by Chris Fox
“It’s good to see you, Kathryn,” Nolan said, smiling back. He meant it. It was good to see her, even if he couldn’t stop looking over his shoulder.
“I know we could go on for a while with small talk, but we can do that when we’re somewhere safer. Bring me up to speed,” she said, lowering her voice. “Where have you been, and what the hell happened out there?”
Nolan considered the question for half a second before answering. Could he trust her? Could he trust anyone? Right now he needed her, and that made the decision for him. He’d trust her as far as necessary, but he wasn’t taking any chances.
“The war with the Tigris is the most massive coverup of all time,” he said, hunching over his noodles and leaning a little closer. “The Tigris were there to help us against the Void Wraith. We blew up a factory, and stopped a bomb we believe they intended for Theras Prime.”
“Theras Prime?” she asked, cocking her head in surprise. The gesture was a little too practiced, a little too OFI.
That gave Nolan pause, because he’d received the same training. Kathryn’s surprise was feigned. Did she already know about Theras Prime? If so, how had she known? Why hide it? Nolan thought quickly, not liking where his line of logic led. There’s only one reason Kathryn would lie, one way she could have known. She’d been compromised.
How the hell was he going to disengage? If she was lying, had she brought friends? Or was he just being paranoid and misreading her emotions?
16
Kathryn
Kathryn stretched out a hand, resting it gently on Nolan’s for a moment. Then she leaned back, taking him in. He’d changed in the last few months, though it was difficult to put her finger on the how of it. He was more confident, certainly, but there was more to it than that. He moved differently.
“Yeah, Theras Prime,” he said, after a pause. He busied himself with his noodles, scarfing them like a war refugee. Was he avoiding her gaze?
“Okay, so you dealt with this bomb,” Kathryn said, picking her words carefully. He must not suspect the joining; her larva had been clear on that. “What happened after? Why have you been gone so long? And what ship are you on? The Johnston was presumed destroyed.”
“One question at a time,” Nolan said, his face unreadable. He was more guarded than he’d been when they’d last worked together. That was also new, and problematic. Earnest Nolan was much easier to read. “The bomb destroyed the star, and we had to fly to another one. It took a few months to reach another star with a Helios Gate, and we’ve been out of contact that entire time. My turn. What happened to you? Have you officially gone rogue? I notice you’re still flying the Sparhawk.”
“I’m officially AWOL,” she said, glancing around to make sure they weren’t being eavesdropped on. This part she’d been ready for. “Most of the admiralty has been infiltrated, I think. I couldn’t risk sticking around, so I grabbed Sparhawk and ran.” She took a sip of Nolan’s soda, giving him a playful smile.
“And in the three months since?” Nolan asked, ignoring the theft. His expression remained impassive.
“My turn,” she said, touching his hand again. “What ship are you on?”
“One of the Void Wraith harvesters. We commandeered it during the battle,” Nolan said. He polished off the rest of his noodles, sighing as he set the bowl down. “Your turn. Catch me up on the last three months.”
“I’ve been running from port to port. The war with the Tigris is heating up, so patrols along the fringes are next to nonexistent,” Kathryn explained. “The only fleet defending the periphery is the 14th, and they’re stretched pretty thin. I figured I’d be safe out here, and so far I’m right. My turn. What did you learn about the Void Wraith? Where do they come from?”
The question was casual, but she felt the quivering around her spine. The larva was very interested in Nolan’s answer.
Nolan was silent for a long moment. Too long. He knew. She must have done something to betray her true loyalties. That scared the hell out of her, because she knew what the larva would make her do. Perhaps they could finish the exchange. She’d get what information she could, and they’d part ways. The masters hadn’t demanded his death, and that part of her mind, the part grown by the larva, was silent.
“They’ve been here a long time,” Nolan said. He glanced right, then left, and his tone was even lower when he continued, barely audible over the hum of the crowd. “The empire before the Primo dark ages wasn’t the first. My crew is investigating the empire before that. We believe it predated the Void Wraith, because the Primo DNA from that time wasn’t modified. Their DNA now? It’s got markers all over it. Someone or something engineered changes in the Primo. That something shaped the Primo into the Void Wraith, and I think we’re close to cracking who it might be.”
Fire raced up Kathryn’s spine. It grew, spreading along her nervous system, flooding her limbs. She recognized the fire, of course. It was the larva connecting to its distant parent. It only did that when it needed to seek council about something, and in this case Kathryn knew exactly what it was doing—what question it was asking.
“If we can get to a Primo library, I have someone on my crew who believes she can learn the origins of the Void Wraith,” Nolan said.
The words had doomed him. Kathryn knew it instantly. She knew it before the fire receded, before the larva seized control of her nervous system. She could do nothing as her hand scythed out toward Nolan’s throat. She knew he was dead, because Nolan wasn’t a field agent. He’d never been trained to fight—only to think.
Kathryn’s surprise was total when Nolan ducked to the right and batted her attack aside. He leapt backward, keeping the table between him. Even as the shock registered, she was vaulting the table, aiming a kick at his face. He snapped up a forearm, smoothly blocking the blow.
“Take him alive,” Reid screamed from the crowd behind her. She was aware of Delta moving toward her, and realized she might actually need his help to subdue Nolan.
17
Run
Nolan was shocked when his hand shot up of its own accord, knocking Kathryn’s blow aside. He was even more surprised when he fended off the next several blows, backpedaling to gain room. Kathryn was a trained OFI field agent, and had several years experience in hand-to-hand combat. Nolan had three months of Fizgig’s tutelage.
Of course, Kathryn was nothing compared to Fizgig. Her speed wasn’t as blinding, and she wasn’t nearly as strong. She was, he realized, an opponent he might actually be evenly matched with. Especially if he used his plasma blade.
Then Nolan saw Delta, Doctor Reid’s number one enforcer. Nolan and his crew had, he’d thought, rescued Delta during that long-ago attack on Coronas 6, and had turned him over to Admiral Mendez. Nolan realized several things in that instant. After he’d handed Delta to Mendez, Mendez had probably given him right back to Reid. Delta had been a prisoner in name only, and everything Nolan had thought he’d accomplished back on that station was a lie.
Nolan also realized that Kathryn was working with Delta, which meant she was working with Reid. There was only one way that could have happened. His suspicions were right. She’d been compromised by the Void Wraith.
Shit. Without a second thought Nolan turned and sprinted through the crowd, keeping as many people between himself and Delta as possible. He was aware of Kathryn pounding across the metal floor behind him, and he did his best to gain ground as he ducked past a startled family looking for a place to sit.
“I hope we’ve got a quick escape plan,” Nolan panted into his comm. He knew Hannan and Annie were probably watching, but there wasn’t much they’d be able to do to intervene directly. Not without firearms. Station security was already moving to intercept—whether him, or his pursuers, was hard to tell.
Nolan risked a glance over his shoulder, his bowels filling with ice water as he caught sight of Delta’s face just half a dozen paces back. The enormous black man sprinted through the crowd, people dodging out of his path as he gained on
Nolan. Delta’s metallic arms had been painted a flat black, which somehow made them look even more lethal. Nolan vividly remembered being punched by one of those fists, and wasn’t eager to repeat the experience.
He scanned the path ahead, looking for options. There weren’t any. Taking the escalator would slow him down enough for Delta to catch up, but he had to be on the lower level to get to the airlock. Nolan skidded to a halt next to the railing overlooking the promenade. The station had two floors, and it was about a twenty-foot drop from here to the next level.
Nolan jumped, aware of Delta’s fingers brushing his arm as he fell out of sight.
He rolled with the landing, just like Fizgig had showed him. A sharp pain shot through his right leg, but thankfully the adrenaline suppressed it. He rolled back to his feet and started sprinting for the far end of the station. Shoppers stopped to stare, but not at Nolan; they were looking behind him, and Nolan didn’t have to turn around to know why. He heard a large crack, and knew it was the sound of Delta’s heavy frame landing on the tile behind him.
Ahead, he spotted Annie, who was holding the outer airlock door open. Nolan poured on the speed, ignoring the pain in every step. He sprinted fast and low, rapidly reducing the distance to the airlock.
Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Delta closing on the right. Nolan swerved left, dropping into a slide that carried him under a table. He flipped back to his feet on the other side, going right back into a sprint. Delta had still gained on him, and was just a few feet back and to the left.
Nolan was positive he wasn’t going to make it, but less than ten feet from the door Hannan popped out of cover behind a fake potted palm tree. She held a four-foot steel tube, and Nolan didn’t want to know where she’d gotten it. Hannan wound up, swinging the tube with all her considerable strength. It caught Delta in the face, shattering his jaw and knocking him to the ground.
“Let’s move,” Hannan said, dropping the pipe. She moved to Nolan, wrapping an arm around him. “Lean on me. You’re limping.”
Nolan staggered the last few feet into the airlock, gasping pained breaths as Annie slammed the hatch behind them.
18
Primo Conclave
Dryker wished he had a sidearm, though it would have been useless—nothing more than a security blanket, but one he’d have accepted gratefully. He stared around at the sea of hostile Primo faces, though, thankfully, their hostility was largely directed at each other. Celendra’s words hung over them. They’d been infiltrated by the Void Wraith. It was a bitter pill to swallow, assuming they were willing to do that. He still remembered how he’d felt when he realized the admiralty was compromised.
“This accusation is unprecedented,” Endari shouted, quieting the cacophony of the Primo down to a low murmur. “As such, it dramatically changes the importance of this conclave. If Celendra’s charges are true, clearly steps must be taken. If they are true.”
“Yes, if,” Kayton said in a deep voice. His purple skin gleamed, and Dryker guessed he was the youngest of the Primo leaders. Kayton stared hard at Celendra. “Do you have any evidence beyond a simple holorecording? Any proof of wrongdoing, or a list of those you feel may be infected?”
Celendra gave a pained look, then shook her head wordlessly.
“So,” Endari said, drawing out the word. “You have no real evidence, then, just supposition. Supposition that will turn our race against itself, ensuring that ship battles ship, until we rejoin the cosmic dust that gave birth to us all.”
“I understand that this is difficult to accept,” Celendra countered, looking to the gathered Primo for support. Dryker couldn’t read their faces very well, but he didn’t think she was finding that support. “And I know that, at least right now, all evidence is circumstantial. But hear my words before you cast judgement. We all know that our race rose from the ashes of some great cataclysm. Something so heinous that it cast us down into the dark ages, centuries where we lost culture, and civilization itself was nearly lost.
“Is it really so great a stretch to assume that this cataclysm was caused by the Void Wraith? Or that they might, even now, be influencing some among our number? How else would you explain the attack on the library?” Celendra asked. There were murmurs of agreement now. “We can all see that the attack took place, and while we cannot identify the ships involved, they are Primo. How would you explain this attack?”
A flash caught Dryker’s attention. It came from outside the transparent dome above them, and as he looked up he saw another flash. And another. The flashes were blue, the familiar blue of Void Wraith weaponry. Dozens of Void Wraith harvesters were de-cloaking, the V-shaped vessels delivering catastrophic damage to the unprepared Primo fleet.
“We’re under attack,” Dryker boomed in his best drill sergeant voice. “The Void Wraith are tearing this fleet apart.”
A human crowd would have panicked, probably scattering into a hundred different directions. The Primo were alien, and their reaction reflected it. They froze, each going silent and staring up at the three figures hovering above them.
“We must return to our ships!” Kayton roared. “Quickly, or this battle is lost.”
“This battle is already lost,” Celendra said, staring sadly up. “We must send out the word to retreat. Now, while something of our people still survives.”
“Kayton is right,” Endari said, straightening on his throne. He peered down at the Primo. “We must return to our ships. Back to your shuttles, ready yourselves for battle.”
Dryker turned to look at Khar, who shrugged helplessly. He could feel the frustration radiating off the cat, and shared it. The Primo were being overwhelmed, and they needed decisive leadership—leadership they clearly lacked.
“Listen up!” Dryker shouted. Primo all around him froze again, turning to look at him. “If you return to your ships, you are dooming your people. Celendra is right. Our one chance is to send a broadcast to all vessels, right now. Tell them to flee for the Helios Gate. Do it now, or your entire race will be harvested by this time tomorrow. Theras is already gone. Look around you.”
That had an effect. The Primo looked to their leaders. All three were staring at Dryker, but it was Kayton who spoke. “Very well. The human echoes Celendra, and it rings of sense. Broadcast a signal to all vessels. Tell them to flee. Celendra, my family begs your hospitality until we can return to our own vessel.”
“Granted,” Celendra said, turning to Endari. “What of you? Will you stay and live, or extinguish the light of our people here and now?”
Endari looked trapped, glancing down at his people, then back up to Celendra. “Very well, we shall see if your rash decision has merit. My family will stay as well. Order the fleet to withdraw.”
Celendra waved a hand, and a blue holographic panel appeared before her. She tapped buttons with blinding speed, and a moment later many of the Primo vessels turned to the sun. The First Light began to accelerate, and the perspective of the battle changed.
Dryker realized not every ship was heading for the sun. Roughly a third had stayed, and were helping the Void Wraith finish off Primo vessels too slow to reach the Helios Gate.
19
Recovery
“It’s not broken,” Lena said, rolling Nolan’s ankle in a slow circle. It hurt, but not nearly as badly as he’d feared it would. “Stay off it as much as you can for a few days, and you’ll be fine.” She rose from her crouch, dusting off her hands on her clothing.
“Thanks, Lena. I’ll do that as much as I can.” Nolan knew the words were mechanical, but his mind was still back on Mulholland Station. Kathryn was working with Delta. Maybe they’d implanted her with a control chip, or maybe they’d used something else. The cause didn’t really matter. What did was the fact that their one potential ally had been turned. Dryker was either dead or missing. It was a lot to take in.
Hannan and Izzy filed into the makeshift conference room, sliding into seats next to Fizgig. Nolan waited for them to be seated before speaking. “
I’m going to be brutally honest. Kathryn has clearly been converted, which leaves us without any safe human contacts. After what happened back there we have no allies.”
“What did happen? You two were talking, and then she took a swing,” Hannan said, pulling out her plasma pistol and a rag.
“Good question,” Nolan said, thinking back to the moments preceding the fight. “We were talking about Primo libraries, and about the first Primo empire. Then I mentioned the Void Wraith origins.”
“Interesting,” Fizgig said, her tail swishing lazily. “That fact may be coincidence, but I do not think so.”
“The Void Wraith appear to be trying to stop the dissemination of any information about the Primo’s past,” Lena said, her golden ears twitching.
“I’d agree. The question is why. What don’t they want us finding out? You don’t go to these lengths to hide something, unless it coming to light would be catastrophic,” Nolan asked. “Lena, you’re our best hope of answering that question. Do you have any theories?”
Lena stood and began pacing. She completed several circuits before speaking. “There must be something in the Primo archives that relates to the earlier incarnations of their empires, perhaps something about the genetic modifications the Void Wraith made. Something that would give us an advantage, or help us fight them.”
“Perhaps…” Izzy said, softly. Her eyes widened when everyone looked at her.
“Did you have a thought, sister?” Lena asked, placing an encouraging paw on Izzy’s shoulder.
Izzy peered around, wide-eyed, then cleared her throat.