The transport took them from Clave Tower and across the expanse of space, to the Marillion. The golden orb rested on the edges of the solar system, ensuring that its size wouldn't interfere with the capital planet. As expected, both Uthor and Telarrek were waiting for the Highclave inside the inner sphere of the ship. The old friends stopped talking and stood to their full height, as the councillors entered the chamber.
Uthor’s gravelly voice said, “It appears the Starforges have been well received.”
Nu-marn replied, “Yes, but I still feel we should change the name. Rebrand it as something more… well, less human.”
“We aren't here to discuss the Starforges,” Lordina said, already tired with the talk of transport.
“Indeed,” Elondrasa added, motioning for both visitors to take a seat at the table. “How are the inhabitants of the Paladin adjusting?”
Telarrek tilted his head in a Novaarian sigh. “As well as can be expected. The friends and family they have lost died centuries ago, peacefully. I feel they will struggle more with the idea that their loved ones died never knowing what happened to the Paladin.”
“I care very little for their feelings, Ambassador!” Nu-marn spat. “I just want to know where we’re going to put them all. At the rate they breed they’ll outgrow their first planet by the end of the century.”
Elondrasa noted Telarrek’s questioning expression. He desperately wanted to know if the humans had a planet they could live on.
“The answer is no, Telarrek.” It was Brokk who answered, noting the same expression on the Novaarian’s face. “Suitable locations have been found, but membership has not been granted yet.”
Telarrek knew better than to respond with outrage, even if that was how he felt. Elondrasa knew that his son being on the other side of the galaxy must be fraying on the ambassador’s sensibilities. The councillor respected him all the more for his silence.
“What will it take?” Surprisingly, it was Uthor’s booming Raalakian voice that replied. “Have you not read my reports? The humans have done nothing but fight for us!”
“They fight for themselves!” Nu-marn was quick to respond.
“That is what none of you understand! There is no them or us anymore, as there is no difference between any of us. Besides the technology they have presented us with, they have continued to uncover, at their own cost, the enemy that beats at our door. The Shay that attacked the Paladin are still being studied, but they showed a level of infection we have seen before. Malekk, Professor Jones… Something is, no, something has already infiltrated the Conclave. The humans are the only ones doing anything!”
Ch’lac replied dryly, “So far they’ve created a mess on the capital, left bodies behind from Trantax IV to Byzantial and most of that chaos was created by a handful of their kind. They are unpredictable.”
“The same was said of any Raalak before the Conclave was formed.” The fact that Brokk replied and not Uthor was a testament to the Highclave’s fracture on the subject.
The room fell silent, with no argument raised.
“Forgive the intrusion,” Xydrandil, the Nix, glided into the room on his many legs. “There has been a development on the social hubs.” The Nix activated the holographic emitters in the centre of the table. “This has just been transmitted from the surface of Shandar.”
“The surface?” Nu-marn asked in disbelief.
The room fell silent again as the group took in the streams of data being shared throughout the Conclave. There was more than a few gasps.
“Who has released this?” Ch’lac asked, his eyes glued to the images flashing across the table top.
Xydrandil changed the central hologram to that of a recording. Two humans and a Gomar could clearly be seen walking through a corridor, killing Shay soldiers.
“Li’ara…” Telarrek sat forward in his chair.
“A Gomar?” Lordina’s voice filled with fear.
“The data is being analysed from top to bottom, but one element has already flashed under the priority alerts.” Xydrandil skipped ahead to a section where Roland North shot Kel-var Tionis in the head. “Within all the material being transmitted, a set of coordinates was found inside a data-packet.”
Elondrasa sat back, as her mind’s eye witnessed the backlash from the Conclave.
Brokk looked at Uthor. “Send a fleet to that planet immediately. The Gomar must be secured.”
“I will take care of the Gomar,” Uthor replied confidently, standing up on his strong, four legs. “I advise that all of you sit here for a while and review the truth of what’s been going on under ignorant reign. Telarrek, perhaps you should accompany me. The humans listen to you.” The pair left without another word, only a look from Telarrek told of his disappointment.
Naturally, Lordina and Nu-marn were outraged at the High Charge’s comment, while Ch’lac, Brokk and herself could see the gaps in their attention. They had ignored everything put to them, especially if the source was human in origin.
“Let them go,” Elondrasa bade.
“They must be disciplined!” Nu-marn fired back.
“For what? Pointing out the truth, a truth that is displayed before your very face, Nu-marn.” Elondrasa expanded a hologram of the base hidden on Shandar. “We have real work to do.”
Chapter 19
Kalian awoke with a start and almost jumped off the table when he sat up. His hand gripped his chest, where he instinctively knew that something had been wrong. There was no pain or any sign of trauma, which would have been clear to see since he was naked. The armour was in a heap on the floor, at the end of the table. The nanocelium had yet to repair itself and Kalian could see where the exo-suit had been cut open.
“I'm getting really tired of waking up naked on a cold surface…” Kalian spoke out loud, aware that Naydaalan was off to the side and watching him with a worried eye.
Everything about the Novaarian screamed at Kalian, alerting his every sense that he was standing close by. From his unique smell to the taste of his alien skin on Kalian’s tongue, Naydaalan impacted the universe as strongly as any star or black hole. As the warrior moved, Kalian felt the molecules around the alien displace, almost as if he were walking through water.
“I believe this would be the third time,” Naydaalan replied, coolly. “I'm afraid some surgery was required to save your life.”
“Surgery?” Kalian felt his bare chest again, searching for any signs.
“Apparently, your organs were in the wrong place.”
Kalian wanted to follow that statement up with a flurry of new questions, but as the Novaarian approached, he could feel his senses going into overdrive. The swish of Naydaalan’s head tendrils was too loud in Kalian’s ears and his alien heartbeat threatened to blow his eardrums. The whole experience was becoming nauseating, but Kalian knew that it shouldn't - this was an aspect of his abilities that he had already learned to control.
His discomfort didn't go unnoticed.
ALF’s deep voice echoed through the darkness above, “You have entered the next phase…” The AI floated down, supported by tentacles of nanocelium that fused with his back.
“What does that mean?” Kalian asked, fighting off the vomit in his throat.
ALF’s wide feet touched the floor and the tentacles released their hold on him, slithering back into the hidden depths above. “Your senses are becoming acuter as you delve deeper into the uncharted parts of your mind. This is just a biological response however, the real changes are far more profound.”
Kalian met ALF’s cybernetic eyes and tried to see into the truth of that statement. The AI wore a smile, similar to that of a proud father, and nodded his head over his shoulder. Looking past the giant, Kalian began to take in his surroundings, despite Naydaalan’s natural pheromones threatening to consume his senses and focused on the white light pouring in through the tall doors of the ship.
They were not on a volcanic planet.
“I don't understand...” Kalian slowly slid
off the table and walked towards the light, no care for his lack of clothes.
His eyes quickly adjusted, sharpening the hazy image, until the sight of mountains and fields of red grass took shape. Arching towers of black rock littered the horizon, coated in weeds and flowers. Kalian’s jaw dropped when his vision changed from that of the landscape to a single flower bud, perhaps half a mile away. The flower was exquisite, a blend of red, orange and yellow with a sweet smell and a furry texture that he could feel between his finger and thumb. Kalian pulled back immediately, aware that he was touching, smelling and examining a flower that wasn't actually in front of him.
ALF was watching him, silently, evaluating his responses. “Your connection to the universe is beginning to take shape. The subconducer will make you more powerful than any Terran, even Alai, the first immortal.”
Kalian frowned, trying to grasp the world around him. “I don't understand. I was…” He looked back to the fields of red grass. “I’ve connected with objects, people even, who weren't next to me, but I could have sworn I was standing in front of that flower.”
“Your senses are richer, your abilities more intense.” ALF continued to stare at him with glowing, blue eyes.
Kalian thought about the AI’s words for a moment. Everything did feel more intense as if he could feel the vibration of every atom at once. Suddenly, the universe didn't feel so solid, so put together. There were gaps in everything. Kalian genuflected and placed an outstretched hand onto the cold floor. Millions of nanocelium reacted to his touch, excited almost by his attention. While on one knee, the dark nanocelium lifted from the floor, molecule by molecule, and swarmed around Kalian’s body. The tornado of black mist began to fade and Kalian’s skin disappeared beneath a new exo-suit.
ALF smiled and nodded his approval.
Kalian stood up. “So how did we get here? Wherever here is… Your ship can fly?”
ALF looked from Kalian to Naydaalan with his typical, smug smile. “My housing unit can fly, or at least it will when I get around to powering everything up.”
Kalian didn't understand a word of ALF’s cryptic explanation, but judging by Naydaalan’s expression, Kalian was the only one who didn't understand.
“We were attacked by the Shifters.” Naydaalan pointed upwards. “The nanocelium traps that we encountered on Albadar. I used the Advent to distract them, while ALF powered up his weapons, but…
“But what?” Kalian asked.
“It was you, Kalian,” Naydaalan continued in his disbelieving tone. “You saved us. You pulled me from Advent before it was destroyed and then…” The Novaarian looked to ALF for a better explanation.
“I’m still analysing all the data from the subconducer, so I can't tell right now if we moved or the universe moved but, either way, it was you who transported us from one world to the next. This is Hadrok, Kalian. You brought us to Hadrok…”
Kalian’s mind stumbled over every word that came out of ALF’s mouth. He had seen Esabelle perform an identical feat with the Rackham once, and she had done it hundreds of times while plugged into the Gommarian, but Esabelle had always been on a different level to Kalian. How could he have moved them, not only from one planet to another but from one solar system to another?
“I know what you’re thinking,” ALF commented. “Distance is a relative thing outside of this dimension. You’ll understand this more, in time.”
“And the surgery?”
ALF explained, “When you displaced everything, it appears you didn't quite move all your organs into the right place. I've found a few similar problems throughout my ship, but it’s nothing catastrophic.”
Kalian turned back to the landscape outside and passed through the threshold. The light of two suns beat down on him and the breeze blew through his hair. He reached down and stroked his hand across the red grass, touching the soil beneath. This was the planet where it all began, he thought. Had Savrick picked any other planet to hide on, the civil war would never have happened, the Tempest would never have been sent to seed Earth and the human race, as it was now, would never have existed.
“Why here?” he asked.
ALF shrugged. “I believe your mind was aware of the Shifters and you chose somewhere you felt was safe.”
“How could I think Hadrok is safe? I've never been here.”
“No… but Savrick has, and once upon a time, he thought Hadrok would be a safe place. Clearly, it's a thought that's still lodged inside your mind.” ALF shot Kalian a disapproving look.
Kalian ignored the AI and closed his eyes, thankful to feel a real breeze against his face. “This isn't the Hadrok I've seen in his memories.”
ALF casually strolled out into the light. “Well, a couple hundred millennia will do that to a planet. Perhaps this world will one day support intelligent life. A new Terran Empire…”
Kalian sighed heavily. “I'm not sure the universe needs another Terran Empire.”
ALF looked down on him, inquisitively. “No? Then what does it need?”
Kalian looked to the horizon, having considered that question before. “Something new. Something better…”
Naydaalan joined them outside. “With the help of your people, I believe the Conclave can be made into something better. Through our unity.”
“Speaking of unity...” ALF stood aside, leaving a clear view of the subconducer. “The only way we will reunite with the Conclave is if you practice. You need to learn that jumping from one system to another is no different than jumping from one side of the galaxy to the other.”
Kalian shook his head. “Before we do anything else, I need to see it.”
ALF frowned. “See what?”
“The cube. The one you’ve been using to spy on them and us. I can feel it inside there.” Kalian nodded his chin at the ship. “You said you gutted it, but I can feel it, like a cancer inside of you.”
ALF appeared to mull this over, before nodding once and entering his housing unit. The AI looked up, silently signalling the ship to present the cube. Kalian could feel the different mechanisms shifting and the cube being pulled from its compartment. It was clear from the moment it reached the light that the cube wasn't as it had been. Its golden sheen had been stained black and the sides had been pried open and its interior gutted, with two of its corners broken away and the intricate patterns scraped to nothing. ALF’s housing unit was plugged into it from every angle, taking advantage of the sub-space communicator built into its heart.
“I can feel the nanocelium inside it,” Kalian said. “Some of it still belongs to the Vanguard.”
“I'm afraid it must, or the link to the other cubes is useless.”
Kalian looked to Naydaalan before asking ALF, “What’s happening there now, in the Conclave?”
“My connection to the Conclave has been fractured. I was using the cube Protocorps installed into the central AI to spy on all Conclave matters. Since that has been destroyed, I am limited to the three new cubes, sent by the Vanguard after your encounter with Malekk. They are observing the Conclave from the safety of their Starforges, but even their observation has been stunted.”
Kalian nodded along. “Any details? Has Malekk made a move?”
ALF gave Kalian a hard look. “Training should be your priority.”
Kalian replied with a mirthless laugh. “You of all people should understand the power of motivation.”
“I fear your motivation died with Li’ara…” ALF said in a quieter tone.
Kalian felt the lump in his throat and the pit in his stomach prevent him from responding. Since arriving in the Terran Empire, the thought of Li’ara had been suppressed by one hostile encounter after another. Her loss hit him all over again, as it often brought him down in waves. They had been bonded not only by their survival of Earth and Century’s destruction but also by his Terran abilities, which had brought them together in a way no human could imagine. Kalian had often felt that Li’ara was an extension of himself.
The thought of her, or t
he thought of her dying, had given him strength when he should have faltered. With Li’ara, he was always stronger.
“She would want me to keep fighting, for them…” Kalian could never shake the responsibility he felt for the surviving humans.
“Then you have a hundred thousand more reasons to fight for,” ALF said.
Indeed, the lives of all those aboard the Paladin would inevitably find their way onto Kalian’s shoulders. He only wished Li’ara could be there to keep him strong.
Chapter 20
Roland lounged in his captain’s chair, with his feet resting on the console. Ch’len had disappeared into the ship, either in search of food or something to do with the engine - Roland didn't care which. Sef was doing a typical Terran/Gomar thing and meditating in the hold. For beings who could do almost anything, they sat on their ass a lot with their eyes closed. The bounty hunter could think of a thousand things he would do with their power. They mostly involved blowing stuff up and drinking alcohol though…
Li’ara sat at the front of the ship, on one of the unused consoles, with her feet perched on the chair. Her view wasn't exactly spectacular, as they had entered the system housing the secret planet, but had chosen to use thrusters from a certain distance, unsure of the defensive measures that may have been set up. If they had emerged from sub-space too close to the world in question, they ran the risk of setting off any alarms. The planet in question was a dot the size of Roland’s little fingernail.
“He’s gonna’ be all kinds of pissed when he finds out that you’ve been alive all this time. Like really pissed.” Roland picked up another bottle, eyeing the distance to the planet and deciding he had plenty of time.
“Kalian will understand,” Li’ara replied flatly.
Getting a rise out of her was half the fun.
“He damn near killed me when I got back from the capital, you know. Blamed me for letting you get yourself killed. So did I though, so…” Roland didn't mind thinking about all the people he had killed trying to discover the truth about Li’ara - they were all faceless aliens who all deserved what they got.
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