The Valteran Ascension (A Paradox of Time Book 1)

by Mara Amberly

  “I’m afraid there isn’t,” Eric replied. “There might be some simple way I haven’t thought of yet, but I think I’m going to have to risk it. I know I’m still around in the future, or at least a future, so that bodes well for the fact I’ll succeed.”

  “I remember you told me before that you’d come back later and leave yourself something. Couldn’t you do that to leave yourself some means of breathing underwater?”

  Eric smiled gratefully at Cora. “You’re incredibly smart, you know that? Well beyond your time. I could, and I will if I have to, but every time I do that I have to travel back in time. I don’t have that gear on the ship, so it would mean multiple time jumps.”

  “Your life’s on the line though? That’s a good reason to.”

  “Oh, you’d be surprised how often it is,” he reassured her.

  “I’ll take that crowbar with me,” he said. “After I dive down, row the boat toward the shore. It doesn’t need to go far. Just enough I won’t bump the ship into it.”

  “Do you really think you’ll be able to get it working?” she asked.

  “To surface? Yes. Work? That’s another matter,” he replied.

  Eric took the crowbar from her, and then released a deep breath. He breathed in, filling his lungs, and dived down under the water. He hoped he was right and the future was waiting for him, because if he was wrong then it didn’t bear thinking about.

  He followed the rope down and aimed the light from his wrist device in the direction of the panel. It wasn’t quite where he expected it to be; the rope must have been swept about by currents under the loch. He was about to surface instead when he spotted it and swam directly over to the hatch. This was it. All or nothing.

  Eric swam through the hatch opening and pulled it closed behind him. The ship seemed well-preserved, though hardly pristine now that it was fully submerged in the dark water of the loch. A red light shone overhead, which informed Eric the hatch wasn’t sealed. He was getting desperate for air now, so he pulled harder on the hatch. A long, painful second passed, and then the light flashed green.

  The water drained away and at the same moment the lights came on. The white light seemed harsh and bright in his eyes, but more importantly, there was much-needed air. Eric released the breath he’d been holding for too long and breathed in deeply. He hit the button for the inner door and was going to drop the crowbar, but he realised he might need it yet.

  Eric was dripping water as he ventured into the ship’s cargo area, which still held sealed crates marked with the symbol for Valteran Security. Their contents would be detailed in the cargo manifest, but it was the last thing on his mind at present. The ship had finished a run to the Derios Sector before he left for Earth.

  He hurried up metal stairs to a corridor, which he knew led into Engineering. There had been serious issues there and the air on board might still be contaminated. He quickly checked his wrist device and detected some low-level chemical contamination and a slight rise in radiation levels, but nothing dangerous. The levels had died down greatly since he’d last been aboard. This is strange…

  He wondered now if he’d returned to the ship earlier in the timeline and made repairs because the damage wasn’t as bad as he thought.

  Leaving Engineering for the moment, he climbed the stairs up to the cockpit. His old mentor had called it the bridge, but the ship wasn’t all that big, with the exception of the cargo bay. It ran best with a three-person crew, but one person could pilot it successfully alone if they didn’t try anything fancy.

  The Equinox looked much the same as it had when he’d left it, but fine dust covered just about everything. He knew it couldn’t have got into the ship from outside, so it must’ve been a product of the environment. The cockpit held two seats for the pilot and co-pilot, a view screen, windows, and a range of consoles, primarily to either side of the seats, and between them. He could see the dark water outside and the occasional fish darting by.

  He knew Cora would be worried about him; afraid that he might’ve suffocated. If he left it too long, she’d probably come looking for him and he didn’t want to risk her being hurt when he brought the ship to the surface.

  Eric put down the crowbar and climbed into the pilot’s seat, activating the manual controls. There were things they couldn’t do – the ship wasn’t capable of flying at present – but he could switch off the ship’s manual anchoring so it would surface.

  He’d expected the movement to be gentler than it was. The ship rose swiftly, and Eric felt the way it bounced when it hit the water’s surface. He could see light through the windows now, though the outside of the glass was filthy, and covered in algae and various plant-life.

  Eric left the ship floating and returned to the hatch. As he swam back out, he saw Cora waiting for him.

  “Oh my goodness!” she said, laughing as she stared at Eric’s ship. “Can you show me inside it? Did you get it working?”

  “I’d be happy to show you around it. No, it’s not working yet but I haven’t had a proper look at it since I got back in. It’s been under the water for a long time and I imagine there are a number of things that need sorting out; weeds in the engines for a start. Let’s get changed into some dry clothes first.”

  Chapter 10

  April 1846 – Aboard the Equinox, Loch Ness, Scotland

  “It’s incredible,” Cora exclaimed as she glanced around the cockpit. “I knew I made the right decision coming with you!”

  “I thought getting kidnapped would put a damper on your enthusiasm for the journey?” Eric asked. “Not to mention all that walking.”

  “It was worth it,” she replied with a grin.

  Eric smiled back; he was chuffed, being back aboard his ship. Hundreds of years had passed for the Equinox, but the ship’s outer hull had remained sealed against the elements.

  “What’s this chair for?” Cora asked as she climbed into the nearest seat. It was the larger and more comfortable-looking of the two.

  “That’s the pilot’s seat. The main controls are accessible from there,” Eric replied.

  It seemed obvious to him, but Cora hadn’t even seen a plane before. They hadn’t been invented yet in her time or even the time frame they were in now. He imagined the sight of his ship would confound the locals if he wasn’t able to adequately mask its presence.

  “I’m going to submerge us again,” Eric told Cora. “Why don’t you move to the other one and I’ll get this ship out of view.”

  It took him a minute, but he lowered the ship down below the water.

  “If anyone saw anything, they’ll probably draw the conclusion it was a sea monster,” he said, grinning.

  “You know what’s strange? I mean, what else?” Cora asked. “I know the ship’s lowering. We can see the water level outside, and yet it doesn’t even seem to shift under my feet.”

  “That’ll be the inertial dampeners,” Eric said.

  “The what?”

  “Inertial dampeners. They counter the effects of acceleration and deceleration to more safely travel through space, especially at great speeds. Even though we’re on Earth and the ship didn’t move that quickly, you felt their influence… by not feeling the movement as much,” he said.

  Cora tried to get her head around that and eventually nodded. “I can see how that would be useful.”

  “Quite right,” he said. “High speeds or an abrupt stop could be deadly without them, but don’t worry, they’re working.”

  “Thanks for taking the time to explain them to me,” she replied gratefully. “So where do we go from here?”

  “I’ll need to check the status of Engineering before I fire up the ship’s engines. C’mon, let’s take a look.”

  She climbed quickly out of the seat, following Eric from the cockpit.

  “So what’s Engineering? I can understand you most of the time but every so often you use a word that means nothing to me.”

  “That’ll be the translator,” he said.

  “
Translator?”

  “There are differences in language between various times and places. Not just whole languages but dialects, slang and acronyms. Most of the words I say are being translated so you can understand them better, through this,” he said, tapping the device on his wrist.

  Eric tried to explain in more detail. “I’m talking normally but it’s being converted to a form you can understand. Some words don’t have an equivalent in your time frame so the word stays the same, and that’s why you don’t understand it.”

  “Interesting,” she said. “So you sound totally different?”

  “My words do. My voice is the same, just as yours is. You might not realise, but I set it to translate for you as well. It will only work within a mile range of the device for you and so far you have been. It’ll work further for me because I have implants in my ears and brain that can carry a signal.”

  “What?” she asked, confused. “That means if we’re separated I might lose the ability to understand anyone?”

  “That depends on where we are. Language evolves over time; you might understand some words, just not well enough to blend in.”

  “So I need to stay close to you?” she asked.

  Eric reasoned that she probably intended to do that anyway. “I was getting to that. I can give you something that will extend the range, in case the unexpected happens.”

  “Like what?” she asked, a little nervously.

  Eric was slow in giving her an answer.

  He ejected a small metal bead from his TSAI and handed it to her. It was like a black pearl, only heavier, as though made of stone.

  “I’m sorry. These are normally worn in a band on your wrist, but I don’t have any with me. If you keep that with you, it will translate for you, as long as you’re on the same planet as my TSAI.”

  She examined it closely in the light. It contained a small hole at the top, perhaps with a method of wearing it in mind.

  “There’s no reason I can’t wear it on a cord?” she asked, cautious of breaking it. “I think I’ll be less likely to lose it that way.”

  “That should be fine,” he said. “It’s waterproof too. It even works in space.”

  It raised a whole myriad of issues for Cora, such as accepting a gift from a man, but she tried to place the situation in context. She needed to be able to understand the people around her, and fend for herself should the worst happen. Therefore, she wasn’t going to decline his offer, much as the lessons of her upbringing urged her to.

  She held it in her hand for the moment, but she would find a means of wearing it soon enough.

  “So Engineering?” she asked.

  “That’s right, Engineering. It contains the main parts of the ship that power it and help it work, as it ideally should.” And currently isn’t, he mused.

  “I think I understand now,” she said.

  Eric knew it was a place where she could learn a lot, though not about the nature of time travel. The temporal systems were housed separately on the ship.

  Eric led her through the corridors of the Equinox and it didn’t take them long to reach Engineering.

  “I should go in first to make sure it’s safe right now,” he told her.

  It sounded gallant, but he was just trying to protect her. As Cora nodded, he entered Engineering, scanning the environment around him.

  Just as they had been before, the radiation, atmosphere and toxin levels were within acceptable levels. That was when he realised he should broaden the range to accommodate humanity as well, so he expanded the parameters on his TSAI 40.

  “Limited cautions available.”

  “Humans can be affected by things that don’t affect my kind as much,” he said. “I didn’t want to miss anything harmful.”

  “That sounds like a good idea,” she replied to him, waiting patiently outside the door.

  “TSAI, show cautions,” he said and watched his TSAI as a list was generated. There were a range of contaminants that were dangerous with prolonged exposure or in large quantities, but nothing that would be immediately harmful to Cora.

  Engineering was a mess. It looked like someone had cannibalised some of the backup systems for spare parts. Either someone else had found the ship or it had been himself from a future time. He found the engines had been jury-rigged to work in a limited fashion. That’s where the parts had ended up, but he couldn’t account for the new drive core. He was certain there wasn’t a backup core on board. That meant he must’ve visited the base on Earth or returned to Valtera first, or perhaps traded for one.

  Eric sighed because this was getting complicated. He keyed notes explaining the situation into his TSAI 40. More things to do later!

  He searched the drive core for a component code and was relieved when he found it.

  “TSAI, tell me the origin of component code 736-DG761-358B.”

  “Working…” it said.

  “At least one thing is,” Eric muttered.

  “Origins: Eln’ford, Valtera. Imprint at Shenalon Dockyards, Earth. Transferred to Shenalon Storage Facility, Earth,” the AI replied.

  “Then that’s where I need to go,” Eric stated without further explanation.

  “TSAI, scan the computer system on board for a note to self.”

  “Central computer system is offline,” the robotic voice declared. “Life support is nominal.”

  It was lucky life support was working. In fact, they probably had a great deal more than luck on their side.

  Eric examined the drive core and the way it was connected. There was no way he’d burn it out, but it could overheat easily. That’s the last thing he’d want if the ship happened to be airborne at the time. He knew he could rig it up properly but it would take some time – days, maybe longer. He must’ve been in a hurry or impatient before, but there was no reason he couldn’t take his time now.

  He could probably put the ship in a comfortable orbit easily enough, but if he stayed on the ground, Cora could go out for supplies. They didn’t have much with them; the water probably wouldn’t be safe to drink and the food dispensers would be offline until he got the core up and running again. It was also possible they might need to make external repairs on the ship.

  He checked his wrist device’s readings again and considered the toxicity and radiation levels. He must’ve disposed of the old core when he brought in the new one.

  Eric took more notes, not wanting to forget anything important.

  Cora ventured through the door of Engineering; she’d been waiting outside for a long time.

  “It’s safe to come in?” she asked, a little unsure.

  “It is, mostly,” he said, with his mood easing. “You’ll be fine.”

  She showed him her wrist, where she wore the translation bead. She’d fed it on to a ribbon and tied it around her wrist.

  “That should do fine,” he replied. “Where did you find it?”

  “It’s just one I had,” she said, not explaining further.

  He reasoned that she’d probably removed it from one of her dresses.

  Cora looked around Engineering with interest. “Have you found anything that will help you get your ship running?”

  “Possibly,” Eric replied, smiling back. “I think I might’ve got some help from myself and we no longer need to worry about the ruptured drive core. I should get some parts from one of my people’s bases here. Not here-here; it’s in Antarctica.”

  “Is it really? There’s more than one?” Cora asked in surprise.

  “There are a few minor outposts as well, but we’re unlikely to find anything useful there. There’s only one large base on this planet and it hasn’t been built yet, but that’s not really a problem.”

  “When do you want to go?” Cora asked.

  “I’m not sure yet. I’m going to need some time to properly install the drive core. How would you feel about spending a week or two here, and bringing in supplies from the local village?”

  “What kinds of supplies do we need?” s
he asked a little nervously. “I’m not sure how safe it is.”

  “It should be fine,” Eric promised her. “I mean meals, sandwiches... uh food to eat,” he clarified. “We’re going to need food and water, and the plumbing will be out.”

  “What’s the plumbing?”

  “Oh, you’ll be fine,” Eric replied. “It’s me who won’t be fine.”

  “I see,” she said, her expression a little concerned.

  “There’s a cabin you can stay in on the ship. We might be a bit short on money unless you take the boat back, but you’d have to get back here.”

  “That’s a long way over the loch,” she said.

  “Yes it is,” he admitted, scratching his head. “I won’t be able to fly over and pick you up, especially with the chances of being seen. No, we’ll need the boat. We’ll have to think of something else. There’s fishing I suppose?”

  “Is there a way to make it easier?” she asked, a little uncertainly.

  “Of course there is,” he replied, chuckling, “and you’re going to love it.”

  Several days later, Cora sat in the rowboat on a day sunnier than the last. Her hair was damp from swimming and much as her father might’ve protested, she only wore her linen shift and the cap over her hair. She’d left her gift from Eric, the translator he’d given her, aboard the Equinox because she didn’t want to risk losing it in the water.

  The loch seemed impenetrable, even though it reflected some of the blue from the sky, but she already knew there was some visibility. As she watched, a subtle blue glow radiated through the water and vanished.

  “K-zap!” she exclaimed, smiling as she quoted Eric.

  A voice carried from the ship below. Eric was making use of the comm system.

  “You’re fine to gather ‘em up.”

  Cora knew she could’ve questioned why she was doing the swimming, but the truth was she didn’t mind. The ship was too much of a confined space for her liking and she enjoyed swimming in the cool water, especially since Eric had moved the ship to a more pleasant and quiet area of the loch.