Despite the fact Carson was still looking at her, expecting a reply, she suddenly turned her attention to her left hand. Even though it was covered by one of her black gloves, she turned it around, considering it intently.
‘What is it?’ He whispered, despite the fact they were very much alone.
‘Nothing, 20 kilometers? One night? Okay, I guess we can make it.’
He considered her with pursed lips, and maybe he was about to point out that fitness was a necessary ingredient to a successful cadet. But he didn’t say anything. Instead, he regarded his scanner again. ‘Hey, if we’re lucky, maybe we don’t even have to go into town. I mean, the bridge could be anywhere, right?’
He was clearly trying to cheer her up, and she offered him a smile, even though she didn’t exactly feel any better.
‘Speaking of which, how are we going to know when or if we find a bridge between dimensions? I mean, is it going to be obvious? Is it going to be like that time gate? Is everything going to be floating around it?’ Carson asked again.
It wasn’t the first time he had voiced this question. If their whole mission to the past was to find a dimensional bridge, then they jolly well had to know how to identify one.
But the problem was, no matter how many times Carson questioned her, she didn’t have an answer for him.
The entity was too tired to tell her anything, and would only communicate with her or through her when it absolutely had to. Apart from that, it appeared that Nida and Carson were on their own.
She smiled at him glumly, and it caused him to sigh loudly and heavily.
‘Great, I don’t know what I’m looking for, have no idea whether it’s even in this time zone, and we have no idea whether running the risk of going to that city is worth it.’
She wanted to reach a hand out and pat his shoulder, but she restrained herself.
He always looked strangely intense whenever she touched him. Or, rather, she always felt strangely intense whenever she touched him.
Which was stupid, when she paused to think about it. She had already told Alicia that she wasn’t interested in a man like Carson Blake. And, to be perfectly honest with herself, she had to admit that a man like Carson Blake would never, ever be interested in somebody like her. He needed a woman who was as determined and capable as he was. He wouldn’t want somebody he had to pick off the floor every time she tripped over her feet, and neither could he possibly harbor romantic intentions for the worst recruit in 1000 years.
Realizing she was distracting herself yet again, she shook her head.
‘Right, in the absence of all other information, I guess we should . . . at least head to that city to check it out. We can be discreet.’ Carson furrowed his brow with determination, but his lips were still drawn thin with worry. Both moves cancelled each other out, and simply left him seeming unsure of himself. Then his eyes sparked with a sudden realization. ‘We should also try to find out and amass as much information about the Vex as we can. I mean, the entity said that this planet is very close to its dimension. It said the space and time around here are affected by that proximity,’ he brought his free hand up to gesture to the rolling meadow and the dust above. ‘If that’s the case, then maybe the Vex have noticed this,’ his voice became hesitant as he clearly tried to describe a complex concept, ‘I mean, if your planet sat on the edge of a dimensional rift, I’m sure somebody would eventually notice something strange.’
‘What are you saying?’
‘I’m saying, that, just maybe, the Vex know more about the dimensional bridge and the time gates than we do.’
‘You mean, you think they know where the other time gates are?’ Her eyebrows crumpled in disbelief.
‘I’m saying they could, and even if they don’t know where exactly, I’m saying we can amass as much as they do know, and go through it ourselves. We can’t discount the collective observations of the people of this planet, both in the present and the past. They’ve been living on this planet for god knows how long, and we need to take their observations and experiences into account. It will help us to develop a more complex model of what the dimensional rift looks like. And if we can build up enough information, we might be able to make predictions about where the bridge has moved to.’
It sounded logical . . . but it also sounded flimsy. She didn’t want to point that out to him though, as he appeared so excited by the news. So instead she tried to smile encouragingly, but as she did, she uncontrollably clutched onto her left hand.
Not for the first time, she wanted the entity back, which was incredible, considering what it had put her through. From the dreams, to the accidents with telekinetic objects, to what it had done to the Barbarians.
. . . .
She couldn’t deny she had this yearning for it to return. It was such a calming presence. It would also know what to do. Or at least she hoped it would. Or maybe it wouldn’t. For if it knew exactly where the dimensional bridge had moved to, presumably it would have sent Carson and her to that exact point in time. It wouldn’t have bothered with all of this. Which meant, unfortunately, that even if or when the entity returned in full, they wouldn’t be able to rely on it.
‘What are you thinking about?’ Carson asked her, and she realized she had withdrawn into a lengthy and pointed silence.
She shook her head, pushing her bright white fringe from her eyes and locking it behind her ears. ‘That I wouldn’t mind a really big bowl of pasta with butter, soya sauce, garlic, and cheese,’ she lied.
Carson considered her strangely, then smiled. Widely.
In fact, the smile easily took over his whole face, pushing his cheeks into his eyes, and opening them wide. ‘That sounds great.’
‘It is good,’ she said, chuckling as she did. Then she told him exactly how to make it, and it was a fittingly comforting distraction.
‘Okay, when we get back to the Academy, and we will,’ he said determinedly, ‘you can make it for me.’
She spluttered. ‘You mean you would actually eat food that I’ve cooked?’ She patted her chest.
Though he looked cheeky when he’d said she could make him the dish, now he paused.
‘I mean, considering I’m so clumsy. Who knows what I would put in the pasta.’
She enjoyed his crumpled expression, and gave a soft laugh.
‘I guess that’s a good point, considering you made us eat strange silver powder from a foil packet earlier today,’ he conceded.
‘You were the one who ate it first.’
‘I guess I was, but anyhow, I think I’m game enough to try your cooking,’ he managed through another grin.
She liked it when he grinned. It made things seem less serious, or if not less dramatic as a whole, then more manageable.
‘You know, if I cook for you, you’re going to have to do my homework for me,’ she suddenly announced.
He coughed loudly. ‘I’m a full lieutenant of the Galactic Coalition Academy, and I cannot be bribed.’
‘I’d put a lot of cheese and garlic on your pasta,’ she tried.
He put his hands up. ‘And it’s a deal. I’ll do all of your homework for you. When we get back to the Academy,’ he added in a quieter tone.
When they got back to the Academy.
And that was a big if.
Even if they could somehow manage to find the bridge and release the entity back to its own dimension . . . Nida wasn’t entirely sure what would happen next.
Though she’d heard the entity promise Carson that once it left her she would be fine, she wasn’t so sure.
She didn’t know what it would feel like to have the entity leave her, and as soon as she considered that possibility, she felt like shaking.
The mere mention of having it removed was like having her life cut short.
For the next several hours, they walked in relative silence. After some time, Carson returned the scanner to his belt, fixing it inside a leather pouch. On the opposite side of his hip was another leather pouch that h
eld his gun. Even though they both agreed it was a serious risk bringing the gun along, Carson had decided not to leave it behind. In his own words, he wanted to be armed.
The closer they neared the city, the more fearful she became.
The more she clutched her left hand too. She pressed the fingers together, or clutched it into a fist, or rubbed her palm against her implant.
She was beyond nervous.
Though it had been a slow build up, she could no longer deny the fact this was really happening.
Soon they would become acquainted with the Vex.
A race that would eventually be totally and utterly destroyed. For she had stood on this planet before, far in the future, when it had been nothing more than a dust bowl filled with rubble and nothing else.
Nobody knew what had happened to the Vex, in fact, nobody had known what the race that had once lived on Remus 12 had been called, but suddenly their history became very important to her.
Had they been obliterated by a spatial anomaly? Had another alien race conquered them only to strip the planet bare, and leave them with nothing but dirt and stone? Or had they done this to themselves?
All of the possibilities were equally as frightening. What was far more frightening, however, was that Nida got the sudden impression that she would eventually find out.
Possibly first hand.
Shuddering slightly but trying to hide it by shrugging her arms around herself, she took a step closer to Carson.
Somehow that made everything feel better, if only slightly.
But right now she would take slightly.
Chapter 5
Carson Blake
They were nearing the city. Worse than that though, they would soon run into Vex.
He had set his scanner to warn him whenever it detected the nearby presence of a Vex, and as it sent a silent but perceptible vibration through the belt he wore and into his hip, he knew one was close.
He instinctively drew closer to Nida, and as she looked up questioningly, he angled his head to the side.
She clearly understood, and her wide, completely black eyes stared back at him, her surprise and fear obvious.
Though he wanted to grab her hand and tell her they would be fine, he didn’t. Instead, he whispered, ‘stay quiet, don’t say anything, and we will just walk past them.’
She gave a nod, swallowed, blinked, and kept walking.
Before they had left the building the time gate had dumped them in, Carson had spent a pressured half hour isolating certain aspects of his armor. It had been a particularly hard task considering he hadn’t had many tools, but he’d managed what he’d needed to.
Considering how heavy and sophisticated his armor was, it had a very powerful on-board computer. Usually that computer was set to the task of analyzing battlefields, tracking the incoming direction and velocity of projectiles, and generally helping him out in combat. But it could also be used as a translator, if one had the need of such a thing.
Incoming language would be picked up by the processor, translated using available models, and relayed through the helmet in Standard Galactic Dialect. Then, whatever the wearer said into the helmet would be translated in a synthesized voice.
Well, Carson couldn’t exactly walk around with his helmet on. But he had managed to isolate an aspect of his helmet and its processor, and he now wore it discreetly behind his ear. It connected directly to his auditory nerve, and would relay instantaneous translations of everything he heard.
But that was it. It would not be able to help him reply. If he wanted to reply in the language of the Vex, he would have to put his whole helmet on, and that wasn’t an option.
Which was, frankly, terrible. If anyone tried to engage him in conversation, he would just have to brush them off.
Feeling instantly sick and nervous, he clutched a hand into a fist as the scanner vibrated against his leg again, warning him that a Vex was close.
Then he saw it and heard it. Out of the darkness the form of a large, broad-shouldered humanoid resolved, and the man came lumbering forward, towards Carson and Nida.
Nida stiffened by Carson’s side, and she suddenly clutched her left palm hard against her stomach, hiding it with her right hand, even though both were covered in the black gloves. The blue glow could not penetrate the fabric, but that did not stop her from trying to tuck her left hand away under the bulk of her skirt.
He wanted to tell her it was okay, but he couldn’t afford to speak.
The male Vex walked towards them, its ridged, spotted face crumpling into an expression he assumed was mild confusion.
‘Welcome, strangers,’ the man said.
Carson just nodded. He had no idea whether a nod was a sign of deference in this culture, or a pledge that you would kill a man and the rest of his family. But the move was instinctual.
The Vex did not suddenly scream out in bloodcurdling rage and rush Carson, instead his lips crumpled to the side in clear confusion. Or, at least clear confusion for a human. ‘It’s quite late to be taking a Bride of the Sun out for a walk, isn’t it?’
Bride of the Sun? What the heck did that mean?
While the on-board processor of his armor could translate the Vex language, it could not yet account for cultural references. Its database just wasn’t big enough. So Carson had no clue what Bride of the Sun was, but he could assume the man was referring to Nida.
Incapable of replying, Carson merely shrugged his shoulders, feeling ridiculous as he did.
Though the man had been walking past, now he slowed and stopped. ‘Where are you two travelers from? And where are you headed? The gates to Vatron are already closed.’
Carson nodded again. He assumed Vatron was the name of the city he was headed for.
The man looked even more confused now. ‘Is there something wrong with your tongue?’
Yes, it was a human tongue, Carson wanted to answer, but of course he didn’t. Instead, he shrugged his shoulders again. He felt exactly like a surly, apathetic teenager, and nothing like a lieutenant in the Galactic Coalition Academy.
Though the man had appeared initially friendly, his gaze now narrowed and darkened as it swung between Carson and Nida.
Instinctively Carson took a step forward and stood in front of her.
‘Why are you two out so late travelling alone? And where is her priestess? If you two intend to ask permission to be wed, realize that the customs of this region dictate you are to be chaperoned until permission is granted.’
Oh, great. Fantastic. He was breaking cultural laws, and it was the first Vex he’d met.
With absolutely no other way to communicate, Carson shrugged again.
The man started to growl.
Carson did the only thing he could think of. Brutal, but necessary. He reached around to his holster, getting ready to pull his gun out. He could set it to a nonlethal charge, and simply knock the man out, and then he could escape with Nida.
It was the only way.
But before he got the chance, Nida stepped out from behind him. ‘We already have permission, and yes, we are heading to Vatron,’ she said, except she didn’t speak in the Standard Galactic Dialect. She spoke in the language of the Vex.
She also didn’t speak in her own voice. He could hear the control of the entity.
He swallowed hard.
‘I see. Why is your friend so non communicative?’ The man asked, some of his suspicion disappearing, but not all of it.
‘He is a man of few words,’ she answered bluntly. And as she did, she stepped backwards, picking up his right hand, and holding onto it fast with her left hand.
In fact, she held onto it very, very tightly.
Her palm covered his, and her fingers curled around until they dug heavily into his device.
With a tiny thrill of energy, he felt something cascade into it.
Then he spoke, in perfect Vexian, ‘my fiancée and I are headed to the city, you are correct. Forgive us, we are not from these parts, and
we are wary travelers.’
The man looked mildly insulted, then gave a chuckle, shaking his shoulders. ‘Where are you from then? The Darg province?’ As the man spoke, his tone became derisive and slightly vicious.
‘No,’ Carson said simply.
‘It was just a joke; you don’t look like Dargs. But I’m afraid, as I said before, the city gates are closed. You will have to find somewhere to wait out the night. There is an inn nearby,’ he began.
‘What time will the gates open again?’ Nida asked, her tone wavering slightly, the effect of the entity only partially present now.
‘Not until morning. You will have to keep yourselves amused until then,’ the man said with something that looked suspiciously like a leer.
Carson didn’t need the guy to paint a picture to understand what he meant by ‘amused’.
‘Tell me, stranger, how does a simple man, such as yourself, take a Bride of the Sun?’
Carson didn’t like the question and he didn’t like the look the man gave Nida.
Suddenly shooting the guy was on the cards again, and Carson let his hand rest by the large leather pouch that held his gun.
‘Thank you for all your assistance and advice,’ Carson managed through clenched teeth, ‘but we must be going. We have a long walk ahead of us tonight.’ With Nida’s hand still covering his own, he led her forward.
‘Don’t be so hasty. As I told you, I know of an inn nearby. And trust me, you will be a popular man if you bring a Bride of the Sun,’ the man smirked.
Carson really, really didn’t like that smirk, but he hated the fact he had no idea what the man meant even more.
‘It’s a tempting offer, but we are well rested, and we do have a very long walk ahead of us. We have an appointment in the city early in the morning, and we want to reach there with plenty of time to spare,’ Carson said diplomatically.
‘Friend,’ the man brought his arms up wide, suddenly showing just how powerfully built he was, ‘I cannot let you walk away from this offer.’
Ouroboros- The Complete Series Page 31