Paradisus (Awakened Book 6)
Page 34
“We could. But I want to see what his trust level is with us. What his intentions really are.”
“And if he really does want an alliance?” Rion asked.
“I don’t see that we have a choice at this point. Do any of you?”
They were all looking at the fleet and shaking their heads.
“Neither do I.”
* * * * *
Atlantica dropped to sub-light just inside lunar orbit. The soft blue and white cloud-swirled world called Earth seemed to glow with its sunlit radiance.
“Look!” Ethan pointed to the ancient Sentinel vessel moving just ahead of them toward the moon. “Is that ours?”
“That’s Tiburion.” Ty focused Atlantica’s passive senses on the hundred-fifty-mile long vessel. “The flagship of the Sentinel Masters.” It looks like the Sentinels are mobilizing. I’m seeing hundreds of other vessels in orbit now.”
“Hundreds—” Ethan grimaced. “Ty, our ships are tiny. How are we going to battle Rase’s fleets?”
“Hopefully, we won’t have to.”
“And if he’s determined?” Ethan continued.
“Then Earth is doomed.”
* * * * *
He didn’t know how long they’d been lying together in the large room. All he knew right now was that someone was shaking his shoulder trying to wake him up.
“Hey! Hey buddy? Are you okay?”
He turned to see a young man dressed like a fireman and several others standing in the blasted-apart room. He looked down to make sure she was okay. Her eyes were open looking at him worriedly. He felt her feelings. He could feel she felt his. They both smiled at each other as her hand went to his face.
He looked at the fireman. “Yea, fine.”
“You need to wrap up and get out,” the fireman had a couple of light blankets in his hands. Neither one of them looked at all hurt to him. “The whole building could collapse from that blast.”
“Ah, sure.”
He took one of the blankets and wrapped her in it and then took one for himself. He held her close as the two of them were escorted barefoot down stairs and out of the building where a huge crowd had gathered, kept away by police barricades that had been setup around the whole building.
“What happened?” he whispered to her.
“I don’t know.” She was just as surprised as he was.
The firemen led the two of them to an ambulance.
“Are you hurt?” a paramedic asked once the fireman left them.
“No, we’re fine,” he assured.
“We should probably take you to the hospital just in case.”
“I said I’m fine.”
“Alright. What’s your name so I can report you declined services?”
He looked at the man.
“Your name?” the paramedic asked again.
He looked at her. Both could feel what each other felt. But the odd thing both of them suddenly realized is that neither of them could remember much at all. Of anything!
“Don’t worry about it.” He said to the paramedic.
“Declined name. Got it.” The paramedic wandered off to help someone else that was being brought out on a stretcher from the building.
“What happened to us?” she asked quietly.
“I don’t know. I can’t remember.”
“I don’t even know your name,” she admitted. He could feel her fear. He fought for a memory. But there was nothing.
“I don’t know.” he admitted, pulling her close.
“Don’t leave me,” she pleaded.
“Don’t worry, beautiful, that’s not going to happen.”
A young officer approached the two of them. “You two okay?”
He nodded.
“You need a ride somewhere?” the officer asked. “I can take you to a shelter.”
He looked around at the crowds staring at the two of them wrapped in their blankets. They needed to get away from here. “Yea. Sure.”
79
I t was not uncommon for Dark to disappear, to drop out of the continuum; but right now Carson needed him in command. Jerrod and Beau moved quietly through the blown-out space. The late afternoon sun beamed into the large now windowless apartment that looked like a warzone.
“Psionic residue.” The sun god’s senses spread throughout the bombed-out-looking space.
“Oh, you think?” Beau’s empathic senses were off the chart as well. “Someone definitely awakened here.”
“It takes at least two,” Jerrod declared.
“Sure, but who?”
“There,” Jerrod pointed to an overturned and facedown wooden bookcase. Jerrod’s eyes shimmered as the piece of furniture lifted by itself and returned quietly against the wall where it had originally been. The books it once held now moved away of their own volition, revealing a shining band of gold with a crystalline inlay. The ring leapt into Jerrod’s hand. He nodded. “Dark’s.”
“Looks like Dark was after an upgrade,” Beau observed, moving into the bedroom area with Jerrod following. “But who was he with?”
“Obviously—another sun god,” Jerrod lamented. The psychic residue lingered thick. “I think Dark want’s a little of what I gave Kari and you gave Julia,” he snarked with a grin.
Beau agreed. “But—all of us have been in Hawaii all week.”
“And Dark isn’t exactly gay,” Jerrod mused.
“So maybe he wasn’t with a sun god—how about a sun goddess?” Beau raised his eyebrow.
Then both of their eyes met as well as their feelings as the words came out at the same time.
“Serena.”
* * * * *
Your invitation is a welcome surprise to me, Francesca.” Dane offered her a wide elegant glass half filled with something dark and fragrant. “I have had similar offers from a number of the other clans. Many of them are openly prepared to join me already. In fact, I don’t mind telling you, some of them already have.”
“The Wraith no doubt.” Francesca suddenly understood now how the Wraith had advanced as far as they had so quickly. Imperial Ionics.
“Terrell’s clans have been—useful.”
“Perhaps you should have allied with the Dominion first,” she smiled. “Are we really so difficult to talk to?”
Dane smiled. The woman was exceptionally elegant, not to mention beautiful and well-skilled with words. She could put all of the royal family to shame with they way she carried herself. She was very disarming. Eloquent. Intelligent. He needed to be careful.
“We have been watching your world for some time, Francesca. These are—delicate matters.”
“But not too delicate for you to ally with the Wraith?”
“It was the late Dr. Lucas who discovered our presence on your world, Francesca. He approached me, not the other way around.”
“I see.”
“And I gave them nothing,” Dane added. “Nothing they didn’t already have, that is.”
“So you did assist the Wraith in building their knowledge of Ion?”
“Of course. In the interest of good relations, I provided some assistance. Perhaps I could offer the Dominion similar?”
“Perhaps removing your bases from our world would be a good start?” she smiled.
“Bases? I believe you misunderstand. The Imperium has no bases on Aden; merely a handful of advisers. What you call bases belong to your indigenous populations. Not me.”
“Indeed.” Her sarcasm was only barely perceptible.
“Francesca,” Dane set down his glass on floating tray. “The truth is, I am attempting to handle the assimilation of your world back into the Imperium as smoothly as possible.”
“By invading it?”
“Watched. Studied. Visited. But I have invaded nothing. I assure you. You have many clans and many sovereign governments spread all over your world. If I were to have a presence on Aden, believe me, it would be by invitation only. And I would be honored to meet personally with the Dominion—on Aden as well, if
that is what you wish.”
Francesca nodded her approval with a formal smile. She could feel Tanner near by, watching their conversation. But there were others empathically watching them as well. She wondered if Dane knew they were not entirely alone. Someone was spying. Perhaps Tanner was too young; too inexperienced to notice. These discussions would need to take place in much more private surroundings.
“It will be our pleasure. I’ll be ready to escort you safely to Aden at your convenience, Prince Dane.”
* * * * *
“That’s not exactly welcomed news to me, Jerrod.” Carson paced the executive quarters of the Tiburion just above the observation bridge. The quarters were dedicated to the chief command executive and looked very much like a lavish apartment with a full one hundred eighty degree view of the sky and exterior of the vessel under a dome of glassteel. A square glass of blue appeared in mid air next to him. He lifted the glass and drew a swallow. “What causes these explosive awakenings anyway?”
“Evolution.”
“I beg your pardon?” Carson’s eyebrow went up.
“I hate to break this to you, Carson, but what you’re witnessing with these powerful awakenings is a kind of evolution of the species. It didn’t happen with me because I was awakened by a halfblood.” Jerrod’s semi-transparent avatar leaned against one of the pillars within the executive space.
“But Beau and Ian were awakened by each other?”
Jerrod nodded. “Two sun gods awakening each other. Boom. Not just an awakening, but an evolutionary change.”
Carson’s brow furrowed. “What kind of evolutionary change?”
“At some point, Carson, all of us will be heading to the same place the Masters all went to. They didn’t just die out. They became something more—non-corporeal.”
“Is that what all of you are now?”
“Not yet, but it looks like we’re heading there. None of us knows.”
“Jerrod, my understanding of evolution is that it is not always a positive event. Adaptation isn’t always successful.”
“No. You’re right.”
“Something bad appears to have happened to Dark and whomever he was with.” Carson drew a long swallow from his glass.
“Dark was with Serena.”
“Serena? I thought she was Rion’s fiancé?”
“Fiancé might be a bit of an overstatement at the moment, Carson. Their relationship is—a little rocky at the moment.”
“I see. Did she and Rion have one of these ‘explosive awakenings’?”
“Let’s just say that Sev would be building himself a new mountain if the rest of the sun gods hadn’t been there when she was awakened.”
Carson’s eyes widened. “Jerrod, if it’s at all possible, I don’t need Rion distracted at the moment. Let’s you, Beau and I just keep this issue with Dark and Serena between ourselves for right now.”
“You’re not going to be able to keep this a secret, Carson. Rion’s not stupid. And he’s Invicti. Mitch is also conspicuously absent. It’s not going to take him five seconds to figure out what’s happened.”
Carson sighed. He downed the rest of his glass. “I should have stayed a powder boy.”
80
C lose to five thousand miles long. Nearly three thousand miles wide and almost two thousand miles at its tallest hull. The Imperium’s latest and most elegant of vessel designs. A crew population numbering into the hundreds of millions. The black golden flagship of an Imperial prince.
Built around an array of redundant hyper-ionic reactors, the majestic vessel easily warped through space at many times the speed of light. But she was much more than sleek speed and opulent elegance. Equipped for battle, the epic executive vessel could deploy scores of fully-armed, battle-ready epic-class star cruisers, hundreds of fighter-laden galactic carriers, an equal number of star destroyers, thousands of thousands of manned battle frigates, and millions a combat drones—all at a moment’s notice.
The grand vessel glided through the cloud, passing small moons, comets and other icy orbiting masses—primordial debris that, were the ship not carrying its single guest, would have otherwise energized and reduced the near planet-size vessel to a rubble of drifting ash and wreckage in a matter of seconds. Its one salvation—a single occupant among the throngs of millions of her crew.
Francesca moved elegantly across the floor to stand by Tanner as he watched the vessel passing yet another huge ice comet drifting quietly past them. “You should not be so nervous, Tanner Levi. The weapons of the Masters ignore you.”
“It’s not the Masters I’m worried about.”
“Of course. It is me you dislike.”
“I don’t like people who hide themselves.” Tanner hadn’t been able to sense a thing from Francesca the moment she’d arrived. Her ring shielded her feelings from his.
“And yet you choose ally with those who keep themselves hidden from you. How interesting.”
He glared at her. “What are you talking about?”
“Your choice of friends.”
“I at least know my friends.” His brow furrowed.
“Do you?” She prodded.
Both watched Dane enter the grand bridge.
“The captain assures me we will reach the interior of the cloud within the hour.” Dane placed his hand on Tanner’s shoulder. “I am grateful for your protection, my friend.”
Tanner nodded.
“We are grateful for yours,” Francesca added.
“It is my pleasure as well, Francesca. But I do not know how much protection I will be. I will deploy the full resources of my personal vessel to the protection of your world, but if what you say is true, and my brother’s fleets have already somehow been able to breach the protectorate of the cloud, I may not be able to stop from him from carrying out whatever plans he has made for your world.”
“He would attack you?” she asked.
“Squabbles between my brothers are common, Francesca. Princes openly attacking each other? That is very rare. Our father sires his sons with majesty and imbues them with his own authority. The consequences of such blatant disregard for his own blood—are death.”
“Then perhaps he is seeking to somehow share in your reward? Take some credit for your success?”
“Perhaps. His true intentions are still veiled. With the power of Reflex harbored on a Yin homeworld, the stakes for the Imperium are uniquely high. I would say that my brother is capable of anything at this point.”
81
I t is not only fair but also imperative that we be included within these negotiations, Miss Di Roma. We have a deeply vested interest here.” The President sat in one of the couches of the Oval Office facing Francesca, her seated poise the epitome of elegance.
“Your interest is duly noted, Mr. President, but unfortunately, the gods of Interra do not share your perspective of entitlement.”
“There’s a massive alien mother ship three times the size of our own moon now orbiting this world, Miss Di Roma, with thousands of vessels in low orbit over our skies! That alone gives every government on Earth title to participate in these discussions.”
“The Ra disagree, Mr. President. The matters of the gods are none of your concern.”
“How can you say it’s none of our concern? It most certainly is! Itis our inalienable right to speak to these people, whoever they are.”
“You can assert whatever rights you wish. Unfortunately, you continue to fail to show any basis for your involvement.”
“The lives of the American people are the only basis we need, Miss Di Roma.”
“So only now are the lives of the people Earth of value to you?”
“I beg your pardon?”
“Mr. President, your regime is directly responsible for the slaughter of tens of thousands of my people. Your inability to understand even the most rudimentary threats to the safety, wellbeing and sanctity of the lives of others is deeply illustrated by your alliance with the Seven.”
“Admit
tedly, we made some mistakes,” he began.
“And you continue to make them.” Francesca lifted herself from the couch. “No, Mr. President, your request for audience is denied. As a matter of rule, the gods do not involve Humans in their dealings. ‘Alien mother ships’, not withstanding.”
“The Dominion has no right to negotiate on behalf of the people of Earth without their voice being heard.” He stood as well.
“Heard? What voices are you listening to, Mr. President, as you arrest, detain and murder your own citizens? People whose only crime was that they harbor the blood of a particular race—that of the Ra, no less?”
“A race not indigenous to this world, Miss Di Roma. We have every right to isolate aliens who don’t belong here. Especially ones who present a clear and present biological danger to ourselves.”
“Interesting.”
“What?”
“Your hypocrisy.”
“I’m sorry?”
“You have been working for these very aliens, as you call them.”
“Yes, well; not any more.”
She chuckled.
“What’s so humorous?”
“You are still working for them. By your actions you show that you are all but completely ignorant of whom it is that controls you. Your race is utterly incompetent to engage in discussion with people many times more intelligent than you yourselves are.”
“Well, there is no need to be insulting.”
“I would never be so crass. I am merely pointing out the obvious. You are all too easily manipulated.”
“I assure you, these aliens are not part of my Administration.”
“I am sure that is what you believe, Mr. President. At some point the reality of your situation will reveal itself. I believe we are through. It was an interesting discussion. Good day.”
He watched as she simply vanished in a subtle rush of air.
The rest of his team filed into the office from the side door.
“They didn’t bite.” The president frowned. “Not even a nibble.”