Veil of Reality (Cadicle #2): An Epic Space Opera Series

by Amy DuBoff

  Scott tilted his head. “Why would the Bakzen be after him?”

  “Exactly. We all know his potential, but how would the Bakzen know any of that? And why would they care?”

  “Hmm.” Scott crossed his arms and leaned back in the chair.

  “And if Wil’s so important to the TSS and the Bakzen were specifically after him, then why am I still locked out of 72% of the files on the Mainframe that reference the Bakzen?”

  “What?” Scott looked incredulous.

  “I specifically asked Banks for access to all of the Bakzen files, and my clearance went from 7% access to 28%.”

  Cris searched his friend’s face, but saw no sign of deceit. At least he’s not in on it, too. “We have to know all the facts for this mission to be successful.”

  Scott nodded. “I agree. I have no idea why Banks would keep anything from you.”

  Cris shook his head, at a loss for how to channel his frustration. “Neither do I.” But dwelling on unknowns won’t save Wil. Resolute, Cris stood up and stretched. I have to keep moving forward with what I do know. “We should get back.”

  Scott followed Cris to the Command Center. When they arrived, Scott sat down in the First Officer’s chair while Cris remained standing in the center of the room.

  “Bring up a map of Arnca with a list of all the major ports and trade posts,” Cris instructed.

  A slowly rotating planet appeared at the front of the domed room, and it was overlaid with a series of dots and dashes representing landmarks on and above the surface of the planet. He reviewed the map and zoomed in on the holographic projection with his hands. The primary space station was in geosynchronous orbit above a sprawling city in the southern hemisphere.

  “Let’s dock here,” Cris said, highlighting the main space station. “It has a large enough berth, and the city below it is probably our best bet for finding a replacement cell.” He turned around to get a second opinion from Scott.

  “Agreed,” Scott confirmed.

  “I’ll take her over,” Alec said.

  The Vanquish swung around the planet and Alec maneuvered into docking position. Once the clamps had locked onto the hull, Cris used the console next to his chair to contact Engineering.

  “Matt,” Cris said, “meet me by the main gangway. I need your expertise to identify a suitable replacement cell.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  “Let me know right away if anything comes up,” Cris told Scott.

  “Will do. Good luck.”

  Cris waited at the top of the gangway, and once Matt arrived they walked together into the foreign spaceport.

  The port was like many Cris had encountered in his initial travels on the Exler decades before. It was fairly crowded, and the hum of conversation filled the central mall of the station. People dressed in a multitude of clothing styles with a diverse range of physical features made their way through the corridor with purpose. The hall was lined with shops trying to attract patrons with colorful holographic signage and targeted advertising. Such ads picked up on the characteristics of an individual based on the data in each person’s handheld, unless it was blocked like the TSS-issued devices.

  As Cris and Matt navigated through the port, Cris took advantage of the background din to question his Chief Engineer. “Matt, in your opinion, what kind of spatial drive would be needed to travel from Bakzeni Territory without us knowing?”

  Matt looked pensively at the floor. “Well,” he began, still in thought, “it would be more advanced than anything we currently have—anything that I know the TSS has, at least. Theoretically, it would have to navigate without beacons, since a beacon keeps records of any ships locking onto its signal.” He shrugged. “Why do you ask?”

  Cris brushed off the inquiry. “Just curious of what we’re up against.” That’s what I thought. But how is it possible? Independent jump drives are a distant theory—how could the Bakzen be more advanced than the TSS?

  “Are you sure you’re all right, Cris?”

  “Just getting down to business.” When I asked for adventure in my life, this isn’t what I wanted.

  The people in the spaceport appeared to be primarily merchants and freighter captains, which was encouraging to see. Hopefully it indicated that there would be a wider variety of tech for sale. The crowd kept clear of the duo as they walked through the station, recognizing the distinctive look of an Agent.

  Cris and Matt took a transport shuttle down to the surface of the planet. The passengers traveling with a companion whispered to each other as they stared at Cris. He was used to the attention from his travels with Kate and barely noticed.

  They were let off the transport near the center of a completely enclosed city. After taking a moment to get oriented, Cris stepped out into the crowd first, gesturing for Matt to follow. “Stay close,” he called over the commotion of the other Tarans passing down the street.

  “I will. This place is packed,” Matt shouted back.

  They passed several shops displaying promising equipment, but Cris went by them all. Eventually, he spotted a defunct storefront tucked in a hollow between two especially tall buildings.

  Matt looked at the shop with distaste. “Here? Really?”

  “Trust me. I know how to pick the shops, but finding the right part is all on you.”

  Once inside, Matt’s initial skepticism was set to rest after a quick glance at the contents of the shop. The walls and the pedestals seemingly placed at random around the room boasted an impressive collection of engines, generators and other such devices. At the sound of the door closing, the storekeeper came forward from a back storage room. He said something in what Cris took to be an Arncan dialect.

  Cris responded in the galactic standard language, “Can you speak New Taran?”

  “Yes, of course,” the storekeeper responded in New Taran, if a bit muddled. “May I help you?” He was tall and slim, and he wrung his hands compulsively. Though he bore resemblance to his Taran heritage, like many of the people in the colonies that far from Tararia, the Arncans had taken on distinctive features to suit their planet. His skin was dark and his dark eyes seemed especially large.

  “We need a power distribution cell for the spatial jump drive of a TSS ship. Or something that we could adapt to our technology,” Matt said.

  The storekeeper assessed them before responding. “You an Agent?” he asked Cris.

  Cris nodded.

  “I thought so,” the shopkeeper said, eying him. “Yes, I have a cell. But such a rare item comes at a high price.” Unknown to Cris and Matt, but well known to Arnca’s neighbors, Arncans were highly regarded for their bartering prowess.

  Matt looked to Cris.

  Cris shrugged. “What do you have to offer?”

  The storekeeper grinned. “Right this way.”

  He led Cris and Matt deeper into the shop. They wove their way to the back left corner of the store, which was much larger than Cris had thought. Maybe there really will be something we can use.

  The storekeeper stopped and stood aside, displaying his merchandise. The cell, if it could be called that, looked ancient. “It’s from a TSS ship that crashed here many years ago. I got it in an auction. It’s the only TSS cell on Arnca.”

  It didn’t even take a telepathic probe for Cris to know the shopkeeper’s statement was genuine.

  Matt scrutinized the cell. “Would that ship by any chance be the Infinity?”

  The Arncan nodded, seeming disinterested by the detail.

  Matt took a breath. “All this time she was presumed lost in subspace after her test flight.”

  The shopkeeper perked up with sudden interest. “A rare artifact?” His large eyes gleamed.

  Cris wracked his memory for the TSS history he’d learned in classes years before. Stars, of course! The Infinity… Could it really be? The TSS Infinity was designed to test a new spatial jump drive that operated with no waste material—reacting directly with the tiny particles in the vacuum of space as a power source. It
s design for efficient long-duration travel was the prototype for the modern jump drives on all TSS ships. Cris admired the somewhat neglected cell. “Matt, will this work?” We can’t delay.

  The engineer eyed the pronged ends of the cell—three prongs, rather than the five used with current drives. “It will take some adaptation, but it should get the job done.” He pulled Cris aside and murmured, “This is our best chance. The plug-in is all wrong, but this cell will have a higher capacity than anything from a civilian vessel.”

  Cris nodded. “Whatever will get the job done.”

  “Can we test it?” Matt asked the storekeeper.

  “But of course. It is, after all, a historic artifact,” replied the Arncan. “Now, that brings us to the matter of price.”

  The price just quadrupled from whatever it was going to be. “Name your price. We need to get going.”

  “Well, a product such as this, being the only one in my possession, it is difficult for me to part with it.”

  “Name your price,” Cris repeated.

  “That depends,” the storekeeper smiled slyly. “How do you want to pay?” He licked his thin lips.

  “Would an electronic transfer of Standard Credits be agreeable?” Cris asked.

  “Yes, but I would offer a significant discount on physical currency,” the Arncan replied.

  “Whichever is fine,” Cris stated. We have to go back to the ship for testing equipment, anyway.

  The shopkeeper rubbed his hands together. “Let’s see, how about a purchase price of 17,000 credits?”

  Cris gawked at the price for the single cell, but he would gladly give away the entire Sietinen fortune if it meant being back on the hunt for his son. “That’s fi—”

  “How about 4,000?” Matt interjected. “It’s an antique. There aren’t many buyers.”

  “Few buyers, perhaps, but this cell is part of my personal collection. And in such good condition. Maybe 12,000?” The shopkeeper smiled. It was sport.

  Cris picked up on the shopkeeper’s enjoyment. He’ll drag this on as long as possible. “That’s—”

  “How about 6,500?” Matt countered.

  “You drive a hard bargain. The cell means so much to me… But, I suppose for physical payment, I could give you a deal for 7,000.”

  “That’s fine,” Cris said before Matt could counter again. “Agreed.”

  The shopkeeper inclined his head. “Very well.”

  “I’ll come back with your payment and our testing equipment,” Cris told the shopkeeper. He led Scott back to the crowded Arncan street. “You know I could manipulate him into giving us whatever price we wanted, right?” he reminded his friend after they were outside.

  “Oh, right.” Matt looked a little embarrassed. “You Agents and your mind games. So why didn’t you?”

  “Because this is his livelihood. It wouldn’t do well for TSS relations if he felt like we took advantage of him.”

  Matt nodded. “Good point. Always the diplomat.”

  Whether I like it or not. “Let’s just hope the cell works.”

  Once back on the Vanquish, Cris went to check in with the Command Center and Matt headed down to Engineering to prep his crew, their hope renewed.

  Scott, Kari and Alec were waiting in the Command Center, eager to hear Cris’ report. “Well?” they questioned almost in unison when he entered.

  Cris smiled with a hint of disbelief. “We wound up with one of the power cells from the TSS Infinity.”

  The two helm officers stared at him open-mouthed, glancing at Scott who showed a more reserved surprise.

  “You do mean the Infinity?” Alec said. “So, it wasn’t ripped apart in subspace after all. This is really big.”

  “The engineering team will be thrilled,” Kari added.

  Celebrations for another time. “We still need to test the cell, and pay for it,” Cris said. “I’ll be back soon.”

  Cris left the Command Center and went to his quarters. He palmed open a safe tucked into his closet and pulled out credit chips for payment—such physical currency was all but abandoned everywhere except the outermost colonies. Counting the chips, he was reminded of the travels from his youth. Such simpler times.

  He placed the credit chips in a satchel and made his way through the halls toward the gangway. Midway through his trek, Matt approached him.

  “We might have a problem,” Matt called out. He was carrying a metal case and had another bag slung over his shoulder.

  Not something else… “What is it?” Cris asked

  Matt looked grim. “Well, I ran a quick simulation. Our tech is more demanding than the Infinity’s. By a lot more than I anticipated. We’ll have to use the cell at least twice, obviously, and I don’t know if it will hold up.”

  Bomax. “I was worried about that, too.” Cris shook his head. “But, we don’t have another option. We can’t afford the five days to get to the TSS outpost. If we do, it might…”

  Matt picked up on the feeling and offered a reassuring nod. “I think we should just go for it.”

  We could be goners either way. “Do you want to stay here and keep working on the adaptation? I think I remember how to use the tester.” He gestured to the bag over Matt’s shoulder.

  “No, my engineers are already doing everything they can,” Matt said. “Besides, I’ll need to mess around with it to get the tester hooked up to the cell. Those bomaxed prongs.”

  Cris nodded. “All right. Let’s go.”

  They made their way back to the shop. The Arncan storekeeper emerged from the back as soon as they entered. “Ah, you have my payment?” he greeted in New Taran.

  “Yes, but first we need to test the cell,” Matt said, patting the bag slung over his shoulder.

  “I already have it set up for you,” the shopkeeper replied. He ushered them toward a metal workbench set up along one of the side walls, tucked behind a display case.

  The cell sat on the center of the workbench, surrounded by smaller parts that hadn’t found a place on the shelves. It looked even more antiquated since being removed from its display pedestal.

  “Have at it, Matt.” Cris stood back and let his engineer work.

  Matt removed the tester from its bag and examined the clamps that needed to hook onto the cell’s prongs. “I don’t know what the fok the designers were thinking,” he muttered to himself. “Nothing efficient about it.” He grabbed some additional cables from the bag and fiddled with various configurations. Eventually, he settled on a haphazard chain of cables, with the clamps connecting the tester on both ends. “This should be enough to see if it holds a charge…” He flipped on the tester and took a step back.

  Cris followed Matt’s lead and moved further away.

  The cell emitted a low hum and vibrated slightly, rattling the other items on the table. A faint blue glow illuminated either end of the cell near the prongs.

  Matt gave it a minute, then stepped forward and examined the readout on the tester. “It’s a little sluggish, but that’s to be expected after sitting cold for so long. It’s improving with each cycle.”

  “So it’ll work?” Cris asked. We need to get going.

  Matt shrugged. “I can’t say how long it will hold, but it’s a lot better than a dead cell.” He turned off the tester and began packing up the equipment.

  Then it will have to do. Cris turned to the shopkeeper. “Thank you for the chance to examine the equipment. This should settle things.” Cris handed over the credit chips to the shopkeeper.

  The shopkeeper counted the chips and grinned. “Pleasure doing business with you.”

  Cris helped Matt place the cell in the hard carrying case, and they hurried back to Vanquish.

  Matt stopped in the hall at the top of the gangway. “It’ll take some time to rig everything up. Even then, it might not work right away. If I have to troubleshoot, it could take a few more hours.”

  Time we don’t have. Cris nodded. “I understand, just work as quickly as you can. But make sure to d
o a thorough job. I expect to need to make a quick getaway, and we’ll need reliable equipment.”

  Matt looked a little taken aback, being an uncompromising perfectionist at heart. “After the cell is hooked up, there’s still the sixteen-hour initialization sequence to recalibrate the drive.”

  “We can’t wait that long. We have to do a quick start,” Cris insisted.

  Matt looked appalled. “You can’t be serious? The drive is completely cold, and adding to that an antique distribution cell… The entire jump drive could blow!”

  Cris shook his head. “It will be fine. We’ve done it before. Granted, not with an old cell, but it will hold.”

  Matt still looked upset. “Okay,” he conceded. “I’ll get started on those modifications.”

  CHAPTER 4

  Banks felt completely helpless. Six hours had passed since the last contact with the Vanquish and her crew. All attempts to locate the ship through long-range sensors had thus far been unsuccessful, and the breadth of space to search was so expansive that without a specific target area, there was a negligible chance of finding them anytime soon.

  Cris had to be okay. Kate would have said something if she felt he was in distress—she could feel him through their bond, regardless of distance. Banks knew that Cris was perfectly capable of looking out for those under his command, but the lack of contact was still concerning, especially given the imperative mission.

  For the time being, all Banks could do was stare at the viewscreen on his office wall as the scanners continued to search for any ships with a signal remotely close to that of the Vanquish.

  Banks was pulled from his thoughts when Arron Haersen barged into his office. Banks had never particularly liked the Mission Coordinator, but they maintained a cordial enough working relationship. Haersen was opinionated and defensive on his best days—others joked it was due to his small stature—but he had a knack for finding solutions that no one else saw. Though his CR was low for a Sacon Agent, his exceptional management skills were what made him excel in his position.