“Sure. It would be a real arm twist, wouldn’t it?” She laughed at his casual comments.
Dean’s face lost the smile. “You do realize they won’t post us together?”
She’d thought about it, but preferred to think of it as a far future issue, not a present moment one. “That’s not for certain.”
“They’ll give us each a warship. My mom already mentioned she’d heard chatter,” Dean said.
“Chatter? Why didn’t you tell me?” Jules wondered why he’d kept it from her.
“What about you? Your mom hasn’t made any statements regarding your future?” Dean crossed his arms, waiting for her answer.
“Okay, she did too. But it sounded like it would happen farther along.”
Dean shook his head. “Doubt it. The manner in which they’re expediting this stuff, we’ll have our own warships in a year.”
Jules’ jaw dropped. “You think?” She peered around the bridge, seeing the recruits taking the various stations. For a moment, it felt like a real crew. As much as she wanted to see this future, she didn’t want to fast-forward this time of her life. She was only eighteen, with too many things to experience. And there was one way they’d be stationed together, but she didn’t mention this to Dean.
She didn’t know if marrying the man in front of her was even on the table. Her parents had married for love, and seeing them together and interacting over the course of her life had set the bar at an immeasurable level. The older she got, the more she knew this to be true. What Papa and her mother had was nearly perfect, though Jules was fully aware there were a lot of sleepless nights when her father was off on a mission.
Dean leaned closer, setting a hand on her shoulder. “I think you’re being groomed for Outpost, and Magnus saw the elation on your face when you sat down.”
Jules was at a loss for words.
“Okay, recruits. What do you say we take her for a test drive?” Magnus asked, and the room went silent. “No one’s interested? Fine. Let’s exit the same…”
“You heard the man.” Jules strode toward the captain’s chair. If it was a leader they were seeking, she’d fill the role. She asked Sergeant Raron to place the recruit with the best aptitude for each crew position in the proper seats, and watched as he quickly arranged them.
Magnus, Slate, and Loweck waited on the sidelines, and Malir was ushered to the communications console. To her surprise, he didn’t complain. Dean motioned to the commander’s chair, and she nodded, giving him the second in command. It felt good to outrank him, even on a trial run.
With everyone in position, they powered up Outpost. The process took two minutes, the new hyperdrive modifications requiring fuel to race across the intricate system of tubing and piping throughout the massive vessel. When engaged, it acted as a shield, the energy pressing outward from the ship’s hull.
“We’re going to test the HyperMods today.” Magnus stood beside Jules’s chair. “With the addition of the wormhole generator, we’ve managed to drastically cut our flight durations. When someone needs Outpost, she’ll be able to arrive in record speed.”
“What about time fluctuation? Any issues on that front?” Dean asked.
Jules remembered the tales of Slate and her parents chasing after Leslie and Terrance in an effort to thwart the Bhlat plan of invasion. They’d traveled through wormholes and had lost seven years on Earth when they returned.
“We’ve stabilized the wormhole generators. The ones you’re thinking of are outdated, and only found in nature. We’ll lose no time using this device, trust me.” Magnus’ words put her at ease.
“Where are we off to?” Jules asked.
Magnus smiled. “Let’s make a surprise trip to Haven.”
Jules returned the grin. Maybe they’d be able to visit the Academy and check on Karo’s progress with the library restoration.
“Dasso, set course for Haven,” Jules ordered the wasp-like Padlog at the pilot’s helm.
“Yes, Captain.”
Magnus went to Dasso and confirmed that the wormhole generator was linked to the hyperdrive. “We’re a go.”
“This is next level. When can Light be equipped with one of those?” Slate asked.
“We’re working out the details, but you have no idea how costly this one has been. We’re hoping it’s all worth the expense.” Magnus didn’t elaborate, but that told Jules that not every ship would be outfitted with the impressive technology.
Everyone piped down, and Jules gazed out the viewscreen, ready to make the trek. “Dasso, bring us away.”
Outpost began thrusting forward, the giant ship leaving New Spero’s orbit. Jules flipped the console tray from the side of her seat and watched their speed increase dramatically as they shifted into hyperdrive.
“This is incredible,” Dean whispered.
And it truly was. They soared away from the planet, past the space station, and blue energy crackled along the exterior of Outpost. It flickered and solidified as they continued on. Once at hyperspeed, the electrical currents flared, shooting forward. A swirling blue mass appeared, and a moment later, the warship entered.
One moment, they were in Promixa Centauri; the next, they were somewhere between two locations, trapped in a wormhole. Then, they exited, unshaken and whole. Jules realized she’d been holding her breath, and exhaled as they emerged into another system.
“Prepare for communication with Haven. We don’t want to surprise them,” Jules said. Haven, while nowhere as protected as the Alliance wanted them, had a somewhat mismatched fleet, ever since the Kold had been so brazen as to attack not once but twice.
“I’ve attempted communication, but it’s failed, Captain,” Malir said.
Something was wrong. Jules didn’t need her Deity powers to sense it. “Dean, where are we?”
Magnus and Slate rushed over, while Loweck went to Dasso’s helm seat.
“The wormhole brought us to another location,” Magnus muttered.
“You think?” He and Slate were at an empty spot near the wall.
“We’re in the Zek system. Nothing out here but…” Dean started when Jules spotted the vessels through the viewscreen. They were tiny dots against the starry backdrop, but she was sure they were moving toward Outpost.
“Four ships on sensors,” Loweck said while she replaced the inexperienced Dasso at the helm.
Slate and Magnus kicked others from their chairs. “On screen,” Magnus barked.
Slate zoomed, and Jules gulped at the sight of the vessels.
“There’s eight on sensors now,” Loweck added.
“Who are they?” Dean asked, but it was Malir who answered.
“Those are Wibox Runners.” Malir was pale, his bangs falling over his eyes.
“How the hell did we end up here?” Magnus demanded. “Who did this?” He rose, striding across the bridge.
“Sir, it couldn’t have been any of our squad,” Sergeant Raron quickly said.
“Is that so?” Magnus asked. “Then why are we in the Zek system facing off against eight Wibox Runners, when we set course for Haven? All we were supposed to do was show off the new wormhole generators, and here we are, about to start an intergalactic war.”
“We don’t need to fight them. We can leave,” Jules said.
Magnus turned to face her and rubbed a hand over his face. “She’s right. Loweck, set course for New Spero. Now!”
“The Wibox are trying to communicate,” Malir told them.
“Should we listen?” Dean asked.
Magnus looked torn, but it was Jules that made the call. “No. We go home.”
Loweck nodded her understanding and turned them around, plotting course. A minute later, the Wibox were gaining distance, but Outpost hadn’t fled.
Loweck’s voice shook. “Magnus, there’s a problem.”
“What is it?”
“The drives are down. Hyper too,” she said.
Dean swallowed beside her. “What do we do?”
Jules grippe
d the arms of her captain’s chair. “This is a warship. We fight.”
Twelve
The longer I was underground on Mount Carve, the more awed I became with the construction. No one seemed to know who created this place, but the giants had done so with intricate detail and care. The walls appeared to be carved out by hand. I placed my palm on the cavern, seeing the slight indents from their scraping tools. They’d spent decades hollowing out this planet. It would have been far easier to build above ground, and I wondered why a race so tall would choose to hide beneath the surface.
“I wish she’d hurry up,” Sergo muttered.
“So do I, but we aren’t in charge,” I reminded him.
“We’re the ones handing her an Inlorian bar. She should—”
“Sergo, do I have to remind you that you were nearly killed trying to steal from the Inlor? And I was the one that saved your hide?” I glanced at him as his antennae vibrated.
“It was a different time. Another me,” he said.
“You’re right, but you need to chill. We’re at the mercy of Mount Carve. We’re surrounded by armed goons and criminals. It’s not like we can just storm the castle and demand they free Regnig.” I wished we could, but that was a sure way to an early grave.
We’d returned to our ship once already to confirm our new friends were safe and sound. With some supplies and clothing dropped off for them, we went back to our rendezvous point, waiting for Evi to give word.
“Finally.” Sergo pointed to the end of the cavern, where Evi entered with her two henchmen trailing behind her.
Evi waved us to meet in the middle of the room. It was daybreak, which meant most of this area’s residents were fast asleep. It was the calmest part of the day. The criminal organizations appeared to do most of their business in the late hours of the night or quiet hours of the morning, depending on how you viewed it.
“What’s the news?” Sergo asked.
Evi blinked her pink eyes. “Okay, I couldn’t arrange a meeting with Fronez, but I know where the Wibox are at this moment.”
“The ones we’ve been hunting?” I asked.
“That’s them. They’re the only Wibox on Carve. I can lead you to them, but that’s when my role ends. I’m not sticking my neck out for you, not for any amount of compensation. These guys are connected. And from what I hear, under Fronez’s orders.” Evi glanced around nervously, as if awaiting our meeting to be raided.
“Fine. Bring us to the Wibox,” I demanded.
“There’s the payment…” Evi licked her lips quickly.
The Inlorian bar slid from my jacket pocket, and I passed it to her. Sergo had advised me to wait until we’d been delivered, but I was out of patience. I didn’t expect Regnig to be alive or on Carve for long.
“Come with me.” Evi hid the bar in her dark brown clothes and hurried from the room. Our footsteps echoed in the vast chamber as we rushed through a corridor. Her henchmen didn’t join us, and I wondered why, but kept it to myself.
We moved as stealthily as we could, cutting through five more chambers like this one. The city went on forever underground, impressing me even more.
The region seemed vacated. Unused. Sergo slowed, and Evi stopped near a door, pointing at it. “They’re across this entrance, if my sources are to be trusted.”
“And are they?” Sergo asked her.
“The Wibox will be there. I don’t know what you want with them, but be careful. I’d hate to see an old friend end up dead.” She told this to Sergo, who nodded along.
“Don’t worry about us. Dean—Ralph is a sure shot.”
She glanced at me and darted off, leaving us alone in the corridor. Soft lights glowed from notches in the circular stone tunnel, and the door was twenty feet tall, metal hinges and a wooden slab. It must have weighed a ton.
The handle was too high to reach, providing our first problem. “How do we open it?”
Sergo slipped off his backpack. He retrieved a small tool. “A thief is always prepared.”
“What’s that? I expected a jetpack or a grappling rope.”
“Work smarter, not harder.” He smiled as he flipped the tool open. A beam of energy shot a foot out. He cut an opening into the giant wooden door, like he was slicing through warm butter with a table knife.
Before finishing, he shoved a suction cup onto the section, keeping it from falling forward. “Grab the brown bag inside.”
I reached into his pack and found it. “What are these?” I tugged one free.
“Hinges.” He took two and quickly mounted them. “This way, no one will notice they’ve been breached until it’s too late.”
If we weren’t about to enter a disaster, I would have laughed at Sergo’s commentary. We swung the cut-out portion of the door inward and closed it behind us. The corridor was quiet, but I spotted moving shadows at the far end. Voices spoke: garbled, growling aliens. Sergo and I flipped our translators on, transmitting them to our earpieces so we could hear their conversation.
“And where is the bird now?” the first voice asked.
We crept closer, staying hidden along the wall.
“Fronez has him. We should have made the trade ourselves with Ovalax. King Uvid was mistaken,” a second voice said.
I’d heard of King Uvid and knew he was the Wibox leader. I had no clue who or what an Ovalax was. I kept eavesdropping, hoping for more information.
It sounded like someone struck the other. “You dare not speak poorly of our king, Stoden. Or it will be your head on the spike when we travel to Newei with our sacrifice this year.”
Sacrifice? We’d just determined that Newei was involved with this planet in some form, since the symbol visible from space was the portal location of that planet. From the Gatekeepers’ reports, there was nothing substantial to see, but I knew how those missions went. They’d send a few drones into the skies, note what they could within a short radius of the portal’s entrance, and record what they found. A lot could be missed on the assignments, especially with limited resources and time.
Now that the Gatekeepers were established, with the Academy and Alliance-funded resources, they’d have better results. I figured we’d have to make a trip to Newei sooner rather than later to make the connection.
“You should have seen Fronez. He was almost drooling at the idea of bringing our captive to Ovalax. We may have been short-sighted,” Stoden informed the first voice.
I peered past Sergo and saw the Wibox. They were seven feet tall, and in any other setting, they would have looked huge. Inside the giant cavern, they didn’t seem so imposing. Their leader wore a black vest; his flabby arms were strong, and his face was wrinkled and sagging. But his eyes were intelligent.
Stoden was smaller; thinner but solid. He balked as his boss lifted a fist.
“Stoden, it’s not up to you to decide who’s sacrificed. Fronez is a wealthy man, and he’s on the verge of finishing his experiment. Once Ovalax trades the final piece of knowledge to our Shimmali friend, we’ll be able to take advantage of the technology.”
“That’s if it works at all. He claims to have Ovalax’s support, but we don’t know that yet. Bless his mind,” Stoden said.
“Bless his mind. I don’t trust Fronez, but we must let King Uvid decide what is right. He is the leader of the Sect, is he not?” The older Wibox grunted, lowering his arms to his sides.
“If there is any deceit between the Shimmali and Ovalax, Uvid will see through it.”
Who was this Ovalax they kept mentioning? Some leader on Newei? I glanced at Sergo, but he shrugged.
“Can you imagine the look on Emperor Bastion’s face when he learns what we’ve done?” The man threw his large head back, grunting a series of laughs.
“Bastion will never anticipate it. Not with our arrangement. Ader, do you truly think this is the same Toquil who ambushed the last sacrifice?” Stoden asked.
This was important news. He was implying that the Gretiol weren’t just enemies with the Wibox like they�
�d told us, but that they had a hidden agenda with the Wibox. A joint sacrifice. It sounded like these guys were planning on using Fronez’s technology against the Gretiol somehow. I had to get to the bottom of this.
“It’s highly unlikely this is Sager. I know Toquil live long lives, but how can this runt be the same man? Regardless, Fronez isn’t interested in that. He’s been told Regnig is the smartest being alive. Filled with extensive knowledge of the universe. That’s the only interest to Ovalax.”
“Bless his mind,” Stoden added.
“Yes, Stoden. Bless his mind. May he live forever.” Ader stepped away, walking from the room in the opposite direction of us.
I’d been planning on confronting the Wibox, but suddenly, I worried what I’d learn. I had to find Regnig, and to do that, we needed to locate this Fronez character.
Life had a funny way of circling around on you, and I could tell from Sergo’s expression he was wishing he’d never met Evors, the Motrill gangster that had hired him to bring Fronez to this planet. Sergo had done his best, stealing the blueprints for Fronez’s mind-absorption device. Clearly, he’d rebuilt it.
“Do we confront them?” Sergo asked while Stoden, the smaller Wibox, paced the room.
I shook my head, pointing to another exit across the cavern. My gut told me that was the path to Fronez, and I wasn’t about to ignore the impulse. I went first, soundlessly rushing along the wall. Sergo was a little louder, his pack contents shifting around. There was no door, and we stood in the entrance, peering through before exiting the cavern. The walls went from beige stone to a shiny reflective black surface. It gave off the impression of a supervillain’s hideout from every old movie I used to watch as a kid.
Something was grating in the distance, and I feared the worst. We ran now, uncaring of who saw us. All that mattered was finding Regnig, and I could almost sense him. Regnig, where are you? I sent the thought out, hoping he’d catch my signal. I didn’t know if it would work, but I repeated it over and over as we landed in another room. It was filled with computer screens, empty white swivel chairs, and a platform smack dab in the middle. It was rising into the ceiling, and I caught a glimpse of a spaceship before it pressed firmly against the top of the room.
The Survivors | Book 16 | New Lies Page 11