Into the Void (Beyond Humanity Book 1)

by Kellie Sheridan

"Then let the humans trade you for what they need."

  "Their technology is practically barbaric. There is nothing they can give us that would be of true value. But, if it would help, we can take you as far as the closest system and leave your ship there. Perhaps you could find work and start new lives for yourselves."

  There was a bleak prospect.

  "Oh, well we wouldn't want you to go to too much trouble on our behalf," Gwynn said, her tone sickly sweet as Oliver sat back down beside her.

  They were losing ground, not gaining it. The Rohtet weren't willing to give so much as an inch, and the humans had everything to lose, when they'd already lost so much.

  The discussion ended minutes later, with Evie trying to hold back a shuddering sob. Even Gwynn and Sprocket were openly crying.

  They wouldn’t die out here in unknown space, but their futures weren't exactly looking bright and shiny either. The walk back to the Lexiconis felt like a funeral march. They'd get a ride to whatever happened to be close by, then that would be it.

  They'd be alone. Maybe Linna and Torque would find a way to get back to their own people; maybe the humans would even have to separate from one another just to stay alive.

  Not for the first time, Evie wished her father had been there too. Or even better, her grandfather. He'd always been brilliant at taking whatever he had and turning it to his advantage. It wasn't a trait he'd been universally praised for, but it had gotten his family far.

  And now what did Evie have to show for his legacy? She'd stolen from her own family, and would now probably die without seeing any of them ever again because she couldn't work out a way to turn things to the advantage of the people she now needed to protect, to help.

  This was supposed to be her strong suit. Sure, they could understand the Rohtet's words, but learning languages and cultures was about more than that. It was about making connections.

  But how could a group of wayward humans connect to the Rohtet who were generations more advanced than they were, who had seen more of the galaxy than their species ever would, who held their lives in their hands without caring.

  What did they want?

  Survival. Sure. But they had that part covered. Maybe if someone had thought to negotiate before they'd helped the Rohtet escape the void, they'd have something to work with. But this species didn't seem to think they owed the Lexiconis' crew anything at all. They'd all benefited from escaping the void.

  They wanted to expand the reach of their species and learn as much as they could. Knowing that didn't change how little the humans had to offer.

  But a little wasn't nothing.

  And with the right angle, maybe a little could be everything.

  "Hey," Evie said, tapping Lincoln on the shoulder because he was closest. "I have to go do something, okay? I'll catch up."

  Lincoln raised his dark eyebrows, asking a question Evie wasn't ready to answer.

  "I don't know. I just … I've got to go talk to someone. I won't take long." Not that it mattered. The humans were going nowhere fast. "Wish me luck."

  Chapter Twenty-Eight – Illyrian

  Illyrian kept reminding himself that he didn't regret the decision he'd made to free his people from the dark space that had threatened to destroy them.

  And mostly, he didn't.

  He wouldn't have even given his decision a second thought if it weren't for the way the humans had responded.

  They clearly believed he'd made the wrong call. But what did they know about the ways of the universe? They'd proven themselves more resourceful than any of the Rohtet had guessed, but they still had much to learn.

  Now all he wanted was for them to have the opportunity to do so. If only he could convince his mother to see his perspective. Her assistants had left the room a few moments ago, but still, he didn't know where to start.

  "It is not our way," Illyrian's mother said softly, probably reading Illyrian's expression. "Their species is far behind us technologically. Who knows how we might alter their development by giving them more than they can handle now?"

  "Perhaps we should give them more credit. They did help us escape, after all."

  "We would have managed that ourselves eventually."

  "You can't know that."

  "And you can't know what they would do with our technology if we handed it over. We have seen young races before and the havoc they can reap."

  Illyrian let out a low, melodic rumble from the back of his throat, making sure his mother knew just how he felt. He had only come of age a few years before, and had only recently finished his education, but his mother had never hidden the nuances of her job from him. He'd thought she might have respected his opinion more.

  But if there was anything left to say, the words wouldn't be hers.

  Illyrian's home ship would be going a few weeks out of their way, away from their newly planned route to get the humans somewhere relatively safe. Perhaps he could use that inconvenience … no, it wouldn't be enough.

  The Rohtet weren't cruel. If there was a way to justify helping they would do it. But there were laws in place, laws that had been crafted by generations of their leaders and couldn't easily be set aside.

  "Will you be home for last-meal?" he asked before leaving.

  "I'd like that. It's been a difficult time, but it will be nice to start anew."

  As one, they hummed a farewell that promised to see one another again soon, though Illyrian wasn't sure he was looking forward to the meal. He would likely be too distracted by his own frustration and grief to really enjoy it.

  Perhaps his mother would be more open minded once she had a chance to deal with the impact of Shan's death in the hive. He hadn't been the only of the Rohtet to be lost in dark space, but he was the one they'd been closest with.

  They'd feel his loss for a long time, but his mother would find a way to move on and grow, she always did.

  Leaving the office, Illyrian headed toward the main street that connected the governmental section of the ship to the area he called home. But he made it less than a few steps before a still unfamiliar form caught his eye.

  It was one of the humans, female as far as he could tell, and she was headed right toward him.

  "I need to talk to your mother," the female said.

  At the same time, Illyrian started to say, "I thought you had returned to your vessel."

  "Everyone else did. But I had an idea, and thought maybe your mother would be willing to listen."

  "I would advise against that. She is in a strange headspace tonight. She lost a friend, and the rest of our casualties have not yet been calculated."

  "Fine. You'll do then. I just need to speak to someone who can give me a better idea of what would be required for your people to even consider a trade."

  "I have no authority to …"

  "I don't need authority. I just need perspective. Did you have somewhere you're supposed to be right now."

  Illyrian considered the question. "I have no plans. But I can also make no promises, human."

  "Evie. And that's fine. Do you want to walk around for a while? Is there anything like a park or …? I don't know. Something other than offices. This place is supposed to be an entire city, right? I'd love for you to show me some of what is important to you. To your people."

  "Most of our nature-imitations are several floors below. But we could go to the library."

  "A library? Really? Like borrowing books and movies and stuff?"

  "Precisely that. It is a place for people of all ages to gather and learn about not just our own history, but the races who we've crossed paths with."

  "That is beyond perfect. Lead the way."

  Illyrian did not understand the saying, though each word was translated properly.

  "Show me?" the human female asked.

  "Of course. It isn't far."

  As they started to walk, Evie began to speak as though she was thinking out loud, something Illyrian did often when he was alone. "I know we still haven't seen muc
h in terms of all the different races that are out here in the galaxy, or any of it. But I still get so blown away every time I hear about something like a library. How many things do our people have in common that we don't even realize, you know?"

  Illyrian did. He had usually had a hidden access point to all the races his home ship encountered through his mother, and more often than not, the Rohtet could always find a common ground with those they met. He hummed a positive response.

  As Evie spoke about her people and their desire to get home, Illyrian forced himself to consider each of his statements carefully. Through a strange twist of luck, he had experienced more direct contact with this species than almost anyone else on board. If the humans had been deemed of more value, it would be a highly coveted position.

  These humans were easily among the least advanced this home ship had ever encountered, and had absolutely come from the furthest away. Perhaps there was value in that they could use to their advantage, he said as much out loud.

  "Why does it matter how far we've come from?"

  "Because there is always a chance you will make it back."

  "Not a good chance."

  "No." Illyrian shook his head. "But you got here, so it is conceivable."

  "I'd like to think so. But how would that help us? And maybe more importantly, why are you telling me any of this."

  "I've seen the way you and your crew work together." Evie frowned at that, but did not speak. "You are clever, and thoughtful. I think there is more value to making a connection to you humans than my mother can see."

  The two of them walked in silence a while longer, stepping onto a busy road full of small personal transport vehicles buzzing between one another. Illyrian stopped once they reached their destination. The library had always been one of his favorites, and he looked forward to learning of Evie's reaction to the black marble building. It sat several stories high with a large glass dome overtop.

  "It's beautiful," Evie said, her eyes growing wider as a happy sound escaped her lips, not unlike the noises his own people made to help convey their feelings. "How much information is inside?"

  "I'm not actually sure. Digitally, books are shared between each of the eighteen libraries on board, but each building does contain hundreds of physical objects like books or paintings. This library in particular specializes in sculpture. Would you like to see?"

  Illyrian stepped toward the building, expecting the human to follow. But when he looked back she was still on the pathway, watching him.

  "I think I have an idea?" she said once he'd returned.

  "Oh?"

  "Your people care about stories. Humanity might not have gone far yet in terms of technological advances, but we've always been good at stories. Do you think it's possible your mother would consider taking some of our files in trade for the ship improvements we need to survive here?"

  "We've had access to your ship's computer for days now. Anything you had, we have."

  "Anything you have, you took without permission. But I also very much doubt you got everything. I brought several years’ worth of content on board with me, on my own computer, separate from the Lexiconis', and maybe some of the others did as well. We have books, and movies, and television and VR-narratives. There has to be something there someone would find interesting. And we could take some of your stories as well, or whatever information your people want to share. Then, if we make it home, our people would know about yours."

  It was a clever proposal. What Evie offered truly was of value.

  "I may be able to help you. Has your captain agreed to what you are offering?"

  "You already have all of his files, it's my information I'm offering. Still, I think he'd give almost anything if it meant giving his ship a chance. Why?"

  "Get your information ready. A sampling of whatever you have that will show the Rohtet who your people are."

  It might just be enough to open the conversation again, to give the humans a chance. But what Evie had yet to offer was a solution to the problem no one had shared with the humans, that of trust.

  Getting something in trade for their technology would not assure anyone that the humans would use what they were given responsibly. Not one of the upper council would agree to the risk they would open their people to if the humans took any missteps that could be led back to the Rohtet.

  If the Rohtet were to agree to this, they would know there were no guarantees, but trust alone would not be enough.

  The humans would need supervision, sponsorship.

  It was the perfect opening for a hazad, for one of the people aboard this home ship to leave their people for the betterment of their own people. It was a sacrifice, and it was asked of so few, though some like Illyrian's father volunteered to escape lives they did not wish for themselves.

  There would be no volunteers to go with the humans. Instead, if this were to be agreed to, someone would be chosen based on whoever offered the best chance of success.

  Illyrian and his mother were the only obvious choices.

  He was about to have some life changing decisions to make, but now that Illyrian had come up with the idea, he could not in good faith not offer them to the upper council. The humans had come a long way, and that should not be ignored.

  If only it wasn't about to cost him everything for the betterment of the many, for the future of his people.

  Chapter Twenty-Nine – Evie

  The Lexiconis was pointed toward home, toward Earth, though not everyone on board called that planet home. But what did that matter since one thing they all knew for sure was that the odds of ever making it back were next to impossible. The odds of even surviving the next week in this foreign region of space weren’t great. They had limited supplies, no allies, and no idea what it was they were stepping into.

  But what kept Evie lying awake in bed on their first night after being left by the city-ship, was the always present shadow of the void they'd only just managed to escape. It would haunt her for the rest of her life, whether that was days or decades.

  For all the answers they'd found about how to get back out of the void, Evie had never heard a concrete explanation about what had brought them there in the first place. Or anyone sounding reasonably confident that there was no way they'd go back.

  Evie sat up in bed, committing to getting up again only a moment later.

  Most of the crew had been up all day installing the upgrades they'd received from the Rohtet, so Evie expected to wander the halls by herself for a while, just to clear her head. There were still so many questions, most of which Evie had been avoiding for weeks now, hoping to get back home before having to put all the pieces together.

  When Evie flipped the light on in the canteen, she found Knack up on the table, wide awake and taking large bites out of a slice of bread he'd taken from a bag that sat open on the counter.

  "Hey," she said to the creature, half-heartedly. "Be careful. We don't have that much left."

  "That was me," another voice said, before Safa stepped through from the washroom off the other side of the room. "He looked hungry. And I felt a little bad we'd left him alone for so long."

  "Well, to be fair," Evie said, sitting, "he seems happier than the rest of us."

  "He does have a lot less to worry about," Safa said, pouring herself some hot water from the nearby kettle.

  "You're worried too then?" Evie asked. If Safa didn't feel confident about their chances out here, it was probably a pretty good sign that despite the Lexiconis' win today, they were still very much screwed.

  "Gwynn says I think too much," Safa said with a shrug, like that explained everything. "There are so many unknowns now. I don't know what we'll find out there. I've been trying to figure out if there was a way I could have calculated an escape point that would take us back home. But it all looks random to me, and I'm not sure I believe the universe is capable of being truly random. I'm missing something."

  "That's all that's bothering you?"

  "It isn
't enough?"

  "No. Yes. What massive question mark of what happens next is going to be stressing me out for a while too. I just meant … what about the void? Is there any chance we'll end up back there?"

  Safa answered immediately. "No. At least, not as far as I can tell. From the energy signatures the hive had, it looked like there were hundreds of pressure points within the void, fixed spots in and out. We've already started moving away from the space where we exited. The chances of not only stumbling on another one, but triggering the anomaly that knocked us into the void are nearly impossible. We only found the way in because …"

  That was exactly what Evie had been afraid of.

  "The coordinates I took from my brother."

  "The odds of that being a coincidence are probably even less in our favor than finding another entryway by accident. There was nothing else there. Whatever they intended, someone knew they'd stumbled on to something big."

  "But what use could the void possibly be to SolTek Industries. Nothing good comes from that place."

  Safa's front teeth bit down into her bottom lip as she studied the mug in front of her.

  "What?"

  "I don't want to accuse your family of anything."

  "You can't say anything I haven't already considered a hundred times. If my family knows where the entryway to the void was, do they have a way to control it? Could they use it as a weapon? Why are they hiding it?"

  "Has your family been using the void to get to areas of space with more advanced technology then taking things back to the Sol system and marketing whatever they find as their own inventions?"

  “Oh. Okay, I hadn't considered that." And she didn't want to. It was exactly the kind of answer she'd been trying to find in the first place. "But wouldn't that mean you can control where you enter and exit the void?"

  Safa tapped a finger to her temple. "If I could figure that out, I'd probably be able to sleep already. Or even better, we'd be on our way home. I'm missing something."

  "Is it okay if I hope you're wrong?"

  "I can't judge your thoughts, only what you do with them."