Karana sighed. “So there’ll be more pain for me then.”
“Yes, but for a short time only.”
“I understand,” she said. “Let’s get it over with.”
“You’ll feel the probe,” he said to her. “If you fight it then it gets more painful and harder for me to extract the necessary navigational information through the shadow zones.”
“I understand,” Karana said. “I’ll keep the pathways open as long as I can.”
“Thank you, Karana.”
The agony intensified almost immediately. It felt like two sledgehammers were taking turns pounding the top of her skull. Each blow became a blinding, crushing pain, and it felt like her head would explode each time. What made it worse were the slight pauses, giving her a lucid moment to anticipate when the next wallop would come crashing down on her, and she dreaded it more than the actual assault.
She was crying now, like when she tore her knee open as a little girl. Karana tried to beg, asking for it to stop, but the pain was relentless. In the end, all she could do was keep on screaming, hoping someone, anyone, would make it go away.
After what seemed to be an eternity of suffering, the pounding in her head ceased, and she could hear the distant murmurings of many people around her. Karana’s eyes remained closed, but one voice in particular instantly put her on notice.
Strand. She quickly recognized his accent and the unique inflections of his words. And then she remembered what had truly happened, for it was his voice that she last heard just before she lost consciousness while in the museum.
Reality had reared its ugly head, and the truth had been revealed. It was all a ruse to make her talk. She had been utterly deceived by the enemy.
Karana cried out once more, only this time she did it out of anger.
18 Patience
The Nepenthe’s four senior command officers drifted in a semi-circle due to the meeting room’s null gravity. In front of them was the life-size holographic projection of the vessel’s AI, along with a scaled map of the Scythia system and surrounding star cluster.
After getting a silent nod from the captain, Sappho glanced at the other three officers in turn. “The planet Kurgan is close to one-gee in gravity, and its atmospheric composition and density are very similar to those of Earth. It serves as the planetary capital of the entire cluster and only has a very small symbiote host minority.”
“That is why the colonists decided to make it their capital planet,” Commander Creull said. “What do we have on our database with regards to the artifacts in question?”
“Since our information is gathered from Union sources, we know very little,” Sappho said. “The Shards of Eternity are considered mere curiosities in the Union databanks, and not much research was done on them. A survey team found two of the crystals along the border worlds of Union space after the last war, and they were brought over to be displayed at the museum in Angkor after only a cursory examination.”
Lieutenant Garrett Strand grabbed hold of the side of a nearby bulkhead to keep himself from drifting too far. “I’ve read those Scythians value them quite a bit though.”
“Correct, Lieutenant,” Sappho said. “The ruling family of the Scythian cluster is House Maladore, and it was said they owned five pieces of these shards during the initial colonization period of their territory.”
Chief Engineer Viniimn used his stubby tail as a tether by wrapping it around one of the handholds along a wall. “How many pieces are there in total?”
“It is not confirmed, but some sources state five, while others claim there were six,” Sappho said.
“Assuming there are five shards,” Strand said, “what kind of abilities did these relics confer onto the ruling house in question?”
“The gathered stories are mere legends, with no factual confirmation,” Sappho said. “Apparently, the Maladores were able to seize control of the planet during the early colonial period by focusing the crystals together and harnessing a radiant light that blinded and defeated their enemies.”
Strand chuckled. “A ‘radiant light’? That sounds totally preposterous.”
“I wouldn’t dismiss that claim so easily, Lieutenant,” Viniimn said. “Remember what occurred with Maeve Lindross and the artifact she uncovered on Horizon.”
Strand sighed. “You’re right. After the battle we had at Mystic Mountain, I can believe anything’s possible.”
“Legends always have a certain amount of truth to them,” Viniimn said.
“Let’s get back to the facts at hand,” Creull said. “What we know is Vega betrayed us by stating there were convertible cash cards in the Angkor museum when what he really wanted were the two shards in one of the display wings.”
“Yes, Commander,” Sappho said. “According to Karana, his ultimate goal is to be adopted into House Maladore and become ruler over Scythia. Vega raided a mining colony deep in Union space before he asked for our help. If my assessment is correct, he is currently in possession of three crystals.”
“And the ruling house in Scythia has two, correct?” Viniimn asked.
“Either two or one,” Sappho said. “It has been confirmed that the current archon is in possession of one of the crystals, while the supposed second crystal his family possesses was entrusted to his son and successor.”
“Please elaborate, Sappho,” Captain Dangard said.
“Apparently, the archon’s son was killed fighting a rebellion in one of their colonies,” Sappho said. “According to my analysis, it is possible the crystal this man possessed was lost with him.”
“So this means Vega has got more crystals than the ruling house does. Interesting,” Viniimn said.
Creull stared at the holographic image of the scintillating crystals in front of her. “What other stories are there about the power of these artifacts?”
“Several, though they are contradictory ones,” Sappho said. “One tale tells of these shards bestowing immortality to whomever possesses them all, while another claims these artifacts can read minds and bend others to the will of the one who possesses them. A third series of stories centers around the shards leaving a curse upon their possessors.”
“What kind of curse?” Viniimn asked.
“One tale tells of these shards wielding a bane over the people of Kurgan and turning them into cats,” Sappho said.
Strand let out a throaty laugh. “No wonder those Scythians have got cat-like eyes. I guess that power really worked.”
Creull looked at him with contempt. By nature, she disliked cat jokes and insults. “According to the briefing notes, those genetic modifications were done on purpose because of the planet Kurgan having a permanent dark side due to tidal locking.”
“It’s possible the old legends were fused in with history as a way of explaining them,” Sappho said. “Similar instances have occurred many times throughout the antiquity of all the sentient races.”
Strand shrugged sheepishly. “I didn’t mean anything by it.”
“Back on topic,” Dangard said. “We’ll need to treat those relics as dangerous weapons. We all saw what Maeve did with the artifact she encountered.”
Viniimn turned his snout towards the captain. “What is the plan, sir?”
Dangard clasped his hands together and held them close to his chin. “Let’s keep discussing what Vega intends to do first.”
Creull flashed her yellow eyes at Sappho’s hologram. “What’s the political situation in Scythia?”
“According to rumors, the Scythian archon has been looking for a successor ever since his son died,” Sappho said. “With Vega in possession of the majority of shards, I’d say he’s in a good position to take over as ruler.”
“Seems pretty obvious to me,” Strand said. “Vega is looking to retire from a lifetime of piracy and set himself up as a nobleman in the Concordance. Cushy.”
“A very devious human,” Viniimn said. “He has sacrificed everyone to get what he wants.”
Creull growled.
“There are many like him. Sappho, what’s the military strength of the Scythian cluster?”
“The Concordance forces number eight bio-ships, according to the official count,” Sappho said. “Union vessel class equivalents of two heavy cruisers and six destroyers. They have an asteroid base near the planet Kurgan. My exact intel isn’t wholly complete, but it is safe to assume the planet also has the equivalent of a defense grid.”
Creull had been studiously researching the fighting capabilities of Concordance bio-ships since their last encounter. “They use kinetic ordinance and lasers the same way we do. Their radiators are what’s called spider silk—they roll them out along their sides and rear like glowing tentacles, hundreds of klicks long.”
“Their missiles are what’s different,” Viniimn said. “Instead of lancers, they use swarmers to disable enemy vessels by killing the crews with bio weapons.”
Strand grimaced. “Damn things are a pain to get rid of.”
“Their parasites are pretty much like living spacecraft,” Creull said. “No cockpit for a pilot since they transplant organic brains directly into the control module. Spheroid-shaped and used much like our battle drones.”
“Disgusting,” Strand said.
“It works for them,” Viniimn said. “They grow semi-intelligent warriors in vats and use them like we use robots.”
“We won’t be able to fight our way into Kurgan, that’s obvious,” Creull said. “I wonder if their archon has accepted Vega as a nobleman already?”
“According to the latest news we’ve intercepted, there has been no announcement,” Sappho said. “I will not know of any further details until we get close to a courier news zone.”
“The Concordance may have different laws compared to the Union or the League, but they’re more class conscious,” Dangard said. “I highly doubt they’ll accept Vega just like that, even if he has three of the shards.”
Strand eyed his superior. “Well, I guess this will be a job for my strike teams then.”
“I don’t like it, Captain,” Creull said. “We’re in hostile territory and with no support. I too would love to kill Vega for what he’s done, but the odds are heavily stacked against us.”
Dangard glanced towards Sappho. “You mentioned the archon’s son and expected successor. He was killed, you say?”
“According to the old reports, it happened some time ago,” Sappho said. “The archon’s son was leading an expeditionary force against rebels in the cluster, and his unit was ambushed while on the ground. No survivors.”
“Strange,” Viniimn said. “I have always heard of rebel movements within the worlds of the Concordance. Doesn’t seem to happen with planets in the Union.”
“Oh, they do,” Strand said. “You just don’t hear about it because of corporate hush money being given to the Union media conglomerates to keep it all quiet.”
“It does happen more in the Concordance though,” Dangard said. “The feudal nature of their respective governments creates plenty of factions competing with each other for more worlds to control. Internecine warfare is not just viewed as inevitable when they aren’t in a hot war with the Union, it’s considered necessary.”
Strand pursed his lips. “So you got three sides in this power struggle for control of Scythia then. You got the archon and the noble class, the rebels, and Vega. Is there any side I’ve forgotten about?”
“Yes,” Sappho said. “House Dragos. Baltazar Dragos is the archon of the entire sector—he currently controls several star clusters, and they have been trying to absorb Scythia into their dominion for decades, but House Maladore has been able to retain their independence for now.”
Strand shook his head from side to side. “Wow, this is one hell of a mess with all these factions vying for control of that cluster.”
“Rebels can’t last unless they’re being supported by an outside power,” Creull said.
“Correct, Commander,” Sappho said. “According to Union intel analysis, the most likely supporter of the rebel movements in Scythia is House Dragos, but this has been publicly denied by them.”
“Makes sense,” Creull said. “If House Dragos wants to take over Scythia and add it to their domain, they would naturally support the rebel movements in order to weaken House Maladore.”
“Since House Dragos clearly has a stronger military, why do they not just launch an invasion of Scythia?” Viniimn asked.
“Concordance politics are as complex as the Union’s,” Dangard said. “There cannot be open warfare between the archons unless there is justified reason for doing so. Concordance nobles tend to fight a war in the shadows with each other, just like the oligarchs in the Union.”
“So you got two sides then,” Strand said. “House Maladore, trying to hold on to power, and you’ve got the rebels being supported by House Dragos. Looks like Vega’s position to try and endear himself to the Maladores may not be totally stable.”
“We don’t know his full intentions,” Creull said. “He has the majority of these shards, and he could use them as a bargaining chip for either side.”
“A very good analysis, Commander,” Sappho said. “The citizens of the Scythian cluster view the Shards of Eternity as a symbol, and a ruler would need them to maintain political stability.”
Strand raised an eyebrow. “Since the rebels killed the son of the Scythian archon, does that mean they possess one of the shards?”
“A high possibility if we are to assume the archon’s son had it with him,” Sappho said.
Strand’s mind was on overdrive, trying to sort through the differing sides and their motivations. “If that’s the case and since the rebels are being supported by House Dragos, then why haven’t they made a play for Scythia since the Dragos would have had the same number of shards as the archon of House Maladore?”
“A good question,” Sappho said. “But all I can offer are assumptions. Perhaps the rebels are keeping the shard instead of giving it to their sponsors the Dragos, or they might not be in possession of it.”
“It could be anything at this stage,” Viniimn said. “We need to send in an advance team to find out more. The Nepenthe is safe where she’s at right now, but you can bet the entire sector will be on alert once we get moving again.”
“There is one other thing we’ve all forgotten to discuss,” Creull said. “The xtid.”
“Yes, the encounter with the xtid battlecruiser was a surprise,” Sappho said. “We are far from xtid-administered space, so their sudden appearance is disconcerting.”
“That ship appeared just as we were about to destroy Vega,” Dangard said. “This can only mean the xtid are supporting him.”
Viniimn tilted his head sideways in confusion. “But why though? Are the xtid trying to take over this sector too?”
“It would mean civil war if that happens,” Creull said. “The one thing keeping the Concordance united is the cooperation between the xtid and the symbiotes controlling the numerous archons, and this focuses their hatred towards the Union. If both sides start vying for each other’s territory, it would weaken the Concordance as a whole.”
“I don’t believe the xtid will want to take over Scythia overtly,” Dangard said. “But their influence will grow in the entire sector if they have an archon in power who supports their views.”
Creull issued a loud snort. “Vega? He would betray the xtid just like he betrayed us. The man has no honor. All he cares about is himself.”
Strand nodded. “I agree. Vega is in a sweet spot. He can stand back and take offers from all three sides—House Maladore, House Dragos, and the xtid—and he will win regardless.”
“Using a human expression, Vega is the definite wildcard in this,” Viniimn said.
“No,” Dangard said. “We are.”
The ship’s officers turned to look at their captain.
“Everybody thinks we’ll just limp back to independent space and count ourselves lucky,” Dangard said. “But I’ve got a score to settle, and it’s n
ot just about the death of Captain Janice Gwynplaine. Vega’s scheme killed members of our crew too. And the whole galaxy needs to know—if you mess with the Nepenthe, then be prepared to face our wrath.”
The rest of the crew stayed silent. They all knew what he meant. The Nepenthe mostly relied on her fearsome reputation to intimidate both her enemies and victims. If word got out that the crew failed to avenge the betrayal, then much of their mystique would melt away, leaving them even more vulnerable in the future.
“Let’s gather the spacers for a vote,” the captain said, knowing full well what the outcome would be.
Floating in front of a rotating assembly wheel at the Nepenthe’s forward manufacturing deck, Duncan Hauk used his wrist smartcom’s holographic controller to assemble several layers of nanocarbon binding into a cargo container. Hours before, he had successfully disassembled the numerous modular hand weapons into tiny components in order to place them inside the boxes. His current assignment was to make sure each container would pass through a security check so they would have the proper equipment for the clandestine mission they were about to undertake.
Oana Florescu came into the large room, using the handholds to push herself off to drift closer to the boy. “Duncan, I wanted to be the first to congratulate you on making spacer sergeant.”
Hauk kept his eyes on the rotating assembly wheel. “Thanks. But I’m only a provisional sergeant, it’s not official.”
Oana smiled. “You’re one of the few spacers with extensive field experience; I’m sure it will be permanent once you get back from this mission.”
The boy grunted. He, along with the other spacers, had cast his vote hours before, and the results were unanimous. The lieutenant had a meeting with him almost immediately afterwards and had tagged him as part of the advance reconnaissance team. “There’s a good chance I won’t be coming back, so that’s probably why it’s a provisional rank.”
Shards of Eternity Page 17