“You don’t need to explain it anymore, Twi,” Reaghan assured her. “You did the best you could. It could’ve been a lot worse.”
Twi bobbed once, then stiffened. “Now they’ll be able to differentiate friend from foe due to your implant. I’ve also added a few of my own touches. Means of stunning and rendering the intruders inert. You get the idea. The Aeon’s own systems have also been firewalled in order to prevent them from using the ship itself to harm us either. Like I said, we’re ready for them.”
Reaghan chuckled. “Okay, okay. I believe you.”
“Was there really any doubt?”
“Of course not!”
Twi chuckled. “I kid. I know you had to make sure. No one can blame you after what happened.”
“Come on.” Reaghan picked her up. “Let’s get back to the stars. I think we can both use the distraction.”
They cut their journey short and chanced a stop near their destination point. If Reaghan was honest, she actually found herself needing the crowds of a bustling city. She’d been so focused on getting the Aeon situated that she hadn’t been able to use Eam station to satisfy the need.
Twi clung to her shoulder, turning constantly so she could take everything in.
“Careful,” Reaghan warned. “You’ll fall off if you’re not careful.”
“I never fall off,” the AI huffed. “And speak for yourself. You’ve bumped into at least ten people since we stepped off the ship.”
“It’s a lot to take in since we had limited time off ship since we got back.” Her eyes narrowed. A large crowd was starting to gather in the middle of an intersection. “What’s going on over there?”
“Perhaps a big sale? Though trouble is more likely.”
Reaghan started toward it.
“Wait? What are you doing?”
“We won’t know until we check it out.”
“Why do you insist on putting your nose where it doesn’t belong?”
“Because life’s dull if you watch from the sidelines.”
She joined the rear of the group. No one spoke, but their gaze seemed to be at a point somewhere above them. Frowning, she stood on tiptoe in an attempt to see over the heads of those in front of her. Twi let out a low laugh at her antics.
“You fly up then!”
“I’ll do no such thing.”
She shook her head, then pushed deeper into the crowd until she was able to see clearly through the space between a couple of women’s shoulders. Scenes from the battles between Dynasty and rebel forces played across the screen. They were familiar images, even for someone like her who tended to stay as far away from current events as possible. The same helmeted figures were a constant presence in every battle. They ripped through the opposing forces as though they were simply toys to be discarded. Then the image changed, and a woman appeared on screen. Her hazel eyes were devoid of any emotion as she stared blankly out at the crowd. Her helmet was tucked under an arm while her long, dark brown hair cascaded over her shoulder. Reaghan shivered.
“In the months since the fall of the Unity, hundreds of these project soldiers have been gathered up for containment. All of them are to be considered highly dangerous. Anyone who encounters one should approach with caution or alert the authorities.”
“This is what happens when you let the government go wild,” one of the women commented to her friend.
“Round them all up,” a man muttered. “And confine them to some deserted world.”
“They should just be destroyed. They’re far too dangerous to be allowed to live,” another woman at the rear of the crowd called.
“Come on,” Twi urged. “Let’s get out of here.”
Reaghan followed her soft command. The people around her spurred forward, as though getting closer would make them any safer should one of the soldiers attack them. “I suppose I should consider myself lucky,” she said after they were far enough away.
“Perhaps they aren’t related to you,” Twi suggested. “They all looked—” she trailed off, realizing the implication of what she was saying.
“Exactly. Miraz and his crew might’ve been right in a way, and those soldiers are yet another piece of the puzzle.”
“What do you want to do about it?”
Reaghan sighed. “That’s the million-credit question, isn’t it? We could rush off in search of every hint and clue regarding my past. Or we could move on to other, probably more pressing, concerns.”
“Like what? Or do I really need to remind you that Miraz and his crew are likely searching for you?”
“Our ship. We still don’t know anything about it except that it’s likely early Dynasty or late whatever came before them.”
“One moment,” Twi’s eyes flashed in quick succession. “According to the net, there’s a shop that specializes in obscure history. It popped up after the war.”
“Probably because it was only safe after the war.”
“More than likely.”
“How far away is it?”
“Not far. Go two blocks over and three up.”
By now, the crowd in the square had grown and Reaghan was eager to get as far away as possible. She could feel the eyes on her, despite the fact they were all preoccupied with the repeating broadcast. Pushing the feeling to the back of her mind, she charged forward in the hopes of discovering new answers.
The shop Twi found was housed in a tiny building between two fifty-story skyscrapers. The brickwork was grimy and broken while the windows were too crowded for good taste. Reaghan stepped inside, despite the appearance. People milled about, searching the shelves for some long-lost tome of information. Twi dug in deeper, her legs grazing the surface of her skin as they looked around.
“Anything I can help you with?” the proprietor asked. He was a mixture between humanoid and insect, with six arms and wide bug eyes.
She took a chance. “Got anything pertaining to early Dynasty ships?”
“Follow me.”
He led them through the crowded shelves to the rear of the shop. Reaghan had to admit, she was impressed with the size. The shelves were stocked with books from the floor to the ceiling, with an entire loft full of even more. “Here we are,” he said. “Ten shelves of various models and a complete workup on them. If you need anything else, let me know.”
“Will do,” Reaghan said.
Once the owner was far enough away, Twi flew up and began to scan the titles. “Let’s see…” she began. “I have Hidden Advancements. There’s also Unmanned Missions.”
“Either of them could be it,” Reaghan pointed out.
“Grab both then and I’ll keep looking.”
The first, Hidden Advancements, was as the title suggested. Apparently, in the early years, the Dynasty had been looking for any leg up they could find and they didn’t happen to care how they got it. Still, there was no mention of the Aeon nor the Void, though she found mention of a lot of the tech used in the Aeon’s construction.
“Get this,” she told Twi. “Apparently, the automatons weren’t Dynasty tech at all. They just came across them and put them on all the ships after perfecting the design.”
“Whose were they?”
“Someone called the Riate. Must’ve been a defeated civilization absorbed into the empire.”
Twi looked around. “I’ve never heard of them at all so I wonder if they were a lot more than absorbed.”
“They could’ve been something omitted from your data,” Reaghan commented, flipping through the pages absently. “Might not’ve been worth it to give credit to them.”
“The Dynasty liked to brag. Every little civilization they brought under their wings was celebrated extensively as proof of their might.”
She shrugged, continuing to flip through the pages. She was midway through the next book when she froze. “The Aeon,” she whispered
.
“Well?” Twi asked.
“It’s noted as being a highly advanced ship in charge of exploring a region of space that appeared sporadically on the edges of Dynasty territory. Which is why it was unmanned in the first place.”
“Any idea why it was still there?” Twi twitched, shifting her weight from one set of legs to the other.
“Nope. Just mentions the mission and the goals for it. Also, there’s some specs regarding the ship itself.”
“Let’s buy it. That way I can compare.”
Reaghan set the book aside. “Anything else look promising around here?”
“Take this one,” Twi pointed to a book a few shelves down with her tail. “It’s also about ship builds from the era. It could be useful.”
“Shouldn’t I see if it even mentions the Aeon before we grab it up?”
“I want it even if it doesn’t.”
“Okay.” She held both close to her chest. “Anything else?”
“Unless you see something, I think we’re good.”
The door to the shop opened to admit some newcomers. The proprietor greeted them cheerfully from the front counter. Reaghan peered around the shelf only to stagger back in surprise. “You’ve got to be kidding me,” she said through clenched teeth.
Twi hovered to get a clear view. “Where did they come from?”
“I don’t know, but of all the places for them to be…” She backpedaled, trying to look remotely interested in the books around her while keeping them in their sights.
“I don’t understand how they did it.”
“Come on.” She shoved the books onto a random shelf with annoyance, then gave a quick search for possible exits. “If we’re very, very careful, we should be able to make it out.”
“The books,” Twi weakly protested.
“I know. We know the titles now. Maybe we can find digital copies. Either way, this is the last place I want to be.”
She eased through the crowd, taking a faux interest in the books that were around them. Miraz and his crew approached the counter, waiting in line. They all bore some sign of their fight aboard the Aeon, and with their overly worn clothing looked more like common thieves than someone interested in what the shop sold. Apparently the proprietor felt so too as he looked down at them, clicking in irritation.
“May I help you?” she heard him ask.
“Yeah,” Miraz said. “We’re actually looking for someone who might’ve landed on the planet. Brown hair, brown eyes, might’ve been looking for info about old ships or the Void.”
“No one looks for the latter. You can’t read up on where no one’s been,” the man said, and laughed.
The door was inches away now. Ja cast a long look around the shop, forcing her to duck behind some smaller shelves. She paused, pulling a book out in case those who came in noticed her hiding there.
“As for the person you’re looking for, that describes half the humanoids I have come through here,” the proprietor finished. “Now, if you happen to have a more detailed description, I might be able to help you out. Otherwise, is there anything else, or might I be able to tend to my paying customers?”
“It’s clear!” Twi whispered.
She shoved the book into its place and darted for the door as fast as she could while not appearing panicked. She could make out Miraz saying something else just before the door shut. Despite being outside, she kept going to get as far away as possible. A million questions swirled through her mind.
“I checked the ship from top to bottom. There was no tracking device on board,” Twi declared.
“Well of all the planets they could’ve visited, why did they just happened to find the one we’re on? And in that particular shop?”
She wove through the city at a rough angle that would eventually take them to the docks. Despite her hopes for this planet giving them time to relax and become used to being around other people again, their visit was going to be short-lived.
“I don’t know how to explain it,” Twi said at last.
“That makes two of us. All I know is that we need to get out of here as fast as we can. What are our chances of making it far enough to use that wormhole drive?”
“If we bustle, no problem. Chances are they don’t even know we’re actually here yet. That proprietor was giving them nothing to go on. We might be stuck while we recharge.”
“We’ll take the risk. It’s going to be the least likely thing that they’ll be able to track.” She cut through the now vacant square. The screens above them were still showing the same news broadcast, though it looked like the anchor had moved on to other topics. Her heart beat fast in her chest and her breathing came in light gasps. Twi dug in deeper, the legs pinching the skin on her shoulder.
“We’re in range. Should I start warming up the engines?”
“Do it.”
“Process is starting.”
The docks for the planet were behind large gates to help regulate the flow of cargo into the city. Reaghan handed the guard the chip that served as their day pass to go beyond the gates. He took it with a bob of his head, then opened it for them.
“Will you be needing this?” He waved the chip at them.
“I’m good,” she replied. “Checked out everything I wanted to.”
“Damn Miraz and the others,” Twi grumped once they were far enough away from the checkpoint. “Had to leave those great books behind.”
“Rather leave them behind then get tied up with them again.” She spoke low and out of the corner of her mouth. The docks were deserted, but there was always the danger of some unexpected worker popping up out of the woodwork.
The Aeon was located far from where any passing individual would find them if they walked past the docks. Passenger transports also had a completely separate terminal they used. Crates of cargo were hauled past while crew members disembarked for some entertainment. Twi activated the door ahead of them so they managed to slip inside without incident. Reaghan bounded to the bridge as fast as her legs could carry her. Once inside, she didn’t even worry about taking her place in the captain’s chair, and strapped in.
“Engines have started,” Twi reported. “We’re breaking off.”
“Bringing up the view screens,” Reaghan called out.
The screens appeared all around the room, giving them a complete view of the area around the ship. Reaghan focused the one closest to her on the ground, zooming in as Twi navigated them to where they needed to be. Twi called out the elevation as they passed, though Reaghan didn’t pay any attention. Her focus was on the bookshop and the three specks that had just come out. She couldn’t make out their faces, but she had a feeling who she was looking at.
“Elevation?” she asked.
“I just said we’re at a hundred thousand feet.”
Reaghan grinned at the fact they were far too high for them to make out any details about the ship either. “Sorry, was focusing on other stuff.”
“We’re about five minutes away from being in position. Better decide where you want to go.”
She pulled up the map on the screen in front of her. They needed a place to lay low until Miraz and his crew lost whatever trail they were following or they figured out how they got it in the first place. She looked away from shipping lanes and where the stray ship had traveled recently. Miraz might be determined, but she had a suspicion that even that had limits, especially if he was as drained of credits as he indicated.
“Sending you the coordinates,” she told Twi.
“Mriaam?” Twi commented once the information transmitted to her. “There’s nothing there but forests, though there might be an outpost.”
“Exactly why it’s perfect.”
“No arguments from me.” She landed on the console in front of Reaghan. “We’re almost there; brace yourself.”
A w
hirring noise filled the air as the engines began to engage. Space itself swirled in a kaleidoscope of colors until a vortex formed in front of the ship. The Aeon slowed its approach, lining up perfectly to traverse the event horizon. The ship gave a large jolt, and the colors became streaks until a rainbow filled each screen. She felt her stomach twist and threaten to rebel, still unused to the sensation of near instant travel. She blinked and Mriaam appeared on screen, a brilliant green color.
“Now let’s hope it has a place we can set down,” Twi commented.
“You’ll find somewhere,” Reaghan assured her.
The AI let out a sound of frustration that bordered on a growl. “I found somewhere that might work. Hang on. This might get bumpy.”
Reaghan stepped out of the ship, looking around with wide eyes. She’d never seen trees so large before, even on the few planets that had made it a point to preserve such areas. Beyond their height, the trunks themselves were so massive that she could easily see three cars fitting inside one.
“If the humidity wasn’t so bad, I could easily make my home here,” Twi declared.
“Afraid you’ll rust?”
“Only somewhat. At least you shouldn’t have to worry about them following. It’ll be hard to picks us up way out here.”
“You said there’s an outpost, right?”
“About half a mile from here. If they ask, we’ll tell them it looked doubtful that our ship would fit in their prepared spot.”
“If we need to go out there at all. I’m fine staying right here.”
Movement out of the corner of her eye made her turn.
“I don’t think we’ll have an option,” Twi commented dryly.
Reaghan formed a slight shield over herself and Twi in case whatever it was meant harm. People broke out of the tree line, many carrying Eiha-based weapons, though some wielded swords. A glittering curtain of Eiha covered their group. Her eyes narrowed at the sight, but she managed to keep a cheerful expression.
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