Branegate

by James C. Glass

  Trae had it targeted, and sent it away through a branegate.

  Three others followed its fate.

  But seven Nova crews and their ships would never see home again.

  Quiet descended on the fleet and four Guppies hovering in front of it, their noses glowing green again. Trae waited patiently for communication, but heard nothing at first.

  And then, quite suddenly, one ship broke off from the invading fleet, then another. The rest followed them in a line, making a great sweeping turn out from the shipping lane, a turn of a hundred-eighty degrees.

  They were heading home.

  An understanding between them was necessary, so Trae called again, using the same frequency he’d used before.

  “Kratola Expeditionary Force, this is Anton Zylak. We will accompany you back to Grand Portal. This is for your own safety, since we also have a squadron of our ships there. Please respond, so we can coordinate our jumps.”

  It was an hour before he received a reply. By necessity, command had been reshuffled again in the enemy fleet, and it was a Colonel Xavier Taller who replied. He was most cooperative, and set up a jump schedule back to Grand Portal with both dates and times. Trae pushed him to the maximum of a hundred thirty light years per day, something a Guppy could do in one jump. It would still be another month to follow the slow ships back to the core. Myra was determined not to sleep most of the way, since she had to anticipate an even longer trip home, and an additional wait for Trae’s family to begin arriving at Elderon. She was now hardened to battle, but was bitter about the loss of lives. It was not something she ever wanted to see repeated again, and she said so to Trae.

  “I don’t want it, either, Myra, but this isn’t the end of it. We still have Azar Khalil to contend with when we get home, and that could be a ground war,” he said.

  CHAPTER 44

  The trip back to Grand Portal was broken up by the plethora of jumps they had to make, and the tension after each jump to make sure each ship of the invasion fleet had come through. In constant communication with the current commander, Trae got to know Colonel Taller better, and in the end decided he was just another soldier of The Church, sent on a mission he believed in. Petyr had been another such soldier, and now, perhaps, was John Haight, and there’d been others along the way, people Trae hadn’t known in person, but people who’d influenced the course of his lives.

  On their seventy-fifth jump, a damaged Guppy VII finally caught up with them, its drop bay half shot away. Trae heard the story of what had happened at Grand Portal, and the money promised to the crews there. He relayed this on to his father, along with the news of his own triumph over the invasion fleet. Father insisted on a meeting in the minds, and also invited Myra. At the end of ship’s cycle, Trae and Myra went to their cell and snuggled together a while, had nearly fallen asleep when Mother called, and they were back on the rolling, flower-covered hillsides so familiar to them.

  The four of them embraced. Father wore a white bodysuit, and Mother was in her flower-print dress without sleeves. So nice to get away from low lighting and grease-smell, she said. Only a few months, now, and we’ll be with you on Elderon. Myra, you look lovely.

  Myra had clothed herself in long pants and a yellow, short-sleeved blouse. Even in the group mind, she looked radiant. I’m glad it’s all over. I hope our history never has to record anything like it again.

  Agreed, said Father Leonid.

  There’s still Azar Khalil to deal with, said Trae.

  Father and Mother were strangely silent when he said that, but then, John Haight will tell you about that. The money isn’t a problem. A Guppy can deliver the gold as soon as we arrive on Elderon, and Janus will have his stock. We might even persuade him to invest more with us. On the other hand, I might invest in some of his enterprises on what he calls The Wheel.

  We don’t invest in brothels, dear, said Mother.

  Diversify, diversify, said Father, and grinned. Now, you two, can you wait until we reach Elderon so we can take part in your wedding?

  Of course, said Myra. We’ll only get there a few months ahead of you.

  We want something small, with a few close friends and family, said Trae.

  What a shame Grandma Nat can’t be there. She’s such a romantic, said Mother.

  We can’t wait twenty years, dear.

  Maybe fifteen, if she pushes it hard. At her age, the jumps aren’t so easy to take.

  Not easy to take at any age, quipped Myra, especially when you’re pregnant.

  They were suddenly lying in each other’s arms, and her face was close. “Really?” he asked.

  “Yes, really. I just found out.”

  What incredible news! Come back, come back!

  They were standing in flowers again. Mother embraced them both, while Father pounded Trae on the back. Multiple lifetimes together, and finally we’ll be grandparents. How wonderful!

  Mother and Father were still giddy when they left them. Back in real space and time they were warm in each other’s arms, and the ship’s hull vibrated softly around them, a second home. “I want this to be the start of a dynasty,” he murmured into Myra’s ear, “one we can watch grow over our lifetimes together.”

  She touched his face. The look in her eyes made his heart ache. “I lived my previous lifetime to old age, and I was totally alone. It wasn’t exactly by choice, but I hadn’t found you yet.”

  “I love you,” he said, and kissed her. Their lips remained touching as they fell asleep. Dreams were not remembered, and the next cycle was the same, herding the Bishops’ ships back to them.

  Great-grandma Nat didn’t call. Trae hadn’t expected her to, but Mother did, and gradually became worried when she didn’t hear from her. They hoped some word would come when the family fleet finally reached the frontier.

  The day finally came when they pinched spacetime and found Grand Portal in their viewscreens. They were immediately hailed by Simon, who’d impatiently awaited their arrival. He missed his family, and wanted to go home. A secondary invasion force had been turned away when he’d destabilized Grand Portal, but was still hovering on the other side in a kind of uneasy truce. Trae’s hope was that when they heard about the colonial power used against the main invasion force the truce would not be so uneasy.

  It was a grand show when the surviving military ships sent by The Bishops formed a long line and one by one made transit to the other side. Seven Guppies lined up on either side of the transit lane in a kind of salute. Four would be left behind to police Grand Portal, the crews to be cycled every six months. What happened on the other side was the concern of others, but the colony worlds would never again allow military ships to invade their universe, for either war or religious infection.

  They said goodbye to a very drunk Janus after a grand party at one of his clubs. Myra bought some souvenir trinkets at a shop he had part interest in. He made her laugh, but privately she thought he was a crazy rogue.

  Simon came on-board Guppy I with them for the trip home. Another three months of jump, jump, jump. Myra survived it surprisingly well, and her appetite for food became vast. They ate, read, talked, played interactive games on computer, and formulated possible strategies to use against Gan if war came. Father and Mother were now past the frontier, and had not heard a word from great-grandmother Nat. They talked about putting a small group of Guppies together to look for her.

  Elderon’s brown plains and dark green forests were on the viewscreens when they assembled for a final breakfast on Guppy I. A shuttle took them down to the surface, and they landed at the port of Zylak Industries without public fanfare. Meza and Wallace were there to greet them, and so was John Haight. And when the congratulations and back pounding were finished, it was John who stepped forward and told them what had happened to Azar Khalil and his government on Gan.

  CHAPTER 45

  For those who live multiple lifetimes there are few endings, but many beginnings. People come and go in their lives, and the absence of loved ones,
while not permanent as in death, can last for hundreds of years.

  Within a few months after returning from Grand Portal, and shortly before Misha was born, Trae gained a father and mother, and then lost a father again.

  Leonid and Tatjana arrived to great public fanfare by the press, though the crowd present to applaud their arrival was mostly handpicked political dignitaries and executives of Zylak Industries. Trae and Myra stood with John Haight at the bottom of the ramp leading up to the open maw of the shuttle when Leonid and Tatjana appeared and saw them. Tatjana fairly flew down the ramp and threw herself into Trae’s open arms, and the crowd cheered behind them. In a blink, Tatjana also had Myra in her grasp.

  “Finally! I don’t care if I ever spend another minute in space. Look at you! You’re ready to burst! Oh, we got here in time ...”

  On and on, the two women in tears. Leonid walked down the ramp laughing, extended a hand. It was the first face of the father Trae had seen two lifetimes ago, with the chiseled features and neatly trimmed beard. He pumped Trae’s hand vigorously, then a fierce hug that went on and on. “I thought the time would never come,” he murmured.

  It was then that Leonid saw John Haight standing there. He released Trae, reached out a hand, and John shook it.

  “Petyr,” said Leonid. “I see him in your eyes. Thank you so much for taking care of our son. If it hadn’t been for your efforts, we wouldn’t be together today.”

  “Thank you, sir,” said John.

  “I wish I could have been here to help you.”

  “I understand, sir. It was my pleasure.”

  “Not sir, John. You’re not a servant. I said our son; I meant you and I. You’ve been a wonderful father. I hope to make up for the time I’ve been absent.”

  “I’m sure you will, sir,” said John.

  There was a formality there, a coldness they all felt at the moment. Perhaps it was some anger at a long absent father, or even some jealousy. In time it would likely go away, but at the moment there was no more conversation between Trae’s two fathers.

  Trae held a welcome party in his apartment that night. John Haight was invited, but didn’t come, was out of sight for over a month. And then one day he called both Trae and Myra, and invited them for a light lunch and tea in the cafeteria below their offices.

  John seemed distracted when he greeted them. His mood was gloomy. They filled their trays at the buffet, and a waiter served them tea at a secluded table in the corner of the room. Myra tried to make polite conversation for a while, but gave up when John only responded with faint smiles.

  Finally, Trae said, “What’s wrong? You invited us here, but haven’t said a word.”

  John nodded, wiped his mouth with a napkin, and took a sip of tea.

  “Well, it’s not easy to say, but I guess I have to say it anyway. I’m going away.”

  “Away? Where’s away?”

  “Kratola. I’m going back.”

  Myra gasped. “Oh no, you can’t, not now. At least wait until our baby’s here!” Her eyes suddenly brimmed with tears.

  “Why, John? There’s nothing for you there,” said Trae. “Your family is here.”

  “Leonid will be a fine grandfather.”

  “I knew that was it,” said Myra. “What nonsense!”

  “Our child will have two grandfathers. You can’t run away from that. You, Petyr, whoever, were the only father I ever knew after the caverns and until I first met Leonid. I’m not going to throw that away.”

  “That’s not the point. I have to go back to Kratola. The people there are slaves to The Church, and now is the time to stop it. Leonid has things to do here; I’ve talked to him about this, and he understands. I want you two to understand.”

  “Well, I don’t,” said Myra.

  John reached over and put a hand on top of hers. “Look, Myra, what we are is more than genetics, it’s experiences. I was someone else before being joined with Leonid Zylak. My first life was different from his. My life was The Church, before it was corrupted. The corruption is still there—on Kratola. I have to do what I’m compelled to do. My duties for Zylak are finished; it’s time for the young priest in me to do his work again.”

  Trae smiled. “That young priest also did some things for me. Otherwise, I don’t think I could ever have taken part in war, even for a noble cause.”

  “I’m glad you see that,” said John.

  “But why can’t you wait at least a little bit, until our baby arrives?” said Myra, John’s hand still on hers.

  “Timing. The Bishops’ military has been humiliated. The officers at least will know how lucky they are to be alive. There could be dissent in the ranks over being put into a hopeless situation by ignorant Bishops. If your theory is correct about where the branegates projected those ships they’ll be straggling back to Kratola in a handful of years, but their fellows will be there in one, and as far as they know the ships are destroyed. I’d say it’s a perfect time to stir things up, wouldn’t you?”

  “Just like you stirred up Azar Khalil,” said Trae.

  “Whatever it takes.” John released Myra’s hands after giving them a squeeze. He looked at her darkly.

  “I do want to know my grandchild. I just can’t wait for it. I’ll come back when I can.”

  Myra sniffed, and looked down at her hands. “Whenever,” she said.

  But two weeks later she was with the family when they saw John off, driving far out on the tarmac with him to board a shuttle to Guppy V. Trae was the last to shake hands with him.

  “I think you’ll like Janus. He’ll find a way to get you a new identity for transit. The guy knows everyone.”

  “Take care of your lovely wife and baby for me. I really will try to come back.”

  “I want that. I never said it, but I love both my fathers. I don’t want to lose either of them.”

  John squeezed his hand hard. “The love is mutual—son.”

  Myra threw herself at him, and hugged him fiercely. “Come back to us,” she sobbed. John held her at arms’ length, and smiled, then turned and quickly walked up the ramp into the shuttle. The door closed up, and the family got back into two cars, driving halfway back to the terminal before the shuttle began liftoff.

  And John Haight flew out of their lives.

  For a while.

  Mother was beside herself with excitement, and spent a day in the kitchen with Myra. In that one day, Myra heard the entire history of Grandma Nat and her loving yet firm rule over the family empire.

  The contact had come suddenly in the middle of the day, when Mother was babysitting with the twins, and Misha was at school.

  Hello my darlings, I’m back again! Sorry it’s been so long, but I’ve been otherwise occupied. We should reach Elderon in two days. Please send us descent coordinates. So much news to catch up on, and I can’t wait to see you all. Say hello to Anton for me; I can’t seem to contact him. Love you all.

  Chaos reigned in the house for two days, but at least it was his parents’ place and not his. Mother didn’t rest for over a day, with all the cleaning and cooking, for all had to be perfect for the family matriarch.

  There was an old, gold-framed laser etch of the woman in the living room, a digital copy made when she was nearing sixty. She was small, portly, perched on thick cushions and with a somewhat haughty pose for the photograph, but there was a slight smile and sparkling eyes there. Mother had again reminded Myra that beneath the tyrannical facade beat a passionate and romantic heart that could steal yours in an instant.

  The woman was now over ninety, had been chased by warships and endured a journey from the galactic core. Her family had lost much hope of ever seeing her again since her disappearance. It was not surprising that her grand daughter went to all lengths to ensure her comfort when she arrived. And Tatjana was still working at it when the time came for Nat’s shuttle to arrive. Leonid arranged for a limousine, and the driver picked him up at the house and took him back to the private port of Zylak Industries to greet
her.

  Myra and Trae left work early that day. Misha, now twelve, came home from school and Myra helped him dress neatly in a black jumpsuit, his favorite. Thin and delicately boned, the boy favored his mother but had the broad shoulders and large hands of father Trae.

  Grandma Tatjana dressed the twins herself. Natalie and Tina, now six, wore white lace dresses and had nets of tiny flowers in their hair. Porcelain skin contrasted attractively with their large, dark brown eyes, a feature bringing smiles to people meeting them for the first time. They were only vaguely aware of the day’s importance to the family, but were caught up in the excitement of it, and ran everywhere.

  Misha was helping his mother set the table when the door chimes sounded. Tatjana rushed out of the kitchen, but the door opened before she could reach it, and Leonid stepped inside smiling.

  Behind him were two strangers.

  The man was tall, had rugged but handsome features with a prominent nose, and he wore a blue, military-cut uniform with gold buttons. In contrast, the young woman was tiny, just over five feet in height, with a small nose and mouth and blazing, blue eyes. Tatjana gasped when the woman smiled and held out her arms to her.

  “Tati! I’m here at last!”

  “Grandma!” screamed Tatjana, and them came together in a fierce hug while the woman’s companion laughed at them.

  Tatjana held her at arm’s length. “Just look at you! This is why you didn’t answer us.”

  “She wouldn’t let me say anything,” said the man with her.

  “Well, yes. I was in the tank, so to speak, and wasn’t accepting calls. I wanted it to be a surprise, naughty me.”

  Trae came into the room, then, after chasing down the twins. Misha stepped up closer with his mother to be introduced. Tatjana could not do it fast enough; Grandma Nat was hugging everyone. The woman was beautiful, and looked to be in her early thirties. Misha blushed when she hugged him. She grabbed Trae fiercely, standing on her tiptoes to reach his ear.