Into the Void (Beyond Humanity Book 1)

by Kellie Sheridan

  "Oliver," Safa said, her face completely blank, "she doesn't speak English."

  "But you've been teaching her sign language. You said she's picking it up quickly."

  "Yes, and she's just about got the alphabet, our names and like … eat and sleep. That's pretty remarkable."

  Damn. That had seemed like a good idea, but it looked like things were once again completely out of Oliver's control.

  The minutes ticked by into hours until the last of the Hshazir ships had been destroyed or had retreated, as Gwynn and Lincoln continued to try to signal the other vessel, occasionally picking up transmissions that their computers didn't understand.

  Until a stream of angry noises started coming through every speaker on the ship at once at maximum volume, overpowering everything else as Oliver reached to cover his ears, doing little to block the noises.

  "What the hell is that?" he yelled, but either nobody heard him or nobody knew.

  The noise cut out seconds later, leaving Oliver's ears ringing and everyone around him standing in shocked silence. Or possibly just appreciating the absence of noise. Everyone but Torque, who had stepped up to Gwynn's station and was frantically pressing buttons.

  "What are you doing?" Gwynn asked, more than a little affronted.

  "That was instructions! They're broadcasting to us. At us."

  Gwynn blinked. Then took a long breath. "Relax," Gwynn said, her tone having taken a complete change. Tell me what they said, I'll get you where you need to go."

  This was really happening.

  "Speak into this," Gwynn said only a few minutes later, shifting the part of the console holding the built-in microphone toward Torque's mouth.

  Immediately, he said a few words. They all listened for the response, which came almost right away at a more regular volume now but still being broadcast from everywhere.

  "I've got them."

  Torque began to talk, fast and confident, sounding nothing like the quiet, friendly man Oliver had begun to know. It felt like watching one of his favorite programs, staring in awe as Torque spoke in his native language, conversing with another alien race. The sensation helped to ease some of the pressure of knowing whatever was being said now, words he would never understand, were deciding the fate of everyone on board.

  "I explained who we were. What happened to your ship. To mine. To Linna’s. They experienced the same phenomenon only three days ago and have been under siege ever since."

  Torque returned to his conversation, leaving Oliver holding his breath.

  "They've invited your entire crew to meet with them on their ship and exchange information. They are hopeful that together with the information you have, we can all get out of this place."

  "Is there a catch?" Gwynn asked. And Oliver couldn't blame her. This did sound a little too good to be true.

  When Torque opened his mouth, Oliver rushed to add, "Don't translate that. But I'd like your opinion. Is this safe?"

  Torque said a few more words into the mic before holding the mute button and turning to Oliver. "They seem sincere, but it's hard to say anything for certain. Not much is known about the Rohtet. They have no home world and no stationary settlements, so contact with them is usually brief. I cannot say."

  "They want the same things we do, right?" Sprocket added. "We all want to get out of here. And by the looks of that ship they have way more resources than we do. We could explore the void for a year and never find a fraction of the things they already have on board, let alone know how to use them to help us."

  "And that's if we don't starve to death first," Gwynn said, ever the optimist.

  "Gear up, team. It looks like we're taking a field trip."

  Chapter Twenty – Evie

  Most of Evie's first experiences encountering alien life had felt like a nightmare she could never wake up from. Terrifying and nonsensical.

  Since then, she'd been doing her best to reconcile everything she'd ever learned about the universe with the new realities that were living and breathing right in front of her. Every new revelation, while pretty damn cool, left her just a little nauseous until her body found a new equilibrium.

  It probably would have helped if her introduction to alien life hadn't been to see the destruction that all these different races could rain down on one another, all while stuck on board a ship full of people that had every reason to hate her.

  Like everyone else, she was doing the best she could.

  For as long as Evie could remember, her life had revolved around the twin pillars of structure and progress. It might not have looked like that from the outside, to the people who only saw her as an extension of her family, but it was how her parents had raised both Evie and Mason—all while Mason pushed back at every turn.

  Each day, each week, each month, Evie usually knew what to expect. And she could usually take a good guess about what to expect beyond that, for each new chapter of her life. She knew what her own progress would look like. Graduate from private school. Attend one of Earth's Ivy Leagues like her grandfather had. Go out with friends—and make new connections—on weekends. Party, but never too hard.

  Evie couldn't remember more than a handful of days that hadn't been structured to push her closer toward the goals her parents had set for her, moving closer to a life fit for a Casseract.

  At times, she'd resented it. Even days ago, she'd been ready to pull the blinds back on whatever her father was hiding from her and everyone else. But God, he would have given anything for the chance to experience everything his daughter had since she'd boarded the Lexiconis. He'd never have let her do it. No. But he would have jumped at the opportunity for himself.

  Allen Casseract had always insisted that modern day science didn't support the idea of aliens either close or advanced enough to ever come in contact with humans. But being proven wrong would be part of what made it fun for him. He'd have been awed by all this. And maybe once Evie had a chance to look back from the safety of home, they could be awed by it together.

  For the time being, Evie's fingers remained firmly clenched around her seat as the Lexiconis was swallowed by the city-ship. As soon as Torque had given the captain's permission, the aliens had latched onto their vessel with an invisible force that lurched the ship forward without anyone on board needing to lift a finger, immediately sending Evie's mind back to their arrival in the void.

  But this wasn't the same, she reminded herself. This was good news. Progress. They'd found allies who might actually help them.

  "Is there anything else we need to know about these people?" Oliver asked Torque as the ship moved silently away from the void.

  "I have never encountered them myself, as I have said. But they are an ancient race, and well-respected. Technologically advanced, and thought to be civilized."

  Great. That was all well and good, but everything Torque was telling them was from his own perspective, or at least that of his people. But to her and all the other humans on board, every race they had encountered was highly advanced. And what qualified as civilized? The rules they were used to didn't necessarily apply here. There could be a hundred different rules of etiquette that all civilized races knew, that the humans would never guess.

  If anything was said after that, Evie didn't catch it. The Lexiconis was already slowing, moving to its designated parking spot.

  A few heartbeats later, the ship had come to a complete stop. Evie forced her fingers to relax as she pushed out the air she'd been holding in from her lungs to take in more.

  "Time to go," the captain said when no one had voluntarily moved from their seats. "There are probably people waiting for us."

  The trip down to the cargo bay and loading door went too quickly. Evie tried to prepare herself, but if she'd learned anything this week it was that she was in way over her head, and that she was better trying to roll with the surprises than to have a plan only to be forced to throw it out later.

  "What about Knack?" Sprocket asked, glancing back over his shoulder towar
d the engine room.

  "They will expect us to leave him on board," Torque said. When Sprocket hesitated, he added, "He will be safe. I can imagine no reasons for the people of this ship to wish you harm. You are no threat to them."

  No one needed the reminder that they were completely outgunned. Outmatched in every way, really. But it was reassuring anyway. At least to Evie. If they'd wanted the Lexiconis destroyed, these people wouldn't have needed to bring them on board to do it.

  If they wanted to experiment on them, or press them for information … no. No good could come from thoughts like those. There were a million worst-case scenarios she could never get herself out of here. She needed to focus on what was happening right in front of her instead of what could happen next.

  Easier said than done.

  Without any prompting, the door that separated the Lexiconis from their hosts began to open, cutting off any remaining conversation.

  Squaring her shoulders, she took her place near the back of the group, forcing herself to breathe as Torque and Oliver stepped off the Lexiconis first. When it was her time to move, she only hesitated for an instant before making her feet move toward the unknown. Only Linna came after her.

  Bright. That was the first word that came to mind as Evie stepped off the ship and onto the port section of the city-ship. Everything around her was as well-lit as a field of hay on a cloudless summer day. The lights here left her skin warm and eyes alert to everything going on around her, far more comfortable than the synthetic lighting aboard the Lexiconis, or even most of Centuri Station.

  Several other ships sat in a long row, stretching out on either side of the Lexiconis. Each one was sleek and windowless, and the color of pennies in the old-Earth coin collection Evie had inherited from her grandfather. Most were small, likely the same fighters they had seen protecting their home. Others were as big as the Lexiconis.

  Overhead, the walls flashed unreadable text, changing images from within like a computer screen blended seamlessly with the architecture.

  But for all the flashy ships and tech, there were no signs of aliens who had created any of it. The docking port looked like it was meant to be the same kind of hub as the one the Lexiconis had disembarked from, but this place was completely abandoned as everyone took a few steps away from their ship, and the door had closed again behind them. Here's hoping they have the ability to unlock the door again, Evie thought, and to help them install better security so that the next aliens they encountered couldn't control the ship without permission too.

  The aliens, the Rohtet, appeared in one large group. Four armed-guards surrounding a group of three, every single one of them had brightly colored hair, and skin that was mostly a chalky-white. Initially, there was too much color and contrast for Evie to take everyone in at the same time as the group approached. Each person had colored flecks marking their skin—the narrow-shouldered person, female maybe, leading the way sported bright purple splotches, while the guard to her left had a thin stripe of neon green all across their head. The color on their skin perfectly matched the tone of their hair, though each person was wearing theirs styled differently.

  No one spoke until both groups stood face-to-face, anticipation heavy in the air.

  "I am Oliver Briggs, captain of the Lexiconis. Thank you so much for your hospitality." Oliver sounded sure of himself, maybe more so than even Evie could have pulled off. But the aliens didn't respond, instead, their leader turned toward Torque.

  Right away, Torque began to speak in the same rumbling language he'd used over comms, gesturing toward Oliver as he formed each word. Was he translating? Evie had no clue, and this didn't seem like the time to ask.

  When the alien leader spoke, her voice was soft and quick, each unknowable word flowing from her mouth like water through a stream. Her mouth twitched upward as she spoke. Was that a smile? It was possible that to these people the motion meant something else entirely, but Evie let herself believe it was a gesture of friendship. These people might have been literally aliens, but they smiled just like everyone else. It was something small Evie could wrap her mind around when everything seemed too big to handle.

  Torque nodded then turned to the others. "They bid you welcome. We shall go aboard so that we may all speak more easily."

  That was a good start. Now that it looked like no one here wished the humans any harm, Evie's mind began to wander to the potential for progress that could come from this alliance rather than all the ways it might lead to her death. The group began to move as one, with most of the Rohtet leading the way, but a few of their guards taking up the rear. Hopefully as a precaution.

  The corridor they entered was almost as wide as a two-way street, and though it was completely empty now, Evie suspected it was usually full of people, maybe even vehicles, travelling throughout the ship. Every segment of wall they passed was showing something, usually text or images of the Rohtet, but one or two displayed a soundless video. And in so many, the Rohtet were smiling, showing white pointed teeth that nearly looked human. These were likely advertisements, or at least informational she guessed, which meant a smile had to mean the same thing it did for humans.

  Now if only someone would start to explain the fundamentals of the language they were speaking, Evie could really have a field day, fueling herself for a lifetime of anthropological essays and studies.

  From the front of the group, voices began to overpower Evie's train of thought, pushing everything else out of the way as she attempted to make sense of what was being said. When the voices grew louder, all thoughts of friendship and real assistance vanished from Evie's mind. Moments later, one of the aliens, grabbed her around the forearm.

  No one rushed to help her as Evie stared up at the Rohtet, hoping for an explanation. The person holding her had a wide nose, and eyes that looked nearly black except for a small ring of dark green between the whites and the iris. A green the same color as the tiny circles that decorated the Rohtet's skin. The pressure against her skin was gentle but unwavering as the large alien standing behind her began to guide her body toward the hall on the left. It was only a small relief to catch a glimpse of the others being taken in the same direction. Wherever she was being taken, she wouldn’t have to go alone.

  Tripping over her own feet, Evie stumbled. She was too distracted to right herself, but in the second she would have fallen forward, the grip around her tightened, holding her upward long enough to steady herself. The hand around her arm was tight enough to leave a bruise, but as soon as she felt secure again, the Rohtet eased up, offering a quick nod before looking away and continuing to guide her with the others.

  Oliver's voice cut through the panicked buzzing in Evie's ears. "Stay calm." It was a feat that would be a lot easier if Evie had could have seen the captain, but she and the Rohtet still holding her were pressed right up against another guard who had one hand on Gwynn's struggling arm and another clasped on Safa's shoulder.

  Everyone was here, no one was hurt. But they weren't exactly being treated like guests anymore either. Evie did her best to breathe through each thought that threatened to overwhelm her.

  After only a minute or two they began to slow. The fingers digging into Evie's arm loosened then let go all together as soon as the group came to a complete stop, the guard stepping away from the humans, finally giving them room to breathe, but forming a small barrier between them and a doorway at their backs.

  "Where's Torque?" Safa asked. "And Linna."

  It was only as she looked around that Evie noticed that their two alien companions had disappeared in the shuffle, along with all the unarmed Rohtet.

  Gwynn grumbled from behind Evie. "It was a trap."

  "We don't know that," Oliver said, taking a step forward to put himself at the front of the group.

  "Well, what we do know isn't exactly painting a pretty picture of different races holding hands and being besties, now does it. Now we're stuck, we have no way to communicate, and they have our ship."

  Oli
ver's jaw clenched shut as he studied the Rohtet still standing across from the humans. There weapons weren't drawn, but to Evie at least, it seemed pretty clear that they had no intention of letting the humans go anywhere but through the door behind them.

  "Let's go in," Sprocket said. "If we go where they want, they'll probably keep playing nice, and maybe we'll have a better idea about what's going on."

  "Maybe. Probably." Gwynn parroted Sprocket's words back at him.

  "I don't see you offering any helpful suggestions."

  "Stop interrupting and go inside," Oliver said, his tone flat. "We're not doing anyone any good out here."

  Not waiting to see if his crew would argue, Oliver turned, putting his back to the alien weapons and led the way inside. It was enough to have Evie breathing a little easier as she followed suit, glad to be doing something at all.

  Inside, they found a small lobby with an unmanned desk in its center. Just a few feet beyond was a near continuous half-height wall, separating the area they'd entered from several curtained beds. A few new Rohtet stood near the back wall, nervously watching the humans. The guard hadn't followed them in, but Evie suspected they still waited on the other side of the door.

  "Is it a medical facility?" Safa guessed.

  "That seems like as good a guess as anything else," Sprocket mumbled, keeping his voice low. "But why are we here?"

  No one answered, and none of the Rohtet moved. They were speaking to one another, but Evie could barely make out the words.

  Nobody moved toward the other side of the room. It was starting to feel like a stalemate where the humans weren't even sure what game it was they were supposed to be playing.

  "What exactly is going on here?" Gwynn asked, her voice unusually quiet.

  "I don't know, but I'd damn well like to find out." Oliver scratched at his jawline, taking in the room around him. "They haven't tried to hurt us, but I wish we'd gotten some warning before they separated us. I wish a lot of things. But we need to do something."