Tempest: Book Two of the Terran Cycle

by Philip C. Quaintrell

  Chapter Eleven

  Judging by the smell, Roland guessed they were close to the open living area, where those too scared to move out into the ship had made camp. He could almost taste the various foods being cooked inside the many tents and pavilions. He tried to ignore the pangs of hunger his own belly was suffering. If he was hungry, he could only imagine how hungry Ch’len was.

  The Conclave guards escorting them were on all sides, not taking any chances. He counted eight all together and knew they had passed twenty-two soldiers on the way. The Novaarians had been taken a different way after they left the basement, and no doubt Uthor was monitoring everything from the bridge. Roland felt Ch’len’s tiny eyes boring a hole in the side of his head. The Ch’kara obviously blamed him for their current predicament. He didn’t feel sorry for the little shit, of course. He needed Roland; it was as simple as that. Where he went, Ch’len followed. In this case it wasn’t anywhere great, but at least there would be food.

  With no alcohol in his system it was hard to tune out his training. He noticed everything around him, especially the almost imperceptible glances between Kalian and Esabelle. It was hard to miss the weird tension between the two of them and Li’ara, but that was a situation he was more than happy to stay away from. He knew for sure, however, that the kid wasn’t smart enough to juggle both of them, in any capacity. The one he inevitably scorned would be upset, vulnerable and probably up for some revenge sex; that’s where Roland would come in.

  He examined Captain Fey and wondered how she was still walking. She appeared physically exhausted after the ordeal Garrett had put them through; she was over a hundred years old after all. Then again, if her body was anything like her personality she was a walking, talking robot. He couldn’t deny the great job she was doing as the leader of mankind, though, despite all the shit that had taken place in the last forty-eight hours. It was the thought of responsibility like that that kept him always on the move. This was the first time in a long time that he had been a part of something, something real and important, something that mattered.

  He knew the best thing would be to leave as soon as possible, before he started to actually care. He hadn’t really cared about anything since Europa. It had numbed him to the point that he forgot what it was to be human, to feel. He shook his head to try and forget the faces of all the children, but it never worked.

  Suddenly Kalian and Esabelle stopped walking, a fraction before the lights in the corridor disappeared. Roland caught on and flung himself into the space where the nearest guard had been. To his surprise there was nothing but a blank wall to greet his attack. Seconds later, the lights came back on with a painful glare and an impressive display from the Terran. All the guards were scattered across the corridor in unorthodox positions as if beaten by a wild animal. The soft gargles of the last guard died out as Kalian let go of his throat, dropping him to the floor at his feet.

  “How did you do that?” Captain Fey had an expression somewhere between awe and horror.

  “Electromagnetic pulse to cut the lights,” Kalian offered.

  Roland quickly checked his Tri-rollers, aware of the effects such magnetism had on the Intrinium.

  “Don’t worry, it wasn’t that powerful,” Kalian reassured him with a cheeky smirk.

  “We need to go, now.” Esabelle was already walking down the corridor before Captain Fey stopped them.

  “We can’t do this. If we take this ship back by force it will be taken as a sign of war. We need to work with them now.”

  “We’re not taking back the ship, Captain,” Esabelle explained. “They can keep it for all it’s worth to them. The nanocelium will take them decades to figure out. They can pilot it with the controls but that’s about it.”

  “What are we doing then?”

  “Whether the Conclave believes us or not, there is a very real threat out there,” Kalian said. “If we’re limited to their confinements, it will be too late when the cube and Protocorps strike. We need to get off the Gommarian and end it ourselves.”

  “Just us the five of us?” The Captain didn’t look convinced.

  “Five and a half.” Roland nodded towards Ch’len.

  “We have no other choice. Look at what just one of the cubes did to our race, to our home. Terran and human alike were wiped out by just one of them. We know for sure now that one of them is in the heart of the Conclave. Imagine the damage it’s capable of.”

  “If we’re right, we’ll have saved the entire Conclave...” Li’ara added.

  The captain showed a new interest in Li’ara’s words, even Roland saw that connection. It would surely be an instant invitation into their civilisation.

  “Then go, but I can’t come with you. I have to stay with them.” Her place was with the rest of their species. Leading from the front was the only way she knew how to be a Captain. Roland respected her for that. Not that his respect was worth much.

  “Good luck.” Kalian put a hand on the Captain’s shoulder before turning to leave.

  “I think you’re going to need the luck with him tagging along.” The Captain looked at Roland as he passed by and he blew her a mocking kiss. They left her alone, in the corridor of unconscious bodies, as they ran through the ship, heading for the hangar. The guards along the way were easily dispatched by either Kalian or Esabelle, who always seemed to know where they were.

  “Why have we stopped here?” Li’ara asked. They were standing outside a large circular door with no designation on it. Esabelle stepped forward and placed her palm out to the wall, where a hidden panel materialised. She quickly punched in a code and allowed the biometric scanner to identify her. The door opened without a sound to reveal an empty room.

  “Shit!” Kalian exclaimed.

  Roland had no idea what the problem was. It took him a moment of looking around to recognise the room where the twelve Gomar had been stored months ago.

  “They’ve already taken them.” Esabelle had a look of despair.

  “I thought you said it would take them months to figure out how the nanocelium worked?” Li’ara pointed her question at Esabelle.

  “I was wrong...” And she definitely didn’t look happy about it.

  “What were we gonna do, anyway? Carry all twelve of them back to the, Rackham?”

  “Yes,” both Esabelle and Kalian replied. Roland remembered that carrying several tons of Rem-stores was quite easy for a Terran.

  “We need to keep moving.” Li’ara pressed.

  Ch’len was already out of breath, resting on his stubby knees. They were soon off again at a speed even Roland found uncomfortable. Kalian and Esabelle were probably running a lot slower than they were capable of, but it was still damn fast. A few minutes later the hangar doors opened to a circus of activity. New ships were landing as old ones were taking off, relieving the current soldiers. Conclave engineers examined different consoles while a larger group who were trying to prise open the Rackham.

  They stayed low for a moment, taking cover behind the nearest crate of fresh supplies. There were so many soldiers that Roland couldn’t count them all. Ch’len was already sitting on the floor, adjusting his breathing equipment to compensate for his lack of breath.

  “Even if we take off, how are we going to escape?” Roland asked. “With them in control of the bridge they can detect us even with the stealthware.”

  Esabelle didn’t hesitate as she moved away to get some space. With her hand held out, the floor produced a column of nanocelium with a holographic display at the top.

  “What are you doing?” Li’ara was looking out for anyone who might see them.

  “I’m rerouting the bridge master control. It won’t last long, just enough time for us to leave the solar system.”

  “Where are you rerouting it to?” Kalian inquired.

  “The bathroom on level fourteen,” Esabelle replied with a smile. “When I redesigned the ship, before disconnecting, I created an override code in case of emergency.”

  “Tha
t’s hilarious...” Roland tried to stifle his laugh. He imagined that right now there was some poor Conclave guard, dropping a shit, as the bathroom around him turned into the command centre for the scariest ship in the galaxy.

  “Let’s go.” Kalian lead the charge as they made the mad dash for the Rackham. Roland set his Tri-rollers to low yield as he shot wildly into the clusters of guards that closed in on them from every side. He recognised the incredible power of telekinesis as several guards and objects were thrown around the hangar with the unseen force. Any that got too close were taken down by furious hand to hand combat that left the individual in a heap of broken bones. They made a better Special Forces team than he had seen on Earth, with the exception of Ch’len, who couldn’t seem to hit the side of a patrol ship.

  The engineers scattered, leaving the Rackham free to board. Roland used his mental connection to start the drive and lower the ramp, just in time for them to take cover inside. He felt the ship lift off, causing him to stumble to one side, as they reached the bridge. He jumped into his seat as Ch’len took up his own station, wiping several desserts off the console as he did. The hull panged with weapons fire from the soldiers outside, each bolt of energy absorbed by the nanocelium.

  Roland was quickly surrounded by holograms including two orange domes that allowed him to manually steer the ship. The arcing view-port shifted as the Rackham turned to face the hangar exit and the stars beyond. Targeting reticules appeared in front of them with Roland aiming the cannons at the closest patrol ships parked nearby.

  “No weapons fire.” Li’ara put her hand over his to prevent the activation. “The ships outside will detect it and make getting out of here a lot harder.”

  Roland dismissed the hologram and rolled his eyes. “Whatever you say, sweetheart.” Li’ara’s glare was enough to make him smile. He placed both hands over the domes and ignited the thrusters, hurtling the ship out of the hangar with incredible speed. “Ch’len...” He continued on into space while he waited for the Ch’kara’s coordinates.

  “Alright, alright! I’m sending them over now.” Ch’len always knew the best places to hide in a situation like this. Before his aspirations to be a bounty hunter, he had spent over a hundred years working as a smuggler for the biggest crime syndicate on Ch’ket.

  Roland looked over the new coordinates that just slid into the hologram on his right. “The Karina nebula... where the hell’s that?”

  “Exactly,” Ch’len replied slyly.

  Roland smiled at his partner’s criminal knowledge before inputting the coordinates into the navigation system. The hologram to his left flashed with alarm as multiple Nebula-class ships and a Nexus class set a course to intercept. He coolly brought up a new screen and activated the stealthware. Now the ship was invisible to the naked eye and every scan they possessed.

  “Let’s punch it!” Roland ignited the Intrinium and activated the Solar Drive. “I’ve always wanted to say that...” The Drive whined and stuttered before cutting out completely.

  Bollocks...

  He forgot about their lack of fuel. He turned to see four judging faces staring at him. He adjusted the course of the ship to face the sun, seventy million kilometres away.

  “We just need to stop and soak up some rays.”

  “Great idea, Captain! Except the stealthware won’t work while we charge the Intrinium!” Ch’len was wiping his fingers across the smears of food and licking them clean. Roland knew he only ate like that when he was nervous.

  “How long will it take to charge the Intrinium?” Kalian asked.

  “Too long...” Roland looked over the specs for the Nexus class vessel. Once they were detected it would be on them before they had enough charge to even traverse the solar system.

  “How far to the nearest system?” Esabelle was pacing behind his chair. He turned to see Ch’len going through the star charts with frantic speed.

  “With thrusters alone, it would take nine days to reach the Torvin system.” Ch’len looked back in despair; they didn’t have that kind of time. The stealthware wouldn’t last that long and they would inevitably be found between here and the Torvin system.

  “Any ideas...?” Roland sat back, unsure of their next move.

  “Just one, actually.” Everyone turned around to see Esabelle entangled in a nest of tubes and holograms coming out of the floor. The nanocelium was pressing into her skin from head to toe until her eyes rolled into the back of her head and she became unresponsive.

  “Esabelle!” Kalian stopped short of the mesh of tubes and wires, while Roland looked on in disbelief as his ship revealed more secrets to its Terran occupants.

  “What the hell is she doing to my ship?” The lights flickered along with the consoles and holograms around the bridge. Roland just caught the warning about life support depletion before they were all cast into darkness. It took him a moment to realise there should be some light from the approaching sun. He swivelled in his chair to see nothing but an empty abyss beyond the view-port.

  The Rackham was in sub-space.

  Garrett wanted to curl up in a ball and find a dark place to hide. A conversation he couldn’t comprehend had just come to an end between the Terran, his own parasite and another being. This other being could only be heard when the station was activated, and thankfully the great machine had been turned off. The voice had a power to it that dwarfed the Terran and his own. Just being connected to it made Garrett feel violated and exposed to raw energy.

  What is this station?

  The Terran had worked the central console perfectly, as if he had built the system himself, bringing its hidden functions to life. A mysterious flash of light from outside the view-port was the only indication anything had happened. Purple bolts of lightning raced around the exterior of the crescent hull, bombarding the station. The titan-like voice had coursed through his mind the second the station had become active. He was too frightened to try and contemplate the meaning behind the conversation, let alone the identity of the voice. Whatever it was, it wasn’t happy. Garrett felt a renewed sense of purpose flow through his parasite’s thoughts.

  As one, the Terran and Garrett turned to face the confused faces of the Shay delegation. Garrett still had no idea what part these individuals had played in all this. They must have been unsure themselves of what had taken place before them. To the Shay it would have appeared the station was activated and the two aliens simply stood in silence until it switched off. With their incredible speed of thought it was impossible to say how long they had been standing there, communing with the so called Vanguard.

  “Is everything to your satisfaction?” The one who had identified himself as Kel-var Tionis asked. They thought the Terran was testing the station, they had no idea what had really happened. As far as the Shay were concerned, the two beings in front of them were gods. But Garrett understood now, they were only puppets for something worse.

  “You built the facility to our exact specifications,” the Terran replied. There was no hint of gratitude or emotion in his voice; the Shay was clearly beneath the effort, if he was even capable of emotion. There was something more to the Terran, though. Garrett could feel so much more from him when they were connected, as if he was more complex than his own parasite.

  “What’s next?” Sel-gar blurted out.

  Garrett had already picked up on the groups dislike for this particular alien. The fat Shay appeared to instantly regret his actions, taking a small step back and keeping his eyes firmly on the double chin that protruded from his collar.

  “The Terran infestation in this quadrant of the galaxy is unacceptable.” The Terran continued, “We are to use this station to finally wipe them out, while you return to Shandar and prepare the Crucible.”

  The Shay began to display subtle signs of anxiety and displeasure at that particular word. Garrett didn’t know what they were talking about and couldn’t glean any answers from the passing thoughts of his parasite.

  “So it is to be in our time then
...” Bal-son Narek quietly commented. To the keen auditory senses of the Terran and Garrett he might as well have yelled it at them.

  “Indeed you are lucky to witness the majesty that will descend upon this galaxy,” the Terran announced with some prestige. There was definitely more of a personality to him than the simple brute that possessed Garrett.

  “Perhaps we should wait...” Sel-gar offered nervously. “Until we know for sure that the Terran can be annihilated with this station. They have proven to be quite the survivors-”

  The words were cut off as the fat Shay rose into the air, a moment before his neck twisted with a bone-crunching snap. His body was flung by unseen forces, hurtling him into the hard metallic wall where it crumpled into a heap of organic and artificial limbs. To Garrett’s left, the Terran had his arm outstretched towards Sel-gar.

  The Terran had Kalian’s powers.

  The Shay delegation was stunned into silence as they tried to hide their expressions of horror. The guards didn’t know how to react to the sudden violence and the death of one of the people they were supposed to protect. They made a step forward before deciding that avenging Sel-gar Tanek wasn’t worth the punishment they would face at the hands of the Terran.

  “Transcendence is upon you all. Prepare the way for what is coming and you will be rewarded in your new life. Your identities may yet be preserved; the same cannot be said for the rest of your civilisation.” Sel-gar’s lifeless body was evidence of the alternative.

  “I will use my connections to find the current location of the humans and their ship.” Gor-van Tanar bowed his head beneath his shadowy hood.

  “They are en-route to Ch’ket, where the Conclave will evacuate them onto an artificial habitat. They are now under the full control of the Conclave security forces,” the Terran replied smoothly. Garrett could feel the undercurrent of chatter that ran between the two of them and the third intelligence he initially felt outside the sarcophagus. It felt familiar to him but he knew he could easily be misinterpreting his own familiarity and that of his parasites.