Daughter of Destiny

by HC Playa

  Katarina pushed the button to unlock her door, and lifted her hand to the biometric security pad. She paused, hand in mid-air. The light over the scanner showed the alarm already deactivated. I know I set it. I always set it. Katarina reached out with her mind and scanned her apartment. Adrenaline surged, fueling her anger, when she located two men inside the apartment. She reached into their heads, planning to force both into unconsciousness, but the instant she entered their minds, she reevaluated the situation. One thought in Standard, and the other in a mix of Standard and, if she wasn’t mistaken, Glaal. Were they here to help? Or here to eliminate a security breach?

  She closed her eyes and concentrated on translating their thoughts into English. Some of her tension eased. They were IGCF soldiers searching for her because of Zane's kidnapping.

  She turned to Naia. "I have alien visitors."

  "Again? Did I miss the part where 'take me to your leader' got changed to 'take me to Katarina O'Brian'?"

  Katarina squared her shoulders and adopted her most commanding demeanor. She put her hand on the door, opened it, and strode through. She announced in Standard, "Good afternoon gentleman. Find anything interesting?"

  The commanding officer didn’t let his surprise register on his face, but Katarina sensed it. The younger officer coming out of the kitchen froze in place and his jaw dropped. The commander growled, "Stop gawking." To Katarina he said, "I’m Commander Vrion and this is Private Driglok. I presume you are Katarina Gratig"

  She frowned, but decided not to correct them on the name. To her right, the young Private Driglock bobbled the can of green beans he held in his hand and dropped it on the floor.

  Vrion's vehement thought caught her attention. "Quizark. I hope he falls out an air-lock."

  Katarina coughed to cover her laugh.

  "We are here to take you to IGCF headquarters on Yopmar," Vrion announced.

  The brief moment of levity vanished. "Yopmar? Shouldn’t we focus on trying to find Zane first?"

  Commander Vrion offered Katarina an apologetic smile. "Orders."

  Katarina resisted the urge to rail at him for wasting time. Fine, they wanted to take her into space, and she needed a ship. Once she knew where Zane was she’d do whatever necessary to rescue him.

  A gentle telepathic probe brushed against her mental walls. She raised an eyebrow at Commander Vrion. The commander’s gaze locked onto hers and she speared him with a frigid glare. A lesser man would have broken eye contact, but even far outmatched in power, he didn’t back down. Katarina took note of that. If she could win him over, he would be of valuable assistance. If not, she had to be prepared to use force. Katarina turned and gestured to Naia.

  "This is Naia Sheffield, my sister."

  Naia waved and smiled at the aliens.

  "Sir, this is a pre-warp world. Regulations state we need to eliminate all evidence of our visit here."

  Before Katarina could comment, the commander glared at Driglok. "Private, try using your brain for something other than keeping your face in place. Gratig has a wife on Earth. She speaks Standard, and isn’t surprised to see us. I think contamination worries are a bit too late."

  "But…"

  "Silence."

  Commander Vrion turned back to Katarina. "Am I correct in assuming you are gestating?"

  No. I swallowed a couple of watermelons at breakfast. She remained silent and let her expression convey her opinion of his question.

  He blushed an interesting shade of green. "Yes. Okay, then. I can assure you space travel is safe and we have a fully operational med bay."

  "When do we leave?"

  "As soon as you’re ready. The trip should take about two to three weeks depending upon where they begin the teleporting relay."

  She wanted to scream at the thought of sitting idly on a ship for two to three weeks. Zane didn't have that much time. Vrion knew it too, based on the sympathy he attempted to mask. Katarina decided not to let him know her itinerary did not include Yopmar.

  "How did you get here so quickly? I only contacted Lieutenant Plaswer yesterday."

  "We were just outside your solar system installing a communications relay."

  "So IGC is setting things up to make formal contact with Earth?"

  Commander Vrion winced. "I can’t say. Orders."

  Katarina eyed Vrion, but she didn’t need his confirmation. The evidence spoke for itself. For some reason, IGC was willing to forgo its usual procedures and make contact with a pre-warp society.

  Naia interrupted, "Will someone please speak English and explain what’s going on?!"

  "Sorry, Naia." Katarina gestured to the two aliens. "These two officers are here to take me to IGCF headquarters."

  "But what about Zane? I mean is he there? Did they already find him?"

  "No." Katarina put her hand on Naia’s arm. "I’m sure they’ll help me find him."

  "Kat…"

  "Trust me, Naia."

  She turned to Commander Vrion. "I need to get a few things and then I’ll be ready."

  He nodded.

  "Come help me pack," she said to Naia.

  She and Naia went into her bedroom.

  Naia shut the door, locked it, and then pinned her with a disapproving frown. "What are you planning Kat?"

  "I need a ship. Theirs is the only one around."

  Naia sat down on Katarina’s bed and put a hand to her forehead. "Please tell me I’m not hearing what I think I’m hearing. You’re going to hijack their ship?"

  "I only plan on borrowing it. I'll give it back."

  "Shit."

  Katarina surprised herself by laughing at the absurdity of the situation. She didn't even cheat on her taxes and she was planning on commandeering an alien vessel. She went to the closet, pulled out a handful of outfits, stuffed them into a satchel, and then collected her toiletries.

  "Kat, please don't do this. You don't know what they might do to you, and how do you plan to pilot an alien vessel? Huh?"

  Katarina stuffed the toiletries into bag. "I look at Commander Vrion, see the green tint to his skin and know he is Goulal with a bit of human in him. The young private's retractable claws and nictitating membranes tell me he is Zerwillian. Not only can I tell you what they are, but I could pick out on a star chart their home systems. Anything Zane knows I know, Naia." She zipped up her bag and looked at Naia. "I'm not going to sit around and wait for life to dump more shit in my lap. I'm taking charge. Whatever it takes to bring him back alive, I'll do it, and Heaven help anyone who tries to stop me."

  Naia rubbed her forehead. "Be careful, okay? You aren't invincible."

  Katarina took her sister's hand. "I know, and I will."

  Naia stood and they met in a fierce hug. "I love you," Katarina whispered and then she stepped back and picked up her bag. After a moment's hesitation, she pulled the paper out of her pocked and handed it to Naia. "I doubt you'll be able to do much with this, but at least I know it'll be safe. Hunting down my father will have to wait."

  "I could try to track him down for you."

  Tears burned the back of her eyes. "Thank you, Naia." She took a moment to picture his face. "He's pale blond and very tall, close to seven feet perhaps. Unless he wears a glamour to mask that, the height alone will make him easy to locate."

  Naia nodded. "Giant with blond hair. Got it."

  Katarina managed a smile and then nodded her head toward the door. "My escort is getting impatient." An idea occurred to her as she and Naia went into the living room. "Is that communications array functional?"

  The commander paused in his act of entering a command into his computer, "Yes, can we go now?"

  "Do you have a portable transmitter powerful enough to send and receive messages from here on Earth?"

  He waved his computer. "One of these is equipped with a standard communicator which has enough signal amplitude to reach the relay."

  "Good. Give my sister one. IGC plans to contact Earth. Having people that can get you information could pr
ove invaluable. Think of them as native covert agents. In return for this service they get the privilege of using the communicator for personal communication with me."

  His face remained impassive when he looked up at her, but she sensed the combination of self recrimination and resignation. "All right, but keep communications brief. Send them at random intervals, and the computer cannot fall into the hands of the general population." He snatched the private’s computer off of his belt. "Anything important on here?"

  "No sir."

  He handed the computer to Katarina and explained how to use it. Since she also had Zane's knowledge, she comprehended quickly and passed the information on to Naia. Katarina scrolled through the display languages.

  "It has English on here."

  "Yes. Lieutenant Plaswer's translation program was disseminated to the entire IGCF computer network."

  Katarina set it to English and handed the computer to Naia. She winked at Naia. "Just don’t let Robert take it apart."

  Naia laughed, squeezed her hand, and then stepped back as the commander placed a hand on the small of Katarina’s back.

  "This might be disorienting, but it’s completely safe, even in your current, uhm, condition."

  "Disorienting isn't the half of it," she muttered. Then she remembered something. "Wait!" Commander Vrion’s hand froze above his computer. She set her pack down and rushed past Naia into the kitchen. She dug out her stash of coffee. Even pregnant, she couldn’t completely give it up. Spaceship hijackers needed caffeine, and chocolate, lots of chocolate. She grabbed several large chocolate bars for good measure before racing back to the living room clutching her emergency rations. "Okay, now I’m ready."

  Chapter 13

  "Is he going through with his ridiculous plan?" A static filled voice asked over the antiquated comm. The hologram function long ceased working.

  Rotvraoq adjusted the ear bud to hear his contact better. "Yes."

  "We can't let Karglock drag the empire into another war."

  "So we're in accord?" Rotvraoq asked.

  "When the fleet reaches this Earth place, we'll make our move. What few forces he is leaving in our home system will be beyond his range. We'll handle them. You lead operation there."

  "And if IGCF shows up?"

  "Then make sure the operation is carried out before they do. I don't want Goloths to die needlessly and that fool would lead our entire race to our deaths if we let him. Gods be with you, Rotvraoq."

  "And with you."

  Rotvraoq deactivated the comm and tucked it behind a false panel in the trunk holding his personal belongings. A loud buzz emanated from the bulkhead across the tiny room. "Rotvraoq, get in here and bring the duty roster. Only worthy soldiers will go into battle. The slugs can stay behind on this rock."

  Rotvraoq buried the fury and disgust Karglock's words ignited. The patient sziliq caught its prey. An impatient one became prey. Rotvraoq stood and schooled his face and adjusted his posture before leaving the room.

  ***

  After getting the ship out of the solar system, Commander Vrion walked down the narrow corridor to Katarina’s bunk carrying a meal pack. In his experience, gestating females ate frequently. He also hoped it might ease tension if he came bearing food. Command provided little information and he need her to fill in the gaps.

  The commander called out her name, but received no response. He peeked around the unsecured privacy curtain on the bunk. His human passenger sat on the bed, her back against the duratanium wall, her eyes closed. Her hands lay fisted in her lap, perspiration beaded on her forehead, and her complexion appeared several shades paler than earlier. Before the commander could do anything, Katarina’s eyes fluttered open, her hands relaxed, and color bled back into face

  "Are you okay, De' Gratig? Perhaps you should go to the med bay for a diagnostic?"

  She startled, but other than that her face remained a smooth mask. "De'? Oh, yes, I recall now, it's common address for a married female. Thank you, Commander, but I’ll be fine. Zane, however, is much worse. Is the fleet looking for Karglock’s headquarters? He can't hold on much longer."

  Vrion eyed the woman in front of him. Her tense muscles and the shadows under her eyes betrayed her calm, polite tone. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t get even the faintest reading of her emotions. She blocked too well.

  "IGCF’s been looking for years. He's always a step ahead. I take it he took Captain Gratig?"

  "Yes."

  "Are you in contact with Captain Gratig?"

  "Yes. We are bonded telepaths."

  Vrion winced. "So you feel what Karglock does to Captain Gratig."

  "Yes. Everything."

  "That must be why command wants you."

  "What do you mean?"

  "They can locate Karglock using you."

  She stared down at her hands. "IGCF has no interest in rescuing Zane, do they?"

  "Command values the lives of every soldier in its ranks. I'm certain they are doing their best."

  "But he isn't a soldier anymore, and you haven't mentioned it, but we both know that our relationship violates half a dozen Confederacy laws. He'll be better off if IGCF doesn't find him."

  He tried not to wince at her harsh assessment, but she summarized the truth better than he could. Vrion sighed and held out the meal pack to her. "If you already realized this, why did you come with us?"

  She accepted his offering. "I couldn't sit and do nothing." She glanced down at it the pack and stared at it for a full minute.

  It dawned on him that she didn't know how to operate it. He opened his mouth to ask if she minded him activating it for her, but she pressed the button for the self-heating cycle, waited for the indicator to turn red, pressed it again to release the vacuum seal, and broke off the attached eating utensil. He shut his gaping jaw. It never occurred to him what a bond meant, as the handful of bonded telepaths he knew all came from same cultures. The sharing of knowledge did not make itself so obviously known. He thought of Zane's file and the lengthy set of deadly skills. Holy Goddess Civa,

  Katarina eyed the contents of her pouch. "I'm not a threat to you, Commander."

  Vrion's cheeks heated as he flushed. "I apologize. With few telepaths in the fleet, I have grown lax in my mental discipline. I did not mean to offend you."

  She took a bite of food, scrunched her face up and swallowed before answering. "I've been accused of worse things."

  He gestured at the edge of the bunk. "May I?" He sat down on the hard surface. He frowned and made a mental note to find a pad of some sort for her. Just because he was used to such stark accommodations didn't mean she felt comfortable. His studied her for a minute. She poked at the contents of the pack, but did not eat anymore. He could not blame her. They tasted like he imagined dried sea kelp might taste, something that grew on his homeworld, but which his people certainly did not eat.

  "Are you aware of how rare your telepathic abilities are, not just among humans, but galaxy wide?"

  She set the meal packet in her lap. "I'm aware I'm a freak."

  Commander Vrion frowned at her terminology, not quite sure the meaning translated properly. "I sympathize with your position, De' Gratig. It occurred to me that if you are, as you say, in contact with Captain Gratig, perhaps we can come up with a plan to help him escape."

  She offered him a weak, but honest smile. "I was hoping you’d be amenable to something like that. If Zane were not passed out cold I’d contact him right away. As it is, he needs to rest. For that matter, so do I."

  "I understand." Vrion stood and headed back to the cockpit, and it wasn’t until he sat down that it occurred to him Katarina got far more information from him than he got from her. Commander Vrion sighed and opened a channel to send an update to command. If she proved difficult, Vrion feared Katarina would not live long enough to mourn her husband.

  ***

  Zane groaned and rolled over on the floor of his cell. Every nerve and muscle in his body ached. He struggled to sit u
p, but his muscles refused to obey him.

  "Human?"

  Zane froze at the strange voice his head addressing him in Standard.

  "I know you are a telepath. Please answer me. I don't have much time."

  "Who are you?" Zane asked.

  "I am Arawn, the Dédanann in the next cell."

  "I thought all of you were dead, killed in the war with the Danua."

  "That is what we wished people to think, and truth be told, it is not far from the truth. Our numbers are very few."

  "How did they catch you?"

  "They didn't."

  "I don't understand," Zane said.

  "I allowed them to take me prisoner. I had a vision and my elders agreed it was my fate to die at their hands."

  "What!?" Zane blurted aloud.

  "Silence, Gratig of Trusca. I must deliver my message and fulfill my destiny so that the prophecy may come to be."

  Zane closed his eyes and muttered under his breath, "Great, they've driven him insane and I get to listen to his demented ramblings."

  "I said silence!"

  Zane managed to lift one hand to cover his eyes, providing a small illusion of peace. Having endured the tender touch of the Goloths, he couldn't blame the guy for losing touch with reality.

  "The daughter of destiny must not swear fealty or they will own her and she loses all chance of saving the Danua. War unlike any humanity has imagined is coming and she will need all at her command to win."

  Drawn to the man's urgent tone, Zane listened in spite of the fact none of it made any sense. The Danua were dead and who in blazes was the daughter of destiny? Footsteps echoed down the hall, ruining his chance to ask Arawn about the daughter of destiny.

  "My time is up. Forgive me for revealing Earth's location. I was not strong enough to endure their ministrations. Karglock has gained the information the Goloths have sought for generations. I pray you are stronger than me and can hold out long enough to thwart his plans to conquer Earth"