Ria's Visions (Hearts of ICARUS Book 6)

by Laura Jo Phillips

  “What?” Vari asked, looking up from the report she was reading. She’d been waiting so long for Dr. Michael’s report on the Doftles’ remains and it had finally come in just that morning. She was fully engrossed in it, so it took a moment for Nia’s words to register.

  “Outside the ship, in space, there’s a Doftle ship,” Nia said, looking as close to panic as Vari thought a shadow person could. “I saw it when I was coming back from the Beacon. It’s just sitting there. When I went to the bridge it didn’t seem like anyone noticed it. I think they might be using that blind thing I’ve heard you talk about.”

  “Blind Sight?” Vari asked, already on her feet and heading for the door.

  “Yes, that’s it. We’re going straight at them and they’re not moving at all. I think they’re waiting for us to get closer.”

  Vari pulled her hand terminal from its holster and tapped quickly at the keys. While waiting for Declan to answer she hurried out of the master suite and jogged up the corridor with Nia floating beside her. Declan’s image appeared on the tiny screen as he accepted the call.

  “Vari?” he asked, clearly startled by the expression on her face.

  “Activate Blind Sight, Declan, hurry,” she said without slowing down. “Then immediately change position, and tell the Beacon and the Hilgaria to do the same. I’ll explain when I get there.”

  She wasn’t sure if he caught her last sentence because he was already issuing orders to do what she’d said. After returning the hand terminal to her belt she yanked the stairwell door open and began racing up the stairs. The ship lurched sideways and for a moment she wasn’t sure if they’d been attacked, or if it had been the ship making a sudden course change. Either way she continued to run up the stairs as fast as she could make her legs move.

  A seemingly endless number of stairs later she pulled open a stairwell door and ran toward the bridge. She was almost there when she saw Declan, Jay and Kai exit the bridge and hurry toward her.

  “We’ve done as you asked,” Declan said, forestalling her questions. “Are you all right?”

  “Yes, just a little winded,” Vari replied, panting. “Nia just told me that she can see a Doftle ship straight ahead of wherever we were before I asked you to change course. She said they weren’t moving and she thought they were waiting for us to get closer.”

  “Demii,” Declan breathed, turning back toward the bridge. “Is there a way for her to tell us, or you, the ship’s location?”

  “Maybe,” Vari said. “I need to think about this for a moment.” Vari looked around the bridge, at the various work stations and screens. She’d been on the bridge before of course, but she didn’t spend a lot of time there. She looked up and saw a large vid screen mounted above the u-shaped viewport that wrapped around the bullet shaped bridge. At the moment the vid screen displayed a view that matched the one seen through the viewport directly in front of them.

  “Nia, can you see the Doftle ship on that screen up there?”

  “Yes,” Nia replied. “Do you want me to show you where it is?”

  “Yes, if you can.”

  Nia thought for a moment, then decided to use the same techniques she’d used as a Nomad. It took a bit more concentration, but finally she found herself rising from the deck toward the giant vid screen. She placed her finger on the Doftle ship that no one else could see.

  “Great, please stay right there,” Vari said, then turned to a vid screen in front of a crewman whose name she didn’t know. “Can you pull up the same image that’s showing on that screen?”

  “Yes, Lady Vari, I can,” the man replied. A couple of seconds later she was looking at a small version of the image Nia floated in front of.

  Declan, Jay and Kai crowded in around the smaller screen as Vari reached out, checked Nia’s position, then tapped the screen. “Here. Nia’s finger is on this exact spot.”

  Declan frowned in thought as he looked at the spot on the screen Vari was pointing to. “It’s too wide of an area, and localizing something on a flat screen just gives us its bearing, not its location in three-dimensional space.”

  “I know,” Vari said. “We’ll have to zoom in several times, and make position changes as well, but it’s the only way I can think of.”

  “I can’t think of another one either, but this’ll work. It’ll just take time.” He gave orders for the screens to zoom in on the spot, then waited for Vari to speak with Nia again.

  “Jay, I know Talon wants to know what’s happening,” Declan said quietly. “Please fill him in, give him our current position and ask him to contact Captain Chou and have both of them reverse course, fall back half a million miles, hold that position and await further orders.” Jay nodded and hurried away just as Vari pointed to another spot on the screen.

  They repeated the procedure twice more, then moved the ship several hundred miles and repeated the whole thing again. When they were finished, Declan smiled.

  “I don’t know how she was able to see the Doftle ship, but we sure are grateful. We would have passed within easy weapons range without even knowing it was there, just like she said.”

  “The question now is, what will we do about it, if anything?” Jay asked.

  Declan nodded. “Indeed, that is the question. If we destroy that ship, the Doftles will soon discover it, detect from the energy signature of our weapons that we’re Jasani, and wonder why we’re traveling through what, for us, is unknown space. On the other hand, they now know we have Blind Sight. Do we allow them to spread that information, if they haven’t done so already?”

  “If we fire at them, they’ll fire back if they get the chance,” Vari warned. “They can’t see us, but they already know we’re nearby. They’re just waiting for us to reveal our position. The risk of them even accidentally hitting one of our ships can’t be ignored. It would jeopardize everything.”

  “I’ll go over there and see if I can learn anything,” Pandora offered. “They’re within my range.”

  “No,” Nia objected. “I can go without risk of detection and they can’t cause me harm.”

  Vari repeated Nia’s offer so everyone could hear it. Then she said, “I don’t want either Pandora or Nia to go over there.” She fell silent, her eyes staring unfocused at nothing while she turned things over in her mind. When two crewmen began talking Declan immediately silenced them with a glare. He understood what Vari was doing and did not want her interrupted.

  Before too long she blinked, then met his gaze. “It’s highly improbable that a Doftle ship would just be sitting here by chance. I think word that we’re seeking Kinah got out, which we expected considering the number of people who knew about it. Since they can’t follow us, they must have ships stationed all along our most probable route.”

  “Why would they care if we return a few women to their home world?” Kai asked.

  “Exactly,” Vari said, surprising all three of them. She waited, knowing they’d get there in just a moment.

  “Zerua gainetik,” Declan said. “You think the Doftle factories are out here.”

  “I think there’s a good chance of it,” Vari said. “That ship out there increases the odds, but it also puts us in an interesting position.”

  “Why do I feel as though interesting isn’t necessarily the same as good?” Kai asked, arching a brow at her.

  “Because you’re a smart man and you know me?”

  Kai snorted. “Yeah, that could be it.”

  “What’s the position, Miraku?” Declan asked.

  “If we destroy that ship, the Doftle will believe it’s because we want our mission to Kinah to remain secret. If we don’t destroy it, they’ll immediately become suspicious, and wonder if we know something they don’t want us to know.”

  “You’re saying we have to destroy the Doftle ship in order to keep them from looking at us, and our motives, too closely,” Declan said.

  “Yes, that’s what I’m saying.” Vari shrugged. “That’s the way the Doftles think, Declan. I know it
’s twisted, but then, so are the Doftles. In addition, they’ll wonder how we spotted a ship hidden by Blind Sight. Maybe that’ll make them a little more cautious about approaching us.”

  “Agreed.”

  “If we fire on that ship, we have to hit them hard and fast before they get a chance to fire back, and we have to destroy it. Is that possible?”

  “Yes, Miraku, it’s possible,” Declan said with a smile she’d never seen before.

  “In that case, I think we have to take this risk in order to avoid a much greater danger later.”

  “You’re the xeno-psychologist and leading expert on all things Doftle, Dr. Lobo,” Declan said, ignoring Vari’s narrowed eyes and slightly bared teeth at the title. “I would never presume to question your opinion on a matter such as this, or ignore your advice. We’ll just have to destroy the damn thing.” Vari rolled her eyes at him, barely managing to restrain a smile.

  “I regret that our Blind Sight is no longer a secret,” Jay said.

  “Only if they’ve already told other ships about it,” Vari said. “But if they have, then they have. We can’t do anything about it one way or the other.”

  “Are we all agreed on our course of action?” Declan asked. Jay and Kai both nodded, then Declan looked to her, which surprised her. Since her tongue seemed to suddenly be tangled into a knot, she just nodded.

  Declan turned to Captain Finch who sat at a console near the center of the bridge. “Captain, lay down a standard salvo, all batteries, centered on the Doftle vessel. Prosecute to destruction.”

  “Prosecute to destruction, aye aye, Commander,” Captain Finch answered.

  Within moments Vari was watching a spectacular display of weapons fire and distant explosions which filled a small area in the near distance with tiny flashes. After a few seconds, one of the tiny flashes blossomed into a brilliant sphere of glowing gas, fading quickly into the blackness.

  A crewman rose from his console and spoke a few quick words into Captain Finch’s ear, then returned to his place. The Captain turned to the Dracon-Bats.

  “Commanders, we are detecting a large amount of debris consistent with the destruction of a Doftle vessel.”

  “Thank you, Captain,” Declan answered.

  Vari started to say something, but the peculiar expression on Pandora’s face stopped her. Declan, Jay, and Kai had seen it before, and knew it heralded a message from the Eternal Pack. They all moved closer to Vari and waited.

  Pandora blinked several times, then shared a look with Vari, who dipped her head in a barely perceptible nod. Pandora looked at Kai, then Jay, before settling her gaze on Declan.

  “The Elder Pack sends this message: You have done well to come this far, but the path that lies before you is more dangerous than anything you’ve yet faced. We of the Eternal Pack will help when we can, but it is yourselves, and each other, that you must trust and rely upon. Even if your plan succeeds, even if the Doftles are destroyed and their threat removed for all time, there is no guarantee that you will see the Thousand Worlds again.”

  “Well, that’s a cheery vote of confidence,” Kai said after a moment.

  “All that really means is don’t get cocky,” Vari said.

  “Are you sure?” Jay asked doubtfully.

  “I can’t be absolutely positive, but I’m as sure as I can be. Don’t forget how old the Eternal Pack is. Or that I’ve been listening to and deciphering their messages since I was five. They have a different way of thinking than we do, and a different way of speaking.”

  Jay, Declan, and Kai exchanged doubtful looks that Vari didn’t notice. Then they smiled and nodded, but said nothing.

  ***

  Talon, Thorn, and Tee watched along with everyone else on the bridge of the Hilgaria as a small point in the blackness of space before them suddenly filled with tiny flashes of light.

  “Weapons fire,” someone announced unnecessarily.

  “Yes, but what are they firing at?” Talon asked tensely. “And why? That’s our job. The Bihotza isn’t supposed to be taking this risk.”

  “I’m sorry, Talon, sensors indicate the Bihotza is firing at empty…,” Tee stopped speaking when the screen lit up. A moment later the light vanished, leaving behind a large field of debris.

  “What just happened?” Thorn asked, voicing the question everyone on the bridge was thinking.

  Before Talon could ask Thorn to open the ship to ship channel again, the comm officer announced an incoming message from Commander Kai.

  To everyone’s relief Kai explained what had happened, though he didn’t say how they’d managed to spot a Doftle ship while it was using Blind Sight. Since this was an open channel between the bridges of all three ships, Talon didn’t ask. He had a much better understanding of the Doftles and the dangers they posed now, so as much as he wanted an answer, it would have to wait. He made a mental note to talk to Declan about installing a separate secure channel between the Bihotza and the Hilgaria. He couldn’t protect this fleet with blinders on and his hands tied behind his back.

  “Commander Kai,” Captain Chou said when Kai was finished speaking. “Our chief science officer would like to collect some of the debris.”

  “How much time will you need?”

  “Not long, Commander,” she replied. “Once the external collectors are activated they’ll pick up whatever comes close enough for them to suck in as long as it’s not biological. We just need to move closer to the debris field.”

  “Very well, Captain Chou. We’ll maintain position until you’re finished, but make it quick please. We’d like to get as far from here as we can before more Doftle ships show up.”

  “Aye, Commander,” Captain Chou replied, then signed off.

  ***

  Ria walked along the quiet corridor toward the Beacon’s science lab, wondering why Dr. Kannon had requested that she come today instead of Thursday as usual. Not that she minded, especially since it was Wednesday. Coming to the Beacon instead of hiding from the Katres wasn’t a hardship.

  She opened the door and stepped into the science lab, looking around for Dr. Kannon. Aside from her absence, Ria wasn’t surprised to find the lab empty. There wasn’t anything for most of the people aboard the Beacon to do. Once they reached Kinah that would change, of course, but there was no telling how long that would take.

  A muffled knocking sound caught Ria’s attention and she looked up to see Dr. Kannon waving at her from inside the Level 9 Bio-Lab. Dr. Kannon made it clear with a few gestures that she wanted Ria to join her. Since Ria had never been inside the heavily armored and shielded room before, she was mildly curious.

  She put on goggles and gloves as required, then she stepped into the air-lock. As the decontamination system passed over her, she wondered why Dr. Kannon was in the Bio-Lab, and why she was being asked to join her. She probably didn’t feel like coming up with anything sciencey to do with me today so decided to give me a tour instead.

  The air-lock door opened and Ria stepped forward into the room. Dr. Kannon was human, looked to be in her mid-thirties even though Ria knew she was three times that age, and was generally good natured, kind, and more prone to smiling than not. But the grinning, wide eyed expression on Dr. Kannon’s face surprised her. She looks like that weird smiling cat in the story with the funny potions. Cheesey Cat? Chester Cat? It’s kind of creepy.

  “Good morning Ria,” Dr. Kannon said brightly.

  “Good morning Dr. Kannon. What’s got you so excited today?”

  “The debris, of course,” Dr. Kannon replied cryptically.

  “Debris?”

  “Oh, you don’t know, silly me,” Dr. Kannon said, speaking so fast Ria had a hard time understanding her. “A few days ago, when the Doftle ship was destroyed, we collected some of the debris.”

  “What’d you find?”

  “All sorts of things, though most of it was ordinary and not worth keeping.”

  “But not all of it?” Why do I feel like I’m conducting an interrogation here
? Dr. Kannon, where were you on the night of the 23rd and do you own a powder blue Zarpeth-wool sweater?

  “No, not all of it,” Dr. Kannon agreed, her smile even wider now. “We retrieved four rather large blobs of liquid metal. Are you familiar with that substance?”

  “I know what it is, I know it’s mined on Garza, and I know the Doftles use it to make Controllers. That’s it.”

  “Up until about ten months ago, or maybe it was eleven? How long since we left Jasan?”

  “Sixteen and a half weeks,” Ria replied without having to think about it.

  “Thank you,” Dr. Kannon said. “So, up until about thirteen months ago we didn’t know that liquid metal existed in a natural state. We thought it was an alloy, though we were never able to break it down into identifiable components. We had very little of the substance to work with, so much of what we learned was guesswork. Educated guesswork, but still, guesswork.”

  Dr. Kannon paused and glanced at Ria with an arched brow. At least this is familiar, though I wish she had a Slow button. Ria nodded to indicate she was following.

  “The Jasani Clan Council and ICARUS have been working with the raw material straight from the mines on Garza for months,” Dr. Kannon continued. “We’ve learned a lot about it, but there’s still very little in the actual structure and operation of the nano-bots the Doftles create that we’ve been able to identify and study. If these large blobs are made up of nano-bots, it’s a truly amazing find for all of us.”

  Ria followed Dr. Kannon to a steel table bolted to the floor in the center of the room. Dr. Kannon pulled the cover off of a large, transparent metal container half filled with silvery liquid.

  “That’s liquid metal?”

  “It is,” Dr. Kannon replied. “I’ve determined that much so far. What I don’t know is if it’s raw ore, or Controllers, or some other kind of liquid metal based processor elements that we haven’t yet run into.”

  “Why not?” Ria asked. Dr. Kannon arched that brow at her. “I mean, why not put some of it in the analyzer or under a scope to see what it is?”