“So, what now?” asked Kayla. “We leave, head back to Balmorulam?”
“There’s nothing for us on Balmorulam,” said Karnean, “and we’re not going anywhere without our ship.”
“Speak for yourself. I’m not setting foot on Deerkon ever again. Varrank can have her. I’m glad to be alive.”
“Desolation’s all we have. She’s our only possession. What are we going to do without her? No, I want my ship and my crew back.”
“I’d be happy to drop either of you on any street corner you’d like,” I said with a smile.
“Not me. I’m good,” said Kayla without hesitation.
“Look, if it’s just a matter of money, I can set you two up with a grubstake, a pretty big one at that.”
“There you go again. Well, at least I know why now. What’s a grubstake?” asked Kayla.
“Money, funds, currency.”
“I’m not taking your charity, especially after how I treated you. No, that would stick in my throat,” said a surly Karnean.
“Suit yourself. Me, I’m living day to day,” responded Kayla.
“Well, I need to decide what my next move is. Once I have a plan, we can discuss your options.”
“What are you waiting on?” asked Karnean.
“I put a bug in the computer. I want to see if I can hack Varrank’s system when he gets it fixed. I fried it pretty good, so I imagine that will take a week, minimum.”
“And in the meantime?” Kayla asked.
“In the meantime, seeing how you like Mexican culture, I thought I’d introduce you to tequila.”
“Who’s she? I thought it was just us three and Al aboard,” replied Kayla.
“This is going to be fun,” I said. “You in, Karnean?”
“I’ve been a sailor too long to not know you’re talking about some new booze. I’m exhausted, you want to be alone with my sister finally, and I don’t need another hangover. I’m in the first room. You two try and keep it down, please.”
I was beginning to like the new Karnean.
It took ten days for Varrank to power up his computers. After he did, I wished it would have taken him forever. Crap oh mighty, I could not catch a break in this universe. Kayla and I were getting along well. Now, don’t be asking or jumping to conclusions. Leave it at well. Karnean spent his time learning what I’d cleared him to know about the ship. He wasn’t good company, but he wasn’t bad company either. It turned out that our human culture had developed one thing more than any other species or planet in that extended society. Hologames. They mildly entertained Kayla, but Karnean lost his soul to the demon electronic game-o-sphere. He was significantly worse than a teenage boy in the abandon he displayed toward everything not hologame related.
But then the computers were fixed and damn if my back door didn’t work like a charm. In less than three days, Al picked Varrank’s computer system clean to the bone. There wasn’t one scrap of information he knew that I didn’t. There went my happy interlude.
Varrank’s files on the human worldship fleet were extensive. How the hell he even knew about them was uncertain. There was no clear record of that. But he knew numbers, locations, sizes, directions, everything. In keeping with his secretive nature, he never made it clear why he wanted to know so much about the fleet. But I knew that if an evil man like Varrank was interested in something, catastrophe lay around the next corner. That led to my plan. Of all my plans, this was my least favorite. I wanted to do what I was going to do less than I wanted to return to Alpha Centauri-B 5 and live amongst the falzorn.
I needed to confront Varrank. I had to march back into his compound. The same one I’d partially destroyed. The one where I’d made all the guards look like idiots. The one I’d released falzorn into. He was going to be so glad to see me. It would be his birthday and Christmas all rolled into one, with him trying to decide how best to kill me. That I made him look weak and vulnerable ruled out any real chance he’d negotiate or even listen to my words. He needed to kill me several times to show his enemies he was still the man.
Another no-win situation for a man who’d pushed his luck harder than logic dictated a person should. And just when things were getting nice between Kayla and me. Even if I had Wrath with me, I couldn’t imagine a scenario where I’d get off Deerkon alive a second time. C-r-a-p.
I let my guests know what my plan was. Karnean betrayed the faintest of smiles. Kayla teared up and said she forbade me to be so foolish. I did make it clear that whatever I did, I did alone. If they wanted to borrow Shearwater to go somewhere close, they could. If they wanted to try and reclaim Desolation, I’d drop them off. But my suicide mission was not a shore party.
“So do you have another of your ill-advised plans, at least?” asked Karnean.
“No. Not this time. I’ll take a shuttle and a large amount of gold, but I bet I don’t get three words out before he blows my head off.”
“Gold doesn’t mean much to Varrank,” said Karnean. “I don’t know him well, but I know his wealth is off the scale. You can’t have enough gold to catch his eye.”
“Probably not, but it’s my only hope for trade. I must convince him to leave the human fleet alone. Maybe I can buy that act.”
“How much gold do you carry?” he asked.
“I’m taking a ton.”
“I know,” he said, “but how much is that?”
“A ton. I meant that literally, not figuratively.”
His jaw dropped. Kayla’s eyes were as big as my fists.
“You have one thousand kilograms of gold on board?” Karnean asked in disbelief.
“No. I have a lot more. That’s all the shuttle can safely carry. Unless he lets me make a few trips, that’s my bargaining chip.”
“And if you die, hence no longer require the use of the rest…”
“It’s yours. My gift.”
“I don’t wish to seem insensitive…”
“Two and a half more tons.”
“Well I’ll be fu—”
“Praying to all the gods he returns safely, you ass.” Kayla slugged her brother hard. Wow, she was hot.
“Yes. All I can say is that I’m glad there’s absolutely no way I can communicate with Varrank to warn him you’re coming. That way, if I should suddenly come into great wealth, my conscious will be clear. My sister won’t kill me either.”
“At least I lived to see the day Karnean Beckzel became a humanitarian,” I said with a smirk.
“Would you like Kayla to take a holo of us together, marking the day?”
I became serious. “I’ll instruct Al what to do if I don’t come back. He’ll know what to do and what he can tell you. Eventually, he’ll return to my new home to be with my family.”
“You have a…” Kayla’s voice rose quickly, menacingly.
“Ms. Beckzel,” cut in Al, “believe me when I tell you his mate was killed several years ago. He’s not too good with emotions. I wanted to tell you before he allowed you to avoid an awkward situation based on his limitations.”
“Thank you, Al,” she said. Pointing to the computer, she said to me, “I’m liking him more and more.”
“If I don’t come back, you can keep him,” I said with a cute smile.
“Fine by me,” said Karnean. “He sounds a bit unstable to me.”
“I have both excellent hearing and memory, Karnean,” responded Al in an irritated tone.
“Okay, I need to go before I change my mind.” I left to my cabin to record a couple holos and gather my thoughts.
Thirty minutes later, I boarded the shuttle. “You two kids behave yourselves until papa gets home,” I said as I reached for the hatch control.
“Wait,” yelped Kayla. She rushed over and gave me a very interesting kiss. Most promising, if I lived, that was. “That’s for luck.”
“I’m certain it’ll help. See you soon.” I crossed my fingers and sealed the hatch.
On my way, I radioed Varrank. I informed him I was coming to discuss a matt
er of mutual concern. I let him know I was alone, unarmed, and heavy with gold. Sure, the part about unarmed was a lie, but hey, he was an arch-criminal. When in Rome, right?
I received instructions to land in the courtyard. A whole gaggle of guards were there to meet me. They all had unfriendly expressions. I wondered why. As I stepped onto the ground, I was relieved that they didn’t immediately riddle me with holes. So far, so good in my book. One of the Quelstrum guards grabbed my arm and pulled me toward the palace. I do believe he intended to rip my arm off. As I approached, I could see the building and grounds were fully repaired. Not a single garish decoration or blade of grass was out of place.
The guard threw me into a large study where Varrank was seated. If he’d looked bilious and angry the last time we met, he was downright demented looking presently. Scary man.
“Sit,” he said without moving. Once I had, he said, “I am pleased beyond your wildest imagination to have you back in my clutches, Jon Ryan. Whatever it is you want to do or gain is for naught. The only function you will serve is to put a smile on my face as you die.”
“That’s it? You don’t even want to know what I want, what I offer?”
“Nothing you have is of any value to me. Nothing you want is of the slightest consequence. Dead men have so few needs.”
“Aw, come on, Varrie. Aren’t you this much,” I pinched my fingers nearly closed, “interested as to why I’d do something as brash and suicidal as return here?”
“I’ll grant you that your return was unanticipated. But again, you are nothing. Nothing does not interest me.”
“Wait. Is that a double negative? If it is, it’s grammatically incorrect.”
He was not amused. I doubt he ever was, but his amused index was well into the negative range.
“Guards,” he snapped, “take him to the torture room and secure him. Let Master Ronsiller know I will be there shortly.”
“I’m here to discuss the human worldship fleet.”
Two burly guards started dragging me backwards.
“Stop,” he commanded. “Bring him to my desk.”
I was dragged to the edge of his desk.
Varrank stared into my eyes, trying to read my soul. “What do you know of the human worldship fleet?”
Ah, if he only knew. “A little. I know you’re interested in it. As we share a mutual interest, I thought maybe we could work together.”
“Very well. I will have your finger placed in a jar and keep it by my side when I crush the human fleet. Your wish has been granted.”
He just said enough to seal his sorry-ass fate. I had to hold myself back, remembering that this might not be the real Varrank.
“How did you come to know of the fleet?” I asked.
He stared at me.
“What do you want with them?”
More hateful staring.
“What will it take for me to change your mind and leave them alone?”
Son of a bitch still sat there.
“If you kill me, I’ve made arrangements for Topollos to tell his government about your incursions into Judasrit.” I had learned of that new political expansion plan from his computers. I did get a reaction with that revelation.
Varrank just barely nodded to one of the Quelstrum, and the beast punched me in the back so hard I sprawled across the table. I ended up nose to nose with my blackest enemy.
“Blackmail is ineffective. Topollos will be dead before you are.” He leaned back with satisfaction. “It now occurs to me your interest in the human fleet may be founded on more than business. Not being able to destroy your ship in orbit reminds me of a recent encounter where a similar ship was impossible to destroy.”
Oh, shit. He couldn’t know any of that. We were light-years away. If I hadn’t used the vortex to get to Balmorulam, the trip would have taken ten years plus.
“You asked how I know of the worldships. Given your more than casual interest, I think I shall reveal to you how I know of it.” He nodded to the guards, and I was lifted off the desk.
We left the room and headed down a long series of halls. Finally, we came to a large door. A guard opened it, and the procession entered. The light was dim, but the smell was horrendous. I was vaguely aware of a presence, but lacking orientation, I couldn’t locate it.
“I would like to introduce you to an associate of mine,” said Varrank as he walked toward one wall.
A spotlight clicked on. It hit a Listhelon that was nailed to the wall. As much as I hated the species, I felt instant pity for him. How it could be so extensively dismembered and partitioned yet still alive was beyond my comprehension. I guess the Master Ronsiller was an expert at that. The Listhelon had a cylinder attached over his gills to circulate water, but otherwise his body was exposed to the air. It was dry and cracked, like ancient parchment. It hurt to look at.
When the light struck him, his head lolled with a jerky twitch. He didn’t want any more of whatever was coming.
“My people picked up him and a crew member in space. The ship they were with was destroyed before capture, but these new friends were taken alive. You can imagine my curiosity, Jon, as to why such a strange and novel species was flitting about in deep space. When I asked nicely why they journeyed so very far from home, they mentioned the humans. It seems humans defiled their home world.
“When they sought vengeance, they were completely rebuffed. They adopted a new strategy of guerrilla warfare against the humans as they fled in their cored-out asteroids. This one was part of a long series of warships sent to harass the fleet.”
I knew how tough those fish were. He must have suffered more than I could imagine to talk so freely. That reminded me that I was about to learn his pain soon if I didn’t come up with a plan.
“Do you know an interesting fact, Jon? This useless fish says the worldships are protected with an impenetrable force field. Such a marvelous barrier protects your ship. A planet far from here was similarly shielded. Isn’t that odd, Jon? Don’t you suspect as I do that there is a connection? But I shouldn’t want you to worry. I will know everything relevant very soon.”
“If you mess with the worldship fleet, you’ll be sorry,” I said hatefully.
“You think so? I don’t. You see, I have powerful friends. Moreover, I never fail.”
“This time, you will. You can’t get through the barriers, and the ships are designed to sustain the population for generations. You can’t starve them out.”
“That is true. I, however, will not starve them out. I shall bypass the force field and kill every one of them in their homes.”
“That’s not possible. You’re wasting your time.”
“It is my time to waste, is it not? And I think you’re forgetting the lessons learned from the planet that felt it too was safe under its magical umbrella. I’m betting you know how close they were to being defeated.”
There was no way he could know or duplicate what the Berrillians had. No freaking way.
“You know what, Jon? It occurs to me you wonder how I could know these things and have such confidence. I would hate for you to die unaware of the completeness of your failure. I would not spare you that ultimate feeling of hopelessness before you die.” He raised his hands and clapped.
Through the door strode an upright five-hundred-pound tiger. It was not just any Berrillian, it was Havibibo. The commander of the assault on Azsuram.
“You’re dead,” I said reflexively.
“Nice to see you again, Jon Ryan,” he responded with a snarl.
“But this cannot be the same man. He does not fly in his magical cube,” said Varrank sarcastically.
“It is him. His stench has not changed.”
“Nor yours,” I said with a nod. “Oh, I bet you’d like to know Kelldrek is alive and well. She’s in a small cage, but I haven’t let her die.”
He lunged at me, but two Quelstrums stepped in his path, and he skidded to a halt. They scared even Havibibo.
He pointed a massive paw at
me. “Soon, Jon Ryan, I will eat your flesh.”
Good luck with that plan, I thought to myself.
“How did you survive?” I asked.
“When I saw your ship returning to finish us off, I ordered abandon ship. Several escape pods, including mine, made it to warp space before they could be destroyed.” He held out his massive arms to say and here I stand.
“So you see, my plan will succeed. With the help of my Berrillian friends, I shall scramble those inside the asteroids until they are dead. I will use gravity waves to destroy their power supplies, and their shields will fall like the tears you are about to shed. Then, the ships will be mine.”
“But why. What use do you have for ten thousand worldships? You seem to be living large right here.”
He placed a hand on his chest. “I have no use for them. Others, however, do. I plan on selling them to the highest bidder.”
“Who would want to buy a worldship? That’s crazy.”
“Come now. Surely you, a man of the galaxy, knows there are many groups that feel disenfranchised, alienated, or wish to rid themselves of outside influences. They will pay dearly to leave the rest of society in their wake as they sail to their new lives secure in their asteroids.”
“But why not make them yourself? You’re going to a lot of trouble.”
“It is harder to core an asteroid than you seem to recall, Jon. It is much easier to eject the present occupants than to commit to such a long-term plan.”
I had nothing. Varrank was right on all counts. His plan would work. He could, with Berrillian help, breach the worldship fleet. My species was closer to extinction than ever before. And I was powerless. I could kill a handful of meaningless palace guards, Havibibo, and Varrank. But that wouldn’t stop whoever the next boss from committing genocide.
“Ah, I see my tutorial has had its desired effect. You know I will triumph, and you know you have failed. The day has turned out better than I could have hoped. Thank you for that, Jon Ryan.” He began to laugh the laugh of the madman he was.
Forever Series 4: The Forever Quest Page 15