“Aye Sir. Channel open,” Jason said quickly after pressing the right buttons.
“This is Admiral Braeden Wingstar of the LFH Hail Mary. We are coming in hot.”
“The gate’s open, Admiral,” The city’s communications officer reported.
“My thanks.”
“The mayor would like to see you once you land,” the officer continued, before cutting the transmission.
“Politics,” the Admiral muttered as Westley guided the LFA out of Telmick range and over the sprawling city of Sage’tehti.
Chapter 17 – Jack Fairhand
Rylynn
On the third floor of the Rosemary Apartments, the elevator opened to reveal two doors. I assumed this was probably the same for all the floors, but we’d either passed them or didn’t care to go that far. Both doors looked like mirror reflections of each other, the same light wood construction surrounded by darker wood molding. The walls were a pale orange. There was nothing to differentiate this floor from any other, so why Ace felt the need to say ‘here we are’ in an excited voice I have no idea.
“And where is here?” I asked when all we had done was to get off the elevator. Kifen and Talis seemed to be agreeing with me, I guessed looking at their pained expressions. Mykio leaned against the wall near the elevator, grinning.
“Pick a door,” Ace replied.
I stared at him, trying to understand what could possibly be going on in that little head of his. It was obvious that he meant one of the two doors before us, but I was seriously tempted to choose the elevator behind me. He did, after all, say ‘pick one’. But there was something else going on. I could feel it. I looked away from Ace, at the two doors.
“What is the point of this?” Talis asked, as I just looked from door to door.
“Fear not, Talklen. This won’t take long,” Ace said with a confidence I wondered about. Just for the craziness he had been dragging me through, I considered not choosing either door and make them wait. But that other part of me that kept insisting there was something else going on refused to do that. It made me think that I hadn’t studied for a test or something.
M. Kit, do you sense anything about the doors? Wait! Let me rephrase that, I quickly amended, knowing that she would likely respond with something about not being connected to the doors or something. Can you enhance my eyes?
“Of course,” she said, amusement coloring her tone, and my vision became clearer. A shimmering glyph on the right hand door appeared. I took a step closer, trying to make it out. It looked like a lantern before a prison door.
“That one,” I said pointing at the door on the right. Either he was looking for the door with the mark on it, or he wasn’t. Either way, I had chosen a door.
Ace didn’t react, save to knock on my choice. I could just barely hear movement on the other side, before it was pulled open. A man with graying blond hair stood there. His eyes were a familiar shade of blue. “Hello, Jack,” Ace greeted.
The man raised an eyebrow. “Greetings Ace.” He turned and his gaze landed on me. “I see you brought company.”
“Jack, I’d like you to meet Rylynn Sinclair. Rylynn, this is Jack Fairhand,” Ace said, introducing us. I blinked. This was the man my aunt wanted me to meet? And Ace knew him as well? What was going on?
“Ah Rylynn! It is a pleasure to finally meet you. Please come in, all of you,” Jack said, waving us in.
“I’d love too, but I have to return to the gang,” Ace said, patting the older man’s shoulder as the Telmicks and I trooped in. We walked into a very nice living room, one whose white carpet I felt incredibly dirty standing on. Dark brown leather sofas provided seating that I dared not touch—again, because I didn’t want to ruin them. Neither Talis nor Kifen looked too comfortable, either. Adjacent to the door and living room was an open kitchen, compete with an island.
Jack sighed. “All right then. Be safe. You too, Myk,” he added to Mykio. The L’uf inclined his head and the door shut as he and Ace left. Jack then turned to the Telmicks. “You will be wanting your payment now.” He moved to a tablet on the island and gestured Talis over. “This is the previously agreed upon amount, but I hear you lost a shuttle.”
“A hazard in our line of work.”
“And expensive,” Jack stated. “What is the point of payment for a job well done when a portion of it goes to replacing equipment?” Jack tapped something else, and Talis blinked. He then bowed to Jack.
“You are a generous employer,” Talis said.
“And you do good work,” Jack replied as he put the tablet back down. He offered his hand to Talis. “I look forward to working with you in the future.”
“Agreed,” Talis said, shaking Jack’s hand before stepping back.
“Here is a way to communicate with your ship,” Jack said, opening a drawer and pulling out a communicator. “It is secure,” he added, then walked toward me. I had to focus on him now, instead of deciding when a good time to raid his handy kitchen would be. “And now you and I can talk,” Jack smiled. I glanced from him to the Telmicks who had gone to speak with their shipmates, then back at Jack again.
Jack confused me. He seemed quick and flighty like a bird, and yet he had a manner about him that demanded respect. He also had features that reminded me of someone else. “You’re related to Ace,” I said.
If my goal had been to throw him off, I would have failed. Jack laughed. “Come and sit. Yes, Ace is my son, not that he often admits it.”
“That explains why Ace knows you, but not about my aunt. Why did she tell me to talk to you?”
“You are very blunt, aren’t you?”
“Some days.” I shrugged and waited for him to answer the question.
Jack sighed. “Your aunt and I were friends.”
I shook my head. “How could you be friends? I never heard about you...”
“Well of course not. We couldn’t let everyone know. The more ears that hear, the more chance the enemy will too,” Jack said in a slightly playful tone.
I blinked. Aunt Sylvie had mentioned an enemy as well. “Who are you?” I asked, meeting Jack’s eyes.
All playfulness left him. “I am Jack Fairhand of the Guardians,” he replied in all unhelpful seriousness. Seeing my expression, he smiled. “Which I guess means nothing to you. Very well, let me start at the beginning. I am an anthropologist. I had heard the rumors surrounding the L’uf people. Some sounded fantastical, others were just crude. Curious to know about Lenti’s native people, I went in search of them. A very long story short, I was accepted into a Pack and they told me their stories. One of those chilled me to my soul with a terror that would not abate until I did something about it. That was what made me start the Guardians. It is a truth that only they have the right to tell you, unfortunately. Which is why I will bring you to them very soon.”
“Does this have something to do with the ‘enemy’ you mentioned earlier?” I wedged in while he took a breath.
He smiled, whether at the question or because I had interrupted him, I don’t know. “Yes. Your aunt Saw that. She Saw that there was danger coming, and this was the place through which it would come. It fit with what the L’uf had told me, and will tell you. But things were still quiet. We had time. We used that time to grow the Guardians to its current strength, always being careful, though, of who we trusted. Our enemy has many eyes and ears. The enemy is also cunning, something Sylvia warned us about, and quick to find weaknesses and exploit them. We work only with those who can sense danger coming and can see the lantern before a prison gate.”
“The symbol on the door.” Now Ace’s little door test made sense. Frowning, I had to ask, “What is behind the other door?”
Jack patted me on the shoulder. “You don’t need to worry about that.”
“Curiosity killed the cat?”
“You could say that,” Jack said with a wry smile. Lovely, I thought with a suppressed shiver. Suddenly I was very glad that I hadn’t just picked a door. Jack patted my shoulder again,
then folded his hands in his lap and continued. “Our organization works behind a business front that does well for itself, but doesn’t draw attention. With the resources we earn and tech we discovered, we keep watch. Which is why our symbol is the watch lantern.”
Jack sat a moment in silence, then sighed. “But then, years later, your aunt came to me and warned that the time was coming. She said that you were the key to our defense, but you were not ready yet. You had to leave Lenti in order to come back when the time was near. She told me this through tears in her eyes.” Jack looked away from me with a pained expression. “If only she had told me what was wrong… but she didn’t. She waved away my offers of help before running.” Jack paused a moment before continuing slowly. “The next day she was gone.”
I looked out the window. I had seen her afraid only that one time, when she was kicking me out of the house. She knew what was coming and yet she didn’t tell me. She didn’t accept Jack’s offer of help. I looked over to where the Telmicks were standing. Jack was a wealthy man to have paid the ses-Ky. He lived in a prime city in a well-to-do neighborhood. His son led a successful gang. He had just told me about the resources and reach the Guardians had. Ace had demonstrated how successful their tech was, when he kept my Medi-Comp from calling for help—a signal that was still in effect, mind. Jack had resources. His Guardians had money. And yet my aunt hadn’t thought they could do anything to protect her. What were they afraid of?
There was a knock on the door, and Jack went to answer it. I fidgeted. I couldn’t figure out if I wanted to stay where I was, or if I should stand. How do we not trip on the tangled web we are in? I wondered. That is what it seemed like to me. The more you look into the shadows, the more you discover. It seemed as if everything in creation had a façade. Most were attempts to cover up those things that shame us. But others, like my aunt and the mask the Guardians wear, seem to hide a whole other world, one populated by people more paranoid than me. Do the Shades know about the Guardians? I wondered. Did they know about the enemy I had heard about twice now?
Was this about the Soul Shadows?
Kylesst had mentioned them. He had suggested that they might be the ones behind the ambush that killed my mother. Scrae had said they had forged that abomination called the Lous-eci’dalb. Were they the threat my aunt had been warning about? If so, how would one fight something that most don’t believe exists? One that operates behind the scenes? Did they have physical bodies, or were they similar to Spectrals? And if they were like Spectrals, how would you fight that? Did we need flashlights to spear them with light?
I was brought out of my chaotic musing as Jack came over with another man. I stood up, not liking being cornered on the couch. I wasn’t sure what was going on any more, and my paranoia had kicked in. I was tired of being in the dark. I needed answers. But apparently I had to go through another round of introductions.
The man walking slightly behind Jack looked to be a couple inches shorter than Ace. He had a more compact build than Ace’s lean muscles. His skin was the tri-colored curse of a redhead who’d been out in the sun a lot. The tops of his arms and face were a freckled red, while the underside of his arms were paler. Ace had a similar problem, but must be solving it by staying out of the sun whenever he could, something that this man didn’t seem to have as a choice. His copper red hair was a mass of thick red fuzz on his head.
“Rylynn, I’d like you to meet Timothy Draeson. He will be coming with us when we meet with the L’uf.” I shook Timothy’s proffered hand.
“Are we going soon?” I asked Jack.
“Soon,” Jack confirmed unhelpfully. I was getting tired of almost-answers and their non-answer cousins.
“We’ll have to,” Timothy said, with a smile at my frustration. For being paranoid, these guys sure smiled a lot. “It’s a long way and we will need to rest often,” Timothy continued. “But I keep myself from getting bored. Do you like to play games, Rylynn? I find they always help to pass the time.”
“I like them,” I replied.
“Excellent,” Timothy said with a big grin, and Jack groaned.
“Good luck, Rylynn,” Jack said, patting Timothy on the shoulder, “this one loves his games. He can be relentless at times.”
Timothy laughed, and I wondered what I had just gotten myself into.
Chapter 18 – Facades and Sirens
Race
Those aboard the Hail Mary were surprised when they were joined as they orbited Colony Lenti by not one, but two Legion Fleet ships. There had been no word that they should be expecting anybody, which was why Commander Race Quinn was somewhat annoyed, though not at the crew for calling him from his quality quiet time with a mug of caffeine. Race had been finding it difficult to sleep since they had arrived in Colony Lenti space. Lenti had always made him uneasy, but the feeling had gotten worse since one of their own had been kidnapped right off their ship. Sleep had been scarce after that, which was why quiet time with some liquid wakefulness was important.
“So we have unannounced company, eh?” Race said upon entering the bridge.
“Aye, Commander. The LFH Sol’s Memory and the LFH Falcon,” Lieutenant Rael answered. “They haven’t tried communicating with us yet.”
Race frowned as he sat in the captain’s chair. “I guess we’ll be the talkative ones then. Open a channel.”
The view screen flicked from a stunning view of Colony Lenti and the two other ships to the captain of the Sol’s Memory. Captain Aleric Benson was a grim-faced older man. Race had never seen or even heard of the man smiling. “Your ship’s reaction time is slow, Commander.”
Race’s brows rose. “Hello to you too, Captain.” When Captain Benson didn’t do anything other than narrow his eyes, Race gave up trying to get him to smile. Instead he said, “It is protocol for the incoming ship to announce itself. If it doesn’t after a few minutes, then we attempt communication. If the other ship charges weapons, than we deal with it accordingly, Sir,” Race reminded the captain.
Captain Benson glowered. “Where is Admiral Wingstar, Commander?”
“Planet side at the moment. What can I do for you, Sir?”
“We detected Zar’daken ships heading toward Lenti space and came to provide aid.”
Evens went to check his console just as it beeped a warning. “I’ve got two Zar’daken warships coming in fast,” he reported.
“Battle stations!” Race ordered. He then turned back to Captain Benson. “Thank you, Sir, for the heads up and the aid.” The captain nodded once before ending the transmission. “Rael, inform the admiral about what’s going on up here.”
A moment later, Rael patched the admiral through, voice only. “Hold on up there. I just talked to L’Seral. The Terrenza is coming to help as well. But don’t tell the other ships this. Surprise always favored the Terrenza in the past… plus I don’t trust Captain Benson,” Admiral Wingstar added, after a pause.
Race grunted. “I don’t think his family trusts him, but that is my own personal opinion.” Admiral Wingstar laughed and Race smiled. Braeden had a sense of humor, unlike some. Race’s smile dimmed. “Admiral, they waited for us to contact them to tell us of two Zar’dakens closing in.”
“That is strange.”
“I thought so as well.”
“Neither captain tried to contact you?” Braeden asked, as if trying to understand the thoughts behind the other captain’s actions.
“Neither,” Race confirmed, as he watched the tense crew wait for the Zar’dakens to arrive. Of the two captains, Race would have thought that Captain Simone Laric of the Falcon would have tried. The beautiful captain always struck him as a decent person, unlike the other one. And no, that assessment didn’t have anything to do with bias, at least none that Race was going to admit to anytime soon.
Moments later, a hyperspace tunnel appeared in a dazzling display of color. The great mouth spat out two large Zar’daken warships. They were immense, with many protrusions that reminded Race of a porcupine—maybe a be
tter analogy would be an anemone. The Zar’dakens had no sooner arrived than they were firing upon the Hail Mary.
“Brace yourselves! It’s about to get rough!” Race warned the crew. “Our guests have arrived,” Race continued privately to the admiral, his hands clutching the arms of the captain’s chair. They had upgraded the shields since their last tangle with the Zar’dakens, but Race still remembered how the bright orange blasts the Zar’dakens lobbed at them had knocked the Hail Mary on her ass. Would the new shields be enough?
The Hail Mary shuddered under the attack, the klaxons enough to wake the dead, but the shields held. Race let himself relax for a moment. “Shields are at eighty percent!” Evens reported.
“It’s better than last time. Lieutenant Milo, answer in kind, if you would,” Race directed toward the weapons officer.
“Gladly Sir.” Good as his word, the Hail Mary fired a volley of several dozen laser blasts of various strengths. Char missiles soon joined the fray.
Another shiver stole through the Hail Mary. Race frowned. The Zar’dakens hadn’t fired as far as he could see. “What just hit us?”
Evens stared at his console for a moment before turning to look at him, his skin pale and sapphire eyes wide. “Those were laser blasts from… from the other Legion ships, Sir.”
“WHAT?” Race couldn’t believe it. “Rael, get a channel open with them right now.”
“I’m trying, Commander, but they’re not responding!” Rael said in a voice colored by shocked despair.
“They are firing chars at us now!” Evens shouted. “Shields are down to sixty-five percent!”
“Damn!” Race cursed, the word stretching in an attempt to capture all the implications behind its use. The problem with assuming, Race thought absently. He had assumed that Captain Benson had meant to aid the Hail Mary when he hadn’t actually said that. He had only said that he had come to aid and they had been able to get close to the Hail Mary. But now the facades had dropped. “Evasive maneuvers!” he shouted when he saw the orange blasts from the Zar’dakens. “And while you’re at it, get out from between them.”
Defender of the Empire 2: Facades Page 13