Stugardt’s eyes widened and he asked, “What did he steal?”
“The location of the second tellium star you found.”
Nathan and Stugardt exchanged glances.
“Do not fear,” Helena said, “Bergem has not notified the Proxans of the location yet. He was on his way to do that when he was ordered to make a stop on Antares.”
Stugardt leaned forward, “Very few people know about that star. If word were to be leaked-”
Helena raised her hand to stop him and said, “Remember that I am on a mission to forge peace with your people. This secret will remain with me. You have my word as heir to my empire.”
Helena kept control over her face and voice as she delivered her latest lie. Though the Humans couldn’t read minds, Helena dared not risk sloppiness now. Their natural insight could expose her if she wasn’t careful.
Nathan turned towards Stugardt and said, “We’re going to have to keep Helena’s involvement between us.”
Stugardt nodded. “The Council need not know how we came about this information.”
“Alright,” Nathan said, “As long as you keep your word, Helena, we should be able to keep you far from this mess.”
“One last point,” Helena said. “You must destroy Bergem.”
“What? Why?” Stugardt asked.
“He has a long-range transmitter inside his skull,” Helena said. “If a Proxan ship were to enter the same system, the range could be enough to transfer the data he stole.”
“Damn,” Stugardt said. “I was hoping to get him back alive to our scientists.”
Helena said, “The decision is not mine, but I know what course of action I would take if our roles were reversed.”
“You have proven resourceful yet again, My Lady,” Stugardt said. “I think we’ll throw him into the incinerator. It’s the only way to be sure.”
Helena nodded and rose.
“One more thing,” Nathan said as he intercepted Helena.
“Of course, Captain.”
“How were you able to read his mind? He’s a machine, right?”
Helena scanned Nathan’s eyes for suspicion and found him conflicted. He was a loyal man of honor. Lying to his government didn’t sit well with his conscious. He also wanted to trust her, but his military training taught him to only trust his own countrymen.
Helena stepped towards him on put her hand on his cheek. Stubble pricked her flesh. Given the difficulty of her task, Helena decided to make a move earlier than she expected. Marcella taught her this little trick.
“Close your eyes,” Helena said, adding a seductive thickness to her voice. “I want to share with you.”
Uneasy at first, Nathan closed his eyes. Helena sensed Stugardt’s embarrassment as he witnessed what appeared to be an intimate exchange of words between lovers.
Nathan said, “I’m not-”
“Shhh, no more words. Do you feel me in your mind?”
“Yes.”
“I will show you his thoughts, and you will see,” Helena said as she wrapped her other arm around his neck. “Do not resist.”
Sensing Nathan’s arousal and fear, Helena eased into his thoughts and shared her vision of Bergem’s cybergenic mind. Grown from engineered Proxan cells, most of Bergem was organic. Cybernetic components were added for control, transmission and ability. Specific data on Bergem’s target was fed to the brain over the course of many years, to simulate the gradual learning process shared by Proxans and Humans alike. Bergem was schooled in the art of deception and sent upon his mission.
Helena eased away from Nathan before she shared too much. After a few moments, he swallowed and opened his eyes.
“Wow,” he said.
Helena parted after meeting his eyes and flashing him a coy look. She realized she needed to derail his doubts by clouding his judgment. Marcella was better at this device, but Helena was as fine a student as she was teacher. Admittedly, feigning interest in Nathan wasn’t too far a leap for her. She felt something for him, but she couldn’t afford to wonder about the newness of it.
He should be easier to manipulate after her stunt. A section of Helena’s heart railed against her chest over her deceitfulness. How could she do such a thing to a man who has shown her respect and trust? Helena forced her thoughts on that matter to the background. She couldn’t afford to empathize with her enemy, no matter how much that dark place in her heart hoped she sensed something more in his feelings as well.
“You see, now?” Helena said.
Nathan nodded.
She opened the door and eyed Stugardt. “Our meeting for tonight is still on schedule, Admiral?” Helena said.
Stugardt blinked and said, “Oh, yes. I wouldn’t miss it.”
Helena strolled through the corridors free from marine escort and arrived in her quarters with Duronius. She needed to sort some things out, so she used her guard as a sounding board.
“This changes things?” Duronious asked after Helena whispered, in a secret Antaran tongue, the news of a second tellium star.
Still talking in code, Helena said, “Yes. Everything. I’ve re-run the scenario and things are no longer in our favor. I must speak with my father.”
“We’re almost to Terra,” Duronious said. “It could be some time before that is possible.”
“I must give my father time to account for this new information,” Helena said as she searched for alternatives, but she had already calculated the best course of action.
“I don’t see how we can do that now.”
“There is a way,” Helena said, “But it is risky.”
Duronious crossed his arms and waited.
“I could send a message back with Vespill, the injured praetorian,” Helena said. “But, that act could raise suspicion. The Humans won’t be able to crack the code, as I will make it unique for my sister, Prisca.”
“Vespill is almost fully recovered,” Duronious said. “They will suspect something.”
“I know. It’s not perfect.”
“My Lady,” one of the other praetorians said from behind Helena’s curtain.
“Yes, Praetorian?”
“Lieutenant Rhom is on the intercom, she has news for you.”
“Thank you, Praetorian,” Helena said. “Well, Duronious, think on it. I would like alternatives before my hand is forced.”
Duronious nodded and Helena approached the intercom. She pressed the button and said, “This is Lady Helena.”
Sandra Rhom’s voice crackled through the speaker. “Aha, Lady Helena. The captain wanted me to inform you that we have dropped out of high warp and we will be landing on Terra early tomorrow.”
“Thank you, Lieutenant.”
Reverting to their coded language, Duronious said, “We’re a day ahead of schedule.”
Helena shook her head. “No, they deliberately misinformed us. Apparently, we have not won their trust quite yet.”
Duronius narrowed his eyes. “The feeling is shared, I assure you.”
♦
True to her word, Helena arrived in the forward lounge to meet Admiral Stugardt. Noticing her enter, he stood. The room was aglow from the blue planet which dominated the forward viewport of the lounge.
“You are radiant, as always, My Lady,” he said.
Helena smiled enough to accept the compliment without showing pride. “Thank you, Admiral. May I join you?”
Stugardt pulled a chair from the table to give her room to sit. “Please.”
“Again, my gratitude,” Helena said.
“I hope it’s okay,” he said, “But I ordered us tropical salads.”
“That will be fine, Admiral.”
The crewmembers in the lounge watched from the corners of their eyes and made detours to walk close to the table with the alien and the admiral. Helena sensed a great deal of curiosity amongst the Humans.
“Your planet is beautiful,” Helena said.
Stugardt turned in his chair to admire his homeworld. “Yes, it is. Though, i
t has been quite some time since I have been here. Too long.”
After a few moments of silence, Stugardt cleared his throat and said, “So, the Proxans… let us start at the beginning. Our histories state that we were both part of the same refugee fleet eons ago. Something happened to our home system, and we were forced to evacuate.”
Helena leaned towards him and said, “Our histories tell the same story.”
He nodded as a server placed the two salads on the table. Helena admired the dish which was full of leaves, bright fruit slices and fronds.
“We believe all the peoples we have encountered are from the same home planet,” he said. “It would explain our common language, likeness and breeding compatibility.”
“Our anthropologists believe the same,” Helena said.
“Well, the Proxans didn’t settle on Terra. They continued on to another system. For several millennia, we didn’t have contact with them. Then, out of nowhere, we were attacked by a race of cyborgs. Later, we discovered the aggressors were the Proxans. They had embraced technology that meshes flesh and computer.”
Helena nodded. That must be why she felt strange during the Proxan ambush. Their minds were part machine. However, Bergem’s mind was mostly natural, which would explain why he was so difficult to read. Yet he appeared authentic. The facts of the past few weeks were coming together for the first time.
“We fought for decades until we discovered the tellium star,” he said. “The Proxans found it first, and their prototype battleship was already close to completion. Those were some dark years. We lost planets and too many civilians and soldiers. Things were quite bleak until we finished our first battleship. Then, we were able to even the odds a bit.”
“My people have heard stories of your battleships,” Helena said. “Are they really as large as a comet?”
“Oh yes. They house an entire fleet and they travel at tremendous speed. The battleship is the pinnacle of weapons technology. None of the other scattered civilizations can match this advantage.”
“Forgive my bluntness, Admiral, but these battleships have taken the war to my homeworld and my people have died as a direct result of your war,” Helena said. “Please excuse me if my admiration of your technology is tempered.”
“We have many battlefields,” he said. “The ore on the dark side of your planet is not exactly abundant. So, yes, we do quarrel over it from time to time. I would apologize, but I’m uncertain my High Command would approve of that act. Let me just say that it saddens me to know that some of my orders and actions have caused suffering to your people.”
“I am not expecting an apology,” Helena said. “I was just speaking on the behalf of my people who have died needlessly and can no longer raise their own voice.”
“Of course,” he said.
“Please, continue,” Helena said as she completed her mental assessment of the admiral.
Honorable and dutiful, he was a career military man. For many years, he had commanded a large portion the Human fleet. He married his high school sweetheart and their family was foremost in his thoughts these days. Though he wished to return to them, he viewed Helena as a possible key to victory. His heart was conflicted between returning home and helping to end the war.
“We once fought bloody battles at the tellium star over the rights to mine it,” he said. “Then, when we were both at our weakest, a coalition of rival civilizations almost wrested control of the star from both Terra and Proxis. Since we both have our own enemies as well, there now exists an uneasy neutral zone around the star. We don’t fight there, as any battle would escalate to such a level as to leave both Terra and Proxis quite depleted. Though we are at war, we cannot afford an end-conflict of that magnitude.”
“I understand other civilizations have asked for mining rights to that star?” Helena said.
“Yes, but so far the offers have been less than balanced.”
“Well, my people wish for nothing more than to be left alone in your conflict,” Helena said. “I think our offer is a fair one.”
“Indeed,” he said, lowering his voice. “With your abilities, I think we can bring this war to a quick and decisive end. That should satisfy both parties, yes?”
Without wavering, Helena served another half-truth. “We would consider our alliance a success if the war was ended before more Antaran deaths.”
Stugardt raised his glass and said, “I’ll drink to that.”
After a few moments of silence and eating, Stugardt clasped his hands behind his bald head and said, “From what Nathan tells me, you’re not easily flustered. However, I think I should warn you about the Chamber of Truth.”
Helena contained her surprise and asked, “Chamber of Truth?”
“All Human negotiations are handled there,” he said. “There’s something about the harmonics in the room. A liar is exposed when they speak. Amazing that the room is natural. The Human embassy was built around the room – well, more like a cave. I’m sure if Bergem was the real ambassador, he would have informed you. It could be quite a shock to off-worlders.”
Chamber of Truth. The Antarans had no intelligence on this structure or its abilities. Helena finished her salad and excused herself as quickly as she could without raising suspicion. She hurried to her room and meditated in silence. How was she going to defeat the Chamber of Truth? She reflected inwards and sought wisdom from her mother that might help. Sleep came after several hours. Answers eluded her.
Chapter 11
“We’ve done some terraforming of our own,” Admiral Stugardt said as the ship maneuvered for its landing.
Helena gazed upon the city and surrounding countryside from the forward viewport in the lounge.
“Breathtaking,” she said.
Gentle green hills stretched from the city to whitecapped mountains in the distance. Wispy white clouds floated in the perfect blue sky. The scene could have been taken straight from an Antaran history book. Terra resembled their shared homeworld much more closely than Antares.
“It wasn’t always this way,” Stugardt said. “Steaming jungles covered the many islands of this archipelago world. We have since lowered the water level and tamed all but the harshest of regions.”
They landed in the midday sun and Helena chose an airy white gown for her first meeting with Human diplomats. Before the ramp opened, Nathan rounded the corner and smiled when he saw her. Helena scolded herself for the elation that busted from her heart. Why was she so delighted to see him? She decided she must distance herself from this unwelcome temptation.
“Lady Helena,” he said. “I’m glad I caught you.”
“Captain.”
“I’d like to thank you again for all your help on our little trip,” he said. “We owe you much.”
Helena tilted her head towards him and said, “Of course.” She sensed trepidation in his emotions. What was he so nervous about?
“I have orders I must see to,” he said as he wrung his hands behind his back.
“Very well, it was a pleasure to meet you, Captain,” she said simultaneously relieved and crushed at the thought of not seeing him again.
He stepped to her side and said, “But I have some off-duty time tonight.”
Realizing his angle, Helena interrupted him. “You deserve some time alone to rest and recover,” she said.
Frowning, he said, “I was hoping to see you one last time. There’re some great restaurants near the embassy. Would you join me for dinner?”
“Are you asking me on a date, Captain?” she asked, surprised at how easily she slipped into her repressed infatuation with the Human. Silly girl, she thought to herself, you should know better.
Nathan straightened his back and eyed her guards. “I… well, not exactly. I just wanted to get to know you.”
Helena placed her arm on his bicep and caught her breath as she felt electricity between them. He stiffened in response and she sensed his excitement. “I will, of course, join you for dinner,” she said, unwilling to surre
nder to the warnings from her logical mind. After all, what harm could come from a simple meal with a him?
“Great,” he said as his eyes darted to her guards. “I’ll swing by the embassy at seven o’clock.”
“Seven o’clock,” she said as the ramp opened.
An impressive contingent of guards and dignitaries met Helena’s small party on the landing platform. The Humans wore simple tan uniforms and hats to keep the sun at bay.
“Welcome to Terra, Lady Helena of Antares,” a male Human dignitary said. “I am Ambassador Jarvis.” Helena noted the surprise over her facial markings and the man’s young age. Certainly he wasn’t wise enough to hold a diplomatic post, was he? Helena cautioned herself to not underestimate the man. These Humans were goal-orientated and driven. He could be quite skilled in negotiation and deception.
Helena looked through Jarvis and said, “Thank you for your hospitality, Ambassador.”
“You must be exhausted from your journey,” Jarvis said. “I apologize for your accommodations and unfortunate events surrounding Ambassador Bergem. The Venture was the only ship near your world. Please, let me show you to your rooms while you stay on Terra. You will find them more comfortable.”
“Again, you have my gratitude,” Helena said as Jarvis led them into a large stone building with silver spires.
Their footsteps and voices echoed along the blue-green marble floors. Small pockets of Humans dressed in simple working or business clothing huddled and spoke as the aliens passed them. Helena scanned each person and noted some surprise, but mostly frantic minds with too many tasks at the forefront.
“This entire structure was carved from a single piece of stone and marble. It now serves as our foreign embassy,” Jarvis said as he made a sweeping motion with his hand. Helena noticed the man only had four fingers on that hand, however she didn’t risk delving deeper into his memories. Now was not the time for idle curiosity.
“I hear your guests are subjected to a place called The Chamber of Truth?” Helena said, hoping to probe for enough information while remaining aloof.
Jarvis turned to study Helena for a moment, but Helena was more than a match for the young Human. If he could read her face, the man deserved any information he gleaned.
For Duty (Antaran Legacy Book 1) Page 8