. I think someone must have recognized us in the city and called them in. They could be working for Jericho—”
“For Caleb Gavet!” Rachel slammed her palms against the command chair in a way that made Knight lean back. It was unlike her to give in to emotional outbursts, at least not like that. How close had she been with Thomas? Good friends? Former lover?
She spun on him. “It wasn’t like that!”
“Did you just read my mind?” Holy shit, if she’d graduated from empath to telepath, he was going to have a rough day.
She shook her head. “No. No, I could just feel where your mind went. And it was only the one time, with Thomas.”
“You have a lot of only one times.” She’d had him one time, then shoved him away.
“Knight,” she damn near growled, then shook her head. “Look, I’m sorry. I just lost someone I cared about, all right? Just give me some time to go over this data chip. Please.”
He shrugged. Fine. She wanted to be alone, he’d leave her alone. It was a big damn ship, anyway. Of course, if he was like Phoebe and had those brothers and sisters, maybe he’d know how to comfort Rachel now. Maybe he’d know what to say. Instead, he said nothing and stalked out into the hall.
Leah walked almost straight into him. “Oh, Knight! I was just going to see Rachel.”
“Probably not the best time.”
Leah straightened herself, then stood with her hands behind her back.
“You don’t have to be embarrassed about the webs.”
“What?” She backed away, and he could see her muscles tense. With her deep skin tone, he couldn’t see her flush, but her voice trembled. “No, no. You … You should come down to the med bay, sometime. I’d like to test your reflexes.”
Changing the subject. Fine. “My reflexes are excellent.”
“Yeah, that’s why I want to test them. They’re too excellent, from what David says.”
Knight cocked his head. There was no such thing as too excellent. The better you were, the less chance you had of dying.
“Will you walk with me?” Leah asked.
Knight shrugged. Best do what she asked. He was on a massive ship alone with three women, and two of them were pissed at him. He’d just as soon not go for the full set.
“How do you feel about the Angels, Knight? The ones frozen on this ship.”
God, she was going to start with the small stuff, huh? The truth was, he had no idea how to feel about them. Rachel cast them as a bare step up from the Adversary itself, sometimes, but even on Gehenna, he’d been raised to revere the Angels. Or, not even raised to it—it was just what everyone did. People didn’t even think about it. Angels were … Angels. They were divine.
Except, Rachel seemed to think they were just aliens with delusions of grandeur.
Leah didn’t wait for his answer. “There’s so much I could learn from them, about them, if only Rachel would let me open a tube.”
“And wake one up.” People tal
ked about the Days of Glory like it was the next best thing to heaven. Maybe spending so much time with Rachel was rubbing off on him, but Knight wasn’t sure he wanted to see Angels rule humanity again. He’d had enough of being ruled by anyone.
“This ship is changing her, Knight.”
That, he could agree with. Rachel’s original mission had been to find the Ark and give it back to mankind. She’d said doing so would be enough to rekindle the flame of human ingenuity, of advancement. Except, now she had the Ark, and she wasn’t giving it to anyone. She was too afraid to leave it to even go see her old friend Thomas. It-was-one-time-only-Thomas.
Would she feel that way about Knight, one day?
He shook his head. Rachel had replaced her original mission with one to find Eden. Now that was the catalyst to save the universe. And if they found Eden? Would she be on to the next thing?
“I’ve noticed,” was all he said.
“And …?”
“Rachel is Rachel. I’ll keep an eye on her.”
He left Leah and returned to his room. For hours he lay on his bunk, staring at the black ceiling. Life was easier on his own. No one to disappoint. No reason to care who hated him.
Now, with Phoebe and Rachel and, he supposed Leah, he suddenly had to worry about how other people felt. It was pathetic. Maybe he should have jumped the ship and gone on to New Rome, like he had once planned.
Except Rachel would never stop. And without him, she’d get herself killed. Void, she’d probably get Phoebe killed, too. And the thought of the universe without either of the two women seemed wrong, somehow.
He slept for a time, before his comm woke him. “Knight, come up to the bridge,” Rachel said.
Knight rose and stretched. A quick check of the time told him he’d gotten six hours of sleep. And Rachel was still up on the bridge? She was going to burn herself out. Of course, if you didn’t push your limits, you’d never find them.