Inherit the Stars

by Tony Peak

  Licking her lips, Kivita plunged her mind into the datacores’ shared information stream. She could hold it.

  Nothing new emerged, except more scenes of the Sarrhdtuu destroying Vim projects.

  “Tell me, Mother,” she murmured. Terredyn Narbas had sent her thoughts into the Juxj Star, trillions of miles from Susuron. The gem datacore from Vstrunn loomed larger in her mind than the other datacores combined. Kivita stiffened; the time for peeling away the red gem’s deeper layers had passed. Inhaling a ragged breath, she inserted her mind into them.

  Crystallized neurons within the Juxj Star fired in reply. The barrier around Kivita collapsed with reality itself.

  Observing the coral-ringed Susuron Palace through Terredyn’s view, Kivita stared out the courtroom window. Night ruled the sky where stars twinkled in a visual code beyond human ken. Kivita gripped the windowsill, her legs numbing.

  A message from deep space drifted into her mother’s mind. Coordinates for an event a thousand years into the future—the same coordinates Luccan’s Wish now headed toward. Safeguarding her daughter to ensure a Savant could return the message; plotting with Rhyer to awaken Kivita at the right moment. But no information on why he reared her on Haldon Prime in the presence of the Inheritors, or why he’d posed as a salvager.

  Something within the Susuron Palace augmented the signal. But what could enhance a Savant’s powers? Not even datacores could do that.

  Terredyn’s thoughts focused on a handsome man in a red Inheritor uniform. Dark hair, green eyes. The feudal surname of Ov came to mind. One of their bloodline, Broujel, had even become a Rector, Kivita knew from Jandeel’s tutelage.

  Kivita’s vision blurred, as if Terredyn wept. A placard of the same man hung in a golden frame beside the windowsill. Terredyn kissed her fingers and laid them on the image.

  Was the handsome man her father? She sank deeper into the Juxj Star’s red-tinted depths, deeper into the recorded memories of her mother. Was he?

  The datacores revealed nothing.

  “Tell me,” she whispered, concentrating harder still.

  The Juxj Star’s red-tinted depths gave way to coldest darkness.

  “Tell me!” she screamed.

  Quivering, Kivita opened her eyes. Salty stickiness stung her cheeks from dried tears. The datacores, including the Juxj Star, floated around her like planets orbiting a star.

  Navon, Jandeel, and the other Sages lay gasping on the floor. Each stared at her wide-eyed and gaping.

  “She knew all along. . . . Your mother knew she would not live.” Navon pushed himself into a kneeling position.

  Kivita stood, and the datacores came to rest on the mat. The Juxj Star glowed once.

  “Yeah. Seems I answered that signal she wanted, too. From Vstrunn.” Hugging herself, Kivita staggered around the grass mat.

  “This unites all the theories and beliefs of the Vim.” Jandeel wiped his damp forehead. “The Inheritors joining the Vim and their healthy yellow suns in the galactic Core, the Aldaakian Archivers and their tales of reuniting with the Vim, the Ascali songs, the Arm’s dying stars—it all makes sense now.”

  “No.” Navon rose and steadied Kivita. “All this means is that the Vim could not cope with Sarrhdtuu aggression and abandoned the Cetturo Arm. This signal sent a millennium ago proves only that another Savant, at a second Vim antenna, sent it.”

  Kivita shook her head. Why would her mother have given in to such a predetermined fate? Losing her throne, her daughter, her life, all so Kivita, someday, might return that mysterious signal? Rhyer had believed in and obeyed his queen. The Inheritors had killed Terredyn—the only known Savant capable of returning the message.

  Why?

  “They’re using me against the Vim.” Kivita drew back from Navon. “That’s why Dunaar hired me, that’s why the Sarrhdtuu have tracked me—”

  “The Sarrhdtuu wouldn’t need you, or any of us, to find their enemies.” Jandeel’s brows rose.

  She sighed. “Yeah, and I told you my other idea: I might be a weapon. Every one of these visions has shown the Sarrhdtuu forcing Savants to do their bidding, and killing those who don’t. Now we have proof of the Ascali combating the Sarrhdtuu in their own way. The Vim prepared us for something. C’mon, Jandeel, think about it.”

  “A Naxan butter knife can also cut one’s throat,” Jandeel said. “That doesn’t mean it was intended for violent use.”

  Luccan’s Wish shuddered.

  The intercom crackled to life. “Navon, we have just exited the light jump, eight months early!” the pilot cried.

  Navon, Jandeel, and the others froze with terror in their eyes.

  Heart thudding, Kivita raced to the intercom console and pressed the button. “How? What’s happened?”

  “Seems to have been a wormhole or something,” the pilot replied. “We’ve entered a system with a gas giant orbiting a red-giant star. There’s . . . there’s a Vim derelict orbiting the planet, too. One hell of a strong beacon signal coming from it.”

  “Any other ships?” Kivita asked in a tight voice.

  “None so far,” the pilot replied. “But that signal is hampering our scanners.”

  Kivita glanced at Navon. “In all my salvaging, I never came across a Vim derelict that close to a planet.”

  Navon grunted. “We lack enough transports to evacuate this ship if need be. I will not risk all these lives on what must be a trap. Would you be willing to communicate with this derelict—the way your mother must have tried?”

  The Naxan Sage clicked twice. “That is supposition. We should leave this system before we are caught. Cheseia’s betrayal has already decided that.”

  “We may not have much choice,” Jandeel said. “I believe in what Kivita can do.”

  “Then so shall I.” Navon smiled sadly and handed the Juxj Star to Kivita.

  “See, it glows again,” Kivita said, as the gem flared red in her grasp. “Maybe it recognizes me.”

  “A star in hand. I hope it will always burn bright,” Navon whispered. “Keep it on your person. If we are to evacuate Luccan’s Wish, these datacores must be spread out among the Thedes.” He took the stone one and handed it to Jandeel. “Awaken everyone from cryostasis. We will gather in the observation deck on Level Four.”

  • • •

  The observation deck’s large viewport was open, revealing a turquoise-hued gas giant. Storm swirls surged just beneath the planet’s opaque atmosphere, matching the stony frowns on Thede faces. Kivita stood with crossed arms; Cheseia sat behind her. Four armed guards waited near the morose Ascali.

  Jandeel pointed at Cheseia. “Cheseia is a traitor! Even now our enemies might be in this system with us. This system isn’t safe. I say we make a jump now to Tannocci Space. Stand behind our queen!”

  “Let us stay and fight any who comes! It’s what Sar Redryll would have done!” a Sutaran called out.

  Kivita’s cheeks burned. Cheseia hung her bandaged head.

  Many shouted in support, though several remained silent. Men, women, and children, fresh from cryostasis, all studied Kivita. Navon and the other Savants frowned, while the Sages whispered among themselves. A few people in maroon or purple clothes, including Rhii and Basheev, stood near Jandeel.

  “I’m not anyone’s queen,” Kivita said. “Look. I’m no better than any of you. Because of me, we’re all in danger now. Cheseia’s actions can’t be undone, okay? She will be punished, but not with death. I think this ship should leave while a few of us take a look at this derelict with Frevyx. We can’t just ignore what these coordinates have led us to.”

  More than a few nodded in assent with her words, but Navon held up a hand.

  “We must evacuate Luccan’s Wish. Never before have the Inheritors tracked this ship. They will expect to find it here. If we are gone, the search will continue. So will our misery.”

&
nbsp; “Where will we truly go?” an Ascali asked.

  “I say we fight!” a man shouted.

  “With what?” Maihh asked, then clicked once.

  “Lead us, Queen Kivita!” someone cried.

  Kivita stepped forward. All grew quiet and watched her with hopeful stares.

  “Listen. I’ve learned so much from you all. I’ve learned the universe can be a better place if we don’t give up. But I’m no Inheritor saint or Solar Advocate come to lead you to something better. It doesn’t matter who my mother was or what I can do. We’re all equals here. But it does matter what we do.” She swallowed, knowing all those adoring stares were something she couldn’t live up to.

  “We don’t have the ships to evacuate everyone,” Jandeel said. “Some will have to remain aboard for such a decoy plan, Navon. Too many.”

  “That is a ghastly choice,” the Tahe Sage said, pulling her white bindings tighter.

  “Without null beacons, they’ll track us, anyway!” a woman in the back yelled.

  “It’s me they want,” Kivita said in a loud voice, and the crowd quieted again. “So I’ll stay.”

  People bustled and shouted. Basheev gripped Kivita’s hand, fear in his brown eyes. Navon tried to calm the crowd, but most ignored him. Cheseia touched Kivita’s back with a trembling hand.

  Closing her eyes, Kivita concentrated. This time it was harder to withhold data rather than share it with everyone in the room. Her skull numbed and her hearing dimmed. The image of her mother holding her on the Susuron beach reached everyone’s mind within the observation deck. Voices died away; pushing and shoving ended. As she opened her eyes, everyone gaped at her.

  “Remember what I just showed you. My mother made sacrifices so I could be here today. So have many others. Luccan Thede, Sar Redryll . . .” Kivita cleared her throat. “I can’t be your queen unless I can show that same courage.”

  “We still don’t have the ships,” Jandeel said in a low voice. “But I will stand by you.”

  Cheseia rose beside Kivita. “I will certainly stay behind.”

  Though many shot the Ascali dark stares, Kivita took her hand.

  Navon sighed. “We have four ships: Frevyx and three shuttles. In cryopods, I think one hundred could fit on Frevyx, and fifty on each shuttle. Of course, each ship would take some of our Vim datacores, books, and other things. Nothing would be left on Luccan’s Wish pertaining to knowledge.”

  “That’s only two hundred and fifty of us!” the woman yelled again.

  “I know,” Navon said. “That is why I ask for one hundred fifty adult volunteers to stay behind.”

  Though a few dozen stepped forward, many backed away. Some argued.

  Kivita charged into their midst before fists took the place of words. “Wait! Listen! What if we draw lots, or—”

  Luccan’s Wish shook and wobbled. The floor quaked under their feet. Alarms rang throughout the station as the intercom buzzed. “Integrity breach! Integrity breach!”

  Outside the viewport, chunks of hull floated toward the gas giant below. Luccan’s Wish trembled again and the intercom went staticky.

  “What’s happening?” Rhii asked.

  Kivita’s stomach churned for a moment, the same as it did whenever she entered a gravity flux. She pulled Basheev to her.

  For a few seconds, they all floated into the air; then everyone slammed into the floor. People cried out and groaned, while some clutched broken arms or smashed kneecaps. Kivita, still holding Basheev, rose and pulled Navon to his feet.

  A grinding noise reverberated from the deck above them.

  Everyone fell into a deathly silence. People stared at each other or out the viewport. Several children wailed.

  “Easy, everyone,” Navon said.

  “Make for the transports!” someone yelled.

  Navon started to speak again as dozens rushed toward the exits. Shouts, curses, and weeping filled the air in a wall of noise. The pressurized corridors opened, and people spilled through them. Navon shouted for order, yet few listened. The intercom announced something, but the frightened uproar drowned it out.

  Jandeel and others in Narbas livery rushed to Kivita. “We’ll escort you to Frevyx. Hurry, before it’s taken!”

  “I’ll gather who I can on Frevyx, but I’m not leaving,” Kivita said.

  “Stars flaring, miss, there’s no time for that!” Rhii said. “We must leave now!”

  Navon tugged on Kivita’s arm. “Please. You are too important. You are our cause now.”

  Kivita stared him down. “Would you leave this boy here?” She clutched Basheev close. “Yeah, well, not me.”

  Jandeel gave Kivita a sorrowful look. “We will have to fight our way through.”

  “Yeah? Is this what the Thedes are? Squabbling, scared cowards?” A few still left on the observation deck stopped and listened to Kivita. “Is this how we’ll defeat the Inheritors—trampling over each other to escape? Not me. All of you follow me. If I can’t squeeze you on Frevyx, then I’ll stack you atop one another.”

  A dull explosion sounded from the other end of the deck. Luccan’s Wish tilted toward the gas giant as the gravity lightened.

  “Run to Airlock Eight!” Kivita shouted, then pulled Basheev along as she and the rest rushed through the corridor. The hiss of decompression echoed behind them right before the circular door closed.

  30

  “How in the name of Arcuri did Redryll escape? You damned fools!” Dunaar wiped his sweaty face with a towel while hurrying to the bridge. The void take these cretins! Two of his Proselytes dead, and one crewman forced into cryostasis by a man posing as a Proselyte.

  Bredine Ov was also missing.

  Skeletal bitch. The favor he’d shown her, the luxuries he’d allowed her to partake of in his private chambers . . . And he’d kept her as his, despite her barren womb! What in the name of the holy Vim did Redryll want with her?

  “Rector, we don’t know how it happened. They could be anywhere on board,” a squad commander said.

  “I want them found, imbecile. What of the Thede ship?”

  “Captain Stiego has disabled it and awaits your presence on the bridge,” a Proselyte said.

  By the time Dunaar reached the bridge, his yellow robe was damp with sweat. Through the viewport, a feudal-era cruiser orbited a turquoise gas giant at an odd angle.

  Luccan’s Wish, just like Cheseia had described it to him.

  “Have you hailed them yet?” Dunaar tapped the Scepter on the floor. Hope formed in his breast, despite the complications plaguing their entry into the uncharted system. No matter what Sar or Bredine did, the Vim’s punishment for those foul heretics would still be meted out.

  “No, Rector,” Stiego said. “We have enfiladed their engine module with a single kinetic barrage, per your orders. The signal emanating from the Vim derelict has hindered communication, but the beacon signal from Frevyx has stopped.”

  Dunaar smiled. Cheseia may have been discovered and killed, but he cared not. Like her sister Zhara, that Ascali whore had served her purpose well. “And Kivita Vondir?”

  “A signal we believe may be her is emanating from the craft,” Stiego replied.

  “The Vim have granted us a boon. The infidels must not have even realized what struck them. Captain, set an intercept course for that cruiser, and prepare a battalion of soldiers for a boarding action—lightly equipped, so they can search faster. Arm each platoon with brain-pulse analyzers.” Dunaar wiped his chin.

  “Rector, their gravity and atmosphere will be compromised by now,” Stiego said. “The search may take some time.”

  “What is time but a gift of the Vim? They cannot escape.” Stroking the Scepter, Dunaar gazed out the viewport. Bredine had warned him about enemies from blackest void, but it mattered not. The Vim had chosen him.

  “Fanged Pauper r
equests permission to leave Arcuri’s Glory,” the security officer said.

  “Granted. The sooner Shekelor Thal is gone, the better.” Dunaar tapped a ringed finger against his lips. “Send this order to the platoon commanders: Kivita Vondir is to be taken alive. All others are to be exterminated. Let no Thede survive.”

  • • •

  Sar waited in the shuttle cockpit, its viewport still closed. He’d buckled himself in right after waking from cryostasis. Bredine sat in the opposite navigator seat, counting her fingers and mumbling. Muted sounds reverberated in the airlock bay outside: voices, footsteps, fusion engines starting up. He checked the lock status of the shuttle’s hatch again.

  He would have to escape this battleship, and soon.

  Rubbing his jaw, lips, and temples, he was thankful for the cryosleep. All minor bruises and scrapes had healed, due to an extended rest coupled with medication. More than enough large bruises still made him grimace.

  “The Rector will cleanse. Hmm? Cleanse, cleanse. Like Susuron, Tahe, Freen, Bellerion.” Scowling, Bredine popped her knuckles. “Cleansing to create ugliness. Redryll?”

  Her words chilled his spine. No doubt she’d seen many Inheritor atrocities and invasions. Hell, maybe she’d even commanded some, based on what Broujel said earlier.

  “Want to tell me who you are?” Sar stared at her.

  “Ov lineage. Hmm. I captained Arcuri’s Glory for Father. Captained, flew, decoded datacores. Redryll, Redryll. They hid my bloodline. Hmm? Yes, hid it to use it. But Rhyer convinced me. Soon, Rhyer’s ally. I was caught and placed in void black cell.”

  Sar studied her. Though beaten, scarred, and enslaved, Bredine had harbored a great conviction. Why she’d chosen his presence as an opportunity to escape bothered him.

  “Why’d you help me? You seem to know Kiv, too.”

  “Rhyer was brave, so brave. Kivita hadn’t started sending then. Rhyer saved other Savants from void-black cold. Poisoned by radiation. Hmm? Poisoned to save more like Kivita.”