The Epherium Chronicles: Crucible

by T. D. Wilson

  Jillian stretched her arms over her head, which expanded the jacket of her jumpsuit and underlying T-shirt upward, exposing her midsection. Hood tried not to notice, but he did. He could feel the warmth grow inside him and his heart rate increased. It was the same feeling he’d had when he’d seen her back in the canyon.

  Jillian stood after her stretch and walked over to the view port near his desk to stare out at the planet below. “Well, I’ve recently rediscovered my space legs,” she said with a heavy dose of sarcasm. She turned and gave Hood a sly wink. “All that time I gave you back before we left Earth showing you around the Magellan seems to have paid off. I think it’s high time you returned the favor.”

  Hood felt embarrassed and almost blushed. He should have thought of this before. He stood and offered her his arm. “It would be my pleasure to give you the nickel tour of the EDF Armstrong.”

  Jillian locked his arm into her own. “Why, Captain, I would be delighted to see your ship,” she said in a sweet almost Southern belle tone. As they walked to the door, she pressed up against him. “But what do I get for a quarter?” she asked, now sultry.

  This time Hood was sure he was blushing and by the heat in his face, he was positive it was a very bright red.

  She slapped his shoulder with her free hand. “Some things never change. Come on!”

  * * *

  Hood’s feet were sore, but he didn’t let it bother him. The tour he was providing to Jillian was well into its third hour, and the Magellan’s XO continued to soak in all the new sights and information about the Armstrong.

  Hood had brought Jillian to the Command Deck after spending much of the tour in Engineering, primarily around the space-fold systems. Her questions about every system seemed to rival the number of stars visible in the Cygni sky, but Hood didn’t mind. In fact, he welcomed it. Her first question to him when the tour began was, “How did we do it?”

  Her reference was to humanity’s ability to overcome the speed of light. It had taken close to twenty-five years for their vessel to reach Cygni and only a week for the Armstrong to make the same journey. He knew she’d be curious.

  Space-folding had been theorized for years by many researchers, but the concept of generating a true Einstein-Rosen bridge or wormhole between two points for instantaneous travel required the generation of a significant gravitational event to bend space. The essential power output for the generation was astronomical and, until the discovery of the pidium element, had been out of humanity’s reach.

  Without encountering the Cilik’ti when they did, humanity might still be limited to sub-light travel and long sleeper ship trips even to Proxima. It was the reverse engineering of the Cilik’ti space-fold drives and their use of pidium that propelled Earth to move light-years at a time. Just thinking about it made Hood wonder. Did Earth owe the Cilik’ti any gratitude, or was it simple coincidence and spoils from an unprovoked attack?

  Hood’s answers to Jillian’s questions came as fast and furious as she asked, and he found his depth of knowledge of some of the topics to be more involved than he realized. But as they walked on the Command Deck, Hood realized an important fact. The past three hours were the longest he’d ever spent talking with Jillian or any one woman. It felt good. He wasn’t nervous. He didn’t have to be anyone special, not even the captain of the Armstrong. He just had to be James Hood.

  Once on the Command Deck, Jillian headed for the Helmsman Station. One of her primary functions as the XO on the Magellan was pilot, but understanding spatial navigation was a passion she enjoyed.

  She spent nearly another hour touring the Command Deck and it concluded with a long discussion with Sanchez and Aldridge at the Tactical Station, while Hood took the time sit back and just watch. Jillian’s grasp of the systems throughout the ship was impressive. While Aldridge demonstrated some tactical scenarios at her station, Sanchez moved beside Hood.

  “She’s an amazing woman for being out of the loop for more than twenty years,” Sanchez said.

  “That she is, Raf,” Hood replied, still listening to Jillian’s conversation with his protégé. Not wanting to interrupt them, Hood followed Sanchez back to the Command Station, “Any word from Whitaker or Greywalker on the colony’s communication disruption?”

  “Not yet,” Sanchez said and checked his terminal for any new messages. “Whitaker mentioned he might have a breakthrough soon. If we locate the redirect for the communications, we can move on it fast.”

  Hood nodded in agreement. He wanted to continue his discussion with his XO, but he caught a glimpse of Jillian, who waved him over. Hood shook his head and left Sanchez at the Command Station, but stumbled on the way, and that launched both women into a subdued chuckle at his expense. “I see you two are enjoying yourselves?”

  “Oh, yes,” Jillian replied, still trying to suppress her laughter. “But seriously, the tour has been phenomenal, Jimmy. I can’t thank you enough. There has been so much I’ve missed.” She sighed then smiled at Aldridge. “Lieutenant Aldridge told me how you recruited her out of the academy. I must say, I’m not sure I would have passed.”

  Hood passed Aldridge a surprised look. There was a hint of a challenge in her statement, but he expected nothing less from Jillian. For as long as he had known her, Jillian made every effort to make her opinions known and she didn’t hold them back for a simple private discussion. She excelled in promoting discussions on even the most controversial of topics, and Hood didn’t want to disappoint her. “I agree that my evaluation of then Ensign Aldridge’s capabilities might have seemed intense, Jillian, but I assure you the requirements to be Tactical Officer on an EDF cruiser are set to a high bar.”

  Jillian seemed taken aback by Hood’s answer, but Aldridge chose to elaborate. “The captain is correct, Lieutenant Commander. The academy had prepared me for service in the EDF, but Captain Hood prepared me for much more. We learned many terrible lessons at the hands of the Cilik’ti, but I had to be ready to take on any adversary, be it Cilik’ti, pirate, smuggler or a new, unknown threat.”

  Hood felt a swelling of pride at his Tactical Officer’s defense, and Jillian, too, seemed impressed. A simple nod toward Hood was the only response to Aldridge’s explanation, and she let the discussion end there. Jillian thanked Aldridge again for her instruction of the Armstrong’s tactical systems, then walked over to Sanchez to say goodbye.

  Hood was watching Jillian as she and Sanchez continued to converse when Wells called to him from her station. “Captain, I have an incoming private transmission for you from the planet.”

  Hood rounded the Tactical Station and joined her at Communications. “Who is it?”

  Wells pulled up the transmission signature on her terminal. “Not sure. There’s no specific ID code, but it’s coming from the canyon site on our dedicated channel.”

  Hood sighed. It had to be McCraken. He was tired of his games already and if this was another complaint call, his free pass to the planet was about to be revoked. “Reroute it to my quarters. I’ll take it there.”

  “Aye, sir.”

  Hood caught up with Jillian near the Tactical Station on her way out. “Ready to go?”

  Jillian sighed and formed a small frown. “Yes, unfortunately. I’d hoped to stay longer, Jimmy.” She paused. “I’m sorry. James. I keep forgetting you’re not the same boy I remember.”

  Hood smiled. “James or Jim is fine, Jillian.”

  “I like James.” She stared into his eyes. “Sounds more distinguished for a big warship captain.”

  Hood rolled his eyes, and she slapped his shoulder with the back of her hand. They started to walk together toward the elevator lift when Aldridge called after Hood. “Captain, are you still on to start a new game tonight? I have a new strategy I want to try.”

  Jillian stared at both of them very inquisitively. “Chess, right?”

  Hood and A
ldridge nodded.

  Jillian leaned over to Aldridge. “Another Hood family pastime.” She pointed her thumb at Hood. “This one’s uncle has tried to get me to play for years. Well, for years before we left and were put into sleep stasis anyway. I know enough that I don’t want to play.” She looked at Hood and shrugged her shoulders. “Sorry, James. When I was in high school, I was a cheerleader and playing chess didn’t seem appealing to me then, nor does it now.”

  Hood waved it off. “No offense taken, Jillian. I use it to exercise my mind and look at new strategies. I guess I’ve spent so much time in the strategy and tactics world, it’s become a staple in my life.”

  “You honestly think chess is a requirement of your daily life?”

  “When you spend a lot of time in space, you try to find an escape—an outlet if you will.”

  Jillian put her hand on her hip, tossed her hair to the left and winked. “I’m sure I could find better ones.”

  It was Hood’s turn to be embarrassed and he tried his best to deflect the conversation. “Okay. Let’s get your things and I’ll escort you to your shuttle.”

  Jillian scanned the room then bit her lip. He could tell she realized she might have gone too far and she mouthed I’m sorry. Hood walked with her to the lift. As the two entered the lift, Aldridge smiled at him from her station, and he shut his eyes when the doors closed.

  The lift ride to the Command Quarters level was quick, but quiet. Not until they arrived at Hood’s quarters did Jillian break the silence. “I’m sorry if I offended you. I, uh... It’s been a long time since I’ve been in a structured command and sometimes I forget myself. I’ve known your uncle for so long. Our usual banter back and forth just felt normal.” She seemed unsure of her next words.

  Hood opened the door to his quarters and invited her in. “It’s fine,” he said and moved across the room to his desk. “Now, I need to take this call from the canyon site.” He glanced at the table near his bed. A fresh brewed pot of coffee was waiting for him. Mr. Martin was certainly on top of things. “It’s probably McCraken, and I know you’d just love to talk with him,” Hood said, trying to keep a straight face from the sarcasm. “Go ahead and get some coffee if you’d like while you wait.”

  Jillian spotted the coffeepot and scooped up a mug while Hood activated his terminal. The comm channel opened, and Hood’s face froze. He was expecting a cranky and narcissistic McCraken, but the visual on his screen and monotonic emulated voice caught him off guard.

  “Captain Hood. This one is glad to have found you,” Kree said. His face filled the entire screen, as if the alien had placed his head on top of the camera. “There is little time.”

  Jillian almost dropped her hot cup of coffee when she heard the sound of Kree’s voice from across the room and raced to Hood’s side. “Kree, what’s going on?” she asked.

  The screen continually moved in and out of focus as Kree moved back and then closer again to the screen.

  “Kree,” Hood asked, “where is Dr. Patton? Has something happened?”

  Hood saw a hand, he presumed Dr. Patton’s, intervene and the camera finally pulled away from Kree. The camera stopped moving, and Hood could see Kree clearly now. Kree was agitated. The Cilik’ti was in constant motion and his legs danced to keep him balanced.

  “Your people are here, Captain, and they are safe, but this one fears that much time has been lost.”

  “Time? What are you talking about?” Hood asked, confused.

  Kree reached up with his arm that carried his speech synthesizer and pointed it toward the roof of the cavern. “This one is not sure how, but the Chi’tan have learned of your presence. They are on their way here.”

  Hood felt as if something had reached into his chest, grabbed his heart in a vise and started to squeeze. He didn’t move or say anything; he couldn’t. He felt paralyzed, held hostage, but it wasn’t fear of death or agony that gripped him. It was the same feeling of overwhelming uncertainty he’d had in that first encounter with the Cilik’ti while aboard the Apollo. The mind killer he’d fought for years had returned in earnest. And like before on the Apollo and countless other battles since, if he made a mistake, thousands would die.

  For the next few moments, Hood wrestled with the fear that had taken hold of him. He rallied his confidence, his faith and his will to meet the challenge and stamped it back in the deep recesses of his mind. Hood opened his eyes and the pain was gone, but his knuckles were white from gripping the edge of the desk.

  He put his hands underneath the desk to rub them when Jillian leaned toward the screen. “Are you sure? How could they know?”

  The globe on Kree’s synthesizer glowed. “The Chi’tan brought the information to the Shi council. One of the allies of the Chi’tan claim to have discovered your satellite network from a passing transport, but this one has not found any record of such a ship in the area.” He bowed his head, almost resigning himself to something. “The Chi’tan have many friends, perhaps even a few among the N’lan. They asked for a K’rveen.”

  Hood had reviewed every word of Wells’s discussion with Kree, and that term had never come up. “What is it, Kree? What is a K’rveen?”

  “It is a cleansing, Captain,” Kree explained. “There is still much this one has wanted to teach humans of Cilik’ti culture. So much,” his synthesizer echoed. “The K’rveen was originally used as a purification of a Shi from impure influences, but in more recent times since the Great Sundering, it has been used to remove threats close to Shi home worlds.”

  Impure influences could mean a variety of things, even in human culture, and he went with his best guess. “And since the N’lan home world is in this system—”

  “Yes,” Kree interrupted. “The Chi’tan have called for K’rveen. They have determined that humans in this system are a threat to the N’lan home world and must be expelled.”

  Jillian slammed her open palm on Hood’s desk in frustration, and Kree jumped back from the camera in surprise. “Kree! You’ve got to contact your people. Make them listen. We are not a threat. Surely you know that by now.”

  Kree’s synthesizer glowed again. “Commander Howard. This one understands your frustration. The calling of K’rveen is a sacred ritual in the Shi council and can be started by any of the Shi in full presence of the council. The Shi named for the K’rveen has first right to accept the K’rveen and lead the effort. The N’lan had been called for K’rveen, Captain, and have refused. This one’s Hal’ta agreed that humans pose no immediate threat to the N’lan and coexistence can be achieved.”

  Hood put his hand on Jillian’s. It was a reflex—he didn’t pull it away. To his surprise, she didn’t either. “So what now?” he asked.

  “Should the Shi—” Kree paused. “This one is not sure how to explain. Should the Shi in need of K’rveen refuse, the final decision is left to the first of the Shi council.”

  Jillian turned to Hood. “Doesn’t the Chi’tan head the council?”

  Kree lowered his head again and his body sank to the cave floor. “Yes,” his synthesizer echoed and Hood noticed that its light was dimmer than normal. Jillian had mentioned that during the time she’d spent with Kree in the canyon, he’d always seemed excited, passionate and full of curiosity, particularly about humans. She’d never witnessed him to be sad or depressed in any way, but somehow his synthesizer had captured it.

  “The Chi’tan accepted the right and called for the confirmation,” Kree said as he regained his footing and turned away from the camera, revealing the red streaks along the length of his legs and carapace. “The first of the Shi can accept the right to enforce K’rveen,” he continued, “but it is the council that must vote for final approval.”

  Dr. Patton stepped in front of the camera for a brief moment to adjust it, but Kree turned around and moved closer. “Captain, the Shi council has many rules and some like this
one are symbolic. The vote does not need to be unanimous, only a majority, and the Chi’tan already had enough allies to meet their desired outcome.”

  Jillian pursed her lips. “So they were looking to provoke a fight anyway.”

  “Yes, Commander Howard,” Kree answered. “It is clear to this one—and the rest of the N’lan Hal’ta—that the Chi’tan still hold animosity toward humans since the failure of the Bri’lan campaign.” Kree looked up almost past the camera, and Hood could hear Patton’s voice faint in the background. After a few moments, Kree nodded and turned back to the camera. “However, there are conditions in K’rveen that could be to your benefit.”

  One of the first rules in preparing for combat scenarios was to understand the enemy and find a weakness. Any limitations to an enemy aggressor could be exploited, and Hood didn’t want to leave anything to chance. “Kree, this ritual reminds me of some humanity used to practice several hundred years ago. Duels between two people or small groups.”

  “Yes, Captain. This one understands. The Chi’tan must act alone in this matter. To accept the K’rveen after the N’lan refusal forces them to act without aid, or face dishonor and loss of status amongst the Shi. No assistance is allowed in combat or information.”

  Hood leaned back in his chair and thought about what Kree said for a moment. If the Chi’tan were alone, they could be limited in what forces to bring. If they couldn’t rely on any intelligence from their allies, they would be coming in blind. But he recognized what Kree had already said. The Chi’tan were on their way. He needed time to get the colonists to safety. Putting more civilians into a battle zone was bad on any level and if the Chi’tan came to party, they would bring their best.

  “What should we expect?” he asked Kree. “If they come at us and we fight back, it could spill into another prolonged war. I can’t have that. There has to be another way.”

  “This one’s knowledge of K’rveen is extensive, Captain. Any Shi that assumes the role of K’rvat, or purifier, in the K’rveen must declare to the council its intended resources and plans to execute the K’rveen. If the K’rveen should fail, the council will be forced to view the outcome in a new light. In the past, if the impurity could not be expunged, it was made part of the Shi’s social order. A test of acceptance, as one might see it.”